...the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifyer

Philippines earns ticket to FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in India


Philip Matel
ESPN
01 November 2019

The Philippines booked a ticket in the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in India from March 18-22 next year.

FIBA made the announcement in a gala in Utsunomiya, Japan on Friday, the site of the 2019 World Tour Final. Tokyo will play host to the Summer Games next August for the first time since 1964.

The Philippines is in Group Pool C, along with Slovenia, France, Qatar, and the Dominican Republic.

A total of 20 countries will be vying for three slots for Tokyo. An additional spot will be allotted to the winner of the Universality-driven Olympic Qualifying Tournament, to be held in Hungary in April.

Host Japan and top three countries Serbia, China, and Russia were given direct qualification to the inaugural tournament in the men's division. In the women's category, Russia, China, Mongolia, and Romania directly qualified.

Other countries that have qualified include India, the United States, Latvia, Poland, Mongolia, Netherlands, Lithuania, Brazil, Belarus, Canada, Croatia,South Korea, Turkey, Spain, and New Zealand in the men's division.

Meanwhile, for the distaff division, India, Hungary, France, Iran, Netherlands, Italy, Chinese Taipei, Estonia, United States, Germany, Ukraine, Belarus, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Uruguay, Turkmenistan, Indonesia, Australia, and Sri Lanka also advanced to the tournament.

"We're very happy that the Philippines will be competing in the upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournament for a shot at making it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio.

"3x3 is an area where Filipino basketball players can really excel and we're delighted that a Filipino basketball team will get to test their skills against the world's best."

The Philippines, which started 61st in the World Rankings at the start of 2019, leapt over 40 spots and went as high as 20 -- primarily due to a collective effort on numerous fronts.

Major players include the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 tournaments, which featured four conferences, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas' Pambansang Tatluhan.

Also a contributor was the country's international involvement in this emerging variety, with several clubs like Pasig, Balanga, and Basilan participating in several high-level 3x3 competitions over the past nine months. Manila also played host to some high-profile 3x3 contests, including the first-ever Challenger tournament last September.

The pool for the 3x3 squads will be determined at a later date. However, FIBA rules stipulate that at least two of the four must be part of a country's Top 10 3x3 rankings.

To serve as tuneup for the OQT, Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 will open its 2020 season in January.

"We would like to thank the [SBP], headed by chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan and president Al Panlilio, the numerous private promoters, all the players from Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3, and of course, the Filipino people who supported us for the last nine months," bared CTG Pilipinas 3x3 league owner Ronald Mascariñas.

"The journey is far from over as the goal is to not just make it to the OQT. The endgame is to make it to Tokyo. We are all going all out to prepare our national team for this and we hope that everyone joins us in this journey."

...the Miss Tourism International 2013

 

Philippines wins 2013 Miss Tourism International
 

by Robert R. Requintina
January 2, 2014

ANOTHER PINAY WOWS THE WORLD (AP) — Angeli Dione Gomez of Cebu City reacts after being crowned as 2013-2014 Miss Tourism International in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Dec. 31, 2013. She took the crown from another Cebuana, Rizzini Alexis Gomez, the previous winner of the international beauty pageant.

Angeli Dione Gomez, 20, was crowned 2013 Miss Tourism International in the beauty pageant held in Putrajaya, Malaysia on New Year’s Eve.

Angeli won the 2013 title, succeeding Rizzini Alexis Gomez, the 2012 Miss Tourism International. Angeli and Rizzini, who are both from Cebu City, are not related.

She is the third Filipino to win the Miss Tourism International title, the first was Maria Esperanza Manzano in 2000. Her win gives the Philippines the record for the country with the most number of titles in this pageant.

New Year’s Eve Pageant

In the New Year’s Eve pageant, Angeli Gomez, who stands 5’6, bested 59 other candidates in the contest which started at the final hour of 2013 and ended as the New Year entered.

First runner-up honors went to Miss Thailand Sunidporn Srisuwan; Miss Australia Sarah Czarnuch, second runner-up; Miss Dominican Republic Michelle Alexis Torres, third runner-up; and Miss Malaysia Thaarah Ganesan, fourth runner-up.

Beauty Queen Destiny

The new Miss Tourism International is a film major from the International Academy of Film and Television in Mactan.

Angeli believes that she is destined to become a beauty queen. “Beauty queens are born, not made,” the Cebuana beauty said.

She was also crowned 2012 Reyna ng Aliwan and joined the 2013 Bb. Pilipinas Gold Edition and Miss Resorts World in 2011.

In July, 2013, she was crowned 2013 Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International in a beauty contest held in Taguig City.

Mutya in Germany

Meanwhile, fellow “Mutya” winner Andrea Koreen Medina of Quezon City won third runner-up in the 2013 Miss Intercontinental contest in Madgeburg, Germany, last December 14. It was the highest place the country achieved since Maria Sovietskaya Laviano Bacud placed second runner-up in the same pageant in 1993.

2013 Beauty Queens

This was the second time in 2013 that beauty queen mentor Rodgil Flores produced an international beauty queen. Last December, Bea Rose Santiago won the 2013 Miss International beauty contest in Tokyo, Japan. 2005 Miss International Precious Lara Quigaman Alcaraz also belonged to the “Kagandahang Flores” group.

The year 2013 finished with an impressive four major crowns for the Philippines and Top 5 placements in international beauty pageants.

In 2013, Mutya Johanna Datul won the first title for the country in the Miss Supranational contest in Belarus.

It was followed by Megan Lynne Young, the country’s first Miss World, in a pageant held in Bali, Indonesia;

 

Bea Rose Santiago, 2013 Miss International;

and now Angeli Gomez, 2013 Miss Tourism International.

Miss Philippines Maria Isabelle Zaragoza Mendoza, of San Beda College, was also crowned 2013/2014 Miss Campus World contest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last December 6. Mister Philippines Ronald William de Dios finished second in the same contest.

 

Other notable placements were Ariella Arida, third runner-up, 2013 Miss Universe contest in Moscow, Russia;

Gil Wagas, fourth runner-up, 2013 Mister International contest, Bali, Indonesia;
and Ali Forbes, 2013 Miss Grand International pageant, in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

...the Miss Grand International 2013 runner-up

At Miss Grand International 2013… Philippines places 4th

 

 

By MST Entertainment
Nov. 25, 2013

ANNALIE Forbes finished as 3rd runner up at the first Miss Grand International pageant held in Bangkok on Nov. 19. Puerto Rican Janelee Chaparro won over 74 other candidates and took home a $30,000 cash prize and a paid apartment residence in Thailand for a year during her reign as spokesperson for the pageant’s ‘Stop the War’ campaign at the international level.

Annalie Forbes’ winning form that won her fourth place

Forbes, a 20-year-old lounge singer who was second runner up in the Bb. Pilipinas 2012 pageant was handpicked to represent the Philippines at the newest beauty pageant and duplicated Ariella Arida’s placement at the Miss Universe 2013.

Dominican Republic’s Chantel Martínez was first runner up, while while Slovak Republic’s Denisa Paseciakova and Australia’s Kelly Louise Maguire were the second and fourth runners up, respectively.

Miss Grand International Janelee Chaparro of Puerto Rico (center) with Annalie Forbes (Philippines), Chantel Martinez (Dominican Republic), Denisa Paseciakova (Slovak Republic) and Kelly Louise Maguire

In the final interview, Forbes answered the top five question, “What would you do to prevent war and global conflict?” with “As a beauty queen, I will use my position to promote the advocacy of Miss Grand International by using various instruments, such as social media, the pageant itself and if necessary, a personal presence to spread the wonderful message of peace by stopping war. Thank you Thailand and all the countries who donated for (sic) my countrymen. Maraming maraming salamat po, from the Philippines!”

Ali, as she is fondly called, was Miss Bulacan 2011 and is currently a first year Infotech student at STI. She started singing at age seven and idolizes jazz queen Ella Fitzgerald.

 She had her first solo concert Invincible in March 2013, which showcased her love for jazz and bossa nova. Her father is a taxi driver so she helps in supporting the needs of her family. – Eton B. Concepcion, Photos: Miss Grand International

 

...the world's most emotional societies

 

PH named 'most emotional society' in global list

By Kim Arveen Patria

Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom

22 November 2012

 

Pinoy fans show a variety of emotions during a football game in Manila. (File Photo by Marlo Cueto, NPPA Images)

 

 

It has been dubbed as a "bright spot" amid a global slowdown and a "rising tiger" in Southeast Asia, and now the Philippines is also deemed the best in a criteria money can't buy: emotions.

This, as the Philippines is named "most emotional society" in over 140 countries surveyed by U.S. pollster Gallup, a Businessweek report Wednesday said.

Asked questions aimed at determining recently felt emotions, 60 percent of Filipino respondents answered "yes."

But that doesn't necessarily make most Pinoys drama queens, as it could also easily mean that they are the clowns.

Among the questions in the Gallup survey, Businessweek said, are: "Did you feel well rested yesterday? Were you treated with respect all day yesterday? Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?"
 

Respondents were also asked if they experienced enjoyment, physical pain, worry, sadness, stress or anger "during a lot" of the previous day.

Next to the Philippines in terms of feelings are El Salvador, where 57 percent admit to expriencing a lot of emotions; Bahrain, 56 percent; and Oman, 55 percent.

Tied at 55 percent "yes" are Chile, Costa Rica, Guatamala, Bolivia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Peru, Nicaragua and the U.S.

Singapore, meanwhile, emerged as the "most emotionless" society with only 36 percent of respondents saying they experienced a lot of feelings in the previous day.

It was followed by Georgia and Lithuania at 37 percent; and Russia, Madagascar, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazahkstan, Nepal and Kyrgystan, which are tied at 38 percent.

Earlier this year, the Philippines figured in the group of countries deemed "happy" in a separate global survey dubbed the "Happy Planet Index."

The country ranked 25th in the latest Happy Planet list, dropping from being 14th in 2009, with an index score of 52.4.

Meanwhile, official government measure of happiness was pegged at 66.2 index points in 2010, down from 67.24 in 2008.

Pinoys are happiest in the areas of education, love life, friends, family and work, data from the National Statistical Coordination Board showed.

However, Filipinos think that the "most important" sources of happiness are family, health, religion or spiritual work, work as well as peace and security.

...the UN photoshoot winner

Pinoy govt employee wins $3,000 in intl photo contest

 

November 2, 2012

GMA News

 

 

The lone Filipino finalist in the "global artistic competition" launched for the United Nations' (UN) International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) has clinched one of the top prizes in the contest, its organizer announced on Thursday (Manila time).

 

 

The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) said on its website that Billy Rey Tamio, a 24-year-old government employee and freelance photographer from Tanza, Cavite, topped the photography category of the "Coop'Art - Express Yourself" contest, which "aimed to raise young people's awareness about the cooperative movement worldwide" through music, video, and photography.

Billy Rey Tamio’s winning photo. Photo posted with permission of ICA

 

The contest was part of the ICA's celebration of the IYC, set in 2012 by the UN General Assembly through a resolution passed in December 2009 that recognizes the role of cooperatives --- or "business enterprises owned and controlled by its members" --- in socio-economic development.

 

 

Tamio's entry, which shows a group of siblings in a red all-metal sidecar driven by a boy on a bicycle, won him USD3,000 and a trip to Manchester, United Kingdom this month.

 

 

In an e-mail to GMA News Online after he was named one of the finalists, Tamio said the kids in the photo, which he took at the back of the subdivision he resides in, showed him the concept of collective perseverance towards a common goal.

 

 

"Para sa akin, ipinakita 'yung pagko-cooperate ng bawat isa para masuportahan ang isang miyembro nito. Hindi man sapat ang kanilang pangangailangan, napagtutulungan nila na matupad ang pangarap nilang magkaroon ng edukasyon," he wrote.

 

 

Aside from Tamio, other winners include Francisca Javiera Badilla Castillo of Chile (video category) and Roberto Morban Ramirez of the Dominican Republic (music category).

 

 

According to Jose Antonio Chavez Villanueva, youth representative on the ICA board, "Coop'Art" received some 170 proposals from the Asia Pacific, Africa, Americas, and Europe. - R.A. Dioquino, VVP, GMA News

...the bartending fave

Pinoy is fan fave in world bartending tilt

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

03/06/2012

 

 

Ram Ong of the Philippines was named Fan Favorite at the 21st World Bartender Championships in Dallas, Texas. Photo courtesy of T.G.I. Friday's

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino bartender Raminad “Ram” Ong was named T.G.I. Friday's Fan Favorite at the 21st annual World Bartender Championship held recently in Dallas, Texas after more than 300,000 cast their votes online.

This is the second appearance of Ong in the finals of the international bartending competition.

Ong, who works at T.G.I. Friday’s in Robinsons Place Manila, was among the nine finalists who faced off in Dallas last February 26. He competed with bartenders from Malaysia, Sweden, Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom, as well as four Americans.

But it was David Kringlund from Stureplan, Sweden who was crowned the World’s Greatest Bartender.

“This entire competition has been an exciting challenge and a phenomenal ride,” Kringlund said in a statement.

“Hours of training and preparation paid off not just with this win, but with the total experience that made me feel more a part of the Friday's family.”

The WBC, which started as a one-off challenge between two bartenders, has become acknowledged as one of the toughest international bartending competitions. Finalists were chosen based on their knowledge of the bar, the flavor of their drinks and their “flairtending” skills.

Over 1,000 spectators attended this year’s finals, led by international singer Enrique Iglesias.

“We are always impressed by the talent that comes through this competition from all corners of the world,” said Trey Hall, chief marketing officer for T.G.I. Friday’s. “Anyone can learn to mix a good drink, but our bartenders – David in particular – have that extra something that ensures anyone seated around the bar will feel Friday’s infectious energy."

---

...the best beach

Boracay named world's 2nd best beach

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

01/24/2012

 

MANILA, Philippines - Boracay island in Aklan province is the second best beach destination in the world and the No. 1 in Asia for the second year in a row, according to travel website TripAdvisor.

 

 

 

"At only 4.5 miles long, Boracay is small enough to navigate by rented bicycle or motorbike. But don't let its small size fool you -- you'll have several excellent beaches to choose from," TripAdvisor said in its website.

"Yapak beach is known for beautiful white shells; White beach has picture-perfect sunsets; and Balinghai beach is a secluded spot, perfect for honeymooners. As long as you visit during dry season, you'll agree this is one of the best beach destinations in the world," it added.

The tiny island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos remains the world's best beach destination according to TripAdvisor's list, which is based on travelers' reviews and ratings.

Palm/Eagle beach in Aruba island ranked third, followed by Negril in Jamaica, Tulum in Mexico, Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman island, Punta Cana in Dominican Republic, Cape May in New Jersey, and Santa Teresa in Costa Rica.

Other PH destinations

Baguio, known as the summer capital of the Philippines, meanwhile, ranked 22nd in TripAdvisor's list of best destinations in Asia this year.

"Baguio, perched high in the Cordillera Central Mountains, is a great place to escape the heat of the Philippine lowlands. Camp John Hay, originally built as a recreation area for US soldiers, now is a full-fledged resort complete with a world-class golf course. Definitely stop at the city market, where you can buy almost anything (just be prepared to haggle)," the travel website said.

Topping the list of best destinations in Asia is Hong Kong and globally, Cape Town in South Africa.

Meanwhile, two hotels and a resort in the country were also cited in TripAdvisor's Hotel Awards this year.

Dave's Straw Hat Inn in Boracay and Padre Burgos Castle Resort in Southern Leyte were named top hotels for service in Asia. They ranked 14th and 18th, respectively.

Alegre Beach Resort in Cebu, on the other hand, rounded out the list of top 25 all-inclusive resorts in the region.

---

...the Miss World runner-up

Gwendoline Ruais is Miss World first runner-up

by Rose Eclarinal,

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

11/07/2011

LONDON - Miss Philippines Gwendoline Ruais was named first runner-up during the Miss World beauty pageant's coronation night at Earls Court, London, Sunday.

Miss Philippines, Gwendoline Ruais, is crowned after being named as first runner-up in the Miss World 2011 contest in Earls Court in west London on November 6. Reuters

Miss Venezuela Ivian Sarcos was crowned Miss World 2011 winner. Miss Puerto Rico Amanda Victoria Vilanova Perez came third.

Miss World Organization chairman and chief executive Julia Morley said there was only a small difference between the scores of Miss Venezuela and Miss Philippines in their fight for the crown.

Ruais was happy to have the support of her fellow Filipinos who flocked to Earl Court to watch the pageant. She said she was offering her crown to her parents and Filipino kababayan.

In an interview with Ruais after the coronation, she said her nervousness was gone and she only wanted a good night's sleep.

The beauty queen said she had only wanted to give honor to the Philippines. After placing first runner-up, Ruais expressed hope that Filipinos would be proud and happy for her achievement in this competition.

Miss Venezuela wins

During the glittering final ceremony in London, Miss Venezuela Ivian Sarcos, was named winner of the Miss World beauty pageant. Wearing a pink dress with diamante studs that had giant frills slashed below the waist, the 22-year-old threw her hands to her face as she was announced the winner.

Last year's Miss World, Alexandria Mills of the United States, placed the sparkling crown on her successor's head.

"I believe that the next Miss World should be a woman of responsibility and reason," Sarcos said before winning the title.

"I believe the woman should be committed to the organisation and help people in need. Beauty with a heart", added the Venezuelan, who works for a broadcasting company and has a degree in human resources.

Miss Philippines, Gwendoline Ruais, was named the runner-up, while Miss Puerto Rico, Amanda Perez, came third in the contest, which was back in its home city to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Some 113 beauty queens from Albania to Zimbabwe took their place on the stage, with the show being broadcast live to an estimated audience of more than one billion viewers in 150 countries.

Around 50 feminists staged a demonstration outside, waving placards reading "Objectification won't achieve world peace", "Being a woman is not a competition" and "Sexism is pretty ugly".

Around a half dozen were veterans of the 1970 pageant protest, which caused a major disturbance.

Inside the Earls Court Two auditorium in west London, the few thousand fans cheered, waved national flags and shouted for their favourites.

To whittle them down to the 15 semi-finalists, several point-scoring rounds were held during the contestants' tour of Britain over the previous two weeks, with the results revealed on stage.

Miss Venezuela topped the interview round; Miss Dominican Republic, Marianly Tejada Burgos, was named the general sports champion; home favourite Miss England, Alize Lily Mounter, won the beach beauty title, while Miss Kazakhstan, Zhanna Zhumaliyeva, was named top model.

The crowd were played clips from the talent round -- where performers sang, danced and gave piano recitals -- won by Miss Chile, Gabriela Paz Pulgar Luco.

Miss Ghana, Stephanie Adwoa Agyeiwaa Karikari, and Miss Indonesia, Astrid Ellena Indriana Yunadi, were the joint winners of the beauty with a purpose category, where contestants can highlight a charity project.

With the scores in and only the top 15 going through to the semi-final, Miss Puerto Rico topped the leaderboard, ahead of Miss Venezuela, Miss Philippines, Miss Ukraine and Miss Scotland.

The final seven, chosen by the judges, were Miss England, Miss Korea, Miss Philippines, Miss Puerto Rico, Miss Scotland, Miss South Africa and Miss Venezuela.

It was announced that Ordos in Inner Mongolia, China, will host the 2012 competition. -with Agence France-Presse

...the Vuitton becomes charity

A first–Vuitton works with PH group for needy kids

The luxury goods company’s ‘zero tolerance’ for counterfeiting dovetails with the NGO’s zero tolerance for child abuse

By: Alex Y. Vergara
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

At the onset, it seemed like an unlikely pairing: Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s biggest and most recognizable luxury brands, and SOS Children’s Village, one of the world’s largest NGOs dedicated to helping disadvantaged children.

But this seeming disconnect didn’t stop Paris-based LV from forging a five-year partnership in 2010 with the Imst, Austria-based SOS.

Dubbed as “Partnership for Children’s Futures,” LV, through its intellectual property department, is donating $500,000 to SOS over the said period, to be divided among the NGO’s key education and intervention programs in four developing countries: China, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic and the Philippines.

It marks the first time LV is donating to charity in the Philippines in a major way. The company is also expanding its Philippine store at Greenbelt 4, Makati.

Led by Bienvenido Delgado, SOS’s national director in the Philippines, the NGO runs children’s villages in Davao, Lipa and Tacloban. Through Jean Baptiste Debains, president of LV in Asia-Pacific, the company has allotted $120,000 to SOS Philippines to be used over a two-year period.

Family-strengthening programs

The HK-based Debains recently flew to Manila to announce the development. Joining him in a media conference at Makati Shangri-La were Delgado and Rhea De Vera-Aguirre, LV’s country manager in the Philippines.

Since the partnership’s thrust in the Philippines is on “family-strengthening programs,” the amount won’t go directly to SOS’s villages in the three Philippine cities. Each village is dedicated to raising and educating orphaned and abandoned children.

Instead, the amount aims to support families at risk of abandoning their children or making them work due to extreme poverty. The ongoing program, which targets kids from needy families within a five- to seven-km radius from the three SOS-run villages, places strong emphasis on preventing kids from being forced into child labor.

“There are already ongoing programs in Lipa and Tacloban, where we will start to earmark some of the funds,” said Delgado.

LV gave SOS Philippines a free hand to prioritize projects that need urgent funding, provided these projects are geared toward family strengthening.

“It’s quantifiable in the sense that you will be able to see healthy kids going regularly to school for the next two years. This is where the series of programs starts. It’s a cooperation to get them healthy and in school,” said Delgado.

“The program’s thrust of supporting children living outside the three SOS villages involves helping provide for their food, clothes and books,” Debains added. “By supporting their families, we are encouraging them to stay with their families, because we believe that no one or nothing can take the place of an ideal family in bringing up a child.”

Perfect fit

It may sound ironic that the money funding this series of global programs came from damages LV has won so far from the string of lawsuits the company has filed in its ongoing war with counterfeiters the world over. But to Debains, the partnership as well as the source of funds sustaining it is a “perfect fit.”



Rather than reinvest the entire amount it wins in damages, LV’s central office has chosen to give away a considerable portion to charity. The amount LV generates, Debains said, is way below the untold sums it spends annually running after counterfeiters.

LV’s “zero tolerance” for counterfeiting also dovetails with SOS’s zero tolerance for child abuse. And in the often murky and complicated network of counterfeiting run by criminal syndicates, child labor is invariably involved.

The choice of a partner, he said, is based more on trust and not the result of endless studies to determine ideal beneficiaries. If that were the case, LV would be bogged down and end up doing nothing.

“Since the money came from our fight against counterfeits, it was particularly relevant for us to support children’s education,” he said. “Again, it’s a way to keep kids away from child labor, which is one of the ill effects of counterfeit activities.”

But whether or not child labor is connected to the proliferation of fake LV Speedies and Neverfulls, people at LV have taken it upon themselves to focus on underprivileged children as part of the company’s thrust.

“There are other forms of child labor, but in a considerable number of cases counterfeiting is involved,” said Debains, himself a father of two young children. “By supporting children’s education, we not only help children to develop a life of their own away from counterfeits, but beyond that, to help them build a life for themselves.”

Success stories

Delgado, who assumed the post in 1999 after a life-long career as a banker, has witnessed countless success stories of SOS’s former children-beneficiaries. Assistance in some cases extends up to college and even six months after graduation to help the fledgling graduate find a decent job.

“A number have since left to work for our Norwegian partners in Norway’s shipping industry,” he said. “They finished their maritime studies and have landed jobs in Norwegian ships. Our SOS Children’s Village director in Davao used to be a child under our care.”

The lucrative world of luxury fashion, wherein LV is a major player, may seem lightweight, but the underworld of counterfeiting, which it has spawned, is certainly not. It’s a cause for concern not only to LV, but also to its competitors, governments and those in allied industries.

Through its cooperation with local police, LV has joined in regular raids in Greenhills in San Juan City and other counterfeit hotbeds in the Philippines.

“But it goes beyond Louis Vuitton and other luxury brands,” said Debains. “You have counterfeit medicines, car parts. Often these are linked to a kind of parallel economy that involves lots of money and various forms of criminal activities.”

It’s a serious and continuous problem, he conceded, that requires vigilance and the concerted efforts between affected companies, the authorities and the public.

“As soon as they go outside the legal framework, not only do people involved in these illegal activities avoid paying taxes, they can also freely use substandard materials that can be hazardous to both their workers’ and the general public’s health,” said Debains. “That’s why Louis Vuitton has taken it upon itself to contribute to help solve the problem by running after them and directly helping disadvantaged children. We will not solve the entire problem, but it’s a start. All of us can make small differences

...the ex-Pres

Arroyo honored in Dominican Republic

By RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

05/06/2011

MANILA, Philippines - This is why former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is out of the country.

The government website of the Dominican Republic has revealed that the former Philippine leader was honored by the government of the Caribbean country. 

The report dated, May 4, 2011, said Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez honored Arroyo with the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella in the Grade of Gran Cruz Placa de Oro.


The award is contained in Decree 278-11, issued by President Fernandez.

The government of the Dominican Republic said the award was granted to recognize Arroyo’s efforts to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the Philippines and Latin America, besides being the initiator of the creation of FEALAC entity formed to strengthen relations between the countries of the Association of South East Asian ASEAN.

Arroyo thanked her hosts for the award and added that her visit serves to strengthen relations between the 2 nations.