...the PH IMO seat

Philippines re-elected to IMO

By John Carlo Cahinhinan
Sun Star

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

MANILA (Updated) -- The Philippines once again bagged a seat in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) during its 28th Annual Assembly in London, United Kingdom.

The IMO is the United Nations' specialized agency responsible for ensuring maritime safety, security and protection of marine environment, while its assembly serves as the executive organ of the agency that is responsible for overseeing the work of the entire organization.

Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) administrator Maximo Mejia said the country was placed under "Category C," which includes countries with "special interests in maritime transport or navigation."

The Marina administrator explained that a "Category C" nation has special interest in maritime transport or navigation and whose election into the council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.

Those member states that belonged to the same category include Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey.

Around one-third of the world's seafarers' population comes from the Philippines.

Mejia noted that the country, as a maritime nation, is deeply committed to the goals of the IMO in a very concrete manner, particularly on the benefits from the operation of safe and secure ships on clean oceans.

"We rely on the seas to connect our thousands of islands and on its bounty for our food and our economy," Mejia said.

He also reassured the international maritime community of the Philippines' adherence to the conventions, rules and regulations set by the IMO and other international regulatory bodies.

"Being the source of more than a quarter of all seafarers on-board ships in the international trade is a position of great responsibility, and the Philippines reassures the international maritime community of its commitment to the letter and intent of the STCW Convention and to ensuring that the world’s ships are manned by able, competent, and qualified seafarers," Mejia said. (Sunnex)

 

...the PH seat in UNESCO body

Philippines wins seat in UNESCO'€™s World Heritage Committee

By: InterAksyon.com
November 21, 2013

The Ifugao Rice Terraces is one of the five World Heritage Sites in the Philippines designated by UNESCO. (Photo: Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, InterAksyon.com)

 

Tourism in the Philippines got an added boost as the country won a seat in the prestigious World Heritage Committee on Wednesday after elections were held during the 19^th Session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention.

This year’s elections brought together 22 country candidates who vied for 12 available seats in the Committee.

The Philippines garnered the second highest vote in the elections, having received 116 votes from the total of 173 votes cast. This was a clear indication of States Parties’ support for and belief in the country’s capabilities to perform the important mission of the Committee.

Together with the Philippines, Croatia, Finland, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Lebanon, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Turkey and Viet Nam will now join the other 9 current members of the World Heritage Committee.
 
The Philippines will serve a 4-year term until 2017.

During her remarks before the General Assembly, Ambassador Cristina G. Ortega expressed appreciation for the trust bestowed upon the Philippines. She assured the Assembly that the Philippines will be an active and responsible member who will work hard for the interests of the world’s cultural and natural heritage. She also said “that this is indeed happy news for my country”.

The General Assembly of States Parties meets every two years and elects new members to the World Heritage Committee to replace the outgoing members and it determines the uniform percentage of contributions to the World Heritage Fund applicable to all States Parties.

The 21-member World Heritage Committee is one of the most prestigious bodies associated with UNESCO whose main responsibility is to implement the World Heritage Convention. The Committee decides on whether a property is inscribed in or deleted from the World Heritage List. It examines reports on the state of conservation of inscribed properties and asks States Parties to take action when properties are not being properly managed. It also determines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests made by States Parties.

The campaign for the Philippine candidature to the Committee was spearheaded by the Permanent Delegation of the Philippines to UNESCO, led by Ambassador Ortega, with valuable support and coordination provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines.

 

...the Pinoy foods invade UK

Bagoong, chicharon now sold at UK supermarket chain

 

By Patrick Camara Ropeta,

ABS-CBN Europe New Bureau

10/02/2012

 

 

LONDON - Food products from the Philippines are now available at one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK, raising hopes of Filipino businesses for trade and exports in mainstream British market.

 

Retail giant Tesco launched a selection of Filipino food products at 10 of its stores across the country, including London, Manchester, Birmingham and Northern Ireland.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at one of the stores, Tesco Extra in Sandhurst, Berkshire, on Monday, 01 October, led by Ambassador Enrique Manalo from the Philippine Embassy in London.



“This is a great opportunity for Philippine products to be tasted by the British public, and a great way to mainstream [Filipino] products into the UK market and make it available to British consumers,” he told ABS-CBN News.

The ambassador, who bought the first Filipino products to be sold at the store, added: “Our own Filipino community will have an opportunity too to go to major supermarket chains like Tesco, one of the largest in the UK. They will be very happy with this development and it would be a great way to get our products known to more people in this country.”

The market launch is part of an initiative from the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in London (PTIC), an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.


“It was earlier this year that we introduced Manning Impex to Tesco, and from there they forged a partnership into having our Philippine products enter mainstream market, and this is just the start,” said Kristine Umali, commercial attache and director of PTIC UK.


“We promote the Philippines as a destination for investment, and at the same time, we promote our trade with the UK, particularly focusing on Philippine exports. This launch is a clear manifestation of the opportunity for Philippine products to enter the UK market.”

Manning Impex seemed like a perfect match for Tesco, a multibillion British retail corporation with stores all over the UK, Europe and Asia.

"To sum it up in a sentence: to have Philippine foods in the World Food aisle is where it deserves to be," said Michael Cheong, chief operating officer at Manning Impex, UK-based exporters of Philippine food products, which celebrated it’s 25th year anniversary earlier this year.

“There are two-fold effects I feel: one is the more widespread availability of Filipino stores outside Pinoy sari-saris for example. And the second is to put on the map Philippine foods onto UK tables and kitchen tables up and down the UK and Ireland. Filipinos need their food from home, and UK households are learning too about Filipino food.”

With over 30% market share in British supermarkets, Tesco already stocks products from around the world including Jamaica, Thailand, China, India and Poland.

“We’ve introduced Chinese and Indian products many years ago and our customers have bought into it and shopped into them because they like home cooking. With the Filipino range, it gives them different flavors to consider,” said Terry Cushing, store manager at Tesco Extra in Sandhurst.

Filipino products available at Tesco supermarkets include popular items like bagoong, patis, chicharon, sandwich fillings, crisps, instant noodles, and canned goods.

Participating Tesco stores, chosen for their proximity to the largest Filipino communities in the UK, are: Sandhurst Extra (Berkshire), Wembley Extra (London), Harrow Station Road (London), Cheetham Hill (Manchester), Chestnut Extra (Hertfordshire), Horwich Extra (Lancashire), Stockton Extra (Stockton-on-Tees), Springhill (Birmingham), Yardley Extra (Birmingham), and Dungannon Superstore (Northern Ireland).

...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.

---