...the first Asian to Royal Academy

Angara 1st Asian named to royal Spanish academy

By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—The prestigious Real Academia Hispano Americana de Ciencias, Artes y Letras de Cadiz (Hispanic American Royal Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters) has a new member from Asia.

Sen. Edgardo Angara is the first Asian to be appointed Corresponding Academic Member of the academy, founded in 1909 with King Alfonso XIII as it first honorary president, to promote cultural ties between Spain and the Hispanic nations of Latin America.

The academy is a corporation under Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is based in the historic Spanish city of Cadiz. Its current honorary president is King Juan Carlos I.

“This is a great honor not only for myself but also for our country and I thank the Royal Academy for the incomparable opportunity to be a member of their academic community,” Angara said.

He described the Royal Academy as one of Spain’s leading institutions on the humanities “endowed with the unique role of promoting linkages with Hispanic nations in America.”

According to Angara, the academy was now reaching out to Asia, primarily through the Philippines.

“We share a common heritage and a common goal—to once again become partners in economic, social and academic development,” he said.

Rekindling Spanish ties

Angara was nominated and appointed for his contributions in revitalizing and strengthening the Philippines’ relations with Spain, Mexico and other Latin American nations with which it shares a common history and heritage of being at one time related to the countries in the Iberian peninsula, particularly Spain.

The senator’s efforts to rekindle the Philippines’ historic ties with Spain and Mexico led to the institutionalization of the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Act and the Dia del Galeon (Day of the Galleon) celebration, according to his profile.

Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day is celebrated every June 30. The first International Dia del Galeon Festival was held in September and October 2010, commemorating the importance of the galleon trade which flourished between 1565 and 1815 between Manila and Acapulco in Mexico. The Philippines played a key role in the trade route using galleons which linked Asia to Europe via Mexico.

Outstanding academic

Angara was awarded Spain’s Premio Casa Asia in 2010, the first Southeast Asian to win the foreign policy prize. He is also the Philippines’ official representative to the Unión Latina, an organization consisting of 37 member-nations speaking the neo-Latin languages.

The senator was also cited as an outstanding academic and intellectual, having served as president of the University of the Philippines, and for his advocacy of the development of education, culture and the arts.

Alicia Castellanos Escudier, treasurer and member of the Royal Academy’s board of governors, said the board approved the appointment of Angara as Corresponding Academic Member from Manila in February.
The Royal Academy has Corresponding Academic Members from Spain, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Colombia, the Czech Republic and the United States.

Angara said he will be delivering his inaugural address as Corresponding Academic Member before the Royal Academy at a date still to be set.

His responsibilities include sitting as a member of the committees overseeing the publication of the Royal Academy’s books and other publications.


Longest-serving senator

Angara is one of the country’s longest-serving senators, having been elected to four consecutive six-year terms since 1987, except during a mandatory term break from 1998 to 2001. He served as president of the Senate from 1993 to 1995 during the term of President Fidel Ramos.

Angara, who served as president of the University of the Philippines from 1981 to 1987, started his political career when he was elected one of the delegates from Quezon province to the 1971 Constitutional Convention.

He served as agriculture secretary of deposed President Joseph Estrada from 1999 to January 2001, and then briefly served as Estrada’s executive secretary from Jan. 6 to 20, 2001.

A founding member of the prominent Angara, Concepcion, Cruz, Regala and Abello (Accra) law office, he was president of the Philippine Bar Association and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in the 1970s.
In 1980, he became founding president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Law Association.

The Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Act and the Dia del Galeon were institutionalized through Angara’s efforts to revive the country’s ties with Spain and Mexico, Spain’s colony in the Americas through which it administered the then Philippine colony.

In 2010, Angara became the first Southeast Asian to be awarded Spain’s foreign policy award, Premio Casa Asia. He was also selected to receive the Commandeur de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques—the Commander grade of the French Republic’s Order of Academic Palms—for his contributions to promoting excellence in higher education.

The Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Order of Academic Palms) is an Order of Chivalry of France for academics and cultural and academic figures.

Born on Sept. 24, 1934, in Baler, Aurora, Angara received a law degree from UP in 1958 and his master of laws from the University of Michigan in 1964.

He has four children with his wife, the former Gloria Manalang.

...the Japanese investment

Japan to pour more investments in PH

External trade survey rates the country ‘least problematic’

By Gil C. Cabacungan
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

The Japanese are back and a euphoric President Benigno Aquino III says he expects the wave of Japanese investments currently pouring into the country to continue for some time.


After Japan’s power, infrastructure and supply chain were laid waste by the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident exactly a year ago this month, Japan’s businessmen are looking to expand outside their country and are taking a very strong interest in the Philippines, Mr. Aquino said.

The President’s bullish expectations are supported by the country’s businessmen who believe that Japan’s renewed interest in the Philippines will pave the way for other foreign investors to follow.

“Japan has 50 nuclear reactors and of the 50, only three are still operating. It’s no joke to lose almost 50 nuclear plants and that is a major factor in [businesses] moving some of their operations out of Japan and bringing them here. I believe Japan will continue to be one of our biggest investors,” Mr. Aquino said in an interview.

The President is anchoring this rosy outlook on Japanese investments on last year’s data on foreign direct investments (FDI) which surged to P256.1 billion, 30.6 percent higher than the P196.1 billion registered in 2010. It was also the highest since the P241.1 billion notched three administrations ago in 1996.

The National Statistics Coordination Board reported that Japan was the top source of foreign capital pledges with a 30.2-percent share, ahead of the United States (27.5 percent) and the Netherlands (11.1 percent).

Mr. Aquino noted that Japanese companies operating in the Philippines were among the most enthusiastic endorsers of the country.

“For example, a manufacturer of (automotive) wire harnesses has induced cable manufacturers (from Japan) to move their plants here because of the volume. I think this is what’s happening now not only for small industries but big ones like steel manufacturing,” said the President who hinted that a major steel maker from Japan was keen to set up shop here.

He said the Philippines was already the fourth-largest shipbuilder in the world after China, South Korea and Japan, and the establishment of a steel plant in the country could push the Philippines higher in the rankings in this basic sector.

The President said his administration’s efforts to sell the Philippines as an ideal foreign investment site had paid off with most Japanese businessmen rating the country as having the most “hospitable” environment for business expansion.

He cited a recent survey by Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) among Japanese-affiliated businesses in the Asia and Oceania regions.

“Their questions were on the negative side, like what were the problems they (businessmen) encountered in recruiting labor, recruiting supervisory personnel, land acquisition or rental. And in all of the business concerns, the Philippines was practically rated as having the least problems for businessmen. The way to look at that is that is a positive for us,” said Mr. Aquino.

The Jetro survey, which was conducted from August to September 2011, covered 731 Japanese manufacturing and service firms with operations in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Burma (also known as Myanmar), India, Thailand, Malaysia and China.

PH least problematic

In the survey, the Philippines had the least problems when it comes to increasing financial costs (China and Malaysia were the worst), rising prices or shortage of land or office (India and Vietnam were the worst), and skyrocketing payroll costs (Thailand and Vietnam were the worst).

The Philippines was rated as having the least problems in terms of recruiting general staff (Vietnam and Malaysia were the worst), recruiting executives (Burma and Vietnam were the worst), low rate of employment retention (Vietnam and Malaysia were the worst), problems in workers competency (Burma and Vietnam were the worst), and difficulty in quality control (India and China were the worst).

In terms of labor costs, the Philippines had the least problems in salary base rate (Vietnam and India were the worst) although it ranked slightly higher in terms of salaries for managers and engineers.

Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo said that the lingering effects of Japan’s triple disasters in 2011 were not the only reason driving Japanese investors to the Philippines.

“It’s our improved competitiveness as well in terms of labor cost and quality of work force. A lot of Japanese investors are coming in, including the big ones such as Brother and Canon, and there are a lot who are seriously looking right now,” said Domingo in a text message.

Domingo was one of the Cabinet members who was in Tokyo just a month before the disaster struck in Japan on March 11, 2011. The Philippine officials were in Japan for an investor roadshow aimed at highlighting the reforms being done under the Aquino administration such as a commitment to cut bureaucratic red tape and clamp down on corruption.

‘VIP’

Domingo said the recent visit of the Keidanren (the Japan Business Federation), considered the most influential of Japan’s major economic organizations, was proof of the strong level of interest in the Philippines.

“Its delegation consisted of the chairs and CEOs of the largest Japanese conglomerates, there were about 20 of them. That level of participation has not happened in a long time,” he said.

Ramon del Rosario Jr., chair of the Makati Business Club, confirmed the President’s claim that the Philippines was “back on the radar screen of Japanese investors.”

“Just last Thursday, at a farewell lunch for the Mitsubishi country head, Nobuya Ichiki, who is also a leader of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, [he] told us that the present focus of Japanese investors is VIP—for Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines,” Del Rosario said in a text message.

“This is our best shot at Japanese investments in our manufacturing sector since we missed out in 1989 because of the tremendously destructive coup attempt that year. But we need to get our act together and present the best investment options, with Vietnam and Burma aggressively pursuing Japanese investments as well,” Del Rosario said.

Francis Chua, chair of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the resurgence in Japanese investments was part of the growing trend of companies exiting from China, which had sucked out most of the manufacturing jobs in the Philippines more than a decade ago with the globalization of trade and investments.

With labor costs shooting up in China, foreign investors are looking to returning to the other countries that they abandoned like the Philippines, said Chua.

“We’re elated by the surge in Japanese investments but we should not lose sight of getting other foreign investors like the Chinese who also want to escape China’s escalating labor costs,” he said in a phone interview.

Not keen on tax perks


Unlike previous administrations, Mr. Aquino said he was not too keen about making tax perks the main tool in attracting Japanese and other foreign investors into the country as he had promised to end the government’s deficit spending.

“We’re doing it differently now and we are attracting them to come here for fundamental business reasons like quality labor and less graft and not because we give the highest incentives,” he said.

...the US outstanding women

Two Fil-Am women cited in US for outstanding achievements

March 18, 2012

GMANews

Two Filipino-American women were honored last week by the United States-based National Council for Research on Women for their leadership that changes “the way the world looks” at females.



Stephanie Mehta, Fortune Magazine executive editor



Analisa Balares, Womensphere CEO

According to the Asian Journal, Womensphere CEO Analisa Balares and Fortune Magazine executive editor Stephanie Mehta were recognized as part of the “30 outstanding leaders for their contributions to changing the way the world looks at women” during the annual “Making a Difference for Women Awards Dinner” of the organization.

Balares heads Womensphere, “a global community of leaders, organizations, and companies aligned by shared purpose of unleashing women’s potential,” which she launched in 2008.

It “has conducted 20 conferences and forums convening over 3,500 leaders in both the US and Europe,” the Asian Journal said.

The report added that prior to this award, Balares was cited by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader and was named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipino Women in America.

Meanwhile, Mehta, whose mother is Filipino, “oversees technology, international, and Washington coverage at Fortune,” it also said, adding that she “helps set the overall editorial direction for the magazine and serves as co-chair of two of Fortune’s live events.”

In an interview with the Asian Journal, Balares said: “I’m quite excited to be included, and to be representing the Philippines, in a roster of 29 other global leaders across all industries and fields.”

The event, which marked the 30th anniversary of the Council, honored several “big-wing” women in the US including:

Beth Brooke of Ernst & Young;
Abigail Disney, Pamela Hogan, and Gini Retiker of the Women, War & Peace series on TV station PBS;
Anita Hill of Brandeis University; and
Soledad O’Brien of CNN.

- Rose-An Jessica Dioquino, VVP, GMA News

...the Voice

Fil-Am one of 24 finalists in 'The Voice'

ELTON LUGAY,

The FilAm

March 18, 2012

Count Cheesa Laureta among the many Filipinos whose career paths are generally paved in two directions: music and health care. Confident of her singing talent, she chose music over the more stable prospects of becoming a nurse.

The Hawaii-born couldn’t be happier when she became a finalist in “The Voice,” a new reality show where aspirants compete on vocal prowess alone, as opposed to “American Idol” where looks, charisma and attitude add to the points system. She is among the 24 finalists.


“It was nerve-wracking,” Cheesa, 21, told The FilAm in a phone interview. “I know Adam (Levine, a judge) chose me but when I heard Blake (Shelton) and Christina (Aguilera) chose Angie, I didn’t know what to expect. I was praying that somehow, something would turn Cee Lo around.”


Like gladiators, Cheesa and Angie Jackson, her closest competitor, dueled in an arena-type stage singing “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – their weapons nothing but their powerful pipes.


Watch it here.


Judge Cee Lo Green ultimately chose Cheesa.


“To be able to do the show and make it this far is like proving that if you work hard at what you want to do in life, you will eventually make it,” she said.


Cheesa was born and raised in Hawaii, but her family moved to Los Angeles in 2007. Her parents are both Filipino. Her mom is from Cebu, her dad, a marine, from Manila. She has an older brother, who is a musical director for Charice in the Philippines.


“My family struggled financially,” she said. “My dad wanted me to be in a more stable field like nursing.”


This is not her first time on “The Voice,” a reality talent show on NBC. She auditioned during the first season but didn’t make it. Her brother urged her to try again.


“I love the concept of the show where you’re going to this blind audition and the judges don’t know how you look. They’re not even basing you on your parents or your race, how big or small you are, they are just basing you solely on your voice. And I respect that because that’s what a lot of musicians want, respect for people to love their music and their voice,” she explained. Like “Idol,” text voting is allowed.


They will be mentored by the judges in terms of song choices or interpretation. Each of the four judges will have six contestants. Cheesa is with rapper/songwriter Cee Lo.


“Cee Lo is such a true artist and he’s not afraid to show it,” she said. “His music is not just genre which I respect. He’s able to mold himself and turn songs around his own style. And that taught me to be more confident in my performance and myself as an artist and to be myself.”


A graduate of the  Fashion Institute of L.A., Cheesa said she started singing at 4 years old, starting at home and in school. Later she would be invited to sing at parties and community gatherings. She is now bound for the global stage.


“If this is your passion, this is what you want to do, no matter how long it takes, it’s going to pay off cause you’re working hard at it,” she said. “Finally I get the chance to do what I want to do. That’s music.”


Sounding off on bloggers who say she’s distancing herself from her Filipino ethnicity, Cheesa decried the accusations: “I’m very proud and happy that I’m a Filipino, very proud of my cultural heritage. But I didn’t want to make that the only reason why Filipinos would vote for me. The purpose of the show was to show us that we’re special and appreciate the music, artistry.” - The FilAm

...the transformation

'The Best Is Yet To Come'

Aquino Parades Government Gains

By JC BELLO RUIZ

March 17, 2012

Manila Bulletin

“...we are on the threshold of transforming this country, our society, and the lives of our people." - Pres. Benigno Aquino III

MANILA, Philippines — Citing the big gains in the Philippine economy, particularly the record jump in the stock market, President Benigno S. Aquino III proclaimed that “we are on the threshold of transforming this country, our society, and the lives of our people."

Speaking during the 20th anniversary of the Anvil Business Club at a hotel in Makati City last Friday, the President confidently predicted that the best is yet to come for the country.

Earlier in the day the Philippine Stock Exchange index hit 5,145.89 points, a new high.

"Who could have imagined, two years ago, that our stock market would set record highs 21 times in as many months in office by this administration? Just Saturday, it closed at 5,145.89. I would like it to grow bigger, with more record highs than my months in service. And I think that is very possible," Aquino said.

With greater cooperation between government and the private sector, Aquino expressed belief that the best is yet to come for the country.

"We are on the road to becoming one of the world’s more successful economies: HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) recently predicted that by the year 2050 we will be the 16th largest economy in the world. Of course this is still a long way off, but two years ago, how many people imagined that we would be receiving such distinctions?," he said.

"How many people thought that when agencies like the Japanese JETRO agency surveyed Japanese firms in Asia and Oceania, that their conclusions would say that we have significant advantages, as far as cost of doing business, the supply and quality of labor, and employee salaries, compared to other countries in the region? Making us, in fact, the number one business destination in Asia, whether in the manufacturing or service sectors," the President stressed.

At the same time, the President also asked for greater cooperation between management and labor.

"This is just the start. Management has the vision and the resources; workers have the wherewithal to use those resources and make that vision a reality. Imagine what heights we can soar to, if management and labor can propel each other upward by truly working together," Aquino said.

"We can, and we have already been doing it. The challenge before us is to accelerate this transformation further. Together, it will be done," Aquino said.

The President also said he hopes to attract 10 million tourists to the Philippines annually by 2016 as he revealed a proposal to reserve 78 new ecotourism sites.

“There are about 14 million tourists who visit Thailand, about 22-24 million visit Malaysia. In comparison when we got it to office there was only three million that visit the Philippines, so therefore this is an experience that has yet to be experienced by a lot more of the citizens of the world," he said during the forum following his speech.

Aquino underscored the importance of upgrading the country's airports.

"Once the upgrades in the airports, in particular, have been achieved, and we have approved upgrades to Kalibo, Caticlan, Puerto Princesa, Laguindingan in Cagayan de Oro, and others, and of course, Clark will not be left behind. Then this will make travel easier," he said.

Aquino, who is barely two years in office, said he feels he is already on his fourth year. The President's term will end at noon of June 30, 2016.

His consolation is that at least his administration is "a little quieter" than that of his late mother, former President Corazon Aquino, who had to fend several coup d'etats.

"Well, for one thing I had not to content with nine coup d’etats so it’s a little quieter. The other thing is of course, I think, I did say in my speech that I’m standing on the shoulders of those that came before us. So I was not thrust into it and expected---you know, it’s like being thrust into deep end of the pool. At least I was wading in the shallow end of the pool during my mother’s term that gave me some ideas of what to expect when I got here," Aquino said.

He said there are a lot of "good news" about the Philippines' economic gains though they are hardly reported in the local media.

...the Playboy coverboy

Bruno Mars Joins Elite Club Of Playboy Cover Boys

By KAYE VILLAGOMEZ

March 17, 2012

 
 
 
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American hitmaker Bruno Mars has become the 10th man to rule a Playboy cover, out next month in the US.
 
A guitar-playing Mars has joined the league of interesting Playboy cover boys spread throughout 58 years of publication. The funny men-dominated roster – who have shared published jacket snap shots with one or a group of sexy bunnies – included Peter Sellers (April 1967), Burt Reynolds (October 1979), Steve Martin (January 1980), Dan Aykroyd (August 1993), Jerry Seinfeld (October 1993), Leslie Nielsen (February 1996), and Seth Rogen (April 2009). Donald Trump made it on the cover in March 1990.
 
The “It Will Rain” singer becomes only the second musician to hit the magazine’s banner after Gene Simmons.
 
Mars is seen in his best ’50s rock mood alongside Miss April cover girl, Raquel Pomplun. The 26-year-old singer-songwriter was picked for the magazine’s sex and music issue.

The doo-wop music fan said he impersonated Elvis Presley as a child and his music-loving family influenced a great deal in his craft.

“Growing up in the showbiz world, I looked up to those guys: Frank Sinatra and, of course, Elvis Presley. My dad was into the 1950s doo-wop era. If you look at those groups, or at James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and the Temptations in the 1960s, you’ll see you had to be sharp onstage.”

But it was Jimi Hendrix who made Mars “pick up a guitar” for the first time. He said to Playboy, “I think he’s (Hendrix) the greatest guitar player in the world, and I would want to see him do his thing in person. He’s the reason I picked up a guitar in the first place.”

...the vote of confidence

Investors' 'vote of confidence' sends benchmark index to new all-time high

March 16, 2012

GMA News

Local listed equities continued to explore uncharted territory Friday as the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) closed the trading week at another all-time high of 5,145.89 points by rising 2.3 percent or 114.11 points—its largest growth rate since Feb. 17 at 114.14.

“It appears that as a general trend, the equities market is being rewarded by investors with a huge vote of confidence. Our market continues to uncover new territories and we hope this influences trading activity and redounds to new issuances,” PSE President and Chief Executive Officer Hans B. Sicat said.

The market rode a wave of investor confidence that swept through Asian markets after the United States released new upbeat economic data.

U.S. jobless benefits claims fell to a four-year low last week, while the New York Federal Reserve's Empire State general business conditions index hit its highest since June 2010 last month. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank's business activity index also showed manufacturing kept growing in the region this month.

Asian shares edged higher on Friday while the dollar took a breather as its recent broad rally spurred some profit taking, with a fresh batch of encouraging U.S. economic data further underpinning investor sentiment.

The MSCI Asia Pacific ex-Japan index was up 0.1 percent, for a weekly gain of nearly 1 percent. The index has risen 13.7 percent so far this year, recovering three-quarters of an 18 percent loss posted last year.

Japan's Nikkei steadied and held near an 8-month high reached on Thursday. The benchmark is up nearly 20 percent this year, reclaiming all of last year's 17 percent drop.

Analysts say the rebound is being driven mostly by investors buying back assets which they sold heavily last year when concerns were intensifying over the euro zone's debt crisis spinning out of control and hurting global growth.

"The market is still going through a relief rally more than chasing a new trend on global growth," Barclays Capital analysts said.

"We are getting into profit-taking territory," they added.

Sentiment has improved since then on signs of stronger U.S. growth, after Greece secured a second international bailout fund and as capital conditions improved at big U.S. banks. Fears of another global financial crisis also have eased substantially as central banks took aggressive measures to flood the system with ample cash.

World stocks held near the previous day's 7-1/2 month high on Friday and crude oil rebounded, sticking with a rally in riskier markets this week due to robust economic data from both sides of the Atlantic.

U.S. shares gained on Thursday, with the S&P 500 closing above 1,400 for the first time since 2008, partly driven by strong regional manufacturing data.

"Investors risk aversion has fallen dramatically since November mainly due to the positive impact of the two successive long-term refinancing operations of the European Central Bank," Olivier Huet, fund manager at Edmond de Rothschild, which manages a total of 12.4 billion euros, said.

"Fears that a credit crunch would have disastrous effects on the economy have evaporated," Huet added. — with Reuters/ELR, GMA News