pinay<3pinoy

(Interaksyon) MANILA— The Philippines is monitoring external developments to see how authorities can intervene in financial markets to address risks like the depreciation of its peso PHP= currency, its economic planning chief said on Tuesday.

The government can deploy monetary tools like tweaks in the interest rate and market intervention to tame the peso’s depreciation, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told a news conference after a meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his economic team, where topics of inflation and exchange rate was discussed… Read More

(InquirerPh) MANILA, Philippines—As the country anticipates a law which would give rise to facilities housing the proposed Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines, two views are emerging on its risks and benefits.

Foreign scientists see possible risks but a local expert sees benefits outweighing these concerns.

In July 2021, the House of Representatives approved on final reading House Bill No. 9559, which proposes the creation of the Virology Institute of the Philippines (VIP).

The bill said the VIP, as an agency attached to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), would be “the premier research and development institute in the field of virology, encompassing all areas in viruses and viral diseases in humans, plants and animals.”.. Read More

(SunStar) THERE is an apparent reason to be happy that four Philippine universities have made it to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Ateneo de Manila University landed 351-400, the University of the Philippines 801-1000, De La Salle University 1201-1500, and Mapua University 1501+.

I would like to parenthetically remark that this sort of honor bestowed on our universities should not be taken as a definitive conclusion that implies that other schools are not good. In the end, I always believe that whether here or abroad no school or university has the monopoly on academic excellence.

While some are proud that their university has made it to the higher realm of global academic indexing, the sad reality is some if not many universities and schools in the Philippines have remained “self-referential” in their claims to quality education. I have remarked several times elsewhere that it is ironic that in our country almost all schools claim to offer quality education. But it seems that our “global competitiveness” is known only within our echo chambers.

In 2020, I made an observation that although it is good news to see a few of our universities “getting into the field of global competition” nevertheless they do not represent the entirety (not even a significant fraction) of the state of Philippine education. This was an observation that I made after some Philippine universities made it to the QS 2021 ranking… Read More

(Manila Bulletin) President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. cited the need to highlight Filipino creativity to the rest of the world as one of his reasons for naming director Paul Soriano as Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications.

Marcos said this as he administered Soriano’s oath in Malacañang on Monday, October 17, the director’s birthday.

According to the President, Soriano will be instrumental in letting the world know about the creativity of Filipinos.

“One of the greatest assets of the Filipino is our creativity, and we must find many ways to highlight that to the rest of the world,” he said.

“And that is what Paul Soriano has already been doing in his career as a filmmaker,” he added.

For his part, Soriano, who was the one behind Marcos’ campaign ads in last May’s polls, thanked the President for tapping him as his adviser… Read More

(Manila Bulletin) Coca-Cola Philippines shared with stakeholders and media the four-year progress of its World Without Waste goals—the company’s global sustainable packaging initiative to support a circular economy to eliminate waste through the continual use of packaging as a valuable resource. The company’s progress highlighted in the announcement includes:

100% operational status of the country’s first-of-its-kind recycling facility PETValue Philippines;
Move to transition select Coca-Cola Original Taste and Wilkins Pure packaging to 100% recycled PET plastic (rPET) packaging (excluding caps and labels);
The impact of partnerships driving collective action toward a circular economy for plastic, including supporting the set-up of over 800 collection points for used PET plastic bottles nationwide.
“At Coca-Cola, we continue to be guided by our purpose of refreshing the world and making a difference through loved brands that are produced sustainably, for a better shared future,” said Tony del Rosario, President of Coca-Cola Philippines and Vice President for the East Franchise Operations of Coca-Cola ASEAN and South Pacific. “It has been four years since starting our World Without Waste journey, and we understand more than ever the importance of partnership and collective action. Together, we are making good progress in accelerating the transition to a circular economy for our packaging in the Philippines, with much more still to do.”.. Read More

(Manila Bulletin) As the Philippines marks National Mental Health Week, parents, as well as guardians, were urged to pay attention to the silent battle that the Filipino youth face as they spend more time online.

Recognizing that many Filipino children experience cyberbullying, which they face mostly by themselves, Globe partnered with KonsultaMD to offer one free session with a mental health professional for children, their parents, and guardians who may have been affected by cyberbullying.

“We urge parents and guardians to be better digital protectors of their children by teaching online safety and responsibility,” said Globe Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer Yoly Crisanto, noting that the company has been working to make the digital space safe for Filipinos by espousing Tech4Good.

Based on a study conducted by Stairway Foundation in 2015, many are unaware of the worsening situation in select parts of the Philippines where about 60 to 80 percent of children aged 12 to 16 have experienced cyber violence… Read More

(KHON2) – Have you heard of “eskrima?” It’s an ancient form of martial art that originated in the Philippines, and in honor of Filipino-American History Month, a free class will be taught at the Filcom Center in Waipahu on Saturday, October 15 from 12:30pm to 2pm.

The free class will be taught by the Bandalan Doce Pares Hawaii school of martial art.

Eskrima (also spelled escrima), derived from the Spanish word for fencing, “esgrima,” focuses on the use of sticks, knives, and hand-to-hand combat techniques.

According to the International Kali Arnis Eskrima Federation, eskrima formed over the centures with the influence of various tribes and cultures in the Philippines.

“The first known Filipino hero, Lapulapu, was believed to be one of the foremost masters of arnis,” writes the International Kali Arnis Eskrima Federation… Read More

(Daily Tribune) Steven Tan, President of SM Supermalls, was awarded Grand Winner for Global Filipino Executive of the Year in the recently concluded Asia CEO Awards.

The Asia CEO Awards honors Filipino companies, entrepreneurs, and executives that have both excelled and have made a significant positive impact on society. Finalists are included in a Circle of Excellence from which a Grand Winner is chosen.

Under the leadership of Tan, SM Supermalls withstood the difficulties of the pandemic and experienced a strong rebound when the economy reopened. The company managed to recover its mall revenue, occupancy, and foot traffic targets.

SM continued to be the first choice for market entry of new global brands to the Philippines, with the opening of the largest IKEA in the world at SM Mall of Asia Complex. SM was the only mall operator to open new developments from 2020 until 2022. SM Supermalls also partnered with LGUs nationwide and became a key player in helping the country and the economy bounce back from the pandemic through its COVID-19 testing and vaccination program with over 10.5M jabs delivered.

Committed to continue serving the communities, SM Supermalls embraced the changes brought by the pandemic with agility, innovation, and responsiveness to the needs of its employees, customers, and tenants… Read More