True to its commitment to bridge the digital divide and enrich the lives of the physically handicapped and underprivileged, Sam­sung awarded two institutions—Knowl­edge Channel and Atriev Foundation as this year’s awardees.

The two organizations received mon­etary or product grants to support their ongoing projects that provide information technology (IT) skills training to youth and to give them a chance to compete in an increasingly IT-focused world. Atriev Foundation received a total of Php2.4 mil­lion while Knowledge Channel got Php2 million. The financial assistance would help Knowledge Channel and Atriev Founda­tion to reinforce their efforts--to improve the lives of the physically handicapped and the underprivileged.

Visually-impaired individuals from Atriev Foundation use computers either for post-secondary education or employment.

The two organizations topped the score in the tedious selection process following a certain criteria: creativity and innova­tion, and most importantly which adhering to Samsung’s Digital Hope program. Some of these criteria include the project’s creativity and/or innovation in the use of information technology as a means to promote or develop the lives of the youth or disabled as well as the impact to the quality of life of the people.

The Knowledge Channel Foundation, founded by Rina Lopez Bautista, was a response to the country’s urgent need to improve the quality of education and cre­ate an impact on the country’s educational system. Anchored on Educational Televi­sion, it is the first and only all-education­al TV channel on cable. It offers a wide range of learning experiences for kids, teens and adults. For almost seven years, Knowledge Channel Foundation has been able to provide 1,699 public schools in 57 provinces. It is said that through this service, Knowledge Channel has helped students increase their comprehension and retention levels by watching the Channel on a regular basis.

School children enjoy watching Knowledge Channel which shows 14 hours of instructional video programs anchored on Philippine grade school and high school DECS curriculum.

Atriev, on the other hand, pioneered and institutionalized a computer literacy program for the blind through Project Adaptive technology for Training, Re­source and Access Center. Through a collaboration with Systems Technology Institute (STI) and Techni­cal Education and Skills Development Authority), Atriev carries out five-month training programs in Metro Manila to pre­pare blind individuals in the use of com­puters either for post-secondary education or for employment.

According to Samsung, the two orga­nizations were commended for their pio­neering and successful efforts to improve the quality of life of school children and the blind. Samsung’s president and chief execu­tive officer Spencer Shim said: “We are pleased with the progress we have made in bridging the digital divide and will work harder to empower others to do the same.”

Knowledge Channel’s founder Rina Lopez Bautista and Atriev Foundation founder Peter Wallace and Atriev Foun­dation president Tony Llanes received the financial assistance during the presenta­tion recently at the Manila Peninsula’s Rigodon Ballroom. Both awardees were grateful to Samsung, which they said is a “corporation with a heart.”  In 2003, Samsung took an active role in helping to bridge the digital divide for youth and persons with disabilities across Asia with the launch of Digital Hope. At present, 38 organizations across Asia have been awarded grant money benefiting over 600,000 youth and persons with disabilities.

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US Secretary of State Congratulates RP on Successful Hosting of Asean Summit

2006 was a goodyear for Philippine tourism. The industry’s upbeat performance since 2004 has emphasized the immediate need to improve travel into and around the country by pro­viding and upgrading infrastructure, facil­ities and services in the main tourism hubs as well as increase the number of rooms and air seats, said a press statement from the Office of Planning and Promotions of the Department of Tourism (DOT). DOT Secretary Joseph H. Durano said, “The present situation presents a fertile environment for growth. Prior to 2004, the erratic industry performance slowed down investments. As it recovered, and with the consistent growth in tourist volume and the pressure placed on capacities, the business sector is moving swiftly to take advantage of the upward swing. Indicators have been stable and results have been favorable to support their investments.”

The Philippine Travel Agencies As­sociation (PTAA) has likewise aired the same observations to achieve higher visi­tor targets and attract more investments.  “The accommodation sector is now expanding. We are reaping the fruits of our collaborative marketing efforts with the increase in visitor demand, urging the hotels and resorts to fast track expansion programs while fresh investments con­tinue to pour in to build new ones,” Sec. Durano said.  Based on records gathered by the DOT, Boracay will have some 1,500 new rooms; Cebu City and Mactan Island, on the other hand, will have 1,350; while Palawan will beef up its rooms by 500.

DOT Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano

Future hotel developments include the 616-room Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa, a Korean-Filipino ven­ture which broke ground in July 2006 in Maribago, Lapu Lapu City, Cebu. This will complement the existing properties in the province which seek to benefit from the operations of the newly-constructed Cebu International Convention Center, the site of the just-concluded Asean summit.  The average room stock in Metro Ma­nila has posted a 12.61 percent increase from 12,385 rooms in 2005 to 13,947 last year. Developments have been significant in the first class and economy class hotels with an 87.42 percent and 44.50 percent growth in room supply in 2006.

Complementing Metro Manila’s growth is Megaworld’s first-class full ser­viced hotel in Pasay City, to be named Ma­nila Mariott Hotel while SM Investments plans to put up at least two hotels on SM Bay City along Roxas Boulevard.  International chain hotels like the In­tercontinental, Banyan Tree and Ritz Carl­ton are seriously looking into locating their properties in the country. A total of more than 18,000 lettable rooms will be available in these areas once the majority of these projects are complet­ed this year.

In Central Philippines, prime develop­ment theme is tourism. DOT said it will monitor and coordinate efforts in the de­velopment and upgrading of airports, seaports, railways and roads as well as provision of energy and flood control sys­tems. These projects are estimated to cost P191.808 billion and will be fully com­plete by 2010. The air transportation sector has start­ed refleeting and servicing international routes. The DOT, a member of the Air Panel, has proposed more flights to and from Korea to achieve the target of 1.5 million tourists from this market by 2010. PAL suggests augmented frequencies for the Manila-Vancouver-Las Vegas link in­cluding Toronto in the route schedule. The Philippines has also conveyed to Japan its desire to raise the existing frequency under the present Air Service Agreement which at present allows each side to oper­ate up to 52 times per week.

Air linkages continue to be established in new markets such as Russia and India. Chartered flights are also being run regu­larly. Just recently, Vladivostok Air car­ried Russian tourists for a 13-day tour into the country. Far Eastern Air Transport of Taiwan made its maiden voyage from Ka­oshiung to Subic, bringing in a volume of tourists, tour operators and businessmen who visited key destinations and potential investment areas in Subic and its environs. Cebu will get a bigger boost with direct flights from Qatar Airways, replacing the previous Qatar-Singapore-Cebu service.

All these developments confirm high awareness, and that positive sustainable action is being mitigated on the concerns of capacity and accessibility. “In all our marketing activities where our local travel trade sector actively par­ticipates, we always push for investments to infuse fresh capital into marketable ar­eas. What we have done and continue to do is further cooperation, sustaining the interest which translated into arrivals and investments. We will maintain our focus and synergize our efforts,” Durano said.

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Members of the influ­ential Shipbuilders’ Association of Japan (SAJ) have expressed strong interest to operate the envisioned 100-hectare shipbuilding hub in the Subic Bay Freeport zone. This was announced by Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chair­man Feliciano Salonga, who recently re­turned from a four-day trade and invest­ment mission in Tokyo to lure Japanese shipbuilders to partake in the country’s Domestic Shipping Development Plan (DSDP). “Japanese shipbuilders have expressed keen interest to explore business potentials of Subic Freeport,” said Salonga.

He added that the SBMA has offered Japanese shipbuilders a prime location to construct various types of ships for the do­mestic inter-island trade such as tankers, passenger and roll-on roll-off (RORO) cargo vessels for local deployment. “The entry of Japanese shipbuilders would surely boost our domestic shipping development program,” Salonga added.

SBMA LURES JAPANESE SHIPBUILDERS. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Feliciano G. Salonga (center) confers with Shipbuilders’ Association of Japan (SAJ) Managing Director Yoshihiro Midorikawa (right) and SAJ Senior Manager Masashi Terakado in a meeting held in Tokyo. Members of the association composed of Japan’s top shipbuilding firms have expressed strong interest to operate the envisioned 100-hectare shipbuilding hub inside Subic Bay Freeport. (Photo courtesy of SBMA)

Salonga, together with SBMA deputy administrator Ferdinand Hernandez and Investment Processing department head Ronnie Yambao and consultant for loca­tors and inter governmental affairs Ben Natividad, conducted a presentation of the ongoing shipbuilding project in Subic Freeport before SAJ members and officers led by its managing director Yoshihiro Midorikawa. Among the ongoing maritime devel­opment projects in Subic Freeport is the entry of Hanjin Heavy Industries, which is presently constructing USD1 billion ship­building center, making Subic of one of the world’s largest shipyards.

During the project presentation, Sa­longa said that the SBMA would be set­ting-up a modern shipbuilding facility de­signed to accommodate the fleet require­ments of domestic shipping operators as part of the government’s domestic ship­ping development plan.

JICA Study
Salonga cited the recent study con­ducted by experts from the Japan Inter­national Cooperation Agency (JICA), which has been extending technical as­sistance and funding for national de­velopment as a part of Japan’s Official Development Assistance programs. The study shows that the domestic shipping industry in the Philippines today is composed of second-hand and aging ves­sels, majority of which come from Japan.
The JICA study concluded that all of the 1,502 domestic vessels with ages rang­ing 20 to 30 years old should be replaced and additional 635 more ships would be needed in the domestic trade starting next year until year 2015.

Lease-to-Own Scheme
The project is intended to address the immediate need to build about 18 new tankers for the use of local shipping op­erators through the so-called lease-to-own scheme being offered by the National Maritime Leasing Corporation (NMLC) as a subsidiary of the National Develop­ment Corporation (NDC). NMLC was created as a leasing com­pany to implement President Arroyo’s Strong Republic Nautical Highway proj­ect through acquisition of modern vessels to be leased to qualified operators under Lease Purchase Agreement.

NMLC is in partnership with Develop­ment Bank of the Philippines (DBP) which also expressed interest by providing a non-recourse financing for the procurement of RORO vessels. A total of 1,502 vessels have been de­termined for replacement such as 28 con­tainer ships, 854 general cargo, 266 pas­senger–cargo, 149 RORO vessels and 205 tankers with ages ranging from 20 to 30 years old.

The SBMA is also banking on its ex­isting and operational integrated logistic facilities and systems such as storage, loading and unloading, packaging, pro­cessing and information, and transporta­tion to provide cost reduction capabilities to shipbuilders. Among its incentives, SBMA is pro­viding tax and duty-free importation plus a 5 percent corporate tax on gross income, unrestricted entry of foreign investments, no foreign exchange control and a four to six-year income tax holiday for qualified investors.

Shipbuilding has also been included in the government’s Investment Priority Pro­gram (IPP).

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St. Luke’s Medical Center recently concluded its 1st International Liver Conference last Jan. 15–16, 2007 at the Edsa Shangri-la Hotel. Attended by 400 foreign and local doctors specializing in the fields of hepatology, oncology, radiology, hematology and gastroenterology, the convention highlighted treatment options for liver diseases.

Thai associate professor at the Prince Songkla University Dr. Teerha Piratvisuth elaborated on research findings and lent his expertise on treatment arrangements to achieve better renal and liver functions, particularly those with chronic Hepatitis C. Past president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Willis Maddrey similarly shared a comparison of treatments.

In his keynote address, Health Secretary Dr. Francisco T. Duque III echoed the challenges faced by the public health system. That is, of transforming these current medical know-how into feasible actions directed towards the marginalized sector of Philippine society. In a country where 16 percent of the population has liver diseases, he stressed that bringing these scientific advancements o those who need it the most and giving them due access “are the things that matter” along with research and discovery. Commending the “widening maze of treatments” for liver damage, he said that focus should also be on primary prevention, explaining that his agency is promoting subsidized Hepatitis B immunization for newborn babies as part of Philhealth’s (the country’s health benefit system) birth benefit program.

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The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) and Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines presented a Joint Membership Luncheon with Dr. An­drew Freris, Chief Economist and Head of Credit Research, Asia Pacific, BNP Pari­bas Hong Kong last Jan. 17, at the Renais­sance Hotel in Makati. The luncheon was presided over by Henry J. Schumacher, Executive Vice President of the ECCP and attendees were welcomed by Mr. Tertius Vermeulen, President of the ECCP. The speaker was introduced by Peter Labrie, Country Head of BNP Paribas Philip­pines.

Freris delivered an animated and spir­ited lecture entitled “Dancing with Ele­phants and Dragons: How the Philippines can benefit from the emerging economies of India and China.” In his lecture, he dis­cussed how the benefits of association of the Philippines with China and India flow from two sources: from Trade and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) links, and from applying lessons learned from the devel­opment policies of the two economies. He explained how trade flows are currently limited as a percentage of totals, but should grow with the growth of intraregional trade especially as India integrates further in the global economy, and that FDI from China and India to the Philippines are a possibil­ity, especially in the resources sector, as both countries now have an active record of investing overseas. Freris underlined how the example of both China and India prove how infrastructure investment (and especially investment in primary educa­tion) is crucial to long term growth.

Dr. Andre Freris presents his lecture to the Chambers

Freris discussed how the Philip­pines may learn valuable policy lessons from the countries, but should keep in mind the very different political and economic environment of the places in question. He posited how the Democratic pro­cess may present a realistic and obvious constraint to growth-friendly policies, and expounded on how the Asian experience may not necessarily point to the link be­tween autocracy and high growth. He con­tended that high growth can be achieved through democratic processes, but with less speed.

Lining up his points, Freris spoke on how the attractiveness of the People’s Republic of China is clearly helped by a stable policy environment, a fixed-pegged slow-moving exchange rate and pro-busi­ness environment. In this case, the role of domestic and external competitive pres­sures is crucial in ensuring efficiency and growth. The state can co-exist with vibrant markets as long as the politics do not interfere with markets. However in the end, Freris emphasized how every country is different. The luncheon’s closing remarks were then given by Stewart Hall, President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.

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Leaders of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) have renewed their commit­ment to further deepen their cooperation within the overall objective of narrow­ing development gaps in the Asean re­gion and for the realization of the Asean Community.  They recognized the importance of transport connectivity towards accelerat­ing the economic development in the sub-region.

During the recent 3rd BIMP-EAGA Summit held at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort in Cebu during the 12th Asean Leaders Summit, the leaders of the four nations commended the initiatives undertaken by their transport ministers in improving air travel within the region. In a joint statement, the leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Expansion of Air Linkages including the granting of fifth freedom traffic rights for passenger and cargo services in the air­ports of Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei Darussalam, Balikpapan and Pontianak in Indonesia, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching in Malaysia, and Davao and Zamboanga City in the Philippines.

The MOU also provides for the mul­tiple designation of airlines without re­strictions on frequency and capacity and co-terminalization with stopover and code sharing arrangements.  The transport ministers were also tasked to implement measures to promote an efficient and integrated sea transport system including the designation and es­tablishment of priority routes linking the focus areas as well as improving the mari­time transports infrastructure facilities.

Other areas of discussion for further development included the fields of tour­ism; customs, immigration, quarantine, and security (CIQS); the intensification of cross-border trade; the roles of local gov­ernments; environmental concerns; and bio-fuel standards and practices. The leaders likewise welcomed the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiatives to es­tablish a network of protected areas, pro­ductive forests, and other land-uses, that transcends across the borders of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

The HoB also aims to maximize trans­boundary linkages, promotes the expan­sion of the Protected Areas, maintains for­est connectivity, and ensures sustainable land use practices. “We will ensure an effective man­agement, development and conserva­tion of these areas, which they will designate as HoB, within their own respective legal and institutional frameworks, with full respect to each country’s sovereignty and territo­rial boundaries and without prejudice to the ongoing negotiations on land boundary demarcation,” the statement read.

The leaders likewise urged BIMP-EAGA to capitalize on existing Asean Economic Community initiatives in or­der to further strengthen its sub-regional agenda while using the BIMP-EAGA as the test-bed for accelerating the improve­ment of relevant Asean agreements to contribute towards acceleration of Asean economic integration.

On the subject of external aid, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) were singled out for their valued assis­tance, best practices, capacity building support, knowledge transfer, and resource mobilization in the implementation of the sub-region’s initiatives. Youth participation was also recog­nized as the region’s leaders encouraged the strong involvement of the young as well as more socio-cultural exchanges to include university linkages as well as oth­er academic, research, and development activities.

In attendance during the summit were the four heads of state as well as minis­terial counterparts in the fields of foreign affairs, trade, transport, energy; signing ministers; country ambassadors to the Philippines; Business Council Representa­tives; GTZ and ADB representatives; and BIMP-EAGA national secretariat heads and their support staff. Created in 1994, the BIMP-EAGA aims to spur and sustain growth in iden­tified less-developed and geographically proximate areas through economic com­plementation and sharing of resources and markets.

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In order for the Asean region to boost their economies more effectively against China, a top official from a leading forwarder firm recommended that the region increase their production of high-value exports, such as computer chips and cameras, since such exports benefit the national economy on the whole in a more thor­ough and comprehensive manner.

In the study “Asean Exports: To­day, Tomorrow, and the High-value Challenge” Scott Price, CEO of DHL-Express Asia Pacific, related that high-value goods provide greater scope for companies to move up the value chain rather than low-value goods such as T-shirts and toys.

He added that jobs with high-value exports are likely to be better skilled, better-paid, less physically-demanding, and more technologically advanced than those producing low-value exports. Price also noted that the Asean has been a successful exporter of high-value goods with a High Value Export indica­tor mark of 51.3 percent, slightly trail­ing North America Free Trade Area (NAFTA) at 54 percent.

The Philippines leads the region in percentage of total exports that are high-value goods with 76.5 percent in 2005., followed by Singapore with 67.9 percent and China with 60.9 percent. Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Viet­nam, India, Myanmar, and the NAFTA region round off the top ten.

However, Price noted in the study that China has already outpaced the Asean in high-value exports since 2003. Furthermore, China has also overtaken the Asean as the biggest exporter in Asia since 2004. In order for Asean to compete more favorably, the study recommended that the Asean trade bloc undergo economic restructuring, principally to drive up productivity; raise technological know-how; and facilitate entry into new in­dustries in the high-value goods export category, and harmonize trade and cus­toms procedures to encourage addition­al growth in high-value exports.

“Exports have played a key role in the economic development of the Asean. The bloc is one of the most trade-de­pendent of its kind in the world, though China and India have already overtaken the region,” the study said. The study was created by Charles Goddard of the Economist Intelli­gence Unit and sponsored by DHL Asia-Pacific.

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Indonesian Embassy launches guidebooks

By Agnes M. Abrau

Indonesians living and studying in the Philippines finally have their guide­book, considered as an important tool while they are here in the Philippines. For the more than 500 Indonesian students currently studying in the Philip­pines, the three books that were launched Tuesday by the Embassy of Indonesia, in cooperation with the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), would be a big help for them while living in the Philippines.

Embassy of Indonesia’s attaché for Education and Culture Ira Hapsary and author, translator and interpreter Kristanto holding the books.

Not only that, Filipinos and other ex­patriates will find the books a “great com­fort” as they learn about the Indonesian language known as Bahasa Indonesia and Filipino as well. The books—“Guidebook for Indone­sians to Study in the Philippines,” “Speak English, Bahasa Indonesia, Filipino” and “Let’s Speak Indonesian” were simultane­ously launched at the Conference Room-2 of Ateneo’s Natividad Fajardo, Horacio de la Costa Hall. Present at the launching were the respective authors of the books that include Kristanto for “Speak Eng­lish, Bahasa Indonesia & Filipino”, Frits Pangemanan who authored “Let’s Speak Indonesian—Introduction to Indonesian Grammar” and Hon. Ira Hapsary herself, attaché for Education and Cultural Af­fairs of the Embassy of Indonesia for the “Guidebook for Indonesians to Study in the Philippines.”

Hapsary prides herself of the books as she said that they would also be sent to Indonesia particularly to the schools and universities there, the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta as well as in other places. The books, she said, will be displayed in the li­brarIES as reference for Indonesians who are planning to study and reside in the Philippines.

“I am surprised to know that there is no manual for the educational system here for Indonesians. So I suggested to compile all the information in one book, make it very brief and an enjoyable read,” Hapsary told What’s On and Expat. She added that the embassy printed 500 copies initially for the launch. She is also grateful to the authorities of the Ateneo de Manila University for being the first university that provides Asian Languages including Bahasa Indonesia in their cur­riculum. Pangemanan, one of the authors of the books and a social science scholar, is presently taking his Ph.D at Ateneo. His book puts emphasis on Indonesian gram­mar, which would enrich the knowledge of foreign students and those who are in­terested in learning the language.

ADMU Dean of School of Humanities Dr. Leovino Ma. Garcia graced the launch of the books and gave his welcoming re­marks. In her message, Ambassador Irzan Tandjung, Ph.D. of Indonesia who is also a professor, said “education is a mighty tool that helps a person become better at what he does; a priceless wealth that forms character and empowers oneself to take control of his life.”

The book launch also coincided with the two-day Indonesian Day held at the Ateneo campus in Quezon City that ended Jan. 23. Other events that were lined up for the celebration were a food exhibit, talk show, movie screening and a cultural night.

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