Peace Update: Philippines Government, MILF To Form Team Monitoring Peace Progress

MANILA, Feb 9 (Bernama) -- The Philippines government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will form the Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) to monitor implementation of the framework agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) within this month. Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel Secretariat, said MILF prefers the TPMT to be headed by "someone from Europe" and will consist of five to seven members, Xinhua news agency reported. "The MILF is seriously considering someone from Europe to head the TPMT. It will be headed by an international eminent person and two others may be appointed as additional eminent persons," he said. Four members from two local and two international non-government organisations will be nominated by the Philippines government and MILF. The Philippines government and MILF peace panels will meet again this month to discuss remaining unresolved issues on the four annexes of the FAB: power-sharing, wealth-sharing, transitional arrangement and modalities, and normalisation. -- BERNAMA Read more at: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsworld.php?id=927254

Wellness in Business: The Celebrity Obsession With Coconut Water Is Changing Life In The Philippines

Philippine farmer Liezl Balmaceda has never heard of Madonna, but the US pop star's endorsement of coconut water may help change her impoverished life for the better. After centuries of replenishing Filipinos, the mineral-rich liquid has become a must-have health drink thanks to aggressive marketing by a beverage industry looking to offset soda sales that have lost their fizz. Balmaceda, 33, and her husband process truckloads of coconuts at their backyard each week to get the meat that is turned into vegetable oil. The arduous labour earns the family of five about $9 a day, barely enough to get by. "We just throw the water away when we extract the copra (coconut meat). But if you tell me people actually pay money to drink it, we could use the extra cash," she told AFP in rural Mulanay town, four hours' drive south of Manila. In his most recent state of the nation address, President Benigno Aquino hailed coconut water as one of the country's most promising new export opportunities. He cited industry figures showing exports jumping more than nine-fold to 16.76 million litres (4.4 million gallons) in 2011. Manila-based Fruits of Life is one local business to have started profiting from the growing appreciation in the West for coconut water as an alternative to sugar-laden carbonated drinks. "People have become more health-conscious in general," said Phoebe de la Cruz, sales manager for Fruits of Life. "Athletic types have taken to coco water for its natural electrolytes." Fruits of Life, which began exporting its own branded product in 2006, now exports about 240 tonnes in cans and tetra packs a year directly to supermarket chains in the United States and Canada. The biggest players in the global beverage industry, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have also jumped into the coconut water health drink craze in recent years. ZICO, a US coco water brand majority owned by Coca-Cola, has supermodel Gisele Bundchen and basketball star Kevin Garnett as its endorsers. Meanwhile, pop stars such as Madonna and Rihanna, as well as baseball player Alex Rodriguez, are among celebrity shareholders in Vita Coco, one of the other major brands. Its 0.33-litre (11-ounce), $3 drink is touted as a healthier alternative to energy drinks for athletes and the company boasts an office in New York's Flatiron District. The Philippines is already the world's biggest exporter of coconut products. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/coconut-water-craze-helps-phillippines-2013-2#ixzz2KxExxM8I

Wellness in Arts: Philippine Arts Festival to spotlight regional and campus theater groups, regional cinema

Regional theater organizations and university drama groups will be the highlight of this year’s Tanghal Theater Festival, the flagship project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) National Committee on Dramatic Arts (NCDA). NCDA is under the NCCA’s Subcommission on the Arts. Tanghal is in celebration of National Arts Month (NAM) every February and part of Philippine Arts Festival (PAF). Theme of the 2012 PAF is “Ani ng Sining: Celebrating Icons.” The theater festival will take place at Bicol University in Legazpi, Albay, on Feb. 11-13, and Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, Feb. 13-16. On Feb. 18-20, Tanghal will be in the National Capital Region. On Feb. 22-25, it will be in Bohol. There will be special performances of two collaborative regional productions that were started in 2012—“Biyaheng Luzon” in Bicol, and “Damgo sa Gab-I sa Tunga sang Tig-adlaw,” a multi-Visayan language adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in Bohol. There will be about 1,200 participants this year. Fringe performances tapping experimental spaces will also be mounted. There will also be seminars, workshops, talks and exhibits. Likha Asean 1 will feature community theaters and creative industries in Southeast Asia. Tanghal festival director is Lutgardo Labad, head of the NCDA. Its theme is “Mga Imahen ng Harayang Filipino” (Icons of the Filipino Imagination). Read more @ http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/85311/philippine-arts-festival-to-spotlight-regional-and-campus-theater-groups-regional-cinema