WELLNESS IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: UP Los Baños to hold Science and Technology Forum and Exhibit. The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) will be holding a Science and Technology Forum and Exhibit on March 4 to 5 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. This year’s theme “Making Science Work for Sustainable Development” will highlight the role of science and technology in envisioning and creating a sustainable future. Aside from UPLB ’s research outputs and cutting edge inventions, the exhibit will feature 18 new and existing centers of interdisciplinary studies – think-tanks for the advancement of scientific and technical solutions for the challenges and problems the country is facing. The forum and exhibit also serve as a prelude to the UPLB’s 105th Foundation Day set on March 6. – Rappler.com

UP Los Baños to hold Science and Technology Forum and Exhibit:



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WELLNESS IN TRADE & INDUSTRY: In the Philippines, designers receive help from CITEM (The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions – the export marketing arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry) to put Philippine brands on the world stage through events like the Maison&Objet Paris and Salone Del Mobile in Milan - Regional talent, international stage - Frame Up | The Star Online

CLICK TO READ: Regional talent, international stage - Frame Up | The Star Online: "Increasingly, South-East Asian designers are competing on an equal footing with their European counterparts, creating a design scene that is at its vibrant best today.

BY global standards, the South-East Asian product design industry has been fledgling at best, if you don’t count the tiny clique of the likes of Singaporean Nathan Yong or Filipino Kenneth Cobonpue or the Singaporean-Malaysian duo Voon Wong and Benson Saw of VW+BS."



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WELLNESS IN BUSINESS: Optimism on Phl economy still strong. Despite the impact of the devastation brought about by Super Typhoon Yolanda, the international investor community remains bullish on the growth prospects of the Philippines, Standard Chartered Bank said in its latest research note. “Optimism about the Philippine economy remains strong. International sentiment towards the Philippines has improved, particularly in 2013. Investment is becoming a growth engine, albeit at a slow pace,” it said. However, it said expectations on the peso-dollar exhange rate are more divided. StanChart said investors also expect inflation to rise but still within the central bank’s target zone in 2014. “As early as Q1 2013, domestic and international investors had priced in the stronger economic performance seen since 2012 and the Philippines’ ability to achieve an investment-grade credit rating. Since March 2009, business sentiment for the next quarter has been generally optimistic, though the recent typhoon disaster did affect it to some degree in the latest survey. The Philippines has also climbed international rankings. It ranked 108 in the Ease of Doing Business in 2014, from 133 a year ago,” it said. It singled out the Philippines as one of the economies that made significant improvements, particularly in “dealing with construction permits”, “getting credit” and “paying taxes”. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 StanChart said the Philippines has also made some progress in improving investment-driven growth. “We note that investment growth has contributed at least 1.5 percentage point to GDP growth over the past seven quarters, providing the economy with a secondary growth driver. This has been supplemented by strong durable equipment growth, showing that the Philippines is investing in future productive capacity,” it said.- | Business, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

CLICK SOURCE: Optimism on Phl economy still strong | Business, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com: "But it said while progress has been made, the Philippines has a relatively low investment-to-GDP ratio compared with other Southeast Asian economies (20.2 percent in 2013 versus 19.4 percent in 2012).

“This will need to be driven higher by both domestic and external sources – we note that in 2013 that the Philippines remained dependent on domestic investment. The increase in investment growth needs to be sustained in order for the economy to benefit in the long term,” it pointed out.

StanChart said it expects the Philippines’ investment story to benefit from certain trends this year.

“It is likely that better global growth will support stronger FDI growth in the Philippines. Historically, Japan and the US have been big investors in the Philippines; we think this has further upside potential. In addition, higher labor costs in China have driven production chains towards Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, where labor costs are lower. With an English-speaking population and a sizable labor force, it is likely that the Philippines has the excess capacity to benefit from these trends in 2014,” it said."



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WELNESS IN ENVIRONMENT: 10 firms get DENR seal for environmental practices. The 10 industry winners under the PEPP’s “Track 1 Category” are Aboitiz Power Hedcor Sibulan Inc. in Davao del Sur; Aboitiz Power Hedcor Inc. in Benguet; Aboitiz Power Hedcor Inc.-Talomo Grid in Davao City; Aboitiz Power Renewables Inc.-Makiling-Banahaw Geothermal Power Plant in Laguna; Coca-Cola Bottlers Phils. Inc. in Ilagan, Isabela; Dole Philippines Inc. main plant in Polomolok, South Cotabato; Green Core Geothermal Inc. in Tongonan, Leyte; Energy Development Corp.-Mt. Apo Geothermal Project in Kidapawan, North Cotabato; Kepco-Ilijan Power Corp. in Batangas; and Petron Tacloban Depot in Leyte. Track 1 industries are recognized for their initiatives that go beyond compliance and are driven to improve their performance with competitiveness, image and supply chain requirements, the DENR said. No pollution cases Winners are selected following a series of evaluation stages including validation of documentary requirements and site activities with the Environmental Management Bureau’s regional offices and members of the PEPP-Technical Evaluation Committee. They should have had no cases filed with the Pollution Adjudication Board for three years prior to the date of application. They should also comply fully with all applicable environmental laws and should have been proven to show superior environmental performance.- | Inquirer News

CLICK SOURCE: 10 firms get DENR seal for environmental practices | Inquirer News: "MANILA, Philippines—Ten industry players, seven of them belonging to the power sector, received on Thursday the Official Seal of Approval of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), hailing them for sound environmental practices.
The seals were handed out during the fifth Philippine Environment Partnership Program (PEPP) awarding ceremony at the Sulo Riviera Hotel in Quezon City, officials said on Friday.
Environment Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio Jr. congratulated the winners for making “a mark in their environmental performance not so much as a corporate social responsibility program but as an integral part of their operations.”
Making sense
“More and more companies have embraced the principle that to thrive in the global and national arena, it is necessary to face environmental challenges, which is not only good for the environment but also makes a lot of business sense,” he said."



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WELLNESS IN EDUCATION: Department of Education gets biggest share of 2014 National Budget. The Philippine education sector has the biggest share – P309.43 billion – of the P2.265-trillion 2014 National Budget in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). The fund includes P44.6 billion for the construction, repair, and rehabilitation of school buildings nationwide. The Department of Education (DepEd) is building this year 43,183 new classrooms, repairing 9,502 existing ones, and creating 1.59 million new classroom seats, in support of the K-to-12 program. In addition to 213 existing library centers, 10 more will be constructed and given books. Other projects include the procurement of 42 million more textbooks and workbooks to attain the ideal 1:1 student per textbook ratio, as well as learning modules and teaching guides. A considerable portion of the 2014 budget will help ensure the improvement of Philippine public education system, the Department of Budget and Management said. In 2013, the government was successful in most of educational requirement, and this year it is more determined to fully address the deficiencies. Skills training and capacity-building programs will be funded and implemented, including the school-based management installation support (P1 billion), Alternative Delivery Mode Project or e-IMPACT and Abot-Alam Program (P1.7 billion), Basic Education Madrasah Program (P535 million), and financial support (P7.45 billion) to needy students, including the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) and scholarship programs of various agencies. DepEd has allocated P8.56 billion to hire 33,194 new teachers to attain the ideal 1:45 teacher to pupil ratio, and 1,500 new staff. A stand-by R655 million for Quick Response Funds has been allotted to school buildings and teaching equipment in the Visayas. Overall, the 2014 national budget is 13% or P258.7 billion higher than the 2013 budget. It is the country’s first Performance-Informed Budget, a landmark reform initiative that ties an agency’s overall budget to specific standards of performance and service delivery. With the details so explicitly in GAA, the public can demand greater accountability and efficiency from agencies, leading to citizen engagement and improved public service, Malacañang said.- | Tempo - News in a Flash

CLICK SOURCE: Department of Education gets biggest share of 2014 National Budget | Tempo - News in a Flash: "The Manila Bulletin, led by its Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Emilio T. Yap, President and Publisher Atty. Hermogenes P. Pobre, Executive Vice President Dr. Emilio C. Yap III, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Cris J. Icban Jr., Business Editor Loreto D. Cabañes, Directors, Officers and Employees congratulate H.E., President Benigno S. Aquino III, Senate President Franklin M. Drilon, House of Representatives Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte Jr., Department of Education Secretary Bro. Armin A. Luistro, and Department of Budget and Management Florencio B. Abad, for their joint efforts to come up with the 2014 budget for the education sector – the biggest in history – that is designed to better serve the needs of young people for relevant, quality education of our Filipino people in the Republic of the Philippines. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!"



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