WELLNESS IN TRADE & INDUSTRY: "Bali Package," could benefit the Philippines' small and medium enterprises (SMEs), particularly exporters, through the Trade Facilitation (TF) agreement. The TF agreement, one of the three pillars of the "Bali Package," has all member states agreeing to implement reforms to promote transparency and efficiency in customs operations. Heading the Philippine delegation to the biannual conference of ministers, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo said, "The "Bali Package," which includes the agreement on trade facilitation, complements the government's initiatives to improve customs operations and will greatly benefit our country's small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that participate in trade."

Department of Trade and Industry of the Republic o : “Bali Package” advantageous for Philippine exporters: "Together with strong special and differential treatment provisions, the TF agreement will complement the Philippines' initiatives to institute domestic customs administration reforms towards a more efficient and streamlined mechanism for traders, while respecting its implementation capacities. Transparent and streamlined customs procedures, on the other hand, will encourage new and innovative SMEs to enter the mainstream of trade.

DTI Undersecretary for Industry Development and Trade Policy Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. emphasized the advantage of the TF agreement in expanding the Philippines export markets."

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WELLNESS IN ARTS & CULTURE: Classical music became an effective agent for social change... Not all of the kids became professional musicians, but they all became productive members of society.’ MANILA, Philippines - Music, Madonna famously sang, makes the people come together. Harnessing this transformative power is Sistema for the Filipino Youth (SFY), an after-school music education program that was inspired by El Sistema, a program in Venezuela that provides social uplift through classical music. SFY offers underprivileged children the opportunity to achieve their full musical potential through classical music, with the ultimate hope of creating a positive impact on their communities. As its initial undertaking, SFY established the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth, a 40-piece ensemble comprised of young musicians, between nine and 19 years old, from underprivileged families in Manila, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Quezon City, Malabon, Cainta, Angono, Antipolo, Morong, Taytay, Bulacan, Cardona, Cavite, Batangas and provinces such as Aurora and Cebu.

Bittersweet symphony | Young Star, Lifestyle Features, The Philippine Star | philstar.com: "“We saw how classical music became an effective agent for social change in Venezuela, how El Sistema was able to save the youth from illiteracy, violence and other negative effects of war and poverty. Not all of the kids became professional musicians, but they all became productive members of society,” said Tinky Cruz, OFY managing director. “Here in the Philippines, our goal is to help alleviate poverty through music education, while creating career paths in classical music and strengthening our arts and culture scene.”" CLICK LINK TO READ FULL ARTICLE

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WELLNESS IN ENVIRONMENT: Bishops oppose Manila Bay project out of concern for poor, environment › The Catholic Free Press. Bishops in dioceses that front Manila Bay have asked the government to scrap plans for a 94,000-acre reclamation project. “For us bishops, worried about the poor who are affected severely by floods, we see that stopping the reclamation is seriously needed,” Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortez of Manila told Catholic News Service. Cardinal Luis Tagle, the country’s military bishop and bishops of 12 dioceses based in the Manila metropolitan area wrote President Benigno Aquino III, asking him to scrap the project and use the money to fund initiatives to alleviate poverty and protect the environment. Bishop Cortez said that, as of Christmas day, he had not received any response to the letter. “Advent is a very busy time of the year for priests and bishops with Misa de Gallo (Mass of the rooster, the dawn novena Mass), so we have not been informed of any progress, but in the first week of January, Cardinal will call us together to update us on the progress of our letter on land reclamation, if any,” Cortez told CNS. Land reclamation is the process of creating new land from oceans, riverbeds or lakes by transporting soil from an area to a body of water to create new land. In 1954, a presidential proclamation designated Manila Bay as a national park for the people. In 1992, Manila Bay was included in the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, even though some portions of the bay had already been reclaimed. Other local regulations and resolutions also mandated the protection and preservation of the appearance of the bay. However in 1992, a group called the Manila Goldcoast Development Corp., lobbied for approval to reclaim the Manila Bay waterfront along Roxas Boulevard, between the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the U.S. Embassy. The area was to be developed into an entertainment hub called Solar City and feature a commercial, residential and tourism center, including a man-made beach. Plans call for a cruise ship terminal expected to draw at least 2,500 tourists a week, said Edmundo Lim, corporate vice chairman. He said the project would boost tourist businesses in surrounding areas, create 100,000 jobs for construction workers and another 500,000 jobs once establishments and the site are operating. In late 2013, Cardinal Tagle called the bishops together and, in consultation with Kelvin Rodolfo, retired University of Illinois professor of earth and environmental sciences, and Fernando Siringan, a marine scientist, the bishops concluded that reclamation in Manila Bay is “a very bad idea.” In their Nov. 19 letter to Aquino, the bishops said they are ministering to people in provinces and cities that will endure the “far-reaching consequences” of the reclamation project. Even without reclamation, continuing rapid and accelerating sinking of the coastal lands bordering the bay is worsening both floods and high-tide invasions, and the combination of surges and storm waves driven against Manila’s coasts by passing typhoons, the bishops wrote. But the greatest hazard is liquefaction during earthquakes, which destroys buildings in coastal areas, whether they are on natural deposits or artificial reclamations, the church leaders added.

Bishops oppose Manila Bay project out of concern for poor, environment › The Catholic Free Press: "They mentioned the magnitude-7.2 earthquake that shook central Philippines provinces in October and the devastation of November’s Typhoon Haiyan, or Yolanda as it was known locally, as a warning of what could happen in the area of Manila Bay.
“Shall we allow more devastation and deaths to happen like what happened due to Typhoon Yolanda?” the bishops asked Aquino, also reminding him of the various laws protecting the intended reclamation areas.
“The scientific, legal and moral basis of our opposition for the reclamation of Manila Bay echoes God’s message,” bishops wrote."

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UPDATE: DTI submits application to EU-GSP+ Scheme. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Gregory L. Domingo recently signed the Philippine application to the GSP+ plus Scheme of the European Union. The EU GSP+ arrangement is a special incentive scheme for sustainable development and good governance anchored on the effective implementation of 27 international conventions on human and labor rights, environment and governance principles to which the Philippines is a signatory. The Philippine application will be submitted to the EU Delegation Office in Manila for subsequent transmittal to DG Trade of the European Commission. The application will be subjected to review and assessment within a period of 10 months and includes documentary requirements relative to the country's ratification of the 27 international conventions and an undertaking to accept regular EU monitoring to ensure implementation of the conventions mentioned. The DTI as lead agency for this initiative has concluded more than a year of preparatory work involving inter-agency consultations and industry briefings on the requirements and benefits of the scheme. The application is supported by industry groups and associations who would like to take advantage of the GSP+ preferences, particularly the textile and garments and the tuna sectors. DTI Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. stated that "the manufacturing industry roadmap identifies government interventions in assisting the private sector in gaining more access to markets. The sustainability of the tuna and garments sectors will greatly contribute to the revival of the country's manufacturing industry since these sectors account for more than 50% of the country's industry labor force."

Department of Trade and Industry of the Republic o : PHL submits application to EU-GSP+ Scheme: "Initial estimates indicate that the GSP+ could increase Philippine exports to the EU by 611.8M euros, representing around 11.96% expansion over 2012 Philippine exports to the EU. Product sectors with the highest projected increases are animal or vegetable fats and oils (231.2M euros); prepared foodstuffs (151.2M euros); textiles and garments (79.7M euros); footwear, headwear, umbrellas (28.5M euros); and chemical products (17.1M euros). The projected increase in exports could translate to 267,587 additional jobs both in the agriculture and manufacturing sector.  

The application to the EU GSP+ scheme is in accordance with the Philippines' Europe strategy to secure market access preferences, initially through the GSP+ while informal technical discussions are ongoing for a possible PH-EU and PH-EFTA FTAs."

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UPDATE: Positive outlook on Philippine banking system | The Jakarta Post. Moody's Investors Service says that it is maintaining its positive outlook on the Philippine banking system for the next 12 to 18 months, as it has been since December 2012. “The positive outlook is in line with our expectation that gross domestic product [GDP] growth in the Philippines will remain one of the strongest among emerging-market economies over the next 12 to 18 months," Simon Chen, a Moody's assistant vice president and analyst, said in an official release Monday. "In that context, credit growth is likely to be in the range of 13 percent to 15 percent on an annual basis, while asset quality will be supported by the robust economy and relatively low retail credit penetration.” Moody's conclusions were contained in its just-released "Banking System Outlook: Philippines". The report says that the positive outlook for the banking system is based on an assessment of five factors: operating environment - positive; asset quality and capital - stable; funding and liquidity - stable; profitability and efficiency - stable; and systemic support -- positive. The report points out that the Philippine government's preliminary forecast after the powerful Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines' Eastern Visayas region early last month, is that the storm should lower GDP growth this year by 0.3-0.8 percentage point. In contrast, the country's GDP rose 7.4 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2013.

Moody’s maintains positive outlook on Philippine banking system | The Jakarta Post: "Moody's report also says the system's level of non-performing assets should remain stable, after dramatic improvements in recent years, while provision coverage continues to rise. In addition, despite strong loan growth in recent years, household indebtedness and corporate leverage remain low, with total system credit to GDP at about 40 percent, and on a slightly declining trend."

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WELLNESS IN ENVIRONMENT: Philippine bishops urge president to halt planned real estate development. Citing environmental concerns, 21 Philippine bishops, including Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, urged President Benigno Aquino III to halt real estate development projects that involve land reclamation from Manila Bay. “Former reclamation projects in these areas have resulted in disastrous flooding,” the bishops stated. “Will the projected economic gains sufficiently and justifiably compensate the damage in life, ecosystems and property in the future?”

Philippine bishops urge president to halt planned real estate development : News Headlines - Catholic Culture: "The bishops added that it would be “wiser to boost tourism and cultural preservation by restoring old historical sites and buildings rather than build on reclaimed land to the detriment of the livelihood of the people and the environment,” according to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report."

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WELLNESS IN TRADE & INDUSTRY: DTI seeks to fill growing coffee demand. "The prospects of the coffee industry comes to the forth with the ever increasing demand for coffee," DTI Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Regional Director Myrna P. Pablo during the recent Philippine Coffee Conference in Baguio City. Pablo is also the national industry cluster manager for the coffee industry.

Department of Trade and Industry of the Republic o : DTI seeks to fill growing coffee demand: "A series of activities using various methodologies such as the focus group, value chain approach, and industry clustering were conducted to design appropriate development plans and strategies for the coffee sector.

Pablo also noted the inclusion of the coffee sector in the National Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Project (NICCEP), a three-year project launched in 2012, resulted to reinforcing efforts of enablers and operators in the coffee value chain towards the promotion and development of the sector.

The NICCEP is funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in coordination with the DTI to develop and mobilize pilot industry clusters nationwide. It aims to help increase the contribution of selected priority industry clusters such as the coffee industry cluster to the country's economy. "

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