First World Philippines

[jpbago]

When was the article you quoted written?

 

It is in today's MSN news.

[Thomas]

"Indoor air pollution (IAP) from biomass fuels is clearly linked to acute respiratory infections (ARI) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and there is evidence of links to tuberculosis and lung cancer."

For a person to develop TB, a person must first be exposed to the TB bacteria through another person who has the bacteria in their body. Once a person is infected with the TB bacteria, weakening their immune system may induce TB to develop in this person. Extensive exposure to cooking fires is just one of the many things may weaken a person's body. BUT if a person has not been exposed to the TB bacteria, they will never develop TB - cooking fires or not!

As Bob says, TB isn't GOT from smoke from biomass fuels.

 

But a big part of the Philippine population CARRY TB bacterias WITHOUT being ill themselves,

 

..

Yes, the smoke is a big problem, some reduced by many Filipinos have put their kitchen OUTSIDE if they have space. It's some funny many have KEPT that habbit when they have clean stoves too!  :)

 

But even WITH biomass fueled stoves INDOOR, smoke DON'T NEED to be a big problem. It can be solved MUCH better by

/a functioning chimney

/or with an EFFECTIVE stove.  There are much cleaner smoke from the good TUNED ones (some different for different types of biomass, but can be used some less effective for the others too). Because of the better effectivity, they need rather much less fuel, so users could save back the stove cost rather fast, but many poor don't have such anyway, because they have problem puting up the buying cost, which is around a half month salary for them with "minimum" salary (made worse by many employers don't bother to pay the minimum the law say). 

 

 

 

 

if the PI is really serious about becoming a 1st world country it would be a good idea to get a 1st or maybe even a 2nd  world education system, because the system they have here now is oh, rubbish

 

This is being addressed in some ways with the K to 12 program but it will be 2016-17 before it is completed.

 

http://www.gov.ph/k-12/#about

Good they add 2 years

but not much worth if the teaching will go on being bad in SOME important subjects...

 

Compare: Mathematics. In Phils they study important percentage counting at UNIVERCITY MASTER Business education level,

which are learned in last year in ELEMENTARY school in Sweden...

 

 

Funny! I was looking at a 3rd grader's test results about a month aog (his mom is the caretaker where I live) and they were doing basic percentages then.  

But can they put the values corect into the formula if they get them in a TEXT?   And do they UNDERSTAND they are counting Percent, not just thinking of it as common Division?   :)

 

When I have tested Filipinos, almost no one* can tell corect how many percent is the interest part in a "5-6" loan, not even when I have SIMPLIFIED it to:  "How many percent is 1 of 5?"     A HIGH positioned TEACHER answered "4"...

 

*I have only found 3 Filipinos who can that (plus perhaps 2, who  I haven't asked, who NEED it more or less daily in their occupation, because it would be an insult me asking if they can,

and a disaster if they can't    :)    (=a lot of errors in their work).

[Jollygoodfellow]

Guys

End the TB subject and back to the topic. Also if there is no reason to quote a very long or multiple quotes then don't. Use the selective quote button to pick out the parts that you really wish to reply to.

 

:thumbsup:

[Jollygoodfellow]

More growth  :thumbsup:

 

Philippines attracts foreign direct investors as growth slips in China

 

Already six major companies from Japan and Taiwan have picked plant sites near Manila and officials hope these are just the beginning

 

The Philippines, a country historically overlooked by foreign investors, has seen the beginning of what could become a boom in factory projects as multinationals tire of rising costs and slowing economic growth in China.

 

Six major companies from Japan and Taiwan have already picked manufacturing sites near Manila following a government effort since 2010 to play up advantages such as English-language proficiency and a tariff-elimination deal with Europe, a government representative said.

 

All had located in China before but opted against expanding there as Manila pushed its self-described "China+1" strategy on them. Officials hope the new arrivals are just a start.

 

"Given the uncertainties in China, sometimes they have to have a backup facility," said Benedict Uy, a Philippine trade representative in Taipei.

 

Manila expects more investment from producers of consumer electronics, bicycles and processed foods, a boost to the Southeast Asian country's US$294 billion economy. Foreign direct investment in the country rose to 274 billion pesos (HK$48 billion) in 2013 from 173 billion pesos in 2004, government statistics show.

 

Investment bank Barclays forecasts its gross domestic product to grow more than 6 per cent next year, the third-fastest in Asia.

 

Industrial growth in the Philippines has been throttled by unemployment, corruption and lack of state investment in infrastructure. Now multinationals are re-examining Asian manufacturing centre China in light of a 13 per cent rise in labour costs last year and stubborn pickup in domestic consumption.

 

China's growth slowed to 7.4 per cent last year. Chinese officials call slowing growth a "new normal", advocating greater reliance on consumption and investment from domestic firms rather than foreign export manufacturing.

 

Manila is vying for Chinese spin-off projects against parts of Southeast Asia. Vietnam has a stronger reputation as it has brought in foreign investment since the 1980s. But countries such as Laos and Myanmar are just getting started.

 

Factories at industrial parks in three provinces within a two-hour drive from Manila could find easily trainable, English-literate workers for product assembly jobs or writing user manuals, Uy said. Factory workers may also be paid less than in China.

 

"Of course in the interior of China [labour] is cheaper, but if you're talking about the traditional coastal towns like Shanghai and Guangzhou, they're more expensive," Uy said. The Philippines "provides a good value proposition for them".

 

The Philippines is expanding its congested seaport in Manila and adding expressways to smooth traffic on notoriously gridlocked roads leading from the capital south into provinces slated for industrial development. Infrastructure spending will rise to 5 per cent of the US$292 billion GDP next year.

 

Further helping exporters, Manila and the European Union last year reached a trade agreement that eliminates tariffs on 6,274 goods bound for Europe.

 

Hi-tech hardware is shaping up as a China+1 leader as Brother International, Canon, Lexmark Corp and Seiko Epson have said they would expand in the Philippines.

 

Seiko Epson announced in December it would invest the equivalent of HK$796 million in a new factory to produce projectors and inkjet printers, slated to open in early 2017.

 

"Of course we value factors such as the support of the local authorities and the quality of the workforce," company spokesman Alastair Bourne said. "We were also fortunate in that there was a lot of available land adjacent to the current plant."

 

The food and beverage industry was another prime source of projects diverted from China, the Asian Development Bank's principal country economist Sona Shrestha said.

 

Nestle, for example, runs a 25-hectare plant to make processed food for the domestic market.

 

The government expects bicycle manufacturing next. Japanese bike parts maker Shimano has set up a 1.32 billion peso, 13-hectare factory in the Philippines, where it will benefit from the tariff deal with Europe - not an option if exporting from China.

 

Taiwanese bike builders Giant and Merida were studying possible investments in the Philippines too, Uy said.

 

The government looks to new factories and domestic firms in their supply chain to meet its goal of creating 1 million jobs per year. Unemployment above 6 per cent and underemployment have left 25 per cent of the country in poverty. In Manila, beggars roam the streets, while some children cannot afford school.

 

The Philippines had seen a "very positive" trend towards attracting factory expansion, particularly last year, Shrestha said. But new leaders, known for shaking things up during legally required changes in president every six years, must retain today's macroeconomic policies and step up improvements to infrastructure, analysts say.

 

"On macro and political stability, that has been a key consideration for businesses to relocate or move here," Shrestha said. "The other one is infrastructure. You don't have to go far to see the infrastructure constraints and especially for manufacturers, which are quite reliant on transport and energy, costs of which are quite high here."

 

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Philippines set for factory boom as costs rise in China

 

http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1738413/philippines-attracts-foreign-direct-investors-growth-slips-china

[ironmaiden]

 

More growth  :thumbsup:

 

This if of course all in Manila and surroundings, which is why all forum members don't really see all that growth since most live in other cities. I just wonder if Manila, Cebu and Davao where the bulk of all investments will be going can carry the whole country...

It's nice to see the country you like to do well but look at what happened to Thailand in the last 10 years. It became so expensive that many expats left and looked for a new place to start over. If you are right and the economy in this country will continue to be one of the fastest growing in the world, how much longer until we will be looking for a cheaper place to live...?  

And it's not only that, the more 1st world a country becomes, the less freedom every individual has. I can't even drive a bicycle in my own country if I had 2 beers without risking a serious fine ( just to mention what came to my mind first...)

[Thomas]

And it's not only that, the more 1st world a country becomes, the less freedom every individual has. I can't even drive a bicycle in my own country if I had 2 beers without risking a serious fine ( just to mention what came to my mind first...)

Well. Sweden is known for having MANY restrictions traditionaly,

(BUT EU DON'T let us have "to much" curved cucumbers and our BETTER tasting earthberries... )

But in comparing with Sweden, Phils has MUCH MORE restrictions concerning business permits ALLREADY.   (=Around 15 steps in Phils compared to TWO in Sweden in startup for a not dangerous business type !    And Phils demand permit RENEVAL EVERY YEAR !!! while Swedish permits are "for ever" as long as follow the tax laws and such.   I guess Phils have that many more to get more chances to get bribes...  And in Sweden such things normaly can he handled on DISTANCE, while in Phils the registration/applying and paying places have to be VISITED. Perhaps because harded to pay secret bribes on distance  :mocking:

 

During the week I did read Phils have big problems to get property tax paid and the FILIPINO article writer thought it partly depend of the property tax CAN'T be paid other than by visiting the LOCAL office!!!  :1 (103):  E g hard to pay for OFWs, who are abroad in YEARS... 

SOME other organisations HAVE possibility to pay on distance through Bank, so it's possible, so it's REDICILOUS not all officials and big companies have distance paying possibility  :bash:

It's some "fun" we CAN'T pay easy to the office in SAME PROVINCE,

but we CAN sit at home in PHILS and pay to our HOME COUNTRIES at the other side of the world...   :lol:

[Methersgate]

Referring to post no.104:

 

Corporations will put some manufacturing capacity in the Philippines to "test the waters" and find out for themselves what the problems thet are likely to face are. Very often, they are also trying another SE Asian country at the same time.

If the capacity comes on line smoothly and few problems arise, and if the next elections pass off peacefully, and if the costs are lower than in the other places that they are trying, then more capacity will be added. 

There may be specific advantages to the Philippines in some cases. For example, Hanjin's ship building operation in Subic Bay makes use of skiled labour left behind by the USN.

People think that the USN and the USAF were in the Philippines to provide a base near to China.

Not so, both Subic and Clark were primarily non-Unionised heavy repair facilities. Clark was written off by Pinatubo.The prices that the Filipinos were asking for a renewal of the lease on Subic was so high that the Bush administration decided that politically it would be better to move the repair work back to the States, as the saving in cost would be negligible.

[i am bob]

And then there are the companies based in the Philippines that are expanding...

 

http://www.philstar.com/business/2015/03/09/1431427/bulacan-host-philippines-biggest-steel-plant

 

Bulacan to host Philippines’ biggest steel plant

By Richmond S. Mercurio (The Philippine Star) | Updated March 9, 2015 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - Steel Asia, the country’s largest steel manufacturer, is investing P6 billion to put up the biggest steel plant in the country.

 

Steel Asia said the plant in Plaridel would be among the most modern in the world.

 

“It will be using the latest available technology that allows production efficiency and environmental protection at the same time,” the company said.

 

The Plaridel plant will have a production capacity of 1.2 million metric tons, more than double the capacity of its recently inaugurated P3 billion Davao plant which is at 500,000 metric tons.

 

The Davao plant generated around 2,000 direct and indirect jobs while the Plaridel plant is expected to create nearly 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, Steel Asia said.

 

Roberto Cola, Steel Asia vice president, said the Plaridel plant would feature an array of environmental measures that will allow the company to fully comply with existing laws.

 

Despite various groups who are against the project, Steel Asia said majority of the residents of Plaridel are now supporting the rolling mill project in the area.

 

Steel Asia said an independent survey conducted by Greenboroughs Tech Inc. showed 82 percent of the sampling from the direct impact area support the project.

 

The company said it has been conducting continuing efforts to explain the technical and environmental aspects of the plant, and its benefits to the community and its environment.

 

In an official public consultation conducted last month, Steel Asia said the project has obtained the support from more than 5,000 federation of tricycle associations of Plaridel.

 

The project was also supported by the youth many of whom have already taken advantage of the free skills upgrade training program Steel Asia has been conducting for the community, the steel manufacturer said.

 

“Being open and transparent with the community was key to the support we are getting for our project. We even brought some members of the Plaridel community to our newly opened Davao plant for them to see and appreciate that we are real partners in progress and we care for the environment as we go about our business,” Cola said.

 

Steel Asia has existing plants in Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Cebu, Batangas, and two in Bulacan.

[i am bob]

Today, the Philippines takes over Australia...  Tomorrow, the world?

 

Ok, maybe not tomorrow...  But, yes, the Philippines is expanding throughout the business world - contrary to what many people think!

 

http://www.smh.com.au/business/monde-nissin-takes-peckish-nudie-and-black-swan-to-philippines-20150313-14396m.html

 

Monde Nissin takes Peckish, Nudie and Black Swan to Philippines

Date March 13, 2015

Sue Mitchell The Sydney Morning Herald

 

Australian food brands Nudie, Peckish, Wattle Valley and Black Swan are heading to Asia after being snapped up by Philippines food company Monde Nissin.

Monde Nissin, which makes Lucky Me! noodles, Monde biscuits and Nissin wafers, acquired family-owned dip and cracker company Menora Foods on Friday for around $55 million, a month after buying Nudie Juices for around $80 million and less than a year after outlaying a reported $115 million for dip maker Black Swan.

Like Chinese food company Bright Foods, which bought Manassen Foods four years ago for $500 million, and Singaporean oils company Wilmar International, which is due to complete the $1.3 billion acquisition of Goodman Fielder next week, Monde Nissin plans to leverage its distribution systems in Asia and take the Australian brands, most of which are market leaders in their categories, into new markets.

"Monde Nissan has a significant market share in the products it already has in Asia, and in the Philippines in particular," said Monde Nissin Australia's Chris O'Sullivan.

"This is a real opportunity for growth for them and the opportunity to take some premium brands back into their Asian markets.

"They're successful businesses with great brands and they're on a growth trajectory. We want to continue that growth and use our extensive resources to support that growth both here in Australia and to take advantage of export opportunities through the distribution reach of Monde Nissin  in south-east Asia."

Mr O'Sullivan said Monde Nissin had no plans to merge the three Australian companies "at this stage" and redundancies were unlikely.

"We feel the businesses are successful because of the people within them," he said. "There's no reason to mess with something that's working."

"We're buying these businesses because of the people and the processes and how they've got to where they are and we'd like that to continue; it's a good story for Australian manufacturing." Monde Nissin would continue to look at new opportunities as they arose.

Mr O'Sullivan also flagged plans to grow sales at Nudie by expanding into new categories. The beverage company, founded in 2003 by Tim Pethick, has recently moved into soft drinks and coconut water.

"Nudie is a brand that transcends juice and there are opportunities for brand extension," Mr O'Sullivan said.

Monde Nissin's acquisition of Menora – first flagged in Street Talk in January – came eight months after managing director Sam Schachna launched a strategic review after receiving unsolicited approaches from suitors.

Menora, which makes Wattle Valley dips and Peckish crackers and distributes brands like Cobram Estate Olive oil and Maille mustard, considered an initial public offer and entertained bids from private equity investors.

But Mr Schachna, who took the reins of the 50-year old company from his father Ely three years ago, said a trade sale was in the best long-term interests of the company.

"It's an exciting day for Menora to have a partner that shares our value and vision and with all their resources – for us Monde Nissin ticked all the boxes," he said. Menora was advised by CIMB and Moelis.

UBS mergers and acquisitions joint head Greg Peirce said Asian food companies were looking for growth opportunities.

"The traditional buyers of food assets used to be Japanese; now there's a more diverse group," he said. "If they can pick up a ready-built company with good brands and good processes and management and try to leverage their customer networks into Asia that's pretty attractive."

The Menora sale is subject to conditions and is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

 

[i am bob]

Skip the world, the Philippines is taking over the UNIVERSE!

 

Ok, maybe not quite taking over...  But how often do you see 3rd world countries remaining 3rd world countries if they are producing people selected for NASA's Space Program?  Just further proof that the Philippines is progressing to become what this post is all about...  First World Philippines!

 

As an interesting side topic (Please discuss in a separate thread), take notice of what is said about Manila's physical future!

 

http://thephilippinepride.com/first-filipino-astronaut-chino-roque-on-special-mission-stay-in-iss-for-60-days-and-observe-manilas-sinking-nasa-says/

 

NASA Assigns First Filipino Astronaut Chino Roque in Outer Space for 60 Days

  12/6/2014 | 10:16 0Posted in Environment, Technology

 

 

 

 

 

The Philippine Pride Copyright © 

 

Daniel “Chino” Roque, a 22 year old psychology graduate from La Salle bested more than 20,000 applicants including two fellow Pinoys. He is scheduled to fly outer space next year, but the plan has changed after NASA released a report about a shocking discovery concerning Metro Manila.

 

NASA on late October reported that half of Manila could be gone in 50 years. Climate change, too much garbage, over population, and over industrialization are among the reasons why Metro Manila’s land couldn’t hold its heavy load anymore.

 

AXE Apollo Space Academy, the private company that selected Roque was asked by NASA if the government agency can use Roque’s services instead of just touring the space. NASA said Roque will be included in the next batch of 8 who will be replacing the current astronauts assigned in International Space Station (ISS).

 

Among 8 people are 2 Russian Cosmonauts, 3 American Astronauts, 1 British, 1 Israeli, and Roque – the first Philippine Astronaut. Roque’s mission is specific on gathering data about Philippines’ weather, atmosphere, and other factors that can affect Manila’s future disappearance.

 

Roque will be guided by American Astronaut and Physicist Dr. Amanda Schroeder, former Professor and Scientist at MIT.

 

Chino Roque is scheduled to stay at Kennedy Space Center for 4 full months of space training. Report said that the voyage is scheduled on November to December, 2015.

 

“Filipinos are expecting what Roque can bring but regardless of the outcome, it is already a great Philippine Pride to have our own Astronaut in space who is observing our country”, Dr. Ronald Borce, a Filipino-American Professor at University of Arizona – Dept. of Astronomy, told TPP.

 

/Perfecto Claro/ Assisted Press Florida