2023 Philippine Innovation Forum set on 20 February

The Benita and Catalino Yap Foundation (BCYF) will be leading the conduct of the 2023 Philippine Innovation Forum on 20 February 2023, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Villarosa Convention Hall, Angelo King Medical Research Center, De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI), Dasmariñas City, Cavite.

With the theme “Innovation and Pandemic Recovery: Ideas and Suggestions”, the forum will feature talks from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health, Research, and Development (DOST-PCHRD), Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) Foundation, DLSMHSI, and De La Salle University – Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Technologies; small group discussions, and open fora.

The Philippine Innovation Forum is a signature event organized by the BCYF and since 2014 in celebration of the Philippine Innovation Month (PIM) which aims to highlight the role of innovation in social development and the aspect of innovation deemed relevant at the time.

The basic tenets that guide the selection of topics and partners for the Philippine Innovation Forum are current, commitment to innovation, and potential for follow-through project and activity.

This event is in partnership with the DOST-PCHRD, PCP Foundation, DLSMHSI, and the Saint Mutien College.

For conversation, questions, and activities concerning innovation, please visit bcyf.innovation on Facebook or send an email to bcyf.innovation@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, submission of nominations for the 2023 BCYF Innovation Award is still open until 15 February 2023.

Nominations with complete requirements must be emailed to bcyf.innovationawards2023@gmail.com while original copies of the requirements must be mailed to BCYF-SABRE, Saint Mutien College, Don Cornelio Subd., McArthur Highway Dau, Mabalacat City, Pampanga 2010.

Nominations may be submitted under the five categories: government service, small-medium enterprises (SMEs), education, technology, and industry. Anyone is invited to submit an entry with no cost involved and self-nomination is also encouraged. 

No To Mining In Sibuyan, Protect The Environment and the People

Sibuyan Island, called the “Galápagos of Asia” is now in danger of environmental destruction because of the current push to mine the area. It was called the “Galápagos of Asia” because it is isolated from the Philippine archipelago. The volcanic islands of Galápagos, which lie 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, are famous for a wealth of unique plants and animals found nowhere else in the world.

The unique biodiversity in Sibuyan Island is impacted enough to declare the island as a protected area and uphold the Rights of Nature and stop the current nickel mining operation in the area. It is sad that despite of this during the past few days we are seeing an escalation of tensions and the victims are the people of Sibuyan who are opposing the mining operation and the beautiful environment of the island, both of whom the government should be protecting in the first place.

We, the Green Party of the Philippines is opposing the mining operation in Sibuyan Island and are hereby stating the following:

Sibuyan Island should be declared a permanent protected area.

Mining operations on the island should immediately be stopped.

The company that is conducting the mining operation should be penalized and asked for damages.

Any public official found guilty of connivance with the mining operation should be immediately dismissed and held accountable and liable.

Revoke the Exploration Permit of Altai Philippines Mining Corporation (APMC) and cancel their Mineral Production Agreement (MPSA).

Vox Populi, Vox Dei.

We demand the government to listen to the voice of the people standing against the mining operation. We are now experiencing a climate crisis and destroying the natural and beautiful biodiversity of Sibuyan Island is not in anyway helping us prepare for this crisis.

Let us protect and sustain our environment, it’s now or never.

This is an OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE GREEN PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES, written by David D’Angelo, National President. Endorsed by the National Executive Committee of the Green Party of the Philippines (GPP-KALIKASAN MUNA) on February 4, 2023. 

DOST invites future innovators in Metro Manila and South Luzon to avail research funding

February 1, 2023 – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) holds the second leg of its Call for Proposals 2025 campaign at Acacia Hotel in Alabang today to encourage researchers in availing research and development (R&D) funding. The event converged members from industry, the academe, government agencies, communities, and associations to share their ideas and support the country’s innovation environment. 

“Anticipating future changes and laying out strategic investments for innovation are key factors to national progress,” says DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr. “We believe R&D output creates the foundation for our country’s continuous development.  The proposals submitted today may be the next inspiring initiative towards a better future for the Philippines.”

For years, DOST invested in high-impact and sustainable programs that are significant in addressing national concerns.   This is aligned to the research priorities along four major areas, namely: human well-being promotion, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability.

One of the funded R&D projects in support of the country’s fight against the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the study led by Dr. Benedict Maralit of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) related to biosurveillance or the monitoring of COVID-19 cases through whole genome sequencing of the virus from patients. This project aims to use genomic epidemiology perspective to track the virus and develop a deeper understanding of its characteristics.  

As early as 2012, the DOST through the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) invested more than 900 million pesos in Omics research for health.  This funding was used for programs in human multi-omics research which identified possible genetic markers among Filipinos associated with non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, stroke, diabetes and heart attack. This investment also gave way to the establishment of the PGC not only in Luzon but also its satellite facilities in Visayas and Mindanao, and the launch of the Clinical Genomics Laboratory, the services of which were in the forefront of the response and genomic biosurveillance during the height of the pandemic.

With the rising oil prices and the negative impact of global warming, DOST poured funds into the E-mobility program which supported the electrification of the transportation system.  It brought about the development of e-trikes, e-boats, and the conversion of tricycles in the country. 

With the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, an entire ecosystem of an electric transport was developed which also included chargers for the electric vehicles, researches on storage, as well as parts that can be locally fabricated for the maintenance of these new vehicles. 

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) of DOST pursued its Industry Strategic S&T Programs (ISPs) in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) Sector. The council brands its initiatives and outputs as GALING, an acronym for Good Agri-aqua Livelihood Initiatives towards National Goals.  In 2016-2022, the council funded programs and projects that led to significant findings in genomics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and smart farming. Moreover, PCAARRD also noted important milestones in socioeconomics including impact assessment and policy, as well as in technology transfer and promotion.

In August 2015, the National Research Council of the Philippines initiated the country’s first comprehensive research program for Lake Lanao, the second largest lake in the country. Six projects were funded for a comprehensive study of the physical, chemical, biological, socioeconomic, and political impacts of the lake. The projects were conducted by NRCP members from Mindanao State University-Institute of Technology (MSU) and MSU-Marawi to save the lake from degradation caused by human activities. The results of the project provided valuable baseline data for future research and recommendations for the holistic conservation of the lake, which supplies 70% of the power requirements of Mindanao. This initiative is the Council’s call for SAKLAW (Sustainable Communities), a priority area under the National Integrated Basic Research Agenda (NIBRA), that supports the protection and sustainability of Philippine lakes.

Some of the priority areas for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology, include energy; construction; utilities; transportation; food; process; mining and minerals; metals and engineering; advanced materials and nanotechnology.   Some Health Research and Development, priority areas are Drug Discovery & Development (Tuklas Lunas®), functional foods, nutrition and safety, reemerging and emerging diseases, OMIC technologies for health, diagnostics, biomedical engineering for health, digital and frontier technologies for health. For agriculture, priority research areas in crops include mango, coffee, and sugarcane.  DOST is also looking for R&D projects in managing economically important emerging pests and animal feeds resource enhancement.    

“From health innovations, nutrition, agricultural and aquatic breakthroughs, to technologies that will support our industry, most specially the MSMEs, R&D promotes excellence and provides the potential to elevate our country’s status and encourage economic growth,” said DOST Undersecretary for R&D Leah J. Buendia.  “We hope that through this Call Conference, we may again fund the next big milestone in supporting our country’s socio-economic goals. 

The period of submission is from March 1 to May 31, 2023.  Interested parties may visit the DOST Project Management Information System (DPMIS) at this website https://dpmis.dost.gov.ph/

PBBM IS THINKING LIKE THE CEO OF PHILIPPINES, INC.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with the Private Sector Advisory Council led by Sabin Aboitiz and the lead for the Jobs sector, Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Press Secretary.

The Philippines’ GDP numbers have defied pessimists and exceeded expectations. The country’s GDP growth for 2022 ended at 7.6 percent and with a seven-in-a-row growth per quarter. This is better than even what the economic planners expected and it is the fastest growth since 1976.

The most obvious contributor is revenge spending. After nearly three years of the pandemic and despite the rising prices, people just went out and participated in the economy. For this, credit must go to both the Duterte administration and the Marcos economic team. The Duterte administration’s handling of the pandemic was not perfect, but it got us through with fewer deaths and an intact economy.

President Marcos’s appreciation of the task at hand is building on this momentum. PBBM is now in the driver’s seat, and we must help him see the country through the worst world economic crisis in decades.

I believe the President is well aware of how important it is to sustain this growth, and this is why he is thinking like a CEO: looking well ahead into the future and choosing actions that will deliver the biggest impact.

I have heard critics say that the President should stay put and handle things on the domestic front. This is like asking the family’s breadwinner to stop going to work, stay home and do chores around the house. Nothing wrong with helping out, but that would mean one day of lost income and opportunity that would have otherwise delivered enough resources to employ a helper. It’s short-sighted and it’s the thinking of small minds.

Being present at events like the World Economic Forum in Davos is an opportunity that we cannot, as a nation, afford to miss. Davos is different because of its scale. It is where everybody goes. The big names in business are regulars at Davos. It is where you go to build an international network and it is where a five-minute chat can translate to billions of investments.

I remember how the President asked us during a meeting of the Private Sector Advisory Council – which comprises the country’s top businessmen – whether or not he should go to Davos. The group was unanimous in saying yes, he should go.

My interest is that these investments and the technology that the investors bring in will eventually benefit our MSMEs. When we scale up MSMEs, we contribute to a sector that generates 62 percent of the jobs in the country. And when people have jobs, they will have the spending power that the country needs to post good growth rates like the one we saw in 2022.

Few people know this, but if you are not part of the official government delegation, you pay for your own ticket. If you ride with the President, you ride in premium economy and you follow the delegation’s schedule. The government does not spend money for the private sector in these meetings, and rightly so. Yet still, the heads of the country’s largest corporations still give of their time and resources to join the President in these events. Why?

Because they believe in the potential of the Philippines, and it is important for the audience in Davos to believe as well. For the Philippines’s biggest businessmen to stand solidly behind the President benefits the country as a whole because investors will be confident that if they park their money in the Philippines, it is safe from instability and divisiveness. Any investor has to be comfortable with the vision of the leadership of a country. The private sector is there to reinforce the message of the President: that the Philippines is a good investment, and that it is open and ready for business.

In my own experience when RFM went public, I didn’t stay home and wait for the investors to come. I didn’t sell only to local investors, I went to New York, to Singapore, to wherever the funds were. That’s just our company; what more if you represent a company with 114 million shareholders?

The investors should be comfortable with making that investment. If the CEO doesn’t go to meetings and roadshows, how will people trust that his vision is aligned with their investment plans? How will they be confident in the prospectus saying that the Philippines offers a good return on their capital when its CEO can’t be bothered to make his pitch in person?

And now with inflation and the still-volatile situation between Russia and Ukraine threatening to make this a protracted conflict, we have to be more aggressive in sustaining that 7.6 percent growth. We are not the only country gunning for more investments. Our problems are not unique. All one has to do is tune in to international news networks to realize that the high prices of goods is also a concern in first-world countries like the UK, Germany and the US.

Yes, the Philippines has problems, but we can still grow better than in previous years, despite the pandemic’s effects, the high prices and the interest rates.

We can sustain the growth, but it will take patience. If the war between Russia and the Ukraine does not escalate any further, I expect that by mid-2023, we should see lower prices and inflation come down by the end of 2023. This can still be a very good year. We just have to step aside and let the President do his job so we can all realize the end-goal of creating prosperity for all.

Philippines' GDP grew by 7.6% in 2022, Beats 2022 GDP Target

MAKATI CITY—The Philippine government's sustained economic recovery efforts and the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) continuous investment facilitation has resulted to 7.2 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for the fourth quarter of 2022, resulting to a 7.6 percent full-year growth for the said year, based on the recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). 

"This annual GDP growth can be attributed to the contributions of various industries, especially wholesale and retail, as well as manufacturing. This serves as a testament to the efficiency of our efforts to facilitate the entry of more investments in the country and our industrialization strategy that aims to empower local industries and increase our global competitiveness", Trade and Industry Secretary Fred Pascual boasted. 

Based on the report, the fourth quarter GDP growth was mainly influenced by the following top contributors: (1) Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles at 8.7 percent, (2) Financial and insurance activities at 9.8 percent, and (3) Manufacturing at 4.2 percent. On the other hand, top contributors for the annual growth in 2022 were: (1) Construction at 12.7 percent, (2) Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles at 8.7 percent, and (3) Manufacturing at 5.0 percent. 

Further, Secretary Pascual said that "we are keen to sustain this growth, that is why we are intensifying DTI's investment facilitation activities. During President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s previous state visits, we have managed to meet several potential investors, some of them are already in active discussions with our Philippine Trade and Industry Centers abroad or the Board of Investments." 

"Our GDP will continue to grow as more and more investors come to the Philippines to explore business opportunities. We keep on with work on ease of doing business to attract more investors." he added.

In addition, among major economic sectors, Industry (4.8 percent) and Services (9.8 percent) posted positive growths during the fourth quarter of 2022. On the demand side, PSA mentioned Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE), which grew by 7.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Meanwhile, Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE) at 3.3 percent, Gross capital formation at 5.9 percent, Exports of goods and services at 14.6 percent, and Imports of goods and services at 5.9 percent were considered by PSA as other sources of growth for the fourth quarter of 2022. 

As a further testament to the robust economic performance of the country, the Philippines also posted 9.3 percent Gross National Income (GNI) growth in the fourth quarter of 2022, and 9.9 percent on full-year

DTI Uncovers more than P350K Uncertified Products in Sta. Cruz, Manila

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB), busted uncertified sanitary wares and self-ballasted LED lamps worth Php352,775.00 during its heightened enforcement operation in Manila, on 20 January 2023. 

Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Atty. Ruth B. Castelo led the DTI enforcement teams in inspecting 15 retail firms along Tomas Mapua Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila. 

The focused enforcement of DTI technical regulations has seized 190 units of sanitary wares, particularly water closets, urinals, and lavatories; ceramic tiles; and self-ballasted LED lamps. 

Consequently, six (6) non-compliant firms were issued with a Notice of Violation (NOV), mandating them to explain within 48 hours from the receipt of the notice. 

“The DTI boosts its on-the-ground operations and market visibility to spread awareness among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers that even consumer products, like the uncertified sanitary wares and self-ballasted LED lamps that we sealed today, have to undergo and pass the DTI mandatory testing schemes,” said Usec. Castelo. 

Usec. Castelo also emphasized that such operations and market visibility not only uphold consumer protection and welfare but also send a strong warning that the Department will pursue appropriate action against violators.

Last 12 January 2023, the DTI’s ramped-up enforcement operation in Quezon City led to the sealing of uncertified household appliances, lighting devices, and ceramic products worth Php482,121.15. 

Apart from its intense enforcement of technical regulations in the National Capital Region, DTI-FTEB also conducts random operations in other Regions to expand its advocacy on consumer protection and education. 

The nationwide campaign of DTI against uncertified items in the market underscores the enforcement of DTI technical regulations mandating compliance with Philippine Standard Certification Mark Schemes, particularly Department Administrative Order No. 02, Series of 2007.  

To protect consumers or potential buyers of electrical and electronic products; mechanical or building and construction materials; and chemical and other consumer products and systems, DTI – Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) covered products and systems through implementing Mandatory Product Certification Schemes: the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark Licensing Scheme and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Certification Scheme. 

The DTI urges consumers to report retailers, distributors, and manufacturers that sell uncertified items, through the Consumer Care Hotline at DTI (1-384) or consumercare@dti.gov.ph.

 

Meet Brian Poe Llamanzares now Co-owner of one of country's leading Business Magazine, the Rising Tiger

The most distributed local magazine right now in National Bookstore caught the attention of this serial entrepreneur. 

Poe Llamanzares’ Oracles Media Group will now be adding Rising Tiger Magazine to its portfolio which already includes other media entities like The Manila Journal, Negosyante News, and Alike Magazine.

According to Brian, “the team is very confident that it will top the market with its innovations and quality of content. The magazine has already perfected its marketing strategy even-though it’s still new and will celebrate its first anniversary this March 2023. A lot of big names in the business industry have already confirmed and committed their support. While I'm looking forward to helping the company grow.”

Focused on inspiring readers with the profiles of the emerging leaders and captains from different industries, the magazine which was launched during pandemic, opened up to investors to provide more reach and growth for the company. 

“We're really grateful to have Brian as part of our team. I admire his grit and determination, and with him, I am very sure we will be able to reach our goals this year. We are looking forward to all of our future projects together. Rising Tigers Magazine will definitely reach new heights.” (Andria Terese Nicolas, Vice President of Tag Media Group)

The magazine is all about motivating the readers. It also aims to help them grow their businesses. Majority of content is all about leadership while 20% is lifestyle written by socialite Becky Garcia. Entrepreneur, Andrew Troy Nicolas publishes the magazine quarterly under Tag Media Group with planned 9 events under his company for this year that includes Expos and forums. 

“Brian is a valuable asset in the company and with him, we’re very confident that the objective will be accomplished fast. He is very aggressive and determined to help out.”- Robert Laurel Yupangco (Rising Tigers Magazine Adviser)