MANILA, Philippines—The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas hinted Monday that it might slash its remittance growth forecast of 8 percent for this year to take into account the impact of recent external developments—the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa and the disaster that hit Japan last week—on the ability of Filipino workers abroad to send money.
SINGAPORE—A palette of art events featuring top Filipino artists got Philippine Art in Singapore off to a good start this 2011.
Within a week, two prominent art galleries in Singapore mounted solo exhibitions of a pair of luminaries of Philippine Art, who are marking their golden jubilee as artists, while the works of several other Filipino artists were showcased at the debut of Art Stage Singapore.
On January 13, “To Be Continued,” the first exhibition outside of the Philippines of the works of Roberto Chabet, arguably the most influential Filipino conceptual artist, opened at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore (ICAS), LASALLE College of the Arts.
Organized by ICAS and Osage Art Foundation with the support of the Philippine embassy in Singapore and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the exhibit featured the plywood paintings and installations of Chabet from 1984 to the present, including his groundbreaking trilogy from the 1980s: “Russian Paintings,” “House Paintings,” and “Cargo and Decoy.” Focusing on process and the provisional aspect of the material, it underscored the fugitive and contingent nature of art, a central theme of Chabet’s body of work.
“To Be Continued” will be followed in February by “Complete & Unabridged I,” also at ICAS, which will showcase the works of more than 30 Filipino artists mentored and influenced by Chabet. The two events are part of 15 exhibits to be staged from 2011 to 2012 in commemoration of 50 years of Chabet’s practice as an artist, teacher and curator, which will likewise include two shows in Hong Kong, “Complete & Unabridged II” and “Intermediate Geography.”
On January 14, the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI) unveiled four sets of edition prints, 36 unique prints and 19 paper pulp paintings of National Artist Benedicto Cabrera, better known as BenCab. Entitled “Glimpses,” these were produced by BenCab over a period of four weeks during an unprecedented second residency at STPI, where he was also a resident artist in 2005.
His works explored the notions of evolution and continuity in the context of the cultural, social, and historical diversity of the Philippines. They featured the recurring image of Sabel, an itinerant scavenger, whom the artist photographed and sketched in the 1960s, and who has become “the artist’s vehicle for the transmission of intensely emotional moods.”
BenCab’s central character was then brought to life on January 15, with a performance of “Sayaw, Sabel,” directed by distinguished dancer and choreographer Agnes Locsin, also at the STPI, with the help of a grant from NCCA. Shamaine Buencamino essayed the role of Sabel, and was joined by six of Locsin’s most seasoned wards from Ballet Philippines, who rendered powerful solo performances. While “Sayaw” was inspired by BenCab’s Sabel, Locsin likewise intended for it to reincarnate Dr. Jose Rizal’s Sisa.
The Chabet and BenCab exhibits were part of the fringe program of the inaugural Art Stage Singapore, an international art fair that served as the city state’s opening salvo for 2011 in its bid to become the arts hub of the Asia Pacific. Branded as “the new top art fair in Asia” and “the new destination for the art world,” the event brought together some 120 top galleries from 26 countries in the Asia-Pacific and beyond from 12 to 16 January 2011.
The Drawing Room was the sole exhibitor-gallery from the Philippines, featuring the works of Kiko Escora, Rodel Tapaya, Troy Ignacio, Marina Cruz, Liro Salvador, Alfredo Aquilizan, Kawayan De Guia, Riel Hilario, and Mark Salvatus.
Nonetheless, Philippine art was well represented, with Taksu’s booth dedicated to the works of Norberto Roldan and Artesan Gallery + Studio’s to those of Ronald Ventura, and pieces by Geraldine Javier, Bea Camacho, Maria Taniguchi, Nona Garcia, and again, BenCab on display in the booths of Arario Gallery, Valentine Willie Fine Art, Osage and STPI. Galerie Joaquin Singapore, which recently rebranded itself as GJ Asian Art, also had a booth at the Art Media Partners section featuring the Contemporary Arts Philippines magazine.
Many foreigners get tongue-tied when asked to describe Filipino cuisine. There's a hodgepodge of flavours that in the end translate to dishes without any real standards or possibly too much variety. Perhaps it is no wonder that the cuisine has yet to find an exalted position among its esteemed Asian neighbours such as Thai and Vietnamese cooking where flavors are more defined and distinct.
Nancy Reyes-Lumen, who calls herself the Adobo Queen, came up with "The Adobo Book" that confirms the multiple versions of adobo recipes available in the country. She suggests that the adobo is the dish that unites the country since the word is spoken in all dialects, although she also mentioned the impossibility of coming up with one universal recipe. In the book, she described her grandmother's (Aling Asiang of Aristocrat) adobo, as follows: "The pork cuts were bigger than usual, about three bites big and the pork cuts had a promise of meat and fat layering, nothing of that "healthy" kind where it's all lean meat... Little did I know then that the real secret of my Lola's (grandma) best-in-the-world-stickiest-tastiest-darkest-oiliest-most delicious adobo was deep down under."
On the other hand, the sinigang dish also deserves attention. During a 2010 conference held at Enderun Colleges, Professor Bel Castro pondered on the future of the sinigang, citing the growing use of instant mixes over the traditional practice of making broth from scratch. She mentioned that Filipinos are getting increasingly divorced from the environment and such relationship reflects itself in the food we eat. With growing urbanisation in many parts of the country, people have less time to cook from their gardens and rely instead on easy solutions. Aside from compromising the cuisine's flavours, the concept of food and lifestyle is also altered.
After taking the above into consideration, it may be worth ruminating whether the Philippines really has a national dish to offer the world. For example, Cebuanos may have a different take on the subject. More than a delicacy, the Cebu lechon symbolises prestige or stature that parties will not be considered grand without it. The roasted pig (usually with an apple on its mouth) occupies an esteemed position at the center table and is rarely served chopped. It is typically the host or his assistant that meticulously carves the lechon in front of the guests, sometimes in a checkered cutting method, as described by Ofel Bisnar whose father has operated a lechon business in Talisay, Cebu. She relates that aside from lemongrass and other herbs, her father also adds a whole chicken inside the lechon's cavity, thus making it more flavourful. Instead of a mechanised rotisserie, her father employs the manual version that also ensures that the pig is constantly brushed. Keep in mind that other provinces such as Pampanga, Bacolod and Davao also have their own favourite heritage recipes to showcase to the world.
Tourism efforts include the promotion of the country's cuisine and Filipino food forms an integral part of the national identity. Thus, there appears a need to develop more objective ways of defining the cuisine, perhaps some kind of standardization or classification that is typical in other countries. It may be worth looking into the possibility of synthesizing all the regional flavors into a collective brand or promoting each region uniquely - in a manner that visitors or international gourmets can taste, recognise and appreciate as well.
During a workshop held in Manila where she gave participants a taste of the most delicious duck adobo, Amy Besa who owns the Purple Yam Restaurant in New York, shared their efforts in asserting the uniqueness of the cuisine without having to apologise for it - like providing a spoon for guests, among others. While retaining its ethnicity, the restaurant has gained prominence and acceptability among Americans, an example that other Filipino marketers may wish to consider.
With the right market research and positioning, there is no stopping Filipino cuisine from becoming a truly global brand.
The Philippine Embassy in Canberra has opened its communication lines to Filipinos with relatives in Queensland, the northeastern state of Australia that was recently devastated by flash floods after two weeks of heavy rains.
In a release on Thursday, the Embassy through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said those in the Philippines may contact the Embassy and that it will try their best to reach their relatives in Queensland.
The Embassy may be contacted through telephone numbers +61-2-62732535, +61-2-62732536 and +61-2-62735718, fax number +61-2-62733984 or email address cbrpe@philembassy.org.au.
Getting in touch with relatives in Queensland will be difficult for now as power and communication lines are still down in most of the Australian state, the Embassy noted.
In the same release, the Embassy said it has identified point persons who may be contacted for those who wish to send cash donations or donations in kind. (Click here for contact information details on sending donations to Queensland flood victims.)
In a separate release, the Australian Embassy in Manila said the Australian state and federal emergency services are “working hard to provide relief to flood-affected communities."
“While we have no specific information on the number of Filipinos affected by the floods, we would advise any Philippine nationals in the flood-affected areas to monitor the local media and follow the instructions of Queensland authorities," the release added.
The Australian Embassy also noted there is a “serious risk" of further flooding over the period January 12 and 13.
Embassy monitors Pinoys’ conditions
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy said it continues to monitor the situation of Filipinos in flood-affected areas of Queensland, amid reports that some of them have sought refuge in evacuation centers, or are staying with friends and relatives from other areas. (See: DFA: Pinoys in Australia safe amid floods)
Philippine Charges d’Affaires Mary Anne Padua said she has instructed Honorary Consul Allan Grummit to visit the evacuation centers as soon as possible to determine the condition of Filipinos who may have sought temporary shelter there.
The Embassy has likewise called on Filipino community leaders and members, as well as those with work permits in the affected areas, to check on the others’ conditions.
There are about 18,000 Filipinos in Queensland.
“We have all been affected in one way or another by the devastating floods, which affected almost the entire State of Queensland. In this condition, being Filipinos, I know each of us can survive. We have to brace together, assist and support each other," Grummit earlier said.
The DFA said those in flooded areas have been instructed by the Australian authorities to stay in the evacuation centers until the floods recede.
Rivers overflowed and caused flash floods in Queensland after more than two weeks of heavy rain, affecting more than 200,000 people and leaving 15 people dead. More than 70 people remain missing, according to the DFA.
Rock singer Francisco "Bamboo" Mañalac finally confirmed the breakup of his band, Bamboo, in an official statement posted before midnight of January 11 on the group's website.
"As a group we've come to a point where you have to trust your gut, your heart and your head and accept that all things change. The hardest part as always is to know when to pack it up and part ways.
"We've learned that this journey is not only about us but includes all who came along for the trip. Family, friends and of course our front row believers who were there for the best reason of all. To simply listen. So it didn't come easy winding down to this decision.
"So here we go. IT'S OFFICIAL. THE BAND. IT'S OVER."
TIME FOR CHANGE. Mañalac's statement puts the breakup rumor to rest, which started last Monday, January 10, after KC Montero wrote on his Twitter account that the band "has officially called it quits."
The band's manager, Pancho Gonzales, informed PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) last Tuesday, January 11, through a text message that they will come out with an official announcement to set the record straight.
Gonzales, however, as well as the band's label, PolyEast Records, refused to confirm nor deny the rumor.
Mañalac started his open letter to the fans by looking back at Bamboo's beginning in 2002 as a starting and fledgling rock band hungry to play anywhere just to be heard.
He referred to himself and his three other bandmates—bassist Nathan Azarcon, guitarist Ira Cruz, and drummer Vic Mercado—as "4 old dogs that refused to grow up and continued to do what we know we were born to do."
Eight years in the local music scene, added the enigmatic frontman, is already "a lifetime in this business" and that it's time for them to unfold a new chapter.
"This is not the end. We move forward for all the right reasons. This is not a sad day. Music will be forever be a part of our lives and I couldn't imagine us just simply walking away. Not possible. All I see are possibilities," wrote Mañalac.
LEAVING ANEW. Bamboo was formed four years after Mañalac left his first mainstream band, Rivermaya, at the end of the group's 1998 U.S. tour.
It was said that Mañalac got tired of the grueling routine expected from a hit-making band and decided to confer the vocalist role to songwriter and then guitarist-keyboard player Rico Blanco.
It was in 2002 when Mañalac hooked up again with fellow ex-Rivermaya member Nathan Azarcon, who in turn introduced Ira Cruz and Vic Mercado to the charismatic singer.
Bamboo released its debut album titled As The Music Plays in 2004, before following it up with Light Peace Love (2005), We Stand Alone Together (2007), and Tomorrow Becomes Yesterday (2008).
Some of the songs popularized by the band include the anthemic singles "Noypi" and "Hallelujah," "Masaya," "Much Has Been Said," "Kailan," and "Muli."
Bamboo's cover of folk singer Noel Cabangon's socio-political song titled "Tatsulok" in 2007 also became a big hit on local radio and music channels.
At least 84,000 jobs will be up for grabs in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines this year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said.
DoLE spokesperson Nicon Fameronag said BPO leaders told the labor department that they would need an estimated 84,000 new employees in 2011 as the industry continues to grow by leaps and bounds. The BPO industry includes call centers, legal and medical transcription, accounting services, software development and animation, among others services for overseas principals.
To help fill up the projected vacancies, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) will offer a free six-month training course for prospective BPO workers.
Graduates of the course will all be absorbed by BPO companies, Fameronag said.
P20M for training
"(Tesda) has already allotted P20 million (US$456,900) for the training of workers. That training is going to be free. And there is an assurance from the BPO sector that they will absorb the graduates," he added.
Fameronag said interested applicants can visit Tesda or its regional offices if they want to attend the course.
"They should at least have the basic English speaking skills, while those who want to go into medical transcription should have background in medical matters," Fameronag said.
"Maybe our nurses who are out of work could take this. We have an estimated 100,000 nurses who are unemployed," he added.
The DoLE earlier estimated that the country would produce at least one million new jobs annually until 2016, the end of the term of office of President Aquino.
The estimates are based on the projection of the National Economic Development Authority that the economy would grow by six to seven percent annually," Fameronag said.
"If we maintain that economic growth rate, the DoLE estimates that we would have 1.153 million new jobs every year," he added.
For 2010, the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) monitored 1.011 million new jobs as of October, or a 2.8 percent year-on-year increase.
"Total employed persons increased to 36.489 million from 35.478 million a year ago indicating a net addition or new employment generation of 1.011 million," BLES said.
Filipinos based in Malaysia have complained to the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur about being victimized by well-laid financial scams.
In a statement, the embassy said the swindlers often target women overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with well-paying jobs in reputable companies. They also use bogus documents and bogus names of Malaysian officials to support their spurious claims.
The Filipinos have been deceived into parting with their hard-earned money by "Internet friends" who befriend them first. These "Internet friends" gradually foist on them variations of the following scams:
- There is a valuable package or bundles of foreign currency notes under the Filipino's name in Malaysia which must be claimed immediately;
- There is a lucrative job offer awaiting the Filipino as his/her credentials and experience made him/her qualified for the position needed by the company; and
- There is an SOS e-mail received by the Filipino from the alleged friends of the "Internet friend" stating that the friend is in trouble and is detained by authorities in Malaysia. This "Internet friend" allegedly needs the Filipino to bail him out of trouble. This is done after the person manages to make the Filipino believe in his profession of love and everlasting friendship.
The swindler tells the victim to remit money as a precondition for receipt of the goods, job contracts or marriage/engagement proposals.
The embassy warns OFWs of the said scams and to contact and seek advice from the nearest Philippine embassy or consulate before committing to dubious internet offers.
USA Today, the prestigious newspaper with a widely read sports section, has bucked the odds and chosen pound-for-pound kingManny Pacquiao as “Fighter of the Year” over middleweight champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina.
USA Today noted that most boxing writers went with Martinez, who also had a great year, winning the middleweight title from Kelly Pavlik and then stunning the boxing world by knocking out tough Paul Williams with one punch in the second round in November.
But, the newspaper said “Martinez had to be concerned with getting ready for only two fights.”
It cited the fact that in contrast, Pacquiao was elected to Congress in May and, amid endless distractions, fought twice at Cowboys Stadium before close to 100,000 fans.
Pacquiao nearly shut out two of the toughest fighters around in Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito, giving up five inches and 17 pounds to Margarito.”
“For excelling while serving his people on two continents, Pacquiao is USA Today’s ‘Fighter of the Year’,” USA Today said in its tribute.
As it regularly happens when Pacquiao wins an award, celebrated trainer Freddie Roach bags one, too. USA Today named Roach its “Trainer of the Year.”
“The general consensus among boxing scribes was to go with Martinez’s trainer, Gabriel Sarmiento, who molded his 35-year-old guy into a fighting machine,” the newspaper said.
However, USA Today pointed out that Roach “is the busiest and best trainer in the world and has raised the quality of every fighter he’s handled, from Pacquiao to (Amir) Khan to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to Vanes Martirosyan and Jose Benavidez to cruiserweight brute Lateef Kayode.”
“All this while battling the devastating effects of Parkinson’s disease,” the newspaper said. “He was so seemingly omnipresent.”
The International Labor Organization (ILO) said Philippine workers were among the most affected by the world economic crisis and expressed concern over the "extremely high risk of low pay" in the country.
The ILO's "Global Wage Report 2010" also noted a paradox in Philippine wage trends: Higher education did not correlate with higher wages, contrary to the pattern in many other parts of the world.
In the Philippines, low pay--particularly among domestic workers--"is partly caused by the lack of proper wage protection, notably the common practice of excluding such workers from the application of minimum wages," said the latest report.
And while low wages are correlated with low educational attainment in most parts of the world, the Philippine case seems to be the opposite.
"Surprisingly, the Philippines seems to represent an interesting exception to this common pattern, registering a high incidence of low wage employment among those with a primary and secondary education," the report said.
The incidence of low-wage employment in the Philippines was also 46 percent higher among women than among men, it said.
The report, the second of its kind, provides a global analysis of wage trends in 2008-2009, a period characterized by the deepest economic downturn since the 1930s.
The report used data from 115 countries and territories, covering more than 90 percent of the approximately 1.4 billion wage earners worldwide.
In the Philippines and Malaysia, real wages were cut by more than 4 percent in 2008, while that in Japan fell nearly 2 percent in both 2008 and 2009, and Thailand, by almost 2 percent in 2009.
The report likewise identified the Philippines as among the most vulnerable countries that experienced an increase in low-wage employment in the last 15 years, with 15 percent of the country's employed found in low-wage jobs.
Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand also recorded an increase in low-wage employment. In Korea, the ILO noted that 25 percent of full-time workers were employed in low-paying jobs.
In general, however, Asia recorded the best performance in the world in terms of wage growth, although this was mainly due to China, which accounts for half of the total wage employment in Asia.
According to the report, while global financial turmoil reduced global wage growth by half in the last two years, Asia remained positive with a provisional estimate for wage growth at 8 percent in 2009.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration recorded a "downtrend" in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the first ten months of 2010. POEA Deputy Administrator Stella Banawis said there was a 3-percent drop in the number of OFWs deployed from January to October.
"Negative 3.0 percent. The preliminary data showed that there is really a downtrend," Banawis said. "So we are actually projecting a decrease this year based on the trend although it is still preliminary."
She said that only 1.079 million OFWs were deployed from January to October this year compared with 1.112 million during the same period last year.
Banawis said that the lingering effects of the global financial crisis could be blamed for the decrease in OFW deployment.
"I think it is still the effect of the crisis. (The numbers for) Canada and Australia have not risen," she added.
She said that the mandatory insurance policy for OFWs might have also affected deployment while the local situation in other countries, like the increase of Indonesian domestic workers in Hong Kong, also affected the deployment of OFWs in those places.
However, Banawis said the POEA noted a 10.7-percent increase in the number of accredited employers from January to September. The POEA accredited 15,049 employers during that period in 2009 and registered 16,665 this year.
There was also a 31.5-percent growth in terms of job orders, Banawis said.
"These job orders have a two-year validity so it does not mean that all will be processed this year. Normally, we approve thousands, up to 500,000," she added.
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - And now, at year's end, it would be wise to reflect on the number of young Filipino talents making waves in the international music scene. Charice, Bruno Mars... now there's Darren Criss.
Yes, Gleeks, the curly-haired, green-eyed heartthrob - who started out as a guest character, a gay teen named Blaine, and is now the show's newest regular star - is of Filipino stock, and very proud of it.
Gregarious
In town for a set of Christmas shows for Ayala Malls in Manila, the gregarious Darren sat down with the press only hours after he landed in the morning, and only a few minutes before he and his team started rehearsals for his show later that afternoon. Darren, however, is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as only a hot new Hollywood prospect can be, and was in the mood to talk about his previous adventures in Makati, a posh enclave in the Philippines' capital.
"The last time I was here was for my cousin's wedding, about two years ago, and it's so good to be back," Darren told this writer in a one-on-one.
"My mom is Cebuano (from Cebu in central Philippines), born and raised in the Philippines, and she went to the (United) States when she was an adult. She's the youngest of seven, so I have a lot of family in Makati, a lot of them have moved on to other countries but many of them are still here. My dad's side is rather tiny, so I feel like a great part of my family is Filipino. I love the Filipino community so much."
The fact that the Filipino community is, in his words, "notoriously embracive", is one of the reasons he had jumped on the chance to perform here so close to Christmas, and while nursing a cold.
"I wasn't born here, so I won't make any claims of being fully Pinoy (slang for Filipino), but I don't know," he said.
"Every time I come here I feel this sort of kinship with the country. Probably because Filipinos are so notoriously embracive of anyone, specially in the entertainment industry. I couldn't be happier to be here."
Even before landing "Glee", Darren has had a sizeable, if underground, fan following, which came about when he and his college friends from the University of Michigan theater department decided to post a Harry Potter parody musical they produced on YouTube.
With songs written, produced and performed by Darren, the project, "A Very Potter Musical", got millions of hits, and gave birth to two other musicals, also posted on YouTube. When they formed a company to release the soundtrack albums, one became the very first college musical to land the Billboard and iTunes charts.
DIY advocate
Which makes Darren an advocate of doing things yourself. That being said, he pointed out, "There are no rules to this game. People are always saying, 'Yeah, very smart to go on YouTube first,' and you know, none of it is connected. I've just been very very fortunate and I can't stress that enough. The strength that our musicals have had -the ones I help make with my company, Star Kid Productions - was completely organic. We had no idea people would like it as much. And 'Glee' happened because I auditioned for it. I don't think anyone in 'Glee' knew about that other world that I had.
"My recommendation is that in this day and age there's a big do-it-yourself mentality. We made that thing ourselves, produced it ourselves. If you want to do something, it's very easy with the tools available now. Create, create, create."
Even after becoming hot Hollywood property, Darren is devoted to his other creative pursuits, and with the same collaborators.
"My friends from Michigan (have all been) very supportive, and I'm still working with them. In fact, our fourth musical comes out in February. It's called 'Starship,' and we're rehearsing now," he said, and added deprecatingly, "At the end of the day, I'm just some random guy, not really any different, the same old weird dorkish guy."
Independent
Wait, that's not all!
"Then, pending my schedule, I'll be working on a full-length studio album," said Darren, who released an EP of five songs as an independent before TV beckoned.
"That was always gonna happen, then I got cast in 'Glee', which kinda stalled it for a bit. Depending on what time I have, I'll be going back and forth between 'Glee', my company and my musical and the album, and between those three, I'm keeping myself pretty busy. It also depends if I get a film this summer. I'm always auditioning."
With such a wealth of talent, it seems Darren's path is full of possibilities, but will he ever choose between acting and music?
"I'm devoted to both. But... who ever thought I would be doing both on one television show?" he asks.
"I wanna have my cake and eat it, too. They complement one another, and I'm gonna keep going until one or the other makes me decide."
Loves Blaine
He loves the role of Blaine, and doesn't fear typecasting one bit, despite playing a gay role. (Darren is straight.)
"I am no more a gay teenager in a blazer who's 16 years old than Max Adler, who plays Karofsky, is a homophobic bully, or Heather Morris is a dumb blonde. We're all playing parts and serving the story," he pointed out.
"I've been handed the tremendous opportunity to play an incredibly strong character. I can't stress enough how important Blaine is to me. I mean, I play him, but taking that away from the equation, I think he plays such an important role in what's going on in our world, what's going on with young people. The things he has to say can transcend the gay topic, and into all sorts of exclusion and alienation and inclusiveness and acceptance."
