Top 15 Universities of the Philippines' education attracts thousands of foreign students

Top 15 Universities in the Philippines (As of June 2011)

1.      University of the Philippines (Manila)

2.     Ateneo de Manila University (Manila)

3.     University of Santo Tomas (older than Harvard University)

4.     De La Salle University (Manila)

5.     Mindanao State University (Iligan City /Marawi)

6.     Xavier University (Manila)

7.     Polytechnic University of the Philippines (Manila)

8.     Silliman University (Dumaguete City)

9.     Father Saturnino Urios College (Butuan City)

10.            Mapua Institute of Technology (Manila)

11.            Adamson University (Manila)

12.            Saint Louis University (Baguio City)

13.            Central Mindanao University (Bukidnon Province)

14.            University of San Carlos (Cebu City)

15.            University of Southeastern Philippines (Davao City)

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A California-based Filipina, Eva Jaakolaa, married to a US-based Finnish  national, was happy to finish her nursing course at the University  of Makati come October.

During an early celebration of her upcoming graduation in an Italian restaurant in Morato, Quezon City, she thanked relatives and housemaids for taking care of her and her daughter Gabriela Jaakolla, now three, who came with her to Manila two years ago.

Her husband Teppo in San Francisco also celebrated with the family through the internet.

She is one of many US-based Filipino-Americans who have discovered the wonders of studying in high-calibre, but affordable Philippine universities, plus the added joy of bonding with a caring family.

Her sister Olive Joy in San Francisco has also been shopping for a course and a school for further education in the Philippines.

Philippine schools have also boomed with the enrollment of foreigners who want better education and additional expertise in Filipino and English language.

"It's like hitting two birds with one stone," explained Mariko Akino, a Japanese national who once studied at the University of the Philippine to learn about the dynamics of Filipino families and Filipino and English languages.

"Me and my friends are happy with our medical studies here: we get good education and we pay less," said student Aurora Clay, satisfied with her $1,500 tuition fee a semester for a medical course. Education in the Philippines is very affordable, world class standards with sense of freedom and an easy-going lifestyle outside class.

Denis Somoso, a Filipino OFW Accountant and International Taxation Specialist who works in Hyundai Engineering, a company of the one of the biggest car maker in the world; the Hyundai Motor Group supposed to pursue his MBA in South Korea but he found out that he need to spend around $ 15,000.00 US Dollar every semester while in the Philippine universities, $ 800 to $1,400 US Dollar is enough for the whole semester so he decided to take his MBA in the Philippines.

“I supposed to enroll for my MBA here in Seoul Korea; I have chosen already one of the famous universities for foreign students here. I got the requirements already and they scheduled me to take an English test but after I got all the information including the fees, I changed my mind because it is really expensive compare to the Philippines” he said. “I still believe the quality of education in the Philippines and studying to the USA is not even needed if you are a graduate in the Philippines because graduate of the Philippines Universities are recognized abroad” he added.

Meynard Halili, known as a disciplinarian and a strict assessor of graduating pilots, said that foreigners have been flocking to Air Works, his flying school in suburban Pasay City.

People from Thailand have been studying agriculture at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Los Banos, southern Luzon. The school can adequately teach bio-diversity because it is based on Mount Makiling, long established as one of the world's highly diversified mountains, said Professor Prospero de Vera.

Because of the high number of South Koreans learning English in Philippine schools, Korean restaurants have sprouted at the University of the Philippines' commercial area in Quezon City.

"My classmates earn when they tutor me in English," said Kim Choi.

Some 25,000 foreign students will attend Philippine school next week, the Bureau of Immigration said.

Meanwhile, Dawn Abrogar said that she and husband Alan have worked hard for the expensive education of their second son Dino in La Naval, Spain. Earlier, another son Adi was in the same school. "They could get up the corporate ladder faster than others," the proud parents attested.

Not to be outsmarted, many middle class students in Manila have also aimed for one hundred percent scholarships, including free board and lodging in US Ivy Leagues this September, said a US Embassy official.

"In the Philippines, many believe that education abroad is good. I am one of them," said Jose Rodriguez, a Spanish executive director at Instituto Cervantes, Manila's language and cultural institution, whose children by a Filipina wife have studied in Madrid.

When the Philippines was colonized by Spain for 400 years, from the 16th century until 1898, Spanish authorities and various religious orders established private schools that are now expensive private schools that also cater to foreign students.

When American colonials took over in 1898 and stayed for 100 more years, they established public schools, foremost of which is the University of the Philippines (UP), a premier school that has produced presidents, senators, congressmen, judges, and lawyers.

Of the more than 2,500 private and public educational institutions in the Philippines, four of them have entered QS's list of top 200 Asian universities for 2011. UP ranked 62nd; Ateneo de Manila University (68th); University of Santo Tomas (older than Harvard, 104th); and De La Salle University (107th).

Eleven other universities across the Philippines were also in QS's 201st ranking: the Mindanao State University (in the south), Xavier University (Manila), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (Manila), Silliman University (central Philippines), Father Saturnino Urios College (southern Philippines), Mapua Institute of Technology (Manila), Adamson University (Manila), Saint Louis University (northern Philippines), Central Mindanao University, University of San Carlos, and University of Southeastern Philippines (both in the southern Philippines)

 

 

 

 

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An island of one's own: paradise found in the Philippines

Torrential downpours soak the decorations on the chrome jeepneys roaring in the streets of Manila. It is a rain that brings no relief from the heat, although it does dampen the relentless sun, turning the sky into the faded color of a Manila envelope. Heat, dust, noise – I need an escape, an island paradise all to myself. The Philippines is made up of more than 7,000 islands, so I had come to the right place. Just a short flight away is the province of Palawan, which has long inspired escapes for writers, divers and travelers.

Within the Philippines, Palawan has the least amount of people and the most surrounding islands. Because of its wealth of protected areas, it is proudly referred to as the country’s “Last Ecological Frontier.” In 1967, the entire province was declared a Fish and Wildlife Sanctuary, which is odd considering its capital, Puerto Princesa, is the country’s fastest-growing city. Besides the natural beauty and relaxed pace of life, the growth might have something to do with Palawan sitting outside the typhoon belt. Not that I would be escaping the rain, which fell like bullets shot from the sky. Locals, though, scooting about in a strange-looking tricycle taxis, are protected from the rain in their boat-like cabins, which might come in handy if it floods.

I decide to escape the rain – but not the wet – by heading underground, to a subterranean river system I had heard about and was longing to explore. It’s a 50-kilometre potholed drive from the city to one of Palawan’s more popular attractions, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. A rich ecosystem packed with birds, flora and fauna, it is one of the island’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is also home to the world’s longest navigable underground river, an 8.2-km waterway that creeps into a limestone cave. Tourists don hard hats and flashlights, rowing the first kilometre to enjoy the bats and cave formations. As the cave mouth slowly disappears, the acrid smell of guano accompanies a sensation that a beast, complete with rows of stalagmite teeth, is swallowing us alive. We reach the cut-off point and gladly turn the boat around. Caves are fun, but not as much fun as seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

Alongside the underground river is a 5.2-km rain forest trek called the Monkey Trail, which is perfect for spotting lizards, birds, squirrels and, of course, monkeys, which are known to pillage visitors’ lunchboxes. Later that afternoon, the true beauty of Palawan hits us aboard a wooden bangka, the small motorized outrigger that is transporting us back to the nearest town. A warm breeze atop the South China Sea caresses our small group as the sunset breaks through clouds in warm hues of orange. The intoxicating exoticism of the moment moves us to tears; the moment forever captured on film by a friend in an adjacent bangka. It’s one of my favorite photos from all my travels.

Back at the hotel, a tourist brochure catches my attention, inviting visitors to an unusual prison community called the Iwahig Penal Colony. Here, in this institution without walls, 3,000 prisoners – ranging from minimum to maximum security – live and work. Tourists are welcome to visit and learn about their life, and to purchase handmade crafts from the prison gift shop. It’s all very utopian, until you hear about “orientation” centers for escapees and encounter prisoners selling their brown, blue and orange prison T-shirts on the side for extra money. I buy a medium-security blue T-shirt from a prisoner, who warns me not to wear it anywhere in the Philippines. While it’s an unusual souvenir, I later decide it’s in poor taste to wear it anywhere. Devoted to the freedom of travel, there’s nothing cool about being locked up, even in a prison without walls.

Source:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/vacations/adventure/robin-esrock/an-island-of-ones-own-paradise-found-in-the-philippines/article2043148/

 

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Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reports P 67 Billion new investments end May 2011

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) registered P66.956 billion worth of new investments as of end-May, 44.46 percent higher year-on-year, the latest data show.

PEZA Director General Lilia de Lima expressed more confidence that this year’s 10 percent target increase in investments, exports and employment within the zone is achievable.

Before delegates of the Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition at the SMX yesterday, de Lima assured investors that problems connected to power and the high electricity costs will be resolved soon, or as early as next year, which should attract more locators to PEZA areas.

De Lima said investors still think highly of Philippine competitiveness as a location despite lingering concerns in the salary scale, which may be a disadvantage compared to other nations such as Vietnam, China, India and Indonesia.

Japanese manufacturers, however, remain bullish about the Philippines as investment site, she said.

De Lima recently met with 11 Japanese investors while in Japan, most are in the electronics sector, some in agri-processing and tourism. She expects more projects with an estimated worth of P1 billion from Japan will be relocating to the Philippines soon.

De Lima said the focus is to encourage companies that makes and supplies raw materials and components to attract more Japanese investments. “Difficulty in procuring raw materials and parts is the chief but only complaint cited by the Japanese, compared to what they cite in other countries in the region,” said de Lima, citing a JETRO survey called ‘Management Trouble for Japanese Managers in Asian Countries’ released last November.

 

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