Thousands of foreign Students Flock to the Philippines for World Class Quality yet Affordable education

MANILA, Philippines - Thousands of foreign university students are flocking to the Philippines, attracted by cheap yet high-quality courses conducted in English and an easy-going lifestyle outside class.

With more than 2,100 private and state-run institutions nationwide offering a wide array of courses, and an immigration policy friendly to foreign students, the former American colony is enjoying an enrolment boom.

Nearly 20,000 foreign students held special visas at the end of the school year in March, according to the immigration bureau, which said the number would rise when classes began in June.

This excludes the tens of thousands enrolled in small institutions that offer short courses in English and are particularly popular among South Korean and Chinese students.

Nigerian medical student Dike Edward Ikechukwu, 22, said he learnt about studying in the Philippines at an education road show conducted by Manila schools in his country.

Then already studying pharmacology in Lagos, Ikechukwu said he was intrigued by the prospect of studying in a foreign country where he could expand his medical knowledge without depleting the family resources.

"It was cost effective for me," said Ikechukwu, who is president of the 605-member foreign students' organization at Manila's 400-year-old University of Santo Tomas.

"I would have spent so much more in the United States for the same quality of education."

Denis Somoso, a Filipino OFW Accountant and International Taxation Specialist who is working 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.

A 4-year degree course in the Philippines costs between $1,000 and $2,500 a year, significantly cheaper than in the United States for example where one could spend more than $30,000 annually, educators here say.

Another important factor for Ikechukwu was English. He said his father, a shipping consultant; travelled to the Philippines before he enrolled to inspect the university and liked the fact English was widely spoken.

The Philippines inherited English from the Americans, who colonized the archipelago at the end of a war with Spain in 1898.

American teachers fanned out across the country to open up schools in remote villages, teaching English grammar, diction and generally instilling a love for education in a legacy that lasts to this day.

Even though the Philippines is one of the poorest countries in Asia with one of the biggest wealth divides, the literacy rate remains one of the highest in the region at about 90%, according to government data.

The government began enticing foreign students to study in the Philippines in the 1980s, mostly in specialized fields such as medicine and agriculture.

The following decade saw an explosion of schools and institutions offering short-term courses in English language, aviation, hotel and restaurant management and maritime-related classes.

Then, in 2000, the government embarked on a strategy to promote the Philippines as a center for education in Asia, with one plank making it easier for foreign students to apply for visas.

It also established exchange programs between Philippine schools and universities in many countries, including Australia, the United States, South Korea, Canada and European nations.

Professor Evelyn Songco, assistant to the rector for student affairs at the University of Santo Tomas, credited the high number of foreigners to the government's strong push to make the Philippines an academic mecca in Asia.

"Many Philippine schools and universities are accredited abroad, and those who graduated from here have created a good impression around the world," she said.

"Our diplomas are competitive abroad, and Philippine universities have always strived to do justice to the tuition fees these foreigners pay. We give them quality education, quality faculty members and facilities."

Beryl France Buendia, an American studying for a physical therapy degree at the University of Santo Tomas, said she believed studying in the Philippines would not disadvantage her in the US job market.

"I believe a Philippine diploma can be just as competitive in the States," the 22-year-old said, although she added cost was a big factor in deciding to study in Manila.

"My dad's quite old and my mom's going to retire soon so they had to budget the plan, so we decided to enrol here," she said.

A younger sister, Bethany, is finishing a degree in communication arts, also at Santo Tomas.

For South Korean psychology student Juhyun Kim, 18, learning English and low costs were important reasons for enrolling at the Ateneo de Manila University.

But she said another factor in choosing to study in the Philippines was the reputation of Filipinos for being so friendly.

"Koreans are very welcome here. Filipinos sincerely care. I like staying here," she said.

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Using Cellphones could cause Brain Tumors?

A respected international panel of experts says cellphones are possible cancer-causing agents, putting them in the same category as the pesticide DDT, gasoline engine exhaust and coffee.

The classification was issued Tuesday in Lyon, France, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer after a review of dozens of published studies. The agency is an arm of the World Health Organization and its assessment now goes to WHO and national health agencies for possible guidance on cellphone use.

Classifying agents as ``possibly carcinogenic'' doesn't mean they automatically cause cancer and some experts said the ruling shouldn't change people's cellphone habits.

``Anything is a possible carcinogen,'' said Donald Berry, a professor of biostatistics at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. He was not linked to the WHO cancer group. ``This is not something I worry about and it will not in any way change how I use my cellphone,'' he said _ from his cellphone.

After a week-long meeting, the expert panel said there was limited evidence cellphone use was linked to two types of brain tumors and inadequate evidence to draw conclusions for other cancers.

``We found some threads of evidence telling us how cancers might occur, but there were acknowledged gaps and uncertainties,'' said Jonathan Samet, the panel's chairman.

``The WHO's verdict means there is some evidence linking mobile phones to cancer but it is too weak to draw strong conclusions from,'' said Ed Yong, head of health information at Cancer Research U.K. ``If such a link exists, it is unlikely to be a large one.''

Last year, results of a large study found no clear link between cellphones and cancer. But some advocacy groups contend the study raised serious concerns because it showed a hint of a possible connection between very heavy phone use and glioma, a rare but often deadly form of brain tumor. However, the numbers in that subgroup weren't sufficient to make the case.

The study was controversial because it began with people who already had cancer and asked them to recall how often they used their cellphones more than a decade ago.

In about 30 other studies done in Europe, New Zealand and the U.S., patients with brain tumors have not reported using their cellphones more often than unaffected people.

Because cellphones are so popular, it may be impossible for experts to compare cellphone users who develop brain tumors with people who don't use the devices. According to a survey last year, the number of cellphone subscribers worldwide has hit 5 billion, or nearly three-quarters of the global population.

People's cellphone habits have also changed dramatically since the first studies began years ago and it's unclear if the results of previous research would still apply today.

Since many cancerous tumors take decades to develop, experts say it's impossible to conclude cellphones have no long-term health risks. The studies conducted so far haven't tracked people for longer than about a decade.

Cellphones send signals to nearby towers via radio frequency waves, a form of energy similar to FM radio waves and microwaves. But the radiation produced by cellphones cannot directly damage DNA and is different from stronger types of radiation like X-rays or ultraviolet light. At very high levels, radio frequency waves from cellphones can heat up body tissue, but that is not believed to damage human cells.

Some experts recommended people use a headset or earpiece if they are worried about the possible health dangers of cellphones. ``If there is a risk, most of it goes away with a wireless earpiece,'' said Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.

Brawley said people should focus on the real health hazards of cellphones. ``Cellphones may cause brain tumors but they kill far more people through automobile accidents,'' he said. Brawley added it was also reasonable to limit children's use of cellphones since their brains are still developing.

Earlier this year, a U.S. National Institutes of Health study found that cellphone use can speed up brain activity, but it is unknown whether that has any dangerous health effects.

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Communications Commission have found no evidence cellphones are linked to cancer

 

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Philippine Peso appreciated 0.1% over dollar for 3rd Day on Optimism Spending to Boost Growth

The Philippine peso gained for a third day, paring losses this month, on optimism government spending will boost economic growth in the Southeast Asian nation.

The Philippine peso advanced for a third day as the government pledged faster economic growth with state spending. Bonds advanced.

The government will "pump prime" the economy and growth will improve in the remainder of the year, President Benigno Aquino said yesterday. Gross domestic product rose 4.9 percent in the three months to March from a year earlier after having increased 7.1 percent in the previous quarter, government data showed yesterday. The Philippine economy will expand 5.7 percent this year, Standard Chartered Plc said in a report today.

"As the government steps up spending, growth will probably improve from the first quarter, which was a relatively decent number," said Manu Goseco, a treasurer at East West Bank Corp. in Manila.

The peso gained 0.1 percent to 43.272 per dollar as of the 4 p.m. close of trading in Manila, according to Tullett Prebon Plc. The currency dropped 1.1 percent this month, snapping a three-month rally.

Banks that engage in non-deliverable forward transactions in the foreign-exchange market must submit a daily report, the central bank said on its website. The peso, which rose as much as 0.3 percent today, pared those gains after Governor Amando Tetangco said policy makers seek a clearer picture of the derivatives.

"There's a bit of ambiguity on the circular and the uncertainty has a knock-on effect on the peso," said Rafael Algarra, executive vice president at Security Bank Corp. "It should settle down once things are clarified."

The yield on the 6.25 percent January 2014 peso bond fell two basis points, or 0.02 percentage point, to 4.93 percent, according to Tradition Financial Services. The rate increased 50 basis points from the end of April.

The nation’s economy grew 4.9 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, compared with a revised 6.1 percent expansion in the previous three months, the government reported today. Remittances, which account for more than 10 percent of the economy, increased 4.1 percent in March from a year earlier, the central bank said May 16. The peso weakened 1.2 percent this month as Europe’s debt crisis spurred investors to favor safe- haven assets.

“Fundamentals are solid” even as government spending faltered in the last quarter, said Marcelo Ayes, senior vice president at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. in Manila. “The peso seems to be dictated not much by internal news, but external news. The elevated risk aversion is still there due to uncertainty over Greece.”

The peso appreciated 0.1 percent to 43.315 per dollar at the 4 p.m. close in Manila, according to prices from inter- dealer broker Tullett Prebon Plc. The currency touched 43.585 on May 25, the weakest level since March 29.

Philippine economic growth will probably quicken this quarter as the government catches up on spending, Economic Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga told reporters today in Manila.

The government will “pump prime” the economy starting this quarter and growth will improve in the remainder of the year, President Benigno Aquino also said today. Power and infrastructure investment will be coming in and crises in the Middle East and Japan weighed on the domestic economy, Aquino said.

The yield on the 6.25 percent note due January 2014 held at 4.95 percent, according to Tradition Financial Services.

 

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