KOREA Inviting PHILIPPINE company; Show your Product to Increase EXPORT

Local firms invited to join Korean trade fairs

Filipino firms are being encouraged to participate in trade fairs in South Korea to increase exports of Philippine products to that country.

Ki Bong Moon, second deputy head of the trade and investment unit of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) - Korea Centre, said in an interview the organization is working with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Center, for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) to encourage Filipino firms to take part in trade fairs being held in South Korea.

"There is very low awareness on Philippine products (in South Korea) so we invite Philippine companies to go to Korea," he said.

To encourage Filipino firms to take part in trade fairs in South Korea, he said the ASEAN-Korea Centre is providing airline tickets and accommodation of selected companies during the trade shows.

The companies are selected by the organization with the DTI and CITEM based on a set of guidelines.

Moon said that for an upcoming trade fair for healthy food to be held in August, the ASEAN-Korea Centre is inviting two Filipino companies to participate.

For another food trade show being held in November, he said four Filipino firms would be invited.

He said the organization wants to encourage Filipino firms to participate in South Korea's trade fairs so that more Philippine products would be made available in Korea.

He noted that exports of South Korea to the Philippines were valued at $8.2 billion in 2012.

Philippine exports to South Korea however, amounted to a much lower $3.2 billion last year.

"We want to encourage Philippine manufacturers to bring their products to Korea," Moon said noting that the Philippines has many products which could cater to the Korean market.

He said among the Philippine products of interest to South Koreans are muscovado and calamansi.

"It is very critical for the Philippines to increase its exports to Korea," he added.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organization mandated to promote the economic and socio-cultural cooperation between ASEAN member states and Korea.

Among the ASEAN member countries, the Philippines is Korea's fifth largest trading partner with trade volume between the two hitting $11.5 billion last year.

With report from philSTAR

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Health research initiatives begins in The Philippines, $800 Million US Dollars

Laboratory Medicine -Manila Doctors Hospital

A new law is expected to boost medical research in the Philippines, potentially opening doors to greater private sector involvement in the health services industry.

On May 7 President Benigno Aquino ratified legislation passed by the parliament earlier this year that formalizes the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) and establishes the Philippine National Health Research Fund.

The PNHRS's main role will be to set policies and directions, periodically review and approve long-term plans and programs, and evaluate and approve the national health research agenda. The PNHRS will be governed by a council headed by the secretary of science and technology and the secretary of health, with representatives from the Commission on Higher Education, the chancellor of the University of the Philippines-Manila, the executive director of the National Nutrition Council, the director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, as well as five representatives from the private sector.

The PNHRS itself is not new, although formalizing its status and funding marks a policy change. The program was initially set out in the middle of the past decade to finance the training of more health scientists and provide the necessary resources for undertaking research aligned with the government's health strategies. Among the key agencies involved in the scheme are the Department of Health; the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), an agency under the Department of Science and Technology that serves as the national coordinating body for health research; and the Commission on Higher Education.

Research and development work to be conducted within the remit of the PNHRS will in part be financed by the higher taxes on cigarettes and alcohol that went into effect on January 1. The price of cigarettes is expected to double by 2017, while the cost of a bottle of beer is will rise by P23.50 ($0.56). The PCHRD will receive 10% of the revenues collected, which will then be used to fund the PNHRS.

This would represent a significant financial boost to health research, as official estimates put the earnings from the so-called sin tax at $800m for 2013, thus potentially channeling $80m into the system this year alone.

According to Juan Edgardo Angara, a representative in parliament and one of the authors of the PNHRS bill, the program will provide a framework to strengthen cooperation among the various stakeholders in health research, including private sector players.

"The country must provide for a favorable research environment wherein government agencies, non-government organizations, public and private hospitals, academic institutions and private agencies can optimize their research activities," Angara said.

The Aquino administration has already been pushing to encourage greater private sector involvement in the health care industry. Through its public-private partnership program, the government has partially corporatized some hospitals and health centers, opening them up to private investment and management. With the PNHRS fully operational, there will likely be greater support for private research projects, which could benefit such segments of the economy as the pharmaceutical sector, with the $14bn industry currently growing at a rate of between 3% and 4% each year.

Even with additional funding and a structure to steer and monitor health research activities, it will take time for the Philippines to address structural weaknesses. At present, the country is lagging in most international assessments of research support. Spending on research is around 0.03% of national health expenditure, well short of the 2% recommended by the World Health Organization. Total outlays on research and development in all fields, not just health, account for just over 0.1% of GDP, according to the World Bank, compared to Singapore's 2.37%.

By building capacity for research and development, the PNHRS will help fuel the innovation that could ultimately improve the health of the nation.

Oxford Business Group

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CHINA made - IOS/Android “WeChat” Spy Apps downloaded and patronized by Millions of PINOYS? BEWARE!

CHINA "WeChat" Sees Huge Boost in Philippines After Star-Studded TV Ads - Iya Villania and Drew Arellano

Since ramping up TV and social marketing in the Philippines last month, China-made messaging app WeChat has been holding onto the top position in the country's free app rankings for both iOS and Android.

As we've seen in other countries, there is a WeChat television advertisement being aired in the Philippines, which of course helps boost the app's popularity there. In the country, WeChat's chosen brand ambassadors are Iya Villania and Drew Arellano.

Looking over the app charts, WeChat's closest rivals look to be Japan-based Line and Viber. The latter two are currently placed in the top seven free overall apps on Google Play. Viber though, is not as popular on iOS, it is ranked at 34th while Line occupies the fourth spot there. Of course, downloads don't equate to active user numbers.

Just last week, we saw WeChat attempt to bring its battle with Line to the Nokia Asha platform, which will help in emerging markets like the Philippines. The Tencent-run app records a staggering 195 monthly active users right now, with the latest number of users outside China being 50 million.

Tencent is pushing WeChat particularly hard in Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, and Mexico, where it already seems to be taking off.

Will the app prevail in its battle for the Pinoy market against the other chat apps? And let's not forget Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. There are still a lot of users to be won over.

ASEAN countries must beware as USA and China is now sparring for Cyber Espionage initiated by China leaking all Future US Defense Plan and technology with the same issue happened in Australia and South Korea. This "WeChat" App might find vulnerabilities of your phone leak your all confidential information to untrustworthy China.

With report from Tech In ASIA

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