Business Review - Vol. XXIX No. 1 - December 2012-January 2013 Issue (Preview)

Business Review

www.eccp.com

Volume XXIX No. 1

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December - January 2013

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Europe Philippines Trade

editorial

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A ‘Green’, ‘Sustainable’ and ‘Ethical’ Business Model?

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FEATURE

Chambers@work

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Contents

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EU-Philippines trade

Legislative Tracker • We need your feedback - ICC and FDA • Energy Efficiency & IT/BPO/KPO Committee Meetings • National Competitiveness Council - Working Group Agri-Trade Logistics • Meeting with the Department Of Justice • Energy Committee Meeting • Meeting with Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima • IT/BPO/KPO Advocacy Committee • Healthcare Working Group • Reminder from the Bureau of Immigration - Annual Report starts Jan 2, 2013 • IATA Reports on the impact of aviation in the Philippine economy • Market Access Team Meeting • Meeting with DOF Sec. Cesar Purisima, Customs Comm. Ruffy Biazon, BIR Comm. Kim Henares, and SEC Chair Teresita Herbosa - 28 Jan • Forum on Competition Policy / Legislation - 24 Jan • Luncheon event on 23rd January 2013 with John D. Negroponte at the Tower Club • ConneXion Series Kicks off • ECCP Bridges an Industry-Academe Scientific Research Partnership • EKO Fest Unveiled • TECHTALK Launch • Materials Library Action Plan Followed Through

ECCP: Pursuing a Sustainable and Competitive Philippines

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EVENTS

Christkindlmarket: Your Boarding Pass to a European Christmas • Recycled Fairytales • Luncheon Meeting with Foreign Secretary del Rosario • 7th European Networking Night • ECCP Biomass / Biogas Mission from Germany

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MEMBERS’ CORNER

New Members • ECCP Responds to the victims of Typhoon Pablo • ING donates Php 2.4 million for disaster relief activities in the Philippines

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Impressum

ECCP: PURSUING A SUSTAINABLE AND COMPETITIVE PHILIPPINES

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Chamber@Work

ConneXion SERIES KICKS OFF ConneXion, the new series of table talks on Online Marketing, kicks off on Feb 21 with “The World Online” as the first topic. This covers an introduction to and the elements involved in online marketing.

The next sessions will cover more specific elements of online marketing that are useful in business: “Optimizing Online Visibility”, “The Power of Social Media”, and “You Pay Per Click and You Get More”.

ECCP Cebu EKO FEST UNVEILED ECCP Cebu is running the Eko Fest from June 7 to 10, 2013 to highlight Cebu’s capability of producing sustainable products and to move forward the initiative propelled by the launching of the Eko Lifestyle Magazine.

The Eko Fest will be a four-day event that includes a special setting and photo exhibition of exemplary sustainable designs, natural materials used by the design sector and the SMART Cebu success story. A display of SMART Cebu products will also be showcased at District 32 - the new “facelift” project of the Mactan International Airport.

TECHTALK LAUNCH TECHTALK is a series of discussions on energy efficiency and cleaner production under the SMART (SME’s for Environment Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency) Cebu Project being implemented by ECCP in Cebu.

ECCP BRIDGES AN INDUSTRY-ACADEME SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP ECCP Cebu, in collaboration with DOST 7, bridges an industry-academe partnership on scientific networking matching academic research capabilities with expressed industry needs based on RECP assessments.

Ten student groups from the University of San Jose-Recoletos and the CIT University will be matched with companies coming from Cebu’s design industry, specifically those involved in the SMART Cebu Project. The students will be coached by Research Mentors coming from DOST 7 and the participating universities.

The first of the series of TECHTALK sessions is dubbed Electricity 101: Understanding the Electricity Bill. Topics discussed include basic concepts on consumer services, components of electricity billing, efficient energy usage, energy saving tips, system enhancement, and demand management.

MATERIALS LIBRARY ACTION PLAN FOLLOWED THROUGH Stakeholders of the Materials Library revisited the action plan they crafted in May 2010 in a workshop recently conducted in ECCP Cebu last January 14.

ECCP Cebu, CFIF, GTH, and DOST7 are joined by a new partner: AFOS Foundation. Fresh agreements on how to move the Materials Library forward were crafted with AFOS, whose programs focus on Materials Sourcing, as the main actor through their Phase 2 plan that include networking with suppliers of semiprocessed materials.

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Feature

ECCP: PURSUING A SUSTAINABLE AND COMPETITIVE PHILIPPINES

will do well if a level playing field is created. A level playing field provides ‘Juan de la Cruz’ with quality products and services at competitive prices.

The Philippines is in the limelight now having earned plenty of positive reviews showing that the country is now among the top economic performers in the world particularly in the Asian region and considered the one with the biggest economic potentials. A few years back, the BRIC countries were in the limelight and BRIC refers to Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Now, it is time to welcome the VIP countries – referring to Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

We identified four areas that need to be addressed to create the level playing field: 1. Clean business (ethical business practices) 2.

Fair competition (antitrust) 3.

Equal taxation (remove unfair taxation on foreign-owned businesses)

It is clear that the present Aquino Administration has been doing something right to reverse the perception that the Philippines is off limits to international business. For one, President Aquino has made it his priority to bring back the confidence of businessmen to invest in the Philippines by ensuring that greater transparency is promoted as well as corrupt individuals especially those in government are removed from office, tried and jailed. He is also working closely with his economic cluster of cabinet secretaries to secure economic policies and regulations that create a level playing field for all.

4. Equal opportunity for all investors (remove economic provisions in the Constitution that limit foreign investors).

Looking back at the last two years, we can be happy with the progress being made in most of the areas listed above:

Clean Business

ECCP is driving the Integrity Initiative jointly with the Makati Business Club. We have just concluded 2 years of this advocacy and can report good progress, both in the private sector and government. More than 1,500 CEOs of companies doing business in the Philippines have signed the Integrity Pledge and committed themselves and their companies to ‘clean business’.

32 government officials, mostly Cabinet rank, have also signed the Integrity Pledge and committed their agencies to the change towards ‘no corruption – no poverty’. But much more needs to be done, as discussed with the Economic Cluster of the Cabinet we need incentives for companies that have joined the Integrity bandwagon. We specified a number of areas:

With this bright scenario for the country, the discussion now is focused on how to make this sustainable and how to ensure that the competitiveness of the Philippines maintained. ECCP is an active player in securing the economic future of the Philippines particularly with the view of strengthening EuropePhilippines business relations. It is actively engaging the government to bring private sector concerns to the concerned government officials.

ECCP – Enhancing the Business Environment

ECCP has been supporting a sustainable and competitive Philippines in terms of maintaining the good economic performance of the country over the last 2 years, tackling priority issues to remove obstacles to achieve faster progress and development in the years ahead as well as in ensuring that the Philippines follow a sustainable and inclusive development path.

First Priority: Creating a level playing field

ECCP’s advocacy is built on the premise that all businesses in the Philippines

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Preferred supplier status of government / bidders to sign Integrity Pact, legally binding with sanctions

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Tax incentives granted only if Integrity Pledge has been signed

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Least priority audit by the BIR

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Integrity lanes in Customs

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Signing of Integrity Pledge upon renewal of registration

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Strengthen integrity indicators with LGUs.

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EVENTS

Christkindlmarket: Your Boarding Pass to a European Christmas

Every year, December ushers in the holiday mood in everyone’s hearts and homes. It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year. But what makes Christmas special if it’s a recurring event with the same set of people, food, and decorations? The answer, of course, varies from each person.

What we know for certain is that the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), with the help of SM Family Entertainment Center, Inc. (FECI), heightened the Christmas spirits of 12,000 people from Dec. 3-9, 2012 by transforming the SM Mall of Asia Skating Rink into a frosty European Christmas village and the lobby into a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines airport.

Fun-filled programs and scrumptious food patterned from the original Christkindlmarket in Nuremberg filled the venue with glee and excitement. It surely was not a Christmas that anyone was expecting, especially in a tropical country like the Philippines.

From 10am to 10pm, one can experience a replica of the real Christkindlmarket. The cold temperature, the Christkind (Christmas angel), and delicious Gluhwein (hot mulled wine) completed the European ambiance. The

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actual event was quite close to the picturesque description mentioned by Michael Raeuber (ECCPPresident), Mr. Henry Schumacher (ECCP-EVP), Mr. Martial Beck (ECCP-VP), and Mr. Raymund Retumban (SM FECI-DIVISION HEAD) during the press launch held last November 7, 2012 in Chateau 1771 in Greenbelt 5.

Jose Mari Chan with his mellow voice kicked off the event during the much-awaited Networking Night attended by executives from top companies.

Listening to his Christmas songs while indulging in the delectable food selection surely made everyone’s Christmas spirit spark with warmth and joy. The Christmas angel Enija Mugurevica read a 500-year prologue inspired by the original script read by the German Christkind. From time to time, she made special appearances to interact and bring smiles to everyone in the village. The main highlight was when she led the little children around the mall during the traditional Latern Parade.

To add to the spectacular roster of performances were the Manila Pops Orchestera, Philippine Ballet Theater, and German European School Manila Choir.

The Goethe Institut’s Fairy Tale reading and Hansel and Gretel play also assured the event’s faithfulness to the original one. The European guests were nostalgic when the old fairy tale films they watched as kids were shown. “I was surprised when I saw the fairy tale videos on screen! It made me feel like a kid again. I used to watch those shows when I was growing up in Germany”, said one delighted visitor.

EVENTS

Recycled Fairytales Her artwork has been shown in exhibitions around Europe, Korea, China, Japan and the Philippines.

She has gained numerous art awards such as the prestigious “Kunstiftung Baden-Württemberg” and “Kunstpreis GG-perspectiv” in Germany. With her passion for creating illustrations for children’s books, Patricia Thoma has on her own, created a modern day fairytale for herself. Her semicharmed life has led her books to be published in Germany and Korea.

Even during the early stages of childhood, Patricia had always shown inclinations towards the arts. “ As a child I always found myself lost in my colouring books and sketching things. I loved to sketch, colour and draw.. I think I liked it more than playing at the park with my friends. It also helped that I enjoyed reading books. I got a lot of my inspirations for my drawings from the things I would read and of course from my surroundings. That’s how I got my start in doing illustrations.”

Studying fine arts at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart, Germany, and pursuing a Masters Degree at the Chelsea College of Art and Design London, England, Patricia got her skills further honed and soon after found herself engaging yet in another challenging but highly rewarding inspiration- teaching art at two Universities in China, the College of Art & Design in Bengbu and at the Anhui University, Hefei.

The fulfilment Patricia felt from teaching fuelled her passion to take on a bigger classroom. This time by penning her first book of illustrations. Her first published work is a children’s book entitled Sushi Pizza stemming from her inspiration of living in China in 2006 and in 2009. Her second book Wonderland was another best seller. With both books being translated in English, Japanese and Korean.

From being an accomplished children’s book illustrator it was only a natural progression Patricia extended her passion and talents for the arts into creating costumes and stage designs out of recycled material.

“From doing illustrations and sketches, I started to gain more interest in creating art that could be

translated and used in the modern day. I started to think, the way we dress is in a way an art form in itself as it is a medium we can use to express ourselves. I wanted to make art more concrete and ‘wearable’. I also wanted to make use of recycled materials which has a lot of potential and can be made into things that can be considered as beautiful.”

Patricia got her start in designing and creating costumes out of recycled materials by simply collecting straws, used tarpaulins, discarded tetrapaks, candy foils, yarn and the like. Soon her students, friends and family were all helping her source different materials for her wearable creations.

Armed with the new knowledge on how to create modern and wearable pieces of art, Patricia started facilitating workshops. Inspiring kids from ages 7 to 14 years of age on how to create their own costumes and stage designs for school plays. Patricia helps to motivate and enthuse her pupils by spearheading their own “clean-up drive”, where students can discard tetrapaks and candy wrappers onto designated boxes that when are filled can serve as the source of materials. Patricia goes on to state that “There are no right or wrong ways to create art. I think that is the beauty out of creating masterpieces out of what others would readily dub as trash. You can tear them apart and then create something so beautiful. Children especially are very much enthralled especially when they see that they themselves can create something beautiful out of something they used or threw.”

Before coming to Manila, Patricia was busy doing shuttling back from Germany to China and Korea participating in solo exhibits as well as in group exhibitions. “ I came to Manila on an art scholarship. When I visited the Goethe Institute I met Falk Schleicher. He was the conduit who introduced me to Hennilette Diola who in tern gave me the opportunity to work with the GermanEuropean International School in Manila. From there our collective collaboration to stage Hansel

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and Gretel with their students was born. The idea was aside from staging the play in a more modern way, the students get to help source and design their own costumes and stage designs by using recycled material which we gathered from our workshops.”

Together with the Goethe-Institut Philippinen, Patricia and the kids from the German-European International School successfully staged the Grimm’s Classic Hansel and Gretel: After the Fairytale last November 2012. During the same time Patricia also successfully held her own solo exhibition at the Hanns Brumann Studio in Greenbelt 3.

The Hansel & Gretel play staged at the GermanEuropean International School was written and directed by Hannilette Diola. The revival explores what became of Hansel and Gretel, some 200 hundred years after they were first written about.

Now living in Manila, the fairytale begins with both Hansel and Gretel beleaguered with the challenges of modern-day city living.

Patricia goes on to state that “Hansel and Gretel is a classic children’s fairytale, It’s good that generations still enjoy it even today. It has a good moral story so its revival and staging by the German-European International School & Goethe Institute was something I knew I wanted to be a part of almost instantly.”

Today Patricia continues to sketch the fairytale that is her life by going shuttinh back between Germany, Asia and other exotic destination. her next adventure has yet to be written.

Patricia Thoma has been using recycled material in her own art work which can be viewed on her website www.patricia-thoma.de. She continues to work with this material in workshops with students, just like at the Bunka Fashion College in Saporro, Japan.

MEMBER’s Corner

New Members SHINAGAWA LASIK & AESTHETICS CENTER French Trade Commission/Ubifrance Mezzanine Floor, Tower 2, The Enterprise Center 2 6766 Ayala Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati City Website : www.shinagawa.ph Primary Rep. : Ms. Josephine Recto

VicePresident /

General Manager Activities : Lasik, dermatology

and cosmetic surgery Nationality : Japanese

Sommelier Selection Inc. Unit 203, 2/F Jannov Plaza 2295 Don Chino Roces Ave. Extension, Magallanes Makati Tel No : 840-4212 Fax No : 892-9928 Website : www.sommelierselection.info Primary Rep. : Mr. Mr. Jerome F. Philippon

President Activities : Wines and other products Nationality : French

Maersk-Filipinas Inc. 9/F One E-com Center Harbor Drive cor.

Sunset Avenue, SM Bay City (Mall of Asia) Pasay City Tel. No. : +63 2 976-9600 Fax. No. : +63 2 799 8530 Website : www.maerskline.com Primary Rep. : Mr. Johan Sigsgaard

Managing Director Activities : International containerized

shipping transportation Nationality : Danish

Webb Fontaine Asia, Inc. 18C Pearl of the Orient Tower 1240 Roxas Boulevard Manila Tel. No. : +63 2 3535258 Fax. No. : +63 2 5671580 Website : www.webbfontaine.com Primary Rep. : Mr. Fernando P. Calingin

Director Activities : Inspection and verification

services Nationality : Swiss

Rufino Pacific Tower 678A Ayala Ave. Makati City , 1200 Tel. No. : 811-1002 Fax. No. : 811-1003 / (632) 570 -0474 Website : www.ubifrance.fr Primary Rep. : Ms. Marie-Jose Connan

Commercial Counsellor Activities : Diplomatic mission Nationality : French

Enerdice Biofuels Corporation 3304 A-B West Tektite PSE Bldg.

Exchange Road, Ortigas Center Pasig City Tel. No. : (632) 706-1455, Fax. No. : (632) 687 1364 Website : www.enerdice.com Primary Rep. : Mr. Thorsten Naumann - CFO Activities : Production and marketing of

the so-called “be diced

biodiesel” Nationality : German

CEnAG Solar (Impact Group)

Synerbyte Ltd. 110 Valero St., Salcedo Village Makati City Tel. No. : +63-2-211-0255 Website : www.synerbyte.com Primary Rep. : Mr. John Clifford M. Eala

President and CEO Activities : Provide business

customers with energy

efficiency solutions that

have the lowest life cycle

costs, are uniquely

differentiated, and are easily

and immediately

implimentable.

Nationality : Hong Kong

Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. Metrobank Plaza, 1 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Makati City Tel. No. : 857-5333 Fax. No. : 818-5673 Website : www.metrobank.com.ph Primary Rep. : Mr. Antonio Ocampo, Jr.

Senior Vice President Activities : Multi-disciplinary

consultancy which enables

foreign companies to

establish their own

independent Philippine

companies, employees

and office without risk or

capex.

Nationality : Filipino

6747 Taylo St. cor. dela Rosa Makati City Tel. No. : 425-5411 Website : www.cenag.org Primary Rep. : Ms. Daisy Marquez

Executive Director Activities : Solar PV System,

engineering design and

installation, PV Power Plant

management, management Hospitality International Inc.

consulting, engineering GF Mondrian Residences

consulting 5321 East Asia Drive, Finivest Corporate City, Nationality : Filipino Alabang Muntinlupa Tel. No. : +632-2659-0580 Fax. No. : +632-659-0582 Regen Power Pty. Ltd. Website : www.hii.com.ph 4/90 Catalano Circuit, Canning Valley , Activities : specializes in the Western Australia

management, operation and Tel. No. : +61 894 563 491

rental of lodging properties Fax. No. : +61 894 563 492

such as Hotels, Serviced Website : www.regenpower.com.au

Residences, Condotels & Primary Rep. : Prof. Chem Nayar

Residential Condominiums..

Managing Director & CEO Nationality : Filipino Activities : Designing, Installing and

Marketing of Solar Power

Systems for Residential,

Commercial and Off

Gird Applications Nationality : Australian

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