|
|
Asian Cities
Michael Alan Hamlin
Integration is inevitable
Last week, heads of state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan, and South Korea signed a charter meant to provide the legal framework for increased political and economic integration within Asia. Economic liberalization, increased protection for intellectual property rights, and security are among the priority concerns of the heads of state and other government executives that signed the charter in Singapore.
That it took ASEAN 40 years to get around to codifying the legal principles under which ASEAN member states interact with each other and the world underlines the increasing urgency of the officials’ concerns. And that’s not all. According to a statement issued by ASEAN, the charter reveals a shift in perspective within the association from state to people. “Adherence to democratic values, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are stipulated in three separate places in the charter: the Preamble, the Purposes, and the Principles.”
Continue
reading >>>
|
Posted
11/28/2007 4:43:31 PM |
|
|
|
A fine mess we got ourselves into
Orly Mercado
The newly released Human Development Report of the UNDP starts by borrowing the words of Martin Luther King speaking about the “fierce urgency” of a crisis. The terse warnings are all about the fact that nothing and no one can be insulated from the effects of climate change. This would include even the incorrigible skeptics who will continue to downplay the overwhelming scientific evidence up to the very end.
The realities the report confronts are really sad. The potential human costs of climate change have been understated. There are those who would be more vulnerable to extreme climatic events. They obviously are those living in poverty. And even in the unlikely event that governments act with the dispatch and solidarity required meeting the challenge, we cannot reverse overnight what we have done to our planet. In other words, even if the technology needed to reduce emissions is adopted, we still have to adapt to the effects of global warming. Mitigation is not enough. Adaptation will be a key to survival.
Continue
reading >>>
|
Posted
11/27/2007 10:43:50 PM |
|
|
|
The Cannes Festival of outsourcing
Michael Alan Hamlin
Mark your calendars: Feb 11-12
Avinash Vashistha, global managing partner of Tholons, recently announced that his firm has been approached by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) “to help them take their eServices Philippines (ESP Conference to the next level.” Tholons is an investments, advisory, and management consultancy specializing in outsourcing. ESP is an annual outsourcing conference organized by DTI’s Center for International Trade Expositions & Missions (CITEM) agency (Full Disclosure: CITEM is a client of my firm.).
Over its eight-year history, Vashistha told readers of his monthly electronic newsletter, “ESP has been largely Philippines-centric. They [DTI] recognized that if they stayed this way, then they would be capping the potential of the conference. They wanted it to be more global, more relevant and more valuable. We saw this as the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the trends we are seeing [in outsourcing] and help participants answer the same questions we’re constantly being asked.”
Continue
reading >>>
|
Posted
11/21/2007 10:15:03 PM |
|
|
|
Facing a most serious threat
Orly Mercado
Our commitment to survival
Even as I prepare to leave for Geneva to participate in a Global Journalism Network Training Programme on Climate Change, there is good and bad news in the news today. First the bad news, Bangladesh has been hit by yet another tropical cyclone. The death toll is above seventeen hundred people and rising. It underscores the vulnerability of poor and geographically-challenged nations.
The good news is that the Nobel prize winning Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change has adopted a landmark report warning that the effects of global warming are already visible, accelerating, and potentially irreversible.
Continue
reading >>>
|
Posted
11/18/2007 6:55:31 AM |
|
|
|
Three reasons Monday, November 5, was a good day
Michael Alan Hamlin
Fulfilling the promise
A Monday after a long holiday is expected to be a day of getting used to being in the office again, and reminding yourself of all the important stuff you are supposed to be on top of. It’s not supposed to be a hectic, event-filled day. But last Monday, November 5, broke all the rules, at least in my case. But that was a good thing, because the events I witnessed Monday all say good things about the Philippines.
The day started with a news conference for World Vision, an international Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization with 120,000 student beneficiaries in 22 cities in 44 of the Philippines’ poorest provinces (Full Disclosure: World Vision is a client of my firm). The organization is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the Philippines by launching a campaign called “3,000 Champions of Hope.”
Continue
reading >>>
|
Posted
11/12/2007 5:50:07 PM |
|
|
|
The terror lurking beneath our feet
Orly Mercado
It is safe to presume that not a few government officials may have breathed a sigh of relief, after it had been determined that the blast last month in a shopping mall in Makati, the Philippines’ premier business district, was not caused by a bomb. Reports say that Australian forensic experts have concluded that sewer gas fumes, and not an improvised explosive device, killed eleven and wounded more than a hundred people.
Some may wonder why the Australians are involved in the investigation. Aside from sharing technical expertise, they give credibility to the report that would otherwise be met with controversy. This is the burden of weak and highly politicized institutions like the police and the military.
Continue
reading >>>
|
Posted
11/1/2007 10:40:33 PM |
|
|
|
Tiny gorilla
Michael Alan Hamlin
With a big appetite...
Introduced in 1997, Hong Kong’s Octopus Card is a nifty convenience item. For about US$6, Hong Kong consumers can purchase the card and use it to store and disburse funds for public transport. When Hong Kong residents wave their wallets and bags over an MTR turnstile, they’re not making a wish, they are paying a fare. The Octopus Card can also be used in some retail stores and restaurants as well.
Like prepaid mobile phone service, which allows subscribers to buy only the credits they need and to conveniently reload when necessary, with an Octopus Card commuters purchase the credits they require for weekly or monthly travel, and avoid the hassle of carrying change or lining up in a queue during rush hour or when trying to be on time for an appointment.
Continue
reading >>>
|
Posted
11/1/2007 6:42:35 PM |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
