Thank You Global Pinoy

Friday, March 9, 2012 0 comments


Who is the modern day Filipino hero?
 

He’s no Andres Bonifacio nor is he a Jose Rizal. But even without a sword, a gun or a pen, his sacrifice for the country is no less valiant. After all, he carries the aspirations of his family and the country’s economic security on his back.

Aptly called as the modern day hero, these 11 million overseas Filipino workers have earned the trust and admiration of employers all over the world. Something we as their countrymen should all be proud of. With this reason, the Commission of Filipinos Overseas, Duty Free Philippines, and Kraft Asia pay tribute to the Global Pinoys that have showed excellence not only in their careers, but also in the initiatives to help their fellowmen in the country, through the Thank You Global Pinoy Awards.

The Thank You Global Pinoy Awards is an initiative to search for the most outstanding global Filipino workers who deserve the gratitude not only of their loved ones; but also of the nation as a whole. It was primarily led by the Commission of Filipinos Overseas, the government agency tasked to promote and uphold the interests of Filipino emigrants and permanent residents abroad. The online nominations ran from October 2011 to February 2012, and 10 outstanding overseas Filipino workers have been chosen and will be announced during the Awards Night on March 15, 2012.

The Thank You Global Pinoy Awards is our way of saying thank you, and giving recognition to Global Pinoys. We are proud to announce the names of the individuals, who have shown their outstanding contributions to both their employer, and their country,” says Imelda Nicolas, CFO Chairperson.

“In its tradition of being the thank you and pasalubong chocolate from overseas Filipinos, Toblerone has initiated this project in order to give back, and give each and every Global Pinoy what they truly deserve—a sweet thank you,” shares Jaya Singh, Region Director, Middle East and Asia Pacific, Kraft Foods World Travel Retail.

Be part of a grateful nation. Join the rest of the country as it honors the ultimate global Pinoy, whom a grateful nation will say a resounding thank you to. For more information, visit www.thankyouglobalpinoy.com
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ABOUT KRAFT FOODS
Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) is a global snacks powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love.  Proudly marketing delicious biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in approximately 170 countries, Kraft Foods had 2010 revenue of $49.2 billion.  Twelve of the company’s iconic brands – CadburyJacobsKraftLUMaxwell HouseMilkaNabiscoOreoOscar MayerPhiladelphiaTang and Trident – generate revenue of more than $1 billion annually. On Aug. 4, 2011, Kraft Foods announced plans to divide and create two independent public companies:  a high-growth global snacks business and a high-margin North American grocery business.  The transaction will take at least 12 months to complete, during which time plans regarding the structure, management, governance and other matters will be announced.  A leader in innovation, marketing, health & wellness and sustainability, Kraft Foods is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.  Visit www.kraftfoodscompany.com and www.facebook.com/kraftfoodscorporate.
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Let us Support the Creation of the Department for OFW

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 1 comments

This blog strongly supports the creation of a government department to look after the welfare of our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). This proposal is a brain child of Sen. Manny Pangilinan.

I totally believe in him that this is not an emotional appeal but this is now a reality that OFW should be given ample protection. It has been known to us that there are many OFW who needs upmost attention and support.

OFWs play an important role in our economic growth. Our economy received more than $18 billion in remittances from OFWs last 2011. The remittances from our dear OFW save our economy from complete devastation.

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Why a department for OFW's

By SENATOR MANNY B. VILLAR

October 25, 2011, 11:43pm

MANILA, Philippines — Last month, the remains of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) arrived in Manila and official reports declared her death a year ago in Saudi Arabia as a suicide. But, when the body was embalmed, the family learned that some of her internal organs were missing.

In March of this year, three OFWs were executed in China for drug smuggling. News reports, citing government data, said about 500 other Filipinos were languishing in various jails abroad for drug-related crimes and that there thousands more for other offenses.

Some people may say that the number of OFWs in jails in other countries is just a small part of the 10 million Filipinos working and living abroad. And they may treat my proposal for an executive department to handle OFW issues as nothing more than an emotional appeal.

I disagree. There are other factors which have prompted me to propose a Cabinet-level agency to handle OFW affairs.

Why, in the first place, do we have three press secretaries with Cabinet rank but we cannot have one for OFWs? I am not even asking for an increase in the number of the departments in the Executive Branch. What I am proposing is a re-prioritization, because many decades ago, when the departments were being organized, there were only a few Filipinos working abroad. The term overseas Filipino worker came later.

Now, setting aside the emotional or social concerns regarding OFWs and their families, let’s talk about the country’s economy and the role that OFWs play in its growth.

Our economy received more than $18 billion in remittances from OFWs last year, notwithstanding the conflicts in the Middle East, the disasters in Japan and the economic problems of the US and Europe.

According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, remittances for the eight months to August this year totaled $13.02 billion, up 6.9 percent from the same period last year. Last August alone, the remittances amounted to $1.67 billion, up 11.1 percent from $1.5 billion in the same month last year. This was the fastest pace of growth in 18 months.

The BSP said it expected OFW remittances, which fuel domestic consumption and support the peso and the balance of payments, to grow by 7 percent this year despite the anticipated slowdown in overall economic growth.

These OFW remittances are in cold cash, not loans that need government debt service. On the other hand, we got less than $2 billion in foreign direct investments last year, and we’ll be lucky to get more this year given the slump in the global economy.

We have a growing tourism industry, but it is beaten by OFWs for which we should have an executive department, from a purely financial point of view.

As I have said we have 10 million OFWs. On the other hand, we got about three million tourists a year. OFWs also beat the information and communications technology (ICT), which has been taken out of the Department of Transportation and Communications, in line with proposals for its elevation into a department level.

I’m not against having departments for tourism and ICT because we need to promote these industries, too. But I firmly believe that OFWs deserve no less better treatment considering their contributions to the economy.

Less we forget, the remittances from OFWs saved our economy from collapse not once but several times, from the first oil crisis in the seventies, the debt moratorium in the early eighties, the Asian financial crisis in 1997 to the global crisis in 2008.

About two-thirds of the world, including the United States and Japan, went into recession in 2009, and yet the Philippines managed to grow about 1% because the OFWs kept on sending precious dollars home which fueled consumption.

In fact, the remittances continue to drive the growth of the retailing, services and real estate industries and allied businesses. The remittances are also the main reason why the Philippine peso has remained strong in the currency markets.

Clearly, right now the single biggest thing going for our country is our OFWs.

With the growing fears that the global economy may enter another period of recession, our economy will continue to rely on the remittances of our OFWs to keep it afloat and, hopefully, sustain growth.

Viewed from any perspective, our OFWs deserve a Cabinet-level secretary to look after their interests.

Perhaps, some agencies, or even a department, may be dissolved to make way for a department for OFWs, our modern-day heroes.

(For feedback: mbv_secretariat@yahoo.com)
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