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September 2008 |
Volume No.: |
09 |
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Chairman Report
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September 2008
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August was a quieter month for BCC-P activities prior to a very full calendar through the next three months.
All the specific details and booking forms for our Networking and Social Events in September are being circulated to members and are also featured on our website, together with the Event’s provisional programme in October and November.
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- August saw a second very successful Foreign Chamber’s local Job Exposition, held at Trinoma Mall Quezon City, in partnership with the American, Australian/ New Zealand, Canadian and European Chambers.
Preceding the Expo our press conference clearly highlighted the work of the Foreign Chambers in providing Job Fairs for its Company Members to tap into the exceptional talent here in the Philippines and for this talent to directly interface and review the many opportunities for local employment with our foreign company members.
- Also in August the Joint Foreign Chambers, and the British Chamber, held a meeting with the Department of Finance Secretary Margarito Teves to review key initiatives which the foreign business community see as crucial to futher expand the growing foreign direct investments here. The meeting was constructive and a number of proposals, including covering Fiscal Investment Incentives and simplified Excise taxes to create a “more level playing field” and equitable business development climate, were discussed and proposal papers are now being prepared at the request at the DOF.
- Finally, I am delighted to confirm that over the last 12 months the UK has been be biggest foreign direct investor in the Philippines, with over Php22 billion worth of UK investments occuring in the first 6 months of 2008 alone!
This provides the perfect platform to welcome Lord Digby Jones UK Trade & Investment Cabinet Minister here in October to formally open the new British Embassy in McKinley Hill and Chamber’s business luncheon Guest Speaker on October 21st- Details will be emailed in early October.
- I, with the Ambassador and the heads of UKTI, the British Council and the British School, attended the blessing of the new Philippine office of the Cambridge University Press, who are one of the oldest companies in the world having been incorporated in first half of the 16th century, and to welcome Mr. Chris Boughton, their CEO, as our newest member of the British Chamber.
- The Philippine British Business Council held the 2008 inauguration of the newly invited Council members. These included British Chamber Members, Alan Knox of AstraZeneca, Mike Ross of G4S, Glenn Manlapaz and Charles Palanca IV of Diageo, Jeremy Flint & Roberto Eugenio of British American Tobacco and Marcelo Figueroa of BG. They join other Chamber Members, Mark Watkinson of HSBC, Tomasa Lipana of Isala Lipana & Co., Edgardo Chua of Pilipinas Shell, Keith Perrin of Shell Exploration and Eugene Ellis of Standard Chartered on this selective joint business Council.
The BCC-P Board attended the induction undertaken by the PBBC President, Amb. J. Tambunting and held at the British Ambassador’s residence. The Chamber is reviewing cooperative initiatives with the PBBC.
Best regards,
Leslie J. Stokes, OBE.
Chairman
British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
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New Members
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The Board of Governors is very pleased to welcome the following New and Updated Members to the British Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines:
Corporate |
Designated Nominess |
Cambridge University Press |
Chris Boughton, Managing Director, Asia Pacific
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Olan de Vera, Marketing Manager
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Sutherland Global Services |
Craig Bauwens, VP & Country Manager
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Shridar Aiyar AVP – Support Services
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Jenkinsmar.com PTE Inv (up-graded from Individual)
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Robert Jenkins, President
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Vicente Jose P Roxas, General Manager |
Gennix-Pathogenesis (up-graded from Individual)
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Hamish A Moore, Managing Director
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Jener Villalon, Plant Manager |
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Events
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Come along to the Not so Serious Wine Dinner take 2.... 7.30pm-10.30pm at the Renaissance Hotel in CATS FUNCTION ROOM. There are 6 different food stations, Roast Beef, Pork, Smoked salmon and ice cream.. Salads and nibbles and desserts and all spread around the room with comfy settees, cocktails tables and an under the sea Ambiance... Each food station is then also paired with a wine to taste all sponsored by Smellier Wine selection... So some new ones to taste... Behind the bar we shall also have some soft drinks and beers. This is a great event and open to all members and their partners and is a joint event with the BCC-P members .... Call me or the Secretariat to put your name down... Payment is due on the door and is 1500 pesos all inclusive.
At the end of September, we are very happy to hold a joint Networking night with The Lighthouse Club Manila Branch, when Mr Rod Air from Leighton Contractors Asia will be talking to us about the building and the trials of building the NLEX.... a success story.
I look forward to seeing you at some or all of the up and coming events.
Sarah McLeod
Director, Events Committee
British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
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Dates of Diary
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Events |
| Tue 30th September |
Networking Evening (in conjunction with the Lighthouse Club)
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Guest Speaker: Rod Air, Leighton Contractors Asia Ltd. |
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6:30 pm Board Room 2 Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati City (Full details to be announced) |
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| Fri 10th October |
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The Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati City |
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| Wed 22nd October |
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and the Philippine British Business Society, |
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Guest Speaker Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham- UK Minister for Trade & Investment |
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11:45 am to 1:45 pm at Grand Ballroom, Renaissance Makati City Hotel |
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| Thursday 23rd October |
RP/UK Friendship Week British Alumni/ UKTI Fashion Show at the |
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Cat’s Lounge Renaissance Makati Hotel. (Details to be announced) |
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| Thursday 13th November |
ENC Joint Networking Social (Details to be announced) |
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| Saturday 15th November |
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6:30 pm Dusit Thani Manila Hotel |
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| Friday 21st November |
St. Andrew Society Annual Ball at Manila Polo Club (Details to be announced) |
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| Wednesday to Thursday, 19 to |
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| 20 November 2008 |
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| November date to be finalised |
BCC-P Guest Speaker Networking Evening (Details to be announced) |
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| Thu 18th December |
BCC-P/ BWA/ Lighthouse Christmas Drinks at Manila Club (Details to be announced) |
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| To be advised |
BCC-P Golf Day (Details to be announced) |
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| Key Activities |
| September 2008 |
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Events |
Contacts |
| 14 -16SEP |
UKTI Regional Conference at KL |
John.chick@fco.gov.uk |
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15 -19SEP |
BOI Inward Mission to UK focussing on |
Fidel.Ventura@fco.gov.uk |
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Recycling and Waste Management |
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16 -19SEP |
Hospimedica Conference and Exhibition |
Emma.leister@fco.gov.uk |
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at Singapore |
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20 – 25SEP |
City & Guilds Institute scoping visit to Manila |
Eileen.vizmonte@fco.gov.uk |
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| 22 – 24SEP |
Aid funded Business Clinic, Cambridge |
Fidel.ventura@fco.gov.uk |
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| 25 – 26SEP |
Asian Development Bank Inward Mission to UK
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Fidel.ventura@fco.gov.uk |
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Business Opportunities Seminar, London |
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For more information on any of the above events please free to contact the person as shown.
John Chick, MBE
Director-Ex-Officio
British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
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Learn English Launch - Learning English is fun!
The British Council is set to formally launch the LearnEnglish portal in the Philippines during the 3rd National ICTs in Basic Education Congress scheduled to be held on September 10 to 11, 2008 at Waterfront Hotel, Cebu City, Philippines. LearnEnglish is a portal that links all of the British Council websites for teachers and learners of English. The portal contains free resources to help kids, adult learners and professional improve their English skills.
Children who are learning English as a second or foreign language will love LearnEnglish Kids. You will find many games, songs, stories and lots of activities to improve your kids English. LearnEnglish Central provides fun English language practice for everyone, but is especially suited for teenagers and adult learners, through skills and theme-based activities. LearnEnglish Professionals helps you practise and improve your business and professional English, develop your work and study skills, and prepare for exams like IELTS.
There will also be a LearnEnglish booth during the 29th Manila International Book Fair from 12 - 16 September 2998 at the SMEX Convention Centre in Pasay City. Visit our booth and experience first-hand how fun it is to learn English.
LearnEnglish portal is at www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish
Cine Europa
The 11th annual Cine Europa Film Festival kicks off this year on 11 September at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall. The UK’s entry for this year is Anand Tucker’s heart wrenching drama “And when did you last see your father?” The film, starring Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth is based on Blake Morrison’s best selling memoir on the days leading up to his father’s death.
The Cine Europa Festival moves on from Manila to Cebu from 26-28 September at the Ayala Malls and to Cagayan de Oro from 3-5October at the Liceo de Cagayan University.
Paul Potts
Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts will be in Manila this 08 October 2008 to perform live at the PICC Plenary Hall. For one night only, Paul Potts will give us the performance that amazed Simon Cowell and the people around the globe.
Paul Potts was born in Bristol, England. As a kid, he already showed a gift for singing. He discovered his love for opera in his early teens when he first heard Che Gelida Manina (Your Tiny Hand Is Frozen). He got to indulge in his passion further when he went to a school in Italy and learned the language of the opera.
His singing career flourished the day he walked onto the Cardiff stage for his first Britain’s Got Talent audition and announced to Simon Cowell and fellow judges Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan that he was going to sing opera. The minute he opened his mouth and started to sing the beautiful Nessun Dorma, he captivated the crowd, the judges and the people around the world.
Within days of winning Britain’s Got Talent, Potts was in a recording studio laying down the tracks for an album. Featuring a diverse range of tracks, there is, of course, Potts hauntingly beautiful Nessun Dorma, which won him the competition, and the equally captivating Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro), which he sang in the semi finals of the show. Other highlights include a Spanish version of My Way and a truly extraordinary Italian rendition of REM's Everybody Hurts (Oguno Soffre).
Last year, Potts launched his debut album entitled “One Chance.” It had sold 2 million copies by year-end.
For ticket enquiries, please call TICKETWORLD 891-99-99 and CONCERTUS (VIP Tickets and sponsorships) 813-26-12 & 813-26-17
Andrew Picken, OBE
Director
British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
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 British School Manila
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The British School Manila opened for the 2008-09 academic year on August 26th with 782 students on roll. This is the highest ever school population as we move steadily towards our capacity of 820, which will probably be achieved within two years. 47 nationalities are represented within the school population with 28% British, 23% Filipino, 10% Australian, 9% American, and 3% Indian.
External examination results were magnificent at every level. At GCSE level, the common benchmark for measuring success is for students to score 5 or more C grades or better. 92% of BSM students achieved this standard, compared with 60% in the UK. The percentage overall of A*/A grades was 38% at BSM compared with 20% in the UK. The most remarkable figure however, is that virtually all our students gained over 11 GCSE passes. These are extremely high pass rates and compares favourably with the best private schools in the UK, even though BSM is non-selective.
At the International Baccalaureate (IB) level (that is the pre-university course in years 12 and 13) we had all students take the full Diploma course. In most schools, only 15-25% of students take the diploma, with others following less academically demanding courses. Of the 30 BSM students who took the IB exams, 28 passed, giving BSM a 93% pass rate as compared with a world average of 80%. Our highest score was 43 from a maximum of 45, which set a new school record. The average points score for those who passed the Diploma was 33.3 and this compares favourably with the world average of 29. In fact, however one uses statistics to make comparisons, the BSM IB results are all well above world averages.
I wanted to comment on the Key Stage Two test scores, (taken in our year 6 when the children are 11 years old) but we are still awaiting some results. The shambles surrounding the marking of these tests was well documented in the British media, and we were also affected. The results that we have received are superb, but hopefully we will receive the remaining papers soon, and I will be able to comment more fully.
We anticipate another exciting year here at the school. Certainly the calendar is full, and I hope that our students, and their parents, enjoy every minute of being part of the BSM community.
Chris Mantz
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