Tag: Culture

Local Filipino Festivals 2nd – 8th Dec. 2018

Dec. 2 to 5: Palayan City’s founding anniversary

The city of Palayan in Nueva Ecija province celebrates its 53rd anniversary.

Former President Diosdado Macapagal issued Proclamation No. 495, designating Dec. 5, 1965, as the date of the formal organization of Palayan City, also known as the rice granary of the Philippines.

Activities include a job fair, community service caravan, first aid olympics, zumba fest and “larong Pinoy” (traditional Filipino street games).

Dec. 8: Pag-alad Festival

The town of San Fernando, Romblon province, gives thanks and praise to its patron saint, Mary Immaculate Conception, for blessings in the past year.

 

The Philippines’ top court hears arguments for legalisation of same sex marriage

This week, in an historic first, the Philippines Supreme Court is hearing arguments for the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

In a move that’s surprising to some, President Duterte has expressed his in-principle support to same sex unions.

Local Festivals in the Philippines (18th – 24th Feb 2018)

GenSanFeb. 19 to 21

Boling-Boling Festival

Residents of the town of Catanauan in Quezon province dress up in any costume they fancy and roam around town. Some of them imitate personalities they like or someone they hate and make fun of them. The festival is said to serve as a symbolic spiritual cleansing in time for the Lenten season.

Feb. 19 to 23

Caragan Festival

The Aeta culture is celebrated in this festival in Mabalacat City, Pampanga province. Among the festivities include a job fair, bazaar, photo and art exhibit as well as a native games presentation. The festival also coincides with the town fiesta.

Feb. 21 to 27

Kalilangan Festival

A weeklong festival in General Santos City, South Cotabato province, coinciding with the city’s founding anniversary. Kalilangan was derived from the Maguindanaon word “kalilang,” which means celebration or commemoration. Activities include a fashion show, cultural workshop, concert, agriculture fair and a street dancing competition.

Compiled by Kathleen de Villa, Inquirer Research

 

National Economic Complexity and Australian Innovation

ECI 2016

A very quick snapshot of Australia’s rankings in the 2016 Economic Complexity Rankings shows exactly why State and Federal Government innovation policies and strategies that assume we can replicate the success of our cultural peers (USA, Germany, UK, etc) will always be doomed to failure while our economic peers remain the group which include Botswana, Mauritius, and Kyrgyzstan.

Happy to discuss!!

Boodle Fight!!!!

Boodle Fight

If you’re lucky and have been successful at making friends in the Philippines you may have the terrific experience of being invited to a Boodle Fight! Boodle Fights originated in the Filipino military when a big pile of food (rice, meats, fruits, vegetables) for the hungry men was served on banana leaves in the middle of a long table in the mess hall. There were no plates and no cutlery and the men simply grabbed what they could with their hands before the food ran out (hence ‘fight’). The tradition lives on and is about as Filipino a dining experience as you can get. The modern Boodle Fight is often an (extended) family affair and, if you’re fortunate enough to be invited to one, roll up your sleeves, leave your pretensions at home, and have fun!

Doing Business in the Philippines – Pro’s and Con’s

As readers would know, I have a great deal of affection for the Philippines. I thought it would be worthwhile mentioning a few of the (objective) reasons why I think the Philippines is a terrific place to do business, along with a few of the challenges that realistically go along with this. By the way, I never comment about politics! This article largely draws on my recent book, with some updates to the information sources where appropriate. Continue reading “Doing Business in the Philippines – Pro’s and Con’s”