Asia Young Designer Award (AYDA) 2016 Holds Media Launch

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Nippon Paint (Coatings) Philippines' Asia Young Designer Award (AYDA) for 2016 recently had a media launch on July 21, 2016 at the Manila Peninsula Hotel. 

The competition was previously called the Nippon Paint Young Designer Award (NPYDA) which has now stepped into a whole new level of competition by expanding its network to 15 countries and relaunching it as the Asia Young Designer Award (AYDA). This year, AYDA will be extended to three additional countries, namely Sri Lanka, India and Taiwan.

First launched in 2008, the competition aims to inspire interior design and architectural students to apply creativity and innovation in the implementation of design. It started off with just Malaysia and expanded to 11 other countries in 2015 namely: Philippines, Singapore, Bangladesh, Thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, China, Japan, and Hong Kong. 

Be Bold. Be Free. Be You is the theme for this year’s competition.

Be Bold: Take on challenges and concepts that are out of the ordinary, break out from conventional ways.

Be Free : There is nothing for you to lose, think beyond conservativeness and deliver ideas without boundaries 

Be You: AYDA is a platform that rewards expressions of individuality. Unleash your creativity and let us nurture it together.

Globe Scores PCC for Inconsistency of Applying Rules

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Globe Telecom decries the decision of the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to treat the P70B deal it entered with PLDT and San Miguel differently from the others when the said transaction was clearly within the safe harbor period of the PCC.

Under the then transitory rules of the PCC, this transaction which happened on May 30 needed only a notice to the PCC and should be “deemed approved” and not subject to review. Stating that this transaction should still be subject to review despite its own rules, the PCC has changed the rules suddenly in the middle of a game and acted on it whimsically, Globe Telecom said.

Froilan Castelo, Globe General Counsel, expressed the company’s frustration on how PCC is handling the SMC transaction. “We are not against PCC to do its mandate but what we are opposing is the inconsistent policy in implementing its rules and regulations,” Castelo said. Globe has invited the PCC to investigate the conduct and behavior of the companies in the transaction as part of the PCC’s plenary powers, but the fact remains that the transaction should be “deemed approved”.

Castelo said that this does not make good regulatory sense as rules and regulations should be clear and consistent, whereby business can make good business decisions based on such.

Castelo further noted that the PCC also invited the public to comment on this case, considering that this is one involving the adjudication of rights of parties. “This is highly irregular as government agencies like the PCC can only validly conduct public consultations in the exercise of their rule­making powers. Certainly, the transaction we have is adjudicatory in nature involving the rights of private parties, and the PCC is in no way performing as if to issue new guidelines and implementing rules for the benefit of the public”.

Globe has strictly followed the provisions of Sections 4 and 5 of the PCC Memorandum Circular No. 16­002 before the deal was closed last May. Under the MC, the deal is deemed approved if they are “consummated after the effectivity of the memorandum circular but before the effectivity of the implementing rules and regulations.” The PCC however chose to disregard this and took the position it is not bound by its own rules.

Globe vowed to continue improving the state of the internet in the country by rolling out using the co-­used spectrum. It is activating the 700 MHz frequency spectrum in 500 based stations nationwide and using its additional allocation in the 2600 MHz band to provide additional layer for its Long Term Evolution (LTE network) for faster data connectivity.   

Youth to Duterte: Honor Paris Agreement to Secure Our Future

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A youth group on Wednesday appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to push for the ratification of the historic Paris Agreement that aims to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius (36F) and strive to keep temperatures at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

"We appeal to our new president to reconsider his position on the Paris Agreement. Ratifying the Paris agreement is not just about honoring our word to the international community; it is about giving the youth a chance to live freely without fear of super-disasters like the recent super-typhoon Haiyan. The Paris agreement is about securing the future of the Filipino youth," said Rafaela David, chairperson of Akbayan Youth.

The youth groups further emphasized how the Philippines must maintain its leadership in the issue, as it has done in the past years.

"We may be a small nation, but we have stood up for what is right by our people, and successfully rallied other nations most affected by climate change to fight for international solidarity in the face of catastrophic changes in our environment. Why then would we renegade on our commitment when victory is close at hand? Kumbaga sa basketball, panalo ka na sana, kaso pinasa mo pa sa kabilang team ang bola”.

The youth groups also urged congress to call for the immediate ratification of the agreement.

"We also call on our legislators to be proactive in ensuring the ratification of the Paris agreement. Even as they wait for the President to transmit the treat to the legislative branch, we hope they do not dampen the hope of the youth, and put in their weight to ensure that the Paris agreement is ratified. By doing so, we are assured that the future of the youth is at the center of their agenda," concluded David.

The Paris agreement was agreed and signed by 195 countries after years of failed negotiations. It will only be considered binding if at least 55 nation-states ratify it by 21 April 2017. Delegates of Akbayan Youth joined the civil society network that monitored the agreement in Paris, France last December 2015.