Miss Universe-Japan finalist is Manileña

Naomi S. Kida is perhaps the first Japino to make it to the finals of Miss Universe-Japan. Born in Tondo, Manila, in June 1988, she made it to the Top 5 of the beauty contest in Tokyo on June 17, 2011. Naomi is the daughter of Cristina Rivera Santiaguel of Imus, Cavite and Masami Kida, president of a cement production company. Fluent in Japanese, English and Filipino, Naomi regularly visits the Philippines and stays in Almanza, Las Piñas, with her aunt. “If I am back here and speak Tagalog, I have to change my [frame of] mind. It takes me one to two weeks to adjust,” she told the Inquirer over lunch recently in a restaurant in Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Okada to pursue casino project in Philippines

Billionaire Kazuo Okada, accused by Wynn Resorts Ltd. of making improper payments to Philippine gambling regulators, said he will "vigorously" pursue his casino project in the country. "I intend to vigorously continue my $2 billion investment," the Japanese businessman said in a statement read to lawmakers in Manila on Monday. "Rest assured that I will be able to prove that all of the accusations are baseless and are lies that have been blown out of proportion." The Las Vegas-based casino company has accused Okada of giving more than $110,000 in payments and gifts to Philippines officials, including chief gambling regulator Cristino Naguiat. Universal Entertainment Corp., where Okada is a chairman and owned a 20 percent stake in Wynn Resorts, said in September it would open a casino and hotel in Manila by December 2013. Wynn forcibly redeemed Universal's stake on Feb. 19 and its Macau unit ousted Okada from its board for his "unacceptable conduct" on Friday.

Uniqlo opens in Philippines in June

The clothing chain is one of Japan’s biggest exports today and is owned by Japan’s richest (or second richest, depending on who you ask) man. It   claims to be the world’s fastest-growing apparel retailer. Uniqlo’s parent company, Fast Retailing Inc., has partnered with the Sy family’s SM Retail Inc. to form Fast Retailing Phils. Inc. Uniqlo’s first Philippine store opens in June at SM Mall of Asia. The shop, to cover 1,500 sq m, will carry the men’s, women’s and children’s lines. Tadashi Yanai, chair and chief executive of Fast Retailing Inc., said in an interview early this year that Uniqlo is going into developing countries with a fast-growing middle class, naming the Philippines and other Asian countries.

Filipinos teach English to Japanese via website

NOTE: For more Online English School, please check English Partner

An online English conversation school based in the Philippines is attracting Japanese learners by offering inexpensive lessons from college graduates who can't find work amid the country's economic slump. "This is 'intellectual fair trade,' " said Md Moin, founder of Pikt Corp.'s website.”Filipinos are able to earn their living as English tutors, while Japanese can learn high-quality English with cheap tuition." Moin, a 32-year-old Bangladeshi who has lived in Japan for 10 years, came up with the idea with a Filipino friend, Aireen Zaballa, 34. The two were classmates at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. The online school uses about 50 tutors, including graduates of the prestigious University of the Philippines, to offer English conversational lessons to Japanese students via Skype Internet telephone service. By using the Filipino graduates, the school can effectively undercut English-conversation classes offered by its Japan-based rivals. Ten courses are provided for English-language students based on their proficiency, including some specializing in business English or tailored for children. Some tutors said teaching, which pays better than other jobs they can find at present, have allowed them to provide more nutritious food for their children. "The tutors are good, it's easy to make a reservation and a good opportunity to speak English" said Toshikazu Saito, a 43-year-old businessman in Tokyo. Source:  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120216f3.html?

NOTE: For more Online English School, please check English Partner

VOCABULARY

1.       Amid (prep.) - while noisy, busy, or confused events are happening - used in writing or news reports

2.       Slump (v) - to suddenly go down in price, value, or number

3.       Intellectual (adj.) - an intellectual person is well-educated and interested in serious ideas and subjects such as science, literature 

4.       Trade (n) - the activity of buying, selling, or exchanging goods within a country or between countries [= commerce]

5.       Prestigious (adj.) - admired as one of the best and most important

6.       Undercut (v) - to sell goods or a service at a lower price than another company

7.       Proficiency (n) - a good standard of ability and skill

8.       Tailored (adj.) - made or done specially for someone's particular need or situation

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       What do you know about Philippines? Filipinos?

2.       How did you find about Online English Schools?

3.       Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of studying online.

4.       Why do you want to study English?

5.       Tell us about your English study habit.

Rains, aftershocks haunt southern Philippines

MANILA, Philippines—As if earthquakes were not enough, incessant bad weather has been wreaking havoc in provinces in the Visayas, Mindanao and the Bicol region the past four days, killing two, injuring six and causing the evacuation of 569 people. “Rain as well as earth tremors, whether these may be light or moderate, must be taken seriously. Rain could weaken the soil, while tremors could produce slope instability, tension cracks and fractures that could enhance the vulnerability of areas to landslides,” Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said. The warning came a week after the magnitude-6.9 quake rocked the province, killing over 70 people, and burying towns and damaging roads. Yesterday, the weather bureau warned of widespread rains in the province due to a low pressure area in Mindanao. Five barangays (villages) in Guihulngan City are highly susceptible to rain-induced landslides, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said. Much soil erosion occurred along the highway. In Davao City, six persons were injured when a wall collapsed on them after rains softened its foundation. At least five barangays have had no power for two weeks now since floods felled power lines, according the Mayor. Local disaster councils in these towns and three other cities were advised to go on high alert and to prepare residents of low-lying and landslide-prone areas for possible evacuation. Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/147049/rains-aftershocks-haunt-southern-philippines

VOCABULARY

1.       Incessant (v) - continuing without stopping [= constant]:

2.       Wrecking (v) - damaging something such as a building or vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired:

3.       Havoc (n) - a situation in which there is a lot of damage or a lack of order, especially so that it is difficult for something to continue in the normal way

4.       Tremors (n) - a small earthquake

5.       Instability (n) - when a situation is not certain because there is the possibility of sudden change

6.       Vulnerability (adj.) -  easily harmed

7.       Widespread (adj.) - existing or happening in many places or situations, or among many people

8.       Susceptible (adj.) - likely to be affected by a particular problem

9.       Felled (v) - to cut down

10.   Prone (adj.) - likely to suffer from something, especially something bad or harmful

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       Have you heard about the earthquake in the Southern Philippines?

2.       Talk about natural calamities/disasters.

3.       How should we prepare and handle situations like this?

4.       Share your experience/s about earthquake or typhoons.

Foreigners' poor test grades force rethink on nurse tests

Non-Japanese applicants hoping to become certified nurses could see the government's notoriously rigorous exams get easier with the inclusion of English-language tests and a new set of communication exams based on basic Japanese. Non-Japanese hoping to become care workers took the certification test for the first time Sunday, while those aspiring to become certified nurses have been applying for the exam since fiscal 2008. But the low pass rate is prompting the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to consider changing the system. "We've had discussions with experts on the topic since last month," an official in charge of the issue at the health ministry told The Japan Times on Monday. According to ministry statistics, none of the 82 Indonesian applicants passed the nurse test in 2009 and just two of the 195 candidates passed in 2010. In 2011, only 15 of the 285 Indonesian candidates made the grade. Those from the Philippines are also struggling, with only two passing since 2009. The government has tried easing the language burden on non-Japanese candidates by listing pronunciations next to difficult kanji. But the health ministry panel is pondering other ways, including allowing non-Japanese applicants to take the test in English or Indonesian. The new communication exams, similar to the Japanese language proficiency test administered by the Japan Foundation, are also being explored as a way to ensure non-Japanese nurses can adapt to the new working environment in Japan. Candidate nurses who come to Japan must have at least two years of professional experience in their home countries and "hold fine expertise as nurses," said Sachie Shirai, a spokeswoman at Bima Cooperation for Overseas Nurses and Care Workers. "The only thing they lack is Japanese proficiency — not technical knowledge," she added in explaining her support for a new testing system. Japan started accepting nurse and caregiver candidates from the Philippines and Indonesia after the countries reached individual economic partnership agreements with Japan. Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120131a3.html?

VOCABULARY

1.      Aspiring (adj.) - hoping to be successful in a particular job, activity, or way of life

2.      Prompting (v) - making someone decide to do something

3.      Struggling (v) - to try extremely hard to achieve something, even though it is very difficult

4.      Easing (v) - making a process, happen more easily

5.      Ponder (v) - to spend time thinking carefully and seriously about a problem, a difficult question, or something that has happened [= consider]

6.      Administered (v) - to manage the work or money of a company or organization

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.     Do you think Japanese language is difficult? How?

2.     Share some tips on how to study Japanese kanji?

3.     Discuss about language barrier.

4.     Do you agree that certification exam for non-Japanese nurses should be given in English? Why?

5.     Talk about economic partnership agreement.

Employment up, but so is underemployment

MANILA, Philippines—The good news is that more Filipinos had jobs in 2011 than in 2010 and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 7 percent from 7.3, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said in a report released Thursday. The bad news, however, is that there were more workers in search of a second job or longer hours to earn more, as the underemployment rate grew from 18.8 percent in 2011 to 19.3 percent in 2011. Underemployed workers are employed persons who express the desire for longer hours in their current work or to find an additional job, or a new job with longer working hours. Of the total underemployed, 59 percent were reported as visibly underemployed or working less than 40 hours during the reference week. Those working 40 hours or more accounted for 39.4 percent of the total underemployed. Among those employed, more than half (52.2 percent) were engaged in the services sector; about one-third (33 percent) were in agriculture; and one in every seven (14.9 percent) was in the industry sector. Among those employed in the services sector, the largest group consisted of workers in the wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods, making up 20 percent of the total employed population. Among the various occupation groups, laborers and unskilled workers comprised the largest group (32.6 percent). This was followed by farmers, forestry workers and fishermen (15.4 percent); officials of the government and special interest organizations, corporate executives, managers, managing proprietors and supervisors (14 percent) and service workers and shop and market sales workers (11.1 percent). The rest of the occupation groups each comprised less than 10 percent, ranging from 0.4 to 7.4 percent. The majority of the employed persons were wage and salary workers (55.2 percent). Most of them worked in private establishments (41.5 percent of the total employed). About 30 percent of the employed persons were self-employed workers without any paid employee while almost four percent were employers in their own family-operated business or farm. Nearly 12 percent worked without pay in their own family-operated farm or business. Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/138549/employment-up-but-so-is-underemployment

VOCABULARY

1.      Unemployment (n) – state of being unemployed (jobless, out of work)

2.      Underemployment (n) - the condition in which people in a labor force are employed at less than full-time or regular jobs or at jobs inadequate with respect to their training or economic needs.

3.      Accounted (v) – counted, rated, totalled

4.      Engaged (v) - done or to became involved in an activity; employed

5.      Comprise (v) - to consist of particular parts, groups etc:

6.      Majority (n) - most of the people or things in a group 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.      What is the rate of unemployment in your country?

2.      Is it easy for people in your country to find a job recently?

3.      How many hours / week do you work? (regular/overtime)

4.      Talk about part time job / full time job.

5.      Do you like to change your job? Why?

More Filipinos now using Internet

MANILA, Philippines – More Filipinos are using digital media for news and information rather than listening to radio or reading newspapers and magazines, according to a study conducted by TNS, a global research company. “TNS Digital Life 2012″ showed that 45 percent of Filipino respondents connected to the Internet compared to 36 percent who listened to radio, 12 percent who read newspapers, and 4 percent magazines. The 2012 study showed a jump in the number of Internet users compared to 36 percent in 2011; a decrease in radio listeners who were at 40 percent in 2011; a further decrease in newspaper and magazine readers who were at 22 percent and 4 percent respectively in the same year. Television remains the dominant medium of information with 89 percent in 2012, up from 77 percent in 2011, the same study said. The study was based on interviews with 72,000 consumers in 60 countries worldwide from November 2011 to January 2012. In the Philippines, TNS interviewed 1000 respondents throughout urban areas from the ABCD socio-economic classes. The study also showed that majority of Filipinos accessing the Internet were teens and young adults, with 85 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 20 accessing the Internet in the past four weeks, and 74 percent of Filipinos between 21 and 24 accessing the Internet in the same period. The study also showed that families of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Philippines used the Internet as the primary communication medium with 81 percent, higher than mobile phones, 77 percent, and landline telephones, 24 percent. Facebook is the primary social networking site used by 90 percent of families of OFWs to keep in contact with their relatives abroad, the study showed. The study also showed that Filipinos accessed the Internet mostly through personal computers either at home, 50 percent, or at Internet cafes, 49 percent. It also noted that there were an increasing number of people accessing the Internet through mobile Smartphone at 12 percent. Source: http://technology.inquirer.net/8013/more-filipinos-now-using-internet-for-news-information-study

VOCABULARY

1.       Digital (adj.) - using a system in which information is recorded or sent out electronically in the form of numbers, usually ones and zeros. EXAMPLE: digital computer, digital camera

2.       Respondents(n) -someone who answers questions, especially in a survey

3.       Dominant (adj.) - more powerful, important, or noticeable than other people or things. EXAMPLE: Unemployment will be a dominant issue at the next election.

4.       Consumers (n) - someone who buys and uses products and services. EXAMPLE: Consumers will soon be paying higher taxes.

5.       Majority (n) - most of the people or things in a group. EXAMPLE: The majority of the employees have university degrees.

6.       Medium(n) - a way of communicating information and news to people, such as newspapers, television etc [↪ media]. EXAMPLE: Advertising is a powerful medium.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       Compared to Philippines, how many people use the Internet in your country?

2.       Discuss about the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet.

3.       What are the social networking sites people uses in your country?

4.       How long should we use the Internet?

5.       Talk about the effects of Internet to children and teenagers.