A few years ago, a study about American travelers reported that passports are relatively rare among US citizens. It estimated that as low as 20 to as high as 34 percent of the total population have passports, which is really quite low for a country attempting to assert its will to shape the entire world's idea of freedom, democracy, religion and culture.

The result of the study is also surprising considering that travel was considered by many Americans as more important than formal education. Travel is a vital educational experience because it helps prepare a person to be more effective, respectful of other cultures, and to better understand their own culture and values. Travel has a lasting impact on world view, self-confidence, and maturity. This experience will be life-transforming and will continue to influence lives.

When it comes to traveling, British Airways (BA) offers one of the best experience. They can provide travelers an opportunity to see the world with great fares to a variety of exciting destinations. And if combined with one of their carefully selected hotels or car rental deals to create a package, travelers can easily save even more.

This November, BA will be having a ‘world sale’ to promote both flights and packages from the U.S. and Canada. Flights range from US $229, each way based on round-trip from New York to London, and Flight + hotel packages from US$ 659, based on a round-trip from New York to London with double occupancy and 3-night stay.

Here are a few of the amazing things a traveler can do when they avail of this BA’s ‘world sale’ travel adventures:

• Travel across the Canadian tundra, search for polar bears and learn about Inuit culture.


• Kayak the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, explore the Sonora desert and build a nature trail.


• Take a traditional African Safari and plant trees on the hills of Kilimanjaro.

British Airways also offers an '‘upgraded’ experience with:

• 200+ On-Demand Entertainment Options


• Complimentary food and cocktails on all flights


• World Class service


• Comfortable in-flight experience: Ergonomically designed seat, complete with lumbar support, adjustable headrest and recline.


• Convenient and relaxing lounges at the terminals

Travel with BA now and discover that most often everyone is wrong about other countries. With BA, one can become an open-minded traveler who does not see 'the other' as a strange tribe of incomprehensible people more dangerous and at the same time more naive - just because the passport-free majority refuses to understand or even talk to them.

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Given the stark reality of the need to invest millions of pesos to provide children with proper health and nutrition and basic education, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has to constantly come up with innovative ways to raise funds. These include reaching out to individual and corporate donors selling gift items - such as its popular Christmas and all-occasion cards - and most recently, forging a partnership with graphic design firm Team Manila.

In its continuing vision to inspire and empower the youth and just in time for the 20th anniversary of UNICEF's Convention on the Rights of the Child (an international treaty that recognizes the welfare of children) this year, Team Manila has released limited edition shirts and accessories communicating the basic rights of children - the right to play, the right to shelter, the right to know and learn, the right to be healthy and the right to be safe.

For every shirt sold, PhP 50.00 will go to UNICEF. For the lanyards, UNICEF will get PhP 20.00 and for tote bags, PhP 25.00.

UNICEF sales development officer Erwin del Castillo, in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, says he is excited about the prospects of the partnership with Team Manila as the shirts have also appealed to the youth from other countries, thus giving him hope that the Team Manila products would soon find their way into shops across the region.

Known for having its pulse on the Filipino youth, Team Manila has also chosen twins Nicole and Camille Tantoco as the face of its Children’s Rights collection. Says Team Manila’s general manager Nico Bacani, "We were really inspired by Nicole and Camille in that we feel they are representatives of the new generation – serious with their education and well-educated, kind-hearted, very much into the arts, very socially aware and active or in other words very well-rounded individuals."

"We support this project because we feel that every child should have these basic rights," says Camille. Nicole adds, "A lot of children suffer abuse, discrimination and neglect, and if we don’t address these issues, how can we move forward as a nation?"

And, perhaps the thing of most value here, aside from a portion from each purchase going to UNICEF's advocacy for Children’s Rights, is that everyone will be able to wear the message and hopefully raise awareness everywhere they go.

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A study commissioned by cable television channel Cartoon Network showed that although most Filipino children prefer watching television, an increasing number of them are also accessing the Internet.

Sixty-three percent of children aged 7 to 14 years old regularly use the Internet, showing an almost 40 percent increase in online access since 2003. The respondents said that they usually go online to play games and watch videos, while they also use the web to access information for school requirements.

The study also found that Older Filipino children, those aged from 13 to 14 years old, access the Internet more for social purposes. About 62 percent of kids in that age group go online to access social networking sites like Facebook and Friendster, compared to the 44 percent of users aged 11-12 years old.

Forty-three percent of pre-teens also use the Internet for instant messaging, a significant departure from the 27 percent of 11-12 year-olds who use the feature.

With the increase in access to the Internet comes great concern. According to Duncan Morris, vice president for research and market development of Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd., parents usually set ground rules for their children regarding web access. Controlling the amount of time spent online, specifying days when kids can use the Internet and choosing the appropriate sites are some of the ways parents use to ensure their kids’ safety.

"Sometimes, children themselves tell us that they can not go on sites that show violence," Morris added.

It also appears that Filipino children have not felt the economic crisis faced by the rest of the world. The survey revealed that the combined spending power of kids in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao has risen to some PhP 42 billion, up from PhP 37 billion when the study was last conducted two years ago.

According to Mr. Morris, "The vast majority, about 91 percent, of Pinoy kids receive pocket money, which compares favorably with kids in other countries such as Japan, with only 49 perent of kids receiving pocket money; Australia, with only 59 percent; and India with only 41 percent."

Filipino children receive an average of PhP 197 in weekly pocket money, up from PhP 169 two years ago. Kids 11 to 14 years old receive PhP 244, while those from the AB segment get as much as PhP 348.

Children from Manila receive an average PhP 205 weekly while kids from Davao get PhP 177. Cebuano children get an average of PhP 156.

Aside from pocket money, children also get 'gift money' during their birthdays and Christmas. Mr. Morris said 96 percent of those surveyed receive gift money averaging PhP 2,130 per year, which brings the 'annual income' of a typical Filipino child to PhP 12,374.

"Combining pocket money with gift money, and extrapolating this to the kids’ population of about 3.7 million across the surveyed cities, Pinoy kids collectively have PhP 42 billion spending money per year," Mr. Morris said.

"Marketers should be aware that kids are not only primary consumers anymore," he said. "They just don’t spend their money on snacks."

"Filipino children are increasingly becoming secondary consumers, as they greatly influence their parents on what to buy, from computers, to cars, and other gadgets. As the survey reveals, kids as young as seven have well-established views on everything," he added.

The New Generations Study 2009, which was conducted from August 25 to September 21 this year, used in-home face-to-face interviews of 1,000 children aged seven to 14 from the A to D socioeconomic classes. Eighty percent were from Manila and 10 percent each came from Cebu and Davao.

The survey was conducted by Synovate Philippines. Similar localized surveys were also commissioned by Cartoon Network in Japan, India, Australia, Taiwan, and Singapore.

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Unless a major breakthrough is made, no major cuts on rice tariffs is expected next year after the Philippines and Thailand failed to strike a compromise. Trade Secretary Peter B. Favila announced recently to the media that an agreement had yet to be reached with Thailand and that another round of talks is scheduled next month in Manila. Thai Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai, meanwhile, said tariff cuts for all other goods might be delayed.

Leaders from the two countries and eight other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) attending an annual summit in Hua Hin, Thailand were to push for continued progress in forging a single market by 2015, largely through the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) scheme.javascript:void(0)

The Philippines had asked to delay a tariff cut for sugar due next year, something Thailand was reportedly amenable to as long as a favorable ending rate for rice — a 'highly sensitive good' — was declared in exchange.

Thailand is among the Philippines’ top sources of the two agricultural commodities. The local sugar industry has tagged Thailand as a competitor.

Under the ASEAN free trade pact, sugar tariffs are scheduled to drop to 0-5 percent from 28 percent in 2010. For rice, the Philippines must "phase in" its tariffs to the reduction initiative, also by 2010.

The Philippines has taken the stance of keeping rice tariffs at 40 percent and then lowering it to 35 percent by 2015, Trade Assistant Secretary Ramon Vicente T. Kabigting said in a telephone interview on 25 October 2009 with BusinessWorld.

"There are certain ASEAN members saying that rice should fall to 20 percent but we do not recognize this," he said, citing protocols signed in 1999 and 2007 which merely require a member state to declare its preferred tariff for highly sensitive goods.

Given the deadlock, the two countries are negotiating on market access instead.

"We’re trying to negotiate a volume access under internationally practiced conditions," Mr. Kabigting said, explaining that this means the Philippines will not be required to buy from Thailand if there is no domestic rice shortage or if prices from other sellers are lower.

He declined to specify the Philippines’ proposed quota but reports have said that Manila had offered an assured 50,000-ton duty-free rice purchase to Thailand, which has demanded 360,000 tons instead.

"The rice issue is being tied to the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement [Atiga]," Mr. Kabigting said, referring to the pact which compiles all agreements governing the AFTA.

"Atiga is an explicit statement of what tariff reductions to apply to what goods in what year ... Because of the rice issue, leaders are saying [Thailand and the Philippines] must agree on the rice tariff so they can declare [lower tariffs for other goods]," he said.

On Sunday, Mr. Favila said in a telephone interview: "[Rice] is still subject to ongoing negotiations ... [The 2010 deadline for tariff cuts on other goods] is the commitment of member states. But we will have to wait for what our leaders have to say."

Ms. Porntiva said: "They have shown their readiness to talk ... and we will reschedule a meeting."

A declaration from ASEAN heads of state released on 24 October 2009, Saturday, noted that "the realization of the ASEAN Free Trade Area on 1 January 2010 is well on track."

It was generally mum on the rice issue, only making references that the group "urges Member States to resolve the differences at the earliest opportunity."

The statement went on to report that members were looking to put up an "infrastructure development fund" to improve trade links.

The summit also saw the inauguration of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

Renewed calls were also made for economic ministers to submit feedback on a proposal to expand the free trade area to include China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

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Before October ends, the Philippines will open its first ever call center that only employs blind persons, a milestone in the struggle of disabled people to cross the digital divide.

GMANews.TV reported that with eight training rooms and three desks dedicated for outbound calls, the call center facility will be equipped with adaptive hardware and software customized to the needs and abilities of the blind.

Six totally blind, low vision and sighted graduates are currently being trained as trainers in Taipei, Taiwan, the headquarters of the the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC).

ADOC provided funds for the facility, a project of the Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration, and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV) Inc.

The six trainers all came from ATRIEV, an organization that pioneered computer training for the blind in the country, the Resources for the Blind, National Council on Disability Affairs, Philippine National School for the Blind, and the Department of Education.

The facility’s customized outbound call center software and refreshable Braille display as hardware will allow totally blind individuals to provide customer assistance while listening to the client on the phone and reading the responses in Braille.

With the technology, the blind will hopefully gain the same speed and efficiency as the sighted call center agent, ATRIEV said.

ATRIEV has provided IT-related training for the blind for the last 15 years, with the use of a screen reader – a software application that translates text to speech – and a screen magnification software.

ATRIEV also provides on-the-job training in voicemail transcription to its qualified IT-related training graduates, in partnership with Gallop IT Solutions, a local transcription company.

The launching ceremony for the project was held last 20 October 2009 at the ATRIEV’s Training Center for the Blind in Quezon City. The project is expected to be presented at the APEC Conference to be held in Singapore in November 2009.

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EntrepSummit is the annual culmination project of the Business Directorate of the Manila Jaycees (JCI-Manila) since 2008. The project aims to invigorate the SME sector with an annual entrepreneurship event that addresses the challenges of entrepreneurs today by putting together some of the best Filipino business people and influential individuals in a one-day conference to share about their experiences and road to success stories.

With this year’s theme of Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders, this event aims to inspire and fuel the entrepreneurial spirit of young Filipinos. It will congregate young entrepreneurs and energetic minds that have creative ideas, and inject them with the business acumen that is needed to transcend the trying challenges of the current world crisis.

EntrepSummit aims also to dispel fears about going into business, or staying in business – there is nothing more worthwhile right now to pursue than the Entrepreneurial dream of attaining success and breaking the bonds of financial insecurity. The seminar-cum-exposition will feature 8 of the top business minds in our country today, each of them to deliver strong points on their respective disciplines.

Be Inspired. Unleash the Entrepreneurial Spirit within you. Listen to ideas and stories from business people who are ahead of their time.

"Are You Ready to be an Entrepreneur?"
Rudy Ang Dean, Ateneo De Manila's School of Management

"How Belo Became Belo"
Vicki Belo Founder, Belo Medical Group

"The Secret Behind the Largest Consumer Products Company in the World"
Johnip Cua First Filipino GM of Procter & Gamble Philippines

"5 Pillars to a Successful Entrepreneur"
Edward Lee Founder and Chairman, CitisecOnline

"Social Business Enterprise : Doing Good while Doing Well"
Mark Ruiz Social Entrepreneur, Hapinoy and Rags2Riches

"10 Best Practices for Marketing on the Internet"
Anton Diaz Professional Blogger, Our Awesome Planet

"Taking the Family Business to the Next Level"
York Vitangcol CEO, St. Peter Group of Companies

"Building Values. Building Entrepreneurs: the Natasha Experience"
Victoria Jardiolin-Villa, Founder and President, Natasha and Marikina Shoe Exchange

For Registration and Contact Details:
Call the Manila Jaycees Clubhouse (c/o Ms. Li Gonzales)
(632)525-6792, 525-2631 and (0922)804-2384

Schedule/Venue:
SMX Convention Center (Function Room3)
24 October 2009, 9:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.

Ticket Price: PhP 3,500
Early Bird Price PhP 3,000 on or before 17 Oct 2009
Student Discount of 20 percent
Corporate Promo Rate Buy 5 Get 1 Free

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