Career Doubts?

A career is a rapid motion. A course of action. Professional conduct in life. Progress through life. What is a careerist? One, who rushes widely and makes his advancement his or her aim in life. In times of Covid-19, you may not think about your career. Sure. But somehow life goes on, and career doubts rise again.

When career doubts won't go away? What if you're not happy with your job? Is it possible that you're in the wrong entirely?

My parents always (!) wanted me to become a banker. So far so good. Why not? Maybe I would have been more (or very happy) in my job. Or not?

The pressure "to be" someone starts in life early indeed. Not only my parents, but also peers, and teachers have begun to exert influence. Yes, I even didn't know where my inclinations lie.

Being a doctor or a lawyer? Yes, I was interested in law and medicine during that time.

"The way that people pick careers is incredibly primitive," said Nicholas Lore, founder of the Rockport Institute, a career coaching firm, and author of "The Pathfinder". So, it's no wonder, he said, that so many people are dissatisfied with their jobs. Me too. Yes, count me in. Mass-communication has been my subject, as well as publishing house management. So far so good.

I always thought about a true calling for me. Sure, people whose careers aren't the right fit often feel like impostors, Professor Robert I. Sutton, an organizational psychologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, said. Very, very well said, Sir.

How about you, my dear reader? Are you also placing too high your value on the external rewards of the job, like money, prestige, and power? Sure, these things are indeed important. Hold on! The work you do and the skills your opportunity requires and the value of your work are more vital to fulfillment. Paperwork or not... Do you think you find a better career fit? Go ahead - but don't expect that this is your life's career!

I waited for my "better calling" experiencing many better and wonderful moments in life. I also experienced that what I did had been very much compatible with me, as what my parents thought.

Personal note: In times of soaring Covid-19 cases in the Philippines, there is only one thing: stay safe and healthy everyone.

36 social entrepreneurs from the BARMM to show their products ...

... and services during the CSO-SEED BIR Demo Day

Cagayan De Oro, Philippines, 7thOctober, 2019:Villgro Philippines and the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation, in partnership with the British Council and co-funded by the European Union, will be conducting a Demo Day and Social Enterprise Showcase on October 7th at the N Hotel in Cagayan de Oro. Key stakeholders from the ecosystem including the Government, financial institutions, international and local NGOs and private market partners, will be in attendance for a day of networking and panel discussions. The event is also an opportunity to see the progress of 36 social entrepreneurs from across the BARMM network showcase their products, ranging from agriculture, food, and fisheries to lending, trading, business services and weaving.  The showcase booths are open to public from 3:00pm to 5:30pm. 

This event is part of the Business and Investment Readiness Programme and is the final activity of the three-year long CSO-SEED Programme which aims to improve civil society participation in policy reforms and develop local incubators to cultivate an environment conducive to decent work, job creation and Small to Medium Enterprise development.

"The British Council in the Philippines works with partners such as Villgro and ASSIST to help strengthen the Philippines’ social enterprise sector and make it sustainable, particularly in conflict affected communities. We are aware of the huge potential of the sector and take pride in how our CSO SEED grantees have improved their governance structure and business model as a social enterprise. In this event, we are confident that our grantees will be able to demonstrate that they are prepared to broaden their markets across and beyond BARMM,” said Pilar Aramayo-Prudencio, Country Director, British Council in the Philippines.

Six social enterprise intermediaries were carefully selected to participate in the programme and successfully mentored the SEs: Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, The Moropreneur Inc., Integrated Resource Development for Tri-People, Nagdilaab Foundation, Maranao People Development Center, and Concerned Alliance of Professionals and Students Inc.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the British Council and the European Union on the Business and Investment Readiness initiative, which is focussed on long-term sustainable change in one of the most vulnerable of the regions. The openness and thirst for knowledge of our partners on the ground is driving this programme.  I have personally been very impressed by the quality and success of the businesses located in some of the most remote parts of the country.  What they need is a tad bit of resources and access to markets to accelerate their growth,” said Priya Thachadi, CEO and Co-founder of Villgro Philippines.

Over the course of the programme, entrepreneurs received seed funding to support their ideas and had the opportunity to be mentored by their respective social enterprise intermediaries and various other mentors. The demo day is being organized to help social enterprise intermediaries (SEIs) and their respective social enterprises (SEs) network with key ecosystem stakeholders and support them in scaling their social impact in the BARMM.

About Villgro

Villgro is an early-stage social enterprise incubator and investor. Villgro funds and mentors’ innovative social enterprises that are building solutions to improve the lives of the poor. Through its intensive hands-on model, Villgro works closely with entrepreneurs at the early stages, helping them navigate the challenges of getting to market faster and cheaper.

Set up in 2001, Villgro has supported over 120 social enterprises in India, who have gone on to raise almost USD 20 million in follow on funding, created about 4000 jobs and impacted the lives of around 15 million people.

Villgro in the Philippines aims to create successful, innovative, impactful enterprises in the country. Their hands-on incubation model will provide funding, mentoring, knowledge and networks to early stage entrepreneurs, who are building innovative solutions to impact the lives of the poor. Their unique incubation model will help entrepreneurs strengthen their problem solution fit, validate business models and build and implement a strong go-to-market strategy that will be sustainable and impactful.

For more information contact:

Angelo Guingona Santiago
Program Manager, Villgro Philippines

Ph 63 927 743 6599|angelo@villgrophilippines.org

www.villgrophilippines.org

Business and Environment

My column in Businessweek Mindanao and Mindanao Daily News.

Honestly, the environment and climate change matters me most. Watching the daily news and the never ending horror stories about killing thousands of people due to natural disasters make me sad and sometimes helpless.

Is it already too late? The UN panel on climate change has warned that governments worldwide must act fast if the impact of global warming is to be limited at a manageable cost. Its annual report will form the basis for a global climate deal "as soon as possible".

Governments will have to reduce greenhouse emissions to zero by 2100 if the impact of climate change is to be kept in check at an affordable cost, a United Nations report said last Sunday. Such reports are not new. Only the dates are being changed year by year!

Anyway, if rapid steps were not taken to cut the emissions, however, the price could rise considerably, it said, warning that a failure to curb global warming by the end of the 21st century "will bring high risks of severe, widespread and irreversible impacts globally." I am not an expert, but allow me to question if it will be really at the end of the 21st century?

Such an "irreversible impact" would occur, for example, if Greenland's vast ice sheets were to melt, which could result in the swamping of coastal regions and cities. It's melting already. Please check out my last week's column in this publication.

The effects of climate change were already evident in an increase in extremes of heat, heavy rainfall, the acidification of the world's oceans and a rise in sea levels.

According to the report released by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), the cost of reducing carbon-dioxide emissions in the short term would not brake global growth to any great degree. It said annual projected growth of 1.6 to 3.0 percent a year in consumption of goods and services would be cut by just 0.06 of a percentage point per year if immediate action were taken.

The report is a 40-page synthesis summing up 5,000 pages of climate change studies already published since September 2013. The studies establish with 95-percent certainty that almost all global warming seen since the 1950's is man-made. Imagine - since the 1950's!!!

The document, which has been edited  by officials from more than 120 governments meeting in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, has been furnished guidelines for a UN deal on global warming scheduled to be struck at an international summit in Paris already in late 2015.

Options for limiting the amount of greenhouse gas emissions included improving energy efficiency and moving from fossil fuels to wind, solar or nuclear power, according to the study. Words of hope? What really happened since then?

"We have the means to limit climate change," then IPCC chairman Rejendra Pachauri said. Yes, sure. And?

"The solutions are many and allow for continued economic and human development. All we need is the will to change, which we trust will be motivated by knowledge and an understanding of the science of climate change," he added.

Did our global governments understand the science of climate change? And what are the logically following steps and law implementations?

Boracay Newcoast Project Entices New Investors

 (philstar.com) 

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It seems that the island is already perfect as it is. But Megaworld's Global-Estate Resorts Inc. brings the island to a whole new level.

There's more to look forward to in Boracay with the development of an integrated tourism property inspired by the world's best beach neighborhoods.

Every city dweller in the country will likely agree that when you want a vacation that makes a balance between partying hard and relaxing rigorously, the island of Boracay is still the top choice.

It seems that the island is already perfect as it is. But Megaworld's Global-Estate Resorts Inc. brings the island to a whole new level as it develops Boracay Newcoast, a 150-hectare integrated tourism estate that melds the best beach neighbourhoods in the world.

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With Boracay's natural beauty coupled with state-of-the-art structures, your future visits to the island will truly be unlike anything you've ever experienced before. But more than that, Boracay Newcoast is a booming tourism estate where you can also be a stakeholder of the expansion—own a part of the township's residential spaces, shophouses, condominium hotels, and other real estate structures, and be a part of a vision to make Boracay an even more popular island, perfectly competitive globally.

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Boracay Newcoast boasts of districts that offer titled lots ideal for the investing community. First is the Town Center North, consisting of the Shophouse District and the Boutique Hotel District.

The Shophouse District, inspired by communities like Key West in Florida and Old Town in Ibiza, mixes residential and commercial components, where owners can put up shops at the lower floor and have their home at the top floors.

Meanwhile, the Boutique Hotel District allows buyers to build their own hotel brands or tie up with foreign institutional hotels. This district is particularly enticing because their guests will have access to three private beach coves with one kilometer of pristine white sand.

Second is Boracay Newcoast's Newcoast Village, which offers lots ranging from 250 square meters to 375 square meters in an exclusive vacation-inspired subdivision setting. It will have exclusive amenities such as parks, pocket gardens and grill areas.

The community will also be brimmed with condominium clusters. The first one is Oceanway Residences, which now offers ready-for-occupancy units with views encompassing the beauty of the Fairways and Bluewater Golf Club and the Sibuyan Sea—an astonishing blend of blues and greens. For this reason, Oceanway Residences was awarded as the "Best Luxury Development (for a resort)" in the 2015 Philippines Property Awards.

For more information, contact via email boracaynewcoast@global-estate.ph, landline 553-0926 or mobile 0917-728-2284. Visit boracaynewcoast.ph and its Facebook account.

Maybank injects US$100m into Philippine operations

Maybank also started building in Davao City.
Check out more here:

Maybank injects US$100m into Philippine operations

Uplifting the Pinoy Brand... .

With recent events having shed the Philippines in a rather awful light, Filipinos are posed with an even greater challenge to rise above the situation and show the international realm that there are still many reasons why Filipinos can be (and are still!) proud to be Pinoy. As an expat living here since 1999 you can believe me. It's really true! Let's talk about the optimism of Filipinos!

Nick Fontanilla, president of the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) said, that trying times remind Filipinos of their most interesting trait - the optimism.  Fontanilla said something very interesting else: "Now, that the Philippines is going through another kind of 'storm' we encourage Filipinos to remain patriotic - to be reminded of many other individuals who have made our country proud and follow their footsteps". Very well said, Sir.

PMA, the Philippines' premiere organization of marketing professionals goes nationwide in its commitment to educate marketing, business and entrepreneurship  as it will be conducting a caravan themed as "Pinoy as Global Brand" until November 2010.

I found www.philippinemarketing.net.ph and www.pinoybrandkaba.com . Here you can also check out the caravan schedules.

Uplifting the Pinoy brand - in the global arena! YES!