TESDA to Launch 7 New Programs This 2012

TESDA classroom

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) recently announced its plan to launch seven new programs this year intended to increase employability, provide more livelihood and spark the entrepreneurial skills of Filipinos. Dubbed REAL DEAL TESD (Reach the grassroots, Empower the reached. Assure quality training and Lifelong education Development. Enable, and Actively-engage Labor force members in job opportunities thru employability and livelihood skills), this initiative is a response to Philippine President Benigno Aquino III’s call for “Landas na Matuwid.”

The seven programs are:

1. IT-BPO Talent Investment Program that will train 65,000 scholars to qualify for jobs in the business process outsourcing industry;
2. TESDA-SEIPI (Semi-conductor and Electronics Industry of the Philippines) Partnership for the Semi-Conductor Electronics Industry that will train more than 9,000 new and existing workers to keep them geared up for the demands of the semi-conductor and electronics industry;
3. Partnership with PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.) for the training of 1,300 technicians;
4. TESDA-Holcim Partnership to train some 2,200 out-of-school-youths in construction trades such as masonry, carpentry and blueprint reading certification;
5. Partnership with LTRFB (Land Transportation Regulation and Franchising Bureau) in PUV (Public Utility Vehicle) driver’s certification;
6. TESDA Specialista Technopreneurship Programs that brings together stakeholders to serve the multifarious service requirements of households and small communities; and
7. Updates on TESDA-Coke National Convergence Program on Empowering Women Retailers.

Source: News Desk, president.gov.ph

Photo by netstreamph at Flickr.com

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Free Money Talk Seminar for Filipinos in Macau

The Philippine Consulate Office in Macau, with Every Nation Macau, has invited Randell Tiongson to a talk on personal finance on Friday, December 9, 2011.

Image from RandellTiongson.com

Source: RandellTiongson.com

Image from RandellTiongson.com

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28 Percent of US Immigrants Come from Asia

In operation until 1954, the immigration station processed over 12 million immigrant steamship passengers.

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) reports that 28 percent of all immigrants in the United States – about 11 million – hail from Asia. Asians are the second largest immigrant group after Latinos, with nearly half coming from the Philippines, India and China and residing in California, New York and Texas.

Asian immigrants are perceived as “model minorities” who work hard, do well, and don’t complain. In the American imagination, they do not seem to share the challenges faced by other immigrant groups.

Nearly half of Asian immigrant adults have a college degree or higher. Among all immigrants, Asians are more concentrated in management, information technology, and science and engineering. A majority of immigrant doctors and nurses are from Asia.

MPI estimates that Asian immigrants accounted for 11 percent of all unauthorized immigrants in 2010. The Department of Homeland Security counts among the undocumented 280,000 Filipinos, 200,000 Indians, 170,000 Koreans and 130,000 Chinese.

Read more at WNYX New York Public Radio

Photo by wallyg at Flickr.com

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Philippine Catholic Online Site for the Dead

Banner image at Undas Online

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has created a website designed to service Filipinos away from the country who would like to seek prayers and requests for masses for their departed loved ones. This is in line with the annual All Saints Day and All Souls Day ritual where Filipinos congregate at cemeteries and columbariums to honor their dead, the tradition known as “Undas.”

The site lists news and resources, prayers, requests for masses (the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the repose of souls) and a FAQ page. When one sends a mass request for their departed loved one, the name of the person will be included in the masses that will be celebrated at the CBCP Chapel in Intramuros, Manila, from November 1 to 8, 2011, at 11:30 in the morning.

Sources: Undas Online | Manila Bulletin | Vancouver Sun

Image from Undas Online

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11-city Smithsonian Exhibit Depicts Filipino Struggle Against American Colonialism

The original Smithsonian Institution building, popularly known as the Castle. It now houses administrative offices and the Smithsonian Information Center.

Photo by ralph-toyama at Flickr.com

The Smithsonian Institution chose Charlotte as a stop for a traveling exhibit that tells the story of Filipinos who struggled against American colonialism and ultimately became U.S. citizens. “Singgalot: The Ties That Bind,” is coming to Charlotte Museum of History from Saturday through Oct. 16, 2011.

The 11-city exhibition made its first stop in Los Angeles last month. It will land in Kansas City, Seattle, Chicago and Philadelphia before a final stop in November in Santa Rosa, California.

The exhibit is intended to help the nation’s 2.5 million Filipino citizens trace their history and contributions in the United States through about 30 photo panels and images.

Read more at Charlotte Observer

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Dollar Remittance Tops 7.9 Billion USD January to May 2011

Photo by ronrag at Flickr.com

Remittances from overseas Filipinos rose 6.2 per cent to 7.9 billion dollars in the first five months of 2011, the Central Bank of the Philippines said Friday. In the month of May alone, remittances totaled 1.69 billion dollars, up 6.9 per cent from 1.58 billion dollars in the same month last year.

The major sources of remittances in the period were the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Japan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Germany.

Read more at Monster and Critics

August 24, 2009 Philippine Economy Update

Click here to read the article.

About Randell Tiongson:  Randell is an Entrepreneur and a Personal Finance Coach & Educator. He is President & COO of Personal Finance Advisers Philippines Corp. and co-founder of http://www.income-tacts.com, the country’s premiere personal finance on-line forums. It’s an on-line community that is dedicated to the financial education of Filipinos. It now has over 2,300 members in 1 year’s time. He is also Director of the Registered Financial Planner Institute Philippines (local chapter of RFPI, Ohio, U.S.A.). Randell has 20+ years of experience in the Financial Service Industries – Banking, Mutual Funds & Insurance. He is a columnist for the Business Mirror and a contributor for Moneysense Magazine and UNO Magazine. A featured speaker for educational institutions like the Asian Institute of Management, Ateneo, De La Salle, Mapua University, University of Santo Tomas, La Salle Greenhills; De La Salle University, University of the Philippines and various conferences and companies, he appears as a resource person for various TV shows like TV Patrol, Bandila, Mornings at ANC, Shoptalk, Business Nightly, Light Talk, Sis, Umagang Kay Ganda, etc. Randell has been married for 18 years with 4 children.

Read and subscribe to his blog at http://www.randelltiongson.com.

69 gay Filipino workers arrested in Riyadh

AT least 69 Filipinos were imprisoned in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after holding a gay show in celebration of Philippine Independence Day, June 12. However, they were later released after their sponsors paid fees for their release but are not allowed to leave Saudi Arabia as they have to face the case to be filed against them in court.

Why on earth will you do that in a country that defines its law under the strict tennets of their Islam faith? Click here for the full story under PinoyOverseas.net.

More than US$10B Transferred from UAE in 2008

Foreign workers in the United Arab Emirates transfer more than US$10 billion per annum to their home markets, making UAE the second highest performer in the area in fund remittance, according to Money Transfer International (MTI), the global trade association. Remittances to the Philippines from the UAE reached more than $584 million in 2008. More than 40% of all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) are based in the Middle East and 10.5% live and work in the UAE.

Money Transfer International (MTI) is an international trade association dedicated to promoting the development and interests of the global remittances industry.  It is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantees and incorporated in the United Kingdom. The association has offices in London, Singapore and Beijing.