Malaysia biz opportunities

Malaysia, an economy that is expanding from its agricultural and manufacturing roots, is exploring opportunities in the services sector and is intent on pursuing opportunities in emerging segments such as biotechnology, and technology and design.

To sustain growth, Malaysia is diversifying its economy by promoting services to neighbouring countries such as Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Malaysia intends to provide business solutions to the Philippine market through innovation with green practices, relative to the concept of going green and being environmentally friendly. Highlights include sustainable growth for future businesses thru innovative trends in emerging segments, namely biotechnology, food, industrial products, technology and design,” says Malaysian Embassy Trade Office (Matrade) commissioner Har Man Ahmad.

Some of the biotechnology products and services offered by Malaysia are mechanisms for paper recycling, healing properties of virgin coconut oil, eco- friendly paints, as well as soaps and deodorizers made from palm kernel.

Palm oil exports have taken a substantial growth in the Philippines, capturing a major part of the demand for the local market. The Malaysian palm oil industry currently supplies around 85 percent of the Philippines’ demand for oils and fats.

Malaysia, as one of the pioneers in Halal promotions and development, plays a significant role in addressing the increasing demand for Halal products and services in the Philippine market which is now, sought for its high grade reliability on quality and cleanliness.  Halal compliant products in the country reach a wide base of multicultural consumers with an increased awareness of the benefits of Halal.

Halal products are considered very promising and lucrative when it comes to opportunities in this emerging market. 

In terms of industrial services, Malaysia offers green technology services such as solutions for recycling of rainwater and clinical waste, as well as solutions for creating clean energy.

It is also introducing innovative products such as intelligent patient beds, medical equipments and practical solutions when it comes to healthcare.

On the technology side, Malaysian industries are offering electric motorcycles and groundwork services for digital hospitals.

Ahmad noted that Malaysian companies adapt good business practises and they are aware that the key aspects to maintain the loyalty of customers in the Philippines include price competitiveness, high quality products, good service, marketing, adherence to international standards, ease of doing business, product reliability and efficiency in production and delivery.

Malaysia’s trade relations with the Philippines is largely governed by the implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement which eliminates tariffs on a broad range of products or reduce them to five percent as of 2010.

Ahmad says this trade system is sufficient for trade relations between Malaysia and the Philippines. “The terms of trade relationship between the Philippines and Malaysia is congruent to the agreement in the ASEAN. At this point, it is more on how we could both encourage each other to increase the volume and value of bilateral trade to better enhance productivity and cooperation between ourselves,” he says.

As of 2011, top imports of the Philippines from Malaysia are semiconductors, amounting to $ 690 million, and mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials amounting to $281 million. Imports of plastics in primary and non-primary forms were valued at $154 million in 2011.  Philippines’ imports from Malaysia stood at $2. 6 billion, up from $2.5 billion in 2010.

Philippines’ top exports to Malaysia, meanwhile, are semiconductors amounting to $447 million, and petroleum products valued at $56 million.  Exports of products for electronic data processing were valued at $48 million in 2011.

Ahmad says that to maintain patronage of Malaysian products, companies strive to implement cost-effective pricing, regular product update on standards, new technology and innovation, efficiency in production, reliability to meet market demands, and good service.

MATRADE consistently finds opportunities for collaboration with the Philippine and matches the Malaysian companies to the most appropriate business counterparts in the Philippines to gain mutual cooperation and productive business relations, he added.

SM Baguio critic discredited

At the opening day of the trial on the injunction case filed by the Cordillera Global Network against the earth balling of the trees at Luneta Hill, lawyers for the defendants which include SM Investments Corp, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and Shopping Center Management Corp. questioned the independence and neutrality of Dr. Michael Bengwayan, who was presented as an expert witness by the plaintiffs.

Bengwayan happens to be one of the complainants in the case docketed as Civil Case Nos. 7595-R and 7629-R. As such, he is not in a position to give an independent, neutral and unbiased opinion on the case, lawyers for the defendants said.

Pressed during the cross examination, Bengwayan admitted under oath that he did not make any scientific study that would accurately determine the age and health of all the 182 trees that were the subject of the complaint.

Bengwayan had testified earlier that the computation of the rate of carbon sequestration varies depending on the age, kind, health and environment of the trees. 

A bombshell virtually exploded when during the trial, Bengwayan denied making a statement claiming that “each of the trees that are more than 100 feet and are 18-inch in diameter at its base produces 6,000 pounds of oxygen” – since this statement was included in the plaintiffs’ complaint. 

Confronted with an article he had written much earlier for the Igorot Journal in which he made the above statement and even asserted that “…each of those trees absorb 45 lbs. of carbon every year, thus all 182 trees absorb some 8,190 lbs of carbon annually, making the air cooler and ridding the atmosphere of harmful CO2,” Bengwayan initially reasoned that he “forgot” about the article, then backtracked and acknowledged authorship.

In the said hearing at the Baguio City Regional Trial Court 5 presided by Judge Antonio Estevez, the defense presented an article containing the exact same statement that appeared in Bengwayan’s Igorot Journal article, which appears to have been culled from a foreign publication and for which no proper attribution seems to have been made.

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