The Philippines recently received another credit ratings upgrade from Moody’s, and its foreign direct investments (FDIs) more than doubled, surging 116 percent in September reflecting continued investor confidence.
Moody’s Investors Service, for its part, raised the Philippines’s credit rating to Baa2 with a stable outlook.
Moody’s cited the country’s ongoing “debt reduction and improvements in fiscal management, continued favorable prospects for strong economic growth and limited vulnerability to the common risks currently affecting emerging markets.”
The latest Pulse Asia survey reveals that 88 percent of all Filipinos view the new year with hope and optimism.
According to PAGCOR chairman and CEO Bong Naguiat, over 25,000 more jobs were created in the Entertainment City — for Solaire and City of Dreams, over 12,000 regular jobs and with construction workers, almost 25,000.
Recently, Singapore Airlines (SIA), the first to fly an Airbus 380 and the gold standard for most, if not all airlines, has announced that starting Jan. 12, 2015, Singapore Airlines passengers flying from Manila to Singapore will have the option to fly in even greater comfort and luxury as it launches its First Class cabin on its Manila to Singapore route.
“Singapore Airlines will be the only airline offering the First Class product on this sector,” says its general manager for the Philippines, Carol Ong. Ong is the first woman to be appointed GM of the SIA in the Philippines.
Asked why Singapore Airlines brought back its First Class service to Manila, Ong said, “The Philippines is the second fastest growing economy in Asia. This is reflected in the quality of travel of Filipinos.” Yup, Pinoys aren’t just travelling these days. They’re travelling in style because they can afford it.
In addition, Singapore Airlines is constructing its newest SilverKris Lounge at the NAIA 3. It is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia — this particular lounge has not yet been constructed even in Singapore! A sprawling 450 square meters, its glass panels are etched with a special batik design that will be its trademark.
SIA offers four daily flights on the Boeing 777-200 and the Airbus A330-300 aircraft at present, but by next year, travellers from Manila will get to experience flying on the airline’s B777-300ER fleet, which features the First Class product. Operating the SQ910 and SQ917 daily service, the B777-300ER will provide eight First Class seats, 42 Business Class seats and 228 Economy seats.
In First Class, each passenger is provided with a vanity corner complete with a mirror, a table that can be adjusted for height to suit individual preferences, and a 35-inch seat that can be converted to the largest fully flat bed in the sky.
First Class passengers are treated to the airline’s world gourmet cuisine created by its International Culinary Panel of world-renowned chefs accompanied by a tantalizing selection of wine and beverages specially designed to delight the discerning palate. (In Manila, top-notch chefs prepare the meals at the MacroAsia kitchen.)
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The buzz about the Philippines isn’t just felt in the travel industry. Isabelle Garachon, wife of French Ambassador Gilles Garachon, said that at the latest conference of French diplomats, her husband was approached by many of his peers.
“He was asked all about the Philippines, what’s it like to be posted in the Philippines, and how happy he is in the Philippines,” Isabelle told a group of women editors at a lunch celebrating the 60th year of French premier skin care line Clarins at the Le Jardin at The Fort. “In the past, nobody even mentioned the Philippines in these gatherings.”
Ambassador Garachon is very vocal about saying that in all through his past postings, he has never seen beaches and islands as beautiful as those in the Philippines.
In fact, French President François Hollande is said to be visiting the Philippines soon.
The lunch was hosted by Rustan Commercial Corp. EVP Anton Huang and a special guest was Jean Marie Le Roy of Groupe Clarins, who flew in for the special occasion.
According to Le Roy, Clarins, which is marking its 26th year in the Philippines, is the top premier skin care line in the country. It is also the No. 1 skin care line in France as it is in the whole of Europe. Le Roy concedes Clarins is No. 4 in the US, with Estée Lauder probably No. 1.
The secret to Clarins’ popularity and longevity is simple. “We listen to women!” shares Le Roy. Le Roy says Clarins has its own laboratories and doesn’t subcontract any of its processes.
In romantic France, beauty has always been a shortcut to success. On March 15, 1954, at No. 35 Rochester Road in Paris’ 8th district, Jacques Courtin-Clarins established the first Clarins Beauty Center out of “passion and respect for the beauty of women,” which was also the start of his plant extract skin care brand. This former medical student and famous massage therapist in Paris adhered to his brand’s belief to “listen to women’s voices and give them what they need.” He started from scratch and with his devotion to maintain the healthy and beautiful image of women, he focused on researching the effectiveness of natural plants and ingredients, and in just a few decades, he made innovations in Botany and opened up a beautiful kingdom between medicine and beauty, and became known as the “Godfather of French beauty.”
Following Jacques Courtin-Clarins, his sons Christian and Olivier Courtin-Clarins are in charge at the moment, and in the future the four granddaughters will continue operations.
Founder Jacques Courtin-Clarins developed the “100-percent pure plant extract skin care oil.” It was a huge success and triggered the passion of fashionable Parisian women towards essential oil products. It became the precedent for plant aromatherapy, which allowed Clarins to become a leader in high-end skin care products in France that quickly swept across Europe. In the 60 years of exploration, the R&D team led by a professional botanist continued to search for the beauty secrets behind plants, and as the Herbarium continued to expand, bionic new discoveries and revolutionary patented inventions were launched, and Clarins became synonymous with natural and effective French skin care.
Clarins listens to women — and you know we like that!
(You may e-mail me at joanneraeramirez@yahoo.com.)