SoFA, TPB to promote tourism through design

SOFA Design Institute recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB)—an attached agency to the Department of Tourism—to partner on promoting the Philippines in foreign and domestic tourism.

According to SoFA, the MOU will be a springboard for a possible year-long campaign that aims to be at the forefront of promoting various local tourist destinations, which will capitalize on both SoFA and TPB’s design and digital-content resources.

The joint project seeks to support and empower sustainable weaving groups with their creativity and craftsmanship, as the country champions sustainability.

“We are excited about this partnership with TPB, since we share the same vision of uplifting our cultural communities through tourism and environmental stewardship,” said SoFA executive director Loralee BaronSoong. “This collaboration reinforces [our] strong commitment of cultivating the country’s next creative leaders and promoting Filipino culture.”

In support of TPB’s goal to market and boost the country domestically and internationally as a world-class tourism as well as meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions or MICE destination, the campaign intends to jointly create and deploy creative initiatives between the two as part of the TPB’s various sustainable community tourism-based programs.

“We eagerly look forward to working together with SoFA to further strengthen our partnership,” TPB Chief Operating Officer Margarita Nograles said. “We [believe this endeavor will] capitalize on opportunities moving forward for the ultimate benefit of our country’s sustainable development and tourism industry.” further education.

The two sides are expected to discuss further the specifics of their various campaigns in the following months.

“AMDev will improve young people’s ability to gain meaningful employment and contribute to building a peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous future for all Filipinos,” Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said at the launch ceremony inside the Unilab Pharma Campus in Biñan, Laguna. “We hope that this private sector collaboration will allow the Philippines to advance to ‘high middle-income’ economic status, and strengthen its ability to increase sustainable, inclusive, and transparent economic growth in the broader Indo-Pacific economic community.”

“Unilab Foundation envisions to make an impact on the manufacturing sector by introducing industryled programs that will sharpen manufacturing competencies and set higher standards of training,” UnitedHealth Group president-CEO, Unilab Inc. chairman of the board and Unilab Foundation Inc. president-vice chairman Clinton Andrew Campos Hess said. “We believe that meaningful partnerships are the key to affecting positive change in society.”

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. and Acting Mission Director Rebekah Eubanks of USAID Phils. were also at the launch.

Under the partnership, the US government will contribute P311 million ($5.3 million) in development assistance, while the other half of the project cost will be funded by private-sector partners that include Unilab Foundation, Amherst Laboratories, Belmont Softgel Pharma, Fastech Advanced Assembly, Western Digital Phils., Makati Business Club, and the Investment and Capital Corporation of the Philippines Group Foundation.

The US government, through USAID, has invested more than P5.8 billion ($105.6 million) in higher education and work force development in the Philippines, helping build research capacity and spark innovation in local universities, as well as provide opportunities for out-of-school youth.

AIM, Univ. of Houston unveil PHL’s 1st undergraduate double-degree program

ON March 15 the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and the University of Houston’s (UH)

C.T. Bauer College of Business signed a memorandum of agreement for the first-of-its-kind double-degree undergraduate program in the Philippines.

Under the program, students will receive a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Business Administration

(BSc in DSBA) degree from AIM, and a Bachelor of Business AdministrationMajor in Management Information Systems (BBA in MIS) diploma from UH. AIM president and dean Dr. Jikyeong Kang and UH’s C. T. Bauer College of Business dean Dr. Paul Pavlou spoke about the two institution’s historic linkage, the pioneering nature of the program, benefits to its students, and career opportunities that await graduates.

Dr. Kang noted the historic significance of the undergraduate program: “In the 55 years since AIM opened its doors to the best and brightest leaders and managers in Asia, never has the institute offered an undergraduate program—until now. The rise of data science as a vital cog for improving productivity and data-driven decisionmaking made it imperative for [the institute] to develop data scientists who will also start building excellent business acumen early in their learning journey.”

She added: “Through [AIM’s] strong partnership with UH, we are confident

Editor: Mike Policarpio