Webinar on Marine Plastic Pollution Monitoring Slated for 9 November

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) is organizing a webinar on replicable models on marine plastic pollution monitoring on 9 November 2021. The webinar is slated from 2PM to 5PM (GMT+7) via Zoom and is open to all interested parties.

“This event aims to highlight all  lessons learned from the ASEAN-Norwegian Cooperation Project on Local Capacity Building for Reducing Plastic Pollution in the ASEAN Region (ASEANO) and other efforts in Asia to reduce the flow of plastic waste into the ocean,” explains PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales.

The event is one of several pre-Congress events called Collabs, which are technical and public-oriented discussions, workshops and training sessions organized by PEMSEA partners, networks and other organizations. PEMSEA’s Collabs shall culminate in the upcoming East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress, slated for 1 and 2 December 2021.

Confirmed speakers include Deputy Secretary-General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Mr. Ekkaphab Phanthavong, Ambassador of Norway to ASEAN H.E. Kjell Tormod Pettersen, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) Section for Catchment Biogeochemistry Researcher Dr. Hans Fredrik Veiteberg Braaten, Indonesian Society of Limnology Chairman Dr. Hidayat S.Kom., M.Sc., OceansAsia Research Director Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Our Sea of East Asia Network Founder and President Dr. Sunwook Hong, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas Social Sciences Department Chair Dr. Edwin Lineses, NIVA Researcher Dr. Rachel Hurley, UNDP/GEF Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Phase II (ATSEA-2) National Project Coordinator for Timor-Leste Mr. Almerindo Olivera da Silva, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Extended Producer Responsibility and Global Plastics Policy Coordinator Mr. Huy Ho, plus Cavite Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ms. Anabelle Cayabyab. The event will be moderated by Arisman, Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) Indonesia.

Funded by the Norwegian Development Program to Combat Marine Litter and Microplastics, ASEANO is led by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) and (CSEAS in close collaboration with the PEMSEA Resource Facility and ASEAN Secretariat under the purview of the endorsing ASEAN sectoral body, the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME).

The ASEANO project aims to develop a set of sound and sustainable measures to reduce the impacts of plastic pollution and their implications on socioeconomic development and the environment focusing on the city or municipal level, with West Java in Indonesia and Cavite in the Philippines as project sites.

A novel catchment-based model will be developed to quantify the release, transport and fate of plastic pollution, plus their future trends under different management options. This will result in the development of targeted and cost-efficient measures for the reduction of plastic waste. The project will also work on the monitoring and evaluation aspect of plastic pollution, particularly the development of a catalogue of monitoring methods, plus capacity building for allies.

The results of the project will then be synthesized into sector-specific roadmaps on plastics management for potential extrapolation to the ASEAN region.

At the end of the webinar, participants are expected to have a clear understanding on the importance of monitoring in plastic pollution management and have a broad picture of the state of play of marine plastic pollution in Asia with case studies within and beyond the ASEANO project that can be adapted and replicated in other sites. Target participants include members of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments and Learning Centers, plus other relevant stakeholders and interested individuals.

Participants interested in plastics pollution solutions can register through the following link (https://tinyurl.com/ASEANO-Collab-ZoomReg) before 6 November 2021. Registered participants shall automatically receive user-specific Zoom links and online calendar invites.

Samui's revamped luxury private villa ‘Suralai’ is ready to welcome back visitors to Thailand

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

As Thailand reopens its borders to international travellers on November 1st with no quarantine – SHA-approved luxury villas like Suralai are well prepared to host visitors

Suralai, a luxury 6-bedroom villa on the idyllic Thai island of Koh Samui has undergone extensive renovation during the pandemic to retain its reputation as one of the island’s premier private villas. Suralai is also part of the Elite Havens - Asia’s most prestigious private villa rental collection.

From today November 1st 2021 Thailand welcomes foreign visitors from a list of 46 approved countries, with no quarantine requirements. Travellers need to have just 1 PCR test upon arrival and stay for one night in an SHA-approved hotel within 2 hours of the airport. For full details of all documentation and conditions of Thailand’s border reopening, see the official TAT website:

https://www.tatnews.org/thailand-reopening/

Meanwhile, Suralai is SHA-approved [Safety and Health Administration] and meets government safety measures with a fully vaccinated staff and hygiene protocols in place.

For a quick tour of Suralai, see: https://youtu.be/ncr5ejmo5_Q

Suralai Upgraded with a Fresh New Look

This stunning hilltop sanctuary combining distinctive Thai-inspired architectural features and a cool contemporary look, offers six spacious ensuite bedrooms and suites comfortably accommodating up to 12 guests in complete privacy. Each has a covered terrace or balcony overlooking the pool and panoramic view of the sea and Koh Phangan (Full Moon Island) in the near distance.

Recent renovations have seen all rooms refurbished with cool grey ceramic floors, new louvred blinds and drapes, as well as stylish new soft furnishing accents in rich Jim Thompson silk fabrics.

Enhancing the vast living and dining pavilion, new outdoor furniture has been added to the wide wrap-around terrace, and the open show-kitchen and long island-bar upgraded for a sharper and fresh new look.

At the poolside, comfortable, new loungers overlook the pool and view, and at one end, a Thai-style sala with wide, inviting daybeds has been refurbished to provide a truly special place to escape the sun and enjoy a book, a massage or pampering beauty treatment, or to gather for a casual poolside buffet lunch.



Unforgettable Holidays and Weddings

Suralai is a perfect fit for families and groups of friends, large and small, looking for a private vacation together, or for birthdays, weddings and other special celebrations for 80 or more guests. Professional wedding and party planners continue to create magic at this beautiful location with pool-side wedding pavilions and lavish decorations with flowers, lighting and even fireworks.

At Suralai, a highly experienced villa manager is there to organize a one-of-a-kind holiday for guests. The day might begin with a private yoga or a fun aqua-aerobics class in the pool, or a work-out at the villa’s private gym. After that, it’s a time to relax and connect over breakfast on the terrace, where your private chef is waiting to prepare whatever takes your fancy fresh from the kitchen.

If you want to stay close to home, spa lovers will relish the prospect of a morning or afternoon spent in the cool and peaceful sala, enjoying a massage or pampering beauty treatment from top class Thai therapists.

Meal times at Suralai are anything but ordinary - a light and delicious Thai or Western-style lunch can be served buffet-style in the shade of the poolside sala, and in the evening, chef and his team will create a deliciously authentic Thai dinner, your preferred Western-style cuisine or a fun and casual barbecue.

If you prefer to venture out from the villa for a day at the beach, or to explore some of what this beautiful tropical island has to offer, the villa manager Khun Tee will arrange it. Consider hiring a private sailing catamaran or speed boat to picnic, swim and snorkel at many stunning islands around Samui, perhaps a visit to one of Samui’s renowned elephant sanctuaries ‘Elephant Haven’ - just 5 minutes’ walk from the villa, or enjoy a private tour of Samui’s numerous cultural and natural highlights.

Although it’s unlikely you’ll want to leave this hilltop eyrie, Samui’s vibrant tourism scene is literally 15 minutes away. Fisherman’s Village and its vibrant Friday-night street-market are a must see, as are its many cool restaurants and chic fashion boutiques. Meanwhile, the palm fringed sandy beaches of Bophut, Big Buddha and Chaweng with their stylish resorts, fashionable new beach clubs, and numerous bars and restaurants are similarly less than 15 minutes’ drive from the villa.



Rates

Starting from USD1,000 per night for the low season. See Elite Havens website below for real-time availability. www.elite-havens.com



Booking Suralai



Read what Elite Havens has to say about Suralai:

https://mailchi.mp/elitehavens/saturday-shots-of-inspirations-suralai-2019?e=d00258b6d1



https://www.suralai.com

Filipino business tycoons champion sustainability programs, practices in PH Digicon 2021

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Filipino business tycoons who spoke before the delegates of the Philippine Digital Convention (PH Digicon) 2021 iterated their commitment to implementing sustainable programs and practices to achieve a triple bottom line.

In the second plenary session of this year’s PH Digicon, Al Panlilio, President and CEO, PLDT Group; Lance Gokongwei, President and CEO of JG Summit Holdings; Bernie Liu, Chairman and CEO of the Penshoppe Group; Christopher Po, Executive Chairman of Century Pacific Food, Inc.; Kevin Tan, CEO of Alliance Global Group Inc.; and Joseph Tanbuntiong, Chief Business Officer of Jollibee Group led the discussion on the revolutionary changes in the Philippine business landscape.

Panlilio said that sustainability is one of his fulcrums and has been a part of PLDT’s business model for years, incorporating sustainable development in their strategies to align their initiatives to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The PLDT Head said they launched the country’s first carbon fiber cell tower, which has reduced carbon dioxide emission by up to 70 percent compared to steel. He also mentioned the group’s aim to use renewable energy sources to bring down power consumption and boost energy efficiency for their data centers.

“What is core to business is what matters most in terms of sustainability, and hopefully, every employee in PLDT-Smart understands and appreciates their contribution to that effort. It’s a big task, big programs, but we have to do it,” said Panlilio.

For Jollibee, meanwhile, Tanbuntiong said they have been reducing waste by shifting from disposable to reusable wares and turning to biodegradable options such as paper for their packaging.

“We are also looking into the renewable energy sources for some of our stores and our manufacturing sites… Outside of the environment, we also look at the society and looking at segments that we can help, and can have an impact,” the Jollibee executive said.

Moreover, for Alliance Global Group CEO Kevin Tan, the business has been set up to not be a profit-centric company but also to aim for a triple bottom line which includes environmental sustainability and social impact.

“Our goal, our new guidance aside from our profits, is that we want to be carbon-neutral by 2035, which means that among other efforts, we need to shift to 100% renewable energy, and this has to start right away and be done in phases over the next 5 to 6 years… This is a very challenging feat, but we are committed to it,” Tan underscored.

Tan also shared that they are committed to generating over five million direct and indirect jobs in the next 15 years; thus, they heavily invest in industries that can produce the most jobs and multipliers in job creation, such as business process outsourcing and tourism sector.

Likewise, for the clothing brand Penshoppe, Liu shared that waste in the retail and the fashion business has been labeled as one of the biggest polluters. He said that excesses end up in dumpsites “because the consciousness of waste is not there among many brand owners and retailers.”

Liu highlighted that reducing waste is something they take seriously by adopting global standards on the number of stock keeping units and inventory.

“We believe strongly that we minimize waste not only in the consumption but in the way that unnecessary fabrics are produced, and unnecessary garments, and that whatever we do acquire ends up in the closets of our customers and not in the dumpsites,” Liu said.

Furthermore, for Century Pacific Food, Po said they integrate the sustainability mindset in their day-to-day business by following the Three P’s framework, which refers to Protein, People, and Planet.

“Protein is our product. Our food product is the way we touch the rest of the community; thus, we look at the type of nutrition and ingredients we put into our products to develop a healthier product portfolio… We’re also mindful of the number of jobs we create… and then finally, Planet is our manufacturing footprint as a food manufacturer,” Po noted.

Additionally, for JG Summit Holdings, Gokongwei said they acknowledge the significance of sustainability; thus, they integrate this in their management process.

“For us, the most important thing is to put sustainability first and foremost into the board’s agenda; we try to do this first by benchmarking and measuring what we have, second is to set targets,” Gokongwei said.

He also added that their sustainability practice follows the UN SDG, which centers on five objectives: shared success, resource secularity and resource efficiency, education and development, providing better choices, and climate action.

The Philippine Digital Convention is the most prestigious digital thought leadership event hosted by PLDT Enterprise. Titled “REVOLUTION”, this year’s PH Digicon which ran from October 6 to 8 featured over 120 industry leaders and experts, sharing their expertise on topics such as technology predictions, industry evolution, emerging technologies, among others.

Relive the three-day convention like no other via content on demand available exclusively on phdigicon2021.com.




COVER PHOTO: JG Summit Holdings Inc. President and CEO Lance Gokongwei, Penshoppe Group Chairman and CEO Bernie Liu, PLDT and Smart President and CEO Al Panlilio, Jollibee Group Chief Business Officer Joseph Tanbuntiong, Alliance Global Group Inc. CEO Kevin L. Tan and Century Pacific Food, Inc. Executive Chairman Chris Po