Louganis loves El Nido

Louganis in love with El Nido


Abac Cordero
Philippine Star
13 April 2019

EL NIDO, Palawan, Philippines — The greatest diver in history was smitten by the beauty of the surroundings here.

“It’s just a spectacular background,” said Greg Louganis, the four-time Olympic champion from the United States.

 

Louganis, 59, is here as sports director of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, which was to kick off its 11th season yesterday.

Twenty-four of the world’s best cliff divers are in this picturesque island of amazing geologic formations and pristine waters with corals and marine mammal life.

Louganis, who wore his Olympic ring on his right hand during the interview, said the event couldn’t find a better spot.

“Such an incredible backdrop,” he said of the site.

Two platforms of 20 meters (70 feet) for women and 27 meters (90 feet) for men were constructed on a towering limestone formation in Miniloc island.

The competitors from the US, Great Britain, Canada, Mexico, Belarus, Romania, Poland, Ukraine and the Czech Republic will jump off a cliff with sharp, jagged rocks from as high as 90 feet. It takes them three to four seconds to hit the waters at a speed of 70 to 80 kph.

It’s heart-stopping to watch.

“I’m just in awe,” said Louganis, winner of two Olympic gold medals (platform and springboard) in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.

“And I’m always asked, ‘What’s your favorite spot?’ I have to say it’s Oman and the Philippines. They’re neck-to-neck,” he said.

“But here you really feel you’re embraced by nature. And that’s what cliff diving is all about. It’s the backdrop. The gorgeous clear waters. It’s stunning,” he said of the El Nido site.

From here, the series moves to Ireland in May, Italy in June, Portugal in June, Lebanon in July, Bosnia and Herzegovina in August then Spain in September.

Louganis, winner of five world championships, has never tried cliff diving.

Not yet. One day, he will.

“I really want to experience what the divers experience. The impact. But you don’t know until you do it yourself,” said Louganis.

“But if I’d dive, I’d do it here,” he said.

Louganis is in love with El Nido.

Pinoy Math wizzards in Hanoi

Pinoy students bag 10 medals at int'l math contest

Donna Magsino

GMA News

April 7, 2019 

Eight Filipino junior and senior high school students brought home the bacon after competing at an international math competition held in Vietnam this month, according to the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines (MTG) on Sunday.

"This is the first international math contest for MTG students this year and we laud them for their achievement," said Dr. Isidro Aguilar, MTG president.

Two of them bagged gold medals: Grade 10 students Bryce Ainsley Sanchez of Grace Christian College and Immanuel Josiah Balete of St. Stephen’s High School.

On the other hand, Grade 8 students Enzo Rafael Chan of Bayanihan Institute-Tarlac and Rickson Caleb Tan of MGC New Life Christian Academy won silver medals.

The bronze medalists were Cassidy Kyler Tan, Grade 8, Davao Christian High School; Noel Stephen Dequito, Grade 8, Xavier School Nuvali; Daryll Carlsten Ko, Grade 10, St. Stephen's High School; and Issam Wang, Grade 10, Manila Science High School.

Two more bronze medals were won by the Filipino students in the team contest.

From April 2 to 6, 2019, around 700 students from China, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam participated in the said math competition organized by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training and Hanoi Mathematical Society. — LA, GMA News

Second Fastest Emerging Market

Oxford Economics: PH will be 2nd fastest 

growing emerging market in 2019-2028



Ben O. de Vera
Inquirer.net
20 February 2019

MANILA, Philippines — With an expanding labor force, the Philippines will be eclipsed only by India among emerging markets (EMs) expected to post the fastest economic growth in the next 10 years.

In a February 15 report, UK-based Oxford Economics projected the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by an average of 5.3 percent between 2019 and 2028, only outpaced by India’s 6.5 percent.

For 2019, Oxford Economics had said its expects the Philippines’ GDP growth at 6.1 percent, below the government’s 7-8 percent target range.

China and Indonesia’s economies were both seen expanding by 5.1 percent during the 10-year period; Malaysia, 3.8 percent; Turkey, 3 percent; Thailand, 2.9 percent; Chile, 2.6 percent; Poland, 2.5 percent; and South Africa, 2.3 percent.

The labor force in the Philippines was projected to increase by an average of 2.3 percent during the next 10 years, the fastest among the 10 emerging markets.

The labor force growth figure was computed by Oxford Economics as the number of people in the labor force multiplied to the average number of hours worked.

Total factor productivity growth was seen at 1 percent, while capital deepening or the contribution of capital accumulation to labor productivity growth was projected to rise by 1.6 percent from 2019 and 2028.

In a report titled “Sustained growth in EMs calls for thrift and innovation,” Oxford Economics said that while “countries with higher gross domestic saving (as a share of GDP) tend to have higher trend growth… the Philippines seems to be a major outlier, but its domestic savings are supplemented heavily by remittances.” /kga