Culture buffs around the globe can now learn the ABCs of the Philippine culture as the Department of Tourism (DOT) unveils its newest ad at the Culture Launch on February 27 2020, held at the Shooting Gallery Studio in Makati City.

In just a minute, the ABaKaDa music video is able to talk about 20 unique cultural facts about the Philippines represented by each letter of the Philippine alphabet. It starts with 'A' for abaca accessories that many can admire for its beauty and sustainability. 'Ba' is for barefoot bounding while dancing the Tinikling. 'Ka' is for Kinetic kali combat showing the country's national martial arts.

Documenting a diving experience represents the 'Da', while eating Filipino cuisines literally everywhere perfectly fit the 'E.' The music video also features Filipino art galleries for 'Ga,' hand-weaving for 'Ha,' island vibes for 'I,' the lakes and its lilies for 'La,' and the mountain rides in Ifugao for 'Ma.' Filipinos are also known to be one of the happiest people on earth, and so the 'Na' is for "ngumiti ng ngumiti" or to keep on smiling.

The ABaKaDa song lyrics, written in collaboration with and sang by Curtismith, also highlights oratories of Filipinos, polo and prints using pineapple fabrics, rondallas rhythm and river rafting, street dancing, tribal tattoos, the underground caves, and the wild and warm welcome of the locals, immersing tourists to the exceptional Filipino hospitality.

2019 campaigns of the DOT relied on crowdsourcing, making everyone who has captured their Philippine travel experiences a tourism ambassador. These materials were compiled and used for tourism promotions.

The global community also recognized the DOT's sustainable tourism advocacy. It won an Excellent Partner Award for sustainable efforts in the Japan Tourism Awards. It bagged the second place in the recently concluded Asia Destination Film Forum awards for the 'Save Our Spots' campaign.

Sustaining the "It's More Fun in the Philippines" campaign, the ABaKaDa culture video is only one of the 10 tourism campaign videos of the DOT focusing on Philippine tourism products. Remaining videos focus will focus on sun and beach, nature and adventure, leisure and entertainment, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions), culinary, education (English as a Second Language), cruise, health and wellness, and dive. These promotion videos target global tourists to further boost inbound tourism.

The DOT is also working on immersing tourists in the stories of every region. Sixteen tourism videos will highlight destinations of the regions, inviting everybody to be part of a greater year while ensuring every experience to truly be part of the culture.

The ongoing affirmation of a national dengue fever plague in the Philippines has sounded a public-health alert in the West Pacific, as instances of the tropical infection keep on rising throughout the region. Dengue, a mosquito borne viral disease found in tropical countries around the world, can prompt organ failure and hemorrhaging in serious cases and there is no particular treatment for the illness.

In Manila a coffee mug size device created by Filipino researchers and scientists is now in the country's frontline in the edge in the battle versus dengue.

As Biotek M said, the device is a moderate, affordable fast test kit for precise identification of dengue infection.

Dr V. Destura, project lead said “Dengue is risky when not treated early. For the standard test of dengue, Polymerase Chain reaction test costs too high for the marginalized part who are the most commonly influenced by dengue disease. It additionally takes at least 24 hour to know the report. ”

The Philippines had declared a national dengue alert simply a month ago in the wake o detailing in excess of more than 450 deaths, however authorities had said the dengue was “localized,” as indicated by CNN affiliate CNN of Philippines.

With very nearly 200 additional deaths in the previous month, the emergency has now raised to a national plague. The epidemic was announced so as to empower government offices to all identify in danger zone said by health ministry.

Dengue cases in the Philippines have truly flooded each three to four years, and the sharp increment in this year is in accordance with expectations after a 2016 spike.

Biotek M, which DR. Destura and his group from the department of science and technology, Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) had created, can identify dengue in as short as 60 minutes. Similarly, it is increasingly moderate and appropriate for developing countries like Philippines which is standing up to expanding number of cases.

The task is a piece of the “Lab-in-a-Mug Project” that had been being worked on from two years back. Since its presentation and introduction, the task had been granted with one of the gold medals awards during the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions at Palexpo on April 2018 in Geneva.

In the Philippines, somewhere in the range of 90 Clinics are as of now utilizing the device as the number of people infected with this disease have reached 188,562 from Start of January to the first week of August.

Earlier, the Philippines government has announced a dengue National emergency amidst the rising number of cases that had likewise brought to death of at least 720 people since the beginning of the year.

As indicated by the World Health Organization, dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease with side indication like influenza like illness. Early recognition is vital as the disease could prompt patient's death if interventions are not taken right away.

To fight with dengue outbreak, department of health said that it was leading a campaign to concentrate on finding and decimating mosquito reproducing breeding sites, while likewise issuing rules for people to wear insect repellant and wear garment that spread over and cover the skin.

The Philippines and China will team up on science and technology projects under understanding marked during a China visit in August 2019 of President Dutrte. This incorporate a trade of researchers and preparing programs for Filipino experts on material innovations created by China.

China has promised to help finance a total $169 billion infrastructure renewal drive in the Philippines, an obvious offer for fellowship as Filipinos question whether authorities in Beijing are attempting to squelch their oceanic power claims.

Philippine got its first taste of next generation 5G services in late June with gear provided by Huawei Technologies. This month another carrier backed by the state owned China Telecommunications Corporation will start revealing a system generally structured in China, to be executed by Chinese designers in the Philippines.

As country like the Philippines reject pressure from US, Chinese organizations are inserting themselves somewhere deep in strategically in important infrastructure. These improvements attach many countries to Beijing through another rush of innovation that vows to reshape the society, from economic development to military planning.

Huawei is also the leader to supply the new China connected telecom network. DITO Telecommunity hopes to use China Telecom's longstanding ties with the hardware creator to secure a decent deal. Huawei as of now drives the Philippines market by a mile. It gives most of the gear utilized by the two noteworthy operators Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc.

The six agreements and two MOU's, one on higher education participation between the Commission on Higher education of the Philippines and Ministry of Education of China, with the other on science and technology collaboration between China's Ministry of Science and Technology and the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines.

Moreover, a cooperative arrangement was gone into between Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) and China's General Administration on the execution of the intergovernmental understanding with respect to participation and common help with custom matters. An execution contract on the China's Supported container investigation gear venture likewise has marked the BOC and Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

The Department of Finance of Philippines signed agreement on Exchange of Notes on Cooperation Procedure for the availability and use of concessional loans under Renminbi denominated loan offer with China International Development Corporation agency, while a particular buyer's credit loan facility with related to project executives consultancy of the Philippine National Railways South Long Haul Project was signed with the Import-export Bank of China.

The Philippines has accelerated its arrangements to build up the nation's infrastructure in the recent years. Early in the April 2017 the Philippine government launched the (BBB) “build, build, build” framework development program. It intends to rise public spending on framework to 7% of total national output by 2022 from under 2% 10 year ago. In a total it is estimated that $180b will be required to help the BBB program.

Philippines and China to collaborate all the more closely in areas such as science and technology, customs and higher education under the term of six bilateral agreements signed by both countries.

The Philippines ranks number 1 among best countries to invest in, according to the US News and World Report, beating more developed countries such as Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom and France. This global research highlighted that The Philippines' young population will attract more firms looking for a good labour force.

The 2018 Best Countries report data is based on how global perceptions - of 80 nations - define countries in terms of a number of qualitative characteristics, impressions that have the potential to drive trade, travel and investment and affect national economies.

On its website, US News explained that the report had been ranked “based on scores primarily from more than 6,000 business decision makers on a compilation of eight equally weighted country attributes: corruption, dynamism, economic stability, entrepreneurship, favorable tax environment, innovation, skilled labour force, and technological expertise.”

The head of the Duterte administration's economic team said that strong macroeconomic fundamentals alongside plans to ramp up infrastructure spending is what prompted the Philippines to make it to the top of the list of best countries to invest in.

“In contrast to declining inflows of foreign direct investment, or FDI, to Southeast Asia as a whole, the Philippines continued to perform well, according to United Nations data. In years to come, the country is expected to receive more FDI from within the region from powerhouses like China that are looking to utilize available labour in developing nations,” the US-based firm said in a report published online.

According to the Unctad report, “in South and Southeast Asia, several countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines, are expected to receive more FDI in years to come, especially from within the region, in line with a division of labour between more developed countries (increasingly focusing on goods with higher value added) and less developed countries (increasingly focusing on labor-intensive activities).”

Citing a report of the Board of Investments, Unctad stated, “Thus may continue to strengthen these countries' positions in regional production networks. For instance, five Chinese companies plan to invest $10 billion in the aviation, downstream oil, renewable energy, iron and steel, and shipbuilding industries in the Philippines.”

According to Unctad, FDI “flows to the Philippines - the third largest recipient in the subregion - increased by more than 60 percent to a new high of $8 billion in 2016.”

In 2017, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas data proved that net FDI inflows worth $8.7 billion exceeded the $8-billion target for 2017.

Dominguez stated that there are certain factors that propelled the Philippines to the top of the list of best countries to invest in and those are: young and hardworking workforce, an excellent inclusive growth momentum, an expanding middle class, politically stable environment, strong and popular leadership, fiscal discipline, stable monetary policy, membership in Asean, and achievable infrastructure program, a strong anti-corruption drive, and improved revenue collection.”

The Philippines was followed by Indonesia on the list, while Poland ranks number three, followed by Malaysia and Singapore.

The US firm's 2018 best countries to invest in ranking was created in partnership with global marketing communications firm Y&R's brand strategy arm BAV Group as well as the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Although the Philippines was categorised as the best country to invest in, economist Alvin P. Ang - director of Ateneo Centre for Economic Research and Development - said that the government needs to make an effort and encourage foreign investors to pour capital into the country.

Under the right circumstances and in a more encouraging environment, foreign companies could further contribute in the current administration's effort, particularly on infrastructure. Ang said that the Philippines need extra money on infrastructure since local companies have maxed out.

“We still have a lot of problems, the focus is for local companies but for foreign companies that are limited options,” said Alvin P. Ang. “We are moving along that line, but that cannot be achieved in a year's time.”

The government, however, trusts that the necessary critical reforms are already in place. Socioeconomic Secretary Ernest M. Pernia said, “Our efforts to create a more business and investor-friendly environment are gaining traction in the past year and a half and the world is already seeing it.”

President Rodrigo Duterte's administration, for instance, announced a multi-billion-dollar “Build, Build, Build” initiative in an effort to usher in a “golden age of infrastructure” within five years.