Most small and medium enterprises in the Philippines are upbeat on domestic business prospects, resulting in a potential expansion in capital spending and hiring of more employees, according to separate survey results released yesterday by two multinational firms.

Amid the grim education scenario in the Philippines, a bright light shines from the remote town of Jagna in Bohol province.

There, husband and wife Christopher Bernido and Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido, both physicists, introduced a way of teaching and learning that has produced amazing results.

More than a decade ago, they left their academic careers at the University of the Philippines (UP) and went back to a rural setting to run a struggling school and help students achieve their academic potentials.

WHAT DO INTERNET users from the Philippines look for? Ask Google and chances are the search giant has an answer. And it even comes with all the bells and whistles.

Case in point was the week of Aug. 6 to 12. The fastest-rising news terms during the period were “NBA” amid reports on Boston Celtics and Miami Heat opening a new season and “UFC” in which the league’s middleweight champion Anderson Silva defended his title.

The Philippines has added another global title to its name in the technology arena. From the world’s text messaging capital, Filipinos are also now the champions in watching videos over the Internet.

Five years ago, when Mark Barachina first arrived in Singapore, he fell in love with the country. He successfully found employment there and was able to fulfill a dream for himself and his family to live and work abroad.

Experts in the promotion of renewable energy  in Asia said the Philippines is on the right track as they cited the government’s efforts in formulating laws that focus on the use of renewable sources of energy.

THE INTELLECTUAL Property Office (IPO) is implementing a new strategy involving the use of Customs laws and the possible creation of a specialized police unit in the effort to end piracy, an official last week said.

How should we train our young scientists?

When asked what he would do with his students, Henry Augustus Rowland, first Professor of Physics at the Johns Hopkins University, was supposed to have replied: “Why, I shall neglect them, of course!” (N. Grauer “The Six Who Built Hopkins” Johns Hopkins Magazine, April 2000 (http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/0400web/31.html)). I interpret that to mean that he would let them alone — to learn on their own.

Indonesia has the worst record when it comes to protecting intellectual property rights (IPR) in Asia and Singapore the best, a survey of expatriate business people showed.

“Indonesia seems to have lost its momentum for cracking down on IPR abuses and making the system more compliant with international standards,” Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) yesterday said.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the Philippines grew 7.9 percent in the second quarter of this year, the highest since 1988, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said today.

The NSCB attributed the high GDP growth from the 1.2-percent in the same period last year to peaceful national elections, improved investors confidence especially among local investors, the global economic recovery and increased capital expenditure of government.