MANILA, Philippines - Petron import Nick Fazekas is arriving with NBA Hall of Famer Alex English in two or three weeks to reinforce the Blaze Boosters in the PBA Fiesta Conference starting Feb. 10. English was recently in town for a week on Petron’s invitation and will return to join the squad as a skills coach.
Fazekas, 26, comes with impressive credentials. The 6-11, 240-pound center was the Dallas Mavericks’ second round pick in the 2007 NBA draft after leading the University of Nevada at Reno varsity to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances with an overall record of 106-27. He averaged 18.8 points and 9.6 rebounds in 131 collegiate games with the Wolf Pack.
Fazekas, who is of Hungarian descent, is in the elite roster of varsity players with over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their careers, joining stars like Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Julius Erving, Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird. He will become the sixth PBA import in the cast after Joe Binion, Harry Kelly, Daren Queenan, Byron Houston and Arizona Reid.
Although a dominant center, Fazekas gained a reputation as a team player at Nevada where a teammate was recent Manila visitor JaVale McGee. He never cared about individual honors and set as a priority the varsity’s goals. “That’s what it’s all about as a player,” said Fazekas at the height of his NCAA career. “To see how you match up against the nation’s best. Our team is young but that could be a good thing. Sometimes, when you’re young, you don’t know any better. We want to do well in the regular season and hopefully, that will lead to good things in the post-season.”
Petron coach Ato Agustin hopes Fazekas’ attitude will translate into a championship conference for the Boosters. Nevada coach Mark Fox said Fazekas’ maturity was a factor in bringing the Wolf Pack to the NCAA Tournament four years in a row. Fazekas was recommended by agent Paul Kevin who also represents Fil-Am Chris Banchero, a mainstay on San Miguel’s ABL squad.
Fazekas will be only the 27th white import to play in the PBA since 1975. The last two were Alex Compton and Jason Keep who both played for Welcoat in the 2007-08 Fiesta Conference. The San Miguel franchise had previously recruited four white imports – Steve Smith (San Miguel Beer, 1975), Mike Rozenski (Royal Tru-Orange, 1977), Frank Gugliotta (Royal Tru-Orange, 1978) and Chris Burgess (San Miguel Beer, 2004-05).
Fazekas led Ralston Valley High School to the Class 4A state championship in Colorado in 2002-03, averaging 26.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 blocked shots. He gained international experience playing with the US Under-21 team at the FIBA World Championships in Argentina in 2005.
In four years with the Nevada varsity, Fazekas developed a deadly touch from three-point distance, expanding his offensive repertoire. He knocked down 116-of-340 triples for a .341 clip in his Wolf Pack career. His overall field goal mark was 53 percent. Fazekas was thrice named Player of the Year in the Western Athletic Conference.
In the NBA, Fazekas played 26 games for Dallas and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2007-08. He went on to suit up in Belgium and France before averaging 14.6 points for the Reno Bighorns in the NBA D-League this season.
Fazekas’ father Joe, a 6-10 center, played varsity basketball at Wyoming and Idaho State. His grandfather Albert was a freedom fighter in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and escaped from a Soviet-controlled prison in Hungary by setting himself on fire as a diversion. Fazekas once said he is willing to play for the Hungarian national team.
The Fiesta Conference will allow each team to recruit an import of unlimited height. - By Joaquin Henson
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
News Update Farm output to grow by 3%-4% if weather cooperates, says think tank
Farm output may grow by 3 to 4 percent in 2012 if the weather permits it, think tank University of Asia and the Pacific's Center for Food and Agribusiness (CFA) said Tuesday. "A 3 to 4 percent growth is doable under normal weather in 2012. But if we get hit by another Pedring-type typhoon, the farm sector may be hard pressed to grow by this much," said CFA executive director Rolando T. Dy. Dy said that the crops subsector, which includes palay and corn, will lead the growth of the industry this year. The poultry and aquaculture sectors are also expected to contribute to industry growth. Because of the typhoons that ravaged the country in the last quarter of 2011, government had cut its growth expectations for the farm sector to 3 percent to 3.5 percent. The Department of Agriculture (DA) expects farm output to grow by 5 percent in 2011, "barring any adverse conditions." Bureau of Agricultural Statistics data showed that the farm sector grew by 4.28 percent in January to September last year, with the crops subsector contributing 50 percent of farm output because of the combined performance of palay and corn. In the same nine-month data, palay production reached 10.75 million metric tons (MMT), up 16 percent from 2010, while corn rose almost 16 percent to 5.49 million MT. However, the DA said that due to the destruction caused by typhoons in the second half of 2011, the country will have difficulties in producing more than 17 million MT of rice. The damage from Tropical Storm Sendong alone, the DA said, amounted to P8.1 million. The DA previously said that as much as 1.4 million MT of paddy rice were destroyed by the six consecutive typhoons that hit the country from June to September last year. Meawnwhile, the DA estimates that palay production will grow by 1.37 percent in the first quarter of 2012, and corn production by 3.82 percent. — AL/VS
News Update No gov't ceasefire violations - AFP
MANILA, Philippines - The holiday truce declared by the government ended Monday without violations by government soldiers and rebels.
“There was no violation by the military. Perhaps when our troops were attacked, they conducted a hot pursuit but that was a law enforcement action,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa said yesterday.
Dellosa said there were at least three attacks by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, but said these actions could not be regarded as truce violations since the rebels had not declared a ceasefire when the attacks happened.
“During that time, the AFP declared a unilateral SOMO (suspension of military offensives) so we cannot blame them if they attacked us. But we were ready that time,” he said.
The government’s ceasefire with communist rebels took effect from Dec. 16 to Jan. 2. The rebels reciprocated by declaring a ceasefire that took effect from Dec. 24 to Dec. 26 and from Dec. 31 to Jan. 2.
Insurgents staged two offensives against state troops in Surigao del Sur while the truce declared by the government was in effect.
On Dec. 16, the rebels attacked soldiers conducting development projects in Tandag City. Five soldiers were killed.
The second attack happened on Dec. 19 in Bislig City, resulting in the death of a 63-year-old woman and the wounding of seven soldiers.
On Dec. 20, a soldier died and another was wounded in an attack staged by the NPA in Las Navas, Northern Samar.
The communist rebels, however, have accused the government of violating its own ceasefire.
In a statement, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said the violations happened in the provinces of Abra, Surigao del Sur, Isabela and Rizal. CPP claimed the military occupied villages and conducted offensives despite the complaints of local residents.
“The 18-day ceasefire order is an empty declaration that serves only to cover up the continuing terrorist activities of the military, police and paramilitary forces,” CPP said in a statement. - By Alexis Romero
“There was no violation by the military. Perhaps when our troops were attacked, they conducted a hot pursuit but that was a law enforcement action,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa said yesterday.
Dellosa said there were at least three attacks by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, but said these actions could not be regarded as truce violations since the rebels had not declared a ceasefire when the attacks happened.
“During that time, the AFP declared a unilateral SOMO (suspension of military offensives) so we cannot blame them if they attacked us. But we were ready that time,” he said.
The government’s ceasefire with communist rebels took effect from Dec. 16 to Jan. 2. The rebels reciprocated by declaring a ceasefire that took effect from Dec. 24 to Dec. 26 and from Dec. 31 to Jan. 2.
Insurgents staged two offensives against state troops in Surigao del Sur while the truce declared by the government was in effect.
On Dec. 16, the rebels attacked soldiers conducting development projects in Tandag City. Five soldiers were killed.
The second attack happened on Dec. 19 in Bislig City, resulting in the death of a 63-year-old woman and the wounding of seven soldiers.
On Dec. 20, a soldier died and another was wounded in an attack staged by the NPA in Las Navas, Northern Samar.
The communist rebels, however, have accused the government of violating its own ceasefire.
In a statement, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said the violations happened in the provinces of Abra, Surigao del Sur, Isabela and Rizal. CPP claimed the military occupied villages and conducted offensives despite the complaints of local residents.
“The 18-day ceasefire order is an empty declaration that serves only to cover up the continuing terrorist activities of the military, police and paramilitary forces,” CPP said in a statement. - By Alexis Romero
News Update Gloria Arroyo, three others facing graft charges barred from travel
The Sandiganbayan 4th Division has issued a hold departure order (HDO) against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her husband Jose Miguel, and two former officials of her administration in connection with graft charges filed against them. Former Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, and former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos were also named in the HDO, GMA News TV's "Balitanghali" reported Tuesday. In a phone interview on Tuesday, Sandiganbayan Fourth Division executive clerk of court Atty. Joffre Gil Zapata told GMA News Online the one-page HDO was issued Monday afternoon by Associate Justices Gregory Ong, Jose Hernandez, and Maria Cristina Cornejo. Mrs. Arroyo, now a congresswoman, is facing two counts of violating Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and one count of violating RA 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the botched $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal with the Chinese firm ZTE Corp. She is currently under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in connection with electoral sabotage case filed against her by the Commission on Elections on Dec. 7. Mr. Arroyo, Mendoza, and Abalos are also facing one count each of violating RA 3019 in connection with the NBN deal. The NBN-ZTE deal The Philippine National Broadband Network controversy (also known as the NBN/ZTE deal) involved allegations of corruption in awarding China’s telecommunications giant ZTE the contract to build a nationwide connectivity network. (See the ZTE controversy timeline here.) The contract with ZTE was signed on April 20, 2007 in Hainan, China, but Mrs. Arroyo was forced to cancel the project in October 2007 when accusations of irregularities were made public. Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman filed two graft cases against Mrs. Arroyo for the NBN-ZTE deal, saying the former President allowed the contract with ZTE to be signed even though she was “fully aware” of the irregularities involved. The cases were raffled off to the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division on Monday. Ombudsman failed to comply with procedure Zapata noted, however, no schedule has been set so far to hear the case because the Ombudsman failed to comply with one vital procedure. He explained that the Office of the Ombudsman was supposed to give the accused five days to file a motion for reconsideration against its resolution. "Ang determination ng court ‘di sila nabigyan ng ganyang pagkakataon. Karapatan nila ‘yun, pero puwede din nila i-waive," he said. The case will be brought back to them once this procedure has been fulfilled, Zapata noted. Once this requisite is met, the Sandiganbayan will determine the need for a warrant of arrest. Mrs. Arroyo was arrested at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City on Nov. 18, the same day the Comelec filed an electoral sabotage case against her for the alleged rigging of the 2007 polls. She was confined at St. Luke’s for a bone problem. Mrs. Arroyo’s camp has yet to comment on the graft charges. — KBK/VS,
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
DID YOU KNOW THAT? Chinese New Year in the Philippines
新年 农历新年
In the Philippines, a Tsinoy is a Filipino of Chinese heritage. It is a combination of "Tsino" meaning Chinese and the slang word "Pinoy" meaning Filipino. (The term Intsik has fallen out of favor.)
There has been a significant Chinese presence in the Philippines even before the Spaniards arrived in the 15th century. Chinese Filipinos currently number four million, making up five percent of the Philippine population.
Chinese Filipinos celebrate the Lunar New Year in January or February. It is not an official holiday in the Philippines, but students in Chinese schools are let out early.
CHINESE-FILIPINO TRADITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LUNAR NEW YEAR
The food most fondly looked forward to during Chinese New Year in the Philippines is tikoy, a treat made from sticky rice. You can buy it from stores only at this time of the year (January and February) but don't forget that you have to cook it first before eating!
RED ENVELOPES. Red is considered the luckiest color and everyone tries to dress in it and have red things all around. Children expect to receive fresh peso bills inside bright red envelopes on which are written Chinese characters. They are called hong bao in Mandarin or ang pao in Hokkien, the language used by Chinese Filipinos.
DRAGON AND LION DANCE. There is a parade of dancing lions or a dragon in the Binondo district of Manila (the primary Chinatown) and even in a few other cities in the Philippines where there is a sizable Chinese presence.
The lion's head is large and has a body of long, colorful fabric. Dancers must be strong in holding it up and skillful in manipulating it in an animated way. Homeowners leave ang pao on top of their entrance gates or hang it by their door for the lion dancers to pick up while dancing in costume.
How can you tell if it's a dragon or a lion that's dancing? The dragon has a longer body and is controlled by eight or more people. Its body is propped up with poles. The lion has four legs (two dancers — one in charge of the head and the other of the tail end). The dancer in front who holds the lion's head can make its ear wiggle and blink its eyes. He's the one in charge of picking up the ang pao.
CHINESE GREETING. In the Hokkien language that most Chinese Filipinos speak, the Chinese New Year greeting is Kiong Hee Huat Tsai. To compare, the Cantonese version dominant in Hong Kong is Kung Hei Fat Choi and the Mandarin is Gong Xi Fa Cai. It means "Congratulations and Be Prosperous."
HOW TO PREPARE FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR:
1. Decorate house doors with red scrolls on which Chinese characters are written and hang up red paper lanterns.
2. Make sure there are healthy, preferably blooming, plants around the house. They symbolize life and renewal.
3. Settle all debts. You must not owe anyone money.
4. Thoroughly clean the house before the first day of the year.
5. Get a haircut and wear new clothes.
In the Philippines, a Tsinoy is a Filipino of Chinese heritage. It is a combination of "Tsino" meaning Chinese and the slang word "Pinoy" meaning Filipino. (The term Intsik has fallen out of favor.)
There has been a significant Chinese presence in the Philippines even before the Spaniards arrived in the 15th century. Chinese Filipinos currently number four million, making up five percent of the Philippine population.
Chinese Filipinos celebrate the Lunar New Year in January or February. It is not an official holiday in the Philippines, but students in Chinese schools are let out early.
CHINESE-FILIPINO TRADITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LUNAR NEW YEAR
The food most fondly looked forward to during Chinese New Year in the Philippines is tikoy, a treat made from sticky rice. You can buy it from stores only at this time of the year (January and February) but don't forget that you have to cook it first before eating!
RED ENVELOPES. Red is considered the luckiest color and everyone tries to dress in it and have red things all around. Children expect to receive fresh peso bills inside bright red envelopes on which are written Chinese characters. They are called hong bao in Mandarin or ang pao in Hokkien, the language used by Chinese Filipinos.
DRAGON AND LION DANCE. There is a parade of dancing lions or a dragon in the Binondo district of Manila (the primary Chinatown) and even in a few other cities in the Philippines where there is a sizable Chinese presence.
The lion's head is large and has a body of long, colorful fabric. Dancers must be strong in holding it up and skillful in manipulating it in an animated way. Homeowners leave ang pao on top of their entrance gates or hang it by their door for the lion dancers to pick up while dancing in costume.
How can you tell if it's a dragon or a lion that's dancing? The dragon has a longer body and is controlled by eight or more people. Its body is propped up with poles. The lion has four legs (two dancers — one in charge of the head and the other of the tail end). The dancer in front who holds the lion's head can make its ear wiggle and blink its eyes. He's the one in charge of picking up the ang pao.
CHINESE GREETING. In the Hokkien language that most Chinese Filipinos speak, the Chinese New Year greeting is Kiong Hee Huat Tsai. To compare, the Cantonese version dominant in Hong Kong is Kung Hei Fat Choi and the Mandarin is Gong Xi Fa Cai. It means "Congratulations and Be Prosperous."
HOW TO PREPARE FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR:
1. Decorate house doors with red scrolls on which Chinese characters are written and hang up red paper lanterns.
2. Make sure there are healthy, preferably blooming, plants around the house. They symbolize life and renewal.
3. Settle all debts. You must not owe anyone money.
4. Thoroughly clean the house before the first day of the year.
5. Get a haircut and wear new clothes.
News Update Philippine exchange begins extended hours
The Philippine Stock Exchange marked the first day of trading in 2012 by extending its trading into the afternoon in a bid to attract more foreign cash, the exchange and traders said on Monday.
Previously operated only until noon, the bourse in the capital Manila will now stay open till 3:30pm (0730 GMT).
"The goal of the exchange was really to tap into the foreign investors who would be present in the market during the afternoon in Manila time," said Jose Vistan of AB Capital Securities.
"There is growing interest in emerging economies like the Philippines with the prospects of possibly getting upgraded in terms of our credit rating," he said.
The Philippine exchange experimented with longer hours in February 2002, when trading was extended to 2:30pm. However, poor trading volumes forced the exchange to return to half-day trading by October.
The market closed 0.57 percent, or 25.12 points, higher on Monday at 4,3907.08.
Previously operated only until noon, the bourse in the capital Manila will now stay open till 3:30pm (0730 GMT).
"The goal of the exchange was really to tap into the foreign investors who would be present in the market during the afternoon in Manila time," said Jose Vistan of AB Capital Securities.
"There is growing interest in emerging economies like the Philippines with the prospects of possibly getting upgraded in terms of our credit rating," he said.
The Philippine exchange experimented with longer hours in February 2002, when trading was extended to 2:30pm. However, poor trading volumes forced the exchange to return to half-day trading by October.
The market closed 0.57 percent, or 25.12 points, higher on Monday at 4,3907.08.
Kopi Talk 97.6 million and growing
The country’s population is galloping closer to the 100-million mark, with the number expected to hit 97.6 million this year at the average annual growth rate of 2.04 percent, according to the Commission on Population. The Aquino administration should take note of those figures even as it busies itself this year with its anti-corruption campaign, efforts to deal with natural disasters, and creation of more livelihood opportunities through local activities and foreign investment.
The best economic performance of the previous administration, under former economics professor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was hardly felt at the grassroots, as even her economic managers later admitted. The economic growth was not enough to meet the demands of the booming population. In her final months in power, Arroyo, who put the national family planning program on ice for nine years, no longer stood in the way when her health secretary revived the program.
President Aquino, a principal proponent of the Reproductive Health bill when he was a lawmaker, should be consistent in his stand and give priority to pushing for congressional approval of the measure this year. Women with education and financial means do not need the RH bill, but millions of poor women do. While senators dither over the measure, the President can urge his political supporters in local governments to promote their own reproductive health programs.
The Philippines has committed to achieve the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. Goal No. 5 of the eight MDGs is improving maternal health, of which one of the two objectives is universal access to reproductive health by 2015. That’s one year after the Philippine population is expected to hit 101.2 million, at the current average of 1.7 million births every year, according to Popcom.
You can’t dump every unwanted baby in the trash bin of an airplane lavatory, at a church doorstep, or the gates of Sen. Tito Sotto and every male chauvinist determined to suppress women’s right to reproductive health. If the Aquino administration truly wants to make a dent against poverty, it must give priority to the reproductive health program
The best economic performance of the previous administration, under former economics professor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was hardly felt at the grassroots, as even her economic managers later admitted. The economic growth was not enough to meet the demands of the booming population. In her final months in power, Arroyo, who put the national family planning program on ice for nine years, no longer stood in the way when her health secretary revived the program.
President Aquino, a principal proponent of the Reproductive Health bill when he was a lawmaker, should be consistent in his stand and give priority to pushing for congressional approval of the measure this year. Women with education and financial means do not need the RH bill, but millions of poor women do. While senators dither over the measure, the President can urge his political supporters in local governments to promote their own reproductive health programs.
The Philippines has committed to achieve the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. Goal No. 5 of the eight MDGs is improving maternal health, of which one of the two objectives is universal access to reproductive health by 2015. That’s one year after the Philippine population is expected to hit 101.2 million, at the current average of 1.7 million births every year, according to Popcom.
You can’t dump every unwanted baby in the trash bin of an airplane lavatory, at a church doorstep, or the gates of Sen. Tito Sotto and every male chauvinist determined to suppress women’s right to reproductive health. If the Aquino administration truly wants to make a dent against poverty, it must give priority to the reproductive health program
Kopi Talk Ban logs from Rizal Park
MANILA, Philippines - Coffins and corpses row on row; splinters that once were homes; mud everywhere; survivors lining up for water, food, clothes; officialdom appealing to Manila, the Red Cross, anyone, for help-familiar sights. Photo captions now read Cagayan de Oro; not long ago, they read Ormoc, Quezon, Aurora, Leyte, Gingoog.
President Aquino releases millions; relief agencies mobilize; the media appeal for donations; people send old clothes and canned goods; international organizations respond; the Navy dispatches ships; soldiers and locals do "retrieval and rescue" work (of bodies, and survivors, respectively).
DENR says, "I told you so." Two years ago, we are reminded, a study showed that certain areas including some in Cagayan de Oro were vulnerable to flash floods. The recommendation was to relocate. But no, residents remained and more were allowed to move in.
Lonely voices like those of U.P. and Ateneo academics, ABS-CBN Foundation's Gina Lopez, have been warning: protect trees and prevent flash floods. Like sponges, forests absorb and hold rainfall and release them gradually via springs and brooks, thereby providing power, irrigation and drinking water during dry months. Bare mountains, on the other hand, shed rainwater (and topsoil) immediately. Water rushes to low ground, overflows river banks and sweeps away everything in its path. Debris, including logs, borne by powerful currents ram homes and people.
A logging ban was announced by President Aquino and pre-massacre, a similar ban was reportedly imposed at ARMM by ex-Gov. Mangudadatu. Obviously no one takes such directives seriously. I've seen log-laden trucks on P. Burgos Drive, Quirino Avenue, San Marcelino Street alongside Manila's Western Police District headquarters-all within hailing distance of Malacañang. Could it be that blanket bans are imposed, but are lifted case-to-case on quid-pro-quo?
A permit or a daintily-entitled "Forest Management Agreement" is all it takes to make illegal logging legal. Not only that, speaking up against logging is bad for the health. Forest guards doing their duty don't last long. Scientists take a stand for the environment and opposing PR campaigns quickly follow. Alberto Pinagawa, Mindanao community leader, received 20 bullets allegedly from influential loggers for protesting the cutting of old-growth trees within his Higaonon ancestral domain. That was two years ago (Wala Lang, February 1, 2010) and I'd be surprised if anyone has been charged and justice meted.
One wonders, then, about loggers denuding forests; farmers converting uplands into cabbage patches and flower beds; miners digging pits in mountains or chopping trees to shore up tunnels; zoning authorities allowing construction on landslide-and flood-prone sites; officials and law enforcers turning blind eyes (and maybe open palms) to environmental destruction. Do their consciences twinge over death and misery, property and crop losses? Do they care that they gain tainted money, while others pay for repair and relief?
Dispatching relief goods is fine, but for the long run, shouldn't we try preserving virgin forests; serious reforestation, having commercial tree farms supply mines, plywood factories, builders; and putting honest checkpoints at key rivers, ports and roads-maybe starting with Manila's Rizal Park?
Comments are cordially invited, addressed to walalang@mb.com.ph.
President Aquino releases millions; relief agencies mobilize; the media appeal for donations; people send old clothes and canned goods; international organizations respond; the Navy dispatches ships; soldiers and locals do "retrieval and rescue" work (of bodies, and survivors, respectively).
DENR says, "I told you so." Two years ago, we are reminded, a study showed that certain areas including some in Cagayan de Oro were vulnerable to flash floods. The recommendation was to relocate. But no, residents remained and more were allowed to move in.
Lonely voices like those of U.P. and Ateneo academics, ABS-CBN Foundation's Gina Lopez, have been warning: protect trees and prevent flash floods. Like sponges, forests absorb and hold rainfall and release them gradually via springs and brooks, thereby providing power, irrigation and drinking water during dry months. Bare mountains, on the other hand, shed rainwater (and topsoil) immediately. Water rushes to low ground, overflows river banks and sweeps away everything in its path. Debris, including logs, borne by powerful currents ram homes and people.
A logging ban was announced by President Aquino and pre-massacre, a similar ban was reportedly imposed at ARMM by ex-Gov. Mangudadatu. Obviously no one takes such directives seriously. I've seen log-laden trucks on P. Burgos Drive, Quirino Avenue, San Marcelino Street alongside Manila's Western Police District headquarters-all within hailing distance of Malacañang. Could it be that blanket bans are imposed, but are lifted case-to-case on quid-pro-quo?
A permit or a daintily-entitled "Forest Management Agreement" is all it takes to make illegal logging legal. Not only that, speaking up against logging is bad for the health. Forest guards doing their duty don't last long. Scientists take a stand for the environment and opposing PR campaigns quickly follow. Alberto Pinagawa, Mindanao community leader, received 20 bullets allegedly from influential loggers for protesting the cutting of old-growth trees within his Higaonon ancestral domain. That was two years ago (Wala Lang, February 1, 2010) and I'd be surprised if anyone has been charged and justice meted.
One wonders, then, about loggers denuding forests; farmers converting uplands into cabbage patches and flower beds; miners digging pits in mountains or chopping trees to shore up tunnels; zoning authorities allowing construction on landslide-and flood-prone sites; officials and law enforcers turning blind eyes (and maybe open palms) to environmental destruction. Do their consciences twinge over death and misery, property and crop losses? Do they care that they gain tainted money, while others pay for repair and relief?
Dispatching relief goods is fine, but for the long run, shouldn't we try preserving virgin forests; serious reforestation, having commercial tree farms supply mines, plywood factories, builders; and putting honest checkpoints at key rivers, ports and roads-maybe starting with Manila's Rizal Park?
Comments are cordially invited, addressed to walalang@mb.com.ph.
News Update Children among 739 victims of New Year-related accidents
Children are among the victims New Year-related accidents, the number of which may have gone down by 7 percent compared to last year but remains high at 739 and may go higher still as the Department of Health (DOH) receives more data, GMA News’ “24 Oras” reported Monday. According to the DOH, most injuries and deaths were caused by relighting or retrieving firecrackers that fizzled out, as in the case of John Vincent Gonzales, a nine-year old boy who died Jan. 1 after he supposedly gathered and played with gunpowder from unexploded firecrackers. In a separate “24 Oras” report, Gonzales died just outside his family’s sari-sari store in Nueva Ecija’s Cabanatuan City. Two of his playmates, 10-year-old Roel Pobre and nine-year-old Richard Rivas also sustained injuries from the same explosion that killed Gonzales. “Yung dyaryo po, nilagyan po ng luces, bigla po sumabog 'yung ‘Goodbye Philippines,’” said Gonzales’s playmate. “Inipon daw po ‘yung pulbura ng paputok, inano daw po sa lalagyanan ng fountain,” a neighbor added. Stray bullets hit the young and the innocent Stray bullets also contributed to the number of injuries and deaths in New Year-related revelries, hitting 22 people including two children and a senior citizen. According to another “24 Oras” report, one of the victims, seven-year-old Angelita Dela Cruz, was standing outside her family’s house in Binondo when a 9-mm bullet pierced her chest that killed her almost instantly. The girl’s mother, Cristina Dela Cruz, said that they still have no idea where the bullet came from. “Karamihan po kasi dito samin puro pulis, puro bagong pulis,” she said. In tears, Angelita’s grandfather appealed to whoever the gunman was, saying “Sana makonsesiya ka, ‘yung natamaan mong bata, apo ko ‘yan, mabait na bata ‘yan.” In Malabon, two-year-old Kirby was in his home when a bullet went through the roof of their house and grazed the toddler’s head. Though injured, he survived the incident. Marina Derder of Caloocan was also injured when a stray bullet through the window of her house hit her left hip. “Parang bigla akong pinalo dito sa balakang. Nag-iyakan ‘yung mga anak ko kasi nakita nila na dumudugo na itong balakang ko,” she said. Attention victims, gun owners The victims urged gun owners to consider the lives they are putting in danger by firing their weapons. Amid the outbreak of New Year-related injuries, Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag advised people to have their injuries treated, no matter how small. “’Yung mga sugat po diyan, ‘wag niyong babalewalain sapagkat marami na kaming binuksan na sugat sa ospital, nakabaon ‘yung papel ng paputok, pulbura, makikita naming nabubulok na pala ‘yung laman. ‘Yan po ang pag-uugatan ng tetanus,” he said. — With Amanda Lago/VS, GMA
News Update Big Four ready for semis showdown
MANILA, Philippines - All four protagonists, a good mix of old champion ballclubs and emerging powers, have expressed readiness for the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals which fires off tomorrow at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Powerade Tigers believe they have all bases covered two days before the start of their best-of-seven showdown.
The Talk n Text Tropang Texters and the Petron Blaze Boosters are pumped-up, both raring to come out in their own semis duel which begins Friday.
The Texters hope to be the first team in almost three decades to successfully defend the all-Filipino crown, the Boosters are out to follow up their Governors Cup championship while the Elasto Painters and the Tigers are both determined to nail down a breakthrough win.
“Our game plan is in place. We’re ready,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
“Our team is excited. We are about to experience a semifinals appearance for the first time in so many years,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol.
All four semifinalists worked hard during the holidays to be in the best shape possible for the Final Four grind.
“We only took a break on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Greenhorns as we are, we will not err on the side of exerting our fullest effort and truly believing in our capability as a team,” said Perasol.
The Elasto Painters rested for four days but Guiao is convinced they’ve made the right preparation against the Tigers.
“We’ll just do little walkthroughs of our plays tomorrow (today),” Guiao said.
Powerade main man Gary David said they’ve done the same.
“Kasado na,” said David. “We’re ready with our defensive and offensive plans.”
Both the Elasto Painters and the Tigers have no health woes. Guiao’s little concern is the status of JR Quinahan for Game Two.
Quinahan is definitely playing Games One and Three but is doubtful for Game Two as he’s flying to Cebu Thursday for his wedding.
The Tigers are just ready to come out.
Right at his playing weight of 180 pounds, David believes he’s in the best condition to take on any defender to be thrown at him by Rain or Shine.
“I just took a look at my weight. I’m right there at 180. That’s my playing weight, and I feel I’m at peak form,” said David, the league top scorer averaging 22.5 points an outing.
“Right after they (Rain or Shine) beat Ginebra to make the semifinals, I’ve prepared myself against them. It’s going to be a physical game and I’ll be ready,” David also said.
“I anticipate what they’re saying that they’ll put taller, quicker and physical defenders on me. But I don’t think it’s just me against Rain or Shine. Marcio Lassiter, Jvee Casio and my other teammates are now also at peak form,” David added. -
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Powerade Tigers believe they have all bases covered two days before the start of their best-of-seven showdown.
The Talk n Text Tropang Texters and the Petron Blaze Boosters are pumped-up, both raring to come out in their own semis duel which begins Friday.
The Texters hope to be the first team in almost three decades to successfully defend the all-Filipino crown, the Boosters are out to follow up their Governors Cup championship while the Elasto Painters and the Tigers are both determined to nail down a breakthrough win.
“Our game plan is in place. We’re ready,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
“Our team is excited. We are about to experience a semifinals appearance for the first time in so many years,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol.
All four semifinalists worked hard during the holidays to be in the best shape possible for the Final Four grind.
“We only took a break on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Greenhorns as we are, we will not err on the side of exerting our fullest effort and truly believing in our capability as a team,” said Perasol.
The Elasto Painters rested for four days but Guiao is convinced they’ve made the right preparation against the Tigers.
“We’ll just do little walkthroughs of our plays tomorrow (today),” Guiao said.
Powerade main man Gary David said they’ve done the same.
“Kasado na,” said David. “We’re ready with our defensive and offensive plans.”
Both the Elasto Painters and the Tigers have no health woes. Guiao’s little concern is the status of JR Quinahan for Game Two.
Quinahan is definitely playing Games One and Three but is doubtful for Game Two as he’s flying to Cebu Thursday for his wedding.
The Tigers are just ready to come out.
Right at his playing weight of 180 pounds, David believes he’s in the best condition to take on any defender to be thrown at him by Rain or Shine.
“I just took a look at my weight. I’m right there at 180. That’s my playing weight, and I feel I’m at peak form,” said David, the league top scorer averaging 22.5 points an outing.
“Right after they (Rain or Shine) beat Ginebra to make the semifinals, I’ve prepared myself against them. It’s going to be a physical game and I’ll be ready,” David also said.
“I anticipate what they’re saying that they’ll put taller, quicker and physical defenders on me. But I don’t think it’s just me against Rain or Shine. Marcio Lassiter, Jvee Casio and my other teammates are now also at peak form,” David added. -
News Update House asks Senate to junk Corona plea
MANILA, Philippines - Prosecutors of the House of Representatives in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona asked the Senate yesterday to junk his motion to dismiss the case against him.
In a 38-page comment on Corona’s motion, the 11-member House panel asked the Senate acting as an impeachment court to “proceed to trial forthwith and convict the Chief Justice” for corruption, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution for accepting his “midnight” appointment by then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“This is a reply to the answer filed by the respondent Chief Justice. Basically, we just stressed four points. We refuted point by point the issues raised by the Chief Justice (CJ) in his affirmative defense,” lead prosecutor Neil Tupas, chairman of the House committee on justice, said in a press conference after the filing of their comment with the Senate.
“We challenge the CJ of SC not to resort to legal technicalities. It’s just a delaying tactic on the part of the Chief Justice to avoid technicality and accountability, to delay the process,” Tupas said.
“The respondent has said that he has engaged a powerhouse defense legal team. We presume that the legal team is ready for trial. The prosecution panel is also ready for trial. The people want the truth to come out so Mr. Chief Justice, let’s get it on for the sake of the nation,” he said.
Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, one of the spokespersons for the prosecution team, said the impeachment trial in the Senate must push through to send a message that all in government are accountable for their actions.
“The heart and soul of our reply is that all public officials in all three branches of government are accountable for their actions. Chief Justice Corona is not exempted from this provision of the Constitution,” Tañada said.
“We will prove that he is morally unfit to hold the position of Associate Justice, much more chief justice, of the SC,” Tañada said.
“Corona is not immune from accountability. For all his self-serving, grandiose and arrogant claims, his impeachment is not an attack on the independence of the judiciary, or the rule of law, or the system of checks and balances,” the prosecutors said. “Corona’s impeachment is purely a response to the people’s clamor to hold him accountable for his sins and offenses, and purge the highest court of a morally unfit officer who has betrayed their trust,” they added.
Members of the House prosecution panel are Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, Dasmariñas City Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo, Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, Akbayan party-list Rep. Arlene Bag-ao, Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, Deputy Speaker and Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza, Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna, and Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya as manager. Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara was elected as alternate prosecutor and spokesman along with Quimbo and Tañada.
A total of 188 lawmakers impeached Corona last Dec. 12 based on several grounds, including alleged partiality and subservience to the Arroyo administration, flip-flopping on decisions, and failure or refusal to account for the Judicial Development Fund and special allowance for the judiciary.
“There is no factual basis for Corona’s claim that President Noynoy Aquino wants to appoint his own chief justice who will be at his beck and call. Firstly, this argument only betrays his deepest secret: that he is beholden to the person who appointed him: GMA (Arroyo’s initials),” Quimbo said.
“Secondly, if that were the objective of P-Noy, it should be noted that the three appointees of P-Noy voted against the Hacienda Luisita issue. This completely belies Corona’s contention,” Quimbo added.
The panel also said Corona is not being singled out and that “neither can he hide under the pretext that the decision assailed is collegial in nature.”
Colmenares said one of the strongest arguments for Corona’s impeachment was his issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the Department of Justice’s placing Arroyo on the immigration watch list. The TRO would have allowed Arroyo to seek medical treatment abroad for her troublesome cervical spine.
“Article VII (of the Articles of Impeachment) is the betrayal of public trust through his partiality in granting a TRO in favor of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo in order to give them an opportunity to escape prosecution and to frustrate the ends of justice, and in distorting the Supreme Court decision on the effectivity of the TRO in view of a clear failure to comply with the conditions of the Supreme Court’s own TRO,” Colmenares said.
“His ‘impeach all justices or no one at all’ defense is absurd because this would render useless the constitutional requirement that each justice should be impartial and independent,” Colmenares said. “Just like any public official, justices are judged on their individual actions.”
“The Chief Justice and his defense team would really have a hard time with all the charges, especially this case because it is as airtight as a case can get,” he added.
Luisita not the issue
House prosecutors also debunked Corona’s claim that it was the SC’s order on the Hacienda Luisita case that prompted Aquino’s allies in Congress to move for the Chief Justice’s ouster.
“What Corona failed to mention, however, is that even President Aquino’s appointees in the Supreme Court (Justices Sereno, Reyes and Bernabe) voted in favor of the distribution, which belies Corona’s claim that President Aquino appoints justices who will protect his perceived interests,” the prosecution panel said.
“While President Aquino may be passionate in his campaign against graft and corruption and for accountability and reform, this impeachment is not a scheme of President Aquino,” they said. The prosecutors also rebuffed Corona’s likening his impeachment to “a thief in the night.”
“If he did not sense his impeachment coming, then he is truly deaf to the cry of the people. Any objective observer would have readily seen it in the public outrage that attended Corona’s acceptance of his midnight appointment from GMA in May 2010,” they added.
“The truth is, impeachment did not immediately come, as Corona was given a chance for over a year to prove himself and fulfill his promise to faithfully and impartially discharge his office,” the panel added.
The prosecutors said lawmakers had been vocal about their intention to have Corona impeached since December 2010 in the wake of the SC’s issuance of a status quo ante order against the impeachment of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, and its nullification of the Truth Commission.
“Both cases involve the core issue of holding GMA accountable,” the prosecution panel said.
“Corona’s unfailing and unwarranted fealty to GMA shows that he is not independent-minded - he votes or resolves cases not on the merits, but on what would best serve GMA.
“At the moment, the evidence against Corona is stronger and more apparent than against the other justices. Moreover, it would be difficult to impeach and prosecute several justices at the same time. But this does not necessarily mean that other justices will not later on be similarly held accountable,” it added.
No SC-Senate face-off
The SC is unlikely to stop the Senate from proceeding with the impeachment trial of Corona despite some legal challenges to the constitutionality of the ongoing ouster move against the SC chief, lawyer Romulo Macalintal said.
“For sure, SC will not stop the Senate from performing its constitutionally mandated task to hear and decide impeachment cases,” Macalintal said. “As a matter of fact, SC may dismiss the said petitions for lack of jurisdiction since the Senate had already been convened as impeachment court and Corona himself submitted to its jurisdiction when he filed his answer with motion to dismiss,” he told The STAR.
Macalintal said Corona’s case was different from the earlier impeachment of retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., which was still in the House of Representatives when questioned before the SC.
“What is consoling is that Corona decided to fight it out in the Senate, thereby preventing any possible collision between Congress and the SC on issue which the Senate is constitutionally mandated to resolve,” he said.
“For sure, Corona’s motion to dismiss is not intended to delay but part of the rules which lawyers resort to protect the interest of their clients,” he said. - With Edu Punay
- By Paolo Romero and Christina Mendez
In a 38-page comment on Corona’s motion, the 11-member House panel asked the Senate acting as an impeachment court to “proceed to trial forthwith and convict the Chief Justice” for corruption, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution for accepting his “midnight” appointment by then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“This is a reply to the answer filed by the respondent Chief Justice. Basically, we just stressed four points. We refuted point by point the issues raised by the Chief Justice (CJ) in his affirmative defense,” lead prosecutor Neil Tupas, chairman of the House committee on justice, said in a press conference after the filing of their comment with the Senate.
“We challenge the CJ of SC not to resort to legal technicalities. It’s just a delaying tactic on the part of the Chief Justice to avoid technicality and accountability, to delay the process,” Tupas said.
“The respondent has said that he has engaged a powerhouse defense legal team. We presume that the legal team is ready for trial. The prosecution panel is also ready for trial. The people want the truth to come out so Mr. Chief Justice, let’s get it on for the sake of the nation,” he said.
Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, one of the spokespersons for the prosecution team, said the impeachment trial in the Senate must push through to send a message that all in government are accountable for their actions.
“The heart and soul of our reply is that all public officials in all three branches of government are accountable for their actions. Chief Justice Corona is not exempted from this provision of the Constitution,” Tañada said.
“We will prove that he is morally unfit to hold the position of Associate Justice, much more chief justice, of the SC,” Tañada said.
“Corona is not immune from accountability. For all his self-serving, grandiose and arrogant claims, his impeachment is not an attack on the independence of the judiciary, or the rule of law, or the system of checks and balances,” the prosecutors said. “Corona’s impeachment is purely a response to the people’s clamor to hold him accountable for his sins and offenses, and purge the highest court of a morally unfit officer who has betrayed their trust,” they added.
Members of the House prosecution panel are Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, Dasmariñas City Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo, Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, Akbayan party-list Rep. Arlene Bag-ao, Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, Deputy Speaker and Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza, Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna, and Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya as manager. Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara was elected as alternate prosecutor and spokesman along with Quimbo and Tañada.
A total of 188 lawmakers impeached Corona last Dec. 12 based on several grounds, including alleged partiality and subservience to the Arroyo administration, flip-flopping on decisions, and failure or refusal to account for the Judicial Development Fund and special allowance for the judiciary.
“There is no factual basis for Corona’s claim that President Noynoy Aquino wants to appoint his own chief justice who will be at his beck and call. Firstly, this argument only betrays his deepest secret: that he is beholden to the person who appointed him: GMA (Arroyo’s initials),” Quimbo said.
“Secondly, if that were the objective of P-Noy, it should be noted that the three appointees of P-Noy voted against the Hacienda Luisita issue. This completely belies Corona’s contention,” Quimbo added.
The panel also said Corona is not being singled out and that “neither can he hide under the pretext that the decision assailed is collegial in nature.”
Colmenares said one of the strongest arguments for Corona’s impeachment was his issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the Department of Justice’s placing Arroyo on the immigration watch list. The TRO would have allowed Arroyo to seek medical treatment abroad for her troublesome cervical spine.
“Article VII (of the Articles of Impeachment) is the betrayal of public trust through his partiality in granting a TRO in favor of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo in order to give them an opportunity to escape prosecution and to frustrate the ends of justice, and in distorting the Supreme Court decision on the effectivity of the TRO in view of a clear failure to comply with the conditions of the Supreme Court’s own TRO,” Colmenares said.
“His ‘impeach all justices or no one at all’ defense is absurd because this would render useless the constitutional requirement that each justice should be impartial and independent,” Colmenares said. “Just like any public official, justices are judged on their individual actions.”
“The Chief Justice and his defense team would really have a hard time with all the charges, especially this case because it is as airtight as a case can get,” he added.
Luisita not the issue
House prosecutors also debunked Corona’s claim that it was the SC’s order on the Hacienda Luisita case that prompted Aquino’s allies in Congress to move for the Chief Justice’s ouster.
“What Corona failed to mention, however, is that even President Aquino’s appointees in the Supreme Court (Justices Sereno, Reyes and Bernabe) voted in favor of the distribution, which belies Corona’s claim that President Aquino appoints justices who will protect his perceived interests,” the prosecution panel said.
“While President Aquino may be passionate in his campaign against graft and corruption and for accountability and reform, this impeachment is not a scheme of President Aquino,” they said. The prosecutors also rebuffed Corona’s likening his impeachment to “a thief in the night.”
“If he did not sense his impeachment coming, then he is truly deaf to the cry of the people. Any objective observer would have readily seen it in the public outrage that attended Corona’s acceptance of his midnight appointment from GMA in May 2010,” they added.
“The truth is, impeachment did not immediately come, as Corona was given a chance for over a year to prove himself and fulfill his promise to faithfully and impartially discharge his office,” the panel added.
The prosecutors said lawmakers had been vocal about their intention to have Corona impeached since December 2010 in the wake of the SC’s issuance of a status quo ante order against the impeachment of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, and its nullification of the Truth Commission.
“Both cases involve the core issue of holding GMA accountable,” the prosecution panel said.
“Corona’s unfailing and unwarranted fealty to GMA shows that he is not independent-minded - he votes or resolves cases not on the merits, but on what would best serve GMA.
“At the moment, the evidence against Corona is stronger and more apparent than against the other justices. Moreover, it would be difficult to impeach and prosecute several justices at the same time. But this does not necessarily mean that other justices will not later on be similarly held accountable,” it added.
No SC-Senate face-off
The SC is unlikely to stop the Senate from proceeding with the impeachment trial of Corona despite some legal challenges to the constitutionality of the ongoing ouster move against the SC chief, lawyer Romulo Macalintal said.
“For sure, SC will not stop the Senate from performing its constitutionally mandated task to hear and decide impeachment cases,” Macalintal said. “As a matter of fact, SC may dismiss the said petitions for lack of jurisdiction since the Senate had already been convened as impeachment court and Corona himself submitted to its jurisdiction when he filed his answer with motion to dismiss,” he told The STAR.
Macalintal said Corona’s case was different from the earlier impeachment of retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., which was still in the House of Representatives when questioned before the SC.
“What is consoling is that Corona decided to fight it out in the Senate, thereby preventing any possible collision between Congress and the SC on issue which the Senate is constitutionally mandated to resolve,” he said.
“For sure, Corona’s motion to dismiss is not intended to delay but part of the rules which lawyers resort to protect the interest of their clients,” he said. - With Edu Punay
- By Paolo Romero and Christina Mendez
News Update Special deposit accounts jump 34% to P1.66 trillion
MANILA, Philippines - Funds parked in the vault of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in the form of special deposit accounts (SDAs) rose 34 percent last year as investors continued to seek high yielding investment instruments due to a lack of major infrastructure and development projects in the country.
Latest data from the BSP showed SDAs reached P1.66 trillion last year or P420 billion higher than the P1.24 trillion booked in 2010.
The SDA facility consists of fixed-term deposits by banks and by trust entities of banks and non-bank financial institutions with the BSP. It was introduced in November 1998 to enable the BSP to expand its toolkit in liquidity management.
In April 2007, the BSP expanded access to the SDA facility by allowing trust entities to deposit in the SDA facility in order to better manage liquidity in the face of strong foreign exchange inflows.
SDAs widened the scope of funds that could be deposited to the BSP and the central bank resorted to the use of SDAs after it ran out of government securities to conduct its open market operations.
SDA interest rates were then set at a high-enough level, outbidding the private sector for securities up to the volume needed in mopping up liquidity
As a result, the BSP has been posting huge losses arising from the payment on higher interest on SDA placements.
On the other hand, placements under the central bank’s reverse repurchase window inched up by 1.9 percent to P290.72 billion in 2011 from P285.14 billion in 2010.
Latest statistics showed that the amount of money circulating in the domestic economy or M3 grew at a slower pace of 6.9 percent in October to P4.305 trillion after monetary authorities imposed a higher reserve requirement ratio to siphon off excess liquidity from the financial system.
Liquidity growth is one of the important vehicles considered in determining the central bank’s monetary policy. At a time when the economy is booming and money supply is expanding rapidly, the central bank would normally step in to mop-up in order to ensure that inflation would not surge.
- By Lawrence Agcaoili
Latest data from the BSP showed SDAs reached P1.66 trillion last year or P420 billion higher than the P1.24 trillion booked in 2010.
The SDA facility consists of fixed-term deposits by banks and by trust entities of banks and non-bank financial institutions with the BSP. It was introduced in November 1998 to enable the BSP to expand its toolkit in liquidity management.
In April 2007, the BSP expanded access to the SDA facility by allowing trust entities to deposit in the SDA facility in order to better manage liquidity in the face of strong foreign exchange inflows.
SDAs widened the scope of funds that could be deposited to the BSP and the central bank resorted to the use of SDAs after it ran out of government securities to conduct its open market operations.
SDA interest rates were then set at a high-enough level, outbidding the private sector for securities up to the volume needed in mopping up liquidity
As a result, the BSP has been posting huge losses arising from the payment on higher interest on SDA placements.
On the other hand, placements under the central bank’s reverse repurchase window inched up by 1.9 percent to P290.72 billion in 2011 from P285.14 billion in 2010.
Latest statistics showed that the amount of money circulating in the domestic economy or M3 grew at a slower pace of 6.9 percent in October to P4.305 trillion after monetary authorities imposed a higher reserve requirement ratio to siphon off excess liquidity from the financial system.
Liquidity growth is one of the important vehicles considered in determining the central bank’s monetary policy. At a time when the economy is booming and money supply is expanding rapidly, the central bank would normally step in to mop-up in order to ensure that inflation would not surge.
- By Lawrence Agcaoili
News Update Kidnappers demand P1-million ransom for Aussie
MANILA, Philippines - Suspected Muslim militants have demanded ransom for a kidnapped Australian and have sent proof that he is alive, police said Sunday.
The kidnappers mailed four pictures of 53-year-old Warren Richard Rodwell before Christmas to his Filipino wife, then called her to demand an initial ransom of $23,000 (P1 million). Rodwell appeared to have been wounded in the hand by gunfire in one picture but looked well, Senior Superintendent Ruben Cariaga said.
Rodwell, a former university teacher in Shanghai, was seized by about six men on Dec. 5 in southern Ipil town in Zamboanga Sibugay province. It was the latest abduction of a foreigner in the country’s volatile south where several kidnappings for ransom have been blamed on the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
No group has claimed responsibility for Rodwell’s kidnapping, but officials suspect the Abu Sayyaf and its allied gunmen may have been responsible.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that her government had established a task force to investigate the kidnapping.
Rodwell married his wife, whom he met via the Internet, in June, police said.
Cariaga said Rodwell’s wife told him there was no way she could raise the ransom, “She told me she could not pay because she even finds it hard to raise money to feed herself,” he said.
Government troops and police have been searching for Rodwell in the Zamboanga Peninsula and nearby Basilan island, where the Abu Sayyaf is active.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a large Muslim rebel group engaged in peace talks with the government, said Sunday it would intensify efforts to help secure Rodwell’s freedom in coordination with authorities. The rebel group did not provide other details.
The rebels said they have heard about the ransom demand for Rodwell’s and his mailed pictures. Cariaga, who heads the Zamboanga Sibugay provincial police, welcomed the rebels’ effort to help solve the kidnapping.
The rebels have an agreement with the government that allows them to help capture Muslim extremists and outlaws, who venture near their strongholds. - By AP
The kidnappers mailed four pictures of 53-year-old Warren Richard Rodwell before Christmas to his Filipino wife, then called her to demand an initial ransom of $23,000 (P1 million). Rodwell appeared to have been wounded in the hand by gunfire in one picture but looked well, Senior Superintendent Ruben Cariaga said.
Rodwell, a former university teacher in Shanghai, was seized by about six men on Dec. 5 in southern Ipil town in Zamboanga Sibugay province. It was the latest abduction of a foreigner in the country’s volatile south where several kidnappings for ransom have been blamed on the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
No group has claimed responsibility for Rodwell’s kidnapping, but officials suspect the Abu Sayyaf and its allied gunmen may have been responsible.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that her government had established a task force to investigate the kidnapping.
Rodwell married his wife, whom he met via the Internet, in June, police said.
Cariaga said Rodwell’s wife told him there was no way she could raise the ransom, “She told me she could not pay because she even finds it hard to raise money to feed herself,” he said.
Government troops and police have been searching for Rodwell in the Zamboanga Peninsula and nearby Basilan island, where the Abu Sayyaf is active.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a large Muslim rebel group engaged in peace talks with the government, said Sunday it would intensify efforts to help secure Rodwell’s freedom in coordination with authorities. The rebel group did not provide other details.
The rebels said they have heard about the ransom demand for Rodwell’s and his mailed pictures. Cariaga, who heads the Zamboanga Sibugay provincial police, welcomed the rebels’ effort to help solve the kidnapping.
The rebels have an agreement with the government that allows them to help capture Muslim extremists and outlaws, who venture near their strongholds. - By AP
News Update 2 Supreme Court justices to step down in 2012?
Owing to mounting pressure from the executive department following the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona, two justices of the 15-member Supreme Court (SC) are reportedly contemplating stepping down this year, sources revealed yesterday.
Three separate sources revealed the two appointees of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would cut their term short and have made known their intention of relinquishing their posts, even if their retirements go beyond the term of President Aquino.
The STAR, however, is withholding the names of the two magistrates and the circumstances under which they would be retiring early by way of resignation.
Vaguely, the first justice is supposed to retire in 2019 while the other one retires in 2017. Aquino will be stepping down from the presidency on June 30, 2016, after his fixed six-year term in office.
Of the 15 justices, Aquino only has three appointees - Justices Maria Lourdes Sereno, Bienvenido Reyes and Estela Perlas-Bernabe. The rest were appointees of Arroyo, now a Pampanga representative.
While the 13 are Arroyo appointees, one of them - Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio - has been vocal against the former president, whose family had been his client for a long time until their falling out sometime in 2006, or after the “Hello, Garci” election fraud scandal broke out.
Carpio’s law firm had been opposing Corona’s appointment, but failed. But now with the impeachment trial, hopes have again resurfaced, especially because he has been sympathetic to Aquino, and his law firm advises Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.
While the current impeachment is focused on Corona, Aquino is open to the idea of having all the Arroyo-appointed justices impeached, if only for his reform agenda to bear fruit, as he sees them as stumbling blocks to his efforts to reform government.
Preparing a replacement
Aquino has asked his legal advisers for a list of candidates who might replace Corona even in the absence of a vacancy.
“He’s not a lawyer that’s why he needs to rely on his legal team to look into (such list),” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said earlier.
Lacierda though clarified this is not in any way an encroachment on the turf of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).
“Very clearly, the President did not instruct the JBC, the President instructed his legal advisers in case that there will be a removal of a chief justice to look for a chief justice but there is still shortlist yet. Let me clarify, there is still no shortlist yet,” he said.
The nine-man JBC is the constitutional body that screens nominees to the judiciary, comes up with a shortlist and submits it to the President, who shall choose from among the list on who he wants to appoint.
The JBC can only screen candidates to a post once it is declared vacant. In this case, Corona has yet to undergo trial at the Senate impeachment court starting Jan. 16, and has yet to be acquitted or convicted, which means there is no vacancy for the top SC post.
“This is merely an eventuality but he has asked his legal advisers to look into names for possible chief justice. But there is no shortlist yet. There’s no legal issue because we’re just preparing for a contingency. This is just a contingency,” Lacierda said.
Aquino also has the option of appointing an outsider - or a lawyer who does not come from the ranks of the 15 Supreme Court justices.
“The President mentioned that he’s open to an outsider,” Lacierda said.
In an interview with veteran reporter Lynda Jumilla, host of ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Strictly Politics,” Aquino admitted having asked his legal team to give him a list of possible candidates who could replace Corona.
Aquino said he is not yet looking at Corona’s replacement but wants to be ready in case the Chief Justice is removed.
When asked if he wants Carpio as Corona’s replacement, Aquino said, “There’s no shortlist yet.”
Three separate sources revealed the two appointees of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would cut their term short and have made known their intention of relinquishing their posts, even if their retirements go beyond the term of President Aquino.
The STAR, however, is withholding the names of the two magistrates and the circumstances under which they would be retiring early by way of resignation.
Vaguely, the first justice is supposed to retire in 2019 while the other one retires in 2017. Aquino will be stepping down from the presidency on June 30, 2016, after his fixed six-year term in office.
Of the 15 justices, Aquino only has three appointees - Justices Maria Lourdes Sereno, Bienvenido Reyes and Estela Perlas-Bernabe. The rest were appointees of Arroyo, now a Pampanga representative.
While the 13 are Arroyo appointees, one of them - Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio - has been vocal against the former president, whose family had been his client for a long time until their falling out sometime in 2006, or after the “Hello, Garci” election fraud scandal broke out.
Carpio’s law firm had been opposing Corona’s appointment, but failed. But now with the impeachment trial, hopes have again resurfaced, especially because he has been sympathetic to Aquino, and his law firm advises Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.
While the current impeachment is focused on Corona, Aquino is open to the idea of having all the Arroyo-appointed justices impeached, if only for his reform agenda to bear fruit, as he sees them as stumbling blocks to his efforts to reform government.
Preparing a replacement
Aquino has asked his legal advisers for a list of candidates who might replace Corona even in the absence of a vacancy.
“He’s not a lawyer that’s why he needs to rely on his legal team to look into (such list),” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said earlier.
Lacierda though clarified this is not in any way an encroachment on the turf of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).
“Very clearly, the President did not instruct the JBC, the President instructed his legal advisers in case that there will be a removal of a chief justice to look for a chief justice but there is still shortlist yet. Let me clarify, there is still no shortlist yet,” he said.
The nine-man JBC is the constitutional body that screens nominees to the judiciary, comes up with a shortlist and submits it to the President, who shall choose from among the list on who he wants to appoint.
The JBC can only screen candidates to a post once it is declared vacant. In this case, Corona has yet to undergo trial at the Senate impeachment court starting Jan. 16, and has yet to be acquitted or convicted, which means there is no vacancy for the top SC post.
“This is merely an eventuality but he has asked his legal advisers to look into names for possible chief justice. But there is no shortlist yet. There’s no legal issue because we’re just preparing for a contingency. This is just a contingency,” Lacierda said.
Aquino also has the option of appointing an outsider - or a lawyer who does not come from the ranks of the 15 Supreme Court justices.
“The President mentioned that he’s open to an outsider,” Lacierda said.
In an interview with veteran reporter Lynda Jumilla, host of ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Strictly Politics,” Aquino admitted having asked his legal team to give him a list of possible candidates who could replace Corona.
Aquino said he is not yet looking at Corona’s replacement but wants to be ready in case the Chief Justice is removed.
When asked if he wants Carpio as Corona’s replacement, Aquino said, “There’s no shortlist yet.”
Monday, January 2, 2012
News Update Government dared: Disclose loggers in ARMM, northern Mindanao
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – The government should name all loggers, both legal and illegal, in northern Mindanao and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and charge them with “environmental plunder and other heinous crimes” as a result of the tragedy that befell the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan during tropical storm “Sendong.”
The militant Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) also urged President Aquino to immediately scrap all six Integrated Forest Management Agreements (IFMAs) granted in northern Mindanao covering a total of 55,578 hectares, saying that these logging sites were merely about 100 kilometers from the two devastated cities.
Pamalakaya said the Aquino administration should identify the corporate loggers and their protectors from the national government and the military and the local government units that granted them permits to operate in northern Mindanao and the ARMM.
Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap said Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje should disclose the list of companies allowed by the government to cut trees in the two regions over the last 20 years and “determine their accountability.”
He said the list should include companies allowed to operate under the present administration, as well as those operating illegally.
Hicap said government officials should stop blaming the residents for the tragedy. “It was not their fault,” he said, adding that both the Arroyo and Aquino administrations should be blamed for tolerating “logging clients in Mindanao and the military generals who are enrolled in the payroll of these logging firms.”
Despite the logging ban ordered by Aquino, Hicap said the forests in northern Mindanao and the ARMM “remain open to big-time loggers whether they are legal or illegal.”
Hicap recalled that last May, illegal timber was seized in Cagayan de Oro City, suspected to be large-scale logging operations in northern Mindanao and in the critical Lake Lanao watershed in Lanao del Sur.
“It appears to us that the log ban is toothless and it is still business as usual for large-scale legal and illegal loggers in northern Mindanao and ARMM,” he said. - By Ding Cervantes
The militant Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) also urged President Aquino to immediately scrap all six Integrated Forest Management Agreements (IFMAs) granted in northern Mindanao covering a total of 55,578 hectares, saying that these logging sites were merely about 100 kilometers from the two devastated cities.
Pamalakaya said the Aquino administration should identify the corporate loggers and their protectors from the national government and the military and the local government units that granted them permits to operate in northern Mindanao and the ARMM.
Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap said Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje should disclose the list of companies allowed by the government to cut trees in the two regions over the last 20 years and “determine their accountability.”
He said the list should include companies allowed to operate under the present administration, as well as those operating illegally.
Hicap said government officials should stop blaming the residents for the tragedy. “It was not their fault,” he said, adding that both the Arroyo and Aquino administrations should be blamed for tolerating “logging clients in Mindanao and the military generals who are enrolled in the payroll of these logging firms.”
Despite the logging ban ordered by Aquino, Hicap said the forests in northern Mindanao and the ARMM “remain open to big-time loggers whether they are legal or illegal.”
Hicap recalled that last May, illegal timber was seized in Cagayan de Oro City, suspected to be large-scale logging operations in northern Mindanao and in the critical Lake Lanao watershed in Lanao del Sur.
“It appears to us that the log ban is toothless and it is still business as usual for large-scale legal and illegal loggers in northern Mindanao and ARMM,” he said. - By Ding Cervantes
News Update Noy: 2011 a good year
MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino said he considers 2011 a fruitful year, and includes better economy, an independent Supreme Court and fewer or no natural calamities in his wish list for this year.
“If you look at our efforts in reducing poverty and corruption, there were successes,” Aquino said.
He cited the higher budgets for health and education, which have enabled his administration to expand coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and to introduce kindergarten in public schools with over 1.7 million enrollees for this school year alone.
“These additional revenues became available because we revised significantly the way government spends money, minimizing corruption. And we have managed to allocate these savings to social programs without raising taxes,” Aquino said in a written interview for The STAR’s Sunday magazine Starweek.
“In minimizing corruption, we have been moving forward despite all the resistance. We are bringing (former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo to a legal process to determine her guilt or innocence, which is not easy because there are too many roadblocks. But no one will deny that we have moved forward,” the President said.
In an earlier interview with ABS-CBN News, the President said the administration was also able to generate P42 billion in savings as of September due to tighter procedures for implementing programs and projects. He stressed that better use of resources - not underspending - had generated savings for the government.
The President also said the government managed to save P7.7 billion by increasing rice production and importing less. He said the savings came from interest payments.
He also noted the credit rating upgrade that the Philippines earned from various agencies.
“We’re inching closer and closer to investment grade but it (the upgrade) has impacted already on how much we have to pay for the loans we do have. We’ve been able to replace the higher interest rate with cheaper interest rates, there is also acceptance on the global peso bond,” Aquino said.
He said the number of jobs was at 2.1 million as of October. “Again, it tells us that, one, we’re on track in fulfilling that promise of job generation and we expect more and more of it,” he said.
“While the external environment looks uncertain, we will be able to improve the domestic economy through tourism, which we expect to experience a boost after we launch the branding campaign early next year, and to increase agriculture investments and productivity in 2012,” the President told StarWeek.
“These are labor intensive sectors where more people will be employed. Government resources are in place, and the savings we have generated have given us the fiscal space to accelerate spending on infrastructure. These three - tourism, agriculture and infrastructure - will be the drivers of the economy next year. These are economic drivers that lead to inclusive growth. Hopefully, this will insulate us from whatever happens overseas,” Aquino said.
“I also hope that next year, we will have a truly independent Supreme Court to allow the wheels of justice to proceed in the case of Mrs. Arroyo, free from any partisan considerations,” the President said.
Aquino said over ANC’s “Strictly Politics” program that he was very excited about the new tourism campaign but the launching would all be up to the Department of Tourism.
“Each component will be introduced at a specific time and I would not want to disrupt their plans. But let me just put it this way that each tourist that comes in brings us about a thousand dollars and the secretary of tourism’s new target for 2016 or by 2016, we will get 10 million from the present (that is) about three million. We’re up about 12 percent already as of September if I’m not mistaken,” Aquino said.
He said new infrastructure projects could help boost tourism as well as stepped up promo campaign for top tourism spots such as the Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan.
“They are now at the level that they have to schedule people who want to see it. There are limits on human traffic so as not to destroy the natural wonders but they are already saying that (the number of tourists really increased),” Aquino said. “I’m very, very excited about that.”
The President also said he hopes there would be no or fewer natural calamities this year.
“It is said that God would not give us trials that we could not deal with... But of course if I have a wish for our countrymen, I hope next year there will be less typhoons... and volcanic (eruptions),” Aquino said. - By Aurea Calica
“If you look at our efforts in reducing poverty and corruption, there were successes,” Aquino said.
He cited the higher budgets for health and education, which have enabled his administration to expand coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and to introduce kindergarten in public schools with over 1.7 million enrollees for this school year alone.
“These additional revenues became available because we revised significantly the way government spends money, minimizing corruption. And we have managed to allocate these savings to social programs without raising taxes,” Aquino said in a written interview for The STAR’s Sunday magazine Starweek.
“In minimizing corruption, we have been moving forward despite all the resistance. We are bringing (former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo to a legal process to determine her guilt or innocence, which is not easy because there are too many roadblocks. But no one will deny that we have moved forward,” the President said.
In an earlier interview with ABS-CBN News, the President said the administration was also able to generate P42 billion in savings as of September due to tighter procedures for implementing programs and projects. He stressed that better use of resources - not underspending - had generated savings for the government.
The President also said the government managed to save P7.7 billion by increasing rice production and importing less. He said the savings came from interest payments.
He also noted the credit rating upgrade that the Philippines earned from various agencies.
“We’re inching closer and closer to investment grade but it (the upgrade) has impacted already on how much we have to pay for the loans we do have. We’ve been able to replace the higher interest rate with cheaper interest rates, there is also acceptance on the global peso bond,” Aquino said.
He said the number of jobs was at 2.1 million as of October. “Again, it tells us that, one, we’re on track in fulfilling that promise of job generation and we expect more and more of it,” he said.
“While the external environment looks uncertain, we will be able to improve the domestic economy through tourism, which we expect to experience a boost after we launch the branding campaign early next year, and to increase agriculture investments and productivity in 2012,” the President told StarWeek.
“These are labor intensive sectors where more people will be employed. Government resources are in place, and the savings we have generated have given us the fiscal space to accelerate spending on infrastructure. These three - tourism, agriculture and infrastructure - will be the drivers of the economy next year. These are economic drivers that lead to inclusive growth. Hopefully, this will insulate us from whatever happens overseas,” Aquino said.
“I also hope that next year, we will have a truly independent Supreme Court to allow the wheels of justice to proceed in the case of Mrs. Arroyo, free from any partisan considerations,” the President said.
Aquino said over ANC’s “Strictly Politics” program that he was very excited about the new tourism campaign but the launching would all be up to the Department of Tourism.
“Each component will be introduced at a specific time and I would not want to disrupt their plans. But let me just put it this way that each tourist that comes in brings us about a thousand dollars and the secretary of tourism’s new target for 2016 or by 2016, we will get 10 million from the present (that is) about three million. We’re up about 12 percent already as of September if I’m not mistaken,” Aquino said.
He said new infrastructure projects could help boost tourism as well as stepped up promo campaign for top tourism spots such as the Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan.
“They are now at the level that they have to schedule people who want to see it. There are limits on human traffic so as not to destroy the natural wonders but they are already saying that (the number of tourists really increased),” Aquino said. “I’m very, very excited about that.”
The President also said he hopes there would be no or fewer natural calamities this year.
“It is said that God would not give us trials that we could not deal with... But of course if I have a wish for our countrymen, I hope next year there will be less typhoons... and volcanic (eruptions),” Aquino said. - By Aurea Calica
Sunday, January 1, 2012
DID YOU KNOW THAT ? Manila Ocean Park, Philippines
Philippines. Its main attraction is a 25-meter long, 220 degree curved acrylic walkway tunnel. Aside from the Oceanarium itself, the marine park has also boutique mall, restaurant row, and function facilities. It is owned by China Oceanis Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of China Oceanis Group Ltd (COG); a company that specializes in the investment, building, and operation of public aquarium/oceanarium attractions.
The Oceanarium journey is divided into six sections and each section will carry a Filipino name: “Agos”; “Bahura”; “Buhay na Karagatan”; “Pating”; “Ang Kailaliman”; and “Laot”. It replicates the water flow from a fresh water source that eventually leads to the open ocean, creating a model of interconnectedness between land and sea. It then takes one through the different depths of the sea showcasing each area’s beautiful and natural inhabitants.
Manila Ocean Park president Lim Chee Yong proudly said that the marine park would be among the most advanced ocean parks in Asia.
It could also well be one of the biggest in Asia with an area larger than the famous Sentosa oceanarium in Singapore. “Sentosa is 6,000 square meters while this one is 8,000 square meters,” Lim said. He also compared the Manila Ocean Park with Hong Kong Ocean Park adding that although it has lots of fun rides, “the Hong Kong Ocean Park showcases a smaller oceanarium.”
The ocean park project has an approximately cost of 1 billion pesos that would contain 12,000 cubic meters of seawater featuring 300 marine species indigenous to the Philippines and Southeast Asia. The Manila Ocean Park was first opened to the public last March 1, 2008. Until then, the Manila Ocean Park is open everyday from 10:00AM to 9:00PM. Admission fee is Php 400.00 for adults and Php 350.00 for kids.
The Oceanarium journey is divided into six sections and each section will carry a Filipino name: “Agos”; “Bahura”; “Buhay na Karagatan”; “Pating”; “Ang Kailaliman”; and “Laot”. It replicates the water flow from a fresh water source that eventually leads to the open ocean, creating a model of interconnectedness between land and sea. It then takes one through the different depths of the sea showcasing each area’s beautiful and natural inhabitants.
Manila Ocean Park president Lim Chee Yong proudly said that the marine park would be among the most advanced ocean parks in Asia.
It could also well be one of the biggest in Asia with an area larger than the famous Sentosa oceanarium in Singapore. “Sentosa is 6,000 square meters while this one is 8,000 square meters,” Lim said. He also compared the Manila Ocean Park with Hong Kong Ocean Park adding that although it has lots of fun rides, “the Hong Kong Ocean Park showcases a smaller oceanarium.”
The ocean park project has an approximately cost of 1 billion pesos that would contain 12,000 cubic meters of seawater featuring 300 marine species indigenous to the Philippines and Southeast Asia. The Manila Ocean Park was first opened to the public last March 1, 2008. Until then, the Manila Ocean Park is open everyday from 10:00AM to 9:00PM. Admission fee is Php 400.00 for adults and Php 350.00 for kids.
News Update Lessons from floods
With hundreds of people still missing in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, flashfloods have again struck, this time inundating parts of Bukidnon and Surigao in up to three feet of water. This is not supposed to be typhoon or flood season, but many things are being upended in the age of climate change.
At least the latest floods did not claim lives and did not have the force of the rampaging waters that devastated Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. The confirmed death toll in the two cities has breached 1,000 and the final count could be over a thousand more.
The flashfloods could happen again, and improving the government’s response should be given priority in the coming year. While the floods in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were unusual, they were not entirely unexpected. Environmental groups have pointed out that detailed warnings were issued several years ago but were ignored by disaster mitigation officials and local government executives. Obviously the warnings had been completely forgotten by the time tropical storm “Sendong” swelled rivers and spawned torrential flooding in many low-lying areas of Mindanao.
Authorities must take a closer look at the capability of the weather bureau to predict the amount of rainfall. Sendong was not even classified as a typhoon and the worst-hit areas were placed merely under storm warning signal No. 2. The government must also review evacuation protocols and facilities. People typically refuse to heed evacuation warnings because of the inadequacy of evacuation resources and fears of losing their belongings to looters if homes are abandoned.
This country is in the path of tropical cyclones and lies in the so-called Ring of Fire, making it prone to powerful earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. It’s time for the government to develop decent evacuation facilities. It’s time to improve its overall preparedness for dealing with natural calamities.
At least the latest floods did not claim lives and did not have the force of the rampaging waters that devastated Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. The confirmed death toll in the two cities has breached 1,000 and the final count could be over a thousand more.
The flashfloods could happen again, and improving the government’s response should be given priority in the coming year. While the floods in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were unusual, they were not entirely unexpected. Environmental groups have pointed out that detailed warnings were issued several years ago but were ignored by disaster mitigation officials and local government executives. Obviously the warnings had been completely forgotten by the time tropical storm “Sendong” swelled rivers and spawned torrential flooding in many low-lying areas of Mindanao.
Authorities must take a closer look at the capability of the weather bureau to predict the amount of rainfall. Sendong was not even classified as a typhoon and the worst-hit areas were placed merely under storm warning signal No. 2. The government must also review evacuation protocols and facilities. People typically refuse to heed evacuation warnings because of the inadequacy of evacuation resources and fears of losing their belongings to looters if homes are abandoned.
This country is in the path of tropical cyclones and lies in the so-called Ring of Fire, making it prone to powerful earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. It’s time for the government to develop decent evacuation facilities. It’s time to improve its overall preparedness for dealing with natural calamities.
kopi talk Philippines' most anticipated projects of 2012
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - With 2012 just one more day away, perhaps, it's time to raise our champagne glasses and offer a toast to all the wonderful new structures as well as residential developments we will be anticipating in the coming months.
These are no ordinary projects as they are set to become iconic if not meaningful for a country that seeks solutions to sustainability challenges as well as international acclamation.
While there are several grand projects that will see completion or turnover in 2012, these four are perhaps worthy of our attention.
1 Philippines' most eco-responsible high-rise building. The bamboo-and-flowing-water-inspired Zuellig building located at the corner of Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas in Makati City is scheduled to be completed in 2011.
Within this 33-storey building lie several innovative technologies that enabled it to become the country's first to be precertified as Gold level under the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design Core and Shell (LEED-CS) program of the United States Green Building Council.
Upon completion, the Zuellig building is even aiming for the LEED Platinum certification, the highest level granted by the USGBC.
Compared to other conventional Prime and Grade A buildings in the country, tenants of the Zuellig building are set to enjoy cost savings of at least 15 percent in energy consumption or a minimum of 4.3-million kilowatt hours saved per year.
Productivity of employees working in "green" buildings may increase by up to 18 percent, considering that in the case of Zuellig, 90 percent of the tenants' interior spaces will use natural daylight and that the structure will employ carbon dioxide monitoring system (pump fresh, conditioned air whenever necessary) that could ensure occupants' health and safety.
As a result, tenants are set to gain from a boost in their image and branding, which may even contribute to stronger business in the long run.
2 The country's tallest building. Towering near the intersection of Makati Avenue and Kalayaan Avenue is the newly crowned tallest building in the Philippines.
Launched in 2007, The Gramercy Residences at Century City rises 73 stories or 302 meters beating the previous title holder, the 52-storey- and 259-meter Philippine Bank of Communications Tower on Ayala Avenue.
The Gramercy Residences at Century City, which is the first residential tower to rise at the 3.4-hectare mixed-use Century City, is set to be completed and turned over to its residents in 2012.
John Victor Antonio, COO of the building's developer, Century Properties, is specially proud of the structure considering that the topping off of Gramercy Residences at Century City early in January 2011 coincided with the company's 25th anniversary.
Aside from the prestige that the building offers its future residents, Gramercy Residences at Century City will feature three floors of hyper-amenities called the Skypark.
Located 36 stories above the ground and traversing the entire width of the building, the breathtaking Skypark will feature waterfalls, infinity pools, a designer restaurant, health club and more.
3 Philippines' latest international caliber indoor arena. With a full house capacity of 20,000, the SM Mall of Asia Arena is 5,000 more than the current benchmark in sports and concert venues, the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Set to open in May 2012, the SM MOA Arena is set to become the new home of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The MOA Arena in Pasay City features world-class standards of operations and premium facilities-considering that it even plans to invite teams of the National Basketball Association to hold its games here-including seats that feature cup holders and those that could be retracted.
The MOA Arena also offers 40-room corporate suites that could accommodate 20 persons (each room has its own mini-bar, couches, restroom and viewing area).
It is connected to a 2,000-capacity car park.
4 The country's most exclusive yet affordable enclave. For a minimum of just 2.3 million pesos and with payment terms of up to 48 months, The Grove by Rockwell is perhaps the best offer that emerging professionals, newlyweds and starting families may be able to enjoy as they aspire for the most luxurious and most exclusive life.
Located on E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue (C5) near the corner of Ortigas avenue in Pasig City, The Grove by Rockwell is the first foray in the upper middle-income market of high-end real estate developer Rockwell Land Corp.
Early buyers must be celebrating as Rockwell Land is set to turn over the two of the six 24-storey towers in June 2012. These two towers will feature units made up of a mix of garden units, flats, lofts and Z-lofts.
Designed to bring the Rockwell lifestyle to Ortigas, The Grove by Rockwell is designed for those who demand luxury and comfort.
Seventy-five percent of 5.4 hectare property was devoted to open space and landscaped greenery. Rockwell Land Corp. even partnered with Dallas-based architect Don Wilder and world-class landscape artist Karl Princic to create secluded pocket gardens, winding trails and landscapes that will give its residents the feeling of being far away from the city (despite the fact that the place is just right across shopping mecca, the Tiendesitas.
These are no ordinary projects as they are set to become iconic if not meaningful for a country that seeks solutions to sustainability challenges as well as international acclamation.
While there are several grand projects that will see completion or turnover in 2012, these four are perhaps worthy of our attention.
1 Philippines' most eco-responsible high-rise building. The bamboo-and-flowing-water-inspired Zuellig building located at the corner of Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas in Makati City is scheduled to be completed in 2011.
Within this 33-storey building lie several innovative technologies that enabled it to become the country's first to be precertified as Gold level under the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design Core and Shell (LEED-CS) program of the United States Green Building Council.
Upon completion, the Zuellig building is even aiming for the LEED Platinum certification, the highest level granted by the USGBC.
Compared to other conventional Prime and Grade A buildings in the country, tenants of the Zuellig building are set to enjoy cost savings of at least 15 percent in energy consumption or a minimum of 4.3-million kilowatt hours saved per year.
Productivity of employees working in "green" buildings may increase by up to 18 percent, considering that in the case of Zuellig, 90 percent of the tenants' interior spaces will use natural daylight and that the structure will employ carbon dioxide monitoring system (pump fresh, conditioned air whenever necessary) that could ensure occupants' health and safety.
As a result, tenants are set to gain from a boost in their image and branding, which may even contribute to stronger business in the long run.
2 The country's tallest building. Towering near the intersection of Makati Avenue and Kalayaan Avenue is the newly crowned tallest building in the Philippines.
Launched in 2007, The Gramercy Residences at Century City rises 73 stories or 302 meters beating the previous title holder, the 52-storey- and 259-meter Philippine Bank of Communications Tower on Ayala Avenue.
The Gramercy Residences at Century City, which is the first residential tower to rise at the 3.4-hectare mixed-use Century City, is set to be completed and turned over to its residents in 2012.
John Victor Antonio, COO of the building's developer, Century Properties, is specially proud of the structure considering that the topping off of Gramercy Residences at Century City early in January 2011 coincided with the company's 25th anniversary.
Aside from the prestige that the building offers its future residents, Gramercy Residences at Century City will feature three floors of hyper-amenities called the Skypark.
Located 36 stories above the ground and traversing the entire width of the building, the breathtaking Skypark will feature waterfalls, infinity pools, a designer restaurant, health club and more.
3 Philippines' latest international caliber indoor arena. With a full house capacity of 20,000, the SM Mall of Asia Arena is 5,000 more than the current benchmark in sports and concert venues, the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Set to open in May 2012, the SM MOA Arena is set to become the new home of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The MOA Arena in Pasay City features world-class standards of operations and premium facilities-considering that it even plans to invite teams of the National Basketball Association to hold its games here-including seats that feature cup holders and those that could be retracted.
The MOA Arena also offers 40-room corporate suites that could accommodate 20 persons (each room has its own mini-bar, couches, restroom and viewing area).
It is connected to a 2,000-capacity car park.
4 The country's most exclusive yet affordable enclave. For a minimum of just 2.3 million pesos and with payment terms of up to 48 months, The Grove by Rockwell is perhaps the best offer that emerging professionals, newlyweds and starting families may be able to enjoy as they aspire for the most luxurious and most exclusive life.
Located on E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue (C5) near the corner of Ortigas avenue in Pasig City, The Grove by Rockwell is the first foray in the upper middle-income market of high-end real estate developer Rockwell Land Corp.
Early buyers must be celebrating as Rockwell Land is set to turn over the two of the six 24-storey towers in June 2012. These two towers will feature units made up of a mix of garden units, flats, lofts and Z-lofts.
Designed to bring the Rockwell lifestyle to Ortigas, The Grove by Rockwell is designed for those who demand luxury and comfort.
Seventy-five percent of 5.4 hectare property was devoted to open space and landscaped greenery. Rockwell Land Corp. even partnered with Dallas-based architect Don Wilder and world-class landscape artist Karl Princic to create secluded pocket gardens, winding trails and landscapes that will give its residents the feeling of being far away from the city (despite the fact that the place is just right across shopping mecca, the Tiendesitas.
News Update Deadly Philippine typhoon's flash floods likened to tsunami
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Like a rampaging tsunami, but with more destructive debris that tore up everything in its path.
This was how a University of the Philippines geologist described the flash floods that hit Iligan City at the height of Tropical Storm 'Sendong' which left more than 400 dead in the city alone.
Alfredo Mahar Lagmay explained that the rushing waters which came from the upstream part of the Mandulog River were so strong that they swept away everything in their path-from rocks, mud, to whole trees.
"It was like a tsunami, but with more debris that made it even more erosive," Lagmay said, as he described the extent of the "hyperconcentrated" flash flood's strength.
And while illegal logging in the mountains above the city may have been a factor in the destruction, Lagmay said the primary cause of the flash floods was the heavy rains.
"Logging-may it be legal or illegal-may have aggravated the floods, but the primary reason for this was the extreme rainfall brought about by Sendong," he told a press briefing yesterday (December 30).
UP sends a team
Lagmay, a professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, was part of a team that the university had sent to Iligan City after the flash floods which swept away entire homes and communities.
The storm dumped 350 millimetres of rain on northwestern Mindanao on the night of December 16 up to the early hours of December 17, causing the flash floods that crept in while people slept soundly in their homes.
This was less than the 455 mm of rainfall that Tropical Storm 'Ondoy' dumped on Metro Manila in 2009, but just as severe, Lagmay noted.
As of December 28, 456 were reported to have died and 466 still missing in Iligan City alone, with 863 injured, Lagmay said.
The UP team focused its efforts on Iligan City through a partnership with Sen. Koko Pimentel.
Worse than Guinsaugon
"We think the destruction in Iligan City is worse than that of Cagayan de Oro... even worse than what happened in 2006 in Guinsaugon (Southern Leyte)," Lagmay said.
Describing the flash floods which rampaged through Iligan City, the geologist said the floods were of a high velocity and highly erosive because of the debris that the waters took with them from the upstream Mandulog River.
According to the geologist, the flood plain-the area of flat land beside a river that is frequently flooded when a river becomes too full-is a natural part of the river system during events of extreme rainfall.
The Mandulog River runs for 50 kilometres, with the barangays of Santiago, Hinaplanon and Upper Hinaplanon in Iligan City far downstream.
These areas were among the worst hit by the floods, although Lagmay said the number of deaths may have been underreported because in some cases, entire communities were wiped out.
None left to report missing
"There was no one to report the missing because communities were wiped out," he explained.
Lagmay described the flood coming from upstream as not just water but filled with rocks, sediments, logs and everything it encountered in its path-making it more destructive.
"It's a little similar to lahar but not quite because lahar is volcanic in nature," he said.
In some areas of the Mandulog River, the floods wiped out everything from 300 meters up to a kilometer away from the river bank.
"I even saw some areas on the riverbanks where trees were uprooted and fallen," said UP vice president for public affairs Prospero de Vera.
Lagmay said the damage along the riverbank stretched for some 35 km.
Flattened subdivision
He also showed reporters a photo of Orchid Homes Subdivision in Santiago town, which used to be a village with concrete houses.
After Sendong's wrath, the stone-and-concrete subdivision had been flattened into debris and mud.
Lagmay recalled tearing up while taking aerial shots of the damage in Iligan City.
"It was the first time that I tore up while taking photos of the damage. I was so moved," he said.
The 22-person team was composed of four subteams-a medical mission team, a public health team, Lagmay's team of geologists and a forensics team.
UP president Alfredo Pascual said this was part of the university's mandate to provide services to the country as required in the new UP charter.
No man's land
While the geological team has yet to finalize its recommendations, one thing is clear: Lagmay said the town of Santiago should not be occupied again.
"If the same thing were to happen 10 years from now, the damage will be much greater," he warned.
The city government has proposed a resettlement area in Sta. Elena, which Lagmay said "appears to be all right".
Lying south of Iligan City, Sta. Elena was left undamaged by the floods.
The geologist, however, stressed the need for communities and individuals to be informed of the existing geohazard maps so that they know now to react in case of such calamities.
"If they don't know there's a geohazard map, then [they should] ask for one from the barangay, the officials. This must be a cooperative effort of everybody, including individuals," he added.
Missing persons list
Forensic expert Dr. Maria Corazon de Ungria called for a more comprehensive missing persons list to be able to identify both the dead and the living.
She recalled that during their stay in Iligan City, she encountered medical professionals and community workers who were ready to help from day one but were not fully utilized as first responders.
"The local government and the community must be empowered to address the situation since they are the ones who are there, not the National Bureau of Investigation profilers," said De Ungria.
This was how a University of the Philippines geologist described the flash floods that hit Iligan City at the height of Tropical Storm 'Sendong' which left more than 400 dead in the city alone.
Alfredo Mahar Lagmay explained that the rushing waters which came from the upstream part of the Mandulog River were so strong that they swept away everything in their path-from rocks, mud, to whole trees.
"It was like a tsunami, but with more debris that made it even more erosive," Lagmay said, as he described the extent of the "hyperconcentrated" flash flood's strength.
And while illegal logging in the mountains above the city may have been a factor in the destruction, Lagmay said the primary cause of the flash floods was the heavy rains.
"Logging-may it be legal or illegal-may have aggravated the floods, but the primary reason for this was the extreme rainfall brought about by Sendong," he told a press briefing yesterday (December 30).
UP sends a team
Lagmay, a professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, was part of a team that the university had sent to Iligan City after the flash floods which swept away entire homes and communities.
The storm dumped 350 millimetres of rain on northwestern Mindanao on the night of December 16 up to the early hours of December 17, causing the flash floods that crept in while people slept soundly in their homes.
This was less than the 455 mm of rainfall that Tropical Storm 'Ondoy' dumped on Metro Manila in 2009, but just as severe, Lagmay noted.
As of December 28, 456 were reported to have died and 466 still missing in Iligan City alone, with 863 injured, Lagmay said.
The UP team focused its efforts on Iligan City through a partnership with Sen. Koko Pimentel.
Worse than Guinsaugon
"We think the destruction in Iligan City is worse than that of Cagayan de Oro... even worse than what happened in 2006 in Guinsaugon (Southern Leyte)," Lagmay said.
Describing the flash floods which rampaged through Iligan City, the geologist said the floods were of a high velocity and highly erosive because of the debris that the waters took with them from the upstream Mandulog River.
According to the geologist, the flood plain-the area of flat land beside a river that is frequently flooded when a river becomes too full-is a natural part of the river system during events of extreme rainfall.
The Mandulog River runs for 50 kilometres, with the barangays of Santiago, Hinaplanon and Upper Hinaplanon in Iligan City far downstream.
These areas were among the worst hit by the floods, although Lagmay said the number of deaths may have been underreported because in some cases, entire communities were wiped out.
None left to report missing
"There was no one to report the missing because communities were wiped out," he explained.
Lagmay described the flood coming from upstream as not just water but filled with rocks, sediments, logs and everything it encountered in its path-making it more destructive.
"It's a little similar to lahar but not quite because lahar is volcanic in nature," he said.
In some areas of the Mandulog River, the floods wiped out everything from 300 meters up to a kilometer away from the river bank.
"I even saw some areas on the riverbanks where trees were uprooted and fallen," said UP vice president for public affairs Prospero de Vera.
Lagmay said the damage along the riverbank stretched for some 35 km.
Flattened subdivision
He also showed reporters a photo of Orchid Homes Subdivision in Santiago town, which used to be a village with concrete houses.
After Sendong's wrath, the stone-and-concrete subdivision had been flattened into debris and mud.
Lagmay recalled tearing up while taking aerial shots of the damage in Iligan City.
"It was the first time that I tore up while taking photos of the damage. I was so moved," he said.
The 22-person team was composed of four subteams-a medical mission team, a public health team, Lagmay's team of geologists and a forensics team.
UP president Alfredo Pascual said this was part of the university's mandate to provide services to the country as required in the new UP charter.
No man's land
While the geological team has yet to finalize its recommendations, one thing is clear: Lagmay said the town of Santiago should not be occupied again.
"If the same thing were to happen 10 years from now, the damage will be much greater," he warned.
The city government has proposed a resettlement area in Sta. Elena, which Lagmay said "appears to be all right".
Lying south of Iligan City, Sta. Elena was left undamaged by the floods.
The geologist, however, stressed the need for communities and individuals to be informed of the existing geohazard maps so that they know now to react in case of such calamities.
"If they don't know there's a geohazard map, then [they should] ask for one from the barangay, the officials. This must be a cooperative effort of everybody, including individuals," he added.
Missing persons list
Forensic expert Dr. Maria Corazon de Ungria called for a more comprehensive missing persons list to be able to identify both the dead and the living.
She recalled that during their stay in Iligan City, she encountered medical professionals and community workers who were ready to help from day one but were not fully utilized as first responders.
"The local government and the community must be empowered to address the situation since they are the ones who are there, not the National Bureau of Investigation profilers," said De Ungria.
News Update Philippine FM steps up Syria repatriation efforts
The Philippine foreign minister will fly to Syria to help speed up the repatriation of Filipinos from the strife-torn country, a statement said Saturday.
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario will depart on a Qatar Airways flight to Damascus late Saturday to make sure that the repatriation of Filipinos "can be made as secure as possible", the ministry said in a statement.
"During this visit to Syria, we will seek the cooperation and assistance of Syrian officials in ensuring the safety of our people there," del Rosario was quoted as saying in the statement.
"We will also meet with Filipino community leaders to effect the widest dissemination of repatriation (plans), visit exit points and assess the security situation and contingency plans," he added.
Earlier this month, the foreign department offered to fly back all of the 5,000 Filipinos working in Syria as it called for "mandatory repatriation" in the face of the deadly protests against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
About 56 Filipinos, responding to this warning, are due to arrive from Syria later Saturday, the ministry said.
Since as early as April, Manila has been urging its nationals in Syria -- most of them domestic helpers -- to leave due to the worsening political violence. While some heeded the warning, others have insisted on staying on.
The Philippines is a major labour-exporting country, with about 10 percent of its 94 million population working abroad, many as maids, seamen, construction workers and labourers.
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario will depart on a Qatar Airways flight to Damascus late Saturday to make sure that the repatriation of Filipinos "can be made as secure as possible", the ministry said in a statement.
"During this visit to Syria, we will seek the cooperation and assistance of Syrian officials in ensuring the safety of our people there," del Rosario was quoted as saying in the statement.
"We will also meet with Filipino community leaders to effect the widest dissemination of repatriation (plans), visit exit points and assess the security situation and contingency plans," he added.
Earlier this month, the foreign department offered to fly back all of the 5,000 Filipinos working in Syria as it called for "mandatory repatriation" in the face of the deadly protests against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
About 56 Filipinos, responding to this warning, are due to arrive from Syria later Saturday, the ministry said.
Since as early as April, Manila has been urging its nationals in Syria -- most of them domestic helpers -- to leave due to the worsening political violence. While some heeded the warning, others have insisted on staying on.
The Philippines is a major labour-exporting country, with about 10 percent of its 94 million population working abroad, many as maids, seamen, construction workers and labourers.
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