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We Take A Stand

SHADOW GOVERNMENT?

DECEMBER 9-15, 2013 • VOL.4 NO.16

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by miguel raymundo

PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III becoming a lame duck president came too early in his administration.

Worse, the President brought this upon himself and to the seat of power by his mishandling of a series of crisis that hit the country in just a span of six months.

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ENRILE VS MIRIAM: HOW IT STARTED 3 12/6/13 8:20 PM

COVER STORY

Shadow Government? by miguel raymundo

PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III becoming a lame duck president came too early in his administration. The worst part is, the President brought this upon himself and to the seat of power by his mishandling of a series of crises that hit the country in a span of six months.

A spike in cost of living could be the proverbial last nail in this administration’s collapse. Observers are tempted to believe that unseen hands are deliberately leading this country to a political crisis caused by economic upheavals. This political crisis will force PNoy to resign even as unnamed sources claim PNoy is under extreme stress that he himself wishes to give up the post.

The blame game has started as the Aquino family is reportedly upset with people “using” the unsuspecting bachelor President.

There will be marching in the streets in the days to come with prices of electricity going up by P3.00 per kilowatt-hour and liquefied petroleum gas getting very expensive and beyond the reach of the ordinary wage earner.

presidency only because of the perks of the position and not the responsibilities, hence does not get into the real job of the presidency. And the money is in the discharge of the functions of the office.

The real leadership in the country is now publicly exposed and accepted, the big money guys that propped up the

Fuel and Power Costs

Why the spike on cost of power and fuel when world prices are on the slump is a mystery to many. Even the reason that the price increases are beyond the control of the President has not been accepted by the people.

This unreasonable twist of events led parties to speculate that forces are out to bring down the administration of PNoy. It is common belief that PNoy got the highest post of the land because of support and funding by the moneyed class that control money and mass media in the country.

Why these kingmakers are not protecting the back of the President, but instead bringing him down by increasing cost of living justifies the speculations that big business is fearful that PNoy will not last his term and that it is better to bring him down earlier while they have good control of the political and economic situations.

The general perception is the President is not in control of government. He has been reduced to reading speeches written by spin doctors detached from realities on the ground.

Time and time again he has been proven to be lying in his public speeches, like in his assurance that the government was ready to pick up the pieces from the storm surge of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

His lack of leadership and poor performance in the super typhoon Yolanda relief and rescue operations was an in-

Opposition

A shadow government literally means a “governmentin-waiting”. It is in waiting until it takes control of government in response to some event such as a general election. Its primary objective is continuity so that an incoming government does not begin from scratch or operate in a vacuum. ternational concern, forcing other nations thousands of miles away to come in to rescue millions of devastated families in Central Philippines.

Corruption

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OpinYon

The kitchen cabinet being also a shadow government, other forms of shadow governments are shaping up ready to take over. This is expected when the President is generally perceived to have lost control of the office. The kitchen cabinet is fortifying its hold dreadful of what is to come when PNoy steps down or is thrown out.

But disturbing are the speculations that other groups are forming, preparing for the worst for the President.

So far, no prominent figure has emerged as behind any plot to form a shadow government, apparently to avoid any backlash from the powers-that-be in Malacanang Palace.

Going by past events, those waylaid

by Aquino’s ill-starred “tuwid na daan” reform agenda are expected to take the lead in forming a shadow government in the run-up to the 2016 presidential polls.

In varying persuasions, their ranks could range from political and business elites to the rightists, centrists and leftists—all potential characters in an alternative form of government.

While they may have divergent agenda to pursue, they are expected to forge a unifying and common position in the face of complexities that may arise in the process of closing their ranks.

Talk about a shadow government is nothing new as it has been bandied about in some public fora in reaction to a government in power found in disarray for corruption and ineptness.

The latest corruption reports and misuse of public funds had PNoy in the middle of the scandal. The worst being that he bought solons to oust Chief Justice Renato Corona. His corruption is worse than that of the GMA administration. He is seen to be willing to twist the Constitution so as to use the budget to pay solons’ support.

This is the issue of DAP. Then USA Secretary of State John Kerrey walks into town not in a Santa Claus suit stoking further speculation that the Americans are worried on what is happening to the Philippines. It is common knowledge that the a shadow government continues to rule this country.

What is going for President PNoy is the general perception that he is not corrupt. How this perception was created though has been subject of healthy and dirty speculations. The healthy reason being that he does not need the money.

The dirty reason is that he wanted the

Aquino campaign are running worried.

Real Estate Bubble

The international economic movements do not augur well for a healthy business climate. The real estate bubble could come sooner than expected. The big banks are vulnerable in this bubble. The money crisis that hit the USA some years back will come to wallop this country 10 times more devastating than Yolanda.

Hot money is in rapid departure from the Philippines as the US economy shows improvements and the west being secure parking place for hot money. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported massive losses due to intervention in the foreign exchange market.

The Yolanda devastation will surely slow down the economy of the Visayas Region, bringing down consumers’ spending and resulting a slowdown in industries and production.

Kitchen Cabinet

The infighting in Philippine politics will drain the energies of the President worsened by realignment of loyalties and alliances in the political circles.

In some ways, a shadow government is in reality an opposition, considering that nearly all political parties are indistinguishable from each other.

In some countries, a shadow government refers to the practice by the political opposition of forming a stand-by government in case it wins the next election.

It does not refer to a parallel government like that set up in the United States to try to ensure that the federal rule could continue in the event of a catastrophic attack on the nation’s capital.

A shadow government literally means a “government-in-waiting”. It is in waiting until it takes control of government in response to some event such as a general election. Its primary objective is continuity so that an incoming government does not begin from scratch or operate in a vacuum.

Shadow government prepares the opposition to take over government. It fosters stability, making it one of the strengths of a democratic system.

Changes of government through elections should not disrupt the overall economic and social well-being of a nation which is often the case with a presidential system.

In some parliamentary governments, the largest opposition party often refers to itself as a shadow government. Opposition leaders are prepared to assume certain ministries should their party come to power.

In Britain, the largest opposition party’s Defense spokesperson is referred to as the Shadow Defense Secretary. More importantly, they are often in consultation with their counterpart in the incumbent government. Smaller parties have spokes people but do not have shadow government designations.

It may be argued that forming a shadow Cabinet will be used as a check and balance to the performance of Cabinet officials.

However it is done within the context and structure of a parliamentary not a presidential system. There are important operational contexts to be considered.

Moreover, the socio-cultural and institutional dynamics is necessary for a shadow government to be effective.

We TAKe A STANd

12/6/13 8:20 PM

Politics JPE vs Miriam

How It Started Enrile

by elcid benedicto AS TO what really caused the tiff between Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago that has escalated into bitter exchanges, rearing its ugly head on the floor of the upper chamber, remains a mystery for most of their colleagues.

Not even the most senior and veteran reporters who covered the Senate beat, including those travails of the two lawmakers dating back the administration of the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino, could pinpoint where and how the “falling out” between Enrile and Santiago started.

Based on their respective narration of events in their now infamous privilege speeches, the straw that broke the camel’s back appeared to be already decadesold or during the time when Sen. Santiago—a former underling of Sen. Enrile when he was still the minister of justice during the Marcos era—was still a trial judge.

Car import

As to the circumstances of their squabble is only known to them although both made mention of an incident involving the release of a white Toyota Celica sports car reportedly owned by a former PNB vice president Toots Trinidad from the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

Some former and current senators known to be personally close to Sen. Enrile expressed belief that there’s more serious issues other

Enrile than the said case but could not pinpoint it due to sheer lack of knowledge.

“There’s more to it than that car issue. It could not have triggered all these display of their fury against each other,” one former colleague who asked not to be identified, said.

Another senator whom Sen. Enrile has been closely working with in the Senate in the last couple of years, likewise admitted ignorance to what really triggered the falling out between the two.

Erap Allies

While it was obvious that even before Sen. Santiago joined Sen. Enrile in the Senate sometime during the 1990s, the two had not been seeing eye-to-eye, it has only been the last two years that their personal differences had been made glaring to the public.

Some Senate insiders noted though that during the time of the Estrada administration, when they were both members of the upper chamber, there had not been a clash of sort whether on the floor or outside of the premises of the Senate.

The two are known to be personally close to former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, and even bonded together in defending him in the aborted impeachment trial until his downfall.

“Remember they were even nearly charged with sedition during the EDSA 3 protests when they urged the crowd to siege and attempt to break into Malacanang?” a

former Senate beat reporter recalled.

The incident was the reported rebellion that erupted in the early morning of May 1, 2001 when thousands of “pro-Erap” supporters stormed towards Malacanang Palace and several broadcast vans and crew cabs of ABS-CBN were torched.

Some policemen and soldiers were also not spared as they were assaulted by the lynch mob sympathetic to Estrada.

Both Sen. Enrile and Sen. Santiago were then senatorial candidates under the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) coalition seeking reelection at that time and both lost in the polls.

Sen. Santiago, according to Sen. Enrile himself, was hired by him immediately after her graduation from the UP College of Law and her bar examination in 1969 in the then Ministry of Justice.

“When she got married, she asked me and my wife to be her wedding sponsors. When President Marcos transferred me from the Department of Justice to the Department of National Defense on February 10, 1970, my association with her ended, until we became colleagues again here in the Senate for the fi rst time in 1995, under the Tenth Congress,” Sen. Enrile said in his privilege speech last November 27.

“I can only surmise, Mr. President that her deep-seated animosity against me arose from two events: One was when I opposed her confi rmation as Secretary of Agrarian Reform during the ad-

ministration of President Corazon C. Aquino. Another was when I refused to include her in the majority bloc when I was elected Senate President in November 2008 and, again, in July 2010.

“During the hearing of the Commission on Appointments on her confi rmation as Secretary of Agrarian Reform, testing the suitability and qualifications of the nominee then, I asked her if she was ever under the care of a psychiatrist. She admitted that she was. She said that she was treated by a psychiatrist at the Makati Medical Center.

“In the same Commission on Appointments committee deliberation, I asked her also what grade she got in her bar examination. She replied that she got 76%.

That meant that she obtained low grades in all her bar subjects. In fact, I remember that she got a grade of 56% in Ethics, the easiest bar examination subject.

“In that same Commission on Appointments committee deliberation, I asked about a white Toyota Celica sports car that the nominee then was said to be driving as her personal car when she was a judge in Quezon City. Toots Trinidad, a former PNB Vice President, owned that sports car. He shipped it back to the Philippines upon his return from the United States after his surgical operation for a brain tumor at the Stanford University.

That sports car disappeared from the compound of the Bureau of Customs when it arrived in the Port of Manila.

“Toots Trinidad learned that his sports car was with a judge of Quezon City. Toots Trinidad asked then Judge Miriam Defensor Santiago to give the car back to him. She refused. I was told that she claimed that her husband, Narciso Yap Santiago of the Province of Tarlac, who was at that time employed in the Bureau of Customs, gave her that sports car as a birthday gift. Later on, I found out that the car was registered in her name in the Bureau of Land Transportation in the Province of Tarlac.

“As a consequence of my opposition, and among other concerns taken into consideration, the Committee on Agrarian Reform of the Commission on Appointments voted to reject her appointment as Secretary of Agrarian Reform,” he said.

Miriam’s Version

In her version of the story, Sen. Santiago claimed in her privilege speech last Wednesday that the minority leader was allegedly

News from Where You Stand

“brokering” for the smuggling of the said vehicle into the country.

“Enrile violated the law, when he tried to pressure my husband, then a customs collector, to release a smuggled Toyota car, forfeited for failure to pay correct customs duties and charges. At that time, the policy of the Bureau of Customs was to forfeit smuggled cars, and to use them as official vehicles for authorized senior staff. My husband was only one of the many staff who earned this privilege by exemplary work, evidenced by annual certificates of commendation issued by the customs commissioner. And yet Enrile zeroed in only on my husband. Enrile kept threatening to oppose my confirmation as agrarian reform secretary, unless my husband released the smuggled car to the smuggler. As a former customs commissioner, Enrile wanted to bend the law for his illegal clients.

In time, my husband and other senior staff returned the smuggled cars to the BOC. “I owned and drove a Mercedes when I was a trial judge. Enrile’s charge that I registered the smuggled car in my name in Tarlac is inane, and the product of his febrile imagination. My husband already owned and drove a Ford Mustang sports car as a senior in law school. This tale of a Toyota is a non-issue,” she said.

Some veteran Senate reporters who could relate to the incident narrated by Sen. Enrile on Sen. Santiago’s confirmation proceedings recalled that they were told that the minority leader was actually just bluffing her, supposedly, when confronted with her clinical records.

“What he was holding then were actually just press releases. He did showed some stacks of documents but those were press releases and yet she caved in,” they claimed.

On the day of the “counterspeech” of Sen. Santiago to the privilege speech of Sen. Enrile last Dec. 4, the minority leader arrived at the plenary hall armed with a thick envelope and insinuated to reporters, during an interview, that those were supposedly some incriminating documents.

He did mention on the floor after Sen. Santiago delivered her speech and left the session hall that he has in his possession some of her supposed medical records pertaining to her mental health but did not elaborate further.

As to how this wrangling between the two warring senators would end is yet to be known although there’s an effort courtesy of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada to have them bury the hatchet.

Legarda Pays Tribute to Mandela

Mandela

“THE world grieves over the death of the man whose courage inspired the dawning of a new South Africa and empowered victims of social injustice in other parts of the world,” said Senator Loren Legarda as she paid tribute to former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa.

Mandela died late Thursday (Friday, PHL time) at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa. Legarda recalls the time she met Mandela when she was still a journalist. It was during the South African President’s state visit to the Philippines in 1997. “It was a great honor to have met President Nelson Mandela. He was a leader who earned your respect with his presence alone because even with his power and influence, he remained kindly and unassuming. His humility was his true greatness,” said Legarda.

“He was a humble leader who gave credit to the effort of the people around him. He never gave the impression that the leadership was all about him, but that he was a man who was tasked to execute the ideals and ideas of his organization. He even told me during my interview that he did not see the need to run for reelection because he believed in the tradition of collective leadership,” she added.

A lawyer by profession, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1944 to fight the apartheid policy of the South African government. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage and treason in 1962, which gained him international attention as a symbol of resistance against social injustice.

In 1994, Mandela became the fi rst black President of the Republic of South Africa, ending generations of apartheid.

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Legarda

OpinYon

december 9-15, 2013

3 12/6/13 8:20 PM

OPINION

Privatization: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

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Who Cares About Climate Change?

NO country on earth has more to fear from climate change than the Philippines—a nation of 7,100 islands and some 98 million souls. The climate has always wrought havoc here and—as shown by Typhoon Yolanda—it’s getting worse.

Storms coming to our islands have the entire Pacific Ocean to draw strength from. Sitting astride shifting tectonic plates, we have experienced 13 magnitude 6.0 or stronger earthquakes since 2001—the latest of which was a magnitude 7.2 quake that hit Bohol and killed 222 people.

Since 2002, we have recorded 184 natural disasters.

Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) was the 30th named storm of the 2013 Pacific season and the second Category 5 (with winds in excess of 150 miles per hour) to hit the Philippines in the last 11 months. Yolanda— which killed over 5,000 people in the Visayas—is the most powerful storm in history to hit land.

New scientific evidence simply tells that simply, climate change will mean more intense tropical storms.

The energy that is stored in the waters off the Philippines will increase the intensity of typhoons and the trend we now see is that more destructive storms will be the new norm.

But who cares about climate change?

Days after Typhoon Yolanda hit the country Naderev Saño—Philippine Climate Change Commissioner—was delivering an impassioned plea during the 19th Framework Convention on Climate Change in Warsaw, Poland.

That it is the 19th convention of its kind and that it is still in its “framework” stage, means that Saño’s decision to go on a hunger strike—“until some concrete agreement on climate change is reached in Poland”—was a very bad idea.

Rich countries simply won’t pay up even if they are the biggest culprits in the destruction of the environment and largest contributors to climate change. For now, writing checks and making donations whenever a natural disaster strikes will have to suffice.

But without serious, sustained attention and the kind of sacrifices in lifestyle that few nations seem prepared to make, every coast will feel what our Visayan coasts felt.

Perhaps not as violently, but every bit as surely if nothing is done about climate change.

HERMAN TIU-LAUREL Publisher TONYPET J. ROSALES Managing Editor

OpinYon is published by Digitek Publishing House, Inc., with editorial and business offices at No. 10 Pacita Avenue, Pacita Complex I, San Pedro, Laguna.

TELEPHONE NUMBER

San Pedro: 214-0766 Email: opinyon.2010@ gmail.com website: www.opinyon.com.ph ISSN 2094-7372

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DAVE DIWA Opinion Editor FREDERICK FABIAN Social Media Director CARLOS RAJAMIRA Creative Director JOJO VALENCIA Layout Artist Editorial Consultants DIEGO CAGAHASTIAN LINGGOY ALCUAZ ERICK SAN JUAN RODRIGO CORNEJO RAY L. JUNIA Board Chairman & President ATTY. SALVADOR S. PANELO Ombudsman ATTY. RICKY RIBO, Legal counsel JOACHIM JOSHUA P. MEDROSO V.P. Business Development

OpinYon

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months, buying low and releasNE of my youngest ing during world market price (twins) who has been peaks or when global players are on his fi rst job came manipulating the commodities; home last week and in the power sector return to a said over the dinner fi xed and low return-on-rate base table, “My officemates of 12% or below allowable profit were shocked to see and depreciate assets according what the impact of the to regular accounting rules (now P 3/kWh Meralco increase is assets are always adjusted to latgoing to be. Many of my officeMentong Laurel est valuations); likewise in water mates, fi rst time job holders, are and telecommunications sectors. now the ones paying for electricity at home. They complained concrete action like signing peti- All the buy-back can be done that their presents for X’mas to tions, going on “social media” to with the surplus foreign reserves parents and relatives would have wage the information campaign, of $ 20-B and Special Deposit to be cut down. But, (anticipat- join pickets and rallies, and sup- Account of $ 40-billion with the ing what I would be asking) they port political candidates that Bangko Sentral, and installment. don’t think they can do anything vow to fight the Grinch. This is about it.” A day later I asked my not a Revolution, but it is these Aquino’s Boss: Oligarchs son to invite these officemates to small things that begin revolu“Gov’t can’t stop oil, power the house for dinner so I could tions. In April 2013 in Bulgaria, rate surge”, Dec. 4, 2013, BS explain the history of the Grinch in protest against electricity price Aquino’s spokesman sonny Cowho stole their X’mas and what hikes Ventsislave Vasilev burned loma said. So what is government himself to death. We are not ask- for if it can’t protect the people we can do about it.

The government privatization ing for such drastic sacrifice, just from the oligarchs’ manipulaprogram started by Corazon C. daily efforts in anti-privatization tion, abuse and profiteering. We Aquino and continues to this day, social media, reading “A Radi- will tell BS Aquino what govthat’s the Grinch stealing the Fili- cal’s Nut”, joining protest pickets, ernment can do: follow 1) the pino people’s Christmases. The etc.

Constitution which command Grinch is a popular children’s government to “promote the story by Dr. Seuss that common good” and not tells of“a bitter, grouchy, profits of the oligarchs; cave-dwelling creature 2) the EPIRA (Electric with a heart ‘two sizes Power Industry Reform too small’” who decided Act) that demanded Cory Aquino started the to stop Christmas by “stable and reliable supprivatization madness in stealing children’s presply at a reasonable price” ents, trees, and food of power; 3) BS Aquino’s 1986 by turning over Meralco for feasts. Disguised own words “Kayo ang to the Lopezes without as Santa Claus with a boss ko” and not the sleigh, he steals and tries oligarchs. The highany payment but which dump all the presents est power cost in Asia is government paid for in 1973 into an abyss. Foreign destroying industry and and Filipino oligarchs inemployment, living stancarnates the Grinch who dards and the National stole “our crown jewels” – pub- The Facts on Oil, Economy as a whole. licly owned power plants, water LPG, Power Some have the mistaken besystems, toll ways, telecommuniWorld market prices of en- lief that only local oligarchs are cations and profits greedily from ergy sources are going down due the culprits behind Aquino. No, them. to the peace talks between the they are together with the global U.S. and Iran, take note of these oligarchs in imposing Philippine global headlines: Agence France compliance to global privatizaHow to Get Back Our Press, Nov. 25, 2013 “Oil prices tion rules. Filipino water conPresents First, the people must be in- drop on Iran nuclear accord”; sumers were supposed to get 10% formed what presents they had Star.com, U.S. Nov. 22, “Good to 20% reduction in water rates under their X’mas coconut trees. news! Gas prices to drop ….until in October due to MWSS ban on When power plants, water sys- the end of the year continuing Manila Water and Maynilad from tems, toll ways, telecoms were a trend begun in August.”; The passing on income tax and other under public government control Observer, U.S. Nov. 19, “Propane expenses to consumers. This reand strict regulation they all ex- (LPG) prices down 14.3 percent”. duction is on hold forever when isted to serve the Public Welfare, With global oil and gas prices on the water companies raised the never solely for profit. But a grand the down trend, why are Philip- issue to the International Comswindle before the very eyes of pine gasoline and diesel prices mercial Court where internathe people was conducted by Cory going up, Meralco’s electricity up tional business protection rules Aquino and her oligarchy cohorts by 30% and LPF up by 25%? One will be superior to the Philippine behind mainstream media’s reason is manipulation by the Constitution and all its laws deblinding éclat of the “democracy oligarchs: Shell-Chevron shut- signed to protect the people. We icon” Cory, like a political Santa ting down Malampaya natural need to withdraw from these.

Claus with the gift of sham de- gas and Saudi-Aramco’s arbitrary mocracy. Twenty-five years later hike.

Million Man March vs.

Cory Aquino started the Price Hikes? the Philippines has among the highest if not the highest power, privatization madness in 1986 There were many anti-pork water, toll ways, telecom charges by turning over Meralco to the “leaders” who claim the credit for Lopezes without any payment the Million Man March against in Asia and the World.

Secondly, the people must be but which government paid for pork. I wonder if they can orgashown how to get those presents in 1973, then signing IPPs (In- nize such a march against the back – by taking action, inform- dependent Power Producer) con- power, LPG, oil products price ing others of the Grinch and how tracts in 1992, followed by Ramos hikes, and still get the massive they stole our presents, by taking and the Gloria Arroyo’s EPIRA in propaganda support of the oliJune 2001 in exchange for World garchs controlled mainstream Bank bribery standby loan of $ media like ABS-CBN, ABC 5, 800-million. Oil company Petron GMA7, and the major dailies. was privatized during Ramos’s The Catholic Church was also time, to Saudi Aramco. Water was active in the anti-pork, why have privatized from 1997 on by fool- we never heard anything from ing the people that rates would them on the P 850-billion ango down, but Marcos had started nual scam that is the privatized modernizing the water system power industry of the country with huge investment that Cory which charges exorbitantly based Scan this QR Code with Aquino sabotage to provide the on up to 500% overprice of power your mobile device to excuse for privatization. transformers and 1,00% overread OpinYon Digital In concrete, after returning price of power poles that go into Edition on the go. public utilities to public control: the rate base computations. government should increase Some crusaders should also be buffer stocks of oil and LPG asked, why did they support the from one month to at least four Turn to page 9

PEOPLE’S STRUGGLE

We TAKe A STANd

12/6/13 8:20 PM

Opinion

The Viewpoints and outlook of the well-informed

Art of War: ADIZ

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HINA established an “East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)” effective as of 10 am on November 23. China’s Ministry of National Defense also announced Aircraft Identification Rules for the ADIZ, which include a warning that “defensive emergency measures” would be adopted to respond to aircraft that refuse to follow the instructions.

All nations have the right to establish reasonable conditions of entry into their territory. An ADIZ is a declaration of a perimeter within which unidentified aircraft can be intercepted and prevented from illegally proceeding to enter national airspace. It serves essentially as a national defense boundary for aerial incursions. There are no international rules or laws that determine the size of an ADIZ. Over 20 nations have an ADIZ, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan in the West Pacific.

ADIZs typically are much more extensive than a country’s territorial airspace. (Source: China’s ADIZ undermines regional stability by Bonnie S Glaser) Another move by Beijing –

by establishing an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in East China Sea last November 23, it has also created a very tense situation that made the neighborhood really nervous in the process.

But a lot of observers are wondering why the hell Uncle Sam is furious with this move by Beijing while in reality ADIZ is not a new specie. There are existing ADIZs around the world including the mighty America and of course, Japan. So what else is new?

Could there be another reason? Here is what we found out posted at Information Clearing House (December 1, 2013)- The escalation of military tensions between Washington and Beijing in the East China Sea is superficially over China’s unilateral declaration of an air defense zone. But the real reason for Washington’s ire is the recent Chinese announcement that it is planning to reduce its holdings of the US dollar.

That move to offload some of its 3.5 trillion in US dollar reserves combined with China’s increasing global trade in oil based on national currencies presents a mortal threat to the American petrodollar and the

WHISTLE BLOWER Erick San Juan entire American economy.

This threat to US viability already teetering on bankruptcy, record debt and social meltdown - would explain why Washington has responded with such belligerence to China setting up an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) last week extending some 400 miles from its coast into the East China Sea. Beijing said the zone was aimed at halting intrusive military maneuvers by US spy planes over its territory. The US has been conducting military fl ights over Chinese territory for decades without giving Beijing the slightest notification. (Dollar Survival Behind US-China Tensions by Finian Cunningham) So it is still economy, hmmm…. But if not handled with cooler heads, this planned escalation in retaliation to the

Beijing’s ADIZ can actually snowballed into a regional confl ict that will drag other allied nations from both sides and will end up into a global war.

Like what the blogger, with the pseudonym The Saker wrote – “First, imagine just for a second that the Chinese had shot down the two US bombers. Then what? Would the US, which did not even have the balls to strike Iran or Syria, attack China? The US for sure could not go to the United Nations Security Council for support where they would be laughed out from the council chambers by both Russia and China and, probably most other members too.

So, did the Americans count on the Chinese doing the right thing? If that is the case, then the only message sent to Beijing is “Look, we are irresponsible and reckless, and we count on your sanity”. This is most unlikely to impress anybody in China.

Second, now that the Chinese did the smart thing and ignored the US alleged stupidity, what has this move achieved beyond alienating China even further?

One really ought to know absolutely nothing about Asia to believe that you can impose a major loss of face on a super-

power like China and not have to pay dearly for it. Pundits believe the big difference between the US and China is that the former acts like a spoiled teenager brat with an attention and memory span in the 5-10 minutes range: “The Chinese did not attack our bombers that must mean that we taught them a good lesson!”

Wrong.

The Chinese will make you pay - dearly - for each such humiliation (and God knows there have been many such humiliations the past couple of decades remember the Chinese embassy in Belgrade?), but they will make you pay on their own time, when they decide, and that could take literally centuries.”

There are too many flashpoints already in existence, and to add more to a very tense region could really put all of us in big trouble whether we like it or not.

The moral lesson of the story don’t add more fuel to the already fiery situation like what our government officials are saying. Let us be vigilant and put diplomacy and some expertise in geostrategy. May God help us all pass through this global hurdle involving the giants.

Conflict

T

HERE is no such thing as a confl ict-free era, lifetime or moment.

Confl icts are as unavoidable as typhoons and earthquakes, hunger and disease, fear and despair. They are, however, as natural as sunrise and spring, reliance and resolve, compassion and love.

JPE versus MDS It’s been said that proverbial cooler heads notwithstanding, seething mutual distrust or hatred triggers tragedies that nobody wants. But I do not foresee any kind of tragic ending in the case of the ongoing JPE-MDS feud, even if Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago is known to freely order her enemies to die, or brand them as sex maniacs.

Her brutishness is such time-consuming bravado, and her stamina is so impaired by a chronic cardiovascular condition, that her performance is often suspected to be “scripted” along the patterns of showbiz entertainment. I therefore join observers who do not take her seriously.

On the other hand, erstwhile Senate President and now Minority Floor Leader Juan Ponce Enrile has surprisingly failed, in my view, to uphold his lofty stature by wasting the time of the chamber. It truly surprises that his heretofore popular trait of octogenarian wisdom and sobriety has succumbed to the enticements of getting back at his tormentor, rather than preparing a defense of himself against an ignominious pork-related charge of the capital felony of plunder.

Thus, his image is seen as being further soiled or tarnished

by his own hand. JPE is trouncing himself, indeed, in his confl ict with MDS -- which is even more ludicrous than a mismatch between a heavyweight and a flyweight.

US and Asian allies versus China Beijing, by setting up an air zone over contested islands in the East China Sea, might have underestimated a quick response from the United States of America and her alerted network of Asian allies, with South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia and the Philippines linking up in a posture of defiance against China. At the same time, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia have for years been embroiled with overlapping claims against China over West Philippine Sea areas.

Notoriously acknowledged as the region’s bullying bête noire, China is now clearly forewarned after the recent fl ight of two of America’s giant Stratofortress bombers over disputed East China Sea islands being claimed by her, coupled with US Vice President Joe Bidden’s “psychologically advantageous “ visit to Japan. Two principal factors obligate America to side with Japan in the event of an armed confl ict with China: a mutual military defense pact and the proximity of Guam, a US protectorate, to the contested islands.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s caveat, transcending the flexing of his country’s military muscle -- which is good -- is, to countless Christian believers, a grim portent of the horrors of the biblical end-of-times Armageddon, a confl ict that should be avoided but unfortunately

MUSINGS Ronald Roy must be waged by the allies in their quest for justice, as against China’s unprincipled proclivity to bully her way thru the disputed areas without resorting to the usual peaceful UN remedies like arbitration or negotiation.

Beijing’s top officials should cogitate on their culture of crime and punishment, particularly their very strict attitude towards offenses involving dishonesty.

Their defendants are presumed “guilty beyond reasonable doubt”, instead of “innocent until proven guilty” -- which parenthetically is the norm that should be imposed for heinous crimes committed within our jurisdiction under the authority of “judicial activism”. So, one can imagine the severity of the penalty for a Chinese who steals from his neighbors in order to feed his starving wife and children.

However, Chinese moral inconsistency befuddles. In order to feed their burgeoning population in particular, and dominate the world in general, Chinese employ imperialist methods to control both the West Philippine Sea and the East China Sea to acquire all the riches found therein, like oil deposits and other energyrelated resources, corals, precious metals and the like. Hmmm...Is Armageddon, the ultimate battle between good and evil as proph-

esied in the New Testament, just around the corner?

Andres Bonifacio versus Jose P. Rizal It’s simply asinine, this raging debate over who the greater Filipino hero was between Bonifacio and Rizal. Without belittling Bonifacio’s heroic contributions to the Filipinos’ quest for freedom by leading the KKK revolution, it is like asking ourselves if we’re ready to revise history by hailing him now as the greatest Filipino hero, over and above Rizal. Bonifacio was born in Manila, so I’m supportive of the Manila City Council’s Resolution urging P-Noy and Congress to recognize Bonifacio as the fi rst president of the socalled Gobiyerno Tagala (Tagalog Government).

However, the Resolution should see rough sailing on the true meaning of “Gobiyerno Tagala” as conceived by the Kapituneros, e.g., in relation to its territorial size, its structural components for legislation, execution and interpretation of laws, etcetera.

Bob Arum versus Pacquiao and Henares Yes, why not a confl ict between American boxing promoter Bob Arum in this corner, and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and BIR Commissioner Kim Henares in that corner?

We certainly would not wish to view our boxing idol as a tax cheat (i.e., a thief of our money), given that, with his sensational win over Brandon Diaz, he relieved us, if only momentarily, from the horrors of a bungling government and a couple of natural calamities. No, I refuse to accept that Manny and Kim are separately trying to deceive

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us over money. So, I propose we consider the following WHATIF scenario starring Bob as the culprit who has “shortchanged” Manny and Kim. The speculative scenario stirs suspicion in light of a long-rumored fight-fi xing boxing mafia operating in Las Vegas, Nevada, the world’s known gambling capital, of which Arum is but a member following off-camera bosses.

These guys make sure they don’t cross America’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS), by remitting to it the correct taxes derived from all the fights he promotes.

With respect to the 2008-2009 period covering Manny’s bouts that are the focus of Kim’s eagleeyed scrutiny, Arum must’ve submitted to the IRS Manny’s correct and true Income Tax Returns (ITRs), along with all tax payments due, as assessed by the IRS. But WHAT IF what Arum had given to Manny were Certified True Copies (CTCs) of falsified (watered down) ITRs? Surely, with the many legal ways the BIR has in verifying tax documents with the IRS, Kim would then have a reason for insisting that Manny submit not the CTCs, but the original ITRs, after detecting substantial discrepancies between them.

If this is the case, Manny can then proceed to sue Bob Arum for breach of contract. Likewise, with Manny’s good faith established, a reported Palace plan to grant him an “amnesty” may gain impetus.

In any event, I would have the highest respect for Manny if he stopped his gambling ways, stopped dreaming about the presidency, and stopped using the Holy Rosary like a rabbit’s foot.

OpinYon

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Environment Environmentalists Slam Bill

Lifting Ban on Waste Burning

ENVIRONMENT and climate justice advocates are up in arms over a legislative measure which, they said if enacted into law, would lift the landmark waste incineration ban under the Clean Air Act or Republic Act No. 8749.

The EcoWaste Coalition said these advocates gathered in front of the Batasang Pambansa to slam House Bill No. 3161 introduced by Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice.

Erice’s bill seeks to amend Section 20 of the Clean Air Act

to allow the use of incinerators to burn municipal, bio-medical and hazardous wastes in light of the country’s garbage problems.

EcoWaste also submitted a position paper to Manila 5th District Rep. Amado Bagatsing, chairman of the House Committee on Ecology, asking the committee not to back HB 3161.

The bill is only a “regressive step that can only worsen instead of solving the country’s garbage problems,” the EcoWaste said.

In its position paper, the

group urged the committee to uphold the full implementation of the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (R.A. 9003), which also prohibits waste incineration.

Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, said in a statement that incineration of waste transforms the garbage into an air pollution which would be more difficult and costlier to deal with.

“The burning of discards will liberate the heavy metals and

other toxic substances present in the waste stream,” Lucero said.

“The process of burning chlorinated materials, including some plastics, also creates super toxic substances, including proven carcinogens like dioxins and furans,” she added.

Other groups have shown the same condemnation on the burning of recyclable or reusable resources, saying that it will produces toxic ash and air particulates harmful to health.

Philippine Earth Justice Center

Coordinator Atty. Gloria EstenzoRamos said that allowing incineration is a “shameful act of backsliding.” Ramos added that it was also a “grave manifestation of the utter lack of the political will of the state agencies to implement our long languishing environmental and climate-related laws.”

She also requested Congress to conduct a serious investigation, in aid of legislation, why executive agencies tasked to implement our environmental laws have utterly failed in their mission. (PNA)

Forward-looking Business: Save the Environment

By Erick Fabian

THE popularity of the 2006 award-winning documentary film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ has challenged the way modern business is conducted these days. The film presented proof that so many business and industry practices since the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s have contributed to environmental degradation, mostly through factories and processing plants that contribute to pollution.

In this light, business practices have been adjusted by many practitioners so that it is in keeping with the mandate to protect the environment. Enlightened business owners have realized that neglecting the environment can have disastrous effects on their business in the long run.

It only makes sense to comply to ecological measures. The environment being the source of raw materials that manufacturing industries need, depletion of natural resources only means disastrous consequences.

of the source of one’s profits, as there will be no source for raw materials if natural resources are depleted. Investing in the environment is beneficial in the bigger scheme of things, and it also builds on public goodwill.

Social Pressure

The social pressure for businesses to engage in more ecologically-sound practices is especially aimed at big companies that derive their revenue from extraction and processing, such as petroleum companies. In the case of Chevron, a common target of environmental groups, it means evaluating oil processing practices so as to lessen their environmental impact, and exploring alternative energy sources to run their drilling equipment.

The company, according to their 2012 Corporate Responsibility Report, is also expanding their pro-ecology portfolio by funding the preservation of endangered species, and contributing to community development efforts that help preserve the gifts of nature.

The emergence of corporate social responsibility ethics has further reinforced the idea that successful companies should be environmentally conscious. This is because practices that have an impact on the environment also affect the ecosystems and the communities that rely on it to survive.

To lessen the negative effects, companies are encouraged to invest in technologies and research that will be beneficial for both business and the planet.

After all, it is logical to take care

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december 9-15, 2013

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Corporations are now aware that bad publicity due to environmental negligence means losing customers and clients. Companies are now being made aware that there is a humanity perspective to doing good business.

Critics of corporate social responsibility, like Milton Friedman, argue that companies are only responsible for shareholders and in making the business as profitable as it could be. Such a view misses the point entirely.

For businesses to succeed, an entrepreneur needs to improve social relations. Consumers and clients are people who belong in a society. Customers are human beings with families, friends, and loved ones. If a product or service proves to be hazardous to one’s health, and once people see how immediate its effects are, the company only serves to lose more if it doesn’t do anything to make their products or services more earth-friendly.

Green Business

Being a green business is actually good for market competition; just ask the CEOs of com-

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panies such as Body Shop and Honda. People are now more informed about their consumption choices, and are more aware that their purchasing practices can impact the environment. Green businesses can actually outpace their non-green competitors on so many fronts. No decent consumer and client wants to be associated with companies that contribute to pollution and environmental degradation. As more companies are re-evaluating and renovating to become green, the pressure from both society and the business industry to become eco-friendly is mounting, and any business that seeks to become sustainable would take action so as not to be left behind.

Also, being a green business makes a company’s products and services distinct, and encourages innovations that will prove to be both profitable and beneficial to society as a whole. Public goodwill is a necessity for businesses to thrive in the information age, as any ecological atrocity can be quickly picked up and publicized, and before you know it, the company starts to losing customers to competitors who are more into sustainable development.

We can say that companies are now required to be more socially responsible than in decades past. Part of being responsible for one’s actions means investing in efforts to make green living part of business practice.

It is a simple principle of give and take. Nature gives the raw materials, and companies need to give back to nature. Even if a company does not directly engage in extraction, manufacturing or processing, it still relies on those that do, and still uses natural resources such as water and land. Paper and plastic products are made from trees and petroleum, respectively, and electronic parts are made from minerals and chemicals that needed to be mined in order to obtain.

To be a green company is to eventually save money and unnecessary expenses, and it is forward-looking. Even academic institutions are now doing studies in ecological business practices, to ensure that the next generation of aspiring business people are environmentally-conscious.

One need not look far to see that business and ecology are allies.

After all, what will all that profit do if the world is not fit place to live in anymore?

DENR Taps 5 More SUCs for Production of Tree Seedlings FIVE more state universities and colleges (SUCs) have been tapped by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to mass produce genetically superior indigenous tree seedlings for the government’s National Greening Program (NGP), bringing the total number of participating SUCs to 25.

DENR Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje recently signed a memorandum of agreement with five SUCs located in Western Visayas for the establishment of clonal nurseries that are expected to produce at least 60,000 native tree seedlings per school, or a total of 300,000 annually to be used for the Aquino administration’s flagship reforestation program.

Under the agreement, the DENR will construct a clonal nursery worth P3.5 million in every campus of the University of Antique in Sibalom, Antique; Capiz State University in Roxas City; Western Visayas College of Science and Technology in La Paz, Iloilo; Central Philippines State University in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental; and Guimaras State College in Buenavista, Guimaras.

“Our plan is to establish a kind of national grid for production of cloned NGP seedlings and that grid is now almost complete with the entry of five new participating SUCs,” Paje said.

The environment chief noted that around 1.36 million native tree seedlings have been contributed this year by 20 other SUCs enrolled in the clonal production project.

Paje said the method produces abundant tree seedlings that are genetically identical to their parent-tree on a year round basis, making it “far more efficient and much faster than the conventional method which make use of seeds gathered from the fruits of the trees.”

“Unfortunately, our native trees, especially the best ones like yakal, kamagong, mayapis,

molave, tindalo, toog and teak, bear fruit only every seven to 10 years,” Paje pointed out.

All 25 SUCs were chosen primarily based on their ability to augment the yield capacity of 22 existing regional clonal nurseries of the DENR. So far, the DENR’s own clonal facilities, spread throughout the country, have already produced 1.37 million indigenous tree seedlings this year. These nurseries are being operated by the department’s Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB).

“These SUCs are our lifeline for quality planting stocks to NGP planting sites that are far from the 22 ERDB-run clonal facilities,” Paje said, noting that shorter transport of seedlings ensures their high survival when planted, in keeping with the DENR’s target of 80 percent survival rate for seedlings planted under the NGP. Paje added that these SUCs are situated in areas that are accessible to locations of mother trees, which are sources of “germplasm” or living tissues that new trees can be grown, either through seeds or parts of plants to be mass produced.

Among the native species being propagated under the program includes endangered species such as kamagong, mayapis, molave, Philippine teak, tindalo, toog and some dipterocarp species.

Aside from the seedlings produced by the ERDB and SUC partners, some 2.45 million seedlings were also made by two other organizations tapped by the DENR, namely the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation (PTFCF) and the Foundation for Philippine Environment (FPE).

The Department of Agriculture also contributed some 1.8 million native fruit-bearing trees as part of the National Convergence Initiative, while participating local government units and private organizations have produced a total of 1.4 million seedlings.

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Agriculture Misamis Farmers Maximize Profits Through CPAR THE Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) banner of program the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) continues nationwide in its campaign towards encouraging community involvement in profitable and sustainable agriculture and fishery ventures, brought about by research and development (R&D) initiatives of the agency in collaboration with both the private and public sector. CPAR is a location-specific research cum extension projects that focuses in improving farming system technologies for specific micro agriclimatic environment within a province or municipality.

Specifically, it aims to: 1) enhance the role of R&D through technology transfer to improve management systems; 2) develop strategies for effective integration of support services; and 3) institutionalize active community participation in overall farm and coastal resources management for enterprise and agribusiness development.

In a recent monitoring visit headed by representatives of the Project Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PMED) of BAR to Northern Mindanao, current coconut- and corn-based CPAR projects were monitored and evaluated through field visits and interviews. Farmer cooperators and regional field unit representatives gathered to discuss current achievements and issues encountered by participating farmer cooperatives, namely the Bubuntugan Farmers’ Association and the Jampason Farmers’ Association in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental.

In the municipality of Jasaan, the two barangays represent the most involved farmers in the project. In Brgy. Bubuntugan, 15 members and in Brgy. Jampason, 9 members were cooperators in the implementation of the coconut- and/or corn-based CPAR project. Both presidents of the Bubuntugan and Jampa-

Privatization...

From page 4

EPIRA and privatization when it started in 2001. This includes many in the middle class and professional sectors.

They were used in 2001 by the Grinch. Are they really on the right opposition track now, to demand the end of privatization and return to public or socialized ownership of the public utilities to include not only power, but fuel, water and other industries essential to the “common good”. There are some congressmen who made token protests about EPIRA, like the former customs man Mindoro solon Rey Umali who said in Sept. 2013 the Epira flaws cost more than pork, but now he’s silent. He, a BS Aquino compadre, is likely a Grinch too.

Revolt, Prosecute and Reform.

Anti-EPIRA crusader Mr. Jojo Borja, in memory of the late Mang Naro Lualhati who helped with the P 30-billion

son Farmers’ Association were present during the meeting to assist in the documentation and clarification of concerns and issues in the project.

According to the farmers, the CPAR project allowed them additional income and they are now able to harvest other commodities while waiting for the coconut trees to produce. A farmer’s wife mentioned that because they are putting fertilizer on the ground for their other crops, the benefit also spills over to the coconut trees, which increases their yield come harvest time. They also mentioned that although there are only a handful of CPAR project participants, because their fields show positive yield, their neighbors become interested in the CPAR planting system.

Upon witnessing the benefits of the CPAR projects, neighbors are encouraged to copy and even join as an adaptor of the farming system. Apart from this, the participants mention how they are able to gain new and important knowledge on increasing their profits through the application of this new technology brought by BAR’s CPAR. On their own, the wives of the farmers have now proceeded to value-adding activities using their commodities planted in between the coconut trees.

They now try to make banana chips, wine making, coco sugar, and lumpia, among others.

It is a popular belief that coconut farmers are among the poorest of all farmers. However, because of projects like CPAR, coconut farmers are now able to earn beyond their coconut profits and maximize land use. They acquire techniques and technologies that allowed them the capacity to grow more that the coconut they are used to. CPAR projects such as this one brings more than food on the table, but also hope that things can and will get better in the future.

refund from Meralco’s overcharging back in the 90s, is reviving a case drafted by Atty.

Alan Paguia, to sue Energy Regulatory Commission chair Zenaida Ducut (of pork barrel fame too) and Meralco CEO Manny Pangilinan before the Ombudsman – someday putting them behind bars. The BMP led by Leody de Guzman initiated a picket in front of Meralco last week, and we will follow through with more mass actions in the next few weeks. In the past we had countless “light out” campaigns at night, which should be revived. At some point we should “occupy” Meralco and ERC, and then Malacañang, over these issues.

(Watch “The Power Grinch who stole X’mas” with Mr. Jojo Borja and Arnold Padilla: GNN Destiny Cable Channel 8, Skycable Channel 213, www.gnntv-asia. com Sat., 8 p.m. and replay Sun., 8 a.m.; tune to 1098AM, Tues. to Fri.5pm; ; visit http:// newkatipunero.blogspot.com; and text reactions to 0923-4095739)

DA Convenes Stakeholders for Stronger Rice Industry

THE Department of Agriculture organized on November 29, 2013, the first ever National Grains Traders, Wholesalers and Retailers Conference in the hope of consolidating information and ideas from stakeholders and come up with a mechanism that will strengthen and uplift the national rice sector.

The event, held at the Philippine International Convention Center, served as a venue for rice entrepreneurs to meet with farmers’ organizations and rice experts and discuss possible collaborations to meet the target of the food sufficiency program of the government.

DA, through the leadership

of Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, has remained adamant in its mission to provide safe and sufficiency rice supply for the Filipino people.

“We target to be self-sufficient this year, and strengthen national production in the years to come,” Alcala announced.

“This conference brings together our longtime partners in the rice fields in the countryside to help us in our mission to feed the every Filipino,” he said.

Alcala added that aside from conferring with rice stakeholders, the DA continues to set up interventions to attain its key

Palayabangan 10-5 Challenge On SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ, Nueva Ecija, --Farmers and producers have committed themselves to fair competition as they signed Tuesday a contract of participation for the Palayabangan: the 10-5 Season 2 challenge.

Spearheaded by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the Palayabangan 10-5 challenge competition aims to level up the rice production standard to 10-5, which means 10 tons/ha. Yield (or 200 cavans) at only P5 input cost per kilogram of palay.

The current average yield is about 4t/ha while input cost is about P11/k of palay.

Joining this season`s competition at the PhilRice Central Experiment Station include the

Revolutionary Solution, Syngenta Philippines, SL Agritech Corporation, Pioneer Hi-Bred Philippines, Tilah Seed Center, SRI Pilipinas, Bayer CropScience, Inc., and Organic Resource Biotic-Multi Purpose Cooperative.

Farmers Ronnie Alonzo and Dante Sabacan also took the challenge of producing high palay yield at the lowest cost.

PhilRice executive director Eufemio T. Rasco said the 10-5 Challenge supports the goal of the Food Staples Sufficiency Programs and the advocacies of the National Year of Rice (NYR) 2013.

“NYR aims to help increase farmers’ productivity and boost their morale,” Rasco said.

He said the Palayabangan is a WE TAKE A STAND

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target of raising farm productivity, managing food staple consumption and enhancing economic incentives. The government-support measures include the expansion of irrigation services and the promotion of high quality seeds, as well as an intensified price support program, provision of credit facilities and crop insurance.

Assistant Secretary Dante S. Delima added that the Department, through its Rice Program and partner agencies, continue to promote the consumption of alternative staples such as cassava, saba and brown rice and encourage the public to diversify and reduce food wastage.

“new initiative that will provide opportunities for all players in the rice sector to show what they can do to improve yield and reduce production cost.”

“This initiative will also address issues on agriculture competitiveness, which would eventually help decrease smuggling and importation,” he said.

He also said the 10-5 Challenge will continue until the goal of “high income-low production” is achieved and sustained.

Prizes at stake are as follows: P5 million in project fund and technology promotion activities for the national winner; P100, 000 in cash for the regional winners; and P10, 000 cash for consolation prizes. (PNA)

OpinYon

december 9-15, 2013

9 12/6/13 8:20 PM

OPINION Fueled by...

From page 12

Davao and Dabawenyos have been an indispensable part of everything that we have achieved,” Uy said. Even as Phoenix has grown to be a national brand, its headquarters remain fi rmly in Davao City.

“Our city is simply a better place to live, work, and prosper,” Uy said. “We have enlightened, disciplined and competent leadership, talented people, growing infrastructure, and an ideal balance between work and life.”

“Indeed, before President Aquino advocated for ‘daang matuwid,’ it has already been ‘daang matuwid’ here in Davao for the longest time,” he said.

Start-Up Business

Uy recalled that he started what became Phoenix Petroleum in challenging circumstances.

Back then, the business was a single storage tank, 11 employees, and no revenue stream. Still, he gave it a try.

“I remained confident that I was surrounded by a community, a government, and an ideal that would be indispensable to our success,” he said.

Uy recalled that after the Oil Deregulation Law was passed in 1998, he saw independent oil companies that were not of the major sprout in Manila. He said he sensed a good business opportunity to bring to Davao, although he admitted it was not an easy start.

“The oil deregulation law paved the way for the birth of Phoenix. Without it we wouldn’t be here! The decision was very simple. The industry used to be dominated by three companies, and when you open up an industry where it was dominated by only three companies, there’s

really a big chance for us to get market share.

Uy said he had then difficulty raising capital and attracting clients. His big break came when Cebu Pacific committed to lease his tanks. This was the start of Phoenix becoming their exclusive logistics provider in all their Mindanao fl ights.

Uy said he decided to expand to retail, and in 2005, the fi rst five Phoenix stations opened in southern Mindanao.

“For us to start in the southern part of the Philippines was not by choice, it was by chance.

It was just that I do my business there, I was born there. We started there, and luckily we were able to expand nationwide.

It’s always a challenge, even until now, to gain brand acceptability…” Uy said in an online interview.

Expansion

To expand the company’s fi nancial capability, Phoenix Petroleum listed at the Philippine Stock Exchanged in July 2007, becoming the fi rst, and, so far, only oil company to launch its initial public offering after the Oil Deregulation Law was passed. Phoenix is also one of the few Mindanao companies to be traded at the PSE. The very successful IPO gave Phoenix the capital it needed to expand, and since then the company has grown significantly.

Compound annual growth rates of revenue have risen by 65 percent, volume by 67 percent, market capitalization by 84 percent, and equity by 50 percent.

Cumulative returns of the PNX stock in the five years from its IPO has been over 400 percent.

From its initial five stations, Phoenix has expanded to 300 nationwide by the end of 2012, making it the number one inde-

pendent oil company.

For his leadership, Uy has received citations in the country and in the Asian region: as fi nalist in the Asia Business Leaders Award by CNBC Asia for 2011 and 2012; fi nalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Philippines; and now the Datu Bago Award in Davao City. He is also the Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan to the Philippines, having been appointed in 2011.

Uy attributed the speed of Phoenix’s growth to “an entrepreneurial-based opportunity to build the future of the downstream petroleum industry, a nurturing and encouraging beginning in our hometown environment, and a commitment to and indispensable relationship with our community, our business partners, our shareholders, and above all, our customers.”

“It’s always our service and our people that are a distinct advantage,” Uy said.

Uy also plays an active role in various business organizations. He is a Member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), American Chamber of Commerce- Davao City, and Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He is married to Cherylyn C. Uy, and has two daughters: Chelsea Denise and Charlize Donatella. Looking ahead, Uy says he hopes to sustain the growth of the company.

“The next five years should be a period of growth – maybe a bigger market share, more stations: going from 300 to at least 500. And of course, having a more established brand, and a stronger company, balance-sheet wise.“Other Asian countries have three or five times more stations per capita…there’s a lot of room for growth,” he said.

Who Is In Charge of Local Disaster Management?

P

RESIDENT Noynoy Aquino set the right tone when he said that we need not wait for a disaster in order to help each other, because there are many poor people who need our help every day.

How I wish that his message will be heard not only by the people in the government, but also by all Filipinos here and abroad. As I see it, he actually issued a call for action, in a way declaring a war against poverty on a daily basis.

I fi nd it amusing that our entire nation was scandalized by the ten billion pesos more or less that was stolen by the pork barrel scam, when in fact the amount was less than 2% of the national budget. Perhaps our national outrage was triggered by the high level of noise that the issue caused in the mass media, but how come no one seems to pay attention to how the rest of the 98% is being spent? Will this not need the same level of noise that the mass media gave to the pork barrel issue?

Our National Government Agencies (NGAs) are the institutions that are supposed to work on a daily basis, and these are the same institutions that are funded on a yearly basis by the General Appropriations Act (GAA). This is what line item budgeting basically means, to appropriate annual budgets to line agencies, instead of appropriating the funds by way of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

By way of comparison, line item budgets are for objective purposes, intended to fund projects that are programmed for implementation by the NGAs. The PDAF on the other hand is, or was intended for subjective purposes, referring to local development projects that could not be “seen” by the Congress from where they sit. The legal fiction here is that only the local people could “see” the need for these projects, supposedly with the guiding “eyes” of their congressman.

As the head of the executive branch of the government, the President is in effect the head of all the NGAs, the same agencies that are supposed to work on a daily basis.

In theory, the President does not have to order the actual heads of these agencies to do anything, because they are supposed to think and act on their own, without waiting for the President to tell them what to do. This is what institutions are supposed to do, and that is the reason why they are funded by the Congress to do what they are supposed to do.

What did CNN news anchor Mr. Anderson Cooper mean when he said that there was “no government” in Tacloban? What did he mean when he said that “there was no one in charge”? Was he referring to the local government, or the national government? As a matter of fact, the local Mayor was still around, even if he was practically paralyzed to do anything at all. Was he referring to the national government? Did he not notice that the NGAs were there on the ground from day one?

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SCIENCE WORKS Ike Señeres Considering the fact that the local government was practically paralyzed in Tacloban, there is no debate that the national government was there, and so it is not correct to say that there was “no government”. That said, the only remaining question is whether or not there was someone “in charge”, as asked by Mr. Cooper. As I see it, there was someone “in charge”, even if Cooper did not recognize him. I am sure that there were many local officials of the national government who were there when Cooper was there, but perhaps he was looking for someone higher.

There is no question about the fact that the President is “in charge” of national affairs, whether there is a disaster or not. Same is true about the fact that the Mayor is always “in charge” of local affairs no matter what, period. The case of Tacloban is an obvious exception to the rule, because the Mayor there was a victim himself, aside from the fact that he was left with no means to function. Since Tacloban is a chartered city, is it the reason why the provincial Governor did not see a reason to be the one “in charge”?

President Aquino was correct when he said that in our system, it is the local government that is the fi rst line of defense. The problem is, the general public, as they are fi red up by the mass media, would always want the President to be on the scene right away, as if he has nothing else to do. As the news would usually come out, it is even implied that if the President is not on the scene right away, he is probably not doing anything.

I think that it is a dangerous trend to always expect the President to practically behave like a Mayor. It seems that President Aquino is not the type who is not inclined to always hug the headlines, but imagine what will happen if we will have a President in the future who will hug the headlines all the time, in order to satisfy the demand of the general public? What will happen to all the other urgent national concerns that the President is supposed to attend to?

In this time and age of high tech communications, it is more practical to assume that the President would have the means to give instructions to his subordinates wherever they are, and at any time. In reality, the Command Post is where the President is, and from that point, he could order everyone in the bureaucracy and the military to do what they have to do, as they are supposed to do. If the President is not seen on the scene, it does not necessarily mean that he is not doing anything.

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december 9-15, 2013

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DECEMBER 9-15, 2013 • VOL.4 NO.16

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Millionaires Club

SECTIONS POLITICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 AGRICULTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 FOREIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P1 LIFESTYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P4

DENNIS A. UY

Fueled By Passion

W

HILE most businessmen prefer to do business from Manila, Dennis Uy wants to do business close to home in Davao City.

Early this year, Uy—founder, president and CEO of the Davao City based Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc.—gave honor to the city as a vehicle for his success receiving the Datu Bago Award for 2013.

“While many prefer to do business or fi nd employment in bigger cities, to me Davao is richer in opportunity and richer in producing the elements of success than any place I know,” he said in his acceptance speech.

With Uy at the helm, Phoenix has grown to be the number one independent oil company in the Philippines in just seven years. From being the top 570th corporation in 2006, Phoenix has risen to the 53rd spot in 2011. It has also been recognized by the Bureau of Customs as the Top 7 Importer in the country for 2011 and 2012, and the Top 1 Importer in the port of Davao in the past two years.

Strong Track Record

Uy is an entrepreneur and senior executive with a strong track record of starting and leading his businesses to profit and growth since graduating from De La Salle University, Manila with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management in 1993.

He is the Chairman, President and CEO of Udenna Corporation, the holding company of Phoenix Petroleum Holdings, Inc. (PPHI) and Udenna Management & Resources Corp.

(UMRC), since its incorporation in 2002. Mr. Uy has steered Udenna Group’s expansion to businesses in the transport, petroleum, distribution, shipping, real estate, waste management services, and power industries.

The Group’s consolidated revenues reached more than P15 billion in 2010. For these achievements, Mr. Uy was recognized as a Finalist in the 10th Asia Business Leaders Award by CNBC Asia, 2011 in Singapore.

“I don’t know if we would have accomplished what we have accomplished if I grew up somewhere else, but I do know that Turn to page 11

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