Season’s Greetings! The men and women of Quorum share with the Filipino people and the whole Christian World in commemorating the birth of our Good Lord Jesus Christ!
WISHING EVERYONE & ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TOO!
Malacanang paints rosy economic picture for 2011 THE government is painting a rosy picturefor2011,carryingthemomentum of a renewed interest in the business community brought about by PresidentAquino’sno-nonsensecampaign against corruption and fresh economicideas. “Weareseeingsignsthattheeconomy is improving. There are several
Chevy Volt tops
US’s dirtiest cars
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Varig’s orphans Page 12...
PAL supports fair, reciprocal ‘open skies’
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foreign investments that are coming in that create jobs. We hope that this will continue,” said Deputy presidential spokespersonAbigail Valte. Valte predicted that more investments will be coming in that would generate jobs and reinvigorate the economy. PresidentAquino himself is very optimistic of the prospects of
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the Philippine economy. ThePresidentearlierpredictedthat gross domestic product is expected to continue its upward trend, due to the confidenceoflocalandforeigninvestors, including people in government, better and faster than what has been projected.
P741-M lotto winner
Patience is a virtue.And for a NewYork-based balikbayan, it brought him the P741 million Grand Lotto jackpot. News website GMAnews.tv reported that the balikbayan could have missed the mind-boggling jackpot if he did not let another bettor cut in line at the lotto ticket outlet. A Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) official revealed that the winner of the P740-million Grand Lotto jackpot “generously” let another person place her bet first and waited for his turn before he could place his winning combination for the lottery prize.
Continued on page 2
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Unang Alyansang Pag-asa ng Lahi’t Uring Mamamahayag-Manggagawa
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BECAUSE ALL OF THE 87 PROVINCES MATTER. THE SUM OF ALL PARTS.
E MPOWERING C OMMUNITY P UBLICATION
ISSUE NO. 002
ON
B USINESS & P OLITICS
DECEMBER 16-31, 2010
P15
KOREAN EYECATCHER
Page 10...Motoring Quorum
Overpopulation:A convenient lie! By Leonardo Montemayor
2011
Editor ’s Note: Leonardo Montemayor is president of the Federation of Free Farmers and Party-List ABA (Alyansang Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka, Manggagawang-Bukid at Mangingisda). He served as Agriculture Secretary in 20012002 and Party-List Representative in the Fourteenth Congress.
YEARENDER
Rocky start for P-Noy By Fitzgerald Cecilio
MONTEMAYOR
The so-called problem of overpopulation is a convenient falsehood being peddled by rich countries to cover up their injustices against, and to shirk from their obligations to, developing nations. Last year, Ambassador Alistair MacDonald of the European Union expressed support for continued assistance to the Philippines, on the conditionthatourgovernmentundertakescomprehensivepopulationcontrol. At present, some 60% of existing EU aid for the Philippines is devoted to population management-related programs. Mr. MacDonald could have mollified the anger felt by self-respecting Filipinos had he also underscored the urgent need for greater consumption control by citizens of EU states. The truth is that many advocates of population control, under the cloak of “reproductive health” and “family planning”,areconcernednotsomuch
HOME FOR CHRISTMAS: Balikbayans, OFWs and tourists flood the immigration lanes at the NAIA in time for Christmas. The sight has become a daily routine but immigration personnel has strict warning from OIC Ledesma not to greet them with “Merry Christmas!” It’s something like the Grinch stole it from them.
to save lives, as to preventthem. This wouldmeanlesspressurefromdeveloping nations to clamor for a fairer distribution of global wealth and a stop to the profligate consumption of finite resources by the developed states. If RH and population control advocates truly desire to safeguard the welfare of mothers and family members, they should accord the highest priority to fund generation and genuine anti-poverty programs through effective socio-economic reforms, balanced agro-industrial developmentandgoodgovernance.
But where are their calls on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries to comply with their international obligation to allocate 0.7 per cent of their gross national product for the economic development of the ThirdWorld? Where is the leadership of the United States and others mainly responsible for global warming that has been disrupting climate, food security and health, especially in developing nations? Poverty, unemployment and hungeraremostsevereinruralareas. Yet,
developingcountriescannotprogress, because the unfair trade practices of the EU and other OECD membercountries are forcing increasing numbers of desperate farmers and fisher folk to degrade their local environments just to survive the day. Yearly, trade-distorting agricultural subsidies of the OECD drain their public treasuries of about US $300 billion, which is three times the amount of OECD’s “foreign aid” to developing countries. Third World debt Moreover, why isn’t there a stronger push for the meaningful settle-
ment of Third World debt, so that countries like the Philippines can free up hundreds of billions of pesos for badly needed schools, health services and food production-related infrastructure,amongothers,andthusregister huge advances against poverty, hunger, ignorance and disease? Instead, the Filipino people - particularly the poor - are being seduced with condoms, pills and intra-uterine devices (at a cost of billions to their alreadycash-strappedgovernment)as “essential medicine” that will improve their “quality of life”! Our Constitution commands the
State to protect the life of the unborn fromthemomentofconception. The 1986 Constitutional Commission recordsclearlyshowthat”conception” starts from the union of the male spermandthefemaleegginthemother. Hence, pills, IUDs and contraceptives that kill the living, fertilized egg are abortifacients. Pro-RH bill advocates insist that they oppose abortion. However, many of them claim that medical science is divided on when life begins. Assuming arguendo that this is so, every Filipino remains obligated to Continued on page 6
La Union’s Bacurnay is new prexy of provincial legislators
‘Major, major newsmakers of 2010’
Inanefforttostrengthentheirfront, ProvincialBoardMembersfromvarious provinces of the country gathered in Pasay City on November 2224 to discuss current issues under the theme “Attaining the Millennium DevelopmentGoals(MDG)through local legislation.” The 20th NationalAssembly of the ProvincialBoardMembersLeagueof the Philippines (PBMLP) also electeditsofficersfor2010-2013andheard
See page 7
Bacurnay
the reports of the incumbent officers. HenryA.Bacurnay,Jr.ofLaUnion gotanimpressivemandateasthenew President in the election that seemed as the most important purpose of the convention. The assembly also elected most of Bacurnay’s slate including Carlo Loreto of Leyte as Executive Vice President. Bacurnay is widely known for his advocacies on human rights and liberaldemocracy.Hiscampaignappeal
to his colleagues was based on a platform that will rebuild and strengthen the League as a potent force in both the local and national political arena. As a new and timely strategy, the League will also be forming an alliance with similar leagues in other countries. The League gathers its members for a national convention once every three years, which is within 150 days Continued on page 2
MMDA offers continuous 24/7 Twitter operations MetropolitanManilaDevelopment Authority(MMDA)ChairmanFrancisTolentinotodayannouncedthe24/ 7 operations of itsTwitter team to providecontinuousonlinepublicservice. Theagency’sTwitteraccount(http:/ /twitter.com/MMDA), launched last August, now has over 31,000 followersandcontinuestogainanaverageof 250newfollowersdaily. Composed of eight personnel, the dedicatedTwitterteamworksonthree shifts to monitor and respond to all queries regarding traffic and flood situations all over the metropolis.
“Our Twitter account was recognized by no less than the Presidential Communications Development and StrategicPlanningOfficeforbeingthe most active among the government agenciesandbloggershavebeenpraising it for the efficient and quick responses. Our team tries to answer all queries within 2 to 3 minutes,”Tolentino said. Recently, it has been included in a majorbroadsheet’slistoftop25Pinoy Twitter accounts the public should be following. In line with his concept of civilwill,theMMDAchiefencouraged
the residents of Metro Manila to help the agency by submitting traffic and floodreportsusingthe#MMDAhashtag. “Just by searching the hashtag, the public can view the reports submitted by concerned citizens. This is a very helpful tool in information-sharing, without unnecessarily flooding our followers’Twittertimelines,”Tolentinosaid. Further,Tolentino enjoined everybody to use the MMDA’sTwitter accountinreportingvehicularaccidents androadobstructionssotheagencycan
actonitimmediately. HealsoencourageseveryonetochecktheMMDAaccount before heading out so that the public may know the traffic situation in the roads they will be passing. “Buteveryoneshouldbereminded that they should not tweet and drive. Let us not forget road safety,”Tolentinostressed. The Twitter account was introduced four months ago to foster faster exchangeofinformationwiththepublic and deliver prompt and up-to-date trafficinformationandotherimportant matters.
AROCKYstartkickedoffbyawrong order. That summed up PresidentAquino’s first months in Malacanang, highlighted by controversies, scandalousTweets and intrigues about his lovelife. The first order – Executive Order No.1—thatcameoutofMalacanang created a loud bang but ended with a whimper after it was recalled for finetuning as it would greatly affect the function of the bureaucracy. TheOrderwasdesignedtobootout co-terminus officials of former PresidentArroyo but it was later discovered that the bureaucracy will be crippled upon the implementation of the EO so a fine-tuned version was later issued. That mistake dictated the tempo of theAquino government, with booboos here and there. But there was no bigger boo-boo than the Manila Hostage Crisis, the incident that would permanently damage P-Noy’s legacy as the country’s 15th President. The hostage taking of more than 20 tourists from Hong Kong by a disgruntled policeman was a major acid test for his administration where he could show the world what stuff he’s made of as a leader. But instead of highlighting his capacity to lead the country in the international spotlight, Noynoy failed miserably due to his lack of leadership, especially during the critical times of the hostage drama where he was seen at a restaurant along Roxas Blvd. instead of calling the shots at the Quirino Grandstand. The country also took a major hit in the international stage, with tourists from Hong Kong and other countries cancelling their visit to the Philippines. Feeling the pressure from the Chinese government, he ordered the creation of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) to look into the matter and determine those responsible for the fiasco. But PresidentAquino’s woes did not end there. After the hostage drama came jueteng-gate, where several government officials were linked to the illeContinued on page 2
1st-Apluma will never, ever forget!
Manny Pac’s eighth historic win in as many boxing titles tops Quorum’s list for ‘10 THEyear2010hasbroughtnewhopes for millions of Filipinos with the assumption of President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy”Aquino III to power, signaling a fresh start for the country besieged by corruption issues.
PresidentAquino’s rise to power last July 1 was a shoo-in for the biggest story for this year, until Sr. Insp. Rolando Mendoza decided to take hostage a bus full of tourists from Hong Kong on that fateful day of
August 23, 2010. Luckily, “Pambansang Kamao” MannyPacquiao,likehealwaysdoes, came to the rescue and saved the Filipinos from embarrassment by winning his eighth world title in as many
weight divisions. 1. Eighth wonder of the world Already a boxing icon with his 7th title in seven different weight categories, Manny Pacquiao upped the
ante by winning his 8th world title by pummeling Antonio Margarito of Mexico in a one-sided bout last November at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Pacquiao’s victory earned him his
eighth belt, including the WBC Flyweight World Champion (112 lbs), IBF Junior Featherweight World title(122lbs),TheRingFeatherweight World title (126 lbs), WBC Super Featherweight World title (130 lbs),
The Ring Junior LightweightWorld title (130 lbs). WBC Lightweight World title (135 lbs), The Ring JuniorWelterweightWorld title (140 lbs) and WBO Welterweight title (147 Continued on page 2 lbs).
Nation Quorum
2
THE PROVINCES (Sum of all parts)
Caraga region economy seen to pick up in 2011 BUTUAN CITY — Caraga region, called the infant region in the country today, is picking up and projected to be most economically stable and its investment targets will soar high by the year 2011 and beyond. “Our economy in this region is moving,” said Brielgo O. Pagaran, Caraga regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). He cited agri-business, agri-aqua fisheries, mining and power generation as the potential investments that will pick up in the coming years. Pagaran said some of these multi-billion investments already started and they will be in full blast operation by the coming year. Caraga region’s more than one million hectares agricultural lands are rich in natural resources and minerals. Pagaran noted the seven-year U.S. $ 22.83-million Rural Micro Enterprise Promotion Program (RuMEPP), a program assisted by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), is also picking up. Caraga region is one of the beneficiaries of the RuMEPP where the DTI is the government’s implementing arm in partnership with the Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation (SB Corp), IFAD and United Nations Office for project Services (UNOPS). Other Cooperating agencies and stakeholders are the government’s National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), Local Government Units (LGUs) represented by the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Microfinance Institutions (MFI’s), Business Development Services (BDS) and Micro Enterprises. “Through assistance and trainings, this program has already 21,000 lending beneficiaries for the past three years and these added to the economic growth in the region,” Pagaran said. “Our foreign partners, like IFAD country programme manager Mr. Sana Jatta, are happy about this development,” he said. The region’s DTI chief also said more foreign Asian countries, European and American business groups are already in the Caraga region for multi-billion investments.
Yes to Super Rice OLONGAPO CITY – Fortified with iron, formulated to fight malnutrition, this is Super Rice! Super Rice is now in Olongapo City, launched recently by Mayor James Gordon, Jr. and First Lady Anne Gordon in simple ceremonies at city hall. “The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) aims to develop and implement iron food fortification and improve the nutritional well-being of people,” said DOST Secretary Mario Montejo in a message read by Didith Monte Vergel of DOST at the Super Rice launching. Angie Pasos, nutrition counselor of region 3, also proudly announced that the 6 percent malnutrition rate among Olongapo City residents in recent years has already improved to 4 percent and with super rice available for everyday dietary requirements, malnutrition may become a thing of the past in the city. First Lady Anne Gordon said the City Health Office should take a major role in promoting super rice for its health benefits. “Health is important... we should have a well-developed body,” said Mayor Gordon. Maria Vicenta Magpantay, nutritional counselor of region 3, Edna Elane, city councilor, Rich Torralba, city nutritionist, Department of Education (DepEd) representatives, Barangay representatives and rice dealers were also present at the launching ceremony. A colorful dance presentation from selected students of Olongapo City Elementary School (OCES) and a free tasting of cooked super rice concluded the ceremony.
DPWH focuses on infra projects in Mindanao DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio L. Singson said that one of Benigno Aquino III’s administration thrusts is the reduction or alleviation of poverty in the rural areas. And the development and buildup of critical infrastructure facilities of Mindanao is one of the Aquino government’s top priorities. “We will push extra effort to implement the major infrastructure projects in Mindanao to promote peace and development and most importantly alleviate poverty,” Singson told the representatives of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) for the implementation of the Phase 1 of the Mindanao Roads Improvement Projects (P1MRIP). Abdullah Al- Shedokhi, Head of the SFD Mission, said that they are pleased to participate in the project as one of their priorities is to fund highly needed roads and bridge projects to stimulate economic development in rural areas. Al-Shedokhi told Singson, “We can fund more roads and bridge projects in any region in the Philippines, as long as these shall be approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and these are aimed at improving the mobilization of people to conduct business and improve their quality of life.” The SFD Mission is in the country to conduct field inspection and coordination meetings on the implementation of MRIP-Phase 1. The MRIP-Phase 1 has a total cost of US$ 20 million, jointly funded by the Saudi and Philippine Government through a soft loan package.
Cebu City village chief targets P35-M infra projects CEBU CITY – The newly elected village chief of Punta Princesa in Cebu City has promised his constituents some P35 million worth of projects that will be funded by senators, including the construction of school buildings, a new public market and drainage system. Punta Princesa Barangay Captain Jose Navarro said he asked senators to fund some of the barangay’s projects because he doesn’t want to rely too much on the Cebu City Government. He said Senator Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos Jr. will be giving his barangay P15 million for the construction of a new public market and the renovation of the existing market. He said Sen. Manuel Villar will also give the barangay P15 million for the rehabilitation of the drainage system, while Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III committed to give P5 million for the construction of school buildings. Navarro said, though, that he will welcome any assistance from City Hall.
Malacanang paints rosy... (From page 1) “I should expect, even if there is a downturn because of the lack of election spending component (in the third quarter), we expect that we will be maintaining the upward trend of all our GDP figures,” the President said. Through his pet project Public-Private Partnership, the President said the economy will improve faster than what was initially envisioned. “This is due to the fact that there is optimism across the board from the workers to the investors to even people in government,” Mr.Aquino said. GDP is the amount of goods and services produced every year in a particular country. “Sothiswillredoundtoanactiveandmorefruitfulcooperationamong allofthesesectorsandwearehopingwegetthesametreatmentfromboth the legislature and the judiciary,” the Chief Executive added.
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December 16-31, 2010
P-Noy renews vow to bring reform DESPITE a ruling of the Supreme Court declaring unconstitutional his Truth Commission, President Benigno Aquino III renewed his commitment to punish those who abused their powers in the previous administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “Wewillnotallowthis(SCruling) to prevent our objectives to punish thosewhoabusedtheirpowers,”PresidentAquinosaidasheaddressedmore than 8,000 crowd who witnessed the official launching of his book entitled “TheInaugural.” President Aquino took the opportunity to thank the yellow clad supporters for continued support amid storms and successes that his administrative has encountered through out the first six months of his leadership. “It’s really feel good to be with you volunteers. You are my partners from the start of the campaign and you will serve as my bridge to achieve more success. You remind me that I’m not alone in taking the right path. You’re still my boss. Thank you very much,” Aquino said. President Aquino arrived at exactly 3:00 p.m. at the jampacked Ninoy Aquino Stadium and was accompanied by Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Philippine Sports Commission
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III (center) unveils the marker for the newly constructed Calapan City Public Market during his visit to Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro Wednesday (Dec. 15). Assisting the President are Oriental Mindoro Gov. Alfonso Umali, Jr. (second from left), Oriental Mindoro 1st District Representative Rodolfo Valencia, Oriental Mindoro 2nd District Rep. Reynaldo Umali (left) and Calapan City Mayor Doy Leachon (Story below).
(PSC) chairman Ritchie Garcia and book publisher Maria Montelibano in meeting and greeting the huge crowd. The President then proceeded in frontofthestageandjoinedVicePresident Jejomar Binay and other officialsthatincludehisuncleformercongressman and Philippine Olympic Committee(POC)Jose‘Peping’Cojuangco, former senator Agapito ‘Butch’ Aquino, congressman Ama-
More good news for Aquino: BSP to remit savings to treasury ANOTHER set of good news fell on President Benigno S. Aquino III’s lap when Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amado Tetangco announced that BSP will remit starting JanuarynextyeararoundP14.2billion in dividends and taxes. Tetangcomadetheannouncement duringthelaunchoftheNewGeneration Banknotes at the Rizal CeremonialHallofMalacanang.Thenewbanknotes will begin circulating this month. Of the P14.2 billion, BSP is ready toremitP9.312billionbyJanuaryrepresenting additional dividends for 2003-2006,followingameetinginitiated by Senator Franklin Drilon with Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, CommissiononAuditChairmanReynaldoVillarandTetangco. The BSP will remit at least P4 billion more in dividends and additional taxestotheNationalGovernmentsubjecttothecompletionofCOA’saudit of BSP’s 2009 operations, representing the remaining 50 percent of its estimated2009income. Tetangcoalsogaveageneralreport ontheeconomyforthesecondhalfof thisyear. “Beyond the new designs of our banknotes,thereisalsogoodreasonto celebrate the sound macroeconomic fundamentals that underpin the real valueofthePhilippinepeso,”Tetangcosaid.“Inflationisatlowsingledigit levels that are well within our target; thebenchmarkinterestratessetbythe Bangko Sentral are at record low lev-
els; we have a sizable balance of payments surplus; our Gross International Reserves are at an all-time high; remittancesfromourmoderndayheroes areboundtosetanewrecordthisyear; our banking system is sound and stable; and our surveys indicate strong confidence in the future by the business sector and Filipino consumers.” ThelaunchingoftheNewGenerationBanknotes,accordingtoTetangco comes at an auspicious time as 2011 marksthe150thyearofNationalHero Dr.JoseRizalandthe25thanniversary of the People Power Revolution. The new banknotes, he said, took threeyearstocompletefromconceptualization to actual printing. ForthisNewGenerationPhilippine Banknotes Project, the Bangko Sentralreceivedthesupportofmanywho sharedthevisionofchangeforthecurrency. The result is a unified design sensibilityarisingfromacollaboration by Filipino designers Design System and Studio 5 Designs. Theinitialbatchproducedresulted fromthecollaborationbetweentheDe la Rue-Fil Anglo partnership with OberthurTechnologies-Sinophil. Alsoforthefirsttime,thesealofthe RepublicofthePhilippinesisnowpart of the banknotes, reinforcing the image of the peso as national symbols. ThenewlogooftheBangkoSentralng Pilipinas also makes its first appearanceonthebanknotes. AnothernewfeatureoftheNewGenerationseriesistheword“Pilipino”renderedintheancientbaybayinalphabet thatdoublesasasecurityfeature.
do Bagatasing and Gawad Kalinga founder Antonio Meloto. After the singing of national anthem by Ryan Cayabyab Singers, President Aquino took time to hear personal commitment and questions as well from various representatives fromMindanao,VisayasandLuzon. During the question and answer portion, President Aquino said he wouldcontinuetopromotehealthcare even to the far flung barangays of the
OPS
Aquino inaugurates New Calapan City Public Market CALAPAN City, Oriental Mindoro — President Benigno S. Aquino III has cited the perseverance and determination shown by locals here in the pursuit of progress which he said could be replicated nationwide. In his message during the inauguration of the New Calapan City Public Market here, the President commended the locals for facing up to the challenges and showing unity in such trials. “Tunaynasagisaganggusalingito sa kasipagan at katatagan ng mga Mindorenos.Ilangbesesmantinupok ng apoy ang inyong naipatayong pa-
milihan, hindi kayo nagpatinag. Bumangon kayo at muling nagsumikap”, the President said. From the old public market which was burned to ashes for the third time in May of 2008, the 200 million-new public market was built not just as a state-of-the-artedifice,butmoreover, as a significant structure symbolizing progress and testament to the resiliency and strength of an entire city. The Chief Executive expressed confidence that the realization of the newest initiative by the local government will uplift the lives of Mindorenos.
“Sa bagong public market na ito, nagtitiwala akong uunlad pa ang malusog nang ekonomiya ng Oriental Mindoro… marami pa ang turistang dadayo sa inyong magandang bayan na labis ang pagkatakam sa inyong masasarap na prutas”, he said. The almost 9,000 square meter, two-storey building, funded by the Land Bank of the Philippines in coordination with the local government of Oriental Mindoro, boasts of moderndesign,andcompleteandmodern amenitiesunheardofintheregionand evenintheentirecountry.Itsconstruction started in July, 2009.
MMDA grants additional truck ban exemptions to fuel tankers and lorries of other oil industry players
TOLENTINO
To forestall a fuel shortage that could be brought about by the continued closure of the First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) pipeline, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) granted additional truck ban exemptions to fuel tankers and lorries of other oil industry players, in addition to those already granted to Shell and Chevron.
MMC to have a say in franchise approval for public transport The Metro Manila Council (MMC)onTuesdayunanimouslyapproved a resolution requesting the LandTransportationandFranchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to allow the Metropolitan Manila DevelopmentAuthority(MMDA)andthelocalgovernmentunitsinMetroManila tohaveasayinthereviewandapprovalofapplicationsforfranchisesofpublic transport companies. The*20-memberMMC,thepolicy-makingbodyoftheMMDA,specifically urged the LTFRB’s parent agency,theDepartmentofTransportationandCommunication(DOTC),to lettheMMCsitintheRoadMeasurement Capacity (RMC) Group, the LTFRB body that determines if there is a need to introduce new franchises in certain routes. “The mayors should be involved inthedecision-makingprocesswhen it comes to giving out franchises to transportoperators.Theyknowthesituationontheground. Theyknowthe capacities of local road networks and they would know if there is a need to havemorePUVunitspassingthrough theirjurisdiction,”MMDAChairman Francis Tolentino said during the
MMCmeetingattheMuntinlupaCity Hall last Tuesday. As early as 2007, the MMDAhas beenrequestingtheLTFRBtorequire operators of public utility vehicles (PUVs) to secure clearance from the MMDAandpermitfromtheconcerned LGUsbeforeapplyingforafranchise tooperate. Tolentino said it has been the observationoftheMMCthattheLTFRB has been issuing new franchises over theyearswithoutconsultingtheLGUs concerned.Withlackofaccurateinformation from the concerned localities, this results to almost yearly increase in the number of PUVs plying the majorandsecondaryroads. Muntinlupa Mayor Aldrin San Pedro, a strong supporter of the proposal, said any application for new or renewalofCertificatesofPublicConvenience (CPC) within the National CapitalRegion(NCR)shouldhavethe endorsementoftheMMC. WithMMConboard,theLTFRB’s system of granting CPCs to PUV operatorswillbestreamlinedandfurther improved, with the primary objective ofreducingtrafficcongestion,hepointedout.
Tolentinoaddedthatthisproposed system is also needed to ensure that only legitimate PUV operators, especially bus companies, and those with clean records will be given franchises tooperate. Inexplainingthelegalbasisforthe MMDAtotakepartinthereviewand approval of CPCs, he cited Republic Act7924,theMMDAcharter,which mandatestheagency“tomanagetransportandtrafficinMetroManila,which includestheformulation,coordination, andmonitoringofpolicies,standards, programs and projects to rationalize the existing transport operations.” The LGUs, on other hand, is also empoweredbytheLocalGovernment Code to regulate the use of streets, avenues,alleys,sidewalks,andotherpublicplaces,andregulategaragesandthe operationofconveyancesforhire,Tolentinoadded. During the MMDA’s traffic summitonDecember3,Tolentinoproposed the amendment of Executive Order 202, the LTFRB mandate, to require PUVoperatorstoseekclearancefrom theMMDAandLGUsbeforeapplying for CPC. MMDAMedia
Rocky... (From page 1)
P-Noy was still reeling from jueteng-gatewhenhetookanotherhit for three controversial Tweets from a governmentofficial—AssistantSecretaryCarmen“Mai”Mislang–when he was inVietnam. Mislang’sTweetssparkedcallsfor her ouster but PresidentAquino, once again, stood by her, saying that her mistakes did not warrant her resignation. P-Noy’s lovelife also took centerstage after it was reported that he had broken up withValenzuela Council-
or Shalani Soledad, his girlfriend of almost two years. Days after the break-up, P-Noy was reported to have been dating his personal stylist and family friend Liz Uy. But the dating did not materialize into a full-blown romance as Uy said she wasn’t ready to start a very public relationship with the President. In2011,P-Noy’squestfortrueand lasting love continues, together with his campaign promises of “tuwid na daan.”
galnumbersgame,includingP-Noy’s close friend, Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno. Despite pressure from several sectors, P-Noy retained Puno’s services and later came out with a policy that “illegal drugs would be prioritized than jueteng”. This stand earned the ire of retired Lingayen-DagupanArchbishopOscar Cruz, who said that P-Noy is not following his “matuwid na daan” lead.
country, promising to sit down with different local governments as well asnon-governmentgroupstoaddress effectively the health condition of the poorest of the poor. Luis Oquinena, executive director oftheGawadKalingawhichisoneof the NGOs that supported even the President’s mother, former President Corazon Aquino, and Nueva Ecija Gloria Congco of Cabuiao, Nueva Ecija, made commitments to support
the President in fighting graft and corruption. The highlight of the event was the presentation of the official copy of “The Inaugural” book to President Aquino spearheaded by publisher Montelibano. The President then has been asked to sign five copies of the book which is the compilation of the important events from the death of former President Cory Aquino to the historic inaugural of President Noynoy Aquino lastJune30attheQuirinoGrandstand in Luneta. “Iwouldliketoextendmydeepest appreciation to all those who offered their times and talents just to publish this “The Inaugural” book. Most importantly, thank you to everybodywhogatheredstoriesofour success from the first automated elections up to the heroics act of our volunteers and our unity to fight the dark side of our history to bring significant reforms,” Aquino said in his message. The President said every page of “TheInaugural”wouldgiveeasyway to look back at the important part of the country’s history including his landslide victory with 15,208,678 votes in the last May 10 elections.
After a meeting with officials of the Department of Energy (DOE), Chairman Francis Tolentino approved the issuance of exemptions to 100 units belonging to Petron, Total, Sea Oil, Jetti, and Fil Pride. ”We will maintain the status quo on the exemptions of the 146 tankers of Shell and Chevron, which were directly affected by the closure. The additional exemptions for the other oil companies will help increase fuel supply in Metro Manila,” Tolentino said. Department of Energy figures showed that around 1.8 million liters of fuel demand could not be met by Shell and Chevron with the pipeline closure. Tolentino said the granting of additional exemptions was based
onthevolumeoffueldemandnotmet by Shell and Chevron divided by the average lorry capacity. Out of the 100 additional exemptions, 76 were issued to Petron, 14 for Total,6forSeaOil,and2eachforJetti and Fil Pride. The allocation of the tankers to be exempted among the other oil companieswasbasedonthepercentageof their market share based on DOE statistics. The exempted units will be issued individual certificates of exemption. Mondays and Fridays shall be excluded from the coverage. The exemption is not applicable alongRoxasBoulevard,TaftAvenue,and EpifanioDelosSantosAvenueandwill bevaliduntilJanuary3ofnextyear.
The Star I saw a star... I reached for it... I missed it... So, I accepted the sky.
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From the eMail...
INBOX La Union’s Bacurnay is...
(From page 1)
after a regular local election.Among its main agenda is the election of its officers, reports of the president and the treasurer and other important organizational matters. In between national assemblies, the League conducts its activities through the National Board and duly organized committees or councils as well as through its RegionalAssemblies that are headed by a Regional Chairman and a set of regional officers. With Bacurnay’s strategic connections in the ruling Liberal Party, it is expected that the new group of officers will maneuver the League to claim a tactical role in the administration of President NoynoyAquino. BacurnayiscurrentlytheDeputyDirectorGeneralforOperationsandOrganization of the Liberal Party and for some years he had been the Executive Director of the National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS) which is LP’s think tank and research arm. It was learned that his opponent had a fully funded campaign chest with the backing of other political forces. However, Bacurnay’s charismatic leadership, consistent political ground work and a tightly committed team finally prevailed during the balloting. Right after his proclamation, Bacurnay appealed for unity and extended a magnanimous handshake to everyone. This was positively accepted by the rival camp with a gesture of oneness and commonality of cause. PBML is an association of more than a thousand provincial legislators or sangguniang panlalawigan members in all the 80 provinces of the country.The League also includes the provincial federation presidents of the Liga ng mga Barangay, Philippine Councilors League and the Sangguniang Kabataan being ex-officio members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in their respective provinces. The other newly elected officers are Gary Ejercito (Quezon) -Vice President for Luzon; Renato Uy (Samar) - Vice President forVisayas; Myrna Romarate (Surigao del Norte) - Vice President for Mindanao; Enerio Sabulao (Eastern Samar) - Secretary General; Estrelita Suansing (Nueva Ecija) - Deputy SecretaryGeneral;MilaLauigan(Cagayan)-Treasurer;MoranTakasan(Compostela Valley) -Asst. Treasurer; Eduard Florendo (Bataan) -Auditor.Atie in the position ofAsst.Auditor is still to be resolved.
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December 16-31, 2010
Pres Noy bares P62m BPO PPP PRESIDENTBenigno S.Aquino III announced the allocation of P62-million to a public-privatepartnershiptofurtherpromote theInformationandCommunications-BusinessProcessOutsourcing(IT-BPO)industry in recognition of its significant contribution to the national economy. Inaspeechattheinaugurationofthreenew facilitiesofIBMPhilippinesattheUP-Ayala TechnohubalongCommonwealthAvenuein Quezon CityWednesday, the President said the IT-BPO sector from a virtual non-entity in 2001 has earned the sunshine industry status by generating over $9 billion in revenues, aside from employing close to 550,000 fulltime individuals in 2009 alone. The President said the back-office sector has also already hired 86,000 individuals, while35,000wereemployedinIToutsourcing this year. “Youhavecontributed10.2percentofthe growthoftheServicessector,whichcomprises about 49.5 percent of the country’s Gross DomesticProduct(GDP).Inthesecondquarter of 2010, you have already contributed 3.2 percent to the GDP growth, he said. The President said the sector is expected to gain some $12-13 billion in revenues by next year, and even rise to as much as $100 billion by 2020 or about 20 percent of the market share in the global industry. Withjobsgenerationamonghispriorities, the President said government will further developtheindustrythroughapublic-private partnership between the Commission on InformationandCommunicationsTechnology (CICT)andtheBusinessProcessingAssociation of the Philippines (BPAP) which will allowIT-BPOfirmstorecruitfasterbyequipping Filipino jobseekers with the appropriate skills. “We have already allocated a 62-millionpesofundtotheBusinessProcessingAssociationofthePhilippinesthroughtheCommission on Information and Communications Technology.Theyhaveagreedtoworktogether to implement activities promoting the ITBPO industry,” the President said. Under this partnership, the President said
President Benigno S. Aquino III inspects the new facilities that will provide Business Process Outsourcing services to clients during the inauguration of the IBM facilities at UP Ayala Technohub along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. Assisting the President are Bruno Di Leo GM for Growth Markets, IBM (far left) and James Velasquez president and GM, IBM Corp. (far right).
someoftheprogramsincludetheBPAPTalent Caravans; the Pilot Run for National CompetencyAssessmentTestforEntry-Level BPO Talent; Expanded Learning on IT ServicesorELITESTeacherTraining;andthe CapacityBuildingfortheHealthInformation ManagementOutsourcingIndustry. The President said the Technical EducationandSkillsDevelopmentAuthority(TESDA)isalsoworkingwiththeprivatesectorto furtherenhanceEnglishproficiencyandtechnical capabilities of the Filipino labor force tosuccessfullyqualifythemforemployment. Further studies, such as the Service ScienceManagementandEngineeringaccording to him will help ensure that a trained workforcewillalwaysbereadyforemploymentin the BPO and the emerging Knowledge Process Outsourcing industry. “We are confident that these projects will solidify the growth and competitiveness of yoursectorandwillachievegoalsofcreating morejobsandinvestmentsinthecountry,”he explained.
RamoncitoS.Fernandez,presidentandchief executiveofMPTC. Undertheagreement,BCDAwillgrantthe usufructuaryrightstoMNTC,whichinclude rightsandobligationstomanage,operateand maintaintheSCTEXforaperiodof25years. Theconcessioncanbestretchedoutforan additional eight years if the government approvesanextension. Undertheagreement,BCDAhasalsoassigned to MNTC its rights under the Toll OperationsAgreement (TOA), which was signedwiththeTollRegulatoryBoard(TRB) and includes the right to collect toll. "The assignment is subject to the necessary Philippine Government approvals and the consent of Japan Bank for International Cooperation/Japan International CooperationAgency(JBIC/JICA)aswellasMNTC’s creditors, among other conditions," MPTC
SCTEx
The President pointed out that public servants must be quick, efficient, and visible in establishing a business environment that allowsbusinessestothriveandprovidecitizens with opportunities to showcase their abilities and live comfortable lives. “For this reason, the Cabinet has pledged to work together to help sectors such as the BPO. Weare inaperiodofdaylightnow.Wehave droppedthedivisivepracticesthathavecharacterized the past years and we are eager to serve our bosses—the Filipino people. Our Cabinet is one that works, and we work for your benefit,” he said. Asthesecondlargestglobaldeliverylocation in the world, the President thanked IBM Philippinesforlocatingherein1937andrecognizing the Filipino workforce in providing world-class service to its clients and customers around the globe. The President said thePhilippinesisnowgearingtowardthefull promotion of public-private partnerships to spureconomicgrowth.
said. MNTC will pay BCDA a semi-annual concession fee amounting to the peso equivalentoftheyen-denominatedJBIC/JICAdebt service requirements for 2010 to 2016. From 2017 to 2043, MNTC will pay, as concession fee, 20 percent of the gross revenuesfromtheSCTEX. MNTC,asconcessionaireoftheSCTEX, will have overall management and supervision of the toll operations center, toll plazas, and all other related ancillary facilities and equipment. The tollway operator will also provide financial and other resources to run the toll operations. MNTCearliersaidthatitwouldspendP1 billion next year to finance expansion plans. Of the total, P400 million to P500 million would be allotted to finance the extensionofNLEXtoMcArthurHighwayinValenzula, while another P400 million would be spentontheSCTEX. The NLEX extension forms part of the eight-kilometerNLEX-HarborLinkProject, whichinvolvesprovidingaccesstoC-3Road leading to the port areas in Manila. Construction of the largely elevated road will cost about P8 billion, which MNTC expects to fund on its own. The expansion is designed to help decongest traffic in Metro Manila as it provides a directroutetotheCaloocan,Malabon,Navotas andValenzuela(Camanava)areafromNorth andCentralLuzon,bypassingEDSAandthe Balintawakinterchange. TheprojectalsosetsthestagefortheConnectorRoad,a13-kilometerelevatedexpressway that will connect NLEX from C-3 to SkywayinBuendiaAvenue,MakatiCity. Press Release
GSIS says pension disbursements totaled P18.78B The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) disbursed nearly P18.78 billion pension benefits in January-October, up by 11 percent from P16.87 billion in the same period last year. InastatementWednesday,theGSISsaidit paidP16.38billiontoold-agepensionersand P2.4 billion to survivorship pensioners. The state-run pension fund attributed the increase in disbursements to the growing numberofGSISpensionersontopoftheimplementation of the 1.5-percent increase in pension benefits. Since January this year, the 1.5-percent increaseinpensionbenefitshasbeenineffect but applying only to those who started contributing to GSIS since 2005. Thepensionfundforgovernmentemployees, which has close to 280,000 active pen-
sioners,hasdisbursedanaverageofP1.7-billion pension benefits on a monthly basis. “Pensioners of this state-run firm remain the highest earning retirees in the country today," the GSIS said. Apart from their monthly pension, pensionersarealsoentitledtocashgiftsattheend oftheyear. The GSIS said its domestic pensioners could withdraw their monthly pension, cash gifts, and even the proceeds of their pension loanfromanyMegalink,Bancnet,orExpressnetautomatedtellermachines(ATMs)nationwide. Pensionerslivingabroad,however,could alsowithdrawthesamebenefitsandloanproceedsfromanyATMabroadwithaVISAPlus Network at the currency of the country they arein.
Global 500’s top 10 companies of the world Rank Company ($ millions Profits 1Wal-MartStores 2 Royal Dutch Shell 3ExxonMobil 4BP 246,138 5ToyotaMotor
Revenues ($ millions) 408,214 14,335 285,129 12,518 284,650 19,280 16,578 204,106 2,256
Puregold plans $256M IPO in March PUREGOLDPriceClubInc.,ownerofthe biggest and fastest-growing supermarket chain in the country, is eyeing to raise up to $256 million (or roughly P11.2 billion) through an initial public offering (IPO) in Marchnextyear,2011. Puregoldplanstoopen40to50storesfrom 2010 to 2011 costing an estimated expenses of P4.6 billion. Currently, Puregold operates 56 outlets across Metro Manila and in the province, including Baguio City. Puregold plans to offer up to 700 million common shares, including a greenshoe option, at 16 pesos each. The offer, which will account for 36 percent of its outstanding stock after the IPO, consists of up to 500 million new shares and
up to 200 million shares from selling shareholders. The company said it has an option to sell 100 million more shares depending on marketdemand.Proceedswillbeusedmainlyfor storenetworkexpansion. Puregold has mandated HSBC, as international lead manager and BDO Capital & Investment Corp, as domestic lead manager for the share sale. According to sources, Puregold would aggressivelyexpanditsoperationsbyputting up more stores in the southern part of Metro Manila, especially Laguna, Batangas and Cavite provinces, through acquisitions or establishing new outlets. Recently, Puregold bought 10 supermarket stores owned by Sioland, mostly located
in SouthernTagalog. These are now being renovated and converted into Puregold outlets. Thecompanywillrequireacapitalinvestment of P180 million to P200 million for the constructionofanewstore,dependingonthe size. Co established Puregold’s first store at ShawBoulevardinMandaluyongCityinthe late90’safterhisduty-freebusinessinspecial economic zone was severely affected by the Asian financial crisis. With the rise of exclusive memberships andaffiliationstoexclusivesupermarketlike S&RandMakro,Puregoldopeneditsdoorto the buying public without membership requirements. Fitz Cecilio
Aboitiz to sell 100-year shipping business to Nenaco
MNTC inks 25-year contract to operate SCTEX MANILA--TheManilaNorthTollways Corp.(MNTC)isnowthelargestconcessionare of the longest and most modern expressways in the country. This, after the MNTC, secured a 25-year dealfromthegovernmenttomanageandoperate the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway(SCTEX).TheMNTCalsooperatesthe84-kilometerNorthLuzonExpressway(NLEX). TheMNTC,asubsidiaryofMetroPacific Tollway Corp.(MPTC), and the Bases ConversionandDevelopmentAuthority(BCDA) signedtheconcessionagreement,grantingthe NLEXoperatorrightstomanage,operateand maintainSCTEX. "The agreement has established for MPTCastrongerplatformforimplementing its plan to connect the entirety of Mega Manilathroughanetworkofexpressways,"said
Business Quorum
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6 Japan Post Holdings 202,196 4,849 7Sinopec 187,518 5,756 8 State Grid184,496 -343 9AXA 175,257 5,012 10 China Nat’l Petroleum 165,496 10,272
Inthepast,domesticandforeignpensionershadtomakepersonalappearancestowithdraw their pension benefits. For pensioners outside the country, both old-age and survivorship pensioners can already renew their active status through SKYPE or through the 262 GSIS Wireless AutomatedProcessingSystem(G-W@PS) kiosks all over the country. By the first semester of 2011, the GSIS will deploy additional 500 kiosks in all division offices of the Education Department, provincial capitols, city halls, clusters of municipalities, and government agencies acrossthecountry. GSISpresidentandgeneralmanagerRobert G.Vergara said they are studying ways to make it more convenient for pensioners to renew their status. “Our vision is to harness technology so that, eventually, all our pensioners need not come to the GSIS office for renewal of their active status. They can just do it in the comfort of their own homes through technologyenabledmeans,"headded. Hereaffirmedthemandateofthepension fund to provide retirement benefits to GSIS stakeholdersespeciallythosepensionerswho haverenderedyearsofpublicservice.
TheAboitiz family will sell its centuryold shipping business to Kuwaiti-backed rival Negros Navigation Co. Inc (Nenaco) for $81 million. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange,holdingfirmAboitizEquityVentures (AEV) said its board had unanimously agreed to sell Aboitiz Transport Systems (ATS) Corp. to its competitor. Aboitiz Equity and sister firmAboitiz & Co.(ACO),ownsaround92percentofATS. “AEV expects to receive approximately $81million"fromthesale,saidthecompany. “The agreement also requires Nenaco to makeatenderofferforallATSsharesowned by the public at the same purchase price to be paidtoAEVandACO,"thedisclosureread. “The divestment of [ATS] was a very difficult decision to make, considering the Aboitiz group has been in the transport businessforover100years,"saidErramonAboitiz, AEV’spresidentandCEO. Proceeds from the sale ofATS will help the Cebu-based family expand its banking andenergy-relatedbusinesses. In2009,Nenaco’sparentKGLI-NMHoldingsInc.,acompanyownedbyKuwaitiGulf Link Investments, offered to buy theAboitiz family’s transport business — a deal that fell through after the Kuwaiti group’s finances were strained by the global financial crisis. This time, Nenaco will finance the purchase ofATS with equity investments from China-ASEANMarineB.V.,aNetherlandsincorporated company wholly owned by China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund. China-AseanInvestmentisaprivateequity fund sponsored by the China Export-ImportBank. Under the terms of the deal with Nenaco, theKuwaiti-backedfirmwillbuytheAboitiz family’s interests in the transport sector, exceptthebusinessintereststhefamilyco-owns withtheJebsenGroupofNorway. Thesebusinessinterestsincludeshipmanagement,manningandcrewmanagement,and bulk transport held by the Aboitiz Jebsen group. To limit the deal with Nenaco,AEV will buythe62.5percentequityofATSinAboitiz Jebsen for P355.91 million. ACO will also acquireATS’s 50 percent equityinAboitizJebsen’scharteringbusiness for P44 million. “The buyout is expected to close on or before January 10, 2011,"AEV said in the disclosure.
Gaming industry big potential in PH KALIBO,Aklan--Agamingexpertatthe CollegeofDevelopmentCommunicationof the University of the Philippines-Los Banos (CDC-UPLB) said that the gaming industry
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has a big potential for both economic and employment opportunities for Filipinos worldwide. Professor John Paul Maligalig, a gaming expert and a professor of CDC-UPLB, said "Forseveralyears,manyFilipinoshavebeen employedinseverallargegamingcompanies worldwide. This is one of the sectors where Filipinos could succeed in terms of employment opportunities". He also believes that Filipinos could see the huge potential of the gaming industry by nextyear2011. "Whatweonlyneedhereinthecountryis
a large investment for the gaming industry," Maligalig said. Aside from creating online games, many Filipinos also work abroad as animators in severalgamingcorporations. With the onset of the internet technology, gaming is now being used for educational, entertainment, informative, marketing and even advertising purposes. Worldwide,thegamingindustryisamultimilliondollarindustry.Reportsaid,facebook creators becomeAmerica's instant millionaires because of the influence of gaming to their millions of members worldwide.
5 Tips on PAYING Yourself 1. Don’t pay yourself so much that you cripple your company or so little that you trigger IRS scrutiny and penalties. 2. Understand how your company’s legal structure affects your compensation and taxes.Your salary and bonuses are taxed oneway; distributions to you as a shareholder are taxed another. 3. Find out what the market rates are for CEOs in your industry and your size of business.Your trade association can help. 4. Seek advice from the best accountant and lawyer you can find. 5. If you were paid little or nothing in the first years of your business, don’t be ashamed of compensating yourself well when the business is successful.You’ve earned it. Brought to you by SCORE, America's small business mentors, at www.score.org. Ask SCORE
Korea to build 2 vegetable processing plants in PH DAGUPANCITY--TheKoreangovernmentwillextendmoregrantsfortheconstructionoftwovegetableprocessingplantsintwo separate areas in the country next year,AgricultureSecretaryProcesoAlcalasaidhereon Monday. Alcala, who was here to inaugurate the Korea-Philippines (Dagupan) Seafood Processing Plant, said these processing plants will be situated in two vegetable bowls in the country - La Trinidad, Benguet and somewhereinQuezontown. He said while the Korean government throughtheKoreanInternationalCooperation Agency(KOICA)willfinancetheproject,the
AgricultureDepartmentandthelocalgovernmentunitsconcernedhavealreadypinpointed the site where the structures will rise. SecretaryAlcalasaidhisagencyalsoconducted a study on the marketing aspect of the project and pinpointed the Department of SocialWelfareandDevelopment(DSWD)as possible good market outlet for processed vegetables. Under the plan, farmers may bring their productstotheprocessingcenterwhenprices ofvegetablesgodown,insteadofsellingtheir products at give-away prices or just letting their commodities to rot. In processing, the vegetables will be
cooked in desired recipes and then placed in sachets to be sold by theAgriculture Department and tagged the DSWD as the possible biggest buyer for its feeding program for malnourishedchildren. Alcala said the Department of Education couldalsouseprocessedvegetablesforitsown feedingprogramforschoolchildren. Asthevegetableprocessingplantsarebeing built, the DA will organize cooperatives for farmers who would supply vegetables to theplants,henoted.Alcalaforeseestheestablishment of the vegetable processing plant to stabilizepricesofvegetablesforthebenefitof the farmers and not the middlemen.
Profiles Quorum
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December 16-31, 2010
Extreme moments of ‘10 by Yahoo!
When the earth cracks under your feet and splits into a craterthesizeofathree-storyfactory,youknowthatnobody's going to believe you unless they see it for themselves. The next best thing: pictures.We can never resist the biggest, the brightest, the tallest, the smallest, that rare, fleeting moment -- like a sinkhole. Theyearcertainlybroughtextremesinweather,asrecords were broken for hot and cold throughout the United States. Poor South Dakota, now gripped in the chilly embrace of a blizzard-laden winter, had no less than seven presidential disasterdeclarationsin2010.Butattentionturnedeastwhen Washington, D.C., was brought to a standstill by snow and when a rare tornado dared to skip through Brooklyn. Wealsowitnessedsomewhoppersofafishtalethisyear. In France, angler Raphael Biagini reeled in a 30-pound koi carp that wouldn't fit in your average ornamental pond. The "legendarygoldfish,"however,wasallowedtoreturntothe lake whence it came -- after a snapshot, of course. In South “TOALL the girls I’ve loved before, who travelled in and out my door.” PresidentAquino could relate to the line from the Julio Iglesias hit as the list of women being linked to him or whom he had relationship with continues to grow as the day goes by. Considered as the most famous eligible bachelor in the country today, P-Noy’s lovelife has been the subject of news headlines, be it broadsheet, tabloids,television,radioandeventhe Internet. Now that he’s broken up with Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad, his girlfriend of two years, P-Noy’s name has been linked with several women, including his fashion consultant Liz Uy, a close friend of younger sister Kris; and then again with a formerAteno classmate of his younger sister in the name of Len Lopez. According to the grape vine, the ChiefExecutivemetLLduringaparty and then dated her at a posh restaurant Myron’s at Rockwell Makati the following day! But then the media got in the way and P-Noy shied away. Before the breakup with Soledad was confirmed, Noynoy was also linked to TV5 reporter and former child star PatriciaAnne Roque. Malacanang said there’s nothing wrong with P-Noy dating different women as he is a certified bachelor even as sister Ballsy appealed to the workingpresstospareandleavealone his brother on his lovelife. A personal matter of course but formerVice President Noli de Castro, who’sbackinthesaddleatABS-CBN says on the tabloids that it would very hard for P-Noy nor the media to leave the former alone with his personal affairs being the country’s top public personality. “As we said, PresidentAquino is single. Wala naman masama kung lumabas si Pangulo paminsan-minsan sa kakaunting time na meron sya (There is nothing wrong if the President goes out once in a while with the
Africa,aseacritterwastheaggressor:A40-tonwhalebodyslammed a yacht, but seafarers Ralph Mothes and Paloma Wernerwereabletomotorbackundertheirownpower. Otherjaw-droppersin2010: •BurjKhalifa,theworld'stallestskyscraperat818meters and then some, officially opened in January. • Sultan Kosen of Turkey is currently the world's tallest man at 8 feet, 2 inches -- but misses the record by 9 inches. •KhagendraThapaMagarofNepaliscurrentlytheworld's smallest man at 26.4 inches. His stature's good enough to get him a gig as Nepal's goodwill ambassador. • It's Christ the King versus Christ the Redeemer, as the Polish town of Swiebodzin takes on Rio de Janiero for world's tallest Jesus.According to the 78-year-old priest, Reverend Sylwester Zawadzki, who got the statue built, it measures 33 meters (108 feet), a meter for every year the religious figure lived. If you include the mound and the crown, it's 167 feet, taller than Rio's 125-footer. •AbadlandingcausedLufthansaCargoflightLH8460, reportedlycarryingchemicalsandweapons,tobouncethree times on the runway, split open, and catch fire, but everybodysurvived. •Andalwayscaptivating:thebestmeteorshowersofthe year. --VeraH-CChan Yahoo!Year in Review editorial lead for four years running, Senior Editor Vera H-C Chan dissects news events and search trends to share the why behind what's hot on the Web.
PROUD COUPLE servants of Immanuel Series Tuklasan Sector Marriage Encounter Phils., pose for posterity with “M.E.Father” Fr. Jess Fernandez, S.J., (seated, holding “IMMANUEL Series” placard) during the sector’s hi-tech and lively ‘Tuklasan in One White Christmas’ christmas party last Dec. 12, 2010 at the Public Safety Center Quezon City. From left to right are Sis. Melinda San Jose, Sis. Vilma Calvo, Bro. Dan, Sis. Weng San Carlos, Bro. Len San Carlos, Sis. Bench Santos, Sis. Bobitte Amigo, Bro. Sonny Santos, Sis. Lanie Gameng, Bro. Ismael Amigo, Bro. Noli Calvo and Bro. Rey San Jose. Immanuel Series is slated to hold another weekend seminar in Baguio City from March, 4,5 & 6, 2011. For inquiries, please text or call 0915-5517486. Note the tarp backdrop, Fr. Jess is on it garbed as St. Claus. He later drew wild applause with an MJ immortal “BIlly Jean” dance number from encountered couples-audience.
EXECUTIVE (LOVE) AFFAIRS
PNoy playboy prexy? By Fitzgerald Cecilio
Of this writing, P-Noy already asked the working media to leave him alone with his love life. Please.
P-Noy: Country’s top bachelor and Chief Executive too. Who can’t refuse the love and political magnet that goes with it? Ladies...will you form a line please...A playnoy, err, playboy? Nope. Depends on who’s talking. Perhaps just a “friendly kind of man.”
TV5 reporter and former child star Anne Roque. Again, short term. But what killed the love? Time? Pressure of work in Malacanang? Or media? Email us your comments.
limited time he has),” Deputy Presidential SpokespersonAbigail Valte said. Dating different girls is nothing new to P-Noy, who is rumored to be a
business PROfILES
PH exports to regain lost ground -- NEDA THE NationalEconomicandDevelopmentAuthority(NEDA)seesPhilippine merchandise exports maintain its strong performance. “Merchandiseexportsareanticipatedtoregainlostgroundasglobaldemand strengthens,”saidSocioeconomicPlanningSecretaryandNEDADirector-General CayetanoPaderanga,Jr.duringtherecentPhilippineExportersConfederationInc. (Philexport)FourthQuarterGeneralMembershipMeetingatSofitelHotel. “Worldmerchandisetradeexpandedby23percentinthefirstthreequartersof 2010, continuing the recovery that began in the second quarter of 2009. Despite this positive trend, the value of world trade remains below its peak level prior to the present financial crisis. So we do have some space to run up for a while,” Paderangasaid. DatafromtheNationalStatisticsOfficeshowthatthecountry’smerchandise export earnings grew by 37.1 percent from January to October 2010, backed by strongexternaldemandforsemiconductorsandelectronicproducts,agro-based products and mineral products. However,Paderangasaidtherewerealsoriskstoeconomicandtradegrowth such as the possible narrowing of investment sources. “Thestimulusspendingcausedcountriestorunupfiscaldeficitsandaccumulatepublicdebt.Poorfiscalmanagementinthesecountriesmayresultingovernments of developed countries competing with the private sector for funding and investors will be demanding a higher risk premium for holding bonds issued by a highly indebted country,” he said. Nevertheless, Paderanga said the government was “still optimistic that we would steadily attract investors to come to the Philippines. I think, investors are starting to recognize that the current government is aggressively continuing effortstostreamlinegovernmentprocesses,eliminatecorruptionanddevelopstrategic infrastructure to make the country more competitive”. He said that the latest Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Business Expectations Survey showed that business confidence was at an all-time high. The NEDA chief said the US dollar remained uncertain as the United States continued to address the slowdown in its economy that had huge fiscal deficit, weakeconomicgrowthandhighunemploymentrates. “While the rise of local prices has slowed down due to the appreciating peso, volatilityintheforeignexchangemarketraisestheuncertaintyonthefuturepath of domestic inflation, as movements in the foreign exchange rate impact on the cost of imported raw materials and commodities,” Paderanga said.
Ohh... la la. Then sexy and hot starlet Barbara Milano. Almost. Almost. Double almost had not sister Kris and other members of the family allegedly got in the way? Their failed relationship, however, netted Milano a provincial governtment seat in Tarlac or just as when her movie career was on the wane. She now refuses to talk about this. Past is past is past. Period.
womanizer even during the time of her late mother’s government. TheyoungNoynoyhadarelationship with broadcaster Korina Sanchez, who is now married to his friend, running-mate and losing vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas. Noynoy also had relationships withTVpersonalityBernadetteSembrano and moreso with sexy starlet BarbaraMilano. It was rumored that P-Noy almost married Milano but his family advised him not to because this will tarnish the image of the late CoryAquino. Duringthecampaignperiod,Aquino was linked to sexy star Diana Zubiri but the rumors died down. Bachelor as he is, Quorum bets someday soon, P-Noy will be linked toanotherwomanandyetanotheruntil of course, the country’s most eligible bachelor finally settles down with Ms. Right. Yes, finally. But the question every Filipino eagerly awaits is, when will the church bells ring? Will be it be during or within his six-year term or not? The longer it takes, the media frenzy heightens. Some quarters also aver that PNoy may have a similar fate as her younger sister Kris as far as lovelife is concerned. Kris already has her hands full on several love-of-my-life but still lady luck seems elusive as ever with the last one being cager JamesYap. Playboyornot,itcouldbethePresident’s age that may define the future. It would be too hard having a firstborn son or daughter at the age of 60.
Lady Diana Z: Only rumors? Personal designer Liz Uy. Short term. But what killed the love? Time? Pressure of work in Malacanang?
Industrialist Len Lopez. Again, short term. But what killed the love? Time? Pressure of work in Malacanang? Media pressure? Email us!
Influential TV personality Korina Sanchez. Almost. But what killed the love? Again, Kris?
Amiable TV personality Bernadette Sembrano. Almost. But what killed the love? Too prim and proper?
Soft-spoken Valenzuela councilor Shalani Soledad. Almost. But what killed the love? Time? Pressure of work in Malacanang? By the looks of it, Shalani is now living “happily ever after” as she is now visibly contented delivering slow, dreamy lines of “P-u-t-u-k-a-n N-a...! at TV5’s Willing Willie.
MVP directors inactive in paper’s board meetings Unusually, the three designated representatives of tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan sitting on the board of Business World Publishing Corp. have been skipping recent meetings of the board, eliciting suspicions from some employees of the Quezon City based broadsheet that their absence was their way of expressing MVP’s frustration on the paper, especially on the groups failure to wield their influence on the business daily. MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., the media conglomerate owned by the Beneficial Trust Fund of the Philippine Long Distance Company owns 30% of Business World that they acquired from the Zobels. It also owns other media establishments such as Associated Broadcasting Corp.,whichairsTV5,CignalDigital TV and broadsheets Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star. The MVP representatives in the board of the BusinessWorld include
Manuel V. Pangilinan
OrlandoVea,presidentofMediaQuest Holdings and formerAmbassador to the US, Albert del Rosario. Their absencefromthepaper’srecentboard meetings have set off talks that MVP is deliberately distancing himself because of labor issues that could disrupttheoperationsofthecompany. Early this year, Business World employees received the bad news
direct from management that the company would no longer give the traditional bonuses and incentives due to them because of business reverses. In all, employees had been receiving16-monthbonusesfromthe company consisting of the anniversary bonus, Christmas bonus, the legally mandated 13th month pay and the mid-year bonus plus one sack of rice monthly subsidy. Through its late founding President, publisher, editor-in-chief and chairman, Raul Lacson Locsin, formally committed these bonuses and clearly stated it in the company’s Employees’Handbook. Glaringly, this was a preemptive move to dissuade early employees, mostly remnantsofforerunnerBusinessDay, fromputtingupaunion.Management then even had to secure bank loans to answer these obligations to the employees. Union busting
Latest events, however, have rocked the paper. With the company experiencing financial problems, fast employee turnover and dwindling circulation subscription figures, the newlyinstalledmanagementteamhad to sell its commercial printing equipment and laid off half of its printing plant man force. It sold the newly constructed RLL Building fronting E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City to keep the company afloat and liquid. It is also currently reducing critical items of expense in running the com, primarily the granting of bonuses and incentives and delayed payment of sales commissions. But knowledgeable employeesknowbetterandthinkthat this is a clear case of mismanagement from the new managerial team who doesn’t have the skill of running a paper. The situation has alarmed employees, prompting some of them
to meet clandestinely to discuss the idea of organizing a union. However, came to know about it and immediately moved against the suspected employee leaders. Identifying the allege prime movers they initially banned them from entering the printing premises as a preemptive action. One Romeo Bachiller, head of the internal audit section, was constructively demoted to a lower position but justifying it as a lateral transfer, he eventually retired. Eric Clemente,Advertisingdeskman,was also effectively demoted and his monthly pay drastically cut. Clemente has lodged a formal suit withtheLaborDepartmentbuthewas eventually discharged from employmentlastweekfor“tardiness during lunch breaks.” He is set to file another case with the Labor Department for illegal dismissal and union busting.
GSIS, software giant IBM hammering out settlement package STATE-owned Government Service Insurance System is exploring the possibility of settling its legal battle with software giant IBM with whomithasfiledaP100milliondamage suit last year. GSIS president and general manager RobertVergara told reporters the pension fund's board approved of the plan and that he led a group of senior executives in meeting IBM Philippines officials to try to hammer out a mutually acceptable settlement package. Vergara,whocalculatedthatafavor-
ablecourtresolutionwouldbeenough togiveeachandeveryGSISmember only P65 in restitution, wants the involvement of the court in the settlementprocess. “This will not be an out-of-court settlement. We want the court to be present every step of the way,” he said. AccordingtoVergara,hecouldtry extracting from the software giant somemonetaryclaimsthatsomepensionerswanted,orhecouldtrytoforge an agreement that would help resolve the fund's computer software prob-
lems. Pursuingthedamageclaim,onthe assumption the court rules on its favor, would mean distributing an estimatedP65foreveryGSISmemberthat hesaidwasabenefit“nomoreexpensive than a fastfood chain's hamburger.” “Orwecantrytoarriveatsomeaccommodationwhereweenlistthehelp of one of the largest software companies in the world to try to solve the problems of our members,” Vergara said. AccordingtoVergara,thesettlement
planwaspartofabroadergoaltotransform the GSIS into the most servicefocusedgovernmententity. Hewouldnotsaywhenbuthenotedthatforthemoment,membercomplaints typically take two to six months to resolve on average. Theimmediategoalwastoreduce theresponsetimetotwoweeksinitially and then to one week much later, Vergarasaid. He also acknowledged the fund's data problems as quite acute, making imperativeaquickresolutionoverthe nearterm.
GSIS member complaints range fromthenon-postingofpremiumpayments to the taking out of loans that members never applied in the first place. Vergarasaidtherewasachancethe fund'sdataproblemscouldberesolved satisfactorily within five months but no way its problems with IBM resolved soon unless some form of settlement is found. “This thing with IBM will likely take a long time to resolve although the issues are being continuously pursued,”Vergarasaid.
Congress Quorum
5
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December 16-31, 2010
Umali refiles 8 P-Noy bills
Palawan solon seeks repeal of anti-bouncing checks law ALAWMAKERisseekingtherepealofthe anti-bouncingcheckslaworBatasPambansa Blg.22toupholdtheconstitutionalguarantee onnon-imprisonmentfordebtandtohelpdeclogcasesincourts. Rep.VictorinoDennisM.Socrates(2ndDistrict,Palawan)saidBP22"onitsfacerunscounter totheconstitutionalguaranteeandprotectionof personsagainstbeingimprisonedfordebt." "CriminalprosecutionsforviolationofBP 22involvepostdatedchecksissuedprecisely asevidenceofindebtedness,securedcollaterallybecauseofBP22,bythepersonallibertyof thedebtorwhoisalsothedrawerofthecheck," Socratessaid. "This is precisely what the Bill of Rights seeks to prevent, since liberty of the human personisabove,beyondandtranscendscommerce,"Socratesadded. SocratesauthoredHouseBill3045,which dismissesallpendingcriminalcasesforBP22 violationsuponeffectivityofthemeasure. HeassuredthattherepealofBP22would notleavethecreditorunprotectedbecausehe would still have recourse to a prosecution for estafaundertheRevisedPenalCode. Thecreditormayalsoafileacivilactionfor collectionofthesumofmoneyowed. UnderBP22,whichwasenactedin1979, any person who makes or draws and issues a checkknowingthathisorherbankaccountdoes nothavesufficientfundsshallbepenalizedwith imprisonmentof30daystooneyearorafineof
Carnapping proposed to become non-bailable A LADY lawmaker is strongly supporting the call of the Philippine National Police HighwayPatrolGroup(PNP-HPG)forCongress to declare carnapping as a non-bailable offense to enable the police authorities to effectivelycombatthecrime. "Iunderstandthefrustrationofourpolicemenwhogivetheirlivestryingtoputcarnappers in jail, only to find out later that they are out on bail faster than getting them behind bars," Rep. JosephineVeronique R. LacsonNoel (Lone District, Malabon City) said. "Carnapping is, by nature, a dangerous, threatening crime. I consider it no different from other crimes that physically harm victims and other forms of theft. If we are able to holdsuspectsforothercrimesagainstpersons directly, this crime against property should benon-bailable,"Lacson-Noelsaid. But more than making carnapping nonbailable, the greater need is to hasten the processing of cases to ensure that even if these criminalswereoutonbail,theywouldsurely be jailed if convicted, Lacson-Noel said. Under the law, carnapping suspects can postbailrangingfromP100,000toP180,000 -peanutsforacrimewithhighreturns,accordingtoLacson-Noel. Thelawmakernotedthatrecently,carnappersarebecomingmoreandmoreviciousand bold due to the high pay-offs. "They won't hesitate to kill or maim just to get away scotfree so they could continue with their 'lucrative,' albeit illegal, activities," Lacson-Noel said. "Sadder still, authorities who chase and apprehend these criminals get hurt or killed," Lacson-Noeladded. Shesympathizedwithcitizenswhosesense ofsecurityisthreatenedbycrimesandreports ofcrimes. "It is our duty to our citizens to ensure that we are able to protect their right to feel safe in their own neighborhood.We need to amend thelawifonlytoprovidehigherprotectionto ourpolicemenandourcitizens,"Lacson-Noel stressed.
notlessthantonotmorethandoubletheamount ofthecheck. Boththefineandimprisonment mayalsobeimposedbythecourt. Thesamepenaltyisalsoimposeduponany personwho,havingsufficientfundsinorcredit withthedraweebankwhenhemakesordraws andissuesacheck,failstokeepsufficientfunds ortomaintainacredittocoverthefullamount ofthecheckifpresentedwithinaperiodof90 daysfromthedateappearingthereon,forwhich reasonitisdishonoredbythedraweebank. TherepealofBP22wouldalsoreducethe numberofcasesthatclogthecourts,according toSocrates.Socratesnotedthatbaddebtsswamp municipal trial courts with collection cases masqueradingascriminalprosecutionsforviolations of BP 22.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. administers the oath of office to two new members of the House of Representatives last Monday, November 15 following the special elections conducted recently by the Commission on Elections in their respective districts. Shown, in the presence of their families, taking their oath before Belmonte are (top photo) Rep. Ma. Victoria R. Sy-Alvarado of the 1st district of Bulacan and Rep. Hussein P. Pangandaman of the 1st district of Lanao del Sur. There are now 280 members of the House of Representatives.
INSUPPORTofPresidentAquino'slegislative agenda, Oriental Mindoro 2nd District Rep. Reynaldo Umali has refiled eight of the ChiefExecutive'sbillsthathesponsoredwhen he was still senator. AmongthemareHouseBillNo.942oran Act Increasing the Penalties onWage Rates Non-Compliance,HBNo.943ortheWorkers Productivity Incentives, HB No. 944 or the Budget Impoundment ControlAct and HBNo.945orthePublicWorksReformsAct. Rep.UmalialsorefiledHBNo.946orthe Superior ResponsibilityAct, HB No. 947 or theJudiciaryIndependenceEnhancementAct, HB948ortheAppointeeIneligibilityActand HBNo.949oranActAmendingtheGovernmentProcurementAct. "I believe that these bills would help PresidentAquino achieve his mission of giving thepeoplethegoodandcorrupt-freegovern-
ment they deserve," Umali said. Inaletter,PresidentAquinothankedUmali for his move, saying that he is looking forward to working with the lawmaker for the passage of the said bills. BeforeenteringpoliticstoreplacehisbrotherAlfonsoUmaliJr.,thecongressmanserved as Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs for more than three years. Presently,Alfonso Umali is now the governor of Oriental Mindoro and president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines. Umali is vice chairman of the Committees on ConstitutionalAmendments, Ways andMeansandGoodGovernmentandPublicAccountability. Heisalsoamemberofthememberofthe Committees onAppropriations, Games and Amusements, Justice, and Information and CommunicationTechnology.
The Fallacy of judicial intervention on impeachment cases (This is the first part of the privilege speech delivered By Honorable Reynaldo V. Umali, 2nd District, Oriental Mindoro House of Representatives, Congress of the Republic of the Philippines) Mr. Speaker and distinguished Members ofthisAugustChamber:Istandbeforeyou today to highlight a constitutional anomaly which, to my mind, is tantamount to judicial dictatorship brought about by the judicial intrusion of the Supreme Court overthesolepowerofCongresstopreside over impeachment cases under the Constitution. Itismysense,Mr.Speaker,thatourHonorable Supreme Court overstepped an exclusive congressional prerogative when it issued a resolution en banc on September 14, 2010, in G. R. No. 193459, requiring the Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives, to observe the status quo in the pending impeachment proceedings oftheHonorableOmbudsman.Themodest submission of this humble representation is not about adherence to party affiliations or advancing a political agenda, or whether or not there is merit to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas N. Gutierrez because in the realm of due process, there is an appropriate time and opportunity for that. Mr. Speaker, I was moved to take the floor because, as a Member of this great Institution - like you, as well as every government and public functionary, I am sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I do not intend to bore you, my distinguished Colleagues, with the mechanics, the history, the nature, and the niceties of impeachment. I know that many of you are more familiar with these. I stand here beforeyoutoday,distinguishedLadiesand Gentlemen of this August Chamber, to defend the doctrine of separation of powers, the principles of the system of checks and balances, and to invoke the specific and exclusive constitutional mandate of Congressoverimpeachmentcases,topreclude a probable constitutional dilemma that may result in an anticipated constitutional crisis. We all uphold and submit to the legal maxim that the Constitution is what the Supreme Court says what it is – obviously because it is the final arbiter of all constitutional and legal controversies arising under our fundamental law – our Constituion. This is the very core of the power of judicial review - meant to check the excessesofgovernment,subsumedunderjudicial power, now ordained as a 'duty' under the Constitution. When the Supreme Court speaks, we all say 'amen', 'amen','amen'. We all think, or perhaps believe, that this is a perfect arrangement for the rule of law to prevail in this land at all times. Over time, and as it appears now, the Supreme Court has evolved as the most
powerful and superior instrumentality of our State. But, what if the Supreme Court itself commits a serious error or a grave abuse of discretion, amounting lack, or in excess, of jurisdiction, with regard to interpreting the Constitution? The answer is simple. That constitutional error - no matter how simple or grievous - would find its way into our legal system as a judicial precedent, following Article 8 of the Civil Code.And, when the exercise of judicial prerogatives subvert the Constitution, the only plausible remedy left on the other side of our constitutional spectrum is to cause the impeachment of the Magistrates of the High Court for culpable violation of the fundamental law - an idea we all dread for sure. Despite the frequently invoked pronouncements of the Supreme Court in the November 10, 2003 landmark case of Francisco vs. House of Representatives, involving the constitutionality of the second impeachmentproceedingsagainstformerChief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr., I wish to call your attention, my distinguished Colleagues, to the fact that the constitutional propriety of such judicial intervention in the Francisco case - and the current controversy involving the Ombudsman - is fallacious. In both cases,theSupremeCourtover-extendedthelimits of judicial power and crossed the borders of legislative prerogatives - utterly disregardingthebasictenetsofseparationofpowers, the system of checks and balances, and public accountability. Time and again, our Supreme Court has been echoing in its decisions the venerable Justice Jose P. Laurel when he said that the “the doctrine of separation of powers is intended to secure action, to forestall overaction, to prevent despotism and obtain efficiency”. I repeat – to prevent despotism. Mr. Speaker, now is the most propitious time for this co-equal Institution to put a halt to the looming possibility of judicial despotism in the guise of the power of judicial review. Aftercarefulstudyanddiscernment,Iuphold the thesis that judicial intervention over the powers of Congress to initiate, try and decide impeachment cases emanates from a misleading and erroneous constitutional notion of judicial power.There is no debate, Mr. Speaker, that our impeachment process consists of two steps. The first is the accusatory phase, or the impeachment proper - exclusively lodged with, and exercised by, the House of Representatives. The second is the impeachment trial exercised by the Senate, sitting as a court or tribunal. The two pertinent provisions of our fundamental Charter that conferred these powersofCongressinimpeachmentcasesarethe follows: Section 3 (1) of Article XI of our Constitution which provides that: “(T)he
Cong. Reynaldo V. Umali ( 2nd District, Oriental Mindoro ) House of Representatives shall have the exclusivepowertoinitiateallcasesofimpeachment”; and Section 3 (6) ofArticle XI of our Constitution that provides that: “(T)he Senate shall have the sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment”. Please take note, my distinguished Colleagues, that both provisions made reference to the “power” of Congress as either “exclusive” or “sole”. These twin provisions are very much unlike that of the constitutional creation of the Senate or House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal in Section 17,Article VI as the “sole judge” of all contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of their respective Members.As the sole judge, the acts, orders and decisions of the Electoral Tribunals are plainly subject to judicial review.At any rate, it is indubitable from the aforecited Constitutional provisions that the use of the word “power” with the qualifier “exclusive” and “sole” in impeachment cases, could only mean that the jurisdiction over impeachment cases or proceedings is conferred by the Constitution only to Congress, which I humbly submit, is beyond the ambit of judicial power of the Supreme Court - even on issues involving constitutionality. Mindyou,iftheHonorableOmbudsman honestly believes that the impeachment complaint (or complaints) filed against her is unconstitutional, the proper remedy is to raise this matter as an affirmative defense in heranswertotheimpeachmentcomplaintor complaintsduringtheaccusatorystageinthe House of Representatives. Or, in the alternative, to invoke, as a ground in a motion to quash, theArticles of Impeachment before the Senate, acting as an impeachment court, during the impeachment trial. My thesis is that the resolution of any constitutional objections involving impeachment can only be resolved ultimately, and with finality, by the Senate - acting as an impeachment court. Regretably, and with all
due respect, I cannot also subscribe to the High Court’s view that such resolution is subject to judicial review. On this score, we should not lose track of the legal maxim that impeachment cases, by their very nature, are sui generis and are purely political in nature. Impeachment is one such clear case of a purely political question, over which the Supreme Court cannot preside - even if the issue involves testing conformity with the requirements of the Constitution. It is the role and duty of the Senate to ensure such constitutional adherence. I dare say, that if there is one power lodged in the legislative department that cannot fall within the justiciable controversies cognizable by the High Court, it is impeachment. WhenourSupremeCourtexercisedits judicial power and power of judicial review in the Francisco case, it justified itselfbysaying,that,andIquote:“Theproblem in applying the foregoing standards is that theAmerican concept of judicial review is radically different from our current concept, for Section 1,ArticleVIII of the Constitution provides our courts with far less discretion in determining whether they should pass upon a constitutional issue. In our jurisdiction, the determination of a truly political question from a non-justiciable political question lies in theanswertothequestionofwhetherthere are constitutionally imposed limits on powers or functions conferred upon political bodies. If there are, then our courts are duty-bound to examine whether the branch or instrumentality of the government properly acted within such limits.” I, most respectfully and humbly, beg to disagree. To prove my point why the Supreme Court is devoid of jurisdiction over impeachment cases, I would like to request you, my distinguished Colleagues, to apply the test of anticipated constitutional crisis. Mr. Speaker, in the Francisco case, the constitutionality of the second impeachment case against former Chief JusticeHilarioDavide,Jr.waschallenged, entertained,anddecideduponwithimpunity by the Supreme Court. And this House, during the 14th Congress, lamentably said “amen”. But please, take notice that then Chief Justice Davide, Jr. inhibited himself from thedeliberationsandtheultimatedecision of the High Court in the Francisco case. The reason is obvious – he cannot stand bothasanaccusedandajudgeatthesame timeoverhisimpeachmentcasethenpending before his court. I can only wonder what would have happened if majority, if )To be continued next issue
Rep. Arthur Yap
Limit high credit card interest - Yap ALAWMAKERwantstodeclareascriminal act the imposition of credit card interest rates and penalties higher than the prescribed limits. Rep.ArthurYap (3rd District, Bohol) has filed House Bill 1235, which seeks to limit the imposition of credit card interest rate to 1 percentpermonthor12percentperannum. Aside from the limit on the interest rate, themeasurewouldlikewiseimposealimitof 1percentpenaltychargepermonthor12percent per annum and criminalize the offense for would be violators. Yap cited a recent news article stating that there are now four million Filipinos holding aroundsixandhalfmillioncreditcardswhose number approximates about five percent of the entire population. "Duetotheaggressivemarketingofcredit card companies, this number is expected to riseintheverynearfuturebecauseconsumers are being constantly wooed by promos and other marketing gimmicks, to avail and use their credit cards for their everyday purchases," saidYap. Yap said it is very unfortunate that a big percentageofthesecreditcardholdersdonot possess the discipline in the use of their credits. He said instead of being mere substitutes for the use of cash, the credit cards are being usedasanextensionofcashormoneywhich they presently do not have. "Itissaddeningthatthesepeople,whoare mostlyfixedincomeearnerswithnoadditional money or provisioning for debt servicing, end up in debt. With the credit card companies imposition of very prohibitive, exorbitant and unconscionable interest rates, penaltyandotherfinancecharges,thesecreditcard usersdigthemselvesagraveofdebt,"Yapsaid. Under the bill to be known as the "Credit CardUsersProtectionActof2010,"allcredit card companies shall be allowed to impose a maximum of one percent per month or 12 percent per annum for interest rates and one percentpermonthor12percentperannumfor penaltycharges,compoundedannually. Itfurtherstatesthatnootherfinancecharges shall be allowed except reasonable attorney's fees and cost of collection. Anycreditcardprovider,whoshallbefound guiltyofviolatinganyoftheoffensesprovided under theAct, shall be imprisoned for a period of six years and shall be slapped with afineofP500,000andsuspensionorrevocation of their business permit.
Stiffer penalties for hoax interior designer
SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT: Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Chairman of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Cooperatives (JCOCC), extends a handshake to BIR Commissioner Kim Henares (4th from left) after their recent meeting in the Senate where they agreed to ease the BIR requirements on cooperatives seeking certificate of tax exemption from the revenue agency with them are (L-R) CDA Executive Director Atty. Niel Santillan, Congresswoman Emmeline Aglipat and Congressman Jose Ping-ay, co-chair of the JCOCC.
THE House Committee on Civil Service has reported out for floor deliberation a consolidated bill that slaps stiffer penalties for the illegal practice of interior design in the country. The measure, which consolidates House Bills 909 and 2134 filed by Reps. SusanA.Yap (2ndDistrict,Tarlac)andCarlosM.Padilla(LoneDistrict,NuevaVizcaya),respectively,seeks to address the proliferation of illegal practitioners presenting themselves to consumers as professional Interior Designers or Consultants. HB 909 penalizes a foreign interior design firm or individuals who shall be found guilty of illegally practicing their profession in the country, with a fine of a minimum of fifteen percent (15 percent) of gross fees under P5 million and a minimum of ten percent (10 percent) of gross fees above P5 million. In addition to this, offenders shall be made to pay back taxes to the Philippine government, imprisoned for not less than six (6) months but not more than three(3) years, or both fined and imprisoned or permanently banned from further practice in the Philippines at the discretion of thecourt. "Localprofessionalinteriordesignersshallbenefitfromtheproposedmeasureastheamended penal provisions and prohibited activities could prevent the widespread influx of large foreign firms and foreign designers and consultants in the design and construction field,"Yap said. Themeasureshallalsopunishtheillegalpracticeofunlicensedinteriordesignerswithafine of not less than P300,000 but not more than P1 million, revocation of certificate of registration or imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than three years, or both fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court.
Creation of rubber authority sought by Zambo solon ALAWMAKERhasfiledameasurethat wouldestablishanagencythatwillguideand promote the growth and development of the rubberindustry. Rep.AuroraEnerio-Cerilles(2ndDistrict, ZamboangadelSur)saidthebenefitsofsuch growthshallaccruetothegreatestnumberand provide continued leadership and support in the integrated development of the industry. House Bill 1350 seeks to create the PhilippineRubberAuthoritythataimstopromote
and accelerate development of the rubber industry and provide directions for the steady and orderly development of the industry. "Improvingtherubbersectormustbedone earnestly and the expansion of the industry must not end with the production of natural rubber.Otherareaslikemanufacturingofrubber products must also be explored and this would certainly provide additional revenue forthecountryandprospectiveemployment to the displaced Overseas FilipinoWorkers
(OFWs) as well," Enerio-Cerilles said. Enerio-Cerilles said the Philippines is the sixth largest producer of rubber in the world withatotalplantationareaof80,000hectares foundinMindanao.Thecurrentdomesticconsumption of 160,000 to 180,000 tons is expectedtoincreaseto250,000tonsasdemands increase steadily by 15 percent to 20 percent annually. Philippine rubber industry exports about40percentofitsnaturalrubberproduction to Malaysia, China and Singapore.
MEDICAL MISSION: Two elderly women approached Sen. Manny Villar to personally thank him for the medical mission he initiated at the Orani Covered Court in Bataan. Over 500 residents received free doctor’s consultation, vitamins and medicines. Orani is the hometown of Villar’s mother, Curita Bamba.
Establishment of centralized national sewerage system eyed ALAWMAKERproposedtheconstructionofseweragesystemsandwastewaterand septage treatment facilities nationwide in a bidtoconserveandprotectthewaterresources of the country. Rep. Carmelo Lazatin (1st District, Pampanga) has filed House Bill 1296 establishingacentralizedseweragesystemandawastewater and septage treatment facility in every city and municipalities within five (5) years upon the enactment of the proposed act. To be known as the "Sewerage Systems
andWastewater and Septage Treatment FacilityAct of 2010," the bill mandates local government units (LGUs) to assist component cities and municipalities in the formulationoftheirrespectivewaterconservationand wastewatermanagementprograms. LazatinsaidtheLGUsisalsomandatedto extendtechnicalandmaterialsupporttotheir component cities and municipalities in connecting their existing sewerage lines and in the construction of new sewerage lines. Lazatin said the bill will compliment the
goals set forth by the RepublicAct 9275 or theCleanWaterActof2004. "The passage of RA 9275 is a legislative milestone in recognizing the importance of our water resources in lieu of our quest for sustainable national development. Itdefinedtheparametersandmechanisms onhowoursocietyshoulddealwiththeyears of neglect, apathy and programs failures on the issue of waster as an important economic resource,"Lazatinsaid. Press Release
Opinion Quorum
6
December 16-31, 2010
‘Borrowed peace’
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Voice Of The News
Error-laden administration of... Here we go again. From another kapalpakan to another and another and President Noy, if at all, is seemingly getting tired of covering up for his minions’ kapalpakans. It’s really hard being President. We know that. And it is much harder covering up misdeeds of your underlings because the public, especially nowadays, doesn’t feel satisfied anymore with “I am sorry” lines made famous by the previous admin. “Heads should roll!,” they E D I T O R I A L say. From EO1, to the HK tourists hostage fiasco at Luneta, the Vietnam “wine sucks,” to the ugly Pilipinas Kay Ganda ending, to the Nobel Peace Prize boycott and what else, here we go again. Now our very own P-Noy is hell bent explaining (again) to the public that “There is some degree of artistic license going on” before inquisitive reporters regarding the latest flap on the new bank notes. We thought these are only applicable to poems or odes where “poetic justice/ license” abounds/permitted and not to financially sensitive matters. P-Noy further stressed, “ If I want to find a particular area, I look for a map or I go to the GPS” visibly referring to the misplaced subterranean river in Palawan in the new P500 bill out of bounds by hundreds of kilometers. Not only that. Aside from the geographically-challenged Philippine maps on the new bills there is also the rare parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis) that got a wrong-color beak in the new bank notes that are already being distributed to banks by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and may be available by Christmas. All of these bears P-Noy’s signature. Meaning, however wide of the mark they are, they have the official seal of the President. Read: Errors duly approved by the Chief Executive. If we are to believe our very own P-Noy, all we have to do is just to ignore whatever mistakes there are in the new banknotes and not use them as maps per se in visiting tourist spots in the Philippines my Philippines. It’s as simple as that. But, in reality, this reminds us of MJ’s hit song Billy Jean and Hitler’s pronouncement that “A mistake or a lie, when repeated over time, becomes the truth!” Modesty aside, then PGMA proves the wiser. She never let it pass. When she saw her surname misspelled as “Arrovo” she promptly ordered the BSP to hold the distribution of all printed bills bearing that single-letter mistake. Now all these subtly tell us that we have to live by it – an error-laden administration, yes, of those new peso bills by the BSP. Whew! Muntik na tayo dun.He…he…he… From the eMail...!
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The Star I saw a star... I reached for it... I missed it... So, I accepted the sky.
COMMENTARY
A convenient lie
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follow the Constitution. And, why can’t we give the fertilized ovum the benefit of the doubt by protecting it? We are told that a reproductive health law is crucial to ensuring maternal health, inasmuch as eleven mothers die daily from complications arising from pregnancy. The hidden message is: no pregnancy, no death. Ergo, distributing state-subsidized contraception is the easy way to maternal/reproductive health! (Incidentally, shouldn’t maternal health concerns include the prevention of cancer, high blood pressure and other known adverse effects of birth control pills and devices on their users?) Surprisingly,defendersofwomen’s“empowerment”havenotbattedaneyelashagainstthe Department of Health’s acknowledged goal of two million ligated or sterilized women by 2015. According to the DOH, the procedure will cost P1,500 if performed in a government facility. (Under pending RH legislation, for poor patients, the full cost will covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and/or government public assistance.) Large-scale ligation will supposedly promote reproductive health and respect for each woman’s“inherentrightoverherownbody”. But,bycripplingawoman’sGod-givencapacity to create life, aren’t we destroying the essence of her mother/person hood and her dignity? Incidentally, the DOH’s plan is discriminatory. Only 30,000 men have been targeted for genital invasion through vasectomy by 2015, although the procedure costs much less - P500. Mass sterilization of women and men – the most “cost-effective” final solution in the war on poverty? Constitution upholds marriage Our friends in the RH camp say that they want principally to help “couples, parents and individuals” (married, we hope, as the Philippine Constitution upholds marriage and the family as the bedrock of society) to achieve their desired family size. But they should realize that the State has no business to even suggest the desirable number of children. Otherwise, the State would infringe on the fundamental rights of spouses and parents, and go against deeply held Filipino values that children are our “wealth” and not our “liabilities”. Respected demographers warn that a two-child policy will hasten the decline and dyingout of the Philippine population starting around 2020, and undermine the viability of our economy and social security systems. Ironically, several RH bills pending in Congress seek to establish two as the ideal number of offspring. We must therefore guard against efforts by national, local and foreign governments to foist a radical depopulation policy. This will be attempted through provisions in the RH bills requiring, among others, sexuality education for youth aged 10-19, easier access to affordable or birth control services, sanctions against uncooperative health providers. Ongoing and proposed programs, such as the Conditional Cash Transfer undertaking of the Department of Social Welfare and Development should also be monitored closely. Apell-mell rush into a “contraceptive society” will trigger a tectonic shift and create dangerous fissures in our family mores and relationships. There will be profound and damaging consequences on the stability and character of our economic, social, political, cultural and religious institutions. Hopefully, we and our lawmakers will give adequate consideration to the far-reaching implications of the RH and Population and Development bills, and REJECT them.
Another “I’m sorry” story in the offing Whew!Bythelooksofit,wehaveanother major, major “I’m sorry,” episode in the offing under P-Noy’s watch. Reports fromAgence France-Presse and Michelle V. Remo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer claim we do have geographicallychallenged Philippine maps and a rare parrot withthewrong-coloredbeakinthenewbank notes rolled out by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently. Said brand new banknotes are scheduled to be distributed this Christmas containing P-Noy’s signature. Critics aver the new bank notes miserably failed in graphics while the flipside of the new 500-peso bill featuring a blue-naped parrothaditsredbeakmangled(perhaps,just topleaseP-Noywithhisyellowcolorcode!), incorrectly rendered in yellow. Its tail feathers also came out with a green color instead of the original yellow. AFP and Remo also mentioned other lapses thus:Amap on the same bill—which also carries portraits of Mr. Aquino’s late parents—mislocates Palawan’s Saint Paul’s subterranean river that has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site. “Yes, they have made a very big booboo ontheparrot,”cartographerJonVillaspersaid in an interview. Villasper is an authority in theavianworldasheisamemberoftheWild Bird Club of the Philippines.
TheBSPalsomisplacedTubbatahaReef by around 400 kilometers! And then it also omitted Batanes on the map. “I believe they also misplaced Saint Paul’s subterranean river,” Villasper told Agence France-Presse by e-mail. Printed on the 1,000-peso bill is a map locating the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, another prized Philippine UNESCO world heritage site, on or near Malaysian territorial waters. The map of the Philippines featured on six different bills redraws the country’s territory, places its northern limit 150 kilometers south of the actual line and excludes the Batanes island group. The Pilipinas Kay Ganda fiasco is still so fresh in the minds of thinking Filipinos courtesy of the Department ofTourism. It was later withdrawn amid charges that its slogan was forgettable even as it also copied Poland’s campaign. On the net, PKG also has a pornographic site. PKGpromptedaDOTundersecretaryto file a resignation letter as his brainchild became a subject of ridicule among social networking sites. Its biggest hit was that on the You Tube where Hitler scolded his minions no end capped with a P_ _ _ _ g I _ _ Talaga! line. Grabe na talaga toits!
ISMAEL ‘EL’ AMIGO
Better Late Than Never Methinks, the new bank notes booboo will gather a similar wind of disgust not only from Hitler but the public at large. Way back 2005, the BSPwas also forced to withdraw bills where then President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo’snamebecame“GloriaArrovo.” Here’s another: the BSPalso issued a 50centavocoinin1980wherethescientificname ofthePhilippineeagle(Pithecobhagajefferyi) wasmisspelledPithecophagajefferyi. When will we learn? When will we rise up from these “trials and errors”?
‘Truth Comm intended to help PGMA’ REACTIONS POUR IN: Reactions poured in regarding our items on the Truth Commission, and on man being afflicted with madness and confusion of mind because of his refusal to listen to God and to obey His commands and decrees. I yield to these reactions today. *** TRUTHCOMMISSIONINTENDED TO HELP PGMA: Lawyer Demaree J.B. Raval, who is a columnist of the Daily Tribune while being an official of the United NationsDevelopmentProgramspecializing onAfghanistan affairs, said theTruth Commission (TC) is a device to delay the prosecution of former PresidentArroyo (GMA). His reaction: “YouaskwhythelawyersinMalacanang, our brods included, despite knowing that they were treading on illegality, proceeded with putting up the commission just the same. “PNoyenteredintoamodusvivendiwith GMAimmediatelybeforeelectionday.Puno andmanyothersswitchedsides,remember? So, PNoy is going soft on GMA. He is not serious at all. Everything is being done to delay the prosecution of GMA, et. al. *** EOCREATINGTRUTHCOMMIS
SIONDESIGNEDTOFAIL:“TheTCisone such device to delay. EO1 (Executive Order No. 1) was crafted purposely to be declared unconstitutionalbytheSC(SupremeCourt). Imagine, the time already lost since June 30, with the issue before the SC, then the MR (motion for reconsideration) on the decision. “IfPNoywantstoprosecuteGMA,hecan direct the immediate filing of cases.All the evidencetoconstituteprobablecausearestaring us in the face. I tell you, by 2016, we will still be debating on what to do with GMA, withnocaseofconsequencefiledagainsther. “Keep writing. I enjoy reading Batas Mauricio.Ako, tumigil na muna saTribune. BusyakosaakingtrabahoanywhereandeverywherewithUNDPandUSAID.Godbless you and Angie and your children. PROF. DEMAREEJ.B.RAVAL. *** LIFEIMPRISONMENTFORFATHER WHOKILLEDSON:“08December2010. Atty. Mauricio: I amAtty. Ray B. Fagutao, one your readers.You are right in your opinion that the father may be insane as only a person of unsound mind can do such act. As a human being, my knee jerk reaction was to cry for the application of the law of retaliation.As a lawyer, I prefer to hear his side, apply the law and mete the appropriate
ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO
It’s the law! penalty. “Nonetheless, a lifetime in jail, no matter how light in the eyes of the death penalty advocates,isstillarighteousendasonlyGod has the right to take away what he has given….” The rest of Atty. Fagutao’s reactions will be posted in our next issue. *** BATASINTERNETTV,BATASINTERNETRADIO:PleasewatchBATASINTERNET TV through the website www.batasmedia.com.Weareontheair24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Disiplina susi sa pagbabago MARAHIL ay panahon na upang itigil muna natin ang mga Bibig sa pag batikos sa tuwing may ipinatutupad na programa ang ating Pamahalaan tulad ng MMDA na ang hangad ay sulosyunan ang problema sa paninikip ng daloy ng mga sasakyan dito sa metro manila, at alisin ang mga kolorom sa lansangan. MAHABANG panahon ng nagtiis sa matinding trapik ang marami sa ating mga kababayan at sa tuwing may ilulunsad na programa ang MMDA ay umaasa ang marami sa atin na magiging epektibo ito subalit may ilang grupo na sahalip ay hayaan muna na maipatupad ang proyekto ay agad nilang pinupulaan na kesyo hindi tama at pag mumulan lamang umano ito ng kurapsyon? BAKIT hindi muna tayo manahimik at hayaang ma ilunsad muna ng MMDA ang kanilang proyekto? Bakit hindi natin ipaubaya sa kanila ang paghanap ng sulusyon at kapag walang nangyari at saka natin ipaabot ang ating mga openion at suhistyon kay sa ang gagawin natin ay puna ng puna hindi naman natin napapansin ang ating mga sarili na tayo pala ay bahagi ng problemang dapat ay ma sulosyunan. SA TINGIN ko dapat sigurong ituloy ng MMDA ang pag papatupad ng disiplina sa mga motorist at lansagin ang mga illegal terminal sa ibat ibang panig ng metro manila isama ang mga kolorom, kabit-kabit at yong tinatawag na buntis na siyang MODOS ng mga tusong operator at ang dapat gawin natin ay supor-
tahan ang gagawin ni MMDA Chairman F. Tolintino. ALAM kong matatalino ang karamihan sa atin ang kaso di ito ginagamit para sa ikagaganda ng ating pamayanan sa halip ay ginagamit nila ang kanilang talino sa pambabatikos upang ipabatid na mahusay sila kaysa mga nanunungkulan sa gobiyerno, maaring mas matalino nga tayo sa iilang nasa pamahalaan pero kong hindi naman natin ito ginagamit sa tama ay wala ring kabuluhan. CONGRESSMAN R.UMALI diterminadong tumulong sa kanyang mga ka Distrito diyan sa Oriental Mindoro…. Malaki ang pag-asa ng ating mga kababayan diyan sa Oriental Mindoro lalo nat ang kanilang kinatawan sa Congresso ay masidhi ang layuning matulungan ang kanyang mga kababayan na umangat ang kabuhayan ng mga ito at mapag aral ang kanilang mga anak. SAPAMAMAGITAN ng CCT program ng Administrasyong Aquino ay umaasa itong si Rep. Reynaldo Umali na malaki ang ma itutulong nito sa kanyang mga kalalawigan, bukod rin ang farm to market road project na ilulunsad ni Umali upang padaliin ang pagdadala ng mga magsasaka ng kanilang mga aning gulay at prutas sa mga pamilihan at mailuwas rin ng mabilis dito sa metro manila. GUSTO ring tulungan ni Rep. Umali ang mga Lokal na Pamahalaan sa bawat Municipalidad ng Oriental Mindoro na pasiglahin ang Tusrismo sa kanilang mga bayan upang makalikha rin ito ng maram-
NILDO PABLE
Ok Yan Ha? ing trabaho sa ating mga kababayan sa naturang Lalawigan at pati na ang mga kababayan nating mga mangyan ay kabilang sa mabibiyayaan kong magtagumpay ang mga isusulong na proyekto ng kanilang Congressman. KASABAY ng mga proyektongPang lokal ay may mga panukalang batas ring isinusulong itong si Congressman Umali upang mapakinabanganng buong bansa at maka hulagpos na tayo sa tanikala ng kawalang pag asa, marahil ito na ang simula ng pagbabago tungo sa maunlad na bukas. HINDI imposible ang mga ito at mangyayari ito hindi lamang riyan sa Oriental Mindoro kundi pati na sa buong bansa kong tayong mga mamamayan ay matotong dumisiplina sa ating mga sarili, ang pag babago ay mangyayari.
Though it’s a little late, I’d like to give thanks to the publishers of Quorum for giving me the opportunity to write in the newest broadsheet in town. Thanks God! Peace in the Korean Peninsula is still intact – despite the threat of wrecking it.As long as concerned parties are willing to sit down and listen, resolution of a conflict is always possible. This is good news to Pinoys in South Korea and for their families here back home. At least, for the moment a Merry X-mas and prosperous NewYear are assured. This is also good for regional players – the United States, China, Russia and Japan – they are assured of continuous blessing they are now enjoying. Status Quo indeed. For the two Koreas, though a “borrowed peace” this is an opportune time for Koreans to spend the Yuletide Season without fear, unless another provocation occurs. Acountrywith‘fourseasons,’ wintertime specially in the month of January will be a wonderful time for the Koreans to play with snowandwarmedthemselveswithhot‘ginseng’and“kimchi.” *** I can only be so sorry for Ka Lauro Vizconde. What a ‘injustice’ done to him. Without blaming anyone, Ka Lauro’s predicament is bothersome. His family was massacred, by still unknown assailant(s) as a result of Hubert Webb and others exoneration by the Supreme Court. The man was ‘murdered’ twice. First by the agonizing trial he had gone through and second, by recent Supreme Court ‘s decision which he refused to accept or acknowledge. Fifteen years for the Vizconde and Webb families is certainly a ‘hill of trials and tribulations.’ For the old man Ka Lauro, may you have an indomitable strength in pursuing justice for death of your loved ones, and for the young man Hubert, may you have the strength and perseverance in regaining the lost years of your youth because of incarceration. The Vizcondes and the Webbs are no different in our contemporary life. They are everywhere. May the tragedies suffered by both families be a reminder to our Judicial and criminal system, which many are saying as unfair. *** Weeks ago, headlines grab the attention of the public on the whereabouts and condition of Gregorio Rosal alias Ka Roger, the spokesman of the Communist Party of the Philippines and New PeoplesArmy (CPPNPA). In my younger days as a reporter I had a chance to cover the insurgency beat. I got the opportunity to see the man and had a long conversation with Ka Roger. I was instrumental on one rare occasion that the spokesman of theArmed Forces the Philippines the late Gen Oscar Florendo and Ka Roger was exchanging views live on a radio station. Whenwespeakabout KaRoger -particularly among reporters — you talk about his typical Mao hat. He was a loyal follower of the movement and an ardent student of history. For the military he is a prize catch. No wonder, if you ask Ka Roger he will always say…’ Lagi siyang pinapatay ng militar… para lang lumutang ulit.’ On many occasions he was “dead resurrected.” But, lately, I was waiting for Ka Roger to surface to disprove the military’s claim. We did try calling and ‘ texting’ in order to get a word from him. LastweekIgotaIcallfromGeorgeMadlos alias Ka Oris, spokesman of the NDF Mindanao, I thought he called me about Ka Roger but he said no, but he had some news. Ka Oris called my program to thank the Aquino administration for releasing the members of the Morong 43. WhenIaskedaboutKaRoger,KaOrissaid GregorioRosalonlythathismovementislimited.(Email:bosesngbalita@yahoo.com)
Quorum Waiver All commentaries and or opinions submitted by our columnists and herein published shall remain as personal opinion of any of Quorum’s column writers. As such, these cannot and never be construed nor considered as similar to that of this publication (Quorum)’s stand on issues discussed. Be that as it may, Quorum shall not be held liable to any legal issues related to or any column that may appear herein.
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Entertainment Quorum
7
Your Press/Photo Releases get published here! December 16-31, 2010
Charice, Venus top 2010 newsmakers FROM“majormajor”toSunshineCorazon, it was safe to say that 2010 was a banner year for Philippine entertainment. Miss Philippines Maria Venus Raj and Charice Pempenco shared the limelight this yearbyshiningintheirrespectivefieldswhile Presidential Sister KrisAquino stirred yet another controversy by filing an annulment caseagainstcager-husbandJamesYap. 1. Charice’s rise to the top Charice’s single "Pyramid" soared to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Dance/Club play songscharts,withherself-titledalbumreaching No. 8 on the Billboard 200Album Chart. Shortlyafterthat,Pempengcorevealedthat shesnaggedamuch-covetedguestroleinthe hit US TV series "Glee." There, she played Sunshine Corazon, a Filipinoforeignexchangestudentwhogives actressLeaMichele'scharacterRachelBerry arunforhermoney.Charice's"Glee"appearancedrewravereviews. Laterintheyear,sheembarkedonanAsian tour covering the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. She also joined producer David Foster on his "Hitman: David FosterandFriends"concerttouraroundAsia. 2. Maria Venus Raj’s ‘majormajor’ impact MARIAVenusRaj’s“major-major”blundercanbeconsideredasablessingratherthan acurseasitpavedthewayforhertobecomean instant celebrity. The 22-year-old Bicolana gained media attention when she represented the Philippines in the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant in LasVegas. During the course of the pageant, Raj was one of the pageant's early favorites andfrontrunners. But During the question and answer portion,HollywoodactorWilliamBaldwinasked her to talk about the biggest mistake that she made in her life and what she did to make it right.Rajreplied,"Youknowwhat,sir,inmy twenty-two years of existence, I can say that there'snothingmajormajor,Imeanproblem thatI'vedoneinmylifebecauseI'mveryconfident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So thank you so much that I'm here. Thank you, thank you so much!" Rajusedhernow-famousexpressiontoher advantage. She now has a weekly column in The Philippine Star entitled (what else?) Major Major. She is also an endorser for SM malls, appearing in their "Major Major Sale" ads. She was likewise tapped to appear in the GMA-7 primetime telenovela "Beauty Queen,"amongothers. 3. Sid Lucero wins Emmy’s nod SID Lucero became the new toast of the town after he became the first Filipino actor tobenominatedforBestActorintheInternationalEmmyAwards2010 But while he lost to 68-year-old British actorBobHoskins,whowasalreadyaGoldenGlobewinnerandanOscarnominee,Lucerocherishedtheexperience. Sid, who travelled to New York for the event, was nominated for his role inABSCBN's "Dahil May Isang Ikaw", which was alsocompetingfortheBestTelenovelaaward but it also lost to Portugal's "My Love". HesharedonTwitterthathegotthechance to shake hands withAmerican Idol ex-judge Simon Cowell, who was there to receive the InternationalEmmyFoundersAward. 4. Willie’s departure, return to television Last May 25, ABS-CBN suspended and placed Willie Revillame under probation after he publicly asked the network to sack talent and showbiz scribe Jobert Sucaldito for allegedly attackingWowowee guests on the latter’sradioprogram.
Charice
Revillame claimed the suspension and probationwerevalidgroundstoterminatehis contractwiththeKapamilyanetwork. After this, he signed a deal with TV5 to host two new shows "Willing Willie" and "Born to be a Star". The TV host had asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to confirm the rescission of his contract withABS-CBN. He also sought P11.5 million in damages and legal fees. For its part,ABS-CBN filed a 139-page counterclaim, asking the Quezon City court to order Revillame to pay P426 million as liquidateddamagesforbreachinghiscontract with the media conglomerate, as well as P20 million each for moral damages, exemplary damagesandattorney'sfees. 5. Shalani joins ‘Willing Willie’ VALENZUELA Councilor Shalani Soledad, still reeling from her breakup with PresidentAquino,surprisedeveryonewhenshe accepted a co-hosting job with Willie RevillameinhisTV5show“WillingWillie”. Shalani explains that she decided to join Willie’s show because of public service and not for anything else. 6. Kris files for annulment; other showbiz personalities split KRISAquinoneverreallyrunsoutofsurprises. Months after the victory of President Aquino,Krisfiledforannulmentofmarriage to basketball player JamesYap, her husband ofthreeyears. Meanwhile, longtime showbiz couple William Martinez andYayoAguila, who've beenmarriedfor25years,announcedthatthey wereseparating.Thetwo,whoplayedsweetheartsthemovie1984movie"Bagets,"have remainedfriends.Aguilastatedthattheyprobably just grew apart. After being together for four years, "Eat Bulaga"hostsVicSottoandPiaGuaniobroke up. Showbiz scribes could speculate about the reason for the split. Both Guanio and Sotto have successfully evaded the issue. 7. Anne Curtis’ wardrobe malfunction Anne Curtis' wardrobe malfunction was oneofthehottesttopicsinshowbizcircles.In the"ASAPXV"episodetapedinMarch2010 in Boracay, Curtis' bikini top became displacedwhileshewasdancing. It was reminiscent of Janet Jackson's infamousstageperformancewithJustinTimberlake. In Curtis' case, her ex-boyfriend Sam Milby,whowasperformingwithher,helped hercoverup.Unfortunately,somepeoplewere quicker with their cameras. Soon enough, photos of the "nip slip" were posted online. While some cynics theorized that Curtis' wardrobe malfunction was a publicity stunt to promote "Babe, I LoveYou" (with Milby as her co-star), she seemed visibly distraught about the incident.
CROSSWORD
Kris Aquino
Sid Lucero
Film Festival in Italy. The jury unanimously gave the award to Lola “for the extraordinary narrative grace whichhasconjugatedanalmostdocumentaryglanceaboutthedignityofthepoorerclasses’ life, to a subtle ability to create characters madeofahugehumanity.” The judges, composed of actor Giorgio Colangeli,directorSerafinoMurriandClau-
dia Bedogni also cited Mendoza’s “incredible directorial skill in the use of space, time and light, that are perfectly inherent to a story where lightness and drama are combined together, to return us a profound reflection on the meaning of the bittersweet life.” Lola,whichdepictsthepersonaldramaof two grandmothers, topbillsAnita Linda and Rustica Carpio.
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Forget about that “major, major” slip, Venus Raj proves she’s got what it takes. Stunning, eh?
Eventually, the nip slip talk died down. 8. Showbiz deaths The death of some showbiz personalities casted a pall of gloom in the showbiz world. ReynaldoAlfredoR.Hipolito,morepopularly known as Palito, took his final bow on April 12 due to complications of his respiratorydisease.Hewas74. Palito's fellow comedian Redford White, Cipriano Cermeño II in real life, died on July 25 due to brain cancer.White's breakthrough role was as the store helper to the late Bing Angeles' character Mang Temi in "Iskul Bukol." Theentertainmentworldalsomournedthe lossofoneoffilmdom'smostrespectedcharacteractors,CharlieDavao.Hesuccumbedto coloncanceronAugust8.Hewas75.Charlie appeared in 121 films since 1959. He first appeared in the Sampaguita Pictures movie "Isinumpa"withRicRodrigo,BarbaraPerez, andDolphy.HislastappearancewasinRegal Films' "Desperadas" in 2008. His children Ricky, Bing, and Mai-Mai are also in show business. Meanwhile,twochildrenofshowbizpersonalities met tragic deaths in March. TV host Toni Rose Gayda's son Edward James Lim died after falling from the balcony of the family's fourth floor condominium in Wack Wack, Mandaluyong City on March
25. He was 25. Thenextday,March26,CesarMontano's son,ChristianAngeloManghilot,wasfound deadatthefamilyresidenceattheTivoliRoyal Subdivision in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. His head had a gunshot wound. Police ruled his death as a suicide. 9. New mothers Someshowbizpersonalitiesweregivena new role this year: motherhood. JudyAnn Santos was greeted by her bundle of joy, Juan Luis or Lucho, with husband RyanAgoncillo on October 7 at theAsian HospitalinMuntinlupaCity.Thecouplealso has an adopted daughter, Johanna Louise or Yohan. Meanwhile, Roxanne Guinoo gave birth on September 13 to a baby girl, Rain Eliana, at the Medical City in Pasig City. Roxanne will tie the knot with Elton next year. Anotherprominentcelebritywhohadher firstbabywas"StarStruck"alumnaLJReyes. Sheannouncedthatshewasexpectingachild with fellow GMA-7 artist PauloAvelino in April. Reyes gave birth to a baby boy, Ethan Akio, in NewYork on July 24. 10. Mendoza’s Lola wins Best Film at Rome Asian Filmfest BRILLANTE “Dante” Mendoza’s film Lolabroughthonortothecountryagainwhen it won Best Film at the recent RomeAsian
71 Stovetop items
31 Alliance since 1949 32 Chew 33 Male swans 34 Powwow 35 Fail to reach a goal 37 Lawyer in London 40 Fortune 41 Place for drawing? 44 Since 46 Old-time lighter 48 Outer limit 50 Add liquor to 52 Lure 54 Barbecue site 55 Standing 56 Hamlet's compatriots 57 Android on the Enterprise 58 Mideast sultanate 60 Cold wind along the Adriatic Sea 63 Disencumber
Down 1 Safari boss 2 Betray, in a way 3 __ the good 4 Ear bone 5 Take credit? 6 Paved area for parking 7 Small arachnid 8 Pens and needles 9 Declaration of puppy love? 10 "Tartuffe" dramatist 11 Twin 12 Try to obtain 13 __ de combat 18Noggin 22 Trip instigator 25 Singer Dee 27 Bored response 29 Provide funding for
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SUDOKU MASTER
The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. Across 1 Bikini tops 5 Electrical units 9 Plain people 14 Poet Whitman 15 Stand in line 16 Event for those who know the ropes 17 Free 19 One on the run 20 Dame preceder 21 Secluded valley 23 They go in pens 24 Hooded jackets 26 "The best __ to come" 28 Get together 30 Audacious 33 Soviet inits. 36 Okla. neighbor 38 "__ Work It Out" SOLUTION NEXT ISSUE
39 Gloating cry 40 Establish clearly 42 __ loss for words 43 1942 Disney film 45 Give out meagerly 46 Incandescence 47 Addison's literary partner 49 Novelist Cather 51 Olfactory property 53 Held on to 57 Qatar's capital 59 Actress Mazar 61 Bow on the screen 62 "My Cherie __" 64 Antiquated 66 Ankle bones 67 May school event, often 68 Laboratory rodents 69 Coughed up 70 Prepares to feather LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS
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Customs Quorum
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IMMIGRATION
Your Press/Photo Releases get published here! Please SEND THEM in thru esns03@yahoo.com! December 16-31, 2010
TRAVELLING TO THE US?
Take your pick: Full body scan or full body frisk NEW security screening procedures at manyAmericanairportsmeantravelershave tochoosebetweenx-raysbyafullbodyscannerora“vigorouspat-down”includingphysical prodding of breasts and groins, civil liberties groups have said. Full body scanning machines- dubbed “virtual strip searches” by critics- have existed at some airports since the beginning of 2010,buttheyhavebecomemorewidespread in recent months. The pat-downs or “gropes” have been happening across the US in the past couple of weeks, said Christopher Calabrese, a member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) legislative council inWashington. “People are faced with two intolerable choices: let someone take naked images of you or let someone grope your body,” Calabresesaid.“Thesearcheshavebecomemore aggressive.” “It is clearly the policy that women’s breasts will be patted down. If a woman is wearing a skirt at the airport, the pat-down is going to go up inside the skirt.” Invasive measures TheTransportation SecurityAdministration (TSA), the US government body responsible for airport security, did not return calls fromAl Jazeera requesting comment.
Calabrese and other civil libertarians say the full body scans are just as invasive as the pat-downs. “It is really a virtual strip search, it is creating a naked picture of your body and the anatomical images are clear.” John Tyner, a 31-year-old software programmer filmed his pat-down on a cellphone camera, in a video which has gone viral. “If you touch my junk, I’m going to have you arrested,” he told a TSA official, before being escorted out of the airport.
U.S. airport scanners pose skin cancer risks, doctors warn WASHINGTON — U.S. scientists warned Friday that the full-body, graphicimage X-ray scanners that are being used to screen passengers at airports around that country may be unsafe, raising concerns for Canadians travelling south of the border. “They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays,” said Dr. Michael Love, who runs an X-ray lab at the department of biophysics and biophysical chemistry at Johns Hopkins University School of medicine. “NoexposuretoX-rayisconsideredbeneficial. We know X-rays are hazardous but we have a situation at the airports where people are so eager to fly that they will risk their lives in this manner,” he said. The possible health dangers posed by the U.S. scanners add to passengers and airline crews’concernsaboutthedevices,whichhave beendubbed“naked”scannersbecauseofthe graphic image they give of a person’s body, genitalia and all. Despite the concerns the warning raises for Canadians travelling through U.S. airports, authorities in this country say scanners used at airports here rely on different technology that doesn’t pose a health risk to travellers. According to the CanadianAirTransport SecurityAuthority, full-body X-ray scanner
technology used in the U.S. is not permitted inCanada. While 36 full-body scanners are in use at 16 Canadian airports, spokesman Mathieu Larocque said they use “millimetre wave technology” which projects low-level radio frequency energy “over and around the passengers’ bodies. “The RF wave is reflected back from the body and from objects concealed on the body,producingathree-dimensionalimage,” he said. AccordingtoHealthCanada,thistechnology poses no risk to humans. “Health Canada has assessed the technical information on these devices and concluded that the radio-frequency energy emitted by the device is well within Canada’s guidelines for safe human exposure,” says an article posted on the department’s website. “The electromagnetic non-ionizing radiation used in these scanners is based on millimetre wave technology and does not pose a risk to human health and safety, from either single or repeated exposures.” A regional airline pilot in the U.S. last month refused to go through one of the American scanners, calling it an “assault on my person” and a violation of his right to privacy. TheTransportation SecurityAdministra
The Department of Homeland Security says the body scans and pat-downs are necessary to keep people safe. “It’s all about security,” Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security Secretary, said. “It’s all about everyone recognising their role.” A poll by CBS reports that roughly 81 per cent ofAmericans support the use of full
body scanning in airports while 15 per cent of respondents said they oppose the technology, with four per cent still undecided. Nakedimagesobtainedbythebodyscans areviewedbyaTSAscreenerinanotherroom. The organisation has said the images are deleted after the person passes through security, but there have been lapses in data man
agement and privacy. Images released Gizmodo, a website specialising in the technology industry, reports that US Marshals operating a similar body scanner in a Florida court house saved 35,000 images in their scanner. Gizmodo obtained 100 of the photographs of people’s body scans – which
Here are a few answers to some questions regarding full-body scanners: Q: How do these full-body scanners work? A: The two main types of scanners are “millimeter wave” and “backscatter” machines. Millimeter wave units send radio waves overapersonandproduceathree-dimensionalimagebymeasuring the energy reflected back. Backscatter machines use low-level X-rays to create a two-dimensional image of the body. Q: What sorts of things can they find? A: The machines are designed to uncover what a physical patdown could turn up but a metal detector wouldn’t find. That includes plastic or chemical explosives and nonmetallic weapons in a pocket or strapped to someone’s body. The machines would also find guns, knives and other metallic objects that would set off a metal detector. Q: What can they not find? A: Generally, the machines can’t find items stashed in a body cavity. So the scanners wouldn’t stop at least one common smuggling method used by drug traffickers. Q: How long does it take to be scanned? A: The machines are getting faster but still can take up to 15 seconds to scan a traveler, which could make the process slower than using metal detectors. Now for the hard part. Q: Is there a way to make the scans less revealing? A: The technology has evolved to reduce the clarity of identi tion began rolling out full-body scanners at U.S. airports in 2007. A group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco raised concerns about the “potential serious health risks” from the scanners in a letter sent to the White House Office of Science and Technology in April. BiochemistJohnSedatandhiscolleagues said in the letter that most of the energy from the scanners is delivered to the skin and underlying tissue. “While the dose would be safe if it were
fying details. The systems blur faces, or they produce body images that look like chalk outlines. Amsterdam’s airport is moving ahead with full-body scanners after trying new software that projects a stylized image — rather than an actual picture — onto a computer screen. It highlights the area of the body where objects are concealed in pockets or under the clothing. The TSAsays it uses logistical methods to safeguard privacy. Full-body images are viewed in a walled-off location not visible to the public. The security officer assisting the passenger cannot view the image, and the officer who views the image doesn’t see the passenger. If the officer viewing the image sees something of concern, he notifies the agent who is with the passenger to do further screening. The machines can’t store or print images, and the TSA says officers who view the images are not allowed to take cameras or cell phones into the screening rooms. Q: Do the scanners pose health risks, especially for frequent travelers? A:TheTSAsaysthetechnologyisharmless.Millimeterwave energy is common in the world, and the TSA says the scanners produce far less energy than a cell phone. The X-rays in backscatter machines are weak; TSA says the radiation is equivalent to what a person gets in two minutes of flying on an airplane.
distributed throughout the volume of the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high,” they wrote. The Office of Science and Technology responded this week to the scientists’ letter, saying the scanners have been “tested extensively” by U.S. government agencies and were found to meet safety standards. But Sedat said Friday that the official response was “deeply flawed.” “We still don’t know the beam intensity or other details of their classified system,” he said, adding that university scientists were
preparingarebuttaltotheWhiteHousestatement. Some315“naked”scannersarecurrently in use at 65 U.S. airports, according to the TSA. Despite the different technology used in this country, the CanadianAir Transport Security Authority has received about 30 complaints about the scanners, agency’s spokesman said Friday. He wouldn’t say what people were specifically upset about. Critics of the machines have argued they are a violation of privacy and do little to increase security.
More changes to take place in Bureau of Customs
ICTSI's Madagascar gets new harbor crane INTERNATIONALContainerTerminal Services,Inc.,oneofthePhilippineandthe world's leading port operators and developers, announced that it has recently acquiredanewmobileharborcrane(MHC) foritsMadagascarInternationalContainer Terminal(MICT). Theabove-mentionedterminalfacility istheleadinginternationaltradinggateway
inToamasina,Madagascar. The new container handling equipment brings MICT’s MHC fleet to four, boosting operationalperformanceandmarketcompetitiveness in terms of container handling volumeintheIndianOceanregion. TheMHC,aHMK6407modelmanufactured by Gottwald, has a maximum reach of 51meters,andacapacityof41metrictonsfor
single lift and 50 metric tons for twin lift. MICTisoperatedbyICTSIsubsidiary Madagascar International ContainerTerminal Services Ltd. ICTSI is a leading port management company involved in the operations and development of 21 marine terminals and port projects in 15 countries worldwide.
American fugitive deported to South Korea THEBureauofImmigration(BI)saiditdeportedanAmericannational wanted by South Korean authorities for fraud. BI Officer-In-Charge Ronaldo Ledesma said the fugitive, Dario SarmientoTomas,52,wasdeportedattherequestoftheSouthKorean embassyinManilawhichinformedtheBIaboutanarrestwarrantagainst theAmerican. Tomas was deported last Nov. 11 via a PhilippineAirlines flight to Busan,SouthKoreashortlyonthestrengthofawarrantofdeportation issued by Ledesma and a summary deportation order signed by the bureau’sboardofcommissioners. ItwaslearnedthatTomaswaschargedwithfraudbeforetheeastern division of the district court in Busan for swindling a Korean woman namedImHyeg-yeongandhermother,LeeBong-sook,ofsome222 million Korean won or about US$82,000. Tomasallegedlyinducedthevictimstogivehimthemoneyonthe promise that he would open a computer school business in the Philippines. He fled to the Philippines and never returned to Korea after he received the money in 2007 and 2008.Tomas was a member of the administrative and technical staff of the US. Customs and Border Protection Service of the US Department of
Homeland Security based in Busan at the time. LawyerFaizalHussin,BIintelligencechief,saidhismenpickedup Tomas at the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters where he wasdetainedpursuanttoaprovisionalarrestwarrantissuedbytheManila Regional Trial Court. Meanwhile,humantraffickersandillegalrecruitersaregettingmore creativeinthefaceofthegovernment’svigorouscampaignagainsthuman trafficking, but alert Bureau of Immigration personnel still thwarted an attemptbysixItaly-boundFilipinostoleavethecountryovertheweekenddespitetheirseeminglybust-prooftravelplansandintensivecoaching. Immigration Officer-In-Charge Ronaldo Ledesma said the bureau stumbleduponthetraffickers’newschemewhenimmigrationofficers stopped two of the Filipinos at the NinoyAquino InternationalAirport from boarding their flight to Bangkok. During intense questioning, the apparent tourists spilled the beans on their real plans and destination – to work in Milan. The duo, a man and a woman in their early 20s, admitted they paid P700,000 each to their recruiters and were coached for several months in Davao City on the elaborate scheme to get them to Italy, Ledesma said.
MAJORbreakthroughswilltakeplacein theBureauofCustoms(BoC)withinthenext fewmonthsastheagencyembarkedonanumber of initiatives to provide a “world class customs service” to its internal and external stakeholders. The changes will include the following four(4)reformmeasures: 1. Implementation of E2M (Electronicto-Mobile), to enable BoC and its clientele to process and clear cargo in a fast and secured manner through the application of appropriateInformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT); 2. Implementation of the National Single Window (NSW), to enable various governmentagenciesinvolvedinthecargoclearance process to exchange relevant information through electronic links; 3.ImplementationofEnhancedCustoms Transit System (ECTS) to track cargoes using Global Positioning System (GPS); 4. Competency Based Human Resource ManagementSystem(CBHRM)toupgrade the level of competency of the Bureau’s personnel. Thesereforminitiativeswillbecarriedout undertheBOCChangeManagement(CM) ProgramfundedbytheEU-TRTA2(European Union-Trade Related TechnicalAssistance) Project 2.Aseries of activities were already conducted on the overall process and output framework of CM including High
LevelManagementOrientationSession,CM Plenary Meeting andTeambuilding Workshop. The objective of CM Program is to mitigate and control the adverse impacts of the changes arising from implementation of the four(4)reformmeasurestoBoCasanorganization and to its clientele. The most recent development under CM is the “Train the TrainersWorkshop” attended by top BoC officials held on November 17-19, 2010 in San Mateo , Rizal. BoCofficialswhoparticipatedinthetrainingwillbethe“changeagent”intheBureau’s upcoming projects and activities. They will apply teamwork theories and participate in strategic planning, generating solutions and identifyingappropriateChangeManagement interventionsusingtheapprovedCMFramework to promote buy-in, sponsorship and ownership of the CM Plan towards effective implementation of the four (4) reform initiatives in the Bureau. These initiatives are in line with President NoynoyAquino's battlecry, “Patungo saTuwid na Daan" and Customs Commissioner AngelitoAlvarez’implementation of major reformsforacleanandefficientbureaucracy. Withthemostadvancedprocedureabout to take-off, the BoC is on its way to meet the challengeofglobalizationwithdynamicand fasterend-to-endcargoprocessresponsiveto its clients’ needs.
were not supposed to have been saved in the first place- through a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request. Sikh travelers who wear the turban say they are outraged by the new measures, as they have been forced to remove the religiously required garment. Critics also allege that the scanners emit dangerous levels of radiation, which could lead to skin cancer and other ailments. And civil libertarians are not convinced that the body scans will make airports safer from attacks. “The full body scanners do not pick up what is inside body cavities,” John Whitehead, a human rights activist with the Rutherford Institute in Virginia, toldAl Jazeera. “If you are a real terrorist, you are going to put it [dangerous material] up your cavity. Israeli airports do not use scanners; they think it [scanning] is a joke.” InJanuary2010,theLondonIndependent newspaperreportedon“authoritativeclaims that the [UK] Department of Transport and theHomeOfficehavealreadytestedthescanners and were not persuaded that they work comprehensively against terrorist threats to aviation”. The idea of full body scanners or patdowns became popular in some security circlesafterUmarFaroukAbdulmutallaballegedly carried a bomb in his underwear in an attempt to blow up an international flight near Detroit in December 2009. Corporate interests Itisnotclearifbodyscanningwouldhave discovered the alleged underwear bomb, according to a report from the non-partisan GovernmentAccountability Office (GAO) in the US. “Aftertheattemptedunderwearbombing Michael Chertoff [the former Homeland Security Secretary] went on television pushing the fact that we need these scanners,” Whitehead said. “He was a lobbyist for Rapiscan Systems [a company which produces thescanners].” The lobbyist’s consulting firm, the ChertoffGroup,promises“businessdevelopment solutions for commercial and government clients on a broad array of homeland and national security issues”. There are around 300 full-body scanners now operational in 60 US airports. The TSA plans to deploy approximately 500 units by the end of 2010. Each machine costs around $150,000. “The Obama administration provided about $1bn in stimulus money to buy these scanners,”WhiteheadtoldAlJazeera.“Someone is making a lot of money.”
With new Airbus, SEAIR expects 60 percent passenger increase at DMIA CLARK FREEPORT ZONE — With a new Airbus spearheading its growing fleet, the South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) projects monthly air passenger trafffic to increase by more than 60 percent, or an additional 200,000 passengers annually, at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport here. The new 144-seat A319 jet aircraft, the blessing of which was personally witnessed by President Aquino recently, will fly to Singapore, SEAIR’s first international destination, starting Dec. 16. SEAIR President Avelino Zapanta said additional routes for the new aircraft will be added in the coming months. “The introduction of these new flights will create a welcome boost to the Philippine tourism industry and create more highcaliber local jobs,” said Zapanta. SEAIR is the first airline locator at the Clark Freeport Zone and the second firm to put its trust and confidence in the Clark Development Corp. It is also the first Tiger Airways Partner Airline that will market and distribute its seats using its established internet booking system, tigerairways.com. According to Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), an average of 25,000 passengers land every month at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at Clark. The airline was founded in 1995 with an initial investment of P2 million and two nine-seater planes. Through the years, it has helped develop and brought travelers to some of the most breathtaking destinations in the country including Batanes, Palawan, and Boracay.
Indefinite stay not automatic after marriage to Filipino MARRIAGE to a Filipino does not give foreigners the right to stay indefinitely or acquire permanent residence in the Philippines. This was the painful lesson learned by William Silas Parlin, 41, who will undergo deportationproceedingsafterhewasarrested by Immigration officials last November 22. Silas,whowasgivenapermanentvisaby the BI due to his marriage to a Filipina, is wanted in the United States for mail fraud. “The fact that he is married to a Filipina doesnotwithdrawhimfromtheoperationof our immigration laws nor does it make him ipso facto a Filipino citizen,” said Ledesma. He said aliens admitted into the country have no right of indefinite stay, although a foreignermayapplyforpermanentresidence
if he or she is married to a Filipino citizen. “However, since the stay of aliens in our country is just a privilege, even if they are married to Filipinos, Parlin lost that privilege when we found out that he is a fugitive from justice and, therefore, an undesirable alien,”Ledesmaadded. Parlin was arrested in his residence in Pateros on the strength of a deportation warrant issued by Ledesma pursuant to a summary deportationorderoftheBIboardofcommissioners. BI intelligence chief Faizal Hussin said ParlinwillsoonbedeportedtotheUStostand trialformailfraudbeforeaUSdistrictcourtin Maine,whichissuedawarrantforhisarrest. HussinalsosaidtheUSStateDepartment hadrevokedParlin’spassportwhichmadehim
anundocumentedalien. THEDepartmentofForeignAffairs(DFA) lauded the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for preventing the departure of Lebanon-bound overseas Filipino workers as part of the government’s intensified campaign against humantrafficking. In a letter to BI Officer-In-Charge RonaldoLedesma,PhilippineAmbassadortoLebanonGilbertoAsuquesaidhisofficeisclosely following the BI’s efforts to prevent the departureofOFWsboundforBeirut. Asuque commended the BI for ensuring that only OFWs with clearances from the PhilippineOverseasEmploymentAdministration are allowed to leave the country and stopping those bound to countries such as Lebanon.
Sports Quorum
9
December 16-31, 2010
FILIPINO GOLD MEDALIST Rey Saludar (left) celebrates after beating Chang Yong (right) of China during the men's -52kg boxing final competition in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou last November 25, 2010. The Philippines won the gold medal while the silver went to China and the bronze was shared by Japan and India.
SPORTS IN ‘10
Boxing, billiards share spotlight; basketball down
Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants showcases Filipino talent in MLB
Pacquiao brings glory once again
Efren “Bata” Reyes weaved his old magic in 2010
FILIPINOboxersdeliveredonceagainfor the Philippines this year while the country’s favorite game, for the nth time, failed in its bid to regain basketball glory. Other sports also had their share of the spotlight,amongthemcueartistsEfren“Bata” Reyes,Francisco“Django”Bustamanteand RubilenAmit,whoshoneintheinternational stage. Take a look at how Filipinos fare in the world of sports in 2010. Read on: 1. Filipino boxers shine once again This basketball-crazy country has turned toboxingforsomeformofrespite,especially to Manny Pacquiao who captured his 8th world title in as many weight divisions after beatingAntonio Margarito to a pulp. AsidefromPacquiao,Filipinoboxerssuch as Nonito Donaire, Brian Viloria, Marvin Sonsona,andZ.Gorresalsomadetheirmark thisyear. Donaire, known as the "Filipino Flash," ranksfourthaspound-for-poundboxerinthe world.InFebruary,hesuccessfullydefended hisWorldBoxingAssociation(WBA)super flyweight title against Mexican Manuel "Chango"VargasandWladimirSidorenko. Meanwhile, Viloria, also known as the HawaiianPunch,knockedoutThailand'sLiempetchSorVeerapolintheseventhroundof theirNovembermatch-up. 2. ‘Bata’, other cue artists deliver Last February, Efren "Bata" Reyes, 55, won his fifth Master of the Table title in the annual Derby City Classic in February in SouthernIndiana. Reyes' luck must have rubbed off on another billiards master, Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo,whowonthe2010PartyPokerWorld PoolMastersinMay2010inNevada.However,OrcolloandRoberto"PinoySuperman" Gomez fell as runners-up in the 2010 PartyPoker.netWorldCupofPoolinSeptember. The following month, Ronnie "The Volcano"Alcano exploded inThailand.Alcano outplayedfellowFilipinoLeeVan"TheSlayer" Corteza in the 2010 Sangsom Pattaya 9Ball Invitational Pool Competition. 3. Fil-Am pitcher shines in World Series SanFranciscoaceTimLincecumpitched the Giants to victory in Game 1 of the World
SeriesofAmerica’spasttime,MajorLeague Baseball against theTexas Rangers 11-7. Lincecum, 26, in his fourth year with the Giants made history, as the first pitcher of Filipino heritage to play and win inAmerica’s biggest baseball stage, theWorld Series. In the National League Championship Series,TimwonGame1oftheseriesagainst the Philadelphia Phillies. Tim is also one ofAmerica’s top baseball pitchershavingwontheNationalLeagueCy YoungAward for two consecutive years, to become the first repeat winner since Randy Johnson. The Filipino-American wiry right-hander,nicknamed“TheFreak”forhisgiantstride, neededonly15victoriestoearntheaward— the fewest for a CyYoung starter over a nonshortenedseason. 4. Philippines falls shot in Asian Games Bowling, billiards and boxing won gold medals for the country in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, but it was one gold medal short of its haul in the 2006 edition of the quadrennial event. ReySaludarwonthe3rdgoldmedalofthe Philippines after beating Chang Yong of Chinatowinthemen’s52kgcategoryboxing goldmedal.Saludarclaimedthevictorywith ascoreof13-11. SusaKatsuakiofJapanandMayengbam Suranjoy Singh of India shared the bronze. Biboy Rivera nailed the first gold medal of the country in the men’s singles competition in tenpin bowling, and teammate Frederick Ongtookthebronze. The36-year-oldRiverarolledasix-game series of 1414 to beat MohammedA.M.A. Alrgeebah of Kuwait by 10 pinfalls at the TianheBowlingHall. In billiards, it was a 1-2 combination as Dennis Orcollo gave Team Philippines its secondgoldmedalwhenhedefeatedcompatriot Warren Kiamco, 9-7, in an all-Filipino final in the 9-ball billiards event at theAsian GamesTownGymnasium. 5. Smart Gilas ends up 6th in Asiad The much-hyped Smart Gilas Pilipinas failed to deliver its promise to at least bring home a medal from the 16thAsian Games basketball event, landing in 6th place after suffering a heartbreaking 81-71 loss to Qatar in the consolation round.
Smart Gilas fails to live up to expectations
Despite the loss, the team is already gearing up for next year’s FIBA-Asia joust that will determine the continent’s lone representative to the 2012 London Olympics. According to a report in one of the major dailies, the team is set to participate in three bigtournamentsnextyearaspartoftheirbuildup—oneinDubaiinJanuaryplusacoupleof regulartourneysinthemiddleoftheyear,the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup and the Jones Cup. They’ll also spend some time in Serbia for more training. IftheAsianGamesisanyindication,Gilas is going to need all the help it can get. 6. Alcantara bright spot for tennis Netter Francis CaseyAlcantara was the lone bright spot for tennis this year. Alcantara,18,whohailsfromCagayande Oro City, played at Wimbledon in London, England. He also played with Irish John Morrisey in the 51st Trofeo Bonfiglio in Milan, Italy, where they reached the doubles semi-finalsmatch. In,2009,AlcantarareachedhishighestjuniorrankingofWorldNumber14.Hewonthe 2009Australian Open Boy's Doubles event with Hsieh Cheng-peng, beating Mikhal Biryukov andYasutaka Uchiyama, 6-4, 6-2 in the final. They did not lose a set in winning thechampionships.Herecentlycompletedhis secondary education at Xavier University AteneodeCagayanHighSchool. 7. So continues winning ways Filipino GrandmasterWesley So continuedhiswinningstreakin2010asheadvanced to Group B in the 72nd Corus International Chess. So settled for a fifth straight draw finishunlikein2009wherehefinishedaschampion in Group C. Nonetheless,theWorldChessFederation or FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs)rankedthe17-year-oldSoassecond bestchessplayerintheworldintheunder-18year-old category and ninth in the under-20year-oldcategory. With this, So remained the top Filipino chessplayer.InApril,heplacedsecondinthe 9thAsian Individual Chess Championships. Chinese GM Ni Hua bagged the champion-
ship cup. Come September, So was held to a drawbyGMColinMcNabin35movesatthe World Chess Olympiad 2010 in Russia. So became the seventh youngest grandmasterintheworldwhenhewas14yearsold. He achieved the title during the 3rd Pichay Cup International Open in 2007. 8. NBA returns to Philippines FOR the second time around, Filipinos witnessed NBAaction in the country. LastAugust27,NBAandPBAfansflocked to the Big Dome to watch Glen Rice, Chris Webber, Mitch Richmond, Gary Payton, Alvin Patrimonio, Ronnie Magsanoc, Benjie Paras,Atoy Co andAllan Caidic play side byside. Theexhibitiongamewasabighitwiththe fans.EventheNBAguestswereentertained- particularly by Caidic, who showed them whyhewascalledtheTriggerman.Caidic,47, made an impressive 14 triples in 24 minutes. 9. Ateneo wins third straight UAAP title The highly anticipated hardcourt battle between theAteneo Blue Eagles and the La SalleGreenArchersintheUniversityAthleticAssociation of the Philippines didn't materializeasthelatterwaseliminatedinthesemifinals. Instead, the Blue Eagles went up against theFarEasternUniversity(FEU)Tamaraws astheheavyunderdogs. Despite being the heavy favorite, FEU failed to breakAteneo’s march to their third consecutive title. Asconsolation, TamarawsRRGarciaand TerrenceRomeostillemergedastheSeason's MostValuablePlayerandRookieoftheYear, respectively. 10. San Beda Lions regain NCAA title TheSanBedaLionsstartedtheircampaign to regain lost glory in the National Collegiate AthleticAssociation(NCAA)onahighnote, sweeping the two-round eliminations to automaticallygaina1-0edgeinthebest-of-five finals. In Game 1, the Lions dumped the Stags, 93-73, andinGame2,SanBedastruckwhere it hurt the most to regain the NCAA crown.
Motoring Quorum
10
“We are not surprised that the Crosswind was favored by many Filipino consumers. Filipinos do relate to the Crosswind’s toughness and dependability, and they can see in it their hardworking selves. It is truly the vehicle of the masses.” -- Ryoji Yamazaki, IPC President December 16-31, 2010
Isuzu Crosswind bags ‘AUV of the Year’ award THE people have spoken— or voted— and they catapulted the Isuzu Crosswind as the Best AUV in the BDO 2010-11 Auto Focus People’s ChoiceAwards.Auto Focus isaweeklymotoringTVprogramhostedby respected motoring broadcast and print journalist Ray Butch Gamboa. The annual motoring survey is designed to show the most popular vehicles among consumers in the Philippine automotive market. The public voted through the survey’s website or printed ballots. Already in its sixth year, the contest aims to find out which among locally available motor vehicles are the most preferred by the buying public. The People’s Choice Awards is special because it is the public who gets to choose the winners. Since it is the customers who vote, winners are guaranteed to be the bestselling and hence the most trusted products in the local auto industry.
ISUZUCROSSWIND
“The voting was intense and very close in many of the categories, except for a few, whichreallyhadhands-downwinners,”said Gamboa, the chairman and ceo of Sunshine Television.
The Crosswind won for the fifth time as BestAUV since the awards’launch in 2005, also winning the prestigious over-all automobile of the year in 2006. Isuzuvehiclesarepopularwithimage-
conscious and price-conscious Filipino car buyersbecauseoftheiraffordability,powerful and fuel-efficient diesel engines, value-formoney features, reliability and professional after-salesservice. “We are not surprised that the Crosswind was favored by many Filipino consumers,” said IPC President Ryoji Yamazaki. “Filipinos do relate to the Crosswind’s toughness and dependability, and they can see in it their hardworking selves. It is truly the vehicle of the masses.” “These awards will further motivate all IPCemployeestoproducevehiclesofworldclass quality,” Yamazaki added. “Products made by Filipinos for Filipinos.” The people have spoken: The Isuzu CrosswindisstillthebestAUVinthemarket today.Those who remain unconvinced may visit any authorized Isuzu dealership nationwide for a chance to test-drive the Crosswind.
Hyundai enters 4th quarter with robust 90.4% growth THE race to a triumphant yearend is getting even more exhilarating and aggressive, as the auto industry’s best brands continue to outperform each other in an allout mission to win the Filipino motorists’ confidence. Inthisraceforbrandsupremacy,Hyundai is braving up even more amidst the competition as it gains more momentum with brisk sales. Based on the latest industry sales reports, Hyundai shored up its performancebyahefty90.4%inyear-to-date sales and notable 12.1% market share, strengthening itself further atTop 3 in overall industry rankings. HyundaiAsia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai in the Philippines, credits its strong gains to the brisk sales of its next-generation automobiles in the Passenger Car and Light CommercialVehicle segments. Intensifying its position at Top 3 in the PassengerCar(PC)rankings,Hyundai’sPC sales grew by a remarkable 139.9% for the first10monthsoftheyearandcornered16.1% market share.The Getz,Accent, Sonata, and GenesisCoupecontinuetobeefupHyundai’s impressive standing in the PC segment. Flaunting its Euro-chic style and punchy engine performance, the Hyundai Getz intimidatesinspiteofitscompactpackage— and solid proof is its aggressive year-to-date sales that boast of a 135.2% boost. Positioned as Hyundai’s phenomenal diesel sedan, theAccent continues to win the approval of motorists. Based on year-to-date sales reports, the Accent registered a whopping 447.9% growth, making it one of the leading brands in the B-segment of the
STAREX
PC category. For the month of October this year,theAccentshowedmoreaggressiveness with a 106.1% growth versus the same month last year, giving it stronger footing in the PC segment. With its all-new fluidic sculpture design and powerful Theta II petrol engine, the Hyundai Sonata is captivating more and more motorists in search of a premium executive sedan. Coming from a successful thirdquarter,beingthenumberoneMid-size sedan, the Hyundai Sonata is unstoppable, as its sales remain upbeat as ever. Its market share increased to 19.2% and 36.3% in yearto-date and month-to-date rankings, respectively, keeping it an intimidating brand in the Mid-size sedan category. In the non-premium sports car brand category, the Genesis Coupe still dominates the rankings with a lion’s share of the market
at 86.6%. The Genesis Coupe’s monthly salesthisyearalsoimprovedby8.3%,which translates to an average of 16 unit sales per month, emphasizing Hyundai’s success as a high-performancecarbrand. Aside from making its mark as a favorite in the PC segment, Hyundai has also vigorously proven that it’s still one of the top choices in the LCV segment. This is evidenced by Hyundai’s 61.4% growth in the LCV segment based on yearto-date sales. Hyundai attributes these gains to the strongsalesoftheTucson,GrandStarex,and Santa Fe. Still as mighty as ever in the Compact SUV rankings, the Tucson scored an incredible 97.7% growth for the first 10 months of the year, which translates to an outstanding 39.1% market share, sustaining
theTucson’stitleasthenumberoneCompact SUV. TheTucsonalsodominatedtheCompact SUV rankings in terms of month-to-date sales, with market share of 25.4%. In the Passenger Van category, the Grand Starex is still number one in the rankings, showingoffanimpressive46.3%growthfor the first 10 months of the year, and market share of 31.5%. Versus its sales in October last year, the Grand Starex improved for the same month this year at 29.7%, firming up its presence as the all-time favorite family van of Filipinos. With its refreshing style yet all-powerful engine performance, thanks to its new Theta II and R eVGT engines, the Santa Fe Crossover SUV comes as a tough contender in the Mid-size SUV category. Hyundai’s stylish Crossover SUV registered a 36.8% growth based on year-todatesales,cornering6.9%marketshare.After its commendable sales in September, the Santa Fe’s sales jumped 141.7% in October, and on a month-on-month evaluation, the Santa Fe is even more intimidating for the month of October this year with growth of 90.5%. With a brand focused on moving higher up the rankings and winning the customers’ nod of approval, Hyundai is racing confidently to a triumphant yearend this 2010. And as it continues to make recordbreaking sales, Hyundai is well on its way to a strong finish that will spell another milestone year for this bold automotive brand.
ISUZU Phils. President Ryoji Yamazaki (2nd from left) shows off trophy for Isuzu Crosswind as the Best AUV in the BDO 2010-11 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards. Auto Focus is a weekly motoring TV program hosted by respected motoring broadcast and print journalist Ray Butch Gamboa (left). The annual motoring survey is designed to show the most popular vehicles among consumers in the Philippine automotive market.
Nissan Qashqai is best choice for families Overwhelming public opinion indicates that the Nissan Qashqai is the best small family car, leading car review website, RoadTestReports.co.uk says. The popular Qashqai is one of the most frequently reviewed family cars on the website and is currently one of the most highly rated cars by consumers who have left their thoughts on the website. The wonderfully diverse and capable Qashqai with comments such as ‘fabulous’ and ‘fantastic’ branded about it on its page on the car review website, lead RoadTestReports.co.uk to inspect more closely the reports on the Qashqai to find some very flattering comments: ‘The Qashqai combines the needs of everyday life brilliantly,’writes Stuart from London. ‘Best car I have ever owned,’ writes Peter from Essex. ‘Difficult to pronounce, easy to fall in love with,’ writes Rose from London. So what is it that makes the Qashqai so popular?Acombination of safety, versatility and low running costs likely make the Qashqai irresistible. It’s crossover proportions provide families with plenty of room while it remains a stylish choice. The Nissan Qashqai was originally launched in 2007 and was subsequently awarded five stars for adult protection and four for child occupant safety by Euro NCAP. Since that time, it has consistently remained one of Nissan’s top selling models. In May, it was the ninth top selling model in the UK. Says Faye Sunderland, spokesperson for RoadTestReports.co.uk: “The Nissan Qashqai has been an instant hit. People really seem to love its sensible dimensions, simple yet refined styling and its versatility of use, it has to be one of the most highly praised cars on the website across the board, while within the small family car category, the rest are trailing in its wake. “We would definitely advise families to check it out when looking for their next car, all those happy reviewers can’t be wrong!” (RoadTestReports.co.uk)
Gov't eyes tax perks for electric vehicles THEAquinoadministrationplanstooffer taxperksandexemptionfromthebanonnew franchises to transportation companies that shift from gas-fed vehicles to electric vehicles(EVs). In a statement, Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Aristotle B. Batuhan said the government is eyeing to provideexemptionsfromthebanonnewfranchises,alongwithtaxbreaksandgovernment loans for electric vehicles. Batuhan said the incentives would be offered to manufacturers and operators of electricvehiclestoencouragetheuseofemissionfreetransports. "Theseperksareneededtoenticebusoperators to shell out an extra P2-3 million to purchase electric vehicles instead of another gas-guzzlingmode,"hesaid. Despite the standing moratorium against newissuances,BatuhansaidtheDOTCplans
Electric vehicles such as Prius could could enjoy tax breaks, government loans.
to grant an initial limited number of electric bus franchise in Metro Manila. "Suchspecialfranchiseswillbeauctioned to interested operators and may allow these electricbusestoplycommuter-packedroads likeEDSA,"hesaid. BatuhansaidthegovernmentmovetopromoteEVswasduetotheworrisomeroadside airqualityinMetroManila,Cebu,Davaoand
in all other major cities in the country. "EVsistheonlywayforwardinourmass transit system to address the appalling roadside air quality in the metropolis," Batuhan said. Earlier, the Asian Development Bank (ADB)offeredtofinancethedevelopmentof electric vehicles in the country, starting with tricycles followed by cars and jeepneys.
E-vehiclesrunonpureelectricitysupplied byrechargeableautomotivebatteries.Theyare not noisy and they do not emit fumes. They canbechargedovernightforabouteighthours on an ordinary wall outlet, much like charging a cell phone, and run the next day for a minimum of 65 kilometers. They can comfortably seat 14 passengers andrunatamaximumspeedof40kmperhour.
Toyota yet to outrun recall crisis, say analysts TOKYO-–AfterayearinwhichToyota'sworstcrisissawtherecall of millions of vehicles, a wave of lawsuits and a record fine, the troubles of the world's largest automaker are far from over, say analysts. Sales are sliding in the United States, the market worst-hit by the recalls, as Toyota faces a battle to regain consumer trust and market share despite efforts to tighten quality control. "Before the crisis, Toyota was by far the strongest auto company globally. Now the gap has narrowed," said Tatsuya Mizuno, an auto industry analyst with Mizuno CreditAdvisory. "Toyota is weaker now than before, because of the impact of the recalls on brand image, reputation and profitability". In2008ToyotaendedGeneralMotors'77-yearreignastheworld'slargestautomakerbutthe road has been a bumpy one for the Japanese giant, facing the impact of the economic crisis, recalls and recently a strong yen. Previously lauded for its vehicles' safety and reliability, a US recall of around four million vehiclesinlate2009swelledtonearlyninemillionunitsbyFebruaryoverbrakeandaccelerator defectsblamedfordozensofdeaths. As criticism mounted of its slow response and bureaucratic inflexibility,Toyota tightened its recall policy and by November had pulled nearly 13 million vehicles over a range of issues. "Wemademistakes,"saidToyotaspokesmanMasamiDoi."Suchaslooseningourfocuson the customer, not realising that our products were not fully in line with customer expectations. We have to do more.That is without a doubt." The crisis prompted US congressional investigations asToyota was hit with a record 16.4million-dollar fine to settle claims it had hidden accelerator pedal defects blamed for fatal accidents. ItstillfaceslawsuitsintheUS,butToyotalawyersarguemostofthenearly90deathsblamed on sudden acceleration were a result of driver error. Sales in the US are falling, with the automaker slipping from second to third place this year behind reviving giants Ford and market leader GM. Toyota reported a 7.3 percent sales drop in November and its market share could fall by 17 percent to just over 15 percent in 2010, according to IHSAutomotive. "Toyota's sales in NorthAmerica have radically dropped as a result of the recalls," said
Mamoru Kato, auto analyst atTokai Tokyo Research Centre. "This will beToyota's biggest challenge in the coming year." Theautomakerhasaddedanextrafourweekstonewvehicletesting,spedupthedecision-makingprocessandappointedregionalquality control officers. Analysts say it has become more aggressive in catching possible defectsaspartofacampaigntoimproveitsconsumerimage,butwarn that continued frequent recalls damage its branding as a quality carmaker. "We intend to continue to make every effort to recover the trust of our customers,"Toyota's Doisaid. But the company needs to adopt a more international mindset, analysts say. Akio Toyoda, the publicity-shy grandson of the company's founder, was thrust into the spotlightbytherecallsamidcriticismthathehadnotbeenproactiveenough,eventuallyappearingbeforeUSlawmakersinWashington. "ThecompanyremainsveryJapanese,"saidMizuno."MostofitsleadersareJapaneseand decision-makingcontinuestobecentralizedinToyotaCity,"wherethecompanyheadquarters nearNagoyaarebased. "That's one of the reasons why decisions were delayed during the crisis." Despite its woes and the impact of a strong yen making it less competitive than overseas rivals with weaker domestic currencies, Toyota returned to the black with a 3.6-billion-dollar profit in the fiscal first half. But it now faces rivals who are competing for a slice of top market China and racing ahead with all-electric cars, analysts say. China, which has surpassed the US as world's largest auto market, is a priority for the automakerwhosemarketshareisexpectedtofallfrom6.0percentin2009to5.5percentin2010,said IHS. Toyota will have to "launch low-cost models and vehicles tailored to Chinese customers' needs" to fend off challenges from local rivals, said Masatoshi Nishimoto, Japan and Korea vehicle analyst at IHS. "Toyota is behind a company like Nissan when it comes to electric vehicles," said Mizuno. "If such cars become mainstream,Toyota will be left even further behind."
EYECATCHER: That’s what this Korean model did as she catches more attention than the cars on display at a motor show in Seoul, South Korea recently.
‘Come face-to-face with a Hyundai masterpiece’ ASURE-FIRE head-turner.Adistinctive fluidic elegance. A breakthrough in automotive engineering that stirs the soul and makes the heart sing. Seeing the all-new Hyundai Sonata, one cannot help but be overwhelmed by its exquisite presence. A masterpiece beyond compare and beyond words, the Sonata is a sophisticated breed; an executive road partner that ignites spirited driving in high style and utterly smoothperformance.NowondertheSonata became an instant hit in July, the month when it was formally introduced in the market. Based on industry sales reports for the month of July, Hyundai bested its competitors in the Mid-size sedan category, as it sold 121 units of the Sonata—and even topped the said category that same month. The Sonata still reigned in September, with even bigger numbers to show for. Its sales grew by 212% for the month of September—a sizeable improvement from its sales in August, and its market share intensified to an impressive 47.2%. With its consistently high sales, the Hyundai Sonata moved up to rank number one in the Mid-size sedan category for the 3rd quarter with a 38.5% market share. From this milestone, the success of the HyundaiSonatahasbecomeunstoppable,as its sales remain upbeat as ever. Its market share increased to 36.3% for the month of October, keeping it an intimidating brand in theMid-sizesedancategory.Undeniably,the
all-new Sonata is fast becoming a favorite of next-generation executives. Now,youcancomeface-to-facewiththis exceptionalsedan,asHyundaibringsyouthe Sonata Masterpiece mall display. Ready to captivate motorists at some of the most prestigious shopping destinations in the metro, the Sonata Masterpiece mall display lets you appreciate this high-profile Hyundai sedan up close and check out its premium features. Avail of special financing rates for the Sonata on-site courtesy of authorized Hyundai dealer representatives.And for a more personal touch, you can inquire from a Hyundai sales consultant for a one-on-one product presentation to get yourself more acquainted with the Sonata. Words are simply not enough to describe an encounter with the Sonata. That’s why Hyundai is coming closer to you to let you feel what it’s like, seeing and appreciating this beauteous work of art. Relish this luxuriousmomentattheSonataMasterpiece mall display.
Motoring Quorum
11
Your Press/Photo Releases get published here! Please SEND THEM in thru esns03@yahoo.com!
December 16-31, 2010
Meet America’s dirtiest cars These cars fall behind in fuel efficiency, carbon footprint and air pollution STARTINGin2011theFordFocuselectric sedan will be sold in 19 cities across the United States. It’s built in Michigan, uses the same platform as the conventional, gaspowered Focus sedan, and can go 100 miles on a single charge of its zero-emission lithium-ion battery. Compare that to the Buick Lucerne. The $29,730 sedan gets 15 miles per gallon in the city, and 23 mpg on the highway.All that
BUICK #2
AUDI #1
CADILLAC #3
Top Five Dirtiest Vehicles 1. Audi S5 Segment: Sports Coupe Trim: 8-cylinder manual City MPG: 14 Highway MPG: 22 Carbon Footprint (tons/year): 11 Air Pollution: (out of 10): 5 2. Buick Lucerne Segment: Large sedan Trim: 8-cylinder automatic City MPG: 15 Highway MPG: 23 Carb Footprint (tons/year): 10.4 Air Pollution: (out of 10): 5 3. Cadillac CTS-V Segment: Upscale Sedan Trim: 8-cylinder automatic City MPG: 12 Highway MPG: 18 Carb Footprint (tons/year): 13.3 Air Pollution:(out of 10): 5 4. GMC Yukon Segment: SUV Trim: XL 2500 4WD 8-cy matic City MPG: 10 Highway MPG:15 Carb Footprint (tons/year): 15.5 Air Pollution:(out of 10): 5 5. Mercedes-Benz E350 Segment: Station Wagons Trim: 6-cylinder automatic City MPG: 16 Highway MPG:23 Carb Footprint (tons/year): 9.8 Air Pollution: (out of 10): 5
burntfueldumpsanEPA-estimated10.4tons ofcarbondioxideintotheenvironmentyearly—significantly more than other cars in its class, like the a ToyotaAvalon (8.1 tons per year) and a Chevrolet Impala (6.3 tons). In fact, the Lucerne is so far behind the pack in terms of its environmental footprint that it landed on our 2010 list of the year’s dirtiest vehicles, along with the GMC Yukon, Cadillac CTS-V andToyota Sienna.
GMC YUKON #4
For each car, we supposed 15,000 miles driven annually, 45% on the highway and 55% in the city.The worst offenders in each of 10 automotive segments made our list. We did not evaluate vehicles classified as “heavy duty,” like the 3500 series of the DodgeRam,whichareexemptfromfederal fuel economy requirements. We also deliberately omitted some vehicles that rated higher on the particulate-emissions scale, including exotics like the Ferrari 599 GTO and high-performance variants like Mercedes-Benz’sAMG. Many of those cars do have poor emissions and fuel efficiency ratings but are produced in such small quantities and are driven so infrequently that they don’t significantly contribute to air-pollution problems. “You’ve got to watch out for the assumption that they’re evil because the car happens to have a [poor] rating,” says Lonnie Miller, vice president of marketing and industry analysis for R.L. Polk. “You’ve got to ask yourself, was that the priority of the thing they were making in terms of the car’s definition.” MPG Matters Vehicular carbon dioxide emissions are a major factor in air pollution. Cars account for 51% of the carbon dioxide emissions in a typical household, while appliances like refrigerators account for 26%, and heating and cooling systems account for 18%. The
rest of the spectrum comes from inefficiencies and waste, according to the EPA. A Few Surprises Allofthevehiclesonourlistscoredequally poor in terms of the amount of air pollution they release. But there are still some vehicles that stand out from the pack, like the Cadillac CTS, which boasts the biggest carbon footprint, at 13.3 tons of CO2 emittedeachyear. This8-cylinderautomaticlargesedangets just 12 mpg in the city and 18 on the highway, with anticipated annual fuel costs of more than $3,300, according to the EPA.As expected, the manual and V6 versions of the CTS receive better scores than the automatic version with a bigger engine. The Nissan Titan stands out for a different reason: Surprisingly, the version of this truck that runs on conventional gasoline gets better gas mileage than the version that runs on supposedly more eco-friendly E85 biofuel.E85isperceivedasmoregreenbecause of its smaller carbon footprint (10.6 tons per year vs. 13.3 for regular gasoline). It’s important to rate and rank vehicle efficiency, says Karl Simon, director of compliance and innovation for the EPA’s Office ofTransportation andAir Quality, because it helps consumers make smarter purchases. It also prompts automakers to innovate. “There’s definitely a secondary benefit to this process,” says Simon. “Nobody wants to be known as the dirty manufacturer.”
Chevy Volt tops Prius in fuel economy rating DETROIT-–GeneralMotorsCosaidon Wednesday its Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid will carry an overall fuel economy rating of 60 miles per gallon, topping the Toyota Prius, the industry’s long-time fuel economy leader. GMhasbeguntoassemblethelong-awaited Volt at a Detroit-area factory, with initial sales expected in December. TheEPAfuel-economyrating,whichwill be displayed on stickers on each Volt sold, was one of the last hurdles for a vehicle that GM has made the center of its effort to restart its reputation for technology and innovation. TheVolthasbeennamedGreenCarofthe YearandMotorTrendcaroftheyearinrecognition of the automaker’s four-year effort to develop a first-of-its-kind, mass-market hybrid that can run on both electric power and gasoline. The release of the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency rating on theVolt came as GM rolled out a television commercial to thankAmericans for its taxpayer bailout, a week after an initial public offering of GM shares. The tagline of the ad reads: “We all fall down.Thankyouforhelpingusgetbackup.” Capturing the fuel-economy leadership fromToyota Motor Corp’s hybrid Prius will give GM bragging rights it has sought throughout the Volt development effort. But the Volt’s EPAfuel economy ratings releasedonWednesdayalsohighlightaspects ofthevehicle’sperformancethatGMhadbeen accused of overhyping. InAugust 2009, just after it emerged from bankruptcy,GMranaseriesofadstotrumpet that theVolt was capable of getting 230 miles
CHEVY VOLT
per gallon in city driving based on a preliminary EPAtest. The EPAgave the Volt a “miles-per-gallon-equivalent” — or MPGe — rating of 93 in all-electric mode, just below the rating of 99 for the Nissan Leaf assigned earlier this week. The EPAalso rated theVolt’s range when powered by the 400-pound lithium-ion battery pack at 35 miles, less than the 40 mile range GM had used in its earlier descriptions of the car. Nissan Motor Co Ltd’s battery-powered Leaf, which also goes on sale next month, has an EPA-certified battery-only range of 73 miles. GM said it would continue to describe
the Volt’s battery range as between 25 miles and 50 miles, depending on conditions. For longer trips, and in some other situations, the Volt also has a 1.4-liter engine that kicks in to give drivers an estimated 379 milesoftotaldrivingrange,saidDougParks, the GM executive in charge of electric car projects. Bragging rights Running on gasoline alone, the Volt will have a traditional EPAfuel economy rating of 37 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. After accounting for the share of the average trip expected to include some pure electric driving, the EPAgave a combined 60 miles-per-gallon rating to theVolt, GM said.
PETRON Corp. breaks another boundary in fuel technology with the recent introduction of the new Petron Blaze 100, the only premium gasoline in the Philippine market with a Research Octane Number (RON) of 100. The new fuel product was formulated to ensure engine power and to unleash the full potential of high-performance vehicles. The first-of-its kind premium gasoline guarantees the following performances benefits: Excellent engine responsiveness and optimum power and acceleration; high quality engine cleaning action with the use of fully synthetic detergent additives; and better fuel economy and reduced emissions with its unique organic combustion enhancer. Witha100RON,PetronBlaze100hasexceptionalresistanceto“engineknocking”which results in uneven fuel burn and greater fuel consumption.And since it does not contain ethanol, it can be safely loaded in older vehicles that are not equipped to take in ethanol-blended gasoline. The new Petron product also exceeds stringent European emission standards (Euro 2) making it environment-friendly. “As the market leader in the Philippine oil sector, we introduce products that are relevant to Filipino motorists,” Petron Chairman and CEO Ramon S.Ang said. Aside from the new Petron Blaze 100, the company recently introduced two new fuel products: The Petron Turbo Diesel and Pinoy Gasoline.
Treble toll rates
MERCEDES-BENZ E350 #5
To be fair, all of these cars meet or exceed federal emissions standards, and are significantly cleaner than the heavy, loud, inefficient gas guzzlers our grandparents drove. Automakers are quick to defend their cleanliness: The Sienna, for instance, rates lower in terms of fuel economy because of a gashungry all- wheel-drive model, which competitors don’t offer, according to a Toyota Motors spokesman. Still, the cars on this list lag behind the rest of the market, and are certainly “dirtier” than other new models. Behind the Numbers To determine the dirtiest cars onAmerica’s roads, we looked at data from the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency for all 2011-model-year vehicles. Each car was scored for its performance in terms of air pollution, fuel efficiency and carbon footprint ratings. Ourairpollutionscorereflectstheamount of tailpipe emissions a vehicle releases; vehicles with better scores emit fewer pollutantslikehydrocarbon,carbonmonoxideand formaldehyde. The carbon footprint score measures the impact a vehicle has on the environment, based on how many tons of CO2 it dumps annually.Those estimates are based on full fuel-cycles, combine all steps in the use of a fuel from production to consumption, and include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, the three major greenhousegasesemittedbymotorvehicles.
Petron launches Blaze 100
By comparison, Toyota’s 2011 modelyear Prius has an EPArating of 51 miles per gallon in city driving and 48 in highway driving. In creating fuel economy rankings for upcoming vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt, the EPA and automakers struggled to find labels that would convey more information than traditional stickers without overwhelming consumers. The Volt label, for instance, gives its projectedcostperyearinall-electricmode($601) and in all-gas mode ($1,302). As a pure-electric car, the Leaf tops the Volt in the category on the EPA label that tracks greenhouse gas emissions from the vehicle. Since it carries no combustion engine, the Leaf has no such emissions although greenhouse gases would be produced by the power plants used to recharge the car. The Volt is rated at 84 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, less than one-tenth of the industry’s worst-performing vehicle on that score. GM had said it would build 10,000 Volts in 2011 but has said more recently that output would be increased to meet strong demand. Governments in Europe, Asia and the United States are offering subsidies to consumers and producers of a wave of electric vehicles,soontoincludeofferingsfromFord Motor Co and Toyota. Sales of electric cars, including plug-in hybrids like theVolt, are expected to account for a single digit share of auto sales over the next decade, according to most industry estimates.
By the looks of it, the impending treble toll rate increase being considered by new SLEXtolloperatorMATESofMalaysiaappearstobe‘dimakatao.Inhuman.Kahitsaan tingnan. Why?ImaginetheP21pesospresentrate from Calamba, Laguna toAlabang will allegedly jump to around P87! One way! And when you’d drive through the full length of South Luzon Expressway, the present P87 toll rate will now become three times the previous rate! That would mean, motorists would be shelling out more or less, depending on MATES’final study, P262 one way. On your way back, P262 times two, becomesP524!Whew! WR ‘n Pstand corrected here but that’s a lotsa moolahs plus that load cost in your tank to get you there, that requires all of us to have at least P3,000 in our pockets or P5,000 plus allowances for meetings in Makati or Manila and other incidentals. This is the dire, calamitous consequence that may usher us motorists from south Luzon in in 2011. WR ‘n P, however, will not mind it and perhaps other motorists too provided MATES will guarantee each and every one of us no other than a traffic jam-free journey from end-to-end.
el amigo EL AMIGO
Wheels, Roads & Places
Sure thing that becomes a double blackeye when we would be paying sky-high toll rates when just as you are approaching toll gates in Calamba, Nichols or C5, traffic boggles the mind or right after handing the toll girl/boy your hard-earned cash the same meets you there. Whew! Kawawa naman tayo talaga! Indeed, motoring experience here in our country is traumatic. Name it you have it. From ugly roads to slow poke toll girls/ boys to etc.
US automakers’ Nov sales jump, Toyota lags NEW YORK -– US carmakers reported a jump in November sales as they reaped the fruit of SUV promotions and a rise in consumer confidence, while Japan’s Toyota sales slipped into reverse. “Firm double-digit gains for most in what historically is one of the year’s weakest sales months could indicate the standoff with consumers and the still-wavering economy could be easing,” said analyst Bill Visnic of Edmunds.com. General Motors reported US vehicle sales for November jumped 11.4 percent from a year ago in a month marked by GM’s historic return to Wall Street as it sheds government ownership following its massive bailout last year. Ford reported US sales rose 24.3 percent in November from the same period in 2009, with 147,338 vehicles sold on the back of a 34 percent rise in truck sales. And Chrysler, which was also salvaged by a massive taxpayers’ bailout, reported US sales rose 17 percent in November from last year, in the eighth straight month of year-toyear sales increases. Chrysler sold 74,152 vehicles last month, it said. At the same time, Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker and third in the United States, reported a 7.3 percent drop in US sales to 129,317 vehicles in November as it continues to fight a series of safety problems. The robust sales results for US automakers, which exceeded most expectations, were due to “strengthening sales of large trucks and big SUVs (sport utility vehicles), in part, because of attractive incentives, heavy promotions and a gradually improving economy,” said Edmunds.com analyst Michelle Krebs. GM, the largest US automaker, said sales of its four brands — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac — totaled 168,704 vehicles in November, up 11.4 percent from November 2009. “Each brand came to the party in November,” said Don Johnson, US sales operations vice president. “These results show that our brands continue to gain momentum with consumers who want stylish, fuel-efficient vehicles,” he said in a statement. GM returned to public trading on November 18, marking a dramatic turnaround for the embattled company. The Detroit, Michigan-based automaker was forced into bankruptcy protection in June 2009 amid massive debts and a 50-billion-dollar government bailout. The initial public offering of stock, which raised more than 23.7 billion dollars, lowered the government stake in the company below 50 percent and recouped 11.7 billion dollars for US taxpayers. Krebs praised the results from Ford, the only Big Three carmaker to avoid bankruptcy and a government bailout. “Every new model introduced has been a marketplace hit, most recently, the redesigned Ford Edge whose sales were up 55 percent this month.And Ford has more on deck, notably the new Ford Focus and the promising Ford Explorer,” Krebs said. “Ford’s broad range of high-quality, fuel-efficient vehicles is driving one of our best years ever and positioning Ford to deliver improved results in the future,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president of sales and marketing. GM shares closed 1.7 percent higher and Ford stocks rose 3.3 percent.
Hyundai unveils 1st full speed, electric vehicle ‘BlueOn’ HYUNDAIMotorCo.recentlyunveiled the company’s – and Korea’s – first Full Speed Electric Vehicle (FSEV) named ‘BlueOn,’ opening a new era in eco-friendly technology. “We are proud to introduce the world to BlueOn, which was fully developed in Korea and displays Hyundai’s latest technological advancements,” said Dr. Hyun-Soon Lee,ViceChairmanatHyundai’sCorporate R&DCenter.“Consumers’interestsanddemand for eco-friendly cars are rising and securing such advanced technology is critical in becoming an industry leader. Hyundai is dedicatedtoreducingitscarbonfootprintand satisfying market needs.” Hyundai unveiled the car at the Blue Housetoday,inthepresenceofKoreanPresident Lee Myung-Bak and Ministers from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Ministry of Environment. About 50 other government and electricvehicle industry officials were also present. During the unveiling ceremony, President Lee and Hyundai’sVice Chairman Lee test drove one of the new vehicles together on the Blue House premises.
Korea’s first Full Speed Electric Vehicle (FSEV) ‘BlueOn’
Test Fleets Hyundai invested a total of about 40 billion won over a one year period to create BlueOn, which is based on Hyundai’s small hatchback, i10. The electric version of i10 was first unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009. Beginning with the ceremony held last September 9, Hyundai is planning to provide 30 BlueOn vehicles as test fleets to var-
ious government organizations in Korea by October.These vehicles will be mainly used to help develop and test charging infrastructures for about two years, untilAugust 2012. Furthermore, these cars will be used for promotional purposes, starting with the upcomingG20summit,toboostKorea’seco-friendly image. The name ‘BlueOn’ derives from Hyundai’sBlueDrivestrategy,whichencompass-
es the company’s eco-friendly products and technologies. The word ‘On’ symbolizes “switchon.” Innovative LiPoly Batteries, Virtual Sound BlueOnhasacompactbodywithanoverall length of 3,585 mm, overall width of 1,595mmandoverallheightof1,540mm.It is equipped with a highly efficient electric motor powered by an innovative 16.4 kWh LiPoly (lithium-ion polymer) battery technologythatoffersnumerousadvantagesover other battery types. BlueOn boasts a maximum power of 81ps(61kW) and maximum torque of 21.4kg/m(210Nm). Aspureelectricvehiclesoperateonlywith the battery and electric motor, the battery’s lifespan and storage capacity determines the vehicle’s performance. Hyundai chose LiPoly batteries because compared with previous nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH), LiPoly delivers the same power with 30 percent less weight and 40 percent less volume, boosting efficiency and leaving more interior space for passengers. Furthermore,thecarhasbeendesignedto prevent overcharging and collision-related
safety issues. Hyundai also conducted hundreds of thousands of kilometers’ worth of endurance testing to secure safety. BlueOn boastsamaximumspeedof130km/hand0100 km/h is achieved in 13.1 seconds, better thansomegasolinemodelsinthesameclass. BlueOn also features a Virtual Engine Sound System (VESS), which creates an artificial sound for the safety of pedestrians, as electric vehicles make little to no sound when driving at low speeds. Recharging BlueOn can travel as much as 140 km on a single charge. It also accommodates dual rechargingmethods:a220Vhouseholdpower and a 380V industrial-strength power, which promises quick recharging speeds. Under the household power, the battery will be fully recharged within six hours. Under the quick charge method, the battery can be recharged to about 80 percent of its capacity within 25 minutes. Hyundai will collaborate with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and other government agencies to build recharging facilities. In addition, the engine-driven components were electrified so that the electric
motor-driven power steering, electric water pump and regenerative brake system could be adapted to BlueOn. Furthermore, for the driver’s convenience, an advanced telematics system showing the charge status and location of recharging stations is installed. A 4.2-inch TFT LCD Supervision Cluster that provides voice guidance has also been installed. Hyundai Motor Group plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities for BlueOn next year, carrying out test productions. The Hyundai Motor Group plans to make about 2,500 units by the end of 2012, which will be supplied to government agencies. Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Co. has grown into the Hyundai Motor Group which was ranked as the world’s fifth-largest automakersince2007andincludesovertwo dozenauto-relatedsubsidiariesandaffiliates. Employing over 75,000 people worldwide, Hyundai Motor sold approximately 3.1 million vehicles globally in 2009, posting sales of US$41.8 billion (including overseas plants, using the average currency exchange rate of 1,276 won per US dollar). Hyundai vehicles are sold in 193 countries.
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December 16-31, 2010
Aviation Quorum Editor: Elami Go
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Air Philippines sees growth in Singapore flights AIRPHILExpress SeniorVice-president for Marketing and SalesAlfredo Herrera said the country’s leading budget airline has chosen Singapore as its first international destination because of its potential for growth. “Consumer traffic to Singapore has increased significantly over the past couple of years due to the growth in tourism brought about by the investments in infrastructure that the Singapore government had aggressively undertaken these past years. We expect growth trends to continue which is why we are investing in this market,” said Herrera. Singapore has a large Filipino population of 200,000 which served as a core marketforairlinesbutAirphilExpressislookingbeyondthismarketforgrowth.
PAL supports fair, reciprocal ‘open skies’ PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) said it will support an open skies policy only “if it is fair, reciprocal” and would not negatively affect the local carriers. Inastatement,Ma.SocorroGonzaga, PAL senior assistant vice president for external affairs, said foreign carriersenjoyadequateaccesstoPhilippine skies, debunking claims there is lack of airline seats to accommodate tourists. She said what the country really needs are more investments in infrastructure, a stable peace and order situation, and positive image abroad to attract tourists. “It’snotthenumberofairlineseats that is behind the lack of tourist interest in the Philippines but the country’s negative image abroad, specially in the area of peace and order and security,” she said. Despite this perception, Gonzaga said, PAL, as the country’s flag carrier, has always been in the forefront of developing key markets to boost Philippine tourism. GonzagasaidPAListheonlyPhilippine carrier flying to and from several significant destinations around
the world, making it one of the primary drivers of Philippine tourism. Since the Ramos administration, Gonzaga added that the Philippines has been liberally granting entitlements to foreign airlines.
At present, she said there are 47.4 million seats available to foreign and local carriers. However, of these 47.4 million available seats, only 10.97 million seats — or 23 percent of total entitlements — were used by foreign and local carriers last year. Of the 10.97 million passengers that came to the country by air in 2009, only 2.9 million were tourists. Gonzaga said the data belie the claimbyproponentsofopenskiesthat
there is lack of airline seats to accommodate foreign visitors. The Department of Tourism’s target this year is 3.1 million tourists, progressively increasing to six million by 2016. “Even without open skies, the six million tourists target of DOT by 2016 could be accommodated based on existing airline seats or entitlements available to both foreign and local carriers,” she said. Gonzaga added that seat entitle
ment to Clark is about 25.6 million, to Cebu, 20.7 million; to Davao, 20.3 million, and to Kalibo, Bohol, Palawan and Laoag, 19.6 million. In Manila, there are 21.2 million seatentitlementsavailableyearly.The sum is more than 47.4 million seats becausemanyoftheentitlementsmay be used for different airports, hence the overlap. She said the figures effectively debunk the arguments of open skies advocates that the lack of airline seats
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is the principal reason for low tourist arrivals in the country. Philippine Airlines is currently beseiged by possible labor strike.
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Racy aviation calendar
Airphil hits record sales CONTINUINGtheironslaughton the budget air travel market,Airphil ExpressannouncedthattheirSeptemberandOctoberperformancehasbeen the highest in the company’s history. Astheirlatestmilestoneofthisgrowth spurt, the fast growing airline’s marked its maiden flight October 27 to its first international destination, Singapore. Airphil ExpressVice President for MarketingandMediaMariaJavastated that “Ever since our rebirth on March28ofthisyear,AirphilExpress has focused on expanding its route offeringsandourservicequality.With
“We chose Singapore because of its strategic value.We see strong potential in the tourism market from Singapore to the Philippines to explore the beaches, diving, mountains and cultural diversity that the country has to offer,” said Herrera. Herrera saidAirphil Express has one of the youngest fleet among budget airlines in the region which should give the company a leg up in the competition. Airphil Express will launch its Cebu-Singapore flight and have daily flights from Cebu to Singapore and vice versa through its brand newA320 aircraft.
A PAL AIRBUS
the introduction of our first regional flights to Singapore, the company has exceeded its revenue expectationsforSeptember and October. Withthegrowthmomentum,ourforward booking are very strong and we expect to close the year with compelling numbers.” Airphil Express inaugurated its first international route on its maiden flightthatleftNAIATerminal3at4pm and landed in Singaporeýÿs Changi
Airport premier Terminal 2. Unlike other budget airlines that operate out of Changiýÿsbudget terminal, Airphil Express differentiates itself as the only Philippine budget airlinethatprovideslowcostfareswitha premium travel experience. Changi Terminal2allowsAirphilExpresspassengers to shop duty free extensively and avail of more efficient immigrationandbaggagehandlingservices.
Before its rebranding into a full fledgedlowcostcarrier,AirphilExpress had little differentiating qualities in its flightofferings.Nowwithitsnewlook, newmanagementandastrongbiasfor customer benefit,Airphil Express is now touted as the countryýÿs fastest growing low-cost carrier and a strong contenderintheregionalmarket.Inthe past month alone,APX received its firsttwooffourbrandnewAirbusA320 aircraft and promptly launched additional flights to Cebu and Davao and openednewroutestoLegazpiandTagbilaran direct from Manila using the newaircraft.
SEAIR resumes Palawan flights to El Nido, Taytay SOUTHEASTAsianAirlines (SEAIR), the country’s premier leisure airline, announced the reopening of its flights to El Nido and Taytay in Palawan on December 1, 2010. Flights to El Nido will be every Wednesday, Sunday, and Monday; while the airline will offer daily flights to Taytay. El Nido is located in the northernmost tip of Palawan and is part of the ElNido-TaytayManagedResourceProtectedArea,thelargestmarinesanctuary in the entire Philippines. This group of islands is a perfect destination for divers and snorkelers as well as beach and island-hoppers with over 30 dive sites and more than 50 beachesand hidden lagoons. Aside from its diverse fauna, El Nido also showcasesa striking geological wonder: limestone cliffs that werecarved extensively from thick layers of coralline deposits. Taytay has a landscape composed of mountains, flatlands, and rolling hills, and is home to the awe-inspiring migratory birds Balinsasayaw or swiftlet, known for their edible nests. The municipality ofTaytay is about four hours from the provincial capital of Palawan. The flights are operated in partnership with Ten Knots Development Corporation, owner of the El Nido Resorts. The corporation has recently acquired full ownership of the island resort formerly known asClub Noah IsabelleinTaytay,Palawan.ElNidoResortsshallnowoperateandmanage this property under a new name,Apulit Island Resorts. Like its two sister resorts in El Nido,Apulit Island Resort boasts of its unspoiled location that showcases a wealth of wildlife and colorful tropical fishes and scenic landscapes. The resort has a total of fifty (50) water cottages equipped with intercom, hot/cold shower, and bath amenities. Constructed in traditional Filipino architectural style, the cottages are built on stilts, perched above the sea with an unobstructed view of Palawan’s azure Taytay Bay , surrounding islands, and dramatic limestone cliffs.
Key tourist destinations SEAIR has been serving key tourist destinations since 1995, including Boracay, Basco (Batanes), Tablas (Romblon), Cebu and Clark. SEAIR also offers the most routes to and from Caticlan with flights from Caticlan to Manila, Clark and Cebu. The airline offers the fastest flights to Boracay, has the longest history of uninterrupted service to Boracay direct via Caticlan, and is the only airline which takes passengers directly to Boracay viaVIPtransfers. It is the nation’s second longest airline and has flown almost 3 million passengers. Tickets for El Nido and Taytay can be purchasednow. For inquiries and reservations call (632) 8490100 or book online at www.FlySeair.com. For packages, call SEAIRLeisure Escape Packages at (632) 8437308. Join S E A I R Facebook Fan Page for updates on promos and new routes.Airphil Express will launch its Cebu-Singapore flight and have daily flights from Cebu to Singapore and vice versa through its brand new A320aircraft. TheA320 belongs to theAirbus family which is recognized as a leader in providing exceptional levels of comfort to passengers travelling with a light pocket. TheA320 offers optimized seating, leg and elbow space with ample and easy to access stowage space.TheA320 is considered as one of the safest narrow-body aircraft with its advanced avionics system. Aside from having safe and roomy aircraft,Airphil Express also distinguished itself from other budget airlines with its more accessible flight schedule (“We bring you to Singapore within the day and not in the wee hours of the morning”); superior facilities with passengers flown going through ChangiAirport’s Terminal-2, a full service international terminal, while others have access only to budget terminals; and a generous free baggage checkinofupto15kilograms(budgetairlineschargeeachbaggagethatarechecked Press Release in).
“Our investors are very confident inthemomentumoftheairline.Infact, in our last board meeting, we confirmedcommitmentsforinvestments from the LucioTan group amounting to some $250 Million dollars to be poured into the acquisition of up to 20 more aircraft to service both domestic and the expanding international operations. Improvements in technology and operational systems will also see serious fiscal investment. ” Java said. “Our strength lies in growing our community markets, both domestically as well as regionally. In Singapore, we recently supported our expat Filipino community there at the 3rdPhilippineCountryFair.Ourrock bottomrateofSGD30onewaywasa hit among the Filipino professionals in that market.” added Java. Lastweek,APXalsolaunchedexpansion of its Bombardier Q400 serviced routes out of their Cebu headquarters. New flights from Cebu to Catarman, Naga and Ozamis were launched simultaneously last October 21. AsitsthirdandfourthAirbusA320 aircraft are delivered end of November,APX immediately puts the birds to use for its direct flights out of Singapore to Cebu, where tourists can jump off directly to vacation spots such as Boracay, Surigao and other destinations serviced by APXýÿs Cebu inter-island network.APX fare promos are best found online at www.airphilexpress.com.
Flight attendants from an ailing airline in Mexico have launched a racy aviation calendar in an effort to ease their financial woes. The 2011 calendar features the 10 women clad in bikinis and sunglasses draped over parts of an aircraft. Its first run sold out before the launch. The women said they wanted to help themselves after losing so much. The airline, which has debts of about $800m (£500m), filed for bankruptcy in August and has suspended operations. “It occurred to me because we all needed money, and I thought that with so many pretty girls there were bound to be some who’d be interested,” said organiser Coral Perez. The 10 stewardesses each paid some money out of their own pockets towards the 100,000 peso ($8,000) production costs. A thousand copies of the $12 (£7.50) calendar have already been sold, and a second edition of 3,000 is being produced.
WELCOME ABOARD!Just as when their bankrupt airlines screeched to a halt, these Brazilian models, err, flight stewardesses get penniless and so they let it all out in this Playboy Magazine edition. Nice, new job. No flight uniforms to wash. Sidelined Mexican flight stewardesses suffered the same fate but what they did was sexy poses for a 2011 calendar. (Stories above and below)
Brazilian flight attendants go all out AFTER five months without getting payment from their moribund employer, Varig, these three stunning Brazilian flight attendants were ready to do anything, even take their clothes off. That’s when Playboy came knocking with an offer that showed to be impossible to refuse: pose in the nude for the magazine and in return get money worth many years of work. Now the three beauties, who dared to bare it all, have become the cover girls of the Brazilian Playboy’s September issue and instead of the unemployment line they found a place in dreamland and are making big plans like buying an apartment, going back to school and starting a business. The newest Playboy bunnies are Patrícia Kreusburg, 29, Juliana Neves, 26 and Sabrina Knop, 27. They ended
up posing - not very original - inside a little jet. At least for them the sad story of Varig, which fired more than 5,500 employees had a happy ending. It’s not the first time that Playboy takes advantage of jobless and destitute girls. The same happened in 2002 after the Enron debacle. At that time the magazine took off the clothes of several former employees of that company which is now on the rebound.. Sabrina, from Porto Alegre, in the Brazilian south, had already some brush with fame in 2001 when she was elected Varig’s Queen of Stewardesses. She says that she had never dreamed she would be one day on the cover of a magazine, much less in a so-revealing pose. But she already knows what to do with the money she got: the belle will
buy an apartment and finish college. Her brother didn’t like the idea of having her naked on the corner’s newsstand, though, but she teased him: “How many people do you know whose sister appeared on Playboy?” Patrícia says that it took her some time to decide, but the money was too good to insist on having scruples. With her part of the loot she will get a Master’s degree, a car and there will be still some left for retirement. And she found an unexpected fan: her husband, who according to her is very proud to see her baring it all. As for Juliana, she is using the money to advance her career in Aesthetics. Her family, at first, didn’t like the idea of her nude modeling, but changed their mind on hearing all the monetary advantages the young lady would get. Brazil Aviation News