EMPOWERING COMMUNITY PUBLICATION ON BUSINESS & POLITICS

Edition No. 005 Manila, Philippines February 1-15, 2011

QuorumQuorumREGION 4-A, NCR & OTHER PROVINCES. THE SUM OF ALL PARTS.

P20

1st-Apluma1st-Aplumahttp://1st-apluma.yolasite.comunangapluma@yahoo.com

PAID AD

Cares!

Check out Quorum on the worldwide web: www.quorumnews.yolasite.com

Dingdongstill has timefor Marian

Entertainment,Page 7

Aviation Page 16 Tech Page 14Motoring Page 10

‘Not my family!’

PAL takes overZest Air routes

App Store hits 10billion downloads

Mazda posts54% growth

The QUORUM newspaper has tied upwith JRS Express, the country’s No. 1courier service company, for the deliv-ery of its copies to major provincial gov-ernment offices and LGU’s nationwide.

With 280 branches nationwide, JRShas agreed to deliver copies of QuorumNewspapers to provincial capitols andcity and far-flung municipal halls, ensur-ing that news will reach Filipinos wher-ever they are aside from the internet.

“JRS Express’ committment to on-time delivery is shared by our newspa-per and we know that our company is ingood hands with them as our partner,”said Quorum publisher Ismael Amigo.

The JRS business corporation was or-ganized by its original incorporators andduly registered with the Securities andExchange Commission (SEC) on the 16thof June 1960.

It was granted a franchise by the de-funct Congress in 1961 under RepublicAct No. 3260 to conduct a messengerand delivery express service for a periodof fifty (50) years

In the same year of 1961, the compa-ny was acquired by the late Dr. Jaime L.Claparols who reorganized the compa-ny, infused fresh capital and technicalKnow-how. Under the leadership of thelate Dr. Jaime L. Claparols, who servedas chairman and President from that timeon until his untimely demise in Decem-ber, 1975, the company grew steadilythrough the years.

By that time, the company had expand-ed its scope of operations to include 130branches nationwide to meet the risingdemands of its clientele. In 1971,the JRSBUSINESS CORPORATION expandedits business operations to include airfreight forwarding.

It was granted a letter of authority toengage in the business of domestic airfreight forwarder by the Civil Aeronau-tics Board (CAB). This makes the JRSBUSINESS CORPORATION as one ofthe few companies with dual authority.

With the promulgation of PD # 240 in1973, JRS BUSINESS CORPORATIONwas granted an authority to operate Ex-press and/or Messenger Delivery Serviceby the Postmaster General. In 1980, JRSBUSINESS CORPORATION adoptedand registered the trade name “JRS Ex-press” for its use in order to place em-phasis and stress its capability of effect-ing next-day delivery of express mailmatters.

Thereafter, in order to cope up with (Cont’d on page 2)

Quorum,JRS Expressjoin forces

Death of a general: Know Angelo

Unang Alyansang Pambansa Lakas Uring Mamamahayag-Manggagawa

AFP MESS LED EX-DEFENSE CHIEFANGIE REYES TO COMMIT SUICIDE?

FORMER Defense Secretary AngeloReyes' death brings an end to a politicalcareer marked with controversy, culmi-nating in a corruption scandal that in-volved at least 3 former military chiefsduring the Arroyo administration.

Reyes first grabbed nationwide attentionwhen, as Armed Forces chief, he joined oppo-sition forces during the 4-day bloodless revoltthat ousted then President Joseph Estrada inJanuary 2001. Ironically, it was Estrada him-self who chose him to become chief of staff of

the military a year earlier.His role in the "EDSA 2" revolt won

him favor in the Arroyo administration.During the incumbency of President Glo-ria Macapagal Arroyo, he shuttled to dif-ferent Cabinet posts as secretary of theenvironment, defense, interior and localgovernment and energy departments.

During the "Hello, Garci" wiretappingscandal, he became part of a cabal ofofficials who remained loyal to PresidentArroyo despite calls for her removal.

Last year, Reyes ran for Congress as rep-resentative of party-list group 1-Utak but wasdisqualified by the Commission on Elections.

Last month, he was accused by hisformer military budget officer GeorgeRabusa of pocketing P50 million in mili-tary funds upon his retirement as AFPchief in 2001. He was also accused ofprotecting his former military comptrol-ler Carlos Garcia who is facing plundercharges for allegedly stealing P303 mil-lion in military funds.

Defense Sec. Angelo Reyes (right) meets with US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz (foreground) at the Pentagon in this May8, 2003 file photo.

THE dragging of his family’s name inthe Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)fund scam may have driven former De-fense Secretary Angelo Reyes to end hisown life, according to an exclusive Quo-rum source who requested anonymity.

“Kung siya lang kaya niyang harapinang mga kontrobersiya dahil matapangsi Angie but it became too much for himwhen his family was being dragged intothe controversy,” said the source.

“Si Angie ay isang family man at angkanyang pamilya ay pinakaimportantengbagay sa kanya,” he added.

Reyes died Tuesday morning after sus-taining a gunshot in his chest in an appar-ent suicide.

Reyes has been named as one of thecorrupt military chiefs in the on-goingprobe into the Garcia plea bargain deal.

Col. George Rabusa accused Reyesof receiving P50-million send-off mon-ey or pabaon upon his retirement as AFPchief in 2001.

Rabusa said that ex-military chief An-gelo Reyes’s wife and children also re-ceived money from the AFP.

Rabusa said he released AFP funds toTeresita Reyes, wife of the former chiefof staff, for her domestic and interna-tional trips and “boys’ night out” expens-es for the children.

“Pag abroad, ranging from $2,000 to$10,000 per trip. Lalo pag sa US, malakiyan, minsan over pa,” he said.

Reyes, a graduate of Philippine Mili-tary Academy Class ’66, was AFP chiefunder President Joseph Estrada, and sec-retary of defense, interior and local gov-ernment, and energy during the term ofPresident Gloria Macapagal-Arroyofrom 2001 to 2003. He graduated as theclass valedictorian in high school and wasamong the top ten graduates of the PMA.

He went on to obtain two masteral de-grees, namely: Masters in Business Ad-ministration from Asian Institute of Man-agement in 1973 and a Master of PublicAdministration from Harvard’s John F.Kennedy School of Government in 1991.He also took up International DefenseManagement Course in Monterey, Cali-fornia in 1983.

In 1987, he graduated No. 1 in TrustOperations Management Course con-ducted by the Trust Institutes Foundationof the Philippines at the Ateneo BusinessSchool which eventually earned him ascholarship to the Northwestern Univer-sity in Chicago, Illinois.

WHILE mourning the death of formerDefense Secretary Angelo Reyes, law-

Reyes’ testimony important piece in AFP scammakers said his absence would be themissing piece in the investigation onmassive corruption within the ArmedForces of the Philippines (AFP).

Representatives Roilo Golez ofParanaque and Rodolfo Farinas of Ilo-cos Norte expressed condolences to thefamily of Reyes, who was also formerAFP chief of staff.

“We have yet to listen to his own tale,his own testimony because he kept quietabout it. Ngayon wala na, hindi namasasagot ‘yan, unless meron ibang ev-idence. Baka meron siyang anti-mortem

statement ,” Golez said.Farinas said that congressional inquir-

ies about corruption should have imme-diate resolution to ferret out the truth.

The justice committee of the Houseof Representatives resumed Tuesdaymorning in a somber mood amid the pass-ing away of Reyes.

The committee is looking into the pleabargain agreement between state prose-cutors and former military comptrollerCarlos Garcia, who is facing plunderchanger for allegedly amassing someP300-million in AFP funds.

Nation Quorum February 1-15, 2011

2

THE PROVINCES(Sum of all parts)

Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!

Please SEND THEM in thru esns03@yahoo.com!

More Mindanao agri projects from WB, says DA

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said cities and towns in Mindanao willnow be able to put up more agricultural infrastructure projects, as equity forprojects under the World Bank (WB)-sponsored Mindanao Rural DevelopmentProgram (MRDP) which was reduced from 50 percent to 10 percent.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said that with the reduced counter-part funding, local government, farmers’ associations and cooperatives will beable to put up more communal irrigation and potable water systems, farm tomarket roads, postharvest facilities and other agricultural infrastructures.

The DA chief, who takes on as “team captain” of the MRDP, said that of thetotal cost of a project, World Bank (WB) will fund 50 percent, DA 40 percent,and Local Government Units 10 percent.

“This new scheme will definitely bring in more projects to benefit the Filipinofarmers,” he added.

The adjustment of counterpart funding schemes follows the impressive re-view of MRDP projects that have continuously built up the agriculture potentialof Mindanao.

Program Director Lealyn Ramos revealed that close to P10 million-worth ofprojects will be managed at the provincial level.

“WB also recommended that more funds be allocated to active local govern-ment units to further increase the disbursement of the program,” Ramos said.

Camiguin establishes P25-M farm-to-market roads

MAMBAJAO, Camiguin -– The provincial government of Camiguin willestablish this year 14 farm-to-market road (FMR) projects worth more than P25million to help farmers increase their productivity and income.

The funding of the provincial government on agriculture will be thoroughlyimplemented to help poor families in far-flung towns of Camiguin.

“Our main concern is the very needs of our farmers because they are part inthe economic development of our province,” said Gov. Jurdin “JJ” M. Romual-do.

The province already identified 14 sites for the FMR projects. Four of themalready started.

Romualdo assured that the remaining identified sites will be started within theyear.

The four biggest FMR projects are in Jang-Tacangon, San Miguin, Butay,and Bura.

Aside from the provision of access roads, the provincial government alsodistributed 25 sets of water pumps to protect farm produce during dry season.

Last year, the province constructed one multi-purpose drying pavement.At least 62 women beneficiaries’ also received livelihood assistance through

the Plant Now Pay Later (PNPL) program. It further extended trainings andeducational tours to women and rural-based organizations in the island prov-ince.

Pangasinan mothers urged to use iodized salt

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- The Provincial Health Office (PHO) is urging allmothers to be healthy and wise by giving their children brain power through theuse of iodized salt.

The call was made as part of the information campaign of the Department ofHealth in connection with the celebration of the Goiter Awareness Week (GAW)from Jan. 23 to 29.

Provincial Health Officer Anna De Guzman said the week-long celebrationincludes an intensified information campaign for the promotion of the salt io-dization program and the Patak sa Asin sa market and warehouses program inwhich the rural health unit personnel will conduct household and market salttesting.

The activity also coincides with the celebration’s theme “Iwas Goiter niMommy, Lusog Isip ni Baby,” De Guzman said.

The DOH campaign seeks to inform mothers that iodine deficiency disorderspose a serious problem especially if they are pregnant.

De Guzman said pregnant women who become afflicted with goiter due tolack of iodine may have miscarriages or give birth to abnormal babies. Thebabies may even become retarded, have low IQ, become deaf and mute, shortin height and the worst is it may result in the death of the child.

She said that in order to avoid such problems, pregnant or lactating mothersmust have an intake of iodized salt everyday as salt can prevent iron deficiency.

South Cotabato gov eyes livelihood program for inmates

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -– The provincial government of South Cotaba-to plans to launch a livelihood program for inmates at the South Cotabato Reha-bilitation and Detention Center or the provincial jail to allow them to raise fundsfor their basic needs and the required expenses for their pending court cases.

South Cotabato Governor Arthur Pingoy Jr. said Friday they came up withsuch plan to provide poor inmates the opportunity to earn some income while injail and open up alternative means for some of them to raise the necessaryfunds for the litigation of their cases as well as the payment of their bail bonds.

He said the move will allow the pending cases of some inmates to move andeventually help address the jail facility’s problems on overpopulation.

In a meeting with prosecutors and trial court judges in the province earlier thisweek, the governor said he found out that one of the main reasons why manyinmates were overstaying at the provincial jail was their inability to pay for theirbail bonds.

“There are a lot of inmates who were already allowed by our courts to postbail and return to their homes but had failed to do so because they can’t affordto pay the required bail bond,” the governor said.

Lawyer German Operiano, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines(IBP) South Cotabato chapter, immediately expressed support to the local gov-ernment’s plans.

He admitted that some of the inmates at the jail could already gone home along time ago if not for their hefty bail bonds.

“We cannot just adjust the amount of the bail bonds, especially for capitaloffenses, but we can help the inmates raise them by providing them someincome opportunities,” he said.

Felicito Gumapac, acting South Cotabato jail warden, said the provincial jailfacility currently houses some 902 inmates.

EXECUTIVE Secretary Paquito N.Ochoa Jr. has bared the list of prioritybills that President Beningo S. Aquino IIIwill present to the Legislative-ExecutiveDevelopment Advisory Council (LE-DAC) meeting to be held this month.

Ochoa said 12 of the 17 proposedmeasures had already been drafted,while the remaining proposed measureswere in the final stages of drafting.

In an interview over dzMM, the Exec-utive Secretary said among the prioritylegislation Malacanang will submit to theLEDAC were the promotion of fiscal dis-cipline in government-owned or -controlledcorporations, reforms in the land adminis-tration and creation of the Department ofHousing and Urban Development.

Amending the BOT Law, extendingthe modernization program of the ArmedForces of the Philippines, as well as de-fining maritime zones and establishingarchipelagic sea-lanes in the country arealso part of the legislative agenda of theAquino Administration, he said.

According to Ochoa, the priority billsare envisioned to steer the country to hu-man development, infrastructure devel-opment, economic development, sover-eignty and security, and good gover-nance—all of which are consistent withthe 16-point agenda of the administration.

“We have clustered the priority billsunder five areas of concern. Of thesefive key areas, human development isthe primary, but we cannot discount ortreat as independent one cluster from theother,” Ochoa pointed out.

At the same time, Ochoa said, thePresident has not changed his positionon the proposed legislation for responsi-ble parenthood.

“The President has not backtracked onthis (Responsible Parenthood Bill). We areaware of the sensitivity of this issue and thePresident is keen on listening to all sectorsconcerned,” the Executive Secretary said.

He said this proposed bill was still be-

Palace bares listof priority bills

ing studied and consultations with con-cerned sectors and stakeholders were stillongoing and the results from which willbe incorporated before coming out with afinal version for consideration by Congress.

The 17 priority bills were selectedfrom at least 180 proposed measuresearlier received by the Presidential Leg-islative Liaison Office from various de-partments and the Joint Foreign Cham-bers of Commerce of the Philippines.

There were proposals that weredropped from the initial list of priority billsbecause these proposals needed furtherstudy. But these proposals may alreadybe included in the next batch of prioritymeasures to be submitted to lawmakers.

Ochoa noted that the President did notwant to hold up the LEDAC meeting andthe presentation of the draft bills whileprovisions of the other proposed legisla-tion were being finalized.authorizing thefinancing, construction, operation andmaintenance of infrastructure projects bythe private sector, and for other purpos-es,” appropriating Funds for the said pur-pose, and for other purposes

III. Economic Development (1 Bill)An Act rationalizing the grant and ad-

ministration of fiscal incentives for thepromotion of investments and growth,and for other purposes

IV. Sovereignty, Security and Rule ofLaw (4 Bills)

a. An Act to establish the archipelagicsea lanes in the philippine archipelagicwaters, prescribing the rights and obliga-tions of foreign ships and aircrafts exer-cising the right of archipelagic sea lanespassage through the established archi-pelagic sea lanes and providing for theassociated protective measures therein

b. An Act to define the maritime zonesof the Republic of the Philippines

c. An Act to strengthen the modern-ization of the Armed Forces of The Phil-ippines, extending the implementation ofthe modernization program of the AFP,

instituting necessary reforms in the AFP,amending for the purpose certain provi-sions of Republic Act No. 7898, other-wise known as the AFP modernizationact and for other purposes

d. An Act resetting the date of the regularelections for elective officials of the Auton-omous Region in Muslim Mindanao(ARMM), Synchronizing the ARMM Elec-tions with the synchronized national and lo-cal elections 2013, amending for the pur-pose Republic Act No. 9333, Entitled “AnAct Affixing the Date for Regular Electionsfor Elective Officials of the ARMM Pursu-ant to RA 9054” Entitled “An Act toStrengthen and Expand the Organic Act forthe ARMM, amending for the purpose RA6734, Entitled An Act Providing for an Or-ganic Act for the ARMM, as Amended,”and for other purposes

V. Good Governance (2 Bills)a. An Act instituting reforms in land

administrationb. An Act to promote financial viabili-

ty and fiscal discipline in Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations andto strengthen the role of the state in itsgovernance and management to makethem more responsive to the needs ofpublic interest and for other purposes.

-An 8-wheel drive amphibious off-road vehicle-OHV V-Twin liquid cooled 748cc, 31 hp Kohler

Aegis LH 775 electronic fuel injected engine on un-leaded gas fuel

-Low emissions which meet both EPA and CARBstandards, and comes with a three-year limited en-gine warranty

-Effective throttle response, improved fuel econ-omy, reliable cold weather starting

-Excellent high altitude performance and on-boarddiagnostics for ease of maintenance

-Ideal command vehicle as it can bring you there whereveryou want

-A 6-wheel drive amphibious off-road lower version vehicle-4 cycle OHV V-Twin air cooled 627cc, 23hp, Briggs & Strat-

ton Cooler Cleaner engine with 20/50 Amp charg-ing system and electronic ignition

-It has a load capacity of 700 lbs. on land or500 lbs. on water

-Uses regular unleaded gasoline and has lowemissions and comes with a two-year limited en-gine warranty

-Ideal as command vehicle as it can bring youthere wherever you want

TTTTThe whe whe whe whe worororororld’ld’ld’ld’ld’s most rs most rs most rs most rs most reliaeliaeliaeliaeliabbbbble amphibiousle amphibiousle amphibiousle amphibiousle amphibious,,,,, all ter all ter all ter all ter all terrrrrrain-vain-vain-vain-vain-vehicehicehicehicehiclelelelele(AA(AA(AA(AA(AATV)TV)TV)TV)TV)

The 8 X 8 ARGO Avenger EFI

The 6 x 6 ARGO 6x6 650 Frontier

FOR DETFOR DETFOR DETFOR DETFOR DETAILSAILSAILSAILSAILS,,,,, CONT CONT CONT CONT CONTAAAAACT ELAMI GO CT ELAMI GO CT ELAMI GO CT ELAMI GO CT ELAMI GO AAAAAT 0915-5517486 and 0919-5794784T 0915-5517486 and 0919-5794784T 0915-5517486 and 0919-5794784T 0915-5517486 and 0919-5794784T 0915-5517486 and 0919-5794784

Ideal for emergency rescue ops for

Provinces & Municipalities

the requirements of its growing clientele,the JRS BUSINESS CORPORATIONfurther expanded its service to the inter-national market. The Civil AeronauticalBoard (CAB) granted it authority to op-erate International Air Freight Forward-er in 1982.

To date, the JRS BUSINESS COR-PORATION (JRS Express) from its hum-ble beginning has risen, modesty aside,to an outstanding messengerial servicescompany providing employment to about1,000 employees and with over 200branches nationwide.

Quorum, JRS...(From page 1)

LEDAC to convene Feb. 28

Business QuorumFebruary 1-15, 2011

3

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES APPLICATIONS· Fish/ Meat/ Poultry Processing· Ice Making (Block/ Tube/ Flake)· Chemical Processing· Comfort Cooling· Beverage/ Brewery· Freezing/ Cold Storage/ Chill Rooms Design and Construction· Food Service Commissary

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

· Planning and Scheduling· Estimating, Cost Engineering· Preparation of Specifications· Bid Document Preparation· Management of Bid Proceedings· Logistics· Quality Assurance· Progress and Cost Reports· Regular Clients Status Updates

PROCUREMENT SERVICES

· Specification Writing· Vendor Selection· Bid Analysis· Contract Negotiation· Purchase Order Preparation· Expediting· Shop Inspection

OTHER SERVICES

· Construction Permits Securance· Occupancy Permits Securance· As-built Drawings· Manuals Preparation· Plant Operation and Maintenance· Facility Start-up· Electrical System Troubleshooting

Contact: ENGR. SONNY V. SANTOSGLOBE CELL# +63.917.559.3511

SUN CELL# +63.922.537.1943

4th Floor MaxiCool Building , P. Garcia H-way (C5)Blk 51 Pinagsama Village , Taguig, Metro Manila , Philippines

Tel: 02-541-3060/67 Fax: 02-541-3482 E-Mail: maxicoolenggs@yahoo.com

MAXICOOL INDUSTRIES &CONTRACTING CORP.

Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!

Please SEND THEM in thru esns03@yahoo.com!

PHL economy to grow 4.6% in 2011THE Philippine economy is likely to

grow 4.6 percent this year, according toa United Nations (UN) report.

In its "World Economic Situation andProspects 2011," the UN said the Philip-pine economy, as measured by grossdomestic product (GDP), is projected toexpand by 5.1 percent next year.

The GDP is the total value of finalgoods and services produced in the coun-try.

The UN GDP projection for the Phil-ippines was lower than the governmenttarget of between seven percent and eightpercent starting this year until 2016.

The World Bank earlier projected that

in those with a policy intention of safe-guarding “priority” social spending.

"This is a worrying trend, particularlywhere GDP growth is moderating be-cause of weaker export growth and con-tinued weak domestic demand, and alsobecause protecting social spending is notthe same as the significant expansionneeded in most countries that still dis-play large shortfalls in MDG achieve-ment," UN said.

The MDGs are a set of time-bound,concrete and specific goals to reduce ex-treme poverty, illiteracy and disease that189 national leaders committed toachieve by 2015.

the Philippine economy may grow fivepercent this year and 5.4 percent nextyear.

The UN said inflation rates in the Phil-ippines may hit 4.2 percent this year andin 2012.

In 2011, the UN said export revenuesare expected to grow further, although at amuch slower pace than in 2010, as demandfrom developed economies weakens.

The UN said the GDP in East andSouth Asia expanded by 8.4 percent in2010, up from 5.1 percent in 2009, thereport states.

A moderate slowdown is expected inthe near outlook with GDP forecast to

grow, on average, by 7.1 percent in 2011and 7.3 percent in 2012.

The UN projected that Indonesia willgrow 6.2 percent this year and 6.4 per-cent next year; Malaysia, 5 percent and5.3 percent; Thailand, 4.8 percent and5.1 percent; Vietnam, 7 percent and 7.2percent and Singapore, 4.6 percent andfive percent.

The report added that the impact ofthe crisis on output growth and govern-ment spending during 2008 to 2010 and aprojected slow and gradual economicrecovery towards 2015, Nicaragua andthe Philippines would suffer a setback oftwo percentage points in poverty reduc-

tion.Bolivia, Ecuador and Kyrgyzstan

would experience a setback of about 1percentage point.

In the face of these setbacks, the UNsaid the governments of Ecuador, thePhilippines and Nicaragua would needto spend an additional 1 percent to 1.5per cent of GDP per year between 2010and 2015 in order to meet the MDG tar-gets for education, health and basic ser-vices, compared with the pre-crisis sce-nario.

The report added that the mood for fis-cal tightening also seems to be takinghold in many developing countries, even

TELUS International Philippines (TIP), one of the country’s top contact centers and business process outsourcing (BPO) solutionsproviders, announces its first group of TELUS International University (TIU) students will start school next month. TIU is a uniqueempowerment program that provides continuing education opportunities for ambitious team members. TIP has partnered with leadingeducational institutions in the country, such as De la Salle University and University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), to provide theopportunity for team members to earn college degrees in various fields while concurrently working full-time. By participating in TIU,qualified team members can save up to 50 percent on the cost of their tuition. TIP will also make its training facilities available for thisinitiative so that instructors and professors from participating schools will hold classes directly on the very same TELUS sites whereteam members are already working.

Consortium to invest US$ 1-Bin Malampaya gas field

THE Malampaya gas-to-power consortium is planning to invest $ 1 billion toensure the reliability of the Malampaya gas field and bring in an additional 300megawatts.

Energy Undersecretary Jay Layug said in an interview at the sidelines of theMakati Business Club joint membership meeting that the consortium is prepared toinvest $ 1 billion for the Malampaya gas field in northwest Palawan over a five-yearperiod.

He said the consortium, led by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. as operator, isplanning to start the second phase of the project this year.

The energy official said the second phase of the project involves ensuring thereliability of the Malampaya platform and constructing the needed additional facil-ities for the additional gas supply.

"To maintain the project (to ensure its reliability) is not cheap," Layug said.Layug said the consortium is now negotiating for gas supply purchase agreements

with possible offtakers or buyers of the 300 MW additional gas."The consortium is looking at additional sale from Malampaya of around 300 MW,"

Layug said. Spex and Chevron own 45 percent of the Malampaya gas project whilegovernment-controlled PNOC Exploration Corp. owns the remaining 10 percent.

"Our advise to them (consortium) is to do a public bidding or a negotiated sale withfull transparency," he said.

Layug said the government has generated around P100 billion from the Malam-paya project since 2002, which includes taxes and royalties.

The Malampaya gas project contains reserves of up to 3,000 MW. Only 2,700MW is being used to power up three natural gas power plants, namely Sta. Rita andSan Lorenzo and Iligan power facilities in Batangas.

The Malampaya project provides about half of the requirements of the Luzon gridand 30 percent of the entire power needs of the country.

The National Power Corp. is supposed to take the remaining 300 MW for its SanPascual project but it did not push through.

Power industry players have been eagerly waiting for the additional gas supply fortheir expansion plans.

PH BPO industry seen growing by 30%THE Philippine business process outsourcing (BPO) is pro-

jected to grow 30 percent this year, or 15 percent higher thanglobal rate, according to an executive of a leading BPO firm.

SPi Global president and chief executive officer Malik Parekhin a forum held in Makati City said the country's BPO sector isnow growing faster than those globally.

"This is good news for us (BPO companies) based in thePhilippines," he said.

Parekh also predicts that by 2016, revenues coming from theBPO sector worldwide will hit the USD124 billion mark, orsignificantly higher than the USD45 billion recorded in 2011.

The country's BPO labor force stands at 532,000.Parekh expects it to hit the 1.3 million mark by 2016 due to

the opening of new markets in Western Europe and Asia-Pa-cific region.

But despite the significant BPO growth in the Philippines,Parekh said, Filipinos should not be complacent.

To reap the benefits of the growing market for outsourcingservices, they should develop their skills particularly to meetthe needs of the non-voice sector, he noted.

Parekh said already majority of BPO companies are report-ing that 58 percent of their revenues are coming from the non-voice sector compared to the 42 percent generated by the tra-ditional voice-related services.

"BPO companies in the Philippines should re-orient their

services in order to tap into this market as this service heraldsthe new era of the call center industry," he said.

Parekh said BPO companies should likewise introduce ser-vices needed by their clients to expand their niche in the field.

He also expressed confidence that SPi Global is well equippedto handle such challenge as the company has already suffi-cient number of personnel capable of handling such service.

At the moment, SPi serves more than 500 clients locally andglobally, with some of them leading figures in the the banking,air transport and real estate businesses.

And to further protect the company from being caught un-aware by any developments that could trigger a new servicesensation, Parekh added, SPi has already created a new de-partment which solely focus on research and other trends in theBPO field.

He is also confident that SPi will continue to grow in the BPOfield due to its "solution centered, people centric and innova-tion centered" philosophy.

SPi is one of the world's most largest and diversified knowl-edge process and customer relationship management serviceproviders in the country in terms of clients, geographic pres-ence and capabilities with more than 14,000 dedicated em-ployees globally.

It is also the largest Filipino-owned BPO company housing11,000 employees in the Philippines.

'Triple double'growth seen

THE Philippine Economic Zone Author-ity (PEZA) expects exports to hit $ 247.089billion for the period 2010-2014 and em-ployment rising to 1.077 million by 2014from the 2010 actual of 735,672 direct jobs.

PEZA Director-General Lilia B. DeLima said in a presentation as part of theDTI Roadmap the agency is eyeing for“triple double” growth or 10 percent an-nual growth in investments, exports andemployment until 2014.

“Our triple double growth is anchoredon expansions and reinvestments of ex-isting locators,” De Lima said.

Earlier, PEZA said its investments forthe five-year period are expected toreach P1.241 trillion.

She said that more than 60 percent ofPEZA investments are expansions andreinvestments of PEZA locators.

In terms of exports, PEZA-registeredenterprises reached $ 40.473 billion in 2010.

For this year, PEZA exports are ex-pected to hit $ 44.52 billion, increasing to$ 48.972 billion in 2012 and $ 53.869 by2013. By 2014, PEZA exports shouldhave grown to $ 59.255 billion or a totalof $ 247.089 billion for the five-year pe-riod.

TESDA scholars to work in MEas heavy equipment operators

THE two-week intensive training pro-vided by the Technical Education andSkills Development Authority (TESDA)has become the passport of the 16 youngscholars for employment abroad.

The TESDA scholars are soon flyingto either Dubai or Qatar to work as heavyequipment operators in accredited insti-tutions there and will have a chance toearn P30,000 to P40,000 per month.

The scholarship grants were part ofthe commitment of TESDA DirectorGeneral Joel Villanueva to the Mindan-ao Technical Vocational EducationTraining (Mintvet) Association to aid itschosen students in pursuing their studiesusing funds from the agency’s Trainingfor Work Scholarship Program (TWSP).

The scholars underwent training onheavy equipment operation (BackhoeLoader NC II) for 122 hours from No-vember 15 to 30 last year in Salay, Misa-mis Oriental under the Skills MasteryInstitute, a member of Mintvet.

After completing the training, they tookTESDA’s National Certification Assess-ment on December 22 to 23, and is nowpreparing for the final interview.

Meanwhile, a total of 264 TESDA schol-

ars in Mindanao are also expected to finishtheir course next month and will be ready forpossible employment in the country or abroad.

The scholars are beneficiaries of themore than P70 million budget of TESDAfor its TWSP in the region. Of the amount,P2.5 million was allocated for Mintvet.

The training commenced on Novem-ber 3 last year and is expected to end onFebruary 28, 2011, according to a Janu-ary 15 status report by the TESDA officein Mindanao.

Of the 264 scholars, 184 (70 percent)percent have been assured of job place-ment after undergoing competency as-sessment in March.

The training courses offered to stu-dents were on heavy equipment opera-tion NC II, food and beverage NC II,barangay health services NC II, auto-motive servicing NC II, computer hard-ware servicing NC II, commercial cook-ing NC II, housekeeping NC II, con-sumer electronics NC II, and emergen-cy medical services NC II.

These courses were offered by eighttechnical vocational institutions thatpassed the qualification requirements ofTESDA

Profiles Quorum February 1-15, 2011

4 TOURISM&

Subic Freeport eyes 7-M Asian cruise travelersSUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- The Sub-

ic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA)has set its sights on the projected surgeof Asian cruise travelers in the next fiveyears through joining pioneering indus-try players in the region to market Asiaas one cruise destination.

SBMA administrator Armand Arrezasaid Subic has signified its intention tocapitalize on the growing cruise marketby joining the Asia Cruise Terminal As-sociation (ACTA).

“We’re banking on positive industryprojections for this growing market niche,now that the global economic crisis hasbeen hurdled,” Arreza said.

“As a regional organization, ACTAcould well deliver the numbers to helppush the local tourism industry,” he said.

ACTA was formed in July last yearunder the initiative of the SingaporeCruise Centre Pte Ltd. (SCC) and theShanghai Wusongkou InternationalCruise Development Company as a jointeffort among member countries to tapAsia’s growth potential and develop thearea into the “Caribbean of the East.”

Since its incorporation, ACTA has at-tracted 12 cruise terminal operators asmembers.

These include Shanghai Wusongk-ou, Xiamen, and Yantai in China; In-

cheon and Busan in Korea; Kobe, Os-aka, and Sakaiminato in Japan; Kee-lung in Taiwan; Danang in Vietnam;SCC in Singapore; and Subic Bay inthe Philippines.

Raul Marcelo, SBMA deputy admin-istrator for tourism and chairman of theSubic Bay Cruise Ship Committee (SBC-SC), said Subic will be represented inthe organization by Rose Baldeo, presi-dent and CEO of Global Terminals andDevelopment Inc., the operator of the onlypassenger terminal in Subic Bay.

Global Terminals, which also operatesthe high-end Segara Villas resort nearSubic’s Alava Pier, now has the capabil-

ity and the facilities to serve visitingcruise ships, Marcelo noted.

ACTA’s move to develop the Asiancruise market was bolstered lately byprojections among industry experts thatthe region is set to experience an unprec-edented growth as more cruise liners settheir sights on Asia following a turnaroundof the global economy after the recentfinancial crisis.

The optimism was further buoyed bythe growing middle class in Asia, saidRonnie Yambao, head of the Manufac-turing and Maritime Department of theSBMA’s Business and Investment Group,who attended the ACTA plenary session

in Singapore last December.“As more members of the Asian mid-

dle class fly out to the United States andthe Caribbean for cruises, ACTA fore-casts that the cruise industry in the re-gion may attract as much as seven mil-lion passengers per year.

That is about three times the numberthat was projected in 2005,” Yambaosaid.

In anticipation of the growth potentialand as a direct response to the challengeof making Asia a more attractive “cruiseplayground”, ACTA will be formallylaunched in March 2011 in Shanghai,China, Yambao added.

DOT to focus on rural tourism to fight povertyThe Philippines will be a favorite cruise destination once SBMA’s project goes into high gear.

DOT 7, Mactan airport brace for tourism growthCEBU CITY -– Department of Tour-

ism (DOT) 7 Director Rowena Montecil-lo said she is optimistic the government’starget of getting six million foreign tour-ists before the end of this administrationwill be met.

The government’s target was to reach3.3 million foreign tourists last year andshe believes this target has been met.

Montecillo noted that with the govern-ment’s thrust to adopt an open skies pol-icy, more flights will be coming in to the

country, including Cebu.Should the government adopt an open

skies policy, the Mactan Cebu Interna-tional Airport is ready to accommodatemore flights, general Manager Nigel PaulVillarete assured.

Villarete said the airport is completingits P178-million expansion, expected tobe done by November.

”We can handle any increase of arriv-ing and department flights,” he said.

The expansion included the addition

China as future top world destination

of two more air bridges and tubes forboth domestic and international terminalsthat are expected to quicken the move-ment of passengers.

Aside from this current expansion,Villarete said they will be exploring thepossibility of putting up another termi-nal to be ready for more incomingflights.

Villarete said the Korea InternationalCooperation Agency (KOICA) will beconducting a feasibility study for another

terminal and another study for an airportmaster plan.

If the project pushes through, the nextterminal could be built beside the inter-national terminal.

The USD1.4-million feasibility studyis scheduled to be finished by April, whilethe airport master plan is due in August.

Until the study is completed, Villaretecould not say if the another terminal oran extension of the existing building willbe built.

MADRID -- UN World Tourism Or-ganization (UNWTO) Secretary Gen-eral Taleb Rifai said Thursday he ex-pects China to become the world's larg-est tourism destination within five toseven years.

Rifai spoke to Spain's State televi-sion network RTVE a day after open-ing of FITUR tourism exhibition here.

China is well represented at FITURwith 22 different exhibitors.

After China received 53 million for-eign visitors in 2010, Rifai expects thatnumber to increase.

"We can expect to see China be-come the number one country in termsof both receiving and sending tourists

in the next five to seven years. It issimply natural development," he said."China occupied the place of Italy asthe fourth most important destinationtwo or three years ago and now it is inthird place."

"China is the country with the big-gest population in the world and it isalso an extensive and diverse country.That means it is very attractive for tour-ists and visitors," he noted.

"China is full of attractions, it has ahuge variety which goes from sea tomountain and cultural destinations andit is a culture that is not just immaterialbut tangible from its food down to itsancient legacy," Rifai said.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- TourismSecretary Alberto Lim has vowed to givemore attention to rural tourist destinationsas local executives and tourism stake-holders around the country conveyedtheir support to the government's programon community-based tourism to counterpoverty in rural areas.

Addressing more than 600 governors,mayors and local tourism officers duringthe opening of the three-day National Con-ference on Planning and Developing Com-munity-Based Rural Tourism held at theSubic Bay Exhibition and Convention Cen-ter (SBECC) recently, Lim said that withlocal community support, community-based rural tourism (CBRT) could be abig boost to local economies.

"We are going to build a lot of empha-sis on product development in the ruralareas where poverty is in the highest lev-el," Lim said.

He said President Benigno Aquino IIIis putting tourism on top of his agendabecause of the potential of the industry tohelp reduce poverty.

Over the years, he said, the Depart-ment of Tourism (DOT) has grantedsome P55 million to about 123 rural com-munities to help develop and improveindigenous tourism products and facili-ties as well as for trainings on tour andtrek guiding, native craft making, andlocal food catering.

The fund was granted through theGrassroots Entrepreneurs Employment

and Tourism (GREET) program, whichaims to generate employment and liveli-hood with balanced ecology and envi-ronmental protection to promote eco-tourism sites and develop tourism at thecommunity level.

Based on the report of the NationalStatistics Office, Lim said that althoughthe tourism industry ranks number fouras foreign exchange earner, it is nownumber one in creating jobs.

"These jobs are jobs in the rural areas,where most of our most beautiful attrac-tions can be found," he added.

The CBRT conference was organizedby the Subic-based International Schoolof Sustainable Tourism (ISST), in col-laboration with the Asian Productivity

Organization (APO), the DevelopmentAcademy of the Philippines (DAP), andthe DOT.

ISST chairperson and former tourismsecretary Mina Gabor said the conferenceaims to enhance the knowledge of localtourism stakeholders on the concept ofrural tourism as a strategy to create eco-nomic opportunities in the rural areas.

Gabor narrated that in 2007, an icon ininformation technology took his back-pack and went to his home in South Afri-ca and immersed himself in the commu-nity, dancing and eating with the people.On his return to America he said, "Thisis the way tourism should be developedto enjoy your travel in different coun-tries."

8,725 migratory birds surface in Candaba, PampangaCANDABA, Pampanga -- At least 8,725 migratory birds of 41

species were found roaming around the Candaba Wetlands dur-ing the 2011 Asian Water Bird Census (AWC) held at the WildlifeReserve Park in Sitio Dona Simang, Visal San Pablo here.

The census was spearheaded by Mike Lu, Wild Bird Club ofthe Philippines (WBCP) president, and other club members incoordination with the municipal government officials headedby Mayor Jerry Pelayo.

Lu noted that the number of migratory birds in Candabasignificantly decreased as compared to at least 11,000 recordlast year.

"The ducks did not stay maybe because of lost of habitat,"he said.

The WBCP president disclosed that during their previousvisit in the wildlife reserve park, they found that most of theareas were flooded.

However, in the recent census, he observed that the waterlevel was no longer the same.

"This could have contributed to the decrease of migratorybirds here," he said.

Leny Manalo, chief of staff of Mayor Pelayo, said the levelof water decreased naturally due to climate change.

In fact, he said, most villages here did not submerge in flood-waters last year.

The Asian Water Bird Census, initiated in 1987, is aimed atproviding the basis for estimates of waterbird populations andmonitor changes in waterbird numbers and distribution by reg-ular and standardized counts of representative wetlands.

The bird census is part of the global water bird monitoring programof the International Water Bird Census coordinated by the WetlandsInternational and the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau.

Meanwhile, it can be recalled that before the year 2010 end-ed, the Candaba wetlands marked another Philippine recordwhen for the first time, a Greater White-fronted Goose, a birdliving usually in Northern and Central North America and Eu-rope, was spotted in the area.

Unusualdestinationstry to lure

touristsMADRID, Spain -- Brave a few "se-

curity problems" and trek the mountainranges of Pakistan, take a vacation inKuwait where the sand is very, very hot,or risk a bit of heli-skiing in Uzbekistan.

If you are a tourist ready to go some-where a bit different, there is a growingqueue of destinations desperate to wel-come you; 166 nations jostled for atten-tion this week at the World TourismTrade Fair in Madrid.

Pakistan International Airlines joinedfor the first time, keen to get some of theaction from 200,000 trade and generalpublic visitors anticipated at the five-dayfair ending Sunday.

"We are here to promote our newroute from Barcelona to Chicago," twocities with large Pakistani communities,said the airline's Spain director, SaleemUllah Shahani.

"We also wanted to show that Paki-stan still exists for tourism, even if thesituation is complicated right now," headded, conceding there are some "secu-rity problems."

Rising religious extremism is a graveconcern in Pakistan, where this month aprovincial governor was shot and killedby his own bodyguard because he want-ed to amend stringent anti-blasphemylegislation.

And any tourists will probably wantto steer clear of the tribal belt of north-western Pakistan, suspected by West-ern intelligence agencies to be the glo-bal center of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda.

"Before 2009 we used to take manytourists to Pakistan to go to the moun-tains, which are more beautiful than inSwitzerland. Now there are still touristsbut very few," Shahani said.

Pakistan is also keen to foster busi-ness tourism, he said.

Next month, PIA will take executivesfrom leading Spanish department storechain El Corte Ingles, he said. Spanishclothing chain Zara has already taken atour; its interest was cheap production ofshoes and clothes.

For Kuwait, the challenge is to showoff its natural heritage and erase a cli-che conception of the country.

"Everyone knows us as a petroleumcountry," lamented state tourism under-secretary Ali Abdullah Al-Baghli.

Congress QuorumFebruary 1-15, 2011

5Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!Please SEND THEM in thru esns03@yahoo.com!

Criminalize dumping ofwaste into the seas -- Arroyo

House leader wants P-Noy to certify VAST bill as urgentA RANKING House leader urges

President Aquino to certify as urgentHouse Bill 3850, which seeks to imposea Value Simplified Tax (VAST) in lieu ofthe Value Added Tax (VAT).

In a letter to the President dated Janu-ary 17, 2011, Rep. Hermilando Mandan-as (2nd District, Batangas), Chairman ofthe House Committee on Ways andMeans said the VAST will encourage the"bayanihan" spirit of sharing and engen-der an equitable distribution of the taxburden, between the private sector andthe public consumer.

"With the VAST, we believe that your

administration will be true to its wordKung walang corrupt, walang mahirap!Through your leadership, we in the Houseof Representatives are able to best servethe Filipino nation," Mandanas said.

Mandanas said the house body hadexhaustive hearings and consultations onthe VAST bill and "it is unfortunate thatFinance Secretary Cesar Purisima northe Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bu-reau of Customs Commissioners did notattend its deliberations."

"The Department of Finance is notsupportive of the VAST bill but wouldrather increase the VAT from 12 percent

to 15 percent and repeal the senior Citi-zen's exemption from the VAT, whichwe believe will be more burdensome tothe Filipino taxpayer," said Mandanas.

The committee approved on Decem-ber 7, 2010 the VAST bill which is anequitable revenue generating measurethat reduces the direct tax payment ofthe consumer from a VAT rate of 12 per-cent to a lower VAST rate of 6 percent.

Mandanas stressed the VAST bill isthe House of Representatives' contribu-tion to the administration's effort to lowerthe budget deficit.

"The VAST measure also sends a con-

crete and clear message that the AquinoAdministration is sensitive to the needsof the ordinary Filipino taxpayer by re-ducing their direct tax burden," Mandan-as said.

Mandanas said the primary feature ofthe VAST is the removal of the Input TaxCredit System, which provides occasionsfor graft and corruption, thereby erodingthe revenue collection of the government.

"The VAST will reduce graft and cor-ruption which was perpetuated by thecomplicated system and paperwork un-der the Input Tax Credit System, whichis vulnerable to corruption with the use

of fake or re-cycled receipts, repeatedtax credit claims, or the understatementof sales, and is exacerbated by weak,inefficient and ineffective monitoring andauditing," Mandanas said.

"It also aims to increase the nationalgovernment's revenue. The VAST willpotentially generate an incremental rev-enue of not less than P50 billion with boththe private sector and the end-consumersharing the burden of paying the tax,"said Mandanas.

Mandanas likewise assured the Presi-dent that the VAST will not increase theprices of essential goods and services.

ARROYO

LAWMAKERS have moved to crim-inalize the act of dumping of wastes intothe sea, streams and rivers, in a bill whichwill impose a stiffer penalty for such anoffense.

Reps. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2ndDistrict, Pampanga) and son Rep. Dios-dado Macapagal Arroyo (2nd District,Camarines Sur) filed House Bill 1579 tobe known as the "Anti-Sea Dumping Actof 2010."

"Despite growing environmentalawareness and global efforts to curband adapt to the effects of climatechange, much is yet to be done, as man-kind has destroyed in just a few centu-ries what it took mother nature millionsof years to create," Macapagal-Arroyosaid.

Macapagal-Arroyo also said the wan-ton destruction of Earth's natural envi-ronment has led to the extinction of much

of the planet's flora and fauna, and hasbrought about imbalance in the foodchain.

"Our seas and oceans, which is one ofthe main sources of food, are slowly los-ing their once flourishing biodiversity,slowly causing scarcity, which affects notonly consumers, but also fishermen andfisher folks who largely depend on theirdaily catch to make a living," Macapa-gal-Arroyo said.

Macapagal-Arroyo said one specificthreat to the open waters is garbage, aplethora of garbage that has created is-land-like patches, such as the Great Pa-cific Ocean Gyre, which causes death tosea creatures through countless wayslike ingestions, entanglement and poison-ing.

"Dumping of sewage sludge and in-dustrial wastes, either directly to thesea or through drainages, streams andrivers, slowly finding its way to theseas and oceans, also causes the slowpoisoning of the marine life," said Ar-royo.

Arroyo said with the imposition ofheavier penalties, "the measure is seenas an effective deterrent to the wide-spread pollution of the country's internalwaters."

"The Philippines is widely recognizedas possessing one of the richest marinesanctuaries in the world. With its bounti-ful resources, it becomes imperativetherefore for each Filipino to take a pro-active role in protecting and preservingits natural wealth," Arroyo said.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS -- Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. warmly receives a distinguished delegation from the Social DemocraticParty of Sweden - Hons. Bertil Kinnunen, Helena Proos, Hanna Lindmark, Kristina Thoren, Matts Johansson and Marlene Haara - whoare guests of the Akbayan Citizen's Action Party. They are shown accompanied by Akbayan Rep. Kaka Bag-ao (right) during a courtesycall at the Speaker's office where they discussed issues promoting closer inter-parliamentary and inter-party relations with the Houseleader.

Prescribed nutrition labeling for food products eyedLAWMAKERS have expressed concern over the absence

of a law requiring manufacturers, packagers, or distributors toindicate the nutritional value of food products on their labels.

Rep. Diosdado Arroyo (2nd District, Camarines Sur) and hismother, Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2nd District, Pam-panga) has filed House Bill 1469 or the "Nutrition Labeling Actof 2010," promoting health consciousness among the publicthrough proper labeling of nutritional contents in food products.

Arroyo said with the absence of a law and due to the delugeof various food products in the market, "the consumers mustbe advised of their right to information with regard to foodproducts."

Arroyo explained that the measure is pursuant to the de-clared policy of the State to ensure that consumers have ac-cess to accurate information as to the nutritional contents offood and food products to facilitate value comparison and pro-mote a free market economy.

Under the measure, the commodity shall bear a label speci-fying the identity of the commodity and the name and place ofbusiness of the manufacturer, packer or distributor.

The bill also provides that a separate label statement of nutri-tional content shall appear conspicuously and in easily legibletype in distinct contrast by typography, layout, color, emboss-ing, or molding with the other matter on the package.

The label shall contain the number of servings or other units ofmeasure per container, total number of calories derived from anysource and derived from the total fat and any vitamin, mineral orother nutrient to be placed on the label or labeling of food if it willassist consumers in maintaining healthy dietary practices.

The bill provides further that the amount of the followingnutrients in each serving size or other unit of measurement offood shall contain the following: total fat, saturated fat, choles-terol, sodium, total carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, sug-ars, dietary fiber, and total protein.

Solon bats forSeptember

school openingLAWMAKERS are strongly pushing

to reset the opening of the school yearfrom June to September for the healthprotection, safety and overall well beingof school children and student youth.

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District,Cagayan de Oro City) said such a movewould also make the school calendarmost suited to Philippine climatic condi-tions and address the change in the glo-bal weather patterns caused by climatechange.

Under House Bill 1388 filed by Rod-riguez and his brother Rep. Maximo Ro-driguez Jr. (Party-list, Abante Mindan-ao), the annual school calendar for pre-elementary and secondary levels shallcomprise of two semesters, with twohundred twenty (220) school days forevery calendar years.

"The first semester shall start the firstweek of September and shall continueuntil the second week of January; andthe second semester shall start the thirdweek of January and continue until thelast week of May," Rodriguez said.

The proposed bill to be known as the"School Calendar Act of 2010" shall alsoinclude three trimesters for post-second-ary and tertiary levels with 220 schooldays for every calendar year.

Under the bill, the First Semester of theproposed school calendar for post-second-ary and tertiary levels shall be Septemberto December to avoid the months of heavi-est rains and greater number of typhoons;the Second Semester from January to Aprilwith provisions for the holidays and tradi-tional graduation ceremonies; and theThird Semester from May to August tocover hot summer days and months withthe heaviest rains.

The Rodriguez brothers filed the billas they expressed alarm over the adverseclimatic conditions affecting the 15.5 mil-lion pre-elementary, elementary and sec-ondary school children. Authorities havereported an additional enrolment of about300,000 each year.

"The Filipino children and studentyouth are the future human resources ofthe nation," Rodriguez said. "Publichealth and safety is an important issuethat will be resolved when the change ofschool calendar will be institutionalized."

The lawmakers strongly pushed forthe immediate approval of the bill as theynoted that the months of June to Augustare the heaviest rainy months wherethere are a greater number of typhoonsand monsoon rain occurrences.

"The nation can no longer ignore thereality that our school children and stu-dent youth suffer needlessly from hav-ing to go to school during the monsoonand typhoon/cyclone months of June toAugust," Rodriguez said.

"School children are subjected to theirregularity of school days due to the rainsand floods, horrendous difficulties ofcommuting to and from school, dangerto life from open drains resistance andaggravated by intermittent cough, colds,chills and other diseases. Added to theusual climatic conditions, the La Ninaphenomenon aggravates the already notso good situation," Rodriguez said.

Likewise, "many of our public schoolsare also unfit for appropriate classroominstruction and the health of the schoolchildren become at risk when the rainscome," Rodriguez said.

Nograles mullsstronger CHR

DECLARING that respect for hu-man rights gives more meaning to na-tional development, a young neophyteMindanao lawmaker said it is crucialto strengthen the Commission on Hu-man Rights (CHR) to make it more ef-fective as the country's human rightswatchdog.

"There is a necessity to clearly definethe CHR's mandate which includes in-vestigative, monitoring and advocacypowers and functions," said Davao CityRep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, Vice Chairof the House Committee om HumanRights, in filing House Bill 1141, one oftwo measures now being consolidatedin the committee level.

The young lawmaker, likewise, laud-ed Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., forendorsing his bill as one of the prioritieson the human rights issue which theHouse of Representatives has in its leg-islative mill.

Aside from HB 1141, Speaker Bel-monte revealed that now in the variouscommittees are proposed laws on thefollowing: improvement of human rightspromotion and protection; the rein-forcement to the Philippine commit-ment to human rights promotion andprotecdtion through the establishmentof human rights resource centersthroughout the country; prohibiting dis-crimination on the basis of sexual ori-entation and gender identity; strength-ening of the right of the people to freeexpression, peaceably assemble andpetition the government for redress ofgievances; and the amendments to theMagna Carta for disabled persons andthe Anti-Torture Act.

The Nograles measure provides forthe delineation of the organizationalstructure of the Commission, createdunder the 1987 Constitution, as a colle-gial body with the corresponding powersand functions sascribed unto each of-fice and the pertinent rank and qualifi-cations of every officer therein.

Nograles also proposes a staggeredterm of the chairperson and members ofthe CHR in order to preclude their ap-pointment by only one President even asit guarantewes the continuity of policiesand progtrams of the Commission.

Quisumbing calls to implement Climate Change ActREP. Gabriel Luis R. Quisumbing of

the 6th District of the Province of Cebucalls on the national government and itsconcerned agencies to meet and discusson how to effectively implement RA 9729or "The Climate Change Act" to respondto the changing weather conditions.

In light of unpredictable weather con-ditions, the recent spate of rains causing

heavy floods in the different areas of thecountry and the latest news that severalpassengers aboard a shuttle ferry boundfor Camotes Island in Cebu were strand-ed after their vessel stalled due to the badweather, Quisumbing said, "The NationalDisaster Risk Reduction ManagementCouncil (NDRRMC) should be ready tosupport urgent disaster risk reduction and

management measures, in anticipationof disasters related to and aggravatedby climate change".

"We have entered the season of cli-mate-induced disasters. The ClimateChange Commission needs to coordi-nate with appropriate agencies not onlywith respect to disaster risk reduction,”Quisumbing said.

Opinion Quorum February 1-15, 2011

6

The Quorum is published forthnightly (15th & 30th) by EL Amigo Media Solutions with officeaddress at Lot 4 Blk 30 San Antonio Heights, Phase 4A, Avida Sto. Tomas, Batangas (Region4-A). For press and photo releases as well as adverttising inquiries, text or call AdvertisingManager Eugene Labadan tru mobiles 0908-9874708 and 09175437729 or Hotlines Globe 0915-5517486 and Smart 0919-5794784. Email: esns03@yahoo.com.

Ismael ‘El’ AmigoPublisher / Editor-in-Chief

Fitzgerald CecilioExecutive Editor

Ana MontanaManaging Editor

Eugene Labadan / Ram Buendia BasePR & Advertising Managers

Garcia’s ̀ real protector’; Rabuza evidence

‘Pasalubong’ and pabaon

Quorum Waiver

All commentaries and or opinionssubmitted by our columnists and here-in published shall remain as personalopinion of any of Quorum’s columnwriters.

As such, these cannot and never beconstrued nor considered as similar tothat of this publication (Quorum)’sstand on issues discussed.

Be that as it may, Quorum shall notbe held liable to any legal issues relat-ed to, or any column/commentariesthat may appear herein.

E D I T O R I A L

Life as we make itTHE Wikipedia defines suicide (Latin suicidium, from

sui caedere, "to kill oneself") as the act of a human beingintentionally causing his or her own death. Suicide is oftencommitted out of despair, or attributed to some underlyingmental disorder which includes depression, bipolar disor-der, schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug abuse. Financialdifficulties, troubles with interpersonal relationships and

other undesirable situations play a sig-nificant role.

Undesirable situation or situations.Indubitably, with due respect to the

dead, ex-general and defense secretary Angie Reyes, mayhave silently suffered more than enough of those courtesyof an inquisitive senate committee that grilled him alongwith other high-ranking ex-military officers suspected ofembezzling hundreds of millions of pesos from the coffersof the AFP.

The media played an important role here, feeding the Fil-ipino people live, blow-by-blow account of former Lt. Col.George Rabusa in major radio stations and ANC.

But no, finger-pointing as to who is to blame over Ang-ie's death/suicide wouldn't help.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada tersely answered a media query re-lated to it: "No, I'm not guilty."

The good senator is entitled to his own opinion and nowSen. Gringgo Honasan let it out to the media next time theywould somewhat go easy on inquiries and investigationagainst their "visitors" time and maybe they will just holdtheir investigations indoors away from the working press.

No, that would be tantamount to killing us media practi-tioners and our right to information and the lawmakers'addiction to publicity altogether.

But whatever.Truth will always set us free.Honesty, good deeds in a publicly entrusted job or posi-

tion are impregnable parameters and good deterrentsagainst any future senate or congressional inquiries.

Who would be afraid of anyone if someone has not com-mitted any misdeed against any one?

Who would be afraid of the media, senate/congressionalinquiry if someone has not committed any misdeed or em-bezzled public funds?

Whatever.Life we lead and live is always a life we deserve to lead

and live.It's life as we make it.

Good move forDOTC

ISMAEL ‘EL’ AMIGO

Better LateThan Never

FITZGERALD CECILIO

Crunch Time

HE "pasalubong" and “pabaon” im-broglio in the Armed Forces of the Phil-ippines (AFP) involving retired top hon-chos has put the spotlight and public’seye on the eight-month-old 15th Con-gress.

Both houses of Congress are now busydigging deeper into the mind-bogglingexpose of Col. George Rabusa, who re-vealed that some former AFP chiefsmanaged to pocket as much as P50 mil-lion as “pabaon” during their retirement.

Recently, Col. Rabusa faced the Sen-ate and dropped the bomb on former AFPhead Angelo Reyes that he allegedlypocketed P50 million when he retired.Also, Rabusa said the AFP also shoul-dered the travel and other expenses ofReyes and his children.

In one of his testimonies, Rabusa alsoclaimed retired Generals Cimatu andVillanueva also received as much as P160million as "pabaon" before fading backas private citizens but Gen. Ligot failedto corroborate it maintaining he cannotrecall of such transaction prompting Sen.Jinggoy Estrada to call him in jest as"Gen. Limot."

Not to be outdone, the House invitedformer Commission on Audit auditorHeidi Mendoza, who claimed that sheuncovered a P200 million Land Bankcheck that was encashed by Maj. Gen.Carlos Garcia but P50 million of whichmysteriously disappeared.

-000-

Lawmakers are claiming that they aredoing it in aid of legislation, to help themenact laws that will make the AFP astrong and transparent organization.

But as the hearings unfolded overANC, I cannot help but notice the grill-ing lawmakers were doing it just tograndstand and show their constituentsthat they are doing their job. Pasikat,ika nga.

I also heard a radio anchor’s remarkthat the chairman of the House commit-tee that was hearing the issue “did notgive his resource persons a chance tospeak because he was doing the talkingall the time.”

Oo nga naman, inimbitahan mo peroayaw mo namang pagsalitain. Ano pa angsilbi nila.

-000- For me, if Rabusa and Mendoza have

enough evidence to prosecute Reyes,Garcia and other AFP chief-of-staffs whobenefitted from the “pabaon” system,they should immediately file the case inthe proper venue and don’t let themselvesbe used by some publicity-hungry politi-cians.

Congress, sad to say, is not the rightvenue as it can only recommend the fil-ing of charges against persons implicat-ed by Rabusa and Mendoza. It is such awaste of precious time and people’smoney.

Another thing, they can also suffer thesame fate as NBN-ZTE whistleblowerJun Lozada, who, after several appear-ances, he was subsequently dropped likea hot potato after his damaging testimo-ny against then President Arroyo.

Kapag wala nang makukuhang pak-inabang sa kanila, puwede na silang iba-sura at hayaan na lang silain ng mga kal-aban o ng inaakusahan.

-000- Both Rabusa and Mendoza said they

decided to come out because they be-lieve that justice system is working nowin the Aquino administration.

If so, then they should bring their ac-cusations to the proper venue, which isthe court of law, and not in the court ofpublic opinion where anyone can be pros-ecuted and presumed guilty without thebenefit of trial.

-000-React: email esns03@yahoo.com

LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “Jesussaid, ̀ If you hold to my teaching, youare really my disciples. Then you willknow the truth, and the truth will set youfree’…” (John 8:31-32, the Holy Bible).

-ooo- WHO IS GARCIA’S REAL PRO-

TECTOR, SEN. TRILLANES? IfSen. Antonio Trillanes IV fully knewthat it was not former AFP Chief ofStaff Angelo Reyes who was protect-ing Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia on the is-sue of military corruption, why wasTrillanes so angry with Reyes duringthe Senate Blue Ribbon Committeehearing where Lt. Col. George Rabu-za testified?

Was this a case of old grudge, apersonal vendetta, considering thatReyes was a big part of the Arroyo gov-ernment that sent Trillanes to jail for anumber of years? Or was this a case ofTrillanes trying to divert attention fromthe real protector of Garcia, so that theidentity of this real protector would notbe disclosed?

And, can a senator of the Republiclike Trillanes refuse to disclose the nameof the supposed protector of a militarycorruption clique, despite having beenasked to do so by someone being sus-pected to be the protector himself, likeReyes?

-ooo-

ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO

Kakampi MoAng Batas

COURT OF APPEALS IG-NORED IN TAIWANESE CASE? Ican understand the position of the Aqui-no government in deporting to China,not Taiwan, the 10 Taiwanese citizensarrested in Makati City December lastyear on charges that they defraudedsome Chinese businessmen to the tuneof US$20 million, and this is clearlypursuant to the Philippines’ One ChinaPolicy.

But is it true that there was a Courtof Appeals order restraining the govern-ment from proceeding with the depor-tation, at least while the court was hear-ing a case filed by the Taiwanese sus-pects? If so, why did the governmentrefuse to follow the Court of Appeals’

order? Holding in abeyance the deporta-

tion, while the order was in effect, couldnot have been contested both by Chinaand Taiwan. As it is, overseas Filipinoworkers (OFWs) in Taiwan are now re-ported to be facing termination fromtheir jobs, and that Taiwan is no longeraccepting OFWs, as a matter of offi-cial policy.

On the other hand, there is now avery strict admission policy for OFWsas far as China is concerned, on accountof the August 23, 2010 Luneta hostageincident, where Chinese nationals werekilled by a Filipino police officer.

-ooo- RABUZA HAS NO DOCUMEN-

TARY EVIDENCE? Lt. Col. GeorgeRabuza is right in deciding to pursue hisexposes on corruption at the AFP, forthe people have a right to know what isgoing on at the institution which the Con-stitution says is the protector of the Fil-ipino people.

But, did you notice that what hehas presented to all of us so far are hismere words, without any documentaryback-up, support or evidence? If youwill read court decisions hereabouts,mere allegations of witnesses are gen-erally not given any credence unlessthere are documents other object evi-dence to prove them.

ASIDE from calling it a good move forthe interest of the riding public, the indefi-nite shelving of the scheduled Light RailTransit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit(MRT) fare increases could at least easethe brunt that the Aquino administration istaking from the public amid the hike in jeep-ney fare and other basic commodities.

The Department of Transportation andCommunications (DOTC) decided not toimplement the scheduled fare hike nextmonth after consultations with various sec-tors, thus helping the Aquino governmentrecover some of its lost luster (P-noy'sadministration still enjoys 64 percent ap-proval rating from SWS's latest survey).

Whether they admit it or not, the Aqui-no government's appeal to the public isslowly fading away, especially after the

series of increases in gasoline, toll, basicgoods and taxi and jeepney fares.

And one way to get back in the goodgraces of the public is to shelve theplanned fare increase for MRT and LRT,which would surely make thousands ofriders happy and in return, could returnMalacanang to its old glory.

Earlier, the government decided to in-crease fare to P30 to ease the burdenthat the government is carrying just tomake MRT and LRT financially acces-sible to the riding public.

For years, the government has been sub-sidizing the operation of the MRT and LRTto make them more affordable to the public.

According to reports, commuters whoregularly take the MRT will be receivingfare subsidies from the government to-taling P7.3 billion, or P23,850 a year perpassenger.

QuorumQuorum

Entertainment QuorumFebruary 1-15, 2011

7

Across1 Rascals5 Liberal pursuits9 Chowder morsel13 "Fiddlesticks!"14 Remedies16 San ___ (Riviera resort)17 Darling19 Milky gemstone20 Dinner course21 Cantankerous23 City near Phoenix25 Snaps, crackles and pops?26 One of the United Arab Emirates29 Starfleet officer Picard31 Any minute now32 Delivery vehicle33 Cut36 News station37 Flower Power era39 Latin lover's word40 Hired killers42 Musical sense43 Seethe with rage

44 Filmgoer's purchase46 Underwater detection system47 Shows to be false48 Individual performance50 Trust52 Be a Nosy Parker56 Superior's inferior?57 Not mass-produced59 Grandstand section60 Sgt. Bilko61 Noted first name in jazz62 Take a risk63 Witnesses64 Not e'en once

Down1 "___ dixit"2 Cut, as grass3 Bard4 Civil War general5 ___ and pains6 Strong-scented herb7 Snare

The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes tosatisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once.

1. Colored Ads*A. Full-page Ads (Full Color / Size: 11x17 sq. ins.) –

P108,000 only (Inclusive of 30% color separation charge)plus 1000 free copies

B. Half-page Ads (Full Color) – P58,000 only (Inclusive of30% color separation charge) plus 100 free copies

C. ¼ Page Ads (Full Color) – P38,000 only (Inclusive of 30%color separation charge) plus 100 free copies

2. B/W Ads*A. Full-page Ads (B & W)/ Size: 11 x 17 sq. ins.) – P88,000

only plus 1000 free copiesB. Half-page Ads – P44,000 only plus 100 free copiesC. ¼ Page Ads – P24,000 only plus 100 free copies

4. Advertorials (Special Supplement on FoundingAnniversaries, etc)

A. Full-page Ads (Size: 11 x 17 sq. ins.) – P48,000 only plus100 free copies

B. Half-page Ads (B/W) – P28,000 only plus 50 free copiesC. ¼ Page Ads (B/W) – P14,000 only plus 50 free copies

*Discounts on:One (1) Year Ads Contract – Less 50%6 Months Ads Contract – Less 25%3 Months Ads Contract – Less 15%

The QUORUM Circulation (100,000 copies every issue)A. All 87 Provincial Capitol Offices of the PhilippinesB. All of the 280 Offices of the House of RepresentativesC. All of the Senate Offices of the PhilippinesD. Malacanang & other Department OfficesE. Newstands

For ad inquiries please contact our hotlineGlobe Mobile 0915-5517486 or email your

materials to esns03@yahoo.com!

SUDOKU MASTER

CROSSWORD

SOLUTION NEXT ISSUELAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS

8 Sister of Venus9 Rich king10 Irish fairy11 Collect in abundance12 Infiltrator15 More intense18 Adolescent22 1977 U.S. Open champ24 Trojan War hero26 Polish-American author Sholem27 Musical Mitchell28 Vermont's capital30 Calculator key32 Director Minnelli34 Jane Austen classic35 Active sort37 Old photo tone38 Actors McKellen and Holm41 "Tartuffe" dramatist

43 Male servants45 Academy Awards46 Disparaging remark47 Soviet secret police chief 1938-5349 Woodwind instruments50 No longer active: Abbr.51 "___ kleine Nachtmusic"53 Raconteur's offering54 Aimless55 Approaching58 Be deceitful

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS

Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!Please SEND THEM in thru esns03@yahoo.com!

Dingdong still has time for Marian

Ad Rates:

DESPITE his showbiz projectsand responsibilities as Youth Am-bassador of the National Commis-sion for Culture and the Arts, ac-tor Dingdong Dantes wanted tospend more time with girlfriendMarian Rivera.

Dingdong is currently taping "IHeart You Pare" soap with Asia'sSongbird Regine Velasquez,while Marian is working with herprimetime comeback project"Amaya".

According to Dingdong, hepromised to work on his schedulethis year to make sure to spendmore time with his girlfriend.

"Ang plano ko talaga, ayusinyung pag-manage ng oras kasiang daming responsibilidad,pero syempre hindi pwedengmawala yung time sa sarili," headded.

Though he has a lot of thingsgoing on, Dingdong said therewere people who encouraged himto do better whether it is in or outof the entertainment industry.

Now that February is justaround the corner, he was askedif he and Marian are leaving thecountry for a vacation.

Dingdong said by February 7,his upcoming primetime serieswill air on GMA Telebabad andfor sure Marian is also doingsome showbiz projects.

"By that time busy na sya sa'Amaya' then ako naman sa 'IHeart You Pare', pero siguro ma-ganda na makauwi man lang akong isang magandang painting parasa kanya. Kukuha ako ng isangsymbolic gift na ma-iuuwi ko forher," he said.

When asked if this gift trans-lates to an engagement ring, theactor neither confirmed nor de-nied, but said they are takingthings one step at a time.

But he promised that if that dayfinally happens, they will surelyannounce it to all their fans andloved ones.

"Kung mangyari po yun, sig-uradong malalaman nyo. I'll bevery proud to announce it," henoted.

KAPUSO actress Ryza Cenonshared that though she needs toshow more skin in her upcomingseries with Aljur Abrenica, she isstill hesitant to pose for men's mag-azine.

The 23-year-old actress wel-comed the entertainment writersduring the press launch of "Ma-chete" in her white tube top andblack tights. She appears sexier nowthan before but still very reserve.

Ryza said though she will bewearing sexy clothes, the showneeds to maintain a wholesomeimage for the younger audience.

She also set limitations on her-self. “Slight lang na sexy dito, kon-ting skin lang.”

The actress admitted she is notyet ready to show off her body es-pecially on men's magazines.

“Hindi ko pa talaga rin siya kaya.Ang hirap kasing pumasok sa isangcommitment na wala naman dunang puso mo. Parang ang hirap,kaya hindi ko muna siya inoohan,”she said when asked about a daringpictorial offered to her.

What stops Ryza is the fact thatshe will be wearing skimpy clothesand people will feast on it. “Hindiko kaya yung sexy na damit taposmakikita ng tao yung katawan ko.”

She cleared that her decision hasnothing to do with her non-showbizboyfriend.

The actress said her boyfriendunderstands the needs of her workand her dressing is not an issue atall.

ACTOR Edu Manzano hasdenied marrying broadcasterPinky Webb in a clandestine cer-emony abroad.

Manzano laughed off reportsthat he and Webb got hitched over-seas because they don't want theirmarriage to become like a carni-val.

Ryza Cenon not ready to go sexy

“Wala namang problema sa kan-ya yun eh. Hindi naman kasi siyanakiki-alam sa trabaho ko and alamnya na work lang talaga yun.”

Ryza added that her boyfriend offour years does not limit her to dothings especially when it comes toher career.

But when asked about details

RYZA CENON

MARIAN RIVERA

Edu Manzano denies marrying Pinky WebbManzano attended awarded

poet and journalist Jose F. La-caba’s “Salinawit,” a regularshow done in selected music barsin Metro Manila. The show fea-tures some Filipino songs trans-lated by Lacaba from originalEnglish and other languages.

Manzano admitted that his

friendship with Webb has deep-ened even after they split up. Theybroke up after he decided to runfor the second highest position inthe country in May 2010 elec-tions.

“It's not true. I didn't marryPinky,” he said. “Although I justarrived from my Asian trip lastnight (Monday), it doesn't mean Igot married.”

Manzano, fondly called Doo-ds by his close friends, has beenshuttling around Asia because ofhis work with the InternationalIntellectual Property Alliance, aprivate organization of which heis a member.

about her boyfriend, the actress po-litely excused herself from answer-ing the questions because she want-ed to protect his privacy.

“As much as possible, ayoko pona idamay sya or ipasok sya samundo ko. Sorry po kung hindi akomakakapagsalita, pero hindi po kasisya showbiz na tao,” she ended.

Customs Quorum February 1-15, 2011

8 IMMIGRATION&

Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!

Please SEND THEM thru esns03@yahoo.com!

P-Noy unveils Hanjin’s bulk carriers

President Benigno S. Aquino III walks on his way for a photo opportunity after he spearheaded the naming ceremony of two (2) vessels,M/V Rahi and M/V Vanshi of the Adani Group at the Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Corporation (HHIC) Shipyard on Thursday(Jan. 6) at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Koreanshipbuilding giant Hanjin Heavy Indus-try and Construction Co., Ltd. – Philip-pines (HHIC-Phil Inc) boldly welcomedthe New Year when it unveiled its simul-taneous naming ceremony of two new-ly-built bulk carriers on Thursday at thecompany’s sprawling shipbuilding facil-ity in Redondo Peninsula, Subic BayFreeport Zone.

The unprecedented vessels-namingceremony was witnessed by His Excel-lency President Benigno Simeon C. Aqui-no II who stood as one of the vessels’sponsors.

The President said that today Kore-

ans make up a significant portion of thecountry’s expat and community and Ko-rean investors like Hanjin, are among themost aggressive in placing their bets inthe Philippines.

“As the country’s leading foreign di-rect investors in the first semester of 2010,Hanjin poured out Php24.2 billion or for-ty percent of the total foreign direct in-vestment. Korea have continued to pourin more long term investments in thecountry and continue to generate jobs forthe Filipino people,” the President cited.

During the vessels-naming ceremo-ny, Mr. Jin Kyu Ahn, President of HHIC-Phil, reminisced the challenges the com-

pany had to go through in putting up state-of-the-art shipyard in the country’s pre-mier Freeport.

He also commended the Philippinegovernment, the Filipino workers and theFilipino people in general for the friend-ship, positive attitude towards work, andtheir hospitality.

Ahn also made mention of the com-pany’s earnest desire to permanently putthe Philippines as the best shipbuilder inthe world.

“We need the unwavering and reli-able support of the Philippine governmentpursuant to the main thrust of PresidentAquino’s administration towards a strong

public-private partnership that will pro-pel the economy for the long term bene-fit of all stakeholders and the country asa whole,” Ahn added.

This event was also attended by theHHIC Group’s Chairman, Mr. Nam HoCho, Adani Group’s Managing Director,Mr. Rajesh Adani, Department of Ener-gy Secretary Jose Almendras, Zambales1st District Representative MilagrosMagsaysay, Subic Bay Metropolitan Au-thority Chairman Feliciano G. Salonga,SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza,Local Government officials and guests.

The two vessels, M/V “Rahi” andM/V “Vanshi” named after sponsors

Miss Rahi R. Adani and Miss Vanshi R.Adani, will be delivered a day after thenaming ceremony at the Adani shipyardin India.

Both vessels have a Dead Weight Ton(DWT) 175,000 Metric Ton (MT) BulkCarrier. Their hulls are made of steel withoverall length of 289 meter, registeredlength is 279.98 meter. Registered breadthis 45.00 meter and its registered depth is24.60 meters. Gross tonnage is 91,892.0ton and the net tonnage is 59,082 ton.

Last year, Hanjin also sent off two114,000 deadweight ton (DWT) Crudeoil tankers, to Turkey-based Kaptano-glu Shipping Line.

Number of Chineseimmigrants in PHLdoubled in 2010 -- BI

THE number of mainland Chinesenationals who immigrated to the Philip-pines more than doubled in 2010 despitethe tragic incident in Manila that claimedthe lives of eight Hong Kong tourists inAugust of that year, the Bureau of Immi-gration (BI) said.

BI Acting Commissioner Ronaldo Le-desma said the number of Chinese livingin the country went up from 30,809 in2009 to 61,372 in 2010.

Ledesma said the Chinese have thusdislodged the Koreans as the top foreigncitizens who choose the Philippines astheir second home, the latter registeringa slight increase from 24,876 in 2009 to28,090 last year.

He said the bureau has registered90,413 foreign immigrants and 98,733non-immigrants as of Jan. 1, 2011.

The BI chief believes the geographicand cultural proximity of China to the Phil-ippines, and the fact that Filipino-Chinesecommunities are firmly established in thecountry, may account for the rise of Chi-nese immigrants here.

He said that majority of the Chineseand Korean migrants are students, busi-nessmen, and missionaries who preferMetro Manila, with its high-rise condo-miniums and cheap apartments.

Ledesma also said a number of for-eign tourists have also expressed prefer-ence to studying English in the Philip-pines, where it is cheaper than in theirrespective countries of origin.

He said that aside from Chinese andKoreans, the other top foreign nationalswho have decided to live in the country

are Americans (24,909), Indians(23,317), Japanese (8,931), British(4,781), Taiwanese (3,640), Iranians(3,260), Germans (2,965), and Austra-lians (2,645).

According to Ledesma, the number offoreign migrants in the country grew 50percent in the last three years from 60,554in 2007 to 90,413 in 2010.

He said the aggressive marketing ap-proach by the Department of Tourism(DOT), and the innovative visa schemeby the BI, attracted more foreigners tocome to the Philippines.

Ledesma added that the number ofChinese, Korean, American, Japaneseand Taiwanese tourists also went up be-cause Filipinos speak English well andcan communicate effectively with for-eigners in the English language.

For his part, BI Alien Registration assis-tant division chief Ferdinand Arbas said thatBoracay, Bohol, Cebu and Palawan remainthe top tourist destinations in the country.

Arbas also said that apart from theshort-term tourists who usually stay inthe country for less than a week, some ofthem choose to live here permanently asthey believe the Philippines offers goodopportunities in trade and commerce.

“Foreigners living here experience ahigh-quality standard of living for a verylow cost, with loyal live-in maids and help-ers, cheap taxis, and fine rental homes inquality neighborhoods," Arbas said.

He added that the country offers a widerange of entertainment, nightlife, golfcourses, international restaurants, andstunning resorts.

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI)arrested and deported a total of 15 for-eign fugitives from July to December2010 as the agency stepped up its cam-paign against aliens wanted for vari-ous crimes in their homelands.

The figure was almost double thenumber of deportations of fugitives inthe first half of the year which stood ateight.

Immigration officer-in-chargeRonaldo Ledesma, who was appoint-ed to his post in July by Justice Secre-tary Leila de Lima, said the fugitivesare now either undergoing trial or serv-ing their sentences in their countriesof origin after being expelled from thePhilippines.

The wanted foreigners were arrest-ed by the BI-Interpol unit after hidingin the country for years to evade pros-ecution, Ledesma said.

They were placed in the blacklist ofundesirable aliens and banned from re-entering the country.

BI steps up deportationof foreign fugitives

Ledesma vowed to pursue withoutletup the campaign against foreign fu-gitives, saying, “Our country shouldnot be used as a sanctuary for wantedcriminals.”

He said the bureau will continueworking with the Interpol and the dif-ferent foreign missions in Manila totrack down foreign fugitives believedhiding in the country.

Americans topped the list of the de-ported fugitives in the second half of2010 with 11 deportees followed by twoKoreans, one Swede, and one Japanese.

Among the crimes committed by thefugitives in their country of origin werechild molestation, incest, sexual battery,embezzlement, fraud, murder, aggra-vated robbery and military desertion.

BI Intelligence chief Faisal Hussinattributed the successful drive againstfugitives to Ledesma’s move of beef-ing up the manpower and resourcesof the bureau’s Interpol unit by addingat least six intelligence operatives.

15 aliens expelled fromJuly to December 2010

Int'l shipping lines to impose congestion feeSEVERAL international shipping lines

servicing Manila's South Harbor and theManila International Container Terminal(MICT) will be imposing a congestionsurcharge starting this January, the Phil-ippine International Seafreight Forward-ers Association (PISFA) said.

The surcharge will be equivalent toUS$ 50 for each twenty-footer and US$100 for each forty-footer for all inboundand outbound containers.

The fee is on top of the container im-

balance charge (CIC) being collected bycarriers for shipping empty containers outof Manila.

According to PISFA, foreign shippingcompanies made this decision due to thechronic traffic jam in the said ports whichis preventing them from disembarkingand loading cargoes immediately.

Meanwhile, congestion at the SouthHarbor and MICT has somewhat easedwith operators of the two facilities send-ing some of their empty containers to their

respective Batangas and Subic terminals.Several shipping lines have also be-

gun picking up their empties at SouthHarbor and the MICT. But it still requiresfive to eight hours for a truck to drop anempty container at any of the ports andabout the same length of time to carry aladen container out of the port facilities.

PISFA said that several carriers havein fact begun imposing the congestionsurcharge right after notifying the Philip-pine Ports Authority (PPA) of such a

IACAT hopes to lift PH from human trafficking watch listDEPARTMENT of Justice (DOJ)

Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar,head of the Inter Agency Council AgainstTrafficking in Persons (IACAT), hasexpressed his confidence that the coun-try will be out of the watch list this year.

In his report to Vice President JejomarBinay, Salazar said that the IACAT hasmade very significant inroads towardsthe removal of the Philippines from thesaid watch list.

The lifting of the country from the Tier-2 Watch List in the Trafficking in Per-sons Report of the United States Depart-ment of State, will also remove the coun-try from danger of losing some US$ 700-million in non-humanitarian aid from theUS.

According to Salazar, the IACAT has

already made 15 convictions for viola-tions of Republic Act No. 9208, alsoknown as Anti-Trafficking in Persons Actof 2003, since the last quarter of 2009 upto 2010.

More convictions are expected withinthe next few months, he said.

Earlier, Salazar said that the DOJ hasissued a memorandum to all prosecutorsto expedite the hearing of human traf-ficking cases as well as requiring themto submit a periodic report of the statusof the cases.

The DOJ has also started a programgiving recognition to prosecutors whohave successfully tried human traffick-ing cases and secured convictions overthe past year.

Salazar said this will hopefully pro-

vide incentive to government prosecu-tors to passionately pursue human traf-ficking cases they are handling.

The Supreme Court (SC) through theOffice of the Court Administrator (OCA)earlier ordered all local courts to expediteresolution of human trafficking cases.

The anti-trafficking campaign of thegovernment, Salazar said, was furtherbolstered with the full support expressedby Binay.

Binay said he is willing to extend theinfluence of the Office of the Vice Pres-ident (OVP) both in securing additionalfunding for the campaign and politicalpersuasion to oppose influential personsfrom meddling in the prosecution of cas-es involving highly-connected traffick-ers.

BoC impounds liquor, ukay-ukay worth P30MTHE Bureau of Customs (BoC) has im-

pounded shipments of alcoholic products andused clothing worth P30 million at the Ma-nila International Container Port (MICP).

The undervalued and prohibited itemscame from the United States.

Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarezsaid two shipments declared as wine werelater found to contain brandy and other liquorvariants. He said two other container vanswere found stuffed with used clothing.

The wine shipment was consigned toSiropia Incorporated of 7B YL HoldingsBuilding, Salcedo Village cor. RufinoStreets, Legaspi Village, Makati.

Upon verification the shipment con-tained only 1,224 bottles of Duque Sevil-la Wine while the rest were 24,000 bot-tles of brandy and whisky.

Deputy Commissioner for EnforcementHoracio Suansing, Jr. pointed out that bran-dy and whisky “command a higher valueand are therefore subject to higher excisetaxes than ordinary table wines.”

Two container vans of used clothingwere also apprehended, misdeclared aseither fabric, bags and school supplies.

The shipment, worth some P10 mil-lion, was consigned to ACAB Enterpris-es of No. 65 Rizal Street, Poblacion,

Muntinlupa City and ASAB Commerciallocated at B26 L11 Manfil KapayapanVillage, Canlubang, Calamba City.

Republic Act No. 4653 bans the im-portation of used clothing.

Meanwhile, the National Food Author-ity (NFA) and the Bureau of Customs(Boc) have joined hands in the fightagainst rice smuggling.

NFA Administrator Angelito T. Banayoand BoC Commissioner Angelito A. Al-varez recently signed a Memorandumof Agreement (MOA) to strengthen thecampaign of the two agencies againstrice smuggling.

Sports QuorumFebruary 1-15, 2011

9

Donaire hopes to silence critics

More international tourneys await Pinoy fightersA MORE comprehensive internation-

al training and sufficient exposure arebeing lined up by the Amateur BoxingAssociation of the Philippines (ABAP)for local pugs in preparation for the 2012London Olympics.

At least seven international tourna-ments for the country's top amateur maleand female boxers are on tap this year,according to ABAP executive directorEd Picson.

Topping the list of the heavy interna-tional assignments for the Pinoys is theWorld Boxing Championship set in Baku,Azerbaijan from September 16 to Octo-ber 1.

The World Championship is one oftwo qualifying events for the LondonGames.

A second qualifying event for Asia isbeing planned by the International Ama-

teur Boxing Association (AIBA) for nextyear.

The Filipinos will also prepare for theSoutheast Asian Games (SEAG) fromNovember 11 to 25 in Palembang, Indo-nesia, while the country plays host to theMVP Cup slated in July.

"So far, these are the tournamentswe will definitely join this year, sincethe AIBA has yet to announce othercompetitions lined up for the year. Wewill be having more tournaments andtraining because we are looking at atougher year for boxing this 2011," saidPicson.

Three boxers delivered medals in therecent Guangzhou Asian Games, includ-ing a golden performance by Rey Salu-dar. Saludar also won a gold in the Tam-mer Cup in Finland.

Two other boxers — lady pug Annie

Albania and Saludar's younger brother,Victorio, won silver and bronze medals,respectively.

Except for Albania, the Saludars andother national team members, membersof the training pool started their traininglast January 3.

"We plan to send them to training campeither in Canberra, Australia or in Mon-golia. We're looking at the month of Feb-ruary when they will go on a three-weektraining," added Picson.

In 2010, the team trained in China inpreparation for the Asian Games.

"We are looking at other countries forour camp and clinics to give our boxersand coaches varieties on how to train andprepare our boxers. Experience gainedfrom different techniques will help thembecome better boxers and coaches,"stressed Picson.

NONITO "The Filipino Flash"Donaire vowed to silence his critics whounderestimate him, saying he will takedown Mexican champion Fernando Mon-tiel in their title bout on February 19 atthe Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino inLas Vegas, Nevada.

"There are plenty out there who aredoubting my ability as a champion andthat's fine. It's up to me to prove to them.Once I take Montiel down, then that ismore of a sweet victory," he said inBoxingScene.com.

"I think it will definitely get my nameout there as one of the elite. There willbe no more doubters left out there," headded.

Donaire, Ring Magazine's Top 5pound-for-pound boxer in world, said hiscritics will realize that that he, too, canbe considered a gem in the sport.

"I think that the big boys will noticewhat I'm capable of, what I bring to thetable, what I bring to the audience," hesaid.

The 28-year-old is now rallying to winthe World Boxing Council (WBC) andWorld Boxing Organization (WBO) ban-tamweight titles from Montiel.

Donaire has shone brighter since de-feating Wladimir Sidorenko last De-cember. "The Filipino Flash" knockedout the Ukranian champion in the 4thround.

Donaire is now seen as following thefootsteps of the more popular MannyPacquiao, which the Fighter of the De-cade himself acknowledged.

Donaire has a professional record of25-1 with 17 KOs.

Donaire said he will have to sustainhis focus in boxing to be successfulagainst Montiel.

"I'm fighting a guy who has been therefor quite a while. This guy can be a Hallof Famer when he's done with boxing,"

he said.Montiel is a veteran of 44 wins, 2 loss-

es and 2 draws. He has compiled a recordof 34 knockouts.

He is coming off 4 consecutive KOvictories– all of which were achieved lastyear.

Despite the pressure, the Filipino saidhe was excited about his upcomingmatch.

"I usually feel a little bit of butterflies.Maybe when I walk into the ring. But fornow I'm really looking forward to thisfight. It's like do or die, all or nothing andI'm ready to give it my all," he said.

Meantime, Top Rank Promotions, whokeeps Donaire in its stable along withPacquiao, assured that stardom will cometo the Filipino Flash once victory overMontiel is bagged.

"I think it would establish him as thebest bantamweight in the world, havingbeaten a Hall of Fame fighter," the pro-moting company's top honcho Bob Arumsaid.

Arum also said Donaire is expected toclimb higher weight classes such as su-per bantamweight and featherweight. Hesaid this will also boost the boxer's cre-dentials.

Donaire rocks Wladimir Sidorenko with a solid punch to the face.

Codinera hopes to make UE regain lost gloryTHE man who helped University of

the East (UE) win its last UAAP men’sbasketball championship 25 years agovowed to bring the Warriors back to theirglory days in the 1960s up to the '80s.

Jerry Codinera, who, along with AllanCaidic and Boysie Zamar, to mention afew, powered the Warriors to that 1986title conquest, said on Friday that hewould like to see his alma mater on topof the UAAP totem pole again before histhree-year contract expires as new UEcoach.

“It’s a little bit tough job, if you ask me,because we have to start from scratch.But since I accepted the job, I might aswell do my best to realize the reason whythe school management took me ascoach,” Codinera told SCOOP membersat the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.

Codinera, called the “Defense Minis-ter” during his playing days in the pro-fessional Philippine Basketball Associa-tion (PBA) because of his defensive brandof style, said he already has lost five oflast season’s mainstays -- two on gradu-ation and three on injuries.

The Warrior's top scorer last year, PaulLee, still has a year to play but opted outfor reasons he only knows, said Codin-era, a seven-time member of the PBAdefensive team, the most by any player,revealed during the forum.

“I’m not privy to his plans. That's hiscareer, I can't do anything if he does notwant to play for UE," added the owner ofan all-time record 11 block shots in thepro-league. "I have heard that the former'King Warrior' intends to play for theSmart Gilas national squad."

But Codinera believes he can still builda strong, competitive team. "We have anopen tryout for the team. Anybody whowants to try his luck can go to the Tand-uay gym near Arlegui.”

He admitted though that getting goodplayers nowadays is difficult because atleast two UAAP teams are ready to spenda fortune to beef up their already strongsquads.

“Me? I believe in my dad's (baseball/softball great Filomeno “Boy” Codinera)saying that one need not have oodles ofmoney to buy good players in any sport.

What you need is constant practice. Andthere’s no substitute for wholeheartedtraining,” he philosophized.

"I think my team is okay. Last Satur-day, we beat La Salle in the Father Mar-tin Cup. La Salle is one of the strongestteams in the coming UAAP season alongwith Ateneo and FEU. That means wecan be at par with those at the top."

Codinera mentored the Teletech teamfor one season in the PBL besides acting asassistant mentor of Air 21 in the PBA andUniversity of the Philippines (UP)last year.

He said he plans to transform the War-riors from a purely offensive team, forwhich they were known the past severalseasons, to a running, defensive club.

“As a center when I was still playing,my job is to defend the paint, grab thoserebounds to set the stage to transitionplays.”

"I think I have some materials whomwe'll be testing in the coming days. Wewill take part in summer tournaments inthe coming months, so by the time thecompetition proper comes, we will seewhere we're headed to."

Iverson wantsto play 'several

more years'ALLEN Iverson, the former NBA

MVP and scoring champion, will seea specialist next Tuesday to have theundetermined growth in his right calfsurgically removed, his businessmanager, Gary Moore, said.

Iverson returned last week fromTurkey, where he was playing for theprofessional team Besiktas, after painin the calf became unbearable andtests showed a growing lesion be-tween the muscle and the bone.

Moore said Iverson is committedto returning to Turkey this season,and hopes he can be back on thecourt in four to six weeks.

"He's determined," said Moore."He wants to play several moreyears."

Iverson spent 10 seasons in Phila-delphia before bouncing throughDenver and Detroit, ending up inMemphis last season.

He played only three games be-fore returning for a second stint withthe Sixers, where he averaged 13.9points in 25 games. He took a leaveof absence toward the end of the sea-son to deal with some family mat-ters, which he said have been re-solved.

When no NBA team was interest-ed in him, Iverson was wooed byBesiktas executive board memberSeref Yalcin to continue his careeroverseas.

IVERSON

TO COMMEMORATE its 25th yearof continuously holding a sports contestfor the youth under its jurisdiction, Dis-trict 3810 of Rotary International (RI)under Global Gov. Tranquil GervacioSalvador III is holding the “Rotaract/In-teract” Sportsfest 2011 on February 6,2011 at the Philippine Sports Commis-sion ULTRA track and field oval.

In a press statement, Senior DeputyGovernor Karen Tamayo, the public re-lations chair of District 3810, said thesportsfest will be conducted under thesponsorship of the Rotary Club of Uni-versity District Manila, led by its GlobalPresident Rosalina Co.

“Unlike in previous years, this Sports-fest will spell a very big difference for itwill show and present new sports events,including group events and fun gamesother than individual games. A SpecialCheerleading presentation will be alsobe added to highlight celebration of its25th Anniversary,” President Co said.

The final list of events during thesportsfest, for the morning session, in-cludes: 8 x 50m relay (mixed); sack racerelay; 4 x 100m relay (male/female); tugof war (preliminary elimination, semi-final elimination, and final contest); sipasa mangis; patintero; group jumping rope;obstacle course; threading, jumping rope,planting straw, tumbang preso, and puz-zle.

The afternoon session, after lunch,will be allotted to a cheering competi-tion, then to the awarding and closingceremonies. Senior Deputy Gov. KarenTamayo said cash prizes and trophiesawait the winners.

A Rotaract is a Rotary-sponsored or-ganization of persons whose ages rangefrom 18 to 30, while an Interact is like-wise a Rotary-sponsored organization ofchildren who are between the ages of 12to 18.

RI District 3810 is composed of Ro-tary Clubs from Manila, Pasay City, Cav-ite and Occidental Mindoro.

Gov. Salvador said there are two ob-jectives for the yearly sports festival: tostrengthen fellowship, camaraderie,goodwill, and good health among theyouth and their adult counterparts, and todiscover and enhance Rotaractors andInteractors capabilites in the field ofsports and involve them in social actionsas an essential ingredient of quality lead-ership and sportsmanship.

Coordinating the activites with theRotary Club of University District arePast President Wilson Lei Yee and Ro-tarian Rene M. Navarro, the chairmenof District 3810’s District Youth Olym-pics.

Interested parties may coordinate bycalling 5591952 or 0919 448 2449.

Asian Tour goal

RotaryDistrict 3810sets 25th year

sportsfestfor youth

THE National Golf Association of thePhilippines (NGAP), the country’s gov-erning body for the sport, is making thenecessary measures to have the Philip-pine Open get its Asian Tour sanction.

The NGAP and Asian Tour officialshave had a couple of meetings alreadyand the results have been positive. It is agood sign, considering that the recent 94thPHL Open at Valley Golf, though a lo-cal-run tournament, is filled with top-cal-iber Asian players from the Asian Tourroster.

But here lies the danger. As in previ-ous years, the Asian Tour is requiringthe NGAP to raise $500,000 to nail thecontract. Of the amount, $300,000 willgo to the prize money ($47,550 to thechampion) and the rest for operationexpenses.

Motoring Quorum February 1-15, 2011

10

Kiplinger’s 10 best cars of the past decade(Part 1)

HOW does anyone pick the 10 best vehicles of the past 10 years? Fortunately,Kiplinger ranks cars and SUVs every year, picking the best in various price catego-ries based on performance, value and safety. So we combed a decade's worth of ourbuyer’s guides to find the vehicles that showed up as winners time and time again.When the choices got tough, we gave the nod to iconic vehicles that pioneered acategory and have stood the test of time.

TOYOTA PRIUS (Economy)When the Prius made its U.S. debut in 2001, it barely registered a blip in the auto

industry. But then the Hollywood green crowd adopted the little gas-electric hybrid asa symbol of saving the planet. Ten years and two redesigns later, the 2011 Prius isroomier, peppier and even more fuel-efficient than its predecessors, not to mentionstill affordable. It has paved the way for a slew of other hybrids and alternative-

HONDA ACCORD (Family Sedan)For most of the decade, the Accord has vied with the Toyota Camry for overall

best-seller in the U.S. But Accord has outshone Camry in the Kiplinger rankings,winning four nods in the past ten years, to Camry’s two. Accord fans seem to prefer aslightly stiffer, sportier suspension and more weighted steering feel than Camry stal-warts. Its outstanding resale value and reliability have also won customers. You canchoose from a plethora of models – from the modest LX, a four-cylinder with clothseats and manual transmission ($22,730) to the near-luxury EX-L V6, with leatherseats, navigation and rear-view camera ($32,380).

BMW 3-SERIES (Entry Luxury)BMW has a long heritage as maker of “the ultimate driving machine,” and the 3-

series is an affordable way to gain entry—although many drivers actually prefer itscompact size and deft maneuverability over the bigger Bimmers. The 3-series, launchedin 1975, is now in its fifth generation, so it benefits from years of refinement. The 328iis the least-pricey model in the lineup; on the other end of the spectrum is the dieselBMW 335d ($44,825), which came to the U.S. in the 2010 model year (when it wonKiplinger’s Best in Class honors). You can also get a 3-series coupe, cabriolet andwagon.

LEXUS LS 460 (Luxury)The Lexus LS has won a Kiplinger’s Best award a remarkable eight times over

the past ten years. The luxury division of Toyota introduced its flagship sedan in1989 as a competitor to the Euro luxmobiles, such as the Mercedes S-Class, at amuch lower price. Over 10 years, its record of reliability is unmatched in its class.Last redesigned for the 2007 model year, it is superbly crafted and a technologyleader –- for example, it was the first car sold in the U.S. that could park itself. Statusseekers may still consider the LS a luxury wannabe, but we think it has proven itsmettle.

MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS (Luxury)Understated yet elegant, the E-Class has been a luxury segment staple since it

was first introduced in the 1950s and later badged the E320 in 1994. Over the pastdecade, Kiplinger has picked the E-Class as best sedan or wagon five times --based on its power, roominess, resale value and reasonable sticker price. TheMercedes-Benz E-Class also comes in a diesel version ($51,775), a V8-poweredE550 ($57,975), a coupe, a cabriolet, a wagon and a supercar -- the E63 AMG($137,835), with a 518-hp 6.3-liter V8 that will rev up from zero to 60 mph in lessthan five seconds.

Bamboo bike,e-trikes part ofgreen transpo

initiativesTHE Congressional Commission

on Science and Technology and En-gineering (COMSTE) identified thedevelopment of electric vehicles andgreen transport as priority projectsof the commission for 2011.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Chairof COMSTE, enumerated the flag-ship projects of the commission,which are Telehealth for remote ar-eas and Digital Medical Records,Remote-Sensing for Agriculture,Electronic Vehicles and GreenTransport and Disaster Science, Bio-technology for Health and food se-curity, and Renewable Energy Sys-tems.

Angara said that innovative Green trans-port systems such as electric tricycles, hy-brid jeepneys, buses and electric bicycleshave the potential to lessen pollution causedby conventional transportation and the de-pendency on fossil fuels.

"We import roughly 96% of ourpetroleum, the majority of which isconsumed by the growing transportsector. This same sector accounts forthe biggest share of the energy use,nearing 40%," said Angara, whoChairs COMSTE.

"It has long been one of the goals ofthe government to become energy in-dependent. I believe that this can beachieved by promoting innovativeprojects that can reduce our foreigndependence on fuel and at the sametime create a less-polluted, environmen-tally friendly cities," noted Angara

Angara referred to a recent ADBstudy showed that Metro Manilaranks high among the megacities ofAsia that have air quality problems,with a level of suspended particulatematter (SPM) that is more than dou-ble the standard of the World HealthOrganization. The DENR has alsoidentified that 70% of air pollution inMetro Manila is from motor vehicles,"highlighting the need for a cleanermode of transport," Angara said.

Mazda posts 54%sales growth in 2010

MAZDA Philippines has reported anall-time full-year sales record for thebrand that rose to 3,148 vehicles in 2010,a 54 percent increase year-over-year.

As the second-fastest growing auto-motive brand in the Philippines, Mazdaattributed its robust performance in 2010to the successful launch of the Mazda2sub-compact, continued strength of theMazda3 and the strong demand for theMazda CX-7 crossover SUV.

Following its successful launch inMarch, the Mazda2 sub-compact sawsales of 911 units, while the Mazda3 re-mains to be the brand's best-selling name-plate since its introduction in 2004 withfull-year sales of 1,230 units.

Having redefined the category, theMazda CX-7 remains to be one of themost popular compact SUVs, having sold732 units last year.

Also demonstrating leadership in cus-tomer sales satisfaction, Mazda Philip-pines emerged in the top position at themost recent J.D. Power Asia Pacific Studyin terms of sales satisfaction in 2010.

With a score of 832, Mazda ranked high-est and performed particularly well in fourof seven factors: delivery process, sales-person, delivery timing and dealer facility.

“We are absolutely delighted to haveended the year on such a high note, whichhelped deliver record full-year sales forthe Mazda brand in 2010. Not only arewe the second-fastest growing automo-tive brand in the country, we are also aleader in sales satisfaction. We look for-ward to carry this momentum in to astrong 2011,” said Randy Krieger, FordGroup Philippines president.

MAZDA CX-7 CROSSOVER SUV

Toyota developing alternativeelectric motor for Prius

TOKYO --Toyota Motor Corp., maker of the popular Prius hybrid car, is devel-oping a new type of electric motor to cut its dependence on rare earth metals andlower costs, a company spokesman said.

The new technology will help free the world's No. 1 automaker from relying onChina, which produces 97 percent of the global output of rare earths needed formany high-tech products, including the current generation of hybrid gasoline-elec-tric motors.

Beijing sent shock waves through Japan's high-tech sector late last year when itblocked exports of the exotic metals after a diplomatic spat, and prices have soaredas China gradually tightens its output.

"Toyota is always looking for a reduction in resources and in terms of costs," saidspokesman Paul Nolasco.

The company has not released any specific uses or timeline for the new motor,he said.

Toyota has bet big on gasoline-electric hybrid technology, and an executive saidlast year it will begin selling a completely electric vehicle in 2012 in the U.S., Japanand Europe. The company is also working on an electric sport-utility vehicle withU.S. luxury electric car maker Tesla.

Analysts said production of such vehicles was still small enough that there waslittle short-term risk from a shortage of rare earths, but this could change quickly.

"This isn't a major issue right now, but as these types of cars become morepopular, it becomes a big risk if supply is limited or cut off," said Mizuho InvestorsSecurities auto analyst Ryoichi Saito.

He said it made sense for companies that make high-tech products to be devel-oping alternatives, given trade uncertainties with China. Japan has also activelypursued deals around Asia to develop alternative sources.

GM introduces new name, brand for S. Korean unitSEOUL -- U.S.-based global automaker General Motors Co. (GM) on Thursday

introduced a new name for its South Korean unit and brought the internationallyrenowned brand Chevrolet to boost the company's sales here.

The South Korean unit, GM Daewoo Auto & Technology, has been renamed GMKorea Co.

"The company changes its name to GM Korea Co. to reflect its heightened statusin global operations of GM," it said.

The name change will be effective before the end of March, according to MikeArcamone, president and CEO of GM Korea, who said the move was an "inevitableevolution" as the former name, Daewoo, was too domestic.

"(The change) of the company name is an evolution from a company that doesexport sales and also domestic sales. We are a global company that works in Korea,"Arcamone said at a press conference. "This is a revolutionary pivot for us and animperative decision."

The name Daewoo comes from a now defunct domestic automaker acquired by

GM in 2002.GM Korea currently exports vehicles to some 150 different countries, with one out of

every four Chevrolets sold globally produced in South Korea, according to Arcamone.The company is also renaming its vehicles, with the exception of only three

vehicles, to Chevrolet to increase its domestic sales."Through a series of detailed studies, we came to a conclusion that Chevrolet

enhances our brand power," Arcamone said, adding nearly 40 percent of his compa-ny's customers were already paying out of their own pockets to have their GMDaewoo vehicles transformed to Chevrolet cars.

"In short, this is a good change. It is in the best interest of customers, our company,its employees, shareholders, dealers, suppliers and indeed the people of Korea," hesaid.

All new GM vehicles, as well as refreshments of existing vehicles, sold in Koreawill be branded Chevrolet with the exception of the recently launched luxury sedanAlpheon and two commercial vehicles.

Motoring QuorumFebruary 1-15, 2011

11Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!

Please SEND THEM in thru esns03@yahoo.com!

el amigo

Wheels, Roads &Places (WRP)

ISMAEL ‘EL’ AMIGO

Optimism returnsto Detroit autoshow

In this product image provided by General Motors, the company's new Buick Verano isshown. The company says it will unveil the upscale compact car on Monday, Jan. 10, 2011at the Detroit auto show, GM’s only new model to debut at the event

GM's Buick to get luxurycompact for first time

DETROIT – For the first time in itshistory, General Motors' Buick luxurybrand will get an upscale compact car.

The company says it will unveil theBuick Verano on Monday at the Detroitauto show, GM's only new model to de-but at the event.

The Verano is a small car based onthe Chevrolet Cruze that GM says is de-signed to compete against the Audi A3and Volvo S40 in the entry-level luxurymarket.

GM engineers say they went togreat lengths to make the car differ-ent from the Cruze, enhancing itshandling and ride with a suspensionborrowed from Europe's Opel Astra,changing the body to give it a moresculpted, aerodynamic look and mak-ing the car quieter with better insula-tion and window glass. GM also saysthe car has a far more luxurious inte-rior than the Cruze.

In past years, GM was guilty of sellingthe same car across many of its brands

with only minor cosmetic differencesbetween them. But Jim Federico, the car'schief engineer, said the Verano will befar different from the Cruze to competewith sophisticated European and Japa-nese luxury brands.

"We learned from our mistakes," hesaid.

The Verano, to be built in Michigan,will arrive in showrooms sometime inthe fourth quarter. Pricing was not an-nounced, but the car is expected to costsomewhere between the luxury versionof the Cruze, which starts around$22,000, and the midsize Buick Regal,which starts around $26,000.

The car also is expected to attractyounger buyers, helping Buick as it triesto shed its image of offering cars for se-nior citizens. Last year the average ageof a Buick buyer was 65.

Buick sales rose 52 percent last yearwith a series of revamped models suchas the Regal and LaCrosse larger luxurysedan.

Japan new vehicle sales at 5M unitsTOKYO -- Domestic sales of new vehicles including minicars in 2010 logged the

first year-on-year increase in six years thanks to government subsidies and taxbreaks for the purchase of eco-friendly cars but remained below 5 million units forthe second consecutive year, industry bodies said Wednesday.

Overall sales of new vehicles in 2010 rose 7.5 percent from the previous year to4,956,136 units, according to data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Asso-ciation and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association.

In December alone, however, sales of cars, trucks and buses in Japan plunged28.3 percent from a year earlier to 179,666 units, representing the sharpest drop forthe month of December since records began in 1968.

Sales of imported vehicles inS. Korea reach record high

SEOUL -- Sales of imported vehiclesin South Korea climbed to a record highin 2010, indicating a rapidly growing de-mand here for luxury vehicles, a localtraders' group said.

A total of 90,562 import vehicles weresold here last year, up 48.5 percent froma year earlier, according to the KoreaAutomobile Importers and DistributorsAssociation (KAIDA).

The sales increase also shows overallgrowth for the South Korean automobilemarket as local manufacturers earlierreported 5.2 percent growth of their salesin the domestic market last year.

"The import vehicle market completelyrecovered in 2010 from its regression dueto the economic crisis as improved cus-tomer sentiment following the economicrecovery, coupled with the introduction ofnew vehicles and aggressive marketing byeach brand, pushed up sales," Yoon Dae-sung, a senior official at the KAIDA, said.

BMW was the best-selling brand in2010 with 16,798 vehicles sold here,closely followed by its German compet-itor Mercedes-Benz that sold 16,115 cars.

By size, vehicles with 3.0-liter or small-er engines accounted for over 73 per-cent of all import vehicles sold last yearwith 4,660 vehicles with 4.0-liter or big-ger engines accounting for 5.2 percent,indicating local customers' strong tastefor luxurious, yet efficient vehicles.

Improvements in sales for importbrands continued mostly throughout theyear and again in December when 8,294vehicles were sold, up 35.6 percent fromthe same period in 2009, according tothe KAIDA.

In December, Mercedes-Benz over-took BMW as the best-selling brand with1,437 vehicles sold, compared to 1,366BMW vehicles.

South Korea's auto exports could reacha record 2.9 million units in 2011, thanksto better overseas brand recognition forlocal carmakers.

The forecast by the Ministry of Knowl-edge Economy said outbound shipmentsshould rise a solid 4.7 percent on-yearwith overall vehicle production expect-ed to climb 4.8 percent to an unprece-dented 4.4 million units in the new year.

GM's turnaround lies in Akerson's hands

INTERNINTERNINTERNINTERNINTERNAAAAATIONTIONTIONTIONTIONALALALALALMOMOMOMOMOTTTTTORING UPDORING UPDORING UPDORING UPDORING UPDAAAAATETETETETE

DETROIT, Michigan -- The future of General Motors is now firmly in the hands ofDan Akerson, who expanded his role to become both chairman and chief executiveofficer of the iconic American carmaker.

Akerson replaced Ed Whitacre as chief executive in September, but the straight-talking Texan who came out of retirement to lead GM through a government-backedbankruptcy and back to profitability remained chairman until the end of the year.

Akerson has built on Whitacre's success, leading GM through a 23.1-billion-dollarinitial stock offering -- the largest in history.

He insists that the work of transforming GM is far from over, and gives everyappearance of relishing the challenge.

LEDERLEDERLEDERLEDERLEDER interiaThe only automotive interior specialist with over 30 years

experience in leather and with innate interests in thedevelopments in the automotive industry

We offer:*Leather Seats*Exotic Airbrush Painting*Leather Reconditioning*Door Trim Repair*Leather Steering Wheel, Shift Knob, Boot, Hand Break*Dashboard*Vintage Car Restoration*Magwheels Chroming, Polishing*Carpet and Floor Mats*Wood Panel and Metal Finish on Panels*Custom-Made Sports Seats*Captain Seats Conversion*Soft Top for Convertibles*Airbag Cover Repair*Custom Body Paining*Leather Sofa Repair9 Scout Madrinan St.,9 Scout Madrinan St.,9 Scout Madrinan St.,9 Scout Madrinan St.,9 Scout Madrinan St., Bar Bar Bar Bar Barangangangangangaaaaay South y South y South y South y South TTTTTriangriangriangriangrianglelelelele,,,,, Que Que Que Que Quezzzzzon Cityon Cityon Cityon Cityon City

TTTTTel:el:el:el:el: 396-2262/0917-5269651 396-2262/0917-5269651 396-2262/0917-5269651 396-2262/0917-5269651 396-2262/0917-5269651

AFTER YEARS OF RESTRUCTURING, BANKRUPTCY

DETROIT, Michigan -- Optimism returned to the Detroitauto show Monday as US automakers celebrated rising salesand a remarkable recovery after years of painful restructuringand the bankruptcy of General Motors and Chrysler.

"This is the feel good movie of the year," Barron Meade, theshow's chairman, said at the opening ceremony.

GM and Ford scored an early win after the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid and Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle were namedthe North American Car and Truck of the Year by an associa-tion of automotive journalists.

Green cars were once again a dominant theme as automak-ers prepare for tough new fuel economy regulations.

Ford introduced a family of 10 new-generation, fuel-effi-cient smaller cars, including an all-electric version of its Focusand two hybrids, and announced plans to hire 7,000 new work-ers as it expanded production to meet rising demand.

"These 10 great cars are what our One Ford plan is allabout," said Ford chief executive officer Alan Mulally.

"Today it all comes together with a tremendous vision formore great products our customers will love, a strong businessfrom a smarter global approach and a better world with majorimprovements in fuel economy and electrification. What is socool is that this is just the beginning."

Chrysler, which did not even host a press conference at theshow last year because its product offerings were so old andweak, unveiled a totally new version of its popular 300 sedanafter a one-billion-dollar makeover.

"It's time for Chrysler to come back," Olivier Francois, chiefexecutive officer of the Chrysler Brand, told reporters.

"The all-new 2011 Chrysler 300 is an icon of American inge-nuity and symbolizes the greatness Detroit-designed vehiclesoffer the streets, highways and boulevards of the world."

GM introduced a new compact Buick and was set to launchits new subcompact -- the Chevy Sonic -- at a reception cele-brating the 100th anniversary of the Chevrolet brand.

The Motor City has been under the pall of the Detroit Three'sdecline amid a steady loss of market share to Asian rivals andthe worst economic downtown in decades.

But after hitting rock bottom in 2009 with sales at their lowestlevel since the recession of 1983 and GM and Chrysler forcedinto a government-backed bankruptcy, sales began to improvein 2010 and the leaner Detroit Three are reaping the rewards.

GM posted a two-billion-dollar third quarter profit and then launchedthe biggest initial public stock offering in history in November.

Chrysler managed to increase its market share in 2010 and isexpected to post a net profit this year.

Ford, the only one of the Detroit Three to survive the deepestdownturn in decades without government aid, regained the num-ber two spot in the US market from Toyota for 2010 after itsshare grew for the second year in a row.

With sales forecast to grow significantly both in the UnitedStates and worldwide, and Toyota still smarting from a series ofmass recalls, the prospects for big gains are good.

More than a dozen automakers vied for the attention of 4,500journalists with the presentation of 30 to 40 worldwide debuts.

Toyota unveiled new siblings for its popular Prius hybrid -- abrand new midsized wagon, a plug-in electric hybrid and astylish new compact Prius aimed at the younger market.

Grand-Theft Auto violenceNo, they don’t know how to haggle for

lower prices of your vehicle that’s up forsale.

They won’t bargain for anything fromyou but under the barrel of a gun.

They won’t even bother to ask theowner how far can he/she go down withhis/her asking price for his/her vehicle.

They won’t bother for anything but toforcibly take that vehicle away that’s forsale at all cost.

They will just break you down or planta 9mm bullet in your head before burn-ing you down and cart away your car ina brutal, inhuman way.

These are the stark reality we nowhave in the world we live in aside fromother life’s challenges.

Perpetrators of this new modus of car-jacking, WRP freely presumes, mayhave mastered Sony Play Station’s bru-tal and bloody game known as Grand-Theft Auto (GTA) where points are

earned through brutal means: bashing thehead of car owners, strafing pursuingpolice down with utomatic rifles, settingother cars on fire and everything that con-stitutes highway/road violence.

WRP condoles with the families of thevictims but what happened to Atty. Oliv-er Lozano’s engineer son, Gerry; an OF-Wwho only opted to sell his Isuzu Alter-ra to start up a business instead of goingback abroad and other victims recently,all have the makings of GTA’s level ofviolence and everything’s that’s in there.

Now I know why other car owners pre-fer to look like law enforcers even whenthey are not.

They’d put on intimidating stickers orcommemorative plates to scare awaybad elements with bad intentions.

But how about us, other motorists whohas nothing to show off?

Oh, well, WRP’s advice is as simpleas putting up an imaginary EWD (early

warning device) in your system.When travelling alone, trust no one.

Before alighting from your car at park-ing lots or gasoline stations or roadsiderestaurants, scan the surroundings forusual suspects. Mark them, avoid them.

Or if you have somebody with you,ask them to help you do the same anddon’t forget to report your travel progressby texting it to a relative.

React: esns03@yahoo.com.

Health Quorum February 1-15, 2011

12 Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!

Please SEND THEM thru esns03@yahoo.com!

LGUs told to keepchecking water toprevent diarrhea

CEBU CITY -– Health officials havereminded local government officials toinstall chlorinators and conduct regular,tests to check the potability of water intheir area.

Health emergency management staffcoordinator Dr. Expedito Medalla saidthat although there are no reports of wa-ter contamination in Cebu province, theagency will continue its monitoring ac-tivities.

He said the diarrhea cases remainedlow in Catmon town because health per-sonnel immediately reported the casesto the province.

”They also implemented public healthmeasures like the 'pulong-pulong' wherethey told residents to boil water, main-tain cleanliness in their surroundings andto use chlorine,” said Medalla.

”The barangay captain of Macaasconvened the barangay health workersto check households that do not have san-

itary toilets,” he said.Last month, 15 diarrhea cases and one

death in Catmon were reported by thehealth agency.

Dr. Medalla said the regional officereceived a report last Jan. 16 that thereare about 10 diarrhea cases in EnriqueVillanueva town in Siquijor Province.

A team was sent to the area and rectalswabs were taken from the patients butresults are not yet available.

Medalla advised other towns to heedthe call of Department of Health (DOH) 7Director Dr. Susana Madarieta to installimprovised chlorinators in water sourcesand to conduct regular water testing.

”The LGUs should not wait until theyreceive reports of diarrhea cases in theirarea,” he said.

”For diarrhea cases, the people areasked to seek medical attention rightaway,” he added.

Recent incidents of cholera and ty-

phoid fever cases, which are life-threat-ening illnesses, should serve as a warn-ing to other towns and cities.

He was referring to the more than 600typhoid cases and three deaths reportedform Alegria town last month and about300 cholera cases and six deaths in Dan-ao City.

The DOH, the National Anti-PovertyCommission and the Department of In-terior and Local Government agreed latmonth to implement water and sanita-tion projects for some 1.5 million house-holds without access to safe drinkingwater.

At least 36 towns in Central Visayasare “waterless municipalities” or thosewhere less than half of all householdshave safe water connections, The DOHwebsite does not indicate whether any ofthese municipalities are in Cebu. Nation-wide, there are an estimated 432 “water-less municipalities.”

Migraines don't damagebrain, study reveals

Non-invasive brain imaging technology is demonstrated at the Leibniz Institute for Neu-robiology in Magdeburg in 2005. Good news for chronic migraine sufferers: even themost severe forms of these blindingly painful headaches do not cause damage to thebrain.

PARIS -– Good news for chronic mi-graine sufferers: even the most severeforms of these blindingly painful head-aches do not cause damage to the brain.

"It is almost always the first questionthat migraine patients ask," said Chris-tophe Tzourio, a doctor and researcherat the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie inParis, and the main architect of a studypublished online this week in the BritishMedical Journal.

"Today we can provide an answer:there's nothing to worry about," he toldAFP.

Migraines are acutely debilitatingheadaches -- sometimes with an "aura",in which patients have the impression ofseeing through frosted glass -- that strikearound one out of nine adults.

The causes remain uncertain, but areknown to involve a link with blood ves-sels in the brain.

Earlier research using magnetic reso-nance imaging technology showed thatpeople with a history of full-on migrainesare more likely to incur tiny lesions tomicrovessels inside the brain.

Such ruptures result from a deteriora-tion of the small cerebral arteries thatsupply blood to so-called white matter,which facilitates the flow on informationacross different parts of the brain.

The same type of lesions are morecommon in elderly people, diabetics andhypertension sufferers.

In large quantities, they have beenlinked to depression, an increased risk ofstroke, neurodegenerative diseases suchas Alzheimer's, and impaired memoryand reasoning.

Tzourio and colleagues wondered ifmigraine patients are more likely to showsome of these symptoms, so they testedthe cognitive abilities of more than 800over-65 seniors living in Nantes, west-ern France.

Nearly 15 percent of the volunteershad suffered from migraines over thecourse of their lives.

On average their scores were indistin-guishable from the others. Even seniorswho had endured the most debilitatingtype of migraine, with aura, showed nocognitive damage.

"This is a very reassuring result forthe many people who suffer from mi-graine," said co-author Tobias Kurth, alsoa researcher as Universite Pierre etMarie Curie.

"In spite of the increased presence oflesions of the brain microvessels, thisdisorder does not increase the risk ofcognitive decline," he said in a press re-lease.

Dengue cases in Central Visayas dip

MEDICAL MISSION -- The City Government of San Fernando, in coordination with some volunteers coming from Texas USA, hasconducted a free medical mission in Northville Community today. The free services include free dental and medical check-ups,surgical, distribution of medicines, among others.

CEBU CITY -– A weekly dengue report of the Departmentof Health (DOH) 7 showed there are only 45 cases and nodeaths recorded in Central Visayas in the first two weeks of theyear.

The figure is 91 percent lower compared to the same periodlast year when health personnel recorded 510 cases, six deathsand a case fatality rate of 1.2 percent.

The report, gathered by the Regional Epidemiological Sur-veillance Unit (Resu), was taken from disease reporting unitsin the region from Jan. 1 to 15.

The age range of the patients is from one year old to 27years old. But 35.6 percent or most of those affected wereunder the 1-to-5-year group.

Dengue fever is a disease caused by any one of four strainsof viruses. The symptoms include high fever, body weakness,abdominal pain, vomiting and in worse cases, nose bleeding.

The dengue virus is transmitted from one person to another

by an infected Aedes aegypti, a day-biting mosquito that thrivesin clean and stagnant water.

The city with the most number of cases is Lapu-Lapu withnine cases, followed by Cebu City with four cases and Sibulantown in Negros Oriental with four cases.

The other towns and cities in the top 10 list are: Consolacion,Liloan, Bogo Cordova, Danao City and Mandaue City in Cebuprovince, while Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental has record-ed two dengue cases.

The DOH 7 promotes the “four S campaign” against denguethat calls on communities to conduct search and destroy opera-tions to eliminate breeding sites of mosquitoes, encouragespeople to seek immediate consultation and impose self-protec-tion by refraining from wearing black clothes and using longsleeves.

The community is also encouraged to use indiscriminate fog-ging only when there is a dengue outbreak in their area.

Iloilo, Smart to pilot-teste-health referral systemILOILO CITY -- The Iloilo provincial

government received from Smart Com-munications four of seven computersdonated for piloting the company's inter-facility health electronic referral systemproject.

Smart Senior Manager Darwin Floresand the company's strategic business de-velopment consultant Ramon DuremdesJr. turned over the computers to IloiloGovernor Arthur Defensor and four chiefsof hospitals where the project will be pi-lot-tested.

Flores said the project aims to enablethese hospitals to relay, in a timely, accu-rate and inter-active manner, referral andcase records of respective patents.

Patients will benefit from this projectsince the electronic referral system willbring forth faster matching of cases andhealth facilities, reduce expenses from

repetitive but avoidable procedures andincrease patient safety due to availabili-ty of more accurate information.

Through the electronic system, healthcare professionals can use a computerto access the data via a Smart-designedweb portal.

Pilot-testing will run for the next sixmonths.

The provincial government, through itsprovincial health office, must decide af-terwards on whether to run the project inall of Iloilo's 12 hospitals.

Institutions that received computers forthe pilot-testing are Iloilo provincial hos-pital in Pototan and three other districthospitals in Balasan, Janiuay, and Du-mangas.

Other potential recipient-district hos-pitals are in Calinog, Sara and Aleosanareas.

WHO calls for junk food banin schools, playgrounds

GENEVA -– Junk food should not be sold in schools and playgrounds, theWorld Health Organisation said Friday in a series of recommendations aimed atpromoting a healthy diet and cutting child obesity.

However it fell short of calling for a ban on advertising directed at children forfoods high in saturated fats, sugars or salt, opting instead to ask member states to"consider the most effective approach to reduce" such marketing.

The non-binding recommendations will be put to a high-level meeting on theprevention and control of non-communicable diseases during September's Gen-eral Assembly in New York, WHO officials said.

"Settings where children gather should be free from all forms of marketing offoods high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars or salt," said the UNhealth agency.

"Such settings include, but are not limited to, nurseries, schools, school groundsand pre-school centres, playgrounds, family and child clinics and paediatricservices and during any sporting and cultural activities that are held on thesepremises," it added .

Some 43 million pre-school children are obese or overweight, according toWHO data.

Japan Hepatitis B patients Ok $39-B deal

Japanese Hepatitis B sufferers thought to have caught the disease from repeated use ofneedles during a vaccination programme have agreed to settle a dispute with the state, atthe cost of $39 billion.

it will pose the government with a head-ache as it looks for ways to raise the 3.2trillion yen, with the possibility it mayhave to to raise taxes.

Tokyo had already expressed a readi-ness to accept the proposal, bringing toan end the country's largest medical dis-pute that will see it compensate about430,000 people infected with the po-tentially fatal disease during decadesago.

"This is a tough decision, but we de-cided to accept (the proposal) to end thisissue swiftly," the plaintiffs said in a state-ment issued Saturday.

"We demand that the governmentlearn from this lessen and do the best tosolve this problem as soon as possible,"said one of the plaintiffs, Mieko Tanigu-chi, adding that the court proposal wasnot enough to rescue everyone.

TOKYO -– Japanese Hepatitis B suf-ferers thought to have caught the diseasefrom repeated use of needles during avaccination programme have agreed to

settle a dispute with the state, at the costof $39 billion.

The decision will bring to an end aseries of lawsuits across the country but

Property QuorumFebruary 1-15, 2011

13Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!

Please SEND THEM in thru esns03@yahoo.com!

FIL-Estate has announced it is team-ing with Megaworld Corporation to de-velop more than 1,149 hectares of landin Tagaytay into a world-class tourism-oriented community to be called TwinLakes.

In a disclosure to the PhilippineStock Exchange, the real estate com-pany also announced it has just com-menced the master-planning of TwinLakes, a project set to offer resortestates overlooking panoramic viewsof its very own waterway as well asTaal Lake.

"The entire community will be devel-oped by phases and will become the coun-try's most integrated tourism estates," Fil-Estate vice president Sylvia Hondradesaid.

Initial phases of the development willhost a luxury hotel, residential villas and

EASTWOOD City Cyberpark’snew business process outsourcing(BPO) office building will boost thecountry’s drive to meet its $11 bil-lion BPO export revenue target thisyear.

According to Megaworld Corpo-ration FVP for Business Develop-ment Jericho Go, the new Global OneCenter building will be able to ac-commodate new and establishedBPO players across 16 office floorsand its total 32,000 sqm floor area.Global One Center rises 21 storieshigh, including the podium parkinglevels, in the new Palm District ofthe country’s first and pioneering ITpark.

Eastwood City Cyberpark remainsone of the country’s brightest BPOspots.

The cyberpark’s outshoring andoffshoring (O&O) locators raked inUS$348.31 million, an increase of 7.8percent from 2008 figures, based onthe most recent data from the Philip-pine Economic Zone Authority(PEZA) from 2009. With the entry ofGlobal One and its new locators,Eastwood City Cyberpark’s revenuefigures for 2011 will rise and contrib-ute significantly to the national total,Go forecast.

He estimated that with the turnoverof Eastwood City Cyberpark’s 10thBPO building last month, the cyber-park will be able to generate morethan 5,000 new jobs for Filipinos tousher in the new year. This will bringthe cyberpark’s total employment fig-ure to about 35,000.

“More than inaugurating newbuildings, we are delighted that Mega-world, together with our BPO part-ners and locators, is able to help thou-sands of Filipinos to not just get jobs,but gain long-term careers in the BPOsector,” Go said.

The new building offers tenants a24/7 wired environment. Ample tele-communication lines, back-up pow-er and fiber optic cables assure loca-tors uninterrupted operations and flowof information and data. BPO tenantsthat will locate here are also entitledto income tax holidays and other ex-clusive perks, as guaranteed byPEZA.

At Global One Center, BPO em-ployees get a chance to live andplay where they work. Leasing op-portunities abound in any of thenearby residential condominiums.The office building is also a strollaway from Eastwood Citywalk 2’srestaurants, cinemas and shoppingoutlets. The new Eastwood Malloffers even more dining and shop-ping delights.

THE mark of success for developersis seeing a project as a thriving commu-nity with residents who consider the con-fines of their home as a safe, nurturingenvironment.

DMCI Homes, the a triple-A builder/developer backed by a construction her-itage of more than 55 years, continues itsobjective to provide a wide variety ofresidential projects designed for youngprofessionals and start-up families withmodest income and discerning tastes.

These residents now have more op-tions to choose from, with the certifiedready-for-occupancy status declaredfor at least eight DMCI Homes communities: Illumina Residences Manila inSta. Mesa, Ohana Place in Las Pinas, Tivoli Garden Residences and DansalanGardens Condominium in Mandaluyong; Cypress Towers, Royal Palm Resi-dences, and Magnolia Place in Taguig; and Willow Park Homes in Cabuyao,Laguna.

These projects represent the rise in status of DMCI Homes from a fledglingcompany to a recognized leader in the medium-rise segment. With the company’sportfolio of projects, there is no mistaking their place in the property industry today.Competitors have even adopted the company’s pioneering designs, pricing scheme,even marketing strategies.

“We believe that after 10 years, we are now enjoying a reputation in the market,”said Elmer G. Civil, DMCI Homes Director for Design & Construction. “We startedin 1999 during an economic crisis. As a new player, we could not rely on pre-selling,which is why we focused on a strategy of building first and then selling. After webuild, we studied what adjustments were required in each project, such as whichamenities were frequently used or not, and came up with a way to balance thesefactors.”

CEBU CITY -– Officials of AyalaLand Inc. (ALI) on Monday led thegroundbreaking ceremony for the P2.8-billion expansion of the Ayala Center Cebumall at the Cebu Business Park.

The ceremony signals the start of con-struction of another section of the mall.

The planned expansion will completethe circular design of the mall which alsoserves as the centerpiece of the mixed-use development within the masterplanof Cebu Business Park, a press statementsaid.

Scheduled to be completed in 2013,the four-level structure will add morethan 30,000 square meters of leasablespace at the mall.

Introducing new cosmopolitan shop-ping in Cebu, the expansion strengthensAyala Center Cebu’s position at the helmof shopping, dining and entertainment,reinforcing its image as the lifestyle cen-ter in Cebu.

Ayala Center Cebu is a project of CebuHoldings Inc., an Ayala Land affiliate.

Now on its 16th year, the mall hashelped enhance the cosmopolitan life-style in Cebu and has become the pre-ferred shopping and dining destination inthe Visayas.

With the addition of The Terraces morethan two years ago, Ayala Center Cebuhas added a new dimension of being afavorite venue for gatherings with toplocal and first-in-Cebu dining concepts.

Fil-Estate, Megaworld to develop 1,149-hectare land in Tagaytay

One of Fil-Estate’s world-class golf courses in Tagaytay City.

Triple-A developer builds image with on-time delivery

condominiums, a shopping village, bo-tanical garden, sports and country cluband plantation estates.

The project cost of the initial phases isestimated to exceed P5 billion.

"Twin Lakes stretches from Tagay-tay's mountain peak down to its lakeside.The project's vast land size opens up alot of possibilities for development," Hon-drade added.

Succeeding phases will offer a golfcourse, international hotels, boardingschools and a retirement village com-plete with wellness and medical amen-ities.

"We want to take advantage of thecool weather in Tagaytay. Our ultimategoal is to transform these resort estatesinto prime destinations for medical andeducational tourism over time," she con-cluded.

Eventually, the company came upwith an ideal formula for its product ofmedium-rise condominiums, character-ized by such advantages as a contem-porary architectural theme, resort-styleamenities, medium-density living, gen-erously-spaced units, property manage-ment services, plus an affordable pric-ing scheme.

By 2004, Civil said they were sellingmore than building because of the growingdemand for projects, a reflection of the risein confidence for DMCI Homes brand.

He also emphasized that the compa-ny’s philosophy of focusing on the needs

of their end users paid off well, since on-time delivery is critical for this segment.“We don’t over-promise. We just over-deliver. In fact, most if not all of our projects

are turned over ahead of schedule for at least six months for the mid-rise and oneyear for the high-rise. We know that for our end users, they need to move-in to theirhome as soon as possible, and we encourage this so that the community can be morelivable,” Civil noted.

Another practice started by DMCI Homes that is radically changing the real estatebusiness is the priority completion of common amenities, like the clubhouse area, tocoincide with the turnover of the first building.

The focus on customer satisfaction is extended even after turn-over, since DMCIHomes also runs the Property Management Office in each development. As builder,developer, and property manager, there is a hands-on system that is put into place bythe company to ensure the satisfaction of residents by giving not only their needs, butalso “some of their wants.”

Aside from the eight ready-for-occupancy projects, the company is focused on 12projects with four launched in the last three months.

LatestEastwoodbuilding to

boost $11-Btarget

THE dream was to build master-planned communities thatwould represent the ideal standards of living for upwardly mo-bile residents. These are communities with themed-homes in-spired by architectural design and stylized landscapes fromaround the world. Neighborhoods were developed with wideand secure spaces where families can spend time together forrelaxation.

Crown Asia kept in mind the kind of people who believedthat a person’s home reflects its inhabitant’s dreams and aspi-rations. These were people who understood that the achieve-ments gained from sacrifice must be rewarded: The greaterthe success, the bigger the reward. People who deserved some-thing better in life, and who understood the concept of higherliving.

“Crown Asia was made for people who have achieved alevel of prominence and success in their lives,” said CrownAsia COO Mary Lee Sadiasa. “When it comes to choosingtheir homes, they deserve to live in a place where luxury reigns.”

15 years of higher living: The Crown Asia storyAyala CenterCebu breaks

groundfor P2.8-Bexpansion

Thus, in 1995 Crown Asia, a subsidiary of Vista Land, thecountry’s largest builder and the pioneer in creating themedhomes and communities, was born. From the completion of theLa Marea project in San Pedro Laguna all the way to the launch-ing of Valenza in Sta. Rosa, Ponticelli in Alabang and MarinaHeights in Sucat, the company made its mark as the premierreal estate company that lives up to the standards of higherliving.

In 2004, the company was awarded Top Real Estate Compa-ny of the Year followed by The Philippine Marketing Award forMost Outstanding Residential Real Estate Company in 2005and the Gold Trusted Brand Award for Property Developer inthe Philippines in 2006.

These rewards recognize the real estate company’s 15 yearsof hard work in providing elegant architecture and modern de-sign for Filipino families. Enough reason for Crown Asia tohave a reputation of being the standard of higher living since1995 and for the years to come.

Filipino hospitality: Making your home guest-readyTHE trademark quality of Filipinos

everywhere is hospitality. We take careof guests, whether they are strangers orfamily, and we go considerable lengthsto make their stay comfortable, even atthe cost of our own comfort.

A Filipino house should always reflectthis quality. It need not be large, superneat or modern- all it needs to be is tofeel like home. Welcome guests withgood food, entertain them and make theirtemporary abode as comfortable as pos-sible, and you can be sure to get the sametreatment when it's your turn to visit them.

When expecting guests who intend tostay over, it works very well to keep achecklist of things to do.

1.) Clean the house. This goes withoutsaying. The state of your home reflectsyou and your family, so keeping thingsneat and tidy will definitely make a good,

lasting impression on your honored guests.2.) Get your guest room ready. This

means replacing the sheets with newones, clearing out closet space, puttingsome new hangers, and dusting the fur-niture. Also place extra blankets withineasy reach. You could also place a clockradio on the bedside table if the roomdoesn't have one yet, as it is quite useful.

3.) If your guest room has its own bath-room, be sure to stock up on necessarybathroom amenities such as shampoo,soap, and tissue. Hang up a few towelsand make sure the faucets, drains andshower heads are all in working order.

4.) If your guests are bringing children,it would be prudent to remove breakablesand objects of delicate stature into safe-keeping. Similarly, make your house child-friendly by covering unused plug socketsand keeping sharp objects out of reach.

5.) Stock up on snack food and liquidssuch as milk and juice, so you'll havesomething ready to beat hunger with atany time of the day. Also make sure tothrow out all expired food out of the re-frigerator- the last thing you want to hap-pen is to have your guests suffer fromfood poisoning because they snacked onmoldy cheese.

6.) Make sure to replace any brokenlight bulbs, and place signs to warn themof any house structure quirks such as acreaky step, a tricky doorknob, noisypipes or sticky windows.

7.) Empty all trash bins and garbagecans. If your guests arrive on a day wheretrash is scheduled to be collected, be sureto inform them well ahead, so they don'tdrop by on the unfortunate moment whenthe garbage truck is parked in front ofyour gate.

Tech Quorum February 1-15, 2011

14 Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!

Please SEND THEM thru esns03@yahoo.com!

Telcos optimistic on mobilemoney transfer business

PHILIPPINE telecom firms expect the mobile money transfer (MMT) industry togrow "significantly" in the next three years as most Filipinos are still unbanked orunderbanked.

Rizza Maniego-Eala, the president of G-Xchange, the wholly-owned mobile com-merce subsidiary of Globe, told reporters that the real growth will be in two years tothree years because, right now, the infrastructure is taking into place as well as theplatforms.

"We really believe that in two to three years, the momentum is translating to largenumber for the business," Maniego-Eala said.

She said that out of the total 90 million Filipinos, 70 million are unbanked orunderbanked, "so, the addressable market is still big."

Unbanked refers to a person with no bank account, while underbank refers tosomeone who has a bank account but still uses financial services, such as checkcashing, buying money orders and availing of pay-day loans.

Maniego-Eala said that the company has a monthly value transaction of P5 billionfor its GCash service, mostly from domestic remittances, mobile payments andsalary disbursements, among others.

GCash service is an “electronic wallet” that allows users to send and receive cashand make payments — including bills, donations and online purchases — via textmessaging.

Currently, Globe’s GCash subscribers had reached over a million.In 2010, Globe's GCash outlets reached more than 18,000, making the company

the largest remittance network in the Philippines.Traditionally, the GCash is offered at Globe Business Centers, rural banks, pawn-

shops and other remittance partners.Now, the service will be available at more loading stations, including sari-sari

(variety) stores, gift shops, pharmacies, Internet cafes, boutiques, food establish-

Apple's App Store hits 10 billion downloads Apple CEO Steve Jobs displaysthe company’s IPad.

AFTER two and a half years (or so) ofexistence Apple's iOS App Store has seen10 billion downloads.

To celebrate, Apple is handing out one$10,000 iTunes gift card. Folks wereentered into the drawing by downloadingan app from the App Store or visitingApple's website between January 6 andthe download of the 10 billionth app.

Contest aside; this marks a huge mile-stone for Apple and the storefrontlaunched a few years ago to go alongwith Apple's iPhone SDK.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs first publiclydemonstrated the then-new App Store inMarch of 2008 along with the iPhone 2.0software, calling it "an application we'vewritten to deliver apps to the iPhone."

And deliver it did.It took nine months to reach one bil-

lion downloads and a little over a year tohit two billion. All the while Apple col-

lected a nice percentage of revenue fromeach app that was sold.

Many developers made a pretty pen-ny in the App Store, too.

Movies by Flixter, the fifth most down-loaded free iPhone and third most down-loaded free iPad app, was created by Jef-frey Grossman, a sophomore at CarnegieMellon University. In 2008, Flixter acquiredthe app from Grossman for an undisclosedamount. Grossman was also given a con-sultant position at Flixter while attendingschool. Not too bad for a college student.

Not everything about the App Storewas pretty.

Everyone remembers the 2009 Goo-gle Voice debacle, in which Apple re-jected Google's official app from show-ing up in the App Store. The move in-spired the FCC to look into Apple's vagueapp approval process, which was fre-quently criticized.

Last September, Apple finally demys-tified the approval/rejection process byreleasing App Store Review Guidelines.In November, the official Google Voiceapp finally made its way into Apple's store.

It goes without saying that the AppStore has been a huge success for Appleand its wide selection of apps is arguablyone of the biggest things standing be-tween the iPhone and its competitors.

But that may soon change.The Android Market is gaining ground

quickly. In December 2010, AndroLibreported that the Android Market hadmore than 200,000 apps. That reportcame just two months after Google an-nounced it had 100,000 apps in its mar-ket. PC World writer Daniel Ionescu pro-jected that the Android Market couldovertake Apple's iOS App Store by thisspring if growth continues at the samerate.

ments, photocopying stations, school supply stores, bakeshops, rice dealers, farmand poultry supply stores, gas stations, multipurpose cooperatives, cell phone shopsand various stores nationwide.

Lance Blockely, managing director of Edgar Dunn & Co., said the Philippines,China and the US will dominate the mobile money transfer market.

"We see a huge growth over the next five years in these markets," he said.In 2010, Blockley said 19 million users in Asia would make 69 million mobile

money transactions, accounting for $ 1 billion in value.Orlando Vea, chief wireless advisor of Smart Commnications Inc., said its mobile

financial services platform Smart Money processes P13 billion or $ 300 millionworth transactions on a monthly basis.

"We ourselves believe that we have already scratched the surface of mobilemoney's true potential," Vea said.

Smart Money, users of which stand at 8.5 million, is a reloadable electronicpayment card linked to a mobile phone.

In the next few years, Vea said Smart will embed mobile money services intoother industries beyond banking and financial services.

"Smart, as a member of the PLDT and Metro Pacific Group, is uniquely-posi-tioned in the Philippines and perhaps globally to pursue such initiatives. Smart'saffiliate companies in this group include, among others, the major power distributioncompany, one of two major water distribution companies, the largest tollways oper-ator, one of the largest TV and satellite broadcast networks and the biggest hospitalchain," Vea said.

He added that mobile payments will be a key enabler and enhancer of business forthese companies.

For example, Vea said prepaid electricity and water are among the applicationsthat the company is developing.

Internetexhaustingaddresses, butno IPocalypse

PALO ALTO, California – The Inter-net is running out of addresses.

With everything from smartphones toInternet-linked appliances and cars get-ting online, the group entrusted with or-ganizing the Web is running out of the"IP" numbers that identify destinationsfor digital traffic.

The touted solution to the problem is aswitch to a standard called IPv6 that al-lows trillions of Internet addresses, whilethe current IPv4 standard provides ameager four billion or so.

"The big pool in the sky that gives ad-dresses is going to run out in the nextseveral weeks," said Google engineerLorenzo Colitti, who is leading the Inter-net giant's transition to the new standard.

"In some sense, we are driving towarda wall. We have to do something, andIPv6 is the only real long-term solution."

The pool in the sky is a fast-drainingreservoir of IP addresses maintained bythe non-profit Internet Corporation forAssigned Names and Numbers(ICANN).

ICANN has been calling for a change toIPv6 for years but websites and Internetservice providers have been clinging to theold standard since the birth of the Internet.

"One of the reasons it has taken solong to change is that there is no obviousadvantage or killer application for IPv6,"Colitti said.

The number of addresses that IPv6allows for amounts to 340 "undecillion"(followed by 36 zeroes); enough for atrillion people to each be assigned tril-lions of IP numbers, according to ICANNchief Rod Beckstrom.

"I guess if we could somehow link anIP address to every atom, we might be-gin to run into problems," Beckstrom saidof IPv6 during an interview in his officein the Silicon Valley city of Palo Alto.

"As far as thinking about the numberof objects that humans own and use, weare pretty safe."

With about seven billion people on theplanet, the IPv4 protocol doesn't allowfor everyone to have a gadget with itsown online address.

The situation has been equated to nothaving enough telephone numbers foreveryone.

Once the supply of IPv4 addressesICANN distributes to the five regionalcenters around the world are gone, com-puters and other gadgets might have tostart sharing instead of having uniqueidentifying numbers.

"You will start to share with your neigh-bors, and that causes problems becauseapplications can't distinguish you apart,"Colitti said. "If your neighbor ends up ina blacklist, you will too."

"The Internet won't stop working; it willjust slowly degrade," he continued, ex-plaining that systems would eventuallyhave trouble handling multiple connec-tions on shared addresses. "Things willget slower and flakier."

SUPERICE IS MY PRIZE -- Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) Director Mario Capanzana (middle) congratulates schoolchildren who won packs of SupeRice in a mini-quiz show during the SupeRice launch Nov. 22 at San Felipe town of Zambales. SupeRiceis one of the Department of Science and Technology’s answers to the problem of micronutrient malnutrition in the country. Spearhead-ing the commercialization of SupeRice in San Felipe are Dr. Imelda Agdeppa, FNRI research team leader (leftmost); Mayor CarolinaPariñas (second from left); DOST provincial Director Bernadette Montevirgen (second from right); and local officials (in green).Superice, an iron-fortified rice developed by FNRI-DOST, contains 6 mg iron per 100 gram rice. About 4 to 6 cups of cooked Superice,approximately a day's intake, already meets the daily iron requirement of the body.

Loren wants widerIP Code coverageto curb internet

piracySENATOR Loren Legarda is pushing

for the passage of a measure that seeksto widen the scope of the IntellectualProperty Code (Republic Act No. 8293)to include the protection of copyrightedmaterials over the internet.

"In this modern age when the internethas become a necessity to access, send,spread, download and upload almost allkinds of information, the protection frompiracy of copyrighted data and other lit-erary and artistic works has becomemore challenging," Legarda said on Sun-day.

The lady lawmaker has filed SenateBill No. 2628 which seeks to amend theIPC to respond to the upsurge of internetpiracy.

She noted that according to the Inter-national Telecommunications Union,there are currently more than two billioninternet users worldwide, about 1.2 bil-lion of which come from the Philippinesand other developing countries.

Legarda said that even as manymore are gaining access to the inter-net, the responsibilities of users are notclear under the law, which has now ledto the unlawful and irresponsible useand even reproduction of protectedmaterials.

”Many people think that everything onthe internet is free, without being mind-ful that the materials they are copying,downloading or spreading are originalcompositions of people who put mucheffort and talent to come up with suchcreative works," she explained.

Facebook raises $1.5 billion, valued at $50-BSAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook has announced that it had

raised $1.5 billion from investors in a private share offeringthat valued the booming social network at approximately $50billion.

"Our business continues to perform well, and we are pleasedto be able to bolster our cash position with this new financing,"Facebook chief financial officer David Ebersman said in astatement.

"With this investment completed, we now have greater fi-nancial flexibility to explore whatever opportunities lie ahead."

Facebook said US investment bank Goldman Sachs com-pleted an oversubscribed offering to its non-US clients in afund that invested $1 billion in Facebook Class A commonstock.

Russia's Digital Sky Technologies, The Goldman SachsGroup, Inc., and funds managed by Goldman Sachs mean-while invested $500 million in Facebook Class A common stock

at the same $50 billion valuation.Facebook also said it expected to surpass the ceiling of 500

shareholders sometime this year and would start filing publicfinancial reports no later than April 30, 2012.

US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules re-quire firms with 500 or more shareholders of record in a giventype of stock to publicly disclose certain financial information.

Facebook, the world's top social network with nearly 600million members, said it had "no immediate plans" for the new-ly raised funds, indicating it "will continue investing to buildand expand its operations."

Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs, citing "intense mediacoverage," said it was excluding US clients from the privateoffering of shares in Facebook.

"Goldman Sachs concluded that the level of media attentionmight not be consistent with the proper completion of a USprivate placement under US law," it said.

Aviation QuorumFebruary 1-15, 2011

15Your Press/Photo Releasesget published here!

Please SEND THEM in thru esns03@yahoo.com!

ATTRACTION: Cebu Pacific flight attendants perform a dance number as part of the inflight safety demonstration at the arrival area ofthe Manila International Airport on January 6, 2011, as Cebu Pacific reaches a milestone when it flew its 50 millionth passenger, awardingthe 50 millionth passenger.

THE management of Cebu PacificAir has said its passenger traffic rose bya fifth last year mostly because of higherinternational passengers.

In a statement, Cebu Air Inc. (CEB)said it flew almost 10.5 million passen-gers in 2010, up by 19 percent comparedto 8.76 million in 2009.

The budget airline's growth was main-ly driven by a 38 percent increase in in-ternational passengers, which numberedover 2.23 million in 2010.

The airline flew 8.23 million domesticpassengers, up by 15 percent from 7.14million in 2009.

The average load factor last year forboth domestic and international routeswas 85 percent, an increase of 8 percentcompared to 2009.

“We were able to grow our market toHong Kong and Singapore by 29 percentand 45 percent, respectively, because ofadditional flight frequencies and our ex-tensive network from Manila, Clark andCebu. CEB also carried 65 percent morepassengers to Kuala Lumpur in 2010,”Candice Iyog, the airline's vice presidentfor Marketing and Distribution, said.

She added that the airline's entry into

Cebu Pacificpassengertraffic up19% in 2010

Brunei and Beijing also further strength-ened its route network by providing pas-sengers more access to North and South-east Asian countries.

For the fourth quarter of 2010, the air-line took delivery of three brand-new Air-bus A320 aircraft from Toulouse, France.

This additional capacity boosted the num-ber of Cebu Pacific's passengers in the fourthquarter to 2.7 million, a 19 percent increasecompared to the same period in 2009.

The average load factor in the fourthquarter was 87 percent, well above in-dustry average.

In 2010, the airline increased frequen-cies to China such as Macau, Taipei,Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and HongKong from 68 to 80 times weekly.

Cebu Pacific also increased frequen-cies to Southeast Asia like Kota Kina-balu, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ho ChiMinh, Brunei, Bangkok, Jakarta from 58to 80 times weekly, and to Korea andJapan from 19 to 21 times weekly.

“We will continue to offer the lowest faresin every route we operate in, and offer bet-ter connectivity and flight schedules, as wetake delivery of five more brand-new Air-bus A320 aircraft in 2011,” Iyog said.

BREAKTHROUGH -- The RTT80 device, which combines a CT and X Ray scan, and hasbeen tested at Manchester Airport.

High-speed new scanner for airportsA TEAM of academics from

Manchester has scooped a top prize fora new airport scanner which could revo-lutionise security.

Professor Bill Lionheart and his col-leagues from the University of Manches-ter, working with security firm Rapiscan,won the defence and security categoryat the Engineer’s Technology and Inno-vation Awards.

They picked up the accolade for de-signing the RTT80 scanner, which hasbeen tested at Manchester Airport andby the US government.

The machine produces a 3D imageof the contents of a case or bag to de-tect any hidden explosives or weap-ons.

At the moment, suitcases and largebags go through large x-ray systemsand are sent to a second line of se-curity if anything suspicious showsup.

They are then put through a CT scan,similar to those used in hospitals.

But the double-layered securitysystem is slow and requires extra op-erators, so the sophisticated newscanner was designed to speed up theprocess with a combined CT and x-ray scan.

Kenn Mann, technical director of avi-ation security at Rapiscan, said: "Weexpect the RTT to be a step change inbaggage screening, bringing the high-est detection performance at the fastestspeeds.

"Our collaboration with The Universi-ty of Manchester has been a great suc-cess and has produced some very im-pressive results."

Prof Lionheart, an applied mathema-tician, assembled a team to work on thedesign after securing funding from Rap-iscan and the Engineering and PhysicalSciences Research Council.

PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino IIIhas assured players of the local carriersthat opening the country’s sky to interna-tional aviation industry will definitely pro-vide opportunities for them that will re-dound to further boost the country’s tour-ism industry and the economy.

The Chief Executive echoed this state-ment after he led the awarding of theCebu Pacific’s 50 millionth passenger insimple ceremony at the departure loungeof the Ninoy Aquino International Air-port (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City.

“I am aware of the concerns of ourlocal carriers and I can assure you thatas we liberalize aviation, it will be un-dertaken in a way that will open up op-portunities for competitive and worldclass domestic carriers like the CebuPacific,” the President said adding thatonce the open sky policy is implement-ed, local carriers would benefit from itbecause more visitors from the neigh-boring countries will be coming in.

“Once implemented, we expect moreinternational airlines to enter the market.Aside from opening our doors to more

PH aviation liberalizationto benefit local carriers,boost tourism -- P-Noy

visitors that will strengthen our tourism,this will also allow us to enjoy a freemarket for products to further boost oureconomy. This, of course, will redoundto thousands of additional jobs, which inturn will provide decent living to manyFilipino families,” he said.

Being a “new pilot,” the President said,he always has to ensure that no turbu-lence affects the government flight toprogress as the country is now in a posi-

tion that can soar to greater heights.The President noted that no turbulence,

no disastrous weather, and no challeng-es will lead his administration astray fromits course amid the dark clouds of cyni-cism that will continue to threaten thecountry’s peaceful flight.

“I ask everyone: do not let go, and fas-ten your seatbelts. We have reached ourcruising altitude of stronger trade, morejobs and greater public confidence in thegovernment. The skies are clear, and weare headed for daylight. With the re-newed confidence of the Filipino peo-ple, and with the help of partners such asthe Cebu Pacific, I am confident that wewill reach our destination ahead of sched-ule,” the President said.

The government earns P3.20 billion(approximately $ 70 million) for chargingthe international airlines to the Philippinesfor the CCT and GPB taxes but the contin-ued erosion of foreign and perhaps Philip-pine carrier flights that support Philippinetrade and economic growth will benefitthe other Asian economies in terms ofbusiness and employment opportunities.

PAL sees higher profits in March 2011PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) has said

it may post a higher profits in the fiscalyear ending March 2011 due to the re-covery of the U.S. economy and im-proved passenger traffic.

"We are almost close to our projec-tion," PAL president and chief operatingofficer Jaime Bautista told reporters in apress briefing, without disclosing the ac-tual figure.

In December alone, Bautista said thecompany recorded a total revenue of $ 6million because of the holiday season.

"December is one of the most profit-able months of the year," Bautista said.

He, however, said that fuel expensesare also rising.

The PAL executive said the price ofjet fuel went up to $ 90 per barrel fromlast year's $ 80 per barrel.

Bautista estimated that for every $ 1increase in jet fuel prices, PAL's fuelexpenses increases by $ 55 million ayear.

Fuel accounts for a third of an airline’soperating cost per passenger, and is thesecond-highest expense next to labor.

Bautista also said that the company ison track in meeting its $ 1.5 billion reve-nue target for its fiscal year (April 2010-March 2011).

PAL also wants the Department of

Labor and Employment (DOLE) to re-verse its ruling granting hefty back sala-ry increases and higher retirement agefor flights attendants.

Bautista said that the DOLE ruling was"confiscatory" as it obliges the flag car-rier to share income it did not earn.

He added that the DOLE decision hasno "legal and factual basis."

“DOLE expects PAL to produce themoney but as to how, the decision did notsay,” Bautista said.

He said PAL could only infer that theDOLE is probably of the view that futureincome of the company from April 2010forward can be applied to the salary in-creases it granted to FASAP for July 2007

PRESIDENT AQUINO

Airbus launches air traffic management firm ProSkyPARIS -- Airbus has launched a new

subsidiary company called "AirbusProSky," aiming to enhance developmentand support of modern air traffic man-agement (ATM) systems in Europe andother regions.

Airbus ProSky will function to interactand develop ATM programs such as "Sin-gle European Sky ATM Research"(SESAR) in Europe, resembling what

The new entity will be headed by EricStefanello, vice president of ATM at Air-bus, and supported by Marc Hamy, for-merly chief-of-staff for France's Trans-port Minister.

The first such undertaking an-nounced by Airbus ProSky was the re-cent MoU with Chinese authorities forcooperation in ATM, whereby AirbusProSky will assist the Chinese Air Traf-

to 2008, July 2008 to 2009, and July 2009to 2010.

“But this will result in an absurd situa-tion. It is an unthinkable fiscal maneu-vering. Considering that the DOLE hadalready ‘pledged’ any income of PALfor the next years, one can only wonderwhere PAL is supposed to source fundsfor the succeeding demands for salaryincrease when negotiations for the 2010to 2015 PAL-FASAP CBA begin,” Bau-tista said, quoting a portion of PAL’smotion for reconsideration.

To prove its point, PAL said it sufferedlosses of $ 297.8 million in fiscal year2008 to 2009, and $ 14.3 million for fis-cal year ending March 2010.

NextGen does in the United States, theEuropean leading aircraft maker said ina statement.

The Airbus subsidiary will alsowork to implement air traffic man-agement cooperation between theEuropean and the United States by"capitalizing on the technological,operational and commercial syner-gies," it added.

fic Management Bureau (ATMB) withthe introduction and implementation ofnew ATM concepts, airspace design,deployment support, training and bestpractices. Furthermore, authorities inother countries are also exploring theopportunities of working with AirbusProSky to adopt the principles andknow-how developed for ATM systemsin Europe and the US.

QuorumFebruary 1-15, 2011

Editor: Elami GoviationAYour Press/Photo Releases

get published here!Please SEND THEM thru esns03@yahoo.com!

PAL to take over two ZestAir Mindanao daily routes

Conquer the skies...

OMNI AVIATIONThe Philippines’ No. 1 Flying School

Omni Aviation Corp. is located inside the Clark Special Economic ZoneAngeles City, Pampanga Contact Information: Tel/Fax : (045) 892-6664 (045) 599-5524

Email: omniavia@omniaviation.com.ph Website: www.omniaviation.com.ph

*Pilot School1. Private Pilot License Course2. Commercial Pilot LicenseCourse3. Instrument Rating Course4. Instructor License Course5. License Revalidation6. License Conversion

Other services:

*Air Taxi / Charter*Aircraft Parking*Property Leasing*Aviation Consultancy& Management

Products and Services:

1st-AplumaUnang Alyansang Pag-asa ng Lahi’t Uring Mamamahayag-Manggagawa

http://1st-apluma.yolasite.comunangapluma@yahoo.com

PAID AD

Cares!

DAVAO CITY -- The Philippine Air-lines will take over the operation of twoMindanao routes from its sister compa-ny, Zest Air by April this year.

PAL vice president for Mindanao law-yer Domingo Duerme said the two routesare the Davao-Cagayan de Oro andDavao-Zamboanga routes.

Although Duerme did not give detailsas to the transfer of operation to PAL, hesaid this will take effect on April 1, 2011using Q400, an 80-seater aircraft.

Flights will be daily with schedule fromCagayan to Davao at 10:30 a.m. to 11:20a.m. and Davao to Cagayan, 11:40 a.m.to 12:30 p.m.

The daily flight for Zamboanga-Davaois 1:10 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. and Davao toZamboanga at 2:40 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

He also said they are still promulgat-ing the route for Cagayan to Zamboangaeven as he said they are planning to openthis route by the second quarter this year.The origin of these routes will be in CebuCity.

Operating these routes, Duerme saidare of mixed purposes from business tovacation and other personal concernssaying that travelling by land to these plac-es would take almost a day.

Meanwhile, Duerme said they notedthe increasing growth in the industry withthe coming in of new players in the is-land.

With PAL, he said compared to theirperformance between 2009 and 2010they noted an increase.

"But I cannot give you the figure be-cause our fiscal year will end still by April2011," he said.

He said they maintain a 90 percentload factor during the peak months ofNovember, December and January.

He also said Davao is still a passengerroute considering that the bulk of theirpassengers are from here.

He said many still travel by air be-

cause of the promo fares plus the factthat it is easier to access and cheaper tobuy tickets through online booking.

Duerme said PAL has four daily flightsfor the Davao to Manila using 747 air-craft with seating capacity of 425, 42 for

business class and 383 economy; 330 has302 capacity with 42 business class and260 economy, 340's seating capacity isabout 264 with 44 in the business class orMabuhay and 220 economy and the 320has 12 for business class and 144 in the

economy.He attributed the increasing passen-

ger load with the bullish economy ofDavao City with the boom on real prop-erty and the location of more businessprocess outsourcing businesses here.

146 pilots, flight attendants sue JAL over dismissalsTOKYO -- A total of 146 former pilots and cabin atten-

dants of Japan Airlines Corp. filed a lawsuit Wednesdaywith the Tokyo District Court, seeking to nullify the carri-er's decision to dismiss them at the end of last year as partof its rehabilitation efforts.

The move comes on the first anniversary of JAL'sfiling for bankruptcy protection with the court and is be-lieved to involve one of the largest numbers of plaintiffsseeking to reinstate their jobs with a restructuring compa-

ny, according to the plaintiffs' lawyer.Upcoming developments in the court battle will likely

have an impact on JAL's rehabilitation as well as theattitude Japanese companies will take in downsizing theirworkforces.

“We hereby announce the voting results (voting periodup to November 19, 2010) for the reorganization plan thatwe submitted to the Tokyo District Court on August 31,2010,” JAL said in a statement.

India relaxesvisa rules asPAL flies toDelhi March 27

THE Indian government has relaxedvisa rules to attract more Filipino visitorsas Philippine Airlines (PAL) launches along-awaited service between Manilaand New Delhi on March 27, 2011.

“I am happy to announce that we willextend our visa-on-arrival facility to na-tionals of…the Philippines…with effectfrom January 1, 2011,” said Indian PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh in a recentspeech before the 8th India-ASEANSummit in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“We invite many more tourists fromthe ASEAN countries to visit India to seethe splendor of its rich cultural heritage,”the Indian leader added. Citizens of threeother ASEAN states, Cambodia, Laosand Vietnam, will also enjoy the samerelaxed visa rules.

PAL’s new service to New Delhi willoperate six times weekly, with three non-stop flights between the two capitals andthree flights routed via Bangkok.

The direct service (PR758) departsManila every Tuesday, Thursday andSunday at 9:10 p.m. Arrival at the newTerminal 3 of Indira Gandhi Internation-al Airport is at 1:10 a.m. the followingday.

The return flight, PR 759, departs Del-hi on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at3:00 a.m. and arrives in Manila at 12:00noon.

The one-stop service via Bangkok(PR752) meanwhile, departs Manila ev-ery Monday, Wednesday and Friday at6:45 p.m. Arrival in the Thai capital is at9:05 p.m. the same day and in Delhi at1:10 a.m. the following day.

The return flight, PR753, departs Del-hi on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdayat 2:45 a.m., reaching Bangkok at 8:25a.m. and Manila at 1:50 p.m. the sameday.

Modern, wide-body Airbus A330-300aircraft, which seat 42 in Mabuhay Class(business) and 260 in Fiesta Class (econ-omy), will be deployed on both routes.

2010 air traffic gets boost from better economyUNITED NATIONS -- Passenger and freight air traffic grew

substantially in 2010 as positive economic prospects worldwideovershadowed the depressed levels of 2009 caused by the globalfinancial crisis, according to preliminary UN figures.

In a report on trends compiled annually for its members, theUN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said thesubstantial growth in traffic reflects positive economic pros-pects worldwide based on a forecast of a four per cent increasein the world’s real gross domestic product and that total sched-uled passenger traffic, both international and domestic, mea-sured in passenger-kilometers performed, increased by abouteight per cent year over year.

Created in 1944, the ICAO promotes the safe and orderlydevelopment of international civil aviation; setting standardsand regulations necessary for safety, security, efficiency andregularity, as well as for aviation environmental protection.

The 190 countries that make up the organization’s member-

ship use the report’s findings for planning purposes, in areassuch as infrastructure and plane purchases.

ICAO said that the number of passengers carried in 2010 wasup 6.3 per cent over 2009, at some 2.5 billion passengers, whilecargo measured in freight-ton kilometers performed posted adramatic jump of 18.9 per cent after a sharp decline of 11 percent the previous year.

The jump in cargo traffic was in with a sharp rebound inglobal trade and its largest increase in three decades.

International passenger traffic grew by 8.8 per cent, led by astrong rebound in business and leisure long-haul travel, particu-larly in emerging markets such as the so-called BRIC countriesBrazil,Russia, India and China where outgoing tourism flourished.

The largest percentage growth was registered by the airlinesof the Middle East with 21 per cent, followed by those of theAsia/Pacific region with 12.9 per cent, Latin America with 11.4per cent and Africa with 10 per cent.

LAWMAKERS have moved for theimmediate passage of a measure thatwould prescribe a uniform system fordetermining noise impact at airports.

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District,Cagayan de Oro City) and his brotherMaximo Rodriguez Jr. (Party-list, Aban-te Mindanao, Inc.) filed House Bill 1649,which aims to set down aviation noiselimits and provide for its managementand reduction especially in the surround-ing residential areas.

Rodriguez said there is no existing lawthat fixes a uniform system for determin-ing noise impact at airports taking intoaccount the characteristics of an area,including its proximity to an airport andits non-aircraft background noise.

"This is important to protect the publicagainst significant disturbances in humanactivities such as sleep and rest," Rod-riguez said.

Rodriguez said it is the declared policyof the State to protect public health by de-termining noise impact at residential areasnear airports and by establishing programsfor the management of noise levels.

"The State shall ensure the constitu-tionally protected right of quiet enjoymentof private property," Rodriguez stressed.

"To be able to achieve this, the pro-posed bill provides for a staged plan

Solons move againstaviation noise impact

which involves zoning, land use planningand relocation," Rodriguez added.

Under the measure otherwise knownas the "Aviation Noise Limit Act," the AirTransportation Office of the Departmentof Transportation and Communicationsshall develop a medium-term plan to re-duce by at least 75 percent the number ofindividuals residing in residential areas inthe vicinity of an airport who are exposedto a yearly day-night average sound levelof sixty decibels or above.

The ATO shall consider various meth-ods for aviation noise reduction, includingsoundproofing, relocation incentives, theuse of a quieter aircraft, as well as opera-tions restrictions and revision of air routes.

RODRIGUEZ