Local News 10

Mango's Local News and Info

Archive 10

January 2004 - December 2004

Note: These articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the Management, Staff and Employees of Mango's.

FILM-MAKER Ramona S. Diaz spent a month trailing Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines, with a camera crew in 1998. The result is a telling portrait of megalomania which won Diaz a nomination for the coveted Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year.

Imelda, which opens here on Sunday, also won the Best Cinematography Award. For the genial 42-year-old film-maker, Imelda is the culmination of more than five years of research and work. The project began with a chance encounter with Mrs Marcos. Over the telephone from Baltimore in the United States where she is based, Diaz says that she first interviewed Mrs Marcos for her first feature project, Spirits Rising, in 1993.

That documentary looked at the role played by middle-class Filipino women in the People Power uprising which unseated President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. 'I just thought she's a big historical figure. For better or for worse, she's the best known Filipino in the world,' says Diaz. After the interview, she asked Mrs Marcos if she would consent to being the subject of a film. She agreed. But it took Diaz a while to raise funding for the feature.

'I first approached her with the idea in 1993 and we had the first pre-production interview in 1996. The bulk of the film was shot in 1998, when we followed Mrs Marcos to her hometown of Tacloban,' Diaz recalls. 'To her credit, she honoured her agreement even after all that time.' For the film-maker, the project was a chance to try to explore the person behind the persona.

'I wanted her to defend herself. Everything we brought up I wanted her to be able to address. Which is what I told her when I pitched the film. It's not a valentine to her but it will be fair. 'It's not a hit-and-run piece. I truly, truly believe it was fair.' The amount of time she spent with Mrs Marcos explains how she managed to get her famous subject to talk about everything - from the assassination of opposition leader Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino to the imposition of martial law in the Philippines.

But while Mrs Marcos may have cooperated with lengthy interviews during the shoot, she also later tried to have the movie banned. In June, when the movie was scheduled for a theatrical release in the Philippines, she served papers on the film's distributor, Unitel. She testified, weeping, in court that the movie made her out to be a 'cheap flirt' and an 'airhead, like a frivolous, wanton, extravagant woman at the expense of the poor'.

Diaz, who had to return to the Philippines to testify at the trial, says that Mrs Marcos' suit came from out of the blue. 'I was really surprised,' she says. Mrs Marcos gained a temporary injunction, which was overturned 20 days later. Once released, Imelda stampeded past Hollywood blockbusters like Spider-Man 2 and I, Robot in its opening weekend. It has since grossed over 14 million pesos (S$423,770) at the box office. It is the only documentary to be released theatrically in the Philippines.

While Mrs Marcos herself has become a figure of ridicule in the Filipino press, she still touches a raw nerve with the Filipino people, many of whom either adore her passionately or loathe her with a vengeance. As expected, her film has earned deeply divisive responses from Filipinos who have seen it. Says Diaz: 'They either say, 'You make her look so good', or 'You made her look so bad'. They love it or they hate it. There is no in-between.'

Making the film has made her appreciate the complexities of the woman who once wielded so much power as the wife of the Philippines' strongman. 'She's funny. She has a sense of humour which surprised me,' the film-maker says. 'People take issue when I say she's funny. But she can be funny and still be held accountable for the things she did.'

DIAZ grew up in the Philippines under martial law, and left the country when she was 17 to pursue a degree in film and photography at Boston's Emerson College. She gained work experience in television after graduating, including a five-year stint on the hit 1980s television series, Remington Steele. Film-making was something she had wanted to do for as long as she could remember, she says. She is married to a half-Chinese, half-Nepalese professor who teaches communications. 'He has the adult job,' she says with a laugh.

Although she spends most of her time in the US, where her seven-year-old daughter is growing up, she has returned to the Philippines occasionally to live and work. The longest stay was after her stint on Remington Steele in the 1980s. 'It was just after the Marcos regime had fallen. People were so hopeful,' she recalls wistfully. 'I went back to the Philippines thinking I was going to live there for a few months. I ended up staying four years.' But she packed her bags once more to take on a postgraduate documentary filmmaking course at Stanford University. Spirits Rising, which led her to that momentous meeting with Mrs Marcos, was made as part of her master's thesis.

After spending so much time with the iron butterfly, she admits that her views of Mrs Marcos have changed. 'I thought she was crazy, going into the project. But she's much smarter than she lets on. She could not have gotten that far without really being aware of politics and the games that people play. She's very good at that,' she says. 'It's been said that she's a product of the president. I no longer believe that. From the very beginning, she was a very empowered woman. If she had not met the president at that age, she would have become something in her own right. 'She understands power intuitively. Her power at that age was her beauty and she knew it.'

Fil-Am soldier killed in Iraq buried in Clark
Saturday, November 20, 2004
By Chris Navarro

CLARK ECOZONE -- Teary-eyed and clinching the American flag, Amelia Fortune, wife of the late US Army Sgt. Maurice Keith Fortune, watched silently as her husband's coffin was lowered in a plot at a cemetery in this economic zone Friday. Maurice, who served for the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID), was killed in a car bombing in Ar Ramadi, Iraq last October 29. The US Government provided full military burial honors for the Filipino-American soldier and posthumously awarded him the fourth highest U.S. military award-the Bronze Star--for gallantry in action.

The US Army also awarded Maurice the Purple Heart, Army Commendation and Good Conduct medal during Friday's burial honor rites at the Clark Field Cemetery at the former US-run Clark Air Base in Angeles city, 80 kilometers north of Manila. His weeping wife, mother and another relative clutched folded US flags as his coffin was lowered to the ground. Other family members clasped portraits of Fortune in his army uniform, while his Filipino friends said goodbye with a streamer that read: "Maurice we will miss you."

Soldiers played "Taps," served as pallbearers and gave a 21-gun salute. Brig. Gen. Oscar Anderson, assistant division commander of the US Army's 1st Armored Division, a funeral honor guard from the 2nd ID, U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone, Philippine Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr., and members of Fortune's army division attended. Only 25 years old, Maurice was born in the US and was raised in Angeles City. He was enlisted in the US Army in January 2001 after completing two years of college at the Angeles University Foundation.

Maurice is survived by his wife, his one-year-old daughter Moesha, two stepchildren, his father, retired US Airman Littleton John Fortune and mother Nida Fortune, all of Angeles City. "My hope died. He is gone," his mother told reporters, her face streaked with tears. Maurice's father said he is proud of his son for serving and giving up his life for his country. US Navy Capt. Dennis Williams said people should respect the wishes of the family to maintain dignity, solemnity and peace of mind during this especially difficult time. "We ask that media covering this event refrain from seeking interviews with the family members," Williams said. (With AP)

Filipinos die in pay dispute with former president
By Daniel Howden
18 November 2004

Eight people, including a three-month-old baby, were killed in violent clashes between Philippines police and workers demanding a 50p daily wage rise at a sugar cane plantation belonging to Corazon Aquino, a former president. Several people died of gunshot wounds after heavily armed security forces attempted to break up a 6,000-strong picket of a sugar mill on the island of Luzon in the northern Tarlac province.

The bloody aftermath of Tuesday's clashes, including the death of the baby who suffocated after clouds of teargas drifted into her village, prompted the chief of police in Manila to sack two senior commanders and order an impartial investigation. The baby's father was among the dead workers.

Army officials confirmed the deaths of three protesters but the local mayor, Genaro Mendoza, said that in addition to the dead infant, at least seven had been shot and killed, while 58 were injured and 100 arrested. "Those who were holding weapons must have their fire-arms examined to determine who fired," Mr Mendoza said. The fatalities, following a fortnight of strikes by farmers and workers angry at low pay and the failure to implement land redistribution laws, have stirred up widespread resentment at deep social inequalities that persist in the Philippines nearly two decades after the demise of the Marcos regime.

A small number of families still control huge tracts of land despite reforms to extend ownership to tenant farmers. Massive plantations, including the 6,000-hectare (15,000-acre) Hacienda Luisita, the scene of this week's incident, were supposed to have been phased out by land reform laws passed under Mrs Aquino's administration in 1988. Some landowners have been able to exploit loopholes in the legislation to retain control of their property.

Satur Ocampo, a congressman with the left-wing Bayan Muna Party, said discontent had been simmering for years after farmers rejected an offer of stocks in lieu of land ownership and demanded full reform. The perception of inequality in rural areas has helped fuel a nationwide communist rebellion that analysts say is likely to remain strong while graft and poverty are major problems.

Mrs Aquino, who served as president between 1986 and 1992, remains a popular figure. She rose to power in the wake of the assassination of Benigno Aquino, her husband and opposition leader in exile. He was gunned down in 1983 as he stepped off the plane returning him from exile. Public outrage at the killing led to the overthrow of the dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, and the restoration of democracy, with Benigno Aquino's widow, Corazon, spearheading an anti-corruption campaign.

Mrs Aquino said in a statement: "[Everyone] should desist from employing acts of violence and provocation that would only worsen an already tense situation. I have always been an advocate of non-violence, and I deeply regret that people had to get hurt on both sides. Moreover, the conflict has paralysed economic activity both in the farm and the sugar mill, affecting the lives of thousands." According to witnesses, private guards have joined police officers to patrol inside the mill, with strikers promising to return. "We will be back," said Odie Villoso, a worker at the mill for 24 years. Left-wing parties have called for the resignation of the Labour Secretary, Patricia Santo Tomas, who issued orders to police to disperse the strikers.

OFWs' billions fail to improve life of poor--study
Posted: 11:26 AM | Nov. 15, 2004
Cecil Morella
Agence France-Presse

THEY sail the world's oceans, mop the floors of the rising Asian middle class and launder clothes for US troops fighting in Iraq. Yet while providing a massive boost to the consumption-led economic growth in the Philippines, the billions of dollars that millions of overseas Filipinos send home do little to ease long-term poverty in the country, according to an Asian Development Bank study.

The money that workers and emigrants send home each year is spent putting sons, daughters, nieces and nephews through school, while the rest is blown on food and village fiestas as well as ill-advised small-business ventures that usually fail, according to the study. Manila has failed to "leverage" the remittances, estimated at between 7.6 billion dollars to double that figure every year, to promote development initiatives, it added.

With nearly a million of its citizens leaving every year, the Philippines is the world's second largest migrant-sending country after Mexico, and the third largest remittance-receiving country after Mexico and India. The labor export program, launched by president Ferdinand Marcos during the Mideast oil boom in the 1970s, now sees 7.6 million out of a population of 84 million living or working abroad. They include more than a quarter-million seafarers, though more than 65 percent of those who left the country are women.

The modern-day diaspora to most of the world includes about 6,000 working for US contractors in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of maids in Asia and the Middle East, and nurses in western countries. There are 3.33 million permanent Filipino residents, temporary workers or illegals in North America, who remitted more than half of the 7.64 billion dollars officially listed as sent to the Philippines in 2003. Total remittance flows are expected to reach or exceed 8.1 billion dollars this year, central bank governor Rafael Buenaventura said last month.

The money accounts for 16 percent of current account receipts -- and is equal to 11 percent of the gross domestic product -- of a country where half the population lives on two dollars a day. "With formal flows at the level of seven billion dollars yearly, and actual flows estimated at double that figure, there is a tremendous potential for harnessing these remittance flows for more productive use and as a tool for poverty reduction," the study said.

Since two out of three of the overseas Filipinos came from rural areas, it would be logical for local governments to package bonds and offer them as savings or investment vehicles to their residents abroad, the study said. Proceeds could fund local infrastructure projects. It cited the experience of banks in Turkey, Peru, El Salvador and Mexico, which have tapped the investment market for amounts ranging from 100-300 million dollars through securitization of overseas workers' remittances.

Manila's challenge "lies in addressing the various regulatory and practical barriers and gaps" to tapping these fund flows for development, the study said. Obstacles include the high licensing costs and restrictive regulations for Philippine banks and remittance agents, limited financial products available in financial institutions in rural areas, and lack of "financial literacy" of migrants and family members.

The study, believed to be the first of its kind in the Philippines, cited "extensive anecdotal evidence suggesting considerable spending for non-essentials and luxuries" by recipient families. "Relatives who neither have the proper business attitude or appreciation for the hard-earned income, are asked to manage small enterprises which eventually fail." At the end of their temporary contracts, many workers experience severe economic reintegration problems and "any savings they may have brought home are easily exhausted" -- especially if they cannot find a new job.

At least 13 people were killed and about 160 injured when a speeding train derailed on a bad section of track and tumbled down a ravine in Quezon province before dawn yesterday, officials said.

The Manila-bound Philippine National Railways (PNR) train with about 400 passengers came off the rails near the town of Padre Burgos, 130 kilometers southeast of Manila, at about 2:30 a.m., the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.

Officials speculated that the curved track where the accident occurred � site of a derailment two months ago � had been weakened by looters scavenging rail ties and metal pieces for scrap, a common practice in the country.

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Mosque in a mall
Plans for the Philippines' first such mosque reflects the growing coexistence of Muslims and Catholics
By Luz Baguioro

MANILA - A swanky Manila shopping complex will soon have an extra attraction - not a flashy new store, but a mosque. A Muslim prayer area is being built at this Manila mall. The development reflects the Muslim minority's growing integration with the dominant Catholic population. Real estate firm Ortigas and Co, which owns and operates the 16ha Greenhills Shopping Centre in San Juan district, hopes to finish the 500 sq m 'prayer area' in time for this year's Aidilfitri celebrations on Nov 14.

'By building this prayer area, we hope to give our Muslim brothers a solemn place of worship,' said Mr Rex Drilon, chief operating officer of Ortigas and Co. In 1990, Greenhills became the first mall to open its doors to Muslim traders. Although most malls in the Philippines now allow priests and pastors to hold religious services, the planned mosque is the first to be part of a shopping centre.

About 500 of Greenhills' 2,000 merchants are Maranaos, one of the largest Islamic groups in the country. The new mosque means Muslim merchants in Greenhills, which built a 400 sq m Catholic chapel last year, will no longer have to pray along one of the mall's narrow hallways. 'Their prayer times sometimes coincide with the Catholic service held on the opposite end of the hallway,' said Mr Drilon. The Muslims thus often spilled over onto the sidewalk, he said.

Costing an estimated 10 million pesos (S$300,000), the fully air-conditioned mosque, which will include an ablution area, will accommodate up to 400 people in its prayer hall. However, because of space constraints, it will not have a dome and will be part of a four-storey building also housing a halal restaurant, boutiques and parking spaces.

'This is another manifestation of the close integration between Muslims and the Catholic majority in the country,' said Mr Julkipli Wadi, professor of Islamic studies at the state-run University of the Philippines. 'It is another positive effort to promote harmony.' Because of complaints of discrimination and state neglect, more and more Muslims have been appointed to government posts in recent years. Limited self-rule was also granted to five provinces in the southern Philippines, where the bulk of the six million Muslim minority live.

But what is perhaps a major sign of growing integration is the fact that many Muslims now live in urban areas predominantly populated by Catholics. They used to be concentrated in the backwater region of Mindanao. Muslims are now also among the most active merchants in the capital. But despite the coexistence of Catholics and Muslims, experts say problems remain.

Cultural stereotypes still make it hard for Muslims to get jobs in Manila, forcing many to change their names. And the police often raid Muslim communities, suspecting them of being havens for terrorists and other criminals. A recent survey showed that a significant number of Muslims preferred to be called 'Moro' rather than 'Filipino'. Said Prof Wadi: 'It shows that the separatist sentiment is still very strong. Many Muslims still believe they should have their own national identity and their own government.'

Hundreds of people have flocked to a creek in an overcrowded squatters' area in Barangay Del Monte in Quezon City after some residents found gold nuggets, witnesses said yesterday. A barangay captain said it was a puzzle as to how the nuggets got into the trash-strewn and heavily silted channel.

"It is a puzzle. All we got from this before was trash," he said. Alfredo Gallo, 15, found a "nugget" of gold after scouring the waterway under the bridge near Feliz street in West Riverside on Friday. His father sold the gold to a pawnshop for P30,000 and bought a television set and a bicycle.

"I scratched the riverbed with a stick and saw a yellow thing glittering. I immediately took it and ran home," Gallo said. The channel frequently overflows during the rainy season, flooding low-lying slums and causing intestinal diseases. Witnesses claimed a mining truck was dumping sand in the area last Monday. Construction worker Danilo Sabas, meanwhile, drove from the other side of Manila and took off from work to pan for gold in the stream as children played and swam nearby.

He used fish nets and steel pans and ploughed the waterbed before finding a small piece of metal which he believed was gold. He showed it to photographers and said he would take it to a pawnbroker later in the day. "I will sell this immediately," he said. As of yesterday, no other prospector have been as lucky.

US monitoring military aid to Philippines amid corruption scandal
MANILA (AFP) Oct 28, 2004

The United States said Thursday it was monitoring hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance to the Philippines amid a corruption scandal involving a Filipino general. The US embassy ensures that all military articles and services provided by Washington "are utilized for their intended purpose and are not transferred to a third party or disposed of without Department of State approval," the US embassy said.

Through its joint US military assistance group, the mission works with the Filipino military "to ensure accountability, including an annual inventory requirement" by the Filipino armed forces, it said in a statement. A joint inventory was completed this month on all equipment provided over the past three years to a Filipino "light reaction company" which was trained and equipped by Washington to help Manila fight armed Islamic militants in the south.

The equipment includes 667 pieces of "third-generation night vision devices". Early this year, the US government tipped off its Southeast Asian military ally over the activities of a Filipino general who allegedly brought into the United States nearly 700,000 dollars in cash over the past 10 years while earning an annual salary of about 7,200 dollars.

The tip-off led to the sacking of then military comptroller Major-General Carlos Garcia, who was placed under house arrest this month ahead of his expected court-martial for unbecoming conduct. The evidence provided by Washington is now the basis of a separate graft inquiry by the government Ombudsman, which could lead to criminal charges being laid against the general.

The embassy did not say if any of the US military aid to Manila had been diverted, but noted that under an enhanced monitoring system for sensitive defense articles, the Filipino military "is required to provide adequate security for these items and report any loss immediately." The embassy said US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone had praised President Gloria Arroyo's "forceful expressions of commitment to root out corruption within the military and other institutions of government."

Military scandal raises coup fears in Philippines
AFP , MANILA
Wednesday, Oct 27, 2004

The Philippine military went on full alert yesterday against possible attempts to destabilize President Gloria Arroyo amid a widening corruption scandal in the armed forces. A military spokesman said troops were placed on 24-hour standby with all leave canceled because of fears of communist guerrilla attacks, after exiled rebel leaders called for "widespread dissent" against the government.

The Communist Party of the Philippines called for Arroyo's removal through "a popular uprising, a civil disobedience movement, a mass withdrawal of support by political parties and personages, a voluntary resignation of Arroyo, a coup d'etat or any combination thereof". At least three officers led by Major General Carlos Garcia, the former military comptroller, face possible court-martial for corruption for having unexplained wealth.

The probe was triggered by a tip-off from the US government early this year that Garcia and members of his family had brought nearly US$1 million to the US over 10 years while he was earning about US$7,200 a year. The Philippines suffered numerous coup attempts in the late 1980s.

Arroyo survived a military revolt last year after taking power in a military-backed popular revolt that ousted president Joseph Estrada in January 2001. She has ordered the military to launch a court-martial against Garcia by Friday. On Monday she said the scandal might provoke attempts to destabilize her government by entities other than guerrillas.

"I will deal with these destabilizers with an iron fist, even as I hold out an open hand and open mind for those who are open to a just and dignified reconciliation," she added. The armed forces have "increased the troops' alert status to Red Alert effective 8:00 am today," military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Lucero said in a statement.

"This is to prepare the troops in the light of possible heightened attacks by the communist terrorists," the statement said.

Philippine Ferry Blast Said Caused by Bomb
October 11, 2004
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- A bomb planted by the brutal Abu Sayyaf group caused a ferry fire in February that killed over 100 people in the Philippines' worst terrorist attack, an investigation concluded Monday. President Gloria Macapagal, who initially downplayed a claim of responsibility by the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf, said six people, including two arrested shortly after the attack, have been charged.

"These are the same people responsible for the Dos Palmas kidnapping,'' she said, referring to a mass abduction from the Dos Palmas resort on Palawan island in 2001 that left several hostages dead. She said the men in custody made and planted the bomb, and that one beheaded Guillermo Sobero of Corona, Calif., early in the yearlong hostage crisis. Missionary Martin Burnham of Wichita, Kan. also died during a rescue mission that freed his wife, Gracia.

"I am now instructing the police and the military to intensify the manhunt for the two masterminds -- Khaddafy Janjalani and Abu Sulaiman -- and their two other accomplices,'' Arroyo told a news conference. Sulaiman was the target of an unsuccessful U.S.-backed operation two weeks ago aimed at capturing or killing him, his son and other Abu Sayyaf members. He and Janjalani, the group's main leader, already had $5 million bounties on their heads.

The al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf, which is on Washington's list of international terror groups, claimed responsibility immediately after the Feb. 27 fire aboard the Superferry 14, saying it planted a bomb inside a television set that one of its members carried aboard. A blast and fire struck the ferry, carrying about 900 people, an hour after it left Manila for the central and southern Philippines. The official report said the bodies of 63 people were recovered and that 53 others are missing and believed dead.

The overall presumed death toll of 116 would make it Southeast Asia's second-worst terror attack after the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people on the Indonesian resort island. Transport Secretary Leandro Mendoza said investigators believe the Superferry 14 was targeted because owners WG&A had not complied with an Abu Sayyaf letter last year demanding protection money.

A preliminary investigation had indicated two possible causes -- a bomb or a gas explosion. Mendoza said the investigation dragged on so long because it took five months to right the ferry, which ended up lying on its side in shallow water, and investigators then encountered a tangle of twisted metal that supported the conclusion that a bomb caused the disaster.

In March, Arroyo announced the arrests of six Abu Sayyaf members, including one who allegedly confessed to planting the bomb, and the discovery of a cache of explosives that police said was to be used to bomb malls, trains, an oil depot, foreign embassies and other targets in Manila. Security officials have said Redendo Cain Dellosa confessed after his arrest that he stashed about 8 pounds of TNT in a TV set that he carried onto the ferry. Dellosa later claimed he was tortured into signing a confession.

The original golf course on Subic Naval Base was designed by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 50's. It was not real imaginative but fairly easy and fun to play. In 1994 a Taiwan group got the lease to the course. They brought in two young British blokes who did a professional job of redesigning the course. They radically changed it getting rid of holes, altering others, adding lakes, canals, and lots of bunkers. White sand was brought in from Boracay Island for this purpose.

In the picture I'm standing on the driving range. In the distance you can see a couple of cones that look like breasts or su-sus as they are called here. That is the 16th hole and su-sus is just what they are. These guys were pretty cool and enjoyed the nightlife. You can play the hole between the breasts or over the breasts. On the other side is the green meant to be the woman's head. Surrounding the head and running down and around both sides of the breasts is white sand meant to be her hair.

From the air it is obvious what it was meant to be. They had a signboard at the t-box depicting the hole and people liked having their picture taken with it. Unfortunately, it was also stolen every other week. Subic Bay. - Tom

Ladies Drinks OK?
Troops May Be Tried for Using Prostitutes Pentagon Wants to Make It a Court-Martial Offense for Troops to Use Prostitutes
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON Sept. 21, 2004

U.S. troops stationed overseas could face courts-martial for patronizing prostitutes under a new regulation drafted by the Pentagon. The move is part of a Defense Department effort to lessen the possibility that troops will contribute to human trafficking in areas near their overseas bases by seeking the services of women forced into prostitution.

In recent years, "women and girls are being forced into prostitution for a clientele consisting largely of military services members, government contractors and international peacekeepers" in places like South Korea and the Balkans, Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., said Tuesday at a Capitol Hill forum on Pentagon anti-trafficking efforts. Defense officials have drafted an amendment to the manual on courts-martial that would make it an offense for U.S. troops to use the services of prostitutes, said Charles Abell, a Pentagon undersecretary for personnel and readiness.

If approved, that would make it a military offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to have contact with a prostitute, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, an Abell spokeswoman said later. The draft rule is open to 60 days public comment after being published in the Federal Register, she said. Officials also are developing a training program for troops and contractors, to be distributed in November. The program will explain trafficking, department policy on it and possible legal action against violators, Abell said in a written statement.

Additionally, the military is reviewing regulations and procedures for placing off-limits those businesses where such activities take place and working with Justice Department officials to tighten rules on contractor misconduct. Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, commander of the 37,000 U.S. troops in South Korea, said another initiative started on the peninsula has been to "make on-base military life a more desirable experience, and attempt to diminish the seductive appeal of many of the less wholesome off-duty pursuits."

That effort includes offering expanded evening and weekend education programs, band concerts, late-night sports leagues and expanded chaplains' activities. All new arrivals to duty in Korea are given prostitution and human trafficking awareness and the military is working with Korean law enforcement agencies, he said.

"In spite of all these efforts, we know that there are still some U.S. service members, Department of Defense civilians and contractor personnel who may continue to contact prostitutes and, thereby, be construed as supporting human trafficking," LaPorte said.

NATO officials in July outlined new guidelines adopted to ensure alliance peacekeepers do not encourage sex trafficking gangs by seeking the services of women forced into prostitution. The rules follows accusations from human rights groups that NATO peacekeepers and civilian staff working for international organizations had fueled the growth of sexual slavery in the Balkans.

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza ordered the Western Police District (WPD) yesterday to aggressively pursue the indecent exposure and alarm and scandal charges against nine starlets arrested the other day at the Plaza Rajah Sulayman and at the Baywalk.

An angry Atienza said what the starlets did was not only illegal, but also unforgivable because "it undermines the positive image of Manila that the city government was able to establish over the past six years." "The city government will never tolerate such vulgar acts. We did not redevelop Rajah Sulayman Park and establish the Roxas Boulevard Baywalk as wholesome family destinations, just so these could be used for staging lewd publicity stunts," the mayor said.

Atienza said the prosecution of the starlets should teach them not to put Manila's image in a bad light and undermine the positive changes that have been achieved through the city government's urban renewal and development program. "We are not at all amused and we are certain that those who participated would learn the hard way that it does not pay to stage indecent publicity stunts in Manila. Let this also be a notice to those who might be contemplating of doing the same," Atienza warned.

He also ordered the City Legal Office to study possible sanctions that could be imposed on Waterplus Productions, the production outfit that applied for and was granted a permit by the Manila Business Promotions and Development Office to hold a pictorial in certain areas of the city. "The permit issued by the city government was for a pictorial, not a lewd exhibition that is in violation of the law. The incident yesterday rendered their permit null and void and we are studying possible sanctions against Waterplus. This should teach them not to treat authorities in such a cavalier manner," Atienza pointed out.

Plaza Rajah Sulayman and the Roxas Boulevard, aside from being favorite recreation spots, have also become a preferred venue for pictorials and shootings, with the city government receiving several applications a day for permission to hold pictorials and shootings. However, the permits issued does not sanction illegal acts. The exhibition at Plaza Rajah Sulayman and Roxas Boulevard Baywalk attracted a crowd and tied up traffic along Roxas Boulevard and caught the attention of traffic policemen.

Cops rushed to the scene and arrested the nine starlets who were posing in various states of undress. The photographs and video footage taken of the starlets while baring their bodies in public will be used as evidence in prosecuting the cases filed against them.

The country's premier Freeport Zone continues to manifest robust economic progress by creating more employment opportunities, thereby generating 4,000 jobs within the first seven months of the year. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman Felicito C. Payumo disclosed that the figure rose from 51,486 in December last year to 55,421 up to July this year.

"We attribute this rise in employment figure to the growing number of investors who continue to express confidence in the potentials of the Freeport and generate job opportunities to residents of neighboring communities," Payumo said.

SBMA Labor Department manager Severo Pastor said workers were hired by various companies here through his office and the series of job fairs they conduct to include employees of SBMA and its subsidiary, the Freeport Service Corporation (FSC) an overall number of employees of 60,421 from 7,756 in 1998 when Payumo took office as SBMA chairman and administrator six years ago. Pastor added that in March alone, they have recorded the highest employment figure of 1,109 among seven months of both comparative years.

According to the report, Wistron Infocomm Phils., a subsidiary of Acer computers, remains to be the biggest single employer in the Freeport with more than 3,800 workers, as the manufacturing sector remains on top among other investors here in creating jobs. During the period, the SBMA also posted $454 million in export value brought about by strong production output in manufacturing sector with Wistron topping the list of exporters as it posted high export value of $319.7 million, which takes up 70 percent of the total export earnings.

Recently, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) reported that job opportunities have already been created through series of job fairs conducted in Northern and Central Luzon since June 2001 as part of outreach program to open employment opportunities in the region. "It is our task to help alleviate poverty in Central Luzon. This is why we reach out to provide jobs that various companies here open by facilitating a series of job fairs and making it convenient for applicants to land themselves the much needed jobs," Pastor added.

Payumo meanwhile stressed that the SBMA will continue to strive hard to make the Subic Freeport remain as an attractive investment site for local and foreign businesses that continue to generate jobs. He also assured that more jobs will be created with the ongoing construction of the Waterfront row for the Moonbay Marina, the forthcoming facelift of the Ship Repair Facility (SRF) into a world class cruise ship destination and the two flagship projects of the Arroyo administration, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the Subic Port Development project.

RP now 12th most populous country
By Jose Katigbak
STAR Washington Bureau
The Philippine
Star 08/19/2004

WASHINGTON � The Philippines has gone one more step up the world population ladder and is now ranked as the 12th most populated country in the world, the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) said. But the good news, to some extent, is that the Philippines is seen to maintain its 12th-place ranking until 2050, according to latest statistics released on Tuesday by the PRB, a non-profit, non-advocacy organization founded in 1929 to monitor population trends.

A predominantly Catholic country, the Philippines has a population currently estimated at 83.7 million. This is expected to grow to 118.4 million by 2025 and to 147.3 million by 2050. The total world population now standing at 6.396 billion is projected to increase to 7.934 billion by 2025 and to 9.276 billion by 2050. In the past three years the Philippines has been advancing inexorably up the population ladder � it was in 14th place in 2002 and 13th in 2003. And all signs indicate the population will continue to grow before it stabilizes.

Despite the Arroyo administration�s apathy towards family planning, PRB senior demographer Carl Haub told The STAR there were signs the country�s fertility rate was slowly declining. He said the number of married women between 15 and 49 using all forms of contraception has risen marginally to 49 percent. The number of women using modern contraceptive methods is up 33 percent. "I think the desire to have fewer children is absolutely there in the Philippines. Couples who want to practice family planning do it irrespective of what the Church says," Haub said.

He pointed to Catholic countries like Portugal, Spain, Italy and Poland whose birth rates are on the decline despite the clergy�s admonitions to the faithful to refrain from using contraceptives disallowed by the church. Haub said a consequence of the increasing number of Filipinos going overseas in search of work is the tendency over the long haul to slow population growth. The flight of Filipinos overseas has an interesting demographic effect at home because most of those who leave tend to be of child-bearing age, he said.

Going abroad means more than keeping the remittances coming, but keeping the country�s fast rising birth rate at bay. Haub said the PRB�s latest statistics demonstrate that nearly 99 percent of all population increase takes place in poor countries, while population size is static or declining in rich nations. Among the major industrialized nations, only the United States has significant population growth due primarily to immigration intakes and the higher fertility rates of Hispanic immigrants. By 2050, industrialized countries are projected to increase their population by merely four percent.

In contrast, the population of developing countries is expected to expand by 55 percent. The Church wields considerable influence on policy issues in the Philippines and campaigns against officials who promote artificial contraception. But this has not stopped lawmakers from filing a bill in the House which proposes two children per family in an attempt to control the high birth rates in the country, estimated at 2.36 percent annually, or 1.7 million new births every year. Careful not to lock horns with the Church, Mrs. Arroyo has safely distanced herself from the issue of managing the rising population.

The President has said population explosion is not her foremost concern, calling on Congress instead to first tackle priority bills she had itemized in her five-point legislative package. The five-point proposals are job creation and economic growth; anti-corruption and good governance; social justice and basic needs (pro-poor program); education improvement and youth opportunity, and energy independence and savings. A devout Catholic, Mrs. Arroyo however expressed readiness to defend her staunch pro-life policy even as she said she is open to debates on the subject.

Two British navy ships with 316 personnel on board arrived yesterday at this former US naval base for joint exercises with their Filipino counterparts.
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT
08/10/2004

The HMS Exeter (D89) and RFA Grey Hover are on four-day goodwill visit as part of its global deployment program, port officials said. In a press briefing, commanding officer Andrew Reed said the Royal Navy will conduct joint naval training and exercises to include "warfare and technical advices" with the Philippine Navy and their other allies in the Asia-Pacific rim.

He said their naval ships will demonstrate the Royal Navy�s ability to operate worldwide and the United Kingdom�s continuing commitment to help the region. The British navy will also hold outreach programs in local communities in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Olongapo City government.

Navy Capt. Ernesto Bonifacio, officer-in-charge of the Philippine naval force in northern Luzon, said Filipino navy personnel will be given the opportunity to take part in various "hands-on" training programs aboard the modern and fully equipped British ships. SBMA chairman Felicito Payumo welcomed the arrival of the two British ships.

SBMA was turned into a freeport and economic zone after the Philippine Senate voted against extending the RP-US Military Bases Treaty in 1991. "Subic Freeport is no longer a military base but a freeport zone and a sign of friendship. The SBMA welcomes the arrival of the British ships," said Payumo, who is set to attend the cocktail party aboard HMS Exeter tonight. The UK has declared the Philippines, among several other countries, as a "Security Level 2" area for its naval ships.

This means heightened security and increased monitoring will be implemented while the British ships are docked, and additional security personnel will be deployed aboard the ships and in the immediate surroundings of the base. Local police forces have also been deployed to provide security for the visiting British navy personnel.

Meanwhile, owners of entertainment establishments in Olongapo City and Subic in Zambales were thankful that British navy officers allowed "off-base" liberty and rest and recreation for their men.

"We will be offering a wholesome entertainment for our British visitors from live bands to videoke and a taste of Filipino foods," a restaurant owner said. - With AFP

P18B expressway promises convenience but costly to motorists
By Chris Navarro
Wednesday, August 04, 2004

CLARK ECOZONE -- The good news: Motorists who will use the new P18-billion North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) will experience convenience and worry-free driving because of the expansion, modernization and rehabilitation done by the Manila North Tollway Corporation (MNTC). The bad news: A 700 percent increase from the usual fee being charged by the Philippine National Construction Corporation. With this increase, the toll, which used cost P0.33 per kilometer will be upped to P2.50 per kilometer. Motorists will have to pay around P190 for the entire stretch of Sta. Ines to Balintawak and vice versa from the previous P22 for Class 1 vehicles. Class 2 vehicles would have to pay some P500.00, while Class 3 vehicles will be charged P600.

This was bared during a recent briefing of officers and members of the Metro Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (Maccii) on the status of the Nlex development at the Fontana Leisure Park at the Clark Special Economic Zone yesterday. The briefing, simultaneous with the chamber's general membership assembly, was conducted by Renato Ticson, marketing director of the MNTC, and Toll Management Corporation president Anthony Mabasa. During the briefing, Ticson said the new rates are "even lower compared to other toll ways, but because of the 84-kilometer stretch of the Nlex, it appears to be higher." Ticson explained that motorists using the new Nlex will be benefited through its "ultra paved-roads for maximum safety and comfort" and through a shorter travel time."

"Travel time is almost half, and with this, there will be considerable savings in vehicle operations as well as maintenance," Ticson said. "To give you an example, I left my office in Manila at around 10 a.m. I arrived here at Clark 11:10 a.m. That's how fast travel time is, which you could now expect from the new Nlex, which has not even been completed yet," he said. Ticson said the Nlex project is one of the 16 strategic infrastructure projects in Region 3 endorsed by the Regional Development Council. It is designed to be a modern, world-class toll way which intends to create a more favorable climate for business in both Central and Northern Luzon, he added.

According to Ticson, the project includes rehabilitation and expansion of existing carriageways, upgrading and construction of interchanges and flyovers, construction of more tollbooths and toll barriers, and installation of fixed operating equipment in all toll plazas. Ticzon said the rehabilitation, expansion and modernization of the NLE involves re-paving of the existing 337 lanes from Balintawak to Sta. Ines and the construction of additional 98 lanes from Balintawak to Sta. Rita, Bulacan. The Nlex expansion is a joint project being undertaken by MNTC, Egis, Leighton Asia, TMC and PNCC. The project is to be completed by November this year.

Filipino soldiers running out of English, not ammo
By Julie Alipala Inquirer News Service
Updated 05:29:08 (Mla time) 2004-08-01

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Their supply of guns and bullets may be bottomless, for a change. But there's one thing Filipino soldiers participating in the anti-terror training here are running out of -- English. Filipino and American soldiers have admitted they're finding it hard to communicate with each other because the locals have a limited supply of English. The Filipinos have had to borrow their children's English-Filipino dictionaries so they could find the right words to say to their American counterparts. "If we don't understand, we open the dictionary," Army Cpl. Rasel Mabiskay said in Tagalog.

And even then, they still find their instructors' language difficult to understand in casual conversation. "I often run out of English," Cpl. Novo Medallo said in jest. He said the instruction is not a problem because the Filipinos are familiar with it. But in casual conversation with their trainers, they have to grope for words. "Sometimes, even when we want to converse, we just walk away slowly," Medallo said. Nodding, smiling Sgt. Joselito Doblon has a "very effective" way of dealing with the Americans. He said he just listens and pretends to understand what they're saying by nodding and smiling.

The Americans acknowledge that it is quite difficult for their Filipino counterparts to communicate in English. Maj. William Medina of the US 1st Special Forces Battalion and commander of the Security Assistance Mobile Training Team, however, said they were also doing something to remedy the situation. He said some Filipino-American soldiers were being utilized as interpreters during exercises. Medallo said he was hoping the six-week training in Carmen town in North Cotabato province would give him a broader view of the war against terrorism.

Aside from the thrill of acquiring new knowledge, Medallo admitted he was also amazed by the seemingly endless supply of American ammunition. "We do have the same training like this, but ammunition is (usually) limited. Here we have state-of-the-art rifles and a bottomless source of bullets," Doblon agreed. Medina said the enthusiasm showed by the trainees, even with the language barrier, was good because this could help a lot in improving their skills.

In the August issue of Maxim Magazine they have an article titled 'Hell Holes'. The sub text reads, "If you're bored of the peace and quiet that usually comes with a round of golf, try teeing it up at the world's most bullet-ridden, bio-hazardous, backward-ass front nine."

3) Hidden Valley (Norco, California) In June 2002, six people were arrested here when hole-in-one hospitality tents allegedly served as makeshift brothels to relieve the tedium of competition.

4) Weequahic Park (Newark, New Jersey) Like the Sopranos? Then you may enjoy a little urban golf in the unofficial asshole of the U.S. which serves as Tony's backyard. Over a six-month period, three bodies were dredged from this park.

6) Orchard Ponds (Erie, Pennsylvania) Mutant gophers make golf fun! So play this dump, former home to leaky drums of industrial waste.

7) Freetown (Freetown, Sierra Leone) Machete attacks and civil war have left many of the caddies here limbless, but still eager to please.

8) Compton (Compton, California) This infamous 'hood is home to 8000 gang members and affordable golf. At $6.50 a round, that's plenty of bang for your buck. And don't sweat the drive-bys. The carts are pretty slow.

9) Subic Bay Country Club (Subic Bay Philippines) You know where you are? You're in the jungle baby. So don't mind the spear-wielding tribes people who live along the course or the adjacent ash-spewing volcano. Wild boars and monkeys wander about--but better them than old bats.

Note: The course referred to was formerly known as Binictican Valley Golf Course. The tribes people are known as Negritos and sell golf balls they have retrieved from the water hazards. Monkeys are common. Wild boars are sometimes seen. (Last year we used a salt-lick, a bright light and shot two on the 14th green at midnight) Snakes were not mentioned in the article but we once had a male caddy kill one and then build a fire and eat it. Caddies are now all female. The jungle surrounding the course is spectacular and provides the solitude and tranquility that makes the course so enjoyable. If they are this wrong about all the courses the one in Kabul might be worth playing.

Olongapo posts high rate of illegitimate births
By Recto M. Adamos
Zambales (29 July)

Olongapo City has a higher percentage of children born illegitimate (39%) than the national level figure of 18%. Certificate of live birth records from the National Statistics Office (NSO) show that in 2002, there were 4,507 registered births in Olongapo and out of that number, 1,758 or 39% were illegitimate.

However, unlike in previous years when an illegitimate child could only use the surname of his or her mother, illegitimate children could now follow the surname of their fathers with the signing into law of Republic Act 9255 last February 24. The new law, which took effect March 29, 2004, amended Article 176 of Executive Order No.20 otherwise known as the Family Code of the Philippines.

Parents or guardians of illegitimate children born on or after August 3, 1988 can now apply at the local registry office where the illegitimate children have been registered to have their surnames changed from their mother�s to their father�s.

Applicants must however submit the following documents: admission of paternity or affidavit of acknowledgement and affidavit to use the surname of father (AUSF). Considering the high percentage of illegitimate children born in Olongapo, the local civil registrar�s office has a lot of work to do in the days to come.

The new government may have been installed but, for majority of Filipinos, not by a credible election. According to the latest IBON survey results, 53.18% of Filipinos believe that the electoral canvassing conducted by Congress was not credible. Of the 1,681 respondents, only 26.95% said it was credible. Asked who they think won the May 10 elections, 43.43% said it was Fernando Poe Jr., while 36.47% answered Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Those uncertain comprised 13.03 percent. Asked who they voted for in the last elections, 32.66% answered they voted for Poe, closely followed by Arroyo (31.05%). However, even those who voted for Arroyo do not believe that the polls were credible. Of the 31.05% who voted for Arroyo, 19.45% think that the results of the elections are questionable.

The July IBON Survey was conducted last June 30 to July 9 to find out the people's perception on the economy, their income and livelihood, government's performance and other pressing issues. The July IBON Survey has a margin of error of plus or minus two percent.

US settles case of war games injury
By Inquirer News Service
Updated 20:32:37 (Mla time) 2004-07-28

THE family of the 21-year-old man who was shot accidentally and wounded by an American soldier during military exercises in Basilan has agreed to amicably settle the incident with the payment of a total of P50,000. Amadon Baharon, father of victim Arsid, said he did not want to pursue the filing of a case against the American soldier who wounded his son during target practice in Barangay San Roque on June 21. Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga confirmed that the Baharons decided to resolve the case in the amount of P50,000 as financial assistance, which is "over and above the earlier medical assistance which we have provided from the Southcom (Southern Command) Hospital."

The amount was released to the Baharons last Monday. But Senga did not say who paid for it. "We are not saying that we are blameless here, but we are saying that some people should also be responsible. Whether intentional or not, once you hurt somebody, it is not good," he said. American soldiers in the Joint Special Operation Task Force Philippines (JSOTFP) still refuse to comment on the incident. The joint exercises were kept from the public eye.

Senga said the Light Infantry Battalion training involving two companies of Filipino soldiers started last week inside Camp Arturo Enrile in Barangay Malagutay. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it was the American troops who paid for the settlement. Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, AFP spokesperson, said the family of Arsid and US officials reached an agreement last July 26 on the claim filed in connection with injuries suffered by Arsid Baharon. Lucero said his information was that the Arsid family received at least P60,000 in total compensation, quoting an amount different from what Senga had quoted. Lucero said the amount included an initial P10,000 when the incident happened and P10,000 in medical bills paid by the Philippine military.

"His injuries were not seen as life threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery within 90 days according to attending physicians," Lucero told reporters. Arsid had been confined at the Camp Navarro General Hospital inside the Armed Forces Southcom Headquarters in Zamboanga City. Last June 21, Arsid and two other bystanders ignored warnings by safety officials during a live-fire exercise taking place at the shooting range. Lucero said that Arsid's group somehow bypassed security personnel and took part in a dangerous game of "dodging the bullets" where they tried to dodge the bullets at that time. Immediately after Arsid was hit, he was promptly taken by Filipino and American medical personnel to the hospital for treatment.

Arsid was released from confinement on July 19 and was described to be in good condition. Lucero said safety measures have been implemented since the incident to prevent further injuries to residents in the area. "The measures include a 30-minute rehearsal or dry run of the security of the range. Warning signs have been posted written both in English and in the local dialect on the outskirts of the range and additional security personnel have been deployed," he said.

Also, the military will advise village officials and local media on the conduct of the live-fire exercises to promote awareness and safety during live fire exercises, Lucero added. "This was an unfortunate occurrence and every effort has been made to make sure it does not happen again. Safety for both Filipino and American forces and the residents who live in the surrounding area is the number one priority when training is provided in the range," Lucero said.

Palace: They don't read NY Times in Buenavista
Posted: 1:14 AM (Manila Time) | Jul. 22, 2004
By Gil Cabacungan Jr.
Inquirer News Service

THE BOTTOM LINE is: Do Angelo de la Cruz's cabalen (province mates) read The New York Times?

Malaca�ang is sticking to its guns and saying that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was correct in ordering the withdrawal of Philippine troops from Iraq a month earlier than scheduled, and that it is sure its foreign allies, specifically the United States, will soon get over their disappointment over her decision.

Ms Arroyo's spokesperson Ignacio Bunye Wednesday told reporters at a briefing that while The New York Times had described the pullout as a "victory" for terrorists, "this is the right decision for the Filipino people because we showed that we value [them], especially [overseas Filipino workers]."

Asked later over radio why Malaca�ang chose not to comment on the scathing editorial published in the newspaper's July 19 issue, Bunye said: "They don't read the New York Times in Mexico, Pampanga." He was referring to De la Cruz's hometown -- Barangay Buenavista, to be precise -- whose residents had expressed heartfelt thanks to the President for ordering the pullout of troops.

Bunye, who had earlier said the early pullout was solely Ms Arroyo's call, said the decision was "well thought out, and she does not regret it." "After taking note of the country's priorities, the President said her highest priority was the safety of our countrymen," he said.

Bunye also said the Philippines' ties with other countries would hold firm despite the crisis. "We believe our relationship with [foreign governments] is much stronger than others would believe, especially in the case of the United States. We have a long-standing and maturing relationship with the United States, and this will survive the hostage crisis," he said.

Although the withdrawal of the Philippine contingent from Iraq has raised questions about the resolve of the US-led coalition in that violence-wracked country, Bunye said the Philippines continued to consider the United States its "big brother in the security arena." He said the Philippines had endured several ups and downs in its relations with the United States and other foreign governments, but "we have somehow bounced back."

To back its claim that RP-US ties had not cooled, Malaca�ang issued a statement from the US Embassy stating that the US government was relieved over the safe release of De la Cruz but condemned Iraqi insurgents for targeting innocent civilians.

AIR Philippines Corp. will complete its re-fleeting program in August, when it takes delivery of two more leased 118-seater Boeing 737-200, company President Jaime Bautista said. The modernization program of the country's third largest airline began last October. It has also embarked on a major re-imaging program. Bautista said Air Philippines has been preparing for overseas chartered flights to Chengdu and Shenzhen in China. It also intends to serve two new domestic routes -- Zamboanga-Cebu and Zamboanga-Davao.

Bautista said Air Philippines and sister firm Philippine Airlines, both of which business tycoon Lucio Tan owns, are both strengthening their partnership to improve coverage and reduce costs. "We're operating as an independent airlines from PAL, but we take advantage of our relationship with PAL. We do code sharing. We maximize our alliance to get a better deal from suppliers, for instance," Bautista said.

Air Philippines flies to 18 domestic routes and also offers domestic and overseas chartered services. It has a permit to fly to Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the US.

Malaca�ang angry over US barb on terror exports (11:10 a.m.)
Wednesday, July 07, 2004

MANILA -- President Arroyo's government on Wednesday reacted angrily to US concern that the Philippines could be unwittingly helping export international terrorism through training camps run by Islamic militants.

US ambassador to Manila Francis Ricciardone said on Tuesday that Washington was concerned over camps allegedly run by a group blamed for the deadly October 2002 Bali bombings as well as other terror attacks across Southeast Asia.

He said the threat from those attending the camps was "not limited just to the immediate neighborhood where that person was trained," but "throughout the world."

Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in a statement: "We acknowledge the concern of the US government but we do not have to be told to do our duty." Bunye said all through the previous term of President Arroyo the government fought to uphold the law against terrorists, destabilizers, drug syndicates, kidnap gangs and other groups that challenged our security and stability.

"We acknowledge the support of the US in these efforts. Our strategic partnership will continue to be as strong as ever," he said. Assistant Secretary Ricardo Blancaflor in a television interview said they receive reports of the training camps in Mindanao but they are still verifying it with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The MILF earlier promised to help the government monitor terroristic activities in the island.

Washington has been sending small teams of Special Forces advisors to provide counter-terrorist training to Filipino troops on Mindanao, which also hosts Muslim separatists accused of sheltering Jemaah Islamiyah bomb-makers.

Meanwhile, Bunye expressed dismay at the US decision to withdraw an offer of 30 million dollars in development aid to Mindanao that had hinged on Manila signing a peace treaty with the MILF, the largest separatist guerrilla group in the area.

Ricciardone said some of the funds, on offer for the current US fiscal year that ends in September, have been reallocated to other US-backed development projects in the south in the light of the rebels' failure to sign a peace deal.

"Nevertheless, the US continues to be engaged in the Mindanao peace process through several other grants and forms of assistance."

Tornado hits downtown Angeles; disaster alert on
By Ding Cervantes
The Philippine Star
06/14/2004

ANGELES CITY - First there were swirling winds, then a heavy downpour, marked by lightning and thunder, plunging the city's downtown area into total darkness. This, as the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" about a weather cataclysm, ended its local run. Taking no chances, Mayor Carmelo Lazatin has ordered the city's disaster coordinating council to be on 24-hour alert for rescue following the tornado that hit the downtown area at about 8 p.m. last Friday, followed by unusual heavy rains that started pouring also at about 8 p.m.

The day after hundreds of local folk were stranded Friday night as powerful swirling winds and heavy rains, coupled with powerful lightning and thunder, plunged this city's downtown area into darkness as trees collapsed on electric wires and galvanized iron roofs were peeled off scores of houses. The tornado, which lasted for about half an hour, also froze cellular phone communications for a few minutes.

Electricity in the downtown area was restored only the day after. City information officer Irish Calaguas said the eye of last Friday's tornado seemed to be in the area of the Sto. Rosario Church, where motorists were forced to stop as floodwaters rose and winds swirled with assorted debris. Motorists turned on their emergency lights, but most of them opted to park on roadsides as large raindrops lashed against their vehicles' windshields and reduced visibility to zero. "It was fortunate that the tornado lasted for only about half an hour and struck on a Friday night when most local folk were at home, so we did not have any report of injuries," she said.

She said the tornado struck a day after local theaters, located less than a kilometer from the Sto. Rosario Church, ended the showing of "The Day After Tomorrow," a movie about an abrupt weather change that paved the way for the return of the ice age in the northern hemisphere. "Local folk lined up to see the movie even on its last day, so I suppose their having seen it added to their anxiety over the true-to-life weather since last Friday," she said.

Former National Basketball League player Ricmar Garcia, a resident of Barangay Sta. Teresita about a kilometer away from the Sto. Rosario Church, said scores of houses in his barangay lost their roofs during the tornado. "The raindrops were so large that they even penetrated umbrellas," he said. Lazatin said the flashfloods did not last since drainage pipes have been cleared during the dry months. "I urge the people to stay at home whenever they observe any hints of bad weather. If they have to venture out, I advise them to bring umbrellas or raincoats and stay put in strong buildings if the weather gets worse," he said.

MANILA: The Philippines celebrated the 106th anniversary of its independence from foreign rule lamenting the state of democracy in what some said could soon be "Asia's laughing stock". Even President Gloria Arroyo, embroiled in an election controversy, could not find it in herself to lead the traditional flag-raising ceremony and wreath laying at the Rizal Memorial in Manila.

The president's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, was lost for words trying to explain the president's absence from such a solemn occasion. A pall has been cast over the celebrations by the slow counting of the votes from the May 10 presidential elections, thanks largely to delays in Congress.

Although exit polls and unofficial results show that Arroyo won the elections, the opposition charges that she used fraud to gain victory and have been threatening protests. Under the constitution, only Congress can proclaim the new president after tallying the election results. Opposition legislators have used this to engage in lengthy delays and filibustering so that the vote count has slowed to a crawl.

This has raised the prospect of a constitutional crisis if the new president is not proclaimed by June 30 when Arroyo's term ends. Some factions in the military are rumored to be seeking to take advantage of such a crisis to seize power although the government denies such accounts.

The Philippine Star said in an editorial: "Our founding fathers would have grimaced over the state of the nation as the 106th anniversary of the declaration of independence is celebrated today. "The nation is divided and troops are on red alert amid rumors of destabilization to coincide with Independence Day activities.

"Politicians are guided by personal, not national interest. In the 21st century, it takes us two months to count votes for the president and vice president. The typical Filipino dream is to leave the country and work abroad." Writing in the same newspaper, columnist Alex Magno said: "Asia's first republic is nearly also Asia's laughing stock."

It was on June 12, 1898 that General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed independence from Spanish rule on the steps of his home in Kawit, Cavite province, south of Manila. From the ashes of a bloody revolution the new nation of the Philippines was born, ending more than 350 years of Spanish rule.

The republic was short-lived however with the Philippines dominated by a new colonial power, the United States. The United States granted the Philippines independence on July 4, 1946. The Manila Times said in an editorial: "Filipinos are still talking about an unfinished revolution and about an inchoate nation still in the process of becoming.

"Liberty we may have achieved but for many Filipinos, freedom is a luxury. Many are still enslaved by poverty, ignorance and disease. Access to opportunities is denied to many. "The nation is divided between the poor and the upper-class, with a small middle class in between. And while there is political sovereignty, economic freedom remains questionable.

"The kind of democracy grafted onto the nation is perverse. The right to vote does not necessarily improve quality of governance. Freedom of the press is prostituted by self-interest, corruption and journalistic license. "The system of justice favors the rich and the privileged. Most of the people in jail are poor."

Luis Teodoro, writing in the Today newspaper, said: "The theme for the Independence Day celebrations this year has something to do with a 'strong republic' -- which must surely be ironic, since the most basic republic institution of all, that of representative democracy, is in a shambles in this, the 58th year of the restoration of Philippine independence, and over 100 years since it was won from Spain."

A local taxi driver, who gave his name as Manny, said: "For me it is just another day. I don't think we have much to celebrate as a nation. We had elections over a month ago and still don't know who won and our leaders in Congress are a joke. "Yet we Filipinos sit back and treat it like a joke. The sad fact is the country has become a joke."

Subic tourism figure hits 2.4M-mark in 4 months (or so they say)
Wednesday, June 09, 2004

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- Tourism figures in the free port has hit an impressive 2.4-million mark in visits during the first four months of the year posting an 11 percent increase making this premier Freeport as one of the country's top tourist destinations. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman Felicito C. Payumo said the increase in visits can be attributed to the recent openings during the summer season of added attractions here in the free port.

"We have opened new attractions here for everybody to enjoy, and these have attracted more local and foreign tourists to come down and take a bite out of the unique Subic experience. But the one thing we are proud of sharing is that when they're here, they know that they are safe and secure," Payumo said.

According to the report submitted by SBMA tourism department manager Armin Santos, tourist arrivals which totaled up to 2,374,617 were recorded from January to April, while last year's figure was posted at 2,141,306 visitors. SBMA tourism said in March alone, tourism figure has hit a record high of 831,970, the highest among the comparative period.

Santos added that aside from the new attractions, both international and local tourists prefer to come down here because of its proximity from Manila and the safe and secure atmosphere that the Freeport is known for. He said the new places mostly visited were Grande Island, Zoobic Safari, Heroes' Trail and Butterfly Garden for the whole family, the Subic-Bataan Forest Night Adventure for the explorers, and Seattle's Best and Pier One for the nocturnes.

"We are looking forward to a higher increase in tourism hits as new attractions which tourists can also visit includes eco-tourism based facilities like the New Eco-Workshop Training Center, the Butterfly Garden and old places like the Ocean Adventure Marine Theme Park, Jest Camp and El Kabayo Stables," Santos disclosed.

The El Kabayo riding stables which recently launched their latest offering for the more adventurous Subic tourist, a trail which runs through the lush forests and jungles of Subic and a picturesque peek at the crystal waters of the bay. The trail, which is fondly called the El Payumo ride, is a combination of trails from the El Kabayo riding stables to the good-natured waters of Minanga Beach in Morong, Bataan.

"This is part of our efforts to promote "edutainment", combining education with entertainment and tourism at the same time. We wish to instill the values of learning something new through the scenic and exciting route," he said. According to Santos, the SBMA has been preparing for the influx of tourists as more attractions open.
"We are taking on a new development strategy in the rehabilitation of old and dilapidated former US Military housing units here to enhance its attractiveness and become a model resident community," he said. Some housing units located in the Binictican and Kalayaan housing areas have been undergoing major renovations turning the "blot on the landscape" of the Freeport's residential areas into impressive rows of housing units of modern architectural designs by Jobbee Realty Corporation, Phenomenal Subic Inc., Subic Bay Garden Villas, ABS Real Estate and Nadia International Inc.

The freeport also has added new dining stops like Pancake House, Aresi's and soon New York-style Yellow Cab Pizza Co. located a few blocks away from an array of duty-free stores and restaurants like Pancake House, Chow King, Meat Plus Steak House, Rama Mahal, Mike's Diner, Maxima and Japanese Bistro, Hinokuni Yakiniko.

The government has identified at least five groups which are planning to stage another coup detat before June 12, Independence Day. Joint-Assessment Report 8 of the government's joint intelligence committee, a highly confidential report, also revealed a four-phased plot by antigovernment forces for the launching of the coup.

The first stage is a delay of canvass to force a political crisis, highlighted by long debates in Congress over the certificates of canvass (CoCs) in the May 10 elections. The second phase is a well-planned disclosure of supposed electoral fraud while the third is a walkout of opposition lawmakers from the canvass venue.

The last stage will include a call to action and convergence of critical mass at Edsa or Makati City. The report identified the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood, Inc. (PGBI) of Senator Gregorio Honasan as the main element that would trigger an armed power grab at the height of the mass action. Coup attempts using armed PGBIs and recruits as the first strike elements are part of the sub-plan.

Other groups monitored to be part of the plot are former police officers, leftist leaders who were co-detainees of Honasan, hardcore supporters of the opposition party and nongovernmental organizations identified with it and active military officers and personnel. Because these reports were verified and confirmed, the Armed Forces and Philippine National Police will be placed on red alert this week and more checkpoints set up in and around Metro Manila.

Sources from the intelligence community likewise named Jude Estrada, son of former President Joseph Estrada, as the one working with PGBI while other coup plotters were identified only as former officers Beduya, Pilili and Cuayan. A surprise but planned twist will start in all likelihood as soon as the 111th CoC is opened and counted. By then, FPJ will be shown as winning over GMA. The intent is to stall at the 111th CoC abruptly. This could be between June 7 and 8, the report said.

The report said the critical mass would be arriving in Manila from nearby provinces where FPJ won on or before June 8 and converge either at Edsa Shrine in Mandaluyong City or somewhere in Makati. Recruitment areas are Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, Bataan, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Cavite and Metro Manila.

Sub-plan of a coup is well-concealed, known to a few and not necessarily known to ranking opposition personalities. This will probably be executed on or about June 10 or 11, the report added. Intelligence officials also believe that the uncertainty of early proclamation of wining candidates and increases in the prices of fuel and transport fare, freeze in wages and other economic uncertainties may be exploited for high impact propaganda.

None of the 11 attempted coup detats in the Philippines have succeeded. The first one in 1986 led to Edsa I, which ousted then President Ferdinand Marcos and his family.

Imelda Marcos laid flowers for Ronald Reagan in front of the American Embassy on Sunday, extolling him as a loyal friend and great US president who opposed her husbands 1986 overthrow. He was truly an outstanding human being and a loyal friend. We will miss him, Mrs. Marcos said after placing a wreath of orchids and white anthuriums at the gates of the tightly guarded seaside embassy.

Clad in black dress and dark glasses and driven to the embassy in a black limousine, Mrs. Marcos recalled before a throng of TV cameras the Marcos� close friendship with Reagan right up to the time Ferdinand Marcos was toppled on February 25, 1986, by an army-backed people power revolt.

The Marcos couple were personal guests of the Reagan�s in the White House in 1981. After his overthrow, Marcos and his family fled to Hawaii, where he died three years later.

During their Hawaii exile, Mrs. Marcos said Reagan and his wife, Nancy, called several times sincerely concerned of what happened to us and even made it known that he was against what the bureaucrats did to the Marcos�. Mrs. Marcos distributed copies of a letter she said came from Reagan, in which he praised Marcos's decision to abandon power peacefully.

Corazon Aquino, who succeeded Marcos as Philippine president, accused him of stealing billions of dollars and ordered many of his assets seized.

Mrs. Marcos and the Marcos estate have faced hundreds of corruption cases over the years. The Marcos estate lost a class-action lawsuit for human rights violations to 9,539 Filipinos, who were awarded nearly $2 billion in compensation by the federal district court in Hawaii. None has received any money yet.

(MANILA) A Philippine Internet-service provider said it is proposing what may be the first online betting for cockfights, aiming to draw some of the thousands of dollars that change hands during contests, into a central system. Philweb Corp wants to cash in on the tens of thousands of cockfights held a year in the country.

Much of the betting now is done through hand signals before two roosters, fitted with 3-inch steel blades on their feet, are thrown at each other in a clash usually to the death. 'With the popularity of cockfighting in the Philippines, we are extremely optimistic about the potential of this new format,' Roberto Ongpin, chairman of listed Philweb, said in a statement to the stock exchange in Manila.

Philweb, which operates online casino gambling and sports betting in the Philippines, estimates cockfight betting online may generate annual revenues of 60 million pesos (S$1.8 million). State-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, which regulates gambling and gets a cut of the proceeds, said it hasn't committed to the proposal. The agency generated 10 billion pesos in taxes and other funds, or 1.6 per cent of the government's annual revenue last year.

Cockfight betting online 'might work', said Gerardo Lafiguera, a computer engineer and fighting cock breeder. But other enthusiasts say they can't do without the noise, sweat and flying feathers that come with matches between fowls.

The height of cockfight betting usually occurs during the World Slasher Cup, a four-decade-old competition considered the prize event. The tournament draws competitors to Manila twice a year from around the globe. During the Slasher Cup in Manila, an estimated US$600,000 changes hands nightly, according to website Hey-Joe.net. The total purse is about US$75,000, with about US$50,000 going to the winner. � Bloomberg

FEDERAL EXPRESS extends its lease on its Asia-Pacific hub in the Subic Freeport
Agence France-Presse

FEDERAL EXPRESS, one of the world's biggest logistics companies, said Monday it had extended its lease on its Asia-Pacific hub in the Subic Freeport, west of Manila, for another three years to 2010 with an option to extend, and signed an option with Clark International Airport Corp. on a 50-hectare site at the former US airbase 140 kilometers northeast of Subic for future expansion in the Philippines.

FedEx has maintained its Asia Pacific hub at the former US naval base at Subic Bay since 1995. "The Subic Bay facility is the largest air express hub in the region and represents one of the company's most important investments," it said. FedEx is also considering expansion opportunities in China where it signed a framework agreement with the Guangzhou Airport Authority last December to explore opportunities.

"Our outstanding performance across the region and exceptional results in China indicate that our current operations at Subic Bay may not be able to support our projected growth," David Cunningham, president of FedEx Asia-Pacific Division, said in the statement. "Therefore we have signed an agreement with Diosdado Macapagal International Airport [formerly Clark] that reserves land through 2008."

He said FedEx was also continuing to hold discussions with Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou as a possible future hub location. The chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Felicito Payumo said in a statement the extension contract and options would in effect give FedEx about 10 more years to operate in Subic. He said that after the completion of a toll road that will link Subic and Clark, and an emerging hub in the northern province of Tarlac, in 2007 the travel time to Clark would take only 30 minutes, making Clark and Subic "virtually one hub."

It currently takes around three hours to drive from Subic to Clark. Payumo said the option to use Clark in addition to Subic "becomes a strong possibility if FedEx opted to operate bigger aircraft like the Airbus A-380 that requires a longer runway." Subic's natural deepwater harbor makes it ideal as a port but limits the option to expand the airport's one runway. Payumo said that should FedEx exceed its 20 MD-11 cargo aircraft capacity limit at Subic, Clark could handle the additional operations. The Philippine government plans to convert the former air base at Clark into an international airport and has renamed it after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's father, president Diosdado Macapagal.

An American on a motorcycle was killed after he collided with a van in Floridablanca, Pampanga Friday. Reports reaching Camp Crame said Stuart Kaplan, 62, was riding his vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycle on his way home to Santa Monica, Zambales along a highway in Barangay Calantas, Floridablanca.

He swerved to the left and attempted to overtake a green Mitsubishi Montero driven by Perfecto Valerio of Aragat, Pampanga. The van, however, suddenly turned left, causing the collision. Kaplan sustained multiple head and body injuries and did not make it alive to Roman Pangan district Hospital. It is not clear if the victim was wearing a crash helmet, a safety requirement for motorcycle drivers and passengers in other countries.

Valerio was arrested and jailed pending the filing of homicide due to a reckless imprudence case against him.

Philippines' Arroyo losing her lead over matinee idol
REUTERS , MANILA
Saturday, May 22, 2004

The political temperature rose in the Philippines yesterday as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo�s lead over an action-movie hero shrank and the slow vote count fanned accusations of cheating and fears of destabilization.

Police deployed a 1,000-strong anti-riot force yesterday around the Malacanang presidential complex, ready to break up protests by supporters of Arroyo's rivals in the May 10 elections. An unofficial tally by the independent watchdog, National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), showed Arroyo's lead over matinee idol Fernando Poe shrinking to just 4 percent as of Friday -- 41 percent to 37 percent, with the remainder split among three other candidates. Arroyo was leading Poe by 14 percent on Monday.

NAMFREL, whose "quick count" of the ballots has mirrored the official result in past elections, said it expects to count 60 percent of the ballots by Saturday morning. "It is sad that 11 days after election day, it is still unclear who has won," said political strategist Angelito Banayo, who is also a spokesman for Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief running third in the unofficial count.

Banayo warned the slow count could actually fuel political instability, giving some groups an excuse to claim they were cheated and take their cause to the streets. The two houses of Congress will resume a joint session on Monday to start the official vote tally in the presidential and vice presidential race and hope to proclaim winners early next month.

Analysts said all elected officials from the president down to town councilors should take their oaths of office by June 30 or the country could spiral into a constitutional crisis and invite a military intervention. "Congress should declare a winner before June 12," political analyst Earl Parreno said.

"There are so many potential dangers lurking around as the count drags on. There are groups waiting in the wings to take advantage of the situation," he said. Parreno said Congress has a tough job of finishing its official count in a week's time to dispel a public perception that the elections were dirty and not credible. Otherwise, whoever emerges the winner will face the same legitimacy problems.

"There will be another six years of destabilization unless the entire electoral process is proven clean and honest," he said. Only Raul Roco, a former education secretary in Arroyo's Cabinet who is running fifth and last in unofficial vote count, has conceded defeat, congratulating Arroyo on her imminent victory.

Her three other rivals, including television evangelist Eddie Villanueva, have refused to give up and accused Arroyo's camp of having cheated in the polls. Last Wednesday, Poe went on a two-day trip to the southern island of Mindanao, declaring himself the winner.

OLONGAPO CITY - This "Gordon country" - so-called because of the Gordon�s' grip of local politics - became "FPJ country" in the May 10 polls. In the final tally of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), actor Fernando Poe Jr., the opposition's presidential standard bearer, obtained 33,106 votes against President Arroyo's 30,327. The city has 115,000 registered voters. Lagging behind in the presidential race here were Sen. Panfilo Lacson with 10,311 votes, Raul Roco with 5,364, and Eddie Villanueva with 4,753.

This city has earned the monicker "Gordon country" due to the rise of former Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon first as mayor during the Marcos administration and later as chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA). Other members of the Gordon clan followed his footsteps and have occupied local elective positions. Gordon ran for senator under the administration's K-4 coalition.

The Comelec count, incidentally, showed Gordon landing second only to former Trade and Industry Secretary Mar Roxas in the senatorial race here. Roxas got 55,272 votes, and Gordon, 55,061. Gordon's wife, incumbent Mayor Katherine Gordon, lost in her congressional bid in Zambales' first district, with only 35,560 votes versus her rival, Mitos Magsaysay, daughter-in-law of Zambales Gov. Vicente Magsaysay, who garnered 44,103 votes. Lakas-CMD mayoralty candidate James Gordon, Richard's brother, however, emerged victorious. Independent Rolen Paulino grabbed the vice mayoral post.

In Philippines, political clans hold their ground
Carlos H. Conde IHT
Wednesday, May 19, 2004

MANILA: For generations, a few famous and wealthy families have dominated politics in the Philippines, and early results of this month's elections indicate that they still do. Across the country, political clans are winning in the national and local elections held on May 10. Reports and allegations of fraud and violence aimed at keeping voters at home and disrupting the vote count also indicate that their methods of holding onto power remain the same.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself is the head of a family that has been in politics since the 1950s, when her father was a legislator and then became president. Arroyo is leading in the presidential race, with 5.89 million votes so far over her main rival, the actor Fernando Poe Jr., with 4.54 million votes. The early results are from a "quick count" being done by the independent National Citizen's Movement for Free Elections, representing 42 percent of the total votes cast. Final results are not expected until late May or early June.

Most of the top 15 candidates for Senate belong to political families with several members already in public office. In the provinces, such families are still dominant. Among them are the heirs of the late President Ferdinand Marcos as well as his political allies, like the family of Eduardo Cojuangco, chairman of San Miguel Corp., the largest food and beverage company in the Philippines, and Juan Ponce Enrile, Marcos's former defense secretary, who looks likely to win another term as senator.

Political dynasties here became notorious for kowtowing during the Marcos years. A recent study by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism found that two-thirds of the members of Congress are from political dynasties. The study traced the emergence of dynasties in the Philippines to the introduction by the Americans of electoral politics in the early 20th century, when voting was initially limited to property owners and the wealthy, who monopolized public office.

"Political dynasties are a terrible indictment of the kind of politics we have," said Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., one of the few in the Senate who does not have relatives in public office. "I do not believe that any one family has the monopoly of talent to run government."

After the fall of Marcos, there were attempts to curtail political dynasties - for example, by limiting the number of family members who could run for office - but the efforts did not succeed in the legislature. Encarnacion Teresa Tadem, director of the Third World Studies Center at the University of the Philippines, said change was imminent. "Many members of these dynasties are now better educated - they study at the universities and abroad. I am optimistic that when they go back to their provinces, they will inject some change," she said.

The large number of political clans is itself a factor that drives this change, Tadem added. "There is bound to be competition among the dynasties and that could translate into better public service," she said. Some dynasties, however, have not quite gotten out of the old mold. One is the Dy dynasty, which has ruled the province of Isabela, in the northern Philippines, for more than 30 years. In this month's elections, the Dys were accused of fraud and violence in an effort to defeat Grace Padaca, a 40-year-old political neophyte and polio victim who looks likely to end the Dys's dominance.

Padaca decided to run for governor against one of the Dys because, she said, "people demanded change." She received strong support in her campaign from the public and civic and religious groups. It is perhaps not a coincidence that Padaca is single and childless. "My constituents are confident," she said, "that I can never form my own political dynasty.".

RP seeks regional oil stockpile facility at Subic Bay
Posted: 12:04 PM | May 20, 2004

The Philippines has renewed calls for a regional oil stockpiling facility at the former US naval base in Subic Bay, north of Manila, the energy department said Thursday. Energy undersecretary, Emmanuel de Dios, revived the proposal at the second meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue-Energy Working Group (ADC) being held in Manila.

Speaking at the meeting Wednesday he said the government was pushing for the establishment of a joint regional oil stockpiling facility to ensure security of supply and to cushion the impact of rising world crude prices. He told delegates that such a facility was urgently needed in the wake of spiraling world oil prices.

"In today's market of volatile oil prices, it is important that oil-producing and oil-consuming economies discuss areas of mutual concern. Initiatives on the possible establishment of a joint regional stockpiling facility is a key area that must be addressed," he told delegates.

The Philippines government offered the Subic Bay Petroleum Depot as a potential strategic and commercial site for the stockpiling facility since the start of the US-Iraq war last year. De Dios urged countries participating in the ACD meeting to make discussions on rising oil prices and their effect on energy security a priority.

The two-day ACD meeting aims to formulate a joint declaration that will focus on policies and strategies on energy supply security for the region. The ACD was established during the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Hanoi in 2001 with the objective of exploring possibilities of creating cooperation within the energy sector.

The working group's member-countries are Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakstan, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

MANILA, Philippines - A powerful typhoon triggered landslides and capsized a ferry in the Philippines, killing at least 13 people and leaving hundreds homeless, officials said Wednesday. Typhoon Nida, packing winds of 90 mph and gusts of 115 mph, moved away from the northern Philippines after pounding several eastern provinces and rolled toward Japan.

At least eight people were killed and several were reported missing when a ferry overturned late Tuesday in choppy waters off central Camotes islands, coast guard Vice Adm. Arturo Gosingan said. The boat was carrying 168 passengers and crew. Fishing boats rescued the passengers. "We're hoping only the eight were killed and all the others were saved," he told The Associated Press by telephone.

Five other people were killed in other typhoon-struck areas, including a man hit by lightning in central Antique island. A 65-year-old woman was also killed. In one province, Catanduanes, hundreds of houses were destroyed by landslides in three villages in mountainous Gigmoto town, leaving about 700 families homeless, the government's disaster response agency said.

Nida, the fourth typhoon to hit the archipelago this year, stranded more than 15,000 people after authorities halted sea travel to prevent accidents.

US warship to visit Subic
April 22, 2004

SUBIC BAY -- The US Navy command ship USS Coronado is to make a three-day visit to this former US naval base in Luzon starting Friday, the port authority said Thursday. The Coronado is one of the most advanced command ships in the world, and has been designated as the Navy's �sea-based battle laboratory� as well as the command ship for the Hawaii-based US Third Fleet, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority said in a statement.

Subic Bay was the former supply and repair yard of the Japan-based US Seventh Fleet. It was turned into a light industrial and free port zone after US forces turned over the base to the Philippine government in 1992.

Americans feel safer in RP, says US officer
By Jaime Laude, contributor
INQ7.net
With a report from Jose Katigbak in Washington
April 15, 2004

AMERICANS are safer from terrorist threats in the Philippines than anywhere else in the world, a US military officer recently said. "We feel very safe and very encouraged (with) the result of this coordinated, synchronized effort by the government of the Philippines," said reserve US Navy Captain Dennis Williams, the US Pacific Command's public affairs chief in Manila and liaison officer to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, according to a press statement from the Philippine Department of Tourism office in San Francisco.

"The result of this coordinated, synchronized effort by the government of the Philippines, by the military and law enforcement agencies... reflects the type of coordination, synchronization, intelligence fusion to get results and certainly, certainly we feel good about that," he said. Williams said the threat of terrorism is present in countries around the world, and that it is everybody's concern to be prepared for it.

"The threat of terrorism is there in any country, and everyone has to be best prepared to deal with that sort of a threat and conduct," he said. In Washington, the State Department does not think that the Philippines and other close allies of the United States in the war on terror are being singled out for attacks by terrorist groups.

State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher said terrorists are willing to strike at anybody. "Some of them are close allies, some of them are other countries, some of them are Muslim countries, some of them are Arab countries," he told a news conference on Tuesday.

"What we've seen from various terrorist groups, in particular from al-Qaeda, is the indiscriminate use of violence against innocents in whatever society they might live in. "And I'm afraid that's the pattern that's been established for the last several years, if you look at all the different places. I'm not sure there's any change in that pattern at this point."

He made the comment when asked if following the bombings in Spain, he now thought that some of America's closest allies in the war on terror -- the Philippines, Britain and Uzbekistan -- were being singled out for targeting. Asked if terror plots foiled in Britain and the Philippines were part of terrorist plans for simultaneous attacks worldwide, Boucher said, "I'd better check on that and see what the experts say. I don't want to just jump to a conclusion."

Philippine authorities on Tuesday said they foiled a Madrid-type terrorist plot to bomb malls and trains in Metro Manila with the arrest of four suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels and the seizure of 80 pounds of explosives. On the same day in one of the biggest anti-terror operations, police in London arrested eight men and seized more than half a ton of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, similar to that used in the October 2002 Bali terrorist bombings that killed 202 people.

Malig: Insufficient budget for Subic-Clark-Tarlac toll road
By Jun A. Malig
Tuesday, April 13, 2004

THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has been negotiating with Japanese construction companies to lower the cost of the 94.5-kilometer-long-Subic-Clark-Tarlac Toll Road by at least P5.5 billion. The reason: The lowest bid for the project is P27.5 billion while the government-to-government loan secured from the state-owned Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is only about P20 billion.

"So we are asking the bidders to lower their bids to P22 billion because we do not have the means to shoulder the P7. 5 billion difference. All the BCDA could provide as its equity for the project is only about P2 billion," Rufo Colayco, BCDA president and chief executive officer, told Pampanga-based newsmen at Clark Field recently.

He said if the toll road project's cost would be lowered to P22 billion, the BCDA would be able to source P2 billion from the proceeds in the sale of its assets to augment the P20 billion JBIC loan. Under the loan agreement signed in Sept. 2001, the JBIC would provide 85 percent of the project's financial requirement, while the BCDA would shoulder the remaining 15 percent as its equity contribution.

Colayco said Hazama Corp. and Kajima Corp. are the lowest bidders in the toll road project. He said the BCDA has been negotiating with the two Japanese construction companies to lower their bids. "We are still talking with them and we hope to reach a deal within one or two weeks. We expect to have the groundbreaking (for the project) after Holy Week," he added.

He said by implementing "value engineering", the project's cost could be lowered without sacrificing its usefulness and quality. Hazama Corp. participated in the construction of Tower One of Malaysia's Petronas Twin Towers, which are among the world's tallest buildings. The company specializes in the construction of skyscrapers, dams, tunnels, and offshore developments.

Kajima Corp., on the other hand, built the M-Wave arena used in the 1998 Olympics Game in Nagano, Japan, which has the world's largest wooden suspension structure. The company, which also constructed Japan's first Western-style buildings, works on commercial and public structures, including railways, dams, and bridges.

Colayco said the four-lane Subic-Clark-Tarlac Toll Road would be crucial in the development of Central Luzon, as it would integrate and provide direct and efficient link between Clark Special Economic Zone, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, and Luisita Industrial Park in Tarlac. The project, he said, is a major component of the Subic Clark Alliance for Development (Scad) program.

The project's Subic-Clark section is some 50.5 kilometers long, while the Clark-Tarlac section measures 44 kilometers long. The project's principal financier, the JBIC was established in 1999 as replacement of the Export-Import Bank of Japan and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund. It provides funding for Official Development Assistance (ODA) programs, including loans to developing countries with low interest rates and long repayment periods. The Japanese Prime Minister appoints the governor and auditors of the JBIC.

People's Power Revolution in 1986 promised so much for this nation of 82 million people.
April 10, 2004

MANILA: When former Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in the so-called People's Power Revolution in 1986 his departure promised so much for this nation of 82 million people. Eighteen years after democracy was restored many must be wondering whether it was all worth it. The Philippines has fallen from being one of the most outstanding economies in Asia 40 years ago to being one of the worst in the region.

In 1957 the World Bank said the Philippines had "achieved a position in the Far East second only to Japan, both in respect to its level of literacy, and to per capita production capacity." It went on to say that the prospects of the Philippine economy for sustained long-term growth were "good".

But corruption, poverty and debt have all weighed heavily on the country and stunted its potential. The 35-year-old war with the communist New People's Army and the Muslim unrest in the southern province of Mindanao has not helped. The country's debt is nearing 90 percent of gross domestic product while interest eats up 37 percent of the national budget.

The International Monetary Fund recently underlined the urgent need to "implement comprehensive reforms, in order to set the economy on a high and sustainable growth trajectory, reduce still pervasive poverty, improve debt sustainability and the economy's resilience to adverse shocks."

The Philippines has the highest birth rate in Asia at 2.36 percent a year or 1.7 million new births. At this rate, according to Tomas Osias executive director of the Commission on Population, the nation's population could effectively double to between 160-170 million within the next 30-years which would have a major impact on the social and economic development of the entire nation.

"If our birth rate is to go unchecked, it will impact on food production, health and education services, the environment, housing and so on. It will be a major problem for any government," he said in an interview recently.Already 51 percent of the population lives on less than two dollars a day, according to the World Bank's Philippines Development Policy Update released last October. Corruption is endemic right from the taxi driver through to government. In many ways it has become part of the fabric of life.

It is easy to blame Marcos for all that is wrong with the Philippines but the problem goes deeper than just one man's excesses. Here is a country where some five percent of the population control anywhere from 90 to 95 percent of the nation's wealth. Those who make the rules belong to the same web of interlocking political and business families who have always been among the ruling elite of the country.

A recent study by the Philippine Centre for Investigative Journalism called "The Rulemakers" said: "the country's lawmakers have used their powers to further enrich themselves and entrench their families in power." "They make the laws, conduct legislative inquiries, examine national budgets and vet presidential appointments. These powers have been used by legislators to get benefits for themselves, their allies and their kin..."

"Presidents have tended to reinforce the basest behavior of legislators and to give free rein to the wanton abuse of congressional powers. As an institution, Congress has been a stumbling block to the changes that reform-minded presidents had wanted to introduce." "Presidential largesse is distributed to get Congress to do the executive's bidding. But in the end, presidential patronage only enriched and empowered the same legislators who were the most obdurate opponents to reform."

With a month to go before the May 10 presidential election it is questionable whether the two leading contenders -- Fernando Poe and incumbent Gloria Arroyo -- have all the answers or the will to bring about lasting change. High-school drop-out turned movie star Poe appeals to ordinary Filipinos who see him as a man of the people while US-educated economist Arroyo has a track record.

Neither candidate, however, has produced anything that remotely resembles a policy platform. Important issues such as the economy and birth control are glossed over for fear of alienating business or the church. Peter Wallace who has lived in the Philippines for 30 years and is an advisor to multinational corporations wonders whether either one of the two leading candidates has what it takes to implement the sort of reforms that will prevent it the Philippines from becoming the "basket case" of Asia.

Wallace believes there are nine areas that need to be addressed. Politics, that is vested interests versus the national good; uncontrolled population growth; a weak education system; corruption; inadequate infrastructure; an agricultural system that has not improved in 27 years; an inadequate focus on job creation; a judiciary in need of improvement and security.

"Without absolutely fundamental change in these nine issues and the cultural change to go with it, the Philippines will be the basket case of Asia in one generation from now. "It won't change if the culture, the attitude (of the leaders) doesn't change. "It will not be easy, it will not be popular, it will need a skillful balancing act between pandering to politicians, generating public support and effecting major reform. Greater leaders were so because they had a long-term vision and gambled their careers to achieve it."

Roberto de Ocampo, who was finance secretary under former president Fidel Ramos and is now president of the Asian Institute of Management, said recently that the challenges ahead for any incoming administration would be "difficult but not insurmountable." "What we need to concentrate on is to have a national vision that gives every Filipino a star to latch on to. Such a vision must ensure the national interest, and not the fleeting power and glory of a few years in office."

An editorial in the Philippine Daily Inquirer recently said: "More than 2,000 years after the crucifixion of Christ, the Filipino nation is impaled on the cross of poverty and corruption. "How much longer will it suffer excruciating and agonizing pain Will this 'crucifixion' every end Who will be the 'messiah' who will save the nation from its misery and pain"

Not just guns, gold and goons
Philippine elections are rarely cut and dried, and this year's looks to be no different.
KOBSAK CHUTIKUL
April 9, 2004

Forty million of a population of 84 million Filipinos will be eligible to go to the polls on May 10 to elect 17,000 political office-bearers at all levels, from the president to senators, congressmen, mayors, provincial governors and municipal councilors. True to form, the general election is shaping up to be one of the most tumultuous and hotly contested in Asia, or anywhere in the world for that matter. Voter turnout is usually more than 80%. Since campaigning began officially two months ago, political violence has claimed more than 45 lives. Over 100 have been injured.

Filipinos typically characterize their elections as involving guns, gold and goons. This time, it also is about personalities, population and poverty. Incumbent President Gloria Arroyo, 56, is neck-to-neck in the opinion polls at 30% with opposition candidate Fernando Poe Jr, a political novice with a Spanish father and an American mother. But Mr Poe, 64, is also the top action-movie star in a country where the movies provide one of the few escapes from the numbing realities of life.

His good looks are fading, but Fernando Poe usually portrays on the silver screen a tough, principled underdog who in the end comes out on top. He appeals to the 41% of Filipinos living below the poverty line, and the 20% hovering just above it. They may hope he can transfer his screen persona to real life, and help lift some of them up from the heap.

The masa, or masses, have tried this route once before, when they elected another screen idol, Joseph Estrada, as president back in 1998. But Mr Estrada was only able to serve half of his term before being ousted by what the poor still consider an urban middle class revolt engineered by the powerful families that dominate Philippine politics.

''They [the wealthier segments of the population] did not give him [Mr Estrada] a chance, they say he was corrupt _ all politicians are _ but at least he was one of us,'' said Ariel Mapa, a part-time security guard working in the posh Makati business district but living near the Tondo garbage dump on the outskirts of Manila.

Every six years or so, the political elite shower the poor with promises of a better life. But in the end, the rich become richer and the poor sink deeper into debt. The income gap in the Philippines is among the highest in the world, although Thailand is not that far behind.

''They want to be populists,'' said Lanie Castillo, a Quezon city auto dealer, ''but do the privileged really know what it was like to make ends meet from day to day. They raise hopes, but usually it's just a cover for them to amass more wealth.'' Democracy is a numbers game. Logically, if the poor are in the majority, their favored candidate should win. But the result of the elections on May 10 is far from being a foregone conclusion.

''There are doubts about Fernando Poe's ability to govern,'' a western embassy staff member said. ''It is the George W. Bush phenomenon. We don't know whether he's actually dumb, or just pretending to be dumb. There certainly are votes to be had in not appearing to be smarter than your peers and of being just an ordinary guy.''

''But in the strange dynamics of populism, while the poor have a sentimental attachment to one of their own, they also look up to the rich, the educated and the powerful. ''Fernando Poe is a high school drop-out and has not been recorded as having said anything on any issue longer than seven minutes. He is refusing to debate the other candidates. In his defense, vivacious TV personality Loren Legarda, Poe's vice presidential running mate, says he's a man of few words, but he's still a man of his word.''

Nonetheless, instead of pulling away in the polls as had been expected, Mr Poe is in a dead heat with Ms Arroyo, with the latter gaining ground as the days grow shorter. Mr Poe's supporters are not only counting on support from the masses of poor but also a general mood of unease and desire for change. ''We've had a troublesome three years under Arroyo,'' said Abbe Reyes, an unemployed university graduate. ''Will another six years be any different''

Mr Poe's platform is distinguished by the absence of any clear policies. But, said Senator Tito Sotto, Mr Poe's campaign manager: ''He is the message. His platform is his character... He's the only one who can restore people's trust in government.'' But Nelson Navarro, a respected political analyst, has been quoted as saying: ''We're caught between a president who people don't like any more and a possible president who may also spell disaster for the country.''

However, many seem willing to take the gamble. ''We need to reshuffle the pack. Whether it comes up the ace of spades or a joker, it's a chance we'll have to take,'' said Malou Talosig, a news editor. The election result may hinge on whether the three other presidential candidates pull out, and to whom they would throw their support. Former education minister Raul Roco, 62 , is considered the most intelligent of the candidates. But he is also widely seen as something of a control freak, an exacting task master and someone who is hard to work with.

He is receiving about 17% support in the polls, mainly from young professionals concerned about their job security and families concerned about education opportunities for their children. But Mr Roco's support is slipping as many voters are switching to Ms Arroyo to counter the threat of Mr Poe and because they think a vote for Mr Roco would be wasted.

Then there is Senator Panfilo Ping Lacson, 55, a police chief under Mr Estrada. His TV commercials portray him as the Thaksin Shinawatra of the Philippines and the new Mahathir Mohamad of Asia. He is registering 12% in the opinion polls. Mr Lacson is touting law and order and receives his strongest support from the Filipino-Chinese community, who are the main victims of the continuing rash of kidnappings for ransom. He has the most detailed policy platform, ranging from measures to stimulate foreign investment to birth control programmes. He takes direct aim at Ms Arroyo's handling of the economy, which the president, who has an economics background, sees as her main selling point.

Mr Lacson's camp charge that though the economy grew by 4.5% last year and is expected to grow by 5.2% this year, this is the result of a region-wide bounce made possible by low US interest rates, American consumer spending, a Japanese pick up and the voracious appetite of the burgeoning Chinese economy.

The camp points to the economic surge in South Korea, where there is political paralysis, and to growth in Indonesia, where the stock market has reached its highest levels since 1997 despite the government hand being almost invisible, to show that political management cannot take all the credit for recent economic growth. ''"Anyway, it's not all about macro-economic figures, but the sustainability of growth and how the benefits are distributed,'' said one Lacson economic adviser. There is speculation that Mr Lacson will eventually throw in his lot with Mr Poe since they share an anti-Arroyo agenda and belonged in the past to the same political party.

Trailing in the polls at 1.5% is Eddie Villanueva, a Protestant priest in a country that is 85% Catholic. He promises to tackle population growth, which is considered by many as the main drag on the Philippine economy. At a growth rate of 2.36% a year with 3.4 babies born every minute, or 1.7 million new births every year, the Philippines has the highest birth rate in Asia.

''If the population continues to rise in excess of one million a year, our GDP will need to grow at 10% a year for the next 10 years just to be where Thailand is today,'' said Roberto de Ocampo, president of the Asian Institute of Management.

It is estimated the population will balloon to 100 million by the year 2010 and double to 200 million by 2050, rivaling that of Indonesia. But in a predominantly Roman Catholic country where the powerful Church is opposed to contraceptives, birth control is a subject the main presidential contenders have tended to avoid for the most part. Nationwide, presidential-style elections tend to favor personalities over policies. Many observers say this could be the last chance for the Philippine presidential system to come up with a workable governance structure.

Ms Arroyo has said she would support a change to a parliamentary system of government if re-elected, and would step aside to become a ceremonial head of state after serving three of her six years in office. Her critics see this as just electioneering and doubt she would be willing to step aside after another three years. Instead, they are calling on her to resign prior to the election.

The Philippine constitution bars incumbents from seeking another presidential term. Ms Arroyo is able to do so because technically she has not been elected president, merely taking over the remaining three years of Mr Estrada's term after he was ruled by the Supreme Court as having ''effectively resigned'' in the face of massive street protests.

''Our constitution contemplated only a one-time presidency,'' said Senator Edgardo Angarra. ''We never envisioned an incumbent president seeking re-election. So there's an absence of safeguards against a president using government resources and budget disbursement for election purposes.'' Senate candidate Amina Bernardo has charged that Ms Arroyo was ''converting the executive branch of government into one big political party''.

To counter charges that national and local government machinery would be used to get out and influence the votes, Ms Arroyo has agreed to have a team of international experts monitor the coming elections. The United States Agency for International Development, or USAid, will sponsor a 50-member team from over 20 countries. An advance team of private individuals has already made a survey of the Philippine situation. But it is unclear whether they will agree to form an official monitoring group since a lot of pre-election activity has already taken place, such as the printing and distribution of ballots and the compilation of voter rolls.

Philippine presidents are usually elected by less than 40% of the popular vote. ''If the election is not perceived to have been fairly conducted, it would make governing even more difficult,'' said a western embassy staff member. ''Having international monitors endorse the results would make the government more acceptable to the majority.'' In a year of democratic elections, much of Asia still seems to be searching for the right mix of personalities, policies, electioneering and government.

A banner in the home of a Poe supporter reads: ''Gutom Pa Rin Ang Masa'' (the masses are still hungry). Whatever the outcome of the coming election, and whoever is the winner, this will likely continue to be the reality for some time to come. For Asians, democracy still has yet to mean more than a way of choosing leaders.

Kobsak Chutikul is a member of parliament. He was in Manila recently to attend a meeting of Asian parliamentarians organized by the United Nations Development Programme.

Filipinos take an immense pride in their cultural heritage and traditions, among the most honored of which is the celebration of the Holy Week. Known for its solemnity, Lent has drawn a lot of devotees across the country and from overseas. It is a time for atonement and mortification. Fasting and abstinence in Ash Wednesday and Lenten Fridays are observed.

Among the traditional activities during Holy Week are the �cenaculo�, and the �pabasa.� �Pabasa� is otherwise known as the chanted Gospels. Devotees sing rhymes from a prayer book recounting the passion and death of Jesus Christ. The Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday when the devotees bring with them to church palm leaves which are blessed. Filipinos are well-known for their fervor in observing this rite.

In fact, the blessed palms are thought to have miracle powers as the palms � were grounded � are believed to cure stomachaches and menstrual cramps. From Holy Monday to Holy Thursday religious images are garbed in violet garments and the priests are dressed in purple vestments. Elderly women faithfully attended church services daily. Then at the designated place, they light candles and commence the �pabasa.�

On Good Friday, Catholics are thrown into a contemplative mood. Customary practices such as the retelling of the Seven Last Words are included in the sermon by a priest in full details. Out in the streets, flagellants reenact the torture and death of Jesus Christ. A pagan interpretation, the tradition is their way of asking forgiveness for sins committed, for fulfilling religious vows or for expressing religious gratitude as when a favor has been granted.

One of the places famous for its Holy Week celebration and which attracts tourists yearly is Tondo where half naked flagellants, wearing only trousers, had their faces covered with black cloth and with their heads crowned with thorny vines. They traverse barefoot for two hours the stony pavement under the scorching heat of the sun. Stopping midway twice and each time falling to the ground with their forehead touching it, the penitents are whipped at the back.

The actual whipping is done in two ways: the penitents do the whipping themselves or someone were ask to lash the penitent�s back. At the end of the procession, the flagellants jumps into the Manila Bay. As claimed by the flagellants, all bruises heal after the dunking. In other parts of the country such as Pampanga and Nueva Ecija, flagellants wear �kapirosas,� white cotton hood, to cover their faces. A crown of thorny vines cover their heads while someone lashes their backs.

In Bulacan, the flagellants are even nailed to the cross. This tradition of self-flagellation was introduced to the Philippines by the Spanish friars. The solemn observance of Holy Week continues until midnight of Holy Saturday when the clanging of the huge bronze bells heralds the triumphant resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Easter Mass is celebrated, highlighting the importance and significance of the resurrection. Late supper at midnight follows the church services.

The reenactment known as the �Salubong,� the meeting of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the risen Christ, is also observed.

With macabre scenes of self-flagellation and live crucifixion, a normally quiet Philippines village on Friday witnessed a bloody spectacle as it staged its own Passion of the Christ. The annual Good Friday ritual at Cutud, 70km north of Manila, attracts thousands of tourists and Filipinos for what is seen as the ultimate atonement for Easter -- despite criticism from the Catholic Church.

This year, the ritual was played out as it has been for decades with young men whipping their bloodied backs as 13 others were crucified on a hill under early afternoon heat. "It has everything to do with the pain Christ suffered in his final hours," said one organizer.

The Philippines is Asia's only bastion of Catholicism, with about 80% of its 82-million population belonging to the unique local brand of the faith. Friday's ritual began around midmorning with dozens of barefoot young men, stripped to the waist, parading up and down Cutud's dusty main street, their flayed backs glistening in the sun.

As the men, masked and wearing garlands, begin their procession, organizers cut their backs with glass embedded in a wooden paddle. No one mentions Aids as the organizer walks from back to back cutting and tearing into brown flesh. Outside the local church they lay face down on the dusty road, kneeling and making the sign of the cross, before moving on again as the bamboo tips of their whips bounce across their backs.

Onlookers, cars and street vendors are splattered with blood as they make their way up the street to the crucifixion site. Local resident Ray Castro (61) said his seven sons had all done the "beating." His son Ray Junior, who had just returned from Israel where he is employed as healthcare worker, took part in the morning ritual. None of his sons have been crucified. "Self-beating is atonement enough," he said.

He said his son would return to the family house, his back flayed, but would not seek medical assistance. "The best treatment is a shower and to lay down flat on your back to close the wounds," Castro said. By noon thousands gathered on an old disused paddy field where three crosses were erected on a dirt hill. Before the crucifixions took place, a group of villagers on horseback dressed as Roman centurions arrested an actor playing Jesus Christ, who was then condemned to the cross by a local Pontius Pilate signaling the start of 13 crucifixions.

On the hill where those preparing to be crucified were gathered, Romelito Vergara (38) a street vendor from the nearby province of Pampanga, said he was hoping to repeat an earlier ceremony which cured him of polio."By the time I was 20 I could not walk,� he said. "I prayed to God to help me walk again. I was crucified for the first time when I was 27 and now I am walking again."

Nearby, carpenter Arnel Sangalong (41) who was being crucified for the ninth time, stretched his arms out along a wooden cross, his face grimacing as the five-inch stainless steel nails were driven into his hands. As the cross was fitted into place, nails were driven in to his feet. Each crucifixion lasts an agonizing handful of minutes, but for those like Sangalong and Vergara it is worth it to fulfill their pledge to God.

Thousands to witness crucifixion of 13 faithfuls in San Pedro Cutud
By Minerva Zamora-Arceo
Sun-Star-Pampanga
April 8, 2004)

SAN FERNANDO -- Thousands of tourists and devotees alike are expected to troop once again on Good Friday at Barangay San Pedro Cutud, a small village in this city known world-wide for being host to the most-celebrated tradition during Lent--the crucifixion of believers literally duplicating Jesus Christ's suffering in the final hours of His life. On Friday, at least 13 believers are to be nailed to the cross. Most of them are from Pampanga and Bulacan.

Cutud barangay chairman Zoilo Castro said recently that every year, during Good Fridays, their barangay folk earn extra money from tourists and foreigners watching the reenactment of the passion of The Christ. This early, residents in San Pedro Cutud have started constructing makeshift stalls to sell refreshments and souvenir items to those who usually arrive in big groups, numbering some 20,000 people on Good Fridays.

Some residents have also prepared their vacant land areas for rental to motorists at P50 per vehicle. Street shoulders around the crucifixion site have been readied and guarded by local residents for rent at an average of P20 per vehicle. This year, the dramatization of the Way of the Cross will be portrayed by Ruben Enaje, also of Barangay San Pedro Cutud. Enaje will be replacing Cito Sanggalang, who acted as Jesus Christ in the past 15 years, fulfilling his vow in gratitude to God's miracles to his family. Sanggalang's two brothers will also be nailed to the cross on Good Friday to seek another miracle for their ailing mother.

Participants in the dramatization of the Way of the Cross in Cutud will wear colorful uniforms similar to those worn by Christ, the three Marys, Roman soldiers, centurions and other characters who were involved in the actual crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Mt. Golgotha more than 2,000 years ago, according to Castro. Male flagellants are also expected to finish their penitence at San Pedro Cutud to fulfill their vows glorifying God the Father.

Both the believers who would be nailed to the cross and the flagellants believe that their acts would bring forth miracles to their lives and their families, too. Amparo "Manang Amparing" Santos of Tiaong, Bulacan, Bulacan, the only woman who has joined those being crucified in the past three years, is also scheduled to join the other 12 believers.

Castro said that organizers of the crucifixion rituals have decided since two years ago not to accept any more foreigners for still unexplained reasons. The first foreigner to be nailed on a cross in reenactment of the crucifixion here was a Japanese national in 1995. The Catholic Church, however, issued statement earlier that it does not approve of the said crucifixion or any acts of believers causing harm to their physical bodies.

The Church maintains that The Christ has given his life to humankind to save them and his crucifixion should not be reenacted literally as such is not the true meaning of the Lenten season. According to the Church, faithfuls should instead seek forgiveness for their sins, repent and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Squatters continue defying order to vacate North Rail right-of-way
By Fred Roxas
April 08, 2004

THOUSANDS of squatters have continued defying government orders to demolish their illegally constructed structures, including big commercial buildings on the Philippine National Railways (PNR) property from Meycauayan to Calumpit in Bulacan to give way for the construction of the North Rail Manila to Ilocos project.

The Philippine and Chinese governments broke ground and launched Monday at the PNR terminal in Caloocan City the first phase of the North rail project designed at reviving and modernizing rail transport north of Manila that has been abandoned for a quarter of a century.

PNR general manager Jose Ma. Sarasola II, said earlier that China is providing $400 million in concessionary financing for the Caloocan City to Malolos City (Bulacan) railway which will eventually extend to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at Clark Special Economic Zone.

Sarasola said that the railway would be extended also to Subic Freeport Zone in Zambales. small-time squatters along the PNR tracks in Bulacan have already started demolishing their shanties after the government financed their relocations to near their former places.

The Chinese government is also partly financing the squatters relocation to new housing projects. The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and PNR are working on the clearing of some 235,000 squatter families who built shanties dangerously close to the rail tracks.

However, owners of big commercial and residential buildings continued paying no attention to the government's order to demolish their structures at their expense. Many owners of these buildings said that they would not vacate their places which encroached on the PNR property and former government-owned irrigation system along the MacArthur Highway in violation of Presidential Decree 296.

Some of squatting buildings, constructed without necessary government building permits, even occupy portions of the shoulders of the MacArthur. The law provides that buildings must be at least 15 meters away from the center of a national highway. The owners of some big commercial buildings in Malolos City said they were constructed with the verbal permission of a son and close relatives of Joseph Estrada. Other permanent buildings, including banks and houses, were constructed with the permission of some local government officials.

Professional squatters who encroached on the irrigation system have been causing destructive floods every rainy season since 1973 in many Bulacan towns, according to old residents. When completed, the 32-kilometer rail line from Caloocan City to Malolos City is estimated to ferry 350,000 commuters daily, including those from the Light Transit (LRT) lines to which North Rail will be interconnected.

PART OF US MILITARY AID TO RP
Boeing to set up hub in Clark
April 5, 2004
By RACHELLE FRIGINAL

After cargo forwarder Federal Express, largest aircraft maker Boeing Co. will set up maintenance hub at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, Pampanga. Clark International Airport Corp. president and chief executive officer Adelberto Yap said officials of Boeing from Seattle are coming to the Philippines after Holy Week to check an area allocated to it. Yap said 120 hectares has been set aside for possible lease to Boeing.

"Boeing wants to build their logistic maintenance center on the east side wing the airport, where we have allocated 120 hectares for lease," Yap said while adding that Boeing is interested in 80 hectares. Boeing, according to Yap wanted to put up its logistics hub at DMIA to complement United States military aid to the Philippines. If plans push through, Boeing would be the third American aircraft firm to build a center at the DMIA.

The US is giving us military aid for Armed Forces modernization and for the repairs of C-130s. They might as well give it to Boeing," Yap said. Clark airport has two parallel 3.2-kilometer runways, which can accommodate even the largest commercial and military aircraft in the world. DMIA, which according to the International Civil Aviation Organization has met international standards, has also an existing passenger terminal building that can serve 500 passengers per hour or 1.5 million passengers annually.

Earlier, FedEx decided to move to DMIA from Subic Bay Metropolitan Development Authority, instead of relocating to China. FedEx would invest $450 million for its 50-hectare facility in DMIA. It plans to open its new hub by 2007. Atlanta-based United Parcel Service also chose DMIA as its intra-Asia hub. In 2002, UPS put up $300 million investment to build a full-fledged intra-Asia hub in Clark, which was in line with the forwarder's long-term growth strategy of "synchronizing commerce."

UPS, which began operations in DMIA in 2002, is delivering packages from Clark to Malaysia, Thailand, China, Singapore, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Taipei.

FEDERAL Express, which currently operates a regional hub in the Subic Freeport west of Manila, has decided to stay in the Philippines, choosing the Clark Special Economic Zone north of Manila over Guangzhou, China, as the site of its new 450-million-dollar cargo hub for the Asia-Pacific region, an official said Wednesday. Adelberto Yap, president and chief executive officer of the Clark International Airport Corp., said he would lead a Philippine team that would sign a 25-year lease agreement with FedEx officials at the company headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 11.

FedEx will lease a 50-hectare government property in Clark where it will relocate its regional hub when its contract with Subic authorities ends in 2007, Yap said. Subic has been the FedEx Asia-Pacific hub for eight years, but limitations there in terms of space for expansion had prompted the US freight carrier to consider moving to the 18-billion yuan airport in Guangzhou. Two FedEx aircraft crashed in Subic waters because of runway miscalculation.

From Subic, where it set up its regional hub in September 1995, FedEx can connect with 19 key Asian cities. From the international airport in the former American naval base, it can make overnight delivery of cargoes from Manila, Penang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and East Timor to the US West Coast. Clark is also a former US military base. The Philippine government has adopted an "open skies" policy for cargo at both Clark and Subic.

Yap said that for a smooth transition, FedEx would scale down its Subic operations gradually and begin building the Clark facility soon so it could transfer operations there two years before the Subic contract expires. "Building the new Clark facility would entail about 450 million dollars in investments from FedEx," Yap said.

"I think FedEx chose the Philippines over China because of the ease in doing business in the country aside from our skilled yet cheap labor that could easily adopt to the American way," he said. Another advantage is the existing two-runway airport in Clark built by Americans when Clark was a US Air Force base, Yap said. The runway would allow FedEx to operate from Clark immediately.

FedEx has to leave Subic because it can no longer expand in the area," Yap said. "Subic is primarily for port terminals." Local airlines have accused FedEx of operating illegally in the Philippines, alleging that it and United Parcel Services operate on the basis of a "seventh freedom" right that they say the Philippine air service agreement with the US does not provide. Yap said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's signed Executive Order 253, which provides for an "open skies" policy on cargo flights at Subic and Clark, gives freight carriers a solid basis to operate here.

FedEx signed letter of intent last year with the Guangzhou Airport Authority, saying that "as part of our normal long-term planning process, we are exploring a number of opportunities to further grow our business in Asia." It added, "We are in the very early stages of evaluating possible expansion locations and no decision has been made." FedEx is represented in the Philippines by Airfreight 2100, of the Lina Group of Companies.

FedEx handles 3.3 million packages nightly, employs over 200,000 people, and serves more than 200 countries. Its planes log mileage equivalent to making 100 trips around the earth in a day.

More than 900,000 tourists flocked to this former American naval base in the last two months, boosting tourism here by 11 percent compared to the same period in 2003. Records from the tourism department of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) showed 968,709 visitors came here in January and February, compared to 871,575 for the same period last year.

SBMA Chairman Felicito Payumo said the increase in the number of visitors could be due to the recent opening of new attractions inside the freeport. "New places to visit like the Zoobic Safari, the butterfly garden and new add-ons like night trekking adventures have attracted more local and foreign tourists," he said. In February alone, 493,159 local and foreign tourists came here, a 20-percent increase compared to last year's 411,299 visitors for the same month.

He said aside from the new attractions, tourists prefer to visit Subic because of its proximity to Manila and its tight security. "Both foreign and local tourists come down here for a lot of reasons--the nice places to see and visit, good accommodations and closeness to Manila but the one thing we are proud of is that when they are here they know that they are safe and secure," he said.

IT is often said that nothing symbolizes Filipino ingenuity more than the brightly decorated jeepney. For more than 50 years the uncomfortable, bone-rattling, saunas on wheels have provided Filipino commuters with cheap public transport, whether they be in the financial district of Makati, Metro Manila, or out in the struggling cities and the poor provincial towns.

Despite its popularity the jeepney has been facing for quite sometime now an uphill battle to maintain franchises, especially in Metro Manila, as competition grows from public transport operators running Japanese air-conditioned minibuses. Virgilio Tolentino, who has been shaping jeepneys since 1979, believes the government wants vehicles off the streets . . . at least in the cities. It is a claim the government denies, of course, but it has acknowledged no new jeepney franchises have been issued since November.

Tolentino and others like him are now seeking markets in other developing countries in which to export the jeepney. Why not It makes sense. Jeepneys are ideal for developing countries. They are cheap, easy to service and all you need are secondhand parts, he told the Agence France-Presse. He said the number of new jeepneys being built in the Philippines has fallen dramatically over the last couple of years as operators shifted to imported minivans.

A few years ago his company, Tolentino Motors Corp. in the southern Manila suburb of Las Pi was producing about 120 jeepneys annually. Today the company would be lucky to turn out half that number, he said. Now Tolentino is looking on exporting jeepneys to Africa via Dubai.

I have a business partner in Dubai who wants to establish an assembly plant there [Dubai] to export jeepneys to Africa, Tolentino said. Nothing has been signed yet as talks are still going on but there is a market for the jeepney in developing countries. He said some manufacturers were talking to potential business partners in Guam, India and Papua New Guinea. The main question, he said, is cost. The average jeepney costs around P300,000 ($5,329), while air-conditioned jeepneys would cost around P650,000.

The jeepney, which derives its name from jeep and jitney, was born shortly after World War II and is purely of Filipino design. With thousands of surplus US jeeps left on the islands and a growing need for public transport the original four-seat, four-cylinder engine jeeps were stripped down and the chassis extended two and in some cases four times the original length. As the old engines expired, they were replaced with reconditioned light truck engines from Japan.

Brightly painted with often garish and meaningless messages and made of stainless steel or, these days, just galvanized iron, the jeepneys can carry up to 18 passengers or more depending on how desperate you are for a ride and whether you don�t mind hanging on from behind. So customized are the jeepneys with accessories, color schemes and designs that no two are exactly the same. Many carry the names of wives or girlfriends, sons or daughters on the front in bright, large letterings and devotions such as Gods Power and In God We Trust on the tail guard.

Another manufacturer, Loreto Santiaguel, is already in talks with businessmen to export 4,000 air-conditioned jeepneys to Papua New Guinea. For Santiaguel, who began LS Brotherhood Motors in 1987 in Cavite, a province just outside Manila, the main stumbling block is money. This contract could be worth [more than] two billion pesos, he said. The government of the Philippines is not prepared to put one cent toward the project so the burden is on me . . . the manufacturer and I don�t have that sort of money. We are already struggling to survive as it is.

A spokesman for the PNG embassy in Manila told AFP the country�s transport minister, Don Polye, visited the Philippines recently with a delegation to examine public transport. The jeepney was one option he had looked at. He added, however, the embassy is not involved in any commercial negotiations. But at a press conference in Manila two weeks ago Polye was quoted as saying the jeepney will play an important contribution to our mass transport system.

We want an efficient means of transport. The jeepney has the most potential in terms of quality. We want the type of technology we will be able to sustain, he was quoted in Business World as saying. Santiaguel said an export order would give a significant boost to his business, which only a few years ago employed 200 people and turned out 50 jeepneys a month.

Today he only has 50 people who could produce just 10 to 20 units a month, depending on demand. With the cost of parts going up all the time the profit margin is getting tighter and tighter. A few years ago your profit margin was P30,000 to P40,000 a unit. Today it is around P10,000. Here in the Philippines we have a product which has a ready made market in developing countries. But the government doesn�t seem all that interested in backing us up and that I find sad. Not only for me but for the country as a whole.

A makeshift bridge collapsed Tuesday in Candaba, Pampanga after a truck carrying gravel crossed over it, ABS-CBN News learned. Reports said the bridge served as farmers' access road to major commercial areas in Pampanga. Pampanga police said no one was hurt in the accident but the collapsed bridge shut down access to 14 barangays in the province. Police said farmers transporting their produce may use the San Luis road going to key towns in the province.

Senior Police Officer 1 Benedicto Pamintuan told dzMM that the truck driver, Rommel Serrano of Porac, Pampanga, was supposed to pass MacArthur Highway but he rerouted to Candaba because of an ongoing construction there. Serrano said he was not aware of the tonnage limit of the bridge, which is from two to three tons. The truck weighed about 15 tons, Pamintuan said.

IT sounds like a Monty Python skit, but a restaurant specializing in Spam - the much-maligned tinned pork product - is doing a roaring trade in The Philippines. Located in an upscale shopping mall in the financial district of Makati, Spamjam has been a big success since opening last month, according to managing director Philip Abadilla.

Mr Abadilla said he had been approached with numerous requests to create a franchise for Spamjam throughout Southeast Asia, where Spam is popular. Based not far from a restaurant offering Californian nouvelle cuisine, Spamjam is decorated like a cinema snack bar and is popular with moviegoers who flock to the mall. The menu is one of a kind: there is a Spam hero sandwich, Spam club sandwich, Spam spaghetti, Spam macaroni, Spam potato chowder, bean soup with Spam, Spam caesar salad and Spam meals with rice for the Filipino palate. The top seller is the Spamburger, which uses a patty of Spam instead of ground meat.

The only items not containing Spam are the French fries and the hotdogs. Mr Abadilla said the menu was approved by the company behind Spam, food group Hormel. Spam has spread around the world since it was developed in 1937. It was a source of protein for Allied soldiers in World War II and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev was quoted as saying that "without Spam, we wouldn't have been able to feed our army".

But Spam has also garnered an unfavorable reputation as a poor substitute for fresh meat, and jokes circulate about Spam being used to repair the soles of shoes. The biggest insult came when the ubiquitous unsolicited email advertisements that clog the internet were labeled "spam" - without the consent of Hormel. Earlier, the British comedy troupe Monty Python developed its famous skit about a cafe where all the food contains Spam, complete with Vikings singing: "Spam, Spam, lovely Spam ..." Yet Spam is highly valued in some countries.

The Philippines is one of three nations outside the US that produce Spam, and it is a staple in any Filipino cupboard. A lifelong Spam eater, Mr Abadilla said he came up with the idea of a Spam restaurant on his own, only to find that Hormel had been considering the same project. "When I approached them, they decided to let me be the one to launch it," he said. He believes his restaurant is a test-bed for possible Spam restaurants abroad. He licensed the name from Hormel, which approved the recipes. "We will show the world that Spam can be a good thing," Mr Abadilla said.

Modern expressway completed in December
March 08, 2004
SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga

By Christmas this year, motorists and commuters to the North will be traveling on a new, modernized and world-class North Luzon Expressway. This was announced by Jose de Jesus, president and chief executive officer of the Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) at the last Pampanga Chamber of Commerce general meeting in San Fernando City. De Jesus said the current modernization of the North Luzon Expressway is now 67-percent complete with 246 of the target 433 kilometers already in use.

The project, costing P18.5 billion, starts from Balintawak in Quezon City and ends in Santa Ines in Mabalacat, Pampanga. De Jesus told the Philippine Information Agency that the project entailed much more than the repaving and renovating of the existing 433-kilometer expressway. It involved the addition of 132 new kilometers; construction of three new interchanges in Marilao, Bulacan; Angeles City; and Sindalan/Panipuan in Mexico, Pampanga; and two new flyovers�Balintawak-Novaliches and Dau, Pampanga.

De Jesus said the project also covers the widening of lanes from Balintawak to the Valenzuela area. There are three to four lanes in each direction; from two to four lanes from Valenzuela to Burol; and from two to three lanes from Burol to Santa Rita. Also to be undertaken are several pedestrian overpasses, additional gates at the main toll barriers in Balintawak and Bocaue, expansion and improvement of the 10 existing interchanges. �New electronic and manual toll collection equipment, traffic monitoring systems, call boxes and emergency parking areas will be installed,� de Jesus disclosed.

The first of its kind in the country, the expressway is expected to withstand wear and tear for at least two generations. De Jesus is optimistic that the tollway project will further boost the economic development and open up new business opportunities in the Central and Northern Luzon regions. It will also mean the appreciation of real-estate values in those regions and provide easier access to resources.

Users of the North Luzon Expressway will also spend less travel time, will be exposed to less air pollution and be able to save on gas consumption and the repair and maintenance of motor vehicles. �All these travel amenities and world-class support facilities would result in spending more quality time with the family,� de Jesus said. He added that upon the project�s completion, expressway users will be charged with new toll rates to be computed through a formula approved by the government and determined largely by the project cost.

Philippine Star Editorial - Day After Strike Paralyzed Country
Jeepneys - Phase Them Out
March 3, 2004

The strike staged by jeepney drivers and operators the other day should serve as a timely reminder for policy makers--not of the strikers demand for a fare increase and a fuel price rollback, but of the need to phase out this outmoded, inefficient and highly polluting means of public transportation.

The strikers did their best to make their mass action as widespread as possible. Not through the soundness of their arguments for staging the strike, but by employing their usual methods of harassment, intimidation and threat of violence to force non-strikers off the streets for a day. The methods have come to be expected of drivers who are the poster boys for utter lack of discipline or courtesy on the road.

Several administrations have contemplated proposals to phase out this gaudy Philippine version of a World War II American relic. Always with an eye on their political fortunes, national leaders have let the proposals die a natural death. Officials have tried mightily to project the jeepney as a tourist attraction. But you don't fine foreign visitors here waxing poetic about a slow, bumpy ride in a crowded jeepney that is constantly enveloped in it's own noxious tailpipe emissions, where passengers risk losing their wristwatches and cell phones if they so much as blink from the pollution.

No politician is going to propose phasing out the jeepney in this election season. But once the elections are over policy-makers should sit down and discuss a rational way of relegating jeepneys to tourist spots such as Fort Santiago. Jeepney drivers and operators will have to be offered viable livelihood alternatives, including incentives for those who want to shift to operating air-conditioned buses and taxi vans.

Lawmakers, meanwhile should pass laws that require proof of annual general maintenance before any public utility vehicle is approved for registration. Automobile manufacturers that their vehicles will not create so much pollution if properly maintained. Maintenance is a foreign word to most jeepney operators--yet another reason their vehicles should be relegated soon to museums.

Go for expressway project: Colayco
By Albert B. Lacanlale
Sunday, February 29, 2004

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president Rufo Colayco on Friday said the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP) is underway. Colayco said BCDA has already received bids for the construction of a new highway that would directly link the Clark Special Economic Zone to the provinces of Olongapo and Tarlac. He said they are planning to launch works for the road by end of March.

Colayco added they are evaluating bids for the project and are addressing problems in the right-of-way (ROW) and the possible intervention of insurgent groups and opposing camps. Insurgency Earlier, Maj. Gen. Cristolito Balaoing, commanding general of the 7th Infantry Division, said the military is monitoring rebel groups who might conduct operations against the implementation of the SCTEP.

However, Colayco said BCDA, during the process of resolving ROW issues, initiated talks with locals that would be affected by the project, including left-leaning groups. BCDA believes insurgents would not block SCTEP, which is expected to boost the economic condition of the region and contiguous areas.

But Colayco said that should the peaceful communication fail to get the consensus of the rebel groups, BCDA and the military would counter rebel offensives that may hamper the flow of work for the SCTEP.

The United States says it is not interested in the re-establishing its bases in the Philippines. A recent meeting between Philippine and American security and foreign affairs officials gave rise to speculation that the U-S was looking at the possibility of putting up bases again in the Philippines.

Shirley Escalante reports that the United States through its Embassy in Manila has declared that American bases in the Philippines are gone for good and neither country needs the facilities. The embassy says Philippine-U-S relations are centered on equal partnership. It says the U-S government does not seek any change in the nature or legal parameters of its alliance with the Philippines, but only to improve the training cooperation and its benefits to both sides. More than 5,000 Philippine and American soldiers are currently conducting joint military exercises.

US SPOKESMAN FOR BALIKATAN SETS STRICT MEDIA �RULES�
FEBRUARY 22, 2004
BY MINERVA ZAMORA-ARCEO
Sun Star � Pampanga

CLARK ECOZONE � THIS could be the first time in the history of media coverage inside the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) since the Americans left in 1992 that a United States officer has set strict rules to the press in covering the joint RP-US war games in Luzon. During a recent media briefing conducted by US marine Capt. Burrel Parmer, spokesman of the US contingents in the Balikatan 2004 military exercises, journalists were told that ambush interviews among the participants is banned. Parmer also said that though cameras and videocams are not prohibited inside the exercise premises, photos taken on prohibited subjects inside US aircraft will be asked �to be deleted.�

�Never appear angry nor sarcastic...Be courteous and polite, regardless; don�t ask interviewees to guess or speculate; interviewers will stay on their lane� were among the other rules presented by Parmer on a white screen during the media briefing at the Mimosa leisure estate. Mediamen were also advised not to ask questions pertaining to �rules of engagement, future or current (Balikatan) plans, intelligence information, downed aircraft, specific strength of participating US forces, and casualty information (in case of accidents during exercises).�

He said that in case of �downed� aircraft, �it will be enough for us to say there are bodies lying around.� �We don�t want the wrong people to get there (accident site) before us and use any information against us or the Armed Forces of the Philippines,� he added. Parmer added, �We don�t answer �what if� questions.� Local journalists said they were shocked, as well as disappointed to hear the �dos and don�ts� presented by Parmer. All media persons covering the Balikatan will also be issued �press passes� so as to be recognized.

Some 700 US military arrived last Sunday morning at the Subic Bay Freeport to participate in the Balikatan exercises to be held at Clark Field in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Ternate in Cavite, Dingalan Bay in Aurora, the Spratleys islands, Palawan, and Batanes from Feb. 23 to March 4. It was said that about 36 American assault and transport aircraft would be used in the war games. Among the US aircraft to be used for the exercises are CH-31, CH-53, AH-1H, and CH-46 helicopters, as well as smaller C-9 and C-12 helicopters.

Meanwhile, about 2,500 United States military personnel are expected to participate in the annual bilateral combined military exercise while some 2,300 Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) contingents will join them. In a primer issued to reporters, Balikatan officials said the exercise will be conducted in three phases simultaneously. Phase one is a combined task force (CTF) seminar and command post exercise while phase two is cross training and field training exercise. Meanwhile, phase three is humanitarian and civic assistance that is seen to improve US-RP military civic action cooperation.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT�Problem with getting a permit for the use of the town plaza of Olongapo City for a big opposition rally in Pangasinan prompted on Saturday presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. and his ticket to skip the city altogether. Nevertheless, Rod, Reyes, media bureau chief of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), denied that local officials of Olongapo refused to issue a permit for a campaign rally at the Rizal triangle.

Reyes told The Manila Times in a telephone interview that �in fairness to local officials, it is not true. Actually the main reason is we want to recharge our energy, and so with the candidates and their staff in preparation for the grand rally of the KNP in San Carlos City, Panga�sinan.� He said that if there was any attempt to apply for a permit, which was probably initiated by local officials, KNP was not fully aware of it, but he assured the townsfolk that the KNP will visit their places in due time.

�The main issue is we want to prepare for the grand rally at the ancestral home of Mr. Poe in Pangasinan. We had decided not to push through with the campaign in the whole province of Zambales, including the province of Tarlac, and reschedule it because we want to prepare for San Carlos,� Reyes reiterated. He said the other reason why they skipped the sorties in the two provinces of Central Luzon is because they want to give KNP candidates, including their staff, a chance to be with their loved ones because Valentine�s Day fell on Saturday.

It has been reported by KNP�s Olongapo mayoral candidate Gider Malabute that the city hall initially agreed to issue the permit but later junked the application. He said they were advised that the KNP cannot use the Rizal Triangle. Instead they can use the Marikit Park, which is too small and can only hold 25 percent of the total crowd of Rizal triangle. It will be recalled that during the 1998 election, then-Vice President Joseph Estrada, who is seeking the presidency skipped Olongapo City and instead proceeded to the nearby town, Dinalupihan, Bataan, where he held his rally after asking his supporters in Olongapo to proceed to that place.

Alice Pergil, the city hall public affairs officer, however, said the city square was not available because it was still under renovation and was up for completion only in mid-April. But insiders said in the past, Rizal Square had been used as the venue for the city�s recent beauty pageant and fiesta.

Meanwhile, Reyes said that there is a change in schedule in the Pangasinan sortie as the KNP ticket will start at the Manaoag Church, where candidates can join the local townsfolk in praising God for all the blessings they have received. After the Mass, Poe and his party will motorcade to Dagupan City to greet well-wishers there. The KNP considers the vote-rich province of Pangasinan in Northern Luzon is one of its bailiwicks since Poe grew up in that province before his family migrated to Manila.

Manila couples kiss for a record
Feb 14, 2004
By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and his wife Evelina led more than 10,000 people who kissed each other for 10 seconds along a two-km stretch of Manila's Roxas Boulevard on the eve of Valentine's Day. "We want the City of Manila to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest number of couples kissing simultaneously on the eve of Valentine's Day. We want to be known as the world's love city," said Atienza, whose son Kim and his wife Felisa participated in the festival.

The couples stood in a single line that stretched along Roxas Boulevard, off Manila Bay, which was closed to traffic for the event. "It was a fantastic experience," said Apa Ongpin, a former TV personality, whose wife Ada also joined the event. As the couples kissed, fireworks burst and love songs filled the air from the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra. Many of the viewers joined in the street dance that lasted for several hours. "Kissing is the best way to relieve tension in our politically charged country," said Atienza in reference to the election campaign fever which began on February 10. "Everybody wanted to dance and kiss and forget about current events including election-related violence which is expected to erupt soon," he added. "Roxas Boulevard swayed with fun, music, and loving couples," observed fashion model Bianca Valerio who also participated in the event.

The local government is also trying to start a tradition of creating a song and dance event on Roxas Boulevard, to be Manila's version of the famous "Lollapallooza" marathon concerts in the US. It was a unique way of celebrating Valentine's Day. Manila's rival was Chile with a world record of 4,445 couples, or 8,890 people kissing for 10 seconds. "Only married couples with marriage contracts were allowed to register for the event. This is in deference to the Catholic Church which does not approve of adultery and pre-marital relationships," said Atienza. Western Police District director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong said he deployed 100 plainclothesmen who mingled with the crowd for the protection of the kissing couples.

"The police saw to it that the kissing couples were protected from pickpockets and snatchers," Bulaong said, adding that bomb-sniffing dogs and bomb experts were also deployed to secure the area. Prices of flowers, chocolates and cakes soared at least three times higher compared to their regular rates a week ago. Despite that, lovers bought all the symbols of Valentine's Day, said a shop owner.

Noting that the color of the waters at Mt. Pinatubo's crater lake has turned almost black, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has issued a warning to crater visitors to refrain from swimming in the lake and drinking its water. Phivolcs resident volcanologist Jaime Sincioco said the discoloration was first observed last January 22. Two days later, tourists who visited the crater expressed alarm over the almost blackened waters of the two-kilometer diameter crater lake, which has become a major attraction in Central Luzon.

A Phivolcs quick response team that examined the crater lake last January 29 confirmed that the lake's waters had, indeed, changed to "dark brown, almost black." Sincioco noted that previously, the lake exhibited colors varying from bluish to blue-green and at times milky depending on the climate, as well as on the occurrence of landslides within the crater. Phivolcs and the Department of Science and Technology (Dost) has thus issued an advisory urging visitors to the crater "to refrain from swimming in the lake and from consuming its water until further notice."

"At present, the Phivolcs, with the help of the Dost and the UP Institute of Biology are undertaking more exhaustive studies to pinpoint the most probable cause of the lake's discoloration and assess any potential hazards it might pose," Sincioco said. But Sincioco was quick to add that the change in the crater lake's waters' color "does not indicate any renewed volcanic activity," as he stressed that the newly installed seismograph of the Phivolcs here has not shown any "anomalous earthquake activity" at Mt. Pinatubo. "The level of seismicity (of Mt. Pinatubo) is considered normal since the volcano entered a period of repose after 1995," he said.

He also said that the Phivolcs' quick response team which visited the crater last January 29 "confirmed the absence of renewed volcanic emission within the crater and noted no anomalous change in the temperature of the lake's waters." Sincioco said the lake waters are "almost lukewarm" at 22 degrees centigrade, although waters at the crater's southeastern and southwestern areas have retained temperatures of about 70 to 74 degrees centigrade. Sincioco theorized, however, that the change in the color of the lake waters could be due to algae and lichens, amid reports tadpoles and leeches have been observed in the crater lake in the past months.

But Phivolcs is considering several factors that could have changed the color of the lake waters. Its advisory said such change "is likely the consequence of several near-surface events." One explanation, the advisory said, could be that "the crater environment by its nature is rich in several components, such as iron and magnesium oxides which, among other oxides and components, comprise its volcanic rock and ash. The persistent occurrence of landslides since the formation of the crater in 1991 has ensured a steady supply of sediments rich in iron and magnesium" which could have caused the discoloration.

Another explanation, the Phivolcs said, is that "the apparent decline in volcanic activity and continuous water inputs from the crater lake's watershed have favored biogenic activity," which could change the lake waters' color arising from "concentration of biological communities and their by-products which remain in suspension compared with its previous sterile environment." Phivolcs, however, said there could be other factors that are still being studied.

News and Info Current	1/06 - Current	News and Info Archive 11	12/04 - 12/05
News and Info Archive 10	1/04 - 12/04	News and Info Archive 9	7/03 - 12/03
News and Info Archive 8	1/03 - 6/03	News and Info Archive 7	8/02 - 1/03
News and Info Archive 6	3/02 - 7/02	News and Info Archive 5	3/02 - 2/02
News and Info Archive 4	1/02 - 11/01	News and Info Archive 3	11/01 - 7/01
News and Info Archive 2	3/01 - 2/00	News and Info Archive 1	- 1999

	Imelda Power
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