"With the right people, culture, and values, you can accomplish great things."
--Tricia Griffith
By Alex P. Vidal
THERE are many ways to advertise to the world the tradition and greatness of Ilonggos.
One of them is to showcase in whatever means our culture and festivals that reveal who we are and what we are as a people.
For instance, there is a festival in Iloilo that promotes the values of Ilonggos.
Celebrated by the Municipality of San Rafael every October of the year, it is called Tawili Festival.
According to Capitol executive assistant Ruel Von D. Superio, “Tawili” is the local counterpart of Bayanihan or volunteerism, involvement, concern and sharing.
"Tawili was prominent in the way of life of the Ilonggos. In many instances, people in the neighborhood would gather to work for their neighbor," Superio explained in his recent Facebook post.
"It could be a work in the farm or in his household. As a result, no one would be lacking of helping hands in times of need and in times of sorrow."
Superio, who accompanied Iloilo Gov. Arthur "Toto" Defensor Jr. during the festival's opening ceremony in San Rafael October 21, said "the festival reminds everyone of the importance of unity and cooperation as an essential ingredient for peace, development and progress."
-o0o-
Iloilo Airport terminal supervisor Art Parreño should initiate a move to donate to Guimaras Province some of the more than 100 umbrellas the Iloilo Airport management seized from departing passengers in August this year.
The airport umbrellas can help the Department of Tourism in Western Visayas which will be staging for the first time the Guimaras Umbrella Festival on November 9, 2019.
It was reported that during the festival, the Department of Tourism (DOT-6) will provide 1,000 umbrellas to pumpboats ferrying passengers to and from the island province of Guimaras.
-o0o-
There is good reasons for Ilonggos to continue to be supportive to our Chinese community.
The tsinoys are known to enormously help pump up the local economies of areas where they are located.
Business is always good in local communities with strong presence of Chinese economic activities.
In fact, a new report from Credit Suisse (CS) shows that wealth in China is ticking up, and the country now accounts for 100 million of the richest 10% of people in the world.
There are 99 million Americans in the same category, it was reported.
The United States still has many more millionaires--18.6 million, or 40% of the world's total, versus 4.4 million in China, it was further learned.
It's also adding to the millionaire count at a faster clip.
The report credits low interest rates and Republican tax cuts for the country's 11th consecutive year of rising wealth.
The average American is also still much richer than their Chinese counterparts, with US wealth per adult at $432,365 compared with $58,544 in China.
A most recent report said China holds claim to a growing piece of the pie, replacing Europe as the principal engine of global wealth growth. That's in spite of the trade war that's weighing on the nation's economy.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
Showing posts with label #Guimaras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Guimaras. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Rep. Nava's hubris
"There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. 'Good pride' represents our dignity and self-respect. 'Bad pride' is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance."
--John C. Maxwell
By Alex P. Vidal
THERE is only one explanation for the actuation of Guimaras Rep. Lucille Nava when she reportedly ripped Iloilo City Rep. Julienne "Jam-Jam" Baronda in a recent dinner meeting hosted by the House Visayan Bloc headed by rumored vice presidential wanna-be, Negros Rep. Albee Benetiz.
Hubris.
The Greeks call it as "excessive pride."
It's because of hubris why the gods punished Prometheus, who stole the fire and gave it to humanity as civilization, by bounding him on the mountain Caucasus.
Nava couldn't accept that neophyte Baronda beat her to the draw and gained the attention of their male colleagues by proposing a plan to file a resolution calling on President Rodrigo Duterte to look into the plight of passengers crossing Iloilo and Guimaras.
Passengers have been finding it hard to cross the Guimaras strait like they used to enjoy due to the rigid rules imposed by the Philippine Coast Guard after 31 passengers died when two pump boats capsized one after another on August 3, 2019.
-o0o-
Nava, wife of former Guimaras Governor and Rep. Rahman, considered Baronda's plan as "interference", thus she reportedly gave the 40-year-old Iloilo City solon the dressing down when they were alone in one corner.
Nava must've felt Baronda had overshadowed her especially when their colleagues in the meeting seemed to have appreciated the way the fresh congresswoman was showing her concern for people crossing the Guimaras strait.
Nava must've felt she should be the rightful person to float the idea being the representative of Guimaras.
But did she realize that some of those regularly crossing Guimaras and Iloilo are also Baronda's constituents?
If Nava thinks Baronda's plan is meritorious, she should collaborate and support it, not to run berserk
Legislators are supposed to work jointly for the common good and welfare of the people and not to compete and pull down one another.
If it is true that Nava chided Baronda because of that flimsy issue, it's plain and simple bullying and conduct unbecoming.
-o0o-
U.N. UPDATE: Mirrored classroom display highlights scale of massive education crisis
A non-profit dedicated to exposing the severity of the global education crisis has been inviting delegates to the UN General Assembly inside a tiny mirrored installation this week, to drive home the reality that around 260 million children are missing from classrooms around the world.
Beginning 22 September through the end of next week, the Infinity Classroom exhibition by non-profit, Theirworld, will sit in the UN Plaza, open to visitors. The mirrored room is filled with what appear to be an infinite number of empty school desks - representing the millions of children out of school every day.
The station is the centerpiece of Theirworld’s #WriteTheWrong campaign, geared at building awareness of the global crisis and mobilizing the political will and financial support that is needed to give every child a chance to achieve their potential.
Founder and Chair of the NGO, Sarah Brown, said on Thursday: “The world has the largest number of refugees and displaced people since the Second World War, half of whom are children”, speaking to UN News, on a panel for the UN’s annual discussion series, dubbed the SDG Media Zone.
“We owe them what we want for our kids - a safe place to learn. That’s why we’re calling on all countries and international institutions to make education a priority”, Ms. Brown said.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
--John C. Maxwell
By Alex P. Vidal
THERE is only one explanation for the actuation of Guimaras Rep. Lucille Nava when she reportedly ripped Iloilo City Rep. Julienne "Jam-Jam" Baronda in a recent dinner meeting hosted by the House Visayan Bloc headed by rumored vice presidential wanna-be, Negros Rep. Albee Benetiz.
Hubris.
The Greeks call it as "excessive pride."
It's because of hubris why the gods punished Prometheus, who stole the fire and gave it to humanity as civilization, by bounding him on the mountain Caucasus.
Nava couldn't accept that neophyte Baronda beat her to the draw and gained the attention of their male colleagues by proposing a plan to file a resolution calling on President Rodrigo Duterte to look into the plight of passengers crossing Iloilo and Guimaras.
Passengers have been finding it hard to cross the Guimaras strait like they used to enjoy due to the rigid rules imposed by the Philippine Coast Guard after 31 passengers died when two pump boats capsized one after another on August 3, 2019.
-o0o-
Nava, wife of former Guimaras Governor and Rep. Rahman, considered Baronda's plan as "interference", thus she reportedly gave the 40-year-old Iloilo City solon the dressing down when they were alone in one corner.
Nava must've felt Baronda had overshadowed her especially when their colleagues in the meeting seemed to have appreciated the way the fresh congresswoman was showing her concern for people crossing the Guimaras strait.
Nava must've felt she should be the rightful person to float the idea being the representative of Guimaras.
But did she realize that some of those regularly crossing Guimaras and Iloilo are also Baronda's constituents?
If Nava thinks Baronda's plan is meritorious, she should collaborate and support it, not to run berserk
Legislators are supposed to work jointly for the common good and welfare of the people and not to compete and pull down one another.
If it is true that Nava chided Baronda because of that flimsy issue, it's plain and simple bullying and conduct unbecoming.
-o0o-
U.N. UPDATE: Mirrored classroom display highlights scale of massive education crisis
A non-profit dedicated to exposing the severity of the global education crisis has been inviting delegates to the UN General Assembly inside a tiny mirrored installation this week, to drive home the reality that around 260 million children are missing from classrooms around the world.
Beginning 22 September through the end of next week, the Infinity Classroom exhibition by non-profit, Theirworld, will sit in the UN Plaza, open to visitors. The mirrored room is filled with what appear to be an infinite number of empty school desks - representing the millions of children out of school every day.
The station is the centerpiece of Theirworld’s #WriteTheWrong campaign, geared at building awareness of the global crisis and mobilizing the political will and financial support that is needed to give every child a chance to achieve their potential.
Founder and Chair of the NGO, Sarah Brown, said on Thursday: “The world has the largest number of refugees and displaced people since the Second World War, half of whom are children”, speaking to UN News, on a panel for the UN’s annual discussion series, dubbed the SDG Media Zone.
“We owe them what we want for our kids - a safe place to learn. That’s why we’re calling on all countries and international institutions to make education a priority”, Ms. Brown said.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Bridge project's identity crisis
"Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it."
--Jules Renar
By Alex P. Vidal
TO whom will the Ilonggos listen and believe?
The question whether the proposed 14-kilometer Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge project will push through has become a case of "too many cooks will spoil the broth."
Since 2016 when President Duterte assumed office, there has been multitudes of pronouncements that the construction of the multi-billion project, supposedly included under the administration's "Build, Build, Build" program, would start in 2017.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the National Economic Development Authority (Neda), and the Department of Budget are the three key government agencies involved in the project.
The project will never be materialized without the triumvirate's blessings and coordination.
-o0o-
The problem is there has been no particular agency tasked primarily to give the public updates on what is going on.
There were cases when DPWH said one thing, and the Neda said another thing.
No coordination; everyone is his own boss and authority when it comes to giving the public a bird's eye view about the project.
The identity crisis has exacerbated the delays since nobody is explaining what; no one is accountable when it comes to total disclosure of the project's status.
Everyone has turned into a guessing game; everyone has become skeptical and confused.
From 2017 until the third quarter of 2019, all the three agencies, particularly the DPWH and Neda, could report, so far, was that the project "is still undergoing a feasibility study" financed by the Chinese Government.
Since nothing has happened in as far as initial start of public works are concerned, so many politicians and organizations have joined the fray in calling for its construction soon.
-o0o-
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, wooing the votes of Guimarasnons in the recent polls, promised to "push" for the bridge construction "soon."
Iloilo Governor Arthur "Toto" Defensor Jr. wished the bridge project was included in President Duterte's most recent State of the Nation Address (Sona), which never happened.
Senator Franklin Drilon told fellow Ilonggos during the turnover of the newly-restored University of the Philippines (UPV) main building at the UPV Iloilo City campus last month that "it's high time" the bridge was constructed.
The senator from Molo said he has talked with DPWH Secretary Mark Villar to commence the construction soon.
Drilon declared: “There is a feasibility study funded by China, one year of feasibility study which started this January and supposed to be completed by the end of the year. We do not know what exactly the status is but we do hope that this feasibility study is finished on time so that the construction can commence.”
-o0o-
Most recently, the Provincial Board Members League (PBML) in Western Visayas, headed by Domingo Oso, has called for the construction of the bridge, estimated to cost P14 billion, that would connect the islands of Panay, Guimaras and Negros Occidental.
More politicians and organizations in Panay and Negros are expected to release their own versions of "requesting the DPWH..." soon even as 2022, the year of the supposed completion of all the projects under the "Build, Build, Build" program, is near.
If these "requests" and "expectations" from politicians and organizations continue to pour desperately, this means the project doesn't have any specific or concrete calendar yet to commence.
If the government is hell-bent to start the construction of the project, there's no need for the likes of Drilon to remind the agencies concerned; there's no need for organizations like the PBML to "push" for the bridge's construction.
-o0o-
Last month, Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo, chairperson of the DPWH's "Build, Build' Build" Committee, said the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge project's feasibility study "is expected to be completed within this year."
The first phase of the proposed project is the Panay-Guimaras Bridge, which will reportedly start in Leganes, Iloilo and will end in Buenavista, Guimaras while the second phase is the Guimaras-Negros Island Bridge, which will reportedly start in San Lorenzo, Guimaras and will end in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.
The Provincial Development Council (PDC) of Negros Occidental endorsed the conduct of the feasibility study for the project to the Provincial Board and the Regional Development Council (RDC-6) in June this year.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
--Jules Renar
By Alex P. Vidal
TO whom will the Ilonggos listen and believe?
The question whether the proposed 14-kilometer Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge project will push through has become a case of "too many cooks will spoil the broth."
Since 2016 when President Duterte assumed office, there has been multitudes of pronouncements that the construction of the multi-billion project, supposedly included under the administration's "Build, Build, Build" program, would start in 2017.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the National Economic Development Authority (Neda), and the Department of Budget are the three key government agencies involved in the project.
The project will never be materialized without the triumvirate's blessings and coordination.
-o0o-
The problem is there has been no particular agency tasked primarily to give the public updates on what is going on.
There were cases when DPWH said one thing, and the Neda said another thing.
No coordination; everyone is his own boss and authority when it comes to giving the public a bird's eye view about the project.
The identity crisis has exacerbated the delays since nobody is explaining what; no one is accountable when it comes to total disclosure of the project's status.
Everyone has turned into a guessing game; everyone has become skeptical and confused.
From 2017 until the third quarter of 2019, all the three agencies, particularly the DPWH and Neda, could report, so far, was that the project "is still undergoing a feasibility study" financed by the Chinese Government.
Since nothing has happened in as far as initial start of public works are concerned, so many politicians and organizations have joined the fray in calling for its construction soon.
-o0o-
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, wooing the votes of Guimarasnons in the recent polls, promised to "push" for the bridge construction "soon."
Iloilo Governor Arthur "Toto" Defensor Jr. wished the bridge project was included in President Duterte's most recent State of the Nation Address (Sona), which never happened.
Senator Franklin Drilon told fellow Ilonggos during the turnover of the newly-restored University of the Philippines (UPV) main building at the UPV Iloilo City campus last month that "it's high time" the bridge was constructed.
The senator from Molo said he has talked with DPWH Secretary Mark Villar to commence the construction soon.
Drilon declared: “There is a feasibility study funded by China, one year of feasibility study which started this January and supposed to be completed by the end of the year. We do not know what exactly the status is but we do hope that this feasibility study is finished on time so that the construction can commence.”
-o0o-
Most recently, the Provincial Board Members League (PBML) in Western Visayas, headed by Domingo Oso, has called for the construction of the bridge, estimated to cost P14 billion, that would connect the islands of Panay, Guimaras and Negros Occidental.
More politicians and organizations in Panay and Negros are expected to release their own versions of "requesting the DPWH..." soon even as 2022, the year of the supposed completion of all the projects under the "Build, Build, Build" program, is near.
If these "requests" and "expectations" from politicians and organizations continue to pour desperately, this means the project doesn't have any specific or concrete calendar yet to commence.
If the government is hell-bent to start the construction of the project, there's no need for the likes of Drilon to remind the agencies concerned; there's no need for organizations like the PBML to "push" for the bridge's construction.
-o0o-
Last month, Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo, chairperson of the DPWH's "Build, Build' Build" Committee, said the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge project's feasibility study "is expected to be completed within this year."
The first phase of the proposed project is the Panay-Guimaras Bridge, which will reportedly start in Leganes, Iloilo and will end in Buenavista, Guimaras while the second phase is the Guimaras-Negros Island Bridge, which will reportedly start in San Lorenzo, Guimaras and will end in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.
The Provincial Development Council (PDC) of Negros Occidental endorsed the conduct of the feasibility study for the project to the Provincial Board and the Regional Development Council (RDC-6) in June this year.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Itik de Asis rattles Guimaras’ ‘three Stooges’
“Anything you strike, anything you shake or rattle, or just anything that can be picked up, and you can create a sound.”
-- Evelyn Glennie
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- In their psywar game, former Guimaras vice governor Vicente “Itik” de Asis recently made a mincemeat of the island province’s so-called “Three Stooges”-- Governor Samuel Gumarin, Vice Governor John Edward Gando, and former Rep. JC Rahman Nava.
They panicked when a certain Rodrigo Gabales, purportedly a “resident” of Guimaras, allegedly filed a plunder and technical malversation complaint against them for the “release” of P264 million in public funds days before the May 2016 elections.
If proven, the three could face jail terms, ouster, and disqualification from holding a public office for violation of the election ban on disbursement of funds during the campaign period.
They suspected De Asis to be behind “Rodrigo Gabales” whose real identity wasn’t immediately established with absolute certainty as of this writing.
What if the alleged plunder and malversation raps were a dud?
-o0o-
In a joint press conference August 22 in Jordan town, the three bewailed the “erroneous” report published in a local newspaper about the amount involved in the supposed plunder and technical malversation raps.
They also cried “political harassment.”
But if the “Three Stooges” were using their common sense, there was no need for them to act like they were next in line to Leo Echegaray in the death chamber.
If they did not touch with malicious intent a single centavo of the amount being floated by “Rodrigo Gabales”, there was no need for them to summon the spirits in the River Styx to look pristine and unalloyed.
If they did not have yet the copy of the supposed formal complaint, there was no basis for them to belie something that could only exist in “Rodrigo Gabales’” fertile imagination.
They could have just shrugged off the issue if they believed it did not have any iota of validity.
Fear of the unknown is tantamount to dousing gasoline to a warehouse being swallowed by conflagration.
It’s the “Three Stooges’” irrational fear that makes them look vanquished, humiliated, and deserted by their vainglory.
-o0o-
And De Asis as the convenient whipping boy and suspected culprit, again?
De Asis does not even belong to a big political party with massive wherewithal enough to submerge the Nava-Gumaren submarine.
And they rattled like they were surrounded by scarecrows in the middle of a dark cornfield?
If it was De Asis, their perennial political punching bag, behind the ersatz gobbledygook, he must now be laughing from ear to ear watching his political nemesis reduced to political pygmies by their over reactions.
Political war is a mind game, too; it’s a battle of gimmickry and how to make your opponents mad while they look like scoundrels and circus performers.
If De Asis was the Real McCoy, he just scored a triple whammy!
-o0o-
THE New York State Department of Labor gave justice to my complaint against a Jewish community leader in Brooklyn in a quick verdict handed an hour after I lodged the complaint in their office on Canal-Varick Streets in Lower Manhattan at 1:30 o’clock in the afternoon August 22, 2018.
Arbiter Mokarram Ahmed first perused the complaint sheet I signed; and buckled down to investigation. After hearing both sides of the coin, the arbiter scribbled his evaluation while I was waiting on tenterhooks.
“Quick justice,” I exclaimed silently when arbiter Ahmed handed to me a machine copy of the verdict and intoned, “good luck.”
-- Evelyn Glennie
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- In their psywar game, former Guimaras vice governor Vicente “Itik” de Asis recently made a mincemeat of the island province’s so-called “Three Stooges”-- Governor Samuel Gumarin, Vice Governor John Edward Gando, and former Rep. JC Rahman Nava.
They panicked when a certain Rodrigo Gabales, purportedly a “resident” of Guimaras, allegedly filed a plunder and technical malversation complaint against them for the “release” of P264 million in public funds days before the May 2016 elections.
If proven, the three could face jail terms, ouster, and disqualification from holding a public office for violation of the election ban on disbursement of funds during the campaign period.
They suspected De Asis to be behind “Rodrigo Gabales” whose real identity wasn’t immediately established with absolute certainty as of this writing.
What if the alleged plunder and malversation raps were a dud?
-o0o-
In a joint press conference August 22 in Jordan town, the three bewailed the “erroneous” report published in a local newspaper about the amount involved in the supposed plunder and technical malversation raps.
They also cried “political harassment.”
But if the “Three Stooges” were using their common sense, there was no need for them to act like they were next in line to Leo Echegaray in the death chamber.
If they did not touch with malicious intent a single centavo of the amount being floated by “Rodrigo Gabales”, there was no need for them to summon the spirits in the River Styx to look pristine and unalloyed.
If they did not have yet the copy of the supposed formal complaint, there was no basis for them to belie something that could only exist in “Rodrigo Gabales’” fertile imagination.
They could have just shrugged off the issue if they believed it did not have any iota of validity.
Fear of the unknown is tantamount to dousing gasoline to a warehouse being swallowed by conflagration.
It’s the “Three Stooges’” irrational fear that makes them look vanquished, humiliated, and deserted by their vainglory.
-o0o-
And De Asis as the convenient whipping boy and suspected culprit, again?
De Asis does not even belong to a big political party with massive wherewithal enough to submerge the Nava-Gumaren submarine.
And they rattled like they were surrounded by scarecrows in the middle of a dark cornfield?
If it was De Asis, their perennial political punching bag, behind the ersatz gobbledygook, he must now be laughing from ear to ear watching his political nemesis reduced to political pygmies by their over reactions.
Political war is a mind game, too; it’s a battle of gimmickry and how to make your opponents mad while they look like scoundrels and circus performers.
If De Asis was the Real McCoy, he just scored a triple whammy!
-o0o-
THE New York State Department of Labor gave justice to my complaint against a Jewish community leader in Brooklyn in a quick verdict handed an hour after I lodged the complaint in their office on Canal-Varick Streets in Lower Manhattan at 1:30 o’clock in the afternoon August 22, 2018.
Arbiter Mokarram Ahmed first perused the complaint sheet I signed; and buckled down to investigation. After hearing both sides of the coin, the arbiter scribbled his evaluation while I was waiting on tenterhooks.
“Quick justice,” I exclaimed silently when arbiter Ahmed handed to me a machine copy of the verdict and intoned, “good luck.”
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Welcome to New York, Manggahan and Dinagyang Festivals
“If you're not in the parade, you watch the parade. That's life.” -- Mike Ditka
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- There will be two Ilonggo festivals that will join the 120th Philippine Independence Day Parade in Madison Avenue on June 3.
For the first time in the parade’s history, the Manggahan Festival of Guimaras Province and Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City will join the colorful parade to be hosted by the biggest city in the United States’ east coast.
Manggahan Festival, to be represented by Hubon Manguguma, and Dinagyang Festival, to be represented by 2018 champion Tribu Panayanon of the Iloilo City National High School will help create awareness of Filipino culture and to raise funds for charity projects in the Philippines and the United States.
They are all expected to arrive in the JFK Airport on May 31.
Their trip will be part of the Iloilo City trade mission sponsored by the PHILCOMAN in partnership with the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce Washington DC (PACC DC), journalist Herbert Vego, who is joining the entourage, confirmed.
They will also perform in Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
“I found out that while the PIDCI has indeed invited the city government for the June 3 affair, the sponsor of the US tour is the Philippine Research Institute in cooperation with the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (Virginia) and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce (Washington DC),” Vego said.
“There will be activities sa NYC from June 1 upon arrival until June 4 p.m., all aimed at promoting Iloilo to American and Filipino investors. I hope maka-attend ka. Mayor Espinosa will surely be around, kasama si Misis.”
-o0o-
Their participation in this years’s parade that is expected to attract over 100,000 people, was made possible through Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) past president Joji Juele-Jalandoni who watched the Dinagyang Festival’s farewell performance at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand in Iloilo City in January 2018 together with Ilonggo factotum and media liaison Jay Balnig.
New Jersey-based Ilonggo community leader Boy Dinzon said the Ilonggo community in New York City and New Jersey will hold a “Dinagyang and Manggahan sa NYC Fundraising Dinner on June 1 at six o’clock until 10 o’clock in the evening.
“We need to unite and help them because they are in the forefront in helping promote our culture, tourism and pride as Ilonggos,” Dinzon said.
Iloilo City Tourism Officer Junel Ann Divinagracia, Iloilo Provincial Tourism Officer Bombette Golez Marin, and Guimaras Provincial Tourism Officer Liberty Ferrer will accompany the two festival tribes in a trade mission spearheaded by the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation led by Ramon Cua Locsin, Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III and wife Gina Sarabia-Espinosa, and several Guimaras provincial officials.
-o0o-
The US Philippine Independence Day celebration in the northeastern also includes the 12 states under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, namely, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Other areas can be invited to participate in PIDC's many activities by the overall chairperson, depending on the theme each year, according to former New York Philippine Consul General Mario Lopez de Leon Jr.
Guests in this year’s parade will be hosted by Consul General Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega in the Philippine Consulate on Fifth Avenue.
Traditionally held along Madison Avenue from 37th to 25th Streets in Manhattan, the climax of the preparation, the Philippine Independence Day Parade, Street Fair and Cultural Show, held on the first Sunday in June each year is the biggest celebration of Philippine Independence outside the Philippines. The Street Fair and Cultural Show take place on the east side of Madison Square Park.
Iloilo City Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) chief Ariel Castañeda, meanwhile, has called on all West Visayas State University (WVSU) alumni in New York City, Virginia and Washington DC and nearby please join the Iloilo City trade mission team and Dinagyang tribe in the Phil Independence Day parade on June 3.
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- There will be two Ilonggo festivals that will join the 120th Philippine Independence Day Parade in Madison Avenue on June 3.
For the first time in the parade’s history, the Manggahan Festival of Guimaras Province and Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City will join the colorful parade to be hosted by the biggest city in the United States’ east coast.
Manggahan Festival, to be represented by Hubon Manguguma, and Dinagyang Festival, to be represented by 2018 champion Tribu Panayanon of the Iloilo City National High School will help create awareness of Filipino culture and to raise funds for charity projects in the Philippines and the United States.
They are all expected to arrive in the JFK Airport on May 31.
Their trip will be part of the Iloilo City trade mission sponsored by the PHILCOMAN in partnership with the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce Washington DC (PACC DC), journalist Herbert Vego, who is joining the entourage, confirmed.
They will also perform in Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
“I found out that while the PIDCI has indeed invited the city government for the June 3 affair, the sponsor of the US tour is the Philippine Research Institute in cooperation with the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (Virginia) and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce (Washington DC),” Vego said.
“There will be activities sa NYC from June 1 upon arrival until June 4 p.m., all aimed at promoting Iloilo to American and Filipino investors. I hope maka-attend ka. Mayor Espinosa will surely be around, kasama si Misis.”
-o0o-
Their participation in this years’s parade that is expected to attract over 100,000 people, was made possible through Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) past president Joji Juele-Jalandoni who watched the Dinagyang Festival’s farewell performance at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand in Iloilo City in January 2018 together with Ilonggo factotum and media liaison Jay Balnig.
New Jersey-based Ilonggo community leader Boy Dinzon said the Ilonggo community in New York City and New Jersey will hold a “Dinagyang and Manggahan sa NYC Fundraising Dinner on June 1 at six o’clock until 10 o’clock in the evening.
“We need to unite and help them because they are in the forefront in helping promote our culture, tourism and pride as Ilonggos,” Dinzon said.
Iloilo City Tourism Officer Junel Ann Divinagracia, Iloilo Provincial Tourism Officer Bombette Golez Marin, and Guimaras Provincial Tourism Officer Liberty Ferrer will accompany the two festival tribes in a trade mission spearheaded by the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation led by Ramon Cua Locsin, Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III and wife Gina Sarabia-Espinosa, and several Guimaras provincial officials.
-o0o-
The US Philippine Independence Day celebration in the northeastern also includes the 12 states under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, namely, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Other areas can be invited to participate in PIDC's many activities by the overall chairperson, depending on the theme each year, according to former New York Philippine Consul General Mario Lopez de Leon Jr.
Guests in this year’s parade will be hosted by Consul General Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega in the Philippine Consulate on Fifth Avenue.
Traditionally held along Madison Avenue from 37th to 25th Streets in Manhattan, the climax of the preparation, the Philippine Independence Day Parade, Street Fair and Cultural Show, held on the first Sunday in June each year is the biggest celebration of Philippine Independence outside the Philippines. The Street Fair and Cultural Show take place on the east side of Madison Square Park.
Iloilo City Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) chief Ariel Castañeda, meanwhile, has called on all West Visayas State University (WVSU) alumni in New York City, Virginia and Washington DC and nearby please join the Iloilo City trade mission team and Dinagyang tribe in the Phil Independence Day parade on June 3.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
‘AIDS of environment’ worse than ‘cesspool’
“We don't have to sacrifice a strong economy for a healthy environment.”
-- Dennis Weaver
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- When tourists fled from Guimaras’ popular beach resorts as a result of the worst oil spill in the Philippines when the oil tanker Solar I went down off Guimaras Island in August 2006, Nagarao Beach, among other resorts within the coastal area, suffered worse than what is about to happen to Boracay in Malay, Aklan which closes down for six months starting April 26, 2018.
While President Rodrigo R. Duterte tagged Boracay as “cesspool”, the tragedy that hit Guimaras resorts was called as the “AIDS of environment.”
A “cesspool” beach can be rehabilitated with total support from government, while a famous tourist destination with location in the vicinity of an “AIDS environment” might not be able to spring back to life.
Even if those affected by the oil spill sued the oil refiner Petron Corporation for millions of damages, resort owners failed to attract back tourists who used to flock the island’s beautiful resorts and beaches even after the rehabilitation.
-o0o-
Martin Stummer, owner of Nagarao Beach, had warned: "The ill effects on the health of the residents will be felt until ten years and even beyond."
Although still popular among the tourists who used to visit the island for snorkeling and diving--especially those with links to Stummer’s European networks--the 10-hectare Nagarao Beach, located off the coast of Sibunag town, was never the same again.
The coastal areas of Nueva Valencia, Sibunag and San Lorenzo towns were among the areas worst hit by the oil spill from the 998-ton tanker MT Solar 1 that sunk on Aug. 11, 2006 while transporting about two million liters of bunker fuel oil from Limay, Bataan.
The oil slick had reached Concepcion and Ajuy towns in Iloilo province.
-o0o-
If the dumped sewage will be rehabilitated, Boracay can be back to business in October or even earlier, according to government officials.
In 2017, Boracay had 500 tourism-related businesses, which had a combined revenue of P56 billion.
The president lashed at the island’s hotels, restaurants and other businesses, accusing them of dumping sewage directly into the sea and turning it into a “cesspool” in February this year.
Boracay’s drainage system was being used to send the untreated sewage into its surrounding turquoise waters, reported the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Some 195 businesses, along with more than 4,000 residential customers, were not connected to sewer lines, the DENR further discovered.
-- Dennis Weaver
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- When tourists fled from Guimaras’ popular beach resorts as a result of the worst oil spill in the Philippines when the oil tanker Solar I went down off Guimaras Island in August 2006, Nagarao Beach, among other resorts within the coastal area, suffered worse than what is about to happen to Boracay in Malay, Aklan which closes down for six months starting April 26, 2018.
While President Rodrigo R. Duterte tagged Boracay as “cesspool”, the tragedy that hit Guimaras resorts was called as the “AIDS of environment.”
A “cesspool” beach can be rehabilitated with total support from government, while a famous tourist destination with location in the vicinity of an “AIDS environment” might not be able to spring back to life.
Even if those affected by the oil spill sued the oil refiner Petron Corporation for millions of damages, resort owners failed to attract back tourists who used to flock the island’s beautiful resorts and beaches even after the rehabilitation.
-o0o-
Martin Stummer, owner of Nagarao Beach, had warned: "The ill effects on the health of the residents will be felt until ten years and even beyond."
Although still popular among the tourists who used to visit the island for snorkeling and diving--especially those with links to Stummer’s European networks--the 10-hectare Nagarao Beach, located off the coast of Sibunag town, was never the same again.
The coastal areas of Nueva Valencia, Sibunag and San Lorenzo towns were among the areas worst hit by the oil spill from the 998-ton tanker MT Solar 1 that sunk on Aug. 11, 2006 while transporting about two million liters of bunker fuel oil from Limay, Bataan.
The oil slick had reached Concepcion and Ajuy towns in Iloilo province.
-o0o-
If the dumped sewage will be rehabilitated, Boracay can be back to business in October or even earlier, according to government officials.
In 2017, Boracay had 500 tourism-related businesses, which had a combined revenue of P56 billion.
The president lashed at the island’s hotels, restaurants and other businesses, accusing them of dumping sewage directly into the sea and turning it into a “cesspool” in February this year.
Boracay’s drainage system was being used to send the untreated sewage into its surrounding turquoise waters, reported the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Some 195 businesses, along with more than 4,000 residential customers, were not connected to sewer lines, the DENR further discovered.
Monday, April 16, 2018
Emily Lopez, first victim of gossip, fake news
“There is a fundamental difference between men and women - women need romance, men need intrigue.”
--Sherry Argov
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- The decision of former Guimaras Gov. Emily Relucio-Lopez to stay away from the kitchen when the heat became unbearable in 2006 was a brilliant move.
Her “premature” retirement from politics, as well, was mourned by her admirers, including some members of Iloilo media, but was hailed by friends who wanted to shield her from “dirty world of politics.”
Relucio-Lopez was supposed to get an ambassadorial post to Italy under the Arroyo administration, but merchants of intrigues and gossipers made sure she would be sideswiped from selection process.
As soon as her name surfaced as among those being considered by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the post, green-eyed monsters started to circulate ugly stories about her relationship with husband, former Iloilo second district Rep. Albertito Lopez.
Her detractors tried to flood the mass media with fake news (it’s good social media wasn’t so influential at that time) that Chona Mejia, Rep. Lopez’s estranged wife, was sharpening her knife and was poised to appear in the Commission on Appointments (CA) to “spell the beans” and oppose the former governor’s appointment.
It was actually Sen. Sergio “Serge” Osmeña III who was painting the town red portraying Relucio-Lopez to be “unworthy” of the ambassadorial position.
--Sherry Argov
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- The decision of former Guimaras Gov. Emily Relucio-Lopez to stay away from the kitchen when the heat became unbearable in 2006 was a brilliant move.
Her “premature” retirement from politics, as well, was mourned by her admirers, including some members of Iloilo media, but was hailed by friends who wanted to shield her from “dirty world of politics.”
Relucio-Lopez was supposed to get an ambassadorial post to Italy under the Arroyo administration, but merchants of intrigues and gossipers made sure she would be sideswiped from selection process.
As soon as her name surfaced as among those being considered by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the post, green-eyed monsters started to circulate ugly stories about her relationship with husband, former Iloilo second district Rep. Albertito Lopez.
Her detractors tried to flood the mass media with fake news (it’s good social media wasn’t so influential at that time) that Chona Mejia, Rep. Lopez’s estranged wife, was sharpening her knife and was poised to appear in the Commission on Appointments (CA) to “spell the beans” and oppose the former governor’s appointment.
It was actually Sen. Sergio “Serge” Osmeña III who was painting the town red portraying Relucio-Lopez to be “unworthy” of the ambassadorial position.
-o0o-
Osmeña had ax to grind against Relucio-Lopez because his wife, Betina, was Chona Mejia’s daughter with Rep. Lopez.
According to Osmeña, the marriage between Chona and Rep. Lopez has never been annulled and there was no divorce in the Philippines.
When reached by reporters for comment, Chona Mejia reportedly denied she was planning a CA ambush against Relucio-Lopez.
She admitted though she tried to campaign against Relucio-Lopez when the latter ran for office in Guimaras in the 90’s.
Chona Mejia, too, appeared to have let bygones be bygones and wasn’t interested anymore to dip her fingers into the murky waters of politics.
True or not, Osmeña’s saber rattling was dismissed by Relucio-Lopez’s sympathizers as an “intriga” (intrigue) and a “tsismis” (gossip).
It was also belittled as an “estoppel” since Relucio-Lopez had also previously served as congresswoman in Guimaras aside from governor in the island province; her relationship with Rep. Lopez was never used with extreme necessity by her political enemies to stymie her stint as public servant.
It was tsismis or gossip that toppled Relucio-Lopez from the ambassadorial post to Italy.
-o0o-
We remember Gov. Relucio-Lopez’s predicament amid the decision of Facebook to lower the boom on fake news websites in the Philippines that contain false information.
The lady governor would have been a victim of cyber or internet bullying if social media was active during her time.
An outstanding public servant, Relucio-Lopez was a big loss in Philippine politics.
The idea of building a bridge between Guimaras and Iloilo had been conceptualized during her term as governor.
She refused to seek reelection for congresswoman at the time when Guimaras was starting to attract foreign investors and when “delicious” Guimaras mango became an international sensation.
Osmeña had ax to grind against Relucio-Lopez because his wife, Betina, was Chona Mejia’s daughter with Rep. Lopez.
According to Osmeña, the marriage between Chona and Rep. Lopez has never been annulled and there was no divorce in the Philippines.
When reached by reporters for comment, Chona Mejia reportedly denied she was planning a CA ambush against Relucio-Lopez.
She admitted though she tried to campaign against Relucio-Lopez when the latter ran for office in Guimaras in the 90’s.
Chona Mejia, too, appeared to have let bygones be bygones and wasn’t interested anymore to dip her fingers into the murky waters of politics.
True or not, Osmeña’s saber rattling was dismissed by Relucio-Lopez’s sympathizers as an “intriga” (intrigue) and a “tsismis” (gossip).
It was also belittled as an “estoppel” since Relucio-Lopez had also previously served as congresswoman in Guimaras aside from governor in the island province; her relationship with Rep. Lopez was never used with extreme necessity by her political enemies to stymie her stint as public servant.
It was tsismis or gossip that toppled Relucio-Lopez from the ambassadorial post to Italy.
-o0o-
We remember Gov. Relucio-Lopez’s predicament amid the decision of Facebook to lower the boom on fake news websites in the Philippines that contain false information.
The lady governor would have been a victim of cyber or internet bullying if social media was active during her time.
An outstanding public servant, Relucio-Lopez was a big loss in Philippine politics.
The idea of building a bridge between Guimaras and Iloilo had been conceptualized during her term as governor.
She refused to seek reelection for congresswoman at the time when Guimaras was starting to attract foreign investors and when “delicious” Guimaras mango became an international sensation.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Eating contest: Hotdog in US, mango in Guimaras
"The travel and tourism industry, it's just a huge part of our economy."
--Karen Hughes
--Karen Hughes
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Guimaras in the Philippines could get international attention for its unique Mango-Eat-All-You-Can event as part of the 2017 Manggahan Festival launched on May 11.
Americans have been on international cable TV for many years now for their hotdog eating contest in Coney Island that offers huge cash prizes for the winners.
Aside from its famous ice cream, Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, became a by-word worldwide also because of the annual Nathan Hotdog Eating Contest that has been attracting participants from other parts of the world.
In Guimaras, all that the participants need to do is consume as many mangoes as they can and become celebrities in their own locality.
The Guimaras Mango Growers and Producers Development Cooperative (GMGPDC) has reportedly prepared 10.4 tons or 10,400 kilos of mangoes for the event which unfolded on May 11 until May 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 at the Guimaras Provincial Capitol Grounds in San Miguel, Jordan
Organizers may also invite foreign mango-eaters in their future festivals so they can attract more tourists and further promote Guimaras' No. 1 fruit product now known in America, Europe, and other parts of the world.
Guimaras' groundbreaking style of promoting its mango and tourism industry is expected to help buoy its economy and inspire other provinces in the Philippines.
Americans have been on international cable TV for many years now for their hotdog eating contest in Coney Island that offers huge cash prizes for the winners.
Aside from its famous ice cream, Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, became a by-word worldwide also because of the annual Nathan Hotdog Eating Contest that has been attracting participants from other parts of the world.
In Guimaras, all that the participants need to do is consume as many mangoes as they can and become celebrities in their own locality.
The Guimaras Mango Growers and Producers Development Cooperative (GMGPDC) has reportedly prepared 10.4 tons or 10,400 kilos of mangoes for the event which unfolded on May 11 until May 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 at the Guimaras Provincial Capitol Grounds in San Miguel, Jordan
Organizers may also invite foreign mango-eaters in their future festivals so they can attract more tourists and further promote Guimaras' No. 1 fruit product now known in America, Europe, and other parts of the world.
Guimaras' groundbreaking style of promoting its mango and tourism industry is expected to help buoy its economy and inspire other provinces in the Philippines.
-o0o-
No earthquake panic in Western Visayas. Let's ignore the earthquake soothsayers who continue to plant fear in the hearts of the Ilonggos after the recent earthquakes in some parts of Luzon and Mindanao
Just because other parts of Luzon were recently rocked by tremors doesn't mean that Visayas will be the next, as what the soothsayers have been spreading via the social media and text messages.
The test of a hypothesis is whether it makes predictions that are borne out.
Unfortunately, geologists do not yet have a clear enough understanding of earthquake phenomena to predict reliably and consistently where and when earthquakes will occur.
Just because other parts of Luzon were recently rocked by tremors doesn't mean that Visayas will be the next, as what the soothsayers have been spreading via the social media and text messages.
The test of a hypothesis is whether it makes predictions that are borne out.
Unfortunately, geologists do not yet have a clear enough understanding of earthquake phenomena to predict reliably and consistently where and when earthquakes will occur.
-o0o-
A popular security guard of a famous Chinese school in Iloilo City had a near-death brush with heat stroke two weeks ago.
"Maayo lang nahingaw ako dayon sa emergency room (It's good that I was immediately rushed in the emergency room)," the sikyu, who did not want to be named, told a former student he recognized while he was recuperating in the intensive care unit.
The sikyu first experienced a facial droop uneven smile, followed by arm numbness, and arm weakness.
He also had slurred speech, difficulty speaking or understanding. When he realized it's stroke, he acted fast which was the key to treating stroke.
Get will soon, Koroy!
May, by the way, is a Stroke Awareness Month.
"Maayo lang nahingaw ako dayon sa emergency room (It's good that I was immediately rushed in the emergency room)," the sikyu, who did not want to be named, told a former student he recognized while he was recuperating in the intensive care unit.
The sikyu first experienced a facial droop uneven smile, followed by arm numbness, and arm weakness.
He also had slurred speech, difficulty speaking or understanding. When he realized it's stroke, he acted fast which was the key to treating stroke.
Get will soon, Koroy!
May, by the way, is a Stroke Awareness Month.
-o0o-
If we exercise regularly in a warm climate, it doesn't matter what time we work out, according to Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.Weather it's at the beginning or end of the day, we are likely to see the same strength gains, thanks to our body's response to the consistent conditions...Let us eat more vegetables and fruits and less meat. Let us minimize if not totally stop the wanton slaughter of animals...TO ALL LOVERS OF CIGARETTE: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals. Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and nicotine are some of the major components, with lesser amounts of acetone, acetylene, formaldehyde, propane, hydrogine cyanide, toluene, and many others.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Who's telling a lie in the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge project?
"It is not good to cross the bridge before you get to it."
--Judi Dench
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- It's a white lie.
I have serious misgivings on reports that Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar had "confirmed" to Mayor Eugene Reyes of Buenavista, Guimaras that the construction of the much-ballyhooed Panay-Guimaras-Negros or Western Visayas bridge "will start under the Duterte administration."
If Villar did say this, then he is phony.
Politician Villar only probably wanted to take fellow politician Reyes for a ride.
Without a latest feasibility study, how can a project begin?
Can a cart move ahead of the horse?
To add confusion, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-6) Regional Director Ro-Ann Bacal reportedly said that the construction of the inter-island bridge "is among the priority projects of the DPWH."
The proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge is not among the priority projects of the DPWH this year, madame director.
Therefore, there can be no construction in the radar this year and in 2018.
It's actually back to dreamland.
BUDGET
When Villar lobbied for DPWH's P458.61-billion budget for 2017 before the House Committee on Appropriations in August 2016, the Western Visayas bridge was not among those listed in the country's "most ambitious infrastructure program" Villar enumerated that would benefit from the expanded budget (the amount is P61 billion higher than last year's P397.108 budget.).
DPWH's priority projects are the following: Taal Lake Circumferential Road, San Nicolas-Sta Teresita, Alitagtag, Batangas; Gurel-Bukod-Kabayan-Buguias Road (leading to Mt Pulag, Bulalacao Lakes, Kabayan Mummies), Bokod, Kabayan and Buguias, Benguet; Cagaray Circumferential Road, Bacacay, Albay leading to Misibis Resort and white beaches in Albay; Tatay-El Nido Road, Palawan; Jct (Tagbilaran East Road, TER) Guindulman-Anda-Badiang Cogtong -Road leading to beaches and resorts, Anda, Bohol; Borongan, Llorente Closed Canopy Forest Area, Maydolong, Eastern Samar; and Island Garden City of Samal Circumferential Road, Davao del Norte.
NAIA Expressway; Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway; NLEX Harbor Link, Segment 10; Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3; Plaridel By-Pass Road, Phase II; NLEX Harbor Link, Segment 8.2; Central Luzon Link Expressway - PHase I (Tarlac-Cabanatuan); Cavite-Laguna Expressway; SLEX TR4, Sto Tomas-Lucena; C6 - Phase I, Southeast Metro Manila Expressway; and NLEX-SLEX Connector Road.
Also, Candon City By-Pass Road, Ilocos Sur; Laoag City By-Pass Road, Ilocos Norte; Plaridel By-Pass Road, Phase II; Carcar By-Pass Road, Carcar City, Cebu; Palo West By-Pass Road, Palo, Leyte; Tacloban City By-Pass Road, Leyte; Cotabato City East Diversion Road; Alae By-Pass Road; and Davao City By-Pass Construction Project, Mindanao.
LOBBY
The inter-island bridge project, conceptualized way back during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos, doesn't have a detailed budget yet despite the spirited lobbying of the Regional Development Council (RDC) and almost all congressmen and women.
There's also a misconception that China, which maintains a shaky relationship with the Philippines owing to its repeated intrusion in the Panatag Shoal, will fund the project that could cost up to an estimated P65 billion.
What Chinese Vice Minister Fu Ziying of the Ministry of Commerce and Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez had agreed, and which was covered by a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in their March 18, 2017 meeting, was for the Chinese government to help fund the feasibility studies of at least two of the nine Philippine projects China had pledged to support.
A feasibility study does not commence the construction of any project.
Last year during the Aquino administration, the government had also sought the help of South Korea to fund the project's feasibility study, as revealed by Senator Franklin Drilon, to no avail.
CAUTION
Experts, meanwhile, have cautioned the Philippine government of the scale of risks in the provisions of megaprojects like the 23.19-kilometer-long Western Visayas bridge.
Nicanor R. Roxas, Jr., who drafted the Cost Overruns and the Proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros Inter-Island Bridge Project, confirmed that the Western Visayas bridge project has been studied by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and DPWH with varying projected costs and designs.
The costs reportedly range from P53 billion in 1999, P28.5 billion in 2010, and P54 billion in 2011.
"This just reflects the uncertainties in cost estimation for this kind of project. Different designs and alignments have different associated costs, but even if everything has been finalized, there is still no guarantee that costs will not change. Unforeseen problems will be encountered along the way, and together with these problems are unpredicted cost adjustments that pile up resulting in large cost overruns," Roxas warned.
EXPERIENCE
He added: "The Philippines does not have any experience in constructing a project of such magnitude. Thus, we have no formula for success, just like most of the other failed projects completed in the past."
Roxas explained that "it is easier to enumerate projects that failed than projects which have succeeded. Therefore, it does not look promising and all the more the need to look into the experience of others in megaproject construction. It is clear that the effects of megaproject provision are extensive. If the megaproject construction fails, which is highly probable, other sectors are getting adversely affected."
Roxas, a master of engineering specializing in Transportation Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and member of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines (TSSP) and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), further warned that "it does not look promising and all the more the need to look into the experience of others in megaproject construction."
--Judi Dench
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- It's a white lie.
I have serious misgivings on reports that Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar had "confirmed" to Mayor Eugene Reyes of Buenavista, Guimaras that the construction of the much-ballyhooed Panay-Guimaras-Negros or Western Visayas bridge "will start under the Duterte administration."
If Villar did say this, then he is phony.
Politician Villar only probably wanted to take fellow politician Reyes for a ride.
Can a cart move ahead of the horse?
To add confusion, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-6) Regional Director Ro-Ann Bacal reportedly said that the construction of the inter-island bridge "is among the priority projects of the DPWH."
The proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge is not among the priority projects of the DPWH this year, madame director.
Therefore, there can be no construction in the radar this year and in 2018.
It's actually back to dreamland.
BUDGET
When Villar lobbied for DPWH's P458.61-billion budget for 2017 before the House Committee on Appropriations in August 2016, the Western Visayas bridge was not among those listed in the country's "most ambitious infrastructure program" Villar enumerated that would benefit from the expanded budget (the amount is P61 billion higher than last year's P397.108 budget.).
DPWH's priority projects are the following: Taal Lake Circumferential Road, San Nicolas-Sta Teresita, Alitagtag, Batangas; Gurel-Bukod-Kabayan-Buguias Road (leading to Mt Pulag, Bulalacao Lakes, Kabayan Mummies), Bokod, Kabayan and Buguias, Benguet; Cagaray Circumferential Road, Bacacay, Albay leading to Misibis Resort and white beaches in Albay; Tatay-El Nido Road, Palawan; Jct (Tagbilaran East Road, TER) Guindulman-Anda-Badiang Cogtong -Road leading to beaches and resorts, Anda, Bohol; Borongan, Llorente Closed Canopy Forest Area, Maydolong, Eastern Samar; and Island Garden City of Samal Circumferential Road, Davao del Norte.
NAIA Expressway; Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway; NLEX Harbor Link, Segment 10; Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3; Plaridel By-Pass Road, Phase II; NLEX Harbor Link, Segment 8.2; Central Luzon Link Expressway - PHase I (Tarlac-Cabanatuan); Cavite-Laguna Expressway; SLEX TR4, Sto Tomas-Lucena; C6 - Phase I, Southeast Metro Manila Expressway; and NLEX-SLEX Connector Road.
Also, Candon City By-Pass Road, Ilocos Sur; Laoag City By-Pass Road, Ilocos Norte; Plaridel By-Pass Road, Phase II; Carcar By-Pass Road, Carcar City, Cebu; Palo West By-Pass Road, Palo, Leyte; Tacloban City By-Pass Road, Leyte; Cotabato City East Diversion Road; Alae By-Pass Road; and Davao City By-Pass Construction Project, Mindanao.
There's no Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge project on the list, which would have eaten up an estimated 30 percent of the DPWH national budget.
Villar did mention, however, that his department was "studying the feasibility of proposed P21.67 billion Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridge Project."LOBBY
The inter-island bridge project, conceptualized way back during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos, doesn't have a detailed budget yet despite the spirited lobbying of the Regional Development Council (RDC) and almost all congressmen and women.
There's also a misconception that China, which maintains a shaky relationship with the Philippines owing to its repeated intrusion in the Panatag Shoal, will fund the project that could cost up to an estimated P65 billion.
What Chinese Vice Minister Fu Ziying of the Ministry of Commerce and Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez had agreed, and which was covered by a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in their March 18, 2017 meeting, was for the Chinese government to help fund the feasibility studies of at least two of the nine Philippine projects China had pledged to support.
A feasibility study does not commence the construction of any project.
Last year during the Aquino administration, the government had also sought the help of South Korea to fund the project's feasibility study, as revealed by Senator Franklin Drilon, to no avail.
CAUTION
Experts, meanwhile, have cautioned the Philippine government of the scale of risks in the provisions of megaprojects like the 23.19-kilometer-long Western Visayas bridge.
Nicanor R. Roxas, Jr., who drafted the Cost Overruns and the Proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros Inter-Island Bridge Project, confirmed that the Western Visayas bridge project has been studied by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and DPWH with varying projected costs and designs.
The costs reportedly range from P53 billion in 1999, P28.5 billion in 2010, and P54 billion in 2011.
"This just reflects the uncertainties in cost estimation for this kind of project. Different designs and alignments have different associated costs, but even if everything has been finalized, there is still no guarantee that costs will not change. Unforeseen problems will be encountered along the way, and together with these problems are unpredicted cost adjustments that pile up resulting in large cost overruns," Roxas warned.
EXPERIENCE
He added: "The Philippines does not have any experience in constructing a project of such magnitude. Thus, we have no formula for success, just like most of the other failed projects completed in the past."
Roxas explained that "it is easier to enumerate projects that failed than projects which have succeeded. Therefore, it does not look promising and all the more the need to look into the experience of others in megaproject construction. It is clear that the effects of megaproject provision are extensive. If the megaproject construction fails, which is highly probable, other sectors are getting adversely affected."
Roxas, a master of engineering specializing in Transportation Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and member of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines (TSSP) and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), further warned that "it does not look promising and all the more the need to look into the experience of others in megaproject construction."
Monday, March 13, 2017
Duterte appoints new Iloilo, Negros judges
"I love judges, and I love courts. They are my ideals, that typify on earth what we shall meet hereafter in heaven under a just God."
--William Howard Taft
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- If I were House Speaker Pantaleon "Bebot" Alvarez, I would refrain from further humiliating detained Senator Leila De Lima.
In his most recent media conference, the former cabinet official of then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo lambasted De Lima calling her as the "No. 1 drug lord in the Philippines."
True or not, in our culture we don't kick somebody who is already down.
Especially a woman.
We never heard the same level of vitriol and angry words from past speakers like Nicanor Yñiguez, Ramon Mitra Jr., Jose De Venecia, Arnulfo Fuentebella, and Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
.-o0o-
President Duterte has appointed the following judges for the islands of Panay and Negros:
-Daniel Antonio Gerardo S. Amular (RTC Branch 35, Iloilo City);
-Oscar Leo S. Billena (RTC Branch 70 Barotac Viejo, Iloilo);
-Jose E. Mauricio E. Gomez (RTC Branch 71 Barotac Viejo, Iloilo);
-Nelita Jesusa Arboleda-Bacaling (RTC Branch 72 Guimbal, Iloilo);
-Gemalyn Faunillo-Tarol (RTC Branch 76, Janiuay, Iloilo);
-Ernesto L. Abijay, Jr. (RTC Branch 10 San Jose, Antique);
-Josefina Fulo-Muego (RTC Branch 13 Culasi, Antique);
-Phoebe A. Gargantiel-Balbin (RTC Branch 45 Bacolod City, Negros Occidental);
-Edwin B. Gomez (RTC Branch 77 Sipalay City, Negros Occidental);
-Gwendolyn I. Jimenea-Tiu (RTC Branch 60 Cadiz City, Negros Occidental);
-Reginald M. Fuentebella (RTC Branch 73 Sagay City, Negros Occidental);
-Mila D. Yap-Camiso (RTC Branch 74 La Carlota City, Negros Occidental);
-Gertrude Belgica Jiro (MTC Dumangas, Iloilo);
-Kathryn Rose A. Hitalia-Baliatan (MTC Miag-ao, Iloilo);
-Meliza Joan Berano Robite (MTCC Branch 2 Iloilo City);
-Larnie Fleur B. Palma-Kim (MTCC Branch 6, Iloilo City);
-Mark Anthony D.R. Polonan (MTCC Branch 8, Iloilo City);
-Rysty Ann C. Espinosa-Borja (MTCC Branch 9, Iloilo City);
-Joan Marie B. Bargas-Betita (3rd MCTC Malinao-Lezo-Numancia, Aklan);
-Maria Fe Macabales-Taal (3rd MCTC Patnongon-Bugasong-Valderrama, Antique);
-Joevy Paclibar Velnzuela (5th MCTC Sigma-Sapian-Jamindan, Capiz);
-Kathleen Gigante Delantar (MTCC Branch 2 Roxas City, Capiz);
-Jeeli Panaguiton Espinosa (2nd MCTC Buenavista-San Lorenzo, Guimaras);
-Bienvenido B. Llanes Jr. (MTC Pontevedra, Negros Occidental);
-Jose Meno C. Ruiz (MTCC Escalante City, Negros Occidental);
-Jose Manuel A. Lopez (MTCC Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental); and
-Maria Concepcion Elumba Rivera (MTCC, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental).
-o0o-
WE can't blame Mayor Alex Centena of Calinog, Iloilo if his presence has been sorely missed in important gatherings like the League of Municipalities.
Ever since President Duterte mentioned Centena's name as among those allegedly included in narco-politics, the dashing former chair of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) during the Marcos years has reportedly refused to join in various social and political events in Iloilo.
"He has become security conscious," noticed a former broadcaster from Cabatuan, Iloilo, who is familiar with Centena's activities during the halcyon years.
"The mayor stays in his safe house most of the time and his whereabouts can't be ascertained even by some of his municipal staff in regular days and during weekend."
WEIGHT
He became reclusive and lost weight, the former broadcaster added.
Centena have reportedly cancelled all his out-of-town commitments and refused interviews with reporters who come to Calinog.
Duterte has threatened to kill those involved in trafficking and manufacturing of illegal drugs, including some local government executives.
More than 7,000 have been killed nationwide since the Duterte administration launched the "Oplan Tokhang" against known drug pushers and users.
Centena has repeatedly denied links to any drug lord, but admitted slain Iloilo City-based drug lord Melvin "Boyet" Odicta Sr. once visited his house where he maintains a mini-zoo.
--William Howard Taft
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- If I were House Speaker Pantaleon "Bebot" Alvarez, I would refrain from further humiliating detained Senator Leila De Lima.
In his most recent media conference, the former cabinet official of then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo lambasted De Lima calling her as the "No. 1 drug lord in the Philippines."
True or not, in our culture we don't kick somebody who is already down.
Especially a woman.
We never heard the same level of vitriol and angry words from past speakers like Nicanor Yñiguez, Ramon Mitra Jr., Jose De Venecia, Arnulfo Fuentebella, and Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
.-o0o-
President Duterte has appointed the following judges for the islands of Panay and Negros:
-Daniel Antonio Gerardo S. Amular (RTC Branch 35, Iloilo City);
-Oscar Leo S. Billena (RTC Branch 70 Barotac Viejo, Iloilo);
-Jose E. Mauricio E. Gomez (RTC Branch 71 Barotac Viejo, Iloilo);
-Nelita Jesusa Arboleda-Bacaling (RTC Branch 72 Guimbal, Iloilo);
-Gemalyn Faunillo-Tarol (RTC Branch 76, Janiuay, Iloilo);
-Ernesto L. Abijay, Jr. (RTC Branch 10 San Jose, Antique);
-Josefina Fulo-Muego (RTC Branch 13 Culasi, Antique);
-Phoebe A. Gargantiel-Balbin (RTC Branch 45 Bacolod City, Negros Occidental);
-Edwin B. Gomez (RTC Branch 77 Sipalay City, Negros Occidental);
-Gwendolyn I. Jimenea-Tiu (RTC Branch 60 Cadiz City, Negros Occidental);
-Reginald M. Fuentebella (RTC Branch 73 Sagay City, Negros Occidental);
-Mila D. Yap-Camiso (RTC Branch 74 La Carlota City, Negros Occidental);
-Gertrude Belgica Jiro (MTC Dumangas, Iloilo);
-Kathryn Rose A. Hitalia-Baliatan (MTC Miag-ao, Iloilo);
-Meliza Joan Berano Robite (MTCC Branch 2 Iloilo City);
-Larnie Fleur B. Palma-Kim (MTCC Branch 6, Iloilo City);
-Mark Anthony D.R. Polonan (MTCC Branch 8, Iloilo City);
-Rysty Ann C. Espinosa-Borja (MTCC Branch 9, Iloilo City);
-Joan Marie B. Bargas-Betita (3rd MCTC Malinao-Lezo-Numancia, Aklan);
-Maria Fe Macabales-Taal (3rd MCTC Patnongon-Bugasong-Valderrama, Antique);
-Joevy Paclibar Velnzuela (5th MCTC Sigma-Sapian-Jamindan, Capiz);
-Kathleen Gigante Delantar (MTCC Branch 2 Roxas City, Capiz);
-Jeeli Panaguiton Espinosa (2nd MCTC Buenavista-San Lorenzo, Guimaras);
-Bienvenido B. Llanes Jr. (MTC Pontevedra, Negros Occidental);
-Jose Meno C. Ruiz (MTCC Escalante City, Negros Occidental);
-Jose Manuel A. Lopez (MTCC Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental); and
-Maria Concepcion Elumba Rivera (MTCC, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental).
-o0o-
WE can't blame Mayor Alex Centena of Calinog, Iloilo if his presence has been sorely missed in important gatherings like the League of Municipalities.
Ever since President Duterte mentioned Centena's name as among those allegedly included in narco-politics, the dashing former chair of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) during the Marcos years has reportedly refused to join in various social and political events in Iloilo.
"He has become security conscious," noticed a former broadcaster from Cabatuan, Iloilo, who is familiar with Centena's activities during the halcyon years.
"The mayor stays in his safe house most of the time and his whereabouts can't be ascertained even by some of his municipal staff in regular days and during weekend."
WEIGHT
He became reclusive and lost weight, the former broadcaster added.
Centena have reportedly cancelled all his out-of-town commitments and refused interviews with reporters who come to Calinog.
Duterte has threatened to kill those involved in trafficking and manufacturing of illegal drugs, including some local government executives.
More than 7,000 have been killed nationwide since the Duterte administration launched the "Oplan Tokhang" against known drug pushers and users.
Centena has repeatedly denied links to any drug lord, but admitted slain Iloilo City-based drug lord Melvin "Boyet" Odicta Sr. once visited his house where he maintains a mini-zoo.
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