Filipinos in South Korea

Makati Business Club, Coalition Against Corruption unified call to Abolish Pork Barrel, Pass FOI, 1M Protest August 26

Abolish the pork barrel system. Pass the (Freedom of Information) FOI bill.

This is what businessmen, church leaders and members of civil society say the government should do to address the scandal involving the alleged misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel by senators and representatives.

The Makati Business Club (MBC) and the Coalition Against Corruption (CAC) on Sunday, August 18, condemned the "systemic diversion" of the pork barrel for "private aggrandizement" into "phantom organizations."

"Thus it is most unfortunate that amidst the earnest efforts of the government to bolster the national coffers through increased tax compliance, the people's money has been allegedly misused by conniving individuals, both inside and outside of government," the groups said in a statement.

The Commission on Audit's latest report on the PDAF found at least 6.156 billion worth of pork barrel was misused and released to dubious non-government organizations.

"The current scandal shows just how vulnerable the PDAF is to manipulation and corruption, and exposes the utter lack of accountability among its many proponents. As such, we strongly support initiatives seeking to do away with the PDAF," the groups said.

MBC and CAC challenged lawmakers to pass the FOI bill, which seeks to install fast procedures on accessing documents of high public interest, to stop future misuse of public funds.

"We believe that this landmark legislation, coupled with ongoing efforts at promoting good governance, will be an effective deterrent to abuses perpetrated by the corrupt," they said.

The statement was signed by the Bishops-Businessmen's Conference for Human Development, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines - National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice, and Peace, Citizens' Congress for Good Governance, Makati Business Club and the Transparency and Accountability Network.

One Million People March Protest August 26

Anti-pork barrel advocates are set to gather at the Luneta Park on August 26, National Heroes' Day, and are using social media to rally participants to their cause.

"What we need is a MILLION PEOPLE MARCH by struggling Filipino taxpayers- a day of protest by the silent majority that would demand all politicians and govt. officials (whatever the political stripes, color they may carry) to stop pocketing our taxes borne out from our hard work by means of these pork barrel scams and other creative criminal acts."

How to participate?

The event is set to begin at 9AM. Those attending are asked to meet at the KM 0 marker adjacent to the Rizal Monument and are encouraged to wear white.

On social media, supporters are also encouraged to tweet to @ProtestaNgBayan and post a status message on Facebook that includes the statement:

"I am *name* Pinoy ako. I pay my taxes, on-time and full. You, my government, owe me a full explanation."

The hashtags #OnePinoy #MillionPeopleMarch and #ProtestaNgBayan are also being used.

Online campaigns sprout

Though the One Million People March against Pork Barrel may be the first protest rally organized entirely through social media, online campaigns are nothing new in the Philippines.

People Power 2 and 3 were largely fueled by people sending text messages within their social networks, calling on others to rally.

Rappler.com

Hundreds of Canadian $12K Dollar - 16 Seater Electric Vans heading to invade Smokey Jeepney Territory in Manila

The Comet, a prototype 16-passenger electric van, is headed to the Philippines today. It will be the first of hundreds of Comets that will replace heavily-polluting diesel jeepneys in the capital city of Manila. The vehicle was designed and built by Pangea Motors, based in Vancouver.Photo by Troy Wayrynen

A 16-passenger electric van built in Vancouver is headed to the Philippines yesterday, the first of what backers hope will be thousands of locally produced public transportation vehicles headed to the crowded streets of Manila.

The Comet, designed and built by Pangea Motors in a nondescript building near downtown Vancouver, Canada is viewed by its developers as a partial solution to the extreme air pollution in the congested city of 14 million residents. Pangea has orders from the Philippines for 200 Comets this year and expects that number to climb to 600 by the end of the year. Company CEO Michael Hippert sees the possibility for thousands of orders next year.

With that prospect in mind, the company is looking for a production site, most likely in either Vancouver or Clackamas, Ore., that Hippert says could employ hundreds by next year.

The vehicle, which made a brief publicity appearance on Vancouver streets near Esther Short Park on Monday morning, is the brainchild of Hippert and fellow electric vehicle industry veteran Ken Montler. They see the Philippines as a test site for a niche of urban transportation that makes sense for many of the world's highly congested cities.

"We believe this can be replicated anywhere in the world," said Montler, CEO of GET International, which is marketing the Comet for Pangea.

Hippert and Montler are two of three investors in Pangea, and they are the U.S. half of a joint partnership in GET International with Philippine investors. Both men were leaders in Porteon Electric Vehicles, which closed its doors after a deal to manufacture vehicles in St. Lucia collapsed. They launched the two new companies only about six months ago.

Social, financial ambitions

They have big ambitions for their venture's environmental, social, and financial potential. Manila's air pollution is among the world's most severe, Montler said, contributing to major respiratory problems for residents. The foul air from the city's approximately 55,000 diesel urban transport vehicles, known as jeepneys, reduces the life expectancy for jeepney drivers, he said. The Comet, they believe, will ease those problems.

Jeepney owners recognize the benefits that the Comet offers, Hippert said, and Philippine government officials are supporting their effort. The vehicles, which will cost around $12,000, have only about 400 parts compared to 3,000 parts for a gas-powered vehicle, reducing maintenance needs and vehicle down time. Electric power will reduce operational costs, and GET will work with local officials to establish designated transit routes to improve operational efficiency, Montler said.

In addition, Hippert and Montler have developed new financial streams for drivers, vehicle owners and their companies. Each vehicle is equipped with a video screen on the back wall, which could generate revenue from focused ad sales. Their long-term financial projects assume that the bulk of revenues will come from sales of ads that are targeted to the demographics of riders on individual routes.

The company also anticipates making money on commissions on prepaid fare cars and on fleet management services. Hippert said those revenues will be shared with vehicle owners and drivers,

The prototype vehicle is designed so that it can be built in easy-to-assemble components that can be shipped overseas for final assembly in the Philippines. That approach reduces costs for labor and shipping, while creating local jobs in the Philippines, Montler said.

For the local production in Canada, Hippert said the company will initially need 35,000 to 50,000 square feet, and that its needs could soon expand to 100,000 square feet. The company has been meeting with the Columbia River Economic Development Council in Clark County and with Clackamas County officials in Oregon, he said.

Bonnie Moore, CREDC's vice president of business growth and innovation, said she believes Pangea has found a solid market niche for electric vehicles. She said she has been actively searching for a site that would work for the company. "I just need to find an empty, and not too decrepit, building," she said.

But she acknowledged that Oregon and Clackamas County often have the ability to offer more incentives than Clark

"I think that startups need to go where the funding is, in their first seven years," she said.

No plan yet to set up a production plant in the Philippines. For orders and Information email:    sales [ @ ] highkot.com

With report from The Columbian 

USA said to Philippines – leave Panatag Shoal to China; Navy supposed to fight for Panatag. USA is selling Panatag to China for their debt.. ?

This article could be annoying but this could help each readers to think some possibilities. "Rebuilding for the Better Philippines" is not also anti Americans but we are just trying to figure out everything to give light some issues hidden by the government to the crying public. The Philippines could be a victim in this case.

USA Trillion Dollar Debts in China quits for selling Panatag shoal, a Philippine Island?

According to the About.com –US Government Info, the U.S. debt was more than $14.3 trillion during the so-called debt crisis of 2011, when the level of borrowing reached its statutory limit and the president warned of a potential default if the cap wasn't raised.

So who owns all that U.S. debt?

About 32 cents for every dollar of U.S. debt, or $4.6 trillion, is owned by the federal government in trust funds, for Social Security and other programs such as retirement accounts, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury.

China and U.S. Debt

The largest portion of U.S. debt, 68 cents for every dollar or about $10 trillion, is owned by individual investors, corporations, state and local governments and, yes, even foreign governments such as China that hold Treasury bills, notes and bonds.

Foreign governments hold about 46 percent of all U.S. debt held by the public, more than $4.5 trillion. The largest foreign holder of U.S. debt is China, which owns more about $1.2 trillion in bills, notes and bonds, according to the Treasury.

In total, China owns about 8 percent of publicly held U.S. debt. Of all the holders of U.S. debt China is the third-largest, behind only the Social Security Trust Fund's holdings of nearly $3 trillion and the Federal Reserve's nearly $2 trillion holdings in Treasury investments, purchased as part of its quantitative easing program to boost the economy.

Criticism of China Owning U.S. Debt

To put China's ownership of U.S. debt in perspective, its holding of $1.2 trillion is even larger than the amount owned by American households. U.S. citizens hold only about $959 billion in U.S. debt, according to the Federal Reserve.

Other large foreign holders of U.S. debt include Japan, which owns $912 billion; the United Kingdom, which owns $347 billion; Brazil, which holds $211 billion; Taiwan, which holds $153 billion; and Hong Kong, which owns $122 billion.

Some Republicans have expressed concern over the amount of U.S. debt owned by China. Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, a 2012 presidential hopeful, joked that when it came to the debt "Hu's your daddy," a reference to Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Despite such joking, the truth is the bulk of the $14.3 trillion U.S. debt - $9.8 trillion in all - is owned by the American people and its government.

U.S to Philippines: stop anti-China rhetorics

Pres. Aquino greets Col. Stephen Neary, commander of the US Marines participating in 2011 Balikatan exercises.

A Commentary written by by Ellen Tordesillas published in Yahoo News titles "U.S to Ph: stop anti-China rhetorics"  gains criticism by the Pro Pnoy supporters as it tried to give light of the hidden agenda of China's take over in the Panatag Shoal, Zambales Province.

Many, including high-ranking Philippine officials, like to think that increased presence of American military in the Philippines, which is a subject of talks between the two countries starting today, is a commitment by the Americans to defend the Philippines in case of an armed conflict in the West Philippine Sea, where a number of islands are being claimed wholly or partly by the Philippines, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Those who have taken these view will be disappointed because the U.S has taken  a neutral position in the conflicting claims in the South China Sea (part of it is referred to  as West Philippine Sea) and has always been consistent  in urging for a peaceful resolution of the conflicting claims.

The Obama administration has decided to rebalance its military forces from Middle East to Asia, in what is seen by analysts as a move to contain China's hegemony in the region.

But as former UN Representative Lauro Baja, Jr.  observed, the  Americans do not want to 'vulgarize' this objective.

In increasing its presence in Asia, the United States does not want to play referee to countries fighting over  islands, rocks and  shoals. "They want a stable region. They don't want to prejudice their strategic relations with China, which is more important than claims over rocks and shoals," Baja said.

In preparation for the implementation of their Pivot to Asia policy, senior American officials have been coming here the past months and assessing the situation. One thing that they were concerned about is the tension between the Philippines and China over  the disputed islands especially Bajo de Masinloc otherwise known as Scarborough Shoal or Panatag shoal and lately the Ayungin shoal.

The Philippines has filed a suit with the UN Arbitral Court questioning China's nine dash-line, which encompasses the whole South China Sea including several countries' territories.

A source said some of the analysts interviewed by American officials said that the "Shame China" strategy of the Department of Foreign Affairs under  Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has contributed largely to the  deteriorating relations between the Philippines and China.

Del Rosario has, several times accused China of  "duplicity and intimidation." Malacañang spokesperson Edwin Lacierda has also made sure that he is not behind in China-bashing.

In the 2010 and 2011 State-of-the Nation address by President Aquino, he had strong words against China.

In his 2011 SONA, Aquino, declared: " There was a time when we couldn't appropriately respond to threats in our own backyard. Now, our message to the world is clear: What is ours is ours; setting foot on Recto Bank is no different from setting foot on Recto Avenue."

He was referring to the disputed Recto or Reed Bank near Palawan.

In his 2012 SONA, he talked lengthily about the situation in Bajo de Masinloc. He said, "We demonstrated utmost forbearance in dealing with this issue. As a sign of our goodwill, we replaced our navy cutter with a civilian boat as soon as we could. We chose not to respond to their media's harangues. I do not think it excessive to ask that our rights be respected, just as we respect their rights as a fellow nation in a world we need to share.

"There are those who say that we should let Bajo de Masinloc go; we should avoid the trouble. But if someone entered your yard and told you he owned it, would you agree? Would it be right to give away that which is rightfully ours?"

Aquino can be stubborn. But he listens to America. Last year, a month after he withdrew all the ships from Bajo de Masinloc, he, supported by the majority of the members of his cabinet, decided to send back the ships to the area which was by then already controlled by the Chinese. Upon learning of Malacañang's decision, the U.S. relayed the advice through defense officials that it would not be wise to send back the ships to Bajo de Masinloc . The ships were not sent back.

Our source said, two weeks before the President's State of the Nation address, U.S. officials advised the DFA and Malacanang to tone down their anti-China rhetorics to reduce tension in the region. That explains why in last month's SONA there was no mention, not a word, about conflict with China.

Last Aug. 2, Del Rosario, who never let any media opportunity to censure China pass, told members of the foreign correspondents association in the country, that he was not keen on guesting in their forum on the South China Sea because he was "looking for a modus vivendi with China."

China should thank Uncle Sam..

With report from Yahoo news

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