5 Million Signature initiative to abolish “Pork barrel” pushed by Chamber of Commerce; Aquino blame Arroyo for his dip rating

In Photo: The women's group Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan join the clamor to abolish lawmakers' Priority Development Assistance Fund and Malacañang's Disbursement Acceleration Program fund and called for the passage of laws and programs that will benefit all Filipinos in a recent news conference commemorating World Rural Women's Day. (Nonoy Lacza)

PCCI to hold nationwide consultation drive on 'pork' barrel, DAP abolition

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the country's biggest association of private firms, is embarking on a nationwide consultation drive among businessmen on the raging clamor to scrap both the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or pork-barrel fund, and Malacañang's Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) fund.

Amid persistent reports of PDAF and DAP misuse, PCCI President Miguel Varela said the proposed People's Initiative to abolish the pork- barrel system will be tackled in the forthcoming Philippine Business Conference from October 22 to 24 at the Manila Hotel.

"We will not close our ears on these [pork barrel] concerns in our country. Our principal concern is the growth of the economy and if there are concerns that hamper growth, we will have to act," said Varela at a news briefing at the PCCI office in Taguig City on Wednesday.

He said "the signal for the PCCI chambers to mobilize is when the Supreme Court declares that the power of Congress to create pork-barrel fund is constitutional."

"Our chambers will then convene voters to discuss whether or not they will sign a People's Initiative to abolish the congressional PDAF or the Disbursement Acceleration Program Fund or any other discretionary funds," said Varela in a prepared statement on Wednesday.

He added that PCCI chapters wield considerable influence in their respective communities. "Businessmen, as the largest taxpayers, have the right to express their opinion on how their taxes are spent," Varela said.

He added that while the Philippines has been experiencing significant economic gains in as shown by three consecutive credit upgrades, such gains will only be eroded if issues like corruption and PDAF misuse are not properly addressed.

"We have some significant gains [in the last few years] and we don't want to lose those gains [because of the pork-barrel issue]," Varela said.

The People's Initiative to scrap the pork barrel needs the signature of at least 5.08 million or 10 percent of registered voters and 3 percent of voters in every congressional district.

Former Chief Justice Reynato Puno earlier proposed the People's Initiative, which the constitution allows as a specific measure to abolish the PDAF.

At the Malacañang Palace, President Aquino said more charges are being lined up in connection with the pork-barrel mess even as he lamented the negative fallout his administration is getting from the alleged anomalies found to have been committed during the time of his predecessor.

Interviewed after presiding over a meeting on government preparations for the massive rehabilitation of areas damaged by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Central Visayas on Monday, Mr. Aquino admitted his dismay over the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey indicating a dip in his public satisfaction rating and conceded the pork-barrel mess caused it.

"I suppose it had an effect [on his administration's ratings]," Mr. Aquino said. But he added that the alleged anomalies were found to have been committed between 2007 and 2009. "And who was in Malacañang at that time? Not us," he added.

He complained in Pilipino that it was like everyone in government had been implicated, even those who had nothing to do with it.

Mr. Aquino wished that "in time, the people will see what we have done to ensure that what happened from 2007 to 2010 won't happen again, and i hope they will then judge us fairly."

He also asserted his long held belief that the government should not be run for the sake of getting good ratings. "We should govern on the basis of what is right, that is where we will anchor our decisions," he added in Pilipino. 

As for the other public officials implicated in the pork barrel mess, Aquino said the cases are now with the office of the Ombudsman. "It is an independent constitutional body tasked to bring the cases before the Sandiganbayan, and we will be filing more cases," Aquino added but did not identify the additional indictees. – Business Mirror

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Space act 2012 for ₱2 Billion Pesos Satellite is worthy than ₱10 Billion Pesos stolen from Pork barrel

Reaching for the stars: Why the Philippines needs a space program

Is it time for the Philippines to invest in a national space agency? Scientists say that we should, and soon.

Reaching for the stars might just be the solution to many of the country's national problems such as weather prediction, disaster management, telecommunications, and national security.

"When you ask an ordinary Filipino, the common impression is that we don't need something that's so far out. But one thing that most Filipinos don't realize is that space science has a huge impact in our daily lives," said Dr. Rogel Mari Sese, assistant professor in physics and head of the Astrophysics Laboratory in the University of the Philippines-Los Baños.

Space sciences brought us the GPS, allowed us to make transnational calls through satellite-based communication, and began the foundations of the technology responsible for developing our laptop computers and digital cameras.

The benefits of having our own satellites

Before sending astronauts to space, launching the satellites will be the first priority should a space program be established in the Philippines.

We could launch bigger satellites meant to provide faster Wi-Fi connections and more reliable telecommunications signals across the entire country. That way, the technology would be truly ours and not "borrowed" from other countries. even far-flung areas of our country will receive reliable communication platforms.

Science advocacy partylist group Agham's spokesperson, Angelo Palmones, believes that this would open doors to several possibilities, including telemedicine, where telecommunication devices are used to help in providing health care to people far away.

Bigger satellites would take millions of dollars and decades to complete. But more recent technologies allow scientists and engineers to build smaller, more robust satellites.

The picosatellite, also called the "cansat" since it's the size of a soda can, can be used for disaster management.

"We can launch small instruments that can take an aerial survey of a particular area to determine which areas are affected by, say, flooding. And it's much low cost much easier than getting a helicopter, driving there and taking a picture because everything is automated," said Sese.

Since it is a very robust technology, it can be adapted to different purposes, like aerial surveys, environmental monitoring and scanning, and defense.

"It's technically not the satellite that we are thinking now na nag-o-orbit, but the technology is similar to what is actually orbiting. The development process of that cansat and an actual satellite are the same."

Another small satellite called the cube sat measuring 10cm by 10 cm by 10 cm takes two years to develop. The technology is also so robust that the developer can alter its functions to meet a specific need.

"That's one technology that we should consider going into. Kasi it's easily attainable, it doesn't need much resources," Sese said. "Fifty million is way more than enough for that."

Sese said that the Philippines has enough professionals capable of developing this kind of technology. Experts in the fields of physics, computer science, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and electronics and communications engineering can build a satellite like such if they work together.

"Yung nga lang hindi sila nagcocollaborate. But if we can get these people to work together, then in two years, we can have our own satelllite."

SPACE.com/NASA & ESA - This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows edge-on galaxy NGC 4710

Absence in space, a threat to national security?

The Philippines does not have its own satellite, which means that we don't have direct access to space. This is an issue of national security and is of vital importance to the Philippines.

"The moment that the other countries cut off our access to space, paano na tayo?"

 

Space is the "next frontier" and losing access to it will leave the Philippines lagging behind.

He also said that it is a huge security for us not to have access to space.

"Our election (results) actually passed through Singapore through Singtel. So imagine the security risk of allowing a foreign country to have access to the potential results of the political landscape in the Philippines. Pag minodify naman nila yun sa satellite, wala naman makakaalam. It's very easy to do that," he said.

"Our coastguard is not capable of protecting the whole territorial waters of the country diba? But through satellite data, you can actually see if certain ships are actually trespassing through the waters of the Philippines."

Hence, the importance of having an agency that will centralize all these functions.

The Philippine Space Act of 2012

Agham's Angelo Palmones is lobbying for the second time, a bill called the Philippine Space Act of 2012.

It attempts to create the Philippine Space Agency – a body in charge of all space programs and efforts in the country. It will also be mandated to develop a road map for space science in the Philippines.

Among the agency's objectives are: to promote the peaceful use and exploitation of space and advance the knowledge of space through research; to help promote national security; to ensure that space S&T shall provide economic benefits for the nation and help raise the standard of living of Filipinos; to cooperate with other institutions in the country, or in other nations or groups of nations for work to be done in pursuant to this Act; to expand and utilize scientific and engineering resources in close cooperation with and among different institutions in the Philippines in order to avoid duplication of effort, facilities, and equipment.

Today, the space program of the country is disorganized, given that it is scattered in different agencies such as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophisical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

"Walang iisang direksyon on how we can harness information from the space to address disaster mitigation, telecommunication, and planning in general," Palmones said.

This set up, he said, causes misunderstanding and duplication, when together, they can use each others' resources to help one another.

The establishment of the Philippine Space Agency aims to consolidate and centralize all of the country's space efforts, and work towards launching our own satellites.

It will take about 500,000 million pesos to establish this agency, Palmones said. "Meron na tayong existing agencies e. So may mga funding na ito."

Sese's estimate is at one to two billion pesos (₱ 2 Billion Pesos).

Education for a sustainable space program

Pushing for the bill is only half the battle. Sese said that we also have to take care of the education aspect and train people who would be experts in the space sciences. Otherwise, we'd have an agency without the qualified personel.

"We want to have a sustainable space program. It's easy to have a space program. But to have a sustainable space program is much more difficult. We need people who are trained, we need people who are educated in this field."

Sese said that we have to start training people now if we want a space agency established three or five years down the line.

"Somewhere, we have to find the balance between the two. Number of people being trained and yung facility, medyo sabay sila (dapat mag-grow)," he said.

It's not too late for the Philippines

Compared to Japan and the United States, we are way behind when it comes to space sciences. But within the neighboring countries of Southeast Asia, we're somewhat in the middle.

Sese said that we're fifth out of the ten Southeast Asian nations, behind Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Thailand has a good astronomy program, while Vietnam continues to improve with telecommunications. Indonesia has the longest tradition of space education spanning over 90 years.

"In a way, there's still time for us to catch up," Sese said.

Why we're holding back

"We always succumb to the belief that we don't have money. And I disagree," Palmones said.

"If funds are properly used and channeled to more laudible programs, matagal na dapat naumpisahan. But simply because we believe that it's not necessary and we don't have so much money."

Bangladesh and Vietnam, nations with lower gross domestic product (GDP) compared to the Philippines, have established their own space research agencies in 1980 and 2006, respectively:

After 24 years of research Bangladesh launching its first satellite in 2015. It aims to "reduce reliance on foreign satellites for cable channels and improve telecom services to the remote areas of the country," a report said. http://ph.news.yahoo.com/bangladesh-launch-satellite-2015-041004541.html  

Vietnam—which started its space research much later, in 2006—was able to launch its first satellite VINASAT-1 in 2008.

"I think what is needed is there should be someone who would really push for this agency: someone with the proper technical background and motivation to develop a space agency. It takes dedication and hard work, getting people to involve, to be aware of the space agency science is a huge effort," Sese said. — TJD, GMA News

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American Lawyer to face illegal China in behalf of the Philippines, Vietnam, Borneo ‘till 2014

Lawyer Paul Reichler points to the area in dispute on a map of South China Sea in his office in Washington, D.C [Melissa Golden for The Wall Street Journal]

Philippines Takes China's Sea Claims to Court

A Washington Lawyer Helps Manila Challenge Beijing's Sea Claims

Paul Reichler, a Washington-based lawyer, has spent much of his career representing small countries against big ones: Nicaragua versus the U.S.; Georgia versus Russia; Mauritius versus the U.K., Bangladesh versus India.

His first big victory made headlines in the 1980s when the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that U.S. support for Contra rebels trying to overthrow the left-wing Sandinista government of Nicaragua violated international law.

That's one reason to pay attention to the case he launched this year at a United Nations arbitration body: the Philippines versus China.

Lawyer Paul Reichler, who specializes in international public law, is taking China to court on behalf of the Philippines over a dispute in the South China Sea.  [Melissa Golden for The Wall Street Journal]

Mr. Reichler is the lead lawyer representing Manila in its legal challenge against China's claim to almost all of the South China Sea, signified by the "nine-dash line"-a U-shaped protrusion on Chinese maps that brushes the coastlines of smaller states, including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The Philippines brought the case in January under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which governs the world's oceans. China is a signatory. The heart of the case is that the line has no basis under the U.N. convention, which states that coastal states are entitled to a territorial sea extending 12 nautical miles as well as a 200-mile economic exclusion zone in which they have rights to fish and extract undersea resources.

"Of course we're aware of the enormity of taking on a country like China. We'd be foolish not to" be aware, says Mr. Reichler, a litigator with the U.S. law firm Foley Hoag.

The Arbitral Tribunal has appointed a five-person panel of judges and issued a timetable for handling the case, including a deadline for the Philippines to submit its evidence by March 30 next year.

It's the first time that Beijing has been taken to a U.N. tribunal and China is furious. Most recently, it showed its displeasure by making clear that Philippine President Benigno Aquino III wouldn't be welcome at a trade event in southern China in August. The Chinese Foreign Ministry didn't respond to requests for comment on the arbitration action. But Beijing has said it will ignore the legal proceedings, without giving any reasons.

China insists that territorial disputes over islands in the South China Sea should be settled through bilateral negotiation under its frequently stated principle of "shelving disputes and going in for joint development." The sea contains potentially vast reserves of oil and natural gas. In addition, Beijing maintains that the nine-dash line presents no obstacle to freedom of navigation in a stretch of water that carries a third of global trade—a major U.S. concern.

Beijing's refusal to participate hasn't stopped the case going ahead. It could even speed its resolution: Mr. Reichler says that if China doesn't take part, the case could wrap up by the end of 2014. Such cases can otherwise drag on for up to five years.

To some skeptics, Manila's challenge is quixotic. Even if the tribunal decides it has jurisdiction over the case, and then finds in Manila's favor, Beijing could simply ignore the verdict.

Yet there are more than legal considerations at stake. The case is also significant for what it will signify about the way that China views the world.

China's self-image is wrapped up in its own sense of victimhood at the hands of imperialist powers led by Britain starting in the mid-19th century. That, in turn, has driven a Chinese foreign policy that professes to treat all countries equally, large or small, rich or poor.

But now that China is a global player, and dominates its own backyard, neighbors are asking anxious questions. Will it seek to work within existing international laws, or try to bend them to suit its purposes? As it acquires a blue-water navy to project power far from its own shores, will it be more tempted to use force to settle territorial disputes? And how will it treat smaller countries, like the Philippines, that feel bullied by China's growing military might?

Mr. Reichler is counting on international opinion to sway China's response toward any judgment that doesn't go China's way. "It's a terrible blow to a state's prestige to defy a tribunal's decision," he says.

From the Philippines' point of view, legal action was the last option after diplomacy failed. China wouldn't budge from its claim to "indisputable sovereignty" over the whole sea, say officials in Manila, and it was steadily encroaching on Philippine territory. Last year, Chinese ships fenced off the Scarborough Shoal, a fishermen's haven just west of Manila. China says the Philippines navy was harassing Chinese fishermen.

Manila conducted a global search for legal counsel before settling on Mr. Reichler. "We wanted the best," says one high-placed Philippine official.

China uses history to support its claims to the South China Sea and all its land features. These date back to its own imperial days centuries ago, when China treated its neighbors as mere vassals. However, the nine-dash line itself was first published on a map in 1947 by the Chinese Kuomintang government, and the Communists inherited it after the civil war that brought the Communists, led by Chairman Mao, to power.

The line extends almost to Indonesia, some 900 miles from China's southernmost territory, Hainan Island. Such a far-reaching claim has no parallel anywhere in the world.

As for the islands, rocks and reefs that fall within the line, Mr. Reichler makes a technical argument in the Philippines' case. The convention rules that a habitable island is entitled to a 200-mile economic exclusion zone. A rock that juts out of the sea gets 12 miles. A semisubmerged reef gets nothing.

Mr. Reichler's argument is that all the sea features that the Philippines disputes with China are either rocks or reefs. And, therefore, even if China owns them, it has only limited rights to the surrounding resources.

His legal team is pulling together a massive document to support that contention consisting of aerial photographs, naval charts, hydrology reports and geographical findings. "I'm not in a position to say how China will react," he says. "My job is to say [to the Philippines]: 'This is a good case for you to win or not.'"

Write to Andrew Browne at andrew.browne@wsj.com

Wall Street Journal 

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Powerful show of force of INC's outreach shut down Philippine Capital - a political message to the PORK in the Government?

Iglesia ni Cristo's 1.5 to 2 Million show of Force shut down Manila. Photo from Inquirer

Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) a Philippine founded religious group, Christian sect causes traffic chaos as more than 1.5 million people bring together in Philippine capital - Manila.

More than 1.5 million people converged on the Philippine capital on Monday for a powerful Christian sect's evangelical event, causing traffic chaos that shut down large parts of the megacity.

The gathering of the secretive and politically influential Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) in the historic district of Manila forced all schools and some government offices to close.

The Supreme Court was also suspended, as were some basketball games in the highly popular college league, while Manila's governing authority urged private employers to give their staff a paid day off to avoid the traffic.

"We really apologise for those who were inconvenienced. Maybe they can just pass this off as a minor sacrifice to help their countrymen," Iglesia ni Cristo spokesman Edwin Zaballa said.

Iglesia ni Cristo, which is believed to have about three million members, held the event ostensibly as a medical and charity mission, with its followers giving aid to residents of huge slums.

Zaballa said it was also part of year-long celebrations across the country to mark the lead-up to its centenary next year, and "to spread the word".

Between two and three million people attended the event, according to Manila's police chief, Isagani Genade, while the organisers estimated the crowd at between 1.5 million and two million people.

The event is one of many ostentatious displays of faith in the mainly Catholic Philippines, where religious leaders also wield heavy political influence.

However, not everyone attending was celebrating.

Volunteer-members of the Christian sect the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ), prepare to distribute food supplies to the indigent in Manila, Philippines, on Monday. Photo: AP

In a square fronting Manila's central post office, tempers frayed during the fierce afternoon heat as men, women and children jostled while waiting for medical care offered by the group.

"This is madness. I have been here since dawn to get a free medical check-up, but I will get more sick in this heat," said factory worker Flor Kato, a 40-year-old mother of five who was complaining of chest pains.

Several others fainted due to the heat, while others simply gave up in frustration.

Founded by Felix Manalo in 1914, Iglesia ni Cristo exerts huge political influence in the Philippines despite being outnumbered by the country's more than 75 million Catholics.

Its followers are instructed to vote as a bloc, so politicians often seek their leaders' anointment during election season.

Its teachings are more conservative than the Catholic Church, with its followers not allowed to marry non-members. They are also required to give 10 per cent of their salaries to the church.

Miriam: Pols who don't get INC message are fools

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago said that the evangelical and medical mission of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) has a political message, contrary to what Malacañang and the religious group claim.

"There is a message behind the INC event today. If you are a politician and you don't get it, you are a fool," Santiago said in a statement.

The INC event on Monday will provide free medical and dental services to over a million people in Manila that shut down the capital. The Palace has downplayed the claim that the event was a show of force by the influential religous group more than a mere relief mission.

"At this point, we have no reason to believe otherwise than the purpose for which it is being stated that it is a medical and dental mission," Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said at a televised press briefing.

In radio and television interviews, INC's Minister of The Gospel Edwil Zabala denied that politics was behind Monday's event.

He said the INC has long been conducting the same event in various parts of the country to reach out to those who are in need.

On Twitter, several Filipinos complained of the heavy traffic caused by the event, which has also forced local government units in Metro Manila to suspend classes.

Supreme Court Spokesperson Theodore Te particularly criticized local officials responsible for managing the traffic caused by the event of the INC, which he described as a "favored sect." With report from phiSTAR.

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DoTC awards ₱61.46 Million contracts for four domestic airport development projects

Proposed Puerto Princesa Palawan domestic airport. image from:  philippineairspace.blogspot.com

FOUR FIRMS have been awarded four separate airport projects in Visayas and Mindanao, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) said in a statement.

D.G. Sarmenta Construction bagged the contract for the Semi-Permanent Airport Terminal Project at the Puerto Princesa Airport for ₱21.50 million. The bid ceiling was ₱22.68 million. The project involves the installation of various electrical works, including air conditioning units.

V.T. Lao Construction won the contract to develop the Dipolog Airport for ₱26.70 million. It involves the construction of river protection and runway strip grade correction of the said airport. The original bid ceiling was ₱34.26 million.

Advance Tech Construction & Trading Corp. was awarded the Zamboanga Airport Development Project, which involves creek de-siltation, de-clogging of box culvert, and construction of a steel strainer, for ₱5.74 million. The bid ceiling was ₱6.02 million.

Vesa Engineering and Construction successfully bid for the Catarman Airport Development Project with ₱7.52 million. The project, whose original bid ceiling was ₱7.56 million, entails asphalt overlay of the runway and construction of a perimeter fence.

The DoTC awarded the contracts on Sept. 30, 2013

"This will improve passenger convenience by allowing the airports to meet increasing tourist arrivals in the meantime that long-term upgrades are being done," said DoTC Spokesperson Michael Arthur C. Sagcal said in the statement.

"We are aiming for this to be up by summer next year."

The agency saved over ₱9 million from these projects, which the government can now use to accelerate spending in order to boost the country's economy through the Disbursement Allocation Program (DAP), the DoTC said.

Meanwhile, the ₱1.72-billion Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) public-private partnership project under DoTC is set to be auctioned off on Nov. 18, now that the DoTC has finalized the concessionaire agreement for the said project.

The project was supposed to be bid out on Aug. 30 but was deferred due to needed tweaks in its concessionaire agreement. It then was rescheduled to mid-October, before getting reset to November.

The AFCS project entails the decommissioning of the magnetic ticketing system of Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3. The system will then be replaced with contactless smart card technology.

The project also involves the introduction of a centralized back office that will perform the necessary distribution of revenues.

Reporting:   L.C.S. Marasigan - BWorldOnline

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Japan Firm bids $300 Million Dollars E-tryke Mass production in the Philippines; more jobs

Electro-glide: Tokushi Nakashima, president of Uzushio Electric Co.'s subsidiary in the Philippines, rides the company's electric tricycle in Manila. | KYODO

• 1 charge: 50 Km max
• Cost: ₱_____
• No. of passenger: 7-9 pass
• Weight: 500 Kg
• Speed: 60kph
• Imported oil savings: $100 Million USD per year

Japanese electric vehicles maker and distributor Uzushio Electric Co. is making a bid to distribute electric tricycles in the Philippines as the country implements a plan to replace 100,000 gasoline-burning, air-polluting tricycles by 2016.

Tokushi Nakashima, head of BEET Philippine Inc., a local subsidiary of Uzushio Electric Co., told a press conference Monday that his company has submitted a bid to the Asian Development Bank, which is providing $300 million toward the e-tricycle project being carried out in cooperation with the Philippine government.

The company, which opened in March, also registered its e-trike model with the Philippines' Land Transportation Office, affirming its roadworthiness and making it accessible for interested private consumers.

Nakashima said Uzushio Electric, having developed more than 50 models of electric vehicles in Japan, is ready to help the Philippines solve its environmental woes through participation in the project, while at the same time improve the lives of tricycle drivers who are expected to take home a bigger daily income because electricity costs less than gasoline.

Also called tuk tuks, tricycles, which carry between four to nine passengers, are commonly seen in residential areas of Metro Manila, as well as on highways in the countryside. They are notoriously loud and emit a lot of exhaust.

The Philippine government hopes the e-tricycle project will cut down on noise, save more than $100 million a year in fuel imports, create jobs through local production of e-tricycles and decrease annual carbon dioxide emissions by about 260,000 tons.

An ADB study shows gasoline-fueled tricycles are responsible for more than two-thirds of all air pollution generated by the country's entire transport sector, and without intervention, the carbon emissions are set to almost quadruple in less than 25 years.

Nakashima said BEET's e-tricycle is made of five key components, which satisfy the requirements for the Philippines' various road and weather conditions: a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, an AC motor, an inverter, a vehicle control unit, and a battery management system.

It weighs around 500 kg, accommodates up to seven people including the driver, runs at speeds of up to 60 kph and can cover 50 km on a single charge.

Nakashima said BEET Philippine has tied up with Softbank Mobile Corp. to develop a billing system for lease or loan payment, as well as the integration of an advanced telecommunication system to track the trikes.

BEET Philippine is in talks with potential assemblers in the Philippines in preparation for mass production, he added.

Nakashima declined to disclose how much the company's e-tricycle units would sell for since the ADB is still assessing its bid, along with those of another Japanese firm, a South Korean one and a Taiwanese one.

Japan Times

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$500 Million renewable energy projects would be completed by Bronzeoak Philippines in 2017; says ThomasLloyd

Bronzeoak Philippines Inc., a bioenergy developer, will complete $500 million worth of clean energy projects in 2017, adding 100 megawatts (MW) to the Philippine grid, its financier said Monday.

The projects are funded by ThomasLloyd, a European asset management and project finance group that investments especially in Asia renewable energy developments.

Under the ThomasLloyd Cleantech Infrastructure Fund, the company already invested $82 million in its Philippine portfolio, and is committed to invest $130 million more in the next two years.

The company will likely seek bank finance to complete its clean energy projects in the Philippines, Michael Sieg, ThomasLloyd Group chair and CEO told reporters Monday.

A solar power and three biomass-fired power plants in Negros and a biomass power plant in Tarlac are now in the pipeline. According to ThomasLloyd, these projects will generate 2,750 jobs and open up opportunities for farmers to sell farm waste as feed stock for the biomass projects.

Now under construction in Negros Occidental is the $45-million San Carlos Solar Energy plant which will be operational and connected to the grid in the second quarter of 2014. This 22 megawatt (MW) facility will deliver 35 million kilowatt hours (kWh) to the grid, ThomasLloyd noted.

Another project in the construction phase is the $85-million, 19.99-MW San Carlos Biopower which will start commercial operations in 2015. The plant will deliver 140 million kWh to the grid, said ThomasLloyd.

The biomass plants will use farm waste like sugarcane stalks, rice husks, coconut shells, palm frods, corn stalks, corn cobs and peanuts.

The biomass-fired power plants are expected to buy P500 million worth of agriculture wastes per year, said

Bronzeoak Philippines president Jose Maria Zabaleta Jr.

A joint venture between the Bronzeoak Group and Zabaleta & Co., Bronzeoak Philippines is mainly into developing bionergy projects.

The projects are going to be registered with the feed-in-tariff allocation for biomass projects, said Sieg. "The feed-in tariff allocation for biomass is significantly undersubscribed at the moment," the ThomasLloyd official noted.

The Department of Energy is now enforcing the feed-in-tariff scheme that gives incentives to local and foreign investors in renewable energy. – VS, GMA News

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Philippines registers ₱21.9-Billion budget surplus in August 2013 from ₱1.221 trillion expenditures

The Philippines registered a wider budget surplus in August, which helped trim the gap in the first eight months, prompting a Cabinet official to say that government efforts in keeping healthy finances are bearing fruit.

The Department of Finance noted the government recorded a ₱21.9-billion surplus after income and expenses in August were tallied, reflecting over 800 percent more than the ₱2.5 billion it registered a year earlier.

The surplus was beyond the ₱20.3 billion on program, and was able to trim the deficit in the first eight months to ₱82.6 billion.

In a statement, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima noted the August surplus came at a time when government was nearly on-target in spending, saying it was a sign of success in sustaining fiscal strength.

"The above-target surplus is highly encouraging given that the government came very close to hitting its spending target in August," said Purisima.

Revenue collections totaled ₱155.1 billion in August, against expenditures of ₱133.2 billion. Spending nearly hit the ₱138.4 billion on program.

Tax revenues amounted to ₱145.7 billion, representing 94 percent of the total, while non-tax sources contributed ₱9.4 billion.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue was able to collect ₱118.1 billion for the month, while the Bureau of Customs was able to bring in ₱26.1 billion.

The Bureau of Treasury recorded a ₱3.4-billion income in August other offices amounted to ₱7.5 billion.

In the first eight months, revenues reached ₱1.139 trillion, versus expenditures of ₱1.221 trillion.

"As other economies in Asia are resorting to aggressive revenue measures, we have proven that good governance has had a dramatic effect in restoring stability to the coffers of the government," Purisima said. – Siegfrid Alegado/VS, GMA News

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World Bank Up Philippine Growth Forecast to 7%; Japanese Firms embark on Outsourcing investmen

World Bank ups Philippine growth forecasts amid East Asia slow down

Washington-based World Bank on Monday raise its Philippine economic growth forecast for this year and the next, citing strong private and public consumption, in the face of an expected slowdown for the rest of developing East Asia.

In a video conference with developing East Asia-based journalists, World Bank East Asia and Pacific chief economist in Singapore Bert Hofman said forecasts for the whole region was "a bit down" as global demand remains tepid.

For developing countries in East Asia and the Pacific as a whole, gross domestic product (GDP) growth is seen at 7.1 percent from 7.8 percent in 2013 and 7.2 percent from 7.6 percent in 2014, according to the multilateral lender's East Asia and the Pacific Economic Update.

The lender, however, raised the Philippine GDP growth forecast to 7 percent from 6.2 percent this year and 6.7 percent from 6.4 percent in 2014.

The bank said the Philippines will grow by 6.8 percent in 2015.

"Most of the world's demand was slower than expected," said Hofman.

In the report, World Bank said the strong 7.6-percent Philippine GDP growth in the first half was "underpinned by consumption and services, with investment and manufacturing giving an extra boost."

Hofman noted Philippine consumer demand will stay strong and government spending likely to increase as the administration tries to address infrastructure bottlenecks.

According to the bank, the Philippine government needs to increase revenues so it can bankroll education, healthcare and infrastructure development as a way of making growth felt at the grassroots.

"Philippines needs more revenues in order to have a sustainable financing of government's inclusive growth agenda and infrastructure development," said Hofman.

In a briefing in Manila after the video conference, World Bank lead economist for the Philippines Rogier van den Brink said the approval of a fiscal incentives bill – a measure rationalizing tax perks of businesses – as well as moves toward improving the ease of doing business and abolishing anti-competitive measures will help "lock-in the growth path that the country seems to be embarking on."

He said the government tax perks should be given to "sectors that are labor intensive" because high unemployment has belied the country's strong growth.

Van den Brink, however, said reforms should only come from the government. "The policy reform agenda to create more and better jobs is wide ranging, which is why it will need a broad coalition support."

He maintained the Philippine economy will continue to enjoy strong fundamentals amid low and stable inflation in the next two to three years. Inflation settled at 2.8 percent in the nine months to September.

Japan companies looks to invest in Philippine outsourcing industry, says IBPAP

Japanese companies want to get a piece of the action in information technology and business process management by investing in the Philippine outsourcing industry, an official told reporters in a press conference Monday.

Five Japanese companies are dead serious about this, according to the Information Technology and Business Processing Association of the Philippines (IBPAP).

"There were at least five Japanese companies that visited the Philippines earlier to do due diligence, to determine if they will invest here or outsource," said IBPAP president Jose Mari Mercado.

On the Philippine side, Mercado noted 14 IT companies attended a forum in Japan organized by the Philippine embassy in Roppongi, Tokyo to promote the IT competency of Filipinos. There were around 150 Japanese businessmen at the forum.

"Our key message there on our IT competency is that we have the people and resources," Mercado said. "Japan is running out of these resources," he added.

Other Japanese companies were interested in animation, contact centers, and IT programming. Right now, 20 Japanese firms are outsourcing part of their business processes in the Philippines.

Mercado said Fujitsu is one of the companies with IT support operations in the Philippines, noting most of the Japanese companies with outsourced business process operations are in finance, accounting services and IT support. – VS, GMA News

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Shouting Idiots? .. hong kong UNCIVILIZED journalists kicked out of APEC for shouting at Philippine President Aquino

Yahoo Southeast Asia Newsroom/EPA - Philippine President Benigno Aquino during APEC Summit in Bali Indonesia

APEC hosts Indonesia on Monday denied stifling press freedom after withdrawing the credentials of nine Hong Kong journalists for shouting questions at the Philippine leader, insisting that they had posed a security threat.

Despite protests from Hong Kong's main journalist group, President Benigno Aquino's spokesman also said the journalists had "crossed the line" by aggressively questioning him about a hostage siege in Manila that left eight Hong Kong people dead in 2010.

"We deemed it improper for media to act that way, as they didn't talk normally but they were very demonstrative, like they were protesting," Gatot Dewa Broto, the Indonesian communications ministry official who is in charge of the APEC media centre in Bali, told AFP.

"So we did this due to security concerns," he said, adding that the press badges of nine Hong Kong journalists had been deactivated.

They were free to remain in Bali, but could no longer access the media centre or venues being used for the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the official said.

Hong Kong media said journalists and technicians were affected from Now TV, RTHK and Commercial Radio.

As Aquino entered a meeting of APEC business leaders on Sunday, the reporters demanded to know whether he would meet Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying in Bali and apologize to the families of the hostage crisis victims.

Now TV footage showed the journalists shouting "So you're ignoring the Hong Kong people, right?" and "Have you met CY Leung" as they tried to reach their microphones over Aquino's entourage.

He did not answer the questions, and APEC staff then intervened to admonish the journalists with one accusing the reporters of "ambushing one of our visitors", Now TV showed.

Sham Yee-lan, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Journalists' Association, said Aquino's government had "yet to provide a satisfactory explanation" for why the eight Hong Kongers had died in a botched police rescue and that the journalists in Bali were doing their job.

"The barring of the media for asking critical questions is an outright infringement of press freedom that is totally unacceptable," she said in a statement.

Now TV said its journalists were "only engaged in normal reporting duties" and urged intervention from the Hong Kong government, which is one of APEC's 21 members. There was no immediate comment on the incident from Hong Kong's delegation at APEC.

But Aquino's spokesman Ricky Carandang said the reporters had crossed an ethical boundary.

"As a former journalist I know what it's like to aggressively question a subject," he told AFP in Bali.

"The behavior of these reporters crossed the line from mere questioning to heckling, and was even construed by Indonesian security personnel assigned to the president as a potential physical threat to him," he said.

Yahoo! News

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