TradeExpress Asia HELPING LEADERS MAKE THE RIGHT MOVES

Vol. IV No. 37 January 21-February 9, 2008 Manila, Philippines A S&P Publication http://tradeexpress.wordpress.com

Korean GroupBuilds P3bResort In Cebu

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OVERSEAS Filipino workers racked up more than P45 billion inforeign exchange losses last year as a result of an unprecedented increasein the value of the peso vis-à-vis the US dollar, according to Trade Expressestimates.

The amount representeddisposable income from about $14billion in OFW remittances in 2007that would have spurred moreconsumer spending and fueledgrowth of small businessesparticularly in the provinces.

The local currency ended 2007with a parity rate of P41.40 to thedollar, up more than 18 percent fromP49 at the beginning of the year.

The peso’s appreciation, thehighest in seven years, led to a steepdecline in the purchasing power ofOFWs, disrupting their spendingpatterns during the year.

It also casts doubt on the

WORLD'S CHEAPEST AUTO IS MADE IN INDIAINDIA'S largest auto company, Tata Motor, has done what many experts thoughtwas an impossible job - building a people's car at a fraction of the cost of aregular sedan. After four years of research and development, Tata unveiled inJanuary the sub-compact "Nano". The price tag: $2,500 - roughly the equivalentof about P100,000 in today's pesos. Auro industry experts say chairman RatanTata's success in building a cheap car could revolutionize car manufacturingpractices around the world. Tata Motors which has an annual turnover of morethan $5.5 billion, is one of 80 companies in the highly diversified Tata Group.Shown is the Nano on display near the Gate of India in Mumbai, headquarters ofthe Tata Group.

A TOP-L E V E Ld e l e g a t i o nfrom one ofC a n a d a ’ sm o s tprogressiveprovinces isvisiting thePhilippines ine a r l yFebruary topromote expanded trade andeconomic relations between the twocountries. The delegation’s visit willrun from Feb. 9 to Feb. 13.

The trade and investmentmission from the province ofManitoba will be personally led byPremier Gary Doer who has occupied

Doer

THE Bureau of Customshas deferred the increase in thecontainer security fee (CSF)which it collects oncontainerized shipmentsentering Philippine ports tolessen the impact of the surgingpeso on shipping companies.

Customs CommissionerNapoleon Morales saidhowever that the additional feewill be imposed as soon aseconomic conditions allow it.

The CSF amounts to $25per 20-ft container and $50 per40-ft container. The fee ischarged for the use of x-rayscanning machines to examinecontainerized cargoes.

The 30 machines werepurchased from China through

the governor’s seat since 1999.Under Doer’s leadership,

Manitoba’s economy has exhibitedan annual growth rate higher thanthat of Canada as a whole.

The Manitoba delegation willbe composed of about 35 officialsfrom the government and private

sectors. Among the delegates isRandy Viray, president of theManitoba Filipino-CanadianBusiness Council.

They are scheduled to meetwith President Arroyo andmembers of her Cabinet as wellas with Canadian Ambassador

Desjardins Viray

ability of the export sector to realizea growth target of 11 percent for 2007after rising to 14 percent the previousyear. Some analysts believe thegrowth in the sector may fall shortof the revised target which wasoriginally set at 15 percent early lastyear.

The continued appreciation ofthe local currency has encouragedprospective OFWs to review theiroptions. Some plan to wait it outuntil corresponding adjustments incost of overseas labor are made.

The department of labor hasreported that in 2007, slightly over

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Georget

TradeExpress Asia is distributed to Members of Congress, Judiciary, Malacanang, Heads of Gov't Agencies, the Diplomatic Community and Leaders of Business and Industry.Also available in Airline Offices and selected Hotels and Coffee Shops in Metro Manila and Cebu.

OFWs lostP45b in '07;defaultson the rise

By SAMUEL V. SENOREN in MANILA

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Manitoba premier sets RP visitTAPPING SKILLED IMMIGRANTS

BoC DefersSecurityFee IncreaseTHE import volume of sensitive agricultural products will continue

to be controlled by the department of agriculture this year until a newagreement on agriculture is reached by member-countries of the WorldTrade Organization.

The list of sensitive products covers horses, swine, goats, poultry,potatoes, corn, sugar and coffee.

The quantitative restrictions are being implemented under amechanism called the minimum access volume (MAV) which was drawnby the Philippines and its trading partners as part of the WTO agreementseveral years ago.

The MAV allows importation of the sensitive products at specificvolumes with reduced tariffs.

MAV Executive Director Bernie Fondevilla announced that the MAVfor 2008 will be as follows: live horses, asses, mules and hinnies - 57head; live swine - 2,570 head; live sheep and goats - 82,290 head; livepoultry - 9,513,540 head; meat of swine, fresh, chilled or frozen - 54,210metric tons; meat of sheep and goats, fresh, chilled or frozen - 1,120 MT;meat and edible offal of poultry. fresh, chilled or frozen - 23,490 MT;potatoes, fresh or chilled - 1,550 MT; coffee beans - 1,457 MT; corn -216,940 MT; cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose in solidform - 64,050 MT; and coffee extracts - 37 MT.

The MAV will be distributed to existing quota holders which hadperformed creditably under guidelines issued by the department ofagriculture last year.

DA bares import quotasin agriculture for 2008

2 January 21-February 9, 2008

A NEW resort hotel in Lapu-Lapu City which is being built at acost of P3 billion is expected to openin 2009 to significantly increase thenumber of hotel rooms in the Cebu

Korean group to build P3b resort hotel in Lapu-Lapu City

TradeExpress Asia

area.The resort project is being

undertaken by the Korean-ownedPhilippine BXT Corp. which hastapped the Imperial Palace Hotel

chain in Seoul to manage it.Named Imperial Palace

Waterpark Resort and Spa, it willhave 616 rooms within a 7.5 hectareproperty.

Also scheduled to open soonin Cebu City and Mactan are hotelsowned by Microtel Inns and Suites.

By 2012, the Philippines willhave 20,000 more hotel rooms to

cope with the expected increase intourist arrivals.

In central Philippines alone, thenumber of hotel rooms could reach5,000, according to Tourism

Secretary Ace Durano.“The demand for three to five-

star hotel accommodations,especially in Cebu, is so huge.That is the biggest challenge ofthe tourism industry,” he said.Metro Manila is expected to

have 3,000 additional roomsbefore 2012.Durano said three other

international hotel and resortchains planned to put upfacilities in the Visayas. Theseare the Banyan Tree Hotels andResorts, Raffles Hotels andResorts and Four SeasonsHotels and Resorts.Banyan Tree Hotels operate in

Thailand, Indonesia, China,Maldives and Seychelles whileRaffles Hotels are found indestinations like Singapore, LosAngeles, Beijing and Cambodia.(PNA)

Robert Desjardins.Delegation members are

also scheduled to meet withlocal business leaders who areinterested in developingbusinesses in Manitoba.

The activities of thedelegation are being arrangedby the Canadian Chamber ofCommerce of the Philippinesheaded by Executive DirectorSean Georget.

Georget said that the visitof the Manitoba delegationshows how Canada views thePhilippines in terms of furtherimproving bilateral relations.

Aside from its boomingmanufacturing and agriculturesectors, Manitoba has emergedas a new world leader in thedevelopment and use of clean,renewable energy such ashydroelectric, wind,geothermal, ethanol andbiodiesel.

It recently commissioned a$200 million ethanol plantowned by Husky Energy whichis capable of producing 130million liters of ethanol annuallystarting this year.

Manitoba is also home toabout 60,000 ethnic Filipinosmost of whom live and workmainly in Winnipeg, theprovincial capital.

Manitoba (From page 1)

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3January 21-February 9, 2008

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P2.75b in fake goodsseized last year

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THE National Committee forIntellectual Property Rights (NCIPR)has reported that member agenciesengaged in IPR enforcement haveseized P5.25 billion worth of pirateditems since its creation in 2005.Goods held in custody as ofNovember last year totaled P2.75billion.

The Intellectual Property Officeof the Philippines (IP Philippines),the lead coordinator of inter-agencyefforts against piracy andcounterfeiting, gathered reports fromthe enforcement groups namely, theBureau of Customs (BoC), theNational Bureau of Investigation(NBI), the Optical Media Board(OMB), and the Philippine NationalPolice (PNP).

BoC seized a total of P2.21billion for the two-year periodfollowed by OMB with P1.79 billion.NBI confiscated P692 million worthof fake goods while the PNPcontributed P565 million to the totalfigure. Since the creation of NCIPRin 2005, total enforcement figureshave been on a steady rise. In 2005,the enforcement agencies hauled inP1.14 billion, and in 2006, the totalvalue was P1.35 billion.

“IP enforcement andinstitutional capacity-building arepart of our two-pronged approachin strengthening the IPR regime ofthe country. This approach is one ofeight sectors identified in thePhilippine IP Policy Strategy, which

we recently submitted to PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” Atty.Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr., directorgeneral of IP Philippines, said. “Fakeproducts,” he added, “threatenpublic health and safety. These alsocompete unfairly with legitimatebusinesses, cheat government oftaxes, and weaken inventorconfidence in our economy.”

“More than enforcement or theraids conducted for piratedintellectual property products, asound IP environment of thecountry means tapping thecreativity of the Filipinos, and toensure that the IP system promotesinnovation,” Cristobal disclosed.

IP Philippines spearheaded thecrafting of the Philippine IP PolicyStrategy to foster a competitive andcreative Philippines that uses IP asa strategic tool for nationaldevelopment, which is the vision ofthe office for the country.

Institutional capacity buildingand IP enforcement form part of theeight sectors in the policy strategy:public health; patent reform;universities, and research anddevelopment institutions (RDI);biodiversity and genetic resources;indigenous knowledge, systemsand practices (IKSP), folklore, andgeographical indications; small- andmedium-sized enterprises (SME)and copyright and other creativeindustries.

BoC (From page 1)

a loan provided by the Chinesegovernment payable in 20 years withan annual interest of 2 percent.

Indian drug firm launches operations in RP

The BOC is now planning toassess a similar fee on exporterssince they also use the machines toclear their export shipments. (PNA)

No great movement designed to change theworld can bear to be laughed at or belittled. Mockery is

a rust that corrodes all it touches.MILAN KUNDERA

TradeExpress Asia

By ROSE DE LA CRUZ in MANILAINDIA-BASED Dr. Reddy’s

Laboratories Inc. has entered thePhilippine market to serve what itcalls a “desperate need foraffordable medicines” to poorpeople and improve their access todrugs needed for good health.

At a full-packed launchattended by 1,200 invited doctorsat the EDSA Shangrila last October,the company bared a complete lineof products and service-basedsolutions that it currently sells inthe world, with 43 percent sold inthe US market followed by Europe.The company began selling itsproducts in Davao and Cebu priorto its launch in Metro Manila.

Rajesh Kumar, Senior Directorof Dr. Reddy’s, said “we see in thePhilippine market a big gap foraffordably-priced medicines, whichpoor people do not have access tobecause the market is dominated byhigh-priced drugs patented tomultinational companies.”

“While serving the under-served poor markets, we will alsobe giving the multinationalcompanies stiff competition so theywill be forced to price their productswithin the reach of most people,”Kumar said.

Antony Raj Gomes, SeniorDirector for Quality Control, said hiscompany invests as heavily ongeneric drugs as branded onessince “we produce not just the finalproduct (capsules and pills) for retailbut also raw materials for shipmentanywhere in the world.

“Our R & D efforts are equalfor branded and generic productsand we maintain the same superiorquality for all our products,” Gomessaid in reaction to the generalperception that India-made drugs

are inferior and substandard inquality.

“Maybe a lot of people havebought products from several otherIndian suppliers (there are over1,000 drug companies in India) butthat does not mean that all Indiandrug makers produce inferior qualitydrugs. How could we pass the stiffstandards of the US Food and DrugAdministration,” Gomes said.

Dr. Reddy’s and its sistercompany—Britton MarketingCorp.—are considered thedominant players in the Indian drugmanufacturing sector and hasregional headquarters in Russia,China, Central Eastern Europe, theMiddle East and Africa, LatinAmerica, Southeast Asia and SouthAfrica. In these markets, it offers awide range of formulations throughdistribution channels, strategicpartnerships and joint ventures.

Its global brands are: Omez(Omeprazole); Enam (Enalapril);Ciprolet (Ciprofloxacin); Stamlo(Amlodipine); Nise (Nimesulide);Ketorol (Keterolac); Grafeel(Filgrastim).

Its entry in the Philippines isthrough an initial 60 sales agentsand in possible tie ups with existingdrugstores and pharmaceuticalstores.

Its manufacturing facilities—which had been inspected by thestringent regulatory authorities ofthe world like USFDA, UK, South

Africa MCC, Brazil and Romania—produce oral solids, injectables andbiologics and it has a dedicatedoncology facility spanninginjectables, hormonals and oralcytotoxics.

“To our patients, we are knownnot only for our affordable therapybut more for newer solutions suchas the development of the 4-drugPolypill to reduce global cardiac riskfor millions and help manage one ofthe foremost causes of morbidityand mortality in the world today,”Gomes said.

Dr. Reddy’s is also active in advocacy boards like Cherish (forirritable bowl syndrome); Cope(prostate cancer) and MyelomaIndia Foundation (multiplemyeloma) aside from beinginstrumental in creating variousinterface forums for internationalthought leaders and medicalpractitioners to meet, enablingconstant upgrading of thestandards of care based on latestclinical evidence.

Dr. Reddy’s recently acquiredBetapharma, the world’s fourthlargest drug manufacturing facilitybased in Germany, to augment itscapacity for raw materials andfinished formulations.

Kumar said his company iswilling to sell directly to thegovernment, through the PhilippineInternational Trading Corp. so itcould beef up its medicine stocksfor retailing to the poor.

Filipino workers lead protest march in N. Marianas

China draws $67b in foreign equity

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KL cuts foreign laborKUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian government is considering ways

to reduce the number of foreign laborers, especially in the constructionand industrial sectors.

The government was concerned over the number of foreign workerswhich now totals 2 million, according to a report in The Star quotingMalaysian Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn.

One approach is to push for a pre-fabrication building to reducemanual laborers at worksites, Fong said.

Another approach is to push automation in the industrial sector, headded.

Malaysia has a population of 27.17 million, including 2 million migrantworkers.

Fighting global warmingTOKYO – The Japanese government has selected 41 countries for

assistance under its financial mechanism on climate change for developingcountries in a bid to take a lead in the battle against global warming.

China and India, two of the largest remitters of greenhouse gases, areincluded in the 41 countries mainly in Asia, Africa, Central and SouthAmerica, Kyodo News reported.

Eleven of the 41 countries have been designated as “earlyimplementation” countries. These are Kenya, Ethiopia, gabon, BurkinaFaso, Ghana, Madagascar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Guyana, Mexico andMicronesia.

GLOBAL foreign direct invest-ment (FDI) reached a record level of$1.5 trillion in 2007 despite the crisisin the financial and credit markets,according to the UN Conference onTrade and Development (UNCTAD)in Geneva.

FDI inflows increased in allthree groups of economies –developed countries, developingcountries and the transitioncountries of Southeast Europe and

the Commonwealth of IndependentStates (CIS), UNCTAD said in ayear-end report.

“The financial and credit crisisthat began in the latter half of 2007has not affected the overall volumeof FDI inflows,” the report said.

It noted that the global FDIgrowth was mainly driven by cross-border mergers and acquisitions oftransnational corporations as wellas strong economic performance in

Long-time Filipino guestworkers joined a historic march tooppose the recently passed labor lawwhich they said prevents them fromseeking an improved status in theU.S. Commonwealth.

Clad in white, workers from thePhilippines, China, Bangladesh,Nepal and Thailand responded tothe call of newly electedrepresentative Tina Sablan and localpublisher Ed Propst to makemanifest their opposition to therecently passed labor law—PublicLaw 15-108—in a peaceful marchtouted as “Unity March.”

Public Law 15-108, a laborreform law sponsored by Rep. CintaKaipat, not only hinders guestworkers from transferring to othercompanies, but it also requires themto make the mandatory six-month exitevery three years before they canreturn to the CNMI.

The law took effect January 1.Organizers of the Unity March,

which also called for support of a

By JONATHAN V. PEREZ in SAIPAN

bill in the U.S. Congress that aimsto federalize immigration system onSaipan, estimated the crowd to beclose to 8,000 where protesters worewhite t-shirts to show they areunited in asking the CNMIlegislature to revisit the labor reformlaw.

“This show of force justproves that many workers aredemanding action. This peoplepower is a statement by the peoplethat the legislature should not passbad laws oppressive to workers,their families, and the businesses,”said Dekada lawyer StephenWoodruff, an advocate of foreignworkers’ labor rights.

Dekada is one of theorganizations actively clamoring foran improved immigration status forlong-time guest workers.

Federal Labor OmbudsmanJames Benedetto said that thoughhe is not certain of the effect of the

rally to the CNMI Legislature’sposition, he is proud of what theworkers have done. “It is reallyamazing to see so many peoplewanting to express themselves.”

Augusto Reyes, a Filipino whohas been working as a mechanic inSaipan for 15 years, said he joinedthe Unity March to show supportfor improved labor status to workerslike him. “I have grown old here andSaipan benefited a lot from workerslike me. I just wanted to reap thefruits of my labor,” he said.

Rey “Hapi” Gabriel, who cameto Saipan in 1993 working as a waiterat a pizzeria, said he wanted jobsecurity. “I want to have a stablejob. The change of status givesworkers like me the assurance thatour employers will not just send ushome if they no longer want to renewour contracts.”

Those who joined the marchbelieve that P.L. 15-108 will berepealed when the CNMI’s 15thLegislature convenes this month.

many parts of the world.FDI flows to developed

countries grew for the fourthconsecutive year reaching $1trillion. The US maintained its placeas the single largest recipient,attracting $193 billion in 2007.

Overall, more than half of allFDI to developing countries wentto South Asia, East Asia, SoutheastAsia and Oceania. China received$67.3 billion in 2007, ahead of other

d e v e l o p i n gcountries. UNCTADw a r n e d ,however, thate c o n o m i cuncertainty andthe prospect ofa US recessionmight have anegative impacton FDI inflowsfor 2008. (PNA/Xinhua)

Changeyourself,change

yourfortune.

-Portuguese

Proverb

4 TradeExpress Asia January 21-February 9, 2008AROUND ASIA

IBM to expand in VietnamHA NOI – Steve Mills, vice president of IBM, disclosed that his group

plans to expand operation in Vietnam and Asia.He said IBM is in need of 30,000 programmers for its worldwide

expansion. He said he expected more Vietnamese students to work for hisgroup.

IBM Vietnam has signed a memorandum of understanding on trainingand cooperation with the Ha Noi University of Technologies and DTT-HaNoi CTT company.

ASEAN anti-crime body eyedJAKARTA – Member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian

Nations (Asean) have agreed to set up a non-government anti-crime agency,local media reported.

Dai Bachtiar, chairman of the Indonesia Crime Prevention Foundationand Indonesian Police Chief, said that the establishment of the agency wasvery important to the Southeast Asian region.

He added that it would encourage people in the region to take part infighting trans-national crime, terrorism, child abuse, human trafficking,corruption and other crimes.

India boosts oil reservesNEW DELHI – India will begin construction of strategic crude oil

storages this year as insurance against disruptions during wars and otheremergencies, according to news reports.

Of the three sites selected to hold 5 million tons a year of crude oilreserves equivalent to the country’s 15-day requirement, Visakhapatnam inAndra Pradesh would be the first site.

The other sites are Mangalore tapped for 1.5 million tons and Podur,2.5 million tons.

India has said it eventually wants to double the overall strategic reservecapacity to 73.3 million barrels.

(From PNA Wires)

Cosmetic surgery is risky, US experts warnCOSMETIC surgery is risky

and should be performed only onhealthy people, warned US medicalexperts.

The operations carry the samesignificant risks as any other kindof surgeries and should requirethorough preoperative screening,Dr. Rod Rohrich, chairman of plasticsurgery at the University of TexasSouthwestern Medical Center, wasquoted as saying by the LosAngeles Times.

As the number of cosmeticsurgeries increases rapidly, expertsare struggling to educate people.

“I think American consumers

have been treating plastic surgerylike a commodity,” said Rohrich.

“It’s not like going to find a pairof shoes. You can take the shoesback. You can’t bring your lifeback,” Rohrich said.

Nearly 11 million cosmeticsurgery procedures were performedin 2006, up 48 percent from the figureof 2000, according to the AmericanSociety of Plastic Surgeons.

A study published in the latestissue of Plastic and ReconstructiveSurgery found that seriouscomplications occurred in one outof 298 cases, and deaths occurredin one out of 51,459 cases. (PNA)

ACTRESS/TV hostRuffa Gutierrez is the newface of MET PremiumWhitening Soap. Shejoins a growing list of ce-lebrity endorsers whohave recently discoveredthe product’s benefitsthat go beyond skin whit-ening.

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OFWs lost (From page 1)

MADE IN JAPAN

one million workers found jobsabroad in such countries as SaudiArabia, United Arab Emirates,Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.

Of the total, nearly 250,000were hired to work onboard shipsas crewmen or service staff.

A more pronounced effect ofthe peso appreciation on the welfareof OFWs and their beneficiaries isexpected to be felt this year.

Last December, consumerspending was generally seen assubdued at a time when retail salesusually reach their peak in the run-up to the year-end holidays.

In fact, many retailers notedthat sales actually dropped by asmuch as 10 percent compared to theprevious year.

Analysts predicted that thefallout from the peso appreciationwould eventually spill to theproperty sector which had tappedthe OFW sector as a potentially

large and stable market.A survey conducted by the

Central Bank late last year showedthat about 34 percent of OFWsearmarked most of their earnings fordebt payments. Nearly all of thosesurveyed said the bulk of theearnings goes to food and otherhousehold needs.

Press reports have alreadyindicated that a portion of homeloans taken by OFWs had becomepast due.

According to a study by FirstMetro Investment Corp. andUniversity of Asia and the PacificCapital Markets Research headVictor Abola, defaults on OFWamortization payments to a mid-sizeproperty developer had reached analarming 35 percent.

The defaults in turn could raisethe level of non-performing loans(NPL) of banks which had fundedproperty developers on theexpectation that the turnaround ofthe sector would continue to be firm.

January 21-February 9, 2008 5BEAUTY TradeExpress Asia

New whitening soap offers total skin care

6 January 21-February 9, 2008TradeExpress Asia OPINION

The ID thing: Not again

Editing the Constitution

http://tradeexpress.wordpress.com

THE culture, refinement anddecorum of a highly ethical politicianare reflected in his cold neutralitywhen his bitter adversary isbeleaguered by the combined forcesof some separate formidable foes.

He does not take advantage ofthe popular adage that the enemyof your enemy is your friend, andthe friend of your enemy is yourenemy.

This is true of Rep. Luis R.Villafuerte, a dyed-in-the-woolpolitician with an exceedingly well-polished and sophisticated brain,and who is indefatigably crusadingfor genuine reforms in the House.

He maintained tranquility andconcord, and utmost civility whenthe head of his target for reformswas under siege.

Even in the face of Speaker Josede Venecia’s foul provocation whenhe falsely accused Louie V ofstaging a secret campaign to ousthim at a time when the latter was not

around in that Malacaòanggathering to answer his accusationbefore a gathering of 126congressmen that:

Villafuerte “is a muckraker … anintriguer … Chihuahua… kulokoy…”

When he inquired with extremepoliteness and gentility from theSpeaker on the veracity of hisaccusation, the latter immediatelymade an admission in avoidance bymaking the media his choppingboard with:

“That is only what media is (sic,media is plural; its singular form ismedium) saying”, and that he neversaid what he was quoted to havesaid.

The Bicol solon graciouslychallenged him to issue a categoricalpress statement that he neverattributed to the former the abovequoted words and phrases. TheSpeaker never did, thereby puttinghis credibility under test and heavysuspicion.

Nevertheless Villafuerte nevertook advantage of the Speaker’sbeing under siege. He never

unleashed any cyanide against theharassed and fainting and wobblingDe Venecia who, like a cyanidedornamental fish, swam withoutdirection from the bottom to thesurface and back to the roughcorals to sulk. More so when he wasscreamed at and yelled at, that hehad to scram out of the portals ofthe palace in that iniquitousmeeting.

Louie V could have joined theenemies of the Speaker in tearinghim down to pieces, but hisunyielding adherence to hispersonal code of morals andrefinement in politics, harnessed himto his magnanimity of valor andelegant statesmanship.

He was not even reported tohave gone to the palace during thethree successive meetings of thefavor-seekers with Her Excellency.He maintained independence ofjudgment, notwithstanding hispresidency of Kampi, the politicalparty of the chief executive herself.

He could have fawned andflattered the President, and tookadvantage of the yelling scene to

NO matter how thephraseology in the PhilippineConstitution is twisted, there is noway for former Philippine presidentsto validly seek election again to thehighest position of the land.

The contention that formerPresidents Estrada, Ramos andAquino are eligible for election tothe presidency because they are notactually seeking reelection due to agap of many years since they lastheld office, is stretching theinterpretation of the constitutionalprovision too far.

As it is written, Section 4 ofArticle VII of the Constitutionprovides, thus: “The President andthe Vice-President shall be electedby direct vote of the people for aterm of six years which shall beginat noon on the thirtieth day of Junenext following the day of the electionand shall end at noon of the samedate six years thereafter. The

President shall not be eligible for anyreelection. No person who hassucceeded as President and hasserved as such for more than fouryears shall be qualified for electionto the same office at any time.”

The problem and confusion liein the sentence “the President shallnot be eligible for any reelection.”

As broadly understood andpracticed, reelection is usually takento mean running for another term forthe same office immediately afterfinishing a term, as printed incampaign materials which enticevoters to “reelect so-and-sogovernor”, mayor, etc.

Thus, under this theory, thereis no prohibition for Estrada, FVRand Cory to run again for presidentin 2010 since they had long beenout of office.

However, a closer look at theconstitutional provision will showthat there is a key word that decideswhat the exercise is all about. Thatoperative word is ANY, spelled A-N-Y, as in ANY REELECTION.

In Mr. Webster’s dictionary,

“re” is identified as a prefix whichmeans anew, again or again andagain. So, whether the reelectionfollows immediately after one termor comes after a hiatus of one termor more, the word ANY clearlydeclares the intent of the provisionand invalidates the theory advancedby the Estrada group.

The Constitution was writtenby lawyers, and lawyers generallydabble in legalese which tend tomake matters more complicated.

As a former newspaper editor, Iwould have simply written that: “ThePresident shall serve for only oneterm. He cannot be elected again tothe same position.”

It may also be worth noting thatin the term limits for members ofCongress, the word reelection is notmentioned.

The provisions are clearer inthat they specify how far senatorsand congressmen can serve in theirrespective chambers. They providethat “no member of the House ofRepresentatives shall serve for morethan three consecutive terms”, and

THERE must be more than a hundred substantive issuesthat government leaders can pursue and advocate otherthan the national identification system.

Yet, the national ID system proposal is beingresuscitated when it had been declared dead a long timeago.

Revival of the proposal is being advanced on the groundthat it is vital to the success of the anti-insurgency efforts.

Of course, the argument is non-sequitur. How an IDcan help solve insurgency is quite difficult to comprehend.

A government mandate requiring all citizens tosubscribe to the ID system is certain to raise questions onits constitutionality again.

Opponents of the proposed ID system had argued thatit violates the right of citizens to privacy as guaranteed bythe Constitution.

Such contention was sustained by the Supreme Courtwhen it declared a similar plan by the Ramos administrationunconstitutional.

A former military man, Ramos wanted everybody livingin the Philippines to be IDed and numbered. The schemewas challenged by critics led by the late Sen. Blas Ople.

The landmark decision was handed down by theSupreme Court in G.R. 127685 on July 23, 1998.

It is interesting to note that the decision was pennedby then Justice Reynato Puno who is now the chief justiceof the Supreme Court.

In writing the decision, the chief justice took off fromthe 1968 case of Morfe v. Mutuc where the Supreme Courtdeclared that there is such a thing as a constitutional rightto privacy.

Wrote Justice Puno:“The right to privacy is one of the most threatened

rights of man living in a mass society. The threats emanatefrom various sources – governments, journalists,employers, social scientists, etc. In the case at bar, thethreat comes from the executive branch of governmentwhich by issuing A.O. 308 pressures the people tosurrender their privacy by giving information aboutthemselves on the pretext that it will facilitate delivery ofbasic services.

“Given the record-keeping power of the computer, onlythe indifferent will fail to perceive the danger that A.O.308 gives the government the power to compile adevastating dossier against unsuspecting citizens. It istimely to take note of the well-worded warning of KalvinJr. ‘the disturbing result could be that everyone will liveburdened by an unerasable record of his past and hiscapacity to forget.’

“We close with the statement that the right to privacywas not engraved in our Constitution for flattery.”

A politician will do anything to keep his job,even become a patriot. -William Randolph Hearst

Publisher: SAMUEL V. SENOREN

TradeExpress Asia

EDITORIAL

Editor: DENN A. MENESESCorrespondents

Manila: CONSTANTINO C. GANTINAO III,TESS R. BIGORNIA, ABE C. MARZO, BUTCH F. GUINA

Quezon City: ALEJANDRO DANAO JR., ROSE DE LA CRUZ Bangkok: CONNIE S.P. ESTAMPADOR

Palau: NAZARIO RODRIGUEZ JR. Saipan: JONATHAN V. PEREZChandigarh: PANKAJ TANEJA Sydney: WILLY AGUINOMelbourne: ARIEL S. GENER

By FRANK GREGOViaThePen

Congressman Villafuerte

Mississippi: D. E. WILSON

ColumnistsEDGAR E. SERRANO, FRANK GREGO, RAUL S. GONZALEZ, BER PACHECO

Editorial CartoonistARCHIE D. ALMEIDA

In My Notes By SAMUEL V. SENOREN

Chair: MARITESS G. CONCEPCIONAdvertising: TONI O. BARSANA

TradeExpress Asia is a controlled circulation newspaper distributed to selected leaders in government, business and industry.It is published by S&P Strategists Corp. with editorial and business offices at 18th Floor, Prestige Tower, Emerald Avenue, OrtigasCenter, Pasig City. Tel.: 634-6436/634-0270 Fax: 634-0275 E-mail: stratcor@pldtdsl.net. Entered as Third Class Mail at OrtigasCenter Post Office under Permit No. BPSPM-05-31-NCR. (Turn to page 10)

(Turn to page 10)

January 21-February 9, 2008 7TradeExpress AsiaE-mail: tradeexpress_asia@yahoo.comOPINION

Prima Facie

Storms of the brain Erap wantsto recapturehis throne

THE way former President Joseph Estrada is conducting himself todayclearly speaks of a dethroned man vent on regaining a lost territory. Hisfrequent visits to depressed areas with goodies and promises are anindication that he wants to recapture the presidency. He enjoys feeling thepulse of the people, finding out if they still have their loyalty the way hewas supported in 1998.

I am sure many are now putting the blame on President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo for any constitutional problem that is bound to happenonce deposed President Joseph “Erap” Estrada decides to run again forPresident of the Philippines. Many can not fathom up to this time whyPresident GMA was that hasty in her decision to give unconditional pardonto Erap after his conviction. The government was not even given time toget whatever should be confiscated from Erap’s ill-gotten wealth before hewas pardoned. Now they could not anymore run after his money andproperties.

***The fight of Manny (Pacman) Pacquiao against WBC super-

featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico this comingMarch 15 will be another exciting event. This will decide who the betterfighter between the two is. If you remember, Pacquiao floored Marquezthree times in the first round of their first fight four years ago but the lattermanaged to get up and even scored many rounds that resulted to a draw.Many boxing enthusiasts believe Marquez will do all he can to beat Pacquiaothis time. So, it is advisable for Manny to concentrate on his training andforget for now the socials and other activities not related to boxing if hewants to beat Marquez. Pacquiao should also forget in the meantime, hisdream to fight the current WBC world lightweight champion David Diaz inthe 135 pounds and British champion Ricky Hatton at 140 pounds. Ofcourse, it is not bad to be ambitious but overdoing it might just bring downhis career.

***Many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who had horrible and

unpleasant experiences with their employers abroad complain of inactionand slow assistance from most of their own countrymen manning thePhilippine Embassies or Consulates abroad. Often their complaints stemfrom indifference or lack of compassion and understanding of their plightwhich sadly contributes to their dilemma or situations. I often hear thiskind of complaint for so many years now. I remember our trip in Rome in2000 to attend a Family Congress where my wife lost her passport andplane ticket in a crowded transport. We went to the Philippine Embassy toseek help. It was still fortunate for us that my wife has a diplomat sisterthen assigned in the home office of the Department of Foreign Affairswhom we contacted and consequently advised a hesitant consul in Rometo process a replacement passport. Otherwise we would also encounterthe same predicament experienced by others meeting the same fate ofgoing back and forth to the embassy for several days which could haveadded cost on our food and hotel bills. We came to know too of thecomplaints of many of the overseas workers mostly domestics who werethen planning to picket the Philippine Embassy in Rome because of thelack of efficiency and compassion from the Embassy staff.

It seems that our diplomats abroad are absorbed and lulled by thegood life of privilege and comfort – socials, playing golf in the morning andmahjong in the evening - that they do not bother anymore to look intoimproving their services or the discourteous disposition of their staff.There is lack of sympathy and reluctance to help, to be involved when anOFW is accused, jailed, or maltreated. Complaints are ignored and usuallyfall on deaf ears. Our helpless overseas workers often feel orphaned withno one to lean on in a strange country.

It is the obligation of our Philippine foreign service to see to it that ourembassies and consulates abroad, particularly in high risk and Filipinopopulated places, are manned not only by knowledgeable and well-trainedForeign Service officers but also men and women with true hearts beatingfor their co-Filipinos.

***The World Marketing Congress will be held in the Philippines on June

19 & 20, 2008 at SMX Convention Center. About 1,500 local and foreigndelegates are expected to attend. The Philippine Marketing Association(PMA) will be the host organization and the Philippines as host country.

The mission of the conference is to deliver relevant information onrevolutionary global marketing techniques or technologies that are reshapingand redefining the world, marketing strategies that would put up the Asianbrand into international success in order to help them increase marketshares, revenues and profits.

***The Philippine peso is continuously getting stronger against the U.S.

dollar. A big contributor to a strong peso situation is the overseas Filipinoworker (OFW) whose foreign remittances have grown to billions of dollars.While the OFWs are giving a lot of help to the Philippine economy, thecountry is also experiencing a lot of negative situations and backlash. Anon-stop brain drain is taking place where Filipino professionals like doctors,nurses, engineers, accountants, and computer experts work abroad in searchof better salaries. Families are disconnected and broken where manyhusbands and wives become unfaithful to their partners brought byloneliness and distance. Parental guidance is absent in many homes wherethe children are left to themselves to tackle serious problems of pre-maritalsex and drug addiction. According to statistics, teenage motherhood hasgrown in number and the youth has turned to abortion and use of drugs tosolve their emotional problems.

This is a situation that needs to be addressed to immediately bygovernment, the church, business sector and concerned institutions andorganizations.

By EDGAR E. SERRANO

Twice Told Tales

By RAUL S. GONZALEZ

By BER PACHECOEye Opener

Refocusing the national ID plan

(Turn to page 11)

(Turn to page 9)

THREE or so years ago, I was‘walked through” the Las Vegasplant - - the main facility - - of one ofthe biggest manufacturers of superhigh-tech amusement machines:slots, videos, lasers, simulators,virtual reality screens. My aweshowed in all its nakedness.

There was no stopping my eyesfrom popping out as I saw steel andglass cut and shaped and fused thisway and that; my mouth fromgaping as I watched computers dolong equations to figure out and fixrisks and rewards, to reckon and sethold rates and pay-out frequencies;and my jaw from dropping as I tookin the entire assembly lineoperations that made puttingtogether a thousand pieces ofscrews and levers and reels into onededicated machine, multiplied ahundred times daily, look so fast, sosimple, so easy.

At the end of the plant tour, onour way back to the executiveoffices, as if on an afterthought, ourguide – the company’s chiefexecutive officer, no less – haltedbefore a small door that had tackedon to it a cardboard sign that read:Do Not Disturb. Idiots at Play. Scat.

“This is the most importantoffice in this plant, in all of ourcompany,” the CEO said in a tonenot quite jocular, as he led us intothe room.

Inside, in disarray, werecomputers, drafting tables, whiteboards and six of the shabbiest,scruffiest, seediest persons I havelaid eyes on - - four men, all withscraggly beards, in faded jeans andT-shirts that bore eitherpornographic messages or phallic

symbols, colored, rimlesseyeglasses dangling on their chestor perched atop their heads; and twoyoung women with hair unkemptwho seemed to be in urgent need ofa bath. A couple of the guys hadtheir feet up their desks and anotherwas shooting darts at the CEO’sportrait, redrawn to make him looklike Adolf Hitler.

When I was presented as fromthe Philippines, one of the girlsasked what she had to do to get apair or two of Imelda’s shoes. “Weare the same size, George, youknow,” she drawled, searching myface to see if I got her drift.

In that room, I was told whenwe got out of it, from those frowzycharacters germinated the ideas thatenabled this company tomanufacture products that made it“the pathfinder, the trailblazer, thecutting edge, the leader of theindustry.” “Almost 80 percent of ourbusiness came from the imaginationof those guys,” the CEO told us.“They thought up the games for ourmachines, the applications anddesigns of our machines, even theways of marketing them.”

How did the company manageto draw so much from the creativityof these people? “We gave theirimagination free rein and wide range.No idea they submitted no matterhow outlandish was dismissed outof hand. Nothing they presentedwas ever ridiculed. We gave themthe license to dream as wildly asthey can, to invent, to excogitate, tosee things, to create, to THINK.”

“They are Adam and Eveturned loose in a new world; allowedto do whatever it is they want to do.They see what we don’t or can’t see- - new needs to be filled, new waysof doing things, options,possibilities, scenarios. They arenot afraid to be different, to turn theworld upside down, inside out.

“Of course, we can’t use alltheir ideas; they have zillions of themand almost all of no practical value.But now and then, perhaps one in ahundred, one in a thousand, an ideaturns up - - and opens up a wholenew universe. The trick is to keepthem imagining, inquiring, inventing,creating, thinking…”

What a far cry this attitude isto what we encounter and experiencehere and now. For instance, a monthago, some congressmen calleddown PAGCOR for a study itundertook on how it would manageand operate jai-alai in the country.Instead of criticism for this study, Ithought PAGCOR meritedcommendation in showing initiative,foresight, diligence and, most of allthe readiness to expand and growfor, it must be faced, the alternativeto growth is stagnation.

Or take the case of Joe Almonteand the draft constitution he wassupposed to have crafted. Heck,Joe is chief of the National SecurityCouncil and if there’s any agency ingovernment that must draw up gameplans, anticipate worst casescenarios, line up options, scatterred herrings, put up stalking horses,float balloons, think up storms, it’sJoe’s office.

Besides, Joe merely proposes,someone else disposes - - but evenso, woe to Joe, if his proposals areflawed by either lack of informationor lack of judgment.

Call it what you will - -brainstorming, game playing,scenario building, tank thinking,corporate planning, all these havebecome essential in a world growingtoo fast, too complex, not only togovernment but to any enterpriseof great pith and moment. Joe’s faultis not that he cobbled a draftconstitution; it is that it landed onthe front page of a newspaper.

***

PROPONENTS of the nationalidentification system erred in theway they are pushing the plan,connecting it with the need tocombat threats to national securityrather than as a tool that will assistcitizens’ access to services, thuscreating serious, nay misplacedopposition in its immediateimplementation nationwide.

Those opposed to the nationalID system, on the other hand, aredoing a great disservice to Juan delaCruz by maintaining a myopic viewof the proposal, demonizing theplan as a way of infringing on basichuman rights. Both the proponentsand oppositionists failed toconsider the realities in the day-to-day lives of ordinary Pinoys likeyou and me.

For instance, if you areopening a bank account in any ofthe leading banks here in MetroManila, your company or school IDwill not be honored by the bank,and you will be required to presenteither a driver’s license if you haveone, a postal ID, a Social Securitycard and your birth certificate.

It is even more problematic ifyou want to get a passport sinceyou will have to present your birthcertificate, an NBI clearance, driver’slicense, postal ID, voter’s ID, SSScard, Phil Health ID, old ID cards,school ID and transcript of recordsfrom the school where yougraduated.

If by chance you were able toget an overseas job in Taiwan,Japan, Australia, Canada or any EUcountries and you are applying fora work visa, the embassies of thesecountries will require you to presentat least five different identificationcards aside from your passport,NSO issued birth certificate and NBIclearance.

Worst of all, if you are claimingmoney sent by your OFW relativeabroad from any Western Unionbranch, you will have to present atthe minimum three ID’s: a driver’slicense, NBI clearance, and/or yourpassport. Sorry ka na lang becauseyour company or school ID will notbe honored.

The proposal to have a nationalID system started on a wrongfooting; making it even harder toaccept by the opposition who hasgrown skeptical of every moveemanating from the Palace. I believe

former President Ramos was correctwhen the plan was first introducedin saying that the scheme “shouldnot be seen as an invasion ofprivacy” but rather as a tool thatwill assist citizens’ access toservices, improve efficiency, andcombat corruption, graft, fraudulenttransactions andmisrepresentations.

***NTC should penalize violators

The officers and men of theNational TelecommunicationsCommission should have more ballsby implementing its own rules andnot act as the stooge of value addedservice providers who have beenviolating the laws governing thecountry’s telecommunicationsindustry.

Zed Philippines, a foreign-owned firm and the country’sleading VAS operator, and a numberof unregistered VAS providers havelong been allowed to violate theNTC rules making the industry looklike a hodge-podge of small- and big-time players robbing us of our hardearned money, luring unsuspectingcell phone users into purchasing orpaying for services that theyactually don’t need.

8 January 21-February 9, 2008TradeExpress Asia

POST MORTEM When you absolutely, positively have to be kept aliveBy 'BRUCE' GENER in the SOUTH PACIFIC

OPINION

BENAZIR Bhutto is dead,assassinated at close range. Sadly,these things happen in BananaRepublics more often than ImeldaMarcos buys shoes.

The killing was according toscript. Political messiah returns fromexile to “save his/her people” and issoon murdered before the long-awaited elections. Sound familiar?

THIS ONE is different. It shouldNOT have happened. America hasthe means to prevent it.

First, why America? As AlQaeda gloated, “we have killedAmerica’s greatest asset”. True.America handpicked Bhutto to“help” Musharraf fight terrorism.She labeled herself “the Islamicextremists’ biggest problem”, sodetermined to rule Pakistan as amoderate and go after Al Qaeda.

Now, this is The Question: Asthe US’ go-to-girl thereabouts, whyin Hades was her physical safety leftby Washington in the hands ofamateurs? Why did America notsend her its best body guards? Notthe CIA, not even the Secret Service,but Blackwater.

Black who? Blackwatersecurity agency of Moyock, NorthCarolina is the civilian skunk worksthe US government phones when itdeems someone “is absolutely,positively necessary to be keptalive” - i.e., POTUS (President ofthe US), US ambassadors andsenators, Coalition “friends”, headsof state of allies, American businessbigwigs (read: Halliburton, KBR, oilexecs), etc.

Blackwater employs only thefinest Black Ops ‘ghosts’ - former(and Active Duty) Spec Opscommandos and combat veteransfrom all the services – Marine Recon,Delta Force, Green Beret, NavyUDT/SEALs, Rangers, 101st

Airborne, 10th Mountain Div, DEA,ATF, SWAT, and reportedly BritishSAS, French Foreign Legion, IsraeliMossad, UK’s MI6, AustralianASIS, etc.

The company, founded and runby former US Navy SEAL ErikPrince, just received a billion dollarcontract to guard American officialsand allies in Iraq and other hot spots,making Blackwater the singlebiggest military contractor in Iraq.

They have thousands of “personal security contractors”(“mercenary” is such a dirty word)in Iraq and Afghanistan today eachcosting the US government anaverage of – according toBlackwater critic, Rep. HenryWaxman, D-Calif. - "$1,222 peremployee per day, or a salary of$445,000 each year". Or $50,000more than President Bush’s, anddouble Waxman’s salary.

By comparison, the averageArmy sergeant earns between$50,000 and $70,000 per year, hesaid.

Are these bouncers worththeir fat pay checks? Well, if youare going to lead a nuclear-capablenation of hundreds of millions ofpeople, and save the planet fromterrorists, you have to remain aliveto do it. So, you betcha!

According to a companyspokesperson, in more than 24,000missions, they have never lost to aterrorist a single principal (theperson/s they guard) – a list thatwill make any assassin salivate:then US Iraq Administrator PaulBremer, US Ambassador to Iraq

Ryan Crocker, Iraq President JalalTalabani, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Bush, Cheney, Hamid Karzai,Iraqi ministers, US business tycoons,and other elite residents of the GreenZone.

These professionals willliterally take the bullet for theirprincipals. Several guards have beenkilled in service, although officialnumbers are not released. The mostchronicled is March 2004 when fourguards in two SUVs were ambushed,their bodies mutilated, burned andhung at a Fallujah bridge byinsurgents.

Sure, some guards have beenaccused of “shooting whileunprovoked”. But since they dailydrive through a gauntlet of potentialsuicide bombers and ambushers, they“do not have the luxury of second-guessing people’s intentions whenthey get too close and threatening”,one contractor told British TV.

Blackwater bodyguards –without any doubt – could have keptBenazir Bhutto alive. These proswould not have allowed any of thishelter-skelter Keystone cops circusthey call “security” jostling around

Bhutto that often reached thelunacy levels of a rave concert mushpit.

Sure, she would not be in themiddle of a sea of humanity pressinghands. But, she would definitely stillbe alive to contest that election. Andquite possibly lead her nation.

All public appearances wouldhave had limited “exposure”,convoy routes been pre-cleared,manhole covers been welded shut,abandoned vehicles towed away,mailboxes removed, multiple snipersperched on rooftops, electronicjammers in place, principal and chasevehicles bomb-proofed, traumasurgery-capable ambulance alwayson stand-by, helicopter gunshiphovering overhead, paparazzi keptto 300 feet, and absolutely no onewould have been allowed within 30feet of Bhutto without having beenHomeland Security - cleared, dog-sniffed, retina scanned, finger-printed, DNA catalogued, frisked,voice- recognized, patted down, x-rayed, and given a prostate checkand rectal probing for hiddenweapons.

Do NOT make any quickmovements. Even after one finallygets a backstage pass but so muchas scratches his testicles, or adjustsher bra strap, in a “suspiciousmanner”, he or she may very well belaser-dotted in the forehead andchest. And if proven to be alegitimate threat, precision-implanted with hot lead (“poob-poob”) from a fire-suppressed,silencer-fitted, no-nonsenseSOPMOD (Special OperationsModified) M4A1.

This almost happened to thiswriter – at least, up to the laser-dotting part. All thanks to aPresidential detail when His RoyalSpyness (former CIA Director)Emperor George The First – at thetime officially known as Pres. GeorgeBush (41) - visited and personallythanked 'my crew' for a successfulmission “somewhere very hot” inthe early 90s.

Bhutto, in comparison, wasconstantly surrounded bythousands of lightly armed andineffective crowd-control personnelthat ridiculously passed off as“security” – most of whom are nowdead. Incredible, since they did notchange strategy even after a horrifictwo-bomb attack that killed morethan 140 bodyguards andsupporters SURROUNDING Bhuttoonly a few weeks before. Thisallowed Bhutto’s assassin to waltzto within 10 feet of her withcatastrophic result.

So, note to allies, friends,agents, and lackeys of The Empireof the United States of America: Ifyou are working for Uncle Sam, youbetter DEMAND the best securitytraining or protection that US taxdollars can buy.

This is not a paid advertisementfor Blackwater, but a mere testimonythat these obscenely-paid Dockers-wearing, Clarks-shod, satellite-phone toting, benign-lookingcivilian Chuck Norrises armed withGerman-efficient automatic assaultrifles may never win “MarthaStewart’s Friendliest Tourists of theYear Award”. But, they WILL keepyou alive even if it takes losing theirown.

(Editor's Note: Bruce Gener“honorably served The Empire” invaried capacities in the 80s and 90s.He now prefers the lazy beaches ofthe South Pacific to the, albeit,“livelier sands elsewhere”. He alsonow likes sun block more than facepaint, and scarfing down “artery-clogging Maccas (Big Macs) oversix-year-old MREs”.

January 21-February 9, 2008 9

Storms of (From page 7)

WEDDINGS

By DENN A. MENESES

MUSINGS

TradeExpress AsiaLIFE

Wedding, n. A ceremony atwhich two persons undertake tobecome one, one undertakes tobecome nothing, and nothingundertakes to become supportable.

Ambrose Bierce,The Devil’s DictionaryThe roses, the love notes, the

dining and dancing are allwelcome and splendid. But whenthe Godiva is gone, the gift of reallove is having someone who’ll gothe distance with you. Someonewho, when the wedding day limobreaks down, is willing to share aseat in the bus.

Oprah Winfrey, O Magazine

For indeed, no other event stirsup a motley of sentiments in oneplace at one time more than awedding does. Goodwill is the orderof the day and laughter is the soundthat permeates the air. Smiles andtears in profusion, hugs and kissesall around, toasting and roastingwithout letup; a pile of presents amida plethora of good wishes; a senseof blissful anticipation mixed with atinge of melancholy; a feeling ofwistfulness, a bit of reluctance tolet go…

What sort of thoughts areracing through the head of theFather of the Bride as he walks hisprecious little girl down the aisle intothe arms of the boy who had thetemerity to steal her away from thesafety of his domicile? What sortof sensations are besieging the Brideas she clings on to the big guywhom she looked up to whilegrowing up, the daddy dearest whois now giving her away to the oneshe has chosen to be the man of herlife?

What brings a tear to theMother of the Groom as she sees

her darling little boy smiling broadlyat the altar, waiting for the girl whohas taken her place in his heart?What brings a sparkle to the eyes ofthe Groom as he casts a lingeringglance at the woman who raised himfrom the cradle, his devoted old ladywhose comforting presence willforever remain a constant no matterthe new mistress of his new life?

When did she get to be abeauty? When did he grow to be sotall? Wasn't it yesterday when theywere small?

Time flies with the wind. Asthe world turns and seasonschange, brats turn into strappingyoung men and ingénuesmetamorphose into sophisticatedyoung women. They find oneanother, they nurture a relationship,they exchange vows at the altar, thenthey ride off towards the sunrise,and another cycle begins.

***My baptismal goddaughter,

Melissa Concepcion, married herlong-time sweetheart Joey Veloso,in a serenely beautiful gardenwedding last December. There

couldn’t have been a lovelier settingthan the gorgeous HaciendaYsabella, tucked deep in thegreeneries of Cavite past the hillsand nippy air of Tagaytay.

The exquisite bride wasdazzling, to say the least, in hernuptial finery. And the atmospherewas just as stunning in all itsverdant splendor. Rays of sunlightpeered through the thick foliage ofold trees and vibrant flora, as thecouple stood side by side under acanopy of sounds and sights,surrounded by family and friends

breathing in the rarity of theoccasion.

Whatever happened to theprecocious tyke who broughtsunshine to everyone who doted onher? She grew up to be such a brightand well-rounded lady while no onewas looking – lovely and down-to-earth as they come, light of spirit andpure of heart, a whiff of freshmorning air; yet she sees the worldwith wide open eyes and both feetplanted firmly on the ground. She isa married woman now, and her lifehas only just begun.

IS this the little girl I carried?Is this the little boy at play? I don’tremember growing older. When didthey?’

The cycle of life grindsexceedingly fast, and at no betterperiod is it seen in full flowering thanon the day one’s offspring takes aspouse. A torrent of emotions –strong, ambivalent, frivolous –floods the senses and stokes theflame of remembrances past, evokingmirror images of the future.

To this day I get telephone callsand letters from the mail that assumeI still have charge of the publicaffairs office of the GovernmentService Insurance System.

The truth is, that office waspulled out of my group - - CorporatePlanning/Information Systems - -and withdrawn from my supervisionby a memorandum dated January 12,1995 and signed by the GSISpresident and general manager. Thefurther truth is, since September1992, or for three years now, I havehad nothing to do with any activityrelated to public affairs, publicinformation, media relations,publications, advertising,contributions and donations for thelikes of the GSIS or The Manila Hotelor any subsidiary thereof.

I am constrained to issue thisdisclaimer because I have growntired of being asked by concernedfriends and malicious gossipswhether my senses have totallydeserted me, my judgment has fled,and I have lost whatever little goodtaste I have developed from readingthe Great Books, conversing withgreat minds and serving greatcauses.

***For five straight days now, I

have wakened to the funerealdrumbeat of raindrops falling on myroof and to dark dreary mornings.My jogging mileage around theGreenhills Commercial center hasbeen drastically cut and lactic acidis making my leg muscles cramp.

I hope the sun comes out soonand stays bright. I hope I canrecover the lost miles and get rid ofthe unwanted fat and acid. I hopethe shadows lift from the land andthe weight of irreplaceable loss overVioly’s passing falls from theshoulders of Franklin Drilon,jogging mate and hearty friend.

(Note: This article was firstpublished in the defunct TheEvening Paper on September 19,1995 under the column Believe YouMe.)

10 January 21-February 9, 2008EVENTS

ROXAS AT FOCAP. SENATOR Mar Roxas spoke at the Annual Conference of theForeign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) last January 15,saying that the Philippines can and must rise above its past failures in order toregain its standing in the world. He pushed for the suspension of the value-addedtax (VAT) on oil products in order to increase the purchasing power of Filipinos."I believe our problems are real and urgent, and we have to face them now as acountry," he stressed.

Consider it

We work closely with our customers in identifying,developing and sourcing specific needs. Special cuts ofpork. Beef. Buffalo meat. Poultry. Vital food ingredients.From highly reliable foreign and domestic producers. That’swhy in both good and bad times, our customers entrusttheir needs to us. They do what they know best. We dothe rest.

DONE.

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Exponent of good food supply management

TRADERS HOTEL PLAYS SANTA. - In line with its commitment to the community, Traders Hotel Manila recently hosted aparty for the less fortunate children of Pasay City with its annual Send A New Toy Appeal (SANTA) led by its generalmanager, Andrea Mastellone. Now on its 10th year, SANTA was able to give more than 200 children the opportunity to havea brand new toy of their own for the first time in their lives. The kids were also treated to a day of fun, games, food anddrinks. Pictured with the children after the gift giving are (left to right): Jeffrey Enriquez, THM executive assistant manager;Reena Sarmiento, Miss Philippines Earth Eco Tourism 2006; Joyce Nocomura, Miss Philippines Water 2007; Anna KatrinaBautista, Miss Philippines Earth Eco Tourism 2007; Catherine Untalan, Miss Philippines Earth 2006; and Mastellone. Partlyhidden is Victoria Fuentes, head of the Pasay City Tourism Council.

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CUERVO is shown in photo at another real estate convention in Hong Kongwhere he also spoke.

DE CASTRO WARNS MISFITS IN RELOCATION SITES. VICE President andconcurrent Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC)chairman Noli De Castro warns 'misfits' in government resettlement areas as hestresses that the relocation sites are for the poor and not for the moneyed. DeCastro made the warning during his surprise inspection visit in Valenzuela wherehe found high commercial structures without building permits from the localgovernment. The Vice President thus ordered the National Housing Authority(NHA) to reclassify the structures and have them charged of the commercial rates.With De Castro is NHA general manager Federico Laxa.

“no Senator shall serve for morethan two consecutive terms.”

As practiced, and there havebeen no problems with it, manymembers of Congress went back totheir old positions after a break

be seen at that very precise momentof roaring and bawling out as anexpression of aversion to the Houseleadership.

But Congressman Villafuertenever resorted to this foul style ofsycophancy and instead stuck it upwith the principles of science andthe art of politics.

His silence and coldimpartiality in the drifts of eventsaffecting the integrity, uprightness,

credibility and honor of hisadversary will certainly leave alasting footprint in the history ofPhilippine politics.

For he adheres to the high codeof morals and the excellence of well-cultured lawmakers in the likes ofSolon, the foremost Athenianassemblyman; and Gaius Cicero, theferocious plenary speaker but mostrespected politician of the Romanrepublic. (congressmagazine_frankgrego@yahoo.com)

Congressman (From page 6)

following their consecutive terms.Anyway, when Mr. Estrada or hisboys floated the idea that he wantedto run for president again, I am surethere was no serious intent to do so.But the idea did get valuable mediamileage and will continue to do so inthe run-up to the 2010 nationalelections.

TradeExpress Asia

Real estate practitioner advocatesregional cooperation

The Torres High School Class of ’74 will hold agrand reunion on February 23-24, 2008 in MetroManila.

All graduates of Batch ’74 are enjoined to attendthis once-in-a-lifetime gathering of not-so-oldclassmates reliving not-so-long-ago memories.

For details, contact the Secretariat in Manila thruMaritess Guina (maritess_guina@yahoo.com) attelephones 6340270, 6340273 or 6341969.

TORRES HIGH SCHOOLCLASS '74 REUNION

THE Philippines’ loneparticipant invited to the MalaysianAnnual Real Estate Convention wasFederico C. Cuervo, president andCEO of Cuervo Valuers & Advisory,Inc. The convention was attendedby more than 600 real estate brokersand practitioners from all over Asiaand the Pacific.

Held last January 11-13 at theSime Darby Convention Centre inKuala Lumpur, this year’sconvention theme was“Regionalizing the MalaysianMarket - The Reality of GettingThere”, with guest of honor, DatoSeri Ong Ka Ting, Minister ofHousing and Local Government,Malaysia.

Minister Ting enjoined theparticipants to "take full advantageof this opportunity to improve yourskills and network which arenecessary in this globalized era."

Cuervo was conventionspeaker on the topic “The Workingsof the Regional Real Estate Market– Philippines”. Speakers fromSingapore, Indonesia and Indo-China also discussed the same topicfrom the perspective and viewpointof their respective countries.

Cuervo encouraged regionalcooperation, where the mainobjective is to forge a collectiveeffort to achieve a balanced andsustainable economic growth. He

pointed out that direct equityinvestments into real estate is astrategy for regional cooperation.This can be in a form of cross-borderinvestments for regional propertydevelopment.

According to him, there are fiveopportunities for regionalcooperation in the Philippines,namely:

1. the Special Purpose VehicleAct (SPV) which is the answer tolocal banks’ non-performing loans;

2. Philippine infrastructure;3.Business Process Out-

sourcing (BPOs) with the countryclosely following India, the topsupplier of BPO services;

4. Tourism, whether retirement,education, or medical; and,

5. Mining, considering that ourcountry has estimated mineralresources of US$1 trillion and is thefifth largest mineralized country inthe world.

Cuervo foresees brightprospects for Asia to regain itsdominance in the world economyin the near future. He added,however, that the countries have toincreasingly rely on their potentiallylarge internal market for growththrough closer economiccooperation to deepen integration.

Meanwhile, the convention’sorganizer, Malaysian Institute ofEstate Agents (MIEA) has urged itsmembers to form smart partnershipsand alliances with overseas realestate brokers to tap the marketoutside Malaysia and start a crossflow of trade between countries.

MIEA stated that there was alot of interest in the property marketin Malaysia since last year and itexpects the trend to continue for thenext few years.

Cuervo is also scheduled tospeak at another conference on realestate investment trust (REIT) inSingapore on February 27-28.

Editing the (From page 6)

January 21-February 9, 2008 11TradeExpress AsiaSTYLE

STYLE SPEAK

By MARITESS G. CONCEPCION

THIS year promises to beanother interesting, if not exciting,period for many of us. Most of usmust have already come up with theusual New Year’s resolutions whichsimply are our statements of goalsand objectives for the next 12months – personal, business orotherwise.Interestingly, 2008 is said to be theyear of the rat in the Chinesecalendar which starts on Feb. 7. Iam no firm believer in zodiac signsor astrology but I can get along andtolerate what they espouse.

If you were born in the years1936, 1948, 1960 and 1972, you havethe rat for a zodiac sign, and youare said to be a creative, hyperactiveand resourceful worker. But you canalso be sentimental.

Because the rat is said tosignify a new beginning, now isan opportune time to startsomething fresh and new.

Which brings us back to ourwishes for the New Year on whatwe really want or plan to do in themonths ahead.

Personally, after goingthrough a tough 2007, I have toldmyself to ease up on myactivities, especially on thebusiness side of things. I’ll justtake things in stride and deal withthem one at a time. After all, one

can only do so much.True, zodiac believers think this

year will be a good time to start anew business venture, especially inthe property sector and hospitalitytrade. Unfortunately or fortunately,these are not my cup of tea.

My top priority this year is toremain healthy and stay fit.Visit thedoc regularly and go to the gym asscheduled. And of course, tee offtwice a week and enjoy the greenery.

Keep targets and goals simpleto avoid stress. (Is this possible?)Reduce foreign travel to avoidfurther stress. (My blood pressurerises whenever I go through airportsecurity checks).

However, I’ll try to overcomemy fear of small planes so I can goto such ‘touristic’ destinations asEl Nido or Amanpulo in Palawan. I’msure there are hundreds of niceplaces in the country that are worthvisiting.

I developed a phobia for smallaircraft when some years back I tooka commuter plane in New Zealandthat literally gave me a roller coaster

ride.And whenever possible, avoid

people or events that could provokestress.

Read newspapers less. Don’twatch local TV if it can be avoided.Instead of being informed, they

make me wonder why I am living inthe Philippines.

Regulate involvement in socialactivities. Instead of initiating andleading the pack, I’ll try to do whateverybody else does – step backand watch how people in front make

mistakes. This is not to say that I’llbecome indifferent. I just want toavoid stress because stress, I havefound out, is one of the major causesof illnesses that are difficult todiagnose. So just avoid stress andbe healthy.

Refocusing (From page 7)

A DAY AT THE GYM. Typical scene at Fitness First in Ortigas Center.

Remain healthy, stay fit and avoid stress

Among the country’s majorindustries, business leaders andseers alike predict that thetelecommunications business willbe among the top grosser for thisyear. As a matter of fact, a numberof big time BPO players areplanning to expand or enter thePhilippine market.

The failure of NTC toimplement its rules and penalizeviolators may create even biggerheadaches for the commissiononce big foreign-owned telecomcompanies set up base in Manila.

***Torres High Class ‘74Graduates of Torres High

School Class ’74 should mark thisdate, February 24, 2008 in theirappointment books andcalendars. The group isscheduled to hold its first grandalumni reunion and homecomingat the Club Filipino in Greenhills,San Juan City.

According to MaritessConcepcion who chairs theorganizing committee, the affairwill be attended by about 200graduates of Batch 1974, all ofwhom are either professionals orsuccessful individuals in theirchosen fields.

Concepcion said asignificant number of them will becoming to Manila from abroadwhere they presently reside orwork. Batch ’74 graduates whowish to join the reunion arerequested to contact thesecretariat through Maritess orDheng at 6340270, 6340273, and09175295738 or emailmaritess@yahoo.com orcspintl@pldtdsl.net.

January 21-February 9, 200812 TradeExpress Asia