More US navy ships visit Subic

At least seven United States Navy ships—a submarine, amphibious assault vessels, a helicopter carrier, and destroyers —were expected to arrive in the Philippines in the next few days to take part in a massive joint military exercises involving the two countries, officials said on Thursday.

Lt. Cherry Tindog, director of the Philippine Marine Corps Public Affairs Office, said the 10-day exercises will kick-off on October 8 near Palawan and Zambales provinces, a highly strategic area because of the territorial row between the Philippines and China over a group of islands in the West Philippine Sea.

During the maneuvers, dubbed the PH-US Amphibious Landing Exercise 2013, a US Marine air-ground task force would link up with 1,2000 Filipino troops, Tindog said.

The USS Olympia, a Los Angeles class submarine, was the first to arrive in the country. The helicopter-carrier, USS Bonhomme Rchaird, an amphibious assault ship with 2,200 US Marines, and two destroyer ships were expected to arrive at the Subic Freeport on Friday.

The amphibious landing exercise could be one of the most massive activities compared to previous PH-US Balikatan Exercises under the visiting Forces Agreement. Other than the Marine contingents, the USS Bonhomme Richard will also be carrying amphibious assault vehicles, light armoured vehicles and Harrier fighter jets.

Philippine participants in the exercise will include the Marines, the Army, the Air Force, the Navy Air Group and Special Operation Group, Tindog said.

He said the exercises in the Palawan area—which has territorial jurisdiction over the Spratly’s and Zambales, which considers the Panatag Shoal as part of the province—were intended “to enhance the strong defense partnership between the Philippines and the United States.” (Willie E. Capulong, Manila Standard Today)

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Red Cross turns up new batch of health workers

Subic Bay Freeport - The Philippine National Red Cross Zambales Chapter trained 245 Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), midwives and volunteers on basic mother and child care, disease control and first aid treatment, through a four-day workshop supported by Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. (RP Energy).

The series of lectures, dubbed KliniKaBarangay Health and Wellness Training, is in line with RP Energy’s thrust to improve health care services within the 16 barangays of Subic and Pastolan Village, an Aeta community in Zambales province.

The training program was able to establish 17 quick response teams that will become “frontliners” in providing maternal care and implementing disease prevention in their respective barangays.

The participants were awarded with KliniKaBarangay Health and Wellness kits composed of BHW uniforms, a cellphone, list of hotline numbers, first aid equipment, a maternal health starter set and KliniKaBarangay Quick Reference Guide for everyday operations.

“With the proper training and health equipment, these KliniKaBarangay health advocates can now effectively initiate health promotion and disease prevention as well as establish other quick response teams in their respective barangays,” said RP Energy project manager Grant Smith. (Anthony Bayarong, Manila Times)

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Another US submarine to dock in Subic

A submarine of the Los Angeles class design, USS Olympia (SSN 717), will arrive in Subic Bay Thursday for a routine port call, the United States embassy said in a statement.

The US Embassy said that the port visit highlights the strong historic, community, and military connections between the US and the Philippines.

This visit will allow the ship to replenish supplies as well as give the crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation.

The USS Olympia SSN 717 set sail in February 1986 to her home in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She is the second United States ship to bear the name in honor of the city of Olympia, Washington.

Original USS Olympia was commissioned in 1895 and, as part of the Asiatic fleet, became the flagship of Commodore George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898.

No further details were given to the media. (Anthony Bayarong, The Philippine Star)

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US aviation firm sees big growth in air ambulance

An American aviation company sees good growth prospects for the air ambulance service it started last July in Subic.

It just brought in a second aircraft for the air 911 service.

The Philippines, according to Scotty Watson, Carejet Assist program director, is central to the company’s service in Asian countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Vietnam and Guam.

Watson said they intend to cash in on a vast pool of clients in Asia-Pacific and in North and Central Pacific, particularly with the tourism boom in Asia.

“The way tourism is going in Asia-Pacific, particularly diving and fishing, we can make air ambulance work,” he said, adding their firm is receiving an average of two to three calls a week from clients.

He said the air ambulance business is ideal in the Philippines where medical treatment is cheaper while offering quality service.

“We have a good spectrum of medical professionals. Your doctors here are very excellent,” he said.

The firm also caters to AIG, considered the biggest insurance company in the world.

Carejet was tapped by American-owned Aviation Concepts, based in Subic to implement the air ambulance project.

Aviation Concepts is run by his friend, Terry Habeck, president and chief executive officer. Habeck said that they may also venture into potential markets like Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Air ambulance assets include a fixed-wing seven-seater jet converted into an intensive care unit which offers patients safe and on-time, bedside-to-bedside transport. It is manned by a team of doctors, nurses and is equipped with state-of-the art facilities providing basic life support, advanced life support, pediatric advanced life support, critical care transport and specialty neo-natal care.

While it is still a fledgling industry in the Philippine, air ambulance is a common transport facility in the US. It is considered a better aerial vehicle than helicopters since it is faster, more spacious, has less noise and vibration, less weather-dependent, less costly, can operate 24/7 and is highly recommended for journeys of up to 240 kilometers.

An air ambulance service is considered more significant as it can cover a large region, including remote areas where there are few hospitals, inadequate ground transport or other problems such as poor roads or communications.

Aside from providing medical services, air ambulance also provides repatriation through coordination with other commercial airlines. He said over the past two weeks, they have brought in patients from Copenhagen and London.

Watson said their West-Wind aircraft has a range of 2,000 nautical miles and piloted by American, Japanese and Filipinos experts.

Watson started the air ambulance business in his native New Zealand in 1991. He teamed up with Habeck who enticed him to put up a medical service company in Makati and working with insurance and medical companies.

In the Philippines he met his future wife, Gelmi at the Clark Freeport Zone and decided to settle here.(Jay Chua, Malaya)
Photo:
The air ambulance is a seven-seater jet converted into an intensive care unit which offers patients safe and on-time, bedside-to-bedside transport.

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Foresters urged to be vigilant

Stressing the need to protect the remaining forests in the country, Society of Filipino Foresters, Inc. (SFFI) national council president Renato De Rueda urged fellow foresters to be vigilant in performing their duty as guardians of the environment.

De Rueda issued this challenge during the recent “National Summit Conference on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade”, which was held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center here to mark the 64th founding anniversary of the SFFI.

De Rueda said that forests need to be protected from the abusive exploitation of natural resources, because they can yield so much beneficial products if properly taken care of.

“Kailangan nating mapangalagaan ito laban sa mga gustong sumira ng ating mga kabundukan, kasama na dito ang illegal na pagto-troso at pagkuha ng iba’t-ibang produkto ng kagubatan, at pagkakaingin,” he said as he addressed convention delegates.

“Kailangan po natin ng mga mabubuting pamamaraan para mapangalagaan ang ating kagubatan,” he added.

At the same time, De Rueda noted that forest protection is often a very difficult and dangerous job, and has claimed the lives of several foresters since 2010.

“Mayroon na po tayong labing-apat na kamatayan dahil sa pagtatanggol sa ating kagubatan, sa pagseserbisyo sa ating bayan,” he said.

Still, it is the foresters who should lead the people in protecting the environment, he insisted.

“Kung mayroon pong dapat na manguna sa pangangalaga ng ating mga kagubatan, dapat ay tayong mga Filipino foresters. Kailangan po nating magkaisa para tulungan ang Inang Bayan sa pamamagitan ng epektibong pamamahala sa mga natitira pang mga kabundukan at para tulungang lumago ang ating mga kagubatan,” he said.

De Rueda said that towards this end, topics like forest law enforcement that were tackled in the convention would help foresters in performing their duties.

Meanwhile, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) senior deputy administrator Ramon Agregado thanked members of the SFFI for doing their job in protecting the environment, and assured them that the SBMA will do its part as well.

“From our end we can assure you that SBMA will continue to do more than its fair share in protecting, preserving and managing this heavily-forested paradise that is Subic Bay,” he said.

The SFFI was founded in 1948 and aims to represent and promote the science, technology, education, practice and business of forestry in the Philippines. It currently has 8,000 members from across the country. (FMD/MPD-SBMA)

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US Navy & Smart in reforestation efforts in Subic

Military servicemen joined Smart Communications, Inc. and its sister-firm Tollways Management Corp. in their reforestation efforts in Subic Bay as part of the US Navy’s community service.

The volunteer-sailors from USS Hawaii and USS Frank Cable were on a routine port visit in the Philippines recently.

Chief Select Jonathan Palmer said this was the first tree-planting activity that the Navy servicemen participated in as a group.

“Most of the time, we go to an elderly folks’ home and we do some cleaning and we entertain them. This is something really different from what we’ve done before as part of our program to help and give back to the communities. It’s good to help protect the environment and plant the national tree of the Philippines. I think everyone here will remember this.”

Narra seedlings were planted during the activity. (Kabalikat News & Features/Smart)

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RP and US Marines set for Phiblex 2013 in Subic Freeport

The RP-US Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) 2013 will formally begin on October 8 in this free port to further enhance the strong defense partnership between the Philippines and the United States.

According to 1Lt. Cherry Tindog, director of the Marine Corps Public Affairs Office, the exercise will give primacy to effective interoperability on humanitarian assistance and disaster response and relief preparedness, maritime security, and community development.

PHIBLEX is conducted annually to serve as a venue for joint and combined training not only for the Marine Corps of the Philippines and the United States militaries, but for the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy’s Air Group and Special Operation Group as well.

“Considering the massive effects of natural calamities that frequent the Philippines and the Asia Pacific Region year in and out, PHIBLEX 13 is designed to enhance interoperability on disaster response and relief operations,” a statement from the PHIBLEX Joint Information Bureau said.

The said bilateral exercise “also aims to formulate and assess concepts for the enhancement of the amphibious operations capacity of both nations, (and) envisions evaluating concepts for transition from Unilateral Defense Plan (UDP) to Bilateral Defense Plan (BDP) to Post-Conflict response, through the conduct of disaster rehabilitation and rural development projects,” it added.

The projects will be undertaken through the Engineering Civic Action Program (ENCAP) and several Community Health Engagements (CHE), which will be conducted in Zambales and Palawan.

The PHIBLEX command said that thousands of local residents will benefit from the CHE and a total of four barangays in Palawan and Zambales will benefit from the ENCAP.

Even before the start of landing exercise, combined engineering personnel have already been deployed to the ENCAP sites to begin the construction of classrooms and toilets, the command also said.

Aside from these activities, PHIBLEX participants will also engage in community relations activities to bring about a “vigorous relation between the military and the civilian community.”

On the other hand, various military training activities will be held simultaneously in different venues including the Subic Bay International Airport; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Marine Barracks Gregorio Lim in Ternate, Cavite; Crow Valley in Tarlac; Naval Station Apolinario Jalandoon in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; and Naval Education Training Command in San Antonio, Zambales.

The PHIBLEX command also said that the conduct of PHIBLEX 2013 perpetuates a long and lasting partnership founded firmly on common heritage between freedom-loving countries committed to true service and the preservation of liberty and democracy.

The success of the RP-US military training exercises like the PHIBLEX can also be attributed to the diligent participation and cooperation of concerned local government units, it added. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

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Subic-BOC Tops Target By P141M

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) based here led all eight of the country’s ports in posting a surplus in collection of more than P141 million. It collected P683.79 million – way above its target of P562 million for August.

BOC-Subic’s District Collector Carmelita Talusan said the surplus in the target collection is a great start for the Port of Subic since it shows that the Customs officials and workers here are on the right track.

Other ports that surpassed their collection targets for August of this year are the Port of Iloilo that exceeded its target by P17 million; the Port of Cebu that exceeded by P1.5 million; the Port of Surigao, P78 million; the Port of Cagayan de Oro with a P400,000 surplus; the Port of Davao, P28 million; the Clark Freeport, P24 million; and the Port of Aparri, P400,000 in excess of its target.

Talusan said it is in their mandate to ensure proper collection in all areas that the BOC holds.

She added that their outstanding performance helped the Bureau in collecting a total of P22.307 billion in August, higher than last year’s P22.152 billion collected.

Last month’s collection on the other hand was P6 billion lower than the P28-billion target collection. This was due to the top tier districts who failed to meet their targets.

“Despite the holidays and fewer working days that affected our collection, we are still adamant in doing our duties to the utmost of our abilities. We want to show everybody that the Bureau of Customs, especially here in Subic, is working to make sure that professionalism is instilled in every customs official in Subic,” Talusan said.

Last month’s collection has brought the BOC’s eight-month take to P190.04 billion, around 10.5 percent higher than last year’s.

BOC Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said the agency needs to collect some P347 billion this year, a daunting task for the BOC.

But Biazon has not yet asked the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) to lower the target collection this year with next year’s target pegged even higher at P397 billion.

He said that he will step up the agency’s fight against smuggling by using the Run After The Smugglers (RATS) program of the BOC. The agency’s program is still keen on filing cases against smugglers as well as agency personnel and brokers scheming with them. (Jonas Reyes, Manila Bulletin)

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Altas eye joint 3rd vs Pirates

Perpetual Help takes on ousted Lyceum today, seeking to catch Letran at third and post a one-game lead over fifth running Jose Rizal University even as Mapua fights for dear life against San Beda in the 88th NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which goes to Subic Bay for the league’s second out-of-town games.

The Altas are out to bounce back from a sorry 71-74 defeat to the Cardinals last week that dropped them to fourth spot with a 9-6 (win-loss) record, a shade behind Letran (10-6) but just ahead of Jose Rizal (9-7).

A win in their 6 p.m. duel with Lyceum, out of it all with a woeful 3-12 mark, would give the Altas added cushion in a spirited three-team battle for the last two semis berths heading to the crucial phase of the double-round elims.

The Las Piñas-based school, however, will play minus Nigerian big man Femi Babayemi, who was suspended for one game for a disqualifying foul in their match with Mapua.

"Our focus is to win all our remaining games for a Final Four berth," said Perpetual coach Aric del Rosario.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals, at No. 7 with a 6-9 mark, battle the Lions at 4 p.m., hoping to stay in the hunt with a sweep of their last three games although a Perpetual win would keep them out of the Final Four race along with Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals (7-9).

The pacesetting Lions, with a 13-2 slate and assured of a twice-to-beat edge in the next round, are also expected to go all-out for a victory for the momentum and confidence they would need in the Final Four.

The Subic matches mark the second time the league is holding a pair of out-of-town games after the Sta. Cruz, Laguna stop last August. (The Philippine Star)

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Seniors form walkers club in Subic Freeport

Health-conscious senior citizens in this free port have formed a walkers club here in cooperation with a popular commercial facility, which has agreed to accommodate the daily exercise activities of the newly-formed group.

The “Subic Bay Six o’clock Habit Club,” which was organized by Atty. Severo M. Pastor, manager of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) labor department, has requested the use of the promenade area of Ayala Mall’s Harbor Point here.

Harbor Point operations manager Derrick Q. Manuel said that while the agreement is being finalized with top management, walkers may already use open alleys inside the mall except for those that are still restricted due to shop construction work.

Manuel added that while only the Coffee Bean shop opens at 6 am, Starbucks coffee shop had confirmed that they would start receiving customers at 7 am also to accommodate the walkers.

Pastor, who has been walking with friends as his early morning ritual, said the Harbor Point facility is perfect for senior citizens.

“Senior citizens can walk around at Harbor Point’s covered areas freely and safely even when it rains,” Pastor said. “In fact, because Harbor Point has large open spaces, we can also bring the whole family with us so that we can do some exercises while the shops are still closed.”

Pastor said the focus of the Six o’clock Habit Club is to promote health and wellness among senior citizens. “It’s a well-known fact that walking can add more years to life, so I’m sure that walking and interacting with other people would be a big help to senior citizens like me,” he added.

Aside from requesting Harbor Point for walking space, Pastor said that his group has also requested appropriate areas at the ground floor for tai-chi or calisthenics.

And, as some doctors and other medical practitioners are expected to join the club, Pastor said that he would also ask them to provide free medical services to the senior citizens, like blood pressure or blood sugar checks.

The group has initially agreed upon a three-day-a-week schedule — Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and more frequently thereafter until walking becomes a daily habit.

He added that residents, businessmen and workers from the Freeport and Olongapo areas are welcome to join the club.

Among those who expressed intention to join the club are acting SBMA senior deputy administrator for business and investment Atty. Ruel John T. Kabigting, and managers of other SBMA departments. (ILC/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
Members of the newly-formed “Subic Bay Six o’clock Habit Club,” led by SBMA labor manager Severo Pastor (3rd from left), kick off an early morning walk at the Harbor Point promenade area in the Subic Bay Freeport.

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Officials cite gov’t employees’ role in Subic Freeport CSC rites

Officials from various local government units and national agencies acclaimed the role of civil servants in nation building, as government employees from Zambales and Olongapo City met here in the Freeport recently for the 112th anniversary of the Philippine Civil Service.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) hosted the festivities here, as hundreds of government workers joined a fun walk in the early morning of September 15, and then participated in fun games at the Subic Gymnasium.

Atty. Ramon Agregado, SBMA senior deputy administrator for support services, welcomed the delegates on behalf of SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia.

During the welcome ceremony, Atty. Karin Litz P. Zerna, Region III director of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), said that Central Luzon has a lot of exemplary public servants good enough to make it to the list of national CSC awardees who will be recognized this month.

Among the recipients, she added, is Marilou Dungog of the SBMA Public Relations Department, who was cited for her work in helping establish alternative livelihood projects for fisher folk in the Subic Bay Freeport area.

Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon Jr., meanwhile, said the Civil Service Commission had gone far in terms of improving the lives of the Filipino people, and public servants have proven themselves worthy of being in the service, as evidenced by the country’s economic growth today.

For his part, Zambales provincial administrator Engr. Jun Runstedt Ebdane described government employees as the “backbone of the government who make delivery of service to the people not only possible, but indispensable.”

“Dapat may yabang natin sabihin na kawani ako ng Pamahalaang Pilipinas; isa akong lingkod-bayan,” Ebdane also urged his fellow civil servants, reminding them to be proud of their role in nation building.

The CSC anniversary celebration also provided an occasion for government employees to bond and engage in fitness games, and promote local culture as well.

The celebration was headlined by a three-kilometer fun walk dubbed as “Race to Serve” which started at 6:00 in the morning. About 250 delegates from various local government units walked altogether from the Boardwalk Park here to the gym where they also held fun games.

Edwin Sunglao Sr., personnel specialist at CSC Zambales, said the games were made part of the program because social gathering is a rare opportunity among the public servants in Zambales and Olongapo.

The program was also interspersed with cultural presentations, like a dance number by delegates from Masinloc town.

In the same program, the Harbor Point mall in the Subic Bay Freeport and SM mall in Olongapo announced that they are offering a 5-10 percent discount privilege for government employees who will shop within the month of September, which has been designated as Civil Service month.

Meanwhile, the SBMA Human Resource department said that it has designated two buses to provide SBMA employees with a free ride from the Freeport gates to SBMA offices every Monday, starting September 3, in honor of public servants and in celebration of the anniversary of Philippine Civil Service. (ILC/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
Hundreds of government employees from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and local government units in Olongapo City and Zambales join a fun walk in celebration of the 112th anniversary of Philippine Civil Service.

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ADB: ‘Philippines must take right road to inclusive growth’

The Philippines needs to ensure that economic development be felt by the masses, said an economic expert during the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Economic Forum held here in the Freeport on September 4 at the Lighthouse Marina Resort.

Norio Usui, ADB senior country economist, said that in order to fully enjoy the economic growth that the country is experiencing, key policy challenges should be discussed so that the Philippines can embark on a sustainable and inclusive growth.

Usui said that although the Philippines has a very strong services sector in the form of business process outsourcing (BPO), “it is not sufficient to address development challenges to inclusive growth.”

He noted that the services sector’s labor demand is only one percent of the total labor force and is biased towards the relatively skilled workers, thus leaving the majority of the labor force underutilized.

He said that the country should develop the industrial sector, since it can help create more job opportunities for the growing labor force.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia, who also spoke during the forum, shared this view and added that inclusive growth is critical now that foreign economies are moving to Asia.

“It appears that with the present situation now in Europe and America where the economies are very bad because of the Spanish and the Greek crises, they are now really looking at Asia,” he said.

Garcia also noted that the country is enjoying a very stable economic growth, something that the Philippines has not experienced for a very long time. He attributed this to the good governance of the present administration.

“It’s a very good time for the Philippines,” Garcia asserted. “As I’ve always mentioned, I think the main reason why the foreign investors are very interested in the Philippines now is because they perceive the new administration under President Aquino as a very stable one, a very transparent one,” he added.

However, Garcia said that this development should shift down to the masses, otherwise it would be meaningless.

“How can you sustain a growth rate constantly increasing? There is a lot of pressure; there are a lot of factors that come into that,” Garcia also said. “So are we just looking into a temporary situation wherein the Philippines is on the upswing, or are we going to expect a clash with foreign economies? We must consider these things,” he further noted.

The forum was attended by SBMA officials and representatives of locator companies in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (FMD/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
Norio Usui, ADB senior country economist, explains the need for policy changes to bring about sustained economic growth in the Philippines during a forum at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

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SBMA Board Studies Airport Conversion

An official of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said the other day that the proposed $5-billion conversion of the Subic Bay International Airport into a world-class theme park is still being studied by the SBMA Board of Directors.

SBMA Board Member Francis S. Garcia said they are still deliberating on the proposal because it would impact on the entire region, particularly programs aimed at boosting tourism in Central Luzon provinces.

Earlier, the proposed conversion of the SBMA airport into a theme park drew flak from former senator and SBMA founding chairman Richard Gordon who described the proposal as “a high degree of mental slaught” if the government allows it.

Officials of the Department of Tourism (DOT) said converting the airport into a theme park may derail plans of provinces around the freeport to integrate tourism promotion programs and take advantage of the existing world-class sea ports and airports in the former American military bases.

Last Friday, tourism officers of seven provinces in Central Luzon gathered at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) to map out plans in promoting the region as a major tourist destination by highlighting idyllic white sand beaches, heritage sites and colorful festivals.

Region 3 Tourism Director Ronaldo Tiotuico said the forum aims to gather tourism officers in 120 local government units (LGUs) in the region to discuss a unified strategy to promote Central Luzon as a major tourism hub.

He said the two freeport zones in Subic and Clark are major assets that will contribute to plans of promoting tourism in the seven provinces of the region-Bataan, Pampanga, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Tarlac and Bulacan.

Gordon told newsmen the administration will be committing “a high degree of mental slaught” if it allows the plan to convert the Subic Bay International Airport into a theme park and recreation site.

Gordon, who also once served as tourism secretary, said global tourist destinations such as New York and San Francisco have many airports yet Palawan, now being promoted by the government needs an additional airport.

He said the SBMA should not waste the US$40-million government funds used to rebuild and modernize the SBIA.

Gordon criticized plans of current SBMA Chairman Robert Garcia to push for a US$5-billion investment proposal that converts the freeport’s 200-hectare prime real estate into a theme park with condominiums, malls and recreational facilities similar to Hong Kong Disneyland and Singapore’s Sentosa park.

“It’s very rare to have a world class airport and a seaport in one facility in our country. The government should instead develop it to decongest airports in Metro Manila and bring in more tourists and investors,” said Gordon in a telephone interview over the weekend. (Mar Supnad, Manila Bulletin)

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Customs sues Subic rice smugglers

The Bureau of Customs on Thursday charged before the Department of Justice six rice smugglers who figured in bringing into Subic contraband rice from Vietnam.

Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon said that sued for violation of Sections 3601 and 3602, in relation to Sections 2503 and 2530 of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines were Jan Dexter Marfil, president of Masagana Import Export Inc., the consignee of the Vietnam rice shipment; board members Editha Arzola and Jeaneth Espeleta Vega, directors Gerardo Yaco Vega and William Tunog Quiohilag; and Masagana’s customs broker Mary Joy Sanchez.

Biazon added that the six were charged after the rice smuggling attempt at the Subic Freeport Zone of 20,000 bags rice from Vietnam worth about P30 million.

According to Biazon, the 20,000 bags of rice from Vietnam, which arrived at the Subic port on June 20, 2012, were stacked in forty 40-footer container vans and declared as “gypsum board” to avoid the import permit requirement from the National Food Authority.

“A subsequent alert order was issued by the bureau after the discovery of the misdeclaration upon inspection of the 40 container vans from Vietnam,” he said.

“This was a deliberative attempt to deceive our operatives to avoid the import permit requirement from the National Food Authority for all rice importations and to defraud the government of its appropriate revenues,” he said. (Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Manila Times)

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Foresters to draft national action plan for forestry

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The country’s top professional foresters converged at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center here on Wednesday for a three-day summit with the end in view of drafting a national action plan on the management and promotion of the country’s forest resources.

The “National Summit Conference on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade,” according to a statement from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), is expected to be a high-level meeting of local foresters from academe, the government and wood-based industry sectors to discuss how the forestry profession can elevate its role in the government’s anti-illegal logging campaign and improve the local wood-based industry by promoting the National Greening Program (NGP).

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, who will be the keynote speaker in the event, lauded the holding of the conference, saying it came at a time “when the profession finds itself on new paths forged in the crucible of rectification in the country’s policies on forestry program being pursued by President Aquino.”

“There’s no better time than now that we, as foresters, should take a deeper reflection on how much contribution the forestry profession have made to winning back the country’s forests which, to a great extent, mirrors the state of our profession,” said Paje, who has a bachelor’s degree in forestry science from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños, Laguna.

The forestry conference was organized by the 8,000-strong Society of Filipino Foresters Inc. (SFFI) to mark their 64th anniversary celebration.

The SSFI is a non-profit organization formed in 1948, which is now working for the adoption of science and technology in forestry-related activities within the framework of sustainable forest management practices being implemented by the DENR.

Among the topics expected to be discussed in the three-day summit are measures on how the profession could strengthen and unify ongoing efforts to stop wanton forest destruction, and how local foresters could promote sustainable management of forest resources so that the forestry sector can fully contribute to national development.

Among the important outputs expected from the conference are a “National Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade” and an SFFI action plan to promote good governance among its ranks.

Organizers said the conference will feature papers about updates on Philippine forests. These include “Pagsasaayos Ng Kagubatan: Isang Hamon ng Pulitika at Hindi ng Teknolohiya” by Dr. Antonio Contreras; “The State of the Philippine Forests and Analysis of Key Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation in the Philippines” by Dr. Antonio Carandang; “Karanasan at mga Isyung Kinahaharap ng Bantay Gubat ng Mangatarem” by Ely Curimao; “The National Greening Program” by DENR-Forest Management Bureau Director Ricardo Calderon;  and “Binhi Tungo sa Tagumpay ng Community-Based Forest Management” by Mariano Saclauso Sr.

Five other papers will tackle enforcement of forestry laws to curb illegal logging. These are: “Forest Law Enforcement” by Gen. Renato Miranda (ret.), Executive Director of the Anti-illegal Logging Task Force; “Forest Laws Enforcement, Governance and Trade in the Philippines” by Philippine Wood Producers Association head Antonio Olizon; “Initiatives on Strengthening Forest Law Enforcement and Governance” by Generosa Mislang; “Holistic Evaluation and Approaches to Curb Illegal Logging in the Philippines” by forester-Lawyer Wilfrido Pollisco; and “Framework for a National Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade” by Dr. Manuel Bonita.

Other personalities expected to grace the conference are Party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones of Agham, Zambales First District Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon Jr. and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chaiman Roberto Garcia. (Henry Empeno, Business Mirror)

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