Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Espina clan still holds sway in Biliran

By Marie Tonette Marticio

TACLOBAN CITY– With their landslide victory in last week’s midterm elections, the Espina political clan bared plans to boost tourism in Biliran province.

Outgoing congressman Rogelio Espina was elected governor, while his younger brother, the outgoing governor Gerry Boy Espina, won in the lone congressional district.

Rogelio said that among his priorities is to promote Biliran’s tourism industry.

He is also eyeing cityhood for the province’s capital, Naval town.

Brigido Canejas III, who was elected vice governor, is an Espina ally, and so are all eight provincial board members and the municipal councilors.

All mayors except in the town of Cabucgayan are from Bando Espina, the clan’s political group. Marisol Masbang, the wife of Edwin Masbang won as mayor.

Among the seven mayors who won under Bando Espina is Congressman Espina’s son, Mayor Gerard Espina of Naval.

Gerard Espina, the youngest member of the clan, also prioritizes tourism in order to lure more investors.

One of his projects is to promote Higatangan Island, which will be holding its 3rd summer festival on May 25-26.

“This year’s festival will showcase local food products, culture, and livelihood of the locals such as mat weaving,” he said.

The island has been provided by the Department of Tourism with a two-lane circumferential road to facilitate travel around the island. Among the other destinations are a lighthouse, rock formations, and cliff diving site.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/05/21/espina-clan-still-holds-sway-in-biliran/

THE FILIPINO DECIDES 2019: THE POST-ELECTION WRAP

Both ABS-CBN and GMA have rendered an outstanding competition over augmented reality. Once again, the former does simulcast with S+A but the latter has not done so with GMA News TV (for their last time under VHF channel 11). Amidst the doubts, TV5 finally covered.

When the transparency server were stalled at 0.4% during 8 hours after the poll closing, ABS-CBN seems to make the most of their time by airing their usual primetime teleseryes but GMA stayed on persistently. Both in the South Triangle Duopoly remained overnight while TV5 signed off for a moment until their server is updated once again.

For Media ng Bayan, it was a disappointment that their coverage were resorted to a “talk show” format. Well, what do you expect over a state-owned media consortium that cannot acquire and employ better presentation technology — at par with commercial counterparts — due to procedural red tape?

The Agenda

Now, for that hard part to digest. What’s in store for the incoming (18th) Congress?


  • Primarily, the Constitutional reform. Last week’s election might the last to considered as a midterm and on this running Charter. Unless a finalized form of federal charter will be resolved and presented, there may be some legislators who have obvious self-interests and/or reservations that could object some salient provisions.
  • The other main legislations: the restoration of death penalty, lowering of minimum age of criminal responsibility and the TRABAHO bill (a.k.a. TRAIN 2).
  • Martial Law in Mindanao. With the clear numbers in both houses, the declaration under the said island group are extended every year with a breeze up until 2022.
  • The solid defense of China’s trespassing of our seas and complete, permanent trade-off of its patrimony. It can be a done deal since they have the numbers to ratify a treaty with the adversary.
  • Last but not the least is ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal. This incoming Congress will take on this issue, which will expire come March. Although it’s for the legal ownership, operation and maintenance of telecommunication facilities, the signal of non-renewal might mean that the national media industry should prepare for the instantaneous change of competition.


What about the promises of the People’s Broadcasting Corporation bill (replacing PTV) — as promised on the President Duterte’s maiden State of the Nation address — and IBC’s privatization process? The former may be reintroduced if it failed to passed on the outgoing Congress but the latter is not as it would be answerable by the Presidential Communications Office during the budget interpellation on both Houses. If both did not prosper within the time period, it shouldn’t be surprising at all.

Conclusion

That being said, we carved up on what we chose that we cannot take it back (don’t say we didn’t warn you). That was our endgame and it is not as expected as what was in the movie.

Our results reflect what we are and we have no choice but to embrace them, whether we voted for any of them or not.

The Filipino Decides 2019 is hereby wrapped up.

Marking 100 years, NDC gears up towards high-impact projects

By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat

National Development Co., the government’s investment arm, is looking at high impact projects where it continues to act as an enabler and support provider to local enterprises.

NDC General Manager Ma. Lourdes Rebueno said as the company just celebrated its centenary.

Rebueno said they they will continue to act as an enabler this time towards new technology-incubation, global competitiveness endeavors, renewable energy generation, addressing supply chain gaps, micro, small and medium enterprises and urban/rural development, providing support to local economies.

Its projects in the pipeline include the Multi-purpose Gamma Irradiation Facility, the expansion of the World Trade Center Metro Manila, the Davao Food Complex in Toril, Davao, the NDC Industrial Estate in Dasmarinas, Cavite, the solar hybrid system project initially targeted to be located in Palawan and the venture fund for start-ups.

NDC is, likewise, working in parallel with and is supportive of the investment priority plans of the Department of Trade and Industry, specifically in the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone.

The company has and will continue to champion socio-economic programs through projects in greenfield areas generating employment and raising income towards the upliftment of the dignity of the Filipinos, Rebueno said.

The NDC celebration held at PICC was an opportunity for NDC to showcase its evolution from 1919 to 2019, from its first subsidiary, the Cebu Portland Cement Company incorporated in 1921 to its most recent investment in Rizal Mini Hydro Power Project.

DTI Secretary Lopez cited NDC’s rich history and commended the company for its contribution to the current economic progress that the country is experiencing now.

Through its 100 years of existence, NDC took the role of a catalyst in the country’s economic development, undertaking diverse projects, from inception, to nurturing, to privatization. These include industrial projects in the form of the National Steel Corporation, Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corporation, Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation, agricultural plantations through the NDC-Guthrie Plantations, Inc. and NDC-Guthrie Estates, Inc., transport with the Philippine Airlines, National Shipping Corporation and ocean-going vessels.

Likewise, NDC was the Philippine corporate representative in the Asean Joint Venture Projects in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

After focusing on privatization during the Aquino administration, NDC reverted on its cycle of investments with the likes of the very successful First Cavite Industrial Estate, Inc., Manila Exposition Complex, Inc., Science Park of the Philippines, Inc., San Carlos Bio-ethanol, Inc., Philippine Mining Development Corporation, Philippine Pharma Procurement, Inc., NDC Philippine Infrastructure Corporation, Alabang-Sto. Tomas Development, Inc.

Realizing the need for a definitive identity and to embrace a sense of corporate branding, the celebration was capped with the release of the new NDC Logo and the NDC Corporate Hymn.

NDC had a modest celebration of its centennial year which was held at the PICC with its Chairman, DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, as the guest of honor.

The occasion was a gathering of luminaries with the presence of former NDC Chairpersons, Ambassador Lilia Bautista, Jesli Lapuz and Adrian Cristobal. Likewise, present were former General Managers, Arthur Aguilar, Jose Mari Trenas, Samie Lim and Ofelia Bulaong together with partners from the government and the private sector.

Members of the NDC Board who attended the event are  NDC GM Ma. Lourdes F. Rebueno; DOF Usec. Grace Karen G. Singson; NDC Chairman and DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez; DOE Usec. Jesus Cristino P. Posadas; BOI Vice-Chairman and Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo.

https://business.mb.com.ph/2019/05/20/marking-100-years-ndc-gears-up-towards-high-impact-projects/