Water Or Power?

WATER or POWER? Dabawenyos, particularly its local leaders, are faced with a dilemma as to which one of the two important resources to opt for.

The problem started when the Aboitiz-owned Hedcor (Aboitiz being the owner of Davao Light and Power Company) proposed the construction of a hydropower plant along Tamugan River in Calinan this city which was then debunked by the Davao City Water District for being detrimental to the city's water resources.

The National Water Resources Board has already given a permit to DCWD for its surface water development. Hedcor, on the other hand still has to get one. Just like Hedcor, the City Council is looking for a win-win solution to the problem whereby both Hedcor and DCWD can use the area for their individual projects. DCWD's Imelda Magsuci however said the area would no longer be feasible for the tapping of surface water for its project once Hedcor is given the go signal to build the hydropower plant.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has already stepped in and has given Hedcor until yesterday to defend its position. Otherwise, Duterte said he is more favorable to providing clean and pure water to Dabawenyos.

Hedcor claims the whole of Mindanao is faced with a looming power crisis if the hydropower plant is not put into place. However, a recently released study claims that Davao's water sources already contains contaminants as a result of the banana plantations operating in the area.

So which would you choose? Water or Power?

Discovery Of Oil In Palawan Spells Good News For RP

The discovery of fresh oil just off the coast of Palawan in the Philippines specifically the Galoc Oil Field at 10:45 am today is good news for the Filipinos who are still battling high fuel prices despite the decrease in the price of fuel in the world market. The oil was brought straight to the oil refineries at 11:20 today.

The country imports $6 billion worth of oil per year so this discovery is expected to decrease albeit minimally the country's dependence on the oil producing and exporting countries. This discovery, which is expected to produce from 10 to 20 million oil barrels daily which is equivalent to almost 6% of the demand for oil in the country can also spell $1.4 billion worth of savings in foreign exchange for the Philippines.

This is not the first time that oil has been discovered in the Philippines as Shell's Malampaya project discovered oil in the country in January 1992.

Release Of Hultman's Killer Stirs RP Justice System

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has done it again! Arroyo granted executive clemency to Claudio Teehankee, Jr, barely seven years after he was convicted by the Supreme Court. Teehankee was sentenced to one count each of reclusion perpetua and reclusion temporal for the 1991 murder of then 16-year old Maureen Hultman and Roland Chapman as well as for wounding Jussi Leino.

To add salt to the injury, a government official was interviewed by reporters saying the Hultmans' were informed of the plan to pardon Teehankee and the family agreed after an estimated P6 million was paid to the family. I was shocked when I heard that knowing that the

Maureen Hultman's photo
taken from monacome.com

Philippine law does not accept blood money in exchange for the release of a convicted prisoner. If my memories of my criminal law subject still holds true, criminal cases are not dismissed even if the complainants desist from the case since it is the government who will prosecute the case although of course there's the non-appearance of the witnesses to contend with. What more in this case when Teehankee was convicted?

Vivian Hultman, the victim's mother, denied they were given any notice by the government about the planned clemency that will be given to Teehankee. She said the money awarded to them was by virtue of the court's decision and order and not payment for the release of Teehankee. So there, another Arroyo man caught with his pants down or rather with his foot in his mouth!

The executive clemency has placed the justice system into question once again even if such was an executive decision and there is supposedly a separation of the three branches of government--the executive, judiciary and the legislative. There are lots of prisoners who have been suffering in jail and even after several years they still claim innocence. A lot of media people have been placed behind bars not for killing people but for merely reporting the truth.

Despite Press secretary Jesus Dureza's claims that 292 prisoners were granted pardon by the president this year, the fact that Teehankee is the son of a former Supreme Court justice and the brother of a Philippine Diplomat to the WTO in Geneva still makes people suspicious if justice in the Philippines can really be bought and manipulated either by money or by name.

Tide's "Isa Higit Sa Dalawa" commercial

I was disturbed the first time I saw and heard Tide's "1>2" or "Isa Higit sa Dalawa" advertisement not for anything else but for its tendency to mislead children into believing that what is being taught both at school and at home is not correct. How many mothers and pre-school teachers have spent days teaching children the intricacies of basic mathematics. It is as factual as night and day that 1 is less than 2. However, this Tide commercial insists that 1 is less than 2.

Several weeks after I was surprised and glad that Tide has made some amendments to their advertisement. If you notice Tide's advertisement nowadays, the phrase "isa hight sa dalawa" is still being used but with a caveat----sa mathematics hindi pwede yan!

I don't know if the Department of Education called the attention of Tide's advertisement agency but whoever made that call should be commended for checking it out and asking Tide to amend its advertisement.

I Am Going To Gensan For MBS2!

Gensan or Dustdiangas as I used to call it when I first set foot on this dusty land several decades ago has indeed come a long way. I have many memories of Gensan mostly good, some bad---but they all contributed to making me a better person ---well, hopefully. And while I have always returned home during holidays and vacations, it is only now that I am tracing back my roots hoping that I would be given more reasons to stay for good.

Thanks to the organizers of the MBS2 I now have one more reason to visit Gensan once again for reasons other than family. The holding of the bloggers summit in gensan is very timely considering that the city is experiencing a rebirth of its economic boom. Construction of the Robinsons Mall is underway and there are talks that SM will soon start constructing another mall also. So what's in store for bloggers who will join the MBS2 in Gensan? Lots of tuna and seafood for sure!

Thanks to these folks and companies, MBS2 is finally on!

CO-PRESENTERS:
NOKIA (Philippines), Inc.
Mayor Pedro B. Acharon, Jr.
Congresswoman Darlene Antonino-Custodio
ABS-CBN Regional Network Group
Bariles Republic

GOLD SPONSORS:
ACLC-Skeptron Ventures, Inc.
Gregoria Printing Press
International Container Terminal Services, Inc.
Grab A Crab Restaurant and Coffee Club 101

SILVER SPONSORS:
Asia United Bank
NoKiAHOST.COM - P5/day Philippines Webhosting
Family Country Hotel and Convention Center
East Asia Royale Hotel

BRONZE SPONSORS:
GensanSALE.COM - AnyThings for Sale in Gensan
Blogging from Home Book
Pacific Seas Seafood Market
Shalom-Crest Wizard Academy
Generals Logimark Exponent
Prints and You
Sta. Cruz Seafood, Inc.
Dellosa Design Builders, Inc.
Forest Lake San Carlos
Rolees Bakery & Cafe

Mining Industry At Center Stage During Davao Mining Summit

The mining industry is at center stage during the two day Mining Summit being held at the Watefront Insular Hotel from September 18-19, 2008. The top agenda during the summit is government bureaucracy vis a vis the approval of mining exploration permits. It is ironic that that the Philippines is known to have large areas with mineral deposits and yet it is not even included in the Top 50 List of countries with large mining investments.

Mindanao Business Council chair Vicente Lao noted the prevailing "red tape" experienced by companies applying for their mining exploration permits. He said the government should look into this and should be less stringent in its regulations considering that a mining exploration application takes from five to ten years before it is even approved.

"The application for mining explorations should not take long because this stage is already a great risk to the investor since there is no guarantee that the site being explored would yield minerals," Lao said.

The MBC is advocating for responsible mining, he said, but said the government should give more support to the industry as it can contribute to the country's economy. He said environmental issues would not be disregarded if only the procedures are simplified and red tape is lessened if not eradicated.

Call Center Jobs Still Hot In Davao City

There are numerous call center work opportunities in Davao City and if you want to get some experience then here's a chance. Dynatech Outsource is looking for call center agents, outbound campaign team leaders, outbound campaign managers and outbound campaign confirmers. The company promises an income of from P10,000 to P20,000 for those who will successfully complete the free training program and will be hired by Dynatech. Make sure you check out the employment terms before you sign on the dotted line though to make sure you have everything in order.