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Business/World
From left: Makati Business Club chairman Edgar Chua; Investment & Capital Corp. of the Philippines founder Guillermo Luchangco ; former Philippine Ambassador to US Jose L. Cuisia; Ambassador John F. Maisto; US-Philippines Society co-chair Manuel V. Pangilinan; Department of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno; Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez; AmCham executive director Ebb Hinchliffe; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas assistant governor Francisco Dakila, Jr.; and Ambassador John D. Negroponte
LOVELIER THE SECOND TIME AROUND ABOUT this time last year, I wrote about the meeting of the Board of Directors of the US-Philippines Society that was held here in the Philippines (see “The US-Philippines Society: A New Hope”, Mike About Town, The Manila Standard, 06 March 2017). In that column piece, I wrote about how the holding of the binational Board of Directors meeting here was proof-positive that US-Philippines relations never waned, and that it had, in fact, become stronger, contrary to the seeming public perception then. Now, those relations are as strong as ever. For the second time, USPhilippines Society Co-Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan hosted a Board of Directors Meeting and Business Mission in Manila. The U.S. delegation was led by Society Co-Chair John D. Negroponte, former Ambassador to the Philippines and Deputy Secretary of State, and current US-Philippines Society President, former Ambassador John F. Maisto. The Philippine Ambassador to the United States, my good friend, Jose Manuel G. Romualdez, flew in from Washington D.C. to be part of this significant event. Ambassador Babe, as we fondly call him, has been instrumental in ensuring a robust and engaging relationship with the United States. The Board of Directors Meeting and the Business Mission was an opportunity for business leaders from Washington D.C. and the Philippines to explore investments between both countries as well as discuss means to enhance cybersecurity and protection of OFWs. With headquarters in Washington D.C., the US-Philippines Society was launched on 01 May 2012 to “realize the vision of its founders to create a new and timely mechanism for elevating the Philippines’ profile in the United States”. It is recognized as the premier organization promoting U.S. and Philippine relations. One of the more prominent engagements the Society has ever done was to provide more than US$2-million in assistance to the Yolanda aid and relief effort, which has been on-going to this day. The Society was also able to raise funds to help displaced families from the war in Marawi. During the board meeting, the Society made an additional donation to recovery efforts for Marawi, and this was done through the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF),
an organization co-chaired by MVP and Jaime Agusto Zobel de Ayala. Prior to the start of the two-day meeting and forum, a welcome reception was hosted by Ambassador Romualdez at his residence. During the reception, the 2018 Carlos P. Romulo Award was presented to Tessie Sy-Coson for her “invaluable support in establishing the US-Philippine Society in 2012 and in sustaining the Society’s work in carrying out its mission over the past six years.” Day One of the meeting-forum started with a breakfast briefing with legislators which was graced by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and Congressman Max Rodriguez of the Second District, Cagayan de Oro. This was followed by a meeting with Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez, then the board meeting proper. The afternoon was spent on a Post-Marawi Mindanao Forum, then a meeting with Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia. The first day was capped by a reception hosted by CoChairman Manuel V. Pangilinan. Day Two was reserved for two highlights: the call on President Rodrigo Roa Duterte at Malacañan Palace, attended also by Ambassador Romualdez and US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, and the Business Forum which included briefings by Trade Secretary Mon Lopez, Budget Secretary Ben Diokno, and BSP Managing Director Francisco Dakila Jr. After the two days of meetings and discussion, Society members got a respite by taking a follow-on visit to Marawi City and the neighboring areas ravaged by the conflict that broke out there some time ago. In its six years of existence, the USPhilippines Society has covered much ground across the breadth of the Pacific Ocean. It seems like it was only yesterday that MVP and I attended the launch of USPS in Washington D.C , with thenPresident Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III as guest of honor. I can only wish the organization and its leadership well as it continues to uphold the strength of relations between two countries that have withstood the test of time and history.
Biodiversity summit kicks off in Medellin M EDELLIN―A comprehensive, global appraisal of mass species extinction―and what can be done to reverse it―kicked off in Colombia’s second-largest city Saturday, with more than 750 experts in attendance.
President Juan Manuel Santos opened the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) meeting in Medellin by stating that protecting biodiversity is “as important as fighting climate change.” Hundreds of scientists and government envoys are gathering at the event, which runs through March 26, to finalize details on five monumental reports designed to inform global policymaking into the future. “Today the world is at a crossroads,” added IPBES president Sir Robert Watson.
CANDIDATE. Presidential candidate President Vladimir Putin votes at a polling station during Russia’s presidential election in Moscow on March 18, 2018. AFP
Suu Kyi pressed on Rohingya crisis SYDNEY―Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi was pressed about the Rohingya crisis at an Asean summit in Sydney Sunday, but the regional bloc stressed it could not intervene and “force an outcome”. Suu Kyi has been under intense global criticism for her public silence amid a brutal military crackdown that has forced nearly 700,000 of the Muslim-minority Rohingya to flee Myanmar’s Rakhine state for Bangladesh. The humanitarian crisis was one of the key topics at the three-day special summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Australia. “We discussed the situation in Rakhine state at considerable length today,” Aus-
Ambassador John D. Negroponte, Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ambassador John F. Maisto
With Manuel V. Pangilinan , Ambassador Joey Cuisia, Ambassador Babe Romualdez, SGV’s Ito Cruz and Ambassador John Maisto
Century Properties Group, Inc. chairman Jose Eduardo B. Antonio ; Philippine Veterans Bank chairman Roberto de Ocampo; Secretary Benjamin Diokno; AmCham executive director Ebb Hinchliffe
tralian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said at the closing press conference. “Aung San Suu Kyi addressed the matter comprehensively, at some considerable length herself. “It’s certainly an issue that has been discussed and it is fair to say... very constructively, in our meeting.” Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is this year’s ASEAN chair, said Myanmar’s neighbors were concerned about the ongoing situation but could not “force an outcome”. “It is of concern for all Asean countries, and yet Asean is not able to intervene and to force an outcome,” Lee said alongside Turnbull.AFP
GHOR AL-HADITHA, Jordan―Israel and Jordan have long pursued a common goal to stop the Dead Sea from shrinking while slaking their shared thirst for drinking water with a pipeline from the Red Sea some 200 kilometers away. Geopolitical tensions have stalled the efforts to break ground on the ambitious project for years, but the end of the latest diplomatic spat has backers hoping a final accord may now be in sight. The degradation of the Dead Sea, on the border of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian West Bank, began in the 1960s when water began to be heavily diverted from the Jordan River. “Before 1967, the water was just a 10-minute walk from my house,” said Musa Salim al-Athem, a farmer who grows tomatoes on the banks on the Jordan side. “Now it takes an hour,” he said, standing amid the resulting lunar landscape of spectacular salt sculptures, gaping sinkholes and craters. “Only the sea can fill up the sea.” “Since 1950, the amount flowing in the Jordan has dropped from 1.2 billion cubic meters per year to less than 200 million,” said Frederic Maurel, an engineering expert at the French development agency AFD. AFP
What is ‘sharing real estate for 1 hour per week’ all about? GREEN LIGHT
Tessie Sy-Coson receiving her 2018 Carlos P. Romulo Award from USPS Co-Chair Amb. John Negroponte while (L-R) Amb. Roberto Romulo, USPS Executive Director Hank Hendrickson, USPS Co-Chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, and Amb. Babe Romualdez look on. (Photo courtesy of USPS)
“The historic and current degradation and destruction of nature undermine human well being for current and countless future generations.” Compiled over the last three years, the reports will provide the most up-to-date picture of the health of the world’s plants, animals and soil. The diagnosis will be unveiled in two parts. First, on March 23, the IPBES will release separate assessments for the four regions into which it has divided the world into the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia.
Then on March 26 a report will be released focusing on the global condition of soil, which is fast being degraded through pollution, forest-destruction, mining, and unsustainable farming methods that deplete its nutrients. The evaluations took 600 volunteer scientists three years to complete, and includes summaries of data taken from about 10,000 scientific publications. The end product covers the entire Earth apart from Antarctica and the open oceans―those waters beyond national jurisdiction. Host Colombia claims it has the world’s largest variety of birds and orchids, and is second only to Brazil in terms of overall species diversity. Paradoxically, decades of Colombia’s internal conflict have preserved fragile habitats in no-go zones of the country, whose mountainous topography supports 311 different ecosystems. AFP
Dead Sea’s revival edges closer to reality
ANA LIZA ASISCASTRO
US-Philippines Society Leaders in their courtesy call to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. (Malacañan Palace photo)
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MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com
PEACE and quiet. Motionless and tranquil. This is what one would feel during Sundays in what is an incredibly busy part of Barangay Bel-Air during weekdays. Thriving offices and restaurants in this area of the Makati CBD fetch heightened foot and vehicular traffic. Salcedo Village is part of Makati where the population on ordinary weekday is six to eight times of its night-time population, according to the Makati City government. To add, there is the popular and pioneering eventful Salcedo market on Saturdays. Nonetheless, the village settles from its conventional hectic work week on Sundays. Yet, a small group of folks and families, traveling on foot or by car, are observed. The venue is at the entrance hall of a modern commercialoffice building. On Sunday mornings, the lobby’s wide walkways, designed to accommodate heavy foot traffic, are restricted by the temporarily arranged furniture. The hall is filled with chairs that are arranged in rows from the base of the hall to the other end. Although chairs are comfortably spaced, they are positioned to fit in wherever possible. The arrangement specifically provides an open space meant for a center aisle. All chairs face three tables that are put together at the end of the hall to form a long table. This becomes the focal point of the arrangement. Minutes before 11 a.m., a podium is brought in and is positioned at the front. Loud speakers and microphones are wired. Then, a white cloth is placed on top of the tables, which are finally setup as an altar. This temporary transformed place of worship can be found in one of the buildings in Salcedo Village. For more than 10 years, this expensive real estate has shared its assets for one hour during Sundays so that mass can be celebrated by
the St. John Bosco Parish. The voices of the Pugad Boys Choir add life to the sensible and amiable homily of Father Dave Buenaventura, SDB. If this building were to charge rentals for the space for its weekly event, the parish will probably incur a monthly expense of about P6,000 for a one-hour occupancy of the venue per event. This is based on a calculation of P1,500 per hour for the approximately 200 square meter floor area. Note that this would not include the rental of chairs and tables, which the building administrators provide for free. The setup and clearing are also done by the building maintenance crew. The alliance of two organizations, a real estate business and a parish church begets many benefits and advantages to communities, institutions and establishments it links. First, the celebration of the mass promotes foot traffic during the inactive hours of the commercial building. Establishments that are open for business during the time of the mass celebration generate some income. On the other end, the business of the Pugad Boys farm is also endorsed as it is able to sell its products to mass goers. Second, community solidarity is developed. Sunday masses cultivate volunteers from the residents in the community who help organize the celebration. Organizers put effort so that every last one is given the chance to take part in different Sunday masses. By giving them pen and paper to write their requested special intentions, which are all sequentially read before the mass starts every Sunday, petitioners feel happy that many pray for what they ask for or what they are thankful for. Participation of mass goers are encouraged as they are tapped to read the readings and prayer for the faithful. Also, the children are not left behind. Children enthusiastically carry the collection boxes. This makes them feel an important part in a community activity. At the end of the mass hour, everyone waits until Father Dave completes his blessings. As Father Dave walks on
the center aisle, he reaches out to bless everyone with Holy Water. Finally, it is in plain sight that parishioners greet each other. Although not everyone knows each other by name, what is obvious are the warm smiles that enfolds the hall. Although most who attend are residents in the village, it is perceptible that other people from neighborhood villages also attend the Salcedo Village mass celebration on Sundays. Third, together with other donors, parishioners similarly help maintain the needs of the Pugad Boys, a center for marginalized young people from ages 17 to 24. Pugad Boys farm and Casa de Don Bosco Retreat House are located in Balete, Batangas. The farm grows organic fruits, vegetables, honey bee and ducks. Every Sunday, Father Dave takes a few minutes to impart to parishioners any updates concerning the farm and progress of the Pugad Boys. What is nice to see at the end of each celebration is the swift disappearance of the little quantity of organic produce from the farm as they are hurriedly purchased by the residents. The partnership of the owner and management of this real estate and St. John Bosco Parish reflects corporate social responsibility. The sharing of an expensive asset for one hour every week results in something that goes beyond the actual one-hour mass celebration. It generates positive outcomes needed to constructively build communities. Building relationships is a vital factor in forming communities that promote health, learning, and well-being of people. Dr. Ana Liza “Pinky” Asis-Castro is a certified real estate broker. She is a faculty member of the Management and Organization Department of De La Salle University, where she teaches management courses. She is also an Assistant Professorial Lecturer in the Real Estate Management Program of DLS-College of St. Benilde. You may email her at ana. liza.asiscastro@gmail.com. The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.