Sleepless in New York

New York City – We arrived in New York on our way to Washington, DC to join the Philippines Inc. “Eminent Persons Group” for a series of meetings and briefings with several US senators, Pentagon officials and some members of the White House National Security Council. Everyone knows New York as “the city that never sleeps” – and the bustle is even more evident with the opening of the 69th UN General Assembly where over 140 world leaders including President Aquino, have gathered for a series of dialogues on several issues.

Not surprisingly, traffic has become tight more than ever especially at the East Side where rerouting is in effect, with several streets such as First Avenue from 42nd all the way to 49th having been closed down for the whole week. According to authorities, further road closures could be announced even at very short notice to make way for the VIP delegates who might want to go around the Big Apple. New York cabbies are definitely unhappy, complaining about sitting idly in traffic and watching helplessly as impatient passengers simply get out of the cab and decide to walk. Compounding the aggravation are the climate change activists – the very same ones who flooded Wall Street last Monday during a sit-in protest and deliberately obstructing traffic – resulting in the arrest of at least a hundred as they clashed with the New York City police.

Security has also tripled with the arrival of US President Barack Obama (with First Lady Michelle) who traveled from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on board Air Force One. Before boarding the Marine One Helicopter at the White House lawn, Obama announced the air strikes against ISIS militants in Syria with a lot of help from five friendly Arab states: Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The US and its allies launched a barrage of land- and sea-based aircraft and Tomahawk cruise missiles on precise ISIS targets and a new terrorist al-Qaeda splinter group called “Khorasan” composed of veteran hard-core militants, with information provided by CIA operatives embedded inside Syria.

It’s also the first time in five years for Obama to chair the UN Security Council session, with world leaders working to draft an agreement that would cut down the flow of funds, arms and fighters into ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria. Interestingly, in his speech before the UN Climate Summit, Obama acknowledged the global threat of terrorism and instability, but noted that climate change is more alarming. Vowing that the US will do its part, he called on all nations to work together to meet this threat, warning that “the climate is changing faster than our ability to address it,” and that “the alarm bells keep ringing.”

Canadians stay away from climate change

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has chosen to miss the UN climate change summit in New York considering that it is a domestic issue, with Canada also ranked among the Top 10 countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions. Critics of Harper are pouncing on him, saying he has to face the truth about the North American nation’s climate record. Canada has a lot of natural resources and apparently, Harper is trying to weigh the balance between the environment and the economy.

Alberta, for instance, has rich deposits of heavy crude oil and natural gas, with oil sands found in the regions of Lloydminster, Cold Lake, and Fort McMurray along the border in Saskatchewan. Many acknowledge that natural gas is a major driver of the economy of Canada. According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the oil and gas industry is responsible for generating over half a million jobs (directly and indirectly) all across Canada. In 2007 alone, the industry’s contribution amounted to an estimated $27 billion in taxes and royalty payments to the government.

We will always be grateful to Canada for being one of the countries that quickly responded during the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013. Canadian citizens raised over $85 million – with the amount matched by the Canadian government to donate to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. Despite the global financial crisis, the economy has remained resilient in Canada – where there are 800,000 Filipino immigrants. 

Hoods in robes

The dismissal of Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory Ong for gross misconduct, dishonesty and impropriety is a good sign. Ong was chair of the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division that dismissed the corruption case against Janet Lim Napoles over an anomalous transaction of Kevlar helmets for the military. Ong has been accused of fraternizing with Napoles and receiving bribe money amounting to P3.1 million.

The sacking of Ong is lauded by civil society as a step towards the right direction because aside from Sandiganbayan justices, corruption has also infected some government prosecutors, fiscals, Regional Trial Court judges and other so-called “hoods in robes.”

Spy tidbit

Former Manila Overseas Press Club president Jose “Don Pepe” Rodriguez will launch his book, “Front Pages of Philippine History (Primeras Paginas De La Historia De Filipinas)” on Sept. 30 at the Raffles Hotel in Makati. Unfortunately, we won’t be around to join Pepe at his book launching, but we’re sure he’ll have a number of guests from the diplomatic corps, media, business and high society.

Don Pepe is one of the very few who was granted Filipino citizenship through a congressional act – specifically by virtue of Republic Act 9489 – which granted him dual citizenship both as a Spanish and a Filipino. Actually, Don Pepe has had a longstanding love affair with the Philippines – in fact over three decades ago when he first met his wife Lulu Coching, a renowned artist whose oil portraits of Presidents and First Ladies adorn Malacañang Palace. Lulu’s father is also the National Artist for Visual Arts Francisco Coching.

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