Obviously, this is not the best of times. For there are so many happenings, in many parts of the country and in different sectors of society, that are not at all encouraging and inspiring. For instance, the presidency continues to be the object of assault and ridicule, from various fronts. And all of them -- the leftists, the MILF and MNLF, the militant labor organizations, the transport sector, the Church, many sectors of the middle and upper classes, the political opposition, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera -- seem to be ganging up on President Erap. Yes, hardly a day passes by without an issue being raised against the Estrada administration.
There wouldn't be anything to worry about, if President Erap still holds the masa under his previously-bewitching spell. But the reality is that hard and harsh economic times have taken away a good portion of the masa from President Erap's spell. The jobless, those with so many mouths to feed but with so little to spend, the disgruntled who cannot get the service they deserve from the inutile and lethargic government bureaucracy, the underpaid, the hungry and starving masa -- almost all of them have begun to distance themselves from the Estrada administration.
And it is incredible that so many Filipinos living abroad, who continuously and passionately monitor the day-to-day happenings in our country, are so angry at the Estrada administration. The letters that I receive from the Pinoys abroad, through the Internet, reveal a deep well of resentment, and wrath, that cannot just be shunted aside by the handlers of President Erap.
Many concerned citizens sincerely hope that we are not yet in the worst of times. They pray that somehow, President Estrada is going to weather the storm, that he can redirect gear so that he will regain the people's trust and confidence. However, at the rate unpleasant things are happening and surfacing in our midst, we might just get nearer to the worst of times, before things get any better.
There are shafts of sunlight at the Subic Freeport. Apparently, despite hard times, some beautiful things are happening there, thanks to the initiative and dynamism of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and its chairman Felicito Payumo. When he and I signed a Memorandum of Agreement last December 2000, regarding a project which would make Subic Freeport handicapped-friendly, and after I had given Subic Freeport public works officials my idea of what accessibility features should be put in place, I did not know that Tong Payumo would immediately take the moves to make our agreement happen.
Last Friday, when I dropped by Subic, I noticed that many sidewalks along the major thoroughfares of Subic already have curb-cuts where wheelchairs could pass through. I was told that by the end of April, almost all of Subic's busy sidewalks would be wheelchair-friendly. And when I met Tong the following day, at the Subic International Hotel, he told me that the Subic locators would be asked to put up ramps in their entrances.
A handicapped person who uses a wheelchair will find joy in visiting Subic. He, by his lonesome, will soon be able to move from place to place, from sidewalk to sidewalk, in the commercial areas of the Freeport. And with Payumo's commitment to make Subic a haven for everyone, including the physically challenged, there will definitely a continuous flow of visitors to the booming Subic Freeport.
By the way, Subic will soon be the site of the first software development park in the country. President Estrada has already given Tong the go-ahead signal to put up the first-ever park, patterned after the Namkang Software Park in Taipei. Payumo expects the software center, which will be located in five hectares of Subic, to tap thousands of Filipino knowledge workers.
Earlier, Tong Payumo and officials of Sanyo Denki recently presided in groundbreaking rites for the Japanese global company's US$21 million manufacturing plant at Subic. The plant will manufacture precision motors for computer cooling systems. By June this year, Sanyo Denki Philippines will hire the initial batch of 350 Filipino workers, prior to the company's full operations by November 2000.
During my weekend visit to Subic, I noticed many Japanese businessmen and technicians moving around the Freeport. There was also a television crew from NHK, taking shots of all the attractive features of Subic. Apparently, the Japanese are eyeing Subic Freeport, not only as a tourist destination but also as an investment haven. I understand Tong Payumo is at present interacting very closely with various sectors from Japan, trying to lure them to invest at the Subic Freeport.
A very bright prospect for Subic is the tourism sector. According to travel industry tycoon Jose Clemente and his wife Alejandra, Subic Freeport has so many tourism potentials that can lure tourists, both from the Philippines and abroad. The couple are now working closely with Tong Payumo, whose accessibility to Subic's locators has drawn admiration and appreciation, in making the Subic Freeport a busy tourist beehive. By the way, the Clemente couple, who own the prestigious Rajah Tours, are major partners behind Subic International Hotel, whose dynamic sales and marketing director is Roberto "Bobby" Laygo.
PULSEBEAT: Far Eastern University wants to get in touch with Anthony Villanueva, the Philippines' first Olympic silver medalist and an FEU alumnus. FEU, learning that Villanueva's health is deteriorating, wishes to give some help to the Olympian. Those with info about Villanueva's whereabouts are requested to contact Nemesio Diamante, director for planning and research of FEU . . . DPWH Assistant Secretary Jose Espiritu wrote to say that the detailed design of the revised plan for the left-turning viaduct at Rosario Bridge will be finalized this July. Alleluia! Finally, something will happen after over one year. And after the detailed design is finished, how many more years will pass before the viaduct becomes fully operational? Espiritu did not give an answer to this, in his letter sent to me . . . Director Danilo Trajano of the Urban Road Projects Office of the DPWH also sent a letter to me, on the same subject. Strangely, Trajano said that the revised plans will be finished "within March" and that "immediate construction" will follow thereafter. Tunay na tunay?
Art A. Borjal's e-mail address: <jwalker@tri-isys.com>