Breakthrough in RP horizon

It is heartening to know that there are Filipinos and groups that are rooting for the Philippines’ economic recovery. Amid the noise and din emanating from pessimists who seem to find joy in putting down their own country, these optimists are going out of their way to cheer the country on, focusing on the happy events happening here rather than on coup plots and sensationalized allegations of scandals and scams.

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The Malampaya natural gas project of the Shell Group of Companies is a great success story for the Philippines, and it should be marketed worldwide, said Brett Taylor, secretary of the Mindanao Association for Mineral Industries (MINA). It provides that our country has enormous natural resources that can be developed. More importantly, the Malampaya project can boost the Filipino people’s confidence and self-respect.

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Taylor noted a World Bank report which showed that developing countries with a vibrant mineral and hydrocarbon exploration and development sector have long-term gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates. Unfortunately, some of these countries have consistently ranked higher than the Philippines.

Look at the World Bank listing: Peru, 5 percent; Papua New Guinea, 4.7; Indonesia, 4.7; Ghana, 4.3; Pakistan, 3.8; and Philippines, 3.2. Hopefully, the Malampaya project of Shell can usher in a new era where the Philippines can go much higher than the GDP growth rates of the countries cited by the World Bank.

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From faraway Cleveland, Ohio, Conrad G. Javier, MD, expressed elation over the Malampaya project. "Inspite of all the negative happenings in my land of birth, this God-sent financial windfall will help, along with the newly opened irrigation project in Mindanao, jumpstart the Philippines sluggish economy towards a very rosy future," Dr. Javier said.

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Dr. Javier expects that well-to-do Fil-Americans based in the United States will extend financial and material assistance to their motherland. And this gesture will be spurred, he said, by the November visit of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the United States. He expects President Bush to show his thanks to the Philippine government for its all-out support to America’s war against terrorism. Debt-reduction probably?

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There is a novel and practical proposal that recently came from members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is designed to solve the problems of technical smuggling and slow release of goods from the Bureau of Customs.

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The idea is for the government to deputize a partnership between the PCCI up and some pre-shipment inspection companies to handle the inspection of goods from the point of origin. This system will give more transparency and protection to legitimate importers. It will also unclog the Bureau of Customs of thousands of shipments that come in daily. According to PCCI president Miguel Varela, the inspection scheme will be done at no cost to the government.

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How is this no-cost scheme possible? The importers themselves, not the government, will pay for the inspection service. The PCCI is willing to put up the necessary capital for the partnership with the pre-shipment companies.

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As envisioned, the inspection will be on a purely voluntary bais on the part of the importers. In other words, they may or may not avail of the pre-shipment inspection. Only firms which are willing to expedite the release of their goods from the customs bureau can have their shipment inspected for a fee.

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PCCI hopes to tap several pre-shipment inspection companies to be its partner in this venture. The list could include the following: Bureau Veritas, Admiral Testing, Smith Bell, SGS, Cotecna and Intertek. The inspection fees gererated by the partnership will be self-liquidating since the income from the service will go to the partnership.

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Let me thank a lady doctor, a great specialist in her chosen field, who, through the past ten years, has been wading through terrible traffic jams, just to visit my office, at unexpected times, but always before the Christmas season. She goes there to hand over a generous amount to the charitable projects of the Good Samaritan Foundation – and she always requests that her name be kept anonymous.

Last Tuesday, the doctor again dropped by, to hand over P5,000 for the forthcoming "Operations Christmas Joy" where my staff visits the children’s charity wards of Metro Manila hospitals to distribute toys, coloring books, snacks and other gifts to the sick kids confined there during Christmas Day and the Yuletide season. The kindhearted doktora also donated P10,000 as assistance to the indigent people who seek the Foundation’s help in enabling them to survive. This lady doctor is truly a unique servant of God.

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The businessman who asked to be called Peñafrancia, an alumnus of the Ateneo de Manila University, sent P5,000 for Fr. Arnel Demegillo, the diocesan priest of Bishop Antonio Ledesma, also an Atenean, in the Ipil Prelature of Zamboanga del Sur. I will find a way of turning over this amount to Fr. Arnel who is scheduled to have a kidney transplant at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute. By the way, Bishop Ledesma wrote a note through Internet, to say that Ipil is now the capital of a new province, Zamboanga Sibugay. "Now all we need is to pave our highway from Pagadian to Zamboanga City," Bishop Ledesma said.

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In the meantime, the Good Samaritan Foundation turned over a brand-new wheelchair to Eladio Mata of Mindanao Avenue, Sta. Mesa Manila, who recently had a hip transplant. The wheelchair will hopefully give him the mobility to move around. Thanks to the Good Samaritans who donated the wheelchair to the GS Foundation.

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Thoughts For Today:

Friendship is a gift that is fair in all things.
It roots from one’s heart and involves memories
that stay not for a while but for a lifetime.

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With trials, we grow stronger in faith.
With faith, we move closer to God.
With God, we can do all things.

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My e-mail address: [email protected]