National Capital Region [Archive] - Page 3

icarusrising

January 6th, 2009, 02:01 PM

The heart of modern Manila (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=27899&publicationSubCategoryId=85)
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren Updated November 17, 2007 12:00 AM

http://www.philstar.com/newphilstar/www/image/20071117/lif1.jpg

I spent the weekend cleaning out our basement again. I ended up sorting my images in a never-ending process of making sense of all my research and accumulations of Manila’s urban past. Most people who stop me in public and say they read this column inevitably mention that they enjoy most the stories and old pictures of Manila.

Well, just to take another break from my continuing rant and rhetoric about the plight of Filipino designers and the death of creative freedom, here’s a few more of those nostalgic images of Manila — picked almost at random from one of my stray files to show just how much can be told with images from the past.

These five pictures are mainly aerial views of the city taken in the early 1930s. Aerial photography was an innovation then. These amazing images gave Filipino readers of newspapers and magazines a unique perspective of their progressive city. Remember that there were no buildings over six stories high in Manila then. Those that were, like the Insular Life Bldg. on Plaza Cervantes, were already dubbed “skyscrapers.”

The first picture is a bird’s -eye view of the heart of Manila. The Intramuros was still intact in the early ‘30s and was that way by design. The Americans followed planner Daniel Burnham’s directive to keep the old walled city at the core of the new metropolis, since it held the most important institutions of the city and the country.

The American governor general held office beside the Plaza Mayor — the main open space that defined all urban grids created by the Spanish across their empire. This was also the seat of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, as embodied in the Manila Cathedral. The American Armed Forces also was headquartered at Fort Santiago, which guarded entry into the Pasig River — then also the main highway into the hinterland of Luzon via the lake of Bai (Laguna de Bay). The Intramuros also housed all the major private institutions of learning like the Ateneo Municipal de Manila and the University of Santo Tomas.

Seen at the bottom of the picture is the spanking new neo-classically styled Legislative Building. Originally designed to house the National Library, the first of several buildings of Burnham’s planned government center at the Luneta, it was redesigned by Architect Juan Arellano to house the Philippine Legislature. A few years after this picture was taken, Manuel L. Quezon took his oath of office as Commonwealth president. A triumphal arch, created by Guillermo Tolentino to commemorate the event, was to have been erected at the main road fronting the structure leading into Intramuros. Sadly, it was never built.

On the top left of the picture you can see Manila’s South Harbor, the most modern in the Far East before the war. It had the longest passenger pier (no. 7, not visible in the picture), which brought tourists to within 200 meters of the Manila Hotel. Visible in the picture is 13th Street — where the Philippine STAR offices are now located. Note, too, that there was no Del Pan Bridge yet. That had to wait until after the war and the building of the North Harbor (already outlined in detail in the 1931 “zonification” plan of Manila — yes, we were one of the first cities in Asia that had a modern zoning plan for urban development).

The next picture is a lower aerial shot of two key buildings at the waterfront — the Elks Club and the Army Navy Club. Both were bastions of colonial society and were restricted to white Americans. What’s unique in this photo is that the American Embassy is not yet part of the grouping. The complex was not built until late in the 1930s when the Commonwealth government had taken over Malacañan Palace and the American High Commissioner needed a residence and office. The eventual site was roughly where Burnham had envisioned a residential complex for high American officials anyway. The reclaimed land was offered by the city government. Mayor Antonio “Yeba” Villegas tried to reclaim it in the early ‘60s but failed.

Malacañan Palace itself is seen in an aerial shot a little earlier than the two pictures. Here we see the H-shaped Executive Building (now called Kalayaan Hall) built in the 1910s to house the offices of the American governor general. The residence is to the left, still based on the old Spanish-era structure but with additions and improvements mainly to protect it from floods and to bring in modern electricity and plumbing. (For more about the palace, read the book Malacañan Palace: The Official Illustrated History which I co-authored with Manuel Quezon and Jeremy Barnes.)

The final aerial shot is one of ships anchored in Manila Bay. The North Harbor was still in the planning stages so ships that could not be accommodated at the South Harbor had to wait or have passengers and freight offloaded into light barges and brought to warehouses in Binondo via the muellles (quays) that lined the Pasig.

The last image is a ground level picture of P. Burgos. It is a much earlier shot (probably 1915) and shows the two most popular and efficient means of transport — the calesa and the tranvia. The original light rail system carried seven million urbanites a year at its pre-war peak. One could travel as far north as Malabon, as far south as Pasay and as far east as Pasig and Antipolo.

Manila was a modern planned city with an extensive pollution-free transport system. It had a modern port that was expanding. It had two airports to service flights south to Iloilo and north to Baguio. It had good infrastructure that included a sewage and water system, piped gas and electricity. Open space was abundant as were recreational grounds. Most importantly, it had a well-defined center for both business and government.

A large city can only have one heart, one center that controls its growth and sets its direction. As cities enlarge to megalopolises, it still is important to keep a center and a singular authority to coordinate and render basic services, to ensure safety, freedom from crime and natural disasters (and man-made ones like billboards).

Larger cities can decentralize, like New York with its boroughs and Paris with its arrondissements, but no rational garbage, traffic or transport system can be had without a development authority. No sustainable urban revitalization can be accomplished if a metropolis is gerrymandered into countless fiefdoms. Metro Manila can never aspire to regain its glory, reclaim its soul or lead a nation if it cannot consolidate its resources, produce a master plan and create a vision of what it wants to be.

Finally, it has to make sure that such a plan fits well in a larger regional and national context — as the economic, political and cultural center of the nation. What happens in Manila goes for the entire nation. If it loses its soul to greed, graft and globalization, then God help the Philippines.

IsaganiZenze

January 8th, 2009, 07:51 AM

where in manila is tomas morato? taken by stardiver70 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56087145@N00/)

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/stardiver70tomasmorato.jpg

it's a pretty circle even with the billboards (but could be prettier without)

sick_n_tired

January 8th, 2009, 10:18 AM

^^INTERSECTION OF TOMAS MORATO AND TIMOG AVE. IN QUEZON CITY

habagatcentral1

January 8th, 2009, 10:20 AM

^^THAT IS THE INTERSECTION OF TOMAS MORATO AND TIMOG AVE. IN QUEZON CITY

Let me guess...doing the CAD right? Hehehe!!! :D

[dx]

January 8th, 2009, 10:44 AM

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/2207/15867410ug0.jpg
by riprap2 (http://www.panoramio.com/user/1060460)

IsaganiZenze

January 9th, 2009, 02:54 AM

delicious find [dx], as always.....yeay flickr hunting!

sick_n_tired

January 9th, 2009, 04:12 PM

Let me guess...doing the CAD right? Hehehe!!! :D

hahaha galing! i was at the office that time, nagmamadali at may nirurush :lol:

kiretoce

January 11th, 2009, 03:52 AM

Good Day SSCers!

Here is the information necessary for ordering the SSC National T-shirt:

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/gibbster1/others/SSCTeedesign1.jpg

Ordering - Manila, Philippine Domestic and Overseas

You may send your payment through Western Union or for the Philippines, either in ML Lhuiller Kwarta Padala or Cebuana Lhuiller. The recipient information will go as follows:

Name: Bernardo Muerong Arellano III
Address: Unit 16C, Kingswood Condominium, Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City, Philippines
Telephone Number: +63(921)2155266

Upon sending, please PM/YM/or SMS me the details of your name, address and most importantly your MCTN or the shipping/tracking number.
For Metro Manila orders, you may also pay directly/personally to me (HabagatCentral1) but you may have to contact me before 21 January 2008 since I'll be leaving for Iloilo and will be there for 2 weeks.
Deadline for purchasing for the first batch would be at February 10, 2008.

Distribution and Shipping

For Metro Manila and suburb orders, you have two options:
First: You may claim it personally through me in which it would not incur additional shipping costs. Please do contact me or send me a PM/YM/SMS for claiming your shirt. Otherwise, we will be announcing the date when you can claim your shirts in one meet.
Second: For special requests or delivery, we may send in your order directly to your doorstep with additional shipping cost. For Manila orders, shipping cost may have an additional P115 and for Luzon P120.

For Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao Shipping:
We would like to suggest that the SSCers of Luzon and especially Visayas and Mindanao would agree on one contact person who will be responsible distributing the t-shirts in their locality so that we could send the shirt in bulk...this way it will be more affordable to ship the said t-shirts to any destination in the Philippines.
Please do have an agreed assigned representative from your locality by 31 January 2008.
Please do send me a PM of your personal information, delivery address and contact number through PM of the said assigned representative.
Possible rate may be PhP50 to PhP80 but may be reduced if the orders would increase in your locality, so start informing other forumers there and encourage them to take part of this project.

For Overseas Shipping:
Standard shipping rates apply either through FedEx or DHL.

Distribution:

For Greater Metro Manila area orders, we will be announcing when will be the date to claim your t-shirts personally.
For Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao orders, you may claim your tshirts from your designated representative.
Possible delivery of the t-shirts would be from a week to two weeks after deadline, so most probably we will have our tshirts by mid or late February.

For more questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to send me a private message/PM.

Also, for interested parties who want to order, please add up your name on the list so that we could have a complete list of how many will be ordering.

Thanks and mabuhay po tayong lahat!

=====================================

Please check out this thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=761866) for more details and information. :okay:

philip_v

January 11th, 2009, 04:39 AM

^^^ but how much would it cost?

habagatcentral1

January 11th, 2009, 04:57 AM

^^ Information provided at this link:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=761866

mhek

January 13th, 2009, 03:59 PM

Sana sinabi na :nuts:

stanleymalls

January 13th, 2009, 08:07 PM

;30424600']http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/2207/15867410ug0.jpg
by riprap2 (http://www.panoramio.com/user/1060460)

GARBE! ANG GANDA! ÜBER! :) :) :) :)

I'Manila: The Heart of Asia! :lol:

Waldenstrom

January 14th, 2009, 01:58 PM

MANILA ;)

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm209/waldenstrom/mak.jpg
by thecity (http://flickr.com/photos/coolaux/)

leechtat

January 14th, 2009, 06:23 PM

^^ nice... the colors are surreal...

sick_n_tired

January 15th, 2009, 05:50 AM

^^green na green ang wack wack :okay:

habagatcentral1

January 17th, 2009, 03:20 AM

^^green na green ang wack wack :okay:

Uy, namiss ang Wack Wack, hehe!! :D

Anyway, a panoramic view of Metro Manila's skyline from Malayan Plaza at Ortigas Centre, Pasig City

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/panometroredux.jpg

habagatcentral1

January 17th, 2009, 03:45 AM

Where should I place EDSA Shrine? They say that Robinsons Galleria itself is in between three cities (Pasig, Mandaluyong and QC)

I'll just place it here:

EDSA Shrine
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/6/photos/307/600x600/1/Skylinedsa10.jpg?et=wT4FrdyB63560WY5DfeWaA&nmid=170025765

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/4/photos/307/600x600/2/Skylinedsa01.jpg?et=v2L9C6l3NdEvrJDCx9WPnw&nmid=170025765

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/3/photos/307/600x600/4/Skylinedsa02.jpg?et=629CjwkGL%2Clmd%2ByC64kVRg&nmid=170025765

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/4/photos/307/600x600/7/Skylinedsa08.jpg?et=ikezl1GYiCbHpV8yKSq97g&nmid=170025765

Oh....its near January 20...yet it seems that this historical event lacked the luster that EDSA Uno has...because IMO, the justice in the event seemed to be in question nowadays...thus the Street Parliament Burn-out is prevalent nowadays...
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/3/photos/307/600x600/9/Skylinedsa06.jpg?et=W76l%2B3z7MclMKvRyFj3neA&nmid=170025765

and yeah...this granite slab seemed to be very political...parang yung mga proyekto ng gobyerno na "With Love from Congrssman XXX, etc."
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/4/photos/307/600x600/10/Skylinedsa05.jpg?et=0Bjg5Evic%2CJgTtTxKGYhzQ&nmid=170025765

Ph Man

January 17th, 2009, 04:31 AM

awesome pano Berns! and good job on playing with the hue. :okay: MM looks good in that photo. I believe the Shrine is part of QC.

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

January 17th, 2009, 04:41 AM

V I V A!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/2477611098_b8cb58f9eb.jpg?v=0

P I T S E N O R!!!!!
PARA SA METRO MANILA

icarusrising

January 17th, 2009, 05:54 AM

^^ Kala ko naligaw ako sa Images of Faith Thread... :nocrook: isda tayo!

Waldenstrom

January 17th, 2009, 06:01 AM

V I V A!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/2477611098_b8cb58f9eb.jpg?v=0

P I T S E N O R!!!!!
PARA SA METRO MANILA
thanks a lot! happy sinulog! :)

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

January 17th, 2009, 07:25 AM

^^ Kala ko naligaw ako sa Images of Faith Thread... :nocrook: isda tayo!

hehehe...k lang yan bro..blessings from the Santo Niño for Manila this year.:)

Waldenstrom

February 19th, 2009, 04:51 PM

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm209/waldenstrom/walden2/mnl-1.jpg

habagatcentral1

February 19th, 2009, 04:54 PM

^^ Jeff, you took that shot going to Corregidor right?! Cool! :okay: I miss this angle of the Manila skyline! Its been a long time since I took a ferry out or going to Manila....like the last time was college..and this is what I really love whenever I leave or arrive at Manila...

Good job! :)

Waldenstrom

February 22nd, 2009, 06:46 AM

^^ Yes, I took that while going to Corregidor. :)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/115/278449827_e810f2e06c_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suntoksabwan/

mhek

February 22nd, 2009, 10:07 PM

parang dumpsite. hehe

habagatcentral1

February 27th, 2009, 05:29 PM

This was EDSA yesterday (27 February 2008, Friday and payday) around 1:30PM in the afternoon... EDSA-Boni to Guadalupe.

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1699/edsa01.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=edsa01.jpg)
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/edsa01.jpg/1/w800.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img522/edsa01.jpg/1/)

venntro

March 2nd, 2009, 03:02 AM

^^ EDSA Southbound is like a parking lot. :ohno:

venntro

March 3rd, 2009, 01:24 AM

Quezon road to speed up economic growth (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=444977&publicationSubCategoryId=67)
Updated March 03, 2009 12:00 AM

Infanta, Quezon , Philippines – The Marikina-Infanta Road System that would connect the provinces of Quezon and Rizal to Metro Manila in order to spur further economic growth is expected to be completed in December, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

As a recall, President Arroyo ordered in 2006 the construction of the P821.40 million, 109.30 km. Marikina-Infanta Road System under the supervision of DPWH Regional Director Bonifacio Seguit.

Seguit said the Marikina-Infanta bypass road stretches from Sumulong Highway in Rizal and Laguna up to Infanta, Quezon.

During the groundbreaking of the project two years ago, the Chief Executive said that the Marikina-Infanta road project is one of the most important links between the towns of Quezon and Rizal to the National Capital Region (NCR). It is also considered a crucial infrastructure project that would bolster development of the northeastern towns along the Pacific Coast.

The President furthered that the road project would enable the province of Quezon to catch up with other provinces in the Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon (Calabarzon) economic zone in terms of economic development. – Michelle Zoleta

venntro

March 10th, 2009, 06:46 AM

Green group to make more electric jeepneys (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=447110&publicationSubCategoryId=65)
By Mike Frialde Updated March 10, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - An environmental group advocating alternative energy solutions yesterday re-launched its electric-powered jeepney that it claims could help solve the pollution problem of Metro Manila.

According to the Green Renewable Independent Power Producer (GRIPP), its 14-seater electric-powered, four-speed jeepney will not cause any carbon emissions and is a quiet ride.

First introduced in Makati City in July 2008, the electric jeepney will now be built on a large number by the Philippine Utility Vehicle Inc. (PhUV). The electric jeepney was re-launched yesterday at the Eco Store at The Fort in Taguig City.

PhUV will assemble the manual transmission, 14-seater electric jeepney to the specifications of the buyer. According to PhUV, the 5-kilowatt electric jeepney is available. PhUV said the 7.5 kw model, which will soon be produced, has the power to go up the streets of Baguio or Tagaytay.

“We have been waiting for a like-minded partner and we saw that in PhUV,” said GRIPP spokeswoman Yvonne Castro. “So we are ready to roll out more electric jeepneys in the next few months.”

According to GRIPP, it decided to produce more electric jeepneys after the Land Transportation Office (LTO) allowed its first unit to be registered last October.

For its part, PhUV said it is eager to share its technical expertise with the GRIPP on its electric jeepney project. “I think going green is the way to go. We are very proud to be able to help the environment through our expertise in vehicle parts manufacturing and vehicle assembly,” said Rommel Juan, PhUV director and general manager of MDJuan Enterprises, exclusive assembler of the e-jeepney.

Priced at P625,000 per unit, the 14-seater e-jeepney is cheaper than a second-hand 22-seater diesel-powered passenger jeepney or a brand-new unit, which sells at P1 million.

Juan said that in the long run, the e-jeepney will be cheaper since only the batteries need to be replaced. “You don’t need an oil change and there are fewer moving parts,” he said.

Juan said the batteries used by the e-jeepney are locally manufactured and are the same ones used for golf carts. The e-jeepney uses 12 six-volt batteries, priced at P6,500 each, which need at least eight hours of charging on a 220-volt outlet. One battery can last two to three years before it needs to be replaced.

According to GRIPP, their target buyers at the moment are mainly resort owners. However, they are also looking at urban buyers.

“People in the cities create five times more carbon dioxide and help speed up global warming,” it said in a statement.

Owners of jeepneys and vehicles with gasoline or diesel engines can have their vehicles converted to use batteries for P300,000, GRIPP said, adding that there are 250,000 passenger jeepneys in the Philippines that consume 4.8 million barrels of diesel fuel per year.

venntro

March 10th, 2009, 07:48 AM

BPOs in NCR see modest growth despite crisis (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/03/10/09/bpos-ncr-see-modest-growth-despite-crisis)
by DAVID DIZON, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 03/10/2009 1:11 PM

A majority of business process outsourcing firms in Metro Manila are projecting modest growth in 2009 despite the global economic downturn, an industry survey revealed Tuesday.

The survey showed that 82 percent of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies project positive growth. Of that number, 16 percent expect an increase in business by 51 percent to 100 percent while 33 percent expect to increase business by 11 percent to 50 percent.

On the other hand, 14 percent of the companies that participated in the survey said it expects no change in its business this year while four percent said it projects negative growth.

The survey interviewed a total of 158 human resource practitioners of various BPO firms including call centers, back offices and IT-related and software firms in the Makati, Ortigas/Pasig, Quezon City and Bonifacio areas with staff of over 500 employees. The survey was conducted by Outsource2Philippines last month.

Premiere hub

Frank Holz, CEO of Outsource2Philippines, said most of the larger BPO companies that participated in the survey project positive growth this year. "With all the challenges of economic times, we would be OK if we grew 15 percent or higher this year," he said in a forum at the Ateneo Professional Schools in Rockwell, Makati City.

Oscar Sañez, CEO of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), said he expects a higher rate of growth this year as many companies see the potential of the country as a premiere outsourcing hub.

"Are we downsizing? Are we looking at declining numbers? The answer is no. We are looking at another year of growth even after a full year of recession in the US. We are now seeing the market potential coming to light as the Philippine value proposition grows stronger," he said.

Hiring rate

The survey also showed that the hiring rate among BPOs remains low with 34 percent of companies saying that they hired five percent or less of the total number of applications they receive while another 34 percent said they hired five to 10 percent of the total number of applicants.

On the other hand, the survey showed a relatively low level of attrition with more than half of the companies reporting less than two percent attrition. "This means that there's been a major move in attrition rate as turnover seems to be manageable and acceptable," Holz said.

He said the survey showed a clear move to higher-value services while English competency and computer skills remain in high demand.

Management talent

The survey also showed an increase in focus on soft skills (including leadership, teamwork, intiative and customer service) and tertiary training (critical thinking, analytics and problem solving).

"Some companies are not satisfied with the soft skills that the people bring with them to the job. They are looking for proficient, competent and independent thinkers who can solve problems on their own," Holz said.

Dan Reyes, president of Sitel Philippines Corporation, said BPOs are also concerned about the dearth of management talent in the labor pool, which he said could affect the growth of the industry. He said that of the 400,000 directly employed in the BPO industry, about 10,000 are managers.

"If we double those numbers, we need another 30,000 supervisors and another 10,000 managers. We appeal to the academic community to help us in training and educating new leaders to appreciate the BPO industry," he said.

Focus on cost

Barry Marshall of JP Morgan said one way that the Philippines could challenge outsourcing leaders such as India and Vietnam is to focus less on labor arbitrage and more on cost efficiency.

"At the end of the day, can we find opportunities for our staff to change the way we do business? Labor arbitrage will erode over time but the skills will still be there," he said.

Dr. Vicente Fabella of Jose Rizal University, meanwhile, said the outsourcing industry could mimic the nursing industry in enticing more students to enrol in universities all over the country.

“The nursing industry did not have a BPAP that was promoting the industry but universities all over the country were falling all over themselves in providing nursing courses to students. It was because the employment potential hit the parents. For the BPO industry, however, it's usually the graduates who are aware of the job opportunities,” he said.

icarusrising

March 11th, 2009, 01:58 PM

South Superhighway

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_EudYIdSGMuU/SbccYmjGYVI/AAAAAAAAId0/U3nsuAfut8I/s512/IMGP6374.JPG

BGC

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EudYIdSGMuU/SbcccKlbJYI/AAAAAAAAId8/RJgPVe4iEno/s640/IMGP6375.JPG

Commonwealth Avenue
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_EudYIdSGMuU/Sbccnx4-fKI/AAAAAAAAIeU/jCYUI_R0oTo/s640/IMGP6378.JPG

habagatcentral1

March 12th, 2009, 01:21 AM

^^ Wow! What a smog! :eek:

venntro

March 12th, 2009, 09:55 AM

Airport corridor undergoes facelift (http://http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20090312met5.html)
03/12/2009

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has spruced up portions of the immediate vicinities of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to attract foreign investors and at the same time create an impression of �Beautiful Philippines� among visitors.

MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando yesterday said repair, beautification and rehabilitation works around the airport area, under the �Pook Na Bulok, Negosyo Hindi Papasok� urban renewal project, are nearing completion.

Fernando added cleaning up the airport corridor is aimed not only at making it more attractive to potential investors but also at providing residents with a cleaner, safer place to live in and at the same time improving traffic flow in the area.

The project involves the clearing and recovery of sidewalks, repair and repainting of houses lining up the roads leading to and from the airport, beautification of center islands and installation of various traffic furnitures to ease traffic congestion in the area.

Fernando said this project is being undertaken in partnership with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

�We are upgrading the area with the end view of enabling residents to have a meaningful livelihood,� he said, adding a clean and hygienic environment is more likely to entice investors to put up businesses than in filthy surroundings.

On the corner of MIA Road and Domestic Road, the MMDA chief said they had already relocated several illegal settlers and transferred the trees to other places. The nearby creek has also been cleaned up.

�After three years, the place now looks productive,� he said.

Along the Ninoy Aquino Avenue, on the other hand, the MMDA has also cleared up the sidewalks and removed all the encroachments and, in coordination with the concerned barangays, converted the cleared areas into parking spaces.

Tower lights have also been installed along the roads leading to and from the airport area, Fernando said.

The airport clean-up project is part of the MMDA�s �Metro Gwapo� program, Fernando�s endeavor to turn the metropolis into a more livable and tourist-friendly environment by 2010 comparable with the best in neighboring countries.

Of the 5,000 kilometers of total roadways, more than 2,000 kilometers have already been cleared and rehabilitated by the MMDA, according to Fernando. Pat C. Santos

dark_knight_detectve

March 15th, 2009, 07:51 AM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3307051997_cae3511b3e.jpg?v=0

by BENSHOY

dark_knight_detectve

March 15th, 2009, 07:52 AM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3632/3310848768_cdc7675198.jpg?v=0

by BENSHOY

dark_knight_detectve

March 15th, 2009, 07:59 AM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3310062005_183d1dd061.jpg?v=0

by BENSHOY

jamir57

March 17th, 2009, 01:17 AM

^^ nice pix!

johnmizer

March 17th, 2009, 05:07 AM

tapang! na picturan ang quaipo church, at night! astig.... =D

icarusrising

March 30th, 2009, 01:51 PM

Recycling hub key to metropolitan waste management (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=police2_mar30_2009)
By Gigi Muñoz David

What greenies oppose as a threat to the ecosystem is one option to save Metro Manila from environmental disaster through a safety-engineered waste recycling hub now operating in San Mateo, Rizal.

Mayor Jose Rafael Diaz told Standard Today that his town was hosting the first conveyorized material recovery facility that would also generate income and employment among other benefits without any collateral damage.

“The MRF will be constructed like a factory to accommodate around 2,500 sorters on three shifts per day,” he said, noting that the entire worksite would be enclosed in a warehouse-type of structure.

Lawyer Andy Santiago, president of the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill and Development Corp., said in practice, a household disposes 75 percent of domestic solid waste for pick up by garbage collectors.

“With the 75 percent, at least 60 percent can still be salvaged and only 15 percent residual waste goes to the landfill. Marami talaga ang matutulungan from the recyclables they will be getting [many would benefit from recycling],” Santiago said during a briefing at the site in Pintong Bukawe.

Diaz said activists criticizing the sanitary landfill were barking up the wrong tree because they referred to old records and San Mateo has since been rezoned.

Not a few open source users would agree that a google map could be edited and modified by placing markings and overlays that are largely unauthenticated.

Longtime resident Eddie Bancifra, of Barangay Maly, said his village had no dump as described by outsiders.

“Sa ibang lugar ’yun [It’s at another place],” he said, pointing to the direction of Pintong Bukawe.

A former village peace officer, Bancifra tends a vegetable patch and looks forward to livelihood out of the landfill, which Santiago describes as a model in solid waste management for local governments.

“We are making sure that the mistakes of Smokey Mountain and Payatas will not be repeated here,” he said.

Smokey Mountain in Tondo, Manila, got its name from the pile of garbage that in time grew into an oversized mound of festering refuse which scavengers colonized.

Payatas in neighboring Quezon City is still being used but more of a controled dump at present.

According to Santiago, the San Mateo landfill was conceived to make the surroundings fit for mixed-use development to cover residential, recreational and commercial purposes.

A first-term mayor, Diaz said this early he has been receiving inquiries on possible ventures from abroad.

“A group of 4x4 off-roaders are keen on opening a circuit here,” he said, noting that mountain bikers have been pedaling up and down San Mateo’s mountainous terrain outside the Marikina watershed and protected areas.

An environmental lawyer himself, Santiago said he agreed to lead the company only after he was fully convinced that all requirements under Republic Act 9003 have been met.

“We are in full compliance with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Program Act of 2001,” he said.

“Our own road is opening up opportunities,” Santiago added, citing private lot owners have started to develop their properties.

“Ripraps are being placed by experienced workers that handled projects on Kennon Road and Marcos Highway,” said Santiago, specifying that tree-planting would run parallel to construction.

At a nursery near the leachate pond, he showed mahogany seedlings bought by the company.

“The place would be ideal for an eco-park as well,” said Santiago, describing the landfill as a catalyst to attract long-term investments.

For Diaz, the protesters were blocking what the townsfolk regarded as a boon to the local economy.

“They want to sow fear. My family’s lineage goes back to pre-hispanic times,” he said, insisting that his forebears were native settlers and that he—more than the outsiders—had a vital stake in the locality.

Santiago said more than enough safeguards have been built into the system such as the leachate catchment for treating liquid gathering in the multi-layered landfill.

Diaz says he is on the right track along with the full backing of the Rizal capitol and the blessings of the Antipolo archdiocese to which San Mateo belongs.

“With these developments, we will be able to show to other localities that having a landfill is not a bad idea. In fact, we are positive that we will be able to attract more investors because garbage is not a problem in our town.”

@civil_engineer

March 30th, 2009, 03:48 PM

icarusrising

March 30th, 2009, 04:09 PM

nothing special with this city , but for third country yeah.... not too bad.
this city should have a landmark not just a rendering. until now i don't know what is the building and monument which represent of manila , exp merlion statue for singapore n petronas for KL or monas for jakarta many more

The monument of the national hero, Jose Rizal at the heart of the park named after him.

chris_nigel

April 1st, 2009, 02:55 AM

nothing special with this city , but for third country yeah.... not too bad.
this city should have a landmark not just a rendering. until now i don't know what is the building and monument which represent of manila , exp merlion statue for singapore n petronas for KL or monas for jakarta many more

what do you think of jakarta? and indonesia first world contry?

think first before you talk

monas ...never heard baka monay pa yan masarap yan

icarusrising

April 1st, 2009, 10:10 AM

Actually, nothing comes to my mind about Jakarta too... I had to Google for Monas. :)

kevinb

April 1st, 2009, 11:18 AM

Actually, nothing comes to my mind about Jakarta too... I had to Google for Monas. :)

I agree. :lol: Never heard of Monas in my entire life. :D

icarusrising

April 1st, 2009, 12:46 PM

Neda OK’s $15-million loan for Northrail-Southrail Linkage 1
Economy (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/economy/8245-neda-oks-15-million-loan-for-northrail-southrail-linkage-1.html)
Written by Mia M. Gonzalez / Reporter
Tuesday, 31 March 2009 20:20

THE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board on Tuesday approved a $15-million (P635-million) supplemental loan for the Northrail-Southrail Linkage Project Phase 1.

Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a news briefing that the Neda Board made the decision during the Cabinet meeting in Malacañang.

Bello said the loan will fund the fencing of the entire road right of way, the reconstruction of the Paco station building, shelters and the rehabilitation of 34-kilometer track section from Caloocan to Alabang, and track renewal from Caloocan to España.

“This project will provide an efficient transport service between Metro Manila, Central and Northern Luzon, it will reduce traffic congestion in Metro Manila and encourage urban development to other areas,” Bello said, adding that the supplemental loan does not represent the total cost of the project.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said that based on the report of Philippine National Railways (PNR) chairman Michael Defensor, six of the nine PNR stations would be inaugurated in April. Remonde said that the Sucat-Calamba leg will be operational by May, and the Calamba-Bicol portion, by September.

He added that the first batch of diesel mobile units will be available on May 4.

During the Cabinet meeting, the Neda also approved the Asean-Korea Free-Trade Agreement (AKFTA), which provides tariff elimination on 90 percent of lines in the normal track by January 1, 2009.

Remonde said that an executive order implementing the tariff-reduction schedule from 2009 to 2012 on 7,867 lines covered under the normal track of the AKFTA would be issued shortly.

Meanwhile, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) on Tuesday called for the cancellation of the $400 million Chinese financing for the North Luzon Railways Modernization Project (Northrail Project) and the $627.811 million for the first phase of the South Luzon Railways Modernization Project, saying such multimillion-dollar projects is burdensome, riddled with legal infirmities and detrimental to the interest of the Filipino people.

Based on the government’s cost analysis, the Northrail Project, the administration’s flagship project which aims to improve land transportation in Luzon, is seen to post a negative cash balance until 2028 and is seen to post its highest negative cash balance by 2016.

Documents showed that the project is expected to post its highest outstanding cash balance of $368.5 million by 2016, and will need an estimated annual average support from the national government of $18.28 million until 2028.

FDC president Walden Bello said in a time of crisis, payment of blatantly illegitimate debts such as the loans provided to the modernization of the Luzon railways are not only taxing to the poor but also disreputable.

“There is no dignity much more decency in honoring these debts while our people remain unprotected against the economic crisis. Instead of wasting people’s resources in paying for these loan agreements challenged as anomalous, and which have not modernized in anyway our railways system, these should be allocated in increasing government spending geared toward generating sustainable employment, better housing and the distribution of more social services,” FDC’s Bello said. (With J. Mayuga)

icarusrising

April 2nd, 2009, 10:33 AM

Pagcor City to create 200,000 jobs (http://philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=454223&publicationSubCategoryId=66)
By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio Updated April 02, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - More than 200,000 jobs will be created from April to June as construction for resorts, hotels and restaurants in the PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.) City will be in full swing during the second quarter.

In an interview, PAGCOR chairman and CEO Ephraim C. Genuino said construction will begin in the second quarter and employment created by investments in the PAGCOR City is estimated to exceed 200,000.

At the same time, Genuino announced that they are negotiating with three multinational firms that will bring in a minimum of $3 billion worth of new investments in the Las Vegas type city before the end of the year.

Genuino said he doesn’t know exactly how much these firms will put in the country but the minimum investment in the PAGCOR City is $1 billion. This means that the investment would be more than $3 billion.

He added that the new investments will bring in more jobs to the country.

Genuino refused to divulge who the new investors are saying only that they are from Europe, the United States and Korea. “These firms have global personalities,” he noted.

He said PAGCOR is in the process of reviewing the investment proposals. He said the study is expected to be completed within two to three months and the investment will hopefully come in before 2010.

He said investments for the PAGCOR City has deviated from amusement and has instead shifted to tourist attractions the entire family can enjoy. “Only three percent of the entire investments are geared towards gaming. Majority are tourist attractions.”

The Genting group of Malaysia and the Azure group, the Japanese partner of casino mogul Steve Wynn, each of which would be spending at least $3 billion, are the first two investors in the PAGCOR City.

The other is the investment of mall tycoon Henry Sy’s SM Investment Corp. The company is in talks with a US-based casino operator and is considering developing a one -1.2 hectare casino facility at an estimated cost of P2 billion to be rented to casino operators.

Earlier, Genuino said $20 billion would be spent in putting up the Entertainment City. The complex will be built in three phases on an 800 hectares of reclaimed land. The first phase will host a hotel-resort and theme park. The next two phases will have retirement villages and entertainment centers.

mhek

April 2nd, 2009, 01:51 PM

nothing special with this city , but for third country yeah.... not too bad.
this city should have a landmark not just a rendering. until now i don't know what is the building and monument which represent of manila , exp merlion statue for singapore n petronas for KL or monas for jakarta many more

i know merlion and petronas but monas?, whats that? :nuts:

mhek

April 2nd, 2009, 01:54 PM

i found out that monas is the structure on his avatar.

thanks google! :D

le Reine

April 2nd, 2009, 05:06 PM

Monas means National Monument in Bahasa.

chris_nigel

April 3rd, 2009, 03:05 AM

actually pasalamat sila at pag nagpupunta sila d2 sa forum natin eh naiintindihan nila unlike their forum nung pinuntahan ko sumakit ulo ko may sarili silang mundo...buti nalang marunong tayo mag english

le Reine

April 3rd, 2009, 05:47 AM

^^Oh siya. Tama na yan. OT na tayo. :)

icarusrising

April 3rd, 2009, 06:45 AM

Monas means National Monument in Bahasa.

Isn't it like an abbreviation for Monumen Nasional?

Anyway, for civil_engineer, the main landmark of Manila is this one... It is almost protocol for all visiting dignitaries to lay a wreath at the monument's base.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bb/Rizal_Monument.jpg/393px-Rizal_Monument.jpg

Now about the merlion, the Wikipedia attributes the use of the image from...

The symbol was designed by Mr Fraser Brunner, a member of the Souvenir Committee and curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, for the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in use from 26 March 1964 to 1997

However, even much earlier, the golden seal lion has already been a part of the seal of Manila. It is also used in the Presidential seal...

...the traditional golden-yellow sea lion (Ultramar) of the Coat-Of-Arms granted to the City of Manila in 1596, on guard with a sword on its right paw, at hilt.

Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_of_the_President_of_the_Philippines)

What is an Ultramar? Here's an excerpt from Manolo Quezon's blog...

The sealion is a lion with a sea creature’s tail. It was adopted as part of the coat of arms of the city of Manila during the reign of Philip II. Manila’s coat of arms was an adaptation of the arms of the Spanish kingdoms of Castile and Leon. To show we were ultramar, or a new settlement overseas, the Lion of Leon became a sealion.

The sealion became the symbol both of Manila and of the governors-general; therefore, a symbol of the supreme authority in the islands. Combined with the red triangle representing valor and the three stars representing Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the triangle then represents the President of the Philippines as supreme authority and successor of past rulers.

Source (http://www.quezon.ph/date/2004/04/)

le Reine

April 3rd, 2009, 08:56 PM

^^The abbreviation is right. That's what I actually wanted to say. :lol:

habagatcentral1

April 4th, 2009, 01:34 AM

I was with Igan when we took this photo last Sunday...

It's a looooooooooooooooooooooonngggggggg panoramic view of Metro Manila from Bacoor
SCROLL ----------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/panoramanila-2.jpg

philip_v

April 4th, 2009, 05:21 AM

nice job. but the alabang towers are not seen from there?

habagatcentral1

April 4th, 2009, 11:45 AM

^^ Simply you can't put Alabang Towers there because its covered by vegetation and urban growth on the south-eastern sector...in other words, di talaga makita ang Alabang kasi opposite direction...:D

It can be seen on a much wider panorama and on a higher level though.

RonnieR

April 4th, 2009, 12:45 PM

^^ nice to see your posts again. :)

Ph Man

April 6th, 2009, 08:34 AM

nicely done bernie! what time of the day did you take this photo?

habagatcentral1

April 6th, 2009, 12:53 PM

^^ Afternoon....I think around 4PM on a Sunday or Saturday I guess. The best time to take skyline pix are during holidays and Sundays. :)

icarusrising

April 6th, 2009, 01:02 PM

^^ Afternoon....I think around 4PM on a Sunday or Saturday I guess. The best time to take skyline pix are during holidays and Sundays. :)

That was a Saturday.

habagatcentral1

April 6th, 2009, 01:03 PM

^^ Oh ok...thanks for reminding...nakalimutan ko na kasi its a weekend...:lol:

Ph Man

April 6th, 2009, 06:39 PM

icarusrising

April 12th, 2009, 04:38 AM

i guess igan has his own version of this photo as well? thought this was taken during high noon. from the looks of it. the best time is actually a bit later than 4 pm. between 5 and 6. but only when the skies are free of smog. so you're right. that'd be during holidays and weekends. or after a heavy downpour. imo.

A better camera would have zoomed in on those scrapers better thus the grainy look. Anyway, Bernie did a good job considering the tools.

Here's one from the foothills of Antipolo...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3573/3433388304_68a2cdb708.jpg?v=0

RonnieR

April 12th, 2009, 06:33 AM

A better camera would have zoomed in on those scrapers better thus the grainy look. Anyway, Bernie did a good job considering the tools.

Here's one from the foothills of Antipolo...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3573/3433388304_68a2cdb708.jpg?v=0

nice, do you have a bigger version?

stanleymalls

April 12th, 2009, 03:48 PM

^^ The bigger version of that should be the banner of the week! Panalo! :okay: :cheers: :banana:

icarusrising

April 12th, 2009, 06:53 PM

Thanks, Ronnie and Stanley. Here...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3573/3433388304_508d9ac263_o.jpg

icarusrising

April 12th, 2009, 06:58 PM

Sorry for the double post... Here let me change it...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3393/3434451195_75d3f149c8_o.jpg

RonnieR

April 12th, 2009, 07:02 PM

^^ great

icarusrising

April 14th, 2009, 08:53 AM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3654/3441081096_5a131bea48.jpg?v=0

Ph Man

April 16th, 2009, 07:48 PM

sarap pala mag senti diyan during sunset. where exactly in Antipolo is that? i want to spend a weekend there. great shot igan!

icarusrising

April 20th, 2009, 10:27 AM

sarap pala mag senti diyan during sunset. where exactly in Antipolo is that? i want to spend a weekend there. great shot igan!

Salamat Kikoman! Buryong na ako sa bahay niyan dahil sa Semana Santa kaya lumabas at gumala sa mga burol ng kapitbaranggay. Sa Cupang yan na nasa hangganan ng Marikina at Antipolo. Sa huling larawan ay makikita ang mga kabahayan sa Rancho Estate III ng Marikina sa foreground.

timberpro

April 21st, 2009, 04:48 AM

yan yata yung tinatawag nilang Overlook or Over view ba yun hehe

Waldenstrom

April 21st, 2009, 05:21 AM

^^ Overlooking :D very nice shot Igan.

Igsuonnimo

April 28th, 2009, 04:04 PM

Yung papunta sa Mandala at Timberland Heights sa San Mateo ay may overlooking din.
Sinubukan ko na mag-bisekleta dito, hindi ko nakayanan. Hanggang sa Divine Mercy lang ako. Ang hirap lalo na kung wala kang idea sa haba ng tarik ng pag-panik dito.
Nuong nakaraang byernes santo ay may nadisgrasya nga dito na dalawang kabataan, BMX kasi ang gamit nila, kaya hayun ng pababa na sila ay nadisgrasya.
Kawawa naman, byernes santong byernes santo, tsk tsk tsk(shaking my head).

Nuong Sabado Santo na pumanik ako, marami pala ang mga naglalakad dito.
Kapag naging patok ito sa masa, malamang mag-iiba ang pananaw ng mga ito sa alay lakad ng a-treinta ng Abril para sa Antipolo.
At malamang puno na naman ang Marcos Hi-way at Ortigas Avenue Extension pagpanik ng Antipolo o mas kilala sa taguring "alay lakad".

habagatcentral1

May 11th, 2009, 03:32 PM

Metropolitan Manila (Makati, Manila, Fort Bonifacio, Pasay-Parañaque) Skyline
As viewed from SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City, Philippines
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/panomanilaweb-1.jpg

pau_p1

May 13th, 2009, 12:40 PM

ang dumi ng kalangitan! grabe!

habagatcentral1

May 13th, 2009, 04:17 PM

^^ A...epek lang yan. Kakaulan lang kasi nyan nang kinuha ko tas dinagdagan ng epek sa photoshop para mas madrama ang dating, hehehe!!! :D Naglagay ako ng warming filter para ok.

habagatcentral1

May 25th, 2009, 02:31 AM

From Binangonan-Angono hills, Metro Manila's Skyline and Laguna de Bai
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/panomnlcentralweb.jpg?t=1243211253

BoNduRanT

May 25th, 2009, 01:43 PM

Aylabet! :ok:

icarusrising

May 26th, 2009, 08:15 AM

Paris, city of lights - and U2, Manille! (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=470649&publicationSubCategoryId=90)
By José Abeto Zaide Updated May 24, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – The Sobriquet “City of Lights” is no accident. A Bateaux Mouche cruise traces the city’s history on the Seine… the Eiffel tower blinking ten minutes of every evening hour… an artist overseeing the chiaroscuro on the gargoyles of Notre Dame… tourists straining for a glimpse of the phantom of the opera, or the Place Toni Rossi where lovers last tango in Paris.

Paris decked for Christmas. The Champs Elysée is an unrivaled avenue, more so when she dons her diamonds – chandelier white lights on chestnut trees from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place Concorde, the grand ferris wheel pirouetting on Cleopatra’s needle. On our second Christmas I hesitated on the new dangling florescent-looking lights, until Mayor Delanoe switched them on as dripping icicles. (And we had the nerve to offer to replace the Champs Elysée lights with Pampanga parols?) Two other must-see places at Noel are the carpet lights of Galerie Lafayette, which peekaboos like the Cheshire cat, and the posh glow of Place Vendome.

But if Paris is the City of Lights, mias, bien sur! Manila isn’t far behind in kilowattage. Its major thoroughfares are bright as Times Square, thanks to mega advertising billboards. At one time the reigning queens were Kris Aquino and Sharon Cuneta endorsing everything from soap to nuts. From now on, expect more and more Manny Pacquiao. My favorite billboard is our celebrated fighter at his boxing ring corner, on his knees giving thanks, with only the swoosh on the sole of his footwear to say that he Just Did It!

Precisely at 11 o’clock, as if the fairy godmother had waved her wand, the lights go off, because, with lighter traffic, advertising profitability dips, and darkness claims back the city.

But Roxas Boulevard remains lit along the broadwalk. Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza’s eclectic popsicles appear bearable alongside poor imitations by Pasay Mayor Peewee Trinidad. Then there are other variations elsewhere, each mayor signing his own taste non est disputandum.

The broadwalk used to be where happenings happened – bands, bistros, etc., drawing weekend crowds. That is no more and not to be missed, since it was an epidemic waiting to break out. Did anyone realize there was no running water in the whole space of teeming humanity?

The Paris metro and the Manila LRT/MRT are solutions to traffic; but parking remains a challenge. How I miss the “power park” services of our embassy chauffeur, Mang Danny Pasajinog. A “French kiss” is for parking – bump the bumper in front of you and bump the one behind, until you can fit in your car. The ideal car for Paris is the Smart, a two-seater that tucks into a niche. Its cult rating owes to its famous getaway cameo role in the movie “The Da Vinci Code.”

Signs are interesting, more so where they are missing. Driving along Sta. Mesa towards the inner city, you find a sign to Nagtahan, which disappears as you turn. One unfamiliar with these now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t signs would have to guess how/where to continue. Driving south on EDSA, the sign splits directions to Baclaran or Alabang/Manila right at the fork. (Don’t try to switch lanes, because if the speeding traffic behind doesn’t get you, the MMDA will.) One edges in Manila’s traffic jam by pushing the nguso (snout); and at night, by flashing headlights. In Paris, a slight flick means “aprés vous.” In Manila, a flashed light menaces, “Get out of my way!” Drivers find unfamiliar places by doing a dry run to the place 24 hours before – without regard to multiplying energy costs, time and traffic.

The river ferry from Guadalupe to Lawton beats traffic and smoke belchers. Gina Lopez has the Herculean task of cleaning the Aegean Stables in reviving the Pasig. In every city, the most valuable real estate faces the water.

Unilever environmentalist Chito Macapagal’s motto is: Harapin natin ang ilog, huwag talikuran. (More important, huwag gawin palikuran.) Nature endowed the Manila Bay to rival Rio de Janeiro as the world’s most beautiful boulevard. But we have made a cesspool of it; and we continue to reclaim what is not ours. the famous Manila Hotel is unrecognizable after it was saved as national patrimony. The best spot, for those who can afford five-star rates, is the Sofitel (nee Philippine Plaza, an Imeldific legacy). A towering vessel threatens to shipwreck on its exclusive swimming pool. For the masses, the next best accesible promenade is the Mall of Asia by the bay.

Madrid removed overpasses and introduced the NO LEFT TURN rule; right-right-right turns at designated junctions ensured a smooth flow of traffic. But Manila’s solution is U-turns, whose added value honors a prominent ASEAN leader (Likuan U).

There is the SLEX litmus test that would tax the patience of Job. Deanna Ongpin Recto, our former UNESCO (wo)man Friday in Paris and now Alliance Francaise vice president, wisely swapped her Alabang home for a Greenbelt flat – daily saving 2-1/2 hours (on normal commuting days, double that on rush hours) of her life. The inspired initiative of the PRO of the tollway franchise is to put out a painted sign for commuters, “Sorry for the longer travel time.”

We have these challenges because our VIPs and traffic czars do not drive themselves. Which reminds me, if the President obliged her Cabinet to take public transport once a month – to fight for jeepney seats, smell the garbage, risk pick-pockets – we may have a more habitable city.

We also have ubiquitous relief stations for men with weak bladders – and clever 5-inch pipe catch avoids passing water on the shoes. A city ordinance requiring petrol stations to provide free clean toilets for both men and women would have been politically correct, gender friendly, and cost-free. Tourists are puzzled by the shavings on our sidewalks. The initiative cost an arm and a leg; but I have yet to see a wheelchair on the sidewalks. The 100 wheelchairs gifted by the First Gentleman were sooner converted as sidecars to pedicabs.

Manila is the best bargain – if you were paid in euros. My farewell lunch at Club Interallée for Ambassador-designate H. E. Thierry Borja de Mozota and 14 guests cost me one-and-a-half month representation money. (The French Ambassador’s claim to fame is presenting his credentials to the President in Filipino; the American envoy, on the other hand, is the first to do so in Kapampangan, “Me, Kenny.”) When I called on the Paris 16º arrondissement, Mayor Christian Tattinger of the emponymous champagne lineage didn’t receive me at his office, but at Club Interallée where he is president. It is the Club (as the Manila Polo Club is to Manila), and being president there seems more important than being mayor or CEO. (We take our leisure more seriously than our job, n’est-ce pas?) I joined only because we needed a venue for our son Jamil and daughter-in-law’s wedding reception. Otherwise, recalling Groucho’s maxim, I won’t want to join a club which would have me for a member. By the way, Pierre Cardin’s Maxim’s has never recovered its 3 stars.

I miss the landmark Jai-Alai building and its neon Coke and pelotari. Sadly, this was demolished two years ago, but is still unfinished business. Didn’t many prominent matrons debut at the Skyroom of Architect Arellano’s art deco building? Sledge hammers failed to turn the Paco train station into a replica of the Parthenon ruins.

Striking a match in cursed darkness is a larger than life statue – Hizzoner Arsenio Lacson seated on the Roxas Boulevard park bench, no heroice posturing but, truer to life, just reading the headlines by the sunset of Manila Bay.

Our City Dads make no effort to green with trees or to please the eye. At least Imelda tried to put up trees and to replicate works of Taza de Oro artists on firewalls. Now MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando compensates with “Metro Gwapo” signs in pink and blue. He was an excellent mayor of Marikina, and should not punch above his weight.

Do they make our city structures ugly for a purpose? The late Onib Olmedo painted Gogolesque characters. Environmental muse Odette Alcantara said, “Onib does not paint the poor: he paints hunger. He does not paint a fat man: he paints greed. He does not paint an ugly politician: he paints corruption. In painting ugliness, he creates a beautiful canvas.”

Conversely, why does the sense of beauty of our mayors and engineers have to be so ugh?!

The author was chief of protocol and retired recently as Philippine ambassador to France and to the UNESCO.

habagatcentral1

May 30th, 2009, 02:30 AM

Sandwich
"Manila"
RJzRYJiQ330

"Tatlong Milyong Kaluluwa, Naghahanap ng Ginhawa, Di Nawawalan ng Pag-asa"

^^ I like their collage...something realistic yet it shows how animated this city is.

anakngpasig

May 31st, 2009, 01:41 PM

pulsephaze22

June 1st, 2009, 09:34 AM

Monday, June 1, 2009 2:09 PM

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Jakarta could learn from Manila: Envoy

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 10/02/1999 7:28 AM | Jakarta

MANILA (JP): Jakarta was once proud of its high-rise buildings, better infrastructure and other modern facilities in comparison with Metro Manila.

But, that once proud feeling is being challenged as the Philippine capital is gearing up to become a ""real Metro"" Manila.

Metro Manila, which consists of 12 autonomous cities, needs only slightly more development and it will leave Jakarta behind, as the residents of Manila are already one step ahead of those in Jakarta.

Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Abu Hartono said in a recent interview that the Philippine government had successfully prepared its people to adapt to a modern society, in which law and order is implemented and respected.

""In the past, people always compared Jakarta to a city and Manila to a village.

""But that comparison is becoming more true in reverse,"" Abu told visiting journalists in his office in Manila's Makati central business district.

""Jakarta is experiencing a downward trend in public order.""

The ambassador's remarks were backed up by an expert on urban development who has described Jakarta as a big kampong because of its residents' uncivilized attitude, even though they live in a metropolitan city.

Abu said there had been significant changes in the Manilaneses' behavior so that they now respect law and order.

""But, at the same time, the Philippine authorities now also listen to the wishes of the people,"" he said.

He did not deny that Manila, previously called Maynilad or the place where nilad (a type of flower) grows, was no better than Jakarta in terms of air pollution due to vehicles' gas emissions and severe traffic congestion.

""However, the Manilanese respect the existing laws and regulations. They are willing to stand in a long queue just to take a worn-out jeepney (a minibus built on the chassis of a jeep),"" he said.

""Don't ever think that in Manila with its 9.4 million inhabitants that you'll find a crowded bus with passengers hanging on to its doors while the driver drives the vehicle recklessly.""

""Neither will you find groups of students blocking the path of public buses in order to stop the vehicles and force the crews to pick them up.""

No brawls

The ambassador said there were never any student brawls in Manila's streets, something which is a continuing trend in Jakarta.

""The Manila authorities immediately take action against any crimes. The regulations here are implemented so fully that people dare not violate them,"" he said.

""Unlike Jakartans, Manila residents are not killed by the military while fighting for their rights. All they need to do now is concentrate on their country's physical development, especially on traffic management.""

How come the residents of a capital with a population density of 14.8 persons per square kilometer are willing to respect the regulations?

The ambassador said it starts from the government, which conveys its message to its employees. In return, they (the government) always listen to the people's demands.

""The Philippine government's economic policy, especially during former President Corazon C. Aquino's administration, has played a big role in changing the behavior of the Filipinos,"" Abu said.

During her six-year presidential term, Aquino concentrated on improving human resources and paid less attention on the physical development of her country.

Abu cited an example of how the Philippine government listen to the people's demands.

""Last year, some people won a case against private companies who raised fuel prices without their approval. The Philippine Supreme Court ordered the companies monopolizing the oil business -- Petron, Shell and Caltex -- to pay a fine of 10 billion pesos (US$ 256.4 million),"" he said.

He added that the three foreign companies paid the fine through a commitment to reduce fuel prices.

In the capital an integrated land and rail transportation system is now under construction, which is expected to be able to carry 700,000 to one million passengers per day. The project is slated to be completed in 2008.

In the not-so-distant future, Manila will be able to solve its traffic problems while at the same time its people will be ready to appreciate the new transportation system, Abu said.

The ambassador said it was not impossible for Jakarta to learn from Manila in solving its own problems.

""We (Indonesia) have a good system. The only thing we need is the true implementation of its laws and regulations,"" he said.

habagatcentral1

June 1st, 2009, 10:08 AM

""However, the Manilanese respect the existing laws and regulations. They are willing to stand in a long queue just to take a worn-out jeepney (a minibus built on the chassis of a jeep),"" he said.

""Don't ever think that in Manila with its 9.4 million inhabitants that you'll find a crowded bus with passengers hanging on to its doors while the driver drives the vehicle recklessly.""

""Neither will you find groups of students blocking the path of public buses in order to stop the vehicles and force the crews to pick them up.""

Natawa ako dito ha....:lol:

Well then, go to EDSA on a rush hour...u won't see any PUV driving recklessly but they're all full to the brim.

Willing to line up on a long queue...that is to save face from total humiliation from the people who are lining up...which I think is good. Hindi makapal ang mukha masyado nang mga tao...sa ibang mode of transport nga lang tulad ng bus or MRT. :lol:

Take the buses on a graveyard shift and you have drivers from hell. :lol:

And buses and jeepneys crowd along with private vehicles in the streets of Manila...

I dunno about Batavia (now Jakarta) since I have yet to experience it in the near future.

""Unlike Jakartans, Manila residents are not killed by the military while fighting for their rights. All they need to do now is concentrate on their country's physical development, especially on traffic management.""

:sly: Huh? Really now? In Manila probably...its a different scenario in the countryside... :lol:

icarusrising

June 1st, 2009, 02:28 PM

QC

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3568/3585424196_84954939ca_o.jpg

Makati from QC

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3648/3584620365_44f4fd0259_o.jpg

Pasig

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3584615707_14a46e7d78_o.jpg

habagatcentral1

June 1st, 2009, 02:33 PM

QC

Makati from QC

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3648/3584620365_44f4fd0259_o.jpg

La lang...its like PBCom would be the first strike if this Emmerich movie was for real...

http://livingliturgy.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/07/04/id4.jpg

:nocrook:

icarusrising

June 1st, 2009, 03:04 PM

^^ It's not based on height though. You can see that the Twin Towers were still very much in existence back then. Maybe Mall of Asia... Hehe...

Toymatz

June 2nd, 2009, 04:34 AM

^^ It's not based on height though. You can see that the Twin Towers were still very much in existence back then. Maybe Mall of Asia... Hehe...

Manila city hall na lang! j/k!:lol:

habagatcentral1

June 2nd, 2009, 06:27 AM

^^ It's not based on height though. You can see that the Twin Towers were still very much in existence back then. Maybe Mall of Asia... Hehe...

MOA? Di na masyadong accurate if MOA ang patatamaan. You cannot annhialate the whole Metro Manila if you start from MOA...Makati to Ortigas Areas are nominees for ID4 annhialation from the alien invaders....:nuts::nuts::lol:

Oh well, aliens are here in the Philippines, they would prol'ly just veer away from destroying Manila....:D :nocrook:

Mas mabuti if Malacañang na lang ang patamaan like what the aliens did in ID4, hahahaha!!! :evil: :lol:

icarusrising

June 2nd, 2009, 08:02 AM

MOA? Di na masyadong accurate if MOA ang patatamaan. You cannot annhialate the whole Metro Manila if you start from MOA...Makati to Ortigas Areas are nominees for ID4 annhialation from the alien invaders....:nuts::nuts::lol:

Oh well, aliens are here in the Philippines, they would prol'ly just veer away from destroying Manila....:D :nocrook:

Mas mabuti if Malacañang na lang ang patamaan like what the aliens did in ID4, hahahaha!!! :evil: :lol:

Well, the buildings chosen by the aliens were "icons" and also the aliens didn't destroy whole cities in ID4. Being the Philippine site of the recently concluded Earth Day and the favorite venue of concerts by foreign artists, MO is fast becoming the focal point of Metro Manila.

habagatcentral1

June 2nd, 2009, 07:56 PM

^^ Much preferable if its still Malacañang due to some reasons beyond question, hehe!....:lol:

kevinb

June 3rd, 2009, 06:40 AM

bring back imelda
god damnit! :bash: :lol:

I agree! Ibalik ang Ministry (Department) of Human Settlements! :lol:

bledzoe

June 11th, 2009, 05:23 PM

http://anton.blogs.com/flag/large.jpg

HAPPY 111th INDEPENDENCE DAY!

credit to Mr. Anton Diaz for the photo.

icarusrising

June 14th, 2009, 12:46 PM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3537/3624931390_d640e10ae0.jpg

philip_v

June 25th, 2009, 04:34 PM

As seen from Alabang

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3355/3660217530_08aab51c34.jpg

[dx]

June 27th, 2009, 05:50 PM

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/3593185503_f14c581b03_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3628/3584039972_a01af7b061_b.jpg

by Antipoloco (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mnna/)

jaygold06

July 31st, 2009, 07:58 AM

Latest reviews of Manila

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-reviews-191501661-prod-travelguide-action-read-ratings_and_reviews-i

The reviews are interesting...

mark_vincent

August 1st, 2009, 08:42 PM

^^ taken from that website:

Manila, hmmmmm
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 07/25/09
It is dirty, crowded and driving is a nightmare. There is no discipline at all. I regret spending the money coming here when Thailand has class, culture and charisma. The malls are full of squatters and you have to watch every move made by the locals. I got bitten by some sort of bug in a taxi, which all seem at least 10 years old and being a Westerner they BEG for more money and drive like maniacs. The only good news is all the restaurant chains are here, I managed to avoid Pinoy food which is full of fat and Vetsin (MSG) Can't wait to get the departure stamp in my passport as a souviner, it is the only thing I will have to remind me of this dirty place. Did Boracay, the airport of both ends is a real joke, the little domestic terminal is beyond a pathetic. The transfer is pure hell. Hotel was OK but the rice and fish breakfast was AWFUL., too many dogs on the beach, the night life was fun. Tourism will never really take here, it only seems to be Westerners who are with a Filipina or ones looking for one.

-sad reality but all these things can be changed if only Pinoys would have the initiative to change them.

igor09

August 2nd, 2009, 04:45 PM

^^Over naman yong reaction nya, why not proceed to Myanmar after Manila and then compare...:nuts::nuts:

le Reine

August 2nd, 2009, 05:04 PM

^^may feeling ako na pinoy lang din yung nag-comment niyan. Basahin mo yung ibang comments sa same page hindi naman ganyan ka-morbid.

mark_vincent

August 2nd, 2009, 07:32 PM

^^Over naman yong reaction nya, why not proceed to Myanmar after Manila and then compare...:nuts::nuts:
Yes, It's a bit exaggerated. I bet he's an old white gay backpacker who has a very negative outlook in life. You can see it in the way he posted. He's probably not well traveled also. ;)

Is he Pinoy? Maybe. I've also read in other forums some similar comments of tourists about Metro Manila. Some maybe true but I dunno why they always expect Manila to be like other Asian cities. One city or place cannot be like the other. There'll always be a better one depending on your outlook. I won't bash other countries but for sure, Thailand also has many dogs esp. in the cities & beaches and there are many poor people there too so I think the guy was biased.

watcher09

August 7th, 2009, 04:17 PM

^^may feeling ako na pinoy lang din yung nag-comment niyan. Basahin mo yung ibang comments sa same page hindi naman ganyan ka-morbid.

That was my initial observation. Ang alam ko, westerners don't use the word "Pinoy" to describe Philippine things. Also, the word "vetsin". I've been reading cook books printed abroad and so far, I've not encountered such word. Only MSG.

Nonetheless, dogs must not be allowed along the beach. Imagine yourself accidentally touched a dog shit while sitting or lying on the beach!

The taxi thing is true.

Thailand? There's an article about it in another thread exposing unsavory experiences of western tourists in Bangkok.

Juan Pilgrim

August 7th, 2009, 04:42 PM

I like dogs, but all dogs should be kept on the leash at all times if it's on the ground outside the dog owner's/ keeper/s property.

:horse:

crappypants

August 7th, 2009, 11:14 PM

Because most of those tourists stay in the "tourist belt" which ironically is very filthy.
Manila is like a beautiful taong grasa. Lim managed to let this beautiful person devolve into a taong grasa and it's very unfortunate because that's how arrogant first world justify their superiority over third world peoples. better leadership is needed to guide the lost sheeps.

_leonell_

August 9th, 2009, 05:09 PM

superpilyoako

August 15th, 2009, 07:44 PM

kelan kaya mapi feature ang MM sa NGC's MEGASTRUCTURES or MEGACITIES?

watcher09

August 17th, 2009, 01:50 PM

kelan kaya mapi feature ang MM sa NGC's MEGASTRUCTURES or MEGACITIES?

Upon completion of the supposed to be 655 or 665-meter Pagcor Tower together with the entire BNP-MBIEC, or if we were able to build a mega-dam in Manila Bay at Cavite - Corregidor pass to trap all MM floating garbage!

MatudNilaBaby

August 18th, 2009, 11:45 PM

That was my initial observation. Ang alam ko, westerners don't use the word "Pinoy" to describe Philippine things. Also, the word "vetsin". I've been reading cook books printed abroad and so far, I've not encountered such word. Only MSG.

Nonetheless, dogs must not be allowed along the beach. Imagine yourself accidentally touched a dog shit while sitting or lying on the beach!

The taxi thing is true.

Thailand? There's an article about it in another thread exposing unsavory experiences of western tourists in Bangkok.

well msg is a chemical compound that stands for monosodiumglutamate. it is commercially packaged as vetsin or aji no moto. most local folks are very proud if they added vetsin or ajinomoto as a flavoring to their food. in many asian countries it is believed that it will enhance the taste of their cooking. msg as is known by a few who have taken chemistry is not a very popular food additive in the us or uk. some would say that they are highly sensitive to the msg additive and would prefer to eat asian foods without it.

i hear a lot of pinoy who would say oh wala man ni vetsin or ajinomoto kay walang taste. he must have heard it from vetsin proud pinoy friends or in the streets.

c6josh

September 3rd, 2009, 10:55 AM

Metro Manila to simplify business permit procedures
09/02/2009 | 09:14 PM

Cities in Metro Manila will simplify processes for business registrations and permits this coming November, meeting targets set by the League of Cities of the Philippines.

This was announced by the International Finance Corp. (IFC) on Wednesday, the same day that the World Bank said that the Philippines may be unable to improve its ranking in a survey measuring countries’ ease in doing business.

The survey covers July 2008 to June 2009, an Associated Press report said.

But that may all change after standard business registration and permit processing (SBRP) will be improved in Manila, Quezon City, Mandaluyong and Marikina.

Under the P16-million, IFC-sponsored SBRP, the length of time to register and get business permits in metropolitan Manila will be cut to a maximum of 10 days from 52 days.

However, it will not be reflected in the 2010 survey to be released next week, said Gerlin Catangui, IFC’s associate operations officer.

A credit information law passed last year to improve access to loans is likely to be a positive factor for the Philippines' 2010 ranking, but the credit information bureau the law seeks to create has not yet been put up, said Kim Jacinto-Henares, an IFC senior private sector development specialist.

This means that on this measure — one of 10 indicators in the study — the Philippines' points will remain zero on the number of persons covered by the credit information bureau, she added.

The World Bank Group is set to release the Doing 2010 Business Report that ranks economies on the overall ease of doing business.

Criteria will be based on 10 areas of business regulation that track time and cost to meet government requirements in starting and operating a business, trading across borders, and paying taxes, among others.

The rankings are based on 10 indicators including the length of time it takes for domestic, small, and medium-scale enterprises to start a business.

In 2009, the Philippines, which is in lower middle income category, ranked 140 from 136 in 2008.

Other reform goals still to be implemented is a Philippine business registry for online registration, the computerization and upgrading of the income tax system, and the creation of a single window for some 40 agencies that have to issue permits or provide services to importers and exporters, she said.

Moreover, although national laws are implemented by cities uniformly, “variances" in implementing the Fire Code and National Building Code have effects on business registration, IFC consultant for advisory services Mayet S. Patag said

Separately, Metro Manila mayors have agreed to introduce one-time assessment and payment, reducing time and energy spent by business owners in remitting fees to their respective local governments.

Catangui added that growth of informal sector is faster when doing business is more difficult.

“The less rigid your employment regulation is, the smaller your size of informal sector as a percent of GDP," she added. - Ruby Anne M. Rubio with AP

c6josh

September 4th, 2009, 08:51 AM

Siemens offers to automate Metro Manila traffic systems

TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS provider Siemens, Inc. is interest in public transport projects in the country, aside from a bid to corner water and wastewater treatment deals announced by key executives last week.

In an interview late last week, Siemens Philippines President and Chief Executive Adrian K. Wood said the company had discussed with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) the automation of traffic systems in the capital.

Automation is necessary to reduce road accidents and decongest traffic, especially along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, the metropolis’ main thoroughfare.

"We had a couple of talks with MMDA in synchronizing traffic lights as well as installing CCTV units in major streets in Metro Manila," Mr. Wood said.

Car park systems also need to undergo a major rehabilitation as these contribute to heavy traffic in Makati, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City, he added.

"[Traffic systems in other countries in Asia tend] to be quite similar with that of the Philippines," Mr. Wood said, but noted that the country is behind in the region as regards traffic management.

Still, the success of automation and other projects aimed at decongesting roads will highly depend on how people abide by traffic rules and the extent of government support for these projects, he said.

Siemens participated in the bidding for the 5.4-kilometer Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT 1) North Extension project and had signed a memorandum of understanding with R-II Builders to develop the LRT 1 South Extension Project, Mr. Wood said.

It had also entered into the "airport solutions" market as Siemens was invited by the Department of Transportation and Communications to submit proposals for the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport Terminal 2 and a temporary terminal in the same airport.

Last week, the local unit of Siemens, Inc. called for more water and wastewater treatment facilities for industries and municipalities to sustain the supply of clean water.

The German engineering company started operations in the Philippines in 1910. It now has 1,200 employees in three facilities in Makati, Alabang in Muntinlupa, and Eastwood in Quezon City. — J. F. de Guzman

c6josh

September 19th, 2009, 03:28 AM

Sta. Lucia launches first high-rise project in Metro Manila
09/18/2009 | 08:44 PM

Listed developer Sta Lucia Land Inc. has launched its first condotel project in Metro Manila targeted for the middle-income market.

The company will be spending P500 million for the 22-storey development located on Mother Ignacia St. in Quezon City, said Exequiel Robles, Sta. Lucia Land president.

Robles said this was the fifth vertical project of the company following its three projects in Cebu and the Splendido project in Tagaytay City.

Turnover of the units is scheduled in the middle of 2011. About 60 percent to 65 percent of the construction of the projects has been accomplished, he said.

“We’re banking on the continued strength of remittances from overseas Filipino workers to boost our sales," Robles said. Pre-selling proceeds and the company’s internal funds would finance the project’s construction.

He added that the company had originally started the groundbreaking for the project some five years ago but held back on its construction and completion owing to unfavorable market conditions.

The project will feature furnished condotel units from the third to the seventh floor and residential units from the eight to the 20th floor, the latter available as studio, deluxe studio or one-bedroom units. It will also include four bi-level penthouse units on the 21st and 22nd floors.

La Breza will also have a business center at the second floor, comprising of function rooms, meeting rooms and conference rooms.

“Sta. Lucia’s latest project is a landmark development, as it is the very first condotel of its kind to rise in Quezon City. It signals a dynamic and innovative move for our company…, said Michelle Robles, Sta. Lucia Land corporate marketing director.

She added that buyers can get their condotels units leased out on a timeshare basis, which will give them additional income.

Sta. Lucia has about 200 developed projects such as residential estates, commercial developments, golf and country clubs, resort and beach clubs, condominiums and other projects. - Cheryl M. Arcibal, GMANews.TV

ormocanon

September 24th, 2009, 01:34 AM

The RP Mice is back!
We’re not talking about an endangered bunch of wild critters here, ready to mess up your spic-and-span storeroom or turn your trash bins upside down for some stinky leftovers.

The MICE I’m talking about is a crucial part of the billion-dollar-spinning global tourism industry or a segment aptly dubbed as meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).

We are happy to note that the country’s MICE is getting more and more dynamic as the year 2008 ends. What with a long list of last quarter events pitched by the private and government sectors – the 8th Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) and 9th Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) both in September, the 42nd United Federation of Travel Agents’ Association (UFTAA) and the Health and Wellness Summit both in October, among others. Both the Manila Bay area and the very prolific Makati City commercial hub clinched hefty trade deals.

MICE is a specialized segment that needs to be properly tapped and exploited to become high-yield. Most of all, it needs government support and political will to fully thrive.

Last year, when I interviewed Dexter Deyto of SMX Convention Center, to find out how the country’s biggest and latest convention venue was doing, he sourly noted the Philippine government’s reluctance to give an all-out support for MICE.

SMX, the uber-cool big meetings venue is tucked within the 60-hectare SM Business Park just next to the unbelievably huge SM Mall of Asia in a sprawling space along the scenic Bay area.

Deyto is a second-term and outgoing president of the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers, Inc. (PACEOS), a 27-year old grouping of around 38 organizers, exhibition designers, booth contractors, chambers, convention centers, hotels, freight forwarders, airlines, among others.

Ergo, as an active PACEOS member, SMX has been aggressively rallying to bag big confabs, exhibits and other thickset events to sustain the gaining momentum of MICE.

Like Deyto, PACEOS chairman Marisa Nallana, honorary secretary of the ASEAN Federation of Exhibition Convention Associations (AFECA) and president of PETCO, has the same outlook.

Why can’t the Philippine government be more aggressive and liberal about MICE? I heard from both the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC) last year that MICE is not in the list of both agencies’ priorities.

Unlike our ASEAN neighbors, whose governments spend so much in tourism promotion, regularly setting aside a fat budget for MICE, we could only cringe with envy and wonder when such gung-ho tenacity would also move the Philippines.

Take Hong Kong as an example. Recently the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) kicked-off its events marketing arm called Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK) solely to build up the city’s MICE with an initial budget salvo of US$3.9 million (HK$30 million).

Well, I’ve always admired Hong Kong and the way HKTB has been handling its yearly tourism drives – from innovatively drumming up teasers, then plucking Hollywood-famous Kung Fu master Jackie Chan to root for their ads and to always allotting massive funds for tourism campaigns.

And to start bracing up Hong Kong’s MICE, the MEHK has three bid-support teams to take care of netting around 7,000-8,000 corporate groups per package. What about WOW! Philippines?

As I wrote this column, I asked the opinions of major MICE players and experts like PCVC deputy director Rosvi Gaetos.

Gaetos said that with the support of Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano and Undersecretary Edu Jarque, the PCVC and the Movement of Incentive Travel Executives (MITE) are reviving the MICE sector initially thru the Philippine Incentive Marketing Conference (Phil Incentive) to provide a platform for new ideas and marketing techniques to help the sector meet the tremendous challenge of the economic crisis.

Gaetos who guides MITE, said they have already planned for a Phil Incentive follow-up with a MICE Mart. It will bring MICE buyers from all over the world to the Philippines for face time with local suppliers.

On the other hand, Deyto said that during the last quarter of 2008, there were no signs of slow down despite the global financial meltdown, except for a few corporate events of PhilAm and AIG, which is understandable. Many trade and medical associations are still bidding for RP hosting of international and regional events.

Just the corporate incentives market may be affected as companies crunch on expenses next year, Deyto added. SMX is fully booked for the last quarter of this year while PCVC is also asking the help of PACEOS to update the congress organizing manual.

ormocanon

September 24th, 2009, 01:40 AM

... and this! :cheers:

Shopping Malls Manila has got everything you need and things you don't!

You may not think that shopping would be a tourist thing to do, well not for me anyway, but in the Philippines, Shopping Malls rule! They even have a name for it, Malling!

Shopping Malls Manila has it all and I mean just that, whatever you want, you will find it in the numerous Shopping Malls and Plazas that abound throughout Manila. What I still have to come to terms with, is how immensely popular Shopping Malls Manila are, talk about crowds! It's not surprising if I really think about it, where else can you escape from the intense humidity or from the tropical down pours of the typhoon season, yes you guessed it in the shopping malls in Manila.

The air conditioning is such a relief from the outside world.

Don't miss the shopping capital of the Philippines, Manila, it is a haven for those of you who can sniff out a bargain or can pick value when you see it.
Why Manila Shopping?
Okay I know you have not come to the Philippines for shopping, all you really want to do is get to that beautiful beach you saw in your travel brochure, put your feet up and relax with a good book, you know the beach I'm talking about the one that looks like Boracay, I can hear you loud and clear. But why not break your trip up by a day, chances are you will have arrived late afternoon or night, why not take the next day off and do some retail therapy?

The Shopping Malls in Manila are really huge, Manila boasts the third largest, by floor size, shopping centre in the world, it's new too, only opened in May 2006. Come to think about it maybe Shopping in Manila is not a good idea, specially if you are with your wife or girlfriend, with the size of these shopping centres, a day probably would not be long enough!

Which Shopping Mall in Manila? Now that is a good question.

Each of the shopping centres cater to different people and in a way a lot of them are the similar, sound confusing? Well it's not really, here is a run down of the major Shopping Malls Manila.

This list is not exhaustive by any means, in fact is you have shopped in any shopping mall in Manila, even the ones noted below, let me know what you thought of them here.

SM Mall of Asia
This is the largest in the Philippines and third largest in the world, at least by floor area. It is right on Manila Bay in downtown Metro Manila and what it does not have, well you probably don't need! On opening day 1,000,000 people went through it's doors, not bad really.

Glorietta Shopping Mall
Glorietta Shopping Mall is located in the CBD area of Makati and is rather upmarket. After all it is surrounded by 5 star hotels, if that gives you an idea of it's clientele and prices.

Greenbelt Shopping Mall
This is in the Ayala Center, the same place as the Glorietta Shopping Mall. It caters to a different consumer, it specialises in Lifestyle products.

Power Plant Shopping Mall
Also know as Rockwells Power Plant, it has it all and to me appears a bit too expensive, but you cannot complain about the choices.

Shangri-La Plaza
The Shangri La Plaza has all the brand names, if you want the latest Armani, then the Shangri La is the place for you.

Robinsons
There are two Robinsons in Manila. The Robinsons Galleria and the other Robinsons Place Manila. These are two very easy to get around shopping centers, which is just how I like it.

Harrison Plaza
Harrison Plaza is in the tourist area of Ermita, the Plaza is a little bit aged now and under a lot of pressure from the SM Mall of Asia, which is not that far away.

The Podium Ortigas Center
The Podium Ortigas Center is where you find your top end, high quality, expensive clothing and accessories. Do not expect bargains here, but do expect to spend lot's of your money.

SM Megamall
The SM Megamall is in Mandaluyong and is a mid priced shopping mall and if you search and shop well it will not break your budget. It can get crowded and kind of chaotic at times.

Divisoria Mall & 168 Mall
Divisoria Mall & 168 Mall is a mixture of street stalls and shopping mall. Make sure you bring comfy shoes and your haggle, because you are going to meed them!

Hidalgo Street Quiapo
Hidalgo Street is not a shopping mall, but rather an area where row upon row of camera and related shops can be found. This is the place to come for cheap camera equipment and accessories.

With all these and more Shopping Centres and Plazas in Manila, it is easy to see how Shopping Malls Manila is becoming a major tourist destination. How can you go wrong, you have all the Brand names that your use to from back home, with more variety and range!

A dream come true for some!

Once in Manila you have to decide where to stay. Have a look here for some of my reviews and recommendations on where to stay in Manila.

ormocanon

September 24th, 2009, 02:04 AM

Yet another reason why Metro Manila is the number one tourist destination in the Philippines is medical tourism. So far, the only accredited hospitals by DOT and DOH for this purpose are St. Luke's Medical Center, Makati Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital, Metropolitan Medical Center, Dalta Medical Center and World Citi Medical Center. :cheers:

Also not to be ignored is the fact that the national capital has the most number of 5-star hotels which indicates its being a tourist hub.

The country's only floating hotel
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/362366458_6d36150705_o.jpg

The Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant
http://www.interiorfurniture.com.ph/images/projects/hotel_6.jpg

Definitely major tourist attractions! Go Philippines!!! :cheers:

http://www.taguig.gov.ph/archive/images/ft_townhomes.jpg

Congratulations Taguig City for this innovative mass housing project! :okay:Indeed, mayors of 1st class metropolitan cities who can't replicate or implement a better project to solve the urban poor problem don't deserve to be re-elected. :bash:

Wala atang amusement parks thread sa SSC kaya dito ko na lang pinost.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2188/2062915125_f9864b5fd3.jpg

Star Flyer
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/2063042491_86e1568d25.jpg

Surf Dance
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2057/2063805112_b323ea7db8.jpg

Snow World
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2146/2055197107_7df4661000.jpg

The longest ice slide in Asia at 68 mtrs.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2329/2055189935_7ebe8dbfbc.jpg

Land of Giants
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2412/2062958727_d9a90f9965.jpg

Zyklon Loop
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2009/2063025831_f1b6e903d9_m.jpg

palawan_buddy

September 26th, 2009, 09:08 AM

manila is sinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

federalist

September 26th, 2009, 12:54 PM

The country's only floating hotel
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/362366458_6d36150705_o.jpg

The Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant
http://www.interiorfurniture.com.ph/images/projects/hotel_6.jpg

Definitely major tourist attractions! Go Philippines!!! :cheers:

actually they are two but the Philippine Dream in Cebu wasnt able to pay its taxes. hopefully their operations will resume.

sick_n_tired

September 27th, 2009, 06:31 AM

Some scenes yesterday
From Atom Araullo's FB

ayala underpass
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs206.snc1/7330_1219447519125_1017023869_714619_2377135_n.jpg

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs226.snc1/7330_1219447559126_1017023869_714620_5481706_n.jpg

BGC
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs226.snc1/7330_1219447599127_1017023869_714621_6159535_n.jpg

Katipunan
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs206.snc1/7330_1219447839133_1017023869_714627_5519276_n.jpg

Dela Salle Taft
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs226.snc1/7330_1219447879134_1017023869_714628_2527713_n.jpg

Peninsula Makati
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs226.snc1/7330_1219447919135_1017023869_714629_3319933_n.jpg

lioness2007

September 27th, 2009, 03:58 PM

i never thought ganito kalala ang effect ng bagyo sa makati. i thought it's only in marikina and rizal. these are places i used to be traveling every day. never in my mind did i imagine the underpass filled with flood.

Some scenes yesterday
From Atom Araullo's FB

ayala underpass
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs206.snc1/7330_1219447519125_1017023869_714619_2377135_n.jpg

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs226.snc1/7330_1219447559126_1017023869_714620_5481706_n.jpg

BGC
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs226.snc1/7330_1219447599127_1017023869_714621_6159535_n.jpg

Katipunan
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs206.snc1/7330_1219447839133_1017023869_714627_5519276_n.jpg

Dela Salle Taft
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs226.snc1/7330_1219447879134_1017023869_714628_2527713_n.jpg

Peninsula Makati
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs226.snc1/7330_1219447919135_1017023869_714629_3319933_n.jpg

sloanesquare

September 29th, 2009, 02:46 AM

Bayani Fernando, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chief who is responsible for flood control in the capital, said that among the major factors in the flood were poor city planning, illegal structures and simple geography.

"Our problem is we live where we should never have lived," he said.

Manila, which like most of the country lies on the Pacific typhoon belt, is bisected by the Pasig and Marikina rivers whose waters connect Manila Bay to the west with a huge lake, Laguna de Bay, to the east.

Some areas of the city lie below sea level, sit on silt and rely on pumps to keep the water out, while the eastern district of Marikina, ground zero of the disaster, is a valley surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountain range.

He said obstructions, either caused by squatters putting up illegal structures or rich landowners encroaching on land such as riverbanks that allow natural drainage, should be removed.

"If we want to stop this, we have to remove all the things that are obstructing the waters," Fernando said. With reports from Reuters and Agence France-Presse

3cr

September 29th, 2009, 04:42 AM

According to the articles below, it's actually areas closest to Marikina river and fault line are the most disaster prone. However most natural disasters are usually far reaching so other areas can also be affected...

Government study foresaw flooding – Palafox
Business Mirror
Written by Dennis D. Estopace / Reporter
Monday, 28 September 2009
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/16610-government-study-foresaw-floodpalafox.html

THE government was warned 32 years ago that ceding control of urban development may have adverse consequences, such as the devastation experienced by the metropolis on Saturday.

“Some are saying it’s [the flooding of key Metropolitan Manila areas] an act of God. It’s not. It’s neglect on the part of the government,” architect Felino Palafox Jr. told the BusinessMirror on Monday as casualties of Typhoon Ondoy grew to more than a hundred dead and thousands of people displaced.

In the document sent by Palafox, the Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning Project (Mmetroplan) already cited the Marikina Valley as among the areas deemed “unsuitable for development.”

The area that includes the city of Marikina were among those that sustained the most damage, according to news reports. In one hard-hit site alone, Provident Village, TV reports said 58 bodies had already been recovered, presumably people who never had time to leave their homes as floodwaters rose too quickly.

“Development should be restricted by the application of controls in three major areas—in the Marikina Valley, the western shores of Laguna de Bay, and the Manila Bay coastal area to the north of Manila,” said the report submitted in July 1977 to then-Public Works and Highways chief Alfredo Juinio.

“We’ve told government all along [that] this would happen because of the flooding [in] the same month in 1970,” Palafox said.

He said he was working for the government then when he and a group of researchers undertook this World Bank-funded study on a land-use plan that was finalized by Hong Kong-based consulting firm Freeman Fox and Associates.

Palafox cited a recommendation from the study that the government should monitor the Marikina Riverbank so that the water would not reach 90 meters. Likewise, no structure should have been allowed within nine meters from the riverbank, he added.

“Dahil hindi sinunod ’yun, parang massacre ang nangyari ,” he said.

The three-volume report also noted that “urban development is spreading into [these] areas which are, in their present state, unsuitable for development—either because they are low-lying and liable to flooding, or because development is without adequate facilities for the treatment and disposal of sewage [the norm in Manila] and so will continue to contribute to the severe pollution of areas, such as Laguna de Bay.”

The study added: “The unsuitable areas for development, where pressures are nevertheless considerable, are primarily the flat coastal areas to the north where extensive areas are liable to flooding and where increased pressures for reclamation are likely to further exacerbate this problem.”

Another is “the Marikina Valley, to the east, where the land is liable to flooding and where development with inadequate provision for the treatment and disposal of sewage is contributing to the severe pollution of Laguna de Bay and where flooding is a problem in the adjacent areas.”

Finally, the study said the pressure for development, but requiring control, includes “the western shores of Laguna de Bay where development without adequate facilities for the treatment and disposal of sewage is contributing to the severe pollution of Laguna de Bay and where flooding is a problem in the adjacent areas.”

“In order to avoid development contributing to longer-term flooding and water pollution, it is necessary that the short-term development is restricted in these areas. Only when remedial measures to deal with the problems have been implemented, should the development of these areas proceed on a significant scale,” the study said.

“Lessons are to be learned, for sure, but these have been taught three decades ago,” Palafox said.

_______________________________

[B]‘Big One’ Is Possible But Metro Is Unprepared
BY AUBREY STA. CRUZ MAKILAN

Here’s something that the country’s national leaders should be bothered about: If a major earthquake were to hit Metro Manila today, the devastation would be so big even disaster response authorities cannot simply cope with it. And it even looks like disaster preparedness occupies a low priority among officials down to the municipal level.

Recent reports gathered by Bulatlat show that up to 35,000 residents of Metro Manila would die and up to three million others would need to be evacuated. In addition, some 175,000 buildings would be damaged. The pressure of collapsed buildings and the inability to rescue those who would be trapped inside would cause most of the deaths.

Distribution of active faults and trenches in the Philippines

With its current population of 10 million, Metropolitan Manila, which is composed of 13 cities and four municipalities, is densely populated with several clusters and districts having high-rise buildings close to each other. Investigations done by various disaster units and fire departments a few years ago found many buildings did not comply with construction standards and that these are prone not only to fires but also to damage by earthquakes of any scale.

One of the reports gathered by Bulatlat, the Metropolitan Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS), cites “many research studies (indicating) that active phases of the (West) Valley Faults (formerly the Marikina Valley Faults) are approaching and that the estimated magnitude will be around 7 or more.” But MMEIRS also raised the possible intensity from 7 to even 9, which could be “devastating.”

The study projected the “big earthquake” to be “unlike any tragedy seen or imagined in Metro Manila.”

Asked for comment, however, a scientist-environmentalist theorized that such studies could be pressing the panic button now just to allow certain insurance companies to profit from a sudden surge of building insurance orders and the like.

Largest impact

MMEIRS, a Japan-funded study that was begun in August 2002, identified the West Valley Fault, which lies just northeast of Manila, as “the fault expected to cause the largest impact in the metropolis.” The West Valley Fault traverses Marikina town, Pasig going to Muntinlupa up to the south.

The Fault, other studies showed, caused at least two major earthquakes within the last 1,400 years. No earthquake is known to have taken place along the West Valley Fault after the 16th century. But based on the estimated return period of less than 500 years, the Fault is due to exhibit dangers this century – or even within the next few years, if the estimates of an official of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) are valid.

Dr. Norman Tungol of Phivolcs’ Geology, Geophysics, Research and Development Division (GGRDD) estimated the Fault’s movement of recurrence at 200-400 years and based on this, he told Bulatlat, it is due for another movement.

Tungol said however that since studies have a big margin of error, this projection “could be within the next few years, (or) few tens of years.” He also said that even if there is no need for the people to panic because there is no timetable yet, “dapat mag-prepare because it’s inevitable.”

He confirmed that an earthquake with intensity 8 or 9 could be expected in the Valley Fault with a possible magnitude of 7.2 because of the lengthy fault.

Another Phivolcs scientist, Dr. Elena Bautista, noted however that the MMEIRS study found no pattern for the frequency of earthquakes occurring in the West Valley Fault.

A noted engineer, Dr. Arthur Saldivar-Sali, saw MMEIRS’ assertion that “active phases of the Valley Faults are approaching” as vague. He noted that the study, which he admits he has never seen, was apparently based on “deterministic analysis” which focuses on the characteristics of the movement of a fault and can be a prejudgment based on studies done or merely on gut feel that has no scientific basis at all.

Saldivar-Sali is a member of the Council of Engineering Consultants of the Philippines (Cecophil), a group of corporations and companies doing civil engineering designs and foundations.

Probability theory

Saldivar-Sali, a former UP professor who is also now with the Geo-Technica Consultancy Group, told Bulatlat that he tends to believe in the “probability analysis” of former Phivolcs Director Raymundo Punongbayan. Shortly after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991, Punongbayan told of a higher probability of a major earthquake on the Valley Fault based on its rare movements. Since lesser energy is released in the friction of rocks, more energy is stored, like a rubber band, preparing for a big snap.

The higher the percentage of the probability of an earthquake, the dangerous it would be, Saldivar-Sali said.

Punongbayan also cited the danger of building anything five kms near the fault. The director’s warning caused alarm among the business community and Marikina local officials asked that the fault be renamed “West Valley Fault” instead.

In layman’s terms, a magnitude of 7.2 can be compared to a bomb explosion, Saldivar-Sali said. In exponential form of 10, a magnitude of 1 is equivalent to one ton (1 x 100), magnitude 2 to 10 tons (2 x 101), 3 to 300 tons (3 x 102), and so on. A 7.2 magnitude if multiplied to 106 is equivalent to 7.2 million tons of bomb explosion.

MMEIRS actually aimed to design a master plan for earthquake impact reduction in Metro Manila leading to the holding of training seminars on earthquake preparedness. Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA-Philippines), the study was supported by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Phivolcs and JICA contractors Pacific Consultants International, Oyo Corporation, and Pasco Corporation.

Scientists from Phivolcs, the University of the Philippines as well as from Japan participated in the study. Due for completion last March, the report is being finalized in Japan, according to Cora Macasieb, Special Operations Officer II and acting division chief of the Directorate for Special Operations of the Metropolitan Manila Disaster Coordinating Council (MMDCC).

Separate studies on earthquake are also being done in cooperation with China, Japan and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Among others, three areas were tested under the MMEIRS study: Mataas na Lupa in Malate, Manila; Ugong, Pasig; and Cupang, Marikina. Studied were Metro Manila’s three fault lines, namely, the West Valley Fault, the Manila Trench and Manila Bay.

Analyzed were the areas’ earthquake history, length of the fault and vulnerability to earthquake. Damage scenarios and estimates of costs of destruction were also done.

Impact

The seismic intensity generated by the West Valley Fault earthquake and the damage felt in an area varied from place to place. The intensity may range from 7 in Quezon City, almost 8 and 9 alongside Marikina River and Manila Bay, and 8 at west of Metropolitan Manila and 7 at other areas. Based on the Phivolcs Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS), intensity 7 is “destructive,” while 8 and 9 are “very destructive” and “devastating,” respectively.

Aside from the estimated death toll, the West Valley Fault earthquake would cause injuries to 118,200 persons, the study reveals. MMDC’s Macasieb said that the death toll would rise if the earthquake occurs during office hours where most of the people are working inside buildings including those who would come from the province to process various papers in the metropolis.

The number of buildings expected to be destroyed by the Manila Trench earthquake would reach about 5,000 while 16,000 for the Manila Bay fault. The West Valley Fault earthquake will cause the collapse of buildings in northeastern Quezon City, western Marikina, eastern Pasig, Muntinlupa-Laguna Bay and Mandaluyong-Makati. Evacuation would be difficult in the metropolis’ fringes particularly in the north, Taguig and Las Piñas, the MMEIRS study also found.

Residential buildings around the Malacañang in Manila and the House of Representatives in Quezon City would be severely damaged. Other infrastructures such as bridges and power posts will also be destroyed.

The danger of spreading fire to the Malacañang presidential office is not ruled. Liquefaction around the House area might take place. Even the MMDA building would be severely damaged, the study adds.

Collapses would lead to electricity short circuit, petroleum and LPG leakages from storage tanks, among others, that would cause fire. Areas highly vulnerable to fire would be Valenzuela, Caloocan, and south of Quezon City west intersection.

Damages to the Angat reservoir and water purification plant would likely happen, causing a long-term stoppage in water supply. Public transportation facilities such as airport runways would be closed, leaving only helicopters available for operations. Ports in the North and South harbors would be damaged and tilted by liquefaction, making these inaccessible for loading and unloading. Damages would likely be expected on roads and bridges.

Including victims of fires and liquefaction caused by the earthquake, the study estimates the number of refugees or evacuees at three million. The figure would include 1.3 million persons who would be uprooted from their homes if the aftershock would last about seven days.

After liquefaction, there would be a possible regional separation. The western part of Metro Manila would be isolated from other parts of the metropolis. The same thing would happen to the northern and southern parts due to building collapse especially in the area intersecting Makati and Mandaluyong. Meanwhile, all road networks running east-west that are on the fault would be broken.

dc88

September 29th, 2009, 06:24 AM

I believe its called "Karma" the food that shouldve put to the plate of the people,was put in a Million dollar dinner,LOL.
Sometimes God doesnt like it..he`ll teach u some lesson. hehe..

sloanesquare

September 29th, 2009, 09:14 AM

bonixx

September 29th, 2009, 09:15 AM

http://itsthebigpicture.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/jacque-bermejo-and-the-filipino-wrath/#comments

check this guys eto ang mainit na pinaguusapan sa Facebook

icarusrising

September 29th, 2009, 02:45 PM

I believe its called "Karma" the food that shouldve put to the plate of the people,was put in a Million dollar dinner,LOL.
Sometimes God doesnt like it..he`ll teach u some lesson. hehe..

I don't like this line of thought because its means it's the people who suffered divine retribution and not the one whom you said deserved it.

drfeelgood17

September 29th, 2009, 04:25 PM

its near election time so this is a more difficult question than normal to answer but:

WILL LOCAL POLITICIANS DEMOLISH THESE INAPPROPRIATE MAKE SHIFT RESIDENTIAL AREAS AND PREVENT PEOPLE FROM LIVING NEAR THE RIVERBANKS OR BELOW STREET LEVEL OR WILL THESE POOR PEOPLE BE BACK THERE?

Probably not! According to that article these things should have been done 30+ years ago. For that to happen the government will have to order compulsory mass evacuations and demolitions, enforced by the military. I can't see that happening now (unless martial law and/or other drastic measures are imposed). Even a totalitarian dictatorship like the PRC will find that challenging, let alone the Philippines.

3cr

September 30th, 2009, 12:35 AM

Certain Metro Manila property prices expected to slump
Business World
http://www.bworld.com.ph/BW093009/content.php?id=054

PROPERTY PRICES in certain areas in Metro Manila that were hardest hit by floods triggered by Tropical Storm Ondoy are likely to fall, as developers and buyers reassess whether those locations are fit for their projects and their homes, respectively.

While analysts could not immediately say how much real estate prices in those areas — portions of Marikina City and Pasig City as well as several municipalities in Rizal province — would suffer, they were unanimous in saying that both buyers and developers would think twice before investing in those locations.

In a phone interview yesterday, Ramon Jose E. Aguirre, research manager at Colliers International, said people would likely prefer areas that are on higher ground after seeing what the rains did to those locations. "It would have negative impact not just on prices, but also the preference of peopleIt’s still vague how big the effect would be, but it’s obvious that the values of properties there are in danger [of dropping]...The new developments there could become hard sells."

Prince Christian R. Cruz, senior economist of online research house Global Property Guide, agreed that prices in those areas would suffer, but said it was still too early to say by how much.

Claro Cordero of Jones Lang La Salle, for his part, said property prices in Cainta and Marikina, which he placed at between P8,000 to P15,000 per square meter for commercial lots and P2,000 to P5,000 for residential lots, could dip by as much as 15%. "It won’t be immediate. Initially, it should be around 10% to 15% at most. That represents the bargaining power of the owner...He doesn’t have any option but to bring it down."

Mr. Cruz added that developers too could adopt a wait-and-see position, as the government could impose regulations for projects in flood-prone areas. "After the Cherry Hills [disaster in Antipolo] for example, government came out with stricter regulations for building foundation [for projects on sloped areas]...Now, [regulators might demand better] flood control systems," he said.

Mr. Cordero, meanwhile, said that those areas would be off the map for some investors for some time. "We were talking to some investors and, at this point, it was an eye-opener for them...It would eventually go back to normal. But in short term, they would take out Cainta and Marikina from their priorities," he said.

Officials of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations were not immediately available for comment.

Mr. Cruz said the government must also improve infrastructure, since developers’ investments would be for naught if flood waters could damage them as a result of poor drainage and sewerage systems.

Mr. Aguirre said property developments in hard-hit areas could slow as property firms review their options.

Now, they would think twice ...depende talaga sa movement ng government in uplifting sewerage and [flood control] infrastructure," he said.

[B]In the immediate term, Mr. Cordero said developers and those looking to buy homes can be expected to shun the flood-prone eastern areas of Metro Manila and prefer the southern areas instead. "If you are looking for hotspots for property development, it’s southern vs eastern Metro Manila...The loss from the east side would benefit developers on the south side south since projects there were barely affected," he said.

Mr. Cruz, however, said that given the scarcity of space in Metro Manila, property developers and buyers would eventually come back to the eastern areas. "The problem is if you don’t want to live there, where do you go?" he said, pointing out that aside from Marikina, the other places that were submerged were not flood-prone before.

Architect Felino Palafox, Jr., part of the team that wrote a study back in 1977 that cited the Marikina Valley as one of the areas unsuitable to property development, said the recent calamity should goad the government to undertake better-designed preventive steps.

"It will happen again. This is not the first time and this would not be the last time. Maybe the intensity of rainfall was the first, but the floods happened before," he said.

sloanesquare

September 30th, 2009, 10:17 AM

Probably not! According to that article these things should have been done 30+ years ago. For that to happen the government will have to order compulsory mass evacuations and demolitions, enforced by the military. I can't see that happening now (unless martial law and/or other drastic measures are imposed). Even a totalitarian dictatorship like the PRC will find that challenging, let alone the Philippines.

on tv last night QC mayor Sonny Belmonte.....some of those areas will be closed to informal settlers and relocated....why do i desperately want to believe this

RonnieR

September 30th, 2009, 10:47 AM

on tv last night QC mayor Sonny Belmonte.....some of those areas will be closed to informal settlers and relocated....why do i desperately want to believe this

should be done in Pasig also...Mayor Eusebio has not made any comments on those squatters living along Pasig River.

Climax777

September 30th, 2009, 10:50 AM

http://itsthebigpicture.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/jacque-bermejo-and-the-filipino-wrath/#comments

check this guys eto ang mainit na pinaguusapan sa Facebook

^^
No offense intended brod ...Let's not judge our fellow Filipino without knowing the other side of the story...This can happen to anyone...

Please read below the official statement from Ms. Jacqueline Bermejo, regarding the controversial post which had circulated in various social networking sites which in turn resulted to a hate campaign against her:

"I am issuing this statement to clear my name in the current controversy in which I allegedly posted a highly insensitive and offensive message on the social networking website, Facebook, in relation to the victims of typhoon Ondoy that recently struck parts of the Philippines .
About two years ago, an anonymous source created these accounts using my identity, posting my personal details, my real pictures captioned roughly and attacking other people. Because of these incidents, I reported such abuses and sent my credentials to the administrators of such sites, particularly Facebook. I have been abused and am still being abused online in social networking websites such as Facebook, Friendster, Multiply etc.
In the early stages, I was advised by close friends to ignore the situation, saying this would simply go away. Unfortunately, it has not stopped. Hence, I filed a complaint with the Dubai Police about eight months ago hoping they could help me with my problem. Should anyone wish to check my statement, my case is still under investigation with said authorities.
Time passed and these sites continued to generate malicious, obscene and cruel messages that are widely exposed and relayed to the public under my name.
Yesterday, September 27th 2009, I received phone calls from my close friends regarding very alarming posts in the above mentioned websites that directly offended flood victims as a result of typhoon Ondoy..
These malicious statement(s) which are posted under account names Jacque or Jackie are not of my doing. It is unfortunate that such statements were maliciously attributed to me andI do sympathize and understand the adverse and somehow verbally violent reaction that has been elicited by such insensitive statements or posts. Rest assured, I have taken every legal step that can be done in this regard.
I too, have become a victim as much as those who may have lost their lives and properties to such a devastating natural calamity. This recent controversy has greatly affected my reputation, my family, and my friends. I am devastated and shocked at the extent my character, my personal information and private space have been violated.
I have a deep respect and regard for my country. I am proud to be a Filipino and would never say or do anything to harm the interest of my country or countrymen. I have also had the privilege of participating in civic-oriented activities in Dubai , particularly in trying to help my fellow countrymen seek employment during the height of mass layoffs brought about by the ongoing global financial crisis, as well as those seeking employment for the first time. Making a mockery of any unfortunate incidents befalling any of my fellow Filipinos is simply contrary to my character. I condemn the person or persons behind these malicious acts to impute damage on my integrity and I hope that you can dig deep into your hearts and minds to truly find the truth in all these.

Jacqueline Bermejo"

icarusrising

September 30th, 2009, 11:02 AM

From Dr. Mahar Lagmay of the National Institute of Geological Sciences, UPD:

FLOOD HEIGHT MAP OF METRO MANILA - So far, so good, but we need moreinput on the barangay level to make it work for everyone. If you knowof anyone who can visit the google map site below, please get them to input ...the flood height where they were on S...aturday, September 26, 2009 during the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy. The floods were worst about 1-3 in the afternoon.

If your really can't execute the input on the interactive map, please join the group for this flood height map project http://groups.google.com/group/floodheight_ondoy and then email us at floodheight_ondoy@googlegroups.com We will plot everything for you.

kratos1211

September 30th, 2009, 12:50 PM

Probably not! According to that article these things should have been done 30+ years ago. For that to happen the government will have to order compulsory mass evacuations and demolitions, enforced by the military. I can't see that happening now (unless martial law and/or other drastic measures are imposed). Even a totalitarian dictatorship like the PRC will find that challenging, let alone the Philippines.

PRC relocated 2.3 million people from the Three Gorges Dam Project. It not impossible. Political will lang.
Source (http://www.china.org.cn/english/environment/226267.htm)

3cr

October 1st, 2009, 02:59 AM

Property developers don’t see rush to buy condos
Business World
http://www.bworld.com.ph/BW100109/content.php?id=102

PROPERTY DEVELOPERS are not expecting a sudden spike in demand for condominium units in the aftermath of the devastation brought by storm Ondoy at the weekend.

There should also be no adverse effect on the industry overall despite the devastation of many residential areas in low-lying cities and towns, because of the huge housing demand that remains untapped.

But developers and the government should start looking at precautionary measures for property projects, industry players and analysts said.

"If there is anything that we learned from this tragic incident, it is the need for us to be more prepared for contingency [measures during these types of calamities]," Anthony Charlemagne C. Yu of Andrew L. Tan-led Empire East Holdings, Inc. said.

While Ondoy affected "horizontal" projects, Mr. Yu said there should be no significant shift in the market.

He was addressing observations that home buyers would now choose condominiums over houses and lots.

Ayala Land, Inc. president Antonio T. Aquino said the country’s top real estate firm expected condominium sales to be "normal and not be affected."

"Land values in the affected areas will be depressed for a short period, then recover afterwards," he added.

Jaime E. Ysmael, Ayala Land chief finance officer, said the company was fortunate it did not have projects in devastated areas.

But while the disaster would not create more demand for condominiums, it would nonetheless influence the buying decisions of consumers who are now expected to be more wary in selecting locations.

"Housing demand is still there and there is still a huge backlog that needs to be addressed," Mr. Ysmael said.

Mr. Yu also said: "Housing is a basic necessity and the challenge faced by the most productive segments of our population remains adequate housing in places within the metropolis."

But "land values in the Philippines, as developed areas are considered, will continue to be very stable regardless of the adversities," he said, pointing out that the value of land is dictated by demand and supply.

With a growing population especially in the metropolitan area, demand for affordable housing would not slacken in the next two decades, Mr. Yu said.

"Affordable housing is not a necessity dictated by economic conditions; it is necessity in any economic milieu," he said.

CB Richard Ellis Philippines, Inc. director Victor J. Asuncion, for his part, said affected areas would have difficulty attracting tenants. But because Filipinos have short-term memories, Mr. Asuncion said the aversion would be temporary.

"As soon as the government has the roads fixed, the public will have a different perspective. But this time, the government and the property developers should have precautionary measures [whenever a calamity strikes]," he said.

Mr. Asuncion believes the crisis will create a new demand for projects on higher locations.

"On top of the existing original demand, there will be an increase in demand for new houses coming from these affected areas," he said.

"The lesson everyone should learn is that developers should respect the nature and should not alter the natural topography of the land."

RonnieR

October 1st, 2009, 05:13 AM

I believe its called "Karma" the food that shouldve put to the plate of the people,was put in a Million dollar dinner,LOL.
Sometimes God doesnt like it..he`ll teach u some lesson. hehe..

stupid thinking....it's not even million dollar but peso!
may patawa tawa pa:bash: The best way is to help the victims!

pau_p1

October 1st, 2009, 05:23 AM

'Gov't, private developers liable for flood damage'
http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/09/30/09/govt-private-developers-liable-flood-damage

MANILA - Government agencies and private developers are jointly liable for the massive loss of life and property in several Metro Manila cities for practicing poor urban planning and allowing commercial and residential structures to be built in flood-prone areas, according to "green" architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr.

Palafox said a 1977 World Bank-funded study identified Marikina Valley, the western shores of Laguna de Bay, and the Manila Bay coastal area as among development areas that should prepare for flooding, earthquakes and possible changes in topography.

The Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning Project (Metroplan), which was finalized by Hong Kong-based consulting firm Freeman Fox and Associates, has been used as a blueprint by urban planning developers and various government agencies and urban planners. Unfortunately, he said corruption and lack of planning has led to the shelving of some of the plan's recommendations.

"You see the irony here. National government agencies are aware that there is a flooding level of so many meters, then another national government agency would approve subdivision plans for only nine-meter high houses. There are about 32 signatures to obtain just to do a development project. It's like an obstacle course," he said in an ANC interview last Tuesday.

Proposed Parañaque spillway (in red) to flush out the excess water to the Laguna Bay and South China Sea

He said the Metroplan addressed flood-mapping in Metro Manila, specifically after the massive typhoon in 1970. He said the Metroplan included the construction of the Manggahan Floodway, which would divert floodwaters from reaching Metro Manila by diverting the water to the Laguna Lake.

"There was supposed to be a Parañaque spillway to flush out the excess water to the Laguna Bay and South China Sea, but this was never done. It was part of the recommendation," he said.

Palafox said the study recommended the monitoring of the Marikina Riverbank so that the water would not reach 90 meters. Likewise, no structure should have been allowed within 9 meters from the riverbank, he added.

The architect said he is currently working with Marikina Mayor Marides Fernando on several development projects in the city. He said that in Marikina, structures should be built above 17 meters which is above the maximum flood level of the city.

This is the reason why SM Marikina, which he helped design, was built on stilts, with the lower level of the mall used only for parking and all the shops on higher levels.

"In Marikina, instead of nine-meter high buildings you go upward and build a boulevard with dikes. All subdivisions should go medium-rise or high-rise and there should no longer be individual houses. It should be mixed use. You live upstairs, you work in the middle and you shop downstairs, just like Paris," he said.

Manila like Paris

1970's study already showed low-lying areas in Metro Manila are prone to flooding - Palafox

Palafox said that in 1905, American architect Daniel Burnham envisioned building Manila like the city of Paris. "He said it should be designed like Paris beside the River Seine, like Manila beside Pasig River. He said the esteros of Manila could be like the canals of Venice. We were alright until the 1940s when the Americans left and then we adopted wrong models of urban planning," he said.

As an architect, he said he often tells potential clients that they should practice due diligence and look at the 100-year flood history of a potential development area before starting construction. He lamented, however, that some short-sighted clients would only look at the 25-year flood history of an area since the planned structures are not built to last.

"We are always reacting to crisis. It bothered me when I saw these reports and pictures and people are saying it's an act of God. It's not. It's us not following the plans and proposals. If you are an urban planner, an environmental planner, these have been planned as early as 1905," he said.

He said that to address the problem of flooding, the government should consider "vertical urbanism" and build more high-rises instead of "horizontal urbanism."

He criticized the lack of coordination among government agencies and cited the EDSA corridor as a prime example of how urban planning has failed in the Philippines.

"I did a study in Harvard on the EDSA corridor on how not to do a city. You have high-transit stations surrounded by low-gated communities and low-density military camps. How do you make people walk to it?" he said.

He said that to address the problem of climate change and future flooding in the Philippines, urban planners should start redesigning cities in the country by looking at the lessons of the past and seeing what other countries are doing.

"In a crisis like this, it's an opportunity to be creative and learn. Technology can address these problems," he said. With a report from Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News

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RonnieR

October 1st, 2009, 05:28 AM

superpilyoako

October 1st, 2009, 05:33 PM

nagkatotoo na ung wish ni Arciga, however di xa luminis tulad ng hiling nya, lalong dumumi... God bless everyone!

3cr

October 6th, 2009, 12:16 AM

Urban-devt programs’ review up
Business Mirror
Written by Estrella Torres & Butch Fernandez / Reporters
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/16915-urban-devt-programs-review-up.html

MALACAÑANG has ordered a comprehensive review of urban planning and development programs that will integrate disaster-risk reduction measures amid threats of more flash floods and fierce typhoons as part of the impact of climate change.

Presidential Deputy Spokesman Anthony Golez admitted on Monday that local governments were remiss in the urban planning and development programs that led to massive flooding in Metro Manila and Rizal when storm Ondoy dumped record rainfall on September 26.

At the same time, Sen. Francis Escudero prodded government authorities to revisit earthquake-preparedness plans for Metro Manila, particularly in areas traversed by the West Valley fault, also known as the Marikina fault line.

“Even as we try to cope with the devastation caused by Ondoy, let us not make the fatal mistake of forgetting that dire warnings have been made regarding a possible big quake in Metro Manila,” Escudero said.

The senator aired the warning after at least 1,100 people were killed by two successive earthquakes in Sumatra, Indonesia, on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

He cited a 2002 study funded by the Japanese government which, he said, showed that “if a 7 to 9 magnitude quake triggered by the West Valley fault line hits Metro Manila today, it could be unlike any tragedy seen or imagined in Metro Manila.”

According to Escudero, the Metropolitan Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study includes 100 actions plans that would mitigate the impact on areas expected to suffer most from the projected quake.

“We need not reinvent the wheel. Let us see what our resources are and find out how we can address the concerns raised in the study. Our people have suffered more than enough from ad-hoc governance,” the senator added.

He said a worst-case scenario in the study says that up to 35,000 Metro Manila residents would likely be killed and over 3 million others displaced by a big quake. It also projects that tens of thousands of homes and buildings would collapse from the temblor.

The West Valley fault line is one of three cutting across Metro Manila. The two others are the Manila Bay and Manila Trench fault lines.

The last big earthquake that hit Metro Manila and the rest of central and northern Luzon in July 1990 killed 1,700 people. Reports also said the intensity 7.7 quake hurt 3,000 persons and displaced 148,000 people. Property and infrastructure damage was placed at $2 billion.

‘Failures there for years’

Meanwhile, Golez said failures in effective urban planning were already there for many years. He emphasized the need for remedial measures on urban planning.

“[But] the [problems in] urban planning...[were] not invented by the present or the sitting mayor or the sitting local officials. It has been there from the very start. So it’s hard to put the blame on anybody as of the moment,” said Golez in a press briefing on Monday.

“One very important ingredient in coming out with an urban-planning and development [plan] would be putting into consideration disaster risk-reduction measures,” he said, adding that local policies and ordinances must now integrate specific measures on disaster-risk reduction.

Golez, meanwhile, said the government would also strengthen measures to ensure sustainable environment, particularly on the approved mining and logging projects to prevent extensive catastrophes due to typhoons.

He said any decisions of the national and local governments in scrapping mining and logging operations should be based on the state’s policy to implement safe mining practices.

Golez said President Arroyo has ordered government agencies, particularly the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, to facilitate massive cleanup and rehabilitation works of Metro Manila, Rizal and the Northern Luzon provinces devasted by Typhoon Pepeng.

Meanwhile, the Nacionalista Party (NP), led by its standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar, raised the need to seriously establish a comprehensive climate-change adaptation program that will prepare the country for the catastrophic impact of typhoons, flash floods and drought.

The NP conducted rescue operations last weekend after Typhoon Ondoy submerged Metro Manila and Rizal that killed close to 300 and affected 600,000.

NP spokesman and former Cavite representative Gilbert Remulla said while the government and concerned citizens have been widely engaged in relief operations to alleviate the miseries of displaced families in evacuation sites, a more strategic and comprehensive response must be put in place.

NP officials and youth volunteers are now focused on providing relief assistance to victims of Ondoy, particularly in the hard-to-reach areas in Cainta, Pasig and Marikina and Rizal province and other affected areas. The NP is likewise poised to provide assistance in the Northern Luzon provinces hit by Super Typhon Pepeng.

Remulla said the extent of devastation of typhoon Ondoy should teach us lessons to urgently establish climate change-mitigation and adaptation programs to ensure that there would be no more casualties and lesser damages to crops and properties.

He added that the Philippines experiences an average of 10-12 typhoons every year and belongs to the countries that sit on the Pacific Ring of fire where frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

The NP official cited the latest findings of the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) that the pace and scale of climate change are now outstripping science predictions as the impact are coming sooner and faster.

The preliminary findings from the new World Bank study on the Economics of Climate Change, meanwhile, estimates that the costs of adaptation to climate change by developing countries will reach $100 billion a year for the period 2010 to 2050.

Philippine experts said the government would need an estimated P3 billion to P7 billion annual budget to implement climate change-adaptation programs to ensure sufficient agriculture products supply for the rest of the population.

3cr

October 6th, 2009, 12:22 AM

How to ease swelling of lake stirs big debate
Business Mirror
Written by Jonathan Mayuga & Butch Fernandez
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/16912-how-to-ease-swelling-of-lake-stirs-big-debate.html

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza on Monday urged members of the Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change to review the law that created the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), the agency tasked to lead, promote and accelerate sustainable development in the Laguna de Bay region.

He said the environmental degradation of the lake was partly responsible for the massive flooding in Metro Manila during the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy two weekends ago.

Atienza also asked lawmakers to revisit the LLDA’s mandate, as well as its structure, “either to strengthen or abolish” the agency.

He told the public hearing conducted by the Senate oversight committee, headed by Sen. Loren Legarda, that because of its poor state, the lake failed to absorb the floodwaters from areas of Metro Manila during the typhoon.

He said the proliferation of illegal structures on Laguna de Bay because of the unchecked operation of fish cages and fish pens caused the lake to become heavily silted, thereby preventing the natural flow of water.

The environment chief’s revelation that the LLDA has no budget allocation surprised lawmakers.

Meanwhile, Legarda made LLDA officials “answerable” for failing to check the proliferation of illegal fish pens and other structures clogging the free flow of floodwaters that engulfed lakeshore residential communities in the recent flooding.

“It is about time something is done about the LLDA; either give it ample powers so it could effectively address the problems in the lake once and for all, or abolish it,” Atienza suggested in the public hearing, called to assess the situation and craft measures to prevent another catastrophe similar to that wrought by Ondoy.

Legarda assured Atienza she would summon LLDA officials at the next hearing to determine what to do with the environment-related problems at the Laguna Lake.

The senator told reporters, “The LLDA is answerable for the problems there. Why are they tolerating these illegal fish pens? That is a problem that has been there for decades.”

She said the LLDA, along with the erring local government units, could also be held liable for allowing other illegal encroachments constricting the lake, resulting in record-high floodwater levels that inundated nearby Metro Manila towns and cities.

Stepping into the breach, President Arroyo directed LLDA chairman Edgardo Manda and Secretary Atienza to “work together to resolve all the issues facing them,” Malacañang Deputy Spokesman Anthony Golez told Palace reporters.

Legarda agreed that an agency like the LLDA should not depend on fees or fines imposed on violators for it to operate and do its job of promoting the lake’s development.

“I agree with Secretary Atienza that the LLDA should be strengthened. It is impossible for LLDA to operate without a budget,” she said.

The Pasig River, a major tributary that is supposed to lead floodwater to Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay, is now being rehabilitated.

Rehabilitating Laguna de Bay has also started with the dismantling of the illegal fish cages and fish pens in the lake. However, lack of funds and noncooperation from some local governments stalled the dismantling operation.

icarusrising

October 6th, 2009, 09:42 AM

^^ Dismantling those fishpens would probably have minimal impact on solving the flooding problem being faced by the coastal towns. There really has to be a spillway towards Manila Bay.

ipur

October 8th, 2009, 12:14 PM

Just want to share with you guys this article from GMAnews.tv:

A CNN hero started with a pushcart full of hopes
SOPHIA DEDACE, GMANews.TV
10/07/2009 | 08:44 PM

More With an ocean of garbage as his playground as a child, Efren Peñaflorida Jr. was accustomed to living amid the ills of society. The slum area in Cavite province where he grew up abounded with solvent-sniffing kids and tough gangsters. People sifted through dumpsites during the day and slept in the cemetery’s empty crypts at night.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3470/3989194341_857025f6ac.jpg

It was 1997. Peñaflorida, a gangling 16-year-old youngster back then, was occasionally bullied and beaten by street toughies. No one would have thought that, 12 years later, he would be short-listed by globally known Cable News Network (CNN) as a candidate for its CNN Heroes.

“I grew up really poor. My father was a driver and my mother was a laundrywoman. When I went to school, I experienced being mocked, bullied, discriminated against," said Peñaflorida, the second of three children.

“I wanted to settle scores with the bullies. But I realized I could turn a bad experience into something positive."

At the time, Peñaflorida was part of Club 8586, a youth group in Cavite. His mentor encouraged him to help curb the rampant gang wars and fraternity feuds in their communities, where kids as young as nine years were already involved in violent fights.

‘Pushcart classroom’

Despite having to cope with his own limited means, Peñaflorida formed the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) with his two peers. The fledgling group ventured into work among destitute and out-of-school youth, teaching them basic literacy skills, values formation, and even personal hygiene.

Armed only with plastic bags loaded with books and school supplies, Peñaflorida and his team roamed the shantytowns of Cavite, offering kids a unique chance to learn useful things in the “street classroom" setting.

Peñaflorida, fondly called Kuya F, distributes biscuits to the kids at a slum area in Cavite. DTC File Photo
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2627/3989949616_639d902508.jpg

Years later, the platform for their mobile classroom would evolve into pedicabs, and eventually into what it is today – a Kariton Klassrum (literally, “pushcart classroom"). The Kariton Klassrum now carries a mini-library, reading aids, blackboards, and even detachable tables and chairs.

Peñaflorida says that his commitment to teach basic literacy to kids is his way of “paying forward" – having been a scholar himself. His elementary and high school education was funded by World Vision Philippines, while his college education was shouldered by Club 8586. Not surprisingly, he took up a degree in Education.

Now 28, Peñaflorida earns a living as a public school teacher in Cavite. On Saturdays, he continues his pushcart classrooms –which have expanded into Manila – with other teen volunteers now reaching 2,000.

Aside from teaching literacy, the group also conducts feeding programs for abandoned street kids who scavenge for food by sifting through heaps of garbage.

Who is a hero?

When the world-renowned Cable News Network (CNN) early this year called for submissions for its annual search for Heroes, Club 8586 nominated Peñaflorida.

The network’s Blue Ribbon Panel sifted through 9,000 nominees from over 100 countries, and soon narrowed down its choices to 28. On October 1 (October 2 in Manila), CNN announced its top 10 finalists for its Hero of the Year. Peñaflorida made the cut.

The word “hero" has been used so loosely, that these days even someone who performs a singular, momentary selfless act like jumping into a river to save a child is quickly declared a hero. But the same public recognition is not so easily earned by a person who performs the same heroic act, quietly and doggedly from day to day.

Peñaflorida (in white) pushes for change. Hub Pacheco file photo
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2460/3989964630_1e9eefa60f.jpg

Nonetheless, Rezcel Fajardo has no doubt in her mind that Peñaflorida is indeed a hero. One of the co-founders of DTC, Fajardo says she knew from the start that her colleague would be included in the CNN shortlist.

“He is a modern-day hero. He would use his meager salary to buy food for the kids. In fact, he had already pledged the prize money to the children he is helping, should he win," Fajardo said.

But like a real hero who embodies humility, Peñaflorida refuses to take the credit for the honor given by CNN, much less brag about it. He says that his inclusion in the roster of 10 finalists is already an honor in itself.

“This is not about me," he says. “If the people vote for me, they are actually voting for the poor kids DTC is teaching and the dedicated volunteers behind this work."

‘Rainbow after the rain’

Peñaflorida views his inclusion in CNN’s Top 10 as the proverbial “rainbow after the rain" to Filipinos.

On October 2, the country was still reeling from the weeklong floods wrought by storm “Ondoy" when it braced itself anew to face typhoon “Pepeng’s" wrath.

Like many other citizens who volunteered for Ondoy-related relief operations, Peñaflorida joined others in packing and distributing donations to flood-stricken communities in Cavite. True to his mission, his pushcarts turned into relief carts used to collect donated goods.

One of the mobile classrooms turns into a "relief cart" for Ondoy victims. DTC file photo
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3989194127_b6babdafec.jpg

Peñaflorida says that Anderson Cooper’s announcement of the Blue Ribbon Panel’s decision “gave Filipinos a breath of fresh air, a brief moment to cheer and celebrate, to be inspired all the more" to pursue volunteer work and rebuild our nation.

The many heroes emerging from the Ondoy tragedy inspires Peñaflorida to devote more of himself to the disaster victims in his home province.

“There are many people who rose to the occasion, but their stories remain untold. It’s an honor to represent a nation of heroes," Peñaflorida says. “Indeed, the Filipino is worth dying for," he adds, quoting the famous words of his personal hero, Ninoy Aquino.

With Filipinos abuzz with Peñaflorida’s nomination, the young man recently visited the World Vision office one busy afternoon and was promptly hounded by media. He now confesses he is still unaccustomed to being thrust into the spotlight.

Peñaflorida recalls that he and other DTC volunteers had to endure taunts and rejection for many years, while carrying out their mission. “We’ve experienced being degraded and unwanted, so we just had to bow our heads low while they shouted, ‘Here are the basureros (trash collectors)!’"

Despite the difficulties of bringing education closer to impoverished youth, Peñaflorida finds fulfillment not in awards and other forms of official recognition – not even in the flattery by politicians who have started courting him for their election plans – but in the smiles of the children who rush to meet him when they spot his humble pushcart.

Peñaflorida’s success is not your ordinary rags-to-riches story. While he is no longer hounded by the pangs of hunger and destitution, he continues to offer himself to the underprivileged as an example of a kid who fell victim to violence driven by poverty and yet found a way to lift himself up.

With heroes, the need to catalyze change always leads to endless possibilities. Even if the only possibility at first is to simply start pushing a pushcart. - GMANews.TV

To vote for Peñaflorida as CNN Hero of the Year, click here:
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/vote/

jpdm

October 9th, 2009, 10:10 AM

Informal settlers key to preventing floods

Friday, 09 October 2009 00:00
Manila Times

At least 400,000 squatters blocking key drainage channels of a giant lake on the edge of the Philippine capital need to be uprooted to fix Metro Manila’s flooding crisis, a government official said Thursday.

The squatters are among one million people living on the shoreline of Laguna de Bay, which will stay flooded for up to five months unless drastic action is taken, Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) chief Edgardo Manda told Agence France-Presse.

“I have made a strong recommendation to remove these people from the danger zones and not allow them to go back,” he said of the 400,000 squatters who are living mostly on what was once marshy wetlands.

“The authorities would probably need to erect barricades and station sentries in these areas,” he added.
The dramatic recommendation comes as large parts of eastern Manila remain flooded 12 days after tropical storm Ondoy (international name Ketsana) dumped the heaviest rains in more than four decades on the city, killing at least 298 people.

Manda and other officials have acknowledged that chaotic urban planning, or no planning at all, exacerbated the crisis, particularly around Laguna, where shantytowns, factories and housing developments have overtaken farms.

But Manda said he realized removing squatters from around the lake would be a “political decision” that may not sit well with politicians so close to national elections in May next year.
In those polls, local officials as well as a new president are chosen.

Blocked waterways

About 300,000 of the squatters are living in and around an illegal open garbage dump on wetlands that block two connecting rivers that are meant to channel excess water from the lake into Manila Bay to the west.

“The channel is constricted,” Manda said, adding that clearing the squatters and garbage from the wetlands was key to allowing water to flow more freely.
About 100,000 other squatters live in houses on stilts on the lakeshore to the south, he added.

Besides the one million people living near the immediate shoreline, which is likely to remain flooded for many months, at least one million others live in adjacent districts of eastern Manila that are also still under water.

President Gloria Arroyo’s executive secretary, Eduardo Ermita, on Wednesday announced a Belgian firm had been hired to dredge the Pasig River.

“Definitely this will help,” Ermita said, but he did not address the issue of the squatters directly.

He also said the government was reviewing the process of granting permits to developers of residential areas along the 220-kilometer stretch of Laguna shoreline that were now partly submerged.
“These things must be looked into because we can see the effects,” he told reporters.

Besides working out a way to unplug the Laguna lake area, the government has been trying to care for more than 315,000 homeless flood survivors who remain in schools, sports arenas and other makeshift evacuation centers.

The government has warned that disease outbreaks are highly likely for those living in the shelters, as well as in the flooded areas around Laguna, because of unsanitary conditions.

AFP

superpilyoako

October 9th, 2009, 05:54 PM

photogenic ang MM duns latest commercial ng Smart (SmartTalk Plus) pati dun sa Cebuana Lhuilier (ung bago ni Sarah G.) hehe

jpdm

October 11th, 2009, 02:10 AM

EDITORIAL

Resettlement
(The Philippine Star)
Updated October 11, 2009 12:00 AM

From the flood-devastated communities of Marikina, 145 families have voluntarily moved to a relocation site in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. At the same time that this news came out, a government official dealing with the urban poor reported that thousands of families were returning to the Manggahan floodway, rebuilding the informal settlements that were swept away by the floods spawned by storm “Ondoy.”

The first lesson that must be learned by local government executives from Ondoy’s devastation is that lives are put at risk and natural drainage systems are clogged, aggravating flooding, when authorities allow informal settlements to be built along waterways and catchments. The Manggahan floodway in particular must be kept free of any obstruction and must be declared a danger zone for those who want to turn it into a residential area. A taxpayer’s suit can be filed against local government and barangay officials who allow squatting especially in flood-prone areas.

But local executives will need a lot of help if they are serious in their efforts to relocate squatters. Relocation sites must be prepared by the national government, and the sites must have sufficient facilities and services to discourage resettled families from returning to the cities.

A basic necessity, after water supply, food sources and new housing have been guaranteed in a resettlement site, is livelihood opportunity, the lack of which drives people in the countryside to try their luck in urban centers, even if it means living in a shanty along the banks of a creek. The residents of Marikina who voluntarily moved to Sta. Rosa are reportedly planning to start slipper and handbag enterprises. Unless resettled people are given jobs or livelihood opportunities, they will keep returning to the cities, even if it means risking their necks by residing in flood-prone slum communities.

A second necessity that can discourage resettled families from returning to urban slums is access to education. Many people migrate to the cities because of inadequate education services in rural areas. They will not stay long in a resettlement site where there is no school. Unless proper relocation sites are built, informal settlements will rise again, even with the knowledge that makeshift homes are on the path of killer floods.

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/9211/startoon.gif

RonnieR

October 16th, 2009, 02:35 AM

GMA orders relocation of waterway settlers
By Paolo Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated October 16, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo will implement the forced relocation of thousands of families living on riverbanks and other high-risk areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces even if it would mean losing the political support of local government officials, presidential spokesman Cerge Remonde said yesterday.

Remonde said the President reiterated her resolve to implement a long-term plan to make the nation’s capital safer from natural calamities during the special meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) at Malacañang yesterday.

Remonde said Mrs. Arroyo was open to the idea of radically rearranging the layout of Metro Manila to make it safer from severe flooding and other natural disasters.

Remonde said the President noted some local officials were opposing the idea of relocating squatters and residents out of harm’s way.

He said Mrs. Arroyo would nevertheless implement the forced relocation of residents even if it would mean losing a substantial constituency and votes of local officials concerned with the onset of elections in 2010.

“Being a politician, she understands these (opposition to relocation) but she is determined to enforce her orders for the long-term good,” Remonde told a news briefing.

With only seven months left in office, Remonde said, “The President will have the political will to achieve her objectives to save lives and property until the end of her term.”

“The President recognizes that the topography and geography of Metro Manila will have to change because of this (flooding),” he said.

The proposal to permanently relocate residents out of harm’s way was brought up during a meeting with disaster officials earlier this month.

Mrs. Arroyo noted that thousands of families have been forced out of their homes because of the flooding brought by tropical storm “Ondoy.”

Disaster officials stressed the need for a plan to move out the families living near riverbanks and waterways to prevent another disaster from occurring when a storm like Ondoy would strike the metropolis.

Ondoy left a trail of destruction, killing almost 300 people, and affected some three million residents in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Among the hardest hit by the flooding are the cities of Marikina and Pasig, as well as the nearby province of Rizal.

Remonde said the President is studying two proposed executive orders, among them the permanent relocation of squatters along the Pasig and Marikina Rivers and other main waterways in Metro Manila.

He said the proposed executive order would include punitive actions against local officials opposing the permanent relocation of their residents who are at risk.

“When you take your oath (of office) you swear to enforce the law, so putting up those structures in riverbanks and other danger-prone areas is a violation of the law. If these (laws) are not enforced by local government officials, they themselves are violating the law,” Remonde said.

He added the President is also studying the proposal to create a council that would supervise river basin and dam operations.

Remonde said Vice President Noli de Castro, the country’s housing czar, was tasked to hammer out the final order on the permanent relocation.

Mrs. Arroyo earlier said the plan to permanently relocate affected families would be sustained by De Castro who will identify available lands and relocation sites in different stages of development in provinces near Metro Manila.

The President said among the relocation sites available are San Mateo and Rodriguez towns in Rizal, Calauan in Laguna, and San Miguel in Bulacan.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, for his part, called on local chief executives to allocate and identify the lands in their cities and towns that are ideal for relocation of their constituents.

Puno reminded local officials to comply with the provisions of Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992.

“I urge our mayors to act with urgency and fast-track the submission of this inventory so that we may be able to assist the many families rendered homeless by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng,” Puno said.

He said many local officials have failed to comply with the requirement of RA 7279 to conduct an inventory of their lands.

aranetacoliseum

October 16th, 2009, 02:53 PM

Tuesday, 13 October 2009
PGMA orders review of Palafox master plan

Dagupan City (PND)-- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered today her Cabinet to look into a 1977 study on flooding in Metro Manila by urban planner Architect Jun Palafox and find out if there’s something in it the government can adapt.
“Let’s look at it again. It was a masterplan for NCR during the Marcos administration but it was never implemented. Let’s see what we can do about it,” the President said during the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)-Cabinet meeting here this morning.
Thirty-two years ago, Palafox warned that relaxing control of urban development would have adverse consequences. The devastation wrought by typhoon “Ondoy” last Sept.26 proved him right.
In that study, Palafox singles out Marikina Valley as unsuitable for development. Indeed, the city of Marikina was among those that sustained the most damage.
The Palafox report submitted in July 1977 to then Public Works and Highways Minister Alfredo Juinio states that “development should be restricted by the application of controls in three major areas---the Marikina Valley, the western shores of Laguna de Bay, and the Manila Bay coastal areas to the north of Manila.”
The World Bank-funded land-use plan was finalized by Hong Kong-based consulting firm, Freeman Fox and Associates.
The report recommends that the government monitor the Marikina River bank and make sure water does not reach 90 meters in height. It also provides no structure should have been allowed within nine meters from the river bank.
The three-volume report also notes that “urban development is spreading into [these] areas which are, in their present state, unsuitable for development—either because they are low-lying and liable to flooding, or because development is without adequate facilities for the treatment and disposal of sewage [the norm in Manila] and so will continue to contribute to the severe pollution of areas, such as Laguna de Bay.”
The study adds: “The unsuitable areas for development, where pressures are nevertheless considerable, are primarily the flat coastal areas to the north where extensive areas are liable to flooding and where increased pressures for reclamation are likely to further exacerbate this problem.”

“Marikina Valley to the east, where the land is liable to flooding and where development with inadequate provision for the treatment and disposal of sewage is contributing to the severe pollution of Laguna de Bay and where flooding is a problem in the adjacent areas.
“The western shores of Laguna de Bay, where development without adequate facilities for the treatment and disposal of sewage is contributing to the severe pollution of Laguna de Bay and where flooding, is a problem in the adjacent areas.”
“In order to avoid development contributing to longer-term flooding and water pollution, it is necessary that the short-term development is restricted in these areas. Only when remedial measures to deal with the problems have been implemented, should the development of these areas proceed on a significant scale,” the report says.

ruralvillage

October 17th, 2009, 01:04 AM

Arroyo approves extreme Metro Manila makeover (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091016-230325/Arroyo-approves-extreme-Metro-Manila-makeover)
By Christian V. Esguerra, Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091016-230325/Arroyo-approves-extreme-Metro-Manila-makeover)
First Posted 03:42:00 10/16/2009

MANILA, Philippines — Pushed by the great flood brought about by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana), President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Thursday gave the go-signal for an urban development project that would rid Metro Manila of tens of thousands of informal settlers and modify its landscape.

At the Legislative and Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting in Malacañang, Sen. Edgardo Angara broached the idea of changing the “topography and geography” of parts of Metro Manila in the wake of Ondoy’s devastation, according to Press Secretary Cerge Remonde.

Remonde said Ms Arroyo was amenable to the proposal and wanted the project to take off from the 1977 Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Project.

He lamented that the project received what he called a “Mona Lisa treatment” from previous administrations that allowed it to “just lay there and die.”

“Why should we start from scratch when there is already something?” Remonde said at a media briefing after the Ledac meeting. “The idea here is to use the master plan as a starting point.”

Ms Arroyo apparently was so interested in the study that she asked architect Felino Palafox Jr., one of its proponents, to present it at a Cabinet meeting.

“The President is very serious in considering it,” Remonde said. “The President will have the political will until the end of her term.”

He said Ms Arroyo had “nothing to lose” in implementing drastic changes in Metro Manila’s urban setup since she was serving the last few months of her term.

Restrict development

In the study, funded by the World Bank, the proponents recommended: “Development should be restricted by the application of controls in three major areas—in the Marikina Valley, the western shores of Laguna de Bay, and the Manila Bay coastal area to the north of Manila.”

At the Ledac meeting, leaders from the Senate and the House of Representatives committed to have the Climate Change Act of 2009 ready for Ms Arroyo’s signature by Oct. 30.

Body to replace NDCC

Lawmakers also promised to pass immediately the bill institutionalizing the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management and Recovery Framework. The measure will create a new policy-making body to replace the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

Remonde said Ledac members were briefed by the Department of Science and Technology on climate change and were made to realize that “we really need to accept the anomalous weather
condition.”

Part of the planned Metro Manila development project is the relocation of informal settlers living near rivers and creeks.

Draft order

Remonde said Ms Arroyo received a draft of an executive order on the relocation from Mindoro Rep. Rodolfo Valencia, chair of the House committee on housing and urban development.

The press secretary said the order, which should be ready in two weeks, would cover issues such as penalizing local executives for allowing residents in danger-prone areas such as river banks.

“When you take your oath, you swear to enforce the law,” he said. “Building houses (in restricted areas) is a violation of the law. If it is not enforced by local government officials, then they are violating the law.”

Remonde said there would also be an executive order creating a “river basin council in areas where there are dams for better coordination among stakeholders in the area.”

Review flooding measures

At a forum at the University of the Philippines on Tuesday, a hydraulics engineer said government and private developers should review existing flood protection measures in light of severe floods from Ondoy and Tropical Storm “Pepeng.”

“The floods from Ondoy are very rare because of the extreme amount of rainfall, and to avoid that kind of flooding again, this must be addressed by both structural and nonstructural approaches,” Guillermo Tabios said.

He called for a comprehensive, up-to-date flood forecasting and rainfall prediction so that both disaster management officials and residents would have ample time to prepare.

Long-term study on land use

In particular, Tabios said land developers and government agencies must conduct long-term studies on land use to avoid the kind of flooding that submerged Provident Villages in Marikina City.

“This is so that residential villages should not be located along the flood plain where water endangers them, like in Provident Villages. Hazard maps showing flood-prone areas must be updated and given to the local governments,” he said.

Tabios and other engineers spoke at the Disaster Mitigation, Adaptation and Preparedness Strategies Forum on Flood Risk Management at the UP College of Engineering.

Peak flood discharge

Tabios conducted a study of the flooding in Marikina during Ondoy and found that at a portion of the Marikina River in Sto. Niño, the peak flood discharge was 5,770 cubic meters per second.

He pointed out that normally, a peak flood discharge of 3,310 cubic meters per second happened every 100 years.

“As far as flood statistics are concerned, the floods in Marikina City during Ondoy were major, major flood because it exceeded the 100-year return period,” said Tabios, the head of the National Hydraulics Research Center.

In flood-prone areas near the Marikina River such as the SM Mall and Provident Villages, the height of the floodwaters on Sept. 26 reached five to six meters.

He said obstructions along river systems and on flood plains resulted in the inundation of areas previously not flood-prone.

Clogged drainage

Engineer Sophia Santiago of the Department of Public Works and Highways noted that aside from the excessive rainfall during Ondoy, infrastructure concerns like clogged drainage contributed to the flooding.

Santiago pointed out that 70 percent of the drainage system constructed in 1975 was already silted and clogged up 70 percent because of indiscriminate throwing of garbage.

She also criticized how waterways in some subdivisions were filled up and replaced with inadequate pipes which cannot properly handle water flow.

Tabios suggested the retrofitting of flood control infrastructure such as river works, dikes, detention ponds and pumping stations.

To define climate change

He said the heavy rains caused by Ondoy and Pepeng were attributed to climate change.

“There must be a national effort to define climate change, which would include deciding what approaches we can do so that people can appreciate this more. There are many scenarios but we need to select what is appropriate to the Philippines,” Tabios said.

ruralvillage

October 17th, 2009, 09:35 PM

Sledgehammer on squatting (http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/4139-sledgehammer-on-squatting)
Manila Times (http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/4139-sledgehammer-on-squatting)

The administration’s decision to oust thousands of families squatting on riverbanks and high-risk areas in metropolitan Manila is late but timely, just the same, coming in the wake of unprecedented massive floods to which slums have contributed significantly. President Gloria Arroyo, at a special meeting Thursday of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac), ordered the forced evacuation of the squatter families living along waterways, under bridges and on coastal lands for endangering public health, impeding navigation and violating the law, as well as to save them from harm brought by typhoons, dangerous floods and earthquakes.

Most mayors in Metro Manila and other urban centers have tolerated squatters and abetted slums for votes and political support. It is also difficult to stop the onslaught of enterprising landgrabbers who, overnight, are able to sneak into public and private lands and build makeshift shanties within hours.
Ejecting them is almost impossible, often costly and occasionally violent. Once a piece of property is taken over, more arrivals overwhelm the neighborhood. In this manner squatting has thrived, squatter “landlords” have profited and slums have proliferated.

Indigence in the slums has prompted residents to break the basic norms of sanitation and public health.
Public safety is imperiled by random crime, vice and violence. Fires are not uncommon. Diseases are inescapable. The least that can be said about slums is that, they are an eyesore, a blight on the landscape that mocks our pretensions to development and modernity.

Squatters are principally the victims of poverty and want. Poor regional development, worsened by unemployment and scarcities in livelihood, has driven the majority to pull up stakes and move to the cities. Promises of jobs and a better life, the attractions of the metropolis, have turned out to be false. The absence of a long-term affordable housing program has trapped families in their squalid habitat.

The force relocation, in the words of Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, will alter the landscape and reshape the skyline of the national capital region. It will improve public health and enhance public safety. Wanton trash disposal and floods are expected to abate. Clearing the riverbanks will surely improve the environment and boost tourism. Relocation will save thousand of lives and minimize injuries and accidents. The millions of pesos saved from rushing flood victims to evacuation centers and feeding them could be diverted to disaster preparedness and mitigation.

The political cost of compulsory relocation to the administration and to many incumbent mayors will be tremendous. A swell of anger will surely erupt and dictate decisions on election day. Many mayors will feel they had been betrayed. Mrs. Arroyo realizes the impact of this historic urban renewal but is determined to enforce the law and protect public safety. Squatting, after all, is an organized and deliberate violation of the law, anarchy unloosed on society by a constellation of causes and forces. Its time to seize the beast by the horn and tame it for the public good.

The President has made a correct and urgently necessary decision. Support from every public servant and citizen is paramount.

From Pasig to Palawan

The hegira of the families from Metro Manila to the relocation sites will take time and consume billions. The timetable is unclear although the Arroyo administration has seven month to begin spadework. Meanwhile we offer this unsolicited advice:

Don’t transfer the families from one pigsty to another, a familiar theme in the government drive on drive squatting. Give them a new decent livable community.

Many plant, factories and business operating along the Pasig River and its tributaries are also producers of waste that find their way into the river. Discipline these establishments.

Pay attention to the homeless. The basic squatters at least have roof over their heads. The homeless (families and individuals, including waifs) sleep anyplace where darkness overtake them. Thousands of the homeless live on the edge of existence.

Make the region grow and prosper. Make the countryside competitive with Metro Manila in terms of jobs, livelihood, self-employment and opportunities for advancement.

Provide long term affordable housing appropriate to the needs of poor families, individuals, senior citizens and the disabled.

Promote workshops on stopping squatting, the rights of the landowners and the legal weapons available to them.

Penalized mayors who abet squatting and tolerate slums. Throw out the incumbents who encourage lawlessness.

Extend full support to the flood victims who have expressed desire to return to their hometowns to start life anew.

Don’t call them “informal settlers,” a phrase coined in the Erap administration. Call them by their correct name, squatters, to raise public consciousness about a social ailment that has made the state and lawful property owners captive for generations.

sloanesquare

October 19th, 2009, 11:40 AM

all very nice..but what will the next mayors, barangay captains do...this is not the kind of issue in the top 100 list of a cabinet meeting for the next president...it means they will be back

chris_nigel

October 19th, 2009, 07:58 PM

kaya nga sana lets vote for the candiate that will continue all tha started programs by this administration

ferny123

October 25th, 2009, 03:54 PM

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad328/fsilapan/urbansprawl.jpg

this is just to pass my time when im drunk. hahah

Sinjin P.

October 25th, 2009, 04:57 PM

^ Cool. So you're more productive when you're drunk huh?

3cr

October 28th, 2009, 01:33 AM

Metro Manila spillway project endorsed
Business World
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW102809/content.php?id=071

SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to start working on the construction of a spillway in Metro Manila to prevent massive floods.

The President agreed to a proposal by Architect Felino "Jun" Palafox to immediately build the spillway from Manila Bay to Laguna Lake in yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

"We will ask the DPWH to start with the spillway. We can build it alongside the airport so there would be less cost," Mrs. Arroyo said.

The Parañaque spillway can be a "canal, tunnel or Roman empire aqueduct," said Mr. Palafox who was at the Cabinet meeting, adding flooding can last for at least 65 days if the spillway is not built as opposed to only 20 days with the facility in place.

He also informed the President that building the spillway alongside the airport could take longer because the spillway is just eight kilometers.

"We will have to look at the cost effectiveness, but it’s an option, in other words it has to be the cheapest way to do it," Mrs. Arroyo said.

Parañaque has been identified as route of the spillway, starting with a mid-1970s development plan for Metro Manila, as it is the narrowest land between Manila de Bay in the west and Laguna de Bay in the east.

Shortly after tropical storm Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) hit and inundated wide parts of Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, Mr. Palafox cited the 1976 Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning Project which identified the western shores of Laguna de Bay and coastal shores of Manila de Bay as development areas that should prepare for flooding, earthquakes and possible changes in topography.

But some of the recommendations stated in the study were never carried out, he said.

In his presentation yesterday before the Cabinet, Mr. Palafox said the country’s long-term development plans should include building spillways, banning incursions to waterways, relocating people to higher ground, controlling development in some areas, and harvesting rain water and using it for irrigation or fire protection.

He also recommended revising the building code, placing early flood warning systems, controlled development, and imposing stricter rules on building construction.

Senators and congressmen earlier broached a P10-billion plan to jump-start the spillway project, with the fund mainly to be used for expropriating properties that would be affected by the waterway.

At the same meeting, Mrs. Arroyo ordered the reconstruction commission, chaired by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, to fast-track its proposals and take advantage of the so-called Hatoyama Initiative.

Mrs. Arroyo was referring to Tokyo’s commitment to provide financial and technical assistance to developing countries to help address the problem of climate change through the initiative named after Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who unveiled the scheme last month.

Finance Secretary Margarito B. Teves, who co-chairs the commission, said he sees a dialogue with the private sector in December to outline possible assistance it can give to the government.

Acting National Economic and Development Authority Director-General August B. Santos, for his part, warned against a possible surge in food inflation because of the damage to agriculture caused by Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng (international name: Parma).

As of yesterday, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said Ondoy and Pepeng had caused P36.635 billion in damage to farm (P27.11 billion) and infrastructure (P9.525 billion) and claimed 929 lives.

"NFA (National Food Authority) says rice production decreased. We are supposed to have 90 days inventory, now it’s down to 60 days," Mr. Santos said.

"Food prices surged in 2008 but has receded in 2009. The latest reading is 2% in September. We expect an increase in food inflation because of the typhoons."

Among his recommendations to Mrs. Arroyo were to convince rich nations to make good their food pledges to poor countries; conduct a full study on hunger causes; and converge anti-hunger projects to targeted beneficiaries.

______________________________

Palafox urban-development plan endorsed to Teves commission
Business Mirror
Written by Mia M. Gonzalez / Reporter
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/nation/17871-palafox-urban-development-plan-endorsed-to-teves-commission.html

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga—Malacañang has referred the 33-year urban-development plan of architect Felino Palafox Jr. to the Special National Public-Private Reconstruction Commission after the urban planner gave a presentation of the Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning Project to the President and the Cabinet, who met here on Tuesday.

President Arroyo also said the commission should hire Palafox as its consultant. “We should really do the master plan that he [Palafox] is talking about,” the President told Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, who cochairs the commission with PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

Palafox submitted his comprehensive plan to the Marcos administration in 1977, covering 40 towns and cities in and around Metro Manila.

It pointed to an urban expansion northeastward to Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, portions of Bulacan, and southward to Parañaque and Canlubang, and recommending a “controlled development” in the Marikina Valley, the western shores of Laguna de Bay, and the Manila Bay coastal area to the north of Manila.

Palafox said a spillway is needed to provide a new outlet from Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay because not having one is “like having a toilet without a flush.”

The President accepted this suggested spillway immediately and told the Cabinet, “We should already ask the DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways] to work on the river spillway.”

To minimize expenses in terms of right of way in building the spillway, the President said an option would be to build it along the side of the airport “because the land belongs to the airport, that will save us a lot of money.”

“This plan would call for the use of the entire length of the Naia runway along the fence toward the Parañaque river, on the end of the runway along C-5 or Taguig. The storm drain can pass through the food terminal then on toward the Laguna bay. That will use government lots and less relocation of homes,” she added.

Teves said the commission will prioritize relocation, housing and livelihood of squatters along the planned route of the spillway, reforestation, waterways cleaning, infrastructure, and finance and resource mobilization.

The President reminded Teves to prepare a proposal for the Hatoyama Initiative, referring to the move of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to extend technology and funding for developing countries to fight climate change, that she said is already being availed of by Indonesia, and that Hatoyama told her they are only waiting for the Philippines request.

Mrs. Arroyo had a bilateral meeting with Hatoyama at the sidelines of the Asean Leaders’ Summit and Related Summits in Hua Hin, Thailand last week.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3596/3417332212_540c0a0424_o.jpg

3cr

October 28th, 2009, 02:11 AM

UN's take on RP disasters: Worst yet to come
By Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091028-232631/UN-on-RP-disasters-Worst-yet-to-come

MANILA, Philippines—Storms worse than “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” will hit the Philippines in the coming years, but the country is one of the least prepared nations in Southeast Asia to cope with natural disasters, a United Nations official warned Tuesday.

Jerry Velasquez, senior regional coordinator of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) agency, said the Philippines was even worse than military-ruled Burma (Myanmar) in coping with natural calamities.

Saying the worst calamities were yet to come, Velasquez stressed: “The period of talking is now over—the time for action has begun.”

Velasquez, a Filipino, spoke at a hearing of the Senate committee on climate change, chaired by Sen. Loren Legarda, held at Barangay Nangka in Marikina City, one of the areas worst hit by floods triggered by Tropical Storm Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana) last month.

Painting a grim scenario, the UN official cited studies that projected a massive destruction of Philippine rice crops in a little over a decade owing to climate change, and severe flooding in Metro Manila affecting 2.5 million people by the year 2080.

Velasquez said the Philippines ranked 12th among 200 countries at risk from tropical cyclones, floods, earthquakes and landslides.

Hot spot

An April 2009 UN study found that, “in coping capacity to disasters,” the Philippines ranks seventh among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), just behind Laos, Malaysia and Burma, Velasquez said.

“The Philippines is one of the very hot spots for climate change. What happened during Ondoy and Pepeng was not the worst. The worst is still to come,” he added.

Also prone to natural disasters, Burma suffered one of the worst natural disasters in living memory when cyclone Nargis slammed it in May 2008, killing 10,000 people in one town alone. UN officials estimated over 100,000 perished altogether in the cyclone, while 2.4 million people were affected.

Velasquez said coping capacity referred to a country’s capacity for hazard evaluation, structural defenses, early warning, emergency response, insurance and disaster funds, and reconstruction and rehabilitation planning.

Yet among the ASEAN countries, the Philippines was the last to ratify the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response, Velasquez said.

“Indonesia copied from the Philippines in developing its disaster risk management legislation (but) that country was able to get its legislation adopted way back 2007, while the Philippines is yet to pass its own bill in Congress,” he said.

Deadly trio

Velasquez cited a UNISDR global assessment report on disaster risk reduction, which noted that Japan had 22.5 million people exposed to typhoons annually, compared to just 16 million people in the Philippines.

“However, the estimated annual death toll from cyclones in the Philippines is almost 17 times greater than that of Japan,” he said.

He said the study found that the “deadly trio” that worsen natural disasters were “poor urban government, unstable rural livelihood, and ecosystem decline.”

“So it’s not God who is doing it. It’s man who is at fault,” Velasquez said.

Velasquez said that one study showed that the Philippines had a “medium adaptive capacity” to climate change, “together with Indonesia and just above Cambodia and (Laos).”

“Vietnam, although faced with high threats of climate hazards, has high levels (of) coping and adaptive capacities, lowering considerably its risks to climate-related disasters,” Velasquez said.

Metro Manila vulnerable

Velasquez said a January 2009 study funded by Canada and Sweden found that among ASEAN countries, “the Philippines is a hot spot for cyclones, landslides, floods and droughts.”

“In fact, according to this study’s ‘multiple climate hazard index,’ the Philippines received a rank of 0.6 to 1.0, the highest among all countries in the ASEAN,” Velasquez said.

“The same study listed the most vulnerable provinces or districts in Southeast Asia, and found that the National Capital region ranks 7th among all cities in the ASEAN, with the Cordilleras 27th and Central Luzon 30th,” he said.

Velasquez urged the Philippines to improve its disaster-coping capability.

“A single event cannot be attributed to climate change because the climate system is in constant state of flux and has always exhibited natural fluctuations and extreme conditions,” Velasquez said.

He said extreme weather events like Ondoy and Pepeng were consistent with the trend that a group of renowned scientists belonging to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had identified.

“According to the IPCC, there is a 90 percent chance that things will get worse in the future,” he added.

Vulnerable to floods

Velasquez said the IPCC projected there would be an “increase in intense precipitation events” (or rainfall) and “an increase of 20 percent in tropical cyclone intensity and the amplification in storm surge heights, resulting in an enhanced risk of coastal disasters.”

“Philippine climate scenarios predict an increase in temperature for the Philippines up to 1.8 C by 2020, up to 2.4 C by 2050 and up to 3.6 C by 2080,” he said.

“Similar scenarios also predict that by 2050, there will be up to 20 percent decrease in precipitation for the Philippines for the months of December, January and February, and up to 16 percent increase in precipitation in the months of June, July, and August,” he added.

Velasquez said environmentalists had predicted that a 100-centimeter rise in sea-level—to be reached by 2080 under one of IPCC’s scenarios—would lead to over 5,000 hectares of the Manila Bay area being “regularly inundated, affecting 2.5 million people.”

Sea levels up by 40 cm

He said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Administration (PAGASA) already noted that sea levels had risen by 40 centimeters (cm) in Manila and by 20 cm in Davao and Legazpi.

The Asian Development Bank has also warned that rice production in the country could drop by 50 to 70 percent as early as 2020 due to increasing temperatures, Velasquez said.

“A recent Oxfam study found that sea level rise, floods that damage fish farms, and the increased acidification of the oceans could reduce by 90 percent farmed fish yield by 2050,” he said.

Breathless anticipation

Velasquez said that with the signing into law of the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009, “hopes are high that the new law’s focus on strong government-wide coordination, high-level leadership, links to science, and local level action, will be necessary ingredients to ensure immediate, comprehensive and sustained action by the Philippines in the face of this climate crisis.”

“It is one of the most comprehensive and the most integrated legislation so far in the region. We now wait with breathless anticipation,” he said.

edly

October 28th, 2009, 05:33 AM

^^Kung ngayon pa lang yan ine-endorse, kailan pa yan magagawa? Eh pa-exit na si GMA? Sayang...

ruralvillage

October 28th, 2009, 11:14 PM

Arroyo orders Metro plan implemented (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091028-232655/Arroyo-orders-Metro-plan-implemented)
By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091028-232655/Arroyo-orders-Metro-plan-implemented)
First Posted 05:18:00 10/28/2009

SAN FERNANDO CITY, PAMPANGA—Convinced by its relevance today, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Tuesday ordered the implementation of a Marcos-era urban plan for Metro Manila, including the sandbagging of flooded areas and the construction of a spillway.

The President agreed with the recommendations on flood prevention made by architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. who gave a PowerPoint presentation of the 1976-77 study, “Metro Manila Transport Land Use Development and Planning Project” (Metro Plan), at a Cabinet meeting here.

Chief among the recommendations were the pumping out of floodwaters and sandbagging in flood-prone areas, and construction of the P20-billion Parañaque spillway linking Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay.

“We can ask BF to begin the master plan of Metro Manila, and then again back to the spillway option,” Ms Arroyo said after the presentation, referring to Bayani Fernando, chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

The World Bank-funded study conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways was a comprehensive plan on land use development in the metropolis, but it was never implemented.

“This administration should not take all the blame because there was a Metro Plan in 1976, 1977,” the world-renowned Palafox said as he began his 30-minute presentation at the residence of Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales.

Ms Arroyo said that sandbagging could immediately be implemented.

“We have what we can do between now and the end of the year. In the immediate, sandbagging is very good and practical,” she said.

Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) dumped unusually heavy rains that inundated a vast swath of the metropolis on Sept. 26. After a week, another storm, “Pepeng” (international codename: Parma), pummeled northern Luzon, triggering heavy flooding and landslides.

But Ms Arroyo sounded most excited about the Parañaque spillway, another means to divert water from Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay in addition to the Pasig River.

“And we should already ask the DPWH to work on the spillway,” she said.

In his presentation, Palafox noted that there were 20 rivers that flow into Laguna de Bay, and the Manggahan Floodway was added to this, but without constructing a spillway.

“It’s like having a toilet without a flush,” he said.

The spillway can be a canal, a tunnel or an aqueduct like those of the Roman Empire, he said. “Even DPWH engineers say that with the spillway, the worst scenario is it will be 20 days flooding. Without it at least, 65 days of flooding.”

Ms Arroyo proposed that the 8-km long spillway be built alongside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on a property owned by the government to save money.

“The plan calls for the use of the entire length of the Naia runway along the fence toward the Parañaque River. On the end of the runway along C-5 or Taguig the drain can pass through the Food Terminal then on toward Laguna de Bay. That will use government lots and less relocation of homes,” she said.

But Palafox aired his reservations because the runway was longer than the spillway, and would pass through a bigger land mass, but he said that this was an option that could be studied.

On the Metro Plan, Palafox said the team that conducted the study, which included himself, encouraged the urban extension of the metropolis northeastward toward Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City and some portions of Bulacan, and southward toward Parañaque and Canlubang, Laguna.

As for the flood-prone areas, such as the Marikina Valley and the western shores of Laguna lake, they recommended “controlled development” but with the installation of sewerage, drainage and flood control systems.

“Development happened, but the infrastructure was not put in place,” he said, referring to the non-implementation of building codes and zoning, among other things. “There was a big disconnect in regulatory problem between the ones giving permits, and the ones developing.”

He also said that the plan would have covered 40 towns and cities taking into account the people commuting from outside the metropolis, but this was overtaken by the Metro Manila Commission which created 17 cities.

Igsuonnimo

December 9th, 2009, 06:57 PM

MMDA: No clearing of sidewalk vendors until Christmas Day (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=530956&publicationSubCategoryId=65)
(The Philippine Star) Updated December 10, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - In observance of the holiday season, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday announced that there would be no crackdown on illegal sidewalk vendors until Christmas Day.

“I am giving the vendors until Christmas, because I don’t think it is right to demolish them at this time of the year. But they should not occupy the roads, they must remain on the sidewalks where they will not cause traffic,” MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes said.

Inocentes ordered Angelito Vergel de Dios, head of the agency’s Traffic and Transport Management Operations, to improve traffic conditions along the major thoroughfares like EDSA and Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City in anticipation of the expected huge volume of vehicular traffic over the holidays.

Meanwhile, Inocentes gave the agency’s officials and employees until January next year to perform better or face the ax. “I am giving all the officials and employees until January to do well on their jobs. Otherwise, they will be relieved of their posts as they don’t have the right to continue working in MMDA,” he said.

Inocentes also said that all projects of the MMDA that were approved for implementation by then MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando, will be suspended pending his study and approval. Affected by the suspension order are the on-going construction of at least nine footbridges in Quezon City and Muntinlupa City. – Mike Frialde

Christian_123

December 10th, 2009, 07:22 AM

Sarap talagang sipain yang Judge nayan :bash:

zandro888

December 30th, 2009, 11:43 PM

Stumbled upon this from the MMDA Website

DECEMBER 16, 2009

Sec. Oscar Inocentes Directs All Traffic District Chiefs To Remove Illegal Terminals & Vendors

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Oscar Inocentes directed yesterday all traffic district chiefs in Metro Manila to remove all illegal terminals and vendors that obstruct the smooth flow of traffic in their areas of jurisdiction.

Emerging from a meeting with the traffic sector commanders and area traffic managers of the 17 LGUs and officials of the MMDA’s Traffic Operations Center (TOC), Inocentes stressed the need to intensify the drive against illegal terminals, noting the heavy volume of traffic this Christmas season.

The MMDA chief said he will form a task force to locate, monitor and identify the operators of illegal terminals of jeepneys and FX AUVs that were reported to have proliferated along major roads.

During the meeting, the traffic commanders informed that MMDA officials that were instances that illegal terminals are being run or under the protection of local barangay officials and policemen.

The traffic chiefs also complained that their men are sometimes reluctant to apprehend FX drivers in illegal terminals because most of them are moonlighting policemen, who would threaten them should they try to disrupt their operation.

MMDA General Manager and spokesperson Robert Nacianceno advised the traffic enforcers to report the matter immediately to TOC Executive Director Angelito Vergel De Dios.

“In cases like these, if there is a threat to the safety of our traffic officers, knowing they are assigned to certain areas and are therefore easy targets, these should be reportedly immediately to Director De Dios,” he said.

He pointed out that TOC could deploy more men to overwhelm these illegal terminal operators and armed moonlighting policemen.

For his part, Inocentes said the agency will provide legal assistance to any MMDA personnel who will bring cases against these abusive policemen.

“Ipagtatanggol ko kayo. Bibigyan namin kayo ng abogado at sasagutin namin ang anumang gastos. We should defend our right to do our duties,” Inocentes assured the traffic personnel and traffic commanders.

Inocentes also reiterated to the traffic officers and commanders his earlier directive to drive away vendors that are operating in non-vending areas.

He said all the traffic enforcers will do is simply asked the illegal vendors to vacate the area immediately. He warned, however, that they are not allowed to confiscate any of the vendors’ goods or belongings.

“We will have our men man roadways and areas that should not be used by illegal vendors. We will stop and prevent them from setting up their stalls,” Inocentes said. (back to top)

Christian_123

December 31st, 2009, 12:44 AM

Finally, some goodnews ...

hakz2007

January 6th, 2010, 11:55 AM

MMDA to put up “night markets” on inner streets of Metropolis (http://positivenewsmedia.net/am2/publish/Main_News_1/MMDA_to_put_up_night_markets_on_inner_streets_of_Metropolis.shtml)

MANILA, Jan. 6 (PNA) --- The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will put up “night markets” for displaced vendors on inner streets of Metro Manila where they will not obstruct traffic flow.

MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes said the vending area, to be patterned after the popular nighttime flea markets in Hong Kong and Singapore, is the agency’s response to the sidewalk vendors’ need for a proper place to earn a living.

“Instead of constantly going after them, we will look for secondary streets or vacant lots where they will be allowed to operate. We want these markets to operate only at night because we do not want to cause traffic problems,” the MMDA chief said.

Inocentes directed MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno to find suitable places for these planned night markets in coordination with the local government units.

The proposed site should be reasonably away from major thoroughfares and secondary roads but accessible to pedestrians, said Inocentes.

He said spaces will be rented out to vendors at special discounted rates.

“In these night markets, we will assure them that they will be protected against syndicates demanding protection money from them. On the other hand, we will solve our problems on sidewalk vendors. This is a win-win solution,” Inocentes said of his night market project.

The MMDA chairman made the proposal after the temporary moratorium on demolition of illegal stalls lapsed on December 31.

Earlier, Inocentes ordered the issuance of eviction notices to sidewalk vendors and business establishments that have encroached the sidewalks and roadways during the holiday season.
Inocentes said the agency will not use force to drive away the illegal vendors. (PNA)

superpilyoako

January 6th, 2010, 03:44 PM

mukang nakalimutan na nila ung mga projects nila after Ondoy (spillway, smart tunnel, mass relocation etc.)

nakapanghihinayang

habagatcentral1

January 17th, 2010, 06:37 AM

Baclaran-Tambo Roxas Boulevard area...traffic on Saturday
http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/375/1200x1200/10/Friday10.jpg?et=PfDN5r69L5zDsUl88SG%2BpQ&nmid=310971102

metrosuburban

January 19th, 2010, 03:42 AM

mukang nakalimutan na nila ung mga projects nila after Ondoy (spillway, smart tunnel, mass relocation etc.)

nakapanghihinayang

Palafox is correct. After Manny's victory, wala na, limot na... tinalo pa ang 6/6 vision :bash:

superpilyoako

January 20th, 2010, 09:00 PM

i wanna see more hospitals, offices, hotels, schools and malls here in the metro.

superpilyoako

January 22nd, 2010, 11:13 PM

Metro Manila
i love this picture http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3267/2748805502_b9c2b3d7c9_o.jpg

note that some part (right side) is missing

Satan Of Panonia

January 23rd, 2010, 01:38 AM

Wow,Manila is really nice.
Greetings from your catholic brothers in Croatia.

superpilyoako

January 23rd, 2010, 01:52 AM

Wow,Manila is really nice.
Greetings from your catholic brothers in Croatia.

thanks. feel free to visit us.
be safe.:)

Waldenstrom

January 23rd, 2010, 08:09 PM

i wanna see more hospitals, offices, hotels, schools and malls here in the metro.
Except malls please. :lol:

I think we already have too much of them.

evangelicum

February 7th, 2010, 06:20 AM

My Metro Manila Montage (From joseparis.info (http://joseparis.info/post/374027672/my-metro-manila-montage-click-the-image-for-full))

http://i46.tinypic.com/avrn02.jpg

From top, left to right: Metro Manila skyline, Manila City Hall Clock Tower, Bonifacio Monument (Caloocan), Las Piñas Bamboo Organ, Makati Central Business District, Malabon City Hall, SM Megamall and Saint Francis Square (Mandaluyong), Marikina River Park, Alabang Business District (Muntinlupa), Navotas Fishing Port, Baclaran Redemptorist Church (Parañaque), SM Mall of Asia (Pasay), Ortigas Center (Pasig), San Roque Church (Pateros), Quezon Memorial (Quezon City), Pinaglabanan Shrine (San Juan), Bonifacio Global City (Taguig), and MacArthur Highway (Valenzuela)

All credit goes to the owners of respective photographs.

superpilyoako

February 7th, 2010, 04:49 PM

the one on the upper left REALLY looks like CHICAGO

Igsuonnimo

February 8th, 2010, 09:48 AM

Yung isa naman sa right side parang promotion ng shipping industry.
Pwedeng pang-calendar yung ganitong photos, complete with logos pa.

xxxriainxxx

February 13th, 2010, 03:46 AM

Manila ranked 107th in world's liveable cities: survey
By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/13/2010 2:24 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The city of Manila has been ranked 107th in the list of the world's most liveable cities, according to the latest liveability survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Manila had an overall liveability score of 61.9% based on various factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety, using research from resident experts and EIU's own analysts.

The survey showed Manila had the highest scores on education (67) and culture and environment (64) while ranking low on healthcare (58) and stability (60).

Its ranking is a slight improvement from last year's 108th listing in last year's EIU poll. A total of 140 cities were included in the survey including Singapore (55), Taipei (64), Kuala Lumpur (78), Bangkok (101), Hanoi (123) and Jakarta (125).

Vancouver, Canada topped the list for the third straight year for posing the fewest challenges to lifestyle. Nine other cities were deemed the world's most liveable including Vienna, Austria; Melbourne, Australia; Toronto, Canada; Calgary, Canada; Helsinki, Finland; Sydney, Australia; Perth, Australia; Adelaide, Australia; and Auckland, New Zealand.

The 10 cities that are deemed the worst's to live in are:

1. Harare, Zimbabwe

2. Dhaka , Bangladesh

3. Algiers , Algeria

4. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

5. Lagos, Nigeria

6. Karachi, Pakistan

7. Douala, Cameroon

8. Kathmandu, Nepal

9. Colombo, Sri Lanka

10. Dakar, Senegal

as of 02/13/2010 2:24 AM

edly

February 13th, 2010, 05:19 AM

^^Well, we are still a long long way to go before we reach better living standards for our metropolis. This is still a wake-up call for all the officials of Metro Cities. We're still lagging behind our neighbors. Hopefully we can catch up soon.

xxxriainxxx

February 13th, 2010, 05:20 AM

Igsuonnimo

February 15th, 2010, 03:20 PM

nelly2112

February 17th, 2010, 12:00 AM

kevinb

February 17th, 2010, 05:47 PM

^^ Hindi lang naman pera ang usapan dyan. May criteria para maayos ung ranking. If you read the entire article, you'll see education, health care, stability, etc. Malamang lamang kasama ang infrastructure, peace and order, etc. Hindi lang sya pera ng mga tao na umiikot.

Igsuonnimo

February 18th, 2010, 09:53 AM

^^ karamihan naman hindi alam kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng livable cities.
Ang point ko dito, basta may mga malls at mga kahalintulad nito --quality of life na ang ibig sabihin nito.
Ganito ba ang lumpentopia?

up_mc

February 22nd, 2010, 01:39 AM

Manila sinking -- experts

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 19:37:00 12/04/2008

Filed Under: Environmental Issues, Water Supplies

MANILA, Philippines—Manila, the Philippines capital and one of Asia's most populous cities, is sinking and may go the way of Venice unless its people stopped pumping ground water for bathing and other needs, experts warned Thursday.

The phenomenon of subsidence, caused by the drying up of aquifers as a result of over-extraction of water, threatens not only Manila but also nearby areas that have also seen rapid migration and development, said Fernando Siringan.

The geologist from the Marine Science Institute at the University of the Philippines did not give the rate of sinking, saying only that the metropolis of 12 million people faced potential water and marine product shortages, flash floods, and even infrastructure damage.

"Originally, the Italians never planned to make Venice a city permanently submerged in seawater. It was built above water, on the valley of Italy," Siringan said in an article posted on the environment and natural resources department website.

"But because the Venetians were so much dependent on groundwater, the subsidence was tremendous; the place later became submerged in water. But the Venetians adapted very well, and so they did not destroy the structures of Venice," Siringan said.

Ramon Alikpala, head of the government's National Water Resources Board, said the subsidence problem was complicated by the fact that large areas of the city are actually situated below sea level.

"There is already saltwater intrusion in some parts of Metro Manila because of over-extraction and the lack of recharging of the aquifer," he said.

Siringan urged the government to enforce the 1979 water code that barred the drilling of water wells for commercial uses.

The government should allow only a few wells operated by water utilities or the local governments, and develop reservoirs to minimize ecological damage, he said.

Manila should also harvest and store rainwater, he added.

The department said many residential districts in southern Manila, as well as the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga north of the capital, suffer from saltwater intrusion in the groundwater.

The water board said there were similar problems in many other Philippine cities.

"Many of our countrymen take water for granted. They are not aware that many areas in the country are experiencing water shortages because water supply sources are degraded," Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Joselito Atienza said.

Waldenstrom

February 23rd, 2010, 08:34 PM

10 Parks that you can visit in Metro Manila:

http://www.spot.ph/2010/02/06/a-walk-in-the-park-10-manila-parks-to-visit/

IsaganiZenze

February 24th, 2010, 10:38 AM

taken by sol sonab from flickr

Metro Manila from Los Banos (i love how bright the water is of Laguna de Bay, i just wish it wasn't super hazy so you can see the the skyscrapers more clearly, just silhouettes though - mainly ortigas/mandaluyong?)...note: those houses in the foreground look adorable, i wonder how much those costs

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/IsaganiZenze/4376439305_6e6e327ba8_b.jpg

Ph Man

February 24th, 2010, 11:44 AM

^^cool find! :okay:

A superzoom cam must have been used. The park at National School for the Arts (or something like that) has a very good view of the Lake and on some clearer days, of MM skyline!

kevinb

February 24th, 2010, 01:14 PM

^^ I think it's the Natl High School for the Arts.:D

up_mc

February 25th, 2010, 02:15 AM

sana tanggalin na ang mga fish pond na nasa Laguna de Bay, nakakdagdag lang sila sa pollution ng lugar, sana maregulate sila ng kung sino man ang in-charge dyan sa area. taken by sol sonab from flickr

Metro Manila from Los Banos (i love how bright the water is of Laguna de Bay, i just wish it wasn't super hazy so you can see the the skyscrapers more clearly, just silhouettes though - mainly ortigas/mandaluyong?)...note: those houses in the foreground look adorable, i wonder how much those costs

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/IsaganiZenze/4376439305_6e6e327ba8_b.jpg

superpilyoako

February 26th, 2010, 04:59 PM

MAGANDANG MAGANDA ang Metro Manila dun sa video ng GMA News and Current affairs mga Sir! :)

kevinb

February 26th, 2010, 07:17 PM

^^ San po ung clip Ser?:D

superpilyoako

February 26th, 2010, 07:32 PM

-del-

superpilyoako

February 26th, 2010, 07:34 PM

^^ San po ung clip Ser?:D

search mo nlang sa Youtube kung andun na

o kaya abangan mo nlang sa GMA7

MASSIVE and GORGEOUS:banana:

walang exaggeration:lol:

Panata ng Sugarfree yung kanta

nakita ko lang kanina sa 24 Oras eh

senxa Sir:)

kevinb

February 26th, 2010, 07:35 PM

^^ Wala pa sa Youtube Ser eh. Try ko na lang later.:)

superpilyoako

February 26th, 2010, 07:40 PM

^^ Wala pa sa Youtube Ser eh. Try ko na lang later.:)

habang wala pa bigyan nlng kita ng idea

you'll get a 360 degrees view of the WHOLE MM skyline (clear view Sir, walang smog):)

you'll also see there the Post Office, Tourism buildings, Jones Bridge

Escolta and Binondo District

basta madami at panalo

kevinb

February 26th, 2010, 07:54 PM

^^ Sige, sige. Aantayin ko yan sa Youtube mamaya. Salamat Ser.:okay:

adgaps

February 27th, 2010, 03:00 AM

i see people here are talking about GMA's 'Panata sa Bayan'... alam ko sa website ng GMA news meron nun eh...

ganda nga ng view ng MM skyline dun... astig.. :cheers:

Waldenstrom

February 27th, 2010, 05:04 AM

^^ just saw it. ganda nga.

hakz2007

March 1st, 2010, 11:01 AM

Metro Manila, Luzon to suffer 2 to 3 hours of brownouts‏ (http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=0&nid=1&rid=261670)
By Marie S. Neri

MANILA, March 1 (PNA) — Metro Manila residents are set to suffer two to three hours of brownouts starting today after two major power plants supplying the Luzon grid were shut down.

In a report, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said the shutdown of unit 1 of the 1,000 megawatt Sual coal-fired power plant and one of the units of the 600MW Masinloc coal-fired power facility resulted in the generation deficiency in the Luzon grid by 478MW.

”Outages lasting two to three hours will be experienced by Luzon grid's load customers,” NGCP said.

From last week’s more than 700MW reserve, the Luzon grid has zero reserves now and even posted higher generation deficiency than the Mindanao grid which recorded 390MW generation deficiency as of 10am today.

“Luzon grid, which previously had all running power plants connected and synchronized to the grid, now has a generation deficiency of 478 MW. The sudden decrease in the available capacity when compared with previous days' figures is attributed to the shutdown of two major plants, namely: Sual 1 (647 MW) operated by Team Energy Philippines and Masinloc 1 (315 MW) owned and operated by AES Corp.,” the operator of the country’s transmission highway.

According to NGCP, the peak demand in the Luzon grid hit 6,655MW higher than the available capacity of 6,177MW.

“Manila and Luzon residents are advised to coordinate directly with their respective distribution utilities and electric cooperatives for information on the power interruption schedule and list of specific areas which will experience temporary power outage,” the NGCP added.

Both operators of Masinloc and the Sual coal fired plant said the shutdown were caused by “boiler tube leak”.

This is the second time that Sual plant encountered the broiler tube leak.

In January, this year, Sual 1 was also shut down due to feedwater pump trouble.

Dina Lomotan of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said their customers in the franchise area will suffer two to three hours of power interruptions which started 10 am and to last until 10pm.

Meralco has more than 4 million customers.

To recall, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes committed that Luzon grid will have continued and reliable supply of power until June this year after the Limay combined cycle power plant and the Malaya plant were put on line early last month to address the looming power crisis.

Meantime, the NGCP said Visayas grid is still encountering power shortage after its generation deficiency of 45 MW remains unresolved.

Salcon Power's Cebu Thermal Power Plant Unit 1 is operational and already loaded with 48 MW but Unit 2 with a rated capacity of 55 MW is under preventive maintenance shutdown. Estimated completion date of maintenance works is on March 7.

Visayas grid’s available capacity was placed at 1,133MW as compared to peak demand of 1,178MW.

Mindanao grid also continues to experience generation deficiency of up to 390 MW today. This is attributed mainly to limited available capacities from hydro power plants, most of which have water reservoirs that are drying up due to the El Nino phenomenon.

The NGCP noted that there has been an 80 percent reduction in the capabilities of National Power Corporation's (Napocor) Agus Hydro-electric Power Plants.

At the same time, the Pulangi Plant, also owned by Napocor, experienced 90 percent reduction in capabilities. Lake Lanao elevation as of 6am on Sunday was placed at 699.08 meters, which is below the critical level of 699.15 meters.

Mindanao has 820MW available capacity versus peak demand of 1,210MW.

Also contributing to Mindanao's available capacities is the non-availability of Iligan Diesel Power Plant (35 MW) and Power Barge 117 (100 MW). (PNA)