Sino po ba merong photos ng cabiao diyan post niyo naman po....:nuts:

BCDA prepares to bid out SCTEX operation & maintenance contract (http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=2008081451&type=2)

By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio
Friday, August 15, 2008
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) announced yesterday it is preparing to bid out the long term operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for the country’s longest tollroad, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).
Last year, BCDA held two failed biddings for the O&M contract. It then negotiated a procurement process for the temporary management of the tollroad with the Lopez led joint venture.

First Philippine Holdings Corp., Egis Road Operation and Tollways Management Corp. served as interim service provider for six months. Their contract was renewable for another six months.

Meanwhile, SCTEX spokesperson Roberto Gervacio said that the term period for the SCTEX O&M is yet to be determined, but it is likely that it will be good for 10 years.

The O&M contract bidding is scheduled before the end of the year.

Gervacio said that the SCTEX now serves as the new economic backbone for Central Luzon and adjoining regions, creating wider opportunities for investment, trade and employment.

Potential operators must have an approved budget for the contract in the amount equal to 12.2 percent of the 10-year projected toll revenues.

The contract involves the provision of the following support services

Like toll collection, traffic management, roadway maintenance, general admission and greening and landscaping.

BCDA financed the construction of the 93.77-kilometer tollroad through a P21-billion loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

The road is a four-lane divided tollway consisting of two parts; the 50.5-km., four-lane Subic-Clark section; and the 43.27-km., four-lane Clark-Tarlac portion.

The Subic-Clark segment was opened last April 28, 2008 while the Clark-Tarlac segment was opened last July 25, 2008.

With the opening of the entire SCTEX, motorists from Manila can now travel straight to Subic Bay via a seamless connection from the NLEX and the Subic Freeport Expressway in Tipo. Likewise, motorists can also exit at SCTEX interchanges in Dinalupihan, Bataan; Mabalalcat, Pampanga; and the municipalities of Concepcion, San Miguel and Tarlac City in Tarlac.

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8,000 hectares of public lands earmarked for bio-fuel project (http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=2008081688&type=2)
By Raffy Viray
Sunday, August 17, 2008
BALANGA CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources here has earmarked some 8,000 hectares of public lands for the use of the government’s bio-fuel project.

Lawyer Ricardo Lazaro, DENR Bataan provincial environment and natural resources officer (Penro) told The STAR that the government had identified those areas previously leased to 26 transformed into more plausible energy project likely to “tuba-tuba” plantation.

Lazaro said the establishment of Jatropha farms in Bataan would be sufficient to supply the initial requirement of the proposed multi-million peso bio-fuel plant of the Philippine National Oil Co. Alternative Fuel inside the huge petrochemical complex in the coastal village of Batangas Dos, Mariveles town, this province.

He said tuba-tuba will be used as feedstock for biodiesel under the Biofuels Act of 2005.

Earlier, the Philippine Forest Corp. (PhiForest), a government owned and controlled corporation under the DENR is eyeing some 500-hectare public lands located at the back of historic Mount Samat in Barangay Liyang,Pilar and Barangay Parang, Bagac, as model Jatropha farms in Central Luzon for biodiesel project in the country.

DENR Undersecretary Eleazar Quinto for field operations and concurrently the president of PhilForest, had informed Pilar Mayor Charlie Pizarro and Bagac Mayor Ramil del Rosario last week that Celso Diaz, PhilForest consultant, will visit the selected model farm with Lazaro, to undertake ocular inspection and initial evaluation as to the viability of the said project.

“We hope to establish the Jatropha plantation as a show window for potential investors both local and foreign in the upland village of Liyang, Pilar town as first site of PhilForest-DENR plantation in Central Luzon and the creation of such plantation can generate additional revenues for upland farmers,” Quinto said.

According to DENR, the initial investment for commercial plantation for one hectare ranges from P32,000 to P50,000 and the fair return of investment ranging from 90 to 95 centavos per P1 and potential yield from 1.25 to 12.5 tons per hectare depending on the site, climate and tending operations.

The establishment of Jatropha plantation would also develop idle lands to root crop farming which would ensure steady income for the upland tiller aside from the employment opportunities generated by the bio-fuel project.

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Hindi lang pala tayo rice granary, milk capital na rin pala tayo...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueva_Ecija

Hindi lang pala tayo rice granary, milk capital na rin pala tayo...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueva_Ecija

When did nueva ecija became milk capital of the philippines? Is there a lot of cattle ranches in the province ?

^^ I was wondering if we really produce a large quantity of milk , do we also produce some sort of Yoghurt or cheese in the area ?

When did nueva ecija became milk capital of the philippines? Is there a lot of cattle ranches in the province ?

Sangkatutak yata yung mga kalabaw sa atin na iniwan ng mga magsasaka in favor of tractors kaya imbis na ibenta, ginagatasan na lang sila ngayon...

Kumusta na nga pala riyan sa may bandang Cuyapo, Carranglan at Lupao diyan sa Nueva Ecija? Medyo malayo kasi kayo sa Cabanatuan City e... kaya medyo mahirap-hirap din para sa akin ang makapunta riyan... anyway, sana makakita ako ng pictures mula diyan lalo na yung boundary ng Nueva Ecija at Pangasinan. Thanks...

bro kumusta na? marami akong pictures ng Pangasinan-nueva ecija border pero puro bukid lang kasi hehe, dun ako dumadaan papunta Baguio, may shortcut from Baloc, Talavera, Guimba, Cuyapo, Rosales Pangasinan na... kakatakot dumaan dun pag gabi kasi daming NPA :lol:

Subic, Clark to harmonize Customs procedures (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=200808247)

Monday, August 25, 2008

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Clark Development Corp. (CDC), and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) forged recently an agreement to harmonize customs systems and procedures in the free ports of Subic and Clark.

The agreement seeks to institutionalize partnership and cooperation between the parties to enhance the positioning and competitiveness of the two free port zones as a preferred international investment and tourist destination.

Edgardo Pamintuan, SCADC chairman, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales, SBMA administrator Armand Arreza, and CDC president Benigno Ricafort signed the agreement that provides for what is called National Single Window (NSW) program in Clark and Subic.

The NSW is a system that enables a single submission and synchronous processing of data and information, resulting in a single point of decision for the release of cargoes by the BOC.

At the same time, the BOC, SBMA and CDC also put into effect a joint memorandum order on automated transit and admission declaration of cargo for Subic and Clark, which outlined the administrative and operational provisions for the automated cargo facility.

The event was witnessed by Trade Undersecretary Thomas Aquino, BOC-Subic collector Marietta Zamoranos, director Filas Chen of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), and some Taiwanese locators in Subic and Clark. — Ric Sapnu

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2367/2395651585_0d61a27494.jpg?v=0
Photo from Flickr courtesy of mj_dzey (http://flickr.com/photos/roxj/2395651585/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/130680303_8e4e61861c.jpg?v=0
Photo from Flickr courtesy of cayangan_elmer (http://flickr.com/photos/up-pghmc/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/147339688_90274250bb.jpg?v=0
Photo from Flickr courtesy of el trekero (http://flickr.com/photos/ashly/147339688/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/67/165308404_6d116f7398.jpg?v=0
Photo from Flickr courtesy of rubybox (http://flickr.com/photos/92243945@N00/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/2220064949_9f6e103330.jpg?v=0
Photo from Flickr courtesy of DOT Region III (http://flickr.com/photos/tiotuico/)

sana gawin tong parang genting highlands ng malaysia.

http://www.genting.com.my/index.htm

New GK community to rise in Balanga City (http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=20080824175&type=2)
By Raffy Viray
Monday, August 25, 2008
BALANGA CITY – The Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation will start the construction of housing units in the upland sitio of Bane in Barangay Cataning here, which is scheduled for occupancy early next year by some 150 indigent families.

Angel Pizarro, Gawad Kalinga project director and a prominent business executive in Bataan, told The STAR before the groundbreaking ceremony of the foundation’s new housing community last Friday that 120 to 150 houses have been planned to be built on the three-hectare land donated by Dr. Victor Abello and Grace Abello Consunji.

The site, about five kilometers away from the city proper, is a progressive agricultural community, facing the historic Mt. Samat in Pilar town, signifying that Gawad Kalinga is not just a work of charity but a mission to build the nation.

Pizarro said Dr. Fortunato Abello, a Balanga City resident based in San Antonio, Texas, has earmarked P2.5 million for the construction of 30 housing units in the GK Kanlungan ng Pag-asa project.

Bataan Gov. Enrique Garcia Jr. and his son, Balanga City Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III, and other officials boarded a wagon pulled by a tractor then traveled on a muddy, circuitous road to reach the site.

The younger Garcia promised to allocate some budget for the cementing of the 300-meter road that connects the main barangay road to the GK community so that occupants will not have to use the dangerous trail anymore.

He lauded the GK for leading a movement that envisions building 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities in seven years up to October 2010. GK villages have been built in Limay, Orion, Abucay and Orani towns in Bataan in the past five years.

The beneficiaries will undergo a three-month seminar on “membership training and values formation” for them to identify their common concerns and discuss among themselves the possible solutions to these problems.

The Couples for Christ-Gawad Kalinga Caretaker team will administer the values formation seminar.

Mayor Garcia said the project would at least minimize the number of informal dwellers living under bridges and along creeks.

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bro kumusta na? marami akong pictures ng Pangasinan-nueva ecija border pero puro bukid lang kasi hehe, dun ako dumadaan papunta Baguio, may shortcut from Baloc, Talavera, Guimba, Cuyapo, Rosales Pangasinan na... kakatakot dumaan dun pag gabi kasi daming NPA :lol:

Sa Cuyapo, Lupao at Carranglan maraming pang NPA pero hinde na nakakatakot dumaan pag gabi sa highway papuntang pangasinan kasi yong mga taong labas sa malalayong barrio naman bibihira lang pumasyal sa mas civilized na lugar

Pair of giant slippers ushers in Gapan’s ‘tsinelas’ festival (http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=2008082585&type=2)
By Manny Galvez
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
GAPAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – A pair of giant slippers as big as 30 feet went on display in this city’s main thoroughfares as the city government launched here yesterday its “7th Tsinelas Festival” or festival of slippers highlighting its seventh anniversary as a component city.

Mayor Ernesto Natividad and Vice Mayor Christian Tinio led city officials usher in the festival meant to boost sales and income of local slipper makers in the face of stiff competition from imported slippers coming from China and other countries.

Dozens of tsinelas stalls have been installed along the national highway in Barangay Bucana to showcase the slippers aside from the parade of floats and streetdancing. At the entrance of the new city hall, a giant slipper mounted on a float is put on display.

The city’s backyard slippers industry, which originated in the 1930s, has been abuzz in Barangays Mangino, Pambuan and San Lorenzo. It generates annual sales of P500 million.

During the pre-war period, slippers were made of carabao leather from Meycauyan, Bulacan.

However, the government prohibited the slaughter of cattle such as carabao, resulting in the decline in leather supply. Slipper makers were thus, forced to tap other raw materials such as plastic and rubber.

Local slippers are now made of synthetic materials, giving the city the distinction of being the biggest producer of synthetic-made slippers in the country. These type of slippers are sold in Luzon, mostly in Bicol, Ilocos Norte and in Baclaran and major department stores in Manila.

Natividad, who is one of the biggest slipper producers here before he entered politics, said with a minimum capital of P15,000, one can start a slipper-making business.

One of the few exceptions was Tessie Gomez who started with a meager capital of P120.

The city’s slipper industry, however, is being threatened by the flood of imported slippers. Aside from China, other countries where slippers are being brought in are Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

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Clark eyes Sacobia Valley development
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business4_aug27_2008
By Elaine Ramos Alanguilan

Clark Development Corp. plans to develop the proposed next frontier of Clark Economic Zone in Sacobia Valley into a high-value mixed land use to generate maximum returns to the government.

Benigno Ricafort, the agency’s president and chief executive, told reporters that just about 2,000 hectares of the 10,600-hectare sub-zone could be developed because of its hilly terrain.

“The next frontier really requires careful planning. It has to be developed for high-value use to maximize the returns for government,” said Ricafort.

He said the agency had not determined the capital outlay needed to put up the basic infrastructure in the project, like power and telecommunications.

“Unlike the main zone where there is existing infrastructure and utilities, the government will have to put up the basic infrastructure for this new area,” said Ricafort, adding that the agency was weighing if it would fully finance the development or tap financial institutions for funding.

The area, he added, was ideal for light industries and even wellness and eco-tourism projects.

“Some areas are 80 degrees gradient, so the development cost would be very high for prospective locators. The terrain limits the area that can be developed at the least possible cost,” said Ricafort.

He said about 20 percent of the total area would be developed for the road network, bringing total developable area to only about 1,800 hectares.

^^ Sacobia lies in the boundary of Tarlac and Pampanga. :lol:

one of my favorite places to visit (2 or 3 times a year) is Santa Fe, New Mexico. me and my friends always visit the Bataan Memorial Building in Santa Fe, its right next to the Capitol.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Bataan_Memorial_Building_Santa_Fe.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_Department_of_Cultural_Affairs

Hollywood is remaking Bataan movie, Beast of Bataan with Hayden Christiansen and William Hurt.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0893394/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035664/

GMA inaugurates P448-M Ecija dam (http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=2008090156&type=2)
By Manny Galvez
Tuesday, September 2, 2008

PALAYAN CITY – President Arroyo will lead today the inauguration of the P448-million modernized and state-of-the-art dam in this provincial capital coinciding with the 112th anniversary of the “Unang Sigaw ng Nueva Ecija (First Cry of Nueva Ecija).”

Carlos Salazar, administrator of the National Irrigation Administration, told The STAR that the President, along with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, will lead in the opening of the newly rehabilitated Pampanga-Bongabon River Irrigation System, also known as the Atate Dam, in Barangay Atate here.

The President will also hold a Cabinet meeting here after gracing the anniversary rites for Nueva Ecija Day. She will be welcomed here by Gov. Aurelio Umali and other local officials.

Salazar said the rehabilitation of the PBRIS has been fully completed with the installation of electro-mechanically operated gate-lifting mechanism, additional intake, construction of a 10.38-km. concrete canal lining along the PBRIS main canal and installation of new slide gates for 10 main canal structures and turn-outs.

He said that with the rehab project, the operations of the dam with regard to gating have graduated from the purely manual to electric-driven for sluice and intake gates.

The Atate Dam forms part of a contract package U1 of the P6.7-billion Phase 1 of the irrigation component of the Casecnan Multi-purpose Irrigation and Power Project. The irrigation component, which started in 1998, involves construction of a 29-km. super diversion canal and repair and rehab of existing dams and enlargement of major canals.

Engr. Alex Coloma, NIA-Casecnan assistant project manager, said that the Atate Dam rehab, whose construction was started by the China International Water & Electric Corp. (CIWEC), costs P448.15 million.

Coloma said the dam is good as new. “The Atate Dam may have been rehabilitated but in effect, we have a brand-new dam because the structures have been thoroughly strengthened and improved. Gone are the old and deteriorated structures,” he said.

Coloma said the project will benefit 19,151 farmers covering 25,881 hectares of agricultural lands in 105 barangays in Cabanatuan City and the municipalities of Aliaga, Gen. Natividad, Jaen, Peñaranda, San Antonio, San Leonardo, Sta. Rosa and Zaragoza.
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meron bang call center companies dyan sa olongapo city? post naman ang company names at addresses nila. tnx

SP's bypass of prov'l. administrator irks Umali
http://www2.mozcom.com/~ecijano/

Gov. Aurelio Umali said that his office plans to file administrative charges against Vice Gov. Edward Thomas F. Joson and members of the Sanguniang Panlalawigan (SP) for bypassing the appointment of the provincial administrator.

Umali said the Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija-dominated provincial board presided over by Joson had rejected thrice in a span of one week the appointment as provincial administrator of Lawyer Alejandro Abesamis who, according to the governor, is qualified for the position.

Abesamis, concurrently the head of the provincial legal office, is Umali's second appointee to the post after the former's elder brother, Lawyer Ferdinand Abesamis, was rejected by the SP.

The younger Abesamis received a recommendation from the Civil Service Commission when his appointment was turned down for the second time. The CSC also suggested that he file charges but he chose not to, saying he might instead seek the suspension of the officials involved in the decision to reject him.

The Local Government Code requires that a provincial administrator must have at least five years of experience in management and possess a first grade civil service eligibility.

A source in the SP said that while Abesamis may have satisfied the requirements for the position, majority of the board members still did not find him fit to be the provincial administrator for some other reasons.

any updates po regarding sa mga projects sa subic?, sa'n na mga furumers dito ?..

2 IT firms to invest $40 M in Subic (http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=200809104&type=2)
By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio
Thursday, September 11, 2008


Two international firms are looking at investing $40 million for two information technology (IT) parks in Subic Bay, a move that is expected to catapult the freeport zone into an Information Communication Technology (ICT) hub.

“We are negotiating with Century Development Corp. and Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) to develop two IT parks,” Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Armand C. Arreza said in an interview.

“The big investments will come when firms start locating within the IT parks,” he explained.

Taiwan-based Century Development Corp. was the developer of Taipei ‘s own industrial park, the Nanking Software Park while Jafza is a subsidiary of Dubai World.

Arreza said the infrastructure for the IT parks is expected to be completed in two years. The parks will be built in a 19-hectare land. For the construction of the building alone, he said the investment could be as much as $1 million per hectare.

Upon completion, Arreza said the two IT parks will provide 12,000 to 15,000 new jobs in Subic.

In terms of revenue, the new IT parks can bring in as much as $30,000 per call center seat annually.

The administrator said they are currently courting two US-based call centers to set up shop in Subic. He said the two firms are expected to set up between 6,000 to 10,000 seats.

Arreza refused to name which call center firms they are negotiating with but said these call centers are already present in the country.

Arreza said he expects to sign the agreement with Century Development next month while they are still negotiating with Jafza.

Arreza said Jafza is likewise looking at investing in logistics.

The construction of the software park is expected to spur the information technology industry in the country. According to him, the software park will house companies that provide research and development and programming services.

Initially, he said the park will host call centers but eventually, Arreza said business process outsourcing (BPO) companies will also locate in the area.

“We will get the high tech industries from Taiwan to use our IT (information technology) talents,” Arreza said.

“This development is similar to Eastwood in Quezon City ,” Arreza explained. The administrator said the development in Subic will be an integrated development wherein commercial spaces and education and training facilities will be built.

This forms part of the phase two of Subic Bay ‘s Industrial Park.

“The focus has shifted from low cost manufacturing to the production of high technology supplies with high value added,” Arreza said.

The government official said it is too difficult to go head to head with China in the manufacturing sector because the other country has economies of scale. Meanwhile, he said the IT park can take advantage of the numerous qualified graduates the Philippines is producing.

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meron bang call center companies dyan sa olongapo city? post naman ang company names at addresses nila. tnx

i think wala pang call center company na nag operate dito sa gapo..

Hanjin to build first VLCCs in Subic (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/09112008/shipping01.html)

By Henry Empeño
Correspondent


SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—For the first time, Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co., the world’s fourth-largest shipbuilder, will be constructing very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and the ships will be built here.

In a statement received by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Wednesday, the South Korean shipbuilder said it has signed a deal to construct two VLCCs worth a total of $330 million for Emarat Maritime Llc. (EML), a shipping firm headquartered in Dubai.

The production contract was signed on September 3 by EML president Jitendra Misra and Hanjin Heavy president Kyu-Won Park on behalf of the company’s construction arm based here, HHIC-Phil.

Under the contract, Hanjin Heavy is expected to deliver the Subic-built VLCCs by June 2011.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/09112008/images/ship-pic01.jpg

Tugboats position the container vessel CMA CGM Turquoise at Hanjin Heavy’s Subic shipyard late last month. Bigger vessels are expected to be completed in the Subic facility after the firm recently won a contract to build very large crude carriers that cannot be accommodated at the smaller Yeongdo shipyard in Busan, South Korea. --HENRY EMPEñO



Both vessels will be 320,000-ton behemoths measuring 333 meters long, 60 meters wide and 30.5 meters deep. The double-hulled crude containers will have a speed of up to 16 knots.

The Subic VLCC project makes history for Hanjin Heavy, which aims to catch up with competitors Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering—all Korea firms and ranked the top three shipbuilders in the world.

Prior to this, Hanjin Heavy said it was not able to join the ultra-large carrier bandwagon due to limited space at its Yeongdo shipyard in Busan.

But with the completion of its shipyard here, the firm said it would now focus on high value-added vessels and strengthen its competitiveness through productivity improvement and technical development.

Hanjin added that its diversification strategy is based on “close cooperation” between its Yeongdo and Subic shipyards.

The firm recently completed major works in its Dockyard No. 6 here, which will be 480 meters long, 135 meters wide and 13.5 meters deep. Hanjin’s facility expansion program also involved the construction of a bigger assembly line and a 1.7-kilometer quay, as well as the installation of two more units of ultra-huge gantry cranes.

The additional facilities are expected to increase Hanjin Heavy’s shipbuilding capacity in Subic to 450,000 tons a year from 220,000 tons, and enable it to build 33 vessels a year from 16 ships.

Hanjin officials said the “revolutionary progress” of VLCC construction in Subic gave the company high praises from the industry and enabled it to corner several building contracts worth $630 million recently.

These include deals to build a capesize bulk carrier for Sealink Shipping of Hong Kong, which was signed on August 27, and two bulk carriers for MPC Steamship of Germany on August 27.

The firm delivered its first Subic-made vessel, the 41,000-ton container carrier MV Argolikos, in July, and launched its second vessel, the CMA CGM Turquoise, a month later.

Right now, Hanjin Heavy said it has a total of $8.2 billion worth of shipbuilding contracts for 93 vessels and set for completion in just over three years.

Meanwhile, SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said Hanjin’s VLCC contract would accelerate Subic’s recognition as a global player in the shipbuilding industry and enhance the government’s job creation and export production thrusts in this free port.

“This is no small feat for Subic, considering that it has just recently shifted its focus to its maritime trade potentials,” said Arreza.

“Now, the Subic Bay Freeport, as well as the Philippines, is gaining popularity for its capability to produce world-class ships,” he added.

Korean shipbuilder is working to improve safety
standards in its Subic Bay shipyard, says Arreza (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/09112008/shipping02.html)

By Alma Anonas-Carpio
Correspondent


SUBIC Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator and CEO Armand Arreza yesterday said shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp.-Phil. has been working to improve safety standards at the construction site of its shipyard in the Philippines and that the SBMA is monitoring compliance with law-mandated safety standards “very closely.”

Considering that the Hanjin Heavy shipyard construction site “is almost the size of a municipality,” Arreza said, “this has been a challenge to us. Hanjin Heavy went from having zero employees in May 2005, when they began building the shipyard, to 20,000 employees this year. Considering that it has taken them just a little over two years to build their Subic shipyard and one ship, that is very fast growth.”

It will be recalled that in recent months, some 15 workers on the Hanjin Heavy shipyard construction site died as a result of mishaps. However, Arreza also said worker safety is the prime concern of each worker. “Many construction site mishaps are the result of the construction workers not wearing their safety gear and we want to change that mindset and convince workers to put their safety first by following safety regulations.”

“Besides just getting Hanjin Heavy to improve worker safety at its site, we seek to create a culture of safety throughout the free port so we can have a world-class safety record,” Arreza said.

Arreza said an inspection team, composed of personnel from the SBMA and the Department of Labor and Employment, conducts regular inspections of the Hanjin facility, as well as ensures that Hanjin Heavy complies with workplace safety standards.

“We are also requiring Hanjin Heavy to have an on-site trauma center, not just a clinic staffed with a doctor, which Hanjin Heavy already has.”

Because work on construction sites and shipyards is classified by the International Labor Organization (ILO) as extremely hazardous, having an on-site trauma facility is necessary to provide on-site treatment and stabilization space for personnel who wind up involved in workplace mishaps that are classified as “trauma cases,” Arreza said. “These are not just cut or gashes. On construction sites and in shipyards, the accidents often result in serious trauma and injuries.”

Hanjin Heavy, Arreza assured, “has been working very hard to comply with our requests that they comply with the culture of safety we seek to inculcate into all locators at the SBMA.” He also added Hanjin Heavy has 21 safety engineers on site and “is working to increase that number to improve safety standards in their shipyard.” He added some “720 million man-hours” have gone into the construction of the Hanjin shipyard.

i think wala pang call center company na nag operate dito sa gapo..

Job-skills mismatch worsens
Central Luzon labor woes (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/09112008/economy07.html)

By Henry Empeño
Correspondent


SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—While Central Luzon boasts of a growing industrial base that generates hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities annually, disparities between job requirements and workers’ capabilities worsen unemployment and underemployment problems in the region.

As a consequence of the job-skills mismatch, investors are shying away from high value-added but labor-intensive ventures, such as information technology-related projects, participants in the 3rd Regional Congress on Job-Skills Mismatch noted here last week.

Worse, the lopsided equation further results in an oversupply of fresh graduates barely able to meet the requirements of increasingly technical jobs.

The forum, which assessed current employment gaps to help strengthen the economic competitiveness of the region, particularly the Subic-Clark growth corridor, emphasized the need for workers to get the right skills to land the right jobs.

It also emphasized the necessity for academe, industry and government to cooperate in breaking down barriers to employment in the region.

Participants in the forum included officials from the Department of Labor and Employment, Commission on Higher Education (Ched), Technical Education and Skills Development Agency (Tesda), Public Employment Service Office, the Regional Development Council, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), as well as representatives from investor firms in the Subic-Clark area.

According to Tesda regional director Martha Hernandez, Central Luzon has one of the highest number of unemployed workers among the 17 regions in the country, and the majority of the unemployed are “relatively educated.”

This “very high unemployment rate in the region, doubled with significantly high underemployment rate,” could be attributed to a worsening job-skills mismatch, she said.

Hernandez revealed that a survey by the National Statistics Office in January last year showed that fully 52 percent of Central Luzon’s employed work force are laborers and unskilled workers.

On the other hand, only 13 percent are in the services sector and 12 percent are in the government. The rest are classified as clerks, and agricultural and special workers.

The statistics, Hernandez added, only proves that the skills applicants obtained in college “did not match the jobs offered in the area.”

Ruel John Kabigting, officer in charge of the SBMA Business and Investment Group, said poor English proficiency among new graduates erodes the marketability of job applicants from the region.

He said two call centers wanted to set up business in Subic recently, but backed out in the end due to the perceived lack of English-proficient applicants.

The situation is particularly alarming, the forum participants said, because Subic and Clark are envisioned to be the region’s spearhead in attaining global economic competitiveness and have been tasked to deliver some 100,000 jobs annually under President Arroyo’s legacy program.

While Central Luzon is apparently meeting that target—having produced 191,000 jobs from April 2006 to April 2007, for example—the mismatch problem undercuts the benefits of job-creation efforts, forum participants noted.

Best Western to set up 10 more hotels in key cities nationwide

THE WORLD’S biggest hotel chain plans to increase its portfolio by building 10 more hotels in key locations by 2010.

Raymond Howe, Best Western regional operations manager for Asia, said the hotel chain is in talks with hotel owners in Cebu City and Boracay, and is looking at Subic, Makati, Quezon City, Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, Pasig, Davao City and Bohol for their other locations.

"There is a need for extension. Asia will become an emerging giant beating Europe, that is why the need for [more] hotels," he told reporters on Friday.

The 10 new hotels will be in addition to the existing Best Western La Corona and Best Western Astor, both located in Manila.

"There is a strong demand for city hotels and resort destinations in the Philippines as it continues to attract business and leisure markets from both local and around the world," said Cyndy Tan Jabarata, president of Tajara Leisure and Hospitality Group, Inc. Tajara Leisure is Best Western’s partner in establishing the brand in the Philippines.

Ms. Jabarata said hotel owners want to tie up with Best Western because of its international network.

"When you run an independently owned hotel, the challenge is how to get it known. The goal of the brand is to increase the number of occupancy in a hotel," Ms. Jabarata said.

She said Best Western is popular to travelers and receives an average of $2 million worth of global reservations a day.

Best Western La Corona, the oldest of the two brands in the country has an average occupancy rate of 90%, while Best Western Astor has an 80% occupancy rate, Ms. Jabarata said.

Best Western provides marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000 independently owned hotels in 80 countries and hosts about 400,000 guests a night worldwide.

It has two sub-brands — the Best Western Core, which caters to the mid-market hotels, and the Best Western Premium, which addresses the high-end market.

"The brand is the fastest-growing chain in Asia. We expect to add 60 hotels in China and 30 hotels in Thailand by 2010," Mr. Howe said. — Kristine Jane R. Liu

2 foreign builders tapped for Ecija dam project (http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=20080915109&type=2)
By Manny Galvez
Tuesday, September 16, 2008


JAEN, Nueva Ecija – President Arroyo has asked two foreign builders to undertake the construction of the long-stalled P15-billion Balintingon Reservoir Multipurpose Project in Gen. Tinio town.

Fourth district Rep. Rodolfo “Rody” Antonino told reporters here that Mrs. Arroyo has requested representatives of a South Korean corporation and a Japanese funding agency to submit an unsolicited proposal within next week.

Antonino said the foreign investors, met with the President here Friday when she attended the congressman’s birthday party in Barangay Langla.

He said that the Korean representative belongs to the KWater Corp., a firm engaged in all water projects in South Korea and which is owned by the South Korean. The Japanese entity is a funding agency similar to the Japan International Cooperating Agency (JICA), he added.

Antonino, a stalwart of Mrs. Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), said that the unsolicited proposal means that the government was not the one who sought the project but that it was subjected to the so-called “Swiss challenge,” meaning the proposal was not put up in the international community to know if there are parties interested to bankroll it. The process, he said, would last up to 60 days.

Antonino said the President wants the project to get off the ground. “She’s quite uneasy that there was no progress on the project,” he said of the BRMP which was first planned 32 years ago.

The BRMP was first conceived under the Irrigation Development Plan for Central Luzon, a reconnaissance study by the National Irrigation Administration and ECI Consultants Inc. in 1976.

The BRMP was programmed to irrigate 14,900 hectares of agricultural lands in the eastern section of Central Luzon, covering Bulacan and Nueva Ecija using the Sumacbao River in Gen. Tinio as water source.

It involves construction of an outdoor 69 kilovolt switchyard connecting the plant with the Luzon grid at the substation in Cabanatuan City, a 140-meter long, rockfill central core dam, a 19-meter high diversion weir, 109 kms. of main canals, 168 kms. of lateral and sub-lateral canals, 210 kms. of drainage facilities and service and access roads.

Once finished, it is programmed to benefit 9,152 families in Cabanatuan City, Gapan City, and the municipalities of Sta. Rosa, Gen. Tinio and Penaranda – all in Nueva Ecija and the Bulacan towns of San Ildefonso and San Miguel.

In 2004, the dam cost only P5 billion. Its cost rose to P8.3 billion in 2006 and to P15 billion at present.

A detailed feasibility study made by NIA in 1983 which was financed by the Italian government proposed the construction of the dam with a reservoir capacity of 572 million cubic meters to irrigate 18,800 hectares.

Antonino said that the project has been reprogrammed to supplement the water supply requirements of the Angat Dam. “With Balintingon, there will be adequate supply of water for Angat and there will be no problem anymore,” he said.

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Subic port posts P3.54-B revenue in Jan.-Aug.
(http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/09232008/economy01.html)

By Henry Empeño
Correspondent


SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—With close to a billion pesos collected in the last two months, duties and taxes from business enterprises and workers in this free port reached P3.54 billion in the first eight months of the year.

According to figures released by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Monday, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) recorded cash receipts of P2.53 billion in the said period, while the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collected P1.01 billion, for a total of P3.54 billion.

The combined amount represented a 7.61-percent increase over the P3.3- billion collection in January to August of 2007 by the two agencies.

In particular, the collection record was boosted by a P989-million income in the months of July and August, which came close to the P1-billion mark attained in March to April, the regular tax-filing period.

A 40-percent month-on-month increase posted in June also boosted the 7.61-percent year-on-year growth, despite negative month-on-month variances recorded in January, March and May.

The SBMA said the surge in tax and duties collection began in June, when both agencies combined for a total collection of P454.2 million—a figure that eclipsed the June 2007 collection total by close to P130 million.

In the next two months, both agencies followed through with total takes of P497.2 million and P491.9 million, respectively, with month-on-month increases totaling more than P92 million.

BOC figures submitted to the SBMA indicated that customs receipts as of end- August totaled P2.539 billion. This represented an increase of 8.11 percent over the P2.348 billion collected in January to August last year.

The BOC posted the highest monthly total in the eight-month period in July, with total collections of P393.07 million, followed by P367.59 million in June, and P335.33 million in August.

For noncash revenues, meanwhile, the BOC said these amounted to P3.54 billion in the same period, or a 118.48-percent increase when compared with the P1.58 billion recorded in January to August last year.

The BIR, meanwhile, recorded a 6.35-percent increase in its income tax collections when it collected a total of P1.014 billion as of August, compared with the P953.56 million total posted in 2007.

The bureau made its biggest month-on-month cash receipts in April, with P210.08 million, or an increase of 21 percent, but posted the percentage increase the month before, with 61.8 percent.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, meanwhile, said increase in revenue collections here reflected the growing business operations of the more than 1,100 investor firms in Subic.

He added that the growing number of business locators here also boosted the growth in income taxes collected from almost 82,000 employees now working in the Subic Bay Freeport.

Arreza said that in just the first eight months of 2008, a total of 11,321 workers had joined Subic’s active work force due to the entry of more investors in this free port.

Palabas kagabi(23Sept) sa ABS-CBN-The Correspondents(Abner Mercado) ang Bataan.
Pinakita duon ang Pawikan Conservation Center sa Morong Bataan at ang Nagbalayong Elementary School.

Subic Bay Freeport workers now over 81,700 (http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=20080926111&type=2)
By Bebot Sison Jr.
Saturday, September 27, 2008


SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Expansion programs by investors here and the entry of new business locators have resulted in more jobs, with the active workforce augmented by more than a thousand workers each month since January this year.

According to figures from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the freeport’s active workforce stood at a total of 81,729 as of August this year.

This represented an increase of 11,321 new hires over the yearend 2007 figure of 70,408.

SBMA administrator and chief executive officer Armand Arreza said most of the new positions were created by companies expanding their operations.

“More jobs are about to be created in the coming months as we step up efforts to sign in more businesses and to coordinate job-skills matching with our locators,” he said.

In the first eight months of this year, Arreza said the SBMA approved 130 new investment projects that would create a total of 5,177 new jobs.

SBMA data showed that of the 81,729 workers now employed at the freeport, majority – 32,241 or 39.45 percent – hail from Olongapo City.

The rest of the workers come from Zambales (17,794 or 21.77 percent), Bataan (10,803 or 13.22 percent), the National Capital Region (4,421 or 5.41 percent), Pampanga (2,837 or 3.47 percent), Tarlac (1,153 or 1.41 percent) and other areas (12,480 or 15.27 percent).

Arreza said the SBMA’s job creation initiatives got a big boost from an Internet-based job-skills matching program launched here yesterday by WOWCard Inc., a business locator that conducted the first two-day Internet-assisted job fair which ends today.

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2367/2395651585_0d61a27494.jpg?v=0
Photo from Flickr courtesy of mj_dzey (http://flickr.com/photos/roxj/2395651585/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/130680303_8e4e61861c.jpg?v=0
Photo from Flickr courtesy of cayangan_elmer (http://flickr.com/photos/up-pghmc/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/147339688_90274250bb.jpg?v=0
Photo from Flickr courtesy of el trekero (http://flickr.com/photos/ashly/147339688/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/67/165308404_6d116f7398.jpg?v=0
Photo from Flickr courtesy of rubybox (http://flickr.com/photos/92243945@N00/)

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Photo from Flickr courtesy of DOT Region III (http://flickr.com/photos/tiotuico/)

It indeed looks like Baguio!!!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/48936432_3addfa739...The San Jose Police Force 1935

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/48936432_3addfa739...The San Jose Police Force 1935

Kuya photo not available.... Buhay pa po ba itong thread na ito???:ohno:

Its almost dead that's why need to keep posting to make it alive again.
Kamusta na ang San Jose balita ko mas marami pa raw progress sa Talavera kaysa sa San Jose. Ano ba ang ginagawa ng mayor diyan natutulog?

Let me introduced you all to Ecija, Spain where our province is name after in 1705.

Its almost dead that's why need to keep posting to make it alive again.
Kamusta na ang San Jose balita ko mas marami pa raw progress sa Talavera kaysa sa San Jose. Ano ba ang ginagawa ng mayor diyan natutulog?

kuya yung mayor at vice mayor nagsasabong parang si governor at vice governor din mas malupit magbangayan mga opisyal dito personalan ang labanan kaya ang san jose ganun padin walang pinagbago.....:ohno:

subic by yacht club

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/adikkaymonic/yacht.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybg2TaJkCQw

Let me introduced you all to Ecija, Spain where our province is name after in 1705.

lol we have a lot of work to do to even get close.

kuya yung mayor at vice mayor nagsasabong parang si governor at vice governor din mas malupit magbangayan mga opisyal dito personalan ang labanan kaya ang san jose ganun padin walang pinagbago.....:ohno:

balita ko nga, grabe pa la ang politika diyan kung palaging ganyan wala sila magagawa. they need to put the politics aside and start working for the common good of the city besides that's what the peoples elected them to do and not the other way around. Sino ba ang vice mayor ng san jose ngayon?

lol we have a lot of work to do to even get close.

I know, but we going to get there one step of the time, if only we have an efficient government, but as far as that one goes it might even take us 50 years or so.

Madala naman sana ang mga nagbabangayan diyan sa San Jose City!

At para kay Vice Governor Joson, tapos na po ang 4 na dekada ninyong pamamayagpag sa Nueva Ecija, sumunod ka na lang kay Governor Umali para wala nang problema.

Anyway, ang kawawa naman ang nangyari sa Gapan City... :ohno: Naaawa ako sa kanila...

balita ko nga, grabe pa la ang politika diyan kung palaging ganyan wala sila magagawa. they need to put the politics aside and start working for the common good of the city besides that's what the peoples elected them to do and not the other way around. Sino ba ang vice mayor ng san jose ngayon?

Kokoy Salvador po kuya next election maganda labanan ng pagka mayor dito

Alex Belena Vs. kokoy Salvador...:nuts:

Madala naman sana ang mga nagbabangayan diyan sa San Jose City!

At para kay Vice Governor Joson, tapos na po ang 4 na dekada ninyong pamamayagpag sa Nueva Ecija, sumunod ka na lang kay Governor Umali para wala nang problema.

Anyway, ang kawawa naman ang nangyari sa Gapan City... :ohno: Naaawa ako sa kanila...


Balita ko po kuya ehhh... uso patayan dun ahhhh...???:ohno:

Balita ko po kuya ehhh... uso patayan dun ahhhh...???:ohno:

Tagal nang uso ang patayan doon... hindi lang bigas ang gumagalaw doon pati bala na rin... ano ba naman ang nangyayari sa Nueva Ecija?! :ohno:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qtx5_rK5z3E&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qtx5_rK5z3E&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtx5_rK5z3E

Kabaligtaran ba ng San Jose City ang Cabanatuan City?

Kokoy Salvador po kuya next election maganda labanan ng pagka mayor dito

Alex Belena Vs. kokoy Salvador...:nuts:

taga saan ba yong kokoy salvador na yan ? Kung yong dalawa lang yan ang mag lalaban sa darating na election wala rin pagbabago. bakit hinde lumaban yong anak ni violago wala na ba silang power sa san jose?

taga saan ba yong kokoy salvador na yan ? Kung yong dalawa lang yan ang mag lalaban sa darating na election wala rin pagbabago. bakit hinde lumaban yong anak ni violago wala na ba silang power sa san jose?


Anak po ni boy salvador kuya pamilya ng mga may malalaking ricemill sa san jose bandang caloacan po.... kamag anak ni aglibo...

Tagal nang uso ang patayan doon... hindi lang bigas ang gumagalaw doon pati bala na rin... ano ba naman ang nangyayari sa Nueva Ecija?! :ohno:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qtx5_rK5z3E&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qtx5_rK5z3E&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtx5_rK5z3E

Kabaligtaran ba ng San Jose City ang Cabanatuan City?


sa tingin ko po kabaligtaran talaga..

Anak po ni boy salvador kuya pamilya ng mga may malalaking ricemill sa san jose bandang caloacan po.... kamag anak ni aglibo...

Paramihan yata ng ricemill laban diyan sa San Jose City... basta ganito lang ang mangyayari kapag eleksyon na naman, tiyak mauuso na naman ang mga 3B, BUNGANGAAN, BARILAN AT BANGKAY unless may gawin na talaga ang provincial government ukol diyan...

The way you all talk, para talagang may nagaganap na political dynasties diyan sa San Jose City. Anyway, sino po ang mga involved lalo na si Violago mga kuya?

P6.7-B irrigation project due for completion in Dec. (http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=2008100418&type=2)
By Manny Galvez
Sunday, October 5, 2008


SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ, Nueva Ecija — Phase 1 of the P6.7-billion irrigation component of the giant Casecnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMIPP) will be finished as scheduled in December, a top official of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said.

Alex Coloma, NIA-Casecnan project manager, said Phase 1 of the irrigation component is 97 percent complete, saying he sees no major stumbling block in its projected completion at the end of the year.

Coloma also said that at least P2.4 billion worth of irrigation projects under Phase 1 of the P6.7-billion irrigation component of the CMIPP have been completed and are ready for inauguration.

The newly completed projects are the P608-million rehabilitated Penaranda River Irrigation System (Penris) under contract package US and P1.7 billion in new irrigation areas under contract packages S2 and S3.

The rehab of the Penris Dam, worth P608.6 million, was constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corp. (CSCEC), in April 2004 and involves replacement of sluice and intake gates and installation of 21 units slide gates for five main canal structures, one siphon outlet and 6.59-kilometer concrete canal lining the main canal.

Coloma said that the newly rehabilitated dam will irrigate 19,924.20 hectares of agricultural lands in 63 barangays covering Gapan City and the Nueva Ecija municipalities of San Isidro, Cabiao and this town; San Miguel and San Ildefonso in Bulacan and Candaba, Pampanga. It will benefit 10,098 farmers.

The newly developed irrigation areas cover 16,879 hectares of farmlands in 67 barangays in this city and the Nueva Ecija towns of Guimba and Talugtog and Victoria, Tarlac. It will benefit 8,839 farmers.

The CMIPP’s build-operate-transfer (BOT) component was completed by the California Energy International in December 2001 at a cost of $675 million. It consisted of the construction of a 26.3-kilometer underground transbasin tunnel, hydro powerhouse, two diversion weirs, 80 kilometers of access roads and seven concrete bridges.

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Anak po ni boy salvador kuya pamilya ng mga may malalaking ricemill sa san jose bandang caloacan po.... kamag anak ni aglibo...

Kaya naman pala malakas ang loob ni kokoy na labanan ang mayor ng san jose kasi kamag anak niya si aglibo, kay aglibo yata umuutang yong mga magsasaka diyan ng panggamit sa bukid, malaki nga yong ricemill nila sa caloocan nadadaanan ko iyon dati pag pumupunta kami sa Llanera.

Paramihan yata ng ricemill laban diyan sa San Jose City... basta ganito lang ang mangyayari kapag eleksyon na naman, tiyak mauuso na naman ang mga 3B, BUNGANGAAN, BARILAN AT BANGKAY unless may gawin na talaga ang provincial government ukol diyan...

The way you all talk, para talagang may nagaganap na political dynasties diyan sa San Jose City. Anyway, sino po ang mga involved lalo na si Violago mga kuya?

tama ka po kuya may political dynasties pinapapasa pasahan nalang ng magkakamag anak ang pamamahala dito sa san jose like yang mayor namin dati yung lalaki ngayon naman yung asawa niya tapos next election ulit yung lalaki..

ganun din yung mga violago pinasa niya nalang sa anak niya....

may isa pa pala akong napansin sa munisipyo namin nag apply kasi kami ng classmate ko City engineering office as an OJT. so kailangan namin ng approval ni mayora para makapag ojt kami, nung magpapapirma na kami ng papers namin nagulat kami yung dating mayor yung ang naka upo tapos siya rin pumipirma ng mga transaction sa munisipyo ehhh... hindi naman siya ang nanalong mayor dapat yung asawa niya ang gumagawa nun... (hay expose na ito)....:ohno:

Kaya naman pala malakas ang loob ni kokoy na labanan ang mayor ng san jose kasi kamag anak niya si aglibo, kay aglibo yata umuutang yong mga magsasaka diyan ng panggamit sa bukid, malaki nga yong ricemill nila sa caloocan nadadaanan ko iyon dati pag pumupunta kami sa Llanera.

labanan ng pera kuya, naku kung yaman ang pag uusapan ehhh... parang si salvador ang angat sa susunod na eleksyon try kong mag salvador baka effective...

tama ka po kuya may political dynasties pinapapasa pasahan nalang ng magkakamag anak ang pamamahala dito sa san jose like yang mayor namin dati yung lalaki ngayon naman yung asawa niya tapos next election ulit yung lalaki..

ganun din yung mga violago pinasa niya nalang sa anak niya....

may isa pa pala akong napansin sa munisipyo namin nag apply kasi kami ng classmate ko City engineering office as an OJT. so kailangan namin ng approval ni mayora para makapag ojt kami, nung magpapapirma na kami ng papers namin nagulat kami yung dating mayor yung ang naka upo tapos siya rin pumipirma ng mga transaction sa munisipyo ehhh... hindi naman siya ang nanalong mayor dapat yung asawa niya ang gumagawa nun... (hay expose na ito)....:ohno:

Try natin sa XXX o sa Imbestigador o sa BITAG... haha! Anyway, bakit kaya sila ang pumipirma nun kuya?

Try natin sa XXX o sa Imbestigador o sa BITAG... haha! Anyway, bakit kaya sila ang pumipirma nun kuya?

naku ewan ko ba sa kanila....

Try natin sa XXX o sa Imbestigador o sa BITAG... haha! Anyway, bakit kaya sila ang pumipirma nun kuya?

may kilala ka bang mag bulaclac sa inyo???

may kilala ka bang mag bulaclac sa inyo???

Anong ibig mong sabihin kuya sa salitang mag bulaclac?

Ano ba yon Apelyido ng Tao ?

Anong ibig mong sabihin kuya sa salitang mag bulaclac?

Surname poh ung taga baranggay barerra poh cya....

Hitachi unit expands operations in Subic
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/10092008/companies03.html

By Henry Empeño
Correspondent

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Hitachi Terminals Mechatronics (Philippines) Corp. (HTMP), one of the biggest exporters in this free port, said it is expanding its operations as it still expects growth in the market for its industrial electronics products worldwide.

The firm, which manufactures automated teller machine parts and card readers, broke ground last week for a new warehousing facility to be built at the Japanese-owned Subic Techno Park (STEP) here.

Hitachi Terminals had previously invested $12 million for its manufacturing plant here, but company president Kiyotaka Adachi said the new facility will make the firm more competitive, allowing it to target more markets worldwide.

The groundbreaking ceremony was witnessed by Kazuya Hori, vice president of Hitachi Omron Terminal Solution, HTMP’s mother company; Takashi Jinguji, managing director of Asia Hitachi Transport, other Japanese business executives based at the technology park, and senior deputy administrator Ramon Agregado of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Hitachi’s warehouse project came at the heels of a record-breaking export production last year, when the firm sent out a total export value of $54.21 million.

The record accomplishment, which Adachi said came after “a lot of effort and hard work,” made Hitachi Terminals the third-biggest exporter in the Subic Bay Freeport in 2007.

Adachi said the construction of a new warehousing facility “is part of our business strategy to control cost and to improve our efficiency.”

“Hitachi Terminals is competing hard to gain lead commission in quality cost worldwide. This project is a sign that our company is willing to compete strongly in the world market,” he added.

The company opted not to provide details on the project, although officials said the building will have a total floor area of 3,564 square meters.

The new facility will receive components for stocking, inventory control and handling of materials for production. It will also be used for “picking” or the withdrawal of parts to be delivered either for production or for shipping.

Agregado noted that aside from being the third-biggest exporter last year, HTMP was also Number 8 among Subic’s biggest importers, with a total import value of more than $24 million and also the eighth-biggest employer with a total of 703 workers.

Agregado also noted that Hitachi was one of the two Subic firms to pioneer in “Ecoprofit” practices here, which involved the adoption of innovative, integrated and environment-friendly technologies.

Hitachi officials said that by applying Ecoprofit principles, the company was able to save millions of pesos in power and water consumption. Among the Ecoprofit practices the company adopted were the use of auto shutoff water faucets and low-wattage fluorescent bulbs, mandatory turning off of lights and airconditioning systems during break time, and the promotion of a paperless, pencil-less office through the use of intranet computer networks.

CBCP to launch national farm center in Nueva Ecija (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/125806/CBCP-to-launch-national-farm-center-in-Nueva-Ecija#)

Article posted October 08, 2008 - 07:27 PM
MANILA, Philippines — At least 200 farmers and 240 families stand to benefit from a National Farm Center that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)'s social arm was launched Wednesday morning.

The CBCP said the National Farm Center is located in Misereor Village, Sto. Niño Hill, Balaring at General Natividad town in Nueva Ecija province.

"When fully developed, the center will also serve as a venue for national and local trainings, and become an organic agriculture model that can be replicated by farmers, groups and organizations," CBCP National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa) executive secretary Rosanne Mallillin said in an article on the CBCP website (www.cbcpnews.com).

Expected to attend the ceremonies are Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap and Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, and Catholic bishops and social action directors from different dioceses nationwide.

The Department of Agriculture including its Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Bureau of Plant Industry and its Regional Field Unit III assisted the project.

The CBCP said the project, to be launched this coming Wednesday, will promote and showcase the practice of sustainable agriculture.

Mallillin said the farm center would "add more teeth to the promotion and practice of sustainable agriculture among 77 Diocesan Social Action Centers in the country."

The center will showcase various aspects of a diversified intensive organic farming system including seed banking, livestock raising, vermi-composting, farm enterprising and other agricultural activities.

Farmers will also be given organic vegetable seeds during the launching, which will also include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, tree planting and site tour. GMANews.TV

Surname poh ung taga baranggay barerra poh cya....

Salamat ate... anyway, wala po akong kilala... mas madalas kasi ako ngayon sa Manila... sorry...

Zambales OKs early flood warning system

By Robert Gonzaga

IBA, ZAMBALES – This province adopted on Thursday a P1.4-million community-based early warning system being used by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in the country’s flood-prone areas.

Pagasa Director Prisco D. Nilo said the project was the result of “what happened in the Surigao provinces in 2006 when flash floods hit the eastern seaboard of the Philippines, causing great damage to property and loss of life.”

Nilo led a ceremonial turnover of the project here.

Zambales is the sixth province in the country to adopt the system among the 13 provinces given priority by Pagasa, the lead agency that addresses the threat of weather disturbances. Because of its location, it is “prone to flash flooding because it is exposed in both the eastern and western seaboards,” Nilo said.

Nilo said the warning system was “an attempt to save lives and do what is necessary before a disaster occurs by giving people enough time to prepare and local government agencies to act.”

Pagasa plans to install the system and train residents in Ilocos Sur, Cavite, northeastern Samar and Bohol next year.

Dr Susan Espinueva, hydrologist and officer in charge of flood forecasting and warning section, is task leader of the new system.

“After consulting with the local government units and training the observers, what we do next is designate a disaster operation center in the municipality or barangay. At different points scattered throughout the area, we’ve identified flash flood-prone areas and assigned observers to obtain data that will be sent to the disaster operation center for interpretation,” she said.

The most important indicators of an imminent flash flood are rainfall intensity and water-level height which observers should measure every two hours during heavy rains.

Espinueva said the community must know about the system for it to be effective.

Scattered throughout Zambales are 15 electronic rain gauges, three standard rain gauges, alarm systems, a public address system, signs, monitoring boards and the operations manual for observers and operation center personnel.

Gov. Amor Deloso pointed to Mt. Pinatubo as a significant cause of the rise of flash floods in Zambales.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080923-162308/Zambales-OKs-early-flood-warning-system

Job search goes online in Subic

By Anthony Bayarong

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- Internet technology is now being tapped in this Freeport for job matching between employers’ needs and job seekers.

So far, 48 employers offering more than 20 job types have "met" close to 1,600 jobseekers through the online job-skills matching system launched last Friday, said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Armand Arreza.

The system, which allows the pooling and skills classification of available manpower, directly addresses the issue of job-skills mismatch and employment gaps, and, at the same time, assures present and future locators in the Freeport of readily available human resources with the skills and work background they need for their projects, Arreza said.

The hassle-free matchmaking system was developed by WOWCard Incorporated, a private firm that also launched the first-ever Internet-based job fair in this freeport, to complement the SBMA's intensive job creation program.

WOWCard president Victorino Quiton said for job applicants in Subic the whole job-hunting process has now been reduced to accomplishing a form that is uploaded to a database at www.job8s.com. This website then automatically searches for job openings that match the jobseekers’ qualifications.

He added that applicants who register at the website could also avail of featured services for free. These include on-line job search; on-line matching; on-line forum -- where jobseekers and employers may negotiate; data center support service; and even a short message service (SMS), which sends text messages about job openings that correspond to one's qualifications.

Ramon Agregado, SBMA senior deputy administrator for support services, meanwhile touted the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the system.

"Even job interviews can now be digitally archived and viewed anytime, like in YouTube," Agregado said, referring to the popular video-sharing website.

He said with the WOWCard system, digital information on applicants could be sent to participating employers, who, in turn, could inform jobseekers on the status of their application through SMS notification.

"Through this system, we can easily find the right job for the right person and for the right employer," Agregado added.

The job fair and online matching project has gained the support of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), the Public Employment Service Office (Peso), as well as Senator Richard Gordon and and Buhay partylist representative Carissa Coscoluella.

The SBMA said the coordination between employers and jobseekers will help the agency meet its target of 100,000 jobs by 2010 -- a realistic goal, officials say, since the active workforce in Subic already stood at more than 81,000 as of the end of August.

As requested by local government units (LGUs), the Internet-based job fair will be replicated in Olongapo City this week, in Zambales on October 9, and in Bataan on October 18. Similar job fairs will subsequently be brought to the Clark, Pampanga area.

"We are always stepping up efforts to sign in more businesses -- BPOs (business process outsourcing), call centers, manufacturing -- just about anything to match the abundant labor force in the Greater Subic Area, which includes Olongapo City, Zambales, and Bataan," Agregado said.

"With technology on our side -- and considering that for the past two years, SBMA has been averaging from 8,000 to 10,000 new jobs annually -- this goal is achievable," he said.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2008/10/07/news/job.search.goes.online.in.subic.html

Developers tackle green technology in Subic convention

Architect Stephen Sy Lau of the Hong Kong Department of Architecture and Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Development, will discuss "Green Technology: An Asian Perspective" on Oct. 25 during the national convention of members and stakeholders of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Associations (CREBA) Inc. at Subic Free Port, Zambales.

CREBA national president Reghis M. Romero II and convention chairman Angel G. Vivas Jr. said this year's theme is "Managing Land and the Environment for Today’s Communities: Best Practices and Success Stories."

Rene D. Almendras, business group director of the Manila Water Company, will be the forum panelist, while Architect Felino "Jun" A. Palafox will be the reactor. An open forum will follow.

Lau teaches architectural and environmental design at the department of architecture, Hong Kong University. He served as chairman of the faculty board of architecture, director of research graduate students, honorary professor of the Tongji University, the Southeast University and the Wuhan University, China and associate dean in 1998-2006; master architect coordinator and director of the Center of Architecture and Urban Design for China and Hong Kong in 2000-2007.

Convention sponsors are Boysen Paint, MB Villar Group of Companies, Durawood Construction & Lumber Supply, Moldex Group of Companies, Pag-IBIG Fund V.V. Soliven Group of Companies, R-II Builders Inc. Prime Estate Ventures Inc., Harbour Centre, Sta. Lucia Realty Development Inc., Central Country Estate Inc., BPI Family Savings Bank, Manila Water Company, and Hausland Development Corporation.

CREBA is inviting developers and industry professionals to attend the national convention. For inquiries, e-mail at creba inc@yahoo.com.

http://www.mb.com.ph/ENVI20081009137472.html

Subic bucks perk for Bataan port

R. A. M. Rubio, BusinessWorld

MANILA, Philippines - The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) opposes the proposed exemption from wharfage fee in a bill pending in the House of Representatives that seeks to covert Bataan’s Port of Mariveles into a special economic zone and freeport, making it a direct competitor of Subic.

The measure, House Bill No. 1425, was authored by Bataan Rep. (2nd district) Albert S. Garcia.

Ruel John Kabigting, officer-in-charge of SBMA’s business and investment group, said exempting the Port of Mariveles from wharfage dues would lead shipping firms and businesses to prefer that port rather than Subic Freeport, and, consequently, would "seriously affect and prejudice its [SBMA’s] capability to pay" its ¥16.45-billion ($149.545-million, or P5.875-billion) loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

"If we activate this provision of exemption from wharfage fees in the Port of Mariveles, we [Subic] will lose our revenues [due to lost business]. We will have difficult time paying this loan. We are not exempt from wharfage dues. We are collecting them from port users. This is our only objection to this bill," Mr. Kabigting said in a hearing last week.

The JBIC loan was used to build the new 600,000 20-feet equivalent units (TEU) container terminal. Listed International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is operating the first berth. SBMA will start paying its loans in 2010.

"Right now, we are already marketing this port and having difficulty convincing shippers and manufacturers to use the Port of Subic. We are [working] double time so we can meet our obligation to JBIC," Mr. Kabigting said.

"This is one of our sources of revenues. We are essentially a harbor. Our target is to be a maritime hub in the Southeast Asian region."

Mr. Garcia said the Bataan port has been operating since 1969, but its development has been stalled since 1986.

"It was placed in the backburner. That is when all these new freeports and economic zones emerged. It will be more disadvantageous for Bataan if we create something less than a freeport. With proximity to SBMA, investors will have to compare incentives and other attractions to these free ports. All the more we have to level the playing field and give these incentives to the Bataan economic zone," he added.

Noting the long impasse in the development of the Port of Mariveles, Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) deputy director general Mary Harriet O. Abordo said in the same hearing that "the creation of the Bataan economic zone was not PEZA’s choice. If it were my choice, as an ordinary citizen, I would not have probably put an economic zone or a freeport in that area unless the government was already committed to fund it. There was no infrastructure to speak of in that place to begin with."

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/120489/Subic-bucks-perk-for-Bataan-port

Ano ba yon Apelyido ng Tao ?

Bulaclac Po kuya apelyido niya taga barera din po siya

Bulaclac Po kuya apelyido niya taga barera din po siya

Malaki Cabanatuan City sis, mukhang isang taon kang maghahanap niyan...

may kilala ka bang mag Garcia sa Cabanatuan?

may kilala ka bang mag Garcia sa Cabanatuan?

Sangkatutak kuya...

San Isidro pushed as ‘heritage town’

By Anselmo Roque

CABANATUAN CITY – Officials and residents of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, want their town to be declared a “heritage town” owing to its rich history.

“Our town is rich in many significant historical events of our country. Many of the buildings and other traces of the past have been preserved here,” Mayor Sonia Lorenzo said. Lorenzo said San Isidro was etched in history as the site of the “First Cry of Nueva Ecija” where Filipino revolutionaries took arms against Spain on Sept. 2, 1896.

The fighting, under the leadership of Gen. Mariano Llanera, went on for three days and resulted in the freedom of jailed leaders and members of the revolutionary forces. Gen. Gregorio del Pilar came with his troops to reinforce the Novo Ecijano fighters.

That uprising earned for Nueva Ecija the distinction of being immortalized in the Philippine flag as one of the eight provinces that first rose in arms against Spanish rule.

Lorenzo said she and other residents were asking concerned agencies to give San Isidro the official distinction of being a heritage town.

San Isidro was once the capital of the Philippines when then President Emilio Aguinaldo transferred his seat of government to the town. It was the capital of Nueva Ecija from 1852 to 1912.

The town was also known as “Factoria” because a tobacco factory was established there to service the Tobacco Monopoly.

Lorenzo said it was in San Isidro where the Wright Institute, the first high school outside Manila, was established during the American rule.

Its building has been preserved. The school became the Nueva Ecija High School, which transferred to this city several years later.

During the Japanese occupation, San Isidro shared with Pampanga and Tarlac the site of the formation of the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon, a Japanese resistance group.

Lorenzo said the house that Aguinaldo, Gov. Gen. James Wright and Col. Frederick Funston, who led American troops in capturing Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela, used, has been preserved. Other big houses used by prominent people in the past are still intact.

“We have also preserved the old capitol which is now used as the town hall, including the water well and the provincial jail within the building,” Lorenzo said.

She said that when other historical sites and buildings in her town were restored, they would serve as symbols of history and education for visitors.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20081001-163900/San-Isidro-pushed-as-heritage-town

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/olongapo.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/olongapo1.jpg

Indicated as Olongapo but I'm not sure if it was captioned correctly.

Sangkatutak kuya...

Iyong napangasawa ng tita ko yong uncle niya naging judge daw sa Cabanatuan mga mag Garcia pero nakatira pa rin sila diyan sa San Roque sa Megacenter.

Internet to create 100,000 jobs in Subic

By Robert Gonzaga
Central Luzon Desk

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority officials have pinned their hopes on an online job matching system to reach the agency’s target of 100,000 new jobs in the free port by 2010.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said the system seeks to address the issue of job-skills mismatch and employment gaps.

“At the same time, it assures present and future locators in the free port of readily available human resources with the skills and work background they need for their projects,” he said.

Developed by WOWCard Inc., a firm that recently launched the first Internet-based job fair in this free port, the system is designed to allow for the pooling and skills classification of available manpower.

Victorino Quiton, WOWCard Inc. president, said the whole job-hunting process has now been reduced to accomplishing a form that is uploaded to a database at www.job8s.com, where applicants can avail themselves of free featured services.

These include online job search, online matching, online forum where job seekers and employers may negotiate, data center support service and a short message service (SMS), which sends text messages about job openings that match one’s qualifications.

“So far, 48 employers offering more than 20 job types have met close to 1,600 job seekers through the online job-skills matching system,” Quiton said.

Ramon Agregado, SBMA senior deputy administrator for support services, said that with the WOWCard system, digital information on applicants could be sent to participating employers who could inform job seekers on the status of their application through SMS notification.

“We are always stepping up efforts to sign in more businesses -- BPOs (business process outsourcing), call centers, manufacturing -- just about anything to match the abundant labor force in the Greater Subic Area, which includes Olongapo City, Zambales and Bataan,” Agregado said.

In a statement, the SBMA said the Internet-based job fair was held in Zambales last Oct. 9 to be followed in Bataan on Oct. 18.

Similar job fairs will be held in the Clark Freeport and Pampanga areas, SBMA said.

SBMA officials said the agency has started linking with local colleges and universities to help them develop curricula to fit the overall development plan for Subic Freeport and Central Luzon.

“With technology on our side -- and considering that for the past two years, SBMA has been averaging from 8,000 to 10,000 new jobs annually -- this goal [of 100,000 jobs by 2010] is achievable,” Agregado said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20081012-166034/Internet-to-create-100000-jobs-in-Subic

Iyong napangasawa ng tita ko yong uncle niya naging judge daw sa Cabanatuan mga mag Garcia pero nakatira pa rin sila diyan sa San Roque sa Megacenter.

Ewan ko po, hindi ko po kasi kilala yung mga naging judge ng Municipal Trial Court on Cities Judge natin diyan... sorry po... tanong niyo na lang po kapag bumalik na lang po kayo...

parang tayong tatlo nalang po ang close dito nasan kaya yung iba?????:ohno:

Hi! po sa mga kababayan ko.:)

Hi! po sa mga kababayan ko.:)

AIG pa talaga logo mo kuya... well anyway, hello sa iyo and welcome to the forums...

Hi! po sa mga kababayan ko.:)

wow AIG sosyal pautang naman po hehehehe...:nuts:

Muli po, magandang araw po sa inyong lahat. Alam nyo mas enjoy po ako sa mga nababasa kong comments, opinions, sugestions at current events dito sa SSC, kasi po halos lahat kayo dito ay optimistic sa development ng ating bansa.
Dito naman po sa Cabanatuan eh kahit papano ay may pagbabago naman na nangyayari, at konting disiplina na lang lalo na sa mga tricycle driver eh masasabi na nating isa nga ito sa one of the best city to live sa ating bansa.
Para sakin naman po dapat siguro na manatili sa Palayan City ang Capital ng Nueva Ecija, para madecongest naman po ang Cabanatuan at tuluyang madevelop ang Palayan bilang government center ng ating lalawigan.:)

wow AIG sosyal pautang naman po hehehehe...:nuts:

Sir barrera, Madam Ehzie nagpapanggap lang po ako hehe;)

Muli po, magandang araw po sa inyong lahat. Alam nyo mas enjoy po ako sa mga nababasa kong comments, opinions, sugestions at current events dito sa SSC, kasi po halos lahat kayo dito ay optimistic sa development ng ating bansa.
Dito naman po sa Cabanatuan eh kahit papano ay may pagbabago naman na nangyayari, at konting disiplina na lang lalo na sa mga tricycle driver eh masasabi na nating isa nga ito sa one of the best city to live sa ating bansa.
Para sakin naman po dapat siguro na manatili sa Palayan City ang Capital ng Nueva Ecija, para madecongest naman po ang Cabanatuan at tuluyang madevelop ang Palayan bilang government center ng ating lalawigan.:)

Sana nga kapag nagtuloy-tuloy ang urban development sa Palayan City e magkaroon naman ng urban planning hindi gaya ng sa Cabanatuan City at sa karamihan ng mga lungsod sa Pilipinas... basta may space tayo na lang ng tayo!!! Hindi pwede sa Palayan City iyon dahil maraming natural resources ang mapapahamak plus maari pang magkaroon ng landslide dahil nasa tuktok ng Nueva Ecija ang lungsod na iyan... sana nga lang umusad na ang development sa Palayan City... masaya rin kasi diyan sa totoo lang... all we need is just to allow development there... remember, Palayan City is the least populated city in the Philippines with only 33,000+.

Muli po, magandang araw po sa inyong lahat. Alam nyo mas enjoy po ako sa mga nababasa kong comments, opinions, sugestions at current events dito sa SSC, kasi po halos lahat kayo dito ay optimistic sa development ng ating bansa.
Dito naman po sa Cabanatuan eh kahit papano ay may pagbabago naman na nangyayari, at konting disiplina na lang lalo na sa mga tricycle driver eh masasabi na nating isa nga ito sa one of the best city to live sa ating bansa.
Para sakin naman po dapat siguro na manatili sa Palayan City ang Capital ng Nueva Ecija, para madecongest naman po ang Cabanatuan at tuluyang madevelop ang Palayan bilang government center ng ating lalawigan.:)

maganda po talagang i develope ang palayan city para yung ibang katabing bayan like bongabon,laur,gabaldon ehh... madamay na din

Ang Palayan City po ay ang pinakamagandang lugar para gawing agro-industrial center ng ating lalawigan. Mga industriya o negosyo na nakabase sa agriculture at livestock, para po di masira ang kanyang natural resources. Sa tingin ko nga po ang Palayan ang pwedeng maging pilot area para sa pagdevelop ng Nueva Ecija bilang "Milk Capital" ng ating bansa. Sana nga po maglagay ang CLSU dito ng kanilang satellite o extension campus. Siguro po pag may research center na diyan ang CLSU para sa mga hayop na nagbibigay ng gatas, eh di po malayo na maging major industry ng ating lalawigan ang "Dairy Products".

Tama po yung sinabi ni Sir Barrera na napakahalaga ng "Urban Planning" para sa Palayan, sayang naman po kung masisira ang likas na ganda nito dahil lamang sa uncontrolled development.

Sana nga po pati ang mga karatig bayan ng Bongabon, Laur at Gabaldon eh madamay sa pag-asenso ng Palayan sa hinaharap gaya ng sinabi ni Mam Ehzie.

NE onion farmers looking forward to a bountiful harvest

Onion farmers of Nueva Ecija, known as the “onion basket of the country,” are looking forward to a bright Christmas this year, unlike the past years when they were very vocal against the influx of imported and smuggled onions.

The reason: A bountiful harvest this year attributed to the comprehensive program of the Department of Agriculture initiated by Secretary Arthur Yap through a package of sustained assistance directly to local government units (LGUs), marginal farmers and multi-purpose cooperatives of onion growers.

Hitting a banner year in harvest is Bongabon town, a third-class municipality with 28 barangays and a population of less than 100,000. Bongabon is the leading producer of onions in the province with some 2,000 hectares planted and producing an average of 350 bags of onions per hectare.

Bongabon Mayor Amelia A. Gamilla lauded Yap for giving the town’s 2,850 farmers direct assistance in the form of “certified seeds,” a multi-million irrigation infrastructure to portable irrigation generators, and coupons for P250 worth of fertilizers.

Bongabon municipal agriculture officer Luchie Cena said province-wide, Nueva Ecija produced an average of 250 bags of onion per hectare or about three million bags harvested this year from a total of 12,000 hectares.

Cena said the 22 multi-purpose cooperatives in Bongabon allied with the Union of Growers and Traders of Onions of the Philippines (UGAT), headed by Magtanggol Alvarez, also benefited from the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program.

Gamilla said wiping out poverty among the onion farmers in her town is her top-most priority. “This entails a continuing effort to give our marginalized sector the empowerment to provide themselves alternative sources of income to make them self-sufficient in food and other basic needs,” Gamilla explained.

http://beta.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=406509

NE onion farmers looking forward to a bountiful harvest

Onion farmers of Nueva Ecija, known as the “onion basket of the country,” are looking forward to a bright Christmas this year, unlike the past years when they were very vocal against the influx of imported and smuggled onions.

The reason: A bountiful harvest this year attributed to the comprehensive program of the Department of Agriculture initiated by Secretary Arthur Yap through a package of sustained assistance directly to local government units (LGUs), marginal farmers and multi-purpose cooperatives of onion growers.

Hitting a banner year in harvest is Bongabon town, a third-class municipality with 28 barangays and a population of less than 100,000. Bongabon is the leading producer of onions in the province with some 2,000 hectares planted and producing an average of 350 bags of onions per hectare.

Bongabon Mayor Amelia A. Gamilla lauded Yap for giving the town’s 2,850 farmers direct assistance in the form of “certified seeds,” a multi-million irrigation infrastructure to portable irrigation generators, and coupons for P250 worth of fertilizers.

Bongabon municipal agriculture officer Luchie Cena said province-wide, Nueva Ecija produced an average of 250 bags of onion per hectare or about three million bags harvested this year from a total of 12,000 hectares.

Cena said the 22 multi-purpose cooperatives in Bongabon allied with the Union of Growers and Traders of Onions of the Philippines (UGAT), headed by Magtanggol Alvarez, also benefited from the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program.

Gamilla said wiping out poverty among the onion farmers in her town is her top-most priority. “This entails a continuing effort to give our marginalized sector the empowerment to provide themselves alternative sources of income to make them self-sufficient in food and other basic needs,” Gamilla explained.

http://beta.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=406509

it has been a long while since i visited this thread, and im surprised...well, tell me first if my idea that San Jose City was once the largest producer of onions in our province is wrong. i used to believe so...but of course im not sour, nueva ecija is still the onion capital and rice capital of the country.:)

still on a positive note...

i am glad that san jose city is at least getting its much needed attention from the provincial government, with the efforts of the present administration to at least bring basic necessities ie medical missions to the city...it may seem trivial for people who are tired of expecting more from politicians to do more...doing simple and small acts of kindness still makes the difference...it's definitely a start! unlike before...

still on a positive note...

i am glad that san jose city is at least getting its much needed attention from the provincial government, with the efforts of the present administration to at least bring basic necessities ie medical missions to the city...it may seem trivial for people who are tired of expecting more from politicians to do more...doing simple and small acts of kindness still makes the difference...it's definitely a start! unlike before...

Hindi ba nasa San Jose City rin yung kalsadang nagdurugtong sa Pangasinan at Nueva Ecija kuya?

^^^^
Oo may daan, yong daan kaliwa ng cathedral pamuntang Lupao derecho na yon ng Pangasinan pag labas mo ng Lupao, Umingan na the first town of Pangasinan if your coming from San Jose- Lupao road from Nueva Ecija.

Subic Resists for Bataan Port

Written by Loren

SBMA (Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority) opposes the propose exemption from wharfage fee in a bill, authored by Bataan Rep. (2nd district), Albert S. Garcia, in the House of Representatives that seeks to covert Bataan's port of Mariveles into special economic zone and Freeport, making it a direct competitor of Subic.

Ruel John Kabigting, officer in charge of SBMA's business and investment group, said that if that provision will be activated, Subic will lose its revenues due to lost business. It will have difficult time paying its loan because it's not exempted from wharfage dues. And this is their only objection on the said bill.

Mr. Garcia said that the Bataan port has been operating since 1969 but its development has been stalled since 1986. So, Mr. Garcia proposed the bill for the port's and province' development.

http://www.mybataan.com/content/view/333/96/

Subic Resists for Bataan Port

Written by Loren

SBMA (Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority) opposes the propose exemption from wharfage fee in a bill, authored by Bataan Rep. (2nd district), Albert S. Garcia, in the House of Representatives that seeks to covert Bataan's port of Mariveles into special economic zone and Freeport, making it a direct competitor of Subic.

Ruel John Kabigting, officer in charge of SBMA's business and investment group, said that if that provision will be activated, Subic will lose its revenues due to lost business. It will have difficult time paying its loan because it's not exempted from wharfage dues. And this is their only objection on the said bill.

Mr. Garcia said that the Bataan port has been operating since 1969 but its development has been stalled since 1986. So, Mr. Garcia proposed the bill for the port's and province' development.

http://www.mybataan.com/content/view/333/96/

http://www.gmanews.tv/images/topstories/ZZZ_102108_2.jpg

Boatmen wait to ferry tourists on a sight-seeing tour of the Bagac, Bataan coastline at Montemar Beach on Sunday. Joe Galvez

Source (http://www.gmanews.tv/index.html)

it has been a long while since i visited this thread, and im surprised...well, tell me first if my idea that San Jose City was once the largest producer of onions in our province is wrong. i used to believe so...but of course im not sour, nueva ecija is still the onion capital and rice capital of the country.:)

Diba sa Bongabon at sa Talavera yung taniman ng mga sibuyas? sa San Jose naman yung bagsakan para sa traders?

Dating onion trader family ko. lagi ako sa mga lugar na yan nung bata pa ko. :lol:

Port operator seeks court action vs. Mariveles Grain properties auction

GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - Listed port operator Asian Terminals Inc. on Friday disclosed that it has sought court intervention against the auction of certain properties at the Mariveles Grain Terminal.

In a disclosure, ATI said the company and its subsidiary, Mariveles Grain Corp., asked the regional trial court of Balanga, Bataan to "stop the intended public auction of certain real properties located at the Mariveles Grain Terminal."

The government has placed the properties for public auction for "alleged delinquent real property taxes."

However, ATI said it has religiously paid its taxes and remains confident of its legal position.

"ATI has likewise filed an appeal on the Notice of Re-assessment issued by the Provincial Assessor with the Local Board of Assessment Appeals," ATI said.

Besides the highly-automated Mariveles Grain Terminal, ATI, used to be called Marina Port Services Inc., also operates South Harbor.

Reports earlier said food and beverage giant San Miguel Corp. and Japanese company Toyota Tsusho Corp. were in negotiation for their acquisition of the Mariveles Grain Terminal from ATI.

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/123136/Port-operator-seeks-court-action-vs-Mariveles-Grain-properties-auction

Fifth-class town eyes title as Nueva Ecija’s ‘fruit basket’

By MAGTANGGOL VILAR

LICAB, Nueva Ecija — This fifth-class town is on its way to becoming the "Fruit Basket of Nueva Ecija."

This goal was set by Mayor Willie Domingo several years ago, but its realization came about recently when he entered into an agreement with the country’s top pomologist, Bernie Dizon, on the supply of certified seedlings and technology.

Domingo said he intends to have each of the 11 villages in his town grow one crop of mango and other staple crops that would serve as a sort of "designer item."

This is expected to produce income for the hard-working farmers in the town and establish a permanent, income-generating industry in his town.

Domingo said he is eyeing the lucrative international, domestic multiple-rooted fruit tree seedling market. "Who knows, we might yet make it ‘Fruit basket of the Region," he said.

He said that Dizon will supply the town with seedlings of various mango varieties such as Guimaras, Sweet Elena, Chocanan, Golden Queen, Eating Green, Nancocman, Harumanis or Millennium

Domingo also opted for malunggay and ilang-ilang for their commercial value.

Mayor Domingo, a man who has his own mango symbology etched everywhere at his four-hectare farm in problacion proper here, believes that there is big money in the culture and production of mango.

A visit to his farm indicates that Mayor Domingo savors everything and anything about mango. Etched in the middle of a swimming pool is the unmistakable shape of a mango. There’s a bust of a beautiful lady caressing a mango.

Aware of the notoriety that his town has gained in the past eight years as "a sort of wild, wild west" as a result of the many unsolved killings and rampant violent incidents, Domingo wants a change of image.

Instead of a violent character, why not a venture that would require all hands toiling to make a clean-cut image, and so he thought of working along his lifetime fancy for mangoes, sweet and delicious mangoes.

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20081022138677.html

Corregidor's Manong Pablito

Written by Loren

If you are tired so much of your life in the city, why don't you try travel and visit some of our historical places?

One of these places is the Corregidor Island when you can have the nice views of Manila skyline and the mountains of Bataan and cavite.

As you stepped in this historical place, an elderly tour guide named Pablito Matrinez will give you some information about the island. The man spoke flawless English and he certainly knew what he was talking about, from weapons to ships to historical dates and events.

Manong Pablito was an expert on historical data on the guns and cannons of corregidpr, he was also very professional about his work. He had s terrific sense of humor and was a stickler for punctuality to everybody.

Corregidor is a place worth visiting. You can also explore some of your hobbies in this palce. So, if you want to know Corregidor and Bataan and your country’s history better, just visit Corregidor and also try to look for the man with great passion on his work, Manong Pablito.

http://www.mybataan.com/content/view/329/96/

Bataan Supports Wine Production

Written by Loren

The Provincial Government of Bataan recently releases a P132, 937 financial assistance for the production of wine by an entrepreneur from Duale, Limay.

DOST Chief Rosalie V. Ona of Bataan said that the non-interest loan provided to Rosario M. Villaviray will be used to upgrade and standardize wine production from cashew, duaht and bignay. [via PIA]

http://www.mybataan.com/content/view/326/96/

ALI to Sell its Club Shares


Written by Loren

Ayala Land Inc. said that it would sell 2,450 club shares priced between P510,000 and P850,000 each for the construction of recreational facility.

The 320-hectare property in Morong, Bataan, which is the Anvaya Club, offers residential lots and exclusive villas as well as beach club and golf course facilities.

The company is to rise as much as P1.9B from the sale of the club shares.

http://www.mybataan.com/images/stories/anvaya-cove-morong.jpg

Ayala Land Inc. is constructing the project in 3 phases.

http://www.mybataan.com/content/view/330/96/

ICTSI, SBMA hail new terminal as ‘prime link’
Shipping (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=823:ictsi-sbma-hail-new-terminal-as-prime-link&catid=29:shipping)
Written by VG Cabuag / Reporter

WEDNESDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2008 18:33
MONTHS after it won a concession to operate the new container port terminal in Subic Bay, publicly listed International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) is pushing the facility as the prime trade link in the main island of Luzon.

Together with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA)—owner of New Container Terminal-1—ICTSI is trying to market the port terminal to import and export companies in Central and Northern Luzon that still prefer to do business in the Port of Manila for shipping their goods.

“The strategic location of Subic to your manufacturing plants means a significant decrease in transport costs and faster delivery time of cargo,” said Ferdinand Hernandez, SBMA’s senior deputy administrator for operations.

Subic’s proximity to the economic zones of Northern and Central Luzon makes it the ideal international trading gateway in the region, the SBMA said.

“With our strategic location, world-class port infrastructure, competitive port tariffs and the expertise of an international port operator, Subic is ready and positioned to serve industrial locators in the region,” Hernandez said.

He underscored the newly opened Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway that has significantly reduced trucking transit times and fees in conjunction with Subic as gateway to other points of Luzon.

“Unlike other ports located in metropolitan areas in Luzon, Subic is traffic jam-free and has no truck ban,” Hernandez added.

The new container terminal in the free port’s Cubi Point was developed with money given by the Japan Bank of International Cooperation.

ICTSI created Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC) to manage its port holdings in Subic Bay and holds a 25-year concession to operate the New Container Terminal-1.

The terminal has an area of 13.16 hectares and an annual capacity of 300,000 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units). Its berth consists of a 280-meter wharf with a controlling depth of 13 meters and is equipped with two post-Panamax quay cranes.

Over 80 reefer stations are installed in the container yard and the gate has six truck lanes designed to keep the flow of traffic through the terminal as smooth as possible.

“SBITC is investing to further improve terminal operations and to construct other support facilities,” said Aurelio Garcia, SBITC general manager.

The company intends to buy more container-handling equipment as the volume throughput increases in the coming years.

Garcia said his company also invested in human-resources training and development.

Additional money was put into a terminal operating system for gates and container yard management, as SBITC plans “to fully computerize operations,” Garcia added.

The company’s present clients include American President Lines, Wan Hai Lines and Tasman Orient.

Established in 2000, SBITC is the exclusive international container terminal operator at the Subic Bay Free Port. It operated the NSD Terminal there for seven years before transferring container-handling operations to the NCT-1 in May.

^^ Wish ko lang, sana kung gaano kabilis lumawak ang mga taniman ng mga prutas at sibuyas sa Nueva Ecija e ganoon din sana kabilis lumawak ang mga palayan... hindi pa rin self-sufficient ang Pilipinas sa bigas...

Businessmen want Subic Bay turned into ‘mother’ port (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=896:businessmen-want-subic-bay-turned-into-mother-port&catid=29:shipping)
Shipping
Written by VG Cabuag / Reporter
Thursday, 23 October 2008 19:53


CONTAINER ports in Subic Bay, a former US military base, could be developed into the country’s transshipment hub after simulations have shown it is closer to most major sea lanes.

Meneleo Carlos, chairman of the National Competitive Council’s infrastructure working group, told reporters at the sidelines of the Philippine Business Conference that his group already started discussions with officials of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on the area’s potential as premier transshipment location.

“We have asked officials and they said they are willing to build more infrastructure there or call for other investors to make Subic as our first mother port,” Carlos said.

“They said they are willing to convert the airport there to expand the port facilities if necessary,” he added.

During the conference, Carlos said that the group is now studying the possibility of moving more cargo through Subic Bay. The group would like to start by launching crane barges with 50-TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) to 80-TEU capacity through Batangas, Cavite, Manila, Bataan and Subic.

Such approach is now being practiced in the ports of Guangzou along the Pearl River and Shanghai along the Yangtze River, which has about the same distance as the route from Batangas to Subic.

“We expect that the cost of transporting these containers will be much less by craned barges than by trucks running through Metro Manila. It will also result in decongesting Metro Manila and reduce the pollution that these trucks can cause when traffic is clogged,” he said.

There is no transshipment port in the country today. The idea of transshipment revolves on shipping goods to an intermediate destination prior to reaching their ultimate end-use. It is common practice with logistics benefits that center on efficiency.

Most of the country’s large terminals such as Manila International Container Terminal, which handles about 1.3 million TEUs a year, are known as feeder ports.

Subic Bay, at present, does not have enough facilities to become a transshipment port since SBMA is still working on its port capacity.

Subic’s New Container Terminal (NCT)-1, which has an area of 13.16 hectares and an annual capacity of 300,000 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units), is being developed to handle general cargo.

Government is in the process of building another container terminal that will be NCT-2 and of the same size as NCT-1.

Some port officials doubt if SBMA can fill up the capacity as volume of cargoes handled in the port is so small compared to those of the ports of Manila.

This year, SBMA expects a bigger volume of containerized cargo to 43,490 TEUs from 36,451 TEUs in 2007. Noncontainer cargo is expected to increase to 2.66 million metric tons (MTs) this year from the 2007 record of 1.89 million MTs. Ship calls rose from 1,576 in 2006 to 1,778 in 2007.

More trade among Asian ports needed (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1046:more-trade-among-asian-ports-needed-&catid=29:shipping)
Shipping
Written by Henry Empeño / Correspondent
Monday, 27 October 2008 19:31

SUBIC BAY FREE PORT—Seeing the potentials of a maritime network formed 10 years ago by seven international seaports in Asia, a Japanese executive has called for more economic exchanges to promote trade among port authorities and the private sector.

Hiroshi Yamanaka, director of the ports promotion division at the Kochi prefectural government in Japan, will be attending the 10th conference of the International Network of Affiliated Ports (INAP) in this free port today and tomorrow. He said the annual event should also be a springboard for more trade exchanges in the private sector.

“I think we must push in this direction,” Yamanaka said in reply to e-mailed questions. “It is very important that we do not let the INAP activities end up as once-a-year activities.”

“I believe that if we could encourage more such exchanges in the private sector, so that they happen not just once but several times a year, we would see some great results,” he said.

While port authorities are in charge of port management, “it is not us but the business sector that is actually conducting trade,” Yamanaka explained.

“So if we try to promote economic exchange, what we need to do is to encourage not only exchanges among officials but also more visits by members of businesses,” he added.

In this scenario, the Japanese executive stressed that INAP could serve as the venue to promote more trade because of closer ties among member- ports throughout Asia.

“One special characteristic of our INAP relationship is that it is not simply a one-on-one port relationship, but a network of allied ports that spans many different countries,” Yamanaka pointed out.

“We can make further progress with respect to economic exchange through INAP, and I believe that these ties between member-ports will lead to the advancement of our respective countries,” he added.

Because of this, Yamanaka said that aside from 10 officials from the Kochi prefectural government, which administers the Port of Kochi, 20 other delegates from the private sector will arrive in Subic for the INAP conference.

The latter group, Yamanaka said, forms part of the “economic mission of businesses” that the Kochi government has encouraged in the years that the hosting of the INAP conference has rotated among member ports.

While the Japanese businessmen did not immediately begin actual trade, Yamanaka clarified that “just seeing the region and talking to people” has brought “about many new ideas and possibilities.”

Many companies in Kochi began to get involved in overseas trade after attending the INAP conference that the Port of Kochi hosted last year, he said.

Yamanaka added that he looked forward to visiting Subic when he heard Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano Salonga talk about the Subic Bay Free Port during the Kochi conference.

The SBMA announced on Friday that the Subic conference would involve more than the usual plenary sessions and planning workshops among representatives of member-ports.

According to SBMA seaport manager Perfecto Pascual, Subic organizers have also prepared business meetings and product exhibits for delegates to the INAP convention.

The business conferences and exhibits, Pascual explained, are Subic “innovations” meant to further promote member-ports which, in general, “have multiplier effects in terms of employment, generating major industries and increasing export and import activities.”

Pascual added that aside from a trade delegation from Kochi, business delegates from Mokpo Newport have already confirmed attendance in the conference.

Formed in 1998 as a venue for consultation, cooperation and exchange of information among member -ports, the INAP group now includes the ports of Subic Bay and Cebu in the Philippines, Kochi in Japan, Mokpo Newport in South Korea, Tanjung Perak in Indonesia, Qingdao in China and Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Philip Morris to build P1-billion warehouse in Subic next year
PHILIP MORRIS Philippines Manufacturing, Inc. will start building a P1-billion tobacco leaf warehouse in Olongapo City next year, with company officials committing to expand operations here despite the global economic slowdown.

The investment will be on top of its recently completed P70-million cigarette warehouse in Batangas.

Targeting the low-income market and strengthening its distribution network have allowed the local subsidiary of the multinational cigarette maker to remain profitable, officials said.

Chris J. Nelson, Philip Morris Philippines managing director, told reporters yesterday they would build the leaf storage facility at the Subic Bay Freeport next year.

The facility will hold up to 24,000 metric tons of tobacco obtained from local and foreign suppliers. It will be four times bigger than its existing facility, also in Subic.

The announcement came as the company inagurated its 3,500-square meter cigarette warehouse extension in Tanauan City, Batangas.

The cigarette warehouse, completed in September, can hold a billion cigarette sticks for sale here and abroad, particularly to Thailand, Pakistan and other countries in the region.

The warehouse increases Philip Morris’s storage capacity by more than half to 1.8 billion sticks. It accomodates increased production and meets the need for more efficient and higher-quality storage facilities, Mr. Nelson said.

"The new investment we are inagurating today is further assurance not only to tobacco farmers, but to all our stakeholders that Philip Morris Philippines is here to stay," he said. "We’ve expanded. It’s hard to predict the next five years, but that’s the trend we want to continue," he added.

Vincent Nguyen, Philip Morris Philippines operations director, said: "We will, in the next five years, make this the best manufacturing [site] in Asia."

The company is upbeat about local prospects and expects "fair to good" profit growth by year-end, Mr. Nelson said, but declined to go into the details.

The firm has kept sales up by launching cheaper cigarette packs containing only five sticks, he said.

Philip Morris International, Inc. earlier said third-quarter profits went up by a fifth to $2.08 billion due to strong sales in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Asked to comment on the country’s ongoing cigarette trade dispute with Thailand, Mr. Nelson cited the need to resolve the case given the uncertainty over the cost of exporting, which has made long-term planning difficult.

Thailand is Philip Morris’s main export market. The two countries have been embroiled in a two-year dispute on the taxes Thailand imposes on cigarettes from the Philippines. — Jessica Anne D. Hermosa

http://www.bworldonline.com/BW103008/content.php?id=043

ano na balita mga kababayans? balita ko sa January na groundbreaking ng SM City Nueva Ecija hehe yung dating NFA daw ang magiging venue

btw, may mga pics pala ako ng bagong bukas na Robinsons

http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/8/photos/23/1200x1200/13/29102008571.jpg?et=OMqaXg5nvsxOHcznvrGBzg&nmid=118530309

http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/8/photos/23/1200x1200/14/29102008577.jpg?et=VarpK8pSVJm7bs6vN2XsRQ&nmid=118530309

http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/3/photos/19/1200x1200/73/13102008513.jpg?et=%2Ba4%2CHFNeD%2C5XdLau30aqIA&nmid=109340631

may mga pinatay na naman pala dito sa Cabanatuan, last week lang, yung isang pulis na nagpapautang, binaril ng isang armadong lalaki tapos ilang minuto lang may hinoldap na naman sa 7-11

ano na balita mga kababayans? balita ko sa January na groundbreaking ng SM City Nueva Ecija hehe yung dating NFA daw ang magiging venue

btw, may mga pics pala ako ng bagong bukas na Robinsons

http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/8/photos/23/1200x1200/13/29102008571.jpg?et=OMqaXg5nvsxOHcznvrGBzg&nmid=118530309

http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/8/photos/23/1200x1200/14/29102008577.jpg?et=VarpK8pSVJm7bs6vN2XsRQ&nmid=118530309

http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/3/photos/19/1200x1200/73/13102008513.jpg?et=%2Ba4%2CHFNeD%2C5XdLau30aqIA&nmid=109340631

post mo na yan kabayan.mataga-tagal ko na rin di nakita ang ne pacific mall. simula nung gumradweyt ako sa NEUST nung 2002 madalang ko ng makita yan.

may mga pinatay na naman pala dito sa Cabanatuan, last week lang, yung isang pulis na nagpapautang, binaril ng isang armadong lalaki tapos ilang minuto lang may hinoldap na naman sa 7-11

Lagi naman yatang may patayan sa lugar natin... lapit kasi sa mga kuta ng mga Nice People Around/NPA...

bakit puro mall na lang ang itinatayo sa cabanatuan? Ang dapat gawin ng city government magpatupag ng strict zoning law para gumanda ang city. Tayo lang sila ng tayo ng building na masyadong malapit sa calsada kaya siguro mas worse pa ngayon ang traffic sa maharlika highway, buti sana kung four lane ang daan na yan.. eh ayos sana kaso naman hinde. Cabanatuan is not yet a highly urbanized city that's why it is not yet too late if local govt. remedy the problem by buying lands outside the city and developed the place with wide streets, utility wire buried underground and put all high rise buildings, offices, malls hotels, etc in that place. Urban planning is a must for Cabanatuan?

bakit puro mall na lang ang itinatayo sa cabanatuan? Ang dapat gawin ng city government magpatupag ng strict zoning law para gumanda ang city. Tayo lang sila ng tayo ng building na masyadong malapit sa calsada kaya siguro mas worse pa ngayon ang traffic sa maharlika highway, buti sana kung four lane ang daan na yan.. eh ayos sana kaso naman hinde. Cabanatuan is not yet a highly urbanized city that's why it is not yet too late if local govt. remedy the problem by buying lands outside the city and developed the place with wide streets, utility wire buried underground and put all high rise buildings, offices, malls hotels, etc in that place. Urban planning is a must for Cabanatuan?

Obviously kuya... lumalala na ang trapik sa Maharlika Highway... at saka actually kuya 4 lanes ang Maharlika Highway sa Cabanatuan pero kailangan na siyang i-expand into 6 kasi lumalaki na ang problema ng trapik diyan... isa pa, kailangan na rin sigurong magtayo ng flyover diyan...

Sana lang, habang nagde-develop ang Palayan e ayusin nila ang urban planning diyan... as of now, parang napapansin ko booming ang Palayan ngayon... it has already 33,000 people, malayo sa more or less 1,000 people na nariyan nung itatag iyang lungsod na iyan...

^^^^
Four lane na ba ngayon yong maharlika highway siguro pati yong dating sidewalk idinagdag na para maging four lane pero masikip pa rin yan. Kailagan talaga ng mas maluwang hinde lang sa calsada kung di na rin pati sa mga kalye at esquinita dapat lumaki din, kasi rumarawi ng sasakyan at tao. Kung may pera lang sana ang city govt. puede silang gumawa ng tunnel across the entire city kagaya mg ginawa nila sa Boston.

Tama ka sa Palayan city malaki ang potential kasi wala pa masyadong tao kaso lang yong mga namamahala sa local government natin hinde pa nakakaintende sa benefit ng urban plannning at sa pagpapatupad nito. Kung aasa tayo diyan dapat ang gumawa yon talagang developer kung sa mga local politiko lang baka kung ano pa ang gawin sa Palayan city baka lalo pang pumangit. Tingnan mo nalang sa Manila kung yong mga city lang ang masusunod baka pati yong intramuros baka puro puno ng high rise building ngayon.

Tama po kayo, kulang po talaga sa pagpapahalaga ang ating pamahalaan sa usapin ng urban planning. Gaya po dito sa Cabanatuan marami pong agricultural land dati, na tinayuan na ng mga subdivision. Pero po sa aking pagkakaalam ang central business district po ng Cabanatuan ay unti-unti na po ililipat sa may lakewood city, kasi po doon na din po tinatayo ang bagong cathedral at nandun na din po ang CIC. at yung planong SM naman po ay dun po yata sa may malapit sa avida residences at microtel.

^^Not to mention na nasa drawing board pa lang ang Nueva Ecija's first expressway, the North Luzon East Expressway or NLEE... ito talaga, nawa'y matuloy ito...

^^Not to mention na nasa drawing board pa lang ang Nueva Ecija's first expressway, the North Luzon East Expressway or NLEE... ito talaga, nawa'y matuloy ito...

Kung asa drawing board pa lang yan baka malabo pang mangyari pero huwag naman sa na.. dahil malaki ang maitutulong nito sa problema sa traffic sa buong N.E. kasi yong mga sasakyan pamuntang Isabela at Cagayan hinde na dadaan sa mga bayan. Dapat hanggang Santiago Isabela yon gawin nilang Expressway para bumilis ang viaje pamuntang Manila.

Trump eyes tourism investment in Subic

A GROUP that includes American real estate mogul Donald Trump is investing as much as $1 billion to develop a high-end leisure facility in Subic, Olongapo City.

The consortium, made up of the Trump Organization, American Westgate Resorts Asia Ltd. and Korean Heung-A Property Group, is spending a fourth of the investment in the first quarter of next year, it said in a statement yesterday.

The group is eyeing a 457-hectare beachfront property in the village of Cawag, where it plans to build hotels, residential villas, retail shops, casinos, educational and medical facilities and a convention center over 10 years.

The Manhattan-based Trump Organization is the main company of Donald Trump, a prominent American real estate developer.

The company oversees nearly all of the business development interests of Mr. Trump, such as real estate, hotels and golf clubs.

The Subic investment is part of a deal signed by the three companies to form a venture that will identify potential investments and development opportunities, including communities, resorts and other real estate projects in Asia.

The first phase of the Philippine project will be led by Heung-A’s wholly owned subsidiary, Subic Neocove Corp., and involves the development of the basic infrastructure and a 54-hole golf course worth $250 million. It is expected to be finished by 2011.

Subic Neocove Chairman Seung Guk Yang told a briefing the project would be different from other leisure projects in the area since it would be targeting long-staying tenants instead of vacationers.

"We are putting [up] medical and wellness facilities and international schools so [clients] can treat this as their second home, which is why we are not calling it a resort but a master plan community," he said through an interpreter.

Robert N. Aventajado, Neo-cove’s Philippine representative, said the company would co-own the property with local firm Neocove Philippines, instead of leasing it.

Mr. Seung said the firm is aiming for the high-end market from Asia, Europe and the US, which has not been affected too much by the US-led global economic slow-down. He added that once finished, Neocove would be the largest high-end master-planned community in Asia.

A master-planned community is generally distinguished by the number of amenities it offers, and the big land area the community encompasses. Master-planned communities incorporate recreational amenities such as lakes, golf courses and parks with bike paths and jogging trails.

"Our initial foray into the Subic Bay Freeport Zone signals the extreme confidence of various highly funded multinationals with respect to both the near- and long-term economic and investment prospects in the Philippines," Mr. Seung said in a statement.

Heung-A Director Mitchell Park said the Subic investment would be the first large-scale property project of the company, whose main business is shipbuilding.

He said they had partnered with the Trump Organization and Westgate so it would be easier to tap international capital markets amidst a financial crisis in the US and Europe.

He said the project would be financed by borrowings and equity, but declined to say how much each firm would be contributing.

He said the Trump Organization would serve as the lead developer, with Westgate as co-developer.

Westgate, owned by property developer David A. Siegel, is the largest privately owned time share company in the world and operates 28 resorts in 11 US states. — Don Gil K. Carreon
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW110408/content.php?id=042

$1-B ‘trophy investment’ from Trump, 2 partners
Written by Max V. de Leon / Reporter
Monday, 03 November 2008 23:32
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1451%3A1-b-trophy-investment-from-trump-2-partners&catid=23%3Atopnews&Itemid=1

THE Philippines bagged another “trophy investment” with the decision of three foreign groups, including the Trump Organization, to pool resources of up to $1 billion to develop a master-planned community and resort in Subic.

To be called the Subic NeoCove, the project may break ground early next year and will be done in three phases over the next 10 years.

Korea’s Heung-A Property Group (HAPG) initiated development with a purchase of a 500-hectare property that will house a world-class fully integrated leisure, sports and entertainment facility, according to Subic NeoCove Corp. chairman Seung Guk Yang on Monday. “This is not just a resort but a master-planned community.”

HAPG is partnered with Filipino investors in the property purchase, the amount of which was not disclosed. The third party will undertake actual development—Westgate Resorts Asia Ltd., the largest privately owned time-share company in the world, which operates 28 resorts in 11 states in the United States.

The Trump Group, which focuses on real estate, hotels and golf clubs globally, will be the master developer. The other details of the project, including the sharing of the required investment and the other roles of the three companies, are still being finalized.

Executives of Westgate, HAPG and Trump are arriving today for the signing of their agreement for the project.

The first phase involves building a golf course, the basic infrastructure and civil works and some residential amenities. The resort eventually would have a 54-hole golf course, casino hotel, resort hotel, retail areas, water park, spa, convention center, marina, riding club, polo club, educational and medical facilities, and several residential amenities.

Yang said they are targeting mainly the long-staying tourists belonging to the high-end class from the US, Korea, and other Asian countries. He added they want their visitors to put up their own offices there and also make it their second home.

Yang said they have budgeted $250 million for Phase 1 that includes the land purchase. This part is scheduled to be completed by 2011. The next phase will cost $5 billion and will be undertaken over a three-year period to 2014.

“The whole project is more or less $1 billion and will run for a period of 10 years,” said Yang.

This qualifies the project to be a so-called “trophy investment,” a term coined by Trade Secretary Peter Favila to refer to new projects that require a capital of at least $1 billion, like the chip manufacturing plant of Texas Instruments in Clark, and the shipbuilding facility of Korea’s Hanjin in Subic.

maganda yun at may SM na. pero in fairness, malaki ang potential ng city.

when i was in my way to Nueva ecija i saw their SM and it's cool,the design is good the land size is huge and the mall itself is big.
hope to see it when it opened.

and also the robinson beside the NE mall.

i hope they would expand the road cause when development comes the road will be too small that would cause traffic.
they should start widening roads to prevent heavy traffic.

ano na balita mga kababayans? balita ko sa January na groundbreaking ng SM City Nueva Ecija hehe yung dating NFA daw ang magiging venue

btw, may mga pics pala ako ng bagong bukas na Robinsons

http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/8/photos/23/1200x1200/13/29102008571.jpg?et=OMqaXg5nvsxOHcznvrGBzg&nmid=118530309

http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/8/photos/23/1200x1200/14/29102008577.jpg?et=VarpK8pSVJm7bs6vN2XsRQ&nmid=118530309

http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/3/photos/19/1200x1200/73/13102008513.jpg?et=%2Ba4%2CHFNeD%2C5XdLau30aqIA&nmid=109340631

Hay naku. Kailan kaya mawawala sa paningin natin yang mga utility wires na yan? Ang sakit sa mata. Kaya kahit maganda at maunlad and ating mga lungsod sa Pinas kung ganyan naman kagulo ang mga utility wires at walang disiplina mga trcycle drivers magmumukhang 3rd world pa rin. Sana underground wires na sa mga bagong gagawing commercial and business districts para naman makita ng mga foreigners ang tunay na ganda ng ating mga lungsod at ng buong Pinas pati.

^^^^
You know, for as long as our local leaders don't appreciate the needs of urban planning those utility wires will continue to be there and our cities will continue to look chaotic just like our government.

teka, kailan ba magbubukas ang sm sa cabanatuan?

teka, kailan ba magbubukas ang sm sa cabanatuan?


Wala pa po sir SM dito sa Cabanatuan, pero meron na po silang site.

Wala pa po sir SM dito sa Cabanatuan, pero meron na po silang site.

saan po ba yung site????:)

Wooooow..Superb projects for Subic.....:banana:

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Laki naman ng robinsons niyo! Talagang integrated ba yan sa NE mall from inside or separate entity yan?

Petron opens first fuel additive blending plant in Asia Pacific (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008110523)
By Donnabelle L. Gatdula
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Petron Corp., the country’s largest oil refiner, will inaugurate today the first fuel additives blending plant in the Asia-Pacific region at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

The new blending plant will enable Petron to develop non-traditional revenue streams and expand its overseas market.

The plant has the capacity to blend 12,000 metric tons of fuel additives per year. When used in gasoline, diesel or fuel oil, fuel additives improve efficiency, boost engine performance and benefit the environment by reducing harmful emissions.

The facility was built in partnership with Innospec, a leading global fuel additives supplier.

In line with an agreement signed in 2006, Petron constructed and will operate the plant to serve the requirements of Innospec’s customers in the region, including those of Petron. Traditionally, Innospec products marketed in Asia are sourced from Europe.

Roughly 80 percent of the facility’s production will be exported to the Asia-Pacific region while the rest will be exclusively used by Petron for its world-class fuels — Blaze, XCS, Xtra Unleaded, E10 Premium and DieselMax.

“This project combines Petron’s first-rate technical services, marketing capability, and strategic location with Innospec’s fuel additive technologies and strong presence in Asia,” Petron chairman and CEO Nicasio I. Alcantara said.

“The demand for fuel additives in other Asian countries is projected to remain high, and we expect to generate additional revenues from this,” he added.

Based on the arrangement, Petron will render technical support services to Innospec in the region and participate in the marketing of fuel additives in selected markets.

The company also plans to tap the customer base of Innospec for Petron-branded lubricants.

Innospec already serves power plants, refiners and manufacturers throughout the region, many of whom are also users of lubricants. Petron-branded lubricants such as Ultron and Rev-X are already being sold in Cambodia and Indonesia.

Petron and Innospec have been fuel technology partners since 1995. This partnership has produced premium fuel products. Beyond this partnership, Innospec chose Petron for its strong technical capability in blending and quality control, customer service and proven integrity when it comes to safeguarding Innospec’s proprietary formulations.

In April this year, Petron also commissioned the country’s first petrochemical feedstock units – the Petro Fluidized Catalytic Cracking (PetroFCC) unit and a Propylene Recovery Unit (PRU) – at its 180,000 barrel-per-day Bataan refinery.

The PetroFCC, the first “cracking” unit of its kind in the world, converts black products (fuel oil) into higher value LPG, gasoline, and diesel. More importantly, it yields a higher level of the petrochemical feedstock propylene than typical FCC units.

any mall projects in olongapo or subic?

It indeed looks like Baguio!!!

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!

saan po ba yung site????:)

Sa akin po pagkakaalam sa pagitan po ito ng lakewood city at ng avida residences (Ayala land) ng Sta. Arcadia.

Besides jeepneys and tricycles, Cabanatuan as a growing city should start establishing its own public mass transit like buses with its own designated bus stop all around the city just like what they have in cities outside the Philippines

Magkakaroon kaya ng LRT sa Cabanatuan City?

Sa akin po pagkakaalam sa pagitan po ito ng lakewood city at ng avida residences (Ayala land) ng Sta. Arcadia.

Lapit sa na po sa terminal....

Para po sa mga hindi dumadayo sa Samahan Forums...

Project: Isang Bayan, Urbanidad! SSC Philippines National T-shirt design contest.


I think its time for the Skyscrapercity Philippines to have our own national t-shirt that would encompass all of the Filipinos of this archipelago, the OFWs, the immigrants, Fil-Ams and those who wish to be part of the Samahan of Skyscrapercity Pilipinas forumers (interested foreigners who want to have also their shirt) showcasing the artistry of the Filipinos in graphic t-shirt design.

Theme: Isang Bayan, Urbanidad!– Encompassing all of the aspects of urbanity of the Philippine cities and localities, as one nation in one t-shirt design. Being Filipino both here and abroad aiming for progress for the motherland.

Colour of Background:The design should be well incorporated in a black t-shirt.

The T-shirt Design
The proposal of the t-shirt design is open to all SSC Philippines forumers. The deadline for passing the t-shirt print design would be on December 05 2008. Have your t-shirt design posted in this thread link at the Samahan Forums entitled: Skyscrapercity Philippines/Pilipinas T-shirt Design Contest. (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=742588)

You may submit print designs either for one side (front or back only) or for two sides (front AND back). Each forumer is entitled to submit a maximum of three designs.

For direct access to the thread, log on to this webpage:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=742588

So for those creative art designers out there, have your share here! J

The Polls for the T-shirt Design
Voting for the preferred design for the t-shirt would start at December 6, 2008 to January 7, 2009. After the selection, whoever has the highest votes from the forumers for the design shall be the official print design for the SSC Philippines t-shirt. By mid-January to February, we would have our t-shirts available!

T-shirt costs...
The t-shirt would cost approximately from PhP150 to PhP500...but I hope we could find an affordable yet quality t-shirt printers. There may be an additional shipping cost for those living outside Manila.

Another proposal is to have contact persons in cities outside of Metro Manila. We will be sending the said t-shirt design to these contact persons and will be the ones who will print it in their locality.*

*There should be a common consensus regarding the logistics of production and delivery by December 2, 2005.

For the winner of the contest…
He or she is entitled for his/her free t-shirt with his/her design printed on it.

For those interested in having a t-shirt:
Have your name listed in this thread starting December 26 and deadline would be January 15, 2009 for the first batch. There would be an announcement for the second batch of orders after January 15. :)




---------------------------------------------------------------

For more information, suggestion and comments, please have it posted at the Skyscrapercity Philippines/Pilipinas T-shirt Design Contest thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=27606046#post27606046) or PM me.

Its time that we showcase to the Skyscrapercity world how talented and dedicated the Filipino forumers are for the aim of progress of Pilipinas!!

Salamat po at Mabuhay po Tayong Lahat!!!
:):)

Magkakaroon kaya ng LRT sa Cabanatuan City?

yes, maybe in the near future when the city's population is over a million. I'd rather prefer subway metro than LRT.

Sa nangyayaring matinding trapik at uncontrolled development sa Maharlika Highway, lumalaki na ang demand para sa isang expressway dito- or at least a new 4 lane avenue na may median sa mga lungsod (especially in Cabanatuan City) at malalaking bayan ng Nueva Ecija...

^^^^
marami naman ng avenue sa cabanatuan kaso lang nga two lane lang.
nagtaka nga ako nung may binisita kami sa kapitan pepe. ang tawag nila sa kalye avenue aba! kako maluwang siguro ang daan doon noong makarating sa lugar abot ng kipot parang esquinita lang.

May isa na namang itinumba sa Rice Granary of the Philippines... humahaba ang listahan at kumakapal na naman ang dugo sa kaban ng bigas...

Jaen ABC president shot dead
http://www.nuevaecijajournal.com/

The president of the Association of Barangay Chairmen (ABC) of Jaen was shot by a lone gunman inside his yard in Barangay San Jose last October 23.

The victim was identified by Chief Insp. Joselito Villarosa, Jr. as Renato Fermin, 48.

Fermin's 75 year old father, Elino, was hit by a stray bullet and underwent treatment in a hospital in Cabanatuan City.

Police investigators said that the suspect, pretending to be applying for a permit to raise ducks in Barangay San Jose, approached Fermin and briefly talked with him, then drew his gun and fired at the official. He then boarded a waiting motorcycle driven by a cohort and escaped.

Fermin was rushed to Gonzales General Hospital in San Leonardo and later taken to Nueva Ecija Doctors Hospital in Cabanatuan City where he was declared dead on arrival.

Investigators found two caliber 45 shells from the crime scene.

Jaen Mayor Santy Austria said that the relatives of Fermin pointed to politics as the motive for the killing.

Fields of Gold:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carl_kalabaw/2805373156/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/2805373156_df208547e0_o.jpg

One day in the fields of Nueva Ecija
Palayan City
Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Fields of Gold:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carl_kalabaw/2805373156/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/2805373156_df208547e0_o.jpg

One day in the fields of Nueva Ecija
Palayan City
Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Maganda po talaga ang Palayan, pati na po ang mga karatig na bayan nito gaya ng Bongabon at Laur. Sana iwasan nila na magaya sa Cabanatuan na overcrowded na.

Ano ba yan nababalitaan ko na ayaw talagang tantanan ni vice governor Joson si governor Umali. Talaga yatang naghahanap ng butas yong mga Joson para mapatalsik si Umali.

Ano ba yan nababalitaan ko na ayaw talagang tantanan ni vice governor Joson si governor Umali. Talaga yatang naghahanap ng butas yong mga Joson para mapatalsik si Umali.

Parang kanila raw ang Nueva Ecija... kaya iyon... nang maupo si Gov. Umali gusto na niyang mapatalsik ito...

Anyway kuya, saan mo nahigop ang balitang iyan?

P5.8-B hotel-casino resort breaks ground in Subic
By Bebot Sison Jr. Updated November 27, 2008 12:00 AM
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=418854&publicationSubCategoryId=66

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A world-class 15-story resort-hotel costing P5.8 billion will soon rise along Waterfront Drive in this freeport to provide a landmark development complete with convention center and casino.

The world-class resort-hotel, which will be known as Ocean 9 Casino and Hotel Resort, broke ground the other day, with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator/chief executive officer Armand Arreza and Moon-Sung Choi, chairman of the proponent-firm Grand Utopia, Inc., leading the ceremony.

The event was witnessed by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) chairman and CEO Efraim Genuino, Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon Jr., Zambales Vice-Gov. Anne Gordon, and representatives of the Korean business community in Subic .

According to Arreza, the Ocean 9 resort-hotel complex is designed to be the most beautiful and world-class hotel in the Subic Bay Freeport.

“This promises to be a significant landmark that will transform the face of Subic Bay , making it the pride of Olongapo and Zambales,” he added.

Choi, who presented a project brief during the ceremony, said the main facility will be a 15-story hotel that will occupy an area of 9,173 sq. meters, while the secondary building that will occupy 4,200 sq. meters will house a three-story casino.

The project, which is expected to yield more than 5,000 jobs, is scheduled for completion within two years, he said.

“We will do our best to develop the business under the direction of PAGCOR and SBMA, as we aspire to be at par with some of the world’s best tourism and entertainment attractions,” Choi said.

“The hotel and casino complex will be built using cutting-edge technology and advanced architectural systems in order to make a unique design that will blend comfort with entertainment,” he added.

As planned, the Ocean 9 casino will feature a central stage for live entertainment and performances, as well as a lift-up type of walkway that could be used for fashion shows, said Choi.

The first floor of the casino, where some 500 gaming tables will be clustered, will also have an organic light emitting diode (OLED) system for visual effects, he added.

The OLED system could produce scenes like a waterfall or volcanic activity, Choi said.

The other side of the main hall, meanwhile, will have from 60 to 120 shops that will sell luxury brands, including premium items from Italy and France.

On the other hand, the world-class hotel-casino complex will also boast convention and business facilities to complement leisure activities intended for foreign and local tourists, said Choi.

The Ocean 9 Casino and Hotel Resort project is considered to be a critical infrastructure in Subic’s bid to attract more foreign tourists to the growing number of holiday destinations in this freeport.

The hotel will be located near Subic’s Alava Pier, which is being developed by another firm as a passenger terminal for cruise ships.

Alava is also being used for berthing by visiting US Navy ships that regularly dock in Subic during military exercises between the Philippines and the United States.

Inquirer Headlines / Regions
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20081202-175744/Ecija-capital-city-celebrates-founding
Ecija capital city celebrates founding


By Villamor Visaya Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: December 02, 2008


MANILA, Philippines – Palayan, the capital city of Nueva Ecija, on Tuesday opened the week-long Palayan Festival to celebrate the 43rd founding anniversary of the city.
The festival features an agro-industrial fair that will showcase the best products that the city offers.

Cocoy Medina, one of the festival organizers, said the festivities started on Tuesday after local officials lighted a giant Christmas tree at the city plaza.

Another activity, the Harana sa Siyudad, will treat guests and residents to folk songs and dances.

Businesswoman Adrianne Mae Cuevas chairs this year’s festivities.

The festival will also feature native games like palo sebo, tumbang preso and tug-of-war, a marathon and a pageant for the city's day care students.

The city's official website said Congress, through Republic Act 4475, created Palayan City as the capital of Nueva Ecija on June 19, 1965.

The city government was formed on Dec. 5 that year with then Nueva Ecija Gov. Eduardo Joson as its ex-officio mayor while the board members constituted its first city council.





^ Back to top
©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company

I'm sorry for the quality of the first 3 but i was on the move inside a car .

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/3982/dsc01598lb1.jpg
http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/9282/dsc01599mr2.jpg
http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/3878/dsc01600ji7.jpg

Streets of Llnera
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/8504/dsc01601zu4.jpg

Bukid
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9135/dsc01606lw2.jpg
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9982/dsc01613el6.jpg
http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/495/dsc01626ga2.jpg
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/7227/dsc01614hr0.jpg

Parang kanila raw ang Nueva Ecija... kaya iyon... nang maupo si Gov. Umali gusto na niyang mapatalsik ito...

Anyway kuya, saan mo nahigop ang balitang iyan?

Nabalitaan ko lang sa Tito kong nagbalikbayan saka malaki na raw pala ang pinag bago ng talavera talagang umaasenso sa bagong mayor Santos. Marami rin kaming relatives diyan.

Ecija from another side of the world. From Andalucia, Spain.

leXpF1Cn2Ys&feature=related

Jaen, Spain
lAQHZ--ou3k&feature=related

Jaen, Nueva Ecija
MOl5LPBudeg&feature=related

grabe, bukid na bukid pala ang Llanera, yung mga bundok na yan, yan yata ang Mingan Mountains (6,300 ft.) na nakikita hanggang sa Angeles, Pampanga, very common sight yan hehe
may shot naman ako ng sierra madre from afar, from the top floor of SSS cabanatuan near NE Pacific (sobrang probinsiya pa rin ng tinatawag nilang future commercial site), notice the Cathedral retro design under construction
http://images.decimator97.multiply.com/image/2/photos/19/1200x1200/78/stitche.jpg?et=lUKsqBS3WNKy5K2NfiA%2Bkw&nmid=109340631

yup major business I guess.

Kainggit naman ang rosales may sm na soon pati cabanatuan magkakaron na din

kami dito napako na...

Kainggit naman ang rosales may sm na soon pati cabanatuan magkakaron na din

kami dito napako na...

Saan ba iyang sa inyo kuya?

Saan ba iyang sa inyo kuya?


San Jose City po

SM Rosales more of a supermarkey / hypermart, I guess... pero next year, SM City Cabanatuan goes on construction: location = NFA compound, not avida, sabi ng marami; source: government

SM Rosales more of a supermarkey / hypermart, I guess... pero next year, SM City Cabanatuan goes on construction: location = NFA compound, not avida, sabi ng marami; source: government

Salamat naman po at matutuloy na. Sana maging kakaiba naman ang kanyang design kumpara sa ibang SM malls. Sana ngayon palang may plano na ang city government kung paano nila maisasaayos ang traffic dito da Maharlika highway pag naitayo na ang SM.:)

SM Rosales more of a supermarkey / hypermart, I guess... pero next year, SM City Cabanatuan goes on construction: location = NFA compound, not avida, sabi ng marami; source: government



Naku! Yari ang NE pacific nito pag nagkataon, for the fact na mas pupuntahan ng tao ang SM eh mas malapit pa ito sa City Proper.

Merry Christmas to all of my fellow Nueva Ecijan and have a prosperous New Year.

hello..ung papa ko eh tga cab..taga dinarayat..pumunta ako diyan nung september...at ung mga tita ko namn ay nasa Kap. Pepe Sub....hehe...pero sa iloilo kmi ngaun nakatira...:banana::banana:ok din naman ang Cab...mdyo matraffic lang....:cheers:

hello..ung papa ko eh tga cab..taga dinarayat..pumunta ako diyan nung september...at ung mga tita ko namn ay nasa Kap. Pepe Sub....hehe...pero sa iloilo kmi ngaun nakatira...:banana::banana:ok din naman ang Cab...mdyo matraffic lang....:cheers:

Oo nga sir medyo matraffic dito sa amin, kasi sobrang dami na ng tricycle. Ang kap. Pepe po ay ang pinakamalaking subdivision dito sa Cabanatuan. Tga Dinarayat po pala ang father nyo, bale Talavera na po ang may sakop doon. Medyo malapit po kasi ang Dinarayat sa Cabanatuan. Welcome po sa Nueva Ecija thread!:)

Oo nga sir medyo matraffic dito sa amin, kasi sobrang dami na ng tricycle. Ang kap. Pepe po ay ang pinakamalaking subdivision dito sa Cabanatuan. Tga Dinarayat po pala ang father nyo, bale Talavera na po ang may sakop doon. Medyo malapit po kasi ang Dinarayat sa Cabanatuan. Welcome po sa Nueva Ecija thread!:)

thanx sa pag welcome..visit niyo naman ang iloilo thread..hehe...thanx...nakita ko yung Robinsons Cab...ok naman maganda siya..at least merong Rob..kesa wala....hehehe:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

http://img001.picture2life.net/2996375/Merry_Christmas_Greeting_web-large_highest.jpg

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/9378/lccccxi6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/391/nesscpd7.jpg

You know what to do with this picture people. Paki-spread na lang sa ibang regional threads ng SSC... salamat po...

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/1831/bulacanssccb6.jpg

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/9648/pampangasscki0.jpg

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5738/mapofnagave1.png

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/8075/legazpixmasat3.jpg
Photo by when milko shoots (http://flickr.com/photos/when_milko_shoots/)

:banana::banana::banana:Merry Christmas to everyone!!!:banana::banana::banana:

http://img26.picoodle.com/img/img26/3/12/24/f_christmasatm_a8eb058.jpg

http://img26.picoodle.com/img/img26/3/12/24/f_christmasatm_a8eb058.jpg

http://img26.picoodle.com/img/img26/3/12/24/f_christmasatm_a8eb058.jpg

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5738/mapofnagave1.png

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Flickr Finds

cabanatuan rush hour
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2414/1952425592_8e22300769.jpg

Sunset in Cabanatuan
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2603748728_a3d089520e.jpg

Robinson's Supermarket Cabanatuan
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/2681734123_1302a37238.jpg

^^wow .... ang ganda naman ng Robinson's supermarket. hindi ba yan mall alvin?


Pls check my blog:http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=772856

Thanks

^^wow .... ang ganda naman ng Robinson's supermarket. hindi ba yan mall alvin?


Pls check my blog:http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=772856

Thanks

not sure pero parang mall namn..malaki rin naman xa...nasa tapat lang ito nang NE pacific..im currently in iloilo..so wala akong masyadong updates sa Cab...:lol::lol:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3146456596_f249bddf4e_o.jpg
ADVANCE HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Robinson's Cabanatuan right next to NE Pacific Mall...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/2/photos/152/500x500/43/IMGP4940.JPG?et=vvGg%2B9oiG97Rs1HcB%2B%2CTLg&nmid=155730623

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/7/photos/152/500x500/2/IMGP4942.JPG?et=9YQSbDiKvQ2jrKGyak3Vng&nmid=155730623

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/7/photos/152/500x500/3/IMGP4943.JPG?et=yt4WQScHPrZXaShxOla11Q&nmid=155730623

http://dl.glitter-graphics.net/pub/860/860501ttd15g152v.gif

Dr. Gloria D. Lacson General Hospital
Jaen (?)
Nueva Ecija

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_EudYIdSGMuU/SVmiAWALp7I/AAAAAAAAGN0/hXZO6KlHitU/s640/IMGP4933.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_EudYIdSGMuU/SVmiCua0qUI/AAAAAAAAGN8/g3CvCN0mEjU/s640/IMGP4934.JPG

I did not know that there is a hospital in Jaen. Is that a private or public?
At least they don't have to travel to Cabanatuan or San Leonardo for emergency.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/3150592470_2e4fd21564_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/3150592470_2e4fd21564_b.jpg

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/7844/newyearsscdumaguetefq7.jpg

ALL AROUND THE WORLD CELEBRATES TONIGHT


http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll149/glittergn/newyear/newyear075.gif

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll149/glittergn/happy%20new%20year%202009/15.gif


From SSC-Iligan City

ALL AROUND THE WORLD CELEBRATES TONIGHT


http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll149/glittergn/newyear/newyear075.gif

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll149/glittergn/happy%20new%20year%202009/15.gif


From SSC-Iligan City

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!

From SSC Naga

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/8/photos/152/500x500/47/IMGP4931.JPG?et=69vM9NDN%2BTYbO9iLH1ngbA&nmid=155730623

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/7/photos/152/500x500/54/IMGP4932.JPG?et=tTY3F5FLf14WDBka4DTdBQ&nmid=155730623

I did not know that there is a hospital in Jaen. Is that a private or public?
At least they don't have to travel to Cabanatuan or San Leonardo for emergency.

I'm sorry if I made a mistake. When I googled it, it says it's in San Leonardo and that it is a private hospital.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n250/bobtaz08/SSC.jpg?t=1230790298

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n250/bobtaz08/SSC.jpg?t=1230790298

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n250/bobtaz08/SSC.jpg?t=1230790298

I'm curious...

What was the purpose of this structure in Cabanatuan before guys?

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/3/photos/152/1200x1200/70/IMGP4994.JPG?et=It8SVJgGRWkHu0NYK1HtDw&nmid=155730623

nueva ecija badlands.
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/4748390.jpg

GOSH THIS IS BEAUTIFUL! parang nasa safari ng tanzania in africa.

I'm curious...

What was the purpose of this structure in Cabanatuan before guys?

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/3/photos/152/1200x1200/70/IMGP4994.JPG?et=It8SVJgGRWkHu0NYK1HtDw&nmid=155730623

Baka yan yung nasunog sa may old NE capitol kuya...

I'm curious...

What was the purpose of this structure in Cabanatuan before guys?

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/3/photos/152/1200x1200/70/IMGP4994.JPG?et=It8SVJgGRWkHu0NYK1HtDw&nmid=155730623

Is this abandoned building close to CQ Mall in Cabanatuan? I noticed that the name of the building is Kapitan berong a nickname of Casimiro Tinio brother of General M. Tinio of Nueva Ecija. The Tinios used to have a house in Cabanatuan, the building is probably one of thier property, considering that they are one of the largest land holding families in the Philippines before the land reform in 1972.

^^ Thanks for the info!

Near Fort Magsaysay,
Nueva Ecija

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/3/photos/152/1200x1200/85/IMGP4972.JPG?et=hD%2BHCdUE2MwbnQsdlXpgxA&nmid=155730623

Is this abandoned building close to CQ Mall in Cabanatuan? I noticed that the name of the building is Kapitan berong a nickname of Casimiro Tinio brother of General M. Tinio of Nueva Ecija. The Tinios used to have a house in Cabanatuan, the building is probably one of thier property, considering that they are one of the largest land holding families in the Philippines before the land reform in 1972.

Bakit hindi mine-maintain ng historical society yan at lagyan ng marker? Sayang yan baka gibain ng mga developers. Tsk, tsk kaya hindi kilala ang NE na tourist destination kasi pinapabayaan nila ang mga dapat i-preserve na historical landmarks.

Bakit hindi mine-maintain ng historical society yan at lagyan ng marker? Sayang yan baka gibain ng mga developers. Tsk, tsk kaya hindi kilala ang NE na tourist destination kasi pinapabayaan nila ang mga dapat i-preserve na historical landmarks.

Yup, nasa tabi ng Syquio ang Capitan Berong Building. Sayang nga kasi may mga busts, at mga rebulto sa mga bakod yan. Nasayang ang lugar ng nilagyan ng karienderya at ginawang paradahan ng jeepney. New here, taga Cab ako based in KSA. Good day.

Bakit hindi mine-maintain ng historical society yan at lagyan ng marker? Sayang yan baka gibain ng mga developers. Tsk, tsk kaya hindi kilala ang NE na tourist destination kasi pinapabayaan nila ang mga dapat i-preserve na historical landmarks.

maybe because it was not consider historical or there is no historical ties to the building it was only belong to them, one of their many properties. The building is an example of classical pre war structure in Cabanatuan along with capitol and high school buildings and should have been preserved.

I've noticed there were some heritage structures in Jaen, San Isidro and Cabiao. Too bad I could only take photos from the speeding car...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/8/photos/155/1200x1200/5/IMGP5011.JPG?et=1xv9X213rqaLR2Xob9DY8g&nmid=157418011

A church on the works in Jaen...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/9/photos/155/1200x1200/2/IMGP5004.JPG?et=N6AWC1A3t7FdrwJozK3dGg&nmid=157418011

A house along the highway in Santa Rosa...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/9/photos/155/1200x1200/1/IMGP5002.JPG?et=Drwn88W3pNLwimcHQ7pDtQ&nmid=157418011

The Central Terminal at Cabanatuan...

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http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/16/photos/152/1200x1200/8/IMGP4949.JPG?et=7VniZ158JV672xiowOxZ%2Cw&nmid=155730623

Immaculate Concepcion Medical Center
Cabanatuan

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/16/photos/152/1200x1200/4/IMGP4944.JPG?et=8%2Cj6VLtXD012vPGqIj0fKg&nmid=155730623

A church on the works in Jaen...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/9/photos/155/1200x1200/2/IMGP5004.JPG?et=N6AWC1A3t7FdrwJozK3dGg&nmid=157418011

parang sa san leonardo poh ito....:)

I've noticed there were some heritage structures in Jaen, San Isidro and Cabiao. Too bad I could only take photos from the speeding car...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/8/photos/155/1200x1200/5/IMGP5011.JPG?et=1xv9X213rqaLR2Xob9DY8g&nmid=157418011

madami po sa may bandang san isidro....

yung munisipyo nila napagkamalan ko pang simbahan...:lol:

Ah sa may San Leonardo na pala yung simbahan na yun... Me isa pa ako nakitang u/c...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/5/photos/155/1200x1200/49/IMGP5005.JPG?et=L1uG4vzHz77dbl71XZpfNg&nmid=157418011

Marami ngang mga lumang bahay dun. Nabasa ko rin na ang San Isidro ang lumang kabisera bago pa ang Cabanatuan.

Heto saan ito?

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/8/photos/155/1200x1200/6/IMGP5012.JPG?et=iGUUlSZeJdsmBW6JhoBDMA&nmid=157418011

naku hindi po ako familiar sa lugar na yan....^^

Tarlac Sta Rosa Road (Lapaz Tarlac - Zaragosa Nueva Ecija Boundary, Chico river on the back ground)
http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/30199/2254068650041605593S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2254068650041605593idAqKM)

Zaragosa Public Market (under Expansion)
http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/44865/2510904010041605593S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2510904010041605593msCEFV)

Other scene from Zaragosa
http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/35275/2056648320041605593S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2056648320041605593iDmbmB)

http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/43120/2184805040041605593S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2184805040041605593unzcxq)

Zaragosa Municipal Hall
http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/23660/2871154320041605593S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2871154320041605593iNsfXU)

Napansin ko lang ung mismong tapat na road ng munisipyo ay almost rough road na, ito ang pinakapangit na part ng Tarlac Sta Rosa Road

A visit to our relatives in Brgy Batitang Zaragosa Nueva Ecija

Zaragosa San Antonio Road
http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/24800/2911902070041605593S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2911902070041605593HoKbUY)

What a nice farm - Rice field versus Squash Field versus string beans Field
http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/38154/2572864980041605593S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2572864980041605593ayyPhH)

They serve this food called Kinamatisang Gurami(fighting fish a kind of fresh water fish) together with Inahaw na hito with ensaladang kamatis with manggang hilaw and sibuyas tagalog. It so delicious native foods ( wahh kagutom ah)
http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/19877/2443280970041605593S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2443280970041605593PXwZBA)

SArap naman nyan.... yung gurami pwedeng gawin kilawin din yan....^^

Marami ngang mga lumang bahay dun. Nabasa ko rin na ang San Isidro ang lumang kabisera bago pa ang Cabanatuan.


Mas nauna ang Cabanatuan kaya lang inilipat sa San Isidro kasi pangit ang daan papunta sa Cabanatuan. San Isidro was only founded in 1840, pero naging capital ng Pilipinas for a very short time. Later, the capital was moved back to Cabanatuan. A lot of the heritage areas of San Isidro was lost - nahulog sa ilog, literally, pati na ang lumang simbahan.

Ah sa may San Leonardo na pala yung simbahan na yun... Me isa pa ako nakitang u/c...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/5/photos/155/1200x1200/49/IMGP5005.JPG?et=L1uG4vzHz77dbl71XZpfNg&nmid=157418011




I think this is the church of Jaen, which is still under construction.


Heto saan ito?
http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/8/photos/155/1200x1200/6/IMGP5012.JPG?et=iGUUlSZeJdsmBW6JhoBDMA&nmid=157418011

Most probably in Cabiao, on the left side just before reaching the plaza as one goes to the Municipio.

^^ Thanks, Manong! :okay:

:ohno:

You're welcome Uliteg. Tour ka pala ng N.E. di mo sinabi sa akin, although, baka di rin ako nakasama.

Two of the ancestral houses of Jaen, including the oldest one, are already in the Heritage Town in Bataan. Sayang, di na natin napuntahan sa original site.

Cabanatuan City opens new Cesar Vergara Bridge, road
Manila Times
9 January 2009 | 12:10 AM

CABANATUAN CITY: The monstrous traffic suffered by commuters in this highly urbanized city is expected to lessen after the new diversion road that provides access to the biggest bridge in the city was formally opened this week, officials said on Thursday.

Mayor Alvin Vergara noted that construction of the Cesar Vergara Bridge started during the time of his predecessor, former Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara, and was formally opened to traffic on Monday.

The three-lane bridge that spans 810 linear meters was part of the Felipe Vergara Highway that starts from Barangay Sumacab Norte and passes through the five so-called Ibayong Ilog villages cuts short the travel time to Talavera town, Vergara said.

The former mayor who was the guest speaker during the bridge’s blessing and inauguration said the new road is expected to unclog the Nueva Ecija-Cagayan Valley Road that passes through the main business districts of the city.

“Marami pang proyekto na ipatutupad dito sa ating lungsod ang sisimulan ni Mayor Alvin at tatapusin ko naman,” the former Mayor said apparently insinuating his return for the 2010 local elections. The incumbent Mayor Vergara is his cousin whom he endorsed in the last elections.

Meanwhile, the city government of Cabanatuan finally closed down the oldest and biggest open dumpsite in Nueva Ecija.

Vergara said the closure of Valle Cruz dump was in accordance with the provision of Republic Act 9003 or Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. This, he said, calls for the creation of material recovery facilities in barangays.

Earlier, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has warned to charge the city government for failure to stop the operation of said dump.-- Armand M. Galang :banana:

Cabanatuan City opens new Cesar Vergara Bridge, road
Manila Times
9 January 2009 | 12:10 AM

CABANATUAN CITY: The monstrous traffic suffered by commuters in this highly urbanized city is expected to lessen after the new diversion road that provides access to the biggest bridge in the city was formally opened this week, officials said on Thursday.

Mayor Alvin Vergara noted that construction of the Cesar Vergara Bridge started during the time of his predecessor, former Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara, and was formally opened to traffic on Monday.

The three-lane bridge that spans 810 linear meters was part of the Felipe Vergara Highway that starts from Barangay Sumacab Norte and passes through the five so-called Ibayong Ilog villages cuts short the travel time to Talavera town, Vergara said.

The former mayor who was the guest speaker during the bridge’s blessing and inauguration said the new road is expected to unclog the Nueva Ecija-Cagayan Valley Road that passes through the main business districts of the city.

“Marami pang proyekto na ipatutupad dito sa ating lungsod ang sisimulan ni Mayor Alvin at tatapusin ko naman,” the former Mayor said apparently insinuating his return for the 2010 local elections. The incumbent Mayor Vergara is his cousin whom he endorsed in the last elections.

Meanwhile, the city government of Cabanatuan finally closed down the oldest and biggest open dumpsite in Nueva Ecija.

Vergara said the closure of Valle Cruz dump was in accordance with the provision of Republic Act 9003 or Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. This, he said, calls for the creation of material recovery facilities in barangays.

Earlier, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has warned to charge the city government for failure to stop the operation of said dump.-- Armand M. Galang :banana:

Highly-urbanized city na ba Cabanatuan? Wala ngang balita ng plebisito para maging HUC ang Cabanatuan e...

Highly-urbanized city na ba Cabanatuan? Wala ngang balita ng plebisito para maging HUC ang Cabanatuan e...

Unofficially.

Meron ng Regular trip ang Five star Bus Cubao-Cabanatuan via SCTEx LaPaz Zaragosa 2 and half hour lang ang byahe. mas malayo sa dating route pero mas mabilis. Flat rate ang pasahe P168.00

Meron ng Regular trip ang Five star Bus Cubao-Cabanatuan via SCTEx LaPaz Zaragosa 2 and half hour lang ang byahe. mas malayo sa dating route pero mas mabilis. Flat rate ang pasahe P168.00

Thanks! That's a wonderful deal at ang bilis ng biyahe... not to mention the hell days in Plaridel, Pulilan, San Rafael and San Ildefonso are over!

Thanks! That's a wonderful deal at ang bilis ng biyahe... not to mention the hell days in Plaridel, Pulilan, San Rafael and San Ildefonso are over!


May mga biyaheng CVL na rin na dumadaan sa SCTEX pero siyempre that does not diminish our desire to have our own expressway along the NE Luzon corridor. Ano na po ang balita tungkol sa NLEEX?

May mga biyaheng CVL na rin na dumadaan sa SCTEX pero siyempre that does not diminish our desire to have our own expressway along the NE Luzon corridor. Ano na po ang balita tungkol sa NLEEX?

Yes of course, pero habang pangarap pa lang ang NLEE enjoy na muna nating itong byahe via SCTEX. at doble Pabor ito sa mga taga La Paz at Zaragosa, imaginefrom Manila isat kalahating oras lang nasa La Paz ka na at wala pang dalawang oras nasa Zaragosa na.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/Ph_locator_zambales_olongapo.png

Olongapo City is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 194,260 people in 43,107 households. The name Olongapo is derived from the phrase "Ulo ng Apo", which means "head of the chief" in Tagalog.

Olongapo was originally governed as a part of the United States naval reservation. It was relinquished to the Philippine government and converted into a municipality on December 7 1959. Six years later, Olongapo was reconverted into a chartered city on the June 1 1966.[2] Olongapo City administers itself autonomously from Zambales province. Adjacent to the city is the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, which until 1992 was a United States naval base.


Any reason why December 30 being celebrated as "city fiesta" and not those dates?

not sure pero parang mall namn..malaki rin naman xa...nasa tapat lang ito nang NE pacific..im currently in iloilo..so wala akong masyadong updates sa Cab...:lol::lol:


adjacent lang sila ng NE pacific mall. so far, pinakamalaking mall sa cabanatuan ang NE pacific mall. pero lagi kaming bumibili sa mega.

Yes of course, pero habang pangarap pa lang ang NLEE enjoy na muna nating itong byahe via SCTEX. at doble Pabor ito sa mga taga La Paz at Zaragosa, imaginefrom Manila isat kalahating oras lang nasa La Paz ka na at wala pang dalawang oras nasa Zaragosa na.

noong sasakay na kami pabalik ng cabanatuan eh, sabi nila sa hapon lang daw yung express via slex nila. wala daw sa umaga. ayun, daan pa rin kami ng idelfonso. in fairness, masarap ang chicharon nila ha. at ang balot masarap din.

The Central Terminal at Cabanatuan...

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/16/photos/152/1200x1200/6/IMGP4947.JPG?et=n4rABZAW9iYROO%2BSL8l3%2BQ&nmid=155730623

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/16/photos/152/1200x1200/7/IMGP4948.JPG?et=9tx3aC%2BtlC6tCXR7VCcPqg&nmid=155730623

http://images.icarusrising.multiply.com/image/16/photos/152/1200x1200/8/IMGP4949.JPG?et=7VniZ158JV672xiowOxZ%2Cw&nmid=155730623

kailan kaya magiimprove ang central terminal? lalo na yung building? parang napapabayaan na eh.

Yong existing Poulex Supermarket daw sa megacenter ay papalitan ng Save More supermarket by SM this year...

Yong existing Poulex Supermarket daw sa megacenter ay papalitan ng Save More supermarket by SM this year...

really? hmmm... that is nice. kaya lang mukhang ok naman ah, paano na ngayon ang poulex?

It look like that the city government of Cabanatuan is no longer maintaining the infrastracture of the Central Terminal. Vendors legal or illegal are everywhere their stores are sprouting everywhere around the terminal like squatters, and it seem that no one or even the authority is trying to stop them. Do most of these vendors have permit and how do they get it at the first place by bribing local officials in the terminal. I saw in the pictures that few squatter who are also building along near the street but I hope that they get rid of them before they multiply to the hundreds.

When the terminal was new it can be mistaken as an airport from afar. it was clean then and not too many vendors unlike now. store and eatery are only inside the main terminal and even the bathroom are clean, now you even have to give a small donation to people who claim he/she is the one cleaning the bathroom but it was still unsanitary when going inside . How can a city central terminal have not have an employed janitor to clean the place at the first place. Now many store and eatery sprouted around the terminal which look like to me as a public market and not a terminal. The terminal was put outside the city at the first place to decongest traffic inside the city but with the continued built up of unpermited businesses around the premises of the terminal make it much worser.
I just hope that the city government act while they still can.

^^ True, it looks rundown. The second floor is already empty. There are no existing tenants. The ground floor has some tenants but it's not as lively as before.

medyo malayo nga sa sentro ang terminal na yun. kaya lang dahil andyan lahat na bus except sa early morning, doon ako sumasakay sa crossing. sana may improvement nga po eh. tsaka nakakatawa minsan din ang CR talaga nila. parang hindi na maintain pero dahil kailangang umihi, babayad ka talaga.

medyo malayo nga sa sentro ang terminal na yun. kaya lang dahil andyan lahat na bus except sa early morning, doon ako sumasakay sa crossing. sana may improvement nga po eh. tsaka nakakatawa minsan din ang CR talaga nila. parang hindi na maintain pero dahil kailangang umihi, babayad ka talaga.

maganda sana kung malagyan ng palengke ang terminal, yung side na dapat sana bagsakan ng gulay... before I remember my Cindy's pa dun eh? Pa update naman po ang mga Araw ng Cabanatuan activities... wala po ako ma google na activities, I'm here in KSA... thanks

BTW, hindi kaya balak maglagay ng website ng city government? just asking...

100 dolphins stranded off Bataan, 3 reported dead (http://http://www.gmanews.tv/story/148054/100-dolphins-stranded-off-Bataan-3-reported-dead)
02/10/2009 | 08:31 AM

MANILA, Philippines - At least 100 dolphins were beached off the coastal area of Pilar town in the northern Philippines province of Bataan, Governor Enrique Garcia Jr. said early Tuesday.

In a radio interview, Garcia cited initial reports that at least three of the dolphins may have died, even as local residents tried to push them back into the water.

"Mahigit 100 dolphins ang stranded sa Pilar ... Report namin about 30 minutes ago tumawag ako sa SBMA at Ocean Adventure na magpadala ng rescue team dito [More than 100 dolphins were stranded in Pilar town. About 30 minutes ago I called the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and
Ocean Adventure to bring in rescue teams]," Garcia said in an interview on dzBB radio.

"This is a phenomenon, ngayon lang nangyayari ito [It is only now that this happened]," he added.

Coast Guard commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said he is coordinating with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to rescue the dolphins.

"Dinirect namin ang units namin sa Metro Manila [We directed our units in Metro Manila] to help out in this particular undertaking," he said.

Environment Secretary Jose Atienza Jr. promised to send a team to the area. - GMANews.TV

BFAR addresses ‘stranding’ of 500 dolphins in Bataan (http://http://www.gmanews.tv/story/148067/BFAR-to-address-stranding-of-500-dolphins-in-Bataan)
SOPHIA DEDACE, GMANews.TV
02/10/2009 | 10:11 AM

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on Tuesday said its efforts are underway to respond to the reported "stranding" of about 500 dolphins off Pilar town in the northern Philippines province of Bataan.

In an interview on dzBB radio, BFAR director Malcolm Sarmiento Jr. said he is on his way to Pilar town and that the agency’s patrol boats are preparing to go to the area as well.

"Ako’y papunta na rin. Onboard ako sa patrol vessel namin. Titignan namin kung ano’ng sitwasyon ito…Nagreready pa yung ating mga patrol boat at hinihintay ko pa yung ating mga eksperto sa stranding," Sarmiento said.

["I am on my way to Bataan onboard BFAR’s patrol vessel. We will look into the situation. Our patrol boats are also on their way to the area. We are also getting experts on stranding."]

In an earlier interview over dzBB, Bataan Governor Enrique Garcia Jr. said the number of dolphins stranded off Pilar’s coastal area reached about 500 while three dolphins were reported dead.

Sarmiento described the situation as an "unusual phenomenon," adding that the highest number of stranded dolphins the BFAR has recorded in the past only reached 20 to 30.

The BFAR chief said the situation may be caused by a sea quake that has affected the dolphins’ eardrums and sense of balance, leading to their "disorientation."

"Karamihan sa mga stranding ay dahil nagkakaroon ng sea quake o isang disturbance sa karagatan at ang mga dolphins na ito, bilang mga mammal ay may mga tenga po ito at mga eardrum. Pag nagkaroon ng malaking pressure underwater, masisira ang kanilang eardrum. Di na sila magda-dive sa malalim kaya palutang-lutang na lang sila," Sarmiento explained.

["Most strandings are caused by sea quakes or disturbances at sea. Such disturbances affect the pressure underwater, which subsequently affects the dolphins’ eardrums. The creatures then will avoid diving in deeper parts of the ocean and will swim to shallow areas."]

Sarmiento then asked the public not to inflict harm on the dolphins, which he said are considered endangered species.

"Huwag saktan ang mga dolphin. Pagbawalan yung mga tao na gustong manakit ng dolphins. Hulihin kung kinakailangan. Dapat ‘di saktan ang mga ‘yan dahil endangered na ‘yan," Sarmiento said.

["Please do not harm the dolphins because they are already endangered. The authorities should also prevent the people who want to inflict harm on the creatures. They should be arrested, if needed."] - GMANews.TV

Party-list leaders back nuclear plant operation
(http://http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20090218148421.html)
By FA SISON ALMAZAN

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — Abono party-list led by its chairman, Engineer Rosendo O. So and its president, Ponciano Onia Jr., has expressed support for the proposed operation of the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant.


The two leaders said the members of the Abono party-list believed that the operation of the nuclear power plant could become a steady source of electricity, which could boost the development of the country.

"Naniniwala kami na malaki ang maitutulong at pakinabang ng sambayanan, lalo na para sa aming magsasaka ang pagbubukas ng nasabing nuclear power plant na panggagalingan ng enerhiya," Onia said.

He said the sectoral group respects the comments of the oppositors to the operation of the nuclear power plant and whatever concerns they have, it would be validated by the national government through consultation with nuclear experts.

Engineer So said that the operation of the nuclear power plant will be beneficial to the people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of farmers nationwide who are using electricity.

The chairman of the Abono party-list said that the Sual coal power plant in Pangasinan has been very advantageous as it generates income of R15 million a year for the barangay where it is located.

The Bataan nuclear power plant, when in operation, would also give income to the barangay where it is situated. Also, it would boost the energy supply for the people and would eventually lower the high cost of electricity.

However, the Abono party-list said that the operation of the Bataan nuclear plant should be strictly discussed in the House of Representatives and Senate to ensure that it is environmentally safe and economically viable.

The party-list lauded the statement of Lingayen-Dagupan City Archbishop Oscar Cruz who remarked that after reading scientific letters and hearing the words of Pope Benedict XVI and the Pope’s justice minister, Renato Martino, he was convinced for the operation of the Bataan nucelar power plant would benefit the people.

B]'Bataan nuclear plant may become source of corruption' (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=440798&publicationSubCategoryId=63)[/B]
By Helen Flores Updated February 16, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Bataan Bishop Socrates Villegas has expressed fear that the planned re-commissioning of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) might become another source of corruption in the country.

In a pastoral statement released yesterday, Villegas said the proposed $1 billion budget that would be used to rehabilitate the power plant might just be another source of graft and corruption.

“According to expert and reliable sources, 20 percent of the budget of any government projects mysteriously vanishes on the way to completion and ends up with graft and corruption,” he said.

“And given such data, Bataan Nuclear Power Plant carries a 10-year time plan, but the question is: how many people will get rich? Let us bear in mind that it is not the government that will pay for the project. It is the people,” the prelate said.

Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco is pushing for the passage of House Bill 4631 also known as the “Bataan Nuclear Power Plant Commissioning Act of 2008.”

The bill seeks to rehabilitate the power plant to free the country from its dependence on coal-powered plant.

Villegas stressed that the nuclear power plant has been paid from the taxes of the people yet they never benefited from it.

“The nuclear power plant has been paid from the taxes of the people. The amount was $2.3 billion for the plant, $460 million for the interest. Yet, we never had gotten anything out of it. And now, it is proposed that we spend another $1 billion only for its rehabilitation,” the bishop said.

Villegas claimed that only those who want to amass wealth and power would benefit from the project and not the people.

“This project was conceived not to really help but to serve as front for some people who wanted to gloat themselves with wealth and affluence at the expense of the poor people,” he said.

Villegas urged the public to join them in a prayer rally on Feb. 23 in front of the St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Balanga City.

“If you truly care for the country, come. Stand up,” said Villegas.

Proposals to re-open the BNPP have again sparked debates regarding its safety, economic viability and sustainability issues.

Various Filipino scientists have cautioned lawmakers and policy makers that these questions have to be clearly answered before making any decision on the rehabilitation of the decades-old plant.

But Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro earlier said the decision whether or not to push through with nuclear energy in the country “should be based on a thorough study of risks vis a vis benefits.” – With Katherine Adraneda

Call to ‘bury’ Bataan Nuclear Power Plant heats up (http://http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/feb/18/yehey/prov/20090218pro4.html)


BALANGA City, Bataan: The call “to bury” the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) in Napot Pt. at the Bataan mountain town of Morong has snowballed with the gathering of anti-nuclear veterans and new generation of advocates in a symposium Monday for a new fight against the re-commissioning of what they call as the “Monster of Morong.”

After the forum that lasted from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., about 500 people joined the torch parade around the major streets in the city of Balanga. Chants of “Tutulan BNPP” filed the air.

Monsignor Antonio Dumaual, lawyer Dante Ilaya, University of the Philippines Prof. Roland Simbulan and Gov. Ed Panlilio of Pampanga led the anti-nuke veterans in the forum with new crop of advocates. Some nuns were seen in the forum and in the torch parade.

Dumaual, former chairperson of the Nuclear Free Bataan Movement in the 1980s threatened to go back to the streets and conduct “welgang Bayan,” as they did at the height of the struggle against the nuclear plant then.

“Pero, sana naman makinig na ang gobyerno para hindi na maulit ang malawakang protesta tulad noon,” the priest of the Hermosa (Bataan) parish said. Speakers reminisced how they participated in mass actions all over Bataan. Some pictures of the protest actions were shown.

Dumaual said the call against the re-commissioning of the nuclear power plant began after bishop Socrates Villegas issued three pastoral statements condemning the revival of the BNPP. The pastoral letters were read during masses for two consecutive Sundays already.

The third statement would be read this coming Sunday after which the following Monday (February 23), a prayer rally would be held in front of the St. Joseph Cathedral in Balanga City.

Monsignor Dumaual said the International Atomic Energy Commission has found 4,000 defects in the BNPP “with some defects that can no longer be remedied.” The participants in the forum signed a giant “Statement against revival of BNPP.”

Among Panlilio said he has been against the nuclear plant since he was a seminarian. “Tutol ako noon at tutol pa rin ako ngayon,” he said. The priest-turned-politician said the BNPP was marred with anomalies after anomalies. He said the plant reportedly stands in an earthquake fault, which is dangerous not only for the people of Bataan but most in central Luzon.

“Wala pang kakayahan sa science ng nuclear ang Pilipinas at saan dadalhin ang nuclear waste,” the Pampanga governor said. He called on every one to unite and register their voices against the nuclear plant. “Hindi lamang mga taga-Bataan ang magbabayad ng uutangin na namang $1 bilyon kundi ang lahat ng mga Pilipinong taxpayers,” Panlilio said.

Gov. Enrique Garcia of Bataan has also registered his sentiment against the opening of the BNPP. “Tanungin muna natin ang taong-bayan at sila ang dapat masunod,” he said.
-- Ernie B. Esconde

Yong existing Poulex Supermarket daw sa megacenter ay papalitan ng Save More supermarket by SM this year...

Kaya pala sarado na yung Poulex supermarket at karamihan ng mga boutique sa ground floor eh clearance sale sila ngayon. Sana ayusin din nila yung design ng megacenter, para kasing walang buhay at di mo malaman kung alin ang harap o likod.:lol:

Groups form 'human banner' versus nuclear plant revival (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=442770&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
By Katherine Adraneda Updated February 23, 2009 12:00 AM


Hundreds of environmental activists organized by Greenpeace form the words ‘No to BNPP’ at the Sunken Garden of the University of the Philippines campus in Quezon City yesterday. They protested a plan to revive the operations of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Boy Santos
| Zoom MANILA, Philippines - Groups opposing the proposal to revive the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) formed yesterday a “human banner” to express their protest against the plan and they urged lawmakers to reject the bill that favors the opening of the nuclear plant.

The environmental organization Greenpeace said at least 700 volunteers participated in the formation of the human banner spelling “No to BNPP” at the University of the Philippines Sunken Garden in Quezon City. The volunteers belong to Greenpeace and the Network Opposed to BNPP.

Greenpeace has been urging congressmen to reject the proposed bill to revive the BNPP because the re-commissioning of the nuclear plant would make Filipinos dependent on the “world’s most dangerous and expensive source of electricity.”

“Rep. Mark Cojuangco’s plan to ‘validate’ with the purpose of reviving and commissioning this nuclear plant, is the height of irresponsibility and arrogance. The BNPP was mothballed for safety reasons, which today still remain undisputed by any expert or study,” said Beau Baconguis, campaigns manager for the Philippines of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

The measure to revive the BNPP is currently being debated at the House Committee on Appropriations after it passed the Committee on Energy headed by Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, a co-author of the bill. Critics have noticed the “undue haste” with which the bill is proceeding in Congress.

The bill will require all energy consumers to pay at least 10 centavos more for electricity to partially shoulder the plant’s rehabilitation, and also allows the government to enter into a multi-million dollar loan for the plant’s revival, Greenpeace pointed out.

Greenpeace said aside from the “dubious monetary allocations” that are being debated in the Committee on Appropriations, it is questioning the entire premise of the bill, which it asserted is “falsely and misleadingly presupposes that the only way to stop climate change and achieve energy security is through nuclear power.”

“Our congressmen must face the simple, indisputable facts that nuclear power is the most dangerous way to generate electricity, there is also no known scientific solution to safely storing plutonium, its deadly radioactive waste-product which remains radiotoxic for 200,000 years,” Baconguis stressed.

Nuclear energy development better left in private sector hands - Mikey (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=442606&publicationSubCategoryId=66)
By Donnabelle L. Gatdula Updated February 23, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Congressman Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, chairman of the House committee on energy, believes that the development of nuclear energy should be left in private sector hands.

“Privatization is the direction of the government. I think we should go on with that even in the development of nuclear energy for power generation,” Arroyo said in a press briefing over the weekend.

But Arroyo admitted that there are several schemes to be explored on how nuclear power should be handled and developed.

“There are many ways to develop nuclear energy. It could be done through the private sector, by the government or by foreign institution initiatives. But the most important thing here is to ensure that the nuclear facility that we will put up would be safe and will bring reliable and efficient power to the people,” he said.

According to Arroyo, it is also prudent for the Philippine government to come up first with a concrete policy on nuclear energy.

He said it is also necessary for the legislative body to come up with an appropriate bill for nuclear energy development.

“All investors would want to pour in capital in a market where there is a concrete policy,” he said.

Accordingly, Arroyo said they would urged the Senate to closely coordinate with Congress to come up with an appropriate bill on nuclear energy development.

“It (Senate) should have a counterpart bill. We should work on this together,” he said.

Arroyo also said they believe the planned revival of Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) may be “feasible”. “Experts say the revival could be possible,” he said.

The Philippines plans to start up its first 600-megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant by 2025, a data from the Department of Energy (DOE) showed.

The DOE noted that the new nuclear power facility is expected to contribute 0.885 million tonne oil equivalent (MTOE) to the projected energy mix and reach up to 3.54 MTOE by 2035.

This means that the government had already inputted in its energy plan the power that could be generated from nuclear energy.

The DOE said it expects additional nuclear capacities of 600 MW to be in place by 2027, 2030 and 2034.

With this, the total capacity from nuclear under PEP 1998-2035 was projected to reach 2,400 MW by the end of the planning period.

The PEP said the Arroyo administration will be pushing for capability building and enhancement on the various aspects of nuclear energy which will specifically involve training of local manpower for the possible introduction of nuclear into the country’s energy system.

The DOE is currently looking at the possibilities of re-building local technical capability in nuclear sciences and engineering.

At present, the manpower capability of the National Power Corp., the state-owned power generating firm, in nuclear engineering has declined from the original number of 710 engineers who were trained by Westinghouse and EBASCO Overseas Corp. in the 1980’s to only 106 many of whom are now bound for retirement in the next five to 10 years.

As a long-term solution to meet future power demand, the government is exploring two options for nuclear energy development.

One option is to rehabilitate the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). If the government decides to rehabilitate BNPP, it plans to seek technical assistance from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

First RP cruise ship makes Subic its home port (http://positivenewsmedia.net/am2/publish/Tourism_24/First_RP_cruise_ship_makes_Subic_its_home_port.shtml)
By Malou Dungog

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Feb. 24 (PNA) — The fist cruise ship to fly the Philippine flag has made Subic Bay its home port, giving an added boost to this free port’s claim of being one of the country’s most spectacular tourism destinations. Esteban Tajanlangit, chairman of the 7107 Islands Cruise, said the 370-passenger ship would now start its twice-monthly inter-island tours here, after cruise line officials saw Subic’s advantage as a nautical gateway.

“This is the Philippines’ first cruise ship and Subic Bay is the ideal home port for it,” Tajanlangit said when the ship first sailed to Subic on February 14. He noted that Subic’s Alava Pier, where US warships used to dock, offers an instant panorama of the freeport zone, unlike in Manila where containerized cargoes blocked the view of the city.

“The 7107 Islands Cruise is committed to make Subic a takeoff point to our country’s 7,107 spectacular islands, and today is just the beginning,” he said. On its maiden cruise to Subic on Valentine’s Day, the Filipino cruise ship brought close to 300 vacationers who spent a day exploring some of the top attractions in this freeport under tour packages arranged by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

The tour destinations included theme parks like Tree Top Adventure, Zoobic Safari, and Ocean Adventure, as well as duty-free shops and other leisure facilities in Subic’s central business district. With the ship homeported at Subic, meanwhile, tourists from Central and Northern Luzon would now have the chance to join the ship’s island-hopping tours, said SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga.

“They can take the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) and be in Subic in no time for the scheduled tours,” Salonga said. Tajanlangit said the succeeding 7107 cruise schedules would start from Subic, proceed to Manila to pick up additional passengers, then begin the hops to Puerto Galera, Boracay and Coron.

"The ship will dock one or two days in each destination before sailing back to Subic Bay," he said. The 110-meter long 7107 Islands cruise ship has 137 cabins with a total bed capacity of 370, a swimming pool, sauna and spa, poolside bar, and entertainment lounge with professional bands and guest artists. The cruise line also has tie-ups with destination resorts for diving, snorkeling, boating and other water sports activities.

The entry of the 7107 Islands cruise line in Subic was the result of the aggressive promotion campaign by the SBMA Tourism group, which has been busy creating various tour packages for Subic Bay. A private firm has also developed areas at the SBF for a passenger terminal and tourist complex, and built a Bali-type resort along the waterfront. Salonga said the passenger cruise industry is expected to energize Subic’s tourism sector and provide some steam to port and maritime-related businesses here in face of the global recession. (PNA)

House bill seeks options to BNPP (http://http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090225-190990/House-bill-seeks-options-to-BNPP)
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:04:00 02/25/2009

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) A bill has been submitted at the House of Representatives seeking a study of the possible options for sources of energy to replace the controversial measure seeking to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

The measure, filed by Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, Quezon Representative Lorenzo Tañada III, and Akbayan party list Representative Risa Hontiveros, mandates the National Power Corporation to “conduct and complete a technical, economic, environmental, and financial feasibility study comparing technology options for electricity generation and appropriating funds thereof...”

The proposed study will not focus on the viability of nuclear power but will treat it as one possible source of energy and seeks a P10 million appropriation from the Napocor and the Department of Energy.

If this is not acceptable, then the three lawmakers proposed that the pending bill to revive the BNPP be amended to insert provisions that would mandate and fund a feasibility study on the revival and commercial operation of the mothballed facility.

This study will cover the technical, safety, financial, economic and environmental aspects of running the plant, and would be a condition for its reopening.

The hearing by the appropriations committee this Wednesday was supposed to tackle the “appropriation language” for Pangasinan Representative Mark Cojuangco’s House Bill 4631, but was deferred after the proposed substitute bill was filed.

Quirino Representative Junie Cua, head of the committee, said that right now “there seemed to be no meeting of the minds as far as these proposed amendments were concerned.”

Faced with opposition from various sectors, Cojuangco announced that he was now open to have the BNPP “validated” to determine if it should be rehabilitated and operated commercially or remain mothballed.

Cojuangco’s bill previously called for the “rehabilitation, commissioning, and commercial operation” of the facility.

House Bill No. 4631 now seeks for the “immediate implementation of a validation process, which satisfies internationally accepted norms and culminates in either the immediate rehabilitation and commercial operation or the immediate permanent closure and salvage value recovery of the BNPP.”

Go Cabanatuan, make a wave, wishing you the best.

'Build new power plants now or face blackouts' (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=443669&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
By Jess Diaz Updated February 26, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - A Pangasinan congressman warned the nation yesterday that it would face long power outages in three years unless it begins building new electricity plants now.

Rep. Marcos Cojuangco told the House appropriations committee that the country would need an additional 3,000 megawatts of electricity in three years.

However, he said no one in government seems to be worried about the “impending power crisis.”

“It alarms me. Are we going to allow it? Are we going to have IPPs (independent power producers) again, IPPs that have made electricity here the most expensive in Southeast Asia?” he asked.

He said because of frequent brownouts during the Ramos administration, the government was forced to allow private investors to build power plants “at any cost.”

He added that he was leaving to his colleagues the decision on whether the nation would return to the era of frequent brownouts.

Cojuangco is the principal author of a bill seeking to revive the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which can supply Luzon with an additional 600 megawatts.

He said in many parts of the world, nuclear plants have been found to be a “reliable source of cheap and safe power.”

“Nuclear energy is better than fossil fuels, which destroy the environment,” he said.

Many of Cojuangco’s colleagues, including Representatives Edcel Lagman of Albay and Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro, are opposing the revival of the nuclear plant without new studies on its safety being conducted.

Lagman said a new study on the plant’s technical, economic and financial viability should be conducted.

Rodriguez warned of a “nuclear holocaust” should an accident happen if the plant’s safety is not assured.

Rizal Rep. Jack Duavit, a co-author with Cojuangco, protested Rodriguez’s use of the words “nuclear holocaust,” saying they give the impression that the proponents of the revival of the Bataan plant “are irresponsible.”

Certainly, Duavit said proponents do not want an accident to happen and are equally concerned about the plant’s safety and reliability.

Cojuangco said he would agree to a “validation” of the safety and reliability issues but not to new studies, “which imply procrastination and indecision.”

“If we cannot operate this plant, let us dismantle it and sell it for its salvage value. Let us stop spending P40 million a year for its maintenance,” he said.

During the hearing, Bataan Gov. Enrique Garcia said most of his people are opposed to the operation of the plant because of unresolved safety concerns.

He said studies in the past have shown that the facility is located along an earthquake fault and that it had at least “40,000 defects.”

He said besides resolving these issues, the government, if it decides to operate the plant, must ask the people of Bataan and the public in general whether they are willing to accept nuclear energy.

Bataan Rep. Herminia Roman said her constituents in the first district are not opposed to the operation of the plant provided that they are assured of its safety.

“I will be the first one to object to its commissioning if it is not safe because Morong (where the plant is located) is in my district,” she said.

Go Cabanatuan, make a wave, wishing you the best.

Welcome po sa Nueva Ecija Thread.:)

LUB, SCTEX extend development in Freeport, Zambales

Iba, Zambales -- Less than a year into its opening, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) is fast gaining prominence among tourists and businessmen, and a great number of investors within the Subic Freeport Zone gave nothing but praise to the tollway project.

John Corcoran, president of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (SBFCCI), said that the SCTEX will provide local and foreign visitors with better and faster access to Subic's recreational facilities as well as commercial and industrial establishments.

"This is going to have such a positive impact all over the Subic Bay Freeport because the new highway has significantly cut travel time to Subic from Clark and from as far as Tarlac," said Corcoran.

"I am sure that we will see more development along the Subic-Clark growth corridor," added Corcoran, who is also president of Ocean Adventure, a popular marine theme park here.

Another Subic investor, Yvett Ocampo-Desiongco, CEO of the newly-opened Subic park Jungle Joe's World, also expressed confidence that the SCTEX would bring in more business here.

"Subic can now count on more visitors not only from Metro Manila and South Luzon areas, but also those from North Luzon."

"And the highway is awesome and world-class," she added, saying the SCTEX reminds her of the highway going from San Francisco to Idaho in the United States.

The SCTEX, which covers a total distance of 93.77 kilometers and touted to be the longest four-lane expressway in the Philippines today, is also expected to open up more investment opportunities along the Subic-Clark growth corridor.

SCTEX: Luzon Urban Beltway's priority componen

A flagship project of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the SCTEX was funded with a loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and is composed of two packages: the 50.5-km Subic-Clark connection, and the 43.27-km span that connects Clark to Tarlac.

The tollway project is the backbone of the Subic-Clark Mega Logistics Hub and a part of the priority infrastructure projects designed for the Luzon Urban Beltway (LUB). 

LUB is one of the regions included in the super regions concept eyed to usher development towards the countryside.

"Our resolve to provide the necessary infrastructure for growth and prosperity has heightened investors' confidence in our ability to slug it out in the global arena…we have billion dollar investments coming in because they have seen us putting money, our own money, our own investment in infrastructure. "

These words, delivered by PGMA during the Luzon Urban Beltway (LUB) Infrastructure Conference at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales almost two years ago, sum up the government's determination to usher development all over the country through the super region concept.

Zambales: Gearing up, cashing in

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator Armand Arreza announced that SBMA has maintained its status as the country's leading investment agency after posting US$1.1 billion in committed investment employing nearly 70,000 workers this year.

"Our new challenge today is to bring investments to the nearby towns of Zambales and Bataan and Olongapo City. This will be easier now after the President issued Executive Order 675," Arreza said.

With the EO 675, according to Arreza, new investors who are looking for bigger land area will be allowed to put up investment to other places near the Subic Bay Freeport and Clark areas.

"We are also preparing a plan for the construction of access roads going to some tourist and investment sites in Zambales. There are also new power plants to be built inside the Freeport zone that will provide lower power rates," he said.

In a similar move, Zambales Governor Amor Deloso has announced that Zambales is gearing towards development as it vows to open major road networks that will connect the province to other economic zones in Northern and Central Luzon.

"There is a need to open new roads to expand the development opportunities of the provinces and maximize its potentials as a new investment site in the region," said Gov. Amor Deloso.

He identified the new economic doors as the Santa Cruz-Mangatarem Road that will connect the northern town of Santa Cruz with the town of Mangatarem in Pangasinan and the Iba-Tarlac Road which will connect the province to Tarlac.

The roads are necessary to open new space for possible economic zones and to shorten travel going in and out of the province to and from Central Luzon, Northern Luzon and Western Luzon areas. 

"The roads will also maximize the use of our Masinloc Port as a major seaport in the area benefiting investors, particularly exporters and importers, from Zambales and Pangasinan," Deloso said.

The governor noted that the Tarlac-Iba Road, which would span to about 60 kilometers when finished, has already a plan that was approved during the administration of former president Ramos.

"The road will boost the potentials of the Masinloc Port which will be constructed under a built-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme by a Canadian business group to the amount of US$5 billion. When finished, Masinloc Port will become a major transshipment port in the region," he said.

Meanwhile, the official said that the Mangatarem-Santa Cruz Road Project is about 82 kilometers and could be finished at the cost of P200 million. The road will shorten travel time going to Pangasinan from Iba, Zambales from six hours to about two hours.

Deloso has also announced that discussions have already been started to study the possibility of putting a 500-hectare industrial estate in the former San Miguel Naval Air Stations in San Antonio Zambales.

The proposed industrial zone will fast tract the many development programs of the province to turn the province into a tourism and light industry destination in the region.

"Roads will bind our resources- land, people and infrastructures. Due to the completion of the SCTEX, space for investment in Bulacan and Tarlac is getting scarce. Subic Freeport soon could not accommodate more factories. But Zambales has vast land space to offer and we have pier, ship repair facilities and a small airport for tourism," Gov. Deloso said. (AMV/PIA-Zambales)

http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p090220.htm&no=78

CBCP rejects nuclear power plant revival (http://http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090227-191285/CBCP-rejects-nuclear-power-plant-revival)

Recommends Bataan facility ‘must be dismantled’

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:20:00 02/27/2009

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has thrown its weight behind the opposition to rehabilitating the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

In a pastoral statement, the CBCP urged Congress to “completely and irrevocably reject the opening of the nuclear plant as the most dangerous and expensive way to generate electricity.”

The statement was issued by the CBCP president, Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo.

“Multiple risks and the possibility of corruption outweigh dreamed benefits. We recommend with other anti-BNPP congressmen and the Greenpeace Forum that the mothballed facility in Morong, Bataan, be dismantled as its revival will be most hazardous to health and life of the people,” read the CBCP statement.

The power plant was built by the Marcos regime in response to the Middle East oil embargo in the 1970s.

The $2.3-billion project, designed to generate 621 megawatts of electricity, was scrapped by the Aquino administration in 1986.

The Diocese of Balanga headed by Bishop Socrates Villegas earlier in the week staged a prayer rally against plans by some congressmen led by Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco to rehabilitate the nuclear plant to stave off an energy crisis.

The CBCP also strongly opposed the use of a coal-fired power plant as source of energy in Iloilo province and other parts of the country.

“We recommend the implementation of the approved bill on the use of renewable energy, such as solar, wind and water as safe sources of electricity,” the CBCP said.

No rush

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is in no rush to reactivate the nuclear power plant.

Malacañang Thursday said it would first await the study and series of consultations being done by the Department of Energy (DOE) before coming up with a firm position on whether to reopen the country’s only nuclear facility.

“The President will never compromise safety over speed,” Anthony Golez, deputy presidential spokesperson, told reporters in a briefing.

But Golez said that should the DOE study and consultations recommend reactivating the power plant, “then we would find no reason why we would have to delay.”

Asked if reopening the BNPP was a priority of Ms Arroyo, he said: “We know that her priority is that we should be energy-sufficient in the next few years.”

Golez said the government had “a lot of programs” to achieve this goal and that the BNPP was just one of them.

Last year, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said the government was seriously considering reopening the BNPP, noting that it had spent $2.3 billion to build the facility, which had generated not a kilowatt of electricity.

Rehabilitation cost

Reyes said a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had checked the facility and had pegged rehabilitation cost at $800 million for at least five years.

If it becomes operational, the BNPP will be one of the most dangerous nuclear power plants in the world, Greenpeace said Thursday.

The group said the BNPP, which has a light water reactor made by Westinghouse, did not conform to the current safety standards of the IAEA.

Outdated

Beau Baconguis, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Campaigns Manager for the Philippines, said the design of the BNPP was not only outdated but also faulty.

The BNPP’s compliance to IAEA nuclear plant construction and site selection protocols were already in doubt even before the BNPP was finished, Baconguis said.

Tessa de Ryck, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Nuclear campaigner, also said the BNPP was never evaluated according to standards of the IAEA which were raised after the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown.

The standard for nuclear reactors is “Generation 3,” which has double containment for its reactor and passive safety systems, according to De Ryck. The BNPP has a “Generation 2” reactor.

“We cannot be sure whether the BNPP can be upgraded to meet current reactor standards,” De Ryck said.

She said Westinghouse reactors were “breaking down with alarming regularity” because of design defects, including cracks in the main steam turbines, deterioration of the steam generator tube, and the reactor pressure valve turning brittle.

De Ryck also cited problems of other nuclear plants designed by Westinghouse and similar to the BNPP in Brazil and South Korea, which were plagued by outages and leakages of radioactive water.

Grand Utopia official lashes back at Palafox (http://http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/march/03/yehey/prov/20090303pro4.html)


SUBIC BAY Freeport: A top official of the controversial $120-million hotel and casino that has become the subject of environmental concern has finally lashed back at its former architect who turned into the project’s No. 1 critic after being sidelined from the project.

In a statement, Executive Manager Eric Ghi-Buhm Park said that Grand Utopia Inc. is deeply disappointed that their former architect Felino Palafox Jr. began criticizing their Subic Project in the media using documents of their company.

“By coming out in the media and speaking before various public gatherings [while] criticizing our Subic project, the architect has committed a breach not only of the provisions of the subcontract agreement but also of professional ethics,” Park added.

Environment Secretary Lito Atienza also inspected the project site last January and confirmed that the trees remained intact at the project site.

“If architect Palafox, as our professional local architect, was sincerely concerned about the trees from the very beginning, wasn’t it his responsibility to advise his client Grand Utopia of an alternative solution instead of publicly criticizing his client’s project in an unethical way with all exaggerations?” Park rued.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Armand Arreza in a separate statement is urging the critics of the project to be objective and stop sensationalizing the issue that has only delayed the project.

“We still think that this project would be beneficial to the Subic Bay Freeport, especially with the projected manpower hiring of about 5,000. It’s a project proposal that we have to evaluate objectively,” Arreza said.

Arreza made the appeal after the Special Committee on Bases Conversion of the House of Representatives on Tuesday conducted its initial hearing on two resolutions seeking to investigate claims made by noted architect Palafox.

The project remained on hold since November last year after Palafox’s claims triggered protests from environmental groups concerned about trees at the project site.

The SBMA official also bared project proponent Grand Utopia Inc. has already asked the SBMA to give them an alternate location since the allegations have caused the project much delay.
--Anthony Bayarong

Global downturn costs over 10,000 jobs in Central Luzon (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=445242&publicationSubCategoryId=66)
By Ding Cervantes Updated March 04, 2009 12:00 AM


SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – The number of Central Luzon workers affected by the global economic crisis has reached 10,464 as of yesterday, but officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) noted a slowdown in the rate of layoffs and work rescheduling.

In an interview with The STAR, Region III, chief labor employment officer Geraldine Panlilio noted that of the total number of workers affected, a third or 3,443 totally lost their jobs while 6,539 others now earn less arising from such measures as reduction of their working hours and job rotation.

She also noted that 371 more workers were affected by the temporary shutdown of their companies, but noted she expects them to return to work in six months unless their companies opt to permanently close and give them their separation pay.

Of the 3,443 who permanently lost their jobs, 111 cases were due to the permanent closure of their firms in Bataan and Bulacan.

The figures were based on reports gathered from all over Central Luzon since last November, Panlilio said.

The number of the affected workers was a big jump from 3,368 workers who totally lost their jobs and 5,056 others affected by work rescheduling as of Feb. 11, but Panlilio noted that in the past week, after the abrupt rise in figures, her office did not receive any report on further layoffs.

She noted that most of the affected workers are those working for export-oriented firms, particularly those engaged semi-conductor and electronics manufacturing, steel manufacturing and metal plating, and furniture.

“High-end products are the most affected. It is easy to conclude that those employed in firms catering to local markets are not really that affected,” she said.

Panlilio said, however,that “we are still hopeful that we are not headed for the worst.”

Earlier, the DOLE said that nationwide, as much as 300,000 persons could lose their jobs over the next six months as the global crisis deepens.

The number of workers affected in Central Luzon, however, is smaller compared to about 62,000 workers laid off in Calabarzon or the Southern Tagalog region.

Binay: Looming power crisis no excuse to reopen BNPP (http://http://www.tribune.net.ph/metro/20090304met1.html)

03/04/2009

The looming power crisis is not an excuse to reopen the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant or consider nuclear energy, Makati Mayor and United Opposition president Jejomar Binay said.

Instead, the government should explore geothermal energy since the Philippines has the second highest geothermal capacity in the world at the moment, he added.

“Nuclear energy poses a lot of safety questions that have not been answered fully. Instead of engaging in a protracted discussion on nuclear power, we should explore our full potential for geothermal power,” he said.

Binay added the national government should focus on geothermal power in the light of the looming power crisis, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao brought about by the unprecedented rise in power demand.

He said the Department of Energy had admitted power supply in the Visayas and Mindanao is already tight, with reports of brownouts in these areas last year.

But the national government should go beyond inviting foreign investors to develop the country’s geothermal resources.

In the long term, Binay said harnessing the country’s geothermal potential will attract an increasing number of investors who are looking for locations offering clean and renewable sources of energy for their factories, referred to as “green factories.”

He cited reports that Google, along with Microsoft and Yahoo, are already looking at Iceland to build massive “server farms” because Iceland’s geothermal technology and resources are one of the most highly developed in the world.

“The Philippines is up there with Iceland among countries with the most abundant geothermal resources,” he said. “In fact, we have the second highest geothermal power capacity in the world right now — next to the US. And we have enough geothermal power on our islands to more than double our current capacity,” he said.

He added geothermal power is abundant in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, Southern Tagalog, the Socksargen region and Central Mindanao.

“Unfortunately, the Arroyo administration is being short-sighted in approaching the energy issue. Instead of merely looking for investors for geothermal power, national government should develop an investment plan anchored on promoting the Philippines as a location for green factories,” he said.

He urged government to include local government officials in developing an investment incentive plan to bring in green factories.

“Encouraging geothermal energy will not only address our power needs but also provide incentives for new investments. Government should meet local executives to discuss an investment strategy to induce foreign direct investors to build green factories in these regions,” he said.

House approves P100 million for new Bataan Nuclear Power Plant study (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=445963&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
Updated March 06, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - The House appropriations committee approved yesterday a P100-million allocation for a new study on the viability of commissioning the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, senior committee vice chairman, proposed the new “validation or feasibility” study as a “compromise” to the bill of Pangasinan Rep. Marcos Cojuangco seeking the “immediate rehabilitation and commissioning” of the nuclear plant.

The bill of Cojuangco is facing stiff opposition from many congressmen and civil society groups, as well as from Catholic bishops. The lawmaker is a son of billionaire businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. who has investments in power distribution and oil refining and retailing.

Lagman said a fourth study has to be conducted to determine whether the nuclear plant could still be operated despite its being mothballed since the Marcos years due largely to unresolved safety issues.

He said the results of three previous studies should be used as references by a group of local and international experts who would be commissioned to undertake the new study.

He said the P100-million budget would be taken from this year’s budget of the Department of Energy and the state-owned National Power Corp.

Lagman said a provision in the committee-approved allocation prohibits the commissioning of the plant ahead of the completion of the new study.

Rep. Cojuangco initially frowned upon Lagman’s proposal, saying a “feasibility study” is “politician’s language that connotes inaction and indecision.”

“We should decide once and for all whether we want to operate this plant or to sell it for its junk value,” he said.

He said at present, the government is spending P40 million a year for the upkeep of the plant, which has not generated a single watt of electricity.

Quirino Rep. Junie Cua, appropriations committee chairman, prevailed upon Cojuangco to accept the compromise.

After Lagman’s proposal was accepted, Rep. Roilo Golez of Parañaque suggested that portions of the Cojuangco bill that are “incongruous” with the compromise be deleted.

Golez said the “incongruous” portions include allowing the National Power Corp. to immediately rehabilitate and operate the nuclear plant.

He said this might be interpreted as an authority for Napocor to operate the plant even while the mandated new feasibility study is still underway.

“If these irrelevant portions are not deleted, this will be a ridiculous and a defective bill,” he said.

Rizal Rep. Jack Duavit, a co-author of the commissioning bill, said even if the new study finds the plant to be operable and viable, it would still go through a process of licensing by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“This process alone will take time and is usually more strict and tedious than a validation or feasibility study,” he said.

Protests continue

Groups opposed to the activation of the BNPP vowed to launch more protest actions.

“From now on, the public and the broad social movement against the revival of the BNPP will keep tabs on each legislator’s position, action and/or inaction on the said issue. However, special attention will be given to the 184 legislators who have rendered their support to the bill,” said Emman Hizon of the Freedom from Debt Coalition. Members of the group as well as of the Network Opposed to BNPP or No to BNPP picketed yesterday outside the Batasang Pambansa complex.

“Those who have put their signatures to the Cojuangco bill, their reasons notwithstanding, are now under the watchful eyes of the Filipino public,” Hizon said.

FDC appealed to the pro-BNPP lawmakers to withdraw their signatures, citing the “gross disadvantages” and “monumental folly” of operating the BNPP.

“Like the mothballed BNPP, we appeal to the highest sense of our legislators to also mothball Rep. Cojuangco’s bill. We believe such a detrimental legislative measure has no place in the halls of responsible lawmaking,” Hizon said.

NO to BNPP described the mothballed plant as “tremendously dangerous, economically disadvantageous and utterly defective.”

“The protest parade symbolizes the many reasons why the BNPP revival will bring death to the Filipino people if the bill is not put to a close once and for all,” Dr. Giovanni Tapang, spokesman of NO to BNPP said.

“The Arroyo administration and Cong. Mark Cojuangco are running out of reasons to justify the revival of the Bataan nuke plant. The majority of the people of Bataan and their provincial government have already signified their opposition to the plant revival. Even if it passed legislation, the people of Bataan are sure not to allow it,” Tapang said.

“Moreover, the Catholic Church has taken an anti-BNPP revival position and the general public is against this nuclear scheme of the Arroyo administration.” Tapang added. With Katherine Adraneda

Ships idle in Philippine port as global trade slows (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/03/08/09/ships-idle-philippine-port-global-trade-slows)

Reuters | 03/09/2009 7:36 AM


SUBIC BAY, Philippines - It's 11 a.m. on a weekday but huge, bulky cargo ships scattered in this Philippine port are quiet and nearly deserted, save for a handful of workers repainting chipped handrails on some vessels.

About 22 ships -- mostly empty cargo vessels -- have anchored in this former U.S. naval base northwest of Manila, some as long as three months running. It's cheaper than most other ports in the region to park a ship and most crews are dominated by Filipinos so it's a popular choice.

Before August, when the global economic crisis started to stymie trade, cargo ships rarely stayed in Subic for more than a week. At any one time there were no more than 10 ships at the port.

"We don't usually get ships docked for a prolonged period," said Armand Arreza, administrator at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. "We would usually get a few ships which would be on lay up, but never to the extent that we have about 22 ships and for a prolonged period of time."

Lay ups refer to the temporary shutdown of cargo ships during periods of surplus and depressed freight rates.

Since September, Subic Bay management has been swamped with e-mails and calls from owners seeking to dock their cargo ships at the port to cut costs following the collapse in shipping charges as global trade fell to multi-year lows.

About 12 other ships have left Subic Bay since the end of 2008 to pick up cargo around Asia, waiting two weeks to three months to get a client. But for the remaining 22 ships, the wait continues.

"There is no cargo," said the captain of a European-owned container vessel docked at the bay since December who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to talk to the media.

"This ship is a feeder vessel. And it depends mostly on mother vessels. Since there are no mother ships bringing cargo from US and Europe, smaller container vessels like this are affected," said the 54-year old Filipino captain.

Shipping rates fall

Average shipping rates slumped beginning August 2008 and hit a six-year low of $15,000 per day in November. That represented a 67 percent to 70 percent drop from highs of $45,000-$50,000 per day in June 2008, based on an internal publication of a European container ship firm in January.

Freight rates for dry bulk ships have plummeted from the highs hit during the commodities bull run last year.

Rates for capesize vessels -- the largest that can ferry iron ore, coal and grains -- on the key route between Brazil and China have fallen to $21 a tonne, down from above $100 a tonne in June last year, according to Reuters data.

The International Monetary Fund, predicting the world economy will stagnate this year overall with the deepening global financial crisis, forecasts world export volumes will contract 2.8 percent.

In Asia, most export-driven countries like Japan, Korea and Taiwan have suffered steep double-digit declines in shipments, paralyzing their economies and resulting in region-wide ship lay ups.

Some shipping experts say they don't expect any big improvement in demand in the next six months to a year.

"Nowadays, ships sail just half full or with very little cargo, just so they could recoup their overhead and also protect their customer base," said the European ship captain who has sailed international waters for nearly three decades.

He added the severe downturn in the shipping industry is made worse because banks, which used to extend credit lines and bank guarantees to shippers, have stopped lending, resulting in prolonged lay ups.

His European ship, which can hold 1,440 20-foot containers, has had few voyages since its delivery in mid-2008 by its German shipbuilder when cargo shipping rates fell, forcing its owners to anchor the vessel in Subic and send most of its crew home because revenues cannot even cover overhead expenses.

"The shipping industry is one of the sectors most affected by the present economic situation," retired navy captain Perfecto Pascual, seaport manager at Subic Bay, told Reuters.

"Shipowners are finding ways to save costs from their operations," Pascual said, adding Subic is a favored destination in the region for lay ups because of congestion in more developed seaports in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Long-staying ships

Costs and security are also factors, with Subic Bay management charging discounted all-in fees -- including bay patrols -- of about $10,000 a month for long-staying ships.

To stay competitive, other ports in the region have also introduced discounted fees. The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority has deferred an annual increase in port dues for bunker tankers 16 years and older and gave port dues concessions to various cargo vessels.

The European shipping firm now has four container vessel docked in Subic, with the crew in one ship down to 8 from 18 previously.

Its three other ships sit side by side near the southern end of the bay, hidden in a cove near pristine beaches, with a total of 8 crew from about 48 before their lay up began in December.

More of its ships were likely to come to Subic from around Asia with shipping contracts ending and no new orders coming.

But Subic authorities want to prevent overcrowding in the bay and will only take up to 30 ships at a time, half of its original capacity when it was used at one point as the biggest US naval base outside U.S. territory. The Americans operated a naval base in Subic for about nine decades.

As of March 2, six more ships were expected to arrive in Subic for lay ups, the Subic bay management said.

The authorities also sent some of the vessels, mostly the Japanese car carriers, more than two kilometers away from the shore to appease the 33 hotel operators in Subic Bay who have complained that the ships were becoming eyesores to guests.

In the meantime, the ships' crew, comprised mostly of Filipinos, catch up with relatives in the Philippines by phone from their ship, or spend weekends with their family in and out of Subic.

Others spend their lay up swimming in the beaches of Subic and hitting the bars and restaurants come nightfall.

"I'm loving it. We're in paradise," said Geoffrey Wells, chief engineer of U.K.-based Global Marine, a submarine cable firm, whose Wave Venture ship has been docked in Subic for repairs since early January while waiting for a cable contract.

"We have wonderful weather. Everything is cheap compared to the U.K. So yeah, we're having a good time," he said.