For Midterms

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/358621/talks-made-us-look-like-beggars-joker

'Talks Made Us Look Like Beggars' – Joker

MANILA, Philippines - The refusal of the United States to take sides in the Scarborough Shoal tiff between the Philippines and China merely confirms that the long-standing mutual defense treaty (MDT) between Manila and Washington is unreliable, Sen. Joker Arroyo said yesterday.

Arroyo, an opposition senator, also cringed at the result of the highly publicized ministerial talks between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and top diplomats and officials of the country, saying it only made the top government officials look like “beggars” in the international community after the US official said America is not inclined to take the side of the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China but will only help build and strengthen the country’s maritime capabilities.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate National Defense Committee, said the US cannot afford to take sides in the territorial dispute between the Philippines and over the Scarborough Shoal as its stand is anchored on the presence of American business interests in China, which “will always play a vital role in their foreign policy decisions.”

According to Manila Bulletin research, China has been a major player in the global debt market since 2011, holding at least $1.6 trillion in US treasury bonds which helps maintain the US’ low interest rates and management of its enormous debt.

The US also owes at least $1.13 trillion to China, equivalent to 25 percent of the total $4.6-trillion debt given by foreign countries.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angarasaid Washington’s position to settle the territorial deadlock through peaceful settlement, and multilateral and rules-based approach is given following its crucial bilateral relations with China, now considered the economic giant in Asia.

“That is to be expected because this a sensitive time in US-China relations, what with the issue of the Chinese lawyer seeking asylum in the US embassy in Beijing as well as the need for the US to win over Beijing to its side regarding North Korea and Iran,” the Harvard educated-lawmaker said.

AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe agreed with Angara, saying that “Big Brother will never interfere unless its interests are affected.”

But while the US said it won’t take sides, Clinton reaffirmed America’s commitment to its MDT with the Philippines and to freedom of navigation and regional security. She also reiterated that the US will support a diplomatic resolution to any territorial disputes.

“The results of the Del Rosario-Clinton-Gazmin-Panetta ministerial meeting is a lesson for us – a small power – and that is, we should not embark on a high-profile meeting unless we are sure about a modi¬cum of success in the negotiation,” Arroyo said, referring to the high-level talks attended by Foreign Af¬fairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, and US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

“That underscores the importance of back channeling, the in¬formal diplomacy, the preliminary talks before the formal meeting. For why should we go through highly publicized talks, only to look beggared by puny cessations?” Ar¬royo said,
“Whereas before, there was at least some doubt where the US stands in the crisis, now it has been clarified. Nagkabistuhan na,” he stressed.

Arroyo said the Aquino govern¬ment should look up to former President Corazon C. Aquino, the President’s mother, who was “a master of that kind of diplomacy.”

“Informal talks were first made and the points of agreement were more or less agreed upon before the formal talks take place,” Ar¬royo said.

“If there was no agreement in the preparatory talks, it was useless to proceed with the formal meeting. Ask Teddy (Teodoro) “Boy” Locsin who was 25 years younger then. He was Cory’s effective diplomatic intercessor, among others,” he said of Mrs. Aquino’s former press sec¬retary.

Arroyo, who was Mrs. Aquino’s executive secretary, said the latest development in Washington only confirms what China had thought all along, “that the 61-year Mutual Defense Treaty cannot be invoked in the Scarborough standoff.”

In the joint statement, the US also affirmed it would cooperate on building the Philippines sea patrol capabilities and will transfer a second ship to the poorly equipped Philippine Navy some this year.

Both Del Rosario and Gazmin appealed also during the meeting for the US’ help in building at least a “minimum credible defense” for the Philippine Armed Forces. (With reports from Mario B. Casayuran and Charissa M. Luci)

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Scarborough Shoal

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

          According to Wikipedia, Scarborough Shoal forms a triangle-shaped chain of reefs and islands (but mostly rocks) 55 kilometres (34 mi) around with an of area 150 square kilometers. It has a lagoon with area of 130 km² and depth of about 15 metres (49 ft). The shoal is a protrusion from a 3,500 m deep abyssal plain. Several of the islands including "South Rock" are 1/2 m to 3 m high and many of the reefs are just below water at high tide. Near the mouth of the lagoon are the ruins of an iron tower, 8.3 m high. It is about 123 miles (198 km) west of Subic Bay. The nearest landmass is Palauig, Zambales, on Luzon Island in the Philippines, 137 miles (220 km) away. The shoal and its surrounding area are rich fishing grounds.

          I understand now why the government is trying its best to claim the shoal because it is a rich fishing ground. With the Philippines' economic state, the government are finding ways to help the country and its citizen to have a more comfortable life. The government sees the shoal as an instrument to provide our poor fellowmen some jobs. This idea is a very good thing for me for it will be very helpful to our country and its fellowmen.

          When there are advantages, there are also disadvantages. I can't stand to see and hear this issue on newspapers, televisions and radios. It is a waste of time trying to show us the development of this issue even though there's really no development. The government is also spending a lot of money to pay the people they send there to guard the shoal. If the money spent there were to be spent on more useful and more meaningful things, it would be helpful in solving the country's other problems. The worst thing is, the government is trying to convince the United States of America to be on our side regarding this issue. 

          " Talks made us look like beggars " - Sen. Joker Arroyo. I agree with Sen. Joker Arroyo. Talks made us look like beggars. I hate how other countries will think that Philippines is too poor to fight for what Philippines think is right, too coward too fight and having no pride. I am ashamed for what the government and I am sure that some of our fellowmen are too.

          I don't know why the government focuses on this issue. I suggest that they focus on other alternatives such as free education for all, tourism and finding a way to attract foreign investors to invest in our country or start a business here. In this way, unemployment rate will decrease and there will be more job for the Filipinos.

For Prelim

http://opinion.inquirer.net/26509/mindanao-power-shortage-remains-grim

Mindanao power shortage ‘remains grim’

By: Amando Doronila

Electricity users in power-strapped Mindanao are up in arms against government plans to build more coal-fired plants to relieve the critical energy shortage, warning that these would lock the island into a polluting source of power. The warning was sounded ahead of the energy summit in Davao City at the weekend by the environmentalist foundation, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, which claimed that contracts had been prepared to allow the construction of coal plants which are reported to be “more expensive, dirty, and nonrenewable power.”

The summit has been convened to seek short- and long-term solutions to the energy shortage. Press reports quoted Greenpeace Southeast Asia as claiming that environmental compliance certificates had been “hastily approved” for the new plants. At a pre-summit forum last week, according to newspaper reports, Energy Undersecretary Josephine Patricia Asirit told businessmen, local executives and officials of power cooperatives that preparations were underway to build more coal-fired plants to generate 700 megawatts of base-load power and to revive the 100-watt Iligan diesel plant owned by the Alcantaras. The power barges deployed in Mindanao would produce an extra 120 megawatts since the Agus Pulangui plants, which produce 180 megawatts, would be shut down, with repairs starting on April 17, according to news reports. She said using the Iligan diesel plant and power barges would mean that power rates in Mindanao would go up by 50 to 80 centavos per kilowatt hours.

Asirit said Mindanao had a daily demand of 1,200 megawatts and a shortfall of 100 megawatts, and that demand was growing at 50 megawatts yearly. Some 1,400 megawatts would be in the pipeline for Mindanao from October 2012 to 2014. With these costs, the government was in effect leaving the public only two options—bite the bullet of high electricity costs or suffer the consequences of worsening electricity shortages. Rep. Teddy Casiño of the party-list group Bayan Muna said: “It appears that there is enough power supply in Mindanao. The problem is that it is too expensive, so the power distributors are not buying for fear of going bankrupt.”

Greenpeace Southeast Asia criticized the government for insisting on using coal. It said: “The government has obviously used the power crisis and created an emergency situation to ram down the throat of the people of Mindanao the dirty and coal-fired power plants.”  It said it would remind President Aquino at the Davao summit that he promised during the 2010 presidential election campaign to phase out the coal-fired power plants. “This is a complete turnaround,” Greenpeace said, adding that it “would lock the country to harmful fossil fuel.”

Press reports from Davao City contradicted claims by the Department of Energy (DOE) that Mindanao had experienced only 30 minutes to two hours of power outages a day. Undersecretary Asirit has accused the media of blowing the power shortage out of proportion, claming during the pre-summit forum that there were no 10-, 12- or 14-hour blackouts on the island.  She refused to call the shortage a “crisis,” and called it a mere “situation.”

The electric cooperatives in Mindanao opposed the planned privatization of the power plants and barges. They also asked for the deferment of the planned privatization of the Agus and Pulangui hydroelectric plants, as it would help ease the power crisis without resulting in a drastic spike in electricity prices. All these proposals to relieve the shortage were mainly short-term measures, and no long-term plans have been proposed so far.

According to a report from Davao City by BusinessWorld, the DOE estimates that more than 50 percent of Mindanao’s supply of electricity comes from hydropower sources, the bulk from the Agus power complex in Lanao and the Pulangui IV plant in Bukidnon. The Agus plants are already 30 years old. Among the island’s major generation plants, only STEAG State Power Inc. in Misamis Oriental was built in the last 10 years.

Still according to BusinessWorld, it has been underscored in various forums that the inability to build power plants over the last two decades was a major factor in the current problem. “To a certain extent, this was influenced by the grid’s dependence on hydropower, where the generation cost is below P2 per kilowatt hour or less than half the estimated cost for coal-fired plants,” the report said.

The short-term prospects of making up for the shortage in electricity appeared grim, as power-sector leaders in Mindanao remained pessimistic.  “Even if we comply with the latest circular from the Department of Energy, the effect will not be significant in terms of making up for the power shortage in South Cotabato and the entire Mindanao,” said Santiago Tudio, the general manager of the South Cotabato Electric Cooperative.

He was referring to a DOE circular of last month, directing distribution utilities to comply with the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

The law provides sanctions that include disconnection from the grid if the customer fails to comply with a load-to-main level.

In Zamboanga City, power availability expectations remained low. “We expect that late April will be the worst,” with the daily outage in the city likely to be longer than six hours by that time, said Jesus Castro, the acting general manager of the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative.

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          As a student, having to experience the power shortage/rotating brownouts is very inconvenient since we are very reliable to technology in making our assignments, projects and researches. As I've read above, the government is planning to construct coal fired plants as a remedy to the problem. I believe that it will be very helpful to us who are in Mindanao. The only problem is that it is very harmful to the environment and it is not right to sacrifice our environment just to be comfortable.

          When I was young, I used to watch an educational TV show called " Sineskwela ". There was once an episode on how electricity is made. It was mentioned also that there is a city in Philippines that relies on solar powered panels to produce electricity. 

          What if the government will choose this instead of the environment harmful coal-fired plants? We will be able to use the heat from the sun to produce energy which is very safe and not harmful to the environment. It is also a creative way to squeeze out something out of the effects of global warming.