Philippine News by MySearch Philippines

ESCOLTA, Manila – "Is it ‘halal"’? Is a question that lingers in the mind of every Muslim when eating outside their homes, or when buying consumer items.

International experts on "halal" food certification and preparation are converging in the country tomorrow, May 24, to address this pervasive concern, particularly with the proliferation in the market of consumer items bearing dubious "halal" logo.

An Arabic term, "halal" is often translated as "allowed" or "permitted."

When stamped with a halal logo, it means an item is safe for Muslims to eat or use, without fear of transgressing Qur’anic injunctions.

"So eat (meats) on which Allah’s name hath been pronounced, if ye have faith in His signs." (Qur’an 6:119)

Halal, thus, in the consumer world, is applied "to items that are developed, manufactured, slaughtered, prepared and distributed" based on the tenets of Islam found in the Qur’an and the authentic sayings of Prophet Mohammad Sallallahu Allaihi Wassalam.

The Qur’an has also obliged Muslims to earn their living through halal (legitimate) means as opposed to "haram" (forbidden or illegitimate).

Lawyer Abdurahman R.T. Linzag said yesterday the Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines (IDCP) is leading the "Forum on Halal Development Program in the Philippines" at the Skytop of the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City Monday, aimed at clearing "misrepresentation and misinformation" on the halal trade industry.

Linzag said Malaysian Senator Datuk Taha Ariffin, secretary general of Regional Islamic Da’wah Council for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP), and Sheikh Abdelwahab Sindi, a top official of Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Development Bank (IDB), are the two major foreign and Filipino speakers in the forum.

Recent figure showed the world halal industry is worth over US$150 billion per year.

In the Philippines, the still-largely undeveloped halal program had suffered a setback after the Supreme Court nullified last year President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s executive order on halal development.

The High Tribunal decision barred the government from engaging in halal certification, it being a religious activity.

Linzag said the forum coincides with the 23rd anniversary of the IDCP, a federation of many "BalikIslam" (converts to Islam) groups engaged in da’wah (preaching of Islam).

As such, Linzag said Balik-Islam leaders may respond to the Arroyo government accusations that Christians who embraced Islam are easy recruits for terrorist activities.

IDCP-affiliated groups will have an assembly on May 25 also at the same venue.

Edd K. Usman

Best of Pinoys

A Filipino-American who has been working for 22 years at the United States Department in Washington, D.C. may soon be the first US ambassador of Filipino descent.

President George W. Bush has nominated Michele J. Sison, a Filipino-American, to be the next ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to reports from Washington , D.C.

According to the reported, Sison, 44, is currently working as Principal Assistant Secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of South Asian Affairs.

Sison is the daughter of Filipino immigrants Pablo and Victoria Sison, records showed.

If confirmed by the US Congress, Sison will be the first Filipino-American to become US ambassador.

Sison, who currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland, immediately got the support of the Filipino-American community in the entire US. Estimates are that there are three million Filipino-Americans in the US, mostly concentrated in California, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Washington, Maryland and Hawaii.

The Filipino leaders have expressed gratitude to President Bush for making Sison’s historic nomination.
"This is another first in bringing more Filipino-American to high positions in the Bush administration," they said.

Last May 13, Bush appointed Eddy Badrina as executive director of the President’s Advisory Commission for Asian-American and Pacific Islanders.

Many other Filipinos are currently working in the White House and State Department in Washington, D.C.
At least three Americans of Filipino descent are generals in the US military service.

Records showed that at least one US congressman and one US senator are of Filipino descent.

One of the three Fil-Am generals, Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, was at center stage recently for his appearance at the US congress investigating alleged abuses of US soldiers on Iraqi prisoners.

Taguba was the author of the prisoner abuse report which has led to the trial of several soldiers.

The 6,000-page report, compled by Taguba, formed the basis for the hearings of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Taguba said in the report he found "numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses" had been inflicted on Iraqis held at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad between last October and December.

(Jo Chrystie M. Gabot/Phil-Am Press/US News Agency) May 30, 2004, Manila Bulletin

NAGUILIAN, La Union – The municipal government of Naguilian, this province has launched a program for the development and promotion of its decades-old basi making industry.

This came after the local sugarcane wine, which many Ilocanos say tastes milder than the Japanese Suntory, was found to have a potential market in the country and in several foreign places, such as Hawaii and foreign places, such as Hawaii and California, where Ilocanos now reside.

Mayor Reynaldo J. Flores, who ran for reelection unopposed in the May 10 elections, said the promotion of the "Naguilian basi" has received full support from Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro who recently came to this sugarcane-producing town to donate basi module equipment to the municipal government.

Flores described basi as the result of fermenting a mixture of juice extracted from selected sugar cane using a crusher called "dadapilan" and "bubod," a specially formulated yeast; bark of "duhat" tree to enhance the wine’s reddish color, and young guava leaves.

Basi is fermented in a "burnay" (a large earthen jar) placed in a shaded area for a minimum of three months, Flores said, adding that the longer the fermentation period the smoother is the taste and the higher is the grade of the wine produced.

Flores said a project proposal recently completed by municipal planning and development coordinator Marivic Rimando and municipal agrarian reform officer Daniel Dumaguing called for at least six barangays to be covered by the LGU-initiated basi-making project.

These are barangays Gusing Norte, Gusing Sur, Mamating Norte, Mamating Sur, Tudingan and Casilangan. Flores said the municipal government has identified hundreds of hectares of mountain sides and hillsides suitable for sugarcane planting.

As programmed, Flores said, the farmers in the identified villages, who gave organized themselves into a cooperative, will be extended production loans in the form of sugar cane cuttings, fertilizers and other farm inputs.

He said bottling, labeling and packaging will be funded by the municipal government in coordination with San Miguel Corp. which will supply the bottles.

Flores said the Naguilian United Green Valley Cooperative Inc., a federation of cooperatives in the town, will serve as the municipality’s basi-marketing arm.

Tony Pe Rimando, 30 May, 2004, Manila Bulletin

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has started implementing rules and regulations in an effort to further develop the country’s orchids industry into a source of livelihood.

Central Luzon DENR Regional Executive Director Regidor de Leon said that Republic Act 9147 also known as the Conservation and Protection of Wildlife Resources or Act of 2001, provides for the development of the country’s orchids industry.

"This is a good news to orchid aficionados, whether simply lovers or growers," said DENR Secretary Elisea Gozun.

Gozun said the department’s plan will encourage and promote the sustainable use and propagation of orchids. It will also prevent illegal collection or gathering of indigenous orchids from the wilds.

The plan will also maximize the country’s earnings from the orchids industry by way of accreditation of orchid farms nationwide. Gozun said legitimate orchid growers who will enter into partnership with the government will be assisted in looking for the best market for their produce.

Section 7 of the implementing rules and regulations provides that commercial breeding and propagation of wildlife resources shall be allowed through the issuance of wildlife permit, but commercial operation will be subjected to environmental assessment of the government, Gozun said.

Through the accreditation instrument, the DENR will be able to identify those who are presumably collecting orchids illegally from the wilds, and will also allow the government to impose stiffer penalties for illegal traders, Gozun said.

Accreditation of orchid farms will mean better income for legitimate members of the industry.

Bioprospecting will be allowed but, with the objective of encouraging technology developments that will ensure that benefits will reach or trickle down to the community level or the place of origin, De Leon explained.

At present, there are approximately 155 species of regulated orchids that are in the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES) list.

30 May, 2004, Red Roxas, Manila Bulletin

CEBU CITY (PNA) – Listed telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), recently named the country’s best managed company, has vowed to revolutionize the telecommunications industry in Cebu.

"It is our intention to spearhead the development of telecommunication facilities in Cebu to be at par with the best in the world," said Butch Jimenez, vice president for media and PLDT’s official spokesperson.

PLDT intends to leverage the strength of its huge network both in fixed line, wireless and satellite communications to give the city a boost in its efforts to develop trade, a statement said.

PLDT will launch Innolab in Cebu next week.

A hi-tech telecoms laboratory that will develop telecoms and data-based solutions for practically every need of Cebu’s corporate world, the lab will allow a real-time demonstration of the products and services that PLDT offers.

For Cebu’s information and communications industry, PLDT assures that for traffic in Cebu going to and from most of the key cities in the Philippines, it has the capacity to transport 600,000 simultaneous voice circuit equivalent to 50 gibabits per second (Gb/s).

This can be in combination with data traffic such as Internet and video transmissions as well.

Furthermore, the PLDT network has direct connections to most of the international cable systems landing at the Nasugbu Cable Landing station such as the APCN 1 and 2, SEA-ME-We, GPT etc.

With the self-healing ring character of the network, connections to Cebu or other key cities of the archipelago are always protected via two physical separate routes, it said.

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce has chosen PLDT to be its partner in powering the Cebu Business Month 2004.

May 23, 2004, Manila Bulletin

The Best of Pinoys

The prestigious office address that is 6750 Ayala avenue bagged runner-up honors at the recent ASEAN Energy Awards, second only to Royal Plaza in Singapore in the Retrofitted Building Category.

The ASEAN Energy Awards (AEA), handed out since 2000, is a joint undertaking of the Efficiency and Conservation Sub-sector Network of the ASEAN Energy Cooperation and ASEAN Centre for Energy.

The awards recognize energy-efficient buildings, and judge entries according to energy savings achieved, design, maintenance, management, and environment impact.

The AEA has four categories: New and Existing Buildings, Retrofitted Buildings, Tropical Buildings and Special Submissions.

A total of four entries from the Philippines made it to the finals. Three of them are Ayala Land developments – the other two being Greenbelt 3 and Alabang Town Center (fourth and sixth places, respectively) in the New and Existing Buildings category.

Through the AEA, the regional organization of ASEAN hopes to promote cooperation in various fields of energy such as energy efficiency and conservation, and serve as a platform to generate opportunities and interests of the private sector to be involved in energy development of the ASEAN region in partnership with the public sector.

May 16, 2004, Manila Bulletin

Poverty is not always tied to the lot of farmers. Poverty incidence actually decreases when land tillers are already installed and productively working in the lands awarded to them through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Results of the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) ARCs Level of Development Assessment (ALDA) showed that average annual agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) income increased by 11% in 2003 to P82,036.85 from P73,845.18 in 2001.

On a monthly average, this means that an ARB’s income rose to P6.836.40 in 2003 from P6,153.765 in 2001 or to P262.93 from P236.68 divided in 26 days.

ARB families who already own the lands they till enjoy income which in 2003 is 38% higher than the P4,961 monthly income requirement in the meeting food and non-food basic needs of a family of fived based on the 2002 annual per capital threshold rate released by the National Statistical Coordination Board early this year.

In the most landholdings nationwide where the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) phase of the CARP has already been completed, the biggest contribution to ARBs total household income is from farm income.
In the last three years, farms income’s contribution to total household income was 59%, while the rest came from off the farm and non-farm income.

The ALDA result resembles the conclusion of a study done by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies in 2002 authored by Celia Reyes titled "Impact of Agrarian Reform on Poverty."

Using data from about 1,500 farm households, the study concluded that "agrarian reform has had a positive impact on farmer beneficiaries... (which) led to higher per capital incomes and reduced poverty incidence between 1900 and 200."

The study further noted that: "Compare to non-agrarian reform beneficiaries tend to have higher incomes and lower poverty incidence. Moreover, complimentary inputs such as irrigation, credit and government services tend to increase the chances of farmer-beneficiaries to be non-poor."

Increase in the CARP budget for LAD and government support services would guarantee improved sources of livelihood among farmer-beneficiaries.

To date, there are still 800,000 hectares – mostly composed of private agricultural landholdings – that need to be distributed to ARBs.

ALDA results for 2003 meanwhile showed that in terms of support services to ARBs in 5,525 agrarian reform communities (ARCs) nationwide, 34% of these ARCs still need access to power supply, 6% remain without access to portable water supply, remaining 37% require farm-to-market roads, 57% need bridges, 40% require irrigation system, 22% need access to pre and post harvest facilities, 38% still have no access to livelihood loans and 68% on multipurpose loans.

ARBs in other Asian countries enjoyed increase in their incomes after the successful implementations of their respective land reform programs.

In Taiwan, for instance, the post World War II land reform, increased rice yields by an average of 60% and farm incomes by 150%. Taiwanese farmers also increased the wealth of their neighbors as they spent yearly 50% more on clothing, 155% more on bycicles, 418% more on building new homes and 174% more on renovating new ones.

In Japan, land reform is said the world’s most successful poverty alleviation program as it gave former tenant farmers new incentives which paved the way for the rapid growth of Japanese agriculture.

Meanwhile, in China, a rapid return of the land to individual small holders was made in the 80s which later led to the success of promoting market-oriented agriculture.

July 08, 2004, Manila Bulletin

Tourism Secretary Roberto M. Pagdanganan yesterday stressed a three-point tourism marketing strategy which the DoT has adopted to attain the department’s immediate and long-range objectives of enhancing tourism arrivals in the country.

Sec. Pagdanganan made the statement during the opening of the two-day International Marketing Convention at the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel, sponsored by the Philippine Marketing Association, in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

The DoT chief said that his three-point marketing strategy is composed of:

1. Strong partnership with the private sector, including media, local government units, and other national government agencies;

2. Balanced and focused marketing and product development program. The key is to develop new product packages to meet demands of specific market segments. Existing and planned insfrastructure development should be marketdriven, and

3. Instilling a culture of tourism among our people. Tourism creates jobs; tourism means business; therefore it should be everybody’s business.

Sec. Pagdanganan predicted, based from an increasing number of tourist arrivals, that the country will be receiving about 2.4 million tourists before the end of the year, the figure more than the 2.2 million in 1997.

The 2.4 million tourist arrivals will also generate about US$2 billion in tourism receipts, creating no less than half a million jobs for Filipinos, Pagdanganan stressed.

Sec. Pagdanganan was three-term governor of Bulacan, and during his four-month stay in the DoT, he has sustained the gains of the highly successful "WOW Philippines!" campaign with his complementary "Ganda ng Pilipinas, Galing ng Pilipino" or GP2 campaign.

With the campaign, Pagdanganan has strengthened the promotion of the natural and man-made attractions of the country, the DoTEA manifesto added.

The DoT Employees Association (DoTEA) added the Pagdanganan "is a staunch advocate of equitable and sustainable national progress through good governance, quality of education, genuine local autonomy as well as the development of cooperatives, small and medium enterprise and big business.

International Marketing Convention over-all chairperson said that the convention is aimed at updating marketing practitioners on the latest global trends as well as in the successes of so-called "renaissance companies."

The convention is an aggruption of marketing leaders representing various countries.

Pagdanganan also stressed that tourism has an indispensable role in alleviation of poverty.

"Tourism is an effective catalyst and a powerful tool for winning the war against poverty. The challenge to all of us is to maximize its benefits to improve the quality to life."

Citing worldwide figures, Pagdanganan said that in 2002, about 7,003 million tourists generated receipts of about US$700 billion.

Pagdanganan added that Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration has identified tourism development as a major component in the over-all strategy to alleviate poverty.

The Department of Tourism has underataken several tourism projects that are oriented toward the alleviation of poverty.

Leonardo Q. Belen, July 08, 2004, Manila Bulletin

MANILA (DPA) – The Philippines will be acquiring about 50 helicopters in the next 18 months as part of efforts to boost the country’s air force, an official said yesterday.

Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita said 20 of the choppers would be donated by the United States as part of military aid already pledged to the country by President George W. Bush.

The military also bought 10 choppers from the US for $7.3 million and another 20 from a Singapore aviation company for $10.8 million, he added.

"In all, we will have close to 50 additional helicopters by the end of 2005," Ermita said in a speech at the celebration of the Philippine Air Force’s 57th founding anniversary.

"The acquisition of these air assets enhance our air force capability in fighting both insurgency and terrorism," he added. "It could definitely help in our efforts to drive out Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants hiding in the southern Philippines."

The US has expressed concern over the continued presence of some 40 JI operatives in the jungles of the southern region of Mindanao.

Ermita said Singapore Technologies Aerospace would deliver three helicopters at the end of the month and every month thereafter until 20 units are delivered by early 2005.

The choppers from the US would be delivered late this year or early in 2005, he added.

The Philippine Air Force is one of the weakest in the region. While it has 60 Huey helicopters, all acquired from the US, less than 30 are in flying condition.

July 08, 2004, Manila Bulletin

"My intention was to show Mrs. (Imelda) Marcos as a woman with more than 3,000 shoes. My intention was to show the humanity behind the caricature."

US-based controversial documentary filmmaker Ramona Diaz appeared in a court in Makati City to refute the allegations hurled against her by former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

Diaz, author of "Imelda," a biography film featuring the life and times of the former wife of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, denied that the film portrays Mrs. Marcos in a malicious manner.

Imelda’s director said that it was never her intention to reveal the former First Lady in an "unfavorable light," citing that she made careful interviews and even sought Marcos’ approval for the filming.

"I deny having misled Mrs. Marcos into thinking that the filming we were doing was for the purpose of a thesis documentary," Diaz said.

The 45-year-old Diaz also denied that Mrs. Marcos did not authorize her to show the film for public viewing. According to her, she personally signed the release of the film dated December 11, 1996.

"She was aware that we were filming her for a documentary on her life and during the shooting. I would time and time again inform her that other sides will be interviewed – foes and friends alike," Diaz recounted.

Diaz also said that the full-length film has already been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Greece, San Diego, Chicago, and Denver.

All the way from Baltimore, Maryland, Diaz flew to the Philippines hoping to see the premiere of the film.
However, she was caught by surprise when United Pictures Inc., with whom she had an exclusive distribution agreement, informed her that Mrs. Marcos petitioned the courts to stop the film’s public viewing.

"There is nothing defamatory or malicious in Imelda. Many other media personalities have, at one time or another, came up with articles or video on her," Diaz said.

by Hannah Torregoza

‘Filipinos must see history’

Manila (Reuters) – Filipinos born after the overthrow of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos deserve the chance to see a documentary about former first lady Imelda Marcos that she is trying to have banned, the film’s director said yesterday.

Marcos, who said the film reduced her to tears by making a joke of her colorful life, has won a court order temporarily stopping the screening of the award-winning documentary.

But filmmaker Ramona Diaz said she was surprised by Marcos’ angry response to the film, and particularly by her accusation that the director had tricked her into believing the interviews she filmed were intended only for a college project.

"There was no deception at all," the US-based Filipina told reporters in Manila, where the 100-minute Documentary "Imelda" was originally supposed to have premiere yesterday.

"We had many conversations. I have a lot of faxes to her describing what I wanted to do, there were scenes in the film that were her idea and I thought they were great ideas, so we did it."

The court found reasonable grounds in Marcos’ contention that the film was unfair to her and she had been deceived.

Marcos’ extravagant lifestyles and an enormous shoe collection amassed during her husband’s iron-fisted rule for two decades before his ouster in 1986 helped make her probably the world’s most famous Filipino and a target of ridicule.

Diaz, a niece of a former official in the state agency recovering the estimated $5 billion to $10 billion allegedly plundered by the Marcoses, expressed hope that young Filipinos would be able to watch the documentary and make up their own minds.

"She’s a big historical figure. When the Marcoses were in power, they were not yet born. They have no knowledge of her, no memories."

Diaz said she had tried to go beyond the usual stereotypes of Marcos and her 3,000 pairs of shoes by giving her plenty of time to air her side of the story and exploring the cultural backround to the couple’s rule.

"That was my intention, to say behind this caricature is a real person who lives, breathes, and thinks," she said.
"It’s ironic that she filed this, because in some of the Western press, especially the New York critics, it was claimed I was softening Imelda."

The Philippine Supreme Court is set to issue a final decicion on the film soon, and Diaz said she was confident it would rule in her favor.

July 08, 2004, Manila Bulletin