'Big bonus' for Negros
By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan

* MBCCI says on passage of Bio-fuels Act

THE passage of the Bio-fuels Act of 2006 by the bicameral conference committee is a big bonus for Negros.

So said Roberto "Bobby" Montelibano, chairman of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI).


"Considering that Negros will be the pilot place for ethanol production in the country, the passage of the Bio-fuels Act will mean a big, big, big and big bonus to all the people, including the hacienda laborers who serve as key players in the sugar industry," he said.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have concluded discussions on the contradicting provisions of Senate Bill (SB) 2226 and House Bill (HB) 4629 or the proposed Biofuels Act of 2006 and approved the draft consolidated measure.

Representative Jose Carlos "Kako" Lacson (3rd District, Negros Occidental), said he was very thankful that all differences between the Senate and Congress have been ironed out.

"More so when we, at the Congress, were able to convince our counterparts in Senate during a bicameral committee meeting Wednesday night not to exclude sugar producing provinces for this ethanol venture," Lacson said.

With this, Representative Ignacio "Iggy" Arryo Jr. (5th District, Negros Occidental) said that "it's now time to move on."

"Let's move forward and have ethanol plants in Negros as soon as possible to once again brighten the sugar industry," Arroyo said.

He too was thankful that both the Senate and Congress have reconciled on some conflicting provisions under the Bio-fuels Act.

In Manila, Senator Richard Gordon, co-author and co-sponsor of the legislative measure, was also delighted by the development. He said the speedy passage of the measure will promote the use of alternative renewable energy sources, particularly bio-fuels, which would benefit the country in terms of reducing the country's dependence on imported oil.

As for Shiva Mehrabi, spokesman of the Philippine Fuel Ethanol Alliance (PFEA), a coalition of oil industry stakeholders, Negrenses can now expect influx of job opportunities when the first three ethanol plants will be put up in San Carlos City in the north, Kabankalan City in the south and Murcia in central Negros.

"We are also very happy that after a year, Zubiri's Bill was finally passed into a law," Mehrabi said in a phone interview.

We can also say that Bukidnon Representatove Juan Miguel Zubiri is now the "champion" of sugar producing provinces and hacienda laborers, she stressed, adding that without Zubiri, "we still don't have an ethanol law."

Mehrabi also said the newly-passed law could also be a milestone for the government in addressing environmental problem in the country the quality of air that people breathe.

This as she explained that using ethanol as fuel additive for vehicles will result to clean air.

Mehrabi's statement was also supported by Gordon, who said the law will lead to the protection of public health and the environment.

It will also create jobs and livelihood opportunities for Filipinos, added Gordon.

Meanwhile, the new law will mandate the use of bio-fuels by blending five percent bio-ethanol with gasoline within two years from the effectivity of the Act and one percent bio-diesel with diesel within three months from the effectivity of the Act.

With the mandate, businessmen anticipate the influx of investors in the bio-fuels industry that would spur agro-industrial development and increase rural employment and income.

Gordon added that other industries like the alternative fuel vehicle industry are also eagerly anticipating the passage of the draft Bio-fuels Act of 2006. One of them is Ford Motors that had already taken the step of establishing the Philippines as its center of excellence for flex fuel technology through the manufacture of the first flex fuel vehicle and an additional investment of a P1.1 billion to build the first flex fuel engine manufacturing facility in the Southeast Asian region.

Gordon also said aside from having clean alternative energy, the use of bio-fuels would also have a positive impact on the price of gasoline and diesel for consumers.

For his part, Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the passage of the proposed Bio-fuel Acts will be beneficial to the country and the people. "The umbilical cord that ties us with the international oil market will be loosened with the passage of this law. Makakatulong ito ng napakalaki para sa ating mga kababayan na masyado umaaray sa taas ng gasoline sa pandaigdigan merkado (This will be a big help to our countrymen who have been suffering the pain of high fuel cost). The passage of this law will mark a very historic move for this Congress," Pimentel said. (With reports from Sunnex)


Bishops' help to be sought versus Colet
By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan

DETERMINED to stop Colet Mining from its ongoing exploration and from operating in their area in 2008, farmers from Barangay Manlocahoc, Sipalay City have decided to ask the help of the Roman Catholic bishops in Negros.

Greg Ratin, secretary general of Defend Patrimony, an anti-mining group in Negros, said that they will seek audience with Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, Kabankalan Bishop Patricio Buzon, San Carlos Bishop Jose Advincula and Dumaguete Bishop John Du.


"We will lay down everything to these good bishops, including the possibilities that may happen in Sipalay City and in nearby places should Colet start its operations," Ratin said.

The group will also inform the four bishops of the "disastrous effects" reportedly brought about by the previous mining operation of the Maricalum Mining Corp. and the Philex Gold Philippines to the environment.

"Some may tag us as a voice in the wilderness but that won't stop us from standing by our cause against Colet. Not until they stop their exploration and proposed operation. That's why we are hopeful that our four bishops will help us in our noble crusade," he added.

Sun.Star Bacolod called but failed to contact any of the four bishops yesterday. A staff from the Bishop's Palace in Bacolod said that they are still in a retreat seminar as of press time.

At the Provincial Board, Environment Committee Chairman Reynaldo Depasucat said he will echo the sentiments of the Manlocahoc farmers to his colleagues.

Depasucat led the special hearing regarding this matter Tuesday morning.

The farmers told Depasucat that more than 10 hectares of farmland planted with rice, bananas, camote and coconut trees, were buried by landslides since Colet
started its exploration in the upper Manlocahoc area in the middle of last year.

Farmer Miguel Villaplaza said that the biggest landslide occured in Sitio Lipanto, about five kilometers from the upper Manlocahoc, during the onslaught of typhoon "Milenyo" last month.

Villaplaza also claimed that the landslide caused heavy siltation in the Sipalay river.

Asked for his reaction on Mayor Oscar Montilla's statement denying their claims of landslide and soil erosion, Villaplaza dared the mayor to visit the place to see the extent of damage caused by the landslide.

"He (Montilla) doesn't know about the landslide because he has not visited us there," Villaplaza said.

Expected damage

Depasucat said that based on the Environmental Impact Assessment (IAE) conducted in Manlocahoc last Nov.11, about a hundred hectares of riceland, including the underground potable water, maybe affected by the Colet mining operations. Also projected to be affected are sitios Lipanto, Dun-i, Binikawan and Caiwanan in Manlocahoc.

The board member, however, said that since the Province has already given Colet the necessary permits, he can only propose for the creation of a local mining monitoring board in the province.

Depasucat said that this board will be composed of the local stakeholders and the representatives of the Province, the City of Sipalay and the Barangay Manlocahoc Council.

Its main task is to ensure that Colet will follow all the rules and regulations for a responsible mining.

On the other hand, Bayan Muna Spokesman Felipe Gelle, said that the Provincial Council still has the vital role in the issuance of an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for Colet.

"If the (Provincial Board) won't endorse Colet, then it could become a basis for the DENR to refuse the application for an ECC," Gelle said.

Employment

Mayor Montilla however said that stopping Colet will mean depriving thousands of unemployed Sipalaynons of job opportunities.

He added that if the government and the church will listen to the "baseless and unfounded allegations of some people whose interest is against mining, then nothing will happen in our desire to improve people's lives in Negros."

Montilla belied reports that Colet will cause damage to their environment and hinder their quest of promoting Sipalay as the next Boracay in the country.

"Colet is not stupid not to abide by the rules and regulations for responsible mining else they will be stopped in the middle of their operations," the mayor stressed.


Issues spook overseas voters list-up in US
By Jeremaiah M. Opiniano

SAN FRANCISCO -- A Halloween chill hovered on the lobby of the Philippine consulate here as the last registrant for voting in the Philippines stepped out the front door, down concrete steps, and into a nifty late-afternoon weather.

By 5p.m., and after two hours of waiting for the 4,558th registrant, security details closed the portals into what could still remain the highest record number of Filipinos who registered for absentee voting: 4,557.

Sun.Star Network Online round-by-round coverage of the Pacquiao-Morales Sunday fight here

That last person is 83-year-old Roberta Dela Rama, who scuffled toward the entrance at 3 p.m. (7 a.m. November 1 in Manila).

Dela Rama (not her real name), a spouse of a World War II veteran, didn't know nor didn't care if she was the last registrant.

She came to the consulate, she said, to apply for dual citizenship, and not to register to vote for the May 2007 elections in the Philippines.

Interviewed at the consulate's front steps along 447 Sutter Street, Dela Rama added she only knew this was the last day for the registration by chance.

"I registered anyway," Dela Rama told this writer who stayed beginning at 2 p.m., when the last day for registration began. The consulate officially accepted registration since Oct. 1, 2005

This meant everyday, an average of 17 Filipinos registered to get their voices heard when candidates rely on them next year for the national and local elections in the summer month of May.

"Filipinos here are too busy to sign up," she said by way of apologizing for the low turn-out of her fellow Filipinos here.

But for other Filipinos interviewed by the OFW Journalism Consortium, distance between registration and voting centers from where they live -measured in miles and miles of highways- is just one of the issues that haunt a satisfying turn-out of overseas absentee voters.

Nonetheless, the 2007 elections registration was more than the list-up for the 2004 elections.

The US had a final registration count of exactly 7,400 from Oct. 1, 2005 to Oct. 31 this year, for a US-wide total of 10,633 (counting the 3,233 who signed up three years ago).

San Francisco topped the list of Philippine posts with a total of 4,557 registrants of a total estimate of 300,000 Filipinos in this consular jurisdiction.

Rhyme, reasons

Not giving their real name in exchange for an interview reflects a deeper problem veering them from exercising a right to suffrage.

We have green card holder Arnold -not his real name- who took a tourist hop to this city's sights with fiancée Rebecca recently.

He is among the qualified voters since, as he claims, he works as a physical therapist in Ventura County, a 69-minute drive from the Philippine consulate in Los Angeles.

But he said even if the consulate is his next-door neighbor, "I will not go there".

He said he's focused now more on his work here "to have a secure future, and then enjoy".

"Why will I vote when I am not in the Philippines? If one is here in the US earning a living, voting for the homeland will be the last thing on your mind".

He still can register in 2009 for a possible presidential election in 2010. But he says he won't.

"By that time, I will be a US citizen."

Indeed, securing citizenship remains the beat drumming in the mind of Filipinos, aside from working hard and earning money.

Take Seattle-based Anita Sese-Schon's case.

In an electronic group, Sese-Schon typed of her awareness of dual citizenship which, if Filipinos here avail of it, will make them eligible to vote.

Swearing as a dual citizen was a side trip to her San Francisco trip last August for a reunion with friends.

Unintentionally forgotten was signing up for overseas voting.

Good thing the Manila-based Commission on Elections (Comelec) moved the registration deadline of August 31 forward two months.

But Sese-Schon said she is "not crazy" to spend another $200 airfare to go back here: personal appearance at the Consulate is required for those registering.

San Jose residents and naturalized US citizens Cecilia Soriano and Celso Costelo -their real names- just heard about overseas voting through the OFW Journalism Consortium.

Costelo said he suspects Filipinos in Santa Clara county (southern part of the Bay Area here) are largely blank about it.

Distance between us

Sociologist Peter Chua of San Jose State University points to the Filipinos' distances from the "nearest" diplomatic office and low awareness about overseas voting as reasons for the "low" turnout in the US of eligible voters.

The turnout is also not about "complete apathy to the homeland," Chua said.

Soriano, an executive assistant at Cisco Systems, believes, too.

"I am still concerned about the Philippines, and there are many of us who still want to be a part of [overseas voting]."

However, Chua said there are others who cringe at the image of their home country carried in the news or in the back of the minds of those who came here.

"It is just that many Filipinos are turned off with the economic situation and the corruption back home," Chua said.

Even Vice Consul Anthony Mandap is dissatisfied.

"You can never be proud with having only this number of registrants when there are over-300,000 Filipinos here in San Francisco alone."

But his hands are tied: there is no precise data on the number of Filipino citizens here, much less those who have been naturalized.

Hence, the numbers count on the qualified voter remains a chimera.
Mandap said the key to find that out is if a voter "is a Filipino".

Determining who that is from among the estimated 2,586,508 Philippine- and US-born Filipinos here "is hard," Mandap added.

In San Francisco, the ballpark figure to reach "success" in the registration is 75,000, Mandap said.

Philippine government data showed there are 2,326,675 permanent residents (including naturalized Filipinos), 111,835 temporary workers, and the rest as other types of migrants in the US. Some 1,369,070 Filipinos were born in the Philippines, says US Census 2000 data cited by the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, DC.

Law blow

Worldwide, some 142,015 have registered for the 2007 elections, reflecting an estimated 501,312 Filipinos abroad qualified for the overseas vote.

From the 2006 registrants, 39,223 registered at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while 47,699 signed up at the offices of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Both groups of registrants include Filipinos who have yet to go abroad for the first time.

For one to be qualified, he or she must be a Filipino citizen or a dual citizen, provisions of Republic Act 9189 (Overseas Voting Act) wrote.

However, overseas voting officials told the Consortium RA 9189 is also partly the reason for inability to pin down the precise number of Filipinos in the US eligible to vote in Philippine elections.

Likewise, Chua thinks RA 9189 contains a provision where permanent residents who registered will see their US stay "in danger".

He cites the provision where permanent residents must sign an affidavit of intent "to resume actual physical presence in the Philippines not later than three years from approval of their application for registration, and (they should have not) applied for citizenship in another country".

Thus, those who registered in 2003 for the 2004 elections should be in the Philippines right now resuming residency.

"[That] is crazy," Victor Barrios, president of the advocacy group Global Filipinos, said.

Indeed, aside from the cost of flying to and from the Philippines, most Filipinos here are more focused on their jobs with some required to file vacation leaves in advance.

That's why Barrios said the ongoing amendments to the law should "eliminate the affidavit for immigrants to return, consistent with the spirit of the Supreme Court ruling on the residency requirement for dual citizens".

For elderly people like Roberta dela Rama however, coming home to her native San Carlos City in Negros Occidental is not a problem.

And she's giddy with excitement of her trip home next year, she said.
Despite knowing about overseas voting on deadline day, Roberta signed up "to exercise her right to vote". (OFW Journalism Consortium and the Yuchengco Media Fellows Program, University of San Francisco-Center for the Pacific Rim/Sunnex)

Guv: We'll oppose any move to prejudice Negros' ethanol
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Gov. Joseph Marañon yesterday said the Negros Occidental provincial government will strongly oppose a provision in the Senate version of the Biofuels Bill that could prejudice the production of ethanol in existing sugar-producing areas like Negros Island, Bukidnon and Panay.

The ethanol market is more than $25 billion a year worldwide and we want Negros to be part of it, he said. Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri (Bukidnon, 3rd district)) told the DAILY STAR Tuesday that the Senate had introduced a provision preventing the construction of ethanol plants in sugar-producing areas unless certified by the Sugar Regulatory Administration.

In Section 12 of the Senate version, Zubiri said it has a transitory provision in order to ensure the stability of supply of domestic sugar.

The section states that during a transitory period from the effectivity of the Biofeuls Act existing land areas for sugarcane cultivation should be dedicated principally to satisfy the domestic demand of sugar, Zubiri said. During the transition period, the Senate version further states that ethanol plants shall not be in operation in areas within a certain distance from existing sugar mills, Zubiri added.

Marañon said the provision appears to be disadvantageous to Negros and the province cannot be discriminated from ethanol production just because it has sugar centrals, he said.

He pointed out that an ethanol plant is already set to be built in San Carlos City.

SRA Administrator James Ledesma Tuesday said he does not believe the transitory provision set by the Senate, which covers only three years, bans ethanol production in sugar-producing areas. It just seeks to ensure that the country has enough sugar for food needs, he said.

Marañon said the provincial government will just the same review the Senate version of the Biofuels Bill to protect the interests of the province.

Meanwhile, Marañon, who is president of the Northern Negros Planters Association that is affiliated with the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, is joining an International Sugar Organization seminar on "World Sugar and Ethanol - New Cards, New Game" in London on Nov. 21 to 22.

The governor said he will be gone from Nov. 18 to Dec. 4 because, from London, he will proceed to France and Amsterdam.*CPG