BUSINESS / B1
Ayala to build P2-B mall
in Pampanga,1st venture
in retail mart in C. Luzon
WHAT PRESIDENT
ARROYO SAW
At twilight, the skyline of Metro
Manila as seen from the lush of the
greens in Antipolo is shrouded with
a thick layer of pollutants. Ms
Arroyo was playing golf over the
weekend, and as she saw the smog
rising, she was dismayed and called
for a stricter enforcement of
environmental laws. REM ZAMORA
RP-Japan accord ‘toxic’
Environmentalists slam swap of health workers for hospital waste
By Blanche S. Rivera
A NEW DUMP FOR TOXIC WASTE MAY SOON
open for Japan—and it has 7,100 islands.
This is how concerned environmentalists see the
likely effect of the Japan-Philippines Economic
Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) which President
From incinerator
ash to used
surgical gloves
THE JPEPA MANDATES ZERO
tariff for the following types of
waste as soon as the treaty
takes effect:
• the trade talks, Senior Trade Un-
Ash and residue (other
than from the manufacture of
iron or steel) containing arsenic,
mercury, thallium or their mix-
tures, of a kind used for the ex-
traction of arsenic or those met-
als or for the manufacture of
their chemical compounds.
•
Ash and residue from the
incineration of municipal
waste.
•
Waste organic sol-
vents—halogenated.
•
Pharmaceutical waste.
•
Residual products of the
FROM INCINERATOR / A23
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
‘Oragon’ sink rivals in dragon boat race
By Juan Escandor Jr.
Inquirer Southern Luzon
PILI, CAMARINES SUR—ON TOP
of their homegrown skills, per-
haps these farmer-fishermen
have the Patroness of Bicol to
thank for their triumph at a
multinational dragon boat race
held in Singapore last month.
SPORTS / A29
Harry Tañamor, boxing’s
brightest Asiad gold hope,
INQUIRER
is axed from RP team
P H I L I P P I N E D A I L Y
B A L A N C E D
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Macapagal-Arroyo and then
Japanese Prime Minister Junichi-
ro Koizumi signed on Sept. 9 in
Helsinki on the side of the
Asia-Europe Meeting.
In exchange for the export of
nurses and caregivers, the Philip-
pines will allow the entry of toxic
and hazardous waste under the
JPEPA, according to environmen-
talists.
The top Philippine negotiator in
dersecretary Thomas G. Aquino,
told the INQUIRER that the accord
covered a broad range of prod-
ucts. But only regulated waste
would be allowed into the country
once the pact is ratified by the leg-
islatures of the two countries and
goes into effect, Aquino said. (See
related story on this page.)
This is the first time a bilateral
trade and investment agreement
will include and encourage trade
in hazardous waste, including the
highly toxic incinerator ash, a prac-
RP-JAPAN/ A23
STEEPED in the tradition of the Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia’s fluvial
procession, the Camarines Sur Dragon Boat team makes big waves in Singapore.
The local rowers, all veterans
of the regattas that grew from the
fluvial processions marking the
annual feast of the Nuestra Seño-
ra de Peñafrancia, defeated 39
other teams composed of Filipino
and foreign nationals at the invi-
tational Sava Sprints Internation-
al.
“No one is as good as those
N E W S
HH 6 sections / Vol. 21 / No. 319
Negotiator
admits
prohibited
waste on list
By Ronnel W. Domingo
THE PHILIPPINES’ CHIEF NEGO-
tiator in the trade talks with
Japan yesterday said the agree-
ment signed by the two countries
covered a comprehensive range
of products but did not necessari-
ly mean the entry into the coun-
try of prohibited or toxic waste.
Senior Trade Undersecretary
Thomas G. Aquino said in an in-
terview the Japan-Philippines
Economic Partnership Agreement
(JPEPA) was an “all-trade” pact,
which means that all products
produced in both countries are
covered.
This is why waste—even the
hazardous and toxic ones—is in-
cluded, said Aquino.
Asked why the JPEPA talks cov-
ered items that were in the first
place prohibited by Philippine law,
NEGOTIATOR/ A23
fishermen,” Aggie Luque, a Fil-
ipino working in Singapore and
who rowed with the British team
in that city-state, quoted a Cana-
dian rower as saying of the Ca-
marines Sur Dragon Boat Team
(CSDBT).
“It would be really nice for ev-
eryone in the Philippines to ap-
preciate what they did for our
METRO / A25
Ex-Makati councilor
presents proof of ghost
employees at City Hall
, F E A R L E S S V I E W S
P18
ARNOLD ALMACEN/INQUIRER VISAYAS
WOMAN’S WORK is never
done. About 25 women lead the
cleanup and the loading of sacks
of sludge on the shores of
Barangay Cabalagnan in Nueva
Valencia, Guimaras.
Reinventing Guimaras: An island of unfulfilled dreams
ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF SINGA-
pore, the sleepy island-province
of Guimaras has been rudely
roused from its dreamy slumber
by a 20th-century environmental
scourge—an oil spill.
Ironically, this may also cata-
pult it to 21st-century modernity if
development plans are achieved.
country. [They] set new stan-
dards in dragon boat racing,”
Luque said in an e-mail.
The team bagged all the first
prizes in three events in the open
men’s division—the 250-meter
and 500-m sprints and the 1,000-
m race—and emerged champions
of the race held on Sept. 23-24.
‘ORAGON’ SINK/ A6
NEWS / A2
Mega Pacific owners
admit they bagged P78-M
Comelec deal but fairly
Justices have made up
their minds on Cha-cha
By Armand N. Nocum
THE SUPREME COURT WILL HOLD A SPECIAL
session today to decide on the people’s initiative
petition and, barring a lengthy debate, may issue
a resolution within the day, a senior justice said
yesterday.
website: www.inq7.net Speaking on condition of anonymity, the jus-
JUSTICES/ A17
GUIMARAS OIL SPILL
Fish are jumping,
but living not easy
i
By Leila B. Salaverria
(Third of a series) -TEAM Report
FISH ARE JUMPING, BUT THE Fernando del Mundo
living is not easy on oil-smeared Chief
Guimaras.
Spooked by the worst environ-
mental disaster in the nation’s visible actually now from the
shoreline of Guimaras and the
history following the sinking of
people are just looking at
the MT Solar I on Aug. 11 off the
them,” says Rafael Coscolluela,
island-province, fishermen aren’t
going after what used to be the presidential adviser for west-
main source of their livelihood. ern Visayas who is in charge of
“There seems to be a lot of fish FISH/ A22
By law, the island was made a Guimaras became a province
province in 1992, when it be- after the passage of the Local
longed to the derogatory “Club Government Code that trans-
20” of the poorest provinces in ferred to local government units
the country. Unable to create (LGUs) the task of providing ba-
jobs for lack of investments, its sic services, which the national
local government units were al- government used to do. The law
so unable to deliver basic ser- also devolved to LGU personnel,
vices to their poorest. REINVENTING/ A22
Loren, Ping,
Kiko top
SWS survey
By Cynthia D. Balana
and Norman Bordadora
FORMER SEN. LOREN LEGARDA
No more room
emerged as the top choice of po-
tential voters polled by the Social
Weather Stations in its latest sur- at the inn for
vey on senatorial preferences for
the May 2007 elections. GMA Cabinet
There were 13 front-runners in
the race for 12 Senate seats as a By Christine O. Avendaño
result of ties for the 11th and
12th slots. BECAUSE THERE MAY BE
They included eight opposition no more rooms at the inn for
figures, four senators who are at them, members of the Cabi-
times critical of President Maca- net attending the Southeast
pagal-Arroyo and a television Asian Summit in Cebu in
broadcaster, according to the December may literally
SWS polling outfit. have to live by the summit
The survey, conducted from theme “One Caring and
Sept. 2 to Oct. 2, covered 46 pos- Sharing Community.”
sible senatorial candidates and Which means they may
involved a representative sample NO MORE/ A17
LOREN/ A22