Essays on the Filipino World by Art Villasanta

Peace: the greatest gift

2011-11-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

IN THIS “Season of Peace” that is Christmas, be thankful for the blessing of Peace.

It isn’t a perfect Peace. None will dispute that. There are frustrating wars against communist and Muslim insurgents who persist in their failing campaigns to bend the government’s will.

In this “Season of Peace,” grieve for the 40,000 Filipinos who have died in a communist insurgency that renewed its campaign of violence a day after Christmas in 1968.

Mourn for the 120,000 other Filipinos who have perished in Mindanao since Filipino Muslims decided to right perceived wrongs against them by force of arms in 1972. Lament the thousands physically wounded and those emotionally scarred by these wars, and the millions displaced from their homes.

In this “Season of Peace,” say a prayer and try to do something for our countrymen who have suffered and continue to suffer from these wars. And remember the child victims of war.

The dreadful toll of Filipinos taken by these wars illustrates war’s perverse and preferred role as an arbiter of conflict among human beings. War is as old as man. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of war or the employment of organized armed violence dating back 12,000 years.

War is pervasive. As far as can be determined, there has been a war every year somewhere on our planet for the past 3,000 years. And this rush to war seems to have been hastened by the rise of the “civilized” state 5,000 years ago.

One report claims there have only been 26 days of peace from 1945 to 2005. The year 1945 saw the end of World War II in which 70 million persons died, history’s bloodiest death toll from any war.

That's only 26 days of peace out of the 22,000 days from 1945 to 2005. And it’s fairly certain there hasn’t been a single day of peace from 2006 until today. Mankind stubbornly refuses to give Peace a chance.

War is enduring. Sadly, war has been—and remains—a common arbiter of disputes between states and among armed groups. It’s also the least effective since it sows, as it so often has, the bloody seeds of the next conflict and the one after that.

Witness World War I, the "War to End All Wars" that ignited the bloodier World War II, which then led to the proxy wars between democracy and communism that, in turn, saw Muslims take up the sword in the conflicts that batter today's world.

And if one gazes at the 19th century, one witnesses our own revolution against Spain, one of the many wars for independence fought by enslaved peoples against European empires, chiefly those of Britain, Spain and France.

Why does man avidly forsake Peace? The answers are as complex as the causes of war. But whether one believes the Biblical comment wars begin in men's hearts, or take into account the opinion most wars are ignited by greed, one cannot escape the reality of war's stranglehold on mankind.

Filipinos should count their blessings, however. It’s worse in some places where the word Peace isn’t defined as the absence of violent action, but as a pause in the horrors of war.

Recall Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and the Sudan, and those obscure places in Europe, Africa and Asia where racial hatreds have exploded into genocide.

In this “Season of Peace,” remember to love your fellowman as you love yourself. By doing so, you give Peace more than the fighting chance it needs to calm man’s violent passions.

Peace and Love to All in this Season of Peace.

Banish war.

The Philippines: lost at sea in the Spratlys

2011-09-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

This August, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam will take delivery of her second “Gepard 3.9 Class” frigate.

Vietnam’s two Gepard (Russian for “cheetah”) frigates are now among the most advanced surface combatants in Southeast Asia apart from the Republic of Singapore’s six French-made “La Fayette” multi-role stealth frigates and the Republic of China's U.S. made destroyers and "La Fayette" stealth frigates.

The Gepard’s firepower is formidable: eight sea-skimming “Switchblade” anti-ship missiles, each with a range of 130 km; a surface-to-air missile system; two 6-barreled 30 mm autocannon; torpedoes; an anti-submarine rocket launcher and a 76.2 mm dual purpose main gun. All this Russian-made firepower in a small ship weighing only 2,000 tons and crewed by just 100 men.

Each of Vietnam’s Gepards has enough firepower to easily sink any World War II warship, including the 65,000 ton Yamato whose massive nine 46 cm main guns had a range of just 42 km.

One of Vietnam's two Gepard-class frigates

Challenging China
Begun in 2006, the modernization of the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) doesn’t end with the delivery of the Gepards, however. Vietnam is awaiting delivery of six improved “Kilo Class” submarines (six torpedo tubes, 6,000 mile range) and 20 Sukhoi “Su-30MK2” Flanker-C naval fighter-bombers (5,000 mile range, anti-ship missiles).

These weapons systems, all made in Russia, bring Vietnam closer to the point where she can successfully challenge China—her primary strategic foe—if push comes to shove in the West Philippine Sea. Of these three weapons systems, the Kilo Class submarines will be the most important in any future naval fight against China.

Ship-to-ship, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is overwhelmingly superior to the VPN. The PLAN has 50 frigates to counter Vietnam’s seven. It also operates 26 destroyers, 19 conventional attack submarines, three nuclear submarines, 80 missile-armed coastal warfare ships and over 200 fast attack craft.

Submarines, however, offer Vietnam the realistic prospect of tilting the odds in its favor in a renewed naval conflict over the Spratlys given China’s inexperience in anti-submarine warfare. And Vietnam will have six modern attack submarines to attack Chinese surface ships.

Unfortunately for China, over 90 percent of her maritime trade transits the West Philippine Sea. This makes Chinese merchantmen and warships easier prey for Vietnam’s Kilo submarines, also known as “Black Holes” for their ability to avoid detection.

Hence, Vietnam’s current strategy of building-up its submarine force, both to interdict Chinese shipping and to take revenge for previous defeats at China’s hands in naval battles in the Spratlys.

Vietnam’s last defeat occurred off our Kalayaan Archipelago in March 1988. In that battle, three missile-armed Chinese frigates attacked three almost defenseless Vietnamese troop transport ships defended by three lightly armed patrol boats, sinking all the transports and killing 60 Vietnamese. The Chinese lost six men but no ships.

Other claimants' navies
Malaysia and the Republic of China (ROC), two other claimants to the Spratlys, also realize the immense value of submarines and modern warships in defending their national interests in the West Philippine Sea.

Malaysia two years ago took delivery of two Scorpène submarines built by France. These advanced subs are armed with “Blackshark” wire-guided torpedoes and “Exocet SM-39” sub-launched anti-ship missiles. They have a patrol range of 12,000 km on the surface.

The ROC, on the other hand, operates four submarines, 22 modern frigates and four destroyers. In addition, the ROC Navy is building 30 “Kuang Hua VI Class” missile boats capable of patrolling the West Philippine Sea.

The ROC is also reported to be developing a “carrier killer” called “Hsun Hai (Swift Sea),” a state-of-the-art missile corvette. This nimble sea fighter will rely on sophisticated stealth technologies to evade detection and engage PROC aircraft carriers with its eight anti-ship missiles. A prototype is scheduled for delivery next year.

It is now almost certain the PROC intends to build five aircraft carriers that will all become operational by the next decade. Since these carriers will undoubtedly be used to show the flag in the Spratlys thereby raising tensions, the naval build-ups by Vietnam, the ROC and Malaysia have sound strategic bases.

The Philippines and her Navy
And what of the Philippines and her Philippine Navy?

As we undoubtedly have the strongest claim to control the Spratly’s among the six contenders, one would expect this country to have placed orders for frigates, submarines, long-range fighter aircraft, surface-to-surface missiles and other necessary military hardware to back our claim more forcefully.

The Chinese dragon won’t bother with the Philippine eagle—unless that eagle breathes fire, too.

Yes, we are modernizing—in a way. Last March, the Philippine Navy took delivery of one Hamilton Class cutter from the United States. When this cutter was in service with the U.S. Coast Guard, it was used for search and rescue, anti-smuggling operations and patrolling the U.S. exclusive economic zone.

This ship has been rename d BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15). It is armed with a 76 mm cannon, two 25 mm Mk38 Bushmaster autocannon and one 20 mm Close-in-Weapons System (CIWS) for anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense.

Its armament makes it more powerful than the BRP Rajah Humabon (three 3 inch guns), the Navy’s World War II vintage flagship. But we’ll only have one Hamilton Class cutter, which is also termed a frigate.

BRP Gregorio del Pilar, a lightweight compared to the heavy-hitting Gepards and the PLAN's Type 052 destroyers.

The del Pilar and the Humabon are the most powerful units in the Philippine Fleet. Backing up these ships are about 13 corvettes and 40 patrol boats. None of these ships are missile-armed, so their survivability in a naval battle or even a minor skirmish is seriously in doubt.

Were this country a bit richer, the Philippines would probably have trod the same road as Vietnam and shopped the world for the best available arms to meet our unique needs. Alas, this is not meant to be.

Despite its paucity in naval fighting power, the Philippines has an ace-in-the-hole: the mighty United States Navy.

On June 23, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged U.S. support for Philippines amid escalating tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea. Brushing aside a Chinese warning for the U.S. to stay out of the row, Clinton said that U.S. national interests in freedom of navigation and respect for international law were at stake.

“I want to underscore our commitment to the defense of the Philippines,” Clinton said, adding the U.S. would honor its 1951 mutual defense treaty with the Philippines. She said Washington would stand by its old friend.

While the U.S. “. . . does not take sides on territorial disputes over land features in the South China Sea, but we oppose the use of force or the threat of force to advance the claims of any party,” she said.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto del Rosario said the Philippines is relying on U.S. help to strengthen its naval capabilities. The unequivocal U.S. pledge might serve to diffuse tensions with China for now, and this was probably its intent.

China's eternal nightmare: the US Navy's 10 Nimitiz-class supercarriers, one of which is the USS Ronald Reagan.

China, however, has shown a stubborn streak in its push for hegemony in the West Philippine Sea. And there is reason to doubt China’s sincerity when she states diplomacy is her preferred tool in solving the Spratlys’ impasse. Her relentless aggressive actions seem to belie this claim.

Only the U.S. or a military coalition among the other five claimants will suffice to keep China in check. And the Philippines can learn from recent history the folly of appeasing aggressive states such as China. Remember Neville Chamberlain?

History must not repeat itself at our expense.

* Published July 2011

How kids can avoid the danger of back breaking backpacks

2011-08-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

There ought to be a law against having elementary and high school students lugging most of their heavy textbooks and notebooks to school five days a week. The good news for students and their parents is there will be such a law—if and when the current 15th Congress comes around to approving it.

In August 2009 during the 14th Congress, Congressman Carmelo Lazatin of Pampanga filed a bill that would limit the weight of bags children in both public and private schools are required to bring to class daily.

This legislation or House Bill 06644 has been pending with the Committee on Basic Education and Culture since that same month. Its full title is “An Act Limiting the Amount of Weight of Bags Carried by Children in School and Implementing Measures to Protect Schoolchildren's Health from the Adverse Effect of Heavy School Bag”.

Far too heavy school backpacks

Lazatin cited complaints from parents in his district who said they discovered their children were carrying bags about 40 percent of their body weight. He noted several international studies that recommend schools limit the weight of loaded bags to a minimum 15 percent of the body weight of students.

Carrying a backpack weighing more than 15 percent of body weight renders a child unable to maintain proper posture while standing and causes him to bend forward, making breathing more difficult. Ideally, a backpack and its contents should weigh less than 10 percent of a child's body weight, according to some sources.

The problem of heavy school backpacks isn’t unique to our country, however. It’s also a grave problem in the USA, Asia and Europe. According to medical sources in the USA, one of the major causes of potential injury to American school children that often goes unnoticed is the school backpack.

Back Pain
A study by the American Physical Therapy Association found over 50 percent of children surveyed carried backpacks heavier than 15 percent of their body weight, the suggested weight limit. Children that carry more than this percentage can develop serious back pain and other problems that require treatment.

Coping with heavy loads presents another problem since children tend to lean forward or arch their backs, causing them to develop poor posture. A study conducted by the Hong Kong Society for Child Health and Development in 1988 showed close to five percent of Grade 3 to Grade 6 students developed back problems such as mild to serious spinal deformities due to the heavy bags these students carried to school daily.

In Europe, a study conducted in 1994 among Scandinavian students revealed a high probability for spinal problems in school children who carried backpacks, no matter how they carried them. That brings up another major problem about backpacks: how to carry these correctly.

The same Scandinavian study found that 54 percent of the children who carried their backpacks on one shoulder complained of back pains, and that 45 percent of the two-shoulder pack wearers also complained of back pains. It also showed that girls were more likely to experience backpack-related pain than boys.

Probably because it’s more “ma-porma,” many students sling their backpacks over one shoulder. This can, however, cause the student to lean to the other side to compensate for the extra weight, resulting in back pain and a strained neck and shoulders. Children who sling their backpacks over one shoulder or who use one-strap bags that put weight on only one shoulder might become victims of scoliosis (a sideways deviation of the spine) because of the uneven weight distribution. Medical sources say constantly slinging a backpack over one shoulder could cause damage to one’s spine.

Be on the lookout for these warning signs that your child’s school backpack might be too heavy for him or her:

He experiences pain while wearing the backpack.
There’s a tingling sensation and numbness in his arm or arms.
He struggles to put on or take off the backpack.
A change in his posture when wearing the backpack.

School Backpacks for Light Loads Only
It should be remembered that school backpacks, at least those commonly used in this country, aren’t mostly designed to carry heavy loads. A backpack with wheels (“rolling backpacks”) or mounted on a two-wheeled trolley is a better choice for lugging heavy school loads weighing more than 15 percent of the user’s body weight than the very common backpack.

What passes off as a normal school backpack is the frameless and non-rigid type suitable for carrying light loads weighing less than five kilograms. Many of these backpacks also lack adjustable hip belts that distribute weight across the body and padded shoulder straps for more comfort.

To carry more than five kilograms safely and comfortably means a student has to use either a backpack with an external frame or an internal frame. These types of backpacks are rare in the Philippines, however, and many of those available are made especially for backpacking, hiking and other outdoor activities for adults.

Framed backpacks are more often used by soldiers who tend to carry heavy loads. Soldiers also use large backpacks that can carry loads over 10 kg. This heavy weight is mostly supported by padded hip belts as the hips are stronger than the shoulders and thus able to bear more weight safely than the shoulders and spine.

Backpack Safety
Since your child is in school for eight months in a year, it’s wise to avoid the dangers that come with back breaking backpacks. Therefore, school backpacks must be properly used to avoid injury to your child. Have your child practice “backpack safety” by:

Carrying not more than 15 percent of his body weight. Use a rolling backpack or a two-wheeled trolley for heavier loads, or if he regularly has to bring heavy loads to school.
Making him use both straps to balance the load carried and to avoid spinal injuries. He must avoid slinging a heavy backpack over one shoulder.
Buying the proper backpack. This means buying a backpack appropriate to your child's size. Oversize backpacks are no good since they tempt a child to pack more than he can carry. A backpack with an adjustable hip belt, adjustable shoulder straps and a padded back would be ideal if available.
A backpack with two or more separate compartments (rather than one large compartment) will distribute a load more evenly.
When packing books, it’s better to pack the heaviest books at the back, that is, on the side that touches the child’s back, so the shoulder straps and hip belt work more effectively to prevent unnecessary back strain.

They’re Not Roman Soldiers
Over two thousand years ago, the legionaries of the Roman Empire were among the toughest fighting men in the ancient world. These soldiers marched from one end of their vast empire to the other carrying everything with them on their person or on their backs: weapons, food, water, utensils, clothes and other necessities. The Roman Army discovered that for its soldiers to march and fight, they could only carry 30 kg or less. That was about 40 percent or more of their body weight, and Roman legionaries (mostly men in their 20s) were renowned for their strength and toughness.

Today, we have reported instances where Filipino students regularly carry to school books and gear weighing up to 40 percent of their body weight. That’s a 40 kg child hauling 16 kg of gear. Filipino students aren’t Roman legionaries. Why then should they bear the same physical burden?

* Published in 2010

Light up your life indoors

2011-06-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

How many hours a day do you spend under the sun? If you’re the average office employee, that time would be limited to some one to two hours on a sunny morning when you rush off to work; the few minutes during your lunch break if you eat outside your office and the one hour from 5:00 to 6:00 pm when leave your office and head back home.

That’s about three hours or less of natural and healthy sunlight, and it jibes with studies in the West that show most people spend 90 percent of their lives indoors.

And sunlight can indeed be healthy—it activates Vitamin D, for example—as long as it’s absorbed in moderation. The corollary is that most city dwellers spend most of their days indoors. That means our eyes rely mostly on artificial indoor lighting (which can sometimes be too dim) to get things done. Our eyes, therefore, tend to live in darkness everyday.

But how bright should artificial lighting or illumination be so it doesn’t harm our eyes? How healthy is artificial lighting for our eyes? And is there such a thing as “healthy artificial lighting?”

Good sunlight
Moderate and regular exposure to “good sunlight” (generally accepted as sunlight before 10:00am and after 4:00pm on a sunny day) does have healthy benefits. One of these benefits is that sunlight helps stimulate the production of more red blood cells thereby increasing the blood’s oxygen content. The sun’s ultraviolet rays are also antiseptic and can kill some germs on our skin, according to some sources.

Moderate and regular sunlight exposure might actually protect the skin by increasing its natural resistance to the harmful effects of ultraviolet light instead of aging damaging the skin. And, as many of us already know, ultraviolet light converts cholesterol in the skin to Vitamin D. This vitamin is essential for the proper absorption of calcium by the body and thus in the prevention of osteoporosis.

A number of scientific studies support findings that natural daylight helps hospital patients recover faster, improves their mood and helps promotes well being. One striking discovery is that the health of patients close to windows tends to improve quicker. As you can see, sunlight in moderation is healthy.

Lux and lumens
Technically speaking, full or the brightest sunlight has an “illuminance” of some 100,000 to 120,000 lux per square meter at the Earth's surface. “Illuminance” is the total visible light (or “luminous flux”) present in a given area. It’s measured by the metric unit called “lux.” A lux can also be defined as one lumen per square meter. The lumen, in turn, is the metric unit of luminous flux.

The 120,000 lux generated by brightest sunlight is intense and should be since it floods immense areas of the earth’s surface. The family living room, however, needs only a very tiny fraction of this total: an illuminance of just 50 lux. That 50 lux can be achieved by a single compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) of 40 watts that produces 1,650 lumens and is available at hardware stores and major retail outlets.

In contrast, offices need more illuminance (up to 500 lux on the table surface) and therefore more lights for the good quality lighting employees need to work effectively at their computers and at clerical work. Factories obviously need more illuminance in their work areas than do offices for safety reasons.

Christine Sicangco, a professional “lighting designer” and one of the pioneers in this now expanding profession, said there isn’t a hard a fast rule as to the degree of illuminance in a room or how bright a room should be.

“If I were to do the lighting design of a family room, my use of lights would depend on who the occupants are or are they elderly or young; their lifestyle; their needs and the tasks they do,” she said. “You also have to take into account the height of the ceiling and the reflectivity of the walls.”

As an example, she noted that today’s kitchen is morphing into a living room and family room since family members tend to congregate here regularly for meals and chit chat. Children also seem to like studying in kitchens (probably because it’s a yummy food source).

To light a kitchen/living room/family room ensemble, an illuminance of 400 to 500 lux (similar to office lighting) would be appropriate considering the many activities that take place here. She said her kitchen is one of these triple function rooms; it’s lit by six paired 26 watt ceiling CFLs for “general lighting,” which makes for a brightly lit room. She uses “dimmers,” however, to regulate the brightness of her general lighting.

One can also use traditional fluorescent lamps for general lighting. But select the newer “T5 lamps” that last longer and are cheaper in the long run rather than the old “T10” lamps with ballast still found in many Filipino homes. In the case of Sicangco’s kitchen/living room/family room ensemble, two 28 watt T5 fluorescent lamps should give about the same illuminance as the CFLs she currently uses.

Sicangco’s living room is an altogether different affair, however. She sees her living room as a place to relax. Hence, the room has no bright ceiling lights such as those in her kitchen. Instead, her living room light sources are generated by floor lamps with low watt CFLs and accent lighting, which together add up to some 50 lux, and make for a relaxing setting.

But if you want more light in your home, don’t use more powerful ceiling lights or add more CFLs or fluorescent lamps to your general lighting. Use “task lighting,” according to Sicangco. Task or job lighting consists of table and floor lamps (with CFLs) that only illuminate the area where they’re needed and not the entire room. That saves money by cutting electricity costs.

“Why would you want lighting that generates over 500 lux?” Sicangco asked. “”It’s a waste of energy and you won’t need it that much.”

Over illumination
The conventional wisdom that more artificial light is better is a myth, according to some sources. Mounting medical evidence shows “over illumination” could actually be bad for your health. Among the ill effects attributed to over illumination are more headaches, increased worker fatigue and more stress.

Good lighting contributes greatly to person’s sense of well-being and can positively affect office worker satisfaction and productivity, according to the International Association of Light Designers (IALD), an international association that promotes the virtues of professional lighting design.

IALD says lighting designers are resource for innovative, practical and economically viable lighting solutions. They understand the role of lighting in architecture and interior design and rely on their extensive experience and knowledge of lighting equipment and systems to enhance and strengthen design.

A new and sustainable form of generating illuminance harnesses sunlight. Called “daylighting,” this “green” concept means lighting an indoor space with daylight from windows and skylights and not relying solely on artificial lighting.

Daylighting saves energy as it uses less electricity, and could avoid the perceived adverse health effects caused by over-illumination from artificial lights. Some experts believe artificial office lighting plus daylighting can attain an illuminance ranging from 2-3,000 lux without significantly increasing energy costs. Daylighting is also another solution to the challenge of using artificial lighting to duplicate the visual advantages of sunlight.

Most offices, however, continue to turn to artificial lighting to produce the clear visibility needed for safe and efficient work. This approach ignores a growing body of evidence that seems to suggest artificial lights can cause health problems due to under-illumination (research shows poor lighting can cause depression) and over-illumination (clinical studies show excessive levels of artificial light could lead to health problems).

The need to bring the healthy benefits of sunlight indoors has led to a marketing gimmick in the West called “full-spectrum lighting.” Although current medical research tends to disprove the most outlandish full spectrum lighting claims (that it replicates sunlight and purifies the air, for example), this phenomenon highlights a growing consumer concern indoor lighting should be “healthy,” or about as important to a family as the healthy food they eat.

Scientific articles about full-spectrum lighting compiled by the National Research Council of Canada Institute for Research in Construction, a Canadian government research and development agency, conclude that full-spectrum lighting does not confer any benefits as regards performance, mood or health compared to typical cool-white fluorescent lighting.

Sicangco concurs with this conclusion. “I don’t think full spectrum lighting is healthy,” she said. “If you need Vitamin D, go out into the sunlight.”

Good indoor lighting protects your eyes from the dangers of under- and over-illumination. It also helps protect you and your family members from accidents, and the visual risks associated with old age. But if you want your lighting to do more than just light up a room, you’ll probably need the services of a lighting designer.

But if you do experience problems you think are being caused by too much or too little lighting, see your doctor for advice.

Honor the 900

2010-11-04T08:00:00.001-07:00

When the current P500 banknote was first issued in 1987, my late father, Johnny Villasanta, noted with pride that here at last was a tribute to Filipinos who fought in the Korean War (1950-53), and who helped rebuild and protect Korea from 1954-1955.

The reverse side of the original banknote was replete with Korean War imagery: Ninoy Aquino garbed as a war correspondent, his portable typewriter inscribed with his initials and a reproduction of one of the many stories he wrote for The Manila Times while covering the 10th Battalion Combat Team (BCT), the first of five BCTs comprising the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (Peftok).

My father (who was also a war correspondent in the Korean War but who worked for The Evening News) noted sadly, however, that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas had selected a story written by Ninoy that glorified the American instead of the Filipino fighting man.

Correspondent Juan F. Villasanta (right) in Seoul, 1951

The story in question carries the headline, “1st Cav knifes through 38th Parallel.” The 1st Cav is the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, one of seven U.S. Army divisions that fought in the Korean War.

The 1st Cav also took part in the Liberation of the Philippines in 1945, and helped wrest Manila from the Japanese. But the 1st Cav is an American unit.

My father felt the BSP should instead have chosen a story about the 10th BCT, which was the unit both he and Ninoy covered. Ninoy wrote extensively about the 10th BCT and I have photocopies of some of his stories published by The Manila Times.

“Troops given big send-off,” (Sept. 3, 1950); “Ojeda leads Xth in heroic assault; Filipinos gain glory” (Apr. 17, 1951) and “PI Xth recrosses ‘38’; Ojeda recalls retreat; morale up” (Apr. 13, 1951) are but a few of Ninoy’s stories about our boys published by the Times.

The BSP could have selected any of these stories, or any of Ninoy’s many other stories about Filipinos, when designing the P500 banknote. My father, however, believed that reproducing a story about the Americans was due to the regrettable fact that BSP historians know precious little about our country’s involvement in the Korean War.

What is more ironic, my father said, was that Ninoy wrote hardly any stories about the U.S. Army in Korea. Checking old issues of the Times will bear this out. It is this fact that made BSP’s choice of the 1st Cavalry story all the more perplexing to my father.

The P500 banknote is now 20 years old. It was redesigned in 2002, and Ninoy’s typewriter was removed. It is probably due for a third redesign.

Should this be the case, might I request that the BSP replace the story about the 1st Cavalry with one that honors the 10th BCT, a Filipino unit.

The “Fighting Tenth” fought magnificently in the greatest battle of the Korean War—the Communist Chinese Spring Offensive, April 1951. The excellence of the Filipino as a fighting man was proven at the famous Battle of Yuldong on April 23, 1951.

At the nondescript village of Yuldong in North Korea, the 900 men of the 10th BCT withstood the massive night attack of a 40,000-man Chinese army and, in so doing, helped prevent the total collapse of the western front of the United Nations Command (UNC).

The 10th was one of the few UNC units on the western front not overrun in the first hours of the immense Chinese assault. The Americans, South Koreans, British, Turks and Puerto Ricans all gave way before the Chinese attack.

But not the Filipinos. Not the Filipinos who occupied their hasty defensive positions only one day before the Chinese attack!

Comparisons with the historic Battle of Thermopylae and its famous 300 are tempting, but unlike the doomed 300, the survivors of our 900 lived to fight again another day. The 10th was among the units that spearheaded the ferocious UNC counterattack that finally forced the communists to negotiate an armistice to end fighting in the Korean War.

Recognizing the great defensive victory won by the 10th BCT at Yuldong will not only honor the men of this battalion, and the four other BCTs (the 20th, 19th, 14th and 2nd) that served in Korea, but will also pay tribute to all Filipinos.

The Filipino deserves to be honored for volunteering to fight for democracy in Korea. We were the first Asian country and the third United Nations member country to send combat troops to defend South Korea.

Over 110 Filipinos died in this “Forgotten War” that saved South Korea from conquest by North Korea and Communist China. More than 400 Filipinos were wounded, some disfigured for life or rendered insane.

Of the 7,150 officers and men who served in Korea, only about 2,000 are alive today. Many of these heroes remain poor, and their number decreases every month.

There will be no Filipino Korean War veteran left alive by 2040. By then, the youngest will be 103 years old.

There are only two monuments in this entire country that pay homage to the Philippines’ forgotten role in the Korean War: the Korean War Memorial Pylon at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and the Marikorea Monument in Marikina (built in 2005).

The P500 banknote can be considered only the third monument to Filipino greatness in the Korean War.

But let the P500 banknote be an accurate reflection of our history by making it completely—and proudly—Filipino.

Other websites by Art Villasanta

Internet Telephony in the Philippines: the next Big Thing?

2010-10-25T01:07:00.000-07:00

(Published in 2002)
Liberalization and competitiveness, like love and marriage, are supposed to go together like, well, a Filipino texter and his mobile phone.

The Philippines continues to learn the hard way that its expensive telecom services (an IDD call to the USA costs $0.40 versus $0.05 in Hong Kong) don’t go together with competitiveness and economic growth. Telecoms was the Philippine economy’s high growth sector in 2000 and 2001, accounting for over 10% of GDP.

Telecoms is again expected to fuel Philippine growth. The call center industry is booming, with estimated revenues of $173 million this year and $864 million by 2004. Mobile telephony growth is placed at some 30% this year from 11 million subscribers after rising 80% in 2001.

Analysts say further cuts in telecom costs will spur competitiveness, as will government moves to advance liberalization.

Looming on the horizon is the commercialization of Internet Telephony (IP voice transmissions over PSTNs or Public Switched Telephone Networks) within a year’s time. The Philippines is expected to jump on the Internet Telephony wagon as early as this year via government-led reforms to its restrictive telecom law.

Dr. Bill Torres, past president of the Philippine Internet Service Organization (PISO), said there are clear indications the government may issue a new interpretation of Republic Act 7925 (the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of 1995) allowing Internet Telephony to be offered in certain cases, including its provision by ISPs and other providers who do not hold Congressional franchises. PISO is the Philippines’ association of ISPs.

He said the interpretation would be made either by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo or by telecoms regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

NTC, however, has remained adamant in barring non-franchise holders from providing Internet Telephony. It also does not permit the use of telephones to receive phone calls made via Internet Telephony but allows PC-to-PC IP calls.

On the other hand, anyone with a private network can sidestep the law and legally provide an Internet Telephony service as long as the operator does not use the PSTN.

“I think that within a year, we will see the government come up with a policy that will allow IP Telephony,” Torres said.

“Optimists think this will happen in 2002; pessimists in 2003. I tend to be an optimist.”

RA 7925 authorizes the NTC to establish rates providing for the economic viability of the companies involved in the Service Area Scheme (SAS) and grants them a fair return on their investments.

“I have a feeling that if we can come up with an amendment to the law, maybe that’s an opportunity to relax the hold of telcos (on IP Telephony),” said Torres.

Torres does not believe Internet Telephony can be profitable as a stand-alone service, however. Profitability will demand that Internet Telephony be packaged with other services.

“Alone Internet Telephony will not make money . . . because of its cheapness,” he noted.

Torres also feels that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), to be established this year, will go to bat for deregulating IP Telephony in support of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s goal of making ICT a key driver of the Philippine economy.

Cheaper phone rates result from Internet Telephony, with businesses and consumers benefiting the most from the lower prices. Although an exact comparison is not possible, the cost of an international long distance call using Internet Telephony would probably be about a few pesos per minute compared to the P20.40 (US$0.40) per minute charged by both Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and Globe Telecom.

India surprised Asia by opening Internet Telephony to ISPs starting April 1, joining Singapore in this league. Indian ISPs are now allowed to offer much cheaper but lower quality Internet Telephony service without having to pay any long distance toll fees to state-controlled telco, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd.

Satyam Infoway, one of the leading ISPs, is charging users $0.16 per minute during peak time for an Internet Telephony call to the United States, 80 percent lower than the regular peak time phone tariff of $0.80 per minute and $0.04 cheaper than a similar PSTN call in the Philippines.

PLDT, the dominant telco in both the fixed line and cellular markets, owns “Netopia,” one of the largest Internet café chains in the Philippines.

While a plus for consumers, Internet Telephony is not expected to be a killer app for the Philippine call center business because of its inferior voice quality.

“The quality of Internet Telephony is not good enough if your core business is providing good service,” said Domingo Guanio, general manager of SVI Technologies, which provides networking services to their call center.

“If it becomes very good, it can become a back-up to our regular leased lines.”

Guanio said that Internet Telephony was demonstrated to them and they weren’t impressed. “At this point it’s not good enough and quality isn’t negotiable in our business.”

PLDT is apparently making major moves towards introducing Internet Telephony as one of its mainstream telecom services.

PLDT has invested in frame relay infrastructure and is pioneering new services that will lay the groundwork for its eventual shift from circuit-switched network to packet-switched networks (the Internet), according to industry sources.

Philip Tan, network consultant of Cisco Systems Philippines, said PLDT is fully using a Cisco IP network but mainly to replace its existing and old PBX systems. The Cisco system allows PLDT freedom of choice as to its use, including Internet Telephony, said Tan.

He does believe there is a future for Internet Telephony and said it won’t make losers out of telcos “but they’ll have to re-engineer themselves. The technology is cheap but if you look at how the carriers are spending for infrastructure such as cables, that’s expensive.”

Edgardo Cabarrios, Director of NTC’s common carrier authorization department, said NTC was bound by law to restrict Internet Telephony to entities with Congressional franchises.

“Internet Telephony is not classified as a value added service,” said Cabarrios. “Therefore, any entity intending to provide Internet Telephony should have an authorization from the commission predicated on a valid Congressional franchise.”

By this definition, PLDT, “which is a duly authorized local, national and international voice service provider,” can provide Internet Telephony. “Other companies that have similar authorizations are Globe Telecom, BayanTel, Digitel, ETPI and Teletech and Philcom Corporation.”

“If an Internet Telephony service provider carries international traffic, then it is providing a service similar to that provided by an IGF. In order to level the playing field, those providing international Internet Telephony should also be required to install local exchange telephone lines,” Cabarrios explained.

NTC’s refusal to budge from its position has left it open to charges of being anti-consumer, anti-liberalization and pro-telco, allegations Cabarrios denies, saying that NTC “balances the interest of both the consumers and telecom service providers.”

Martin Enrile, telecoms analyst of ATR Kim Eng Securities, however, believes that IP Telephony is “a very clear threat to telcos.”

He feels that telcos will need to maximize their huge infrastructure investments, hence their continuing resistance to Internet Telephony and 3G.

“I guess there’s been lobbying by telcos to preserve their assets since there is an imperative to maximize use of these assets,” he said. He noted that PLDT’s move towards data and its low capex for fixed lines doesn’t seem to square with the company’s opposition to Internet Telephony being offered by ISPs.

PLDT and other telcos contend that Internet Telephony provides unfair competition because it allows its providers to bypass toll fees for international long distance calls. AT&T, one of America’s largest telcos, reported a loss of US$350 million in 2000 because of IP Telephony.

Research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that the Asia-Pacific IP Telephony market will grow from US$213 million in 2000 to almost US$7 billion by 2005.

Worldwide, IP Telephony is projected to account for 135 billion minutes by 2004 from 27 billion minutes in 1999.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), however, believes the main use of IP telephony may not be for outgoing traffic but from incoming international calls because of incoming net settlements.

It also foresees that legal restrictions on IP telephony will disappear as countries liberalize their telecommunication markets. ITU said any ban is almost always based on the premise that IP telephony is a voice service (and thus the exclusive right of incumbents) rather than a data service or application.

ITU says this premise is becoming harder to sustain with the integration of voice functions into other Internet-based applications such as e-mail.

Clever marketing key to Internet TV growth

2010-10-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

We can talk about IPTV tech specs all we want. We can also debate IPTV tech issues beloved by boffins (H.264, ADSL 2+, QoE, 1080p24 and whether 24mbps is sufficient bandwidth, among others), but in a region as diverse as Asia/Pacific (and anywhere else, for that matter), it’s the Quality of Experience (QoE) that will ultimately make or break Internet Protocol TV (IPTV).

Differentiating IPTV from digital cable and DTH will be the main marketing task, and could be the key factor in whether telcos have a mainstream moneymaker in IPTV, or just another cute, niche technology masquerading as a winner.

IPTV or Internet TV is one of two new silver bullets that should finally enable telcos to break cable and satellite’s hold on the lucrative, but very competitive, multichannel, pay-TV industry. The other is HDTV.

For telcos, however, IPTV is undeveloped territory, both in the infrastructure and marketing aspects. But as IPTV sits on the leading edge of IP advances, new infrastructure and applications give IPTV a leg up on cable. Cable remains (mostly) wedded to the old MPEG-2 codec — too slow for bandwidth intensive IPTV.

With world standards for IPTV more or less settled, attention is turning toward the tougher job of creatively marketing IPTV to subscribers with an abundance of multichannel pay-TV choices, and who mostly don’t give a hoot about IPTV.

Product differentiation is the challenge. Vastly improved QoE is the Holy Grail.

Toughest challenge
Clever marketing is seen as the toughest challenge telcos face in winning marketing share as they intensify their struggle versus cable and satellite offerings. Surprisingly, IPTV has made significant progress in the marketing fight. The DSL Forum last October said IPTV subscribers jumped a huge 179 percent to 8.22 million in June, up from 2.95 million year-on-year.

Europe accounted for most of this surge, with IPTV customers climbing to 4.98 million from 1.51 million for the same period. Some 660,000 broadband customers signed up for IPTV services in the Americas, giving the region a total of 1.07 million subscribers. Asia/Pacific added 1.19 million subscribers, giving the region 2.18 million subscribers. IPTV pioneers, such as Hong Kong’s PCCW and France Telecom, together account for around 1.5 million users. Both firms, however, have built fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks to support their IPTV offerings.

DSL Forum marketing director Laurie Gonzalez said they are excited about these figures.

“Even a year ago, people were asking whether IPTV would be a compelling application. Today, more than eight million customers are using it in every region of the world. It’s gone far beyond testing to a real rollout.”

DSL has a 66 percent share of broadband access customers, around 200 million in number. Fiber has an 11 percent share, while cable acquired approximately 22 percent.

Hong Kong leads Asian IPTV
The June numbers for Asia/Pacific are an improvement over the second quarter when it was reported the region’s IPTV penetration was “insignificant,” except for Hong Kong. IPTV success has been the greatest in Hong Kong where IPTV has 608,000 subscribers, these coming from PCCW’s NOW broadband TV service. NOW is the largest IPTV deployment in the world and accounts for one third of the total global IPTV subscribers.

Despite a rapid 66 percent increase in NOW subscribers, PCCW reported revenue losses from its TV and content businesses. PCCW also stated NOW subscribers increased to 608,000, but the losses rose to $24 million. PCCW is attempting to generate more revenue from its content services by reselling them to customers of its mobile phone network. This marketing move makes good use of NOW’s premium content, such as 24-hour local news, CNNI and mobile ESPN.

Japan’s Softbank BBTV, with its 180,000 subscribers, is the next Asian success story. Softbank BBTV claims it is adding 18,000 new subscribers monthly.

IPTV made it to Singapore this July when dominant telco Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) launched “mio TV”. Described by SingTel as the next generation of TV watching, mio TV provides a range of VoD titles, including movies from major Hollywood movie studios that include Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox and Disney. The service will also offer HD content obtained from partnerships with Mega Media and VOOM HD Networks. The mio TV platform has the potential to allow communications using video conferencing and instant messaging, displaying photos and playing music from PCs, all on the TV set.

“We believe the launch of mio TV will open up more channels for interactive content creation and media services, benefiting both consumers and industry with greater choice and content flexibility,” said Christopher Chia, CEO, Media Development Authority of Singapore.

SingTel said new BBC channels such as BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle will make their global debut on mio TV. BBC Kids’ channel Beebies will also be launched. Singapore is among the world’s first to have a free-to-air HD channel carried on an IPTV platform.

South East Asia is Asia/Pacific’s current leader in IPTV adoption, with seven of 13 countries having rolled out some form of IPTV service, including NOW. Asia is expected to lead other regions with more than 40 percent of global IPTV subscribers by 2010. There were less than three million IPTV subscribers in the world in 2006, a third of which were accounted for by Hong Kong’s PCCW.

Now IPTV
IPTV is set to grow 26 fold by 2010, with 63 million subscribers worldwide, according to researcher firm iSuppli. The company also said the number of IPTV subscribers worldwide should more than double every year from 2005 to 2009, when it could reach 69 million.

Apart from Hong Kong and Singapore, so far IPTV rollouts in Asia have been small in scale and uptake has been puny in most markets. The reality on the ground is that IPTV faces tough challenges from incumbents and their relatively cheap cable and satellite offerings. Incumbents remain the key driving force behind IPTV growth in Asia/Pacific

Cable remains entrenched in Taiwan and Korea as the main method of TV access. In other countries, free TV broadcasts are also dampening incumbents’ interest in IPTV. Incumbents, however, are looking to provide improved broadband network and service penetration to fend off triple play services from cable players.

The bright spots for IPTV remain Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. China will continue to face strict regulatory constraints, while India will remain bedeviled by poor infrastructure.

China, which is IPTV’s largest potential market in Asia, is still years away from solving thorny regulatory issues that will enable telcos to create realistic business models where IPTV can compete against the heavily entrenched cable industry. Cable is dirt cheap in China. To IPTV’s advantage are indications Chinese subscribers appear willing to pay for some of IPTV’s premium services, such as VoD and interactive gaming.

China’s communist leadership still tightly restricts content, whose breadth is the key advantage IPTV offers subscribers. One executive working in China said that if China doesn’t relax on content, “there is no business model, and there will be no demand for IPTV”.

While Chinese telcos, most of which are state-owned or controlled corporations, attempt to persuade the central government to grant more leeway on content, they’re focusing on increasing bandwidth and improving the reliability of their access networks. Overall, the status of China as a feasible market for IPTV remains in doubt. Key issues such as regulatory hurdles, content restrictions and the government’s apparent focus on implementing digital cable services will tend to put a brake on IPTV growth in the short term.

IPTV over satellite
According to Northern Sky Research (NSR), IPTV via satellite is a niche offering likely to account for a relatively small percentage share of the market potential that terrestrial-based platforms are likely to generate.

Revenue estimates for terrestrial-based services are forecast at some $7 billion for 2010 alone. On the other hand, satellite-based total revenues from 2005 to 2010 are expected to exceed $1.6 billion.

Nevertheless, said NSR, IPTV does provide a unique and growing opportunity for the satellite industry to target. The growing preference for IP that satellite service providers are incorporating in their offerings, and the compelling role of satellite services in the video markets worldwide, make IPTV via satellite services a compelling value proposition for select regions.

“Given the proven broadcast economics of satellites in delivering content cost-effectively to large geographic footprints, particularly in underserved areas, growth of IPTV via satellite services should increase at a steady rate,” said Jose del Rosario, NSR senior analyst.

Firms setting up infrastructure to enable IPTV via satellite services will, for the most part, generate initial demand. These services mainly require transponder lease contracts from satellite operators for the delivery of content to IPTV gateways.

Once the infrastructure is in place, the market is expected to move quickly to retail business models. This is due to the fact that revenue-sharing arrangements between satellite companies and the owners of content will lead to higher margins, as satellite players participate in revenue sharing from the subscribers’ monthly service fees.

“Since ‘content is king’ in the pay-TV business, content aggregation and distribution rights are, and will continue to be, more important from a revenue generation perspective compared to actual service provisioning of IPTV,” del Rosario said.

“The ‘battle for eyeballs’ in any pay-TV platform is where the bulk of revenues will be earned, and IPTV is no exception. The market entry strategy for IPTV via satellite players is to provide a compelling business proposition to the owners of content. Once this has been established, the revenue-sharing arrangements will ensure a healthy market for satellite players”.

Written and published in 2007

Surviving asthma

2010-09-27T02:50:00.000-07:00

I’m one of the 12 million Filipinos that suffer from asthma. Although doctors say no one is born with this disease, some of my most vivid recollections of my childhood years in the 1950s were visits to hospitals after suffering from asthma attacks.

I remember having to endure painful injections of I don’t know what medicine to combat the disease. I remember the acrid and nauseating odor of emitted by a smoldering mound of “Dr. Schiffman's Asthmador,” a grayish powder made from a concoction of leaves whose smoke I had to inhale so I could again breathe freely.

I remember my delight when the tablet “Asmasolon”(theophylline) entered my world in the 1960s. It meant I no longer had to rely almost exclusively on the pungent odor of burning “Asthmador” since this tiny tablet would do its work.

But Asmasolon tasted so bitter I had to swallow it with sugar and with my eyes closed. I remember that some of my most fervent prayers to the Lord were to free me from asthma, Asthmador and Asmasolon.

I also remember how asthma affected my fondness for sports. When I was Grade 5 at the University of Santo Tomas, our physical education was a choice between basketball and baseball.

Our PE instructor had a simple method of determining who would go on to play basketball: anyone who could run crosscourt while dribbling the ball and not pant at the end went on to play.

I remember dribbling that ball but at midcourt began to pant so heavily I had to stop. Baseball became my sport, which was also good since my dad also loved baseball. I still wish baseball were our national sport, however.

I still have the disease but do not suffer as intensely as I did in my youth. Modern medicine has had a lot to do with this.

I bless those scientists and doctors that invented “salbutamol (Ventolin),” the fastest and most effective cure I’ve taken that combats my asthma. The salbutamol inhaler is a life-saver and I never leave home without it.

Salbutamol nebules, however, have done more to increase my life expectancy than any other form of medication. I have a nebulizer at home and my greatest fear is having a severe attack and finding the nebulizer won’t work. That would be lights out for me. For sure.

And one thing that also made it easier for me to cope with asthma, which generally struck at night, was Mercury Drug having some of its key branches open 24 hours. My dad used to rush off to Mercury's Quiapo branch when attacks found me without, or with insufficient Ventolin.

I did the same for my mother, an asthmatic like myself, and remember hurrying off to Quiapo after midnight one stormy night to buy nebules for my mother.

Defined by asthma
It seems my childhood years were defined by my battle against asthma. Doctors say it’s a battle I can’t win since there is no cure for asthma. Asthma will most likely kill me one of these days. At least, that’s what the statistics indicate.

I don’t fancy an asthma attack so severe it causes a massive heart attack that does me in. The painful fight for every life-giving breath will reach so terrible a stage in a severe attack that the body’s final defense is to give in and die.

I guess death is the only real cure for asthma, and I guess this is where I’m headed somewhere along the short road ahead.

But I don’t dwell on the inevitable. Patients with fourth stage cancer are forced to treasure every dawn that dawns.

Asthmatics are compelled to see life in the same light, but not with the same dreadful urgency. I do treasure each day and praise my Lord with each wonderful dawn.

My asthma is nocturnal and is caused by dirty linen (pillow cases, blankets and bed sheets). I used to think dirty meant dirty, as in dirty caused by dust and dirt.

Now, I know that dirty really means linen infested by dust mites and their feces carrying allergens that trigger asthma. So, I have to sleep in clean beds.

In my bachelor days, this meant I had to be very picky about where I (and my partner) slept. That usually meant going to first class digs known for their first class linen.

I guess few things are more embarrassing than having an asthma attack in the middle of you know what. Thanks goodness this never happened, although the fear remained at the back of my mind during those treasured moments.

Pollution and asthma
Now, in my middle age I find my asthma attacks are no longer purely nocturnal. I’ve had an increasing number of attacks while walking in a place far from the safety of my home and nebulizer.

I know air pollution from vehicle exhausts is the new allergen that triggers most of these away-from-home-attacks. But I have to travel to Makati City to do work for my clients, so my salbutamol inhaler becomes a life-saving device that always goes with me.

It’s also somewhat disconcerting to realize that some doctors view asthma as a “polygenic condition,” that is, a disease carried by genes and that can be inherited and passed on, and can be complicated by environmental factors such as pollution.

It’s also worrisome to learn that asthma and other allergic diseases have been on a significant rise for the last 50 years.

The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) project that disseminates information on asthma care and the results of scientific investigations said several studies indicate that multiple genes may be involved in the pathogenesis of asthma.

It also said asthma became more complex in the presence of environmental triggers such as pollution that cause an asthma attack.

A Filipino pediatric geneticist believes asthma afflicts 155 million persons worldwide and that asthma cases are increasing in the Philippines.

It is comforting to note that nobody is born with asthma. One, however, can be born with the gene (or “genotype”) that causes asthma. It is this genotype triggered by environmental factors that causes asthma.

In 2003, the Asthma Genetics Group from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom reported an asthma susceptibility gene, PHF 11, which comes from chromosome 13. The gene appears to regulate the blood B cells that produce immunoglobulin E, the allergic antibody.

The study said there are some 10 genes that have a significant effect on a person's susceptibility to asthma.

What worries me about these findings is that they confirm asthma is an inherited disease. The last thing I wanted was for any of my six children to inherit the disease.

Unfortunately, one has inherited my asthma but the average interval in her attacks, thankfully, is measured in years, not days. Thankfully, our nebulizer stands ready to serve us when the need arises.

I can’t say with confidence that my asthma helped make me a better writer since it took much of any physical activity out of my life. But I can’t also say that I wouldn’t have stayed at home as much and read as much if I were a more physically fit man.

If I were a lot more physical, I’d probably have learned to love baseball; studied “kendo” and played NFL football with like-minded Pinoys (Are there any out there?). I’d also have probably run a marathon, which is a great ambition I realize I shall never accomplish. Especially now.

But I've learned to live with asthma. Life's still a beautiful work-in-progress, and I thank God profusely for every days that dawns.

Your “hidden hairs” and what to do about them

2010-08-26T01:32:00.000-07:00

"Hidden hairs” tend to get a short shrift in polite Pinoy conversation. That’s understandable since “hidden hairs” are “secrets” best kept hidden, both literally and figuratively speaking.

But it’s as unwise to let your “hidden hairs”—your nose hair and ear hair—grow wild and free as it is to totally get rid of them. Hidden hairs do serve a healthful purpose, as do all the other kinds of hair on your body.

To start with, the problem with hidden hairs seems to be they’re embarrassing. Nose hairs are a problem that literally “lie hidden beneath your nose” until someone notices what look like spider legs crawling out of your nostrils. Ear hair, on the other hand, seems proof of the adage that “What you don’t know won’t hurt you,” meaning in this case that you can’t be unhappy with something you can’t see.

That is, until someone (hopefully, not the hot babe you’re dating) calls your attention to a garden of black shrubs sprouting out of your “tragus” (that rounded projection covering your ear canal). So, hidden hairs often become a real-world problem following a painful bout of public humiliation. Now what?

Don’t reach for the tweezers just yet. It pays to know something about the “enemy” you plan to eliminate. The first thing you’ve got to know is that hidden hairs are not your enemy. They might be embarrassing and might seem to have as useful a purpose as your appendix (a totally useless body part until it becomes infected), but they “Serve and Protect” like the upright policemen they really are. In sum, short hairs (like good cops) protect you from the dangers of the outside world.

The nose hair or olfactory cilia in the anterior nasal passage of each nostril is one of your body's first lines of defense against harmful environmental pathogens (germs, fungus and spores), and pollutants (dust, soot and particulate matter from exhaust fumes) that populate the dirty air we breathe nowadays.

When you inhale air through your nostrils, you also suck in whatever solid particles or pollution floats around in that air. Nasal hairs act as fibrous filters that help the nasal cavities and their mucus membranes (which secrete nasal mucus, a sticky substance) trap and prevent dangerous airborne particles from entering your respiratory system and making you sick. A lack of nasal hair could invite the transport of potentially harmful particles into the respiratory system.

"Air-conditioner"
Your can also consider your nose as an “air conditioner” and nose hair the filters in this air conditioner. This “air conditioning” is created both by the larger or macroscopic nose hair and by microscopic cellular strands or “nasal cilia” that line the interior of the nose. As inhaled air moves through the nasal passages, it is humidified by mucus and nose hair. Humidity is important because it prevents the respiratory system and nasal passage from drying up.

The nasal cilia also draw foreign particles and mucus up toward the oropharynx (the cavity formed by the pharynx at the back of the mouth) via a coordinated back-and-forth motion. At the oropharynx, these foreign particles and mucus are either swallowed or coughed out.

Filtered air continues towards the larynx and lungs. Nose hairs and cilia are, therefore, key defense mechanisms against harmful pathogens and solid particulate matter present in the air. This process, called inertial filtration, means the air we inhale into our lungs is very well cleaned.

That’s why some doctors discourage people from completely removing their nose hair either through plucking or cutting. Lightly trimming your nose hair using either a special scissors with rounded ends or rotary nose hair trimmers (manually operated or motorized) is the wisest choice, according to accepted wisdom.

On the other hand, some experts believe that although long nose hairs look unsightly, it would be best to allow their growth. A photo of Microsoft founder Bill Gates with blonde hairs sticking out of his nostril seems to vouch for this belief. Walking around in public with visible nose hairs, however, calls for superhuman courage in our perception-oriented society.

Frequent and constant nose hair plucking and cutting could weaken the respiratory system’s defenses and can cause breathing discomfort, according to some medical sources. Persons who choose to remove almost all their nose hair could also find themselves quite susceptible to allergy attacks, sinusitis and respiratory infections. Older people should minimize nose hair trimming because it often takes longer for the trimmed hairs to re-grow. Hence, the preference for light trimming.

An Adult Problem
While there’s a dearth of in-depth medical studies about nose hair, what’s out there suggests this problem occurs mainly among men beginning in their 30s and continues as they grow older. No one is quite sure what triggers this sudden growth, but one theory is that as men age, the hair follicles in their noses become more sensitive to the male hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone) that stimulates unwanted hair growth. The exact relationship of DHT to nose (and ear) hair growth remains unclear, however.

And when is it time to trim nose hair? Before it becomes visible is the generally accepted answer. More specifically, it’s time to trim when nose hair falls below the line of the nostrils. Always avoid aggressive trimming inside the nasal cavities and don’t pluck out your nasal hair using your fingers or tweezers. This might lead to lesions that could result in a serious nose infection. And it’s a myth that nose hair (and ear hair) will grow back faster or thicker once you trim it.

What happens to the larger particles trapped in the nose by both the nose hairs and cilia? These wind up as “kulangot” (“snot,” “booger” or “bogey” in English). We expel boogers by nose picking (preferably in private) or by sneezing. Old dry mucus normally loosens on its own and causes a person to sneeze.

Sneezing forces out the old dry mucus through the nose. Once this is accomplished, new moist sticky mucus is forced to spread all over the nostril and nose hair, restoring the body’s first line of defense against air pollution.

Ear Hair: Not Your Crowning Glory

An American medical doctor described hidden hairs as “God’s little practical joke. . . He takes the hair from your head and puts it on your ears and nose.” Another pundit says the growth of nose and ear hair is the result of what he called “The Law of Conservation of Hair.” This “law” claims the loss of a man’s sexual energy as he ages is inversely proportional to the rate of growth of his nose and ear hair. That is, the less sexually active he is, the hairier are his nose and ears.

Kidding aside, it seems harder making a sound case for the benefits one derives from ear hair. The case for ear hair is similar to that for nose hair, however: ear hair filters out unwanted airborne particles from entering the human body, in this case the ears.

There is, however, no conclusive medical proof that men’s ears become hairier as they age. There is also no conclusive medical proof that having hairy ears makes one more susceptible to a heart attack. What is known is that some Asian ethnic groups (not Filipinos) seem more prone to having hairier ears.

Ear hair normally grows at two sites: the tragus (or the entrance of the ear) and the “pinna,” (or auricle) which is another term for the outer ear. Ear hair is more common in men than among women, for reasons that have yet to be fully explained. Some say this is another offshoot of DHT, the male hormone.

Plucking seems the best method of getting rid of unwanted ear hair regularly. Since you can’t do this efficiently by yourself, someone in your family or who loves you should do this for you. But the day when the average Pinay proves her love for her Pinoy boyfriend by plucking out his ear hairs is the day when the “uwak” turns into you know what color. It’s just not going to happen.

A bitter price Koreans must pay

2010-06-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

There will be no renewed fighting in the Korean War—halted by an Armistice since July 27, 1953—despite rapid preparations for war by both sides following the sinking of a South Korean warship by North Korea last March. North and South Korea never signed a formal peace treaty ending the Korean War (1950-1953). They remain technically at war, the world’s longest conventional war of the 20th century that has extended into the next.

It is ominous war clouds seem to be hovering over the peninsula as the world approaches the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War on June 25. Although military and political experts say war remains improbable, this latest escalation of tensions by Stalinist North Korea means similar provocations will recur in the future, probably in the Yellow Sea where the border separating both countries remains contested.

It seems almost certain one of these incidents could re-ignite a war that will re-shape Asia and the world in the first half of the 21st century. It is a war that might well weaken the economies of the U.S. and China (the world’s two largest) to such an extent a new and more horrible Great Depression will ravage the world unchecked.

Despite its overstretched armed forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S.’ military leadership believes victory is possible in Korea given the U.S.’ immense superiority in military technology (especially those deployed by the U.S. Navy and Air Force). This reliance on sophisticated technology seems reasonable given that only 29,000 U.S. and 520,000 South Korean soldiers stand in the way of North Korea’s 1.2 million man mechanized army.

The world will definitely commemorate the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War on June 25. Further activities in September will mark the 60th anniversary of the landing of the first Filipino Battalion Combat Team (BCT) at Busan on September 19, 1950. Five BCTs mustering 7,500 officers and men from the Philippine Army served in Korea from 1950-55 as PEFTOK, the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea.

Delegations of our aging Korean War veterans are preparing to travel to a country where over 100 of their fellow soldiers died defending South Korea from aggression by communist China and North Korea. Some 400 Filipino soldiers were wounded in combat while 17 others remain missing-in-action to this day.

That Filipino veterans will march in celebrations honoring their noble sacrifice and that of the U.S., South Korea and 19 other countries that served under the United Nations Command is, however, sad proof only military power can guarantee peace in the Korean peninsula.

The unyielding aim of North Korea is to merge both Koreas under communism in a war of unification, the same aim it had in 1950. The goal of South Korea and the U.S. is to defeat this war of unification, thereby uniting Korea in the process.

But as the price of unification is renewed war, and since both foes are unwilling to risk that war, Korea must remain a divided country to maintain world peace. It is a bitter price the Korean people have to continue to pay. I sympathize greatly with the heroic Korean people.

The sons of great men

2010-04-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

The only child (a son) of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, arguably the greatest American general of the 20th century, was born in Manila on Feb. 21, 1938.

The life of Arthur MacArthur IV, however, remains a mystery to this day. His mother shielded Arthur from the public eye during his childhood, and Arthur developed a disdain for publicity in his later life. The elder MacArthur was apparently a doting father to Arthur: his love for Arthur was described as “relentless.”

In his twilight years, the elder MacArthur said he wanted his family to remember him more as a father than a soldier. “By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder—infinitely prouder—to be a father. . . It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle but in the home repeating with him our simple daily prayer, 'Our Father who art in heaven’.” Douglas MacArthur died in 1964.

The world, however, knows precious little about the only son of one of the greatest men of the 20th century. The world doesn’t even know if Arthur MacArthur remains alive today.

The younger MacArthur’s obscurity is intentional: he petitioned to have his family name changed. That petition was granted, so Arthur MacArthur now lives under a different name.

Many speculate about the real reason for Arthur rejecting his legacy of greatness. Some say he fled from the immense burden of living up to his father’s renown. Others say he wanted to be his own man.

Described as a “sensitive” child, the young MacArthur is thought to have become a musician, artist or writer. Some say he still lives in New York City, which is where his family lived in his younger years.

The son of a great man only has two choices: that of Arthur MacArthur’s or that of his father, Douglas, whose own father was a hero of the Civil War and recipient of the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor. Douglas MacArthur chose to outshine his great father, Arthur, and he did.

The sons of great fathers--or great parents--carry a name that can either be a terrible curse or a goad to new greatness. And they must make a choice for which they will forever be faulted.

In choosing to follow a great father’s footsteps, a son is always held up to comparison by his father’s peers. Sadly, he will always be found wanting despite great personal success, and some will say he would not have succeeded were it not for his father’s fame.

In choosing to disregard the greatness of his father, however, a son is readily branded a failure. It is the most terrible of all epithets because it means a son is forever his father’s shadow and is thus inferior. And it is painful being introduced time and again to strangers as, “Ang anak ni _________,” instead of by one’s first name.

The son of a great man can do no more than light his own fire within his father’s giant shadow. And by stoking those embers into a brilliant light within that comforting darkness, proclaim his existence to a cynical world.

Fight indoor air pollution

2010-04-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

Home is both a haven and a personal heaven for many of us.

In today’s urban environment, however, the presence of harmful chemicals, noxious gases and disease-carrying vermin can inadvertently transform our “Home Sweet Home” into a “black hole” that actually traps various forms of pollution and endangers unwary families.

Our homes can sustain toxic mold spores and volatile organic compounds emitted by paint, endangering our health. It can also shut in life-threatening dioxins released by a variety of sources such as cigarette smoke and some plastics.

Just how serious is the problem of indoor air pollution that many urban Filipino families seem to take for granted?

The government estimates that urban indoor and outdoor air pollution accounts for some five percent of all reported disease cases and four percent of all reported deaths in the Philippines.

In the USA, the American Medical Association reported that one-third of the national health bill sprang from causes directly attributable to indoor air pollution. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health.

The invisible enemy
Indoor air pollution is probably the Filipino family’s most insidious—and least known—enemy.

The causes of indoor air pollution in urban residential homes are either natural (house dust mites, for example) or “anthropogenic” or man-made (e.g. cigarette smoke). While natural causes appear more ubiquitous, it’s the man-made causes that pose the greater threat to a family’s health and well-being.

“Dust mites are the main cause of urban indoor air pollution in the Philippines—but only if no one in the house smokes,” said Dr. Wency Kiat, a toxicologist and pediatrician at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

Dr. Kiat is the only toxicologist at St. Luke’s and one of only 20 toxicologists in this country. As a toxicologist, his job is to study the harmful interactions among chemical, physical or biological agents and biological systems. He also studies the nature and effects of poisons and their treatment.

Dust mites are microscopic and almost invisible insects that exist everywhere inside our homes. They feed on minute particles of organic matter such as human dander (or dead skin flakes), the main component of house dust.

Up to 90 percent of all house dust is actually human dander. Scientists estimate the entire outer layer of our skin is shed everyday or two at a rate of seven million skin flakes per minute

Dust mites excrete enzymes to digest dander, their favorite food. They expel these enzymes in their feces, which become part of house dust. Dust mites abound in pillow cases, blankets, bed sheets, beds, furniture and carpets.

Poisonous cigarettes
In homes with cigarette smokers, however, the danger from secondhand smoke outweighs that from dust mites.

Dr. Kiat described cigarette smoke as “poisonous” since it also contains “dioxins” among its 4,000 chemicals, 40 of which are known carcinogens. Long-term exposure to dioxins, a probable carcinogen, can lead to an increased risk of cancerous tumors.

“Cigarette smoke is one of the most dangerous sources of indoor pollutants, especially for children,” he noted. “Children are the most vulnerable to secondhand or environmental tobacco smoke.”

As for dust mites, the problem they pose for Filipino families is their omnipresence and massive numbers that reach into the millions. Dust mites, more specifically their feces, are allergens known to trigger asthma and other allergic reactions when inhaled.

House dust heavily contaminated with dust mite feces is one of the most potent allergenic substances found indoors. Some 80 percent of asthma attacks are caused by dust mites. Dust mites can also cause eczema, hay fever and other allergic ailments.

“It’s all about the bed,” said Dr. Kiat referring to the dust mites’ favorite home.

He said that while dust mites may infest pillow cases and bed sheets, it’s the mattress that’s the main source of the asthmatic attacks and allergic reactions resulting from exposure to dust mites and their droppings. Scientists estimate that a mattress can harbor up to 10 million dust mites.

Dr. Kiat recommends cleaning mattresses every three to four months to curtail the spread of dust mites. Mattresses should be also be inverted every three to four months for the same reason.

Constant cleaning always
Constant cleaning is the best defense against dust mites and other pests such as roaches, Dr. Kiat believes.

He urges families to practice the “constant cleaning method,” that is, clean often, very often.

“Constant cleaning is hard at the start, but in the long-run it’s okay,” he pointed out.

When constant cleaning, you can either use water or water mixed with small amounts of bleach instead of disinfectants. Bleach evaporates much faster than disinfectants, which remain potent (and thus poisonous) for longer periods of time.

“Water is still the safest cleaner,” said Dr. Kiat.. “Avoid using chemicals, including disinfectants, when cleaning.”

He admitted it might be difficult for families accustomed to using strong bleaches and disinfectants to rely on water.

If there is a need to use a bleach in cleaning, however, follow the manufacturer's instructions to safely dilute the bleach in water.

But for Dr. Kiat, constant cleaning with water is to be preferred.

“If you have a clean home, why do you need to disinfect?”

Dangerous LPG
One of the most dangerous yet often overlooked sources of indoor air pollution is the kitchen, Dr. Kiat noted.

He singled out homes using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as particularly vulnerable to carbon monoxide poisoning. He urges LPG users to be constantly alert when using their LPG stoves or ranges.

The worst danger comes from the incomplete combustion of LPG. This inefficiency releases more carbon monoxide into the home. Carbon monoxide is the most lethal gas found in homes today.

“If the tip of the flame is persistently yellow, the flame liberates more carbon monoxide,” Dr. Kiat explained. “The flame should be bluish in color.”

Dr. Kiat warns that carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless poison that can kill quickly in closed (air conditioned) or improperly ventilated kitchens. He recommends opening the kitchen windows when burning LPG.

Tips for a safer indoors
Dr. Kiat gave these useful tips to make your indoor air healthier—and safer:

Practice constant cleaning to contain the health threat posed by dust mites and other household pests such as roaches, ants and rats.

When feasible, prefer natural air to air conditioned air.

Get rid of stuff you don’t need. A lot of clutter means a lot more insects, especially roaches. Unwanted stuff also traps a lot of indoor dust, which is mainly human dander that dust mites feed on.

If you must use an insecticide spray to get rid of mosquitoes or roaches, spray downwards towards the floor and not upwards towards the center of the room. This will limit the toxic danger present in any insecticide. Mosquitoes and roaches hide in dark places close to, or on the floor. Also, wear plastic gloves, goggles and a protective mask when spraying.

Saints long dead

2010-02-14T01:09:00.000-08:00

On what should have been another pointless day, he found himself consumed by an intense surge of joy that bent the noonday light into a magical sphere enclosing them as they walked.

Inside this sphere that shut out the world, he heard nothing save the wondrous echo of her voice as it sang in his mind. They talked the mundane chatter of careless college students: the exam they hated, the Carpenters and Smokey Robinson, their graduation just months away.

Even the impending sadness of parting from her--perhaps forever, if he let it--seemed a pointless fear at this singular moment as she walked with him, seemingly his shadow.

He knew he could now tell her. He could, if he could keep his madly pounding heart from battering his brain senseless, making him an idiot powerless to speak those beloved words he had always wanted to say to her this past year.

He knew this was the last chance. He knew . . . he knew Fate would abandon him completely unless he bravely seized this singular moment.

The realization frightened him no end and, on this bright and magical day, made him more aware of the unworthy monster he knew he was.

She was the brightest girl in class and, to his spellbound eyes, the loveliest. He drowned happily in joy again and again as he stared at her so close beside him.

She turned that lovely face to him, saying words that shattered in the air before reaching his ears. He smiled modestly, and saw nothing else on what should have been another pointless day save her delicate face whose cheeks were a bloom of pink, its lips an inviting crimson line.

Inside the university museum, their talk turned to the dank and musty surroundings. He stayed close beside her, wanting to hold her hand but afraid she would take offense and run away.

She paused before the cabinets housing stamps from centuries past, and asked him in a tone both surprised and hurt, why he disapproved of the way she dressed.

The shock of this unexpected remark struck a deathblow to his already senseless brain. He stood mute and bewildered, groping for words that would not forever destroy this singular moment.

She saw his confusion, turned her back to him and walked ahead towards the statues of saints centuries old, half hidden in the shadows. He followed like a wounded dog, commanding his numbed brain to compose a reply that would not add to his humiliation.

She turned that lovely face to him and asked if he would make the honors list this year.

No, he replied. He'd still be a few points shy, but he knew she would. Congratulations, he said.

She smiled modestly and suggested that perhaps their adviser could help his grades further along. She would talk to her if he wanted her to; she was her favorite.

"You shouldn't do these things for me," he pleaded. "I don't have the right to ask anything of you . . .

"You look marvelous in a mini, except that . . . other boys keep ogling you . . . and that hurts," he stuttered.

She gazed at him, surprised by his chaotic replies. But she at last knew that he did feel strongly for her. And that this confusion was another of his muted ways of conveying the similar emotion she had long felt for him, but had kept in check.

She drew closer to him and let her right hand touch his glistening forehead. She ran her warm fingers slowly along the side of his face and over his scarred cheek.

He flinched, ashamed, and fought off the consuming urge to lift her hand away from his face.

"I understand," she gently told him. "And I don't care."

He embraced her tightly, suppressing his tears. She parted her lips, and they kissed passionately in the faint light, amid statues of saints long dead staring grimly at them.

The Silence of the Weak

2010-02-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

On March 14, 1988, 20 months before the fall of the Berlin Wall signaled the death knell of communism in Europe, two of Asia’s four communist states decided to fight a naval battle over crude oil.

Communist China and Communist Vietnam sent their navies to the waters off our Kalayaan Municipality (part of the Spratly Archipelago) to seize what were apparently insignificant lumps of coral jutting out of the South China Sea.

But it wasn’t these calcified remains of billions of sea creatures China and Vietnam were after. It was what they believed lay buried tens of kilometers beneath these marine skeletons: the world’s fourth largest untapped reserves of crude oil and natural gas.

China calculates the Spratly’s oil and gas reserves at 18 billion tons compared to the 13 billion tons held by Kuwait, which constitute a tenth of the world's proven crude oil reserves. China also estimates the South China Sea holds combined fishing and oil and gas resources worth over $1 trillion.

And there’s also the Spratly’s strategic value to world trade: one fourth of the world’s crude oil transits the South China Sea on which it sits. More than 60% of China’s oil exports are transported by sea, most through the South China Sea.

It’s hardly surprising China fought a short but mutually damaging naval battle against her “fraternal neighbor” Vietnam in 1988. China and Vietnam claim the entire Spratly Archipelago, and have garrisoned some of those coral lumps to reinforce their territorial claims.

On March, 14, 1988, 10 Vietnamese soldiers planted their national flag on Johnson South Reef, a coral rock the Chinese claimed as their own. The 40 responding Chinese troops tried to haul down the Vietnamese flag.

Vietnamese soldiers resisted the desecration of their flag. A fistfight broke out followed by a firefight in which Chinese and Vietnamese soldiers were killed. Their warships soon joined the fray.

Since three missile-armed Chinese frigates were engaged against three almost defenseless Vietnamese troop transport ships and three lightly armed patrol boats, the result of the naval battle was never in doubt. The Vietnamese lost three transports sunk and suffered 60 dead. The Chinese lost six men but no ships.

What lessons?
What is disturbing about this sea battle, variously called “The Spratly Islands Naval Battle of 1988” or the “Johnson South Reef Skirmish,” is that it occurred inside Philippine territory.

So where was the Philippine Navy, protector of our waters and territorial integrity?

It’s a question still asked to this day. But since naval combat in 1988 was a game of numbers (the side with more firepower usually won), there was probably nothing our outgunned navy could have done to prevent this clash. And why prevent it at all since the antagonists—two communist states—were not on our side?

The lessons we should have learned from this incident have remained lessons because, 21 years on, the Philippines has not found the financial and material resources necessary to make the Navy a credible deterrent against a stronger power.

Yes, our navy does have an ongoing modernization program. But this means replacing old ships by 2017, so that by 2020 the Navy can boast of itself as a strong and credible navy the Philippines can be proud of.

The new ships that will join the Philippine Fleet will strengthen the Navy’s amphibious landing capability. The Navy’s key mission today is the rapid transport of Marines and Philippine Army troops to military hot spots in Mindanao and Sulu, or wherever desired.

In May 2009, the Navy took delivery of three new multi-purpose vessels that transport troops, combat equipment and light vehicles. These ships, however, will be used in counterinsurgency and to protect strategic marine assets like offshore oil fields.

These ships (or are they boats?) will be armed with machine guns, according to the media, and are thus useless for surface combat.

These new ships and others on the order book are apparently not designed for either sea control or force projection in distant waters like our Kalayaan Islands.

And they will certainly not be suitable for warfighting, especially against the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), or the navies of any of the four other claimants to the Spratlys (Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei).

But, the Navy doesn’t have to outgun the PLAN. It only has to make the PLAN realize any naval engagement will be mutually damaging and not one sided in PLAN’s favor. It’s about credibility.

Littoral combat ships
In today’s modern navies, the word “littoral” has become associated with the high technology navy of the future. Littoral combat ships (LCS) are all the rage.

These small ships, built specifically to control littoral waters (or those close to shore), combine stealth technology with catamaran or trimaran hull forms that allow them to stay afloat in as little as four meters of water.

The PLAN has embraced the LCS as an essential part of its force structure. It has Asia’s most numerous LCS fleet: over 40 of its latest model, the Type 022 (Houbei-class) guided-missile fast attack craft (FAC), have been built and more are building. China has some 130 missile boats in total.

The mission of the fast, trimaran-hulled Type 022 missile boats can be compared to that of jet fighters: their sole reason for being is to destroy the enemy.

For this single-minded task, the Type 022’s main armament is a twin-launcher for anti-ship, land attack or surface-to-air missiles. It can carry up to eight missiles.

Its bow carries a turreted, six-barreled 30mm Gatling autocannon for suppressing enemy shore fire or engaging small enemy aircraft such as helicopters.

These 220-ton boats have a top speed of some 40 knots. The first Houbei FAC was launched in 2004 and some 40 are said to be operational today. Each boat carries a 12-man crew.

The Type 022’s mission is the active defense of China's near seas or littoral areas. They represent China’s attempts to gain greater sea control further from its coast, which can be taken to include our Kalayaan Islands.

The Type 022 is more heavily armed than any Philippine Navy fighting ship. None of our Navy’s ships are missile-armed, including its largest ship, the BRP Rajah Humabon, a frigate.

The main armament of the Rajah Humabon (launched in 1943) and the Navy’s 13 corvettes are medium caliber guns better suited to the fighting in World War 2. The Rajah Humabon’s main armament consists of three 3 inch guns.

As for the Navy’s 40 patrol boats, their weapons (heavy machine guns and light cannon) are worthless in surface combat.

The Philippine Navy has nothing like the Type 022—and apparently nothing remotely similar on order under its modernization plan.

The silence of the weak
China’s present economic success has led it to develop an insatiable hunger for resources such as crude oil and strategic metals. Despite the global financial crisis that crippled the U.S. and Europe, China’s economy is expected to grow by eight percent this year thanks to government stimulus packages.

China is widely expected to become the world’s largest economy by the next decade, displacing the U.S. Its GDP is again expected to grow near the 10% mark starting 2010. Its appetite for resources such as crude oil will, therefore, remain unchecked. Only the inevitable collapse of communism in China in the decade beginning 2010 can prevent China's continued military growth and territorial expansion into the Spratlys.

It is inevitable this powerful hunger for resources will again lead China to our door as it did in 1995 when she seized Mischief Reef from us without a fight. China might soon seek to impose its sovereignty on more islands in our Kalayaan Municipality, and that will mean confronting this country on the high seas.

What shall our brave Philippine Navy have on hand to counter PLAN battle fleets consisting of modern missile-armed destroyers and frigates, nimble Houbei-class FACs and virtually undetectable attack submarines when push comes to shove in the next 10 years?

Well . . . ?

Your silence speaks volumes.

“Generics Avenue.” The road to growth

2009-12-25T03:52:00.000-08:00

By Art Villasanta

The “Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008” signed into law by Pres. Gloria Arroyo in June 2008, is apparently encouraging more pharmaceutical companies to travel a generics market road that remained largely ignored for the past two decades.

Traveling along “Generics Avenue” seems to be opening new shortcuts to additional revenues for pharma companies, while helping ensure the flow of low-priced generic medicine to the poor, the latter being the intent of the “Cheaper Medicines Law” or Republic Act 9502.

The law gives Filipinos access to inexpensive generics through the parallel importation of patented drugs from other countries, where these are less expensive.

Estimates of the value of the Philippine pharmaceutical market vary and were placed at $2.6 billion in 2007 by a foreign research firm, and at P120 billion by a local source. The value of the pharmaceutical market is forecast at $4.1 billion in 2012.

The market is growing by some eight to 10 percent per year through price or volume increases. It is comparable in overall size to Thailand and Pakistan, and in per capita terms to China and Iran.

Generics account for just 10 to 20 percent of the Philippine pharmaceutical market.

In contrast, generics comprise over 80 percent of drug sales in the United States and Poland and over 60 percent in the United Kingdom and Germany.

Last year, Pres. Arroyo noted that 90 percent of all medicines are now off patent but that 90 percent of all medicines sold remain branded.

Growth medicine
Fueling generics’ growth is the Cheaper Medicines Law, whose Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) came into force on Nov. 21, 2008.

Secretary of Health Francisco Duque said that with the IRR in place, the public could expect lower medicine prices. He noted the Department of Health (DOH) now also regulates the maximum retail prices of drugs.

"With the IRR, we can now regulate prices. Presently, we are already in the process of coming up with policies and the drugs and medicines to be regulated. However, we have to be patient because we have to follow the normal government procedures and process to go through this," Duque told media.

Duque believes the IRR will also pave way for quality and affordable generic drugs, and rationalize the behavior of medical professionals and government health workers because of the amendment to the Generic Drug Act of 1986. The Philippines is the first Asian country to enact a generics drug law.

The IRR also allows over-the-counter drugs and medicines to be readily available in non-traditional outlets like supermarkets.

The Generic Drug Act of 1986 allows production of unbranded drugs using the same active ingredients and processes as those used in branded drugs, thereby sidestepping the patent system.

The weak enforcement of the law, however, has been repeatedly criticized for failing to boost consumer acceptance of generics and bring down the prices of branded products, hence the need for Republic Act 9502. The government has also been censured for not doing enough to promote generics.

On the verge of a surge
With the generics market on the verge of a surge as a result of Republic Act 9502, several multinational pharma firms are focusing more resources on their generic offerings.

In 2008, Sanofi-Aventis launched its generics arm, Winthrop Pharmaceuticals Philippines, Inc. Carlito Realuyo, Sanofi-Aventis president and general manager, said the company was “ . . . driven by a commitment to ensure access to medicine and contribute to the reduction of healthcare cost.”

He said Winthrop observes the highest standards of quality in terms of product efficacy, safety and strict manufacturing quality control. This, he added, gives consumers the best pharmaceutical products at a significantly lower price.

Winthrop initially introduced three products: Winthrop glimepiride for type 2 diabetes; Winthrop clopidogrel, an anti-platelet drug that helps prevent a second stroke and Winthrop amlodipine, an anti-hypertension drug.

Generics from multinationals could also ease consumer anxiety over the perceived lack of quality among generics.

Former Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) president Roberto Pagdanganan said generics are as safe as branded medicines. PITC is the sole entity authorized by the DOH to conduct parallel importation of generics and other drugs.

“People feel that ‘cheap’ generic medication is not going to do them any good so either they buy the expensive stuff or don’t bother to take medication at all,” Pagdanganan said.

Bioequivalence (BE) tests also ensure generics have the same premium quality as their branded originals.

Xeno Pharmaceutical Philippines, Inc. said BE tests of its generics ensure identical composition, safety and strength to those of branded originals.

Amado Tadena, Xeno chairman and CEO, said Xeno products are tested for BE at world-class scientific laboratories.

Tadena also said Xeno generics are made at facilities approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (an executive agency of the UK Department of Health) and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Good Manufacturing Practice that assures manufacturing facilities practice quality standard control and products.

United Laboratories, Inc. (Unilab), the largest Filipino pharmaceutical and generics maker, expects tougher competition this year as multinational competitors cut prices to compete with generics.

Unilab corporate vice-president for business development Jose Ma. Ochave said although competition has become more intense, Unilab still expects its business to grow further in 2009.

"The challenge is really how to differentiate ourselves from multinationals because (products are of) the same quality while the difference between our prices have narrowed," he pointed out.

Further downward pressure on the prices of branded drugs is also being exerted by the government’s “Botika ng Barangay” drugstores that sell generics to 25 million Filipinos, and the private sector-run “Botika ng Bayan.”

The government has invested P500 million to buy generics and other drugs for its 11,000 Botika ng Barangay drugstores.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Philippines, the country’s largest multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company, recently cut the prices of some of its branded drugs by as much as 50 percent under a worldwide company program that targets 50 least developed countries.

Prices slashed were those for GSK products used in acute diseases such as pneumonia and other bacterial infections, ulcer, bronchitis, hospital-acquired infection, nausea and vomiting, and drugs used to manage chronic diseases such as hypertension, type-2 diabetes, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bipolar disorder and chronic hepatitis B infection.

“The price reduction is one of GSK’s biggest and boldest steps to make its branded and patented drug products affordable to more Filipinos. We believe that as a global pharmaceutical company, we have an obligation to help the poor get treatment,” said Roberto Taboada, GSK Philippines president and managing director.

Taboada explained the price cut is the company’s long-term commitment to Filipino patients.

Taking Generics Avenue also makes sound economic sense considering the poor worldwide, or “the bottom of the pyramid group,” spend more than $30 billion on medicine. According to the World Bank, this total is expected to double in 2015 and opens the door to further opportunities to improve healthcare.

Asia's high spies

2009-06-20T02:19:00.000-07:00

Japan's launch of its fourth spy satellite last February and the upcoming launch of two Israeli spy satellites underscore the high level of tension at Asia's flashpoints, and the key role in national security played by Asia's relatively few military spy satellites, and by its more numerous "dual use" satellites.

Unabated security concerns are also driving the growth of Asia's defense industries, and opens the door to international firms with products leveraging satellite's advantages. Japan, China and India remain among the world's largest defense spenders, and their defense budgets are on the rise.

IGS-2B, Japan's second satellite with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capable of "seeing" through clouds and smoke, was launched by an H-2A launch vehicle from the Tanageshima launch center.

This radar spy intends to satisfy Japan's need for real time information and warning about ballistic missile launches by communist North Korea. It joins IGS-1B, another imaging radar satellite and two in-orbit photoreconnaissance satellites (IGS-1A and -2A) also monitoring North Korea.

These four low Earth orbit spy satellites, all made in Japan by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, cost over $2 billion. They constitute Japan's single largest defense hardware expenditure in decades, and are among the most expensive spy satellites built outside the USA.

Japan's spy satellite program was initiated after North Korea launched a ballistic missile in 1998 that flew over Japan.

Despite recent news that North Korea intends to return to the six-nation talks aimed at curbing its nascent nuclear program, Japan will push forward with launching two more improved spy satellites, thereby enhancing a satellite constellation watching over North Korea's nuclear facilities at Yongbyong and elsewhere.

The existing constellation now orbits at a speed of 29,000 kilometers per hour along different axes. The grainy quality their "high resolution" cameras, however, fall short of that available on other spy satellites such as India's dual use Technology Experiment Satellite (TES). This satellite's camera with a resolution of one-meter can tell an SUV from a pickup, and today spies on Pakistan and on NATO in Afghanistan.

As a result, Japan, intends to launch third and fourth-generation spy satellites by 2011 that will feature marked improvements over the existing fleet. These new birds will be lighter, capable of faster acquisition and have cameras so good they can tell whether a North Korean MIG jet fighter has missiles or expendable fuel tanks under its wings.

Japan's obsession with national security, and with satellites as its first line of defense, is matched in Asia only by Israel. The Jewish state counts on a single sophisticated photoreconnaissance satellite to stand watch over neighbors such as Iran and Syria.

This lone spy sat, Ofek-5, will soon be joined by Ofek-7 and a SAR satellite called TechSAR with all-weather imaging capabilities. Both are to be orbited later this year or in early 2008. The Ofeks are high-resolution imaging satellites used solely for military intelligence purposes. India will launch Ofek-7 on one of its polar satellite launch vehicles.

Israel then intends to loft Amos-3, its third military communications satellite, making 2007-2008 the most intense years in the history of its military satellites.

By 2008, Japan and Israel should have 10 military satellites in orbit. This number does not include military-civilian, or dual use, satellites such as Israel's two Eros (Earth Remote Observation Satellite) remote sensing satellites whose major client is the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

Israel intends to upgrade the quality of its future spy sats by developing what are considered the next generation of nanosatellites (10 kg) and microsatellites (100 kg) compared to existing satellites that weigh over 1,000 kg.

These new satellites will be launched from specially configured Israeli jets in much the same way air-to-air missiles are launched. Scientists at Rafael and Israel's Armament Development Authority are examining technology to upgrade existing missiles with more powerful engines and install microsatellites in their noses. Israel expects to have these small satellites available by 2008. Israel's defense industry will build these small satellites.

No military satellites
Elsewhere in Asia, the military satellite picture remains quite different, but only because of clever word plays. China and India do not "officially" operate military spy satellites, but they do have dual use "remote sensing" and "weather" satellites that further blur the distinction between military and civilian satellites.

Japan steadfastly refuses to call its satellites spy satellites, but instead refers to them by the polite phrase, Information Gathering Satellites (IGS). Australia only rents out transponders for military use on civilian satellites such as the Optus and Defense C1 satellite.

KoreaSat 5 is South Korea's first satellite with military communications as a primary objective. It was launched into orbit in August 2006 and at last gives South Korea's military a system that offers secure critical communications. KoreaSat 5 is, however, a dual use satellite that also provides Direct-to-Home (DTH) services to thousands of paying subscribers in South Korea.

That leaves Israel as Asia's sole country that admits to operating dedicated military satellites, which can be defined as those that take high resolution pictures, eavesdrop on electronic signals, intercept radio conversations, have infrared vision, carry radar or relay communications to be used by military or national security agencies.

Asian milsats today
Asian nations with military and dual use satellites remain gripped by perceived threats to their national security from neighboring countries. Terrorism appears less of a concern to these nations than are the large armies across their borders capable of fighting a ghastly conventional war.

It is China chary over another war against India but bellicose against Taiwan; Japan anxious over North Korea and its ballistic missiles; South Korea primed for a fight against North Korea; Israel seeking to ensure its existence against its Muslim neighbors; Australia casting a suspicious eye at Indonesia; India cautious of another war against Pakistan.

As the major threats faced by these countries come from conventional military forces, their response is also conventional. And any soldier worth his salt understands that if one knows his enemy as well as himself, one need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

Satellites feed the soldiers' primordial need to know the enemy by supplying intelligence and early warning.

In China's case, however, her lack of modern military satellites of any type not only blinds her, but also seems to diminish the credibility of the threat posed by her massive conventional forces.

Satellite guided weapons have demonstrated incredible accuracy in Iraq and Afghanistan and China is unfortunate in not having stockpiles of these weapons and the satellites to guide them, which the US and Taiwan applaud.

China is modernizing what surface-to-surface (SSM) missiles it has, albeit slowly. It is fielding increasing numbers of more accurate SSMs against Taiwan with guidance systems using the U.S. GPS or the Russian Glonass positioning satellites.

China now has close to a thousand SSMs aimed at Taiwan, which China considers a rogue province. China says it is strengthening its military muscle to defeat any attempt by Taiwan to declare independence.

Military analysts say the Chinese have improved the guidance system of their Dong Feng (East Wind) DF-11 and DF-15 short range ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan. Over 250 DF-11s and DF-15s are in position against Taiwan and constitute the most numerous and newest missile types deployed. The DF-15 or M-9 is the most accurate Chinese missile, with a circular error probability of some 90 meters when GPS guided, but there are only 200 of them arrayed against Taiwan.

Not even one Hawk battery
A recent study by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense says that a single Hawk missile defense battery can withstand an attack by up to 275 DF-15s. The report concluded that China does not have enough DF-15s to destroy even one Hawk battery. Hence, Taiwan's confidence in surviving a missile attack by China no matter how intense.

Even were all DF-15s satellite guided, thousands would be needed to overwhelm Taiwan's American supplied missile defense systems that include the more accurate Patriot PAC-2. Then China has to take into account the counter threat from American spy satellites providing targeting information for Taiwanese and U.S. missiles.

China recognizes the sad state of its offensive capability, and has increased its annual defense spending by almost 18 percent to $45 billion this year as a remedy. The budget represents the largest increase in military spending in five years. The Chinese leadership said China needed to spend more on its military to upgrade its weak armed forces and counter any Taiwanese move toward independence.

The sharp spike in military outlays follows a 15 percent budget increase in 2006 as the People's Liberation Army tries to streamline its massive ground forces and deploy new missiles, warships and aircraft. In the meantime, Taiwan remains safe from Chinese attack.

The rise of China's military fueled by its strong economy is causing continued anxiety in Japan and South Korea. Even hawkish Australia is worried. The mood in Japan is believed to be moving away from the policy against developing nuclear weapon, though largely because of the recent nuclear test by North Korea, which is subservient to China.

After double-digit increases in annual defense outlays over much of the past 15 years, China is on track to become a major military power, but not quite powerful enough to damage U.S. interests severely. Some military experts said China was actually spending up to three times more on its military than the official figure.

China's defenses are weak
It is interesting to note that one of the Communist Party's justifications for the huge jump in China's defense spending was the need to modernize China's armed forces, and the claim that China's defenses are weak. One can appreciate the accuracy of these statements when one looks at China's military satellites.

China's lack of satellites to guide its offensive weapons is matched by a similar sad state of its reconnaissance satellites. China currently has no spy satellite fleet as the last of its photoreconnaissance satellites switched off in 1996.

Instead, China relies on imaging intelligence bought from commercial satellite companies in the USA and Europe. And to some extent on its civilian Fengyun "weather satellites" that are suspected of being used militarily.

U.S. intelligence also believes the Ziyuan series of remote sensing satellites are really spysats with false identities as civilian Earth-monitoring systems. They said these satellites, named Ziyuan-2, are secretly designated Jianbing-3, a military designation for spy satellites.

The Ziyuans could be used for planning combat missions, targeting missiles at U.S. forces in Japan or preparing aircraft strikes against Taiwan. Western military analysts also believe China's Beidou navigation system and its three satellites (the Chinese equivalent of GPS) can also provide targeting information for Chinese missiles.

In the future, however, analysts expect China to launch more high-technology space platforms, including even-higher-resolution imagery satellites, electronic signals intelligence satellites and military communications satellites.

These new "space toys" are bound to add to the growing apprehension in the West about China's deeper intentions in space exploration. China's destruction of one of its derelict Fengyun satellites using a ground launched ballistic missile last January stoked fears of China preparing space as the first battleground in any war involving the USA. The Bush administration then suspended plans to develop joint space ventures with China.

India: no milsats yet, but . . .
India does not operate a single military satellite, but will soon. What it does have, however, are some very capable remote sensing satellite whose high resolution cameras compare with the U.S.' best.

TES, built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and its one-meter resolution camera leads India in providing high quality imagery. TES is the precursor to India's proposed first military satellite and has proven to India the value of a sharp-eyed lookout in space.

During the start of the war in Afghanistan waged by the US-led international coalition forces in 2001, TES reportedly beamed one-meter high-resolution images of troop movements and coalition armored columns to India.

The pressing need for a spy satellite was strongly driven home, however, during the gory fight against Pakistan for the Kargil region in mid-1999. In the aftermath of that bloodbath, India came to the conclusion that satellite imagery could have warned them beforehand of Pakistani incursions, and avoided the much of the bloody fighting that followed.

One Indian military analyst cuttingly noted that India was so far behind in space based military systems that it would only realize its satellites had been destroyed by China when told so by the USA.

India's fleet of dual use, photo imagery satellites include Resourcesat-1 launched in October 2003 and considered India's most sophisticated remote sensing satellite to date. There's the 2.5 meter, high-resolution Cartosat-1 satellite equipped with two cameras able to point at an object from two different angles. Another mapping satellite, Cartosat-2, which has 1-meter resolution and a 120 gigabyte storage capacity for captured images, launched in January 2007.

Military satellites in the pipeline
In September 2005, India announced that a military space-based reconnaissance system was in an advanced stage of development and is expected to be operational by 2007. To this end, the Indian military has requested an exclusively military telecommunications satellite, and satellites with high-resolution cameras. The system was to have been operational by 2005, but the defense minister said validation of technologies took more time than anticipated.

India's extensive ground-based surveillance and coordination systems linked to its remote sensing satellites, would enable the country to keep a watch on any activity in its neighborhood. India is continuing to develop a broad-based space program with indigenous launch vehicles, satellites and control facilities, all of which will also be of great assistance to its upcoming Chandrayaan Moon exploration program.

Chandrayaan will use a modified PSLV rocket to send a small probe into lunar orbit, from where it will survey the surface of the Moon in an attempt to locate resources. Other countries including the US have expressed interest in attaching their own payloads to the mission. India and China along with the USA and the EU are engaged in the "Second Moon Race" whose finish line will see man again set foot on the Moon by the next decade.

Australia and Pakistan milsats
Australia's Optus and Defence C1 satellite is a dual use satellite. It carries a mixed payload that will serve the needs of its owner, Singtel Optus Pty Ltd, and the Australian Department of Defence.

Launched in 2003, it operates on four different frequency bands: commercial services in Ku-band for Singtel Optus; and military communications at UHF, X and Ka-bands for the Australian Department of Defence.

Optus and Defence C1 is one of the most advanced communications satellites, carrying a total of 16 antennas that provide 18 beams across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region, and global beams covering from India to Hawaii. The military Ka-band payload has four 33-MHz active transponders and one spare. X-band telecommunications links provided via the satellite will be used by the military for medium to high data rate one- and two-way video, as well as voice and data communications.

The Australian government said it was negotiating with the U.S. on a plan to build a military satellite communications facility on Australia's west coast.

Pakistan is forging ahead with long delayed plans to launch its first dual use satellite, Paksat-1R. It has, however, decided to achieve this aim with the help of Telesat Canada, a leading satellite operator.

Pakistan and Telesat this March signed a consulting contract in which Telesat will assist the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), Pakistan's
national space agency, procure and launch Paksat-1R, which will replace Paksat-1 in 2010. Pakistan has long made known its intention to have a military reconnaissance satellite because of its uneasy relationship with India.

Opportunities and Challenges
The leaders in Asia's satellite industry are also its biggest military spenders. Japan, South Korea, Israel, China and India have long been among the world's top arms buyers for decades.

And since satellites play key roles in attaining their national security objectives, the fortunes of their defense industries impact on their satellite industries, as well.

Except for China, these countries have built military-industrial complexes that tolerate foreign participation in their satellite and defense industries. As a communist state, China does not allow foreign investment or participation in its defense industries. China, however, has partnered with a few foreign countries such as France and Israel in weapons development involving technology transfers.

It is in the rapidly advancing field of information technology where much of the change sweeping Asia's satellite industry is taking place, and where business opportunities abound.

The Indian government now allows private sector participation in the defense industry at up to 100 percent for Indian companies, and with foreign direct investment permissible up to 26 percent for the manufacture of all types of defense equipment within the country.

Private companies are allowed to apply either individually or by joint ventures. Preference is given to original equipment manufacturers or design establishments and those having a good track record as suppliers.

India's civilian and dual use satellites are the domain of ISRO, which has developed, built and launched practically all of India's satellites in partnership with domestic Indian companies, and a few foreign ones.

Whether ISRO plays the key role in India's military satellites is unclear, however. Some Indian military leaders are opting for a military unit to take charge of all aspects of building, launching and maintaining military satellites.

Should this take place, India stands on the verge of creating a military satellite industry that can be a serious competitor to the U.S. and the European Union.

Japan's "old boys club" continues to dominate its satellite and defense industries. Nearly 60 percent of Japanese defense contracts were awarded to five large corporations: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Corporation and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, builder of the IGS spy satellites. Competition for contracts has intensified as larger portions of the defense budget are allotted to procurement.

Japanese corporations are marketing mainly dual-use electronics subcomponents, vehicles, and transport and communications equipment. They also provide components for missiles and aircraft produced overseas, especially in the United States. Japan is keeping military expenditure at only 1% of GDP.

Japan's posture is a defensive one with no weapons of mass destruction, no long-range bombers, no middle or long-range missiles, no aircraft carriers and no nuclear submarines. Japan, however, has considerable conventional weapons, and wants to use its Self-Defence Forces for peacekeeping operations.

Taiwan, while having no military satellites of its own, relies on U.S. military satellites as the cornerstones of any successful defense against invasion by China. It also has two remote sensing satellites, RocSat-1 and -2.

RocSat-2 can take pictures of Earth objects as small as two meters across. The satellite orbits the earth 14 times a day, including two passes over Taiwan, at 890 kilometers altitude.

Only this March, Taiwan made headlines with its offer to rent or buy one of Israel's dual use Eros satellites, the newest of which is capable of taking sharp pictures of surface objects as small as 70 centimeters (28 inches).

Described by some military analysts as reconnaissance or spy satellites, the two in-orbit Eros satellites-Eros A and Eros B-are owned and operated by the Israeli company, ImageSat International. Taiwan is reportedly interested in the older Eros A that carries a high-resolution camera capable of discerning objects 1.8 meters across. The satellite is in low Earth orbit and carries a price tag of $300 million, according to sources. The newer Eros B can identify objects 70 centimeters across and is now used to monitor Iran's nuclear program.

Eros A, launched in December 2000, and Eros B, which became operational in June 2006, also provide imaging intelligence to the Israeli government. Each of the satellites passes over Israel and neighboring states four times a day.

Eros A has a planned lifespan of 10 years in orbit and is scheduled to remain in service until 2010, when it will be replaced by the more advanced Eros C.

Taiwan has placed its salvation in the hands of information technology (IT). Taiwan is building a national defense capability that emphasizes quality over quantity by fielding a C4ISR system in conjunction with defensive weapons. Taiwan believes the key to any successful national defense is information superiority over China.

Taiwan believes information superiority is essential since China's threats include synchronized, multi-faceted, surprise and quick attacks by the People's Liberation Army. Information warfare is expected to precede any attack. Taiwan, therefore, sees information superiority as crucial to achieving victory in combat.

The country's focus on IT as its savior is mirrored in its defense acquisitions. In the near future, Taiwan's most urgent defense requirements are the integration tasks between current platforms and weapons within and among Taiwan's armed forces. Taiwan's long-range defense plans include integrated battlefield management and C4ISR upgrades.

Taiwan has a strong private-sector industrial base. As a result of the lifting of restrictions on outsourcing contracts for military suppliers, qualified private plants for manufacturing and maintenance have been established under a competitive environment. Over 200 private firms accept contracts to develop and manufacture roughly 1,000 parts for military aircraft, missiles, avionics and armored vehicles.

The Potential for Ground Equipment Sales
Taiwan's reliance on IT, and on satellites, has led it to award ViaSat, Inc. a $12 million contract for the latter's Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) terminals, a battlefield tactical radio system.

Taiwan is purchasing 70 LVT(1) configuration terminals plus spares under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program through the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. The order will be for the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense.

Taiwan has a large fleet of combat aircraft and ViaSat sees this initial award as an entry point for future business in Taiwan. MIDS LVT is part of a tactical radio system that collects data from many sources and displays an electronic overview of the battlefield using secure, high capacity, jam resistant, digital data and voice.

The system is used on US Navy, US Air Force, US Army platforms and military platforms of other nations. ViaSat is one of two U.S. government-qualified manufacturers of Link-16 MIDS airborne terminals and is the only qualified manufacturer of the LVT(2) ground-based terminal.

In January 2007, Taiwan awarded Integral Systems, Inc. a sole-source contract to upgrade Taiwan 's National Space Organization's (NSPO) existing mission operations system to simultaneously operate the NSPO's new Argo satellite and RocSats-1 and -2.

The contract calls for Integral Systems to provide all of the software required to fly Argo and the two RocSats, including commanding, telemetry processing, orbit analysis, scheduling, and tracking station automation, using one single command and control system.

Despite its dual use nature, KoreaSat-5 (or Mugunghwa 5) is widely considered South Korea's first military satellite. It carries 12 military transponders and its launch is historic in that it ushered in South Korea's military satellite era.

It will also be a starting point for South Korea's military network-centric warfare capability. As can be expected from a revolutionary system, KoreaSat-5 will generate hardware and software necessary to exploit its unique capabilities.

The Joker's Bicycle

2009-05-01T03:01:00.000-07:00

WILL THE world's only network centric army survive future war? Perhaps a past war has some of the answers.

Take this journey across the face of war at www.futurewardefeat.blogspot.com

The Knights of the Nauseous Poop

2009-05-01T02:55:00.001-07:00

ART THOU beguiled by wars medieval,
things political
and events modern in the Philippines?

Hie thee off to www.knightsofthenauseous.blogspot.com
to slake
thy curiosity.

Whatever happened to “Thank you?”

2009-04-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

I commute via jeepney almost everyday. And every time I am struck by the lack of a simple courtesy that was commonplace during my youth when The Beatles ruled the airwaves.

A passenger hands his fare to the driver, and someone takes the fare and places it in the driver’s hand. Basic politeness dictates that one should thank the person who handed the fare to the driver.

A simple “Thank you” or “Salamat” would do.

But you hardly ever hear these words. I make it a point to say “Salamat” every time someone does me this favor. Of course, I miss out on occasion, but I do make an effort to thank that helpful person.

I somehow expect other passengers to say “Salamat” when I do them this favor. But this hardly ever happens. I can’t even recall the last time it did happen!

I tried a simple experiment only recently. I counted the number of times someone said either “Salamat” or “Thank you” to someone who handed his fare to the driver.

In 21 jeepney rides, I counted 108 instances when someone handed another passenger’s fare to the driver. Only three people bothered to say “Salamat” or “Thank you.”

Just three people and they looked like they were in their 30s. And not one teenager.

This result reminded me of the angels’ search for 50 good men at Sodom and Gomorrah. It also told me that courtesy should be taught at school, from elementary to college.

It’s in the little things like saying “Thank you” that reveal the moral and intellectual quality of a people.

Courtesy is contagious. It’s catching. If more of us bothered to say “Salamat” or “Thank you” for a favor, or smiled instead, we’d find a lot more to like in our fellowman. We’d learn the meaning of being kind and considerate.

The first place to start practicing these simple, forgotten courtesies would be at home. I’d be right if I said that very few Filipino parents even bother thanking their children for doing them a service.

That’s because most Pinoy parents remain authoritarian. It’s still a boss-employee relationship in nearly all families.

But it wouldn’t hurt to thank your children once in a while. If saying thank you is against your parental management style, a smile will do. Or a nod of approval. That will tell your kids it’s all right to be kind.

Our grim country needs all the kindness and smiles we can give it. So, have the courage to say “Thank You” or “Salamat” when an officemate does you a favor; when a guard opens a door for you or when your brother runs an errand for you.

Little courtesies will go a long way in making this country a better place. Let’s spread them around.

Sweat is good

2009-04-01T01:46:00.000-07:00

It might be a cultural thing having to do with the Filipino's deep-seated desire to look his best no matter what. Or it might have something to do with aberrations in the Filipino psyche, like our glorification of reality shows where contestants dip for prizes in disgusting pigswill.

But sweating has always gotten a bad rap in this country. It's as if sweating were, well, a gruesome bodily function. Like hurling (vomiting).

That's why we have Filipinos who become panicky when sweat shows through their clothes. Or who chide others who sweat a lot, claiming that sweat is "pangit" (ugly) and should be wiped off post haste.

But sweat is good. Sweat is cool. And so is sweating. If you didn't sweat, you'd be dead within an hour from heat stroke.

If you didn't sweat, your skin would fry--literally--as its temperature shoots past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Then your heart rate goes haywire. What happens next depends on the presence of mind of the persons you're with. If they know first aid for heat stroke, you've got a chance. If not . . .

You can prevent this worst-case scenario by doing the smart thing: sweat. And you can only sweat sufficiently if you drink lots of water--water and not soft drinks, coffee, tea or fruit juices.

On a typically cool day, the average person loses one-liter of water per hour as sweat . We're always sweating (even in air conditioned rooms) but are so busy we don't notice it. Sweating or perspiring is the body's way of releasing excess metabolic heat.

During summer, which is particularly fierce this year, that water loss jumps to two or three liters per hour! That's mind-boggling and potentially life threatening.

You're looking for trouble if you stay out under the sun for hours without first drinking a lot of water and regularly replenishing water lost as sweat. The danger from heat stroke increases in a very humid country like ours since humidity (or the amount of water vapor in the air) keeps sweat from evaporating. And that hinders the sweat glands from producing enough sweat to cool you down so your body temp doesn't hit the danger zone of 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

Losing two to three liters of water per hour is a lot and most of us don't realize we can lose that much so quickly under a blazing summer sun. The dangerous thing is that by the time we feel thirsty, we're already dehydrated.

Dehydration happens without warning. You start licking your dry lips. Your skin feels on fire. You feel dizzy. Confusion sets in.

If you still have some presence of mind, you'd quickly find shade and slowly drink water. Keep drinking until you feel your senses returning. Your body temp has got to drop to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or lower for you to enter the safe zone.

You should feel safer when you begin sweating profusely. Try not to wipe off the sweat at once but let it evaporate. Sweat is good. It might also save our life.

But it would be best if you knew first aid for heat stroke. Remember that the only solution for heat stroke is to cool the victim down.

You can do this by getting him to drink water if he's conscious; soaking his entire body in cool water; sponging cool water onto his body and applying ice packs to his head, neck, armpits and groin. If not treated, heat stroke can kill in less than an hour.

On the other hand, I don't advocate not wiping off excessive sweat. I also don't encourage you to cool down inside an air-conditioned room if you're sweating (that will get you sick).

But, as a wise sage once cautioned, do everything in moderation. If it's hot and you're outdoors, let your body sweat so it cools you down. If you don't sweat, drink water. If you're bathed in sweat, better dry out outdoors. And do drink lots of water.

So sweat, be cool and be safe.

The second war against Iraq

2009-03-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

SHOULD it come to a fight, the second Persian Gulf War will prove if the United States has reached a sophistication capable of achieving the perfection of military strategy: Attaining victory with a minimum of fighting.

Washington's strident saber-rattling; the pre-positioning of its armed forces in the theater of conflict, its stepped up aerial attacks on Iraq's anti-air defenses and a not too stealthy campaign to remove Saddam by "other means" (such as a bullet in his brain) appear to me as more indicative of its intent to win victory with the least fighting than as imminent preparations for a lightning war.

The United States seems bent on frightening Saddam into submission by threatening his life and promising the overwhelming destruction of his armed forces, which is the foundation of his power. Saddam's surrender without the need of combat would achieve the United States' military aim of overthrowing him and dealing a serious blow against international terrorism.

That would be the best result possible for a world alarmed by the economic disaster that might result from a prolonged war against Iraq. It might also be the world's best in win-win solutions.

Should Washington's campaign to unseat Saddam without resorting to war fail, however, the Allies should be able to destroy the Iraqi army in about a week, according to Western analysts. Former US president Bill Clinton has said that he'd be surprised if the Iraqi army lasted more than three days.

No pushover
But war plans rarely go according to plan in war and the Iraqi armed forces might not be the pushover it appears on paper. And, of course, there is the threat of Iraq's still invisible WMD (weapons of mass destruction) that determined UN weapons inspectors have been unable to uncover despite a month of intense effort.

Although suggesting that wars are fought to minimize fighting appears astounding (or totally absurd), this view does hew to military logic and does have historical precedents. The perfection of strategy, as the noted British military thinker Sir Basil Liddell Hart pointed out in his famous body of work about warfare, "would...be to produce a decision without any serious fighting."

The aim of (the) strategy, he said, "...must be to bring about this battle under the most advantageous circumstances. And the more advantageous the circumstances, the less, proportionately, will be the fighting.

"The perfection of strategy would be, therefore, to produce a decision without serious fighting. History...provides examples where strategy, helped by favorable conditions, has virtually produced such a result."

Decisive example
A decisive example of the perfection of strategy was the German Army's blitzkrieg against France and the Low Countries from May to June 1940. The Wehrmacht's six-week campaign led to the conquest of western Europe at extremely low cost: 60,000 casualties against an Allied loss of more than one million men.

I cited this example with no intention of drawing parallels between Nazi Germany's campaign to dominate Europe and Washington's current effort to unseat a maniacal dictator. What I sought to emphasize was that clever strategy can achieve decisive battlefield victories no matter who its originator.

Liddell Hart was an apostle of this perfection of strategy, which he termed the "strategy of the indirect approach." It is a strategy that uses political, psychological and physical means to attain victory with a minimum of fighting.

In looking at the options available to Washington, it is apparent that the most favorable outcome for the Allies would be Saddam's removal before any war takes place. The second most favorable outcome would be the rapid defeat of the Iraqi armed forces, if possible, through the strategy of the indirect approach.

A cursory look at the map, however, shows the immense problems faced by Allied planners. The only invasion route into Iraq available now is by Kuwait, which lies southeast of Iraq.

Grim prospect
The Iraq-Kuwait border is just over a hundred miles in length, making any Allied attack on Iraq a frontal one. Without Saudi Arabia agreeing to the use of its territory to launch flank attacks on Iraq, the Allies are faced with the grim prospect of assaulting prepared Iraqi defensive positions along the most obvious invasion routes. Should Iraq decide to make a determined stand on its border, the battle to ram into Iraq might prove too bloody despite Allied superiority in armor and advanced weaponry.

Once clear of the border, however, the Allies will have free rein into Iraq. An early stand by the Iraqi army at the border will only lead to its early destruction.

Iraq, on the other hand, appears to favor a strategy of trading space for time, much like the Russians did against the Germans in World War 2. It might give up territory to conserve its military strength and try to inflict as many casualties on the Allies as possible. Winning against the Allies is out of the question.

Iraq will seek to prolong its battlefield resistance to further weaken the United States and world economy and to inflame the morale of Muslim radicals around the globe. That Iraqi media has made much of defending Baghdad and other strategic centers indicate this might be the most profitable strategy for Saddam.

The Allies lost some 1,000 men and women in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, popularly known as Operation Desert Storm. Doubtless that Saddam is eager to increase the Allies' bill for conquering Iraq a second time.

Of course, my armchair generalship might be 360 degrees off the mark, but the reality of terrain as it now stands seems to favor a head-on assault by the Allies. The spring of 2003 has been bandied about as the most favorable time for any attack but that now seems unreasonable since UN weapons inspectors will remain in Iraq until early 2003.

With the loss of the favorable campaign season, the Allies are left with the difficult choice of either isolating Iraq until late 2003 or early 2004 or fighting in the intense summer heat next year. The UN attacked Iraq on Jan. 16, 1991 and forced an Iraqi surrender 100 days later.

The indirect approach, however, remains possible. In what form and where it must take place is up to Allied planners. It would be comforting to hope that Washington's top leadership will take into account that the true aim of the strategist "is not so much to seek battle as to seek a strategic situation so advantageous that if it does not of itself produce a decision, its continuation by a battle is sure to achieve this. In other words, dislocation is the aim of strategy; its sequel may be either the enemy's dissolution or his easier disruption in battle."

But then, a few bullets in Baghdad might end this war before it begins.

Print Publicity 101

2009-02-24T02:26:00.000-08:00

Print publicity is the cheapest form of advertising open to any company.

It’s free—if you know how. But first, you’ve got to learn how the print media operates. You’ve also got to remember that the working press is a corps of intelligent and decent professionals battling against time every day of every year.

The men and women who work in daily newspapers labor under the intense pressure of immutable deadlines. Editorial offices are a madhouse in the late afternoon. That’s deadline time for stories.

Phones ring non-stop. Everyone seems hunched over his or her keyboard madly typing away. A perspiring few stare blankly into space awaiting divine inspiration.

Your company’s press release arrives into this bedlam. If it’s on paper and is addressed to a specific editor, your release goes to that editor’s inbox pile. And it stays there until the editor gets to it.

You also have to fall in line if you email the release. Editors are deluged with emailed press releases. Now what?

Where your press release goes from here depends on how you “prepared” your release for publication. By “prepared” I mean going through a process that gives your release a better than even chance of getting published. Here’s that process in a nutshell.

1. Make your release easy to read so the editor won’t have to waste his time re-writing it. Writing a press release is never easy. If you didn’t take journalism, or if you had news writing but never took it seriously, you’re in deep shit this early. Better find someone who knows how to write news.

But if you do know how to write, you’re best served by using the five “Ws” (Who, What, When, Where, Why) and the “inverted pyramid” format (the most important news in the first three to five paragraphs; the rest of the story is background).

Keep the language simple but pack the story with information and quotes from a company boss, if possible. But make sure the most important info goes into the first three to five paragraphs.

That will make it easier for the editor to edit your story (without taking out the “meat” of your story) in case he runs out of layout space. Also, do create an appropriate title for your story.

Paragraph and make your paragraphs short. As a guide, make each paragraph consist of three short sentences. That’s the equivalent of about one printed inch in a newspaper.

Editors who can’t understand your press release, or who know they’ll have to spend a lot of their limited time re-writing it, will normally set the release aside.

A few matters of form: prefer Times Roman 12 points with 1.5 inch spacing when typing hard copy on MSWord. Also include your name and contact info (telephone, email) to establish your credibility. Proofread your story for mistakes.

Remove “honorifics” such as Mr., Mrs. and Ms but retain professional titles (Dr., Atty.). Refer to your company in the third person (not “our company” or “my company”).

2. Address your press release to a specific editor. You must never send out a press release addressed “The Editor.”

A broadsheet has a lot of editors. Sending it to that nebulous entity, “The Editor,” is the best way for your release to get lost in the newsroom forever.

Before you even write the release, however, call up the editorial department of the newspaper or newspapers you intend to send the release to. Identify yourself and your company and say you’re writing such and such a press release and whom should I send it to?

Jot down the editor’s name and his position. Ask if you should send the release by email or hard copy. Many broadsheets prefer email (it eliminates re-typing) while a few prefer hard copy.

Address the release to that specific editor in the subject line of your email along with the title of your press release and your company name. In the hard copy, legibly write down the editor’s name on the upper right hand part of the first page.

3. Do follow up your press release. This is probably the single most important factor in getting your release published if you’re unknown to the editor. “Huwag kang mahiya.”

Call the next afternoon, identify yourself and politely ask the editor if he got your press release. If he says he did, ask politely if he’ll use it. If he says he didn’t get the release, ask if you could re-send it and how you should send it. Follow up but don’t be “makulit” by phoning the editor everyday.

4. Re-issue the press release to the same editor if the release hasn’t been published after a week. Re-write the press release to make it read better. The editor might have forgotten receiving your first release and might not have seen the re-issue.

5. Increase the odds of your press release being published. You can issue it simultaneously to the seven English broadsheets, the top business paper and the two top English tabloids. That's 10 newspapers and odds are your release will see print in at least one or two of them.

A flickering light

2009-02-21T01:01:00.000-08:00

A childhood friend of mine had a father who was an editor for the leading newspaper of its day.

As could be expected, my friend took journalism at the University of Santo Tomas, which was, and remains, the country’s leading school of journalism. His teachers regarded him highly.

Whether out of respect for his immense talent or his father’s formidable reputation, the son did not know.

He joined the staff of UST’s newspaper, as could be expected of the son of a famous journalist, and the college newsletter, as could again be expected. But he never became Editor-in-Chief as many expected he would.

Upon graduation, he joined one of the few English broadsheets permitted by Martial Law. He began as a reporter, the traditional route to greater things in the dailies.

I failed to keep in touch, however, and a few years later was surprised to learn that his family had immigrated.

It seems his newspaper career had not progressed as spectacularly as many expected it would given his lineage. Word had it that he had trouble becoming part of the team.

And it seems he had no identity other than being his father’s son. His editors would refer to him as “Anak ni _________” instead of by his first name when they talked about him.

Comparisons with his great father were inevitable—and painful.

Never mind that it took the father over three decades of hard work to achieve his deserved fame. A son is judged immediately and compared immediately.

But the shock was learning that my friend had tried to kill himself. His mind had snapped under the immense weight of being a famous man’s “underachieving” son, one of his co-workers later told me.

That’s why his family immigrated, said this person, so my friend could start anew in a country where he could become his own man. It was his parents’ atonement for having driven their son too hard to embellish the family name.

The son of a great man can do no more than light his own fire within his father’s giant shadow. And by stoking his own flickering light in that comforting darkness, proclaim his existence to an uncaring world.

How to make your employees your customers

2009-02-05T01:48:00.000-08:00

I find it odd that Filipino companies or Philippine-based companies hardly every bother to sell themselves to their employees. But do company employees need to be sold on the company they work for, you might ask?

The straight answer is, Yes. Because employees are employees for only eight hours a day, six-and-a-half if your exclude the one hour lunch break and two 15 minute meriendas.

Beyond that, employees are individuals who work for themselves. And all of a company’s managers and staff are also customers who’ll buy a competitor’s products or patronize his services if they’re convinced these are better than their own.

Company loyalty means just that—employees are loyal to their company. That loyalty doesn’t automatically extend to a company’s products or services. Brand loyalty has to be earned, even from a company’s employees.

And even if a company’s products or services can’t be used by its employees (call center services, for example), a company still has to work hard at promoting itself to them. That’s a good way of keeping hard-to-find employees, especially in leading edge industries such as call centers and business process outsourcing (BPO).

How does a company promote itself to its employees? The answer is to give employees a steady stream of information in a personalized package unique to the company.

Ideally, this information should build company and brand loyalty; foster productivity; create support for the company’s goals; make clear the company’s stand on vital issues and contribute to the bottom line.

That package is the company newsletter. Nowadays it’s also the company Intranet. The company website? Not quite since websites are impersonal salesmen that sell to the world.

Company newsletters used to be a big thing in the decades before the PC (the 1970s and 1980s). Now, they’re going the way of the Philippine Eagle and the precious few that survive are finding it hard to soldier on in the face of anorexic budgets and lack of skilled staff (editors and writers).

The latter, I guess, is the key reason for the dying out of the company newsletter. There simply aren’t that many good English editors and writers in today’s labor pool.

Ask the broadsheets. One of my editor friends, who also teaches journalism, complains that writing two paragraphs of passable English is a daunting challenge for many reporter candidates. And some of these people graduated with degrees in journalism or English!

If mass media is finding it next to impossible hiring good English writers, imagine what it’s like for corporations. Companies won’t hire an employee specifically to be a newsletter editor or writer. I haven’t come across a single instance of this yet.

A company usually assigns the newsletter to its human resources unit, which is usually understaffed and overworked. HR then appoints the newsletter’s staff after frantically searching its database for employees with even an iota of English writing experience.

When this fails, as it most often does, HR either does the job itself or cancels the newsletter. It might also hire an experienced editorial consultant like me to assist in providing content and layout for the newsletter.

Producing a printed or online newsletter is always tough. Ensuring its continued existence is even tougher considering its investment.

But you’d have to weigh the cost of this investment by the value of what you stand to gain. Newsletters impart information, a commodity that has value only when read.

Information, if intelligently used, is the basic building block of all sales. You buy because you’re convinced—sold—on the information presented to you. Advertising only jazzes up this information.

A newsletter or any other information carrier “sells” information to a market—a company’s employees—who are already half sold on the value of their product or service. The extra information provided by a company newsletter could push employees into becoming paying customers.

And there are also the other intangible advantages to the information provided by a newsletter. Advantages like improved productivity; stronger teamwork; a closer alignment with company goals.

A surprising bit of information is a recent report by U.S. retailers that TV is no longer the most influential advertising medium. Surprisingly, word of mouth and news inserts have replaced TV as more effective advertising media. Email and the Internet are also generating a lot of advertising buzz.

Word of mouth. Email. The Internet. Companies have these in abundance.

News inserts? That’s what newsletters are for.

2008-11-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

First work about Philippine Korean War battles published

What battles other than the famous Battle of Yuldong were fought by the Philippines in the Korean War? And what was the first and last Filipino battle in this war?

The battles—and victories—won by the Philippines in the Korean War (1950-53) are highlights of the magazine, “Significant Filipino Battles of the Korean War,” edited by Art Villasanta, Korean War historian, and issued during the recent celebration of the 9th Korean War Veterans of the Philippines Memorial Day.

The magazine recounts five of the epic battles fought by the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK) against the communist Chinese and North Koreans. It is the first published work about Filipino battles in the Korean War.

“The Philippines had a record of battlefield victory in the Korean War, but this isn’t that well known,” said Villasanta. “This modest work tells the story of some of the epic victories won by our country in the Korean War.”

Among these little know victories is the “Battle of Miudong/Syngue” fought in Nov. 1950, the first battle—and the first combat victory—won by the Philippines on foreign soil in its history. The battle was won by the 10th BCT commanded by Col. Mariano Azurin.

The work also sheds light on the last battle fought by the Philippines in the Korean War. This was another victorious defense of Christmas Hill by the 14th BCT under Col. Nicanor Jimenez. This last battle was won just two day before fighting in the Korean War ended on July 27, 1953.

The magazine tells the story of the longest PEFTOK battle: a bloody four-day fight for Hills Arsenal and Eerie in June 1952. This battle, also called the “Rizal Day Battle for Combat Outpost No. 8,” was a victory for the 19th BCT under Col. Ramon Aguirre.

On June 21, the morning after the vicious night battle that saw the final defeat of the last communist Chinese assault, a group of exhausted Filipino soldiers climbed Arsenal Hill and planted the Filipino flag on the summit. This act of victorious defiance showed the Chinese they had indeed lost the battle, and that Combat Outpost No. 8 remained firmly in Filipino hands.

Some 7,500 officers and men of the Philippine Army served in Korea. Organized into five battalion combat teams (BCTs), PEFTOK lost over 100 men killed and a further 400 wounded in action defending South Korea against communist invasion. The Philippines was among 16 member countries of the United Nations led by the United States that sent combat troops to the war.

The magazine was published as a souvenir program by the PEFTOK Veterans Association, Inc. (PVAI).

2008-11-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

Sacrifice and brotherhood: The epic saga of the Philippines in the Korean War

By Art Villasanta
Korean War Historian

The Philippines fought in the Korean War (1950-53) despite having to contend with a growing communist-led rebellion and an economy mending from the immense destruction wrought by World War 2.

The Philippine Army had nine of its 10 Battalion Combat Teams (BCTs) and its only artillery battalion fighting the communist-led Hukbalahap or Huks when the 10th BCT was selected as the first Korea-bound combat unit on Aug. 23, 1950.

The BCTs were highly mobile, compact and self-supporting battalion-sized fighting units (1,000-1,500 men) designed to fight independently in their areas of operation. Distinguished by their heavy firepower, many BCTs consisted of infantry companies, an armor company equipped with either M4 Sherman or M5 Stuart tanks and a field artillery battery of six 105mm howitzers.

The BCTs were purposely organized as anti-guerilla units and were the key military reason for the defeat of the Huks by 1955. Together with other military units such as the Philippine Constabulary, the government fielded barely 25,000 men against the Huks in 1950.

In 1947, the Huks launched a rebellion aimed at overthrowing the Philippine government and replacing it with a totalitarian Marxist-Leninist state. The Huks had an armed strength of some 11,000 men by 1949, and many of their men were combat veterans of the guerilla war against the Japanese.

The Hukbalahap, an acronym for the “Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon,” was one of the most potent of all Filipino guerilla units in World War 2

The discipline of its guerillas; the mobility and hitting power of its “squadrons” (units of 100 or more men) and the widespread support from civilians in Central Luzon allowed the Huks to inflict significant losses on the Japanese.

During the American campaign against the Japanese from 1944 to 1945, the Huks assisted the U.S. Army in re-taking towns and provinces in Central Luzon from the Japanese. In Tarlac, they raised both the Philippine and American flags after liberating the provincial capital.

The Huks, however, took a decidedly Marxist-Leninist bent upon widespread (and probably misguided) government suppression of the movement after the war.

The Huks had superior knowledge of the terrain in North and Central Luzon, the main theaters of the guerilla war. They could also count on the support of a mass base of peasants and farmers alienated from the government by chronic landlord abuses, grinding poverty, bureaucratic neglect and military atrocities, particularly those committed by the Military Police and Civilian Guards.

By 1952, the high watermark of their rebellion, the Huks had an active and armed strength of some 170,000 men and women and a mass base of over two million people.

The Huks, however, were finally made impotent by 1955 through a combination of heavy battlefield losses (especially among its leadership), effective civic action campaigns launched by Pres. Ramon Magsaysay and a dwindling mass base.

It was the first time anywhere in the world that a communist insurgency had been defeated.

“A great sacrifice”
Pres. Elpidio Quirino in 1950 said the Philippines was sending its men to fight in Korea in fulfillment of the country’s obligation as a co-signer of the United Nations Charter.

There was another, deeper reason for committing the Philippines’ limited military power to a foreign war, however. Korea was less than 1,500 miles away and a communist conquest of Korea would have been a severe blow to the Philippines’ campaign against the ascendant Huks.

“Poor as we are, this country is making a great sacrifice in sending you there (Korea), but every peso invested in you is a sound investment for the perpetuation of our liberty and freedom,” said Quirino to Filipinos who attended the massive farewell rally for the 10th BCT on Sept. 2, 1950 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.

And the Philippines was poor. The national government was almost bankrupt in 1950, relying heavily on U.S. financial aid and war reparations from Japan to stay afloat and to rebuild an economy shattered by World War 2.

Damage to industries was estimated at some P600 million while a further P800 million in assets were destroyed. The government was also plagued by massive bureaucratic corruption that siphoned off badly needed foreign aid worth more than P1 billion in 1950.

Despite these terrible realities and in an act of heroic brotherhood, the Philippines committed its meager armed strength to defend South Korea. It also made a commitment to send combat troops to Nationalist China to deter an impending Communist Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

One of the first to fight
On Sept. 19, 1950, barely three months after North Korea’s invasion of South Korea on June 25, the 10th Battalion Combat Team (Motorized) landed at the port city of Pusan in southeastern Korea.

The 10th BCT was the first of five Philippine battalions that served under the United Nations Command (UNC) in Korea. With its 1,400 officers and men, the 10th BCT was the third foreign combat contingent and the first Asian unit to enter the Korean War.

Our country was one of 16 UN member sates that sent combat troops to battle communist aggression. These nations, led by the United States, added their strengths to those of the armed forces of the Republic of Korea to preserve South Korea’s freedom against Communist North Korea and Communist China. Five more UN member states provided medical and humanitarian aid during the war.

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, the man who led the Allies in defeating Japan, was commander-in-chief of the UNC. MacArthur was also the man who built and at one time led the pre-war Philippine Army. He also led the U.S. armed forces in liberating the Philippines from the Japanese in 1944-45.

Five BCTs with a total strength of some 7,500 officers and men served in Korea from 1950 to 1955 as the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea or PEFTOK. Taken together, these battalions constituted the Regimental Combat Team promised by the Philippine government in Aug. 1950 to the United Nations war effort.

PEFTOK consisted of these units:

10th Battalion Combat Team (Motorized)
20th Battalion Combat Team (Leaders)
19th Battalion Combat Team (Bloodhound)
14th Battalion Combat Team (Avengers)
2nd Battalion Combat Team (Bulldogs)

The 10th, 20th, 19th and 14th BCTs saw combat in the Korean War. The 2nd BCT, on the other hand, helped protect and rebuild South Korea following the signing of the Armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War at Panmunjom on July 27, 1953.

The 10th, 20th, 19th and 14th BCTs acquitted themselves well in combat. Not one PEFTOK BCT was defeated or made incapable of combat as a result of enemy action despite many hard fought battles. PEFTOK fought successfully against its main enemy— the “Chinese People’s Volunteer Army”—in scores of actions for hills, cities and towns in North and South Korea.

Among the epic Filipino battles in the Korean War were the historic but obscure Battle of Miudong/Syngue (Nov. 1950), the first battle and combat victory in a foreign land won by the Philippines. This victory was gained in North Korea by the 10th BCT.

The epic Battle of Yuldong (April 1951) is the most famous of all Filipino battles and has come to represent the other battles fought by the Philippines in the war. It is commemorated every year on April 23 to recall the incredible and successful defensive battle fought by the 900 men of the 10th BCT against an entire Chinese army of 40,000 men.

The longest battle fought by the Philippines was the four-day Battle for Hills Arsenal and Eerie in June 1952. Also known as the Rizal Day Battle for Combat Outpost No. 8, the victory was won by the 19th BCT.

At the end of this gory battle that saw bitter hand-to-hand combat, a group of Filipino soldiers scaled Arsenal Hill and planted the Filipino flag on its summit. This act of heroic defiance on the morning of June 21 showed the beaten Chinese they had lost this great battle, and that the Philippines remained in control of Combat Outpost No. 8.

The last Filipino battle in the Korean War was won by the 14th BCT two days before the Armistice. This was another successful defense of Christmas Hill by the 14th BCT against the communist Chinese.

It is worth remembering that practically all the Philippines’ battles in the Korean War were fought at night. The communists chose to fight most of their battles under the stars, mainly because of their superiority in night fighting and their inferiority in airpower and artillery that made conventional daylight battles suicidal.

Of the battles listed above, only the Battle of Miudong/Syngue was fought in daylight, and this was in early morning.

The price the Philippines paid to defend South Korea included over 100 Filipino dead; 300 wounded and some 50 taken prisoner in three years of war. Sixteen Filipinos are still listed as missing in action 55 years after the Armistice.

The Philippines was unique among UN combatants in that it was the only one with an active communist insurgency and the only one whose soldiers had immediate combat experience. Many of the men, especially the officers who served in Korea, had also fought against the Japanese. This combat experience was invaluable in keeping casualties low and in PEFTOK accomplishing the combat missions assigned to it.

All PEFTOK battalions were attached to larger Allied units, mainly American, during their tours of duty in Korea. Relations with these “mother units” were neighborly, especially with the Americans.

PEFTOK and the Philippine Army were trained in American tactical doctrine. Its equipment was almost all of American origin (rifles, machine guns, helmets, artillery, tanks, grenades). A number of Filipino officers trained in American military schools such as West Point, and in specialist schools such as those for armor at Fort Knox in Kentucky.

That PEFTOK officers spoke and read English well averted miscommunication problems that proved fatal in the front line to some UNC contingents for whom English was not a second language.

(Editor’s note: Art Villasanta wrote a website honoring the Philippines’ role in the Korean War in 2000. The website is at www.geocities.com/peftok. He was also Editor-in-Chief of two mini-histories of the Korean War published in 2006 and 2008. He can be reached at peftok@yahoo.com. A veteran editor and researcher, Villasanta writes business reports, conducts research projects and provides information services.)

“Hu wo tse eu choi lai la” (Here come the trains again)

2008-05-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

The “hu wo tse” (trains) are back.

But if it sounds Chinese, that’s because the “chi yen” (money) to finance the Manila-Clark Rapid Railway System; the “chi tzi” (equipment) to build it; the “kong chen she” (engineers) now doing site surveys and the diesel engine“hu wo tse” themselves all come from China.

The People’s Republic of China has lent the Philippines $421 million (P22.7 billion) to finance 95% of Phase 1 of the Philippines’ first major attempt to re-link Metro Manila with northern Luzon by rail in 25 years.

The Manila-Clark Rapid Railway System, better known as NorthRail, is China’s largest project in Southeast Asia. According to the Chinese, the NorthRail loan is the first 20-year concessionary loan ever extended by China to any government at 3% interest with a five-year grace period.

That China finds itself in the unique position of being lead player in resurrecting the decrepit but strategically vital North Luzon railroad system occurred because no other country wanted to take on this job.

NorthRail’s genesis goes back to 1994 when the Spaniards signaled their intent to develop North Luzon’s railways. After this proposal went belly up in 1998 because of a financing impasse, the Philippines turned to Japan in 1999. Problems with relocating squatters from the project site in Caloocan City derailed Japanese participation, however.

Enter the dragon
Enter the Chinese. In September 2002, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the North Luzon Railways Corporation (NorthRail), and China National Machinery and Equipment Group (CNMEG) on a railroad project from Caloocan City to Malolos, Bulacan.

NorthRail, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), was established to develop, construct, operate and manage a railroad system serving Metro Manila, Central and Northern Luzon. Incorporated in August 1995, it is also to develop, construct, manage, own, lease, sublease and operate establishments and facilities of all kinds related to the railroad system.

In 2003, the government approved NorthRail’s Phase 1 Section 1 from Caloocan City to Malolos, a distance of 32 kilometers. In August, an MoU for US$400 million was signed between the Philippines and the Export-Import Bank of China for the construction of Phase 1 Section 1.

Phase I covers the 80 kilometer rail line between Caloocan City to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga province north of Manila. Section 1 is the stretch of railway from Caloocan City to Malolos, Bulacan. Section 2 extends from Malolos to DMIA and covers 45 kilometers. The budget for Section 2 is $500 million.

The Caloocan to DMIA line is the first of a four-phase railroad construction plan that will eventually make almost high-speed train travel a reality in North Luzon from Caloocan to San Fernando, La Union.

NorthRail President Jose Cortez, Jr. said NorthRail really began rolling with the help of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Jose de Venecia, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Cortez said it was de Venecia who suggested the Chinese as project partners. As for the President, Cortez credits her with finally getting the project to see the light of day, and for cutting the project loan interest rate by half following a telephone call to Chinese President Hu Jintao.

“She’s been very helpful to the project,” said Cortez, a veteran trainman who was once chairman of Philippine National Railway (PNR). He has been NorthRail president since 2002.

Construction begins September
With NorthRail clear of its prolonged birth pains, Cortez looks forward to this September when work on the railway really begins. His next milestone will be 2008 when Section 1 will be up and running.

Work on Section 2 will then start. Completion of Phase 1 is set for 2010. The complete NorthRail system will consist of Phase 1, Phase 2 (San Fernando, Pampanga to Subic, Zambales), Phase 3 (Caloocan to Fort Bonifacio) and Phase 4 (Clark to San Fernando, La Union).

If Section 1 goes as planned, commuters by 2008 will zip from Caloocan to Malolos in just 37 minutes at an average speed of 50 km/h, saving close to two hours in road travel on public utility vehicles. NorthRail’s Chinese-built DMUs (diesel multiple units) have a maximum speed of 120 km/h but Cortez says they won’t need that much speed since passenger safety is the paramount concern.

NorthRail trains, however, are in no way comparable in performance to high-speed trains such as China’s German-built magnetic levitation or “maglev” trains in Shanghai (the world’s fastest), Japan’s Shinkansen (the famous Bullet Train) and France’s TGV (Europe’s fastest) that can reach speeds in excess of 500 km/h.

Fare savings for NorthRail commuters will be considerable. NorthRail initially estimated its fare for the entire 32-kilometer length of Section 1 at P42 (compared to P70 for public buses) based on a P10.00 boarding fee and an additional P1.00 charge per kilometer.

Cortez, however, revealed that NorthRail is currently preparing documentation amending the initial fare matrix submitted to the government. This new fare matrix, which Cortez said reflects an optimized fare structure, uses an P8.00 boarding fee plus P1.35 per additional kilometer traveled for a total fare of P51.20 for 32 kilometers.

Cortez said making NorthRail a going concern from the get go was essential, hence his push for an optimized fare structure and diesel fed trains.

“I told the President I need fares that will allow NorthRail to survive and pay its debts,” Cortez pointed out.

Because of this insistence on revenues, profitability is not a mirage in the desert for NorthRail.

“We expect to break even on the eighth year of our operation using the P10.00 + P1.00 fare structure. With an optimized fare structure, the breakeven year would be earlier.”

Cargo will be the lifesaver
For companies and businesspersons, however, the payoff will come after 2010 when NorthRail begins running freight trains carrying goods and produce.

“We will definitely have cargo,” Cortez said. “Cargo will be the lifesaver of this rail system. Once the entire system is operational, we will decide on what kind of cars we need for cargo.”

Cortez estimates that freight should eventually account for at least half of NorthRail’s revenues. Freight will be run at night and during off-peak hours. Hauling freight, however, will require a different rolling stock configuration and design.

“We will determine the freight rates and details of service at a later time, when NorthRail has already bidded out and selected an operations and maintenance contractor.”

In making the decision to transport cargo, NorthRail learned from the experience of both the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT). These heavily subsidized operations are in no position to run cargo, and will continue relying on government support for survival.

Opting for diesel-run instead of electric-run trains such as those used by the LRT and MRT cuts operating expenses considerably since the cost of electricity in the Philippines is quite high.

Cortez believes there are “no real savings” if NorthRail were to go electric, unless the trains are in Mindanao where electricity is cheaper. NorthRail DMUs, however, can be upgraded to run on electricity should this option prove more economical in the future.

“We hope fuel prices do not fluctuate too much,” said Cortez. The assumptions used in the ridership and revenue projections used constant inflation rates to reflect public transport fare increases.

“However, it should be noted that the projections are still conservative in its other assumptions, such as no connection with MRT 3 nor LRT 1, and revenues are purely from commuter service, with a small percentage from commercial advertising.”

A new revenue stream being pushed by NorthRail is having large corporations build the six railway stations in Section 1 in return for building shopping complexes at the stations.

Cortez said he has verbal agreements with the giant SM Shoemart department store chain in which SM Shoemart has agreed to build two of the six stations in Phase 1. He acknowledges that money is in building commercial centers at the stations.

“If you have people who are interested, they can build our railway stations and we will let them operate commercial centers at the station,” he pointed out.

Concrete fences
At least 30 four-car DMU train sets will be bought from China within the next three years for the four phases of NorthRail. The existing PNR single track will be converted into a double track, the first of its kind in the Philippines.

The tracks will be narrow gauge (1.067 meters) to allow interconnection with SouthRail, which is to be built by the South Koreans. SouthRail’s first phase will see the rehabilitation of PNR tracks from Caloocan City to Alabang. Thus, Caloocan will be the hub of two extensive rail systems that will enable seamless travel from La Union in North Luzon to Sorsogon in Bicol probably by the next decade.

Travel time along NorthRail’s Section 1 will take about 37 minutes with an expected load of close to 42,000 passengers daily. Some 150,000 passengers are expected to commute via NorthRail everyday in the first year of the project. Cortez expects this number to balloon to 350,000 riders daily in 10 years’ time.

There won’t be much of the scenic Philippine countryside for commuters and foreign tourists to see, however, since the NorthRail tracks will be enclosed on both sides by a 10-foot tall concrete wall. Cortez said this 32-kilometer long wall, plus roving security guards and an electronic security system, are necessary to keep out vandals and protect expensive property.

Cortez admits that staring at a gray concrete fence kilometer after kilometer for over 30 minutes is bound to be an ordeal, but said NorthRail was working on ways to overcome the boredom problem.

For now, CNMEG has begun preparatory work on the Caloocan to Malolos stretch. Some 7,400 squatters have been relocated from Caloocan up to the boundary of Valenzuela and Meycauayan, Bulacan. About 12,800 squatters will have to be relocated before September.

Cortez noted that Vice President Noli de Castro played a key role in the peaceful relocation of squatters. Cortez said the Vice President, who is Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), remains very much involved in relocating the remaining squatter families.

The 30 Chinese engineers in country are undertaking site surveys using GPS and preliminary soil investigation with Chinese borehole equipment.

Phase 1 financing is assured. During last April’s state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao, China Eximbank committed to providing a preferential buyer’s credit facility of $500 million with priority for Section 2. NorthRail also hopes the Chinese government will extend a credit facility for the housing and relocation component of Section 2.

Once all four phases are completed, Cortez sees NorthRail as a catalyst in developing Central and North Luzon. In essence, he expects NorthRail to play the role the railroad system did in the U.S.’ rapid industrial growth in the early 20th century.

Cortez believes NorthRail will bring development to the region by providing fast and reliable transport service.

“This will entice investors to locate businesses outside Metro Manila, thereby decongesting the metropolis. Considering the relatively lower land values of land and real estate in the region, investors will most likely establish businesses along the project alignment. This will give rise to more economic activities, more job opportunities and better businesses.”

Rebuilding Philippine railways
House Speaker de Venecia said NorthRail is the opening phase of a well-planned effort to rebuild the country’s railway system in North and South Luzon; on Panay in the Visayas and build Mindanao’s first railroad system in over a century.

An international consortium supported by the governments of France, Germany, Austria, Thailand and India is conducting the feasibility study for Mindanao rail.

The Americans built Panay’s first railroad in 1907. Interestingly, the most modern pre-War railroad system was built on Corregidor Island (or Fort Mills) off Manila Bay. This 14,700 foot long electric railway transported troops and supplies and snaked across the island, starting at the North Mine Wharf and connecting junctions to Lorcha Dock. It was destroyed during the war.

The Philippines currently has less than 900 kilometers of railroads. Most of the 378 kilometers in operation are located in Luzon, specifically in southern Luzon and the Bicol region.

The southern Luzon line is used by PNR, which from 2001 to April 2003 transported some 11 million passengers. About 675,000 of this total were long-distance passengers to and from Bicol and 10 million commuters in and around Metro Manila.

“Do I get to play golf before you cut me open, doc?”

2008-04-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

The image of the stereotypical American tourist in this country is about to undergo a major makeover.

At least, that’s what the Philippines is counting on once its medical tourism program gets up to speed in about three years. Photos of dear old dad in a loud Hawaiian shirt toting the inevitable camera; of mom snapping up Philippine handicraft with her Visa and the kids pounding on their GameBoys might soon go the way of the buggy whip.

Replacing them will be images of dad in a floral hospital gown awaiting open-heart surgery; of mom staring at Photoshop images of her sexier figure after a tummy tuck and the kids searching Google for the coolest spas is the Philippines.

And whether they’re in Manila, Cebu or Mindanao, Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Public will get A-list medical care from skilled Filipino physicians (many U.S. trained) working at globally accredited medical facilities.

But best of all, they’ll save a ton of money in the process (up to 80%). Now, that’s good news for the heart.

Baby Boomers can look forward to this pleasant state-of-affairs when both the public and private sector finish polishing the many facets of the soon-to-gleam jewel called medical tourism.

Perks for investors is one of those facets. Accreditation of doctors and medical and wellness facilities are others.

Then there’s insurance portability, an advantage that should lure millions of foreigners covered by medical insurance such as Blue Shield and Blue Cross.

Grand visions
The government has grand visions for a medical tourism program that focuses on attracting Americans and North American “balikbayans” to these “Islands of Wellness”.

The health and wellness tourism industry posted worldwide revenues estimated at $40 billion in 2005 and is expected to grow 33% annually. Medical tourism, spas and alternative treatments and cosmetic tourism are service sectors comprising health and wellness tourism.

The government projects medical tourism as a billion dollar service sector by early the next decade. Medical tourism is also expected to put a brake on the massive exodus of nurses to other countries, and help reverse the sad trend of Filipino doctors becoming nurses just so they can find work in the USA and the UK.

It is widely defined as a health holiday that includes cost effective private medical care and tour packages (sightseeing, golf and shopping, for example). It also includes leisure and relaxation activities such as spa therapies to re-invigorate patients.

It’s a growing worldwide trend targeted mainly at citizens of wealthy nations such as the U.S. where soaring health insurance costs are making many medical procedures prohibitively expensive.

One in five tourists is an American and over 10% more Americans visited the Philippines in 2005 compared to 2004. Balikbayan arrivals were up almost 15% in the same period. The Department of Tourism (DoT) expects those growth rates to double this year.

Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong are the four other top sources of foreign tourists who, as a whole, poured $2 billion into the Philippine economy last year.

The government initially expected to earn some $300 million from the first year of its much-hyped “Philippine Medical Tourism Program (PMTP)” and $1-2 billion a year for the next five years.

But these numbers have been scaled back a bit as the Philippines realizes it first needs to focus more attention on strategic measures such as getting foreigners to invest in world-class medical tourism infrastructure.

Dr. Paul Reganit, PMTP Project Manager for the Department of Health (DOH) and a Masters in Public Health from Harvard Medical School, said the government is now busy organizing its medical tourism effort and cutting the red tape affecting both medical tourists and medical tourism investors.

On stream is a four-phase plan to identify and accredit partner PMTP medical institutions throughout the Philippines. The first two phases (1A and 1B) will identify partners in Metro Manila while the remaining two phases will select partners outside Metro Manila and inspect partner facilities nationwide, including spas and retirement villages.

“After the full implementation of Phase 1, we should see some 125,000 medical tourists a year,” said Dr. Reganit.

He estimates these tourists could spend $125 million during their short (less than a week’s) stay in the Philippines. And that’s based on each tourist spending only $1,000 during his stay. He expects these numbers to jump with the completion of all four phases.

Investor perks
Dr. Reganit said the government is putting in place investor perks to help build the medical tourism sector. A Memorandum of Agreement between DOH and the Philippine Export Processing Zone Authority (PEZA) creating “Medical Tourism Special Economic Zones” is due to be signed this year.

The MOA offers incentives such as income tax holidays, special resident visas and incentives under the Build-Operate-Transfer Law.

Executive Order 226 or the Omnibus Investments Code also grants incentives to activities in the Investment Priorities Plan (IPP). The Board of Investments (BOI) has included health and wellness services in the IPP for 2005 and 2006 and is expected to extend these perks into 2007.

Ownership or management of hospitals is an investment area worth considering, said industry sources. Over half the Philippines’ healthcare expenditure comes from the private sector, a fact that illustrates the key importance of private hospitals in healthcare delivery.

While the Constitution does not allow foreigners full ownership of land, foreigners can enter into joint ventures or invest in existing medical facilities.

The former was the route taken by Cardiovascular Hospitals of America, LLC (CHA) and owner of a four-hospital system in the USA.

Bumrungrad Hospital, Thailand’s largest medical tourism facility, chose the latter alternative by taking control of the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Alabang. Thailand is Asia’s leader in the medical and cosmetic tourism sectors. Singapore, Malaysia and India are among the frontrunners.

CHA advocates high quality patient health care by empowering physicians through governance, leadership and co-ownership of specialty hospitals.

It plans to build the American Specialty Hospital, a P1 billion medical facility, in Cebu City. The hospital will be accredited by Joint Commission International and will honor medical insurance from Blue Cross and other certified medical insurance companies.

Dr. Philip Chua, CHA vice president for Far East operations, said the hospital will cater to medical tourism. A Filipino, Dr. Chua is a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus from Munster, Indiana.

He believes the prospects for Philippine medical tourism are quite bright since medical procedures are expensive in the USA. He noted that open-heart surgery can cost up to $70,000 in the US but only $8,000 in the Philippines.

CHA is also encouraging Filipino physicians to invest in the American Specialty Hospital. Dr. Chua said a growing number of physicians based in the Visayas are about to become investors.

Dr. Joel Beltran, Director for Business Development of the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, believes medical tourism should get up to speed after three years since partner hospitals need the time to improve their services and facilities.

“World class standards in hospital care entail huge investments in terms of physical plant, technology, human resource and clinical quality unlike spas and alternative therapies and cosmetic tourism,” Dr. Beltran pointed out.

He noted that Philippine hospitals have not seen that much investment for several decades except for Asian Hospital, The Medical City and St. Luke’s Medical Center, which are among the few hospitals accredited for medical tourism by the DOH.

In Asian Hospital’s case, the foreign investor is Bumrungrad Hospital. Bumrungrad handles close to a million patients a year (40% foreigners) and earned $150 million in 2005. Its experience is helping Asian Hospital prepare for the coming boom in Philippine medical tourism.

“While we have several international patients and clients at this point, the focus is on preparing our internal processes and support for the medical tourism project,” said Dr. Beltran.

UST Hospital (USTH) is accredited by DoT to service medical tourists. Located in Manila, USTH has transformed 70 of its rooms into international hotel-class rooms for medical tourists.

USTH has also partnered with the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies in the Philippines, the country’s largest association of independent travel agencies, to offer medical tour packages.

The services offered by USTH to medical tourists include plastic and reconstructive surgery, ophthalmology and laparoscopic surgery (a less painful surgical procedure since small incisions are used).

Eye operations, for example, cost $700 to $3,000 depending on the type. Medical and travel insurance, however, are not yet included in USTH medical packages.

“We have been doing medical tourism in USTH long before the term was coined . . . In terms of expertise and capability, USTH has a lot to offer international patients,” said France Manto, USTH Marketing Communications Consultant.

Healthy hospitals
Besides improving infrastructure and facilities, accrediting hospitals to international standards is vital to the growth of Philippine medical tourism, said Dr. Reganit.

He said accreditation of healthcare facilities will be managed in 2007 by the Philippine Council on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (PCAHO). The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) currently handles accreditation of hospitals and medical facilities.

The accreditation process now being developed will take into account standards set by the Joint Commission International and the PhilHealth Benchbook, a set of standards that measure the quality of healthcare provided by accredited healthcare providers. It will also consider standards in the international retirement industry and the DoT.

Filipino physicians will also be accredited and Dr. Reganit will take charge of this process.

Dr. Reganit said DOH is consulting with the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) about the problematic issue of American and foreign doctors practicing in the Philippines. He noted, however, that PMA does not encourage foreign doctors working here but will allow them in as consultants.

“If there is a reciprocating agreement, that will be OK,” said Dr. Reganit. “The Medical Act of 1956 is being revised (to allow foreigners to practice in the Philippines) and there is a pending bill in the Batasang Pambansa to this effect.”

PMA is expected to soon issue guidelines about foreigners practicing in the Philippines. Dr. Reganit pointed out that Thailand does not allow foreign doctors to practice locally. If a foreigner wants to do so, he must take the medical board exam—which is only written in Thai.

As regards medical malpractice, these cases will be coursed through PMA and its National Medical Grievance System. Consultation, mediation and arbitration will be the template used to resolve medical malpractice cases, said Dr. Reganit.

Fusing all the facets of medical tourism into an organized whole will be a “roadmap” the government expects to finish in September. This roadmap will be the game plan for Philippine medical tourism, said Dr. Reganit, and will set short-, medium- and long-term goals.

Philippine leadership is not the immediate goal; competitiveness in Asia is. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and India have too much of a head start to be quickly overtaken.

The Philippines’ great edge over its rivals is its “competent, compassionate and caring physicians.” It’s still the best prescription for a robust and competitive medical tourism sector.

It’s Time for the Business of Creativity

2008-04-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

You read and hear often enough about the Pinoy’s “world class” creativity: the jeepney, the Lunar Rover (or Moon Buggy), woodcarvings from Paete. And then there’s the truly world class creative furniture designs of Kenneth Cobonpue.

But “world class” creativity, while a feel good label, counts for next to nothing in a peso driven economy unless it earns money as a viable business. Banal or uncreative as this may sound, this reality leaves creative people and organizations with only two business models to choose from: the heroic but starving artist (unfortunately the dominant model)—or Kenneth Cobonpue.

Cobonpue of Cebu might be the icon of the successful creative person/entrepreneur the fledgling “Creative Industry in the Philippines” earnestly seeks to develop, and whose existence is a major force for growth in economies such as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The now world famous Cobonpue manages Interior Crafts of the Island, Inc., a family-owned furniture design and manufacturing company. Among Cobonpue’s more recent awards was the 2005 Design For Asia Award that he won in competition against 500 other entries.

His is a shining success story for Filipino creatives, and is the outstanding Filipino example of world-class design and creativity. “Brangelina” are two of his satisfied customers.

“Creativity or in economics/business terms the act of value-adding and, more importantly, value-creating provides a differentiating factor in the ability of the Philippines or a Philippine company to deliver a product or a service,” said Rhea Matute, Officer-in-Charge, Operations Group 1 for the Center for International Expositions and Missions (CITEM), and who is deeply involved in pushing creativity as a competitive weapon in the export market.

“Most especially, applied creativity de-commoditizes a product or service and elevates it where the creative input or content greatly determine its value. This enables Philippine companies to have a stronger hold on the market and reverses the relationship from a mere supplier to a business partner.”

She noted that for a creative country like the Philippines, there is tremendous potential for Philippine companies to use this creativity to carve out a niche in the global market instead of playing the game through somebody else’s rules.

“Creativity allows us to develop our own strategy, our own game in this globalized economy that maximizes the natural inclination of our human capital for creative expression. Especially in this fast changing world, it is ones ability to adapt, re-invent and capitalize on an opportunity that will spell success.”

Having the creative potential is only the beginning, however. The bigger challenge, she said, is developing the ability to harness creativity and use it in the operations of the company: be it developing products, services or a company’s competitive advantage, and managing creativity to truly reap its full economic benefits.

CITEM is one of the spearheads in advancing the Philippines’ “Creative Economy Agenda” through the Creative Industry Task Force. Its strategic partners in this push are the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and The British Council.

Matute said the Creative Industry Task Force aims to harness the country’s creative talent and knowledge to fuel activity in the whole spectrum of the economy—from manufacturing to services.

“In doing so, the initiative brings the creativity of the Filipino to a new level, recognizing its value as an economic asset that enables differentiation of Philippine products and services in the global market. In the process, we enhance the country's international image and make our people even prouder of things Filipino.”

With the holding of the “1st Philippine Creative Industry Forum” in 2005, the government tacitly recognized the existence of the Creative Industry as an industry alongside others such as manufacturing and services. Held in September at the CCP, the forum was the first real effort to take a closer look at this nascent but vital industry. “Nurturing Creativity” was the conference theme.

The three-day event brought together representatives from countries that acknowledge the existence of, and benefit economically from, their creative industries with those from government and business. The speeches showed the wide gap between the Philippines and countries with recognized creative industries.

While foreign guests talked from experience and cited upbeat economic data to bolster their case for developing a creative industry, Filipinos outlined plans for nurturing a creative industry, and were in agreement that bold action must now be taken by the government to grow the vital industry.

Young or unborn?
CCP president Nestor Jardin said the creative industry “has been outpacing and outgrowing the rest of the industries in percentage growth” in the United Kingdom, the USA, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. He cited Australia whose creative industry contributed “a staggering 13% to the GDP,” well above the Asian norm of about 5%.

He described the Philippines’ creative industry as “a young or perhaps an unborn sector of the Philippine economy.” He said the creative industry could be classified to include the Performing Arts; Visual Arts; Literature and Publishing; Architecture, Crafts and Design; Audiovisual and New Media; Cultural Heritage and Cultural Activities.

What defines the creative industry as a unique sector of the economy, he said, is that its collective outputs are products of human creativity “and because they are such, they are products with intellectual property rights.”

Jardin said an important challenge that must be surmounted is to formulate a workable national creative industry plan that will identify the gaps and propose policies, strategies and policy reforms and programs that would help develop and promote the creative industry.

He acknowledged, however, that the most important and most challenging problem is how to convince government leaders that the creative industry needs attention.

“In simple terms, we’re all ‘KSP’ or ‘Kulang sa pansin (unnoticed)’,” he said. “I’m tired of trying to convince them that arts and culture should be given more support because they are vital to the establishment of a national cultural consciousness that will define our cultural identity.

“Try explaining this to a DBM officer and halfway through your passionate dissertation, the official becomes fidgety and you begin to feel that you’re speaking to him in the Swahili language.”

Jardin, however, recognizes that economics is the language the government understands, and that the pioneering work of the United Kingdom in quantifying the economic impact of creativity has inspired creative industries everywhere to amass the economic data needed for investment and growth.

The UK: Creative Industry Leader
British Ambassador Peter Beckingham said that the United Kingdom today ‘boasts an economy based substantially on creativity.”

After four years of mapping or determining the extent of its creative industry, the UK found out this industry, surprisingly, had an economic value of P10.5 trillion (112 billion pounds sterling) and accounted for more than 5% of the UK’s GDP. Its exports were valued at P1.03 trillion.

“Perhaps the most significant figure of all,” said the Ambassador, “the rate of growth in these creative industries was more than twice that of the economy as a whole.”

He noted that one of the most interesting things about the creative industry is that they mostly tend to be small businesses. They also tend to want to come together “because they recognize they can feed off each other.”

The UK came to realize the immense value contributed by the creative industry because one man wanted to know what the creative sector was worth. In 1997, Chris Smith, then the new secretary of state for culture, wanted this information but was stymied because no statistics existed.

He went to work to answer this question, gathering government and business leaders and creating a task force to manage this complex undertaking. The data obtained by 2001 “surprised everybody,” said Beckingham.

Along the way, they crafted a definition of the creative industry that has come to be accepted almost universally: “Creative industries are those industries that have their origin in human creativity, skill and talent and that have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property.”

The data obtained two years later was more surprising because it showed creative industries accounting for 8.2% of gross value added in 2002, and had grown 8% from 1997 to 2000.

The UK had 122,000 creative businesses in 2002 that employed 1.9 million persons. Employment in creative industries grew by 3% annually compared to 1% for the entire British economy. And more telling was a report that creative industries are now more important to London’s economy than financial services, hardly surprising considering London’s eminent position as a center for culture and creativity.

The British define their creative industry as including advertising, architecture, art and antiques, markets, crafts, design, designer fashion, film and video, interactive leisure software, music, performing arts, publishing, software and computer services and radio.

The British realized, as the Philippines soon will, that the development of creative industries is a process that involves the government, government agencies, economists and the creative and cultural sector.

Mapping for success
They also discovered that “mapping” or providing the economic data that shows the current value of the creative economy, is absolutely vital to growing this industry. Although a complex task, mapping exposes the economic impact of creative industries and reveals the economic loss of not providing adequate protection for intellectual property rights.

Mapping has taken place throughout the UK for the past decade. It has given British cities and regions economic evidence of what the creative sector contributes and an understanding of its potential.

In 2001 also, the British decided to share their experience with creative industries with the rest of the world through a program called “Developing Creative Economies.” Six countries—including the Philippines as the final pilot—are involved in this program that also allows each country to develop its creative economy in a way that reflects its culture.
Each program is to run for five years.

The Philippines is now busy sourcing funds for the mapping project, said Matute. It is tapping the private industry to provide the bulk of this funding.

Hong Kong’s creative industry consists of 11 sectors and has been mapped, according to Prof. David Hui, director of the Center for Policy Research at the University of Hong Kong and a speaker at the forum.

Mapping showed that in 2001, Hong Kong’s creative industry contributed 3.8% of total GDP and had a value of P287.8 billion (HK$46 billion).

“We compared it to the other studies that were carried out by other countries and we found out that it’s actually close to our region like New Zealand, Australia and Singapore from the region of 2.8 to 5%,” he pointed out.

He said that, like the UK, Hong Kong discovered that creative industries grew faster than the general economy. Knowing the ups and downs of the industry, which mapping uncovers, allows Hong Kong to put in place policies that reduce the downs and enhance the ups.

Singapore’s creative strategies
Singapore in 2003 adopted the “Creative Industries Development Strategy” whose aim is to double the GDP contribution of creative industries from 3% to 6% by 2012. This three-pronged approach adopted the UK’s definition of a creative industry.

Baey Yam Keng, director, Creative Industries Singapore, said the first part of the strategy focuses on the arts, the second on design and the third on media.

The arts strategy seeks to integrate arts and culture development into Singapore’s economy, thereby unleashing the potential of Singapore’s creative cluster.

“We need to continue to invest in talent, content and infrastructure for the arts, and adopt a cluster development strategy,” he said.

The design strategy aims to develop excellence in design as a key driver in national competitiveness. The Design Singapore Council works very closely with schools and students “to cultivate the precision of design and include design as a creative learning tool in the curriculum in schools,” said Yam Keng.

Singapore’s media strategy hopes to develop Singapore into a global media city. One of the initiatives that advance this strategy is the “Asia Media Festival” that drew over 300,000 participants in 2004. This “Made by Singapore” approach also extends to producing content for new media and gaming

Most important, said Yam Keng, is that Singapore “must create the environment that allows such creativity to happen but also to uphold Asian values.”

Design – made in Holland
There are 46,100 designers in The Netherlands. Together they contribute P166.9 billion (2.6 billion Euros) to the Dutch economy – in other words, 0.7% percent of The Netherlands’ GNP. In fact, the design industry accounts for a larger share of the economy than the Dutch oil industry or traditional sectors such as shipbuilding.

The figures quoted above stem from two studies carried out by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) for the Premsela Foundation (which represents the Dutch design sector) and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The purpose of the studies was to investigate the economic significance of design.

Subsectors
Almost 60% of all Dutch designers work in visual communication, a subsector of the design industry. That 60% is made up of 27,400 commercial artists, window dressers, ornamental painters, graphic designers, illustrators, quick-draw artists and advertising designers.

One out of three designers (13,900 persons) works in product design. This category consists of industrial designers, fashion designers, goldsmiths and silversmiths. It also includes flower arrangers, because their design skills also add value to a product. The third subsector, environmental design, accounts for 10% of all Dutch designers.

It is represented by 4,800 interior architects, garden designers and landscape architects. In summary: 59.4% of Dutch design professionals are involved in communication design, 30.2% in product design and 10.4% in environmental design. All in all, the number of people working in design is comparable to the number working in the insurance and pension industry (53,000 persons).

Design specialists
Seventy-two percent of all designers work in the service sector, 20% in industry and 8% in the non-profit sector. TNO’s report also distinguishes between different corporate categories.

The first category consists of the “design specialists”, which employ 16,900 designers or well over a third of the total. The design specialist sector is made up of companies such as advertising agencies and interior and fashion design houses, whose core activity is design.

Advertising agencies employ 14,000 designers and represent the largest group in the design specialist sector. The sector accounts for 24.5% or EUR 635 million of the EUR 2.6 billion that the Dutch design world contributes to the nation’s economy.

The second category consists of companies that employ a considerable number of designers. The include publishers, furniture manufacturers, service engineers for consumer items, firms of architects, consulting engineers and technical design and drafting firms and consultancies.

These companies employ 21,600 designers. In other words, one out of every two designers works in this category, which represents 35.6% of the design world’s economic value, or EUR 922 million.

Design pays
TNO’s report also concludes that design plays a key role in innovation. Fifty-eight percent of the companies that combine technical and design innovation say that innovation has a major impact on their competitiveness, as compared to only 47% of companies that do not do so. Design is therefore a significant competitive factor.

This is the first major survey of the Dutch design industry. Never before has its economic significance been analyzed in such detail. A follow-up report is scheduled to appear in 2010. Industry representatives have stated that their contribution to the Dutch economy should have increased to EUR 5 billion by then.

Creativity’s value to the EU
Europe has also taken pains to study its creative industries. According to the European Commission, Europe’s cultural sector contributed a staggering P42 trillion (EUR 654 billion) or 2.6% of the EU's GDP in 2003. In 2004, it employed some 5.8 million persons, which increased to 7.2 million last year and is on the uptrend.

Trends in the last decade show digital culture set to develop vigorously, thanks to the virtuous circle between culture and technology (multimedia, e-commerce, telecommunications). While the sector will act as an important employment booster, challenges involving education and training still need to be faced.

The Philippine: leading with design
As for the Philippines, the bottom line in developing a creative industry “is the creation of jobs and livelihood as a poverty alleviation method,” said Zorayda Alonzo, undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry.

“We have to nurture key industries that make up the Philippine creative economy by directing investments, programs and policies towards the development of the infrastructure, both hard and soft, and the environment that can stimulate the growth and international competitiveness of the creative industries,” she said.

She said that a strongly enforced intellectual property rights would protect Filipino creatives and their works.

Alonzo cited the inroads made in Europe by “Movement 8,” a creative alliance and design collective formed in September 99 by the late Eli Pinto Mansor of CITEM , together with design great Budji Layug , featuring Tes Pasola, Milo Naval, Renato Vidal, Carlo Cordaro, Tony Gonzales, Luisa Robinson, Ann Pamintuan and Kenneth Cobonpue.

Movement 8 is a prime example of design leading the successful transition from mere commodity exports to value-creating exports.

By focusing on the design and designer aspect of furniture and home accessories, the market began to appreciate Philippine products, its originality, and elevated the Philippines from just a production center to a developer of original design and original content. The Philippines became integral partners in the business and not just an element in the global supply chain.

The economic value of creative industries lies in the intellectual property it produces. Protecting intellectual property has become extremely important in the “copy and paste” environment facilitated by computers and the Internet. Making sure creatives have proper copyright protection in a digital environment is, therefore, vital if the industry is to profit and grow.

Stricter enforcement of copyright protection laws will immensely benefit the animation industry, which for years has been hyped as a shining example of Filipino creativity and business success. Revenues generated by the animation industry in 2005 rose 25% to $52 million (from $40 million in 2004).

The Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI), a national association of animation industry players and stakeholders, counts 35 member organizations. ACPI is working with the government to increase in the number of animators from the present 6,500 to 25,000 by 2010 to take advantage of vast global opportunities and erase the problems posed by the small number of Filipino animators.

The Philippines is known as a provider of high quality animation in contrast to rivals India and China, which are low cost providers. India’s animation industry generated $285 million in revenues in 2005; China earned $604 million.

Matute described animation as a major creative sector of the Philippines. She noted the Philippines has been a major producer of animation for the North American, European and Japanese markets since the 1980s, with major projects completed for Hanna Barbera, Disney, Warner Bros, Nelvana, Toei Japan and many other internationally recognized producers of animated features worldwide.

She said a sustained, strong track record and a reputation for creativity in animation—and the benefits of English proficiency, a western sense of humor, and varied cultural exposure—make Filipinos the preferred choice for the world's animation requirements.

She also pointed out that an emerging sector of the IT and IT-enabled industry is game development for the X-box, Play Station and other hardware makers. Anino games recently won an international award in Barcelona, Spain for the technical superiority of a game they developed.

CITEM’s vast experience in exports serves to confirm the immense value of creativity as a competitive advantage, said Matute. She noted that over the past years, from their conversations with foreign investors, Filipino entrepreneurs, manufacturers and exporters, and most especially the SME’s, it became more and more apparent the value that Filipinos bring to the market—the element that differentiates us from our neighbors and other nations in this global environment—is creativity.

“Creativity and spirit of innovation inherent in Filipino workers and professionals are the elements why investors come to the Philippines; why international buyers buy Philippine-made products despite being more expensive than other Asian countries; why there are Philippine engineers, architects, designers and other creative professional being hired from the Philippines and sent abroad to work; why back room operations and other creative work such as animation, software design and development are being outsourced to the Philippines.”

CITEM always emphasizes that its clients nurture this creative potential and always keep in mind the content value, be it product development for home style and living to fashion to food to e-services/BPO/KPO.

Business must play a key role
The Creative Industry, however, belongs to the private sector where the need to generate revenues trumps other considerations such as employment generation. One of the interesting findings revealed by mapping is that most creative businesses are micro-enterprises or small businesses with minimal employment.

Business can foster a culture of creativity by ingraining the quest for innovation and creativity their corporate cultures. This is a must not just in private enterprises, but most especially in the education sector because this is what creativity all boils down to—education.

There also needs to be a major change in the mindset of business and about work. Government and business have to treasure creative industries, understand and appreciate design and be willing to invest into creative people/designers.

“The better one understands the creative worker or what Richard Florida, a recognized expert in the Creative Economy and author of the Rise of the Creative Class, calls the ‘Creative Class,’ then it is more likely that businesses can develop an environment that will value their input, challenge them, have mechanisms for mobilizing resources around ideas and are receptive to both small challenges and the occasional big idea, or what Florida calls the ongoing movement of capital toward more effective mechanisms for harnessing human creativity,” Matute explained.

The challenge for business, therefore, is how to keep stoking and tapping the creative core of each human being. And since the Creative Class blurs the line differentiating work, life and leisure, it even becomes a challenge for communities and cities to develop and nurture the kind of experiences that reflect and reinforce their identities as creative people.

For the creative economy to flourish, however, it must not just depend on technology but on talent and tolerance, as well. Tolerance being defined as openness, and the acceptance of a diverse population and diverse ideas.

Needed: a Creative Industries Coalition
These insights mean that it makes sound business sense to band together Filipino creatives under the premise that their strength lies in unity. Creating a “Creative Industries Coalition” of individuals and organizations, private and government, local and abroad, as proposed by Henry Schumacher would be a giant leap in furthering the growth of the Philippines’ Creative Industry, and supporting the Creative Economy Agenda.

As Schumacher contends, it is necessary to focus on the design sector initially. A design environment be created that would allow design to thrive as a service industry in the Philippines. Initiatives will have to be undertaken to develop the next generation of Filipino creatives.

In this Knowledge Society, it’s a smart move to arm Filipino creatives with the knowledge of what’s out there in the realms of ideas, technology, trends, fashion, materials, methods and financing.

Material ConneXion is a leading knowledge base for information about new and innovative materials. It has libraries of innovative materials and provides information for the packaging, architectural, interior design and the apparel industries, among others.

New technology gives designers and companies’ new tools with which to play the game. It expands the capabilities of manufacturers and service providers, and enhances the delivery of the products and services. Technology must be viewed as a partner of creativity and competitiveness.

A Material ConneXion-type library has to be established in the Philippines for the use of the creative industry, especially those involved in furniture, furnishings and interior design.

These businesses have long been a source of Philippine export strength, especially in Europe, and the many exhibitions built around them such as Manila FAME International continue to be cash cows for the country. The increasing Philippine participation in European trade fairs is another reason for upgrading Filipino creativity.

Over 80 countries and thousands of buyers and guests flocked to the World Trade Center in Pasay City for the October edition of Manila FAME International 2006, which generated revenues of $57.3 million. Among the guests was George Beylerian, President of Material ConneXion, whose seminar was one of the highlights of the trade show. The next FAME will take place this April.

Excellent Philippine design was also visible at the just concluded furniture fairs, the Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition or Cebu X 2007, and the Philippine International Furniture Show (PIFS) both held in late February.

The Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition or Cebu X 2007 was held for the 18th time this February. Its organizers describe Cebu X as the “Design Destination in Asia” for retailers and wholesalers.

The show introduced world-class products and excellent booth presentations from participating companies from all over the Philippines. Last year, Cebu X took part in Macef 2006 in Milan.

Macef is the world's leading trade show for those who work in the table, kitchen and silverware, home decoration and textile, celebrations, gift, ceremony and stationery, jewellery and fashion accessories sectors.

PIFS, which exhibited some of the Philippines’ finest furniture, had as its special guest, Gaetano Pesce, an architect-artist-designer based in New York City. In more than 40 years of practice, Pesce has created an extensive body of work recognized for its emotive and tactile qualities, unrestrained use of color and insistence upon innovative building materials developed through new technologies.

It would also make sense to invite international designers to develop a top rate School of Arts and Design in the Philippines funded by the private sector. Creative laboratories will also have to be established. The government of Singapore is heavily involved in advancing that country’s design sector.

Mapping the Philippines’ Creative Industry, of course, is one of the first priority and an absolute necessity. But it still has to happen since funding is practically non-existent.

Jardin said mapping is, clearly, the basic step. “We need to undertake a creative industry mapping that will tell us where we are now, what our strengths and weaknesses are, what success stories we have that we can all learn from, how much we contribute to the GDP and GNP and to national employment,” he said.

Taken together, these initiatives will take the Philippines along the same road traveled by the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong—and will hopefully yield similar positive results.

In this day and age, a country that does not keep building or investing in its creative capital will fall behind in the race to improve its quality of life, said Matute

“And for a country like the Philippines to not recognize and appreciate the great opportunity that we have before us, and to not appreciate the potential that lies inherent in the Filipino, it will be like again losing another opportunity to develop this country to its full potential”.

Components of the Creative Industry in the Philippines*

Performing Arts (Music, Theater, Dance, Performance Art and all their related products and services)
Visual Arts (Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Video Art, Graphic Design, Installation Art and all their related products and services)
Literature and Publishing (Books, Magazines, Newspapers, Periodicals, e-books, Print Advertising and other printed and electronic materials and services)
Architecture, Crafts and Design (Architectural and Landscape Design, Fashion, Accessories, Furniture, Décor and other design products and services)
Audiovisual and New Media (Film, Television, Video, Radio, Entertainment, Software, Internet Activity Sites, Electronic Media Advertising and other products and services)

* As defined by the UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics

Enough of “schlock” ads!

2008-03-15T01:42:00.000-07:00

Deriding free-to-air TV as an "idjit box" isn't always an attack on its programming, maddeningly pedestrian as this is.

This observation also refers to its advertising.

Most TV ads, however, seem to do the job of selling to their markets. The ads are sufficient for this purpose: they're easy to understand. And really good sometimes.

But there are some Smeagol-type ads that really rile you. These "schlock" ads fail where they count the most: bringing in pesos for advertisers.

No one in his right mind buys a product one dislikes intensely because of its schlock advertising.

But schlock ads go on and on as part of advertising's need to create recall. The danger is that schlock propaganda gives a blatantly twisted appearance of "reality".

And that twisted reality is debasing. Schlock ads lead one to conclude Filipinas are cheap sluts begging to be screwed. A free drink or a whiff of this cologne and she's a cinch.

Schlock tells viewers that white skin is the right skin color, never mind that the Filipino is overwhelmingly "kayumanggi". Or that you need a dermatologist to bleach your skin safely.

Schlock gives one the notion that "happily ever after land" is a zoo reserved for teenage girls flaunting shiny, soft hair and grim thugs sporting five o'clock shadows.

There's no Mr. Nice Guy in schlock land. Only endless local versions of Bill and Ted ("Excellent, dude!") who make the dumb and dumber routine look sillier and sillier.

Worse, schlock gives one the idea that the agencies creating them are crewed by juvenile minds stuck in the self-gratification phase of puberty.

Ad guys, however, are probably right when they say the market doesn't go for chic U.S.-type advertising.

They'll say clients approved the concept and execution of these odes to schlock. They'll say they pitched these bean counters really, really creative world-beaters that would have stood a chance at a bundle of Clios.

But all they got for sweating blood was a sneer, followed by a chorus of self-righteous bean counter voices intoning, "It's not creative unless it sells! The target market is king. So, give us schlock that sells!"

So, is advertising the only one to blame for schlock ads? The market's also the matter, isn't it?

Creative advertising is a really tough business requiring the iron nerves of a Roman gladiator. I've worked on both sides; so I've some idea of what it's like to create and to approve.

I salute all you ad guys battling against the limitations of your markets. It's not easy being a Porsche 911 Turbo S on a highway packed with Trabants.

You simply can't barrel through all the deadweight in front of you. Doing that will get you fired.

So, what's to be done? Now, that's a real creative challenge, but do spare us from more schlock when you surmount these problems.

Schlock's a bimbo: sexy, beguiling and not much else. Even Dr. Henry Frankenstein wouldn't have assembled as shallow a creature.

He wasn't that mad. Was he?

The 4 Rs of a good education

2008-03-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

Back in the good old days, a good education was simply the 3 Rs: readin’, ‘ritin’, ‘rithmetic. Nowadays, one needs a 4th R to get a good education: ‘rots of ‘ard cash.

This stricture applies to many parents who’d rather have their children study in expensive private schools—if they could afford the tuition—and to government which needs ‘rots of ‘ard cash to run the public school system.

But finding a lot of that 4th R to really improve education is a Herculean labor for a government swamped by a total outstanding debt of P3.4 trillion (78% of GDP in 2003) that eats up a quarter of the budget as payment. In other words, for every peso collected from taxes, 25 centavos goes to debt payment.

Pres. Gloria Arroyo, however, has set aside P135 billion for education out of the P908 billion national budget for 2005. Education continues to receive the largest sector share of the budget, as it did in 2004, which is a good indication of this government’s priorities.

Also in this year’s budget is an additional P1 billion for the construction of classrooms in areas with severe classroom deficiencies. Some P600 million will go to the maintenance expenses of schools to cope with the projected increase in students and to improve the quality of education. An additional P1 billion has also been included for the hiring of new teachers.

For 2005, Pres. Arroyo said the government will focus education on standardizing classroom instruction; closing the classroom gap; upgrading the Math, Science and English curriculum and providing computers in every high school.

Education’s 15% share of tax pesos might seem huge, but as the Business Journal discovered when talking to Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Florencio Abad and Atty. Julito Vitriolo, Deputy Executive Director of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), a lot more cash is needed to fix Philippine education. A whole ‘rot more.

Improving college education
“If money were no object, CHED would probably need P50 billion to do a good job,” said Vitriolo, who coordinates operations of the CHED Secretariat.

That’s about 50 times CHED’s budget for this year (P1.1 billion) and 45% of DepEd’s current P111 billion budget. It also starkly illustrates the magnitude of the problems facing tertiary education that require fixing.

Established in 1994, CHED governs both private and public higher education institutions and degree granting programs in all tertiary education institutions. It develops higher education by upgrading quality through different interventions and by aggressively monitoring these interventions.

CHED oversees some 1,600 colleges and universities nationwide. Of these, 111 are state colleges and universities; the rest are private schools. CHED is administratively attached to the Office of the President. CHED employs some 600 people. On the other hand, DepEd looks after elementary and high school education, both public and private.

Vitriolo said a huge part of this P50 billion “wish ko lang” (“I wish”) budget would go to expanding CHED’s flagship Centers of Excellence/Development (COE/COD) program.

This program, which eats up some P200 million of CHED’s funds, aims to raise the quality of undergraduate and graduate education to levels comparable to international standards. CHED sees the 260 COE/CODs as indicators of higher education quality. In theory, the existence of COE/CODs is also expected to help raise the quality of schools in their locales.

Having more money would also enable CHED to expand a scholarship program that assisted just 40,000 of 2.5 million college students in 2002. There were some 60,000 scholars in 2000 and 45,000 in 2001. CHED credits funding cuts for the drop in the numbers of its Student Financial Assistance Program scholars.

“More money will also allow us to train more teachers, train more education managers such as deans and school presidents and improve our monitoring and evaluation,” Vitriolo pointed out.

Board exams
Taken together, these interventions are all geared towards improving the quality of college students and the teachers responsible for their educational growth. The ideal outcome of all these interventions would be marked improvements in the results of the different board examinations. As it stands now, the board exams are the only visible measures of the quality of Philippine tertiary education.

Vitriolo, however, noted that quality hasn’t improved dramatically in the board exams compared to the effort expended on it.

“To be frank, the results of the board exams don’t justify what has been put into it,” said Vitriolo.

CHED data shows that the average passing score in national board or licensure exams in 1999-2000 was 44%, up slightly from 42% in 1994-1995. It also reveals that courses with the highest passing rates were landscape architecture (67% from 1994-2000) and health related fields (medicine, pharmacy and nursing).

In contrast, accounting and customs administration had the lowest passing rates (17% for accounting and 9.9% for customs administration from 1994-2000). CHED uses 40 board exams as its basis for evaluating the quality of higher education and individual schools. Its goal is to raise the average passing rate to 49% by 2004.

A major culprit in these less than glittering results is a budget that severely limits interventions that could improve student and teacher quality.

“Maliit ‘yon,” (“It’s small”) said Vitriolo of CHED’s P1.1 billion budget, noting that P500 million of this amount is being spent to support 40,000 scholars.

Vitriolo, however, revealed that other non-budgetary sources added at least P1.5 to P2 billion more to the CHED budget. These special accounts include the travel tax, professional regulatory fees and the Lotto, from which CHED receives a small percentage.

He does believe that throwing money at the problem of improving the quality of college education will help a lot, but won’t solve all of CHED’s problems.

“If we had all the money we need, many problems would go away,” he said.

“In terms of input, we could address problems in training, research and development. As for outcomes (the board exams), I can’t guarantee. More money might not make a difference. It is problematic whether the results of the board exams will improve.”

He hesitates to pin the blame on any organization since all the organizations and institutions involved in education are doing what they can with what little they have. But the quality of college graduates also depends on how these graduates did in elementary and high school.

Not the basic solution
Judging from recent remarks by DepEd Secretary Abad, however, significantly improving the quality of higher education might cost a lot more than Vitriolo’s dream budget.

Although he hesitated to give a concrete figure, Abad told the Business Journal that if they had their ideal budget, DepEd’s priority areas of spending would be the institutionalization of a universal pre-schooling system; school-feeding programs; intensive readership programs; teacher training; principal training and filling resource gaps.

“The education sector does need money, but money is not the basic solution to improving basic education,” Abad noted.

“We are a poor country in a fiscal crisis—this is a reality. But if we make this situation an excuse for poor performance, we will never be able to improve. We cannot wait for the money to come. We’ll end up waiting forever!

“We must work with whatever we have now. We have to manage our little resources efficiently and effectively in order to turn this education crisis around.

“And it is possible. Let me tell you, there are only two absolutely crucial ingredients in the education process: the teacher and the student. As long as you have a good teacher and a willing student, learning will take place.”

In support of this observation, Abad revealed that the majority of top-scoring schools in the recent National Achievement Test (NAT) come not from wealthy cities but from poor rural areas

“Out of the 5,000 public high schools in the country, the top one with a score of nearly 87% was a tiny school located on a mountaintop in Northern Samar: Lope de Vega National High School.

“Also, schools located in the NCR get hundreds of millions of pesos from their local governments. Yet not one division in the NCR scored higher than 75% on the NAT. This just goes to show that you may have all the resources in the world, but still not achieve. And you may have nothing at all, but achievement can still be possible.

“What it really takes to create a good school is a supportive community where officials, principals, teachers, and parents work together for their children’s education.

“We have to make the most of what we have now in order to turn the education crisis around. Besides, everyone already wants to help education. If we can produce real results for now, given our limitations, I am sure that even more support will come in. Everyone will want to give to education. But for now we should just focus on producing results.”

Other solutions to improving education quality are the addition of Grade 7 and a 5th year in high school. Both options have drawn heavy flak from parents and teachers, who will shoulder the burden of these new impositions. Abad said DepEd will retain to the existing set-up—for now.

“We agree that the Philippine’s current 10-year education system is too short and we support the idea of adding an additional 7th grade and 5th year. Unfortunately, adding two more years to our cycle will cost money—for more teachers, more materials, more classrooms, everything. Until our budget for education is increased, we have to stick with the ten years. However, we will aim for a 12-year cycle in the long run.”

89% to salaries
Today, however, DepEd contents itself with trying to maximize the resources it has in order to produce results.

“While the DepED’s budget may be high compared to the budgets of other government departments, our P111 billion is still not enough to meet our resource gaps,” Abad said.

“89% of our budget goes to salaries, while 14% goes to operating expenses and seven percent goes to bridging the resource gap in terms of teachers, classrooms, textbooks, furniture and the like. We need to build an additional 44,000 classrooms, but we only have enough money to build 6,000.

“We need to hire 27,000 more teachers, but we can only pay 10,000 more. Our budget may grow by two percent every year, but this is not fast enough to catch up with the six percent inflation rate and two percent population increase.”

Abad said that this June, DepEd will implement a two-shift policy in schools thereby decreasing the lack of classrooms by 39,000. DepEd is also implementing the ESC, a program that partly subsidizes the tuition fees of public school students who opt to enroll in private schools.

“We are also urging local governments to be more aggressive in collecting their Special Education Funds, which can add an additional P9 billion to LGU funds for education. We are also tapping social capital: last year we launched the Brigada Eskwela program, which mobilized parents and communities across the country to generate P750 million worth of man-hours and materials for the repair of our classrooms.”

DepEd is also tapping the private sector through its Adopt-a-School program, which has also generated hundreds of millions of pesos in donated buildings. The Sagip Eskwela program launched last January has since raised P114 million for the rehabilitation of schools that were damaged by typhoons last year.

“Schools First Initiative”
DepEd’s current solution to arrest the deteriorating quality of elementary and high school education is the “Schools First Initiative.” Basically, the Schools First Initiative empowers communities to manage their schools. As Abad put it:

“A problem at the DepEd for many years was that the management of schools has always been too centralized. The Central Office cannot be well informed about the unique needs of each and every one of our 41,000 schools.

“It is actually the teachers, parents, principals, and local officials who know the real score about what their own schools need to improve. They are also the ones who are directly concerned with how well their children are learning in school.”

In the meantime, regional and division offices of DepEd will provide the necessary support to schools and monitoring services. The Central Office will take charge of policy, standards setting, budgeting and monitoring. Central Office will do the steering while individual communities will do the rowing.

Abad also called on private schools to help decongest crowded public schools by helping parents through education service contracting or through other more equitable tuition arrangements.

Work together in educational reform
Abad told private educators that a crisis in Philippine education does exist and that the only way to solve it would be for private and public schools to work together in educational reform.

He emphasized that the wide gap in quality between private and public schools might, in fact, have increased since 1997 “to the disadvantage of the 17 million students in our public schools.”

He noted that the Trends in Mathematics Survey conducted in 2003 in which both private and public schools took part showed the Philippines as 41st among 45 countries in high school math, and 42nd for high school science.

In the 2004 high school readiness test, only 0.6 percent scored 75 percent or above, equivalent to 8,000 students out of 1.2 million examinees. Abad said the competency of these students is only at the Grade 4 level in public schools.

Abad observed that only 32 out of 100 students graduate from high school. Other data shows that only 20 high school graduates will go on to college with half this number graduating.

Teacher quality is also a matter for concern. Only 19% of public school teachers scored 75% or better in the English self-assessment test for teachers.

“That’s no more than 10,000 out of around 51,000 teachers,” said Abad.
“That means some 41,000 of our teachers have inadequate proficiency in the English language”.

While these grim numbers might give one pause, DepEd also sees them as challenges amenable to some solution by more funding. And any success in improving the quality of high school graduates is bound to impact positively on the quality of college graduates.

But again, attaining this decades-old aim will need more of the 4th R than the government can afford. Which brings us back to the basic question: “How does one improve the quality of Philippine education?”

It’s a chicken and egg thing.

Not even a whimper

2008-03-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

It began with a huge bang 17 years ago but not much has been heard of it since.

The Generics Law exploded like a Daisy Cutter bomb onto the Philippine pharmaceutical scene in 1987. At the time, it threatened to blow away expensive branded pharmaceuticals and their makers and replace them with cheaper (but equally effective) generic medicines the masses could well afford.

It also ignited a painful debate on the pros and cons of generic medicine that saw the medical profession come down on the side of branded medicines, while the government of President Cory Aquino led by contentious health secretary Alran Bengzon championed generics. The public was caught somewhere in-between.

The government won. Generics today account for over 80% of total pharma industry revenues. The pharma companies won, too. Branded medicines, now more expensive than ever, are still with us.

And the public doesn’t seem to care that much about branded or generic medicine. Just as long as the medicines they buy make them well.

Eufe Tantia, assistant vice president of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), noted the government used to mark Generics Month in September with lavish activities aimed at drumming up the advantages of generics against branded drugs.

“I can’t remember the last time the government celebrated Generics Month,” he said.

He’s certain the government did make a big deal out of promoting generics before. As national sales manager of pharma firm Eli Lilly Philippines, Tantia recalls being invited by the Department of Health to heavily promoted Generics Month activities in the late 1980s and early 90s.

Now, only Mercury Drug Corporation apparently bothers to celebrate Generics Month big time. This year, Mercury had a Generics Awareness Month 30-day Sale at all its branches nationwide. From the government, not even a whimper.

But the government’s apparent lack of interest in aggressively pushing generics doesn’t unduly worry Tantia.

“The Generics Law has been successful in providing access to a wider range of medicines,” he pointed out. “What is important is that the public knows it has a choice.”

Tantia, however, bemoans the dearth of public information about generics. But this is probably more a question of priorities as President Arroyo’s cash strapped government struggles with a dangerous fiscal crisis.

The bold decision of the Aquino administration to introduce generic alternatives to branded drugs, however, is widely seen as being a healthy shot in the arm for consumers and the pharma industry.

That industry today is dominated by generics. In 2003, the total pharmaceutical market was worth from P75 to P80 billion and grew 9% over 2002.

Tantia estimates that branded generics accounted for some 80% of the total while pure generic products made up only 3% of total market. Prescription medicines took care of the remaining market share. Another source said branded generics had an 18-20% compound annual growth rate over the last five years.

Branded generics are medicines whose patents have expired and are sold under the name of the company making them (RiteMed Paracetamol and Pharex Ciprofloxacin, for example). There is no brand name in this case (such as Biogesic or Ciprobay).

Tantia said that industry projections show revenues in 2004 exceeding 2003. This growth, however, is being driven by price increases. Volumes are expected to remain flat.

“Pharma industry growth is being driven by branded generics and new products such as Lipitor, Viagra and Cialis,” according to Tantia.

Tomas Agana, president of Pharex Health Corporation, one of the two leading generics manufacturers, concurs that branded generics is the leading growth driver for the pharma industry.

“We’re experiencing double digit growth over last year,” said Agana. “Growth is still very positive for the entire year despite recent economic news.”

The other generics leader is RiteMed, a division of United Laboratories, the country’s largest pharma firm. Pharex is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pascual Laboratories. Both firms control about 60-70% of the market for branded generics.

Pharex is particularly strong in Metro Manila and Mindanao. Agana revealed that much of Pharex’s growth came from its antibiotic products such as amoxicillin, erythromycin and cloxacillin.

Revenue growth is being helped along by a growing awareness about generics by the public and the increasing number of prescriptions from doctors. Agana said Pharex is helping increase public awareness of generics by conducting plant tours and explaining their products’ quality efficacy profiles.

Because of its cheapness, generics are more ubiquitous than branded pharmaceuticals. This price advantage has led to an increasing number of generics such as paracetamol, loperamide and carbocisteine becoming available in sari-sari stores alongside soft drinks and instant noodles.

Some enterprising entrepreneurs are doing big business supplying sari-sari stores and small drug stores with a broad range of generics. It’s a lucrative small-scale business at the barangay level.

Paracetamol, used for slight fever and minor body pains, is available from P0.40 to P0.60 per 500mg pill wholesale. Barangay generics businessmen sell these pills to sari-sari stores at about P1.00 each, and these stores retail them at anywhere from P1.50 to P2.00. Considering that Biogesic, the popular branded paracetamol, retails at P3.50 and up in sari-sari stores, it’s small wonder that generic medicines are running away with business at the barangay.

More bothersome, however, are reports that some sari-sari stores now retail amoxicillin, an antibiotic that should be available only through prescription at registered pharmacies. Some doctors are concerned that the cheapness of generics might well lead to other, more potent generic antibiotics such as cefalexin or diabetes control drugs such as metformin becoming available at sari-sari stores without a doctor’s prescription.

Combating this looming proliferation of generic antibiotics and other prescription drugs with generic equivalents is not helped any by the worsening brain drain among doctors.

Recent reports that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is finding it difficult replacing doctors and nurses lost to foreign countries is yet another painful manifestation of a brain drain now so severe that hospitals are unable to open more floors because they lack qualified medical personnel.

“It’s the economy,” said Dr. Perla Santos-Ocampo, who for six years was Chancellor of the UP College of Medicine in Manila. She was also past president of the Philippine Medical Association and is now president of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).

“It’s getting tougher (for doctors) because patients are not coming unless they are very sick,” she explained. “For the middle class and lower middle class, the salaries they have go to food and the schooling of children.”

This clear link between the health of the economy and that of the medical profession means that the tough times battering the medical practice will persist as long as the economy remains in trouble.

“Long-term we (doctors) can’t do a thing about the economy. Short-term, we can increase the stipends of residents but many hospitals are in the red. Something has to be done,” she said.

Her concern for residents is understandable: residents are frontliners in the healthcare system. They’re usually the first doctors patients come into contact with at hospitals, hence their key role in diagnosis and treatment.

The problems are tougher on new doctors who have to contend with expensive rents and equipment should they open their practice in Metro Manila. It’s somewhat easier in the provinces, especially if a doctor decides to set up practice in his community.

Dr. Marisa Sarreal, a general pediatrician in the practice for 24 years, echoes Dr. Santos-Ocampo’s observation about the economy being the crux of the problem facing the medical profession.

“It’s really tougher now because of the economy,” she stated. “Nobody’s saying I’m not affected by the present economic situation. It’s gradually becoming tougher because even with the same volume of patients, expenses are becoming bigger.”

She copes by belt tightening (no easy task for a mother of six) and by smart business sense. She works out of her home in residential Baclaran and hasn’t increased her consultation fee.

“Maintaining my fee is one way to keep patients. It’s give and take. I tell them I’ll help them by not increasing my fee but ask them to help me by consulting with me when their children get sick. My patients keep coming back to me.”

But the more serious problem facing practicing physicians is what doctors call “The Nursing Phenomenon.” It’s that tragic scenario where practicing doctors choose to take up Nursing to get out of the country and earn more.

“In the Philippine setting, it’s really something,” said Dr. Santos-Ocampo. “Even doctors with good practices are taking up Nursing. Their main purpose is to get out of the country.”

Although it’s still studying the phenomenon, NAST estimates that about one-third of those who passed last year’s Nursing board exam were graduates of other courses. Not all of these two-course graduates finished medicine, but NAST believes medical graduates accounted for a good portion of the total.

The Philippine Nurses Association, however, estimates that some 2,000 doctors enrolled in nursing schools nationwide while the National Institute of Health Policy Development says the number is close to 3,000, or twice the number of licensed medical practitioners produced each year. Some 100 physicians took the nursing board exam in June 2002.

For her part, Dr. Sarreal mourns more the loss of highly skilled specialists to Nursing. She tells of Pediatric Surgeons and OB-Gynecologists who gave up their practice and are now taking up Nursing to land sure jobs abroad.

Dr. Sarreal isn’t opting for foreign work, even for the higher pay a nursing career offers abroad. “I began my practice here and I’m going to end it here. It’s my country and it needs me,” she said.

The large-scale shift to Nursing means fewer applicants in medical schools, which means that medical schools have less money to spend on good teachers and equipment. Data from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) show that medical enrollments have been dropping since 1994. CHED records reveal that there were only 27,000 medical graduates in 2001, 30,000 in 2000 and 34,000 in 1998 and 1999.

The United States and Europe, however, are sucking the Philippines dry of this dwindling supply of medical talent at a time when domestic demand for healthcare workers is surging.

There were 348,000 domestic vacancies for healthcare workers in 2002 compared to 314,000 in 2001. In contrast, the USA will have over 700,000 vacancies for registered nurses from 2002 to 2012. And far better pay scales. Japan now needs over one million nurses while 17,000 Filipino nurses migrated to the United Kingdom in 2003.

Despite the manifold problems besetting the medical profession, Dr. Santos-Ocampo says the quality of Filipino doctors remains high.

“Our doctors are OK. We have maintained the high quality of medical training by being very strict in the board exams.”

The high failure rate testifies to the success of this unyielding emphasis on quality. Last year’s board exam saw 1,183 examinees pass out of 2,301 candidates, a success rate of 51%.

And it is in this consistently high quality of Filipino doctors that rests the only certain hope that the medical profession will emerge stronger from the fearful crises facing it.

Almost but not quite

2008-03-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

Manny Pangilinan, CEO of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), knows a money maker when he sees it.

Hence his recent play for ownership of Philippine Multimedia Systems, Inc., owner of Dream TV, the Philippines only digital Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcast service.

Pundits, however, claim Dream TV doesn’t fit the description of a profitable business. Dream’s subscriber base stands somewhere from 20-30,000 despite hefty subscription rate cuts and other marketing perks aimed at boosting subscription among its mainly upper crust clientele. Dream was founded in 2001.

And although the company doesn’t release revenue figures, analysts said the company is barely keeping its head above water and is saddled with debt.

But Pangilinan’s vision for a PLDT-run Dream TV is quite practical. It’s to make DTH more affordable by cutting subscription costs so Filipinos cable TV subscribers have more incentive to switch to DTH. Dream’s three subscription plans begin at P7,600.00 (US$138), a figure Pangilinan wants to bring down to about P800 (US$15) or lower.

He also wants to expand content to some 200 channels (another come on for cable subs) by teaming up with Echostar Communications, the US’ second largest DTH provider.

That goal remains a dream since PLDT balked at paying the US$56 million asking price of Dream TV owner Tony Cojuangco, PLDT’s ex-owner. With this deal a non-starter, Pangilinan has sought out the next best thing: IPTV (Internet Protocol Television).

IPTV, basically TV over broadband connections such as DSL, FTTH and Ethernet, is pay TV’s hot new service. It enables broadband Internet users to access TV broadcasts (both live streams and video on demand) via computers.

It carries a promise of high market growth and, for telecom operators like PLDT, minimal investment in new IP networks. The value of Asia’s IPTV industry was estimated at US$300 million in 2005. China’s IPTV market alone was valued at US$36 million last year.

IPTV is currently the only service that enables swift entry into the lucrative broadcast media by telecom operators like PLDT, the Philippines’ largest. Pangilinan is known to be keen on diversifying into broadcasting. In 2001, he sought to buy two-thirds of industry leader GMA Network for P8.5 billion.

IPTV might yet get PLDT into broadcasting, and without much legal pain since the Philippines lacks regulations governing IPTV.

PLDT operates the Philippines largest broadband IP network and also owns Netopia, the Philippines’ largest Internet café chain. It also owns Mabuhay Philippine Satellite Corporation, the country’s only satellite company. It operates Agila-2, the only in-orbit satellite that is also Dream TV’s satellite platform. The convergence is obvious.

For the present, however, Pangilinan is seeking out buyers for PLDT’s one-third stake in Beyond Cable, which controls two-thirds of all cable TV subscribers. PLDT paid P3 billion for Beyond Cable in 2001. The company is co-owned by ABS-CBN Broadcasting, the second largest network.

Divesting its cable TV holdings gives PLDT a clear shot at the cable and DTH subscribers to be targeted by its nascent IPTV business. Another smart move.

Whatever happens in Pangilinan’s latest quest for supremacy in convergence seems to ensure the existence of only one DTH provider in the Philippines. And one dominant IPTV provider.

DTH in Asia: Living up to its promise

2008-03-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

Asia’s potential as the world’s largest market for Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite television is one step away from becoming a reality. And China is expected to take that crucial step in 2006.

Should China live up to its word and give the go ahead for DTH—and analysts say the 2008 Beijing Olympics should compel China to do just that—the results might surpass those attained by India.

China’s southern neighbor began commercial DTH operations only in October 2003 and by December 2004 was said to have over three million subscribers. These huge numbers dwarf those of Japan, Asia’s current DTH leader. Japan’s sole DTH service, SKY PerfecTV!, reported 3.75 million subscribers in 2005. And SKY PerfecTV! began broadcasting in 1992, eight years after Japan launched the world's first direct broadcast satellite.

China promises to become Asia’s—and the world’s—largest market for satellite TV. Some 260 million households are the potential market for DTH, said the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), China’s broadcasting regulator. Analysts expect China’s DTH subscribers to hit 30 million by 2008, if DTH get the green light in 2006.

Reaching this projected number won’t be that difficult since China already has an existing DTH market, albeit an underground one. U.S. firm IMS Research estimates there are over 25 million illegally installed digital satellite-TV households in China, a number almost similar to the total installed DTH base in the US.

Still illegal
The problem in addressing China’s potentially huge DTH market is that Chinese law makes it illegal for individual Chinese to receive DTH programs on their own satellite receivers. Regular apartment buildings are also restricted from setting up satellite dishes to receive DTH.

Fewer restrictions would have made China the world’s leading DTH country. Instead, world telecoms waits for China to finally let DTH loose this year. If it doesn’t, well, there’s always 2007.

Doubts about China’s willingness to launch DTH were fueled in August 2005 when new regulations were issued that increase Chinese control over foreign TV programs and ban more foreign satellite broadcasters from entering the market. Controlling foreign influences and protecting China’s culture were the reasons invoked for the tougher rules.

In April, China limited all media companies to a single programming joint venture, and in July banned Chinese broadcasters and foreign investors from jointly operating TV channels. Foreign broadcasters with the right to broadcast in some areas include News Corporation's Star TV, Phoenix Satellite Television (a News Corporation affiliate) and Viacom's MTV.

Signs of liberalization
China will have to show more seriousness in launching DTH services by passing the long awaited Telecommunications Law, which was to have shown its face in 2000.

Observers say the Telecommunications Law is on the agenda for review by the National People's Congress in August 2006 and will most likely be promulgated in 2007. This new law is expected to permit convergence of the Internet, media and telecoms networks in China.

Chinese DTH satellites, however, are poised for launch—SinoSat-2 later this year and ChinaSat-9 by late 2007—and are to join the in-orbit Apstar-6, another DTH satellite. SinoSat-2 is China's first direct broadcast satellite and its largest to date.

China has about 360 million households, of which 100 million receive cable TV programs. Research firm PricewaterhouseCoopers expects satellite growth to outpace that of cable by 2009 due mainly to growth in China’s satellite-broadcast industry.

Indian DTH: no longer lost in space
Indian DTH finally got off the ground in October 2003. “Dish TV,” the DTH offering from Subhash Chandra’s ASC Enterprises, launched that month followed in 2004 by “DD Direct Plus” from state-owned Doordarshan.

After nine years, Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV will roll out its DTH service in mid-2006 under the banner of “Tata Sky Ltd,” an 80:20 joint venture between Tata Group and Star TV. Waiting for its curtain call is India’s fourth DTH provider, Noida Software Technology Park Ltd (NSTPL), which is to begin its service in mid-2006.

NSTPL, a company of the JK Jain-controlled Jain Studios, said its DTH service called “360TV” would initially offer 30 to 50 channels out of an eventual 125. It said the service would be the first to offer data services such as financial and legal services, stock market, travel and trade information.

Two more players are scheduled to enter the DTH arena: Sun Network and Anil Ambani of the Reliance Group. Sun plans to launch its US$34 million DTH service via an independent company called “Sun Direct TV”.

A key step Tata Sky took towards its aim of becoming India's largest digital TV platform and revolutionizing TV broadcasting was to corner all 12 Ku-band transponders on Insat-4A, India’s first DTH satellite. Launched in December 2005 by Arianespace, Insat-4A is operational.

In contrast, both Doordarshan and Dish TV use C-band transponders on the NSS-6 satellite owned by European firm, SES Global.

More competition: lower prices
More competition is helping Indian consumers where it counts the most: by lowering subscription prices and improving service.

In April 2005, Dish TV scrapped its subscription fee for new users for a year to match Doordarshan’s offer of free-to-air DTH. Doordarshan is heavily promoting the advantages offered by its free-to-air DTH service, which it markets under the brand name, DD Direct Plus.

Doordarshan has waived the subscription fee for DD Direct Plus and allows subscribers to purchase their set top boxes (STBs) on the open market. DD Direct Plus carries 44 video and audio channels, soon to be increased to 50 according to Doordarshan.

In another competitive move, Dish TV launched India’s first DTH movie-on-demand (MOD) service featuring the latest Bollywood hits. Launched February 2006, this service makes two movies available for a week and permits viewers to control which movie they want to watch and when.

Dish TV targeted one million subscribers in 2005 while DD Direct Plus aimed for five million, two million more than its claimed subscribers in 2004.

Research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA) predicts that DTH will become India’s primary digital platform in the long term, taking over 65% of subscribers. IPTV is expected to take 25% while cable’s share should drop to 10%.

DTH in Asia
India is the sole exception to the Asian DTH rule: two operators are enough; one even better. Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and The Philippines each have a single DTH operator. Australia and its extremely competitive market hosts two operators, but this might soon change. There is as yet no clear indication of how many DTH operators China intends to license but it is certain these will be joint ventures as required by Chinese law.

Even India, which has taken to DTH with gusto, expects its existing six operators to be pared down because of competition and consolidation to perhaps two or three survivors, according to analysts.

With both China and India entering the fray, Asia stands to assume a lead role in the world DTH market. The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) said DTH services comprised 81% or $79 billion of total satellite service revenues in 2004. It noted that satellite services were leading the satellite industry’s ongoing recovery, accounting for 63% of industry revenues totaling $97 billion in 2004.

SIA predicts that consumer satellite services (the key growth driver in 2003 and 2004) will lead to a sustained industry recovery before 2010. SIA said 53% of all global launches in 2004 were U.S. government related while 47% were commercial.

Eight Asian countries (China, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and The Philippines) between them had some 36 million DTH subscribers in 2004, including 25 million from China’s underground DTH market.

DTH’s taking center stage in India plus China’s promised launch of DTH this year will enable Asia/Pacific to remain the world's fastest-growing TV distribution market. Analysts estimate the region’s 13.3% CAGR, with revenues rising from US$16 billion in 2004 to US$30 billion in 2009.

A selection of Asia’s DTH markets presents a varied picture of opportunities present in each country. What is apparent, however, is the pursuit of digitalization by a growing number of these countries. Australia, Japan and South Korea continue to forge ahead in exploiting digitalization and will complete the digitalization of their broadcast services by 2015. Other Asian countries have begun the catch up process.

Japan
The current strategies of SKY Perfect Communications Inc., Japan’s sole DTH provider, and JSAT Corporation (JSAT), the country’s leading satellite operator with nine satellites, show a remarkable convergence of vision between both business partners.

In its strategy for mid-term management development until 2010, SKY Perfect said it would “promote the establishment and spread of a multi-channel culture in the future” with the introduction of satellite delivered digital multi-channel broadcasting.

SKY Perfect projects over five million subscribers at the end of FY 2007 and over eight million by 2010, or double the number in 2005. SKY Perfect said it would push hard to attain its mid-term vision to move digital technology forward and establish an even more diverse multi-channel culture within Japan.

JSAT, which hosts the SKY PerfecTV! DTH service, said it wanted to promote hybrid networks that combine satellites and fiber optics, satellites and mobile units, satellites and wireless and other options. HDTV is a technology in which satellites can play a key role, according to JSAT.

SKY Perfect’s 3.75 million subscribers in 2005 accounted for only 8% of Japanese households and was a fourth of 16 million satellite households.

In 2004, Japan reported 3.6 million DTH subscribers, an increase of 150,000 from 2003. Cable subscribers rose by 400,000 to 5.35 million. DTH and cable penetration stood at 18%, a figure the satellite broadcasting industry aims to increase to 30% in the coming years. The nationwide transition to digital broadcasting by 2010 is another key factor in the upbeat outlook for SKY Perfect.

Malaysia
Astro All Asia Networks Plc, Malaysia’s only licensed satellite DTH platform, was present in 33% of all Malaysian TV homes during the first nine months of 2005.

That translated into 1.76 million Astro subscribers, a net increase of 66,500 year-on-year. Astro also reported a 90% rise in net profits. It also announced improvements in group revenues and ARPU plus a drop in churn.

Astro began operations in 1996 and now offers 55 channels with an array of foreign and local programs in Malay, Chinese and Hindi for Malaysia’s multi-ethnic society. The company’s growth into a leading Asian DTH provider is all the more remarkable since Malaysia has only four million households, some 97% of which have TV sets.

The past year, however, saw the emergence of two new challengers in the space of four months to challenge Astro’s pay TV dominance: MiTV and Fine TV. The market entry of both MiTV and Fine TV ended Astro’s eight-year monopoly of pay TV service.

Analysts, however, expect Astro to respond to competition by exploiting its considerable advantages in content and content distribution. Astro has announced huge investments in new technology, content and customer service. It emphasized a determined effort to defend its market share that includes adding 50 new channels by the end of 2006.

The introduction of these new channels, however, depends upon the successful launch and operation of the Measat-3 DTH satellite. Originally due to launch in December 2005, Measat-3 is now scheduled for liftoff in the third quarter of 2006 on board a Proton/Breeze M vehicle from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The new satellite will serve Malaysia, Southeast and Central Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

South Korea
One of South Korea’s most explosive digital growth areas has been digital satellite broadcasting. Launched only in December 2001 by sole DTH operator Korea Digital Satellite (KDS), the SkyLife DTH service had reached 11% of all households by 2003 and had 1.8 million subscribers by 2005.

KDS is South Korea’s first digital broadcaster and remains the lone provider of digital services nationwide.

SkyLife, which carries 160 channels, says its subscriber growth rate is the highest in the world and ascribes this to its constant effort at meeting subscribers’ demands for better picture and sound quality using digital technology.

Korea’s pay-TV market has also showed similar high growth with nearly 80% of some 17 million households subscribing to DTH or cable TV services in 2005. Analysts say this extraordinary expansion is mostly due to the low subscription for cable TV service (some US$5 monthly) and the tough competition against DTH that drives prices down.

SkyLife will keep focused on providing improved digital technologies in 2006, according to company sources. It intends to roll out advanced services such as integrated PVRs (personal video recorders) by mid-2006. SkyLife also plans to enhance its HD services by introducing H.264, a next-generation compression technology.

Australia
Foxtel, the top DTH operator, and Austar United Communications expect to turn the corner beginning 2006 with rising subscriber numbers and a mutual agreement to end analog television broadcasts by March 2007.

More subscribers and lower churn helped Foxtel increase revenues to $1.06 billion during the first half of 2005, a 39% year-on-year improvement. The drain caused by Foxtel’s heavy investment in programming content, however, resulted in a net loss of $109 million for the first half of the year.

Foxtel exceeded the one million subscriber milestone during the year. Over 70% of these subscribers are on the company’s digital platform with many opting for the more lucrative premium services.

Foxtel and Austar said a future growth area for pay TV is the provisioning of video content for 3G mobile phones. They will also explore content delivery over emerging technologies following the results of a trial with terrestrial Digital Video Broadcast Handheld (DVB-H) mobile devices.

They also plan further extensive development of interactive services. These will include on-demand programming; new EPG services such as remote booking for PDRs and developing portable personal digital video devices that connect with in home PDRs. Foxtel also intends to introduce a new portable digital TV service for handheld devices in early 2007. The service will only be available to subscribers that own PDRs. Mobility is seen as the next big thing in the delivery of TV content.

"Informationals" and the lively art of long writing

2008-03-03T05:51:00.000-08:00

In this era of short attention spans and paltry English prose, there's money to be had in writing long stories. Right?

The intuitive answer is "Wrong." Pinoys need all the help they can get just pronouncing English correctly, let alone writing it.

The counter-intuitive answer is "Right." Pinoys (or the 20% that bother to read English) will read long prose. The trick is finding ways to get their eyes to start moving from left to right.

The answer, however, is "Right-est" when it comes to writing for business. Business, after all, is the Largest User of English in this country. Think call centers and you'll get the point.

But if business can talk the talk (in English with an American twang), can it write right in English? Especially when faced with ad agencies that claim the best ads are those that don't need any words at all--and who with fanatical zeal strive to create the Perfect Mute Ad.

What might be true of English in advertising certainly won't be true of English in other external business communication tools. What I call "informationals" (special reports, newsletters, print media supplements and non-advertising media suited to inform in more detail) demand "long writing".

Informationals thrive on long writing because it's got to explain more, especially if a product or service is rooted in a science such as computers and communications.

Truth is, you can't escape long writing in business-to-consumer (B2C) communications. It's as endemic as the User's Manual.

Just because it's lengthy doesn't mean long writing has to be turgid. Not at all. The art lies in making information delightful to read.

I "long write" for companies and business organizations and constantly re-discover the fundamentals of good business writing apply to writing informationals.

First, you've got to have something to say, i.e. information. You've also got to do a lot of research. That means mining the Internet--the long writer's best friend--to uncover data relevant to your theme.

Then come the interviews with experts. I believe it's this aspect that's often missing in many informationals.

Anyone that's read a country or industry report by a bank or multinational lending agency such as the World Bank will be hard pressed to find experts being quoted.

It's probably this reliance on in-house experts (and a corresponding reluctance to cite individual experts, especially outside experts) that give business writing its bland reputation.

This seeming reluctance to interview is also apparent in writing B2C informationals. The art of interviewing is a painfully earned skill, as journalists will affirm, and I suppose it's too much to expect these same skills from your average in-house writer.

But then, you can't interview the competition. They'd call that espionage.

The end point of information harvesting is the writing. An "outsourced" or freelance writer with experience in journalism or advocacy will fall back on the five "Ws" when composing his piece.

In contrast, an in-house company writer will tend towards "invisibility." That is, he won't rock the boat by writing in a way that's markedly different from past reports. His bosses might notice the change and not all will be happy with it.

I've found that writing informationals occupies ground between these opposite poles. The middle ground involves starting with a bang (a tasteful yet catchy lead) and using the writer's art to sow words, phrases and insights that make the informational an entertaining and very informative read.

It's not easy and this suggestion won't work in many cases (because it's against conventional wisdom), but it's far better than deciphering a User's Manual or wincing through two pages of fluff extolling a product to high heavens.

Delightfully written informationals will make anyone's eyes begin moving left to right because it does two things at once: inform in abundance and entertain in style.

Informationals do this and business might just find it profitable to use informationals more often. "In-Writers" (informationals writers) might profit, too.

My website at www.geocities.com/peftok/informationals.html explains informationals more.

Choose your poison

2008-03-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

Taking a bus at EDSA (E. de los Santos Avenue) is always a case of choosing your poison.

EDSA air is a lingering brew of poisonous exhaust emissions containing carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead and particulate matter from thousands of diesel, gasoline and two-stroke motorcycle engines. There's also the infernal dust that never seems to dissipate.

Taking an open-air EDSA bus guarantees you'll inhale toxic fumes by the lungful. And the longer you stay on the bus, the more death-dealing particulates you absorb.

The Department of Health says motor vehicles account for 80% of the country's total pollution. Of the estimated 4,000 Filipinos who die each year because of air pollution, most can probably be linked to EDSA pollution.

One Filipino doctor, speaking about his air pollution patients, believes it takes just 15 minutes for a person to exhibit symptoms of pollution poisoning (breathing difficulty, headaches, nausea).

And that pollution, being oil, clings to your skin. Wiping your face with a handkerchief, or cleaning your nostrils, will show you how black and disgusting EDSA's deadly air is.

One hour in an open-air bus, therefore, is practically a death sentence. Holding a handkerchief to your nose won't save you from the permeating pollution. Not even a 3M dust mask will.

You'll probably need a portable oxygen tank with a full-face mask for real protection.

I salute all those MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) traffic enforcers who spend hours at EDSA pollution hot spots such as Cubao disciplining bus drivers. Those heroic enforcers do their thankless jobs without any form of effective protection against toxic exhaust emissions.

Most wrap handkerchiefs over their noses while some use those colorful but useless motorcycle dust masks in a vain effort to repel toxic pollutants. These brave men are slowly dying while doing their duty.

EDSA's notoriously toxic air will remain poisonous so long as the "geniuses" in government believe sporadic--and next to useless--anti-smoke belching drives are the solution to Metro Manila's worsening vehicle pollution problem. And whatever happened to the much hyped Smoke-Free EDSA campaign of 2003?

"Air conditioned" buses aren't much safer. A lot smell terrible. Some might even be poisonous.

The stink inside some of these buses is so nauseating it's choking. The putrid odor from fungus and bacteria in the aircon system combined with the stench from dirty seats, filthy floors, rotting garbage, spit and vomit create a disgusting, musty stench that has forced me to abandon buses shortly after I boarded.

Sometimes, the aircon is turned on so high you can see the chlorofluorocarbon coolant (mainly freon) spew out of the vents. The coolant smells "toxic" and probably is toxic in badly maintained aircon systems.

Many aircon buses at EDSA are second hand vehicles imported from South Korea and Japan. After a time, some of these jalopies get so beat up you wonder why they're still on the road.

Aircon bus owners often grouse about the unfair competition from the MRT (Metro Rail Transit) and its fast, air-conditioned trains. Why don't these people turn their buses into clean, comfortable air-conditioned havens to draw more riders away from the MRT?

I'd ride a sanitary aircon bus with clean, breathable air. I'm sure a lot of short distance riders will, too.

Right now, however, it's "Lose-Lose" for us commuters when it comes to EDSA buses.

It's criminal to have commuters suffer the agony of plying EDSA aboard open-air buses that ram carcinogenic pollution down their throats, or in "aircon" buses that trigger allergies, asthma attacks, vertigo and vomiting.

Choose your poison and pray. I do, most everyday.

Asia's space powers intensify their battle for the ultimate high ground of space

2008-03-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

China’s destruction of one of its derelict satellites using a direct ascent, kinetic kill missile in January 2007—for which it has offered no satisfactory explanation—has goaded Asia’s non-communist military powers into accelerating their military satellite programs in self defense.

In October 2007, India and South Korea said they were putting more muscle into their awakening military satellite programs with heavy infrastructure investments, and new doctrines that consider the eventuality of warfighting in space.

Japan has not announced a similar acceleration of its intelligence gathering satellite program. Its successful orbiting of four satellites to spy on North Korea, however, illustrates the importance it places on satellite derived imagery as guarantors of its national security.

The satellites spying on North Korea and its nuclear facilities constitute Japan’s single largest defense hardware expenditure in decades, and are among the most expensive military satellites built by any nation.

The year 2007 has turned into a watershed for Asia’s military space powers. The year 2008 promises to see military Asia push their satellite spy programs further ahead, confirming the hallowed military maxim—especially appreciated in India—that the second highest ground is no good.

And what high ground can trump space? The value of space as a strategic advantage has too often been driven home at India’s expense: first during the Kargil War in 1999, and lately by China’s space surprise in January 2007.

India: exploiting the high ground
Indian military analysts believe dedicated milsats (which India did not have in 1999 and which it still does not have today) would have avoided many of the intelligence failures that led to the war’s casualty bill.

India relied on dual use satellites operated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for battlefield photoreconnaissance. The poor clarity of the photos provided by these satellites’ low resolution cameras left much to be desired.

The 50-day Kargil War, apart from leading to higher Indian defense budgets, also had the welcome effect of convincing India’s politicians that military satellites are assets worth their weight in soldiers’ lives.

India’s first military satellite—Cartosat-2A—is finally scheduled for launch in March 2008, eight years after the Kargil War.

Cartosat-2A carries panchromatic cameras that provide advanced imagery. It will fulfill a long-standing demand from the armed forces for a dedicated reconnaissance spacecraft.

Cartosat-2A will be followed by the launch of two more advanced imaging satellites, perhaps in 2008, that will give India the capability of keeping a round-the-clock eye on China and Pakistan.

The first of these new milsats will carry an Israeli SAR (synthetic aperture radar) that can image surface objects through cloud and rain.

More important than this important piece of spaceware, however, is that the Indian army, air force and navy are developing a doctrine or philosophy for utilizing space at tactical, operational and strategic levels.

That doctrine is embodied in India’s “Defense Space Vision 2020.” The first phase of this ambitious space program gives priority to developing space-based intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, communication and navigation capabilities until 2012.

At a Combined Commanders' Conference held this October, the Indian Army confirmed the importance of space as a vital arena for future exploitation. It said it had set up a "Space Cell" at its headquarters to coordinate space-based applications in a joint services operational environment.

India is also considering organizing a tri-service aerospace command, first for defensive missions, but which would take on an offensive complexion if Indian satellites are threatened. This Indian aerospace command should become operational in six to seven years, said some military sources.

The immediate perceived threat comes from China. India believes the Chinese have a space system in place consisting of very small maneuvering satellites loaded with explosives that will ram bigger satellites in suicide missions.

The Indian military is apprehensive its remote sensing satellites are vulnerable to these Chinese kamikaze attacks. The loss of its dual use Insat satellites will rob India of its military communication capability.

India is developing laser and directed-energy weapons to counter this perceived Chinese threat.

The organization of an Indian aerospace command has the support of India’s parliament. In 2004, the committee in charge of this project asked the government to set up the command to exploit the potential of space technology in a future war.

The successful launch and orbiting of Cartosat-2A will signal the official birth of India’s military satellite capability.

Described as a satellite based surveillance system, Cartosat-2A will give Indian Army commanders the ability to closely monitor troop movements and military installations in China.

The brains of this milsat surveillance system will consist of a defense imagery processing and analysis centre in New Delhi and a satellite control facility in Bhopal.

Military analysts say India is eager to make use of the tactical, operational and strategic advantages of space since they feel future wars cannot be fought without the effective exploitation space. The Indian armed forces also believe network-centric warfare hinges on the continued operation of military and dual use satellites.

The realization that it needs military satellites has been on the front burner of India’s armed forces. In 2005, India said its military space-based reconnaissance system was in an advanced stage of development and was expected to be operational by 2008 with the launch of Cartosat-2A.

India’s fleet of dual use, photo imagery satellites include Resourcesat-1 launched in October 2003 and considered India's most sophisticated remote sensing satellite to date. There’s the 2.5 meter, high-resolution Cartosat-1 satellite equipped with two cameras able to point at an object from two different angles. Another mapping satellite, Cartosat-2, provides one-meter resolution and was launched in January 2007.

South Korea
South Korea launched KoreaSat-5, its first milsat, only in August 2006. This dual use satellite gives South Korea a system that offers secure military communications. South Korea has eight other civilian and dual use satellites in orbit.

Over a year later and South Korea is now talking about building its space war capabilities by deploying warfare-ready laser weapons and establishing a space operations command by 2025. All this also because of China’s successful ASAT test last January.

The South Korean air force recently released a “Star Wars” report that reveals South Korea’s plans for exploiting and fighting in space.

The report says that by 2015, the air force plans to have built the infrastructure for its space operations. During this stage, the air force will set up a joint military-private sector satellite project and install a ballistic missile early warning radar system by 2012.

In the second stage from 2016-2025, the air force will build an optical and laser-based space surveillance system. It will also deploy warfare-ready laser weapons.

The third stage (post 2025) will see the organization of an air force space command, including the deployment of airborne and space-based laser weapons.

Today, however, South Korea has two dual use satellites in orbit and is to deploy its first SAR satellite in 2010. The in-orbit Arirang-1 and Arirang-2 keep watch over North Korea. Launched in 2006, Arirang-2 is a modern photoreconnaissance satellite with a 1 meter resolution digital camera.

The $268 million SAR satellite, Arirang-5, is to begin operations in 2010. The satellite’s SAR can also image underground or undersea features for mineral exploration and other purposes, which is the civilian aspect of its dual use nature.

The U.S. view
In August 2007, Lieutenant General Kevin Campbell, head of the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Command, warned that China might be three years from being able to disrupt U.S. military satellites in a regional conflict.

Other U.S. commanders are concerned that China's anti-satellite weapons could interfere with military communications with South Korea and Japan. In response, the U.S. intends to develop more powerful and flexible forces in the Pacific to reduce miscalculations by Beijing.

The U.S. also intends to ensure the robust protection of its satellites from future Chinese “surprises”.

The U.S. operates some 110 military satellites, almost thrice the number (40) operated by Russia. There are also some 500 active civilian and dual use satellites hovering above the planet.

The U.S.’ immediate military response to the Chinese ASAT test was to order the U.S. Air Force to conduct a wide-ranging review of the vulnerabilities of U.S. military satellites.

The U.S. believes China is attempting to perfect a wide range of ASAT weapons, including jammers for navigation and communications satellites, and the deployment of space mines that could disable U.S. milsats.

As part of the review, the USAF is to recommend whether new arms programs (or “offensive counter-space” systems) to disable enemy space systems are needed.

Despite the chill in its relations with the U.S., China said it remained open to cooperating on space development with the U.S. China also said it remains keen on taking part in the International Space Station (ISS) project.

The Pentagon, however, opposes China's involvement in the ISS and other space cooperation with Beijing, and sees China's space program as a looming threat to U.S. satellite systems.

The Other Side of Midnight

2008-02-27T00:22:00.000-08:00

With contact centers leading the way, the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry continues to fulfill its potential as one of this country’s major growth and employment engines in the globalized marketplace.

Complementing contact centers are lesser known but potentially powerful BPO engines that are creating employment, and are driving investments, growth and career building. These engines are taking Starship Philippines on a new course to “The Other Side of Midnight” where revenues are made by the light of day.

The Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPA/P), the industry’s major association, expects BPO industry revenues to almost triple to $12.1 billion by 2010 from the 2006 level of $3.45 billion. In 2006, call centers continued to contribute most of BPO revenues from foreign clients, some 77%.

BPA/P estimates call center revenues at $5.29 billion in 2010, up a huge 97% over three years, but, more significantly, less than 45% of total BPO industry revenues.

The other 55% will be contributed by the other sectors or engines of BPO: Business Processing (Back Office Operations); Medical & Legal Transcription; Software Development and Maintenance; Animation Industry and Engineering Design

Best of all for job seekers is that these sectors—also collectively called “non-voice”—offer wider employment for Filipinos (including middle aged professionals) and that the working hours take place in daylight. For BPO firms, many of which operate contact centers, the rise of daytime BPO maximizes their investments in IT and physical infrastructure.

“The Other Side of Midnight” is on the rise.

BPA/P estimates the industry should grow by some 48% in 2007 to reach revenues of $4.9 billion. By 2010, BPA/P believes outsourcing could be a $12 billion industry employing 900,000 persons.

Consulting firm A.T. Kearney, in a recent ranking of the most desirable global services locations that are competitive for BPO, rated the Philippines fourth in the world behind India, China and Malaysia. The Philippines was outside the top 10 three years ago.

The Philippines generated offshore service revenues of $2.1 billion in 2005, placing third behind India and China and slightly ahead of Malaysia. That's up 62% over the $1.3 billion it gained in 2004, and a huge increase from the start of the decade when BPO employed just 2,400 people and the industry had revenues of merely $24 million.

A.T. Kearney said the Philippines gets high marks for its large, educated talent pool and English language skills, but falls behind some of the other locations in infrastructure.

A natural offshoot of this rapid BPO growth is the increase in the number of jobs on offer to Filipinos. The industry employs 250,000 persons (including call center agents) today. BPA/P's goal is to produce one million jobs in the BPO industry.

BPO rising
The ascendancy of BPO confirms the shift in employment and investments from the cost-effectiveness of call centers to the skills quality and competence of non-voice BPO. This development strengthens the Philippines' position as an emerging global leader in the burgeoning BPO industry.

BPO firms employ people from a wider variety of professions than do contact centers, which need to focus their talent search on Filipinos who, also, can speak with an “English neutral accent.” Non-voice BPO opens its doors to engineers, architects, designers, medical professionals, medical researchers, human resources professionals, lawyers, accountants and animators.

These professionals work in virtual teams to service client needs. And the language they use is, of course, English, the language of world business. In other words, English proficiency is required on the other side of midnight, too.

It is a reality confirmed by BPA/P, which points out that English proficiency is the key to success, as it is required by all six sectors of the industry.

BPO’s growth surge is being fueled not by low-value-added call centers but by higher-end outsourcing such as back office work, medical transcription, legal services, animation, Web design, software development and shared services.

The number of people employed in back office work is expected to jump to 299,000 by 2010 from the present 36,000, a growth rate of 730 percent. BPA/P says Business Processing or Back Office Operations and Medical Transcription are the leading areas of opportunity for employing large numbers of Filipinos.

Medical transcription is experiencing a growth rate expected to top 1,600 % from 2006 until 2010, with employment surging from 7,000 to 122,000. Employment in software development is projected to jump from 16,000 in 2006 to 75,000 in 2010.

BPA/P believes back office services, medical transcription and software development will replace call centers as the high growth BPO sectors. All these sectors will experience faster revenue and employment growth than call centers.

“More companies are coming in from India and the U.S.,” said BPAP Executive Director Mitch Locsin. “Many of these companies will start with voice and move up the value chain.”

He noted that revenues from non-voice BPO services will surpass contact center or voice revenues by 2010.

“Back office services are the next big thing in BPO,” he said. “Our job now is to get Filipino accountants, bookkeepers and engineers to focus on their studies to prepare for the future.”

He said one of Philippine BPO’s biggest challenges is beef up its manpower resources, quality certification and security compliance. Locsin revealed that all these issues are being addressed by BPAP and are in the final stages of implementation.

As for the hot jobs in BPO, Locsin said opportunities abound in Finance & Accounting (F&A) since 28% of Philippine graduates come from Business Administration and related courses.

Opportunities exist in moving up the value chain and doing more high value added services such as Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO).

Locsin said BPAP is convinced that English proficiency is the key to success in BPO, as it is required by all sectors of the industry.

“The Philippines can excel in all of the e-Services sectors because of its quality of service that we provide,” he said.

Coming to the Philippines
A few years ago, the Royal Dutch Shell Group determined the creation of a network of Shell shared services centers (SSSCs) in strategic locations across the globe would be key in its efforts to deliver services at competitive costs and standards.

SSSC Manila, a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, was established in July 2004. It was the fourth SSSC to be established and has over 1,100 employees, the largest in terms of manpower compared to other SSSCs in Glasgow, Guatemala, Kuala Lumpur and Krakow.

SSSC Manila mainly performs back office accounting and finance work exclusively for Shell clients abroad. These clients include Shell companies in the US, Europe (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands) and Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Australia and the Philippines).

The bulk of finance work provided by SSSC Manila includes hydrocarbon accounting (reconciling fuel movements); accounts payable (or processing of vendor payments); accounts receivables (collections of receivables from both internal and external customers) and general accounting (financial reporting, fixed asset inventory, payroll accounting). Other activities being serviced include master reference data maintenance; contracting and procurement (buying activity). human resources service desk and customer services.

SSSC Manila general manager Noel Paraso said the center proves Filipinos can perform according to the same high standards expected from foreign employees. Paraso noted the continued interest in transferring more work to SSSSC Manila because trust has already been established.

“We make sure the standard of services do not suffer here,” Paraso said. “We ensure successful migration of these processes by putting in place a stringent migration methodology and hiring people with meaningful skills, background and experience; people who are accounting, business, economics, and engineering majors. We also give them very thorough, very focused training”.

OfficeTiger, a U.S. owned printing services firm working out of India, chose the Philippines to provide its legal services outsourcing. It expects to make the Philippines the main center for "pre-media" outsourcing work, including desktop publishing, composition, typesetting and graphic design.

A ranking OfficeTiger manager said design work is an area where Filipinos have and edge. The company has found an incredible depth of design talent in the Philippines, the kind of talent that is hard to come by in Bangalore, Hyderabad or Chennai.

OfficeTiger is looking at its Philippine operations to provide 40% to 50% of its total annual revenue growth over the next three to five years. Its clients include large insurance companies, retailers and publishers of books and directories.

The country’s dominant telecom firm, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), took a significant slice of the BPO industry in 2006 by acquiring SPI Technologies, Inc., the second largest dedicated BPO company in the Philippines and the ninth largest independent BPO service provider worldwide, through subsidiary ePLDT, Inc.

SPI operates in 23 locations in North America, Europe and Asia, servicing over 150 customers including Fortune 500 companies. With 6,500 employees worldwide, SPI services these customers onsite, and from facilities in the Philippines, India, US, China and Vietnam.

SPI’s core capabilities include content editorial and production, litigation support coding and electronic data discovery, medical transcription, database structuring and management and transaction processing.

PLDT president Napoleon Nazareno said the addition of SPI into ePLDT will broaden the group’s participation in BPO, which analysts forecast to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 9.2 % until 2010.

PLDT said SPI will give it excellent opportunities to enhance its North American customer base, broaden its revenue streams, as well as derive potential cost synergies in the marketing and selling of voice-based services in the countries where SPI operates.

ePLDT’s Ventus call-center group consists of Parlance Systems Inc., Vocativ Systems Inc. and ePLDT Ventus Inc. The ePLDT Ventus Group operates six call-center facilities located in the cities of Makati, Taguig, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Quezon and Iloilo, rendering primarily voice-based services to large US-based clients and outsourcers.

BPO firm Sykes, although better known as one of the pioneer call centers, said Filipinos are a great asset. It describes Filipinos as intelligent and hard working and fit nicely within Sykes’ culture of “People Serving People.” Sykes enjoys and are proud of its partnership with Filipinos.

Sykes came to the Philippines in 1997 with just a small number of employees providing technical support through e-mail. It now has more then 10,000 employees across six sites providing customer care through multiple communication channels including chat, e-mail and voice.

Sykes is a family of global businesses delivering BPO services. Sykes is entrusted with the customer care of global brands primarily in Consumer Products & Services, Communications, Financial Services, Technology and Travel & Leisure.

Philippine BPO offerings
Business Processing (Back Office Operations) is one of the hottest job sectors in BPO. In 2006, there were 62 Business Processing firms employing some 36,000 persons. These firms generated revenues of $288 million.

The Philippines now provides some 40 Business Processing Services. Among these services are accounting and bookkeeping; payroll processing; asset management; financial analysis and auditing; inventory control and purchasing; human resources administration; customer management; credit card administration; factoring and stock brokering; revenue management; database management; supply chain management; legal transcription; litigation support; content development; publishing; loan processing; health insurance; sales and marketing; tax reporting; transaction management; sourcing and procurement; logistics; disaster recovery; business intelligence; network management and warehouse and inventory.

Counted among the leading third party providers of Business Processing Services are Accenture, American Data Exchange, SVI Corp, SPI Technologies, DAKSH eServices, The Environments Collaborative, Eximius BPO, Summersault, Inc., Infinit-O BPO, BPO International and BayanTrade Dotcom.

“Captives” or companies with in-house services include AOL, AIG BPSI, Chevron Texaco,HP, HSBC, Procter & Gamble, Flour Daniel, Deutsche Bank, Citibank Crescent Services, Shell Shared Services, Manulife, Alitalia, Watson Wyatt, Emerson, McKinsey & Co., Safeway and Thomson.

Medical transcription (MT), which next to contact centers is the best known BPO sector, remains a prime growth sector and a source of hot jobs for Filipinos. Filipino MT firms are noted internationally for their accuracy (98-99% accuracy rate) and have a swift job turnaround time of 12 to 24 hours.

There are some 100 MT firms employing 7,000 persons. There are also 15 MT schools. MT firms posted revenues of $98 million in 2006.

Key MT firms are eData Services, SPI Technologies, SVI Corporation, Medscribe Asia,
Transkripsyo, Inc., Total Transcription Solutions, Inc., Dictation Source and Pilipinas Data Contracts Corporation.

Legal transcription (LT), although new, offers bright promise since the Philippines’ legal system is patterned after that of the United States, the source of most legal transcription jobs.

There are nine operational LT firms employing 675 lawyers and legal personnel. The sector, which generated $9 million revenues in 2006, has among its key players Quisumbing Torres, SPI Technologies, SVI Corporation, CD Asia, Inc. and Medscribe Asia.

The Philippines had 100 software development companies in 2006 that booked $272 million revenues in 2006.

Among the firms providing software development services are Accenture, Headstrong, Microsoft, IBM Solutions, Jupiter Systems, Oracle, ADTX Solutions, TrendMicro, Gurango, Sun Microsystems, Intel Microelectronics, NEC and RCG Philippines.

Filipino animation continues to be a source of strength in BPO and is the oldest BPO sector (20 years in existence). The country’s 70 animation studios employ 6,500 persons and created revenues of $97 million in 2006.

Local studios consist of Holy Cow! Animation, Artfarm Asia, Digital Exchange, Top Draw Animation, Toei Animation, Top Peg Animation and Creative Studio, Creative Asia, Geebo Digital and Toon City, among others.

The relatively new Engineering Design Industry now consists of 24 companies employing 4,400 full time engineers. These firms reported revenues of $68 million in 2006.

Among these firms are JGC Phils., Fluor Daniel, Bechtel, Tsuneishi, Kajima Corp, Parsons, C & E Corp, EEI Corp, Eichleay Pacific, Inc., Hyundai Engineering, Foster Wheeler, Kellog, Brown & Root and Bouygues Construction.

The Philippines graduates 40,000 engineers every year and there are now some 100,000 licensed engineering professionals. Filipino engineers are prized for their high level of technical expertise in engineering design and practice internationally accepted engineering standards.

Human Capacity Build-up
There is general consensus that the BPO future of the Philippines is bright—at midnight and at midday. Industry players, however, are also fully aware that the opportunities at the horizon will only become reality if government, academe and industry work together in building the human resource.

The Philippine government recognizes the strategic importance of BPO as generators of revenues and employment. President Gloria Arroyo has set aside $10 million in government money to train people for employment in the outsourcing industry. Students and other persons interested in outsourcing jobs are given vouchers that can be used for tuition at vocational schools.

But of greater importance to the industry is its five-year roadmap being drawn up in assistance with international consulting firm McKinsey.

BPA/P president Dan Reyes said the roadmap will identify niche areas in the global marketplace in which the Philippines can be competitive against India and other outsourcing destinations such as China, Malaysia and eastern European countries.

He noted that while BPO is still predominantly call center-driven, both government and the private sector recognize the need to deliver higher-value BPO services such as HR and finance and accounting.

A glimpse of the BPA/P Roadmap 2010 was recently presented by BPA/P CEO Oscar Sañez during the Call Center Conference Exposition 2007. As it is still in its second phase, Sañez said the roadmap will be officially released later this year.

Sañez said the strategy involves not just the BPA/P members but also the local communities, education institutions and local government units to ensure its success.

For the location component, BPA/P will develop a set of products that identify and evaluate areas considered as "next wave" cities where startups and expanding BPOs can build new locations.

The reporting of next wave cities will contain the number of companies already operating in specific cities, telecommunications readiness, physical landscape, available expertise and possible challenges.

For the business environment component, BPA/P intends to enhance perceptions regarding the Philippines as an ideal location for operators. To do so, BPA/P intends to conduct a risk perception survey of locators, build success case studies and launch industry-wide campaigns to address intellectual property and Internet security, among other issues.

Improving the future/lending a helping hand
The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) and its IT foundation, the European IT Service Center (EITSC), are committed to human capacity building.

EITSC is an initiative of ECCP, the German Development Cooperation (GTZ) and the Asia-Europe Foundation of the Philippines to bridge the needs of Europe with the IT/BPO capabilities in the Philippines.

EITSC is currently in a partnership with Hanns Seidel Foundation and the European Union on human capacity building. EITSC and Hanns Seidel Foundation with co-funding from the European Union initiated a five-year program that takes a progressive approach to answering the call for more qualified workers in the IT/BPO sector.

Of particular interest to ECCP and EITSC is improving the quality of the college graduates that will be needed to grow BPO.

Last year, some 80 universities and colleges began incorporating open source subjects into their computer science (CS) and information technology (IT)-related courses under an EITSC sponsored program that seeks to help schools develop more employable graduates.

“There is a growing demand for open source, and this program aims to enhance the skills of students in open source systems,” said EITSC manager Dominic Sabado. EITSC is also a partner in the Philippine Open Source Initiative (Positive) program.

Positive is a joint project of the Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit (a development arm of the German government); Wireless Services Asia (a private European company) and EITSC. Positive encourages local tertiary-level schools with CS or IT-related subjects to download and use free open source course materials developed by six partner schools.

The materials include syllabi, course presentations, laboratory workbooks and exercises and tests developed over six months by the Asia-Pacific Colleges, Angeles University Foundation, Cebu Institute of Technology, Don Bosco Technical College, Mindanao State University Institute of Technology and the Department of Science and Technology Region 7 Open Source Computer and Security Laboratory.

EITSC recently organized a forum with academe and software development companies to initiate the creation of a Dual Training System (DTS) curriculum for software development training.

Last May, EITSC also organized a Summer Enrichment Program in which 72 teachers took part in a train-the-trainer program. Topics covered included communication and English improvement and teaching techniques for teachers; technical and business writing techniques; IT fundamentals & database systems and Operating Systems. A similar activity is set to take place during the upcoming semestral break of schools.

ECCP executive vice president Henry Schumacher noted that international clients are looking for a number of criteria when eyeing an outsourcing business partner. These include proven capabilities in project management and execution, the availability of specific skills and ability to ramp up manpower at short notice, and quality management standards. ‘That’s the reason why we ran a quality management program – ComQual – for 16 software companies during the last two years’, Schumacher added, ‘ a successful program that was co-funded by the European Commission and generated initial contracts from European clients in the amount of US$ 0.5 million.’

He pointed out that ECCP has been continuously engaged in projects aimed at improving the work skill levels of Filipinos. In July, the government welcomed ECCP’s decision to support efforts to address the perennial problem on job and skills mismatch and the efforts of industry and stakeholders to find needed skills.

Labor Secretary Arturo Brion cited ECCP for committing to join public and private collaboration aimed at remedying the job and skill mismatch.

Brion said the ECCP's support would greatly boost the government's efforts to help students and graduates gain entry-level industry requirements through apprenticeship and dual training.

ECCP, through its member-companies, intends to provide college students on-the-job training until they graduate. It also aims to ask other chambers of commerce to partner with schools in training college students.

Brion said ECCP's commitment to help address the skills and job mismatch would fill the gap in the efforts to help students and graduates gain workplace training and entry-level requirements essential in their search for jobs, including those positions classified as hot jobs such as business processing operations.

He noted the ECCP initiative dovetails with the national efforts to facilitate employment and meet industry skills requirements aimed at sustaining the growth of the economy.

BPA/P is keenly aware of the human resources challenges facing BPO. Under the talent development component of its roadmap, Sañez noted that a major problem was mismatch between the location of the potential hires and the center, followed by the problem of top talents such as engineering, accounting and nursing graduates moving to other countries.

He said the talent component strategy should focus on increasing financial aid to students, improve work and study flexibility, launch continuous training campaigns that are relevant to industry requirements, and developing competency tests for students and trainers in schools.

A radical approach to the problem of hiring shortage involves opening up recruitment to non-traditional talents such as high school graduates, college dropouts and housewives, thus the need for strict competency tests.

Gil Genio, CEO of Innove Communications, subsidiary of Globe Telecom, believes addressing resource challenges such as talent and process maturity is one of three ways by which the Philippines can expand its share in the global BPO market. The other two ways are focusing on infrastructure investments and leveraging on government policies.

Genio said Asia could account for 10% of the total ITES market ($18 billion in the U.S. alone), with the Philippines taking five percent.

Martians

2008-02-25T11:42:00.001-08:00

Three decades ago, a group of British scholars set out to determine the extent of man's penchant for War.

In their search for answers, these intrepid data crunchers manually pored over modern and ancient texts covering 5,000 years of recorded history, from the earliest Mesopotamian civilizations up until the 1970s when the Vietnam War continued to rage.

In all that time, these researchers discovered that mankind has had only had 27 years--an insignificant 27 years--of Peace, which they defined as the absence of War anywhere on this planet.

Reading about this in one of few dailies allowed under martial law astounded me and is so vivid it remains with me to this day.

Only twenty-seven years without a war anywhere on this martial planet. Incredible!

And hammering home Man's seeming thirst for War is fresh research revealing there have only been 26 days of Peace since 1945. That's only 26 out of the 22,000 days from 1945 to 2005.

Our country continues to contribute to the enduring evil of War with its festering twin insurgencies, including Asia's only remaining communist rebellion.

Mankind has never given peace a chance. History proves that and so do the thousands of wars and armed conflicts and over a billion deaths.

Sadly, War has always been--and remains--the favored arbiter of disputes between nations or armed groups. It is also the least effective sowing, as it so often has, the bloody seeds of the next conflict and the one after that.

Witness World War 1, the "War to End All Wars" that ignited World War 2 (history's bloodiest), which then led to the proxy wars between democracy and communism that, in turn, saw Muslims take up the sword in the conflicts that batter today's world.

And if one gazes at the 19th century, one witnesses our own revolution against Spain, one of the many wars for independence fought by enslaved peoples against predatory European empires, chiefly those of Britain, Spain and France.

Why does man avidly seek to kill?

The answers are as complex as the causes of war. But whether one believes the Biblical comment that Wars begin in men's hearts, or take into account my mother's opinion that most wars are ignited by greed, one cannot escape the reality of War's stranglehold on civilization.

Looked at in this aspect, Peace appears to be those rare moments when Mars, the God of War, loosens its relentless chokehold on mankind's neck. Peace, therefore, is mankind breathing freely.

A New Year has arrived and with it the inevitability there will be no additional days of peace in 2007 to add to those precious 26 days. The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Chechnya will see to that, as will our own communist insurgency.

Then there are those "Wars-in-Waiting" such as North Korea, Lebanon, Iran, Taiwan, Russia and Georgia, among others.

A broad look at centuries of warfare reveals that the mutual exhaustion of both combatants--not military victory--has been the chief reason for ending most wars.

The evolution of today's warfare into drawn out and savage guerilla conflicts will again confirm this, and will ensure that military victory truly becomes a mirage in the desert.

With military victory all but impossible, there seems little reason why Man should go to war at all. But leave it to Man to invent reasons to kill his fellowman. George Bush and Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction come to mind here.

The commandment, "Thou shall not kill," remains the Eternal Casualty of War; Peace on Earth an empty promise.

This planet doesn't deserve the name Earth. Mars would be a more fitting name for this blood soaked rock, and Martians a more exact description of its dominant life form.

Welcome to Mars. And which War do you want to fight in first?

Where is the Filipino Intelligentsia?

2008-02-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

Where is the Filipino Intelligentsia?

Is the concept of a Filipino Intelligentsia at all plausible? Or is it "un-Filipino" in a society where the stomach is king and the brain a look-alike stomach located in the skull?

Does this collection of intellectuals and knowledge workers exist at all as a distinct level of our society? Is it at the forefront of intellectual thought in science, the arts, culture, technology, the academe and politics?

Or must we hunt for these beings with the intense enthusiasm of astronomers searching for extra terrestrial intelligence? Are these creatures to be found in planets such as Starbucks and Seattle's Best where intelligent and unintelligent conversation seems to exist only amid clouds of simmering coffee?

Do they, like the ancient Greek Pythagoreans, gather in secret locations for fear of persecution by the jaded masses, there to revel in their shared knowledge among others of their kind? Are they the "educated derelicts" scoffed at in a famous ode to materialism, which boasts that only persistence and determination guarantee worldly success?

Is the Filipino intelligentsia those widely read and seemingly omniscient political columnists? Is it those stentorian TV newsreaders that reflect their network's bias for tawdry journalism? Or those mealy mouthed politicians with facile comments on whatever issue hogs the headlines?

Is it the rich? The richly educated? The long-suffering middle class that props up the economy but which receives a pittance in return? The religious orders steeped in arcane learning? Or, were I a game show contestant; is the answer, letter D, or All Of The Above?

And who are the leading lights of this invisible stratum of society? The "ilustrados" had Rizal, del Pilar and Jaena. Who speaks for the Filipino Intelligentsia of today? Who are its thinkers? And where can one read about their multitude of opinions, and of the necessary conflict of ideas that mark an Intelligentsia?

Who are these people?

Without an Intelligentsia, who is there to speak out with authority on those complex issues that bedevil the Filipino? Who will wield the Intelligentsia's power of using knowledge to goad governments and corporations into positive action? In this Information Age, why are Filipinos who know more afraid to show society they know more?

Is Knowledge a scarlet letter?

Perhaps a Filipino Intelligentsia does exist. But nothing has been heard of it. Perhaps it's because intellectuals prefer to work muted in the background, as if they were simply neurons.

But there is, however, truth to that centuries old observation that the true aim of education is not knowledge but action.

The Filipino Intelligentsia must take action by using its vast knowledge to make sense of the world around us. It must proudly announce its existence. It must assert itself against the strident voices of loud amateurs, rabble-rousers, hedonists and politicians of whatever ideology as the brains of this nation.

Where is the Filipino Intelligentsia?

Coming soon? Filipino "contractors" in Iraq

2008-02-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

It's only a matter of time before we see heavily armed Filipino "contractors" in Iraq--if they aren't there already.

But unless some journalist blows the whistle, we'll never know for certain if that grim, Pinoy looking guard dressed in civvies and toting an M4 automatic rifle is a real Pinoy. He might also be a Colombian, Fijian or an American of Filipino descent.

Mercenaries are back. Only today, they go by the more respectable name of "contractors" who "officially" provide "only" outsourced combat support for a numerically weak U.S. military.

Contractors, however, are involved in combat in Iraq, which is inevitable since the insurgency is a guerilla war with no front line. Or in U.S. bureaucratese, Iraq is a "non-linear battlefield" (NLB).

Iraq is the largest market for the new "private military companies" (PMCs) that together constitute an industry worth more than US$100 billion (P5.4 trillion). Contractors are also in Afghanistan and in South America, particularly Colombia, assisting in the anti-drug war.

The more than 20,000 contractors in Iraq are the second largest armed force in that country behind the U.S. Most of these contractors are ex-U.S. military men. Special Forces operators, especially those from the U.S. Army and Navy, and the British Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS) are in particularly high demand for contract work.

Some of the other contractors known to be in Iraq are Australians, South Africans, Fijians, Colombians (trained by U.S. Special Forces) and Nepalese (Gurkhas).

As a group, contractors have suffered the second highest number of combat casualties (killed and wounded in action) next to the U.S. An Internet website lists the deaths of some 250 contractors of varied nationalities in Iraq. In contrast, Britain has less than 100 combat deaths.

Although no figures for wounded have been announced, some sources estimate this figure at six times the number of dead. Over a thousand casualties for a group whose "official" job is to act as security guards for facilities and offices, and bodyguards for important people.

The four Americans whose gory murders in Fallujah clinched the U.S. decision to storm that city in November 2004 were contractors.

Contractors are mostly employees of PMCs such as Kellog, Brown & Root (KBR), a subsidiary of Halliburton, Inc.; Control Risks Group (CRG), which has an office at the Citibank Tower in Makati; MPRI; Custer Battles; Erinys and Blackwater.

The are, as yet, no purely Filipino PMCs but the Philippines does have in abundance the raw material that goes into the making of contractors: trained combat infantry. In the Philippines' case, many of its infantry are veterans of years of guerilla warfare. It is an advantage not possessed by any other contractor country except Colombia.

The stunning growth of PMCs is in inverse proportion to the progressive weakening of the U.S. Army. With only 1.4 million men and women today as against over two million a decade ago, the U.S. Army is now involved in two simultaneous wars (Afghanistan and Iraq) and is preparing for a third (Iran). A conflict in Korea cannot be ruled out.

The regular U.S. Army and its reserve component, the National Guard, are stretched close to breaking point on the ground as it is. There are no indications that Washington contemplates restoring conscription to significantly increase the combat strength (or "end strength") of its all-volunteer army.

Without this militarily sound but politically suicidal move, however, the U.S. Army is left with no choice but to continue outsourcing its combat support operations to PMCs to free more men for combat.

These support operations include feeding the troops, equipment maintenance, administrative work and construction. KBR, the largest employer of contractors in Iraq, employs Filipinos in non-combat roles inside fortified military bases.

Should the U.S. Army find itself involved in three or four wars within this decade, its reliance on PMCs will inevitably extend beyond combat support into active combat. There simply won't be enough uniformed fighting men to go around.

The butcher's bill in Iraq for the U.S. comes to more than 10,000 casualties since 2003, most of these are combat infantry. These losses will take years to replace. Turning a raw recruit into a proficient combat soldier takes some two years of intense training at huge cost. Producing combat leaders takes longer, up to a decade for battalion commanders.

With conscription a non-option, the only recourse for the U.S. Army is outsource its "non-mission critical" functions so it can comb out more men and women for its core competency, which is warfighting.

The U.S., however, has a huge pool of retired or resigned servicemen already trained in the U.S. way of war. Contractors are being drawn from this pool.

Money draws contractors to Iraq and Afghanistan. Combat contractors are paid lavishly by any standard. Ex-SAS men can receive up to 14,000 British pounds monthly (P1.5 million). Even for those at the bottom of the pay scale such as the Fijians, monthly salaries are in the region of US$1,000 (P54,000).

But more ominous than their involvement in combat (a fact that goes against current U.S. doctrine) are indications that the U.S. is leaning towards making contractors an organic component of its future armed forces. And this will profoundly alter the complexion of future war.

Who will build the first Filipino satellite?

2008-02-25T03:56:00.000-08:00

Currently streaking through space at thousands of kilometers per hour is one of the smallest satellites placed into orbit.

This small wonder is a "cube satellite" (CubeSat) with a size of only 10cm x 10cm x 10cm (a family size box of Safeguard soap is exactly 10cm long), and weighing just 995 grams. It completes a revolution of the Earth every 90 minutes and is sending signals to its controllers saying it's alive and well in the brutal environment of space.

What's amazing about this satellite is not its puny size. There are other CubeSats with the same dimensions orbiting the Earth.

What's amazing is that this satellite was made in Colombia. What's more amazing is that it was built by students from a Colombian university.

The "pico-satellite" Libertad-1 (Freedom-1) is Colombia's first satellite. It was launched into orbit along with 15 other satellites by a Russian Dnepr rocket last April 17 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the world's oldest and largest launch facility. A pico-satellite is defined as a miniaturized satellite weighing less than one kilogram.

Science and satellites aren't exactly the first things that pop into one's mind when one hears the word, Colombia. Libertad-1, apart from making history for Colombia, is also helping other people think about Colombia in another, more positive way.

The students from the Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogota, capital of Colombia, who built Libertad-1 are understandably overjoyed at their success.

If Colombia can build its first satellite, can the second be far behind? And who will be Colombia's first astronaut?

Placed into orbit along with Libertad-1 were seven other miniaturized satellites built by students from U.S. universities. The U.S. CubeSats were made by California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly), Stanford University and the University of Louisiana.

The U.S. has a CubeSat Project that creates launch opportunities for universities previously unable to access space. More than 60 universities and high schools are participating in the CubeSat Project.

The CubeSat Project is free and is open to all universities and institutions. Any educational institution can join the project by following three steps on the CubeSat Program website.

Norway's first in-orbit satellite, NCUBE-2, was a CubeSat built by Norwegian students and orbited in 2005. NCUBE-2 monitored the movement of ships along the Norwegian coast and the movement of reindeer in southern Norway.

NCUBE-2 was supported by Europe's own CubeSat program. In 2000, the European Space Agency (ESA) wanted to get more European students involved in space travel technology and space science.

It launched the "Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative" that soon involved more than 400 students from 23 different European universities in 14 countries in making satellites. One of these satellites was NCUBE-2.

Because of the many educational institutions involved in making them, CubeSats are also known as Student Satellites or StudentSats.

Now, that Pinoys have conquered Mt. Everest, why don't we now try to conquer the highest place in this planet--Space--by building the first homegrown Pinoy satellite?

If Colombian students can build their country's first satellite, surely Filipino students can also build this country's first homegrown satellite.

Agila-1 (now an orbiting derelict) and Agila-2 don't count as Pinoy homegrown satellites since they were built by foreign countries.

Miniaturized satellites such as CubeSats are giving countries that can't spend millions of dollars on traditional satellites the chance to use space to advance their national interests. It cost the Norwegians $30,000 to launch NCUBE-2 on board a Russian rocket.

We can enlist the help of the Americans, the Europeans or the Russians in making and launching the first Pinoy satellite. We have the brainpower. Students from our universities and colleges win awards writing gaming software and building dancing robots.

Our students can pool their brainpower to build the first Filipino satellite.

Our first homegrown CubeSat doesn't need to accomplish anything fancy such as taking high-resolution photographs. Colombia's Libertad-1 was built to send signals and monitor space temperature,

The purpose of the Pinoy CubeSat building exercise is to build and orbit a CubeSat. The team experience of building a satellite is the main reward. Giving the Philippines links to the world's satellite industry will also be a valuable advantage.

Our first homegrown satellite can simply play "Lupang Hinirang" as it passes over the Philippines. That alone would make it successful--and make us proud to be Pinoys.

Or it can do something more useful such as testing sensors and equipment for the second, but more sophisticated, Pinoy homegrown CubeSat.

But we've got to start now. And if this government doesn't want to do it, then Pinoy students must lead the way.

Warrior/World Peacekeeper: the Philippine Army of the Future

2008-02-24T01:33:00.000-08:00

The end to the insurgencies plaguing the Philippines—hopefully by early the next decade—should herald a new era for the Philippine military.

Now more of a constabulary because of its counter-insurgency role, the Armed Forces of the Philippines will have to evolve into a totally new fighting animal, one poised to do combat on foreign shores. This impending revolution in Philippine military affairs will place dominant emphasis on conventional warfighting.

Intrinsic to this revolution will be the addition of new tools of the trade such as "big ticket" weapons systems; new combat doctrines and learning the "ABCs" of the new conventional war.

Conventional war, however, is evolving into something akin to the guerilla war in which the Philippine Army is most experienced. The "new" conventional war (or the 360 degree battlefield) will be one fought by “lighter” conventional forces backed by massive firepower; pervaded by computer technology and buttressed by civic action.

This new Philippine fighting force must have a reason for being. Peacekeeping will be that reason.

The Philippines has been a leading provider of troops and police for United Nations' peacekeeping missions since the end of World War 2.

The Philippines' armed commitment to world peace began and reached a peak in the Korean War (1950-53) to which the Philippines sent some 7,500 combat soldiers as part of the 21-country United Nations Command (UNC). The Philippines suffered some 500 casualties in the Korean "police action" against the communist North Koreans and Chinese.

The 55 years since fighting ended in the Korean War have seen non-stop Philippine participation in UN peacekeeping. In 2007, the Philippines pledged more troops and police for UN peacekeeping efforts worldwide.

The Philippines is one of Asia’s top troop-contributing countries. Over 600 Filipino soldiers and police officers are deployed in Afghanistan, Cote d'Ivoire, Georgia, Haiti, recently independent Kosovo, Liberia, Timor-Leste and Sudan.

In 2007, the Philippines became the world’s largest contributor of police officers to UN peacekeeping operations. In 2006, the Philippines was the 27th largest contributor of troops and police to UN peacekeeping.

But for the future Philippine armed force to fight effectively as part of an armed UN coalition means it has to read from the same page as its allies, and here lies the greatest challenge.

Future conflict in whatever form will demand huge technological resources not possessed by the Philippines. The country, therefore, will have to rely on foreign technology for C4I (command, communications, control, computers and intelligence) capabilities.

The Philippine experience in the Korean War--the last conventional war fought by this country--is revealing in this aspect. All the five Battalion Combat Teams (BCTs) sent to fight in the Korean War were veterans of the bloody campaign against the communist Huks.

Many of the men in these BCTs had fought alongside the Americans against the Japanese. The BCTs belonging to the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK) were armed with U.S. weapons. Its men were trained in conventional U.S. tactics; its officers further trained in Fort Benning, Fort Knox and other specialist military schools in the USA.

Despite these advantages, the Philippines had its share of difficulties integrating into the United Nations Command that was dominated by the United States. The tendency of the U.S. to rely on its own soldiers, despite most of these men being greenhorns, also led to a misappreciation of the combat capabilities of the Philippine BCTs. It was an understandable but regrettable attitude.

Any future coalition conflict under the aegis of the United Nations will almost certainly be dominated by the United States. But integrating with the U.S. and its "wired" armed forces will be a mammoth problem for the Philippines.

The British have sought to mitigate this problem by adopting a new warfighting doctrine similar to the U.S.' Objective Force concept. The British are also developing the lighter and air portable warfighting vehicles demanded by their new concept of war.

The simplest solution for the Philippines would be a repeat of the Korean War model. The Filipino soldier can serve as a reliable ally; one that can be counted on to fulfill his mission as far as is humanly possible.

In time and with increasing experience, the Filipino soldier will become a "World Warrior/Peacekeeper," a fitting extension of the Filipino's current role as a "World Worker."

As the foot marching Roman legionnaires gave way to the Byzantine "cataphracts"--the magnificent armored cavalry that enabled the Eastern Roman Empire to defeat its eastern and western foes--so, too, must the Filipino World Warrior/Peacekeeper evolve into a force highly capable in both light infantry and mobile combat.

The challenge for the next Philippine government is to decide on an evolutionary path for the Philippine military. The Philippines' rise to the status of a great Asian economic power is inevitable.

History is on its side. And history has shown that credible military power can only flow from significant economic power.

Both are within the country's grasp--at last.

The first Filipino Christmas in space

2008-02-24T01:03:00.000-08:00

In the 46 year history of human spaceflight, no Asian astronaut has ever spent Christmas in space.

Six Asian astronauts have traveled to space in the era of human spaceflight that began with Yuri Gagarin’s historic voyage on April 12, 1961.

As of October 10, 2007, a total of 467 persons from 38 countries have traveled into space either as professional astronauts, spaceflight participants or commercial astronauts.

The first Japanese in space, Toyohiro Akiyama, got the closest to being in space during Christmas. His space voyage, however, took place from Dec. 2-9, 1990. He flew to the Russian space station, Mir, on board a Soyuz TM spacecraft.

Akiyama was a TV reporter. His employer, the Tokyo Broadcasting System, sponsored his training as a cosmonaut and his trip to space.

The first Asian (excluding Russia) in space was Pham Tuan from Vietnam.

He rocketed into space as a cosmonaut on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on July 23, 1980 to man the Salyut 6 space station. Tuan stayed aboard Salyut 6 for seven days.

He was followed into space by fellow Asians from Mongolia (1981), India (1984), Japan (1990), China (2003) and Malaysia (2007). Five Middle East countries (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Afghanistan, Israel and Iran) have also sent their citizens into space.

“Ang Pasko ay Sumapit” from space
Not that Christmas would have mattered to these non-Christian countries as much as it does in the Philippines. Only Japan celebrates Christmas with as much pomp as the Philippines, and that’s only because Japanese retailers see Christmas as a season to be jolly because it makes them a lot of money.

Call it very wishful thinking but a Filipino might yet become the first Asian to celebrate Christmas in space.

Yes, we don’t have a Filipino astronaut as yet. And yes, we will have one. Very soon, I hope.

And when we do have our first Filipino astronaut, here’s hoping he or she takes to space during Christmas week so he or she can achieve a double first: the first Filipino astronaut and the first Asian to celebrate Christmas in space.

Ah, to hear the strains of “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit” beamed to the Philippines and to the diaspora of Filipinos in the rest of the world from on board the International Space Station (ISS), or any other spacecraft venturing beyond the Karman Line.

It’s enough to make one weep for joy.

The first Christmas in space
The honor of being the first humans to celebrate Christmas in space, however, belongs to the three American astronauts of Apollo 8.

In 1968, Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders became the first humans to spend Christmas in space. They were also the first humans to orbit the Moon.

Apollo 8 left the Earth on Dec. 21, entered lunar orbit on Dec. 24, and returned to Earth on Dec. 27.

During Christmas day, the trio sent Christmas greetings and live images that some one billion people either saw on TV or heard on the radio. The trio read passages from the Book of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-10)

Borman closed their Christmas broadcast with the message, “Good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you—all of you on the good Earth."

The crew of Apollo 8 was subsequently voted Time Magazine’s “Men of the Year” for 1968.

The first Christmas tree in space
The next humans to spend Christmas in space were also Americans. That distinction went to the three man crew of the space station, Skylab 4, in 1973.

Commander Gerald Carr, Pilot William Pogue and Scientist Edward Gibson also set up the first Christmas tree in space. The tree was fashioned from tin cans: its trunk was a tin rod and its “leaves” consisted of twirled tin strips.

The first crew to man the ISS, Expedition One, was also the first ISS crew to spend Christmas in space.

Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko and U.S. astronaut Bill Shepherd were on board the ISS during Christmas 2000. They spent Christmas day talking to their families through special radio links.

They also opened presents delivered earlier by a Russian cargo ship and the space shuttle Endeavour, and enjoyed a Christmas dinner made with rehydrated turkey. Shepherd said much of the day was spent gazing out of the ISS windows at the Earth below.

Six other expeditions to the ISS, including the current Expedition 16, have spent or will spend Christmas on the space station.

It is a grand dream to imagine a Filipino in space by the next decade. The first Filipino astronaut will be a great Christmas gift to all Filipinos around the world. Greater than the Filipino conquest of Mt. Everest.

Asia’s satellite industry: slow but big wins the race

2008-02-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

Aesop’s famous fable about the tortoise and the hare does hold a lesson or two for Asia’s long-suffering regional satellite operators.

Falling revenues and profits; Ku-band overcapacity; bewildering regulatory environments; overabundant fiber and political interference hobble Asia in its race to reap the rewards of a world satellite services industry profiting from conflict and consolidation.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan demand massive satellite bandwidth to support coalition military operations. Northern Sky Research says the U.S. presence in these countries will sustain satellite industry revenue growth. It believes that military use will generate 46% of all satellite service revenues from 2002 to 2007.

On the other hand, regional Asian satellite companies continue to rely heavily on TV and DTH as its revenue movers. Both 2004 and 2005 were marked by weak demand for satellite capacity from Asian broadcasters.

As for consolidation, this phenomenon has been the province of the Big Boys that dominate the world satellite services market. It hasn’t, as yet, helped Asia run faster in its race for revenues.

Asia, however, will win the race by doggedly plodding on bereft of the immediate push from conflict and consolidation. After all, it’s not a race to cross the finish line first.

It’s about who can stay in the race the longest—and profit the “mostest.” And Asia/Pacific, with more than half the world’s population and a horde of developed and soon to be developed economies, will win the race by sheer force of its numbers. Slow but big will win this race, as it did in Aesop’s fable.

Nowhere is Asia’s dominant potential as a satellite services market more marked than in direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting. Excluding China and India, Asia had some 8.5 million DTH subscribers in 2005. Including both populous nations, that number jumps to astronomical heights.

China promises to become the world’s largest DTH market in less than a decade. Some 260 million households are the potential market for DTH, said the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), China’s broadcasting regulator.

Analysts expect China’s DTH subscribers to hit 30 million by 2008 if the government launches DTH this year in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Chinese DTH satellites, however, are poised for launch in preparation for the official coming of DTH. SinoSat-2 is to be lofted into orbit later this year and ChinaSat-9 by late 2007. They will join the in-orbit Apstar-6, another DTH satellite. SinoSat-2 is China's first direct broadcast satellite and its largest to date.

China has about 360 million households, of which 100 million receive cable TV programs. Analysts expect satellite growth to outpace cable by 2009 due mainly to China’s satellite-broadcast industry.

For the present, however, China’s satellite industry is preoccupied with non-commercial pursuits such as sending a satellite into Moon orbit in 2006; conducting the first Chinese spacewalk in 2007; beginning construction of a space station in 2009 and landing a probe on the Moon in 2010.

India began commercial DTH operations only in October 2003 and by December 2004 reported over three million subscribers. Hong Kong-based research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA) said India is poised to become Asia's leading cable market by 2010, the largest satellite market by 2008 and the most lucrative pay TV market by 2015.

Indian DTH finally materialized in October 2003 with the launch of “Dish TV” from Subhash Chandra’s ASC Enterprises. That was followed in 2004 by the launch of “DD Direct Plus” from state-owned broadcaster, Doordarshan.

Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV is expected to roll out its DTH service in mid-2006 under the banner of “Tata Sky Ltd,” an 80:20 joint venture between Tata Group and Star TV.

Also set to go is India’s fourth DTH provider, Noida Software Technology Park Ltd (NSTPL), which is to begin its service in 2006. Two more players are scheduled to enter the DTH arena: Sun Network and the Reliance Group.

The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) said satellite services were leading the industry’s recovery from the telecom crash of 2000, accounting for 63% of industry revenues of $97 billion in 2004. It said DTH contributed 81% of satellite service revenues.

SIA noted that while the satellite industry is emerging from the telecom downturn, companies from every major region including Asia and across each sector (operators, manufacturers, value-added resellers and carriers) are reporting improved business.

Consolidation?
Last year’s big wave of consolidation among global satellite operators—like the five-year old war on terror—hasn’t been a crock of gold for Asia’s regional satellite operators. But it’s been great for newly merged Intelsat/PanAmSat and SES Global/Astra/Americom/New Skies Satellites, which have moved into new markets, but mostly outside Asia.

Both consortia have 20 satellites serving the Asia Pacific, including China. Intelsat operates 16 of these satellites.

Peter Jackson, chief executive officer of regional Asian satellite company Asia Satellite Telecommunications (AsiaSat), said the recent spasm of mergers and acquisitions created larger global players focused mainly on generating business in the USA.

“I don't think it will have significant impact on us as we are focusing on the regional Asian business,” he told media.

Jackson expects consolidation to continue and some analysts forecast that Asian regional carriers will be involved in the coming wave.

AsiaSat, which claims to be Asia’s leading regional satellite operator, has three in-orbit satellites with one more due to launch in 2008. It is minority-owned by SES Global of Luxembourg.

About the closest any regional carrier got to consolidation last year was the strategic cooperation agreement in December between Intelsat and Hong Kong-based APT Satellite Holdings Ltd.

The agreement between both operators was to market each other’s satellite capacity and ground resources, and to provide broadcast and telecommunications services to China and the Asia Pacific. APT has four in-orbit Apstar satellites including the new Apstar-6.

The partnership gives Intelsat access the Asia Pacific market through APT’s Apstar-5 and Apstar-6 satellites. APT will access Intelsat’s capacity in other regions of the world via Intelsat’s fleet of 28 satellites, expanding APT’s reach.

Analysts say the agreement also puts paid to persistent rumors of consolidation between AsiaSat and APT. But it does leave APT as a prime candidate for future consolidation moves with other regional or global carriers.

Growing stronger
One reason for the tepid interest in Asia is that Asia’s commercial satellite industry continues to recover from the telecom crash of 2000. Many in the industry see 2005 as the last of the slow growth years in which transponder overcapacity stood at a high 60% to 70%, and 2006 as the start of a real recovery.

Jackson noted that the transponder leasing market is “recovering slowly,” an opinion shared by Paul Brown-Kenyon, chief operating officer of Malaysian satellite operator, Measat Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd.

AsiaSat sees demand picking up in 2006 with continued growth in Asia Pacific economies, especially China. This growth, however, is not immediately expected to translate into a recovery in transponder prices, which historically lags behind economic growth.

AsiaSat saw both revenue and profitability fall in 2005. Sales dropped two percent in 2005 compared to 2004. The company’s satellite-utilization rate, however, increased to 54% in 2005 from 46% in 2004.

Jackson forecasts that major growth areas will be TV distribution and multiple location private networks. He expects satellites to move into new applications such as video content for 3G mobile phones delivered to terrestrial networks.

He is enthusiastic about HDTV and forecasts that all television will eventually be recorded and broadcast in high definition. HDTV will require satellites for the dual illumination that makes HDTV possible, hence the buoyant mood of the industry about HDTV.

New commercial satellite services such as DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) via satellite and broadband via satellite hold the brightest promise for Asia’s satellite companies, say analysts.

Northern Sky Research sees bright prospects for satellite broadband and estimates that revenues of $2.7 billion in 2004 should grow to $4 billion in 2009. Driving this 7.8% CAGR will be broadband Internet access via satellite. Northern Sky believes that satellite Internet access might well become the satellite industry’s first truly mass market service capable of competing against DSL on price.

Still hungry
The recent acquisition of Thailand’s Shin Corp by Temasek Holdings Pte, investment arm of the Singapore government, positions Singapore as Asia’s top satellite operator.

Shin Corp is parent company of Shin Satellite plc (ShinSat), Asia's third largest satellite operator. The deal, which will give Temasek control of Shin and its subsidiaries (including ShinSat), will dramatically boost Singapore's presence as a regional telecoms player.

It will also give Singapore and SingTel control over ShinSat’s fleet of four satellites, including the iPSTAR-1 Broadband Internet Satellite or Thaicom-4. Thaicom-5, to be orbited in 2006, is a dedicated DTH satellite.

SingTel already controls Australia’s SingTel Optus Pty Ltd, the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and its fleet of satellites (four in-orbit; two to launch) while owning capacity on four other Asian satellites (three from Apstar).

Its ownership of both Optus and ShinSat plus ownership of the ST-1 satellite launched in 1998 makes SingTel Asia’s largest satellite fleet operator with 12 satellites.

Temasek followed-up the Shin Corp acquisition by buying a 9.9% stake in Tata Teleservices for an undisclosed sum, giving Singapore a foothold in India’s rapidly growing mobile phone market.

Despite these huge investments, Temasek said it retains a big appetite for more acquisitions in Asia. Managing director for investment S. Iswaran said that underlying the company’s investment binge is its “positive view of Asia and its growth prospects.”

He made no mention of further investments in Asian satellite operators such as APT, however. Temasek has US$103 billion available for investments.

Space: the Philippines' next Everest

2008-02-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

China's spectacular feat of sending its first man into space in 2003, two years ahead of expectation, confirms the immense prestige space flight confers on countries that dare reach for the stars.

China's triumph is a triumph for Asia. In becoming only the third country after the United States and the Soviet Union to orbit a human being via its own space program, China also became the first Asian country and the only developing nation to have achieved this wonderful exploit.

We tend to forget that China remains a developing nation like the Philippines, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. China's spectacular accomplishments in business and trade and its huge market potential tend to becloud its status as a developing nation, albeit the largest in the world.

Shenzhou (Divine Vessel) 5 carrying fighter pilot Lt. Col. Yang Liwei was lifted into orbit on October 15, 2003 by a Chinese-made Long March II F carrier rocket. It completed 14 earth orbits before the re-entry module carrying Yang landed in Inner Mongolia. The first Shenzhou spacecraft flew into space in 1999.

Communists claim China's triumph is a victory for the communist way of government. Only a command economy like Communism, they say, can marshal the national resources and provide the iron will needed to push forward with a costly and dangerous project such as a space program.

The erstwhile Soviet Union, which sent the first man (Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin) into space on April 12, 1961, was communist after all.

China's success in space did have much to do with competing ideologies and economic systems. The success of Shenzhou 5 can, after all, be traced to the technological one upmanship between communism and democracy that fueled the Cold War.

The late chairman Mao Zedong set China firmly on the road to space in 1956 when China opened its first missile and rocket research institute. In 1970, China became the fifth country to send a satellite into orbit.

I doubt whether China without communism could have sent a man into space as soon as it did. China was expected to carry out this feat by 2005, or by 2004 at the earliest, according to Western observers.

That China did so two years earlier than anticipated demonstrates China's unflagging commitment to a space program whose aim is to make it a world leader in space science and the exploration of outer space by 2020.

But I also do not doubt that a democratic China would have invariably sent a man into space. It probably would have taken several more decades to accomplish this, but this deed would have been done.

Why? Because great nations invariably turn to space to seal their greatness. Witness the United States and the Soviet Union. And Europe as a community of nations.

China's space program is now preoccupied prestige pursuits such as conducting the first Chinese spacewalk in 2007; beginning construction of a space station in 2009 and landing a probe on the Moon in 2010.

Its great Asian competitor is India. As it stands now, India is the likeliest candidate to become the fourth nation to send a man into space on its own.

India is also a great nation whose stated aim is to become only the second country to send humans to the Moon.

India hopes to achieve this feat by the second decade of this century, after it orbits its own space station. But India will first have to take the necessary step of first sending its astronauts into earth orbit before it can plan more grandiose designs.

India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), however, has not announced a timetable for India's first manned space flight. ISRO's present efforts focus on ensuring the reliability of its launch vehicle, the massive Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) that is expected to carry India's first astronaut into space.

China's announced ambition after more manned space flights is to also build its own space station and a fleet of space shuttles. Should this come to pass, the world will soon witness a New Space Race pitting two Asian countries that once fought a bloody border war in 1962, and have remained uneasy neighbors since.

Nations without manned space programs have also basked in the glory of space travel. The first Indian, Rakesh Sharma, rocketed into space as a cosmonaut on board the Russian Salyut 7 spacecraft in April 1984. The first Japanese in space, Mamoru Mohri, flew into orbit as a passenger on the U.S. Space Shuttle Endeavor in September 1992.

On the reverse side of the coin is the danger facing space travelers. Two Asians, the Israeli astronaut, Col. Ilan Ramon, and the Indian-American woman astronaut, Dr. Kalpana Chawla, died in the re-entry disaster that destroyed the Space Shuttle Columbia in February 2003.

All astronauts, cosmonauts or yuhangyuans (Chinese for astronaut) are heroes to be exalted and emulated. These men and women are, after all, a special breed of hero-intelligent, tough and highly skilled-the pride of their countries.

The Philippines has the human material needed to produce astronauts that will bring glory to the Philippines. The task ahead for this government is to make sending the first Filipino into space by the next decade the single-minded aim of a united national effort.

I am not proposing that we embark on a trillion-peso space program. What I do suggest is that we launch a search to identify, train and finance a core group of astronauts, one of whom will be selected to become the first Filipino in space. This search can be a joint project of the government, business and interested institutions.

Our partner in this Great Endeavor can either be the Americans, the Russians, the Europeans, the Chinese or even the Indians. Our astronaut will ride into orbit aboard the space vehicle of one of these countries.

He or she will also have to be trained in space flight by one of these countries. A joint mission involving Asian countries and astronauts would be ideal.

This Great Endeavor might even unite this nation as never before. Who would not want to see and hear a countryman in space greeting us in Filipino? This will be a day of great pride.

Our hope for greatness through national unity lies in space. Space is our Next Everest--and we will conquer it.

Who will be the first Filipino astronaut? This was a question I first asked the Philippines in 2002. What is her answer?

The race to control the Earth from the Moon

2008-02-22T19:26:00.000-08:00

The perfect energy source does indeed exist.

It’s an energy source so safe that fusion plants using it can be built inside cities to provide electricity. It emits hardly any deadly radiation.

It’s so efficient as a power source that just one million metric tons of this material will produce more than 10 times the energy available from mining all the fossil fuels on Earth—less the pollution.

This perfect energy source is a gas called Helium-3 (He3). There’s enough of this material available to meet the Earth’s entire energy needs for a millennium.

There’s only one problem. It’s found only on the Moon.

And it’s fueling the Second Moon Race that pits the United States against a slew of competitors, the most notable of which is China. Other countries in the running are India, Russia and, surprisingly, Nigeria.

China vs the US
China is the US’ main competitor in this Second Moon Race that appears to be fueled by those old geopolitical objectives called money and power.

China is keen on mining He3 and other strategic moon resources such as water ice and titanium over the next 50 years.

Its Moon program, the “Chang’e Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP),” is essentially a grab for the economic and military power only a lock on the Moon’s resources can provide.

China aims to become the Moon’s first superpower. The United States’ moribund space program, however, seemed content to cling to the “Star Trek” mantra of boldly going where no man has gone before.

That is, until President George Bush in 2004 announced a “New Course” for space exploration that urges the United States to gain a new foothold on the Moon, and to prepare for new journeys to other worlds, specifically Mars.

The goal of the United States’ reenergized space program is to land Americans on the Moon before 2020.

But with Bush and his Republicans on the way out in 2008, it remains a question whether the Democrats share the Republican’s view of space as terrain to be conquered.

In China’s crosshairs
China, however, has the Moon firmly in its sights and appears intent on pulling out all the stops to secure this high ground in the coming struggle for the Moon’s mineral wealth.

A telling indicator of China’s focus on the Moon as a strategic resource is the man placed in charge of CLEP. That man is Ouyang Ziyuan, a cosmochemist and geochemist and a prominent expert in geological research and extraterrestrial materials.

Unsurprisingly, he’s a leading advocate of exploiting the Moon’s resources such as He3, and the leading proponent of Chinese-manned missions to the Moon and Mars.

China aims to build permanent, manned bases on the Moon, a vital first step in exploiting lunar resources. China expects to land on the moon by about 2024.

“The moon has become the focal point wherein future aerospace powers contend for strategic resources,” said Luan Enjie, then vice minister of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, in 2003.

Controlling levers of power
He3 is among those strategic resources. Some scientists see He3 as “the perfect energy source.”

Practically no natural deposits of He3 exist on Earth, however, but more than one million tons of He3 are believed to be found on the Moon. That’s enough energy to power the world for thousands of years, estimate some scientists.

The few hundred pounds of He3 that do exist on Earth are mostly by-products of nuclear weapons maintenance. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin found He3 on the Moon in 1969.

He3 is easily found in the lunar “regolith” or lunar soil, and is extracted by heating the soil to 600 degrees Centigrade. About half the Moon’s supplies of He3 are in the lunar “marias” or seas.

He3 fusion energy is extremely potent, nonpolluting and produces almost no radioactive by-products, as does the conventional nuclear technology used to produce electricity. It is, therefore, an ideal power source for spacecraft on long, interstellar trips.

In praise of the glorious Pinay

2008-02-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

If Hollywood wants the vilest of villains,
Right away they'd cast a Brit.
Viewers love English cads who inflict murder and pain
While skewering victims with their sharp British wit.

In the Philippines, however, pure villainy seems reserved
For the females of this nation.
So, Satan's a Woman (gasp!) whose persona must accord
With lucrative "Kapuso" and "Kapamilya" notions.

Her name must sound Latin, replete with the vowels "a," "i" and "e"
Such as, Lavinia, Valentina or Angelica.
She must be evil in the extreme, a super Cruella De Ville,
Who can bellow, "Mwa, ha, ha, ha ha!" with hateful glee.

She must speak perfect English. Yes, yes, she must.
The insults are more condescending this way.
"A second rate, trying hard copy cat!" turns to rust if it's just:
"Isa kang laos at puto mayang pusa!"

Well, I've lost my rhyme but not my reason
So, here’s the point I want to make:

Pinays are passionate goddesses many men worship with zeal
Loving, forgiving and fashionably smart
It's heinous to cast her as this hideously unreal
"Mega kontrabida" with all the charms of a putrid wart.

Have a heart, 2 and 7, don't give us more evil ladies.
I'd rather romance Katrina and Angelika, instead.
But if you truly, direly need a really vicious baddie . . .
Hire an Alien.
It'll make money for you--until you're dead.

Once again: Who will be the first Filipino astronaut?

2006-11-25T18:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, I probably deserve to be shot for asking this "senseless" question.

And how could I even consider it in the midst of the poverty hobbling this nation; in the face of our never-ending political bickering; in the grip of bloody battles against Muslim and communist terrorists? Aren't these issues more important?

Of course they are.

But doesn't the Filipino deserve a chance to reach for the stars, literally and figuratively? Doesn't he deserve a chance to shine in a historic adventure?

The first Filipino in space will make us proud to be Filipino. Just by riding the US Space Shuttle or a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), he or she will become the proud symbol of the great and wonderful things our race can accomplish if it set its mind to it.

Japan is the only Asian nation to have consistently sent persons into space and this is courtesy of the Americans. Although Japan has its own space program, its new H-2A heavy lift launch vehicle isn't configured for manned space flight.

Dr. Mamoru Mohri was the first Japanese to travel into space aboard a Space Shuttle. He was a payload specialist on the STS (Space Transport Shuttle) Endeavor.

Mohri's historic trip lasted eight days (Sept. 12-20, 1992). He returned to outer space in February 2000, again as a crewman of the Endeavor.

In December 1997, Dr. Takao Doi became the first Japanese to walk in space. Koichi Wakata, a crewman on the STS Discovery in October 2000, was the first Japanese to visit the ISS.

All three are members of the astronaut corps of the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), that country's equivalent of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASDA has since been renamed JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

And in September 2006, Malaysia announced it had selected its first two astronauts (or "angkasawan" in Bahasa Malaysia). Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, an orthopedist, will fly to the ISS on board a Soyuz in September 2007.

He and another astronaut, Dr. Faiz Khaleed, a dentist, were selected after a nationwide search joined by thousands of Malaysians.

Are these feats possible for the Filipino? Of course, they are.

The shrewd Russians might yet win the honor of taking the first Filipino into space, however. But the hefty Russian price tag of US$20 million (P1 billion!) for a round trip to the ISS will make us think again (as did Lance Bass' backers).

Our government however can try to convince the Russians to give us the ride gratis in the name of international friendship and cooperation.

If we go by the history of the US space program our first astronaut will most likely be a civilian, a degree holder in science or engineering, a possessor of special knowledge, a team player and one who is healthy, fit and English-speaking.

It would indeed be appropriate if our first astronaut could be a scientist or a technician. That would send a powerful message to the world that Filipinos aren't simply a race of exportable blue-collar workers.

There is no guarantee our first astronaut will be a he, however. He might be a she since women are about as tough as men are in space.

It would be magnificent to see the Philippine flag on the uniform of our first astronaut as he is presented to the world press. It would be fantastic to see him floating weightless inside the ISS as he goes about his job, and to hear him greet us in Filipino and in our other dialects.

That would be the ultimate high in patriotism. The first Filipino astronaut in space would become a hero and deservedly so since the selection process that chose him was geared toward selecting the best possible.

There should be other Filipino astronauts in future earth orbit or interplanetary flights. They will be real-life heroes that the Filipino nation cannot have enough of.

How does the Philippines stand in space? Quite nobly considering her limited resources.

Although we have one in-orbit satellite, Agila-2, this spacecraft is one of the best Asian communications satellites. It mainly serves the interests of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), its owner, but is taking on a steady stream of other Asian customers. Agila-2 has a useful life of 15 years. It carries C-band and Ku-band transponders that transmit voice, Internet, broadcast and data communications. It was launched into orbit by a Chinese rocket in 1997.

In Asia, China, India and Japan are the leading space powers but their space programs will be unable to ferry Filipino astronauts into space this decade. Asians, however, will have a lot to cheer about as China and India prepare to make history in the coming years.

In 2003, China sent its first man into space and is expected to send its second manned mission in 2007. China intends to dominate the New Space Race against the USA.

Its ambitious space exploration program sees its "yuhangyuans" (astronauts) stepping onto the Moon in 2024.

To prepare for this, China is to launch its first Moon Probe in 2007. The "Chang'e 1" probe will record images of the lunar surface, study lunar microwaves, the distribution of usable metals and the thickness of lunar soil for one year.

In 2012, China plans to land a rover or rovers on the Moon surface. From 2017 to 2020, Chinese Moon rovers will return samples of lunar soil to China for scientific and economic study.

There has to be a place for the Philippines in this renewed push into space.

Now what is the Filipino word for astronaut?