Quid pro quo

The Commission on Appointments recently confirmed the appointment of retired military general Roy Cimatu as head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in proceedings that can be described as smooth sailing and without brickbats being hurled.

This of course is in stark contrast to the intense opposition that former nominee to the post, Gina Lopez, encountered at the powerful CA. And unlike Lopez’ nomination which was opposed by at least 20 groups, mostly from the mining industry, Cimatu only had one oppositor.

It will be recalled that Lopez caused the shutdown of several mining companies in the Philippines, many of them nickel mines, due to environmental violations.

The 15 CA members present made no objection to his appointment. Among those who said yes to Cimatu’s appointment was San Juan City Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, CA vice-chairman.

There have been reports in media that Zamora allegedly approved of Cimatu’s nomination because the solon wants former Iloilo Rep. Rolex Suplico to become DENR undersecretary.

But is it really about Suplico’s appointment? Or is there a greater consideration for Ronnie Zamora’s support of Cimatu?

Ronnie Zamora is the younger brother of Manuel Zamora Jr., chairman of Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC), the country’s largest nickel miner. Lopez was referring to Hinatuan Mining Corp., the operations of which she had ordered closed. Hinatuan is a subsidiary of NAC.

During the CA hearings, Lopez told Ronnie that his brother totally killed the mountain which the latter’s company had been mining for the last two decades.

Aside from his links to Congress, Manuel Zamora is also said to be close to the President himself.  He helped finance Duterte’s election campaign in 2016, and even tapped a public relations group through then Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano to take care of Duterte’s media campaign operations.

 Lopez herself had earlier said that Manuel Zamora funded Sen. Cayetano’s 2016 election campaign, which naturally skewed Cayetano’s CA vote in favor of the mining industry.

 Nickel Asia is no stranger to controversy. Accusations against the company range from not settling royalty fees with indigenous peoples affected by mining activities, to refusing to address environmental degradation brought about by its mines, to refusing to raise mine workers’ wages in its mines in Surigao, to violating laws and human rights and destroying the environment and communities in which it operates.

The Environmental Justice Atlas has said that “militarization, environmental destruction of indigenous lands and unpaid royalties are the ingredients of Taganito Mining Corporation’s corporate success.”

In 2016, Eastern Samar Gov. Conrado Nicart ordered the closure of the Hinatuan Mine in Manicani after the community protested against its resumption of operations. 

In July this year, Lopez ordered NAC to stop the transfer of stockpiles from this same mine, which they transport straight to China. 

The excessive soil extraction, Lopez said, had already caused severe environmental degradation in the area.

Anti-poor legislation

 The controversial tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is being heralded by the government as a measure to address the rising incidence of obesity in the Philippines. It uses the false premise that beverages such as juices should be blamed for Filipinos gaining weight.

Obesity is caused by a number of factors, and to say that beverages are the culprit is an outright lie. Then, maybe, we should tax rice consumption too.

The SSB scenario in the Philippines is a lot similar to the experience of the Cook County in Chicago, which was also in danger of having a beverage tax. But then a local official who was pushing for the measure supposedly for health reasons, later admitted that the primary reason behind the tax on sugary drinks was budget shortfall.

It is unfair to tax beverages which are largely consumed by Filipinos belonging to the CDE demographics.

The proposed tax on SSBs, which is part of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN) proposed measure, will also kill many micro and small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Sari-sari stores earn big from selling beverages. If these products become more expensive, there will be less people buying them. The Philippine Association of Stores and Carinderia Owners (PASCO), which sent an open letter to the President, has said that beverages account for 40 percent of their sales.

Those trying to raise more funds for government use should be a little more imaginative. Picking on the poor is not going to help the President’s bid for a more inclusive economic growth.

Not so hidden agenda

Dragon Fireworks Inc. (DFI), the biggest and most awarded fireworks manufacturing company in the country, has bagged the Jury Prize at the Festival D’ Art Pyrotechnique de Cannes in France recently,  the most prestigious fireworks display competition in Europe held last month.

Because of this honor, DFI was invited to the next round, dubbed the Battle of the Champions edition wherein all winning nations over the last three years of the competitions would square off.

According to Joven Ong, DFI managing director, the invitation is a huge honor because it is one of two most prestigious World of Fireworks championships.

He noted that many fireworks companies apply, but only few are invited to join the Festival D’ Art Pyrotechnique de Cannes.

Ong, president of the Philippine Fireworks Association, also believes that because of the prize, his company would be able to convince other nations to make the Philippines an option as a tourist destination where they could experience impressive fireworks from DFI.

DFI has also already won at the Pyronale in Berlin, Germany;  the Gold Prize in Flammende Sterne in Ostfildern,; and the Silver Prize at the Silver Anniversary edition of the Hannover International Fireworks Competition held at the famous UNESCO World Herritage Herrenhausen Gardens.

Ong thanked his team composed of Don Miguel Villarosa, Eduard Ilagan, Hans Ong, Jay Turingan, Joseph Veloso,  Oliver Zeng and Vander Tenedero who choreographed the fireworks display.

Meanwhile, DFI is busy crafting a good concept for an even grander fireworks display next year to ensure getting the championship and Gold Vestale which would add another honor to the country.

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