Climate change

President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte hopes that his successor will outdo him in addressing the problem of climate change, virtually admitting he didn’t pay much attention to its adverse side effects.

He blames industrialized nations for contributing to carbon emissions that caused changes in weather patterns, such as typhoons.

(Digressing, Mindanao used to be typhoon-free in my youth, but is now often visited by giant storms, such as Supertyphoon Pablo, due to climate change.)

Digong admitted he used to be a skeptic of climate change but is now a believer of the phenomenon.

The President said developing countries sustain huge damage due to the carbon being spewed by factories in industrialized countries.

Digong warned that the next generation of Filipinos would face a problem if the climate change issue was not addressed.

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Among the greatest polluters in the country’s urban areas are motor vehicles, which emit thick black smoke from their mufflers.

The thick black smoke from motor vehicles is caused by old, defective engines. This is due, in part, to the poor-quality fuel that runs them.

Metro Manila is one of the most heavily polluted megacities in Asia because of the thick black smoke from motor vehicles.

In my own little way, I tried to help in contributing to less carbon emissions from motor vehicles by promoting Omstar DX-1, a US-made fuel conditioner.

Omstar DX-1 not only eliminates thick black smoke from vehicles – cars, trucks, buses and even ships – it also cleans their engines, making them run smoothly on less fuel.

I used to be a skeptic on the efficacy of the fuel additive – the oil is poured into the gasoline or diesel tank and oil crank – until I tried it on my old Toyota Land Cruiser.

The Toyota Land Cruiser, which I bought in the early 2000s, used to consume a full tank’s worth of diesel every five days and emit black smoke.

When I used Omstar DX-1, the car ran on a full tank for seven days, which meant a 20-percent saving on fuel, and its black smoke was gone.

The engine hummed like the car was new, making me enjoy music from the car stereo. Before the US-made fuel additive, the sputtering noise from the SUV’s engine muffled the music from the car stereo.

The exclusive distributor of Omstar DX-1 (formerly branded as D-1280X), an American resident, gave me many samples of the fuel additive, which I shared with friends who were car owners. They, too, came with glowing reports about the fuel additive.

In a lucky twist of fate (in my favor), the American distributor was recalled to the home office in California, and I was made the exclusive distributor.

I initially promoted the product among some government agencies with plenty of service vehicles. Some government vehicles that tested the product yielded results similar to my Toyota Land Cruiser’s and those of my friends’ cars.

But the problem came from the people “downstairs” who were asking for bribes, so they would recommend the product to their superiors who had ordered the testing of the product in the first place.

No way! Why should I bribe government functionaries when I’m making government vehicles run smoothly and emission-free, aside from saving fuel, to boot?

I witnessed corruption firsthand when government functionaries wouldn’t recommend Omstar DX-1 to their superiors if I didn’t grease their palms.

It was not only in government, but also in private companies, that I was exposed to corruption firsthand.

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Omstar DX-1 is used by many companies in the US, Mexico and Europe.

The product has earned carbon credits from the European Union Emissions Trading System for contributing to a carbon emissions-free environment.

A decade ago, I nearly closed a deal with Iran to supply that country with Omstar DX-1.

An Iranian official with the rank of minister surreptitiously came to Manila to talk with me and my principals from California.

Iran, I learned from the minister, is one of the most polluted coutries in the world.

The deal didn’t push through because of Iran’s problematic relations with the US, the source of Omstar DX-1.

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The passing of Ambassador to China Chito Sta. Romana was a big loss to us, especially when it comes to our relations with our superpower neighbor.

Nobody understood China more than Sta. Romana, who lived in that country from 1971 to 1986. He was part of a student delegation to the then Bamboo Curtain, and he chose to remain.

He joined ABC News from 1989 to 2016 to cover China, first as a correspondent and later as its bureau chief.

Mainland Chinese considered Sta. Romana one of their own not only due to his long stay in China, but also because he spoke fluent Mandarin, their national language.

Sta. Romana may be credited for keeping our tension-filled relations with China on an even keel.

Our quarrel with China concerns sovereignty over some areas and islands in the South China Sea, which we call the West Philippine Sea.

Sta. Romana’s appointment as ambassador to China probably doused our simmering relations with our giant neighbor with cold water.

Because he was a former journalist, Sta. Romana helped me in my work as special envoy to China for public diplomacy.

Chito gave me information about Chinese personalities in the country, such as Michael Yang, who ingratiated himself with President Duterte and has given the latter headaches because of his capers.

Chito was always accessible to Filipinos working or vacationing in China. I could call Chito on his cellphone at any time during office hours and even off-hours.

Let’s hope the guy who replaces Sta. Romana matches his savvy in diplomacy and in being a Sinophile.