Thai-Based Electronics Firm Relocating Here With Initial $100-M Investment By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT April 18, 2012, 4:51pm MANILA, Philippines — A Thai-based multinational electronics firm is relocating its operations into the country bringing in initial investment of $100 million for the production of integrated circuits and to employ 3,000 people. “They were affected by the Thai flooding and have decided to move here,” said an official, who identified Trade and Industry Undersecretary Cristino L. Panlilio as having the one who arranged for the entry of this investor. The Thai-based MNC will particularly assemble computer motherboards. The company is owned by various Asian interests including, Malaysian, Taiwanese and Singaporean. The company has already decided to register with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to locate in one of the agency’s economic zones. Electronics is the country’s biggest export. Last year, the Philippine electronics industry accounted for more than $ 24 billion of exports or more than half of the total Philippine exports. Industry investments also hit $2.4 billion and direct employment of 530,000 engineers, technicians and operators. Based on a study, for every one direct jobs, there are 7 jobs created, hence more than 4 million Filipinos are benefiting from this industry. Electronics is the biggest export industry of the country.
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Thai-Based Electronics Firm Relocating Here With Initial $100-M Investment
Monday, April 23rd, 2012Can This Be True
Friday, January 27th, 2012According to Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, it’s all good news ahead for the Philippines. This year should be one of the strongest in decades with 20% export growth, 1 Trillion pesos (US$23B+) in registered new investments, 100,000+ new jobs in BPO, manufacturing and tourism growing strongly, consumer spending poised for exponential growth, on and on.
Others, however, are not so convinced. They say they’ve “heard it all before” and think it is only a matter of time before the Philippines “shoots itself in the foot all over again.”
To present a high-level view of the total economic situation of the Philippines, we will host Dr. Bernie Villegas, one of Asia’s most prominent economists at the next Asia CEO Forum, presented by PLDT ALPHA Enterprise. If you ever wanted to really understand the Philippine economy and its opportunities and threats, Bernie will provide in an hour what would require months of study from various sources to comprehend.
Dr. Bernie Villegas is Dean of the School of Economics at the University of Asia and the Pacific. He has a PhD from Harvard University and was one of its youngest ever teaching fellows (at age 21). He recently returned to the Philippines after a stint as economics professor at IESE Business School in Barcelona – ranked by The Economist as the world’s top business school.
Bernie has written numerous best-selling management publications and has been a special advisor to 6 Philippine Presidents. He’s even a CPA.
Join us to hear Dr. Bernie Villegas, of the University of Asia and the Pacific, present on the economic structure and future of the Philippines. This Asia CEO Forum, presented by PLDT ALPHA Enterprise, is being held on Wednesday, February 15th beginning at 7:45am at the DUSIT THANI HOTEL in Manila.
The event brochure is pasted below. Specifics about Dr. Bernie Villegas can be viewed at this address: www.asia-ceo.org/events/UAP-Bernie_Villegas.html
Please confirm your attendance either directly to me or through our on-line reservation system at www.asia-ceo.org/register.htm (Visa, M/C, Amex accepted). A sumptuous breakfast is included and the nominal cost of admission is Php1,000.
Asia CEO Forum, presented by PLDT ALPHA Enterprise, is the largest regular business event in Philippines with major sponsorship from Jones Lang LaSalle and NorthgateArinso. For information on how to participate, go to www.asia-ceo.org.
Unsung heroes of Clark and Subic Economic Zones
Thursday, January 26th, 2012Unsung heroes of Clark, Subic
By: Dennis L. Wright
Philippine Daily Inquirer
10:44 pm | Monday, January 23rd, 2012
http://business.inquirer.net/41087/unsung-heroes-of-clark-subic
There is a remarkable story that needs to be told. It is a story of 21 leaders from different political parties and from various business backgrounds who came together in the past two decades to set an example that is unrivaled in world governments.
The story is about the transformation of the two former US military installations in Subic and Clark into highly successful and vibrant commercial and business centers of excellence.
This is nothing short of phenomenal, and illustrates the art of the possible and what can be accomplished with a clear and focused strategic vision and agenda that is articulated by a government and executed by a cadre of dedicated civil servants working to achieve the stated objective.
What makes this story so remarkable is that it unfolded under the radar screen of the Manila political and business elite. That is to say it happened without the traditional Philippine national political machine and business dynasties being involved or leading the way—as Subic and Clark have been, by and large, out of sight and out of mind on the national scene.
West Berlin
In order to put this in perspective and to fully appreciate what has happened at Subic and Clark over the past two decades, one has to appreciate the context of what occurred and contrast it with other comparable benchmarks.
Let me take you back to the 1980s and a speech in West Berlin given on June 12, 1987, by Ronald Reagan when he called on Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” signaling the beginning of the end of the Cold War.
Once the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, America began calling for a “Peace Dividend.” After decades of huge defense spending to win the Cold War, Americans demanded the dismantling of a US military infrastructure that had grown so large during the decades of fighting that same war.
In 1988, the US government created a bipartisan task force called the Bases Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission to evaluate and nominate various military bases that should be declared “obsolete” and closed.
Targeted
Once a base was identified by the BRAC Commission and its name placed on the BRAC list, it became targeted for closure—350 bases were so identified to be closed, consolidated or realigned with other installations.
Once the installations were vacated by the military, local communities assumed responsibility of transforming them into successful commercial endeavors. This was a very painful and difficult process, exacerbated by the loss of thousands of jobs and the corresponding spending that had existed in the local economies when the military was present.
Most local municipalities in the United States, even with hundreds of million dollars in government grants and aid, struggled and even failed in trying to transform these massive old military installations into vibrant and successful commercial business ventures.
Contrast this with what happened at Clark and Subic. In 1991 and 1992 respectively, the US military vacated the bases and turned them over to the Philippine government, which had its own dream to transform these two massive military establishments into successful commercial enterprises—just as their American counterparts were trying to do.
However, there were two major differences: The two Philippine bases were severely damaged by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, and the country had no grants or budget to renovate the facilities.
Unique
But the collective leadership teams at Subic and Clark succeeded.
Consider that at the height of the American military era in the Philippines, the US government employed around 44,000 full-time Filipino employees.
Today, the workforce population at Subic and Clark exceeds 160,000, which is a fourfold increase. Add to this some 2,000 locators, most of whom are foreign, who now call Subic and Clark home, and the $9 billion they have invested with over $3 billion in annual exports—you quickly see an enviable record of accomplishment that any community would be proud of.
What makes this story unique is that it is not the result of any one single person, but rather, the culmination of many leaders, from different political parties who worked collectively to transform two badly damaged former US military installations into vibrant and commercially successful freeports.
I for one think it is time for Filipinos to applaud the leaders who contributed to this remarkable success story—a list that includes Richard Gordon, Felicito Payumo, Francisco Licuanan, Alfredo Antonio, Feliciano Salonga, Armand Arreza and Roberto Garcia of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in Subic; their counterparts Antonio Henson, Romeo David, Rufo Colayco, Sergio Naguiat, Rogelio Singson, Emmanuel Angeles, Antonio Ng, Liberato Laus, Benigno Ricafort and Felipe Remollo of the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) in Clark; and Franco Puzon, Adelberto Yap, Augusto Francia and Victor Luciano of the Clark International Airport Corp.
Without fanfare
Clearly there are many in the government who also deserve credit for setting a clear vision and strategy for the transformation of the bases, among them the people behind the Bases Conversion Development Authority.
Subic and Clark represent the best of the Philippines—Filipinos working silently, persistently and without fanfare for the welfare and benefit of their country and its people.
I believe these individuals should be singled out, applauded and publicly recognized for what they have collectively achieved.
(The author is the president and chief executive of Peregrine Development International, a US management company specializing in project development.)
$35M Car Plant to Rise in Clark
Saturday, October 22nd, 2011$35M car plant to rise in Clark
CLARK FREEPORT — The number one commercial vehicle manufacturer in
China is set to invest US$ 35 million inside the Freeport zone,
officials of Clark Development Corporation (CDC) announced recently.
CDC President Felipe Antonio B. Remollol said term sheet has been
recently signed by the United Asia Automotive Group Inc. (UAAGI) which
plans to lease a 50,000 square meter area here. UAAGI will establish
an assembly line for Foton vehicles that will be marketed to
member-nations of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The entry of China’s automotive maker will be the first vehicle
manufacturing firm to be established in Clark. Foton Motors Phils.,
operated by UAAGI, is headed by Rommel Sytin, as president.
Foton , through the UUAGI,aims to assist in improving Philippine
economy by employing thousands of Filipinos workers. The company takes
pride in becoming the 1st Filipino company to compete in the vehicle
manufacturing industry by offering its products in the ASEAN market.
Remollo said Foton Motors is China’s biggest commercial vehicle maker
and one of the fastest growing factories in the world. The firm has
two huge assembly plants in Beijing.
Among the vehicles that will be manufactured by UAAGI are ambulances,
pickups, vans, and trucks which are made by Foton Motors. Foton
vehicles are known for functional style and competitive prices.
Recently, one of these vehicles, the Foton MPX Van, has already won an
award from the Car Award Group Inc. which cited it as the Best
Multi-Purpose Van (MPV) in 2009.
The Foton products that are distributed in the Philippines are:
Blizzard Turbo 4×2 and 4×4 pickup; View Ambulance Van and the View
15-seater van; MPX vans with captain’s seats. The truck models in the
local market are the Hurricane cab and chassis, drop-side and aluminum
van; the Tornado Series 3.5L, 2.5 and 2; the Cyclone, Wind, and Mini
Coach.
P70-M Restaurant in Clark
Saturday, October 22nd, 2011[3:49:43 PM] jh: 11 October, 2011 – Firm to build P70-M restaurant in Clark
CLARK FREEPORT — The Best Joint Group Venture Inc. plans to establish a P70-million restaurant serving international cuisine inside this Freeport.
Clark Development Corporation President Felipe Antonio Remollo said the Best Joint Group Venture Inc. is in the process of finalizing its plan in joining the thriving restaurant ventures inside the Freeport.
DMIA loses 2 km of power cable to theft
Saturday, October 22nd, 2011[4:02:03 PM] jh: DMIA loses 2 km of power cable to theft
By Tonette Orejas
Inquirer Central Luzon
10:08 pm | Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
CLARK FREEPORT—The Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) lost 2,195 meters of high-voltage power cables to suspects who broke into highly restricted areas through passes purportedly issued by the president of the state-owned Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC).
The missing cables, installed on Runway 2 and Taxiway F5, are worth P2.655 million, according to a Sept. 9 memorandum of Ruel Angeles, CIAC engineering and maintenance manager, to Jose Marlowe Pedregosa, airport security manager.
The implications are grave, said Reynaldo Catacutan, CIAC vice president for airport operations management group.
What were stolen belonged to a backup system that lights a runway, taxiway and the entire airfield, Catacutan said.
The backup was installed in 1995 in compliance with a requirement of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a safety regulation body of the United Nations.
“In any case the primary power cables need to be shut down for technical troubles, the alternative source of power won’t work because the cables have been stolen,” said Catacutan.
“Security and safety were compromised,” he added, putting the blame on Victor Jose Luciano, CIAC president and chief executive officer.
Luciano, who developed the DMIA into a hub for international budget carriers, called the latest controversy a product of another campaign by a former CIAC manager to oust him from the firm. He did not name the former official.
Luciano said the latest issue cropped up after the CIAC board dismissed the brother of the former manager for “theft of company property.”
He confirmed writing an undated letter to issue passes to four men—Cesar Mayo, Jose Canete III and Nilo and Rolly Padua, all working for the ACP Manpower—who turned out to be the suspects.
The four men have not been arrested or charged but they appeared for questioning during the investigation, transcripts showed.
[4:02:29 PM] jh: here someone needs go to JAIL
40% of Western Male Tourists Come to the Philippines for Sex
Wednesday, October 12th, 2011THE FUROR OVER the assertion of US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas that 40% of male foreign visitors are sex tourists reminds me of the newspaper headline that declared, “50% of the people in Congress are crooks.”
Expectedly, the honorable solons reacted violently to that dishonorable accusation & demanded a retraction. The newspaper, forthwith, ran this headline the next day: “50% of the people in Congress are not crooks.”
That, of course, made the honorable congressmen happy.
Thus, it may make our honorable senators & congressmen happy to note that Thomas did, in fact, mean that the majority of male foreign visitors to the Philippines — 60% — don’t come for sex. They come for less interesting pursuits, like sun, sea & surf. And festivals. And arts & culture. And history. And food. And shopping.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile had an interesting rebuttal to Thomas’ statement: “There are also many foreigners going to America to have sex with American girls & American boys. So, it works both ways. Even Filipinos go there to enjoy the beauty of American women.”
Thomas, being the diplomat that he is, hasn’t demanded that Enrile should support his assertion with statistics. Thomas & Enrile probably know that over 40% of Filipino males go to America for reasons other than sex. Such as jobs.
Of course, once the Pinoys find jobs, it wouldn’t be surprising if they use some of their take-home pay on what Enrile refers to as “the beauty of American women.”
It’s so much easier for Pinoys to do that in America now. Back in the early 1900s, Filipino males were prohibited by law from marrying (or copulating with) white women. Farm workers & Alaskeros (those who worked in the canneries in Alaska) paid 10 cents a dance in cabarets to dance with white hostesses, but risked life & limb if they tried to take out their dancing partners. The law against miscegenation would not be repealed until well after the war.
But, going back to the 60% of male tourists who come to the Philippines for reasons other than sex, there are enough temptations in the Philippines to persuade them to also indulge in that pleasurable activity, after enjoying the sun, sea & surf, etc. Would that, therefore, bring up Thomas’s statistic to, say, 50% or even 55%? Or 90%, for that matter?
In other words, it’s not easy determining where the enjoyment of sun, sea, & surf ends & where the diving & snorkeling in the boudoir begins.
Take the Philippine dignitaries, many of them honorable congressmen, who flock to Las Vegas to watch the Pacquiao boxing spectaculars. Who is to say that, after having won their bets on Pacquiao, they do not seriously consider blowing some of those dollars on Las Vegas’ fairer attractions? After all, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Will Secretary of State Hillary Clinton take offense if Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia observes that “40% of Filipino male visitors — including members of Congress — who go to America do so for sex”?
I doubt it. Sex, after all, is a sweet reality in America. Even in the White House. Ask Bill.
Which brings up the question: Why the furor over the Thomas statement? Is it the percentage? Would it have been more diplomatic if he had lowered the percentage to 30%? What about 15%?
Would it have been better if he had said, vaguely, “A good number of male tourists who come to the Philippines come for sex,” instead of citing a definitive percentage?
Does it really demean our country if a large number of males visit our shores for reasons other than sun, sea, & surf? Does it necessarily make 40% of Filipino women sex objects?
Is it more offensive to Filipino sensibilities to state that large numbers of males come to our shores for our women, than to state that the Philippines is one of the most corrupt countries in the world? Or that the Philippines is one of the world’s most hazardous locations for journalists?
I don’t recall any of our honorable congressmen protesting loudly & demanding that whoever made that assertion should “pack up his bags & leave.”
Is it less offensive to Filipino sensibilities when international agencies point out that a large percentage of our people are poor & hungry & a small percentage have cornered a huge percentage of the wealth?
Thomas has apologized for citing figures “without the ability to back it up.” He meant the 40% statistic. But he did not apologize for the substance of his statement.
Whatever the percentage, it still is a fact that pedophiles consider our country a happy hunting ground. It is also a fact that the bars in Malate & Ermita & in Pasay, the massage parlors in Quezon City, the strip joins on Quezon Avenue, the nightclubs on Roxas Boulevard, & the motels all over Metro Manila are thriving for reasons that have nothing to do with sun, sea, & surf.
In fact, they are thriving, not only on the basis of Thomas’s controversial 40% but, conceivably, because some of the remaining 60% are not beyond enjoying worldly pleasures.
Of course, they are also thriving because of the protection of city mayors & PNP officials, not to mention honorable members of Congress.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has denied that any of the agencies under her command, like the NBI, has definitive statistics on sex tourism. But she did not explain why such an obviously important piece of data should be missing in her to-do list. Sleeping on the job?
In fact, there is a lot of hypocrisy in the air when members of Congress & the country’s highest officials loudly protest being made to confront the harsh reality of pedophilia & female exploitation — a harsh reality that threatens not just the Philippines but every Third World country.
Even Thailand, which is concededly more advanced economically than the Philippines, is notorious for its sexual attractions. Anyone who denies that a good number of the 14-million tourists who visit that country enjoy body massages & other carnal thrills must be a monk.
Our national officials make a big issue out of the percentage cited by Thomas but deftly avoid offering a solution to the problem. Does it matter if it is 40% or 10%? Assuming that half of the 3-million tourists who come to the Philippines are males, 10% translates into 150,000 looking for sex. Is that less alarming than 600,000 or 40%?
Indeed, it’s so much easier for our national officials to castigate a foreign diplomat for pointing out the ills of our country than doing something about the problems.
To Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Miriam Defensor-Santiago & Chiz Escudero, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, & other high officials who have gained reams & minutes of free publicity by “defending” our country’s honor & reputation, we pose this challenge:
You know the problem. What’s your solution?
Business World | 12 October 2011
60% DON’T COME FOR SEX
Commentary by: Greg B. Macabenta
Brazil’s Vale goes to Subic
Monday, September 26th, 2011Brazil’s Vale goes to Subic
by Cecille Garcia
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideBusiness.htm?f=/2011/september/24/business1.isx&d=2011/september/24
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Vale International S.A., a unit of Vale S.A., the world’s largest iron ore producer and the second-largest mining company, plans to operate a transshipment hub here to serve the Asia-Pacific region.
The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority said its board approved an investment agreement for Vale to operate an ore transshipment business in the free port. Vale plans to unload ore from its Valemax mother vessel to smaller daughter vessels, or feeders, which are either Panamax or Capesize types, through a purposely-designed floating terminal in Subic Bay.
SBMA deputy administrator for operations Redentor Tuazon said the proposed transshipment hub would be the biggest in the world in terms of capacity.
“The mother vessels that they use have a gross register tonnage of 400,000 GRT,” Tuazon said. “These are ultra large carriers that they call Valemax. They are the biggest in their class, the biggest in the world in operations, and they will use Subic Bay Freeport as the hub in Asia,” he said.
Tuazon said the Vale group found the Subic operations cheap.
“The rationale for the whole project is economies of scale. You have big ships that will transfer the iron ore to two or three smaller vessels, so that the smaller ports in China will be able to accommodate them,” he said.
Tuazon said the project would give the free port annual earnings of about P100 million.
“Subic will be on the map in terms of floating terminal operations, considering the reputation of Vale as one of the biggest mining firms in the world,” he said.
Tuazon also said the Vale group was also looking into the possibility of building an onshore site.
“They are exploring if they can have a facility onshore where they can store minerals like coal—that is still being explored if it’s feasible. But the important thing is that this is Vale Mining, one of the biggest mining companies in the world and that they decided to come here,” he said.
SBMA seaport manager Perfecto Pascual said the Vale group would soon begin operations to distribute iron ore to northeast Asian countries, including China, the biggest user in the world.
“The Vale group will start operations in October and that will be a great revenue earner for us since they will be bringing in big ships and the floating storage ship that will be permanently stationed here in Subic,” Pascual said.
He added the SBMA could expect a large volume of ships arriving in the last quarter of the year.
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Lexus to file administrative charges vs. HLURB execs Penthouse Condo
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011Lexus to file administrative charges vs. HLURB execs
By Joey Aguilar
Sep 06, 2011
ANGELES CITY – Stock-holders and directors of Lexus Landholdings Group are set to file administrative charges against officials of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB)-Region 3 before the Office of the Ombudsman for gross ignorance of the law.
Aside from these charges, Lexus officials will also file separate civil actions against HLURB Arbiter Atty. Dunstan San Vicente and Regional Director Engr. Octavio Canta for issuing recently “a questionable decision that has adverse effects on us.”
“We were all shocked to learn that they found us guilty of administrative and criminal charges as well as civilly liable even if we’re not made parties in the civil actions filed by the complainants,” said the investors in a statement headed by Louis Yakich, a stockholder of Lexus and Yakich and Cuizon Corp.
He added that “this is an evident violation of due process since we were not made parties to the action, we were not summoned and were not given the opportunity to air our side on the charges against our company.”
Lexus Landholdings Group is the owner and developer of Lexus Condo and Hotel, a 12-storey hotel and condominium project in Santos Street, Barangay Balibago in this city.
Punto went to the HLURB-Region 3 office recently to get the side of San Vicente but one of his staff said in a statement that the “arbiter not at a liberty to discuss merits of the case because the decision is not yet final – subject to appeal.”
“It will be subjudice for him to discuss it at this point. The decision can still be reversed or modified upon appeal,” the statement said.
Based on documents obtained by Punto, Lexus was granted the Certificate of Registration and License to Sell the condominium project in September 2007. It started building the units and its pre-selling.
Lexus however failed to complete the project within one year but was granted extensions by the HLURB up to August 2010.
In March 2010 until August 2010, five condominium buyers (all foreigners) filed their individual complaints against the corporation (Lexus) for Specific Performance or Rescission of Contracts with Damages with the HLURB-Region 3 office in the City of San Fernando.
But the complainants did not include any of the directors, officers, stockholders, other persons in control of the project and the corporation as respondents in the civil case they filed.
“While the complaints are for Specific Performance with damages, hence a civil action, the HLURB incorporated administrative and criminal liabilities in the decision without proper charges, in violation of due process, and in violation of the rule on proper joinder of causes of action,” said Atty. Gener C. Endona, counsel of Lexus.
“Even the complaints filed against Lexus did not pray for any liability against the directors, officers, investors and persons managing Lexus,” he added.
Endona also questioned some alleged anomalies in the decision: He entered his appearance as counsel for Lexus in the HLURB Specific Performance cases only on July 26, 2011.
However, in the decision dated July 20, 2011, his name already appeared as the counsel for Lexus.
“Clearly, the decision could not have been signed by Atty. San Vicente and Engr. Canta on July 20, 2011,” Endona said
Records also showed that the decision was released only on August 17, 2011. Three weeks prior to this, Canta has been on leave of absence due to health reasons. Until now, Canta is still on leave.
During the pendency of the five cases, Yakich and Cuizon Corp. (the owner and operator of Lewis Grand Hotel in Don Juico Avenue, Angeles City) and other stockholders acquired 95 percent of the shares of Lexus by virtue of Deeds of Assignment executed by the former stockholders of Lexus on March 21, 2011.
These new stockholders are actually original investors of the project.
Records showed that when the project was abandoned by the former stockholders of Lexus, these investors continued to complete the project to protect their investments.
From the original two floors constructed by the former stockholders, the present stockholders were able to complete eight floors in few months.
The new owners of Lexus then filed with the HLURB applications to change and alter the plans of the project (from 12 floors to 14 floors).
They also filed an application to change the name of the project to “The Penthouse Condo, Hotel and Residences” at the HLURB-region 3 in July 2011.
However, the five complainants opposed Lexus move despite knowing that in their individual contracts to sell, they agreed to allow Lexus to apply for modifications, changes and alterations in the plans and even irrevocably appointed Lexus as the attorney-in-fact to make these changes.
Endona said that he has submitted all the documents and papers required by the HLURB.
He added that he also wrote several letters informing the HLURB to immediately resolve the applications “considering that it would greatly benefit the buyers, including the complainants, if the project is completed under the new improved plans.”
“This would also bring economic progress and benefits in Angeles City and the projected 100 workers to be employed in the project,” he said.
Endona also disclosed that despite his everyday follow up, the HLURB did not act on the applications.
KOREAN GANGSTERS INVADE MANILA
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011Manila Times | 12 July 2011
KOREAN GANGSTERS INVADE MANILA
By: William B. Depasupil, Reporter
THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) was warned Monday against the entry into the country of Korean criminal syndicates that wanted to establish their illegal network in the country.
Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Hye-Min made the disclosure during a meeting with PNP, Department of Interior & Local Government (DILG) & National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) officials on various issues & concerns with the increasing presence of Korean nationals in the country.
With the 20% upsurge in the arrival of Koreans in the country, the ambassador noted that it is imperative to discuss issues & concerns in order to formulate pro-active measures for the welfare & security of Korean visitors.
“Meetings are very constructive to both countries & can be a template of foreign relations” Lee said.
Among those discussed in the meeting were crime prevention, language barrier, 24/7 duty at Korean desk, coordination at all level, monitoring of Korean criminals & syndicates’ arrival, & reporting system of crimes & incidents involving Koreans.
The PNP spokesman, Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz, Jr., in behalf of Director General Raul Bacalzo, assured the Korean Ambassador that the 138,000-strong PNP would take care of the security aspects.
Cruz told Lee that the PNP had formulated & implemented various measures in securing Koreans & other foreign nationals who intends to visit the country that include the deployment of tourist police in places frequented by both local & foreign tourists aside from the Motorized Anti-Street Crime Operatives (MASCO) & the conduct of mobile & foot patrol in-line with the Police Integrated Patrol System (PIPS).
According to Cruz, the PNP is carrying-out the “best practices” citing the establishment of a Phil-Ko Police Station in Angeles City aside from the barangay police outposts.
The Korean Embassy, for its part, said that it would give its full support on the involvement of their nationals with the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs), a community-based force multiplier which will help in the policing of local areas to ensure safe & secure communities.
Aside from Cruz, also present during the conference were DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, NAPOLCOM Commissioner Luisito Palmera, Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla of the Manila Police, Chief Superintendent Benjamin Magalong, Chief Superintendent Rick Marquez of the Directorate for Investigation & Detection Management, Chief Superintendent Lyndon Cubos of the f DI-Foreign Liaison Division, Superintendent Henry Libay of Task Force USIG & Chief Inspector Napoleon Duquez of the CIDG-Korean desk.
