Will the Biden presidency benefit us?

By Herbert Vego

 

IT’S over but the shouting for the United States’ President-elect, Joe Biden, who gained 290 electoral votes against President Donald Trump’s 214.

Our US-based columnist, Alex Vidal, had personally interviewed Filipino immigrants with “contrasting sentiments” vis-a-vis the two candidates during the campaign period. They were rooting for different candidates but with the same wish – better consequences for Filipino-Americans and us here in the Philippines.

We also chanced upon Ambassador Manuel Romualdez on TV, commenting that the US would remain friendly to the Philippines regardless of who the next US President is. Obviously, he would not want to displease his boss, Pres. Digong.

But if he senses a hazy bilateral future with the new American administration, Romualdez might beg of his boss to permanently withdraw his unilateral abrogation of the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States.

The VFA is an agreement between the two countries in support of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) to provide mutual support in case of foreign attack.

One recalls that on February 11, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte officially notified the U.S. that the Philippines would be terminating the VFA on August 9, 2020.

It was his reaction to the cancellation of the US visa of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who used to be chief of the Philippine National Police. He must have expected an “oh no” response from his US counterpart.

But Trump, probably thinking Duterte was bluffing, simply smirked, “I don’t really mind if they would like to do that, it will save a lot of money.”

That Duterte eventually suspended the VFA termination last June 2 led to speculation that it would do us more harm than good.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. had earlier said that the US was prepared to pour $200 million in 2020 and again in 2021 to boost Philippine military capability through the VFA.

The VFA is an agreement between the two countries in support of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). The MDT was established in 1951 between the United States and the Philippines to provide mutual support in case of foreign attack.

Now, with Biden at the helm, would the US stop its “intervention” on violation of human rights in the Philippines?

That’s easier said than done, what with Biden being vice-president of past President Barack Obama, whom Duterte had called “son of a whore” for expressing concern over “extra-judicial killings in the Philippines.” Certainly, under the new US administration, Obama would regain influence.

Let us also ponder the good relationship between Biden and the only Filipino-American billionaire in the USA, businesswoman Loida Nicolas Lewis, who had openly campaigned for Biden along with her group within the “Filipino-Americans for Biden” movement.

It also matters that Lewis is a good friend of her fellow Bicolana, Vice-President Leni Robredo. Both are vocal critics of Chinese aggression at the West Philippine Sea.

Sadya no? Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

 

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WHY MORE POWER NEEDS THREE YEARS TO COMPLETE REHAB

THIS corner once reported that in its first three months of operation as the new power distribution utility in Iloilo City, MORE Electric and Power Corp.(MORE Power) had rehabilitated 51 distribution transformers, replaced 51 broken electric poles and fixed 97 hotspot connectors in line with an upgrading program aimed at modernizing the aging and dilapidated distribution system.

But more must be done. According to MORE President Roel Castro, considering their extensive area of operation covering 180 barangays, the firm would need at least three years (effective March 2020) to finish improving electricity supply, further lower the monthly bills and handle fast-growing demand from industrial users.

MORE Power is taking steps to reduce the monthly bills of customers by cutting down systems losses, which reached 9.03 percent in 2019. Paying customers absorb 6.5 percent of such losses.

MORE Power has already found out that the high systems loss of 9.03 percent was mainly due to 30,000 illegal connections, most of which have been traced already. Hotspot connectors could cause system-wide damage.

MORE Power inherited the distribution facilities of its predecessor, Panay Electric Co.

MORE Power has completed corrective maintenance on all its five substations with the assistance of experienced technicians from the Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corporation (MIESCOR).

 

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A PIECE ON PICE-ILOILO

CONGRATULATIONS to former Congressman Oscar “Richard” S. Garin. A civil engineer by profession, he is now very active in his role as president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Inc – Iloilo Chapter.

This month of November having been declared “Civil Engineering Month,” he would like to encourage non-member civil engineers in the city and province of Iloilo to enlist for membership.

PICE-Iloilo participated in the virtual celebration of Civil Engineering Month via “Facebook live” last November 1. Its theme was “Understanding the Past, Engineering the Future”.

PICE-Iloilo, organized in 1977, has the distinction of being the second PICE chapter, coming next to Cebu chapter (1976). It was organized by a group of government civil engineers and private practitioners led by Engr. Ramon Hechanova.

PICE Iloilo Chapter was officially registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on July 12, 1999.

Garin intends to re-register PICE Iloilo with its new set of officers with the SEC.

Two national organizations of Filipino civil engineers had preceded PICE, namely the Philippine Society of Civil Engineers (PSCE) and the Philippine Association of Civil Engineers (PACE).

In 1950, PACE worked on the passage of Republic Act No. 544, otherwise known as the “Civil Engineering Law”.

It was in 1974 that PSCE and PACE merged to become the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Inc. (PICE).

On August 13, 1975, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) accredited PICE as the only officially recognized organization of civil engineers in the Philippines.