What's the beef with Argentina?

A number of Filipino chefs are crying for Argentine beef, considered to be one of the best in the world with cattle raised in the grassy flatlands of the Argentine Pampas which experts say provides very favorable conditions for raising cattle.  Argentina has been a major player in the global beef market over the years and is the third largest exporter after Brazil and Australia. Argentina is one of the biggest countries in the world in terms of land area, and its economy is the third largest in Latin America.  

 Our friend, Argentine Ambassador Joaquin Daniel Otero invited us to a special lunchtime vin d’honneur at the Rockwell yesterday. The Ambassador told us of the shared colonial past between the Philippines and Argentina. As a matter of fact, the brother of Argentine National Hero Jose de San Martin lived in the Philippines and served under the Spanish Army. To this day, descendants of San Martin have preserved their links and relations with the Philippines.

Argentina was also colonized by Spain, and yesterday was the 201st celebration of the May Revolution in 1810 which took place in Buenos Aires, marking the independence of Argentina. The “Revolucion de Mayo” was a week-long revolt which culminated in the removal of Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros and the establishment of the Primera Junta on May 25, also known as the day of the first National Government.

Not many Filipinos know that Argentina was the first Latin American country to establish its diplomatic relations with the Philippines, and for the past 64 years, the two countries have been continuously strengthening bilateral relations. In fact, the first bilateral political consultation between the Philippines and Argentina will be held in Buenos Aires at the end of the month. This August, it will also play host to the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of East Asia-Latin America Cooperation.

A founding member of the United Nations, this Latin American nation is no doubt a major player considering its status as one of the G-20 major economies. As early as now, people are already watching political developments especially with the coming October general elections as speculations continue on whether current president Cristina Kirchner will seek re-election. Former president Carlos Menem, whom Max Soliven and I met when we joined former President Joseph Estrada’s Argentina state visit in 1999, continues to be an influential political figure in Argentina. He predicts a “hands-down” victory for Kirchner.

Bus Rapid Transit, not rapid killer bus

Filipinos have been experiencing a surfeit of tragic incidents involving killer buses, the most prominent of which was the death of journalist Chit Estella-Simbulan. Like so many tragic incidents along the so-called “killer highway,” she was instantly killed on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. No one will argue that our land transport system has become such a big mess with all the attendant problems such as undisciplined psychos being allowed to drive buses, the lack of regular pay for drivers which induces them to race against each other to take passengers, not to mention the pollution, the horrendous traffic and other safety issues and accidents that result in the senseless loss of lives.

Despite intensified efforts from the MMDA, the LTO, LTFRB and all these other government agencies to instill discipline and lessen the spate of bus-related traffic accidents such as stiff penalties for operators, the installation of CCTV cameras, speed radars, etc., the problems continue to persist.  Perhaps it’s about time authorities tried something radical with an eye for the long term – such as the Bus Rapid Transit or BRT which was cited by the free market think-tank The Reason Foundation as one of the seven most important transport innovations that are also cost-effective even in the midst of a budget crisis.

BRT is a road-based mass transport system (similar to a rail system) wherein buses ply designated lanes that are separated from other traffic – thus preventing passengers from getting stuck for hours on end on monstrous traffic jams. The system combines the advantages of a rail system with automatic ticketing platforms and scheduled departure and arrival times, but is more flexible because buses can be temporarily rerouted if conditions necessitate. The UN Environment Program cites the BRT for transforming cities into livable environments, and costs for construction and maintenance of this high-quality transport system is said to be within the budget even of low-income cities.

 More than 40 BRT systems are now operating in Latin America, North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.  The UNEP has also particularly cited the BRT projects in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Jakarta in Indonesia and Cartagena, Colombia – where technology supplier Smartmatic recently obtained a $370-million project for the implementation of an automated fare collection and fleet management system for the next 18 years. Cartagena is one of the most important tourist and cultural districts of Colombia, and the presence of an integrated mass transport system helps a lot in creating “smart cities” that provide a better quality of life for the people.

The Lady and the Jaguar

Fellow Star columnist Cito Beltran told us an amusing story the other day about the recent launching of the Jaguar XF at the Jaguar Lifestyle Center in Makati. The revitalized Jaguar XF, which entered the Philippine market late last year, has been getting positive reviews and ranks fourth among 15 luxury large cars reviewed by the Auto Press, distinguished for offering a “performance-oriented alternative to more comfortable luxury cars.”

 As it happens, Jaguar Philippines president Willie Soong is a good friend of BIR Commissioner Kim Henares whom he invited to the launch. When the lady BIR chief arrived, a number of the low key wealthy guests started to scamper away – leaving the venue surreptitiously – obviously not wanting to be identified by the BIR lady. As it turned out, the cocktail party seemingly ended much earlier than expected.

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