Trillanes' China trips: Who paid for them?

We received unconfirmed information insinuating that a big business group allegedly funded the trips of Senator Antonio Trillanes to China – contrary to the senator’s claims that Malacañang paid for them. Interestingly, the Palace has chosen to keep mum over the issue, with President Noy’s spokespersons admitting they had no idea whether the Palace paid for them or not.

It was also not clear whether all of Trillanes’ 16 meetings with the Chinese officials were sanctioned by the Aquino government. So if it was not the government, and Trillanes did not dip into his own pocket for those backdoor diplomatic expeditions, who then paid for his “mission impossible” trips?

Meantime, the office of Senator Trillanes sent us an email stating that Senate President Enrile blundered in exposing the supposed notes of Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady, saying that the Ambassador was “never present in any of the backchannel talks conducted,” and that the only official meeting he had with Brady was on Aug. 17 at the Philippine Embassy “to brief her about the background and status of the backchannel talks since she just reported at the embassy sometime in August.”

“JPE brazenly exposed state secrets just to spite me and it eventually blew up on his face. Lastly, he unwittingly pointed to the DFA as the only possible source of those classified documents,” Trillanes said.

Xi Jinping faces economic challenges

As expected, it was still a stalemate in the meeting between Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas as far as the disputed territories are concerned. The Chinese vice president – who is poised to become China’s top leader – is faced with challenges, among them a slowing economy in the midst of major political changes.

Analysts say Xi will have to grapple with the weakest economic growth since three decades ago when Deng Xiaoping first opened up China’s economy, as the double-digit growths – as much as 14 percent in 1993 – will become a thing of the past. Along with India, China has been a major driver of economic growth in the region and the world, accounting for 36 percent of expansion in 2011. While growth projection is still not so bad at seven percent, China, some analysts say, has to start looking for a “new growth model” and get its economy back on track.

Aside from lower growth, Xi will have to appease politicians who will be resistant to changes – and overcome opposition from state-owned companies as well as banks and powerful financial institutions who will naturally put their interest first. In the last few months, China’s exports have not been picking up, manufacturing companies and retailers are seeing lowered sales, while more people are being laid off from work.

Aside from political and economic changes, the new leaders will also face social problems such as education and healthcare, with experts saying the country has to hold off

on major infrastructure and concentrate on the basics such as sewerage and drainage problems, aggravated by flooding that has cost many lives. It simply is unimaginable to witness a communist country like China now having the same kind of capitalist problems like most western countries.

Philex ‘trial by publicity’

Insiders say mining industry players are unhappy that government does not seem to appreciate the potential contribution of mining to the economy, and that small scale miners operate without accountability unlike big industry players who have been transparent in their dealings with government. For instance, Philex Mining has suspended operations in its Padcal mine in Benguet for over a month now due to a tailings pond leak due to the incessant heavy rains that have caused flooding in many parts of the country. Philex has been aggressively trying to resolve the problem, working in close coordination with the DENR and concerned LGUs in the mine site – which is why executives were surprised at DENR’s media announcement regarding penalties without giving the company an official report of the supposed findings first.

It’s understandable why the company’s corporate affairs chief Mike Toledo (who incidentally is a panelist at the Asset Forum at Makati Shangri-La today) denounced the seeming “trial by publicity” and decried what he described as lack of due process. Mike being a lawyer is really within legal rights to question the accuracy of the report concerning the leak. In any case, Mike said the company will not resume operations until the integrity of the tailings pond has been fully restored. It has also employed the services of foreign consultants and experts to help in the process.

MVP’s frustration

The frustration and disappointment experienced by businessman Manny Pangilinan has taken its toll on him, which is why he has decided to cut ties with his alma mater Ateneo, whose administration has adopted an adversarial stance on mining and the reproductive health bill. Add to that the fact that his name has been dragged in the word war between Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Antonio Trillanes who accused MVP of trying to advance his interest in the Recto Bank gas project.

The First Pacific Group has always wanted MVP to be based back in Hong Kong and for a while there, the businessman was sorely tempted to leave and move back his headquarters to Hong Kong where he could concentrate on many other businesses the group is involved in. But apparently, his disappointment is starting to simmer down. Meanwhile, members of the Ateneo alumni community continue to be at loggerheads over conflicting stands on mining and the RH bill. Rumor has it that Ateneo’s rival, the La Salle Alumni Association, has invited MVP to be an “honorary alumni.”

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