Cutting travel time to Batangas Coast

The much-awaited completion of the Ternate-Nasugbu road project with a 300-meter two-way underground tunnel will speed up travel time from Manila to Batangas from four hours to just one-and-a-half. This access road that also interconnects Cavite and Batangas is expected to be ready before the rainy season and will undoubtedly boost tourism as well as the economic development for these two coastal provinces, with the 300-meter tunnel said to be the longest in the Philippines. The 1.6 kilometer access road that cuts across Mt. Pico de Loro will certainly increase interest in several projects such as the SM Group’s Hamilo Coast Pico de Loro – a residential leisure community with leisure options such as a first class marina and a world class golf course.

Progress has been very rapid towards the south where real estate prices have increased to over 100 percent in the last two years. But one of the problems that go with rapid development is water supply, with Cavite among the top 15 provinces listed as highly vulnerable to the effects of drought while Batangas is in the top 10 list of those considered moderately vulnerable, according to a Senate policy brief on the economy and water resources. In fact, some of the more privileged residences in the high-end communities in Batangas are already considering the idea of putting up desalination plants similar to Middle Eastern countries – so ironic considering that the Philippines is supposed to be a country rich in water resources.

Serious water crisis

The water crisis has become so serious all over the world as pointed out by an Asian Development Bank water outlook report that disclosed 37 out of 49 countries in the Asia-Pacific region have low “water security” levels. “While the Asia-Pacific region has become an economic powerhouse, it is alarming that no developing country in the region can be considered water secure,” said Bindu Lohani, ADB vice president for sustainable development.

One of the countries facing serious water problems today is New Zealand, with a widespread drought said to be the most severe in the last 30 years. The drought is threatening NZ’s economic growth with costs estimated at $1.2 billion – with the figure estimated to go higher for every week that goes by. Australia is also facing severe drought in many of its major cities, with the lack of rainfall causing what has been described as “the deepest dry period in more than 100 years,” prompting the construction of huge desalination plants and lessening the dependence on rainfall as the source of drinking water.

A lot of Metro Manilans have already experienced what it’s like to have low water supply – even no water supply – about two years ago when the water level in Angat Dam hit record lows. The ADB report pointed to rapid urbanization and population growth as one of the reasons because these have increased water usage. According to experts, unmanaged population growth could trigger serious water shortage by 2025. As the demand for water grows, another complication is land subsidence – something that geologist Dr. Kelvin Rodolfo has warned about, saying that over pumping of ground water can cause Metro Manila and other urban areas to sink faster than ever.

Chinese and Spanish ‘cacique’

A favorite son of Kapitan Lucio Tan confirmed to Spy Bits that the reason why the merger between PNB-Allied Bank and the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) did not push through is mainly because of the old Chinese cacique characteristic to “save face.” According Kapitan’s son, the 79-year-old taipan had very much wanted the merger to push through with two minimal conditions. One, that he retain his title as chairman similar to the deal between PAL and the SMC group of Ramon Ang, and two, that the merged bank will be known as the Philippine National Bank – both of which reportedly did not sit well with the major stockholders of the Spanish cacique group – the Zobel-Ayalas.

Apparently, “Don” Lucio Tan strongly believed that a point of pride for an institution is to have “National” in its name. Those familiar with the Chinese culture say it’s customary that when a man gives up something, he should be given something else in return. Aside from PAL, PNB-Allied is one of the major assets of the Lucio Tan Group, and the taipan reportedly is eager to see all his companies run professionally to avoid family squabbles and certainly, before he ultimately goes into the sunset of his life.

Humble Jesuit Pope

For the first time in history, Pope Francis, a Jesuit, has been named pontiff – surprising many people. The Jesuit order is known more for establishing educational institutions rather than diocesan work. Pope Francis’ humility was proven when his first act was to personally pay for his hotel bill. Upon seeing the Papal apartment at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the bus-riding pontiff reportedly commented, “There’s room for 300 people here. I don’t need all this space.”

A Jesuit-educated friend told us, “We Ateneans should learn a thing or two about eating humble pie from this humble pope.”

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Email: spybits08@yahoo.com