OCTOBER 6 - OCTOBER 12, 2019 4


OPINION EDITORIAL


Strange events


While critics have chosen to keep silent for the moment, the City of Dumaguete was forced to stop the reclamation project at the Rizal Boulevard after it received a Cease and Desist Order from the DENR because of the suspension of its Environmental Compliance Certificate.


The DENR Order, dated September 2 but received only last Wednesday, was triggered by the City’s move to undertake the project without the required Notice to Proceed.


METROPOST


This is strange. A requirement like a simple Notice to Proceed is basic procedure. This requirement was even spelled out by the DENR when it granted an Environmental Compliance Certificate last June. People -- not necessarily lawyers -- familiar with government transactions know that a Notice to Proceed could spell the difference between success or failure. Between a Sandiganbayan case or a clean slate from the Commission on Audit.


fined P50,000. Who will pay the fine -- those who insisted on disobeying the DENR or the City taxpayers? Hopefully, the former. It was, however, surprising to see agents of the National Bureau of Investigation arresting garbage collectors and drivers of the City for dumping garbage at the City dumpsite last Thursday since the dumpsite had already been ordered closed by the DENR.


In addition to the order, the City was whelmayap@yahoo.com P


This, too, is strange. The agents, who came from NBI Manila and who allegedly did not coordinate with their local counterparts or the local police, came on the day the City stopped the reclamation activity at the boulevard. Mayor Felipe Remollo couldn’t help but voice suspicion about the timing and the motive of the arrests, especially because the DENR had already approved a safe closure and rehabilitation plan for the dumpsite. Indeed, the situation is getting curiouser and curiouser. Let’s see how this pans out.


resident Duterte is currently visiting Russia upon the invitation of his “favorite hero” Vladimir Putin. Duterte and Putin first met in Peru during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November 2016. It can be recalled that the President cut short his official visit to Russia back in May 2017 due to a terror attack in Marawi City. Duterte’s second visit to Russia this time could mean “further improved relations between the two countries,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said. What does this mean for our country and our foreign alliances? What can the Philippines expect from its closer ties with Putin and Russia? In a recent pol icy wo r ks hop he l d


by


Washington, D.C., scholars and analysts addressed this broad question and related issues, including the outlook for Putin’s fourth term as president, the expected impacts of sanctions, and some aspects of Russian foreign policy.


and the Middle East. Prospects


Russian relations were generally seen as grim, although one historically- minded scholar provided a spark of optimism for the future, saying that America’s current turmoil


and economic environment arguably the most challenging the Kremlin has faced in years, the points that resonated the most at the workshop were that Putin will maintain his power through the end of his term (and possibly beyond 2024), will likely implement policies to combat his falling approval ratings, and will continue shifting Russia toward new partnerships -- mainly in East Asia, Southeast Asia,


could lead to more normal relations sooner than commonly believed. That the regime remains


for U.S. -


ATTY. WHELMA SITON-YAP ECON 101


political risk involved in doing business with Russia, and as such, have scared off many Western companies, overall, the analysts discussing Russia’s economy and its great- power status generally agreed that sanctions are here to stay, as did those discussing Russia’s foreign policy and its impacts. Russia has moved closer


The Duterte visit to Russia With Russia’s political


quite strong, noting there are some “very capable people” working in the Kremlin, and that pension controversies, lower living standards, and economic difficulties, notwithstanding, most Russians accepted that Putin will remain firmly in power over his next six years. That while sanctions have heightened the


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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA -- Approximately 17 miles (about 27 kilometers) from the U.S.-Mexico border at San Ysidro here is the resort city of Rosarito, Baja California in Mexico. It is a small city with about half the population of Dumaguete. In 2010, according to the census, Dumaguete had a population of 120,883 while Rosarito’s was 65,278. While some cities simply


would have more people than others, what’s alarming


about this comparison is the land areas where these two populations exist. Dumaguete, having 46 percent more people, has a land area of 12.97 square miles. In contrast, Rosarito has a land area of 198.19 square miles. So, 46 percent more population is living on 93.5 percent less land.


describe it this way, but this is the way I think about it. Any way I look at it, Dumaguete


I know that experts may not


has far too many people than it can accommodate comfortably. I used to go to Mexico on a whim when I was living here in California. I had a group of friends who, like me, loved riding motorcycles. We would go down there just because it was another country, and we could just ride our motorcycles to go there.


get a faint whiff of diesel fuel, much like in any town in the Philippines. Emission controls there are not as tight as they are in the States, especially in California.


It would be the same case with Canada, but it’s much farther from California for a quick weekend getaway.


Americans weren’t even required to carry passports until


because of the rise in illegal entries into the U.S. After entering Mexico at


Tijuana, the sights become so markedly different from what you see in the States. I remember feeling like I was in the Philippines, every time we entered Mexico.


It wasn’t so much the sights, but the smell. You immediately


just a few years ago


On one occasion, one of my friends who owns a timeshare (vacation ownership) in Rosarito invited us there. It was a pretty comfortable coastal condominium complex, complete with a charming little restaurant on site, and a couple of acres of sprawling green


lawn overlooking the Pacific Ocean. On the edge of the small cliff, seemingly teetering, was a party room with large panes of plexiglass for windows, mainly to stop the salty breeze from coming into the party room and keep it relatively quiet in case conversations were the theme, instead of the mindless, rowdy shenanigans of college parties. It had a barbecue deck on the side, complete with a wood-fired smoker type


to Southeast Asia as part of an overall “turn east” that began after the 2008 financial crisis. The goals of this move are many -- to avoid over-dependence on the West, to modernize the Russian Far East, to find markets


Are we ready to turn away from our pro-US alliances? Are we ready to embrace the Russians as partners for progress? Or are we already tied up with China? Yes, ka-kabayans, we have entered a Brave New World. Be prepared for an interesting journey.


for Russian weapons and resources, and so on. The dis cussion of Russia-U.S. relations was dominated by sanctions, and outlook was relatively bleak.


grill. We could have had a party there if we weren’t pressed for time. We still had a ball though, the wives taking hundreds of pictures, frolicking like kids on the immaculately-manicured grounds. It had real grass, but it looked like artificial turf. That’s how green it was, and healthy.


Rosarito is a wonderful place to visit if you were from California, say San Diego or Los Angeles, and you just wanted to drive to another country for a nice, carefree weekend, where fresh seafood was abundant and cheap. If you went a little farther south from Rosarito to the small village of Puerto Nuevo, a sumptuous lobster dinner will set you back only $8. And


At least show you still care, even a little


this is in a nice restaurant with a cliff-side view of the Pacific Ocean. You can see seagulls perched nearby, sometimes flying so close to your window, you could almost just reach out and touch them. Earlier, I said that as soon as you get to Mexico, the sights become markedly different from what you might see in the States. That’s true, except maybe for the highways.


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