POEA announces job openings for Macau, HK Disneyland

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Friday announced the opening of 100,000 employment opportunities in Hong Kong Disneyland and 200 job openings in Macau.

POEA administrator Rosalinda D. Baldoz said most of the job openings for Hong Kong Disneyland are for professional ballet dancers and singers that will play Disney characters at theme park’s shows.

"Interested applicants can apply online at the theme park’s website at www.hongkongdisneyland.com. I believe they do their recruitment via teleconferencing," Baldoz said in a DZMM interview.

She added that HK Disneyland has yet to accredit a local agency to provide workers for the theme park.

She said Macau is also looking for 200 skilled workers to fill various job vacancies including gaming supervisory positions, security guards, hotel workers, medical workers, pharmacists and university instructors.

She added that a full listing of available overseas job openings is available on the POEA website (www.poea.gov.ph).

She said a local agency, Ad International with telephone number 813-3000, handles all the recruitment for Macau.

Subic firms to help public-school system

By Malou Dungog, MT Central Luzon Bureau

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: The Department of Education asked businessmen in the Subic Bay area to support the department’s “Adopt-A-School” program.

The program aims to enlist the help of private institutions and individuals in upgrading the public school system.

Education Secretary Florencio Abad made the appeal during a meeting with businessmen in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Representatives Antonio Roman of Bataan and Mitos Magsaysay of the First District of Zambales hosted the meeting, which was attended by executives of the SBMA, the Subic Bay Chamber of Commerce, Taiwanese, Japanese and American investors in the SBMA, and teachers and principals from Bataan and Zambales.

“Since the government cannot provide adequate funding required in making our public schools competitive, the private sector should recognize its role... in improving the public school system,” Abad told the gathered businessmen and officials.

He said since the country’s educational system is in a crisis, businesses in the Subic Bay area should help provide quality education to children around the Freeport.

“Your investment in the Department of Education will come back to you in the form of more competent graduates that will man your companies,” he said.

The DepEd, Abad said, needs help in building more schools and libraries, training better teachers, developing laboratories, purchasing computers and feeding school children.

Abad said donors to the program will get tax exemptions and deductions. Since businesses in the Freeport enjoy tax privileges, their employees will receive the tax exemptions instead. The two congressmen said they would refer the matter to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Gary Mendoza, president of the Subic Bay Chamber of Commerce, said his organization will do what it can to help uplift the quality of education around the Freeport.

Jeff Lin, head of the Subic Bay Development and Management Corp., also pledged support for the program even if donors do not receive anything in return

NBI, police nab American, Canadian for cybersex den

By Joey Aguilar, Central Luzon Bureau

ANGELES CITY: The authorities on Thursday arrested here an American and Canadian for allegedly running a cybersex den in popular Barangay Balibago.

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation and the police arrested the Canadian Derek Durbin, 47, and Clayton Haumea, 61, an American, after they found equipment linking the two to the pornographic website, www.chathostess.com.

The policemen, led by Special Investigator Isaac Carpeso Jr., found the equipment atop the Dollhouse Bar on Fields Avenue in Balibago, but failed to find the cybersex den where Filipino women perform sex shows to transmission to the Internet.

On the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Bernardita Gabitan Erum of Branch 61 of the Angeles City Regional Trial Court, the policemen seized a wireless antenna, cable and DSL router from Durbin and Haumea.

Durbin and Haumea allegedly operated the cybersex den somewhere in Balibago but used a wireless external antenna to upload their sex shows in the Internet.

Operating a cybersex violates Article 201(2)(b) of the Revised Penal Code, or the pornography law. The suspects were brought to Manila for further investigation.

A source, who asked not to be named, said that another cybersex den is allegedly being operated at Mountain View Subdivision in Balibago with its recruitment office at the Gloans Building on Sto. Rosario Street.

On January 22 Jimmy Restua, former Angeles City Police chief, led a raid on a cybersex den at Diamond Subdivision in Balibago, where 17 computers were seized.

The computers bore the label “JC” and police believed that the initials stand for Jade Cool, an Internet café and restaurant on Fields Avenue, owned by a certain Mark Smith, which suddenly closed in 2002.

Sources said Smith and his partners had a rift but the café’s closure came amid complaints from women’s groups that it was operating a cybersex den.

Investigators said Smith is a well-known figure on Fields Avenue because he owns the Roadhouse Bar and is an official of the Bahay Bata Center for children in Barangay Cuayan

You’ll keep incentives, ecozone investors told

By MARK LOUIE ROXAS and JOEY AGUILAR, The Manila Times Central Luzon Bureau

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga - A Palace aide allayed on Thursday the fears of investors at the Clark Economic Zone that they would be liable for back taxes following a Supreme Court decision nullifying the tax exemptions granted to economic zone locators.

Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan, presidential adviser for external affairs, said investors at Clark Field and other economic zones need not fear having to pay back taxes covering nine years because the government is ready to condone the taxes and incentives granted to them.

The Court on March 29 affirmed its October 23, 2003, decision that Section 3 of Proclamation 420 was null and void because the Bases Conversion Development Authority charter (R.A. 7227) granted tax exemptions only to the Subic Special Economic Zones to be created at the time via presidential proclamation.

The Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDC) appealed the decision on March 5.

The Supreme Court decision stirred fears among investors, particularly those at Clark Field, that they might have to pay nine years in back taxes.

"The government is doing its best so as not to affect the fiscal incentives of investors at Clark and other special economic zones," Pamintuan said.

According to him, R.A. 7227 will be amended so that investors in all economic zones in the country will enjoy the benefits and privileges enjoyed by investors in the Subic special economic zone.

Pamintuan said President Arroyo will certify the measure as urgent and will be part of a legislative initiative to consolidate investment incen

John Hay developer billed P72 million in unpaid duties

By Thomas F. Picana, MT Northern Luzon Bureau Chief

BAGUIO CITY: The Bureau of Customs slapped the Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDC) on Thursday an assessment for unpaid import duties and taxes from 1998 to 2004 amounting to P71.98 million.

The assessment came in the heels of the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s denial of CJHDC’s request for authority to print non-VAT receipts and invoices.

The customs and the internal revenue bureaus cited the Supreme Courts’ March 29 resolution affirming an earlier decision to nullify tax and duty exemptions the Camp John Hay special economic zone.

“This proves that we are not hiding behind the Court ruling. The impact of the Cour’s decision is immediate and real,” said the lawyer Gina Alvarez.

Alvarez claimed the assessment proves that BCDA had allegedly reneged on its assurance of a 5 percent gross-income incentive in its lease agreement.

“With this mounting tax problem, BCDA can rest assured that CJHDC will seek indemnification. We will pursue all legal steps to protect our rights as spelled out in our lease agreement,” Alvarez added.

The Court’s decision spurred the City Treasurer’s Office of Baguio City to assess CJHDC in January with some P101.93 million in real-estate taxes since the developer took over the 246-hectare Camp John Hay property in 1996.

In its assessment letter dated May 26, Customs District Collector Edward O. Baltazar asked CJHDC to settle the back duties within 15 days.

“BCDA has accused us of employing `scare tactics.’ Isn’t it more frightening when the business sector, including the public in general, could not count on the government to honor its word? Isn’t it the mother of all scares when, after failing to honor its word, government threatens an illegal takeover?” Alvarez said.

He was referring to the BCDA’s announcement that it was seriously considering a takeover of Camp John Hay.

But Rep. Mauricio Domogan of Baguio City said the takeover plan was ill-advised, saying, “Takeover is easier said than done. I still believe Camp John Hay is better managed by the private sector.”

Meanwhile, the City Council of Baguio, concerned over the controversy, conducted on Monday an inquiry into the Camp John Hay row

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Businessmen urge Arroyo to support SM Clark project

By Mark Louie Roxas, Central Luzon Bureau

ANGELES CITY: Businessmen in Central Luzon have urged President Arroyo to persuade her cabalens here to help alleviate the acute unemployment problem in the region, especially in communities around the Clark Special Economic Zone

Romy P. Yusi Sr., regional governor for Central Luzon of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., asked the President to ignore the city council’s demand to suspend the construction of the SM Clark mega mall project pending a review of the mall contract.

Yusi, concurrent chair of the Metro Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Industry, scored the city councilors for unnecessarily delaying the construction of the mall through a council resolution seeking another review of the contract that allowed the establishment of the giant mall near the main gate of Clark Special Economic Zone.

Work on the P500-million shopping started soon after the Clark Development Corp. board approved the contract.

“Angeles City officials, especially its lawmaking body, should hasten the take-off of huge investments, like the SM mall, and enable thousands of jobless or underemployed residents to find jobs to stave off growing despair and poverty,” Yusi said

Citing the high unemployment rate in Pampanga, the local business leader expressed alarm over the mounting unemployed college graduates in Angeles City and its suburbs, many of them jobless for almost five years.

Yusi said SM mall developers should be allowed to continue the construction of the mall which will bring lasting economic benefit to the local populace.

“As has been estimated by studies that the SM mall at Clark will
create jobs for at least 12,000 individuals, both direct and indirect. I dare the city councilors who are opposing the Clark mall to provide an alternative project, with similar economic impact and scope of benefits,” Yusi said.

Yusi reported that about 5,000 job applicants from Angeles City,

Mabalacat and Metro Clark have been anticipating the opening of the mall.

Oct 31, Nov 28 & Dec 26 non-working holidays

Malacañan has declared October 31, November 28 and December 26 as special non-working holidays, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Friday.

Under Proclamation 839, the three dates, which all fall on a Monday, are declared special non-working holidays. November 1, All Saints' Day, and November 30, Bonifacio Day, will be regular working days.

All activities and celebrations in observance of Bonifacio Day will be conducted on November 30, Bunye said.

December 25, Christmas Day, falls on a Sunday this year.

Under President Arroyo's "holiday economics", Mondays preceding or following an official holiday are declared as a holiday.

Bunye said the early announcement would allow employers to plan work schedules accordingly.

Congress probe on import of brand-new vehicles sought

Group raises issue of undervaluation and low price tags


By JONAS REYES, MB


SUBIC BAY FREEPORT— A business group based here is seeking a congressional investigation on the alleged violations of the Customs and Tariff Code by dealers of imported, brand-new vehicles.


The results of the probe could be made basis of measures that Congress could pass to generate revenues for the government, the group said.

Peter Geroue, president of the Motor Vehicle Importers Association (MVIA), urged Congress to investigate reports that billions of pesos in revenues were lost due to alleged tax fraud committed through undervaluation of imported brand-new vehicles.

He said that thousands of completely built units (CBUs) or brand-new vehicles have been arriving at the Port of Batangas with "questionable price tags" that serve as basis for the computation of Customs taxes and duties.

The MVIA sent recently a team to observe the unloading, tax processing and issuance of exit permit of imported brand-new vehicles of popular brands at the Port of Batangas.

Based on the team’s report, 82 pick-up trucks imported from Thailand were unloaded at Batangas port last April 21 with questionable purchase values at the point of origin.

A local dealer of pick-up trucks paid total taxes and duties of R15 million or about R182,000 per unit based on the official computation of the Bureau of Customs office at the Batangas port.

"This tax-payment scheme for brand-new car importers is definitely unfair for us second-hand car importers who will be obliged to pay an additional R500,000 specific tax on top of the existing Customs duties and taxes when Executive Order No. 418 takes effect," Geroue said.

Geroue criticized the government’s unjustifiable protection of local car assemblers and importers of brand-new vehicles who are paying comparatively low taxes for every imported CBU.

He said that imported brand-new vehicles arriving in the country do not have local labor component, unlike the second-hand vehicles that undergo intensive labor before reaching the street.

The CBUs are delivered directly to car dealers and display rooms for sale, he noted.

"It would be improper and suspicious for brand-new car importers to claim that workers in automotive industry would lose their jobs when in fact completely built brand-new vehicles are being shipped to the country," Geroue said, reacting to a privileged speech delivered by Akbayan Rep. Loretta Rosales.

The second-hand motor vehicle industry, Geroue said, employs thousands of workers such as auto mechanics, electricians, tinsmiths and painters who have reiterated their appeal to the government to prevent their dislocation that comes as a result of the ban on the entry of right-hand-drive vehicles.

REP. DIAZ on 7-digit offer to Ana Leah: ‘Ano ka hilo?’

By: ZALDY DE LAYOLA

“ANO ka hilo?”
This was the reaction of Zambales Rep. Antonio Diaz on claims of Viva Hot Babes Ana Leah Javier that she was offered a “7-digit” offer or from P1 million to P9.99 million if she would drop her cases of sexual harassment and oral defamation against the congressman.

In an interview, Diaz, 77, said Javier’s story was but a big illusion.

He maintained innocence on the accusations hurled against him by Javier and co-complainant Ma. Remedios Baby Bueno Coady.

“Bakit ko siya bibigyan ng milyon? Ano siya hilo. Napakaswerte naman niya. Wala akong kasalanan kaya hindi ako papasok sa anumang kompromiso,” Diaz reasoned.

But the solon, in what appeared to be slip of the tongue, accidentally mentioned to reporters that his cousin, Zambales Gov. Vic Magsaysay was talking with the complainant on his behalf.

In a follow-up question, he quickly explained that Magsaysay was doing it on his own.

He said did not persuade the governor to make any deal or compromise for him regarding the case.

“Nakikipag-usapan si Gov. Magsaysay sa kanila para sa akin. Pero hindi ko alam iyon at kung mayroon compromise,” Diaz added.

Javier, however, said she would ask for a reconsideration on the House Committee on ethics’ decision to suspend the probe pending a litigation into the same cases likely to ensue in proper court.

Javier insisted that someone from the Diaz camp really informed her of the offer in exchange for their silence.

But she did not specify who this someone was.

“We were offered talaga, seven digits iyon pero hindi kami nakapagdesisyon,” Javier reiterated.

Before the alleged 7-digit offer, Diaz camp reportedly induced Coady of a P150,000 offer but the latter declined it.

Javier, a self-confessed sexual molestation victim of Diaz when she was still 16 years old, filed the case with the Department of Justice and Commission of Human Rights for violation (a), RA 7877 or the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 and Grave Oral Defamation penalized under the Revised Penal Code.

Rich S’poreans to invest in Subic

By LANE AFABLE

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT- A group of five Singaporean businessmen recently came here to explore possible business opportunities that would further enhance Singapore’s external economic wing

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Alfredo C. Antonio said, “We are pleased and willing to help Singapore’s foreign business ventures by showing them that Subic Bay is a place where they can put up their business with affordable but highly-skilled labor.”

“Subic is more than equipped to house expatriates coming in from Singapore, offering not just a business site, but also a place with educational facilities for their children, as well as recreational and tourist spots, and other community amenities for their families” he added.

The Commercial Division of Singapore , represented by the International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore), is the lead agency spearheading Singapore’s effort to develop its external economic wing.

The IE Singapore delegation, led by Director Yew Sung Pei of the Southeast Asia Division and Center Division and Center Director Jason Leong of Manila Office, was accompanied by Singaporean executives based in Manila

Among those in the delegation were Arthur Gindap, Area General Manager of Sommerset Millennium; KC Chan, Managing Director of Bousted Technologies; Leo Querubin, General Manager of Crimson Logic Philippines Inc., Victor Liu General Manager of Jurong Consultants (Phils) Corporation and Bernard Tan, Senior Project Engineer of Lantro Phils., Inc.

IE Singapore works closely with agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry, Board of Investments, and the Bureau of International Relations to promote trade and bilateral ties between Philippines and Singapore.

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NPA hits Zambales informer

San Felipe, Zambales, the police reported that barangay councilor Jesus Alferos of Barangay Maloma was shot dead as he was resting at a wedding party on Sunday evening.

Senior Insp. Quintin Mascarina, the San Felipe chief of police, said barangay official Fernando Bactad, who witnessed Alferos’ killing, was also shot in the chest.

In a report to Senior Supt. Edgardo Ladao, the Zambales provincial police chief, Mascarina said Alferos was at a wedding shower at Sitio Sagpat in Barangay Maloma when he decided to rest in his parked tricycle at about 10 p.m. Sunday after he had too much to drink.

While sleeping, suspected NPA hit men shot the victim several times on the chest using a .45-caliber pistol. He was taken to the San Marcelino District Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. A bullet hit his heart causing his immediate death.

Bactad, on the other hand, was shot in the foot using a .38-caliber revolver after he witnessed Alferos’ killing. He was taken to Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital in Iba, Zambales, for treatment.

By Jefferson Antiporda, Reporter and Malou Dungog, Central Luzon Bureau

Budget airline hikes flights to Clark Field

By Joey Aguilar, Manila Times Central Luzon Bureau

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga: The arrival of more overseas Filipino workers (OFW) has prompted Tiger Airways to increase its flights to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here.

The entry of low-cost flights has increased the number of passengers arriving at the DMIA. For the month of April, at least 2,500 passengers have arrived since budget airlines, like Air Asia Berhad and Tiger Airways, launched their flights here.

Starting next month, Tiger Airways will increase additional two more flights a week at the DMIA according to Clark Development Corp. (CDC) officials.

Due to the 80 percent to 90 percent load factor of Tiger Airways, travel agencies requested the airline to add more flights, including Singapore-Clark-Singapore, to accommodate travelers especially OFWs working in different parts of Asia.

Ronaldo Tiotuico, Department of Tourism regional director, said the department is planning to put up more ecotourism activities in Pampanga, especially inside Clark, since more tourists are expected to arrive here.

“Clark Special Economic Zone is a good location for eco-tourism especially that the DMIA is located here,” Tiotuico said.

Antonio R. Ng, CDC president and CEO, said they had requested for travel tax exemption for residents of Northern and Central Luzon especially OFWs.

Passengers will be exempted from the P1,620 travel tax if they wish to travel to other Asian countries via the DMIA.

Ng said there will also be a one-stop-processing center at Clark for OFWs so they will not have to go to 14 government agencies in separate locations. The one-stop shop processing for the OFW will allow workers abroad to use Clark as their gateway to various countries in Asia.

Ng added that more flights will follow going to Middle East, Hong Kong and China via the DMIA.

“This is in support of the vision of President Arroyo to develop DMIA into a premier gateway in the country,” Ng said.

There are now four international airlines with regular flights at the DMIA: South Korea’s Asiana Airlines, which flies five times a week; Malaysia’s Air Asia Berhad, which has twice daily flights to and from Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur; Singapore’s Tiger Airways, which has thrice weekly flights to the city-state; and Hong Kong’s CR Airways also flies three times a week to the former Crown Colony.

United Parcel Service, which has established its Asia-Intra hub here since April 2002, also operates here.

Meanwhile, Holiday Inn Resort Clarkfield is now studying if it could offer budget room rates for passengers of low cost airlines.

Former chair of Clark Investors and Locators Association, Carmen McTavish, who also operates a travel agency in Angeles City, said she had set up a book-and-buy counter at the Four Seasons Restaurant to help interested tourists to book flights for Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong easily.

McTavish said since Air Asia Berhad of Malaysia, Tiger Airways of Singapore do not have ticketing offices in the country since all booking transactions could be availed using the Internet.

She said only a P300 service fee will be collected by travel agencies for over the counter transactions. Airline tickets are priced the same as online bookings

Subic Freeport more than just a smugglers’ haven

By Patrick Roxas, Manila Times Central Luzon Bureau

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: Subic should not be seen merely as a smuggling haven but should be promoted as a freeport and a regional business hub as mandated in its charter, a top official of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority said.

Retired Gen. Jose Calimlim, SBMA senior deputy administrator for operations and member of the SBMA board, said the Subic Freeport is doing well overall with locators reporting increased revenues and more tourists flocking to the former US naval base.

“What is always being highlighted is Subic as a center of smuggling. They are forgetting that big multinational firms are also located in Subic manufacturing products for export,” Calimlim told journalists during the “Usaping Balita Media Forum” at the Subic Bay Yacht Club.

“There is this image of Subic as a smuggling haven because of the importation of right-hand drive vehicles and that here are motor shops and garage in each and every corner of this place,” Calimlim, who is also the head of interagency Task Force Subic, an antismuggling body.

While admitting that smuggling has become a controversial issue in the Freeport, Calimlim said the SBMA remains focused on attracting local and foreign investments, creating employment and generating economic activity.

“As far as the SBMA is concerned, we believe Executive Order 156 which allows Subic locators to import vehicles, except SUVs and passenger vans, should prevail over Customs Memorandum Order 16-2005 which prohibits all shipping lines, airlines and other common carriers to strictly observe and enforce the ban on importation of all vehicles,” Calimlim said.

Calimlim added that the SBMA has no control over the importation of second-hand vehicles but it is trying to clarify what policy to enforce.

Calimlim said the mandate of SBMA is clearly defined in its charter but the problem is in the interpretation of the law as many gray areas are being exploited.

“The clarification on all these issues should come soon but in the meantime, the SBMA maintains E.O. 156 should prevail over the order of the Custom’s commissioner,” Calimlim said.

Importers of second-hand vehicles who were present during the media forum claimed that E.O. 156 and CMO 16-2005 are inconsistent with each other and that another executive order, E.O. 418, putting an additional tax of P500,000 a unit of imported vehicle, is practically killing the business.

“E.O. 418 is not designed just to collect additional taxes but to stop the importation business of second-hand vehicles,” Peter Geroue, president of the Subic-based Motor Vehicle Importers Association, said.

Jaime Vicente, secretary general of the Automotive Rebuilding Industries of Subic, another second-hand vehicle importer, told the media during the forum the local manufacturers’ complaint that the importation of second-hand vehicles through Subic is affecting their sales is not true, as the sales of second-hand vehicles, particularly from Subic, was only small compared to the sales made by local automotive manufacturers last year.

“There is a huge potential demand for vehicles, especially for affordable ones, and we are simply trying to fill that gap,” Vicente said.

He added that the safety concerns of their critics are being addressed, as each second-hand unit goes through a rigid quality inspection by the concerned government agency before it is sold to the public.

Fil-Aussie woman gets justice 4 years late after expulsion blunder

A Filipina-Australian deported by Australian immigration authorities four years ago due to a bungled process will finally get justice and have her chance to return to the country, abs-cbnNEWS.com learned Thursday.

Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said that the Australian federal government has offered to facilitate the return of Vivian Alvarez, also known as Vivian Wilson and Vivian Young, to Australia.

"Consular officials will be offering all appropriate consular assistance which will obviously include an offer to facilitate her return to, if that is her wish, and appropriate support in Australia," Vanstone said in a statement on the Australian immigration ministry official website.

Vanstone also said that consular officials from the Australian embassy in Manila have spoken to a Catholic priest in Olongapo City. The priest has been taking care of Alvarez at a local hospice since her deportation, she said.

"It now seems, on the basis of that discussion, that the woman is Vivian Alvarez who was removed from Australia in 2001," Vanstone added.

Vanstone's statement followed pronouncements made by no less than Prime Minister John Howard on the case of Alvarez.

"I am very sorry if anything unfair has happened in relation to that and on the face of it that does appear to be the case," Howard told Southern Cross Radio which was posted on ABC Newsonline website last week.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie also called on the federal government to conduct an inquiry into the deportation blunder.

Beattie has jurisdiction over the municipality of Caboolture where Alvarez reportedly lived during her short stay in Australia.

Investigation needed

A report from the National Nine News website Thursday quoted Australia's human rights commissioner as he renewed call for an inquiry on the Alvarez case.

Commissioner Sev Ozdowski said an investigation committee into wrongful detention of Australians and other immigrants needs its powers broadened. The investigation committee is headed by former Australian federal police chief Mick Palmer.

Ozdowski said the search for answers should not be done behind closed doors.

"There are plenty of questions which are unanswered and which need to be followed," Ozdowski told ABC radio in an interview posted at the National Nine news website

"It certainly warrants an open inquiry which can get all of the facts, it warrants an inquiry which would allow witnesses to come forward, which would provide protection to witnesses and it warrants an inquiry which will have access to all relevant documents," he said.

Palmer's inquiry was set up three months ago after the wrongful detention of Cornelia Rau, a mentally-ill Australian woman.

Rau, who suffers from schizophrenia, was held in detention for 10 months including an extended period at the Baxter detention center in South Australia, according to reports.

The inquiry into Rau's detention has since been widened to examine other errors by the department, including the case of Alvarez.


Blunder

Reports said Alvarez had been living in Australia for 18 years after marrying an Australian citizen surnamed Wilson in the Philippines. She still has a nine-year old son in foster care in Australia.

Before the deportation order in July 2001, New South Wales police reported that Alvarez, figured in a car accident in the city of Lismore.

She was then sent to the Philippine consulate in Brisbane for assistance.

Instead of helping her, Australian immigration officials set up an inquiry regarding Alvarez's status as an immigrant.

With her English language skills below average, immigration authorities branded the woman as an illegal immigrant and decided to send Alvarez back to the Philippines.

Vanstone said an immigration officer realized in 2003 that Alvarez had been mistakenly deported. "The advice I have is that [the error] was not [passed up to the minister]," she said.

Alvarez's family in Australia said they had searched for her for four years. They were unaware that she had been deported and was until last week believed to be dead. Roy Medina, abs-cbnNEWS.com, wires reports

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Subic firm is exporting 181 converted cars to Thailand

By JONAS REYES


SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — One-hundred-eighty-one converted vehicles are exported to the international market by one of the biggest companies in the automotive-conversion industry here.


Subic Bay Motors Corp. (SBMC) held the other day a send-off ceremony that signaled the shipping of the vehicles to Bangkok.

SBMC, an auctioneer and importer of used vehicles in the Freeport here, exported the shipment consisting of 129 Mitsubishi Pajeros, 50 Toyota Hiluxs and two Toyota Land Cruisers to Carlyna Trading Co. Ltd. of Bangkok.

SBMC General Manager Ben Perez unveiled his company’s re-export program, saying "since the government is bent on stopping the sale of used vehicles to the local market, SBMC plans to focus on the international market."

"Together with our new Japanese investors, we plan to form a new joint venture to re-export reconditioned vehicles to countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Russia and other countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa which are using left-hand-drive vehicles," he said.

Perez also said that he will leave it up to the court to determine the legality of Executive Order No. 418 which imposes additional R500,000 specific tax on all imported used vehicles.

Carlyna Trading is the trading partner of Apple International Co. which distributes both brand new and used vehicles in the ASEAN region and neighboring areas.

Last December, SBMC exported 20 sports utility vehicles and pick-up trucks to Sudan in Africa.

At present, 300 units are being reconditioned, and about 1,000 units are expected to be imported in the coming months. These are all intended for export after local value-added activities like steering-wheel conversion, mechanical repairs, tinsmith and repainting are undertaken.

11th Subic Bay International Triathlon

Binictican Drive in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone will be closed from 5:30-11:00am on May 8, 2005 as part of the bike and run legs of the 11th Subic Bay International Triathlon. Please try to avoid unnecessary traffic during that time by using alternate routes.

The Triathalon starts and ends in the central business district so there will be many participants using the roads in those areas. Please use caution and yield to competitors.

Should you need further clarification, please feel free to contact Ms. Portia Zabala and Mr. Cezar Alcantara of the Special Events Section at 47-252-4154,-4132,-4197.

Nene summons 24 to jueteng inquiry

By Efren L. Danao , MT Senior Reporter

Several suspected jueteng lords, governors and local officials will be summoned to a Senate inquiry into the resurgence of the illegal numbers game.

Leading the list of allegedly big-time jueteng operators is Bong Pineda, widely believed to be the overlord in Central Luzon.

As proposed by the Senate minority leader, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., the list of 24 “resource persons” for the hearing of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusements should also include Governors Luis “Chavit” Singson of Ilocos Sur and Mark Lapid of Pampanga, Jose Yap of Tarlac, Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte, Vicente Magsaysay of Zambales and Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. of Camarines Sur and Vice Gov. Mariano Cristino Joson IV of Nueva Ecija.

Religious leaders campaigning against jueteng would also be summoned.

Singson had claimed that former President Joseph Estrada was a protector of jueteng, an allegation that led to Estrada’s impeachment in 2001. Singson has admitted that jueteng exists even in his province.

Lapid is the son of Sen. Lito Lapid, chair of the Committee on Games and Amusements. The Lapids are from Pampanga, the home province of Pineda.

Pimentel gave Senator Lapid a list of persons to be summoned by the committee in a letter on May 5. He also formally asked Lapid to recuse himself from presiding over the investigation, primarily because his son has been named one of the witnesses.

Pimentel wrote to Lapid after published reports quoted Lapid as saying he would not recuse himself.

“As a colleague in the Senate, I feel that you are unnecessarily putting yourself in a bad situation where there is no way you can come out of the hearings unscathed,” Pimentel said.

He noted that Lapid comes from Pampanga, “where jueteng is more pervasive than the E-coli [bacillus] inhabiting the cesspools of the rich and famous in Makati.”

Pimentel said that if Lapid insists on presiding over the probe, formal motions would be made against it.

Also on the list: Romeo Lajara of Baguio City, Mayor Jess Viceo of San Rafael, Bulacan, Art Katigbak of Cavite, a certain Ngongo of Pampanga, Mario Garcia of Pampanga, Tony Santos of Pampanga, one “Boy Tangkad,” Art Katigbak of Cavite and Charing Magbuhos of Quezon.

Most of these persons have been summoned to previous congressional hearings on suspected gambling lords.

Antijueteng crusaders Bishop Ramon Villena of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, and Archbishop Oscar Cruz of Pangasinan are also on the list.

Rounding up the list are Chief Supt. Rowland Albano, the relieved police regional director for Central Luzon; Col. Rodolfo Mendoza, Bureau of Customs Commissioner Bert Lina, PNP Director General Arturo Lomibao and PNP Senior Supt. Pat Hernaez.

Lapid had said he would ask to the hearing all those named by his committee members.

Pimentel suggested that the hearings be held continuously from Monday to Saturday.

He filed a resolution on April 12 calling for the investigation into the resurgence of jueteng, but Lapid still had to start the hearings.

If Lapid recuses himself from the hearing, then the vice chair, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, would take over. Pimentel said that if Lapid does not want Estrada to replace him, then Lapid should hold a preliminary committee hearing to determine who should take over.

Pimentel said that no inference of the witnesses’ guilt or innocence should be drawn, simply because they would be summoned to the hearings.

Leaders of the House advised Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz to avoid sweeping and unsubstantiated allegations against personalities or public officials allegedly involved in jueteng.

In a joint statement, Majority Leader Prospero Nograles of Davao City and Deputy Speaker for Visayas Gerry Salapuddin said Cruz must give specific and confirmed information about the issue instead of uttering “unchristian” remarks.

“Blind-item allegations smack of show-biz theatrics. How can we prosecute jueteng coddlers, operators and money takers if we don’t have solid evidence against them? The archbishop’s allegations are apparently based on hearsay, good for the rumor mill but having no probative value,” Salapuddin said.

Nograles said the House has shown its support for Cruz’s crusade by immediately holding a hearing on his list of supposed jueteng operators and coddlers.
--With William B. Depasupil and Maricel V. Cruz

GMA to inaugurate new Clark facilities

By Mark Louie P. Roxas, MT Central Luzon Bureau

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga: President Arroyo is set to arrive here on Friday to inspect the ongoing $105.5-million expansion project of Yokohama Tire Philippines Inc. and the inauguration of the $3-million atrium of Cyber City Teleservices Ltd.

Alex E. DyReyes, an official of Cyber City, said the President is scheduled to lead in the ribbon-cutting rites at the newly constructed atrium of Cyber City which will soon hire 1,500 more call-center agents and programmers to complement its 2,400 employees.

After the inauguration ceremonies at Cyber City, President Arroyo will inspect the ongoing P5.8-billion expansion of the Yokoyama tire factory here.

The Cyber City pioneer call center at Clark, which started with 30 employees in 1999, announced that it has 1,500 job openings for college graduates who are proficient in the English language.

Applicants will be required to undertake a four-week orientation and on-the-job training during the fifth week after which they will be hired as probationary workers and later as regular employees with P8,000 to P10,000 basic pay every month. Regular employees will be entitled to one free meal daily and to a 10-percent salary increase every year.

DyReyes said that Cyber City at Clark will continue undertaking more expansion projects to support Mrs. Arroyo’s job-generation program.

Meanwhile Yokohama will expand its factory and start full operation this coming October with a daily production of some 20,000 from the present 9,000 tires a day capacity.

Yokohama also has started hiring 600 additional workers for the expansion program.

Alberto Lina, the Bureau of Customs chief, said that the Yokohama expansion program came after assurances to lower the tariff rates on imported raw materials.

Clark Development Corp. (CDC) authorities thanked Lina for his “quick response regarding the prospective application of tariff rates for imported raw materials for all the local sales of the tire factory.”

During her inspection of the Yokohama complex, President Arroyo is set to be briefed by CDC officials on the new investment of the tire firm to attract other investors to locate at Clark zone

CL police chief Albano relieved over 'jueteng'

The police chief of Central Luzon was relieved Tuesday for his apparent failure to curb 'jueteng' (numbers racket) in his turf, DZMM reported.

Police chief Supt. Rowland Albano would be replaced by police chief Supt. Alejandro Lapinid who was pulled out from Mimaropa's (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon- Palawan) Region IV-B.

Albano served as Central Luzon police chief for only four months.

DZMM said Albano would be placed on floating status.

But abs-cbnNEWS.com sources said Albano would take a "desk job" as head of the PNP-Directorate Research and Development office.

Albano said being relieved of his post was part of the hazards that go with the job.

Albano was put in hot water recently after an unidentified ranking police officer disclosed that 'jueteng' has not abated in Central Luzon particularly in Pampanga, the home province of President Arroyo.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer earlier published a series of reports on rampant jueteng operations in the country.

The report mentioned Pampanga as among the provinces where the vice has not been curbed.

The Inquirer source, an anonymous a high-ranking police official, said millions of pesos in jueteng proceeds are funneled monthly to three relatives of a top government official.

The alleged code names of the three relatives of the top government official were M1, M2 and JS7. M1 is the oldest of the three; M2 is a young politician in Luzon, and JS7 is his uncle, the Inquirer source said.

Senate President Franklin Drilon has filed a resolution directing the Senate committee on games and amusement to conduct an inquiry. He said it is aimed at amending Republic Act No. 9287, possibly increasing the penalties for violators of the law against the numbers racket.

He said he will invite National Police Director General Arturo Lomibao and other top police officers to name the jueteng coddlers.

A lawyer for first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo also denied on Thursday the First Family's involvement in jueteng operations.

Arroyo's lawyer Jess Santos described the rumors linking the First Gentlemen and presidential son Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo to the scandal as a sign of dirty politicking.