Cement

A bag of cement costs only P163 last week. Suddenly hardware stores increased it by P5 to P168. Yesterday, it rose again by another P5 to make it at P173.

This P10 price rise in matter of days is totally unjustifiable.

Cement prices are the highest in the country compared with those of our neighbors like Vietnam, Indonesia and China. No less than the World Bank has noted the stiff price of cement in the country.

I blame this on the three foreign giants that control the local cement industry – Holcim, La Farge and Cemex.

To protect us – consumers – from this monopolistic pricing, I believe it is now high time to allow importation of cement.

2010

The next presidential elections is still way off, three years away, but things are heating up this early.

I planted the seeds for a possible Liberal president by then in a new blog. I am happy it is getting positive feedbacks.

I took the liberty of listing down presidential wannabes from Billy Esposo‘s most recent on-line column.

As expected, the list is long. Thus, the reason we should be discriminating in choosing whom to back in 2010.

I have made my choice this early. How about you?

A law, not mere EO

I have been described at the Club 888 media forum on business and tourism as a “one-man army” fighting for the pocket “open skies” policy for the Davao (Bangoy) International Airport.

I have written two Resolutions in the City Council, the first in 2003, and the second, last year; made a lot of noise to win public support; and sent to Malacanang two draft Executive Orders patterned after the air liberalization regime in Clark.

No less than Mayor Rody Duterte has also followed up on this request at the Palace through a letter to the President.

Unfortunately, to no avail.

I stopped posting on my advocacy blog Davao dot come! to please some Davao tourism industry players who requested that lobbying for this policy should be discreet.

Nah, nothing happened either.

In the cabinet, I found an ally in Planning Secretary Romulo Neri. He backed my position that Davao City should establish air links with northeast Asia rather than just be content with BIMP-EAGA.

This ASEAN sub-region, unfortunately, has very low tourist traffic. Davao’s hope for a dramatic rise in its visitor arrival is in the rich markets of Korea, Japan and Greater China composed of the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Now, Neri’s former office at the Lower House is also battling for the same policy. This time, they want a law, not a mere EO, to define the “open skies” regime.

This would be a tough fight. I wonder what would be the position of Davao Congress representatives on this issue?

Blogathon 2007

I did not join this year’s Blogathon because of my tight schedule.

I am happy that one of my converts is participating.

Let’s root for Rhodilee to make it till tomorrow blogging for charity.

New blog

I had trouble with my main blog at funchain.com.

So, I am starting this new blog. I plan to continue this as my main blog to chronicle my ABCs (Activities, Beliefs and Campaigns).

This will also serve as a venue to access my other blogs. Incidentally, I recently created two new blogs.

One to track my votes at the City Council (July 20) and the other a trial balloon to push for a Liberal for the 2010 presidential election (July 29).