Europe’s future

SAT, FEBRUARY 6, 2016 BY THE MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR LEAVE A COMMENT

In My Opinion
Klaus Doring

Europe’s future? Europe’s economical future? World’s future? Global economical future? Don’t get me wrong, please. But, if Europe is going down – somehow… .In example, let’s talk about the next question mark: a possible Brexit – an exit of Great Britain from Europe. Are really all eggs in one basket?

British Prime Minister Cameron and the head of the EU Commission Juncker met on Friday (yesterday, I am writing this piece on Saturday, January 30, 2016!) to talk about a possible deal with the UK. Do they have enough to prevent a Brexit? An analysis by Max Hofmann in Brussels.

German TV-commen-tator in Brussels Max Hofmann hit the nail in saying whatever the final text submitted to the leaders at the EU summit on February 18 will look like, it needs to be bullet-proof in a number of ways. It needs to convince Britons that it’s worth saying ‘Yes’ in a referendum later this year and remain part of the EU. It needs to convince other member states that they’re not selling the soul of the European Union to keep the UK in it and it needs to withstand anticipated legal onslaughts in the coming years.

Let’s ask the question, what Britain will definitely get. Four ‘baskets’ will be part of a possible deal and the first three were never seen as a real problem:

– No disadvantages for non-euro member. Cameron wants to make sure that EU countries that don’t use the Euro as their currency aren’t at a disadvantage compared to those that do. This seems to be a rather theoretical request because EU officials feel strongly that at the moment there is no discrimination towards non-euro countries.

– Making the EU more competitive. This is something many member states and the commission have laid claim to already. So the UK is preaching to the converted.

– Exempting the UK from being part of an ‘ever closer union’. Again, this is a question of wording. Although the ‘ever closer union’ is a founding principle of the EU, the UK already has so many exceptions and opt-outs that no one really expects a level of EU integration similar to that of Germany or Belgium.

The fourth ‘basket’ is where David Cameron has all his eggs and also the most controversial one – as Max Hofmann voiced out. Cameron wants to restrict access to certain social benefits to people who arrive in the UK. This includes citizens from all across the European Union. But one of the core principles of the EU is that legislation in one member state cannot discriminate against people from another.

According to reports, the proposal that commission experts have worked out give Cameron much of what he wants without legally violating that principle:

– Making the restriction a temporary one. The UK government has always sought to strip new arrivals of social benefits for a limited time only. Cameron has asked for four years and that’s what he might get.

– Justifying the restriction with the urgency of the situation. In order for this to have a chance in court, Britain would need to argue that immigration is putting too excessive a strain on its social system. Depending on exact definitions of “excessive,” the UK might have the data to make this case.

I am pretty sure, that there are still things, what Britain probably won’t get: The four year mechanism described above are like a trump card the UK can only play once. So if they activated it in 2017 it could be applied until 2021, similar to an emergency brake. After that all EU citizens get the same social benefits as Britons again. By all accounts the EU wants to stay in control. This would mean that the UK can’t just decide to pull the emergency brake, but it most likely has to engage in a process. The assessment whether the requirements are met to restrict social benefits for citizens of other member states would probably lie with the Commission, and the European Council would give the final green light. That’s a bitter pill to swallow for Cameron, but it’s a comparatively small one.

And, what role does German Chancellor Angela Merkel play? Is she ready to compromise to keep the UK in the EU

Would other member states accept this? German Chancellor Merkel has repeatedly said that freedom of movement within the EU is not negotiable. The deal described formally doesn’t restrict that freedom, but Cameron’s hope, of course, is that the restriction of social benefits will keep migrants from coming to the UK. So Merkel can probably agree to this, especially given that she is ready to compromise on many issues to keep the UK in the EU, says Max Hofmann. And, I must confess: I strongly agree with him.

Europe – quo vadis?

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Email: doringklaus@ gmail.com or follow me in Facebook or Twitter or visitwww.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic. blogspot.com.

Cloud-seeding Brings Rains to Central Mindanao

By John Unson (philstar.com)

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A series of cloud-seeding operations are being conducted to mitigate the impact of El Niño phenomenon. Philstar.com/File photo

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines - The government’s continuing cloud-seeding operations in Central Mindanao since last week has induced scattered moderate downpours, a senior agriculture official said Thursday.

Amalia Jayag-Datukan, director for Region 12 of the Department of Agriculture, said there were scattered rains this week in Koronadal City and in South Cotabato’s nearby Santo Niño, Lake Sebu, Polomolok and Tupi towns.

There were also light to moderate downpours in parts of Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato and Sarangani provinces, according to Datukan.

At least 147 bags of sodium chloride (salt) had been used in the cloud-seeding operations in Region 12 using a light aircraft since late January.

Datukan said local government units in the region and field personnel of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration are helping the DA-12 monitor rainfall in drought-stricken towns. 

Metro Manila Seen Still Offering Pockets of Opportunity for new Hotels

LOCAL DEVELOPERS are finding pockets of opportunity to build new hotels in Metro Manila on the strength of strong economic activity despite concerns of a glut.

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The hotel room inventory in Metro Manila will shoot up in the next three to four years, adding roughly 11,000 rooms to around 35,000 from the current 24,000, Julius M. Guevara, head of advisory services at Colliers Philippines, said in a recent mobile phone message. To be sure, bulk of the new supply will come from gaming districts that have recently shown signs of slowing demand, Mr. Guevara said.

While growth of this sector is expected to be sustained in the near term, there are challenges in the medium term, among them being the lack of airports -- the biggest obstacle to increasing foreign tourists who in turn drive demand for hotel rooms, Claro dG. Cordero, Jr., head of research and valuation at Jones Lang LaSalle, said in a separate text message.

“As a result of slower to no growth in tourist arrivals due to lack of new facilities, the new developments will add further supply and will displace the old developments,” Mr. Cordero said.

“This will likely result in an oversupply scenario that may also adversely affect the revenue and baseline of operators and developers.”

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Despite the “staggering” number of fresh supply coming into the market, Mr. Guevara said business and budget hotels will continue to enjoy “high demand” in central business districts, buoyed by robust economic activity.

Real estate behemoths Ayala Land, Inc.; Robinsons Land Corp. and SM Prime Holdings, Inc. are keen on taking advantage of this opportunity.

“Makati can still absorb hotels. It really depends on the area. I don’t think there’s an oversupply in Metro Manila. There’s still room. There’s still upside,” Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp. (AHRC) Chief Operating Officer Michael Alexis C. Legaspi said in an interview.

AHRC is building hotels to complement developments within Ayala Land’s mixed-use projects nationwide. It is currently building 10 different hotels, one of which is the new 275-room Mandarin Oriental at the tip of the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City.

Likewise, Robinsons Land is developing the Westin Residences in Ortigas Center, a 500-room hotel residences project at the former Medical City compound which the Gokongwei-led firm has turned to its luxury Sonata Private Residences project.

“We had an opening of Marco Polo in Ortigas, but that didn’t hurt us at all. I can’t think of oversupply because as we build more offices and Ortigas continues to develop, demand will grow,” said Ricardo A. Gutierrez, owners’ representative of Robinsons Land’s hotel division.

Robinsons Land currently has three hotels in the Ortigas central business district: Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Holiday Inn Manila Galleria and value service brand Go Hotel.

For its part, SM Prime is set to unveil this year the 347-room Conrad Hotel located at the Mall of Asia Complex sitting beside the Entertainment City where the perceived oversupply is.

“Maybe the entertainment sector might have reached its capacity, but some people don’t necessarily stay there for business. It’s just policy,” said Peggy E. Angeles, senior vice-president for operations at SM Prime unit SM Hotels & Conventions Corp.

With two hotels in Cebu and Boracay, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts aims to establish its presence in the Philippine capital, Movenpick Senior Vice-President for Asia Andrew Langdon said. The hotel operator has struck a deal with Picar Development, Inc. -- the real estate arm of the AMA Group of Companies -- to run a hotel in its Picar Place property in Makati. While the project is currently on hold, the agreement has yet to be terminated, Mr. Langdon said.

“We are not worried about the perceived supply issue, the reason being we see this as a short-term event. When we manage a hotel, it’s a long-term relationship with the hotel operator and the developer,” Mr. Langdon said.

Maguindanao Farmers Lose Crops Due to Drought

By John Unson (philstar.com) 

Firemen fight a grassfire at the border of Maguindanao and North Cotabato provinces, where vast swaths of rice and corn farms had been scorched by a dry spell since January. Philstar.com/John Unson

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - Farmers in 17 of Maguindanao’s 36 towns lost their rice and corn crops to the now two-month dry spell, feared to cause widespread hunger without downpours until summer.

Field workers are still validating reports on the extent of crop damage in the other 19 Maguindanao towns, according to provincial officials and the agriculture department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)

The provincial board, chaired by Maguindanao Vice Gov. Lester Sinsuat, declared the entire province last week under state of calamity to maximize utilization of funds for relief missions in affected peasant communities in drought-stricken areas.

Badly affected by the calamity are the municipalities of Ampatuan, Datu Unsay, South Upi, Mamasapano, Montawal, Guindulungan, Talayan, Shariff Saidona, Datu Abdullah Sangki and Datu Anggal Midtimbang in the second district of Maguindanao.

Rice and corn farms in seven towns in the first district of Maguindanao, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Northern Kabuntalan, North Upi, Buldon, Sultan Mastura and Sultan Kudarat, were also scorched by the drought.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on Thursday told reporters the province would really suffer from the drought because no less than 70 percent of local farmers rely on propagation of rice and corn as main sources of income.

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“Before January ended, our estimate of crop damage is already P120 million and its rising,” Mangudadatu said.

He said he is thankful to the provincial board for acting immediately on his request to declare the province under state of calamity to hasten the delivery of humanitarian services to affected communities.

The governor also cautioned residents of Maguindanao’s North Upi, South Upi and Datu Blah Sinsuat towns against eating improperly cooked “Krut,” which is poisonous if not immersed in running water for 12 hours before cooking.

Ethnic T’durays in the three towns traditionally gathers Krut during the dry seasons as an alternate staple to cope up with hunger resulting from loses in their short-term crops.

Krut, a drought-tolerant yam, produces more tubers during the dry season, an alternate staple for ethnic T’durays, whenever droughts scorch their farmlands.

Most of those who fell ill from eating improperly cooked Krut are Visayan settlers that lack expertise on how to remove the toxins from its soft, potato-like pulp.

Rats had also destroyed vast swaths of rice and corn farms in Maguindanao last January.

Mangudadatu said the provincial government’s emergency response team led by Maguindanao’s chief budget officer, Lynette Estandarte, is now formulating contingency measures meant to cushion the impact of the drought to local peasant communities.

Members of the ARMM’s Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team (HEART) initially inspected early this week hinterland Maguindanao towns devastated by the drought as a requisite for the conduct of relief missions.

The HEART, operating under the ministerial supervision of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, is now preparing for relief operations in Maguindanao and other provinces of the autonomous region where farmers also suffered losses due to the drought. 

Going For a Swim in Tagaytay Won't Give you Chills

By: Pocholo Concepcion, Philippine Daily Inquirer

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PIANIST Florencio Fijer accompanies singing couple, Monticello chair Ambrosio Valdez and wife Nini, at the hotel’s Roma Piano Bar.

In a couple of months the hot season will set in, even as a cold spell is currently being felt in the metropolis and its environs—particularly in Cavite where the wind blows as cold as an air-conditioner.

And when the heat gets really oppressive in Metro Manila sometime in March, everyone wants to go to Baguio. But the thought of thousands of city folks swarming all over the country’s summer capital is discouraging, especially if you factor in the travel time.

There is, however, an alternative destination—Tagaytay, whose main attractions are its year-round cool weather and proximity.

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Families wanting to stay overnight or for a few days in Tagaytay now have lots of options, as the number of new hotels and bed-and-breakfasts have risen.

‘Little mountain’

Hotel Monticello is among those offering a luxurious ambiance and first-class facilities at reasonable rates.

Formally opened only recently, Monticello—whose name, “little mountain” in Italian, was inspired by the owners’ travels abroad—is a boutique hotel with 41 rooms and 10 types of lodging. The biggest, Penthouse Firenze, measures 52 square meters with one master and two single beds, good for six adults and two children. The Superior Quad is 48 sq m with four single beds, good for five adults and two children.

But the De Luxe King, which goes for P4,000 a night, is quite spacious at 26 sq m with a king bed for a couple with one or two kids.

A fruit platter, which is brought by the hotel staff to your room upon checking in, boasts the sweetest pineapples in recent memory (most probably grown in nearby Silang, Cavite), never mind if the mangoes taste a bit sour.

The comfortable bed makes napping irresistible; after one or two hours you are refreshed and ready to take the family out to enjoy the nippy Tagaytay climate.

But first, dinner beckons at Monticello’s Café Mercedes—whose menu, though limited due to the observation that guests prefer to eat out, has a good enough entrée like Norwegian salmon.

Piano bar

After a few hours enjoying the rides in Sky Ranch beside Taal Vista, you must go back to catch the performer at Monticello’s Roma Piano Bar. Florencio Fijer, a seasoned pianist who has had stints in clubs and lounges in the city, particularly Manila Hotel, is playing on a baby grand, accompanying Monticello’s patriarch, lawyer Ambrosio Valdez, who is heartily singing Sinatra classics. His wife Nini sings beside him.

The Valdez clan is hosting friends and relatives, one of whom has come home from Italy with her husband. Monticello’s general manager, Dondi Valdez, sits at the bar, sipping red wine. For the next few hours he engages in animated conversation about two things: Why the family decided to build a hotel on a property owned by PATTS (Philippine Air Transport and Training Services) College of Aeronautics, which the Valdezes also operate; and the different kinds of Japanese whisky, which he dreams of making available at Monticello.

After a restful sleep, the most exciting thing to do after breakfast is go for a swim in the pool beside the hotel’s garden. Swimming in Monticello amid Tagaytay’s cool winds won’t give you the chills because both its adult and kiddie pools are temperature-controlled.

Back in your room, take the opportunity to laze around the balcony, which may not offer a good view of Taal Lake and Volcano, but is nonetheless a refreshing spot to clear your mind.

A day or two is enough to recharge body and soul without spending too much.

Hotel Monticello, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway (past km 60, a few meters off Taal Vista Hotel), Barangay Kaybagal South Tagaytay City, Cavite; tel. (046) 4131111.

El Nido Draws More Local Tourists

By: Raoul J. Chee Kee, Philippine Daily Inquirer 

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THE POOL at Lagen looks out into the sea.

With the reopening of Lagen Island last December, the four properties that comprise the luxurious El Nido Resorts are once again fully operational.

In the next few years, LiO—an Ayala Land development being constructed in phases in El Nido, Palawan—will complement the resort’s Miniloc, Apulit, Pangulasian and Lagen islands.

Once completed, LiO will consist of residences, commercial establishments and several bed and breakfasts (B&Bs).

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Business has certainly picked up in this sleepy seaside town. There are now four daily flights in 50-seater planes that take off from the Island Transvoyager hangar in Manila. In the past, there were only two flights in tiny planes with a handful of passengers at a time.

El Nido Resorts group director of operations Marc Cerqueda said there are also more Filipino travelers now compared a few years ago when it was mostly foreign tourists. The ratio now is 45 percent Filipinos and 55 percent foreigners.

That Palawan has been awarded by Condé Nast Traveler as Best Island in the World for two years now has no doubt drawn more attention to this “piece of paradise.”

Pride

We would often hear this phrase during a recent visit to Lagen Island. It’s easy to understand, seeing how the staff takes great pride in their place of work.

Resort manager Jennifer Zafra narrated how she and her staff hand-carried the Machuca tiles imported from Spain to the different villas to avoid breakage. The tiles were then carefully assembled in the verandas of each villa.

Architect Conrad Onglao came up with the tropical colonial look that is more modern and easier on the eye. Earth tones abound, paired with slashes of graphic black and white.

Woven details like the solihiya headboard and lamp bases in the guest rooms, as well as the framed botanical prints by Father Blanco on the wall, complete the look.

“We knew that if there were too many breakages, additional tiles would have to be ordered and we don’t know when those would arrive from Spain,” Zafra said.

This admirable passion for work and determination to avoid wastage continues even in the company-managed small-sized farm in El Nido town that provides 55 percent of the resorts’ vegetable needs. Nine screened-off vegetable plots are devoted to growing pechay, arugula, lettuce and eggplant.

Nearby is a piggery. Vegetable cuttings, kitchen scraps and the pigs’ manure are composted and used to fertilize the plots.

“We started growing vegetables back in 2006,” said the resort’s marine biologist Marigs Laririt. “We supplied only 15 percent of the resorts’ needs at the time but we’ve been increasing that amount every year. We are also able to provide work for residents; 80 percent of our staff is from Palawan.”

Laririt later told Inquirer Lifestyle that “sustainability” is a word El Nido Resorts takes seriously.

“It’s important to come up with more activities for guests like line fishing, a process still used by local fishermen involving squid as bait, a length of nylon thread and a lot of patience,” Laririt noted.

El Nido also offers locally sourced dishes like seafood and bahay kubo vegetables. “Unlike the chefs of the past whose concept of five-star fare is steak and sea bass, younger chefs are more willing to experiment,”  she said. “They’re up for the challenge of taking these local ingredients and presenting them in a number of delicious ways.”

These and many other initiatives have made El Nido Resorts a favorite of a growing number of Filipino travelers. “We have entire clans, from grandparents to grandchildren, who book several villas,” Cerqueda said. “They make their first big family trip to Palawan instead of Singapore or Hong Kong; there are lolas who tell us they tried snorkeling for the first time at the resort or when they go island-hopping.”