CLARK FREEPORT – Filipino-Americans in the US are hungry for good news from the Philippines.
This was what a government team, led by presidential adviser for external affairs Sec. Edgardo Pamintuan, found out during their whirlwind trip to key US cities where they presented to Filipino communities projects under the Arroyo administration.
“Filipino-Americans braved thunderstorms, flash floods and even the threat of swine flu to hear good news about the Philippines from a government team that recently visited key cities in the United States, including those affected by the AH1N1 virus, as part of an information road show,” the team reported upon its arrival over the weekend.
Pamintuan said “it was a pleasant surprise to us to see how enthusiastic Filipinos in the United States were in wanting to hear the good news about the Philippines rather than the bad.”
Pamintuan arrived only last Saturday while his companion Alex Cauguiran, executive vice president of the Clark Airport International Corp. (CIAC), arrived last Sunday.
Pamintuan, who is concurrently chairman of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC), said Filipino-American community leaders in Houston still came to listen to him and his team despite a heavy thunderstorm that triggered flashfloods, stalled hundreds of vehicles and even cut off electricity in the area.
He said the threat of the swine flu also did not deter Filipino-American leaders from turning up in their briefings in affected states such as New York, Texas and California. The team met with the Filipino community in San Diego, just a few miles from the US border with Mexico where the outbreak was first reported.
“Many of the Filipinos we talked to who have not been to the Philippines for decades are contemplating of coming home after we corrected the negative impressions they have on the country resulting largely from the tendency of media to give more prominence to bad news,” said Pamintuan.
In its meetings with Filipino Americans in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Texas and California, the team discussed the efforts of the Philippine government to cushion the impact of the global economic crisis and present the various mega-infrastructure projects that are not only changing the Philippine landscape but are also expected to bring more development to the countryside, Cauguiran noted.
Pamintuan, who is also the development champion of the Luzon Urban Beltway (LUB), said he informed Filipinos in the US about some P188-billion worth of infrastructure projects that are now being implemented in the LUB “special region” made up of Metro Manila and the provinces of Central and Southern Luzon.
“These projects have not only helped mitigate the impact of the global economic crisis but have also opened up new opportunities for development and investments,” said Pamintuan, who also sits as chair of the North Rail Corporation.
Aside from Pamintuan and Cauguiran, the other members of the team were Undersecretary Danilo de Austria Consumido of the Office of External Affairs, administrator Armand Arreza of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA); and Director Kirk Galanza of OEA.
Consumido expounded on the various measures undertaken by government to strengthen the economy against the crisis. He said the Philippines registered record economic growths and is expected to be one of only three countries in Asia that will register positive growth this year despite the crisis.
“Our economic stimulus plan differs from that of the United States, which is focused mainly in rescuing faltering giant companies,” Consumido said. “The Philippine economic stimulus plan is intended to benefit the poorer sectors through more investments in social services, as well as direct and indirect subsidies.”
Consumido said that despite the crisis, recent surveys indicated a high level of confidence among Filipinos, adding that not only have none of the big companies in the Philippines closed down but that a number of them are even expanding and venturing into other industries.
Both Cauguiran and Arreza presented how the former American military bases in Clark and Subic have been transformed into sprawling free port zones that host many big international companies.
“When Clark and Subic were still military bases, only about 50,000 workers were employed mainly as low level service personnel,” Cauguiran pointed out. “Today, both free ports provide quality jobs to more than 135,000 Filipinos and accounted for about $2 billion in exports last year.”
This was what a government team, led by presidential adviser for external affairs Sec. Edgardo Pamintuan, found out during their whirlwind trip to key US cities where they presented to Filipino communities projects under the Arroyo administration.
“Filipino-Americans braved thunderstorms, flash floods and even the threat of swine flu to hear good news about the Philippines from a government team that recently visited key cities in the United States, including those affected by the AH1N1 virus, as part of an information road show,” the team reported upon its arrival over the weekend.
Pamintuan said “it was a pleasant surprise to us to see how enthusiastic Filipinos in the United States were in wanting to hear the good news about the Philippines rather than the bad.”
Pamintuan arrived only last Saturday while his companion Alex Cauguiran, executive vice president of the Clark Airport International Corp. (CIAC), arrived last Sunday.
Pamintuan, who is concurrently chairman of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC), said Filipino-American community leaders in Houston still came to listen to him and his team despite a heavy thunderstorm that triggered flashfloods, stalled hundreds of vehicles and even cut off electricity in the area.
He said the threat of the swine flu also did not deter Filipino-American leaders from turning up in their briefings in affected states such as New York, Texas and California. The team met with the Filipino community in San Diego, just a few miles from the US border with Mexico where the outbreak was first reported.
“Many of the Filipinos we talked to who have not been to the Philippines for decades are contemplating of coming home after we corrected the negative impressions they have on the country resulting largely from the tendency of media to give more prominence to bad news,” said Pamintuan.
In its meetings with Filipino Americans in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Texas and California, the team discussed the efforts of the Philippine government to cushion the impact of the global economic crisis and present the various mega-infrastructure projects that are not only changing the Philippine landscape but are also expected to bring more development to the countryside, Cauguiran noted.
Pamintuan, who is also the development champion of the Luzon Urban Beltway (LUB), said he informed Filipinos in the US about some P188-billion worth of infrastructure projects that are now being implemented in the LUB “special region” made up of Metro Manila and the provinces of Central and Southern Luzon.
“These projects have not only helped mitigate the impact of the global economic crisis but have also opened up new opportunities for development and investments,” said Pamintuan, who also sits as chair of the North Rail Corporation.
Aside from Pamintuan and Cauguiran, the other members of the team were Undersecretary Danilo de Austria Consumido of the Office of External Affairs, administrator Armand Arreza of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA); and Director Kirk Galanza of OEA.
Consumido expounded on the various measures undertaken by government to strengthen the economy against the crisis. He said the Philippines registered record economic growths and is expected to be one of only three countries in Asia that will register positive growth this year despite the crisis.
“Our economic stimulus plan differs from that of the United States, which is focused mainly in rescuing faltering giant companies,” Consumido said. “The Philippine economic stimulus plan is intended to benefit the poorer sectors through more investments in social services, as well as direct and indirect subsidies.”
Consumido said that despite the crisis, recent surveys indicated a high level of confidence among Filipinos, adding that not only have none of the big companies in the Philippines closed down but that a number of them are even expanding and venturing into other industries.
Both Cauguiran and Arreza presented how the former American military bases in Clark and Subic have been transformed into sprawling free port zones that host many big international companies.
“When Clark and Subic were still military bases, only about 50,000 workers were employed mainly as low level service personnel,” Cauguiran pointed out. “Today, both free ports provide quality jobs to more than 135,000 Filipinos and accounted for about $2 billion in exports last year.”
