The country’s gross international reserves (GIR) rose to $16.05 billion at the end of December last year, 1.1 percent higher than the end-November level, while new investments soared more 200 than percent over the previous year, indicating a promising business climate in 2005.

The year end GIR level far exceeded the $14 to $15 billion target of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, according to BSP Gov. Rafael Buenaventura.

"The December increase can be attributed to the deposit by the National Government with the BSP of the proceeds of its program and project loans worth $156 million and the investment income from the central bank’s placements abroad amounting to $21 million," he said.

The BSP’s net international reserves for the period – inclusive of the revaluation of reserve assets and reserved-related liabilities -- increased to $14.381 billion from the November level of $14.207 billion.

Meanwhile, total investments generated by the Board of Investments (BOI) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in 2004 reached P180 billion, according to Trade and Industry Undersecretary Elmer C. Hernandez.

A total of 455 projects were approved by the two investment-generating agencies.

Hernandez said the BOI generated P137 billion or 283 percent higher than the P28.34 billion registered in 2003. PEZA contributed P46 billion, or 62.52 percent more than the 2003 figure.

"The strong investment inflow was buoyed by the approvals of energy projects, manufacturing and services," he added.

Hernandez expressed confidence that the investment climate this year will improve with the passage of the bill rationalizing the incentives law and the Supreme Court’s decision allowing full foreign ownership of projects in the mining sector.

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Only three months old in December 2004, the Office of External Affairs (OEA), formerly the Office of Constituency Affairs, has already formalized most of its programs.

In line with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s 10-point program for development and the 2004-2010 Medium Term Philippine Development Program (MTPDP), the programs were specifically designed to satisfy the requirements of the OEA mandate functions and responsibilities.

In its report to Malacanang, the OEA said that despite budgetary constraints it was able to network with nationwide NGOs and people’s organizations like the Fair Trade Alliance (led by former Sen. Wigberto Tanada and Prof. Rene Ofreneo), the Katipunan ng mga Magniniyog ng Pilipinas, the People’s Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Koalisyon ng Mamamayan para sa Reporma at Demokrasya), different national labor federations and various community-based and self-help organizations.

"We are now conducting coordination work with possible partner organizations and government agencies," OEA Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan said.

Among the OEA programs already finalized are:

• Balik sa Inang Bayan
• Kayang-kaya
• Dagdag Padala sa Pamilya
• Pwedeng-Pwede Pala
• Ugnayan at Bahaginan sa Kaunlaran
• Isangguni sa bayan, and
• The OEA Social Marketing Program

The Balik sa Inang Bayan Investment certificates concept was forwarded to the Department of Finance in Nov.2004. The program expects to generate a minimum of $100 million in investments from Filipino expatriates in the United States and other countries in the first year of its implementations.

It has communicated with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for cooperation regarding its plan to conduct constituency building among GSIS beneficiaries and members. Its coordination with the Department of Land Reform on federation and confederation organizing among beneficiaries of the land reform programs of government; and with the Department of Science and Technology for the organizing of the country’s science and technology scholars.

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The National Food Authority (NFA) generated a total of P10.337 million for industry services, pilot plant operations, food quality and safety evaluation and special projects in 2004.

This highlighted the performance of the food agency’s Food Development Center in its accomplishment report submitted to Malacanang last December.

The NFA takes pride in the fact that rice prices remained stable even in the aftermath of the series of typhoons that hit the country toward the end of 2004, with retail prices of the basic food item ranging from P17.25/kilo to P21.50/kilo for regular milled rice, and from P20/kilo to P25/kilo for well-milled.

As part of its management efficiency and financial viability thrust, the NFA conducted seven management audits, 16 special audits, and inspected 6,209 properties valued at P41.2 million.

It also inspected 187 warehouses for a 57 percent accomplishment.

In its farmer support program, NFA posted a 96.5 percent accomplishment in the volume of raw local sugar procured for a total of 67,567 metric tons from its target of 70,000 mt.

It also imported a total of 866,158 mt of rice out of its 900,000 mt target or 96 percent.

In its entrepreneurial programs for farmers, the NFA posted a 91 percent accomplishment with 45,321 mt out of a target of 49,509 mt.

Marketing transactions between corn farmer-producers in Pangasinan and corn users in Lipa City were made through NFA’s corn marketing assistance program.

Procured seeds include the 5,185 mt Certified Seeds Inventory as of Oct. 31, 2003.

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LANUZA, Surigao del Sur—The world remains gripped by the horror and destruction wrought by the December 26 giant tsunami that hit 11 countries in Asia and Africa, but tsunamis of the gentler kind can also bring prosperity to a coastal hick towns in southern Philippines.

One such coastal hick town is Lanuza in Surigao del Sur which is blessed with a world class surfing round that makes one of the country’s surfing destinations.

Lanuza’s sea waves are decidedly first class for surfing. Reputedly the second longest rolling waves in the world, they can make surfers ride up to 100 meters.

After hosting the First National Surfing Cup last year and the success of the Second National Surfing Festival recently, Lanuza Mayor Gery Irizari said he plans to institutionalize the event after realizing that surfing has started to stir economic activities in his municipality.

"During the first surfing event we only had one entertainment place and a few stores but now visitors and locals have many things to choose from. With surfing we can develop our place and make it known to the world," he said.

Caraga tourism director Dorothy Jean Pabayo said Lanuza can promote Surigao del Sur as one of the most beautiful provinces in the country through its surfing assets.

"Lanuza offers another kind of surfing experience and waves that will surely attract visitors. After seeing Lanuza, visitors will really go around to explore the rest of the province," she said.

Pabayo encourages Lanuza folks to practice and develop the culture of tourism. She assured that DOT will always be there to support them and predicted that this year’s surfing influx will be bigger than last year’s.

On the other hand, Surigao del Sur’s second district Rep. Prospero Pichay, Jr. said he will set aside P5 million for infrastructure projects in the province that will support the next International Surfing Cup in Lanuza.

The infrastructure projects, he said, will include a foot bridge that would give people a better view of the surfing games and a surfers camp where the visitors can stay since the place has no hotels or inns yet.

Even without hotels Lanuza Mayor Gery Irizari said he is hopeful overseas Filipinos would invest in his town since Lanuza is a tourist destination with or without surfing.

Irizari said that with the 119 participants from all over the country from Siargao, Surigao City, Davao City, Aurora, La Union, Samar, Catanduanes, Tandag and the locals competing for the junior, senior, and mediate divisions, it only shows that Lanuza is already attracting surfers.

He also vowed to monitor logging in the mountains since it could damage the surfing areas; take good care of their coastal resources through the Lanuza Bay Development Alliance that involves seven towns pursuing coastal management programs.

Irizari said the surfing festival does not only boost the tourism potential of the locality but the entire province as well.

"It will spur economic growth and sustain countryside development. It can be remembered that Lanuza was the 2002 Cleanest and Greenest Municipality of the Philippines (Pambayan Category)," he said.

Aside from surfing, tourists can also wander and explore the area’s wetland estuarine sanctuary and marine parks, and take a refreshing dip at Magkawas Falls, which is surrounded by lush vegetation. (PNA)

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CEBU CITY – Massive deforestation, blamed for the recent massive floods and landslides that killed thousands of people in Quezon, Aurora and Nueva Ecija, also threatens to erase from the national landscape a good number of the Philippines’ indigenous wildlife species.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) data show that about 60 years ago, more than half of the country’s 30 million hectares of land was blanketed with forests. Forest-to-man ratio then was 1.13 hectares.

In the 1990s, DENR said only 6.7 million ha. of forestland in the entire archipelago had a respectable forest cover, and the forest-to-man ratio had dwindled alarmingly to 0.1-hectare per Filipino.

Due to serious forest degradation, native wildlife, many endangered species, are quietly being dislodged from their natural habitats.

Waling-waling or Vanda Sanderiana, known as the "Queen of Philippine Orchids," has been having problems surviving in the diminishing Philippine forests.

DENR noted that the waling-waling’s extinction has been somehow deterred by its garden culture by many orchid enthusiasts in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Hawaii.

Waling-waling, known as one of the world’s largest orchid species, was discovered in 1882 by taxonomist Heinrich Gustav Reincheinback in Mindanao.

Its discovery led to the development of thousands of colorful and attractive vandaceous hybrids that are now part of the world’s multi-billion dollar orchid and cutflower industry.

The waling-waling grows on tree trunks in the rainforests of Davao, Sultan Kudarat and other parts of Mindanao and blooms only once a year, between July and October.

According to DENR, however, the continuous plunder of this prized specie has brought it to near extinction. Add to this plunder the continued denudation of Philippine forests and one can see how threatened the specie is.

Of the about 8,000 flowering plants in the world, some 3,500 are endemic or found only in the Philippines, DENR said.

Unfortunately, however, the Philippines’ forest cover has been destroyed at the rate of 2.5 percent annually during the last 20 years or about three times the world average rate of forest devastation.

Also quietly threatened is the Philippine Eagle, known scientifically as Pithecophaga jefferyi, also called the monkey-eating eagle.

The bird is considered one of the largest in the world and is found only in the Philippines. It lives in the rainforests of Mindanao, Samar, Leyte and the provinces in Luzon straddled by the Sierra Madre and Cordillera ranges, notably Isabela and Cagayan.

The Philippine Eagle shares similarities with Papua New Guinea’s Harpy Eagle (Harpyopsis novaeguinea). It measures about one meter in length, with gray and white underparts, bluish bill, yellow feet and dark brown tail.

The adult eagle has generally dark brown dorsal feathers with a flabby white chest. Its most noticeable feature is its 76-centimeter highly arched, powerful bill.

It lives on large snakes, hornbills, civet cat, flying lemurs and monkeys, the reason why it is also called monkey-eating eagle. The bird builds its nest atop large trees some 30 meters above the ground, which serve as natural platforms from where it surveys the landscape.

DENR estimates the Philippine Eagle’s population today at about 100 to 300. The number clearly shows how endangered it to extinction. It is one of the 400 exotic bird species in the country which will disappear from the face of the earth if not protected, DENR said.

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