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| 02 MARCH 2008 | . | |
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| 02 MARCH 2008 | . | |
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Search for truth shouldn't be based on opinion |
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High prices of mining commodities perk up country's mining sector |
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PGMA leads Go Negosyo Celebrity Edition book launch |
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| Search for truth shouldn't be based on opinion |
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Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said today that
mere opinions and worse, innuendos and hearsays, can never lead to the
truth.
Bunye was referring to the Interfaith Rally staged last Friday in Makati City which was dominated by the key anti-administration figures calling for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In his column, “View From The Palace,” Bunye cited the widely disparate crowd estimates as illustrative of “what is fact and what is opinion.” The police estimated that the attendees at the Makati gathering would not have exceeded 15,000 while the rally organizers estimated the crowd at more than 75,000. “The ‘search for truth’ can never be based on opinion. More so, it can never be based on innuendo nor on hearsay.” Bunye explained that “the more we rely on opinion and, worse, on innuendo and hearsay, the farther we will be away from the truth.” The “disparity stems from the fact that both are opinions,” he said, adding that “neither side attempted to establish the actual area occupied by the crowd, and multiply the area by crowd density.” He pointed out that crowd “density can be established by empirical evidence. Example: One square meter can physically accommodate four persons of average size. But that would not really happen. A person waving a placard would in all probability occupy the whole one square meter.” To get the area occupied by the crowd, “simply get the length and width of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas, actually occupied by the rallyists, net of the center islands and areas occupied by vehicles,” Bunye said. |
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| High prices of mining commodities perk up country's mining sector |
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Forecasts by mining authorities that the prevailing high prices of mining
commodities could continue until 2010 or even 2016 bodes well not only for
the mining sector but also for the whole country, according to Press
Secretary Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye. The growth of the mining “industry will surely allow ordinary Filipinos to benefit, not just through employment in mining companies amid the surrounding communities, but by investing in, and profiting from, mining stocks,” he said in his column The View from the Palace. Bunye was commenting on the outcome of the highly successful lecture series, Going Public and Building Confidence – How to Undertake an IPO, in Makati City last Friday. The eighth in a series of lectures on the mining industry organized by the Chamber of Mines of the Philippnes and the Philippine Stock Exchange over the last few months at the Intercontinental Ballroom in Makati City, the lectures drew various prominent businessmen, mining professionals, service providers, investment bankers and mining company executives. The forum attendees were “undoubtedly encouraged by the forecasts of the speakers from UBS AG that today’s high prices for mining commodities can be expected to continue until 2010, or even 2016 if the demand from China continues,” Bunye said. He noted that investors in the “mining industry are among the most appreciative of the fertile ground for investment that the President (Arroyo) has worked hard to achieve.” The Palace official pointed out that also in Manila last week was a mining mission organized by Austrade, which included visits outside Metro Manila. “Members of the (Austrade) delegation who have been traveling here for a number of years have had a chance to compare the ‘wait and see attitude’ of many companies from just a few years ago back to their ‘gung ho’ attitude about the Philippines today,” Bunye said. “We certainly should not let them down by continuing to streamline procedures in the government bureacracy, ensuring consistency in policies, and providing stability in leadership,” he added. The government foresees investments in the mining sector to exceed $10 billion by 2011. This year alone, investments in the sector is expected to reach $892 million, and surge further to $1.4 billion in 2009. China’s demand for mining commodities, which is expected to grow by about 10 percent, is fueling a mining boom in the country which has huge mineral resources waiting to be tapped. |
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| PGMA leads Go Negosyo Celebrity Edition book launch |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was the special guest of honor at the
launch of the Go Negosyo Celebrity Edition book at the Music Hall of the SM
Mall of Asia in Pasay City this afternoon. Looking relaxed in a white printed silk blouse with matching white pants, the President led the guests in signing the second installment of the highly successful Go Negosyo series of coffee table books showcasing the stories of simple and well-known personalities who took the plunge and became successful entrepreneurs. Among the celebrities whose success stories got top-billing in the new book are actors Cesar Montano, Aga Muhlach, and Lorna Tolentino; broadcast journalists Tintin Bersola-Babao and Ces Oreña-Drillon and fashion icons Rajo Laurel, Fanny Serrano and Tessa Prieto-Valdes. The President signed an initial five Go Negosyo Celebrity Edition books, signaling the formal launch and availability of the book to the public. She congratulated the book and Go Negosyo main man, Joey Concepcion for his persistence in coming up with inspirational stories on putting up one’s business. In his welcome remarks, Concepcion said that he hopes that the book will inspire “someone” to become an entrepreneur and open up his own business. After all, Concepcion said, “the answer to the alleviation of poverty in the Philippines is to create or put up businesses, which in turn creates opportunities for others to earn.” The President also had a brief photo session with most of the book’s main personality features and proponents of the Go Negosyo advocacy before returning to Malacañang Palace. |
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