To be a journalist is to act like a "tribune" that essays the truthful "journal" of every story of our "times", big or small, front page or inside page, "BIG NEWS" or even the last story before the closing credits roll;
To be a journalist is to hold a "mirror" in front of you to regularly and faithfully check the convictions and principles of what a "free press" truly stands for;
To be a journalist is to sometimes embrace your own celebrity and be a "star" that sets and upholds the "standards" of what the Filipinos of " today " are fighting for;
Ang maging mamamahayag ay tulad ng isang "bulgar" na pahina na hindi puwedeng maging sisidlan ng anumang pagbaluktot sa katotohanan, bagkus siya pa ngang lagusan upang ito ay mai-"bandera" at mai-"balita" ang mga kuwentong dapat na marining at ma-"tiktikan."
Ang maging mamamahayag ay ang pagsisiguro ng pananatili at pagsulong ng isang "malaya" at walang kinikilingang pag-"PAPATROL" , sa bawat araw, "24-0ras" dahil ang bawat kuwento ay kailangang pulsuhan, may buhay, tila isang "NEWSBEAT" na kailangang ma-"CAPTURED" dahil walang take two sa isang breaking news, walang cut, walang re-take;
Ang maging mamamahayag ay maging "SAKSI" sa "SENTRO" ng bawat pahina ng kasaysayan upang ito ang mai-"BANDILA" sa sambayanan;
Ang maging mamamahayag ay DAPAT laging sa NGALAN NG KATOTOHANAN AT TUNAY NA PAGLILINGKOD.
A SYMBOLIC POLITICAL INVESTMENT FROM CHINA
September 24, 2007
Coming after the suspension of the $329-million National Broadband Network deal between the Philippine Government through the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and ZTE Corporation of China is another initiative that would have the mark of China in one of the projected legacy project of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The project: the development of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) inside the Clark Economic Zone in Pampanga.
The amount projected as a direct investment from China: a whooping $1.6-billion!
This time though, every document is being exposed to the public by the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) for this one is not a government to government loan but a direct investment from China through a Chinese-Filipino consortium responsible for the unsolicited proposal for this project using the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme.
"We want everything to be transparent and we went on a mission to Beijing with a direct instruction from the President that we should ensure that this will not bring any cost to the government," Nestor Mangio, CIAC Chairman told me in an exclusive interview.
The truth is—I was actually allowed access to the meeting between the Philippine delegation led by Mangio with one of the top officials of the China Development Bank (CDB) held in Beijing last September 14, a Friday. CDB is one of the biggest state-owned banks of China which handles overseas or foreign investments.
Articulating the stand and interest of CDB to fund the development and expansion of DMIA as a premier gateway and logistics hub in the Asia Pacific Region, Zhao Jianping, Vice Governor of the state-owned bank told the Philippine delegation, " We are a bank that honors our word."
What he meant by honoring their word is the fact that this is actually the second meeting between him and Mangio. The first meeting took place last March of 2007.
Zhao also emphatically mentioned throughout the meeting with Philippine officials from Clark that what they are about to do is not "help", not even an "assistance" but a form of "cooperation". In my interview with Zhao after the meeting, I asked him if China is playing the role of a "big brother" to the Philippines. His response, "No, it's not a case of somebody helping somebody. We are facilitators. We try to see the overall situation and work on a condition that would be mutually and bilaterally beneficial for the two countries. It's cooperation."
I am actually surprised when Zhao agreed to be interviewed on-camera because I was told earlier that I cannot do an ambush interview and that will have to be arranged first with questions forwarded before the interview. But I took my chance—and he gave me 5-minutes of on-cam interview to supplement the meeting that took place that was recorded on a personally owned digital camera.
But reading between the lines, if I may, the enormous amount of $1.6-billion may just be a small amount of investment for the government of China for the more permanent and historic effect that investment will give them.
Clark as we all know is the former home of the biggest Military Air Facility of the United States outside in the Asia Pacific Region. The location of Clark, needless to say, is strategic, both from a security, political and yes—economic perspective.
Should this investment push through—it will be noted in the pages of history, that China spent billions of dollars in transforming a former US-military base as a competitive international airport and logistics hub in the Asia Pacific Region.
Related article is also the banner of today's issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, where I contribute exclusive stories. (end)








