#the main city is its own province/region but the metro area is part of the Buenos Aires province

[ericvilas]

#i can imagine having opinions about my city but my province is 'it exists i guess'

Lucky for those of us on this side of the highway, I can have opinions about both simultaneously!

this is something i’ve always been curious about because of how every state in the usa seems to be hated so viciously.

[ahmeddawn]

The Philippines. Manila and Boracay Basics: Top Things to Know Before You Go

What You Need to Know About the Philippines, Manila and Boracay

My month-long Philippines trip is just around the corner and I wanted to put together a short intro to the Philippines, Manila and Boracay.

The Philippines: What You Need to Know

The Philippines is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia, in the Pacific Ocean. The Philippines is made up of 7,640 islands, 2,000 of which are inhabited. The country is broadly categorized in three main geographical divisions:

Luzon - This is the largest, northernmost island. Manila is a part of it.

Visayas - The major islands Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, and Masbate.

Mindanao – In the south. This is the second largest island.

Manila: What You Need to Know

Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is a densely-populated metropolis located on a bay of Luzon (one of over 7,000 Philippine islands). Manila has a population of about 15 million in a 240 sq mi area, making it the most or one of the most densely-populated cities in the world.

The City of Manila is the capital of the Philippines and is made up of 16 administrative districts like Binondo, Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Quiapo, and more.

The greater Metropolitan Manila area or Metro Manila is officially called the National Capital Region (NCR). Metro Manila made up of cities like the City of Manila, Makati, Quezon City, Parañaque, Pasay, Taguig, and more.

Boracay: What You Need to Know

With its powdery white-sand beaches and tranquil turquoise water, Boracay is a paradise on Earth. Boracay covers only 10km and the narrowest point is only 1km. Boracay is located in the western region of Visayas, in the Aklan province, under the jurisdiction of Malay.

Boracay has received various recognitions from top travel magazines such as the Best Island in Asia award from Travel + Leisure and the Top Island in the World from Condé Nast Traveler.

The most popular beach in Boracay is the White Beach (it’s also the biggest), but there are many other world-class beaches exist such as Puka Shell Beach, Bulabog Beach, Diniwid Beach and Ilig-Iligan Beach.  All these beaches have white sand and they are unique their own ways.

Boracay White Beach is divided into 3 sections: Station 1, 2 and 3. These stations are essentially the north, middle and south parts of the beach.

Station 1: Wider Beach & Luxury Resorts

Boracay’s famous visual landmark Willy’s Rock is in Station 1. Here you will find most of the luxurious hotels and resorts. Station 1 is comparatively quieter than Station 2. 

The water is shallow and the beach is wider here with no separate walking path. Station 1 has the finest stretch of white sand.

Only a few clubs are in the same proximity within a short walking distance if you want to enjoy the Boracay nightlife.

Station 2: The Centre

This is the middle part of Boracay and the most crowded, with an assortment of shops and restaurants. You will find many mid-range hotels and resorts. The water is still shallow but not as much like Station 1.

The biggest D’mall sits right in the middle of Station 2. There is a seafood market, D’Talipapa, located in the south. You will find lots of bars, live music, and 3 clubs where you can experience the Boracay Nightlife.

Station 3: Nature and Tranquility

This is the quietest station with lots of greenery and lots of budget-friendly hotels. The beach is a lot steeper here. There are only a handful of laid-back bars and one club for nightlife.

[americanmuslimtoday]

American muslim today

More than 90 Muslim candidates are running for office across America in 2020. American muslim today, First Muslim American state, First Muslim Chaplain, New York City Muslims work, Muslims give back, Muslims Resolved To Give Back, Muslim mental wellness. Visit here for More info- https://americanmuslimtoday.com. South America culture might be the blend of nearly the 1/2 of the way of life of the world. This mainland includes its own way of life which was encouraged through the local people who were the underlying part and occupant of the incredible landmass.

This culture had its own one of a kind convention and legacies. Later the standard culture was depending on another societies. Of these different societies there have been the ecu culture, the African culture and as of late the current culture which has commitment generally in the North America just as utilizing their organization territories of the world.

South America culture might be the rich absolute of incalculable from the main societies of the world. Joined with the indigenous culture which was created all through the Mayan progress, you will discover the impacts from the European culture which was through the colonizers inside this landmass. Additionally, South America have been nearly the focal situation from the slave exchange. Because of the slave exchange that contains the African individuals on the grounds that the slaves, in South America, African culture additionally created with these African individuals. The social assorted variety prompted a few social highlights too. The idea of religion appeared to be impacted which bring about the decent variety in religion in South America.

Culture of South America

The Cultures of South America utilize assorted social conventions. Remembered for this are the local societies from the people groups that possessed the landmasses before the appearance from the Europeans; European societies, brought generally by the Spanish, the Portuguese and furthermore the French; African societies, whose presence gets from the long great notoriety for New World servitude; and furthermore the Usa, especially through mass culture for instance film and TV. American muslim today, First Muslim American state, First Muslim Chaplain, New York City Muslims work, Muslims give back, Muslims Resolved To Give Back, Muslim mental wellness, Growing muslim philanthropy Ramadan, Metro area Muslims give back for Ramadan, Growing muslim philanthropy, News about Muslim Americans, latest news on American Muslims, American muslim today,  Muslim Americans news, News on American Muslims, Islam in the United States, American Muslims in the United States, American muslim today news, American Islam news today, Islamic news in america, News About Islam in America, American breaking news on islam, American breaking news on Muslims, American news on Muslims, American live on Muslims, Muslim news in america today

RELIGION

Roman Catholicism might be the prevailing religion (97%). French Guiana likewise offers a ton of Protestants. Guyana and Suriname are exemptions, with three significant religions: Christianity by and large, Hinduism, and Islam. In marsh South America, alongside the Andes, animism and shamanism are common, as noted one of the Urarina of Peruvian Amazonia.

Latin American music, now and then essentially called Latin music, incorporates the ambient sounds of nations in Latin America and is accessible in numerous assortments, in the basic, rustic conjunto music of northern Mexico towards the modern habanera of Cuba, in the orchestras of Heitor Villa-Lobos towards the simple and moving Andean woodwind. Music has had a huge influence in Latin America's fierce the ongoing past, as an illustration the nueva cancion development. Latin music is very various, utilizing the main genuinely bringing together string being utilizing Latin dialects, predominately spanish, the Portuguese language in Brazil, and furthermore less significantly, Latin-determined creole dialects for instance that present in Haiti.

Latin America could be part into a few melodic zones. Andean music, for example, incorporates the nations of western South America, commonly Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Venezuela; Central American music incorporates El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. Caribbean music incorporates numerous Spanish and French-talking islands in the caribbean Sea, including Haiti, tobago, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Martinique and Guadeloupe, despite the fact that the Francophone islands are erroneously not generally viewed as Latin while they be an outcome of Latin legacies simply like their Spanish and Portuguese cousins. Brazil maybe comprises its own special melodic zone, both because of the huge size and amazing assorted variety alongside its novel history like a Portuguese province. Despite the fact that Spain is definitely not an a piece of Latin America, Spanish music (and Portuguese music) and Latin American music emphatically cross-treated each other, yet Latin music likewise ingested impacts from English and American music, particularly, African music.

There are loads of differing kinds of Latin music the greater part of which comprises Afro-American melodic conventions, and accordingly parts of European, African and indigenous music are intertwined. Beforehand, different creators have recommended outrageous positions like Latin music being deprived of African impact, or simply being absolutely African with no European or indigenous components, yet it's currently commonly acknowledged that Latin music is inalienably syncretic. In particular, Spanish melody structures, African rhythms and European amicability are significant regions of tropical Latin music, much like the more prominent present day classifications for instance rock, weighty metal, punk, ska, rap, jazz, reggae and R&B.

Scarcely any could be noted without a doubt about music with what has become Latin America before the appearance of Europeans. Despite the fact that you will discover incredibly disengaged people groups inside the Amazon Basin and somewhere else which have had little association with Europeans or Africans, Latin music is almost totally an amalgamation of European, African and indigenous components. The serious developments from the pre-contact time incorporated the Mayan, Aztec and Incan domains. These societies had very much evolved melodic foundations which were "diminished to more straightforward levels and plans with the destruction or decline in the decision classes, and through the improvement of Christianity"

LATIN AMERICAN ART

Past the rich custom of indigenous craftsmanship, the presentation of Latin American visual workmanship owed much towards the impact of Spanish, Portuguese and French Baroque artistic creation, which frequently followed the patterns from the Italian Masters. For the most part, this masterful Eurocentrism began to blur in early a century ago, as Latin-Americans began to recognize the peculiarity of the condition and started to follow their own special way.

In the early a century ago, the ability of Latin America was incredibly enlivened through the Constructivist Movement. The Constructivist Movement was established in Russia around 1913 by Vladimir Tatlin. The Movement immediately spread from Russia to Europe after which into Latin America. Joaquin Torres Garcia and Manuel Rendon happen to be credited with bringing the Constructivist Movement into Latin America from Europe.

[twatkcox]

[#2021]

Really, 2020, what has gotten into you? It only took more than a couple of months before everything went haywire and causing a worldwide problem that’s so difficult to manage and control. I’m specifically referring to the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, which is still ongoing as of this post.

Anyway, let’s take a recap of all the things that happened in 2020:

I’ve published a total of 42 posts on TWATKcox-WP this year, which is slightly higher than last year.

I officially have a new job for the first time in six years, though I’m currently on a pay-per-work basis. Right now, I still don’t have my TIN (taxpayer’s identification number) and I don’t know if my previous company had already filed my TIN application at the BIR office in Makati. Well, I don’t want to risk getting multiple TINs, which is punishable under Philippine law.

TWATKcox’s 7th anniversary post features the seven things about me. Of course, it includes a very serious accident that left a scar on my scalp as a revelation, the last one on the list.

Taal Volcano in Batangas (south of Metro Manila) erupts, causing damage to houses and crops. Surrounding areas were also affected by the ash fall, prompting those living in nearby areas to hoard face masks.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), originating from Wuhan, China (ugh, China!), infects millions of people in almost 200 countries. Several planned events here and abroad (mainly concerts and conventions) were either postponed or canceled for safety reasons.

In late January, I managed to capture some interesting scenes during the Chinese New Year celebration in Binondo, Manila. As a safety precaution due to the possible threat of COVID-19 in the country, I decided to wear my face mask in the area.

I visited the newly-opened Ayala Malls Manila Bay right after Valentine’s day (which turned out to be the final mall-hopping trip before the lockdown), as well as some of the malls (particularly SM Mall Of Asia) in the Bay City area (Pasay). I managed to see my previous employer’s new building along Macapagal Boulevard up close, right next to W Mall (Waltermart).

I bought a lot of manga books earlier this year, including Attack On Titan (volume 9), Nura: Rise Of The Yokai Clan (volume 2), and Buso Renkin (volume 8). Aside from that, I also bought two large plastic storage boxes and four shoe boxes to store my manga collection and my collection of old magazines.

Since March 15, Metro Manila (and the rest of the Philippines) was placed under community quarantine in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. For more than two months, I was stuck at home writing fewer posts for my blog as well as downloading tons of stuff. I find it unimaginable not to leave the house at a time like this, but I managed to do so a few times.

For a while, we have to rely on food deliveries and online shopping sites, mainly for groceries, fresh produce, meat products, and essential items.

In June, an online portal (powered by Weebly) and a third Tumblr site (focusing on my own literary works and fan fiction) were launched. TWATKcox’s Weebly site still remains operational, though no longer updated since last year. Also, all of my Tumblr sites are now using the Strongest theme by Glenthemes.

The Otaku Diaries (previously as The Anime Diaries on TWATKcox-Tumblr) debuted on TWATKcox-WP with a different introduction. I’ve already published a few posts under that series.

In September, I had a third smartphone, a Mi A1 (which is passed down to me by my brother, who had just got a new phone) which is currently running a customized OS that is based on Pixel OS. It took me almost a week to set it up and then I messed it up with a bugged update, As a result, I had to set up the Mi A1 again. Right now, it didn’t get a lot of use since I still have my second smartphone (the Vivo Y53), but I’m actually using it to do various jobs off PC, such as writing various drafts, editing photos, and surfing the internet. Once the pandemic is over, I’ll be using it as a primary phone with the Vivo Y53 as a secondary/music phone, effectively retiring my first smartphone, the LG Optimus L3 II, which I’ve been using since 2014.

I celebrated my 30th birthday with a simple dinner. Nothing special, really. But I think it would’ve end up differently had the pandemic not happened.

A couple of strong typhoons hit the country: Typhoon Goni (Rolly) and Typhoon Vamco (Ulysses). Both typhoons caused serious damage to various parts of Luzon, including Bicol region, Cagayan Valley, Rizal province, and Marikina.

I managed to buy a lot of stuff, some of the items are bought online via Lazada. Among those I bought are a couple of micro SD cards (64 and 128 GB), a 10000 mAh power bank, and a USB hub with SD card reader. My PC got an upgrade too, including a brand new 4 TB hard drive to replace the failing 2 TB hard drive. Of course, I initially have plans to buy some new clothing and accessories, but I decided to hold off for now until the pandemic ends.

I celebrated my tenth year with WordPress. It’s been ten years since I joined the blog-hosting site (WordPress.com) to host my blogs The Kin Keihan Times (second iteration, December 2010 to January 2013, now called The Kin Keihan Times Archives) and The World According To KCOX (since January 2013). More than two years later, in January 2023, the latter will celebrate its tenth year in the cyberspace, another major milestone for my current blog.

As far as Christmas and New Year’s celebration is concerned, I couldn’t enjoy it despite my extreme anticipation for the holidays. Private gatherings are limited to about 10-20 people. Public gatherings are still prohibited, so there will be no New Year’s celebration parties around the country, as well as in other parts of the world.

Before the year ends, I created a new banner for TWATKcox-WP, using one of the edited pics from last year. Nothing special, really.

Right now, I don’t want to get my hopes up (I’m extremely disappointed about my canceled plans for this year, that’s what) so I won’t be listing down any of the upcoming events here. Same thing goes for my upcoming plans. The only things you should look forward to this 2021 are the main blog’s 8th anniversary and a handful of special posts. Whether or not I’ll get to finish the planned literary special and the autobiography will depend on the COVID-19 situation in the country. If things won’t improve by then, I might be forced to drop these projects altogether.

Frankly speaking, 2020 doesn’t deserve a place in world history. I was hoping that this cursed year be erased from this planet’s existence.

The world is greatly suffering from COVID-19 and it will take a while for this pandemic to end. So, it looks like I won’t have a great new year ahead as well.

And so, I won’t end this with a greeting. Just stay safe, stay healthy, and together, we’ll beat the sh*t out of this f***ing coronavirus that ruined our lives. Yeah, 2020, you��re the worst year in history, ever.

[scrambledgegs]

Treading Unchartered Waters: The Philippine Water Crisis Goes On

The Water Crisis of the 1990s

    To shed some light on how the water crisis of the Philippines had escalated to staggering proportions in the 1990s, one must dig a little deeper into history. The 20-year Marcos dictatorship had set the climate for water problems and system inefficiencies to prevail when cronies and monopolies in almost every industry, commanded the private and public sectors. Its aftermath left the country in shambles. Despite the initial victory of the 1986 People Power Revolution, it was an uphill battle for succeeding President “Cory” Aquino, having to maneuver around and dissolve long-standing political factions, opponents and corrupt protocols within the government, military and private sector. She also had to deal with a number of coup d’etats, a turbulent power crisis and basically trying to right the grave mistakes of her predecessor, that fixing water problems was not on her immediate list of priorities.

    Prior to the 1997 Water Concession Agreements, government-controlled Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) both regulated and distributed water in Metro Manila. Inefficiencies, incompetence and corruption in management pervaded the MWSS. [1]Non-revenue water was at a high of more than 60% due to leaks in pipes and widespread water theft. Metro Manila was experiencing constant water shortages; some areas had no water at all. MWSS’s other problem was financing. They were “deeply indebted to foreign creditors—the debts estimated at almost $900 million” (ADB 2008). Come 1994, it was during the Ramos administration (1992-1998) where President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) sought to kill two birds with one stone by engaging the private sector to participate in a competitive bidding process which would privatize water, at the same time, resuscitate MWSS from its debts. Winners would handle water distribution, while the MWSS would be reduced to just the regulatory body.  

Preparations for Water Privatization

    According to a book written by senior civil servant in charge of the privatization, Mark Dumol (2000): After consultation and thorough research on successful water concession agreements done in foreign countries such as in Paris, France and Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Ramos administration patterned the water privatization and bidding process after such successful examples. They also sought technical assistance from multilateral agencies, such as, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and The International Finance Corporation (IFC) which is part of the World Bank, to help draft the terms of reference and budget.

     Firstly, the Ramos administration began the tedious process of revamping MWSS’s leadership and employees and fixing internal operations to make MWSS efficient, and thus, attractive to bidders. Secondly, they also carefully designed the criteria and qualifications of the bidders that would be of the highest standards, and once they procured these pre-qualified bidders, they then proceeded with a transparent, fair and highly-publicized competitive bidding process. Below are excerpts from Dumol (2000):

Change in leadership and reduction of employees at MWSS

    “In 1995, because of certain controversies, President Ramos decided to relieve the current MWSS Administrator. The President also asked the entire Board to submit their courtesy resignations.” FVR was then able to convince the highly respected and competent Angel Lazaro III to take on the role of Administrator (Dumol 2000). Moreover, “based ADB data, MWSS was, in fact, one of the most overstaffed water utilities in the region…Ordinarily, civil service rules would have made it difficult for to reduce the labor force. Fortunately, the [2]Water Crisis Act was the godsend. The Act provided MWSS with the legal basis to reduce its workforce. MWSS worked with labor and came out with an attractive compensation package. The package was so appealing that more than 30% of the employees accepted it” (Dumol 2000).

Splitting the Franchise Area into Two Zones

    The idea to split the franchise area of Metro Manila into two zones – the East and West Zones, was supposedly inspired by what transpired in Paris. “It was explained to [the Ramos administration] that Paris was split into two zones: the left and right banks of the Seine River. The two concessionaires were the two large French water companies, Compagnie Generale des Eaux and Lyonnaise des Eaux. Intuitively, this model was appealing because of the quasi-competition that it fostered. Consumers could compare service quality of the two concessionaires. Each company would try to outdo the other. There would also be some benchmarks or comparisons between the two zones” (Dumol 2000). However, the differences between the two zones, in terms of residents’ demographics, population and other socio-economic factors, also resulted in differences in water tariffs. This too gave way to some difficulties later on.

    The East Zone comprises 23 cities and municipalities. “They are Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Marikina, most parts of Quezon City, portions of Manila, and 14 areas in the province of Rizal” (Rivas 2019). The West Zone comprises 17 cities and municipalities. “It covers most of Manila, areas in Quezon City, areas in Makati, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, and Malabon, as well as Bacoor, Imus, Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario, which are in Cavite province” (Rivas 2019).

Figure 1. Source: ADB 2008

Pre-Qualified Bidders

    The final roster was composed of international water operators and local lead firms, but the Ramos administration “made it clear to all the bidders that the winning concessionaires need to be 60% Filipino-owned and that management of the firm had to be in Filipino hands” (Dumol 2000). They are as follows:

1.     International Water (composed of United Utilities of the United Kingdom and Bechtel Corporation of the United States) and Ayala Corporation

2.     Lyonnaise des Eaux (France) and Benpres Holdings (The Lopez Group)

3.     Compagnie Generale des Eaux (France) and Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV)

4.     Anglian Water International (United Kingdom) and Metro Pacific Corporation.

 The Winners

    The actual bidding day was held on January 23, 1997. “Ayala and Lopez-led Benpres both won the bidding and formed Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services, respectively. They got not only contracts, but also absorbed MWSS's debts. Manila Water took the East Zone, and Maynilad got hold of the West Zone” (Rivas 2019).

The 1997 Water Concession Agreements

    “The 1997 Water Concession Agreements and the MWSS were mandated to enter into PPP arrangements under Republic Act No. 8041. It entered into two concessions for water, wastewater and sanitation services, one for West Zone (Manila Water) and one for East Zone (Maynilad). Each concession was for 25 years with ambitious performance targets.” Firstly, “the concession agreement called for the two concessionaires to provide 24-hour water supply that meets water quality standards and maintains certain pressure levels” as stipulated in the contract. It also bound the “concessionaires to the following service connection targets (Figure 2):” (ADB 2008)

Figure 2. East and West Zone: service connection targets. Source: ADB 2008

     Below are other related main points of the contract with regards to services and tasks to be rendered:

A. To undertake nationwide consultations on the water crisis and in depth and detailed study and review of the entire water supply and distribution structure;”

- To establish the foundation of the water supply

B. To enhance and facilitate cooperation and coordination between Congress and the executive department in formulating and implementing the government's water crisis management policy and strategy;”

- To make it clear the responsibility and who is going to execute

C. To recommend measures that will ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the entire water supply and distribution system of the country;”

- To set up Q&A and monitoring rules for the system

D. To conduct continuing studies and researches on policy options, strategies and approaches to the water crisis including experiences of other countries similarly situated, and to recommend such remedial and legislative measures as may be required to address the problem.”

- To expand the learning and strategy for the act

    Secondly, another important provision in the contract that has become a primary point of debate through the years is what is known as [3]rate-rebasing. It is the process by which the private concessionaires can increase or change water tariffs based on certain circumstances, such as, but not limited to, “adjustments based on inflation (CPI) and price adjustment covering extraordinary events” (ADB 2008). According to a political and economic blog by Padilla (2009), “the concessionaires are entitled to adjust their basic rates every five years throughout the contract to achieve a guaranteed rate of return. During the rate rebasing exercise, the concessionaires submit their previous five-year performance, their new five-year business plans and their proposed tariffs to implement it, which the [4]MWSS-Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) reviews and approves” (Padilla 2009).

    As a result, revenue assumptions and efficiencies to be achieved in the short-term were overly optimistic and ambitious. In the months and years that followed, unprecedented events such as the Asian Financial Crisis which caused foreign exchange issues, caused both conglomerates and the MWSS to eventually agree to tariff increases. This will be discussed shortly.

    Thirdly, the concessionaires also “had to service MWSS’s foreign debt through annual payments of concession fees and the posting of a USD 120 million performance bond. Given that the West Zone had the more developed infrastructure and larger customer base…[they] were assumed to require less capital infusion. Maynilad was made responsible for paying back 90% of MWSS’s debts (approximately USD 800 million).” History will later show us that “this skewed division of foreign debt service responsibilities was a major contributor to Maynilad’s downfall” (ADB 2008).

Issues that emerged in the years that followed

The 1997 Asian Financial crisis (1997-1998)

    The tail-end of the Ramos administration was plagued with complications brought about by the advent of the [3]Asian Financial crisis in July 1997. Also known as the “Asian Contagion”, the Philippine Peso (Php), along with the Thai Baht (THB) and several other Asian currencies, suffered a tremendous devaluation against the USD. The USD/Php went from Php 26 to Php 41 in a single year, a 57.69% change, and then to Php 50 the following year, for a total of a 100% change in two years. Actually, compared to our counterparts in the region, the Philippines was already little better off, yet one disastrous effect was that entities who had borrowed heavily in USD, experienced rates soaring to almost 20%. Most found themselves unable to repay their foreign debt, especially if they were not USD-earning firms. Among these firms in deep financial trouble due to their inherited USD debt, coupled with the wrong management decisions, was the Lopez contingent of Maynilad.

     According to an excerpt from a book appropriately entitled, A Tale of Two Concessionaires: A Natural Experiment of Water Privatisation in Metro Manila, Wu & Nepomoceno (2008) wrote, “Maynilad incurred high costs, in part because it awarded contracts to affiliates of Suez without competitive bidding. It also brought in new staff from its mother-company Benpres, who were inexperienced in water supply…Maynilad thus invested in expanding access in the Western zone, but due to its business model and the heavy load of inherited foreign-currency debt, it soon ran into financial difficulties” (Wu & Nepomoceno 2008).

Figure 3. USD/Php rates, 1950-2009. Source: The Coffee Blogspot

The Estrada Administration (1998-2001)

    Sure enough, Maynilad found themselves in trouble. “In an effort to recover from foreign exchange losses, Maynilad petitioned for tariff increases and was granted an extraordinary price adjustment in 2000” (ADB 2008). However, increased water tariffs still could not cover their losses. “By April 2001, Maynilad stopped paying the concession fee to the government altogether. To avoid bankruptcy, the government had to provide financing from state-owned Filipino banks to MWSS. International banks were unwilling to lend to Maynilad after the Financial Crisis, and the owners were not willing to inject more equity” (Wu & Nepomoceno 2008). Investors, globally and domestically alike, were also naturally jittery and risk-averse during these years due to the instabilities brought about by the administration’s controversies such as, the [4]1999 BW Resources stock manipulation scandal and the double homicide case of Emmanuel Corbito and Bubby Dacer. All of which the President “Erap” Estrada was allegedly involved with, ultimately leading to his Impeachment Trial in 2000. These events had further undermined the credibility and integrity of the Philippine economy.

    In contrast, Ayala-led Manila Water engaged in the complete opposite of what the Lopez Group had done, and their success was said to have been achieved and sustained through innovation, “corporate governance practices and prudent financial management” (Wu & Nepomoceno 2008). They were able to “reduce their non-revenue water significantly from 58% to 35%, whereas in the West Zone non-revenue water increased from 64% to 69%. Manila Water initially did not invest in system expansion in its Eastern Zone. It focused on reducing non-revenue water and initially borrowed only small amounts in local currency. It bid out works competitively and gained the trust of former MWSS employees who were trained in relevant fields. Only a few top positions were filled with outsiders seconded from its mother-company, Ayala, or its foreign partners. Manila Water used a "territory management" approach to reduce non-revenue water, under which decentralized operating units were responsible for decisions about appropriate actions. Staff evaluation and compensation were linked to their performance” (Wu & Nepomoceno 2008).

Figure 4. Non-revenue water (NRW), Manila Water and Maynilad. Source: MWSS Regulatory Office

Arroyo Administration (2001-2010)

    “In the first 5 years of the concession agreement, water tariffs remained low, until the first actual rate-rebasing took place in 2002” (Freedom from debt Coalition 2008). Maynilad’s rate hike was substantially higher than that of Manila Water (Figure 5). This stark discrepancy was already the foreshadowing of what was to happen next. To make the long story short, Maynilad eventually went bankrupt in 2003, and in 2006 (finalized in January 2017), 84% of their stake was acquired by (through competitive re-bidding) to the consortium of DM Consunji Holdings, Inc (DMCI) and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC). The “new Maynilad” also then underwent a grueling corporate restructuring. (ADB 2008)

Figure 5. Historical average tariffs of Maynilad and Manila Water, 1997-2012

    It was also during this term that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) extended the water concession agreements to the year 2037. The 25-year contracts were supposed to end by 2022, but GMA believed that her foresight to foster continuity would push both conglomerates to make better long-term investment plans and inject more capital into their businesses. The effects of this decision will be discussed below.

Aquino Administration (2010-2016)

    Again, another round of disagreements on water tariffs emerged between the conglomerates and the Philippine government during the Aquino administration, and thus, they went into arbitration in Singapore to settle the dispute. However, it was only in 2019, during the Duterte administration where the Tribunal of Singapore had ruled in favor of both Maynilad and Manila Water. This will also be further discussed in depth below.

Current Issues in the Duterte Administration (2016-Present)

The 2019 Water Crisis

    It was in March 2019, when another water crisis struck Metro Manila. Water services were suddenly cut off last March 7, 2019, and homes almost everywhere did not have water for an extended period. These water interruptions brought into question the efforts of the 1997 Concession Agreements of Manila Water and Maynilad, and where we are today in terms of the state of the country’s water services. An article from Rappler aimed to explain the reasons behind the recent water shortages. Rivas (2019) wrote, “Both Maynilad and Manila Water draw the water they supply from the Angat Dam, which is located in Norzagaray, Bulacan. Angat Dam supplies 96% of the water demands of Metro Manila. The dam lets out 4,000 million liters per day (MLD) for both Maynilad and Manila Water, where 2,400 MLD is allocated to Maynilad, while Manila Water gets 1,600 MLD. From Angat Dam, water flows to Ipo Dam, then to La Mesa Dam in Quezon City” (Rivas 2019). However, Manila Water is experiencing difficulty keeping up with the demand, as demand has gone up to an average of 1,740 MLD, higher than the company’s Angat Dam allocation of 1,600 MLD. This said deficit was then supplied by water from the La Mesa Dam, but the country then experienced El Niño in March as well which further exacerbated the situation. (Rivas 2019) While Angat Dam’s water level is still normal at over 200 meters, La Mesa dam’s level is already very problematic” (Rivas 2019). Because of the low water level of La Mesa Dam, water can no longer reach the gates of the aqueducts, as illustrated below:

 Figure 6. La Mesa Dam. Source: Rappler

      During that critical period, Manila Water deployed floating pumps to draw out water from the dam. They also said that they planned network adjustments to balance water supply allocation across distribution areas. However, they also admitted that they assumed customers would collect water only during regular hours, but when the advisories were sent out, the demand surged even from areas not covered in the announcements. The demand surge greatly reduced water pressure and supply levels across the distribution network. Consequently, reservoir volume in several areas dropped below minimum level, preventing water supply from reaching elevated communities. These events, per Manila Water, had caused the service interruptions – particularly in communities that did not get advisories.

    The facts on increased demand are also supported by MWSS Chief Regulator, Atty. Patrick Ty, in a statement where he said, “the population keeps increasing, and [Manila Water] can’t reduce their non-revenue water below 12% anymore (international standard is 20%).” According to Manila Water, they had already predicted as early as 2010 that water supply would be insufficient, given the population boom in the capital. In fact, they said that the crisis could have happened in early 2018, but a typhoon somewhat "saved" the city and filled up the dams with much-needed water. Manila Water also indicated that they had proposed several projects and potential water sources, but these were not green-lighted by government One of these projects is the Kaliwa Dam which will be discussed shortly.

     As an immediate solution to above-mentioned water shortage crisis, President Duterte ordered the MWSS and water concessionaires to “release” water from Angat Dam good to for 150 days. It was reported that water services improved since these government interventions and also with help of Maynilad. Maynilad also gave an additional 10 MLD of their raw water allocation from Angat Dam, but Maynilad cannot keep allotting their allocations to Manila Water. They also “need their allocation or else there might be water interruptions in the western side…Their non-revenue water is at 40%, but they need to reduce it to 20%, and they are safe” (excerpt from Atty. Patrick Ty, MWSS Chief Regulator).

     Manila Water has also since then, activated its new water facility in Cardona, Rizal. The facility will eventually provide a total of 100 MLD once fully operational. Additionally, San Miguel Corporation’s Bulacan Bulk Water has also stepped in by providing potable water from its untapped 140 MLD through trucks and in coordination with local government units and MWSS. (Rivas 2019)

Arbitration Award that angered President Duterte

    Months after the March 2019 water interruptions, on November 29, 2019, Manila Water made a public disclosure through the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) regarding the arbitration proceedings they (as well as Maynilad) underwent during the Aquino administration:

“Please be informed that Manila Water Company, Inc. (“Manila Water” or the “Company”) has received from its legal counsel the Award (the “Award”) rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal (“Tribunal”) in the arbitration proceedings between the Company and the Republic of the Philippines (the “Republic”) constituted under the Permanent Court of Arbitration (“PCA”), with proceedings held in Singapore.

     As it turned out, the Tribunal in Singapore had ruled in favor of Manila Water that they have a “right to indemnification for actual losses suffered by it on account of the [Philippine government’s] breach of its obligation. The Tribunal ordered the [Philippine government] to indemnify Manila Water the amount of Php 7,390,000,000, representing the actual losses it suffered from June 1, 2015 to November 22, 2019, and to pay 100% of the amounts paid by Manila Water to the PCA and 85% of Manila Water’s other claimed costs” (Romero 2019).

     The timing of Manila Water’s announcement could not have been worse, as people were still somewhat reeling from the effects of the March 2019 water interruptions. Their pronouncement also called attention to the 1997 water concession agreement. A few days after the above disclosure, a very furious President Duterte lashed out at the media, threatening to file charges of “economic sabotage” against, not just Manila Water, but Maynilad as well, citing that the concession contracts of the two companies are disadvantageous to the public because they prohibit the government from adjusting water rates. (Romero 2019)

     In a separate news article, as reported by Business Mirror in December 5, 2019, Manila Water released a statement to hash out the details of the arbitration results, as it seemed to be not well-understood by the general public and the Duterte administration. They explained that the 1997 Concession Agreement contained a procedure for the adjustment of water rates in accordance with the MWSS Charter because “MWSS decided to pay our services and reimburse our costs with the water tariff that we collect…The arbitral award issued in our favor is for acts in breach of the procedure committed by officials of the previous administration, not the Duterte administration.”  Manila Water also said that they “wish to reiterate that [they] are more than willing and has started to work with the incumbent administration to come up with a workable solution to the arbitration decision” (BusinessMirror 2019).

     However, what came as a shock only a few days later, in a calculated move to appease President Duterte and perhaps maintain good public image, Manila Water made a stunning announcement. They waived their right to collect the amount rewarded to them from the Arbitral Tribunal of Singapore. They released another disclosure dated December 11, 2019:

1.     The Company will no longer collect the Php 7.39 Billion Award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal in the arbitration proceedings between the Company and the Republic of the Philippines constituted under the Permanent Court of Arbitration.;

2.     The Company will defer the implementation of the Approved Rate Adjustment effective 1 January 2020 and has signified its intention to establish a suitable arrangement with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

3.     The Company has agreed to and started discussions with the MWSS on the provisions of the Concession Agreement identified for renegotiation and amendment.

     Nevertheless, the President was still dissatisfied. He was on a witch hunt of sorts and still gave out marching orders to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to look into the 1997 concession contracts, and if they still indeed took hold. Valente (2019) of The Manila Times reported that [9]MWSS Administrator (Ret) Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Salamat stated that, “The MWSS and the concessionaires will exert all necessary efforts to comply with the directive of the President to execute a new water concession agreement after 2022 which is currently being drafted by the Department of Justice” (Valente 2019). After which, the MWSS revoked a board resolution created during the Arroyo administration that extended the contracts of the two firms from 2022 to 2037. It still remains to be seen if this is the final ruling. However, it is important to note that Salamat, made it clear that the 25-year concession agreements with Manila Water and Maynilad remained “valid and subsisting contracts.” He added that “this particular action of the board does not result in the rescission or outright cancellation of the said contracts, which requires a separate and distinct act to be legally effective” (Valente 2019).

“Onerous” Provisions?

    The MWSS as the regulatory body, had also been given the directive to renegotiate the concession agreements with Manila Water and Maynilad to remove the supposed “illegal and onerous provisions” which were determined by the DOJ. Other provisions that are to be beneficial to the consumers and the entire nation should be added as well. The alleged seven onerous provisions are as follows:  

1.     Water concessionaires were called “agents” instead of “public utility companies” when they are managing “public water”. This interpretation allows them to pass on to consumers their business expenses, including corporate income taxes. Unfortunately, the “legal interpretation” is still pending today in the Supreme Court.

2.     The “mere agents” explanation allows these companies to increase their return on investment to more than 12 percent (an imposition on public utility companies such as Meralco).

3.     Extension of the concession agreement even before the lapse of the original term. Water concession contracts extended in 2009 by 15 years by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo or exactly 13 years before these were set to expire in 2022.

4.     In the concession agreement, the national government or even Congress can’t interfere in water rate increases or the “yearly rate rebasing”

5.     Concession agreement assign exclusively to the MWSS Regulatory Office the burden of overseeing the concessionaires’ operations. The regulatory office is purely recommendatory and unable to impose fines and penalties on erring concessionaires.

6.     Both water companies fail to build adequate “sewerage facilities” in the last 22 years. In fact, the Supreme Court, by a 14-0 vote, fined each of them P921,464,184, on top of a daily fine of almost P322,102 subject to a 10-percent increase every two years.

7.     The original and extended concession agreements allow “government guarantees” for both Maynilad and Manila Water.

     Maynilad and Manila Water, being called as “agents” rather than “public utility companies” had certain implications on various areas such as taxation and revenue generation. Looking further into the ability of the water concessionaires’ ability to pass on their corporate income tax obligations to water consumers, while it is not illegal to do so, it is highly unusual for an entity dealing with public utility such as water to have this kind of ability. Furthermore, since they were dubbed as mere “agents”, they were allowed to establish more than 12% returns, as compared to other public utility entities like Meralco.

     In the Concession Agreement, an applied discount rate (ADR) was included which basically granted the water concessionaires a guaranteed rate of return on their expenses. It was even stipulated that rates should be “set at a level that will permit the Concessionaire to recover over the 25-year term of the concession operating, capital maintenance and investment expenditures efficiently and prudently incurred, Philippine business taxes and payments corresponding to debt service on the MWSS loans and concessionaire loans incurred to finance such expenditures, and to earn a rate of return on these expenditures for the remaining term of the concession.”.

Political Motivations and Tactics

    President Duterte’s threats to outright cancel the contracts of Manila Water and Maynilad, and instead, either open the field to new entrants or re-nationalize water are highly questionable and politically-charged. His ulterior motives must be assessed. There are many sides circulating about this. One opinion is that Duterte again, seems to be playing the populist; he wishes to appear to the public that he wants to lower water prices. However, the real case is that he is just really extorting money from the Ayalas in the guise of a pro-poor crusade. Secondly, another likely theory is that he is resorting to these tactics to divert public interest from another recent controversy – where the United States has canceled the visas of officials responsible in the alleged rigged proceedings and detention of Senator Leila de Lima.

     Nonetheless, both scenarios: maintaining the privatization of water concessions or re-nationalizing water in Metro Manila are issues that should be open to discussion.

Maintaining the privatization of water concessions

The Advantages

    The privatization of the MWSS’s water distribution leg was considered the solution to the then government-corporation’s poor service delivery performance of supplying water in Metro Manila, as well as the answer to the country’s huge foreign debt. The Ramos administration opened the water system to the concessions that offered distribution expansion, new water supply sources and a water system with reduced leaks (Dumol 2000).  

     To end the privatization of water in the Philippines means the country will revert to what it was prior to the 1997 Water Concession agreements. To delve into history again, before the privatization, MWSS maintained 825,000 water connections serving a total population of 7.21mio with 66.5% coverage, but billed only about 42.7% of its 3,000 million liters daily water production. Water availability averaged 17 hours daily, while non-revenue water stood at more than 60%.  Back then, around 1.27 million or 11% of the population belonged to the poverty threshold of income. Of the low-income households, 80% had no legal water connections because they have no legal claims over the land they occupy. In the absence of legal piped water connection, people resort to buying from vendors or from those with legal water connection.  Some drew water from wells, others even waited for the rain, but most resorted to illegal connections (Yu 2002). The reasons for its incompetence can be explained by its internal management. It was inefficient, overstaffed and suffering from very high water losses. According to the ADB, non-revenue water was more than 60% (McIntosh & Iniguez 1997). Tariffs were also low, and MWSS depended on government subsidies that were to be to abolished. Furthermore, they were burdened with a debt of USD 800 million owed to three major international banks: ADB, the World Bank and the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (Freedom from Debt Coaltion, 2009).

    The competitive bidding process of 1997 which produced the winners: Ayala-led Manila Water and Lopez-led Maynilad was essentially deemed a success. However, five years after the concession agreement, improvements in terms of access were still limited and water losses even increased in West Manila. It was only around 2009, almost 12 years later, that performance improved in both the East and West Zones.  In 2009, access had increased substantially, and efficiency and service quality had also improved significantly. Both companies also made efforts to reach the poor in the slums.  However, tariffs also increased significantly, and said improvements still supposedly remain below the contractual obligations. (Marin 2009)

    Today, the Philippines has come a long way since its pre-concession years. Despite some hiccups along the way, it is evident that privatizing water was the right decision. Below are the advantages of maintaining the water concession, based on what it has brought into improving the water systems in Metro Manila.

Improving Access

    One of the most important advantage of maintaining the concession agreement is that it would sustain the access that the citizens of Metro Manila to clean water despite the surge in demand, limited resources and the El Nino Crisis. In East Manila between 1997 to 2009, the population that was served by the concessionaires doubled from 3 million to 6.1 million and the share with access to piped water increased from 49% to 94% (Marin 2009). While in West Manila, Maynilad claims to have connected 600,000 people to the water supply including many poor in the slums (Grefe 2003),  the share of customers with 24-hour water supply increased from from 32% to 71% in early 2011, while the share of the population with access to piped water increased from 67% to 86% in 2006 (Marin 2009). Maintaining the concession is preserving the water access that the concession has already established over the years. It will not promise a water-crisis-free Metro Manila given that the demand will continuously increase, but it will ensure that the access will not be discontinued.

Sanitation and Waste Management

    Another advantage of maintaining the concession is that it allows continuous innovations on wastewater management. Sanitation remains to be a key priority for the concessionaires. They are obliged to empty the 2.2 million septic tanks of Metro Manila by operating 60 desludging trucks that empty septic tanks for free (Manila Water 2012).  As of 2012, Manila Water operates 36 small wastewater treatment plants designed to keep costs low with a total capacity of 0.135 million cubic meters per day.  This is part of Manila Water’s “innovative and unconventional solution”. Manila Water is also licensed to package bio-solids or treated sewage sludges from its wastewater treatment plants as soil conditioners. Moreover, Manila Water has further plans on improving wastewater treatment capacity in its service area to 0.5 million cubic meters per day (Manila Water 2012).  

    Perhaps it can be argued that the sanitation efforts of both Maynilad and Manila Water, still remain to not be wholly sufficient after more than 20 years of service, but there is continuous development and improvement of wastewater management. Innovations to further improve the wastewater treatment will only be possible by maintaining the concession agreement because the concessionaires have already invested and initiated the projects.

Employment

    Maintaining the concession agreement will also continuously contribute to the employment rate of the Philippines. Before the concession was awarded, government-controlled MWSS “had been one of the most overstaffed utilities in Asia with four times more employees per connection that other neighboring countries” (Dumol, 2000).  Further improvements in labor productivity were achieved during the concession by increasing the number of connections without hiring new employees. In 2011, Manila Water was the first Filipino company to win the Asian Human Capital Award because of their improvement in employee management in terms of modernizing its management practices (ABS-CBN News 2011).  Both concessionaries have contributed to the improvement of employment rate in the Philippines, while discontinuation of the concession agreement will displace numerous Filipino workers.  

Connecting the Poor

    Another advantage is of maintaining the concession is the continuous projects for the urban poor. Innovative solutions have also made its way to many poor Filipino citizens who do not have access to piped water supply because the land where they live is occupied illegally.  In the East Zone for example, Manila Water’s approach to connect poor communities usually involved no pipes inside communities, but they have included a single bulk meter for up to 100 households.  The community is then responsible to connect its members, and any losses beyond the bulk meter will not be incurred by the utility (Xun & Nepomuceno 2008). In the West Zone, Maynilad has initiated early attempts to connect the underprivileged in slum areas through the construction of piped networks via a small local company called Inpart Waterworks and Development Company (IWADCO), using its own funds and buying water in bulk for utilities. This was in partnership with the NGO, Streams of Knowledge, and together they were able to set up a discounted bulk rate for the less fortunate in those areas. The process is like this: Users pay their bills to water coordinators from the respective communities, which in turn pay Streams, which in turn pays a salary to the coordinator, pays the bulk water bill and returns part of the funds to the community (Yolanda & Mejia 2008).  Piped networks were also installed in narrow alleys by Maynilad. Residents then distribute it among themselves with a rubber hose.  This costs Php5,000, and can be paid via installment by the whole community, which is approximately Php 200 per month per household. This is about four times less than the underprivileged had to pay to water vendors pre-privatization (Grefe 2003).    

Expertise, Efficiency and Economic Impact

    To contrast the main advantages of maintaining the privatization of water versus to re-nationalize, according to a 2007 article on Water Privatization in Manila, Chia said it best when he wrote, “It is highly unlikely that the government can be more successful in the future in infrastructural provision, as they are encumbered by:

·       irrational pricing policies to please voters;

·       lack of arm’s length accountability;

·       use of these public companies for political and self-interested motives;

·       lack of fiscal resources and

·       lack of know-how, efficiency and profit-seeking inclination”      

    The above points could not be any truer, especially for a country like the Philippines where so many issues have surfaced throughout history when projects are left to the machinations of the government alone. It is true that the private sector may have the motive of profit, but we know that they will still serve the Filipino people with more efficiency and competency than the government.

     According to Filipovic (2005), “privatization plays an important role in economic growth because it may induce productivity, improve efficiency, provide fiscal relief and increase the availability of credit for the private sector.” It fosters competition and progress. As we can recall, the Ramos administration studied successful examples of foreign countries who privatized water, and then patterned the privatization process and 1997 Water Concession Agreement after such. As the Philippines aspires to one day become a developed nation, the importance of sustaining the water supply should always be a priority. For example, one of the United Nation’s developmental goals is ensuring environmental sustainability which includes reducing the number of people living without sustainable access to safe water.  (UN 2008) This can serve as a guide to the Philippines that “for any [nation] or city, long-term sustainability of water services depends on, to a large extent, on the success of appropriate tariff policy and tariff revenue collection to cover costs, loans, and new developments to meet new demands. Non-revenue water must be constantly managed, as it affects revenue collection; thus, it can reduce net revenue and undermine project sustainability. Other factors that affect sustainability include the role of the regulatory office; maintenance of water production; financing of additional supply; timely tariff adjustment; responsible management of the concessionaires; and other sources of water supply (ADB 2008).  

The Disadvantages

Continuous Increases in Water Tariffs

    Maintaining the privatization of water has its downsides, specifically in how our two water concessionaires are perceived to have opportunistic tendencies. For example, earlier, it was already discussed how “in the first 5 years of the concession agreement, water tariffs remained in low levels until the first rate-rebasing took place in 2002. The significant increase continued and reached up to 89% higher than the pre-privatization tariff” (Freedom from debt Coalition 2008). Realistically though, perhaps such continuous adjustments are inevitable and will occur anyhow, whether water is privatized or nationalized, due to changes and fluctuations in the market and economy, such as inflation, interest rates and exchange rates. We understand however, that affordability remains the critical issue for impoverished communities and the underserved. With limited supply options and low bargaining power, unconnected urban poor households pay high prices monthly. Tariffs will continuously increase, as the two concessionaires charge higher water rates each year. This is a burden on the citizens of Metro Manila, especially the poor, but it is something that perhaps can be monitored or mitigated, but not entirely eliminated. (Chia, et al., 2007)

Water Monopolies and the Pursuit of Profit

    As Maynilad and Manila Water are private companies, we cannot discard the fact that ultimately, their priority is to generate profit from the water concession. These private conglomerates control the timelines in implementing improvement plans and may not necessarily have the urgency to meet the needs of the growing population. Improving water connection for the poor is also not their priority, and they have the power to delay such, if deemed not profitable or important.  When it also comes to environmental or sanitation concerns, the importance of these issues may come last versus profit when it comes to the concessionaires’ discretion where to park or construct related projects. Such decisions can compromise the safety of water and quality of life overall, in Metro Manila and surrounding communities. For example, the recent heated topic is the Kaliwa Dam project which has long been delayed because it is embroiled in various social, political and environmental issues. Some of the issues are that indigenous peoples in the area like the Dumagats and Remontados will be displaced. Moreover, the construction of the dam can also endanger the ecosystem, habitats and natural wildlife living amidst the Sierra Madre which is located at the heart of the project. Protesters say that this project will only really benefit our water companies if pushed forward to fruition. However, entities among the water concessionaires say that actually, Chinese companies are being favored by the President to spearhead the Kaliwa Dam project, without supposedly undergoing any kind of bidding process.

  Figure 7. Kaliwa Dam Project. Source: MWSS

    Lastly and most importantly, Maynilad and Manila Water has long been criticized because they are water monopolies in their separate franchise areas. One can argue that the existence of two water companies in Metro Manila overall will foster competition – and thus will produce optimal rates and services. However, consumers in their respective East or West zones are still left with no choice or preference as to who will service them. Ultimately, we know what happens with monopolies: they are the product; they dictate the prices and everything that goes with it. How can the public truly ascertain that the water rates are fair and just? Even if for instance the government does open the field to other water players, do they really stand a chance?

Nationalizing the water concessions

The Advantages

    When it comes to the nationalization of water and other public goods, it has seen growing support in advanced economies around the world. Democrats in the United States and Labor Party members in the United Kingdom have called for anti-capitalist approaches to public goods, whose private firms have earned profits at the expense of the public. There are greater calls for public goods to be returned to the government, or to face heavier regulation under privatization. In an economics reference website, British economics professor Geoff Riley (N.D.) argued that the immediate positive effect of water nationalization would be lower prices. The reality of the water industry is that it would be too difficult for several water companies to compete given the fixed underground waterworks and sewage system. Because of the infrastructure and investment requirements involved, water companies are natural monopolies that meet the economies of scale or providing water to everybody by themselves. Unfortunately, this also means that as monopolies, these water companies can control the water output and prices. Riley argued that a state-owned utility company would operate with public welfare in mind instead of profits. It could price water distribution rates closer to its marginal cost, which would reduce both marginal revenue and overall price level. Lower prices would encourage the income effect among households, who would have more excess income to save or spend on other goods. This is important to a country like the Philippines where household consumption accounts for more than 70% of its Gross Domestic Product (Trading Economics 2016). The government must enact policies to ensure that Filipino households continue to spend their disposable income and keep money circulating in the economy.

    The government’s ability to spend on water distribution is another advantage of nationalization. One of the arguments against privatization is that firms justified charging higher prices because it required a high rate of return for working with the Philippine government. Lower Philippine economic standing when the concession agreements were entered into meant that these companies had to borrow at much higher interest rates, which it had to offset through revenues. Compared to private firms, the government can issue debt at relatively lower interest rates in order to fund continuous improvement of Manila’s water system (Riley N.D.).

    Another major criticism against the private firms is that the profits are not being reinvested into the improvement of Manila’s water system. Manila Water in particular recorded Php 6.5 Billion and Php 6.8 Billion in net income in 2017 and 2018 respectively (Quismorio 2019). The concessionaires argue that those profits are the returns due to the investors who spent the same billions of pesos in the past to make the water concession agreement happen. However, politicians and leftist groups have exacerbated the crisis by making it an issue of capitalist greed versus government’s well intentions (CNN Philippines 2019).

The Disadvantages

    Naturally, the main argument against water nationalization is that the Philippines had already done it before. The water concession agreement was entered into precisely because the Philippine government could not competently manage Manila’s water system (Santiago 2019). The current administration has called for re-nationalization but it has not shown any concrete plans on how it can improve on the concession model. The water shortage might just be aggravated even more and return to pre-water concession levels. President Duterte will be ending his term in 2022, which is coincidentally when the water concession will be ending. Calls for re-nationalization would be met with skepticism if there is no long-term plan for government to continue managing Manila’s water system after the Duterte administration. This indecisiveness would also affect the country’s reputation to foreign investors. It would give foreign investors the impression that the Philippines does not honor previously established contracts and agreements (Lee-Tan 2019).

    According to a working paper by Ayn Torres and Dean Ronald Mendoza, PhD of the Ateneo School of Government, it is the MWSS that has failed to regulate the water rates and activities of the concessionaires. (Kho 2019). Yes, water distribution improved greatly but the prices being charged do not match the actual level of service rendered. It is the MWSS’ responsibility to ensure that Manila Water and Maynilad are continuously improving water distribution and looking for new water sources. Ironically, while the concession agreement states that it is the concessionaire’s responsibility to look for new water sources, MWSS’ website says that job belongs to the government.

    Finally, several private sector groups have called for the water concession to be respected. The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines & Philippine Business Groups and the Makati Business Club released statements that the concession has helped improve Manila’s water system in the last two decades (Kho 2019). There were barely 800,000 water service connections under nationalized water in 1994, compared to around 2.4 Million connections today. Non-revenue water has also improved from more than 60% to 12% for Manila Water and within the range of 27%-40% for Maynilad (Santiago 2019). It is highly possible that the private firms are correct that a combination of the climate crisis and overpopulation in Metro Manila have greatly strained the existing water sources. Even if the government intervenes, it would be forced to collect water from the same dams. Given the facts stated, the water concession has clearly improved access among Filipino households, but with scarce water resources and growing demand, the households may be forced to adjust.

Our water problems run deep

    When it comes to the Philippines’s water situation, the obstacles that Manila Water and Maynilad face lie in: providing adequate and constant distribution of water and finding sustainable and feasible water sources and alternatives – all these things at aspired, “fair” rates to the eyes of consumers, but still at levels where they can be profitable. It is not as glamorous as people think. It is also a tough job, but that is what they signed up for, and thus, must continuously rise to the occasion.

     We surmise that for the most part, large corporations, especially utility companies, will always be criticized on being supposedly greedy or having a disregard for public welfare when huge profits are dangled in their faces. However, today, and with the help of social media, information is more easily cascaded and accessible; such that, there is mounting pressure from the public for such corporations to be responsible and be guided by a moral compass. To be fair, what also often happens is that during times of problems like the said water interruptions or rate hikes, the public is quick to point fingers at our two concessionaires without fully understanding the underlying problems (political, environmental, social, economics– you name it). The multi-faceted issues are also further exacerbated by the current administration’s unreasonable antics.

Figure 8. Source: RigobertoTiglao.com

Liquidity Issues?   

From the perspective of the consumer, yes, it is definitely arguable whether our current water rates are indeed “fair” and proportionate to their large revenues. Most, if not all Filipinos, will be quick to say that water rates are seem excessive. The provisions from the 1997 Water Concessions seemed to have favored the concessionaires, as they were made during a time when perhaps we can say the Philippine government was a little desperate. Today, what is the basis or reference really for water tariffs, if they are water monopolies in their own franchise area? This is an area where all stakeholders, the MWSS and Filipino citizens included, must be vigilant about. Yet to be realistic, rate hikes are pretty much expected over the years; it cannot be stopped, but it definitely can be mitigated and regulated.

Figure 9. Source: Pinoymoneytalk.com

Privatize or Nationalize?   

This brings us now to the question: to privatize, or nationalize? To answer with a quote from a Forbes article by Worstall (2013), it was written, “Either of these could be great ideas or either of them could be terrible. At the end of the day, it all just comes down to the quality of the governance.” With this in mind, we can only truly conclude that the concrete advantages to maintain the privatization of water largely outweigh, what remains as mere potential opportunities to re-nationalize water, in the context of the Philippine landscape. The present water concessions are far from perfect, but the private sector will always outperform the Philippine government when it comes to such matters. Therefore, we do not agree with President Duterte’s stance to nationalize water in the Philippines, as this move will make the country truly vulnerable to a multitude of social and economic problems. In fact, his retorts and threats to cancel both Manila Water and Maynilad’s contracts are without basis, but only seems to fulfill a somewhat immature, personal vendetta. In effect, he is extorting these two conglomerates to give in to his whims. That is not democracy, and if they do bend over backwards, it will further undermine the country’s stability and integrity in the world arena and cause detrimental domino economic effects.

    The government seems to be propagating this decision in the guise that it will keep water rates low and be seemingly beneficial to all. It is possible that the short-term effect is lower water rates; however, overtime, the whole country will just eventually experience again a shortage of water. Hence, nationalizing water is not sustainable, nor it is the answer. We cannot trust that this proposition of the Duterte administration has the best interest of the public in mind. As we have seen prior to the 1997 Water Concession agreements, government-controlled MWSS, engulfed in corruption and incompetency, were not able to adequately distribute water to Metro Manila. The Philippines will revert to the same circumstances – and worse, if water is to be nationalized.

Long-water: “Dr Michael Burry is focusing all his trading on one commodity: water," says  a caption just before the credits roll in "The Big Short."

Written by:

Aguirre, Encarnacion, Qichao, Marcial, Sayson

Footnotes:

[1]Non-revenue water: Water that is lost due to leakages, illegal connections and used for public use (Taken from current MWSS Chief Regulator, Atty. Patrick Ty)

[2]The Water Crisis Act (WCA) gave the President the authority to privatize MWSS. This authority was strong because it did not prescribe any particular procedure for privatization. [The government] was free to create their own procedure” (Dumol 2000).

[3]Rate-rebasing or rate hikes refer to the basic charge only. If one were to “look at your water bill, there are other items that will also increase when the basic charge is raised. The environmental charge, for example, is 20% of the basic charge. Then, there is the foreign currency differential adjustment (FCDA), which accounts for the quarterly fluctuations in the foreign exchange rate (USD/Php). The FCDA is negative when the peso gains against the dollar and is positive when the peso weakens” (Padilla 2009)

[4]The 1997–98 Asian Financial Crisis began in Thailand and then quickly spread to neighboring economies. It began as a currency crisis when Bangkok unpegged the Thai baht from the U.S. dollar, setting off a series of currency devaluations and massive flights of capital… [The] crisis revealed the dangers of premature financial liberalization in the absence of established regulatory regimes, the inadequacy of exchange rate regimes, the problems with IMF prescriptions, and the general absence of social safety nets in East Asia.” (Britannica.com).

[5]The Best World (BW) Resources “stock price rose a staggering 18,025% in one year — from P0.80 in October 1998 to P145.00 in October 1999 — and its consequent crash that almost put the Philippine stock market into collapse. The PSE then stepped in and investigated the company. It uncovered several stock price manipulation strategies supposedly conducted by Dante Tan, a close ally of the President, and his cohorts” (PinoyMoneyTalk.com)

[6]Kaliwa Dam: Can provide “600 million-liters-a-day (MLD) capacity and its water supply tunnel has a 2,400-MLD capacity. It is expected to ease the demand on the Angat Dam, Manila’s sole water storage facility. When the project did not move forward by the time Aquino administration ended, the succeeding Duterte administration decided not to pursue the Japanese-proposed Kaliwa Low Dam plan and instead pursued a bigger, China-funded dam project.” The Kaliwa Dam project contains also various social, political and environmental issues.

List of References

Dumol, Mark. July 2000. The World Bank. The Manila Water Concession: A Key Government Official’s Diary of the World’s Largest Water Privatization.

Wu, Xun, Nepomoceno, A. (2008). Urban Studies. A Tale of Two Concessionaires: A Natural Experiment of Water Privatisation in Metro Manila. 45 (1): 207–229. doi:10.1177/0042098007085108., p. 212-217

Chia, et al. 07 May 2007. Water Privatization in Manila, Philippines Should Water be Privatized? A Tale of Two Water Concessions in Manila

Ba, Alice. ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA – The Asian Financial Crisis. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/Asian-financial-crisis

Rivas, Ralf. 06 December 2019. RAPPLER – Public Interest, Private Hands: How Manila Water, Maynila got the deal. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/business/246526-how-manila-water-maynilad-got-concession-agreements

Rivas, Ralf. 17 March 2019. RAPPLER - Manila Water’s supply crisis: What we know so far. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/225953-what-we-know-explanation-manila-water-supply-crisis

Romero, Alexis. 04 December 2019. THE PHILIPPINE STAR – Duterte slams water concessionaires. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/12/04/1974134/duterte-slams-water-concessionaires

Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE)     Edge, MWC Company Disclosures. Retrieved from https://edge.pse.com.ph/companyDisclosures/form.do?cmpy_id=270

 05     December 2019. THE BUSINESS MIRROR – Manila Water explains how arbitral     ruling came about. Retrieved from https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/12/05/manila-water-explains-how-arbitral-ruling-came-about/

 Valente,     Catherine. 21 December 2019. THE MANILA TIMES – MWSS, water firms     to  ‘sanitize’ contract.     Retrieved from https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/12/21/news/headlines/mwss-water-firms-to-sanitize-contract/666095/

 Maderazo, Jake. 10 December 2019. THE PHILIPPINE DAILY     INQUIRER – Provisions of water agreements raise a lot of issues.     Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1199870/provisions-of-water-concession-agreements-raise-a-lot-of-issues

Yu, Sandra O. (2002). Infrastructure Development and the Informal Sector in the Philippines. International Labour Organization.

 Mitlin, Diana. (2002). Competition, Regulation and the Urban Poor: A Case Study of Water. Regulation, Competition and Development: Setting a New Agenda. Centre on Regulation and Competition, CRC International Workshop, 4-6 September 2002, Crawford House Lecture Theatre, University of Manchester, 39pp.

McIntosh, Arthur C.; Yñiguez, Cesar E. (October 1997). Second Water Utilities Data Book – Asian and Pacific Region (PDF). Asian Development Bank. pp. 4–7. ISBN 978-971-561-125-1. Retrieved 2008-04-25.

 Freedom from Debt Coalition (March 2009). "Recalibrating the Meter". pp. 1–4. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16. Retrieved 18 June2012.

 Marin, Philippe: Public-Private Partnerships for Urban Water Utilities, World Bank, 2009, p. 56f.

Grefe, Christian. 21 August 2003. Wie das Wasser nach Happyland kam (How the water came to Happyland), Die Zeit, Germany.

Manila Water. "Wastewater Management". Retrieved 7 July 2012.

Regulation and corporate innovation: The case of Manila Water, by Perry Rivera, in: Transforming the world of water, Global Water Summit 2010, Presented by Global Water Intelligence and the International Desalination Association

 ABS-CBNews.com. 9 September 2011. "Manila Water wins Asian Human Capital award". Retrieved 7 July 2012.

 Gomez, Yolanda. Providing Pro-Poor Water Services in Urban Areas through Multi-Partnership:The Streams of Knowledge Experience. World Water Week Abstract Volume. pp. 279–280.

CNN Philippines (2019, March 17). Senate hopefuls urge government to take back control of the country’s     water resources. Retrieved January 27, 2020, from https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/3/17/Water-privatization-Manila-Water-Maynilad.html

Kho, G. (2019, August 28). The     GUIDON – Nationalized vs. private: Supplying Manila’s water. Retrieved     January 27, 2020, from https://www.theguidon.com/1112/main/2019/08/nationalized-vs-private-supplying-manilas-water/

Lee-Tan, A. (2019, December     9). Philippine Daily Inquirer – Why govt shouldn’t nationalize water     concessions. Retrieved January 27, 2020, from https://business.inquirer.net/285044/why-govt-shouldnt-nationalize-water-concessions

Quismorio, E. (2019, June 24).     Manila Bulletin – Privatization blamed for water supply woes; gov’t urged     to take over water utilities. Retrieved January 27, 2020, from https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/06/24/privatization-blamed-for-water-supply-woes-govt-urged-to-take-over-water-utilities/

Riley, G. (N.D.). Economics –     Water Nationalisation. Retrieved January 27, 2020, from https://www.tutor2u.net/economics/reference/exam-answer-water-nationalisation

Santiago, E. (2019, December     25). The Philippine Star – Commentary: Water distribution from public to     private sector and back? Retrieved January 27, 2020, from https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/news-feature/2019/12/25/1979679/commentary-water-distribution-public-private-sector-and-back

 Trading Economics. (2016).     Philippines – Household Final Consumption Expenditure. Retrieved January     27, 2020, from https://tradingeconomics.com/philippines/household-final-consumption-expenditure-etc-percent-of-gdp-wb-data.html

20     January 2009. The Philippine peso, from 1950 to 2009. Retrieved     from http://mpgonz.blogspot.com/2009/01/philippine-peso-from-1950-to-2009.html

 Chiplunkar, Anand et al. May     2008. Asian Development Bank. Maynilad on the mend: Rebidding Process     infuses New Life to a struggling concessionaire.

 Carson, Michael and John Clark. 22 November 2013. Federal Reserve History. Asian Financial crisis. Retrieved from https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/asian_financial_crisis

Padilla, Arnold (2012). A     Radical’s Nut: Notes on Philippine economy and politics. Retrieved     from https://arnoldpadilla.com/2012/12/20/ph-water-rates-among-asias-highest/water-rate-hike-gmanetwork-com/#main

 http://mwss.gov.ph/projects/new-centennial-water-source-kaliwa-dam-project/

https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/243793-opinion-the-illegal-and-immoral-kaliwa-dam-ecc

http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8041.htm#.Xi-M9c4zaUk

https://ppp.worldbank.org/public-private-partnership/library/manila-water-concession-agreement-for-water-and-sanitation-services

http://ro.mwss.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Manila-Water-Term-Extension-Agreement-with-Annexes.pdf

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/12/13/manila-water-maynilad-contract-extension-still-stands.html

[beavertonairporter]

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Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, located twelve miles north of the state’s largest city, Portland. The town was settled in 1636 and incorporated in 1849. Its population was 8,349 in the 2010 census. As of 2015’s estimation, this is about 0.6% of Maine’s total population. Five islands (most notably Cousins Island and Littlejohn Island) are part of the town.

Yarmouth is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The town’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and its location on the banks of the Royal River, which empties into Casco Bay less than a mile away, means it is a prime location as a harbor. Ships were built in the harbor mainly between 1818 and the 1870s, at which point demand declined dramatically. Meanwhile, the Royal River’s four waterfalls within Yarmouth, whose Main Street sits about 80 feet above sea level, resulted in the foundation of almost sixty mills between 1674 and 1931.

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The annual Yarmouth Clam Festival attracts around 120,000 people (around fourteen times its population) over the course of the three-day weekend.

Today, Yarmouth is a popular dining destination, with (as of February 2019) fourteen sit-down restaurants. This equates to an average of just over one restaurant per square mile of land area.

The town is accessed via two exits (15 and 17) on each side of Interstate 295. U.S. Route 1 also passes through the town to the west of I-295.

It has been designated a Tree City USA community every year since 1979. 40 years ago.

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Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.94 square miles (59.41 km2), of which 13.35 square miles (34.58 km2) (58%) is land and 9.59 square miles (24.84 km2) (42%) is water.

Yarmouth is nearly square in form and is bisected by the Royal River (formerly Yarmouth River). The Cousins River separates it from Freeport to the northeast; Freeport and Pownal bound it to the east; North Yarmouth to the north; Cumberland to the west; and Casco Bay to the south. Also included as part of the town are Cousins Island, Lanes Island, Great and Little Moshier Islands, and Littlejohn Island.

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History

Traces of human occupation in the Yarmouth area date to about 2,000 BC. During the years prior to the arrival of the Europeans, many Native American cultures existed in the area, largely because of the natural features of the coastal land. Rivers provided several resources, including food, fertile soil, power for the mills and the navigability between the inland areas and the ocean.

In 1640, a 39-year-old Englishman, George Felt (b. 1601, d. 1693), who emigrated to Charlestown, Massachusetts, seven years earlier, purchased 300 acres of land at Broad Cove from John Phillips (b. 1607, d. c. 1667), a Welshman, and in 1643 became one of the first European settlers in Yarmouth. Felt went back to Massachusetts to sell his property there, before returning to Broad Cove around 1660. In 1670 he bought 2,000 more acres of land from Phillips.

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Felt was married to Elizabeth, with whom he had six children: Elizabeth (b. circa 1635), George (b. 1638, d. 1676), Mary (b. circa 1639), Moses (b. 1641), Aaron and another Moses (b. circa 1651). In 1684, Felt moved back to Massachusetts. He returned briefly, after 1678, when he was around 80 years old.

In 1646, Englishman William Royall (b. circa 1595, d. 1676) purchased a farm at what is now the upscale Lambert Point, next to Redding Creek, at the southern tip of Lambert Road, where he lived with his wife, Phoebe Green. The Royal River has ever-since borne his name, minus the second L, though two streets off Gilman Road — Royall Meadow Road and Royall Point Road — carry the original spelling. This stream and its vicinity were called by the Indians “Westcustogo” — a name that, until the early 1990s, was preserved by an inn of the same name on Princes Point Road at its intersection with Lafayette Street. (The building remains but it is now occupied by another business.) Royall moved to Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1675, a year before his death. John Cousins (b. circa 1596, d. 1682) had arrived a year or more earlier than Royall, occupying the neck of land between the branches of the stream which has since been called Cousins River, and owning the island now also bearing his name.

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By 1676, approximately sixty-five people lived in Westcustogo. Soon after, however, conflicts forged by King Philip’s War caused them to abandon their homes and move south.John Cousins was injured and went to York, Maine, to receive treatment. There, he lived with Mary Saywood, to whom he later deeded his real estate in Casco Bay.

Also in 1676, George Felt Jr. was killed on Peaks Island during the conflicts. Felt’s wife, Philippe, moved to Salem, Massachusetts, where she married twice before her death in 1709.

Some settlers returned to their dwellings in 1679, and within twelve months the region became incorporated as North Yarmouth, the eighth town of the province of Maine.

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In 1688, while the inhabitants on the eastern side of the river were building a garrison, they were attacked by Indians, and attempted a defense. They continued the contest until nightfall, when the Indians retired. It was not long before they appeared again, in such force that the thirty-six families of the settlement were forced to flee, abandoning their homes for a second time.

Transportation

Beaverton Airporter know Grand Trunk Railway Station(1906), most recently (until 2018) a florist, is owned by Yarmouth’s Village Improvement Society. The apsidal form of its northern end is found in no other Maine station. The waiting room for the station stood on the land now occupied by Hancock Lumber (formerly Yarmouth Market) and Bank of America, as denoted by a plaque in the flowerbed of the properties

Yarmouth Crossing, where Main Street traverses the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, looking north from Railroad Square

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Road

U.S. Route 1 arrived in the late 1940s (at grade and also a bridge over Main Street). State Route 88 follows the course of Route 1’s predecessor, the Atlantic Highway. SR 115, established in 1925, also runs through the town.

In 1961, the Yarmouth section of Interstate 295 was built. It runs elevated through town (including, in controversial fashion, over the harborside at Lower Falls). It has two exits (15 and 17) in the town. Exit 15 became a four-ramp intersection in July 2013, when a northbound on-ramp was added.

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In 1727, five local men — Samuel Seabury, James Parker, Jacob Mitchell, Gershom Rice and Phineas Jones — were tasked with the management of the new town. Their affairs included laying out the highways. Roads (or, at least, routes) that appeared on subsequent maps are as follows (with today’s names):

In 1738, “a good road was built over the ledge from the meeting-house to the mills at the first falls which, although it was abandoned about 1800 for a less hilly course, may still be easily traced.”

1741: Atlantic Highway (now Route 88; which took a left onto Pleasant Street), Gilman Road, Princes Point Road, Highlands Farm Road (leading to Parker’s Point), Drinkwater Point Road (which led to two wharves), Morton Road and Old Town Landing Road (which led to another wharf). Large lot owners at the time included Walter Gendall, whose farm incorporated Duck Cove, beyond Town Landing Road in today’s Cumberland Foreside (Cumberland was not incorporated as its own town until 1821). Its dry stone boundary is still intact. Welshman John Powell (b. c. 1669, d. 1742) had a farm where today’s Schooner Ridge Road is. John Dabney’s 60-acre lot abutted this to the east. Dabney was a town selectman in 1737. Felt had a lot at the foot of the northern end of Pleasant Street, adjacent to Stony Brook. Royall’s farm, meanwhile, occupied the entire area bisected by Bayview Street.

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In 1756, “to accommodate the teams hauling lumber from the great pine forests inland to the seaboard, a new more convenient way was laid out by the way of Walnut Hill and the road constructed.”

In 1813, down at the First Falls, “the old road which clambered laboriously over the crest of the hill was replaced by a new street along the head of the wharves below the hill”. This is today’s Pleasant Street. Later, Smith Street became an uninterrupted offshoot into Riverside Cemetery until Lafayette Street was built, in the early 20th century, coming down the hill closer to the harbor. (It was named Lafayette Street in honor of General Lafayette.)

By 1847, Portland Street was in full swing, including the Elm Street offshoot that headed directly into the Upper Village. Main Street was, by now, well established.

For an 1894 map of Yarmouth, see here.

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A 1944 map shows the Atlantic Highway coming through town, aligning with what became Route 88 up to the point they meet at the end of Spring Street. Prior to the installation of U.S. Route 1, today’s curve of Route 88 as it passes Cumberland Farms instead continued directly north-east towards Cousins River. The section of Atlantic Highway that runs from Princes Point Road to the northern end of Pleasant Street was laid in the late 1920s.

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Roswell P. Greeley (b. 1847, d. 1903) established an express service between Portland and Yarmouth, employing a span of horses and large wagons. Azel Kingsley (b. 1860, d. 1948) ran a supplemental service minus the horses. It ran two services in each direction: southbound at 7.30 and 11.30 AM and northbound at 3.00 and 5.00 PM.

Rail

The town has two railroad junctions: Royal Junction (midway along Greely Road) and Yarmouth Junction (to the west of East Elm Street at Depot Road; its station is now gone). The two railroads passing through the town are the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (formerly Grand Trunk Railway; arrived in 1848) and Guilford Rail System‘s Kennebec & Portland (later Maine Central Railroad; 1849). http://beavertonairporter.com/ +1 (503) 760 6565  PDX shuttle airport

The Brunswick Branch of the Maine Central Railroad received a new lease of life in November 2012, when a northern extension of the Downeaster line was opened, carrying passengers five times a day (four on weekends) to and from Brunswick‘s Maine Street Station. The trains pass under two roads and over three crossings on their way through Yarmouth. They are (from south to north) West Main Street (overpass, just after Royal Junction), Sligo Road (road crossing), East Elm Street (road crossing, just after Yarmouth Junction), North Road (road crossing) and Granite Street (overpass).

On weekdays, the trains pass through northbound at 12.03 PM (#681), 4.03 PM (#683), 7.53 PM (#685), 9.18 PM (#687) and 1.23 AM (#689). On weekends, they pass through at 1.23 PM (#691), 7.43 PM (#695), 10.23 PM (#697) and 1.23 AM (#699).

Southbound weekday times: 4.50 AM (#680), 7.50 AM (#682), 11.30 AM (#684), 1.50 PM (#686) and 5.45 PM (#688). Weekend: 6.20 AM (#690), 7.50 AM (#692), 11.40 AM (#694) and 6.25 PM (#698).

Trolley cars of the Portland and Yarmouth Electric Railway Company used to run, every fifteen minutes, from Portland, through Falmouth Foreside, up and down Pleasant Streetand onto Main Street between 1898 and 1933, when the advent of the automobile made rail travel a less convenient option. Underwood Spring Park in Falmouth Foreside, with its open-air theater, casino and gazebo, was a popular gathering spot serviced by the trolley cars. The theater only existed for eight years, burning down in 1907. In 1906, a bridge was built over the Royal River, connecting the Brunswick and Portland trolleys at the Grand Trunk depot in town. The tracks ran down what is today’s walkers’ path to the Rowe School. The pedestrian bridge in the Royal River Park is built on old abutments for a trolley line which ran between Yarmouth and Freeport between 1906 and 1933.

Bus

The only bus route that services the town is Greater Portland Metro’s BREEZ. It has eleven southbound services to Portland and twelve northbound services to Brunswick on weekdays and an abbreviated Saturday schedule. There is no service on Sundays.

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On weekdays, the first southbound service arrives in Yarmouth at around 6.20 AM and the last one at around 8.45 PM. The first northbound service arrives at around 6.45 AM and the last one at around 9.50 PM.

On weekends, the first of six southbound services arrives at around 9.45 AM and the last one at around 8.55 PM. The first of seven northbound services arrives at around 8.30 AM and the last one at around 10.00 PM.

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There are three bus stop locations: the park and ride lot at the southbound exit 15 ramp of I-295, on Main Street in front of Yarmouth Town Hall, and on either side of Route 1 at Hannaford.

[aikelmaryrose-blog]

Balanced News, Fearless Views

The Philippine Daily Inquirer is undeniably the country’s most credible and influential newspaper. With over 2.7 million nationwide readers daily, it enjoys a market share of over 50% and tops the readership surveys.  Its “balanced news, fearless views” style is seen by many as one of the best in the country.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer envisions itself as he most respected and influential Philippine media organization. To realize its vision, PDI strives to be the premier newspaper that informs and influences people as well as offer other services that promote social development.

Besides being the country’s leading journalistic voice, the Inquirer is also strongly committed to social responsibility and has taken an active role in various socio-civic programs. It has not only inspired action through its journalism but has also directly participated and partnered with some of the biggest organizations in community development in its belief that they are truly agents of change that can inspire society to take action and be involved.

Sister Companies

With four regional bureaus, over 130 provincial correspondents nationwide and four printing presses in Cebu, Davao, Laguna and Manila, Inquirer delivers news to the provinces faster and more effectively than its competitors like The Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, Business World, The Manila Times and Sun Star.

Inquirer Publications Inc. is a member of the Inquirer Media Group. It pursues journalism that caters to the distinct needs and interests of a diverse group of Filipinos. It aims to develop community journalism and provide relevant and quality newspapers to address the information needs of different audiences from A-E. IPI is publishing one national tabloid and one regional paper namely, Bandera and Cebu Daily News.

The Print Town Group is the largest privately owned newspaper and commercial printer in the Philippines today. FEP Printing Corporation, Alliance Media Printing Corporation Inc. and Lexmedia Digital Corporation form the Print Town Group.  Their main facility is located in a 10-hectare complex in Biñan, Laguna. The other press sites are strategically located in the cities of Makati, Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao.

Careers

Inquirer is much more than just ink and paper. Beyond its balanced news and fearless views, the Inquirer is where it is at today because of the caliber of people who are part of their organization.

Their employees are accorded the most competitive compensation and benefits package in the industry. They are also provided opportunities for professional as well as personal development. They provide various activities that give them the chance to hone their talents, see places, reach out to the community, or simply bond with each other.

Awards

Although teenagers might believe newspapers are old-fashioned, they are still widely read because they remain a credible source of news and can reach people in areas where the internet can’t. The Philippine Daily Inquirer has over 2.7 million readers daily and a market share of over 50%, making it the most read newspaper in the country. Its website,www.inquirer.net, is ranked among the world’s most visited news sites, averaging one million page views a day.

Distinguished by award-giving bodies like the Catholic Mass Media Awards, Jaime Ongpin Awards for Investigative Journalism, Anvil Awards and WAN-IFRA Asia Media Awards, it is the Philippines’ most awarded broadsheet with over 500 awards and citations.

For almost 30 years, the Inquirer has been reaping the rewards of its hard work. AC Nielsen, Asia Research Organization and Newspaper Dealers Association surveys say Inquirer tops readership and sales. It is also the most innovative broadsheet with special niche sections for the youth, children, culture, society and even golf enthusiasts. Through this, Inquirer aims to inspire every Filipino people to become its own leader.

It was the first local newspaper to use organic soy-based ink, 100% recycled newsprint and a resizing of the paper saving seven trees a day. Currently it has 373 employees, 193 in the editorial group and 180 in the business group. In addition to its 39 regular reporters based in Metro Manila, the Inquirer has 90 provincial correspondents who cover the news throughout the country.

Keep print alive

People read a newspaper for various reasons; to be informed about daily events, to get information for daily living, to provide a framework for one's day, to pass time, to find out what's new, to find out what is on sale, to get a handle on major societal issues or to locate informative data on job opening and daily living.

News is one of the most important things in most people’s lives. Despite the availability of a rich digital environment, people are still buying and reading newspapers. People get their news these days from a variety of sources, including television, radio, magazines and the Internet.

The news business is not a dying industry, but newspapers have to provide good and relevant content. Filipinos spend an average of just 21 hours a week in front of the TV and only 50% read newspapers.

Newspapers are in the best position to give readers relevant information. If newspapers and their websites want to appeal to people and prosper, they need to produce news that touches the busy lives of news consumers. News that goes beyond the ‘who, when, and where” of the news to the why it happened and what it means to readers.

Philippine Daily Inquirer’s meaningful goal of making a difference in the everyday life of Filipinos continues to be the driving force behind its journalistic and corporate initiatives. As the country’s no. 1 newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer will remain steadfast in its commitment to bring “Balanced news, fearless views” to readers when and where it matters.

[phgq]

Ressa’s remark a challenge for Mindanaoans: Piñol

#PHnews: Ressa’s remark a challenge for Mindanaoans: Piñol

DAVAO CITY--Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Mindanawons should take the controversial statement of a Manila-based veteran journalist as a challenge to work on a stronger information campaign to correct the prevailing image of Mindanao as a troubled island. “Ressa's reference to SPMC simply as "a Davao Hospital" which received bigger funds from PhilHealth than the more popular Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is a stark proof that Mindanao has an image problem,” Piñol said in a statement on Thursday, referring to Rappler editor-in-chief Maria Ressa. In a Twitter post on Tuesday, Ressa suggested that the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) here obtained the biggest Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) allocation from the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) because of favoritism. Piñol, a former journalist himself, described Ressa's statement as laced with malice, and one that offended Mindawons, especially SPMC's health workers. But the MinDA chief said Ressa's insinuation of irregularity was reflective of the unfavorable views that non-Mindanawons hold on the island and its residents, following decades of bloody wars against bandits, terrorists, secessionists, and communist rebel groups. Piñol said the decades of conflicts have painted an ugly image of Mindanao, making the island a mystery for non-residents and a "dreaded land where the undesirables of Luzon are banished to pay for their offenses to society". “When I took over MinDA exactly one year ago, I identified the region's image problem as one of the major challenges. "Hindi ba nakakatakot sa Mindanao?" is always the first question asked by people who have not been to Mindanao,” he recalled. He added that the unwarranted travel advisories issued by foreign embassies did further damage to efforts to project a positive image for Mindanao. Mindanao transition Piñol acknowledged that several areas in Mindanao such as Sulu and parts of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao provinces remain risky for travel. However, he noted that the peace and order situation in the three provinces has drastically improved over the last few years, compared to Metro Manila where cases of kidnapping continue. “Sulu, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao are not as dangerous as they used to be. In fact, I traveled to Patikul, Sulu accompanied only by civilians and crisscrossed most parts of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao even at night,” he said. Basilan, a troubled island for so many years, has been virtually cleared of the Abu Sayyaf, thanks to the active support of the civilian leadership to the military operations. He added that the critical factor in the "dramatic reduction" of violent incidents in Mindanao was the signing of the peace agreement between the government and the main Bangsamoro secessionist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). “It is an achievement which President Duterte's administration could lay claim to and so far, indicators show that he was right in pursuing the peace deal with the MILF. Former MILF leaders headed by now Interim Chief Minister Ahod "Murad" Ebrahim are running the government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao well,” he added. Further, Piñol cited MinDA's own initiative to promote a positive image for Mindanao through the "Beauty & Bounty of Mindanao" social media campaign. “There will still be a misconception about Mindanao, some of which are simply results of failure on the part of the government to really drum up the positive developments in the South. Others intentionally spread misinformation laced with malice to undermine the current administration and sadly, one of the purveyors is a reputed veteran journalist,” he said. Ressa's ignorance Going back to Maria Ressa, Piñol said he could not believe that a seasoned journalist could be so reckless in comparing SPMC with the PGH. “In her eagerness to put the administration in a bad light, she abandoned a basic tenet in journalism - check, double-check, and if needed, triple-check,” he said. Piñol said that Ressa should have known that SPMC is the biggest government hospital in the country serving a region with a population of 25.5 million while PGH is among the hundreds of major hospitals in Metro Manila with a population of only 12 million. “To the people of Mindanao, SPMC is not just "a Davao hospital" but a "salvation center" where all of the most serious medical cases are referred to - from cancer to injuries from accidents, wounds from gunshot and bombings and, yes, coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19),” he said. He added that the facility is a "symbol of hope and salvation for people in distress" though non-Mindawons would find this hard to understand. “We really have to work harder in educating people, including Maria Ressa, so that they will know that Mindanao is actually a better place to live in,” Piñol said. No irregularities Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement Wednesday said there was nothing irregular in PhilHealth's relatively bigger IRM allocation for SPMC. “SPMC, for the information of everyone, is a 1,500-bed hospital with almost 3,600 personnel. Per the Department of Health (DOH), it is the biggest hospital facility in the country as a government hospital. Last year, the hospital total admissions are 76,586. There are also 586,278 outpatients in the same period,” Roque added. He also elaborated that SPMC has several integrated specialty buildings which are stand-alone, like the Heart Institute, the Institute for Women and Newborn Care, the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Institute, the Cancer Institute, the Intensive Care Complex, and the main hospital for General Medicine and Surgery. "It has the biggest hemodialysis in the country with 65 dialysis chairs," Roque said. Roque also noted that SPMC has the highest PhilHealth income, breaking the billion mark. Its average income for 2018-2019 is PHP1.2 billion and IRM is based on the monthly average or the track record of reimbursement for 2018-19. “Historically, SPMC has had the biggest amount of claims due to its regular provision of healthcare services to patients all over Mindanao,” Roque said. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Ressa’s remark a challenge for Mindanaoans: Piñol." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1112097 (accessed August 14, 2020 at 03:42AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Ressa’s remark a challenge for Mindanaoans: Piñol." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1112097 (archived).

[tiffanystocktonlove]

Data drives Amazon’s shortlist of 20 cities for HQ2

Amazon’s shortlist of cities that stand a chance to host HQ2 may have arisen out of many factors and the data stacks them in different ways.

The nation’s capital looks like a favorite to land Amazon’s second North American headquarters.

Amazon showed 218 cities, counties, states and provinces the door, cutting the list of eligible suitors for its second home down to 20 Thursday morning, and three of the spots left standing are in the Washington, D.C. area. GeekWire co-founder John Cook put D.C. at the top of his list of remaining cities with the best shot of landing the Seattle-based tech giant.

But the data may say otherwise.

Following the initial announcement of the HQ2 sweepstakes, we ranked top contenders based on the information in Amazon’s request for proposals, and today we’re going back to the data to see how the remaining suitors stack up.

Our top three data-driven candidates to land HQ2 are Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia. D.C. comes in sixth in our ranking.

Toronto was a popular pick in the GeekWire newsroom soon after HQ2 was announced. Boston has been rumored as a favorite since the beginning. Philadelphia would be a little more of a peculiar choice, but it sits along the same East Coast corridor as many of the other shortlisted areas while providing a more affordable alternative to places like Boston and New York.

Here are the four main criteria that Amazon sets out in its HQ2 RFP, along with the data we pulled to quantify each one and why.

Metropolitan areas with more than one million people: This is the easiest one to quantify, and we looked at population in millions, based on US Census Bureau via Wikipedia

A stable and business-friendly environment: Let’s assume that business taxes are a reasonable proxy. We grabbed state/province business tax rankings from Tax Foundation and The Conference Board of Canada to measure the business climate in each metro area.

Urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent: This speaks to both education level as well as tech talent in each area. To rank these requirements, we looked at CBRE’s tech talent report and university degree attainment percentages from Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program via New York Times and Statistics Canada

Communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options: This one is a little more outside the box and subjective. To get at this requirement we added home prices via data from National Association of Realtors and Canadian Real Estate Association and transit rankings from WalkScore.

The city of Toronto. (BigStock Photo)

Based on the data, here’s how the cities still standing in the HQ2 race rank. One caveat: we based our original analysis on metro areas, and some locations — like the three Washington, D.C.-area submissions and New York-New Jersey — are part of the same metro area. Continue reading for more analysis of those spots.

Toronto

Boston

Philadelphia

Chicago

Atlanta

Washington, D.C.

Denver

Pittsburgh

Austin

Raleigh

New York

Indianapolis

Dallas

Miami

Columbus

Nashville

Los Angeles

To be sure, some of our data-driven top picks from our first round of analysis in September didn’t make the cut. Four of our top 10 didn’t advance, and a few of Amazon’s top picks were on the bottom of our list.

Here is the complete data ranking of metro areas from September:

Metro Area Toronto, ON, Canada 5.93 11 6 9 56 3 17.0 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 3.80 10 2 17 53 13 19.0 Ottawa-Gatineau, ON, Canada 1.32 8 9 41 19 19.3 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 4.79 4 9 27 52 5 19.4 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 6.07 20 20 24 25 8 19.4 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 9.51 17 13 23 35 9 19.4 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5.79 16 5 36 16 25 19.6 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 6.13 1 4 37.5 51 7 20.1 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 2.47 25 23 11 22 20.3 Montréal, QC, Canada 4.10 32 10 36 4 20.5 Vancouver, BC, Canada 2.46 18 14 8 57 6 20.6 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 2.85 7 12 16 50 21 21.2 Pittsburgh, PA 2.34 37 27 24 5 14 21.4 Austin-Round Rock, TX 2.06 6 8 14 43 38 21.8 Raleigh, NC 1.30 5 7 11 38 49 22.0 St. Louis, MO-IL 2.81 33 32 15 8 23 22.2 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 4.68 3 1 48 58 2 22.4 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 2.42 21 18 10 48 16 22.6 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 20.15 12 3 49 49 1 22.8 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 2.80 13 11 42 37 11 22.8 Calgary, AB, Canada 1.39 14 3 47 29 23.3 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 3.55 9 16 46 34 12 23.4 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 4.30 47 19 12 9 32 23.8 Kansas City, MO-KS 2.10 24 26 15 14 45 24.8 Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 2.00 30 30 8 10 48 25.2 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 1.05 52 12 12 25.3 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 1.34 57 13 7 25.7 Rochester, NY 1.08 22 31 49 1 26 25.8 Tucson, AZ 1.02 31 21 18 37 26.8 Salt Lake City, UT 1.19 38 21 9 42 27 27.4 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY 1.13 42 49 2 17 27.5 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 7.23 28 10 37 33 31 27.8 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 6.77 41 28 14 23 34 28.0 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 6.07 43 42 4 44 10 28.6 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 2.44 44 29 4 27 39 28.6 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 3.03 53 24 4 19 44 28.8 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 1.21 15 34 43 24 29.0 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 1.57 26 35 39 28 18 29.2 Jacksonville, FL 1.48 49 43 4 21 29.3 Columbus, OH 2.04 23 25 45 13 42 29.6 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 2.17 36 36 45 6 28 30.2 Edmonton, AB, Canada 1.32 54 3 40 24 30.3 Cleveland-Elyria, OH 2.06 45 39 45 3 22 30.8 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 4.66 48 15 21 29 41 30.8 Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN 1.87 34 37 13 30 50 32.8 Richmond, VA 1.28 27 40 33 32 33.0 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 2.43 56 41 14 20 35 33.2 Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 2.16 58 5 31 40 33.5 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 13.31 29 22 48 54 15 33.6 San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 3.32 19 17 48 55 33 34.4 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1.98 2 48 59 30 34.8 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 1.27 50 41 15 35.3 Oklahoma City, OK 1.37 46 44 31 4 52 35.4 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA 1.61 39 44 39 20 35.5 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 1.28 55 34 11 46 36.5 Birmingham-Hoover, AL 1.15 51 32 17 47 36.8 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 1.73 40 38 33 26 51 37.6 Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA 2.30 35 33 48 45 36 39.4 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 4.53 59 48 46 43 49.0

One of the more surprising things to come out of the shortlist was the multiple locations in the same region bidding against one another. It is unclear how this will affect the final bidding process, but it’s easy to imagine respective mayors and other elected officials engaging in intra-regional competitions to offer more incentives and tax breaks.

In the Washington, D.C., region, three areas are under consideration: D.C. proper, Northern Virginia and Montgomery County in Maryland. All three of these areas share a few things in common. They all receive the bulk of their travelers from the region’s two main airports — Dulles and Ronald Reagan, both located in Virginia. The region’s subway system serves all three areas, with all routes leading into D.C.

But each area offers its own advantages. D.C., of course, is where all the political and economic action happens. Some have argued that Bezos — who quietly built an empire hiding in the rain-soaked shadows of Seattle — will need to elevate his persona as Amazon enters its next chapter, and D.C. is the place to do that. Bezos also owns The Washington Post, and he just bought a $23 million home in D.C.

The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Does Jeff Bezos want to be closer to political power brokers? (Flickr Photo / Daniel Mennerich)

Northern Virginia makes a lot of sense if the purpose of HQ2 is to eventually spin off Amazon Web Services. That area is well known as a data center hub, and Amazon last year announced plans to build a new East Coast campus in Northern Virginia. The area is also home to a huge hub for the U.S. Department of Defense and an abundance of cybersecurity talent, a must have as massive cyberattacks become increasingly more common.

Montgomery County in Maryland is the only county-level proposal to make the cut. Encompassing the northern suburbs of D.C., the area is home to a wealthy, well-educated population. Its top employers are also U.S. government agencies, and the region is also the headquarters for hotel giant Marriott, a plus if Amazon envisions hosting a lot of visitors from around the world at a Montgomery County HQ2.

In the New York-New Jersey cluster, Amazon is basically choosing between talent and tax incentives. Both areas draw from the same airports generally — La Guardia, JFK and Newark. Prior to the HQ2 response deadline, New Jersey publicized an offer of more than $7 billion in incentives that included significant property and wage tax breaks as well as subsidies for every job created.

New York City boasts the nation’s largest tech workforce outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. Amazon already has a significant presence in the Big Apple, and makes sense as a destination as the retail giant continues to dive deeper into fashion.

The post Data drives Amazon’s shortlist of 20 cities for HQ2 appeared first on Retailnewsfeed.com.

#amazon Data drives Amazon’s shortlist of 20 cities for HQ2 published first on http://retailnewsfeed.com/

[thecaptainsdesk]

  Wherever you go around the world, you’re most likely to use public transport at some point. Once you get to the airport, taxis are normally the best option, especially if you have lots of heavy luggage. However, in most countries around the world – in my experience after 30 years of travelling – public transport is sorely lacking.

Here in the Philippines, it’s a very different story. I’ve travelled to every continent, and covered 132 countries, both as a tourist and a soldier, but in all of that time, there has never been a “public” transport system to match that in the Philippines. That’s not to say it is the same all over the country. There are many remote regions where public transport is not as good, such as remote areas of the provinces where people live miles apart, and riding your carabao (the Philippine domestic water buffalo) is still considered the fastest way to get around.

However, in the area where I live, in the Province of Laguna, public transport is unbelievable. Moreover, it is like that in almost every part of the country where there is a decent population. Everywhere I go around the world, I like to try out the public transport systems. From the rickshaws in India and Thailand (here we call them pedicabs or traysikels) to the dolmuşes of Turkey (a kind of minibus on a set route), I’ve tried them all. However, in none of the countries I have visited could you travel from door to door, on a motorized public transport vehicle, without walking more than a few yards. Here you can, and I will explain how later.

I use public transport here all the time, whether it is a journey north to Ilocos Sur, or a quick trip to bayan (town centre – pronounced buy-an) to get some groceries. After I first came here, I soon discovered that Filipinos drive like no-one else on the planet – with a complete disregard for any other road user, and an “I have the right of way” attitude that makes me want to blow up their car, with them in it! I had a few near misses in the first couple of years, driving the car, my motorbike, and my father-in-law’s traysikel, and finally decided that I was going to give up driving. Road rules are completely ignored, and it is not uncommon to have traffic driving contraflow and blocking the road for oncoming traffic, which they then blame for slowing them down. Safety first – let someone else drive!

Local Transport

So, let’s look at the forms of local transport we have here in the Philippines, and how each one works, both on its own and in conjunction with the other types of public transport.

Taxi

Metered taxis are common in Manila and most major provincial hubs. Flagdown fare starts at around P40, and a 15-minute trip rarely costs more than P150. Airport taxi fares usually start at a minimum of P70, then a per-kilometre charge.

Most taxi drivers will turn on the meter; if they don’t, politely request that they do. If the meter is “broken” or your taxi driver says the fare is “up to you”, the best strategy is to get out and find another cab (or offer a lower price). Rigged meters are also becoming more common, although it must be said that most taxi drivers are honest.

Though it’s not common, there have been cases of taxi passengers being robbed at gun or knife point, sometimes with the driver in cahoots with the culprits or the driver himself holding up the passengers. Get out of a cab straight away (in a secure populated area, of course, not in the middle of nowhere or in a slum area) if you suspect you’re being taken for a ride in more ways than one.

An alternative is to arrange a car and driver for the day – from P2000 to P4000 – through your hotel or another trustworthy source.

Uber

The Uber system of getting a car through an app on your smartphone has had major problems in the Philippines, as the whole concept of using a private vehicle for paying passengers is illegal. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has put a hold on new drivers, and wants Uber to disassociate themselves from drivers without proper documents.

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) regulations state that in order to carry paying passengers, vehicles must have a commercial license plate, and carry insurance as well as the driver having a professional driving license. Uber drivers being able to continue in the Philippines is as yet uncertain. The costs are not that low either.

Light Rail/Manila Rail

Some parts of Manila are served by an elevated railway system, akin to rapid transit metro. Known locally as LRT-1 (the Green Line that runs north-south) and LRT-2 (the Blue Line that runs east-west), and MRT-3 (the Yellow Line, which runs along the north and south lanes of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, known locally as EDSA), these three railway lines transport more than 1.25 million passengers a day.

The major benefit of the LRT and MRT lines is the speed at which you can get from one part of Metro Manila to another. With Metro Manila comprising of 16 cities and the municipality of Pateros, this huge metropolis, known collectively as National Capital Region, covers an area of 619.5 km2. To complete the journey along EDSA by bus or car, from south to north, would normally take 4-5 hours, due to the immense volume of traffic.

The main drawback of the LRT and MRT lines is the crowded carriages. No matter what station you get on, chances are you will be standing the entire trip, and crushed up together with hundreds of other commuters.

Jeepney

The first jeepneys were modified army jeeps left behind by the Americans after WWII. They have been customised with Filipino touches such as chrome horses, banks of coloured headlights, radio antennae, paintings of the Virgin Mary and neon-coloured scenes from action comic books, as well as national flags and scenes from different countries, depending on the work location of the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) that paid for the jeepney.

Jeepneys form the main urban transport in most cities and complement the bus services between regional centres. The starting fare is usually P8, rising modestly for trips outside the primary distance allowed for that P8 fare. Routes are clearly written on the side of the jeepney, and signs in the windscreen show what locations the jeepney will pass through.

Jeepneys have a certain quirky, cultural appeal, but from a tourist’s perspective, they have one humongous flaw: you can barely see anything through the narrow open slats that pass as windows. The best seats are up front next to the driver.

Again, in most places, jeepneys can fill up fast, especially during rush hours, and sitting cramped with 10 other people on each side of the jeepney is normal. Drivers try to cram as many people in as possible, to get the maximum possible fare, and some passengers are even hanging on to the back, while standing on the step or the rear fender, although this is technically illegal. In more remote areas, it is common for jeepneys to have a roof full of passengers.

I have to say it, jeepneys are one of my favourite forms of public transport here, and I love to commute around the country. Although I can drive, I don’t like to here, and it’s much nicer to let someone else worry about the traffic while we watch the world go by through the small “windows”.

Traysikel

Found in most cities and towns, the traysikel (pronounced try-see-kell) is the Philippine rickshaw – a little, roofed sidecar bolted to a motorcycle. The standard fare for local trips in most provincial towns is P8, which goes up piso by piso the further you get from the pickup point. Traysikels that wait around in front of malls, restaurants and hotels will attempt to charge five to ten times that for a “special” trip, which is like hiring the whole vehicle. Avoid these by standing roadside and flagging down a passing P8 tricycle.

The general rule is, if you flag down a passing traysikel it is single fare only. And they will normally slow down to ask where you are going as they go past. If they don’t, it usually means they are going home or are probably not for hire. Travelling on a traysikel can also be done from a terminal. Just like buses and jeepneys, traysikels have terminals (or should if they are franchised, although some “colorum” traysikels just roam around without the correct plates or licenses picking up passengers along the way). A trip from the terminal, unless you ask for the “special” trip, will cost a single fare.

For example, if I get a traysikel from bayan to the house, it’s P13 if it’s shared. The “special” costs me P52, the price of four normal passengers. Prices can vary from terminal to terminal, so it’s best to always ask the fare before you ride. Traysikels are my other favourite form of public transport here, and the drivers work hard to make enough to feed their families, but they will rarely try and rip you off, even as foreign visitors. If the single fare in your shared traysikel is P8, that’s what you’ll pay.

You can also charter tricycles for about P300 per hour or P150 per 10km if you’re heading out of town.

Pedicabs

Many towns also have non-motorised push tricycles, alternately known as Pedicabs or padyak, for shorter trips. Padyak is a the Tagalog word for stomping or forcefully stepping, which is the action used by the drivers when they are pedaling a pedicab with passengers.

Fares are really cheap, sometimes as much as a few pesos less that traysikels, but they will only go short distances. Many open subdivisions (our kind of housing estate) have Pedicabs at the entrance, as well as dotted around inside, for resident’s convenience.

Habal-habal

In the mountain barangays or in the countryside where roads are steep and unpaved, Filipinos always find ways to make things faster and easier to navigate. So, motorcycles are turned into motor-taxis to replace carabaos as a mode of transport.

The normal motorcycle or motorbike is enough only for a passenger and a driver. However, the “habal-habal” motorcycle can carry 2 to 8 passengers (if installed with wooden wings). They are most common in the Visayas and northern Mindanao, although the motorcycle taxi is making inroads in Metro Manila in recent years, just taking only one passenger at a time.

ONLY IN MINDANAO. A motorcycle with 6 passengers ply the Pagalungan highway in Maguindanao province on June 8, 2012 MindaNews photo by Ruby Thursday More

In some areas in the Visayas and Mindanao, “habal-habal” is the term used to call a motorcycle-taxi where the driver and the passengers are in “habal” (animal) position. “Habal” is a Bisayan term that literally means “the sexual (act) intercourse of animals” but now, it seems like the meaning has evolved to mean the mode of transportation… probably due to the “intimate” way passengers are crammed together behind the driver.

Kalesa

A kalesa (also known as caritela or karitela) is a horse-drawn calash used in the Philippines. It was one mode of transportation introduced to the islands in the 18th century by the Spanish, and was initially reserved for only nobles and high-ranking civic officials. These are rarely used in the streets today, except in the tourist-frequented areas of old cities and some rural areas.

A kalesa looks like an inclined cart, and is drawn by a single horse. It has two round wheels on each side and two rows of seats that can accommodate four persons. The driver sits on a block of wood located at the front of the cart near the horse.

Although the kalesa has become a rarity, century-old examples are still preserved in areas of the Philippines, such as in Vigan and Laoag. Kalesas can also be found in Intramuros, where they cater to tourists and Binondo in Manila, as well as in Iligan, where decorated kalesas can be taken for a ride along a specific street. In Cagayan, kalesas are common, especially in Tuao and other municipalities of the province. In Tuguegarao, the carriages are a part of the traffic along with private cars, motorcycles, tricycles, jeepneys, trucks, and bicycles.

Bus & Van

Philippine buses come in all shapes and sizes. Bus depots are dotted throughout towns and the countryside, and most buses will stop if you wave them down. Bus “terminals” also run the gamut. Some are well-secured large garage-like structures with destinations clearly signposted and even ticket booths, whereas others are nothing more than a few run-down outdoor sheds with drivers clamouring for your business. I have even known some locally that are “terminals” in the car park of the local Jollibee or SM Mall.

More services run in the morning – buses on unsealed roads may only run in the morning, especially in remote areas. Night services, including deluxe 27-seaters, are common between Manila and major provincial hubs in Luzon, and in Mindanao.

In NCR, there are normally two kinds of buses. The air-conditioned buses, with closed windows and cool, have their refreshing AC running at close to freezing all the time, while the “ordinary” buses are open, old and amazingly fast. Whereas the AC buses run along the highways almost following the road rules, the “ordinary” buses, which have no air-con except the open windows and rust holes, race along at breathtaking speeds, changing lanes at the drop of a hat, and not slowing down for anyone or anything smaller than them.

While it is nice to ride the AC buses in the hotter weather here, the “ordinary” buses have more character, are cheaper, and often get you there faster, unless it is rush hour in Manila. They look and sound as if they are about to fall apart, but I’ve not ridden on one that has… yet! And when they are going at speed, the open windows give you a cooling breeze, even if it is smog-filled from traffic fumes.

When riding the buses in Manila, especially the “ordinary” ones, be aware of the fares from place to place. It pays to listen to where the people around you are going, to know how much the ride will be, as the conductors will often add a little “surcharge” to foreigners who don’t know the fares. In more than a year of daily trips from Laguna to Makati, I was often told the fare was P10 more than it actually was.

Air-con minivans shadow bus routes in many parts of the Philippines (especially NCR, Bicol, Leyte, Cebu, Palawan and Mindanao) and in some cases have replaced buses altogether. However, you may have to play a waiting game until the vehicles are full. While they are a lot faster,  they are not allowed to stop anywhere in Metro Manila, unlike the jeepneys, and there are many that are run illegally, with private use plates instead of commercial plates.

Door-to-door Service

As I mentioned earlier, the Philippines is the only place I know where you can go door-to-door without walking more than a few yards. And I said I would explain how, so here it is.

The best example is going from my house, inside a subdivision, to my wife’s tita (aunt) who lives in Parañaque, Metro Manila.

From my house, I can get a traysikel just outside the house to the main highway. Since I live inside a subdivision, a little village of sorts inside the city limits, traysikels often drop passengers off inside, and then go back out. Since they are often not part of the TODA (Traysikel Operators and Drivers Association) for that subdivision or barangay, they cannot go to the nearest terminal, and will pick up roadside passengers along the way, to maximize their income for the trip.

From where I get dropped on the highway, I can get a jeepney across the road to take me to Alabang, in Muntinlupa, which drops off inside Starmall.

The terminal for the buses going all over NCR is right outside, and I can get on one that says “Ayala Ibabaw” on the signs in the windscreen. Conductors are always touting for passengers, and will help with which bus you need to take for people who are not sure.

The bus route takes me all the way to Parañaque along SLEX (South Luzon Expressway) and Metro Manila Skyway, and drops off at the Sucat exit.

Cross the road, and I get a jeepney going to San Isidro, which is a single fare price of P8. Get down from the jeepney at the BPI Bank at Greenheights Ave, and cross the road, to the compound where my wife’s tita lives.

The return journey is much the same. A jeepney going past the road outside the compound will take me back down to the Sucat exit, where I can jump on the first bus back to San Pedro, Laguna. Both AC and “ordinary” buses run the route, and there are hundreds of them going that way looking for passengers. (Alternatively, I can get the bus back to Starmall, and do the journey exactly backwards, but I prefer to get a bus all the way to San Pedro.)

At San Pedro, a jeepney passing by can take me into bayan, and drops off around 20 yards from the traysikel terminal for my subdivision. Another P8 fare for this part of the trip.

From the terminal in bayan, the traysikel takes me back to the subdivision, as a shared ride for only P13, and I can direct the driver on which turns to take to get to my house, though since most of them know me from the terminal, I often don’t need to direct them.

What about the other passengers in the traysikel? Well, it’s the norm here for traysikels to carry rideshare passengers (see, we had rideshare and pool vehicles years before Uber!), and there is a courtesy to let the closest one out first, even if it means travelling through many streets to get to your own house after dropping them off.

Another thing that we have with the traysikels is service. Traysikel drivers are some of the nicest people you can meet here, and will gladly carry your shopping bags and sacks of rice to your door, and even inside (if you don’t have nasty, biting dogs like I have), for no extra charge.

So, if you are thinking of coming to the Philippines, try to travel on the local public transport, and experience commuting the Filipino way. It really is “More Fun in the Philippines”.

Travel in the Philippines – Commuting like a Local Wherever you go around the world, you’re most likely to use public transport at some point. Once you get to the airport, taxis are normally the best option, especially if you have lots of heavy luggage.

[donmaciver]

photos c/o Bing Search

~

“Beautiful, supernatural BC” as our homeland is pronounced by our provincial tourism ministry, is exactly as described. Over fifty years ago as a young child I became attached to this city and the west coast, including Vancouver Island, where I had many relatives.

We would come by air or transcontinental train across country from our home in Southern Ontario located in central Canada. It was a big journey that we were always so excited to embark on as a family and to reunite with my mother’s mother and the many aunts, uncles and cousins on my mother’s side of the family.

Nearly thirty years would pass before I would relocate to the west coast of Canada, initially in Greater Vancouver and nearly thirty years later still my second wife and I would find ourselves living in beautiful North Vancouver, just a brief but very pleasant fifteen minute Seabus ride across the Burrard Inlet to the ‘North Shore’ nestled on the interface of the Coastal Mountain Range that is the stunning backdrop for Metropolitan Vancouver.

The photo sequence shared above:

Upper Left Photo: Burrard Inlet

Pictured is a paddle wheel dinner cruise ship on the Burrard Inlet where the waters of the Pacific Ocean flow in beneath the dramatic beauty of the Lions Gate Bridge which connects Metro Vancouver’s west shore to West and North Vancouver, dissecting Stanley Park in its rising path over the shimmering waters plied by huge international freighter vessels to and from port to cruise ships and pleasure craft of all descriptions from sailboats to yachts and high powered motorboats, not to mention float planes.

Upper Right Photo: Splendor of North Vancouver

As seen from downtown Metro Vancouver across the deep, dark rippling waters of the Burrard Inlet, North Vancouver rises up the mountain interface with a multitude of residential and commercial properties ranging from detached houses to a host of impressive condominium townhome, highrise apartment and office towers.

Quaint old style cultural shops line the primary streets of North Vancouver to this day. Strolling down the main streets brings a sumptuous fragrance of fine dining establishments and mom and pop restaurants that have lined the streets for decades. Life in North Vancouver has been a wonderful experience from a geographical standpoint alone.

When this photo was taken you can clearly see the line across the heavily treed mountain interface which reveals the snow elevation at that particular time. The snow elevation will vary somewhat depending on how cold weather gets during any given winter season and that can be influenced by any number of meteorological events including periodic arctic fronts that swoop down over the city and region on into the Interior mountain ranges beyond what is visible here. Snowfall down onto the cities here is fairly rare. Because of the extreme hilly conditions prevalent through the G.V.R.D., when it does snow onto city streets traffic can be a nightmare which a high volume of accidents.

Lower Photo:

Pictured in this lower visual is the stunning view from the over 4,000 foot elevation of gorgeous Grouse Mountain which is directly north from our current home location. During the short winter months snow falls in great volume, the perfect location of a premier skiing experience. There is also a restaurant and lounge at the upper level accessed by gondola.

The views of North Vancouver (foreground) and the Burrard Inlet which dissects the North Shore and Metro Vancouver (across the middle of the photo) is superb as seen here and even more spectacular at night after dark as millions of lights twinkle in a magical array of symmetrical order that is home, street and bridge lighting across the vast expanse that is Greater Vancouver.

At the four-thousand foot elevation one stands high enough to experience the magic of cloud formations drifting over the mountain interface, Inlet and city lights below. It is really quite easy to fall in love with Vancouver and its expanse of twenty-two (22) municipalities within the G.V.R.D. 

~

Our homeland is a blessing, a joy and celebration of the extraordinary beauty of this lush and mountainous west coast province shouldered on its western shores by the magnificent Pacific Ocean. For thirty years now British Columbia has been my homeland. We are faced with many of life’s challenges just as the people across our country are. It is rugged territory which presents its own inherent splendor and challenges combined.

The sheer ruggedness of the land and mountains with high elevation highways that twist and wind, rise to dizzying heights and fall to sea level and wildlife that is beautiful from a safe distance or a perilous danger up close, it remains in large part a virgin wildlife playground, much of which is inaccessible to humans by vehicle and treacherous to venture into on foot.

North Vancouver; a step away from the metropolis of downtown Vancouver, is ever-growing with new development yet maintains a comfortable separation from the big city with its clamor of big business and commerce and an extensive blend of high rise condominium and office towers where the hustle and bustle of everyday city existence is unceasing and always dynamic.

I have always elected to live in suburban areas a comfortable distance from the big city. North Vancouver still allows me that comfort where my wife Andrea and I experience Vancouver from yet another different perspective. It suits us well until we choose to relocate once again.

Exquisite North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada! photos c/o Bing Search ~ "Beautiful, supernatural BC" as our homeland is pronounced by our provincial tourism ministry, is exactly as described.

[americanmuslimtoday]

American muslim today

More than 90 Muslim candidates are running for office across America in 2020. American muslim today, First Muslim American state, First Muslim Chaplain, New York City Muslims work, Muslims give back, Muslims Resolved To Give Back, Muslim mental wellness. Visit here for More info- https://americanmuslimtoday.com. South America culture might be the blend of nearly the 1/2 of the way of life of the world. This mainland includes its own way of life which was encouraged through the local people who were the underlying part and occupant of the incredible landmass.

This culture had its own one of a kind convention and legacies. Later the standard culture was depending on another societies. Of these different societies there have been the ecu culture, the African culture and as of late the current culture which has commitment generally in the North America just as utilizing their organization territories of the world.

South America culture might be the rich absolute of incalculable from the main societies of the world. Joined with the indigenous culture which was created all through the Mayan progress, you will discover the impacts from the European culture which was through the colonizers inside this landmass. Additionally, South America have been nearly the focal situation from the slave exchange. Because of the slave exchange that contains the African individuals on the grounds that the slaves, in South America, African culture additionally created with these African individuals. The social assorted variety prompted a few social highlights too. The idea of religion appeared to be impacted which bring about the decent variety in religion in South America.

Culture of South America

The Cultures of South America utilize assorted social conventions. Remembered for this are the local societies from the people groups that possessed the landmasses before the appearance from the Europeans; European societies, brought generally by the Spanish, the Portuguese and furthermore the French; African societies, whose presence gets from the long great notoriety for New World servitude; and furthermore the Usa, especially through mass culture for instance film and TV. American muslim today, First Muslim American state, First Muslim Chaplain, New York City Muslims work, Muslims give back, Muslims Resolved To Give Back, Muslim mental wellness, Growing muslim philanthropy Ramadan, Metro area Muslims give back for Ramadan, Growing muslim philanthropy, News about Muslim Americans, latest news on American Muslims, American muslim today,  Muslim Americans news, News on American Muslims, Islam in the United States, American Muslims in the United States, American muslim today news, American Islam news today, Islamic news in america, News About Islam in America, American breaking news on islam, American breaking news on Muslims, American news on Muslims, American live on Muslims, Muslim news in america today

RELIGION

Roman Catholicism might be the prevailing religion (97%). French Guiana likewise offers a ton of Protestants. Guyana and Suriname are exemptions, with three significant religions: Christianity by and large, Hinduism, and Islam. In marsh South America, alongside the Andes, animism and shamanism are common, as noted one of the Urarina of Peruvian Amazonia.

Latin American music, now and then essentially called Latin music, incorporates the ambient sounds of nations in Latin America and is accessible in numerous assortments, in the basic, rustic conjunto music of northern Mexico towards the modern habanera of Cuba, in the orchestras of Heitor Villa-Lobos towards the simple and moving Andean woodwind. Music has had a huge influence in Latin America's fierce the ongoing past, as an illustration the nueva cancion development. Latin music is very various, utilizing the main genuinely bringing together string being utilizing Latin dialects, predominately spanish, the Portuguese language in Brazil, and furthermore less significantly, Latin-determined creole dialects for instance that present in Haiti.

Latin America could be part into a few melodic zones. Andean music, for example, incorporates the nations of western South America, commonly Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Venezuela; Central American music incorporates El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. Caribbean music incorporates numerous Spanish and French-talking islands in the caribbean Sea, including Haiti, tobago, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Martinique and Guadeloupe, despite the fact that the Francophone islands are erroneously not generally viewed as Latin while they be an outcome of Latin legacies simply like their Spanish and Portuguese cousins. Brazil maybe comprises its own special melodic zone, both because of the huge size and amazing assorted variety alongside its novel history like a Portuguese province. Despite the fact that Spain is definitely not an a piece of Latin America, Spanish music (and Portuguese music) and Latin American music emphatically cross-treated each other, yet Latin music likewise ingested impacts from English and American music, particularly, African music.

There are loads of differing kinds of Latin music the greater part of which comprises Afro-American melodic conventions, and accordingly parts of European, African and indigenous music are intertwined. Beforehand, different creators have recommended outrageous positions like Latin music being deprived of African impact, or simply being absolutely African with no European or indigenous components, yet it's currently commonly acknowledged that Latin music is inalienably syncretic. In particular, Spanish melody structures, African rhythms and European amicability are significant regions of tropical Latin music, much like the more prominent present day classifications for instance rock, weighty metal, punk, ska, rap, jazz, reggae and R&B.

Scarcely any could be noted without a doubt about music with what has become Latin America before the appearance of Europeans. Despite the fact that you will discover incredibly disengaged people groups inside the Amazon Basin and somewhere else which have had little association with Europeans or Africans, Latin music is almost totally an amalgamation of European, African and indigenous components. The serious developments from the pre-contact time incorporated the Mayan, Aztec and Incan domains. These societies had very much evolved melodic foundations which were "diminished to more straightforward levels and plans with the destruction or decline in the decision classes, and through the improvement of Christianity"

LATIN AMERICAN ART

Past the rich custom of indigenous craftsmanship, the presentation of Latin American visual workmanship owed much towards the impact of Spanish, Portuguese and French Baroque artistic creation, which frequently followed the patterns from the Italian Masters. For the most part, this masterful Eurocentrism began to blur in early a century ago, as Latin-Americans began to recognize the peculiarity of the condition and started to follow their own special way.

In the early a century ago, the ability of Latin America was incredibly enlivened through the Constructivist Movement. The Constructivist Movement was established in Russia around 1913 by Vladimir Tatlin. The Movement immediately spread from Russia to Europe after which into Latin America. Joaquin Torres Garcia and Manuel Rendon happen to be credited with bringing the Constructivist Movement into Latin America from Europe.

[americanmuslimtoday]

latest news on American Muslims

South America culture might be the blend of nearly the 1/2 of the way of life of the world. This mainland includes its own way of life which was encouraged through the local people who were the underlying part and occupant of the incredible landmass.

This culture had its own one of a kind convention and legacies. Later the standard culture was depending on another societies. Of these different societies there have been the ecu culture, the African culture and as of late the current culture which has commitment generally in the North America just as utilizing their organization territories of the world.

South America culture might be the rich absolute of incalculable from the main societies of the world. Joined with the indigenous culture which was created all through the Mayan progress, you will discover the impacts from the European culture which was through the colonizers inside this landmass. Additionally, South America have been nearly the focal situation from the slave exchange. Because of the slave exchange that contains the African individuals on the grounds that the slaves, in South America, African culture additionally created with these African individuals. The social assorted variety prompted a few social highlights too. The idea of religion appeared to be impacted which bring about the decent variety in religion in South America.

Culture of South America

The Cultures of South America utilize assorted social conventions. Remembered for this are the local societies from the people groups that possessed the landmasses before the appearance from the Europeans; European societies, brought generally by the Spanish, the Portuguese and furthermore the French; African societies, whose presence gets from the long great notoriety for New World servitude; and furthermore the Usa, especially through mass culture for instance film and TV. American muslim today, First Muslim American state, First Muslim Chaplain, New York City Muslims work, Muslims give back, Muslims Resolved To Give Back, Muslim mental wellness, Growing muslim philanthropy Ramadan, Metro area Muslims give back for Ramadan, Growing muslim philanthropy, News about Muslim Americans, latest news on American Muslims, Muslim Americans news, News on American Muslims, Islam in the United States, American Muslims in the United States, American muslim today news, American Islam news today, Islamic news in america, News About Islam in America, American breaking news on islam, American breaking news on Muslims, American news on Muslims, American live on Muslims, Muslim news in america today

RELIGION

Roman Catholicism might be the prevailing religion (97%). French Guiana likewise offers a ton of Protestants. Guyana and Suriname are exemptions, with three significant religions: Christianity by and large, Hinduism, and Islam. In marsh South America, alongside the Andes, animism and shamanism are common, as noted one of the Urarina of Peruvian Amazonia.

Latin American music, now and then essentially called Latin music, incorporates the ambient sounds of nations in Latin America and is accessible in numerous assortments, in the basic, rustic conjunto music of northern Mexico towards the modern habanera of Cuba, in the orchestras of Heitor Villa-Lobos towards the simple and moving Andean woodwind. Music has had a huge influence in Latin America's fierce the ongoing past, as an illustration the nueva cancion development. Latin music is very various, utilizing the main genuinely bringing together string being utilizing Latin dialects, predominately spanish, the Portuguese language in Brazil, and furthermore less significantly, Latin-determined creole dialects for instance that present in Haiti.

Latin America could be part into a few melodic zones. Andean music, for example, incorporates the nations of western South America, commonly Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Venezuela; Central American music incorporates El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. Caribbean music incorporates numerous Spanish and French-talking islands in the caribbean Sea, including Haiti, tobago, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Martinique and Guadeloupe, despite the fact that the Francophone islands are erroneously not generally viewed as Latin while they be an outcome of Latin legacies simply like their Spanish and Portuguese cousins. Brazil maybe comprises its own special melodic zone, both because of the huge size and amazing assorted variety alongside its novel history like a Portuguese province. Despite the fact that Spain is definitely not an a piece of Latin America, Spanish music (and Portuguese music) and Latin American music emphatically cross-treated each other, yet Latin music likewise ingested impacts from English and American music, particularly, African music.

There are loads of differing kinds of Latin music the greater part of which comprises Afro-American melodic conventions, and accordingly parts of European, African and indigenous music are intertwined. Beforehand, different creators have recommended outrageous positions like Latin music being deprived of African impact, or simply being absolutely African with no European or indigenous components, yet it's currently commonly acknowledged that Latin music is inalienably syncretic. In particular, Spanish melody structures, African rhythms and European amicability are significant regions of tropical Latin music, much like the more prominent present day classifications for instance rock, weighty metal, punk, ska, rap, jazz, reggae and R&B.

Scarcely any could be noted without a doubt about music with what has become Latin America before the appearance of Europeans. Despite the fact that you will discover incredibly disengaged people groups inside the Amazon Basin and somewhere else which have had little association with Europeans or Africans, Latin music is almost totally an amalgamation of European, African and indigenous components. The serious developments from the pre-contact time incorporated the Mayan, Aztec and Incan domains. These societies had very much evolved melodic foundations which were "diminished to more straightforward levels and plans with the destruction or decline in the decision classes, and through the improvement of Christianity"

LATIN AMERICAN ART

Past the rich custom of indigenous craftsmanship, the presentation of Latin American visual workmanship owed much towards the impact of Spanish, Portuguese and French Baroque artistic creation, which frequently followed the patterns from the Italian Masters. For the most part, this masterful Eurocentrism began to blur in early a century ago, as Latin-Americans began to recognize the peculiarity of the condition and started to follow their own special way.

In the early a century ago, the ability of Latin America was incredibly enlivened through the Constructivist Movement. The Constructivist Movement was established in Russia around 1913 by Vladimir Tatlin. The Movement immediately spread from Russia to Europe after which into Latin America. Joaquin Torres Garcia and Manuel Rendon happen to be credited with bringing the Constructivist Movement into Latin America from Europe.