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ITALY BOOKS FED CUP FINAL TICKET ROME: Italy’s love affair with the Fed Cup continued on Sunday (Monday in Manila) as the reigning champions booked a place in the final against the United States after a 5-0 whitewash against the Czech Republic. Needing only the first rubber of the day, top seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta scored the decisive point with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 win over Petra Kvitova to book a fourth final in the last five years. AFP Lifter Llena to compete in Mongolia PROMISING lifter Patricia Llena will compete against some of the region’s best in the Asian Powerlifting Championships slated from May 1 to 6 at the Central Palace of Art and Culture in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The tournament serves as Llena’s build up for the 2010 Youth Olympics in August in Singapore. “It’s a good chance to scout possible rivals in the Youth Olympics. It’s also a good venue to improve my skills as best lifters from all over Asia are expected to participate,” said Llena. The 16-year-old Llena was officially named as the country’s representative in the Youth Olympics following her three-bronze medal finish in the recently concluded Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Llena, a San Antonio, Nueva Ecija native, placed third in the snatch (80 kilograms), clean and jerk (101 kilograms) and total (181 kilograms) of the girls’ 63-kilogram class. Last year, Llena topped the World Sub-Junior and Junior Powerlifting Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil with three gold medals. She defeated three-time world champion Talybova Yana of Russia. Llena also finish in 10th spot in the 2009 World Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship held in Chang Mai, Thailand. Besides Llena, other entries of the Philippines in the Youth Olympics are tennis player Francis Casey Alcantara and the boys’ national youth threeon-three basketball squad. Alcantara and the basketball team were given wild card entries by their respective international federations. Youth Olympics hopefuls Banjo Borja, Jessie Khing Lacuna, Jasmine Al-Khaldi, Dorothy Hong and Jose Gonzales are still awaiting confirmation from the International Swimming Federation. EMIL C. NOGUERA A sports ANAND WINS SECOND GAME, LEVELS AT 1-1 SOFIA, Bulgaria: India’s defending champion Viswanathan Anand on Sunday (Monday in Manila) won the second game 8 in his 12-game duel for the world chess title against Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov, to level the scores at 1-1. The Indian grandmaster, who played white, beat Topalov on the 43rd move of the game. Topalov had won The ˜Manila Times TUESDAY April 27, 2010 the first game of the series on Saturday. AFP Puyat captures US junior golf title BY JOSEF T. RAMOS CORRESPONDENT FILIPINO Marcel Puyat blasted a two-under par 70 to come back from five strokes down and beat David Lee and Will Zalatoris to capture the American Junior Golf Association-Under Armour/Hunter Mahan Championship boys’ crown over the weekend. The 17-year-old Puyat at the TPC Craig Ranch course in McKinney, Texas delivered three birdies in the final round to banish his lone bogey mishap on No. 11 for that 70 and a 54-hole total of 216 to snare the title. Entering the final in joint fourth with four others, including Zalatoris from Texas, five shots behind Lee, Puyat stayed focused and used a strategy to score his breakthrough victory. “My game plan was to make pars on the tough holes and be aggressive on the easy holes,” said Puyat, who is being eyed by coaches of University of California, Los Angeles, Duke University and Stanford University. “I knew all I had to do was stick to that plan to win.” The Texas native Lee lost his touch and skied to a five-over 77, dropping to third with a 218 in a tie with Lee McCoy (68) of Florida and Al McInerney (74) of Nevada. Zalatoris made two birdies against two bogeys to make the turn at 36, dropping just one shot back Wade’s amazing effort keeps Heat in NBA playoffs MIAMI: Dwyane Wade scored a career playoff high 46 points to spark the Miami Heat past Boston 101- 92 on Sunday (Monday in Manila), denying the Celtics a sweep of their Eastern Conference firstround NBA playoff series. Playing what could have been his final game for the Heat, Wade rallied Miami from a 77- 71 deficit entering the fourth quarter after Boston had erased an early 18-point lead for the hosts and extended the best-ofseven series. The Celtics will try again to finish off the Heat in Game 5 on Tuesday in Boston. Wade plans to opt out of his contract with the Heat and test the free agent market, although the superstar guard has said he would like to stay in Miami. If Sunday was his final home game in a Heat uniform, Wade made certain it was that would long be remembered, outscoring the entire Boston squad 19-15 in the fourth quarter. Ateneo, Lyceum square off for top post in V-League UNBEATEN squads Ateneo de Manila University and Lyceum College clash against each other for the top post in Group B on the way to the quarterfinal round of seventh Shakey’s V-League women’s volleyball on Tuesday at The Arena in San Juan City. The winner between Ateneo and Lyceum in their 4 p.m. match will The Celtics had won all three regular-season meetings with Miami and led the series 3-0 and appeared set to finish off the Heat when Wade answered. Wade hit back-to-back threepointers to put Miami ahead 79-78 and added another to cap a 12-2 run that gave the Heat an 85-80 edge. In Chicago, James scored 37 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and passes out 11 assists to spark the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Bulls 121-98, giving the NBA regular season champions a 3-1 edge in their Eastern Conference playoff matchup. The fifth career “triple double” for James led a blowout performance by the Cavaliers, who had 24 points from Antawn Jamison and 19 from Mo Williams. The Bulls were led by 21 points each from Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, but were unable to keep the pace with Cleveland in the second quarter and unable to rally in the second half. The Cavaliers host Chicago in remain unbeaten in three games. The final elimination day on Thursday is Ateneo tangles with Adamson and Lyceum battles University of San Jose-Recoletos. Defending champion University of Santo Tomas tries to rebound from its loss to San Sebastian, when it takes on University of Saint La Salle-Bacolod at 2 p.m. for the No. Game 5 Tuesday needing only one more victory to advance as James focuses on winning an NBA title. Meanwhile, George Hill scored a game-high 29 points and the San Antonio Spurs pushed the second-seeded Dallas Mavericks to the brink of elimination from the NBA playoffs with a 92-89 victory. Argentine star guard Manu Ginobili scored 17 points for the Spurs despite playing with a nasal fracture and Richard Jefferson added 15 as San Antonio seized a 3-1 edge in the first-round Western Conference best-of-seven series. In other Western Conference playoff game, Carlos Boozer scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Utah past Denver 117-106, giving the Jazz a 3-1 lead over the Nuggets in their firstround series. AFP 2 slot in Group A. The top four teams in each group after the single round elimination will advance to the quarters where they will again be divided into two with the Nos. 1 and 3 teams making up the first group and the Nos. 2 and 4 squads composing the other side. The Tigresses are fancied against the Lady Stingers, who are also into the quarters with an even 1-1 card. Focus will be on the Thai imports of both teams with Ateneo’s Sontaya Keawbundit, who unloaded 26 spikes in two games, going up against Lyceum’s Porntip Santrong, who had been more prolific with a 26-kill average after two games. JOSEF T. RAMOS off Puyat, who birdied No. 7. Puyat, one of the US-based golfing scholars of ICTSI, birdied No. 16 to surge ahead by three and held on to a one-stroke win as Zalatoris came charging home with two birdies in the last three holes for a 71 and a 217 for second. Puyat, who opened with a 72 for joint sixth then moved up to a share of fourth despite fumbling with a two-over 74, said his hard work has finally paid off with the win. Nadera eyes lead in Asian chess games FILIPINO International Master (IM) Barlo Nadera is still in contention along with solo leader Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So in the 9th Asian Individual Chess Championships being held at the the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center. Nadera posted an upset win over GM Saleh Salem of United Arab Emirates to improve his score to 3.5 points and vaulted into a tie for seventh to 19th places after the fifth round. The 55th seed Nadera is a full point behind So and half a point behind second placers GM Gopal Narayana Geetha of India and GMs Yu Yangyi, Ding Liren, Ni Jua and Li Chao of China. Nadera will face GM Ehsan Gahemmagham of Iran in the sixth round of the tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines. “I still have four rounds to catch up with tournament leaders. I just stay composed and relaxed to come up with victory like this one,” said Nadera. GM John Paul Gomez defeated IM Kirl Kuderinov of Kazakhstan. So took the solo lead by trouncing GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia. The Filipino chess wizard now has 4.5 points on four wins and one draw. EMIL C. NOGUERA Lariba grabs 3 crowns in METTA Cup RISING young star Ian Lariba captured three crowns while Indonesia snared most of the titles in the last day of second Metropolitan Table Tennis Association (METTA) National Invitational Cup over the weekend at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The 15-year-old Lariba, a member of the Philippine team since 2007, gained the girls’ 15-and-under singles plum, girls’ 17-andunder singles crown and the women’s open singles title in the event organized by METTA President Ting Ledesma. “My coach told me to play with a lot of heart besides training,” said Lariba. Indonesia took four titles in the tournament supported by Annona Corp., Mae Gas Refilling Plant and Marketing, Sonia Trading and Topcoms/Star Sports Korea. Lariba outclassed Jaezl Ingeniero, 3-0, for the girls’ 15 singles crown, while she easily disposed off Rose Fadol of Bacolod, 3-0, for the girls’ 17 title and beat former national player Sendrina Balatbat, 3-1, for the women’s open crown. Indonesian Anang Apriyanto won the boys’ 12 singles crown against Francis Garganian of Bacolod, 3-0; Bima Negara took the boys’ 15 singles title against fellow Apriyanto, 3-1; sportsinbrief ■ NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana: American Jason Bohn snapped a five-year win drought Sunday (Monday in Manila), making birdies on three of the last four holes to complete a wire-to-wire victory at the US PGA Zurich Classic. Bohn, who turned 37 on Saturday, fired a bogey-less final-round five-under par 67 to finish 72 holes on 18-under par 270, defeating countryman Jeff Overton by two strokes for his first triumph since the 2005 B.C. Open. AFP ■ ROME: Roger Federer admitted he was shocked his old rival and four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal had been written off as a spent force. World No. 1 Federer, who will renew his rivalry with the Spaniard at the Rome Masters this week, likened the criticism aimed at Nadal to the experience he went through a year ago. AFP ■ UNIVERSITY of the East (UE) scored with a 22-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-22 victory against University of Cordilleras (UC) on Monday in the opening round of 2010 National Inter-Collegiate Volleyball Championship at the UC gym in La Trinidad and Syaiful Lakoro won over Negara, 3-0, for the boys’ 17 crown. Yon Mardiyono won against fellow Indonesian Dian Jacobs, 3-0, for the men’s singles open of the tournament sanctioned by the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines. LOPTTA of Bacolod City swept all matches to beat host METTA, 3-0, for the men’s nonrank title of the event, whose awarding ceremony was attended by Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Harry Angping and Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila. In other results, Via Bonzon of Huaching beat Samantha Ingeniero of P. Gomez, 3-2, for the girls’ 12-and-under crown, Johanne Remaneses defeated Nico Cruz of San Beda, 3-2, for the men’s non-rank crown. College of Saint Benilde’s Cecille Niemo crushed Mabeth Compendio of G 5000, 3-0, for the women’s non-rank crown in the tournament participated by at least 400 table tennis players all over the country. Other champions were Nestor Ferre of Table Tennis Association of North District (50 above men’s singles); Bill Yap of Hua Ching (Platinum) and Lauro Crisostomo of METTA (40 above men’s singles). JOSEF T. RAMOS Benguet. UE take its first win in the annual tournament organized by the Philippine Volleyball Federation, headed by President Pedro Mendoza. Saint Louie University (SLU) beat University of Baguio, 3-0, for the other women’s result. In the men’s side, UE won over SLU, 3-0, and UC defeated Emilio Aguinaldo College, 3-0, for first win. JOSEF T. RAMOS ■ PROFESSOR Robert Milto Calo of the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) was elected president of the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP) recently for the year 2010 held at TUP Auditorium in Manila. Calo who replaced Dr. Godofredo Gallega, also serves as president of the Philippine Inter-School Colleges Universities Athletic Association, one of the hundred league-organizations affiliated with the FESSAP. ■ ABOUT 300 racers took part in the first leg of the Powerade Philippine Duathlon Open 2010 held recently at the Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, with the national duathlete champions August Benedicto and Monica Torres topped the elite class. Tarlac City’s August Benedicto finished first in the Men’s Division clocking in at 1:20:20 while World’s No. 5 Monica Torres topped the Women’s Division with a time of 1:37:52.
TERM OF THE DAY Inflation The percentage increase in the price level per year. Source: Bureau of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development- Department of Trade and Industry business business@manilatimes.net B 1 The Manila Times TUESDAY April 27, 2010 Galleon-NAV-00.6871-04/26/2010 BSP maintains upward bias in April inflation forecast BY LAILANY P. GOMEZ REPORTER THE Philippine central bank on Monday said its inflation forecast for March would hold for April as well. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said this month’s average price increase would fall within a higher range of 3.9 percent to 4.8 percent, similar to its forecast for last month. BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the factors behind the forecast are higher oil prices and electricity rates. He said lower rice prices and the slight appreciation of the peso likely tempered inflation this month. “Overall, based on the current assessment of inflation risks, including the likely trend in oil and non-oil commodity prices, this estimate would allow inflation to settle within the 2010 target range,” Tetangco said. The April forecast is still within the BSP’s full-year target of 3.5 percent to 5.5 percent. For next year, it set an inflation target of 3 percent to 5 percent. Last week, the policy-making Monetary Board kept its key interest rates steady, but raised its inflation forecast for this year and 2011 amid higher fuel prices and expectations of an increase in transport »INFLATION (in percent) 5 3 4.4 3.9 to 4.8 1 0 March actual April forecast fares and wages. BSP Assistant Governor Cyd Tuano-Amador had said monetary authorities revised their baseline inflation forecast to 5.1 percent this year from an earlier estimate of 4.64 percent. The 2011 forecast also was increased to 3.7 percent from 3.45 percent previously. Amador said the upward revision was based on the assumption that there will be increases in oil prices, wages and transport fares—50 centavos for jeepney fares and P10 for taxi flag-down rates—next month. She said the BSP based the assumed wage increases on the historical level of adjustment of an average P25 per day, which translates to a 6-percent increase. Assuming there will be no adjustments in wages, transport fares and oil prices, baseline inflation will be lower at 4.4 percent this year, still higher than the earlier forecast. For next year, the baseline figure was set at 3.2 percent, assuming no increases in wages, transport fares and oil prices. Power grid operator to accelerate Mindanao capex BY EUAN PAULO C. AÑONUEVO REPORTER THE operator of the Philippines’ power transmission monopoly said it would ramp up its capital expenditures in Mindanao this year to address the region’s electricity supply shortfall. In a press briefing, Roque Corpuz, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) president, said it may need around P10 billion for this year’s capex. A significant portion of the amount would likely go to the completion of the Mindanao “loop,” he said. These include the Maramag- Bunawan Transmission Project, Abaga- Kirahon Transmission Project and the Kirahon-Maramag transmission line. These projects aim to put up a backbone transmission system from Northern Mindanao, where most of the region’s hydro plants are located, to Southern Mindanao, which hosts most of its industrial and commercial customers. The absence of a direct link between the two regions is responsible for the transmission line constraints that crimped electricity supply in Southern Mindanao. NGCP is the consortium that won last year’s bid for the 25-year concession to operate and manage the power grid. The consortium is composed of State Grid of China Corp., which has a 40 percent stake; Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp., with 30 percent; and Calaca High Power Corp., with the remaining 30 percent. NGCP said it has been implementing numerous repairs and upgrade of the power grid since assuming control from state-run National Transmission Corp. (TransCo). While most of the grid’s assets were supposed to last for 30 years, they had been deteriorating, if not had bogged down after only 10 years under TransCo. Under the country’s Transmission Development Plan, the concessionaire will have to pour in some $850 million for capital expenditures over the period 2006 to 2010. ■ The peso closed at 44.23 against US dollar on Monday, stronger than Friday’s 44.33 finish. Peso, stocks rise amid improving risk appetite IMPROVING risk appetite following Greece’s request for a financial bailout buoyed the peso and Philippine share prices on Monday. At the Philippine Dealing System, the local unit closed at 44.23 against the greenback from last Friday’s 44.33 finish. One trader said the peso also got a lift from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas announcement that remittances will grow by 8 percent and not 6 percent as forecast earlier. The peso opened at 44.31 and traded to a high of 44.315 and a low of 44.15. Total trading volume reached $771.350 from last week’s $603.15 million. Traders said they see the peso at a range of 44.00 and 44.30 within the week. At the Philippine Stock Exchange, share prices resumed their rise on Monday after Wall Street recorded its longest string of gains in six years. The local composite index rose by 1.48 percent or 48.14 points to 3,292.59, less than eight points shy ■ The composite index increased 48.14 points to 3,292.59, while the all-shares index up by 25.20 points to 2,043.12. of the 3,300 psychological level, while the broader all-shares index advanced by 1.25 percent or 25.20 points to 2,043.12. Advancers beat decliners 68 to 32, while 63 stocks were unchanged. A total of 949.72 billion stocks worth P3.59 billion were traded. “Right now, we’re still caught in the optimism in the overseas market and what we’re seeing now is still part of the consolidation in the stock market,” said Astro del Castillo of First Grade Holdings Inc. Del Castillo said that as the May presidential elections draw nearer, the market is expected to move “sideways.” As of now, economicrelated developments have more influence on investors than poll-related news, he said. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.63 percent or 69.99 points to 11,204.28 after a strong report on new home sales made up for mixed corporate earnings news. LAILANY P. GOMEZ AND KRISTA ANGELA M. MONTEALEGRE »US UNVEILS NEW $100 ■ Brian Doherty (right), Economic Counselor of the US Embassy, points to the 3D security ribbon, one of the unique features of the new $100 bill. The US Embassy in Manila and the US Secret Service unveiled the new design for the note, which has counterfeit-deterrent security features. These new notes will be issued on February 10, 2011, but the 6.5-billion old design $100s in circulation will remain legal tender, officials said. LAILANY P. GOMEZ Customs sees April collections above goal BY KATRINA MENNEN A. VALDEZ REPORTER THE Bureau of Customs said it would exceed its self-imposed collection target for April despite a cash shortfall on the last week of the month. Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said Customs maintains a cash target of P13.267 billion for the period April 1 to 22. The agency’s actual cash collection for the period stood at only P12.531 billion, or P739 million short of the goal. Morales said the agency however expects P3.8 billion in non-cash tax expenditure fund (TEF), bringing the bureau closer if not surpassing its full-month target of P22.690 billion. The Department of Budget and Management allocates an annual budget for the TEF, which is used to help state-run corporations pay duties and taxes to Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Tax subsidies given to a state corporation are usually deducted from its budget for the succeeding year. “We are definitely going to meet and exceed our [collection] target for the month of April, which was perceived to be more challenging compared with the same period last year,” Morales said. For this year, Customs is tasked to collect P275.7 billion, higher than last year’s actual tax take of P220.3 billion. Travel agencies claim losses on EU ban BY BEN ARNOLD O. DE VERA REPORTER THE ban imposed by the European Union (EU) on Philippine carriers is hurting local travel agencies, according to an industry group. Maria Paz Alberto, Philippine Travel Agencies Association president, said they estimate losses running to about a tenth of potential revenues because of the ban, which led to a decline in bookings for travel to the Philippines. “The ban on local airlines by European authorities is another major blow to the operations of travel agencies, who are also currently battling online promos by airlines and hotels,” Alberto said in a statement. “Although no Philippine carrier flies directly to Europe, the blacklisting [resulted in] the issuance of negative travel advisories on the Philippines and the non-issuance of travel insurance for those going to the country,” she said. “It also meant that inter-island tours, which are a normal part of the package being offered by travel agencies with inbound services, were also cancelled by tourists coming from Europe as they involve the use of domestic airlines,” she added. “The issuance of the blacklisting happened at a time when [local travel agencies] were starting to receive strong demand from European markets,” Alberto said. “We have been getting a lot of inquiries and bookings from Germany, France and Russia. Europe is such a big market that we are only now slowly penetrating.” Alberto called on President Arroyo to do something to lift the EU ban. Marketing to the base of the pyramid IN late June 2006, Fernando Zobel of the Ayala group of companies addressed some 50 deans and officials of graduate schools of business in Asia and the Pacific at the annual conference of the Pacific Asia Consortium for International Business and Economics Research (PACIBER) at the Mactan Shangri-la in Cebu. In his speech, which the deans found fascinating, Zobel spoke about how the Ayala group had made it part of its mission to serve both the economically dynamic and the poor profitably and honorably. The latter segment of the economy is called the base of the pyramid (BOP) or the bottom of the pyramid, although the former is the more politically correct term. Zobel cited the example of prepaid cell phone cards that are sold in sari-sari stores and retailed further at lower denominations, very much like selling shampoo in sachets or selling cigarettes by the stick and not by the pack. He also cited Manila Water, which supplies water even to the marginalized sectors of society. In 2002, when the BOP still stood for the bottom of the pyramid, C.K. Pralahad and Allen Hammond coauthored a paper in the prestigious Harvard Business Review (HBR) entitled “Serving the World’s Poor Profitably.” The paper urged the multinational companies (MNC’s) to be at the forefront of social development initiatives not as an act of charity but as a matter MANAGING FOR SOCIETY PHILIP E. JUICO of self-interest. The paper started with the basic proposition that by stimulating commerce and development at the bottom (base) of the economic pyramid, multinationals could radically improve the lives of billions of people and help create a more stable, less dangerous world. In short, to create a healthy world economy is to ensure world peace. Pralahad and Hammond then proceeded to argue the business case for entering the world’s poorest markets. Pralahad and Hammond explained that business rarely invests in selling to the poor because of outdated assumptions about the developing world. While it is true that, in developing counties, individual incomes may be low and thus purchasing power is limited, the aggregate buying power of poor communities is actually quite large, representing a substantial market in many countries for what some might consider luxury goods like satellite television and phone services. Prices and margins are often much higher in poor neighborhoods than in their middle class counterparts. And new technologies are already steadily reducing the effects of corruption, illiteracy, inadequate infrastructure and other such barriers, according to Pralahad and Hammond. The two scholars have other gems of thought on how the BOP can be served. In the end, they have one precious insight. Certainly, succeeding in such markets requires MNC’s (and other enterprises) to think creatively. The biggest change, though, has to come from executives themselves. Unless business leaders confront their own perceptions—particularly about the value of high-volume, low-margin businesses—companies are unlikely to master the challenges or reap the rewards of those developing markets. Let me add a word of caution, however. All these initiatives have to result in improving the condition of mankind; otherwise they may create more of the injustice and lopsidedness we are trying to eradicate. DR. PHILIP ELLA JUICO is a senior professional lecturer at De La Salle University’s Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. Graduate School of Business. He teaches Sustainable Business in the doctoral program and Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights in the masteral program. Roll-on, roll-off system cuts travel time, costs – ADB BY DARWIN G. AMOJELAR SENIOR REPORTER THE roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) system has significantly cut the transport costs, as well as travel time in the Philippines, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) study revealed. The Manila-based lender said the transport costs were reduced by 10 percent to 60 percent mainly because the cargo handling charges and wharfage fees were eliminated. ADB said more tourists are using Ro-Ro because of its affordability. Compared with other modes of transport such as air and traditional shipping, Ro-Ro is a competitive means of transporting passengers, the ADB said. For example, tourism receipts in Boracay from 2003 to 2006 rose by more than 50 percent. In Iloilo and in Dapitan, receipts rose 30 percent and 200 percent, respectively. “It should be noted that this rise in tourist arrivals can be attributed to the availability of both Ro-Ro and air transport services,” the ADB said. In 2003, the government issued a policy to promote Ro-Ro, a system designed to carry rolling stock cargo that does not require cranes for loading or unloading. The Strong Republic Nautical Highway is one of President Arroyo’s priority programs to ensure fast and economical movement of goods and people, and to boost domestic tourism and trade. The government wants a Ro-Ro port system to link all the country’s islands. Earlier, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said the government will expand the country’s Ro- Ro ports by installing 74 modular ports nationwide to link the country’s provinces. The project, dubbed as Greater Maritime Access (GMA) Ports, will be funded by an P11-billion loan from BNP Paribas. This project would use prefabricated steel ports composed of five interdependent modular parts, such as pier or causeway connecting to shore, mooring platform, manual ramp dolphin, and passenger terminal with solar power utilities.
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