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==CDC puts up P4.6-M toilet in time for APEC summit==
*Source: http://punto.com.ph/News/Article/21964/Volume-8-No-49/Headlines/CDC-puts-up-P4-6-M-toilet-in-time-for-APEC-summit
*Tuesday, January 20, 2015 2:56 pm
: By Ding Cervantes
CLARK FREEPORT - With a boast of P2.27-billion unprecendented cash position, the government-owned Clark  Development Corp. (CDC) which runs  this freeport has constructed a brand new P4.6-million toilet at the historic parade grounds here, just in time for hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit later this  month.
The toilet with showers was among the projects named by CDC President-CEO Arthur Tugade already finished for the hosting of 1,700 senior  ministers and delegates to the APEC  summit which starts Jan. 21.
Socials for the APEC participants are reportedly slated at a section of the 20-hectare parade grounds where the new world-class  toilet has been finished.  Details on the toilet were not immediately available, but a worker said  that each of the sections for male and female had two bowls.
Tugade, in a recent meeting with officers of the Capampangans in Media, Inc. (CAMI), said that the parade grounds have also been layered with  rubberized pathways which have also been fitted with LED lights on posts. “There should be not only substantive results but also good memories and impression of the places where they (APEC activities) are held,” he said.
The parade grounds are the first  site to  host the Americans forces as  horse-riding cavalries then known as Fort Stotsenberg in 1901. The construction of the  ew toilet  with shower has been hailed as a “needed project,” as the grounds often serve as venue for various international, national and local sports activities.
It is the first such structure to be built  in the site. APEC organizing  committee released a schedule of activities indicating that some 1,700 APEC participants  here are to hold a total of  43 meetings, or an average of eight to 10 meetings  daily for the duration of their summit  lasting up to Feb. 7.
Tugade  also said that “articulated buses” are to roam the roads of this freeport to transport APEC participants  to  various points. He bared plans to adopt this system beyond the APEC summit. The CDC has also established for the  first time a CCTV command center along with a system of cameras  that monitor gates and other sections  of this    freeport.
Tugade said foreign delegates to APEC are to be billeted in hotels within  this freeport for security reasons,  while their Filipino counterparts could be accommodated in hotels in nearby Angeles and other cities.
He also reported that the management of Fontana Leisure Estate is now  ready with a new convention center “without any pillar in the middle” as specified in APEC requirements. The center can accommodate as many as 2,000 people.
The APEC sessions are to be closed door events, but that there would be a  center for media at the Mimosa Convention  Center about two kilometers away, he added.
Tugade said the first senior finance  officers meetings are to be held from Jan. 21 to 22 at the Holiday Inn hotel, to be followed by more meetings starting  Jan. 26 up to Feb. 7. Tugade reported that in 2014, the CDC earned P1.39 billion and now has  a cash position of P2.27 billion.
==2 more business conglomerates lured by Porac==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/01/19/2-more-business-conglomerates-lured-porac-387550
*Monday, January 19, 2015 1:48 pm
: By Ernesto Y. Tolentino
CLARK FREEPORT -- Two of the country’s giant corporate conglomerates are in serious negotiations to acquire large tracts of lands for development into residential and business hubs in Porac, Pampanga, it was disclosed by two-term Porac Mayor Carling Dela Cruz.
“If and when these developments materialize, this could hasten the municipality’s transformation into a bustling metropolis in Central Luzon within a decade,” he told members and guest of the Capampangan in Media, Inc. (CAMI) in last Friday’s regular weekly media forum at the Bale Balita (House of News) inside the Clark Freeport operated by the Clark Development Corporation (CDC).
He identified the two business groups eyeing a stake in Porac as the SM Group of Henry Sy, Sr., the nation’s richest businessman, and the conglomerate identified with Manny V. Pangilinan of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone-Manila Electric Co. combined, which also operates the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
SM, through its foundation, has established a foothold in Porac by actively supporting socio-civic projects in the town, like medical missions in partnership with non-government organizations (BGOs) such as Rotary International, Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Foundation, Kapampangan Development Foundation, among others, Dela Cruz told newsmen during the forum, hosted jointly by CAMI, CDC and Social Security System (SSS).
Pangilinan’s group, he said, has set its eyes on acquiring for commercial development a property adjacent to the newly-built SCTEX, which it has offered to operate and connect to NLEx.
The Ayala Group, developer of the Makati business district in Metro Manila, had earlier acquired some 1,100 hectares from the Puyat Family of the Manila Bak group in the municipality that is now developing into a residential-commercial-industrial township.
The P75-billion first phase of the venture is set for completion by the year 2020, or five years from now, Dela Cruz said, adding that this could further bolster the attraction of the town to both local and foreign investors a s viable investment area.
It was estimated that the Ayala Group would be investing a total of P3.1 trillion to complete its projects, which include a water-and-sewage system and a hydro-power facility, and help fully develop the town into a metropolis in the near future as envisioned by Dela Cruz and his town-mates.
Porac is a 35,000-ha. mountainous area on the north-western side of Pampanga and lies between the Clark Freeport, which houses the Clark International Airport (CIA), and the seaport in the province of Zambales managed by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
This strategic location of Porac is usually cited as the primary reason that lured the country’s corporate giants to acquire a stake in municipality and to do business, let alone its vast water resource and the progressive management style of its local executives led by Dela Cruz, the man credited for convincing the Ayala Group to invest in the town and uplift the sorry conditions of his townmates brought on by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.
In addition, Porac still has a vast land area suitable for agricultural, commercial and industrial development compared to both Clark and Subic that are almost fully occupied by business locators.
==50 kids rescued from Balibago streets==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/01/18/50-kids-rescued-balibago-streets-387330
*Sunday, January 18, 2015
:By Reynaldo G. Navales
ANGELES CITY -- Authorities here rescued Sunday some 50 children from the streets of an entertainment district in Barangay Balibago.
Balibago chairman Rodelio “Tony” Mamac said the kids are reportedly being used by crime syndicates on robbery, mendicancy, drugs, and other illegal activities.
The rescue operations was jointly conducted by Bantay Bayan members, purok leaders, policemen, social workers, and other volunteers, according to Mamac.
“The operation resulted to the rescue of more or less 50 children in conflict with law like rugby boys, pickpockets, snatchers, and mendicants along MacArthur Highway, Fields Avenue, Marlim Mansions Avenue, and other places in Balibago,” Mamac said.
Barangay scholars volunteered to prepare food (rice porridge) for the rescued children.
Mamac said they will be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“We hope that they will never come back to the streets,” Mamac said.
==3,740 cops, soldiers deployed for APEC==
*Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/3740-cops-soldiers-deployed-for-apec/
*Saturday, January 17, 2015
:By Franco G. Regala(With a report from Mar T. Supnad)
Camp Olivas, Pampanga — A total of 3,740 police officers and soldiers have been deployed at Clark Freeport and its surrounding areas to boost security in time for the Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM1) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation scheduled on January 26-February 10, the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3) said yesterday.
Chief Superintendent Ronald V. Santos, PRO3 officer-in-charge and also Regional Task Group commander, said the task of the 1,800-strong PRO3 contingent is to provide safety to least 1,700 senior economic ministers and 100 other local delegates.
“We have organized a Regional Task Group to ensure effective and efficient delivery of security coverage during the 2015 APEC Summit- SOM1. Series of coordinating conferences with other law enforcement agencies have also been conducted to guarantee the safety and security of all the delegates participating in the SOM1,” said Santos.
Their deployment this early, the PRO3 OIC said, has given way to a simulation exercise (SIMEX) to test the security preparation, operational readiness and resources yesterday. On Tuesday, there will be an accounting and deployment of personnel for the APEC Summit-SOM1 will be held on January 20,2015, Tuesday at Salakot, Angeles City.
“Kailangan (It is a must that) one week before (the event) ready na kami. The PNP is the lead role in terms of security matters,” he added.
Apart from policemen, 500 military personnel and reservists will assist in peace and order efforts at the specific conference venues.
“They (Armed Forces of the Philippines) will be lending us military 6×6 trucks, some of their dogs and other assets, including doctors, fire experts and other multipliers,” Santos said.
==Pamintuan, Cabigting trade barbs==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/01/16/pamintuan-cabigting-trade-barbs-387087
*Friday, January 16, 2015
:By Joey Pavia (Contributor)
ANGELES CITY – "I don’t want to be thrown into a fight. Let it wait."
Thus said Mayor Edgardo "EdPam" Pamintuan to journalists on Friday during his press conference when asked about the recent Facebook posts of Vice- Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting on the removal of her three workers stationed at the Ospital Ning Angeles (ONA).
Pamintuan said Vega-Cabigting "should just do her job as a vice-mayor and legislator enacting laws."
He added, "We just want to bring back order" in running the city government.
"What are they doing at ONA? We have social workers at the hospital who help anyone, including those referred to by the vice-mayor and city councilors," said Pamintuan.
Pamintuan said Vega-Cabigting and all the city councilors could help their constituent-patients at any given time and situation.
The two-term mayor cited a recent Commission on Audit (COA) report on the supposed collectibles from patients. He added, "Only P7-million was collected from the P27-million total collectibles."
"How much is the cost of a caesarean section on a private hospital? That's about P60,000. But it's only at least P3,000 at ONA," he said. "We must bring back sanity in the city."
In a phone interview on Friday, Vega-Cabigting said Pamintuan should know and understand that "holding a public post entails going the extra mile." She added that people "are expecting us to do more than what we were supposed to do, especially when they are plagued by sickness."
"Mayor Pamintuan was a former vice-mayor and he should understand this," said Vega-Cabigting.
She added that her workers who recently asked to return to the vice-mayor's office had been assigned at ONA since 2010, or shortly after they both ran in tandem and won in the elections that year. They ran together again in 2013 and both got re-elected.
Vega-Cabigting said that her people were at ONA to help and assist people who are sometimes "confused and are needing other forms of assistance."
"It's reeking with politics," said Vega-Cabigting when asked about the decision of Pamintuan to remove her people at ONA.
Asked about her political plans, Vega-Cabigting said, "It's going to the direction of me running for mayor in 2016." "My decision is not yet final because I am still consulting people and leaders."
"But they want me to be the first woman mayor of Angeles City," she said.
==Clark Freeport set to be a Wi-Fi zone==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/01/15/clark-freeport-set-be-wi-fi-zone-386888
*Thursday, January 15, 2015
:By Reynaldo G. Navales
CLARK FREEPORT ZONE -- This Freeport will soon be a Wi-Fi zone.
Roberto Tagamolila, Clark Development Corporation (CDC) assistant vice president for information technology, said the Wi-Fi project is one of the agency's long term goals to equip Clark with wireless technology.
"This is being worked now. Eventually after some matters are settled, we'll make Wi-Fi accessible to all who come to Clark," said Tagamolila.
"The idea is that as soon as they enter the gates of Clark, they could easily get a strong signal. So, there is no need for one to go to some commercial establishments to avail of free Wi-Fi to access the net because it will be opened to all once they are inside the Freeport,” he added.
Tagamolila said the Wi-Fi project will be under a proof-of-concept (POC) agreement. The utilization of the concept has no cost to the government and that the items undergo a trial period to determine its viability and cost-efficiency.
POC is a realization of a certain method or idea to demonstrate its feasibility or a demonstration in principle, whose purpose is to verify that some concept or theory has the potential of being used. It is usually small and may or may not be complete.
CDC is currently applying the POC strategy on the use of some 70 video surveillance cameras.
Some 38 of the total number of CCTVs have been installed in strategic locations to improve security measures and monitor activities before and during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation-Senior Officers’ Meeting (APEC-SOM) scheduled on January 26 to February 10.
After the trial period is exhausted, Tagamolila said the agency may or may not come up with the Terms of Reference (TOR) depending on the concept's workability, reliability and cost-efficiency.
“The whole point here is that we will be able to see the unforeseen. We will know what we really need,” he explained.
CDC president Arthur Tugade said CDC has introduced Clark Apps (Applications software) which could be downloaded by a user to a mobile device when inside the economic zone.
Tugade said they are trying to work it out with Google store to have the apps available even outside the industrial zone.
APEC delegates may use the application to search for places within Clark and nearby areas.
==Hi-tech command center to beef up Clark security==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/01/14/hi-tech-command-center-beef-clark-security-386668
*Wednesday, January 14, 2015
:By Ferth Vandensteen Manaysay
CLARK FREEPORT -- A new command center with advanced technology shall beef up the security inside and within the perimeters of Clark Freeport during its hosting of the first Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit from January 26 to February 7.
Constructed in November last year, the one floor building in front of the Public Safety Department (PSD) of Clark Development Corporation (CDC) is equipped with 38 cameras, nine TV wall monitors, eight computers, radios, and telephones.
It also has a viewing area as well as three rooms that house various offices.
"CCTV cameras have been installed in (most) of Clark's entrances and exits. The one in Sapang Bato Gate shall be placed within the week," CDC assistant vice-president for Security Services Ricardo Banayat said.
Moreover, those areas not easily accessible to CCTV cameras will have PSD personnel on the ground to monitor any problem or incident during the SOM.
"The command center is not just for APEC. This is a long term plan of (CDC) president Arthur Tugade to address security and to make the Freeport a safer place for the locators, tourists, and for conferences like this," Banayat said.
As part of the long-term plan for security, a video analytic surveillance shall be installed to enhance CDC's existing video surveillance systems.
Video analytics can do real-time event detection, post-event analysis, and extraction of statistical data while saving manpower costs and increasing the effectiveness of the surveillance system operation.
APEC began as an informal dialogue group in 1989, but has since become the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Philippines, as its current chair, will be hosting throughout the year and in key economic and tourist sites including Metro Manila, Clark, Tagaytay, and Boracay a number of meetings of senior officials (Cabinet undersecretaries and assistant secretaries) and ministers (Cabinet secretaries) prior to its conclusion in November with an Economic Leaders’ Meeting that shall be participated by heads of state and Government.
Apart from the Philippines, other members of Apec include Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; and Vietnam.
==US-based charitable organization donates pacemakers to Angeles City hospital==
*Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=724671
*Tuesday, January 13, 2015
: (PNA), LAP/ZST/RKM/PS
CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Jan. 13 (PNA) -- A US-based charitable institution that is headed by a Filipino is donating multi-million peso cardiac pacemakers to indigent patients of Ospital Ning Angeles (ONA) and nearby towns.
George Samson, president and CEO of World Medical Relief Inc., said the Detroit-based organization is in collaboration with the University of Michigan for the pacemaker project that will benefit poor Angelenos and the people of Pampanga in general.
“This project is first of its kind and we are starting it in the Philippines,” Samson said.
He said that a special operating room at the cardiac unit of the ONA is now being put up as part of the arrangements with the Angeles City government.
It would be headed by Dr. Rey Franco, a renowned cardiologist and heart surgeon who has a long record of medical practice in the United States.
WMRI had previously donated cardiac monitors to the local government hospital in Angeles City. They are now in use at ONA’s Cardiac Unit.
A pacemaker is a small battery-operated device that delivers electrical impulses to the cardiac muscles in order to keep the heart beating normally. Titanium-made pacemakers have a lifespan of 10-12 years, Samson said.
WMRI has collected over 25,000 pacemakers that are being checked by technicians and cardio experts of University Michigan.
Samson said the pacemakers are intended for distribution to over hundred countries.
He said that a brand new pacemaker costs $ 10,000 or over P400,000 on the average.
"Pacemakers are life-saving device and can extend the life of a patient especially the poor," he said.
Accomplishing the founder’s mission of “turning sin of waste to miracle of mercy,” Samson discussed that there are also slightly used pacemakers donated by some families in the United States, sterilized and re-packed with specifications.
“Why can’t we use the ‘used’ pacemakers to save lives? This is a very amazing project,” he said.
He assured that WMRI will continue to collect and distribute medical supplies, medicines, and surplus medical equipment not only in the Philippines but in needy countries in most parts of the world.
==South Korean firm to pour P65.5-M on hotel project in Clark==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/01/12/south-korean-firm-pour-p655-m-hotel-project-clark-386277
*Monday, January 12, 2015
:By Eric Jimenez (CDC-EAD)
CLARK FREEPORT -- Clark Development Corporation (CDC) has signed an agreement recently with South Korean firm W Min Jun Corporation to pour P65.5 million for the improvement of its tourism-related project inside this Freeport.
The agreement was signed between CDC president Arthur Tugade and WMJC president Lee Chang Hwan in a simple ceremony held recently here.
In the agreement, the South Korean businessman said the projected investments, aside from the improvement, is also intended for the establishment, operating, maintaining and managing hotel and resort, and other allied businesses including services, and facilities, among others.
At present, the firm is operating W Clark Hotel and Resort in Clark where all rooms are equipped with air-conditioning, electronic safety deposit box, LCD-TV with cable, phone system, electronic door locks, hot and cold water, unlimited complimentary Wifi, complimentary breakfast and use of swimming pool.
The hotel has 38 rooms, which vary from standard room, deluxe, deluxe twin, junior suite and suites.
With the signing of agreement, Lee said that more improvements will be made on the 2.061 sq. meters property, including the hiring of 35 workers in the next five years.
CDC has agreed to give the South Korean firm 25 years commencing from the signing of the lease agreement.
==Angeles village aspires for model MRF==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/01/11/angeles-village-aspires-model-mrf-386162
*Sunday, January 11, 2015
:By Reynaldo G. Navales
ANGELES CITY -- A village here is aspiring to be a model area in terms of waste management following the establishment of its material recovery facility (MRF) which accommodates at least eight barangays in the city.
Malabanias Chairman Reynaldo Gueco said that they are maintaining one-hectare waste segregation facility, situated along the Abacan River, which is now being eyed as model MRF.
He said that 30 tons of garbage is collected everyday from households and business establishments.
Malabanias covers almost half of the city’s entertainment district, where restaurants and hotels are situated.
Gueco said more than 30 sorters or “segregators” were hired to segregate biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.
Haulers hired by the city government collect the village’s residual waste every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, according to the barangay chief.
“I also learned how to be an environmentalist. We planted fruit-bearing trees around the MRF banta sumanting ya naman ing paligid. Pilan mung months kanyan maragul na la reng tenam mi,” Gueco said.
The village chairman said they are planning to establish a small piggery within the facility so that the left-over food collected from restaurants and hotels will be used as hog feeds.
Recyclable materials collected by sorters are sold to junk shops, Gueco said. “May pera sa basura.”
Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan recently visited and inspected the Malabanias MRF.
Gueco said they spent P1 million for the construction of the facility.
==Angeles council set to honor Kapampangan indie film==
==Angeles council set to honor Kapampangan indie film==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/01/10/angeles-council-set-honor-kapampangan-indie-film-385979
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2015/01/10/angeles-council-set-honor-kapampangan-indie-film-385979
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