Monday, February 28, 2005

 

Industrialization of Catanduanes

Catanduanes Economic Forum

The following article looks at one of the basic infrastructures namely sufficient, affordable and steady electrical power supply that we need to have before a truly industrialized Catanduanes can emerge. I believe this one was published by CT back in 2002.


Industrialization of Catanduanes

In one of my short letters to the Tribune I made a comment that as far as industrialization of the province is concerned, unless we do something about our electrical power, we will be limited to the manufacture of handicrafts and not much more. I also suggested that the geothermal power plant in Tiwi is a major source of power that we could tap into. Easier said than done. Four or more hours of research on the internet revealed some very interesting and encouraging facts. The latest data I gathered on Tiwi was printed around the middle of this year. Tiwi is presently generating 350 MW of power. And a lot of that power leaves the Bicol Region to support the national grid. I thought that we should look at this power source for our own power supply in Catanduanes.

What could this mean for Catanduanes? Sufficient, steady and hopefully more affordable power. This means a lot to prospective business owners and manufacturers who will want reliable and affordable power before they set up shop. This could mean a lot to all the citizens of the island. The farmers could, as individuals, irrigate farmlands for increased food production, advanced aquaculture projects that require 24-hr power could be made possible, manufacturing companies that require steady and continuous power will appear and a host of facilities such as hotels and motels will then be able to provide better accommodations with hot water and plenty of power for air conditioning. Refrigeration of a lot of things including farm produce, meat and fish will become affordable. Restaurants will boom and flourish. All these will create a lot of jobs. I would say that as we speak, a number of prospective businesses have considered setting up shop on the island. But upon realizing that there is no steady,sufficient and affordable power, they go somewhere else. Future businesses and manufacturers will need more power than we currently have. And we are not just talking about local businesses but potential multinational ones. None of these would want to set up their businesses on the island, not until we have beefed up our electrical system.

The bulk and backbone of the national economy of the United States are not the big corporations. The small businesses are. The small businesses GENERATE INCOME not just for themselves but for the community by way of salaries to employees and taxes to the local government. Every state of the United States have their own budget which are INTERNALLY GENERATED from taxes and so on. The more financially capable the community, the richer the state becomes. The richer the state the more community services are given back to the people.

What is the point? There are times when local government has to look at the federal or national coffers for certain projects but it is better when local government is GENERATING ENOUGH OR MORE income on its own so it DOES NOT ALWAYS LOOK to the federal or national government for financial assistance. The individual states are and must be SELF SUFFICIENT.

We as people must look for ways on how to GENERATE INCOME FROM WITHIN WITHOUT WAITING FOR DOLE OUTS FROM THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. If national government money ever comes, good, but it is never enough and will never be enough at the rate our national economy is going. We need to strive very hard to become self sufficient. This is how we as a province can fund our own projects, create our own wealth, grow our own economy, achieve our own self sufficiency.

Self sufficiency on the island could be realized by EMPOWERING THE POPULATION. How? By coming up with ways on how to generate income from within AND SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER IN ALL OUR ENDEAVORS. We have to acquire,as citizens and community, the proper TOOLS needed to produce, create, build. Again in order for us to move forward economically we have to have some very basic infrastructures in place first. Namely, sufficient, reliable and affordable power. This is one of the TOOLS that the community needs to move ahead with progress. In order of priority, this should be at the very top. Just think about this one. Look around us and see if we can find any country or community that is very successful economically and has no reliable, affordable and sufficient power. We will not find one.

The technology now exists to have this POSSIBILITY introduced to the islands. China has recently put into operation one of the biggest power generating plants in the world at the Three Gorges Dam. Twenty six huge generators each capable of producing 700 megawatts of power were recently put into service. The huge power generated at the dam is useless unless it is distributed to the end users. We are talking about hundreds of miles of power lines to accomplish this. This is where the result of my research comes in. Some of the power generated at the Three Gorges Dam are distributed using a system that is more practical and economical to install, maintain and operate as compared to an AC system carrying the same amount of load.
The system is called High Voltage Direct Current or HVDC system. This system can transmit up to 3000 MW of power. A smaller version that can handle power of between 7MW to 350MW is called Light HVDC. The latter is more suited for our island since it will be less expensive than the bigger units and for starters we will need less than 100MW. We should be thrilled to have 50MW of steady power to start with or even a little less?

Why HVDC or Light HVDC? Instead of the high voltage AC system, power transmission is accomplished by converting the high voltage AC to high voltage DC and at a certain point of transmission is converted back to useful AC. The DC link uses converter stations at both ends. Two DC cables form the link and are either buried underground or underwater and in some cases towers are used for aerial transmission. The system is possibly one of the best options available to us if we are to get power from the mainland . We will have no fuel consumption to worry about, no moving parts on any of the equipment save for motors and pumps to cool components perhaps. The power converters are all static. Power generation will no longer be our problem. We simply ‘plug our cable’ into the system and start having more power.

As long as Tiwi is producing power, we can tap into that grid at a point that is the closest possible distance between Catanduanes and the mainland or where the closest AC grid might be. I understand that we are separated from the mainland by a few miles of ocean at the closest point. The system is suited for an efficient way of very long distance transmission of ‘bulk’ power .

Sounds very nice indeed. But ALL NICE THINGS COME WITH A PRICE. This is where we put our heads together, dare to have a vision and make a commitment to accomplish something big no matter how huge the obstacles. Something that will help free ourselves from poverty, something that will become our stepping stone to greater accomplishments in the future.

It has been many many years since I left the island. We had no electricity available where we lived at that time and we were only 3 miles from the town center where there were some light bulbs seen occasionally. Now we have a few more light bulbs to boast about. If someone fires up a few huge 3-phase motors, air condition units and so on, the generators will possibly start to hiccup and die. In another thirty years we will probably have 5 to 10 megawatts of power added to our power grid IF WE GET LUCKY. That is if we do not set our sights on a SPECIFIC ‘target’ megawatt NOW to be made available at a predetermined date in the future and if we as people do not band together and move as ONE and collectively apply ourselves with the greatest determination to accomplish this one specific goal.

Thirty years from now the island will still be in poverty. We NEED TO and MUST break away from poverty. No one is destined be poor forever. And we cannot and should not wait for national government to do this for us. At the rate that the national government is performing, we could wait another fifty years and we would still be in the same predicament that we are now in, if not worse. It is time that we as people create our own destiny. We cannot and should not wait for others to shape our destiny. If we are to succeed, if we are to move forward, if we are to accomplish bigger and better things, if we are to look poverty squarely in the face, if we are to change history on the island…it is UP TO ALL OF US to make it happen.

The American pioneers came penniless but they were full of daring. They dared to dream. They were persistent and they acted on their dreams. Before electricity was discovered they used wind power and water power to run mills. They used what was available to them to advance their situation. When the Taiwanese ran to their little island they did not have too many things left either. Both groups of people had no national government to run to for help. They were being chased down the road by their former countrymen. They were on their own. Yet both excelled in what they wanted to accomplish.

Our challenges are not the same as the challenges these people had to face. We do not have the national government running after us. We have a national government that is for the moment close to paralysis. Our situation on the island is not hopeless. If we move forward together we will not just survive but excel. Now is the time to set this goal. Set our sights on one huge goal that we need so badly to give us a good jumpstart. We need one good-sized ‘morale booster’ of an accomplishment that we could call our own. One goal that will generate income for the whole community. One major goal that will lift us out of the rut we are in. Our attitudes should be such that we will not tolerate any buts and ifs but decide to face this exciting and challenging dream NOW. It is doable! I heard one smart fellow put it this way, ‘MAKE THE DECISION FIRST, THEN SOLVE THE PROBLEM. DO NOT TRY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM FIRST, THEN MAKE THE DECISION.’

The beauty of our time is that there are so many resources, ideas that we could copy, borrow and utilize. We do not have to re-invent the wheel. So, let me borrow an author’s story on how we went to the moon and how the obstacles that had to be surmounted to accomplish this great human feat were dealt with. The then President John F. Kennedy, determined to outshine the Soviets in the space race, MADE THE DECISION TO PUT MAN ON THE MOON at a predetermined time in the future which was like ‘soon’! He picked one of the best qualified persons to lead the project. Once informed of his new job, the lead person said, “Impossible”! But then he reasoned to himself that if he was going to say that something was impossible, it was only fair that he could say why he thought it was impossible. So, he named all the reasons why. So much ‘engineering’ had to be solved and invented before they could say that the project was doable. The specific challenges were pinpointed. Each challenge was assigned to one special group to solve. Slowly, one at a time, solutions to each problem materialized. Slowly, the ‘impossible’ seemed within reach. Finally, the impossible became possible! As you can see, President Kennedy made the decision first. Then the CITIZENS, motivated by the desire to be the first nation to send man on the moon, solved the problem.

Another great accomplishment in history was the feat led by General Jimmy Doolittle during WWII. President Roosevelt bristled at his admirals and generals for telling him that bombing mainland Japan was NOT within the U.S. forces’ capabilities. He refused to be defeated. He asked everyone present to come up with solutions instead of reasons why the task was not possible. Later, one bright and daring submarine officer came up with the idea of using bombers for the first time on aircraft carriers to deliver the much needed ‘morale boosters’ for America. That one single feat helped turn the tides of the war to our side. Again, a leader MADE THE DECISION FIRST to accomplish something that many deemed impossible. Once the decision was in place, human brains went to work and delivered success. Ladies and gentlemen, I heard that we have something like 200,000 men, women and children on the island. Let us put these brains to work and run after a dream!

‘Ay inay, saen man baga kita makoa nin pilak na pang gastos!’, would be one of the very first questions that will pop up. Great! Someone please grab pen and paper and put that on the list of reasons why the project is deemed impossible. ‘And who would lead the pack to tackle this exciting challenge’? Add this to the list. And who are these folks who might be the experts who will work to find the solutions to the challenges? Write that down too. As we can see the list is growing. Once the list of all the ‘impossibilities’ are in, we can look at each one and start chipping away at them.

Now, I find this challenge extremely exciting. And we do not have to re-invent the wheel. We borrow ideas. The world is full of success stories that started from ‘scratch’ to become huge accomplishments. One very successful businessman and lecturer pointed out that when faced with a huge challenge to build, worry not about the money involved but think on the idea itself. The concept or idea has to be excellent, will fill the need of a lot of people, will return dividends to those who put money into it. Dividends do not always have to be in the form of money. For some very wealthy people, dividends could mean simply the satisfaction of seeing his efforts and assistance materialize and help a group of people or community. Ideas that are excellent attract people with money. The world is full of people with money waiting to be invested in great ideas or projects that will also bring them more money. With a lot of our fellow Catandunganons scattered around the world, the world itself has become our backyard so to speak. We need to knock on people’s doors, make a lot of productive noise, sell our ideas to rich investors, make our island known for its excellent potential.

How did Taiwan finance their economy during their early years? How did mainland China attract all these multinational companies to invest in their country? And what do we have now in our province that we can utilize to attract investors with? If we do not have them in place, do we as people, a province, have the freedom and the will to create policies that will attract outside investors? Tax breaks for the first 10 years of operation? Build operate transfers? Can Catanduanes be made into an international port with its own customs and immigrations departments to facilitate and simplify many things and processes? Products and services from and to overseas locations will bypass the bureaucracies of Manila. Cebu made this a reality and they are doing better than most provinces. California routinely uses bonds to finance huge projects. They get the big money now and use it and pay for it later long term. Schools are sometimes built in cities from additional taxes that are decided by voters in initiatives during local and national elections. On irrigation projects USER FEES are collected and used to pay for construction cost. Once in place and operational, a system like the HVDC, with proper management, will pay for itself from user fees, taxes generated by businesses, taxes from all the jobs created, tourism, you name it.

To build the HVDC link to our island is going to cost a good chunk of money. In 2002 a system 40 kilometers long and delivering 330MW of power was completed creating a link between New England and Long Island, New York. Total cost: $120 million. Our cost should be a small fraction of this amount. And yes, you can say that again. Where in the world are we going to get the money from?

Remember, this is our ‘impossible’ dream. This is a dream that will make the difference between living in below standards conditions for a long time to come or living in comfort and prosperity sometime in the future . Our poor conditions in the province which we have learned to face daily for a long time need to go! We have been humbled by it long enough. We could remain humble people but this time we should be humble and proud BUT NOT HUNGRY! It is not a matter of choice but more of a necessity. This is a dream that we have to have otherwise we are doomed to poverty for the next century. This is one of our greatest challenges. A challenge to our congressman, a challenge to our governor, mayors, the citizenry, thinkers, dreamers . A challenge to all.

I am reminded at this point of a remark made by one of those wise guys I borrow ideas from. He said, ‘I would rather attempt to do something great and fail, than to attempt to do nothing and succeed!’ Succeed in doing nothing. He also said, ‘In order for you to win you have to be in the game!’ We should definitely be IN THE GAME. No buts, no ifs.

Now, folks if I got you just a little excited about this concept, great! All of the above came from one positive, excited and enthusiastic mind. Can you imagine the output of two hundred thousand brains churning out ideas along the same positive direction? That would definitely bring tremendous results.

By the way, the company that builds the HVDCs have a branch office in Manila as well as many other branches around the world. They are indeed at our doorstep. If you have comments to make or questions to ask, please contact me at navyraptor9@netscape.net. At any rate, let us start turning this dream into reality….together.

Joe Joson
 

I Was Just Thinking.....

Catanduanes Economic Forum

I wrote the following article towards the end of 2001 or the first part of 2002. The Catanduanes Tribune was kind enough to have published this back then.

I am re publishing this through the Forum to revisit my early projections for the island and its economy. A few more old articles will follow... if this one makes it to the Forum.


I WAS JUST THINKING….

I have noted in past issues of Catanduanes Tribune several efforts by our local government to improve the lot of our fellow Catandunganons by addressing projects related to agriculture or to put it more simply better food production. It was also announced that through QUEDANCOR, loans to qualified individuals so they may undertake projects in fish farming, chicken and hog raising and so on, will be made available soon. Recently I read about some money being allocated for several irrigation projects all around the island. There was a noted lack of detail in what the irrigation projects were all about. At any rate, the amount of money allocated to the irrigation projects makes one think that either they were very small projects or they were existing projects that needed additional funding.

I do not claim to be a farm or food production expert but I would like to share a few things that I have observed in the hope that it may shed additional light to our provincial leaders’ efforts at improving food production. In food production or any undertaking we of course expect to be successful so we can harvest the products of our labor. So, the first question becomes, “What is the expected RATE OF SUCCESS of all these projects (individual or community)?” Why is this question very important? The answer is simple. We do not want to waste money, time and effort on any project. It has been almost 30 years since I left Catanduanes and I visit an average of every 2 to 5 years. To date our island is still not self sufficient in many things and this goes for food production, which is above anything, should get the most attention. No one wants to go hungry. We have a lot of families who are not eating well. Or if everyone is eating, it would be nice to see better food quality, better food prices, increased incomes through more food production. It is good to have farm to market roads but is there really that much farm produce to take to the market?

I have lived near the San Joaquin Valley in California for the past 7 years. When one drives down Interstate Highway 5 through the valley, it is hard not to notice the miles of lush green farmland along the highway and the miles of irrigation waterways supplying water to these farms. These farmland used to be dry where only a few bushes and shrubs used to grow. California now produces more food than any other state or more food than most countries. So how did the Californians do it?

One very interesting thing caught my attention in addition to the massive waterways and the green crops when I first drove through this valley. I saw 2 or 3 huge billboards along the way making this announcement: “WHERE WATER FLOWS FOOD GROWS.” Very basic, very simple, to the point . Catanduanes is not dry like this valley. We have more water than we can handle. So the question becomes, “How do we get this plentiful supply of water to respective farmlands so we can start growing some REAL FOOD?” The congressman has a good idea but may not be quite ‘on the money’. Allocate several million pesos to several irrigation projects. As an observer I am very anxious to see when we will see profit and green produce roll out of these irrigation projects so we can at least utilize the newly built farm to market roads. Profit so that the project will

become self sufficient, generate income and GROW BIG and not die off like most of them have in the past. Or will we see crops produced at all from any of these projects? Perhaps money will run out before the projects get completed? Or the project will simply die on the wayside with another administration taking over the show? Thirty years is a long time. We are NOT producing enough food for everyone yet. Perhaps we should concentrate on ways on how to REALLY produce REAL FOOD now. The United States only has a very small percentage of its population engaged in food production yet it has the biggest food production in the world. The Philippines has a large percentage of its population engaged in ‘some kind of food production’. The Philippines imports food to sustain its food demand. The United States government fully supports its farmers with everything they need with profitability and production success in mind. Success may be measured by how much food is produced versus expenses. Again this is simple math. The Philippines dabbled with land reform, handed out land but there was no water, no seeds, no farm equipment, no fertilizer that the farm folks could afford. A different scenario would have fared better. Smaller scale food production projects with everything that the farmers need to succeed would have been better than many projects with very low success rate. This is with the Philippine government’s limited funds in mind. One irrigation project that produces REAL FOOD NOW will always be better than six that will produce food in five years or worse not at all. We do not have to construct huge waterways at this time since we are broke. But we should wisely utilize the money that we have now. Again with producing food and profitability in mind like ASAP and not a few years from now. I have visited some farms that still do not benefit from the major waterway (it is called Sacramento Aqueduct). I noted that farmers were using water pumps driven by electric motors. Could Catanduanes afford to set up a few irrigation sites using electric motor driven pumps to irrigate farmland that are not near rivers or streams? Could local government support individual or community irrigation projects like this with a special rate on electrical consumption, discounted fertilizers, seeds and perhaps some surplus farm equipment? The knowledge in scientific farming has always been with us in the Philippines. We have not applied this knowledge well or the OPPORTUNITY TO ALLOW those possessing this knowledge to apply it has NOT been created. This is where our leaders may need to increase their efforts. Easier said than done? Yes, if our local leaders allow themselves to get stuck in the age-old political mindset of pleasing the electorate in as many locations as possible therefore they are forced to slice the budget which are normally too small to begin with into even smaller portions which results in a mile long farm to market at one location, another mile of farm to market at another location which does not make sense. The same could be said about the irrigation projects. Why slice the budget and spread it all out and fail to produce when it will be smarter to create one project and utilize all that money to fully produce food and profit at that one site now? It will also make sense to then create our farm to market road to that productive site. Our leaders should have food production and profitability in mind when they set out on these projects and not re-election. This is called unselfishness. And when the electorate for the first time wakes up to the fact that it is far easier and more sensible to have more DECENT food to eat on a regular basis than to receive a handout from a politician and eat sardines once every election year, he definitely will vote for the guy who has made it possible for him to have more food all

year. No offense to our leaders but we surely could have done better. The Philippines is still a third world country and Catanduanes is still a third world province. I do not think that the leadership of the past in the province or the country really did everything they can to make some meaningful or MAJOR DENTS in the multiple challenges we all face. It is awesome to see cable tv, internet and cell phone on The Rock but if you ask me if the hungry folks would rather have three VERY DECENT solid meals a day, I would say, YES!!! THEY RATHER WOULD! It’s rough chewing on cell phones or worse it is more rough to digest cable tv.

So, will we see THREE VERY DECENT MEALS A DAY for all on the island ever? Sure if we all dare to ACT in that direction. And I heard one wise guy say, “ A group is just as good as the leader leading that group.” Again no offense to our fearless leaders but we need to see history change on the Rock. Everyone would love to see the one who did make the difference. The one who really APPLIED HIMSELF in the right direction. A lot of you are sitting on that opportunity right now. Dare to make the difference?

I have not been home for Christmas in 30 years. I would like to one day see Christmas visit the island and find a better sight. What should this sight be like? Perhaps people with fatter food shelves in their kitchens? Farmlands green with crops and producing more food than we can handle? Decent looking houses. Indoor plumbing for all? Healthier looking faces. Decent roads to the smallest and most distant villages? Some parks to stroll in? A network of public libraries? We could name a few more. Then cable tv and cell phones will make more sense. Our governor will probably feel insulted with these references to his pet projects while he was a Congressman. He will probably argue that we could make the Rock more competitive and progressive through improvement of high tech. California has both Silicon Valley and its huge agriculture industry. Food came first. Then once people were happy with their stomachs’ situation, they were happy and prepared to set their sights on new and more exciting things like Silicon Valley. Besides our infrastructure and electric supply to name a few is not ready to handle high tech unless of course someone from outside with some SERIOUS bucks comes in and sets up shop along with big generators, big manufacturing facilities, new roads. That is if we ever get that lucky. Again another wise guy said, “Do the best you can with what you’ve got NOW where you are.”

It would be unfair, one might say, to pick on our governor and congressman of course for they may be sitting on the highest seats of power and authority on The Rock but Catanduanes is just a ‘little guy’ with a shallow pocket. It is simply unfair to compare Catanduanes to California. One might say that running Catanduanes as compared to running California is like comparing commanding officers running the show on a canoe and a mighty Aircraft Carrier. But hey, California was once a canoe! And how did it get to be so big? It started out just like any other ‘little guy’. But IT DID AND IS STILL DOING MANY, MANY, MANY THINGS RIGHT. Great leaders planned, closely managed, studied where things may have gone wrong and had them fixed, took ownership, kept their sights on objectives’ success, saw their ventures make it to the finish line. And the citizenry dared to make the difference! They also MADE THE

SHADY LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABLE. The leadership had NO choice but try their best to act with the citizens’ and the state’s behalf on their sights. Laws were created to benefit everyone’s lot. Propositions still abound and are voted on to pass or reject popular issues. Crooked and incompetent leaders were and are rooted out. The VOTERS demand and are given a lot of room to have their ‘say’ and the leaders listen. And TOGETHER they created, prospered and grew big. Hard to accomplish on the Rock? Yes, if we do not dare to change, if we remain indifferent to the badly needed changes. If we are ‘happy’ as is. Then we will remain a third world piece of Rock in the Pacific.

I was just thinking….

Tito Pepe
 

Catanduanes Economic Forum: February 2005

Catanduanes Economic Forum: February 2005

Test blog MS Word File
 

Catanduanes Economic Forum

Catanduanes Economic Forum

Note to readers who wish to post directly to this forum:

1. Get your own account at www.blogger.com

2. Get your own account to get password and user name. This allows you to create your own blog then post comments to any blog you read .

3. You have to have the blog site open then click 'Blog This! at the top of the page.

4. Write your comments then hit 'Publish'. Wait a few minutes. Your post should be published and it should the latest article in the blog.

If it does not work , please write to me at blackhawk7499@gmail.com

joe joson

Sunday, February 27, 2005

 

Catanduanes Economic Forum

Catanduanes Economic Forum

yooo!! test

Monday, February 21, 2005

 

Tools We Need to Go From Zero to Sixty

So we have established where we are economically and where we need to be a few years from now. The next thing on the block is pinpointing the tools, ideas we need for this trip from nothing to something! From zero to sixty... if we are to talk about a vehicle that is accelerating.

Now , we have two choices. Fix the old, rusty, rickety and sick provincial economy. This means a major overhaul. That is too big for us. At least for now. Or we simply get smart and BUILD from scratch our tiny little vehicle of an economy that is lean, mean, slick, sleek and will run a lot better than the big old one .

How do we do that? Okay, one very wise mentor said that when faced with a challenge, come up with a list of ten different ways to solve the problem. Meaning , we will look at ten different small but lean and mean economic TOOLS AND VEHICLES to bring us up to speed.

Here we go:

Idea 1. Manufacturing. Manufacture EXPORT QUALITY clothes on the island. Buy materials wholesale therefore cheaper. Sell finished products overseas, mainly the U.S. for some decent profit. A friend and I are importing brand name clothes from Pakistan . The clothes are manufactured in Pakistan under license by respective U.S. brand name companies like Gap, Echo, Abercrombie, etc. They come with all the right labels and a retail price tag in U.S. $. The mark up is unbelievable. Clothes bought from Pakistan for between $4.50 to $6.0 apiece are sold to wholesalers or retailers for between $30 to $50. This year the old garments import qouta to the U.S. expired. Until that changes, the market is more open for us to take advantage of.

Idea 2. Agriculture. Choose one or two crops that are not too susceptible to the damages of typhoons like root crops as garlic, ginger roots, potatoes, onions. These are EXPORTABLE products. All the bananas in the U.S. are mostly imported from the Americas. Bananas rot much faster than these products but they still make it nice and fresh to the U.S. markets. Most huge Asian food stores here sell imported food products from overseas. A lot of canned, frozen, dried, and fresh root crops like cassava, onod nin hopi, ginger, garlic, onions, ube, etc. Will you believe fresh flowers are exported to the U.S. as well? It is amazing.

Idea 3. Light Industry. Set up a small CANNING or DRY-PRESERVE factory. We could preserve or can a lot of things. From seafood to fruit juices, fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, even cooked meals. Some provinces in the Philippines export cooked 'laing' or 'pignatokan na hopi'!

Note: None of the above will require a lot of electricity and hopefully none will require refrigeration or freezing. This is very important. We do not have the means to do that ...yet. But above three ideas could be potential money earners.

Idea/Tool 4. Our own Customs Department on the Island. All three ideas above need to have a good market. We can produce for local consumption but we need to produce more for export to maximize profits. As we take in more income from our humble exports, our bank accounts grow . As our bank accounts grow, we expand our production. The existing import/export services on the island have to go through the biggest mess called Manila. Why? We can expedite many things by leap frogging that unnecessary mess. What does it take to get this EXTREMELY CRITICAL economic component in place? We need concrete steps, answers to this. I don't see why we can't have this service on the island.

Idea/Tool 5. Our own Immigrations Department on the Island. This will handle the influx of tourists and businessmen much faster than if they have to go through Mess City. Tourists to the Island will have the opportunity to see some Real Catandunganon Hospitality! We do not get that as we arrive at the Mess City International Airport where we first get a mouthful of foul air, then hassles from the airport services, rough and crazy taxi ride to the hotel.

Idea/Tool 6. Our own Small to Medium Enterprise (SME)/Chamber of Commerce Agency . This is the One Stop agency ran and managed by a combination of gungho, honest and business savvy local businessmen, highly motivated and trained citizens and the more transparent section of our local government.

These guys will provide the many details on how to SET UP, RUN, MANAGE all small to medium business ventures with one objective in mind. And that ONE OBJECTIVE is profitability, repeat business , more profit and eventual sustained upward financial success. They will guide and assist with small business loans. They will assist in management skills and training for profit. They will give us the inside tricks on exporting for profit. They will hook us up with banks and lenders. They will teach us how to maximize profits. They will be our liaison with the respective government agency on small to medium enterprise. Folks , this is where a HUGE NETWORK of super motivated VOLUNTEERS on the island and overseas comes in. From this network of volunteers will emerge a global initiative, a Global Teamwork if you may.... thus the birth of our young and humble Global Catandunganon's kickbutt, goal-oriented, no non-sense group.

Idea 7. A lean and mean 'Tourist Park'. Tourism money is the start of cash flow from overseas individuals and businesses. Long before we establish heavy industry on the island we need to look at money earners or cash flow sources that are now within our reach. Tourism and the cash flow it brings is not too far from our reach.

This is based on my observation of the many individual and isolated efforts from local and foreign investors that have built and set up 'tourist attractions' on the island. My opinion is that it has not caught a lot of attention yet although these are a good start. The big reason for a lack of repeat business on these resorts is the lack or absence of the basic, essential support facilities to bring about a true tourist haven atmosphere and CONVENIENCE to the visitors.

Example of a lean and mean Tourist Haven: I have written about this before but it is worth mentioning here. Catalina Island is our worthy model. The whole island is no bigger than Catanduanes, has a lot less potential tourist destinations than Catanduanes but at the present time enjoys millions of dollars in cash flow from tourists YEAR LONG.

The island business planners simply focused on ONE ideal spot on the island and built a tourist destination out of a small town of only 3200 residents and an area of no more than 3 square miles and created a tourist haven that is small and yet loaded with attractions, activities and fun. The little 'tourist park' or city has small but efficient hotels with nice clean air conditioned rooms, all kinds of restaurants and beer joints, a few grocery stores, gift shops, a theater. They offer boat rides, boat rentals, scuba diving lessons, skin diving, parasailing, fishing trips. The boat ride includes 'underwater' viewing windows where people see loads of fat and overfed coral fish. Fishing in this special area is off limits of course. Night time viewings are also offered. Most of these activities are done within a small area. Daytime bus trips are offered to tour the inland part of the island, visit scenic spots.

This little island gets visited by two cruise ships loaded with tourists twice a week in addition to the folks that come in ferry boats from mainland California. And of course by out of state and foreign visitors. Everything that the tourists need is inside this little 'tourist park'. All the support facilities and the fun things are right there.

This is very important.

Our early efforts at tourism are indeed noble. But they are not lean and mean. It is not efficient and it is not much fun. Not much fun because there are no choices of activities that will cater to different age groups. Not efficient in the sense that we probably do not offer hot showers or some with no air conditioning. Local restaurants that cater to foreign visitors are not there. We can not expect these folks to eat nothing but local food. These tourist destinations are scattered and far from each other so the support services can not be brought to them easily by future business establishments.

Solution : A 'Tourist Park' strategically situated close to a very nice beach and a support system which will cater to ALL the needs and conveniences of the various tourists from many cultures and age groups.

A real estate developer finds this nice spot by the beach , lay out the plan, sell the lots to prospective businesses. I mean this has to have the support of the provincial planners. A complete plan of what facilities and businesses will be built or allowed to be built should be in place .

Such Tourist Park will require a good amount of electrical power and perhaps natural gas for heating water. This is going to be a 'steep' demand for our limited services on the island.

Idea/Tool 8. Mini Hydro and More: I heard from the grapevine that our thinkers and planners on the island are toying with building a mini-hydro electric plant. Be nice if part of the output of this hydro plant will be set aside to support this Tourist Park. We do not want a Tourist Park where power blinks out when the air conditioners run or food are cold because microwave ovens are not nuking the meals on time or the brew are warm because the reefers are dead. Even a cold shower during the early morning is just as bad a turn off to any convenience-loving tourist. And yes ladies and gentlemen even us folks who can live without air conditioners , microwave ovens , refrigerators demand to have these goodies when we are on vacation somewhere. Why go on a trip and live in misery. We can do that by staying home!

Idea/Tool 9. Aquaculture. Aquaculture is actually part of agriculture. Aquaculture/agriculture formed the first vehicles of cash flow for economic giants like Taiwan, Japan and even China. They produced all kinds of grains like rice, corn etc. Agriculture byproducts as cereals, bread, flour, breakfast bars and hundreds more are all EXPORT items. So from agriculture and exporting these byproducts they built their money belts fatter. Soon light industry came in. Bigger exports followed. More money or income for all. Heavy industry followed. And the rest is history.

Aquaculture came alongside agriculture. Taiwan still holds the top position as the biggest exporter of frozen tilapia to the United States. This alone brings them millions of dollars a year.
Aquaculture is done inland, along the coastline.

Idea/Tool 10. An excellent and profitable Market. All these products need to get sold for decent profits. China is getting very very rich by flooding the world with their products. I find very few non- Chinese products in many stores. Almost everything is made in China. This does not mean that the Chinese got very smart all of a sudden and started producing all these products all by themselves. A lot of these products are being manufactured UNDER LICENSE BY all these multinational companies, mostly U.S. companies. When products are made overseas under license by a multinational company, production tricks and knowhow is passed down to the producing country. U.S. companies also make money by being able to manufacture things at a lower cost due to very cheap labor in China then the products are sold here cheaper.

This is the market that we are talking about. Your bag of onions when sold here will give you more money. Your locallly made but under license and brand named t-shirt will sell for more than ten times in this market. Now , that is how we can speed up our efforts at increasing the size of our bank accounts.

Idea/Tool 11. Our own international air and sea ports. Please note that I said come up with ten ideas. When one is fired up , one can go not a hundred but a hundred and fifty per cent . It's called going the extra mile! We have both the air and sea ports. Let us just make them into international ports and start doing business with the world at its present level. Why not?
I will be a happy citizen of the island to see the paperwork completed and the national government blesses our provincial Customs and Immigrations Departments. Then you and I will be even more happy to see the first real imports of even small things as sunkist orange and apples from as far away as the U.S. or a bicycle from China. And ladies and gentlemen, when we see the first few boxes of tshirts, handicrafts, food products leave our small and humble seaport , knowing that this small first items of export will mark the beginning of a kick-butt economy.......you and I and the whole citizenry will no longer be the same. These are just the beginning.

There goes eleven tools and ideas on how we can get the ball rolling and there are more. Impossible? Nonsense!!! We are surrounded by other Asian countries who are doing this day in and day out. We need to get up and go! We are left behind in the dust but there is nothing more exciting than the desire to catch up and then excel. It is doable. I kid you not!

Again this is not a one-man show. I dare you, you who is a big thinker. You who is sick and tired of mediocrity. You who share this dream to soar. Soar to great achievements. You who want to be counted. You who know in your heart that you could be a part of a great accomplishment. It is about time we start kicking butt. We can do it!
 

Where We Are Economically

To begin this challenging, exciting, daunting and possibly humbling journey, we will need to know where we are and where we want to be one day economically. I think at this point it is a no brainer as to where we want to be and of course we all know where we are economy wise. We are at the bottom of the food chain, so to speak. We need to kick butt and rise up to the top of the food chain. We are simply tired of being poor and it is high time we start living that kind of life that we all deserve! We have been humbled long enough. We have been fooled long enough. We have been patient long enough. We now have to stand up and regain our dignity. Everytime someone takes away your tax money and takes it as his own, he is stepping upon your dignity!!!

No more!!! When you lose your dignity, you have got nothing left to lose! It is high time you and I rise up and RETAKE that dignity! We will do this inch by inch. One step at a time. Through many blood, sweat and tears. Through sheer persistence. You and I are sick and tired. Sick and tired of corruption. Sick and tired of mismanagement. Sick and tired of inept and irresponsible leadership. Sick and tired of staying poor while the dishonest few get richer.

Disclaimer: Allow me to state at this point that I am NOT a degreed economist. I carry no credentials as an economist. What I do have is a BIG heart, a big drive, a lot of big dreams, a big APPETITE to try to turn that island upside down and transform it from the loser that it is to one that is a true economic winner. You and I will work hard, will work smart. We will work towards getting our 'MBA's'. Not a master's degree in anything. As one wise guy said, ' let us all work together towards getting or 'growing' an MBA, a Major Bank Account!' And I mean, the honest and right way.

Having a Major Bank Account means the end of hunger. It means having money to buy food anytime of the day, anywhere. It means having money to buy clothes. It means having money to buy the nicer things in life. It means having money to buy medicine. It means having money to pay for tuition. It means having money so you and I can live a dignified life. Each and every citizen of this world deserves to have this kind of life!!

So this is where we are , poor. Some are undernourished, a lot can't afford medical services, can't afford decent clothes, can't afford decent food. It is sickening, it is degrading , it is terrible. It needs to change!

Where we need to go: Up there somewhere . A few notches at first. A few notches but better than where we are now. It is a goal that we need to tackle now. It is a goal that we can no longer postpone. We need to get moving... upwards, forward. So, Ladies and Gentlemen, for starters let us shoot for a slightly raised quality of life. I mean , it is not a daunting challenge to try to raise our economy a 'notch' and start building on that MBA.

So , talk to me. Mine is not the greatest idea. Two or more heads are better than one.
 

Hello And Welcome to My Blog

Ladies and Gentlemen, friends, neighbors, brothers and sisters.... welcome to this humble blog. As the blog's name indicates, this is targeted towards improving our lot, improving our quality of life and in short improving our economy on the island. This is targeted towards excellence . One day we will rise above poverty, we will rise above just surviving daily. WE will eventually rise up and compete with the economic powers of the world. God willing , we can become a world-class economy one of these fine days.

This is all about goal setting, teamwork, looking to the future with hope and daring. This is about dreaming dreams. Big dreams. We will dare to set goals bigger than ourselves. And why not! Our big dreams of today will be our realities tomorrow. This is all about thinking big and acting big and making it happen.

WE will set our sights on our goals and never lose sight of them. From the small and humble beginnings to the goals that are within reach, then on to the bigger challenges. I invite everyone to this exciting journey. It is both daunting and adventure filled. Dare to think big!
With man, things are impossible. With God, anything, everyting is possible!
 

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