More Lite but not Funny Moments

YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW
Linggoy Alcuaz
9/29-10/1/2011



Trying too hard to write both a “Regular” and a “Lite” column every week is getting into my head. I dread the day I have to write for an OpinYon “Zero” edition or issue too. Last night (Friday, September 23, as I write this Lite column on a Saturday, the 24th and the 39th anniversary of our realizing that the Philippines was in a state of martial law.), we celebrated the birthday of an old but now deceased friend.

It was providential that our deceased friend’s only brother, Mel, was arriving from the Visayas the day before his brother’s birthday. Their only sister, Ging and he and I just cooked up the instant last minute party the day before. That put me to work texting last minute invitations. However, not withstanding the fact that I kept on texting for the better part of two days, I completely forgot to include my friend among those comrades, friends and relatives who were born or died in the month of September. I listed them down at the end of my regular column for last Monday to Wednesday’s OpinYon issue.

We were an even dozen who did the celebrating. If the celebrant had come, he would have been the thirteenth participant and the Christ. It would not have been out of place at all for him to come. The venue was our 85-year old country home on Balete Drive in New Manila. It is the favourite venue of the major television networks and stations to seek out and interview the white lady of Balete Drive during Halloween week as well as the Chinese Ghost Month of August.

True Blue Eagle
Our old friend and now hopefully one of the friendly ghosts and unknown and unnamed saints in heaven is or was Emmanuel Eduria Cruz. Manny, as we all called him, died on January 19, 2008 at the age of 62. He was buried at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina Valley. He spent a fourth to a third of his life on the hill above his final resting place. That hill is Loyola Heights, the home of the Blue Eagles and the Ateneo de Manila University, from PrepSchool, Primary and Intermediate Grade School, High School, College and all the way to Graduate School. The only Ateneo that was never there was the College of Law and, maybe, the Graduate School of Business.

Manny was born on September 23, 1945. As I said above, he has a sister, Ging, and a brother, Mel. He went to Primary Grade School at the Ateneo de Cagayan. He transferred to the Ateneo de Manila for his Intermediate Grade School, High School and College. He took up Behavioral Sciences at the College of Arts and Sciences. He took some classes and courses at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. I doubt though that he completed a Master’sDegree. While studying, he was a Prefect at the Cervini Residence Hall.

Governor and Congressman
He was the son of Indalicia Eduria Cruz and Ignacio Salcedo Cruz. His father was the first appointed governor of Misamis Oriental. He also became the congressman of Misamis Oriental for the Third Congress.

By recent standards, Gov. and Cong. Cruz must have been clean, honest and straight. They lived in a simple apartment near Pureza St. in Santa Mesa, Manila and a house on Ermin Garcia St. in Cubao, QC. They commuted to school and even when they had graduated and had their independent means of livelihood, they used simple, old model vehicles.The insides of their homes, including those of their in-laws, were strictly middle class. What this all redounded to was that Manny, like those of us in his circle, was usually unelectable, outside the political mainstream and even more so, outside the corridors of power.

Manny was a very serious person who espoused serious causes. However, he looked like the Pinoy version of Sad Sack, the cartoon character who was a buck private US Army soldier. We first met during the summer vacation of 1966. I joined the Ateneo Air Force ROTC. Since I wanted to become a cadet officer, I joined the Summer Officers Training School. We must have been at least 50 juniors and 50 seniors. Even the cadet sergeants who served as squad leaders were graduates of the summer troop school. I became the Corps Commander for the second semester of my senior year [1965- 66] in high school.

The Four Freshmen
In freshman college we were only four: future Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Coronado Corona, future Supreme Court Justice Mariano “Jeff” or “Marian” del Castillo, maverick “par excellence” Manuel Datu “MD” Kellog Rebueno and I. We reported for the summer training at 8 am on a Monday in late March or early April of 1966. All except one of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Class Cadet Officers were present and in complete Air Force grey uniform.

The Corps (Wing) Commander was AFROTC Cadet Col. and future PAF Col. Vicente “Vic” Bunuan III. After checking our attendance and identities, we were given a short briefing and asked to go home to get our beddings and come back at 5 pm. We were supposed to be billeted at the Ateneo Big Blue Eagle Gym during the training.

When we reported back early and looked for our instructors in the office as well as the sleeping quarters, none of those we had met in the morning except for my fellow freshmen were there. We did see a fellow in blue pajamas who looked more like a janitor sleeping in one of the bunks. When he woke up he started to order us around but none of us would pay attention to him until the other senior cadet officers arrived and repeated his orders to us. He was the “Manny” Cruz.

He had been an AFPMT cadet officer three years ahead of me. At that time there had been a whiff of corruption on the part of the PAF instructors who were non-commissioned officers. Aside from selling passing marks, they were also guilty of short deliveries and overpricing in regards to uniforms. Somebody stole half of the payment for the uniforms of the cadets. Therefore, the supplier delivered half the number required. Manny solved the problem by giving half of the cadets, shirts and the other half, trousers. When it came to the Pershing caps for cadet officers, he gave half of them caps and the other half the plastic shower caps that were supposed to be worn over the caps in case of rain. What a sight that must have been! Only in the Philippines with Manny Cruz!

Happy Birthday, Ray
Sorry! We have run out of space. We will continue our story about Manny as well as other Lite stories about:

• Chino Roces’ birthday;
• Traveling with Miriam;
• The Italian buffet breakfast;
• The last time I was in Rome;
• Germany with Christian Democrats, Social Democrats and Anarchists;
• Ambassador to Norway;
• My tummy saved me;
• Three surrenders!
• The girl who confessed for her friend;
• Recycling a story several times over; And by the way Happy Birthday today, Thursday, Sept. 29, to our Publisher, Ray Junia!

Our energy ‘Sputnik’ moment

DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
9/30/2011



As the nation is rising up against the control and abuse of the oligarchs and their captured energy regulators, we — the original and decades-long anti-power price gouging crusaders — gladly welcome the recent clamor from various business and labor groups calling government to immediately curtail electricity price hikes. Foremost among their demands is a return to the old 12-percent Return-on-Rate Base (RoRB) from the current 15.8-percent Performance Based Regulation (PBR) pricing formula concocted by the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission) and Meralco (Manila Electric Co.).

Since this clamor must attain broad participation from the people, a national electricity summit should be called to set forth the demands addressed directly to Malacañang. At the same time, some dramatic demonstration of the resolve must be made, such as holding a vigil in front of Malacañang — not the ERC or Meralco — where there ought to be no let-up until a return to the RoRB is achieved. It is, after all, best to strike while the nation is hot under the collar versus the PBR.

But it’s also time to alert everyone on a related matter that is of strategic importance. Competition for traditional energy sources has, for all intents and purposes, reached it peak. From the sands of the Libyan desert stretching across the whole of northern Africa, down to our very own Mindanao and Sulu Sea, all the way up to the northernmost tip of the Earth where advanced countries are all staking claims to the Arctic’s submarine energy stores, the race is definitely on.

Sadly, unless there is a change of direction in our country’s mendicant politics, whatever resources lie within the Philippine territory are going to be ceded to foreign powers and interests. And this is one thing our people have to sort out eventually if they are to gain control of our nation’s wealth.

Fortunately, there is another level at which we Filipinos can break ground to establish strategic energy sourcing and stability.

When the vision of some political blocs inspired by business proposals from foreign nuclear energy companies like Kepco (Korea Electric Power Corp.) and their financiers to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) collapsed in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the myopia that was really behind it became immediately evident. Proponents of the BNPP revival simply never understood energy and nuclear issues. They saw only the money angle and, in the best tradition of oligarchic politics, sought to take advantage of government money to fund a foreign-instigated proposition.

And when Fukushima happened, they folded and ran with the tail between their legs, offering no alternative to the long-term energy problem they say needs solving. But, thanks to UP physicist and technology guru Dr. Roger Posadas, what we have is an opportunity for a real-long term solution — still with nuclear energy.

While we were scheduling a cable TV discussion on energy, Dr. Posadas brought to our attention the Philippines’ own capability of mastering the thorium cycle. He says that we can build thorium reactors to produce energy at a vastly safer level and lower cost factor than uranium reactors. To top it all, he says (and this is confirmed by many studies) that the Philippines has its own abundant thorium resources in Palawan’s monazite deposits.

Excitement over thorium around the world is palpable. In this Forbes article by William Pentland (“Is Thorium the Biggest Energy Breakthrough Since Fire? Possibly”), it says: “Thorium is more abundant than uranium in the Earth’s crust. The world has an estimated 4.4 million tons of total known and estimated thorium resources, according to the International Atomic Energy Association’s 2007 Red Book.”

But, aside from availability, thorium does not allow weapons grade by-products.

From The Energy Collective of “the world’s best thinkers on energy and climate,” comes this Aug. 23 report (“Indian and Chinese Development, Nonproliferation and Thorium”): “By the middle of the 21st Century the combined economic power of India and China will be so great… (And since they) appear committed to developing a thorium nuclear fuel cycle… it would (seem) rational that they both do so.”

India and China are, in fact, planning thorium reactors not by the units but by the dozens each.

In a recent article by climate watcher Anthony Watts (“China announces thorium reactor energy program, Obama still dwelling on ‘Sputnik moments’”), the writer chastises US President Barack Obama, telling him, “This isn’t a ‘Sputnik moment,’ Mr. President, it’s a ‘shit or get off the pot’ moment for US energy policy… Perhaps (China’s) announcement will be the embarrassment like Sputnik for the US government that will compel them to finally do something about our energy future besides tilt at windmills.”

As I am exasperated with this country’s pathological myopia toward nuclear energy (and other real baseload energy sources), I have tried to limit the debate to the decade-old outrage that is the Epira (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) and its massive price gouging on consumers. However, over and above taking deliberate action, such as that proposed vigil or maybe even an indefinite hunger strike, I believe that foresight and concern for our children’s future should also lead us to discuss strategic alternatives. In doing so, we will expose (and hopefully obliterate) the selfish shortsightedness of the ruling elite that destroys our nation’s economic fiber. Thus, to kick things off, I’m proposing a “Thorium Energy Summit” that will call on our scientists and other concerned sectors to share knowledge and insights in the run-up to our own “Sputnik” moment.

(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino/Radyo OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m. on 1098AM; Talk News TV with HTL, Saturday, 8:15 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8 on “ERC-Meralco Conspiracies?” with former Mayor Jun Simon and power industry expert and entrepreneur Jojo Borja; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our articles plus TV and radio archives)