THE ECONOMICS OF THE COCONUT BUSINESS

THE ECONOMICS OF THE COCONUT BUSINESS My beloved countrymen, when I was in Thailand some years ago, I noticed that their farmers were watering their coconut trees. My first reaction was to think that those people must be stupid, because who in his right mind would water a coconut tree? It was only later when I realized that they are doing the right thing, because their trees are healthier. Much later, I also realized that as commercial crops, coconut trees not only need water, but they also need fertilizers. Very recently, I saw an online video where the farmers dug up creeks in between their rows of coconut trees, so that the nuts could just fall into the creeks for easy transport. I imagine that the creeks are also used to supply water to the trees. That could be a smart thing to do for our farmers here, simply because our government does not seem to be irrigating other crops yet, aside from rice. Digging up creeks in between rows of coconut trees seems like a good idea, but is it really the best idea? I am asking that question because I have recently watched an online presentation where the speaker proposed not only the intercropping of coconut trees with other trees such as coffee and cacao, but also raising cattle in between. I wish that the government will study the pros and cons or the economics of these two approaches, so that our farmers could choose wisely. Who do you think can do this? Perhaps an interagency task force composed of PCA, DA, NEDA and DTI would be needed? I believe that there was a time when the Philippines was the number one exporter of coconut products in the world, but sadly, Indonesia has already overtaken us with 17.9 million metric tons, while we only exported 14.3 million metric tons. The third in place is India with 13.32 million metric tons. What happened to our coconut industry? Is the problem the lack of irrigation? Or is it the lack of fertilization? What can we do to overtake Indonesia and become number one again? I have an idea, and I would like to convince you to agree with me. Instead of competing with Indonesia and India in exporting raw coconuts, why not go into the exportation of finished products that are coconut based instead? We have already started doing this with coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut water, but we should do more product development to come up with better products that have more value added. To make our coconut industry more innovation driven, there is no other way except to adopt the “Whole of Government” approach. That means mobilizing not only the DA and the PCA, but also other agencies that could help in engineering, financing, packaging, advertising and marketing, among others. Aside from the DTI, the government should harness the DFA to do more of economic diplomacy abroad. The “Country Team Approach” is still a good idea, but our ambassadors should become more vigorous in leading the teams. Very truly yours, IKE SENERES/11-21-2024/visit my blog senseneres.blogspot.com

ARE TYPHOONS CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE?

ARE TYPHOONS CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE? My beloved countrymen, just in case you are wondering, it is not true that typhoons are caused by climate change. What is true is that climate change has made typhoons stronger and more frequent than they used to. For those who do not believe that climate change is not real and is just an elaborate hoax, I hope that the recent series of strong typhoons and devastating floods have already convinced all of you that climate change is real. And for those of you who do not believe that global warming is real, I must tell you now that it is global warming that is increasing the temperatures of ocean waters that is in turn causing the typhoons now. And since the oceans are becoming warmer more frequently, the typhoons are now forming more frequently. In addition to that, the typhoons are also becoming stronger now. To put it simply, global warming is the cause of climate change, and climate change is the cause of stronger typhoons. To put it even more simply, global warming is the father of climate change, and stronger typhoons are the children. So how do we stop typhoons from becoming stronger and more frequent? Of course we could not stop typhoons from forming, because these are natural occurrences that have been happening long before global warming started. We could not stop typhoons, but we could still lessen its frequency and intensity, at least in theory. But wait, let us not forget that pollution is the grandfather of the stronger typhoons, because pollution is the father of global warming! But wait again! Do not forget that the stronger typhoons have three grandfathers, that is if you count air pollution, water pollution and land pollution. One way or the other, these three forms of pollution are contributing to the process of depleting the ozone layer, a depletion that ultimately results in the melting of the ice caps that in turn increase the ocean temperatures. Since I have explained to you what causes the stronger typhoons, I think that it is now fair to ask what causes them? That is a valid question, but I would rather ask instead, who causes them? The answer to that should be clear by now. We the humans are causing them. The bad news is, we are the problem. But the good news is, we are also the solution. If we could only gather the political will to do it, we could reduce pollution in all its forms. If you now believe that global warming is real, please also believe that reducing pollution is also real. There is no other way except to reduce pollution as much as we could. Otherwise, not only the stronger typhoons will happen, rising sea levels will happen, more forest fires will happen, droughts will happen, and famine could happen if food production will go down. If you want to do something about this, start with your local government. Very truly yours, IKE SENERES/11-20-2024/visit my blog senseneres.blogspot.com

INTERNATIONAL MOBILE EQUIPMENT IDENTITY

INTERNATIONAL MOBILE EQUIPMENT IDENTITY My fellow Filipinos, I do not know who the technocrats are who proposed the whole idea of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card registration, but perhaps it is not too late to take a second look at it. But before I go any further, I would like to ask those technocrats what their purpose is for proposing the project. That is so, because whatever their choice it, it will determine whether they have met their objective or not. Going straight to the point, SIM cards are the better choices for purposes of network connectivity and communication. The other choice, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is not a card, but a number that is embedded into the mobile device instead. By comparison, IMEI is crucial for device identification and security. While an owner of a device could change his or her SIM card at any time, the IMEI number is permanent in his or her device and therefore it could never be changed. In my opinion, the use of SIM technology could be preferred if the objective is data privacy, and the use of IMEI could be preferred if the objective is data security. I am saying that because a user could change his or her SIM card at any time if he or she wants to change his or her identity, and he or she could get away with it, provided that the government does not require him or her to register his or her IMEI number. This opinion of mine is oriented towards data privacy for the device owner. However, if the orientation is data security for the country, and not for the data privacy of the owner, then the use of the IMEI would be preferrable. This is also just an opinion of mine, and others could have their own interpretation. In defense of my opinion, I would like to cite the possibility that if anyone changes his SIM card for any purpose, the government could no longer track him or her if his or her IMEI is not registered. On the other hand, if his or her IMEI is registered, the government could still track him or her if her IMEI is registered. In theory, all the scam messages that are being sent now via Short Messaging Services (SMS) and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) messages could either be stopped or minimized if all the IMEI numbers of all numbers that are being used will be registered. Although this technology is already available even as we speak, I would still caution the government to carefully weigh the pros and cons of implementing it, because it could potentially violate data privacy laws and even human rights. The reality is, there is always a need for the government to balance the dual need for data security and data privacy. Between our three branches of government, I really do not know which of them could resolve this issue. Perhaps the Executive Branch could start the ball rolling by issuing some Executive Orders (EOs), but eventually the Legislative Branch could pass the pertinent laws. Later, the Judicial Branch could issue rulings if landmark cases are filed. Very truly yours, IKE SENERES/11-19-24/visit my blog senseneres.blogspot.com

CAN AN INVASIVE FISH SPECIES BE NATURALIZED?

CAN AN INVASIVE FISH SPECIES BE NATURALIZED? My fellow Filipinos, in theory, an invasive fish species will always be an invasive species no matter what. According to Microsoft Copilot, “An invasive fish species is a type of fish that is not native to a particular ecosystem and whose introduction causes, or is likely to cause, harm to the environment, economy, or human health. These species can spread rapidly and compete with native fish for resources, potentially leading to the decline or extinction of native species”. By that definition, there is no question that Tilapia is an invasive fish species. By all accounts, it is very clear that Tilapia has already caused the decline of native fish species in Philippine lakes and rivers, but it is still not clear whether it has caused the extinction of native species or not. True to the nature of invasive fish species, Tilapia has reproduced quickly wherever they have invaded, and always in huge numbers. Even if they are invasive however, Tilapia is considered tasty by many people, and for that reason, it has become a popular choice as a fish dish. It is also for that reason that Tilapia as a species has already gained sufficient economic value, providing livelihood to many fish farmers and contributing to the diet of many people. Regardless of the scientific facts, most of us Filipinos are not aware that Tilapia is an invasive species. Instead, most of us think that Tilapia is a native species. That is so because Tilapia has been in our local waters for so many decades, perhaps for almost a hundred years already. According to fisheries expert Romualdo Pol of the BFAR, there is already a growing notion that Tilapia has already become a “naturalized” fish species, because it is already generally accepted, and because it has already created its own economic value. Nonetheless, being a “naturalized” foreign species still sounds an oxymoron. Given all that background information, it appears that the government now finds itself in a damn if they do, damn if they don’t situation. If the government declares that Tilapia is still an invasive fish species up to now, it has no choice but to take the necessary actions to exterminate and remove these from our local waters. If the government does that, it will destroy the livelihood of many fishermen and deprive many households of an affordable source of food. If, however, the government will legally declare that Tilapia is already a “naturalized” fish species, meaning that is no longer an invasive species, then it could still endanger the native species, knowing that invasive species eat the eggs and fingerlings of the latter. How do we end this dilemma? I do not have the answer myself, and all that I could think of right now is to ask the Office of the President (OP) to create an inter-agency committee to resolve this question. The lead agency for this could be the Secretary of the DENR, assisted by the Secretaries or Heads of NEDA, DTI, DA and BFAR. Many other countries have declared an all-out war on Tilapia as an invasive species. Do they know something that we don’t? Your friend, IKE SENERES/11-18-2024/Visit my blog senseneres.blogspot.com

YES, WE CAN REPLACE LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS

YES, WE CAN REPLACE LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS My dear countrymen, if you are now using Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), have you ever thought that you could probably replace it with a cheaper and better alternative? An alternative that is more environment friendly? Well, I am happy to inform you that the technology now exists to produce either Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) from nothing but sewage, and all we need is the political will to make it happen. According to some estimates, the Philippines is importing about 938 billion pesos worth of LPG per year, representing about 21 million barrels per year. Based on data available from the Department of Energy (DOE), the retail price of an 11 kg. LPG cylinder costs from 691 to 997 pesos. If each household consumes about 12 cylinders per year, the annual LPG expense per household per year is from 8,292 to 11, 964 pesos. Is that not a good incentive to shift to either LNG or CNG? Although the process of converting sewage to compressed gas takes several steps, I can assure you that it is going to be worth it both at the household level and the national level. Based on the data earlier presented, the Philippines is importing about 938 billion worth of LPG per year. Can you imagine how much savings that could mean for our foreign reserves? And how much good that could do for our economy? On the downside, only the eastern section of Metro Manila has an existing centralized sewerage system. However, there are existing systems in private villages such as Ayala Alabang Village, Villamor Airbase Village, Magallanes Village and Greenhills Village. On the upside, there are existing efforts to build such systems in Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City, General Santos City and Puerta Princesa City. With all the politics going on at the LGU level, one good way to tell whether past Mayors have done their jobs is if they have built sewerage systems or not. For the most part, most cities, municipalities and villages in the Philippines do not have centralized sewerage systems. What are existing instead are individualized “Pozo Negro” systems for houses, apartment buildings and condominiums. Since these individualized systems have no place to go, the only way to pump them out is to use private sewage truck services. The two water service concessionaires in Metro Manila are under contract to provide these services for free. By design, all sewerage systems are supposed to terminate to a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) where the sewage is supposed to be processed into water, prior to releasing these into nearby lakes or rivers. Some cities like Singapore have managed to process these liquids into water qualities that are good enough for washing or even for drinking. The first step in producing CNG or LNG is to produce the biogas first, from the raw sewage material. After that, the second step is to produce the biogas into biomethane. The third step is to convert the biomethane into CNG or LNG. The fourth and final step is to bottle the compressed gases int cylinders, like the LPGs. Perhaps as of now, the government has not yet seen the wisdom of producing CNG or LNG locally, by converting sewage to biogas and then to biomethane. Aside from saving money from our petroleum imports, this could also be a matter of national security, because the possibility of foreign wars could lead to oil shortages or oil embargoes at the very least. Even if there will be no such shortages or embargoes, is it not enough incentive to save billions of pesos from petroleum imports? Perhaps it would be a good idea for DENR and DOE to start meeting and planning about this? Your friend, IKE SENERES/11-17-2024/visit my blog senseneres.blogspot.com

LET’S HAVE MORE PUBLIC RENTAL HOUSING

LET’S HAVE MORE PUBLIC RENTAL HOUSING My dear countrymen, when I was living in New York City many years ago, I was able to observe how the city government was able to turn a problem into an opportunity and let me tell you why. Just like in the Philippines and in many other countries, there was a housing backlog in that city which seemed hopeless and never ending at that time. Fortunately, however, for one reason or another, some former city officials thought about the public rental housing strategy, and the rest is history. From being a big problem in New York City, public housing became an opportunity because it became one of the city’s sources of revenue. The public rental housing business of the city (yes it became a business) not only was self-sustaining, it also became self-generating because it was able to earn additional income that was needed to finance the city’s other projects. But how can we do that in the Philippines? How can we convert a public problem into a public opportunity? How can we convert a burden into an opportunity? In theory, Public and Private Partnership (PPP) is project funding approach that includes the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme. PPP is the broader term that includes many types of collaborations between the public and private sectors. BOT is simply a specific type of PPP. In general, PPP can cover a wide range of projects, including public transportation, public parks, public hospitals and many more. There are many applicable types of revenue models, but it usually involves the payment of user fees or tariffs, government payments or a combination of both. Risks are shared between the two parties, depending on the pre-arranged agreements. Under the BOT scheme, a private company finances, builds and operates a project for a specified period, and after that period, the ownership of the project is transferred to the public sector. BOT is generally used for major infrastructure projects such as highways, power generation and water systems. The revenue model is similar, also usually by way of fees or revenues generated prior to the transfer. The private company bears most of the risk during the period of operation (prior to the transfer). Supposedly, there is no need for the government to go into a BOT scheme if it is fully capable of building and operating a project by itself. It could however be argued that the government may be capable of building a project but may not be capable of operating it. or it could be the other way around, the government may not be capable of building a project, but it could be capable of operating it. The latter argument could be the reason why the government could still go into a property management contract, even after the ownership is transferred. In the case of public housing for rental projects, I think that the most ideal approach is a PPP project using a BOT scheme, but there should be a separate property management contract given to the developer, after the project ownership is transferred. The management contract may be subjected to public bidding in accordance with procurement laws. What is important is that our citizens who could not yet afford to buy their houses could rent in the meantime. Your friend, IKE SENERES/11-16-2024/visit my blog senseneres.blogspot.com

LET’S HAVE MORE MOBILE CLINICS

LET’S HAVE MORE MOBILE CLINICS My dear countrymen, as the saying goes, “If Mohammad cannot go to the mountain, then the mountain must come to Mohammad”. That logic seems to be applicable to the case of our fellow Filipinos who cannot go to the public hospitals, for one reason or another. That being the case, then it should be the public hospital that should go to our fellow Filipinos. That appears to be the reason why First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos started the “Lab for All” project. The project aims to provide accessible healthcare services, including medical checkups, diagnostics and free medications, to underserved communities in our country. To make that happen, the First Lady has mobilized several government agencies to support the project, including the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and many other government agencies. The long-term goal of the project is to facilitate the donation of mobile vans equipped with x-ray machines, portable urine analyzers, glucose monitors, cholesterol testers, ultrasound and other machines to the different provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays. Aside from mobilizing the government agencies, the First Lady has also invited the participation of the private sector. According to their website, several companies have “already made an impact on various communities through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs”. In that connection, the project managers have asked the private companies to help them by “providing mobile vans, medical missions and gift packs directly to the LGUs where they will be visiting”. They also said that “by nurturing an entrepreneurial mindset and connecting innovators with industry experts and investors the project encourages the creation of real-world solutions”. Dr. Jim Sanchez, the founder of Hospital on Wheels (HOW), has also been bringing the “mountain to Mohammad” for so many years. In tribute to him, please allow be to repost his recent message: START QOUTE: {My life's journey has been like running a marathon. Becoming a doctor is the last mile of my race, a dream I’ve pursued with every ounce of my energy. I remember my father's advice: "Give your best in everything you do." His words have been my constant guide. And my mother’s compassion lives on in me. Once, after giving alms to a beggar, she said, "Always help the poor and the weak." Those simple but powerful words shaped my purpose. I don’t see myself as a hero—I just want to make a difference, however small, and be a good example to my children. Helping others, especially the underserved, is my way of honoring the values my parents instilled in me”}. END QUOTE In recognition of his achievements, the Association of Philippine Physicians in America (APPA) bestowed upon him the 2024 Humanitarian Service Award at their 52nd Annual Convention, held at the Marriott Hotel in Newark, New Jersey, from October 23-27, 2024. As I understand it, the APPA is one of the foreign organizations that has been supporting the HOW program all these years. Thank you for your service, Dr. Sanchez and Madame First Lady. Yours truly, IKE SENERES/11-15-24/visit my blog senseneres.blogspot.com