Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Companies linked to resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co tried to deregister three choppers from the Philippines to put these units up for sale, Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon said on Tuesday.

Dizon said that he received this information from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap).

Deregistration is an act of removing an item from an official registry.

‘Companies connected to Congressman Zaldy Co tried to deregister three choppers,’ Dizon told reporters in an interview.

‘What Caap told me is that the firms tried to deregister the units because they have plans to sell them, because you can’t sell them if you don’t deregister them first in the Philippines,’ he explained.

Dizon said that they managed to stop the deregistration, and the Caap already issued a standing order that all air assets linked to Co cannot be deregistered.

Last Wednesday, the public works and highways secretary revealed that Co has P4.7-billion worth of air assets registered under different companies.

He also said that he had already informed the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the Department of Justice, and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure about the assets.

His presentation showed that Misibis Aviation owns air assets with a combined estimated value of $74.6 million (equivalent to P4.2 billion at the current exchange rate).

These assets include two AgustaWestland AW1398 helicopters worth $16 million each, a Gulfstream 350 jet valued at $36 million, two Bell 407 helicopters pegged at $3 million each, and a Bell 206B3 helicopter estimated at $650,000 (P19 million).

Hi-Tone Construction Development Corp. holds aircraft valued at a total of $7.9 million (P456 million).

Its fleet consists of a Cessna 414A Chancellor worth $700,000, an Agusta A109E helicopter pegged at $6.9 million, and a PA 31-350 Chieftain aircraft estimated at $340,000.

Meanwhile, QM Builder lists a single air asset, a Bell 505 helicopter, worth around $2 million (P114 million).

Going after Co’s assets

When asked to react to the statement of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla that Co might not return to the country, Dizon said that the government will go after all his assets, whether he comes home or not.

‘Now that the ICI filed a report before the Ombudsman, we will ask for the freezing of all his assets, bank accounts, real properties, air assets, potential sea assets, land assets and vehicles,’ Dizon said in the same interview.

‘It’s not enough to hold someone accountable and send someone to jail. The [public] funds need to be returned and this is included in ensuring that the public funds will be retrieved,’ Dizon pointed out.

Co has resigned from his post as the representative of Ako Bicol Party-list amid allegations of his involvement in the anomalous flood control projects.

In his letter to House Speaker Faustino Dy III, Co cited ‘the real, direct, grave and imminent threat’ to him and to ‘the lives of my family members.’

The resigned lawmaker has been accused of receiving billions of pesos in kickbacks, based on the testimony of contractors and DPWH officials.

The allegations came from the testimonies of dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways-Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez that an estimated P1 billion in cash, packed in suitcases, was delivered to Co’s penthouse.

The Department of Justice has requested the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to issue a blue notice on Co.

The notice advises the member states of Interpol ‘to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.’ /apl

When we hear of abaca, what often comes to mind is Manila envelope and Manila paper. But this humble crop, which is mostly cultivated in Catanduanes, Eastern Visayas, and Mindanao, may one day be our ticket to aerospace and space tourism.

Abaca is the source of the strongest natural fiber in the world, making it essential for ship ropes, filters, medical fabrics, textiles, special papers like banknotes, and other applications that require strength, durability, and water-resistance. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was short of disposable face masks, abaca was utilized as a natural source of fiber, a contribution from the Philippines during those unprecedented times. As the largest abaca exporter in the world, we clearly had the advantage of its accessibility and opportunities to capitalize on it. My article was later featured by the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority on their social media.

This special interest in abaca, which I developed during the pandemic, was amplified later on by my passion for surfing. I’ve visited almost every famous surfing spot in the country, except for Catanduanes.

As I read more about the surfing life in Catanduanes, came the undeniable facts and potentials about abaca. As an academic pharmacist, I’ve also thought of researching on the isolation and development of abaca cellulose fiber as a novel excipient in making medicines.

For example, a cellulose powder from abaca could be a binder to hold a tablet together, or a sustainable and alternative ingredient in making ‘veggie’ capsule shells. A lot of people don’t know that most shells that hold a capsule come from gelatin, which is derived from the collagen of cows or pigs, hence not suitable for vegetarians, vegans, or certain religious groups like Muslims.

Although these are just a few applications of abaca cellulose in pharmaceutical research, in the bigger picture, this could be our ticket to the new frontier.

The answer is simple: abaca is lightweight, natural, and sustainable. Today, the manufacturers of spacecraft (even aircraft) are pressured to reduce carbon emissions. Abaca fibers deliver high quality and strength without the burden of using metals, hence less fuel is burned. Most importantly, abaca is biodegradable and absorbs carbon dioxide while growing, which is a far greener option than petroleum-based synthetic fibers.

Today, companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are racing to make suborbital flights routine. Imagine telling the whole world that the seats and panels inside a space vehicle carry fibers grown by the farmers in Catanduanes. It is both a poetic and practical vision: the Philippines being a supplier of natural materials for humanity’s journey beyond Earth.

Now, the challenge is, will the Philippines seize the chance to move up the value chain? For a very long time, our abaca has been exported raw and bought from our farmers at a low price by foreigners who then process it, sell it at a high price, and reap the margins.

If we invest in processing hubs, certification facilities, and research partnerships, we can export not just fiber but semi-finished products such as composite panels and specialty mats. That is where the real money is, and that is how rural communities progress.

To achieve this, interagency collaboration is important. Together with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Space Agency, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Tourism, along with local universities, we can create a national innovation pipeline: from farm-to-fiber-to-flight.

We are already known as the world’s capital of the strongest natural fiber. Let us take that seriously. We can make the Philippines a global leader in sustainable materials in the next frontier.

Authorities arrested three alleged high-value drug targets and seized over P1 million worth of suspected ‘shabu’ (crystal meth) in separate buy-bust operations in Cavite and Laguna on Monday and Tuesday.

In a report, the Region 4A police said anti-narcotics operatives in Bacoor City, Cavite, apprehended suspects identified only as ‘Jerome’ and ‘Jonathan’ at around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday in Barangay Molino 2. The two were caught after selling P500 worth of shabu to an undercover police officer.

During the arrest, operatives recovered four heat-sealed plastic sachets containing approximately 60 grams of suspected shabu, with an estimated street value of P408,000, based on the Dangerous Drugs Board’s valuation.

Police identified both suspects as ‘high-value individuals’ (HVI) on their drug watch list – a classification reserved for financiers, traffickers, manufacturers, importers, or members of organized drug groups.

In a separate operation in Barangay Antipolo, Rizal, Laguna, police arrested another HVI suspect identified as ‘Jomar’ at 11:28 p.m. on Monday. He was found in possession of three plastic sachets containing about 100 grams of suspected shabu, valued at P680,000.

Authorities also seized the suspect’s mobile phone, which will be examined for possible drug-related communications or records.

Police in Cavite and Laguna are conducting further investigations to trace the source of the seized drugs.

All three suspects are currently in police custody and face charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002