COST IN HOSTING APEC IS WORTH IT

     Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. on Friday, November 21, said the cost incurred in terms of money and effort in hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit could be well worth it.

 “If you are going to host a very important international conference like the APEC that we had, you have to make sure you do it properly, and security is a very large part of that equation. So I’m glad that it was done well and it was well organized,” said Marcos in a press briefing in Baguio City.

 He said efforts to ensure the safety of the 21 Heads of State attending the leaders’ meeting, some of them the most powerful Heads of State in the world, could not be considered overkill.

 “You must make sure nothing bad happens to them. Can you imagine, isipin nyo may mangyari habang nandito sila kung papano tayo mapapahiya? No amount of money can buy your reputation back kung may mangyari na ganun,” he stressed.

Marcos also said critics should not be taking potshots at the efforts of the government to promote the country particularly when it’s our time to shine in the world’s stage.

 Among others, the government has been getting flak for reportedly spending P10 billion for the APEC summit.

 “Of course P10 billion is a great deal of money and we will find out where it all went. But if our economic managers, in their meeting with the other government leaders, have made some advantageous trade arrangements with all these other countries, then we can say it’s worth it,” Marcos concluded.

LACK SUPPORT TO INVENTORS 

On the other hand, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. this week urged the government to help the group of Filipina inventor Aisa Mijeno to realize her goal of mass producing salt-water powered LED lamp.

 Marcos said it is sad that the government has yet to provide support for Mijeno’s invention when both US President Barack Obama and Chinese billionaire Jack Ma of Alibaba had recognized the potential of the invention.

 Mijeno, CEO of SALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting) shared the stage with Obama and Ma at the APEC CEO Summit where Obama moderated a session after his speech on climate change. Mijeno needs funding to mass produce the lamp.

“SALt’s invention has gained international attention and earned various awards. It is puzzling why we have not seen any effort from the government to help bring this product of Filipino ingenuity to the market,” Marcos lamented.

 The LED lamp can provide 8-hours of light powered only by a solution of water and two tablespoons of salt or plain seawater.

 The Senator noted that SALt’s invention which will provide a cheap and dependable source of light in many rural areas of the country where there is still no electricity will also give employment if mass produced here in the country.

 At the very least, Marcos said concerned government agencies should take the initiative of reaching out to Mijeno’s group to inform them of the assistance they could avail of under RA 7459 or the Investors and Inventions Incentives Act.

 Marcos said inventors have been complaining in the past that they experience difficulty in trying to avail of incentives they are entitled to receive under the law, prompting many of them to find support outside the country.

 “We should be the first ones to benefit from the innovative creations of our inventors. Unless we give them adequate support we will always lose out from investors abroad who are always on the lookout for promising new products,” Marcos concluded/MP