The Embassy of Singapore conferred last Tuesday on Sen. Richard Gordon the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) Alumni in the Philippines’ Honorary Patron award for his efforts in sustaining and advocating mutual relations between the Philippines and Singapore.

Gordon is the first person to be given the distinction for the SCP Philippines chapter which was launched at the residence of the Singapore ambassador.

The SCP is a government-financed cooperation program that provides technical assistance to developing countries. It conducts various innovative training courses in international trade promotion and environmental protection, tourism and urban development, management and productivity, and public administration and law.

Since its inception in 1992, the SCP has trained over 1,200 Filipinos from about 34,000 government officials in 159 developing countries. The SCP Philippines Alumni intends to lead activities toward maintaining regular contact and build long-term relations between the Philippines and Singapore.

Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Lim Kheng Hua said Gordon was selected as the SCP Philippines’ Honorary Patron for his "indefatigable efforts in supporting and promoting closer bilateral relations between the Philippines and Singapore."

2 new ships for Navy

The Philippine Navy is to receive two high-speed vessels from South Korea this year that will be used to help patrol the country’s porous borders, a spokesman said yesterday.

The transfer was part of an agreement to boost defense ties between the two countries. Six vessels were also acquired in the late 1990s, said Navy spokesman Capt. Geronimo Malabanan.

The new patrol vessels will be used by the Navy’s Stingray task force, a rapid deployment force for counter-terrorism and anti-insurgency operations, he said. (AFP)

1st Muslim woman DPWH regional director named

President Arroyo appointed recently the first Muslim woman regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

DPWH Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. administered the oath of office of Engr. Sinaolan T. Macarambon as Director IV Regional Director for Northern Mindanao.

Macarambon, a Muslim Maranao, is the first Muslim woman ever to become a civil engineer and regional director in the history of the DPWH.

Prior to her appointment as Director IV, Macarambon served as OIC Director and Assistant Director in Northern Mindanao and District Engineer in Central Mindanao.

She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree at the Mindanao State University and has a Masters in Environmental Planning at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City and Masters in Public Administration at the Notre Dame University in Cotabato.

Metro drug supply down

The supply of illegal drugs in Metro Manila has decreased considerably, to about 15-20 percent, sources at the Regional Anti-illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (RAID-SOTF-NCRPO) said.

With the decreased supply of illegal drugs, its cost per kilo has increased to about R3,000 per gram from R1,200 per gram.

RAID-SOTF-NCRPO chief Supt. Jerry Valeroso said that successful raids and entrapments conducted by his task force in coordination with other law enforcement agencies have contributed greatly to the decreased supply of illegal drugs in Metro Manila.

The RAID-SOFT-NCRPO arrested 10 middle-level pushers as Valeroso sent to jail four drug pushers who attempted to bribe him with R300,000 in exchange for their freedom.

Valeroso warned any scalawags or any of their representatives trying to "fix" him that he would immediately arrest and send them to jail.

Energy super body pushed

A public transport group yesterday asked Malacañang to immediately implement an executive order creating a super body in the Department of Energy (DoE) that would help the government address the energy problem.

The delay in the implementation of Executive Order 474, which calls for the creation of the Philippine Strategic Oil, Gas, Energy Resources, and Power Infrastructure Office, is setting back the energy program of the government, the 100,000-strong Pasang Masda headed by its president, Roberto Martin, said.

Martin said it was possible that some vested interest groups and individuals who are profiting from the present setup in the energy program of the government could be behind the overt moves to stop the full implementation of the executive order.

He said that ordinary commuters and members of transport groups will benefit from the creation of the energy super body.