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Metro Manila’s
sewerage treatment system gets its much needed
clean up through the government of the United
Kingdom (UK).
And there’s more. Human sewage is also being
turned into electricity at the Sewage Treatment
Plant (STP) in Magallanes Village, Makati City.
STP, a joint venture between UK-based United
Utilities and the Ayala Corporation, is the
first formal sewage treatment facility in the
Philippines. The 300-kilowatt facility treats
domestic water and converts the waste to energy.
The anaerobic digestion of wastewater produces
biogas, which provides electricity of the
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treatment
plant. Any surplus electricity generated is sold
to Magallanes Village.
British Ambassador Peter Beckingham visited the
site recently and in his speech stressed UK’s
commitment to safeguard the environment in the
face of the mounting threats brought about by
climate change. The STP project is part of the
UK’s Government Carbon Offset Fund (GCOF). To
date, an equivalent of USD10 million has been
invested in similar sustainable development and
renewable energy projects in the Philippines
alone.
The GCOF supports programs in developing
countries directed to renewable energy and clean
power generation that |
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British
Ambassador Peter Beckingham (3rd left) joins
Frank Beaumont, director of Manila Water
Company, Eva Matibag (Manager for Wastewater,
Manila Water), Justin Guest (Investment Advisor,
EEA Fund Management Limited), Samuel West
Stewart (President, Philippine Bio-Sciences Co.,
Inc.), and Alberto Pascua (COO, Philippine
Bio-Sciences Co., Inc.) at STP in Magallanes
Village in Makati City. |
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BI Deports
American Couple
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The
Bureau of Immigration (BI) has deported
an American couple wanted by federal
authorities in the United States for
allegedly swindling investors in an
USD18 million investment fraud scheme,
Immigration Commissioner Marcelino
Libanan said recently.
Terry Solomon and his wife Rebecca were
deported October 30 aboard a Continental
Airlines flight to Guam enroute to the
US mainland where they would stand trial
for their crimes.
They were deported four months after
they were arrested by joint operatives
of the BI and National Bureau of
Investigation last July 4 at their
condominium unit in Makati City.
Libanan issued the mission order for the
Solomon’s arrest at the request of the
US Embassy and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation which sought the help of
Philippine authorities in locating the
couple.
The BI chief also placed the Solomons in
the Immigration blacklist to prevent
them from reentering the Philippines.
Earlier reports said a federal grand
jury in San Francisco has indicted the |
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Solomons, of Tibourn, California, for
their role in an USD18 million
high-yield investment scheme.
Prosecutors had alleged that the
Solomons solicited investors for two
funds, one to purchase and resell a
multimillion-dollar diamond and the
other for an investment in a
telecommunication hardware company in
China.
However the couple did not invest the
funds but instead spent it on promoting
their company, the purchase of luxury
automobiles, and other items such as
vacations for themselves and family
members.
Arrest warrants have been issued by a US
district court judge against the couple
who were charged with conspiracy to
defraud investors, wire fraud, mail
fraud and conspiracy to launder money
instruments.
A check of their travel records showed
that the Solomons have been hiding in
the Philippines since January 2007 when
they arrived in Manila.
The US State Department later canceled
their passports upon learning that they
had fled the US, thus they were already
undocumented at the time of their
arrest. |
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reduce the
reliance on fossil fuels. The carbon credits
earned from these projects will offset emissions
of the British government from official and
Ministerial air travel. The idea is to
recompense |
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by reducing
emissions elsewhere instead of reducing one’s
own emissions.
The GCOF also supports projects in China,
Thailand, Vietnam, India and Brazil.
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UN Lauds RP for ‘Stand Up,
Speak Out’ Campaign Participation
By Vanessa
R. Balagapo
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Following the success of the United
Nations’ (UN) International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty, UN’s Millennium
Campaign Director Salil Shetty and UN
Resident Coordinator Nileema Noble
lauded the strong participation from the
Philippines who joined the world
campaign. There were 7.1 million
participants from the Philippines, the
second biggest group who joined the
event.
The UNDP officials awarded certificates
to World Vision Philippines, Department
of Education Region VIII and ZOTO ( Zone
One Tondo Organization), the largest
contributors for the campaign. They also
congratulated other participants from
various sectors of the country including
the government, civil society, the media
and the youth sector in a media briefing
held Nov. 9.
The UN said the Philippines exceeded its
target of three million participants,
surpassing its previous |
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record
of 2.4 million participants.
A total of 43.7 million people around
the world stood up against poverty
during the Oct. 17 campaign.. Most of
the participants were from Asia,
followed by Africa and the Arab region.
India ranked first with the
participation of almost 19 million
people.
The millennium campaign by the world
body is an evidence based advocacy
towards alleviating poverty and meeting
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
by 2015. The UN also aims to eliminate
extreme poverty and hunger, achieve
universal primary education, promote
gender equality and empower women,
reduce child mortality, improved
maternal health, increase access to
reproductive health services, combat HIV
and AIDS, malaria and other diseases,
ensure environmental sustainability and
develop a global partnership for
development.
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UN Resident
Coordinator Nileema Noble, Mayor
Nestor Alvarez of Science City
of Munoz, Mayor Givel Mamaril of
Malalag, Davao del Sur and Salil
Shetty, UN Millennium Campaign
Director read the “Pledge of
Poverty”during a press briefing
recently |
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