Friday, August 08, 2008 Pangan: The PWWA initiative By Benjie R. Pangan At Close Range
THE Philippine Water Works Association or PWWA is the main organization of the country's water supply industry professionals, contractors, suppliers and water districts. It was established in 1978 with the objective of providing Filipinos safe, affordable and adequate drinking water and in so doing, set up a linkage network among consumers and water supply providers, not only from local sites but also from overseas.
After the well-attended 15th edition of the International Conference and Exhibition on Water Resources Management or Philwater 2007 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, the 2008 edition has been conceptualized. It is slated on October 6-9, 2008 at Boracay Regency Beach Resort and Convention Center, Station 2, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan; and it will be hosted by the Malay Water District and the Region 6 Association of Water Districts.
Incumbent President Engr. Romeo P. Calara informed me that the theme for this year's convention is "Water and Environment, a National Security Concern" and he hopes to see delegates from around the country and from abroad.
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One moment in time. This is not a take off from the title of the song popularized by American singer Whitney Houston but rather, it may be the collected sigh of the athletes who will now compete in the Beijing Olympics starting today. Now we know why the Chinese fancy numbers such that they put so much meaning to numerals and figures, and, of course, feng shui.
What a relief to economic and military superpowers like the US, France, Japan, Germany and the rest of the G-7 coalition that China, once dubbed the sleeping giant, has slowly albeit guardedly opened up its doors to Western influences and this year, it will be the host to over a hundred countries and thousands of visitors, athletes, coaches and members of delegations for the summer Olympics. Indeed, China might be morphing into a liberalized country, meeting head-on the challenges of science and technology, a far cry from its Bamboo Curtain tag and being then isolated from the rest of the "civilized" world by its hard-core Communist-Leninist-Marxist-oriented leaders.
I am into reading the book "China After Deng Xiaoping" by Willy Wo-lap Lam and I found out that as early as 1991, or a few years from the infamous June 4, 1989 Tiannanmen square massacre of student activists Politburo zhongyang (helmsman) Deng Xiaoping had been advocating for liberalization of policies and "seek the truth from facts." But the party members of the Central Communist Party or CCP were steadfast in embracing the teachings of Chairman Mao and were understandably adamant to shift to modernization.
And now, with the inception of the Beijing Olympics, vestiges of the iron fist and hard rule may be waning but still, stringent measures are being observed in Beijing and other parts of China for security reasons. It is fuqiang or prosperity and strength for China, from here onwards.
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Here's good news. A janitor of Aresun reportedly returned P2,800 belonging to a customer of Toyota San Fernando. This gesture, according to the motor sales office HR person Jackie, deserves to be emulated and replicated several times over in as many places in the country, di ba, Jerry Arenas?
