Sister Port Agreement Between SBMA And Belgium Proposed

Recently inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) headed by its Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño hosted a delegation from the Embassy of Belgium led by Ambassador Vladislava Iordanova. During the visit, Aliño proposed to them a Sister Port Agreement between the Port of Subic and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, according to the official announcement by the SBMA.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from official announcement by the SBMA. Some parts in boldface…

A sister port agreement between the Port of Subic and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is being considered during the visit of delegates from the Embassy of Belgium to the Philippines here on March 16, 2026.

Belgian Ambassador Her Excellency Vladislava Iordanova paid a visit along with officials from the Port of Antwerp-Bruges International (PoABI), the consultancy and investment subsidiary of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.

During their visit, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) team, led by Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño, proposed a Sister Port Agreement between the two ports to enhance the traditional friendship between the SBMA and the PoABI.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the largest petrochemical cluster in Europe and the second-largest in the world; it is also the largest car-handling port in Europe, handling more than 3 million cars per year. It has two oil refineries and is a frontrunner in the energy transition.

The port is also a driver of economic growth with 4.5% GDP contribution and a total annual throughput of +370 million tonnes, including +13 million TEUs.

Meanwhile, the Subic Bay Freeport has several locators with European Equity, including Agila NY Naval Inc. and Agila South Inc. from the Netherlands, with a combined investment commitment of US$350 million.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the proposed Sister Port Agreement between the SBMA and Belgium will eventually be approved in the near future? Do you think that better trade will happen between the Port of Subic and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges will be realized?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Steady Supply Of Coal From Indonesia For The Philippines Assured

As the Philippines is struggling with very expensive fuel prices, Indonesia assured the government that there will be a steady supply of coal for the country’s energy needs, according to a news report by BusinessWorld.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of BusinessWorld. Some parts in boldface…

Indonesia has assured the Philippines of a steady supply of coal, the Philippine energy minister said on Tuesday.

“We have assurance, and we are good partners,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin told a news briefing.

The Philippines plans to temporarily increase coal-fired generation amid energy pressures, Ms. Garin said.

The country’s fuel supply remains manageable and the government is working to procure 1 million barrels of oil from countries within and outside Southeast Asia to build its buffer stock. The Philippines has around 45 days of fuel supply based on current consumption levels, Ms. Garin said.

The Philippines has Southeast Asia’s most coal-dependent power grid.

After ramping up LNG-fired generation, Manila was poised in 2025 for its first decline in coal power in nearly two decades, but rising LNG costs are forcing it to turn back to coal.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think coal is a good solution to ensure a stable supply of energy all over the country?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Om högern vill se mer högerkultur, höger-standup, höger-filmer, höger-teater, höger-journalistik är det banne mig bara att sätta igång och producera.

Scenen är fukkin fri!!

Men dom kommer snabbt inse att slå nedåt blir inte bra, inte roligt, inte intressant.

#Sverige #Sverigedemokraterna #Politik #Kultur #PublicService #Film #Oikos #KidRock #LeeGreenwood

World Bank Sees Philippine Economy Growing 4.6% This Year And 5.3% In 2027

With the ongoing war in the Middle East, the hiked prices of fuel and other problems happening already, the World Bank (WB) sees the economy of the Philippines achieving gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 4.6% this year and 5.3% next year, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…

Philippine economic growth would likely remain below its potential of at least six percent until the end of the Marcos Jr. administration, according to the latest forecasts by the World Bank.

Documents on the latest $800-million Philippines Growth and Jobs Development Policy Loan (DPL) 1, approved by the Washington-based multilateral lender last week, showed a projected 4.6- percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for the country in 2026, inching up from the post-pandemic-low of 4.4 percent in 2025. This forecast is below the government’s downgraded five- to six-percent growth target for the year.

For 2027, the World Bank expects the Philippine economy to grow by 5.3 percent, which would also be lower than next year’s downscaled 5.5- to 6.5-percent goal.

By the time President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. steps down and turns over to a new administration in 2028, World Bank projections showed 5.5-percent GDP growth, still below the six- to seven-percent target.

“The growth outlook remains moderate over the near term, with activity expected to remain subdued in 2026 before gradually strengthening… The impact of the government’s anti-corruption efforts and a significantly lower infrastructure budget in 2026 is expected to weigh on public investment,” the World Bank said.

The lender added that a smaller statistical carry-over into 2026 signals weaker initial momentum, with growth projected to average 5.2 percent in 2026 to 2028, driven by recovering private domestic demand amid easing inflation and financing conditions.

“Private consumption is expected to benefit from stable labor income and improved confidence, while private investment gradually strengthens alongside improved credit conditions and a normalization of public capital spending. External demand, particularly for electronics and artificial intelligence (AI)-related exports, is projected to remain supportive, although global trade uncertainty presents downside risks,” the document said.

This World Bank report was prepared in mid-February before it was disclosed last week, which means that the impact of the war in the Middle East was not yet taken into consideration by the lender in its GDP growth forecasts.

At that time, the World Bank projected headline inflation to stay within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) two- to four-percent target range, averaging about 2.8 percent in 2026 to 2028.

Before the domestic price pressures wrought by the Middle East conflict that sent global oil prices soaring, the World Bank believed that the BSP would likely keep a neutral-to-supportive policy stance while balancing the still-negative output gap against risks from exchange-rate volatility and food inflation. A negative output gap refers to the economy expanding below its potential, which, for the Philippines, is estimated at about six percent annually.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the economic growth predictions of the World Bank for the Philippines will turn out to be true in the near future? Do you think there is any hope left for the economy of the Philippines to achieve annual GDP growth of 6%? Do you think more foreign investors will be convinced to invest in the Philippines this year?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

BBC News: Royal Mail staff say they were told to hide post to look like targets met - BBC News
BBC News - Royal Mail staff say they were told to hide post to look like targets met - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2knk5d4deo

The drive for profits over an efficient service is destroying this company, failing it's customers and wrecking the moral of its hardworking staff. All while putting up their prices.

#privatisation #publicService

First Batch Of Tricycle Drivers Receive Cash Relief Assistance In Las Piñas City

Around two thousand tricycle drivers (the first batch) have received their cash relief assistance at the Aguilar Sports Complex recently, according to the social media announcement of the City Government of Las Piñas. Each tricycle driver received P5,000 as relief from the much higher prices of fuel caused by the ongoing war against the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran which itself attacked multiple nations in the Middle East with missiles and drones.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the social media announcement of the City Government. Some parts in boldface…

The distribution of P5,000 cash payout of the AICS program for the first batch of tricycle drivers in Las Piñas City was held at Aguilar Sports Complex.

This is part of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s support to help drivers cope with the continuing rise of oil prices due to tensions in the Middle East.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), and other offices of the city government are working together to ensure a smooth and peaceful distribution of aid to beneficiaries.

On the first day of payout, almost 2,000 drivers from TODA groups ACAPODA, APHDA, ATODA, BFLTSODA, BFRSSCV, BFRV-VG, CCTODA, CEBMTODA and BFATODA were given cash assistance. Payout will continue in the coming days to provide all registered members of TODA.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Do you often ride the tricycle when moving around?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673