Nature tourism is fast growing in the industry, said Alicia Seah, Dynasty Travel’s director of public relations and communications, and the “bundle of nature parks and zoological gardens” in Mandai could help boost visitorship to Singapore.

“Many tourists tend to go to our neighbours for trekking, diving and climbing, so the Mandai development could help Singapore better compete in the area of eco-tourism,” she added.

Seah was responding to news of Mandai being turned into a 126ha eco-tourism attraction, complete with five wildlife parks. The plans were announced yesterday by developer Mandai Safari Park Holdings.

The Mandai area is now home to the Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari. They will be joined by two new attractions – the Bird Park, which will be relocated from Jurong, and the Rainforest Park, as part of efforts to turn Mandai into a nature precinct.

Dr Michael Chiam, Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s senior tourism lecturer, said it made sense to locate the five parks near one another.

“For example, one admission ticket could allow visitors to visit any of the five parks. Visitors could spend the whole day there, boosting visitorship to all the five parks,” he said.

Seah agreed. She pointed out that the current location of the Bird Park in Jurong made it less accessible.

Every year, Jurong Bird Park welcomes about 800,000 visitors, about half of the 1.7 million that go to the zoo each year. The figure also pales beside the 1.1 million visitors to the Night Safari and one million to the River Safari.

“Many visitors will choose to visit the bundle of attractions in Mandai over the Bird Park in view of time constraints. With the addition of the Rainforest Park and the Bird Park to Mandai, we foresee a synergy among the five parks ,” she said.

Allan Chia, head of the Master of Business Administration Programme at SIM University, said the move will increase the popularity of the Bird Park. The Jurong area has evolved since 1971, when the Bird Park commenced operations, and is now an industrial neighbourhood, he said. “The contrast with a nature attraction is too stark for an effective coexistence.”

Experts told The Straits Times that the move will be good not just for tourists but also for residents.

Dr Chiam said: “If the area has facilities that are relevant to the local residents, it will definitely attract them, especially since there is an upward trend of locals engaging in outdoor activities such as cycling, jogging and camping outdoors.”

At the media briefing yesterday, Mike Barclay, group chief executive of the Mandai Safari Park Holdings, said public spaces, such as boardwalks and playgrounds, will also be built to give visitors the chance to enjoy the greenery in the area without having to pay admission fees.

But while the new attractions have the potential to bring in the crowds, it is important to ensure that the impact on the environment is carefully managed.

Chia said: “More visitors will change the character of the place significantly. These changes will affect the wildlife. Among other negative environmental impacts are pollution, congestion and deforestation.”

The developers have sought to allay these concerns, saying development will take place on previously occupied and already impacted land. An environmental impact assessment was also undertaken and the results will be announced in the coming weeks.

But everything else was different about this “summer class.” For one, it was held not on a typical campus—but in a neighbourhood of tombs.

Maria was one of the children whose families live among the dead at Manila North Cemetery (MNC), where a series of reading and writing sessions was recently conducted by a nongovernment organisation that offers a basic literacy programme for shantytown kids.

“I’m actually a graduate by now,” the girl said when the Inquirer saw her last week in a class held at the Familia Torres mausoleum, which was spacious enough to accommodate 30 pupils.

The volunteer teachers and the learning materials were courtesy of All Together in Dignity (ATD) Fourth World Philippines, a member of an international NGO network devoted to helping grassroots communities overcome poverty. Its local headquarters was established in Pandacan, Manila in 1989.

With roots traceable to 1950s Paris and currently active in 34 countries, ATD Fourth World chooses to work in areas “where other NGOs don’t usually go,” according to Guy Malfait, the group’s Belgian director who has been living in country for the last two years.

First classes

Under its Ang Galing literacy programme for Filipino children, the first classes were conducted for indigents kids in Paco in 2011. Two years later, the project targeted youngsters who were taking shelter under Quirino Bridge also in Manila.

This year, the programme came to MNC, a sprawling public cemetery managed by the city government. According to the administration office, about a thousand people are currently taking up spaces amid the graves, many of them employed as caretakers by relatives of the deceased.

In the first four years, Ang Galing classes were held on Saturdays, from June to March, to supplement the children’s schooling. This year, Malfait said, they decided to start a two-week, six-session summer program to help boost the kids’ confidence to enrol again in school.

Many of the students’ mothers and grandmothers have since been enticed to help in the programme, some as instructors. At the MNC, one of the 15 volunteers for the summer class was Lillian Tiglao, 59, whose two granddaughters were in the batch.

“I was taking up education in what was then Philippine Normal College but reached only the second year,” Tiglao said. “It feels good to be able to help the children this way.”

Another grateful volunteer is 67-year-old Tita Villarosa, who for the last 20 years has looked after around 60 graves at Manila North. She learned about ATD long before the NGO brought its literacy project to the cemetery.

“At first I didn’t even want to get involved. But my daughter, who was only 11 at the time, got interested—and soon I was, too,” said Villarosa who, like Tiglao, described herself as a “frustrated teacher.”

Villarosa got so involved in the ATD activities that she achieved something probably beyond the wildest dreams of a cemetery dweller: She became part of a Philippine delegation that went to New York City for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty in 2005 and met with then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

With the graves serving as their chairs and tables, the pupils are also given puzzles, simple math problems and white boards for drawing. “Sometimes we have to go through another process to guide them to what we want them to learn, which is really to read and write. Puzzles, for example, exercise their patience, which they need so they can learn,” Malfait said.

“It’s important that we engage them enough to encourage them to come back,” Ang Galing coordinator Mae Ann Reginaldo further explained.

All the instructional materials are in Filipino since “it’s the language the children use at home,” said Malfait, who can also converse in the local tongue. “We want them to be able to learn faster, and it would be difficult to do that with English since it’s not what they normally use.”

Asked if they have received any complaints from relatives of the dead on whose graves they hold classes, Reginaldo said “they are actually supportive of what we do since it’s about the kids’ education”.

“The Duterte administration will not spend money for spending’s sake. The economy is deficient in all types of infrastructure – highways and bridges, ports and airports,” incoming Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno told the Inquirer.

Specific infrastructure projects to be pursued by the Duterte government would include “small-, medium- and large-scale projects [that] will be done in all regions – [both] highly developed and lagging – simultaneously, not sequentially,” Diokno said.

The University of the Philippines economics professor and former budget chief during the Estrada administration also said they would address the problem of underspending on public goods and services that prevailed during the past two years.

“First of all, I will put a lot of effort in budget preparation. I know that underspending is partly due to poor budget preparation. Many programs and projects are included in the annual budget, yet they are not ready to implement. Some departments ask for a budget that they are unable to implement: They bite more than what they can chew,” Diokno said.

“Second reason for the underspending is the ineptness or incompetence of some department chiefs. I propose to correct this by giving an executive briefing for secretaries and undersecretaries in charge of finance separately on the budget process. I will strengthen the project monitoring system,” he added.

Also, Diokno noted that “in the past, the budget planners provide slacks in the budget in the hope that they can play around with the slacks to finance projects not authorised by Congress,” which he said was what the controversial disbursement acceleration program (DAP) that the Aquino administration had put in place was all about.

Being semi-isolated, urban development has yet to touch Long Win, a village located in the most remote area of Sarawak inhabited by the aboriginal Penan.

They have no access to electricity and piped water supply but 68-year-old photography enthusiast Hon Choon Kim decided to slog it out to meet the elusive Penan people.

What Hon discovered was a peaceful race whose livelihood depended on each other, and they lived contented and happy.

“It is an ideal society where there is no gap between the rich and the poor. The people here share everything from their hunting spoils to groceries,” said the former deputy education minister. Since retiring from politics in 2008, Hon had immersed himself in landscape photography, travelling the world to capture its sceneries on camera.

He chanced upon photos of the Penan people in early 2010 and took them as the central theme of his photography.

Since his first visit in 2011, Hon had returned to the villages there on 13 different occasions.

He photographed moments in their lives and documented how they lived in a book titled The Penan Through The Lens.

Throughout his visits, Hon grew more attached to the Penan.

With his experience as a former educationist, Hon is trying to instil the importance of education among the Penan.

However, with the closest secondary school being nearly 10 hours away from the village, many families among the indigenous tribe are reluctant to send their children so far away.

“To reach the secondary school, they have to take a five-hour drive on an off-road vehicle to Long Lama, followed by a three-hour journey by boat to Marudi,” he said.

Hon added that many parents simply did not have the financial resources to foot the transportation fee, along with the daily expenses of their children.

Most of the Penan people sustain themselves via a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and money is hard to come by.

To encourage more Penan children to receive education, Hon is in the midst of gathering funds to help foot the transportation costs, as well as their daily expenses so that finances would not be an obstacle for them to go to school.

He pointed out that some of their students were very bright.

“I met three SPM school-leavers last year. I am trying to get one of them into Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the other two to technical schools,” he said.

Hon added that the majority of the 16,000 Penan population still lived in Sarawak’s interiors out of necessity as they were not equipped with the skills needed by an urban society.

However, their hunter-gatherer lifestyle is being increasingly threatened by the incessant logging that is happening all over Sarawak, he observed.

“Many of them tell me that game is not as easy to come by nowadays. It takes longer to hunt and to fish. Moreover, many of the sago trees have been cut down, depriving the Penan of their staple food,” he said.

One of the most memorable photos Hon took was of a Penan man holding a 500 ringgit (US$120) BR1M voucher.

“The government is trying to give them financial help, yes. But he does not have the financial means to go to the nearest bank in Limbang to exchange the voucher for cash,” Hon pointed out.

The poverty and challenges they faced each day motivated Hon to highlight their plight and educate the public on the Penan’s way of life.

“They need the help of both civil society and the government. It is a transitional phase for them right now.

“We need to help educate the younger generation so that they can acquire skills suited for urban society. This will help move the community closer to cities,” he said, adding that city life would also mean they would have access to modern medical facilities.

Hon will be holding an exhibition at Blossom Arts Festival at Wisma MCA between June 6 and 15.

To raise funds, he will sell the book The Penan Through The Lens for 100 ringgit a copy, as well as give talks on his experiences visiting the Penan people.

Proceeds from the sale of the book will be channelled towards funding the education of Penan children.

CHINESE construction on a South China Sea islet claimed by the Philippines would prompt “actions being taken” by the United States and other nations, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter warned yesterday.

Speaking at a security summit in Singapore, Carter said Beijing risks building a “Great Wall of self-isolation” with its military expansion in the contested waters, but he also proposed stronger bilateral security cooperation to reduce the risks of a mishap.

“I hope that this development doesn’t occur because it will result in actions being taken both by the United States, and actions being taken by others in the region that will have the effect of not only increasing tensions but isolating China,” Carter said when asked about Scarborough Shoal in a forum also attended by senior Chinese military officials.

Rear Admiral Guan Youfei, who heads the Chinese office of international military cooperation, quickly attacked the Pentagon chief’s remarks, telling journalists they reflected a “Cold War mentality”.

He said any sanctions against China will “definitely result in failure”.

Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post has reported that China plans to establish an outpost on the shoal, located 230 kilometres off the Philippines, which considers it part of its exclusive economic zone.

Beijing claims nearly all of the strategically vital sea and has developed contested reefs into artificial islands, some topped with airstrips.

Manila says China took effective control of Scarborough Shoal in 2012, stationing patrol vessels and shooing away Filipino fishermen, after a two-month stand-off with the Philippine Navy. Carter declined to elaborate when later pressed on what “actions” Washington might take. The US warning came ahead of a ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague on a case brought by the Philippines against China, which has shunned the proceedings and says it will not recognise any ruling.

In a prepared speech, Carter said the United States views the upcoming finding “as an opportunity for China and the rest of the region to recommit to a principled future, to renewed diplomacy, and to lowering tensions, rather than raising them”.

‘Great Wall of self-isolation’

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have competing claims in the sea, which encompasses vital global shipping routes and is believed to have significant oil and gas deposits.

Beijing’s territorial claims, based on controversial historical records, have also pitted it against the United States, which has conducted patrols near Chinese-held islands to press for freedom of navigation. “Unfortunately, if these actions continue, China could end up erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation,” Carter said in his speech.

He suggested the US and China would benefit from better military ties – both to build understanding and to avoid the risk of mishaps. Pentagon officials say two Chinese fighters last month conducted an “unsafe” intercept of a US spy plane in international air space over the South China Sea.

For the first time, UnionPay International cardholders will get extra discounts and offers at more than 100 merchants during the sale, under a new three-year partnership between the payment network and the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA), organiser of the GSS.

The extension of the sale period to 10 weeks – for the last 12 years, the GSS stretched over eight weeks – is to better cater to tourists from Asia-Pacific countries, including China, whose summer holidays fall in the June to August period, said SRA executive director Anthony Gan.

He added that the annual shopping festival, which ends on August 14, will still coincide with the school holidays in June and the regional peak travel season in July, as in previous years.

The changes to the shopping festival, now in its 23rd year, come amid weaker economic sentiment and challenging retail conditions such as high vacancy rates in malls, higher operating costs and lower retail revenue.

Singapore Polytechnic senior retail lecturer Sarah Lim said while the longer sale period will attract tourists, it may dilute the impact of the sale for locals.

Retailers must have a sufficiently varied assortment of products to last throughout the 10 weeks, she noted. “Otherwise locals will get tired of it and the sale will have no impact,” she said.

This year, Chinese payment firm UnionPay International will be the official card of the GSS, in place of MasterCard, which has been the official card for the last 12 years.

Gan said: “UnionPay is able to increase our reach into China, while we in turn will help UnionPay increase their market share locally.”

He added: “SRA, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and UnionPay are working together very closely within China to boost tourist arrivals to Singapore, and increase tourist spending here.”

The world’s largest card issuer, UnionPay has issued more than 5.4 billion cards globally, with close to nine million issued in South-east Asia as at March 31.

In Singapore, almost all ATMs and taxis and more than 80 per cent of merchants accept UnionPay cards. Four banks here issue UnionPay cards – Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, United Overseas Bank and DBS Bank, which launched a debit card with UnionPay last month.

According to STB figures, Chinese visitors spent S$2.54 billion (US$1.85 billion) here last year, making them the top spenders among Singapore’s visitor markets. Nearly half – 45 per cent – of the amount was spent on shopping.

The number of Chinese visitors to Singapore was 2.1 million last year, up 22 per cent from 2014’s 1.7 million. This means China tourists are ranked second after Indonesia, in terms of tourist arrivals.

The GSS stretches from Orchard Road to Marina Bay, Sentosa HarbourFront and the heartland. It includes online and physical stores, from fashion and dining to hotels and attractions.

Last year, shoppers shelled out a five-year high of $2.12 billion using their MasterCard cards, with the growth fuelled mainly by tourists.

This year, people who shop at the GSS stand to win a record of more than S$200,000, with the SRA giving out $100 each – in the form of a UnionPay prepaid card loaded with the amount – to five shoppers daily. Those who pay with UnionPay cards stand to win another S$500.

Shoppers also stand to win more than S$320,000 worth of prizes in the Singapore Press Holdings’ Shop & Win contest by spending at least S$30 in one receipt at any participating outlet. Two cars, a Subaru XV 1.6i-S and Nissan Sylphy 1.8L, are up for grabs.

The Philippines is in a strategic position to become a hub of innovation and human capital development for key sectors such as aerospace and automotive.

However, inadequate infrastructure hampers the country’s bid to become a significant player in global value chains, a study by a university-based research center showed.

“The future looks bright for the Philippines. It is in the middle of the factory of Asia and has the market size as well as the cultural affinity with the Western world. (The Philippines) can be a very good location for being a hub of innovation and human capital development,” said Karina Fernandez-Stark, senior research analyst at the US-based Duke University Center on Globalisation, Governance and Competitiveness (Duke CGGC).

The university-based research centre conducted five studies covering aerospace, automotive, chemicals, electronics and electrical, and paper, which were selected based on their potential for export earnings, employment creation, technology transfer, and value addition to raw materials. These industries also already have a presence in the global market.

The studies – which are expected to help the government craft policies that will enable local firms to integrate in the global value chains – were commissioned under the Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation for Development (Stride) programme and the Advancing Philippine Competitiveness (Compete) project of the US Agency for International Development (Usaid) for the board of investments.

An assessment of the five industries based on these factors showed that the Philippines ranked the lowest in infrastructure, which pertained to the high energy costs and inadequate roads, ports and airports, and in the development of local sectors. It, meanwhile, saw the most favourable scores under human capital development and business environment.

One of the main takeaways from these studies, according to Trade Assistant Secretary Rafaelita M Aldaba, was the recommendation to link three key industries, namely automotive, aerospace and electronics, given the growing trend towards automation.

The new clauses are among big changes in an amendment of the 1999 anti–monopoly Law approved by a working committee of the Business Competition Supervisory Commission ( KPPU ), according to KPPU head Syarkawi Rauf.

“Under the amendment, the KPPU will impose a 5 per cent to 30 per cent penalty of the cartel revenues. That will create a stronger deterrent effect,” he said in Jakarta on Thursday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Under the existing law, the anti–monopoly body can only impose a maximum fine of Rp 25 billion ( US$1.8 million ) regardless of the revenues of the cartel, which according to Syarkawi, could reach hundreds of billions of rupiah.

Another important clause is the broader definition of cartel and the wider jurisdiction that gives the KPPU in launching investigations into Southeast Asia-based companies suspected of involvement in a cartel in Indonesia.

The wider jurisdiction, along with stronger authority, as the KPPU’s status would be upgraded from a commission to a state institution, had been granted to face new challenges in the Asean Economic Community ( AEC ), said Syarkawi.

“The KPPU will be able to launch an investigation. As for the technical aspects, we will regulate them in the supporting regulations […] The KPPU will also be able to fully pardon cartel-linked entities that act as whistleblowers to expose the cartel or monopoly,” he said.

Moreover, the amendment would oblige any corporate action like acquisitions and mergers, which could lead to market domination, to be reported to the KPPU. The anti–monopoly body would then issue a recommendation.

The House of Representatives would finalise the amendment draft at a commission meeting before the House’s Legislation Body ( Baleg ) would include it in plenary scheduling, said Azam Azman Natawijaya, deputy speaker of House Commission VI, which oversees trade, industry and investment.

“I do not think there are significant obstacles at the commission meeting ahead. Hence, the draft can be delivered to Baleg soon. Hopefully, we can pass the amendment into law this year,” he said.

Among other things, Jakarta One can be used to pay for public transportation and rental fees for low-cost apartments. It can also be used to disburse loans to small and medium enterprises, Ahok said.

With the card, the city administration is able to collect financial data. The data will allegedly help the administration to ascertain eligibility for soft loans from the administration.

“Right now, we find it difficult to distribute loans. With Jakarta One, we can easily distribute the loans,” explained the governor during the launch ceremony event named “Smart Money Smart City Festival” in Central Jakarta.

Jakarta One is an expanded version of JakCard, owned by the city-owned Bank DKI, that had been used to pay rental fees for low-cost apartments, said Ahok, adding that in the future, the card would also function as an electronic identity card ( e-KTP ) and would also retain other card holder data.

Agus Martowardojo called for further expansion of Jakarta One functionality.

He said that by 2020, among other things, the function of Jakarta One would be expanded to enable payments to be made with the card at retail outlets, for electronic parking, electricity, telephone, and for all TransJakarta routes.

With Jakarta One, BI will also boost the electric payment network in Jakarta, said Agus.

The Statistics Department said the country’s imports fell 2.3 per cent, or 1.2 billion ringgit to 52.3 billion ringgit from 53.5 billion ringgit a year ago, which was below economists’ expectations of a 0.1 per cent increase.

Total trade in April 2016 valued at 113.6 billion ringgit decreased 258.8 million ringgit or 0.2 per cent from the year before. It also posted a drop of 6.8 per cent or 8.3 billion ringgit, month-on-month.

On a year-on-year (yoy) basis, the trade surplus increased 31.9 per cent or 2.2 billion ringgit to 9.1 billion ringgit. However, on a month-on-month basis it declined 19.1 per cent from 11.2 billion ringgit.

The Statistics Department said exports increased due to the rise in exports to Singapore (+1.2 billion ringgit), the US (+697 million ringgit), Vietnam (+651.3 million ringgit), Taiwan (+283.4 million ringgit) and Bangladesh (+253 million ringgi).

The department said the higher exports were due to refined petroleum products, electrical and electronic (E&E) products, palm oil and palm-based products and natural rubber.

However, it said the decline were recorded in liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude petroleum and timber and timber-based products.

On a y-o-y basis, imports decreased 2.3 per cent from 53.5 billion ringgit. The decline in imports was mainly attributed to intermediate goods and capital goods.

Intermediate goods which constituted 56.8 per cent of total imports dropped 2.2 billion ringgit to 29.7 billion ringgit. The decrease were mainly attributed fuel and lubricants, primary (-833.3 million ringgit, -48.9 per cent), fuel and lubricants, processed, others (-786.8 million ringgit, -54.2 per cent) and industrial supplies, processed (-313.3 million ringgit, -2.6 per cent).

Imports of capital goods, which accounted for 13.4 per cent of total imports, decreased marginally by 1.6 million ringgit to 7 billion ringgit due to the decline in capital goods (except for transport equipment) (-397.1 million ringgit, -6 per cent). However, transport equipment, industrial increased 395.5 million ringgit or 101.0 per cent.