FORMER Ambassador Jose Apolinario L. Lozada, Jr. passed away on Tuesday at the age of 68, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
According to reports, Mr. Lozada was confined at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) after suffering from a brain hemorrhage. In 2014, the diplomat was diagnosed with prostate cancer and declared cancer-free the following year.
In a statement, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano offered his condolences to the family of the late ambassador.
“I join the men and women of the Foreign Service in mourning the passing of an astute diplomat and legislator in Ambassador Lozada. I send my condolences and prayers to his family and friends in this time of great sadness,” Mr. Cayetano said.
“Ambassador Lozada and I were good friends and seatmates during the 11th Congress in 1998. I will always remember him as one who championed the welfare of our diplomats and kababayan abroad,” he added.
Mr. Lozada is survived by his wife and four children.
Mr. Lozada served as ambassador to Palau, the Holy See, Vienna, Austria, and Baghdad, Iraq.
He also served as Negros Occidental 5th district representative from 1998 to 2004. He became the chairperson of the House committee of foreign affairs and pushed for the passage of Republic Act No. 9225 or the Dual Citizenship law and Republic Act No. 9189 or the Overseas Absentee Voting Law.
Prior to becoming a lawmaker, Mr. Lozada also became as Appointments Secretary and Chief of Protocol to then President Fidel V. Ramos.
Mr. Lozada obtained a Mathematics undergraduate degree in the De La Sale University (DLSU), a master’s degree in Public Administration in the University of the Philippines (UP), and another master’s degree in Physics at the Siliman University. — Camille A. Aguinaldo
NATIONAL ANTI-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary Liza L. Maza, who faces an arrest warrant for a double murder charge, should surrender to authorities, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
“Well, she has to heed the warrant of arrest, not even the President can interfere in our judicial process,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in a press briefing at the Palace.
Ms. Maza is the only one left of the three the Left-leaning officials appointed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte as part of his Cabinet.
Apart from Ms. Maza, other personalities ordered arrested by the Nueva Ecija Regional Trial Court are former party-list representatives Satur C. Ocampo and Teodoro A. Casiño of Bayan Muna and former Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Rafael V. Mariano of Anakpawis.
Mr. Roque said the warrants are “lawfully issued by a trial court” and “if they are innocent, then they should in fact surrender, recognize the jurisdiction of the court and prove their innocence in court. That is what we expect from everyone.”
Mr. Roque also said that Ms. Maza remains the chief of the NAPC.
“She hasn’t been fired. But, because she is wanted, she may become a fugitive if she doesn’t surrender. And if she goes on AWOL, absence without leave, then the President will have to decide on her continuing appointment if need be, because she cannot be absent. Her office is very critical to the fight against poverty and we cannot have a secretary who is a fugitive from the law,” he said. — Arjay L. Balinbin
Supreme Court votes to speed up disposition of Sandiganbayan cases
THE SUPREME Court voted 8-2 in favor of the “speedy disposition” of pending cases of the Sandiganbayan.
Supreme Court (SC) Spokesperson Theodore O. Te said in a media briefing on Tuesday that the high court “interpreted the reckoning period for the right to ‘speedy disposition of…cases’ under Article III, section 16 to start from the preliminary investigation of cases.”
He emphasized that the cases won’t start before the preliminary investigation and also not from the fact-finding stage.
Newly-appointed Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires, a former Supreme Court associate justice, said on Monday that he will prioritize pending cases at the Sandiganbayan.
He added that the delay of these cases has long been an issue between the office of the Ombudsman and the High Court. — Gillian M. Cortez
Ceremonial signing for Bangsamoro law set Aug. 6
MALACAÑANG ON Tuesday announced that there will be a ceremonial signing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed last week.
“There is a ceremonial reenactment of the signing of the BOL on August 6 at 3:45 p.m.,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in a press briefing at the Palace on Tuesday, July 31.
Last Sunday, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has signed a peace agreement with the government, held its first Bangsamoro Consultative Assembly at Camp Darapanan in Maguindanao to acquaint residents and voters on the BOL. The law will be subject to a plebiscite scheduled later this year. — Arjay L. Balinbin
Universal health care bill must also ensure access to services for remote areas — Duque
A HEALTH center in the town of Alubijid in Misamis Oriental province. — ALUBIJIDMISOR.GOV.PH
HEALTH SECRETARY Francisco T. Duque III said the proposed Universal Health Care (UHC) bill must include provisions ensuring not just coverage but access to services, particularly in the country’s remote areas.
He cited in particular the situation of indigenous peoples (IPs) living in the hinterlands. “It is easy to cover them (with health insurance), but will the health services be available?” Mr. Duque said in an interview on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Healthy Islands Conference held in Davao City last week.
“We need to capacitate our health stations in every barangay… We need to cover a lot more grounds with regards to the setting up of the basic delivery unit of primary health care. This is a major building block of universal health care, it could not be just hospitals,” he said.
The House of Representatives has passed its version of the UHC bill, but its Senate counterpart is still pending. — Maya M. Padillo
THE DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources urged the Philippine National Police to dig deeper into illegal animal trade after a truck driver was caught transporting 21 frozen pangolins and 16 dead marine turtles in Puerto Princesa, the capital city of Palawan, last Saturday. In a statement on Tuesday, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said he welcomed the filing of charges against the detained driver who was found with the trafficked animals. “This is an outright disregard of our environmental laws, particularly our Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection law. There is no justification for the smuggling and killing of our wildlife species,” he added. The pangolin is one of the most trafficked animal in the Philippines. Bulk of the illegal trade of the animal is shipped to China where it is prized for its supposed medicinal properties. DENR-MIMAROPA Regional Director Henry A. Adornado, in the same statement, said pangolins and marine turtles are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered species. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
THE 900TH Negosyo Center in the country has been opened, located in Carmen, Agusan del Norte. Under Republic Act 10644, the Go Negosyo Act of 2014, the Negosyo Centers are intended to help entrepreneurs by providing access to markets and financing, training programs, and a simplified business registration process. The law mandates the creation of such facilities in all municipalities, cities, and provinces to support micro, small, and medium enterprises. “The Negosyo Center is a great help for Filipinos wanting to start businesses,” Senator Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, one of the authors of the law, said in a statement. — Camille A. Aguinaldo
CEBU Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña himself has branded the city he leads as a “criminal city” following the series of killings involving local government, drug agency, and police officers. Mr. Osmeña told reporters that he agrees with the description made by one of his critics, Councilor Pastor M. Alcover Jr. “They say Cebu is safe. It’s not safe. I told you that already. It’s not safe. Something is wrong. Something is out of place,” Osmeña said. Mr. Alcover earlier expressed his frustration over the spate of unresolved killings and urged the mayor to do something to ensure peace and order in the city. “Cebu City is no longer Queen City of the South. It’s now a criminal city…How can we attract investors? I challenge the mayor to do something to preserve peace and order in the city,” Mr. Alcover told local newspaper The Freeman. Mr. Osmeña, meanwhile, said he will give Cebu City Police Office Director Royina Garma a chance to solve all the killings, especially the alleged involvement of police officers. “My priority, I will not compromise the safety of the city. Right now, let me just read the cards before I make a move. My move right now is let (Ms.) Garma answer for all of these,” he said. — The Freeman
THE ZAMBOANGA CITY government has set up a quick-response desk to facilitate the issuance of business permits that have been pending since the start of the year. Benjie S. Barredo, chief of the licensing and permits division, said this initiative is intended to help business owners by fast-tracking more than 7,000 pending applications. “This is to facilitate and inform them of their lacking requirements for easier facilitation of their permits,” he said. The quick-response desk opened on Monday, July 30, and will be in operation until Aug. 17. — Albert F. Arcilla
By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
SHARES snapped their five-day winning streak on Tuesday after investors resorted to profit taking ahead of the United States Federal Reserve’s meeting this week, even as those overseas remained predominantly buyers.
The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gave up 1.3% or 101.32 points to close at 7,672, while the all-shares index lost 0.88% or 41.16 points to 4,604.12.
“After a five straight days of gains totaling 5.26%, the market succumbed to profit taking…” RCBC Securities, Inc. said in a note prepared by research analyst John Paolo D. Ayson, who noted “[i]t was the locals who cashed in their gains, with the foreigners accumulating P256mn net today.”
“Market had profit taking today… following regional market downtrend,” Diversified Securities, Inc. trader Aniceto K. Pangan said in a text message.
Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis A. Limlingan also cited profit taking as the trigger for the index’s fall, saying in a separate message: “After five consecutive days of bargain hunting, investors decided to take profit from issues that they had bought earlier.”
“Funds also kept to cash ahead of the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting which will occur tomorrow evening in the US,” Mr. Limlingan added.
The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep rates steady at the end of its July 31-Aug. 1 meeting.
Wall Street fell under the weight of technology stocks, while Asian markets closed mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and the Shanghai SE Composite index edged up 0.04% and 0.26%, respectively, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index shed 0.52%.
Back home, all sectoral indices ended in negative territory, led by property which plunged 1.72% or 65.72 points to 3,754.81 and followed by financials that went down by 1.18% or 22.33 points to 1,858.92; holding firms that dropped 1.13% or 86.88 points to 7,593.74; mining and oil that fell by 0.98% or 96.88 points to 9,714.41; industrials that gave up 0.82% or 89.70 points to 10,830.18; and services that slipped by 0.51% or 7.79 points to 1,493.58.
Turnover grew to 842.022 million shares worth P7.05 billion, compared to Monday’s 1.02 billion shares worth P5.61 billion. Stocks that fell were more than double those that gained at 130 to 63, while 52 issues ended flat.
Tuesday’s list of 20 most active stocks counted 15 losers, including Ayala Land, Inc. (down 3.20% to P40.85 apiece); BDO Unibank, Inc. (1.49% to P132); Ayala Corp. (1.38% to P999); Universal Robina Corp. (5.88% to P128); GT Capital Holdings, Inc. (2.41% to P970); and PLDT, Inc. (down 1.62% to P1,337 each).
Only five stocks on the list gained: Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (up 0.43% to P4.71 apiece); Jollibee Foods Corp. (1.50% to P270); Globe Telecom, Inc. (1.21% to P1,835); DMCI Holdings, Inc. (0.68% to P11.80); and International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (0.68% to P89).
THE PESO strengthened against the dollar on Tuesday to a seven-week high as the central bank said inflation likely quickened further last month.
The local unit ended the session at P53.095 versus the greenback, 12.5 centavos stronger from its P53.22-per-dollar finish on Monday.
This was the peso’s best showing in seven weeks or since it closed at P52.95 versus the US currency on June 11.
The peso strengthened immediately as it opened the session at P53.15 versus the greenback. It slid to as low as P53.22 intraday, while its best showing stood at P53.09 per dollar.
Dollars traded climbed to $670.81 million from the $664.5 million that exchanged hands the previous day.
In an e-mail, a trader said the peso continued to strengthen following the faster inflation projection of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for July.
“The peso continued appreciating after the BSP gave its initial inflation forecast for July,” the trader said.
The BSP’s economic research department said yesterday that July inflation could have fallen within a 5.1-5.8% range from the 5.2% print in June.
The central bank said water rates adjustments, petroleum prices and jeepney fares, among others, could have put “upward pressures” on inflation during the month.
The trader added that the inflation estimate of the BSP increased expectations of a rate hike from in its Monetary Board meeting this month.
“The BSP will continue to keep a watchful eye on the risks to the inflation outlook and will take necessary action to help ensure that inflation expectations remain firmly anchored to the target,” the monetary authority said yesterday.
Last week, BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. signalled that the central bank is “ready to follow through” the two tightening moves it has implemented this year to quell inflation expectations.
Meanwhile, another trader said the peso strengthened as the dollar weakened further.
Reuters reported that the dollar index traded nearly flat against a basket of six major currencies at 94.361, well below the one-year high of 95.656 it touched on July 19.
“I think it’s more of a technical correction since last week, we saw strong numbers from the US, but more or less the market already priced in a strong number from them,” the trader said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
“At the same time, I think there were also flows from developed markets to emerging markets like us,” the second trader added.
For Wednesday, the first trader expects the peso to move between P52.95 and P53.15, while the other gave a P52.90-P53.20 range. — K.A.N. Vidal
STAKEHOLDERS representing various economic zone constituencies said they are worried about the impact of the government’s plan to reform corporate incentives on foreign direct investment (FDI).
Representative Jose Enrique S. Garcia III of Bataan, whose economic zone is a major contributor to the local economy, expressed concern that the Philippines is currently not a leading destination for FDI, and that reforming their incentives might make things worse.
“My concern is we are not on top of the list when it comes to the FDI and then we’re changing the investment scheme. I don’t know how Department of Finance (DoF) expects us to rise by changing the investment scheme that we already have,” Mr. Garcia said.
Philippine Economic Zone Authority legal counsel Francis James Brillantes also pointed out the DoF must take into account the “constantly evolving, constantly innovating” global supply chains.
“We are now part of a global economy. Part of being in a global economy is that there is a global supply chain, and the BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) industry, including voice, is seeking efficiencies,” Mr. Brillantes said.
He also said BPO firms may leave the country to transfer to more competitive economies and possibly attract Filipino workers overseas.
“Instead of reinvesting, it is easy for them just to transfer and lease in another country, purchase equipment there and hire qualified employees in that country and possibly just hire Filipinos from there,” he said.
He added: “Again we will only be exporting Filipinos because there are no longer available good jobs here.”
He proposed the bill should consider the charters of Investment Promotion Authorities which are based on attracting capital investment and creating employment.
“We should look at the overall economy. This bill should not just affect revenue to be earned by the government, but also consider employment and social progress that investors bring to our country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Speaker Gloria M. Arroyo said the passage of the second package of comprehensive tax reform, which deals with streamlining investment incentives, is a priority under her leadership of the House.
“I don’t want to be very explicit about the timeline but it’s priority,” Ms. Arroyo told reporters in a chance interview Tuesday.
“I said in my very short statement upon assumption that the first and foremost job I have as a Speaker is to carry out the legislative agenda of President (Rodrigo R.) Duterte,” Ms. Arroyo said.
The Speaker also said she prefers to call the new tax reform package “Corporate Incentives Reform,” instead of TRAIN 2 (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion).
The DoF, meanwhile, allayed fears that streamlining tax incentives will drive away investment from the Philippines.
“The industries or firms that create jobs that benefit the country should have nothing to fear. Of course, those industries that do not benefit the country are those we are asking, after so many years of being helped by the government, to take their turn to help,” Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua told the Ways and Means panel.
Committee chair Dakila Carlo E. Cua also proposed that the measure include incentives for reinvested profit. “Can we still explore the possibility of convincing these firms to reinvest? We should be encouraging the reinvestment of the majority of the profit back into the economy to create more jobs,” Mr. Cua said.
Mr. Chua said the proposed bills offer a “reinvestment allowance,” which will be granted to firms or industries that opt to stay in the country.
“Since the package two is performance based, we will continue to support the worthy industries if they create jobs,” Mr. Chua said. — Charmaine A. Tadalan
DAVAO CITY is being hindered on the investment front by the absence of economic zones and the unavailability of large contiguous areas suitable for agriculture, according to the city’s business chamber.
“The problem now is no longer about investment promotion but investment capture,” Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) President Arturo M. Milan said during this week’s Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum.
“(Investors) are coming, but there’s a lot of things we need to do and the city is doing its best and trying to offer incentives, but there’s a limit to what the city can offer,” he added.
Mr. Milan cited a company based in Guangdong, China that is keen on transferring its rubber manufacturing plant to Davao City.
“In China there is a scarcity of labor and any available labor, it is too expensive… that is why they are looking at the Philippines, particularly Davao. They came and they wanted to explore the potential of putting up a manufacturing facility in Davao City,” he said.
The company found positives in a stable power supply and the availability of an English-speaking work force, Mr. Milan said, but the “downside” is the absence of an industrial park.
“Being a foreign-owned company, they are looking for an industrial estate where they can locate and maintain 100% foreign ownership,” Mr. Milan said.
John Carlo B. Tria, DCCCII vice-president for professional and service ventures, said what the business group is trying to focus on matching potential partners.
“A lot of our local entrepreneurs and businessmen will really have to go beyond the usual casual meetings over coffee, and discuss business ventures,” Mr. Tria said.
Mr. Milan also said that land tenure is a major challenge for investors.
“Our land is sold piecemeal because of the agrarian reform (program), so if you need a big site, especially for agriculture… where can you find an area?” he said.
A Malaysian group interested in establishing an oil palm plantation needed 1,000 hectares, but the available contiguous areas have ancestral domain restrictions.
“We have a lot of vacant and available unproductive land, but they are ancestral domain areas. And when you negotiate, it’s a very tedious process to get prior consent, the permits that you have to secure. It’s kind of challenging,” Mr. Milan said. — Maya M. Padillo
SENATOR Joseph Victor G. Ejercito presented to the plenary on Tuesday the universal health care bill providing for the automatic inclusion of all Filipinos under the National Health Insurance Program of the Philippines Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
In his sponsorship speech, Mr. Ejercito, chair of the Senate committee on health and demography, said Senate Bill No. 1896 or the proposed Universal Health Care for All Filipinos Act guarantees the equal access of quality and affordable health goods and services for Filipinos.
It also clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the PhilHealth, Department of Health (DoH), local government units, and the private sector as well in delivering health care.
“Every Filipino is automatically covered or included under the National Health Insurance Program as direct or indirect contributor. We also expanded the scope of service coverage as well as strengthened preventive and promotive aspects of health care services,” Mr. Ejercito said.
He cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicating that spending on health increased to P6,345 for every Filipino in 2016, from P5,840 in 2015.
In the same year, household out-of-pocket payments rose to 54.2% of the total medical bill or P342 billion while only 34.2% or P216 billion was covered by the government. Voluntary health care payment schemes, meanwhile, accounted for 11.6% or P73 billion.
Senators Juan Edgardo M. Angara, Joel J. Villanueva, Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, and Nancy S. Binay-Angeles also co-sponsored the proposed measure.
Under the proposed measure, PhilHealth is mandated to manage the pool of funds allocated for health programs from contributions, subsidies, administrative fines, donations, grant, and appropriations from various government agencies such as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).
A National Health Workforce Support System will be established under the bill tasked to strengthen public-owned or —led service delivery networks and to address the lack of health workers.
Service delivery networks composed of the public and private institutions will also be created to address the increased cases in tertiary hospitals that can be treated in nearby heath centers as well.
The bill also provides a Health Technology Assessment Council to determine the safety of investments for health care. Mr. Ejercito said this process will prevent the experience of the government in the Dengvaxia controversy. The council is composed of experts capable of validating and developing policies to recommend for the DoH and PhilHealth.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte certified the bill as an urgent measure early July. Its counterpart measure in the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading in September. It has been identified as among the priority bills of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). — Camille A. Aguinaldo
