Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 10972

DTI notes export bright spot in gifts, decor, houseware

GIFTS, décor and houseware (GDH) exports in 2018 grew 23.9% amid an overall decline across many exports, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said, adding that it hopes to focus on the sector to generate more growth.

In statement Wednesday, the DTI said GDH shipments totaled $206.34 million in 2018 from $166.54 million a year earlier.

“The continuous growth of the country’s GDH sector is largely boosted by the collaborative efforts of government and private sector stakeholders to further push the competitiveness of the industry through various initiatives such as industry policy interventions, product development, strengthening the supply chain, and promotion activities,” the DTI said.

The DTI said some of its ongoing initiatives including the relaunch of MA’I Lifestyle, the sector’s official brand, during the recently-concluded 69th Manila FAME, a lifestyle and design promotion event at the World Trade Center in Manila.

Conducted in cooperation with the Association of Negros Producers, Home Accents of the Philippines Inc., Mindanao Trade Exposition Foundation, Philippine Chamber of Handicraft Exporters and Artisans Inc., and the Philippine Lifestyle, Homestyle and Holiday Décor Association, the relaunch hopes to boost brand recall for MA’I Lifestyle and further promote the Philippines as a primary source of reliable GDH products.

Seminars will also be organized to help MA’I Lifestyle member companies comply with international buying standards. Selected MA’I products were also showcased at the Design Commune, one of Manila FAME’s special shows.

The DTI has been working on a road map of the GDH sector since July 2016 to come up with a unified brand for Philippine products, which will be used by the GDH sector’s website and catalogue. It will also help establish the industry’s identity when participating in international exhibitions.

MA’I was first unveiled to the public during the 66th Manila FAME in October 2016, following nationwide branding workshops and consultation sessions led by the Board of Investments (BoI) and the GDH sector’s business support organizations.

This year, the BoI will continue supporting the sector through partnerships with various agencies in identifying training opportunities that can further capacitate the industry. — Janina C. Lim

Duterte signs bill making 4Ps a permanent function of DSWD

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed a law institutionalizing the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Mr. Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11310, also known as the 4Ps Act, on April 17. Copies of the document were released to reporters on Wednesday.

The 4Ps is the government’s national poverty reduction strategy and human capital program. The program “provides conditional cash transfers to poor households for a maximum period of seven years, to improve the health, nutrition and education aspect of their lives.”

Eligible beneficiaries are farmers, fisherfolk, homeless families, indigenous peoples, informal settlers, and those in “geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.”

Under the law, the 4Ps becomes an added function of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which will be funded from its annual appropriation.

To be eligible for the cash grants, households or families must be classified as poor and near-poor based on the Standardized Targeting System and the poverty threshold issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) at the time of selection.

Families should also have members who are aged zero to 18 years old or have members who are pregnant at the time of registration.

Aspiring members should be willing to comply with the conditions set by the law, such as mandatory health checks for children and pregnant women.

The law states as well that conditional cash transfer grants per child enrolled in day care and elementary programs “shall not be lower than P300 per month for a maximum of 10 months per year.”

Children enrolled in junior high school will receive P500 per month for a maximum of 10 months per year while those enrolled in senior high school will receive P700 per month.

The law takes effect 15 days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in two newspapers of general circulation. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Tariff Commission sees decision on cement duties next month

THE Tariff Commission will decide next month on the need to protect domestic cement manufacturers through the imposition of an increased safeguard duty on imported cement.

In a phone interview on Wednesday, Tariff Commissioner Ernesto L. Albano said the decision will be issued in June as the commission seeks more information from stakeholders.

Mr. Albano added that the commission will take into account in its decision the reported surge of imported cement during the first quarter of the year, during which the provisional duty was implemented.

Manufacturers have sought a higher safeguard duty on imports, citing “serious injury” due to influx of foreign cement in the market.

Citing government data at the recent public hearing at the Tariff Commission, Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Executive Director Cirilo Pestaño II said cement imports surged 64% year on year to 1.74 million tons, even after the imposition of the safeguard duty in mid-February.

As such, the group is seeking a safeguard duty that is higher than the P210 per ton posed by the Department of Trade and Industry.

CeMAP is composed of CEMEX Holdings Philippines Inc., Holcim Philippines Inc., Republic Cement Services, Inc., and Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc.

In its road map completed last year, CeMAP expects cement demand in the Philippines to hit 52 million tons or 450 kilos per capita indicating an annual demand growth of about 7% between 2016 and 2025.

The current domestic capacity of all 20 producers was estimated at 34.5 million tons, according to CeMAP.

CeMAP said during the hearing it cannot provide production figures for the organization as members do not share such data.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez has said that domestic capacity is at 35 million tons per year while current demand is at 25 million tons annually.

CeMAP said there are cement manufacturers currently undergoing expansion to meet expected demand.

The Tariff Commission gave five days through May 24 to hear stakeholders to determine whether there is a need for the duties. If it rules in favor, the agency can also raise or lower the definitive duty. — Janina C. Lim

Budget saga delayed construction of over 4,000 classrooms, 10,000 teacher hires

THE Department of Education (DepEd) said Wednesday that it failed to start construction on 4,100 new classrooms and fill at least 10,000 teaching positions in the first three months of the year because of the delayed passage of the 2019 budget.

“We just have to be optimistic; it’s now passed, so let’s look at that way. But January to March, we were not able to award any contracts and we are supposed to build about 4,100 new classrooms and repair or replace a lot of classrooms as well,” Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn M. Sevilla said in briefing at the Palace.

She added: “Marami po kaming malalaking programa na mas naapektuhan noong reenacted budget (many major programs were even more affected by the reenactment of the 2018 budget), and this is the creation and filling up of 10,000 teaching positions. But DBM (the Department of Budget and Management) said they will now release the allotment (for these items) because the election ban (on public spending) has been lifted.”

Ms. Sevilla said the purchase of learning materials, school supplies and equipment, and funding for the voucher system were also affected.

Undersecretary Alain Del B. Pascua said “there are about 66,050 classrooms being constructed right now.”

By the opening of classes and by the end of June, he said there will be “about 12,752 classrooms” completed.

“This is aside from the 4,000 that we have programmed… So even though we did not have the 4,000 projects under 2019 moved before the elections or even until now, we still have about 12,000 to be completed and 66,000 ongoing,” he explained.

Ms. Sevilla said classrooms that have yet to be completed are unfinished projects from 2015 to 2018.

Mr. Pascua also said that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is expected to finish the construction of all the 66,050 classrooms this year.

“Ideally, they should have finished that by the end of this year,” he noted.

“We already told the DPWH to speed up the completion of buildings and we will be monitoring (progress on)… all the projects. We can always remind them on a monthly basis.”

As for the budget for school building projects this year, Ms. Sevilla said: “Mas mababa…ang binigay na budget sa amin ngayon sa (our budget is lower for) school buildings. Last year, we had about P109 billion, but for now we only have about P14 billion.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

House passes on 2nd reading refiled version of coco trust fund bill

THE House of Representatives approved on second reading Wednesday the refiled bill creating the Coconut Industry Trust Fund, which Malacañang had vetoed.

House Bill 9197 is the refiled version of the vetoed House Bill 5745 or Senate Bill No. 1233 which sought to put the P100-billion coconut levy assets into a trust fund to be used for coconut farmers and the coconut industry.

During the interpellation, Anakpawis Rep. Ariel B. Casilao said the bill will be a big help to coconut farmers.

“Hindi lang ito simpleng public fund. Pera po ito ng mga maniniyog, pera ito ng mga pobre na magsasaka (This is not just a simple public fund. This is the money of our poor coconut farmers),” said Mr. Casilao.

The original measure was vetoed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in February citing that he wants more safeguards and a stronger Executive role in the implementation of the P10-billion annual appropriation for the development of the coconut industry.

“It may not give justice for what they have suffered, but at least it is due to them and let this Congress to facilitate,” said Mr. Casilao.

The bill seeks to strengthen the Philippine Coconut Authority Governing Board with the appointment of four Cabinet secretaries, six representatives from among the coconut farmers and one from the coconut industry. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

‘Endo’ bill hurdles Senate on third reading

THE SECURITY of tenure bill passed the Senate on third and final reading Wednesday, Sen. Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva said.

Mr. Villanueva, who chairs the Senate’s labor, employment and human resources committee, said in a statement that Senate Bill 1826 hopes to address “endo” — an employment practice that denies workers a pathway to permanent employment status and the associated benefits.

It passed by a vote of 20-0.

“Our workers have suffered because of the evils of endo, a practice that corrupts the dignity of labor,” said Mr. Villanueva, the bill’s principal author.

“We listened to the concerns of various stakeholders and took these into account… We believe this measure protects the interests of all parties concerned.

The bill rules out the following practices which it classifies as labor-only contracting: the provision by a job contractor of workers it recruits and places; the performance by contract workers of core industry tasks; the company where workers are assigned, or the contractee, has direct control and supervision of the workers supplied by the contractor.

It also classifies workers as either regular, probationary, project and seasonal .

“The provision trims down the employment arrangements and addresses the current practice of misclassifying employees to prevent them from obtaining regular status,” he said.

Mr. Villanueva said he hopes to get the bill past bicameral conference committee in the time remaining for the 17th Congress.

PEZA sites and their registration requirements

Recently, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) carried out mission orders authorizing revenue officers to conduct tax mapping operations that required them to inspect taxpayers’ premises within a specified area and to evaluate compliance with rules and regulations on registration and bookkeeping, particularly on the issuance of sales invoices or receipts, among others.

Those that were greatly affected by the inspections were project sites or offices of entities registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) whose registration and bookkeeping were done either: (1) in consolidation with their head office; or (2) through another project site, located within the same area as the project site being inspected and therefore, under the jurisdiction of the same district office of the BIR.

For PEZA purposes, a project site or office is an additional building or facility which is located separately or independently from an original or existing project location. There may be several PEZA projects in one building or facility but generally, the whole building or facility is considered one project site or office.

A question now arises as to whether these project sites or offices are required to be registered separately even if their head offices are already registered in the same district office of the BIR.

Let’s revisit the rules and regulations issued by the BIR on the matter.

Section 3 of Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 07-2012 defines a “head office” as referring to the declared specific or identifiable principal place or head office of the business as stated in the articles of incorporation or, in its absence, the place where the complete books of accounts are kept. It is the fixed place of business, whether rented or owned, and whether or not the products/services being sold are actually located or displayed there.

A “branch,” on the other hand, is a separate or distinct establishment or place of business where sales transactions are conducted independently from the head office. It may include either: (1) a sales outlet or establishment situated in another location or address other than at the head office; or (2) a “facility” with sales activity.

The RR went further to define a “facility” as one which may include, but is not limited to, a place of production, showroom, warehouse, storage place, garage, bus terminal, or real property for lease with no sales activity. In other words, a facility may or may not have sales activities.

Under the RR, a facility shall be registered as a branch if sales transactions or activities are being conducted there. Otherwise, no BIR registration is required.

Since most of the project sites or offices of PEZA-registered entities have sales activities, it follows that a separate branch registration must be secured for each project site or office even if their head offices are already registered in the same district office of the BIR.

There may be several PEZA projects in one building or facility but for BIR purposes, each additional building or facility apart from the head office, must have a separate branch registration.

At a minimum, the project site or office must secure or comply with the following separate from its head office: (1) Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) or branch code for each site; (2) Payment of annual registration fee; and (3) BIR Certificate of Registration for each registered site.

Incidentally, one of the standard requirements of the BIR before issuing a separate registration is the submission of a Mayor’s Permit from the local government unit (LGU) concerned. As a general rule, however, all PEZA-registered enterprises entitled to incentives such as the income tax holiday, 5% gross income tax, and tax and duty-free importation are exempted from securing a Mayor’s Permit from the concerned LGU.

Thus, unless there is an existing Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between PEZA and the respective LGU requiring the application for a Mayor’s Permit and the payment of regulatory fees, submitting the Mayor’s Permit during the application for BIR registration may be dispensed with. Currently, PEZA has existing MOAs with six cities in Metro Manila (Pasay, Pasig, Parañaque, Makati, Taguig and Quezon City).

With the mandatory requirement of securing the BIR registration of PEZA project sites or offices, another question comes to mind — are they also required to maintain separate books of account and to issue separate receipts and invoices?

Apart from the requirement under the PEZA law of having distinct and separate books of account for each registered project, Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 29-2019 requires that books of account, whether manual, loose leaf or computerized, shall be used and kept at all times in the place of business of the taxpayer. Place of business, in this case, shall include project sites and offices registered separately as branch offices.

As to receipts and invoices, RR 18-2012 requires that a separate Authority to Print (ATP) for principal and supplementary receipts and invoices be secured for both the head office and its branches. For the head office, all receipts and invoices used in the business premises must reflect the TIN and address of the head office, while those used by the branch must reflect the branch code and its address.

PEZA-registered entities must be cognizant of the requirements and conditions that must be complied with under the law. As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” — lest one is caught unaware during a BIR tax mapping exercise and assessed penalties for violating the rules and regulations.

The views or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Isla Lipana & Co. The content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for specific advice.

 

John Paul M. Vargas is a Senior Manager at the Tax Services Department of Isla Lipana & Co., the Philippine member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers global network.

john.paul.m.vargas@pwc.com.

Making democracy work after elections

The recent elections were quite unusual. The near total shutout of the opposition, the staggering losses among political dynasties and the emergence of millennial-elected leaders are just among the remarkable results we are seeing from the unofficial results. As expected, these unofficial results are already being contested. The mysterious failure of the Comelec transparency server gave new meaning to the word oxymoron. Failures of both voting machines and memory cards were reported in record numbers. Yet the Comelec and PPCRV assess the elections to be within the normal range of acceptability.

The tragedy of Philippine politics is that we equate democracy with elections. This doesn’t make sense. Elections happen every three years or so while democracy should be an ongoing national project. We are a democracy only on paper. The Constitution states that: “The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them.” In truth, most Filipinos do not participate in the democratic project as they should. For all intents and purposes, we are a quasi-feudal society. Power is controlled by a few business and political families while the rest content themselves in participating in the fiesta-like atmosphere of the elections while choosing to be absentee citizens thereafter.

Citizen absenteeism starts at the barangay level. I remember more than a decade ago when our barangay captain called an assembly to discuss the growing drug problem in our neighborhoods. Drug “sessions” in certain households and surreptitious transactions in the middle of the night had become an open secret. I was happy to attend the assembly and was impressed by the number of early attendees and the many seats reserved for the event. As it turned out, less than 10 percent of the seats filled up during the whole assembly. Many people seemed to think that the drug problem was just not worth their time.

FREEPIK.COM

I’m not surprised that drug distribution and use are at such an alarming level. Neither am I surprised that so many people have, and continue to, put their faith on an authoritarian approach to the problem. The Senate election results seem to endorse the President’s bloody approach to the drug issue. People are willing to sacrifice fellow Filipinos as collateral damage for action on the problem – any action at all as long as they don’t have to be involved. But this mentality is exactly the problem: the belief that complex social issues will be solved by political leaders without the close and extensive engagement of the citizenry. Filipinos seem to think that governance is a spectator sport.

Some would claim engagement with governance issues through social media. Indeed, Filipinos are a dominant presence in social media. But is this the kind of engagement necessary for developing democratic institutions and achieving our collective dreams as a nation? The level of discourse is notoriously shallow in social media and often filled with so much vitriol that people resort to blocking others who post opposing opinions. The recent Pew Research Center’ “Mobile Technology and Its Social Impact Survey 2018” reported the Philippines as scoring highest among 11 emerging countries where social media users block someone online due to political opinions.

What citizens need to do more is to make their elected officials know their views on issues of the day and to make them accountable for the promises they made during the elections. This is where the Filipino’s penchant for avoiding confrontation gets the better of him. When I ask my MBA students to let their congressmen know their views on current legislative issues, they recoil in horror, as if I had just asked them to jump off a cliff. The concept of talking to their representatives in Congress is so alien to them. They explain that they don’t want to be singled out or exposed to retaliation because of a complaint or negative feedback. I advise that they can always begin with positive feedback.

During a class session, I projected the list of congressmen on screen from http://www.congress.gov.ph and asked a student to identify his representative. I then asked him if there was any initiative of his congressman that he was happy about. I dialed the number of the representative’s office and asked for the Chief of Staff and gave the positive feedback, with the student’s mouth agape. The Chief of Staff was quite happy to receive the feedback and asked for any suggestions for the congressman. I said that I was calling for a constituent and that the latter would be in touch. I told the student that the ball was in his court.

It’s great that we love participating in elections. But the real substance of democracy begins after the winners are proclaimed. The real work is in debating fellow citizens in a civil way while making our politicians accountable to us as the people.

 

Dr. Benito L. Teehankee is the Jose L. Cuisia Professor of Business Ethics and Head of the Business for Human Development Network at De La Salle University.

benito.teehankee@dlsu.edu.ph

Criminally tainted candidates

Our Marian pilgrimage group had just checked in on Sunday night at the Grand Hotel in Assisi, the town of St. Francis, after whom San Francisco, California and Pope Francis are named, when we tuned in to CNN. Fareed Zakaria, one of the network’s more incisive commentators, had a very interesting special report about the recently-concluded elections in India, the results of which had started to come in. According to him, as many as 40% of the candidates are facing criminal cases and up to 29 have criminal records. Zakaria, who is Indian-American, said this was not unusual in Indian political contests. Although not necessarily proven guilty, these candidates have gained notoriety for their unlawful – or, at least, legally questionable – public behavior, but that hasn’t stopped them from “courting” the voters.

In fact, a blurb for the report reads, “In court today, courting voters tomorrow.” And another quipped, “Law breaker today, law maker tomorrow.”

I thought that sounded familiar. Just like the Philippines, I told myself. What clinched this perception was the rest of the report. These tainted candidates usually win.

Yes, indeed, just like the Philippines.

Zakaria hypothesized that the reason for the political anomaly in India is the caste system and the fact that the rich are able to do anything they want, including controlling politics, because the poor can’t or don’t care to do anything about it.

Well, that may be a hypothesis in India, but that is a harsh reality in the Philippines. The rich and powerful own and can buy anything, including the poor and their votes. They can also buy the vote counters and those tasked with protecting the ballots.

Not surprisingly, the results of the senatorial race, which officially concluded yesterday, could have been copied from the Indian political playbook.

Actually, the similarity between the Philippines and India is replicated in many Third World countries. Even in the US where elections are generally clean, vote-buying happens, although Americans use a euphemism: “lobbying.”

If Zakaria had cast a wider net in fishing for facts and political trivia, he could have found out that the Philippines has had a more “liberal” or “tolerant” or blind-as-a-bat attitude towards criminally-tainted candidates.

Does anyone still remember – or care to remember – that President Ferdinand Marcos, First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, their children Ferdinand “Bongbong” Jr. and Imee, and high officials in the Marcos government were forcibly ejected from Malacañang and whisked out of the country by the United States just ahead of the rampaging EDSA One revolutionaries?

Well, Imelda ran for president and pulled in an impressive number of votes in the 1992 elections. She subsequently ran for Congress and has been serving in the Lower House, first as a representative of her home district in Leyte and then as a congresswoman for Ilocos Norte. Bongbong easily won a seat in the Senate in 2010 and, but for Comelec magic (according to his supporters), should have become the vice-president in the last presidential polls in 2016. Now Imee appears to have clinched her senatorial berth. And between their return from exile in Hawaii and the present, the Marcoses have pretty much controlled all the juicy positions in their home province of Ilocos Norte (this, aside from the fact that the Romualdezes also control Leyte or at least Tacloban politics).

Of course, the precedent was set by the elder Marcos when he was convicted and then acquitted for the alleged killing of a political enemy. In fact, when Marcos, then a congressman, ran for senator in the 1959 mid-term elections, he was portrayed in the Liberal Party campaign video reviewing for the bar exams behind bars. He topped the exams and the senatorial contest as well.

It’s highly possible that if Marcos had survived his illness and had been allowed to return to the Philippines and also allowed to run for president again (or at least for congressman), he could have won.

EDSA Two saw President Joseph “Erap” Estrada ousted and then “punished” with a rest-house arrest (a variation on the usual hospital arrest reserved for people in power). But even while still “incarcerated,” his wife, Dr. Loi Ejercito, ran for senator and won. His two children Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito also won Senate seats.

After Erap was “pardoned” by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he ran for president and garnered more votes than Manny Villar in spite of the latter’s humongous campaign chest. Then he ran for mayor of Manila and won.

Well, it looks like luck has run out on the Ejercito-Estrada political dynasty. Erap lost the Manila mayoralty and both his sons failed to make it back to the Senate.

It’s really no surprise that Jinggoy Estrada ran for senator in spite of a pending plunder case. What is surprising is that he lost.

However, another senator similarly accused and “jailed” for plunder, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., has not only succeeded in gaining “acquittal,” he has recovered his Senate seat in the recent election.

Not to be outdone in the spectacle of criminally-tainted candidates is former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who, despite being “punished” with hospital arrest by President Benigno Aquino III, ran for Congress and won. Although she will be out of office by the new, 18th Congress, don’t count her out of the race for prime minister, if her allies succeed in amending the Constitution, or even Queen, assuming that President Rodrigo Duterte has no plans to be King or Emperor or Dictator.

In Philippine politics, the rules and the law are meant for bending. Otherwise, how could my friend Romy Jalosjos have won as congressman while serving time in Muntinlupa?

In fact, the cloud of moral turpitude does not seem to affect the political fortunes of the rich and powerful in the Philippines.

So what can one expect from elections in which criminals usually win? Invariably, a government run like the Mafia and where most officials are involved in the rackets.

There are, of course, idealistic candidates and public servants who remain clean. These do-gooders eventually lose their seats.

Quips one pundit: “These do-gooders are giving Philippine politics a bad name.”

 

Greg B. Macabenta is an advertising and communications man shuttling between San Francisco and Manila and providing unique insights on issues from both perspectives.

gregmacabenta@hotmail.com

Live fast, die faster

I believe that safety should be everybody’s concern. Thus, ensuring public safety should always take priority over individual rights with respect to matters like mode of transportation. Much like smoking, people can choose to smoke, there is no law against that. But that smoking privilege is limited – or regulated by government – mainly to protect public health.

Adopting and enforcing certain standards – whether via industry or government regulation – will help particularly in curbing practices of some business that may be unintentionally putting profit ahead of worker safety by prioritizing logistical efficiencies. They should be flagged down for perpetuating a business model that put their people – and the public – in harm’s way.

Take the case of the food delivery business, where the “commitment” to fast and on-time delivery may be putting people at risk. A business model where a rider is paid per delivery, for instance, motivates a rider to do more deliveries in a day. But, in doing so, he or she may be inclined to take shortcuts, violate road and motoring rules, and ride recklessly.

And, assuming the validity of the argument that one behaves according to the way one is “measured”, then in a business that rewards a worker mainly for exceeding the guarantee of “on-time” delivery and penalizes delays, the worker may be more likely to take risks and probably disregard safety as long as he or she delivers on the “on-time” commitment.

I cannot exactly blame the riders. It is easy enough to say that everybody on the road should have discipline. However, if delivery people are not properly trained on what to do and how to do their work, and unless strict standards are applied in the conduct of their work, then there will always be the risk of lapses. I believe employers should be held responsible in this regard.

The way it works, at least for one popular food delivery group, is that if you own a bicycle or a motorcycle, or can borrow one, then you are practically all set to go to work. Submit requirements, pass some tests, and you are off. In fact, to test their system, I tried to apply as a rider. I went to the company’s portal, and was asked if I had either a bicycle or a motorcycle.

I first pretended to have a motorcycle, and then put in my name, date of birth, and mobile number. I was then directed to another web page that advised me to visit the company’s office and to bring with me a barangay clearance, a tax identification number, and the registration papers of my motorcycle. I was not asked if I had a valid motorcycle driving license. When I pretended to have a bicycle instead, the same details were required, less the registration papers. Also, a rider is required to have his own mobile phone. And, I believe, there are training rides for newbies.

The enticement? As a rider, you get to see new places, and that you can work full- or part-time. Also, that you can make as much as Php 120 per hour, and that all tips you receive you get to keep. You can earn as much as Php 40 per every order you deliver, and, of course, the more deliveries, the higher the income.

All good, right? All proper and legal? Perhaps a pay rate higher than minimum wage? Assuming Php 120 per hour and eight hours daily, then one can make as much as Php 960 daily, right? It seems to be a great opportunity for people looking for work, so what am I concerned about it? Well, because I see their delivery people on my city’s roads every day, and almost always, they are counterflowing or disregarding traffic lights and other road and motoring rules.

By counterflowing, for instance, they put not only themselves but also other motorists in harm’s way. Moreover, counterflow obstructs or slows traffic flow. Worse, in case of accidents, despite the fact the counterflowing is a violation, any bodily injury to the rider can still be a liability for the other party in the accident. Worse, the food delivery company may have no legal obligation to assist a rider who gets into an accident as a result of the rider’s negligence, recklessness, or a traffic violation.

Do these riders violate knowingly? I don’t know. Do they realize they are violating traffic rules by going against traffic? Maybe. Is their employer aware that they are violating traffic rules? Probably not. Are they motivated to ride perhaps recklessly just to make more deliveries and thus earn more for the day? Certainly. Profit is the very reason they ride, and speed is the only consideration that matters. Safety is out the window. Now tell me, who should be responsible? The rider or the employer?

Earlier this month, I chance upon the Facebook post of motoring journalist Ira Panganiban. He detailed how two delivery motorcycles from a popular food chain “were having a wonderful discussion side by side along Lubiran Road this morning, blocking traffic…[And] when overtaken, they had the gall to run after [overtaking] motorists and harass them.” Who is responsible? The riders or the food company that employs them?

I remember a case study in graduate school regarding a popular coffee chain that claimed their baristas were the best in the industry. And this was because their baristas – people who make coffee – undergo rigorous and intensive training prior to deployment to outlets. But, when asked how long the barista training took, the reply was about nine hours. Now you tell me, can we consider nine hours of training rigorous and intensive?

And this brings me to my point regarding food delivery and riders. How well are the riders trained for the work? How are they evaluated and compensated? How much company resources are devoted to preparing them and ensuring their safety as delivery people? What systems are in place to ensure public safety and riders’ strict compliance with road and traffic rules?

If one is to attend a motorcycle riding academy, the cost is about Php 4,000 for three sessions of theory and nine sessions of practical application. Each session takes about 90 minutes. You get a certificate for completing the course. Before the academy accepts a student, there is an evaluation — they ask the student to ride a bike around a small circuit, twice via pedal and twice via electric bike. And they require a medical certificate for students 50 years old and above.

How many delivery riders of today have undergone some form of training through a certified school or academy? Should a similar academy be put up for bicycle riders as well? Given current practices, and the competitive business environment, are we encouraging a food delivery business model that put riders and the public in harm’s way? Should we leave things as they are? How many motoring or traffic accidents in a year involve motorcycle and bicycle delivery services? How many related injuries and deaths so far? All for a fistful of pesos to the rider and a quick meal for us in 30 minutes or less?

 

Marvin A. Tort is a former managing editor of BusinessWorld, and a former chairman of the Philippines Press Council.

matort@yahoo.com

Can we have your opinion?

By Tony Samson

A REGULAR SEGMENT in the news involves an interview of the “man (or woman) on the street”. This everyman opinion is supposed to reflect the common sentiment of the populace on the news of the day, like the integrity of the election process, the impact of a water shortage, or the safety of public transport.

What is the particular bias of the interviewee, plucked out of a rally? Is the sound bite representative of the expressed opinion? How was the selection made on the subject to feature for the news? And how was the interviewee to be featured chosen, the only one with time on his hands?

We are often asked for an opinion on a variety of topics with little regard for: a) Expertise on the subject matter; b) Personal knowledge or involvement in the incident being asked about; c) The value of whatever is said on the subject; or, d) Any relevance of the opinion on how the situation is perceived.

Soliciting and offering of opinions have multiplied with the advent of social media and chat groups.

With alacrity, even absent any valid basis, we bravely give an opinion whenever it is required. What about an honest refusal? “Sorry, I have no opinion on that subject. I just don’t know enough about it to give any intelligent perspective.” Most times, we sail through uncharted waters and give ideas regardless of their ability to float.

It is perhaps in preparation for this constant social quiz that we endeavor to keep up in the new plague of FOMO (Fear of missing out). We see movies in some film festival to be able to reply, when for an opinion — It’s aimed at the school market for obligatory history lessons on the Philippine revolution and how factions lead to executions of heroes.

We read books to be current and give one-line reviews: it’s not his best work. Non-readers are safe as far as being solicited for their views. Literary opinions are rare in any social gathering, including book launches. A snappy repartee of not having read a particular book (or any book at all) is seldom ground for social ostracism. It’s perhaps the reader who needs to be on guard — oh, so you think you’re literate.

The social sin is not being the last to know, but not having any opinion to offer.

In the case of the professional observer and columnist, being opinionated is not considered derogatory. It’s part of the job description. Otherwise, the opinionated person who does not have access to media, supplies views which others can freely quote. On any topic, say the mind-conditioning of surveys on leading candidates, views are swiped from a ready inventory of opinions in the market which fit all ideologies and loyalties.

Bloggers, even with huge followings, do not need do any research. They write a journal of their activities in their blogs: what happened to me today which you should pay attention to. They parlay the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” into a comment worth uploading. The coffee at a food chain has a fly learning the breaststroke. There are too many billboards. They report rude bus drivers and motorcycles that cut across their lanes.

Anything is fodder for the once-popular person trying to insert herself back into the news cycle, even on such conventional wisdom as the usefulness of being wealthy, especially when you get sick and need to be treated abroad.

To be prized is an individual who refrains from offering an opinion, feeling unworthy of inflicting his views on others. Asked about his impression of a person, such an unbiased individual will only shrug and dig into his salad niçoise. Of course, he is sure to be boring company.

Still, there are designated individuals who call publicly televised briefings with media, specifically to be asked for positions on the issues of the day. Here, opinions are not only solicited but noted down and parsed for subsequent reporting. So, when asked about matters like hospitalizations, incursions on contested shoals, the infringement on the rights of fishermen, the patented smirk accompanying the non-reply leaves much to be desired — I have no opinion on that matter. Next question please.

 

Tony Samson is Chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda.

ar.samson@yahoo.com

Northport Batang Pier tear down Alaska Aces

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Northport Batang Pier sailed to their first win in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner Cup after defeating the Alaska Aces, 103-81, in their debut outing on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Getting solid contributions from various sources, Northport steadily tore down Alaska as it made its way to the victory while sending the Aces (1-1) to their first defeat in the midseason PBA tournament.

The Batang Pier had early control of the match, with Sean Anthony and Robert Bolick leading the charge.

They raced to a 28-21 lead in the first 12 minutes before creating further separation at the half, 51-42.

In the third period, Northport continued to maintain control despite a spirited attempt by Alaska to inch its way back as import Prince Ibeh made his presence felt on the offensive end.

The Batang Pier held a 67-53 lead midway into the frame.

But Alaska kept itself within striking distance the rest of the quarter, towed by rookie Jesper Ayaay, narrowing the gap to just nine points, 75-66, heading into the final canto.

With the outcome of the match still up for grabs, the two teams came out of the fourth swinging and looking to seize momentum and control in the homestretch.

Much what they had been doing all game long, the Batang Pier would beat the Aces to the punch, pushing their lead to double-digits once again, 89-74, with under six minutes to go.

From there it was all Northport, padding its lead to as much as 24 points, 103-79, and eventually booking win number one.

Mr. Anthony led the Batang Pier with 22 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists.

Mr. Ibeh had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Mr. Bolick also finished with 19 markers.

For Alaska it was import Chris Daniels who led with 21 points and 13 boards with Mr. Ayaay and Simon Enciso adding 10 points each.

“Credit to the guys for stepping up in the absence of Stanley Pringle. We have a quick turnaround till our next game and hopefully we clean some things up in our game,” said Mr. Anthony, named player of the game.

Mr. Pringle missed Northport’s debut outing because of injury (foot) while Alaska chose to sit out guard Chris Banchero because of back issues.

Northport next plays on Saturday, May 25, against the NLEX Road Warriors while Alaska takes on the TNT KaTropa also on the same day.

1...10,97110,97210,973...14,243Page 10,972 of 14,243
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube