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DHSUD to finish 12,000 housing units by yearend

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE DEPARTMENT of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is set to finish over 12,000 housing units under the state’s flagship socialized housing program, a congressman said on Tuesday, a far cry from the one million units annually promised by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in his first year in office.

The Human Settlements department is expected to complete 12,731 socialized housing units out of about 198,000 units currently being constructed, Navotas Rep. Tobias Renald “Toby” M. Tiangco said as he sponsored department’s budget before the House of Representatives.

“The target for housing units, under the 4PH (Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program), is 198,111 units. However, only 12,731 units are expected to be delivered,” he said during the House plenary deliberation on the agency’s proposed national budget for next year.

In 2022, Mr. Marcos vowed to build one million housing units per year until the end of his term to settle the government’s 6.5 million socialized housing backlog.

The Human Settlements department in April said before a House panel that it is looking at finishing around 80,000 housing units before yearend. “We’re projecting to finish at least 80,000 housing units, if we’re not being conservative,” DHSUD Director Frank Lloyd C. Gonzaga told congressmen in Filipino.

The government finds it difficult to accomplish building one million housing units annually due to construction delays and a lack of a budget, Mr. Tiangco said, resulting in the agency recalibrating its housing target.

“The housing backlog is six million units… but only 3,236,100 units will be completed by 2028,” he added.

It would cost about P4.07-trillion to accomplish the housing backlog, which would be funded in tranches through sovereign guarantee, according to Mr. Tiangco.

“For 2024, the sovereign guarantee required is P108 billion; for 2025, the required guarantee is P783 billion; in 2026, it’s P1.468-trillion,” he said. “For 2027, the requirement is P1.212-trillion, and for 2028, it’s P507 billion.”

Mr. Marcos in August approved the use of a sovereign guarantee as a funding mechanism for the government’s flagship socialized housing program due to slow private financing.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) and Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) would use the sovereign guarantee as developmental loans to fund the construction of public housing infrastructure, Mr. Tiangco said. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Explain 2018 net worth, Roque told

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EX-PRESIDENTIAL Spokesperson Herminio “Harry” L. Roque should explain the increase in his net worth from 2016 to 2018 before a House of Representatives committee looking into the operations of illegal online casinos, a congressman said on Tuesday, urging him to surrender to authorities.

“Harry Roque appears to be acting weird and strange by mocking the Lower House’s Quad Committee instead of justifying the sudden but unexplained increase of his wealth — from P125,000 in 2016 to P125,000,000 in 2018 — which were believed to have possibly come from POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators),” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers said in a statement.

Mr. Roque, however, argued in a Viber message that “that has no relation in aid of legislation to POGO.”

The former presidential spokesperson was tagged by the House’s so-called “quad-committee,” consisting of the public order and safety, dangerous drugs, public accounts, and human rights panels, as having ties to illegal POGO through a firm owned by his family.

The panel cited Mr. Roque in contempt for failing to submit documents requested by lawmakers, which they said could explain the wealth boom. They subsequently served an arrest warrant against him following a detention order. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Printing digital Nat’l IDs illegal

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Tuesday warned against the illegal printing of the digital Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) card or the National ID in plastic cards.

“The PSA informs the public and relying parties that the printing of the Digital National ID in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or plastic cards is strictly prohibited,” the local statistics office said in a statement.

Only the PSA is authorized to print and issue the National ID cards, it said.

Those found guilty of illegally printing the digital National IDs will be imprisoned for up to six years and will be slapped with a fine of up to P3 million, according to the law.

Of the 89.7 million total registrations for the National ID, around 55 million have received their physical cards, PSA Assistant National Statistician Emily R. Pagador told reporters on Monday.

This leaves a 35-million backlog of physical cards yet to be delivered.

While the ID cards have yet to be printed, PhilSys registrants may avail digital versions of their IDs for government and bank transactions, PSA said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently mandated all BSP-Supervised Financial Institutions to accept all forms of the National ID, including the digital version. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Mining tax bill reaches Senate floor

RAWPIXEL.COM

SENATOR Joseph Victor G. Ejercito on Tuesday sponsored in plenary a measure that may increase the government’s share from mining profits by imposing a five-tier margin-based tax system on the mining industry.

Under Senate Bill No. 2826, the five-tier margin-based royalty rate would range from 1-5%, with the measure also seeking to establish a five-tier windfall profit tax system that ranges from 1-10%.

“This proposed concept will enable the government to have a larger share of the profits in cases when metal prices are high, and mining companies are earning more,” Mr. Ejercito said in his sponsorship speech.

The House of Representatives approved its version of the measure in September last year.

Under House Bill No. 8937, large-scale miners in mineral reservations must pay the government only 4% of their gross output. It also sought to set up a margin-based royalty rate of 1.5-5% with eight tiers, and a 1-10% windfall profit tax with 10 tiers.

The Senate bill seeks a royalty rate of 5% from large-scale miners inside mineral reservations based on gross output, with those outside reservations following the proposed five-tier margin regime.

Citing estimates from the Department of Finance, the government is expected to generate P6.26 billion in additional yearly revenues from the new mining tax regime. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Bataan oil spill lawsuit pushed

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A PHILIPPINE senator on Tuesday urged the Justice department, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Maritime Industry Authority to speed up its efforts to sue the owners of the oil tankers that capsized and leaked oil in waters near Bataan province, citing the need to hold them accountable over environmental damage.

“Because that is permanent damage to the environment and country, it is not right to do nothing,” Senator Cynthia A. Villar said at a senate hearing on Tuesday in Filipino.

“I want a commitment from the agencies to prosecute them.”

She also agreed with Senate Majority Leader Francis N. Tolentino who sought stricter regulation on the registration of vessels and the need to address state negligence in allowing them to sail during heavy rains.

MTKR Terranova was carrying 1.4 million liters of fuel when it capsized and sank about seven kilometers east of Lamao Point in Limay municipality, Bataan shortly after midnight on July 25, while Super Typhoon Carina (Gaemi) battered Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The Office of Civil Defense earlier said 352,000 people were affected by the spill across Southern Luzon. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

PHL to start P7.9-B vaccine program

FREEPIK

THE PHILIPPINE government will conduct a P7.9-billion catch-up immunization program that seeks to vaccinate elementary students against measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and human papillomavirus infection.

The catch-up vaccination program, which covers Grade 1 to 7 students, will start on Oct. 7 and will be held every Friday during the month, Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa said at a news briefing on Tuesday.

He said Grade 4 female students will receive anti-cervical cancer vaccines.

Students in private schools would be allowed to get vaccinated in public schools, he said, noting that private schools only need to have tie-ups with them.

Mr. Herbosa said the catch-up plan is part of the Department of Health’s national immunization program, which seeks to give out a total of 11 vaccines for babies from birth to about 12 months of age.

The routine immunization for children, according to UNICEF Philippines, includes the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis, the Hepatitis B vaccine; the pentavalent vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, haemophilus influenzae type b and hepatitis B.

These also include the oral polio vaccine and the inactivated polio vaccine; the PCV vaccine against pneumonia and meningitis; and the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella.

Mr. Herbosa said the number of fully immunized children was low or that the immunization rate was “decreasing” largely due to school disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Due to COVID-19, there were no classes, no school-age vaccination,” he said in Filipino. “Many children missed out on the needed vaccines.”

Health workers during the pandemic were also focused on giving out COVID-19 vaccines, he added.

He said the rate of fully immunized children in the country was at 71%, adding that Central Visayas in central Philippines and the Bangsamoro region in the country’s south were among the laggards.

Logistics issues remain a major obstacle to the delivery of vaccines, he said.  — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

6 Filipino interns begin work at Japan dock

SIX FILIPINO technical interns began work at the Sanwa Dock, Hiroshima earlier this month marking a contribution to the diversification of human resources in the maritime industry.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and Sanwa Dock Co., Ltd. said the Filipino interns will focus on engine maintenance as the companies focused on ship repair for over six decades.

“At Sanwa Dock, they will be engaged in finishing work in the engine department and will learn Japanese skills and techniques,” the companies said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sanwa Dock in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, has been accepting Vietnamese technical interns for about 15 years. It aimed to diversify its front-line human resources by employing Filipino trainees this time.

The Filipino trainees spent five months at a facility in the Philippines to study the Japanese language and culture. They were hired in February and arrived in Japan last August. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Blaan kids get school supplies

KORONADAL CITY — A total of 790 ethnic Blaan grade school pupils in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat were provided with school supplies and bags by a private firm and local officials.

Lady Bai S. Mangudadatu, projects monitoring officer of the Columbio local government unit, and their vice mayor, Bai Naila M. Mamalinta, separately told reporters on Tuesday that the school supplies were donated by the Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), which was awarded the contract to operate the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project in Tampakan, South Cotabato.

The two officials said 155 pupils in the Polomolok Elementary School, 245 in the Elbebe Elementary School and 50 others in the Kafingol Elementary School benefited from the series of joint outreach missions of the Columbio LGU and the SMI in the past two weeks.

Ms. Mamalinta said they are expecting the expansion of the Columbio LGU and SMI’s joint community-empowerment projects once the firm starts exploring copper and gold in 2025. — John Felix M. Unson

Bomb kills 2 in Zamboanga del Sur

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COTABATO CITY — Two individuals were reportedly killed in a powerful explosion that ripped through a beach resort in Barangay Lower Bayao in Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur before dawn Tuesday.

In initial statements released on Tuesday, the Tukuran Municipal Police Station and the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Police Office said the victims got killed after still unidentified bombers set off an improvised explosive device placed inside a utility box of a motorcycle parked near a store.

Flash reports by radio stations here and in nearby cities early Tuesday stated that the victims who perished in the explosion died instantly from injuries caused by the blast.

Police and Army intelligence officials had told reporters there are indications that the home-made bomb was rigged with a blasting contraption detonated from a distance using a mobile phone.

The commander of the Philippine Army, Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, said he has ordered the officials of the 1st Infantry Division that has jurisdiction over Tukuran and all other towns in Zamboanga del Sur to help the police put a closure on the deadly bombing. — John Felix M. Unson

DoF: Revenue from privatized NAIA eases pressure to tax

NINOY Aquino International Airport (NAIA) check-in counters. — BW FILE PHOTO

THE REMITTANCE of the P30-billion upfront payment by the proponent of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) modernization project represents the start of a revenue stream that will relieve the pressure on the government to impose new taxes, Department of Finance (DoF) said.

“We are hitting two birds with one stone on this project. This will not only transform NAIA into a world-class airport, but also guarantees the government a healthy income stream from the private-sector operator,” Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said in a statement.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) remitted the upfront payment to the Bureau of the Treasury on Sept. 16, the DoF said. Responsibility for NAIA operations and maintenance (O&M) was turned over to the San Miguel Corp.-led New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) on Sept. 14.

The government is expected to generate around P900 billion in revenue or P36 billion annually from the deal over the 25-year concession period.

As of the end of July, the government collected P368.8 billion in non-tax revenue, or 92.2% of its P400 billion target for this year.

The DoF is keen on maximizing non-tax revenue to stave off the need for new taxes.

The MIAA Board awarded the project contract to the NNIC on Feb. 16. Under the deal, the proponent will make a P30-billion upfront payment, a P2-billion annual payment, and an 82.16% National Government revenue share, excluding passenger service charges.

The NAIA rehabilitation will cost P170.6 billion, making it the largest public-private partnership deal of the Marcos administration.

It is expected to increase the airport’s capacity from 35 million passengers to 62 million annually, and improve aircraft movements per hour from 40 to 48. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Tax admin upgrades, strategic spending deemed key to containing swelling debt

PHILIPPINE STAR/ RUSSELL A. PALMA

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

THE GOVERNMENT needs to further improve tax administration to minimize the debt bill after borrowing for next year was projected at P2.535 trillion, a legislator said on Monday.

Such improvements need to include further easing the process of paying taxes to keep the budget deficit contained. The deficit is expected to come in at P1.5 trillion next year, Marikina Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo said.

She said current measures such as the Ease of Paying Taxes Act and a proposal to levy a digital services value-added tax (VAT) on non-resident companies could help narrow next year’s budget deficit.

“For now, of course, the most important thing is to improve tax administration,” she said during the House of Representatives plenary deliberation on the proposed national budget for next year.

“We should continue improving tax collection. As much as possible, we don’t want new taxes because there are already many existing taxes that we just aren’t collecting efficiently,” she added.

The government’s spending plan is pegged at P6.352 trillion for next year, with revenue collection projected at about P4.644 trillion. The P1.537-trillion budget deficit will be financed via debt, according to the 2025 Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing.

Broken down, 80% of the borrowings will come from domestic sources while the remaining 20% will be sourced from foreign lenders.

Gross domestic borrowing was set at P2.04 trillion for 2025, up 5.91% from the 2024 program of P1.92 trillion. Gross external borrowing for next year was set at P507.41 billion, down 21.46%.

Pending priority tax measures, including the rationalization of the mining fiscal regime, the digital services VAT, and the excise taxes on single-use plastics are expected to yield P28 billion in 2025, should they be passed into law, according to Budget department estimates.

The government needs to direct borrowed money to programs which will have a “multiplier effect” in jump-starting the economy, Ms. Quimbo said.

“To revive the economy, we need the government to keep spending (with an eye towards) multiplier effects,” she added.

The national debt will keep rising in subsequent years due to the need to further stimulate economic growth, according to Ms. Quimbo.

“By the end of 2025, we expect a debt of P17.3 trillion. By the end of 2026, we expect the total debt to be P18.8 trillion. By the end of 2027, we anticipate the debt to be P19.8 trillion. And by the end of 2028, we expect it to reach P20.7 trillion,” she said.

“That’s how it goes. But despite the increasing debt stock, we also expect our economy to grow,” she added.

Outstanding debt hit a fresh high of P15.69 trillion at the end of July.

Palay output estimated to have fallen 11% in Q3

A farmer threshes newly harvested palay grains at a ricefield in Mogpog, Marinduque in central Philippines, March 22, 2016. — REUTERS

By Adrian H. Halili, Reporter

OUTPUT of palay, or unmilled rice, is estimated to have declined 11.4% during the third quarter, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.

In a report, the PSA said that the palay harvest could come in at 3.36 million metric tons (MMT) during the three months to September. If the estimate is confirmed, it would fall far short of the 3.8 MMT in actual output reported a year earlier.

The PSA’s third-quarter outlook is based on the standing rice crop as of Aug. 1.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier downgraded its palay production estimate to 20.1 MMT for 2024, from the 20.44 MMT forecast issued earlier.

The PSA said that the total harvest area likely decreased 14.1% year on year to 796,470 hectares.

“The yield per hectare of palay may increase to 4.22 MT or by 2.9% from (the year-earlier) yield of 4.10 MT,” the PSA said.

It added that 14.6% or 116,410 hectares of the crop was harvested as of Aug 1. It is about 469,400 MT.

“Of the total area of standing palay yet to be harvested, 14.9% were at the vegetative stage, 58.7% at the reproductive stage, and 26.4% at the maturing stage,” the PSA said.

On the other hand, corn production is estimated to have risen 2.4% to 2.52 MMT during the period, compared to the actual output of 2.47 MMT a year ago.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. has said that agricultural production could improve in the second half if no major typhoons damage the standing crop.

“The third and fourth quarter output should be good because we have water, but the only problem is if we get hit by storms or heavy rains,” Mr. Laurel said.

The DA has an output growth target of between 1% to 2% for 2024, an estimate which incorporates the impact of the El Niño and La Niña weather events.

“But I’m still optimistic that it will be much better than the first half of this year,” Mr. Laurel added.

Agricultural production declined 3.3% during the second quarter, worsening from the 1.2% drop a year prior, the PSA said.

“For the forecast for this year we need to know the adjusted forecast by the end of this month,” Mr. Laurel said.

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