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DBM holds firm, says Congress bound to implement its budget proposals

THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) said Congress has “no choice” but to work with budget proposals made by the executive branch, and cannot seek more funding, amid a dispute over the new cash-based budgeting system and how long it takes for access to allocated funds to expire.
“The constitution is very clear. It does not actually say whether budgets should be cash-based or obligation-based. But whatever budget we submit to Congress, they have to work with that. They have no choice. There is also a provision in the Constitution that they cannot increase the budget,” Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said during the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines Economic Forum at the Ayuntamiento de Manila on Tuesday.
Congress resumed deliberations on the P3.757-trillion 2019 budget yesterday after they stalled briefly when legislators realized that the one-year expiry of budget allocations might effectively reduce their access to funding during an election year, leading some to lobby for a bigger budget to compensate for allocations that expire before they can be used.
The government is transitioning from an “obligation-based” budget system to a cash-based one, in order to accelerate government spending. Under the previous system, agencies had two years to implement funds before losing access to funding.
Mr. Diokno added that some items need not be disbursed within a fiscal year under the cash-based budget system, but they cannot be reallocated for other uses.
He cited as an example the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (DRRMF) or the calamity fund. “If no calamities happen the funds cannot be spent.”
Some of the legislators’ concerns center on budget cuts in the Health, Education, and Agriculture departments, after the government allocated funds sufficient for projects that can be procured and implemented within a year. The 2018 obligation-based budget with a two-year “use-it-or-lose-it” spending deadline was P3.767-trillion.
Budget deliberations at the House resumed after Majority Leader Rolando G. Andaya, Jr. said last week that the Legislative and the Executive branch of government arrived at a compromise “hybrid” budget that allows expenditures to exceed the one-year timetable for items such as lump-sum allocations.
The House said some challenges to spending in 2019 include the two to three-month spending ban that comes into force before elections.
Mr. Diokno held firm on the overriding objective of getting government to spend more freely to stimulate the economy. ”Cash budgeting has allowed us to correct underspending in the past. We want projects much sooner,” he added.
The DBM has also proposed the Budget Reform Bill, approved by the House of Representatives on final reading in March, to institutionalize cash-based budgeting and prevent a return to the old practice in future governments. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Hearings resume for 2019 budget as some cuts restored

ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

BUDGET hearings at the House of Representatives resumed as scheduled on Tuesday after the chamber and economic managers compromised over the one-year spending deadline attached to allocations under the 2019 National Expenditure Program.
“The hybrid budget we’ve been talking about will go ahead. The budget hearings will continue today. We hope to pass the budget on third reading by Oct. 12,” Majority Leader Rolando G. Andaya, Jr. told reporters in a briefing.
The compromise “hybrid” system, which retains some looser two-year spending deadlines under the old budget system, was reached in a meeting on Tuesday attended by the Majority Leader, House Appropriations Committee chair Karlo Alexei B. Nograles, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, and Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea.
The House on Aug. 11 suspended budget deliberations after it realized that the quicker-to-expire allocations effectively amounted to budget cuts across all government agencies, particularly for capital outlay items.
The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday resumed work on the budgets of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Education.
Mr. Andaya said the meeting produced an agreement to restore cuts made to education, health and infrastructure spending items, and that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has agreed to assist the chamber in sourcing necessary funds.
“We agreed that some cuts will be restored. We’ll help each other in finding areas where we can source the funds for the items to be restored,” Mr. Andaya said. “We’re looking at options — maybe we can source some from the unprogrammed funds and some from a supplemental budget.”
Supplemental funding is being considered for the plebiscite in the Bangsamoro region as well as the implementation of the Supreme Court decision on the internal revenue allotment (IRA) for local government units.
He estimated the necessary funding for both items at about P140 billion.
He noted, however, that the supplemental budget will depend on sufficient funds.
“Half of budgeting is revenue. If there are no funds, there is no use submitting a supplemental budget. The law requires a certification from the Treasury that there are actual funds to support the supplemental budget,” Mr. Andaya said. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Pernia sees gov’t spending propping up GDP growth

Ernesto M. Pernia
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia — PCOO.GOV.PH

SOCIOECONOMIC Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said he expects agriculture to weigh on third-quarter economic growth, which will nevertheless remain strong due to government spending on infrastructure.
“We always hope that it’s faster,” Mr. Pernia said in an interview with reporters on Tuesday.
Gross domestic product (GDP) data will be reported on Nov. 8.
According to the website of the “Build Build Build” infrastructure program, the spending target for infrastructure projects is P8-P9 trillion between 2017 and 2022.
GDP grew 6.6% and 6.0% in the first and second quarters, respectively, making for a 6.3% expansion in the first half, compared with 6.6% a year earlier.
Economic managers have noted that the economy needs to grow by at least 7.7% in the second half in order to hit the lower end of the government’s 7-8% target for 2018.
In 2017, GDP grew 6.5%, 6.6%, 7.3% and 6.5% in each of the year’s quarters.
Mr. Pernia also said “It’s hard to tell” if faster GDP growth for the third quarter will actually happen. He listed agriculture as one of the risk areas.
“The performance of agriculture in the third quarter given the typhoons we have now (might be a risk to GDP growth),” he said.
Last month, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported that agriculture losses due to typhoons were estimated at P1.79 billion.
Mr. Pernia said 7-8% GDP growth remains the official government target.
“That is our target. It is good to set target high,” he said. — Gillian M. Cortez

Senate bill calls for expansion of NEDA powers, independence

A BILL that will increase the independence of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has been endorsed by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who claims that the measure will bring the agency’s powers in line with those envisioned under the 1987 Constitution
Senate Bill 1938 “seeks to institutionalize a new and truly independent department that will implement long-term, continuing, integrated, and coordinated programs and policies for national development,” the Senator said in the bill’s introduction.
“It’s a hybrid institution that is different from direct line agencies but it’s also not (at par) with constitutional bodies,” said Mr. Gatchalian in a senate hearing on Tuesday.
Section 9 of Article XVII on the National Economy and Patrimony of the 1987 Constitution states “The Congress may establish an independent economic and planning agency headed by the President, which shall, after consultations with the appropriate public agencies, various private sectors, and local government units, recommend to Congress, and implement continuing integrated and coordinated programs and policies for national development.”
It added, “Until the Congress provides otherwise, the National Economic and Development Authority shall function as the independent planning agency of the government.”
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said of the bill: “The current set-up is no longer adequate for NEDA to be able to fully exercise its oversight function. With various reform initiatives that are often myopic rather than holistic, the government’s planning, policy-making, programming, and budgeting process has become fragmented, uncoordinated, and often interrupted. Implementation of plans, programs, and policies has many times been delayed and inefficient.”
NEDA Undersecretary Rolando G. Tungpalan said the bill will not only help the agency play a role “in medium term development plans but also in long term development plans.”
The bill also calls for additional interagency committees to assist NEDA. The NEDA board currently has seven committees which are the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), Infrastructure Committee (InfraCom), Investment Coordination Committee (ICC), Social Development Committee (SDC), Committee on Tariff and Related Matters (CTRM), the Regional Development Committee (RDCom) and the National Land Use Committee (NLUC).
Under the proposed NEDA act, additional committees include the Economic Development Committee (EDC), the Science, Technology and Innovation Committee (STIC), the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee (ESDC), and the Governance Committee (GC).
NEDA OIC Assistant Secretary Roweena M. Dalusong said that she expects the agency’s budget and staffing to increase alongside the expanded functions.
“It’s necessary that the manpower complement should be increased so that it will be able to respond to the constituents and we’re sure we’ll able to address the sectoral and geographic concerns,” she said.
“If you’re going to add all the costs of the one-step increment of all the positions, our projections shows we will need as much as an estimated personnel resources requirement of P940,012,631,” she said. — Gillian M. Cortez

Bicol airport hits 50% completion, remains on track for 2020 opening

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said construction of the Bicol International Airport is has hit the halfway point for percentage of completion.
In a statement on Tuesday, the department said the project is 50% complete with finished works including the runway, taxiway apron and perimeter fence.
It noted that for land-side facilities covering 17 buildings for cargo, air traffic control, material recovery facilities and water reservoir, progress is at 30.39%.
The passenger terminal building is 5.78% complete.
“After being put on hold for 11 years, the Bicol International Airport finally resumed construction this year…. Once completed by 2020, the Bicol International Airport is expected to accommodate 2 million passengers annually,” it said.
The DoTr noted that higher-capacity facilities and safety upgrades are being built at the airport in anticipation of increased passenger traffic. It said it is also improving the safety facilities of the airport.
“This will…boost tourism arrival in Bicol and help Albay become an economic powerhouse,” the statement added. — Denise A. Valdez

DA sees rice prices stabilizing by Nov.

AGRICULTURE Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said Tuesday that he expects rice prices to stabilize by November amid expectations of a strong harvest.
“We’re expecting that by the end of this year, the price of rice will stabilize, mainly because by that time, the harvest will be at its peak,” Mr. Piñol told reporters in a news conference at the Department of Agriculture in Quezon City.
According to Mr. Piñol, rice currently sells for more than P50 per kilogram, “the highest in history,” because farmers are selling at P22-P29, which translates to higher prices at retail level.
“What is the cause of this historic increase? It is a chain of events. It all started with the disappearance of NFA (National Food Authority) rice in the market as early as February and March. In fact, in some areas, NFA rice disappeared for a long time. With the absence of NFA rice, speculators came in, increased the price of commercial rice. This prompted the traders to buy whatever available rice stock there was from the farms,” Mr. Piñol said.
He said farmgate prices typically double when they reach retail level.
“While this may be bad for the consumers, the farmers who are actually among the poorest of society, are enjoying good prices for their goods,” Mr. Piñol said.
According to Mr. Piñol, rice imports from Vietnam and Thailand are set to arrive by Sept. 15. Mr. Piñol also said the interception of smuggled rice in Tawi-Tawi has affected the rice supply in the area.
“For so long they relied on smuggled rice. It was a lot cheaper. The disruption of rice smuggling affected the rice supply in Tawi-Tawi.”
Mr. Piñol said he has proposed to government leaders in Mindanao to legitimize smuggled rice to help increase supply in the area.
“In my proposal, I said instead of running after the smugglers, why don’t we establish a rice trading center in Tawi-Tawi where all rice coming from the outside which we call smuggled will be brought to that center, documented, with tariffs to be imposed so that we will at least legalize everything. In that way, we will be able to control the volume of imported rice coming in… If you allow them to import, of course, they will pay tariffs,” Mr. Piñol said. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

Research agency sees major expansion in soybean planting

THE Bureau of Agricultural Research said that it projects about 15,000 hectares of land to be planted to soybean by 2019, from 700 hectares in 2011 and 10,000 currently.
“We will revive the soybean program of 2011,” Head of BAR Technology Commercialization Division Anthony B. Obligado told reporters on Monday.
He said the expansion in planting will be accompanied by the use of soybean in more products.
BAR Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar said in a news conference that BAR is using geotagging to determine the hectarage of the soybean crop, which is significantly higher than the Philippine Statistics Authority’s estimate of 5,000 hectares.
Mr. Eleazar said the priority is to address human consumption needs first, while soybean for animal feed will remain imported.
The Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) has reported that imports of soybean meal are expected to increase 5.45% to 2.9-million metric tons (MMT) this year, up from 2.75 MMT a year earlier, due to the expansion of the livestock and poultry sectors. GAIN said that the US will remain the top supplier of soybean meal to the Philippines. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

SRA sees sugar output falling to 2.225 MMT

THE SUGAR REGULATORY ADMINISTRATION said its production estimate for crop year 2018-2019 is 2.225 million metric tons (MMT), which would represent a reduction in output from the 2.38 MMT expected from the preceding crop year.
It also plans to allocate 5% of output for export to the United States.
The SRA’s allocation policy comes into force on Sept. 1 and will remain valid until Aug. 31, 2019.
It declared its intention to pursue a policy that will ensure the “economic viability” of those engaged in the sugar industry.
In early August, the Department of Trade and Industry proposed a 35% tariff on sugar imports to help stabilize the price of the commodity.
The SRA approved the importation of 200,000 MT of sugar earlier this year to help meet demand. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

The Coma Scare

LAST WEEK, communist leader Joma Sison announced that President Duterte had slipped into a coma. This followed an evening spent with the Lex Talionis fraternity where the President was allegedly ashen in color and visibly weak.
As expected, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque denied the allegation and brushed off the rumor as preposterous. However, the President’s absence from public view the whole day caused a flurry of speculation.
This led me to reflect upon the Duterte presidency and what legacies it would leave behind if, indeed, the President were incapacitated.
My thoughts brought me back to 2016 and I remembered how expectations could not be higher for the Duterte administration. After all, the President presented himself as a strongman with unbendable political will. He promised to solve criminality and install peace and order in the land. He promised to stamp out corruption in government, eliminate nepotism and partisan politics. He promised to usher in a golden age of infrastructure and presented 75 keystone projects that would put the Philippines at par with the ASEAN 5, infrastructure-wise.
He sounded the alarm on the illegal drug trade and made it his personal advocacy. To this, he promised to rid the country of users, pushers, manufacturers and smugglers within three months.
His promises ticked all the boxes. With it, President Duterte broke all records of public approval with a rating of nearly 90%. The country was bursting with optimism.
THE DRUG WAR
Where are we, two years after?
We now realize that the drug problem was magnified to something far worse than what it truly was. Sure, a drug problem existed, but by no means was it as pervasive as that of Colombia or the golden triangle (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand) back in the ’80s. It will be recalled that these nations operated fully integrated narcotics industries, growing their own cannabis and coca plants, processing them to a finished product and exporting them worldwide through underground channels.
The Philippines does not operate in the same scope or scale. If anything, we are only a manufacturing base for drug lords using raw materials smuggled from China. We are transshipment point with a sizable and alarming number of users.
There is a blackout on statistics on the narcotic trade so there is no way for me to substantiate my claims with hard data. However, I dare say that while the use of illegal narcotics is prevalent, it is not as serious as mass poverty, growing illiteracy, income inequality and corruption in government.
I believe the drug problem was hyped up to crisis proportions to justify the President’s management style and use of extrajudicial methods. Think about it — a strongman is only relevant in a crisis narrative.
That said, the menace that was promised to be solved in three months remains unresolved two years later. By the President’s own admission, it looks like it will not be solved even by 2022.
Fear is the primary tool used by the government to solve the drug problem. Unfortunately, extrajudicial killings of small-time users and pushers have proved ineffective to spook most drug lords from carrying out their trade. It has become apparent that drug lords operate on a higher echelon, having connections in high places in government.
Clearly, there are missing components in the government’s approach. I reckon them to be institutional empowerment and political will.
Institutional empowerment involves reinforcing the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Customs, and the Philippine National Police with more manpower, logistics capacities, intelligence and hardware to carry out their job more efficiently. It also necessitates giving more scope and teeth to R.A 9165, the Dangerous Drugs Act. Political will, on the other hand, calls for the resolve to arrest political allies, friends from “beloved” China and even relatives.
Management by fear is only effective for as long as the tormentors exists. Institutional reforms transcend generations.
The war on drugs is far from over and it is not too late to fill the missing pieces.
A WEAKENING ECONOMY
Earlier this month, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) announced that GDP growth for the first quarter had to be adjusted downward from 6.8% to 6.6%, while second quarter growth was a disappointing 6%. Growth figures fall short of government’s 7% target.
The reason for the slowdown is the quadruple whammy of declining merchandise exports which contracted by 3.8%; decelerating growth in service exports (BPOs), which slowed down from 16.4% in the first quarter to just 9.6% in the second; a softening of consumer spending due to rising inflation; and lower-than-expected government spending due to delays in the “Build, Build, Build” program.
The BPO industry is decelerating due to the withdrawal of tax incentives following the government’s tax reform initiatives. Manufacturing exports have been on a downward spiral due to softening global demand for electronics and our inability to develop alternative export winners. Not even the devaluating peso has helped our export industries.
Mind you, even OFW remittances are on a downward trend.
The specter of declining merchandise exports and a decelerating BPO industry should worry us all. They are important dollar earners that keep the economy afloat. Their recent decline has already caused our balance of payments deficit to balloon to $3.71 billion, a whopping 168% higher than what it was last year.
A balance of payments deficit means we are spending more foreign exchange than we are earning. When this happens, either we are left with less reserves in our treasury or we fall deeper into debt. As it stands, our Gross International Reserves have already plunged from a high of $86.12 billion in 2016 to just $77.68 billion last May, the lowest in three years.
The economy needs to be fired up and government’s “Build, Build, Build” program is suppose to do that. Problem is, the DoTr and the DPWH have been unable to commence construction according to the timetable set. Even Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez expressed doubt over their ability to deliver even half of the 75 projects by 2022.
Standing in the way of most infrastructure project are right of way issues. Landowners intentionally stall infrastructure projects through the courts, to get better-than-market value for their land. This is economic sabotage and where the President’s strongman tactics should come into play. If the President can iron out right-of-way issues, there is a good chance most infrastructure projects can proceed. It will be the boost the economy needs.
CORRUPTION IN GOVERNMENT
I believe the President is sincere in his intent to stamp out corruption in government. His frustration was obvious especially in the recent incidents involving former tourism secretary Wanda Teo and Nayong Pilipino Foundation chairwoman Patricia Ocampo. The fact that he immediately accepted their resignation was a welcome development.
We are not lacking in laws and institutional safeguards. R.A. 3019 or the Anti Graft and Corruption Practices Act is extensive enough. The lingering presence of the Commission on Audit, Ombudsman and Sandiganbayan provide sufficient checks, balances and legal recourses to deter incidences of corruption. Why, then, does corruption persist?
The root of corruption is attitudinal, perhaps even cultural. Corruption is so ingrained in our system that government officials have become calloused to dishonesty. They believe, wrongly, that their position entitles them to special privileges. Worse, there is an unspoken code of secrecy among those in government for fear that their own abuses be exposed.
At this point, mere threats from the President are no longer enough to correct this cultural flaw. The President needs to discipline his officials like a father would his black-sheep children. The goal is to instill a sense of decency, honor, and honesty in government service.
This can be done by clearly defining his rules, values, and code of conduct. Special treatment of friends and political allies should not occur. He must make his displeasure known on big and small offenses alike. He must display tough love by being severe with his punishments. Conversely, he must be generous with his compliments to those who do good. Above all, he must lead by example.
A good place to start is to ban “wang wang” again. It is a symbolic act and one immediately felt by our people. It sends the signal that government officials are not entitled to more road space than Juan de la Cruz. The commutes of government officials are no more important than a simple vendor delivering his goods to his market stall.
At 10 p.m. on the day of the coma scare, we finally saw the President having dinner with a lady friend care of Bong Go’s live feed. It was a relief to see the President alive.
Nothing gives you a clearer perspective then when you are faced with mortality issues. I hope the President uses the rest of his days to fast-track our infrastructure program, rid the county of its cancer of corruption and, yes, even solve the drug problem.
 
Andrew J. Masigan is an economist.

You seldom suffer alone

IF anyone were to tell a foreigner that the Philippines is a poor country and Filipinos can hardly afford three meals a day, he’d never believe it if he were to see the eating and drinking places in Manila. They are all full.

I love coming home to Manila. It gives me a chance to relive my Manileño days — from driving like a slalom competitor to engaging in this town’s favorite pastime: eating and drinking. And I hardly ever have to pull out my credit card. Pinoy hosts are the most galante, the most generous in the world.

But in all the rounds of eating and drinking, the conversation invariably revolves around the fact that life in the Philippines is truly hard (Another glass of wine, sir?). And food is so expensive (Pulutan pa. Bring out the lechon). And people are so poverty stricken (How about 18 holes tomorrow?). And most folks can’t afford the basic necessities (Take a look at my latest cellphone).

Across the creek from my house in Parañaque is a squatters’ haven named Creek Drive. I know most of the people who live in the shanties. They’ve been living there since my kids were small (and I’m now a grandfather of their children).

Between what one reads about the pitiful lives of the squatters and the sight of the drinking sessions throughout the week, and the all-night eating, dancing and singing during the annual fiesta, one can get totally confused.

If this is misery, what do they call happiness?

It’s only when you sit back and ponder the situation that you begin to make some sense out of the contradictions.

Eating and drinking are to Filipinos what drugs are to many Americans. A way of forgetting. A way of keeping a straight face and a stiff upper lip in the face of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, to paraphrase Hamlet.

Sitting around a table over several cases of beer or bottles of gin or tuba — whichever the funds can afford — and sharing a meal of sardines or chicken or tuyo, and singing and dancing as if there were no cares in the world is the Pinoy’s way of daring the fates to inflict their worst.

Because at the end of it all, he knows he will survive.

He survived the Spaniards, the Americans, the Japanese. He survived Marcos, Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo and Aquino Number Two.  He expects to survive Duterte.

The Pinoy doesn’t sulk or sink into the pit of depression. Instead, he eats and drinks while complaining about his miserable existence, managing to enjoy whatever he can of it.

The recent suicide of TV host Anthony Bourdain and that of comedian Robin Williams, a few years ago, left people wondering why those who had so much money and success would want to take their own lives — but they did, reportedly because they had no one to share their griefs with and no one who could help them fight their inner demons.

Could Bourdain and Williams still be alive if they had been successful personalities in the Philippines?

Years ago, in the San Francisco Bay Area, an aging Filipino security guard, despondent over a terminal illness, took the lives of three innocent people and then his own.

Could the tragedy have been averted if he had friends and relatives to run to?

There is every reason to believe so. In the Philippines, you seldom suffer alone. There will always be an ear to bend, a drinking buddy to pour your heartaches out to. There will always be a relative to provide support. A childhood friend to understand your frailties. A barkada to stand by you, right or wrong.

In contrast, in the Western world, one bears the pain alone. For the young, their parents are too busy working to ensure their future, they have little time to attend to the present. On the other hand, adult children are too busy with the rat race to spare some time for their aging parents. For many who are desperate to talk to someone, there is only the TV set in an empty room to bare one’s soul to.

My late mother refused to live in the US in the two instances that we brought her over. Her complaint was that she had no one to talk to. She would be all alone in the house in the daytime because everyone was at work or in school. And at night, we were either too tired or too engrossed with other things.

We finally allowed her to return home to San Miguel, Leyte where she could visit her friends and relatives whenever she wished and where she felt useful raising funds for the church.

In America, you can’t go out and have a barikan or a pa-morning-an any time you want to. It’s not easy rounding up friends or relatives. Work gets in the way of having a good time.

Sure, there are psychiatrists and psychologists, guidance counselors and social workers – but there’s nothing like sitting with friends and family, around a table over drinks and pulutan. There’s nothing like being able to complain how unbearable life is, how corrupt the politicians are, and how rapacious their cronies, and then insulting them aloud and offering a toast to better times.

My elder sister, a practicing surgeon and general medical practitioner, decided to shift to psychiatry when she immigrated to the US. Aside from the high cost of malpractice insurance, psychiatry allowed a more lucrative practice. “More people need a head shrinker here,” she jokingly explained.

For months now, political pundits have been predicting that the Philippines is headed for a revolution ostensibly because of poverty and the high cost of living. But that may not happen soon.

For the Pinoy, even the worst of times are as good a reason as any to eat, drink and be merry. And as long he can still do that, the revolution will have to wait.

 

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

Nationwide cancer control needs urgent legislative action

IN a show of force by the Philippine cancer patient community, representatives from over 150 cancer patient support groups and network organizations gathered recently to prioritize the passage of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act.
The townhall session was organized by Cancer Coalition Philippines (CCPh), a broad national network of cancer patient support organizations, medical societies, and health advocates.
With almost 110,000 new cancer cases per year and over 66,000 cancer deaths per year in the country, cancer is a public health issue, and there is an urgent need for the government to do something to halt the increasing burden of cancer epidemic.
“Our numbers here in the Philippines translate to around 11 new cases and 7 deaths every hour for adult cancers, and around 11 new cases and 8 deaths per day for childhood cancer,” said Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, the coalition co-chair.
Worse, Kara added, many more remain uncounted, unrecorded and unreported.
Cancer needs to be prioritized now. According to projections by WHO, cancer cases will increase by 80% by 2030, or even higher in developing countries, like the Philippines. That will really put much strain on our health systems.
Only legislative action can help reverse this upward surge. As Congress resumes session, the Coalition said it is calling on both houses to prioritize the passage of the proposed National Integrated Cancer Control Act.
“A comprehensive national cancer plan is long overdue,” said Dr. Ramon Severino, the coalition co-chair.
“We need more pathologists, we need more oncologists. We have limited nurses trained in oncology. Our cancer centers are mostly located in Metro Manila, and some big cities. When you all add this up, and compare it with the number of cancer cases, then you will see why we need to act now.”
If enacted into law, the proposed National Integrated Cancer Control Act can help address the different gaps in the cancer control program. Crucially, it looks at the phenomenon as a continuum, from prevention, detection, and diagnosis to early and proper treatment, survivorship, and palliative care.
Oliver Calasanz, another coalition member, said cancer survivors are also almost left alone after being declared cancer-free.
“They still need support. Some are left without jobs, and they see the world differently as they become more cautious.”
In the current version of the bill, all legislators are unanimous in wanting to extend PWD benefits to cancer survivors.
“The proper response to this urgent health issue should be an integrated approach,” said Carmen Auste, a coalition member. “Doing so will cover all aspects of cancer care and at the same time be national in scope so that no cancer patient will be left behind.”
Under the bill, a Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF) — a supplemental fund to support the medical and treatment assistance programs for patients — will be created, in response to the financial burden that the disease typically imposes.
“The financial burden can be overwhelming, given that financial risk protection mechanisms are limited and patients often need to shell out money from their own pockets to pay for treatment and other costs,” said Dr. Rachel Rosario, a coalition member.
She added: “There is a high incidence of treatment non-compliance and abandonment due to high out-of-pocket payment in relation to the financial capacity of patients and their families.”
If the bill gets the nod of Congress, a Cancer Care Infrastructure and Service Delivery Network will be set into motion, where Regional Cancer Care Centers will be strengthened or set up, with the capability of making available and accessible, high quality cancer services such as screening, diagnosis, optimal treatment and care, supportive and palliative care, supported by well-trained team with proper equipment.
The regional cancer centers will likewise provide for separate units and facilities for children and adolescents with cancer. The bill will also push for oncology-related academic curricula for higher educational institutions (HEIs).
In the Senate, 16 senators have endorsed the bill, led by Senators JV Ejercito, Sonny Angara, Loren Legarda and Nancy Binay. In the House of Representatives, over 200 members have signed the substitute version of the bill, led by authors Reps. Helen Tan (Quezon), Alfred Vargas (5th Dist QC), Karlo Nograles (1st District Davao), Jericho Nograles, (PBA Partylist), Chiqui Roa Puno (1st District Antipolo City) and Bernadette Herrera-Dy (BH Partylist).
 
Paul Perez is convenor and spokesperson of Cancer Coalition Philippines.

Renewables illusion and coal realism

THE “renewables cheaper than coal, fossil fuels” urban legend continues until today. For instance, three articles published in BusinessWorld recently:
1. Reducing power plant carbon emissions by 70% is doable (Aug. 20) by Roberto Verzola.
2. Rooftop solar could help reduce diesel, coal imports — report (Aug. 21).
3. Low-carbon path (Aug. 27) by Roberto Verzola.
Among the arguments of these and other papers are the following:
1. “Rooftop solar costs P2.50 per kWh without financing expenses, P5.3 per kWh with financing expenses. Utility-scale solar power can cost as little as P2.99 per kWh” (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analytics (IEEFA).
2. “Low carbon scenario of 64,280 GWh by 2022, 54.602 GWh by 2030” (Verzola).
3. “Low-carbon scenario limits at most 64,280 GWh (54%) of fossil-based generation by 2022, balance of 53,720 GWh (46%) must be covered by RE (Verzola).

A lot if not all of these numbers and projections are products of delusion and irrationality.
On #1, if solar cost is indeed declining, then why don’t the solar lobbyists and developers simply abandon the high feed-in-tariff (FIT) or guaranteed high price for 20 years, now P10+/kWh? Why not call for drastic reduction of FIT to P4-P5/kWh, even abolish FIT altogether?
On #2, as the Philippines relies more on coal — 38.8% of 72.92 tera-watt hours (TWH) of electricity generation in 2012, up to 49.6% of 94.37 TWH of generation in 2017 — our electricity prices decline. See Meralco rates for instance, weighted average for all customers (residential, commercial, industrial). The rates exclude VAT but include all other non-recoverable taxes and charges.
In addition, we already have 94.37 TWH of power generation in 2017 (75% of which are from fossil fuels coal, natural gas, oil), some guys want us to use just 2/3 of that by 2022, very backward thinking.
On #3, moving away from coal and fossil fuels and embracing renewables like wind/solar has been the goal of many developed countries for the past two decades or more. And yet by 2017, many of them still rely 30% or higher on coal while their RE generation (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal) remains small.
The solar lobbyists also silently demand to cut and murder all tall trees near houses with solar roof and all utility solar farms. Solar hates shades — from clouds, rains and tall trees. It is anti-green.
The bottom line of more renewables cronyism via continued expensive subsidies, mandatory dispatch and related provisions is that whether we have less rain, no rain or more rains; less flood, no flood or more floods, less storms or more storms, we should endure expensive and unstable electricity. We should send more money to the UN, Al Gore, CCC, WWF and Greenpeace, get more climate loans from the WB and ADB. Lousy.
 
Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is president of Minimal Government Thinkers and a fellow of Stratbase — ADRi.
minimalgovernment@gmail.com

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