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Send in the clowns

By Tony Samson
STEPHEN Sondheim’s eponymous song from his musical A Little Night Music is good background music for the 2019 elections which just kicked off with the filing of the CoCs. Photos of known personalities on their way to the registration desk, accompanied by families, well-known predecessors themselves are front-page stuff.
Can unfamiliar stragglers be far behind, even when they are curtly dismissed as comic relief, objects of derision, and yes, nuisances? Why do they even show up knowing they have no chance of a TV interview on their platform of government unless it’s for “the bizarre side of the news”? Wait, maybe that’s the whole point. They just want their fifteen seconds of fame. Media always obliges — so did you win the bet that you’ll be on TV? The questions directed at these unknowns are disrespectful and mocking — that’s a nice tattoo on your forehead.
There are obligatory moves to weed out these gatecrashers, including those with similar names as other candidates that will confuse the voters. The purge does not cover siblings who happen to have the same surnames (even if she’s married) or if one sibling uses a screen alias and the other his real name.
Comelec trims down the candidates to be included on the ballot form. Many otherwise qualified contenders in terms of citizenship, residence requirements, and minimum age are deemed to “put the electoral process in mockery or disrepute” and classified as nuisance candidates. The process of controlling the pests from polluting the electoral process can be contentious.
The tag of “nuisance candidate” is seldom graciously accepted. In one presidential election, 81 candidates registered their interest in running the country and appointing friends as Cabinet members (more of their kind). It is not possible to design a debating format to allow more than ten prospects to state his or her position on a national issue, like: what is a legitimate candidate?
Being mentally unbalanced may be one basis for being dismissed as a nuisance. Still rational individuals can string sentences together to form a coherent paragraph to argue why the country should apply to be the fifty-first state or why someone like him who is unknown even to his neighbors should be a possible senator — I have a wardrobe of suits, with many pockets.
Ours is the only country with a specific provision in the election code for nuisance candidates. Maybe, in our society, there is some tolerance for crackpots and soap-box orators to be allowed to join the political conversation. (Some of them have radio programs and blogs.) Many countries have screening mechanisms like a minimum percentage of votes in primaries or in previous elections to flush out the pests. Still some others don’t bother with the process at all.
Does it follow that those not disqualified as pests are therefore qualified as candidates? Is there an ideal number of contestants for the twelve available Senate seats? Does celebrity status confer automatic entry into the fold of acceptable contenders?
It is difficult to set objective criteria for classifying candidates as nuisances. Some grounds are clear enough like mental incapacity (this is not always obvious), absence of any program of government, having no political party, being comatose, dire lack of resources to mount a credible campaign, and simply being too old to run (or walk). Wait, even that is not a disqualification — I had coffee with the first president of the Republic.
Qualifications for the position of accounting clerk for a funeral parlor (can you define dead assets) are more stringent than the constitutional requirements for Chief Executive. What position in the private sector states as the only qualifications for a job minimum age, citizenship, and residence? No wonder there are so many applicants, and no screening mechanism — those with suspicious motives need not apply.
Even among ostensibly qualified candidates, there are those that stand no chance of winning. Success in other fields do not necessarily translate into electability. And yet, boxers, movie stars, and media celebrities with big fan bases manage to get into the official list of candidates.
After elections, it is some winners that may turn out to be the real pests. Nuisance candidates are definitely more harmless than their elected counterparts.
 
Tony Samson is chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda
ar.samson@yahoo.com

The naked brand: Transparency in fintech

By Mike Singh
THE discourse around fintech is generally future-focused, including in the Philippines. Founders will discuss how their solutions will change their particular sub-sector of fintech — be it remittances or mobile payments — while journalists will opine how these technologies will upend entire industries. Our collective gaze, in short, is firmly fixed toward the horizon ahead.
The problem with this approach is that many people will be unfamiliar with the alternative: In other words, what came before you? In his seminal book Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, venture capitalist, serial entrepreneur, and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel argues that new products must represent an exponential improvement, rather than only an incremental one from previous solutions, in order to attract customers. But showing your product is leaps and bounds above everything else only possible if you establish the baseline: What are most people using now, and why is it less than ideal? You cannot take this knowledge as a given, particularly in emerging markets. Your market education needs to extend back into your sub-sector’s history just as much as it documents the present and projects into the future.
I’ll use my field as an example. At AsiaKredit, we provide short-term credit for people across Southeast Asia who would otherwise be unable to, owing to their little to no credit history. It would have been easy for us to keep our messaging to that value proposition. Instead, we try to consistently explain how AsiaKredit is an exponential improvement over the two most common alternatives.
The first alternative is the status quo: They remain unbanked. In the Philippines alone, there are over 71 million people who are unbanked, and in a publicly released study we did through our local short-term loan app pera247, we uncovered some of the most common reasons they remain in this state: They lack financial literacy, they cannot furnish the required documents to create an account, or they would be unable to maintain a minimum balance. As a result, they cannot avail themselves of a loan to pay everything from their small business costs and children’s needs to their health expenses and tuition fees.
The second alternative is arguably even worse than remaining unbanked. Out of an urgent need for capital, many of these consumers will turn to informal lenders common in emerging markets like the Philippines. Unfortunately, many informal lenders are notorious for unscrupulous practices, among them, charging annualized interest rates in the thousands, employing hostile/harassment collection tactics, and filing criminal complaints against borrowers.
It’s important for fintech companies to take this kind of macro-level view of their market education, rather than keep a tunnel vision on their product alone, no matter how tempting it is to do so. Though it may seem counterintuitive, the broader your market education is, the more consumers will turn to your product as the solution to their problem. We’ve had the privilege of experiencing this firsthand at AsiaKredit: We’ve processed more than 170,000 applications through pera247, and are on target for an even larger milestone later this year, as Filipinos who have no credit history turn to us for their lending needs.
We treat educating our customers just as seriously as educating the market. Under an overall philosophy of transparency, AsiaKredit is upfront with our terms — it’s stated in black-and-white on the pera247 app — and clear about our lending disclosures. We also place an emphasis on finance 101, since we know from our market study that a lack of financial literacy is what keeps many people from opening a bank account in the first place. Our customers, in short, are equipped with the knowledge they need to not only make sound financial decisions, but to also exercise responsible borrowing.
Given AsiaKredit’s success with market education, financial literacy, and brand transparency, I would like to call on everyone in the fintech community in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia to reevaluate how we communicate about our space and our solutions. We need to cut back on the hype, the pyrotechnics, the prognostications, and get back down to the basics: How are we helping the people around us live better today than they were yesterday?
 
Mike Singh is the CEO and cofounder of AsiaKredit, which operates the pera247 mobile app in the Philippines.

Customs officials fired, Lapeña moved to TESDA

By Arjay L. Balinbin and
Camille Aguinaldo Reporters
PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte on Thursday fired on the spot all Bureau of Customs (BoC) officials and moved controversial Customs Commissioner Isidro S. Lapeña to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Mr. Duterte made this abrupt announcement during the celebration of the 117th anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Manila on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 25.
He also appointed Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Administrator and former Armed Forces chief Rey Leonardo “Jagger” B. Guerrero as Mr. Lapeña’s replacement at the embattled bureau, amid the controversy over the P6.8-billion shabu shipment last August.
“Out lahat (everybody), to the last man. Commissioners, department heads, the entire— they are out,” Mr. Duterte said by way of relieving all Customs officials.
He added: “Now… General Lapeña will move to TESDA. I will promote you to a Cabinet member position. General Jagger Guerrero, you are to move to the Bureau of Customs.”
“Is Jagger here? I know that you are reluctant….I know that you are happy there and you are contented….But the demands of public service and the need for honest men require your presence there.”
The President said he will look for Mr. Guerrero’s replacement at the Marina.
He told Mr. Guerrero that the current personnel of BoC “are on floating status,” and “maybe (he) can utilize military men.”
He added it is up to Mr. Guerrero to select new Customs officials. “I leave it up to you. Trabaho mo ‘yan (That is your job).”
“Maybe, kung anong unit diyan sa (whichever unit in the) military or navy, you can select them,” he added.
The President also warned all government officials anew that corruption is something that he is “passionate about.”
In a press briefing at Malacañang on Thursday morning, Mr. Lapeña said he had no plans to leave his post despite his admission that the four magnetic lifters discovered at a warehouse in Cavite last August may have contained shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride as claimed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
He said he “still has a lot to do” in the BoC. “Well, the President placed me there to accomplish a job, a mission, and that is to stop corruption and increase revenue collection. And I have been delivering and I still have to do a lot para ma-accomplish iyong mission na iyan (to accomplish that mission),” he said.
Mr. Lapeña has denied PDEA’s claims that the magnetic lifters found in Cavite contained illegal drugs, but he said the presentation of Public Works and Highways Director for the Bureau of Equipment Toribio Noel L. Ilao at the House of Representatives last Wednesday changed his mind.
Also on Thursday morning, PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino reestimated the shabu allegedly concealed in the said lifters to P11 billion from P6.8 billion. “‘Yung aking estimate doon sa una na P6.8 billion, maliit pala ‘yon kung ibabase natin doon sa re-weighing na ginawa namin (My 6.8 billion estimate is small if we base it on the re-weighing that we recently did.),” he said at a forum in San Juan City.
When sought for comment during the Palace briefing, Mr. Lapeña contradicted Mr. Aquino’s estimate.
“I don’t know if the P11 billion was taken, but of course it’s coming from PDEA. If we will just…look at the four empty containers, that will not, hindi iyon magreresulta ng (that will not result in) 11 billion….But we take that very seriously, that is why we have to concentrate our efforts in going after the drug syndicate and going after itong mga (these) shipments na nakalusot (that slipped past inspection),” he said.
JIMMY GUBAN
Also on Thursday, the Senate and the Department of Justice said former customs agent Jimmy S. Guban, whom Mr. Duterte has ordered arrested, will be handed over to the National Bureau of Investigation after the Senate ends its inquiry on the shabu shipment.
“We are a co-equal branch of government. Congress is a co-equal branch, the President is another co-equal branch, the judiciary is a co-equal branch. And with all due respect to the President, if I heard him correctly, we cannot turn over Mr. Guban right away because we’re still continuing the hearings,“ Senator Richard J. Gordon said.
The chairman of the Blue-Ribbon Committee, which is investigating the shabu shipment, Mr. Gordon said he has already consulted the matter with Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III.
“Although I am in constant in touch with the Department of Justice (DoJ), this is a serious case that involves a lot of personalities doing heavy drug smuggling,” he added.
The senator will also push for Mr. Guban and his family’s admission to DoJ’s Witness Protection Program (WPP) before he would turn him over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). He added he has already submitted a provisional report or a chairman’s report on the issue to Mr. Sotto and Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra.
Mr. Gordon has set the next hearing on Oct. 30. The House of Representatives is also conducting its own inquiry on the controversy.
Confirming Mr. Gordon, Mr. Guevarra said, “Mr. Guban shall also be considered for coverage under the witness protection program (WPP), upon full compliance with all the requirements under the WPP law.”
“The NBI, on the other hand, will conduct further investigation on the basis of the Senate committee report, and file the appropriate complaints as the evidence will warrant,” he added.
FACTORS
Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino B. Biazon on Thursday pushed for the modernization of the Bureau of Customs in light of the House hearing on the alleged smuggling of the P6.8-billion worth of illegal drugs.
Mr. Biazon said in a statement the panels’ findings “should now compel the Bureau of Customs to embark on a program to upgrade its capabilities on non-intrusive inspection of cargo using x-ray machines.”
The remarks followed the fourth deliberation by the Committees on Dangerous Drugs and Good Government and Public Accountability on the four magnetic lifters found in Cavite on Aug. 8, allegedly used to contain illegal drugs.
Mr. Biazon cited three factors that have allowed smuggling to continue, particularly in the unsupervised use of the X-ray units, accessibility of data, and difficulty in auditing.
“First is the stand alone system of the x-ray units where only one to two persons are able to view the scanned images, perform image analysis and produce findings of either clear or not clear to release a shipment,” he said.
“Second is the apparent vulnerability of the data collected by the scanning equipment to unauthorized access, copying, download or tampering.”
“The difficulty was admitted by BOC X-ray Inspection Project officer John Mar Morales who said that while it is possible to audit, it is currently difficult for them to do it because of lack of knowledge,” Mr. Biazon also said. — with Vann Marlo M. Villegas and Charmaine A. Tadalan

Dureza, Tulfo appointed special envoys to EU, China


MALACAÑANG on Thursday announced the appointments of Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus G. Dureza and newspaper columnist Ramon T. Tulfo, Jr. as special envoys to the European Union (EU) and the People’s Republic of China, respectively.
Mr. Dureza, according to his appointment paper, will be serving from July 1 to Dec. 31 this year.
Mr. Tulfo is appointed to his new post “for a term of six months.”
President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed their appointment papers on Oct. 23.
In his Philippine Daily Inquirer column on Oct. 6, Mr. Tulfo said he had a “tete-a-tete” with Mr. Duterte.
“The President said he wanted me to help him so I broached the idea of becoming a special envoy to China, which he approved,” he also wrote.
The President also appointed PTV-4’s Palace reporter Raquel R. Tobias, also known as Rocky Ignacio, Undersecretary for Mass Media of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). — Arjay L. Balinbin

AFP, PNP to weigh martial law extension

THE ARMED FORCES of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are set to begin their assessment of the implementation of martial law in Mindanao next week, according to AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito G. Galvez, Jr.
In a press briefing at the Palace on Thursday, Mr. Galvez said it is too early to decide whether martial law in Mindanao should be extended. “We will just still wait for the assessment, because I don’t want to preempt iyong ating (the) assessment,” he said.
Last Monday, PNP Chief Director-General Oscar D. Albayalde said that if President Rodrigo R. Duterte is “inclined to extend” the martial law, his agency “will support it.”
At the Palace press briefing, Mr. Galvez said: “Next week, we will start the assessment with the visitation of EastMinCom (Eastern Mindanao Command) and the WestMinCom (Western Mindanao Command)….We need to know, we need to assess further, considering that the assessment coming from the AFP should be jointly [done] with the PNP.”
As for the indicators that the extension of martial law could be recommended, he said: “[First] is the threshold ng (of) elections. During elections, for the first time [in] Marawi, there [was] no single violence that happened and there was no failure of elections in all the direct four barangays….The barangay and SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) elections this 2018 is one of the most peaceful. They declared the most peaceful in the sense that there was no declaration again of failure,” Mr. Galvez explained.
He added: “And second…in Davao, I believe we have an increase in the GDP (gross domestic product) of 10, and also in GenSan (General Santos) — 8. So, there is a growing trend in the business sector, especially in Cagayan De Oro, GenSan, and also even in Iligan. There is a commensurate correlational increase of business activity because of the seemingly relative peaceful conditions in the area. Secondly, last week, Archbishop Martin Jumoad — who is one of the very vocal archbishops, who also happened to be the Bishop of Basilan — he also supported the extension of martial law because of the good implementation by the PNP and the AFP.”
He also noted that Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian and “most of the congressmen living in Mindanao [are] also supporting” the extension of martial law in the area, which is set to expire on Dec. 31.
For its part, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said in its Thursday press statement that it “agrees” with Mr. Galvez “that, at this point, it is premature to recommend the extension of martial law.”
“There is a need for a thorough assessment of its effectiveness and a clear response to alleged cases of human rights violations, including the continuing condition of internal displacement in the region,” CHR Spokesperson Jacqueline C. de Guia said.
She added that “there is a need to be cautious of compounding justifications for its extension, considering that a state of national emergency on account of lawless violence was also declared in Mindanao prior to the martial law declaration.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

PH, Spain strengthens logistics, defense material cooperation

By Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
THE Department of National Defense (DND) and the Spain’s Ministry of Defense discussed a memorandum that seeks to strengthen logistics and defense material cooperation.
DND and Spain’s Deputy National Armament Director for International Relation Major General Felipe De La Plaza discussed the proposed Memorandum of Understanding on Logistics, Defense Materiel, Armaments, and Defense Industry Cooperation between the two countries last Oct. 20 to 23.
“The proposed MOU will serve as the legal framework for the DND to procure defense equipment from Spain through Government-to-Government deals pursuant to RA 9184. This is very timely in light of the ongoing implementation of the 2nd Horizon of the Revised AFP Modernization Program (RAFPMP),” said Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Logistics Jesus Rey R. Avilla, who led the delegation of the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The Spanish delegation also expressed interest in collaborating with the local defense industry and even visited ARMSCOR, a local firearms manufacturing company.
The defense industry of Spain has been actively participating in various procurement projects of the AFP under its modernization program.
Among the recent acquisition from Spain were the three units of Medium Lift Aircraft worth P 5.29 billion for the Philippine Air Force, procured from Spanish manufacturer Airbus. The aircraft are now being used for air transport and humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Manila RTC acquits daughter of ‘drug queen’ of drug charges

By Vann Marlo M. Villegas
THE Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 49 acquitted and ordered the immediate release of Diana Y. Uy, daughter of alleged “drug queen” Yu Yuk Lai, in connection with charges of illegal drugs, after the court declared the search warrant against her as invalid “for lack of probable cause.”
Ms. Uy was arrested by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Nov. 6, 2017, in a condominium in Manila following the search warrant. She was charged with possession of 682.924 grams of shabu on Nov. 8.
The decision stated that the evidence submitted against Ms. Uy is inadmissible as it found “strong and compelling evidence” that the CCTV cameras were tampered and the alleged illegal drugs seized were “planted.”
The K9 dogs also did not detect any presence of narcotics during the search and the seized contraband “may not even be real narcotic,” the decision read.
The entry of a “clearing team” of PDEA operatives is also “highly irregular and illegal” as it was conducted without the presence of the accused or any media or barangay representative, the decision also read.
The decision stated that the affidavits by two PDEA agents were filled with general allegations and conclusions, “absolutely without citations of sources and verifiable factual allegations.”
“The Court does not believe that there was a walk-in Confidential Informant. No such person existed,” the court said.
The decision also stated that the search warrant judge failed to ask “searching, probing, discerning questions” as she has accepted all the conclusions submitted against Ms. Uy and never asked for the appearance of the alleged informant.
“The search warrant judge simply took the assertions of the PDEA hook, line and sinker. The issuance post-haste of the search warrant, based on the flimsiest of evidence turned out to be a grave injustice.”

Typhoon entering PHL on Saturday

TYPHOON YUTU, which was still 2,380 kilometers (km) east of Central Luzon as of Thursday morning, is expected to enter the Philippine area by Saturday and will be locally named Rosita. Yutu was moving west-northwest with maximum sustained winds of 210 km per hour and gustiness of up to 260 km/h., according to weather bureau PAGASA’s Oct. 25 update. Rosita is expected to sweep through the eastern side of Baler, Aurora this weekend and Tuguegarao City, Cagayan by Tuesday. PAGASA said storm signals “may be raised as early as Monday morning (29 October) over Isabela and Cagayan area.”

Some PhilHealth claimants exempted from 60-day rule after system upgrade

PHILIPPINE HEALTH Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) claimants, whose applications were filed online and with the 61st day falling within Aug. 6-31, have been exempted from the 60-day filing rule in consideration of a systems upgrade undertaken by the agency. In an advisory published on Oct. 25, PhilHealth said the recent systems update affected the submission of claims, “although the issues were already addressed.” It stressed that “all electronic claims submitted online, either directly by the HCI (Health Care Institutions) or thru their IT service providers, whose 61st day of filing falls within the period Aug. 6 to 31, 2018, shall not be denied in the system.” As such, HCIs no longer have to undergo the claims appeal process.

Spokesman clarifies Duterte’s tirade vs online gambling

MALACAÑANG ON Thursday clarified President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s latest remarks on “online gambling,” saying the leader was only referring to operations that do not have permits. In a speech at the Palace last Wednesday, Mr. Duterte said “online gambling” will be “suppressed.” He said, “I do not want gambling. Stop it because it’s not good. Tama na ‘yan (That’s enough),” adding, “Pero ‘yung online-online bingo (But the online bingo), it will be suppressed, no gambling.” In a press briefing on Thursday, Presidential Spokesman Salvador S. Panelo explained, “I think he refers only to the online gambling. Those who have been granted licenses, I don’t think… As far as I know, that refers only to illegal online gambling.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Parañaque ‘landport’ opens by Nov. 5

THE PARAÑAQUE Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), awarded to Megawide-Waltermart (MWM) Terminals Inc., is set to open on Nov. 5, the Department of Transportation announced on Thursday. “Handa na po kaming buksan ang kauna-unahan nating landport (We are ready to open our first ‘landport’),” DOTr Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said in a statement, describing the land transport terminal as one with facilities and services like an airport. “This is not just your ordinary terminal, but a landmark transportation hub.” According to DOTr, the PITX has a maximum daily capacity of 100,000 passengers, with trips per day at approximately 1,060 arrivals and 949 departures. It will have 59 bays for provincial and city buses, 49 for UV express and jeepneys, and 852 car parking slots. It will also house a centralized shopping center. The project is expected to reduce the number of buses plying Metro Manila, particularly along Taft Avenue in Pasay and EDSA. The 4.59-hectare terminal was awarded to Megawide under a build-transfer-operate public-private partnership contract with a concession period of 35 years. The DOTr negotiated for the removal of the annual grantor’s fee amounting to P100 million for the whole concession period. The negotiation helped save the government P3.5 billion, the DOTr said. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

‘Overhauled’ security system ready for Boracay reopening

AS RESORT island Boracay reopens on Oct. 26 after a six-month closure for rehabilitation and tourism policy reshaping, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is also ready to provide improved security measures.
“Along with the rebirth of Boracay, we are proud to showcase as well a completely overhauled security system and peace and order program that will address the perennial issues and concerns that we have experienced during the previous local tourism operations prior to the six-month rehabilitation work since April,” PNP chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde said in a statement on Thursday, Oct. 25.
Police forces, along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, conducted a Capability Demonstration Exercise on the island on Thursday, showing response operations in various emergency situations.
Mr. Albayalde said the police units on the island were reorganized and more than 400 police personnel will be deployed during the reopening.
“To deal with the anticipated heavy influx of tourist arrivals upon the formal reopening of Boracay Island, we are restructuring the organization of PNP units that will be deployed in the island as well as in mainland Malay, Aklan with the objective of creating seamless but contiguously defined areas of jurisdiction under the Malay Municipal Tourist Police Station manned by 413 police personnel,” he said.
The new police unit’s headquarters will have five sub-stations located in Barangays Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak, and in Caticlan and Poblacion.
Mr. Albayalde said they will help ensure that the prescribed maximum daily tourist capacity of 6,405 people a day will be implemented.
An inter-agency committee will be stationed at the entry point, the Cagban Port area.
The PNP chief said alternate ports will be opened in case of bad weather or sea conditions.
Mr. Albayalde also said that police presence will remain high to prevent crimes such as the proliferation of illegal drugs.
During the opening, the police will also launch the Kaligtasan at Kalikasan (KALIGKASAN) Volunteer Program with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
“KALIGKASAN is the PNP’s community-based response to environmental issues that serve the PNP’s contribution in promoting environment (protection) in all tourist destinations of the country, with Metro Boracay as the pilot project area,” he said.
OTHER ISLANDS
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to inspect other tourism destinations in the country.
DILG Officer-in-Charge Eduardo M. Año has instructed all regional offices of the department to submit a list and summary of provincial, city, or municipal ordinances relating to environmental conservation, building construction, and easement regulations.
“The DILG will evaluate the status of sewage treatment facilities, power and water supply service capacity, and Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Land Use Plan of local government units (LGUs) that have beach tourism destinations,” said Mr. Año in a statement on Thursday.
The regional reports will be submitted to the DILG Beach Tourism Monitoring Team for evaluation.
“We should all learn from the Boracay experience. Let’s not wait until your beaches turn into another cesspool,” said Mr. Año.
“Complacency is tantamount to dereliction of duty. Local chief executives are accountable of regulating tourism businesses and enforcing critical environmental laws, rules and regulations, and local ordinances,” he added. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

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