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African Swine Fever prompts stepped up ban on pork products

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) ordered a temporary ban on importation of domestic and wild pigs including pork meat and semen from Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Moldova, South Africa and Zambia due to reported cases of African Swine Fever (ASF).
There will also be an immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of application, and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) import clearance to the mentioned commodities, under the order.
The DA also stated in its order that there should be a stoppage and confiscation of all shipments of the mentioned commodities into the Philippines by all DA Veterinary Quarantine Officers/Inspectors at all major ports.
Frozen pork meats from Belgium with slaughter or process date on or before August 25 are allowed to enter the Philippines subject to veterinary quarantine rules and regulations, the DA said.
In August, the DA has already ordered the banning of importation of pigs and their products from Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and China due to ASF.
According to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the top 5 major exporters of pork to the Philippines are Germany, Spain, Canada, United States, and France, with an individual share of 24.95%, 19.20%, 11.62%, 9.75%, and 9.13%, respectively.
Other sources of pork are Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Australia, Brazil, Austria and Italy, amounting to a consolidated 25.35% exports to the Philippines.
The BAI recorded a 10.65% increase in pork importation from 276,066,999 kilograms in 2016 to 305,479,806 kilograms in 2017. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

Inflation Jam

It is said that it takes at least five years to see either the benefits and/or the ill effects of a particular legislation. However, now that we are in an inflation jam, it only took six months to see the very negative effects from the imposition of more taxes.
In January 2018, the inflation rate was moderate at 3.4% compared to the low 2.5% a year earlier. To date, inflation has already averaged at 5%. Since May, the Central Bank has raised interest rates four times to cushion the increase in inflation and oil prices.
While inflation within NCR eased down to 6.3% compared to 7% in August, the increase in prices was higher in Areas Outside NCR (AONCR), which stood at 6.8%, compared to 6.2% in August. Compared to September last year, NCR inflation was at 4.4% while AONCR inflation was at 2.6%. The highest annual inflation registered at 10.1 percent in Region V (Bicol Region) while the lowest was at 4.5% in Region III (Central Luzon).
The reasons behind inflation are multi-faceted and driven by both domestic and international economic conditions and processes. The long-standing reasons, which are also way beyond the control of the national government, include high domestic petroleum prices, the continued weakening of the Philippine peso, and the rise in global prices.
In terms of the domestic realm, the rice crisis is obviously a factor because rice still stands as the staple food for millions of Filipinos. As a rule of thumb, shortage in supply jacks up market prices and the poor are the most affected with the incredible increase in the price of rice.
Another factor is corruption. A country with high corruption increases inflation rates. According to Transparency International (2018), the Philippines’ rank dropped from 95th out of 168 countries in 2015, 101st out of 176 countries in 2016, to 111th out of 180 countries in 2017. Corruption provides a positive environment for inflation to worsen. In turn, continued high inflation would encourage illicit trade activities so as to circumvent taxes and sell cheaper goods in the underground market.
coins
Adding insult to injury, the imposition of more taxes has surely driven up prices. As the heavily weighted goods and non-alcoholic beverages are subject to more taxes, the population is deemed to suffer more. As a result, the increase in prices is evident in fish, the operation of personal transport, rice, electricity and petroleum products. Another impact of the imposition of more taxes is the proliferation and intensification of illegal activities as well, such as smuggling and cartel operations.
Given the current predicament, the Duterte administration is even bent on approving more tax proposals. Despite the warning of several legislators and various non-government organizations about the need to review TRAIN (Comprehensive Tax Reform Package), they were branded as fools and irresponsible. On this note, President Duterte insisted and emphasized in his 2018 SONA to support his Build, Build, Build Program by passing more tax laws by the end of the year.
To pass on the logic of more taxation to beef up his infrastructure program is a very myopic argument. Our country already has the highest tax rates in Asia. The imposition of more taxes, for this matter, further degrades our competitiveness rating and performance. The burden of taxation and government infrastructure programs is passed on to the poor population, who are the most affected with the increase of prices.
Onto his third year and mid-term period in office, it would be a big step for PRRD to finally listen to the people by fine-tuning his programs with the public’s clamor. A PULSE Asia poll, conducted in June this year just before the SONA, disclosed that the top 5 concerns for Filipinos included the creation of more jobs (56%), controlling inflation (52%), increasing the wages of workers (48%) and poverty reduction (33%). The fight against illegal drugs (26%) and corruption (16%) ranked 6th and 7th respectively.
It is therefore imperative to focus on the enduring solution of job creation instead of more taxation. While inflation is a fact of life, people should have enough purchasing power to go through their everyday lives. The achievement of the pronounced employment-led growth is the key to provide the working population the means to exist and not simply to subsist. As long as people have the power to consume, inflation would not be an obstacle in promoting effective demand. The ironic situation we have now is that the very people who voted President Duterte to power, hoping that change is coming to alleviate their poverty, are now suffering the brunt of this economic mess. If inflation continues to rise, the people will strike back with their votes.
 
Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit is the founder and managing director of the Stratbase Group and president of its policy think tank, Albert del Rosario Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ADRi). Prof. Manhit is a former chair and retired associate professor of Political Science of De La Salle University. He has authored numerous papers on governance, political, and electoral reforms.

Mindanao could learn from Israel

A trip to the Holy Land had always been a key item in my bucket list (the things I need to see or do before I leave this world). But my wife had serious reservations, perceiving Israel as a country constantly in a state of war and threatened by terrorists.
Back in the early 80’s, when I and two other advertising colleagues, Greg Garcia III and Louie Morales, were assigned by the Ministry of Public Information to look for a US public relations agency to help repair the image of the Philippines (badly mangled by the Marcos dictatorship), we watched a presentation of a PR and advertising campaign created for the Israel Ministry of Tourism to address an almost similar image crisis.
After Israel invaded Lebanon, its international image was severely affected and this had an impact on its tourism industry, a major revenue source. The impression of the general public, particularly in the US, was that the whole country was a war zone.
A communications campaign, created by Issues and Images, the PR arm of Madison Avenue ad agency Needham Harper & Steers, successfully repaired the image of Israel. “Come to Israel, come stay with friends,” not only arrested the erosion of tourist traffic, it restored visitor arrivals to the pre-invasion level.
However, that still failed to reassure my wife. She continued to have apprehensions about Israel. Thus, my bucket list plan had to be kept on hold. But when one gets on in years (we’re now both 79), terrorist threats cease to be as scary. Recently, we both resolved to finally make the Holy Land trip.
As luck would have it, on a visit that we made to Manila early this year, Greg Garcia and wife Myrna sprung on us the idea of a Holy Land tour. The couple, along with several close friends, had arranged such a trip for early October this year. We decided to join them, even while visions of terrorist bombings still played in our minds.
I’m writing this piece at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem. My wife and I, the Garcias and a compact group of fellow travelers, who happen to be truly wonderful folks, are in Israel. We have been to Tel Aviv and the ancient city of Tiberias in the Galilee region, taken a boat ride in the Sea of Galilee (where Jesus walked on water), reenacted the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, and retraced the footsteps of Jesus in Nazareth where he grew up. Through it all, we have had no reason to call on God’s angels to protect us. We have been pleasantly surprised at how peaceful Israel is and how vibrant and brisk its tourism industry.
Necia Santiago, who owns the travel agency, Travel Time, has been organizing Holy Land trips for years and has mounted several this year, including our tour. The Garcias and the other couples — Rod and Purificacion Joson, Roberto and Cora Rosales, Fred and Else Rodriguez, and Adolfo and Carmen Liwanag, plus mother and son Carmencita and Manuel Herrera, Jr. — had set off from Manila, while my wife and I flew out of San Francisco.
I should point out that security is very tight in Israel. But you wouldn’t know it unless someone tells you, especially if you are from Manila where you see armed security guards at every turn. The secondary security check that we were subjected to at the San Francisco International Airport prior to boarding our United Airlines flight to Tel Aviv was not SOP for international airlines, but the inspection was not as intrusive as the multiple security checks that passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have to undergo.
Of course, there is a checkpoint at the approach to Ben Gurion International Airport and we had to hand over our passports for inspection. But other than that, our earlier impressions of Israel as a war-torn country where armed soldiers roam the streets and where Jews and Palestinians are constantly at each other’s throat have been completely dispelled.
Our tour guide, Hisham, is a Palestinian born in East Jerusalem. Our driver, Warman, is also Palestinian. The hotel in Jerusalem where my wife and I stayed upon arrival was managed and staffed by Arabs. The driver of the shuttle that picked us up at the airport and delivered us to the hotel was also an Arab.
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In other words, contrary to common perception, Jews and Palestinian Arabs (who happen to be either Muslims or Christians) co-exist and live and work together as normally as in any multi-ethnic society.
This is not to say that the tensions and conflict between them are no longer a harsh reality. The 750-kilometer wall that separates Israelis and Palestinians and restricts the movement of the latter remains a constant reminder that not everything is well in Israel and the incipient state of Palestine. The fact that certain sections of Jerusalem are identified as “Arab quarters” and “Jewish quarters” also underscores this. The uneasy situation has also been exacerbated by the decision of President Donald Trump to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
But in the areas that constitute the Holy Land, Jews and Arabs are working hand in hand to make the tourism tills ring. Hundreds of tour buses ferry thousands of visitors from all over the world all over the biblical map. On this trip, there are several Filipino tour groups in Israel, including a 73-person contingent from the San Francisco Bay Area.
In Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine at a wedding reception, we joined hundreds of South Asian tourists (either Indians or Bangladeshis) at a mass renewal of marriage vows. Similar Asian groups, as well as people who were apparently from Africa, immersed themselves in baptismal rites in the Jordan. At Mt. Tabor, where the transfiguration of Jesus took place, and in the garden of Gethsemane, the churches were packed with tourists.
Of course, our visit to the West Bank, where Bethlehem is located, was a sobering experience. Graffiti on the Palestinian side of the separation wall reveals the bitterness that the residents feel about their circumstances. But the many tour groups that jammed the Church of the Nativity to pray in the cave where the manger is displayed erased any fears of an attack by Hezbollah fighters.
All of these bring to mind the testy (or so we imagine) situation in Mindanao and the perceived constant state of conflict between the Muslims and the Christians, typified by the uprising in Marawi. The parenthetical comment is due to the general impression (mine included) that the relationship between these two Filipino groups — underscore Filipino — are about to snap because, to paraphrase Rudyard Kipling, “Muslims are Muslims and Christians are Christian and never the twain shall meet.” And then there’s the canard that the only good Moro is a dead one.
Frankly, Mindanaoans should learn from the Israelis. They should explain away the misconceptions of the impressionable folks in the Visayas and Luzon and point out that their apprehensions are mostly in their mind. This is not to say that all is well in Mindanao and that the idea of secession no longer lurks in the hearts of our fellow Filipinos in that part of the country. Nor have the injustices inflicted by Imperial Manila been adequately addressed.
But just as the Jews and the Palestinians in Israel have managed to co-exist, have worked harmoniously and have helped create a prosperous Israel and a thriving tourism industry, in spite of their differences, perhaps the idea of the people of Mindanao — Muslims, Lumad and Christians — working together to make the proverbial Land of Promise a reality can be vigorously promoted nationwide, particularly in insular Luzon.
Perhaps President Rodrigo Duterte could make this a personal project. Perhaps, that way, the concept of a harmonious and progressive Mindanao can become a self-fulfilling dream.
Maybe an ad agency can create a campaign that states, “Come to Marawi, come stay with friends.”
 
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

Go map your day, Quietly.

By Raju Mandhyan
A FEW WEEKS AGO, a workshop participant asked me what was my personal early morning ritual and what do I do to start the day with a positive state of mind and stay engaged, balanced and motivated all day long?
Barely pausing to think about what I do, I said, I sit. I mean, I sit down. Right away her eyebrows slightly went up and then I added that I have this quiet, special corner in my room and I settle down there cross-legged. I settle down, allow my body to find a comfortable and an upright position and then I let myself watch and listen to my thoughts. It is a slow start; my thoughts first hover around how I woke up and then they try and recollect the traces of my dreams from my half-awake state. Soon, my mind then takes in the opening lights of the day, the state of the sky outside, the gentle rustling sounds of life in addition to the sound of my two dogs who also rise and shine at about the same time as I do. Then my thoughts slowly progress on to my feelings. I check for any excitement about something, any soft concern about my words and actions of yesterday and then, finally, I move into the events of the day and slowly but steadily with a conscious mind I begin to start ticking off things to do from a mental checklist.
You see I am a ‘do’ kind of person. If I find myself excited about something then I ask myself what I should do to tone down that excitement. If I find myself concerned or, even, afraid of something then I ask myself what are my real, valid reasons to be concerned and regardless of the fact that I get logical answers from myself or not my anxiety levels tone down too. Naturally, a shadow of a smile lights up my face. Of course, I do not see the smile but I sense it in my gut.
So I stay there in that upright seated state of solitude for quite some time quietly and deliberately running through the slide deck of my day as I wish for it to unfold. Sure, every now and then I get distracted by the sounds from the street or of my dogs barking at someone or something. The thought that they might be getting anxious to take a stroll down the street and do what they usually have to do also enters my mind but I get right back to my thinking, feeling and breathing life into my life for the day.
Some folks would call this meditation and mindfulness and there’s a shipload of research and discussions that unfold every single minute about these topics around the world. I am fine with that and in many instances I have been part of these conversations and activities but I prefer calling this morning ritual of my own as ‘quiet time.’
After I am done scrolling, rewinding, editing and augmenting my “action” checklist for my day, I slowly get up and get into a plank position and stay there for as many minutes I can. Then I, finally, swing up into a headstand and bring and keep my attention on my breathing for the next three to five minutes. Lastly, I emerge from that quiet moment and take my dogs out for as long as my daily timetable allows.
After attending to my morning needs and before or after getting and garbing myself up for whatever kind of day that lays ahead of me, I still take another few minutes at my desk and colorfully mind-map what went through my head during my “quiet time” at dawn of the day. Doing this is shortlisting and finalizing my daily “do” list for the day.
Now, how does this morning ritual serve me? And, why does this serve me?
You have probably heard of the saying in business that if you fail to plan, you are really planning to fail.
My early morning ritual is my plan for the day. It is my road map for the day. It is my story outline for the action-comedy-drama-romance that my life and our lives are made up of. Life is a stage and no doubt about it that we all have to constantly improvise, yet taking those few moments of quietness allow you to prime up a “yes, and…” attitude. Those quiet moments allow you to take into account how the stage is laid out and how all the other players in your life are placed and it allows you to play the game of life with clarity, creativity and conscientiousness.
At the neurological level, daily, our five senses actively and constantly absorb process, filter and store new data in our memories. This buzz of activity combined with old existing data and expectations of the future keeps our state of mind in a frenzied edge all the time. Having a high amount of unmanaged activity inside our minds in comparison to the sounds and events on the outside make us unnecessarily anxious. Conversely decreasing the amount of unmanaged activity inside our minds in comparison to the sounds and the events on the outside will keep us cool and composed. Finding quiet ground will result in a well-managed, well-controlled state of mind regardless of the quantity and quality of noise and activity on the outside. A gentle daily practice of priming yourself up for the day will keep us all proactive and productive through every possible changes and surprises of the day.
Regardless of what kind of work-life you lead, here are some quick tips for finding time and getting grounded for the day ahead.

• Set a specific hour and time for this quiet time every day. Make it a habit no matter how busy and agitated your day may appear. Take that time out. It is for you. Think of it is a replacement for the usual few more minutes of shuteye every morning or the time you take out for coffee in the morning. Do it, no matter what.

• Now if your mind and body screams any of your daily addictions like coffee, Just sit down and count those darn mind and body screams. In my opinion, in time the screams will run out, you will slowly cool down and begin to focus inwards on your thinking and feeling.

• Use the sound of your breathing to anchor your focus. Every time you yearn to move and get antsy go back to paying attention to your breathing in and breath out. Slowly and naturally you will begin to relax, become focused and breathing will become even and peaceful like how a baby breathes while sleeping. Yes, that is the goal, to breath gently through the tummy like a baby at sleep.

• Whatever other scary thoughts that traverse across the skyline of your mind, watch them go as you would watch dark clouds pass by before a storm. Just note them and go. Name them if you wish. I have one I call Doubting Thomas. I chase him out almost every morning.

• Soon the real things that you can “do” will traverse across the same skies and your gut will recognize smiles lighting up your countenance. Now take notes. Mental notes. Add details if you wish but let the thinking, feeling, checking, breathing and sitting quietly continue.

My friend and speaking idol, author of the book Acorns to Oaks, Jim Cathcart, gets up every morning puts on his shoes and hikes for at least five kilometers a day. That is his ritual and the way he motivates himself through lazy unwilling bones or not-so inviting weather conditions outside by telling himself to “put on those shoes and get out of the door!”
That works for Jim. Getting and sitting down, planking, head-standing and then walking for me. The way I motivate myself through lazy, unwilling bones is by saying to myself, “get up, sit down and be quiet!” That works for me.
Years ago, I used to get up and head for a neighborhood pool and swim till my arms ached and that worked for me then. In the water, with repeated strokes, my thinking and feelings would calm down and become steady. If you don’t like my ritual then go and create your own but know this: that the power of any ritual lies in its consistency and the mental discipline. Yes, and you have it in you to do and you can do it. Take my word or ask around, it does impact your physical and mental well-being very positively.
 
Raju Mandhyan is an author, coach and speaker.
www.mandhyan.com

Response to ‘Cheap, stable electricity vs climate alarmism’

AS ONE of the climate alarmists Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. refers to in his opinion piece of September 23 (“Cheap, stable electricity vs climate alarmism”), I welcome the debate he has opened.
Opinions are one thing, facts are another. Our species emerged over 3 million years when there was a stable quantity of CO2 in the atmosphere, and this was the figure up until industrialization: 270 parts per million. Now it is 405 and rising rapidly. This means that we are capturing more energy in the atmosphere than we used to. How much, I hear your readers ask? We are capturing the energy equivalent of 4 Hiroshima atomic bombs each second. In fact since 1998 we have trapped the energy of 2,667,000,000 Hiroshima bombs in the atmosphere.
Cause for alarm? I think so.
I notice that Mr. Oplas didn’t talk about the price of coal-generated electricity. The US Agency, the CIA which studies these things, estimates that the cost of electricity coming from coal-fired generation over the life of the power station is $9.2 cents per unit. This figure was confirmed for me, as the cost of new coal generated electricity in the Philippines. This figure includes no clean-up charge.
In bidding for generation in Chile during 2016, where there is no subsidization of renewable energy, my company bid $4.1 cents per unit of electricity for 20 years.
This was for firm power, which means my company had to supply the equivalent of what coal or gas supplies. No variability, no intermittency, pure clean power that releases no CO2.
We will generate firm power from renewable energy at $4.1 cent per unit of electricity, which is less than half the price of coal-fired generation.
Solar came in at a price of $2.92 cents per unit.
Even old coal plants, which had its capital cost paid off, could not compete against new wind and solar. They won no contracts.
There is not a lot of difference between the Philippines and Chile. If a competition were run between coal versus wind and solar in the Philippines, renewables would come in at half the cost of coal.
I notice that Mr. Oplas is associating himself with an invite-only conference where there will be no challenge to his views. The only way to get to the truth is to issue the following challenge to Mr. Oplas: Let us choose a public auditorium and let us have a debate on energy policy in the Philippines. I guarantee the putative audience that I can prove that renewables are great for the Philippines. Great for firm power, great for price, and great for the environment. I will even pay for the venue.
I would love to see the Philippines cut the price of electricity in half, just as Chile has done, by adopting a competitive system for selecting the next tranche of generation.
 
Eddie O’Connor is Executive Chairman and Founder of global wind and solar development company Mainstream Renewable Power.
www.mainstreamrp.com.
Twitter: @mainstreamrp

Peso down on risk-off sentiment

THE PESO weakened anew against the dollar on Tuesday as risk-off sentiment prompted investors to shy away from riskier currencies due to the geopolitical tensions overseas.
The local currency ended Tuesday’s session at P54.24 versus the greenback, 5.5 centavos lower than the P54.185-per-dollar finish last Monday.
The peso opened the session slightly stronger at P54.16 and reached an intraday high of P54.10 against the dollar. Its worst showing was its closing rate.
Dollars traded dropped to $605 million from the $845.04 million the previous day.
A foreign exchange trader said the peso traded stronger in the morning on the back of inflows as well the rise in the stock market.
“Aside from the remittance, the peso strengthened in the [morning] session due to the equity movement since the local equity market was at the 7,000 support level,” the trader said in a phone interview.
The trader added that the peso’s strength was reversed in the afternoon trading due to risk-off sentiment, triggering investors to pile more dollars.
“We saw lifting of the dollar across the board due to risk-off sentiment, so we have news in Italy as well as the lingering US-China trade tensions.”
In a report from Reuters, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said the government would not change its plan to increase its deficit spending next year as it would curb unemployment while boosting the national income.
The European Union has expressed concern over Rome’s budget targets, although noting that a softer tone over the budget would improve its talks with Italy.
Meanwhile, China’s central bank on Sunday announced a steep cut in the banks’ reserve requirements, which was seen as an action to calm investor worries about its trade spat with Washington.
For Wednesday, the trader expects the peso to move between P54.10 and P54.30 versus the dollar, while another trader gave a P54.15-P54.35 range. — K.A.N. Vidal

Main index ekes out gain on last-minute buying

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
STOCKS eked out gains on Tuesday after posting losses for most of the session, as foreign investors continued to flee the market without any signs of new catalysts to bring them back.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) added 0.12% or 8.56 points to 7,059.38 yesterday, snapping a three-day losing streak amid relatively thin trading. In contrast, the broader all-shares index went down 0.27% or 12.15 points to 4,335.69.
“The index traded weakly the entire day, weighed down once again by net foreign selling… The PSEi was saved by a round of MOC (market on close) buying however, which caused it to close a bit higher,” Papa Securities Corp. trader Gabriel Jose F. Perez said in an e-mail.
Regina Capital Development Corp. Senior Equity Analyst Rens V. Cruz II noted the same, blaming foreign selling for the main index’s performance.
“Foreign outflow continues to be a drag..Both the absence of positive catalyst, and the combination of disappointing economic numbers drove investors to reduce exposure to the market, and prevents re-entry,” Mr. Cruz said in a mobile message.
While net outflows slowed to P158.01 million compared to Monday’s figure of P527.90 million, yesterday showed the 29th straight session that foreign investors logged a net selling position.
Analysts attributed this to foreign investors’ preference for more developed countries versus emerging markets, as the US economy showed its continued strength alongside rising yields on 10-year US treasury notes.
“Domestic funds with increased risk-appetite due to cheaper valuation of 2nd to 3rd tier stocks were not enough to attract volume,” Mr. Cruz added.
Four sectoral indices moved to negative territory, led by mining and oil which lost 1.39% or 122.11 points to 8,635.08. Services dropped 0.67% or 10.20 points to 1,497.14, financials shed 0.46% or 7.30 points to 1,566.15, while holding firms slipped 0.14% or 10.13 points to 6,906.09.
Meanwhile, property jumped 1.18% or 41.16 points to 3,519.61, followed by industrials which gained 0.92% or 95.36 points to 10,427.26.
Turnover was flat at P4 billion after some 953.28 million issues switched hands.
Decliners prevailed for the day at 103 names, versus 75 advancers and the 53 that ended unchanged.
International markets ended mixed overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing 0.15% or 39.73 points to 26,486.78. The Nasdaq Composite index slumped 0.67% or 52.50 points, while the S&P 500 index also dipped 0.04% or 1.14 points to 2,884.43.
Most Asian markets also closed in negative territory due to fears on the US-China trade war, with China stocks leading the decline as investors shrugged off the central bank’s efforts to inject more money into their economy.
Papa Securities’ Mr. Perez placed the PSE index’s initial support at 6,923, or its intraday low so far this year.

Senate says no time for House draft charter

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
THERE IS no time to tackle the draft constitution proposed by House Speaker Gloria M. Arroyo in the 17th Congress, Senate leaders said on Tuesday.
“Because of time constraints, I really doubt if we will be able to consider it,” Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III told reporters.
Last Monday, the House committee on constitutional amendments presented to the plenary a draft constitution that removes term limits among lawmakers and the ban on political dynasties.
The proposed Charter was filed by Ms. Arroyo, separate from the draft created by the President’s Consultative Committee (ConCom).
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, for his part, said it would be difficult to tackle charter change since the Senate will be focused on the passage of the proposed 2019 budget when Congress resumes session in November.
“With all due respect to our colleagues in the House, we don’t have time. We have the budget coming up, so the whole November and December, we will be discussing and approving the budget,” Mr. Zubiri told reporters.
“Practically, we can discuss this on the 18th Congress,” he added.
The mid-term elections is scheduled in May 2019, which covers positions for all House representatives and 12 of the 24 senators.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon also noted that the Senate is still awaiting the report of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes on Charter Change.
He described Ms. Arroyo’s version as “dead on arrival” if the proposal is transmitted to the Senate.
“We are still awaiting the report of the committee whether or not the recommendation is to amend the Constitution and if it is through constituent assembly before we reconsider the substance of the proposal. There is simply no time,” he told reporters. .
Ms. Arroyo’s draft Constitution sets the Senate president, instead of the vice-president, as the successor of the President should he step down during the transition period to federalism.
House committee on constitutional amendments chair Vicente S.E. Veloso has said the provision was meant to ensure stability amid the ongoing electoral protest between Vice President Leni G. Robredo and losing candidate Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. However, Mr. Drilon held a different view, saying that the stability has already been assured in the succession provisions of the Constitution.
“Certainly at the very least, the rule of succession applies and therefore, the Vice President should take over. That is the role of the Vice President. I cannot support the proposal… If they want to achieve stability, the stability is to follow the rule of succession; otherwise, there will be instability because the Senate President can be replaced anytime,” he said.
Sought for comment, Ibarra M. Gutierrez III, spokesperson of Ms. Robredo told reporters: “The agenda of the House of Representatives has been clear in its proposed Charter Change. At first, they said they wanted to revise the economic provisions, to implement federalism and to help the country. But it turned out that there is no interest to address the problems facing the country today. The interest really is blatant power grab. There is no reason to skip over the Vice President in the terms of succession.”
Meanwhile, the House committee on constitutional amendments will continue working on its draft constitution with an aim for approval by year-end.
“We envisioned that by May 2019, we will have a ratified 2018 constitution,” Mr. Veloso told reporters in a press briefing, Monday.
He explained that with this target, the House has to pass its version by February at the latest.
Committee member Alfredo B. Benitez of the 3rd district of Negros Occidental said in mixed Filipino and English, “As far as we’re concerned, maybe this year we can pass this.” — with Charmaine A. Tadalan

Kasai nominated as WHO Western Pacific head

Dr. Takeshi Kasai — WWW.WPRO.WHO.INT

HEALTH MINISTERS and other senior officials from 30 countries voted on Tuesday in Manila for the next head of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO), with Japanese Dr. Takeshi Kasai as the nominee.
Mr. Kasai’s name will be submitted for appointment to the 114th session of the WHO Executive Board, scheduled January 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland, according to a WHO statement released yesterday.
The new regional director will take office on February 1 for a term of five years. Regional directors may serve up to two terms.
The Japanese government announced last April that it nominated Mr. Kasai as the country’s representative among the candidates for the WHO WPRO post.
Prior to his nomination, he was WHO Director of Programme Management and Deputy to the Regional Director of WPRO.
Mr. Kasai’s public health career has spanned 28 years, including 15 years with WHO beginning in 2000, working as a medical officer for the WHO WPRO. In 2003, he became WHO director of office, International Affairs Division, Ministry of Health and Labour and Welfare in Japan until 2004.
“Dr. Kasai has a strong conviction that health as human right and as the foundation for peace requires strong commitments by all stakeholders including national and local governments, as well as international organizations such as WPRO. He has been deeply committed to the work of WHO through his 15-year career,” his profile reads.
Incumbent WPRO Regional Director Dr. Shin Young-soo welcomed the nomination of Mr. Kasai.
“I warmly congratulate and sincerely wish Dr Kasai the very best as the next Regional Director,” Mr. Shin said in a statement on Tuesday.
“When he takes the reins in February, he will inherit a strong and robust Organization, and the honour of working with a diverse group of countries joined by a formidable bond of solidarity and an unwavering commitment to delivering better health for all.” — Gillian M. Cortez

Cat-calling bill up for House plenary approval

THE SENATE on Monday approved on third and final reading the bill penalizing cat-calling and other forms of street-based sexual harassment.
Senate Bill No. 1558, the Safe Streets, Workplaces, and Public Spaces Act, was approved with 21 affirmative votes, no negative vote, and no abstention.
It was authored and sponsored by Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, the chairman of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality.
The bill imposes penalties against unwanted comments, gestures, and actions forced on a person due to his or her gender in a public space, without their consent. Violators may face a fine ranging from P1,000 to P10,000, imprisonment from 30 days to six months, and community service, depending on the gravity of the offense.
Specific acts include, but are not limited to, unwanted cursing, wolf-whistling, cat-calling, leering, sexist, persistent requests for someone’s name, number or destination after clear refusal, persistent telling of sexual jokes, use of sexual names, comments and demands, following, flashing, public masturbation, groping, and stalking. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

Nationwide round-up

Chinese envoy ‘concerned’ over US naval exercises with Xi’s Manila visit


MALACAÑANG ON Tuesday said the People’s Republic of China “has expressed concern” about the scheduled naval exercise that the United States will be conducting in the South China Sea during President Xi Jingping’s visit to Manila this November.
In a press briefing at the Palace on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua had a courtesy call with the President Monday afternoon, where they discussed Mr. Xi’s visit.
He said, “The President and Ambassador Zhao discussed the upcoming visit of President Xi to the country this November, which both agreed would further cement the already strong relations between the Philippines and China. China of course expressed concern over a naval, a military exercise that the United States will be conducting in the area at about the same time that the Chinese President will be in the Philippines; the President said that we will not take part in that military exercise.”
Mr. Roque said both leaders “agreed that joint exploration in the disputed West Philippine Sea would be to each other’s interest… and China reiterated that they do not desire any military confrontation as a result of the West Philippine Sea, either with any of the claimant states or with any other powers because China is the biggest user of the West Philippine Sea, and any military confrontation in the West Philippine Sea will have dire consequences as far as Chinese commerce is concerned.”
Meanwhile, the Department of National Defense (DND) announced yesterday that the Philippines and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be joining China in a maritime exercise later this month in the disputed South China Sea.
The exercises is set Oct. 22 to 29 in Zhanjiang, China, DND Public Affairs head Arsenio R. Andolong told reporters in a text message on Oct. 8.
Mr. Andolong said China proposed not to hold the drills in the disputed areas, and the participating countries agreed to Zhanjiang as venue.
He added that the maritime drill will focus on the improvement of sea protocols.
Mr. Andolong said nations are hoping for “deepening understanding” of China and “we are also exploring the possibilities of finding ways to improve the unexpected encounters (and our) sea protocols.”
China continues to assert its claim in the entire South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei, all members of the ASEAN. — Arjay L. Balinbin and Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Carpio warns withdrawal from ICC leaves PHL with no legal deterrent vs China

THE PHILIPPINES is giving up a “legal deterrent” against an invasion of China in the Scarborough Shoal with the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio said.
Mr. Carpi, speaking in the oral arguments during his interpellation of Solicitor-General Jose C. Calida yesterday, said the ICC is the only international tribunal that can decide on territorial disputes unless both camps voluntarily submit the case to arbitration.
“This is the only treaty in the world that holds military and political leaders of a state that commits crime of aggression that will hold these political and military leaders individually accountable before an international tribunal. No other,” he said.
“We will be giving up this legal deterrent if we withdraw from the ICC we cannot bring President Xi Jinping to the ICC if he invades Pag-asa or builds a military base in Scarborough shoal. We will lose that defense,” he added.
Mr. Carpio emphasized the recent amendment in the Rome Statue on July 17, 2018 states that political and military leaders who commit aggression through invasion and occupation of the territory of another state will be held responsible and can be brought to the ICC.
The Philippines did not ratify this amendment as it already sent the notice of withdrawal to the United Nations Secretary General in March.
“I mean we could not take advantage of this legal defense anymore because we are withdrawing from the Rome Statute and we have to take advantage of this new crime, we must remain with the ICC and we must ratify the Kampala amendment, the fourth crime under ICC. But we will not be doing this because we are withdrawing, correct?” he asked Mr. Calida.
The solicitor general replied that there might be other international treaties that can be used even after the ICC withdrawal.
Mr. Carpio asked him if he knew any, but Mr. Calida was not able to name one.
Mr. Calida asserted before the interpellation that the Court cannot exercise its power of judicial review over the cases as this authority “is limited to the determination of actual cases and controversies.”
“No actual case or controversy has been presented by the petitioners for the court to exercise its power of judicial review. The absence of an actual case or controversy is fatal. It means that the court has nothing to resolve. As a rule, courts will desist from taking cognizance of speculative or hypothetical cases,” he said, adding that it did not cause direct injury to the petitioners.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte initiated the withdrawal from ICC following the court’s preliminary examination against him over the government’s war on illegal drugs.
Opposition senators filed a petition before the Supreme Court last May and sought to declare ththe withdrawal as invalid, claiming that the President cannot unilaterally withdraw from a treaty.
The Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court also sought to invalidate the withdrawal.
Both parties were asked to submit their respective memoranda after 30 days. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

2 SC associate justice applicants up for JBC interview on Oct. 18

THE JUDICIAL and Bar Council (JBC) has set the public panel interview for two of the 13 applicants for the Supreme Court associate justice position vacated by Chief Justice Teresita J. Leonardo-Castro on Oct. 18.
The two applicants to be interviewed from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. are Sandiganbayan Justice Alex D.L. Quiroz and lawyer Rita Linda V. Jimeno.
Eleven other candidates whose previous public interviews are still valid are: Courts of Appeals Justices Oscar V. Badelles, Manuel M. Barrios, Apolinario D. Bruselas, Jr., Rosmari D. Carandang, Stephen C. Cruz, Edgardo L. Delos Santos, Japar B. Dimaampao, Ramon D.R. Garcia, Ramon Paul L. Hernando, and Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, and former Ateneo Law Dean Cesar L. Villanueva.
Ms. De Castro vacated the position when she was appointed as top magistrate on Aug. 25.
Furthermore, the JBC has opened the application or nomination for SC associate justice, replacing Associate Justice Noel G. Tijam, who will retire on Jan 5, 2019. The deadline for the submission of application and requirements is Nov. 5.
The JBC has earlier opened the application for chief justice and set the deadline on Oct. 15. Ms. De Castro is retiring on Oct. 10. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Roque, gearing up to campaign, may not run for Senate after all

PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON Harry L. Roque, Jr. said on Tuesday that the previous pronouncement of President Rodrigo R. Duterte regarding his Senate bid “was a game changer.”
In a public speech last week, Mr. Duterte said he does not believe Mr. Roque will win in the 2019 senatorial race and that he will instead offer Mr. Roque another position for him stay in the administration.
“For the past five or six months, he’s been calling me senator; for all intents and purposes, endorsing my bid for the Senate. So I was taken aback with his statement also with the PMA (Philippine Military Alumni) alumni. So, it was a game changer so to speak. It was a change in tone. But I think there was an agreement on what I would be doing ahead of time,” Mr. Roque said in a press briefing at the Palace on Tuesday, Oct. 9.
Mr. Roque also confirmed that he shot a campaign advertisement over the weekend.
“Well, the truth is, I shot it because it’s been paid for. And, you know, I mean, we’ve had plans. Whatever has happened in the last few days were really major deviation from plans that even the President knew about,” he said.
As for his final plans, he said, “As I said, I’m discussing with the President and I’d rather that the President and I agree on a course of action.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Andaya says SALN complaint ‘an ongoing hatchet’ job

THE TRUTH & Justice Coalition on Tuesday filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against House Majority Leader Rolando G. Andaya Jr. and his wife over alleged dishonesty in their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN). Advocacy group President Greco Antonious B. Belgica said the complaint stemmed from the 2016 and 2017 SALNs of Mr. Andaya, who represents the 1st district of Camarines Sur, and wife Marissa Lourdes Andaya. “An analysis of the two SALNs readily reveal that these documents are exactly the same, save for the year when the SALN was dated,” said Mr. Belgica, who is also Commissioner Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission. In response, Mr. Andaya dismissed the complaint as “an ongoing hatchet” against him over his plans to run as Camarines Sur governor. “In a bid to keep their stranglehold on the province, my enemies are resorting to tactics most foul, because the most recent surveys show that I will beat their candidate, despite the private and public resources at their disposal,” Mr. Andaya said in a statement. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

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