Davide, Puno face off on federalism

October 10, 2018 | 8:58 pm

TWO retired chief justices (CJ) of the Philippines shared their thoughts, at a forum Wednesday, on constitutional amendments.
“It is not the constitution we must amend, but it is the 1991 Local Government Code, which implements, actually, the state policy that ensure local government….The synchronization, distribution of powers in order to improve, really, the status of our local government units.” retired chief justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr. said at the forum organized by Colliers International.
He added: “Under the Local Government Code of 1991, Congress is mandated to review the Code, precisely, to see to it that every five years… to reflect on what is wrong and what more will be needed, but unfortunately, it had never been reviewed by Congress.”
Retired chief justice Reynato S. Puno, who heads the Consultative Committee to Review the 1987 Constitution, said for his part, “Again, go back to the history of the Philippines….We tried every form of giving autonomy to our local government unit. Before, there was no grant of autonomy, and then we thought that this problem of no power on the part of our regions, on the part of our provinces, municipalities, and local government units can be solved by having this Local Government Code….The Local Government Code is not a solution to our problem.”
“In other words, pakitang tao lang na dine-devote yung powers,” he added. (The [distribution] of powers is just for show.)
Mr. Puno affirmed the need to shift toward federalism because the present system “has already brought us in hell.”
“Blame the system… In unitarianism, you have over centralization of powers, as what we have now….In federalism, we have non-centralization of powers, so the Local Government Code, it did not follow this principle of non-centralization of powers,” he said.
“If you have a correct division of governmental power written in the Constitution, not in the Local Government Code….Consider both factors, the system and the people. Precisely, federalism, we will change both,” Mr. Puno also said.
Mr. Davide answered, “We do not have to change our system. Our system is the best system….It’s because we had it since we gained independence….We have that unitary system….It’s not the system, but how it is supposed to be implemented, kulang ng implementation (implementation is lacking).” — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

UNICEF flags inflation's impact on child malnutrition in PHL

October 10, 2018 | 8:57 pm

By Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
THE United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) have flagged the impact of inflation on malnutrition among children in the country.
“While majority of Filipinos are already experiencing the effects of a better economy, there are millions of Filipino children who are being left behind,” UNICEF Philippines Representative Lotta Sylwander said at the launching of UNICEF’s Situation Analysis Report of Children in the Philippines on Tuesday, Oct. 9.
According to the report by UNICEF, poverty rates vary significantly in the country, from 3.9% in the National Capital Region to 53.7% in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The report also showed three out of 10 children nationwide living in poverty, with that number doubling to 6.5 in ARMM.
“It is sad that the inflation now is so rapid and that it can actually directly or indirectly affect children’s health,” Ms. Sylwander said.
The country’s inflation as of September reached 6.7%.
UNICEF reported that the Philippines has very high levels of stunting (33%) and underweight (21.5%) children under five years.
NEDA Assistant Secretary Carlo B. Abad Santos for his part said: “Poor people have a big chunk of their income for food and if food prices grow up, then they would not spend more or with the money they have, they will spend less on food which will have impact on their nutrition.”
Mr. Abad Santos suggested that rice tariffication and reviewing of agricultural policies could help address issues on food supply and malnutrition.

Philex honors rescue team

October 10, 2018 | 8:56 pm

Philex Mining Corporation recently honored its rescue team that saw action in search-and-rescue and search-and-retrieval operations at the landslide incident at Brgy. Ucab, Itogon, Benguet brought about by Typhoon Ompong. On hand to honor and recognize the heroism and determination of the rescue team members in simple ceremonies held at its mine camp in Padcal were, starting from 6^th left, Mine Division Manager Ric Dolipas, Mill Division Manager Milton Agyao, Philex President and CEO Euls Austin Jr., and Assistant Vice-President, and Assistant Resident Manager Roy Mangali. The Philex Rescue Team is led by Engr. Greg Oldangon, fifth from right.

Nationwide round-up

October 10, 2018 | 8:53 pm

PHL officials meet with EU envoys

FOREIGN AFFAIRS Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano and Budget Secretary Ben E. Diokno led a Philippine delegation that met with representatives of the European Union in Manila on Tuesday for “better” understanding on various issues and expand trade relations.
“The European Union and its Member States are very important partners of the Philippines and we look forward to actively and constructively engaging them so we can better understand each other. We were able to convey to each other our mutual desire to continue exchanging views on important issues with one another,” Mr. Cayetano said in a statement.
Mr. Cayetano said education and tourism are the two sectors that may help improve relations between the Philippines and the European bloc.
The EU ambassadors, for their part, noted that increasing dialogues between the Philippines and EU will help attract more investors to the Philippines.
They also expressed hope to see more high-level visits to Europe by Filipino officials.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has previously lambasted the EU for criticizing his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
The envoys who attended the luncheon were Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olša, Jr., Danish Ambassador Jan Top Christensen, Greek Ambassador Nicolaos Kaimenakis, Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines (DEUP) Ambassador Franz Jessen, Hungarian Ambassador József Bencze, German Ambassador Dr. Gordon Kricke, Belgian Ambassador Michel Philippe Goffin, Italian Ambassador Giorgio Guglielmino, French Ambassador Nicolas Galey, Romanian Chargé d’affaires Mihai Sion, and DEUP Councilor and Deputy Head of Mission Thomas Wiersing. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

CA confirms appointment, promotion of 74 AFP officers

THE COMMISSION on Appointments (CA) confirmed the ad interim appointment and promotion of 74 generals and senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday, Oct. 10.
Among those promoted were AFP Spokesperson Edgard A. Arevalo, who now has a rank of Brigadier General, and Major General Cirilito E. Sobejana, commander of 6^th Infantry Division.
Colonels Adrian Sanchez Jr, William Gonzales, Edward Libago, and Fabian Pedregos were also promoted as brigadier generals.
Confirmed were the ad interim appointments of Brigadier Generals Pablo Lorenzo, Glicerio Peralta, Ramil Bitong, Rene Diaz, and Maxima Ignacio.
Aside from Mr. Sobejana, Brigadier Generals Erickson Gloria, and Pio Diñoso III were promoted to the rank of Major General.
The CA also confirmed the ad interim appointments of Major Generals Allen Paredes, Nathaniel Casem, Alejandro Baclayon, and Pelagio Valenzuela.
Last Oct. 3, the CA also confirmed the ad interim appointments of 56 high ranking AFP officials. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Comelec expects over 60M voters in May 2019 polls

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) has registered more than 60 million voters for the upcoming National and Local Elections (NLE) in 2019.
“We are expecting in 2019 close to 61 million voters,” said Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez in mixed Filipino and English during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday.
He said 58 million Filipinos participated in the Sangguniang Kabataan and Barangay elections last May and the overseas voters will be added to this number for next year’s mid-term national and local polls.
He noted that around 2.5 million of the voters are new registrants, location transferees, and reactivation.
When asked what is the demographic of the voters, he said over a third are “young” with ages 18 to 35.
“At this point, it’s safe to say that more than one third of the voters are young voters.” — Gillian M. Cortez

Social media is top use for internet among Filipinos, but does it affect their political views?

October 10, 2018 | 8:52 pm

WHILE ALMOST all Filipinos who access the internet do so to check on their social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, only a bare majority say their political views changed at least once because of what they have seen online, the latest survey from Pulse Asia Research, Inc. showed.
According to the Pulse September 2018 nationwide survey, 98% of Filipinos across geographic areas and socio-economic groupings use the internet for social media activities.
This was slightly down from 100% in the June 2017 survey.
For these social media users, 51% admitted they have changed their views on politics or government at least once based on what they have seen, read and listened to over the internet.
This was higher compared to the June 2017 survey, where only 39% of social media users said their opinions changed.
Meanwhile, 88% of those who access social media said they have heard, read or watched fake news on their accounts, and 79% agree that it is widespread online.
The nationwide survey was conducted among 1,800 respondents aged 18 years old and above. The survey has a ± 2.3% error margin at the 95% confidence level.
Of the 1,800 interviewed, less than half or only 47% said they are accessing the internet. However, this is higher than the June 2017 result wherein only 37% of respondents said they go online.
The latest survey was conducted from September 1 to 7, following news on the revocation of Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV’s amnesty, and calls for the abolition of the National Food Authority along with the resignation of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol amid the soaring prices of rice, among others. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Bohol 7.2 earthquake anniversary: Phivolcs strengthens DRRM officers’ capacity

October 10, 2018 | 8:51 pm

DISASTER RISK Reduction and Management (DRRM) officers of the 47 towns and one city of Bohol are undergoing a seminar-workshop organized by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Oct. 10-11 to strengthen earthquake awareness and preparedness. The gathering also aims to discuss lessons learned as well as rebuilding efforts and challenges after the 7.2 earthquake that struck the province five years ago on Oct. 15, 2013. Phivolcs, in a statement, said it is “imperative to know what have been learned from this event, and what has been done in those years to rebuild all that is considered as the province’s legacy.” Phivolcs also emphasized the need for continuing DRRM capacity-building for local governments, particularly for earthquakes and tsunamis.

PECO says protest vs alleged high rates baseless

October 10, 2018 | 8:50 pm

PANAY ELECTRIC Co. (PECO) has dismissed Tuesday’s protest against its alleged high power rates, noting that those who joined the rally in front of the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) Manila office are not involved in past complaints filed by consumers. “We know who the complainants are. So most probably those people have no relations to the ERC complaints,” PECO Corporate Communications Officer Mikel L. Afzelius said. A group called Pinoy Aksyon for Governance and Environment (Pinoy Aksyon) held the protest calling on the ERC to review the rates of PECO, the sole electricity distributor in Iloilo City. In a statement, Pinoy Aksyon Chairperson BenCy Ellorin said consumers are experiencing high power rates as well as frequent power outages. Mr. Afzelius said majority of complaints on erroneous billing have been resolved by the company, with 80 out of 86 protesting consumers agreeing to a settlement. “The ERC knows that very well,” he said. The PECO official also said their rates are lower than those of distributors in Metro Manila, Cebu, and the Western Visayas Region. — Louine Hope U. Conserva

Mental Health Division proposed in Davao City

October 10, 2018 | 8:49 pm

AN ORDINANCE creating the Mental Health Division under the City Health Office has been presented before the city council to address rising cases of psychological illnesses, particularly depression among teenagers. Under the proposed Mental Health Code of Davao City, authored by Councilor Mary Joselle D. Villafuerte, the new division will be headed by a psychiatrist, with a psychologist and nurse per district, and a social worker trained with mental health. “They will comprise the health division and they will have their own secretary, own office and supply,” Ms. Villafuerte said. She attributed the increasing number of cases to rapid urbanization. “Now people have no time to do that (relax) because everybody is moving too fast… feeling tired when they get home. We expect more people will be suffering from mental health disorders due to rapid urbanization of the city. All the more we should be prepared for such possible problems,” she said. The councilor said they will also be coordinating with the city’s Human Resource Management Office for the budget needed for the mental health unit as well as ask the local government for initial of P5 million for the construction of a halfway house for patients. — Maya M. Padillo

Consumer group questions Zamcelco’s investment management deal

October 10, 2018 | 8:49 pm

A CONSUMER group has filed a case before the National Electrification Administration (NEA) against board members of the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco) for what it called an anomalous bidding of the power distributor’s investment management contract (IMC). The complaint filed on Sept. 25 by Marissa E. Aizon, National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms-Zamboanga City Chapter president, names as respondents Zamcelco board members Omar A. Sahi, Michael C. de La Cerna, Ernesto R. Perez, Gammar A. Hassan, Oscar R. Tiu, and Caiser T. Balama. The complaint accuses the officials of “gross misconduct, gross incompetence in the performance of their official duties, conduct prejudicial to the interest of the electric cooperative and member-consumers and, willful violation non-compliance with NEA issuances, memoranda and rules and regulations.” The IMC was awarded last month to the joint venture of Crown investments Holdings, Inc. and Desco, Inc. NEA, which created a task force that took over the operations of debt-saddled Zamcelco to pave the way for the IMC process, has expressed support for the awarded contract. — Carmelito Q. Francisco
>> See related stories on https://goo.gl/qkom2t and https://goo.gl/1wQFmY

Nation at a Glance — (10/11/18)

October 10, 2018 | 8:47 pm

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Core Capital, Gobi Partners launch $10-M fund for Philippine startups

October 10, 2018 | 6:21 pm

Philippines-based venture capital (VC) firm Core Capital and Malaysia-based Chinese VC Gobi Partners have entered a partnership to launch the Gobi-Core Philippine Fund (PH Fund) — a $10 million fund for seed-stage and pre-Series A companies in the Philippines.

Core Capital will be managing the funds, with Gobi Partners contributing test processes, best practices, and other additional support.

The PH Fund, the partnership’s first joint venture, is anchored in their belief in the potential of the Philippine economy and the growing purchasing power of the young population. Participating startups will not only gain access to funding, but also to Core Captial’s network and business experience, amplified by Gobi Partners’ regional platform across China and other Southeast Asian countries.

“With this partnership with Gobi, we are confident that we can strategically connSet featured imageect local and regional stakeholders,” said Ken Ngo, Managing Partner of Core Capital. “The creation of the Gobi-Core PH Fund puts us in a unique position to add value and support founders in the country’s growing startup ecosystem.”

The Philippines is the latest battleground for China’s internet giants

October 10, 2018 | 5:39 pm

By Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
WITH Chinese internet giants Ant Financial Services Group and Tencent Holdings, Ltd. seeking to expand into the Philippines, experts predict a spike in the use of mobile financial services.
In its report on Wednesday, Fitch Solutions Macro Research said that the increased presence of Tencent and Alibaba Group affiliate Ant Financial in the Philippines through local investments should mean better coverage and quality in the near future, spurring more Filipinos to adopt mobile financial services.
This comes after PLDT, Inc. announced a $175 million investment by Tencent and KKR & Co. Inc. in Voyager Innovations, PLDT’s fintech subsidiary. PLDT noted that this would further improve Voyager’s reach and operations.
“We are positive of the investment in deepening penetration of digital payments in the Philippines, and the addition of a strategic and well-experienced foreign investor in Tencent will improve the quality and reach of services,” Fitch Solutions Macro Research said.
Meanwhile, Ant Financial has made landfall in the Philippines through a stake in Globe Telecom-backed Mynt. With China’s two internet giants now in the country, Fitch Solutions Macro Research believes “competitive pressures are certain to ramp up.”
Tencent “will likely resort to aggressive subscriber acquisition strategies […] to gain dominance, although these promotions will continue to erode the already razor-thin margins on its transactions,” the report found.
Fitch Solutions Macro Research also predicts a tie up between the WeChat Pay service and Smart Padala to entice Overseas Filipino Workers in China and Hong Kong to use their platforms.
“Mynt, on the other hand will continue to leverage Lazada, which Alibaba owns, to drive its subscriber growth,” the report said.