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Jeepney modernization hearing set Monday

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
THE SENATE on Monday will resume its inquiry into the Department of Transportation’s (DoTr) jeepney modernization program to thresh out issues that continue to hound the project, such as the insufficient government subsidy to jeepney drivers for upgraded vehicles.
Senator Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares, chair of the Senate committee on public services, said she will clarify with the DoTr the possible effects of the program to jeepney drivers’ jobs amid rising fuel prices.
“It is worrying because many depend on that and the problem with DoTr is that they want to hasten the modernization and to give franchises to those who can modernize quickly,” she told reporters in Pangasinan on Saturday.
“On Monday, we will discuss this in the Senate because we really want to know from DoTr what really is their plan because many will lose jobs, especially the jeepney drivers,” she added.
The DoTr plans to replace public utility vehicles aged 15 years or older under its Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization program. It had placed the cost of a new jeepney between P1.5 million to P1.8 million, with the government subsidizing P80,000 per vehicle.
Ms. Llamanzares said the P80,000 government subsidy was insufficient for the drivers who are required to purchase the upgraded jeepneys. She also noted that not many drivers could afford the loans because their profits were not enough to pay off the debt.
“The unit is more than one million (pesos), so how are they going to pay that? So if the DoTr is serious in giving jobs to our jeepney drivers, we should provide greater assistance to them,” she said.
“We are appealing that they come up with an orderly implementation. We are for modernization, but we don’t want drivers to lose their jobs,” Ms. Poe added.
Aside from the PUV modernization program, the Senate committee on public services will also tackle the Transport Network Vehicles Service (TNVS) sector and bills concerning the maritime sector.

Senate bill filed to create arbitration commission

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
SENATOR Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay has filed a bill seeking to create a Philippine Arbitration Commission that will have jurisdiction over all disputes in medical malpractice, insurance laws, maritime laws, intellectual property law, and intra-corporate matters.
In her explanatory note, Ms. Binay said Senate Bill No. 2033, which was filed last Sept. 26, creates a governmental body that will address the recurring problem of congested cases pending in courts and the prolonged period of case resolutions.
“The mandatory arbitration before the Philippine Arbitration Commission would definitely alleviate the recurring problem of clogged dockets in our courts. Decongestion of cases will soon be realized as a number of cases could be taken out of the jurisdiction of the judiciary,” she said.
Ms. Binay also noted that the bill supplements the cases covered in Republic Act No. 9285 or the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act.
Under the bill, a sole arbitrator or three arbitrators called the Arbitral Tribunal are mandated settle a dispute or may act as mediator by written agreement. The arbitrators are accredited by the Commission.
The commission will be composed of a chairman, which the bill designates to the University of the Philippines (UP) College of law dean, and seven members to be appointed by the President.
Ex officio members of the commission will include the Secretaries of the Department of Health (DoH), the Department of Transportation (DoTr), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairperson, the Insurance Commission chair, and the director general of the Intellectual Property Office.
Among the functions of the commission is to assist in the conduct of arbitration as well as to formulate an arbitration program and policies relating to the covered areas of dispute.
Ms. Binay said arbitration over areas of disputes, which involve cases of medical malpractice, insurance law, maritime laws, intellectual property law and intra-corporate matters, will allow involved parties the flexibility and autonomy to resolve conflicts, compared to the courts which are bound to strict rules of evidence.
Disputes from employer-employee relationships, territorial disputes with neighboring countries, and construction disputes are not covered by the proposed commission.
“With the greater transparency and high comfort of level doing business in the country, foreign investors are more inclined to invest here in our country. Accordingly, this bill will definitely augment their decision to shift here as it affords them greater democracy in settling disputes,” Ms. Binay said.

House bill filed on stiffer penalties against flying voters

By Charmaine A. Tadalan, Reporter
A BILL imposing stiffer penalties on “flying voters” has been filed at the House of Representatives ahead of the midterm elections in 2019.
House Bill 8371, authored by Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers of the second district of Surigao del Norte, proposes to sanction violators with a fine ranging from P100,000 to P1 million and imprisonment of 6 to 12 years.
The penalties will be imposed on individuals who provide false information on an application for voter’s registration as well as on registering anew without cancelling a previous registration.
“Flying voters, as they are locally known, are those who are registered in multiple precincts and are used by politicians to get more votes,” Mr. Barbers said in the explanatory note of the bill.
“In order to systematically stop this practice, higher and stiffer penalties must be imposed to institute this election reform,” he added.
The measure will introduce the provisions to section 264 of the Omnibus Election Code, which currently only penalizes violators of election offense with 1 to 6 years of imprisonment, disqualification and a fine of up to P10,000.
Further, Mr. Barbers also filed House Bill 8372, which will mandate applicants to register one year before a regular election instead of 120 days; and 6 months before a special election, instead of 90 days.
“These bills will give the COMELEC (Commission on Election) ample time to check the legitimacy of the voter’s information and to clean up the COMELEC’s voters list,” he said in a statement, Sunday.
“It’s about time we ensure the veracity and efficiency of our voting processes. And through these legislations, I hope honest and clean politics will soon prevail,” Mr. Barbers also said.

SC denies Jinggoy Estrada’s petition vs AMLC inquiry in plunder case

By Vann Marlo M. Villegas
THE Supreme Court (SC) dismissed a petition by Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” E. Estrada to prohibit the Sandiganbayan resolution including in his plunder case a report by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on his alleged involvement in the 2013 pork-barrel scam.
In a statement last Saturday, the SC cited a previous decision affirming an ex parte application for a bank inquiry by the AMLC. The high court also said Mr. Estrada’s bail as granted by the Sandiganbayan renders his petition “moot and academic.”
“Considering that the resolutions assailed trace their roots to the bail hearing of Estrada, the aforementioned conclusions of the Sandiganbayan relevant to his bail application, and the eventual grant of bail to him have rendered his petition for certiorari, prohibition and mandamus moot and academic,” the Court said.
“There is no question that whenever the issues have become moot and academic, there ceases to be any justiciable controversy, such that the resolution of the issues no longer have any practical value. In effect, the Court can no longer grant substantial relief to which the petitioner may be entitled. Hence, the Court should abstain from expressing its opinion in a case where no legal relief is needed or called for,” it added.
In his petition, Mr. Estrada and his wife, Ma. Presentacion Vitug Ejercito, claimed that the filing of an ex parte application to inquire into bank transactions violates his rights to due process and to privacy.
The SC also upheld that AMLC’s inquiry into bank accounts are not “undertaken whimsically” based on its investigative discretion, as the AMLC and the Court of Appeals are required to determine the existence of probable cause before the issuance of any bank inquiry order.
The SC said the ALMC found that Mr. Estrada had transferred “substantial sums of money to the account of his wife on the dates relevant to the Pork Barrel Scam.”
Due to the lack of apparent “legal or economic justifications,” the AMLC concluded that the accounts could be linked to plunder which led the councilto file an ex parte application for inquiry into Mr. Estrada’s bank accounts.
Mr. Estrada was charged with plunder in 2013, in connection with the alleged misuse or diversion of his Priority Development Assistance Fund in connivance with alleged pork-barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles. He was arrested in 2014 and detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center.
In 2017, he was granted bail worth P1.33 million by the Sandiganbayan special fifth division.
In July, the SC upheld the Office of the Ombudsman’s findings of probable cause against Mr. Estrada for his alleged involvement in the pork-barrel scam.

SSS opens calamity loan fund for Ompong-hit areas

THE SOCIAL Security System (SSS) announced yesterday that it has allocated P1.61 billion for the calamity assistance program (CAP) for more than a million of its active members and pensioners who were affected by the typhoon Mangkhut (local name: Ompong) last month.
In a statement, the state pension fund said it started offering last Oct. 5 the calamity loan, an advance three-month pension, and direct house repair and improvement loan for the affected members.
“SSS recognizes that a large number of members residing in Luzon area are currently struggling to recover from the devastation of Super Typhoon Ompong,” SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel F. Dooc was quoted in the statement.
Qualified members and pensioners who can avail of the CAP are those who reside or have a property in calamity-stricken areas identified by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The provinces include Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales.
The maximum loan amount is P16,000 for those who are paying contributions based on the maximum monthly salary credit.
To qualify, members should also have 36 monthly contributions, six of which must have been made 12 months prior to the application date.
However, members who are still paying a loan balance under the loan restructuring program and previous calamity loans, as well as those with final benefit claims, are not qualified for the CAP.
SSS identified 80,000 potential borrowers with an average monthly salary credit of P10,000, out of the more than 800,000 paying members who were affected by typhoon Ompong.
“The calamity loans are more affordable and has flexible payment terms, which are payable in two years in equal monthly installments with interest rate of 10% per annum,” Mr. Dooc said. “We have also waived the one percent service fee to help reduce the applicant’s expenses.”
Members outside the country can also apply for the program by issuing an authorization letter to their representatives.
Aside from the calamity loan, members with damaged homes can apply for the direct house repair and improvement loan program which carry interest rates of only 8% annually for loan amount up to P450,000, while loans between P450,000-P1 million have a 9% interest rate per annum.
Pensioners can also avail of their pension for three months in advance.
Filing of calamity loan and advance pension is until Jan. 4, 2019, while home repair loan applications can be submitted until Oct. 4, 2019.
Ompng, the strongest typhoon to hit the country so far this year, caused almost P7 billion in infrastructure damages, based on the partial estimate of the Department of Public Works and Highways on Sept. 25.
SSS is also offering the CAP to members affected by other typhoons and monsoon rains that struck the country earlier this year. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Brace for worse traffic congestion as more infra works start

MOTORISTS AND commuters should expect even heavier traffic in the coming days with road closures in several parts of congested Metro Manila for infrastructure projects that started over the weekend, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said. The U-Turn slot in Commonwealth Avenue was closed last Oct. 5 to give way to the construction of the abutment station of the Metro Rail Transit 7 (MRT-7). The closure will last for two months. “Please bear with us. This is one of the projects under the Build, Build, Build program, one of the government’s long term solutions to address traffic in the metro,” said MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo S. Garcia, Jr. in a press briefing Friday. On the other, Mr. Garcia said several infrastructure projects in the capital have been completed while others are nearing completion, in time for the Christmas holiday rush. The southbound bridge of Concordia Bridge was opened on Oct. 4, while the 10-kilometer Laguna Lake Highway from Bicutan to, an alternative route to C% and EDSA, is expected to be completed before the year ends. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Cordillera starts drafting post-Ompong rehabilitation plan

A COMPREHENSIVE Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) is now being finalized by the Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera Administrative Region (OCD-CAR), which will be used for the rehabilitation and recovery plan for areas devastated by typhoon Ompong (international name: Mangkhut) in mid-Sept. The Regional Development Council, in a statement, said the recovery plan covers infrastructure, social services, settlement, livelihood, and agriculture. Government agencies and local government units had until Oct. 7 to submit damage reports and recovery plan inputs. The consolidated program will be led by OCD-CAR and the regional office of the National Economic and Development Authority. As of Sept. 28, OCD reported that the typhoon affected 100,204 families with 390,819 individuals across the region. The death toll reached 114, of which 94 were in Itogon where a major landslide occurred. Around 3,258 families in Itogon are in need of permanent relocation. Damage to agriculture and fisheries, including irrigation, stood at P5.92 billion, while damage to public infrastructure was P3.51 billion. OCD-CAR Regional Director Ruben L. Carandang said evacuation centers are among the most urgent needs. He asked the provincial and municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (DRRMC) to submit a list of buildings or lots that are potential evacuation sites. He said, “We need to locate where to place the evacuees, not just schools because the education of the children will be affected.” The result of the PDNA and the rehabilitation a plan will be submitted to the national DRRMC for funding.

‘Great Wall’ of Leyte done by 2019, says DPWH

THE NEW Leyte Embankment Project, which has also been dubbed as the Leyte “Great Wall”, is expected to be completed by 2019, a year ahead of the original schedule, according to the Department of Works and Highways (DPWH). In a statement on Oct. 5, the agency said the 27.3 kilometer barrier spanning the cities Tacloban, Palo, and Tanuan will serve as the “first line of defense against storm surge such as what happened during the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.” The project involves a four-meter-high seawall structure with concrete pavement, railings, ramps, and street lights. DPWH said the structure is now 40% complete. Three other major projects in the province are also targeted for completion by next year. These are: Mahaplag-Hilongos Road; Ormoc City Diversion Road; and the Tacloban City By-Pass Road along with its extension component.

Tagum Freedom Park

An architect’s perspective of Tagum City’s Freedom Park after it undergoes improvement work through a P14.6-million fund under the Department of Budget and Management’s ‘Green, Green, Green’ Program for developing more public open spaces. A walkway link to the Rotary Park will be built later on as part of what the City Architect’s Office call as the “City Walk.”

Davao mayor says no to teachers’ P406-M subsidy request

MAYOR Sara Duterte-Carpio (R) speaks to members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Davao City in front of the city hall after last week’s flag-raising ceremony. — CARMENCITA A. CARILLO

DAVAO CITY Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has turned down the demand of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-Davao City Chapter for a P406 million annual subsidy from the local government, covering 11,959 teaching and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd). The amount translates to a P2,000 monthly cash subsidy and P2,500 quarterly rice subsidy for the DepEd employees. “At this point it is impossible to allot P406 million to DepEd teaching and non-teaching personnel alone,” Ms Carpio said in a interview, noting that there is no basis in law for the local government unit to provide such assistance to national government employees, specifically the DepEd. The mayor also pointed out that subsidies to DepEd workers are likewise not allowed under the Special Education Fund. “But as I told them I am willing to find a win-win solution between their proposal and capacity of the city government. I explained that the city government employees don’t have allowances beyond what they receive as mandated by law and no rice subsidies too,” she said. The mayor asked the ACT officers to submit another proposal, but not P406 million which is “too high”, before the annual budget deadline on Oct. 15. ACT-Davao City President Reynaldo S. Pardillo, meanwhile, acknowledged that the mayor is correct in saying that the Special Education Fund cannot be used for subsidies. However, he said “the allowance can certainly be charged to the city’s General Fund like in the case of Quezon City and 21 other cities in the country.” Mr. Pardillo said they will submit another proposal and he is hoping to have a dialogue with the local officials to discuss what is “doable” for the city. — Carmencita A. Carillo

Nation at a Glance — (10/08/18)

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

From the Front Page: Inflation, ‘third telco’, PH manufacturing tops region

Amid surging inflation, a weakening peso, and the growing trade gap, Restituto C. Cruz, assistant governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, says the nation is still well-positioned to sustain robust economic growth. According to the assistant governor, these issues are simply “growing pains” for the domestic economy and should potential risks materialize, “the Philippines has ample policy space to respond.”
Meanwhile, the World Bank became the third multilateral lender to downgrade its 2018 economic growth forecast for the Philippines, citing heightened external uncertainties and surging local inflation. GDP growth, however, was forecasted to accelerate in the second half of 2018 and in 2019, as election-related spending kicks in. The World Bank’s estimated 6.5% GDP growth is still below the government’s annual target of 7-8%.
In other news, the Department of Information and Communications Technology announced the final timetable for the selection of the country’s long-awaited ‘third telco’. Selection documents can be purchased for P1 million starting Monday (Oct. 8), while the deadline for submission and opening of bids are pegged for Nov. 7.
The Philippine manufacturing sector topped the region, with a Nikkei Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of 52, beating out the 50.5 regional average as well as close competitors Malaysia and Vietnam (both tied at 51.5). PMI readings above 50 indicate business condition improvements, while readings below 50 signal deterioration. The monthly IHS Markit survey attributed this growth to robust domestic consumption, a rise in new orders, and “upbeat business confidence.” The Philippines last topped the region in December last year.
According to a survey conducted among executives of 114 local banks, the local banking industry is expected to remain stable over the next two years, with lenders planning to implement new fintech tools to increase digital operations and improve customer service. Of the bank executives who took part in the poll, 66.7% said they see the industry remaining stable in the next two years, while one-third expect the sector to grow “even stronger.”

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