DFA coordinating with Saudi Arabia in inquiry on hit-and-run death of OFW

June 26, 2018 | 9:30 pm

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said it has coordinated with Saudi authorities in investigating the death of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was hit by a vehicle on June 12.
“We extend our deepest sympathy with the family of our kababayan who died a few days ago from injuries he sustained in a hit-and-run accident in Jeddah,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said in a statement.
The Philippine Consulate in Jeddah said it has asked Saudi authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the 51-year-old construction worker from Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, following allegations of his employer’s negligence.
Consul-General Edgar B. Badajos said the OFW died from injuries he sustained four days after he was struck by a vehicle last June 12. He added that the Philippine Consulate will also inquire with the hospital where the OFW died to determine if the employer extended all possible assistance to keep him alive. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

Senators weigh in on drug testing for elected officials

June 26, 2018 | 9:29 pm

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
SENATORS on Tuesday supported proposals for elected officials to undergo mandatory drug testing.
In a text message to reporters, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said he has been calling for such action and recalled including such provisions in Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
“SC (Supreme Court) shot it down. I placed in the law a drug test for all candidates for all public offices but it was declared unconstitutional. No need for a law. We can use some provisions of RA 9165 to urge public officials for drug testing,” he said.
For their part, Senators Antonio F. Trillanes IV, Joel J. Villanueva, Francis G. Escudero, and Sherwin T. Gatchalian also expressed support for the proposal. Mr. Trillanes said President Rodrigo R. Duterte should be the first government official to undergo drug testing.
“I’m okay with that. And Duterte himself should be the first (to undergo drug testing) because it seems like he’s on drugs when he speaks and thinks,” Mr. Trillanes said in a text message to reporters.
“Public office is a public trust. Even in penalties, we should have stiffer penalties as public officials,” Mr. Villanueva said in a text message to reporters.
“Since we are strict with the anti-drugs campaign, we should be leading. We can take it from the President all the way down to the kagawads that we make it mandatory before assumption of office,” Mr. Gatchalian told reporters on Monday at the Senate headquarters in Pasay City.
However, Senator Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III said the government should focus instead on going after those who manufacture or import illegal drugs.
“Go after these big shots….The effort should be to go after these syndicates and big time people involved in the illegal drug trade. Attack the supply of drugs,” he said in a text message to reporters.
The SC in 2008 declared unconstitutional the provisions of RA 9165 requiring mandatory drug testing for candidates vying for national and local elective posts.
The law provides mandatory drug testing only to driver’s license applicants, firearms license and permit to carry firearms applicants, as well as the military, the police and other law enforcers. Random drug testing may be conducted among students in secondary and tertiary schools as well as officers and employees in public and private offices.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers, who heads the House committee on dangerous drugs, earlier said elected officials should also undergo mandatory testing aside from elementary students. He said test results should be released to the public. Government officials who tested positive should also be removed from their positions.

The pros and cons of stealing fine art

June 26, 2018 | 9:28 pm

Ten days ago, a Banksy print valued at about $40,000 was stolen from a Canadian exhibit of the artist’s work. It was a seemingly effortless crime—a man walked in, took the work off the wall, and walked out—but then, most art crimes are. The heavy lifting comes later.
“The main rule is that it’s not that hard to steal art, even from museums, but it’s almost impossible to translate that art into cash,” says Noah Charney, a scholar and author who’s published multiple books on art theft. Paintings can be quickly cut out of frames, and small sculptures can be tucked into bags—even jewelry can be secreted away—but finding a buyer for your art or diamonds is often impossible.
“Criminals don’t understand that, because their knowledge of art crime is based on fiction and films,” Charney says.
There are exceptions, of course, including a much-reported theft from March 2017 when four men from an Arabic-Kurdish crime family in Germany broke into Berlin’s Bode Museum and stole a 221-pound gold coin made by the Canadian Mint. Using DNA testing, the German police managed to hunt down and arrest the men in less than four months (one of them had worked as a security guard in the museum), but the coin was long gone.
The theft was notable, not just because the perpetrators were caught—a rarity in itself—but because they’d allegedly managed to sell what they stole for a significant sum of money.
If art thieves knew how hard it really was to sell the art they’d stolen, Charney says, there would almost certainly be far fewer art thefts.
The Good News (If You’re a Thief)
“We’re very bad at catching art thieves,” says Charney. “We have a very low recovery and prosecution rate: Something like 1.5 percent of cases of art theft see the art recovered and the criminal prosecuted.”
So, should a thief have a buyer waiting in the wings, or simply want a painting or art object for himself, there’s a very good chance he’ll get away with it. Add to that the cachet of being an art thief (“Art’s always been associated with the social elite, so it’s an aspirational thing” to take, Charney explains), and stealing art seems like a pretty good deal.
The Bad News
If you don’t have a buyer before you steal the work, you’re in trouble.
“People assume that they’ll find criminal art collectors,” Charney says, “when in fact, we have very few historical examples—maybe a dozen to 20 who fit the bill.” Keep in mind that many hundreds of art objects are stolen every year. Those, needless to say, are bad odds.
The Worse News
“When people don’t find those criminal buyers, they end up offering stolen stuff to people who look like the criminals they’re expecting to find,” Charney says. “And those people always end up being undercover police.”
In other words, people often steal art thinking they can sell it, realize that it’s not so easy (if it were, everyone who wanted to be a legitimate art dealer would be rich), end up doing a low-key but obviously indiscreet marketing effort to attempt to sell the art, and get caught.
Even if criminals aren’t desperate enough to start hawking their wares to strangers, once they discover that there isn’t a large group of shady businessmen willing to spend “whatever it takes” for a mediocre landscape painting, they fall back on a Plan B: “The backup plan is to ransom it back to the victim, or the insurance company,” Charney explains.
But given that this tactic is a clear sign of desperation, the victim/insurance company is in an almost unassailable negotiating position, which results, at least historically, in the ransom being reported to the police and the criminal getting caught.
“There really is no Plan B,” Charney says. “Unless it’s gold.”
And that leads us to the only real solution for thieves: steal something you can turn into something else, like the gold coin in Berlin. Charney cites the 2004 theft of a bronze sculpture by Henry Moore, valued at about 3 million pounds ($3.98 million).
The sculpture weighed about two tons, “and it was almost certainly chopped up and melted down, then converted to ball bearings,” Charney says. Hertfordshire police determined it was cut up on the night of the heist, moved through various scrap dealers, and shipped abroad. The raw material was worth just about 1,500 pounds.
This might seem like a raw deal to most, but Charney says you should look at it from the thieves’ perspective: “They’re going to say, I worked for three hours in one night and got 1,500 pounds.”
In the case of the Berlin coin theft, the thieves were in a similar position with a much more valuable commodity than bronze. Police suspect that the group melted the coin down and sold the gold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Of course, that’s a fraction of its intact cultural value,” Charney says. “There’s almost never been a criminal who knew about, or cared about, art.” — Bloomberg

How to fly the world’s best business class for less than coach

June 26, 2018 | 9:28 pm

On such airlines as Emirates and Singapore, you have to book into lavish first-class cabins to get enclosed suites, made-to-order meals, and name-brand pajamas. On others, these top-end perks exist one notch down, in business.
Airlines such as Qatar Airways and Delta are installing next-generation suite-style seats in that tier; American and United pamper passengers with hotel-style bedding; and still others, like Air France and Japan Airlines, serve menus created by locally renowned chefs.
Sometimes, that level of service is reflected in the airfare, with transoceanic business-class tickets topping $10,000 in some cases. But if you have airline miles or credit-card points that transfer to frequent-flier programs, they’re bookable for less than the cost of a coach seat. Here’s how to do just that for the best business-class cabins in the skies.
1. Qatar Airways QSuites
Why you want to fly it: Back in March 2017, Qatar Airways Co. was the first airline to install suite-style seats with retractable doors in business class, when it introduced its innovative QSuites. Certain seats can be combined into double beds or four-person socializing spaces for passengers who are traveling together; good sleep is basically guaranteed, thanks to quilted mattresses and full-sized pillows, plus pajamas from the White Co. and Do Not Disturb indicators on the suite doors.
Find the QSuites on some of the airline’s flights, from Doha to Chicago O’Hare, Houston, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Seoul, and Shanghai.
How to book it for less than coach: Redeeming miles through Qatar’s own Privilege Club frequent-flier program isn’t the best way to book a QSuite—not since the carrier raised award prices in May. Instead, pay for your seat with American Airlines Inc. AAdvantage miles, British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or other OneWorld alliance currencies. American Airlines Inc. might be the best of the bunch: It charges just 70,000 miles each way to fly business between the U.S. and Doha. But start your search for available seats by using the award search on Qantas’s or British Airways’ sites—they’re more user-friendly.
Caveats: Qatar’s long-haul fleet is somewhat inconsistent, so double check the type of aircraft and the seat map on your flight to make sure the plane features the new suites.
2. Delta One Suites
Why you want to fly it: Like Qatar’s QSuites, Delta Air Lines Inc.’s new business-class cabin, called Delta One, features closing suite doors and do-not-disturb lights. Its seats also have memory foam cushions, customizable lighting settings, and Tumi amenity kits stocked with Kiehl’s products. The meals—created by such prominent American chefs as Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo—are presented on Alessi serviceware. Find the suites on Delta’s A350s flying from Detroit to Amsterdam, Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo Narita, or from Atlanta to Seoul. Coming soon: routes from Los Angeles to Shanghai and Detroit to Beijing.
How to book it for less than coach: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest—offering plenty of options for adding miles to your account. You can search and book Delta awards right on Virgin’s site, and the program charges only 50,000 miles each way between the U.S. and Europe; getting to Asia takes just 10,000 miles more.
Caveats: The cheapest award tickets, called “saver-level” seats, are extremely scarce in Delta’s suites. If you find one, book immediately.
3. American Airlines
Why you want to fly it: Not only has American upgraded its soft amenities, adding plush Casper bedding and menus by James Beard Award-winning chef Maneet Chauhan, the airline has also done a good job at standardizing premium cabins across its long-haul fleet. This means that, despite such small variations as rear-facing seats on Boeing 787-8s and some 777-200s, you’ll almost always get direct-aisle access, plenty of privacy (from a 26-inch-wide or 27-inch-wide seat), and seats that recline into 79-inch-long beds.
How to book it for less than coach: American AAdvantage miles are your best (and practically your only) choice here. How many you’ll need depends on where you’re flying: Budget 57,500 from the U.S. to Europe or South America, and up to 80,000 to get to the South Pacific or Australia.
Caveats: The only transfer partner for American is Starwood Preferred Guest, which makes it difficult to rack up miles for awards. A co-branded credit card can help.
4. United Polaris
Why you want to fly it: The long-awaited Polaris business-class concept has been rolling out—very slowly—since June 2016, featuring deluxe Saks Fifth Avenue bedding on 78-inch-long seats, cooling gel pillows, and Soho House Cowshed Spa amenity kits. Now the brand is promising to pick up the pace on refitting its long-haul fleet with the new seats; so far, they’re available on routes from San Francisco and Newark, including those to Frankfurt, Tokyo Narita, and Tel Aviv.
How to book it for less than coach: United Airlines Inc.’s MileagePlus program is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards (and also Starwood, but at an unfavorable transfer rate); expect to pay 60,000 miles each way from the U.S. to Europe, or 70,000-75,000 miles to Asia, depending on where you are traveling to. Another approach is redeeming miles from All Nippon Airways’ Mileage Club or Air Canada’s Aeroplan program—both of which are American Express and Starwood transfer partners—for awards on United.
Caveats: Cross-checking your seat map before booking is critical, as availability is still highly limited. So far, Polaris has been installed only on 17 Boeing 777-300ERs, eight 767s, and three 777-200s.
5. Japan Airlines Sky Suites
Why you want to fly it: The Apex Suite, a standardized business-class cabin, can be purchased and installed by any airline. Despite that convenience—and the extreme comfort it offers to travelers, with privacy partitions between seats, industry-leading entertainment systems, and a staggered cabin layout—few airlines have yet to roll it out. Find it on most of Japan Airlines Co.’s long-haul Boeing 777-300ERs and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners; the carrier has enhanced the standard Apex design with breathable Airweave mattress pads and menus by acclaimed Japanese chefs.
How to book it for less than coach: JAL’s Mileage Bank program is a transfer partner of Starwood Preferred Guest and charges a mere 85,000-100,000 miles round-trip from the U.S. to Japan. It costs marginally more—60,000 miles each way—to book through partners, such as American and Alaska Airlines.
Caveats: Japan Airlines tends to open up premium award space on its flights within two weeks of departure, which works well only for flexible travelers. Also be wary of outdated aircraft: Some Boeing 787-8s don’t even have seats that fully flatten.
6. Air France
Why you want to fly it: They’re not brand-new—Air France-KLM SA’s Air France unit introduced its latest business class seats in 2014—but the carrier’s lie-flat, blue-white-and-red seats offer a truly French experience from gate to gate. Passengers are treated to Clarins amenity kits and noise-canceling headphones, and meals come courtesy of such celebrated Parisian chefs as Bocuse d’Or-winner Michel Roth.
How to book it for less than coach: Flying Blue, Air France and KLM’s mileage program, recently introduced dynamic pricing on award tickets, so redemption values are constantly in flux. Compare the rates to those with transfer partners American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest to find the best deal.
Caveats: Even though the “new” business-class cabin seats have been around for a while, they’re not yet universal. Avoid flights on Airbus A330s, A340s, and A380s, which aren’t up to date.
7. Singapore Airlines
Why you want to fly it: It’s famous for its standard-setting first-class cabins, but Singapore Airlines Ltd. is no slouch when it comes to business class, either. For those on some of the world’s longest flights—including its forthcoming 18-hour, 45-minute Newark-Singapore route—this means 28-inch-wide seats that recline into lie-flat beds and a menu of 60 entrée options.
How to book it for less than coach: Singapore’s own KrisFlyer mileage program is by far the easiest way to book business class awards on the airline—though partners such as United and Air Canada have lately been offering some availability. If you’re using KrisFlyer, you can transfer miles from American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest; you’ll need roughly 90,000 miles each way from the U.S. to Singapore.
Caveats: You can “Waitlist” yourself for currently unavailable awards on the KrisFlyer site, but it’s a gamble; to take advantage of the feature, you have to transfer enough points into your KrisFlyer account to book a seat that’s by no means guaranteed. (The odds of getting off the waitlist, however, are better than you’d think.)
8. Etihad Studio
Why you want to fly it: Etihad Airways’ three-room Residences get all the attention, but the airline’s A380s and 787-9 Dreamliners also stand out for their “studios.” These generously appointed business-class seats all have direct access to the aisle, with rows that alternately face forward and backward. Highlights include 18-inch seatback screens, sculptural light fixtures, city-specific amenity kits, and dinner service on demand.
How to book it for less than coach: Transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, or Starwood Preferred Guest into Etihad Guest, then book for about 100,000-120,000 miles in each direction from the U.S. to Abu Dhabi. Redeeming via American Airlines AAdvantage can be more affordable but requires additional legwork; it costs 70,000 miles each way and is best booked by calling the company’s Australian help desk, which has a better track record at finding Etihad availability.
Caveats: Expect high taxes and fees on Etihad Guest award tickets—about $200 in each direction. — Bloomberg

Lawmaker: Anti-Sereno SC justices should decline JBC nominations

June 26, 2018 | 9:28 pm

AN opposition lawmaker on Tuesday said Supreme Court justices who voted to oust Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno should inhibit themselves from nominations for the next chief justice.
Albay Representative Edcel C. Lagman said in a statement the justices “must decline their respective nominations for the vacant post of Chief Magistrate.”
“They must not profit from their controversial adverse decision against Sereno,” he said.
The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has begun the nominations, adding that the five most senior associate justices are automatically nominated.
Acting Chief Justice Antonio T. Carpio and Associate Justices Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr., Teresita L. de Castro, Diosdado M. Peralta, and Lucas P. Bersamin make up the initial roster of nominees.
Ms. de Castro and Messrs. Bersamin and Peralta were among those who voted to oust Ms. Sereno in the quo warranto case filed by Solicitor-General Jose C. Calida.
JBC said the nominations are still subject to a written acknowledgement by the said justices due on July 26. Mr. Carpio had earlier said in an interview with ANC he would decline his nomination.
But on Tuesday, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in a statement said it will nominate Mr. Carpio.
“Carpio is the most senior of all incumbent justices in the Supreme Court and is (the) most qualified to lead and manage the Supreme Court and the entire Philippine judiciary,” IBP president Abdiel Dan E.S. Fajardo said. — Charmaine A. Tadalan and Dane Angelo M. Enerio

HRW says ‘anti-loitering’ crackdown has vestiges of martial law

June 26, 2018 | 9:27 pm

ADVOCACY GROUP Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday called on the police to end its “anti-loitering” crackdown, which it said evoked “memories of arbitrary police targeting of the urban poor during the 1972-1981 martial law period under the late President Ferdinand (E.) Marcos.”
“The Philippine National Police are conducting a ‘crime prevention’ campaign that essentially jails low-income Filipinos for being in public,” Deputy Asia Director Phelim Kine of the New York City-based HRW, said in a statement released on June 26.
“The great majority of those arrested are known as ‘tambays,’ shirtless men who congregate on city streets in poorer neighborhoods, often drinking alcohol in public,” Mr. Kine noted.
He also said that, “There are indications that the police enforcement of the ‘anti-loitering’ campaign is arbitrarily enraging Filipinos who are lawfully on the streets at night” and “[t]ypically, they are not brought before a judge, but detained for a period and then released, though sometimes criminal charges are brought.”
“The Philippine National Police are again demonstrating their preference for wielding fear, intimidation, and arbitrary arrest to target vulnerable communities rather than respect for the rule of law,” he said.
HOUSE PROBE
Meanwhile, the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives has filed a resolution calling for the urgent probe on the death of Genesis “Tisoy” Argoncillo while in police custody following his arrest under the anti-loitering operation.
House Resolution 1971, dated June 26, also proposes to conduct an inquiry on President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s verbal order that prompted the campaign.
“A congressional inquiry is necessary to probe the arrest, detention and killing of ‘Tisoy’ as well as the ‘Anti-Tambay’ verbal order and police operations,” the solons said in the resolution.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate said he hopes that the death of Mr. Argoncillo would be the beginning of serving justice for the victims of not only the anti-loitering campaign, but also of the drug war.
“Ang pangalan ni Tisoy ay Genesis Argoncillo, ang genesis ibig sabihin beginning o simula. So ito sana ang simula, sana ang sakripisyo ng buhay ni Tisoy ay simula ng pagbibigay ng hustisya sa lahat ng mga biktima ng walang katuturang pagpatay sa ilalim ng administrasyong ito (Tisoy’s name is Genesis, which means the beginning. So, we hope this would be the start, the life of Tisoy could be the start of serving justice to all the victims of senseless killings under this administration),” Mr. Zarate told reporters in an interview on Tuesday.
The congressmen on Monday filed a separate resolution seeking investigation on the PNP’s operation that led to the arrest of about 7,291 alleged vagrants.
A similar resolution for a Senate inquiry has also been filed. — Dane Angelo M. Enerio and Charmaine A. Tadalan

Peak Japan: Hello Kitty bullet train debuts this week

June 26, 2018 | 9:26 pm

Tokyo — Resplendent in shocking pink, a sleek “Hello Kitty” bullet train, complete with special carriages festooned with images of the global icon from Japan, has been unveiled before it chugs into service this week.
The special shinkansen or bullet train will run for the next three months between the western cities of Osaka and Fukuoka from Saturday, the West Japan Railway firm said, hoping that one of the country’s most famous exports will boost tourism.
Passengers will be in left in no doubt what train they are on, with Hello Kitty smiling down from the shades of every window and adorning every passenger seat cover.

This handout picture taken on June 25, 2018 and released by West Japan Railway on June 26, 2018 shows the interior of a Shinkansen train adorned with images of popular character Hello Kitty, at the Hakata car maintenance center in Fukuoka prefecture. One car will feature a “life-sized Hello Kitty doll” — the character is “five apples” tall, according to creator Sanrio — so fans can take selfies, a West Japan Railway spokesman told AFP.

Another car will have no passenger seats but offer regional specialities, including a selection of goods and foods, in a bid to boost the local economy and tourism.
Hello Kitty, the mouthless character, has spawned a multi-billion-dollar industry since Sanrio introduced it in 1974.
It adorns everything from pencil cases and pyjamas to double-decker buses and airliners. — AFP

Bohol looks forward to economic ‘multiplier effect’ of new airport

June 26, 2018 | 9:26 pm

BOHOL GOVERNOR Edgar M. Chatto is enthusiastic about the opening of the new international airport in Panglao in August, seeing it as a major catalyst for the province’s economic development. “The new Panglao International Airport is a game changer for Bohol’s growth and development that we have long been waiting for,” Mr. Chatto told The Freeman in a phone interview Monday. “Multiplier effects in the economy are expected with positive impact on increased tourism arrivals, investments in tourism, agriculture, ICT (information and communications technology), light manufacturing, health care and education,” he added. — The Freeman
>> See full story on https://goo.gl/E2MQ9B

Damaged bridge

June 26, 2018 | 9:25 pm

THE Otis Bridge in Paco, Manila has been temporarily closed to vehicular traffic effective Tuesday morning as authorities check on the extent of the damage and structural integrity. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has issued an advisory for motorists to take alternate routes. In a press statement, MMDA said the structure “will undergo replacement that may take at least nine months to a year.”

Military says no rift with police seen after Samar jungle patrol incident

June 26, 2018 | 9:24 pm

THE MILITARY’S Central Command Spokesperson Colonel Medel M. Aguilar yesterday said the 27 soldiers involved in the accidental shooting of police officers in Samar have been placed under camp restriction and disarmed. Mr. Aguilar, in an interview with the media, also said the incident is not foreseen to create a rift between the military and the police, and that it will be taken as an opportunity to improve operations. Troops tracking communist guerrillas have mistakenly killed six policemen and wounded nine other officers who were also on jungle patrol last Monday. The army said it had launched an investigation into the incident, while the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of National Defense will also conduct a probe. “It was a vegetated, jungle area and you could not see through the (men’s) positions,” Captain Francis R. Agno, spokesman for the army division involved in the 30-minute firefight, told AFP. The police said their colleagues were also on patrol in the area near the town of Santa Rita, which neighbors Villareal town, about 550 kilometers southeast of Manila. — The Freeman and AFP

De Lima calls for probe on rights abuses under Mindanao martial law

June 26, 2018 | 9:23 pm

SENATOR LEILA M. De Lima has filed a resolution seeking an investigation into alleged human rights abuses in Mindanao committed under martial law. Senate Resolution No. 768, filed on June 21, cited the reports of human rights organizations Amnesty International and Karapatan documenting the alleged abuses by government forces and the terrorist Maute group. “We are faced with an ironic situation wherein what should have been used as an opportunity to bring peace and order in Mindanao is used as an opportunity to even violate our constitutionally-guaranteed human rights and international humanitarian law,” Ms. De Lima said in a statement Tuesday. President Rodrigo R. Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23, 2017 after government forces clashed with the Maute group in Marawi City. Congress later granted the President’s request for a martial law extension until December 2018. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

Zamboanga regional council committee calls for suspension of fuel excise tax

June 26, 2018 | 9:22 pm

THE ECONOMIC development committee (EDC) of the Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Development Council (RDC-9) has passed a resolution urging President Rodrigo R. Duterte to suspend the imposition of the excise tax on petroleum products and coal. EDC Chairperson Pedro Rufo N. Soliven said during the group’s recent meeting in Isabela City, Basilan that the May inflation rate of 4.6% is largely due to the excise tax on petroleum products and coal under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law that took effect in January. “Under this act, fuel products such as gasoline will be levied additional excise tax,” Mr. Soliven said in an e-mail message forwarded to BusinessWorld. This, he added, “resulted in spike increases of prices in other basic commodities.” Mr. Soliven, also the president of the Zamboanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc., pointed out that the EDC resolution has “legal basis in Section 5 of the revenue Regulation No. 2-2018, for the period covering 2018 to 2020. Earlier, the Southern Philippines Deep Sea Fishing Association Inc. also warned of a price increase for canned sardines in the market following the power rate hike in the city brought about by the implementation of the TRAIN law. — Albert F. Arcilla