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Reassigning Bangsamoro seats ‘problematic’

Philippine President Benigno Aquino (C) applauds as Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal (2nd L) shakes hands with Senate President Franklin Drilon (2nd R) during the turnover ceremony of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) at the presidential palace in Manila September 10, 2014. — REUTERS

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter

REDISTRIBUTING the Bangsamoro Parliament seats could take time and delay the elections next year after the Supreme Court ruled Sulu is not part of the region, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Thursday.

“Our commitment really is that despite all of this, we will proceed with the elections,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia told a Senate budget hearing. “If they (Bangsamoro) manage to complete their seat redistribution on time, we can always make the adjustments in our resolution.”

“But if we are going to wait, then there could be problems. We have already adjusted the filing of the certificates of candidacy to Nov. 4-9 because we need to finalize the list of candidates by Dec.15,” he added.

This will be the first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Mr. Garcia said the seven seats originally allotted for Sulu province in the 2025 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections would become vacant after the high court’s ruling.

Under the law, the Bangsamoro Parliament must have 80 seats. Out of the 80, 40 will be nominated by political parties, 32 for parliamentary districts, and eight for sectoral districts selected by assemblies.

After Sulu was excluded, only 25 seats will be allotted for parliamentary districts.

“It is in our honest opinion that we could proceed… with the elections,” he told senators in mixed English and Filipino. “It was not stated that the 80 should be filled.”

Eighty seats for the entire Bangsamoro Parliament were originally up for grabs, seven of which were allotted for Sulu.

But the high court on Sept. 9 ruled that Sulu is not part of the region because the province did not ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) President Ephraim B. Cortez said this could affect the peace process. “Because the government will surely negotiate with Bangsamoro, which has no authority to represent the people of Sulu,” he told BusinessWorld in a Viber chat. 

“This means that the [government] has to negotiate with two entities, the Bangsamoro and Sulu.”

He added that the Philippine government does not have to renegotiate with Sulu since it was part of peace talks.

“But there will be some complications in the implementation of, or compliance with, the terms of the peace agreement,” Mr. Cortez said.

Hansley A. Juliano, a political science professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said the Bangsamoro election must be held in accordance with the peace agreement.

Sulu faces economic challenges and might find it harder in dealing with neighboring Malaysia, he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

He also said losing Sulu means the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, with which the government signed a peace deal in 2014, would lose supporters from the province and could make it more vulnerable to competing dynastic and religious groups there.

“If Bangsamoro politics becomes ultimately unstable as well, it may also undermine the stability of the current governance framework there,” he added.

TRANSITION FUND
Meanwhile, Senator Francis N. Tolentino said the government should create a transition fund for Sulu to prevent disruptions in the delivery of basic services.

“Let your creative juices out of your mind to perhaps create a Sulu transition fund, at least for the major agencies and departments,” he told officials from the Budget and Interior and Local Government departments at a finance committee hearing.

He said Interior officials could set aside a small fund from their proposed 2025 budget for Sulu province to help ensure uninterrupted government services. “It’s small, but when you put it all together, it will be a big help,” he said in Filipino.

The Philippines will hold midterm elections for congressmen, mayors, vice mayors and members of city councils on May 12, 2025. Twelve of the 24-member Senate will also be replaced.

Bangsamoro, which is composed of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Tawi-Tawi, was created in 2018 to end decades-long conflict in Mindanao by creating a political body that enjoys more autonomy than the old autonomous region it replaced. — with John Victor D. Ordoñez

Fast-track rice shipment release, Customs told

REUTERS

A CONGRESSMAN on Thursday asked the Philippine customs and ports authorities to expedite the release of rice shipments in a bid to reduce retail price of rice products.

The Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) should hire more employees and implement a round-the-clock shifting to hasten the unloading of rice shipments amid logistical bottlenecks due to seaport congestion, Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee said in a statement.

“We need to work quickly and efficiently as every delay in unloading rice cargoes not only adds to costs but also worsens the situation for consumers, especially with inflation,” he said.

Headline inflation eased to 3.3% in August from 4.4% in July due to the slower rise in food and transport costs, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said last week.

In August, rice inflation slowed to 14.7% from 20.9% a month earlier. This was the lowest rice inflation since the 13.2% print in October last year.

Rice was the top contributor to the August inflation basket, accounting for 32.7% or 1.1 percentage points.

Shipments of rice stock take about “one to two weeks” to be cleared in Philippine ports, resulting in delays that further drive-up retail rice costs, Mr. Lee explained.

Instead of being released to markets quickly to increase supplies and lower rice prices, it has instead become even more expensive,” he said in Filipino, noting the retail effects of the port delays.

Retail prices of the staple grain range between P51 to P60 per kilo, according to the Agriculture department’s latest price monitoring bulletin.

Mr. Lee also pushed Congress to immediately pass House Bill (HB) No. 10426, a measure mandating a round-the-clock government service, which should help in addressing hiccups in the supply chain.

“We need all hands on deck. Increasing the workforce or having 24/7 operations will significantly reduce backlogs and lower the prices of rice,” he said. “A seamless supply chain system, including efficient port logistics, is crucial to ensuring food security and keeping prices affordable. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

23 dead from 2 PHL cyclones

PIXABAY

THE DEATH TOLL in the Philippines from the combined effects of a southwest monsoon and Tropical Depressions Gener and Bebinca (Ferdie) had risen to 23, according to its disaster agency.

Nine of the deaths were in the Mimaropa region, four each in Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in a report on Wednesday.

There were two deaths in Central Visayas, it added.

It said 15 people were also reported missing, 12 of whom were in Mimaropa, two in Zamboanga Peninsula and one in Western Visayas.

NDRRMC said 13 people had been injured — seven in Bangsamoro, three in Mimaropa, two in Soccsksargen, and one in Zamboanga Peninsula.

It said about half-a-million people from 298,633 families in 13 regions have been affected. More than 130,000 people were displaced, over 69,000 of whom were staying in evacuation centers.

The agency said 142 areas in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Soccsksargen and Bangsamoro regions had been flooded.

The state weather bureau in an 11 pm bulletin on Wednesday said Tropical Storm Pulasan (Helen) was already outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) and was crossing Japan’s Okinawa island.

NDRRMC said the combined effects of the southwest monsoon, Gener and Bebinca, affected 1,243 houses, 235 of which were destroyed. Initial damage climbed to P3.66 million from P1.81 million on Wednesday.

Damage to infrastructure had hit P2.40 million, it added. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Teacher expertise gap plan sought 

Students attend a class at the Commonwealth High School, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, April 18, 2024. — REUTERS

A PHILIPPINE senator has called on the government to come up with a roadmap that ensures public school educators’ qualifications after a study found that more than half are teaching subjects not aligned with their courses.

In a statement, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said about 62% of high school teachers are assigned to teach subjects they did not major in, based on data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II).

He said the hiring process for teachers needs to zero in on subject specialization and expertise to address these gaps in teacher qualifications.

Under the 2022 Excellence in Teacher Education Act, the Department of Education (DepEd) the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Professional Regulation Commission is tasked to boost teacher training through a roadmap equipping teachers with skills to improve student performance.

DepEd earlier said it is looking to hire about 26,000 teachers next year to close the gap in the country’s shortage of 46,000 educators to service 43,000 schools nationwide.

The agency’s proposed P793.177-billion budget next year has an allocation of P3.43 billion to hire employees for nonteaching positions which would ease the administrative load for teachers. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

House OKs Coast Guard bill

PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD PHOTO

THE House of Representatives on Thursday approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to give the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) P5 billion in yearly funding for its modernization amid growing sea tensions with China.

All 183 congressmen present voted for House Bill No. 10841, which also allows the PCG to receive loans and grants from local or foreign sources to boost modernization efforts.

This could fast-track its procurement of modern equipment.

The coast guard must draft a modernization plan by detailing the assets it needs to improve its operations, according to the measure.

The bill also defines coast guard positions and their pay grades. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

LGUs get P2B for ambulances

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday said his government had earmarked P2 billion for the purchase of 1,000 more ambulances for local government units (LGU) across the country.

He made the statement at the distribution of 52 ambulances to 51 local government units in Western Visayas.

These “state-of-the-art and reliable” ambulances will provide timely and safe transportation of patients to and from medical facilities, he said in a speech.

Each ambulance is equipped with a stretcher, oxygen tank and blood pressure monitor, among other medical equipment, the President said.

Mr. Marcos said the government has distributed 416 ambulances in all regions in the country except Metro Manila since July under the Medical Transport Vehicle Donation Program of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Under the program launched in 2019, the government donates ambulances to LGUs at the provincial, city, and municipal levels, with vulnerable communities and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas as priorities.

The program also covers state hospitals. — KATA

Peso rises to six-month high after Fed rate cut

REUTERS

THE PESO strengthened to a six-month high against the dollar on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve began its easing cycle with a 50-basis-point (bp) rate cut and signaled more reductions this year.

The local unit closed at P55.61 per dollar on Thursday, strengthening by 11 centavos from its P55.72 finish on Wednesday, Bankers Association of the Philippines data showed.

This was its best close in more than six months or since it ended at P55.58-a-dollar on March 18.

Year to date, this was still 24 centavos below the peso’s end-2023 close of P55.37.

The peso opened Thursday’s session weaker at P55.88 against the dollar. Its dropped to as low as P55.92, while its intraday best was at P55.56 versus the greenback.

Dollars traded surged to $1.99 billion on Thursday from $1.23 billion on Wednesday.

The peso strengthened against the dollar “as the market reacted to the 50-bp rate cut by the Federal Reserve,” a trader said by phone.

The local unit was supported by signals of at least 50 bps more in rate cuts by the Fed for the rest of the year, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort added in a Viber message.

For Friday, the trader sees the peso moving between P55.50 and P55.90 per dollar, while Mr. Ricafort expects it to range from P55.50 to P55.70.

The US dollar edged lower on Thursday after a larger than usual interest rate cut from the US Federal Reserve that had been priced in by markets, Reuters reported.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six peers, was down 0.15% to 100.71, not far from the level before the Fed decision. It slid to an over one-year low of 100.21 in the previous session.

Some analysts expect the greenback will fall next year as the Fed keeps cutting rates.

Against the yen, the dollar gained as much as 1.2% to hit an intraday high of 143.95 in the Asian session. It last traded 0.1% higher at 142.15 yen.

The US central bank on Wednesday kicked off an anticipated series of interest rate cuts with a larger-than-usual half-percentage-point reduction that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell said was meant to show policy makers’ commitment to sustaining a low unemployment rate now that inflation has eased.

“We made a good strong start and I am very pleased that we did,” Mr. Powell said at a press conference after the Fed, noting its increased confidence that the country’s bout with high inflation was over, reduced its benchmark policy rate by 50 bps to the 4.75%-5% range. “The logic of this both from an economic standpoint and from a risk management standpoint was clear.”

In addition to approving the half-percentage-point cut on Wednesday, Fed policy makers projected the benchmark interest rate would fall by another half of a percentage point by the end of this year, a full percentage point next year, and half of a percentage point in 2026, though they cautioned that the outlook that far into the future is necessarily uncertain.

The Fed had kept its policy rate in the 5.25%-5.5% range since last July, when it ended an 18-month rate-hike campaign that was meant to control a surge in inflation, which soared in 2022 to a 40-year high.

Rate futures traders moved to price in even more easing than projected by the Fed, with the policy rate now expected to be in the 4%-4.25% range by end of this year. — A.M.C. Sy with Reuters

PSEi rises to 7,200 level as Fed starts easing cycle

REUTERS

THE MAIN INDEX on Thursday rebounded and closed at the 7,200 level for the first time since March 2022 after the US Federal Reserve delivered a supersized rate cut to mark the start of its long-awaited easing cycle.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose by 0.64% or 46.26 points to close at 7,202.16, while the broader all shares index went up by 0.61% or 23.72 points to end at 3,871.68.

This was the PSEi’s first time to finish above the 7,200 mark and was its best close in over 29 months or since it ended at 7,203.47 on March 31, 2022.

“Philippine shares closed above the 7,200 mark on Thursday, buoyed by the Fed’s first rate cut in four years, lowering interest rates by 50 bps (basis points) to a range of 4.75% to 5.00%,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a Viber message.

“We think the Fed’s decision to cut rates by 50 basis points played a big part in the PSEi’s resumption of its rally,” AP Securities, Inc. Research Head Alfred Benjamin R. Garcia said in a Viber message. “But at these levels, the market is ripe for a pullback as we are already trading at overbought levels.”

Majority of sectoral indices closed higher. Mining and oil went up by 2.42% or 200.25 points to 8,451.51; financials increased by 1.95% or 42.67 points to 2,227.98; property climbed by 0.93% or 27.14 points to 2,932.14; services rose by 0.19% or 4.28 points to 2,199.75; and holding firms gained 0.03% or 2.37 points to end at 6,136.69.

Industrials was the lone decliner, losing 0.12% or 11.66 points to close at 9,537.17.

Value turnover climbed to P8.16 billion on Thursday with 698.31 million issues changing hands from the P6.14 billion with 879.65 million issues traded on Wednesday.

Advancers beat decliners, 113 versus 78, while 62 names were unchanged.

Net foreign buying surged to P1.69 billion on Thursday from P773.87 million on Wednesday.

The US central bank on Wednesday kicked off an anticipated series of interest rate cuts with a larger-than-usual half-percentage-point reduction that US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell said was meant to show policy makers’ commitment to sustaining a low unemployment rate now that inflation has eased, Reuters reported.

In addition to approving the half-percentage-point cut on Wednesday, Fed policy makers projected the benchmark interest rate would fall by another half of a percentage point by the end of this year, a full percentage point next year, and half of a percentage point in 2026, though they cautioned that the outlook that far into the future is necessarily uncertain.

The move marks a significant pivot in US monetary policy and a recognition of the Fed’s growing comfort with inflation continuing to ease to its target. It is currently about half a percentage point above it.

Rate futures traders moved to price in even more easing than projected by the Fed, with the policy rate now expected to be in the 4%-4.25% range by end of this year. — R.M.D. Ochave with Reuters

Agri graduates granted land

RUT MIIT-UNSPLASH

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday vowed to distribute land to graduates of agriculture-related courses, as he led the turnover of agrarian titles and farm-to-market roads in Palawan province.

He distributed 1,234 land e-titles totaling 2,921.96 hectares to 1,217 agrarian reform beneficiaries during his visit to Coron, Palawan.

Mr. Marcos, in his speech, said the country needs a new generation of farmers to revolutionize the agriculture sector.

“We will also grant land to the youth who are agriculture graduates,” he said in Filipino.

Mr. Marcos also led the turnover of over 50 certificates of land ownership awards totaling 4.8277 hectares in Palawan’s Narra town, which is a resettlement area.

“Accompanying this grant is our appeal that you utilize the land properly to support and help not only your families but also the entire Philippines,” Mr. Marcos said.

Mr. Marcos also distributed 2,588 land titles covering 2,643,5236 hectares of land in Passi City, Iloilo in central Philippines. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Police vehicles purchase greenlit 

PIXABAY

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allowed the purchase of police motor vehicles worth P396.37 million.

On Sept. 10, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman signed the request for the issuance of an Authority to Purchase Motor Vehicles (APMV), DBM said in a statement on Thursday.

It will be used to buy 402 units of vehicles under the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Philippine National Police (DILG-PNP).

The authorization covers the procurement of 40 patrol jeep 4×2, 115 personnel carrier 4×4, 40 light transport vehicles, 10 PNP vans, 183 light motorcycles, and 14 EOD vehicles, according to the DBM.

Meanwhile, the DBM clarified that it has fully transmitted requested funds to the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) for the establishment and maintenance of treatment and rehabilitation facilities nationwide.

“For fiscal year 2025 and past years, DDB did not submit any budget proposals to increase the programmed expenditure in the amount of ₱77 million under the SAGF (Special Account on the General Fund),” it said in another statement.

According to the DBM, agencies must include in its proposal the total annual requirements needed for their purpose to be included in the National Expenditure Program.

This came after Senator Ronald M. Dela Rosa flagged the DBM for not remitting in transmit in full a nearly P127-million fund from collections of revenue generating agencies meant to support the drug rehabilitation centers. — Beatrice Marie D. Cruz

Drug sting busts cop, PCG member

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

COTABATO CITY — Anti-narcotics agents seized P13.6 million worth of crystal meth (shabu) from a member of the Philippine Coast Guard, a police sergeant and his wife in an entrapment operation in Barangay Boalan in Zamboanga City on Wednesday afternoon.

All three suspects are now locked in a detention facility of the Zamboanga City Police Office.

Brig. Gen. Bowenn Joey M. Masauding, director of PRO-9, and Zamboanga City police officials told reporters on Thursday that the suspects were immediately arrested after selling two kilos of shabu, costing P13.6 million, to non-uniformed police agents in a tradeoff in Zone 6 in Barangay Boalan.

Mr. Masauding said the entrapment operation was laid with the support of Zamboanga City officials.

The now detained suspects are to be prosecuted for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 using the drug confiscated from them as evidence, according to Masauding. — John Felix M. Unson

BCDA expansion bill backed

BAGUIO CITY — Tarlac Vice Governor Carlito S. David said the Tarlac provincial government is backing Senate Bill No. 2647, seeking to extend the term and expand the capabilities of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

The bill is expected to generate quality jobs and boost economic growth and inclusive development, Mr. David said also citing the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Tarlac Resolution No.  289-2024 earlier passed in July this year declaring a strong support for BCDA’s term and capabilities expansion.

“Whereas, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority was created to be a prime mover of national development by transforming former military bases and properties into premier centers of economic growth, thereby creating a sustainable urban communities aimed to uplift the lives of Filipinos,” the Tarlac provincial board said in its resolution.

Senate Bill No. 2647 seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7227, by extending BCDA’s corporate term for efficient continuity of its functions, mobilize residential and affordable housing developments, support pension funds of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and further promote local and foreign investor confidence. — Artemio A. Dumlao

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