THE PRESIDENTIAL Communications Operations Office (PCOO) vowed on Wednesday, Feb. 14, that it would recommend to the Office of the President (OP) the immediate public disclosure of the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) of government officials.
“We will recommend to proactively disclose the SALN of officials. The recommendation will include a manifestation that SALN is one of the most frequently requested documents,” PCOO Assistant Secretary and Freedom of Information (FoI) Program Director Kristian R. Ablan said in a press briefing at Malacañang.
Mr. Ablan made this pronouncement when questioned why the current administration is imposing another level of bureaucracy on the distribution of SALN copies to the media.
Palace reporters noted that SALN documents were automatically distributed to them without an FoI directive in the previous administration.
Meanwhile, the PCOO also announced that it is considering organizing an FoI Advisory Committee, which will be tasked to provide “strategic policy direction and oversee the implementation of the FoI Program.”
The Committee “will be composed of government representatives and nongovernment representatives,” Mr. Ablan said.
He added: “From the government: PCOO as Chair; the Department of Justice; the Department of Budget and Management; the Department of Information and Communications Technology; the National Privacy Commission; the National Archives of the Philippines; one representative from the Senate; and, one representative from the House of Representatives.”
Mr. Ablan said representatives from the business sector, the academe, civil society, and the media will constitute the nongovernment members of the committee.
Mr. Ablan said the PCOO is focusing on “expanding the program to local government units (LGUs) with the help of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) through the promotion of local FoI Ordinances.”
On Feb. 28, the PCOO will conduct “an in-depth orientation for the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) to provide more details on how to access government information.”
Mr. Ablan reported that the PCOO’s “FoI portal, www.foi.gov.ph, now has 3,253 online requests for information lodged for 218 national government agencies (NGAs) and government-owned and/or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) currently onboard the platform. Out of these requests, 32% have been facilitated successfully and 37% are currently being processed.”
“[W]e remain hopeful that the FoI Bill will be passed to further strengthen this administration’s efforts in promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation,” he added.
It’s easy to see why the Suns balked at the idea of Warriors head coach Steve Kerr handing over his clipboard to his players for the duration of their match the other day. For all their lack of competitiveness, they have pride, and the sight of the opponents taking turns on the hot seat while playing them no doubt gnawed at it. To them, the implication was clear: They aren’t good enough to be taken seriously, so much so that even those with absolutely no experience whatsoever can do what’s supposed to be the most difficult job in the sport.
For the record, Kerr informed counterpart Jay Triano that he was going to make the unprecedented move because, as he explained in the aftermath, “I have not reached them for the last month. They’re tired of my voice.” Nonetheless, the Suns didn’t appreciate the development, with veteran Jared Dudley arguing it reflected “a lack of respect for an opponent” and guard Troy Daniels taking the opportunity to throw shade at the 2016 National Basketball Association Coach of the Year. “I don’t think it’s hard to coach those guys. I think anybody can do it.”
Regardless, what Kerr termed an “experiment” worked. The Warriors found themselves engaged from start to finish. As two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry explained, “It was a collective effort. We were just trying to stay locked in and enjoy the process of getting focused and knowing our sets, being thoughtful about what lineups are out there, what we’re trying to accomplish and execute.” Added general manager Bob Myers, “I thought it was great!”
Needless to say, the Warriors received significant backlash for what numerous quarters deemed to be a “stunt” they wouldn’t pull against better competition. And if Kerr “didn’t have four All-Stars, he wouldn’t be doing that, added the Suns’ 2015 first-round pick Devin Booker. Still, he stuck to his guns, ruing the fact that “whether it’s a controversy or not, it has to become one… [in] the world we live in.” Moreover, he disclosed that he intends to employ the same method again. “It’s a good exercise,” he said, “so I can see [us] doing it again one time, a couple of times.”
In the final analysis, Dudley’s right. The Suns wouldn’t have been patsies for Kerr were they simply better on the court. “Maybe right now, we don’t deserve respect. When you keep getting beat[en] by 40, teams won’t respect you.” Which is why it won’t happen anytime soon, and why other bench tacticians can make light of it in retrospect. It may or may not be a show of arrogance, but unless and until the Warriors are knocked off their perch, they should be free to employ it as they wish.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
BIG BANKS booked higher incomes in 2017 amid robust lending growth which offset lower trading gains, latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.
Universal and commercial banks operating in the country raked in a cumulative P146.33 billion in net profits last year, up by 6.8% from the P136.956 billion they made in 2016, according to preliminary central bank data.
Net interest income surged by 17.3% at end-December to reach P369.383 billion, improving from the P314.878 billion drawn from lending activities. Big banks granted a total of P7.867-trillion loans last year, 17.3% higher than the P6.706-trillion credit lines handed out in 2016.
Of this amount, soured debts totalled P97.531 billion to post a slight rise from P93.801 billion a year ago. Still, its share to total loans declined to 1.24% from 1.4% the prior year.
Deposits held by big players reached P10.614 billion, an 11.9% increase from end-2016.
Meanwhile, non-interest income netted P121.844 billion, slipping by 5.4% from the P128.857 billion generated the previous year. The decline came as trading income plunged by 28.3% to just P36.053 billion, coming from P50.285 billion booked in 2016.
In particular, gains realized from foreign exchange transactions stood at just P3.928 billion, just a third of the P11.447 billion which the banks made from currency fluctuations the previous year.
The peso depreciated by 5.78% versus the dollar in 2017. The local unit averaged at P50.4037 against the greenback last year, touching 11-year-lows as it traded above P51.
On the other hand, operating costs grew at a more modest 11.4% rate to P311.774 billion, coming from P279.866 billion they spent a year prior.
Across the entire banking system, preliminary BSP data showed that Philippine lenders booked a cumulative P167.734 billion in net income in 2017, up by 8.7% from P154.31 billion.
Systemwide loans reached P8.863 trillion, with non-performing debts accounting for just 1.72% of the total at P152.655 billion. The ratio improved from the 1.89% ratio posted in 2016, which meant that banks maintained a healthier asset profile. — Melissa Luz T. Lopez
JUST AS AMERICANS rush to load up on chocolates for Valentine’s Day, the global cocoa glut is finally starting to ebb.
Cocoa futures in New York have climbed almost 9% in 2018, making them one of the year’s best-performing commodities. As signs of tighter supplies mount, hedge funds have switched to betting on an extended rally, after holding negative wagers for the past two months.
This year’s gains for cocoa are a stark reversal from the last two years, when futures plunged more than 40% amid a global glut. The lower prices took a toll on growers, who cut spending on farm maintenance. That’s now showing up in crop quality as yields begin to drop in Ecuador, South America’s largest producer and a supplier of high-grade beans to companies such as Lindt & Spruengli AG. Indonesia, which used to be the world’s third-largest grower, is expected to become a net-importer this year as production declines and demand climbs. Recent dryness is also threatening output in parts of West Africa, which accounts more than two-thirds of global supplies.
“The lower prices have discouraged farmers, which we see often in these markets,” said Phil Streible, a senior commodity strategist at RJO Futures in Chicago. “The market has good fundamentals. Prices will perform quite well.”
In the week ended Feb. 6, hedge funds had a net-long position, or the difference between bets on a price increase and wagers on a decline, of 8,560 futures and options, according to US Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released Friday. That compares with a net-short holding with 6,810 contracts a week earlier.
Valentine’s Day, celebrated Feb. 14, represents the biggest “rush” for chocolate buying in the US, said Jacques Torres, a former pastry chef who now runs eight eponymous stores selling luxury chocolate products and ice cream across New York City. About 55% of Americans celebrating the holiday plan on purchasing candy, up from 50% in 2017, according a survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
Even beyond the sweethearts’ holiday, chocolate consumption is on the rise. In the five years ending 2022, US retail sales of confectionery chocolate will climb 2.2% to 1.4 million metric tons, fetching $20.3 billion, according to researcher Euromonitor International. In recent years, consumers have shown a leaning toward higher-grade products and have bought more dark chocolate, which typically uses more raw material.
Rising prices could signal higher costs down the line for retailers like Mondelez International, Inc., the maker of Cadbury chocolates and Oreo cookies. Cocoa’s decline over the past several months should start to play out favorably for the company this year, Chief Financial Officer Brian Gladden said on an earnings conference call in late January. There’s often a lag between movements in the futures market and the impact for retailers because of a company’s stored inventory and hedging positions.
For makers of specialty chocolates like Torres, higher cocoa prices are actually good news because rising revenues for farmers will allow them to produce more high-grade beans that require bigger investments.
“Prices are too low for farmers,” said Torres, who’s dubbed himself Mr. Chocolate, also runs a cocoa-processing facility and buys about 150 tons of the commodity a year. “If they continue at these levels, they will keep planting high-yielding trees, and not premium qualities,” he said, adding that his concerns over finding better beans have spurred him to buy a 5,000-tree cocoa plantation in Mexico. — Bloomberg
IN every sector, innovation is the inevitable next step. Companies everywhere are under immense pressure to generate new product and service innovations even faster than before. What was once revolutionary has quickly become the norm, and organizations are beginning to realize that they need to be able to move just as fast to stay ahead of increasingly saturated markets. Which brings to mind, how then can today’s companies reinvent the wheel?
Home to the world’s largest population of Internet users and bolstered by a thriving mobile-savvy millennial generation, Asia is leading the pack. IDC forecasts that Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) will represent the largest market for innovation accelerators, reaching more than US$600 billion by 2020. We explore the key driving forces — ‘M factors’ as we call it — leading innovation in Asia and how these will continue to shape device innovation as we know it today:
MILLENNIAL EXPECTATIONS
Millennials are taking over. These born and bred digital natives will make up more than 70% of the work force by 2025, and will come with an estimated US$6 trillion in disposable income by 2020. For companies looking to capture their attention, they need to realize that millennials bring an entirely new set of expectations to the consumer market. They want things wherever they are, whenever they want it. The rise of the ‘sharing-market’ has also lessened the need for millennials to own things. This has led to the emergence of an ‘experience economy’ — where personalized and interactive experiences are top priority. For instance, if a millennial watched a movie and felt like walking in the shoes of a Star Wars Jedi master for a day, they would be more than willing to put down the dollars to experience it if they can.
We are seeing businesses starting to address this with a fevered emphasis on delivering more choices and more experiences to tomorrow’s end-users. This means leveraging new technologies such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and automation to support new behaviors and experiences across diverse devices.
MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY
Personalized experiences are driving today’s innovation, and for organizations to stay ahead, they need to deep dive into the end-users habits that are dominating everyday life. Gone are the days where a device serves just one purpose; users are becoming increasingly savvy, and they expect their devices to do as many things as they are while seamlessly integrating into their daily routine.
The advent of smart assistants and rapid adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) has opened the door to many opportunities for greater integration between devices. Gartner predicts that 30% of interactions with technology will happen through conversations with smart machines. The industry is pointing toward the inevitable smart home, fitted with technologies that will enable users to conduct web searches, play music, create lists and provide calendar updates with just a simple voice command. Already, studies have shown that more than 65% of users around the world engage with voice technology and a third do so because it is more convenient when performing daily duties like getting dressed or cooking meals.
MOBILITY REDEFINED
With Asia set to be home to 5.6 billion connected devices by 2020, surpassing North America by almost five times, mobile is becoming the new norm. Be it making payments, ordering breakfast or even completing a work document on the go, Asian millennials are driving this shift. They will expect nothing less than intuitive, high-performance yet aesthetically pleasing devices that deliver experiences beyond the user interface — be it for work or play.
Over the years, there has been much debate over the efficiency of taking notes with the pen and paper versus typing it out on the PC. However, it is interesting to note that the multi-sensory process of holding a pen to surface enables recorded content to be more memorable and better suited for conceptualizing, prototyping and brainstorming. Just ask your friends and colleagues!
Increasingly, we see companies pulling out all the stops to meet this demand — through devices that deliver the ‘2-in-1’ value that go beyond the traditional form factor. Offering productivity on the go without compromising on aesthetic, smart devices out there are already delivering the multi-sensory PC and tablet experience. Some are even mimicking an actual book that comes with dual stylus pens, integrating the function of traditional note taking with advanced touchscreen and keyboard capabilities. What’s more, they even come with gorgeous glass halo keyboards with haptic feedback for ease of use!
Asia is at the forefront of device innovation, and manufacturers today need to stay ahead of market trends to stay relevant in this increasingly competitive market. Devices need to provide the basic mobility, functionality and convenience of a smart device, and at the same time deliver a personalized, multifunctional experience.
Before you know it — the traditional smart device will be a thing of the past and your organization could be the one to bring the next game-changing innovation to the industry.
Michael Ngan is Lenovo Philippines’ country general manager. The views expressed are his own and do not reflect those of BusinessWorld Publishing Corp. and its owners.
QUEZON CITY AND MAKATI CITY Marco Polo Ortigas’ Lung Hin is bringing seasonal dishes to the fore for the Lunar New Year starting with the Prosperity Toss Salad with Salmon Yu Sheng. The traditional salad is available for takeaway, for small and large orders. Dishes like poached Hong Kong sesame chicken, sautéed Imperial tiger prawn with Supremes Stock, and poached yellow croaker fish with tofu are also available for and can accompany special set menus, with a choice between Double Prosperity or Endless Fortune menus. The exclusive dishes and set menus are available until Feb. 21. Visit www.marcopolohotels.com or call 720-7777 for inquiries.
Usher in the Year of the Dog with an auspicious Cantonese feast at New World Makati Hotel. Set menus crafted for good luck and prosperity are on offer at Jasmine, named one of the “Top 20 Restaurants of 2017” by Philippine Tatler. A highlight is the Poon choi “big bowl feast” to draw in good luck for the whole year round and a Yu Sheng salad toss for abundant success this year. Set dinner menus start at P15,888 and are available until Feb. 18. An unlimited Yum Cha lunch is also available at P1,388 per person. A traditional eye-dotting ceremony followed by a dragon and lion dance will be held at Jasmine on Feb. 16 at 12:30 p.m. For details and reservations, call 811-6888 ext. 3338.
YU SHENG lucky salad at the New World Makati Hotel’s Jasmine restaurant.
Meanwhile, the Makati Diamond Residences will have a traditional dragon dance at 10 a.m. on Feb. 16 to usher in abundance and good fortune. Guests can expect a prosperity treat at Alfred and Baked, with a 20% discount on all food and beverage to welcome in the Lunar New Year. For inquiries and reservations, call 317-0999 or e-mail reservations@makatidiamond.com.
To prepare and welcome the Year of the Dog, catch the lucky dragon and lion dance at The Lobby of The Peninsula Manila on Feb. 16, 10:30 a.m. The Lobby’s chefs have also prepared a sumptuous Chinese-themed feast of “lucky” dishes that are symbolic of happiness, prosperity and good fortune in a three-course set dinner available from Feb. 16 to 18, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. (P1,850, pre-payment is required). The Lobby will serve a limited à la carte menu at the time. Over at buffet restaurant Escolta, a Chinese New Year Brunch will be offered on Feb. 18, noon to 3 p.m., for P4,300 (with free-flowing Champagne for adults), P3,100 (adults), and 1,288 (children under 12). Prices are subject to 10% service charge and prevailing government taxes. For inquiries or reservations, call 887-2888, e-mail diningpmn@peninsula.com, or visit peninsula.com.
MANILA Diamond Hotel’s Corniche’s Chinese New Year Lunch and Dinner Buffet features authentic and popular Cantonese dishes from Feb. 15 to 18, priced at P2,500 net per person. It includes salmon Yu Sheng for prosperity, wok-fried crab for wealth, and, of course, Teochew-style roast suckling pig for luck, among other auspicious and symbolic food. Spend a minimum P5,000 at the buffet and get a chance to pick-a-prize from the Prosperity Tree. Moreover, a P5,000 spend at the Corniche Lunch Buffet on Feb. 16 entitles guests to a free 10-minute consultation with feng shui expert Angel Macalino. There will also be a lion and dragon dance by the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation at 11 a.m., while the Kim Hwa Ensemble serenades guests with their traditional musical instruments. Amulets and charms are for sale at the hotel lobby until Feb. 18. For inquiries, call 528-3000 ext. 1121.
On Feb. 16, attract blessings and good luck with a traditional dragon and lion dance, coin and candy shower, and other Chinese goodies at the Manila Pavilion Hotel. Try the dinner buffet at Seasons for P1,200.00 per person (See story on this page — Ed.). The festival will not be complete without the traditional tikoy, available at the hotel’s Patisserie until Feb. 18. For details, visit www.waterfronthotels.com.ph.
PASAY CITY AND PARAÑAQUE CITY Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila ushers in the Lunar New Year with a feast prepared by Spiral’s resident Chinese Chef Michael Tai. The featured menu showcases recipes popular in China, Malaysia, and Singapore and have been served to royalty in Imperial China. Prices range from P2,580 to P4,650 net per person, from Feb. 15 to 18, available for lunch or dinner buffet. For inquiries and reservations, call 832-6988 or e-mail H6308-FB12@sofitel.com.
The Marriott Manila’s Man Ho has a 10-course set menu for 10 persons at P33,880++ which is meant to attract luck and joy. Man Ho will also offer a Lunar New Year trademark, Poon Choi, a one-pot communal dish good for at least 10 persons, signifying prosperity and affluence with its assortment of abalone, prawns, sea cucumber, dried fish maw, and more, available at P15,888++. Auspicious Cantonese favorites are available a la carte like roast goose, abalone, and Peking duck. Koi fish-shaped tikoy is also available for P1,688 per box. These are available at Man Ho until Feb. 16. For inquiries, call 988-9999 or visit manilamarriott.com.
City of Dreams Manila ushers in abundance, happiness, and good fortune with auspicious Chinese New Year specialties at Crystal Dragon, daily until Feb. 20. The Lunar Chinese New Year à la carte menu highlights two styles of the Yu Sheng salad: the traditional Prosperity Abalone and Salmon “Yu Sheng” salad and the Shredded Roasted Duck variation with fresh fruit salad in sesame dressing. The restaurant also offers two set menus and new dishes in the à la carte menu for the occasion. Groups of four to six can choose from the Happiness and Abundance five-course set menus which are available for at P3,680++ and P6,680++, respectively. For inquiries and reservations, call 800-8080, or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila.com, or visit www.cityofdreamsmanila.com.
THE CONRAD Hotel’s tikoy
The Conrad Manila ushers in the Lunar New Year with a lion and dragon dance auspiciously paired with a selection of authentic Chinese delicacies at the multi-award-winning China Blue by Jereme Leung on Feb. 16 for lunch and dinner. Specially crafted premium set and à la carte menus will be available, highlighted by an array of propitious entrées such as steamed stuffed crab claw and dried oyster money bag in crab roe sauce to welcome “money in the bag”; wok-fried king prawn and mini abalone sea treasure in an imperial hot pot for financial prosperity and business success; and stir-fried king prawn with crispy oat flakes and salted egg to attract wealth and happiness among others. There will be live musical entertainment and a modern take on the traditional Yee Sang toss. Diners may choose from the à la carte signature dishes, or the showcase Chinese New Year set menu for a group of 10 diners for P29,888+++. This year’s collection of tikoy come in almond, passion fruit, yuzu jelly, and red bean flavors, presented in koi fish and mini gold bars shapes to represent abundance and good fortune. They are available at any of the hotel’s dining outlets for P1,500 net per box until Feb. 16 only. For reservations and inquiries, e-mail conradmanila@conradhotels.com or call 833-9999.
Crimson Hotel Filinvest City celebrates Chinese New Year with a “Taste of Luck” at the Grand Ballroom on Feb. 18, 12:30 p.m. Discover what the Year of the Dog means for you as Feng Shui expert Joseph Chau reveals the predictions for 2018 during the Chinese New Year Sunday Brunch which also features arts and music performances (P1,688 net per person). Meanwhile, Café Eight offers a selection of Chinese-inspired dishes in its buffet until Feb. 28 (P1,383++, P1,599++ with free flowing drinks). For inquiries and reservations, call 863-2222 local 1612 or e-mail alabang.cafe8res@crimsonhotel.com.
The Philippines was in the top three of nine countries in terms of meeting needs and expectations in their relationships, according to a study by Prudential Corp. Asia. Read the full story.
THE CENTRAL BANK has shuttered a rural bank in the Dinagat Islands, marking the first to be ordered closed this year.
In a statement, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) announced that it has taken over the operations of the Rural Bank of Loreto, Inc. yesterday.
This follows the decision of the Monetary Board — the highest policy-setting body of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) — to shut down the lender’s operations through an order issued on Feb. 9. As regulator of the local banking system, the central bank can close down banks found unviable to remain in business.
The Rural Bank of Loreto operates four offices around Dinagat Islands in Surigao del Norte. Its head office is located in San Jose town, while three other units are in the municipalities of Cagdianao, Libjo (Albor) and Loreto.
The provincial lender holds P5.95 million of deposits, which is spread across 2,264 deposit accounts. Nearly all deposits are covered by deposit insurance at P5.94 million, the PDIC said.
Bank deposits are insured up to P500,000 per depositor, according to the law.
Under the PDIC charter, the state insurer steps in as receiver of problem banks and acquires the lender’s assets in order to pay outstanding liabilities to depositors. Upon assuming the assets, PDIC usually conducts public biddings to dispose these properties and raise funds which it will then use to settle outstanding deposits.
The PDIC is looking to auction off at least P157 million worth of properties this month through three separate auctions to be held in Metro Manila and Davao, which include residential, commercial and agricultural lots.
The insurer raised a total of P259.16 million in 2017 from selling the assets incurred from closed banks, as well as corporate properties. Properties worth P201.08 million raised premiums worth P58.08 million, the PDIC said.
The central bank ordered the closure of six rural banks and one thrift bank last year. In 2016, the regulator closed 22 lenders.
The BSP, PDIC, and the Land Bank of the Philippines have extended the Consolidation Program for Rural Banks until 2019, as they seek to promote mergers among rural lenders based in one province or region. These mergers are seen to fortify the capital and asset base of the lenders, making them more liquid and financially sound. — Melissa Luz T. Lopez
THE PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is willing to present the government’s data on President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s nationwide war on drugs to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its preliminary examination into the “crimes against humanity” complaint filed against Mr. Duterte by the camp of opposition Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV.
“If the data will be summoned in relation to such hearing, then PDEA will support in terms of the data. If the data is relevant, automatically, we will submit it,” PDEA Spokesperson Derrick Arnold Carreon said during the #RealNumbersPH media briefing at Malacañang on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
“This is precisely why we came out with these real numbers in order for us to become more transparent with regards to the conduct of the drug campaign,” Mr. Carreon also said.
For her part, Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Ana Maria Paz R. Banaag said: “While we know that the complaints filed before the ICC are founded on political motive and baseless numbers, we reiterate that the Philippine government respects and protects human rights, and our police officers follow rules of engagement. There may be isolated cases of abuse, but our President never tolerated these cases.”
At the briefing, Mr. Carreon reported that “from July 1, 2016 to Feb. 8, 2018 — a total of 85,068 anti-illegal drug operations were conducted by PDEA and other law enforcement agencies, resulting in the arrest of 121,087 drug personalities. During the period, there were 4,021 drug personalities who died during anti-drug operations.”
GOVERNMENT WORKERS ARRESTED
“A total of 454 government workers were arrested nationwide for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Out of these, 192 were elected officials, 44 were uniformed personnel and 218 were government employees. On drug law enforcers who were killed and wounded in anti-drug operations in the performance of their drug enforcement duties — 87 law enforcers were killed-in-action, while 227 were wounded-in-action,” he added.
As for minors rescued, Mr. Carreon said a total of 618 were rescued from involvement in illegal drugs activities.
“PDEA and other law enforcement agencies dismantled a total of 183 illegal drug facilities, composed of 174 drug dens and 9 shabu laboratories. The anti-drug operations conducted also resulted in the seizure or confiscation of 2,610.37 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth P13.41 billion, posting P166.62 million increase since Jan. 17, 2018,” he reported.
“Dangerous drugs, controlled precursors, essential chemicals and laboratory equipment confiscated from July 1, 2016 to Feb. 8, 2018 were worth P19.61 billion, posting an increase of P269.74 million since Jan. 17, 2018.”
“And, on barangay drug clearing operations, as of January 2018, a total of 5,327 barangays have been declared drug-cleared. This is out of the total drug affectation of 24,000 — or bringing the drug affectation nationwide to 24,137 drug affected barangays, representing 57.42% of the 42,036 barangays nationwide.”
For his part, Philippine National Police (PNP) Spokesperson Chief Superintendent John C. Bulalacao reported that the PNP, based on the intent of the Presidential Memorandum Order No. 17, “shall resume the crucial role in the government’s anti-drug campaign in support of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.”
He added that the PNP remains “optimistic with the prospect of less bloody anti-drug operations this time around, by prescribing supplemental operational guidelines when conducting ‘tokhang’ activities and law enforcement operations against drug personalities.”
“These supplemental guidelines are essentially founded on the fundamental principles of respect for human rights and strict adherence to the rule of law, with greater emphasis on transparency, accountability and command responsibility,” Mr. Bulalacao explained.
HOUSE SPEAKER Pantaleon D. Alvarez yesterday, Feb. 14, said he will ask officials of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to suspend the operations of airlines who will refuse to make adjustments that will help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals within 45 days.
“We will ask the authorities na huwag nilang payagang mag-operate (to not let them operate). And we will also consider cancellation of their franchises… (that is a) violation,” Mr. Alvarez said on the sidelines of the committee on tourism hearing at the House of Representatives.
During the hearing, Mr. Alvarez noted that NAIA is the only airport in the world allowing mixed use of its terminals for domestic and international flights, which results to overcrowding.
He cited budget airline Cebu Pacific in particular for using Terminal 3, which is designed for international flights, for its domestic routes.
When asked to move out of Terminal 3 within 45 days, Cebu Pacific, Inc. President Lance Y. Gokongwei said: “Respectfully sir, given the way we sell tickets one year in advance and also the time it requires to move all our people and [do] the ground preparations, I think these drastic steps may take over a year of planning.”
Mr. Alvarez, however, insisted on the 45-day deadline and warned that airlines who will not comply may risk revocation of their franchises.
“Problema ng airline ’yun, problema nila ’yun. Bakit kayo nagbenta ng one year in advance? I-refund nila (That is the airline’s problem, it is their problem. Why do they sell the tickets one year in advance? Refund the money if they must),” the Speaker said.
Mr. Alvarez also told MIAA to divert some flights to Clark International Airport in Pampanga to reduce traffic at NAIA, the country’s main gateway.
Speaking in Filipino and English, the congressman said: “For example, the airport can no longer accommodate flights, then refuse them. And that way we can lessen the traffic even in the runways. Because no matter how we build terminals, if the runway cannot accommodate, it’s nothing), it’s useless.”
Moreover, the Speaker criticized Cebu Pacific for such practices as not using airport tubes, which compromises passenger comfort and safety, as well as failing to return the passenger terminal fee amount in canceled tickets.
Mr. Alvarez then castigated representatives of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for letting Cebu Pacific carry out these practices.
“Why do you allow these? That should not be the case, you are the regulatory agencies. You should promote the concerns of the public, not the concerns of the airline companies,” he said.
In 2017, NAIA Terminal 3 received 42,525 domestic and 19,085 international flights, according to data from MIAA. This translated to 6.44 million domestic and 3.85 international passengers. Outgoing flights, meanwhile, were 43,115 domestic and 18,935 international, carrying 6.48 million and 3.86 million passengers, respectively.
