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DICT: candidates for ‘3rd player’ not deterred by P10-B minimum

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) does not believe that the re-inclusion of the P10-billion paid-in capital requirement will deter bidders hoping to become the third entrant in the telecommunications industry.
DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio, Jr. said that interested companies are more concerned with the timetable of the selection process.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a hindrance. In fact, the companies are asking more about the timetable, when we are going to proceed,” Mr. Rio said in a phone interview.
The DICT last week pushed back its deadline for awarding the contract to the end of the year. It previously had a self-imposed deadline of naming the third player before the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo R. Duterte in July. Mr. Duterte initially wanted a third player by the first quarter of the year.
Mr. Rio said that the new target for the selection process is August.
The DICT earlier this month amended provisions of its memorandum order on the policy guidelines of the entry of a new major player. The company or consortium must have paid-in capital of at least P10 billion; experience in providing, delivering, and operating of telecommunications services for the last five years; a congressional franchise not related to incumbents PLDT, Inc. or Globe Telecom, Inc.; and no uncontested liabilities with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) as of Jan. 31, 2018.
The government is currently preparing the terms of reference (TOR) for the selection criteria which are set to be released by mid-May. The terms are being reviewed by the oversight committee created by the executive department under Administrative Order 11.
The first draft terms of reference, published in February, included the financial requirement of net worth of at least P10 billion. The focus of the government was to choose the bidder submitting the highest financial commitment for five years, but after a public consultation and concerns from interested companies, the DICT said it would be shifting to requiring wide coverage and high speed.
However, Mr. Rio said that financial capability has become a significant part of the criteria. Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said earlier this month said that total investments needed by the new provider are estimated at least P200 billion to “effectively” compete with PLDT and Globe.
“If the new player can’t compete with PLDT or Globe, then it would be no use,” Mr. Rio said.
Interested local firms include Now Corp., Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (PT&T), and Converge ICT Solutions Inc.
Domestic firms are looking at forming consortia with foreign firms to meet the technical and financial criteria.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

‘No confidence’ DTI will protect investor interests, Japan chamber says

THE Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) of the Philippines said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has demonstrated insufficient for its support for foreign investors.
“DTI does not support us anymore. No statement supporting investors,” JCCI Vice-President and Executive Director Nobuo Fujii said in an interview in Makati City.
He said the sense of distrust began in January during a meeting between government agencies and joint foreign chambers, when the DTI expressed support for the Finance department’s tax reform package. Mr. Fujii has said that the tax reforms currently being pushed through the legislature, which seek to rationalize incentives offered to foreign investors, is viewed as the “biggest problem” by Japanese investors.
“We lost confidence in the DTI starting January,” he added.
The proposals considered most problematic by Japanese investors include the replacement of the 5% gross income earned (GIE) tax after five years with a preferential corporate tax rate of 15% based on net profit.
Japanese investors, Mr. Fujii said, consider the sunset period to be too brief, and want a period of 10 years to continue enjoying the 5% GIE rate.
For new investors, the JCCI proposes that time-bound incentives be in force for a minimum of 15 years, including several years of income tax holidays.
Sought for comment, Trade Ramon M. Lopez said in a mobile message: “Of course we continue to support the exporters and investors.”
“But we have a reform to do to make the incentives more relevant, performance based and time-bound,” he said, adding that the department continues to consult stakeholders to arrive at a “more acceptable and balanced transition period.”
Mr. Lopez, however, has expressed his backing for extending the five-year transition period to 15 years.
The DTI last month released a statement saying that Mr. Lopez, during a recent meeting, briefed Japanese investors on the second package of tax reform, which he said: “provides us with the mechanisms both to encourage existing investors to further expand their business, and to attract new investors into the country.”
Mr. Fujii said the JCII is pinning its hopes on the Philippine Economic Zone Authority to intervene to reach an acceptable compromise. — Janina C. Lim

DoE lists substations suitable to take in new power plant capacity

THE Department of Energy (DoE) has listed 14 areas with newly built substations to guide would-be power plant developers hoping to connect to the transmission system.
“These recommended connection points, however, should be viewed from a transmission planning perspective and are based on the capability of the existing grid,” the DoE said in its invitation to investors on the available opportunities in the Philippine energy sector.
The department identified the “ideal locations” as three areas in Luzon, six in Visayas and five in Mindanao where power plants may be constructed.
In Luzon, it recommended the construction of a total 900 MW for three plants with a capacity of 300 MW each. They may connect at the Malaya 230-kilovolt (kV) substation, the San Manuel 230 kV and Muntinlupa 115 kV substations.
In the Visayas, the DoE identified the new substations as Calbayog 138/69 kV, Daanbantayan 230 kV, Babatngon 138 kV, Compostela 138 kV, Maasin 138 kV and Bohol 138 kV. It recommended 100 MW power plants in each of the sites.
In Mindanao, the substations are Placer, Aurora, Bislig, Pitogo and Tacurog — all at 138 kV. It also recommended 100-MW power plants to connect to the substations.
“There is a substantial number of publicly announced infrastructure projects to complement the already comprehensive transmission network in the Philippines, providing a broad range of investment and partnership opportunities,” the DoE told investors.
It said state-led National Transmission Corp. is pushing for massive capital spending on at least six transmission line interconnection projects worth $2 billion. The lineup of projects include the $1-billion Visayas-Mindanao interconnection project and five other transmission line loops, the DoE added.
It identified the loops as Antique-Mindoro, Bohol-Cebu, Panay-Negros, Davao-Samal Island, and Antique-Romblon.
The DoE also cited a $27-million deal between privately owned National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) and smart grid solutions firm ABB Ltd. to strengthen the country’s grid infrastructure. It said 18 smart grid transformers will be provided to NGCP, “improving its energy distribution and the reliability of its grid network.”
The department also cited an announcement by distribution utility Manila Electric Co. about the implementation of an automated metering infrastructure project to equip 3.3 million of its customers with smart meters by 2024.
“Moreover, General Electric Co. (GE) will be constructing a new 500-kV transmission line and substation in Bataan. It is due to be completed by 2018 and will serve as the additional outgoing circuit from Hermosa to San Jose,” it said.
“This will allow simultaneous maximum dispatch of existing power plants,” the DoE added. — Victor V. Saulon

PHL avoids USTR intellectual property watch list for 5th year

THE Philippines has managed to remain out of a US list of economies deemed deficient in intellectual-property protections for a fifth straight year, though the country was put on notice about possible areas for improvement.
Released over the weekend, the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) 2018 Special 301 Report is an annual list of economies considered to be weak in intellectual property rights enforcement.
The Philippines was first included in the USTR watch list in 1994. After landing in the agency’s “Priority Watch List” category it was upgraded to “Watch List” status until it was removed in 2014.
Aside from delisting the Philippines, the report also recognized the country’s effective legislation and enforcement against unauthorized recording in movie theaters.
The USTR proposed that economies like Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Taiwan, who lack the teeth to criminalize violators of movie piracy, pattern their legal frameworks after those of the Philippines, Canada and Japan.
“The enduring campaign of the Philippines in fighting counterfeiting and piracy is an effort that the United States, one of the Philippines’ largest trading partners, continues to recognize,” Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines Director General Josephine R. Santiago said in a statement.
She added that the agency “will continuously explore innovative ways in introducing to the public the importance of intellectual property, in strengthening our engagement with stakeholders, and in the need to fight the proliferation and patronizing of fake products.”
“The message is clear and encouraging that we are going in the right direction,” Ms. Santiago added.
The USTR also noted that the Philippines has “slow opposition proceedings” in trademark protection.
Trademark opposition proceedings are administrative proceedings that can be elevated to the IPOPHL whenever a person believes that he will be damaged by the registration of a mark.
IPOPHL Deputy Director General Teodoro C. Pascua, who is in charge of the agency’s enforcement activities, said improvements will be pursued “with greater vigor.”
The agency noted that its legal division has narrowed the turn-around time on the disposal of cases to five months in 2017, from eight months in 2016.
“Since mid-2016, the number of case backlogs have been drastically reduced,” it said. — Janina C. Lim

DENR says Boracay stakeholders cooperating with demolitions

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said the initial days of the Boracay rehabilitation have been marked by cooperation between the government and the stakeholders.
In a statement issued over the weekend, Secretary Roy A. Cimatu was quoted as saying during an interview with government radio that the level of cooperation was unexpected following the closure of the island for six months starting Thursday.
“I was surprised. They understood and accepted the fact that we have to clean it up and that they have to show their cooperation,” he added.
Mr. Cimatu said around 98% of stakeholders volunteered to demolish on their own around 300 illegally built structures obstructing the roads.
“Around 90% of them gave their waiver for us to proceed with the demolition. Before that they were threatening to file cases against us,” he added.
He also urged displaced workers to register with the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s cash-for-work program to rehabilitate the wetlands.
Only four out of nine wetlands have been left after informal settlers inhabited the wetlands, affecting the natural water filter of the island.
“Unfortunately, there are buildings on the wetlands and informal settlers have built houses beside them. This has resulted in poor water drainage,” Mr. Cimatu said. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

Operation Zero: The call for economic liberation

(Second of two parts)
In the first part of this article, we offered the context and background of the Zero Dropout Education Scheme (ZeDrEs or Zero Dropout) program, which was envisioned by the late SGV Founder Washington Z. SyCip and implemented by the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development — Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD-MRI). We discussed how the program has benefited thousands of children from families considered among the “Poorest of the Poor” and the steps taken by the SGV’s ‘Operation Zero’ teams in conducting an impact assessment for the program.
Also taken up were the definition of extreme poverty, and the seemingly persistent relationships among discontinuing schooling, poverty and the dearth of quality and connected infrastructure, not to mention political governance.
There is no doubt that cases of extreme poverty need to be dealt with immediately, and the social spending involved should be delivered to the rightful beneficiaries with zero friction costs and leakage. In certain locations, our teams encountered unconfirmed reports of social service payments not reaching the appropriate families.
One policy point being considered is to explore a blockchain-based utility to handle the social service disbursements, which will run parallel to the conduct of financial literacy programs, payment channel modernization and distribution of basic deposit accounts. The goal of social service spending is to help the affected families and persons strengthen their self-respect by ensuring that the temporary help is replaced by the primacy and dignity of work, labor and entrepreneurship.
With this view, social spending is viewed as investment in people’s ability to eventually govern themselves. The focus is less on narrowing the income gap per se, but to make the needed investments to elevate those in the bottom of the pyramid while being mindful of the unintended issue of the “middle-class trap.” The situation is not to give dole-outs, but for people to become economically productive by being able to make sound decisions and be accountable for their decisions. In bridging the income disparity, development must be given priority.
Reframing Development and a Corridor Approach to Socio-Economic Development
Development is such a complex and multi-faceted matter that a framework is needed, particularly in helping the government and the private sector shift from a macro-economic orientation to socio-economic and geographic perspectives. This framework — parts of which were covered during discussions with local government planners depending on our economic assessment – should cover at least the following areas and the corresponding impact measures:

1. Enabling environment — Infrastructure development

2. Sustainable growth — Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) development and access to finance

3. Human capital — Skills development and innovation

4. Shared growth — Livelihood enhancement

5. Competitiveness — Increasing city attractiveness

6. Ease of doing business — Business climate reforms

The Operation Zero teams previously recommended that the elements of the framework be semi-spontaneously and rigorously planned and executed yet quickly through nine proposed socio-economic corridors aside from Metro Manila: Davao-ARMM-SOCCKSARGEN; Northern Mindanao-Central Visayas; Zamboanga Peninsula; Bicol-Eastern Visayas-CARAGA; Cagayan Valley-Aurora; MIMAROPA; Western Visayas; Ilocos-CAR; and Central Luzon-CALABARZON.
This corridor approach to socio-economic development balances the demand and supply forces and bridges development and business. Its operating principles are:

1) Prosperity and growth are tracked by banking, which follows trade flows.

2) The “velocity” of trade flows is a function of development and mobility.

3) Development progresses with the presence and use of shared roadmaps and credit and investment enablers.

4) Mobility is a function of integrated supply chains, infrastructure and connectivity.

Which areas to prioritize?
The nine redrawn economic corridors have been categorized as follows: four frontier corridors, three super-growth corridors and two emerging corridors. This categorizations would in a way dictate the budget spending and investment allocation as well as financing strategy. The developing methodology and assumptions include six clusters of variables, three structural risk issues, and three impact outcomes (jobs, regional GDP per capital, household prosperity formation); public investment assumed as a constraint and allocated amount a subset of the overall financing and investing strategy; instrumentation (e.g., guarantee, sovereign financing) can vary depending on the projects and programs; and, ranking and prioritization of programs and projects based on impact outcomes and capital allocation. All development and economic planning would have to be done immediately by corridors, without waiting for executive orders and legislative actions, for the relevant agencies and entities to collaborate and act immediately.
Within this framework, we have evaluated and identified three areas that would have the greatest impact to significantly cutting poverty and promoting intergenerational growth — education, agriculture, and infrastructure. In the upcoming articles, we will provide our points of view on accelerating and sustaining growth from these areas. To avoid any ideological debate, we need to have an anchor for the framework. To our mind and to reiterate, it should be about generating employment, as a nod to the dignity of work, labor and entrepreneurship.
This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice where the facts and circumstances warrant. The views and opinion expressed above are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of SGV & Co.
 
Christian G. Lauron is a Partner of SGV & Co.

Duterte scraps planned MoU with Kuwait on OFWs

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte on Sunday said he will no longer pursue the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the protection of Filipino workers in Kuwait, following the expulsion last week of Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato O. Villa.
“No!” Mr. Duterte said when asked if he would still pursue the MoU. He was addressing a press conference on Sunday morning at Davao International Airport upon his arrival from Singapore.
He added: “The ban stays permanently. There will be no more recruitment, especially [of] domestic helpers.”
Mr. Duterte’s arrival statement also went in part: “The Philippines and Kuwait have a shared history that both sides must learn to value. We have good relations with Kuwait. We helped Kuwait before. We can still help each other now. Current developments, however, test our commitment to work together. We must be undeterred in the work of helping our fellow human beings as we pursue our shared interests with due respect [for] each other’s sovereignty.”
The President also appealed to the estimated OFWs in Kuwait to return to the Philippines “For Filipino professionals who may wish to stay in Kuwait, there is really no problem. But at the same time, I would like them to cherish and nurture patriotism. You can stay there. For Filipino household Service workers, if your Kuwaiti employers want you to leave, then please come home. Your government will do its best to help you return and resettle. I appeal to your sense of patriotism and to your love of country and family,” he said.
The new employment opportunities for affected OFWs now, according to the President, is to teach English in China. “China is getting some 1,000 teachers. Maybe we can give them the preference. If they are adept in the English language, then I will be going to communicate with my friend, how he can help us.”
“But they estimate that within five years we would be sending something like 100,000 English teachers from the Philippines,” he added.
For his part, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on economic affairs, said he supports Mr. Duterte’s decision to have OFWs deployed in Kuwait repatriated.
“The recent difficulties experienced between our countries have exposed serious threats to the safety and well-being of our OFWs in jeopardy. The Philippine government must stand strong and demand from the Kuwaiti government concrete action to safeguard the fundamental human rights of OFWs in their country. The signing of the MoA should be a good first step in achieving this goal. Our OFWs do not deserve to be treated like slaves,” the Senator said in a text message to reporters.
But Akbayan Senator Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel, for her part, said Mr. Duterte “stop gambling with the lives and employment” of OFWs in Kuwait. “Are we even talking about the same Philippines? President Duterte is promising our OFWs jobs back in our country when he can’t even sign an Executive Order (EO) to address labor contractualization and protect the workers’ security of tenure. His administration doesn’t even have an alternative economic strategy to the country’s labor export policy,” she said in a statement.
She added: “I appeal to the President to think this through. This is not the time for cavalier diplomacy. I urge him to conduct extensive foreign policy and labor dialogues and consultations with his Cabinet, the Legislature, foreign affairs experts, labor groups and other stakeholders to find a truly diplomatic and sustainable solution to this crisis.”
Senator Richard J. Gordon, for his part, said: “We have had good relations with Kuwait whom the Philippines fully supported when it was invaded by Iraq under Saddam Hussein… It should also not be allowed to affect the country’s image and relations with other countries,” he said in a statement. — with Camille A. Aguinaldo

Priest, 37, shot dead after holding Mass

A PRIEST was shot dead in Cagayan province after holding Mass on Sunday morning, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reported on its Web site also on Sunday.
Catholic priest Mark Ventura, 37, was murdered at about 8:15 a.m. right after celebrating Mass at a gymnasium in Peña Weste village on the outskirts of Gattaran town.
Fr. Ventura is the second cleric slain in around four months, CBCP said, citing too Fr. Marcelito Paez’s murder in December last year by still unidentified gunmen in Jaen, Nueva Ecija.
CBCP also cited reports by the Police Regional Office No. 2 in Tuguegarao City that Fr. Ventura was blessing children and talking with choir members when an unidentified man donning a motorcycle helmet emerged from the back of the gym and shot the priest twice.
The reports also quoted Philippine National Police chief Director-General Oscar D. Albayalde as saying the suspect ran towards a nearby highway and rode on a single motorcycle driven by another unidentified companion as they fled towards the direction of Baggao, Cagayan.
Davao Archbishop and CBCP president Romulo G. Valles was quoted as saying in the CBCP report: “We are totally shocked and in utter disbelief to hear about the brutal killing of Fr. Mark Ventura.”
The bishops appealed to the authorities “to act swiftly in going after the perpetrators of this crime and to bring them to justice.”
CBCP said Fr. Ventura recently assumed the post of director of the San Isidro Labrador Mission Station in Mabuno village, also in Gattaran, and was under the Tuguegarao archdiocese for almost seven years.
Mr. Ventura was also known for his anti-mining advocacies and for helping the indigenous peoples in the province, CBCP said.
In a statement, Senator Franklin N. Pangilinan said in part, “We call on the authorities to capture and prosecute Fr. Ventura’s killers as soon as possible and not treat Fr. Ventura’s death as just another death under investigation wherein perpetrators are never held accountable, as in the case of Fr. Marcelito Paez, who was also killed by unidentified gunmen in Jaen, Nueva Ecija five months ago in December 2017.”
The senator added: “We hope that Fr. Ventura’s death is not a reflection of our nation’s character in light of the recent actions of the government against Sister Patricia Fox — an aid worker for the past 27 years who has been ordered kicked out of the country on baseless claims that she is out to besmirch the government.”

Duterte defends removal of comfort-woman statue

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte said the removed statue symbolizing the wartime Filipino comfort woman can be relocated “somewhere else” as it has created a “bad” impression to other nations.
“If there is what you would call a memorial for injustice committed at one time, it’s all right. But do not use….It is not the policy of government to antagonize other nations,” Mr. Duterte said upon his arrival in Davao City on Sunday.
“I didn’t even know that it exists. But it has created somehow a bad, you know… You can place it somewhere else,” Mr. Duterte also said.
He noted further that “Japan has apologized to the Filipinos. And they have certainly made much more in terms of reparations.”
Japan is a leading economic partner of the Philippines.
According to a report by the Japan Times, the Japanese Embassy in Manila was notified ahead of the removal of the statue.
The statue of the blindfolded comfort woman, erected in December 2017, serves as a memorial for Filipino women who were abused by Japanese forces during their occupation of the Philippines at the time of the Pacific War.
The statue prompted headlines last January when Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda called attention to the memorial during her visit to the Philippines.
It was removed from Roxas Boulevard on Friday night to reportedly make way for a flood-control project by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene D. Brosas said in a statement the statue was built “precisely to remind future generations and the public of what Filipina sex slaves went through under Japanese occupation. It was not meant for private viewing.”
“(The) so-called reparations form just one aspect of the demands of abused Filipinas,” Ms. Brosas said. “We need to address the historical injustice against them and counter Japan’s revisionist take on WWII history.”
Ms. Brosas said she will push for a congressional inquiry.
For her part, Rep. Emmi A. de Jesus said: “Why was the removal done in the night, apparently with the permission of the local government? Was the National Historical Commission properly notified?” — Charmaine A. Tadalan with Arjay L. Balinbin

Duterte on release of barangay-level drug-watch list: ‘Not yet.’

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
AS THE campaign period for the May 14 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections comes closer, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said it is not yet time to disclose the names of barangay officials who are in his “narco-list” or drug-watch list.
“Not yet. It is not time. And I have to get back all of those who want to come back,” the President said in a press conference in Davao City on Sunday, April 29, upon his arrival from Singapore.
However, on April 25, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director-General Aaron N. Aquino said the agency was set to release its watchlist of barangay officials involved in illegal drugs.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. also confirmed in a radio interview last Friday that Mr. Duterte has already ordered the release of the narco-list.
“Huwag po nating ihalal iyong mga may koneksyon sa droga” (Let us not elect those candidates who are involved in illegal drugs),” Mr. Roque said in an interview with Radyo Pilipinas.
For its part, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it “sees the forthcoming Barangay elections as an opportunity for the people to remove officials with ties to illegal drugs.”
“This is the reason why we are urging the public to vote for candidates who are actively fighting the war against drugs in the Barangay level,” the agency said in a press release.
The baranggay and SK campaign period will run from May 4 to 12 and the elections will be held on May 14.
For his part, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary C. Alejano said: “The rule of law and due process must always prevail in these cases. If there is substantial evidence linking these officials to illegal drugs, then by all means, they should be held criminally liable. I emphasize ‘substantial evidence’ as a precursor because there were instances wherein the President released the narco-list, only to follow it up by retracting several names included in it. These blunders certainly cast doubt on the accuracy of the said drug list.”
The opposition lawmaker added: “I hope that the release of this document achieves something outside of public shaming.”
In a statement, Senate committee on local government chairman Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara said, citing as well the Commission on Elections, that “over a million Filipinos filed their COCs (certificates of candidacy) for the barangay and the SK elections last April 20.”
“Of those who filed COCs, 684,785 candidates ran in the barangay elections, while 386,206 others ran for a position in the SK,” he added.
The senator said he challenges the candidates “to show the voters how they can truly fulfill their role in nation building as frontliners in the delivery of basic services.”

Nationwide Round-Up

Transport group doubts gov’t can find jeepney drivers alternative jobs

AFP

A TRANSPORT group leader said the government’s recent statement that agencies are working to find alternative jobs for jeepney drivers confirms their position that the modernization program will ultimately leave many of them without livelihood. “It only proves our assumption that the jeepney phaseout is intended to remove from the public transport industry the over 500,000 jeepney drivers and 200,000 small jeepney operators all over the country,” George F. San Mateo, leader of transport group PISTON, said in Filipino. Land Transportation and Franchising Authority (LTFRB) board member Aileen A. Lizada said in a television interview that the Department of Transportation (DoTr) is working on a memorandum of agreement offering alternative livelihoods for jeepney drivers who cannot modernize their vehicles within three years. “Are you going to modernize? If not, that’s what DoTr is fixing. We are giving you options. A memorandum of agreement with DoLE (Department of Labor and Employment), TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) and DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) is being finalized,” Ms. Lizada said. Mr. San Mateo doubted that the government can deliver, pointing out that the country is already faced with other labor concerns such as the displacement from Boracay’s temporary closure and overseas Filipino workers from Kuwait. Ms. Lizada and DoTr officials could not be immediately reached for further comments. — Denise A. Valdez

De Lima calls for check on health workers’ compensation

SENATOR LEILA M. De Lima, through a resolution filed April 26, has called for the convening of the Congressional Commission on Health (HealthCom) to revisit Republic Act No. 7305, the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers, and monitor if health workers in government are properly compensated. “Fifteen years since its enactment, monitoring of the implementation of the law has been generally weak and our PHWs (public health workers) still remain undervalued,” she said in a statement Sunday. “There is an urgent need for HealthCom to convene and to revisit the law and the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations to determine what provisions need to be amended in order to plug the loopholes and to bridge the statutory gaps,” she added. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

More NPAs lay down arms in CAR

MORE MEMBERS of the New People’s Army (NPA) have voluntarily laid down arms, with the most recent batch composed of 19 in Mountain Province last April 26, the Northern Luzon Command reported. The communist rebels who turned themselves in to authorities were composed of two regular armed NPAs from Ifugao and Mountain Province who mainly operate in Northeast Cagayan, and 17 Militia ng Bayan members from Cagayan Valley. The firearms were turned over to the 5th Infantry Division include one M16 rifle and one Carbine. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

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