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Nationwide Round-Up

Robredo appeals 25% threshold in VP recount case

VICE-PRESIDENT Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo on Thursday urged the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) to reverse an April 10 ruling that imposed a 50% ballot shading threshold in the ongoing recount based on an election protest filed by losing candidate and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos. “Ang hinihingi po natin, na kung ano iyong batayan noong pagbilang ng mga boto noong eleksyon, at kung ano iyong batayan ng pagboto ng lahat ng kandidato, iyon din sana iyong batayan na gamitin sa atin (What we are asking for is to follow the basis used in counting during the election and what was used for all candidates),” Ms. Robredo told reporters outside the Supreme Court. Ms. Robredo, in her 11-page motion for reconsideration, asked the court, sitting as PET, to use the 25% threshold used by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the May 2016 polls instead of the 50% used in the May 2010 elections. Ms. Robredo, in the petition, also criticized the PET for not being aware of Comelec Resolution No. 9164, which “deleted the imposition of the 50% threshold” from a previous resolution. — Dane Angelo M. Enerio

Resigned labor official Say would have been fired, says Palace

DOMINADOR R. Say, who has just resigned as undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), would have been fired by President Rodrigo R. Duterte if he did not step down, according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. In a briefing Thursday, Mr. Roque said Mr. Say would have been sacked for “corruption that the President knows about.” “Corruption relating to activities of labor recruiters, apparently, and the Department of Labor and Employment! But I’m not sure if that was what he was referring to; I just have personal knowledge that if the resignation was not submitted, he would have been fired,” the spokesman added.— Arjay L. Balinbin

CA’s Inting appointed as new Comelec commissioner

MALACAÑANG ANNOUNCED on Thursday, April 19, the appointment of Court of Appeals Associate Justice Socorro B. Inting as new commissioner of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Ms. Inting, according to her appointment papers, will be serving until Feb. 2, 2025. President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed her appointment papers on April 17. Ms. Inting hails from Davao City, the President’s hometown. — Arjay L. Balinbin

NYC reminds SK candidates: You should not have relatives in elected position

NATIONAL YOUTH Commission (NYC) office-in-charge Chair Ronald L. Cardema on Thursday reminded those who are aspiring for a position in the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) that candidates must not have relatives who currently hold elected government positions. Section 10 of the Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015 states that, among other criteria, a candidate “… must not be related within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any incumbent elected national official or to any incumbent elected regional, provincial, city, municipal, or barangay official, in the locality where he or she seeks to be elected, and must not have been convicted by final judgment of any crime involving moral turpitude.” The filing of certificate of candidacy is until April 20 for the election set on May 14. — Arjay L. Balinbin

ConCom amends definition of PHL territory in light of Hague ruling, Sabah, Benham Rise

PHILIPPINES-CHINA-MARITIME-DIPLOMACY
AFP / Philippine Department of Agriculture-Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division

By Charmaine A. Tadalan
A SUBCOMMITTEE of the Consultative Committee (ConCom) has proposed to revise the Article on National Territory of the 1987 constitution, giving the 2016 Hague ruling on the Philippines’ maritime dispute with China a “constitutional status.”
“The prime considerations of the proposed revision is that the new article on national territory should be in conformity with the (United Nations) Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the arbitral (tribunal) decision in favor of the Philippines and also our claims over Benham Rise,” Ranhilio C. Aquino, who sponsored the article, said in a press briefing on Thursday.
Under the proposed Article on National Territory, the Philippines’ sovereignty would consist of “the islands and waters encompassed by its archipelagic baselines, its territorial sea and its airspace,” in accordance to the “laws of the federal republic, the law of nations, and judgments of competent international courts or tribunals.”
It also included territories that belong to the country by “historic right or legal title,” which was a provision of the 1973 constitution, but excised from the present constitution.
Fr. Aquino said this particular provision will allow the Philippines to “actively pursue” its long-standing claims over Sabah, currently deemed a state by Malaysia that forms part of its federation.
Sabah was leased by the Sultanate of Sulu to the British North Borneo Company in an 1878 agreement. In 1946, the British, Malaysia’s former rulers, annexed Sabah as a crown colony days after the Philippines’ independence on July 4, according to a Dec. 30, 1961 article by the journalist Napoleon G. Rama that prompted the Philippines to pursue its claim over Sabah on the watch of then president Diosdado P. Macapagal.
Section 2 of the proposed article, meanwhile, recognized the country’s rights over “maritime expanse beyond its territorial sea to the extent reserved to it by international law.” This covers its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which is within 200 nautical miles from the archipelagic baselines and aqua-maritime resources.
In drafting the proposed definition of the territory, Mr. Aquino noted Section 2 incorporated the significant factual and legal conclusions of the arbitral award in favor of the Philippines in the case on the South China Sea.
The section also asserted rights over the Philippine Rise, the country’s extended continental shelf, also called Benham Rise.
He added: “We are expanding in the sense that we are consolidating our claims and not foreclosing the Philippines from pursuing its claims to which it may be legally entitled both by domestic vote and by international law.”
The subcommittee, chaired by Antonio B. Arellano, is set to discuss the provisions with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) before their submission to the ConCom en banc for approval.
The revision, aside from adding a new section, also changed the title of Article 1 from “National Territory,” in the present Constitution to “Sovereignty Over Territory and Sovereign Rights.”

Senator files resolution proposing Presidential Office on Drugs and Crimes

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
SENATE Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III on Thursday sought the creation of an office under the direct supervision of the President tasked to supervise and monitor illegal drug cases.
In filing Senate Resolution No. 702, Mr. Sotto urged the President to create the “Presidential Office on Drugs and Crimes,” headed by the Solicitor-General, which will focus and address the problem of prosecution in the government’s war against illegal drugs and other crimes.
“The said office shall also formulate programs and protocols to strengthen the prosecution of drug cases and assist law enforcers,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Sotto, who once headed the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), said he was alarmed with records indicating that 70% of drug cases were being dismissed due to lack of coordination between law enforcers and prosecutors, especially in the case build-up.
He said the proposed office would be created through an Executive Order, which would make into one body the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Customs (BoC), and the Department of Justice (DoJ).
Under his proposal, state and public prosecutors would be designated to the PNP, PDEA and NBI to advise, supervise and monitor anti-drug and crimes operations, especially high-profile cases.
Mr. Sotto also proposed “Deputy Commanders” for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who would be taken from the present undersecretaries or assistant secretaries from DoJ, DILG, DDB, PNP, PDEA, and other necessary agencies.

DA chief bares reforms on rice distribution

By Anna Gabriela A. Mogato, Reporter
A SERIES of reforms is expected to be introduced in the local rice market by a technical working group (TWG) composed of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA).
Agriculture secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said in a press conference on Thursday that the TWG “will look into how to improve the rice industry in the country.”
One of the reforms expected would be the use of a traceability system based on the price monitoring of rice as conducted by DA, DTI, and NFA.
“I noticed that there was no way of validating where the rice came from– if it’s imported or local. So our problem is the traceability and you know the racket of our importers — they will import the rice and rebag it then sell these as fancy or commercial rice,” Mr. Piñol said.
“I talked to [NFA Administrator Jason Laureano Y.] Aquino that we should impose a traceability system. This means that before a sack of rice leaves Thailand or Vietnam, we should know where it came from…when it reaches the Philippines.”
Other reforms seen are extending rice buffer stocks to reach 60 days and shifting from warehouses to silos for palay storage.
“[I also told Mr. Aquino that] we should place CCTV in all the warehouses of NFA where there are stocks of imported rice so that we have a recording of who withdrew it,” Mr. Piñol said.
“The trucks should have tracking devices so that from the warehouse, we’d know if it diverted and went somewhere else. We can make these efforts transparent.”
Mr. Piñol also noted problems in rice distribution, with no system to gauge pricing as rice would be sold as low as P38 and as high as P100.
Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said they are conducting a feasibility study on imposing suggested retail prices for regular-milled and well-milled rice, noting that some rice coming from private firms already have branding.
Aside from the TWG, Mr. Piñol announced that an executive committee will be formed to deal with NFA’s day-to-day operations. This includes studying policies, local procurement and rice importation.
The committee, composed of the Department of Finance, DTI, DA and NFA, will make recommendaitons based on its discussions with the interagency NFA Council.

Northern link

The 24.61 kilometer Plaridel Bypass Road, which will link the North Luzon Expressway in Balagtas, Bulacan with the Philippine Japan Friendship Highway, also called Maharlika Highway, in San Rafael, Bulacan with a drive time of 30 minutes, nears completion and is expected to be inaugurated in May 2018. The project, under the Department of Public Works and Highways with funding assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, includes a 1.12-kilometer bridge spanning Angat River.

Citation tickets out soon for traffic violators caught on camera in Parañaque

THE PARAÑAQUE City government is ready to issue citation tickets against traffic violators, one month after testing its new security cameras, Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez said in a statement. The high-definition cameras, situated at the junction of Sucat and Kabihasnan Road, capture pictures of over-speeding vehicles. Violators who will receive citation tickets are required to settle penalties. Failure to do so will result to non-renewal or cancellation of registration or franchise for public utility vehicles. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

MDMRC upgrades 7th floor, to serve as Maxicare Wing

THE REFURBISHED 7th floor of the Metro Davao Medical and Research Center (MDMRC), which will primarily serve as a special wing of Maxicare Healthcare Corp., will be formally opened Friday, April 20. “We have renovated our 7th floor in compliance with the brand of Maxicare,” said Dr. Linell G. Malimbag, MDMRC hospital administrator, but added that the 14-bed capacity of private deluxe rooms and semi private rooms would not be exclusively for Maxicare cardholders. Christian S. Argos, president and chief executive officer of Maxicare, said in a media forum last week that the MDMRC Maxicare Wing is their first in Mindanao, their second biggest market after Luzon. Mr. Argos said their cardholders are mainly under corporate accounts in the business process outsourcing, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors. “Hopefully in the future we will be able to add more rooms depending on how responsive the Maxicare clients would be for this,” said Ms. Malimbag. MDMRC is a Level 2 Department of Health-accredited hospital with a 135-bed capacity. — Maya M. Padillo

Traffic congestion expected as Mananga Bridge III rehab starts April 27

THE DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is scheduled to start rehabilitation work on the Mananga Bridge in Talisay City on April 27, with the northbound lane set for full closure. Cebu Provincial Traffic Management office focal person Jonathan F. Tumulak called on motorists to observe road rules and cooperate with traffic enforcers so as not to worsen the expected congestion in the area and at the Cebu South Coastal Road. Mr. Tumulak, in a statement issued by the city information office, said the DPWH’s traffic scheme while the bridge work is ongoing includes opening the southbound lane to two-way traffic from 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Mr. Tumulak also urged local governments to help manage vehicular traffic by coordinating with the Cebu provincial office. Data from the Land Transportation Office shows there were 574,819 motor vehicles in Cebu province as of end-2017 and it is expected to increase to at least 800,000 by the end of this year. “We will aide in the construction of traffic management office because we are expecting our neighboring municipalities to economically boom, not just in Metro Cebu.” Mr. Tumulak said.

Climaco asks BoC to deputize law enforcement agencies vs smuggling

ZAMBOANGA CITY Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar has called on the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to create a city-wide task force with deputized law enforcement agencies who can go after smugglers. “Time and again Zamboanga City has been the hub of smuggling operations and as Mayor I am bent on stopping this economic larceny against our government. We have encountered futile efforts with the Bureau of Customs despite the Senate hearing on the disappearance of smuggled sugar a year ago,” Ms. Climaco said in a statement. The mayor made the statement after 10 trucks loaded with suspected smuggled sugar and rice, which were intercepted by police officers at a checkpoint, disappeared after these were sent back in a holding compound of a private wharf in Baliwasan where the trucks allegedly came from. Ms. Climaco said the BoC initially refused to take custody of the goods “due to lack of prior coordination.” “These (smuggling) syndicates are powerful; they built a parallel empire of their own, thereby, posing a great threat to legitimate businessmen,” she said.- — Mindanao Bureau

Nation at a Glance — (04/20/18)

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

Dominguez wants ‘all elements in place’ for telco 3rd player

FINANCE Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III sounded a note of caution over the process of admitting a “third player” into the telecommunications industry, saying that the required investment is large and all requirements must be in place for a new entrant to compete effectively.
“To effectively compete, the investments required of the new major telecommunications player are estimated to be at least P200 billion,” Mr. Dominguez said in a social media post on Thursday.
“The magnitude of the investment requires that all elements, including the necessary access to available telecommunications infrastructure, are in place for the new player. Until such time, the bidding for its entry cannot be rushed,” he added.
Asked for comment on his post, Mr. Dominguez said in a mobile message to reporters that it was “just a reminder to make sure that all issues that may not give the potential aspirants an even chance of competing in the telco industry are adequately addressed.”
The Department of Finance (DoF) can influence the process of selecting a new telecom entrant because the department’s representative serves as vice-chair of the committee overseeing the entry of the third player. The committee is chaired by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The third player is expected to be selected by July, after Malacañang initially set an informal deadline of the first quarter of 2018. Following consultations, the selection criteria have been modified to favor the candidate with the most aggressive rollout timetable. Initially the criteria focused on the size of the new entrant’s investment commitments.
New entrants are expected to have a Congressional franchise, which means domestic telecom firms with existing franchises are expected to tie up with foreign entrants seeking to become the third player.
A second draft of the Terms of Reference for third-player selection are expected to be issued within the month and a final version by mid-May.
The Public Services Act or Commonwealth Act No. 146, limits foreign ownership to a 40% stake in public utilities, which includes the telecommunications industry.
However, legislators are also currently working on amendments to take out the telecommunications industry from the definition of public utilities to allow purely foreign-owned firms to set up shop here.
The DICT aims to select the third player before President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in late July. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

TransCo withdraws bid to interconnect power grids

NATIONAL Transmission Corp. (TransCo) will no longer vie to control the project to control the interconnection of the Visayas and Mindanao power transmission grids to avoid further delay, Energy officials said.
“That plan is no longer in effect,” Alfonso G. Cusi, secretary of the Department of Energy (DoE), told reporters about TransCo’s bid to handle the project, which its proponent — privately held National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) — expects to cost around P52 billion.
“It’s NGCP,” he said, when asked about which entity will be overseeing the project that has been delayed for years.
“The project will be further delayed if we order it stopped,” he said, referring to halting the project to give way for TransCo’s entry.
He said TransCo sought to participate in the interconnection project because NGCP as the project’s implementing entity would pass on the cost to consumers.
“Aside from capital cost the NGCP requires a return on its investment. The cost of money may (have) a margin. Put these together, these will all be recovered from consumers,” Mr. Cusi said.
Melvin A. Matibag, TransCo president and chief executive officer, confirmed giving up plans to take over the project. He said, however, that TransCo offered “informally” to facilitate the financing for the project because of a funding offer from the World Bank.
TransCo, an agency attached to the DoE, has studied the Malampaya fund as the possible funding source should it handle the project. The fund is made up of royalties that the government collected since 2002 from the Malampaya gas-to-power project in Palawan.
In September, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) announced that it had granted provisional authority to NGCP to implement the interconnection for P51.6967 billion. It said the project would enable power supply transfers among the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao grids.
The project covers the linking of the power grids via Cebu and Dipolog City in Mindanao. The converter stations in the Visayas and Mindanao will be located in Sibonga, Cebu and Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, respectively.
With interconnected grids, the deficiency of supply in Visayas may be supplied by importing power from Luzon or Mindanao. The project will also help optimize the available power supply in the Philippine grid.
The ERC’s provisional authority was issued under its order dated July 11, 2017. It said the project is in support of the government’s vision to link the country’s major grids into a single national grid.
Republic Act No. 9511 granted NGCP in 2008 its franchise to engage in the business of conveying or transmitting electricity through a high-voltage backbone system of interconnected transmission lines, substations and related facilities.
NGCP’s franchise is authorized by RA 9136 in 2001 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, which paved the way for the sale of government energy assets. The law separated the various components of the sector, including power transmission, which was spun off to TransCo ahead of its turnover to the private sector through concession.
Unlike outright sale, the concession agreement allowed the government to keep ownership of the transmission assets through TransCo. The operation, maintenance and expansion of the grid was handed over to NGCP. — Victor V. Saulon

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