THE Senate on Monday, Aug. 14, concurred with the ratification of International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 151 which seeks to protect the right of civil servants to organize, as well as procedures for determining conditions of employment in public service, a statement by the chamber on Monday said.

ILO, as defined by its Web site, is the tripartite United Nations agency that brings together governments, employers and workers representatives of 187 member states to set labor standards, and develop policies and devise programs promoting decent work for all women and men.

With 22 affirmative votes and zero negative votes, the Senate approved on third reading Proposed Senate Resolution No. 454 in line with the convention, as authored and sponsored by Senator Loren B. Legarda, chairperson of the Senate committee on foreign relations.

Ms. Legarda said in the statement the Philippines is the first Asian country to ratify the convention, which is also known as the “Convention Concerning Protection of the Right to Organize and Procedures for Determining Conditions of Employment in the Public Service.”

ILO Convention No. 151 was first adopted on June 27, 1978 in Geneva, Switzerland, and entered into force on Feb. 25, 1981.

According to the resolution, “the Convention promotes sound labor relations between public authorities and public employees’ organizations through the protection of the right to organize, granting of facilities or privileges to its representatives, full development and utilization of machinery for negotiation of terms and conditions of employment, and promotion of civil and political rights of public employees.”

“The resolution applies to all persons employed by public authorities. The extent to which the guarantees in the Convention shall be applied, in so far as the high-level managerial, policy making and confidential employees are concerned, as well as the armed forces and the police, shall be determined by national law and regulations,” the resolution added.

Under the resolution, the Convention “shall take effect 12 months after the date on which its ratification has been registered with the Director-General of the ILO.” President Rodrigo R. Duterte ratified the Convention on May 26, the Senate statement said.

JUSTICE SECRETARY Vitaliano N. Aguirre II on Monday said government protection may be offered to the estranged wife of embattled Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Juan Andres B. Bautista.

In a text message to reporters, Mr. Aguirre said: “She can apply with the Witness Protection Program (WPP) and we will consider, especially since there are reported threats against her.”

Under the rules of the WPP a person should first submit an affidavit to the Department of Justice (DoJ), which will then evaluate the case.

Patricia Cruz-Bautista, in an affidavit and other documents submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), has made accusations that her husband has amassed about P1 billion in unexplained wealth and did not declare these in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) for 2016.

The SALN is required from all government employees.

IMPEACHMENT
Meanwhile, Volunteers against Crime and Corruption (VACC) lawyer Manuelito R. Luna yesterday asked the NBI for copies of the documents submitted by Ms. Bautista to strengthen a planned impeachment case against the Comelec head.

Mr. Luna, on behalf of VACC member and former solon Jacinto V. Paras, sent a letter to NBI Director Dante A. Gierran requesting for “certified true copies of the Affidavit of [Particia Paz Bautista] and the 35 Luzon Development Bank (LDB) passbooks, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) peso account document and other documents submitted to your office.”

The one-page letter dated Aug. 14 was submitted to the NBI yesterday afternoon. Mr. Luna said that his request is “in connection with the filing of an impeachment complaint against [Mr. Bautista].”

“Our said client is resorting to this request owing to the fact that the Committee of Justice of the House of Representatives will not accept any documents other than certified or original, appended to impeachment complaints,” Mr. Luna said.

In her affidavit, Ms. Bautista claimed that her husband has LDB accounts, RCBC accounts, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) account, several real properties, foreign investment and properties, and several checks and commission sheets from Divina Law, where Mr. Bautista practiced law before engaging in public service.

For a copy of Mr. Bautista’s SALN, Mr. Luna said he will send his request to the Office of Ombudsman Central headed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.

The NBI is conducting a separate investigation on Mr. Bautista as ordered by Mr. Aguirre. The Justice chief said that the probe will include Mr. Bautista’s previous stint at the Presidential Commission on Good Government and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

Mr. Aguirre said that the NBI probe “can be used as basis in filing an impeachment complaint” against the Comelec chief.

Mr. Bautista has denied the allegations and last week filed charges against his estranged wife. — Kristine Joy V. Patag

MAYNILAD WATER Services, Inc. has earmarked P291 million to replace more than 36 kilometers of what it described as “old, leaky pipes” in the northern part of Quezon City, the company said on Monday.

The water concessionaire for Metro Manila’s west zone said the pipe replacement project would benefit nearly 13,000 customers from improved water pressure once completed in September this year.

The covered areas are barangays Fairview and Batasan Hills, which are expected to have a water pressure of 16 pounds per square inch (psi) from only 7 psi at present.

Maynilad said the improvement “is strong enough to bring water to the third floor of a house without need for a pump.”

“There is a need to sustain investments in the rehabilitation of deteriorated pipelines in the West Zone, as this will help to further enhance water supply reliability for our customers,” said Ramoncito S. Fernandez, Maynilad president and chief executive officer, in a statement.

The company said replacing the old pipelines will allow Maynilad to cut water losses in the area and recover around 70 million liters per day of potable water.

That volume can meet the daily requirement of about 120,000 households, it added.

This year, Maynilad is targeting to replace up to 328 kilometers of old pipelines within its concession area, including in Quezon City, Navotas, Valenzuela, Pasay, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas and Cavite.

It has allotted a budget of P2.7 billion in 2017 for its non-revenue water reduction program, which includes pipe replacement projects.

Maynilad serves the west zone of the greater Manila area comprised of parts of Manila and Quezon City, the portion of Makati west of the South Super Highway, the cities of Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon in Metro Manila.

Outside the capital, the company serves the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario in Cavite province.

Maynilad is the biggest private water concessionaire in the country in terms of customer base. — Victor V. Saulon

THE DEPARTMENT of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday echoed President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s recent pronouncement that illegal drugs in the country cannot be phased out.

“I said, America as America…it cannot even control drugs. How much more for us?… If others cannot, do you think we can?,” said Mr. Duterte on Friday after waging an all-out campaign against the narcotics trade since he took office in July last year.

DILG Officer-in-Charge Catalino S. Cuy, for his part, said in a press briefing yesterday: “I think the President saw that until now, there are still [drug activities]. This will really be a serious campaign.”

“We notice that the drug personalities tend to lie low for a while, then if you slack off, they will once again continue. So this will really be a challenge for law enforcers,” he added.

Mr. Cuy also confirmed that there are numerous mayors who are included in Mr. Duterte’s latest ‘narco-list’ of politicians who are allegedly involved in the drug trade.

The administration’s drug war has been flagged by local and international human rights groups for the related killings carried out by police as well as suspected vigilante groups.

Mr. Cuy assured that all reports received by the DILG concerning police personnel are being acted upon.

Mr. Duterte has repeatedly assured police officers that he will support and protect them against charges that may arise from the implementation of the anti- drug campaign.

ILLEGAL GAMBLING
Similar to illegal drugs, Mr. Cuy said that illegal gambling would also be difficult to control and wipe out.

Police Director-General Ronald M. dela Rosa said last July 31 that he wants illegal gambling phased out in the entire country, particularly in Luzon, within 15 days.

“It is [difficult] because it (illegal gambling) seems to be a part of our culture already. We need a whole-of-nation approach for that,” he said. — Jil Danielle M. Caro

SENATOR Richard J. Gordon on Monday, Aug. 14, said he will ask the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to brief the Senate Blue-Ribbon Committee on the illegal drugs found in Sampaloc last week, similar to those seized in Valenzuela in May.

This is in connection with the inquiry being conducted by the Senate Blue-Ribbon Committee, which Mr. Gordon heads, on the P6.4 billion worth of shabu that slipped past the scrutiny of the Bureau of Customs.

“We will ask the NBI and PDEA to brief us on the Sampaloc (operation) and the Taiwanese and Filipino connection,” Mr. Gordon said.

NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin said the drugs contained in cylinders were already handed to PDEA. However, he said there is still no word on the amount of shabu found. He also confirmed that NBI will be present in today’s hearing.

Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV earlier said on Thursday he plans to grill Customs Commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon, tagging the Customs chief as being “at the heart” of the issue.

“Unang una as Commissioner of Customs alam niya kung ano ang nangyayari sa kanyang ahensya at base sa napag-tanungan ko na mga insiders ay talagang nasa gitsa siya ng kontrobersya na ito,” Mr. Trillanes said. (As Commissioner of Customs, he knows what is happening inside the agency and basedon my sources, he is right in the middle of this controversy.)

Mr. Faeldon, however, was confined last week due to a heart condition.

Messrs. Trillanes and Faeldon were part of the Oakwood Munity back in 2003.

“We need a good leader in Customs who knows and (has) the passion to meet the targets and set standards,” said Mr. Gordon for his part, adding that “military and frat groups tend to bring themselves down.”

The Senator added that businessmen Richard Chen and Manny Li, cited for contempt during last week’s hearing, will also be present tomorrow. — Mario M. Banzon

THE inclusion of barangay (village) officials in the government’s list of public officials implicated in the drug trade may be a “compelling reason” to postpone anew the village and Sangguniang Kabataan elections scheduled on Oct. 23, the leader Senate said in an interview with reporters on Monday, Aug. 14.

“This time, (we will put as) corresponding obligations (for the) Executive Branch to file, to act on the drug list. If that is the compelling reason to postpone (because there are many included in the) drug list, therefore, make use of the drug list and file cases (so they can be removed from their positions and) administrative cases (can be filed),” Senate President Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III told reporters yesterday.

The present 17th Congress in its First Regular Session in 2016 had postponed the elections scheduled also in October that year. For the proposed new postponement, Mr. Pimentel said “I will try to put it there,” referring to the government’s anti-drug campaign as basis for the postponement of th epolls.

“Ipo-postpone na nga (We will postpone precisely) because of the inclusion of many in the drug list,” he said, adding that “(our) feeling” is that many of the reelectionist candidates will win because they are “drug-funded.”

To avert the possibility of incumbent barangay officials ending up in a holdover capacity, Mr. Pimentel said Congress will seek a “corresponding action” from the Executive Branch to act on that list.

He suggested as an option setting “a certain date” ending the incumbency of the officials in question.

“But in the meantime, maglagay kami ng (we will establish an) expedited procedure on administrative cases on grave grounds. Number one, inclusion in the drug list. (That’s the best) the best compromise….Pero bigyan naman namin sila ng corresponding burden na kilos din,” the Senate leader said. (But let us give the Executive the corresponding burden to act on those cases.)

Mr. Pimentel explained further: “Ang filing of cases, sa Executive branch. Ipasa na natin sa Executive branch yan (The filing of cases is with the Executive branch. Let us pass that on to the Executive branch)….Therefore, I think, (we should) put value to that drug list, act on that drug list and then the law,…we will describe a procedure na expedited, mabilis. Hindi matagal (that is expedited, fast, not dragging).”