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House probe of special visas to foreigners urged

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO/ PNP ACG

A CONGRESSMAN on Tuesday filed a resolution seeking an investigation of the government’s issuance of special visas to foreigners and cases of delayed birth certificate registration amid Chinese-linked crimes in the country.

“Congress should look into these reports that the provision of retiree visas to foreigners, particularly to Chinese nationals, has been abused,” Party-list Rep. Erwin T. Tulfo told reporters in mixed English and Filipino after the filing.

“Based on figures provided by the Bureau of Immigration, out of the 78,000 [given retiree visas], 30,000 were Chinese,” he added.

Some of the Chinese nationals that were given retiree visas were aged 35 to 50 years and have yet to reach retirement age, he added.

Mr. Tulfo also raised concerns about some Chinese nationals being provided with an investor’s visa even if they are not investors.

“They did not invest millions here, but they have an investor’s visa,” he said. “Others are even working for POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) while having investor’s visas.”

Congressmen last week revived calls to ban POGOs amid the government’s string of raids on illegal gaming operators.

Mr. Tulfo said Speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez had asked him to launch an investigation of the matter as well as cases of late birth certificate registration.

The mayor of a municipality in Tarlac province would be invited to the probe, he said, citing her case as an example of how foreigners were being allowed to “participate in various social, economic and political activities… reserved only for Filipinos.”

The House of Representatives would also invite the Philippine Retirement Authority, Board of Investments and Philippine Statistics Authority to shed light on the number of foreigners given special visas and the incidence of late birth certificate registration.

“There are abuses in the giving of retiree visas, investor’s visa and late registration [of birth certificates],” Mr. Tulfo said.

Foreigners skirting Philippine immigration processes is one of the reasons crimes involving them have increased, according to the resolution. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

LGUs urged to regulate cable installation on key roads

PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana

THE METRO Manila Council (MMC) on Tuesday passed a resolution urging local government units (LGUs) to get rid of dangling cables on major roads in the National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent accidents.

San Juan City Mayor and MMC President Francisco “Francis” M. Zamora said heavy cables installed by telecommunication companies have accumulated over the years, causing the poles of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to fall.

“Most of these wires are useless, no longer functional and can be removed,” he told a virtual news briefing in Filipino.

Local governments should coordinate with Meralco and telecommunication companies in removing these cables, he added.

MMDA Resolution No. 24-16, which seeks to prevent accidents and fires, cited an accident in Binondo, Manila last year when a power pole collapsed.

At the same briefing, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting Chairman Romando S. Artes said contractors choose not to remove nonworking wires to avoid disrupting electricity and other services.

The public should be informed about wire-cleaning initiatives, he added.

Quezon City Administrator Michael Victor “Mike” N. Alimurung told the MMC local governments should limit the number of cables per pole.

Telecommunication companies must first get a permit from LGUs before they can install these cables, Mr. Zamora said.

The MMDA is also studying placing poles underground, which could be expensive.

Meanwhile, the MMDA said it had not started apprehending unconsolidated jeepneys pending guidelines from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Mr. Artes said stopping jeepneys to check for compliance could worsen traffic jams and inconvenience commuters.

He added that enforcers do not know what to check to know if a jeepney has consolidated or not.

Officials of the Department of Transportation and LTFRB have yet to meet about the matter, he added.

LTFRB chief Teofilo E. Guadiz III last month said consolidated units must have papers displayed on their windshields to distinguish them from unconsolidated ones.

State housing guarantee eyed

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday ordered the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to study the cost of issuing sovereign guarantees for state housing projects, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

In a statement, the PCO said officials from the DHSUD recommended state guarantees to encourage state and private banks to lend to the program.

“Let’s generate those numbers and see what really in terms of real-world cost is going to be — what is the condition really of the market, how easy or how hard is it going to be… for our guarantee to turn these things around,” Mr. Marcos said at the meeting, according to the PCO. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Lamitan now Abu Sayyaf-free

COTABATO CITY — Police, military and local officials on Tuesday declared Lamitan City in Basilan province as free from the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.

The group once had members in some of its 45 villages that are now being touted as investment hubs in the island province.

The “Abu Sayyaf-free” tag was one of the highlights of Mayor Roderick H. Furigay’s state of the city report, Brigadier General Prexy D. Tanggawohn, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and Lieutenant General Roy M. Galido, commander of the Philippine Army, separately told reporters.

Thousands, among them local officials from Basilan led by Governor Hadjiman H. Salliman, attended Tuesday’s event in Lamitan.

In his report, Mr. Furigay talked about improvements in governance and local trade as a result of the fragile peace now spreading around Lamitan City. — John Felix M. Unson

Smuggled cigarettes seized

REUTERS

THE BUREAU of Customs (BoC) has seized smuggled cigarettes worth P614,640 in Sapad, Lanao del Norte.

In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said it issued a warrant of seizure and detention for 768 reams of cigarettes in an operation on June 4.

“Upon thorough examination by Customs examiners, the seized cigarettes were determined to have been manufactured outside the Philippines and without the mandatory Bureau of Internal Revenue stamp as required by law,” it said.

The Revo vehicle used in the smuggling operation was also seized. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

35% of Filipinos engaged at work

PHILIPPINE STAR/WALTER BOLLOZOS

MORE Filipino workers are engaged at work compared with their Southeast Asian neighbors, with 35.13% of Filipinos reporting engagement versus the regional average of 26%, according to a study by Gallup.

Based on a three-year rolling average, employee engagement in the Philippines has increased by 5% in recent years, it said. The Philippines was well above the global average of 23% this year.

Employee engagement reflects the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace, according to Gallup.

It added that engaged teams contribute to positive outcomes in organizations.

Gallup said 55.7% of Filipino workers said they were not engaged, or they were “psychologically unattached to their work and company.”

They are only putting time, but not energy or passion into their work, Gallup added.

Low engagement costs the global economy $8.9 trillion or 9% of the global gross domestic product. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Speaker meets with Japan counterpart

SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez during the opening of the 19th Congress at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 25, 2022. — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

JAPAN remains committed to enhancing defense and security ties with the Philippines, Speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said on Tuesday after meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fukushiro Nukaga.

“Our relationship is at an all-time high, with the recent signing not just of the trilateral agreement, but of our relationship, of our strategic partnership,” he said in a statement.

“[It is] very important to promote cooperation among the three countries for the security, safety, and stability of the region,” he added.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have worsened in the past year amid Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Mr. Romualdez met with Mr. Nukaga in Tokyo on June 18, according to his office.

Japan and the Philippines share the view that regional security should be maintained, which is the basis of their “very good bilateral relations,” Mr. Nukaga told Mr. Romualdez during their meeting, according to the statement.   

Regional security must be based on international law, he added.

“The alliance between Japan and the United States is strong and built on trust,” Mr. Nukaga said. “It is very important to promote cooperation among our three countries to ensure safe maritime transport and the safety and stability of the region.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Red Cross help sought in SCS

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

SENATOR Francis N. Tolentino on Tuesday urged the  Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to work with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to distribute humanitarian aid to Filipino Navy personnel and fishermen in the South China Sea (SCS) amid Chinese aggression.

“The ICRC under the Geneva Convention can facilitate the necessary humanitarian aid to our Navy personnel living in BRP Sierra Madre and would pave the way for the delivery of the needed food supplies by our soldiers,” according to a copy of the letter he sent to Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo.

The Red Cross provides aid to people wounded in armed conflict, according to its website.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have worsened in the past year as Beijing continues to block resupply missions to the dispute Second Thomas Shoal, where a handful of Filipino soldiers live in the grounded ship called the BRP Sierra Madre.

The Philippines grounded the World War II-era ship there in 1999 to assert its claim and after China seized Mischief Reef in 1995. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Bamban mayor appeals to palace

PHILIPPINE STAR/JESSE BUSTOS

SUSPENDED Bamban Mayor Alice L. Guo through her lawyers asserted her innocence in a letter to Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin.

In the 18-page letter, the mayor denied allegations of kidnapping, illegal detention and human trafficking against her.

She reiterated her innocence, saying she ran for mayor not to protect Baofu Land Development, Inc., a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, but to serve the people of her town.

She urged the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) to conduct a fair probe. PAOCC at the weekend said it would file criminal charges against the mayor this week for her alleged connection to illegal POGOs in her town.

The ombudsman suspended Ms. Guo this month pending investigation of graft cases filed by the Interior and Local Government department. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

UP to continue marine research

DEPT. OF TOURISM

THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) will continue conducting marine research in the South China Sea despite threats from China’s coast guard and militia chips, UP President Angelo A. Jimenez told reporters on Tuesday.

Chinese aggression won’t dissuade the state university’s research on marine resources in the disputed waterway, he said.

“We don’t want to surrender our research just because there is a conflict,” Mr. Jimenez said. “We will face the situation.”

China claims more than 80% of the South China including areas withing the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. A United Nations-backed tribunal in the Hague voided its claim in 2016 for being illegal. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

P1B released for water projects

THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday said it had released P1 billion to improve the country’s water and sanitation facilities.

Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman on June 7 signed the release of P1 billion for the construction, expansion and upgrade of water, sanitation and hygiene projects, it said in a statement.

The project seeks to fast-track access to safe water and sanitation services in 75 Philippine towns.

“By supporting the implementation of priority projects of local government units, we invest in the growth and well-being of our local communities,” Ms. Pangandaman said. “It’s our commitment to progress and prosperity.” — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Jayson Tatum, Celtics put away Mavericks for record 18th crown

BOSTON CELTICS forward Jayson Tatum lifts the trophy after winning the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. — PETER CASEY/USA TODAY SPORTS/REUTERS

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum recorded 31 points and 11 assists as the Boston Celtics locked up their league-record 18th championship with a 106-88 blowout of the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Mr. Tatum also had eight rebounds while Jaylen Brown added 21 points, eight boards and six assists for Boston, which celebrated the 16th anniversary of its most recent title by completing a 16-3 playoff run.

The Celtics knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 Finals, and those two teams shared the league record with 17 championships apiece before Monday.

Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Derrick White chipped in 14 points as Boston wrapped up the best-of-seven series on its second opportunity. Mr. Brown was selected the Finals Most Valuable Player after averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists.

Luka Doncic paced the Mavericks with 28 points and 12 boards, but he committed seven turnovers. Kyrie Irving finished with 15 points and nine assists for Dallas, and Josh Green netted 14 points.

After Dallas called a timeout with 3:11 left in the second quarter, trailing by 11 points, Boston completely broke the game open.

The Celtics scored 17 of the next 24 points, six of which came from Mr. Brown. Payton Pritchard capped the outburst in jaw-dropping fashion, canning a 49-foot heave from half-court at the buzzer to send Boston into the break with a 67-46 cushion.

Mr. Holiday’s layup pushed the Celtics’ lead to 78-52 with 9:10 to go in the third quarter. Mr. Green then converted a putback and knocked down a 3-pointer as part of a 10-2 run that got the Mavericks within 80-62.

Dallas later got the deficit down to 17, but Boston took an 86-67 lead into the fourth.

The Celtics were on top by at least 18 the rest of the way.

A three-point play from Mr. Tatum put the Celtics up 46-31 with 7:08 remaining in the first half, but Dallas then took over down low. The Mavericks scored all of their points in the paint during an 8-2 spurt to get within nine before Al Horford stemmed the tide with a hard-nosed layup.

Mr. Horford’s bucket came just before the Mavericks’ timeout that preceded Boston’s game-changing run.

Boston came to life in the final 1:39 of the first quarter, ripping off nine unanswered points to take a 28-18 lead into the second.

The Celtics wound up shooting 42.7 percent from the floor. Dallas shot 44.9 percent overall but was outscored by 10 points at the foul line and committed 13 turnovers to Boston’ nine. — Reuters

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