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Bill seeks automatic adjustment of aid to gov’t workers

PHILSTAR

A PHILIPPINE senator has filed a bill that seeks to automatically adjust to inflation the financial aid given to civilian state workers.

Under Senate Bill No. 2673, which Senator Rafael “Raffy” T. Tulfo filed on May 14, the government’s monthly Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) will be doubled to P4,000 a month.

“The Personnel Economic Relief Allowance being granted to employees of the government shall be subject to an automatic yearly adjustment equivalent to any increase of the annual inflation rate in the country,” according to a copy of the bill.

The measure will cover civilian state workers in national and local governments.

A similar bill seeking to increase the allowance to P4,500 was filed before the House of Representatives in March last year.

In 2022, Senators Jose Pimentel “Jinggoy” Ejercito, Jr. and Mark A. Villar filed separate bills seeking to double the allowance to P4,000.

PERA, the government’s financial assistance program for state employees, was first implemented in 1990 and started at P900 a month. Congress increased it to P2,000 in 2009.

“In today’s context of high inflation and economic uncertainty, increasing and regularly adjusting PERA is vital to ensure that public sector workers are adequately supported,” Mr. Tulfo said in the bill’s explanatory note.

In the first four months of the year, inflation averaged at 3.4%, below the Philippine central bank’s 3.8% full-year forecast.

On Tuesday, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said government workers will get their midyear bonus starting May 15.

She told a palace briefing that a midterm report studying a wage increase for public servants is expected to be available by June.

“By increasing the PERA and instituting an automatic adjustment mechanism, the bill ensures that government employees can maintain their economic stability and continue to perform their duties effectively,” Mr. Tulfo said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Marcos vows to crush destabilization plots, combat disinformation online

PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZJOHN ROSALES

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. vowed on Thursday to fend off destabilization plots, as he cited disinformation efforts spreading online to undermine his administration.

“We will also not allow agents within the country to destabilize our government and create division within our nation,” he said before an audience of troops at a military camp in Cagayan de Oro City in southern Philippines.

Mr. Marcos urged them to develop new skills “to combat new forms of warfare, including those that extend up to the digital realm.”

“We must be prepared to fight false narratives, disinformation, and digital operations that seek to sow conflict [against us] and among us,” he said.

In a press release, the Presidential Communications Office said the President also warned that the country’s enemies “may be hiding in the shadows, or infiltrating the very communities and institutions that the government seeks to protect.”

Mr. Marcos said his government is ready to counter any destabilization attempts. Last week, he said he had not received any destabilization plot report involving active police officials, although he did not rule out the possibility of retired officials making such a move.

Former senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV, a former soldier, earlier said ranking police officials were recruiting colleagues to join a supposed ouster plot against the Marcos administration.

He has been linking the alleged plot to the camp of former president Rodrigo R. Duterte, who led a political rally earlier this month calling for Mr. Marcos’ resignation.

At the House of Representatives on Thursday, Mayor Rey T. Uy of Tagum City told reporters that Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon D. Alvarez — an ally of Mr. Duterte — should be expelled from Congress for calling on the Philippine military to withdraw their support for the President.

“Congressman Alvarez, during the rally, (called) for the… military, army to withdraw their support to President Marcos. To us, that’s unacceptable,” said Mr. Uy on the sidelines of the hearing on his ethics complaint against the former House speaker.

However, Party-list Rep. Felimon M. Espares, who chairs the House ethics committee, said the panel was only concerned with deliberating whether or not Mr. Alvarez’s conduct during the political rally was unbecoming of a congressman. The panel won’t deliberate the legal and criminal aspects of his statements, he said.

In April, Mr. Alvarez urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to withdraw their support for Mr. Marcos to de-escalate tensions with Beijing over the South China Sea.

The Philippine leader has veered away from some of the key policies of his predecessor, standing up to China amid its intrusions into Philippine waters and vowing to shift the anti-drugs campaign to rehabilitation from a deadly approach. — with a report from Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

1 in 3 Filipino kids stunted — study

BETH MACDONALD-UNSPLASH

ONE in three Filipino children are experiencing stunted growth or malnutrition due to a lack of high-quality early childcare and prenatal care, according to the report released by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM-2) this month.

In a statement on Thursday, EDCOM-2 said that there is a “severe underinvestment” in the welfare of very young children in the Philippines, which also causes their early education to suffer.

“Overall, the current supply of capital investments for ECCD (early childhood care and development) in the country falls short of meeting the goal of universal access for children aged 3-4 to ECCD services,” the study dated May 2 said.

The government only spends about P3,870 per child for health, compared to the $150 (P8,588.55) other lower and middle-income countries spend on children’s health, it added.

PIDS noted that participation in early education of Filipino children aged 3-4 is also still below pre-pandemic levels.

“The country’s current facilities are insufficient by around 33,000 to meet the 96,000 daycare/child development centers required to meet 100% of the demand,” the report said.

EDCOM-2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said despite the government’s array of feeding programs, it is still crucial to start boosting investments in early childhood care to address malnutrition and stunting.

“We need to go the extra mile to understand the complexities of the underlying ills of our education system, so that our proposals are needs-based, responsive, feasible, and sustainable,” said Mr. Yee. “This would include identifying the right investments for our Filipino children.”

Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who heads the Senate Basic Education Committee and co-chairperson of EDCOM-2, said education stakeholders and local government units should boost cooperation in early childhood care and education.

“Moving forward, local government units should also have more accountability in ensuring that the benefits of early childhood care and development) programs, including health and nutrition interventions, are felt by every Filipino child,” he said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

OSG forms team to probe mayor

THE OFFICE of the Solicitor-General (OSG) said on Thursday it has formed a team to investigate a mayor at the center of controversy over her citizenship and legal right to hold public office.

In a Viber message to BusinessWorld, Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra said: “I created a special team of solicitors last week to look into the matter and determine if there is good reason to believe that the subject is unlawfully holding or exercising a public office.”

The team, he said, is working with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Departments of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and of Education (DepEd), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and the Bureau of Immigration (BI), among others.

“We’re in the fact-finding stage. If there’s enough factual basis, the OSG may consider a quo warranto proceeding,” said Mr. Guevarra.

In a Senate hearing last week, Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” N. Hontiveros-Baraquel questioned the mayor’s citizenship after pointing out alleged irregularities in the information presented on her background, calling them “dubious.”

Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said a quo warranto may be filed by the OSG against the mayor because “citizenship and residency are continuing qualifications to hold public office.”

However, he explained that when Comelec had accepted her certificate of candidacy (CoC) to run for mayor back in 2022, their duty in that official transaction was merely “ministerial.”

Comelec Spokesman John Rex C. Laudiangco, in a separate Viber message, told BusinessWorld that since the mayor already took her oath and assumed office after her proclamation, questions about her qualification to remain in her post is now within DILG’s jurisdiction.

“The jurisdiction of Comelec as far as candidates are concerned, starts from the filing of the candidacy and ends upon proclamation,” Mr. Garcia said.

BusinessWorld reached out repeatedly to the mayor in question, but did not receive a reply.

Speaking in Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos. Jr. addressed the issue, saying that the mayor had long been under investigation.

“I know all the politicians from Tarlac, and no one knows her,” Mr. Marcos, speaking in Filipino, said. “So, we are wondering where she came from?”

He said that apart from the Senate, the Bureau of Immigration should also be investigating the truth behind the mayor’s identity and origin.

Earlier, the mayor was being linked to the operation of a Philippine Overseas Gaming Operator in her town which had employed hundreds of Chinese citizens. — with a report from Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Probe of drug killings sought

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

NEARLY two years after former president Rodrigo R. Duterte stepped down from power, a congressman wants to open an investigation into alleged extra-judicial killings (EJK) during his administration in the House of Representatives.

“The main point of my committee is to be able to determine the human rights violation on these (incidents),” House Committee on Human Rights Chair and Manila Rep. Bienvenido M. Abante, Jr., speaking partly in Filipino, said in a media briefer. “For example, the drug pushers, why didn’t they undergo legal processes, why were they killed immediately?”

A total 8,663 Filipinos have been killed under Mr. Duterte’s “war on drugs,” according to a report by the United Nations (UN) Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Estimates by Philippine human rights groups are three times more than the United Nations figure, indicating that around 27,000 to 30,000 throughout his administration.

However, Mr. Abante said that the proposed investigation will not call Mr. Duterte or his former police chief, Senator Ronald M. dela Rosa, to the hearing.

They would not be invited due to parliamentary courtesy reasons, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said in the same briefing, noting that “the House really gives primacy on the parliamentary courtesy principle.”

Among the high-ranking officials set to be invited to the House panel would be former Department of Justice (DoJ) Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra and former PNP Chief Oscar D. Albayalde, who succeeded Mr. Dela Rosa as head of the Philippine National Police. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Woman convicted of terrorism

FREEPIK

A MEMBER of the radical group Maute was found guilty of terrorism financing last Wednesday by a Taguig court, sentencing her to reclusion perpetua and a fine of P500,000.

In a 39-page decision, Judge Marivic C. Vitor of the Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 266 found a female member of the Maute family from Marawi City guilty of allowing five members of the group to use her car with several improvised explosive devices.

The court said the female member and the five terrorists executed a series of kidnappings and beheadings of civilians in Lanao del Sur in 2016.

“After a judicious review of the records and evidence of this case, the Court finds that the prosecution was able to prove the elements of the crime of terrorism financing,” ruled Ms. Vitor.

In a statement, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla welcomed the decision, saying: “We are committed to scoring more convictions, particularly on cases involving terrorism and terrorism financing.”

“We will never let terrorism prevail nor let it sow fear among our people,” he added. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Officials mull airport for Basilan

STOCK PHOTO

COTABATO CITY — Top officials of two Bangsamoro regional agencies are in talks with Governor Hadjiman H. Salliman of Basilan for the viability of building the first airport on the island province to boost its economy.

BARMM Transportation and Communications Minister Paisalin P. Tago told reporters on Thursday that after a meeting with Mr. Salliman in Zamboanga City last Wednesday, they have forged an agreement for a joint feasibility study on the construction of a commercial airport in Lamitan City.

Basilan, home to mixed Muslim and Christian residents, is now touted as the new investment hub in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) that also covers the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato. 

The Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) and Lamitan City Mayor Roderick H. Furigao were also parties to the MU on the planned Basilan Airport Development Project to rise in Barangay Calugusan.

“We are looking forward to a fruitful outcome of this joint endeavor. We are sure this airport project will improve commerce and trade in Basilan. This is a long-time wish by me and my constituents,” Mr. Salliman said.

“There is peace now in Basilan and this project can certainly boost the island’s economy,” Mr. Tago said. — John Felix M. Unson

Verde Island protection pushed

TWO companies under the Lopez Group have teamed up with government agencies for the conservation of the Verde Island Passage (VIP), a significant marine ecosystem in the country.

First Gen Corp. and the ABS-CBN Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Energy (DoE) on Thursday.

The Verde Island Passage is a strait between Batangas and Mindoro Island noted for its high concentration of fish, coal, crustacean, mollusk, seagrass, and mangrove species, making it a leading biodiversity site. 

“In our quest to conserve, preserve, and protect the critical marine ecosystem of the VIP, FirstGen and the ABS-CBN Foundation are pioneers in this important area in terms of its support for science, as well as the championing of ESG and climate action,” Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said in a briefing.

“The Lopez Group, FirstGen, along with the ABS-CBN Foundation, have been working to protect and conserve the Verde Island Passage for the last 20 years,” she added.

FirstGen, through First Philippine Conservation, Inc., developed and implemented the ecosystem-based Verde Island Integrated Conservation and Development Program.

Earlier this month, conglomerates San Miguel Corp., Metro Pacific Investments Corp., and Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. also signed an MoU with the DENR and the DoE.

The MoU covers a period of five years with funding from each of the companies, and will ensure VIP and its nearby province will continue to thrive as a marine protected area. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

President distributes aid to El Niño-hit areas in Mindanao

LOCAL governments in the southern region of Mindanao received aid packages worth millions after they were hit by the El Niño weather pattern.

The city government of Iligan got P10.5 million, while the provincial governments of Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental received P13.9 million and P24.3 million, respectively, from the national government, according to a press release from the presidential palace.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. chose to personally distribute the assistance to see the conditions of the fisherfolk and farmers affected by the El Niño phenomenon, according to his office.

“Aside from the financial assistance from the Office of the President, the Department of Social Welfare and Development provided P10,000 in financial assistance to 9,588 beneficiaries in Iligan City,” it added.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) recently said the country could shift to La Niña weather conditions by July, but the onset of the rainy season may begin as early as May.

Still, the delayed onset of the rainy season is possible, PAGASA said in a report to the President.

The Department of National Defense (DND) has already ordered the El Niño task force to mobilize agencies to prepare ahead of the La Niña phenomenon.

La Niña’s agricultural damage, according to the DA, is expected to be way higher than the damage caused by the dry spell.

The Agriculture department said on May 2 El Niño’s damage to agriculture had swelled to P5.90 billion, affecting 113,585 farmers and fishers.

It said La Niña’s agricultural damage would likely be way higher than the damage caused by El Niño. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Gov’t lacks plan to avert transport crisis from jeepney phaseout — lawmaker

PHILIPPINE STAR/WALTER BOLLOZOS

THE GOVERNMENT is ill-prepared for the impact of phasing out traditional jeepneys on mass transportation, an opposition congresswoman said on Thursday as authorities started its crackdown on public utility vehicles (PUV) which failed to meet the franchise consolidation deadline.

“The government has no concrete plan when it comes to the possible effect of a jeepney phaseout on jeepney drivers and the mass public transport,” Party-list Rep. Arlene D. Brosas, speaking in Filipino, said in a media briefing.

She urged the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to halt its apprehension of unconsolidated jeepneys as it would affect the livelihood of PUV operators and adversely affect commuters.

“Our message: choose the Philippines, the livelihood of jeepney operators. Stop the crackdown of unconsolidated jeeps and junk the PUV modernization program,” said Ms. Brosas.

The LTFRB on Thursday started its enforcement of the modernization program by apprehending unconsolidated jeepneys. About 1,900 PUVs did not join the program, LTFRB Chairman Teofilo E. Guadiz III told GMA News.

However, transport group PISTON said around 20,000 opted not to partake in the modernization efforts.

The government should look to support local jeepney manufacturers instead of relying on imported ones, Party-list Rep. France L. Castro said in the same briefer. “The government should support our local jeepney manufacturers so that the iconic sign of our jeepneys (won’t be erased),” she said in Filipino.

Ms. Castro said local support should instead be pursued instead of phasing out jeepneys.

“The government’s obviously leaning towards businessmen and foreigners, which piles their surplus jeepney units to our country,” she said.

Ms. Castro said forcing the modernization program to push through would result in an increase in public fares. “Fares would increase for passengers if it’s pushed through as we know that modern jeepneys are expensive,” she said.

Jeepney drivers earlier raised concerns about the prices of new imported jeepney units, which cost about P2 million per unit. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

PHL, Australia sign MoU on judicial cooperation

THE PHILIPPINE Supreme Court (SC) and the Federal Court of Australia (FCA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost the two countries’ judicial cooperation by undertaking programs and annual meetings between the chiefs of the two courts.

Philippine Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo on Monday signed the pact with Chief Justice Debra Sue Mortimer of the FCA, who was present online, in the Session Hall of the SC. Mr. Gesmundo said the partnership will have an initial five-year run.

It aims to establish a firm foundation for present and future relations and promote a deeper understanding of each country’s legal and judicial cultures, common international legal standards, regional development, and relevant emerging issues, the SC said.

For its first year, the two Courts will commence the Competition Law, Multi-Party Litigation or Class Actions, and the Administrative Support Functions for Regional Court Managers Program.

This is the second MoU between the SC and the Australian judiciary as a partnership with the Family Court of Australia was signed last May 8 in Cebu City. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Senator seeks updates on gains from PHL-US war games

PHILIPPINESTAR/ WALTER BOLLOZOS

SENATOR Robin C. Padilla has filed a resolution seeking to look into the gains made from the recent war games between Filipino and American troops, citing the need to determine Manila’s prospects in boosting its defense capacity.

“It is important that every Filipino would understand the Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) Exercise, the need for it, the gains of the country as well as the prospects and opportunities for the people,” he said in Senate Resolution No. 1026 filed on Wednesday.

“Dissemination of public information regarding the Balikatan Exercise should also be an indicator of the success of the conduct of the said joint exercises,” it said.

Manila and Washington are holding their annual military exercises from April 22 to May 18, with 5,000 Filipino soldiers and 11,000 American servicemen partaking in them.

For the first time, it is being held beyond the Philippines’ 12-nautical mile territorial waters.

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. earlier said the military exercises would tackle more areas of defense, including cybersecurity.

He has said Manila is considering including Japan in its annual war games with the United States amid worsening tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.

Mr. Padilla said many Filipinos are still unaware of how important the war games are in shaping the country’s efforts on external defense operations, cyber defense, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster response among other areas. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

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