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Numerically speaking

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BECAUSE we speak and read English, watch Hollywood movies, and follow US political news, we are comfortable traveling to the States, even if immigration procedures can sometimes unnerve us. We’re fine with verbal fluency even catching the idioms thrown at us — Have a nice day! (Too late.) It is not language inadequacy that trips us up but our inability to think and speak numerically.

If asked by a New Yorker, would you know the humidity level or pollen count in Metro Manila where you live? Where can one find such info? Our weather bureau just takes care of storms coming and leaving, identifying the probable exit path of a typhoon, and maybe estimated centimeters of rainfall. Without a typhoon, or the prospect of one, numbers pertaining to climate don’t usually come up in any conversation — bring an umbrella, it looks cloudy.

So numerate are Westerners, Americans especially, that they even number streets and avenues. Only recently in BGC in Taguig did the urban planners (from the private sector) use numbers for avenues and streets. This makes directions to restaurants, spas, and buildings easier to locate — I’m waiting at the branch on 26th Street and Fourth Avenue.

Distances here are couched in estimated travel time. (Rush hour or weekend traffic?) This subjective approximation of traffic flow and the time of day makes us unreliable as tour guides to newly arrived foreigners.

In the West, distances are numeric. And woe to the Filipino car renter who needs to ask a gas station attendant the way to a particular factory outlet. (Go west three miles and then take Exit 6 going north — did you get that?) Nowadays, the Google Map app provides a nice female voice — the next exit is 300 meters to the right. Take the third lane now. And don’t chat with your passengers, Sir. (You missed the turn, Bro.)

As for weather, it is not enough to say it will be a hot day. North Americans cite temperature now in centigrade (at least in Canada) although Americans insist on Fahrenheit just to show you there is only one superpower left in the world, and it does not care for the metric system. (Bring it up at the UN.) They throw in wind chill factors, probability of thunderstorms in percent, and a three-day forecast (with a 12% cyclone possibility).

Even in restaurants, numbers help. Do not try Italian even from the menu of an Italian restaurant. (The waiter may be Ugandan anyway.) Read off the number from the menu. It usually has a photo of the dish. And if you want a soft-boiled egg, mention how many minutes you want (Do they start counting after boiling point or from when the egg is dropped on the room temperature water?) Just state 30 seconds and take the drippy thing you get.

We may have caught up with numbers when it comes to sports coverage like basketball as our own TV commentators use statistics like blocked shots, steals, assists, with numbers going back to records set and broken. Statistical comparisons among players’ career performance are now part of the broadcast routine.

We do catch Americans, and that includes a cousin who’s been living there and soaking up the numbers, with imprecision and ambiguity now and then. When asked how they are, they give vague answers — I’m good. Still, we are not surprised when the same question is answered by locals asked about their health. They recite blood pressure numbers (systolic and diastolic), cholesterol levels, and heartbeat per minute at rest. This is followed by calories consumed per day and the fiber count of pumpkin as opposed to avocado. (Don’t forget the 10,000 steps measured by the wristwatch.)

There are still some occasions when numbers should be avoided. When a loved one asks how she looks, will she appreciate a numerical appraisal? You look like a 10. (Is that out of 100?) Maybe, a Shakespearean sonnet’s ambiguity is more apropos — “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.” (What’s for dinner, Love?)

We don’t always need to imitate the West when it comes to precision with numbers. When asked how much our net worth is, it is best to avoid numbers and change the topic — how’s your blood sugar level?

 

Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda

ar.samson@yahoo.com

2024 World Happiness Report: Philippines is the 53rd happiest country in the world

THE PHILIPPINES jumped 23 spots in an annual survey that measures the level of happiness of people around the world, as young Filipinos reported higher life satisfaction than older Filipinos. Read the full story.

 

2024 World Happiness Report: Philippines is the 53<sup>rd</sup> happiest country in the world

How the BoJ’s plan for a smooth stimulus exit stumbled

WIKIPEDIA.ORG

TOKYO — The Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) strategy for an orderly exit from years of massive stimulus unraveled on an overcast day in December when Governor Kazuo Ueda and two deputies gathered at the bank’s Tokyo headquarters.

Inflation was slowing more than expected, complicating the central bank’s plan to end negative interest rates by March or April and then follow quickly with further increases. The officials considered two alternatives.

The first option was to wait for signs of economic improvement and then go ahead as planned. The second was to end negative rates but hold off on subsequent increases.

Ultimately, the MIT-trained Mr. Ueda went with the second option, allowing Japan to shed its title as the last country with negative interest rates but leaving it short of its hoped-for normalization and still facing years of near-zero rates that pressure the hard-hit yen.

“With the economy lacking momentum, there was a growing feeling within the BoJ that inflation might not stay around 2% that long,” said one person familiar with the deliberations, referring to the bank’s key target.

“The BoJ leadership probably realized that time was running short, if they wanted to end negative rates.”

The decision was also complicated by differences between Ueda’s two deputies, as well as the governor’s wavering on the exit timing. The existence of the two plans, and other details about the deliberations, are reported for the first time by Reuters.

This account is based on interviews with 25 incumbent and former central bank officials with direct knowledge of the interactions, or familiar with the personalities and dynamics of the bank’s leaders, as well as five government officials in regular contact with BoJ officials.

They all spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matters publicly.

A BoJ spokesperson said the bank would not comment on the deliberations outlined by Reuters.

Reuters also spoke to five small-business owners to gauge how the policy shift could unfold across an economy battered by decline and deflation.

On Tuesday, the BoJ drew the curtain on eight years of negative rates and other remnants of unorthodox policy, delivering its first increase in borrowing costs since 2007.

“It’s a watershed moment for Japan and for central banks across the world, as it finally puts an end to abnormal monetary stimulus,” said former BoJ official Nobuyasu Atago.

Still, he said, it could take several years for short-term rates to move up to even 1%.

LOCAL TREMORS
Even a slight rise in interest rates could send tremors through struggling local economies in Japan, reflecting how deflation and a diminishing population have squeezed demand.

“The prospect of higher interest rates has become a significant concern for traditional inns,” said Koji Ishida, who runs a hotel company and heads the local tourism association in Yugawara, a hot-spring resort southwest of Tokyo known for its ryokan, or traditional inns.

In autumn, Mr. Ishida received a frantic call from the family that owns one of the town’s most storied ryokan, saying it was nearing collapse and asking for help.

“As neighbors, we needed to help them,” Mr. Ishida said. He worried the failure of a prominent ryokan could tarnish the image of tourism-dependent Yugawara and trigger “a chain reaction of bankruptcies.”

Seiranso, a 94-year-old ryokan known for its mountainside outdoor bath at the foot of a waterfall, last month filed for bankruptcy protection with around 850 million yen ($5.7 million) in debt, including pandemic loans.

Under those proceedings, it aims to turn itself around with backing from Mr. Ishida’s company, according to its website. A lawyer for Seiranso declined to comment.

Almost one-third of ryokan lost money in the last financial year, according to data from the Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association, an industry group.

“The industry needs zero-interest rates,” said Masanori Numao, whose family runs a ryokan in Kinugawa Onsen, a hot-spring resort in Nikko National Park, where their roots go back more than 300 years.

Forty years ago, Kinugawa was thriving; after sunset there were “beautiful geisha,” the clatter of wooden geta clogs and laughter from karaoke bars that lined the narrow streets, Mr. Numao said.

Today, tourists sometimes photograph derelict hotels abandoned after the bubble economy burst in the early 1990s.

Ryokan owners struggle to renovate ageing buildings because banks are unwilling to lend them more, making it difficult to attract tourists, Mr. Numao said.

Higher interest rates would increase pressure on hot-spring towns like Kinugawa, he said. “The government is just watching resort towns drown.”

POLICY DIFFERENCES
In taking over the BoJ last April, Mr. Ueda was mandated to dismantle the radical stimulus of his predecessor, Haruhiko Kuroda.

Mr. Kuroda’s “bazooka” approach initially helped boost stock prices. But it crushed bank margins and caused unwelcome yen declines that lawmakers feared could hurt voters through rising living costs.

Mr. Ueda and his deputies were unanimous on the need for an exit, but not on the timing.

Choosing the second option mended, at least momentarily, the quiet tension between the two deputy governors, career central banker Shinichi Uchida and former bank regulator Ryozo Himino.

Messrs. Ueda, Uchida and Himino did not respond to Reuters questions.

Mr. Uchida was cautious about ending negative rates too hastily, believing that the BoJ should allow the economy to run hot by keeping ultra-low rates for a prolonged period.

By contrast, Mr. Himino favored an early exit from what he saw as excessive monetary support that could sow the seeds of a future bubble.

As an outsider, Mr. Himino wasn’t afraid to challenge some of the bank’s traditions.

At one informal meeting late last year, he complained about the BoJ’s management style and suggested changes, ruffling feathers among some officials within the institution, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

Throughout the discussions, Mr. Ueda would listen silently and rarely spoke up. People who know him say the governor was neither a hawk nor a dove.

Having studied under former Federal Reserve vice chairman Stanley Fischer, who also taught former central bankers Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi, Mr. Ueda combined faith in economic models and a sense of pragmatism.

However, he was not quick to make decisions, opting to analyze various options thoroughly until the last minute.

“He’s a pure academic who’s great at comparing data and strategies,” said a person who has known Mr. Ueda for decades. “But making quick, decisive decisions isn’t his strength.”

While the two deputies rarely exhibited differences in public, it was usually Mr. Uchida who prevailed. Mr. Ueda relied heavily on Mr. Uchida’s expertise on the technical aspects of the bank’s monetary tools.

Mr. Uchida was also the main interlocutor with officials from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government, sounding out their views on monetary policy and laying the groundwork for an exit.

Mr. Kishida’s administration had been nudging the BoJ to phase out stimulus in hope it would slow declines in the yen that were hurting households through higher food and fuel costs.

“The government hopes the BoJ conducts monetary policy appropriately towards sustainably and stably achieving its price target accompanied by wage increases, with an eye on economic, price and financial developments,” a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office told Reuters.

Once there was consensus the BoJ would go with the second option, Mr. Uchida proceeded with the next step of preparing markets.

In a speech in Nara in February, Mr. Uchida hinted at what a post-negative rate monetary policy would look like.

Tuesday’s policy shift roughly aligned with those clues.

Mr. Ueda’s choice of the second option means the BoJ will keep rates at zero for a prolonged period, delaying Japan’s return to normal borrowing costs, said five of the sources familiar with the bank’s thinking. It will likely take years to reduce the bank’s balance sheet, which had ballooned after heavy asset-buying, three analysts told Reuters.

There is near-consensus among BoJ watchers that the bank will move very gradually, and allow short-term rates to rise to around 0.5% over several years.

“Given Mr. Ueda’s very cautious character and his focus on building consensus within the board, he will likely take plenty of time and proceed carefully in normalizing policy,” said former BoJ economist Hideo Hayakawa. — Reuters

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Philippines: Balance of Payments (BoP) Position

THE DEFICIT in the Philippines’ balance of payments (BoP) narrowed sharply to $196 million in February from the $895-million gap recorded a year earlier, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed. Read the full story.

 

Philippines: Balance of Payments (BoP) Position

How PSEi member stocks performed — March 20, 2024

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.


Marcos cites growing security threat from China

PRESIDENT FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR.

THE THREAT from China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea is growing, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said on Tuesday, adding that his country must do more to defend its territory.

“Since the threat has grown, we must do more to defend our territory,” he told Bloomberg TV. “Perhaps, that’s what people are seeing — a more robust defense of our territorial rights as recognized by the international community, through international law.”

Mr. Marcos said heightened tensions at sea do not serve any purpose, adding that his government always thinks about peace for the national interest.

“We want to do everything we possibly can together with our partners and our allies to avoid that situation,” he said, referring to war with China.

“We would like to take a step back from that question; that is precisely what we want to avoid,” he added when asked about US commitment to defend the Philippines from an armed attack in the South China Sea under their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.

“This is not poking the bear, as it were. We are trying to do quite the opposite. We are trying to keep things at a manageable level, to continue the dialogues, whatever they are, at every level,” he added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Manila on Tuesday said US-Philippine ties are “more than rock solid” and an “absolute priority” of the Biden administration.

“I think [Foreign Affairs] Secretary [Enrique Manalo] said it so well: Our relationship is [on a] hyperdrive,” he told Mr. Marcos in a meeting at the presidential palace, based on a press pool video. “That is so true, we see it across every domain.”

Earlier in the day, Mr. Blinken said the United States stands by its “ironclad” commitments to defend the Philippines against an armed attack in the South China Sea.

“These waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security, to its economy, but they’re also critical to the interests of the region, the United States and the world,” he said at a joint press conference in Manila with his Philippine counterpart.

Mr. Blinken said the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the two nations extended to armed attacks on the Philippine armed forces, public vessels and aircraft, including those of its coast guard anywhere in the South China Sea.

He said defense ties with the Philippines were “extraordinary” and would only grow further, though Washington’s expanding alliances were not aimed at China.

Mr. Blinken said China’s actions in the South China Sea had triggered a wider international reaction, and the United States was engaged in intense diplomacy to reaffirm international law.

‘NOT POKING’
Mr. Marcos said it is dangerous to think of the US as a “big brother” that the Philippines could always run to when there is a problem.

“That’s not the way we treat it at all,” he said. “We do this for ourselves. We do this because we feel that we have to do it. And it’s not at the behest of the United States.”

“This is an affirmation of the new-found confidence of Manila and to shy away from its ‘victim card’ consciousness,” Chester B. Cabalza, founder of Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

He added that the Philippine-US alliance mas matured and evolved. “Manila is more confident now to step up as a co-equal as it seriously enters a trilateral partnership with stronger militaries of the US and Japan.”

“We are not poking and we never have poked the bear,” Don McLain Gill, who teaches foreign relations at De La Salle University in Manila, said in a Messenger chat. “It is in fact the bear that’s poking us.”

He said the Philippines keeps “a mature and moral outlook” in dealing with China by engaging with its allies based on international law. “The Philippines is merely defending what is rightfully its own. Manila is not interested in provoking the established order. We still keep diplomatic lines of communication open with China in case it would be interested to act like a responsible neighbor.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila on Wednesday said the US should stop stirring up trouble by taking sides in the sea dispute between China and the Philippines.

“China urges the US not to instigate trouble in the South China Sea or take sides on the South China Sea issue,” it said in a statement posted on its website.

“We firmly oppose the groundless accusations made by Secretary Blinken about China’s legitimate and lawful actions in the South China Sea and his thinly veiled threat to invoke the so-called Mutual Defense Treaty obligations,” it added.

It said it was not China that had provoked the tense situation in the South China Sea. “China was made to take necessary steps to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in face of infringement of our rights and interests and provocation.”

The embassy said freedom of navigation in the South China Sea has never been an issue. It accused the US of “seeking freedom of rampage of its warships in the region” as a pretext of safeguarding navigation freedom. “It is exactly the US and not anyone else that’s threatening peace and stability in the South China Sea.”

It also said the US is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to interfere in the dispute between China and the Philippines. 

“The recent tension in the South China Sea would not have occurred without the US egging on the Philippines,” it added. — Norman P. Aquino and John Victor D. Ordonez

Water regulator directs Bohol resort to stop using deep wells without permit

THE CHOCOLATE Hills in Bohol. — BOHOL.GOV.PH

THE NATIONAL Water Resources Board (NWRB) has ordered the Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort, which lies in the middle of the Chocolate Hills of Bohol in central Philippines, to stop using deep wells without a permit.

“Based on our records, they don’t have water rights… so that’s an illegal utilization or extraction of water,” NWRB Executive Director Ricky A. Arzadon told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday. “So I have to immediately issue a cease-and-desist order.”

Resort management did not immediately reply to separate text and Facebook Messenger chat messages and a phone call.

The resort has 15 days to answer. “Based on this explanation, then we will assess if there is a need to file a criminal case against them,” Mr. Arzadon said.

The Water Code bars well drilling without permission from the water regulator.

The Environment department this month said it had ordered the closure of the resort within Chocolate Hills in September for operating without an environmental compliance certificate. 

In a statement on March 13, the Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort said it would undergo “maintenance and environmental preservation efforts while it’s temporary closed.

“During this closure, we will be implementing various eco-friendly initiatives to further enhance the sustainability of our resort,” it said.

Senator Cynthia A. Villar called on Tuesday filed a resolution urging the Senate to investigate land use agreements involving the country’s protected areas amid reports of resorts being built within the Chocolate Hills and Mount Apo Natural Park in central Mindanao.

Ms. Villar asked the Senate to probe in aid of legislation the management practices, status of land use agreements and protection mechanisms within these areas.

She also cited the need to probe reports of illegal logging and quarrying in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape, which she said could worsen flooding in Rizal and Marikina.

The Philippines has submitted the Chocolate Hills and Mount Apo for inclusion in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage sites. Both are protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Act of 1992.

A video of the Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort went viral on social media last week, drawing flak from environmental groups.

On Monday, Senator Rafael T. Tulfo told the Senate plenary that mountaineering groups had reported several resorts operating within the Mount Apo Natural Park, citing the need to investigate why these were being allowed.

“It is deemed essential to examine the management practices… the adequacy or absence of protection mechanisms provided to each of the country’s protected areas,” Ms. Villar said in the resolution.

“[This is] to ensure that the original intentions and wise foresight in their establishment are not undermined, thereby securing a sustainable future for the present and future generations.”  Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Manila to force ships to post ‘significant events’ in Red Sea

REUTERS

THE PHILIPPINES will require commercial vessels to register a “significant event” when they sail through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to protect Filipino seamen after recent attacks by Houthi rebels.

Maritime vessels and licensing agencies that fail to cite the urgent event through an electronic portal would face suspension of their registration documents, Migrant Workers officer-in-charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac said in a virtual briefing on Wednesday.

“Filipino seafarers and their families are more precious than the commerce that goes in the areas,” he said.

Filipino seamen may also refuse sailing through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which the agency has classified as high-risk areas. They would need to fill out a form on the Department of Migrant Workers website to opt out.

“Filipino seafarers will be given opportunities to board other ships or voyages of their shipowners and license manning agency,” Mr. Cacdac said.

This came after the Maritime Industry Tripartite Council recommended that the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden be classified as warlike zones after two Filipino seamen aboard the civilian bulk carrier True Confidence were killed during a Houthi missile attack on March 6.

Three Filipino seamen were hurt in the attack, the Foreign Affairs department said on March 7. There were 10 more Filipinos aboard.

Mr. Cacdac said all 13 have returned to the Philippines, and the agency was still working on repatriating the bodies of the victims.

In November, Houthi rebels from Yemen seized an Israel-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea and took 17 Filipino seamen hostage.

Houthis military spokesperson Yahya Saree had said the seizure was in response to “heinous acts” against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

The group has taken control of most of northern Yemen and said they would not stop attacks in the Red Sea until Israel’s “aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez

House OK’s economic ‘Cha-cha’ on final reading

PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

PHILIPPINE congressmen on Wednesday approved on final reading a proposal to lift foreign ownership limits in the 1987 Philippine Constitution to boost foreign direct investments (FDI) in a country that is one of the least attractive in Southeast Asia.

With 288 congressmen voting in favor, the House of Representatives agreed to liberalize the country’s public utilities, education and advertising sectors, saying these would benefit from increased foreign capital.

Eight congressmen said no, while two abstained.

“By 288 affirmative votes, or more than the requisite three-fourths vote mandated by the Constitution, we have passed Resolution of Both Houses No. 7, a resolution poised to catalyze a new era of economic vitality and competitiveness for the Philippines,” Speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said in plenary.

The Philippines is under pressure to attract more foreign direct investments to increase jobs and funding for development projects. The Senate must agree with the Charter change (“Cha-cha”) proposal before Filipinos can decide in a plebiscite whether to approve the changes.

Lawmakers inserted the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” in the provisions of the Charter with economic restrictions. This gives Congress the leeway to legislate changes later.

The Constitution limits public utilities and the education and advertising sectors to Filipinos and companies that are at least 60% Filipino-owned.

The House approved the Charter amendments after four weeks of committee hearings and plenary debates.

FDI in Southeast Asia rose by 5.5% to a record $224 billion in 2022, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said in a report in December.   

Of the total, the Philippines only got $9.2 billion, better only than Cambodia with $3.6 billion, Myanmar with $3 billion, Lao PDR with $600 million, and Brunei with a $300-million net outflow, it said.

Opening up the economy won’t ensure foreigners would invest here, Ser Percival Peña-Reyes, director of the Ateneo de Manila University Center for Economic Research and Development, said in a Viber message. “It still depends on how well they implement the changes.”

The House is also seeking to pass other bills that would cut bureaucratic red tape, Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David C. Suarez told a news briefing before the House approval. “This way, we can assure investors that their investments are well taken care of by the state.” ‘

“We need to streamline the government bureaucracy so investors don’t need to sign hundreds of paperwork just so they could set up in the country.”

He also said opening up the economy to foreigners would boost market competition and improve public service.

Terry L. Ridon, convener of think tank InfraWatch PH, does not think so. “What will ensure reasonable public utility charges is the strict enforcement of the least cost principle by public utility commissions,” he said via Viber before the House vote.

He said the foreign capital could help local water districts and electric cooperatives facing underinvestment, high costs, low revenue and poor management.

“However, ensuring reasonable rates is a different matter because this is more a function of regulation than capital inflows,” he added.

Nic Satur, Jr., chief advocacy officer of Partners for Affordable and Reliable Energy, said the foreign equity limits in the Constitution should be kept “to ensure a balanced approach that fosters both local participation and foreign investment without compromising national interests.”

“Let’s not just give it to foreign investors,” Maria Agnes C. Garcia, national convener of energy consumer group Ilaw, told BusinessWorld via Viber.

“It is encouraging to see foreign investors who are interested in our energy sector,” she said. “But we must also help our fellow consumers see the benefit of investing in our own electric cooperatives.”

House body approves bill on motorcycle taxis

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

A HOUSE of Representatives panel approved on Wednesday a proposed measure that establishes motorcycle taxis in the country as common carriers, providing an alternative means for public transportation.

The House Transportation Committee approved an unnumbered substitute bill that sets the operational guidelines of motorcycle taxis, allowing two-wheeled vehicles to be used for public transportation.

“(The bill seeks) to provide a safe, sufficient, and economical mode of public transport by allowing and regulating the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicles,” the bill’s fact sheet read.

Motorcycle taxis currently operate as private carriers in deference to Republic Act No. 4136, the Land Transportation and Traffic Code which prohibits their use as a means of public transportation.

Under the proposed law, operators would be liable for any injuries sustained by passengers should they figure in an accident “in the course of operating a motorcycle-for-hire.”

It designates the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) as the franchise-issuing authority for motorcycle taxi operators within “metropolitan and urban areas using digital platforms.”

On the other hand, motorcycle taxis operating in districts not covered by digital platforms would be accredited by the respective local government unit that has jurisdiction in the area.

Last month, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez directed congressmen to hasten the approval of the proposed measures to provide the commuters with other options for public transportation.

“The legalization of motorcycle taxi… regulations align with our goals to provide more choices for passengers, drivers, and businesses, particularly MSMEs,” he had said. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

DoJ asks NBI to probe Lapid suspect’s death

JOURNALISTS and activists light candles for killed Filipino radio journalist Percival Mabasa during an indignation rally, in Quezon City, Philippines, October 4, 2022. — REUTERS 

THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been tasked to verify the cause of the sudden death of a former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) official implicated in the 2022 murder of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid (real name: Percival C. Mabasa).

“Unravel the truth, leave no stone unturned, and don’t let anyone or anything prevent us from pursuing accountability and delivering justice,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said in a statement directing the NBI to investigate whether or not former BuCor deputy security officer, Ricardo S. Zulueta, was a victim of foul play.

Mr. Zulueta, like former BuCor director general Gerald Q. Bantag, was wanted for alleged conspiracy in Mr. Lapid’s murder and had been in hiding until he turned up dead at a hospital in Bataan last weekend. His death certificate showed he succumbed to “intracranial hemorrhage” or bleeding in the brain.

Mr. Bantag and Mr. Zulueta are charged as “principal inducers” in Mr. Lapid’s murder on Oct. 3, 2022 in Las Piñas City and the subsequent killing 15 days later inside the National Bilibid Prison of inmate Jun Villamor — an alleged go-between in contracting the attack on Mr. Lapid. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana