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Uneven path to finish Evergrande’s abandoned housing in Chinese city

REUTERS

SHIJIAZHUANG, HEBEI — In the heart of the northern Chinese city of Shijiazhuang, a fence displaying the slogan “Happy Every Day” hides an unfinished apartment complex, a daily reminder of the unresolved costs of the collapse of China’s once-largest developer.

Construction on the Central Plaza project that promised buyers about 1,800 new homes stalled in 2021 after China Evergrande Group defaulted. A government notice on the site says the project is seeking a new developer.

Buyers, who paid in full years ago, have been stuck watching and waiting for a lifeline.

“We seem to have no way of resolving this issue,” said a 38-year-old Shijiazhuang resident, who bought two still-unfinished units for more than $350,000 in 2017 and who asked not to be named.

A Hong Kong court on Monday ordered Evergrande to be liquidated, a process expected to take years and to include consideration of some kind of restructuring of more than $300 billion in liabilities.

Evergrande has said it would work to finish ongoing projects despite the order. China has said that completing the unfinished homes is a policy priority.

But the project in Shijiazhuang, an industrial city with about 11 million people, shows the scale and difficulty of working through the overhang of unfinished construction left by Evergrande and just how much its downfall has damaged confidence.

“This has made me lose faith in the housing authorities’ management capabilities as well as real estate,” the Evergrande home buyer told Reuters.

Shijiazhuang’s housing bureau and China’s housing ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Evergrande did not reply to a request for comment.

Investment bank Nomura estimated in November there were around 20 million units of unfinished homes across China, left by Evergrande and other failed developers. The total funding gap for completing those projects stood at around $446 billion, the report estimated.

Gavekal Dragonomics, a China-focused research firm, estimated that as of last year, Evergrande had received payments in advance from homebuyers equivalent to about 600,000 housing units.

HOME DELIVERY ‘GUARANTEE’
State-owned developers and local governments have taken over some stalled projects under a government-run “guarantee home delivery” policy in recent months, according to official announcements and media reports.

Reuters could not verify the total number of unfinished Evergrande projects in Shijiazhuang. Last month, the local government announced the completion of 40 out of 44 unfinished housing projects it had taken over in 2021. None of them belonged to Evergrande.

In Shijiazhuang’s rural outskirts, construction has resumed on another Evergrande development of 48 residential blocks with nearly 3,600 units, although few workers were on site this week in the run-up to Lunar New Year.

The project includes two castle-like community buildings with decorative spires next to an unfinished retail strip and more traditional apartment buildings that appeared to be nearly finished. Weeds have grown through the yet-unpaved shopping lane.

Workers and two people who identified themselves as local officials said construction had resumed last year after the project was taken over by the local government. A developer-run WeChat page for the project said last month that the masonry on some buildings had been completed.

China has not disclosed how much funding has been provided to complete stranded developments or the number of projects authorities have taken on. China’s housing ministry said in August more than 1.65 million pre-sold units had delivered under the program.

The Shijiazhuang resident waiting for work to resume on the Central Plaza project said buying a new apartment in China was just too risky. He regrets not putting the money he committed to the project to buy a property in Tokyo or Osaka.

“I will never invest in this place again,” he told Reuters. — Reuters

BoC’s transformative projects and reforms under a new leadership

Photo from facebook.com/BureauOfCustomsPH

The Bureau of Customs (BoC) has a significant role in the country’s economy and acts as a gatekeeper for international trade and commerce. Its primary responsibility is to control and facilitate the movement of goods across borders, including a smooth flow of imports and exports.

Recently, the BoC has been progressing toward its goals under the leadership of Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio. His leadership is focused on five priority programs: digitalization of customs processes, surpassing revenue targets, simplifying procedures for secure trade, curbing smuggling, and uplifting employee welfare and development.

Boosted integrity

As the central government organization entrusted with the duty of regulating and supervising the movement of goods in and out of the country, collecting customs duties and taxes, and preventing smuggling, the Bureau of Customs has recently implemented measures to improve the reliability and integrity of the agency.

In a report released by the Department of Finance (DoF), the importance of safeguarding the integrity of government agencies such as the BoC and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has been highlighted to make tax payments more accessible and improve trade.

The DoF has stepped up its anti-corruption campaign through the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) to achieve this goal. The RIPS conducts lifestyle checks and investigates allegations of corruption, including those involving the BoC. Because of this, the bureau has become more efficient and transparent, with streamlined processes and reduced waiting times for traders.

The DoF and the BoC have also collaborated with other agencies to improve trade facilitation. For instance, the BoC has partnered with the Philippine Ports Authority to upgrade port infrastructure and improve cargo-handling capacity, while the DoF has worked with the Department of Trade and Industry to simplify import and export procedures.

The BoC has also been recognized for its high complaint resolution rate. From January to June 2023, the agency achieved a compliance rate of 91.13% for the 72-hour compliance period and an overall resolution rate of 96.55%, guided by Executive Order (EO) No. 6 Series 2016.

In addition, BoC’s consistent performance in resolving complaints has led to several awards and commendations from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and other government feedback mechanisms. This recognition is part of the agency’s efforts to efficiently process complaints through its Customer Assistance and Response Services, in line with the Anti-Red Tape Act and the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.

As a result of these efforts, BoC has seen a significant increase in revenue collection, which has allowed the government to fund crucial infrastructure projects and social services.

Upgraded operations

Photo from facebook.com/BureauOfCustomsPH

The BoC achieved a remarkable feat by surpassing its revenue collection target in 2023, collecting an amount of P883.624 billion, which exceeded the P874.16 billion target by 1.0%.

According to a report by the Philippine News Agency, the BoC has taken strict measures to strengthen border protection by pursuing criminal cases against smugglers. As of Dec. 31, 2023, a total of 90 criminal cases have been filed before the Department of Justice, out of which 60 cases are related to agricultural smuggling.

To prevent smuggling, the bureau is also monitoring importers and brokers. As part of its monitoring efforts and post-evaluation of importers and brokers, BoC revoked the accreditation of 118 importers and 46 customs brokers found to have violated the provisions stipulated in the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

These measures taken by BoC are considered necessary to ensure that the borders are protected from smugglers, maintain the integrity of the agency, and prevent any illegal activities that may harm the country’s economy in the long run.

Photo from facebook.com/BureauOfCustomsPH

This year, the BoC has been tasked to collect more than P1 trillion under the proposed Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF). According to Mr. Rubio, he is hopeful that the improved economic conditions will help boost trade and increase revenue for the government.

“I’m confident the government is doing its job and in some of the economic meetings that I attended. Our secretaries are very optimistic that the interest rates will decrease. The projections for next year will be good,” Mr. Rubio was quoted as saying in Filipino.

The BoC has also made substantial progress in digitalizing customs processes, partnering with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to streamline customs procedures through digitalization.

A report stated that the bureau has modernized its operations, reaching a 96.39% rate of digitalization for 160 out of 166 customs procedures under the 2021 Citizen’s Charter. Their efforts to enhance its operations include developing three new systems: the E-Service Catalog System, the Document Management System, and the Over Staying Cargo Tracking System.

In addition, the BoC introduced automation projects that proved to be game-changers in transforming the government agency, helping the BoC to streamline its digital operations and improve its efficiency. These projects included a new and improved BoC website, the implementation of the Digital Origin Review System, the Automated Export Declaration System, and the Customs Auction Monitoring System.

According to Former Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, the modernization efforts of the BoC have been recognized as the Philippines ranks the second-best among ASEAN countries in a United Nations global survey on trade facilitation.

Photo from facebook.com/BureauOfCustomsPH

This year, the BoC is expected to continue modernizing its customs administration with the help of the World Bank. The institution has announced $88.28 million in financing for the Philippine Customs Modernization Program, which aims to support the digitalization of the bureau.

With these at hand, the bureau’s digitalization efforts seek to achieve a fully automated customs procedure, making international trade transactions more efficient, transparent, and compliant with international standards.

Furthermore, Mr. Rubio had spearheaded some initiatives to enhance organizational development and boost employee morale at the BoC. One of these includes the hiring of 66 new personnel and the promotion of 186 existing personnel, addressing the bureau’s staffing and productivity challenges.

The BOC has also launched its first Employees’ Consultative Assembly, a crucial step in enhancing employees’ confidence by allowing employees to communicate their concerns, suggestions, and feedback directly to management. — Mhicole A. Moral

BSP to issue more P1,000 polymer bills

BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS FB PAGE

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is looking to order and issue an additional one billion pieces of P1,000 polymer banknotes as these are more cost-efficient versus producing paper money, an official said.

BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto E. Tangonan said the central bank is looking to issue more polymer banknotes following the release of 500 million pieces of P1,000 bills made of the material from 2022 to 2023 as part of the trial circulation.

“The first order was 500 million pieces (of P1,000 polymer banknotes). This time, we will probably order one billion pieces,” Mr. Tangonan said.

The new polymer bills will be outsourced and printed by Note Printing Australia, a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia, he said, the same supplier of the trial batch. The bills will be delivered on a staggered basis.

The BSP does not produce polymer bills. When asked how much the polymer banknotes cost, Mr. Tangonan said in mixed of English and Filipino: “If we compare it (ordering polymer bills) to producing paper banknotes, the actual cost difference is not that significant. But the initial estimate is that it will last us two-and-a-half times more than paper bills. So, we are able to more than recoup the cost of polymer bills.”

The official earlier said the BSP will be able to save as much as P2.4 billion in circulating polymer banknotes.

Mr. Tangonan added that the BSP is looking to finish its studies on recycling polymer banknotes next year.

“We want to prove that polymer banknotes are more durable,” he said. “(The bills) are okay in hygiene and okay with regards to sustainability.”

He added that greenhouse gas emissions from producing polymer bills is at under 40%.

Last year, the BSP said it will consult the academe, plastic producers, and recyclers for several studies on the recycling process for polymer banknotes as part of its long-term plan to shift to bills made of the material.

Polymer bills are deemed to last 2.5 to four times longer than the Philippines’ current abaca-based bills as these banknotes are water, oil, and dirt-resistant, the central bank earlier said.

The BSP is testing polymer bills to see if the positive experience of other central banks using the material in the banknotes is applicable in the local setting. — K.B. Ta-asan

A love that sparks ripples

HEIKE-MINTEL-UNSPLASH

As I cradle our firstborn son and as my wife embraces me, we feel his tiny hands warmly grip our fingers. We shower him with all the love we can give; his giggles are enough to make our hearts flutter. As a father and educator, I hope that our son grows with a kind of love that is not a favor to be returned, but a gift to be paid forward — a kind of love that sparks ripples.

And in these moments, I contemplate the boundless potential not only of my son, but also of the Filipino youth in general. As we celebrate love this February — not just romantic love, but the nurturing love of family — I am reminded that this gentle flame ignites within our children the spark to lead positive change that could transcend generations. The love that parents and mentors bestow is the first step in a lifelong journey of social responsibility. With patience and compassion, we as a society can fan these sparks into flames that illuminate the path towards national transformation and the flourishing of our collective well-being.

The Ramon V. del Rosario (RVR) Siklab Awards, spearheaded by PHINMA Corp. and De La Salle University, recognize such outstanding youth. Named after the late Ambassador Ramon V. del Rosario, who embodied the virtues of innovation and integrity, the Awards identify emerging Filipino leaders aged 25 to 40 who have established businesses or social enterprises driving inclusive growth. Check out the stories of previous Siklab awardees at rvrawards.org. Behind these promising youth are families, schools, mentors, partners — entire support systems that believed in them and fanned their sparks into flames.

We as a society must recognize those who walk the talk of social responsibility so that they can ignite ripples of inspiration amongst their peers. The RVR Siklab Awards honor those exhibiting genuine entrepreneurial spirit oriented toward nation-building and making lives better — pursuing profitability paired with purpose, and envisioning sustainable solutions born of grit, compassion, and business acumen.

The 2024 call for nominations is an opportunity to elevate such youth leaders in our communities. I urge you to take part in this nation-building endeavor. Share the stories of young change-makers working to uplift lives so that their sparks may kindle flames within others as well. Visit our RVR Siklab Awards Facebook page to learn more about how you can nominate deserving candidates.

It takes a village to raise a child, and a society to raise the youth to be the next generation of nation-building leaders. With collective effort across families, schools, businesses, government, and civil society, we can empower our youth to drive positive change. The sparks of excellence within our children can swell into an unstoppable wave of innovation and social progress, rippling across communities. The RVR Siklab Awards shine a light on these sparks of potential within our youth. Beyond celebrating outstanding individuals, the Awards highlight the power of love in developing the leaders of tomorrow. Driven by empathy and enterprise, our youth can build the nation and make lives better.

Love begets love, the kind that sparks lasting ripples.

 

Patrick Adriel H. Aure, PhD is the assistant dean for Quality Assurance of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business and is an associate professor from the Department of Management and Organization of De La Salle University.

patrick.aure@dlsu.edu.ph

Argylle soundtrack mixes disco energy, secret Beatles song

HENRY CAVILL and Dua Lipa in a scene from Argylle. —IMDB.COM

LONDON — Grammy-winning film composer Lorne Balfe says he was encouraged to step out of his comfort zone for the new spy movie Argylle, and the result is a disco-inspired score that includes an initially top-secret Beatles track.

The soundtrack for the film, directed by Matthew Vaughn, was released on Friday and features two songs from actor and singer Ariana DeBose.

“Matthew was in post and he called me up and was like, okay, we’ve made the movie, you just won an Oscar, let’s do something else, and he pitched the idea of the song ‘Electric Energy’,” said Ms. DeBose, who won a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film West Side Story.

“I had so much fun experimenting with the disco genre. And I love that you get to hear the melody throughout the film. It’s sort of like this underlying energy for our story.”

Similarly, Mr. Vaughn approached Mr. Balfe to collaborate on Argylle. In a first for the musician, whose career spans over a hundred films as well as TV shows and video games, he wrote the music together with the filmmaker.

“It was a full, proper 50-50 collaboration over FaceTime writing melodies,” said Mr. Balfe.

Mr. Vaughn had another surprise up his sleeve. Around a year before the film was finished, Giles Martin, the son of Beatles producer George Martin, offered to help him find a tune for the lead character, Elly Conway.

“Matthew had always been looking for a song for Elly and Giles said ‘I think I’ve got something’,” said Mr. Balfe.

That something was “Now And Then,” billed as the last Beatles song and developed using artificial intelligence (AI).

“I don’t think I even knew who it was when I first listened to it,” said Mr. Balfe. “It was a blank file and not labelled.”

“And then you get to hear the Beatles music that nobody’s heard being performed by an orchestra and none of the musicians knew either. We had to use fake names for it,” he said.

The song was eventually released in November 2023 and now features prominently in Argylle. — Reuters

Job platform targets to cut hiring costs for companies

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

SINGAPORE-BASED hiring platform Bossjob, developed by Yolo Technology Pte. Ltd., has unveiled new features aimed at broadening its user base in the Philippines.

The platform now enables recruiters to connect with talents, providing users access to remote job opportunities, Bossjob said in an e-mailed statement.

“With our new international feature and dedicated remote jobs section, we’re not just expanding horizons, but we’re actively dismantling barriers to global employment and fostering a more inclusive, accessible job market,” said Bossjob Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Garcia.

Bossjob said this newly added feature will also allow companies to reduce recruitment costs and streamline cross-border hiring processes.

It noted that the new feature will also allow employers to have presence in unsupported regions.

The career-hiring platform said it also launched a remote job section for the Philippines, citing a 2022 report issued by financial services platform Payoneer where it showed that the freelance economy in the country has recorded rapid growth.

“In a rapidly evolving job market, Bossjob is at the forefront of the shift towards a project-based economy in the Philippines. Our data shows not just a trend but a reflection of a deeper change in work preferences,” Mr. Garcia said.

Bossjob said it is targeting to solidify its presence in Southeast Asia by growing its users to more than 30 million by 2026.

The company aims to capture wider reach in the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Japan, it added. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

Philippines ranks 17th in Henley Openness Index 2024

The Philippine passport ranked 17th out of 199 countries with a score of 160 (out of 198) in the 2024 edition of the Henley Openness Index. The index ranks countries and territories in the world based on the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa. It also provides valuable insights into a country’s global openness and its ability to attract international visitors for tourism and trade. This is a reverse calculation of the Henley Passport Index, which ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

 

Philippines ranks 17<sup>th</sup> in Henley Openness Index 2024

How PSEi member stocks performed — February 5, 2024

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Monday, February 5, 2024.

DoJ, Defense department reject call by Duterte for Mindanao separation

DOJ.GOV.PH

A CALL by ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte for Mindanao’s separation from the Philippines is illegal, according to the Department of Justice (DoJ).

In a statement on Monday, DoJ said the call undermines the country’s territorial integrity under the 1987 Constitution.

“Secession is regarded as contrary to the principles of our democratic society, as stated in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution,” it said. “The DoJ remains committed to protecting our sovereignty and upholding the sanctity of the highest law of the land.”

Last week, Mr. Duterte said political forces in the southern Philippine region of Davao would start a signature campaign for the separation of Mindanao from the Philippines.

He said this after accusing President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. of being a drug addict at a political rally in Davao City that opposed the push to amend the 1987 Constitution.

The former president also accused his successor of wanting to stay in power beyond his term and slammed the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its probe of his deadly war on drugs that had killed thousands.

Mr. Marcos struck back by saying his predecessor’s alleged use of fentanyl, a highly addictive synthetic opioid for pain relief, could have affected his judgment. Mr. Duterte admitted to using the drug in 2016 for pain relief after a motorcycle accident.

“Our nation’s strength lies in unity, and we call upon all Filipinos to reject secessionist ideologies and work together for a strong, united and undivided new Philippines,” DoJ said.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. said his agency would secure the integrity of the national territory under the Constitution. “We will strictly enforce this mandate whether externally or internally,” he said in a statement.

National Police chief Benjamin Acorda, Jr. also said any efforts to secede a portion of the nation would only cause chaos.

The National Security Council on Sunday said the Philippine government would “not hesitate to use its authority and forces to quell any attempts to dismember the republic.”

“Any attempt to secede any part of the Philippines will be met by the government with resolute force, as it remains steadfast in securing the sovereignty and integrity of the national territory.”

Tensions within the ruling alliance have worsened since the President’s congressional allies stripped Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio of P650 million in confidential funds in this year’s national budget.

Mr. Marcos ran in tandem with Mr. Duterte’s daughter in the 2022 elections under a platform of unity.

Dennis C. Coronacion, who heads the University of Sto. Tomas Political Science Department, said the secession threat “serves as a warning or threat of what the former President can do.”

“It’s aimed at sending a strong message to President Marcos that they should not be treated badly,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

Local governments have opposed the secessionist idea, with the League of Cities of the Philippines saying “our nemesis is a divided nation.”

“We believe that the entire nation, including Mindanao, with its abundant resources and untapped potential, can flourish through cooperative and collective efforts,” the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines said separately.

At the weekend, several lawmakers and former Muslim separatists from Mindanao said the move would erode the gains from past peace negotiations.

Mr. Coronacion said opposition to Mr. Duterte’s secessionist idea does not mean he has lost his political clout.

“Let’s remember the time when Duterte was still the country’s president,” he said. “He tried to change the form of government to federalism but immediately junked it after seeing that the people were against it.” — John Victor D. Ordonez and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

DICT told to explain attempted hacking of gov’t websites

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to explain the latest attempt allegedly by Chinese hackers to breach the websites of several Philippine agencies.

“The revelation that hackers suspected to be operating from China have infiltrated the e-mail systems and internal websites of various government agencies is a matter of national security and public interest,” he said in a statement.

He asked DICT officials to brief lawmakers about the nature and extent of the cyber-attacks, measures in place to prevent them and strategies to boost the country’s cyber-security infrastructure.

“We must ensure that our national cybersecurity strategies are robust enough to withstand such attacks and agile enough to adapt to the evolving digital landscape,” he added.

The House of Representatives is also planning to get third-party cybersecurity experts amid attempts to hack its data, House Secretary-General Reginald S. Velasco separately told reporters.

Bohol Rep. Kristine Alexie B. Tutor, who heads the House committee on civil service and professional regulation, reiterated the need for more licensed cybersecurity specialists in the country.

The Philippines only has 200 legitimate cybersecurity analysts, DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy said in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said its website had not been hacked.

“A DICT personnel inquired last month if we monitored any attempts to hack our website but so far, we have not monitored anything,” it said in a statement. “Our website remains secure.”

DICT at the weekend reported having thwarted attempts to hack the websites of the coast guard and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, linking the IP address of the hackers to China United Network Communications Group, which is owned by the Chinese government.

The PCG noted that while its website is for public consumption, it does not want hackers to pollute its site with fake news and “make it appear that we authored the spread of falsehoods.” “We must also protect the site from computer viruses.”

The PCG said it had ordered its public service affairs office to work with DICT and exercise vigilance.

“We will ensure that the website is secure, that there is enough firewall to prevent it from being infiltrated by hackers.” — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

‘Cha-cha’ could lead to bigger problems — legal experts

PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

By John Victor D. Ordoñez and Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporters

THE PUSH to change the 1987 Constitution is a lethal experiment that could plunge the Philippines into deeper problems, constitutional experts told the Senate on Monday.

“Amendments or revisions to the Constitution at this time would be a lethal experiment, a fatal hit, a plunge to death, a Cha-cha dance to the grave or to hell,” Hilario G. Davide, Jr., a former chief justice and one of the framers of the Constitution, told senators.

Congress should focus on cutting red tape and corruption instead of seeking to ease foreign ownership restrictions in the 1987 Charter, he said.

“It is my firm and unchangeable stand that there are no valid scenarios and compelling reasons to amend our 1987 Constitution,” the legal expert said.

“What our country and our people need today are not amendments to provisions of the Constitution but the full implementation of its principles and state policies,” he added.

Lawmakers should instead craft measures to boost the quality of education and address the lack of early childhood care, former Election Chairman and constitutional framer Christian S. Monsod told the same hearing.

Filipino students ranked 77th out of 81 countries in the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment, performing worse than the global average in all categories. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development conducts the global assessment yearly.

Mr. Monsod also said the advertising industry, which has largely gone digital, would not benefit from increased foreign capital. The sector is limited to Filipinos.

But former Supreme Court Justice Adolfo S. Azcuna said ownership restrictions on education, public utilities and advertising should not be in the Constitution but should be enforced through regular laws.

“Economic policies should be flexible to meet changing times in the economy,” he told senators. “Other countries that have restrictive economic provisions don’t have them in their Constitutions but in their ordinary laws that can be easily changed.”

Albay Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda earlier said the Senate proposal to open these industries to foreigners would unlock 3.1% in economic output, which he said was not enough.

“Undertaking the amendments would open up the country to higher incomes and better employment for our workers, and greater pride in relation to our neighbors,” former National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Gerardo P. Sicat said at the hearing.

Jose Enrique A. Africa, Ibon Foundation executive director, told senators the government should focus on developing local industries because foreign companies would probably focus on short-term instead of long-term profit.

Also on Monday, Senator Robinhood Ferdinand “Robin” C. Padilla, who heads the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, filed a resolution calling on both chambers of Congress to vote separately on Charter change (“Cha-cha”).

The Constitution provides that changes may be proposed through a three-fourths vote of congressional members. There is a debate whether the Senate and House of Representatives should vote separately or as one chamber.

Mr. Padilla said the framers of the 1987 Constitution intended for the Senate and House to vote separate on Charter change, consistent with the country’s bicameral Legislature.

Philippine senators earlier opposed a proposal for Congress to vote jointly, which they said would dilute the Senate’s vote on constitutional amendments.

‘PEOPLE’S CHARTER’
The Constitution may be amended either through a constitutional convention composed of delegates, by Congress sitting as a constituent assembly or through a people’s initiative.

For an amendment through a people’s initiative, the signatures must account for at least 12% of voters nationwide and 3% of voters in each legislative district.

The Supreme Court rejected a similar initiative campaign in 1997 in the absence of an enabling law.

“Let’s not think that this (changing the Constitution) is a miracle, that when we pass it, investors and entrepreneurs will suddenly come knocking on our door,” Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara told the hearing. “By all means, let us explore the possibilities.”

Also on Monday, EDSA Lives, a group opposing Charter change, said foreigners are more concerned about the country’s justice system than ownership limits.

“The real problems that we have today have nothing to do with the Constitution,” lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” I. Diokno told a forum.

The lawyer, who is also the chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group, said foreign investors are reluctant to enter the country because the Philippine legal system is not fair. “Many are afraid to invest here because they know that if they get involved in a case, they are disadvantaged,” he said in Filipino.

“No one, whether they are for or against Charter change, must be allowed to exploit the Constitution to serve their political interest or agenda,” he added.

The government of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should instead address soaring prices, poverty, hunger, criminality, corruption, lack of income and employment and access to the legal system.

“There are many other ways to improve the economy without having to change the Constitution and in so doing, opening it up to so many other vulnerabilities,” University of the Philippines political science professor Francis Joseph A. Dee told the forum.

Michael Charleston B. Chua, who teaches history at De La Salle University, called the 1987 Constitution the “people’s Charter” because it was ratified by 77% of Filipino voters on Feb. 2, 1987.

The Charter decentralized power after the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr. controlled all branches of government under his rule for two decades, he said.

Akbayan Party President Rafaela David said lawmakers could introduce any changes other than economic provisions.

Last month, several congressmen were linked to a signature campaign to amend the Constitution through a so-called people’s initiative.

“Because of all of this, we have trust issues on who should change the Constitution,” Mr. Chua told BusinessWorld after the forum. “If the Constitution should be changed, it should be the people’s will, not any politician’s.”

House rallies behind Speaker; bomb alert raised

ANTI-RIOT shields are positioned before the House of Representatives gate in Quezon City and police placed on heightened alert following reports that several legislators received bomb threats on Monday. -- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter

THE GREAT majority of the House of Representatives rallied behind Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday, countering a senator’s allegation of his involvement in a questionable Charter change (“Cha-cha”) signature campaign.

As of 6:03 p.m. of Feb. 5 at the plenary session, 287 congressmen had signed the adoption of House Resolution No. 1562 which supports and upholds the “integrity and honor” of Romualdez and the chamber he leads against “intense assault from the Senate.”

The political storm dividing Congress heightened when presidential sister and Senator Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos said last week that Mr. Romualdez, her first cousin, is behind the distribution of P20 million cash to gather enough signatures for a people’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution.

Noel Oñate, lead convenor of the People’s Initiative for Reform Modernization and Action (PIRMA), told a Senate hearing that they coordinated with the Speaker in getting the 3% signature requirement per district to allow Charter change.

In his sponsorship speech, House Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio D. Gonzales said the Lower Chamber is not involved in the signature campaign as it was initiated by a private organization.

The resolution, a response to the Senate’s accusatory stance, condemned the Upper Chamber’s Jan. 30 hearing as an attempt to discredit Mr. Romualdez and the House.

In return, Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri clarified that his statements focused on the institution rather than individual members.

BOMB THREATS
Simultaneously, the House found itself under heightened alert earlier in the day due to reported bomb threats against several congressmen.

House Secretary General Reginald S. Velasco, addressing the security measures, stated the seriousness with which they took the threats but refrained from disclosing the names of the targeted individuals.

“I cannot reveal the names of those who have received threats,” Mr. Velasco said, noting that Mr. Romualdez was not one of them.

While the threats’ relation to the push for “Cha-cha” remained unclear, Mr. Velasco reported suspicious motorcycle activity around the premises.

This comes amid alleged attempts to hack the House of Representatives’ website and data, Mr. Velasco said. “According to our IT (information technology) group, there’ve been…millions of attempts to deface, to hack our data, so there is really cyberthreats against the House of Representatives,” he said

During the weekend, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported attempts to hack into the websites of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

The IP address of the hackers was allegedly linked to Chinese state-owned telecommunications firm China United Network Communications Group.

“We have beefed up our cybersecurity with the help of the DICT, and we are planning to get a third party to help us secure our IT system here,” said Mr. Velasco.

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