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Gov’t wants financial ed courses up and running online by January

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas main office in Manila. — BW FILE PHOTO

THE GOVERNMENT hopes to make a nine-module interactive financial education program available online by January, citing the need to promote broader financial literacy.

At the 2023 Financial Education (Fin-Ed) Stakeholders Congress on Tuesday, David B. Bungallon, executive director at the National Institute for Technical Education and Skills Development, an arm of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), said the e-learning module is currently being pilot tested.

“We will perfect it (for) launch with the permission of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). It will be launched by January,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Fin-Ed Congress.

Mr. Bungallon added: “But of course, teaching it face to face is another thing. We’ll look into this. I think in every program, there are challenges, but we will always (strive to make) this little program successful.”

The Fin-Ed Congress introduced the e-learning modules to the public. It was co-developed by the BSP, TESDA, and BDO Foundation.

The central bank has said that the Fin-Ed e-Learning Course will tackle financial planning, saving and budgeting, debt and investment management, digital-financial literacy, fraud and scam prevention, the Personal Equity and Retirement Account, and financial-consumer protection.

The modules will be uploaded to e-learning platforms of the central bank and its fin-ed partners once available, the BSP has said.

The BSP and BDO Foundation also handed over new financial education training manuals to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel.

The manuals are targeted at AFP uniformed and civilian personnel.

In October 2021, the AFP issued a directive calling for financial literacy modules in career courses for officers, enlisted personnel, and AFP-employed civilians.

The financial education partnership, which began in 2019, is being pursued as part of the BSP’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion and BDO Foundation’s financial inclusion advocacy. — Keisha B. Ta-asan

UN agency announces five-year program backing LGU circular-economy projects

THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said it will help about 60 local government units (LGUs) execute circular-economy projects starting next year.

UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Selva Ramachandran told BusinessWorld that the organization is planning to launch a circular economy initiative by 2024, funded by the European Union.

“That program will be launched sometime in January and UNDP will be focusing more on supporting LGUs (make progress towards a) circular economy,” Mr. Ramachandran said on the sidelines of a forum.

He added that the program will immediately support about 10 LGUs, with 10 more following the launch of the program. The remaining 40, he said, will be included within the five-year time frame.

“We work on a five-year cycle … and we are moving to a new cycle from 2024 to 2028,” he said.

Circular economies minimize waste and promote sustainable use of resources.

Additionally, Mr. Ramachandran said that the organization is also planning to implement other climate action and resiliency projects in the Philippines.

“We have a lot more work to do on (things like) climate finance, biodiversity conservation, and renewable energy,” Mr. Ramachandran added.

He said the UNDP will also be working on the Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities against Disasters and Climate Change (SHIELD) program.

The program, in partnership with the Australian government, aims to support the Philippine government in dealing with the increasing issue of disasters and climate risk.

The project started in 2021 and runs until 2028, with a cost of about $13 million. It involves 11 local governments, including Metro Manila and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“For SHIELD we are excited… engagement today will give us an idea of other key areas where LGUs would like our support,” he added.

Mr. Ramachandran also said that the UNDP is planning to improve the delivery of social services in remote areas.

“The UNDP (will help improve) social service delivery in the last mile (in) BARMM. We are looking at issues like a stabilization programs, peace and development issues,” he said.

He added that the UNDP will focus on promoting “peace dividend”-type benefits unlocked by the end of conflict in the BARMM.

“It is absolutely important to work with the local government units and the private sector in moving forward,” he added. — Adrian H. Halili

Bill revising intellectual property code OK’d

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter

THE TRADE and industry committee of the House of Representatives approved on Tuesday a bill that revises the country’s Intellectual Property Code to bolster the government’s capabilities to combat online infringements and address new and emerging intellectual property issues.

“The Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines requires a fresh, new round of revisions to keep pace with the advances in technology and emerging intellectual property-related issues,” said Batangas Rep. Mario Vittorio A. Mariño, the panel chairman.

“We need to harmonize the country’s intellectual property system with some of the current and best practices in the international community, fortify efforts against piracy and counterfeiting, strengthen intellectual property protection and promote [a] legal environment conducive to innovation and creativity,” he added.

He also called on the need to strengthen intellectual property education and awareness.

The proposed law gives the Intellectual Property of the Philippines (IPOPHL) the power to order removing infringing materials from, taking down of and blocking access to websites/online platforms.

The measure also seeks to slap higher penalties against counterfeiting and piracy especially when it poses danger to life and health.

The proposed revision also considers visible and non-visible marks used to distinguish products or services, such as sound marks, which must also be protected, according to the bill.

It also aims to institutionalize the intellectual property rights enforcement and coordination office under the IPOPHL to undertake enforcement actions like issuing confiscation orders and imposition of fines.

The measure seeks to allow the filing of applications to protect inventions through a patent or utility model. It will also protect designers for parts of a product incorporated in one design.

Under the bill, patent applications may also claim early priority date while the inventor is finalizing its patent application.

Addressing the House committee, Ricardo R. Blancaflor, former IPOHL director general, proposed an amendment extending copyright protection to 70 years from the current 50 to give more protection to creators.

“If we get to 70 years, that means there would be more protection for our artists and this goes all the way from the authors, performers and sound recorders,” Mr. Blancaflor said, noting that 73 countries have adopted such measures.

MARINA plans 2 digital projects

THE MARITIME Industry Authority (MARINA) is set to launch two digital projects aligned with the sector’s updated Maritime Industry Development Plan and sustainability goals, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) revealed on Tuesday.

The first project uses blockchain technology to digitize MARINA’s transactions in support of the government’s digitalization goals. The second is the Maritime Energy Demand Information and Analysis Software (MEDIANS), a system that “deals with energy use and pollution of maritime transport,” allows environmental data collection, and estimates energy use of ships and greenhouse gas emissions.

The DoTr said that MEDIANS will provide a cloud base monitoring on energy demand, projections and policy assessments as well as offer energy efficiency emissions calculation which is deemed vital in reducing its carbon emissions. 

The International Energy Agency notes that the maritime transportation industry contributes 2-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. To address this, the International Maritime Organization aims to reduce emissions by at least 50% by 2050. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

BIR confiscates illicit cigarettes

BW FILE PHOTO

LAW ENFORCEMENT operations against illicit cigarette traders and smugglers in Mindanao last week resulted in the seizure of 717 master cases (358,500 packs) of contraband in Davao City, which the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said on Tuesday was worth P252 million in tax liabilities.

The BIR’s joint operation with the Naval Forces of Eastern Mindanao Command confiscated illicit cigarettes with such brands as Canon, GreenHill, and Bros.

“The BIR will continue to protect compliant taxpayers while prosecuting illicit trade. We will not stop. Expect more enforcement operations,” said BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui, Jr., noting that traders of the seized cigarettes did not pay proper excise taxes, violating various tax codes and regulations. 

Another successful enforcement operation was conducted on Nov. 8 by the BIR, resulting in the confiscation of 51 master cases (25,500 packs) of smuggled New Orleans cigarettes with estimated tax liabilities amounting to P17.9 million.

This seizure was a joint operation with the Davao City Police Office and Task Force Davao in Bunawan, Davao City. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Beneco GM seeks new franchise

JEROME CMG-UNSPLASH

BAGUIO CITY — In a swift move, newly appointed Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) General Manager (GM) Melchor S. Licobenis urging member-consumers to work for the cooperative’s franchise renewal, emphasizing the need to secure its operation for the next 50 years.

Officially named GM by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) task force on Nov. 8, Mr. Licoben’s appointment follows a three-year tumultuous leadership struggle and performance challenges marked by the suspension of the 10-member Beneco board and his own suspension as assistant GM for 45 days.

“The next order of the day would be the life of the cooperative for the next 50 years with a renewed franchise,” he said with Baguio Rep. Marques O. Go already filing House Bill 6145 for Beneco’s franchise renewal set to end in March 2028. 

“We are very happy that finally, our fight for what is right came through,” Beneco employees union president Jefferd Monang said of the appointment of Mr. Licoben, who was described by NEA task force chairman Steve Cating as their number one choice. — Artemio M. Dumlao

Royal Caribbean gets tax refund

CTA.JUDICIARY.GOV.PH

THE COURT of Tax Appeals (CTA) granted a tax refund of P20.74 million to multinational firm, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., acknowledging its claim that the final withholding tax (FWT) it paid for 2018 was not legally due.

In a 25-page decision last Nov. 7, the CTA Special Second Division ruled that the company’s payment of 15% FWT for employees’ compensation lacked statutory authority as it was based on a vetoed provision of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

On Dec. 19, 2017, then-president Rodrigo R. Duterte vetoed a provision of the TRAIN Law which mandated the 15% special tax for employees of regional headquarters and regional operations headquarters, among others.

Due to this veto, affected employees — including those in the cruise line’s regional operating headquarters in the Philippines — were not required to pay the 15% preferential tax rate on their gross income starting Jan. 1, 2018, the ruling stated.

“[S]aid employees’ salaries, wages, annuities, compensation, remuneration, and other emoluments, such as honoraria and allowances, are now subject to the regular income tax rate,” the ruling penned by Associate Justice Lanee S. Cui-David read. “Accordingly, petitioner’s payment of the 15% FWT is without statutory authority or not legally due.” — Jomel R. Paguian

PAGASA monitoring LPA

PAGASA.DOST.GOV.PH

THE TROPICAL depression east of Mindanao has weakened into a low-pressure area (LPA) as it moves “erratically” outside the country in the next 24 hours, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Tuesday.

But PAGASA warned: “A slight improvement in the environmental conditions will allow this disturbance to reorganize and re-develop into a tropical depression.”

The LPA, moving at 10 kilometers per hour, may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by late Wednesday or early Thursday. If it redevelops into a tropical depression within the PAR, it will be named “Kabayan.”

PAGASA warns that the LPA, combined with the northern monsoon, could bring heavy rains to eastern Mindanao on Friday and the eastern parts of the Bicol Region and most of Visayas on Saturday.

Additionally, rough to very rough seas are expected along Luzon and the eastern seas of Visayas in the next five days. The potential strengthening of the LPA may trigger moderate to rough seas along the eastern seaboard of Mindanao by Friday. — Adrian H. Halili

DoJ told to ensure right to travel amid anti-trafficking drive

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) should ensure that the right to travel is not impeded in its efforts to curb human trafficking and illegal recruitment at airports, a Philippine senator said on Tuesday.

At a plenary session tackling the proposed P35.45-billion budget of the DoJ and its attached agencies for next year, Senator Aquilino D. Pimentel III said authorities should implement the BI electronic gate system without making the process tedious for Filipinos who want to travel.

“I know we need to balance this system (e-Gate) with our desire to provide our fellow Filipinos with less hassle in going out of the country with our concern with human trafficking and illegal recruitment,” he said.

Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara, who heads the Senate Finance Committee, said the panel allocated P2.67 billion for the bureau’s information and communication technology (ICT) projects next year, which includes the e-Gate system at major Philippine airports.

Mr. Angara noted that the e-Gates are equipped with state-of-the-art security features such as facial recognition and biometric scanning to help identify criminals. The DoJ has a total proposed ICT budget of P5.8 billion for next year.

The Senate ended deliberations on the DoJ’s budget next year, pending amendments.

Meanwhile, senators swiftly approved the Office of the Ombudsman’s proposed P5.34-billion budget for next year after no lawmaker raised questions during the session.

Earlier, Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires asked Congress to reduce the proposed P51.47-million confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) to only P1 million, saying his office can function without it. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Comelec denies dubious timing of ER transmissions

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) denied on Tuesday a new allegation raised by former information and communications technology chief Eliseo M. Rio, Jr. that some election returns (ER) were transmitted earlier than usual during the 2022 national elections.

In a statement, the Comelec said Mr. Rio claimed that based on the logs from telecommunications companies Globe Telecom and Smart Communications, a total of 7,975 vote counting machines (VCM) transmitted ERs from 1:15 p.m. to 7:09 p.m. before being received in the Comelec transparency server, which might have resulted in the manipulation of results.

But the Comelec clarified that the logs from Globe were due to a consolidating canvassing system connection from the municipal board of canvassers and not from VCMs. Meanwhile, logs from Smart referred not to the election data but to network data.

“This plainly indicates that the telco logs do not show any connected foreign device or illegal device,” said Comelec Spokesperson John Rex C. Laudiangco in a statement. “Such is not possible because a VCM can only connect and transmit using the digital certificate previously validated and authenticated by the election network and application.”

Meanwhile, the Comelec confirmed it has fully settled honoraria payment for electoral boards and support staff in the recent village and youth polls.

In a Viber message, Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said almost P7 billion were used to pay election officers across the country.

“This is consistent with our own monitoring that almost all payments were made within the first two weeks after the election,” said Teachers Dignity Coalition national chairperson Benjo Basas in a statement. — Jomel R. Paguian

Rejigged Beermen launch PBA Season 48 bid against NLEX

PBA FILE PHOTO

Games Wednesday
(Ynares Center, Antipolo)
4 p.m. — Terrafirma vs Blackwater
8 p.m. — San Miguel Beer vs NLEX

SAN Miguel Beer (SMB) surely won’t be wanting in hunger as it launches its bid in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup today against NLEX at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Though they already regained lost glory in the centerpiece Philippine Cup last season, the rejigged Beermen haven’t found success in import-flavored tournaments since dismantling their old “Death Squad.”

“We haven’t won (an import-laden conference) since the time of Mr. McCullough,” SMB coach Jorge Gallent said, referring to the 2019 edition of the Commissioner’s Cup with Chris McCullough as spearhead.

SMB embarks on this quest with a fit-again June Mar Fajardo and Terrence Romeo and the rest of the gang along with promising new recruits Jeron Teng and Kyt Jimenez and new import Ivan Aska.

Mr. Fajardo missed the tail end of the Season 46 Governors’ Cup due to medial collateral ligament or MCL injury but has since returned, helping Gilas Pilipinas cop the coveted gold in the Hangzhou Asian Games and winning his seventh Most Valuable Player (MVP) plum.

Mr.  Fajardo, who reunites with Asiad teammates CJay Perez, Marcio Lassiter and Chris Ross, plus Mo Tautuaa, Simon Enciso, Jericho Cruz and Mr. Romeo, who’s back after missing the last conference due to hamstring issues.

At 8 p.m., the Beermen face a Road Warriors team (0-1) out to bounce back from a sorry 101-113 loss to Phoenix last week.

Interestingly, NLEX is headlined by Thomas Robinson, who would have played for SMB last year if not for a back injury. Mr. Robinson debuted with 25 points, six rebounds and four steals for NLEX but committed 10 turnovers.

Meanwhile, Blackwater (1-1) and Terrafirma (0-1) clash at 4 p.m. with similar pull-around intentions.

Failing to sustain the momentum from their 103-84 opening win over Converge, the Bossing lost to Meralco, 84-91, last Saturday. The Dyip yielded to NorthPort in their season curtain-raiser, 103-108.

Fancied Dyip rookie Stephen Holt vowed a better showing after going two-of-nine in his 11-point maiden game.

“I’m known as a shooter. I put in the work my whole entire career. Being a pro is making adjustments. If my shots aren’t falling, I still have to shoot it, find ways to help the team out. I thought defensively, I played pretty well. It’s just one loss. We can’t put our heads down. It’s a long season,” said Mr. Holt. — Olmin Leyba

Undermanned UE battles Ateneo in Final Four run

PRECIOUS MOMOWEI

Games Today
(Mall of Asia Arena)
11 a.m. — UE vs Ateneo (men)
1 p.m. — UP vs UST (men)
4 p.m. — DLSU vs FEU (men)
6 p.m. — NU vs AdU (men)

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
9 a.m. — UST vs FEU (women)
11 a.m. — Ateneo vs DLSU (women)
1 p.m. — UP vs UE (women)
3 p.m. — NU vs AdU (women)

TOP rookie Precious Momowei has been slapped with a one-game suspension as the University of the East (UE) takes a major blow in its one last attempt to make a Final Four run in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 men’s basketball tournament.

The league announced yesterday Mr. Momowei’s penalty after he infracted his second unsportsmanlike foul in the second quarter of UE’s 86-76 loss against the red-hot De La Salle University (DLSU) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum over the weekend.

Mr. Momowei committed his first unsportsmanlike foul last month in the Warriors’ 72-65 defeat against Adamson University.

He will serve his suspension today as UE, with a 4-8 record, battles Ateneo de Manila University (6-6) in a must-win match at 11 a.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena to keep its Final Four hopes alive.

The Warriors will definitely miss the services of Mr. Momowei, who’s leading the Rookie of the Year race with averages of 12. 5 points, 10. 33 rebounds, 1.17 assists, 1.25 steals and 1.83 blocks, in the crucial duel against the reigning champions. UE held its own in the first round against Ateneo before absorbing a close 76-69 loss.

In other games, leaders University of the Philippines (UP) and National University (NU) as well as the rampaging DLSU step up their drives against separate foes in an expected mad dash to a Top-Two finish for the twice-to-beat incentives in the Final Four.

All three teams are already in the semis with UP (10-2) out to bolster their bid against also-ran University of Santo Tomas (1-11) at 1 p.m. and National University (10-2) clashing against Adamson (5-7) at 6 p.m.

De La Salle (9-3), which has yet to lose in the second round with six straight wins, want no let-up against also-ran Far Eastern University (3-9) at 4 p.m. — John Bryan Ulanday

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