By Jomel R. Paguian

AS PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. returned from his six-day trip to the United States, public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers welcomed him with their second day of protest against the phaseout of jeepneys, with a separate transport group set on another three-day strike starting Wednesday.

“We will welcome the return of Marcos Jr. with our widespread strike because the government has not given reasonable answers to our calls,” Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) national president Mody T. Floranda, whose group spearheaded the strike, said in Filipino on Tuesday.

PISTON said they will continue with their protest as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) failed to address their demands at their meeting on Monday.

Meanwhile, transport group Manibela also announced that they will hold a three-day transport strike starting on the third day of PISTON’s protest action on Wednesday.

“It’s possible that we’ll be together and merge [in protest]. We’ve been discussing it since last week,” Manibela chairman Mar Valbuena said in Filipino during a press briefing.

Both transport groups called authorities to repeal the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP) which effectively phases out traditional jeepneys in favor of new generation transport vehicles by the end of the year.

The PUVMP also requires drivers and operators to form corporations and cooperatives until Dec. 31 to get new transport franchises, which the group insisted will start the phaseout of jeepneys.

“Franchise consolidation is a takeover of individual franchises that essentially equates to phaseout,” said Mr. Floranda. “We’re not just talking about the phaseout of vehicles here but the phaseout of our livelihoods.”

During Monday’s press briefing, Vice President Sara Z. Duterte-Carpo reiterated the recorded 70% compliance rate of PUV drivers with the proposed modernization plan.

On Tuesday, Mr. Valbuena claimed that those who had already agreed to franchise consolidation were forced by the authorities. “A majority of those who agreed to be consolidated were afraid and intimidated. Many of them want to withdraw from the agreement,” he said.

SOLICITOR General (SolGen) Menardo I. Guevarra has insisted that fishing vessels should be equipped with satellite transponders that would track and report their catch to curb violations, but fishing companies opposed the idea during oral arguments before the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday.

Mr. Guevarra said fishing companies should use a vessel monitoring system (VMS) and an electronic reporting system (ERS) to curb illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing (IUFF).

He told Justice Ricardo R. Rosario that the current manual reporting is prone to inaccuracy and human error.

However, fishing companies Royal Fishing Corp., Bonanza Fishing and Market Resources Inc., and RBL Fishing Corporation, as represented by their lawyer Arnold D. Naval, argued that the requirement as issued in the suspended Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 266 violates their right to privacy and unlawful searches. 

Mr. Naval said that data coming from the system, including the location of fishing activities, should be treated as confidential to protect trade secrets.

“Information as to the location of the fishing vessels and details as to their operation on those fishing spots are considered trade secrets by the fishing companies,” said Mr. Naval. “All these mechanisms and tools they used are known only to them, to the owners, and only confided to specific personnel within their company.”

Mr. Naval said that FAO 266 is against the provisions of the Philippine Fisheries Code which states that the government should protect the trade and industrial policy information of fisherfolks and fisheries operators especially when the disclosure of such information will injure the competitiveness and viability of their fishing operations.

The FAO 266 was suspended on Apr. 6. The Supreme Court’s decision over its constitutionality is pending. — Jomel R. Paguian

THE NEED for more social workers and rehabilitation centers attending to children in conflict with the law (CICLs) was underscored by the Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee (RJJWC) on Tuesday as it cited the struggle faced by many local governments in providing appropriate reformation.

In an interview, RJJWC-National Capital Region Vice Chairperson Ramon Antonio C. Sabinorio said not all local government units (LGUs) have rehabilitation centers, known as Bahay Pag-asa, which are dedicated to reforming misguided youths.

“Not all Bahay Pag-asa are well-equipped or complete; many still lack essential resources,” Mr. Sabinorio said in Filipino.

He said some LGUs establish these centers merely to fulfil the criteria for the Seal of Good Governance, so they end up operating with inadequate funding and efficiency. With insufficient support, some youth offenders end up escaping the center. “When they encounter difficulties, they escape,” he said.

Mr. Sabinorio said improving rehabilitation centers could make juvenile offenders stay and undergo intervention programs. “If the Bahay Pag-asa resembles a proper home, they probably won’t attempt to escape,” he said.

A crucial requirement for the transformative program for CICLs to work is the sufficient number of social workers attending to them. “The more social workers there are, the more focused programs can be developed to address the needs of the assigned CICLs,” he said. — Jomel R. Paguian

A PERSON accused of tax evasion — a criminal offense — is deemed to have been sued as well for the collection of one’s unpaid taxes, which is the civil aspect of the case, the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) ruled.

In a 43-page decision dated March 28 and released on Tuesday, the High Tribunal said the government need not formally assess a defendant of his tax liability in a separate lawsuit.

“The institution of the criminal action shall carry with it the corresponding civil action for taxes and penalties,” read part of the decision penned by Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez.

The SC ruling was in response to a petition filed by businessman Joel C. Mendez, who was charged with not filing his 2002 Income Tax Return (ITR) of P1.52 million and providing false information in his 2003 ITR of P2.11 million.

While the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) found Mr. Mendez guilty of criminal charges, it refrained from imposing civil liability for deficiency taxes, citing the pending final tax assessment from the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (CIR).

The high tribunal subsequently ruled that a prior assessment of CIR is not required to collect delinquent taxes in a criminal tax case.

SC upheld the CTA’s decision, affirming Mr. Mendez’s guilt for tax violations, imposing a sentence of imprisonment for one to two years with a fine of P10,000. It recommended remanding the case to the CTA for the determination of the precise amount of Mr. Mendez’s civil liability. — Jomel R. Paguian