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PEZA sees trade deal helping South Korea climb FDI rankings

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said it expects South Korea to become a top-four source of foreign direct investment (FDI) after the recently signed free trade agreement (FTA).

“If they are currently number five right now, they might be number four,” PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga said on the sidelines of a Philippine Information Agency briefing on Friday.

“If you look at the numbers, from January to September we saw a strong increase in Korean investment,” he said.

PEZA estimates that South Korean FDI in the January-Sept. 7 period was P1.41 billion.

Japan topped the list with P22.61 billion approved investments, followed by Singapore (P15.4 billion), the Cayman Islands (P11.63 billion) and the UK (P2.75 billion).

Mr. Panga said the FTA with South Korea is expected to drive increased FDI in electronics, agro-processing, renewable energy, automotive, and frontier technology.

Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments managing head Ceferino S. Rodolfo said that the FTA, signed on Thursday, will correct tariff disadvantages hindering major Philippine exports to South Korea.

The Philippines was able to secure tariff elimination on 1,531 lines of agricultural goods, of which 1,417 lines will be removed upon entry into force (EIF) of the bilateral FTA.

Bananas, which are currently charged a 30% tariff, are set to go to zero tariffs over five years, while tariffs on processed pineapples, which are currently charged 36%, will obtain tariff elimination in seven years.

For industrial goods, the FTA led to tariff elimination for 9,909 lines, of which 9,747 lines are set for tariff elimination upon EIF.

Ateneo de Manila economics professor Leonardo A. Lanzona said in an e-mail that the FTA will likely lead to large domestic companies forging tie-ups with their Korean counterparts.

“It is crucial then also that the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are made to link with the domestic companies that are going to be tied to the multinational Korean companies,” Mr. Lanzona said.

“(The Korea FTA) is a welcome development. The more free trade agreements there are, the better,” he said.

“To maximize the benefits from these FTAs, we need to support more MSMEs and upgrade the skills of the workers to give them opportunities to participate in these activities,” he added.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the FTA will boost trade and FDI in the Philippines.

The Philippines can be positioned as “an alternative manufacturing hub as well as hedge (against disruptions of) the global supply chain for the international operations of South Korean global companies,” he said.

In turn, the FTA could also encourage the hiring of Filipino workers in South Korea, in view of improved economic ties, Mr. Ricafort said.

“Thus, the FTA will boost gross domestic product growth in view of the increase in external trade and investment,” he said.

He added that the agreement may also boost tourism from South Korea, already a leading source of visitors for the Philippines.

However, Ateneo’s Mr. Lanzona cited the need to amend the Constitution with the expansion of FDI to more industries.

“The Constitutional provision that limits foreign ownership of firms to 40% needs to be revised.  Greater flexibility in our trade agreements is needed as long as greater production with more and better jobs are achieved,” he said. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Hotel industry feeling staffing pressures from ‘brain drain’

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE hotel industry is losing some of its best staff to foreign employers as well as to Philippine call centers, an industry association said.

“The brain drain within the hospitality group, it’s happening,” Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) Philippines President Loleth G. So said, describing the losses as taking place “within the country” as well as “out of the country.”

Speaking at a news conference last week in Pasay City, Ms. So said domestic rivals competing for hotel workers include the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, while foreign companies like the cruise industry employers are also hiring away its workers.

Agnes Pacis, HSMA director for membership, said the competition for talent is also affecting hotel sales and marketing personnel.

“We are experiencing it ourselves as practitioners. It used to be that we’re competing with other hotels. But now we’re competing with other industries like banks and BPOs,” Ms. Pacis said.

Ms. Pacis proposed that government and industry associations boost their efforts in attracting more workers to the hotel industry.

“Maybe some incentives can be put in place. Universities could encourage more enrollment in tourism and hotel and restaurant-related courses,” Ms. Pacis said.

“Industry associations could also come up with training programs. We can improve in the area of education and awareness-building. The tourism industry is affected, more than any other industry,” she added.

In June, the Philippine Statistics Authority estimated that employment in all the tourism industries hit 5.35 million in 2022, against 4.9 million in 2021.

The tourism industry accounted for 6.2% of gross domestic product last year, up from a 5.2% share in 2021.

The combined economic contribution of tourism rose 36.9% to P1.38 trillion last year.

In 2023, the Department of Tourism has set a target of 4.8 million international arrivals compared to 2.65 million last year. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave 

Fitch expects continued pressure on regional currencies until Fed wraps up tightening cycle

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE decline in Philippine gross international reserves (GIR) was minimal in the second quarter, but currency pressures could continue until the Federal Reserve is done tightening rates, Fitch Ratings said.

Fitch Ratings, in a commentary posted on its website on Sept. 7, said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) saw their dollar reserves decline with the Fed posed for further tightening.

“Several sovereigns in ASEAN, including Indonesia (BBB/Stable), Malaysia (BBB+/Stable), the Philippines (BBB/Stable) and Thailand (BBB+/Stable), saw reserves decline over the second quarter, which may in some cases reflect intervention to support currencies,” it said.

“The changes have been marginal so far, not influencing credit profiles significantly, but currency pressure may continue until the Fed finishes raising rates,” it added.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) sometimes intervenes in the foreign exchange market to mitigate the volatility brought by the Fed’s policy tightening.

The Fed hiked borrowing costs by 25 basis points at its meeting in July. This brought the Fed funds rate to 5.25-5.5%, its highest level in 22 years.

The BSP reported that dollar reserves fell 0.14% month on month to $99.81 billion.

Foreign currency deposits fell by 52.5% to $648 million at end-August from $1.367 billion a month earlier and by 63.5% from $1.777 billion a year ago.

Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings said that official reserves among Fitch-rated sovereigns in Asia-Pacific rose $170 billion in the first half of the year.

This was driven by increases in GIR among economies with large buffers such as China, Singapore, India, Japan, and Taiwan.

“Strong external liquidity positions support these sovereigns’ credit profiles, but further reserve increases are unlikely to have much near-term influence on ratings,” the Fitch Ratings said.

However, sustained declines in GIR “could be a drive of negative rating action” in Bangladesh, the Maldives, Mongolia, and Vietnam.

Fitch Ratings earlier kept the Philippines’ long-term foreign currency issuer default rating at “BBB.”

A “BBB” rating indicates low default risk and adequate capacity to pay, although some unfavorable economic conditions could impede this.

Fitch Ratings also upgraded the Philippines’ outlook to stable from negative, reflecting its confidence in the economy’s continued recovery from the pandemic.

A stable outlook indicates a rating that is likely to be maintained rather than lowered or upgraded in the medium and long terms or over the next 18-24 months. — Keisha B. Ta-asan

Philippines must brace for China’s new tactics at sea, analysts say

AN AERIAL VIEW of what Philippine Coast Guard alleges were Chinese vessels, manned by Chinese maritime militia, loitering within the vicinity of Thitu Island, one of nine features occupied by the Philippines in Spratly Islands, in the disputed South China Sea, March 9, 2023. — REUTERS

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES should brace itself for a more aggressive China as it is now under pressure to devise new tactics with a focus on deceptive propaganda amid vigilance from the international community, according to analysts.

The Chinese Coast Guard (CCG), backed by Beijing’s maritime militia and navy vessels, on Friday attempted to block a Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) with Philippine authorities recording at least 10 instances of dangerous maneuvers committed by the Chinese.

“We will expect massive swarming of Chinese armada and drones in the West Philippine Sea as they will try to contain our maritime law enforcers,” said Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation founder Chester B. Cabalza.

“China will confront us in terms of their size and quantity of vessels to counter our meek contingent at sea and joint maritime patrols with allied countries,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

The Philippines was able to deliver food and other supplies for troops stationed on a World War II-era ship grounded in the shoal despite China’s new display of aggression.

“At one instance, we saw how a CCGV (vessel) conducted dangerous maneuvers in between our RORE vessel and the escorting PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) vessel, which is a very irresponsible and unprofessional act,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Spokesman Medel Aguilar said in a statement.

Four CCG and four maritime militia vessels harassed BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan, as well as ships contracted by the AFP, “jeopardizing the crew members’ safety,” PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela said — all of which were shown in PCG video footages made public.

“It can be expected for China to devise new strategies of dual-purpose nature to strengthen its presence in the West Philippine Sea,” said Don Mclain Gill, who teaches foreign relations at the De La Salle University, referring to parts of the South China Sea that are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“It (China) has to change its strategy given that it is now once again under the spotlight of international condemnation,” he said via Messenger chat.

Raymond M. Powell, the South China Sea lead at Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, reported that aside from two China Coast Guard ships and 10 maritime militia vessels that tried to block the Philippine vessels, a Chinese cargo ship was also present during the Friday mission “for unclear purposes.”

“Previous resupply missions encountered ‘dark’’ China Coast Guard ships (not broadcasting automatic information system, or AIS),” he said in a tweet. “Unclear if dark ships present today, but forward deployment of so many militia ships suggests fewer CCG than before.”

He said Beijing employed bow-crossing, a harassment tactic “in which a ship abruptly maneuvers to cross dangerously across the bow of another in violation of the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG) and the 2014 Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES).”

“This maneuver is intended to force the other ship to take evasive action to avoid a collision. It may be used to disrupt freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) or other assertions of international law or national sovereignty,” he said, citing an analysis published by Stanford defense scholar Gaute Friis in July.

Mr. Gill said it is necessary for the Philippine government “to take every action of the CCG and the People’s Liberation Army Navy with a grain of salt given that Beijing has clearly illustrated its unwillingness to engage based on rules.”

The Philippines needs to be alert and expect the worst-case scenario in terms of Chinas behavior, he added.

“China will confront us in terms of their size and quantity of vessels to counter our meek contingent at sea and joint maritime patrols with allied countries,” Mr. Cabalza said, citing the need to upgrade the Philippines’ coast guard force.

China’s harassment on Friday happened just a day after the four-day gathering of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for their 43rd summit in Indonesia.

LEVERAGING ASEAN TIES
At the 18th East Asia Summit last Thursday, which was also attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. urged his Southeast Asian counterparts to take action over what he described as dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea.

“We must oppose the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea,” he said

Mr. Marcos said the Philippines is also concerned “over illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the militarization of reclaimed features” in the waterway.

“We call on ASEAN and our partners to harness our shared interests and rally us into taking joint action, guided by ASEAN Centrality and universal multilateralism,” he said.

Mr. Marcos had said that while the Philippines does want to be involved in any violent conflict, it would not hesitate to stand up to foreign aggression.

“Let me be clear, we do not seek conflict. But it is our duty as citizens and as leaders, to always rise and meet any challenge to our sovereignty, to our sovereign rights, and our maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea,” he said at the 43rd ASEAN Summit Retreat in Jakarta on Tuesday. “No country would expect any less. No country would do any less.”

Security in Southeast Asia and the whole Indo-Pacific region has been a major discussion among ASEAN countries, as they deal with the increasing tension between the US and China, which has ramped up its aggression in Philippine waters through provocative actions that stop short of a war.

AVOID ‘EITHER-OR’ POLICY — ANALYSTS
Analysts said over the weekend that the Philippines should avoid an “either-or” kind of foreign policy in dealing with geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea.

Instead, it should advance its diplomatic ties with ASEAN member-states, most of which also have interests in the disputed sea.

“There’s a tendency to see or at least to look at the Philippines as going too close to the United States (US) at the expense of our relationship with China so our situation is becoming a zero-sum game in terms of how we actually deal the great power,” Herman Joseph S. Kraft, a political science professor at University of the Philippines, said in a video interview.

“Relations within the region is increasingly being dominated by the rivalry between China and the United States,” Mr. Kraft said, noting that the rivalry between the two superpowers narrows down ASEAN cooperation.

Victor Andres C. Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute, said the Philippines’ legal victory at United Nations-based arbitration court, The Hague, is widely recognized, signifying the opportunity to advance cooperation with other ASEAN nations.

“As more aggressive activities are reported in the West Philippine Sea, it only fuels more commitment to cooperate in the maritime area among like-minded states,” Mr. Manhit said in a Viber chat.

Mr. Kraft said ASEAN countries should have a “collective voice,” in dealing with the South China Sea dispute.

“The problem is right now ASEAN can’t act collectively on this because even as it tries to strengthen ASEAN centrality, the strategic relationship of ASEAN countries is differentiated in terms of how they deal with both the US and China,” he said.

The situation in the South China Sea was discussed in the 2023 ASEAN Summit last week in Jakarta, Indonesia, in which “concerns were expressed by some ASEAN Member States on the land reclamations, activities, serious incidents in the area, including actions that put the safety of all persons at risk, damage to the marine environment, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region,” according to the Chairman’s Statement.

“We reaffirmed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, and avoid actions that may further complicate the situation,” it also said.

Mr. Manhit noted that the ASEAN and China have yet to finalize a code of conduct for navigating the South China Sea, which was not even mentioned in the ASEAN statement.

Meanwhile, China continues to ignore a 2016 ruling by a United Nations-backed arbitration court that voided its claim to more than 80% of the South China Sea.

“Six years has already passed since the ruling, I think it is high time for states to take a more active stance in enforcing international law,” Mr. Manhit said.

The Philippines should advance infrastructure development and free trade agreements with ASEAN countries to strengthen ties, as well as decrease import dependency on China, said Mr. Gill.

“Such partnerships should also focus on economic cooperation as well given that China’s provocations are fueled by its economic advantages over its less powerful neighbors,” the DLSU professor said. “Hence, a comprehensive partnership that focuses on both defense and economics will be crucial for Manila.”

DOLE: Workers press for freedom of association

BW FILE PHOTO

WORKERS SECTOR representatives are pushing for the government to secure their civil liberties, especially their freedom of association, the Labor department revealed on Sunday.

In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said it held a strategic planning workshop with its stakeholders on Sept. 4 in Manila to set goals for a labor roadmap it had presented to the Cabinet last month.

“Strengthening the capacities of government and social partners through labor governance education, specifically in the areas of freedom of association (FoA) and civil liberties, is also among the strategies to ensure a labor and employment sector that respects fundamental principles and rights at work, international labor standards, and human rights,” the DoLE said.

The agency said the results of the consultations would form the foundation of the labor and employment plan’s implementation for the next five years.

At a Senate hearing on DoLE’s proposed budget for 2024 on Sept. 1, Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said workers and employers would have oversight of its jobs plan to improve the employability of the country’s workforce.

The employment plan aims to upgrade worker skills, raise the quality of teachers, and modernize training institutions, Mr. Laguesma told an employer conference last month.  It also details a comprehensive social protection program for workers.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in his second address to Congress urged government agencies to continue improving the employability of the workforce.

“The responsibility for [Labor and Employment Plan 2023-2028s] implementation, monitoring, and evaluation is not the DoLE’s and/or the government’s responsibility alone but is collectively shared with the private sector, with all,” Labor Undersecretary Carmela I. Torres said in the same statement.

Mr. Marcos on April 30 signed an executive order creating an inter-agency body that will investigate labor rights violations targeting trade unionists.

Labor groups have called on the government to amend the order creating the task force, noting the measure lacked participation from workers. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Expert calls for integrated SIM database

PEOPLE are seen using their mobile phones along Claro M. Recto Avenue in Divisoria, Manila, Dec. 27, 2022. — PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

THE DEPARTMENT of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and telecommunications companies must work together for an integrated database so that registered subscriber identification modules (SIM) users can be validated after senators raised concern over an uptick in text fraud.

“The enforcement of the SIM registration act is challenging because there is no database integration when people were told to register,” Allan S. Cabanlong, regional director for Southeast Asia for the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, told BusinessWorld in an interview on Sunday.

He said it is crucial for telecommunication firms to post-validate IDs submitted by users, as many types of IDs can be faked during the registration process.

“When the government announced and launched the measure’s implementation, it should have already integrated the use of a database since it involves hundreds and millions of SIM users,” the cybersecurity expert said.

In terms of telcos, Mr. Cabanlong said that “even if they want to religiously conduct post validation, they need reference databases,” which is what the government has.

The SIM Registration Law, which was enacted last October, requires mobile phone users to register their SIMs under their names or risk deactivation in a bid to deter text scams and other criminal activities done through mobile phones.

The Philippines ranked 42nd out of 250 countries that were most affected by data breaches in the first quarter, with 48,747 leaked accounts, virtual private network service provider Surfshark said in a May report. This was down by 78.5% from 226,970 in the fourth quarter of last year.

Global cyber-security firm Kaspersky said in a report on April 17 that web attacks targeting entities in the Philippines rose to 492,567 in 2022 from 382,940 a year earlier.

Last month, Globe Telecom, Inc. blacklisted and deactivated 58,234 SIM cards linked to fraud and illegal activities. The telecommunication firm said it had invested $20 million in its Security Operations Center to screen malicious messages 24/7.

From January 2022 to January 2023, Globe blocked 85 million bank-related spam messages. In the first quarter, it blocked 4.07 million spam, 2.7% higher than the 3.97 million blocked messages last year.

Leni, GMA meet, talk politics

FORMER PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday night said she and former Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo talked about local politics during a gathering with their friends.

“I recently had a social dinner with former Vice President Leni Robredo and mutual friends from Bicol… we chatted about Bicol politics,” Ms. Arroyo, now a Pampanga lawmaker said in a statement, further fueling speculations that fault lines have emerged within the ruling coalition.

Back in May, Ms. Arroyo, a known power broker in Philippine politics, denied she was hatching a plot to oust House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. She has since been replaced by Rep. Aurelio Gonzales, Jr. as senior deputy speaker.

Ms. Arroyo, who was a key backer of the political alliance between Mr. Marcos and then vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio during the 2022 campaign, remains the president emeritus of the Lakas-CMD party, in which Mr. Romualdez is the president.

Lakas-CMD, which was among the four political parties that formed the UniTeam alliance of Mr. Marcos and Ms. Carpio last year, is the biggest political party in the House of Representatives. Mr. Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, meanwhile, has remained irrelevant in Congress.

“We didn’t really see Partido Federal, the nominal party of President Marcos Jr., grow to an unusually big size this season,” Cleve V. Arguelles, president of WR Numero Research, said in an analysis earlier this year.

Most politicians have just maintained their affiliations and loyalty with Lakas-CMD and President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s PDP-Laban, he said.

The trend was interesting because it “deviates from the expectation that politicians usually jump ship to the administration party which also usually gives Malacañang a clear advantage in a midterm election,” Mr. Arguelles noted.

“It’s looking like this will not be the story of 2025,” he said.

The Partido Federal, which was created by supporters of Mr. Duterte in 2018, held an induction ceremony for new members last month, including 14 provincial chiefs. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Gibo told: Push modernization

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

THREE DAYS before facing the Commission on Appointments, Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” C. Teodoro, Jr. was urged by a security think tank to push for the Philippine military’s modernization, given the challenges in the South China Sea.

“His (Teodoro’s) thrust is how to strengthen the force structure of the AFP aligned to the new national security policy of the Marcos administration,” Chester B. Cabalza, founding president of Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation (IDSC), said in a Messenger chat on Sunday.

With many anticipating Mr. Teodoro to hurdle the CA, Mr. Cabalza underscored that the Department of National Defense (DND) chief must also ensure that the 2016 arbitral ruling — voiding China’s claim to over 80% of the South China Sea — is used as one of the country’s “instruments of power.”

“Philippine pronounced lawfare has been the country’s knight in shining armor in achieving universal support from like-minded nations against China’s grey zone strategy in the West Philippine Sea,” Mr. Cabalza said. 

At the recent House Appropriations Committee deliberations on the DND budget, Mr. Teodoro called on the need to increase defense spending to catch up with its regional peers. “There is a race among countries in terms of strengthening their capacities in defending their own territories,” he said. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Red tide up in 5 areas

THE BUREAU of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has banned the harvest and consumption of shellfish in five provinces in Visayas and Mindanao due to Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) or toxic red tide.

Affected areas are the coastal waters of Altavas, Batan, and New Washington in Batan Bay and Sapian Bay, which covers Ivisan and Sapian in Capiz, and Mambuquiao and Camanci in Aklan, a BFAR bulletin issued over the weekend said.

Also testing positive for red tide were shellfish from the coastal waters of Panay, Pilar, President Roxas, Roxas City in Capiz, the coastal waters of Gigantes Islands, Carles in Iloilo.

The same goes for the coastal waters of Dauis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol, and Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur.

“All types of shellfish and Acetes sp. or alamang gathered from the areas are not safe for human consumption,” BFAR said. 

Ingestion of PSP affected shellfish may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tingling sensation in the lips and extremities, numbness, and in severe cases, death.

Meanwhile, the consumption of fish, squids, shrimps, and crabs are safe provided that these are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking. — Adrian H. Halili

Teachers offered special loans

DEPED.GOV.PH

THE GOVERNMENT Service Insurance System (GSIS) is now offering a loan program for public school teachers with interest rates that can be paid over 15 years from the previous 10-year limit, which it said would translate to lower monthly payments for teachers.

“The program is so flexible that borrowers can customize their loan terms based on their unique needs and financial situation,” GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo A. Veloso said in a statement at the weekend.

The Multi-Purpose Loan Flex program, with interest rates starting from 6%, would help teachers build enough financial capital to start their own businesses.

He said the measure was in line with the Department of Education’s (DepEd) plan to “bolster the financial resilience of public school teachers.”

Those eligible for the loan program should be active teachers who are not on unpaid leave when they apply and should have made at least one premium payment six months before they apply, the GSIS said.

Prior loan programs required applicants to have made premium contributions spanning three months, it added.

The GSIS said first-time beneficiaries are eligible to have additional charges waived when applying for a loan. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Lawmaker cries ‘revisionism’ in textbook order

A LAWMAKER has slammed the Department of Education (DepEd) for its call to change the term “Diktadurang Marcos” (Marcos dictatorship) to just “diktadura” (dictatorship) in textbooks used under the revised basic education curriculum.

“The decision to remove “Marcos” from the term ‘Diktadurang Marcos’ is a clear revision of history and an insult to the countless victims of human rights abuses and atrocities committed during the Martial Law period,” Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. France L. Castro said in a statement.

She said disassociating the name “Marcos” from the dictatorship is a “blatant attempt to whitewash the crimes and atrocities committed under his regime.”

Educators’ group Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) cited the DepEd’s Sept 6. memo on the proposed change in the curriculum for Grade 6.

This revision by the DepEd is a clear strategy of the current administration to rehabilitate the dark history of the Marcos family,” CONTEND said in a statement on Saturday. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Marijuana farm raided in Matanog

REUTERS

COTABATO CITY — Police uprooted some 300 marijuana shrubs and burned them in Barangay Bayanga Norte in Matanog, Maguindanao del Norte over the weekend.

Lt. Renante G. Dagadas, Matanog municipal police chief, said Sunday that the alleged propagator of the marijuana plants was arrested in the raid of the marijuana farm.

The operation was conducted with personnel of the 2nd Marine Battalion of the 1st Marine Brigade, Mr. Dagadas said. — John Felix M. Unson