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Manufacturing at scale in PHL seen as key to lowering cost of medicine

DCSTUDIO-FREEPIK

AYALA Healthcare Holdings, Inc. said local manufacturing at scale will be instrumental in lowering the overall cost of medicine, as will digitalizing the drug regulator.

Paolo Maximo F. Borromeo, the company’s president and CEO, was citing recommendations made by the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC).

The PSAC had proposed the digitalization of the Food and Drug Administration to expedite drug approvals; and to provide support for medicine to be manufactured in the Philippines.

According to Mr. Borromeo, Philippine manufacturers cannot as yet compete on scale with rivals from other countries.

“We were not able to give them much investment and attention before, so we were not able to make them big; therefore, we don’t have the right level of scale to be competitive,” he told BusinessWorld on Friday.

“Indonesia, Thailand, or India have scale. You can be more competitive with scale. Traditionally, we find it hard to compete with imports,” he added.

Mr. Borromeo said the government can help scale up domestic drugmakers by giving them preference in procurement and making it easier for them to export.

“The government already provides incentives and other benefits to local manufacturers, but we need a little bit more. One is in finding partners for procurement. When there is government procurement for medicine, they should encourage procurement from local manufacturers,” he said.

He said the government should also make it easier for exporters to obtain permits and clearances in aid of helping Philippine manufacturers achieve scale.

“We have a lot of local manufacturers who want to export; they have a lot of products they want to sell outside of the country, but there are really many steps and barriers for our manufacturers to export,” he said. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Further consultation needed on gas-power quota for Luzon grid

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said it continues to consult on a proposal to require Luzon distribution utilities to source an as-yet undetermined percentage of their power needs from gas-fired power plants.

“It’s just still a proposal… the team that is working on that is looking at the legal basis,” Energy Assistant Secretary Mylene C. Capongcol told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of an energy forum last week.

“There will be consultation and further study. (The goal is to ensure) that the energy supply is adequate, reliable, and sustainable,” she added.

Advocacy groups have claimed that the setting of a quota for power derived from gas bypasses the competitive selection process for power-supply agreements and will undermine the transition to renewable energy (RE).

“This department circular is unlawful because the DoE has no power to do what it wants to do in the circular. Its bias for gas also violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution,” Gerry C. Arances, convenor of Power for People Coalition, said in a Viber message.

Asked if a percentage has been set for power generated from gas, Ms. Capongcol said a working group is still conducting studies on the matter.

“There are no details yet… just to clarify, it is still under study. The review of the proposed policy is ongoing,” she added.

Meanwhile, Ms. Capongcol said that the DoE plans to release a notice of auction by November and conduct the actual bidding early next year for the third Green Energy Auction (GEA).

In July, the DoE announced that GEA-2 resulted in bids for 3,440 megawatts (MW) of RE capacity, well below the target of 11,600 MW. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Enhanced OJT seen improving employability of K-12 graduates

NONPROFIT organization Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said enhancements to the on-the-job training (OJT) system are expected to improve the employability of Kinder to Grade 12 (K-12) program graduates.

“To help senior high school students become more employable, we really have to give them additional support and training,” according to Justine B. Raagas, PBEd executive director, speaking on the sidelines of a forum last week.

Ms. Raagas said PBEd has found that a strong OJT system or work immersion helps make K-12 graduates attractive to employers.

“Immersion is very important because it gives students a chance to interface with employers,” she said. “If we’re able to strengthen that and at the same time bring in private sector inputs, they will be more responsive, and the graduates will really learn the skill sets that are needed in the workplace.”

She said companies’ lack of experience in working with K-12 graduates is one of the reasons why they are reluctant to hire them.

“What we found is that they see the kids in the workplace, and they find out that they are capable, that’s when they are able to hire. So, interface is very important, (as are) inputs to the curriculum to embed workplace-ready competencies,” she said.

Ms. Raagas said educational institutions could expand immersion programs to a minimum of one month.

“We do think that the 80 hours or the about two weeks length really just very surface-level. Lengthening it, I think, is something that would be up for discussion,” she said.

“What we’ve seen in our experience is that something as little as a month can actually already help,” she added.

A PBEd project, YouthWorks PH indicates the effectivity of a one-month immersion period in raising employability.

“In some cohorts, it’s 70% employability, but in very recent cohorts almost 100% of the batch were hired immediately by the same company which trained them,” she said.

“Many of the companies that we talk to are highly encouraged to provide a stipend, transportation allowance or food allowance. But what we see is that it’s very important to provide these kinds of support — we call this wraparound support,” she added.

She said PBEd programs have seen lack of resources as a cause for participants dropping out. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Think tank seeks removal of automatic pass-through fuel cost from power deals

MOREPOWER.COM.PH

THE GOVERNMENT needs to remove pass-through fuel cost clauses in power purchase agreements (PPAs) in order to lower electricity prices, an energy policy think tank said.

“The automatic fuel cost pass-through provision is really what causes the high cost of electricity,” Alberto R. Dalusung III, Energy Transition Advisor of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), said in an e-mail.

“Amending the EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) only (addresses) a small portion of the price burden,” Mr. Dalusung said, adding that the automatic fuel pass-through has a much larger impact on prices borne by the end-user.

Under a PPA between a distribution utility and coal power producer, fuel costs incurred by the producer are automatically passed on to consumers, with pass-through charges based on the prevailing global coal price index.

“It is high time we prioritize the use of indigenous renewable energy sources, promote genuine competition in the energy sector through the abolition of automatic fuel cost pass-through, and create an enabling environment for all renewable energy players to participate,” the ICSC said in a position paper.

Mr. Dalusung reiterated that EPIRA does not require amendment, and any concerns can be addressed by modifying the implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

“We opt for the issuance of a DoE (Department of Energy) or ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission) circular instead,” he said.

The ICSC also recommended to include in the IRR or the agency’s circular the definition of “least cost.”

“Without defining what ‘least cost’ is, the discretion to determine least cost has been left to distribution utilities,” according to the position paper.

Distribution utilities should also disclose all generation rates to avoid automatic fuel cost pass through or variable fuel costs, the ICSC said. 

Removing some items from the power bill will also bring down power costs, he said.

“We support exempting the following items in the electricity bill from the 12% value-added tax (VAT): lifeline rate subsidy, capital expenditure contribution, and the NGCP (National Grid Corp. of the Philippines) franchise tax. This would reduce electricity bills and provide much-needed relief to consumers,” he said.

Eleanor L. Roque, tax principal of P&A Grant Thornton, said changes to EPIRA should include removing VAT for poor households.

“Considering that electricity is an essential service and since they are revisiting this issue, it may be better to look at removing VAT altogether for poor households” she said in a Viber message.

“There may be an issue to recover the input VAT attributable to the VAT-exempt sale. But we need to see the figures to see the actual impact,” she added. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

GOCC subsidies up 9.6% in July

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

SUBSIDIES granted to government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) rose 9.6% year on year in July to P33.238 billion, the Bureau of the Treasury reported.

Month on month, subsidies rose 27.6% from June.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) received the most in July with P22.65 billion, accounting for 68.14% of all subsidies.

This was followed by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), which was granted P3.985 billion.

The National Housing Authority was given P3.327 billion. It did not receive any subsidies in the previous month.

Other top recipients during the month were the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (P1.292 billion), National Power Corp. (P273 million), Philippine Heart Center (P178 million), Philippine National Railways (P155 million), National Food Authority (P142 million), National Electrification Administration (P140 million), Philippine Children’s Medical Center (P135 million), National Kidney and Transplant Institute (P116 million), and Philippine Rice Research Institute (P107 million).

GOCCs that received at least P50 million were the Light Rail Transit Authority and Philippine Coconut Authority (P99 million each), Tourism Infrastructure & Enterprise Zone Authority (P82 million), Lung Center of the Philippines (P71 million), Development Academy of the Philippines (P67 million), National Dairy Authority (P65 million), and Social Security System (P54 million).

GOCCs that received no subsidies in July were the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Cagayan Special Economic Zone, Philippine Crop Insurance Corp., the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), and Small Business Corp.

In the first seven months, subsidies totaled P96.939 billion, up 16.7% from a year earlier.

PhilHealth received P37.683 billion during the period to lead all GOCCs, followed by NIA (P25.795 billion) and PSALM (P5 billion).

In 2022, GOCC subsidies rose 8.5% to P200.41 billion.

The government provides subsidies to GOCCs to help cover their operational costs not supported by revenue. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

How generative AI can reshape the financial crime landscape

Financial crime is estimated to cost $1.4-3.5 trillion worldwide. With sophisticated methods deployed by criminals, government, regulators, and law enforcement often play catch-up to maintain trust in the financial system. There is an increasing need for change and innovation to tackle financial crime. Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has transformative capabilities for organizations, with business applications evolving rapidly. The financial industry is an early adopter of technology and is witnessing the increasing application of GenAI in fraud prevention, anti-money laundering (AML), counter terrorist and proliferation financing (CTPF), and cyber security, collectively referred to as FinCrime.

THE CASE FOR GENAI ADOPTION
Generative AI (GenAI) can boost efficiency across AML controls, allowing individuals to play a more prominent role in detecting and preventing FinCrime. Different entities are experimenting with large language models (LLMs), with results underscoring opportunities for FinCrime operations. LLMs are a type of AI algorithm that uses massively large data sets and deep learning predictive techniques to understand, summarize, and generate contextual content. GenAI is not limited to text, but can be used to extract, analyze and classify data, and augment case summaries.

GenAI can train on large real-time data sets that include both normal and anomalous transactions, and can then perform statistical analysis to determine what is normal and what is anomalous.

GenAI models can analyze behavioral data and process enormous amounts of customer transaction history to identify unusual events. Different fraud detection models can be evaluated to proactively detect emerging fraud patterns. GenAI can automatically flag a suspected fraud when deviations are found and trigger a case examination. This reduces the manual effort required to retrieve, analyze, and present case summaries for decision-making.

Think of GenAI augmenting case examiners to detect fraud as it occurs, make faster and value-making decisions to prevent fraud, and reduce human error and biases.

It is much easier to personalize fraud detection models to customer personas with GenAI. This not only allows for a personalized banking experience but also makes it harder for criminals to scale and exploit weaknesses in the system. Eventually, GenAI can generate insights to strengthen FinCrime controls. This helps banks stay ahead of the curve, detect, and prevent fraud.

Malicious fraudsters are also employing GenAI technology to launch highly personalized and specific attacks on their victims. For example, fraudsters could use GenAI to analyze publicly available information and simulate fake accounts, e-mails, and calls. As such, the technology can also increase individual and organizational vulnerability and susceptibility to fraud.

In the complex, digitally connected world, FinCrime poses systemic risks to the global economy. Business leaders can stay abreast of potential risks and respond with the power of GenAI to fight FinCrime.

TURBOCHARGED FINCRIME CAREERS
FinCrime operations are currently overly complex and manual. Detecting and preventing FinCrime is an onerous task compounded by complex policies, legacy technology, and inaccurate, voluminous and unstructured data. However, with GenAI, FinCrime roles are being elevated to the equivalent of the superhero status of saving the world in the following ways:

• Auto-detection of FinCrime will reduce manual effort.

• GenAI-generated case summaries will reduce manual effort and allow focus on investigation and decisions, solving and preventing FinCrimes.

• Automated monitoring removes stress and allows focus on decisions and actions.

• Remove the siloed view of fraud. Transactions occur across different product types, instruments, and modes. With GenAI, it’s possible to have one collaborative, informed view of customer and rogue transactions that are in deviation.

• Regulatory changes and policies can be easily applied across customers, products, and modes of banking. Less time is required for compliance reporting to regulators.

• Anxiety of human oversight gets eliminated with better insights and traceability.

• Generates high-skilled jobs based on the interpretation of insights and faster augmented learning.

• Better risk assessment, response, and efficient management.

• Greater adaptability to changing strategies of criminals and fraudsters, ensuring trust in the financial system.

GenAI can supplement risk assessments and detection. While FinCrime experts will still have to manage the output produced, they will have more tools and information to analyze the results, detect FinCrime, and safeguard against risk.

While the technology significantly enhances organizations’ capacity to respond to FinCrime, employees and leaders should train on new skills, embrace collaboration of AI with humans to turbocharge outcomes and learn to deal with ethics, fairness, privacy, and AI-related bias and concerns.

THE FUTURE OF FINCRIME AND GENAI
Fighting FinCrime was hostage to intrinsic human inefficiency, manual errors, and administrative burden. However, GenAI is empowering FinCrime fighting efforts with unprecedented speed and effectiveness. By utilizing LLM tools, professionals can seize opportunities to strengthen and expand the field.

While GenAI has considerable promise, it may take time for specific industries to adopt the technology on a large scale. Consequently, organizations should delineate ethical considerations and data protection policies to safeguard their assets while capitalizing on the technology’s power.

As FinCrime continues to evolve, business leaders must find the balance between efficiency and effectiveness, especially when dealing with risk. Organizations must be vigilant and utilize novel tools and technologies to adapt to and safeguard against the evolving digital landscape. Companies can remain competitive in the global market by seeking the advice of professionals with a deep understanding of FinCrime and AI and identifying GenAI-related opportunities and risks.

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice where the facts and circumstances warrant. The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of SGV & Co.

 

Anurag Mishra is a Financial Services Organization Technology partner of SGV & Co.

Indian stance on South China Sea row not linked to BRICS, its top envoy says

CHINA MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES

INDIA siding with the Philippines its sea dispute with China is irrelevant to the issues within the BRICS economic bloc, according to India’s top envoy in Manila.

“THE BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has its own agenda and not every issue gets linked to other issues,” Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu S. Kumaran told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of a news briefing on Sept. 1.

He was asked if its stance on the dispute could affect the dynamics within the bloc.

“We have a very clear position on this matter (South China Sea) expressed in our joint statement on the South China Sea,” he added.

India, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and the most populous country in the world, has expressed support for a 2016 arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines that voided China’s claim to more than 80% of the South China Sea.

At the briefing, Mr. Kumaran said India seeks to pursue naval and maritime defense cooperation with the Philippines.

He said Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Artemio M. Abu visited New Delhi on Aug. 24 to sign a maritime cooperation deal with his Indian counterpart, India Coast Guard Commandant Rakesh Pal.

“It’s very logical that large countries, fellow democracies in the Indo-Pacific such as India and the Philippines, will build a defense partnership,” he added.

BRICS recently invited six countries to join its fold — Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the world’s biggest oil producers, as well as Egypt, Argentina and Ethiopia.

China published a new 10-dash line map on Aug. 28 that covers regions beyond its borders and claims most of the South China Sea.

The map also shows as being part of China the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, where Beijing fought a border war in 1962, and the Aksai Chin plateau, which links Tibet to western China.

In a statement on Aug. 31, the Indian Foreign Ministry said it had lodged a protest, saying the claims have no basis. “Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question,” it said.

The Philippines has also filed a protest regarding the new map, which was published by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Philippine Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel R. Espiritu told a palace briefing last week.

Relations between India and China have been complicated by a border clash in 2020 that led to the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers.

“Without attributing to any one motivation, we obviously would like the region to have an evolution that is rules-based, that does not sidestep the interests of smaller states,” Mr. Kumaran said. “Coercion and shall we say resort to aggressive maneuvers are avoided because we all have a common stake in this region.”

The envoy said India is not ruling out joint patrols with the Philippines. He said he met with Defense Secretary Gilbert C. Teodoro, Jr. two weeks ago to discuss “the broad agenda of defense cooperation and security partnership.”

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief General Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. last week vowed to boost the country’s military presence in the waterway amid rising tensions with China.

During his confirmation hearing on Aug. 30, he told senators the name of the game in the South China Sea is “effective presence.” “Whoever has many ships gets the advantage,” he said, noting that there were more than 400 foreign vessels in the South China Sea at any given time.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have worsened after the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons to block Manila’s attempt to deliver food and other supplies to a grounded ship at Second Thomas Shoal on Aug. 5.

The shoal is about 200 kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan Island.

Since 2014, China has substantially expanded its ability to monitor and project power throughout the South China Sea by building dual civilian-military bases at its outposts in the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.

In the 2016 ruling, a five-member United Nations-based tribunal ruled China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone by building artificial islands and failing to prevent its citizens from fishing in the zone.

China has largely ignored the ruling, calling it void. Aside from the Philippines and China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the waterway.

“I express my solidarity with the sentiment in the Philippines with regard to such efforts and what I would call cartographic expansionism,” Mr. Kumaran said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Haikui intensifies, to bring more rains in western parts of Luzon

TYPHOON Haikui, locally named Hanna, intensified on Sunday morning and was expected to continue enhancing the southwest monsoon, bringing more rains in the western parts of the main Philippine island of Luzon, according to the state weather bureau.

As of 4 p.m., the center of the typhoon was spotted 240 kilometers north-northwest of Itbayat, Batanes province packing sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 190 kph.

It was moving west-northwestward at 20kph.

Haikui was expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility on Sunday night or early Monday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

Super Typhoon Saola (locally named Goring) earlier passed the northern Philippines and swept across southern China.

At least two people died from the combined effects of the typhoons, the local disaster agency said.

One person was hurt, and another went missing after the typhoons brought monsoon rains in Luzon and the Visayas, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said in a report. 

The typhoons affected more than 400,000 people including 21,000 who took shelter in evacuation centers, council spokesman Edgar Posadas told the ABS-CBN News Channel.

The typhoons damaged more than 500 houses and caused P130 million worth of infrastructure damage, the council said.

The government had P2.2 billion in standby funds for typhoon victims, Mr. Posadas said.

PAGASA cited possible flooding or landslides due to moderate to heavy rains from Haikui in Batanes and Babuyan Islands.

It added that there could be flooding or landslides due to moderate or heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon in the Ilocos Region, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan and Occidental Mindoro.

The southwest monsoon could also bring moderate to heavy rains in Metro Manila, Apayao, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Batangas, the rest of Luzon and Western Visayas.

The rest of the country could experience cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

The Philippines lies along the typhoon belt in the Pacific and experiences about 20 storms each year. It also lies in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes strike.

The country constantly experiences unavoidable losses and damage equivalent to 0.5% of its annual economic output mainly due to an increasingly unpredictable climate, according to the Finance department.

Previous typhoons this year severely affected the country’s food production, with Super Typhoon Doksuri and a southwest monsoon causing P1.94 billion worth of agriculture damage. The rice sector accounted for P950 million of the total. — Norman P. Aquino

DoTr told to show how 2024 projects will benefit consumers

THE PHILIPPINE Transportation department should clarify how its proposed transport projects for 2024 will benefit commuters, according to a House of Representatives think tank.

In a policy brief, the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) said railway projects and initiatives for active transport make up a big pie of the agency’s proposed budget for next year.

“However, it remains unclear how all of these will be integrated with each other in order to provide a seamless transport experience for commuters,” it said.

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) is seeking a P214.3-billion budget for next year, 76.5% higher than this year and the fifth-biggest budget among agencies. Transportation officials are set to defend the agency’s proposed budget on Sept. 4.

DoTr’s Rail Transport program accounts for 85% or P163.7 billion of its budget. It is more than three times higher than its appropriations for this year at P48.8 billion.

The think tank also urged DoTr to include security measures in its active transport projects, citing a 2023 Social Weather Station (SWS) poll that showed 50% of Filipinos were concerned over “unsafe streets.”

Under the 2024 National Expenditure Program, P76.3 billion is earmarked for the North-South Commuter Railway project, which will connect New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac to the city of Calamba, Laguna.

The first phase of the Metro Manila Subway project, which will have 15 stations from Valenzuela to Pasay, was allotted P68.4 billion.

The Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension project will get P4.7 billion, while the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Long-Haul project was allotted P3.1 billion.

Meanwhile, the rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 will be given a P2.9-billion budget. MRT-3 subsidy for next year is P6.1 billion.

Meanwhile, the Active Transport Bike Share System and Safe Pathways program in metropolitan areas will get P500 million.

DoTr should clarify how its active transport projects would help cut the country’s carbon footprint, the CPBRD said, citing the government’s 2022-2040 Philippine Energy Plan. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Immigration chief warns OFWs against third-country recruitment

Overseas Filipino workers are seen at the main airport in Manila in this file photo. — REUTERS

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) warned the public on Sunday against a recruitment scheme that would transfer overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with expired visas and employment contracts to employers in a third country without proper documents.

“While third-party recruitment is beyond the scope of the BI, we deem it necessary to share to the public stories we encounter at the airport, as we are the first to hear about this back in the Philippines, Immigration Commissioner Norman G. Tansingco said in a statement.

The immigration bureau cited a case of four Hong-Kong-based OFWs who were recruited to work in Russia after their previous employment contracts expired.

The BI warned that such a move is risky for OFWs since they open themselves to dangerous consequences. “OFWs should protect themselves from exploitation by ensuring proper documentation when they work abroad,” said Mr. Tansingco.

Toby Nebrida, who heads the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Strategic Communications Office, confirmed in a Viber message that the DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau has received reports of third-country recruitment.

Mr. Nebrida assured that the DMW was “on top of that particular concern.”

In May, the BI inked an agreement with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas to develop a streamlined government information system to combat illegal recruitment.

The immigration bureau said the system seeks to monitor and act on irregular migration incidents in the Philippines while generating accurate data on migration.

In the first two months of the year, 57 departures from the country’s international airports were tagged as possible cases of human trafficking, based on data from the BI during the period.

Groups bat for workers’ safety

A man walks past a mural in Paco, Manila, May 14. — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

THE BIGGEST labor coalition in the country is calling for an increase in the budget for workers’ safety after a string of workplace-related incidents claimed the lives of factory and construction workers last month.

“We call upon Congress to allocate more funds dedicated to worker inspection and visitorial initiatives,” the Nagkaisa labor coalition and the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) said in a joint statement released Sunday, citing a recent factory fire in which 15 people were killed.

The groups said “strategic financial reinforcement” will ensure the cultivation of safer work environments and prevent future tragedies in the workplace.

Nagkaisa suggested that trade union leaders could serve as effective inspectors to check up on employers on labor violations and safety hazards.

“One loss of life or injury is too many and a profound tragedy,” Nagkaisa and the FFW said. “They are entirely preventable if basic occupational safety and health measures are observed.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez

 

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