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Over 12K centenarians get cash

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BAGUIO CITY — From 2017 to September of this year, a total of 12,186 Filipino centenarians have each been awarded P100,000 cash and other benefits, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Tuesday as it eyes collaborations with local government units (LGUs) to enhance the country’s Centenarian Program.

“This achievement serves as a testament to the nation’s unwavering commitment to honoring its elderly citizens,” DSWD Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez in a statement, noting the department’s implementation of the program as mandated by Republic Act No. 10868 (Centenarian Act).

Filipino centenarians who live in the country or abroad are given a cash incentive of P100,000, as well as a letter of felicitation signed by the President of the Philippines, congratulating them on their reaching the age of 100 years old.

At present, the DSWD is eyeing collaborations with local government units and the National Commission on Senior Citizens to enhance planning and budgeting for the project, said Mr. Lopez.

In addition to the cash gift, the DSWD provides a posthumous plaque of recognition for a deceased centenarian, which may be received by the centenarian’s nearest surviving relative.

“The Centenarian Program represents our respect for our elderly and acknowledges the invaluable contributions they have made to society over the decades,” said Mr. Lopez.

He further pointed out that in order to receive benefits under the law, relatives of centenarians must submit primary documents, such as birth certificates and Philippine passports to their local City or Municipal Social Welfare Office and/or the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA).

If the two documents are not available, any of the primary identification cards issued by OSCA, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), and Social Security System (SSS); a driver’s license; a Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) license; or a Commission on Elections (Comelec) Voter’s ID will suffice.

“In cases that the said identification documents are not available, the centenarian or their family members can submit any secondary documents such as marriage certificate, birth certificate of a child borne by the centenarian, among others,” he said. — Artemio A. Dumlao

Meralco on full alert Nov. 1-2

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) assured the public that it is ready to respond to any possible power-related concerns on Nov. 1 and 2 as the nation observes All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

In a statement on Tuesday, Meralco vice president for corporate communications and spokesman Joe R. Zaldarriaga said company will stay on full alert.

“While Meralco Business Centers will be closed from Nov. 1 to 2, which are declared as special non-working holidays, we would like to assure our customers that Meralco personnel will continue to be on standby 24/7 to respond to any troubles and concerns related to our facilities,” Mr. Zaldarriaga said.

“For a worry-free holiday break, we urge our customers to continue practicing electrical safety and energy efficiency measures,” he added.

As cemeteries expect a surge in visitors, Meralco advises practicing electrical safety by keeping flammable materials away from outdoor lighting and heat sources, organizing and storing electrical wires and cords, and avoiding overloading power outlets with extension cords to prevent overheating, fires, and accidents.

Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT, Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

SC planning National Jail Summit

TIM HUFNER —UNSPLASH

CHIEF Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo said the Supreme Court (SC) is working on initiatives meant to benefit prisoners as it plans on conducting a National Jail Decongestion Summit in coordination with the Justice Sector Coordinating Council.

Among the pressing issues the SC wants to tackle in the summit are the overcrowding in jails, the recommended lowering of bail amounts for indigents accused of crimes and expediting the release of qualified inmates.

“Here (in the planned summit), the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government shall collaborate to identify the root causes of prolonged detention in jails, which contribute to prison overcrowding,” said Mr. Gesmundo.

In addition, the Chief Justice stressed that trial courts have been given the directive to prioritize the disposition of criminal cases.

“We aim to establish new policies and initiatives that shall expedite the processing of criminal cases and alleviate jail congestion,” he said.

Last Sunday, Mr. Gesmundo visited the Pasay City Jail in observance of the National Correctional Consciousness Week and raised the compelling issues confronting the justice system in its management of persons deprived of liberty or PDLs.

Mr. Gesmundo said jail visits are important in determining the actual conditions of the PDLs and the detention facilities, to formulate policies that shall enhance jail management and ensure the humane safekeeping of prisoners. — Jomel R. Paguian

Cebu BRT full-operations timetable delayed to 2027

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE timeline for the launch of full operations at the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line has been pushed back to 2027, the Department of Transportation said, with the department still aiming for partial operations by year’s end. 

“(For phase two) we are still working on the detailed engineering design. For full operations, our target is to operate it by 2027,” Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista told reporters last week.

The Cebu BRT is a 13.8-kilometer line with 17 stations, one terminal and one depot.

“You may be familiar with the EDSA Busway. We are replicating this concept of dedicated lanes for public buses in Cebu and Davao. We call it Bus Rapid Transit or BRT,” Mr. Bautista said at a forum facilitated by German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He said that the project’s partial-operations timetable for this quarter appears to be on track, and involves about three kilometers of the overall line.

“Phase one is short — a three-kilometer BRT. It is still ongoing. In fact, I was just speaking with the contractor and there was no problem. Hopefully it is on time,” he said.

In February, the government broke ground for the first package of the project.

The project was initially scheduled for full operations by the second quarter of 2025 with partial operations. Once completed, the Cebu BRT system is expected to serve up to 160,000 passengers a day.

The World Bank said in July that it is looking to further extend the expiration date of the financing package for Cebu BRT to allow time for the submission of a restructuring proposal.

The $228.5-million Cebu BRT project was approved in 2014. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

US, PHL biz chamber tie-up expected to address skilled-worker shortages

By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter

A PARTNERSHIP between the US Chamber of Commerce and Industry (USCI) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry is expected to help address the shortage of skilled workers in many industries, a US chamber official said.

John Patrick Goyer, USCI executive director for Southeast Asia, told BusinessWorld that the partnership agreement, signed during the recent Philippine Business Conference and Expo, will focus on upskilling and workforce development.

“Both the Philippines and the US have a common challenge in that there is a lack of skilled workers in information technology (IT) and other knowledge-intensive sectors,” Mr. Goyer said.

He said that in the US, “we have literally hundreds of thousands of jobs that go unfilled because we do not have qualified people to take those jobs on.”

“I know that in the Philippines, there is also a concern about workforce skills keeping up with the demands of the marketplace. So that’s in large part what the memorandum of understanding (MoU) is all about,” he added.

Mr. Goyer said that the partnership is the first time for the USCI to be undertaking a joint workforce and upskilling program.

Under the partnership, both entities are expected to share intelligence on skills in demand, Mr. Goyer said.

“We will talk about the challenges, specifically what are the kinds of skills needed? What kinds of programs are in place already? Where is the gap? What are the deficiencies?” he said.

“For our part, we will share what our experience has been in developing various workforce initiatives with states, municipalities and universities in the US and see where that experience might be relevant to the Philippines,” he added.

He said that the partnership may also address the growing concerns about shifts in demand for talent with the advent of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

“There is a concern that a lot of those jobs that are done right now by humans will be overtaken by technology. Therefore, the challenge is to keep the skills of the workforce on pace with how the market is evolving,” he added.

Seed, fertilizer procurement to be digitalized

ATLASFERTILIZER.COM

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will digitalize the procurement and distribution of agricultural inputs to beneficiaries.

Digitalization is expected to cut down on the estimated three months it takes for the current process to get inputs into the hands of farmers, it said.

“The procurement and distribution of seed and fertilizers used to take 90 days to complete, but with the digitalization of the system, clustered farmers would now have nearly real-time payouts through cashless transactions,” it added.

The DA said it will carry out pilot programs via 15 of its regional field offices (RFOs).

Farmers are to be issued Intervention Monitoring Cards (IMC) to purchase farming inputs from merchants in their areas.

“The IMC cards function just like an ATM or e-wallet, where money can be issued for every transaction,” DA Undersecretary Leocadio S. Sebastian said.

Beneficiaries will also be able to choose their own fertilizer and seed, bypassing the traditional bulk procurement by DA field offices.

“This drastically departs from previous practice where farmers just had to accept whatever the DA RFOs supplied them, which some of them do not find useful for their farms,” Mr. Sebastian said.

It added that the process of acquiring and distributing agricultural supplies in bulk will now involve more micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises that deal in these goods.

“Aside from being inclusive, this digital process empowers farmers to choose their own stocks of inputs and the merchants that offer them the best quality of goods at the best price,” he added.

The DA said merchants can go to the Development Bank of the Philippines or the Universal Storefront Services Corp. to receive cash payments corresponding to farmer purchases.

It added that the digitalization exercise is a strategy being pursued under the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program.

The program is aimed at stabilizing the supply of rice at between 24.99 million metric tons (MT) and 26.86 million MT, in the process keeping the annual growth of rice prices at less than 1%, it said. — Adrian H. Halili

DA sees potato prices stabilizing this month

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

POTATO prices are expected to stabilize this month with the expansion of supply, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday.

“Prices rose slightly, but we are expecting them to stabilize in November, December, and until the first quarter (of next year),” Agriculture Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Arnel V. de Mesa said on government television network PTV.

As of Oct. 30, the price of white potato was between P140 per kilogram (kg) and P240 per kg.

The average weekly price for white potatoes was P202.23 per kg between Oct. 23 and 27, against the P172.33 average on Oct. 2-6 and the P229.19 on Oct. 16-20.

Mr. De Mesa added that the potato harvest is coming in during the quarter.

He said that the uptick in prices was caused by typhoons during the third quarter.

“We expect the price to (stabilize) in November and December with the harvest,” he added.

He added that onion and garlic prices are expected to remain stable until the end of the year.

“According to today’s monitoring, the prices for onions and garlic are very stable,” he said. “Prices for local red onions have (even) dropped by P10 to P130 (per kg).”

The DA reported that domestically grown red onion prices ranged from P120 to P190 per kg, while white onions were at P100 to P170 per kg. Domestic garlic was P500 per kg, while imported garlic was P120 to P160 per kg. — Adrian H. Halili

Austria seeking to narrow trade deficit with Philippines

REUTERS

THE Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (AFEC) said it will bring in more Austrian companies seeking to sell goods to the Philippines to address the imbalance in bilateral trade.

“During the last 10 years, Austrian imports from the Philippines have doubled, and exports of Austria to the Philippines (are equivalent to only) 50% of imports. We have an overhang from Philippine exports to Austria,” Karlheinz Kopf, secretary general of AFEC, or Wirtschaftskammer Osterreich, said. 

Christina Stieber, commercial counselor of Austria’s trade promotion organization Advantage Austria, said the leading Austrian imports from the Philippines are semiconductors, fruit, vegetables, and furniture.

“We are also looking into clothes. So, textiles will (also) be a strong import,” Ms. Stieber said.

Asked what might attract Austrian companies to the Philippines, she noted “The huge population, consumer orientation and huge economic growth.”

Mr. Kopf said Austria depends largely on exports and is interested in strengthening its trade relations in key markets.

“Our chamber is running about 100 outlets all over the world to support our exporters seeking to go outside,” he said.

He said AFEC is interested in exporting more goods and investing in other countries.

“Therefore, we would want to try to bring Austrian companies here during the next months and years and bring businesses from the Philippines and Austria together,” he said.

He said Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and sports car manufacturer KTM has a joint venture with a Philippine partner to produce electric vehicles here. — Justine Irish D. Tabile 

ADB says RE ocean resources underutilized

REUTERS

OCEAN RESOURCES, or the so-called “blue economy,” can help drive investment and innovation with the generation of renewable energy (RE), but are largely untapped, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

“Within the mix of blue economy developments that aim to utilize, protect, and regenerate ocean resources, marine RE has an important and crosscutting role,” it said in a report.

The ADB said oceans account for 90% of global trade and are a “largely untapped resource that contain enough energy to power and fuel our civilization, fight climate change, and continue to house and protect marine ecosystems.”

“However, our marine spaces and the ecosystems, economies, and livelihoods that depend on them are undergoing rapidly increasing pressure,” it added.

The bank cited stressors such as climate change, marine pollution, unregulated fishing, poor coastal development and rising sea levels.

It called for “ocean policies that foster economic growth while at the same time regenerating ocean health in a manner that is consistent with social equity and inclusion.”

“A truly holistic blue economy approach will enable governments to deliver long-term socioeconomic benefits through sensitive marine stewardship, which will include targeted investment in regenerative ocean resources,” it added.

The marine renewable energy, particularly wave energy, holds great potential, the bank said.

“Estimates suggest that the global annual potential of wave energy could meet global energy demand. Tidal energy alone has the potential to power over 20 million American homes,” the ADB said.

Proper planning and development of marine renewable energy can support multiple industries, such as ecotourism, aquaculture, and seawater mineral extraction.

“Fish makes up more than 50% of the animal protein consumed in the Philippines; hence, aquaculture plays an important role in supplying the most basic nutrition a population that nevertheless experiences substantial involuntary hunger from time to time — and this before the shock of COVID-19 and the recent global cost-of-living crisis,” the ADB added.

The ADB also sees potential in marine green hydrogen, which can be harnessed by smaller coastal and island states.

Marine green hydrogen is a “portable energy storage solution (that) could allow ocean states to utilize their significant coastal and marine areas not only to meet local energy demand, but also to convert excess marine renewable energy to exportable hydrogen.”

“This promising market model, which did not exist before, could unlock the financing required to speed up adoption of these technologies and secure a key regenerative cornerstone of many nations’ blue economies,” it added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

DAP transfer to NEDA seen boosting efforts to raise government productivity

DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY OF THE PHILIPPINES FACEBOOK PAGE

THE transfer of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is expected to sharpen the economic planning agency’s focus on raising government productivity, the NEDA Secretary said. 

“Our development plan for socioeconomic transformation emphasizes the need to enhance productivity frameworks across government sectors and transform them into cohesive capacity development programs and incentive structures. Thus, DAP’s productivity capability development programs greatly contribute to this strategy,” Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said in a statement.

NEDA sees the transfer as “enabling critical institutional synergies and strengthening the links between human resource development for the public sector and the implementation of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP).”

Last week, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed Executive Order No. 45, which transfers the DAP to NEDA. It was previously overseen by the Office of the President.

The DAP was created to “promote and support the country’s development efforts through government human resource programs.”

Other NEDA agencies include the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the Public-Private Partnership Center, the Tariff Commission, the Philippine National Volunteer Services Coordinating Agency, and the Commission on Population and Development. 

Separately, NEDA said it signed a grant agreement agent contract with the Japan International Cooperation Agency on Oct. 27 for the Human Resource Development Scholarship project.

“The grant aims to support the development of the Philippine government’s human resources through scholarships for master’s degrees in Japanese universities. Twenty slots are allocated annually for the Philippines under the program,” NEDA said in a social media post.

As of October, the program had 439 fellows. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Winning geothermal, wind bids announced in 4th auction round

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said it selected four winning bidders in the fourth round of its open and competitive selection process (OCSP4) for hydropower, geothermal, and wind energy resources.

In an advisory on Tuesday, the DoE said that four applications were determined to have met the minimum evaluation criteria out of the 20 predetermined areas (PDAs) it offered.

Energy Development Corp. won the bid for the Buguias-Tinoc Geothermal Power Project (GPP) with a potential capacity of 100 megawatts (MW). It was also declared the winner of the 20-MW Mt. Sembrano GPP.

Freya Renewables, Inc. and South Luzon Energy Solutions, Inc. turned in successful bids for the Pantabangan Wind Power Project (WPP) and the Bagac WPP. The potential capacity for the two sites has yet to be determined.

“All OCSP4 participants will receive the corresponding formal notice on the results of their application and the next steps in the process,” the DoE said.

The DoE had moved the deadline for the bidding round to Sept. 28 from Aug. 29 to ensure the “widest participation” possible and to provide time for prospective bidders to prepare their proposals.

According to the DoE, seven PDAs received no applications during the opening of bids.

The six potential hydroelectric power projects (HPP) that attracted no bids are the Sibalom (Upper Cascade) HPP with 4.2 MW potential capacity, Davildavilan River HPP (1 MW), Ruparan HPP (4 MW), Canayan HPP (5.65 MW), Three Rivers HPP (7 MW), and Baua HPP (1.71 MW). 

The Mabini geothermal site also received no applications.

The DoE said Basak II HPP (0.5 MW) and Carac-an HPP (16.3 MW) attracted bids that were disqualified due to incomplete submissions, and after the rejection of motions for reconsideration.

The OCSP4 Review and Evaluation Committee also disqualified seven other applications. The PDAs involved may now be applied  directly. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Early rally carries Rangers to 2-1 World Series advantage

PHOENIX — Corey Seager’s two-run homer capped a three-run third inning and led the Texas Rangers to a 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night.

Despite the early exit of starter Max Scherzer, the Rangers grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 will be played Tuesday night in Phoenix.

With Texas up 1-0 after a two-out, run-scoring single from Marcus Semien, Mr. Seager hit his second home run of the World Series and his fifth of the postseason, this one off Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt.

Mr. Pfaadt, a rookie, had been impressive in his three most recent postseason starts, allowing only two runs allowed over 14 innings to go with 18 strikeouts. But Mr. Seager connected on a first-pitch changeup that was high in the strike zone, and the ball sailed into the seats in right field, moments after a meeting on the mound among the Diamondbacks.

Mr. Scherzer pitched three scoreless innings before exiting with what was announced as back tightness. Mr. Scherzer, facing his former team, had been struck by a ball hit up the middle by the Diamondbacks’ Alek Thomas in the second inning.

Mr. Scherzer gave up two hits with two walks while striking out one.

Jon Gray, who had been considered by Rangers manager Bruce Bochy to start Game 4, entered Game 3 in relief and earned the win. Mr. Gray (1-0) tossed three shutout innings and allowed only one hit. He fanned three without issuing a walk.

Mr. Pfaadt (0-1) lasted 5 1/3 innings, and he yielded three runs on four hits. He struck out four and walked two.

The Diamondbacks had the first real scoring opportunity of the game in the bottom of the second inning, when Christian Walker led off with a double. Tommy Pham lined a base hit into right field, and Walker ran through a stop sign from the third base coach and was thrown out at the plate by Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia.

Garcia left the game with left side tightness after flying out to end the top of the eighth.

The sellout crowd of 48,517 didn’t have much to cheer about for seven innings, with the Rangers shutting down a Diamondbacks offense that scored 14 runs in the first two games of the series.

The Diamondbacks broke through in the eighth against the Rangers’ Aroldis Chapman. Pinch hitter Emmanuel Rivera hit an opposite-field double to lead off the inning, and Geraldo Perdomo singled in Rivera.

Mr. Chapman limited the damage to that single run. He struck out Corbin Carroll, then got Ketel Marte to hit into an inning-ending double play that started with a sliding stop from Mr. Seager at shortstop.

Mr. Marte extended his postseason hitting streak to 19 games, the longest such streak in postseason history. He had one of six Arizona hits.

Jose Leclerc pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his fourth save of the postseason for the Rangers, who finished with five hits. — Reuters

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