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Filipino among 11 dead in Monterey Park shooting

JANNOON028 — FREEPIK

A 68-YEAR-OLD Filipino was among 11 people who died at a mass shooting inside a dance studio in Monterey Park in Los Angeles, California at the weekend, according to the Philippine consulate general.

It issued the statement after verifying the facts with US police, Filipino-Amercian organizations and media.

Most of the victims were seniors. Of those who were shot at by 72-year-old gunman Huu Can Tran, 11 died, while nine more were hurt.

He then drove to another dance studio where police said only the quick actions of a young man who wrestled the weapon off him prevented another slaughter. Mr. Tran shot himself dead after police found his white van hours later.

The Filipino victim’s family had sought privacy after being informed of his passing. The consulate general said it would help his family.

“The consulate general calls on the community to exercise all caution and continue being vigilant during these uncertain times,” it said.

It advised Filipinos to remain aware of the whereabouts of their loved ones and report any suspicious activities to local police. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

DA to meet egg producers, traders to discuss price hike 

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

PRESIDENT FERDINAND R. Marcos Jr. has ordered a Department of Agriculture (DA) official to meet with producers and traders to determine the reason behind the spiraling prices of chicken eggs despite a reported sufficient supply, according to Malacañang. 

“We determined that the increase in the price of eggs is not commensurate with the increase in production cost,” the President told DA Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, based on a press release from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

“So, we will have to have a look to see how to control that because we cannot explain almost one-half of the profit margin that we are seeing,” he added. “We cannot attribute it to cost.”

During the Cabinet meeting, the President sought an explanation as to why egg prices have increased significantly in recent days, “pointing to the widening gap between farm gate and retail prices, benefiting mainly the traders,” the PCO said.

Citing DA’s price watch as of Jan. 13, the PCO said medium-sized eggs retail at P9 each, compared to P6.90 in December. Considering farmgate prices, eggs should just be sold in the market between P7 to P7.50 apiece, it added.

“The DA, in its report to Malacañang, said the farmgate price of medium chicken eggs is pegged at P6.97 per piece, 7.89 percent higher than the price in December 2022,” the PCO said.

ONIONS
The egg issue comes on the heels of the still unresolved shock over high market prices of onions. 

The DA did not extend the imposition of a price ceiling or suggested retail price (SRP) on onions, Malacañang said on Monday, citing the forecasted decrease in the vegetable’s price due to the harvest season. 

An SRP of P250 per kilo was first imposed on Dec. 29, covering the first week of January after onions in the Philippines hit retail prices of as much as P700 per kilo in early December.

Onion prices may soon decrease to P100 to P150 per kilo with the entry of more than 5,000 metric tons (MT) of imported onions, the Palace said, citing the DA.

To stabilize local onion prices moving forward, the Marcos administration will expand areas being used for onion production and will help farmers by giving them inputs, including seeds, the PCO said. 

The President also cited the lack of cold chain facilities that affects onion supply and prices. 

“We need more cold storage, we need a better, stronger cold chain so that we could maintain and preserve agricultural products,” he said during the Cabinet meeting.  

Onion production in the third quarter of 2022 hit 23.30 MT, 1.7% higher than the 22.92 MT output in the same quarter of 2021, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). 

Based on the DA’s 2022 supply and demand outlook data, the country had a 120% sufficiency level with 312,830 MT of onions, the Palace said.   

Per capita consumption for onion is at 2.341 kilogram per year, with an estimated demand of 21,000 MT per month, it added.  

Onion farmers have said in a Senate hearing that traders purchased their harvests in November at only P8 to P15 per kilo.  

Mr. Marcos, 65, took the helm of the Agriculture department in July, vowing to boost local production. 

Various sectors have been urging him to appoint a new Agriculture chief, citing the government’s failure to cool price hikes. 

On Monday night, Mr. Marcos said the concerns of the Agriculture department could be addressed more quickly if he would remain as its chief.  

DA officials could not say no to a President, he said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza 

Produce less plastic to address waste crisis — green groups; DENR issues rules for EPR law 

ANGELES CITY INFO OFFICE

RESOLVING the problem of plastic waste that has been harming the environment must start with reducing the amount of plastic produced for consumer goods, a global network of environmental groups said on Tuesday.  

“We cannot solve that plastic pollution crisis without reducing virgin plastic production, especially single-use plastics,” said Nicholas Mallos, Ocean Conservancy Vice President of Ocean Plastics in a statement.  

Ocean Conservancy published a report in 2015 that largely blamed Asian countries for the plastic pollution problem, but the group retracted the report in July last year, acknowledging the “harm it caused,” according to a statement released by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Asia Pacific.  

GAIA-Asia Pacific, along with Ocean Conservancy, Ecowaste Coalition, and Mother Earth Foundation (MEF)-Philippines have been conducting a waste assessment and brand audit (WABA) as part of the annual International Zero Waste Month.  

Through the WABA, the groups analyze and determine the amount of waste generated by households and cities, and identify consumer brands that accounted for the collected waste.  

“We, at the Global South, have carried the weight and responsibility of waste for too long while our reality and the community solutions we have developed are ignored,” said Froilan Grate, GAIA Asia Pacific Coordinator.    

For the Philippines, Ecowaste Coalition campaigner Coleen Salamat lamented that the amount of trash, particularly single use plastics, remains overwhelming despite the passage of the Ecological Waste Management Act or Republic Act 9003 more than two decades ago.   

Based on the WABA, Filipinos use more than 163 million sachets and 93 million plastic cups everyday. 

Von Hernandez, global coordinator of the #breakfreefromplastic movement, said the pollution that arises from such plastic usage is rooted in the practices of brand manufacturers.   

“People are not the problem, these consistent top polluters are, and Asian countries are not the cause of plastic pollution but in the fault of corporate polluters and waste colonialism,” said Ms. Salamat in a media briefing on Tuesday.  

Waste colonialism refers to the practice of exporting toxic waste from developed countries to lower-income countries that are “ill-equipped to handle waste.”

Ms. Salamat noted that there are around 500 cities and municipalities in the Philippines with ordinances that ban single-use plastics.

Such initiatives from local governments, he said, indicate that it is possible to implement a national law regulating plastic usage.

EPR RULES
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued on Tuesday the implementing rules for a law that mandates large companies to carry out measures for the proper management of plastic packaging wastes.[Text Wrapping Break] 

DENR announced in a statement that it has released the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic Act 1198 or the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022. 

Under the law, companies take the responsibilities of “proper and effective recovery, treatment, recycling or disposal” of their product even after they have been sold. 

This includes providing resources “to support the collection, recovery, transportation, processing, recycling, and disposal” of the wastes. 

The EPR law applies to corporations with total assets of over P100 million. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Inclusion of reps for OFWs, education sector recommended for bill on employment recovery plan 

APPLICANTS wait outside an employment agency in Manila on June 08, 2022. — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS proposed the inclusion of representatives from overseas Filipino workers (OFW) groups and the education sector in a planned interagency body for the country’s employment recovery plan following the coronavirus pandemic. 

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan V. Ople, in an economic affairs hearing at the Senate on Tuesday, said Senate Bill 129 should include representation for overseas labor organizations under the Inter-Agency Council (IAC) for Jobs and Investments. 

The bill contains a national employment recovery strategy (NERS) that will be drafted by the IAC.   

Ms. Ople said that the agency should also tap as partners overseas workers groups “since they are also a source of investment.” 

Ms. Ople also suggested that the IAC be mandated to “include the review of global employment and economic trends,” noting as an example Europe’s increasing interest in the Philippines due to the western region’s aging population.  

The council, she added, should harmonize the employment, livelihood and training projects and programs of the national government in tandem with the private sector, “since most of the time, information also comes from the private sector.”  

National Economic and Development Authority Regional Development Group Undersecretary Carlos Bernardo O. Abad Santos, on the other hand, recommended that the national employment action plan (NEAP) be aligned with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP). 

“Thus, developing or updating the NEAP has to be done in line with the PDP, which is basically done every six years and updated every three years,” he said. 

He also suggested that other social protection schemes and the financial literacy program be included in the bill, not just social security benefits.  

The functions of the IAC, he added, must not overlap or duplicate with the interagency investment promotion coordinating committee.  

“Finally, we suggest to include in the IAC the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Education to align education and training with employment needs, and the Department of Science and Technology for research and development,” Mr. Santos said. 

Finance Undersecretary Cielo D. Magno noted their support for the bill, especially the goal to unlock opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and its intent to address issues of unemployment, underemployment, and the rising informality of work arrangements. 

“We also recognize the important role of this interagency committee that the bill is proposing to create to address the need for additional trainings, transfer of technology, upskilling, reskilling, apprenticeship, and on-the-job training needs of our workers,” she said. 

The Finance department also pitched for the bill to “mandate the interagency committee to review all the incentives given to MSMEs and harmonize it with the intent of the bill, particularly in incentivizing upskilling and training of workers.” 

Social Welfare and Development Secretary Elaine F. Fallarcuna suggested that out of school youth, those in the informal sector, and graduates of Grade 12 be prioritized in the provision of skills training.   

Ms. Fallarcuna also said that the bill should be more inclusive, noting that the need to consider young persons with disabilities and indigenous people. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

AmCham presses DTI to ‘regularly’ publish SRP bulletins

PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE AMERICAN Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc. (AmCham) pressed the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to publish suggested retail price (SRP) bulletins for basic necessities and prime commodities on a regular basis to help manufacturers manage their operations.     

AmCham Executive Director Ebb Hinchliffe, in a letter dated Jan. 20 addressed to Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, said the request for the regular issuance of SRP bulletin is caused by surging production costs that are affecting the chamber’s member companies.    

“We are very concerned about the rising inflation rates and the impending global economic slowdown that hounds the Philippine economy. A lot of our member companies are struggling to continue production given the rising prices of raw materials and services,” Mr. Hinchliffe said.     

“AmCham strongly urges the DTI to regularly publish SRP bulletins in accordance with the Price Act to allow producers and manufacturers to adequately plan their operations and finances. This will ultimately help businesses to stay afloat and continue to provide jobs and quality products for our countrymen,” he added.    

Mr. Hinchliffe also said the AmCham is ready to help the DTI in gathering data that would help assess the market prices of various consumer goods.  

The DTI issued the latest SRP bulletin in August last year, which posted price increases for 67 out of 218 stock keeping units due to higher production costs. The price increases ranged from 3.29% to 10%.     

Some of the goods that posted price increases were canned sardines, coffee, noodles, bottled water, processed milk, detergent soap, candle, and condiments.    

Mr. Pascual previously said that the DTI is targeting to issue the new SRP bulletin this month. He also said that the DTI has already received price hike petitions, which are being examined.    

He also sought additional information from manufacturers to help the DTI in its evaluation of the price hike proposals.     

Earlier, the DTI confirmed that it has received price hike proposals for products such as canned meat, canned sardines, condiments, coffee, processed milk, instant noodles, bread, candles, bath soap, and detergent soap, citing higher production costs.

BusinessWorld sought the DTI’s comment on the AmCham’s letter but has yet to respond as of deadline time. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Labor department assures ILO mission action plans will be drawn to address workers’ concerns 

THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has assured the International Labor Organization (ILO), which currently has a high-level mission in the Philippines to look into the government’s compliance with international labor conventions, that action plans are being discussed to address workers’ concerns.   

In a statement published on Monday evening, DoLE said Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma gave the assurance to the team of ILO representatives who arrived in the country on Monday.  

“One of its priorities for 2023 is to craft a tripartite roadmap and action plan in consultation with government agencies concerned as well as workers’ and employers’ organizations to address these issues,” the department said.  

DoLE started talks with labor groups in July last year on the issues that will be tackled by the mission, Mr. Laguesma was quoted telling the ILO officials.  

ILO representatives Thomas Mikael Janson (Government), Felix Mark Anthony (Workers) and Scott Barklamb (Employers) will hold dialogues with labor groups and employers from Jan. 23 to 26.    

Philippine trade unions on Monday submitted a joint report to the ILO mission on recent human rights violations against workers and union organizers. 

The report highlighted the recent killing of labor union leader Emmanuel Asuncion, who was shot to death during police raids in 2021; cases of labor activists being tagged as communists; and trumped-up charges filed against labor activists. 

The groups said the Philippine government has consistently failed to comply with ILO conventions on freedom of association and the right to organize. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Kidapawan City’s solar-powered feed mill under EU program ready for operation 

KIDAPAWAN CIO

A 50-KILOWATT solar-powered feed mill in Kidapawan City has been completed and expected to be operational within the first quarter this year, the local government announced.  

The P6.46-million facility was built under the Integration of Productive Uses of Renewable Energy for Sustainable and Inclusive Energization (I-PURE) in Mindanao funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).   

Kidapawan Mayor Jose Paolo M. Evangelista said in a statement that the city government, which will manage the storage and milller, will save on energy cost for processing corn and rice used as feeds for farm animals.   

The on-grid green energy facility is located at the City Agriculture Office’s Demo Farm.   

The feed mill is one of the 10 pilot projects under the I-PURE Mindanao program, which combine agricultural and renewable energy development by supporting areas that are already productive but unable to expand due to lack of power supply.   

EU has provided about P264.91 million for the program, which covers communities within the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and Cotabato in the Soccsksargen region, and Tawi-Tawi and Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro region.   

At least three of these solar-agri project sites also include provisions for delivering power supply to households.   

“It will provide electricity to widely dispersed households. It will also increase the quality of life in those areas and bring clear benefits including to women and children. We hope that this will serve as a platform to scale up access to renewable energy solutions in far-flung areas,” Ileana Miritescu, program manager for energy of the EU delegation to the Philippines, said in a forum in 2021 when the program was launched. — MSJ 

26 communist rebels surrender to authorities 

Former communist rebels. — SCREENGRAB FROM DILG FACEBOOK PAGE

TWENTY-SIX armed communist rebels recently surrendered to authorities and renounced their allegiance to the communist party in a public ceremony on Tuesday.  

Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos, Jr. and police officials from the National Capital Region presented the 26 individuals at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, according to a video of the ceremony streamed live on Facebook.  

“We welcome back those who surrendered and we hope for a brighter and better tomorrow,” Mr. Abalos said.  

The former members of the New Peoples’ Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, will undergo a reintegration program provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Labor and Employment.  

The country’s Anti-Terrorism Council has labeled the communist party as a terrorist group, but a Manila Court recently issued a ruling declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA as a legitimate political movement.    

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla has said the Department of Justice would take its plea seeking to declare the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group before the Court of Appeals. — John Victor D. Ordonez

Comelec opens ‘register anywhere’ site at Batasan for gov’t employees 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) has added a voter registration site at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City for members and employees of the House of Representatives and nearby government agencies such as the Post Office and Land Bank (LANDBANK) of the Philippines. 

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Comelec Chair George Erwin M. Garcia led the signing of the memorandum of understanding for the partnership on the Register Anywhere Project (RAP) on Tuesday.

Under the RAP initiative, Comelec aims to set up satellite registration booths nationwide in sites that are easily accessible to the public such as shopping malls and government buildings. 

“If it will become so successful, our intention really is to conduct a Register Anywhere Project nationwide,” Mr. Garcia said at the signing ceremony.

At least eight RAP sites have been opened in malls and one at the GSIS compound in Pasay City. 

An estimated 1.1 million additional voters have applied during the registration period that started in December. Comelec expects to log in 1.5 million voters until the last day of registration on Jan. 31. 

Comelec said there will be about 71 million registered voters this year. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

N. Korea-related hacker groups behind crypto firm heist — FBI

JONATHAN BORBA-UNSPLASH

Two hacker groups associated with North Korea, the Lazarus Group and APT38, were responsible for the theft last June of $100 million from US crypto firm Harmony’s Horizon bridge, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Monday.

On Jan. 13, the groups used a privacy protocol called Railgun to launder over $60 million worth of ethereum stolen during the theft in June, the FBI said in a statement

A portion of the stolen ethereum was subsequently sent to several virtual asset providers and converted to bitcoin, the FBI said.

The FBI said North Korea’s theft and laundering of virtual currency is used to support its ballistic missile and Weapons of Mass Destruction programs.

In June last year, California-based Harmony said that a heist had hit its Horizon bridge, which was the underlying software used by digital tokens such as bitcoin and ether for transferring crypto between different blockchains.

Reuters in June reported that North Korean hackers were most likely behind the attack on Harmony, citing three digital investigative firms.

Harmony develops blockchains for decentralized finance — peer-to-peer sites that offer loans and other services without traditional gatekeepers such as banks — and non-fungible tokens.—  Reuters

Who pays for your rewards? Indebted credit cardholders

REUTERS

CREDIT CARDS with rewards are rewarding only for those who know how to profit from the system, according to a paper released by the Federal Reserve.

Consumers with higher credit scores benefit the most because they tend to spend more money — thus earning more rewards such as cash back or miles — and pay on time, according to the study. Card holders with lower credit scores overspend to try to earn more points and incur higher interest payments stemming from outstanding balances.

In all, the economists estimate that about $15.1 billion is transferred annually from less to more educated, poorer to richer, and from areas with a higher percentage of minorities to whiter ones. The results aren’t so much driven by income as by the level of financial sophistication, they said.

“Credit-card rewards are often framed as a ‘reverse Robin Hood’ mechanism in which the poor subsidize the rich,” wrote the researchers. “Our results, however, show that this explanation is at best incomplete.”

Reward cards are highly popular in the US — accounting for 60% of all new cards in 2019, according to the paper. And financial firms typically offer lower interest rates than on cards without rewards to lure customers.

Banks profit from reward cards across all credit scores, the researchers found, but they benefit the most from near-prime and prime card holders — those with fair or good-quality financial situations, according to the paper. With low credit-score customers, banks mostly generate revenue from interest payments.

Reward cards induce sub- and near-prime consumers to “overspend and subsequently over-borrow” on their credit cards compared with those who use cards without rewards, the researchers said.

The study was conducted by economists at the National University of Singapore, the International Monetary Fund, the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and the Federal Reserve Board. — Bloomberg

Investing in South Korean stocks to get easier for foreigners this year, says financial regulator

REUTERS

SEOUL — South Korea plans to scrap a number of regulations in the local stock market within this year to make investment easier for foreign investors, its financial regulator said on Tuesday, in an effort to bring in more money into the market.

The Financial Services Commission said in a statement there was a huge discrepancy between the regulations currently in place and the global standards and that “(it) will boldly improve regulations that have hindered global investors from investing in our market.”

The regulator said it would scrap a three-decade-old rule that requires foreigners to register with authorities prior to trading South Korean stocks. Instead, they will be allowed to open accounts with an internationally used identification, such as passport for individuals or legal entity identifier (LEI) for organizations.

It will also lift a rule that requires omnibus account holders, such as asset management firms and brokerages, to report on transaction details of each final investor within two days of settlement, as well as open up most of off-board trading to foreigners.

Meanwhile, it will become mandatory for South Korea’s listed companies to provide corporate filings in English from 2024, starting with those of large sizes or high ratio of foreign shareholders, according to the statement.

The push comes as South Korea pursues the promotion of its stock market to Morgan Stanley Capital International’s developed market index. It is currently categorized as an emerging market by the global index provider.

The regulator plans to complete the required legislation revision process in the first half of this year to implement such changes within 2023. — Reuters

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