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ARTA to seek additional P40 million in 2023 budget to fund field offices

THE Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said it will propose an additional P40 million in its 2023 budget to support its field offices and to procure vehicles.

ARTA OIC and Deputy Director General Ernesto V. Perez said in a Viber message that the funds will support “the eight cluster regional field offices for the implementation of activities… and additional budget under general management and supervision particularly for the procurement of motor vehicles.”  

According to ARTA’s Accomplishment Report 2018-2022 posted to its website, the agency’s 2022 budget was P289.36 million.

“Given (the) limited fiscal space, (ARTA’s) full potential to initiate various anti-red tape initiatives to deliver more results is quite constrained. With additional funding, ARTA will be able to launch more programs, projects, and other initiatives to speed up the government’s effort to improve the country’s business climate and deliver the necessary services to Filipinos in the most effective and efficient way,” it said.  

As the previous administration was winding down, Mr. Perez said ARTA abandoned its original plan to push for additional funds in its 2022 budget. Instead, the ARTA opted to include the additional budget request in the 2023 budget proposal to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for inclusion in the 2023 National Expenditure Program.

“In March 2022, to augment the approved ARTA FY 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) budget, the ARTA planned to request a supplemental budget to support the implementation of various programs, activities and projects and ARTA Regional Field Offices amounting to P40 million to the Office of the President (OP) proposed to be sourced from the President’s contingent fund,” Mr. Perez said.  

“However, considering that the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte was about to end on June 30, 2022 and that the election period/ban would put limitations on the release of funds if ever, the ARTA did not go through with the request for supplemental budget to the OP,” he added.

If approved by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., “we hope to fully operationalize our regional field offices. Further, we are hopeful that (Mr. Marcos) will approve our budget proposal that would facilitate the continuous implementation of the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) law,” Mr. Perez said.

ARTA said it will also submit a proposal to the OP, through the DBM, to expand staffing to at least 700 workers. 

“(ARTA) is tasked to monitor around 10,173 priority government agencies in the country, not counting the 42,046 barangays. By the end of December 2021, the (ARTA) only had a total workforce of 182 personnel. Of this figure, 124 or 60% are regular employees out of the 208 available plantilla positions and 58 are contract of service personnel,” it said.

“ARTA’s current plantilla of 208 is not enough to meet the increasing demand for the ARTA’s programs and services,” it added.

ARTA is also seeking additional powers to subpoena, find in contempt, and order the preventive suspension of officials under investigation, to ensure proper enforcement of the EoDB law. Currently, ARTA’s streamlining efforts are only recommendatory and not mandatory. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

De Lemos named officer-in-charge as NBI releases report on suspicious prison deaths

NBI FACEBOOK PAGE

JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla has named National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Deputy Director Medardo G. De Lemos as officer-in-charge of the agency.  

Mr. Remulla had issued the department order on July 1, assigning Mr. De Lemos until July 31 or until a replacement has been appointed or designated. 

He will replace former NBI OIC Eric B. Distor, who vacated the position after President R. Marcos, Jr. assumed office. 

“Atty. Medardo G. De Lemos, as the next-in-rank and most senior official, is hereby designated as the officer-in-charge of the National Bureau of Investigate,” according to the department order. 

Mr. De Lemos was previously designated as NBI OIC in 2013 by then Justice secretary Leila M. De Lima. His appointment came after former NBI Chief Nonnatus R. Rojas resigned over alleged leaks in the agency linked to the pork barrel scam. The newly appointed NBI OIC was commended in 2009 for apprehending the notorious Alvin Flores robbery group during his tenure as the NBI’s regional director of Central Visayas. 

Meanwhile, the NBI in a separate statement said Metro Manila police reports of the alleged suspicious deaths of eight high-profile inmates at the national penitentiary contradicted witness testimonies and records of the deaths.

Last Friday, the agency filed murder charges against 22 police officers for their alleged involvement in the suspicious deaths of the inmates at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City in 2020. 

The eight inmates were transferred to a separate building within the prison’s compound for isolation after police officers claimed they exhibited symptoms of the coronavirus.

NBI noted that witnesses had not observed anything unusual about the prisoners in the isolation areas despite the police officers claiming they were on full alert in an “emergency situation” at the time. 

NBI added that the police officers could have used cremation, the standard operating procedure for COVID-related deaths, to conceal the murders. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Imminent Meralco price hike with SC decision ill-timed — groups 

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

PROGRESSIVE groups on Tuesday said an increase in electricity rates at this point is ill-timed, following a Supreme Court (SC) decision upholding a 2013 approved rate hike application by the country’s biggest distributor.  

ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. France L. Castro said the approval of the “all-time power rate hike” by Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will only add to the burden of Filipinos due to the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis.  

“The government must do its job to uplift the lives of the people rather than impose heavy burdens,” he said in a statement in Filipino. 

The lawmaker appealed to the High Court not to revoke the temporary restraining order (TRO) against the implementation of Meralco’s staggered charges and recovery costs totaling P22.64 billion.  

The TRO was issued in April 2014. 

Under the latest High Court decision, Meralco may implement an additional charge of P4.15 per kilowatt hour, according to dissenting Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier said. 

Meralco applied for the rate increase after the maintenance shutdown of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V.’s Malampaya gas-to-power project, which forced the company to purchase more expensive supply from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.  

The Energy Regulatory Commission approved Meralco’s request to charge consumers in a staggered price-setting but denied payment of carrying costs.  

Meralco said it has yet to receive a copy of the court decision.  

Former Bayan Muna Party-list representative Carlos Isagani T. Zarate said the High Court’s decision on the “highest power rate hike in history could not have come at a worse time.”  

“With the prices of basic commodities still skyrocketing due to continued big time oil price hikes and the weakening of the peso, this is another unwanted burden on our people,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. 

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. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

Camariñes Sur, Davao del Sur declared free from bird flu 

THE PROVINCES of Camariñes Sur and Davao del Sur have tested negative for H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or bird flu, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA). 

In March, grazing ducks from both provinces tested positive for the virus.  

“Upon detection of the disease, the local government units, in coordination with DA and the Bureau of Animal Industry, conducted disease investigation, immediate depopulation, cleaning and disinfection, movement restrictions and surveillance in the affected premises,” the department said in a circular.  

The results of subsequent disease monitoring in the one-kilometer and 7-km surveillance zones of the two provinces yielded negative test results for influenza type A virus.   

According to the World Organization of the Animal Health, the Avian Influenza-free status of a previously free country or zone may be regained based on three conditions: after a minimum period of 28 days after a stamping-out policy has been completed; disinfection of the last affected establishment was carried out; and that consequent surveillance demonstrated the absence of infection.  

“Prior to the confirmation of the first case of HPA1 H5N1 in Camariñes Sur and Davao del Sur, they had been free from avian influenza in poultry through applying effective disease control measures such as stamping out, cleansing and disinfection and other quarantine activities,” the DA said. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson 

Gatchalian eyes probe on Occidental Mindoro power supply woes 

A SENATOR, who used to chair the chamber’s energy committee, seeks a probe on the repeated power interruptions in Occidental Mindoro, with one recent incident leaving the province without supply for three days.  

“Without electricity, there is no business (and) people will have no income,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said in a mix of English and Filipino in a statement on Tuesday. “If it continues in the coming months, it will also affect students’ return to school. Will we just allow the situation in Occidental Mindoro to remain this way?”  

“The locals are complaining to me. It’s time we get to the bottom of the recurring power problem in the province,” he added. 

In late June, Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corp. (OMCPC) stopped supplying electricity to Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (OMECO) after their power supply agreement expired.   

OMECO services a total of 240,887 households in the entire province.   

After a three-day blackout, power supply resumed as the Energy Regulatory Commission provisionally approved a power supply agreement between OMECO and OMCPC to address the problem and end lingering rotational outages.   

“If this problem is not solved, the Occidental Mindoro province will be left behind,” the senator said. “Having a continuous supply of electricity is a big thing, whether or not there is a pandemic. This is a reason for the rapid development of a place or a whole country.”  

“If existing laws are not enough to address the problem of supply and quality of electricity in Occidental Mindoro or anywhere else, we can formulate new laws or reforms in current laws,” he added.  

Mr. Gatchalian will file a resolution directing the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry into the issue. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

Some NCR consular offices temporarily stop authentication services

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

SEVERAL consular offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) will temporarily stop providing authentication services on specific dates up to September, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Tuesday.   

The affected offices are all located in shopping centers: NCR West (SM Manila) from July 18 to 29, East (SM Megamall) from August 1 to 12, Northeast (Ali Mall Cubao) from August 15 to 26, and South (Alabang Center) from August 29 to September 9.  

“Walk-in applicants may only be accommodated at DFA Aseana, Parañaque City,” it said in a statement. 

Applicants with online appointments at SM Manila will be accommodated on the same dates in DFA Aseana between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

DPWH starts construction of country’s first science terminal building

DPWH

THE DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced on Tuesday that it has started the construction of the country’s first science terminal building, located in Bicutan.  

“The five-storey building will soon rise in a 13,680 square meter area at the DoST (Department of Science and Technology) Compound,” the department said in a statement.  

It said that the first to third floors will be dedicated to the public transportation hub while the upper two levels would be the executive offices and the Science and Technology Exhibit Center.  

The project, according to the department, was originally intended to address the traffic congestion and commuter problems in Bicutan by building an integrated terminal.   

“Five years after its first conceptualization and series of meetings, an exhibit center was later added to the plan,”’ it said. 

The building, which will house an integrated terminal and a science center, will be the first of its kind in the Philippines.  

“With a project allocation of P326 million, the science terminal is targeted to be completed mid next year,” the department said. — Arjay L. Balinbin 

Tan’s dream run ended by Anisimova at Wimbledon

LONDON — Harmony Tan’s dream Wimbledon debut came to an end when the Frenchwoman was beaten 6-2, 6-3 by 20-year-old American Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round on Monday.

World number 115 Tan, who stunned 23-times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in a late-night epic on day two, backed up that win with two more impressive performances.

But her wily game was no match for 20th seed Anisimova whose powerful baseline game got the job done in 74 minutes.

Anisimova, who beat title contender Coco Gauff in the previous round and is the last remaining American woman in the singles, will take on 2019 champion Simona Halep next.

Since reaching the French Open semifinals in 2019 and being labeled the next big thing in American women’s tennis, New Jersey-born Anisimova has experienced a traumatic time.

Her father died of a heart attack just before the US Open that year and since then she has been rather overshadowed by other young players who have burst through.

The 20-year-old arrived at Wimbledon under the radar but has thrived to reach her second Grand Slam quarterfinal.

She quickly got on top of Tan on Monday, crunching away a forehand to break serve in the third game.

When a weary-looking Tan looped a forehand long to trail 4-1, the writing was on the wall.

Tan, who had only ever won two Grand Slam main draw matches before this Wimbledon, stopped the rot by holding serve at 5-1 but never really looked capable of springing another surprise.

A double fault gifted Anisimova an early break of serve in the second set and the American broke again to seal victory with a punishing backhand return.

“It was a really tough match today. I was a little bit tired,” Tan, 24, said. “She played really good. But I’m really happy, you know, to be in the second week.

“I think it was an amazing tournament for me.” — Reuters

Oh mother, Tomljanović downs Cornet in rollercoaster

LONDON — Ajla Tomljanović’s mother gets so nervous about her daughter’s tennis matches that she often opts to go on long walks with the family dog to block out the tension.

On Monday, it became clear why Emina Tomljanović usually adopts the head-in-sand approach as her daughter put her through the wringer before beating Alizé Cornet 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an electrifying fourth-round rollercoaster at Wimbledon.

The nerve-shredding drama left 29-year-old Tomljanović sobbing as she became the first Australian woman in more than two decades to reach back-to-back Wimbledon quarterfinals.

“I didn’t really think I could do it,” the 29-year-old told the crowd, which included Australian great Margaret Court.

Speaking through tears, Tomljanović then explained why this year’s run to the last eight, where she will face Kazakh 17th seed Elena Rybakina, was extra special.

“The biggest thing that is different this year is my mum’s here. She didn’t watch any of my matches last year, even on TV,” said the Croatian-born Tomljanović, whose 2021 Wimbledon adventure was ended by fellow Australian and eventual champion Ash Barty.

“She would walk the dog for hours and then check the score. I was so mad at her because I was like, ‘What if I’m never going to do this again? You missed it.’

“Well here you go mum, you’re welcome,” she added with a smile as her mother looked on sheepishly from the Court Two stands.

The 44th-ranked Australian had beaten Cornet in a topsy-turvy three-setter at last year’s championships and Monday’s encounter was no less eventful as both players kept being broken.

With Cornet leading 4-2 in the opening set, the players embarked on a sequence of six games that went against serve.

Although the 32-year-old Frenchwoman managed to win the first set during that run, it set a trend in a match which featured 16 breaks, with Tomljanović coming out on top of that count 9-7.

None of them were as important as the final game, however.

After Cornet, who ended world number one Iga Świątek’s 37-match winning streak in the previous round, saved Tomljanović’s first two match points, the players brought the crowd to their feet by trading brutal blows in a mind-boggling 26-shot rally.

It ended with Cornet’s tired limbs failing her as she smashed the ball into the net and immediately collapsed on to her back — hardly surprising considering the hard-hitting baseline contest had gone on for more than 2-1/2 hours.

Seconds later, Tomljanović chased down a Cornet dropshot and almost toppled over the net as she flicked a backhand crosscourt winner to seal her place in the last eight.

Once she knew victory was hers, the tears streaking down her face summed up the emotions of the afternoon.

“From the get-go, I could tell Alize’s level was really high. I didn’t know if I could keep up with my physicality,” said Tomljanović, who beat 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in the previous round.

“She never goes away. She doesn’t give up till the last point and it’s very tough to play players like that.”

The last Australian woman to reach back-to-back Wimbledon quarterfinals was Jelena Dokic in 2000. — Reuters

Improving Nadal flies past Van de Zandschulp into quarters

LONDON — Second seed Rafael Nadal took another step forward in his bid for a rare calendar-year Grand Slam on Monday by booking his spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals with a commanding 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(6) win against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

The All England Club, where the Spaniard has won two of his 22 majors, has been the least rewarding place for Nadal but he arrived this year having won the Australian and French Open titles back to back for the first time in his career.

A third Wimbledon title and first since 2010 on the manicured lawns and a US Open triumph would see the Mallorcan claim the calendar slam — a feat last achieved in 1969 by Australian great Rod Laver.

He will face American 11th seed Taylor Fritz for a place in Friday’s semifinals.

“To be in the quarterfinals here at Wimbledon after three years without playing here, it’s amazing for me,” said Nadal. “So very, very happy.

“It has been a good match in general terms against a difficult player. I think a very good player.”

Nadal played and won at Roland Garros with pain-killing injections prior to each match and only confirmed his participation at the All England Club after radio frequency treatment eased pain in his foot.

BIG EFFORT
Playing his first tournament on grass since his 2019 semifinal loss at Wimbledon to Roger Federer, the Spaniard has shown little difficulty adjusting to the surface.

“I did I think (make) a big effort to be here,” he said. “(It) takes a lot of mental and physical effort to try to play this tournament after the things that I went through the last couple of months.

“But as everybody knows, Wimbledon is a tournament that I like so much. Have been three years without playing here. I really wanted to be back. That’s what I am doing. So that’s why it means a lot for me to be in the quarterfinals.”

He felt his overall game was improving “day-by-day.”

“It’s always the same here. It’s not about how close I am to the level or not. I don’t know that. I can’t predict what’s going to happen,” Nadal said.

“But the positive thing is, the first two matches haven’t been good. Then two days ago I played I think at a high level for the first time. And today, most of the match, again, at a very positive level.”

He dominated proceedings from start to finish in his fourth round outing with a little wobble at the end.

Nadal came into Monday’s clash having won the pair’s only previous meeting in the third round of this year’s Roland Garros in straight sets on his way to a 14th French Open title.

BREAK CHANCES
Facing Van de Zandschulp a day after top seed and reigning champion Novak Djokovic beat another Dutchman in Tim van Rijthoven, Nadal had two break point chances in his opponent’s first service game but could not make them count.

With the Dutchman serving to stay in the opening set at 4-5, Nadal forced an error from the 26-year-old’s backhand with a vicious angled forehand for the crucial break.

After saving the first break point on his serve in the opening game of the second set, Nadal breached Van de Zandschulp’s delivery in the next to take the lead early with two consecutive errors from the Dutchman.

A double fault in the eighth game from Van de Zandschulp gifted Nadal a double break and with it the second set.

A wild forehand saw Nadal suffer his first break at the start of the third. But the joy for the Dutchman and the crowd’s hopes of an extended contest were short-lived as the left-hander immediately broke back.

An incredible backhand pass on the stretch brought up a break of serve for Nadal in the sixth game and the delighted Spaniard celebrated with a number of fist pumps.

Serving for the match at 5-3 the 36-year-old was broken again as Van de Zandschulp forced a tiebreak.

But Nadal found the edge, earning a crucial mini break by winning a 30-shot rally — the longest in the match — that got the crowd on their feet. — Reuters

Cryptic Jeanie

Unless you’ve been living under a rock all this time, you know that the Lakers are troubled, if not in trouble, when the controlling owner sends out a cryptic tweet in the middle of the night. It isn’t simply that Jeanie Buss said she misses Kobe Bryant, or that she referred to him as “the greatest Laker ever;” in so doing, she threw not only current star LeBron James under the bus; she did the same to generations of marquee names, among them Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Jerry West. It’s that she chose to further muddy already murky waters.

As to what prompted Buss to vent on social media, only she can tell. Suffice to say that she was motivated enough to open her account to all and sundry with her “All can reply” finish, in contravention of her convention to keep threads going only for those she follows on the social networking service. Why? Was she looking for sympathy? Did she want to get the pulse of Lakerland? Perhaps she’s angling to see how the prospect of getting mercurial guard Kyrie Irving would be greeted. Unfortunately, in putting Hall of Famers in the hot seat, she managed to do the same for herself.

Buss has a well-deserved reputation for being an iron lady; after all, she didn’t blink twice in ousting brother Jim from management five years ago. In being cryptic, however, she showed an uncertain side of herself that portrays her as weak at a time when her usual self is precisely what’s needed. The Lakers are at a crossroads, having just failed to make the playoffs and, with the fourth-highest payroll in the National Basketball Association, needing to make a change — any change — in the offseason to escape from mediocrity. Given the sense of urgency, only a fool would believe that waxing nostalgic is the answer.

There’s likewise the problem of Buss’ tweet having a disingenuous bent. She said Bryant “understood team over self. Meaning your rewards would come if you valued team goals over your own then everything would fall into place.” As even casual observers of the pro hoops scene know, however, the player she referred to as “KB” wasn’t exactly selfless on and off the court. He was responsible for scuttling his championship pairing with Shaquille O’Neal because he wanted to be the man. And a mere handful of years later, he just about forced his way to the Bulls; the only kink was his refusal to have then-all-star Luol Deng be part of the package going the Lakers’ way in exchange for him. Indeed, his egocentric view — as manifested in the need to ensure that the roster he would be inheriting remained competitive — proved to be the only reason he stayed in purple and gold.

What Buss’ momentary indulgence will ultimately achieve is anybody’s guess. In any case, one thing is clear: She’s much, much better than that — or, at least, she has to be for the Lakers to be able to paint a rosy picture in the near term.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Stinky seaweed threatens Mexico’s tourism boom

Tourists are seen on a beach covered with seaweed in Cancun, Mexico June 24, 2019. — REUTERS/JORGE DELGADO

MEXICO CITY — Millions of tons of stinky brown seaweed washing up along Mexico’s beaches threaten a post-COVID tourism rebound as international tourists plan summer travel, according to Spanish bank BBVA.

Sargassum seaweed, which gives a brown tint to the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean coast and emits a sewage-like stench when it washes ashore, reached an all-time monthly high in June, according to the University of South Florida. There were 24.2 million tons recorded in the month in the Caribbean region, up from 18.8 million tons in May.

The boom in sargassum poses a “significant threat” to the country’s post-pandemic tourism recovery, particularly in Quintana Roo state, home to oceanfront destinations like Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen, analysts from bank BBVA said in a research note.

The seaweed outburst defied massive daily efforts by Mexico’s Navy and local workers who scrambled to remove it from the water and sand.

“The sargassum… is not a problem that can be solved, but must constantly be addressed, mainly in the summer months,” BBVA said on Monday.

Mexico’s GDP from tourism took a 25% hit in real terms in 2020 due to the pandemic, even though the country never closed its borders. In 2021, however, the sector rebounded nearly to pre-pandemic levels, according to BBVA, which warned the upward trajectory was in danger unless the seaweed is controlled.

“The tourism sector must continue to promote new attractions so that the beaches are less and less the reason that attracts tourists to Quintana Roo.”

Since 2011, seaweed here and across the Caribbean has exploded for reasons scientists do not yet fully understand.

Researchers blame multiple factors, including climate change, human sewage, agricultural runoff and dust blowing west from Africa’s Sahara Desert. — Reuters

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