SSS implements service fees for in-person, online transactions

May 2, 2023 | 8:33 pm

THE Social Security System (SSS) said it started collecting service fees on Monday for both over-the-counter (OTC) and online transactions.

According to a circular dated April 26, the SSS said it now charges a maximum of P10 for every OTC transaction and P8 for online transactions.

The charges exclude fees for payments made via credit, debit, and prepaid cards, which charge market-based rates.

SSS said that the fees apply to self-employed and voluntary members, employed members, overseas Filipino workers, farmers and fishermen, non-working spouses, and transactions involving the workers investment and savings program.

The circular was approved by SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando L. Macasaet under Resolution No. 140-s. 2023 dated March 29. — Aaron Michael C. Sy

PHL GDP growth estimated at 4.8% in Q1 on slowdown in consumption

May 2, 2023 | 8:33 pm

makati-skyline-buildings — STOCK PHOTO | Image Dmitry Berdnyk from Unsplash

GROSS domestic product (GDP) growth is estimated to have slowed to 4.8% in the first quarter as private consumption eased, Pantheon Macroeconomics said on Tuesday.

“Our current GDP forecast for the first quarter sees a sharp slowdown in growth, to 4.8% from 7.2% in the fourth quarter, with a moderation in consumption growth accounting for 70% of this drop,” Pantheon Macroeconomics Chief Emerging Asia Economist Miguel Chanco and Senior Asia Economist Moorthy Krshnan said in a report.

The 4.8% estimate is well behind the pace of the government’s growth target of 6-7% for this year, and represents a significant drop from the 7.6% expansion in 2022.

Pantheon also noted that the percentage of households with savings in the Philippines made “little visible progress” in the first quarter.

According to the central bank’s consumer expectations survey, the percentage of households with savings rose to 32.9% in the first quarter from 30.5% in the fourth quarter.

“But this appears mainly to have been a seasonal rise, prone to an immediate reversal. Indeed, the share was unchanged at 31.3% in Q1 on our adjustment, still well below the pre-pandemic peak of 39% in mid-2019,” Pantheon Macroeconomics said.

“Persistently strong private consumption growth at the 8%-plus average rates seen last year is unsustainable with household balance sheets still this fragile. And we’re already starting to see a clear evaporation in momentum,” it added.

Domestic consumption growth rose 7% in the fourth quarter, bringing full-year household consumption growth to 8.3%.

Consumers were less pessimistic in the first quarter, the central bank has said, as reflected in the 10.4% decline in the consumer confidence index in the first three months, as against the 14.6% drop in the previous quarter.

The erosion of consumer confidence was, however, in its 11^th consecutive quarter, following the 54.5% drop in the third quarter of 2020.

The Philippine Statistics Authority is scheduled to release first-quarter GDP data on May 11. — Keisha B. Ta-asan

April inflation poised for third straight decline — DBS

May 2, 2023 | 8:32 pm

CONSUMER price inflation in April is estimated to have slowed for a third straight month due to base effects, easing food and energy prices, and aggressive monetary tightening by the central bank, DBS Bank Ltd. said.

In a May 2 report, DBS Bank Chief Economist Taimur Baig and Senior Economist Ma Tieying said inflation will likely slow to 6.8% year on year in April, lower than the 7.6% in March.

“Factors behind the year-on-year deceleration include continued feed-through of favorable base effects, alongside easing of global commodity prices and spill-over to food and energy inflation, and the impact from the aggressive monetary tightening over the past year,” it said.

The bank’s inflation estimate for April is lower than the 7% median estimate of 14 analysts in a BusinessWorld poll last week.

It is also within the 6.3-7.1% forecast range issued by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the month.

The inflation rate in April 2022 was 4.9%.

If the April 2023 reading comes in as projected, it would mark the 13^th consecutive month of inflation exceeding the BSP’s 2-4% target range.

To tame inflation, the BSP raised borrowing costs by 425 basis points (bps) since May 2022, bringing the key policy rate to 6.25%, its highest level in nearly 16 years.

BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla has said that the Monetary Board will consider keeping policy rates at 6.25% at its meeting this month if inflation further slows in April.

“Our view for a higher terminal rate, therefore, faces downside risk,” the bank said.

DBS expects Philippine benchmark interest rates to peak at 6.75% this year, suggesting that they have a further 50 bps to rise.

It also expects the BSP to cut the key policy rate to 5.75% in third quarter next year and further to 5.25% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

“We will also be closely watching the month-on-month print, given (Mr.) Medalla’s April 10 comments that a ‘zero or negative (month-on-month) inflation’ may also support the case for a rate pause,” the bank said.

DBS Bank projects inflation to average 5.8% this year, before easing to 3.2% in 2024.

The 2023 projection is lower than the BSP’s full-year inflation forecast of 6%, while the estimate for 2024 is higher than the central bank’s 2.9%.

Mr. Medalla has said inflation will return to the 2-4% target range by the fourth quarter.

The April inflation report will be released on May 5. The Monetary Board is scheduled to meet for the third time this year on May 18. — Keisha B. Ta-asan

PEZA touts PHL return to US GSP status as supportive of recovery

May 2, 2023 | 8:32 pm

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said the reauthorization of the Philippines’ participation in a US preferential trading scheme will add impetus to the economic recovery.

“We are hoping that the (President’s US) visit will reopen talks on the US Generalized System of Preference (GSP) program and the implementation of the US Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), which should benefit the Philippine economy in general and put us (in line) with other allied and forward thinking economies joining the multilateral economic cooperation,” PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga told reporters via Viber.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is currently in the US for an official visit until May 4.

The Philippines has been pushing for the renewal of its GSP eligibility, which expired in 2020. The GSP allows the duty-free entry of selected Philippine products into the US.

The top Philippine exports under the GSP included handbags, insulated electric conductors, new pneumatic rubber tires, and nonalcoholic beverages. In 2020, the Philippines posted a 74% GSP utilization rate, with exports valued at $1.56 billion.

Participants in the IPEF, launched in May 2022, include Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Aside from the GSP and IPEF, Mr. Panga said the Philippines is a possible location for US companies seeking to diversify their manufacturing locations.

“While President Biden’s policy is to reshore all manufacturing activities for American companies, we hope that the much improved bilateral relations with US will allow the Philippines to benefit from that policy, making the country an alternative location for US companies to offshore manufacturing activities,” Mr. Panga said.

“The Philippines could be a viable site for US-based companies or shifting out production from their existing locations to take advantage of the country’s growing domestic market, huge pool of world-class and quality-oriented workers, and as a production and distribution hub in the region,” he added.

According to Mr. Panga, some of the industries that US investors should consider include manufacturing, electric vehicles, renewable energy, mineral processing, regenerative agriculture, and frontier technologies like digital health, financial technology, the blockchain, artificial intelligence, and big data.

“The government is serious in attracting productivity-enhancing investments and strategic industries including infrastructure development through business-to-business engagements and public-private partnerships,” Mr. Panga said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Industry lobby estimates VAT revenue foregone due to smuggling at P250B

May 2, 2023 | 8:31 pm

THE PHILIPPINES loses P250 billion worth of value-added tax (VAT) revenue from smuggling, the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) told the Senate on Tuesday.

Speaking before the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, FPI Chairman Jesus L. Arranza said, “We are losing, the last time we made a study, P250 billion in value-added tax and downsizing of companies.”

The committee is deliberating Senate Bill No. 1963, which seeks to address the smuggling of agricultural commodities. One of the proposals is to create a specialist court that will exclusively handle all such cases.

Under the measure, all violations of Republic Act No. 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act will fall under the jurisdiction of the proposed court.

Rosendo O. So, chairman of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, said that the Ports of Manila, Subic, and Batangas are common entry points for smuggled products.

Florina C. Agtarap, State Counsel at the Justice department, told the committee that from 2016 to February 2023, 48% or 76 of the 159 cases it received from the Customs bureau and the Agriculture department were dismissed due to lack of documentation.

She said only nine cases have been filed in court in seven years, all of which are ongoing.

Mr. Arranza noted that the proposed court should also specify industry standards for manufactured products.

“The special court should focus on (industry standards). There’s standards for glass manufacturing… two courts have issued injunctions. It’s been three and a half years, (yet) there’s still no standard. Who will be held accountable when earthquakes happen and people die?” he told the panel.

“The problem is if (products are) smuggled, then (they do not conform to any) standard,” the Committee Chairman, Senator Francis N. Tolentino, said.

Judge Danilo S. Cruz, president of the Philippine Judges Association (PJA), proposed to establish anti-agricultural smuggling courts in various regions, to be classified at the same level of regional trial courts.

“There is no need to create a special body,” Mr. Cruz told senators.

PJA Vice-President-Administration Gener M. Gito, also a judge, added: “Instead of actually creating a court, another division may be added to the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), which will be designated to hear and decide smuggling cases.”

The CTA has exclusive jurisdiction over criminal cases involving violations of the Tariff and Customs Code, Mr. Gito said.

Noting the low number of smuggling cases filed with the court, “building another set of courts might be a waste of money for the government,” Pia Cristina B. Bersamin-Embuscado, PJA Public Relations officer and also a judge, told the panel.

A technical working group has been formed to fine-tune the bill. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Financing gap for sustainability projects demands ‘innovative’ response, ADB says

May 2, 2023 | 8:31 pm

THE inability of Asian banks to fund their countries’ sustainability projects requires a resort to “innovative” means like blended finance, securitization, crowd financing, debt-for-nature swaps, and carbon credit markets, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

“Asian banks are largely risk averse to infrastructure projects because of the tightening regulations on credit lending, including credit risk measurement. In the absence of venture capital or its inadequacy and limited government funding, it is difficult to finance capital intensive infrastructure projects,” the ADB said in a report.

“As a consequence, there is heavy reliance on credit intermediated forms of financing. This is both an inefficient and expensive modality for infrastructure financing. In the case of green energy projects, it is even more difficult to obtain financing; this serves as a disincentive for parties that wish to undertake projects that seek to advance the expansion of green renewable energy,” it added.

Citing one of its studies from 2017, the ADB said that developing Asia will need to invest $13.8 trillion or $1.7 trillion in infrastructure annually from 2023 to 2030 to “sustain economic growth, reduce poverty, and respond to climate change.”

Other innovative financing channels include asset recycling, convertible debt, municipal bonds, green bonds, and government green funds, it said.

Since 2000, more than 40% of climate-related disasters have occurred in Asia and the Pacific.

The ADB also cited the World Risk Report, which ranks six ASEAN countries in the top 35 most vulnerable and high-risk nations. The Philippines is first on the list.

“With the increase in intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, disaster risk reduction measures need to be adopted in conjunction with developing resilient infrastructure,” the bank said.

The ADB added: “The financial sector in the ASEAN+3 region is narrow, being largely dominated by banks. Therefore, banks are more often than not the main source of finance for projects and businesses. Since banks can provide only short-term financing as they are constrained by their liabilities (deposits), any allocation to long-term investments leads to a maturity mismatch,” the ADB added.

“(Blended finance and asset securitization) help to mitigate and better allocate risks between the public and private sector. Green bonds and government green funds can help to attract funding from the private sector to support infrastructure investments that are environmentally sustainable,” it said.

“Debt-for-nature swaps could provide some relief to foreign debt-stressed economies while ensuring that their natural resource conservation and environmental programs are adequately funded,” it added.

The ADB also cited the Energy Transition Mechanism, which was piloted in Indonesia and the Philippines.

“The Energy Transition Mechanism is designed to leverage the power of blended finance to accelerate retiring or repurposing coal-fired power plants, helping support a country’s transition to a green economy. ADB hopes this will become the model for retiring coal plants across the region and massively reducing carbon dioxide emissions,” it added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

US donates four patrol vessels and three aircraft to Philippines

May 2, 2023 | 8:12 pm

PBBM Marcos-Biden — US PRESIDENT Joe Biden (right) with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. before the bilateral meeting in White House in Washington DC on May 1, 2023. — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE UNITED STATES will donate at least four patrol vessels and three C-130H aircraft to the Philippines, the White House said on Monday, amid China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

The two Island-class and Patrol-class vessels would boost the capability of the Philippine Armed Forces, the office of US President Joseph R. Biden said in a statement posted on the White House website.

The transfer would undergo “applicable congressional notification requirements,” it said.

The US had given the Philippines two Cyclone-class coastal patrol vessels last month and were en route to Manila, it added.

“These transfers will support the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization program by enhancing its maritime and tactical lift capabilities,” the White House said.

“Let us hope that these most recent donations of coastal patrol vessels and cargo aircraft are not the usual discarded run-down supplies of the US military establishment,” Temario C. Rivera, a retired professor of international politics at the University of the Philippines, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

These resources should be under the full operational control of the Philippine government and not used simply to support American strategic security interests in the region, he added.

“Finally, this should not detract us from looking for peaceful political solutions to the conflict in the West Philippine Sea,” he added, referring to parts of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“An immediate focus of such diplomacy is to work out an unimpeded access by our fisherfolk to our maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea.”

The donation was expected since the Philippine defense sector “has historically been aligned with the US,” Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, a policy analyst, said.

“The assistance we are receiving seems substantial, but this shouldn’t be seen as a big leap necessarily,” he said in a Messenger chat. “We shouldn’t use this alliance as a reason not to boost our defense capabilities through other means such as forging similar alliances with other states.”

Mr. Yusingco said the Philippines should boost its defense capabilities through its own efforts.

“We mustn’t simply rely on the US to help us when the need arises,” he said. “This is easier said than done of course. But this is a challenge that the president and Congress must face.”

Boosting “our national defense capabilities without the aid of external forces demands the cooperation of both branches of government.”

“While we can find some comfort with our alliance with the US, this cannot be our long-term defense policy,” he added. “Moving forward we need to have a robust defense capability of our own. We must not allow our political leaders to forget this goal.”

SOVEREIGN RIGHTS
Mr. Biden and President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. met at the White House on Monday, during which the US leader reaffirmed his country’s “ironclad alliance commitments to the Philippines.”

The two leaders agreed to adopt bilateral defense guidelines that would institutionalize key bilateral priorities, mechanisms and processes “to deepen alliance cooperation and interoperability across land, sea, air, space and cyber-space,” the White House said.

“The guidelines support the continued modernization of the alliance and ongoing efforts to adapt alliance coordination to respond to the evolving security environment,” it added.

Under the guidelines, Washington and Manila will advance efforts to deepen interoperability, particularly through enhanced bilateral planning, information-sharing, accelerated defense capability development and collaboration on emerging security challenges.

The two countries also eye establishing separate “trilateral modes of cooperation” with Japan and Australia, the Philippines and US said in a separate joint statement posted on the White House website.

“The leaders welcome cooperation with partners that share the US and the Philippines’ commitment to international law and mutual respect,” Mr. Biden and Mr. Marcos said in the statement, hours after their meeting.

“In that spirit, they reaffirm their strong support for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) centrality and the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific.”

Manila and Washington also welcomed efforts by a quadrilateral alliance among the US, Australia, India and Japan “to support a peaceful and stable, rules-based region with ASEAN at the center.”

China, an important Philippine trade partner, has viewed the quad as a US attempt to counter its influence in the region. Wang Yi, China’s Foreign minister, has called the US-led informal grouping an “Indo-Pacific NATO.”

The leaders said they have an “unwavering commitment” to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, which is being claimed by China almost in its entirety.

Mr. Marcos and Mr. Biden also reiterated the importance of respecting the sovereign rights of states within their exclusive economic zones consistent with international law, citing a 2016 arbitral ruling that voided China’s sweeping claims over the waterway.

“The leaders support the right and ability of Filipino fisherfolk to pursue their traditional livelihoods.”

The two leaders also affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait “as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity.”

“The leaders convey support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, noting that the conflict has adversely affected food and energy security in the Indo-Pacific,” according to the joint statement.

Mr. Biden reiterated that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific, including the South China Sea, would invoke US mutual defense commitments under the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.

In February, Mr. Marcos announced the expansion of the Philippines’ 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US, giving Washington access to four more military bases on top of the five existing sites.

The EDCA expansion would boost Philippine security and support the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization goals, while driving US investments to local communities across the Philippines “and improving our shared ability to rapidly deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” according to the joint statement.

China has criticized the EDCA expansion, accusing Washington of endangering regional peace and stability. EDCA banks on the 1999 visiting forces agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty.

In September 1991, Filipino senators voted to end a military base treaty that ended a century of US military presence in the Philippines.

Philippines likely to have El Niño in three months

May 2, 2023 | 8:11 pm

By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES’ state weather bureau on Tuesday said El Niño would likely develop in the next three months and might last until the first quarter of next year.

“Recent conditions and model forecasts indicate that El Niño may emerge in the coming season (June-July-August) at 80% probability and may persist until the first quarter of 2024,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on its website.

It said El Niño would likely result in below-normal rainfall conditions, a dry spell and drought in some parts of the country.

An El Niño alert is issued when there is a 70% chance for it to happen within the year, while an El Niño watch is issued when there is at least a 55% chance for it to happen in the next six months.

Leonor C. Cleofas, administrator of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said water supply would be sufficient.

“We have mitigating measures,” she said by telephone. “PAGASA has said that rains would still come. We still have time for rains to come and refill the dams.”

As of 6 a.m. on Tuesday, the water level in Angat Dam had declined to 194.88 meters from 195.08 meters on Monday.

Angat Dam supplies about 90% of the water needs of Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The dam has a minimum operating level of 180 meters and a normal high-water level of 212 meters. The latter is considered the ideal level, with adequate safety margins during the dry months.

“All concerned government agencies and the general public are encouraged to keep on monitoring and take precautionary measures against the impending impacts of El Niño,” PAGASA said.

Last week, both Maynilad Water Services, Inc. and Manila Water Co., Inc. said they were fast-tracking their supply augmentation measures in preparation for El Niño.

Ms. Cleofas noted that by 2024, there would have been new water plants coming online. “Maynilad has given their assurance that by the end of the year, we will get 50 million liters per day from the Poblacion Water Treatment Plant, but our problem really is Maynilad’s Putatan,” she said.

Maynilad has said some areas in Cavite would have no water while its Putatan Water Treatment Plant undergoes maintenance.

“On the part of MWSS, we are already taking action,” Ms. Cleofas said. “The National Water Agency of Singapore is dispatching experts to have third-party assistance at Putatan. So, we will be able to have the right solution. Hopefully within two weeks, they will be here.”

Philippines’ daily COVID average rose by 42% week on week — DoH

May 2, 2023 | 8:10 pm

THE PHILIPPINES posted 4,456 coronavirus infections last week, with a daily average of 637, according to Health authorities.

The daily average from April 24 to 30 rose by 42% from a week earlier, the Department of Health (DoH) said in a bulletin on Tuesday.

There were 22 severe and critical cases, accounting for 0.49% of the total. There were no reported deaths during the period.

DoH said 303 of 2,021 intensive care unit (ICU) beds had been used as of April 30, while 3,157 out of 17,480 non-ICU beds were occupied. There were 351 severe and critical admissions, it added.

OCTA Research fellow Fredegusto P. David tweeted that COVID-19 positivity rates in many areas as of April 29 had increased to double digits.

The positivity rate in Metro Manila rose to 17.2% on April 29 from 10.2% on April 22, he said.

Camarines Sur province had the highest infection rate at 39.7% from 32.1%, followed by Rizal with 28.5% from 21.7%, Cavite with 28.1% from 11.1% and Laguna with 21.2% from 13.2%.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a 5% threshold for the positivity rate.

Mr. David earlier cited the detection of Omicron subvariant XB.1.16 as a possible reason for the significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.

Also called Arcturus, the subvariant comes from XBB, a recombinant of two BA.2 descendent lineages. The Health department has said XB.1.16, which is more contagious, could evade immunity.

The WHO has labeled XBB.1.16 a variant of interest.

DoH on April 25 reported the Philippines’ first XBB.1.16 patient, a Filipino from Iloilo province in central Philippines. The patient was asymptomatic and had since recovered, the agency said on April 26.

Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario S. Vergeire at a briefing streamed live on Facebook said the increase in COVID-19 cases could not be compared to the numbers recorded at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

“We need to raise the level of our risk tolerance to COVID-19. The increase in cases did not translate to more hospital admissions, and it did not translate to more severe and critical cases and even deaths,” she said.

The Philippines’ health use rate remained at low risk “because of the wall of immunity due to vaccination,” she added.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Sunday said the government would boost vaccination efforts amid rising COVID-19 cases in the Philippines.

Mr. Marcos said the government might reimpose mandatory face mask rules amid rising infections.

But Ms. Vergeire said there was no need to revive the face mask mandate.

“We have already recommended to the Office of the President, based on the agreements coming from the Inter-Agency Task Force discussions, that there is no need to return the mandate,” she said. “We need to shift the mindset of our countrymen.”

She said COVID-19 cases in the Philippines would increase and decrease “because the virus is here, it will not disappear.” “The virus will mutate and produce variants every now and then.”

Filipinos should learn how to protect themselves and their family by choosing to wear a mask when going to high-risk places, she said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

US boosts exchange programs with PHL amid expansion of defense cooperation

May 2, 2023 | 8:09 pm

students-classroom-manila-PHILSTAR-KRIZ-JOHN-ROSALES — PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

THE UNITED STATES is enhancing its exchange programs with the Philippines and has vowed to help build “world-class” universities in the Southeast Asian nation.

The commitment comes as Washington boosts its military presence in the Philippines — a move that has raised fears among localities that host sites for the expanded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the two countries.

Washington is “on track” to provide $70 million to support more than 2,000 exchange participants between the Philippines and the US over the next 10 years, the White House said in a statement after a bilateral meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and US President Joseph R. Biden on May 1.

“This investment will allow for an expansion of the Fulbright program, the International Visitor Leadership Program, the Philippines Youth Leadership Program, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, the Humphrey program, and other bilateral exchange initiatives with the Philippines,” it said.

The $70-million support represents one of the US government’s largest long-term people-to-people commitments globally, the White House said.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), meanwhile, will launch a $30-million next-generation higher education partnership to strengthen the Philippine education system.

Under the partnership, it will work with Philippine universities to expand their innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development capabilities, pending availability of funds, the White House said.

“This flagship education partnership will advance Philippine human capital priorities by supporting universities’ curriculum development, faculty training, higher education policy and management, research, and community engagement.”

Some local and foreign policy analysts and civil society groups fear that the EDCA expansion would drag Manila into any geopolitical conflict involving Washington.

The White House statement said Washington and Manila also welcome plans to establish a Philippines-US Friendship Fellowship (PUFF), which is designed to provide Filipino students and young professionals with unique educational opportunities in the US.

It will help build “life-long ties” among the next generation of Philippine and American innovators and leaders, Mr. Biden’s office said.

It said the US government wants to contribute to the Philippines-United Nations Joint Programme for Human Rights, a unique mechanism intended to strengthen Philippine accountability mechanisms.

Washington also looks forward to launching a US-Philippines Democracy Dialogue this year, the White House said.

Earlier, Philippine rights groups urged Mr. Biden to exert pressure on Mr. Marcos during their May 1 meeting to uphold human rights. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

CIAC seeks developers for state-owned land around Clark Airport

May 2, 2023 | 8:08 pm

CLARK International Airport Corp. (CIAC) is eyeing more investments by leasing out public land surrounding the Clark International Airport, according to its top official.

“Some 300 hectares of prime leasable lands in close proximity to the Clark airport will easily become profitable with the resurgence of air travelers and visitors at Clark,” CIAC President Joshua M. Bingcang said in a statement on Tuesday.

The government-owned agency is targeting developers for transportation hubs, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) facilities, hotels and casinos, condotels, theme parks, and commercial centers.

“CIAC is eyeing new locators and will focus on low-hanging fruits that’s ripe for the picking, as we have prime leasable lots accessible to a world-class international airport, inside a tourist-friendly freeport zone, with a passenger and cargo railway operational in the next couple of years,” he said.

The privately-managed airport is located within the Clark Freeport Zone, about 94 kilometers north of the capital Manila.

Mr. Bingcang added that CIAC and airport operator Luzon Integrated Premier Airport Development Corp. are “ideal partners” in converting the lands.

“The agency’s marketing and business development teams are also being augmented with personnel which will get involved in local and international trade and investment missions,” he said.

The marketing campaign will use CIAC’s updated masterplan, which includes spaces for mixed-use projects, commercial areas, light industries, and institutional and residential sections at the aviation complex.

CIAC, a subsidiary of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), manages the 2,367-hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex.

The complex houses the Clark Airport and the Clark Global City, which has locators engaged in manufacturing, information and technology, renewable energy, and other non-aviation-related industries. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

PBIDC pursues partnerships to broaden commercial use of bamboo

May 2, 2023 | 8:08 pm

Bamboo-tiles-CARAGA-BIDC-FACEBOOK-PAGE — CARAGA BIDC FACEBOOK PAGE

THE PHILIPPINE Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC) is collaborating with research agencies and local governments to broaden the commercial use of bamboo for housing, fiber, and fuel.

In a statement on Tuesday, the council said they are partnering with the Philippine Textile Research Institute, Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI), and the local governments of Miag-ao in Iloilo and Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte.

“This is a very good program to support President (Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s) program for housing so that more socialized houses can be built,” said PBIDC Vice Chairperson Deogracias Victor B. Savellano.

The council cited residential projects using bamboo developed by the Base Bahay Innovation in different sites such as Bagong Silangan, Quezon City and Jaro, Iloilo.

“The houses are disaster-resilient designed to resist typhoons,” it said.

PBIDC said it has also reached out to the Philippine Institute of Architects for assistance in design and to former agriculture secretary Luis P. Lorenzo, Jr., who runs the bamboo manufacturing company Rizome Philippines, for the materials.

The council has also initiated discussions with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, which is in charge of the government’s socialized housing program.

FUEL, FIBER
Meanwhile, the PBIDC has also been in talks with agricultural scientist N. Barathi, developer of India’s Beema bamboo, for the potential use of bamboo for charcoal and biomass production.

It said FPRDI has developed a technology on bamboo’s use for charcoal or fuelwood, which is “cheaper, energy-efficient and is ecology-friendly.”

The PBIDC has also sealed a partnership with designer and textile technologist Anthony Legarda for the use of bamboo fiber in different products.

“What is good with bamboo for fiber is recovery is big at 25% per pole, while recovery in abaca and other fibers is only at 2%,” said Mr. Savellano.

PBIDC is also looking into potential partnerships for expanding bamboo production areas as well as developing the plant for medicinal use and urban landscaping, among others. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera