Gov’t eyes WFH setup to save energy

March 7, 2023 | 8:12 pm

BIRworkers-PHILSTAR-RUSSELL-PALMA — BUREAU of Internal Revenue workers receive income tax papers filed at the BIR office in Intramuros, Manila on April 18, 2022. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ RUSSELL A. PALMA

THE PHILIPPINE government wants to move office hours for agencies an hour earlier and allow workers to work from home on Fridays to save energy costs, according to its Finance chief.

“The complaint we get is that energy costs are so high,” Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno told a televised news briefing on Tuesday. “We said that we will create an energy conservation plan on the demand side.”

“We cannot influence the supply side if prices of gas are expensive in the world market. But we can start conserving,” he added.

Under the proposal, government office hours will run from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Department of Energy will be the first to enforce it. “If this experiment succeeds, it can be adopted by other agencies,” Mr. Diokno said. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

BuCor shelves plan to build prison complex inside Masungi reserve

March 7, 2023 | 8:11 pm

Masungi-Georeserve-MASUNGIGEORESERVE.COM — MASUNGIGEORESERVE.COM

THE BUREAU of Corrections (BuCor) has shelved its plan to build a new national penitentiary complex within the Masungi Georeserve, a conservation area and park near the capital, recognizing the potential environmental backlash of the infrastructure project.

“The 270 hectares of land awarded to BuCor pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 1158 as the site of the New Bilibid Prison will no longer push through, including the plan to relocate its national headquarters to this site,” BuCor Director General Gregorio P. Catapang said during a Senate tourism committee hearing on Tuesday.

However, “further studies” on the impact of the proposed complex will continue, he said.

The Masungi Georeserve — located in Baras, a town just east of Metro Manila — serves as a buffer for the Upper Marikina Watershed, which is critical to protecting the capital region from flooding.

Mr. Catapang said it may take six months to a year for experts to assess the environmental impact of constructing a multi-use property in the reserve.

“If it’s not worth it, we’ll not pursue it,” Mr. Catapang said. “What I will do now if this is really not available or not for us, we will just put the forest rangers.”

“We also have our agro-forest team that can help conserve and strengthen the ecosystem in the area,” he added.

BuCor earlier said that it plans to tap experts from the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning for its proposed headquarters.

Mr. Catapang had said that the complex would also include housing and training facilities for its personnel.

Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay, who chaired the hearing, stressed the crucial role that Masungi plays in the country’s conservation efforts.

“Being at the forefront of efforts to conserve, restore and improve the environment, Masungi provides us with a template of how we can tackle the very urgent issue of climate change,” she said.

Ms. Binay said building structures and human habitation in the reserve could result in an ecological imbalance. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Hontiveros calls for suspension of agri exec in sugar importation controversy

March 7, 2023 | 8:11 pm

SENATOR Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel has called for the preventive suspension of a Department of Agriculture (DA) official while an investigation is conducted on his supposed role in facilitating the activities of sugar cartels in the country.

“DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban should be investigated and placed on preventive suspension because of his continued assistance in building a powerful sugar cartel, which they are so proud of today,” she said in Filipino in a statement on Tuesday.

“That he is not under suspension and investigation only means one thing: his superiors see nothing wrong with him openly violating existing laws and usurping the powers and mandate of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA),” she added.

Mr. Panganiban could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.

The DA official last week denied allegations made by the senator, saying that the release of the imported sugar was already cleared.

“It already has clearance, it’s done. The clearance has already been given by the Sugar Regulatory Administration,” he said in Filipino.

“It will be released within the next two weeks. This is the sugar that will lower the price of commercial sugar in the Philippines. It will be P80 to P84 per kilogram,” he added.

The imported sugar — which Ms. Hontiveros calls “government-sponsored” smuggling — of almost 450 metric tons arrived in the country on Feb. 9, way before March 1, the earliest date legally imported sugar could reach Philippine ports.

“Where does Usec. borrow his courage from, to say that this matter should be left alone? Do they have the blessing of Malacañang to tell people who are calling for obedience to the law to keep quiet?” Ms. Hontiveros said.

“Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who is a former Supreme Court Chief Justice, should explain to the whole country why Panganiban is not being investigated and why Malacañang has not reversed or dismissed the questionable and illegal DA orders,” she added.

The senator noted that sugar stakeholders have already committed to pursue criminal cases in relation to the sugar importation.

“I hope they are ready for the cases they will face,” she said. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

PHL, 3 neighboring nations reinforce maritime cooperation in US-hosted workshop

March 7, 2023 | 8:11 pm

Maritime-sanctions-workshop-US-EMBASSY-PHOTO-HANDOUT — US EMBASSY PHOTO HANDOUT

REPRESENTATIVES from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Taiwan joined a recent workshop in Manila hosted by the United States to strengthen cooperation in the enforcement of international maritime sanctions, the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement on Tuesday.

The workshop participants, held from Feb. 28 to March 2, were customs, coast guard, and legal officials from the four countries.

“We in Southeast Asia are located in a strategic area prone to various sanctions evasion tactics,” Strategic Trade Management Office Officer-in-Charge Director Janice S. Dimayacyac said.

“I hope that this workshop would facilitate that dialogue and strengthen regional cooperation as we work our way towards preventing these illicit trade activities within our region and complying with our obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540,” she added.

Workshop activities included briefings on the impact of sanctions on key stakeholders and examples of sanctions evasion; and exercises on investigating and preventing sanctions evasion.

“This event is a great opportunity for the delegates to meet and share each nation’s response to maritime sanctions evasion activities,” said US Export Control and Border Security Program Advisor Ransom Avilla.

The participating officials also visited the Philippine National Coast Watch Center for a briefing on its functions and best practices in countering maritime threats. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Congress to probe Mindoro oil spill

March 7, 2023 | 8:10 pm

oil-cleanup-Caluya-Antique-PHL-COAST-GUARD — Disaster response teams clean up oil spill collected along the coast of Barangay Semirara in Caluya, Antique on March 7, 2023. — PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

LAWMAKERS in both chambers of Congress have called for separate inquiries to assess the impact of an 800,000-liter oil spill incident in Mindoro that threatens livelihood, marine biodiversity and tourism.

Senator Francis N. Tolentino, in a statement on Tuesday, noted that the oil coming from the sunken tanker MT Princess Empress has reached major fishing areas and continues to spread to coastal communities.

“Today, 18,000 fishermen lost their livelihood. If we fail to contain the oil spill, it will affect thousands more,” he said.

The vessel sank near the Verde Island Passage, considered a global center of marine shore fish biodiversity, and marine experts estimate that up to 20,000 hectares of coral reefs, 9,900 hectares of mangroves, and 6,000 hectares of seagrass may be affected.

The oil spill could also reach tourism areas in Western Visayas, which covers popular island destination Boracay, and Palawan.

Tourism Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina G. Frasco on Monday warned of the potential impact on the industry.

“The DoT (Department of Tourism) notes with seriousness the oil spill incident and its grave impact on the tourism industry, including disruptions in the livelihood of the affected communities, tourism-dependent businesses, and recreational activities,” she said.

As of Tuesday 77 coastal villages across nine towns in Oriental Mindoro have been placed under a state of calamity, based on a provincial resolution.

At the House of Representatives, Cavite Rep. Elpidio F. Barzaga Jr., chair of the natural resources committee, filed House Resolution No. 829 to investigate the incident.

“We’ll find out during the investigation if the evidence will warrant the filing of appropriate charges,” Mr. Barzaga said in a Viber chat.

The tanker was ferrying industrial fuel from Lamay, Bataan in the north to Iloilo in western-central Philippines.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced on Monday that efforts are underway to confirm the location of the sunken vessel off the coast of Pola town in Oriental Mindoro.

Once located, experts will be able to map out the spill’s potential movement and draw up a mitigation plan.

Meanwhile, multi-agency response measures are continuing to clean up the oil spill, reduce its impact, and assist affected communities. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan and Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Strong quakes shake Davao de Oro for 2^nd consecutive day

March 7, 2023 | 8:10 pm

earthquake-evacuate-Maragusan-hospital-MARAGUSAN-LGU — PATIENTS at the provincial hospital in Maragusan town were evacuated from the building following two strong earthquakes on March 7, 2023. — MARAGUSAN-LGU

TWO earthquakes, with magnitudes 5.9 and 5.6, struck Davao de Oro in southern Philippines on Tuesday afternoon, with aftershocks and damage expected, according to state seismologists.

Tuesday’s tremors follow the magnitude 4.5 and 5.2 that rattled the province early Monday morning.

Davao de Oro Governor Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga immediately canceled classes and work on March 7 following the earthquakes, and the suspension will be in effect indefinitely to give way to building assessment.

Classes and work were also suspended Monday.

Several local governments, including the capital town of Nabunturan and Maragusan, shared photos of damage on schools and commercial establishments as well as landslides on their social media pages.

The province is largely an agricultural and mining area with no high-rise structures.

The earthquakes were felt in various reported intensities in the cities of Davao, Tagum, Bislig, and Cagayan de Oro

The Philippines lies in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes strike. — MSJ

COVID cases remain manageable — DoH

March 7, 2023 | 8:10 pm

crowd-TaftAve-PHILSTAR-MICHAEL-VARCAS — PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

THERE was no significant rise in new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines recently, the Department of Health (DoH) said on Tuesday.

An average of 133 cases per day had been reported nationwide in the previous week, Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told a news briefing streamed live on Facebook.

“We have not seen anything significant yet,” she said in Filipino, “if there is anything significant during the past weeks, there would be an increase of five or three cases, and this is not significant if we try to compare that to our weekly average number of cases.”

Ms. Vergeire said COVID-19 cases in the capital region Metro Manila remained low.

“For now, we can say that everything is manageable, our hospitals are able to manage our cases,” she said.

However, the Health official said they were closely monitoring Mandaluyong City, which only has three intensive care unit (ICU) beds.

“When there is only one admission (in the city), the percentage increases,” she said.

On Monday, the Health department said the Philippines had posted 913 new coronavirus infections in the previous week with a daily average of 130.

The daily average was 10% higher than the average cases per day from a week earlier, the agency said in a bulletin. There were no severe and critical cases reported.

The DoH said 56 new deaths were “verified” in the past week, six of which occurred from Feb. 20 to Mar. 5.

It said 263 of 1,978 ICU beds had been used as of Mar. 5, while 2,840 of 16,871 non-ICU beds were occupied. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Gov’t continues to downplay impact of weeklong jeepney strike

March 7, 2023 | 8:10 pm

Jeep-Manila-no-strike-PHILSTAR-WALTER-BOLLOZOS — DRIVERS of traditional jeepneys who are not joining the weeklong strike continue to ply their routes in Manila on March 7, 2023. — PHILIPPINE STAR/WALTER BOLLOZOS

THE OPERATION of public utility vehicles in the Philippine capital region had normalized, the presidential palace said on Tuesday, the second day of a weeklong strike staged by traditional jeepney drivers and operators.

Routes provided with free transportation were “under normal operation and there were no reports of stranded passengers,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a statement, citing a report from an inter-agency task force.

“The Metro Manila local government units and different government agencies have successfully assisted commuters affected by Monday’s transport group strike, which authorities said, failed to cause major disruption in the metropolis’ public transportation,” the PCO said.

A total of 130 vehicles from local governments and national government agencies had served almost 4,800 passengers, the palace said, citing a March 6 report from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

The MMDA said there were no reported incidents requiring emergency preparedness and asset deployment.

The strike is in protest of the government’s transport modernization plan, which involves the eventual phaseout of diesel-run jeepneys, which are minibus-like non-airconditioned vehicles.

Jeepney drivers and operators are being required to consolidate into cooperatives or other similar groups to facilitate government assistance in the shift to modern units, including financing and alternative livelihood options.

The protesting transport operators and drivers, however, want what they call a more “just transition,” noting the high cost of new vehicles without enough government subsidy, and potential job losses. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Senators donate P2.5 million to Turkey earthquake victims

March 7, 2023 | 8:10 pm

PHILIPPINE senators on Tuesday turned over a P2.5-million donation to the Turkish ambassador to the Philippines to help victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the country and neighboring Syria in early February.

“The Philippines being a disaster-prone country, we have some idea of the tragedy that Turkey and Syria are facing, and so we wanted to help out, in our own way,” Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri said during the plenary session.

“We hope that our humble contributions, taken together, are able to offer some comfort and relief to the victims in this most difficult time,” he added.

The upper chamber also passed a resolution to express sympathy and condolences to both nations, where over 50,000 people died.

“I thank all of my colleagues in the Senate for pooling together a total of P2.5 million at P100,000 each senator for a donation to the Turkish Red Crescent, coursed through the Philippine Red Cross,” Mr. Zubiri said. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

More young consumers demand ethical products — industry executive

March 7, 2023 | 7:16 pm

Many young consumers are now interested in knowing the origin of the products they buy and whether such products were produced ethically, according to an industry executive.

Peter Hope, managing director at Santé New Zealand Ltd., has expressed optimism about the trend of young consumers seeking cleaner products and ethical production.

“I think there’s a fantastic development in consumerism, that young consumers are demanding a clean product and that they want to know where it came from and if it was produced ethically,” he told reporters at a recent briefing.

This shift in consumer behavior is a positive development that could influence the industry to adopt more sustainable and ethical practices, he noted.

ORGANIC FARMING
“If you decide to be an organic farm, you actually put some fences around what you are able to do,” Mr. Hope said, noting how artificial fertilizers and pesticides are out of the question with this farming approach.

You may not get the same yields as with conventional farming, “but over time, that changes,” he added.

Yields decline in the beginning, but—as the soil is restored —“that actually starts to climb, and you’ll find that in some cases, organic farming can outperform conventional farming,” he added.

Another point in favor of organically farmed produce is that it has become part of the larger sustainability movement.

A 2017 study by Kantar Worldpanel, which provides insights on shopper and consumer behavior, also found that Filipinos are “slowly becoming more health-conscious” in their food and beverage choices.

Nine out of 10 Filipino consumers are willing to pay a higher price for ESG (environmental, social and governance)-focused companies and products, according to a 2021 survey by the consulting firm Bain and Co. — P.B. Mirasol

Barangay Ginebra eyes quarters advantage against Terrafirma

March 7, 2023 | 6:04 pm

Justin Brownlee — JUSTIN BROWNLEE — PBA MEDIA

Games Today
(Ynares Center Antipolo)
3 p.m. — Blackater vs Magnolia
5:45 p.m. — Ginebra vs Terrafirma

BARANGAY Ginebra has embraced coach Tim Cone’s new mantra — keep on truckin’ — fully in tackling a killer schedule in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

With admirable resilience, the Gin Kings battled through a grueling slate of three matches over five days last week and came out unscathed en route to 7-2 overall and a legit shot at the coveted quarterfinal incentives for the Top 4 seeds.

Today, Mr. Cone’s indefatigable troops need to continue the hard labor for a fifth straight game against ousted Terrafirma (2-6) and be rewarded with the sought-for twice-to-beat bonus.

“They can smell the blood in the water. I think they’re ready to go, get that Top 4,” Mr. Cone said ahead of the 5:45 p.m. tiff at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Resuming their campaign last Wednesday following the Gilas Pilipinas stints of Mr. Cone, Justin Brownlee, Jamie Malonzo and Scottie Thompson, the Gin Kings hurdled Meralco (112-107), Phoenix (109-89) and Converge (120-101) one after the other two days apart.

“It’s been really crazy for us and the fact that these guys keep finding a way to reach deep, it’s just amazing,” said Mr. Cone.

“The guys have responded well and just battle. We just keep on truckin’ no matter what’s going on and keep moving forward. I think it’s the championship character they’ve developed last conference and they’re trying to bring it again to this conference.”

Mr. Cone doesn’t expect a breeze, though, against a skidding Dyip side that gave Magnolia hell before yielding in overtime, 115-121.

“We’re well aware of that. And they’ve battled us. (Dyip gunner) Juami Tiongson comes out and always kills us in all of our games; he’s had a couple of career highs against us. And their import (Jordan Williams) is very capable of playing a huge game.

“But this is the first time we have a couple of days to prepare for our next game and I think the guys are going to be ready,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Hotshots (6-4) look to reach seven wins and fan hopes for a Top 4 finish in the 3 p.m. curtain raiser against Blackwater (1-9). — Olmin Leyba

PSC, NSA should concentrate in talent scouting — Michael Keon

March 7, 2023 | 6:03 pm

FOCUS on talent scouting.

Former Gintong Alay executive director Michael Keon gave this advice to Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann after the former paid tribute to his best athlete he has ever produced from his grassroots program — the late great Lydia de Vega-Mercado.

“There’s so much talent in Philippine sports and this why when the chairman of the PSC came to visit me in Laoag, we talked to one another about what is most important when it comes to Philippine sports now and I made a suggestion to him that the PSC along with the NSAs (National Sports Associations) should concentrate in talent scouting,” said Mr. Keon during a tribute speech on Ms. De Vega-Mercado, who was elevated by the Philippine Sportswriters Association to hall of fame status during its awarding rites at the posh Diamond Hotel Monday night.

“There’s so much talent in this country that fall through the cracks of the system and it’s really sad, so this is why I suggested to him (Mr. Bachmann) and I believe he is listening to me and he would initiate talent scouting,” added the now Laoag City Mayor.

Proof of the pudding was Mr. Keon’s Gintong Alay product Ms. De Vega Mercado, who was at a tender age of 16 years old in 1980, or the year after the creation of the fabled Gintong Alay was created, broke the national, Southeast Asian and Asian Games records in one memorable run in the 400 meters of the UAAP versus Gintong Alay meet.

Ms. De Vega-Mercado would later emerge with two gold medals in the Asian Games, four in the Asian Athletics Championships and nine in the SEA Games and set numerous records that cemented her status as one of the best, if not the best, athletes the country has produced.

And Mr. Keon believed she could have won more.

“We had 22 athletes, one was Lydia (De Vega-Mercado) and we went to Baguio, trained for six months and in the UAAP vs. Gintong Alay in May, 1980, Lydia ran the 400m and she broke Asiad, SEA Games and Philippines records by 54.60 at the age of 16,” said Mr. Keon.

“If Lydia had continued to train from 16 to 24 years old, she could have easily broken 50 seconds, which could have won her an Olympic medal and she could have been Olympic champion for me.”

“In fact, Ms. PT Usha, Lydia’s greatest rival, won an Olympic bronze in the 400m hurdles,” he added. — Joey Villar