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Seafarers’ rights bill passes House panel 

SEAFARER OATHTAKING — MARINA.GOV.PH

A BILL establishing the rights of seafarers and a certification system that meets international standards was approved by a House of Representatives committee on Thursday.   

The still unnumbered bill, one of the House’s priority measures for 2023, institutes a magna carta for the country’s maritime workers and provides for a “system of education, training, certification, and licensing” to ensure a sustainable pool of competent and world-class seafarers.  

Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron P. Salo, chair of the overseas workers affairs committee that approved the measure, said the bill aims to “address the recent findings of the European Maritime Safety Association or EMSA on audits of Philippine compliance to the international convention standards of training, certification and watchkeeping.”  

In a November 2022 House panel meeting, Department of Migrant Workers Assistant Secretary Jerome T. Pampolina reported that the Philippines failed to comply with the international training standards for seafarers, with EMSA’s audit citing 13 shortcomings and 23 grievances.  

The bill provides that sailors are entitled to a safe and secure workplace under safety standards; fair terms and conditions of employment; decent working and living conditions onboard a ship; and medical care and other forms of social protection.   

Sailors also have the right to affordable education and training.  

Female seafarers are also protected in the proposed measure in terms of equal pay, opportunities for promotion, training, and scholarships. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz 

Several Filipinos in Turkey still unaccounted for in earthquake’s aftermath 

THE DOCTORS Without Borders, which already has a team in northwest Syria, was among the first groups to provide assistance in earthquake-hit areas. — PHOTO COURTESY OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS

THE PHILIPPINE Embassy in Ankara on Thursday said it is still receiving reports of affected Filipinos, with some out of reach, after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey on Feb. 6. 

“The embassy continuously receives a steady stream of confirmed and unconfirmed reports of Filipinos experiencing varying degrees of distress,” it said.  

“These included two confirmed reports of injured Filipinos, who are now recovered,” it added. “We are thankful that a number of our kababayans (countrymen) are safe and we will not give up hope for those that cannot be contacted.”  

Meanwhile, the embassy has also been contributing to the disaster response efforts through the distribution of relief goods to Filipinos in the cities of Adana and Iskenderun.  

“We are continuing to utilize our invaluable network of Filipino community leaders from across the country to get in touch with those in need, such as four Filipinos that the team evacuated from Adana to the safer city of Mersin,” the embassy said.  

Cherilyn Santos, president of the Filipino community in Ankara, on Thursday told Super Radyo dzBB that a Filipino reported dead earlier has been rescued. However, four other Filipinos living in the same building remain missing.  

There are 245 Filipinos residing in the affected regions, according to embassy consular records.  

There have been over 15,000 confirmed deaths across Turkey and neighboring Syria, according to a Thursday report from Reuters, as public anger brews over the slow arrival of rescue teams.  

The Philippines has sent an 85-man response team to Turkey to help in rescue and relief operations. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Lawmakers call for swift passage of anti-union interference bill

PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

AUTHORS of a bill allowing workers to organize without interference from employers and armed authorities have called for its immediate passage, citing that the measure complies with the recommendations of the International Labor Organization (ILO) on addressing abuses faced by labor groups.

House Bill No. 407 passed the committee level on Wednesday and is set for plenary deliberations.  

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Danniel A. Manuel, one of the authors, said in a press conference on Thursday that the administration “is expected to report back to the ILO by June 5, 2023 regarding its progress on implementing (its) recommendations.”  

ILO representatives visited the Philippines in January to assess and give policy recommendations on the conditions and treatment of trade unions.  

The bill “definitively establishes the prohibited acts that will violate the right to organize, that has always been explicitly allowed under the Bill of Rights and the Labor Code,” Mr. Manuel said.  

Deputy Minority Leader France L. Castro told the same briefing that the passage of the bill is also relevant because “only less than 10% of industries and factories are unionized.”  

Under the bill, workers should not be stopped from joining labor organizations or carrying out their duties as members.  

Workers or workers’ organizations also cannot be vilified or tagged as subversives or terrorists by the military, police, and the anti-communist task force. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz 

Supreme Court: Fathers can seek protection for kids abused by mothers 

PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

MOTHERS can be sued for abusing their children, the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) ruled, as it granted a plea by a father to protect his daughter from physical abuse by his estranged wife. 

In a decision dated July 12 last year and made public on Feb. 1, the tribunal said mothers can be offenders under a law that protects women and children against violence. 

“Logically, a mother who maltreated her child resulting in physical, sexual, or psychological violence defined and penalized under the law is not absolved from criminal liability notwithstanding that the measure is intended to protect both women and their children,” Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez said in the ruling.  

“The court refuses to be an instrument of injustice and mischief perpetrated against vulnerable sectors of the society such as children victims of violence.”  

It noted that while the law excludes men from being victims, the law does not deny fathers from filing legal remedies for their children.  

Under the law, parents or guardians of the victim may file a petition for protection orders.  

In 2017, a Taguig trial court denied Randy Michael Knutson’s petition for a protection order in favor of his daughter.  

The trial court ruled that the protection order could not be issued against Rosalina Knutson, his wife, since it said remedies under the law were not available to Mr. Knutson because he was not a “woman victim of violence.”  

The Supreme Court said the law explicitly allows “parents” of the victim to apply for protection orders. 

“The fact that a social legislation affords special protection to a particular sector does not automatically suggest that its members are excluded from violating such law,” the tribunal said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez 

DPWH completes P100-M road projects in 4 provinces  

DPWH

ROAD projects worth P100.34 million in four provinces that improve farmers’ route to trading centers and access to tourism spots have recently been completed, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).  

In separate press releases, DPWH said the roadworks are in Negros Occidental, Southern Leyte, Nueva Ecija, and Aklan.  

The P34-million project in Talisay City, Negros Occidental covered the reconstruction of a 1.17-kilometer (km) two-lane concrete road that supports the agri-tourism industry in the area.  

It is a part of a 13.02-km road project amounting to P295 million.   

“With the improvement of the whole stretch of the access road, both tourists and locals will have a smoother, faster, and safer transportation access going to various tourist destinations in Talisay City and Bacolod City such as the famous Campuestohan Highland Resort, Bantug Lake Ranch, and USLS Eco Park,” DPWH said.  

In Maasin City, Southern Leyte, the completed project worth P15 million consists of a two-lane 1.58-km road that will benefit farmers and entrepreneurs in the area of Libhu.   

Meanwhile, the widening works in Tablang-Gabaldon Road in Laur, Nueva Ecija was also completed this week, with the project costing P21.94 million.  

In Makato, Aklan, paving of the six-kilometer West Road was completed at a cost of P29.4 million.  

DPWH said paving of another 12.31-km road in the area is ongoing, with a projected cost of P79.5 million.  

“With Makato considered as the main producer of copra in the province and Ibajay boasting various tourist attractions, the road improvements will benefit both Aklanons and visitors as it enhances the transport system along the national road,” the department said. — Justine Irish DP. Tabile 

Bill seeks farm consolidation, clustering to make agri sector more productive, competitive 

BW FILE PHOTO

A HOUSE bill that supports farm consolidation and crop clustering has been filed, aiming to make the Philippine agricultural sector more efficient and globally competitive.   

“Agriculture is always an issue of scale,” TINGOG Party-list Rep. Jude A. Acidre, one of the authors of House Bill 7077, said in a statement on Thursday.  

The measure’s explanatory note says farm consolidation will “open opportunities for people working in the agricultural sector to gain access to modern and developing technologies needed for sustainable agriculture and enable them to have a competitive advantage in the market.”   

Under the bill, special agricultural growth zones (SAGZ) will be developed by merging adjacent farmlands within 50 hectares for a synchronized production of a particular crop. 

Most Philippine farmers are smallholders, including beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program that limits ownership to three hectares.    

Each special zone will focus on staples such as rice, corn, and sugarcane, or high-value crops such as coconut.    

The SAGZ and designated crops will be identified based on the area’s climate and environmental conditions; presence of agrarian reform communities and other smallholders; and “strategic location” for domestic and international shipments.   

The bill also proposes the creation of a Philippine Agricultural Zone Authority under the Agriculture department.  

The measure is pending at the government enterprises and privatization committee. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Estrada tells DMW to go after foreign-owned recruitment agencies   

A SENATOR called on the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to go after foreign-controlled recruitment agencies that use Filipinos as front owners to hire employees abroad.    

Senator Jose “Jinggoy” E. Estrada said his office has received information on allegedly foreign-owned placement agencies, which violate the licensing and regulation rules of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Labor Code of the Philippines.  

Filipinos posing as “dummy incorporators” was apparently “common knowledge” in the industry, he said in a statement on Thursday.   

The senator said there are suspicions that some of these illegal recruitment agencies may be responsible for the deployment of workers who end up being abused, such as Jullebee Cabilis Ranara who was recently slain in Kuwait.   

Initial investigation conducted by the DMW showed that Ms. Ranara’s local and foreign recruitment agencies failed to comply with the mandatory monitoring requirements to ensure the well-being of their deployed workers.  

“It might be tedious for this committee to summon all the incorporators or the board of directors of the recruitment agencies,” Mr. Estrada said. “Let’s just request the DMW to scrutinize the recruitment agencies, whether the proprietors of these recruitment agencies have the financial capability to run its operations.”  

DMW officials have assured senators that once the licenses of recruitment agencies are revoked or canceled due to violations, all of its officers and incorporators are placed on a derogatory list and are disqualified to operate any other recruitment activities. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

SC 76 prospector Ratio declares 2 possible finds in East Palawan

RATIOPETROLEUM.COM

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said Israel’s Ratio Petroleum Ltd. has identified two possible petroleum finds within its concession area, Service Contract (SC) 76.

“Ratio Petroleum’s initial work program has resulted in the identification of numerous leads that emphasize the prospectiveness of the basin. Several leads show clear anomalies, which supports the concept of the basin being gas prone,” Alessandro O. Sales, Energy undersecretary, said in a statement.

SC 76 is located to the north of a formation known as the East Palawan Basin in the Sulu Sea.

The DoE said the two prospects have over 20 leads which require further surveys and drilling.

SC 76 covers an area of 648,000 hectares, with water depths ranging from 800 to 1,700 meters.

The DoE said that Ratio Petroleum’s approved work program covers seven years of exploration to be carried out in three phases.

The first phase covers the acquisition of 2D seismic data which started on Oct. 17, 2018, while the second phase will cover the acquisition of 3D seismic data.

The 3D seismic data phase is expected to be completed in the next two years providing a refined image of the area’s subsurface geology.

The DoE said that the third phase will include the drilling of one exploration well.

“Further, data from wells within and near the basin show the presence of several organic-rich intervals, of both terrestrial and marine origins,” the DoE said.

Ratio Petroleum expects to spend around $34.35 million for studies, data gathering, and drilling activity during its seven-year contract period.

“It is timely that we reinvigorate our petroleum exploration activities. While it is capital-intensive to carry out exploration programs, with the depletion of the Malampaya reservoir and the continuing volatility of fossil fuel prices in the past years, we need an aggressive push to explore for new oil and gas fields for the furtherance of our energy security,” Mr. Sales added.

In 2018, the DoE awarded SC 76 to Ratio Petroleum through the Philippine Energy Contracting Round.

The Israeli company is credited with helping develop the Leviathan natural gas field off the Israeli coast — the largest such field in the Mediterranean. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

Japan investment pledges mostly from electronics companies

REUTERS

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday obtained investment pledges from Japanese electronics companies, while also receiving assurances from shipping companies of more hiring of seafarers from the Philippines, the Palace said.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the pledges were worth “billions of pesos” from Japanese companies producing semiconductors and other electronic products with the potential for generating more than 10,000 jobs.

The final tally of investment commitments will be announced on Feb. 10 “during the signing of the letters of intent by the Japanese companies,” the PCO said in a statement.

Mr. Marcos had a roundtable meeting with semiconductor and electronics companies looking to expand their operations in the Philippines.

Among those present at the meeting were representatives of Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Ltd., Yazaki Corp., Yokowo Manufacturing of the Philippines, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Brother Industries, Ltd., IBIDEN Co., Ltd., Seiko Epson Corp., NIDEC-SHIMPO Corp., and TDK Corp.

In his remarks, the President said the Philippines aspires to achieve the “status of a regional hub for printers, wiring harnesses, and other electronic goods.”

“We consider your operations significant. You are a prime generator of jobs,” he said. “You provide support for sectors critical to industrial development and you carry with you the promise to create value through innovation in global manufacturing around the world.”

Mr. Marcos said Philippine advantages like the availability of engineers, an entrenched network of Japanese companies, and the thriving information technology services sector “offers promise for future expansion.”

“With the automotive industry moving toward electric vehicles and autonomous driving and the printer industry facing challenges related to digitalization and automation, we hope to see you recruit our talented human resources in your research and development activities,” he said.

In 2021, the Philippines was the fourth-largest exporter of wiring harness in the world after Mexico, China, and Romania, according to the Palace. The Philippines was also one of the lowest-cost producers of wiring harnesses.

“This trend has been building over a 20-year period where wiring harness exports from 2001 to 2021 grew at a steady pace of 9% per year.”

Mr. Marcos arrived in Japan on Wednesday for a five-day visit.

The President also met with Japanese shipping companies on Thursday, who assured that they will continue to hire Filipino seafarers, the Palace said in a separate statement.

“Filipino seafarers are essential to the Japanese shipping industry. And so, we sincerely and strongly hope that they will continue to be a steady supply of professional and well-trained Filipino seafarers to work alongside us,” Junichiro Ikeda, president of the Japanese Shipowners’ Association and chairman of the Mitsui OSK Lines, was quoted as saying to Mr. Marcos at the meeting.

“We also expect that quality standard of the Filipino seafarers to continue to improve, as the Philippine government continues to work hard to achieve this.”

The shipowners sought Mr. Marcos’ “help and assurance” in obtaining access to a steady supply of seafarers, the Palace said.

Mr. Marcos said the administration will continue to work closely with the shippers to ensure a ready pool of seafarers.

“The JSA has the assurance of the Philippine government that we will continue to work together as a team, as partners, in ensuring that your requirements for more seafarers shall be met because, clearly, you care for them very much and they are in good hands while under your employment.”

The President noted the investments of Japanese shipowners in maritime training schools in Laguna and Bataan, which produce 1,200 cadets per school each year.

“About 75% of the crews of Japanese ocean-going vessels is composed of Filipino seafarers and an average of 6,600 Filipino seafarers per year is deployed to vessels with the Japanese Flag of Registry in the past 10 years,” the Palace said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Employment numbers don’t reflect job-market dropouts — think tank

Commuters wait for public transportation along Ortigas Extension in Cainta, Rizal, Sept. 14, 2022. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ WALTER BOLLOZOS

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

THE decline in the 2022 jobless rate masks the number of workers who have stopped seeking formal employment, IBON Foundation said.

“Reported unemployment doesn’t count jobless Filipinos who may have dropped out of the labor force after a long time of seeking but not finding work,” the think tank’s Executive Director Jose Enrique A. Africa said in a Viber message.

“As it is, between November and December, the labor force actually declined by 661,000 and the labor force participation rate to 66.4%,” he added, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The unemployment rate in 2022 dropped to 5.4%, a three-year low. In December the rate had increased to 4.3% from 4.2% a month earlier.

Job quality improved in December, as the underemployment rate, which represents employed Filipinos looking for more work, fell to 12.6%.

Last year, the underemployment rate averaged 14.2%, the lowest since the 14% posted in 2019. 

“Amid a discouraging labor market, the decline in reported underemployment may not reflect more Filipinos content with their current work and earnings but rather Filipinos stopping to look for better work that is nowhere to be found,” Mr. Africa said.

He noted that Filipinos in openly informal work, or those employed in unregistered establishments, number 21.2 million, accounting for 43.2% of total employment.

Jose G. Matula, president of the Federation of Free Workers, welcomed the improved employment data but cited the need to sustain the development by helping micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“There is a need for sustained efforts to combat price pressures, particularly non-monetary government measures,” he said in a Viber message.

“Congress should take action on laws that will provide subsidies for MSMEs and those that will establish a public employment program,” Mr. Matula added.

Headline inflation hit a 14-year high of 8.7% in January.

The Monetary Board increased its benchmark rate by 350 bps to a 14-year high of 5.5% in 2022. Its next policy review meeting is on Feb. 16.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has said inflation will likely average 4.5% this year before easing to 2.8% next year.

“Accelerating inflation is really eating into the purchasing power of poor and middle-class Filipinos who have the least ability to absorb rising prices,” Mr. Africa said.

The International Labor Organization has said soaring inflation rates continue to diminish the purchasing power of low-paid workers.

Mr. Africa added that the government should implement policies that develop industry to create more high-paying jobs.

“Without bolder measures like a comprehensive national industrial and technology policy to build manufacturing, for instance, the economy will never be able to create enough formal, productive and high-paying jobs for its growing workforce and population,” he said.

DENR cancels quarrying permits in Upper Marikina watershed

MASUNGI GEORESERVE FOUNDATION, HANDOUT

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered the cancellation of three mineral production sharing agreements (MPSAs) held by quarry operators in the Upper Marikina watershed towns of Baras and Tanay, Rizal province.

In separate orders dated Dec. 19, and made public this week, Environment Undersecretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna signed the orders revoking the MPSAs of Rapid City Realty and Development Corp., Quarry Rock Group, Inc. and Quimson Limestone, Inc.

MPSAs give concession holders exclusive rights to mine a defined area.

The revoked MPSAs cover 1,343 hectares within the barangays of Pinugay, Baras; and Cuyambay and Tandang Kutyo, Tanay.

Rapid City was found to have failed to file for an extension of its exploration period, which had lapsed for more than 22 years. It also failed to submit the corresponding work program as required by the MPSA.

Meanwhile, both Quarry Rock and Quimson were ruled to have violated their MPSAs by conducting non-quarrying operations; failing to submit and secure approval of development work programs; and failuring to establish mine rehabilitation funds.

In a statement on Thursday, Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition said it obtained the copies of the orders it requested last month.

“After three years of campaigning, we look forward to seeing these cancellations enforced and reflected on the ground,” the coalition said in a statement on Thursday.

The coalition brings together over 60 groups seeking to protect the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL).

“Once more, we call on the DENR Secretary to directly dialogue with the Masungi Georeserve Foundation to settle mutual concerns on its joint reforestation project, which is located in the UMRBPL,” the coalition said.

The Marikina Watershed is a 26,126-hectare basin, which was declared a protected area in 2018 for the ecosystem services it provides, such as protection from floods and landslides. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

PEZA sets launch target of 1-3 ecozones a year 

SCIENCEPARK.COM.PH

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said it has set an “aspirational” target of one to three new economic zone launches each year.

“We actually expect to operationalize one to three new ecozones (each year). That is our aspiration,” PEZA Deputy Director General for Operations Vivian S. Santos said in an ABS-CBN News Channel television interview on Thursday.

“These ecozones, before they can be operationalized, have to be issued a proclamation by the Office of the President (OP),” she added.

According to Ms. Santos, there are 29 ecozones approved by the PEZA Board that are awaiting the Presidential proclamation.

She said the 29 consist of 13 information technology parks and centers, 12 manufacturing ecozones, two related to tourism, one agro-industrial, and one mixed-use manufacturing and tourism ecozone.

In January, PEZA said that the 29 pending ecozones will require combined investments of P96.21 billion. Of the 29 projects, eight are to be located in the Calabarzon region.

“The largest investment among these projects is a mixed-used special economic zone for manufacturing and tourism to be located in Pangasinan, with a project cost of about P81.648 billion,” PEZA said in an earlier statement.

Currently, PEZA oversees 421 ecozones hosting 4,346 locators. The ecozones have generated a total of 1.8 million direct jobs.

Ms. Santos said PEZA is confident it will achieve its 10% investment growth target for 2023.

PEZA approved P6.4 billion worth of investments in January, up 83.7% from a year earlier.

The approved projects consist of 19 new and expansion projects. These include 11 export manufacturing enterprises.

“This is just the first month of the year. We are confident that we will be able to reach our 10% increase of investment compared to that P140 billion worth of investment recorded last year,” Ms. Santos said.

“Hopefully, with our increased promotion…. and possible ecozone development in the countryside opening doors for other types of ecozones the likes of agro-forestry ecozones, aquamarine parks, knowledge, innovation, science, and technology parks, halal and food production hubs, pharmaceutical ecozones, biotechnology parks, defense industrial complexes, renewable energy parks, and mineral processing zones, we hope to achieve the target investment,” she added.

PEZA Officer-in-Charge Tereso O. Panga has said that more ecozones are expected to be approved following the addition of the ecozone development program in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 launched last month.

“Ecozones can be shields (against) headwinds… ecozones can (also be) economic drivers to accelerate recovery and growth,” Mr. Panga said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

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