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NGCP urged to raise level of power available via standby contracts

BW FILE PHOTO

THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has been urged to raise the level of standby power available to it in order to ensure continuous power should any of the generating plants supplying the grid experience outages.

The standby power is known as ancillary services, which the NGCP must enter into contracts for so they can be tapped when needed.

“The flow of energy should be stable and dependable to ensure operational reliability and prevent power outages that adversely impact the lives of our people and the economy in general,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said in a statement. “NGCP must do its job and contract ancillary services.”

The Luzon grid was placed on red alert last month, signifying a deterioration in the supply-demand balance that requires power rationing, which is carried out via rotating brownouts.

Mr. Gatchalian said ancillary services contracts for 899 megawatts (MW) are due to expire next year, while another 568 MW will expire in 2024.

Given the Philippines’ vulnerability to natural calamities, Mr. Gatchalian said an uninterrupted power supply is critical to support infrastructure and services used in the recovery and rehabilitation effort.

“The NGCP should not neglect its duty of contracting ancillary services so that we can ensure continuous energy supply and avoid the harm caused by constant brownouts to our citizens,” he said.

The NGCP and its regulator have been in dispute about the appropriate level of ancillary service contracts to enter into. The grid operator incurs costs for the right to have ancillary power on standby.

Mr. Gatchalian backed the Energy Regulatory Commission’s issuance of a show cause order to the NGCP over its failure to comply with its obligation to contract adequate ancillary services.

“I encourage the ERC to continue to watch over those who are responsible to fulfill their duty to ensure that the entire country has an adequate supply of electricity,” he said. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

DBM releases P1B for risk allowance of healthcare frontliners

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it released P1.04 billion to the Department of Health (DoH) to cover allowances for government and private-sector health workers who worked during the pandemic.

The Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) was approved on Monday for the special risk allowance (SRA) of eligible frontliners who were involved in the pandemic containment effort between Sept. 15, 2020 and June 30, 2021, according to the DBM.

The amount covers unpaid SRA claims of 55,211 qualified health workers, who are eligible for P5,000 for each month they were on duty during the period.

“Qualified health workers refer to medical, allied medical, and other personnel assigned in hospitals and healthcare facilities, and who are directly catering to or in contact with COVID-19 patients, persons under investigation (PUIs) or persons under monitoring (PUMs),” the DBM said.

The DoH submitted the documentation for the SRA early last month. The allowances are authorized by the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, an economic stimulus measure passed during the public health emergency.

The allowances are also authorized by the Duterte government’s Administrative Order (AO) No. 36. The AO, issued in November, carries the title “Authorizing the grant of COVID-19 SRA to Health Workers directly catering to or in contact with COVID-19 patients during the State of National Emergency.”

AO No. 42 later extended the SRA validity period to June 30, 2021.

Since the issuance of AO 36, SRA disbursements have totaled P11.857 billion.

“We understand and recognize the selflessness and immense sacrifice that our health workers continue to pour out throughout these turbulent times. Isa po itong paraan sa pagkilala sa kanilang sakripisyo (This is one way of recognizing their sacrifices),” Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman was quoted as saying in a statement.

“Rest assured that we will continue to closely coordinate with the DoH so that our healthcare workers get the allowances and benefits they deserve,” she added.

The DBM said that it has only received one other funding request from the DoH, which does not include the One COVID Allowance (OCA) that remains unpaid from before 2022.

“We only received two requests from DoH: one is for the P1.04 billion SRA, which we released yesterday, and the other is for the P11.5 billion for OCA (covering January to June 2022), which is already being processed,” DBM Undersecretary Goddes Hope O. Libiran said in a Viber message.

“We have not received a request for the P64-billion OCA covering the retroactive effect of the law,” she added.

At an online forum on Tuesday, DoH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said that the P11.5 billion is intended for about 1.6 million healthcare workers.

“I hope by next week we can start disbursing this money to communities for our healthcare workers,” she said.

Separately, Republic Act No. 11712, or the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act, became law on April 27 covering “the period of the Public Health Emergency commencing from July 1, 2021.”

The law replaced the SRA with a Health Emergency Allowance (HEA), with the latter now determined by risk exposure.

“Risk exposure categorization as defined in the law, and their corresponding levels of allowances, are as follows: 1.) those deployed in ‘low risk areas’ shall be given at least P3,000; 2.) those deployed in ‘medium risk areas’ shall be given at least P6,000; and 3.) those deployed in ‘high risk areas’ shall be given at least P9,000,” the DBM said. — Diego Gabriel C. Robles

DTI estimates e-commerce sellers at 2 million, exceeding forecasts

BW FILE PHOTO

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said that the number of entities doing business as online sellers has risen to 2 million, far larger than the department’s projections.

“As of our estimate for 2022, we are at 2 million e-commerce participants. We had a roadmap in 2021 with an estimate of 750,000 by 2022 but we now see based on our data that we reached 2 million,” DTI Assistant Secretary Ann Claire C. Cabochan told PTV on Tuesday.

“We continue to monitor that these online sellers comply with existing laws. If you recall, the Consumer Act doesn’t make a distinction between online sellers and those that sell in physical stores. They all have to adhere to the same rules; it’s the same treatment. We emphasize what their responsibilities are and we are monitoring them very closely at this time,” she added.

She cited the national standard guidelines for e-commerce operators.

In March, the DTI, along with the Intellectual Property Office, the National Privacy Commission and other agencies, issued a joint order on the laws and regulations governing online businesses.

The order regulates business-to-consumer and business-to-business e-commerce transactions to increase confidence in e-commerce overall.

Ms. Cabochan said the DTI is also concerned about practices like unfair pricing.

“The products, even if imported… must (fairly reflect) the purchase price,” she said, even adjusting for the exchange rate. “We remind sellers (to refrain) from unfair trade practices. We have the law that will allow us to run after those that take advantage of the situation,” she said.

“We used to have problems (obtaining the details of) a seller on an online platform. Now, with the help of the (National Privacy Commission), we can get the details of a seller and the platform has to release them to the DTI if there’s a complaint,” she added.

In the nine months to September, complaints arising from online transactions totaled about 8,000 out of the 21,406 complaints about transactions in all selling formats.

“Those matters within the purview of DTI are mostly about liabilities and service imperfections for defective products, warranties, and the like,” Ms. Cabochan said.

“If you feel you are being short changed or scammed, you can file a complaint with the DTI,” she added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Fuel subsidy distributed to 10,000 farmers, fisherfolk in Soccsksargen

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) is currently distributing a tranche of the fuel subsidy to nearly 10,000 registered farmers and fisherfolk in Soccsksargen.

“One of the most substantial operational expenses in farming and fishing is fuel,” the DA said in a statement.

As of Sept. 27, oil companies have raised the price of fuel by a net P14.85 per liter for gasoline in the year to date. The corresponding increases in other types of fuel are P29.40 per liter for diesel, and P24.10 per liter for kerosene.

The most recent price action late last month was a decrease in the gasoline price by P1.65-P1.75, in the diesel price by P1.25, and in the kerosene price by P1.35.

Corn farmers and fisherfolk are eligible for fuel discounts of 30%, with discounts capped at P3,000, via Universal Storefront Services Corp., a local partner of the DA.

The DA said it is also actively encouraging farmers and fisherfolk in the region to modernize and boost productivity.

“To assist them, more than P49 million is set aside for corn farmers and fishermen in Soccsksargen through the fuel discount program which aims to extend assistance to farmers and fishermen who own agricultural or fishing machinery, either individually or through organizations,” it added.

A corn farmer must be registered under the Farmers and Fisherfolk Registry System to be eligible for the fuel subsidy.

Eligible fisherfolk must also be registered, with the upper limit of boat size set at 3 gross tons. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Bills establishing tech-voc special schools approved by House panel

DUALTECH/HANDOUT/PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

A JOINED House committee approved on Tuesday bills seeking to create so-called “Meister” schools, which are geared towards training graduates for the needs of industry with a heavy concentration of specialized technical-vocational (tech-voc) courses.

House Bill (HB) 652 or the proposed Meister Schools Act, authored by Albay Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda, hopes to establish one such senior high school in every region.

The measure is modeled on tech-voc schools in South Korea, which in turn were inspired by the German system of apprenticeship until students reach “meister” status in their particular craft.

“The Department of Education maintains support for the fulfillment of this bill,” Education department assistant secretary Alma Ruby C. Torio said at the hearing.

On the other hand, HB 996 or the proposed National Academy for Technical and Vocational Skills Systems Act, seeks to establish at least one specialized tech-voc high school in every highly urbanized city as well as in every region.

“We want students to be given an option to be able to work as a skilled craftsmen or go to college,” Pasig Rep. Roman T. Romulo, the author of HB 996, said at the hearing.

The objective, he said, is to make students fit to work immediately after Senior High School, he added.

“We would like to commend these bills, particularly on giving depth on the concept of theoretical application of learning tech-voc in classrooms,” Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Deputy Director General Tonisito M.C. Umali said at the hearing. — Kyanna Angela Bulan

Murder of Metro Manila-based journalist prompts condemnation, calls for swift justice

A POLICE officer supervises the towing of the vehicle of broadcaster Percival Mabasa, also known as Percy Lapid, who died Monday night from a drive-by shooting as he was about to enter a gated village in Las Piñas City. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE MURDER of a radio journalist on Monday night in Las Piñas, a city in the Philippine capital region Metro Manila, has prompted condemnation from media groups and other sectors, who described the crime as a blow to press freedom.  

Radio journalist Percival Mabasa, 63, was killed by two assailants at the gate of a residential compound, police said on Tuesday. 

“That the incident took place in Metro Manila indicates how brazen the perpetrators were, and how authorities have failed to protect journalists as well as ordinary citizens from harm,” said the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. 

The national police vowed to bring justice over the attack. The government had no immediate comment. 

It followed the fatal stabbing last month of radio journalist Rey Blanco in Negros Oriental in central Philippines. 

The Akbayan political party said the most recent killing highlights the prevailing culture of impunity in the country. 

“We call on the authorities to find those responsible and bring them to justice,” it said in a statement. “This is what happens when a culture of violence and impunity is left unchecked.” 

The group added that Mr. Mabasa’s death was a blow to the free press in the country. 

The Philippines has one of Asia’s most liberal media environments, but it remains of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists, particularly in its provinces. 

At least 187 have been killed in the past 35 years in the Philippines, according to international watchdog Reporters Without Borders, including 32 killed in a single incident in 2009.  

Mr. Mabasa’s family called his killing a “deplorable crime” and demanded “his cowardly assassins be brought to justice.”  

Rights group Karapatan described him as “one of the country’s fiercest truth-tellers”.  

Videos on Mr. Mabasa’s YouTube channel, which has 216,000 subscribers, showed he had been critical of the previous president and some policies and officials in incumbent President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s administration.  

The Philippine National Police, in a statement, said a special task force has been created to lead the investigation.  

“We are not discounting the possibility that the shooting could be related to the victim’s work in media,” Las Piñas Police Chief Jaime Santos said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez and Reuters 

Solon bats for P521-M additional budget to improve agri sector database system 

DA.GOV.PH

A LAWMAKER on Tuesday asked the House Committee on Appropriations to provide an additional P521 million to the Department of Agriculture’s 2023 budget for the upgrade of its database management system for a more efficient delivery of aid and services to farmers and fisherfolk.  

“It is crucial that farmers and fisherfolk to register to the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) so they can access DA’s services,” AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee said in a letter to the committee. 

The RSBSA is a digital system that includes profiles of farmers and fisherfolk and geo-referencing of agricultural lands.   

Mr. Lee said the increased funding will be used to fully integrate the RSBSA with other government agencies for data harmonization.  

Mr. Lee said farmers have complained about erroneous information in the RSBSA as well as the lengthy registration process.    

“Fixing the RSBSA will be essential in ensuring that farmers and fisherfolk, even from the most remote regions of our country get the assistance they need especially during these trying times,” he said.  

Mr. Lee also asked for an additional P300 million to fund the continuation of the KADIWA ni ANI at KITA and the Enhanced KADIWA 2: Marketing Logistics Support programs of the Agriculture department.  

The DA has a proposed 2023 budget of P102.155 billion, 49% higher than this year’s budget. — Matthew Carl L. Montecillo

Party-list files petition for higher pay for teachers, non-teaching personnel

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

A PARTY-LIST group representing the education sector on Tuesday filed a petition at the House of Representatives seeking to upgrade the salary rate of teachers and non-teaching personnel.  

The petition, which was signed by around 57,000 teachers, was submitted to the House committee on Appropriations.   

ACT-Teachers Party-list Rep. France L. Castro said the petition is also a manifestation of support to related measures filed at the House of Representatives, including her House Bill 203, which proposes to upgrade the pay rate of public school educators to salary grade 15 and teaching personnel in higher education to salary grade 16.   

It also increases the compensation of non-teaching personnel to P16,000.   

“We deem it urgent, necessary and justified for teachers to be given significant pay hike, as promised to them many times, to fulfil the criteria set by Section 15 of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers,” Vladimer A. Quetua, chair of ACT-Teachers, said in the petition letter addressed to Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Elizaldy S. Co, chair of the appropriations panel.     

“As our government pays tribute to the contributions and sacrifices of our teachers this World Teachers’ Day, it is our fervent hope that our lawmakers would do something as concrete and as substantive as enacting considerable pay raise for our teachers and education support personnel,” he said. — Matthew Carl L. Montecillo 

Amendments sought on bills protecting freelancers, workers in the informal sector

SENATE.GOV.PH

LABOR and employers groups as well as government agencies have sought amendments to bills seeking to protect freelancers and workers in the informal sector.  

Among the provisions that were cited for clarification include the definition of freelancers with regards the more general informal sector workers, compensation rates provided under contracts, and social security benefits.   

“We subscribe to the spirit and intent of the bill considering that it provides protection to our freelance workers,” Employers Confederation of the Philippines Legal Service Manager Robert F. Maronilla said during the Senate Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development Committee hearing.  

“However, our concern is the definition of freelancers because we know that a majority of our workers in the Philippines come from the informal sector, if this bill is passed, only the freelancers will be given a lot of benefits,” he said.   

Since certain workers in the informal sector will not be given the same benefits, the group is concerned that the bill “may become discriminatory if the other workers, who are similarly situated in the informal economy, are left behind.”  

Senate Majority Leader Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva, in response, said it was not the intent of the Senate to give freelancers a “VIP position.”  

“I think it is proper to really differentiate the definition between self-employed, freelancers and informal workers because the idea here is to protect them because right now, they have zero protection in our labor code,” he said. 

Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Legislative Staff Officer Carlos Miguel S. Oñate said their “primary concern is the potential misclassification of freelancers as independent contractors even if they are performing necessary and regular task.”  

Mr. Oñate also put forward the inclusion of contract provisions on minimum wage rates and “customized social insurance programs” for freelancers.  

Representatives of the Department of Information and Communications Technology and Department of Transport expressed support to the bills, but will be submitting position papers on ensuring workers’ protection.  

A counterpart bill in the House of Representatives was approved at the committee level on Sept. 19. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

PHL, UNIDO reaffirm commitment to sustainable industrial, economic development

DFA.GOV.PH

THE PHILIPPINES and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have signed a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to accelerating sustainable industrial and economic development, according to a statement released Monday by the Department of Foreign Affairs.  

“The Philippines’ partnership with UNIDO has been transformative to the country’s development landscape and has been instrumental in helping the Philippines regain momentum in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Multilateral and International Economic Relations Carlos D. Sorreta said.  

The undersecretary also discussed pressing issues with UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller, including the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, renewable energy, fair labor and migration practices, and sustainable agriculture.  

Since 1993, UNIDO has had 11 ongoing projects with the Philippines, mostly providing support for a shift to more sustainable energy sources.  

UNIDO’s programs in the Philippines are anchored on the Philippine Development Plan and AmBisyon 2040.  

Mr. Müller visited the Philippines from September 27 to 29 as part of his official trip to Southeast Asia. He also went to Indonesia and Singapore. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Solon presses gov’t to stop offshore gaming operations in PHL

A HOUSE representative on Tuesday said the administration should heed the call of lawmakers to terminate all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), whether licensed or illegal, as the moral and social costs far outweigh economic benefits.   

POGOs spawn various crimes, including kidnap for ransom, prostitution and human trafficking, murder, extortion, online scamming, illegal drugs, and money laundering, said Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers in a press statement. 

“We saw on television and read in papers the police raids and rescue operations on the ‘imported’ prostitutes from China, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Vietnam only catering POGO workers,” Mr. Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said in a mix of English and Filipino.   

He cited that about 300,000 Chinese tourists-turned-POGO-workers entered the country since 2016 and some are allegedly being ordered to do work involving cybercrime.  

He said the claim by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), which issues gaming licenses, that POGO operations would bring in at least P32 billion in taxes annually had not materialized.   

Collection from POGOs dropped 46% to P3.19 billion in 2021 from P7.1 billion in 2020, according to a report presented by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.   

Data provided by PAGCOR showed that there were 32 POGOs and 127 service providers permitted to operate, but some of the online gambling firms are granting illegal sub-licenses to unregistered firms, through which Chinese and other nationals were subjected to human trafficking, Mr. Barbers said. — Kyanna Angela Bulan 

DTI seizes uncertified products in Bulacan, Cebu, Davao

DTI

UNCERTIFIED construction and automotive products worth about P17.24 million were recently confiscated in Bulacan, Cebu, and Davao, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced on Tuesday.   

In Cebu, the department seized 81,649 pieces of uncertified tires for automotive vehicles, G.I. steel pipes, deformed steel bars, and low carbon steel wires worth P14.78 million. 

“Deformed steel bars sealed in Cebu were found without the requisite labels and quality marks,” DTI said in a press release.  

In Davao del Norte, the DTI found 1,765 pieces of uncertified products worth P830,520.

The sealed products included self-ballasted LED lamps, PVC electrical tapes, plugs, socket-outlets, snap switches, BI/GI steel pipes, low carbon steel wires, ceramic plumbing fixtures, lead-acid storage batteries, inner tubes for tires, and tires for automotive vehicles, among others. 

In the towns of Malolos and Meycauayan in Bulacan, the agency found uncertified low carbon steel wires, tires for automotive vehicles, and lead acid storage batteries worth P1.63 million. 

Out of the 37 firms inspected, 23 non-compliant stores were issued Notices of Violation. 

“The DTI and its provincial and regional offices are one in ensuring that only certified products are being sold in the market; hence, as part of our regular function all of our enforcement teams regularly go out to check products under the mandatory certification,” Ruth B. Castelo, Consumer Protection Group Undersecretary, said.

Ms. Castelo said intensified enforcement operations are intended for consumer protection as well as for educating businesses on mandatory certification.

From January to August, the DTI said it already sealed 113,825 pieces of non-conforming products with an estimated retail value of P34.35 million. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

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