Elon Musk named Time’s 2021 ‘Person of the Year’

December 15, 2021 | 12:02 am

TESLA Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2021, a year that saw his electric car company become the most valuable carmaker in the world and his rocket company soar to the edge of space with an all-civilian crew.

Mr. Musk is also the founder and CEO of SpaceX, and leads brain-chip startup Neuralink, and infrastructure firm The Boring Company. Tesla’s market value soared to more than $1 trillion this year, making it more valuable than Ford Motor and General Motors combined.

Tesla produces hundreds of thousands of cars every year and has managed to avert supply chain issues better than many of its rivals, while pushing many young consumers to switch to electric cars and legacy automakers to shift focus to EV vehicles.

“For creating solutions to an existential crisis, for embodying the possibilities and the perils of the age of tech titans, for driving society’s most daring and disruptive transformations, Elon Musk is TIME’s 2021 Person of the Year,” the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Felsenthal, said.

“Even Elon Musk’s spacefaring adventures are a direct line from the very first Person of the Year, Charles Lindbergh, whom the editors selected in 1927 to commemorate his historic first solo transatlantic airplane flight over the Atlantic.”

From hosting Saturday Night Live to dropping tweets on cryptocurrencies and meme stocks that have triggered massive movements in their value, Mr. Musk has dominated the headlines and amassed over 66 million followers on Twitter.

Some of his tweets have also attracted regulatory scrutiny in the past.

According to the magazine, “The Person of the Year” signifies somebody “who affected the news or our lives the most, for better, or worse.”

Time magazine named the teenage pop singer Olivia Rodrigo as its “Entertainer of the Year,” American gymnast Simone Biles “Athlete of the Year,” and vaccine scientists were named “Heroes of the Year.”

Last year, US President-elect Joseph R. Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris were jointly given the “Person of the Year” title. Time began this tradition in 1927. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have also received the title in the past. — Reuters

BSP says P1,000 bill featuring heroes will not be demonetized

December 15, 2021 | 12:02 am

THE CENTRAL BANK said the current P1,000 bill featuring World War II heroes will not be demonetized and will continue to be circulated along with polymer banknotes with a new design to be launched next year.

“Heroes will remain heroes whether they are in the notes or not. The P1,000 paper banknote featuring Jose Abad Santos, Vicente Lim, Josefa Llanes Escoda will remain in circulation alongside with the new 1,000-piso polymer banknotes,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said at a briefing on Monday.

“Under my watch, there will be no demonetization of any denomination. The BSP will continue to print the existing P1,000 paper banknotes feature the three heroes even as we circulate the 1,000-piso polymer banknotes,” he added.

Mr. Diokno on Saturday unveiled the design for the polymer P1,000 bills that will be in limited circulation by mid-2022.

The polymer bills feature the Philippine eagle as the design of its front side, a departure from the current banknotes which have the three heroes.

“It depicts strength and freedom of Filipinos as well as independence and clear vision of the BSP to help achieve a better and more inclusive economy,” Mr. Diokno said.

The BSP’s new design for the P1,000 bill was met with criticism from different organizations and even lawmakers as they said removing heroes from banknotes could contribute to the historical revisionism already happening in the country.

The current P20, P50, P100, P200 and P500 bills in circulation feature former presidents Manuel L. Quezon; Sergio V. Osmeña, Sr.; Manuel A. Roxas; Diosdado P. Macapagal; and Corazon C. Cojuangco together with his husband Senator Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., who was assassinated during the administration of the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.

However, Mr. Diokno said featuring flora and fauna in banknotes will also promote the country’s culture.

“Like the heroes’ theme, the flora and fauna theme will also demonstrate our pride and distinction as a people and a nation. It will remind us of our nation’s commitment to ensure a sustainable future for everyone,” he said.

The BSP chief earlier said central banks around the world improve the designs of their banknotes every 10 years on average.

The current series of Philippine banknotes first went into circulation more than 10 years ago.

Mr. Diokno said they will assess from the trial circulation of the polymer bills whether they will use the material and design for wider distribution, considering the lifespan of the banknotes in local conditions.

The BSP partnered with the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) for the pilot testing of the polymer bills. These notes will be delivered by RBA’s subsidiary by April next year.

Some countries that have used polymer for their banknotes include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mexico, and Fiji.

PROBE SOUGHT
Lawmakers from the progressive Makabayan bloc are seeking an investigation at the House of Representatives into the removal of World War II heroes in the new design of P1,000 banknote.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate, Eufemia C. Cullamat, and Ferdinand R. Gaite filed House Resolution 2412 urging the Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries to look into the matter.

“Banknotes represent not just a country’s tourist attractions but what a nation holds dear and serves as a constant reminder to its people. Eliminating our heroes from them is a way of erasing them from the Philippine psyche,” the resolution said.

The Makabayan lawmakers said the design change would be “a divisive revisionist makeover.”

They added that the removal of the war heroes from the new design could “undermine their historical contributions in the defense of the (country’s) freedoms and the fight against foreign aggression.” — Luz Wendy T. Noble and R.L.C. Ku

GBP unites with Iloilo local gov’t on P15-million park development

December 15, 2021 | 12:02 am

GLOBAL BUSINESS Power Corp. (GBP) announced on Tuesday that it has inked a partnership with the local government of Iloilo City for a P15-million joint development project.

GBP, through its subsidiaries, Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) and Panay Power Corp. (PPC), will develop La Paz Plaza in the center of the city starting January and is targeted for completion by June.

Located within GBP’s two adopted barangays in Divinagracia and Lopez Jaena Norte, the improvement of the park is intended to promote the La Paz Plaza as a cultural and tourism spot, the company said in a statement.

“We sincerely hope that through this development project, we can be of assistance in elevating the La Paz Plaza as a modern recreation area for culture and sports, wherein residents and tourists could enjoy, unwind and nurture creativity,” GBP President Jaime T. Azurin said in a statement.

The project is seen to turn the plaza lagoon into a “Blue Koi Lagoon” and build a “Green Butterfly Garden” with the goal of promoting the public space as a cultural and tourism spot.

The generation giant also donated seedlings of Dungon, a kind of timber tree, to boost the mangrove species within the La Paz area and to help restore several waterway and rivers traversing the city.

GBP has four power plants in Iloilo City: two coal plants with a total of 314 megawatts (MW) in capacity and two fuel oil plants with a 92-MW capacity. It has a total capacity of 1,091 MW with 13 power plants across the Visayas and Mindanao.

GBP is owned by Meralco PowerGen Corp. of the Meralco Group. Manila Electric Co.’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT, Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — M.C. Lucenio

Team Philippines will have a heavyweight boxer in the near future — ABAP president

December 15, 2021 | 12:01 am

IF plans don’t miscarry, the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) will have a heavyweight boxer competing for country and flag in the near future.

ABAP president Ed Picson did not divulge the name of the said boxer, but hinted this one has a potential and is interested to take up the sport instead of the more popular basketball and volleyball.

“There is this heavyweight, 18 years old, 210 pounds, six-foot-one boxer somewhere in the Visayas and very interested in joining us, pero medyo hilaw pa (but he is still quite raw),” said Mr. Picson during Tuesday’s online Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.

“We’re negotiating with him and his parents,” he added.

If this pug agrees to join the national pool, he will be the biggest since light heavyweight John Marvin made the squad.

“Ever since I came into ABAP, I haven’t seen a heavyweight and this will be the first time we will have a legit local heavyweight,” Mr. Picson said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Picson announced they would field in a team composed of six male and six female boxers to the Asian Under-22 Championships slated Jan. 20-30 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

“We have already informed all our boxers and coaches that we have a Christmas break from Dec. 18 to Jan. 8. But then the invitation came out so we had to sadly inform them,” he said. — Joey Villar

The biopharmaceutical industry’s response to Omicron

December 15, 2021 | 12:01 am

While the new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern, Omicron, has not been detected in the Philippines, health experts say that its entry into the country is just a matter of time.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stressed that there is no need to panic but all countries must prepare for its likely spread. The international health agency reported that Omicron is now in 63 countries, as of this writing, once again putting pressure on health systems. Given the current available data, it is likely that it will outpace the Delta variant where community transmission occurs.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also said that Omicron will likely spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The CDC emphasized that current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant. Breakthrough infections, or an infection of a fully vaccinated person, are likely to occur.

As a science-driven industry, the biopharmaceutical industry over the past two years has demonstrated its commitment to respond rapidly to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The industry is bringing the same expertise, experience and resolve to counter the Omicron variant.

Crucial to this action is the swift sharing of the Omicron variant by South African and Botswana scientists through the GISAID. The immediate sharing of harmful pathogens and variants will allow the industry to develop effective vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.

With extensive knowledge on earlier variants, the industry is once again scanning authorized and unapproved vaccines and treatments to determine if they could provide protection against Omicron. Vaccine developers have also been quick to announce that they will specifically target this latest variant.

In a statement, Pfizer said that preliminary laboratory studies demonstrate that three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine neutralize the Omicron variant while two doses show significantly reduced neutralization titers. Pfizer and BioNTech also announced that they have started to develop an Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine; the first batches can be produced within 100 days pending regulatory approval, the companies said.

Johnson & Johnson also announced that it is pursuing an Omicron-specific variant vaccine. “In parallel, we have begun work to design and develop a new vaccine against Omicron and will rapidly progress it into clinical studies if needed,” Johnson & Johnson said in a statement.

Moderna said that it is working rapidly to test the ability of the current vaccine dose to neutralize the Omicron variant. Moderna will also advance an Omicron-specific booster candidate. “This candidate is part of the Company’s strategy to advance variant-specific candidates for a subset of variants of significant concern,” said Moderna.

AstraZeneca, meanwhile, announced that its long-acting antibody combination for pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 neutralizes all previous variants, and that it is working to establish its efficacy against the new Omicron variant. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Emergency Use Authorization for tixagevimab co-packaged with cilgavimab for pre-exposure prophylaxis in adults and adolescents with moderate to severe immune compromise.

Also, GlaxoSmithKline said that sotrovimab, an investigational monoclonal antibody, retains in vitro activity against the full known Omicron spike protein. “These pre-clinical data demonstrate the potential for our monoclonal antibody to be effective against the latest variant, Omicron, plus all other variants of concern defined to date by the WHO,” said GSK.

Earlier, the US FDA granted EUA for molnupiravir for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19. “With the continued spread of the virus and the emergence of variants, additional treatments for COVID-19 are urgently needed,” MSD said in a statement.

Roche, on the other hand, has said that it has developed additional testing options to differentiate mutations in the Omicron variant. The variant kits allow differentiation between unique mutations present within the Omicron variant compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants. “It’s critical to identify Omicron quickly and accurately, which will help inform ongoing research — including the further development of therapeutics and vaccines — and potentially stop or slow down the advance of this new variant,” said Roche.

Abbott, meanwhile, announced that it has conducted an assessment of the Omicron variant and is confident that its rapid and PCR tests can detect the virus. “The process for evaluating variants and stress testing our tests doesn’t stop with the current variants. We are actively collecting real-world samples and using viral cultures to verify that our tests continually detect circulating strains,” said Abbott.

Even as the country is now categorized as having low risk when it comes to COVID-19 transmissions, efforts must continue to prepare for the Omicron variant. The country is just getting back from the Delta variant surge, and the public health system and our frontliners need time to recover.

Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), which represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are at the forefront of research and development efforts for COVID-19 and other diseases that affect Filipinos.

Arts & Culture (12/15/21)

December 15, 2021 | 12:01 am

Mga Di Nakikita ng Mata1 — ‘Mga Di Nakikita ng Mata’

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Simbang gabi, lights and sounds show return to CCP

GIVEN the more relaxed COVID-19 alert level in Metro Manila, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) brings back its traditional celebration of the Simbang Gabi in real-time and on-site. In partnership with the Our Lady of Sorrows church, the Misa de Gallo will be held from Dec. 16 to 24 at 5 a.m. at the CCP Main Ramp. The Misa de Aguinaldo (Christmas Eve Mass) will be held on Dec. 24, 8 p.m., at the CCP Main Theater, with a pre-mass program. This will be broadcast on the CNN Philippines channel. With encouraging feedback from last year’s virtual Simbang Gabi, the CCP also renewed its partnership with various parishes from different regions in the country to celebrate anticipated Simbang Gabi masses. The Anticipated Mass from the Regions will be held from Dec. 15 to 23, 9 p.m., and streamed simultaneously on the CCP Facebook page and CNN’s Kumu App. The featured parishes are: Sto. Niño Parish in Pandacan, Manila (Dec. 15), St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral Parish in Dumaguete City (Dec. 16), National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles (Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral) in Iloilo (Dec. 17), Holy Cross Parish (Margot) in Angeles City, Pampanga (Dec. 18), Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu in Cebu (Dec. 19), St. Francis Xavier Parish in Cagayan de Oro City (Dec. 20), Our Lady of Piat Basilica in Piat, Cagayan (Dec. 21), the Archdiocesan Shrine of Sto. Niño in Tacloban City (Dec. 22), and St. Gregory the Great Cathedral Parish in Daraga, Albay (Dec. 23). The Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group’s Pastores, a traditional re-enactment of the shepherds’ jubilation on the birth of the Messiah, will be played before the mass streaming. Meanwhile, the CCP will launch its annual Christmas lighting event, PASKO 2021: The CCP Façade Lights and Sound Show, on Dec. 15, 7 p.m. at the Main Building Façade. The launch will be live streamed on the CCP Facebook page. The annual holiday show features projected images of Christmas symbols and Christmas carols. The onsite launching program will be streamed live on CCP’s Facebook page on Dec. 15, 7 p.m. Onsite shows will be held daily until Jan. 2, 2022 at 7, 8, and 9 p.m. There will be no performances on Mondays and during inclement weather. For its Christmas activities, the CCP will strictly follow the IATF guidelines. The Center will implement 70% outdoor capacity for the Misa de Gallo (CCP Main Ramp), and 50% venue capacity for the Misa de Aguinaldo (CCP Main Theater). Read the CCP’s new normal health protocols at http://bit.ly/CCPNewNormalProtocol.

Online exhibit inspired by quarantine blues

A MOTION graphics artist aims to show “the unseen experiences we faced during the online learning setup” in an immersive illustration showcased as part of an online digital art exhibition. Yo Homecillo’s “Mga ‘Di Nakikita ng Mata” is fueled by his observations while in quarantine. “We met people through our screens, Zoom meetings, chats, and e-mails yet failed to empathize with them. With this piece, I was hoping to spark a little empathy in the hearts of the audience,” Mr. Homecillo said in a statement. The motion graphics artist worked on the project using Oculus Quill VR rendered through 3D software and uploaded on an online 3D Viewer. “Since my message revolves around empathy, I’ve decided that the audience be the ones to start empathizing with the characters. By using a 3D viewer, they can choose how to immerse themselves in the artwork, with the characters, and seeing the bigger picture. Sometimes to understand a person, you need to look at their background,” he said. Mr. Homecillo graduated with a degree in Multimedia Arts at Benilde and finished his MA in Fine Arts and Design at Philippine Women’s University.

Galeria Francesca presents ‘Sanso: Unexpected’

IN CELEBRATION of Presidential Medal of Merit Awardee Juvenal Sanso’s 92^nd birthday, Galerie Francesca at the Festival Mall presents “Sanso: Unexpected,” a rare collection of 33 works by the artist. Aiming to educate the public, Galerie Francesca, with research support and authentication from Fundacion Sanso, presents 33 works from six of the seven decades of Mr. Sanso’s career. These works are from Mr. Sanso’s personal collection which he only entrusted before to museums, and to collectors who understood and appreciated his artistry. As such, they are a revelation to many who have grown familiar only to his floral and Brittany series, hence the title “Sanso: Unexpected.” Highlights include dated works from 1963, a textile design from the 1960s, a rare cityscape, dated works from the 1970s, and a large reverse series painting that bridges his reverse painting to his Brittany series from the 1980s, and three canvas paintings from his Moderno and Abstract series done in the 2000s. “Sanso: Unexpected” runs until Dec. 19. Presented by Galerie Francesca, the exhibit is located at the 2^nd Level Expansion Wing, Civic Drive, Festival SuperMall, Alabang Muntinlupa City. For more details, visit www.galeriefrancesca.com, or https://www.facebook.com/GalerieFrancesca.PH.

Immaculate Mother Exhibit opens in Ali Mall

ARANETA City is hosting an Immaculate Mother Exhibit at the Ali Mall Activity Area. Organized by a group of Marian devotees, the exhibit runs until Dec. 15. It features more than 40 images of the Immaculate Mother. Various titular images of the Blessed Virgin Mary are featured in the exhibit, including the images of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and Our Lady of Fatima. The exhibit is free and open to the public during mall hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

OBEMIO and Blanco at Art Lounge Manila

WITH the easing of the lockdowns, Roel Obemio picks up the pace to match his usual pre-pandemic stride and presents 36 works at Art Lounge Manila for his 18^th solo exhibition titled “OBEMIO.” The exhibition runs until Dec. 21 at Art Lounge Manila at The Podium, Ortigas Center. The exhibition is comprised purely of works on paper. Among the 36 works presented, more than half are drawings — from quick sketches to built-up, fully fleshed out drawings. The rest of the works are watercolor and pastel works. Meanwhile, two years since his sold-out 3^rd solo exhibition, Gerrico Blanco returns with his fourth solo exhibition, “Dreamscapes.” It runs until Dec. 21. For updates on upcoming shows visit https://artloungemanila.com.

Ballet Philippines Christmas shows

THIS holiday season Ballet Philippines presents the show Gratitude to Life, featuring the world premieres of the dances “Ancient World,” choreographed by John McFall, “Abstract,” choreographed by Mikhail Martynyuk, and “She’s So Heavy,” choreographed by Joseph Phillips. The show will be on Dec. 23, 6 p.m., via Ballet Philippine Facebook Live. For more information, visit ballet.ph.

Norberto Roldan, Henrielle Baltazar at MO_Space

MO_Space presents two exhibits — Norberto Roldan’s “Objects Do Not Fall from the Sky” at the Main Gallery, and Henrielle Baltazar Pagkaliwanagan’s “conversations with myself” at Gallery 2 — for public viewing until Jan. 16, 2022. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For any inquiries, contact 8403-6620, or 0917-572-7970.

BPI launches ‘all-in’ home financing

December 15, 2021 | 12:01 am

BANK OF THE Philippine Islands (BPI) unveiled a new home financing scheme that will include upfront fees and charges in the monthly amortization of clients.

BPI Retail Loans Group Head Dennis T. Fronda said at an online briefing that the longest tenor they have for home loans is 20 years, with the average term at 10 years.

Given the average housing loan amount of P3.5 million, clients are expected to be spared from having to pay an average of P105,000 upfront.

“Clients have less to worry about because the fees and charges, which is about 3% of the total loan amount, is folded into the monthly amortization and spread throughout the loan term,” Mr. Fronda said.

He noted that current housing loan rates are currently lower at around 6-7.25%.

Payments under the all-in financing scheme will be automatically settled through the client’s auto-debit arrangement account with BPI.

The financing is available to both clients of BPI and BPI Family Savings Bank. The Ayala-led lenders are expected to finalize their merger by 2022.

The new product was launched as the bank has seen higher applications and regular housing loan releases as of October, it said in a statement, marking a recovery from levels seen at the height of the pandemic.

The Ayala-led bank said it is bullish that improving consumer sentiment amid the decline in cases and higher vaccination rates will make more borrowers apply for housing loans.

BPI’s net profit in the July to September period rose 3% year on year to P5.657 billion from P5.495 billion, as lower credit provisions offset the decline in its interest earnings.

This caused its nine-month net profit to climb by 1.8% year on year to P17.5 billion.

BPI shares closed at P94.80 apiece on Tuesday, up by P1.30 or 1.39% from its previous finish. — L.W.T. Noble

Most Shopee users ordered from local sellers on 12.12

December 15, 2021 | 12:01 am

E-COMMERCE platform Shopee on Tuesday said majority of its users shopped from local sellers during its 12.12 Christmas sale.

“Shoppers spread the holiday cheer to their favorite local businesses at 12.12, with nine in 10 users shopping from local sellers,” Shopee said in an e-mailed statement.

Popular sellers among users in the Philippines included ABUBOT_PH, WILLET, and Mi Global Zone.ph.

The top local seller clocked in “over P21 million in sales” on Dec. 12, Shopee said, adding that UNIQ.MNL, which sells women’s clothing, emerged as the “crowd favorite.”

The platform also noted that orders from Shopee Mall, a by-invite-only premium retail space reserved for brand owners and authorized distributors, surged “14 times” from an average day.

Top electronic brands during the 12.12 Christmas sale were Poco, realme, and Infinix.

“On Dec. 12, the most popular products in the Philippines were dresses, women’s footwear, and crop tops,” Shopee said.

“Shoppers also turned to ShopeePay as their preferred payment method, with an 11x uplift in the number of orders made via ShopeePay, compared to an average day,” it added.

Shopee Philippines Director Martin Yu said 2021 has been a year of accelerated digitalization. “As we move into 2022, we look forward to helping even more shoppers, businesses, and communities access the benefits of e-commerce.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

ADB hikes Philippines’ growth forecast at 5.1% in 2021, 6.0% in 2022

December 15, 2021 | 12:00 am

THE ASIAN Development Bank (ADB) raised its Philippine growth forecast for this year and 2022, amid a heightened coronavirus vaccination drive and a plunge in new cases. Read the full story.

How PSEi member stocks performed — December 14, 2021

December 15, 2021 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Tuesday, December 14, 2021.

Benguet farmers say government action vs smuggling inadequate

December 14, 2021 | 10:39 pm

THE GOVERNMENT is not doing enough to deter the smuggling of farm produce, vegetable farmers in Benguet, a major growing area supplying Luzon, said on Tuesday.

Agot Balanoy, spokesman for the League of Associations at the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Areas, said prosecutors must follow through with charges against smugglers and their protectors, who have yet to be identified, instead of simply raiding markets and retailers.

Testifying before the Senate Committee of the Whole, which is investigating the matter, she said the smuggling of farm produce has been affecting markets since 2001.

She added that the Department of Agriculture (DA) typically does not act without the filing of complaints and the submission of evidence.

Ms. Balanoy said that in September, the DA took a month to act on smuggling complaints aired in the media by the vegetable growers, and only resorted to market raids and confiscations without taking further action. She added that smuggled goods continued to appear in the markets in October and November, forcing her association to elevate its complaint to Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III.

Farmers are likely to grow other crops if smuggling continues, according to Ruben E. Paoad, of the agriculture committee of the Benguet provincial council. If production from the province drops off as a result, he added, import dependence will rise.

“It would be good if the imports were legal, but the problem is that we know they are illegal,” he said.

“The farmers are affected, at the same time the government is being deprived of revenue,” he added.

Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura President Rosendo O. So said during the hearing that the DA does not appear to coordinate its actions with the Bureau of Customs (BoC).

He said DA and BoC estimates of import volumes do not match, suggesting a disparity between goods officially imported and goods that were smuggled.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Regulations Liza G. Battad said beginning this year, the DA proposes to improve its collaboration with the BoC, particularly on the matter of inspecting goods after they have been admitted into the country.

The government performs two levels of border inspections. Customs and agriculture personnel conduct a spot check with 10% sampling on agriculture imports at the port of entry.

The second border inspection is conducted at DA-accredited cold storage warehouses, in which goods undergo 100% physical examination via x-ray.

Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero said seizures of agriculture products totaled 80 in 2019, 309 in 2020, and 172 in 2021, while cases filed with the Justice department numbered 55, counting from 2019.

“Eighty-six of the total apprehensions for 2021 are covered by 29 criminal complaints filed from January 2021 to present,” Mr. Guerrero said at the hearing, noting that “one case covers multiple apprehensions.” Twenty-one cases involved violations of Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.

Asked by Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, Sr. why smugglers manage to elude government monitoring, Mr. Guerrero said: “there is inadequate space at the port to conduct full stripping of dry and refrigerated containers.”

“Due to the pandemic, the inadequacy of manpower of port operators, shipping lines, and even consignees themselves, continues to be a problem,” he added, noting that the BoC lacks the capacity and resources to do more.

The BoC’s police force currently has only 523 members, augmented by 100 personnel from the Philippine coast guard, to guard 17 major ports and 39 sub-ports.

Of the 523 customs police, 166 are assigned to the fuel-marking project while 74 are detailed to x-ray inspection. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Bill averting franchise expiry due to regulator inaction moves forward

December 14, 2021 | 10:38 pm

A BILL seeking to keep legislative franchises from expiring if Congress fails to act in time on renewal requests passed the Senate on second reading late on Monday.

Senate Bill 1530, if passed, will amend Section 18 of the Revised Administrative Code which provides for the non-expiration of a license if the license holder has sought an extension and the regulator has yet to make a decision.

Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, who wrote the bill, said the amendment would apply to franchises granted by Congress, noting that it would solve the problem of franchise holders whose renewals remain pending.

“It is acknowledged that there is a gap in the law in cases as exhibited in cases where a franchisee, having taken all the steps to renew its franchise, is unable to do so not due to its own fault, but due to Congress’ failure to act on the application,” Mr. Drilon said in a statement on Tuesday.

“As the principle of equity has been deemed insufficient to fill that gap, the timely passage of this measure is in order,” he added, noting that Congress has applied the same considerations in similar situations.

According to the bill, once an application for renewal of a franchise or license has been made, it cannot expire until the regulator in charge makes a final determination.

The bill hopes to address the “unfair and iniquitous closure” of operations due to the issuance of cease-and-desist orders, said Mr. Drilon, which resulted in job losses in the telecommunications and broadcast industries.

If approved, the concerned agency or branch of government would be required to act decisively on renewal applications and to express its decision in clear, unmistakable terms, he added.

“SB 1530 can save jobs and prevent and fix franchise woes caused by the inability of the grantee, in this case Congress, to act on an application for renewal in a timely manner,” Mr. Drilon said. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan