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Storm Maring toll: 40 reported deaths, 22 towns, cities under state of calamity 

LA UNION PROVINCIAL GOV'T

REPORTED deaths due to floods and landslides triggered by severe tropical storm Maring, with international name Kompasu, has reached 40 while 11 others were missing and five injured, based on the Oct. 18 report from the national disaster management agency. 

Declarations of state of calamity have been issued in 22 localities, which would allow the release of local funds for disaster response. These are in Narra, Palawan; Dagupan City in Pangasinan; and the entire province of La Union with 19 towns and one city.   

Of the total deaths reported, 23 have been confirmed while the rest are still under further validation, according to the National Disaster Risk Response and Management Council (NDRRMC). 

The number of affected families stood at 158,510 composed of more than 626,000 people. These are in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Cordillera, Western Visayas, and Caraga.   

NDRRMC said of those affected, almost 50,000 people were displaced and still in evacuation centers or staying with relatives or friends.  

More than 300 road sections and bridges were affected, but most of these were already passable as of Monday.   

There were 7,268 houses damaged, with 321 totally destroyed.  

Maring, the 13th typhoon in the country this year, entered on Oct. 7 as a tropical depression. It absorbed the remnants of a succeeding typhoon named Nando and intensified into a severe tropical storm, packing winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gustiness of up to 125 km/h. It exited the Philippine area on Oct. 12. — Marifi S. Jara 

Orani town expands PayMaya use for services, transactions 

PAYMAYA OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE COASTAL town of Orani in Bataan has tapped digital payments firm PayMaya Philippines, Inc. for the delivery of social service programs, tax payments, and other transactions as it aims to become a “digital-first community.”   

“At Orani, we are always finding ways to help our citizens and businesses thrive in the New Normal. This initiative with PayMaya will accelerate our thrust to promote digital transactions among our citizens,” said Mayor Efren E. Pascual, Jr. in a statement Monday from PayMaya.   

Among the initial uses rolled out for PayMaya include the distribution of financial assistance to senior citizens, cash-aid for health services, scholarship for Grades 7-10 students, and allowances for barangay-level officials and other workers.   

At the municipal hall, payment of taxes and other government fees can now be done through PayMaya QR or PayMaya One, the all-in-one Android-based payment device for any credit, debit, prepaid card, and other e-wallets.  

The company said taxpayers will also soon have the option to pay via the local government’s website with PayMaya’s online payment gateway, PayMaya Checkout.   

Merchants at the Orani Public Market and Orani Fish Port will also be equipped to accept payments via PayMaya QR.    

“We cannot wait to create a digital-first community wherein our residents can transact seamlessly, safely, and conveniently with our government offices and enterprises through PayMaya’s digital platforms,” Mr. Pascual said.  

Orani is classified as a first-class municipality with a population of more than 70,000 as of 2020.   

“We are very excited at PayMaya to help accelerate Orani’s drive towards becoming a world-class and digitally-driven municipality,” Orlando B. Vea, company founder and chief executive officer, said.  

PayMaya is a subsidiary of Voyager Innovations, Inc., the digital arm of PLDT, Inc.  

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.  

Transport dep’t eyeing to increase subsidy for PUVs amid fuel price hikes 

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE TRANSPORTATION department on Monday said it is planning to increase the incentives it provides, through the service contracting program, to public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers as a way to mitigate the impact of rising fuel prices. 

In a statement, Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said the department has formally proposed to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Department of Energy (DoE) that PUVs be given a uniform discount at gas stations nationwide.   

Mr. Tugade also urged drivers and operators to take part in the government’s service contracting program where they will get paid on per kilometer basis to ensure that their operations remain “viable.”  

“Sa binabayad na insentibo sa ilalim ng service contracting, kinonsidera po natin ang gastusin sa krudo (the incentive covers the fuel cost),” he noted. 

“In consideration of the oil price hike, we are studying to increase the incentive for every kilometer,” Mr. Tugade added in Filipino. 

In a phone message to BusinessWorld, Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope O. Libiran said the government currently pays public buses under the service contracting program P82.50 per kilometer. The subsidy per kilometer for jeepneys and other small modes of transportation under the program is P52.50.  

Oil prices increased again this week by P1.8 per liter for gasoline, P1.5/L for diesel, and P1.3/L for kerosene. — Arjay L. Balinbin 

Comelec expects 64M voters after Oct. 30 registration deadline 

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) is expecting up to half a million more people who will enlist before the registration period deadline on Oct. 30, which will bring the number of voters in next year’s polls to 64 million.  

During the Senate finance hearing on Monday, Comelec Chairman Sheriff M. Abas said the projected number of registrants for the month of Oct. is from 350,000 to 500,000.   

Senator Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos reiterated her plea for a two-week extension period for the registration of overseas Filipino voters, which ended earlier on Oct. 14.  

“At least for the most populous or the consulates with the most Filipinos to allow our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) to vote,” she said, adding that seafarers are among those who need the consideration.   

Mr. Abas said the commission will take up the proposal on Wednesday. “I think it’s a good idea to cater only to those (areas)… where there are many who have yet to register.” — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

Juaneza named NEA chief; Dizon quits BCDA post 

NEA FB PAGE

FORMER Energy undersecretary Emmanuel P. Juaneza has been elected as the new administrator of the National Electrification Administration (NEA), the agency announced Monday.  

In a statement, NEA said Mr. Juaneza was chosen during a special board meeting chaired by Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi on Monday.  

President Rodrigo R. Duterte had earlier endorsed Mr. Juaneza’s nomination to head the NEA.  

“The job is challenging and I am enjoining everyone that we work together to execute the mandate of the NEA with focus on the total electrification of the remaining households across the nation,” Mr. Juaneza said.  

His election comes around two months after Mr. Duterte dismissed former NEA administrator Edgardo R. Masongsong from service due to alleged corruption.  

DIZON 
Meanwhile, an official of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said Vivencio B. Dizon has resigned from the agency’s top post.   

“The resignation letter of president Vince Dizon to the President (Rodrigo R. Duterte) has an effectivity date of his resignation on Oct. 15,” BCDA Executive Vice President Aileen Anunciacion R. Zosa told the Senate committee budget hearing on Monday.   

Ms. Zosa said Mr. Dizon, who was also appointed last year to lead the country’s coronavirus testing program, intends to help with “the anti-COVID efforts of the government.” — Angelica Y. Yang and Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

Former SolGen throws support to Robredo 

FORMER solicitor general Florin “Pilo” T. Hilbay has resigned from the Aksyon Demokratiko party of presidential candidate and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” M. Domagoso to endorse the presidential run of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo.   

In a statement posted on his social media accounts on Monday, Mr. Hilbay said he is leaving the party “out of ethical considerations” and because he believes Ms. Robredo “is a much better candidate in this most crucial of elections.”  

Mr. Hilbay was solicitor general from 2014 to 2016 during the term of the late President Benigno S.C. Aquino III. 

In another election-related development, senatorial candidate Rafael “Raffy” T. Tulfo said in an ANC interview Monday that he would push for legislation that would protect laborers such as banning contractualization and a “wage theft” bill that would penalize employers who fail to follow the minimum wage.  

The broadcaster, who is running as an independent next year, is a top pick among senatorial candidates based on surveys conducted by Pulse Asia Research, Inc. and Social Weather Stations. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago and Russell Louis C. Ku  

Camiguin ready for Oct. 25 reopening

DOT

TOURISM Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat looks on as a tourism worker in Camiguin gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in preparation for the sector’s reopening on Oct. 25. The island province in Northern Mindanao is an emerging diving site, home to ASEAN Heritage Park Mt. Timpoong-Hibok-Hibok mountain range, and is most known for its sweet Lanzones fruit. Almost 4,600 workers on the island are employed in the tourism sector.

Electricity supply expansion expected to require P5.76T

ANDREY METELEV-UNSPLASH

THE PHILIPPINES will require investment of P5.76 trillion to expand the power supply and allow renewables to make up a larger part of the power mix by 2040, according to the Department of Energy (DoE).

Most of the investment should go to renewable energy (RE) generating facilities, the department said in its latest Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) posted on its website.

The updated plan, which covers the years 2020 to 2040, said the total investment cost will help the Philippines reach its targets under the “clean energy scenario” (CES).

“The CES, being the scenario pursued, indicates the entry of more RE-based technologies with a total capacity addition of 92.3 GW by 2040… The estimated financing requirement is seen (at) P5,762.6 billion,” the DoE said.

Under the CES, the country is expected to achieve a 35% RE share in the power generation mix by 2030 and a 50% share by 2040.

Pursuing the CES will help the country achieve a sustainable power supply over the long term.

According to the PEP, new generating facilities will require the development of new transmission projects which will require investment of at least P348 billion over the next 10 years.

The Energy department said that its latest PEP is the second comprehensive energy blueprint which is compliant with the government’s long-term plan, known as the “Ambisyon Natin 2040.”

“This updated plan, like its predecessor (the 2018-2040 PEP), reiterates the energy sector’s goal to chart a transformative direction towards attaining a clean energy future,” it said. — Angelica Y. Yang

Loans to help small firms fund 13th month payroll limited to micro companies

LOANS that will help small enterprises make payroll for 13th month salaries will now be available only to micro enterprises due to lack of funds, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).

In a briefing Monday, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said the eligibility cutoff is “those with a maximum of 10 workers” who are still struggling financially due to the pandemic in order to qualify for soft loans from the Small Business Corp. (SB Corp.), an arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The initial plan of the DTI, DoLE, Finance Department, and the Employers Confederation of the Philippines was to provide soft loans to micro and small enterprises, but Mr. Bello said SB Corp. can only cater to micro businesses due to its budget of P200 million.

He added that DoLE had initially requested a P60-billion budget for a wage subsidy program, which was not granted due to insufficient funds.

The wage subsidy would have covered 60% of employee salaries to allow employers to keep them at work.

Mr. Bello reiterated that it is illegal for employers to withhold the salaries of unvaccinated employees.

According to Mr. Bello, the “no vaccine, no pay” policy allegedly being practiced by some employers “has no legal basis and is against the Labor Code.”

Article 116 of the Labor Code bars employers from withholding wages “by force, stealth, intimidation, threat, or by any other means whatsoever without the worker’s consent.”

“We are in a democratic country where there is freedom of choice. One cannot force someone to be vaccinated unless there is a law,” Mr. Bello added.

Mr. Bello said the department has as yet not received official complaints against any employer enforcing such a policy.

He urged workers whose salaries were withheld for non-vaccination to “step forward” and identify the employers in order to initiate an investigation. He said whistleblowers will remain anonymous.

Any such practice will trigger a DoLE compliance order against the employer, he said. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Senate panel wary of TESDA budget request because of low fund utilization

THE SENATE finance committee expressed skepticism Monday over a request for an additional P7.8 billion by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), citing its low rate of fund utilization.

TESDA currently has a P14.5-billion proposed budget for 2022 as endorsed by the budget department.

“If you look at the disbursement rate of TESDA in its budget, you will see that out of every P100 allotment, they can only disburse P30.89,” Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon said at a committee hearing. “The utilization of the budget of TESDA appears to be a challenge.”

“How can we be so confident that they will be able to disburse an additional P7.8 billion, apart from the fact, Mr. Chairman, that I do not know where they will get the additional budget requested,” he added.

As of Sept. 24, Secretary Isidro S. Lapeña noted that the agency’s budget utilization rate was 66% while its disbursement rate was 85%. He added that these metrics could still improve towards the end of the year.

Mr. Drilon asked whether the TESDA estimates include the funds transferred to regional offices, which Mr. Lapeña affirmed.

“With all due respect, I think this is a wrong practice. This is a misleading presentation of your ability to utilize the budget granted to you by Congress,” Mr. Drilon said, noting that it should not be considered “utilization” when funds are only transferred.

“It’s not really being utilized, it’s more of obligated,” Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva said at the hearing. “Now, there’s a difference between utilization and disbursement.”

The committee asked the agency to report utilization rates in the regions.

Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said the agency has P6.2 billion in unspent funds over the remainder of the year, and expressed concern that spending will be arbitrary just to meet disbursement targets.

“We don’t want to force you to spend for the sake of spending,” he told the hearing. “What’s important is we have a plan on how to spend it judiciously, as well as (an idea of) the real demands of the market.”

Mr. Lapeña noted that some of the remaining funds will be used to procure tool kits for its scholars, and advanced procurement is also being carried out for future needs.

Mr. Gatchalian told TESDA to become more demand-driven in its planning and expressed disappointment over the agency’s “poor planning” and “inefficient” fiscal management. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

BoI approves P548.7-M irradiation facility for produce

THE BOARD of Investments (BoI) has approved a P548.7-million project of Irradiation Solutions, Inc. (ISI) for an irradiation facility in Tanay, Rizal, serving the farm produce sector.

The company qualified for incentives as a new operator of essential services under Republic Act No. 11534 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act and the 2020 Investment Priorities Plan as a qualified operator of an activity that will help ease the impact of the pandemic.

The BoI said in a statement Monday that the facility will use electron-beam technology to irradiate produce. It is expected to begin operations by June 2023 and employ up to 43 staff.  

“The target customers and clients of this project will importers, exporters and traders. The project will earn its revenue through irradiation treatment fees (on the basis of) pesos per dry weight depending on (the) required dose on kilogray units,” the BoI said.

ISI’s facility has a capacity of 25,000 metric tons (MT) annually, and is set to augment the country’s electron-beam irradiation capacity. 

“At present, the only electron-beam irradiation facility of the country is owned/operated by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DoST-PNRI) with a maximum annual capacity of only around 440 MT,” the BoI said.  

According to the BoI, irradiation is a processing and preservation method that exposes food and other products to ionizing radiation such as gamma rays, x-rays, or accelerated electrons from electron beam machines.

It added that products undergoing irradiation do not become radioactive due to low energy levels used.

“This technology is responsible for the reduction of microbes or decontamination (among spices, herbs, cosmetic raw materials), quarantine treatment (fruits and vegetables), elimination of pathogens (frozen/chilled meat), sprout inhibition (onions, garlic, potatoes) and sterilization (in medical devices, packaging, bone grafts),” BoI said.  

“One advantage of this technology is that products can be treated in its final package form; hence, the products will no longer be opened in the facility before and after the irradiation treatment,” it added.

BoI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo said the project is compliant with the government’s pandemic response, particularly in creating food resilience by adopting technology to limit postharvest losses and prolonging the shelf life of agricultural products.  

“It will also promote much-needed additional economic activity throughout the agriculture value chain through increased quality of production as well as enabling local products to be of export quality and thus be able to access wider international markets,” Mr. Rodolfo said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave 

Consumer protection laws seen in need of reform for online era

BW FILE PHOTO

THE PHILIPPINES needs to reform its consumer protection laws in order to offer better protections during the pandemic, according to an ASEAN panel studying individual countries’ regulations.

David Kintanar Rosario, a country expert on the ASEAN peer review team, said in a virtual briefing Monday that the pandemic fast-tracked the shift to a digital economy, where protections need to be upgraded.

“Entering 2020, no one could have foreseen that the world would be in a standstill… there have to be rules and regulations to specifically protect consumers in these online markets,” Mr. Rosario said.

“The rise in online transactions has also led to an increase in unregistered sellers. Unregistered sellers are not only problematic… because (they call) into question the legitimacy of buying and selling online,” he added.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Philippines is the first country in ASEAN that volunteered to undergo a peer review on consumer protection.

The peer review team had representatives from Malaysia, Vietnam and the ASEAN Secretariat, with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, and regional and country experts.

Mr. Rosario said redundancy in regulatory authority needs to be cleared up.

“You cannot have different government agencies investigating the same item. It may need to be streamlined to promote better efficiency,” Mr. Rosario said.

Anthony A. Abad, a country expert of the peer review team, called for a review of Republic Act No. 7394 or the Consumer Act and other laws in order to upgrade consumer protection.  

Mr. Abad added that rules governing product inspection and warranties are needed.

“A large portion of transactions are in digital form. Digital transactions should not be outside the purview of existing law. It must not be outside of the reach of regulators,” Mr. Abad said.   

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the DTI is addressing the changing environment.

“Being the first country in ASEAN to have volunteered to undergo this peer review, the Philippines and the Filipino consumer stand to benefit from the enforcement of high-level principles on consumer protection. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

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