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Century Pacific assists Zamboanga fishing communities through adopt-a-farm program 

DOLE REGION 9

CENTURY PACIFIC Food, Inc. (CNPF) has joined the Labor department’s livelihood program that allows companies to source produce direct from farms tended by workers displaced during the closed fishing season in Zamboanga.   

In a statement disclosed to the exchange on Tuesday, CNPF said it inked an agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment for the Project Hope Adopt-A-Farm program via its nonprofit affiliate, RSPo Foundation, Inc.

“These workers have a sustainable source of income through the farm, their families sell their produce to a ready buyer — us, and we have convenient and reliable access to much needed raw materials for our sardines business,” said Kamille Corpuz, program manager of RSPo Foundation.

Project Hope aims to help communities have alternative income source during the annual closed fishing season in Zamboanga Peninsula from Dec. 1 to March 1.

CNPF said it is the first company to join Project Hope. It has already adopted three greenhouse farms. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte   

Clean Air Asia to help Tondo village implement air pollution control measures

MANILA.GOV

INTERNATIONAL NON-GOVERNMENT organization Clean Air Asia said on Tuesday that it will help in the implementation of Manila city’s air pollution control measures in a village in Tondo.

The village Barangay 128 is located close to Smokey Mountain, a former garbage dump that was closed down in the late 1990s.

On Tuesday, Clean Air Asia told BusinessWorld that its partnership with the barangay will focus on providing support to enforce the ban on open burning and reduce emissions from households and small-commercial establishments in line with the city’s Clean Air Action Plan.

“(The air pollution control measures) include working with the barangay government, community groups, and households to continue supporting the barangay’s strong enforcement of banning (the) burning of garbage and materials recovered from garbage as well as improving access to cleaner fuels for cooking used by households and small-commercial establishments,” the group said in an email on Tuesday.

Clean Air Asia said it has also installed an air quality monitor in the Tondo village to raise awareness on air pollution levels. It added that it hopes to establish a community task force which will help in integrating city-level and grassroots decision-making with program implementation. — Angelica Y. Yang

PCOO reduces contractual workers after audit findings, seeks 23% higher 2022 budget

THE PRESIDENTIAL Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said in a House budget hearing on Tuesday that they have reduced the number of contractual workers after state auditors questioned its hiring of 375 temporary personnel.

PCOO Undersecretary Kristian R. Ablan said the office has reduced the number of its contractual workforce to 301 as of Aug. 15 after absorbing some of the workers into regular positions.   

“That number will continue to be reduced as we will be absorbing many of the contracts of service to the plantilla positions recently granted to us by the Department of Budget and Management,” he said.   

Mr. Ablan also said that the short-term contracts entered with some workers assigned for creatives work are currently being closed by the agency as the programs tied to these contracts are already finished.

In its 2020 annual audit report, the Commission on Audit (CoA) questioned PCOO’s basis for hiring 375 contractual workers without a written policy guidelines on availing their services. These workers comprised 71.7% of the total PCOO manpower. 

CoA cited that the accomplishment reports of the contractual employees hired as social media specialists did not reflect their actual duties or tasks.   

“The unrestricted (or) massive hiring of CoS (contract of service) personnel cost the PCOO a total amount of P70,688,830.39 for their salaries during the year, resulting in the depletion of government funds which could have been used for other programs,” CoA reported.

Meanwhile, the PCOO is proposing a P1.91-billion budget for next year, 23.3% higher than this year’s P1.549 billion.

In the 2022 program, P874.1 million would be allotted for personnel services, P721.48 million for maintenance and other operating expenses, and P315.39 million for capital outlays. Subsidies of P178.63 million would also be given to the People’s Television Network, Inc. and Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp. — Russell Louis C. Ku

Comelec calls on more groups to review system source code for 2022 polls 

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday renewed its call for more groups to participate in the source code review of the automated election system to be used in the 2022 national and local elections. 

“We once again call on election stakeholders to proactively take part in scrutinizing the technology and studying the system that will be used in the May 9, 2022 polls,” Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez said in a statement.

“This activity is a key component of the Commission on Elections’ commitment in promoting transparency and building public confidence and trust in the electoral process,” he said.

The application deadline for reviewers is Sept. 10 based on Comelec Resolution 10712, but Mr. Jimenez said in a Viber message to reporters that “too few” parties have applied so far.

Under the resolution, those qualified to review the local source code are political parties, previously certified organizations, and information technology groups registered and/or accredited by the Comelec.

Republic Act 9369 or the Poll Automation Law mandates that the source code be open and available for review by stakeholders. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago 

Aspiring for high-income status

PCH.VECTOR-FREEPIK

(Part 3)

Some of us economists are incorrigible prophets. We never give up fathoming the future even if we had made some terrible forecasting booboos in the past. Combining our expertise in statistics in analyzing past economic trends and our allied training in the political and other social sciences, we continue to dare to foretell the future not only about specific economic trends such as GDP growth, inflation, stock market prices, oil prices, and exchange rates. We also with a straight face tell governments and business people which countries will succeed in attaining high-income levels and which ones will be stuck in the middle-income trap, or, worse, stagnate as low-income economies.

As I wrote in the first part of this series of articles, at the beginning of the Third Millennium an economist from Goldman Sachs by the name of Jim O’Neill coined the acronym BRIC to announce that Brazil, Russia, India, and China would be the star emerging markets during the first decades of the 21st century. Hardly a decade had passed when Brazil and Russia mismanaged their respective economies and dropped out of the list of attractive emerging markets in which to invest. Among the “Next 11” emerging markets identified by Mr. O’Neill (Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, South Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam) only South Korea and Vietnam can be considered to have lived up to his expectations during the first decade of the 21st century. The others either stagnated as low-income countries such as Nigeria or fell into the middle-income trap such as Mexico and Turkey.

At the beginning of the second decade of this century, another economist tried his luck identifying the nations that would lead the emerging markets in economic growth in the decades ahead. In what became a best seller, Ruchir Sharma, head of Emerging Market Equities and Global Macro at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, identified what he called the “breakout nations.” In a book entitled Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles, Sharma came out with his own list: the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Turkey.

His prognostication about the Philippines hit the mark for the second decade of the 21st century. As we reported in the second part of this series, the Philippines was one of the fastest growing emerging markets during the last decade, averaging an annual GDP growth rate of 6.4% during the period 2011 to 2019, slowing down only as one of the numerous victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As mentioned in a review of the book by Katherine Visconti of Rappler (July 3, 2012), Ruchir Sharma expected the Philippines to be transformed from the “sick man of Asia” to become a “breakout nation” in the coming decade — or one that beats expectations and does better than peers in the same income class. Sharma postulated that the Philippines would have to grow at 5% or faster to be a breakout nation. The record shows that the Philippines did even much better at over 6%.

What Sharma cited as reasons for his optimism about the Philippines reminds me of the various eulogies that came out from both business and political leaders after the recent demise of Benigno Aquino III, who was President from 2010 to 2016, precisely at the start of the breaking out of the Philippines from decades of being known as the Asian laggard. The most recent accolade given by an economist to President Nonoy Aquino appeared in this paper on Aug. 25. Economist Andrew Masigan wrote in his column entitled “Good governance is good economics,” that good governance characterized the term of President Noynoy: “On the back of good governance and the judicious use of funds, the Philippines improved in all development indices including economic competitiveness, ease in doing business, economic freedom, corruption perception, innovation, rule of law, and gender equality. The economy experienced an accelerated average GDP growth rate never before seen since our independence.” Being written by an economist, the article was replete with economic data highlighting the accomplishments of President Noynoy.

As Rappler’s Visconti wrote in her review of the book: “Sharma largely credits President Benigno Aquino III with setting the stage for stronger economic growth. He said that when he visited in early 2010 before Aquino was sworn in, ‘the Philippines was still the undisputed laggard of Asia, a nation mired in chronic incompetence. But the country is no longer a joke under Aquino, noted Sharma. In fact, since Aquino assumed office, the country has experienced a series of international credit ratings upgrades, the stock market has become one of the strongest performers in the world, all while inflation has stayed stable and relatively low….”

Sharma balanced praise and criticism, writing that Aquino was originally dismissed in foreign circles as an unimpressive 51-year-old bachelor who had lived most of his life with his mother and had not made much of a mark in a low-profile career as a Philippine senator. Some critics today still bring up the “wimp” criticism against President Noynoy. Sharma in 2012 credited the former President with appointing “competent technocrats” and not letting investors hold him “hostage.” Sharma concluded that the Philippines was poised to resume a period of strong growth, commenting that President Benigno Aquino III probably had just enough support and looked likely to generate just enough reform momentum to get the job done. He did get the job done, with the economy growing at the highest annual average GDP growth rate of all presidential terms since the time of President Marcos.

What Sharma mentioned as a major reason for his predicting success under President Noynoy Aquino is a key to understanding one of the strong fundamentals outside observers perceive about the Philippines that make a good number of international think tanks and financial institutions think highly of the Philippine long-term economic future today. His “appointing competent technocrats” was really a continuation of the long-time practice of presidents even during the time of President Marcos. What slowed down the economy was the practice of many of the previous presidents to give special treatment to cronies, oftentimes in contravention to the advice of the technocrats. This crony capitalism caused the downfall of the Marcos regime in the last year of his Presidency. Rodrigo Duterte may also suffer a similar fate if it can be proven that he gave special treatment to his “Davao cronies” like Senator Bong Go, Chinese national Michael Yang, and others involved in the medical supplies scandal attributed to Pharmally International Holdings Co., Ltd., a company related to Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp. which bagged P8.9 billion worth of contracts for “overpriced” pandemic supplies. In great contrast, Noynoy Aquino not only appointed some of the best people to manage the economy but, as Sharma observed, did not allow himself to be hostage to investors.

This long period during which some of the best professionals were appointed to such crucial economic agencies as the Central Bank, the Department of Finance, the National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Public Works and Highways — the government agencies most involved in delivering economic growth — accounts for the strong institutions that we now have that can guarantee long-term growth. That is why I was not surprised when the prestigious weekly publication, The Economist, at the very height of the ongoing pandemic in May 2020, gave a high ranking to the Philippines in a list of selected emerging economies ranked on four measures of financial strength. In a list of 66 emerging markets, the Philippines was ranked No. 6, besting such countries as Thailand, Saudi Arabia, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, the UAE, India, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Brazil and others among its peers. I was not surprised either when the Japan Credit Rating Agency upgraded the Philippines from BBB+ to A- just before the pandemic.

I can only explain this high esteem that outside observers have for our financial stability to the strong institutions in the monetary, fiscal, and other macroeconomic sectors that we have built over a period of half a century, thanks to very competent technocrats who have been appointed through the decades by the successive political leaders, some of whom left a lot to be desired in their really serving the good of the country. These competent technocrats have painstakingly and slowly built the strong institutions we now have. Among our neighbors, such as Singapore, Taiwan, and even South Korea, this institution building took a much shorter time because crony capitalism was minimized. In a future article in this series, I will discuss the special case of South Korea.

I reckon that The Economist gave a high rating to the Philippines because of the ability of our strong institutions run by technocrats to keep our debt-to-GDP ratio during normal times at a very manageable level of 30-40% and our fiscal deficit at the prudent ratio of 3.5% of GDP. They have also been witness to the Central Bank of the Philippines being led successively by technocrats who were systematically rated as the best Central Bank governors in the Southeast Asian region. Those who look beyond this present Administration are convinced that with this long tradition of the best minds being appointed to head the important economic and financial institutions, the tendency of our democratic society to elect political leaders who are not exactly the best you can find among the aspirants will not be an insurmountable obstacle to our economy growing at least at the 6-7% rate we have experienced in the recent past. It is notable, in this regard, that despite the very evident defects of the present President, the Philippine economy continued to grow from 2016 to 2019 at the same pace as it did during the “breakout” period of Benigno Aquino III. The same explanation can be given: President Duterte appointed some of the most competent professionals to run the economy and did not interfere with how they carried out their respective jobs, which cannot be said of the Department of Health and related agencies.

 

Bernardo M. Villegas has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Asia and the Pacific, and a Visiting Professor at the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. He was a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission.

bernardo.villegas@uap.asia

Continuity of formal education is critical

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It’s been about a year and a half since the first hard lockdowns were enforced and the country is still struggling to stop the surging contagion of what is now a multiple number of COVID-19 variants spreading in many regions. Among the sectors hardest hit is the educational system, which is now starting its second academic year in pandemic conditions.

School opening season during pre-pandemic times was always about the perennial problems of insufficient classrooms, the need for more teachers, and other issues burdening the school system because of a student population that, according to Department of Education (DepEd) data, was growing at a rate of 3% per year and was approaching 28 million. “As of this writing, the latest enrollment figures in the DepEd’s “Quick Count” for School Year 2021-2022 as of Sept. 3, was only 16,038,442 which is only just over 61.2% of the 26,227,022 enrollees last year. Comparing last year’s total enrollees with School Year 2019-2020 which was at 27,790,114, that’s an alarming 1,565,092 learners who did not go back to school during the first year of the pandemic. The private education sector on the other hand, already plagued by school shutdowns, was only at 671,660 enrollees.”

This situation presents a bigger dimension in an already gap-ridden education system not just in school facilities but in the quality of education as sadly reflected in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study where Philippine scores (Grade 4 level) were significantly lower than other countries. Amidst all the hardship of the pandemic, we are confronting an educational crisis that may result in an education gap in what others are beginning to call a “pandemic generation.”

More than a million students staying away from classes last year and some predict may even be more this year, is one thing, but the more extensive problem is how our schools, teachers, students, and parents are able to adjust to the sudden shift to studying at home or what the DepEd has called the “Blended Learning” mode of learning. Depending on accessibility and capacity of the school, a combination of printed distance learning modules, online classes, and lessons broadcast in social media and television may be adopted. How will this shift affect the quality of an already sub-par basic education system? Are our higher educational institutions delivering the lessons and are their students able to at least acquire the required competencies with the sudden shift to digital learning platforms?

The prospect is not encouraging as our education ecosystem was simply not ready for the quick shift to e-learning platforms. Access to reliable internet connections, the devices needed, and how to even use the digital technologies was a shock for the schools, teachers, students, and parents. The substantial resources needed to cope with this shift has created an education digital divide in a population already in dire conditions. These resource issues and the health risk has caused dropouts and a kind of learning crisis never seen before.

As a professor, I believe the quality and dynamic interaction in a conducive learning environment where both the student and teacher benefit and grow cannot be cloned by any e-learning platform. The nuances of live feedback where you see the facial expressions, body language, and other physical cues that tell you whether you are making an intellectual connection cannot be experienced through the monitor, speaker, and microphone, even with the best equipment and most stable internet connection which, for the majority, is already a challenge.

The education system must be supported to continue with formal education as these custodians of our country’s future are now the students in this education crisis. For now, harnessing digital technologies for the continuity of our educational institutions is the best option, but the challenges of limited access to technology, connectivity, and skills to effectively benefit from e-learning platforms will need the intervention of the private sector’ digital technology companies.

The DepEd has been engaging in partnerships to build up its organic capacity to deliver the K-12 curriculum through the Blended Learning strategy. One of these is the recently launched GoLearn e-learning platform in partnership with Globe’s tech innovation interventions for education and with the support of Senator Joel Villanueva’s advocacy for continuous education in the pandemic through digital learning.

The private sector has been pro-active in supporting education as it is their enterprises that will need the manpower and management talent trained by our educational institutions. According to data presented during the 2020 Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities, 80% of the Philippine workforce including professionals, managers and technicians were educated in private educational institutions.

This brings up another dimension of the education crisis that was sparked by the onerous tax policy — the 150% income tax increase — that the Bureau of Internal Revenue was about to impose on private schools. After strong opposition from various sectors and even legislators from both Houses of Congress, the ill-conceived revenue regulation has been suspended and legislation is now pending passage to permanently rectify the bad policy.

Education is not just a human right but is an empowering element of society that will directly impact how our nation will evolve in the new digitally powered global ecosystem. It would be best for government to shed its limiting regulatory nature and old bureaucratic ways and learn fast from the private sector’s innovative and developmental drive. We are all stakeholders of education, and we must all rally for the continuity of formal education.

 

Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit is the President of the Stratbase ADR Institute.

At the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, ancient Greece and Rome can tell us a lot about the links between collective trauma and going to war

FREEPIK

On the outskirts of Grapevine, Texas, a town about five miles northwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, there’s a memorial dedicated to the 33 airline flight crew members who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. When I stumbled upon the monument several years ago with my family, I experienced contrary emotions: sadness inspired by the memorial’s stark figures, mixed with anger over how the attacks quickly became a pretext for US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now, as US soldiers leave behind uncertainty and violence in Afghanistan, I look back on America’s past 20 years with two sets of eyes.

As the first-year graduate student who stood smoking a cigarette in Washington Square Park at 8:45 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001 — less than a mile from the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers and where the sound of the jet engines’ final roar mixed in with a Tuesday morning’s bustle — I feel visceral sorrow and remorse.

Today, as a scholar of Greek literature who studies narrative and memory, I see how this collective trauma shaped US actions and has affected Americans’ vision of their identities and shared history — a feedback loop that is reflected in the myths and histories of ancient Greece.

Twenty years is still recent history for many, so memories of the 9/11 attacks may still be too raw to easily reflect on and learn from. That’s why looking for parallels in ancient stories of destruction and loss can help in understanding how shared trauma can shape the stories a nation tells itself, and the decisions that get made in response.

Collective trauma is a term that describes the shared experience of and reactions to a traumatic event by a group of people. That group may be as small as a few people or as large as a whole society.

The 9/11 attacks shattered collective American confidence in its safety and sense of place in the world. America’s collective efforts to learn to live with that trauma partly explain why there is a Sept. 11 memorial in a Texas town thousands of miles from where the attacks took place. It also demonstrates that collective tragedies can shape the world views of individuals who were not present at the event.

The traumatized group may go through shared stages of grief, from disbelief to anger. The further the group gets from the traumatizing event itself, the closer it moves to social memory, a concept historians use to describe how groups of people come to share a consistent story about past events. This narrative can be manipulated to reflect or enforce values in the present.

My studies of ancient Greek history suggest to me that this is what happened in the US after the attacks. There are myths and histories of the ancient world that describe how, in the wake of the destruction of cities, societies created cultural memories that helped them find reasons for rushing into war. These episodes have parallels to the US in the early 21st century.

In the spring of 2002, I attended a New York University conference called “Saving the City,” where speakers were asked to consider such stories. One of the histories we focused on involved Athens after the Persian army invaded Greece — for a second time — in 480 BC and burned the temples, groves, and homes of the Athenians. The attack was in part vengeance for a past military loss, and also a punishment for Athens’ meddling in Persian affairs in Asia Minor. As with New York on Sept. 11, the attackers targeted an icon: the first version of the Athenian Parthenon.

In the wake of this collective trauma, as the scholar Bernd Steinbock argues, narratives of city destruction became popular in Athenian storytelling and art. In some of these stories, cities that had committed offenses against the gods then suffered at the hands of international armies that formed to set them right.

Athenians told one another these stories as they raised troops and a navy to harry the Persians in Asia Minor. Athenian political rhetoric was shaped by the specter of Persian invasion and the threat of re-invasion, the glory of victory and the casting of Athens as a force for freedom and justice in the world. This rhetoric justified imperial expansion, violence, and eventually the murder and enslavement of the city’s own allies.

That led to the Peloponnesian War, a destructive 27-year conflict with Sparta that ended with Athens being conquered again in 404 BC.

In 2001, Americans were still in the early days of their collective trauma when talk pivoted to the rhetoric of war. Analogies were made to shared cultural or national stories from the past: The terrorists were “evil-doers,” President George W. Bush said soon after the attacks, and fighting them was “a new crusade.” Sept. 11 was the “Pearl Harbor” that made it OK to invade Afghanistan.

By early 2002, Bush was telling the nation that Iran, Iraq, and North Korea — the “axis of evil” — were threats to the United States, although they had not been implicated in the Sept. 11 attacks. His administration would soon use its claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction as a “Gulf of Tonkin” moment to justify the US invasion of Iraq — a reference to the 1964 event that spurred greater American military involvement in the Vietnam War.

As I listened to this sort of political rhetoric at the time, the language of Greek myth and poetry helped me understand how political speech capitalizes on memory to create shared realities and justify use of violence. I spent that first year of graduate school in New York City studying the language and politics in Homer’s epic, the Iliad. The story’s “thousand ships” from different cities sailing east, with a bumbling fool at their head, to punish the Trojans seemed an awful lot like the fractious “coalition of the willing” — Bush’s term for the military alliance he assembled to invade and occupy Iraq.

Rome provides another example from ancient history of the relationship between collective trauma and justifications for imperial pursuits.

The city of Rome fought and won its first war with the powerful city of Carthage — located in what is today Tunisia — between 264-241 BC, and its second between 218-201 BC. Rome then imposed a hefty war indemnity on Carthage, which helped it acquire territories that laid the foundation for a pan-Mediterranean empire.

These two victories ended any significant threat that Carthage may have posed, but Roman culture remained obsessed with war. According to the military leader and author Pliny the Elder, the statesman Cato the Elder used to shout “I think Carthage must be destroyed” at every meeting of the Roman Senate. Rome went on to fight a third war with Carthage, besieging and destroying the city between 149-146 BC.

I can’t think of this anecdote without remembering how Bush agitated for invading Iraq over 10 years after his father’s invasion of the country. Or that just a handful of years after Bush’s 2002 “axis of evil” speech, a presidential candidate sang “bomb bomb Iran” to the tune of a Beach Boys pop hit.

These and other accounts from ancient Greece and Rome suggest that over history, collective trauma has often created an opportunity for leaders to use social memory — a culture’s shared stories — to create justifications for lashing out at the world, careless of any new damage it may cause.

As individuals and nations, we don’t act because of what we suffer, but often because of the stories we tell about it.

 

Joel Christensen is a Professor of Classical Studies at Brandeis University.    

More than a year into the pandemic: New employment rules and procedures for foreign nationals coming into the Philippines

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The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way we live, particularly in relation to travel and mobility. In an attempt to curb the spread of the constantly evolving variants of the COVID-19 disease, the Philippines is among the countries that continue to close its borders to foreign travelers coming in for purposes of tourism.

On March 20, 2020, the Philippines initially imposed a total ban on the entry of foreign nationals into the country pursuant to Bureau of Immigration (BI) Memorandum Circular No. JHM-2020-002. The ban included holders of immigrant, non-immigrant, or special visas. It only allowed for the entry of foreign spouses and children of Filipino nationals, accredited foreign government and international organization officials and their dependents, and foreign airline crew. Along with this ban came the suspension of visa-free entry privileges and the issuance of tourist visas by the Philippine Foreign Service Posts, and the cancellation of all previously issued tourist visas pursuant to Foreign Service Circular No. 29-2020.

With countries closing their borders to international travelers and restricting internal movement by implementing local lockdowns, the world seemed to have gone into a complete standstill. As this was not economically sustainable, over time, countries gradually re-opened their borders to boost local businesses and investments. In a similar light, and in order to mitigate further economic impact, the Philippines also relaxed its travel policies in order to accommodate a wider range of categories of foreign nationals allowed to enter the country. Since then, the government response and the laws issued by the pertinent agencies have evolved depending on the number of community cases, the transmission of the COVID-19 variants, and the over-all vaccination rate.

In line with the easing of restrictions, the Philippines is now allowing the entry of foreign nationals who are holders of immigrant, non-immigrant visas, or special visas, with travel restrictions now only applying to those who are traveling under tourist or temporary visitor visas under Section 9(a) of the Philippine Immigration Act, and to passengers coming from countries identified by the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases as high risk due to the surge of COVID-19 cases. The suspension of visa-free entry privileges and issuance of tourist visas by the Foreign Service Posts remains in effect.

Nevertheless, local companies that are hiring foreign employees or whose foreign employees have expired visas are not left without any recourse, provided that they are able to justify that the services of the foreign national are essential and critical in the operations of the local company. Cognizant of the need for some foreign nationals to enter the country for immediate and important business matters, the government has granted exemptions on a case-to-case basis by issuing an Entry Exemption Document. Foreign nationals coming into the country for purposes of business or employment need to secure a favorable endorsement from a national Philippine government agency and an Entry Exemption Document from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Once they arrive in the country, they can file their applications for the appropriate work permit and work visa.

However, on Aug. 5 of this year, the IATF issued Resolution 131-A providing the guidelines for visa issuance to foreign nationals who intend to come into the Philippines for purposes of long-term employment, or for more than six months, with a Philippine-based employer, and employment in connection with foreign-funded government projects such as those in transportation and infrastructure. In a related issuance, the Department of Justice (DoJ) issued its guidelines on Aug. 11 for the processing of applications for the issuance of Special Non-Immigrant Visas pursuant to Section 47(a)(2) of the Philippine Immigration Act. On the part of the BI, it issued Operations Order No. JHM-2021-004 on Aug. 16 providing for specific guidelines in relation to the issuance of 9(g) visas. On Aug. 31, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) likewise issued Labor Advisory No. 16 on the issuance of an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) or Certificate of Exemption/Exclusion to foreign nationals intending to come to the Philippines for long-term employment.

Under the new guidelines, local companies may already initiate the applications for an Alien Employment Permit and 9(g) commercial or 47(a)(2) visa of the foreign national, even if the latter is still out of the country. Previously, a foreign national was generally required to be physically present in the country before the work permit and work visa applications could be filed, thus, the need to secure an Entry Exemption Document from the DFA before bringing the foreign national into the country. Under the new rules, local companies can go straight to the work permit and visa application process without having to separately apply for an Entry Exemption Document with the DFA.

Another notable accommodation granted under the new guidelines is that pursuant to Section 7 of IATF Resolution No. 131-A, digitized or scanned copies of original documents, including documents authenticated or apostilled abroad may be accepted, subject to the submission of the original documents on a later date. Previously, for the applications filed locally, the BI and DoJ were strict with the submission of documents and continue to require original documents and forms signed with wet signatures even during the pandemic.

With respect to the procedure, the AEP card or Certificate of Exemption/Exclusion, as applicable, remains a pre-requisite for the filing of the 9(g) visa application with the BI. Under DoLE Labor Advisory No. 16, the requirements and procedure will be the same, except that the AEP shall be released to the Philippine-based employer to facilitate the application for the appropriate work visa with the BI.

Upon the approval of the work visa application, the BI and the DoJ will send this to the DFA, through the Office of Consular Affairs, for transmittal to the respective Foreign Service Post where the foreign national is coming from, for implementation and stamping. The implemented visa is only valid for 90 days and is limited for the purpose of entry into the country. Thereafter, the foreign national must report to the BI or the DoJ, as applicable, within seven working days from their release from quarantine or isolation, for the full implementation of the visa and for photo and biometric capturing for the ACR I-card for 9(g) visa holders.

Under Section 7 of the BI Operations Order No. JHM-2021-004, failure of the foreign national “to report within seven working days but not to exceed 60 days shall cause the non-implementation of the visa and/or registration, unless the applicant files for a reconsideration considering meritorious grounds.” On the other hand, failure to appear during the 60-day period shall cause the cancellation and downgrading of the visa. Furthermore, a copy of the valid visa of the foreign national must be submitted within 30 working days to the DoLE after completion of the 14-day quarantine protocol.

The COVID-19 pandemic has persisted for longer than we could all have imagined, and is likely here to stay at least in the medium term. Not only has it changed the way we live, it has likewise accelerated the need for authorities to revisit and reform the laws of the country to adapt to the changing circumstances. While the alarming threat to public health has not subsided, the world can no longer remain at a standstill. Whether we all like it or not, the need to be flexible and the ability to adapt will be key.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not offered and does not constitute legal advice or legal opinion.

 

Hannah Lizette S. Manalili is an Associate of the Immigration Department of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices or ACCRALAW.

(632) 8830-8000

hsmanalili@accralaw.com

Defending champ Ginebra Kings look to get out of early struggles

THE BARANGAY Ginebra San Miguel Kings take on the Rain or Shine Elastopainters in PBA Philippine Cup action on Wednesday in Pampanga. — PBA IMAGES

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

HAVING won only two-fifths of its matches to date in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup, defending champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings are looking to get out of its early struggles when they return to action on Wednesday.

The Kings (2-3) are to take on the Rain or Shine Elastopainters (4-3) in the final game at 6 p.m. of scheduled Philippine Basketball Association matches at the Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU) in Bacolor, Pampanga.

“Every game, every season is a different journey. We have struggled early in this tournament and it’s a little bit frustrating. But that’s part of the journey. And we still feel we can get out of this and contend once again for the title,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone on the Power & Play radio program at the weekend.

The defending champs were only able to play one game in the resumption of the All-Filipino Cup last week, losing to the Terrafirma Dyip, 95-90, on Sept. 3.

Barangay Ginebra was held off by a determined Dyip team in the second half en route to the upset.

All Kings starters scored in double digits, led by Christian Standhardinger, in said contest, but it was not enough to overcome Terrafirma, which got a career game from Juami Tiongson.

The team was supposed to play the Meralco Bolts on Sept. 5, but it was postponed hours before tip-off in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols.

Meanwhile, opening Wednesday’s proceedings is the match between the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok (5-2) and the streaking NLEX Road Warriors (4-2) at 12:30 p.m.

The Hotshots lost to league-leading TnT Tropang Giga, 83-76, on Sunday, their second defeat in their last three matches.

Magnolia opened the tournament hot, winning four straight.

NLEX, for its part, is making waves despite not having some key pieces in the semi-bubble tournament in Bacolor, notably do-it-all guard Kiefer Ravena.

The Road Warriors have won three games in a row, the last one over the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 94-76, on Sept. 4, to thrust themselves to solo fourth place in the race.

Also playing at 3 p.m. are TnT (6-0) and the San Miguel Beermen (3-2). The Beermen return after their scheduled game against the Alaska Aces on Saturday was postponed also because of league protocols.

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic overcomes difficult start to reach US Open quarterfinals

NOVAK DJOKOVIC — REUTERS

NEW YORK — An out-of-sorts Novak Djokovic scraped his way to a (1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2) win over American wild card Jenson Brooksby on Monday to move into the US Open quarterfinals and three wins from tennis immortality.

Chasing a 21st major that would seal a calendar year Grand Slam, Djokovic had difficulty getting into gear against the 99th ranked Brooksby, who for a moment looked capable of derailing the Serb.

For the second consecutive match, the world number one came out flat and dropped the opening set, something he will not want to do in his quarter-final when he faces Italian Matteo Berrettini in a rematch of the Wimbledon final which he won in four.

The sixth seeded Italian will mark a big step up in quality for Djokovic, who has not faced anyone ranked inside the top 50, including a qualifier and a wild card.

The match got off to an extraordinary start as Brooksby took the first set with shocking ease.

Playing for the first time on Arthur Ashe Stadium against one of the all-time greats, Brooksby was unfazed while three-times champion Djokovic sprayed shots helter-skelter, committing 11 unforced errors to just one by the young American. That was the wake-up call Djokovic needed and he broke Brooksby at the first opportunity in the second set, letting out a mighty roar.

Djokovic would win the second, but the 20-year-old American made him work for every bit of it, particularly in a grinding fifth game that lasted close to 20 minutes before Brooksby would get the break.

The last American man standing and coming off his first ever five-setter, Brooksby began to fade in the third, going down a double break as Djokovic finally began to dial in his game.

Leading 2-1, Djokovic continued to improve in the fourth and moved clear with a double break and offering zero break point opportunities to his opponent before sealing the win. — Reuters

UAAP in the process of preparing for possible resumption next year, says league executive

THE University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) is currently working on the possible resumption of activities in 2022.

This was shared by league Executive Director Rebo Q. Saguisag on the Power & Play radio program on Saturday, saying the UAAP is in constant communication with all stakeholders in trying to chart a path for its return.

Consultations are also being done with various government agencies to ensure that the direction they will be taking is in accordance with existing guidelines amid the prevailing conditions with the pandemic.

“The mind-set right now of the league has shifted from being very conservative early on in the pandemic to being more open [to the possibility of resuming] a year and a half after,” said Mr. Saguisag.

“We continue to consult with the experts and we talked with the representatives of the other leagues, and we’re happy that the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission), GAB (Games and Amusements Board), and CHEd (Commission on Higher Education) helped us in crafting these protocols,” he added.

Mr. Saguisag was quick to say though that nothing is concrete yet and that discussions and studies are still ongoing.

The UAAP decided to officially scrap the remainder of Season 82 in April last year as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic started to make its presence felt in the country.

It looked to start its new season early this year, but had to forego the plan as face-to-face classes remain prohibited.

If they do resume next year, Mr. Saguisag said one of the measures they will be requiring is the vaccination of participating student-athletes.

“Vaccines are a game changer. When we go to the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases), we’ll make it part of our requirements, for everyone involved to be vaccinated,” he said.

He also shared that a “bubble,” where activities are conducted in a controlled setting, may be suited for them since they are dealing with student-athletes.

“We are looking at a bubble. It can be argued that sports bubbles are safer,” Mr. Saguisag said.

The UAAP official went on to say that the conduct of collegiate sports activities has to return at some point, but it has to be carefully planned.

“Sports has a big role in the health of the nation. It’s a source of diversion. [And it has to return] But, of course, we in the UAAP have to ensure the safety of everyone in the league first and we’re working on that.”

The UAAP is composed of the largest universities in the country, namely: the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, University of the East, Adamson University and National University. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Talented teens eye semifinal spots at Flushing Meadows

FIL-CANADIAN Leylah Fernandez — REUTERS

NEW YORK — Teenagers have lit up the US Open this year and on Tuesday, Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz will look to take their dream runs a step further by claiming a maiden spot in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows.

The withdrawal of several big names before the start of the tournament has allowed new faces to make their mark in New York.

British 18-year-old Emma Raducanu won her fourth round match on Monday, joining Alcaraz, 18, and Fernandez, who has just turned 19, in the quarterfinals.

This year’s event will be the first to feature 18-year-old male and female quarterfinalists since 1988.

Canada’s Fernandez will look to back up her victories over former champions Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber when she takes on Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the second match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Seeing all these teenagers, the youngsters doing so great at the US Open… is eye-opening I think to the world, to the tennis world,” Fernandez said after her win over Kerber.

“There is not only like one group of tennis players, but there is a new wave of young generations that’s coming up, and just trying to make an impact in the tennis game as much as they can.”

Spain’s Alcaraz became the youngest player in the Open era to reach the quarterfinals of the men’s tournament in New York with his victory over Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk on Sunday.

Alcaraz, who will face Canadian 12th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last match on Ashe, is taking things one day at a time.

“I know that in Spain, they are talking about me a lot,” Alcaraz said. “I (am) trying not to think about this… Just focus on New York, focus on every day here.”

Second seed Daniil Medvedev will continue his quest for a maiden major title when he kicks things off on Arthur Ashe against Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp in the first career meeting between the two.

Russian Medvedev, the runner-up at Flushing Meadows in 2019, has cruised through the first week without dropping a set, while Van de Zandschulp has enjoyed a surprise run highlighted by a grueling five-set win over Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.

Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejčíková, seeded eight, will take on second seed Aryna Sabalenka, with both women seeking their first semifinal berth at the US Open. — Reuters