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Agriculture dep’t lifts ban on Ukraine poultry imports 

BW FILE PHOTO

THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) said it has lifted the temporary ban issued on poultry imports from Ukraine after that country was certified as free of bird flu.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar signed Memorandum Order No. 47 on Aug. 23 clearing the way for imports of Ukrainian domestic and wild birds and their products including meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen.

Ukraine was declared free from the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) provided by the country’s veterinary authorities in a report to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). 

“Based on the evaluation of the DA, the risk of contamination from importing poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen is negligible. In accordance with the provisions of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code 2019, Ukraine is now free from HPAI,” Mr. Dar said in the memorandum order.  

The ban on Ukrainian poultry imports was imposed on Jan. 30, 2020.

Ukraine had detected bird flu outbreaks in Buhakiv, Nemyriv, Vinnitsa. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Gov’t trading company returns P5.2B to Treasury

THE PHILIPPINE International Trading Corp. (PITC) returned P5.2 billion worth of idle funds with interest to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) in the first half, the Department of Finance (DoF) said.

The DoF said in a statement Tuesday that it asked the trading arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to return the funds that had accumulated because of suspended projects in order to bolster the government’s finances during the public health crisis.

“(The request to return the funds) is in line with our continuous efforts to identify sources of fiscal space and to accommodate the country’s various medical and social needs as a result of the pandemic, compounded by the successive calamities which recently hit the country,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said in a letter to the DTI.

PITC also returned P1.89 billion to its client agencies for projects that were later on identified as no longer necessary, including projects by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños, the UP System, and the Department of Health (DoH). It also paid out P1.82 billion to suppliers in those six months.

The DoF said the PITC now has P22.7 billion in outstanding balances as of the end of June, down 28% from the end of 2020.

These included P16.6 billion in procurement funds from various government agencies, P5.62 billion for military procurement, and P450 million in savings, interest gains and funds yet to be returned.

Mr. Dominguez said in his letter that PITC’s interest earnings should be remitted to the Treasury, instead of being listed as interest income, since these were generated from the cash and investment balances transmitted by agencies.

Last year, the PITC returned P1.126 billion in interest income to the BTr.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon late last year flagged P33 billion worth of agency funds “parked” with PITC that should be instead returned to the BTr to fund the government’s pandemic response. — Beatrice M. Laforga

World Bank notes decline in PHL social protections in 2021

PHILSTAR

AID that the government extends to its most vulnerable communities fell in 2021, even as households continue to suffer from impaired incomes due to the pandemic, the World Bank said.

According to a survey conducted by the bank in April, individuals who received assistance from the government declined compared to the respondents who said they did in a September survey.

The latest survey had 200 respondents, 180 of which also participated in the earlier survey.

The bank said stimulus packages rolled out by the government were larger last year, including P275 billion under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Bayanihan I) approved in March 2020 and a P160-billion Bayanihan II passed in September.

The social spending programs under these two stimulus packages included P200 billion in cash aid for poor families and a P50-billion wage subsidy program for workers affected by the pandemic.

This year, however, the government only released roughly P13 billion to aid to low-income households in areas under hard lockdowns this month, and P23 billion in cash aid in April when quarantine measures were once more tightened.

The bank said cities and municipal governments were the top source of assistance, followed by barangays, the National Government, provincial governments, and private institutions.

The World Bank survey found that poor communities continued to struggle with their finances this year, with 98% of respondents citing income as their major problem during the prolonged pandemic.

In the September round, the equivalent total was 78%.

Other pressing concerns of the low-income communities were insufficient food as well as lack of access to financial services and establishments for their essential needs.

“On a positive note, communities reported an improvement in access to health facilities for COVID-19 cases, with only 11% reporting lack of access compared to the 19% during the first round of the survey,” the bank said.

Of the vulnerable groups, senior citizens, victims of natural disasters, and indigenous people were most likely to need assistance.

“The second round of the High Frequency Social Monitoring of COVID-19 Impacts Community Survey showed the pandemic’s lingering effects on the economic conditions of poor communities, specifically from loss of jobs and income opportunities. It also demonstrated the obvious that with less stringent mobility and quarantine protocols, economic activity will improve,” the World Bank said.

While the mass vaccination program has started rolling out, it said the safety and efficacy of vaccines remain major concerns that may set back plans to inoculate the majority of the population.

“The World Bank is also supporting the government in its COVID-19 response and recovery intervention by providing the much-needed resources for strengthening emergency COVID 19 healthcare response, including the provision of vaccines and expanding testing and laboratory facilities at the national and sub-national public health laboratories,” it said. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Philippine COVID-19 deaths pass 32,000 mark

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

CORONAVIRUS deaths in the Philippines topped 32,000 on Tuesday after 303 more people died, according to the Department of Health (DoH).

The death toll hit 32,264 or 1.7% of coronavirus infections that have climbed to 1.87 million, the agency said in a bulletin. Tuesday’s deaths included 161 people previously reported as having recovered from the illness.

It reported 12,067 more cases on Tuesday amid a fresh surge in infections caused by a more contagious Delta COVID-19 variant.

Recoveries also increased by 14,565 to 1.71 million. There were 127,703 active cases, 95.5% of which were mild, 1.7% did not show symptoms, 1.2% were severe, 0.93% were moderate and 0.6% were critical.

The agency said 22 duplicates had been removed from the tally, 15 of which were tagged as recoveries. Ten laboratories failed to submit data on Aug. 22.

Fredegusto P. David, a research fellow from the University of the Philippines OCTA Research Group, said active coronavirus cases in Metro Manila might go as high as 70,000 by next month if the infection rate continues.

He earlier said the virus reproduction rate in the capital region was 1.64.

He cited an improvement in the metro’s coronavirus situation after a two-week strict lockdown meant to contain a spike in infections.

Meanwhile, the Philippines would take delivery on Wednesday of more than 362,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer, Inc.

The government paid for the shipment, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing.

The Pfizer vaccine would become available in Philippine drugstores after it was fully approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, he said. The approval allows the two-dose shot to be used for people aged 16 and older.

Mr. Roque said the clearance would allow Philippine drug regulators to quickly approve the two-dose shot for local commercial use.

The Pfizer vaccine was among the most preferred shots by Filipinos, according to a poll by the Social Weather Stations in May. Six of 10 Filipinos preferred coronavirus vaccines made in the US, it added.

Meanwhile, Mr. Roque said about three million doses of the vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech Ltd. would arrive this week.

About 30.69 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been given out as of Aug. 24, 14.49 million of which were first doses.

The country struggles to vaccinate its adult population amid a fresh surge in coronavirus infections believed to be triggered by the Delta variant from India.

Philippine health authorities on Monday reported 466 new cases of the Delta variant, bringing the total to 1,273. Of these, 442 were local cases, 14 were returning migrant Filipino workers and 10 cases were still being verified.

One patient was still active, eight have died, while 457 have recovered.

Ninety more people have been infected with the Alpha coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom, bringing the total to 2,322.

The agency said the country now had 2,588 cases of the Beta variant after 105 more Filipinos got infected with the virus first detected in South Africa.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire earlier said the Delta variant was now roaming freely in Metro Manila and Southern Tagalog, the country’s two most populous regions.

A community transmission occurs when there’s a clustering of cases that are not linked, she said, citing the World Health Organization.

Philippine Genome Center Executive Director Cynthia P. Saloma earlier said the Delta variant had become dominant.

Health workers have threatened to resign en masse as more hospitals get overwhelmed by a fresh surge in infections.

Meanwhile, Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo urged the government to increase its testing capacity to determine where community transmissions are.

In a virtual forum, she also renewed her call for the passage of a third stimulus measure that seeks to allot more than P400 billion for pandemic recovery programs.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte did not mention the bill, which is pending at a Senate committee, during his last address to Congress in July.

The local FDA last week approved the emergency use of the single-dose vaccine made by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.

Sputnik Light, a recombinant human adenovirus vaccine, was 79.4% effective against the coronavirus when it was first used in Russia in May.

It was given as part of Russia’s mass vaccination program from Dec. 2020 to April 2021, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund. The single-dose vaccine must be stored at temperatures of 2-8 degrees Celsius.

The vaccine is different from the two-dose Sputnik V, which was approved for emergency use in the country in March. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Duterte to run for VP next year after party endorsement — ally

PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO/ ACE MORANDANTE

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has agreed to run for vice-president next year so he could continue his campaign against illegal drugs, criminality and insurgency, a political ally said on Tuesday.

The tough-talking Philippine leader “agreed to make the sacrifice and heed the clamor of the people,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles, executive vice president of the ruling PDP-Laban, said in a statement.

Staying in office would ensure the continuity of the President’s administration’s programs, he said.

In the Philippines, the president and vice-president are elected separately and may come from opposing political parties. The vice-president usually becomes powerless unless the President gives him a key post in his  Cabinet.

Mr. Nograles said PDP Laban members wanted to ensure that the government’s coronavirus vaccination program “will be sustained in the critical stage of the pandemic,” Mr. Nograles said.

The government has been criticized of its slow vaccine rollout amid tight global supply. The Philippines ranked 52nd out of 53 countries in terms of pandemic response, according to Bloomberg’s coronavirus resilience ranking.

Mr. Duterte’s decision came more than a month after Senator Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao, who had criticized Mr. Duterte’s anti-corruption drive, was voted out as party president.

The boxing champion, who has also criticized the government’s handling of the sea dispute with China, said he would decide next month whether to run for President in 2022.

Presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. declined to confirm Mr. Duterte’s political plan. He did say the President met with PDP-Laban President and Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi on Monday night.

“I will leave it to PDP-Laban as a political party to make their announcement,” he told a televised news briefing.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nograles said Party-list Rep. Rodante D. Marcoleta, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio B. Honasan II, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo, Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade and Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar would be part of PDP Laban’s senatorial slate.

Legal experts earlier said Mr. Duterte could not run away from potential lawsuits since a vice-president is not immune from suits.

Senator Aquilino L. Pimentel III, who was also ousted as party executive vice chairman, said PDP Laban had not yet chosen a vice-presidential bet.

He added that choosing one before naming a presidential bet was “an unusual circuitous convoluted process.”

“We will most likely delegate to our presidential candidate the choice of his or her running mate,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, some congressmen said the President’s vice-presidential ambition is a desperate attempt to stay in power amid possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for human rights violations in his war on drugs.

“Duterte wants to run away from possible prosecution by the ICC by taking the VP route, and then later on regaining the presidency through a willing tandem,” Party-list Rep. Arlene D. Brosas in a statement. “This is a desperate ploy to perpetuate his rule and cling on to immunity.”

Former ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on June 14 asked the court’s pre-trial chamber to open a probe into Mr. Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs. The court has also said the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC would not affect its investigation.

“Duterte knows that they will face piles of charges if the opposition wins the elections, thus the red-tagging, arrest and killings against the masses would become more violent,” Ms. Brosas said.

Bayan Muna Chairman Neri J. Colmenares said in a separate statement Mr. Duterte’s vice presidential ambition would be illegal.

Also on Tuesday, Party-list Rep. Ferdinand R. Gaite said lawmakers should scrutinize the proposed 2020 national budget because the funds could be misused during an election year. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Russell Louis C. Ku

Senator says he might run again for top post in elections next year

SENATOR Richard J. Gordon, Sr. on Tuesday said he is considering running for President next year.

The lawmaker, who lost in the 2010 presidential election, said his political ambition depends a lot on his wife given their old age and remaining time together.

Mr. Gordon said he did not want to be selfish knowing that he had something to offer to the country. “I’m not saying I’m the only one who can do it, but if we fail to elect the right leader, what kind of a future will we have as a country?” he told an online news briefing.

The senator said he would not consider anything less than the presidency. “I don’t think I want to be vice-president, that I can tell you. I can go back to the Senate or come back as the mayor of Olongapo, or I can retire and go fishing with my wife.”

Mr. Gordon said he was looking for a vice presidential mate with a public health experience or an education master. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Congress passes proposed law increasing penalties for perjury  

PCOO

A MEASURE that will impose higher penalties for perjury, both within or outside a legal court and with harsher sanctions for public officials, has been approved by Congress.   

The Senate ratified on Monday the bicameral conference committee report on the disagreeing provisions within the Senate and House versions of the bill, which will amend the country’s Revised Penal Code. 

“The penalties we proposed are already sufficient to ensure that the intention of our bill is achieved. With the higher penalties, the crime would no longer be covered by the Probation Law,” Senator Richard J. Gordon, Sr. said in a statement.  

“We also made sure that we do not give a harsher penalty outside of the court so that we won’t end up imposing harsher penalties outside of judicial proceedings,” said Mr. Gordon, chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights.  

Under Article 183 of the existing Penal Code, the penalty for perjury is imprisonment of four months and a day to six months, or six months and a day to two years and four months.   

Under the proposed revision, perjury will become punishable with imprisonment from six years and a day to eight years, and up to eight years and a day to 10 years.  

For public workers and officials found guilty of perjury, the penalty would be payment of a fine not more than P1 million and absolute disqualification from holding any appointive or elective position in government.  

“The higher penalties would be sufficient to deter the commission of perjury and create a culture of truth telling. Thieves and liars are siblings, and if you are in the government, the punishment is larger,” said Mr. Gordon in mixed English and Filipino.  

The proposals are contained in Senate Bill 1354 and House Bill 8268. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

Senator calls out government agencies’ practice of passing unused funds to PITC, PS-DBM   

PHILSTAR

SENATE PRESIDENT Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto called out the practice of government agencies of transferring unused funds to two entities, which reflect inefficiency in the use of the annual budget.  

Mr. Recto said the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) and the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) have become “mega parking lots of funds.”   

“It’s not because of procurement expertise that they keep passing the funds around. The true reason is, so they are not caught up by the deadline and waste the funds of the agency,” said Mr. Recto in Filipino.  

“It circumvents the provision in the national budget that appropriations must be spent within the fiscal year,” he added.   

He cited that at least P63.1 billion have been dumped into these two agencies, with PITC, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, accounting for P31.54 billion and the PS-DBM with P31.56 billion.  

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told BusinessWorld in a Viber Message that he has asked PITC to “release a report to update the Senators.”  

In a briefing last November, Mr. Lopez said that no money remains with the PITC and everything is accounted for.   

He explained that some processes are moved to the following year due to delays in evaluating technical specification evaluations, which he said happens at other agencies as well.   

Money that is not returned to the Treasury translates to PITC income, said Mr. Lopez. “Half of the income is returned to the government as dividends, and the rest sustain PITC operations. PITC receives no budget allocations as it is self-sustaining,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.  

Mr. Recto said that in 2020, PITC booked an income of P199.8 million, of which P137 million came from outsourced procurement, while PS-DBM’s revenue reached P1.02 billion, with sales accounting for P877 million and service fees as procuring agent contributing P21.6 million. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan and Jenina P. Ibañez 

Bill filed on higher benefits DFA retirees 

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SENATOR Panfilo M. Lacson filed a bill that seeks to increase the monthly pension and disability benefits of retirees of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), putting the rates at par with the current pay scale of those in active service.  

Mr. Lacson, who chairs the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Commission on Appointments, on Monday filed Senate Bill No. 2347 “to compensate Philippine foreign service personnel whose invaluable services to the country have helped advance the Philippine interests, improve relations with other countries, and protect Filipinos globally”.  

“Personnel of the DFA are at the frontlines of Philippine foreign relations, sometimes risking their lives under dangerous conditions in their countries of assignment. While in active service, diplomats have demonstrated their resilience as the Philippines’ first line of representation in dealing with a plethora of concerns,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. 

He noted that some DFA retirees receive “measly pension despite rendering long years of service at the frontlines of Philippine foreign relations.”  

Senate Bill 2347 would apply to retired officers or employees of the DFA who served for at least 15 years and are eligible to receive monthly pensions from the Government Service Insurance System.  

Under the bill, the monthly pension benefits of all DFA retirees, as provided under Republic Act 7157 or the Philippine Foreign Service Act of 1991, shall be automatically adjusted to the same rate as any future or subsequent increase in the salary grade of the same rank he or she retired from. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

DoE provides endorsements for foreign assistance in power operations, projects 

THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) said it is giving endorsements for the entry of foreign workers who will provide assistance in crucial power sector operations and projects in a bid to ensure reliable supply as school reopens under a mainly online setup.   

“We are providing endorsements for the entry of foreign experts and consultants (who have) critical roles in power sector operations, and project development and implementation,” Mark Christian P. Marollano, supervising science research specialist of the DoE Electric Power Industry Management Bureau, said in a press conference on Tuesday.   

The Energy department is one of the 10 member agencies of the Oplan Balik Eskwela task force, which will focus on ensuring the delivery of basic education amid the continuing coronavirus threat.  

Mr. Marollano said the DoE and its partner stakeholders are aiming for uninterrupted electricity supply for the distance learning classes.   

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has yet to approve the Department of Education’s proposal to resume face-to-face classes in areas at low risk of the virus.   

Mr. Marollano’s statements come around a week after DoE Spokesperson Felix William B. Fuentebella said in a media briefing that “they are closely assisting” industry players who have experienced delays in the issuance of permits for foreign consultants and new equipment. — Angelica Y. Yang 

Palace defends anti-communist body’s P28-B proposed 2022 budget   

THE PALACE on Tuesday defended the national government’s plan to continue subsidizing the development projects of villages that have cleared their territories of Maoist rebels, despite the start of implementation of a court ruling that increased the share of local governments from national taxes.  

The Barangay Development Program of the government’s anti-communist task force is still needed for municipalities that don’t have enough funds for development projects even if they will get a higher internal revenue allotment (IRA) next year, Palace Spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing.  

“The reality is we still have 5th and 6th class municipalities that will continue to have minimal funds despite a higher IRA,” he said in Filipino, noting that underdeveloped areas serve as breeding grounds for communist rebels.  

The Supreme Court ruling named after Batangas Governor Hermilando I. Mandanas clarified that the share from the IRA of local governments does not exclude other national taxes.  

The World Bank in June said the IRA are programmed to increase by 55% in the 2022 budget.  

Under the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget for next year, the anti-communist task force will get P28.1 billion, higher than the P19 billion it received this year, of which P16.5 billion has been allotted for the barangay development program.  

Institute for Leadership, Empowerment, and Democracy (I-Lead) Executive Director Zy-za Nadine Suzara earlier questioned the government’s decision to allocate more funds for the task force “despite serious capacity problems among LGUs (local government units).”  

The task force may face a budget cut after lawmakers raised concerns that allocations for counter-insurgency programs could be used for electioneering, she told BusinessWorld. 

Mr. Roque denied that the anti-communist body’s funds were prone to abuse. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza 

Police chief says steps underway to ensure dismissed cops do not reenter the force   

OFFICIALGAZETTE.GOV.PH

NATIONAL POLICE chief Guillermo T. Eleazar on Tuesday said several measures are being undertaken to ensure that dismissed cops are not reinstated or rehired into the force.   

One step, he said, is expediting the resolution of appeals for reconsideration filed by dismissed police personnel.  

“We will work with the National Police Commission to facilitate the resolution of appealed administrative cases and permanently remove from service those found to be corrupt and abusive,” Mr. Eleazar said in Filipino.   

He has also tasked the Philippine National Police (PNP) director for personnel and records management to create a database of all police personnel for easier tracking of those who have been dismissed from the service.   

“I have already instructed the (director for personnel and records management) to create a database of all dismissed policemen and immediately resolve their Motions for Reconsideration so that we can promptly block any attempt by them to return to service,” he said.  

Mr. Eleazar said he has also instructed the PNP’s legal service to review existing rules and regulations, and to suggest amendments and additional rules to avoid errors of rehiring dismissed policemen, “especially those involved in illegal drugs.” — Bianca Angelica D. Añago  

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