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Gov’t may hire more workers to vaccinate children next month

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE GOVERNMENT may hire more vaccinators as the country starts giving minors coronavirus vaccine shots next month, according to the Department of Health (DoH).

The workers are also needed to help give health workers, senior citizens and seriously ill people booster shots, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told the ABS-CBN News Channel on Thursday.

“We are going to add additional sectors of the population to be vaccinated,” she said. “That would be about 12.7 million children, and then for these boosters we’re going to initially start with senior citizens, immunocompromised and healthcare workers.”

The Philippines targets to inoculate at least 50% of its adult population by yearend. As of Oct. 27, 57.5 million coronavirus vaccines had been given out. More than 26 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Earlier this week, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III signed a recommendation from health experts to give health workers and other priority groups booster shots against the coronavirus.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said the assessments signed by the health chief were “interim recommendations to guide sectoral planning.”

In a statement, Ms. Vergeire said the recommendation would be updated, pending review by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of emergency use approvals for various coronavirus vaccines and recommendations by the World Health Organization.

The Philippines will start vaccinating children aged 12 to 17 starting Nov. 3. The government started inoculating seriously ill kids in the capital region this month.

Health Undersecretary Myrna C. Cabotaje said this is in line with a plan to resume face-to-face classes on Nov. 15. The inoculation of children may encourage other family members to get vaccinated, she added.

“Now that the children are okay, maybe the whole family will be encouraged to get vaccinated,” she told an online news briefing.

Meanwhile, the Philippines remains the worst place to be in during the coronavirus pandemic despite a downward trend in infections, according to a Bloomberg study that measured the resilience and response of economies to the global health crisis.

The Philippines placed last among 53 countries for a second month in a row in Bloomberg’s latest monthly COVID-19 resilience ranking.

The Philippines, which got a score of 40.5, was behind Indonesia (48th), Malaysia (50th), Thailand (51st) and Vietnam (52nd).

“While other Southeast Asian nations also continue to be ranked low among the 53 economies tracked, the Philippines fares among the worst on vaccine coverage, with just 26% of the population covered amid challenges in bringing shots to areas outside of the big cities,” Bloomberg said.

Ireland, which got a score of 75.1, remained the best place to go amid the pandemic. Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Denmark, Finland, Norway, France, Chile, Switzerland and the Netherlands were also in the top 10.

The ranking was unfair and biased, Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Jonathan E. Malaya told the ABS-CBN News Channel.

“No. 1, it doesn’t cover all countries,” he said. “It’s unfair to characterize our country as the lowest because we’re not the lowest in the world.”

“The countries they chose were mostly Western countries, which puts us at a disadvantage,” he added.

Bloomberg’s monthly ranking is based on a country’s coronavirus numbers, healthcare quality, vaccination coverage and progress in restarting travel and easing border curbs. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Senate panel formally asks BIR to probe suppliers for tax liabilities that could reach P7.5B 

THE SENATE Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday adopted a resolution urging the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to form a task force that will conduct a special audit on the returns submitted by companies that bagged pandemic supply contracts worth P42 billion to determine their potential tax liabilities.  

Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, who made the motion for the resolution, was prompted by the admission of the country representative of Xuzhou Construction Machinery, which bagged over P2.23 billion worth of contracts from the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management, that the company did not pay any income tax last year.   

“Apart from the overpricing, apart from the unqualified suppliers and apart from the preference on foreign suppliers, it is incumbent upon this committee to look into the tax liabilities of these companies. This is something that we have to look at,” Mr. Drilon said.  

He estimated the total potential tax liability at P7.5 billion. 

Some of these firms are Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., which has been at the center of the committee’s probe, that cornered over P10.40 billion; Element Trade Limited with P6.99 billion; Sunwest Construction and Development Corp. with P5.22 billion; and Hafid N’ Erasmus Corp. with P1.91 billion.  

The committee also approved a motion to publicize the income tax returns of officials of Pharmally and Xuzhou as well as that of former economic presidential adviser Michael Yang.  

“It appears like there could be violations of our tax laws. We should examine the potential tax liabilities of these companies, officials and employees,” Mr. Drilon said. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

Presidential, VP debates will be face-to-face — Comelec 

DEBATES among candidates for the country’s top two positions in next year’s elections will be in person, an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Thursday. 

“It will be face-to-face among candidates. Yesterday there was a lot of talk about it being online and people were concerned that online meant the candidates will be virtual as well. They wouldn’t be,” Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez told CNN Philippines’ The Source.  

He said the candidates for president and vice president will be physically facing off while the audience will be participating virtually.  

Mr. Jimenez said Comelec is looking at having three separate debates for both positions. 

Senators, including those running for either of the top positions, have expressed preference for debating in person.   

“It is different when the candidates are physically engaged, especially in a debate that the Filipinos are awaiting to determine in full who they will vote to lead the country — including the demeanor and action of every presidential candidate,” Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, who is running for president, said in a statement Thursday. 

He added that based on their experience in Senate hearings and sessions, virtual platforms pose limitations such as technical problems. 

Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, a veteran politician and public official who plans to retire in 2022, said a virtual debate would not fully show the candidates’ genuine ability.   

“The possibility of coaching will diminish the credibility of the debates as a test of the candidates’ competence to lead the country for the next six years,” he said in a statement Thursday. “That is why my preference is a face-to-face debate.”  

“It can be done, with the appropriate safety protocols on COVID-19 being observed,” he added. 

Senator Francis “Kiko” N. Pangilinan, who is running for vice president, also said measures could be put in place to ensure health protocols are observed at the debate venue.   

SUBSTITUTION
In another election concern, Mr. Jimenez said banning substitution for political candidates who withdraw would not be ideal as it remains a necessary remedy for political parties.  

He said taking away the right of a political party to substitute due to a voluntary withdrawal would “hold the party hostage to the whim of the (withdrawn) candidate.” 

“If a candidate files a CoC (certificate of candidacy) under pretense of good faith and then later says, ‘I don’t want to run anymore’, you are going to leave the political party high and dry,” he said in the same interview.  

Substitution allows a political party to replace a member who filed a certificate of candidacy with another member.   

Filing ended on Oct. 8 while substitution is allowed until Nov. 15. 

Lawmakers from both the Senate and the House of Representatives have filed bills seeking to ban voluntary substitution.  

Mr. Jimenez added that statements made by political candidates or parties that they are placeholders cannot be verified as they are not under oath. 

“They’re not as trustworthy as if they were said under oath under an appropriate body and under a hearing,” he said. 

On campaigning, Mr. Jimenez said Comelec will be allowing physical events but there will be guidelines on the number of people allowed based on the alert levels set in a particular area.  

“We are going to systematize that so that we have rules all over the country that would define how many people can be in an in-person campaigning… at any given place,” he said. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan and Russell Louis C. Ku  

Business groups want to see a well-organized elections, ‘clear’ results in 2022 

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

BUSINESS groups want to see a well-organized election next year, with adjustments made in proceedings in consideration of the coronavirus pandemic, and are hoping for a ‘clear’ result that would give the country’s new leader an indisputable mandate.   

Rizalina G. Mantaring, Management Association of the Philippines National Issues Committee co-chair, said changes should be made to have a successful election in 2022.    

“A lot of our election processes are intended for normal times and they have to be changed for the pandemic times. There is a potential to create super spreader events when people are voting because even in a normal election, we see long lines,” Ms. Mantaring said in a webinar of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines on Thursday.  

Makati Business Club Executive Director Coco Alcuaz, Jr., for his part, said the main concern for the group is for the election to be clear and clean.     

“Hopefully, the elections in 2022 is similar to the last two (presidential) elections where the margin of the winning candidate was clear, so that whoever is the new president has a relatively clear mandate to proceed,” Mr. Alcuaz said.   

Meanwhile, Megaworld Hotels Group General Manager Cleofe C. Albiso said the company is optimistic that the election season will help local hotels and the tourism sector.    

“We are looking at being able to capture hybrid meetings like what we are doing now. Whether it is an online or hybrid meeting, there will still be requirements for food. We are optimistic that the election season will help the hotel industry and tourism industry,” Ms. Albiso said.    

“We also wish for the government to provide more creative ways to resolve vaccination resistance, to fast-track vaccinations for minors, and to allow calibrated and cautious transition to easing travel and other industry restrictions,” she added. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave  

LTO issues memo clarifying that PMVIC inspection still optional  

SENATOR Mary Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares on Thursday welcomed the memorandum issued by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) reiterating its statement last week that checks done by private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs) are still not mandatory.    

“At the minimum, this assures our vehicle owners and motorists a choice that is more convenient and favorable to them amid the pandemic’s challenges,” said Ms. Poe, chair of the Senate Committee on Public Services, in a statement. 

The LTO memo issued on Monday specified that vehicle owners can still choose between either a PMVIC inspection or a private emission testing center (PETC) result when applying for a vehicle registration renewal. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

DoF’s Dominguez says rich countries need to offer more climate funding

PEXELS-PIXABAY

FINANCE Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said wealthy economies have not offered enough climate financing to help developing nations reduce their carbon footprints as they transition to clean energy, adding that such countries bear the most responsibility for their historic emissions.

In a statement issued by the Department of Finance (DoF) Thursday, Mr. Dominguez said: “We have seen very little funding and actions promised by Western countries materialize. All that has been done is talk without concrete action.”

“We need the Western countries to take responsibility for having contributed and continuing to contribute the most to greenhouse gas emissions. They must be given the greater burden of paying for the grants, investments, and subsidies needed for the most climate-vulnerable countries to mitigate the effects of global warming.”

The Philippines will consult with other countries that are vulnerable to climate risks “so we can jointly put forward a united principled but practical position,” he told reporters on Viber.

 Mr. Dominguez will be leading the Philippine delegation at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland next week.

Developed countries will discuss plans to improve climate financing after they failed to fulfill a pledge to roll out $100 billion to help developing nations tackle climate change each year by 2020.

China emitted 27% of the world’s greenhouse gas total in 2019, followed by the US at 11% and India at 6.6%, think tank Rhodium Group said.

“Nothing would please us more than seeing the countries that emitted and continue to emit the most greenhouse gases to accept the responsibility of financing the transition to carbon neutrality,” Mr. Dominguez said.

“Those who have polluted and continue to pollute the most must bear the largest financial burden.”

The DoF and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas last week launched the Philippines’ sustainable finance roadmap to address policy gaps in sustainable investment.

“Financial policies incentivizing green and renewable investments, supported by a complete policy framework guiding government action, eventually affect the bottom line of private businesses,” Mr. Dominguez said.

“These financial policies can be powerful instruments to encourage enterprises to be more conscious of their effects on the climate.” — Jenina P. Ibañez

ADB sees coal-fired plant retirement scheme saving 200M tons of CO2

BW FILE PHOTO

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) said retiring half of the coal-fired power plants in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam will remove up to 200 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

The three countries are being evaluated for participation in the ADB’s proposed energy transition mechanism (ETM) facility, which will purchase coal-fired power plants in order to retire them, thereby accelerating the transition to clean power.

“Retiring 50% of the coal plants in the three pilot countries alone could avoid 200 million tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of taking 61 million cars off the road,” the bank said in a statement.

The ADB said it is still considering setting up ETM facilities in the three countries, but added that the program has the potential to be one of the largest global carbon reduction schemes.

The ETM facilities will be financed through public, private, and philanthropic funds.

ADB Vice-President Ahmed M. Saeed has said that the bank chose the three countries as its pilot participants because of their dependence on coal energy.

“In Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, coal-fired power is an enormous problem. In Indonesia it’s 60% of the energy mix, in the Philippines and in Vietnam it’s over half,” he said in an episode of “ADB Insight” posted on the bank’s website.

He said the ETM program will help coal-dependent countries achieve their goals under the Paris Agreement.

Mr. Saeed added that the objective of the ETM is to reduce coal-fired power in its three pilot countries by 50%.

Last week, the ADB released its updated energy policy which proposes to halt funding for new coal-fired power projects in its developing member countries.

Earlier this month, the bank announced that it has upgraded its climate financing target to $100 billion, from $80 billion previously, through 2030.

The additional $20 billion will primarily go to helping member-countries enhance their climate resilience; expedite investment in clean power and energy efficiency; and facilitate reforms to help some countries implement their nationally-determined contributions, according to ADB Special Advisor for COP26 Warren Evans. — Angelica Y. Yang

Print media industry seeks exemptions from VAT

REUTERS

THE PRINT media industry has asked Congress for tax relief to help it recover, seeking exemptions from the value-added tax (VAT) on its key raw materials such as paper and ink, as well as on advertising sales.

The United Print Media Group Philippines (UPMG) said such exemptions would give the industry “greater financial flexibility” while economic conditions remain weak.

“Ultimately, the elimination of the burdensome 12% VAT would also be felt by readers via the higher quality of journalism in print media,” the association said in a position paper.  

UPMG said the volume of paper and ink procured by print publications declined drastically between 2017 and 2021, in part due to the coronavirus pandemic, in line with reduced output by publishers.

The group also cited data from Statista indicating that the share of advertising revenue taken up by newspapers in the Philippines was currently 5.8%, posting steady declines since 2012.

Advertising firm Dentsu, Inc. said in a 2021 report that digital advertising in the Asia Pacific region accounted for 55.7% of the ad market.  

UPMG President Barbie L. Atienza said VAT exemptions will stimulate advertising and boost revenue for print publications. He also added that the impact on government revenue would be minimal.

“We are talking of around P2.5 billion total advertising revenue for the year, he said in a Viber message, estimating the government’s VAT revenue from the industry at around P300 million each year.

He said the print industry employs 6,000 workers.

UPMG also proposed a lower corporate income tax rate of 15% for the industry, against the 25% called for under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law.

It also proposed a tax assistance package that would include a tax holiday and refundable tax credits for print subscribers and advertisers.  

UPMG also wants to partner with the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to implement a separate news and current affairs subject in the student curriculum to help students appreciate the value of journalism and keep them from falling victim to fake news.

“In providing and disseminating news and information content, it is likewise undeniable that no other medium ensures equally accurate, reliable and appreciable content as print,” UPMG said.

Mr. Atienza said that the proposals have the support of Pangasinan Rep. Christopher V.P. De Venecia, chairman of the House Committee on Creative Industry and Performing Arts, who is drafting an initial bill based on the group’s suggestions.

“However, there being very limited time left in Congress now, (we would like to) initiate a conversation about (the state of the print industry) and hope that it is filed again during the next Congress,” he said.  

BusinessWorld is a member of the UPMG. — Russell Louis C. Ku

13th month pay loan application window starts Nov. 2

SMALL BUSINESSES interested in zero-interest loans to help them make their 13th month payroll may start applying on Nov. 2, the Small Business Corp. (SB Corp.) said.

SB Corp. Spokesman Robert Bastillo said in a Laging Handa briefing Thursday that micro and small businesses have the Nov. 2-Dec. 7 period to accomplish their applications online.

“The loan is open to micro and small businesses that have 20 employees or below,” Mr. Bastillo said, adding that the loans are payable in 12 months.

According to Mr. Bastillo, eligible businesses will include those on the Labor department’s list of companies that availed of flexible work arrangements during the pandemic.

He added that the Labor department’s database currently contains 11,000 micro and small businesses.

Mr. Bastillo said not all of the 11,000 businesses have headcounts of 20 persons and below.

“If the interested businesses are included in the Labor department’s list, they only need to present their barangay business permit or mayor’s permit,” Mr. Bastillo said.

He said P500 million has been allotted for the loan facility, with the processing time for each application estimated at seven to 10 days.  

“We have a standard amount of P12,000 per employee. It is up to the company to apportion the amount because the Labor department has advised that the actual work hours/days should be the basis for computing 13th month pay,” Mr. Bastillo said.  

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez has said that the loan size will be between P50,000 and P200,000.

“We see no reason to defer the 13th month pay for this year as the government stands ready to support businesses,” Mr. Lopez said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave 

House probe sought for Mindanao Rail land acquisitions

TWO HOUSE legislators filed a resolution seeking to investigate the process of right-of-way acquisition from private landowners for the China-funded Mindanao Railway project.

ACT-CIS Rep. Eric G. Yap and Davao Rep. Paolo Z. Duterte filed House Resolution 2321 Tuesday calling for the appropriate House committees to investigate the matter, claiming disparities between the market value of the land and the offers made.

“Among the properties covered include those located in Barangays New Visayas and Datu Abdul Dadia, both in Panabo City, among others,” according to the resolution.

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) earlier rejected a request by landowners and businesses in Toril, Davao City to relocate a Mindanao Railway facility due to concerns about the impact on land values.

The DoTr said any changes to the project will cause delays and could affect another transport project, the High Priority Bus System.

DoTr officials also said that they are considering expropriation to hurry the construction process along with a view towards achieving partial operations for the Mindanao Railway by October 2022.

The filers of the resolution, Mr. Yap and Mr. Duterte, said the investigation will review the laws governing right of way acquisition for possible amendments that will ensure adequate compensation and protections for land owners.

The Transportation department has signed a deal with the consortium composed of China Railway Design Corp. and Guangzhou Wanan Construction Supervision Co., Ltd. for the first phase of the Mindanao Railway project.

The first phase consists of eight stations along a 100-kilometer line connecting Davao City to Tagum, Davao del Norte and Digos, Davao del Sur. — Russell Louis C. Ku

SSS app transactions top 35 million in first eight months of 2021

THE SOCIAL Security System (SSS), the private-sector pension fund, said its mobile application processed 35.27 million transactions and queries in the first eight months of the year.

Transactions and queries on the app have totaled 109.73 million since its launch in 2018, led by salary loan balance and status queries and maternity claim information inquiries.

The top transaction under the member portal was payment reference number generation, the SSS said in statement on Thursday.

The SSS said the app has been downloaded 19.47 million times as of August.

“We recognize that mobile technology is one of the new norms to provide easier and safer access to services and transactions,” SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio said.

“We are continuously upgrading the SSS Mobile App to include additional services and to make sure that its functionalities are user-friendly to better serve our members and employers.”

SSS members may access membership information, inquire about contributions, loans, and benefit claims status, and ask about maternity notifications on the app.

The number of online transactions with SSS increased while manual transactions declined last year as more members used digital platforms during the pandemic.

Registrations and transactions on the My.SSS portal surged in 2020 compared to the previous year. — Jenina P. Ibañez

JICA-backed rapid test kits for rabies launched in the Philippines

THE JAPAN International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said it launched rabies rapid test kits for use in the Philippines in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture (DA).

JICA said in a statement Thursday that the immunochromatographic test kit (ICT kit) can return a rabies diagnosis within 20 to 30 minutes, against 2-3 hours for the microscope and incubator-based method.

The test kits were developed under a technical cooperation agreement between JICA and the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry, known as the Japan and Philippines One Health Rabies (JAPOHR) project.

JICA said the early detection of rabies accelerates the start of treatment, especially in high-risk areas.  

“The ICT kits offer an innovative way to tackle rabies prevention and diagnosis in the Philippines. At this time when public health is an important issue in development, the test kits for rabies can contribute to the eradication of one of the common diseases in the Philippines and help improve the quality of life of people,” JICA Chief Representative Eigo Azukizawa said.  

The test kit was developed by Akira Nishizono of Oita University and Japanese pharmaceutical firm ADTEC.

JICA said it will support the Philippines’ rabies prevention and control program for the next two years by providing the test kits and conducting training to regional animal diagnostic laboratories.  

“According to the Department of Health (DoH), rabies remains a public health problem in the Philippines. It is the most acutely fatal infectious disease responsible for the death of 200-250 Filipinos every year, and at least one-third of human rabies deaths are among children less than 15 years of age,” JICA said.

JICA also announced the Rabies Data Share System to aid in contact tracing and vaccination following the detection of rabid animals. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

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