Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 6355

Nickel industry sees growth momentum continuing after issuance of mining EO

THE PHILIPPINE Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) said it expects growth momentum for the industry to continue with the issuance of an executive order lifting the freeze on new mining agreements.

“We are hopeful of maintaining this growth momentum especially after the issuance of Executive Order (EO) No. 130 that lifted the ban on new mineral agreement as it will pave the way for new mining projects and entice more investments in the mining industry,” PNIA President Dante R. Bravo said in a statement Thursday.  

He said PNIA members accounted for about half of the Philippines’ nickel production last year, and 31% of the total in the first quarter.  

“Despite the pandemic, the country’s nickel industry remained resilient with a reported increase of 4% in production and a 22% rise in export value,” he said, citing 2020 data from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).  

Citing the MGB, Mr. Bravo said the value of the nickel industry’s direct-shipping ore was P38.86 billion in 2020 against the year earlier P31.79 billion.  

He added that the nickel industry produced 27.17 million dry metric tons (DMT) of nickel ore last year, against 26.21 million DMT a year earlier.  

“The increases were driven by the continuous uptrend in nickel prices and by the robust demand from China’s stainless steel producers,” Mr. Bravo said.  

The MGB has said that the overall mining industry accounted for P102.3 billion or 0.6% of Philippine GDP in 2020.  

The PNIA said in 2020, its members spent P167 million on their social development and management programs, P49 million on COVID-19 assistance, and P532 million on their environmental protection and enhancement programs, with more than seven million trees planted to date.  

“PNIA members are equally committed to ensuring sustainability in our communities through community and environmental preservation efforts. The projects we implement for the community and the environment are as equally important to PNIA members as their operations,” Mr. Bravo said.  

“(Our) members will soon release their performance report on their alignment with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) before the year ends as part of our collective commitment to industry sustainability efforts,” he added. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

More than 3M vaccine shots arriving this week

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS
A COMMUNITY frontliner got a dose of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine at the Placido Del Mundo Elementary School in Quezon City on March 23. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

MORE than three million coronavirus vaccine doses made by AstraZeneca Plc are expected to arrive this week, according to the presidential palace, which could make up for delivery delays for vaccines from China.

More than a million AstraZeneca shots donated by Japan were set to arrive on Thursday night and two million more were expected later this week, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Thursday.

Japan has said it would donate ¥687 million yen worth of assistance to the Philippines for its cold chain facilities.

“The quick dispatch of these pledged vaccines is seen to contribute to the Philippines’ goal of herd immunity, along with the recently approved project of Japan and the Philippines for cold chain facility development,” the Japanese Embassy said in a statement.

The two million AstraZeneca vaccines were ordered under a global initiative for equal access, Mr. Roque said. About 170,00 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia would also arrive this week, he said.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. is also expected to deliver its next batch of CoronaVacs next week, vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. told the ABS-CBN News Channel.

The government expects 70 million Filipinos to get their first vaccine dose by November, he said.

Mr. Roque said about 12.48 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been given out as of July 7, 9.39 million of which were first doses.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 5,484 coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing the total to 1.45 million.

The death toll rose to 25,650 after 191 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 3,925 to 1.38 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 49,036 active cases, 90.9% of which were mild, 3.7% did not show symptoms, 1.5% were critical, 2.2% were severe and 1.62% were moderate.

The agency said nine duplicates had been removed from the tally, six of which were tagged as recoveries. It added that 152 recoveries had been reclassified as deaths.

The government this week told local governments to prioritize vaccine patients due for their second dose of CoronaVac from China. Sinovac Biotech Ltd., which makes the vaccine, has said its next delivery would get delayed.

It ordered local governments to completely vaccinate those who have received their first CoronaVac dose until the supply stabilizes. It also asked local authorities to use other vaccine brands for first shots.

Health authorities on Monday night said 256 more people had been infected with more contagious variants of the coronavirus, though most of them have either died or recovered.

Two more Filipinos have been infected with the Delta variant of the coronavirus that has triggered a fresh surge in cases in India, bringing the total to 19, DoH said.

The agency said 132 more people have been infected with the Alpha variant of the coronavirus, which was first detected in the United Kingdom, bringing the total to 1,217. Of these, 125 were local cases, one was a returning migrant Filipino, and six were still being verified.

Fifteen of the patients have died and 117 have recovered, it added. 

The agency also reported 119 new cases of the Beta coronavirus variant that was first detected in South Africa, bringing the total to 1,386. Three patients were being treated, 104 have recovered and 12 died, it said.

Three more people have been infected with the Theta coronavirus variant that was first detected in the Philippines, DoH said. All of them have recovered.

Court approves use of body cameras by arresting policemen

PHILSTAR

THE SUPREME Court has approved a policy requiring police to wear body cameras when serving arrest warrants, according to the chief justice.

“The court en banc approved already the final draft,” Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo told reporters on Thursday. “Its members would have to sign the final resolution. Hopefully by Friday, it will be signed and duly promulgated.”

He said the rules seek to balance the rights of suspects and law enforcement operations.

The tribunal came up with the requirement after allegations of police abuse during the arrest activists critical of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s government.

Human rights activists earlier asked the Justice department and Supreme Court to hasten the probe of activist killings, including the deaths of nine activists in a police raid in southern Luzon in March.

Mr. Gesmundo also said the court would try to decide on 37 lawsuits seeking to void the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act within the year. The tribunal received the final pleadings of the parties two weeks ago, he added.

“By the sheer number of petitions, it might take some time before the court can at least prepare its draft.”   

The court seeks to come out with a ruling before Justice Rosmari D. Carandang retires in January.

As of June 25, the 37 petitioners, grouped into six clusters, have submitted their memoranda to the High Court. The Solicitor General has also submitted an 800-page memorandum defending the law, which critics said could be used to stifle dissent and abuse human rights. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Nothing wrong with state media airing of party events — Palace

PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO/ JOEY DALUMPINES

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE sees nothing wrong with state television’s airing of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s meeting with his partymates and another political party’s event supporting the possible presidential bid of his daughter.

The People’s Television Network (PTV) covered the events because these were newsworthy, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Thursday.

“Whenever it’s newsworthy, it’s covered,” he said. “Otherwise, they will get outscooped. PTV is still a news agency,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.

The government media on Wednesday aired the meeting of PDP-Laban, which Mr. Duterte heads. The two-hour meeting showed the President’s political allies urging him to run for vice president next year for continuity.

The six-year term of Mr. Duterte, who is barred by law from running for reelection is ending next year.

PTV also aired the press conference of the People’s Reform Party, which announced its support for Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio. Mr. Roque, a party member, attended the meeting.

“The President has always been the chairman of PDP-Laban,” Mr. Roque said. “There’s no way to separate the political personality of the President from his functions.”

During the meeting, Mr. Duterte said he was seriously thinking about running for vice president. He added that he would become inutile as vice president if his successor was not an ally.

Political observers and constitutional experts have said a Duterte vice presidency violates the spirit of the post-dictatorship Constitution.

The late President Corazon C. Aquino oversaw the drafting of the basic law that limited the powers of the presidency and re-established the bicameral Congress, which her predecessor, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, abolished.

Mr. Marcos and his family were forced into exile in the US after he was ousted by a popular street uprising in 1986.  

Bayan Muna Party-list Rep.Carlos Zarate asked whether PTV had “become the private property of PDP-Laban.”

“Is it in line with President Duterte’s penchant for claiming taxpayer’s paid services and personnel as his own?” The congressmen said in a statement. “This is an unabashed display of impunity in using government time and resources for a clearly partisan political activity.”

“Is this also the reason why Radio Television Malacañang and PTV always have airtime for favored presumptive candidates of the President, especially when the program is simulcasted with other networks?” He asked.

State media should observe fairness and avoid favoring administration allies, said Cleve V. Arguelles, a political science lecturer at De La Salle University.

“It’s OK if the state media are covering all political parties,” he said by telephone. “The problem is if they would be giving an advantage to administration parties or members of the ruling coalition.”

Political analyst and constitutional expert Antonio Gabriel M. La Viña said people should guard against the use of public resources to favor certain candidates. The Commission on Elections has the power to prevent parties from doing this, he said by telephone.

“It certainly looks like the government-owned and -run TV station is being used for partisan political activities,” Ateneo Policy Center research fellow Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco said in a Facebook Messenger chat. The network should be made to explain its actions, he added.

Gov’t must do more than declare part of Philippine Rise as protected area — fishers’ group 

NAMRIA.GOV.PH

By Revin Mikhael D. Ochave, Reporter

A PROPOSED law declaring a portion of the Philippine Rise as a protected zone is not enough to uphold the country’s territorial rights and maximize the potential resources in the area, a militant fishers’ group said.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA), in a statement on Thursday, said the bill filed in the House of Representatives only covers 352,390 hectares, which is too small to account for the entire Philippine Rise.   

“Not even a quarter of the Philippine Rise would be covered by the protected area being sought by this House bill,” PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson Fernando L. Hicap said.

“Moreover, there is no definite plan what would be the next step after placing a scanty portion of the rise under protection,” he added.

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Natural Resources approved the substitute measure to House Bill No. 36 or the Philippine Rise Marine Resource Reserve Act that seeks to declare a part of the Philippine Rise, formerly called the Benham Rise, as a protected area.   

The areas covered under the bill include the Benham Bank and its surrounding waters.   

Mr. Hicap said declaring a portion of the Philippine Rise as a protected area will discourage local commercial fishing vessels from venturing in the area but leave it exposed to foreign industrial fishing vessels.   

According to PAMALAKAYA, it was reported a few years ago that the Philippine Rise was frequented by foreign poachers from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, which were seen catching high-grade tuna.   

“It may be counterproductive for our domestic commercial fishing industry which would be prevented from undertaking fishing activities in our territorial waters while large-scale foreign fleets, which are unlikely to comply with our laws, would be exploiting our marine resources,” Mr. Hicap said.   

GOV’T INVESTMENT
Mr. Hicap also called on the government to sponsor commercial fishing vessels that will venture and conduct fishing activities in the Philippine Rise.   

“To make the most of our marine and fishery resources, the government should seriously support our local fishing industry. For instance, it could commission our local fishing vessels that are capable of voyaging the Philippine Rise to conduct large-scale fishing expedition for domestic food needs,” he said.   

“Moreover, the government should develop our local marine scientific research to explore and utilize the untapped mineral and gas deposits in the Philippine Rise for our local industrial use,” he added.   

The Philippine Rise, located east of northern Philippines, is an area that has abundant marine species and untapped mineral resources and gas deposits.

In 2009, the Philippines filed a partial claim with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for Philippine Rise, which was approved three years after.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte issued an executive order in 2017 that renamed Benham Rise to Philippine Rise.   

PHL military receives P48.5-M weapons from US

US EMBASSY HANDOUT PHOTO

THE PHILIPPINE military recently received P48.5 million worth of new weapons and munitions from the United States, intended to strengthen counterterrorism measures.

The weapons, funded by a US grant assistance, was delivered on July 4 by officials of the Joint United States Military Assistance Group-Philippines (JUSMAG-P), the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement on Thursday.

The delivery made at Clark Air Base included fourteen M2A1 .50 caliber heavy machine guns, seve M240B machine guns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.   

“As the United States and Philippines celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations today, we welcome this key equipment transfer, which will support the continued readiness of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said JUSMAG-P Chief and Senior Defense Official to the Philippines Col. Stephen Ma.   

The American Embassy said the Philippines is the largest recipient of US military assistance in the Indo-Pacific, with over P48.6 billion received since 2015. — MSJ 

Ombudsman will not appeal senator’s acquittal on pork barrel scam 

SENATE.GOV.PH

THE OMBUDSMAN’S office will no longer challenge the anti-graft court’s decision to acquit Senator Ramon B. Revilla, Jr. in his 16 graft cases based on insufficient evidence.

“The Office of the Ombudsman has rested its case against Senator Ramon ‘‘Bong’ Revilla Jr,” it said in a news release on Thursday.

The Ombudsman further said the Sandiganbayan’s First Division voted 3-2 granting Mr. Revilla’s Demurrer to Evidence, “and we respect its decision.”   

It added that Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires honors Mr. Revilla’s constitutional right against double jeopardy.

As such, he “sets the policy of no longer challenging the dismissal of cases/quashal of information and judgments of acquittal, either through a motion to dismiss, a demurrer to evidence or by a decision, rendered by the trial courts or the Sandiganbayan except when the People was clearly deprived of due process or there was mistrial.”

Mr. Revilla was accused of diverting his discretionary funds, formally known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund, to fake non-government organizations allegedly controlled by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, who has been convicted in other charges relating to the pork barrel scam.

The senator was also accused of earning P224.5 million in kickbacks through the pork barrel scam.

On July 5, the anti-graft court acquitted Mr. Revilla in all 16 cases but said he still has to pay his share in the P124.5 million ordered by the same court in 2018 to be returned to the national treasury. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago 

Former journalists’ group chair Espina passes away

VETERAN JOURNALIST and former chairperson of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) Jose Jaime Espina passed away on Wednesday evening. He was 59.

Mr. Espina died of liver cancer, his sister Inday Espina-Varona said in a Faceboost post. He survived a severe coronavirus infection and was able to return to his family before his death, she added.

Mr. Espina served as a correspondent for the now-defunct Today newspaper and worked at the Lifestyle Magazine of the Manila Standard, his sister said. He was also an editor of INQUIRER.net and the Interaksyon news site.

He was “a tireless champion for the freedom of the press and the welfare of media workers,” the NUJP said in a statement.

“He was a press freedom hero worthy of admiration and emulation,” it said. “From the Marcos dictatorship until the Duterte administration, he consistently served the Filipino people by upholding the truth.”

Mr. Espina, as one of the founding members of NUJP, led various press freedom campaigns.

He was “among the first responders” in the aftermath of the worst attack on the Philippine press, known as the Maguindanao Massacre, the NUJP said.

He was also “among the loudest voices at rallies in support of the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, leading a march in Quezon City in March 2020 and later joining similar activities in Bacolod City, where he was based,” the media organization said.

“He was a tireless champion for the freedom of the press and the welfare of media workers,” it said.

BusinessWorld interviewed Mr. Espina on several occasions on matters relating to the Philippine press — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Duterte names Paras as new political adviser 

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has appointed Undersecretary Jacinto V. Paras of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office as his new adviser on political affairs, his spokesperson said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Herminio L. Roque, Jr. made the announcement in a televised news briefing where Mr. Paras was guest.

In a statement to the media, Mr. Paras said he will have “the rank of Secretary and will be part of the Cabinet” as a political adviser.

Mr. Paras served as mayor of a Negros Oriental town from 1986 to 1988. He also represented a district in the province for three terms.

Mr. Paras was appointed as undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment in 2018. He is a member of the administration-allied Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

8 cities, 1 town launch 5-year digital roadmaps; 100,000 jobs targeted

EIGHT CITIES and one town in different parts of the country launched their five-year digital city roadmaps on Thursday, aimed at creating more than 100,000 local jobs, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced.

“Of the 31 cities launched as part of the Digital Cities Program in June last year, nine cities successfully completed their five-year roadmaps and launched them today,” the DICT said in an e-mailed statement.

These are the cities of Balanga, Batangas, General Santos, Iligan, Legazpi, Puerto Princesa, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga; and the first-class municipality of Taytay in Rizal.

DICT Secretary Gregorio B. Honasan II said these local governments’ information and communications technology roadmaps should “improve the readiness of their localities for the digital economy.”

“The goal is not just to recover from the economic slowdown, but to further boost growth for our local industries and our local communities,” Mr. Honasan noted.

The digital city roadmaps also aim to bridge the progress gap in the countryside, he added.

The DICT, Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines, and Leechiu Property Consultants, Inc. launched the “Digital Cities 2025” program last year, covering 25 locations and 31 cities.

These areas are expected to attract an estimated P70 billion in investments from business process outsourcing companies in the next few years.

Within the five-year program, the identified cities will be prioritized for internet connectivity and digital education for the talent pool. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Another 30 people caught with fake RT-PCR test results at Zamboanga City borders

@ZAMBOANGACITYGOVT

ABOUT 30 more people entering Zamboanga City were caught with a falsified RT-PCR test result, one of the documentary requirements imposed by the local government.

City Tourism Officer Sarita Sebastian, in a press release from the city information office, said the latest batch of violators included 11 civilians from Basilan, 11 civilians from Sulu, and 10 members of the Philippine National Police.   

Ms. Sebastian said about 50 violators have so far been caught in the last few months, and were penalized with citation tickets, monetary fine, and asked to go back to their point of origin.

“The violators are also blacklisted in Zamboanga City,” she said.    

A negative result from a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or RT PCR test for coronavirus remains an entry requirement in the city, which has just recently brought down a second surge that was higher than the first wave last year.

The test result, along with other documentary requirements based on travel purpose, must be uploaded to the S-Pass travel management system for the issuance of a travel coordination permit.

The city is currently under the most relaxed quarantine level.

PHL-Japan disaster relief training

EMBASSY OF JAPAN PHOTO HANDOUTS

THE AIR forces of Japan and the Philippines, two countries vulnerable to natural calamities, concluded on July 8 a four-day bilateral training on emergency and disaster relief operations at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga. During the training, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) deployed a training unit of a Lockheed C-130H cargo aircraft. Only ground training exercises were held as inflight exercises were canceled following the Philippine Air Force C-130H plane crash in Sulu on July 4. “As a strategic partner and friend of the Philippines, we are very much satisfied that our bilateral training contributes greatly to further strengthen the cooperation between our two Air Forces.”  Major Mizuno Masaki, JASDF unit commander, said.

1...6,3546,3556,356...12,771Page 6,355 of 12,771
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube