Mental health problems weighing on PHL workforce, study finds

June 30, 2021 | 7:58 pm

More than half of Filipino workers have experienced mental health challenges during the pandemic, with many of them considering quitting their jobs, mental health firm MindNation said, citing the findings of a study.

According to the report released Wednesday on a study of 6,000 respondents, 53% said they worry about health risks and financial pressures.

“Now that the boundaries between personal life and work are blurred with people working from home, employees are working more than they did pre-pandemic when they were onsite with colleagues,” according to the report. Almost half of the respondents said that they have too much work.

The survey, conducted between September and April, found that respondents were experiencing weakened focus and low levels of self-confidence. Employees also reported sleeping problems and less pleasure in activities they normally enjoy.

Mental health challenges led 13% of respondents to consider more sick leave, while 35% believe their productivity has been impaired.

“The ones having productivity issues are losing an average of two hours every day. This means that these employees are losing one day per week, which translates into a loss of two months a year due to their productivity challenges,” it said.

Almost a quarter of the respondents said they are thinking about quitting due to mental health challenges.

“When we factor in the employees who are really challenged with mental health issues and think about quitting, it becomes 5% of the total employee base in every company,” the study found.

MindNation said that these concerns could cost companies at least P700,000 per 100 employees each year, based on a 262-day work a year and a $30 daily average salary.

“Losing talent is a significant failure to the company as it takes days to find a replacement for a vacated position. This also entails additional time and effort from the organization as a new hire requires onboarding and training,” MindNation said.

In countries like the US, resignations hit record numbers. More than four million Americans quit their jobs in April.

MindNation said that employee assistance programs in the Philippines have low usage rates and are not always accessible.

The firm said companies should increase the reach of mental health services for employees because they are usually made available to a small part of a company’s population.

“It is crucial to be proactive (instead of) reactive in mental health and wellbeing challenges, providing a safe space where employees can open up the moment they need it, rather than waiting until it is too late,” it added. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Policies on piracy to be unified across 50 gov’t agencies

June 30, 2021 | 7:57 pm

AN INTERAGENCY committee on intellectual property is aiming to help develop policies against counterfeiting and piracy in 50 government agencies by 2025.

The National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) said that 50 national agencies and 18 local government units should have such policies by the deadline on the piracy of items like software.

So far, only four government agencies have developed such policies. While all four are NCIPR members, another nine members will roll out their policies by the end of 2021, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said in a statement Wednesday.

“As servants in government, we must be the role models in obeying the law. We must demonstrate this by being mindful of all laws, including the IP (intellectual property) Code, when formulating policies or initiatives and by taking appropriate action against violators,” NCIPR Acting Chairman and IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said.

The NCIPR in its revised vision statement said that it plans to significantly reduce counterfeit and pirated goods sold on the market, especially in urban areas, by 2025.

The committee is an interagency body headed by the Department of Trade and Industry, while IPOPHL holds the vice-chair role.

The NCIPR through its newest member the Department of Information and Communications Technology is also studying a possible audit on the use of illegal software within government agencies.

Intellectual property rights violations reports sent to IPOPHL spiked during the lockdown last year, with a majority of complaints related to piracy and counterfeiting. Most of the violations, the agency said, are done online. — Jenina P. Ibañez

SC upholds CoA ruling on unauthorized SEC disbursements

June 30, 2021 | 7:56 pm

THE Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed a 2013 finding by the Commission on Audit (CoA) which concluded that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had no authority to apply its retained earnings in 2010 to pay for a P19.7-million contribution to the employee provident fund, but ruled that the officials involved did need to refund the disallowed disbursements.

In a decision dated April 27 and published on June 25, the court said CoA’s disallowance was valid because Section 75 of the Securities Regulation Code or Republic Act 8799 authorizes SEC to use its retained earnings “subject to the auditing requirements, standards and procedures under existing laws.”

The SC said one such law is the General Appropriations Act of 2010, which specifies that SEC’s retained earnings “shall be used to augment (its) MOOE (Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses) and Capital Outlay requirements,” with no provision for personnel costs.

However, the SC found that the SEC officials acted in good faith and were absolved from having to pay back the funds.

It found that the SEC had been using its retained earnings to pay its provident fund contribution for five years without having been flagged by CoA.

The SEC officers were also not found to have unduly benefited from the unauthorized disbursement. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

BIR ends two amnesty programs without extension

June 30, 2021 | 7:55 pm

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said the Voluntary Assessment and Payment Program (VAPP) and tax amnesty for delinquencies expired Wednesday with no plans to extend the deadline.

BIR Deputy Commissioner Marissa O. Cabreros said in a Viber message the deadlines will not be extended after several such extensions given last year.

In the case of the tax amnesty on delinquent accounts, Ms. Cabreros said the BIR is not authorized to extend the program by Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan II), which had allowed the government to move statutory deadlines as a form of pandemic relief.

The BIR has yet to disclose collections generated by the program.

The validity of the tax amnesty program on delinquencies was extended four times last year, after an initial April 23 deadline. It covers all national internal revenue taxes such as income tax, withholding tax, capital gains tax, donor’s tax, value-added tax, other forms of percentage tax, excise tax and documentary stamp tax running back to 2017.

The BIR collected P3.544 billion in revenue from the program from its launch in April 2019 to December 2020.

The two tax amnesty programs were authorized by Republic Act No. 11213 or the Tax Amnesty Act signed in February 2019. Certain provisions were vetoed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, who opposed a general amnesty without lifting bank secrecy laws.

The VAPP allowed taxpayers to voluntarily settle their tax arrears allowing the BIR to collect revenue that would have otherwise had to be extracted via audits. It covers all internal revenue taxes for the taxable year ending December 2018 and fiscal year 2018 ending July 2018 to June 2019.

The program was initially set to expire at the end of 2020. The BIR extended its validity until June 30.

Meanwhile, the agency is also still waiting for President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s to sign a bill that will extend the validity of the estate tax amnesty program for another two years, after the program concluded on June 14.

The BIR collected P872.414 billion between January and May, up 29.5% from the same period last year. The agency is tasked to collect P2.081 trillion this year. — Beatrice M. Laforga

To VAT or not to VAT: Incentive regulations of IPA registrants

June 30, 2021 | 7:54 pm

Over the years, the incentives availed of by enterprises registered with investment promotions agencies (IPAs), such as the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), have been closely scrutinized and challenged by the tax authorities. For example, policy changes in the past limited the direct cost deductions of these registered enterprises; more recently, a sunset period was imposed for some incentives by the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act. Even so, new rules further regulating tax incentives have come as a complete surprise to taxpayers.

I am referring to the recently issued Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 9-2021, amending some provisions of the value-added tax (VAT) regulations. Under the RR, some transactions that were previously considered VAT zero-rated are now being taxed at 12%. Consequently, a tax advisory was issued, declaring that the certificates for VAT zero-rating of certain transactions of registered business enterprises are no longer effective starting June 28.

The provisions implemented by the RR are actually from the first package of the government’s comprehensive tax reform program, Republic Act No. 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2018. Under the RR, the following transactions are now subject to 12% VAT:

For sale of goods: (1) sale of raw materials or packaging materials to a nonresident buyer for delivery to a resident local export-oriented enterprise, or directly to an export-oriented enterprise whose export sales exceed 70% of total annual production; and (2) those considered export sales under Executive Order (EO) No. 226 and other special laws.

For sale of services: (1) services performed by subcontractors and/or contractors in processing, converting, or manufacturing goods for an enterprise whose export sales exceed 70% of total annual production; and (2) processing, manufacturing or repacking goods for other persons doing business outside the Philippines which goods are subsequently exported, where the services are paid for in acceptable foreign currency and accounted for in accordance with the rules and regulations of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

This specific provision in the TRAIN Law was proposed by the Department of Finance and legislated by Congress to control the leakages in the VAT system by limiting VAT zero-rating to direct exporters only, and at the same time, by setting up a proper cash refund system so as not to burden the exporters. In support of this policy objective, the following conditions must first be satisfied before the 12% VAT rate could be imposed: (1) the successful establishment and implementation of an enhanced VAT refund system that grants refunds of creditable input tax within 90 days from the filing of the VAT refund application with the BIR; and (2) the payment in cash of all pending VAT refund claims as of Dec. 31, 2017.

With the issuance of the RR, the BIR effectively pronounced that the above two conditions were satisfied even though no supporting statistics or information had been presented for the taxpayers to validate. The RR having been circulated, taxpayers can only assume that the requisite conditions are in place for the efficient observance of the policy.

Contrary to what the TRAIN Law wants to achieve — a simple, fairer, and more efficient tax system — these amendments seemed to cause more confusion and anxiety, especially among entities registered with the IPAs. This is because of their understanding that their local purchases shall now be subject to 12% VAT. Even during the TRAIN Law deliberations, the representatives of certain IPAs put forth their concerns on this change in the VAT treatment. According to them, this would lead to, among others, decreased competitiveness in the international market, increased imports instead of purchasing from local suppliers, and in the worst-case scenario, closure of registered businesses, thus fueling unemployment.

I think the notion that local purchases of IPA-registered firms are no longer entitled to VAT zero-rating also stems from the President’s veto of zero-rating provisions that the legislators added specifically granting VAT zero-rating to such transactions. From a personal perspective, however, I believe that there is sound legal basis to continue to subject the local purchases of registered entities under special laws (such as Republic Act No. 7916 or the PEZA Law, except those whose incentives are granted under EO No. 226 or those registered with the Board of Investments) to a 0% VAT rate. While the TRAIN Law and RR No. 9-2021 only removed the VAT zero-rating on certain indirect exports and those falling under “other special laws,” it did not entirely remove all sale of goods or services to persons or entities with exemptions provided under special laws which still appears in the other sections of the law and the VAT regulations.

This can be confirmed from the paragraph after the discussion on “export sales” [Section 4.106-5(b) of RR No. 9-2021] and the second enumeration on services [Section 4.108-5(b)(2) of RR No. 9-2021], which are both still subject to 0% VAT. These follow the same provisions on 0% VAT rate which likewise remain in the amended Sections 106(A)(2)(b) and 108(B)(3) of the Tax Code. Since some local suppliers are now insisting on passing on VAT to these registered entities because of confusion, or perhaps, for prudence’s sake, affected registered enterprises may try appealing to the BIR to clarify the matter (although I understand that PEZA already submitted an appeal to the Department of Finance) or explore other legal remedies.

With the CREATE Act codifying the incentives law in the Tax Code, incentives granted by IPAs after the sunset period will now fall under the Tax Code and not under special laws. The question will then be — will IPA registrants continue to enjoy incentives beyond the sunset period?

The views or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Isla Lipana & Co. The content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for specific advice.

Samantha Joy H. Oreta is a senior manager with the Tax Services group of Isla Lipana & Co., the Philippine member firm of the PwC global network.

samantha.joy.h.oreta@pwc.com

Duterte political capital to help anointed bet

June 30, 2021 | 7:37 pm

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte would probably remain popular during his last year in office, which could boost his political capital and ensure the victory of his chosen presidential bet at next year’s elections, political analysts said.

The tough-talking leader, who is barred by law from running for reelection, would try to do his best before he steps down because this could benefit his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, whose supporters are urging her to run for President, they added.

“In the Philippines, good or bad deeds are transferable to kin,” political strategist Gerardo Eusebio said in a Viber message.

This could spell bad for the opposition, which up to now does not have a strong presidential candidate.

“The opposition does not have a popular or even common candidate,” said Jay Bautista, managing director at market research firm Kantar Media Philippines. “Pit that against the Duterte image and machinery, it will be a difficult road for the opposition.”

He cited Mr. Duterte’s “almost cult-like following” particularly among the masses, which means he has a solid base. These supporters “would not fault him directly for the problems and challenges facing the country,” he said in a Viber message on Wednesday.

“For this segment of the population, President Duterte is doing his best.”

Still, the tough-talking leader’s 16 million voters in 2016 had probably been eroded after failing their expectations, Mr. Bautista said.

Mr. Duterte’s approval rating would remain high as long as he doesn’t slip badly, Mr. Eusebio said.

“Unless there are proven allegations of corruption or gross incompetence against him, his image will remain positive among the masses,” he said. “Without these, he will just glide smoothly in the next 10 months to election day.”

Mr. Duterte on Monday night floated his potential vice presidential bid in 2022, saying it was not “a bad idea.” His spokesman, Herminio L. Roque, Jr., said his unfulfilled business, such as his campaigns against illegal drugs and corruption, might prompt him to run for the post.

Mr. Duterte’s approval rating slipped five points to 65% in March from a quarter earlier, according to a poll by Publicus Asia, Inc. His trust rating also fell by 7 points to 55%.

The President might lose his popularity if he fails to improve people’s lives amid a coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Eusebio said.

Mr. Duterte should press Congress to pass priority measures that are part of the government’s pandemic response, said Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, a lawyer and research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University Policy Center.

“If he can put his much vaunted ‘political will’ behind these measures, then his last year in office can very well define his legacy,” he said. “If he remains as is, visibly lethargic and just content with jousting with his critics, then his legacy may not be as impressive as his supporters would want it to be.”

Mr. Duterte might become a lame duck President as most lawmakers and some Cabinet officials prioritize their interests, said Dennis C. Coronacion, who heads the University of Santo Tomas Department of Political Science.

“He has already defined his legacy in the past five years,” he said. “He will be known in history as the tough-talking President who brought us close to China. His last year in office is about protecting his legacy.”

The government would likely fast-track infrastructure projects at the tail end of Mr. Duterte’s six-year term, said Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

“More government projects nationwide, especially infrastructure projects would become the target for completion before the May 2022 elections, especially those covered by the election ban,” he said in a Viber message.

John Paolo R. Rivera, an economist at the Asian Institute of Management, said Mr. Duterte should ensure that the 2022 national budget is passed on time so his successor could start on a clean slate in jumpstarting the economy.

He should also lay down the policies to ensure the proper transition of projects and avoid wasting resources, he said in a Viber message.

“The outgoing administration should be conscious of facilitating a smooth transition and transfer of power so the economy can once and for all recover,” Mr. Rivera said. “The economy is always impacted by political risks. Mitigating politics can advance the economy.”

Philippines second to last in pandemic response

June 30, 2021 | 7:36 pm

vaccination — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE PHILIPPINES ranked 52^nd out of 53 countries in terms of pandemic response, according to Bloomberg’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resilience ranking, where the government scored poorly in vaccine rollout, among other things.

The country got a score of 45.3, ahead of Argentina, which ranked last on the list with a score of 37.

The Philippines, India and some Latin American countries ranked lowest “amid a perfect storm of variant-driven outbreaks, slow vaccination and global isolation,” according to the report.

The Philippines was behind Malaysia (46.6), India (47.7), Indonesia (48.2), Colombia (48.6), Pakistan (50.7), Bangladesh (51.3), Peru (51.4), and Taiwan (52.1).

The 10 countries that received highest scores were the United States (76), New Zealand (73.7), Switzerland (72.9), Israel (72.9), France (72.8), Spain (72), Australia (70.1), Mainland China (69.9), the United Kingdom (68.7) and South Korea (68.6).

The study was based on several indicators, including the percentage of people who have been vaccinated, lockdown severity, flight capacity, vaccinated travel routes, monthly cases per 100,000 population, infection and death rates.

Mobility, 2021 economic growth forecast, universal healthcare coverage and human development index were also used as indicators.

The US ranking “reflects a best-case scenario of high vaccinations, a waning outbreak, flight capacity nearing full recovery and few travel curbs on vaccinated people, it said.

Mr. Duterte earlier ordered state media to report that the country had been performing better than other countries in its coronavirus pandemic response.

His spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said the country was slowly recovering from the virus. “Our economic team is confident that we are slowly recovering and will recover fully,” he told a televised news briefing in Filipino on Wednesday.

The government had given out more than 10 million coronavirus vaccine doses as of June 27, 7.5 million of which were first shots.

More than 1.1 million health workers, 672,602 seniors, 710,846 seriously ill people and 12,340 essential workers have been fully vaccinated.

The Philippines aims to inoculate at least 500,000 people daily in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to achieve herd immunity by Nov. 27.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 4,509 coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the total to 1.4 million.

The death toll rose by 105 to 24,662, while recoveries increased by 5,839 to 1.3 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 48,649 active cases, 1.5% of which were critical, 90.6% were mild, 4.1% did not show symptoms, 2.2% were severe and 1.63% were moderate.

The agency said seven duplicates had been removed from the tally, five of which were tagged as recoveries. A patient tagged as recovered was removed from the tally after he was found to be negative.

Forty-nine cases tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Six laboratories failed to submit data on June 28, the agency said.

About 14 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 28, according to DoH’s tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 182.6 million and killed almost four million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 167.2 million people have recovered, it said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Facebook starts campaign vs online child abuse

June 30, 2021 | 7:35 pm

Facebook has launched a campaign in the Philippines to raise awareness about online sexual exploitation of children.

People should stop sharing photos and videos that show child abuse, Malina Enlund, Facebook Trust and Safety manager for Southeast Asia, told an online forum on Wednesday. People should instead report content to report content where kids are harmed, she added.

A study conducted by Facebook from October to Nov. 2020 showed that nine of 10 child exploitative content that were shared or reshared had been reported earlier.

“Copies of just six videos were responsible for more than half of the child exploitative content we reported in that time period,” Ms. Enlund said.

Out of 150 Facebook accounts that shared malicious content, more than 75% did so without malice and were just for humor, she said.

Facebook is “cooperating closely with law enforcement to protect children and improve our approach,” she added.

The Justice department said cases of online sexual exploitation of children rose by almost four times to 279,166 last year from 2019.

The agency is working closely with Facebook to collect evidence against perpetrators, Yvette T. Coronel, executive director of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, told the same forum.

The campaign was launched in other countries a week ago, Ms. Enlund said, adding that they would soon find out how effective it has been. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

DENR law enforcement team, NBI nab agarwood worth P2.9M

June 30, 2021 | 7:34 pm

MEMBERS of the newly created Environmental Law Enforcement and Protection Service (ELEPS) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) seized 18 kilograms of agarwood valued at P2.9 million from illegal traders, the Environment department reported on Wednesday.

The sale of agarwood, a rare and expensive raw material used in perfumes, is illegal in the Philippines.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in a statement, said operatives confiscated the agarwood from two suspects in Quezon City on June 15.

DENR said the wood’s value may be 10 times the reported price considering the environmental cost, which is crucial when evaluating the impact of environmental crimes.

“The real worth of the contraband is placed at ₱29 million, or at least 10 times more than its market value, if we will factor in the environmental services that were lost as a result of the illegal cutting of these threatened trees,” ELEPS Director Reuel Sorilla said.

ELEPS officer Rogelio D. Demelletes, Jr. explained that agarwood is extracted from the Lapnisan and Lanete trees, both in the DENR’s national list of threatened Philippine plants based on an administrative order issued in 2007.

“It is very difficult to tell if a tree has produced agarwood, and so this results in the indiscriminate cutting of Lapnisan and Lanete,” he said.

On Wednesday, the DENR said the two suspects are now detained at an NBI facility and facing charges for violating the Wildlife Resources and Protection Act and the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines.

If convicted, they face a jail term of six to 12 years, and a fine ranging between P100,000 to P1 million.

Earlier this month, the DENR announced the creation of the ELEPS, an interim body which will focus on enforcing environment protection laws as the department waits for the passage of a proposed legislation creating a new agency for that purpose. — Angelica Y. Yang

QC gov’t to end contract with Zuellig on vaccination booking service

June 30, 2021 | 7:34 pm

THE QUEZON City government said on Wednesday it has decided to terminate its contract with Zuellig Pharma Corp. for the vaccination booking service EzConsult after another round of access problems reported by residents.

“We have already given Zuellig ample time to improve their system upon their request and yet their system has crashed again for the 9^th time. We don’t want to cause undue stress to our constituents who only want to register for vaccination,” Mayor Maria Josefina “Joy” G. Belmonte said in a statement on June 30.

“Earlier, they reported an upgrade of their system which supposedly could already accommodate up to 50,000 users at a time. However, their system crashed again when we opened new slots,” she said.

Bookings made through EzConsult remain valid, according to the city government, “until the contract termination has been finalized.”

Residents can also register for vaccination through the city government-assisted QC Vax Easy portal at www.qceservices.quezoncity.gov.ph/qcvaxeasy.

The city’s lawyer, Orlando Paolo F. Casimiro, said the local government intends to file for damages against the company.

“The Information Technology portion of the Service Agreement with the city government will be terminated and damages will be claimed against Zuellig because of the delays, inconvenience and frustration that our QCitizens have experienced,” he said.

Bacarro appointed as next Southern Luzon commander

June 30, 2021 | 7:33 pm

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has appointed Major General Bartolome Vicente O. Bacarro as the next head of the military’s Southern Luzon Command, according to the Defense department.

Mr. Bacarro will assume the position on July 21, Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana told BusinessWorld on Wednesday.

Mr. Bacarro will replace Lieutenant General Antonio G. Parlade, Jr., who currently serves as a spokesman for the government’s anti-communist task force.

Mr. Parlade, who has been controversial for red-tagging civic leaders and journalists, is set to retire on July 26.

Mr. Bacarro received the country’s highest military award for courage, the Medal of Valor, for leading his troop in repulsing 150 communist rebels in Isabela in northern Philippines in January 1991, according to the state news agency. He was a young lieutenant at that time.

In 2019, Mr. Bacarro resigned from his position as Commandant of Cadets at the Philippine Military Academy following the death of Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio due to hazing.

In April this year, Mr. Bacarro was installed as the commanding general of the Philippine Army’s Jungle Fighter Division. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Local governments, DPWH have most corruption complaints — DoJ

June 30, 2021 | 7:33 pm

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were the subject of most corruption complaints received by a special task force in the first half of the year, according Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra.

Mr. Guevarra said on Wednesday the Task Force Against Corruption (TFAC) led by his department received 220 complaints from January to June 9, mainly involving “anomalous transactions perpetrated jointly by these LGUs (local government units) and (DPWH) district engineering offices.”

Other agencies with complaints include the Land Registration Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Customs, and various government-owned and controlled corporations.

“Around 210 of these complaints had been acted upon quietly by the task force,” Mr. Guevarra told reporters in a group message.

Of the total complaints, at least 15 cases were endorsed to the Office of the Ombudsman for further investigation, another 15 were referred to the National Bureau of Investigation for case build-up and possible criminal investigation, while others were referred to other government agencies for administrative investigation.

To help prevent further cases of corruption, Mr. Guevarra said the Ombudsman’s office, Commission on Audit, and the Justice department are finalizing a memorandum of agreement “that will revive the deployment of resident ombudsmen in certain graft-prone agencies.”

The agreement is expected to be signed within July.

He added that the Justice department has proposed to work with the Department of Education (DepEd) to intensify values formation in the school curriculum, “particularly on the virtues of honesty, integrity, and love for country” among the youth.

“I have not received a formal reply from the DepEd, but I am sure that Secretary (Leonor M. Briones) will give her wholehearted support for intensified value formation among young students,” Mr. Guevarra said. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago