Candidate’s admission of being a placeholder not enough to be declared a nuisance — Comelec

October 13, 2021 | 8:07 pm

A CANDIDATE’S admission or inference of being a placeholder for an elective position is not enough grounds for being declared a nuisance, according to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Spokesperson James B. Jimenez.

“A mere declaration to the contrary wouldn’t, in my opinion, be sufficient to overcome the intention to run which is manifested in the verified CoC (certificate of candidacy),” Mr. Jimenez told reporters in a Viber group message on Wednesday.

Under the omnibus election code, nuisance candidates are those who filed their CoC “to put the election process in mockery or disrepute or to cause confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates,” and those who “have no bona fide intention to run for the office.”

Mr. Jimenez explained that the provision on “the lack of a bona fide intention to run needs to be proven.”

One supposed placeholder is Senator Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa, who filed his candidacy for president at the last minute on Oct. 8 and has admitted that the leaders of his party, PDP-Laban, instructed him to do so about two hours before the deadline. He also admitted that he is ready to give way to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio should she decide to run for the post.

The Lakas ng Tao–Christian Muslim Democrats party also admitted on Tuesday that it is waiting for Ms. Duterte-Carpio to decide despite Anna C. Velasco, a member of the party, having filed her CoC for president.

Substitution of candidates is allowed until Nov. 15 for the May 2022 national and local elections.

Comelec data shows there are 97 aspirants for president, 29 for vice president, and 176 for senators, for which only the top 12 will be declared winners.

WITHDRAW
Meanwhile, former vice president and broadcast journalist Manuel Leuterio “Noli” de Castro, Jr. announced Wednesday that he will withdraw his candidacy for the Senate.

“I want to convey to all my friends and supporters who are already preparing to help me (in my campaign) that I have decided to not pursue my candidacy. But my goal and purpose for the country has not changed,” he said in a statement.

He said that he would serve Filipinos better through continuing his work in broadcasting but will remain a member of the Aksyon Demokratiko party.

Mr. De Castro left ABS-CBN on Oct. 7 and filed his certificate of candidacy the next day.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso, standard bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko, said that he respects Mr. De Castro’s decision.

Mr. De Castro won a Senate seat in 2001, where he topped the race with over 16.2 million votes.

He won as vice president in 2004 and served concurrently for six years as chair of the former housing council upon the appointment of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago and Russell Louis C. Ku

DoLE recommends no quarantine for OFWs from green list countries

October 13, 2021 | 8:07 pm

THE LABOR department has recommended to remove the quarantine period for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from countries under the green list who will test negative for coronavirus upon arrival.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) also suggested to cut the quarantine period to five days for OFWs coming from yellow list countries who will test negative for coronavirus.

“I am very confident that the President will approve the recommendation,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said in a news briefing on Wednesday.

On Oct. 8, the inter-agency task force managing the pandemic reduced the mandatory facility-based quarantine period for inbound travelers from countries with low to medium coronavirus infections or those under the green and yellow lists.

Presidential Spokesperson Herminio “Harry” L. Roque, Jr. announced that fully vaccinated inbound passengers are now only required to undergo a five-day facility-based quarantine and another five days at their respective homes. Those unvaccinated will undergo a seven-day facility quarantine and another seven days at home.

The previous requirement was a 10 to 14-day facility quarantine.

All countries and territories are included in the green and yellow lists, except for British territory Bermuda, which is under the red list. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Bill filed limiting authority of OICs in gov’t posts

October 13, 2021 | 8:06 pm

A SENATOR filed a bill on Monday that seeks to limit the powers of government officials designated as officer-in-charge (OIC), after questionable billions-worth of pandemic contracts were signed last year and prompted a lengthy probe in the upper chamber.

Senator Francis N. Tolentino’s Senate bill no. 2434 will amend provisions of Executive Order 292 or the Administrative Code of 1987 on OICs.

If enacted, the proposed law will inhibit OICs from entering long-term agreements or high-value contracts on behalf of the government.

The measure stemmed from the Blue Ribbon committee hearing on the Commission on Audit (CoA) flagging of the Health department’s alleged misuse of funds for the coronavirus 2019 response.

Based on the CoA report, Lloyd C. Lao, a former OIC of the Budget department’s procurement service, signed up to P12 billion worth of contracts for medical supplies.

The measure, said Mr. Tolentino in a statement on Wednesday, aims to define and limit the powers and functions that an OIC may exercise.

Under the bill, the powers of the OIC will be confined to administrative functions and supervision of regular activities of the office. The OIC will also be limited to six months in the post and may not appoint employees. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

House panel approves bill regulating operation of motorcycle-for-hire

October 13, 2021 | 8:06 pm

THE HOUSE of Representatives’ transport committee approved Wednesday a measure that would allow and regulate the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicles.

In a hearing, the panel approved an unnumbered substitute bill and committee report known as the proposed Motorcycles-for-Hire Regulation Act.

The bill, if signed into law, will amend Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, which prohibits the use of two-wheeled vehicles as public transport.

It would also require the Department of Trade and Industry and the Land Transportation Office to recommend the specifications of motorcycles which can be used as common carrier.

Riders and operators in areas that have existing ride-hailing companies will be required to use digital platforms to prevent colorum operations.

Ride-hailing operators, formally called transportation network companies (TNCs), will also be mandated to have quick medical response teams.

“The perennial traffic problem in Metro Manila and other urban centers make motorcycles-for-hire a viable mode of transportation,” said Navotas Rep. John Reynald M. Tiangco, vice chair of the House transportation committee.

The measure was previously approved by the House on third and final reading in the 17^th Congress, but was not tackled by the Senate.

In the current 18^th Congress, the Senate approved a counterpart bill at the committee level on Feb. 12, 2020 and is pending approval on second reading. — Russell Louis C. Ku

Senate committee says feeding programs should be handled by LGUs

October 13, 2021 | 8:06 pm

THE SENATE finance committee on Wednesday said government feeding programs should be devolved to local government units (LGUs) for better implementation.

“This activity being explained by the National Nutrition Council is an activity which can be done with ease and better coordination by the LGUs,” said Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon during the hearing. “The National Nutrition Council should just set the policy which the LGUs will follow.”

Nutrition Council Executive Director Azucena M. Dayanghirang said under the proposed 2022 budget, a P210-million supplementation program for nutritionally at-risk pregnant women was not included.

Ms. Dayanghirang said the plan was to implement the program with LGUs providing the transport services.

The senators, however, said it was better for the LGUs to handle the entire job. “LGUs can do this on a daily basis, a feeding program with better success because they know the people quite well on the ground,” Mr. Drilon said.

Senator Pilar Juliana “Pia” S. Cayetano noted that the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Education also received budget cuts in their feeding programs. “There really has to be a limit to what the national (government) can spend and efficiently carry out.” — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Philippine court to prosecute Spaniard who abused 16-year old

October 13, 2021 | 8:05 pm

THE ARRAIGNMENT for Spaniard Francisco M. Sanchez who allegedly sexually abused a 16-year-old Filipina last year and kept malicious photographs and videos of her is set on Oct. 15 before the Taguig City regional trial court.

In a group message to reporters on Viber on Wednesday, Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said Mr. Sanchez filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him after the victim opted to withdraw the case, but “the prosecution will oppose the said motion.”

The Filipina in Mr. Sanchez’s case is the same victim of US Diplomat Dean Chevez.

A Metro Manila trial court issued a warrant of arrest on Aug. 26 for Mr. Chevez but Ms. Aglipay-Villar said “there is no court setting yet for the similar case filed against (him).” — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

NEDA calls for further opening to encourage banks to lend more

October 13, 2021 | 7:44 pm

By Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

THE NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said businesses need to be allowed to operate under less restrictive rules to encourage banks to release funds into the economy.

“The more sustainable way to help businesses is to first open the economy,” Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said at a Senate hearing Wednesday. “We have restricted them for more than 18 months already.”

“Once we are able to open (the economy), then we would have this virtuous cycle wherein those businesses that need financing or grants… will be (supported) by the financial sector,” he added.

He said banks are currently risk-averse because there is no assurance they will have reliable revenue over the life of the loan, noting, “There is a lot of hesitation and uncertainty.”

Senator Pilar Juliana S. Cayetano, who chairs the Committee on Ways and Means, sought proposals for more financial assistance, which Mr. Chua called insufficient to deal with the problem and likely to trigger a “chicken-and-egg cycle.”

“The businesses don’t operate, tax revenues fall, then we do not have additional revenue to provide more targeted support,” he said. “If we had to provide ayuda (cash aid) every month and every time, we would have easily run out of money.”

Mr. Chua said the underlying necessity is the opening of the economy. “Otherwise, we will be putting or lending money to firms or people that cannot turn that money around and become productive.”

NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon noted the need to “COVID-proof” businesses, adding that economic planners are working with the Department of Trade and Industry to reconfigure places of business to minimize confined spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places with no physical distancing, and close-contact settings with face-to-face interaction.

Senate says Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge taking too long

October 13, 2021 | 7:43 pm

SENATORS said the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge, first proposed in 2017, is taking too long to get off the ground, and urged economic planners to find ways to accelerate its timeline.

“It’s crazy,” Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara, who chairs the finance committee, said at a hearing Wednesday. “Every year we talk about it… as an economist you must be concerned about opportunity cost, you must be concerned about efficiency. This is the display of the total opposite.”

He was addressing Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua, who said: “I will meet with the (Department of Finance) and (the Department of Public Works and Highways) as soon as possible to review the timeline and report back.”

The current timeline to complete the bridge is nine years from now.

At the hearing, the National Economic and Development Authority, which Mr. Chua heads, testified that the detailed engineering design will begin in October 2022, construction in 2025, and completion in 2030.

The funding for the bridge will come from the Export-Import Bank of Korea, (Korea Eximbank).

“To be honest with you, I am totally disappointed at the inattention given to this project, as evidenced by the timetable,” Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, who represents Iloilo, told the hearing.

He added that there were expectations that the project will open up tourism and improve livelihoods.

The bridge’s two sections are the 13-kilometer Panay-Guimaras Bridge and the 19.47-kilometer Guimaras-Negros Bridge. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Diversification seen as key to hitting PHL food security goals

October 13, 2021 | 7:42 pm

farmer-rice — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology (DoST) said diversification will be key to efforts to ensure food security, bringing into balance cash crops with staples needed by the population.

“There has been more (focus on) cash crops… that has reduced the focus of diversifying food and livelihood opportunities. There is a need for us to diversify food that is available in terms of production and distribution,” according to Science Research Specialist II Charina A. Javier of the DoST’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute said at the BusinessWorld Insights Forum Wednesday, “Ensuring Resiliency of our Food Systems.”

She cited a 2020 study published by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) which noted an oversupply of protein sources in the Philippines.

According to its estimates, meat imports and domestic production in 2019 were equivalent to 1.75 times the volume required for the Philippines’ own nutrition model, which is known as Pinggang Pinoy (the Filipino plate).

Meanwhile, the available fruit and vegetable volume was well below the quantities required to hit model levels.

“(ACIAR) saw that… vegetables and fruits are not enough (to meet the volume requirements) considering both local production and imports,” Ms. Javier said.

The ACIAR study found that the rice requirement was “adequately” covered during the period.

World Agroforestry Policy Specialist and Researcher Ayn G. Torres said diversification will allow farmers to increase their resilience against external shocks.

“It also contributes to improved nutrition, especially in the uplands,” she said.

Ms. Torres said farming programs must revolve around how to sustainably use the land to ensure farmers will have durable livelihoods.

“We also should not forget that there are around 18 million people in the uplands who are also getting their livelihoods from farming in deforested areas so we have to think about agriculture (in terms of) total land productivity,” she said.

Romeo S. Recide, the country’s representative to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), raised the issue of reducing food waste.

“If people reduce their wastage or eliminated their waste — of rice in particular — we will need to import 400,000 metric tons less,” he said, referring to the results of a survey conducted by the IRRI.

He said a typical Filipino household spends 40% of its budget on food, with about a quarter going to rice.

“Filipinos consume around 118 kilograms of rice per person per year — that’s more than two sacks per year. Rice, along with other cereals like corn and wheat, are daily staples for the vast majority of the global population, and therefore, are an integral part of the nutrition, cultures and economies of many low and middle-income countries,” he said.

Mr. Recide, who also serves as the IRRI’s secretary to the Board, said enhancing the productivity, resilience and sustainability of crops, particularly rice, is the key to achieving food security. — Angelica Y. Yang

Climate Change Commission appoints implementation-focused advisers

October 13, 2021 | 7:42 pm

THE CLIMATE Change Commission on Wednesday replaced its national panel of technical experts with 16 new members as it transitioned towards project implementation.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, the chairman-designate of the commission, said in a briefing that the new panel was chosen as the commission moves away from initial research.

“We are now in the business of implementing concrete projects and programs to build the resilience of our communities, reverse the degradation, and protect our vital food sources,” he said.

“These are experts who are familiar with working on the ground, with businesses and local governments. Trained in science, they also excel in building partnerships and linkages. These are Filipino experts who will engage local communities in climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

The panel consists of 10 women and six men. Four of them come from Mindanao, while six each are from Luzon and the Visayas.

Representing environmental engineering, public health fisheries, sociology, and disaster risk management fields, the panel provides technical advice to the commission.

Panel member Maria Angela Zafra, who works on inclusive business models and sustainable tourism, said industries are sources of carbon emissions, noting that financing is moving towards projects that integrate business concerns to business operations.

“Of the major banks, if you look at their sustainable finance frameworks, their portfolio is also geared towards promoting renewable energy as well as energy efficiency projects,” she said.

“One of the things we should develop is also the demand for it, because the banks will supply sustainable finance and then we develop the industry as the source of the demand. Once both sides are ready, that’s the time we can transition into a greener industry as well.”

Mr. Dominguez said the experts will advise government on how to balance the need to protect the environment and support economic growth.

“The Philippine government is already looking at a possibility of reducing the reliance in Mindanao on coal-fired energy as we increase the capacity of the Agus river system. So, we’re working with the (Asian Development Bank) and private sector to put up a fund in which we’ll invest in and buy out the coal-fired plants and start mothballing them and repurposing them,” he said.

Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Sherina A. Alvarez said in August that the government is working with the ADB on a Coal Replacement Fund that will support the acquisition and shut down of coal-fired power plants in Mindanao while the Agus-Pulangi hydropower plant generating capacity is upgraded. — Jenina P. Ibañez

At least 10 more ports up for bid until 2022

October 13, 2021 | 7:41 pm

THE Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said it is putting up for auction at least 10 more port terminal projects until 2022.

“This year, until the end of the term of the present administration in 2022, the PPA is looking at bidding out at least 10 more terminals to guarantee that ports continue to provide services at par with global best practices for years to come,” the agency said in a recent statement posted on its Facebook page.

“Since the PPA started bidding out 15-year port terminal management contracts under the PTMRF (Port Terminal Management Regulatory Framework) pursuant to PPA Administrative Orders 03-2016 and 12-2018, PPA has been able to bid out 11 terminals. Out of these, 9 contracts have been awarded for the ports of Ormoc, Puerto Princesa, Calapan, Legazpi, Tabaco, Iligan, Ozamiz, Zamboanga and Tacloban,” the agency added.

The agency has received unsolicited proposals from three companies — Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), and Kudos Trucking Corp. — for port developments in Iloilo, Davao, and General Santos.

The proposals were being evaluated by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), PPA General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago said on Sept. 13.

But such companies had “concerns about the (length of the process and the approaching) election ban, so we are discussing other options,” he said.

One alternative, Mr. Santiago said, is for the PPA to bid out some of its terminals.

Chelsea was awarded original proponent status in 2019 for its unsolicited offer to modernize Davao City’s Sasa Port.

In 2018, ICTSI submitted an unsolicited proposal to develop the Iloilo Port Complex and the Port of Dumangas.

Davao-based Kudos Trucking Corp. also submitted in 2018 its unsolicited offer for the General Santos Port. — Arjay L. Balinbin

La Union gov’t suspends illegal quarry

October 13, 2021 | 7:41 pm

THE La Union government recently shut down illegal quarrying activities along the Aringay River in Tubao.

According to a Sept. 23 letter from the La Union Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), the government ordered quarrying permit holder Edelberto C. Garcia to “cease and desist his extraction activities” and explain his actions in writing.

He was found to have been extracting sand outside the area covered by his permit.

According to a statement shown to reporters Wednesday, the province said quarrying outside the permit area violates national laws as well as a provincial ordinance.

The letter was signed by Annalyn Rosario-Valdez, the officer-in-charge of the La Union ENRO.

ENRO Environmental Management Specialist II Rommilyn V. Torio told BusinessWorld Wednesday that Mr. Garcia has since sent his explanation and paid the fine. — Angelica Y. Yang