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P63-M illegal drugs foiled in NAIA-BoC 

LOREN BISER-UNSPLASH

THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) said on Thursday that it seized P63 million worth of illegal drugs from a smuggling attempt at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

In a statement, BoC said it foiled 9,276 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” inside a black suitcase containing assorted clothes and two vacuum-sealed translucent plastic bags of the illegal drug.

Customs said the arriving passenger and the seized illegal drugs were turned over to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

It said that a further investigation is underway for violations of Republic Act No. 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and Republic Act No. 10863, the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

The operation was in coordination with the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group.

“We are ramping up efforts to prevent the smuggling of dangerous substances that endanger our communities,” Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio said. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

SC dismisses Biliran court judge

WIKIMEDIA/PATRICKROQUE01

The Supreme Court (SC) dismissed the Presiding Judge of the Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Biliran-Cabucgayan, Biliran, for gross misconduct in manipulating medical supply procurement for Manila City.

The SC en banc affirmed the findings of the Judicial Integrity Board (JIB), emphasizing that the judge’s actions demonstrated a blatant disregard for judicial ethics.

In 2016, the judge proposed a P50 million pharmaceutical supply project to the petitioner (a pharmaceutical supplier), assuring him of securing the deal for four hospitals in the capital city.

He claimed his wife, the Executive Secretary of former Manila Mayor Joseph E. Estrada, could fast-track the procurement without public bidding.

The high court, in a ruling promulgated in July, dismissed the judge from service, stripping all due benefits away except accrued leave benefits. The ruling was publicized on Dec. 19

It also ordered the judge to show cause in writing within ten days of notice of why he should not be disbarred.

The case stemmed from a series of bank deposits and personal deliveries of money by the petitioner to the judge for over three years.

When payments approached P20 million without any progress on the promised project, he recognized the fraud and filed an administrative complaint against the judge for gross misconduct.

During the investigation of the JIB, the judge claimed he was merely acting as a messenger for his wife to retrieve documents from the petitioner as a gesture of gratitude for her help in rebuilding his home after Super Typhoon Haiyan, locally called Yolanda.

He also said he and his wife had been separated for over 30 years.

Meanwhile, the wife argued that her busy schedule as an officer at the Manila City Mayor’s Office led her to delegate document retrieval to the judge. She further asserted that upon discovering the petitioner’s bidding documents, she offered to return the payments.

The JIB found the judge guilty of gross misconduct, citing violations of the New Code of Judicial Conduct.

It emphasized the importance of judicial integrity and proprietary, under Canon 2 and Canon 4 of the Code, requiring judges to uphold public confidence in the judiciary and avoid any semblance of impropriety.

The top court upheld these findings, noting that despite knowing the illegality of his wife’s actions, the judge actively participated by serving as her intermediate, receiving bidding documents and money from the petitioner.

“Indeed, his actions tainted the image of the judiciary. For knowingly participating in the act of manipulating the process of public bidding in violation of Sections 356 and 366 of Republic Act No. 7160 in relation to Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 the Court finds [him] guilty of gross misconduct under the New Code of Judicial Conduct,” the 21-page ruling read. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Pangasinan to produce more salt

PHILIPPINE STAR/ EDD GUMBAN

BAGUIO CITY – Pangasinan is targeting to produce more of its signature salt in 2025.

Upholding to its roots “pag-asinan” (where salt comes from), the Pangasinan Salt Center (PSC), operated in Bolinao town, dreams to produce 8,000 metric tons of salt next year.   

With its P50 million allocation this year by the provincial government, the PSC’s salt production is further propped up as a response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s call to revive the salt industry of the country, said Governor Ramon V. Guico III.

PSC was established two years ago under Mr. Guico III’s stewardship, who made salt production and its maintenance as one of his priority projects.

The PSC salt farm in Bolinao churned out 6,400 metric tons this year, making it one of the major suppliers of salt in the country.

Salt production in Pangasinan was further fortified with the grant of P90 million to the Pangasinan State University’s “Accelerating Salt Research and Innovation” (ASIN) program.

The ASIN program received the grant through the Niche Centers in the Regions for Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development. — Artemio A. Dumlao

Three Basilan clan wars settled amicably

COTABATO CITY — Officials settled on Tuesday three different deadly clan wars in Tabuan-Lasa town in Basilan, ending longtime hostilities that have exacted fatalities on protagonist camps.

The leaders of the feuding groups signed a common peace covenant together brokered by officials of the 101st Infantry Brigade, the 4th Special Forces Battalion, Tabuan-Lasa Mayor Moner S. Manisan and Basilan Gov. Hadjiman H. Salliman during a reconciliation rite in Barangay Bukut-umus in Tabuan-Lasa.

The signatories to the compact printed on a tarpaulin, among them municipal leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front, also pledged then to thrive in peace again, in the presence of barangay officials and Muslim religious leaders in Tabuan-Lasa.

They sealed the agreement with a handshake and tight hugs after they each promised, before Brig. Gen. Alvin V. Luzon, commander of the 101st Infantry Brigade, Mr. Manisan and Mr. Salliman, to end their deadly squabbles for control of the territorial seas in Tabuan-Lasa where their followers catch blue and yellow fin tunas that they sell to retailers in markets in different towns in Basilan. — John Felix M. Unson

Recto: CREATE MORE will make PHL more attractive to investors

FINANCE SECRETARY RALPH G. RECTO — PCO

THE Department of Finance (DoF) said it expects more foreign investment pledges to materialize next year following the signing of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act.

“The economic outlook for 2025 is brighter as we see foreign investment pledges materialize and local businesses grow stronger because of this law,” Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said in a statement on Thursday.

Last week, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed the CREATE MORE Act into law. It further reduces the corporate income tax to 20% from 25% for registered business enterprises (RBEs).

The DoF also noted that the law was highlighted in roadshows by the economic team during Philippine economic briefings (PEBs) and investor roundtables.

The PEBs are platforms that showcase the government’s reform initiatives to improve the investment climate.

“During the roadshow in Tokyo, Japanese investors welcomed CREATE MORE as a solution to their long-standing concerns about VAT refunds, as it exempts export-oriented enterprises from paying VAT up front,” the DoF said.

Last year, Japanese firms threatened to leave the country due to the government’s onerous value-added tax refund process under the previous version of CREATE law.

Meanwhile, US investors at the PEB in Washington, DC called CREATE MORE “a gateway to their swift entry” into the Luzon Economic Corridor after the Philippines-US-Japan Trilateral Alliance summit.

Participants in the London roadshow described CREATE MORE as “one of the cornerstones bringing predictability and stability to doing business” in the Philippines, the DoF said.

The DoF said the Philippines’ fundamental advantage remains the  young, well-educated, and English-speaking workforce.

“Overall, international investors who have ongoing investments in the Philippines expressed their desire to expand their operations in the country,” he said.

More PEBs and investor roundtable meetings are scheduled next year, as the government completes the implementing rules and regulations of the CREATE MORE Act. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

Six power projects endorsed to ERC for operating permits 

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said it endorsed six new and existing power projects with a combined capacity of 440 megawatts (MW) to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in November.

“In November 2024, the DoE issued six CoEs (certificates of endorsement) to ERC, which are composed of two amendments and four new applications,” the DoE said in a document posted on its website.

A CoE is a prerequisite for generation facilities to be issued a certificate of compliance (CoC), a license issued by the ERC that grants permission to operate.

The biggest project on the list was Malita Power, Inc.’s 300.05-MW Malita Circulating Fluidized Bed Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant in Davao Occidental.

The DoE also endorsed Citicore Solar Batangas 1, Inc.’s 125.21-megawatt-peak (MWp) Lumbangan Solar Power Project in Batangas; DMCI Power Corp.’s 8.83-MW Arbolan Peaking Power Plant in Palawan; and SUWECO Tablas Energy Corp.’s 3.36-MW diesel facility in Santa Fe, Romblon.

The list also includes National Power Corp.’s 1.63-MW Zumarraga Diesel Power Plant in Samar and Samar II Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s 1.10-MWp Paranas Solar Power Project in Samar.

In the first 11 months, the DoE endorsed 138 power projects. Of these, 69 are conventional facilities, 47 are renewable energy facilities, and 22 are energy storage systems.

Last year, the ERC issued a resolution requiring CoCs for the operation of new generation facilities without the need for renewal but with an obligation to maintain the validity of the underlying permits. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

South Korea FTA seen boosting banana exports

DA

THE Department of Trade and Industry said banana exports are set to improve due to the free-trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea.

Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque made the remarks during a market visit.

“Jan. 1 is the start of the Korean FTA, which we have signed, so the banana tariffs will go down,” Ms. Roque added.

According to Food and Agriculture Organization, the Philippines has lost its place as the second-largest banana exporter even after shipments rose 3% to 2.3 million metric tons (MT) in 2023.

On Tuesday, National Economic and Development Authority Board approved the release of an executive order that will implement the tariff commitments under the Philippines-South Korea FTA.

“When other countries had the same tariffs as ours, our exports of bananas were like $300 million, now, bumaba na siya ng (they fell by) $160 million because other countries no longer have tariffs on bananas, as we still do with South Korea,” she said.

She added that as the FTA comes into force, export price for Philippine bananas will fall gradually.

South Korea currently levies a 30% import tariff on bananas from the Philippines, according to the DTI.

Under the agreement, tariffs will be reduced annually in equal increments until they fall to zero on the fifth year of effectivity.

Bananas are the Philippines’ top agricultural export, followed by pineapples, avocados, and coconuts. — Adrian H. Halili

Farm industry group calls for speedy deployment of hog, poultry vaccines

FREEPIK

By Adrian H. Halili, Reporter

THE Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said the government needs to expedite the approval of the African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine for commercial use, citing the need to effect a recovery in hog farming.

“We hope that the (Food and Drug Administration) approves the vaccine,” SINAG Chairman Rosendo O. So said at a briefing on Thursday.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the approval for commercial use of the ASF vaccine could be issued by February or March. The DA allocated P350 million to procure 600,000 doses for the hog farmers initially targeted. The rollout started on Aug. 30 in Lobo, Batangas.

Only the AVAC ASF Live vaccine from Vietnam has been approved by the FDA for a limited government-controlled rollout. It has issued a Certificate of Product Registration for AVAC, valid for two years and subject to annual review.

“If the results of are good, at least hog raisers can start raising pigs again,” Mr. So added.

Some 88 municipalities across 19 provinces have active ASF cases, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry.

He said pork prices may remain elevated next year as the hog industry will take time to recover.

“Vaccination will just have started, and we know that it will take six months for farmers to sell their pig,” he said.

Additionally, Mr. So said that the government should conduct proper testing of the bird flu vaccine.

“We don’t want to just have a vaccination without a final trial of the bird flu vaccine,” he said, adding that the egg farmers are having the most problems with bird flu,” he added.

The DA has said that large-scale trial of the Avian Flu vaccine could begin by March.

The DA is looking to procure 30 million doses of the vaccine for about P300 million.

Artificial-sweetener influx cited as factor in sugar millgate price drop

THE Department of Agriculture said on Thursday that the drop in the millgate prices of sugar could have been caused by competition from imported artificial sweeteners.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the projected drop in sugar production this year due to the effects of El Niño and La Niña triggered more imports of artificial sweeteners has risen.

“Two weeks ago, I looked at the whole situation. Our sugar production dropped a bit due to El Niño. The sugar yield from cane also dropped 20%,” he told reporters during a market visit.

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has estimated that sugar production this crop year will drop 7.2% to 1.78 million metric tons.

“Then sugar millgate prices dropped as well. When we look at imported artificial sweeteners, volume rose 25%,” he added.

The SRA has said sugar producers are receiving lower offers for their cane by millers, with producers blaming profiteering along the supply chain because retail prices have held steady. He said the millers’ offers will allow the producer to barely break even”

“We will come out with a directive or order that will regulate and monitor these types of artificial sweeteners,” Mr. Laurel said.

“They have to get a permit in order to import or inform the SRA at least,” he added. — Adrian H. Halili

Chip-designer shortage estimated in the ‘thousands and thousands’

A worker operates the die attach machine at a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Manila, Dec. 10, 2008. — REUTERS

By Almira Louise S. Martinez, Reporter

THE talent pool of chip designers in the Philippines is shallow, and a major buildup is necessary to compete globally, a technology advocate said.

“We need to develop a lot of talent, thousands and thousands, to be able to join the global workforce in designing the chips,” Glenn B. Quiro, technology advocate of Apl.De.Ap Foundation International, said in an interview. 

According to Mr. Quiro, assembly test and packaging are currently the biggest employers in the semiconductor industry.

He noted however that the Philippines must focus on producing engineers who can design chips.

“It’s not easy to design, so the engineers that we develop need to be able to handle high complexity,” he told BusinessWorld.

 “We can have more engineers also designing them, not just manufacturing them,” he added.

Mr. Quiro, who is also the former general manager of Intel Corp. in Shenzhen and Shanghai, said the Philippines should motivate students to pursue a career in the industry.

“We need to have the talent pipeline to support growth because it’s important and we need to make sure that the infrastructure that’s needed is also available,” he said.

According to the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs, the semiconductor industry was responsible for around 3 million direct and indirect jobs in 2023. 

On its website, the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. said the Philippines has a broad talent pool of highly competitive, English-proficient, and skilled workers.

“The key here is training our engineers to be not only smart in theory, but also smart in the practical implementation of the job that they will have when they graduate,” Mr. Quiro said.

DoLE, PEZA in deal to expedite foreigners’ ecozone work permits

ANFLOINDUSTRIALESTATE.COM

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) signed a partnership to streamline the processing of work permits for foreign nationals employed in economic zones.

The collaboration runs in parallel with the government’s broader green-lane initiative, under which permits for critical projects are expedited, the DoLE said in a statement Thursday.

The agreement harmonizes the approval processes for DoLE’s Alien Employment Permit and PEZA’s PEZA Visa.

The Data Sharing Agreement was signed on Dec. 16, in Pasay City by Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma and PEZA Director-General Tereso O. Panga.

“The signing of the Data Sharing Agreement marks another significant step in the collaboration between DoLE and PEZA in promoting our shared goal to make the Philippines a preferred investment destination and to ensure that Filipino workers are given preference for employment opportunities in economic zones,” Mr. Laguesma said.

Mr. Panga highlighted PEZA’s alignment with the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan 2023–2028 and its support for the government’s job creation initiatives.

He noted that PEZA ecozones currently employ 1.8 million Filipinos and generate 80,000 to 100,000 new jobs annually. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

PHL seeks three-year extension for $370-million land reform loan

DAR.GOV.PH

THE PHILIPPINES is seeking a three-year extension for the $370-million project loan from the World Bank to support land reform, with the loan nearing its year-end closing date.

This extension request follows a low disbursement rate and an 18-month implementation delay, it added.

The Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project, initially approved in 2020, sought to improve land tenure security and stabilize the property rights of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).

It covers 1.3 million hectares (ha) of land and is set to assist 750,000 ARBs. The project also supports the parcelization or subdivision and titling of 139,000 Collective Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) into individual CLOAs.

“The government is requesting a 36-month extension of the closing date to allow additional time to complete the Project Development Objectives (PDO),” the World Bank said in a document posted on its website on Thursday.

It added that the restructuring will not affect the project targets, financing, or institutional and implementation arrangements.

The bank said that in May, it discussed the project with the government and identified the key bottlenecks.

The two sides also agreed on a Restructuring Action Plan designed to ensure improved project performance.

According to the document, the PDO “remains achievable within the extended timeframe.”

“The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), with the support from the bank, is also exploring the possibility of introducing Framework contracts for survey packages in 2025, to further expedite procurement of the remaining 80% of the Collective CLOAs (approximately 1 million hectares),” it said.

It said the parcelization plan for the extension aims to complete the remaining 10% of field validation or 50,000 ha in the first quarter of 2025 while finalizing the second 2024 package of 220,000 ha.

It said that in the first quarter of 2025, it expects the procurement of two additional large survey packages of 200,000 ha each in 2025 and one package in 2026.

Meanwhile, the remaining 170,000 ha are set to be completed through an administrative (in-house) survey in 2025-2026.

DAR has registered 113,474 or 16% of individual eTitles with the Land Registration Authority and 109,047 e-Titles have been issued which is 15% of the target of 750,000 ARBs.

More than 80% of the titles issued have female names on them, either as the primary beneficiary or as co-owner, exceeding the 45% target, it said.

Factors behind the delays include pandemic restrictions which hindered meetings with beneficiaries and field validation activities, which are the first steps in the titling process.

Additionally, the World Bank said the SPLIT project currently disbursed $149.62 million out of the $370-million loan, or a 40.44% disbursement rate.

“The delayed and insufficient fund releases led to significant delays in the procurement of field personnel, consultants, and goods,” it said.

The project aims to disburse $30 million in 2025, $90 million in 2026, $80 million in 2027, and $20.38 million in 2028, the document said. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

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