Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 8415

Japanese suppliers invited to bid for train set contracts of Malolos-Clark, North-South Rail

THE GOVERNMENT is seeking bids from Japanese suppliers for the contract to supply train sets for the Malolos-Clark Railway Project and the North-South Railway Project-South Commuter line.

“The Department of Transportation (DoTr)… through its procuring agent, the Procurement Service (PS), now invites sealed bids in a single stage (without prequalification) two-envelope (technical and financial) from eligible bidders for the procurement” of the train sets, the department announced on its website Monday.

It said the contract involves the design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing, commission, integration, and technical support for “seven-unit eight-car train sets.”

The contract will be funded from proceeds of a loan provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which was signed on Jan. 21, 2019.

According to a copy of the loan agreement posted on the Finance department’s website, JICA had agreed to lend the Philippines up to 167.199 billion yen for the North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project.

“It is intended that the proceeds of this loan will be applied to eligible expenditure under this contract for the procurement of Rolling Stock – Limited Express Trainsets of the project,” the Transportation department said.

It said bidding procedures are in accordance with the Japanese official development assistance loan guidelines for procurement exercises.

“Bidders may obtain further information from and inspect the bidding documents at the office of PS-DBM (Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management), from Mondays to Fridays during office hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,” the DoTr said.

A complete set of bid documents will cost a non-refundable P45,000, to be purchasable upon the submission of application documents.

The pre-bid conference is scheduled for March 12.

Bids must be submitted on or before 10 a.m. on May 8, accompanied by a bid security of 440.980 million yen.

The DoTr said the criteria include sound financial position on the part of bidders over the past five years. Other qualifications are average annual turnover over the past five years of over $100 million, and liquid assets of $24 million.

“Bidder must have experience as prime contractor (single entity or joint venture member), subcontractor or management contractor for at least 10 years, from Jan. 1, 2009,” it added.

According to the JICA-Philippine government loan agreement, the project aims to strengthen the transportation network and alleviate serious congestion in the greater capital region by extending the North-South Commuter Railway from Malolos to Clark International Airport and from Solis, in Tondo, Manila, to Calamba.

The project is expected to contribute to the expansion of the capital region’s economy and improve its investment environment. — Arjay L. Balinbin

NEA to ask Budget dep’t for P16.76 billion until 2026 to fund remaining sitio electrification

THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) said Monday that it will be seeking P16.76 billion worth of additional funding from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) until 2026 for its sitio electrification program, with the goal of powering up more than 11,000 rural villages within that period.

In the 2021 budget, P1.63 billion was earmarked for a sitio electrification program (SEP). The NEA said these funds are only good for energizing 1,085 sitios. At present, 11,174 sitios have no access to power.

“At the rate the SEP projects are ongoing… the NEA will be asking the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to fund an average number of 2,000 sitios until 2026 to finish (the electrification program) with an estimated project cost of P16.761 billion,” the NEA told BusinessWorld by e-mail Monday.

It said the rural electrification program is supported by “inadequate” subsidies for financing rural electrification projects.

Of the 1,085 sitio projects to be funded out of this year’s budget, 413 are in Luzon, 262 sitios in the Visayas, and 410 in Mindanao. The NEA estimates an average cost per sitio of P1.5 million to bring power to those locations.

The NEA said it is looking to tap renewable energy to power off-grid areas under the Strategized Sitio Electrification Program (SSEP), and the Strategized Household Electrification Program (SHEP).

SSEP targets isolated sitios which cannot be energized via sitio electrification or barangay line enhancement programs. Before SSEP is implemented, the NEA must undertake a feasibility study for a hybrid microgrid system, NEA Deputy Administrator for Technical Services Artis Nikki L. Tortola said in December.

SHEP is targeted at households in remote areas using stand-alone photovoltaic systems.

“No budget has been allocated for off-grid electrification since 2020,” the NEA said Monday, adding that it currently had budgets of P12 million and P153 million for the SSEP and SHEP, respectively. The allocations are based on the 2019 budget.

The NEA added that it has asked the DBM to fund 74 areas for the 2021 barangay line enhancement program, which has not received allocations since 2017. — Angelica Y. Yang

Region’s working mothers report struggle to balance WFH, domestic responsibilities

WORKING MOTHERS across the region continue to face challenges adapting to the pandemic even as most workers overall grow more accustomed to remote work arrangements, professional networking site LinkedIn said.

The study accompanying the LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021 found that nearly five in 10 working mothers in the Asia Pacific reported difficulty balancing working from home with their roles as mothers.

“Women, especially working mothers, are facing more significant obstacles under the current set-up compared to men. Close to half of working mothers (47%) have said they are struggling to balance their work and household responsibilities,” LinkedIn said.

LinkedIn also reported that 42% of working mothers believe that domestic responsibilities are “getting in the way of their career development.”

The report was conducted in January with 10,000 respondents across the Asia Pacific Region, including 1,256 in the Philippines.

The report found that working women in the Philippines have experienced more gender discrimination in professional settings. “Half of working women in the Philippines (believe) that their gender played a role in missing out on opportunities, promotion, and pay,” LinkedIn said.

Around 22% of working women said they had fewer career advancement opportunities while 14% said salaries compared to men in their profession were lower.

Overall, 51% of Filipino workers found the gender gap to be more manageable, having improved in recent years. Some 74% agreed that gender equality is important in society, though 31% expressed the opinion that gender equality cannot be achieved.

LinkedIn Vice-President for Talent and Learning Solutions in the Asia-Pacific Feon Ang said societal perceptions of women need to further improve especially with the workplace changing rapidly during the pandemic. This will ensure equitable opportunities and recovery for all.

“The Philippine workforce has taken a hit due to COVID-19 across the board, women included. The lack of time is the top barrier for women today — likely due to having to juggle remote working and family responsibilities. We also know that women are seeking to get ahead in life, and want equal access to opportunity as men,” Ms. Ang said in a statement Tuesday. — Gillian M. Cortez

CA upholds dismissal of customs worker over SALN dishonesty

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld the dismissal of a customs employee over her failure to disclose a Bulacan property in her annual Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs), the Department of Finance (DoF) said Tuesday.

The DoF said in a statement that former customs operations officer Miriam Casurayan was found to have deliberately omitted from her SALN ownership of a house in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. The DoF was citing an October 2020 CA ruling sent to the DoF on Jan. 11.

The property was purchased in 1998 but not declared in Ms. Casurayan’s SALN, according to the anti-corruption arm of the DoF, the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS).

“As a government employee, it is incumbent upon Casayuran to provide truthful disclosures in her SALNs. As discussed by the Honorable Court in its decision, the full disclosure of one’s wealth in SALNs is a means of preventing and curtailing corruption and maintaining a standard of honesty in the public service,” Finance Undersecretary for legal affairs Bayani H. Agabin was quoted as saying.

The case had earlier been dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman before elevation to the CA.

The CA ruling affirmed her dismissal from the service, disqualification from future public office, and the forfeiture of retirement benefits.

The court cited the case of Fajardo vs. Corral, which held that SALN omissions or misdeclarations with “malicious intent” are grounds for dismissal.

The DoF early this year launched a complaints portal known as the Information against Corruption page to serve as a channel for whistleblowers reporting unexplained wealth among the personnel of the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

It also covers officials at the DoF, Bureau of the Treasury, Bureau of Local Government Finance, Insurance Commission, National Tax Research Center, Central Board of Assessment Appeals, Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp., Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency, the Privatization and Management Office, and Securities and Exchange Commission.

In October, President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered a broad investigation into corruption in the government, running until 2022.

RIPS has investigated 403 personnel of the DoF and its agencies since July 2016.

Administrative and criminal cases have been filed against 60 personnel, with 14 dismissed.

RIPS has the authority to look into suspected cases of corruption and file criminal, civil or administrative complaints. — Beatrice M. Laforga

PCA updating coconut farmer registry after trust fund law enacted

THE Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) said it is updating its coconut farmer registry following the recent signing of Republic Act No. 11524, or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act.

In a virtual briefing Tuesday, PCA Administrator Benjamin R. Madrigal, Jr. said the PCA’s current registry contains 2.5 million farmers.

“We are updating the registry because it is possible that there are farmers who have died or decided to exit coconut farming. We are coming up with an updated list,” Mr. Madrigal said.

Mr. Madrigal said the PCA hopes to complete validating its registry within 90 days from the effectivity of the law.

He said the PCA offers various modes of registration: online, at provincial and municipal agricultural offices, at PCA regional offices, and the dispatch of PCA employees to register coconut farmers.

“According to the law, the direct beneficiaries of the coco levy are those who own up to five hectares of coconut farms, or tenants or farmers that do not own the land but are using it,” Mr. Madrigal said.

“We are registering every farmer so that we can see everyone who is contributing to the industry. All of them are stakeholders in the coconut industry,” he added.

On Feb. 26, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed the law.

The law directs the Bureau of the Treasury to transfer P10 billion to the trust in the first year, P10 billion in the second, P15 billion in the third, P15 billion in the fourth, and P25 billion in the fifth.

Former President Ferdinand E. Marcos and his associates imposed the coconut levy on farmers, promising to improve the industry with the proceeds as well as a share of the investment returns.

However, the money was diverted to purchase corporate assets like the United Coconut Planters Bank and San Miguel Corp. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

PHL commercial borrowing to ease as recovery takes hold — S&P

PHILIPPINE sovereign borrowing from commercial sources is expected to decline this year as the economy emerges from its steep 2020 downturn, according to S&P Global Ratings.

“(Strong growth) should help stabilize revenue and help the government narrow its deficit somewhat, moderating its commercial borrowing needs relative to 2020,” S&P sovereign analyst Andrew Wood said in an e-mail.

S&P expects the economy to grow by 9.6% this year following a record 9.5% contraction in 2020.

In a note, “Sovereign Debt 2021: Asia-Pacific Central Governments to Borrow $4.1 trillion,” S&P Global said Philippine long-term commercial borrowing will likely hit $32.3 billion this year, down from $54.4 billion in 2020.

Overall borrowing, both long-term and short-term, including from non-commercial sources at lower rates, is expected to amount to $200 billion this year, against $189.4 billion in 2020, it said.

Governments across the region are expected to increase commercial borrowing this year as they continue to deal with the pandemic.

“A number of smaller issuers in Southeast Asia are projected to borrow significantly more this year than in the years before 2020,” S&P said.

This year, the Philippine government plans to borrow P286 billion via foreign currency-denominated bonds and P1.532 trillion in fixed-rate treasury bonds, according to the financing plan posted on the Department of Budget and Management website.

The budget deficit in 2020 more than doubled to P1.371 trillion as the government raised spending as revenue fell in a bid to contain the pandemic. The deficit is equivalent to 7.63% of gross domestic product (GDP), against 3.38% in 2019.

In 2021, the fiscal deficit is projected at 8.9% of GDP, with the government expecting gross borrowing of about P3.03 trillion. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

KZ Tandingan sings first Filpino Disney song

Disney Philippines has announced that “Gabay” by Filipino singer KZ Tandingan will be the first song sung in Filipino to be used in the soundtrack of a Disney movie. 

It will be used in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ latest epic animated adventure Raya and the Last Dragon, which is inspired by the cultures of Southeast Asia. 

The film’s story is set in the fantasy world of Kumandra, where long ago humans and dragons lived together in harmony. Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) goes on a new adventure to track down the legendary last dragon, Sisu (voiced by Awkwafina) to restore the fractured land and unite its divided people. During the journey, Raya will learn that it will take more than a dragon to save the world.

“Raya and the Last Dragon is inspired by various Southeast Asian cultures and, as such, we found it fitting to launch ‘Gabay’ as a way for us to celebrate the film and connect with our Filipino fans,” said Allie Benedicto, Studio Marketing Head of Disney Philippines, in a press release. The song “demonstrates our commitment to work with local creative talents to tell our stories in a locally relevant manner.” 

“I am very grateful and I feel very proud to be singing in my language, and show off its beauty to the rest of the world. I am proud to be part of history,” said Ms. Tandingan in a statement. “I grew up watching Disney movies. Finally, there is a Disney Princess who I can feel a very strong connection to, and that is Raya as the first one inspired by Southeast Asia.”

“Gabay” will be available to stream on Spotify on March 5.

Raya and the Last Dragon will premiere in theaters and on Disney+ in the United States this month. A Philippine cinema release will soon follow. — MAPS

DoH says 36 more have COVID-19 variants

By Vann Marlo M. Villegas and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporters

HEALTH authorities on Tuesday reported 30 more patients who got infected with a more contagious coronavirus variant from the United Kingdom and six more people who got sick with a variant from South Africa.

“While there is no evidence that this variant causes a more severe disease, the pattern of mutations within this variant suggests higher transmissibility and may have an impact on vaccine efficacy,” the Department of Health (DoH) said in a statement, referring to the South African variant.

Of the six cases, three patients came from Pasay City, two of them — a 61-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man — were active cases. The third, a 40-year-old male, has recovered, the agency said.

The status of two more patients who came home from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were still being verified, as well as the sixth case.

The 30 more cases of the UK COVID-19 variant brought the total in the Philippines to 87, DoH said. Of the 30, 20 were returning migrant Filipinos, three were locals, and seven were still being verified.

The 20 migrant workers came home from the Middle East, Singapore and United States between Jan. 20 and Feb. 16. Thirteen of them were active cases but were not showing symptoms, while seven have recovered, DoH said.

The three locals came from the Cordillera Administrative Region, one of whom is an active case admitted to a hospital, one has recovered and one died.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said both the South African and United Kingdom variants are more contagious. The South Africa variant’s mutation might affect vaccine efficacy, she added.

The vaccine developed by British drug maker AstraZeneca Plc is less effective against the South African variant based on trial data, Reuters reported last month.

TALLY
Meanwhile, the Health department reported 2,067 coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the total to 580,442. The death toll rose by 47 to 12,369, while recoveries increased by 144 to 534,463, it said in a bulletin.

There were 33,610 active cases, 89.8% of which were mild, 4.8% did not show symptoms, 2.3% were critical, 2.2% were severe and 0.85% were moderate.

DoH said six duplicates had been removed from the tally, while 30 recovered cases were reclassified as deaths. Eight laboratories failed to submit data on March 1.

About 8.3 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of Feb. 28, according to DoH’s tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened more than 115 million and killed about 2.6 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 90.8 million people have recovered, it said.

Also on Tuesday, DoH said 756 people got CoronaVac shots on the first day of the vaccination program on Monday in six Metro Manila hospitals.

It said 128 people got vaccinated at the Philippine General Hospital, 85 at Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial hospital and 20 at the Lung Center of the Philippines.

It added that 110 people got inoculated at the Philippine National Police General Hospital, 353 at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center and 60 at Victoriano Luna Medical Center.

Ms. Vergeire said 13 people experienced higher blood pressure, headaches, nausea or pain in the injection area. None of them were admitted to hospitals and were sent home after observation.

More than 215,000 health frontliners from both public and private hospitals would get vaccine shots made by Chinese drug maker Sinovac Biotech Ltd. this quarter, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing.

Of the 600,000 CoronaVac donated by China, the capital region got 130,742 doses, he said. It was followed by Central Visayas with 13,923 doses, Central Luzon with 11,537, Soccsksargen with 8,705, Western Visayas with 8,438 and the Davao Region with 8,004.

Northern Mindanao will get 7,239 doses, Eastern Visayas 3,935, the Zamboanga Peninsula 3,417,  Cordillera Administrative Region 3,279, Caraga 3,044, Calabarzon 1,115 and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim in Mindanao (BARMM) 940.

Mr. Roque said 756 medical workers and government employees from Metro Manila got vaccinated on Monday.

Vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. said the St. Luke’s Medical Center had asked the National Government for an allocation of 5,000 vials of the Chinese vaccine.

Mr. Roque said private hospitals are also on the government’s priority list.

Meanwhile, the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines under a global initiative for equal access would arrive this month, Vivencio B. Dizon, deputy chief enforcer of the state’s anti-coronavirus efforts told the same briefing.

He said they still did not know when the vaccines from Pfizer, Inc. would arrive. The government failed to take delivery of about 117,000 doses after it failed to sign papers freeing the drug maker from potential lawsuits on time.

Chinese Sinopharm seeks emergency use approval for vaccine

CHINESE drug maker Sinopharm Group Co., Ltd. has applied for an emergency use authorization (EUA) for its coronavirus vaccine in the Philippines, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“An online application was filed yesterday afternoon and the FDA is checking the contents of the submission now,” FDA Director General Rolando Enrique D. Domingo said in a Viber message on Tuesday.

Presidential spokesman Harry L. Roque, Jr. said President R. Duterte would wait for the approval of Sinopharm’s application before receiving the shot.

Mr. Roque on Monday said Sinopharm had sought the authorization, but the FDA did not immediately confirm it.

Mr. Domingo said it would take as long as six weeks for them to decide on Sinopharm’s application since it had not received an EUA from any stringent regulatory bodies in other countries.

The FDA earlier allowed the compassionate use of 10,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines for members of the Presidential Security Group, which used the drugs without the agency’s approval.

Ramon T. Tulfo, Jr., the country’s special envoy to China, earlier said he and other high-ranking government officials received the Chinese shots last year.

Mr. Roque earlier said the presidential legal team was studying whether the President, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, is covered by the compassionate use authorization for Sinopharm.

Only the shots developed by America’s Pfizer, Inc. British drug maker AstraZeneca Plc, Chinese drug maker Sinovac Biotech Ltd. have been approved for local emergency use. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Group asks gov’t to prioritize prisoners for COVID vaccines

A GROUP representing the families of political prisoners has asked the government to include about 215,000 inmates in the country’s crowded jails among the most vulnerable people who should get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“It has been almost a year since COVID-19 hit the country, yet there are still no official pronouncements that consider prisoners as part of the most at-risk populations who need to get the vaccine first,” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said in an open letter to Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III on Tuesday.

“We strongly ask that all persons deprived of liberty, including all political prisoners, be incorporated in the government’s mass vaccination program for COVID-19,” she added.

Ms. Lim, citing United Nations rules on the treatment of prisoners, said the state is responsible for their healthcare.

“Prisoners should enjoy the same standards of healthcare that are available in the community, and should have access to necessary healthcare services free of charge without discrimination on the grounds of their legal status,” she added.

Among those prioritized by the government for coronavirus vaccines are health workers, senior citizens, people with comorbidities, police and military, people in other essential sectors, indigent people and migrant Filipinos. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Senate asks gov’t to allow limited physical classes

THE Philippine Senate on Monday approved a resolution asking the government to start limited face-to-face classes in more than a thousand public schools amid a coronavirus pandemic.

Senators said pilot physical classes in low-risk areas would let the Education department “gather evidence and design a framework for the safe reopening of schools.”

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, who authored the measure, said in his sponsorship speech on Monday not all households have internet and gadgets for online classes.

Physical classes would prevent gaps and remove the inequality between rich and poorr students, he added.

Seven senators who filed the measure on Monday said the prolonged school closures have affected students especially those from poor families.

They said the trial run in 1,065 schools in low-risk areas identified by the Education department should start “to avert a prolonged learning loss and minimize other potentially profound adverse social, developmental and health costs.”

They noted that 433 municipalities and three cities have no active coronavirus cases as of Feb. 9. Feeding programs should also be resumed and ease the effects of the pandemic on poor students and their families, they added.

The government should also prioritize teachers for vaccination to lessen the risk of transmissions in schools, the lawmakers said.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte this week rejected a plan to hold limited face-to-face classes pending the rollout of vaccines. In December, he recalled a similar proposal set for January. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Manila lifts deployment ban to UAE

THE PHILIPPINES will allow Filipinos to work as domestic helpers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) starting Mar. 31 after both agreed to boost protection for these workers, according to the Labor department.

The two countries signed a labor agreement giving the migrant workers “greater protection,” the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Philippines suspended the deployment of Filipino domestic helpers to the UAE in 2014 to protect them from abuse.

Some female domestic workers in the UAE have good and responsible employers, satisfactory working conditions, receive their wages in full and on time, and can send money home to their families, Human Rights Watch said in an October 2014 report.

“But in many cases, employers in the UAE and recruiting agents abuse the women who become migrant domestic workers,” it said.

Workers whom Human Rights Watch interviewed for the report, including some Filipina maids, described a range of abuses that they had experienced.

Dozens of Filipinas recruited to work in the UAE had been trafficked to Syria to work as maids, The Washington Post reported in January. The workers had at times been physically and sexually abused by their employers and denied the salaries they were promised, it said.

Workers who will be sent to the Middle Eastern country would be covered by a unified employment contract that ensures their security, Labor Undersecretary Claro A. Arellano said in the statement.

Under the deal, local recruitment agencies would be liable if a Filipino domestic helper is put in danger.

The workers will also get at least eight hours of continuous sleep every night, take a paid break at least once a week and keep their passports and other documents.

They may also use mobile phones and other communication devices, open bank accounts and cook their own food. The tourist visa of a Filipino domestic worker may also get converted into a working visa. — G.M. Cortez and Norman P. Aquino

1...8,4148,4158,416...14,238Page 8,415 of 14,238
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube