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Duterte to take 3-day rest to catch up on sleep

By Gillian M. Cortez, Reporter

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte will take a three-day rest from work, the presidential palace said yesterday.

The president will rest starting tomorrow upon the advice of his close friend and former aide, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go, presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said at a briefing.

Mr. Duterte, 74, was the oldest person to be elected president of the country, and his health has been the subject of speculations.

The president will try to catch up on sleep, Mr. Panelo said, adding that Mr. Duterte won’t be having more health check-ups.

Mr. Panelo later issued a separate statement saying Mr. Duterte’s rest was not considered an official leave. The president would fly to Davao City to begin his rest but would bring paperwork with him so he could work remotely, he said.

Last month, Mr. Duterte underwent health exams after back pain forced him to cut short his trip to Japan. Before that, he got into a motorcycle accident that caused him muscle spasms.

The presidential palace earlier assured the public that there was nothing to worry about Mr. Duterte’s health.

The president missed the Japanese emperor’s banquet at the Imperial Palace, although he was able to attend the enthronement rites while carrying a cane to help him walk.

The president earlier told the Filipino community in Russia during his visit that he suffered from an autoimmune disease that could potentially have serious complications.

The president had complained of not being able to sleep during his flight from Russia.

Mr. Duterte attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Bangkok earlier this month despite the pain. He is expected to go to South Korea later this month to attend the Asean-Republic of Korea Summit on Nov. 25 to 26.

A Social Weather Stations poll in December found that 66% of Filipinos were worried about Mr. Duterte’s health.

Palace open to halt anti-drug operations

MALACAÑANG is open to Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo’s proposal to halt police operations against suspected drug traffickers if it means eradicating the drug menace, presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said yesterday.

“We’ll do it,” he told a briefing. “As long as VP Leni is in charge, whatever she feels.” Ms. Robredo, the opposition leader whom President Rodrigo R. Duterte put in charge of his administration’s war on drugs, wants to stop so-called tokhang operations, where law enforcers knock on suspected drug traffickers’ doors to persuade them to surrender.

Mr. Panelo noted that since Ms. Robredo is already sitting as co-head of an interagency committee against illegal drugs, she should do as she pleases.

The vice president on Friday convened a meeting of the anti-drug committee, where she said the practice of knocking on suspects’ doors should be stopped since it’s been connected to extrajudicial killings.

Ms. Robredo vowed to enforce the state’s anti-illegal drug campaign “within the bounds of the rule of law.” She said she would treat the drug problem not only as a crime, but also as a health issue.

The meeting that she called was meant to give her access to data on the drug campaign.

Ms. Robredo again cited the need to re-assess the government strategy against illegal drugs given the rising number of drug dependents.

Philippine police have said they have killed about 6,000 people in illegal drug raids, many of them resisting arrest. Some local nongovernmental organizations and the national Commission on Human Rights have placed the death toll at more than 27,000.

Mr. Panelo said Ms. Robredo does not need to ask for Mr. Duterte’s permission to enforce measures she thinks will be successful in the drug war, as he confirmed in a phone call with Mr. Duterte recently.

“If she wants to consult with the president, the president is always open to consultations from members of the Cabinet,” he said.

Ms. Robredo last week said she had agreed to head the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign, if only to stop the killings.

The vice president accepted the post against the advice of many of her party mates, who said the appointment might be a trap. — Gillian M. Cortez

Indictment of Duterte’s ex-police chief sought

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s former police chief and 13 other cops should be charged for their involvement in the recycling of illegal drugs from a legitimate police operation in 2013, the Philippine National Police said.

In a reply, the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) asked the Justice department to indict the police officers for graft and drug trafficking in a reopened case.

“In this amended complaint, the respondents proffered more general denial and alibi as defence, which jurisprudence has long considered weak and unreliable,” the police said.

The CIDG also argued the reinvestigation of the case, which was dismissed in 2014, does not violate the police officers’ rights.

“Their liberty was not deprived without due process of law and they are still presumed innocent until the contrary is proved,” it said. “They have a right to speedy disposition of the case. Verily, their argument challenging the authority is misplaced in this legal battle,” it added.

Mr. Albayalde challenged the authority of the Justice department to reopen the complaint, noting that a preliminary probe may only be re-opened when it has been submitted for resolution but before its promulgation.

A Senate committee earlier recommended the filing of criminal charges against the police officers.

Government prosecutors have given the officers until Nov. 18 to answer the CIDG’s reply.

The Justice department re-opened the case after former CIDG chief Benjamin B. Magalong, now Baguio City mayor, disclosed at a Senate hearing last month the involvement of the 13 cops in a questionable buy-bust operation on Nov. 29, 2013.

The cops claimed to have seized 38 kilos of drugs but an investigation showed that they seized about 200 kilos of illegal drugs worth P648 million and about P10 million in cash. The suspected drug trafficker also paid them P50 million to present a different person, Mr. Magalong said.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron N. Aquino told senators that during a probe when he was still Central Luzon regional director, Mr. Albayalde, then acting regional director for Metro Manila, had sought to stop the dismissal of the 13 cops in 2016. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Another possible typhoon this week as LPA enters Philippine area

THE LOW pressure area (LPA) east of Luzon has entered the Philippine area Monday afternoon, and weather bureau PAGASA said it could develop into a typhoon by today or tomorrow. PAGASA Weather Specialist Aldczar D. Aurelio said the LPA was located 1,025 km east of Virac, Catanduanes as of 3 p.m. Monday. The trough of the LPA will bring cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms in the Visayas, Bicol, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, Davao, Quezon, Mindoro, Marinduque, and Romblon. Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon is expected to bring light rains over the Central Luzon Region and parts of the northern Luzon area.

Valenzuela grants amnesty on property transfer tax surcharge

THE VALENZUELA City government has passed a law granting amnesty on the transfer tax surcharges owed by the heir/s of a deceased property owner. Ordinance No. 612, enacted by the city council on Oct. 21 and published on Nov. 11, is in line with Republic Act No. 11213, the Tax Amnesty Act. “A tax relief shall be imposed on all surcharges and interests on local transfer tax on estates of decedent/s who died on or before 31 December 2017 only and shall be availed by the legal heir/s administrator or executor until 14 June 2021,” the ordinance states. It takes effect 15 days from Monday’s publication. Mayor Rexlon T. Gatchalian or his deputized representative has also been granted authority to issue additional guidelines and directives for the implementation of the ordinance. RA 11213, signed into law in February, provides a one-time opportunity to settle estate tax obligations. Valuation of properties will be based on fair market value at the time of the owner’s death. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Iloilo to auction P90M PECO assets with unpaid property taxes

THE ILOILO City government is putting up for auction today, Nov. 12, the assets of Panay Electric Co. (PECO), which have unpaid real estate taxes for two years. Mayor Jerry P. Treñas on Monday said the City Treasurer’s Office will proceed with the sale of the assets valued at P90 million. “I was told that this real property tax has been pending for the past two years and, well I think it’s about time that this has to be finally resolved,” he said in an interview. Norman F. Tabud, head of the City Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO), earlier said they have not issued a permit to PECO due to the outstanding taxes. Last March 12, the BPLO issued a notice of violation against PECO following a memorandum from the City Treasurer’s Office over the tax due. Mr. Tabud said PECO replied and manifested that they have been paying their business licensing fees to the court. The mayor said PECO has offered a settlement, but the amount was not accepted by the city government. He added that PECO, which is currently engaged in another legal battle over the expropriation of its assets by the new distribution franchise holder MORE Electric and Power Corp., is not being singled out as the properties of delinquent tax payers will also be auctioned off. PECO has yet to issue a statement as of this writing. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

PHIVIDEC says agri firms have a part in industrialization

THE PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority (PIA) wants the big players of Davao Region’s agricultural sector to take an active role in defining Mindanao’s position in the country’s industrialization program. “I am sure there are a lot of companies here in Davao that also want industrialization,” PIA Chief Executive Officer and Administrator Franklin M. Quijano said in a recent interview. He cited as examples fresh fruit exporters Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (TADECO) and Lapanday Foods Corp., and DMI Medical Supply Company Inc., maker of the MX3 dietary supplement. PIA and the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental-Special Economic Zone (PIE-MO) Industries Association, Inc. are hosting the first Philippine Industrial Summit in Mindanao on Nov. 26 to 28, to be held in Cagayan de Oro City. The summit aims to speed up industrial development of Mindanao by strengthening links between the private and public sectors. “For private individuals and captains of the industry on the same page while they are competing with each other perhaps they may have forgotten that the role of each of them has a very important contribution in making an industrial Philippines,” Mr. Quijano said.

CORRIDORS
The summit is supported by the Japanese and Chinese consulates in Davao City, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, and the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA). Under MinDA’s Mindanao Development Corridors strategy, the Northern Mindanao Region, where the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate is located, along with mining region Caraga are envisioned as the industrial center of Mindanao. The mainland’s south-central areas, including Davao, will serve as the food, agribusiness, and logistics cluster. “This is the first Philippine Industrial Summit in Mindanao. We need people to answer the question: What is your imagery of modern industrial Philippines?” Mr. Quijano said. The summit is also in line with the implementation of Administrative Order No. 18, issued in June this year, intended to accelerate rural development through the establishment of special economic zones in the countryside. — Maya M. Padillo

Airlines offer free flights for Mindanao earthquake rehab volunteers

THREE AIRLINES have agreed to provide free flights for accredited volunteers who are helping in the rehabilitation work for Mindanao areas damaged by the three major earthquakes in October, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said. In a statement released by the Department of Transportation on Monday, CAB said four volunteers from the University of the Philippines Structural Engineering Group have already availed of free seats on a Cebu Pacific flight to Cotabato to help in infrastructure damage assessment. The two other companies are Philippine Airlines and Air Asia. CAB said those who may avail of the service include “accredited relief workers, medical personnel and other volunteers.” The carriers are also allocating free cargo space for relief goods and donations to the earthquake victims. On Monday, CAB turned over linens and other donated items from a group of hotel operators for immediate transport to Mindanao.

Nationwide round-up

OCD exec raises concern on creation of disaster resilience department

A JOINT Senate panel agreed on Monday to create the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR), but an Office of Civil Defense (OCD) official said such an agency might could be “overwhelming” considering the many aspects of disaster management. OCD Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad raised concern on the integration of different disaster-related functions into one office. “That would be a very big function to be placed under one department,” Mr. Jalad told the panel, suggesting that the function of the DDR be limited to planning. “Lead role can be latched in the department. For the implementation, it would still rely on the lead agencies.” He cited as an example the rehabilitation of Marawi City, which was devastated in the 2017 seige staged by Islamic State-affiliated local extremists. “For Marawi alone sir, it will be overwhelming for one department to undertake all those reconstruction.” Senator Francis N. Tolentino explained that the creation of the new department would not be overwhelming as existing agencies — such as the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration — will only be transferred. BFP is currently under the Department of Interior and Local Government while PHIVOLCS and PAGASA are under the Department of Science and Technology. The Senate joint panel also discussed the bureaucratic and budgetary concerns in establishing a new government office. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Senate approves Malasakit Center bill on 3rd reading

senate
THE PROPOSED measure establishing Malasakit Centers in all Department of Health (DoH)-run hospitals nationwide and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) hurdled the Senate on third and final reading on Monday. With 18 affirmative votes and zero negative, the chamber passed Senate Bill No. 1076, or the “Malasakit Centers Act,” intended to put in place a one-stop shop for medical and financial assistance. “The Malasakit Center is one of the solutions the Duterte government has developed to provide quick and quality access to health care to all Filipinos,” Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go said in his sponsorship speech Monday. The measure was among the bills mentioned by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his fourth State of the Nation Address last July. Eighteen counterpart measures have also been filed in the House of Representatives, which are currently pending at the committee level. The bill is intended to complement next year’s implementation of the Universal Health Care Act, which will grant all Filipinos access to medicines and health care services. “For most of our countrymen, hospitalization is a luxury they cannot afford. The body may be willing, but the pocket is not. The result is that six in 10 deaths in this country are unattended by a doctor,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto said in his explanation of vote. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Nation at a Glance — (11/12/19)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Nation at a Glance — (11/12/19)

John Gokongwei and Q3 GDP

“Choose to be an entrepreneur because then you create value. Choose to be an entrepreneur because the products, services, and jobs you create then become the lifeblood of our nation.”

— John Gokongwei, Jr.

Another icon of Philippine capitalism has passed away. John Gokongwei, Jr., the founder of JG Summit with engagements in airline, telecoms, banking, food, power and real estate, had lived 93 years of a very productive entrepreneurial life.

In the Forbes’ Billionaires list 2018 and 2019, he and his children are the third richest family in the Philippines (see Table 1).

I have not met the man or his other children but I have met his eldest daughter, Robina Gokongwei-Pe, in several lectures and activities of the UP School of Economics Alumni Association (UPSEAA). In the few times that I met Robina, she was the picture of a very humble entrepreneur, often smiling and with no fanfare even in clothing and yet she heads the family’s Robinsons Retail Holdings, the country’s second largest chain of malls.

On May 24 this year, Robina gave a lecture among members of UPSEAA and among the topics she discussed were “The Ten Commandments of Running a Family Business, the Gokongwei Way.” Among such commandments are: No work no pay. No in-laws. No moonlighting. There can be only one boss. Being family is no guarantee of employment. Give the next generation wings. Wow. That is how the father, John Gokongwei, Jr., imparted to the family and corporate personnel, his wisdom in entrepreneurship.

And I have to link this story with the Philippines’ 3rd quarter (Q3) GDP growth that was released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) last week. The Philippine economy grew 6.2%, somehow good news after growing only 5.6% and 5.5% in Q1 and Q2.

I checked the components of GDP on the demand side, composed of household consumption (C) + government consumption (G) + and private investments (I). The net exports of goods and services (X-M) is not significant because they compensate for each other.

While C has recovered after low inflation rates in July-September, G also grew fast because of higher government spending. The bad news is that I shrank for the second time this year (see Table 2).

The last time the Philippines experienced two consecutive quarters of I contraction was seven years ago, in Q1-Q2 2012. I think the TRAIN 2 bill in 2017, renamed TRABAHO bill in 2018, further renamed CITIRA bill in 2019, is part of this mess as this bill plans to abolish several fiscal incentives at once while promising to cut corporate income tax over 10 years.

Dutertenomics should bear in mind always that private investors and entrepreneurs like the Gokongwei family are the real heroes of any economy because they produce value in many sectors — from fishery and agriculture to food manufacturing and banking, land and air transportation, and so on. Government should have low taxes and fewer regulations, not introduce new sources of business uncertainty.

Meanwhile, I want to congratulate the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) for winning the Templeton Freedom Prize Award given by the Atlas Network on Nov. 7 in New York City. FEF’s work on helping legislate the agriculture free patent law — giving formal property rights to farmer beneficiaries — was greatly recognized.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Minimal Government Thinkers.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Did Vice-President Leni Robredo just make a bad judgment?

In accepting the job of co-chair of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs (ICAD), Vice-President Leni Robredo said, “In the end, the most important consideration for me is simple: if this is the chance to stop the killings of the innocent and to bring to account those responsible, I will take upon this challenge. They are asking me if I am ready for this job. My question is: Are you ready for me?”

Oh yes, the President and his myrmidons are ready for her. A trap had been set up just for her and a tempting bait dangled. That is why Presidential Spokesman and Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo, Senator/Personal Aide Bong Go, Senate President Tito Sotto, Party-list Representative Michael Defensor and many others were urging her to bite the bait — accept the job, that is — so she can begin to self-destruct.

The position co-chair of ICAD is meaningless, said Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of the Vice-President. “If you look at the executive order creating (ICAD) the co-chair position is non-existent and has no power,” he explained. Albay Representative Edcel Lagman (no relation, I come from Pampanga) pointed out that the position of co-chair of ICAD is vastly different from President Duterte’s original offer to her to be the drug czar.

This is what the President said when he first mentioned a possible role for Mrs. Robredo in his campaign against illegal drugs: “If she wants, I can commission her to be the drug czar. She has so many complaints. Now if you are better than me, I’ll hand to you full powers over the drug (war). I’ll give you six months. Let’s see if you can handle it.”

It was his angry reaction to Vice-President Robredo’s critical remarks about the President’s war on drugs during an interview with the foreign news agency Reuters. The offer was made in a moment of pique. After the President had calmed down, the offer was watered down to a committee co-chair position, which position has no power. To many political pundits, Mrs. Robredo is bound to fail.

The President’s statement “Let’s see if you can handle it” betrays his serious doubts about Mrs. Robredo’s capability to succeed in containing the illegal drug trade. The President and his minions will see to it that Mrs. Robredo will not succeed to prove that the President was right about his misgivings about her.

As co-chair of a committee she cannot issue directives, much less give orders. She can only formulate policies. ICAD has no less than 20 agencies as members. Before she could formulate policies she has to relate with the heads of those agencies. She cannot formulate policies on her own. She has to obtain the concurrence of her co-chair, Aaron Aquino.

Mr. Aquino does not hold Mrs. Robredo in high regard when it comes to the campaign against illegal drugs. This is what he said of her before she accepted the position offered by President Duterte: “She is bound to fail because the Vice-President has no experience in dealing with law enforcers”

With Mr. Aquino’s estimation of her low, Mr. Aquino would most likely be dismissive of Mrs. Robredo’s ideas and suggestions. The enforcers of drug laws are directly under the command of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director-General Mr. Aquino. Mrs. Robredo has no command authority over them.

The people who elected Mr. Duterte president were those who were inveigled by his overweening promise to eradicate the drug menace in six months, maybe even in three months. He failed to fulfill that promise. Anybody who can succeed in curbing the illegal drug trade to a significant degree would surely win the adulation of the people.

If Mrs. Robredo achieves some success in the war against illegal drugs, her political stock would improve markedly, making her presidential timber. Such an eventually would threaten the presidential aspirations of presidential daughter Sara, and Senators Manny Pacquiao and Cynthia Villar.

President Duterte will do everything to minimize the chances of Vice-President Robredo, or anybody from the opposition, of being elected president for fear of her doing what Cory Aquino, Gloria Arroyo, Noynoy Aquino had done to their immediate predecessors: that is, to file charges of massive graft and corruption, betrayal of the Republic, and/or violation of the Bill of Rights, etc. against them.

Besides, Mrs. Robredo is bound to fail. President Duterte, by his own admission, has failed to rid the country of the drug menace, despite the entire police force pledging blind loyalty to him and the secretaries of justice, past and present, turning a blind eye to the excesses of the police force in putting an end to the illegal drug trade. With no authority over the enforcers of the drug laws and with the head of the PDEA having a low regard for her with respect to law enforcement, ICAD Co-chair Robredo has no chance of success.

The Vice-President herself took cognizance of the dubiousness of the appointment. Said she: “Even if we say this offer is playing politics and that agencies will not follow me and they will do everything for me to fail, I am ready to endure all this because if I could save at least one innocent life, my principles and my heart are telling me, I should give it a try.”

After all, she has nothing to lose, she said. But she has. By accepting the position of co-chair of ICAD, she had lost the confidence of her political allies and civil society groups in her making good judgment. A president lacking good judgment would be disastrous for the country. Civil society groups are now wondering if Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo, as president, would exercise good judgment consistently.

 

Oscar P. Lagman, Jr. is a retired corporate executive, business consultant, and management professor. He has been a politicized citizen since his college days in the late 1950s.