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Congress ratifies Solar Para sa Bayan bill

THE House of Representatives and the Senate ratified on Monday the proposed measure granting a renewable energy distribution franchise to Solar Para Sa Bayan Corp. (SPSBC).

The two chambers separately ratified the bicameral committee report on House Bill 8179 allows SPSBC to “construct, install, establish operate and maintain” distributed energy resources and microgrid systems for 25 years.

SPSBC is controlled by Solar Philippines President Leandro L. Leviste, the son of Senator Loren B. Legarda.

The measure was ratified by the Senate over the objections of Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian.

“My objection is based on a substantive insertion in the Bicam Report that will negatively affect the power industry because of the implementation of this franchise,” said Mr. Gatchalian in his speech.

He added, “This insertion is in the definition of an underserved area, which will now include areas ‘where electricity services have been interrupted at least twelve (12) times in the twelve (12) months preceding the date of the determination that such area is underserved.’”

The bill authorizes the company to supply remote, unviable, unserved, or underserved areas in thirteen provinces.

These are Aurora, Batangas, Bohol, Cagayan, Camiguin, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Isabela, Masbate, Misamis Occidental, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, and Tawi-Tawi.

The bill acknowledges that SPSBC is not entitled to “any government subsidy” in setting rates, while empowering the Energy Regulatory Commission to set its rates. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Finance dep’t sets 2022 target date for rolling out e-invoicing system

THE Department of Finance (DoF) hopes to fully implement the electronic invoicing system by December 2022, resulting in administrative savings for the government and streamlining of tax processes, the Department of Finance said.

“Progress has been made in modernizing information technology services for taxpayers. However, further reforms are needed. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), in partnership with the government of Korea, is set to complete the development of the e-invoicing system by end-2022,” DoF Assistant Secretary Antonio Joselito G. Lambino II said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This agenda requires a high level of commitment and the tax bureau has initiated foundational activities such as business process mapping starting this year,” Mr. Lambino added.

According to Mr. Lambino, the e-invoicing system will “result in administrative savings and make the bureau more resilient and easily adaptable to changes in policy and technology.”

Mr. Lambino noted that digitizing the invoice system will cut down on redundant data entries which are currently required in tax returns that already form part of other requirements in paying taxes.

Mr. Lambino said the current tax system has a tendency to “overemphasize controls and monitoring over the welfare of taxpayers and the overall ease and efficiency of compliance.”

He said that with the transformation, the DoF hopes to optimize business processes and improve the digital literacy of BIR’s workforce.

Earlier, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) President Lee Mikyung said in a statement that South Korea will increase its assistance to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“With the new set of policies presented by the Korean government, our volume of assistance to ASEAN countries will be increased by 2.8 times in 2022 compared to that of 2017. That means the volume of assistance to the Philippines will be naturally increased,” Mr. Lee said.

Mr. Lee said South Korea’s other initiatives for the Philippines include education, information and communications technology (ICT). — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

Luzon grid goes on six-hour yellow alert Tuesday

THE Luzon grid went on yellow alert for six hours Tuesday as power reserves thinned.

In an advisory, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said the yellow alert on the country’s largest power grid was in effect between 10:00 am to 4:00 p.m. yesterday.

The grid’s available capacity stands at 11,746 megawatts, while peak demand is at 10,831 megawatts, according to the NGCP.

A yellow alert signifies that power supply is approaching critical levels.

The NGCP had not provided details on the alert by deadline time yesterday.

NGCP yesterday reported emergency power interruptions affecting the franchise area of Camarines Sur III Electric Cooperative, Inc. at 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., citing the shutdown of the Naga-Iriga 69 kilovolt (kV) line as requested by Gallintina Inc. for the reconnection of the new Gallintina dressing plant.

Scheduled power interruptions were also expected in parts of Quezon province on June 8, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, due to corrective and maintenance work on the Gumaca-Progreso 69 kV Line and Gumaca-Atimonan 69 kV Line.

Specific areas suffering outages will be determined by the Quezon I Electric Cooperative Inc.

The NGCP also advised of scheduled power interruption in parts of Davao de Oro (Compostela Valley), Davao del Norte, and Davao Oriental, specifically the franchise areas of Davao del Norte Cooperative Inc. and Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative, Inc, on June 15 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. This is due to the repair and maintenance of structures along Maco-Banaybanay 69kV Line.

Specific areas affected will be determined by the electric cooperatives. — — Janina C. Lim

Palace: Comelec has legal basis to drop Smartmatic

By Arjay L. Balinbin
Reporter

MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said there is enough legal basis to drop the partnership of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) with Smartmatic, saying the company “has not been efficient” in the previous elections.

“The legal basis: if you have not done efficiently what you’re supposed to do. That’s the legal basis,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a press briefing when asked to comment on Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez’s statement that there should be a legal basis for such a move.

He added, “Kung iyong (if the) glitch will result in the delay, substantial delay in the results, if I were the lawyer, I would argue [that] there’s a breach, kasi hindi mo sinunod iyong kontrata mo (Because you did not follow your contract). Dapat walang (There should be no) delay.”

Mr. Jimenez said in a chance interview with reporters last Monday that there has to be a legal basis despite the reported glitches during the May 13 elections.

He said Smartmatic had “nothing to do with the counting of votes.”

On the Position of President Rodrigo R. Duterte on the matter, Mr. Panelo said: “The President’s position is very clear. There have been allegations of certain glitches that somehow affect the impression that this Smartmatic is competent…. If you recall, during the presidential elections, there were strong allegations that the President lost three million votes. And presently, the opposition is also complaining about the votes that they got….”

For his part, House Minority Leader Danilo E. Suarez of the 3rd district of Quezon said in a press conference on Tuesday, “‘Yung failure ng election ay hindi sa Smartmatic, it was Comelec itself…Lahat ng ginagawa ng Smartmatic, kinuha nila. Everything was Smartmatic’s before… Kaya ‘yung blunder dito sa SD cards na nagkasira-sira, we really have to ask Comelec what happened there.” (The failure of election is not by Smartmatic but by the Comelec itself. Comelec took off from everything Smartmatic did….That’s why the blunder regarding the SD cards, we really have to ask Comelec what happened there).

Duterte reshuffles MWSS board

By Arjay L. Balinbin
Reporter

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has appointed retired Army General Ricardo C. Morales as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), replacing the Board’s Vice Chairperson Reynaldo V. Velasco.

Meanwhile, Franklin J. Demonteverde, the current Board chairman, will “become a member of the JBC (Judicial and Bar Council),” according to Mr. Velasco in an interview with Palace reporters.

Mr. Duterte signed on May 27 Mr. Morales’s appointment paper, which Malacañang released to reporters on Tuesday.

Mr. Morales will serve the unexpired term of office of Mr. Velasco which “began on 01 July 2018 and will end on 30 June 2019.”

Mr. Velasco said he “will become chairman” of the MWSS Board of Trustees, and Mr. Morales will become the new administrator of the MWSS once the Board appoints him as vice chairperson.

“May proseso ‘yan (There is a process for that). He has to take his oath of office and at the same time he has to be accepted by the Board. The Board will be the one to appoint [him]…. Ino-nominate siya (They will nominate him),” he said.

Mr. Duterte announced last month that he was going to replace the chairperson of the MWSS.

The announcement came after the water supply crisis hit Metro Manila in March.

The President told MWSS officials and water concessionaires on March 20 to “shape up or ship out” and even threatened to terminate the concession agreements.

ACCRALAW co-founder Teodoro D. Regala, 85

LAWYER Teodoro D. Regala, one of the leading figures in the country’s legal profession and a co-founder of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW), passed away on June 1. He was 85.

A statement by the firm cited Mr. Regala as having served as its managing partner from 1981 to 1985. Mr. Regala co-founded ACCRALAW together with Manuel G. Abello, Jose C. Concepcion, Avelino V. Cruz, and the late senator Edgardo J. Angara.

Mr. Regala, who was born on Dec. 27, 1933, has had “a long scope of accomplishments that span more than 50 years during which he earned the respect of his peers and the adoration of those whom he had worked closely with,” ACCRALAW said in its statement.

“He leaves behind a legacy of excellence in Philippine corporate law practice,” the statement also said. “His most recent accolades include recognition by Chambers Asia-Pacific and Chambers & Partners as one of the Senior Statesmen for Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions for 2018 and citation as one of the top 100 lawyers in the Philippines in Vantage Asia‚ The A List.”

The statement also cited Mr. Regala as having been “actively involved in several organizations such as the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, the UP Law Alumni Association, the Harvard Club of the Philippines, and the Union Church of Manila (UCM) Philippines Foundation, Inc.”

Mr. Regala earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953 and Master of Arts in Economics in 1954 at the University of Sydney. He also earned his Bachelor of Science in Jurisprudence and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of the Philippines in 1959.

Under a scholarship grant, Mr. Regala obtained a Master of Laws degree from Harvard University where he graduated in 1960. He also took special courses in Corporate Taxation and Securities Regulation at the New York University School of Law in 1961. Mr. Regala was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1962.

He is survived by his wife Carminda, children Karina, Teodoro, Jr., Risa, and Pia, and 13 grandchildren. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Malacañang tells DoJ to get back P60M from Tulfo’s Bitag Media

MALACANAÑG ON Tuesday reiterated that the Department of Justice (DoJ) should move to have the P60 million paid by the Department of Tourism (DoT) to Bitag Media Unlimited Inc. for ad placements at government network PTV-4 returned to the government.

Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo, who was tourism chief when the contract was made, and her brothers, Bienvenido “Ben” T. Tulfo of Bitag Media and broadcaster Erwin T. Tulfo of PTV-4, have been under fire over the deal.

Asked for an update on the matter at a press briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said, “Then DoJ will have to do something about it.”

“The Palace always wants that laws are not only enforced but are obeyed to its fullest extent. As we said, there are no sacred cows in this government, friends or allies,” he said.

As to how soon the Palace wants the money returned, Mr. Panelo said: “Depends on the DoJ, because it’s their call, they will have to do something legally about it.”

Erwin drew public ire recently for berating retired major general and now Social Welfare Secretary Rolando D. Bautista in his program in Radyo Pilipinas.

Mr. Panelo said during a press briefing last Monday that the Palace “supports” Mr. Bautista, but both parties should now “move on.”

“Well, Mr. Tulfo has his reasons for doing what he did. He apologized for it and I think we shall accept the apology. He was gentleman enough to apologize,” he said.

“I think we should bury that. We should move forward,” he added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

DoJ submits estafa case vs Advincula for resolution

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) has submitted for resolution the estafa complaint against Peter Joemel Advincula in connection with the beauty pageant he organized in 2018, after he did not show up again in the preliminary investigation. Former Bureau of Corrections director-general Benjamin C. Delos Santos, legal counsel of the complainant, said he moved for the submission of the complaint for resolution even without the counter-affidavit of Mr. Advincula and was approved by the prosecutors. The complaint was filed by businessman Arven R. Valmores of Ardeur World Marketing. Mr. Delos Santos said they are “very confident” with the pieces of evidence they submitted, including an affidavit against Mr. Advincula from the pageant production director, Danrick B. Capuz. Mr. Delos Santos also said that Mr. Advincula was not represented by a legal counsel in the DoJ probe. Mr. Valmores filed the complaint against “Bikoy” last May 10, saying Mr. Advincula used his corporate name and logo, without his consent, in promoting the beauty pageant he organized in August last year. He also said that “Bikoy” was a no-show at the coronation night and was unreachable, leaving the pageant winners and staffs unpaid. Mr. Valmores said he was compelled to shell out P304,422 to pay the winners and staff due to pressure and possible negative impact on his business. “Bikoy” surrendered to authorities on May 22 over the estafa charges but reportedly posted bail at a Baguio City court where the cases are filed. Mr. Advincula claimed the identity of “Bikoy,” the man in the Ang Totoong Narcolist (The Real Narcolist) videos which tagged members of the first family to illegal drugs activities. He later pointed to people and groups opposed to the current administration as those behind the videos. He is reportedly under protective custody of the Philippine National Police. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

New flood control structure completed along Marikina River

A NEW flood control structure along the right bank of the Marikina River in Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City has been completed, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced. has recently completed to protect citizens against flooding. The P93-million project covers the construction of a 152-linear meter, 12-meter high river wall in Vista Real Subdivision, Phase II. “By constructing flood control projects like this, we hope to protect lives and properties and avoid experiencing the same devastation to Metro Manila in 2009 by typhoon Ondoy,” DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said in a statement. Tropical storm Ondoy (international name: Ketsana), which struck Luzon in September 2009, put the National Capital Region and several provinces under a state of calamity.

UPLB gets PPP Center support for agro-industrial, IT parks

THE PUBLIC-Private Partnership (PPP) Center has approved the provision of project preparation and transaction advisory support for the 70-hectare Agro-Industrial and Information Technology Parks Project of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna.

According to the PPP Center, the approval, which came from its Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF) committee last May 30, will cover project feasibility study and project structuring, preparation of bid documents and assistance during PPP bidding process, and assistance and advisory until financial close.

The PDMF is a revolving fund used for developing bankable PPP projects, and is available to all national and local government units (LGUs) in the country.

“Through its institutional framework, the project aims to establish a robust academe-industry partnership wherein facilities such as the Institute of Plant Breeding, BIOTECH — Philippine National Collection of Microorganism, and National Crop Protection Center, among others, will be utilized in delivering innovative products and services by working with their respective pool of experts,” the PPP Center said in a statement on Tuesday.

The park would be located in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

“A close collaboration between UPLB and SEZ locators is seen to provide synergetic opportunities to technology development and augmentation of the labor market. The private sector partner is expected to construct, operate, and maintain infrastructure facilities, utilities, communication system, sewerage and drainage systems, garbage collection system and other amenities,” the PPP Center said. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

Incoming Cebu governor sends letter anew to stop Capitol Resource Center project

CEBU GOVERNOR-elect Gwendolyn F. Garcia has again asked the outgoing provincial administration to stop the construction of the 20-storey Capitol Resource Center, a brainchild of Governor and now vice governor-elect Hilario P. Davide III. The latest letter reads, “(P)rudence dictates that you immediately discontinue the project bearing in mind the irreversible economic loss that the said works will entail given that the incoming governor… has already declared… that the project is not part of her program of government and that she never agreed to it.” Excavation works are ongoing at the site. Ms. Garcia’s lawyers, who compose part of her transition team, handed over the letter personally Monday morning at the governor’s office. Lawyer Frank Eduard Dinsay, the signatory of the June 3 letter, emphasized that “the ongoing activity will be an exercise in futility and will result into additional unnecessary expense on the part of the provincial government which, under Governor-elect Garcia’s administration, will restore the excavated area to its original state.” A separate letter was also sent to the contractor, WT Construction, Inc., indicating that Ms. Garcia, upon assuming office on June 30, will not honor the contract agreement between the provincial government and the firm. — The Freeman

CA affirms Ombudsman decision vs Junjun Binay

THE COURT of Appeals (CA) affirmed the 2017 Ombudsman decision perpetually denying former Makati City mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” S. Binay from holding public office. The case stems from the P1.3 billion construction of the Makati Science High School (MSHS) under his term. In an 88-page decision dated May 28, the CA found Mr. Binay guilty of serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. It cited that “Binay Jr., as the City Mayor and despite glaring irregularities in the procurement of the construction services of Phase VI, still approved the BAC (Bids and Awards Committee) Resolution…” The CA, however, dismissed three other Ombudsman cases against Mr. Binay based on the condonation doctrine as he was re-elected as mayor in May 2013, which “condoned any administrative liability arising from the procurement of architectural design and engineering services of the MSHS Building as well as in the procurement of the construction services of Phases IV and V thereof.” The condonation doctrine extinguishes administrative liabilities of an officer during his prior term. The case of serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against 12 others were also affirmed, while petitioner Eleno M. Mendoza, Jr. was only found administratively liable for simple misconduct and meted a penalty of suspension for six months without pay. Mr. Binay ran for mayor in the last May 13 elections, but lost to his sister, re-elected Mayor Abigail S. Binay. The decision was written by Associate Justice Ronaldo Roberto B. Martin. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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