How PSEi member stocks performed — October 22, 2024
Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
Marcos vows Coast Guard upgrade; PHL, Japan envoys tackle better ties
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday vowed to upgrade the assets of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) amid growing tensions with China.
In speech at the 123rd founding anniversary of the coast guard at the Port of Manila, he said his government would continue to improve coast guard fleet and assets to boost maritime domain awareness.
He also cited the needed infrastructure development for the PCG. “This will boost your capacity to respond to any operation.”
Mr. Marcos said the PCG shift to a civilian agency in 1998 from a coastal defense force created by Americans “marked a significant change in how we approach maritime security and environmental protection.”
The coast guard is now positioned to engage in broader collaboration with other nations, “opening doors to cutting-edge technologies and critical resources that now strengthen your ability to serve with greater competency,” he added.
The PCG was under the Department of National Defense before it was transferred to the Office of the President on March 30, 1998 through an order issued by the late President Fidel V. Ramos.
Less than a month later, Mr. Ramos transferred the PCG to the Department of Transportation and Communications, which was split into two separate agencies in 2016 through a law signed by the late President Benigno S.C. Aquino III.
The PCG has borne the brunt of Chinese intrusions into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.
The coast guard launched a transparency campaign last year to expose China’s attacks on its assets, a strategy that has helped Manila gain more support from the international community.
“In the face of tension, it is your calm resolve that prevents disputes from turning into conflicts, demonstrating to the world that embracing dialogue and cooperation is the true essence of strength,” Mr. Marcos said.
The Philippine Coast Guard earlier said it expects delivery of 10 ships from Japan and France amid Beijing’s continued efforts to block resupply missions at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
CALL WITH TOKYO FM
Meanwhile, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo and newly appointed Japanese Foreign Minister (FM) Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday spoke on the phone to discuss boosting cooperation to ensure a rules-based international order in the region amid sea tensions with China, according to Japan’s embassy in the Philippines.
“While conveying his gratitude, stated that he would like to steadily promote Japan-Philippines cooperation as well as multilateral cooperation including Japan-US-Philippines cooperation to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law,” it said in a statement.
The envoys discussed regional and international issues during the call and vowed to work together in easing tensions in the East and South China Sea, where both Japan and the Philippines have disputes with China.
Manila and Tokyo in July signed a reciprocal access agreement to ease the entry of equipment and troops for combat training from Japan.
The Philippines and Japan should look for more partnerships in technology transfer, sharing joint production and targeted joint patrols in key parts of the South China Sea, Don McLain Gil, who teaches international relations at the De La Salle University, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.
“These patrols should not just be routine but should be more functional,” he said. “We can achieve that with Japan, particularly with the reciprocal access agreement expediting the process for military-to-military relations.”
Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero earlier told foreign journalists they plan to ratify the military pact before the year ends.
The Philippines has a visiting forces agreement with the US and Australia. Tokyo, which hosts the biggest concentration of US forces abroad, has a similar deal with Australia and Britain, and is negotiating another with France.
China and the Philippines have been at loggerheads over confrontations near disputed features in the South China, with Manila accusing China’s coast guard of aggression and Beijing furious over what it calls repeated provocations and territorial incursions.
The United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016 voided China’s claim over the waterway for being illegal. Beijing has ignored the ruling.
About $3 trillion worth of trade passes through the South China Sea annually, and it is believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits, apart from fish stocks.
Mr. Marcos said in his third address to Congress his government would continue to find ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas in the waterway “without compromising our position and our principles.
He urged Southeast Asian leaders and China at a regional summit in Laos this month to speed up talks on a code of conduct for the South China Sea.
“The two ministers confirmed that they will further deepen cooperation in various areas, toward the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines in 2026,” the Japanese Embassy said. — with K.A.T. Atienza
Duterte to go to Senate drug probe; Congress bashed for complicity
By John Victor D. Ordoñez and Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporters
SENATOR and former national police chief Ronald M. dela Rosa on Tuesday said ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte told him he would attend a Senate hearing next week looking into his deadly war on drugs.
“The former President told me that he is going to attend the Senate hearing regardless of who is presiding,” he told reporters in a Viber message.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” L. Pimentel III told a news briefing on Monday that he is ready to lead a Senate probe into the Duterte government’s anti-illegal drug campaign.
“My hope is that there will be a clear, peaceful and comprehensive exchange of views and providing information that will not lead to any kind of fight, confrontation and hot temper,” Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero told a news briefing on Tuesday.
He expects the committee to treat Mr. Duterte with the respect due him as a former Philippine President.
The Senate president said he expects close allies of the tough-talking leader like Mr. Dela Rosa and Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go to perform their duties as lawmakers during the investigation despite their ties with Mr. Duterte.
“When it comes to the point (during the investigation) that they will share their personal knowledge related to what is being discussed at the hearing, I will presume that they will be stating these facts on their oaths as members of the Senate, without need of actually taking their oath,” Mr. Escudero said.
Mr. Duterte is also under investigation by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity during the state’s drug war. Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin earlier said the presidential palace backs the plan of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to reopen the probe of high-profile killings.
Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has ruled out working with the ICC, saying it does not have jurisdiction in the country since the Philippines has a functioning justice system and police force.
The drug war led to more than 12,000 deaths, mostly urban poor, according to Human Rights Watch. It added that at least 2,555 killings have been attributed to the national police.
Also on Tuesday, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon D. Alvarez said congressional investigations should include sitting and former congressmen who supported Mr. Duterte’s campaign.
“The war on drugs would not have happened if it were not… allowed by Congress during the 17th and 18th Congress,” the lawmaker, who served as Speaker at that time, said in a statement. “Most of the members of the House from that time are still here in the 19th Congress. If former President Duterte is guilty, it only means one thing: Congress is also guilty.”
He accused lawmakers of being hypocritical for belatedly investigating alleged extralegal killings after staying mum during the ex-President’s six-year rule.
“Congress had the power to stop this, but it didn’t. Congress shares the responsibility for the collateral damage in human costs that happened,” Mr. Alvarez said.
“Congress didn’t just fund the war on drugs; Congress legitimized it,” he said, noting that Congress continued to give police their budget despite concerns about the anti-illegal drug campaign.
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
In a separate statement, militant group Bayan Muna said the House quad committee hearings should expand its investigation to include the killings of activists who were red-tagged by the country’s anti-communist task force.
“Aside from the fake drug war victims, I believe that it is time that the Congress quad committee start looking into the killings of activists and critics of the Duterte administration who were first red-tagged then were killed,” Neri J. Colmenares, one of Bayan Muna party-list’s nominees in the midterm elections next year, said in the statement.
Meanwhile, the Philippines could still coordinate with the ICC in its probe despite withdrawing from it in 2018, ex-Senator Leila M. De Lima told congressmen at a hearing, citing a 2009 Philippine law that penalizes crimes against humanity.
The Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity had allowed the Philippines to coordinate with international courts investigating alleged crimes against humanity cases by extraditing suspected personalities under their custody, she said.
“Through this law, we have recognized the jurisdiction of the ICC over crimes against humanity committed in the Philippines, even before we ratified the Rome Statute as a binding treaty,” Ms. De Lima said. “Our own law states that we need to cooperate with the ICC.”
Mr. Duterte withdrew Philippines membership in the ICC in 2018 amid criticisms that his government had systematically murdered drug suspects in police raids. It took effect a year later.
The Philippine government “may dispense with the investigation” of crimes against humanity cases committed in the country if an international tribunal is “already conducting the investigation,” providing the state with an option to surrender or extradite the accused to the tribunal’s custody, according to Sec. 17 of the law.
Ms. De Lima’s position is “viable” only if there is public clamor for ICC cooperation, Josue Raphael J. Cortez, a lecturer at the School of Diplomacy and Governance of De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.
“One must bear in mind that despite the fact that we concur to work with international courts should the need arise, countries who are not signatories or have withdrawn from the Rome Statute have the final say on whether they will be collaborating with the ICC or not,” he said.
Allowing the ICC to try the Duterte government’s war on drugs would show to the international community that the Philippines has a “broken legal system,” Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, a senior research fellow at the Ateneo Policy Center, said via Facebook chat.
The ICC’s jurisdiction is complementary to national criminal jurisdictions, he said, citing jurisprudence. “Complementarity means that the International Criminal Court may only exercise jurisdiction if domestic courts were unwilling or unable’ to prosecute.”
Ms. De Lima urged the Marcos government to rejoin the ICC. “We must return to the fold of the ICC.”
Philippines may cut number of police generals to 25
THE PHILIPPINE government on Tuesday said it is seeking to reform the police bureaucracy by trimming the number of its generals to 25 from 133.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it’s working with the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Public Administration for the reform.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is “top-heavy,” Interior Secretary Juanito Victor C. Remulla, Jr. told a news briefing after a Cabinet meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., citing the need to “flatten the administration.”
“I think we have 133 generals, and I want to whittle the number down to 25 to make the organization flat,” he said in mixed English and Filipino. “These are some of the recommendations that we’re going to make together with the UP College of Public Administration.”
Mr. Remulla said the PNP is facing “redundancies,” particularly generals who have no particular commands. He also cited police commanders who don’t even have people under them.
“We have a lot of redundancies that we need to trim down.”
Mr. Remulla said affected general would be encouraged to take early retirement by next year. “They are all soldiers,” he said when asked if the move could demoralize staff. “They follow orders.”
He also said the DILG would work with several government institutions including the Commission on Audit and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines to cut hours spent on signing documents to as short as an hour per week from the usual 12 hours.
“We want to work with various agencies to cut that down from 12 hours a week to one hour a week for the signing of documents of mayors. It takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of mental energy and it wastes a lot of the leaders’ time and resources to do that,” he said.
He said local governments should boost their digitization efforts to boost efficiency. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
Govt’s role in push for innovation underscored
VICE-PRESIDENT Sara Duterte-Carpio on Tuesday urged the government to help the business community pursue innovations amid the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
“Innovation has profoundly transformed the business environment and raised the competitiveness of every industry, here and overseas,” she said at a business conference organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Embracing new innovation is inevitable, or we will be left behind in the ground, as we are compared to our neighbors and compared to the rest of the world,” she added.
The Philippines ranked 56th out of 132 economies in the recent global innovation index.
It also ranked the lowest in the region after placing 67th out of 83 countries in its debut in The Global AI Index 2024 by Tortoise Media — which assesses countries based on their AI implementation, innovation, and investment — with an overall score of 5.89 out of 100.
Despite the anxiety it has caused globally, AI has also caused excitement “and more and more people are drawn to the opportunity it offers,” said Ms. Duterte, a former Education chief under the Marcos administration.
“The government and the private sector can collaborate to create innovation centers and foster an environment that encourages risk-taking and experimentation,” she said.
Ms. Duterte said the country should aim to become a powerhouse of innovations and go beyond its target of becoming an upper-middle income economy.
“With the ingenuity and creativity of Filipinos, I believe we can do more to create better products and systems that will bring profit and move our industries forward,” she said.
“We just need to do that dream. We don’t want to be middle-income,” she added. “We want to be a superpower, and we can.”
Ms. Duterte has refused to participate in House hearings amid questions on her office’s previous and proposed budgets. Critics and academics earlier said her past and existing confidential funds should have been used for meaningful programs, including workforce development.
She said employees also benefit from innovations, like AI as it simplifies tasks, automates repetitive work, and facilitates collaboration and transparency within an organization; but while that is the case, the vice-president raised the need to reskill and upskill workers amid concerns about job displacement.
“Because the technological revolution has also led to job displacement in certain sectors, we should consider the urgency of reskilling and upskilling our workers and equip them with the new skills in a technologically evolving workplace,” she added.
“By investing in workforce development, we can harness the power of technology to create a more effective and productive future while ensuring that employees are equipped to thrive in this new landscape.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
Kristine now a tropical storm
THE STATE weather bureau on Tuesday said that “Kristine” (international name: Trami) has intensified into a tropical storm over the Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said it is forecast to gradually intensify into a severe tropical storm before making landfall over Isabela province.
It said that the storm is expected to make landfall by Wednesday or early Thursday. It may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Friday.
As of 5 p.m., Kristine was last seen 390 kilometers east of Daet, Camarines Norte province, and moving in a west northwestward direction at 15 kilometers per hour (kph).
The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of up to 75 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph.
PAGASA had raised Tropical Wind signal no. 2 over Catanduanes, the eastern portion of Camarines Norte, the eastern portion of Camarines Sur, the eastern portion of Albay, and the eastern portion of Sorsogon.
The northeastern portion of Northern Samar and the northern portion of Eastern Samar was also under signal no. 2.
On the other hand, signal no. 1 was hoisted over Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon including Pollilo Islands, Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Islands, Oriental Mindoro, Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands, Marinduque, Romblon, the rest of Camarines Norte, the rest of Camarines Sur, the rest of Albay, and the rest of Sorsogon.
Areas from Visayas and Mindanao including the rest of Eastern Samar, the rest of Northern Samar, Samar, Leyte, Biliran, and Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte including Siargao – Bucas Grande Group were also under signal no. 1.
Meanwhile, the weather agency had issued a storm surge warning over the provinces of Albay, Aurora, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and Isabela, it had advised all marine activity in the areas to be canceled. — Adrian H. Halili
Quiboloy allowed in Senate probe
A PASIG regional trial court has granted a Senate committee’s petition to allow televangelist Apollo C. Quiboloy and his cohorts to attend a Senate hearing on Wednesday looking into allegations of child abuse and human trafficking against him and his church.
In a court order dated Oct. 21 and made public on Tuesday, the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 159 Presiding Judge Rainelda H. Estacio-Montesa said that Mr. Quiboloy filed a motion opposing the Senate’s request for him to appear, calling it a “legislative overreach” by the committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.
Citing previous jurisprudence, it granted the committee’s request since a pending lawsuit would not bar the Senate’s power to conduct these inquiries.
The Philippine National Police and a panel of state prosecutors did not object to the committee’s request saying it was in line with the Senate’s power to conduct inquires in aid of legislation, it said.
The Pasig court also ordered the Senate and Pasay City to “observe maximum security measures to ensure the safety and security” of Mr. Quiboloy and his cohorts.
In April, the court ordered the arrest of Mr. Quiboloy for qualified human trafficking, while a Davao City court issued an arrest warrant for child sexual abuse. The Supreme Court in May ordered the transfer of the Davao child sexual abuse cases to the Quezon City trial court.
Mr. Quiboloy, who claims to be an “appointed son of God,” was arrested after weeks of police search. He is wanted for child sexual abuse and human trafficking in the Philippines.
He was indicted in a California district court on Nov. 10, 2021, and a federal warrant had been issued for his arrest. Mr. Quiboloy is followed by millions of people in the Philippines, where the church has political influence. He is also the spiritual adviser of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
The Senate committee in March ordered his arrest for failing to attend hearings looking into the crimes.
The celebrity evangelist, who has denied the charges, has filed his certificate of candidacy for senator in next year’s midterm elections. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
Sara slammed over Marcos tirades
A CONGRESSMAN on Tuesday blasted Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio for her tirades against the Marcos family last week, saying “she crossed the line” for threatening to behead President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and exhume the body of his father to be thrown in the South China Sea.
“I cannot stay silent while she threatens to exhume a former president and behead an incumbent one,” presidential son and Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos III said in a statement published on his Facebook page.
“Her bizarre temper tantrum has been condemned by a nation horrified by such displays of insensitivity towards the dead and cruelty to the living,” he added, referring to Ms. Carpio.
Ms. Carpio issued the statement against the Marcoses in a two-hour, freewheeling press conference last week, saying their relationship has become “toxic.”
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla on Monday said his department is looking into the possibility of filing charges against Ms. Carpio for her statements regarding the remains of late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr. buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, citing the need to look into the “moral principles” and “legal aspects” she could have violated.
“Let’s pray for the Philippines because we have a Secretary of Justice who doesn’t understand the law,” Ms. Carpio told reporters on the sidelines of the 50th Philippine Business Conference and Expo at Pasay City on Tuesday. “There is a big difference between talking about the desecration of a body and actually desecrating a body.”
Responding to Ms. Carpio’s statement, Mr. Remulla on Tuesday told reporters that the Department of Justice (DoJ) is “studying the possibility of filing cases based on criminal acts.”
“I think we all know the score of what kind of vice-president we have, how seemingly unstable her mind can be. This country does not deserve a future with the kind of person like this,” he added.
In a separate statement, Kabataan Party-list said lawmakers should not frame Ms. Carpio’s statements as a mental health issue, rather to seek accountability.
“Sara’s rants are not a mental health issue; these are an accountability issue. She doesn’t need a day at the doctor’s clinic but a day in court or Congress hearings,” Renee Louise M. Co, one of Kabataan Party-list’s nominees in the midterm elections next year, said in the statement.
Ms. Carpio, in the same media briefing last week, also accused the president of incompetence and a lack of leadership, showing a deepening rift between the two political families ahead of the 2025 midterm elections, seen as a litmus test for the Marcos administration.
“The sitting leader does not know how to become president,” Ms. Carpio said in Filipino.
Ms. Carpio also said Filipino voters should urge their congressional candidates to “undergo drug testing,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the Tuesday event. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
SC to act on PhilHealth case
THE SUPREME COURT (SC) on Tuesday indicated it might act on the petitions challenging the P89.9-billion transfer of funds from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to the national treasury before the scheduled oral arguments in January 2025.
“There is always a possibility for the court to act on the motion for Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). As long as the case isn’t finished yet, they can still act on it, [even before the oral arguments],” SC Spokesperson Camille Sue Mae L. Ting said in a news briefing.
The top court scheduled the oral arguments for a petition, filed by Senator Aquilino Martin “Koko” D. Pimentel, former Finance Undersecretary Ma. Cielo D. Magno, and others, seeking to stop the transfer of P89.9 billion excess PhilHealth funds to the national treasury on Jan. 14, 2025.
Another petition, filed last week, led by former SC Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio also asked the top court to stop the transfer, citing “technical malversation and/or plunder” committed by the Department of Finance.
As of writing, P60 billion has already been transferred to state coffers. The last tranche of P29.9 billion is scheduled for next month.
Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto earlier told BusinessWorld they “are only following Congress’ instructions in the budget. We will respect the decision of the Supreme Court.”
A provision included in the 2024 General Appropriations Act allowed the DoF to issue Circular No. 003-2024, authorizing PhilHealth and the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. to transfer P89.9 billion and P110 billion, respectively.
These would help fund unprogrammed appropriations worth P203.1 billion, which would support government programs in health, infrastructure, and social services. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
Perks for EV sector eyed
THE Philippine government is eyeing incentives for businessmen who will invest in the local manufacturing of electric-powered vehicles, the presidential palace said, as investors await policy statements from the government.
In a statement, the palace said Mr. Marcos cited the need for an incentive policy that will cover potential investors in the e-mobility industry during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The incentives will prioritize local players, “but we’ll take anybody who’s interested,” the President told officials from the Department of Science and Technology.
“They will have to undertake the production design to scale it up to a level to actually make a difference to the market,” he added.
At the meeting, DOST Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr. said potential investors and players including manufacturers and fabricators were waiting for a policy statement from the government.
The palace said the Department of Trade and Industry has been creating a strategic roadmap under the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act to come up with possible incentives.
It said the government was also working with Philippine company ToJo Motors Corp. “to figure out the necessary policies to make it conducive for locally manufactured e-vehicles, specifically e-trikes and e-jeepneys, to operate in the Philippines.”
Mr. Solidum told the President that e-trikes will soon be mass produced in Isabela, noting many customers are waiting for electric trikes in the market.
“Officials in General Santos City, along with tricycle operators, are also interested,” the palace said, citing the DOST chief. “Local agri-machinery manufacturers could help speed up trike production.”
The DOST has been implementing an e-mobility program map, which includes the conversion of conventional tricycles and buses into electric ones.
The agency has already developed a hybrid electric train and an electric boat.
There were 25,196 registered e-vehicles (EVs) and 705 EV charging stations (EVCS) in the country as of Oct. 18, with 92 accredited EVCS providers, which have already generated 10,407 new jobs and about P1.99 billion in investments, according to the palace. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
20-year-old system to blame in NAIA bag mishandling
NEW NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the operator of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is working closely with airline companies to resolve issues with the baggage handling system at Terminal 3, citing the aging system as the cause of disruption.
In a statement on Tuesday, NNIC said it is working with budget carrier Cebu Pacific to ensure contingency measures are in place to address issues with the baggage handling system — affecting hundreds of bags and disrupting the process of passengers’ check-in luggage.
NNIC and Cebu Pacific said that the parties have increased their manpower to assist travelers and help expedite baggage processing.
In a Viber message, Cebu Pacific said that as of Tuesday a total of 821 bags were left behind due to the baggage handling system not functioning since Oct. 18.
The budget carrier said passengers had an option to have their luggage delivered to their destination or have their bags picked-up at the airport for domestic flights, while a similar option was given along with delivery services for passengers for international flights.
NNIC took over the operations and maintenance of the country’s main gateway in September. The company has earlier outlined its immediate plans for the airport which include upgrading and replacing airport facilities and systems.
“A top priority in these efforts is the replacement of the 20-year-old baggage handling system. NNIC has already procured a new, advanced system with additional redundancy measures set to be implemented to prevent future disruptions and enhance operational efficiency,” NNIC said.
NAIA’s Terminal 3 is considered the most congested terminal. Currently, both local and international flights are designated at Terminal 3.
NNIC said previously that it plans to designate Terminal 3 solely for all foreign airlines including international flights of Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Philippines.
Further, AirAsia Philippines said it was not affected by the ongoing issues involving the baggage handling system at Terminal 3.
“We are aware of the current challenges at Terminal 3 but our Ground Operations were able to deploy additional personnel to address baggage handling concerns… We have not encountered delays in baggage handling so far,” said AirAsia Philippines Communications and Public Affairs Head Steve F. Dailisan. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
DENR asks P500M for protected areas
THE DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has asked the Senate for an additional P500 million to manage legislated protected areas around the country and about P150 million to expand water service coverage to 10,000 households next year.
At a Senate Finance committee hearing on the agency’s proposed budget, Senator Cynthia A. Villar adjourned the hearing and said she would consult with her colleagues in plenary on the budget hike requests.
“We will talk to the mother committee on the decided increases in the final version of the budget,” she said.
DENR Undersecretary Analiza Rebuelta-Teh told the same hearing that it is looking to source the additional P500 million to the original P1.2 million in funding for the protected areas from the Integrated Protected Areas Fund and within the agency’s own budget ceiling within the 20205 National Expenditure Program.
She added that the P150 million request to boost the Local Water Utilities Administration’s coverage of its water services would be through “congressional initiative,” which would be left to senators to decide how to source this funding.
In April, Ms. Villar called on the agency to improve its implementation of laws, policies, and regulations intended to safeguard legislated protected areas. This was amid viral videos of resorts being set up within the Chocolate Hills in Bohol and Mount Apo Natural Park in central Mindanao. — John Victor D. Ordoñez