Manila to sign labor deal with Russia
LABOR Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said Manila is finalizing a labor agreement with Russia that will give more jobs to Filipino workers overseas.
Two members of the technical working group had been sent to Moscow ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit there, Mr. Bello said in an interview last week.
“We are finalizing that bilateral agreement which we hope to sign during the visit of the president in Russia,” he said.
Mr. Duterte will visit Russia starting Oct. 1. He will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and speak at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
Mr. Bello said jobs covered by the bilateral deal were still being discussed. — Gillian M. Cortez
Maoist leader killed in clash
A SUSPECTED Maoist leader was killed in a clash with government troops in Bukidnon province on Saturday, the military said in a statement.
Authorities identified the New People’s Army (NPA) leader as Joven Manggatawan. The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Soldiers shot and killed the communist leader during pursuit operations in an uninhabited forest in Quezon, Bukidnon around 9:30 am.
The rebels left behind firearms including rifles, two anti-personnel mines, ammunition, supplies and subversive documents, according to the statement.
Brigadier General Edgardo Y. De Leon said that they have tried to convince Maoist rebels to surrender. “We have so far convinced 110 regular NPAs but there are still those who opted to remain. They would have to face the might of the military,” he said in the statement. — Marc Wyxzel C. Dela Paz
Bill to regulate parking rates
A CONGRESSMAN has filed a bill that seeks to limit parking fees that malls, hospitals, schools and other establishments impose.
Reps. Gavini C. Pancho, Jose Ma. S. Salceda, and Martin G. Romualdez filed House Bill 3559, which limits the standard parking fee to P40 regardless of parking time except for overnight parking.
“Beyond the standard parking fees, many shopping malls impose succeeding charges after a lapse in a prescribed time of use of their parking facilities,” according to the bill’s explanatory note.
For overnight parking, a customer will be charged a one-time fee of P150 per vehicle.
The measure also provides that shopping establishments must waive the parking fee for any purchase worth P1,000.
The bill also requires the establishment of a separate space for overnight parking to ensure protection of customers’ vehicles.
Violators will be fined P150,000 or imprisoned for up to three years.
At the Senate, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian filed Senate Bill 745, which proposes a standard parking fee of P40 per vehicle for up to eight hours and additional P10 for every succeeding hour. For overnight parking, a customer will be charged a one-time fee of P100 per vehicle.
The House trade committee is expected to discuss the bill this week. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
Group seeks child labor monitors in schools
THE Federation of Free Workers said the administration’s recently established Anti-Child Labor Council should also create monitoring teams in public schools.
In a statement, the group said Executive Order 92, which was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte last Friday, would allow labor groups and trade unions to help the government eliminate child labor.
While efforts have been made to address underage labor issues, guidelines and frameworks on strategies were still blurry and not institutionalized, the group said.
“We have been seeking a clearer mandate and a more concrete set of guidelines to coordinate all efforts to eliminate child labor in the Philippines,” it said. — Gillian M. Cortez
