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Unlock business success at Franchise Asia Philippines Expo
The Franchise Asia Philippines Expo 2024 is set to hold a series of dynamic seminars designed to empower entrepreneurs, investors and business enthusiasts with the knowledge and tools needed to thrive in the ever-evolving world of franchising. Slated from April 12 to 14 at the SMX Convention Center Manila, these seminars offer invaluable insights into key aspects of franchising and business growth......»»
S& P: Philippines may miss growth goal this year
S&P Global Ratings sees the Philippines again missing its growth targets this year as it kept its gross domestic product growth forecast at 5.9 percent. While the projection is better compared to other economies in the region, it is again below the government’s 6.5 to 7.5 percent growth target......»»
DFA launches e-Apostille service; first in Asean region
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Consular Affairs (DFA – OCA) announced that it launched an e-Apostille service for civil registry documents. DFA said the system will allow the public to apply online for e-documents and e-Apostilles from the Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA) without having to appear in both offices. Foreign Affairs.....»»
US warns China against armed attack on Philippines
Washington, DC [US], March 19 (ANI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China on Tuesday, stating that any "armed" attack on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would activate a mutual self-defence agreement between Washington and Manila, underscoring the escalating tensions in the region that could potentially embroil the United States in conflict with Beijing, as reported by The New York Times. Despite th.....»»
Tobacco on list of agri products in proposed economic sabotage law, says Villar
Senator Cynthia Villar assured that tobacco is included in the list of agricultural products covered by her proposed Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act of 2023. She said the proposed measure would amend the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act to include hoarding, profiteering, and a cartel of agricultural products as "economic sabotage." “Tobacco will be included in the agricultural products covered by this law,” Villar, who is chairperson of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee, made the assurance during the International Tobacco Agricultural Summit held at Shangri-La Hotel in Taguig City on Thursday, where she was the guest speaker. Citing a report from the National Tobacco Administration, Villar noted that the tobacco industry contributes to employment and revenue generation in the country, supporting around 2.2 million Filipinos directly or indirectly. The lawmaker added that tobacco has contributed nearly P16 billion to the country's gross domestic product in 2021. The Oxford Business Group's Economic Impact Report showed that tobacco cultivation was present in 23 provinces across 12 regions in the Philippines, with the Ilocos Region being the top producer at 69 percent, followed by Cagayan Valley at 23 percent, and Northern Mindanao ranking third, as of April 2022. Villar underscored the industry's significance to rural economies is highlighted by a 47.8 percent increase in the area planted for tobacco between 2019 and 2022. Since 2013, she said the implementation of sin taxes for tobacco and alcohol, resulted in additional funds for the national health budget, including Universal Health Care. The sin tax revenue, primarily from tobacco collections (mainly cigarettes), accounted for 58 percent of all sin tax collections and comprised 54 percent of the health budget in 2020. "Tobacco-producing provinces receive shares from tax collected to be used in funding livelihood programs, infrastructure projects, and promote economically viable alternative agricultural products for the farmers," she said. However, Villar noted that tobacco—like any other agricultural product— is not spared from criminal activities like smuggling and tax evasion. Such crimes, she said, undermine the livelihood of farmers by "saturating the market with cheap, adulterated, and untaxed products.” The Bureau of Customs earlier reported an estimated P3 billion loss in excise taxes from illicit cigarette operations between 2019 and 2022. As reported by Euromonitor, the incidence of illicit cigarette trade is projected to increase from 12.2 percent in 2020 to 18.5 percent in 2023. “This illicit competition leads to reduced prices and demand for locally grown tobacco, resulting in income loss among our farmers,” she lamented. Villar recalled the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act was passed in 2016, unfortunately, not a single smuggler has been imprisoned since then. Thus, seeking to amend the law will further strengthen policies and punishments against smuggling acts. The post Tobacco on list of agri products in proposed economic sabotage law, says Villar appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DILG brings low-cost agri, SME products through Kadiwa ng Pangulo
The Department of the Interior and Local Government hosted the Kadiwa ng Pangulo in the DILG Central Office on Friday, bringing low-cost agricultural products and other products of small and medium enterprises to employees of the DILG and the National Police Commission in Quezon City. This was part of the celebration of National Nutrition Month, where DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos said the Department is one of the first national government agencies that hosted the KNP on its premises. Abalos said conducting KNP in DILG premises will allow Department employees to buy low-cost and fresh goods straight from the producers since they, like the others, should also benefit from this good program of the President and are not exempt from rising food costs. “We are planning to hold this activity monthly and as the Christmas season approaches, we will do it twice a month,” Abalos said. The DILG Secretary said the project is already being implemented in the local government units, where KNP market days are set on the 15th and 30th days of each month. The Department of Agriculture brings the farmers and their produce, and the Department of Trade and Industry takes care of the products of SMEs. “Only Philippine products are sold so each LGU can promote the fruits and vegetables that are grown in their locality as well as their local dry goods,” he said. In addition to fruits and vegetables, ready-to-eat food and processed meat were sold as well as organic fruit juices and concentrates. SMEs sold bags and apparel and leather goods like wallets, belts, and shoes. The Department of Social Welfare and Development also showcased its livelihood assistance projects, while the National Nutrition Council and the Cooperative Development Authority promoted proper diet and cooperative participation. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will pay the wages of those who transported the products and the builders of the stalls under its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers Program. Launched and spearheaded by the DA in 2019, in collaboration with the DILG and the Food Terminal Inc, KNP is a program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. which seeks to empower the farming community by providing a direct and effective farm-to-consumer food supply chain. It also gives farmers, fisherfolks as well as micro-SMEs rent-free venues to sell their produce and increase their income. In his second State of the Nation Address, the President said “The Kadiwa system enabled the public to buy goods at cheaper rates and the farmers to sell their crops without having to worry about transportation costs.” The post DILG brings low-cost agri, SME products through Kadiwa ng Pangulo appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DA sees more foreign agri, fisheries deals
The Department of Agriculture, or DA, will be expanding partnerships with foreign organizations and governments to achieve food security as the global population is seen growing to 8.5 billion in the next seven years. DA held the Development Partners’ Forum last Friday to gather information from international organizations and government agencies in improving the agriculture and fisheries sectors in the Philippines. “The vitality of international support for the nation’s food security has never been more needed than now. We are in a period of great flux in international affairs. There are signs that the world may be entering a new phase in international relationships after the pandemic,” DA senior undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said in a statement to the media on Monday. Partnerships expanded Its statement added, “the forum also aims to further expand partnerships with development partners, explore investment opportunities, and enlist the help of partners for official development assistance or ODA.” Japan provided the most assistance to the Philippines in the form of loans and technical aid in 2019, according to the National Economic and Development Authority. Other major ODA providers included China, South Korea, United States, Australia, China and the European Union. On the other hand, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization alone works with at least 20 non-government organizations and 270 farmers cooperatives and associations in the Philippines. Exchange of food and other products is seen to accelerate as the International Monetary Fund forecasts trade between countries to grow by at least 2.4 percent this year and 3.5 percent in 2024. The forum participants were officials from the NEDA, Department of Finance, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Budget and Management and Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The post DA sees more foreign agri, fisheries deals appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Extra rice, anyone?
The rice supply in the country has stabilized, enough to provide for the daily food requirements of Filipinos for the next six months, the Department of Agriculture said Thursday. According to DA Undersecretary Leo Sebastian, the supply of the staple grain for the rest of the year has been assured, so much so that the government is already preparing for next summer’s 2024 supply. Sebastian said they are now moving to mitigate the possible “cyclical” effects of the El Niño phenomenon on rice harvests next year. “As the country experienced it (El Niño) in 2016 and 2019, we will now help farmers in areas affected by the phenomenon to plant other crops that do not need much water like mongo and corn.” Sebastian, who heads the DA’s Masagana Rice Industry Program, earlier said that a bountiful harvest from the January-June rice planting season has increased production by around six percent. “This is based on PhilRice PRISM data of 8.153-million metric tons palay production in 2022 to 8.605-MMT of palay or 5.6-MMT of milled rice in 2023,” he explained. Sebastian said the volume, plus the carryover stock of 1.8-MMT milled rice, as augmented by import arrivals of 1.8-MMT, is enough to fill the demand/consumption of 7-MMT from January to June next year. “By the end of June, the available stock will be good for more than two months, in addition to the incoming supply from the new harvest and import arrivals in the coming months,” the DA official said. Imports easing Sebastian pointed out that the high cost of rice production locally and globally has pushed up the price of palay or unmilled rice, as well as milled rice. The vagaries of the global pricing of rice have eased private importation, allowing local farmers to enjoy “good prices” for their produce, he explained. “Global prices of rice are such that private importers are not engaging in importation. Our government (through the National Food Authority), on the other hand, is prohibited by law from importing,” he said. At the same time, the DA, concurrently headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said it is in constant communication with rice farmers to lower their prices so that most Filipinos would be able to afford it. “You can buy P25 per kilo of rice in our Kadiwa outlets. And we are also asking some cooperatives that have enough rice supplies to sell their harvest at a lower price,” he said. Well-milled rice is selling in Metro Manila at P40 to P42 a kilo, with some agri-cooperatives selling at P38 per kilo. “This gives us enough rice supply for the next six months,” Sebastian said. The post Extra rice, anyone? appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bong Go sends team to aid more disadvantaged communities in Bukidnon
As part of his vision to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the neediest sectors, Senator Bong Go sent his team to aid vulnerable residents in Damulog, Bukidnon on Wednesday, 15 June. “Magtulungan lang po tayo. Ginagawa po ng gobyerno ang lahat, binabalanse ang ekonomiya habang sinisigurado po na tayo ay ligtas mula sa pandemya. Unti-unti naman pong sumisigla ulit ang ekonomiya pero importante po dito ang buhay ng bawat isa,” underscored Go in his video message. “Hinihikayat ko rin kayong lahat na ipagpatuloy niyo lang ang inyong suporta sa gobyerno. Ako naman ay magseserbisyo sa inyo sa abot ng aking makakaya. Hindi namin magagawa ang lahat ng ito kung wala ang inyong suporta at malasakit sa bawat isa,” he continued. Go’s outreach team facilitated the relief operation at the municipal gymnasium where they gave away snacks, shirts, vitamins, and masks to 150 indigents. Furthermore, some residents received shoes, mobile phones, and balls for basketball and volleyball. Go, Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography also offered additional assistance to those with health concerns. Go advised them to visit the Malasakit Center located at Bukidnon Provincial Hospital in Maramag. There are also nearby centers at Northern Mindanao Medical Center and at J.R. Borja General Hospital in Cagayan de Oro City. The senator has principally authored and sponsored Republic Act No. 11463, otherwise known as the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, to ensure that particularly poor and indigent patients have better and more efficient access to healthcare services. Currently, there are 158 Malasakit Centers nationwide ready to help cover the patients’ expenses. “Ang Malasakit Center po’y handang tumulong po sa inyo. One-stop shop na po ‘yan, lapitan niyo lang po ang Malasakit Center diyan po sa inyong lugar,” encouraged Go. To help create more economic opportunities and improve the delivery of public service in the province, Go, who also serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, supported the construction of an evacuation center, municipal building, and local access road as well as an electrification and solar lights project in Damulog; and the construction of a slaughterhouse, multipurpose building and the Northern Bukidnon Agri-Industrial Economic Zone Road Network and Southern Bukidnon Agri-Industrial Economic Zone road network development projects in Don Carlos. Moreover, he was instrumental in the improvement of road links in Baungon, Libona, and Talakag; access road leading to the Bukidnon Airport; farm-to-market and local roads in Cabanglasan, Kadingilan, Kibawe, Kitaotao, Lantapan, San Fernando and Talakag; and other road linkages throughout the province. The post Bong Go sends team to aid more disadvantaged communities in Bukidnon appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Food policy: Food availability (3)
So far, I have discussed the first and second dimensions of food security which are accessibility and food utilization, respectively. Food availability refers to ensuring a steady food supply by improving domestic production, importing goods to cover production gaps, and creating buffer stocks/food banks. Food production, particularly in the agriculture and livestock sectors, requires infrastructure and financial support. The government should assist in providing efficient irrigation systems and environmentally compliant slaughterhouses to the farmers and animal breeders, respectively. According to Ivory Myka Galang’s Discussion Paper ‘Is Food Supply Accessible, Affordable and Stable? The State of Food Security in the Philippines’, “The government’s food security program was implemented to ensure the availability of food supply in mind.” As stipulated in the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997, in Section 4, food security is defined as “the policy objective, plan and strategy of meeting the food requirements of the present and future generations of Filipinos in substantial quantity, ensuring the availability and affordability of food to all, either through local production, or importation, or both based on the country’s existing and potential resources endowment and related production advantages and consistent with the overall national development objectives and policies. However, sufficiency in rice and white corn should be pursued.” Other laws aim to enhance further food production such as the Fisheries Code (1998), Philippine Technology Transfer Act (2009), Agricultural Fisheries and Mechanization Act (2013), and the Sagip Saka Act of 2019. There is also a law that aims to provide financial support to the agricultural sector such as the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act (2009). To empower the local sector, EO No. 86 s1999 created the National Council on Food Security or NCFS during President Estrada’s time. The order also created the Councils for Food Security in the Provinces, Independent Component Cities, and Highly Urbanized Cities. The NCFS is constituted to act as an overall coordinating body in the formulation of policy guidelines and master plans and programs, as well as the implementation of projects that ensure the attainment of “the national vision, mission, goals, objectives and targets of a workable and sustainable Food Security Program.” Local and institutional initiatives to support the law have been expressed in programs such as Gulayan sa Paaralan, Gulayan ng Masa, Barangay Food Terminal”, and Tindahan Natin. A more robust program was later instituted aimed to eliminate hunger such as the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program in 2007 and the recent Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger in 2020. Regarding food importation, the recent policy considers this option only as a last resort. This strategy was expressed by then DA Secretary William Dar in a press release in 2020. Recognizing the fact that in the last 30 years, the Philippine import dependency ratio has been increasing, Secretary Dar clarified that this trend occurs because the agricultural production rate could not overtake the population growth rate. As regards food buffering, PD No. 1770, issued on 14 January 1981, created the National Food Authority and one of its functions is to ensure a steady supply of the country’s basic commodities such as rice. The NFA has been mandated to perform buffering activities, particularly on rice. It is required “to maintain its warehouses” rice stocks equivalent to 15 days of consumption for the entire country. The government is keen on improving the availability of food for the people. In January this year, the President stated that “The overreaching goals of this administration are to build an inclusive society where no one is hungry, where Filipinos live long and healthy lives and where they are provided by an environment built upon trust and security and where they can be innovative, remains smart, and responsive to the problems of the day.” Plans and programs are in place to achieve and realize these goals. The only things remaining are optimism, patience and trust from the people. The post Food policy: Food availability (3) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tax Amnesty Act extension now moving
A proposed law that seeks to extend the deadline of application for estate tax amnesty for another two years has moved forward in the House of Representatives. The House committee on ways and means, chaired by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, adjourned its deliberations on Tuesday with the approval of House Bill 7409 after garnering 31 pro-votes from its members. The measure, filed on 2 March, seeks to extend the Tax Amnesty Act, or Republic Act 11213, from 15 June this year to 14 June 2025 to provide taxpayers with economic relief and the opportunity to settle estate tax obligations, which procedure was hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic’s multiple lockdowns. Speaker Martin Romualdez and his nephew, Senior Deputy Speaker Sandro Marcos of Ilocos Norte, are among the bill’s proponents, with three other House leaders. Salceda, during the deliberation, stressed the significance of the bill’s passage, explaining that the provision of additional time is necessary as many families have not yet settled the estates of their deceased relatives. “An estate tax is a tax on the right of the deceased person to transmit the estate to lawful heirs and beneficiaries. RA 11213 was passed to provide taxpayers immunity from the payment of estate taxes until 15 June 2021. However, the pandemic hampered the settlement of estates, which to begin with, is inherently challenged by family sensitivities,” said the chairman. “To give people more time to settle estates, we extended the estate tax amnesty from 15 June 2021, to 14 June 2023, by enacting RA 11569 last Congress. We also streamlined the procedure by removing the requirement of proof of settlement in the payment of the estate tax under the same law. Now that the extended deadline — 14 June 2023 — is upon us, we are informed that this tax amnesty is yet to be optimized.” RA 11213, signed on 14 February 2019 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte, provides taxpayers with a one-time opportunity to settle their tax obligations through an estate amnesty program that offers reasonable tax relief to estates with outstanding estate tax liabilities. On 30 June, he signed RA 11569, which amended Section 6 of RA 11213, extending the estate tax amnesty until 14 June 2023. However, proponents of the bill are advocating for a two-year extension to account for those still struggling to meet the documentary requirements due to the pandemic rage. Meanwhile, during the proceeding, Nueva Ecija Rep. Ria Vergara motioned that a provision stating that heirs who received a donated estate worth P1 million or less no longer have to pay the 6 percent donor’s tax to be included in the proposal, which Salceda later approved. People seeking amnesty under the current system are expected to pay tax at a rate of 6% based on the decedent’s total net estate (or net undeclared estate if a previously filed estate tax return) at the time of death. HB 7842, filed by AGRI Rep. Wilbert Lee on 11 April, also pushes for a two-year extension of the estate tax amnesty period, but it has yet to be referred to Salceda’s panel for deliberation. Last week, Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify the bill as urgent, claiming this move will make people “save billions” while the government will “earn billions.” The post Tax Amnesty Act extension now moving appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Agri-agra loans remain below threshold
Loans extended by Philippine banks for agriculture and agrarian reform slipped by 2.6 percent to P696.35 billion in September 2020 from P714.27 billion in the same period in 2019 as the industry continued to fall short of the mandated threshold for the sector......»»
Coconut farmers are poorest agri people
Coconut farmers are now the poorest people in the agriculture sector, much poorer than when they were 30 years ago. This was the assessment of Danny Carranza, a coconut farmer and member the Kilusan Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo at Katarungang Panlipunan (Katarungan). (MB FILE, Keith Bacongco) Carranza blamed the coconut farmers’ poverty on the low copra prices, inability to intercrop and modernize, and now the COVID-19 pandemic, which isolates some of them who are living in far-flung areas. “If you’re going to compare, we are much poorer now than we were back in 1990,” said Carranza. Carranza said the “crisis in coconut” that started in the 1990s was never resolved, but even worsened especially when farmers failed to diversify and intercrop before copra prices, dictated by world prices, crashed in 2019 and in the previous years. “The price of copra is improving, reaching P16/kg from P8/kg last year, but that is still not enough,” Carranza said, adding that farmers’ income from a hectare of coconut plantation does not reach P10,000 anymore. At present, about 95 percent of the 3.5 million hectares of coconut farms in the Philippines are meant to produce copra, which is the material for coconut oil manufacturing. But with the collapse of the prices of coconut oil in the world market over the last two years, prices of copra have also dropped plunging farmers into deeper poverty. According to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), prices of copra at farmgate as of October 15 stood at P21.86/kg, which is higher compared to P14.55/kg price level during the same day last year. But Carranza said that it normally takes three to four years for coconut farmers to recover when a typhoon hits their plantation because coconut trees don’t recover fast. Several typhoons have devastated coconut trees lately. “Farmers’ income is dictated by world prices, they don’t have enough funds to modernize their industry, and the government has failed to support them in the diversification of their coconut plantations,” Carranza said. “Then things got worse because of climate change. And then, because of lockdown, a lot of farmers who live in far-flung areas were isolated and couldn’t deliver their produce,” he added. In 2018, farmers working in coconut farms only received a daily nominal wage rate of P264, based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data. To alleviate the current situation of coconut farmers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has announced that it will soon distribute a P5,000 worth of assistance to coconut farmers, which will be withdrawn from the agency’s P24-billion stimulus package granted under ‘Bayanihan 2’. The problem, according to Carranza, is that the assistance may only benefit farmers who own 1 hectare of coconut plantations or less. The PCA is also setting aside a portion of its budget to finance on-farm and off-farm livelihood projects for coconut farmers such as intercropping and livestock. Meanwhile, Pambansang Kilusan ng Magbubukid sa Pilipinas (PKMP) Chairman Eduardo Mora said the legal team of Senator Bong Go pledged to help coconut farmers push for provisions that they want to be included in the Coco Levy Act, the proposed law that will pave the way for the release of the P100-billion coco levy fund. “It was the office of Senator Bong Go that informed us that the senate version of Coco Levy Act was already passed in third and final reading. But his legal team also assured to help us in the congress version of the law, in bicameral, and in the drafting of the IRR [implementing rules and regulation] of the law,” Mora told Business Bulletin. Mora’s group, which represents more than a hundred thousand coconut farmers in the country, has been calling for increased farmers’ representation in the planned coconut trust fund management committee. Coconut farmers also don’t want the funds to be handled by PCA, Mora said. Business Bulletin already sought for Agriculture Secretary William Dar’s reaction regarding the farmers’ opposition of the Coco Levy Act, but he hasn’t responded yet. .....»»
Farmers group to supply agri products to hospitals
Amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, the Department of Agrarian Reform has tapped a farmers’ group to supply agricultural produce to the biggest government hospital in Eastern Visayas......»»
DOH: Pertussis cases 20 times more than last year
DOH: Pertussis cases 20 times more than last year.....»»
BARMM launches social services programs online portal
BARMM launches social services programs online portal.....»»
7 lumang simbahan sa Metro Manila na swak pang-‘Visita Iglesia’
TUWING sasapit ang Semana Santa, isa sa mga tradisyon ay ang “Visita Iglesia.” Para sa mga hindi aware, isa ito sa mga taunang ginagawa ng mga Katoliko na bumisita sa pito o higit pang simbahan upang magdasal at magmuni-muni sa mga istasyon ng Krus. Sa pamamagitan nito, ibinabandera ng mga deboto ang kahalagahan ng pananampalataya,.....»»
Philippines logs 40 pertussis deaths this year
MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Forty children have died of whopping cough, a respiratory infection also called pertussis, since this year, the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) has reported. The DOH said in a statement on Wednesday that cases have continued to increase since the start of this year, recording 568 cases from Jan. 1 to March 16. "The total number of cases for the same period in 2023 was.....»»
DMK criticises Election Commission for being biassed in allocating symbols to political parties
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 28 (ANI): The Deputy Secretary of the Student Wing of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Ka Amutharasan, has accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of having a biassed attitude towards opposition parties by allocating election symbols as per their wishes. "ECI has allocated the symbols for the Tamil Manila Congress and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhgam that those parties wished for. Th.....»»
Jollibee invests $28 million in beverage tech firm
Filipino-owned Asian food conglomerate Jollibee Foods Corp. is investing $28 million for a 10 percent stake in beverage technology company Botrista Inc. to support the growth of its coffee and tea business......»»