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Speaker Romualdez demands OTS chief Aplasca’s resignation
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday demanded the resignation of the Office of Transport Security (OTS) Administrator, Undersecretary Ma. O Aplasca, for failing to put an end to the repeated nefarious activities of security screening officers (SSO) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The OTS chief was advised by Speaker Romualdez to tender his resignation before the House of Representatives tackles the OTS' budget. “Mag-resign ka na. Kung hindi ka magsa-submit ng resignation, ako mismo ang magba-block ng approval ng budget ng OTS,” Romualdez said. The House leader aired his frustration on Aplasca in the wake of reports of the latest incidence of money theft by a female OTS security scanner from a departing tourist. The OTS chief should submit his courtesy resignation under the principle of command responsibility to make way for a full revamp at the airport security office. “Naka-strike three na ang OTS chief. We are already fed up with these reports of stealing and other acts of wrongdoing at the airport for which OTS officials and their DOTr supervisors are ultimately responsible. A top-to-bottom overhaul is needed,” he added. “We cannot let these atrocious activities and other acts of misconduct at the airport continue to take place. It’s bad for the country and the economy,” Romualdez also stated. The Speaker pointed out that a foreigner, whether they are a tourist or a potential investor, gets their first exposure to the Philippines and its people when they encounter a government employee who processes them at the port of entry. This is an ugly incident that will certainly leave a discouraging and lasting impression. This is the reason why the government should deploy the finest personnel at ports of entry. It could be recalled that in March, when money was stolen by the SSO from a Thai tourist at NAIA Terminal 2, the leader of the 311-member House of Representatives recommended a complete revamp of OTS. Romualdez even recommended that the DOTr replace the entire OTS staff and only rehire individuals who would pass a rigorous screening procedure based on their honesty, effectiveness, and integrity. OTS and responsible DOTr officials committed to undertaking sweeping reforms. “What has happened to those commitments? Where are the reforms?" Speaker Romualdez asked. The Speaker also said that DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista should closely watch his own backyard. Every now and then, they still hear of nefarious activities, aviation glitches, power equipment malfunctions and disruptions, and similar nasty things taking place at the airport. There may be people sabotaging him, Romualdez added. The post Speaker Romualdez demands OTS chief Aplasca’s resignation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Speaker to chief airport screener: Quit ASAP
The head of the Office for Transport Security should have the delicadeza to resign amid the cases of alleged theft involving OTS screeners at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Speaker Martin Romualdez said yesterday......»»
OTS dismisses another SSO at NAIA
The Office for Transportation Security confirmed on Monday that the agency has dismissed another Security Screening Officer assigned to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, after he was caught on close circuit television taking things from the luggage of a departing passenger while conducting a final security baggage inspection on 13 September. Last Saturday, OTS Administrator Undersecretary Ma.O. Aplasca personally served the dismissal order against SSO Billy Boy Garcia at NAIA Terminal 2 after a thorough investigation. We have so much problem already here. What do you want to show? Effective today, you are dismissed from the service and remove that ID of yours.You don’t deserve to wear that uniform,” Aplasca said. Garcia was then immediately served with the dismissal order and was right there and then stripped of his access pass, office ID and uniform. The OTS investigators will further pursue this case, and they are requesting the said passenger to come forward to shed light on the incident. Meanwhile, during the interview conducted by one of the members of Airport Press Club, the OTS chief said, “As of today, based on my observation, I think its not too late yet. We still have the core of our people who could make this internal cleansing a success.” Aplasca did not categorically state that the incidents of theft at the NAIA will be totally stopped and instead said he expects what he called the new breed of OTS personnel to snitch on their erring colleagues. “I can confidently say that the chances of them being caught are high because we have new personnel. Mga bagong breed na di nila ito-tolerate,” Aplasca also stated in the same interview. The OTS will not stop and will continue to conduct an intensified internal cleansing program to eliminate scalawags in their agency. The post OTS dismisses another SSO at NAIA appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
75 foreigners involved in online scams deported
The Bureau of Immigration confirmed the deportation of 75 foreign nationals on 22 September at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco shared that those foreigners departed on Friday afternoon via a Royal Air flight RW410 bound for Nanning, Guangxi. These deportees, according to Tansingco, are the first group of foreign nationals to be kicked out of the country for engaging in scams while posing as an online gaming customer care provider. They are part of the group arrested in an operation led by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC) against SA Rivendell Global Gaming Corporation located in Pasay City. They were later charged by the BI for undesirability after being tagged as part of a scam syndicate. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which made the arrests, kept custody of the aforementioned foreigners throughout their deportation procedures. The deportees allegedly took part in bitcoin and love schemes that preyed on Westerners. The BI chief said that the initial count of deportees was 76, but the airline offloaded one of them—identified as He Zeng Ming—due to a medical issue after he purportedly complained about chest symptoms. All deportees have been added to the BI's blacklist; thereby, prohibiting them from returning to the country. “The strong partnership of the BI with PAOCC as well as IACAT member agencies led to this massive arrest and deportation of foreign nationals abusing their stay in the country,” said Tansingco. “This is in line with the President’s directive for government agencies to work closely together, in unity, to achieve greater results,” he added. -----anthony ching----- The post 75 foreigners involved in online scams deported appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Fancy word ‘revisionism’
Were there widespread abuses during the martial law years spanning 21 September 1972 to 17 January 1981, or nine years under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.? Certain groups consider the narrative of the period being the dark ages of civil rights as sacrosanct and should never be challenged. Anything different from their storyline would be revisionism. These are the hypocrites who consider themselves as having the divine appointment to decide what is best for the country after the 1986 EDSA revolt. “I am ready to debate with anyone, and it is my duty to explain to the people,” Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, who was the martial law administrator, said on the necessity of the controversial 1972 imposition. The situation then called for the declaration of powers to address an extraordinary threat to the nation. Everything was done according to the provisions of the 1935 Constitution, stressed Enrile on his weekly morning show “Bayan ni Juan.” “I was ordered by then — President Marcos Sr., who was acting under the commander-in-chief provision of the law, to study what was contained in the Constitution on the powers of the President,” he said. He pointed out that martial law covering the entire country was necessary at that particular period. Our country, not only today but in the future, is guaranteed always to be stable. “The time will come when there will again be a need to impose martial, and it will be the people who would clamor for it, I’m telling you,” he predicted. Enrile said that all forms of government leave something to be desired; even China, which is fast developing, faces several criticisms. The government, however, is responsible for preventing chaos, anarchy, and disorder. “We should be thankful that martial law was declared, or Mr. Jose Maria Sison would have taken over the government,” Enrile recalled. “Our economy then was hit by a global crisis. America was on a downturn, and it brought down the Philippines with it,” he said. “History will give us a fair picture of the past, such as what happened in Roman times, the Persian period and the Assyrian period.” Similarly, history will bear out that martial law was what was called for. According to the seasoned public servant, he could vouch for the Marcos military rule being fair and far from what was painted by the opportunists. “If they call the declaration of martial law a dictatorship, then what was the description of the government when President Cory Aquino took over? She was the legislator and the executive. Cory, the supposed saint of democracy, changed the 1973 Constitution that the Filipinos voted for,” Enrile said. With a single signature, she changed the Constitution and assembled 60 individuals who were supposedly knowledgeable on the laws to craft the 1987 Constitution, Enrile said, recounting the forming of the Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Charter. Even though he held the executive and legislative functions, Enrile said Marcos made sure “we were all working under a system of democratic procedure.” Marcos, he said, did not monopolize the government. “All the laws created under martial law were deliberated, debated, and discussed.” As proof of the just creation of the presidential decrees by Marcos, Enrile said that most are still being used by the government “because they were well thought out.” “Compare that with the laws being passed now. After a few years, these are required to be revised because of mistakes,” he said. The Supreme Court was always there to balance the executive and the legislative. “Can anyone say how many decrees passed during martial law were turned down by the SC as unconstitutional?” Of course, all were correctly upheld and in accord with the Basic Law. The post Fancy word ‘revisionism’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Viral OTS screening officer relieved
The Office for Transportation Security confirmed on Thursday that the female security screening officer involved in the theft of $300 from a departing Chinese national passenger at NAIA Terminal 1 has been relieved. According to OTS administrator Ma.O Aplasca, the footage from the CCTV camera is clear and was used as basis to prove the passenger’s complaint about the loss of money in his wallet when he went through the final security check. However, the OTS chief refused to name the 28-year-old female OTS personnel because they have to conduct a follow-up investigation on who the accomplices were in the robbery. The OTS initially hid the incident of theft involving their SSO, but the said issue erupted after some OTS staff spoke to the airport in-house media because they also sympathized with the robbery issue. Reports disclosed that the incident happened on 8 September and the OTS did not release it to the media for almost two weeks, giving the reason that the investigation was still ongoing. Meanwhile, the Manila International Airport Authority expressed dismay at the incident as MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Co issued a warning that any airport frontliners whose actions undermine MIAA’s efforts to improve service standards at the airport have no place in the NAIA. The OTS, on the other hand, was instructed by the Department of Transportation to file the requisite charges against the security screening staff. In other developments, some senators on Thursday were one in saying that unscrupulous activities of airport officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport must be put to an end. In separate statements, Senators Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa demanded an investigation into the new scheme of airport screening officers to steal valuable items from passengers at the country’s main gateway. Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, condemned the incident which she described as “infuriating and embarrassing.” “It seems that they [airport officials] never run out of gimmicks to steal money at the airport,” she said referring to the viral video. Villanueva echoed the same sentiment, adding that the incident would drive tourists away from visiting the country. For his part, Dela Rosa said the OTS and DoTr should work hand in hand to “get to the bottom of this newly discovered modus operandi at NAIA.” “We are hurting our own reputation before the international arena if this crime is not being addressed immediately,” Dela Rosa said. With Jasper Dawang and Jom Garner The post Viral OTS screening officer relieved appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gibo orders ‘re-horizoning’ AFP’s modernization plan
The Department of National Defense is reviewing which projects should be prioritized under the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization program, which has now covered three different administrations. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday said the review is at a critical point because if it takes too long, the prices of equipment and platforms being sought by the AFP may go up. “We have to build up our capabilities as soon as possible, so this cannot be delayed,” Teodoro said. “We are working day and night to establish our own systems and whatever capabilities that we can get from our treaty partners and allies.” He said the AFP wants its assets to achieve interoperability, making them more effective for the tasks at hand. He said the review may be completed by the end of the year. Teodoro earlier ordered the AFP and his staff to start “re-horizoning” and the “re-strategization” of the AFP modernization program, clearly referring to the long-term Horizons Modernization Program. Horizon 1, covering 2013 to 2017 during the late Benigno Aquino III’s presidency, focused on acquiring essential equipment and weapons systems to improve the AFP’s minimum credible defense posture. Some of the key projects completed during this phase included the acquisition of new frigates, fighter jets and armored vehicles. Horizon 2, from 2018 to 2022, during the Duterte administration, acquired more advanced equipment and weapons systems like helicopters and air defense systems to enhance the AFP’s deterrence and response capabilities. Set for 2023 to 2028, Horizon 3 focused on acquiring next-generation equipment and weapons systems to ensure the capability of the AFP to defend the country against external aggression. With Teodoro’s “re-horizoning” statement, the Marcos government is being seen as detaching from the original Horizons plan that was partly implemented by both the Aquino and Duterte administrations. Teodoro said he wants the AFP to secure weapons systems and platforms capable of meeting all kinds of security threats. He conceded that acquiring the systems could be expensive, but they will at least be “synergistic” and capable of handling security challenges. “The Philippines is a potential vital contributor to the regional stability and security if we are a strong nation, with strong armed forces, and that is what we are working very hard to achieve,” he said. AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the military is now working on a more strategic approach to meet security threats. The post Gibo orders ‘re-horizoning’ AFP’s modernization plan appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
RSBS revisited
All it required, inherent vulnerabilities notwithstanding, to “screw up” the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Retirement and Separation Benefits System, was a meeting of minds between the Chief of Staff of the AFP and the Secretary of National Defense. In short, it was a classic case of “partners in crime” — what one administered, the other approved. Under Presidential Decree 361, the CSAFP administered the RSBS through a board organized by himself, subject to the SND’s approval. There was a nine-man Board of Trustees that the CSAFP appointed, from its president down. PD 361 stipulated that the retirement benefits of retiring AFP personnel would be paid out of annual congressional appropriations for the AFP. Per the proviso, when the payment of retirees’ pensions exceeded P100 million in any year, the excess would be paid out of the RSBS funds. After the initial seed capital of P200 million had been given to RSBS, no further sums were appropriated/paid into RSBS. No Congress — across the terms of Presidents Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada — initiated appropriations for the RSBS pension system. Since then, the retirement benefits for retiring AFP personnel were included in the regular annual appropriation for the AFP in the General Appropriations Act. Under PD 1656 dated 21 December 1979, 5 percent of the monthly base pay of AFP personnel was to be deducted as their compulsory contribution to their retirement fund. RSBS thus became an investment company mandated to “provide perpetually the cash requirement for the retirement benefits of military personnel on a self-sustaining basis.” However, the yearly cash requirement for the retirement benefits shall come from the annual general appropriation for the AFP until “perpetual self-sufficiency of the funds is attained as determined by actuarial evaluation.” The truth, however, was that the national government continued to fund the annual pension requirement for retired and retiring military members to which the RSBS contributed nothing or ever took up the burden. Apparently, the only “statutory obligation of the RSBS was to return the compulsory contributions of members of the AFP upon retirement.” What was quite strange was that RSBS was allowed to use the contributions of AFP personnel to generate investment revenues that were tax-exempt, without paying compensation for its use. It was a good thing that on 25 February 1992, a standard operating procedure provided for a “grant” of 4 percent interest per annum on members’ contributions compounded yearly effective January 1992 and it was tax-exempt. Again, effective in January 1996, the tax-exemption granted to members’ contributions was increased to 6 percent per annum compounded annually. These compulsory contributions constituted a continuing significant source of investible funds. For example, the aggregate total of members’ contributions returnable upon members’ compulsory retirement at year-end 2002 stood at P3.5 billion. However, the yearly inflow of members’ contributions in the last five years (1998 to 2002 inclusive) was around P2.5 billion. Apparently, RSBS aggressively went into real estate investment and portfolio loans to new companies. It also plunged into heavy short-term borrowing to expand these two-fold pursuits. The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis that precipitated a drop in real estate values in the country affected RSBS, resulting in losses over the years 1998 to 2001, not to mention the interest expense over the same period due to short-term borrowings which may well have run to P1.8 billion (1997 to 1999). The Senate Committees on Accountability of Public Officers and Blue Ribbon did a joint inquiry on alleged anomalies at RSBS where it was found that “very extensive real estate acquisitions by RSBS were attended by massive overpricing.” The initial report came out on 21 December 1998 and the final one on 20 May 1999. Verily, the Senate committee reports, together with the principal findings and recommendations of the fact-finding commission on the RSBS problem, were well documented and instructive to policymakers. Ideally, an AFP Service and Insurance System must be insulated from the reach of both the CSAFP and the SND, lest the vicious cycle recur. (Note. The RSBS was dissolved by Executive Order 590 on 31 December 2006.) The post RSBS revisited appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
On WPS conflict, ‘Trillanes cut deals’
Amid the guessing game started by China on who the unnamed President was who promised to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has pointed to a former senator as the culprit. “I haven’t heard from previous presidents that they promised to remove the Sierra Madre, but what I know is that the late President Benigno Aquino III did some backchanneling, and his backdoor agent was former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV,” Enrile said. He added: “Trillanes bypassed then Ambassador Sonia Brady in negotiating with China, and his only credential was he rode in a Philippine Navy boat when he was in the military service.” “The subject of the backchanneling was the Scarborough Shoal standoff, but Trillanes was deceived by the Chinese. The Philippine vessels withdrew from the area of the deadlock, but China stayed put,” he recalled. 2012 Senate skirmish Then-senator Enrile and Trillanes had a confrontation in September 2012 over the government’s covert negotiations with China that Aquino had assigned to Trillanes. In a face-off on the Senate floor, Enrile produced the so-called Brady notes, a report on the discussions between the ambassador and Trillanes on the backchanneling mission. During his several engagements with Chinese officials, Enrile quoted the Brady notes as saying that Trillanes indicated that Filipinos needed more interest in the conflicting claims in the region. Enrile said the Brady notes stated that Aquino was not made fully aware of the details of Trillanes’s actions, and there was a point when the President did not know the talks were suspended for two weeks and that Trillanes was acting on his own. “And for whom? Whose interest was he serving?” Enrile asked. While admitting that it was the prerogative of Aquino as Commander-in-Chief to resort to backchannel talks, designating Trillanes was a huge mistake, he said. “Trillanes should have been discreet, and he should have brought along an embassy representative to record the event. Trillanes thought he was James Bond. That should not have been allowed,” Enrile said. “A person entrusted by the President with a mission must first exercise discretion. When you go to a country to deal with a foreign power, you must notify the embassy,” he said. “Trillanes should have notified the embassy to alert them that he was there on a mission, and he should have brought along at least one responsible official,” he added. He continued: “Everybody should have known that international law already provided the way to settle the dispute, which was the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but which China did not respect.” “China based its claims not on international law but on its might. We should have a counter-balancing force,” according to Enrile. “We should not rely solely on the assistance of other nations; we should keep building up our military assets.” “We should also be prepared, and one way to do that is to require all young Filipinos to undergo training to defend the country.” “Only Filipinos can fight for their country; nobody else can do the fighting for you,” Enrile stressed. False narrative Meanwhile, China was accused of using deception in its sea maneuvers when it tried to block a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal on 7 September. Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, Col. Medel Aguilar, at the weekly Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, said the Philippine Navy offered to help a Chinese rubber boat in distress near Ayungin Shoal. “Our troops offered assistance, but the Chinese refused and another boat came to their rescue,” Aguilar said. He said one of the Chinese rigid hull inflatable boats had gotten entangled in a fishing line while it was tailing the Philippine vessels heading to Ayungin to resupply the troops there. Aguilar said that while the Chinese boat’s refusal to accept aid from Philippine forces was expected, what surprised the troops was Beijing’s radio call where they blamed the Filipinos for the incident. “They had the guts to challenge our radio message. ‘Philippine Coast Guard, because of your maneuvers, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel came into problem,’” he quoted the Chinese as saying. Aguilar said this was another narrative the Chinese would tell their people. “After this incident, they will come up with their narrative to tell their people about what happened,” Aguilar said. “We don’t want the truth to be drowned out by what really happened,” he added. Misplaced bullying Aguilar described the China Coast Guard’s behavior as “misplaced bullying” amid its continued aggression in Philippine territorial waters. “The CCG is a misplaced bully in the WPS,” Aguilar said. Meanwhile, Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson, said several CCG ships and maritime militia vessels tried to block the Philippine vessels and stop the resupply mission. “It is very important for the government, for us, to be more transparent about what is happening in the West Philippine Sea,” he said. “We face the media; we give them the true story. The media will play a very important role in curtailing this fake news that spreads every time the Chinese release their narratives.” He said China has been pushing the narrative that the Philippines is acting on behalf of the United States. Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the Kalayaan island group, is an integral part of the Philippines and is well within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, over which the country has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction. The BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded on Ayungin Shoal since 1999, where it stands as a symbol of Philippine sovereignty and on which a dozen Filipino Marines and sailors are holding the fort. The post On WPS conflict, ‘Trillanes cut deals’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
MAP denies backing on dismissed MIAA chief
Management Association of the Philippines president, Atty. Benedicta Du-Baladad denied that her group aired its support to the dismissed Manila International Airport Authority, General Manager Cesar Chiong, and MIAA OIC assistant general manager Irene Montalbo, saying that the backing came from some of its members. Besides MAP, the Makati Business Club last week released a statement of support backing Chiong and Montalbo, questioning the decision of Ombudsman Samuel Martires. “Please note that this is not a MAP statement. Nowhere should the statement be attributed to MAP. This is a statement of individual businessmen and professionals who requested us to distribute it to the media,” Baladad told the Daily Tribune. Trabaho Partylist on Wednesday also hit business groups petition urging Ombudsman Martires to reverse the decision dismissing Chiong, stating that it is a clear interference with the independence and investigatory functions of the Ombudsman. “While the 1987 Constitution created the Ombudsman as ‘an independent constitutional body, unfettered by political influence and insulated it from the ebb and tide of political fortunes,’ here comes now a group of businessmen trying to erode the integrity of the office,” Trabaho Partylist Secretary General Atty. Juan Paolo Lorica said. “The decision dismissing Chiong and MIAA OIC assistant general manager Irene Montalbo is clearly supported by evidence. It is unfair for the business sector to even insinuate that the Ombudsman and the panel of investigators did not investigate and decide the case with utmost objectivity,” he added. Lorica pointed out that Martires’ record as Ombudsman has consistently shown he has maintained his independence and that he does not look into the political color of the respondents of the cases being decided by his office. “It must be recalled that Ombudsman Martires caused the withdrawal of the usurpation case that his predecessor has filed against President Noynoy Aquino. And just recently he dismissed from the service the Over-All Deputy Ombudsman for his involvement in the Pharmally case. The Ombudsman exacted justice for the Filipino people even as other government organs failed to do the same,” he said. The Trabaho Partylist Secretary General further stressed that what the business groups are asking is for the Ombudsman to favor Chiong. “Is Chiong the only citizen who can manage the airport efficiently and effectively? Is he the only citizen who is honest for which this government must lean on?” he asked. Last April 2023, Chiong and Montalbo were put on preventive suspension by the Ombudsman for Grave Abuse of Authority, Grave Misconduct, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service for reassigning 285 MIIA personnel despite the two officials’ temporary positions in the attached agency of the Department of Transportation. The post MAP denies backing on dismissed MIAA chief appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Serve with dedication, integrity, gov’t workers told
Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo strongly reminded those in government that “public service is demanding but it is rewarding when done with utmost dedication and integrity.” “It is only through this that we will realize that all the long hours we put in, all the sacrifices that we and our family have endured, have all been for a higher meaning and purpose,” Gesmundo said. “No matter what our position, when we do our work well, we do something good for the public,” he added. Gesmundo and the other justices of the SC lauded CA Presiding Justice Remedios Salazar-Fernando for exemplary work during her 70th birthday on 1 September, her retirement age. Gesmundo hailed Salazar-Fernando for her exemplary work in the various institutions she had served in her long and storied career in government. Joining Gesmundo on the occasion are Supreme Court Associate Justices Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Samuel H. Gaerlan, Jhosep Y. Lopez, Japar B. Dimaampao, Jose Midas P. Marquez and Antonio T. Kho Jr. PJ Salazar-Fernando, or “PJ Mids” as she is fondly called, began her 50-year service to the public as a law clerk in the Supreme Court. She went on to serve as a supervising presidential staff in the Presidential Management Staff of the Office of the President. She then returned to the Judiciary with her appointment as Municipal Trial Court Judge of Sta. Rita, Pampanga in 1983 and served as Acting MTC Judge of Lubao the following year. President Corazon C. Aquino appointed her Chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in 1987 and served as an Assistant Secretary of the Land Transportation Office in a concurrent capacity in 1991. PJ Mids was appointed Commissioner of the Commission on Elections in 1992. She returned to the Judiciary again with her appointment as an Associate Justice of the CA on 25 May 1999. On 25 November 2020, she was appointed Presiding Justice by President Rodrigo R. Duterte. The post Serve with dedication, integrity, gov’t workers told appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Fuse Lending mulls tie-up with small lenders
Fuse Lending Inc., a subsidiary of Globe Telecom Inc., is exploring partnerships with community-based stores and small lenders like cooperatives to provide business loans to more micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs. “We have no partnerships with cooperatives but there are discussions with some. Nothing is final yet. But we’re always open to partnerships,” Baby Aquino, Fuse vice president for strategy and chief of product, told the Daily Tribune last Wednesday at an event by GCash and Fuse entitled “Borrow for Tomorrow” in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Fuse and Globe’s GCash provide a range of loan products using the mobile app. Fuse said 35 percent of its P100-billion loan disbursements as of July went to MSMEs. In terms of client locations, 70 percent are based in Metro Manila. Best way to reach the market “There are many who have expressed interest in partnering with us. We have a dedicated department for big partnerships but it also focuses on tapping retail shops and sari-sari stores. This is the best way to reach the market,” Aquino said Aquino said the firm is maximizing artificial intelligence or AI to determine possible business loan borrowers based on their behaviors when using GCash’s various transactions. “We’re using AI because customers don’t declare all the time that they are doing retail business on the side. For these customers, we give different communications or messages,” she said. Based on clients’ feedback, Aquino said many MSME owners need bigger amounts but for short-term use. “We continue to explore other products which can offer bigger loan amounts. Retail shops really appreciate that we can enable them to have stocks for their products but with GGives because they often are not able to sell all their inventory in one day or short period of time,” Aquino explained. GLoan offers credit up to P125,000 on a one-at-a-time disbursement with repayment period of up to 24 months. GGives, on the other hand, offer multiple loans at the same time with a total amount of up to P125,000 which is paid in installments. Campaign in public markets As the Christmas season starts in the Philippines as early as this month, she said Fuse and GCash will be putting up campaigns, including financial literacy activities, in various public areas including public markets to reach MSMEs that will be setting up their stalls to sell products for Christmas gifts. “We’ll not stop and focus on MSMEs because there are still many of them to serve. They can use bigger credit amounts to buy additional stocks of their products and so increase their sales, as well,” Aquino said. GCash’s marketplace links clients with financing firms and banks that can provide bigger amounts for long-term goals, such as purchase of equipment or real estate. The post Fuse Lending mulls tie-up with small lenders appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Immigration personnel undergo language training
The Bureau of Immigration recently announced that the Confucius Institute at the University of the Philippines Diliman and Chiang Kai Shek College are working together to offer Chinese language instruction for the BI’s staff. According to the Bureau, a total of 25 BI personnel from the head office and 25 from different airports are currently undergoing training sponsored by CKSC. A 50-hour curriculum makes up the Basic Mandarin Language Program Level 1 training. There are two training schedules: one at the BI Main Office, which started last 10 July and will end on 9 October, and the other at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which started last 11 July 11 and will end on 3 October. The BI added that the Confucius Institute has also started a 36-hour online program for BI personnel nationwide, which started on 29 August and will end on 16 November. BI commissioner Norman Tansingco said that this partnership reflects BI’s commitment to improving communication and efficiency, ultimately enhancing the immigration process for Chinese-speaking individuals. The BI chief emphasized the importance of the initiative. “Proper communication is not just essential for effective service but also for building trust with the public. This training equips their personnel with valuable language skills to ensure accurate and efficient interactions with Chinese-speaking individuals.” Tansingco also expressed his gratitude to CKSC and CI-UPD for their support, saying that the program would be beneficial to the agency’s delivery of basic public services. Prior to the pandemic, Chinese nationals ranked second among the highest numbers of foreign arrivals in the country. The BI’s Learning and Development Section organized this initiative. Tansingco said that this is just the start of a series of language-based trainings aimed at strengthening the capacities of their officers. The post Immigration personnel undergo language training appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pork’s different strokes
Efforts have begun in the House of Representatives to raise the Motor Vehicle Road Users Charge or the Road Users Tax after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. identified the levy as a main source of precious funds. The eagerness of the members of the House to comply with the proposal to hike the tax makes people wary. Proceeds from the tax are the favorite source of legislative pork. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda’s bill indicates the MVUC which ranges from P120 to P4,000 will be raised to between P2,080 and P10,400 for cars, depending on their gross weight. Under the proposal, the MVUC will be increased by a fixed rate yearly until 2025, and by 5 percent from 2026 onwards. Salceda is looking at collecting P151 billion more in revenue from 2024 to 2027 through the higher MVUC. The higher collections should be earmarked for road improvements which is under the Department of Public Works and Highways after President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law abolishing the graft-tainted Road Board. The disposition of the MVUC sparked the feud between House members and the Department of Budget and Management during the initial years of the Duterte term after then Budget Secretary Ben Diokno refused to release the MUVC proceeds until the Road Board was dissolved. Moreover, the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III exploited the RUT funds using them as leverage to get House members to impeach former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and to obtain the legislators’ approval for his political agenda, such as a measure seeking to postpone the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao election to allow Noynoy to place his appointees in the Muslim region. The Road Board had an unusual collection setup that practically freed its state audit, making it a perfect “cash cow” as termed by some senators. Gutierrez was impeached overwhelmingly in the House after Noynoy first dangled the pork barrel, saying through his House allies that those who would vote against the impeachment would not receive their pork barrel while those who signed the measure would get a P20-million bonus taken from the Road Board.Later, Gutierrez, knowing that she was in a losing situation, resigned from her post despite her having a guaranteed term. She was replaced by Noynoy’s favorite associate justice, Conchita Carpio-Morales, who carried out the yellow brand of selective justice. Gutierrez had displeased Noynoy when she dismissed the case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in connection with the P729-million fertilizer fund scam. Former Chief Justice Renato Corona Jr. was also ousted through impeachment and the leverage used, in turn, were the DAP funds. It was ironic that Noynoy’s allies vowed to abolish the Road Board, which under the law that created it, had full discretion on its use. Its disposition was beyond the scope of the Commission on Audit since the RUT was not part of the budget. Former Sen. Franklin Drilon, for instance, said the body would be abolished by the Senate despite the House allies of former President Arroyo’s withdrawal and eventual rescinding of the bill that sought to terminate the anomalous 2001 creation. Congressmen turned the RUT proceeds into a source of fast money through collusion with Road Board officials. Since the DPWH is now the custodian of the funds, attention must also be directed at the agency in the proper disposition of the MUVC proceeds. Increasing the audit-free funds plus the recently discovered P215 billion in insertions in the budget through the generic flood mitigation projects exposed maneuvers to pilfer public funds. The post Pork’s different strokes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Fiscal standoff
The P213 billion allocated for fiscal year 2023 is indisputable proof that the burden of the military and uniformed personnel pension has become beyond difficult to sustain to the point of forcing the government to resort to borrowing. To forestall this fiscal stand-off, the next best thing to do is to allow the finance secretary all the latitude to navigate — free of obstructionist opposition — so that the ship of state can sail on an even keel on turbulent financial waters. Every proposed action plan of Secretary Benjamin Diokno to address the specter of fiscal collapse has the imprimatur of the President and the acquiescence of the so-called “economic team” — except that there is a newly appointed Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor who replaced Dr. Felipe Medalla, which change of leadership has had very limited dissemination. Apparently, crucial matters of public information have become less and less sensitive to open and vibrant democratic discourse. In all that has already been expounded on the subject, it’s safe to say that Mr. Diokno has done his homework, this despite some “trial-and-error” attempts by the House of Representatives to “approximate” what could be the “best of all possible worlds” by congressional fiat. However, it was clear that the vocal committee chairman in Congress sort of “miscalculated” the acceptable threshold desired by the “military and uniformed sector,” thereby leaving it to the President — as Commander in Chief — to be the one to eventually “tame the beast.” Incidentally, FM Jr.’s newly appointed defense chief, albeit a returning one, is singing a different tune and is clearly in cross-purposes with what the finance chief has rolled out to be the “silver bullet” that would solve the pension problem. The policy domain benefits from evidence-based data and doing the science or the math is not alien to an economist like Diokno. On the other hand, political views hardly benefit from evidence, science, or math, and in this realm, it seems understandable why the defense chief’s normative proposal is rather parochial or scoped on maximizing what is good for the defense and military that he heads. After all, if he can play his cards well, a la President Fidel Ramos, his position could catapult him to higher office. When FVR signed Republic Act 7898 on 23 February 1995, its aim was a 15-year modernization program for the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, Philippine Army consequent to the withdrawal of the US military bases and illegal occupation by China of Mischief Reef. The commitment to spend P50 billion within the first five years and presumably thereafter, however, never gained headway reportedly because the programs were “influenced” by lawmakers. Neither did the Philippine Navy get the lion’s share of the modernization fund to upgrade its patrol capabilities, surface warfare, and its maritime detection and surveillance capacities even while the authors of said law knew that the imminent enemy was China and the theater of engagement would be the West Philippine Sea. This explains why the country was a sitting duck when China occupied Scarborough Shoal in 2012. Then, this prompted the administration of President Noynoy Aquino to enact Republic Act 10349 as an expanded version of the AFP modernization program. While the needs of the Philippine Navy were given priority, the allocation of financial resources was subjected to a tedious, legalistic, and complex process with Congress having the last say. Reportedly, even the spending plan was incongruent with the capabilities that needed to be reinforced. Furthermore, the AFP Retirement and Separation Benefits System which was supposedly created to take care of the military pension system was mired in mismanagement that led to its deactivation or abolition. Substantial government seed capital went down the drain, achieving nothing because of the military’s own making. A case of “carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero?” What about that recent audit report of the Commission on Audit on pension overpayments and underpayments made by the AFP Pension Management System that has gone loco? The post Fiscal standoff appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Respect the budget
A fair reminder should be issued to the caretakers of public finances and leaders in government that the Supreme Court had ruled that lump sum items such as the Priority Development Assistance Fund and the reallocation of funds in the budget such as in the Disbursement Acceleration Program scheme are unconstitutional. A 2013 decision of the high tribunal was very specific about the pork barrel as invalid, along with similar efforts in the legislature to accumulate discretionary funds. In 2014, the SC also thumbed down the Presidential pork barrel raised through the DAP. In the 2024 National Expenditure Program which is the Executive’s proposed budget submitted to Congress, P215 billion worth of flood mitigation projects were found to use methods that are suspiciously similar to the outlawed PDAF scheme. Based on SC’s landmark decision such budget items are also illegal. The SC ruling not only struck down the PDAF but also “various Congressional insertions” and other similar practices that allow legislators to “intervene, assume or participate” in any of the various post-enactment stages of the budget execution. The difference in the current maneuver is that the insertions are done in the NEP to skirt the “post-enactment stages” of the budget process as specified in the SC ruling. The spirit or substance of the decision was, however, all about removing the discretionary powers of Congress over, what the SC decision stated, as a Constitutional violation: “Such as but not limited to the areas of project identification, modification and revision of project identification, fund release and/or fund realignment, unrelated to the power of Congressional oversight.” The ruling basically disallowed the practice of insertions and realignment since it sought to re-establish check and balance between the legislature and the Palace as the pork barrel scheme is the Executive’s leverage to get members of the legislature to enact its priority laws. After the SC ruling, efforts to create new sources of legislative pork have been a yearly ritual in Congress that even resulted in friction between House leaders and the Department of Budget and Management during the early years of President Rodrigo Duterte. The DAP was created apparently to fill the vacuum created by the PDAF’s removal. Under the Palace scheme under the Aquino administration, savings were centralized under the DAP which was then used as a slush fund for legislators. DAP funds were used in the campaign to oust the late Chief Justice Renato Corona. The SC decision disallowed the following: * The withdrawal of unobligated allotments from the implementing agencies and the declaration of the withdrawn unobligated allotments and unreleased appropriations as savings before the end of the fiscal year and without complying with the statutory definition of savings contained in the General Appropriations Act; * Cross-border transfers of savings of the executive department to offices outside the executive department; and * Funding of projects, activities, and programs not covered by appropriations in the General Appropriations Act. The court also declared void the use of unprogrammed funds despite the absence of a certification by the National Treasurer that the revenue collections exceeded the revenue targets or non-compliance with the conditions provided in the relevant General Appropriations Act. Some P150 billion in public funds, from 2011 to 2013, were channeled to the DAP, which was done through the first two schemes that the SC declared as unconstitutional. The SC made a statement in junking the DAP and PDAF which was to outlaw the use of discretionary or lump sum funds in the budget that usually end up in the pockets of public officials. The P24 billion annual PDAF was a mere part of the huge Special Purpose Funds which in turn is just one of the many lump sums that make up as much as a third of the yearly budget. The ruling was consistent with the public clamor for the removal of all types of lump-sum items in the national budget. Undertaking budget maneuvers such as spending a ridiculous P215 billion for flood control has the obvious aim of providing legislators their pork allocation that contravenes the SC ruling on PDAF and public sentiment on the proper use of the budget. The post Respect the budget appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BI operations at NAIA looked into by Anti-Trafficking Council
The Bureau of Immigration said on Sunday that the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) conducted an inspection visit to immigration operations on Friday evening at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco shared that immigration operations at the NAIA 3 were presented to the IACAT. The said inspection, conducted by Department of Justice Undersecretary and IACAT in-charge Nicholas Felix Ty, aimed to review procedures on departure formalities as part of the inter-agency’s regular assessment. During the inspection, Usec. Ty confirmed that the BI is implementing the same procedures as it had in the past. Earlier this week, the IACAT released revised guidelines on departure formalities to streamline requirements for departing Filipinos. Tansingco reiterated that the new guidelines pose no additional requirements for departing tourists. Tansingco said that in the updated guidelines, regular tourists are only required to have a passport valid for at least 6 months, a valid visa if one is required, a boarding pass, and a confirmed round-trip ticket. The BI Chief stressed that the guidelines list requirements for other categories of departing Filipinos as well as those who may undergo secondary inspection. Tansingco also said that in the past, only Filipinos that are subjected to secondary inspection due to red flags may be required to show additional supporting documents, which are now specified in the guidelines. He added that the new guidelines issued by the IACAT would ensure that immigration officers look at specific requirements and do not require frivolous documents. Previously, the IACAT highlighted the importance of the guidelines in protecting all departing Filipinos from human trafficking and illegal recruitment. The guidelines on departure formalities have been in place since 2012 and were later revised in 2015. Tansingco also stressed that there is no new policy for departing tourists being implemented by the BI, and for departing tourists, especially Filipinos, there is no need to worry. The DOJ and the Department of Social Welfare and Development jointly chair the interagency IACAT. Their members are from the BI, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Migrant Workers, the Commission on Filipinos Abroad, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Philippine National Police. The International Justice Mission, the Coalition Against Women Trafficking-Asia and the Pacific, and the Blas Ople Policy Centre and Training Institute are non-governmental groups that are also members of the council. The post BI operations at NAIA looked into by Anti-Trafficking Council appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pinay from Africa held with P18.3-M cocaine
A passenger flying in from Africa was arrested for allegedly trying to slip in illegal drugs worth P18.3 million at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group said on Friday. In a statement, PDEG chief, Col. Dionisio Bartolome Jr., identified the suspect as Zenaida Esperanza Losloso, 49, a Filipina of Lucena City who had flown in from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Losloso was arrested by operatives of the PDEG, PDEA, NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group, Bureau of Customs-Port of NAIA at Terminal 3 at 9:45 p.m. on Thursday. Seized from her were 3,454 grams of suspected cocaine in a plastic sachet with an estimated value of P18,306,200. The suspect and evidence were brought to the PDEA office for documentation and disposition. She is facing charges of violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Drug Act of 2002 and RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. The BoC-NAIA said the illegal drugs were discovered after the suspect’s baggage went through the initial X-ray inspection. The X-ray screener marked it with an “X” to signal that the bag showed a suspicious image and needed to undergo a physical inspection. A physical examination revealed the suspected cocaine in the lining of the suitcase. The post Pinay from Africa held with P18.3-M cocaine appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Makati City scores anew
Six days after taking over the management and supervision of the 14 schools affected by the dragging boundary dispute between Makati and Taguig City, the Department of Education gave Makati City the go-signal to distribute school supplies to the affected students in 10 EMBO barangays the Supreme Court had ordered transferred to Taguig City. In a letter to Makati City Mayor Abby Binay dated 22 August, DepEd Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Michael Wesley Poa said Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte had approved the former’s request to distribute the school supplies, including the use of the school facilities. Binay earlier wrote to Vice President Duterte seeking permission to distribute school supplies in the 14 public schools to alleviate the financial burden on parents who would otherwise have to purchase new school supplies. “On behalf of the city government and all the intended beneficiaries in the 14 public schools, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte. We are thankful that she has the best interest of the students at heart in making a prudent and just decision,” Binay said, adding that the distribution would go on until 29 August when classes start. The 14 public schools are Fort Bonifacio Elementary School, Cembo Elementary School, South Cembo Elementary School, Pitogo Elementary School, East Rembo Elementary School, Rizal Elementary School, Comembo Elementary School, West Rembo Elementary School, Pembo Elementary School, Makati Science High School, Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino High School, Tibagan High School, Fort Bonifacio High School and Pitogo High School. Parents, school kids cheer Mayor Binay, accompanied by her husband, Makati 2nd District Rep. Luis Campos, distributed school supplies at Pembo Elementary School and Pitogo High School yesterday. School supplies will be given to all 45,000 students in the 14 public schools in 10 former barangays within Fort Bonifacio — Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, Pitogo, Rizal, Northside and Southside. Upon arriving at the Pembo Elementary School, Binay and her entourage were cheered by the parents and students who had been waiting for her since 10 a.m. Her arrival at 2 p.m. elicited applause and shouts of “Abby, Abby” from the crowd, many of whom were crying, including the children who rushed to hug the mayor. The parents were particularly ecstatic because they said the school supplies they received from Taguig were not comparable to what they received from Makati. Package contents Under the expanded Project FREE (Free Relevant and Excellent Education) of Makati, public school students from kindergarten to senior high school, including Special Education students in elementary and high school, receive school uniforms and supplies. Students in all levels each receive school uniforms, PE T-shirts and jogging pants. School bags, caps and anti-dengue kits are also given to kindergarten pupils. Elementary students each receive a pair of black leather shoes, three pairs of white socks, Randoseru bags (Grades 1 and 4), dengue kits, and school supplies consisting of 10 notebooks, five intermediate pads, and five ballpoint pens and pencils. Junior and senior high school students receive black shoes and socks, and the same school supplies package given to elementary students, with a Math graphing notebook added. Grades 11 and 12 students also get a jacket with hoodie. For SPED students in elementary and high school, the city provides a school supplies package, uniforms, leather shoes and three pairs of socks, and anti-dengue kits for elementary SPED. Schools to be rented out Asked what would happen to the 14 schools formerly under Makati City, Binay said they would be rented out to Taguig as the former held the titles to them. In a Facebook post, Binay said there was a “last-minute attempt” by the Taguig City government to halt the distribution even if Makati had written authorization to carry it out. Taguig City has also started distributing school packages to the students of the city, including those at the EMBO schools. Duterte issued DepEd Order No. 023 last week, titled “Assumption of authority of the Department of Education over the 14 public schools affected by the Supreme Court decision in G.R. No. 235316.” According to the order, DepEd is mandated to promote every Filipino’s right to accessible, equitable, and quality education which is consistent with its mandate to provide a safe and enabling environment for learners, teachers, and personnel. Duterte, in her order, said that relative to the SC’s final and executory decision in the case titled Municipality of Makati vs Municipality of Taguig (G.R. No. 235316), the Department of is cognizant of the increasing tension present in the 14 schools affected by the ruling, that caused uncertainty as to the peaceful and orderly reopening of schools on 29 August 2023. It further stated that in the pursuit of protecting the best interest and welfare of the learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel, “the Office of the Secretary shall directly supervise the management and administration of all 14 schools, pending a transition plan, effective immediately.” Duterte created a transition committee composed of the regional director (assigned outside of the National Capital Region); DepEd Schools Division Superintendent of Taguig-Pateros; the DepEd Schools Superintendent of Makati City; City Legal Officer of Makati and City Legal Officer of Taguig. Binay has since stood her ground that all 14 public schools are titled to Makati City and therefore Taguig City has no jurisdiction over it, though Mayor Lani Cayetano refuted the claim saying it was included in the SC order that is final and executory. The post Makati City scores anew appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BuCor chief lobs kubol ultimatum
All inmates or whom the government prefers to call persons deprived of liberty, or PDLs must immediately dismantle their kubols, which are the private residences, inside the supposed maximum-security New Bilibid Prison. Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said the removal of the exclusive facilities will be immediate. The problem has been recurring since the term of the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III when a series of raids resulted in the removal of the amenities that high-profile detainees enjoy. Later on, during President Rodrigo Duterte’s term, it was found that the NBP was used as a transit point for the drug trade involving several detained drug lords. “This is part of the continued efforts of the Bureau of Corrections for the security of PDLs. Thus all structures in the seven Operating Prison and Penal Farms nationwide to voluntarily dismantle or the bureau will do it for them,” he said. Raps will be imposed Catapang said the Kubols are not the luxury huts seen in the past that were occupied only by moneyed PDLs but these are makeshift dividers made of plywood constructed for privacy and additional space. “Nevertheless, we ask them to demolish these for transparency,” he said. Yesterday, PDLs at the New Bilibid Prison voluntarily dismantled 60 makeshift rooms or kubols located at the security housing building 1 and 6 NBP North, SHB 9 NBP East Quadrant 4 and SHB 7 NBP West Quadrant 2 while the dismantling of kubols in Quadrant 3 Maximum security compound is still ongoing. Catapang warned that if there are still kubols installed inside the NBP by Monday, Bucor personnel from the Diversified Maintenance Unit will tear it down. “I have instructed newly appointed Deputy Director General for Operations, Gil Torralba to lead this operation including the Greyhound (Galugad) operation that will be conducted regularly at the national penitentiary,” Catapang said. Torralba for his part told Catapang “We will clean up BuCor, Sir.” “We need to do this so that we can confiscate contrabands still in possession of PDLs. They are fully aware that we have given them the chance to surrender all illegal items but if they still refuse and they are caught red-handed, I’m sorry to say that they will have to stay longer at NBP as we will not hesitate to file charges against them,” Catapang said. The post BuCor chief lobs kubol ultimatum appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»