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LTO innovates responses to backlogs
The Land Transportation Office, or LTO, now under the leadership of Atty. Vigor Mendoza II, has committed to implementing innovative solutions to immediately address the piles of problems “inherited” from the previous leaderships. Mendoza, whom Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista tasked to help the agency improve its current state, expressed confidence that he could turn the LTO around and make it more efficient and effective. He said this aligns with the Marcos administration’s marching orders to digitalize and bring government services closer to the people seamlessly. Mendoza has already begun to execute some changes, such as streamlining the driver’s license application process, implementing a new online vehicle registration system, and reducing the number of fixers at LTO offices, among others. Speaking in a recent interview on DAILY TRIBUNE’s Straight Talk, Mendoza disclosed that his agency is studying cost-effective ways to produce license plates. Presently, the LTO has a manufacturing plant with eight machines working to produce license plates, but as recently directed by Bautista, the agency is looking at outsourcing them instead of producing them. “We make the plates ourselves, although we are studying if maybe it is high time to review whether the LTO should produce or outsource the plates. I told Secretary Bautista that in terms of efficiency, it might be less costly and faster if we outsource it,” Mendoza said. “We are thoroughly studying those options to weigh which will be less costly to the government. Thus, finally, we could resolve all the backlogs,” he added. Million plates a month Mendoza added that the agency’s plate-making plant could produce a million monthly plates to replace all the backlogs — from the old green plates to the new white ones. He said before the end of November, the license plate backlog will hopefully be fully addressed. With production in full swing, a motorist with a newly acquired four-wheel vehicle can claim his license plates within 10 days. In the meantime, new motorcycle owners can now get their plates immediately. This significantly improved from the previous year when motorists took years to get their plates. To recall, in March, ex-LTO chief Jay Art Tugade issued a memo suspending the production of license plates due to a shortage of materials. Online portal needs full utilization Mendoza said the LTO is also working on finally utilizing the Land Transportation Management System, or LTMS, a P3.14-billion portal created to address Filipinos’ motoring concerns. He lamented that the underutilization of the online portal, which he described as just one of the many inherited problems of the agency, was a misuse of government funds. “The system design is incomplete, and you know that as much as possible, we want to be fully digital as instructed by the President. We want motorists to be able to apply for a license and register their vehicles through that platform,” Mendoza said. “We supposedly have all the facilities. There will be no need to go to LTO offices as it will also address the issues of fixers. However, we cannot do all these until we fully resolve the website’s functionalities,” he said, adding that the LTO would need the developers to provide them with some missing source and application codes. The LTMS was jointly developed by German technology firm Dermalog and its local partners, Holy Family Printing Corp., Microgenesis, and Verzontal Builders Inc. The project went through competitive bidding in May 2018. The LTO’s online portal is a one-stop shop that will integrate all LTO services in a single contactless database system and digital platform. “We are waiting for their reply. I have been open since my first day in office, and I’ve been very open to them. There is a problem, let us talk about it. However, they have not replied to my letters on the source code and application code issue. We have to protect the government’s interest, and the government’s interest is to get the source and application codes so we can do the enhancements ourselves,” Mendoza said. According to the new LTO chief, hiring another third-party team to resolve the LTMS issues might cost the government at least another billion pesos. Mendoza asked why the government does not just find another software developer, saying: “We already paid for the contract.” “If we do it, maybe they will spend another billion just to complete everything, so the government will save a lot if we do it ourselves. We have DICT with us, and LTO is also hiring technical people for us to be able to do it ourselves. So, we can do it, we don’t need foreigners to teach us.” The post LTO innovates responses to backlogs appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden’s son Hunter indicted on gun charges
US President Joe Biden's son Hunter was indicted Thursday for illegally buying a gun when he was using drugs, casting a new shadow over his father's campaign for reelection next year. Hunter Biden, 53, was charged with two counts of making false statements when claiming on forms required for the 2018 gun purchase that he was not using drugs illegally at the time. A third charge said that, based on the false statements, he illegally possessed the gun during an 11-day period in October that year. If convicted on all three felony charges, Biden could in theory face 25 years in prison, though in practice they are seldom punished by any jail time. In attesting that he was not an unlawful user of drugs when he bought the Colt Cobra revolver, Biden "knew that statement was false," the Justice Department said. The indictment came two days after Republicans in Congress opened an impeachment probe against Democrat Joe Biden, alleging that when he was vice president he benefitted financially from his son's foreign business dealings. The legal troubles of Hunter Biden present a target for political rivals of his father, who is bidding for a second term in the White House. Hunter is a Yale-trained lawyer and lobbyist-turned-artist, but his life has been marred by alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction. Without offering any evidence, Republicans have accused Biden's Justice Department of protecting his son and have accused Weiss, a Republican appointee, of going easy on Hunter. Representative James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky who will be leading the impeachment inquiry, welcomed the filing of the gun charges, calling it a "very small start." "Mountains of evidence reveals that Hunter Biden likely committed several felonies and Americans expect the Justice Department to apply the law equally," Comer said. Twice-impeached former president Donald Trump reacted on his Truth Social platform. "This, the gun charge, is the only crime that Hunter Biden committed that does not implicate Crooked Joe Biden," he said. - Plea deal collapsed - But a leading Democrat, Keisha Lance Bottoms, ex-mayor of Atlanta and a former senior adviser to Joe Biden, questioned why Hunter had been charged. "Can anyone tell me how many people have been federally indicted for purchasing a gun while dealing with substance abuse issues?" Bottoms said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I don't know the answer, but in my over 29 years as an attorney, I have never heard of it." The gun charges were filed by Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2018 over various allegations, mostly related to his overseas business deals. Two months ago a plea deal between Biden and Weiss, covering the gun charge as well as alleged tax violations, went sour. Biden agreed to plead guilty in federal court in Delaware to two minor tax charges. In exchange he was offered probation, as he had already paid what he owed the government along with penalties. Weiss agreed to suspend the felony gun charge if Biden completed "pretrial diversion," which often involves counseling or rehabilitation. But in a dramatic July 26 hearing, the deal collapsed over whether Biden would have been immune from any other charges also investigated by Weiss, including possible crimes related to his business dealings in Ukraine, China and elsewhere. The judge mentioned the possibility that Biden could be charged as having acted as a lobbyist for foreign governments without registering with the Justice Department. Three weeks later, after the deal collapsed, Weiss dropped the tax charges and said an indictment on the gun charge would come by the end of September. As the 2024 election race swings into gear, Republicans in the House of Representatives on Tuesday formally opened an impeachment inquiry against President Biden. They alleged, without offering hard evidence, that while vice president in 2015-2016, Biden intervened to protect an allegedly corrupt Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, where Hunter Biden sat on the board. Republicans allege Joe Biden and his family reaped large sums for helping Burisma. The post Biden’s son Hunter indicted on gun charges appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Five groups target NAIA takeover
Five companies have signified their intention to take over the operations and management of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA a few weeks after the Department of Transportation or DoTr opened the bidding for the P170.6-billion project. In a text message to the Daily Tribune on Wednesday, the DoTr confirmed that five potential bidders have bought bid documents for the project. As of 13 September, the interested companies include San Miguel Corp. or SMC, Spark 888 Management Inc., and Asian Airport Consortium. Two others who submitted bids — Manila International Airport Consortium or MIAC and GMR Group — have previously vied for the NAIA rehabilitation. MIAC is composed of Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation, Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corporation, Alliance Global — Infracorp Development Inc., Filinvest Development Corporation, and JG Summit Infrastructure Holdings Corporation along with Global Infrastructure Partners. Super consortium in running In 2018, the government awarded the Original Proponent Status for the NAIA rehabilitation to a “super-consortium” formed by seven of the country’s biggest conglomerates: Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc.; AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation; Alliance Global Group Inc.; Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corporation; Filinvest Development Corporation; and JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. It was, however, terminated. Thus, Megawide Construction Corp. and partner GMR Infrastructure Ltd. also submitted an unsolicited proposal to upgrade and rehabilitate the highly congested NAIA. Despite the substantial progress, the much-needed NAIA rehabilitation was back to square one after the previous administration also rejected the proposal. According to the MIAA, the Megawide consortium failed to convince the government of its financial ability to support the project. Meanwhile, the SMC., an Asian conglomerate led by businessman Ramon S. Ang, is currently taking on the P740-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulacan. Award out by December Previously, the DoTr conveyed that the contract may be awarded to the winning bidder as early as December if the government stays on schedule. The National Economic and Development Authority or NEDA, chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., approved the solicited bid to privatize the operations of NAIA. NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the project will help address the long-standing issues at the country’s main air hub such as congestion and limited aircraft movements that usually cause inconvenience to passengers. The DoTr and the Manila International Airport Authority submitted a joint proposal to the NEDA Board to privatize the operations and management of NAIA within 15 years. The project is expected to improve the overall passenger experience and increase the current annual passenger capacity of NAIA to at least 62 million from the current 32 million. Previously, Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista floated the possibility of closing down the airport — only if nearby airports become operational. Bautista explained that the government can have the option to close NAIA if airports in adjacent provinces like Cavite and Bulacan are ready to accommodate the travel-hungry tourists in the country — both local and international. “If there will be new airports, then the government can decide to close the Manila International Airport or MIA because it can be a valuable government asset. On the other hand, it is possible to continue its operations because of its prime location in the Metro,” Bautista told reporters. “So yes, it is possible to close, it is also possible not to close MIA,” he added. Bautista also assured that in case the airport continues its operations, SMC’s Bulacan Airport can still drive up profits despite the competition. The post Five groups target NAIA takeover appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Digitalization: Walking the talk
In our 28 July article, we spoke about the President’s State of the Nation Address or SoNA. If you recall, he ended the SoNA by stating, “I know that the state of the nation is sound and is improving. Dumating na po ang Bagong Pilipinas.” Among the pillars he mentioned to support and substantiate is the digitalization efforts of this administration. We lifted a couple of direct quotes from the SONA, but we wish to highlight a couple more for today’s article, namely: “Digitalization is the call of today; not the call of the future — but of the present. It is here. It is needed, and it is needed today.” “Digitalization will support the government’s data-driven and science-based planning and decision-making. It is the greatest, most powerful tool, not just to improve the ease of doing business, but also against many forms of graft and corruption.” Just last Tuesday, 22 August, a Department of Budget and Management press release shared the belief that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. fully supports the creation of an e-marketplace where government entities may directly procure products for their needs, like online shopping platforms. In this, PBBM is hitting two birds with one stone. Not only is he advancing his call for digitalization, but he is also putting into practice the policies behind Republic Act 11032, also known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. In addition, there are other points related to this that are worth highlighting. DBM again has shared the very encouraging possibilities they are exploring and working on. It was explained that the idea is to help get rid of the lengthy process of public bidding for certain products, as government entities can buy straight from the virtual market. To ensure the quality of the merchandise to be bought and the dependability of their suppliers, there will be a mechanism to qualify and identify which are the right products and suppliers that will be placed in this marketplace. Whatever and whoever they shall be, it is expected that the featured products will be of excellent quality, are available, and fitting to the real and varied needs of the government. The push for digitalization has nowadays become more important given the government’s desire, for one, to realistically address the complex issues surrounding the Procurement Act which has long been due for review and needed amendments. In maximizing existing digital platforms, how do you improve the processes related to them to ensure that the output they generate is helpful and true to the objectives they seek to attain? Take just one example the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System, the online system that the government is now using as a central portal for all procurement information and its activities. Must certainty of its processes remain or now be modified? The basic requirement for any business entity to be able to participate in the conduct of a government bidding is registration and membership with the PhilGEPS. In registering, all the necessary documents to qualify for membership are submitted, and once on-board the business entity is already presumed to have all its documents verified, approved, and in order. Or at least that is how it should be. So, it begs the question, “Why do you require these business entities, during actual bidding time, to submit their documents again? Will this not just lead to delays, excessive costs, and, worse, opportunities for corruption? Incidentally, when business entities encounter runaway costs, you can be sure that the ultimate party to suffer is the people. All that being said, it remains the duty of the government to ease doing business and fight graft and corruption. PBBM is keen on reducing the burden in certain, if not all, government transactions, and digitalization is one of the promising ways that can now be employed to successfully reach this goal. Digitalization will reduce human intervention, and this will in turn reduce errors and the chances of wrongdoing. Most of the negative comments surrounding elected officials are that they do not deliver the things they had promised during their campaign. It is indeed easy to forget once you have been sworn into office. However, PBBM has displayed consistency and dedication to the goals he mentioned when he took his oath. In this, he is not simply talking the talk; he is veritably walking the talk! The post Digitalization: Walking the talk appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Graft buster clears Cusi
Citing the presumption of regularity, the Office of the Ombudsman threw out the graft complaint of a New York-based billionaire against former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, other Department of Energy officials, Davao City-based executive Dennis Uy, and several others over the sale of 90 percent of the shares of the Malampaya natural gas consortium. On 18 October 2021, US-based geologist Balgamel Domingo and Filipino-American anti-Duterte leaders Rodel Rodis and Loida Nicolas-Lewis filed charges against Cusi, Uy, and the others involved in the sale of the Malampaya stake to the Udenna group of Uy. In a copy of the ruling obtained by the Daily Tribune, the Ombudsman said it could not delve into the complaint on the legality of the transaction since “the authority to make such a determination belongs to the court.” “Seemingly, this complaint is in actuality a collateral attack on the validity of the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement,” it said. The decision declared that “matters of such tenor are not determinable in a preliminary investigation before the Ombudsman’s Office.” “Without any judicial determination decreeing the illegality of the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement, this Office is left with nothing but to acknowledge its validity,” the ruling said. The Ombudsman cited a precedent in the case of Teresita Buenaventura vs Metrobank, in a ruling that stated: “The burden of showing that a contract is simulated rests on the party impugning the contract.” “This is because of the presumed validity of the contract that has been duly executed,” the Ombudsman ruling read. “Wherefore, the criminal charges for violation of Section 3(e) and of Republic Act 3019 against the respondents are dismissed for lack of probable cause.” The ruling was signed by members of a Special Panel of Investigators composed of Ronald Allan Ramos, Josephine Mae Rosapapan, Francisco Alan Molina and Bonifacio Mandrilla. Prime takes control The operation of the Malampaya project was recently assumed by the Razon group’s Prime Energy which bought a 45-percent stake from Malampaya Energy XP, or MEXP, of the Udenna group. MEXP had bought the shares of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., or SPEX, in the consortium. The Department of Energy had branded the complaint a political move since the two Fil-Am lawyers in the suit were prominent in the “Oust Duterte” movement in the United States. The complaint alleged that Cusi and other energy officials had granted “unwarranted benefits and advantage” to Uy’s UC Malampaya in the buyout of Chevron’s share in the consortium. Udenna, through spokesperson Raymond Zorilla, said there is “no law requiring approval of the transfer of shares of companies that have an interest in Malampaya.” Zorilla said the transfer of Chevron and Shell shares underwent strict bidding processes and due diligence by both multinational oil and gas players. “The share sales were above board and legal and had to pass scrutiny by Philippine regulators, international lenders, and the said private multinationals involved,” Zorilla added. Cusi, in an interview with Daily Tribune, had said the DoE was not involved in choosing the buyer of the shares of Shell and Chevron in the Malampaya project. “The DoE did not get involved in the sale (of shares). We don’t know that they are selling. Our question was what their standards are for choosing Udenna. Why didn’t you choose the big companies, and why Udenna?” he said. Industry experts said the sale of shares was a private transaction that the accusers, who are US lawyers, should have been very familiar with. Cusi said the DoE, during his watch, went beyond its mandate by reviewing the technical, legal, and financial aspects of the transactions, the results of which were provided to the public. Political agenda The complaint, he said, had an underlying political agenda connected to his being the head of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP Laban. “It is not only political propaganda against me, but it also has a destabilization background… because I’m the president of the PDP.” The complaints, in turn, stemmed from the unending Senate inquiries on the Malampaya deals. The DoE said the Senate probes and the controversies that resulted from them had caused costly delays in the review process that would ultimately affect the country’s energy security. To refute a recent remark by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the DoE, in a statement said: “The inquiries of Senator Gatchalian are causing undue delay to the timeline of the consortium corporations, and this may eventually take its toll and put our energy security at risk.” The DoE’s approval of the sale of shares of stock of Chevron Malampaya LLC, one of the three corporations in the Malampaya Gas Field Project Consortium, had been dubbed by Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, as “lutong Macau.” It also backed the Udenna assessment that the deals were above-board. “When the sales were made, both Chevron Philippines, which owned Chevron Malampaya, and Shell Petroleum NV, owner of SPEX, followed rigorous global standards,” the DoE said. Nicolas-Lewis was part of a 25-person delegation from the US-Philippines Society, a private group comprising business executives and diplomats, who met with Duterte a week before his inauguration as president in 2016. Nicolas-Lewis was then accompanied by former Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia, PLDT chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, retired American diplomats, and executives of Coca-Cola, SGV, JP Morgan, and other top corporations. Nicolas-Lewis is the sister of former National Anti-Poverty Commission chairperson Imelda Nicolas, who was one of the “Hyatt 10” Cabinet members who turned against then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005. Imelda and most of the Hyatt 10 members ended up getting key posts in the administration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Imelda was made head of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. Nicolas-Lewis plot bared In February 2018, former President Duterte bared intercepted conversations that indicated Nicolas-Lewis was behind efforts to push the International Criminal Court, or ICC, to probe his war on drugs. Duterte revealed a recorded conversation between Lewis and another political opponent whom he did not name. “I was listening to the tapes of their conversation. It was provided to me by another country, but the conversation was somewhere in the Philippines and New York,” Duterte said. He said that among the recordings was one in which Lewis allegedly told another person: “See you in the headquarters when the case is filed.” Duterte then said in a public address that he was aware of developments on the ICC case and that lawyer Jude Sabio, the main complainant in the case, was a paid hack of Magdalo Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Rep. Gary Alejano, both failed putschists. Sabio withdrew his complaint before the ICC and revealed that the case was the handiwork of the dirty tricks factory of Trillanes. In 2016, Duterte pointed to Lewis as the financier of an alleged destabilization plot against his administration. Nicolas-Lewis invested heavily in the failed presidential campaigns of Liberal Party bets Mar Roxas in 2016 and Vice President Leni Robredo in 2022. The post Graft buster clears Cusi appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Aboitiz Construction clocks in 10-M safe man hours in Surigao del Norte project site
In line with its commitment to prioritizing safety in the workplace and promoting it among its team members and stakeholders, as of June 2023, Aboitiz Construction achieved 10 million safe man hours without lost time injury in its maintenance works for Taganito HPAL Nickel Corporation in Claver, Surigao del Norte. From 2012 until the second half of 2023, Aboitiz Construction’s maintenance project team achieved this significant milestone through the continuous implementation of occupational health and safety programs and constant communication with the firm’s partners. “This recent milestone is proof of our efforts to undertake projects with operational excellence while taking into consideration the quality of our outputs and the safety of our people. At Aboitiz Construction, we ensure that our team members are always reminded about safety and they get home to their families safely after work,” said Aboitiz Construction vice president for operations maintenance Alex Garciano. In order to promote safety, the project site regularly conducts a series of safety awareness training, emergency preparedness and response drills, site inspections and audits, checking of personal protective equipment, risk assessments, and daily toolbox meetings to discuss safety matters. [caption id="attachment_160424" align="aligncenter" width="525"] SAFETY FIRST. Aboitiz Construction takes pride in being compliant with 45001:2018 or the Occupational Health and Safety Management System across all project sites.[/caption] All safety-related campaigns are in line with the company’s compliance to 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System), which is the management systems standard for sound occupational health and safety performance. “We congratulate Aboitiz Construction’s Maintenance Team for your recent safety milestone. Aside from your commitment to incident prevention, we recognize your unending reviews and analysis of programs that emphasize the importance of safety for all employees. Continue and strengthen your commitment while delivering safe work practices and participating in various awareness and prevention activities,” said THPAL assistant manager in maintenance department Ryan Huervas. Since 2012, Aboitiz Construction has been involved in the maintenance works for an industrial plant in Claver. Over the past decade, the firm has provided jobs to nearly 1,000 workers from the local community. The scope of work includes preventive maintenance, instrumentation, electrical works, and conditional monitoring to ensure more efficient operations of the plant. “At Aboitiz Construction, we envision to become the country’s premier contractor and client partner where all our team members promote excellence and safety as we build a better future for a better Philippines,” Garciano said. The project in Surigao del Norte is under the newly introduced business segment of Aboitiz Construction, which is Industrial Maintenance Services. The firm has been actively involved in bidding and project coordination for the maintenance needs of various power plants, cement, and mining facilities in the country. The post Aboitiz Construction clocks in 10-M safe man hours in Surigao del Norte project site appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sandiganbayan acquits co-accused in P46-M fertilizer anomaly
The Sandiganbayan has dismissed the charges against a private co-accused in the illegal P46.45-million fertilizer purchase of the Department of Agriculture and National Food Authority in 2003. In its 4-page resolution dated 7 July 2023 and released on Sunday, the graft court’s Sixth Division found insufficient evidence that Tomas Guibani, a representative of Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp., conspired with the principal defendants, former DA Secretary Luis Ramon Lorenzo and former NFA Administrator Arthur Yap, in negotiating the purchase of the fertilizer instead of bidding it out to suppliers, in violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Government Procurement Act. “Private individuals may be held liable for violation of Section 3 of RA (Republic Act) 3019 only if they act in conspiracy with the accused public officers. There being insufficient evidence to show the conspiracy, the Court finds that the withdrawal of the Informations is proper,” the resolution read. The Ombudsman charged the three with five counts of graft in 2018. The Supreme Court ruled in October 2022 that the constitutional right of Lorenzo and Yap for a speedy disposition of cases against them was violated. The two principal accused were subsequently acquitted of the charges. Earlier, Guibani asked for the dismissal of the cases against him as Lorenzo and Yap were both cleared of the same charges. With his acquittal, Guibani’s hold departure is now lifted and set aside. The court also ordered his bond be released, subject to the usual accounting and auditing procedure. The post Sandiganbayan acquits co-accused in P46-M fertilizer anomaly appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Delayed projects due to unforeseen factors, says MMDA
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority on Tuesday clarified that the delay in the implementation of the flood management projects recently flagged down by the Commission on Audit was due to a number of factors. MMDA acting chairman Atty. Don Artes said the 33 projects under the Metro Manila Flood Management Project Phase 1 which were not yet fully implemented as of December 2022 are funded by the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. He explained that since it is a foreign-assisted project, the procurement process is different from the usual early procurement process under Republic Act 9184. “The projects underwent a tedious process and discussion with the World Bank before they were approved and implemented,” Artes said. “The WB reviews the bidding process done by the MMDA. Sometimes, they recommend continuation of the project rejected by our agency which in turn results in contract cost and duration revision.” The MMDA chief also said that the site relocation or project re-design was approved by the World Bank, adding that it is the World Bank that recommends and decides whether a contract shall be extended and coverage widened. Artes likewise said that the period of the projects being questioned was within the period 2018-2022, years when pandemic hit the country while some projects were covered by the election ban which both contributed to the delay of its implementation. He assured that the MMFMP-Project Management Office is now closely monitoring all the project deliverables to ensure that they were implemented within the given timeframe. Out of the 47 projects mentioned in the CoA report, 27 were completed as of this time, 12 are ongoing and will be completed this year, three are ongoing procurement process, and five were already abandoned as they are no longer necessary or relevant. Meantime, Artes also stressed that the 71 vehicles that the CoA flagged as unregistered in its 2022 report are all off the road as they are beyond repair and clarified that all vehicles without registration from the Land Transportation Office are already for disposal as junk. “The disposal process is long and we are currently disassembling its parts so we can use it for our serviceable vehicles,” Artes said. He added that the agency regularly conduct quarterly LTO caravan to ensure timely registration of our vehicles. Last 6 and 15 February 2023, the LTO held its two-day registration caravan, on the request of MMDA and the 216 vehicles that the CoA revealed to be beyond its useful lifespan of seven years for government service vehicles are still functional and are maintained properly. Artes said that the service vehicles he and other agency officials are using are all almost at the end of their useful life but have no intention of retiring and replacing them and will continue to be used because they are in very good running condition The post Delayed projects due to unforeseen factors, says MMDA appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
NATO begins unprecedented air drill in ‘show of strength’
NATO will begin the largest air force deployment exercise in Europe in the alliance's history on Monday in a display of unity toward partners and potential threats such as Russia. The German-led "Air Defender 23" will run until 23 June and include some 250 military aircraft from 25 NATO and partner countries including Japan and Sweden, which is bidding to join the alliance. Up to 10,000 people will participate in the drills intended to boost interoperability and preparedness to protect against drones and cruise missiles in the case of an attack on cities, airports or sea ports within NATO territory. Presenting the plans last week, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz of the German Luftwaffe said "Air Defender" was conceived in 2018 in part as a response to the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine four years before, though he said it was "not targeted at anyone". He said that while NATO would defend "every centimeter" of its territory, the exercise would not "send any flights, for example, in the direction of Kaliningrad," the Russian enclave bordering alliance member states Poland and Lithuania. "We are a defensive alliance and that is how this exercise is planned," he said. US Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said the drill would show "beyond a shadow of a doubt the agility and the swiftness of our allied force" and was intended to send a message to countries including Russia. "I would be pretty surprised if any world leader was not taking note of what this shows in terms of the spirit of this alliance, which means the strength of this alliance, and that includes Mr. Putin," she told reporters, referring to the Russian president. "By synchronizing together, we multiply our force." Russia's war on Ukraine has galvanized the Western military alliance set up almost 75 years ago to face off against the Soviet Union. Finland and Sweden, which long kept an official veneer of neutrality to avoid conflict with Moscow, both sought membership in NATO after Russia's February 2022 invasion. Under NATO's Article Five, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. 'Great power competition' The exercise will include operational and tactical-level training, primarily in Germany, but also in the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit pilots based at the Schleswig-Jagel airfield in northern Germany on Friday. General Michael Loh, director of the US Air National Guard, said NATO's duties were at an "inflection point". "A great deal has changed on the strategic landscape throughout the world, especially here in Europe," he said. The exercise will focus on "supplementing the permanent United States presence in Europe" as well as providing training "on a larger scale than what was usually accomplished on the continent", Loh added. He said many of the alliance pilots would be working together for the first time. "It's about fostering the old relationships that we have but also building new ones with this younger generation of airmen," he said. "And so this is about now establishing what it means to go against a great power in a great power competition." Gutmann said that while there were no plans to make "Air Defender" a recurring exercise, she added: "We have no desire for this to be the last." Asked about potential disruption to civilian air transport during the exercise, Gerhartz said the planners would do "everything in our power" to limit flight delays or cancellations. German authorities had warned that flight schedules could be impacted by the drills. The post NATO begins unprecedented air drill in ‘show of strength’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BFP told: Review firetruck bid requirements
The Bureau of Fire Protection has been urged to review the terms of reference and specifications when bidding out firetrucks. Bicol Saro Partylist Representative and former Interior and Local Government Assistant Secretary Brian Raymund Yamsuan issued the call following allegations of corruption hounding the BFP over its acquisition of firetrucks. The lawmaker believes this action, with the BFP instituting change within the agency, will ultimately help eliminate the country's recurrent firetruck backlog. "You are the ones who will start the change in your agency. You should initiate change. Because if you don't, nothing will happen. It will reflect on us. What is happening to you is a reflection on us in the government," Yamsuan said. The House committee on public order and safety chaired by Santa Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez carried its first deliberation on Tuesday on House Resolution 724, which seeks to scrutinize the BFP's "restrictive" and "questionable" firetruck procurement bidding in line with its modernization program. The resolution was filed by Makabayan bloc members ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel. The BFP, one of the agencies under the jurisdiction of the DILG, annually receives a substantial portion of the General Appropriations Law, primarily since the passage of the BFP Modernization Act, which provides for the expansion of the nation's firefighting capabilities through the acquisition of equipment such as firetrucks, among others. In their resolution, the three-member Makabayan bloc expressed concern over the BFP's restrictions in its published bidding documents, which they said appear to be "tailor-fit" to favor certain suppliers. The BFP, according to the solons, has given undue advantage to two joint venture entities since 2018. BFP Director Louie Puracan responded by saying the agency takes measures to ensure competitive bidding and no favored suppliers. "Our bidding is not tailor-fit, your honors. Many bidders are able to bid," he said. One of the restrictions the BFP imposed in its bidding documents, according to the resolution's proponents, is the limitation of qualified bidders to those that had been engaged in the manufacture or assembly of firetrucks and or rescue truck vehicles for at least 15 years in the Philippines prior to the opening of the bids. They pointed out that it is a major departure from the previous bidding process that allowed even those entities engaged in the sale and supply of firetrucks and/or rescue truck vehicles in the Philippines for at least 15 years immediately preceding the submission and opening of bids. But the 15-year threshold was eliminated last year to allow the BFP to review the bidder's track record, said Puracan. "There were suggestions to remove the 15 years [requirement] so that more people can join, and we can have more options of cheap but quality [firetrucks]. That is why the management decided to remove the 15-year requirement." The post BFP told: Review firetruck bid requirements appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bum deal brings pain
A contract inherited from the previous Land Transportation Office regime is now a major cause of headaches for the leadership of the agency and, in effect, the entire nation as it caused the delay in the release of driver’s licenses. German firm-led joint venture Dermalog introduced the Land Transportation Management System or LTMS which is a P3.4-billion project awarded in 2018. The dispute over the contract is the crux of the stalled distribution of the cards. The company has been disqualified from the contract to produce the plastic licenses, which it assumed from Allcard which failed to perform its obligations. Worse, in 2020, according to documents filed with the Ombudsman, Dermalog “interfered in and controlled the LTO’s printing system of driver’s license cards.” LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Jose Arturo “Jay Art” Tugade inherited the problem after he was appointed in November 2022. With the actions it took, Dermalog was considered by LTO officials a “threat to national security.” Post-qualification of Dermalog for the contract was based on the ground of its failure “to fully comply with its obligations under its 2017 contract with LTO.” A 2021 report of the Commission on Audit flagged LTO’s payment of P3.15 billion to Dermalog despite several defects that delayed and disrupted the system. LTO is conducting an extensive probe which may lead to the possible scrapping of the Dermalog contract. Congress is ready to probe the alleged “illegal payment” despite the “incomplete turnover of deliverables.” The circumstances proved that the contract was in clear violation of procurement and auditing rules, warranting an extensive probe. The German-led venture had reneged on the deal more than four years after the December 2018 delivery date as the system is still not fully functional and fully rolled out. The Dermalog system was incompatible with the LTO processes that needed to be adjusted to accommodate the new system’s functions. The Ombudsman in denying Dermalog’s petition to cite bidding committee officials for graft said: “Respondents (members of LTO bidding body) did not commit any irregularity when they objected to the post-qualification of the complainant (Dermalog) in the 2021 procurement.” “It also took Dermalog until 2 July 2021 to agree to turn over all “source codes,” in escrow, create an upload facility and include it in the Inventory Management System, thereby removing LTO’s dependency on it; and grant to LTO the exclusive right to use the watermark or hologram delivered to it, “recognizing in the process the need of the LTO to be independent of the vendor as a lesson from the past.” “Its avowed intention to turn over in escrow only means that it has not indeed fully complied with its obligations under the 2017 procurement,” according to the Ombudsman’s resolution. The Ombudsman said it was not inclined “to indict respondents (LTO bidding officials) for violation of Section 3 of Republic Act 3019 for delay under RA 9184 when the facts, as they are in this case, showed that Dermalog has not been candid in its business dealings with LTO and has, by itself, caused the delay it complains about.” The dispute over the contract has held hostage the LTO, the Department of Transportation, and Filipino motorists to Dermalog’s demand that the government pay it in full despite its shortcomings. Eventually, the deficiency from the deal reflects on the image of the administration since it has been quite a while since inefficiency has been a distinctive complaint against frontline service providers. The post Bum deal brings pain appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Peru ex-president Toledo surrenders for extradition
Peruvian ex-president Alejandro Toledo surrendered to US authorities Friday, ahead of his expected extradition to Lima where he is accused of corruption and money laundering. Toledo has lived in the United States for several years and gave himself up at a federal court building in San Jose, California, where he was handed over to the US Marshals Service. The 77-year-old, who served as Peru's president from 2001 until 2006, is wanted by Peruvian prosecutors investigating a sprawling scandal involving Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht. Toledo, who holds a doctorate from Stanford University, is accused of taking millions of dollars from Odebrecht in exchange for favored treatment in bidding on public works. He denies all charges, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years if convicted in Peru. Friday's surrender appeared to be the start of the endgame for a man who was initially detained in California in 2019. He was put under house arrest in 2020 and ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitor in the swanky Menlo Park area near Stanford. Earlier this week, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected Toledo's most recent legal move to block the extradition Peru has sought since 2018, and a US judge ordered him to surrender. Peruvian prosecutors say they have testimony from two people who claim Toledo received bribes from Odebrecht. The firm acknowledged paying backhanders in Brazil and several other nations around Latin America in the so-called "Car Wash" scandal, which has so far seen dozens of politicians and business figures behind bars. Four other former Peruvian presidents currently face corruption investigations. They are Ollanta Humala (who ruled 2011-2016), Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018), Martin Vizcarra (2018-2020), and Pedro Castillo (2021-2022). Former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) was convicted of corruption charges and is in prison. Another ex-president, Alan Garcia, died by suicide in 2019 as police were preparing to arrest him in the Odebrecht case. The post Peru ex-president Toledo surrenders for extradition appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
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.....»»
Kaspersky Shares Cybersecurity Tips for a Peaceful Getaway during the holy week
As the holiday season approaches, the urge to unwind and kick back is natural. And it’s all too common for people to let their guard down completely when connecting to the Internet too– but shouldn’t. Recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group shared its findings on identity theft cases in the country. Between November […].....»»
House leaves Quiboloy’s fate to Senate
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‘Danger’ level heat index recorded in 9 areas
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UAAP volleyball enters break amid wide-open semis race
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Lalamove empowers aspiring women entrepreneurs to start their small businesses in PangNegosyo program
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Gilas women off to great start in FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup
The Gilas Pilipinas women had a strong start in the 2024 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup after coming up unscathed in the first day of the competition Wednesday at the Singapore Sports Hub......»»
MPL PH Season 13: Smart Omega stays winless; AP.Bren takes solo lead
It's been a bad start for Smart Omega as the barangay remains winless in the 13th season of the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines......»»