LNG companies eye more incentives in bill
Industry players in the emerging liquefied natural gas industry are seeking more incentives to help ensure the development and sustainability of the natural gas sector......»»
Meta says Canada news to be blocked after media bill passes
Facebook and Instagram users in Canada will be blocked from viewing Canadian news, parent-company Meta said Thursday, after Ottawa passed a bill requiring digital giants to pay for such content. Google, another critic of the Online News Act, has previously said it is considering a similar move. The two Silicon Valley giants have pushed back against the bill, which aims to support a struggling Canadian news sector that has seen hundreds of publications closed in the last decade. "Exciting news! (No pun intended)," Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez tweeted after the bill passed a final hurdle in the Senate on its way to becoming law. He said Meta's decision to block news content was regrettable, but vowed to "defend Canadians against web giants." His office said officials met with Facebook and Google this week and looked forward to further discussions about the new law. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month slammed Meta for a trial run of blocking Canadian news content for some users, saying the company was being "deeply irresponsible and out of touch" for refusing to pay journalists for their work. Opposition to the bill, he said, was "flawed (and) dangerous to our democracy, to our economy." Google in February had also temporarily limited access to news for Canadian users of its popular search engine. In a statement on Thursday, Meta said it was "confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada." "The changes affecting news content will not otherwise impact Meta's products and services in Canada," it added. The new law requires digital giants to make fair commercial deals with Canadian outlets for the news and information that is shared on their platforms, or face binding arbitration. It builds on Australia's New Media Bargaining Code, a world first, aimed at making Google and Meta pay for news content on their platforms. Australia, too, had accused the two companies, who dominate online advertising, of draining cash away from traditional news organizations while using their content for free. Big tech firms had fiercely opposed the Australian legislation initially, fearing it would threaten their business models, but with amendments it was easily passed by lawmakers. The post Meta says Canada news to be blocked after media bill passes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Russia to foot $411-B Ukraine rebuilding bill — Allies
A second fundraising drive for the reconstruction of Ukraine held in London Wednesday saw Ukraine’s Western allies vowing to bill Russia $411 billion, the initial estimated cost of damage in its neighbor resulting from the invasion and ongoing attacks. “Let’s be clear: Russia is causing Ukraine’s destruction,” United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken told delegates to the International Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023. “And Russia will eventually bear the cost of Ukraine’s reconstruction,” he said. The World Bank has put an estimate of $14 billion on Ukraine’s immediate needs to repair the damage caused by the bitter fighting. However, the WB, the United Nations, the European Union and the Ukrainian government said the wider recovery of the economy would cost $411 billion. Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmygal the bill includes the estimated $1.5 billion in environmental damage caused by the destruction of the Russian-held Kakhovka dam earlier this month. The amount excludes losses in agriculture, infrastructure, housing and the rebuilding of the plant. Seized assets to be tapped United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to keep tough sanctions in place “until Russia pays up” and to use seized assets to get Ukraine back on its feet — something the EU said it would also look at. Sunak has announced UK backing for Ukraine to the tune of $3 billion so it can unlock vital WB loans to help bolster public services, including schools and hospitals. He also announced an extra £240 million ($306 million) in development aid funding for humanitarian projects. More than 400 companies from 38 countries, with a combined market capitalization of $4.9 trillion, have already promised to back Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, Sunak said. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen recapped the EU executive’s support package for Ukraine of 50 billion euros ($55 billion) over the next four years. Germany will provide 381 million euros in humanitarian assistance this year and France 40 million euros. The US will provide more than $1.3 billion in additional aid. “Every day of Russian aggression brings new ruins, thousands and thousands of destroyed houses, devastated industries, burnt lives,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told the conference by video link. Despite the devastation, Zelensky said Ukraine was ripe for development in sectors from technology and green agriculture to clean energy. Leaders and representatives from more than 60 countries attended the conference. The first Ukraine reconstruction fundraiser in Lugano, Switzerland last July saw allies commit to supporting the country through what is expected to be an eye-wateringly expensive and decades-long recovery. The post Russia to foot $411-B Ukraine rebuilding bill — Allies appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Senate tackles airlines’ booking glitches, offloading mess
Growing complaints from various passengers against budget carrier, Cebu Pacific’s overbooking, offloading, and booking glitches have reached the Senate inquiry on Wednesday. This came after Senate committee chairperson, Senator Nancy Binay, filed Senate Resolution No. 575 pushing for an investigation on the customers’ complaints against Cebu Pacific due to recent flight cancellations. During the hearing, Binay said her office was able to compile at least 3,000 complaints from the passengers, which have been aired through social media platforms. “We have since seen it fit to invite our other airlines to this hearing because these problems, it seemed, have only grown in number. Our passengers face inconveniences on multiple fronts on account of flight delays, cancelations, offloading, and overbooking,” Binay stressed. Overseas worker, James Bartolome, said he has yet to receive his refund from Cebu Pacific after his flight going to Qatar was canceled. After knowing that his original flight was canceled, Bartolome opted to book another airline as the budget carrier won’t be able to give him an earlier flight. Senator JV Ejercito said the airport and airline operations will provide the “first and last impressions” to the tourists and potential investors entering the country. “We need to systematize this for our tourism and business climate,” he said, sharing that he was not even spared from experiencing flight delays. Binay emphasized the need to identify problems and immediately craft strategies to prevent similar complaints in the future. Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said that Cebu Pacific and other similar airline companies should acknowledge the impacts of flight cancellations and other airline mess. “Incidents like these could discourage tourists so this hearing should serve as a platform to air the grievances of the frustrated and helpless passengers,” Go said, citing that these may affect the country’s tourism industry and the economy. “Remember that we are still reviving from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added. Go said the airlines must immediately act and rectify these issues by imposing proper mechanisms for compensating affected passengers—which includes food provisions during flight cancellation and alternative flight schedules. During the hearing, several Cebu Pacific passengers also complained about apparent website errors that resulted in them being charged multiple times for transactions yet it appeared to be unsuccessful. Cebu Pacific chief marketing and customer experience officer, Candice Iyog, explained that there is a part of the flow where if a passenger clicks proceed, it commits the changes even before the passenger pays. “We recognize that and we are taking that feedback as well,” Iyog said. The Cebu Pacific, she added, is already working on “a fix or an enhancement” to the interface of the website, which will likely be ready at the end of this month. “Depending on when it's ready, we're looking at possibly, end of July that we will be able to implement this change in the user experience,” she said. Senator Risa Hontiveros lamented that in several instances when passengers’ original flights were canceled, Cebu Pacific offered flight rebooking and passengers were immediately made to pay before they could confirm their purchase of travel tickets. Citing a passenger’s experience, the airline’s website technical issue made them pay a bill of P16,000-worth of add-ons after availing of Cebu Pacific’s free rebooking option, following the cancellation of flights. Iyog said they recently reminded their customer service agents to allow passengers to get back to their original flight or to remove add-ons that were “accidentally added.” “We don’t want to cancel flights for our passengers. It’s bad business and we don’t want to disrupt our passengers—that’s why we give options,” Iyog noted. Tougher passengers’ rights Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe slammed the budget carrier for lacking customer service agents directly responding to these complaints. Poe called on for a tougher policy on air passengers' rights to address the cancellations and delays in flights by local airlines besetting travelers. "This pressing public service issue calls for urgent effective solutions as it involves not only the air passengers' rights but also the overall impact on the country's tourism and economy,” she added. While overbooking is a globally accepted practice, Poe said "systematic delays and cancellations are not." Also, Hontiveros pressed that the government agencies should step in to prevent more passengers from being disrupted in their travels due to canceled, rescheduled, and delayed flights in Cebu Pacific and other airline companies. “These kinds of inconveniences disrupt the travel experiences also of tourists, and as the chair said, could negatively affect the tourism sector,” she added. Aside from the reported overbooking, offloading, booking, and flight cancellations, Senator Raffy Tulfo said that adding extra flights daily amid lacking proper airplane maintenance can be called “abuses of the airline companies.” He lamented that it could pose danger and compromise the safety of all airline passengers, “There were safety issues surrounding the uploading, overbooking, and flight cancellations of airlines. If these airlines don’t care about fulfilling their obligations to provide air transport for their passengers, I will not be surprised that they are cutting corners when it comes to safety as well,” Tulfo pressed on. Tulfo said extra flights can also cause fatigue in pilots and flight attendants. For his part, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa wants the Civil Aeronautics Board to become proactive in resolving the massive airline mess in the country. Dela Rosa asked CAB if it is amenable to institutionalize the Air Passenger Bill of Rights in order to protect the public from erring airline companies. "What is your position? Do you agree with the proposal to create a law that will institutionalize the Air Passenger Bill of Rights?" asked Dela Rosa. In response, CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla, said they have been very supportive of the proposal. “But it seems it is not among the priorities of Congress,” he said. Dela Rosa said he is mulling to proposed the bill in the Senate “not to discourage the airline industry but to protect the public interest. The post Senate tackles airlines’ booking glitches, offloading mess appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Office Maritess’ bill needs review
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines on Monday said that there is a need to study the effectiveness of a proposed bill that would penalize acts of bullying and spreading malicious information in the workplace. The measure — House Bill 8446 or the “Anti-Bullying in the Workplace Act” filed by Quezon City Representative Ralph Tulfo and Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support Partylist Representative Jocelyn Tulfo — seeks to penalize bullying which affects workers’ mental and emotional health. In a radio interview, TUCP legislative officer Carlos Miguel Onate called for a comprehensive review of existing laws against violence and harassment in the workplace, creating a unified law against practices that adversely affect workers. “There are many existing laws against violence and harassment in the workplace, but our observation is that there needs to be a stronger implementation and harmonization of the law because there’s so many of them. It needs to be comprehensive,” Onate said. He also lauded the creation of the proposed legislation, saying that the bill jives with their calls to ratify International Labor Organization Convention 190 or the Violence and Harassment Convention. Onate explained that the ratification would institutionalize laws against violence and harassment of workers, many of which have not been able to address their concerns to their employers for fear of losing employment. He particularly cited the dynamics between regular and contractual workers, with the latter not having the chance of telling their experiences to their employers’ human resources divisions due to job security. “We welcome the legislation that advances the welfare of workers against office bullying. We need to reiterate the ratification of ILO Convention 190 which could allow a overhaul [and] comprehensive review of our legislation against violence and harassment in the world of work,” Onate said. Aside from such laws, Onate proposed more efforts from the government to curb bad practices in the workplace, including adding more labor inspectors, claiming that the current ratio of labor inspectors to companies is at one over 800. The post ‘Office Maritess’ bill needs review appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US business titans flock to China despite fraying ties
From Elon Musk to Bill Gates and Apple's Tim Cook, some of the United States' biggest business titans have headed to Beijing, seemingly defying the barrage of doomsayer narratives around the US-China trade war. The stream of visits by some of the world's richest men began after China abruptly ended nearly three years of Covid isolation late last year. In Beijing, the American magnates have talked up their optimism about China's vast market and trade ties between the world's two largest economies. Landing in China in late May, Tesla owner Musk reportedly said that Beijing and Washington's interests were "intertwined, like conjoined twins, who are inseparable from each other". Apple CEO Cook also spoke of his firm's "symbiotic" relationship with China -- home to the world's largest iPhone factory. The biggest honor of all -- a meeting on Friday with Xi Jinping -- was reserved for Gates, whom the Chinese leader hailed as "our old friend", according to the state-run People's Daily. The visits come as US-China trade tensions deepen, and after trade between the two countries reached a record $690.6 billion last year, according to the US Department of Commerce. But businesses are worried about a slow in US exports to China, America's third-largest trading partner, with the drop strongly felt in the tech industry. Citing national security concerns, the United States in 2022 blocked exports to China of the most advanced semiconductors and the equipment needed to make them. China has hit back by vowing to accelerate its efforts to become self-reliant on semiconductors. "China-US trade was... once mutually dependent and beneficial," analysts at the Peterson Institute for International Economics wrote in a recent paper. "US exports to China are one more channel through which the bilateral relationship continues to deteriorate." 'Minority voice' The US government is engaged in high-stakes disputes with China over policy issues ranging from Taiwan to human rights, with no sign of tensions abating despite an upcoming visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. US businesses in China have long been at the forefront of advocating for engagement, arguing that a strong economic relationship could spur reform. The visits by the magnates show just how embedded some of the world's biggest firms are in China, despite the political tensions. With China growing more repressive under Xi, however, long-influential business lobbies are "increasingly a minority voice", according to Joe Mazur, an analyst at Trivium. "The business community is one of the last remaining pieces of ballast that is stabilizing the US-China relationship." Blinken visit The business community in China will be closely watching Blinken's visit this weekend, which analysts say is unlikely to ease the confrontation. "American business has substantial investments, thousands of employees, and still considers China a promising market," James Zimmerman, a Beijing-based former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, told AFP. But the US and Chinese governments, he said, "have hollowed out any level of collaboration and there is little room for developing even a pretense of goodwill". The US-China Business Council, long a key interlocutor between Beijing and Washington, feels left in the lurch, with its efforts against stricter trade curbs having failed to sway an increasingly hawkish Congress. "They have to make the case for continued engagement with China when the received wisdom in Washington is that the moment of engagement has passed," Mazur said. Is it worth it? Recent moves by Beijing to restrict overseas access to data and raids on consulting firms' offices have also spooked foreign companies -- adding to a sense that doing business in China is increasingly not worth the risk. "There's a shift in sentiment," said Claire Chu, a senior China analyst at defence intelligence company Janes. Many companies may "wonder maybe, even if I don't exit, I should start thinking about it", Chu added. "Dawn raids with little due process and the indefinite detention of employees without access to legal counsel has become the norm for both Chinese and foreign companies alike," Zimmerman said. Many top manufacturers are openly recalibrating their reliance on China: both Apple and Tesla are looking to move some of their production out of the country. "Much the same way that people said 10 years ago that you need to be in China to be relevant, now relevance will depend upon a strategic reshoring exercise," Zimmerman added. The post US business titans flock to China despite fraying ties appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bong Go lauds Senate approval of Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go expressed his support and lauded the approval of Senate Bill No. 2035 on its third and final reading on Monday, 29 May. The measure, also known as Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, aims to establish a master plan for employment generation and recovery to address the challenges brought about by the pandemic. The proposed Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, principally sponsored by Majority Leader Senator Joel Villanueva, garnered strong support from lawmakers, including Go, who co-sponsored the bill. Go emphasized the significance of providing decent and equal job opportunities for all Filipinos, especially during these trying times. "Many Filipinos have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and the rising unemployment rate calls for immediate action," Go stated. "This measure will stimulate national and local economic growth and development through aligning investment and other incentives provided by law for decent job generation, including the reintegration of Overseas Filipino Workers," he added. Go, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Labor, further stressed the importance of adequate planning and strategy to create sufficient employment opportunities, saying, "Dapat po talaga may sapat na pagpaplano at stratehiya para makalikha tayo ng sapat na trabaho." "Through the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan, we will promote the employability, competitiveness, wellness, and productivity of workers," he added. The Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, once passed into law, will establish the National Employment Master Plan, known as the "Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan." This comprehensive plan will serve as the state's blueprint for employment generation and recovery, encompassing both short-term and long-term goals and visions for the country. The plan's objectives include stimulating economic growth and development, promoting the employability and competitiveness of workers, providing support and incentives to businesses, and encouraging employers and industry stakeholders. Under the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan, a Trabaho Para sa Bayan Inter-Agency Council will be formed to develop success measures, key performance indicators, and action components. The council's responsibilities will include providing support for micro, small, and medium enterprises, enhancing the skills of the workforce, incentivizing employers and private sector organizations, and ensuring a favorable business environment. To facilitate the implementation of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan, the bill also proposes the creation of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Fund. This fund will be sourced from various government agencies, donations, grants, and other revenue streams. "This marks a significant milestone in our pursuit of a brighter future for employment in our beloved country," said Go. "With the approval of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, I am filled with optimism and hope that this can be the catalyst for economic recovery, job creation, and the holistic well-being of our hardworking Filipino workers," he added. Go's support for the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act is aligned with his continuous efforts to promote economic development in the country. He previously commended the Senate for approving SBN 1594, which shall institutionalize the One Town, One Product Philippines Program. This initiative aims to stimulate the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by utilizing indigenous raw materials, local traditions, and cultures. "Supporting small businesses plays a crucial role for the country. MSMEs are often the drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship," Go, who authored and co-sponsored the measure, emphasized. "They can quickly respond to changing market demands and develop new products or services that meet the needs of their customers," he added. In addition, Go introduced SBN 1182 or the proposed Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery Act. This bill aims to strengthen the capacity of government financial institutions to provide vital financial assistance to MSMEs and other strategically important companies. Go highlighted that the proposed GUIDE Act is one of the priority measures mentioned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his first State of the Nation Address. At the height of the pandemic, Go also played a crucial role in the implementation of the Small Business Wage Subsidy program. This program provided financial assistance to eligible workers who were unable to work or receive payment during the enhanced community quarantine period. The post Bong Go lauds Senate approval of Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Wage hike tunnel vision
The Senate is expected to pass before adjourning sine die in June a P150-a-day, across-the-board wage hike after a bill mandating just that was approved “in principle” by its labor panel. That bill had been simmering before a technical working group, being cooked to make it palatable to employers, especially to micro, small, and medium enterprises that employ 5.4 million Filipinos. The few but noisy militants in the labor sector have derided the Senate panel’s wage bill and its counterpart House measure as too paltry against the skyrocketing prices of goods and services. Businesses had always been opposed to the shotgun approach of legislating wage hikes because a bearable imposition on one company may just be what would tip another enterprise to going into the precipice and seizing operations. In the latter example, workers, due to the actions of politicians pandering to what they think would earn them “pogi” points in the next election, could suddenly find themselves without jobs. It is for this reason that business groups like the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines had been steadfast in keeping the status quo of raising salaries through the regional wage boards. The boards oversee relatively smaller regions and as such can listen to affected parties, both from the labor and employer sides, thereby coming up with increases acceptable to both. As things stand relative to Congress’ clear intent to ram the P150/day wage hike maybe in time for the President’s second State of the Nation Address in July, there are two sides. The first backs the measure to address the rising cost of living, while the second group had been arguing that it is inflationary, or that it will lead to further increases in the prices of goods and services. Theoretically, wage hikes could be inflationary because they can lead to an increase in the demand for goods and services. When workers buy more goods and services, the sudden or artificial increase in demand can put upward pressure on prices. In addition, wage hikes can also lead to an increase in the cost of production as businesses may have to pass on higher wage costs to consumers in the form of higher prices. Abrupt legislated wage hikes may, however, not impact inflation in a robust economy where businesses may be able to absorb the higher costs of labor without passing them on to consumers. But in an economy like ours that is just now getting out of the pandemic, wage hikes may further increase prices as businesses may be less able to absorb the higher costs of labor and instead pass them on to consumers. In both types of economies, legislated wage hikes are one-size-fits-all solutions that could be bearable to some businesses but catastrophic to others, leading to some companies letting go of their workers. In looking at the wage bills, legislators should take off their blinders and look at the big picture and past our borders where companies are laying off workers left and right. In the United States alone, in the technology and digital sector which supposedly made a killing during the pandemic due to the lockdowns and mobility restrictions, layoffs are leaving a bloody mess. This month, Amazon announced the layoff of 16,000 from a combination of factors like diminishing revenue stream and increased competition. Google’s parent company Alphabet earlier announced dropping 12,000 employees. The list goes on and on with Microsoft also giving 10,158 workers the pink slip, and Facebook’s Meta paring down its labor pool by 10,000. Amid the layoffs abroad, the number of unemployed Filipinos in 2022 dropped by 1.04 million to 2.99 million, compared to the 3.96 million jobless Filipinos in 2021. Those numbers represent an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent in 2022 from 8.8 percent in 2021. The decline in unemployment can be attributed to the Philippine economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic with gross domestic product increases that had been the envy of our Asian neighbors. This is something that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has not failed to point out in his many trips abroad to lure in foreign capital and investments. More than raising wages, the bigger challenge for the country is to further reduce unemployment by, among other things, addressing the mismatch between the skills of the unemployed with the skills required by the available jobs. Jobs generation is one aspect of the economy that lawmakers should focus on, one that would really impact the quality of life of Filipinos, and maybe even make the many Filipinos working abroad decide to come home since there are jobs for them locally. The post Wage hike tunnel vision appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Decades-old EPIRA needs to catch up — DOE
The Department of Energy is carefully studying the Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or EPIRA to ensure that the more than two decades-old law can keep up with the changing energy landscape while upholding the interest of the consumers. “Right now it is a case of there is always a continuing effort to amend the EPIRA so that we can adjust certain parts that may require some tweaking,” Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla said in a recent interview with reporters. Lotilla said the EPIRA amendments can be related to the Energy Regulatory Commission’s powers and penalties it may impose and the Philippine Competition Commission's powers relative to the energy sector. “These are just some of the things that we need to clarify, but even without these amendments within the framework of the existing EPIRA we will proceed,” he added. The EPIRA passed during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, mandates ERC and PCC to promote competition, encourage market development, ensure consumer choice, and penalize abuse of market power in the restructured electricity industry. The law also promotes competition by creating a level playing field, among others, in the competitive retail electricity market. In a hearing at the House Committee on Energy last week, Undersecretary Sharon Garin, disclosed that the EPIRA should be realigned to ban foreign-owned or foreign government-backed enterprises from engaging in power transmission. The DoE has drafted a bill backed by lawmakers to include additional paragraphs in EPIRA that would effectively ban the involvement of companies controlled or acting on behalf of foreign governments in the country's electric transmission business. Once the bill is passed into law, state-run enterprises currently operating in the country will be forced to divest their investments within 10 years. Private Electric Power Operators Association President Ranulfo Ocampo, in another hearing on Tuesday, feared that the proposed revisions in EPRIA may push government authorities to compete in the generation sector, which might discourage investments. Meanwhile, Meralco's First Vice President and Head of Regulatory Management Jose Valles also warned that lower investments in the generation sector can lead to higher electricity prices due to the absence of competition amid fewer players. Currently, the country's transmission system is solely operated by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, a private company whose 40 percent stakes are owned by the State Grid Corporation of China. The majority, or 60 percent, is controlled by a group of Filipino businessmen led by Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr. NGCP holds a 25-year franchise to solely operate the transmission assets of the government under the Republic Act 9511 signed in 2008. The post Decades-old EPIRA needs to catch up — DOE appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
After SpaceX, NASA taps Bezos’s Blue Origin to build Moon lander
Two years after awarding Elon Musk's SpaceX a contract to ferry astronauts to the surface of the Moon, NASA on Friday announced it had chosen Blue Origin, a rival space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, to build a second lunar lander. Blue Origin's lander was selected for the Artemis 5 mission, currently scheduled to take place in 2029. The company will first have to demonstrate it can safely land on the Moon without a crew. Bezos, the founder and former CEO of Amazon, said on Twitter he was "honored to be on this journey with @NASA to land astronauts on the Moon -- this time to stay." The contract amounts to $3.4 billion, but John Couluris, vice president in charge of lunar transport at Blue Origin, said during a press conference that the company would itself contribute "well north" of that amount to develop the craft. The Artemis program marks NASA's return to the Moon after more than 50 years and is made up of several missions, each with increasing complexity. In 2021, the US agency chose SpaceX to build a lander for Artemis 3, the first mission in the series to have actual astronauts set foot on the lunar surface. The contract was worth $2.9 billion, although SpaceX is supplementing that amount with its own funding. Blue Origin had also competed for the first contract and filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against NASA when SpaceX was chosen as the sole lander provider. The space agency had originally intended to offer two contracts, a practice commonly used to guard against the possibility one fails, but said it had been constrained by budget concerns. NASA in 2022 also chose the SpaceX lander for its Artemis 4 mission, but at the same time requested submissions from other companies for the rest of the program. "We want more competition. We want two landers," NASA boss Bill Nelson said on Friday. "It means that you have reliability. You have backups." Blue Origin's lander, dubbed Blue Moon, is being developed with several partner companies, including Draper, Boeing, Astrobotic, Honeybee Robotics, and Lockheed Martin. The latter will be responsible for developing a crucial element. Once in lunar orbit, Blue Moon will need to be refueled before it can descend and collect the astronauts from the surface of the Moon. Therefore Lockheed Martin has to develop a kind of shuttle to refuel Blue Moon around the Moon. Blue Origin plans to use its New Glenn rocket, which has never flown before, to launch both its lander and this refueling shuttle. Artemis 4, scheduled for 2028, and Artemis 5 a year later will both land on the Moon, but will first pass through a new space station in lunar orbit, called Gateway, which has yet to be constructed. Prelude to Mars Artemis astronauts will take off aboard NASA's Orion capsule, propelled to the Moon by the agency's new SLS mega-rocket. Both these elements were tested uncrewed when Artemis 1 took place six months ago and will be tested with the crew during Artemis 2. For Artemis 3, Orion will dock directly to SpaceX's lander. Two astronauts will then descend on the Moon for about a week, while two others will remain on board Orion. Once their experiments are over, the two adventurers will go back in the lander to Orion, which will bring the four crew members back to Earth. Afterward, Orion will attach to the Gateway space station, and the astronauts will pass through it before boarding the SpaceX lander, for Artemis 4, or Blue Origin for Artemis 5. All of these missions target the south pole of the Moon, where there is water in the form of ice. SpaceX's lander will be a modified version of its Starship spacecraft, currently under development in Texas. It exploded in flight during a first major test in April. The goal of the Artemis program is to learn to live on the Moon, in order to test out all the technologies necessary for an even more perilous journey: to Mars. The post After SpaceX, NASA taps Bezos’s Blue Origin to build Moon lander appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Red, yellow debacles (2)
In search of energy sources that would provide the country with a stable supply of energy, particularly during the peak dry season when yellow and red alerts are prevalent, a sustainable source may just lie around the corner. Thus, turning waste into energy has become in vogue because it will hit two birds with one stone as it contributes to the production of power while also helping clean up the environment. Industry experts, however, consider the current laws do not support the development of a waste-to-energy industry. The Clean Air Act, for instance, sets rigid standards for incineration, the primary waste-to-energy technology. The House of Representatives already passed a bill allowing the use of waste-to-energy and redefining the incineration ban in the Clean Air Act. The next step, however, is stuck in the Senate which, as with other bills transmitted from the House, has not even started public hearings. Opportunities in the use of waste By 2025, the Philippines would have generated up to 92 million tons of waste, the equivalent of 500,000 blue whales, the largest animals to ever live on Earth. Then the country need not worry about a garbage crisis since it becomes the feedstock to generate power. The amount of waste that could end up in landfills, street corners, empty lots, or bodies of water will grow in direct proportion to population and urban centers. Landfills have limited capacities. A large volume of plastics that now clog the world’s oceans come from the Philippines, which is ranked one of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution in the seas. A law that could stop the waste-to-energy thrust dead on its track is the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act or ESWMA which mandated the use of landfills for waste disposal. ESWMA clashes head-on with the Renewable Energy Act, which mandated the government to prescribe policies and programs promoting and enhancing the development of biomass waste-to-energy facilities. The push for waste-to-energy as alternative fossil fuels lacks clarity in policies. First, the government through the DoE would have to list waste-to-energy as a priority power source as it did other renewable energy technologies—solar, wind, etc. To bring waste-to-energy production into the energy mix, there should be guaranteed and long-term power purchase agreements which would allow private companies to at least recoup their investments. The technology, nonetheless, is not cheap. Facilities that would turn heat from burning waste into energy would require substantial capital and technical expertise. Public-private partnerships would be ideal for such projects. Waste-to-energy facilities would require higher fees that would be charged against waste generators, including local governments. But who would end up bearing the added costs? Not the local governments with their commonly inadequate revenues. Consumers will have to bear the additional costs of waste-to-energy facilities if the government fails to provide support in the form of funding and incentives which are done in successful waste-to-energy systems like Singapore and Japan. Filtering facilities are part of state-of-the-art technologies to prevent waste-to-energy facilities from contributing to the toxic mix in the air. Environmental advocates have been campaigning against burning trash which they said is dirtier than burning coal. Incinerators release unimaginable volumes of minute pollutants into the air that could eventually affect the health of nearby residents. Waste-to-energy facilities need waste, they would need more and more trash to ramp up the production of energy, encouraging a steady and growing stream of waste. In some areas where local governments are starting to embrace waste-to-energy technology, unrest becomes prevalent among local folks. In the search for sustainable and clean sources of energy, the government should have an active part since proper use of technology will help mitigate the periodic lack of power while ending the trash problem that has defied solutions for ages. The post Red, yellow debacles (2) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sen. Go co-authors P150 daily wage increase bill
Cognizant of the need to continue helping ordinary Filipinos still reeling from the adverse effects of Covid-19, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go co-authored on Monday, 15 May, Senate Bill No. 2002, also known as the Across-the-Board Wage Increase Act of 2023. It seeks to implement a P150-increase in the daily wage of workers in the private sector. With half of the population still describing themselves as poor despite the gradual reopening of the economy based on recent surveys, Go, a member of the Senate Committee on Labor, asserts that government should implement measures to cushion the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and high inflation. “Totoo na dahan-dahan nang bumubukas ang ating ekonomiya at marami na rin ang nakakabalik sa kanilang mga trabaho at hanapbuhay. Pero hirap pa rin ang mga ordinaryong Pilipinong itawid ang araw-araw na gastusin dahil sa inflation at mababang suweldo,” Go explained. Go stressed that the march towards full and inclusive economic recovery must be felt by ordinary Filipino workers amid their struggle with daily expenses by ensuring that their families do not have empty stomachs. “Unahin natin ang kapakanan ng mga mahihirap. Dapat walang magutom. Dapat maramdaman nila ang pagbangon ng ekonomiya tungo sa mas ligtas at komportableng buhay pagkatapos ng pandemya,” he stressed. In the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Station last March 2023, 51 percent of the respondents rated themselves as poor---a number which remains unchanged since the December 2022 survey of the same firm. Some 30 percent of Filipinos rated themselves as “borderline” while only 19 percent consider themselves as not poor. Of the 51 percent who considered themselves poor, some 1.8 million families (6.5 percent) admitted that they were not poor one to four years ago, aptly called as “newly poor”. Some 10 million families, representing 39 percent of those surveyed, also consider themselves food-poor. “Importante ang laman ng tyan ng ating mga kababayan, huwag natin hayaan na may magutom,” Go previously said. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri filed the said bill on 14 March, explaining “the proposed wage hike will apply to the entire private sector, agricultural and non-agricultural, regardless of capitalization and number of employees.” The leader of the Upper Chamber expects the measure to hurdle before Senate adjourns next month. The Committee on Labor and Employment, chaired by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, recently approved in principle the said bill, co-authored also by Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda. While the Senator acknowledges that the government has to balance the interest of the employers and workers, Go reminded that companies and enterprises recently enjoyed a lower income tax through the passage of Republic Act No. 11534 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act or “CREATE” which was approved by former president Rodrigo Duterte. Meanwhile, Go filed last year SBN 1705 which proposes to increase the service incentive leave of private sector employees; and SBN 1707 which seeks to provide competitive remuneration and compensation packages to social workers in the country. He recently filed SBN 2107, or the “Freelance Workers Protection Act”, which seeks to provide protection and incentives for freelance workers. The measure aims to recognize the rights of freelance workers and ensure that they are protected and adequately compensated for their services. Last year, Go also filed SBN 1183, or the proposed “Media and Entertainment Workers’ Welfare Act”, which seeks to provide enhanced protection, security and incentives for media workers through additional health insurance package, overtime and night differential pay, and other benefits. To ensure that those who reside in rural areas lacking job opportunities are taken care of, Go also filed SBN 420, which seeks to offer temporary employment to eligible members of low-income rural households who are ready to perform unskilled physical labor for a period of time. In addition, the senator filed SBNs 1184 and 1191 which aim to further protect the welfare and interest of the country’s delivery service riders and seafarers, respectively. The International Monetary Fund, commenting on the 6.4% Gross Domestic Product of the country for the first quarter of the year, stressed that the country’s economic growth must be sustained at 6 percent this year considering the inflation rate that remains high. In a statement, the Fund said “Risks to inflation remain on the upside, and a continued tightening bias may be appropriate until inflation falls decisively within the 2-4 percent target range.” “Nag-expand nga ang ating economy pero mataas pa rin ang inflation rate. Ibig sabihin, mataas pa rin ang presyo ng mga bilihin at serbisyo. Isipin natin ang mga pinakamahihirap na mga manggagawa natin, yung mga daily wage earners, na nahihirapan nang magbudget, halos isang kahig, isang tuka na lang sa taas ng presyo,” stressed the senator. The post Sen. Go co-authors P150 daily wage increase bill appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Kuya Bong backs across-the-board wage hike
As the economy continues to gradually recover from the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go expressed strong support for initiatives in the Upper Chamber seeking an across-the-board increase in daily wages nationwide. “No Filipino should be left behind in our road towards full and inclusive economic recovery. By being inclusive, we mean not just business owners and investors benefiting from the improving economy but also even the most ordinary workers, especially the daily wage earners,” said Go, who is also a member of the Senate Committee on Labor. To recall, the Philippine Statistics Authority on 11 May reported that the Philippines’ gross domestic product grew by 6.4 percent in the first quarter of this year. It exceeded estimates made by economists. No Filipino should be left behind in our road towards full and inclusive economic recovery. It is, by far, the fastest growth rate in Southeast Asia, beating Indonesia with 5.03 percent and Vietnam with 3.32 percent. The International Monetary Fund, however, stressed recently that the country’s economic growth must be sustained at 6 percent this year considering the inflation rate that remains high. In a statement, the Fund said that “risks to inflation remain on the upside, and a continued tightening bias maybe appropriate until inflation falls decisively within the 2-4 percent target range.” While the senator acknowledges that the government has to balance the interest of the employers and workers, Go reminded that companies and enterprises recently enjoyed a lower income tax through the passage of Republic Act 11534 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act or “CREATE” which was approved by former President Rodrigo Duterte. On 14 March, Senate Bill 2002, also known as the Across-the-Board Wage Increase Act of 2023, was filed by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri which targets to increase private-sector daily wages in all regions by P150. Zubiri expects that the committee report will be ready within two weeks, hoping that the measure be approved by the Senate before its adjournment next month. The Committee on Labor and Employment, chaired by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, recently approved in principle the said bill, co-authored also by Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda. Go also plans to co-author the bill. Other similar measures tackled by the committee were SBN 2018 filed by Senator Bong Revilla, and proposed measures reviewing labor and wage policies and the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989 which created the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards, filed by Senator Raffy Tulfo and Estrada. Go, an ardent advocate of labor welfare, also filed measures seeking to provide better protection and benefits to workers. He filed SBN 2107, or the “Freelance Workers Protection Act”, which seeks to provide protection and incentives for freelance workers. The measure aims to recognize the rights of freelance workers and ensure that they are protected and adequately compensated for their services. The post Kuya Bong backs across-the-board wage hike appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Price double-whammy looms
After a power rate hike this month, the motoring public should also brace for another week of oil price increase following three straight weeks of rollbacks. Oil company Unioil Petroleum Philippines, over the weekend, said the price per liter of diesel may increase by around P1.30 to P1.50. Gasoline prices, on the other hand, may rise by around P0.30 to P0.50 per liter. Inventories pile up According to the Department of Energy-Oil Industry Management Bureau, the price increases in all petroleum products were due to the decline in oil inventories abroad amid an increase in demand. Oil companies announce price adjustments every Monday to be implemented the following day’s morning. They adjust their prices weekly based on the movement of the Mean of Platts Singapore — the regional pricing benchmark adopted by the deregulated downstream oil sector. Last week, oil companies implemented a P2.20 per liter decrease in gasoline, P2.70 per liter for diesel, and P2.55 per liter for kerosene. Since the start of the year until 9 May, diesel prices already posted a net decrease of P7.05 per liter and P7.50 per liter for kerosene. Gasoline prices, on the other hand, have seen a net increase of P3.85 per liter. Last week, announced that the overall rate for a typical household increased this May to P11.49 per kWh from the previous month’s P11.31 per kWh. The adjustment translates to an increase of around P35 in the total electricity bill of residential customers consuming 200 kWh. The post Price double-whammy looms appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US Justice Department taking abortion pill fight to Supreme Court
The US Justice Department said Thursday that it will go to the Supreme Court to appeal restrictions imposed on a widely-used abortion pill in the latest round of a fierce battle over reproductive rights. The decision by President Joe Biden's administration came just hours after an appeals court rejected moves to ban mifepristone outright, but imposed a series of measures restricting access to the pill. As the Justice Department prepared an emergency filing with the nation's highest court, the White House slammed a Florida bill that would ban abortion in the third most populous state after six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the bill passed on Thursday by the Republican-controlled legislature in Florida was "extreme and dangerous" and "flies in the face of fundamental freedoms." More than a dozen US states have passed laws severely restricting abortion since the conservative-dominated Supreme Court last year overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that had enshrined the constitutional right to abortion for half a century. Mifepristone, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 and accounts for more than half the abortions in the United States, has become the centerpiece of the country's latest clash over women's reproductive freedom. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department will seek "emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the FDA's scientific judgment and protect Americans' access to safe and effective reproductive care." Speaking to reporters during Biden's visit to Dublin, Ireland, Jean-Pierre said "we believe that the law is on our side, and we will prevail." Late Wednesday, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals said mifepristone, also known as RU 486, should remain available pending a full hearing of the case, but limited access to the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from 10. The appeals court also said in-person visits would be necessary to obtain the pill -- a requirement lifted in recent years -- and blocked the medication from being sent by mail. The 2-1 ruling by the conservative-majority appeals court in New Orleans, Louisiana, came after a US District Court judge in Texas overturned the FDA's two-decades-old approval of the drug last Friday. 'Furious' The appeals court said anti-abortion opponents had waited too long to challenge the drug's approval by the FDA but gave them a victory of sorts by imposing restrictions on its use, a move denounced by groups seeking to maintain access to abortion. "We are furious that yet another court would choose to jeopardize the health and futures of the millions of people who rely on mifepristone for abortion care," said Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson. Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said "unless the Supreme Court steps in, this decision will prevent many people from getting abortion care and force them to remain pregnant against their will." The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony described the appeals court ruling by two judges appointed by former Republican president Donald Trump as a "win." "The court recognized that the abortion pill is dangerous and rolled back Biden's reckless mail-order abortion scheme," said Susan B. Anthony state policy director Katie Daniel. Mifepristone is one component of a two-drug regimen that can be used in the United States through the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. It has a long safety record, and the FDA estimates 5.6 million Americans have used it to terminate pregnancies since it was approved. 'Unborn human' Last week's ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, also a Trump appointee, seeking to impose a nationwide ban on mifepristone came in response to a suit by a coalition of anti-abortion groups. The judge, in his decision, adopted language used by abortion opponents, saying the drug was used to "kill the unborn human." Kacsmaryk said the two-drug regimen that includes mifepristone had resulted in "thousands of adverse events suffered by women and girls," including intense bleeding and psychological trauma. But the FDA, researchers, and the drugmaker say decades of experience have proven the medication to be safe and effective when used as indicated. The Biden administration and leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies also argued that Kacsmaryk's ruling risked undermining the entire drug approval authority of the FDA. "If this decision stands, no medication -- from chemotherapy drugs to asthma medicine, to blood pressure pills, to insulin -- would be safe from attacks," said Vice President Kamala Harris. Polls repeatedly show a clear majority of Americans support continued access to safe abortion, even as conservative groups push to limit access to the procedure -- or ban it outright. The post US Justice Department taking abortion pill fight to Supreme Court appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Group mulls anti-monopoly bill vs Grab, other companies working in transport sector
A network of digital advocates is urging the government to come up with anti-monopoly measures in order to prevent transport network vehicle service companies from "controlling" the whole transportation sector......»»
House bill to mandate 30% downpayment upon hiring freelancers
A draft legislation passed on third and final reading at the House of Representatives aims to require companies and employers to settle a downpayment upon hiring freelancers......»»
Benefits outweigh perceived costs
If things go well, a bill that requires all prepaid SIMs or subscriber identity modules to be registered with their respective telecommunication companies may become the first legislative measure that will be signed and enacted into law by President Marcos......»»
Senate bill requires telcos to provide refund mechanism for service outages
MANILA, Philippines — A bill mandating telecommunication companies to provide a refund mechanism for service outages and disruptions has been filed in the Senate. Senator Lito Lapid filed Senate Bill No. 2092, which seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7925 or the Public Telecommunications Policy of the Philippines. “For an Internet-dependent, data-driven world where almost […] The post Senate bill requires telcos to provide refund mechanism for service outages appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
LNG companies eye more incentives in bill
Industry players in the emerging liquefied natural gas industry are seeking more incentives to help ensure the development and sustainability of the natural gas sector......»»
Zubiri to file bill limiting foreign firms’ participation in PH projects
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday said he will file a bill limiting the entry of foreign construction companies in the Philippines as a recent Supreme Court decision allow employment of more foreigners than Filipinos. “I’m planning to file a bill which will limit the entrance of foreign construction companies in the country,” […] The post Zubiri to file bill limiting foreign firms’ participation in PH projects appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»