‘Better opportunities for Filipinos’

  
EDITORIAL

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to boost the government's efforts to provide jobs for unemployed Filipinos and better opportunities for the underemployed.
    “But even with our current high rate of employment, we must do more. We will generate additional jobs for the remaining 4.3 percent of our workforce, as well as for the 11.7 percent underemployed Filipinos seeking better employment opportunities,” he said during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.
    “Under the banner of our fast-growing economy, we are aggressive in our investment and business promotions and facilitations,” Marcos added.
    The President also reported that the country’s employment rate increased to 95.7 percent.
    “As of May this year, our employment rate rose to 95.7 percent, clear proof of the improvement from the severe unemployment that we experienced during the height of the pandemic. Employment then was at a low of 82.4 percent,” he said.
    To achieve this, Marcos noted that they are not only looking at local employment opportunities but also overseas.
    “For that, we have not limited ourselves to the local economy, but have looked to the global economy for partnerships and agreements,” he added.

Despite the rosy proclamations of the SONA, the coming days will show the performance of this 

Repealing oil deregulation law amid steep price hikes

House Deputy Majority Leader Erwin T. Tulfo on Tuesday led three other lawmakers in filing a bill seeking to repeal Republic Act 8479, or better known as the Oil Deregulation Law, to address the continuous increase in fuel prices.
    House Bill No. 8898, signed by Tulfo and his colleagues from the ACT-CIS partylist Reps. Edvic Yap and Jocelyn Tulfo, and Benguet Rep. Eric Yap, introduces an “Act Establishing the Budget ng Bayan Para sa Murang Petrolyo” (BBMP), which is patterned from the Oil Price Stabilization fund during the 70s.
    In the explanatory note of the proposed measure, the lawmakers said, the existing Oil Deregulation Law was designed to promote competition, transparency, and affordability within the local oil market, according to a report of the government Philippine News Agency.
    “However, the complexity of global oil dynamics, the vulnerability of consumers to price fluctuations, and the necessity of ensuring energy security warrant a critical review of the current regulatory framework,” the bill stated.
    Tulfo said that in repealing the Oil Deregulation Law, the measure reestablishes government price control of fuel pump prices and address the negative impact of frequent and abrupt fuel price changes on consumers.
    In addition, the proposed measure also aims to establish the BBMP, to be administered by the Office of the President, in order to help maintain and stabilize oil prices whenever feasible, at prevailing reasonable retail or pump price level.
    “By restoring government oversight, the bill seeks to protect ordinary Filipinos’ interests through addressing concerns on transparency and anti-competitiveness practices by fostering a fair market environment through government control,” HB 8898 said.
    “The proposed repeal emphasizes robust consumer protection measures and regulatory oversight to intervene in case of unjustified price hikes,” it added.
    Prior to filing HB 8898, Tulfo has earlier assailed the existing Oil Deregulation Law as useless.
    “The people were hoodwinked in passing this law [RA 8479] because we were led to believe then that oil companies will lower their prices once government control over fuel pricing is removed,” Tulfo said in a privilege speech on Monday.
    “This is a delusion because instead of competing with each other now, the big oil companies talk with each other how much to increase their fuel prices weekly),” he alleged, noting the uniform hike in prices that oil companies impose.
    He urged his fellow lawmakers for the immediate passage of the proposed measure for the sake of the people who carry the brunt of the ripple effect of the continuous rise in oil prices. 

Bill raising campaign expenses cap for poll bets gets House nod

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on second reading a measure proposing an increase in the spending limit of candidates and political parties for the election campaign.
    During the plenary session, the chamber approved through voice voting House Bill 8370, which seeks to increase the authorized campaign expenses of candidates and political parties by amending Section 13 of Republic Act 7166, or the “Synchronized National and Local Elections and Electoral Reforms Act," a report from the government’s Philippine News Agency said.
    Under the measure, the authorized amount that presidential candidates may spend for election campaigns is at P50 for every voter; while the amount for vice-presidential candidates is at P40 for every voter.
    The bill also proposes the authorized election campaign expenses of candidates for senator, district representative, governor, vice-governor, board member, mayor, vice-mayor, councilor, and party-list representative are at P30 per voter.
    For political parties, the proposed cap shall be at P30 for every voter currently registered in the constituency or constituencies where it has official candidates.
    The Commission on Elections (Comelec), in consultation with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the National Economic and Development Authority, and the Philippine Statistics Authority, shall make the necessary adjustments on the spending limits based on ensuing national inflation rate and consumer price index.
    TINGOG party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, author of the bill, said the authorized campaign expenditures should be increased to a more realistic level considering the current prices of election-related materials and services.
    The current law provides that the authorized expenses of candidates and political candidates range from P5 to P10 only for every voter.
    "The existing cap on the authorized campaign expenses poses a problem for candidates as inflation affects the prices of their operational services as well as the necessary materials, advertisements, and even transportation expenses. Aside from those, the corresponding salary of human resource necessary for their campaigns also increased," Acidre said.
    The bill may have good intensions, but then over the years, politicians have been spending mind-boggling figures to get votes without being sanctioned.

This, considering so-called monitoring by government on campaign spending had been an exercise in futility over the years.  

 EDITORIAL

DSWD Luzon directors told: Be accurate with ‘figures’

Following devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Egay, regional directors of the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development have been instructed to double check the number of family food packs to make sure all requests by local government units hit by the storm and enhanced southwest monsoon are properly met, the government Philippine News Agency reported.
    Over the years, there have been reports of mismanagement or even corruption in local DSWD offices particularly during calamities like typhoons in allocation of funds and goods intended for victims.
Reports have it that the new DSWD Secretary would like to make sure everything is in order particularly where funds are concerned like during calamities.     
    “Be sharp with your data,” DSWD Secretary Gatchalian was quoted as telling DSWD regional directors in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the Cordillera Administrative Region, the regions hit hardest by the typhoon.

Gatchalian also instructed the concerned RDs to follow the delivery plan which they have agreed on with the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) led by Undersecretary Diane Cajipe and Assistant Secretary Marlon Alagao.

The RDs have also been instructed to submit in tabulated form the number of requested FFPs per province, city and municipality, along with the number of released or delivered food packs and the number of FFPs which are still for release.

“This will ensure that all FFPs requested from the National Resource Operations Center or NROC are all accounted for and that all requests by LGUs are properly met. This is also to avoid double-delivery or under-delivery,” said Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez, also DSWD spokesperson.

The NROC is the main disaster response hub of the DSWD located in Pasay City, Metro Manila.

Gatchalian has earlier ordered the NROC to prepare for the dispatch of at least 289,906 boxes of FFPs in the first two weeks of August as augmentation assistance to the LGUs in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and CAR.

A state of calamity has been declared in at least 16 provinces, towns and cities in Luzon where Egay left a trail of destruction due to massive flooding in many areas in the four regions.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Monday that around 2.3 million people or 654,837 families were affected by Egay and enhanced habagat or southwest monsoon.

The number of evacuees was estimated at 312,000, with some staying in 737 evacuation centers nationwide, according to the NDRRMC. 

 

 EDITORIAL 

Legalizing marijuana in Phl for medical use 

A known doctor, scientist, researcher, broadcaster  lamented that legalizing  the use of medicinal cannabis or marijuana still experiences a rough sailing in Congress even if 70 nations are already prescribing  this.
    Dr. Richard Nixon Gomez, the president of Bauertek Corporation, a research, development and manufacturing company in Guiguinto, Bulacan is also known as “Kaibigan sa Kalusugan.”
    “Bauertek is one of the most advanced if not the most advanced (pharmaceutical, manufacturer) companies in the Philippines,” according to Gomez. He also can be credited for manufacturing one of the known medicines for Covid-19—the Ivermectin as approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
    Gomez was one of the guest speakers  at the Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. (PAPI)  2023 Midyear Executive Session held at the Makati Sports Club last Saturday, June 24. He mentioned that several House bills are now pending in Congress but lawmakers are yet to act on them.
    Bauertek is way above Philippine standards as manufacturer of medical products, supplements and cosmetics. It now has cannabis plantations in various parts of the Philippines and also has facilities to dry the medical cannabis buds, the part used for extracting oil, manufacturing capsule or pills.
    Gomez said that countries like Germany, France, Switzerland import cannabis for their medical needs since they do not have the capability to farm the plants on a large scale. “We can produce these and export to them, tax-free,” he lamented.
    Earlier, Dr. Germ Mutia, founder of Philippine Society of Cannabinoid Medicine, cited the role of medical cannabis in the treatment of various ailments, including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, depression and those suffering from body pains due to cancer.
    He further said that there are currently eight or nine cannabis-related bills pending in Congress, seeking to decriminalize its use. This is aside from a petition reportedly filed by patients or parents of patients to the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) to reclassify cannabis and cannabis resin just like the reclassification of the UN.
    Gomez disclosed that one reason why lawmakers are supposedly reluctant in pushing for the approval of bills to legalize the use of marijuana is the “lack” of popularity of these pending laws.     “Baka kasi ma-bash sila (lawmakers) at hindi sila manalo sa susunod,” the scientist said in jest.
    He appealed for help in lobbying Congress to decriminalize use of medical cannabis.

 EDITORIAL
Fake online ads

Fake online advertisements using celebrities to endorse food and health products abound on social media particularly Facebook and people are saying these pose danger to public health.
    Senator Jinggoy Estrada had urged the Senate to investigate the matter. “The circulation and proliferation of fraudulent online advertisements are clear and blatant violations of the Consumer Act which penalizes dissemination of deceptive and misleading advertisements," Estrada said in Senate resolution dated June 26.
    "There is an urgent need to protect consumers against the consumption of unregistered and potentially harmful food and health products through strict enforcement of the provisions of the Consumer Act and regulation of fraudulent advertisement in social media platforms," he added.
    Estrada cited recent incidents where health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon and cardiologist Dr. Willie Ong became victims of the fake ads.

Leachon's name and picture were used to make it look like he was personally endorsing Grandsure Gold nutrient drink which supposedly prevents osteoarthritis. Glufarelin milk, claiming to be a cure for diabetes, also used Leachon and the National Institutes for Health (NIH).

Estrada said the products were not registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Leachon and the NIH have already denied endorsement.

Ong, on the other hand, was seen endorsing a "miracle food" and the Golden Gout Colostrum, supposedly a top product to treat gout but also not registered with the FDA.

CNN Philippines was also victimized in the advertisement of the latter product as it used part of an episode by the network and placed Ong's photo on the thumbnail.

Estrada noted there were posts and impostor pages that also promoted unregistered products that feature Ong and his wife Dr. Liza Ong with the logo of the Department of Health and an FDA-approved mark. Celebrities Sharon Cuneta and Kris Aquino were also seen to be used in this kind of ads, the senator added.

"There is a need to identify and plug possible loopholes in our prevailing laws and regulations, and update their provisions, considering the extensive employment of social media platforms and the cyberspace, as well as the alarming use of maliciously manipulated images, spliced videos, and fabricated statements, in the promotion of food and health products," Estrada said.

Senate Resolution No, 666, filed by Estrada, cited risks to unsuspecting consumers who are offered unregistered products that promise treatment for ailments or wellness benefits using the names and photos of local personalities and celebrities.

"These advertisements mislead consumers into believing that these celebrities are using and endorsing food and medicinal products that are actually unregistered before the proper health authorities and not yet approved for mass distribution and public consumption," Estrada said in a news release on Monday.

He said bogus medicinal remedies are all over social media platforms, viewed and even shared by thousands despite inaccurate and false information about the efficacy, quality, and safety of food, drugs, and health products.

 

EDITORIAL 
‘Routine harassment’ of vessels in SCS

RESPECT THE LAW. Seen in this photo taken on June 30, 2023 are Chinese vessels in Iroquois Reef, a body of water within the West Philippine Sea. The United States on Wednesday (July 12, 2023) called on China to respect international law and cease its “routine harassment” of public vessels lawfully operating in the South China Sea. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Navy)

The United States on Wednesday called on China to respect international law and cease its “routine harassment” of public vessels lawfully operating in the South China Sea.
    Most fishermen in Northern Luzon particularly Ilocos Region rely on the West Philippine Sea for their livelihood.
    In a press statement on the seventh anniversary of the 2016 arbitration ruling, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US will continue to champion a “free and open Indo-Pacific” region.
    “We continue to urge Beijing to comport its maritime claims with international law as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention; cease its routine harassment of claimant state vessels lawfully operating in their respective exclusive economic zones; halt its disruption to states’ sovereign rights to explore, exploit, conserve and manage natural resources; and end its interference with the freedoms of navigation and overflight of states lawfully operating in the region,” he said.
    He then reiterated Washington’s 2020 policy which called out Beijing’s “unilateral actions” to exploit resources within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
    In a Stratbase forum on Wednesday, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson highlighted the need for the two states to strengthen alliance amid challenges to the rules-based order, including “provocations” on the vital sea lane.
    The envoy recalled the previous use of a laser device against the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in February and the unsafe maneuver conducted by Chinese Coast Guards in the South China Sea.
    “Such provocations, in addition to threatening freedom of navigation and oversight, have other consequences, including increased environmental degradation, reduced energy security, and a less stable investment climate, all of which directly and negatively affect lives and livelihoods,” she said.
In addition, she recognized the critical role that Manila plays in the Indo-Pacific region.

EDITORIAL
SC rules on retired teacher's pension case  

Here is a case government workers could be interested in.
    The Supreme Court ordered the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) last week to adhere to a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the rights and welfare of retired teachers, ensuring that they receive the benefits they rightfully deserve.
    House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro commended the High Tribunal for the latter’s decision reprimanding the state pension fund and compelling the same to give a retired school teacher her due pension.
     "Let this momentous ruling serve as a catalyst for positive change, prompting the necessary reforms to ensure that our educators retire with dignity and receive the benefits they have earned," the party-list solon said. 
    Court records showed that Clarita D. Aclado, in G.R. No. 260428, is a retired public school teacher and had outstanding loans with GSIS that remained unpaid even after her retirement, a Philippine News Agency report said.
     The state pension fund had imposed interest and penalties on her loans, resulting in zero proceeds from her retirement benefits. Aclado filed a petition to challenge the decision of the GSIS Committee on Claims, which denied her request to lower the interest and penalties on her loans. 
     Consequently, the GSIS Board of Trustees also denied her appeal, stating that it was filed out of time. 
     Aclado then sought relief from the Court, arguing that the procedural rules should be relaxed in her case. The Court ultimately granted her appeal, stating that the GSIS Board of Trustees erred in basing its decision solely on a procedural technicality and failing to consider the merits of her request. 

The SC also noted the excessive penalty charges imposed by GSIS on Aclado's unpaid loan balances. It ruled that GSIS had not sent prior demands to pay, and therefore, Aclado cannot be considered in default.

 It also ordered GSIS to waive the interest on arrears and impose a lower penalty interest, as well as return the excess amounts deducted from Aclado's benefits. 

 The High Court also stated that GSIS, in entering into a contract with a private party, descends to the level of a private person, and therefore, the rules on contracts that apply to private parties also apply to GSIS. 

 This SC decision, Rep. Castro said, is a significant victory not just for retired teachers but also for all government employees who dedicated their lives to the noble profession of educating the nation’s youth and to government service. 

 "It is a clear message that the rights and welfare of our educators should never be compromised." she continued.