Is affected by dam project soon to have a relocation site
May 4, 2021 12:00 am

Some 35 families of indigenous peoples affected by the PHP11.2-billion dam project of the National Irrigation Administration in Calinog, Iloilo will soon have a relocation site as bidding for the construction of houses is slated within this second quarter. The development of the relocation site intended for 35 families of indigenous peoples (IPs) affected by the PHP11.2-billion dam project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Calinog, Iloilo is ongoing as competitive bidding for the construction of housing units is eyed within the second quarter of this year. Steve Cordero, NIA information officer, said in an interview on Tuesday that the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) IP housing project is situated in Sitio Agburi, Barangay Cahigon, located three kilometers away from the barangay center. The beneficiaries are those whose current residential houses are expected to be submerged during the filling up of the JRMP II high dam. The site development activities include the provisions for community facilities, water system, and access roads to and from the resettlement site, Cordero said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “The site went through technical assessment of relevant government agencies including the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) for hazards and other relevant risks and was eventually found to be conducive for residential housing hence, the resettlement site,” he said. He added that the National Housing Authority (NHA) already turned over to NIA PHP15 million of its PHP20 million commitment as counterpart fund for the project on April 30 this year. The PHP20-million fund will cover work components such as layout and excavation, concrete, masonry, roof and roof framing, carpentry, plumbing, doors and windows, tiles, painting, electrical with solar panels, and construction of project marker/pylon, Cordero added. “The houses were designed by the relocatees /housing beneficiaries themselves with the assistance of NIA and NHA and have an approved floor area of 35 square meters in a 150 square meters lot,” he said. While the housing unit is of mixed materials, which include concrete, wood, and galvanized roof, the houses will still exhibit the culture and tradition of the affected indigenous cultural communities, he added. The housing project is expected to be completed and occupied in 2022 before the dam project is finished by 2023. After the completion of the dam, he said it would still take one rainy season before the reservoir can be filled in. After construction, NIA will facilitate the registration of housing lots under the names of housing beneficiaries. JRMP II, which is the biggest irrigation project outside of Luzon, is expected to provide irrigation to 31,840 hectares of farmlands in Iloilo, generate 6.6 megawatts of hydroelectric power, 86 million liters per day of bulk water supply for the province and city, and generate eco-cultural tourism opportunities and mitigate flooding in Calinog and nearby towns. Eighty percent of the project cost is funded by the Government of South Korea through a tied loan with the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). Source: Philippines News Agency
‘Kadiwa’ brings farmers’ produce to work stations
May 4, 2021 12:00 am

The Department of Agriculture (DA) together with the Department of Trade and Industry ((DTI) in Region 11 launched the Kadiwa Diskwento Caravan on May 3, to bring farmers’ produce closer to the workers. In a statement Tuesday, DA-11 said the initiative is in partnership with the Association of Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) and Unifrutti Tropical Philippines, Inc. The Kadiwa Diskwento Caravan will run every 15th and 30th of the month. DA-11 said it is working with DTI-11 and ALU-TUCP to establish Kadiwa market outlets for other working establishments to serve more employees while providing more doors for farmers’ produce in the region. The first to benefit the Kadiwa market outlet are the workers of Unifrutti Shipping Group, who managed to avail of the farmers’ produce that came from the far-flung areas of this city such as in the districts of Calinan, Marilog, and Paquibato. DA-11 Director Ricardo Oñate, Jr. said the initiative will benefit both the farmers and consumers. “We want to highlight our ‘Grow Local, Buy Local, Eat Local’ campaign. We deliver safe and affordable food right at your doorsteps while providing market access to our farmers’ produce in the hinterlands,” he said. Oñate added that through the active partnership with the Davao City Agriculture Office and its partner coops, they managed to buy the farmers’ produce right at their farms — cutting their transportation cost and increasing income. Source: Philippines News Agency
Cult leader Ecleo back in Bilibid
May 4, 2021 12:00 am

Former Dinagat Island congressman and cult leader Ruben Ecleo Jr. has been returned to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City three days after he was taken to a private hospital in Taguig City due to liver complications. NBP spokesman Gabriel Chaclag said Ecleo, who is serving a life term for killing his wife in 2002, stayed for “three days and three nights at the Dr. Sabili General Hospital in Taguig,” “He has recovered,” Chaclag added. Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the normal procedure would have been to secure his authorization prior to a person deprived of liberty’s (PDL) transfer to a hospital outside the NBP, “unless in cases of extreme emergency or life-threatening situations, in which case the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) shall submit to the DOJ a post-treatment report instead.” Under the rules, Guevarra said the hospital where the PDL may be transferred should be a nearby government hospital, in this case, Ospital ng Muntinlupa (OsMun), is full or without the necessary facility, in which case the PDL may be brought to a private hospital at his own expense and subject to strict security measures. “In the case of PDL Ecleo, I have been informed today that he was indeed brought out of the NBP sometime last month due to some Covid-related and pre-existing illnesses, but OsMun and other public hospitals were full; hence, the need to bring him to a private hospital instead,” Guevarra said. The “supreme master” of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA) was arrested in Pampanga in July last year. He was convicted by the Cebu City regional trial court for three counts of graft and parricide — for killing his wife, Alona Bacolod-Ecleo in their home in Sitio Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City on Jan. 5, 2002. Source: Philippines News Agency
N privacy issue on use of body cams as evidence in court
May 4, 2021 12:00 am

Malacañang does not see any “privacy issues” when presenting the videos of body cameras used by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) as evidence in court. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this statement after the PNP Directorate for Operations (DO) was still looking into privacy issues when presenting the videos of body cameras as evidence. “I don’t think there should be any concerns about privacy kasi iaanunsiyo naman po natin, ng gobyerno iyan na lahat po ng pulis na pupunta sa operations ay may suot nang body cam (because the government already announced that all police will wear body cams when conducting their operations),” he said in a press briefing in Parañaque City. Roque said cameras are considered as “physical evidence” and hold more weight than testimonials. “Ang mga cameras, kasama po iyan sa tinatawag natin na physical evidence and physical evidence of course when being appreciated by the court is a lot more believable than testimonial kasi hindi po iyan pupuwedeng matakot, hindi po iyan pupuwedeng magsinungaling ‘no (Cameras are included in what we call physical evidence and physical evidence of course, when being appreciated by the court, is a lot more believable than testimonials because that cannot be feared, that cannot lie),” he said. He said several countries were already using body cams as evidence in a court case. “This is physical evidence at ang iri-require lang po siguro is ma-qualify nga kung ano iyong camera at kung sino nagsuot noong camera na iyon at sino nag-turn on ng camera na iyon (the only thing that will be required maybe is to qualify what your camera is and who wore that camera and who turned on that camera),” he added. On Monday, Directorate for Logistics director Maj. Gen. Angelito Casimiro said the PNP-DO is still looking into privacy issues when presenting the videos of body cameras as evidence in court. Some lawmakers questioned why the PNP has yet to finish crafting protocols for the use of body cameras. Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said it is a matter of copying best practices in the world on its use. “What is so difficult and problematic in the implementation on the use of body cams by law enforcers here in the country? It’s not rocket science and the most is it would just take days to orient the users on its worldwide accepted protocols,” Barbers said. Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Ferdinand Gaite accused the PNP of “intentionally delaying” the protocols. “Wala pang protocols? Ganito lang, suotin ninyo na sa mga operasyon ninyo (No protocols yet? All you have to do is wear it in your operations). I think they are intentionally delaying this so that they could continue with the modus operandi of planting evidence in their operations against activists, and other nefarious activities,” Gaite said. The Palace earlier said the use of body cams would help “minimize doubts over the circumstances when someone is killed” in police operations. Source: Philippines News Agency

Go backs setup of PH vaccine institute
April 3, 2021 9:37 am

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Saturday expressed support for the establishment of a vaccine institute that would enable the country to manufacture or even develop vaccines against future pandemics. “Suportado ko po ang kagustuhan ni Pangulong Duterte na magkaroon tayo ng vaccine institute sa Pilipinas na magbibigay ng kakayahan sa ating bansa na mag-develop at mag-produce ng sarili nating mga bakuna, hindi lamang laban sa Covid-19 kundi maging sa mga susunod pang pandemya (I support President Rodrigo Duterte’s wish for the country to have a vaccine institute that could develop vaccines, not only for the coronavirus disease 2019 but even for future pandemics),” Go said. He said it is better to be ready and be able to manufacture vaccines. “It is about time the country has that capability,” he added. Duterte on Tuesday expressed his desire to establish the country’s own vaccine institute as his “legacy” to Filipinos before his term ends in 2022. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the President has instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to allocate funds for the proposed vaccine institute. “This is the instruction now that the DBM should have a substantial amount of funding available so we can establish a vaccine institute to enable us to manufacture our own vaccines,” Roque said during an online briefing. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), on the other hand, has welcomed the proposal, expressing hope that the President’s proposed institute would focus on vaccine development. “We are pushing for the establishment of the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) that has the development of vaccines as a major responsibility. I hope the President is referring to that,” DOST Secretary Fortunato T. dela Peña told members of the press. Meanwhile, Go is looking forward to the vaccine institute addressing the country’s present inability to produce vaccines and other medicines for infectious diseases, among them Covid-19. He also urged the government to invest in building local manufacturing capabilities to eventually veer away from the country’s reliance on the international market for vaccines. “Napakalaki po ng potensyal ng ating bansa na mag-produce ng sarili nating mga gamot at bakuna laban sa samu’t saring mga sakit. Napapanahon na po upang pag-aralan natin kung papaano tayo magiging self-reliant pagdating sa aspetong ito (The country has great potentials to produce medicines and vaccines for various infectious diseases. It is high time we study how we could be self-reliant on this matter),” Go said. He urged the DOST, with the help of health experts, local pharmaceutical companies, private sector, and academe, to engage with international vaccine producers so that the government could immediately start manufacturing much-needed Covid-19 vaccines. “This initiative will not only boost our local vaccine supply but can also help increase production of vaccines in the world market,” he said. Despite the challenges faced by the government in purchasing Covid-19 vaccines, he assured that there would be no delay in the vaccine rollout as authorities are simply complying with the necessary processes, aligned with the agreed schedule, as negotiated with international partners. Team Philippines, he said, “is and will remain focused on our goal of achieving herd immunity and lead our people towards full recovery.” “Suportahan po natin ang ating gobyerno at magtiwala tayo sa bakuna. Ito po ang susi tungo sa pagbalik sa normal na pamumuhay. Huwag tayo matakot sa bakuna, matakot tayo sa Covid-19 dahil ito ang nakamamatay at ang bakuna ang solusyon sa sakit na ito (Let us support our government and trust the vaccine as this is the key to bring back normalcy. Don’t be afraid of the vaccine. Be wary of Covid-19 as it is deadly, while the vaccine is the solution to it),” Go said. Source: Philippines News Agency
599 more recover from Covid: DOH
April 3, 2021 9:37 am

The overall recoveries among Filipinos with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) reached 604,905 or 77.2 percent of the total confirmed cases after 599 new survivors were recorded on Saturday. A total of 12,576 new infections were also logged by the Department of Health (DOH), jacking up the active cases to 165,715 or 21.1 percent of the case count since March 2020. In its latest bulletin, the DOH also reported 103 new fatalities caused by Covid-19, raising the death toll to 13,423 or 1.71 percent of the total cases. The reason for the 12,576 new active cases was not known but on Friday, the DOH explained that the day’s infection tally reached 15,310 because it failed to add the 3,709 cases that should have been reported on Wednesday. “On March 31, 2021, the DOH reported only 6,128 new cases due to CovidKaya system issue. After system checks, validation and deduplication were made, 3,709 additional cases were confirmed. These cases were added to today’s cases, thus totaling to 15,310,” it said. To date, the confirmed number of cases since the start of the pandemic is 784,043. Of the active cases, the DOH said 96.5 percent have mild symptoms, 2.2 percent are asymptomatic, 0.3 are moderate, 0.5 percent in critical condition, and 0.5 percent are severe. Bed capacity Around 60 percent of the total 1,900 intensive care unit (ICU) beds allocated for Covid-19 patients nationwide are being utilized. Also occupied was 47 percent of the 13,500 isolation beds and 49 percent of the 6,000 ward beds for these cases. In Metro Manila, on the other hand, 80 percent of the 700 ICU beds, 72 percent of the 3,800 isolation beds, and 59 percent of the 2,200 ward beds are in use. At least 43 percent of the 2,000 ventilators dedicated for Covid-19 patients are also being utilized across the Philippines. To help stop the rapid spread of Covid-19, the DOH reminded the public to stay at home if there is no essential reason to go out. “We also advise everyone to immediately reach out to our Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTS) or to our One Hospital Command Center at the onset of any symptom,” it said. Source: Philippines News Agency
323 more overseas Filipinos hurdle Covid-19
April 3, 2021 9:37 am

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday tallied 10,060 recoveries among overseas Filipinos infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) after 323 new survivors were recorded this week. In its latest bulletin, the DFA said active cases are at 5,296 while the death toll is 1,049. From March 28 to April 3, there were 345 infections and two fatalities. Daily infections and recoveries were highest on March 31 at 246 and 257, respectively, mostly from the Middle East/Africa region. “Compared to last week’s percentages, the total number of Covid-19 fatalities and recoveries saw a slight decrease to 6.39 percent and 61.32 percent, respectively,” the DFA said. Meanwhile, those under treatment increased to 32.28 percent. Of the active cases, 885 are in the Asia-Pacific region, 890 are in Europe, 3,440 are in the Middle East/Africa region; and 81 in the Americas. Recoveries, on the other hand, are still the highest in the Middle East/Africa region with 4,963; followed by Europe with 2,255; the Asia Pacific with 2,240; and the Americas with 602. Source: Philippines News Agency

DOLE to hire 12K contact tracers in ‘NCR Plus’
April 16, 2021 12:00 am

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday said 12,000 contact tracers will be hired in areas under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). Rolly Francia, director of the DOLE-Information and Publication Service (IPS), said 5,000 contact tracers will be hired in the NCR while the remaining 7,000 will be employed in the neighboring provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal. On the other hand, Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay said the workers will be employed under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program. “They will initially be hired for 10 days and then if their services are still needed, we could extend to 20 days or 30 days,” she said in a virtual forum. The budget for the emergency employment program is PHP18 billion under the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Asked how much will workers get under the program, Tutay said, “If on the national average, what we use is 400 pesos per day times 10 days, multiply it by 12,000 contact tracers, that is the amount.” At the same time, she reported that 8,000 workers were displaced during the first week of ECQ in the NCR Plus area. “So between that time and March 31, an additional of around 8,000 workers have been displaced, retrenchment, and permanent closure,” Tutay said. Source: Philippines News Agency
Leyte’s displaced workers get P2.16-M aid
April 16, 2021 12:00 am

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) awarded on Monday at least PHP2.16 million grants to the Leyte provincial government for emergency employment of 445 workers in three towns of the province. Identified beneficiaries in the towns of Alangalang and Tolosa will be engaged in community gardening in public facilities and street cleaning, while workers of Palo town will conduct disinfection and sanitation. After their 15-day work, each recipient will receive PHP4,875 as payment, or a daily wage of PHP325. DOLE Eastern Visayas regional director Henry John Jalbuena turned over the checks to Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, Alangalang Mayor Lovely Yu, Tolosa Vice Mayor Erwin Ocaña, and Palo Mayor Frances Ann Petilla. Jalbuena assured the local government officials that DOLE would continue to work tirelessly for the benefit of Eastern Visayas’ informal sector workers. “As your co-worker in the government, we assure you that we are doing all that we can for the benefit and welfare of our workers here in the region,” Jalbuena said in a statement. The DOLE’s cash grant is under TUPAD or Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers, a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed, and seasonal workers for a minimum period of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days depending on the nature of work to be performed. Source: Philippines News Agency
Sakey’s sees return to profitability in 2021
April 16, 2021 12:00 am

Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc., the Philippines’ leading chained full-service restaurant, saw bottomline revert to positive territory posting net income of PHP215 million for the last three months of the year following the losses posted for most of 2020. The improvement in both profit and cash flow during the last three months was brought about by a marked increase in systemwide sales. Its fourth-quarter profit was also boosted by tax benefits as a result of its negative full year profitability. At the end of 2020, Shakey’s 12-month net income, however, stood at negative PHP247 million amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). “2020 was obviously a one-of-a-kind year amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and the restaurant industry was one of the hardest hit. Nonetheless, despite our net loss for the year, we’ve managed to pull through with positive cash flows, improved cost structures, and greater ability to address off-premise demand, thanks to the gallant efforts of our team and the numerous business innovations we’ve been put into place,” Shakey’s president and chief executive officer Vicente Gregorio said in a statement Monday. For most of last year, the Philippines was under different phases of lockdowns which, at its peak, forced the temporary closure of 91 percent of the company’s store network at the end of March. Quarantine measures, however, eased with store traffic inching up slowly during the second half of 2020. For the fourth quarter alone, Shakey’s systemwide sales stood at PHP1.8 billion, a growth of 33 percent versus the previous quarter due to the seasonal holiday pick-up, increased dine-in sales, as well as a resilient delivery and carry-out business. For full year 2020, the company ended with total sales of PHP6.6 billion –equivalent to 64 percent of 2019 sales. On a same-store sales basis, excluding the impact of closed stores, sales were down 30 percent year-on-year. “We are pleased by the improvements we saw towards (the) year-end which gave us the confidence to further invest in future growth, readying ourselves to better compete in the ‘new normal’ whilst creating jobs amidst the Philippines’ tough economic environment. Moving into 2021, the ability to stay nimble and adapt to the ever-changing environment will be of utmost importance. We are hopeful that dine-in continues to recover this year, but are nonetheless managing the fact that guests will likely continue to need convenient and flexible out-of-store options,” Gregorio said. The company recently announced plans to restart a store network expansion strategy that was put on hold last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the stores will have smaller footprints and reduced investment requirements relative to traditional brick-and-mortar stores. This ensures payback periods are kept short and return on capital remains high. The company is also looking to build locations that have the Shakey’s, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, and R&B milk tea brands in one location to maximize the existing asset base. Moreover, it will be rolling a number of so-called ghost kitchens or kitchen extensions to further strengthen its delivery business, alongside a ‘31 Minute, If It’s Late, It’s Free’ guarantee in select areas in Metro Manila. “Despite continued uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic and the various restrictions that go along with it, we are confident that this year will be a better one for us. We’ve made various adjustments to our business -streamlining operations, managing our costs, and doubling down on delivery and carry-out for all of our brands. We believe this will allow for continued profitability coming into 2021 and a reversion to year-on-year growth,” Gregorio said. Source: Philippines News Agency
Pso nearly flat as stocks gauge up on US infra plan
April 16, 2021 12:00 am

The local stock barometer closed on a positive note Monday, benefiting the local currency. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) inched up by 0.81 percent, or 52.06 points, to 6,495.15 points. All Shares increased by 0.59 percent, or 23.17 points, to 3,947.46 points. Most of the sectoral gauges also finished the day with gains, led by the Holding Firms index after it jumped by 1.52 percent. Industrial index rose by 1.31 percent; Services, 0.82 percent; Financials, 0.54 percent; and Mining and Oil, 0.10 percent. Only the Property index shed during the day after it fell 0.29 percent. Volume reached 1.85 billion shares amounting to PHP5.36 billion. Gainers led losers at 117 to 85, while 48 shares were unchanged. “Local shares inched higher following the solid infrastructure plan rolled out by (US) President Joe Biden and with investors making several bets for the month ahead,” Luis Limlingan, Regina Capital Development Corporation head of sales, said. Positive sentiments were also boosted by reports about the third consecutive positive turnout for the country’s Purchasing Managers index (PM) to 52.2 based on the report of the IHS Markit. An index of above 50 indicates expansion while figures below 50 shows otherwise. Oil prices in the international market also rose after the gradual curbing of production cuts in May, as discussed by OPEC+ last week, he said. Brent crude oil futures increased by 3.8 percent or about USD2.38 per barrel to end at around USD65.08 per barrel while US West Texas Intermediate futures inched up by over 4 percent to USD62.63 per barrel, he added. Meanwhile, the peso ended the week’s first trading day at 48.49, sideways compared to its 48.53 close last Wednesday. There were no trading last Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, which were officially declared as holidays. The local currency opened the day at 48.55 and traded between 48.64 and 48.488. Average level for the day stood at 48.556. Volume totaled USD637.3 million, lower than the previous session’s USD933.19 million Source: Philippines News Agency