Day: October 29, 2021

A truck filled with an estimated 576 board feet of hardwood “bagtikan” lumber was recovered in Barangay Umiray, Dingalan, this province on Friday.

Major Emil Sison, the spokesperson of the Aurora Police Provincial Office (APPO), said the anti-illegal logging operations were conducted by the members of the 3rd Maneuver Force Platoon, 1st Aurora Provincial Mobile Force Company (1st APMFC).

Sison said the troops found the abandoned Elf truck loaded with 28 pieces of sawn lumber amounting to PHP34,560 around 9:15 a.m. in Sitio Malamig, Barangay Umiray.

He said the 1st APMFC received information regarding the vehicle loaded with illegally cut lumber and was immediately verified by his men.

The confiscated forest products were believed to have come from the Sierra Madre mountains in Dingalan.

Sison added that the confiscated items were turned over to the City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) Dingalan Office and Dingalan Municipal Police Station for proper disposition and verification for filing of a case against the registered owner of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, Col. Julio S. Lizardo, APPO provincial director, commended the operating units as well as the source of the information.

He called on the public to continue supporting the APPO as he vowed that they will exert their best effort to return the favor through providing peace, order, and public safety.

Source: Philippines News Agency

In anticipation of the long holiday this weekend, the Ilocos Norte government on Friday gave a festive gift to residents by relaxing night curfew by two hours.

Based on a two-page Executive Order No. 163-21 issued by Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc, the new curfew and liquor ban hours in the province has been reduced from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. from its previous 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

The new order takes effect immediately until further notice.

The latest advisory from the Ilocos Norte government came after the reduction of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection in the province which de-escalated its quarantine classification to general community quarantine status (GCQ) since September 23, 2021.

Under GCQ, leisure travel among local residents without age restrictions is now allowed but the public is strongly encouraged to use the SafePass app for easier contact tracing purposes and must follow standard health protocols.

Restaurants have resumed operation with increased capacity in their dining spaces to 75 percent and operate indoor areas at 50 percent.

“By relaxing night curfew hours, we expect the revival of local businesses,” said Manuel Morales, a businessman from Laoag City.

Another Laoag resident Melody Baptista said, “This will benefit businesses as we love to spend time with friends and family during festivities.”

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Philippines could miss a 2-percent growth in the real gross domestic product (GDP) if the country fails to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a research fellow from Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said.

PIDS research fellow Francis Mark Quimba said during his presentation to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Friday that Vietnam and the Philippines are the top gainers of RCEP in terms of change in real GDP, while China and Singapore are the least.

Quimba said the growth will be driven by the reduction in trade costs due to tariff elimination and reduction under the free trade agreement (FTA) and increasing factory gate prices which translate to higher revenue and higher income for producers.

“Aside from missing out on the 2 percent growth in GDP, we will experience 0.26 percent decline if other countries will proceed and we’ll be left behind,” he added.

The PIDS fellow research added that even the country will resort to bilateral FTA rather than ratifying the RCEP, it cannot compensate for the benefit of joining the regional trade deal.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other agencies involved in the negotiations of RCEP have presented the impacts of the new trade agreement to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations as they seek the Senate’s concurrence to proceed with the FTA.

DTI Assistant Secretary Allan Gepty said RCEP participating countries target to implement the FTA by January 2022.

For the RCEP to enter into force, at least six ASEAN member states and three trading partners should deposit their instrument of ratification.

DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, and Thailand from ASEAN while China and Japan as ASEAN FTA partners have ratified RCEP in their respective countries.

“It is critical that we complete our domestic procedures within the year so the Philippines can join the implementation of the Agreement by January 2022. In this respect, we hope for the strong support of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in securing the concurrence of the Senate to ratify the RCEP,” Lopez said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Fraud charges may be filed when false information and fake documents are submitted to the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).

In its advisory on Wednesday, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Section 19 of Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act, states that imprisonment of three years to six years and a fine of PHP1 million to PHP3 million await individuals who will be found guilty of submitting false information during the application, renewal or updating of PhilSys information.

Crimes include the unlawful use of the Philippine Identification (PhilID) card or PhilSys Number (PSN) to commit a fraudulent act or for other unlawful purposes; willful submission of fictitious name or false information in the application, renewal or updating; unauthorized printing, preparation, or issuance of a PhilID; willful falsification, mutilation, alteration or tampering of the PhilID; use of the PhilID/PSN or unauthorized possession of a PhilID without any reasonable excuse by any person other than the one to whom it was issued; possession of a fake, falsified or altered PhilID; and willful transfer of the PhilID or the PSN to another person.

The PhilSys registration can be accessed through https://register.philsys.gov.ph for free.

As of September, more than 34 million Filipinos have completed the registration process.

The national ID will be delivered door-to-door by the Philippine Postal Corp.

The entire process is free of charge.

Philippine Identification System ambassadors Matteo and Sarah Geronimo-Guidicelli (Photo courtesy of PSA)

PhilSys also enlisted the services of celebrity couple Matteo Guidicelli and Sarah Geronimo to help entice registration for the national ID.

The Guidicellis were introduced as PhilSys ambassadors on October 25 and sang the official jingle tited “#IDNatin ‘to”.

Signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in August 2018, the PhilSys Act aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens.

The national ID shall be a valid proof of identity that shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and the opening of bank accounts.

It will also boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present the PhilID during transactions.

Source: Philippines News Agency