Day: May 2, 2023

Indonesia, chair of ASEAN in 2023, has announced that the 42nd ASEAN Summit, set to take place on May 10-11 in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, will produce a document on a “village network” in the bloc.

At the 34th Senior Officials Committee for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (SOCA) meeting on April 28, Indonesia called for the acceleration of village development. A region-wide network in which the villages can exchange knowledge and explore partnership opportunities can be the impetus for development in ASEAN’s villages.

Joko Kusnanto Anggoro, a special staffer to the chief cultural affairs minister, said at the meeting that ASEAN needs to strengthen its capacity and preparedness to maintain the stability and prosperity within ASEAN as the epicentrum of growth in the Indo-Pacific region. ASEAN must make sure that people from all walks of life enjoy the benefit of this growth.

In early February, Indonesian Chief Cultural Affairs Minister Muhadjir Effendy met with the ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in the former’s Jakarta office, emphasising ASEAN’s socio-cultural pillar, which also focuses on the village network.

According to Muhadjir, this networking of villages aims to spur inclusive socio-economic development. It can also pave the way for a more prosperous region.

Indonesia is home to at least 74,000 villages. Indonesia places its villages in five categories based on their self-sufficiency, namely self-sufficient, advanced, developing, behind, and very behind. Most villages in Indonesia have the “developing” status, reaching about 33,892 villages as of 2022, government data shows.

A “developing village” refers to Indonesian villages that have the potential to become advanced, and have social, economic, as well as ecological capital. However, the village has yet to take full advantage of its potential to boost the villagers’ prosperity and quality of life, and address poverty./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The weather bureau issued an El Niño alert on Tuesday, saying the weather phenomenon might emerge between June and July at 80 percent probability and might persist until the first quarter of 2024. El Niño increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions, which could have negative impacts, such as dry spells and droughts, in some areas of the country. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), however, said above-normal rainfall conditions during the southwest monsoon season (‘habagat’) may also be expected over the western part of the country. “With this development, the PAGASA El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Alert and Warning System is now raised to El Niño Alert. El Niño (warm phase of ENSO) is characterized by unusually warmer than average sea surface temperatures at the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. When conditions are favorable for the development of El Niño within the next two months at a probability of 70 percent or more, an El Niño alert is issued,” PAGASA said. On April 18, PAGASA Deputy Administrator Esperanza Cayanan said the chances for an El Niño between June and August have increased from 55 percent to 80 percent. The probability of El Niño between November and January 2024 also rose to about 87 percent. Drought or dry spells may be felt towards the last quarter of 2023 and it is possible to experience heavy rainfall before seeing the effects of El Niño because of the ‘habagat’ season in June to September, she added. PAGASA said it would continue to closely monitor the development of the phenomenon. “All concerned government agencies and the general public are encouraged to keep on monitoring and take precautionary measures against the impending impacts of El Niño,” it said. (

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Court of Appeals (CTA) has granted a petition filed by a local petroleum firm questioning taxes imposed on its importation of alkylate, a component of petroleum products. In its 43-page decision dated April 27 and made public Tuesday, the tax court’s Special 2nd Division ruled in favor of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. in a suit it filed questioning taxes originally imposed on imports of the chemical from 2010 to 2012. The tax court’s ruling nullified Document M-059-2012 issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue to the Bureau of Customs (BOC), which ordered the imposition of taxes on the alkylate importations. The court reasoned that the document ‘should have complied with the requirement of prior notice, hearing and publication before applying the same to petitioner’s importations.’ It also added that aside from the fact that the document should have been published before going into effect, it should not have had retroactive effect on prior importations. ‘As Document No. M-059-2012 was given retroactive application to petitioner’s prejudice, the same likewise constituted a violation of its (taxpayer’s) right to due process,’ the court said. From 2010 to 2012, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) had issued 21 authorities to release imported goods (ATRIGs) to the Bureau of Customs for Shell’s importations stating that alkylate was not subject to excise taxes. However, in September 2011, the BIR ‘s ATRIGs contained an inserted colatilla stating that the tax assessments was ‘without prejudice to the collection of corresponding excise taxes.’ On June 27, 2012, the Department of Energy issued a ruling that said alkylate is not a finished product but an intermediate product and is not subject to excise taxes. Despite the DOE ruling, the BIR two days later issued Document M-059-2012, which said alkylate is subject to excise taxes. In October 2012, the BIR sent a demand letter to the firm for the alleged deficiency excise taxes amounting PHP1.994 billion, prompting the firm to initiate the case. While the case was pending, a demand letter was sent anew to Shell in October 2021 for the total amount of PHP3.491 billion

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reiterated that the price freeze covering most of the province will remain in effect until June 18, even while the power situation here improves. In an interview on Tuesday, a representative from the DTI’s Consumer Protection Group (DTI-CPG) said that their office continues to monitor possible violators of the freeze order, even while local government units (LGUs) are primarily responsible for enforcement. The DTI-CPG representative explained that the price freeze automatically took effect as soon as a state of calamity was declared in the province on April 20. A state of calamity was declared under Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution 136-2023 in response to a shortage in electricity which earlier triggered 15 to 16-hour daily brownouts. The price freeze will remain in effect until its 60-day term lapses, or if otherwise revoked by authorities. Out of the 11 municipalities in Occidental Mindoro, only the towns of Lubang and Looc are currently not under a state of calamity. Basic commodities subject to the price freeze include canned sardines and other marine food products, processed milk, coffee, laundry and detergent soaps, iodized salt, instant noodles and bottled water. Meanwhile, Malacañang last week announced that an end to the power crisis was imminent after an agreement was reached to operate three power plants belonging to Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corp. The power plants have a combined capacity of 30 megawatts, which is sufficient to supply Occidental Mindoro’s electricity needs during peak hours, according to the National Electrification Administratio

Source: Philippines News Agency

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III on Tuesday said he will ask the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agencies to give a full account of the PHP2.3 billion budget given to them from the 2023 General Appropriations Act. At the hearing of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights and Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture, Pimentel said there must be full accountability of the PHP2.3 billion budget intended for the First Border Facility (FBF) as next year’s budget deliberation is nearing. ‘Hahanapin natin ito, saan na-release ang halagang ito, malapit na ang budget cycle (We have to ask for it, where it was released as the budget cycle nears),” Pimentel said. In the same hearing, Senator Cynthia Villar blamed the DA for not implementing FBF when she funded it in 2019. The FBF, according to Villar, was the first testing center for imported agricultural products including various meats — pork, beef and chicken. Villar said the absence of FBF was the main reason for the spread of African swine fever (ASF) and other diseases coming from imported products. ‘Ang DA, ayaw mag-construct, kahit may ibigay sa kanilang pondo (The DA don’t want to construct even if we gave them funds),” Villar said. Under the 2023 budget, she said, FBF must be constructed in Bulacan, Cebu and Davao City, adding the fund was allocated years ago despite the private sectors agreeing to lend their establishment for FBF. Last December, Villar asked the support of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to establish at least three FBF in different areas of the country

Source: Philippines News Agency

Senator Francis Tolentino on Tuesday said the government is serious in fighting smuggling as he vows to find ways to strengthen the judicial system that will prosecute smugglers in the country. At the joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, Food and Agriculture, Tolentino said that despite the enactment into law of Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, smugglers are still rampant in the country. ‘Kahit naipasa na ang RA 10845, tuluy-tuloy pa din ang pagpasok ng (Even if we passed the RA 10845, smuggling still continue) smuggled products to the detriment of our local farmers,’ he said. One of the solutions, according to Tolentino, is to create special courts each in Bulacan, Manila, Cebu and Davao City, whose primary function is to prosecute smugglers, but a thorough study must be conducted since it is complicated and requires a huge budget. The National Bureau of Investigation, on the other hand, proposed that the Regional Trial Courts must hear the smuggling cases instead of creating special courts. Rosendo So, chairman of the Samahan ng Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), told the Senate hearing that smuggling continue from the previous administrations wherein the Manila Port ranked first, followed by Subic Port and Batangas City Port, as well as Davao City and Cebu. Tolentino said that smuggling of agricultural products is conducted in layer operation, meaning smuggled products are hidden into layers and through ‘ukay-ukay’. Meanwhile, Sen. Cynthia Villar said she will support any amendments of anti-smuggling laws to ensure an effective fight against it. She said hoarding, price manipulation and cartel will be included in the amendments as economic sabotage, which is a non-bailable offense.

Source: Philippines News Agency