Day: May 11, 2023

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Thursday it would comply with the status quo ante order (SQAO) issued by the Supreme Court (SC) on the disqualification case of Legazpi City mayor Carmen Rosal during the May 2022 polls. In a statement, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said they respect the ruling of the High Court stopping the poll body from implementing its decision on the disqualification case that attained finality on May 10. “As we have consistently committed, the Commission on Elections will abide and comply with any order, ruling, or directive of the highest court of our land,” Laudiangco said. “We strictly complied with due process and follow pertinent rules and procedures in the series of issuances of the Certificate of Finality, Entry of Judgment, and Order of Execution in this case. We guarantee all parties to the case the opportunity to avail of all legal remedies under our jurisdiction.” The High Court also resolved to consolidate two petitions filed by respondents Rosal, Oscar Robert Cristobal, Alfredo Garbin Jr., and Joseph Armogila in connection with the case. It directed the Comelec and the respondents to file their respective consolidated comments within a non-extendible period of 10 days from notice. The Comelec en banc affirmed the disqualification of Rosal as a mayoral candidate in Legazpi City in the May 2022 elections, based on its May 4 ruling. The poll body found Rosal liable for giving money to influence, induce, or corrupt the voters during the conduct of the two-day Tricycle Driver’s Cash Assistance Payout in the city on March 31, 2022. It also ordered the proclamation of second placer Garbin as the duly-elected mayor of Legazpi City. The Comelec issued the Certificate of Finality, Entry of Judgment, and Order of Execution on Wednesday. Meanwhile, in Legazpi City, hundreds of supporters of Rosal celebrated the SQAO issued by the High Court. In an interview, the embattled mayor said the decision is a triumph not just for her camp but also for their supporters. ‘This is not just for me or my husband but for all the people dahil (because) finally, they will not wait for a long period,’ Rosal said. She said she and her husband are very thankful and appreciative of the support they get from the people of Legazpi. ‘Hindi na prolonged unlike kay governor na nangyari, at ngayon nag-aantay pa tayo nag decision ng Supreme Court. At least ngayon positive na tayo na maipagpapatuloy ang mga proyekto para sa mga taga-Legazpi (It was not prolonged unlike what happened to Governor Rosal that until now we are waiting for the decision of the Supreme Court. At least we are now positive that we can continue with the projects for the people of Legazpi),’ Rosal said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Over 400,000 first-time job seekers were able to secure free preemployment documents from different government agencies in 2022. In separate social media posts on Thursday, the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), reported that a total of 400,470 preemployment documents were given for free to individuals who are looking for employment for the first time by other government departments last year. “For 2022, the program has issued 400,470 pre-employment documents, free of charge,” it said. The most number of documents that were given are barangay certificates numbering 190,459 as reported by the Department of the Interior and Local Government. There were 182,095 National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearances that were issued while a total of 26,031 certificates of proficiency from the Maritime Industry Authority have also been provided to job hunters. The Philippine Statistics Authority has issued a total of 1,885 birth certificates. Under Republic Act 11261 enacted in February 2019, all first-time job seekers may avail of pre-employment requirements for free. Those covered under the law are graduates of college degrees, vocational courses, or high school, or those planning to be working students. The BLE noted that anyone looking for a job has to secure a barangay certification that he/she is a first-time job seeker from their village officials. It added that such certification will then be presented to the government agencies to be able to secure the preemployment requirements from them. The available documents are Barangay Clearance, Barangay Certificate, and Clearance for Employment (Office of the Mayor) from local government units; Police Clearance from the Philippine National Police; NBI Clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation; and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) from the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Also, Medical Certificate from a public hospital/Department of Health; PhilHealth ID from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation; Unified Multi-Purpose ID from the Social Security System/Government Service Insurance System; CSC Certificate of Eligibility from the Civil Service Commission; and National Certificates, Certification, Authentication Verification, and Certificates of Competencies from Technical Education And Skills Development Authority. The BLE said first-time job seekers may also avail Certificate of Proficiency on Basic Training, and Certificate of Proficiency on Ship Security Awareness Training and Seafarers with Designated Security Duties from Maritime Industry Authority; Overseas Employment Certificates from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. Also included are birth certificate and marriage certificate from the Philippine Statistics Authority, and report cards, permanent school records, transcript of academic records, and or certificate of graduation completion, and/or diploma, certificate of rating from Department of Education or the Commission on Higher Education.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The employers’ sector on Thursday expressed bullishness over the country’s 6.4 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the first quarter, saying this development heralds the opening up of more employment opportunities for Filipinos. In an interview, Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), credited the positive direction taken by the economy to sound management by the Marcos administration, especially its emphasis on infrastructure development, which is very labor-intensive. He noted that ECOP’s leadership has observed aggressive hiring in the manufacturing, mining and services sectors lately. The business leader said that within the services sector, the food, travel, and hospitality sub-sectors have shown the most recovery in recent months. ‘The economy may be growing slower than what we hoped for, but it seems to be moving forward very surely,’ Ortiz-Luis said. He pointed out that the main obstacle to economic growth in the past three years was the Covid-19 pandemic, which now ‘seems to be behind us.’ In light of the job market’s gradual recovery, Ortiz-Luis called on the administration to put aside proposals for legislated wage increases and instead, leave wage-setting to the various Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards. Meanwhile, Roberto Galang, dean at Ateneo de Manila’s John Gokongwei School of Management, called the Philippines’ first quarter economic performance ‘very encouraging.’ ‘The country is leading the region, and the Philippines is a rare bright spot in a slowing global economy,’ according to Galang. He stressed that the ‘best news is the turnaround of agriculture back to positive growth.’ The dean said that policymakers should take advantage of the apparent optimism created by the agriculture sector’s 2.2 percent growth last quarter to encourage more farmers to plant high-value crops. He explained that the easiest way to address poverty among small farmers and farm workers is to have them plant crops that command generous financial returns.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) will conduct joint research on crops, specifically onion and corn. The two will map and monitor these crops using satellite data, PhilSA announced on Thursday, adding that farm to market roads will be monitored too. Both agencies are eyeing to look at the corn farming in the province of Pampanga or Isabela, and onion farming in Nueva Ecija. Part of their collaborative research is the study of the location and utilization of farm to market roads in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija. The pilot sites in Region III were selected due to the large area of corn and onion farns. The study, PhilSa said, will focus on these crops to generate their geodatabases. ‘Geolocation will enable more comprehensive analyses of crops on a larger scale by integrating it with other Earth observation data. This will provide, at the minimum, delineation and area statistics of these crops,” Arlo Jayson Sabuito, PhilSA Space Data Mobilization and Applications Division Science Research Specialist II, was quoted as saying. More complex research can produce information such as cropping calendars, yield estimation, and damage assessments due to disasters such as drought and typhoons, Sabuito added. Meanwhile, PhilSA said this joint research will start this year. The results could help the government, non-government organizations, and farmers to make informed decisions on securing the country’s food production, it said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The province of Ilocos Norte has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and agreement with the newly-created Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) for the construction of affordable houses here. Under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) project, Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc said in a media interview Thursday that a government lot near the Provincial Engineering Office in Barangay 5 San Pedro has been committed to the project. The identified location will also host the Ilocos Norte transportation hub, designed as an intermodal terminal with multi-level platforms to alleviate traffic congestion in business districts and provide seamless interconnectivity of various modes of transportation such as public utility jeepneys, buses, taxis, vans, and tricycles. It will also function as a transfer point for commuters entering and exiting the province, making land travel more convenient and comfortable. ‘The arrangement basically is for the local government unit to provide a lot as counterpart and the private contractor will invest in the housing with the support of Pag-IBIG Fund,’ Manotoc said. The 4PH project has been designed not just to build houses but communities where service facilities, infrastructures, amenities as well as business opportunities, are in proximity to the development sites. By tapping funds from the private sector, the project aims to build 6 million affordable and safe housing units from 2023 to 2028 or until the end of the President’s term. Target beneficiaries include minimum wage earners, families relocated from high-risk and disaster-prone areas, and other members of poor communities. Ilocos Norte signed the MOU and agreement with the DHSUD for the housing project last May 9. The DHSUD is the primary national government agency responsible for the management, policy, regulation, and program coordination of housing, human settlement, and urban development concerns.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The city government here has formed a task force to mitigate the effects of the El Niño phenomenon on residents and the agriculture sector. In Executive Order 10 issued on Thursday, Mayor Belen Fernandez, the chairperson of the task force, said coordinated efforts must be undertaken to prepare for the phenomenon and minimize its adverse effects on the people. ‘There is a need to constitute a task force to enhance inter-agency coordination in the formulation and implementation of measures to mitigate the effects, particularly in agriculture,’ she said. The task force will formulate comprehensive disaster preparedness and rehabilitation plan for the El Niño phenomenon to help the public cope and to minimize its disastrous effects. It will also regularly monitor the implementation of the plan. Fernandez said they would also conduct a massive information campaign to educate the public on the needed interventions, as well as enlist the help of any government agency. She added that they would also identify possible funding sources to implement the measures that would later be identified. ‘All government agencies and local government units are directed to extend full support to the task force,’ she said. The task force consists of the local chief executive, the head of the City Agriculture Office, the Public Alert Response and Monitoring Center, the City Veterinarian, the City Fire Marshal, the head of the fisherfolk, the chief of the Dagupan City Police, the head of the City Social Welfare and Development Office, members of the academe and the local weather bureau, a City Health officer, and other farmers, irrigators, and fisherfolk associations. Fernandez signed the EO forming the task force on May 10 and it immediately held a meeting on May 11. Dagupan City, although an urban area, has its agricultural lands and fishponds as the main source of livelihood for residents.

Source: Philippines News Agency