Day: April 13, 2024

MANILA: The Philippines has been reelected as a member of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the term 2025-2029 on the heels of its successful chairmanship of the body last month.

In a statement dated April 11 (US time), Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Antonio Lagdameo said Manila would continue its active engagement with the commission and strive to further contribute to its work programs and initiatives.

The Philippines served as chair of the CSW Bureau during its 68th session in March.

It actively participated in the CSW, particularly in ensuring the proper implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action (BDPA), a comprehensive blueprint of commitments to advance gender equality and women empowerment in various areas of concern.

READ: PBBM to CSW68 members: Seek innovative solutions to empower women

The Philippines was also reelected to the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) for the same term.

Both elec
tions were held during the 12th plenary meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York on April 9.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said these reelections indicate the trust and recognition of the international community to Philippine expertise and concrete contribution to the issues of gender equality, women empowerment, and the transformative role of science, technology and innovation (STI) in sustainable development.

‘With its reelection to the two UN bodies, the Philippines continues to have the opportunity and global platforms to share its experiences and best practices on gender equality, women empowerment, and STI advancements; to advance its priorities and advocacies on these issues; and to contribute to advancing the work of these two important functional commissions of ECOSOC, including in facilitating consensus in intergovernmental negotiations that take place within the context of CSW and CSTD’s respective mandates,’ it said.

The continued membership of the Philippines in t
he CSW and CSTD also supports and facilitates the development goals of the country, as elaborated in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and Ambisyon Natin 2040.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The modified work schedule from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for officials and employees in local government units (LGUs) is consistent with the Policy on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) issued by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for agencies and government workers nationwide.

CSC Chairperson Karlo Nograles said in a statement Saturday that the resolution of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Metro Manila Council (MMC) to adopt the flexible schedule for LGUs is a temporary solution to traffic congestion.

‘The CSC’s policy on FWA has influenced at least 499 agencies to adopt internal guidelines by end of December 2023, but we need more agencies to follow suit, especially in Metro Manila,’ Nograles said. ‘This new development from the MMDA, with the support of the MMC and local officials, is crucial in improving the welfare of civil servants in LGUs, especially those who do not own cars and commute to work every day.’

The CSC’s latest Inventory of Government Human Resources showed that the Nat
ional Capital Region has the largest number of government workers in the country, with 440,009 (22.30 percent) of career and non-career personnel.

‘The prevailing traffic conditions in the metro not only hinder their mobility but also impact their productivity, particularly for those who commute daily,’ he said. ‘By adopting the FWA, we can enhance their efficiency and safeguard their health, safety and welfare.’

He reminded government agencies and LGUs that their chosen FWAs must be implemented “without compromising the continuous delivery of public service, especially for offices with frontline services.”

‘We are open to recommendations from government agencies and other stakeholders as we craft people-centric solutions, especially those that will address transport problems, but what remains paramount is ensuring uninterrupted delivery of services to the citizenry,’ Nograles said.

The CSC adopted Memorandum Circular No. 6, s. 2022, or the Policies on FWAs in the Government on June 2, 2022 to institution
alize “relevant work arrangements and practices” brought about by the changing needs and conditions of the workforce.

Under the circular, government agencies have the option to implement any of the FWAs to facilitate support mechanisms for government officials and employees: flexiplace, work shifting, compressed workweek and skeleton workforce.

Flexiplace is an output-oriented work arrangement that allows government officials or employees to work at a location outside their office for a temporary period, subject to approval from the head of the office/agency.

This arrangement includes working from home, satellite offices, or other predetermined fixed locations.

Work shifting, on the other hand, is a work arrangement for offices or agencies mandated by law to operate continuously for 24 hours every day, or those required to adhere to workplace health and safety protocols.

Agencies may establish flexible working hours for its officials and employees from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily while ensuring compliance wit
h the mandatory 40-hour workweek.

The compressed workweek condenses the standard 40-hour workweek spread across five days into four days or fewer, depending on feasibility for government officials or employees.

Skeleton workforce pertains to a work setup where a minimal number of officials or employees are required to report to office and provide service during periods when full staffing is not feasible.

The CSC said agencies also have the flexibility to combine any of the above-mentioned FWAs as deemed appropriate or necessary according to the agency’s mandate and functions.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday (PH time) pushed for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the United States to achieve economic transformation and open more job opportunities.

There is a demand from both the US and the Philippines’ private sector for engagement in a bilateral free trade agreement, Marcos said in his keynote speech during the Philippine-US Business Forum in Washington, D.C.

‘The benefits for concluding an FTA, together with critical minerals agreement between both our countries, will be transformative and will create new jobs, strengthen supply chains, establish new businesses, and upskill our workforce,’ Marcos said.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez on Thursday said the Philippines is eyeing an FTA with the US on cyberspace and digital technology, part of the two nations’ renewed interest to further enhance trade and economic cooperation.

Marcos also urged the US Congress to expedite the revival of the Generalized Sy
stem of Preferences (GSP), one of the oldest US trade preferences programs.

‘We appeal to the US Congress to fast-track the reauthorization of the US GSP program which has benefited beneficiary countries such as the Philippines,’ he said, as he touted that the Philippines is a ‘major market for US products.’

The GSP Program, established in 1974, has granted duty-free treatment to exports of certain products by developing nations into the US. The products range from electronics and agricultural products.

The program expired in December 2020 despite legislative efforts to extend it.

Robust economy

Marcos trumpeted the Philippines’ strong post-pandemic economic recovery, being one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia.

‘On the economy, I would like to share with you that for 2023, the Philippines achieved a 5.6 percent annual growth in GDP (gross domestic product) which outpaced other high-growth economies such as China, Vietnam, and Malaysia,’ he said.

‘Despite the recovery time needed to accelerate b
usinesses coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, we were able to either exceed or match the economic projections of multilateral organizations, such as the IMF (International Monetary Fund), the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, and the World Bank,’ he added.

Marcos said the Philippines also saw a 28-percent surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) net inflows, reaching USD1 billion in November 2023 from USD820 million of net inflows recorded for the same month in 2022.

He noted that the Department of Trade and Industry-Board of Investments approved PHP1.26 trillion in investment projects in 2023, higher by 73 percent compared to the PHP729 billion registered in 2022.

Marcos also stressed that the US was Philippines’ fourth largest source of FDIs and third top trading partner in 2023.

‘Over the years, the Philippines has acknowledged the significant contribution of the United States to our economic agenda,’ he said. ‘This affirmation underscores the deepening ties between the United States and the Phil
ippines as we are both committed to advancing our mutual goal of economic progress.’

Also in 2023, Marcos pointed out that semiconductors and integrated circuits were the Philippines’ biggest exports to the US, amounting to USD3.1 billion, or 23.3 percent of its total exports to the North American country.

“We are seeing expansions by US companies in the Philippines in this sector. So, with the assistance from the US government, through the International Technology Security and Innovation Fund managed by the US State Department, we can achieve our goal of producing 128,000 semiconductor engineers and technicians by 2028 as demanded by the industry,’ Marcos said.

‘So, with this collaboration, the Philippines will be able to support the US semiconductor industry not only in assembly, testing, and packaging but also in other segments of the supply chain such as in microchip design and in research and development.’

Marcos assured US investors of breakthrough policy reforms in the Philippines to attract more f
oreign participation in the businesses in the country.

During the US’ first Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines in March, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced the American companies’ planned investment in the amount of at least USD1 billion in projects that will create educational and career opportunities for Filipinos.

Source: Philippines News Agency