Category: General

ILOILO: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Iloilo extension office maintained that Bagong Bansang Maharlika (BBM) International, Inc. cannot operate because its certificate of incorporation and registration was revoked months ago.

Lawyer Ma. Cristina T. Montelibano, Director II for SEC Iloilo extension office, made the reiteration on Wednesday after inquiries made by some concerned citizens on the legitimacy of the group.

‘This particular organization was registered under company registration number CN 2022030046453-01 way back March 18, 2022. It was a non-stock corporation,’ Montelibano said in an interview Thursday.

In its declaration, the group projected that its primary purpose was to uplift the living conditions of the members by assisting in the establishment of livelihood facilities, services, and enterprises, Montelibano said.

An organization such as this, with an issued certificate of incorporation, could operate anywhere in the Philippines.

However, the SEC revoked its certificate of
incorporation and registration on Nov. 14, 2023, for allegedly being fraudulent.

Before the revocation, it was reported that the group invited people in the provinces to be members in exchange for PHP100 in membership fee. It also represented itself as a private social welfare agency.

Worse, it also used President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s photo on the identification card, tarpaulins, and other materials.

‘The organization, its operators and agents, has no authority to operate as a non-governmental organization for public and charitable purposes to act as social welfare and development agencies as certified by the DSWD,’ the official said, quoting the decision of the SEC.

‘The use of the President’s picture in the identification card, tarpaulins, and other materials, and paraphernalia of BBM International, Inc. was done with palpable intent to mislead and deceive the public that the activities undertaken by the corporation are legitimate and are sanctioned by any or with the imprimatur of the President or
the Marcos administration,’ she added.

The acts of the organization, according to the SEC order constitute ‘serious misrepresentation that could advance a fraudulent purpose or can be reasonably expected to cause a significant, imminent, and irreparable danger or injury to the public safety and welfare.’

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: A lawmaker on Thursday urged local government executives to assist the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) in building up the nationwide database of Filipino senior citizens in the country.

Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. said the accurate cataloguing of senior citizens is crucial for the government, especially with the recent passage of the law granting benefits to octogenarians and nonagenarians.

Under Republic Act 11982, senior citizens aged 80, 85, 90 and 95, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, will receive PHP10,000 cash incentive every age milestone and will still receive PHP100,000 upon reaching 100 years old.

Villafuerte said the national database would also help with the distribution of the government’s recently-increased monthly pension for indigent senior citizens from PHP500 to PHP1,000.

‘I am appealing to our LGU (local government unit) officials to go the extra mile in giving a hand to the NCSC and three more agencies in putting up the Elderly Data Management S
ystem or list of elderly Filipinos entitled to the cash bonanza, along with the national database of all senior citizens for the purpose of, among others, determining who among them are actually qualified to receive the monthly allowance for indigent seniors that has been increased beginning this year from PHP500 to PHP1,000,’ he said.

He added RA 11982 tasks the NCSC to undertake an online registration of the intended beneficiaries for its would-be Elderly Data Management System, which shall contain all relevant information about elderly Filipinos eligible for the cash gifts.

The database will be developed in coordination with LGUs, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

‘It seems safe to say at this point that the NCSC does not yet have the complete list of all seniors who have reached, or are to about to reach, the ages of 80, 85, 90, 95 or 100, considering that only over 4
million senior citizens have thus far registered on its official website,’ he said.

Villafuerte said such an authoritative database will go a long way in helping the NCSC identify all senior citizens, locate them and ensure that they can avail of the benefits intended for them.

He said around 4,419,153 senior citizens have registered as of March 1, 2024 which represents only a third of the 12.2 million Filipinos that the PSA reported to have turned 60 years old as of March 2020.

He cited official government data showing that there are about 4.1 million indigent seniors and 90,000 who are octogenarians, nonagenarians or centenarians.

‘Seldom do Filipinos reach the age of 100, so what better way for the national government and the Congress to show our country’s appreciation for the significant contributions of our grandparents and other seniors to society during their relatively more productive years than to give them a cash windfall not only when they become centenarians but even when they turn 80, 85, 90
and 95 years old,’ Villafuerte said.

He also supported the proposal to tap the government’s unprogrammed funds or savings to fund the cash gifts to qualified seniors under RA 11982 considering that the new law is not covered by this year’s budget.

Earlier, NCSC chairman Franklin Quijano, in a public briefing at Malacañan Palace, sought the help of LGUs and senior citizens’ organizations in updating and completing the commission’s accurate database covering about 12.3 million Filipinos 60 years of age and above, and including their respective health profiles.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the return of the drug charges against Rolan ‘Kerwin’ Espinosa to a Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC).

In a 12-page decision promulgated on February 22, the appellate court set aside the August 14, 2020 decision of the Manila RTC Branch 26 acquitting Espinosa of violation of Section 5 and Section 11 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act., and affirmed the government’s claim that the prosecution was denied due process to fully present its evidence before issuing the ruling.

The case has its origins in the three sets of Information filed against Espinosa: two sets of Information for Violation of Section 11 of R.A. No. 9165 (Illegal Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and Violation of Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 1866, as amended by R.A. No. 8294 (Illegal Possession of Firearms) regarding an incident on April 26, 2011; and one set of Information8 for Violation of Section 5 of R.A. No. 9165 (Trading and Distribution of Dangerous Drugs) regarding the incidents on Jul
y 28, 2016.

In its petition, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) argued that the RTC’s decision and resolution were issued with grave abuse of discretion, and in violation of the petitioner’s right to due process when the prosecution was not allowed to conclude the presentation of their evidence.

In its ruling, the CA noted that the decision of the trial court ‘does not mention any consolidation of the three criminal cases.’

Secondly, the appellate court said the decision was promulgated by the trial court without the presence of the handling public prosecutor, which could have clarified in open court that the prosecution has yet to rest its case.

“Given that the Respondent Judge who denied the Motion for Reconsideration of Petitioner failed to consider these circumstances when it resolved the issues, he also committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction,’ the CA said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BUENAVISTA: The Antique provincial government is requesting the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to expand the Local Adaptation to Water Access (LAWA) projects in the province to support food sufficiency, especially during the onset of the El Niño phenomenon.

Fernando Corvera, Antique provincial government consultant on agri-fishery, said on Thursday the LAWA or small water reservoir projects in the province provided water for farmers during this dry spell.

‘The LAWA projects enabled our farmers to have water to be used for their crops even during the dry spell,’ he said in an interview.

The towns of Sibalom, Sebaste and Barbaza served as pilot areas in Western Visayas in 2023, and the projects’ expansion to the 15 other municipalities of the province could help ensure food self-sufficiency.

The provincial board on March 4 passed a resolution urging the DSWD to strengthen the implementation of the project.

Board member Alfie Jay Niquia, author of the resolution, also urged the implemen
tation of Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for Impoverished (BINHI) to mitigate the impacts of the dry spell.

‘The recipients of projects LAWA and BINHI will participate in water-saving initiatives such as constructing small agricultural reservoirs, maintaining multipurpose water infrastructure, restoring and mending water harvesting facilities, diversifying water sources, hydroponics and aquaculture while others will take part in planting or on vegetable gardening,’ he said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BUENAVISTA: The provincial government here allocated PHP40 million for the establishment of a hospital medical waste treatment facility and the procurement of a transporter.

The project is part of the Supplemental Annual Investment Program (AIP) Number 2, approved by the Provincial Development Council (PDC) chaired by Governor Rhodora Cadiao during its first quarter meeting on Thursday.

‘The Antique provincial government yearly has been allocating PHP10 (million) to PHP15 million to transport the hospital medical waste outside of the province so the establishment of our own hospital medical waste treatment facility is really needed,’ said Provincial Planning and Development Officer Bienvenido Nallos Jr. in a media conference.

Currently, the provincial government is paying a contractor for the shipment of the hospital medical wastes. However, the wastes pile up at the back of the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital in San Jose de Buenavista when the shipment gets delayed.

There is also a need to transp
ort wastes from seven other district hospitals in the province.

Other projects identified as priority in the AIP are the provision of livelihood for indigents, installation of home solar systems in barangays without electrification, completion of the evacuation centers in the municipalities of Caluya, Sibalom and Anini-y, and provision of projects in the 79 remote barangays that have not received assistance from the provincial government in previous years.

‘The 50th Binirayan Festival will also be grander this year,’ Nallos said.

Nallos did not elaborate on the activities for the festival and left it to the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office.

The budget for the event set in December is double the usual PHP10-million allocation for the provincial festival.

Nallos said the implementation of the projects has a budgetary requirement of PHP502.5 million, with the revenue collections, national tax allowance, and the PHP40 million savings of the provincial government in 2023 as fund sources.

Meanwh
ile, a 69-year-old member of the New People’s Army from Sibalom town surrendered to Cadiao and Antique Provincial Police Office director Col. Lea Rose B. Peña at the capitol on Thursday.

Cadiao gave PHP10,000 livelihood assistance, a sack of rice, and grocery goods to the surrenderee.

The governor said the surrenderee could also avail of benefits under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP).

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Iloilo extension office maintained that Bagong Bansang Maharlika (BBM) International, Inc. cannot operate because its certificate of incorporation and registration was revoked months ago.

Lawyer Ma. Cristina T. Montelibano, Director II for SEC Iloilo extension office, made the reiteration on Wednesday after inquiries made by some concerned citizens on the legitimacy of the group.

‘This particular organization was registered under company registration number CN 2022030046453-01 way back March 18, 2022. It was a non-stock corporation,’ Montelibano said in an interview Thursday.

In its declaration, the group projected that its primary purpose was to uplift the living conditions of the members by assisting in the establishment of livelihood facilities, services, and enterprises, Montelibano said.

An organization such as this, with an issued certificate of incorporation, could operate anywhere in the Philippines.

However, the SEC revoked its certificate of
incorporation and registration on Nov. 14, 2023, for allegedly being fraudulent.

Before the revocation, it was reported that the group invited people in the provinces to be members in exchange for PHP100 in membership fee. It also represented itself as a private social welfare agency.

Worse, it also used President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s photo on the identification card, tarpaulins, and other materials.

‘The organization, its operators and agents, has no authority to operate as a non-governmental organization for public and charitable purposes to act as social welfare and development agencies as certified by the DSWD,’ the official said, quoting the decision of the SEC.

‘The use of the President’s picture in the identification card, tarpaulins, and other materials, and paraphernalia of BBM International, Inc. was done with palpable intent to mislead and deceive the public that the activities undertaken by the corporation are legitimate and are sanctioned by any or with the imprimatur of the President or
the Marcos administration,’ she added.

The acts of the organization, according to the SEC order constitute ‘serious misrepresentation that could advance a fraudulent purpose or can be reasonably expected to cause a significant, imminent, and irreparable danger or injury to the public safety and welfare.’

Source: Philippines News Agency