Category: General

MANILA: A study of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revealed that the Philippines would need investments amounting to USD337 billion by 2040 to achieve clean energy goals.

On Thursday, OECD and the Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Roadmap of the Philippines providing policy recommendations for the country to accelerate its clean energy goals.

The USD337 billion investments will help the Philippines achieve its goal of achieving a 50-percent share of renewables in the power mix and 24-percent economy-wide energy savings target.

‘Developing a strong policy, regulatory, and investment environment is crucial to attract both domestic and international capital, aligning with the nation’s clean energy ambitions,’ the OECD noted.

The roadmap focuses on two sectors- offshore wind technology and energy efficiency.

‘The Philippines ranked fourth globally among the most promising emerging markets for renewable investments, and that’s qui
te remarkable,’ OECD deputy director Mathilde Menard said.

In her presentation, OECD policy analyst Ariola Mbistrova shared key recommendations to unlock finance and investments in offshore wind energy and energy efficiency technologies.

For offshore wind, policy recommendations include target setting for development plans; zone allocation for offshore wind go-to areas; one-stop-shop approach; grid networks and transmission planning; for expansion and upgrades; auction design to improve competition outcomes; offshore wind finance; and capacity building.

Mbistrova said investments and implementation of energy efficiency initiatives in the Philippines are moving slowly.

Key recommendations of the OECD to fast-track developments in energy efficiency include a harmonized implementation plan; public budget allocation for local government units; regulatory reforms; data collection and transparency; improved access to finance; and capacity building for local impact.

Under the roadmap, these recommendations are
expected to be implemented by the second half of 2024.

In her opening remarks, DOE Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said addressing regulatory challenges and bureaucratic hurdles will encourage investments in clean energy projects in the country.

‘We need to strengthen our mechanisms, monitor and evaluate our initiatives, and learn and relearn from both successes and setbacks to achieve our objectives,’ Guevara said.

This roadmap is under the OECD’s Clean Energy Finance and Investment Mobilization (CEFIM), which is being funded by Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, and Germany.

Aside from the Philippines, there are seven other countries benefiting from the CEFIM, including Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BACOLOD: Top tourism sites in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, will offer free entrance for women and girls during the observance of International Women’s Day on March 8.

Sites which waive entrance fees are the Victorias Aquatic Center and the Gawahon Eco-Park.

In a statement, Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez reiterated his administration’s commitment to acknowledging the invaluable contributions of women to the progress and development of the city.

‘We need to empower women in various sectors, recognizing their vital role in shaping the city’s vibrant community and ensuring its continued success,’ he added.

Benitez also encouraged workers in all offices of the city government, national government agencies, and barangay councils to join the celebration by wearing anything purple on all Fridays of March, which is National Women’s Month.

‘In solidarity with women’s empowerment and gender equality, everyone is encouraged to wear anything purple on March 8,’ he added.

The city government, this month, also laun
ched an all-women cast video of the national anthem, Lupang Hinirang, which will be played in all official events and activities throughout the month.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Operations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) will continue despite increasing harassment from Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and their maritime militia.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command (Wescom) chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said they are “undeterred” and “will not yield”.

“Tuloy-tuloy lang po ang ating operasyon sa WPS, tuloy tuloy po ang ating pag-papatrolya at ang ating pag-exercise po ng ating sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction (Our operations in the WPS will continue, along with our patrols and along with the exercise of our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction),” Carlos said in a radio interview over DZBB on Thursday.

The BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57), which is watching over Ayungin Shoal, will remain where it is, he said.

“Gagawin po namin ang lahat upang manatili ang BRP Sierra Madre sa Ayungin Shoal na symbol ng ating sovereign, ng ating, sa soberenya dun sa lugar na ‘yun at para makapag-comply po kami sa utos ng Pangulo ay kailangan po namin ang tulo
y-tuloy na (rotation and resupply) sa BRP Sierra Madre (We will do everything we can to ensure that BRP Sierra Madre, which is the symbol of our sovereignty, stays there, and to comply with the President’s order, we will ensure that the (rotation and resupply) for the BRP Sierra Madre is continuous),” he said.

The statement followed the March 5 incident off Ayungin Shoal where a series of dangerous maneuvers and the use of water cannon of the Chinese Coast Guard led to a minor collision and injuries among the resupply team, including Carlos himself who sustained cuts when the glass windows of Unaiza May 4 were shattered.

Legitimate concern

Meanwhile, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) praised the Philippines for having ‘consistently complied’ with the Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.

‘The arbitral award is final and legally binding on the parties to the dispute under the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and Japan strongly hopes that the parties
‘ compliance with the award will lead to the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea,’ it said in a statement dated March 6.

Japan, it said, has consistently advocated upholding the rule of law at sea, and would continue to cooperate with the international community such as ASEAN Member States and the United States to protect the free and open international order in the region.

The Japanese MOFA reiterated that the issue concerning the South China Sea is ‘directly related to the peace and stability of the region’ and is a legitimate concern of the international community.

In a separate statement, the embassies of Korea, France and Canada also conveyed their concern over the March 5 Ayungin incident and called for peaceful resolution of disputes.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros filed a resolution Thursday for a review of the implementation of Republic Act (RA) No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

Hontiveros said she wanted the inquiry to be “evidence-based, consultative and comprehensive”.

“To facilitate the conduct of this review, preliminary investigations are needed to determine its scope and identify other important standards for its effectiveness in addition to the primary benchmark of farmers’ income stated in the IRR (implementing rules and regulations),” Hontiveros said in the resolution.

“These investigations will also aid in enhancing the implementation of the RTL in the period remaining till its expiration in 2025,” she added.

Under the RTL, rice importation, exportation and trading will be liberalized by lifting quantitative import restrictions on rice.

It also created the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) with an annual appropriation of PHP10 billion for six years.

However, Hontiveros noted
that rice smuggling has led to considerable revenue losses of around PHP7.2 billion last year with the government losing additional tariff revenue due to undervaluation and misclassification of rice imports.

She also cited the 2021 Financial Inclusion Survey by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, saying only 14 percent of the estimated 10 million farmers and fisherfolk in the country are registered in the Registry of Basic Sectors in Agriculture and seven out of ten farmers are unbanked.

“Be it further resolved that this process be consultative, and engage with rice stakeholders, listening to business models, and considering diverse procurement approaches to ensure the RTL fulfills its objectives of enhancing the competitiveness of the rice sector and ensuring food security for the nation,” Hontiveros said. (PNA)

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

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