Category: General

MANILA: Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda on Monday said workers in the private sector deserve the proposed PHP100 minimum wage increase as the last legislated national wage hike was 35 years ago.

Legarda said the last legislated national wage hike in the country was in 1989 through Republic Act 6727, or the Wage Rationalization Act, which raised the national minimum wage from PHP64 to PHP89.

“It is high time we increase the minimum wage across the board in the private sector to alleviate the financial strain on families,” Legarda said in a news release.

Senate Bill 2534, which the four-term senator co-authored and co-sponsored, has passed the second reading and is expected to hurdle the third and final reading as it did not meet any opposition.

Under the proposed bill, the minimum wage of all workers in the private sector, whether agricultural or non-agricultural, shall be increased by PHP100 a day upon the effectivity of the law.

Once passed, any employer found violating the law, will be fined
between PHP25,000 to PHP100,000, or imprisonment between two and four years, as well as awarding back pay.

“By ensuring that families earn a fair wage, we can address concerns about basic necessities. This will enable families to enjoy more fulfilling and stable lives. This is a matter of economic justice and basic human dignity,’ she added.

Per the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), a Filipino family of five would need at least PHP13,797 a month or PHP460 a day to make ends meet.

Legarda said workers cannot be ignored and must be protected at all costs as they carry the country’s economy.

“By increasing the minimum wage, there is a chance to lift individuals out of poverty. There is a chance for them to be more productive, to pay more taxes, to spend more in our economy, and to be able to live a life that they deserve,” Legarda said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

DUMAGUETE CITY: – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Negros Oriental has already started its registration of children below five years old for the national identification program, an official said Monday.

Engr. Ariel Fortuito, chief Statistical Analyst and PSA provincial head, said the registration of these young children officially started last week.

PSA-Negros is targeting to enlist at least 200,000 newborns, infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers.

Fortuito said he was hopeful to see at least 80 to 90 percent turnout, considering the challenges in the process.

He said some areas are very remote and could not be easily reached by their staff.

During the registration, they should be accompanied by their parents or guardians, who must also bring their PhilSys ID and an additional authorization letter in the case of guardians. For children, their birth certificate could suffice.

He explained that there are different modes of registration for this particular bracket, such as mobile, ‘on wheels’, an
d static or fixed stations at designated areas, including daycare, barangays, and malls.

The PSA has also deployed staff to the different local government units (LGUs).

Meanwhile, the PSA here has already catered to roughly 200 couples in various ‘Kasalan ng Bayan’ or mass weddings initiated by the LGU.

Fortuito said the PSA, in collaboration with the LGU, offers services such as the issuance of birth certificates and certification of no marriage as prerequisites to the official legal union of a couple.

In some cases, the LGU and/or the PSA offer the services for free as part of the agency’s celebration of Civil Registration Month this February, he said.

Mass weddings were held this month in Mabinay, Guihulngan, Basay, Bayawan City, Zamboanguita, Dauin, and Tanjay City.

Another is scheduled in Manjuyod town this week.

Source: Philippines News Agency

HCM City: Ho Chi Minh City delivered assistance worth nearly 1.3 trillion VND (53 million USD) to over 1.41 million people on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, its Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs reported.

Funding for the assistance comprised more than 12.7 billion VND from the central budget and 915.1 billion VND from the municipal budget and private sources.

Director of the department Le Van Thinh said that HCM City ensured a merry Tet for all, especially low-income earners, social policy beneficiaries, and those with disadvantages. They included more than 561,000 revolution contributors, people entitled to social protection, poor people, and children with disadvantaged backgrounds, along with over 138,000 civil servants and public employees.

Leaders of the city also visited and presented Tet gifts to 120 outstanding secretaries of local Party cells, 18 units, specific associations, and clubs of pensioners and war veterans, and 37 educational establishments for children
with disabilities.

District-level localities spent nearly 40 billion VND sourced from their budgets to present Tet gifts to nearly 45,000 revolution contributors, beneficiaries of social protection, poor people, less privileged children, and others with disadvantages. More than 667,000 gift packages worth over 326.7 billion VND funded by private sources were also handed over to people of target groups on this occasion.

Besides, municipal authorities also paid Tet visits to social protection facilities, drug detoxification centres, educational institutions for disabled children, and specific associations in some other localities like Lam Dong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai provinces./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

HCM City: Coastal localities in the southern region have been stepping up measures to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and help persuade the European Commission (EC) to lift the ‘yellow card’ warning that bans seafood imports from Vietnam into the EU market.

Following the latest trip in October 2023, an EC delegation is scheduled to visit Vietnam for another inspection this April. Given this, the national steering committee for IUU fishing combat has set certain requirements for relevant parties so as to lift the EC ‘yellow card’ warning after the coming inspection.

Kien Giang is home to the largest fleet of fishing vessels in the Mekong Delta while its coastal waters attracts a large number of vessels from other Vietnamese localities.

The province has licensed more than 7,000 fishing vessels. Among them, over 3,600 vehicles that are 15 metres long and over, equivalent to 99.5% of those of this type, have been licensed and equipped with vessel monitoring systems (VMS), reported its
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Quoc Anh said fighting IUU fishing is meant to thoroughly deal with violations in foreign waters. Under the leadership of the provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee, the local steering committee has boosted communications, education, and strict punishments to discourage illegal fishing.

Under a directive of the Kien Giang People’s Committee, local authorities are boosting the settlement of violating vessels with a view to controlling unverified, unregistered, and unlicensed boats by April. Assistance will also be given to the fishermen facing livelihood difficulties in the time ahead, he continued.

Authorities have enhanced examination of vessels arriving at and departing from local fishery ports, as well as patrols at sea and settlement of violations, the official added.

Anh elaborated that departments and sectors have worked with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the borde
r guard force, and Naval Squadron 28 to deal with 472 violations involving 547 vessels with fines of over 13 billion VND (529,800 USD). They have also fined vessels more than 21 billion VND for breaking rules on VMS installation.

Other southern provinces like Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, and Ba Ria – Vung Tau have also been working hard to help with the ‘yellow card’ removal.

Pham Thi Na, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, said her province has exerted efforts to fight illegal fishing. As a result, the number of violation cases has gradually decreased, and the vessels losing VMS signals for over 10 days fell by 65% in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Tho noted that the administration has ordered the agriculture department give timely notifications so that district-level authorities work with vessel owners to handle outstanding problems. They have also asked law enforcement forces at
sea to hold patrols and deal with violating vessels, and update data about all local fishing vessels on the national fisheries database (VNFishbase).

Na said Ba Ria – Vung Tau has installed VMS on 96.4% of local fishing vessels, arranged stations to monitor activities of those vehicles around the clock, and informed other coastal localities nationwide about the vessels of Ba Ria – Vung Tau that do not have VMS and not operate in the province’s waters.

Sen. Lt. Col. Nguyen Hung Son, Chief Commander of the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Border Guard, said its force will push ahead with various measures, including increasing communications among fishermen and coordinating with other units to handle violations.

The EC issued a ‘yellow card’ warning for Vietnam in this regard in 2017. It can be followed by a “green card” if the problem is resolved or a “red card” if it is not. A ‘red card’ may lead to a complete ban on aquatic exports to the EU./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

– Police arrested a Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) employee for reportedly extorting money from a business establishment during an entrapment last Feb. 14.

In a statement on Monday, BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said the agency received reports of a certain individual that was repeatedly extorting money from a business establishment selling kid’s bikes, under the guise of an official BIR Tax Compliance Verification Drive.

The BIR, in coordination with barangay officials and the Philippine National Police, caught the person in an operation and discovered that he is an employee of the bureau. It was not, however, his official function to be in the taxpayer’s place of business or vicinity.

‘All BIR officials conducting enforcement activities must be armed with the proper authority either a Letter of Authority or Mission Order. Taxpayers can always ask and verify the authority by which a BIR employee is visiting their office or business,” Lumagui said.

The suspect is facing charges for criminal cases
of robbery (extortion), grave coercion and usurpation of official function or authority, violations of Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

‘Pinangako ko ang (I vowed for the) integrity and professionalism of the institution and employees. Kaya hindi natin palalagpasin ang mga ganitong gawain. Walang lugar sa bagong BIR ang mga ganitong empleyado (We will not tolerate these kind of activities. Such employees have no place in the new BIR),” Lumagui said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The City of Sipalay in Negros Occidental got a boost in its campaign for sustainable and responsible tourism with the successful staging of the first leg of the International Open Water Swim Circuit over the weekend.

Some 146 swimmers saw action in the two-day event organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT)-Western Visayas (Region 6) together with the Zamboanga Open Water Swimming Club Inc.

Supervising tourism officer Jerick Lacson said on Monday that aside from bringing in revenues to the city, the tourism event also served as a platform to promote their advocacy on sustainable and responsible tourism led by Mayor Maria Gina Lizares.

‘We are very glad for the successful run of the first leg. Along with the 146 swimmers, we were able to welcome 400 to 500 guests who were family members and supporters. A good boost to the income of our businesses, particularly the micro, small and medium enterprises,’ Lacson told the Philippine News Agency.

‘We are also able to showcase the result of the decades-long e
ffort of the local government unit of protecting the underwater resources through the Campomanes Ballo Marine Reserve and Sanctuary, the venue of the event,’ he added.

A day before the swim day on Sunday, the participants attended a welcome program that featured green advocacy talks, cultural performances, and tourism and cultural fair.

The swimmers, aged between 12 and over 50, saw action in three distance categories.

In the five-kilometer distance, the overall top male finishers were Sky Gaco (1:09:28.4), Intyr Gutana (1:13:55.9) and Jetro Paul Abella (1:14:17.9). The top female finishers were Naomi Jean Gonora (1:32:33.6), Nathalie Santillan (1:41:42.1) and Aika Marie Ascalon (1:47:19.8).

The three-kilometer distance for male was ruled by Troy Castor (49:49.7), Rynz Matthew Cortado (50:16.4) and Clint Lobaton (50:26.5); while the female category was topped by Alexandria Torrillo (1:08:51.7), Lizhanna Ang (1:10:49.2) and Ma. Loryne Lencioco (1:11:35.6).

Topping the 1.5-kilometer distance for male were
Edjohn Javelosa (38:41.5), Joselito Sion (47:31.5) and Kasmier Aizen Butnande (47:37.7); while for female, Rhianne Gabrielle Gonzales (26:05.7), Rinoah Tanamor (29:33.6) and Remselle Limaco (29.50.3) ruled.

The second leg of the International Open Water Swim Circuit will be held in Sicogon Island in Carles, Iloilo on April 14; the third leg, Taklong Island in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, on June 30; and the final leg, Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan on Sept. 22.

Source: Philippines News Agency