MANILA: The public must report all forms of abuse, bribery and all other illegal means to push for People’s Initiative (PI).

Senate Majority Joel Villanueva said in a statement Monday that a PI is legal but coercing signatories and other activities that take advantage of unsuspecting Filipinos are not.

“Kung meron pong nagoyo, nabudol, gustong magreklamo at bawiin ang kanilang pirma, huwag po kayong matakot magsumbong. Magpadala o mag-post ng video, picture o screenshot ng mga text ng panunuhol (Whoever was scammed or wants to file a complaint and invalidate their signature, do not be afraid to report it. Post a video, picture or screenshot of texts with bribery attempts),” Villanueva said.

He also asked that reports include contact details so the Senate can provide them protection.

“Importante po na ang tao ay mulat at nabibigyan ng tamang impormasyon. Hindi po pwede na bibigyan kayo ng ayuda o salapi para lamang pumirma (It is important that people are aware and being fed with right information. Giving
you assistance or money in exchange for your signature in unacceptable),” Villanueva said.

The Constitution may not be perfect but he also underscored that charter change is not the solution to the problems of the country.

Senator Imee Marcos, who chairs the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation, has assured that the probe on PI bribe reports will push through.

Marcos filed Senate Resolution No. 902 seeking to investigate, in aid of legislation, the alleged payoffs and misrepresentations in the signature campaigns being conducted to push for PI.

Senator Sonny Angara, who will lead the subcommittee that will discuss the proposed constitutional amendments, said the resolution seeks to liberalize the public services, educational institution and advertising industries.

“Tingin ko mas maganda ang tsansa ngayon dahil maaga pa sa termino ng ating Pangulo. Dahil kadalasan kapag nasa second half na ay ayaw na ng publiko sasabihin pampahaba lang ng termino. Eh ngayon na maaga pa klaro na ang us
apin ay economic provision lang ng Saligang Batas at di ang usapin ng sistema ng gobyerno o termino (I think it has a better chance because it is still early in the term of the President. Because usually if it will be filed in the second half, the public will think that it is for term extension. Now, it’s earlier and clearer that only the economic provisions will be discussed and not the government system or term),” Angara said in a recent radio interview.

Be careful on Cha-cha comments

In a press briefing Monday, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. reminded officials of the agency to be circumspect in issuing statements on signature drives to amend the Constitution through People’s Initiative (PI).

This came in response to the remarks of Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Felicito Valmocina in a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday, where he cautioned barangay officials against any involvement in the signature campaigns and that barangay halls should not
be used for these activities.

Abalos said Valmocina’s statement was his ‘personal opinion’ and does not reflect the official position of the agency.

Valmocina, however, said the DILG is still in the process of seeking guidance from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) regarding the precise rules that apply to the participation of local officials in this matter.

The DILG chief, citing a Comelec resolution issued in April last year, said elected barangay officials may participate in partisan political activities, which would include the signature drive for the PI.

“As it is, ang lumalabas talaga ay pupwede (it appears that elected barangay officials can participate in the People’s Initiative),” he added.

Meanwhile, Abalos hoped that incident serves as a warning to all the DILG officials to be responsible and at least consult their legal department before issuing any statements to avoid confusion.

Key to address national concerns

House Ways and Means Committee chair Joey Salceda said the proposed amendme
nts to the Constitution’s restrictive economic provisions are key to addressing the most urgent national concerns, particularly inflation.

He said investment in agriculture is crucial to boosting food production and reducing food prices in the Philippines.

He said the existing economic constitutional restrictions cover ownership, lease, transfer, and even foreign management, leaving foreign investors “very little room” for involvement in local agriculture.

“The flow of capital to the agriculture sector has been tightly strangled by restrictions in the Constitution and the resulting restrictions in our laws,” he said.

“That is because our agriculture sector is so starved for capital. The House has long believed it is time to govern our land restrictions through legislation that can change with the times, rather than through hard-coded Constitutional prohibitions,’ he added.

He noted that while land ownership is not allowed in Vietnam, there is no hard foreign equity restriction on ownership of corporation
s leasing farmland since 2013.

He also cited that certain states in Malaysia allow foreign ownership of agriculture land specifically for export or agro-industry, while it is “relatively easy to undertake agriculture as a foreigner: through a foreign-owned limited liability company in Indonesia.

He said that the Board of Investments in Thailand can make exceptions to the general restriction against direct foreign land ownership.

He, however, argued that no such legal alternatives that give the guarantee of tenurial rights exist in the Philippines.

“As such, investors are extremely wary about investing in Philippine agriculture – with no guarantee of security for their heavy and long-gestating investments,” he said.

A recent OCTA survey showed that controlling inflation remains as the top national concern of Filipinos with a 73 percent rating.

Around 45 percent of the respondents consider access to affordable food as an urgent national concern, followed by job creation at 36 percent; wage hikes at 34 per
cent; and poverty alleviation at 32 percent

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Employment created by the information technology and business process management (ITBPM) sector is expected to hit the 2-million mark in 2025, IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines president and chief executive officer Jack Madrid said Monday.

Madrid told reporters that the industry ended last year with a 1.7-million headcount and total revenues of USD35 billion.

The IBPAP forecast that the industry will grow by 4 to 7 percent in terms of hiring and revenues, hitting 1.84 million jobs and USD39 billion in revenues.

‘I’m really excited about 2025… This is when we will cross the 2 million jobs level. That’s why it’s significant. It took over almost 20 years to hit 1 million jobs and we’re attempting to do the second million in less than six (years),’ Madrid said.

He said promoting hybrid work arrangement will help in attracting Filipinos to work in the ITBPM industry.

Providing incentives to ITBPM companies, including those in the economic and freeport zones, will also lure ITBPM c
ompanies to set up and expand their operations in the country.

DOJ opinion

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released its legal opinion dated Jan. 3 upon the request of Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Undersecretary Rodolfo John Robert Palattao IV, clarifying that only business activities done within the economic and freeport zone boundaries can continue availing of tax incentives under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) law.

‘Likewise, these enterprises are not prohibited from adopting a WFH (work-from-home) arrangement but will no longer be eligible to continue enjoying the tax incentives,’ the DOJ opinion signed by Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

This means ITBPM companies that will operate 100 percent onsite can register their preferred investment promotion agency (IPA) with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) through its one-stop-shop system and be granted fiscal incentives under the CREATE law.

Firms that would like to adopt WFH arran
gement can still get tax perks by registering with the Board of Investments (BOI).

‘Work-from-home (arrangement) has affected the future of work not just the ITBPM industry. But never before has it been important that we give our employees work flexibility,’ Madrid said.

‘What’s important is the flexibility that we give our employees, and the flexibility that we also give to our investors… because all other ITBPM destinations are offering work-from-home flexibility, including India,’ he added.

Madrid said India extended granting incentives to ITBPM activities adopting hybrid work arrangement until this year.

DTI recommendation

In an interview with trade reporters, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo reiterated the agency’s position to allow 30-percent WFH arrangement for registered business enterprises (RBEs) operating within ecozones.

‘As we have submitted to the House of Representatives, the DTI actually recommends 30-percent work-from-home threshold for RBEs in ecoz
ones,’ Rodolfo said.

The DTI and the IBPAP express hope that the CREATE Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (MORE) bill will include this measure to address the concerns of the ITBPM industry.

‘In addition, BOI also supports allowing those who have transferred to BOI to seamlessly to go back to their PEZA registration, if they prefer… Once ecozones or locators have given this flexibility, we also support allowing those who have transferred to BOI to take advantage of this legal solution to go back to PEZA,’ Rodolfo added.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Two Airport Police Department (APD) officers are currently under investigation and have been suspended for using the EDSA busway, an official of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said Monday.

APO2 Raymond Anuran and APO1 Michael Lilis were caught using the EDSA busway on Sunday afternoon. The busway can only be used by buses plying the EDSA route, emergency vehicles, PNP (Philippine National Police) vehicles, as well as high ranking officials.

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency, MIAA Assistant General Manager for Security and Emergency Services Manuel Gonzales said the two cops have been suspended starting Monday, pending the probe.

“We would find out why they used the busway and the proper charges which would depend on the degree of their violation,” Gonzales said.

He said MIAA Acting General Manager Eric Jose Ines issued the directive on Sunday night, and tasked them to finish the investigation as soon as possible.

Gonzales said the two cops were on official duty an
d were heading to Quezon City when they were caught by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) enforcer.

“The investigation could probably take a week,” he added.

Gonzales reiterated that aside from suspension, other sanctions the cops could face would depend on the probe findings.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: International Master (IM) Angelo Abundo Young displayed his brilliant form in the sixth and final round to capture the JHC Chess Club Rapid Open title at the San Miguel Elementary School in Tarlac City on Sunday.

The 8-time Illinois USA champion Young conquered fellow IM Efren Bagamasbad in 65 moves of Queen’s Gambit Declined Opening with the black pieces.

Young, who also serves as head coach of the Emilio Aguinaldo College chess team, finished the six-round Swiss system competition with 5.0 points on four wins and two draws.

After splitting the points with Joshua Magno in the second round and National Master Almario Marlon Quiroz Bernardino Jr. in the third round, Young swept all his matches to claim PHP2,000 in cash and a trophy.

“It’s a blessing to win this tough tournament at the start of the year,” Young said after the tournament on Sunday night.

Bagamasbad, a back-to-back Asian Senior champion in the over 65 category, and Magno both had 4.5 points but the former placed second for having a h
igher tiebreak.

CM Genghis Imperial, James Henry Calacday and Bernardino scored 4.0 points followed by Angelito Hizon and Henry Calacday, who scored 3.5 points apiece. Edwin Cortez, Noel Jay Estacio and AFM Romeo Rodney Palaming scored 3.0 points.

“International Master Angelo Abundo Young proved once again his chess prowess by winning the JHC Chess Club Open Rapid Chess Tournament,” said Bayanihan Chess Club legal counsel Rodolfo Enrique “Rudy” Rivera, who bagged the top senior player award.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is not keen on extending the voter registration activities for the 2025 midterm polls, which starts next month.

In a message to reporters on Monday, poll body spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said they have “not envisioned” the move yet, noting that preparations for the next polls have timelines that must be followed.

‘ERB (Election registration board) hearings will be conducted in October, afterwhich we shall proceed in the finalization of project of precincts, which will in turn be the basis of procurement of election forms and supplies, the number of which must be fixed, especially on the official ballots, which must be printed one ballot per one registered voter. No room for excess,’ the poll body official said.

Voter registration activities will run from Feb. 12 until Sept. 30 this year.

Laudiangco’s remarks came after the poll body earlier said the voter registration period would be affected once a petition for the holding of a plebiscite to amend the 19
87 Constitution through the People’s Initiative (PI) has been approved.

Under the PI method, the poll body has to verify all the signatures submitted by proponents of those who would like to amend the Constitution.

‘Signature Pages, as presented before Comelec Offices of the election officers, including the certification, are part of the initiatory phases of a Petition for People’s Initiative, and will be ultimately submitted as an integral part of the petition, if and when it is filed. Kindly note that the processes being employed by the Comelec local offices are in full compliance of Comelec Resolution No. 10650,’ he added.

As of Saturday, Laudiangco said over 800 cities and municipalities have received several pages of signatures for the PI.

Last week, Comelec chairman George Garcia said there is a possibility that voter registration activities will be suspended to hold the plebiscite for the PI.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The national government raised the planned PHP15 billion from the Treasury bills (T-bills) auction on Monday.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) fully awarded bids for T-bills at today’s auction.

The 91-, 182-, and 364-day T-bills fetched average rates of 5.306 percent, 5.766 percent and 6.037 percent, respectively.

These were slightly higher than the 5.226 percent, 5.685 percent, and 5.999 percent average rate of the 91-, 182-, and 364-day T-bills on Jan. 15, 2024.

The auction was 2.3 times oversubscribed, attracting PHP35 billion in total tenders.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation chief economist Michael Ricafort said T-bills average auction yields corrected higher for the fifth straight auction.

“[This was] after reiteration over the weekend on hawkish signals by local monetary authorities in terms of keeping sufficiently tight monetary policy settings until there is a sustained downward trend in inflation despite the recent easing trend,” Ricafort said.

“Treasury bill auction yields contin
ued to correct higher after some volatility in the U.S. dollar/peso exchange rate recently to among 2.5-month highs, now at 56.30 levels,” he added.

Source: Philippines News Agency