Month: February 2024

MANILA: The scheduled Senate hearing on the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 on Monday will exclusively discuss the three proposed amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

This was the assurance made on Thursday by Senator Sonny Angara who will lead the subcommittee that will discuss the measure under the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes.

“No discussion of political amendments,” Angara said in a Viber message to reporters.

He said the focus of discussion will only be limited to the contents of RBH 6 which he filed, together with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda.

Angara also assured that various sectors will be well represented with Constitutional experts as resource persons.

“We will invite a wide sector of society and the political spectrum to ensure healthy discussion and debate,” he said.

RBH 6 contains the proposal to amend Section 11 of Article XII or the National Patrimony and Economy;
Paragraph 2, Section 4 of Article XIV or the Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture, and Sports; and Paragraph 2, Section 11 of Article XVI or the General Provisions.

In an earlier statement, Zubiri said this will “constitutionalize” the Public Services Act which is currently being heard before the Supreme Court and will also ease the regulations to allow more foreign investments in the country.

RBH 6 to elevate the level of discussion

Meanwhile, two House leaders said they expect the developments in the Senate on RBH 6 to elevate the level of discussion on the issue of amending the economic provisions of the Constitution.

This was expressed by House Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe, and Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) House bloc leader and Rizal 1st District Rep. Jack Duavit in separate statements Thursday as they welcomed the start of hearings on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 in the Senate next week.

“So, we welcome, we would like to
thank our counterpart in the Senate for finally sitting down — as what we have been requesting — let’s bring it out to a higher level of discussion, particularly the meat of the matter, the economic amendments to be made to help this country,’ Dalipe said.

He added that the House will ‘patiently wait for the senators to pass the measure.’

House leaders have earlier underscored the importance of having the restrictive economic provisions lifted so that the country’s economic potential could be unleashed.

For his part, Duavit said the beginning of the official deliberations on RHB 6 is the start of something good.

“Again, we respect them. A lot of them were our colleagues and I think this is a start of things simmering down and getting back to work, so we welcome it very much,” he stressed.

He said the House has already made a stand on RHB 6, and it’s now up to the Senate to make their own stand on the measure.

The House leadership had earlier committed to adopt RBH No. 6 once the Senate approves it.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) cited on Thursday several initiatives that should be pursued in the second year of the Philippine Development Plan’s (PDP) rollout.

In a statement, the NEDA said these include enhancing tax administration and enacting revenue-generating measures to hit the country’s fiscal targets; aggressively promoting trade and facilitate strategic investments in growth drivers while addressing underspending; ensuring the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food; and improving access to quality education and recover learning losses.

These key actions were included in the Philippine Development Report (2023) which was released to the public on Wednesday.

The PDR reports on the major programs, projects, and policies begun and implemented by various agencies in the past year and also evaluates the country’s performance concerning the outcome indicators identified in the PDP 2023-2028 and includes updates on the Marcos administration’s legislative
agenda.

In particular, the report called for the prompt enactment of new tax measures which include excise taxes on sweetened beverages, VAT on digital service providers, and a new fiscal regime for mining.

The report said these measures are expected to generate over PHP900 billion in additional revenues from 2024 to 2028.

The NEDA said that based on the PDR, other initiatives that should be implemented include building sustainable and well-planned communities through stronger collaboration among government agencies, local government units (LGUs), and the private sector and enhancing the digitalization of government processes, making goods and services more responsive and accessible to the public.

The PDR noted that the Philippine economy was already back to its pre-pandemic level last year.

Revenue and tax efforts also remained robust while deficit and debt remained manageable.

The government, through the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, broadened the financial inclusion and paved the way for wider digital
payments adoption.

‘We made significant strides in laying the groundwork during the first full year of the PDP. As we carry on with our work and programs in 2024, we hope that the PDR 2023 will serve as a valuable tool for policymakers, the private sector, and members of civil society to pursue the full implementation of the PDP,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

“This report presents the lessons we have learned, and outlines plans of action to ensure we remain on track to meet our goals by 2028,’ he added.

Launched last year, the PDP 2023-2028 is a six-year comprehensive development strategy of the Marcos administration, which lays out the roadmap to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Included in the agenda are the following strategies such as accelerating digital transformation; improving connectivity; strengthening the interlinkages between the agricultural and industrial sectors with the services sector; establishing a dynamic innovation ecosystem; intensifying public-private partnerships
; and enhancing the role of LGUs as partners in development.

“We will heed the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. for the government to be swift and punctual in delivering services and implementing projects. We will work with all our colleagues in the government to accelerate the implementation of the Philippine Development Plan in order to sustain the momentum and solidify our gains,’ Balisacan said.

Before its public release, the PDR 2023 was presented to President Marcos and members of the Cabinet during the 13th NEDA Board meeting on Jan. 26, 2024.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte on Thursday said the latest accusations linking her to the alleged Davao Death Squad (DDS) and extrajudicial killings in Davao City are “scripted.”

Retired police officer Arturo Lascañas, a confessed member of the alleged DDS, claimed the Vice President and her father, former president Rodrigo R. Duterte, were masterminds of the killings and she was the one who came up with “Oplan Tokhang” which was the anti-drug campaign of the Philippine National Police in the previous administration.

“Bago ang script na ito (This script is new),” Duterte said in a video noting that she was never linked to the alleged DDS even when she was still serving as mayor of Davao City.

“Bigla na lang nagkaroon ng testigo laban sa akin nang mahalal ako na Vice President. At kabilang na nga ako ngayon sa mga akusado sa (A witness suddenly appeared when I was elected as Vice President and now, I am included in the list of the accused before the) International Criminal Co
urt [ICC],” she added.

Lascañas said he already submitted his testimonies against the Dutertes before the ICC.

The Vice President said it seems that her name was intentionally dragged into the accusation for her to be included in the list.

With this, Duterte challenged Lascañas and the people behind him to file a murder case against her before a Philippine court.

She also reiterated that the ICC’s continuous interference in the Philippine justice system is an insult to Filipinos.

In 2017, Lascañas also testified against former president Duterte in the Senate insisting that DDS and the killings in Davao City are true.

This was months after he denied, under oath, that the alleged group existed and that he was part of it.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: Governor Arthur Defensor on Thursday assured the provincial government is prepared to assist Iloilo farmers affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

‘We are prepared to give input assistance that we can source from our disaster funds. But one of our measures, because El N Niño means a reduction of water, we are prepared to add to our small-scale irrigation projects, and we have a budget for that already,’ Defensor said in a media briefing.

‘And instead of giving cash assistance, we help secure insurance for our qualified farmers so that when they are hit, they get the benefit of the insurance policy of the government, which is bigger,’ he added.

The governor said the province’s measures are contained in the agriculture and fisheries extension program.

Among them is the 2023-2024 Agriculture and Fisheries Mitigation Programs and Rehabilitation Plan that allotted PHP15 million for Sustainable Insurance from the Government for Upscaling and Revitalizing the Agri-fishery Development and Opportunities
(SIGURADO).

He said that farmers listed with the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) have already been assured of insurance, so SIGURADO will cover those not enrolled with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC).

The implementation of the SIGURADO program will start this year, Defensor said.

P100-M initial damages

In the meantime, the Iloilo Provincial Agriculture Office is validating the drought damage report of eight municipalities covering 2,586.30 hectares with an estimated cost of around PHP100 million.

‘We don’t have yet the exact figure because this is a work in progress. The effects of the El Niño are also progressive so we are waiting for more reports,’ said Provincial Agriculturist Ildefonso Toledo in his report to Defensor.

He added they are also validating the reports coming from the municipalities of Tigbauan, Oton, Tubungan, Anilao, San Enrique, Cabatuan, Barotac Nuevo, and Miag-ao.

The partial report showed that 188.21 hectares of the 7,662.73 hectares w
ith standing crops from the eight towns are totally damaged, and 2,398.09 hectares are partially damaged.

Source: Philippines News Agency