Author: ASEAN Tribune

Think tank Korean Development Institute (KDI) believes that introducing a chapter on the movement of people in the newly signed Philippines-Republic of Korea (PH-ROK) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could be beneficial to address the changing demographics in South Korea.

KDI visiting senior fellow Cho Byung Koo told participants of the Korean Culture and Information Services (KOCIS) 2023 International Journalists Invitation Program on September 18 that opening up Korea’s immigration policy could be a quick fix to the looming economic impacts of the declining population of the East Asian country.

‘You cannot produce children in a day. While the Filipinos are productive, and the industrial peace, we can get along together pretty well, then why not (open up the immigration policy),’ Cho said.

World Bank data shows that South Korea’s population growth rate in 2022 declined by 0.2 percent.

Cho added that the changing demographics of South Korea could affect its productivity and could slow down economic growth.

He said the policy research agency would agree to include a chapter on the movement of people in the review of the PH-ROK FTA, which will be done every five years once the trade pact enters into force.

The PH-ROK FTA that was signed last Sept.7 focuses on trade in goods and economic and technical cooperation.

‘Temporarily, the only escape route of Korea is (allowing) immigration much wider,’ Cho said.

While the inclusion of the new chapter is not yet possible in the near term, the KDI fellow said it is possible to use the FTA, through investments of Korean companies in the Philippines, to do the manufacturing or services in the Philippines, and export the output back to Korea, especially for goods that have zero tariff.

However, Cho said the Philippines should provide better business conditions (than its neighbors) to attract Korean firms to invest.

‘Korea invested a lot in China market, but the political change in China, Korean companies have to withdraw from China. Then they went to Vietnam because they have more population, more ready to produce things,’ he said.

‘If anything happens, Korea has to look for some other places – Indonesia is the next market, maybe. If the Philippines can provide better conditions…the (business) guys – all they think is to make money in stable conditions, the human capital productivity, and the political stability,’ Cho said

Source: Philippines News Agency

Over 1,000 households in Iloilo City are assured of potable water supply 24/7 with the expansion of operations of the South Balibago Waterworks in the coastal barangay of Bito-on.

The water distribution utility broke ground for the pipelaying of water supply and distribution in the barangay on Thursday, which it hoped to energize by the end of this year, if not earlier in time for Christmas.

‘We are already serving the other barangays in Jaro (district). This one is specifically for Barangay Bito-on, Zones 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7. I believe there are around 1,300 houses, so our beneficiaries can reach 5,000 to 10,000 people,’ South Balibago Waterworks president Cristina Isabelle Panlilio-Alejandro said in an interview.

She said this was in response to the request of Mayor Jerry Treñas and Councilor Miguel Treñas for them to serve the barangay.

Panlilio-Alejandro said it took them around a year to start the project because they are currently rehabilitating their treatment plant in the municipality of Pototan to ensure their water quality meets the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW).

She added they target to supply 1 million liters of water per day (MLD) with a pressure of 16 pounds per square inch (PSI).

The water utility expects to complete the rehabilitation of the water treatment plant just in time for the completion of the pipelaying that stretches to about 4.2 kilometers.

Bito-on Punong Barangay Junalyn Provido, in another interview, said that for decades, several zones of their barangay have had no source of water for daily use, except for deep wells.

‘Our residents, especially in coastal areas, had long been suffering from the lack of water. Daily, they have to fetch water that they store in containers,’ she said in dialect.

Since it started operations in 2017, South Balibago Waterworks has supplied water in Barangays Buntatala and Tabuc Suba and the city’s relocation site and subdivisions, including Ledesco Village, Landheights Ville, Landheights Phase 1 and 2, Sta. Rosa, Gran Plains St. Joseph, and Puerto Real.

Alejandro said they hope to expand their operations in other parts of Iloilo City.

The water utility is also present in Passi City, Leganes, Dueñas, Calinog, Zarraga and Barotac Viejo.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by City Councilors Ely Estante and Treñas and other officials of the barangay.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has given the go signal for the release of PHP12.259 billion housing assistance for informal settlers and calamity victims.

In a statement on Thursday, the DBM said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has approved the release of a Notice of Cash Allocation worth PHP12.259 billion to the National Housing Authority (NHA).

The DBM said the request for payments, chargeable to previous years’ released allotments, was supported with a documented list of Special Allotment Release Orders with their respective amounts, status of fund utilization, and finance accountability reports.

It said the documents submitted were ‘confirmed to be in order.’

Around PHP12.059 billion of the released funds will be used for the housing assistance of calamity victims, the DBM said.

The remaining PHP200 million will fund the construction of four units of five-story, low-rise residential buildings in Western Visayas for the resettlement of informal settler families.

Pangandaman said the release of the budget was in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to giving Filipinos a decent home.

‘Housing remains a priority for President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. as he strongly believes in the necessity of providing decent homes for Filipinos, particularly those adversely affected by calamities,’ she said.

The NHA is the sole national agency mandated to engage in housing production for low-income families.

Under the administrative supervision of the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD), the NHA functions as the government’s housing production and financing arm

Source: Philippines News Agency

It is prudent that Europe considers the ‘exciting’ opportunities Asia has to offer, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Wednesday.

Marcos made the remark after the new Swiss Ambassador to the Philippines Nicolas Brhl presented his credentials in a ceremony at Malacañan Palace in Manila.

The President expressed hope that European countries would see the potential of Southeast Asia and the whole of Asia.

He stressed that he, along with his fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders, have come together to strengthen the region’s economic systems and address its weaknesses during the pandemic.

‘We’re all trying to learn the lessons that the pandemic brought with it,’ Marcos said during his meeting with Brhl, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office in a news release on Thursday.

‘I think it is actually wise in terms of European countries, Switzerland included, to look to ASEAN, to look to Asia. Although there are other geopolitical disturbances, shall we say, but the opportunities are quite exciting,’ he added.

Marcos said the post-pandemic scenario presents a great opportunity for greater collaboration with the Philippines, stressing that the country now understands ‘how the world works.’

The world does not work the same way that it did in 2019, or before the pandemic happened, Marcos said, adding that it is ‘faring differently.’

‘And so that’s why I always value partnerships and alliances and agreements between countries. And I think… [with] Switzerland that has always gone very smoothly, let’s hope that it continues in that direction,’ Marcos told the Swiss ambassador.

Brhl agreed with Marcos, saying that the Asian economy is recovering well compared to other parts of the world.

He noted that the Swiss Foreign Ministry’s Southeast Asia strategy at the start of the year proves that the region is of utmost importance and could be a partner in the future.

The Philippines and Switzerland celebrated 65 years of diplomatic relations in January 2022.

Brhl said last year’s 65th-year celebration of bilateral relations between the two nations is ‘already a good start’.

As of 2021, Switzerland ranked as the Philippines’ 26th biggest trading partner, 17th largest export market, and 29th biggest import supplier.

The Philippines and Switzerland continue to maximize the benefits of the Philippines-European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement (PH-EFTA-FTA).

The EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Philippines in Bern, Switzerland on April 28, 2016.

The EFTA-Philippines FTA entered into force on June 1, 2018 for the Philippines, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland and on Jan. 1, 2020 for Iceland.

The FTA covers trade in goods, trade in services, investment, competition, the protection of intellectual property rights, government procurement, and trade and sustainable development

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Thursday touted the unification of two Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) groups as one of the many milestones in the country’s peace process.

“With (Secretary Carlito ) Galvez (Jr.) at the helm of the OPAPRU, it helped reunite the Misuari and Sema groups of the MNLF after decades of separation, which is considered a landmark development under the Bangsamoro peace process,” the agency said in a statement during the celebration of its 30th anniversary.

The OPAPRU earlier accepted the role of helping the two MNLF groups in its convergence efforts.

This agreement was contained in a resolution signed by Galvez and Bangsamoro Labor and Employment Minister Muslimin Sema, who is also MNLF chairperson.

In a resolution, the MNLF Sema Group said it is “amenable to pursue convergence efforts with the MNLF group under the leadership of Chair Nur Misuari.”

“The OPAPRU shall facilitate the discussion on convergence between the MNLF Groups. As a vehicle for convergence, a Joint MNLF Executive Committee shall be established to be represented by leaders of the two MNLF Groups that shall provide policy guidance on convergence efforts,” it added.

It noted that the current partnership between the government and the MNLF-Sema group would be “renamed into GPH-MNLF Coordinating and Implementing Committee.”

The OPAPRU also said it has played a key role in establishing an inclusive Bangsamoro Transition Authority.

The agency also assisted in the rebuilding of Marawi City and implemented social healing interventions for the victims of the siege.

To date, the OPAPRU is implementing the political and normalization tracks of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), which is a testament to the strong partnership between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Under the Normalization Program, around 65 percent of the 40,000 MILF combatants have been decommissioned.

Meanwhile, the agency said it continues to roll out projects under its PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) Program aimed at improving the access of residents to much-needed socio-economic interventions, and empower communities and strengthen their capacities to address issues of conflict and peace.

It said a total of 21,914 projects which cover agricultural productivity support, agri-fishery, capacity building, natural resource management, community infrastructure, electrification, water system, flood control, and health centers have been completed under the PAMANA Program.

The program, which is anchored on conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding approaches, has 2,585 ongoing projects nationwide.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Board of Investments’ (BOI) One-Stop Action Center for Strategic Investments (OSAC-SI) has awarded the ‘green lane’ certificate to the PHP19.3-billion steel mill project of SteelAsia Lemery Works Inc. in Batangas, the BOI said in a statement Thursday.

The BOI said it awarded the certificate on September 15 after it considered the SteelAsia project as a ‘strategic investment’ as this strengthens the local steel value chain.

According to Executive Order No. 18 signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos last February 23, strategic investments are those aligned with the Philippine Development Plan, and include highly desirable projects, foreign direct investments and projects or activities under the Strategic Investment Priority Plan.

Under the EO, processing and issuance of permits and licenses for projects with green lane certification shall be expedited to attract more foreign investments.

With the granting of the Certificate of Endorsement, SteelAsia aims to meet its target of starting commercial operation of its Batangas steel mill facility by July 2024.

‘Green lane will be very helpful to the company. We consider it as a ‘win’ for the country and we will convert this privilege into action,’ SteelAsia chairman and chief executive officer Benjamin Yao said.

The project will involve greenfield design, erection, and commissioning of a hot-rolling production line with an upstream integrated recycling-based steelmaking, with an estimated output of 500,000 metric tons.

In awarding the certificate to SteelAsia, the BOI noted that local steel manufacturing is deemed ‘insufficient’ to address the growing demand for the product, especially with the increasing consumption of sections from both infrastructure projects and private developments.

The country is the 20th largest importer of steel products in the world due to the lack of steel producers in the country.

BOI said the country imported USD5.23 billion worth of steel in 2022, USD2.18 billion of which were sourced from China.

‘The presence of (additional) local manufacturers will lower the cost of construction, shorten construction periods, and further spur growth in domestic construction. It will also give rise to ancillary industries, such as structural steel services including design, engineering, and built-up steel structures,’ it said

Source: Philippines News Agency