月別: 2020年1月

NCRPO destroyed P1 million worth of confiscated firecrackers

/ Manila Shimbun

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Friday destroyed P1 million worth of confiscated firecrackers in line with their “Ligtas Kapaskuhan (Safe Christmas)” 2019-2020 operations.

Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas, acting NCRPO director, lead the destruction of P1,040,874 worth of illegal firecrackers seized in Metro Manila.

NCRPO said the initiative is grounded on Presidential Memorandum Order No. 31, directing the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other concerned agencies to implement existing laws, rules and regulations on the sale, manufacture, distribution and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices.

Among items seized were Picolo, Super Lolo, Lolo Thunder/Atomic/Big Triangle, Pla-pla and other illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices  mentioned in Republic Act 7183.

This law regulates the sale, manufacture, distribution and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devises in furtherance of public safety, order and national security, as well as the enhancement of the cultural traditions.

Police said 21 were arrested for illegal possession and selling of firecrackers.

Highest number of confiscation was by the Quezon City Police District with 909 firecrackers followed by Southern Police District with 846; Manila Police District with 358; Eastern Police District with 259; and Northern Police District with 20.

“I am saddened that despite the clear and constant reminder which we have communicated with the people of Metro Manila using all forms of media available, encouraging them to adhere to the existing laws, rules and regulations on the sale, manufacture, distribution and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices, still, there are those who flagrantly disregard this friendly reminder. Hence, we are impelled to perform our mandate,” Sinas said.

Sinas said the intensified campaign against illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices is one of the reasons behind the safe and peaceful celebrations of the yuletide season and New Year in Metro Manila despite 162 people were injured. Ella Dionisio/DMS

Partial deployment ban to Kuwait takes effect

/ Manila Shimbun

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) will no longer process papers of newly-hired household service workers (HSWs) bound for Kuwait beginning Saturday.

This as the partial deployment ban for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kuwait is set to take effect with the issuance of POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 1-2020.

“Now, therefore, the POEA Governing Board in a meeting duly convened resolves to adopt the said Memorandum and effect a deployment ban for newly-hired domestic workers to Kuwait effective immediately,” said the resolution dated January 3, 2020.

“Resolved that a moratorium on the verification, accreditation, and processing of individual contracts and additional job orders for the same category of workers shall be effected,” it said.

However, the POEA Board said Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs) for the category of workers bound for Kuwait issued on or before 5 pm of January 3 (Friday) shall still be valid for deployment.

The decision was prompted by the maltreatment and death of Jeanelyn Villavende allegedly at the hands of her employers.

This is despite the existing Agreement on Employment of Domestic Workers between the Philippines and Kuwait signed May 2018.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced the plan to impose a partial deployment ban to Kuwait on Thursday.

In February 2018, the Philippines imposed an OFW deployment ban to Kuwait after the body of household worker Joanna Demafelis was found inside a freezer.

The deployment ban was lifted with the signing of the bilateral pact between the Philippines and Kuwait. DMS

DA issues notice of closure to meat supplier

/ Manila Shimbun

The Department of Agriculture issued a notice of closure to a meat supplier after the pork it sold to a supermarket in Quezon City was found positive of African Swine Fever (ASF) virus.

“It’s good to highlight that the city government of Quezon confiscated as per their monitoring pork in SM Cherry… the meat that has been found in SM Cherry was found positive of (ASF),” Agriculture Secretary William Dar told reporters in Quezon City on Friday.

“With that, we sent notice of closure to… North Star and NMIS ( National Meat Inspection Service) continued its evaluation in the company and also brought samples from all the chillers and one chiller where the source came from was the only one found positive,” he said.

It can be recalled last month Quezon City confiscated pork from SM Cherry supermarket.

When asked if SM Cherry will also be held liable, Dar said “it is the determination of the city government to pursue whatever lapses are there.”

In a statement, North Star Meat Merchants Inc. claimed that what happened on December 19, 2019 was just an isolated incident and assures that “all bio-security protocols – corrective, preventive, required and voluntary was done immediately with the supervision and guidance of the NMIS.”

“We have been working closely with the Department of Agriculture, namely the NMIS, every step of the way in implementing all bio-security protocols such as voluntary condemnation of all potentially affected products, daily sanitation of our equipment and facilities including temporary halting of plant operations for full sanitation, among others,” the company said.

“We assure the public that our company conforms to the highest and most stringent processes to ensure that the regulatory guidelines are met and followed,” it added. Robina Asido/DMS

Palace reminds Mindanao residents national emergency still effective

/ Manila Shimbun

Malacañang reminded on Friday the public, especially the residents in Mindanao, that the national emergency is still in effect despite the expiration of martial law in southern Philippines.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that Proclamation No. 55 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte last Sept. 4, 2016, which declares a state of national emergency on account of lawless violence, is still existing.

He explained that Proclamation No. 55 was issued pursuant to the calling out power of the President under Section 18, Article 7 of the 1987 Constitution.

The constitutional provision bestows upon the President, as the Commander-in-Chief, three extraordinary powers in connection with such designation, namely, to call out the armed forces, to place any part of the country under martial law, and to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.

Panelo, also the chief presidential legal counsel, said the calling out power “commanded the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to undertake such measures to suppress any and all forms of lawless violence in Mindanao and to prevent the same from spreading and escalating elsewhere in the Philippines.”

While this calling out power is contained in the same provision which sanctions imposition of martial law and suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, Panelo explained that the same is unique in that it can be used independently without the participation of Congress and its actual use cannot be subjected to judicial review unless constitutional boundaries are violated.

“Therefore, as long as the President deems it necessary to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion, or rebellion (such as at present times), then he is lawfully authorized to resort to this calling out power,” he said.

The official said the two other extraordinary powers – martial law and suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus – involve curtailment and suppression of civil rights and individual freedoms and they entail more stringent safeguards as they may be exercised only when there is actual invasion or rebellion, and public safety requires it.

As compared to previous constitutions, the 1987 Constitution has imposed the following limitations in declaring the same, as ascertained by the Supreme Court: an original period of 60 days; a review and a possible revocation by Congress; and a review and a possible nullification by the high tribunal, he added.

Panelo said the declaration of national emergency is still needed due to the continuous problem with the insurgency groups.

“While jurisprudence defines the power currently being utilized by the President through Proclamation No. 55 as the most benign among the three extraordinary powers, the same should remain imposed and strictly observed by the AFP and PNP to ensure the maintenance of law and order in all other parts of the country given that there remains the communist insurgency to reckon with, as well as there is yet a terrorist organization resurrecting to be crushed,” he said.

He said the Office of the President asks the citizenry for their usual cooperation, even as the governnent assured them that it will not allow any abuse of their fundamental civil and political rights during state of national emergency.

Martial law in Mindanao expired on December 31 since it was declared in May 2017 due to Marawi siege. Celerina Monte/DMS

Statement: CHR Commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana on the death of overseas Filipina worker Jeanelyn Villavende

/ Manila Shimbun

It is a tragedy to welcome the new year with the death of a Filipina OFW.

The Commission on Human Rights expresses its deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of Jeanelyn Villavende, an overseas Filipina worker in Kuwait.

Information reaching authorities in the Philippines claim that Jeanelyn allegedly died in the hands of her employer. This violence happened in spite of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Philippines and Kuwait signed in 2018 granting better protection for the rights of Filipinos working in the Gulf state.

With another episode of violence and abuse, the challenge is to ensure that the MOA does not remain a piece of document, but would genuinely translate to meaningful protection and promotion of the rights of our overseas Filipino workers. We are urging the Kuwaiti government to fulfil their commitments under the MOA in order to finally put a stop these abuses and for them to uphold the Filipino workers’ rights in their country.

As we call on the Kuwaiti Government to fulfill its commitments under the MOA, we likewise urge the Philippine Government to improve its mechanisms in monitoring and preventing Filipinos working abroad from being further exploited and abused.

Closer and concrete coordination mechanisms between the agencies handling Filipino migrant worker concerns—such as the Department of Labor and Employment and its attached agencies, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and our embassies—should be functioning and well placed so that any form of abuse is immediately addressed, senseless deaths are put to a stop, and swift justice is obtained by our OFWs.

We condemn the gruesome death of Jeanelyn. No one should ever find themselves in harm’s way for simply seeking better opportunities abroad so that they may provide for their families and loved ones at home.

We call on both the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments to apply the fullest extent of the law in assuring that justice is served to Jeanelyn and her family and that every perpetrator is held to account.

For our part, CHR shall continue to monitor this case and the subsequent actions from the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments in addressing this tragedy. A partial deployment ban may be the response of government as a reaction to this tragedy but a more studied and permanent solution must be found in order to put a stop to any and all forms of abuses suffered by our OFWs especially in Kuwait where we already have a MOA for the protection of our OFWs.

At the same time, we encourage government to continuously look into spurring opportunities in the Philippines so that less and less of our workers would be forced to seek employment aboard as a matter of need—equally bearing in mind the social costs of overseas work to families left behind. CHR

DTI, SEIPI to engage in trade and investment promotion for electronics in the US  

/ Manila Shimbun

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI), the largest organization of foreign and Filipino electronics companies in the Philippines, will present the Philippine electronic capabilities during the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2020) which runs from 7-10 January 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The show is considered as the global stage for next-generation technologies which include Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), automotive, health and wellness, and entertainment content, among others.

“The CES 2020 is an ideal venue to engage with global electronics industry players and invite them to partner with the Philippines.  Promoting the Philippine electronics industry is part of the Philippine Export Development Plan 2018-2022, wherein the government focuses on developing industries where the Philippines has competitive and comparative advantages,” said DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez.

“DTI is doing its part in improving the overall climate for export development. Moreover, we continue to strengthen existing prospective opportunities from trading arrangements, such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) with the US.  Trade deals like the GSP are part of the DTI’s comprehensive support to strengthen industries and create more jobs and employment opportunities for Filipinos,” he added.

In addition to Philippine government agencies, the business delegation is composed of Airfreight 2100 Inc., Airspeed International, De La Salle University, Integrated Micro-Electronics, Ionics EMS Inc., LGC Logistics, Macro Wiring Technologies Co. Inc., Meralco, PLDT, and Susumi Philippines.

“The Philippine electronics industry stands to leverage on the opportunities being showcased in this event. We have a strong trade relationship with the US, as the Philippines is a significant part of the product supply in the global electronics market.  Our industry offers full turnkey services from procurement to assembly, and is supported by a dexterity in supply chain management.  We have excellent quality management programs with a full range of certification in global quality standards.  We are delighted to present our seasoned engineering talent with highly skilled individuals who are productive, responsive and proficient in English. We have the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as a key industry enabler, together with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), the academe, and industry players collaborating in the Product and Technology Holistic Strategy (PATHS) roadmap to drive our industry up the value chain.” said SEIPI President Dr. Dan Lachica.

The key features of this mission are the Philippine Electronics Industry seminar and networking forum on 8 January at rooms S102 and S103, South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention and World Trade Center (LVCC) from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, and the Country presentation during the World Electronics Forum from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on 9 January, at the LVCC. Other components for the mission include individual client meetings, business forums, networking activities, meeting with government agencies, as well as company and facility visits in Silicon Valley, California.

The Electronics industry mission in the US is in collaboration with SEIPI and the electronics industry players in the Philippines, DTI-Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with participation from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Export Zone Authority (PEZA).

In 2018, the electronics industry remained as the Philippines’s top exporter, which comprised 55 percent of the total Philippine merchandise exports amounting to $38.2 billion, and posted a double-digit compounded average growth of 9.26 percent for the period between 2014 and 2018. The US also ranked as the Philippines’ second largest market in 2018 with a growth rate of 12.69 percent, which was valued at $5.13 billion.

From January-October 2019, PH Electronic Products exports (56.3% of the total PH exports) obtained a positive growth rate of 2.7% from $32.34 billion in the same period in 2018. The USA also ranked 2nd largest Philippine market for electronics with 15.5% share amounting to $5.2 billion and grew 20.7% against January-October 2018 value of US$4.3 billion. DTI