Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Senator JV Ejercito was elected as the new Senate ethics committee chairperson.

This was announced by Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on the upper chamber’s floor on Tuesday.

According to Zubiri, Ejercito instructed the designation of Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan as the vice chairman of the committee.

Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros and Senator Erwin Tulfo are also named by Zubiri as members of the committee.

Prior to Ejercito’s election, Sen. Robin Padilla was being considered to be the next chairman of the committee, according to Sen. Joel Villanueva.

Hontiveros is facing a complaint lodged at the same committee for alleged disorderly behavior and ‘witness tampering.’

The complaint, filed before the Senate Secretary’s office by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and two others, enumerates Hontiveros’ alleged offenses including the recantation of a witness in an inquiry led by Hontiveros about purported ‘abuses’ in the premises of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ founded by detained televangelist Apollo Quiboloy.

The ethics body will be responsible for ‘all matters relating to the conduct, rights, privileges, safety, dignity, integrity and reputation of the Senate and its members,’ according to the Senate website.

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday criticized the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for failing to proactively evaluate the social costs of its investments, particularly in online gambling, before committing funds.

This developed after Hontiveros, during a Senate panel hearing, asked the GSIS if it included the social costs of online gambling in calculating risks before investing P1 billion in the online gambling platform DigiPlus.

GSIS President Jose Arnulfo ‘Wick’ Veloso, for his part, responded that the agency considered DigiPlus to be a legal and listed corporation under the Philippine Stock Exchange.

‘We can see that this qualifies under the three points of our management: profitability, safety, and liquidity. So we saw that it meets the requirements, and that’s why we invested,’ Veloso explained.

Hontiveros then asked Veloso if the GSIS was ‘completely agnostic’ to the documented social costs of online gambling.

But Veloso maintained that the GSIS bases its investment decisions primarily on financial factors unless the Congress or a law specifically mandates otherwise.

Further stressed if this meant the GSIS did not, in fact, consider social costs as one of the qualifications before investing, Veloso responded:

‘The social costs you’re referring to are something we also want to learn how to integrate into our analysis of these kinds of businesses,’ said Veloso. ‘.That is why, Your Honor, we would like to seek the wise guidance of this committee and your chamber. Because we are merely following, and if this is the will of the people, then let us amend the law so that we may be properly guided,’ he added.

Senator Mark Villar, who chaired the hearing, acknowledged the concerns, but pointed out that while externalities like social costs are ‘not easily quantifiable,’ they should still be considered in government investments.

‘Perhaps when we talk about government money, we should be more diligent with learning about these externalities that are associated with these investments, be it in whatever sectors,’ said Villar.

‘It’s not easily quantifiable, but I hope this is something we can discuss in this committee and maybe make a part of the GSIS’ decision-making process,’ he added.

Hontiveros then pointed out that public health professionals could easily quantify the social costs, if need be.

She also pointed out that the social costs of online gambling have been documented well before the GSIS made the investment.

‘Our society and certain sectors of it-including the GOCCs-already recognize this, even in the case of online gambling. And yet, with all due respect, it seems too easy to simply say, ‘Let Congress first tell us what to do.’ You should be able to factor this in more quickly, because in truth, you can act much faster than we can,’ she said.

The senator then asked if GSIS would support the crafting of a legislation that would require government financial institutions to factor in social impacts before investing, to which Veloso answered in the affirmative.

Yet Hontiveros expressed disappointment that the GSIS was unwilling to take a more proactive stance.

‘You don’t have to wait until a new committee report or a new law is approved to take action,’ she said, noting that the pension fund made its P1-billion DigiPlus investment without congressional instruction.

‘You could very well be more proactive, and in fact show a good practice . guiding us in showing how our GOCCs can, over time, become increasingly selective in placing funds, especially when these involve the contributions of our public sector unions.,’ she added.

Hontiveros then said that she wishes they could have gone farther in this direction.

‘But if that is all the GSIS can say to the public, then I won’t be the only one disappointed,’ she said. /cb

The Social Security System (SSS) in Cotabato province has issued ‘show cause’ orders against at least 88 business establishment owners for their failure to remit the collected social security contributions from their workers.

The issuance of a show cause order is part of the state insurer’s ‘Run After Contribution Evaders’ (RACE) program in Cotabato province after confirming that 88 business owners failed to perform their obligations of remitting to the SSS the collected employees’ share and their counterpart.

On Monday, Sept. 29, lawyer Glenn Mar P. Acas of the SSS Mindanao South Legal Department led the conduct of ‘KaltaSSS-Collect Program’ in Kidapawan City to ensure workers are covered by SSS.

The ‘KaltaSSS-Collect Program’ is an SSS initiative providing social security coverage to private employees and government job order (JO) and contract of service (COS) workers, classifying them as self-employed SSS members.

It aims to ensure that private employers fully adhere to their obligations under Republic Act (RA) 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018.

Acas said the show cause orders were issued earlier to 76 employers for the past three months, while on Monday, Sept. 29, SSS issued orders 12 business owners for them to settle their obligations under RA 11119.

He said of the 76 employers with show cause orders since June this year, only 42 percent or 32 employers, have responded positively and settled their delinquencies.

Acas said SSS is patiently giving employers all the opportunities to comply with the law. A 15-day grace period is given to employers to rectify their violations.

The SSS official said the state insurer is determined to resort to legal remedies if the delinquent employers continue to ignore the opportunities given to them.

Jose Froilan Garcia, SSS Kidapawan branch manager, assured SSS members that benefits due for affected workers will not be affected despite delayed remittances from their employers.

‘We encouraged them to settle (with the SSS) rather than pay a bigger amount of penalties,’ Garcia told Church-run Radio DXND.

He said the benefits will continue while administrative remedies and the adjudication process with delinquent employers are underway.

The RACE program identifies businesses with violations that include non-registration, non-production of records, non-reporting of hired employees, and non-remittance of employee contributions

While it is his prerogative to step down from his post, former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co should still return to the country to face the possible charges against him for his alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects of the government, according to Malacañang.

The renewed call for Co came as his colleagues at the House of Representatives expected him not to come back anytime soon, and the Department of Justice raising concern that it would be ‘inevitable’ for him to be a ‘fugitive.’

‘Nothing can stop him from making his decisions, but if ever a case is filed against him, he will not be able to avoid it, he cannot run away from it,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a briefing on Tuesday.

‘So it would be better that if he becomes an accused, he should simply fight for his rights and defend his innocence based on the evidence he holds,’ she added.

Co resigned from being a member of the House on Monday, citing ‘the real, direct, grave and imminent threat’ to him as well as ‘the lives of my family members.’

The decision to leave his post came just as the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) asked the Office of the Ombudsman to recommend filing of graft complaints against him and 17 others, including officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and his construction firm Sunwest Inc. over a substandard flood control project in Oriental Mindoro worth P289.5 million.

According to the ICI, Co, as former House appropriations committee chairperson, received unwarranted benefits in relation to construction projects of Sunwest.

Co was accused of getting billions of pesos in kickbacks by contractors and DPWH officials testifying in congressional inquiries into flood control projects.

‘If his name is being mentioned, then definitely he must answer it. Because if he fails to respond and chooses to avoid it, he will only appear guilty. That’s why it is better for him to explain his side,’ Castro said.

The DOJ has requested the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to issue a blue notice on Co.

Castro said the DOJ was still waiting for a response from the Interpol on its request as of Tuesday.

Should it be granted, the notice practically allows surveillance on the lawmaker, since it serves to advise Interpol’s member states to ‘collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.’

According to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, they no longer expect Co to face the DOJ, which may lead to him being tagged as a fugitive through the Interpol.

‘He won’t make any more appearances. He will be a fugitive. Isn’t that how people usually act when they have problems-they disappear?’ said Remulla in a press conference.

‘So far, he’s not yet a fugitive, but that will inevitably be his status here,’ he added.

As of Sept. 29, Remulla said Co was currently staying in Madrid, Spain.

The DOJ is verifying reports that he is set to return to Singapore via Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Oct. 5 to get admitted to a hospital.

The Italians proved they were still the Kings of Volleyball as they ruled the FIVB Men’s World Championship for the second consecutive time after outlasting the young Bulgarian side, 25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 25-10, in front of a tournament-best 16,429 crowd at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

More than keeping Italy on top of the world, team captain and now two-time Best Setter Simone Giannelli put a spotlight on the importance of cementing their legacy in the Philippines, which has volleyball as a rising sport, and inspiring the Filipino youth.

‘It’s very important because we have all things but all around the world is not like this,’ he said.

‘I think that we have to do something great with our presence in every country [that we] visit,’ added Giannelli after displaying his playmaking brilliance to bring out the best in Italy’s Yuri Romano, Mattia Bottolo and MVP Alessandro Michieletto.

Giannelli was one of the six players, Alas Pilipinas captain Bryan Bagunas also among them, who were painted on the mural of an outdoor court in Parañaque, in the Volleyball Legacy Art Project.

‘I’m very grateful for what the Filipinos did for me,’ he said. ‘Because that playground, it’s amazing, the artist I want to know him and to congratulate him, to thank him and all the volleyball family because it was an amazing initiative. The Volleyball Foundation is very, very good because it makes good things for the sport.’

The hosting of the Men’s World Championship will probably change the landscape of Philippine men’s volleyball after the best of the best, like Italy, surprise runner-up Bulgaria and World No.1 and bronze medalist Poland, showcased their talents here to inspire a new generation of Filipino youth, along with Alas Pilipinas, which proved it belonged on the world stage.

Giannelli, who has won championships for their national team and several clubs overseas, has important advice for the Filipinos who showered him and his team and other participating countries with love.

‘Never in my life [have] I thought that I would be representing a court in the Philippines, in Manila, and to be there forever. It’s amazing for the kids. The message that I can give to them is to try to be a good person,’ said the 2022 World Championship MVP.

‘[Being good] is what we need now, and enjoy the sport and stay together with your friends and family and make the sport great.’

Bottolo, who rose to the occasion in the final, firing seven aces to finish with 19 points, was grateful to the Filipinos for making them feel at home.

‘Being far away from home for three weeks, just training and hotel, was really tough for us. This is the World Championship, and if you want to play that, you have to live this toughness. The Philippines has helped us a lot because your people are incredible,’ said Bottolo. ‘They treated us very well every day, so I have to say thank you very much.’

Romano, who unleashed 22 points in the final, agreed. ‘The fans, the fans are crazy, we feel all their love and we feel they cheer for us. It’s very fun to be here,’ said Romano. INQ

The Department of Public Works and Highways will livestream the bidding process for its projects to promote transparency, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said on Tuesday. Hosaka also explained that the ‘ICI is avoiding trial by publicity and will not allow it to be used for any political leverage or agency by any individual or group.’ /das/abc

The Archdiocese of Cebu will witness a historic and grace-filled moment on Tuesday, Sept. 30, as Most Rev. Alberto ‘Abet’ Uy is formally installed as the fifth metropolitan archbishop of Cebu.

The solemn canonical possession and installation rites will take place at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral at 9 a.m. It is expected to draw together an extraordinary gathering of prelates from across the Philippines and beyond.

According to the Archdiocese of Cebu, among those attending are high-ranking leaders of the Catholic Church: Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Most Rev. Charles John Brown; Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization; Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and Bishop of Kalookan; and Jose Cardinal Advincula, Archbishop of Manila.

Also joining are several archbishops from key ecclesiastical territories, including Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon of Caceres, Archbishop John Du of Palo, and Archbishop Victor Bendico of Capiz, among others. Retired archbishops, such as Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ, and Archbishop Leonardo Medroso, will also grace the celebration.

Dozens of bishops from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will be present, including Bishop Precioso Cantillas, Bishop Julito Cortes of Dumaguete, Bishop Crispin Varquez of Borongan, Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig, Bishop Dennis Villarojo of Malolos, and many more. Apostolic vicars and bishops emeriti are also expected to participate.

The installation of Uy marks a new chapter for the Archdiocese of Cebu, recognized as the cradle of Christianity in the Philippines. Cebu’s faithful, together with visiting prelates, are set to witness a moment of deep ecclesial unity as they celebrate the continuity of faith and mission in one of the country’s most historic archdioceses.

Uy was born and raised in Ubay town, Bohol. Pope Francis appointed Uy as the 7th bishop of Tagbilaran on October 13, 2016. He was consecrated on Jan. 5, 2017. /das

Companies linked to resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co tried to deregister three choppers from the Philippines to put these units up for sale, Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon said on Tuesday.

Dizon said that he received this information from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap).

Deregistration is an act of removing an item from an official registry.

‘Companies connected to Congressman Zaldy Co tried to deregister three choppers,’ Dizon told reporters in an interview.

‘What Caap told me is that the firms tried to deregister the units because they have plans to sell them, because you can’t sell them if you don’t deregister them first in the Philippines,’ he explained.

Dizon said that they managed to stop the deregistration, and the Caap already issued a standing order that all air assets linked to Co cannot be deregistered.

Last Wednesday, the public works and highways secretary revealed that Co has P4.7-billion worth of air assets registered under different companies.

He also said that he had already informed the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the Department of Justice, and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure about the assets.

His presentation showed that Misibis Aviation owns air assets with a combined estimated value of $74.6 million (equivalent to P4.2 billion at the current exchange rate).

These assets include two AgustaWestland AW1398 helicopters worth $16 million each, a Gulfstream 350 jet valued at $36 million, two Bell 407 helicopters pegged at $3 million each, and a Bell 206B3 helicopter estimated at $650,000 (P19 million).

Hi-Tone Construction Development Corp. holds aircraft valued at a total of $7.9 million (P456 million).

Its fleet consists of a Cessna 414A Chancellor worth $700,000, an Agusta A109E helicopter pegged at $6.9 million, and a PA 31-350 Chieftain aircraft estimated at $340,000.

Meanwhile, QM Builder lists a single air asset, a Bell 505 helicopter, worth around $2 million (P114 million).

Going after Co’s assets

When asked to react to the statement of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla that Co might not return to the country, Dizon said that the government will go after all his assets, whether he comes home or not.

‘Now that the ICI filed a report before the Ombudsman, we will ask for the freezing of all his assets, bank accounts, real properties, air assets, potential sea assets, land assets and vehicles,’ Dizon said in the same interview.

‘It’s not enough to hold someone accountable and send someone to jail. The [public] funds need to be returned and this is included in ensuring that the public funds will be retrieved,’ Dizon pointed out.

Co has resigned from his post as the representative of Ako Bicol Party-list amid allegations of his involvement in the anomalous flood control projects.

In his letter to House Speaker Faustino Dy III, Co cited ‘the real, direct, grave and imminent threat’ to him and to ‘the lives of my family members.’

The resigned lawmaker has been accused of receiving billions of pesos in kickbacks, based on the testimony of contractors and DPWH officials.

The allegations came from the testimonies of dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways-Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez that an estimated P1 billion in cash, packed in suitcases, was delivered to Co’s penthouse.

The Department of Justice has requested the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to issue a blue notice on Co.

The notice advises the member states of Interpol ‘to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.’ /apl

When we hear of abaca, what often comes to mind is Manila envelope and Manila paper. But this humble crop, which is mostly cultivated in Catanduanes, Eastern Visayas, and Mindanao, may one day be our ticket to aerospace and space tourism.

Abaca is the source of the strongest natural fiber in the world, making it essential for ship ropes, filters, medical fabrics, textiles, special papers like banknotes, and other applications that require strength, durability, and water-resistance. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was short of disposable face masks, abaca was utilized as a natural source of fiber, a contribution from the Philippines during those unprecedented times. As the largest abaca exporter in the world, we clearly had the advantage of its accessibility and opportunities to capitalize on it. My article was later featured by the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority on their social media.

This special interest in abaca, which I developed during the pandemic, was amplified later on by my passion for surfing. I’ve visited almost every famous surfing spot in the country, except for Catanduanes.

As I read more about the surfing life in Catanduanes, came the undeniable facts and potentials about abaca. As an academic pharmacist, I’ve also thought of researching on the isolation and development of abaca cellulose fiber as a novel excipient in making medicines.

For example, a cellulose powder from abaca could be a binder to hold a tablet together, or a sustainable and alternative ingredient in making ‘veggie’ capsule shells. A lot of people don’t know that most shells that hold a capsule come from gelatin, which is derived from the collagen of cows or pigs, hence not suitable for vegetarians, vegans, or certain religious groups like Muslims.

Although these are just a few applications of abaca cellulose in pharmaceutical research, in the bigger picture, this could be our ticket to the new frontier.

The answer is simple: abaca is lightweight, natural, and sustainable. Today, the manufacturers of spacecraft (even aircraft) are pressured to reduce carbon emissions. Abaca fibers deliver high quality and strength without the burden of using metals, hence less fuel is burned. Most importantly, abaca is biodegradable and absorbs carbon dioxide while growing, which is a far greener option than petroleum-based synthetic fibers.

Today, companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are racing to make suborbital flights routine. Imagine telling the whole world that the seats and panels inside a space vehicle carry fibers grown by the farmers in Catanduanes. It is both a poetic and practical vision: the Philippines being a supplier of natural materials for humanity’s journey beyond Earth.

Now, the challenge is, will the Philippines seize the chance to move up the value chain? For a very long time, our abaca has been exported raw and bought from our farmers at a low price by foreigners who then process it, sell it at a high price, and reap the margins.

If we invest in processing hubs, certification facilities, and research partnerships, we can export not just fiber but semi-finished products such as composite panels and specialty mats. That is where the real money is, and that is how rural communities progress.

To achieve this, interagency collaboration is important. Together with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Space Agency, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Tourism, along with local universities, we can create a national innovation pipeline: from farm-to-fiber-to-flight.

We are already known as the world’s capital of the strongest natural fiber. Let us take that seriously. We can make the Philippines a global leader in sustainable materials in the next frontier.

Authorities arrested three alleged high-value drug targets and seized over P1 million worth of suspected ‘shabu’ (crystal meth) in separate buy-bust operations in Cavite and Laguna on Monday and Tuesday.

In a report, the Region 4A police said anti-narcotics operatives in Bacoor City, Cavite, apprehended suspects identified only as ‘Jerome’ and ‘Jonathan’ at around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday in Barangay Molino 2. The two were caught after selling P500 worth of shabu to an undercover police officer.

During the arrest, operatives recovered four heat-sealed plastic sachets containing approximately 60 grams of suspected shabu, with an estimated street value of P408,000, based on the Dangerous Drugs Board’s valuation.

Police identified both suspects as ‘high-value individuals’ (HVI) on their drug watch list – a classification reserved for financiers, traffickers, manufacturers, importers, or members of organized drug groups.

In a separate operation in Barangay Antipolo, Rizal, Laguna, police arrested another HVI suspect identified as ‘Jomar’ at 11:28 p.m. on Monday. He was found in possession of three plastic sachets containing about 100 grams of suspected shabu, valued at P680,000.

Authorities also seized the suspect’s mobile phone, which will be examined for possible drug-related communications or records.

Police in Cavite and Laguna are conducting further investigations to trace the source of the seized drugs.

All three suspects are currently in police custody and face charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002