mga ibinalita ni terencius: Script for 20180120 KSK Edition

MAGANDANG UMAGA PILIPINAS, MAGANDANG UMAGA KATROPA, AT MAGANDANG UMAGA SA LAHAT NG ATING MGA TAGAPAKINIG!

ARAW NA NAMAN PO NG SABADO AT NANDITO NA NAMAN PO KAMI PARA MAGTANGHAL NG ATING PROGRAMANG KATROPA SA KAMARA NI TERENCE MORDENO GRANA.

YES, TERENCE MORDENO GRANA PO ANG INYONG LINGKOD, ANG INYONG KAAGAPAY AT GABAY SA ATING PALATUNTUNAN.

AT KUNG NAIS PO NINYONG MAKIPAG-TALASTASAN O MERON MAN PO KAYONG MGA REAKSIYON AT SUHESTIYON HINGGIL SA ATING MGA PAKSA, TUMAWAG LAMANG O DIDI KAYA AY MAG-TEXT SA MOBILE PHONE NUMBER: 0905 457 7102.

ANG KATROPA SA KAMARA AY MATUTUNGHAYAN, EKSKLUSIBO, DITO LAMANG PO SA DWDD, KATROPA RADIO, ONSE TRENTA'Y KUWATRO SA TALAPIHITAN NG INYONG MGA RADYO.

OKEY, NARITO NA PO ANG ATING NAKALAP NA MGA IMPORMASYON MULA SA KAMARA DE REPRESENTANTES, KABUUAN NG ATING MGA BALITA:

----------------

HUWAG KAYONG BIBITIW AT KAMI PO AY BABALIK KAAGAD MATAPOS ANG ILANG MGA PAALAALA MULA SA ATING HIMPILAN. (STATION ID)

(INSTITUTIONAL MESSAGES)

----------------

SA ATING PAGBABALIK, KAYO PO AY NAKIKINIG SA PATATUNTUNANG KATROPA SA KAMARA NI TERENCE MORDENO GRANA DITO LAMANG SA HIMPILANG DWDD, KATROPA RADIO, AT TAYO AY SINASAMAHAN NI ENGINEER (RONALD ANGELES, DEXTER ORATA OR LEONOR NATAP) SA ATING TECHNICAL SIDE.

KAMI PO AY MATUTUNGHAYAN DIN // SA LIVE STREAMING: SA TripleWdotDWDDdotCOMdotPH AT SA FACEBOOK: FACEBOOKdotCOMslashKATROPADWDD AT SA TWITTER: HASHTAG #KATROPA

TULOY-TULOY NA PO TAYO SA IILAN PANG MGA BALITA NA ATING NAKALAP.

(READ AGAIN THE OTHER NEWS AND INFORMATION)

-------------------

WALA NA PO TAYONG ORAS AT KAMI AY MAMAMAALAM NA MUNA PANSAMANTALA SA INYO.

MARAMING SALAMAT AT KAMI PO AY INYONG PINAHINTULUTANG PUMASOK SA INYONG MGA TAHANAN SA PAMAMAGITAN NG ATING PALATUNTUNANG KATROPA SA KAMARA.

BAGO TAYO MAGTAPOS NG ATING PALATUNTUNAN, BATIIN KO MUNA SINA: … and those who are listening via live streaming sa internet, wwwdotdwdddotcomdotph, sa Facebook wwwdotfacebookdotcom @dwdd1134 at sa Twitter #Katropa; and everybody.

DAGHANG SALAMAT PUD SA ATONG MGA KAHIGALAANG MGA BISAYA NGA NAMINAW KANATO KARONG TAKNAA.

ITO PO ANG INYONG LINGKOD – KINI ANG INYONG KABUS NGA SULUGUON, TERENCE MORDENO GRANA.

AT SA NGALAN DIN NG LAHAT NA MGA BUMUBUO NG PRODUCTION STAFF SA ATING PALATUNTUNAN, AKO PO AY NAGSASABING: PAGPALAIN SANA TAYONG LAHAT NG ATING PANGINOONG MAYKAPAL, GOD BLESS US ALL, AT PURIHIN ANG ATING PANGINOON! GOOD MORNING.

-------------------

MAS MALAWAK, MALALIM NA PAPEL NG SUCs

SOLUSYON SA MAGASTOS NA CPD TRAINING – REP. SALO

Bilang tugon sa reklamo ng mga propesyunal na registered at lisensyado ng Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ukol sa mabigat sa bulsang continuing professional development (CPD) nananawagan si KABAYAN Party-list Rep. Ron Salo na baguhin ng PRC ang mga operational guidelines nito sa pagpapatupad ng Republic Act 10912 o ang CPD law.

Ayon sa CPD law, isa sa requirement ang pagdalo sa sa Continuing Professional Education (CPE) seminars para sa renewal ng lisensiya.

Para kay Salo, dapat i-regulate pang mabuti ng PRC ang iba’t ibang rates para sa CPE seminars, workshops, conferences, at training.

Nais din niyang na “palawakin at palalimin pa ng PRC ang papel ng state universities and colleges sa pagbibigay ng CPE sa mga lisensyadong propesyunal.”

Umapela rin si Salo sa mga organisadong grupo ng mga propesyunal na bigyang ayuda at suportahan ang kanilang mga kasapi sa pagdalo sa mga CPE seminars.

Hinimok niya ang PRC na bumuo ng mekanismong magbibigay gantimpala sa mga professional organizations na magiging aktibo sa pagtulong sa mga kasapi nitong makasunod sa tagubilin ng CPD law.

“Mas mainam ang SUCs bilang CPE provider dahil bukod sa marami sa kanila ay mahusay ang track record sa PRC board exams, naroon na sila sa iba’t ibang panig ng ating bansa —hindi kalayuan sa mga mamamayan kaya hindi na kailangan dumayo pa sa Metro-Manila o Metro-Cebu para lamang mag-review,” ani Salo.

Hinihimok din niya na kumbinsihin ng CHED, bilang chairman ng SUC governing boards, na palakasin ang mga CPD programs sa SUCs. (WAKAS)

MEDIA ADVISORY:

ILIGAN CITY LONE DISTRICT REP. FREDERICK SIAO TO DELIVER PRIVILEGE SPEECH ON JAN. 15, 2018

Iligan City Lone District Representative Frederick W. Siao is scheduled to deliver a PRIVILEGE SPEECH to hold the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) accountable for the extreme delay in the release of allowances to thousands of college faculty scholars who availed of the K to 12 Transition Program graduate education scholarships.

The speech will be delivered during the regular session of the House of Representatives at the House Session Hall, Batasan Hills, Quezon City. The session will start at 4PM.

The privilege speech follows the filing on Monday morning of January 15, 2018 of a proposed resolution calling for an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the delayed allowances for the K to 12 Transition Program beneficiaries, who are now mired in debts and poverty (see attached draft resolution).

Some of the faculty scholars who have not received their allowances will be in the audience gallery to hear Rep. Siao deliver his privilege speech.

The faculty scholars have informed Rep. Siao that they are willing and available to be interviewed by the news media after he delivers his speech. (END)

THE HONORABLE FREDERICK W. SIAO

Lone District of Iligan City

REACTION TO RESIGNATION OF DR. PATRICIA LICUANAN FROM CHED

I did offer to Dr. Patricia Licuanan the option for an honorable exit by citing health reasons, but she still took the hardline stance.

Nevertheless, I thank her for her service to CHED and the Filipino people—steering CHED through the much of the transition through the most significant education reform our country has ever seen—K to 12, the impact of which continues to be felt in higher education.

I have called for an investigation into the delays in the release of allowances to college faculty who are in the CHED K to 12 Transition Program. Though Dr. Licuanan has left the CHED, the need for the investigation remains. The problem with the K to 12 Transition Program does not just involve the former CHED Chairman. It involves the CHED systems.

As the CHED itself has admitted, the problems are structural and key to solving those structural problems are legislative solutions. (END)

News Release

15 January 2018

House to invite shrink, 4 justices in Sereno impeach cast

The House Committee on Justice is set to invite in its forthcoming impeachment hearings on the charges against Supreme Court Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno the psychiatrist who reportedly gave her failing marks.

“The impeachment committee (likewise) intends to invite the psychiatrist who gave failing marks on the psychiatric or psychological makeup of the Chief Justice and who was allegedly fired or whose contract was not renewed upon the assumption (of office) of the Chief Justice,” Justice Committee chairman Reynaldo Umali announced at the start of today’s hearing.

Reports earlier said that two psychiatrists hired by the Judicial and Bar Council gave Sereno a rating of “4” from a scale of 1 to 5, with “5” being the lowest. According to the same report such grade meant that while she projected a “happy mood,” she also exhibited “depressive markers.”

The report added that after the test results were revealed, Sereno who was chairman of the JBC, refused to renew the contracts of the two psychiatrists and terminated them in 2013,

This matter was raised in support of allegations of betrayal of public trust that lawyer Lorenzo Gadon raised in his impeachment complaint against Sereno.

In addition to the psychiatrists , Umali said the panel would invite four other justices—namely incumbent SC Justices Mariano Del Castillo and Andres Reyes, retired SC Justice Adolf Azcuna, Court of Appeals Justice Remedios Salazar-Fernando, and other court officials.

Likewise, the committee will invite anew SC Justice Teresita Leonardo De Castro, who had testified in the impeachment hearing. De Castro’s testimony buttressed the allegation that Sereno unilaterally issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) in violation of the collegial nature of the high court.

In today’s hearing, three incumbent SC Justices, namely Samue Martires, Diosdado Peralta, and Lucas Bersamin appeared to testify before the Justice Committee. Justice Antonio Carpio, who was also invited, declined on the ground that he had no personal knowledge of the issues involved.

Justice Martires testified on the issue of the delay in release of benefits for the surviving spouse of retired justices and judges who had died.

In his complaint, Gadon alleged that before Sereno became Chief Justice, such benefits were regularly released by the SC. However, Gadon said the releases of the benefits were delayed, for as long as two years, when Sereno assumed office and created a technical working group to handle the release of the benefits.

“Some of the claimants told me that processing of their papers only resumed after I filed the impeachment complaint, “ Gadon told the panel.

The SC eventually decided, through a decision penned by Justice Martires, to release the benefits.

“The only basis of my decision was the law and the grant the benefits to the claimant provided the requirement of the law is complied with,” said Martires.

However, Martires clarified that he appeared before the impeachment committee out of respect for its invitation and that he is not a witness of the complainant.

“I came upon the invitation of this committee; I am not a witness of Atty. Gadon. I came here because of the invitation which I cannot refuse,” Martirez said.

Although he was not supposed to testify on the issue of the benefits, Justice Peralta also opined that the delay in the release of the benefits could be blamed on Sereno’s creation of the technical working group.

“Bakit pa kasi may TWG,” said Peralta.

Justice Peralta is expected to discuss Sereno's alleged manipulation of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) and the rules and procedures of the Supreme Court.

On the other hand, Justice Bersamin is expected to answer questions on resolutions supposedly issued by Sereno without en banc approval.

Aside from De Castro, incumbent SC Justices Noel Tijam and Francis Jardeleza, have testified in the hearings of the panel on the impeachment case against Sereno.

According to Umali, the panel will likely finish its hearing by February, or first week of March at the latest. He said the panel would submit its recommendation for approval of the plenary before the House adjourns its session on March 23, 2018. ###

MEDIA INFO PACK

January 15, 2018

COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE

SALIENT POINTS OF IMPEACHMENT HEARING 15 JANUARY 2018

• Received a letter from the Counsel of CJ – she declined to personally attend the hearing despite the continuing invitation of this Committee for her to appear and defend herself.

• Rep. Umali – this is the proper venue to articulate her defense, not through the media. The issues discussed here in the committee will determine the probable cause.

Clarificatory questions to Justice Samuel Martires

• Came not for Gadon but because of the invitation that he cannot refuse. He would like to testify on the retirement and survivorship issues. (J. Martires)

• All matter related to money are considered priority, that’s why I (Justice Martires) acted on the case promptly. Yet those 29 cases lingered for 2 years due to the conflict on the creation of SC Memorandum Order creating the Special Committee on Retirement and Civil Service Benefits (with two Technical Working Groups) which led to two (2) descending decisions / interpretations of the cases. (J. Martires)

• There are still 29 Pending Applications – the best way that Justice Martires would like to suggest is to ask the persons involved to file administrative cases if they know the facts regarding their job, so that Supreme Court would rid out the incompetent officials. (J. Martires)

• Finance Officer of the SC and Sandiganbayan – there are available funds for release, but I am not aware on how much money are there (J. Martires)

• Funding for retirement are regularly part of GAA (J. Martires)

• The only thing that matters to Justice Martires is, if there are available funds for the survivorship that will be given to the claimants (J. Martires)

• Sept. 19, 2017 – 3 cases involved, 2 memoranda were submitted to Justices. Memoranda A – recommending for the grant of the benefits (carried with it the decision of the majority), Memoranda B – recommending other hand (carried with it the position of the minority). Why are there 2 conflicting decisions under the TWG despite clear jurisprudence on the matter? (J. Martires)

• The differing opinions on the interpretation of law on survivorship caused the delay. However, instead of resolving the urgent matter, the approval was unduly delayed. If there are differing opinions there should be a voting,

• Justice Martires is not only concerned about the 29 claimants, he is concerned on all the pending issues for survivorship. He would like to set the specific guidelines on all the claimants. (J. Martires)

• 3 Senior Justices: CJ Sereno, Justice Antonio Carpio, Justice Velasco – created the Special Committee on retirement benefits. Under the committee, 2 TWGs were created.

• Before the creation of the 2 TWGs, the decision would normally take 2-3 weeks. After the creation of the TWGs, 29 cases were pending for decision for 2 years.

• the issue of the survivorship has been pending since 2015 (average of 2 years pending and no action). But the case was raffled to Justice Martires only on August 2017, sometime July or August (GADON)

• On the members of the TWG created which caused the delay: Atty. Jocelyn Fabian – joined SC on 2013, COS of Sereno, and outsider, she was a former accountant for a department store. Head of the 2 TWGs.

• Atty. Gumbio - Head of the Special Committee on Retirement Benefits, currently the Deputy Clerk of Court with pending application for Clerk of Court (of which the Chief Justice is part of the appointing authority)

• TWGs should only conduct study not vote on the matters on hand. But the study proved to be lengthy to the detriment of the beneficiaries of those who have dedicated their careers in the service of the judiciary.

HIGHLIGHTS

Justice Committee Hearing on Sereno Impeachment Case

15 January 2018

1. Chairman Reynaldo Umali announced at the start of the hearing that the committee intends to invite in the forthcoming hearings SC Justices Mariano Del Castillo and Andres Reyes, retired SC Justice Adolf Azcuna, Court of Appeals Justice Remedios Salazar-Fernando, and other court officials.

2. The panel will also invite again SC Justice Teresita Leonardo De Castro. She had already testified in the previous hearings of the committee, particularly on the issue of Sereno’s unilateral issuance of a temporary restraining order against the Commission on Election in the case of the Senior Citizens Party List, violating the collegial nature of the court.

3. In addition, Umali said the panel also intends to invite the Judicial and Bar Council psychiatrist who gave Sereno failing marks and whose contract was not renewed after her appointment as SC Chief Justice.

4. The Justice Committee received a letter from the camp of CJ Sereno, declining the invitation of the committee to attend the hearing.

5. Justice Samuel Martire testifed on the accusation that Sereno delayed action on the numerous Petitions for Retirement Benefits of Justices and Judges, and the surviving spouses of deceased Justices and Judges. Martirez is the ponente on the case before the SC, where the high court decided to grant the claim for survivorship benefits.

6. The case arose from the recommendation of Court Administrator Midas Marquez to grant the survivorship benefits of 29 claimants. On the other hand the Technical Working Group created by Sereno and headed by Atty. Jocelyn Fabian submitted a report on Feb. 24, 2017, recommending denial. The case was raffled off to Martires on Aug. 7, 2017 and he came out with a decision on Sept. 19, 2017 or in just over a month.

7. Justice Martires said that most of the claimants were very old and no longer working so they need the benefits: “Hindi na ho nagtatrabaho itong mga ito. Kahit po sabihin natin na sila’y may kaya sa buhay iba pa rin po yung may tinatanggap kang buwanang pensyon. It gives you some kind of dignity as a person na hindi ka umaasa sa iyong mga anak. Kaya po minadali ko itong desisyon na ito,” said Justice Martirez

8. Justice Martires clarified that he testified out of respect to the House committee. He stressed though that he was not a witness of complainant Atty. Larry Gadon.

9. Martirez also said he had no knowledge as to where the unspent funds for unpaid benefits were. He said his only concern in the case was whether funds were available to pay the claims for survivorship benefits.

10. Chairman Reynaldo Umali said that at least one claimant had died waiting for the release of the benefits. He said this raised the question on whether the heirs would still be eligible to receive the benefits.

11. Complainant Atty. Lorenzo Gadon said that according to many beneficiaries of survivorship benefits, the SC only began acting on their claim after the filing of impeachment case against Chief Justice Sereno.

12. Court Administrator Midas Marquez testified that he recommended the approval of claims of beneficiaries based on previous 271 cases the SC had decided. Marquez said that prior to Sereno’s creation of two Technical Working Groups the claims were processed and approved in about 2-3 week’s time.

13. Justice Diosdado Peralta, who was supposed to testify on another issue, commented that the delays could be traced to the creation of the Technical Working Group, saying: “Bakit ba may Technical Working Group pa?”

STATEMENT BY THE

HON. SALVADOR B. BELARO, JR.

Assistant Majority Leader

1-Ang Edukasyon Party-list

REACTION TO RESIGNATION OF CHED CHAIRMAN PATRICIA LICUANAN

I congratulate my fellow Cornell University alumnus Dr. Patricia Licuanan on her difficult decision to resign to spare the CHED from further controversies.

Her decision to resign also has the effect of giving President Rodrigo Duterte a free hand to appoint a new CHED Chairman to become part of the administration team as a team player. We need a CHED Chairman who has vision, will, and heart for the Filipino people.

It is also time to give the CHED a new boost by updating and upgrading its charter, Republic Act 7722.

Some 24 years have passed since the CHED was created in 1994. RA 7722 is ripe for updating and upgrading. We also need new education laws.

We need bold, revolutionary steps to follow through on the success we achieved in making free college education in SUCs a reality for the Filipino youth and college faculty.

With the shift toward federalism, we need strong regional university systems.

We need a more capable CHED that can function in a federalized environment.

We need the Law on the Philippine Qualifications Framework—the bills for which are in the final stages of the legislative process. I hope the PQF become as law by March, April or May this year during the graduation season.

We need a stronger Open University and Alternative Learning superstructure to further expand access to quality higher education.

We need Education Bonds to fund the education equivalent of Build Build Build. Many of our SUCs are in dire need of new facilities and better services. Many private schools are also in crises because of the exodus of teachers to public schools and because of lack of funds to upgrade their facilities. (END)

Photo Release

15 January 2018

BUSY HOUSE: House Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez, Committee on Justice chairman Rep. Reynaldo Umali (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro) and Committee on Constitutional Amendments chairman Rep. Roger Mercado (Lone District, Leyte) update the media on the ongoing efforts of the House to amend the 1987 Constitution through a constituent assembly (con-ass) and the hearings on the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. Mercado said his committee has done consultations around the country and is set to determine the provisions to be changed during this week's meeting. The bi-monthly press briefing is arranged by the Press and Public Affairs Bureau (PPAB) and Office of the Speaker. (GE/RBB)

#OneHouseForChange

BREAKING NEWS - PRESS RELEASE

KABAYAN PARTY-LIST

ATTY. CIRIACO CALALANG TAKES OATH

AS NEW KABAYAN PARTY-LIST REPRESENTATIVE

Atty. Ciriaco Calalang has taken his ceremonial oath of office as KABAYAN Party-List Representative and newest congressman of the House of Representatives.

Rep. Calalang took his oath before Deputy Speaker Gwen Garcia in open session of the House on Monday, January 15, first session day of Congress in 2018.

Calalang joins Rep. Ron Salo in Congress to form the double team of KABAYAN in the House. Calalang replaces former Congressman Harry Roque, now Presidential Spokesperson.

Earlier, KABAYAN secretary-general Joshua P. Sebastian asked House secretary-general Cesar Pareja for an “immediate ceremonial taking of oath of office” of Atty. Ciriaco Calalang “to enable him (Calalang) to enter into the performance of his functions and proceedings of the House of Representatives.”

Sebastian said Atty. Calalang took his oath of office as Representative of KABAYAN Party-List before a notary public on January 11, 2018 at the City Hall of Quezon City.

Sebastian made the request for the ceremonial oath taking in open session of the House in a letter dated January 11, 2018 which was formally received by several House offices, including the Office of the Speaker and of the Majority Floor Leader.

The KABAYAN secretary-general said the Comelec Law Department had submitted to Congress three documents: the approved official list of nominees of KABAYAN and COMELEC Minute Resolution Nos. 17-0737 and 17-0767.

In a letter dated November 29, 2017 House secretary-general Pareja informed the Comelec that Harry Roque was dropped from the Roll of Members of the House of Representatives effective November 6, 2017. (END)

NEWS Release

15 January 2018

House impeachment proceedings do not impair independence of judiciary—3 SC justices

Three incumbent justices of the Supreme Court dismissed the allegation of Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno that the impeachment proceeding against her had undermined the independence of the Judiciary.

Justices Samuel Martires, Lucas Bersamin and Diosdado Peralta appeared today before the House Committee on justice to testify in the impeachment case against Sereno but clarified that they were not there as witnesses of complainant Atty. Lorenzo Gadon.

Responding to the query of Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez, Justice Lucas Bersamin said: “We see this as part of the constitutional scheme, a reasonable exercise of your power to impeach.”

“We are respecting the independence of Congress. Kayo lang po ang may power to conduct impeachment proceedings kaya po ni-respect namin yung invitation ninyo. Kung sinubpoena ninyo kami baka magkaroon ng clash,” said Justice Diosdado Peralta.

“I don’t think I have undermined the Judiciary; probably the TWG because my decision was against them. I came here because of that invitation and not to undermine the judiciary,” Justice Samuel Martires stressed for his part.

The three likewise declared that they had no grudge against Sereno and would not have testified voluntarily had they were not formally invited by the Justice Committee.

The appearance of the three justices before the committee had brought to a total of seven —consisting of three incumbent and one retired—SC justices who testified in the impeachment proceeding against Sereno.

Earlier, incumbent SC Justices Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Noel Tijam, Francis Jardeleza retired SC Justice Arturo Brion, broke tradition and testified before the committee.

Meanwhile, the three SC justices tagged the creation of two Technical Working Groups attributed to Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno as the cause of inordinate delays in approval of claims for benefits of surviving spouses of justices and judges.

In his complaint, Gadon accused Sereno of culpable violation of the constitution in delaying the court’s action, by as long as two years, on various petitions for benefits of justices, judges and surviving spouses of deceased member of the bench.

Gadon said the two TWGs were headed by Sereno’s lawyer.

“Sa palagay ko po hindi kailangan yung technical working group,” said Justice Samuel Martires, who penned the high court’s ruling to allow the release of benefits of retired judges and justices or the surviving spouse of deceased members of the bench.

Earlier, Court Administrator Midas Marquez reiterated his testimony that before the creation of the two TWGs the SC had approved 271 petitions for retirement and survivorship benefits and the process normally took only 2 to 3 weeks to complete.

After the TWGs were created, Marquez said conflicting recommendations caused delays of about two years in processing 29 such applications for benefit that at least one claimant died before the claim was approved.

Bersamin said that prior to the creation of the TWGs, all the assigned justice did was to approve the application for benefit based on the recommendation of the Court Administrator.

“Pero nung me TWG, sasabihin po nung chairman ng en banc—and that is the Chief Justice most of the time---let’s call this again. Let’s wait for the TWG to make a report. Ano pong gagawin namin doon, hindi kami makaaksyon,” Bersamin added.

He said that after the TWGs were created he started receiving letters from friends and surviving spouses of deceased judges asking why the release of their benefit was taking too long.

“E siyempre po wala kaming maisasagot diyan, hindi namin pwedeng isisi kahit kanino although gustong-gusto namin dahil nauunawanan namin ang kalagayan nila, yung mga

gamot na bibilhin, yung mga paghihirap nila dahil nade-delay yung kanilang entitlement,” he added.

He said that the three of them would likely recommend to the en banc the abolition of the TWGs if these were still existing.

NEWS Release

15 January 2018

House reso on con-ass ready for plenary

The House of Representatives remains on track in its push for charter change as it prepares to approve in plenary this week a resolution convening a constituent assembly.

Nine interpellations on House Concurrent Resolution 9 convening the Houses and Senate into a constituent assembly is expected to be finished on Monday afternoon. This was announced by Rep. Roger Mercado, chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments during the House bi-monthly press briefing.

“If we finish that today, we (then) will vote and approve the House resolution convening both houses into a constitutional assembly,” Mercado said.

Mercado said the committee would likewise meet Tuesday to determine the provisions that need more time for discussion during the con-ass proper.

“We will guide members on which important provisions that need to be studied, re-read, and properly discussed and voted by the House,” said Mercado.

Among the important provisions are on federalism, economy, agriculture and environment protection, he said.

After House Concurrent Resolution 9 is approved, all recommendations, including the PDP-LABAN draft Constitution and those reforms or amendments submitted by House members would be discussed by the different committees based on the rules on con-ass, according to Mercado.

As to the issue on whether the two chambers of Congress will vote as one or separately on constitutional amendment, Mercado invoked Article 17 of the Constitution.

“The Congress, upon the vote of all its members, so, both houses will be convened and upon a vote of three-fourth of all its members, meaning the House of Representatives and the Senate, then we can propose amendments to our Constitution,” Mercado said.

He said amending or revising the Constitution via con-ass is economical since it would only cost P204 million as against Constitutional Convention which would cost the government around P11 billion.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez stressed during the press briefing that the House’s push for constitutional amendment and the shift from unitary to federal system was not intended to perpetuate the House members into power.

“Kumbaga, it’s really important and timely to amend the Constitution. Part of the program of President Duterte and won overwhelming votes during the last election was his proposal to shift to federal system,”said Hernandez.###

JUSTICES TESTIFY: The House Committee on Justice resumed its hearing Monday on the impeachment complaint filed against Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, with three Associate Justices (upper left photo) appearing as resource persons. These are Associate Justices Samuel Martires and Diosdado Peralta Lucas Bersamin. Justice Committee chairman Rep. Reynaldo Umali (left, upper right photo) said the panel would complete the hearings by the end of February or by first week of March at the latest. Also in photo is House Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas (right, upper right photo). PC/ABR

NEWS Release

16 January 2018

Bill seeks research competition among schools

THE House committee on higher and technical education approved on Monday a measure institutionalizing an annual research competition among colleges and universities to help boost national development.

The author of House Bill 4254 titled “Research Competitive Act of 2016”, urged approval of the measure saying that in many developed economies, the academe is an indispensable partner of industry on research, and the output of the academe is the time-tested catapult of innovation in business and the private sector.

The bill mandates all schools and universities to hold an annual research competition among their students. Competition categories along fields of study may be made by each college or university.

The bill also provides for the holding of an annual research competition among colleges and universities within a particular province or region to be participated in by the winners of the research competition in the school level.

Winners of the provincial competition shall compete in the annual regional completion and winners in the annual regional competition shall compete in the national annual competition, according to the bill.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), shall formulate the rules and regulations of the Act.

The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.

The Association of Local Colleges and Universities (ALCU) strongly supports the bill.

“The development of manpower resources will really need a strong research culture and research arm that will help push the productivity level of our manpower resources in the country,” said ALCU Executive Director Dr. Dalisay Brawner.

NEWS Release

16 January 2018

House resumes impeach hearings on Wednesday

The House committee on justice will resume its hearing on the determination of probable cause to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Wednesday.

Invited to the hearing as resource speakers were SC Associate Justices Mariano del Castillo and Andres Reyes, retired justice Adolf Azcuna, and Court of Appeals Justice Remedios Salazar-Fernando.

The committee, chaired by Rep. Reynaldo Umali, also invited the psychiatrist who gave failing marks on the psychiatric or psychological makeup of the Chief Justice and was fired or whose contract was not renewed when Sereno assumed office.

During the eighth day of the impeachment proceedings on Monday, the committee sought the personal knowledge of SC justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, and Samuel Martires on the delay of granting of survivorship benefits to the spouses of deceased magistrates.

Despite completed requirements and a precedent of 271 granted cases, 29 applications for survivorship benefits remained pending for over two years after Sereno approved the creation of a technical working group (TWG) dedicated to the processing of the applications.

The establishment of the TWG was criticized by both committee members and resource speakers.

Bersamin and Court Administrator Midas Marquez explained at different points during the hearing that, prior the TWG, the en banc was usually expedient in deciding cases.

“Pero noong may TWG-ito naman ay ‘di siguro paglabag sa aming restriction-sasabihin ng chairman ng en banc, and that is the Chief Justice most of the time, sasabihin niya let’s call this again, let’s wait for the TWG to make a report. Ano pong gagawin namin doon? Di kami maka-aksyon,” said Bersamin.

Rep. Vicente Veloso said the TWG failed to fulfil its purpose in a timely manner. Further, Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia posited that the conflicting memoranda released by the TWG likely contributed to the delay. In addition, Atty. Jocelyn Fabian had limited judiciary experience before becoming the head of the TWG.

Rep. Ramon Rocamora said that the culpable violation of the Constitution would have to be deliberate and intentional. He reasoned that there was yet to be personal knowledge from the witnesses or documents to prove Sereno approved the TWG creation to deliberately and intentionally delay the granting of benefits.

The committee then voted to invite back Fabian to the panel to shed more light on the matter.

Previous deliberations have been attended by incumbent Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Noel Tijam and Francis Jardeleza, as well as retired Justice Arturo Brion.###

Photo Release

16 January 2018

HEARING BREAK: House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chairman Rep. Roger Mercado (Lone District, Southern Leyte) and his colleagues share a light moment during a break on their hearing Tuesday on the proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution, which include to a federal system of government. Under the proposal, the country will be divided into five Federal States, namely: Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Bangsamoro. The proposed amendments also include the creation of a Bicameral Parliament to be composed of a 300-member Federal Assembly and a 15-member Senate, with each state electing three senators. With Mercado are Committee on Justice chairman Rep. Reynaldo Umali (2nd District, MIndoro Oriental), Committee on Ways and Means chairman Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua (Lone District, Quirino), Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (Party-list, SAGIP), Committee on Housing and Urban Development chairman Rep. Alfredo Benitez (3rd District, Negros Occidental), Reps. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (3rd District, Negros Oriental) and Joseph Stephen Paduano (Party-list, Abang Lingkod). PC/ABR

THE HONORABLE RON P. SALO

KABAYAN Party-list

Assistant Majority Leader

KABAYAN PARTY-LIST FILES BILL RELOCATING SEAT OF GOVERNMENT TO DAVAO CITY

Now that the real KABAYAN Party-list has gained full control of the two seats in the House by virtue of 815,151 votes of the Filipino people, Rep. Ron Salo and newly-minted Rep. Ciriaco Calalang are focused on working double time and in tandem to advance the party-list’s agenda.

We have filed a new bill entitled Philippine Capital Relocation Act of 2018 embodied in House Bill No. 6968.

This bill seeks to:

1. address the issue of Manila Imperialism;

2. spur development in the countryside, particularly in Mindanao;

3. strengthen nationalism and sense of belongingness for the people in the countryside, particularly the people of Mindanao; and

4. decongest Metro Manila in order to ease traffic and lessen business losses.

Sought to be built in Davao City is a National Government Center which shall be the new location of the following offices:

1) Presidential Palace;

2) Vice-Presidential Palace;

3) Senate;

4) House of Representatives;

5) Supreme Court;

6) Constitutional Offices; and

7) National offices of government agencies.

Relocating and separating the seat of government from other centers is followed by the two economic superpowers: The United States of America (USA) and China. In the USA, Washington D.C. is the country’s political capital, while New York is its financial capital. In China, Beijing is the country’s political capital, while Shanghai is its financial capital.

Transferring the seat of government and separating it from the financial centers will address the destructive effects of traffic. This will prevent heavy losses in businesses and will significantly lessen travel time which can be spent for other productive activities. Transferring the seat of government also means that it will prevent the further rise in population due to unmitigated migration, congestion and urban blight which hamper further development. It will also help arrest the continued rise of prices both in housing and other properties for sale and for rent.

Key provisions of HB 6968 are these:

SEC. 8. Transitory Provisions. – This construction and development of the National Government Center must be completed within three (3) years upon the promulgation of this Act.

Upon completion of the National Government Center:

a) The offices mentioned in Section 3 of this Act must transfer to their designated offices in the National Government Center;

b) Metro Manila shall remain to be the country’s economic or finance center;

c) The offices previously occupied by the government agencies in Metro Manila shall be converted to their NCR Regional Offices;

d) Malacañang Palace shall remain to be the official residence of the President of the Philippines in Manila;

e) Baguio City shall remain to be the Summer Capital of the Philippines;

f) Buildings, infrastructures and offices which shall be vacated as a result of the relocation and have historical significance shall be transferred, managed and maintained by the National Historical Commission;

g) All government agencies and offices shall assist and support the immediate and orderly implementation of this Act; and

h) Permanent employees of the government who shall be affected by the relocation shall be given the option to resign or early retire and shall be given the mandated entitlements pursuant to existing laws.

SEC. 9. Appropriations. – The amount of One billion pesos (P1,000,000,000.00) shall be initially appropriated in order to implement the provisions of this Act which shall be taken from the Presidential Savings of the current fiscal year. For the succeeding fiscal years, the amount necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

HON. BERNADETTE “BH” HERRERA-DY

Bagong Henerasyon Party-list

Chair, Committee on Public Information

Learning from the “Licuanan debacle”

BILL SEEKING TO LIMIT THE TERM OF CHED CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS TO A FIXED SINGLE TERM OF 5 YEARS FILED IN CONGRESS

[Backgrounder: Assistant Majority Leader Bernadette Herrera-Dy filed House Bill 6972 entitled “CHED Term Limit Act of 2018” in light of recent controversy involving the incumbency of outgoing CHED Chair Patricia Licuanan, Ph.D. who was appointed by the previous administration and was supposed to serve until July 2018.

Note that when Licuanan leaves CHED, the agency will have two vacancies: CHED Chairman and one Commissioner. CHED has only three Commissioners now - Dr. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera, Dr. Ronald L. Adamat, and Dr. Lilian A. De Las Llagas. Republic Act 7722 provides for four Commissioners.]

To further insulate the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) from partisan political pressures that come with the reappointment process yet give the CHED Chairman and Commissioners ample time to effect substantial impact on higher education development in the country, this bill seeks to limit the term of office of these officials to a single term of five years without reappointment.

Their term of office in Republic Act 7722 (Higher Education Act of 1994) is four years. This bill lengthens that to five years, which the author believes is sufficient time for the appointees to accomplish their objectives for the country while working at CHED.

This bill draws lessons from current and previous experiences of the CHED involving the reappointment of the CHED Chairman and Commissioners. Reappointment can become a motivation to grant political favors or give in to political demands from various sectors. This bill removes that motivation, so that the CHED officials can focus on work, on their mission at CHED. (END)

HON. MICHAEL “MIKEE” L. ROMERO, Ph. D.

1-PACMAN Party-list

Assistant Majority Leader

Vice Chair, Youth & Sports Development and 2 other Committees

Hoping the next chair will be vertigo and other illnesses-free…

SOLON WANTS YOUTHFUL, HEALTHY OFFICIALS LEADING CHED

[Rep. Michael “Mikee” L. Romero files today House Bill 6975 entitled “The CHED Chairman and Commissioners Age and Health Qualifications Upon Appointment Act”.]

House Bill 6975 seeks to set age and health qualifications for the posts of Chairman and Commissioners of the Commission on Higher Education.

Sixty (60) years old is the age ceiling while a fit for work certification from a licensed medical doctor are the additional qualifications added to Section 4 of Republic Act 7722, also known as the Higher Education Act of 1994.

Leading the highest policy-making government agency for higher education can be taxing on personal health and also requires wisdom that comes with age. The fit for work certification and age ceiling of 60 years are reasonable qualifications necessary for the physical and intellectual demands of the highest posts at the CHED.

A good balance this bill seeks in the interest of public service. (END)

NEWS Release

16 January 2018

Federal proposal divides PH to 5 states

The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments on Tuesday discussed a proposed bill adopting a federal system of government composed of five states, namely: Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Bangsamoro.

Under the said measure amending the 1987 Constitution, each state shall have exclusive power over state and local elections, public transportation and public utilities; and state socio-economic planning, finance, agriculture and fisheries, industrial development, mining, police and law and order, public works, and marriage, among others.

The bill also changes the legislative system to a bicameral parliament to be composed of a 300-member federal assembly and a 15-member senate, with each state electing three senators.

Eighty percent of the members of the federal assembly shall be elected by plurality votes with each legislative district having one seat in the parliament.

The remaining 20 percent of the members of the assembly shall come from federal sectoral parties or organizations which shall be elected at large.

Committee chair Rep. Roger Mercado explained that the proposed charter amendments are the outputs from its sub-committees and are subject to further deliberation and approval by the House of Representatives and the Senate in a Constituent Assembly.

“The finalization and approval of these (proposed amendments) will be in our Constitutional Assembly, when we (House of Representatives and Senate) will be jointly convened; and the final approval in a plebiscite, hopefully, to be held in May this year,” Mercado said.

Mercado pointed out that the proposed Charter amendments are a product of consultations, public hearings, and review of the 1935, 1973 and 1987 Constitutions.

Mercado urged his colleagues to work together in ensuring that the new Charter to be submitted and adopted must be better than the present 1987 Constitution.

Rep. Corazon Malanyaon chairperson of the sub-committee which reviewed Articles VI, VII and X of the 1987 Constitution, presented their output which includes the proposal to divide the country into five federal states.

Rep. Rodante Marcoleta suggested that the committee categorizes the proposed amendments into contentious, less contentious, and not contentious in order to expedite deliberations and finalization of the draft proposal.

House members also exchanged views on other issues, among which are the term limits for elected officials, adoption of a unicameral legislature, return to a two-party system, and reforms in the electoral system.

NEWS Release

16 January 2018

4Ps to give 5-year cash aid to poorest

The House Committee on Poverty Alleviation approved Tuesday a bill institutionalizing the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and giving the poorest families cash grants up to a maximum of five years.

The proposed "Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Act" aims to reduce poverty and promote human capital development in the country by breaking the inter-generational cycle of poverty, promoting gender equality, and ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education.

The bill provides each qualified household beneficiary a conditional cash transfer equivalent to P500 per month for health and nutrition expenses totaling P6,000 per year.

Under the bill, a maximum of three children per qualified household beneficiary shall be given conditional cash grants for education expenses of P300 per month per children enrolled in day-care, kindergarten, elementary for a 10-month school year, and P500 per month per child enrolled in secondary school for a 10-month school year.

The 4Ps bill mandates the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to choose qualified household beneficiaries using a standardized targeting system and revalidate the targeting of beneficiaries every three years.

A Local Verification Committee (LVC) shall be created in every municipality or city to ensure that the initial list of beneficiaries satisfies the eligibility requirements set forth under the Act. The LVC will be composed of two local government unit representatives, a midwife from the barangay, a representative of a DSWD- accredited civil society organization, and a school head as designated by the Department of Education.

The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act shall be charged against those authorized in the current and subsequent General Appropriations Act.

The appropriation shall continue until the program has covered 60 percent of the total number of extremely poor households in the country, as may be determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority at the time of the enactment of the Act.

The bill penalizes any person conspiring with public officials to receive the cash grant. The penalty is imprisonment of one month to six months, or a fine of P10,000 to P20,000, or both imprisonment and fine, at the discretion of the court.

The 4Ps is a major anti-poverty program of the government that started during the term of former President Macapagal-Arroyo.

Macapagal-Arroyo and six other representatives authored the bill. #

NEWS Release

17 January 2018

House adopts resolution to constitute Congress as a Con-ass

Voting viva voce, the House of Representatives adopted Tuesday night House Concurrent Resolution No. 09 entitled: “Concurrent Resolution To Constitute The Congress Of The Philippines As a Constituent Assembly For The Purpose Of Proposing Amendments To, Or Revision Of, The 1987 Constitution”.

As described in the resolution, the Constitution is the fundamental and paramount law which provides the framework of governance, as well as the instrument of the people to secure their rights and promote the common welfare.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez (1st District, Davao del Norte), one of the authors of the resolution, said recent events show there is a need to introduce reforms in the present Constitution for it to be responsive to the exigencies of the times.

“This includes the need to provide a long-term solution to the decades-old conflict in Mindanao and to spur economic regional development in the countryside, and provide impetus to much-needed socio-economic and political reforms,” Alvarez said.

He said the overwhelming victory of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who stood on a platform for a shift from a unitary to a federal system of government, among others, did not only sustain but likewise affirmed the clamor and sentiment from a broad cross-section of society seeking a review of certain provisions in the 29-year old Philippine Constitution to make it more attuned and responsive to the demands of present conditions and economic realities. ###

RANKING HOUSE MEMBERS PRESENT SOLUTIONS TO CHED WOES

Three ranking House members have proposed solutions meant to address current and emerging problems at the Commission on Higher Education.

Licuanan had resigned and when she leaves CHED, the agency will have two vacancies: CHED Chairman and one Commissioner. CHED has only three Commissioners now - Dr. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera, Dr. Ronald L. Adamat, and Dr. Lilian A. De Las Llagas. Republic Act 7722 provides for four Commissioners.

Assistant Majority Leader Bernadette Herrera-Dy filed House Bill 6972 entitled “CHED Term Limit Act of 2018” in light of recent controversy involving the incumbency of outgoing CHED Chair Patricia Licuanan, who was appointed by the previous administration and was supposed to serve until July 2018.

Assistant Majority Leader and 1-PACMAN Party-list Rep. Michael “Mikee” L. Romero filed House Bill 6975 with the short title of “The CHED Chairman and Commissioners Age and Health Qualifications Upon Appointment Act”. HB 6975 requires an age ceiling of sixty (60) years old and a fit for work certification from a licensed medical doctor for the posts of Chairman and Commissioners of the CHED.

Assistant Majority Leader and 1-Ang Edukasyon Party-list Rep. Salvador Belaro Jr said the 24-years old CHED law (RA7722) is ripe for updating and upgrading. He has proposed systemic solutions such as strong regional university systems, enabling CHED for a federalized environment, an enhanced open university and alternative learning superstructure, and enactment of the Philippine Qualifications Framework.

“I hope the PQF becomes as law by March, April or May this year during the graduation season,” Belaro said.

He also said the country needs Education Bonds “to fund the education equivalent of Build Build Build. Many of our SUCs are in dire need of new facilities and better services. Many private schools are also in crises because of the exodus of teachers to public schools and because of lack of funds to upgrade their facilities.”

Herrera-Dy said she wants “to further insulate the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) from partisan political pressures that come with the reappointment process yet give the CHED Chairman and Commissioners ample time to effect substantial impact on higher education development in the country.”

HB 6972 “draws lessons from current and previous experiences of the CHED involving the reappointment of the CHED Chairman and Commissioners. Reappointment can become a motivation to grant political favors or give in to political demands from various sectors. This bill removes that motivation, so that the CHED officials can focus on work, on their mission at CHED.”

For Rep. Romero, “leading the highest policy-making government agency for higher education can be taxing on personal health and also requires wisdom that comes with age.”

“The fit for work certification and age ceiling of 60 years are reasonable qualifications necessary for the physical and intellectual demands of the highest posts at the CHED. A good balance this bill seeks in the interest of public service,” Romero added. (END)

House Committee tackles bill incentivizing RA 9003 compliant barangays

The House of Representatives Committee on Ecology discussed today House Bill 5915 which seeks to grant incentives and awards to all barangays with established Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and active Barangay Waste Management Boards.

H.B. 5915 or the “Best Solid Waste Management Practices of Barangays Act of 2017” was filed by Rep. Michaelina Antonio of AGBIAG Party-list.

Antonio said in her sponsorship speech that R.A. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 has been enacted 18 years ago, but it has yet to be faithfully implemented.

Section 32 of RA 9003 mandates the establishment of a Materials Recovery Facility in every barangay or cluster of barangays. However, as of 2014, there are still only 8,656 MRFs in the Philippines and only 10,327 barangays served by these MRFs. This is in large contrast to the existing 42, 036 barangays in the Philippines.

Antonio cited the case of Barangay Maimpis of San Fernando, Pampanga which won best barangay awards because of its compliance with RA 9003. The community was motivated to establish MRFs in order to achieve incentives. The party-list representative is positive that granting incentives and awards to barangays with MRFs will encourage barangays to comply with the law and reap the benefits of having MRFs present in their barangay.

DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management, Local Government and Indigenous People's Concerns Atty. Noel Felongco expressed support for the bill, but House Committee on Ecology Chair Rep. Estrellita Suansing and other members were quick to point out that the National Solid Waste Management Commission which is under the DENR also has its shortcomings in capacity-building for barangays and collecting fines for noncompliance with RA 9003.

Usec. Felongco explained that they lack funding from the Department of Budget and Management, as the P20M budget they are entitled to was not released to them. Upon the pressing of Reps. Rufino Biazon and Lord Allan Jay Velasco, it was revealed that the Commission has not been funded since the law was enacted in 2000.

Suansing and the rest of the Committee encouraged Felongco to be more aggressive in asking for funding from the DBM.

Press Release
Office of Rep. Arthur C. Yap
3rd District of Bohol
Tel No. 9315426
January 17, 2018

Solons bat for easy credit for MSMEs

The Congress has been urged to write a landmark law that will energize micro, small and medium-scale enterprises by easing the tight credit squeeze in the MSME and agricultural sectors that will finally free small entrepreneurs from the clutches of so-called “5-6” or usurious lenders.

Proponents of this proposed law cited the urgency of its approval by both the House of Representatives and Senate in support of the priority programs of the Duterte administration on turning the MSME and farm sectors into major engines of rapid growth and achieving financial inclusion over the medium term.

House Bill No 6907 or the “Financial Inclusion Act” seeks to revolutionize the access of MSMEs, rural-based enterprises, farmers and fisherfolk to formal credit and financing by allowing them for the first time ever to use their “movable assets” as collateral for loans that they can avail of from banks and other financial institutions.

Bohol Rep. Arthur C. Yap, who authored HB 6907 with Rep. Anthony M. Bravo of the COOP NATTCO Party List, pointed out that despite the surfeit of credit facilities offered by the banking community, small businesspersons and the rural folk have had difficulty accessing them because of “the stringent and voluminous requirements for loan applications (e.g. collateral, financial statements, business plans) and their lack of hard collateral in the form of real estate or land that financial institutions traditionally require from loan applicants.”

“As a result, these businesspersons and entrepreneurs have had no recourse but to avail of irregular financial arrangements, the most popular of which is the ‘5-6’ scheme of usurers who offer easy loans with a steep interest rate of 20%,” Yap said.

A lawyer and former agriculture secretary, Yap said the bill seeks to strengthen the secured transactions legal framework in the Philippines by putting in place a notice registry and enforcement of security interests in personal property that will allow would-be borrowers to offer to banks as collateral—in lieu of real estate or land—their available “movable assets” like farming tools, crops, warehouse receipts, intellectual property, inventories and accounts receivables.

“Finance and credit are the lifeblood of any economic activity, especially for agriculture and MSMEs,” Yap said. “Thus, there is a need to include more farmers and MSMEs in the mainstream financial system by leveraging their personal properties (farming tools, crops, warehouse receipts, intellectual property, inventories, accounts receivables, etc.) to increase farm productivity and achieve sustainable MSME growth.”

Yap said that giving a much needed boost to MSMEs through the provision of easy credit would go a long way in helping the Duterte administration achieve its overriding goal of high—and inclusive—growth, given that this sector is one of the country’s largest sources of employment that created 4.8 million jobs in 2013 alone, or almost double the 2.7 millions jobs generated by large enterprises that year.

The former agriculture secretary lamented that despite the mandated allocation of credit through the Agri-Agra Law and the Magna Carta for MSMEs, “most banks still prefer to pay a penalty rather than increase their lending to farmers and MSMEs. As a result, most Filipinos are constrained to resort to borrowing from friends, family members, and the 5-6 scheme.”

“The Financial Inclusion Act will change this by granting easier access to lending and borrowing to all Filipinos,” Yap said.

Yap explained that at present, “the closest we can get to a ‘secured transaction’ is provided for by an old law called the Chattel Mortgage Law (Act 1508) that covers the legal and regulatory framework for secured transactions in the Philippines.”

“While it explicitly provides for the use of a broad range of movable assets as collateral, modern financial institutions do not lend based on movable assets. In addition, his law was enacted way back in 1906 and clearly needs to be revisited as it has not kept up with the requirements of an effective and efficient modern transactions law, more so with the increasing trade and finance for MSMEs,” he said.

This is the reason, he said, why the financing problem of MSMEs persists in the country “in spite of the numerous programs that have been implemented to address the issue or the passage of laws to facilitate credit access such as the Magna Carta for MSMEs (RA 6977 as amended by RA 8289 and RA 9501).”

He sad the World Bank’s Global Financial Index show that Filipino entrepreneurs rank highest when it comes to borrowing from friends and family.

“Conversely, they have movable assets –trade receipts, inventories, account receivables, warehouse receipts, equipment or the commonly-used chattel mortgages. The bill would allow these to be used as collateral,” he said.

Said Yap: “We must realize that Philippine corporations and business entities are predominantly MSMEs, which actually create the most number of jobs and have the biggest percentage share of the Philippine GDP.”

“Unfortunately, securing working funds for them remains a great challenge as outlined in a study by the World Bank’s IFC (International Finance Corp.) because our personal property collaterals laws are out-dated,” said Yap.

He noted that HB 6907 aims to encourage the use of movable assets as collateral for MSMEs precisely because of its significant contribution to the growth and development of the PH economy.

In 2014, the Philippine Statistical Authority tallied 946,988 establishments in the country, of which, 942,925 or 99.6% were classified as MSMEs –contributing about 35.7% of the total value added in the economy.

In terms of employment, MSMEs account for an average of 63% of the total employment of all establishments. In 2013, a total of 4.8 million jobs were generated by MSMEs, 75% higher than the 2.7 million jobs generated by large enterprises, he said.

In terms of exports contribution, Yap said MSMEs account for 25% of the country’s total exports revenues. It is also estimated that 60% of all exporters in the country belong to the MSME category and are able to contribute in exports through subcontracting arrangement with large firms, or as suppliers to exporting companies.

Yap said “MSME’s contribution to our GDP at 35.7% is relatively comparable to ASEAN-5 economies. MSMEs in Indonesia have the highest contribution to GDP at 57.8% followed by Vietnam at 40% and Thailand at 38.7%.”

Through Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, the Department of Finance has thanked Yap and Bravo / Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone for sponsoring this bill.

Once passed into law, Beltran said HB 6907 will “expand lending to MSMEs using movable collaterals. The movable collateral registry will enhance investor confidence, boost production and generate employment.”

Yap recalled that the critical role of MSMES in reducing poverty and achieving inclusive development was highlighted during the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Council (APEC) Meeting in Cebu.

“As a source of growth and innovation, the APEC Leaders’ declaration underscored the importance of empowering the MSMEs for them to contribute to and benefit from future growth,” he said.

Specifically, increased participation of MSMEs in the global trade can have significant impact in reducing poverty through employment creation, productivity improvements and economies of scale, he added.

Press Release
Office of Rep. Arthur C. Yap
3rd District of Bohol
Tel No. 9315426
January 17, 2018

Solons bat for easy credit for MSMEs

“The Financial Inclusion Act will change this by granting easier access to lending and borrowing to all Filipinos,” Yap said.

He sad the World Bank’s Global Financial Index show that Filipino entrepreneurs rank highest when it comes to borrowing from friends and family.

He noted that HB 6907 aims to encourage the use of movable assets as collateral for MSMEs precisely because of its significant contribution to the growth and development of the PH economy.

Through Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, the Department of Finance has thanked Yap and Bravo / Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone for sponsoring this bill.

Yap recalled that the critical role of MSMES in reducing poverty and achieving inclusive development was highlighted during the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Council (APEC) Meeting in Cebu.

“As a source of growth and innovation, the APEC Leaders’ declaration underscored the importance of empowering the MSMEs for them to contribute to and benefit from future growth,” he said.

WEATHER INDEX BASED INSURANCE

No need to wait wipe-out of farms

As constant casualties of climate change, farmers need not wait for total wipe-out of their resources after every calamity before getting rescue from the government.

Congressman Arthur C. Yap is elated that House Committee on Rules approved his bill which strengthens the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) expanding its coverage and allowing it to engage in index-based insurance and reinsurance.

House Bill 6923 seeks for the over-haul of the crop insurance system of the Philippines by allowing it to provide index based direct insurance and re-insurance policies.

“The ability to pay out cash early, at different stages of an unfolding calamity, without having to wait for a total wipe-out, is what will give our farmers and our vulnerable poor, the chance to save what they can and prevent more losses and damages,” Yap said.

He noted that time, up to today, “millions of farmers are just exposed to the ravages of climate change.

“With no real and expansive agricultural, property or life insurance protection, farmers just watch helplessly, as the weather comes to take away the sweat and tears of investments that farmers have planted,” he added.

He cited the practice in Africa where “pay-outs are what prevents farmers from selling their livestock and moving to cities”.

“By purchasing risk-insurance, nations can now shift disaster risk and associated economic, social and medical costs away from LGU's and Governments to the global capital market. In a case like this, the government can instead focus on disaster preparedness and a system for saving lives and distributing aid and pay-outs in times of calamities and disasters,” according to Yap.

Yap now asks the Senate to immediately file a counterpart bill to House Bill 6923 to allow the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) to engage in index-based re-insurance and insurance and to be re-capitalized and supported for it.

“This move will clearly signal to the private sector and capital markets that the Philippines is serious about this program to help our farmers, and secure food production in our country. We must also do a good job to promote a buy-in into this project with the Government, primarily the DA, the DAR, DENR and DOST-PAGASA, legislators, LGU heads, farm stakeholders, cooperatives, and mainstream finance entities. The financial support for PAGASA's various weather stations and capacity for satellite coverage will be indispensable to turning this program into a national reality,” Yap added.

Yap explained that said measure is aimed at mandating the PCIC and encourage private insurance companies to offer index based insurance as one of their products.

Index-based insurance is an innovative and technically-sound approach to manage risks especially for our poor and highly-vulnerable farmers in the Philippine rural countryside, Yap emphasized.

“Unlike traditional crop insurance in which indemnity payments are linked to individual farmer yields and losses, index insurance links payments to independently established data such as local rainfall, wind speed, temperature, typhoons, cyclones, and historical yield data as trigger events to release payments and compensation to affected farmers and fisherfolks,” according to Yap.

Yap cited that in 2000, the Philippines signed its commitment to join the United Nations efforts at achieving the UN millennium development goals.

Among its 17 avowed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to meet head-on and reduce significantly, hunger, poverty and ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being of its citizens.

Yap also noted that in the Philippines, poverty, hunger, joblessness and under-employment are significantly rural phenomena intimately linked to each other.

“In a sector gravely reeling from the impact of under-investment in rural infrastructure, it is heartening to note that the government is set on spending significantly more on domestic infrastructure in the urban and rural settings,” Yap said.

From railways and bridges, to ports and irrigation facilities, the Duterte administration has declared the intention on sustaining the Philippines the momentum of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth through government expenditures and finding the fiscal sources to bankroll these investments,” according to Yap.

“But considering that the Philippines is such a climate vulnerable nation, suffering dozens of tropical cyclones every year in a climate changed world, will these expenditure efforts be enough to meet the NEDA target of bringing down poverty from 21.6% today to 14% by 2022 and increase the Gross National Income from 3,500 USD to 4,100 USD in the same time? In November 2013, we captured global attention as the "most storm exposed country on earth" as declared by Time Newsmagazine. In terms of damages and costs, these destructive tropical typhoons and cyclones have resulted in at least 200 billion in agriculture crop damages, more than one hundred billion in infrastructure damages, about 100,000 totally destroyed homes, more than 700,000 partially destroyed homes, tens of thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of economic and social dislocations from 2010 to 2015,” Yap cited.

For the few farmers who actually understand and take out insurance coverage for their crops, the mode and indemnity based system of agricultural crop insurance is dismally outdated.

He said that the indemnity based insurance system that may work for other accidents is woefully wanting when applied to the agricultural setting and that the amount of pay-outs which is less than 15 percent of total damages in the sector speaks volumes of the inadequacy of agri-based insurance system in the Philippines today.

“The frustration is greater for all of us who are involved in this project when we know that in India, Mexico, Africa, and the Caribbean, farmers and even sovereign states, have risk transfer mechanisms and pay-out systems for their people that are working,” he cited.

He said that in India, millions of farmers are insured not only for crops wipe-outs but also for crop damages throughout the planting season.

This happens when changes in the weather, and water tables are beached and triggers payments to farmers so they have enough time to act right away to save their farm investments.

Farmers need not wait for the wipe out of their crops to get paid.

In Mexico, LGUs are taking out index based insurance for their constituents and in Africa, the African Risk Capacity, which has for its members African countries, have banded together using sovereign funds to insure 160 million African farmers, against weather borne and related diseases, and damages due to drought, flooding and cyclones, Yap added.

“Last March 2017, the African Risk Capacity and the African Development Bank partnered exactly for this purpose: to help strengthen African countries in planning and implementing timely and targeted responses to natural disasters thereby reducing the risk of loss and damage caused by extreme weather disturbances. What was once a program for just five countries will now be ramped out to include the whole of Africa. This is indeed stunning and welcome news,” according to Yap.

He further emphasized that with the Philippines’ chairmanship of ASEAN this year in time for the celebration of ASEAN's 50 years, he hopes that the member countries can include as a project for regional cooperation sovereign risk insurance programs since ASIA produces the world's rice which is consumed substantially by the world's poor.

“We must be especially sensitive that any impact that would disrupt production and affect the livelihood of Asian farmers can add to tensions and instability resulting from food and income instabilities,” he added.

MGA KONGRESISTA NAGLATAG NG SOLUSYON SA MGA PROBLEMA NG CHED

Matapos mag-resign si Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair Patricia Licuanan, tatlong kasapi ng Kamara ang naglatag ng mga panukala para solusyunan ang mga problema ng higher education system sa bansa.

Sa House Bill 6972, nais ni Assistant Majority Leader Bernadette Herrera-Dy ng Bagong Henerasyon Party-list na malimitahan lang sa iisang terminong limang (5) taon ang haba ang mga hihirangin na CHED Chairman at Commissioners.

Mungkahi naman ni 1-PACMAN Party-list Rep. Michael “Mikee” L. Romero na hindi dapat lumampas sa 60 taon ang edad ng sinumang uupo sa liderato ng CHED at dapat ay mayroong sertipikasyon mula sa lisensiyadong doktor na “fit to work” ang ma-aappoint kung maging batas ang inihain niyang HB 6975.

Sang-ayon si 1-Ang Edukasyon Party-List Rep. Salvador Belaro Jr na panahon na para baguhin ang Republic Act 7722, ang batas na lumikha sa CHED dahil 24 taon na ang lumipas mula nang ito ay maging batas. “Hinog na ang RA 7722 para sa “updating and upgrading” upang makagawa ang CHED ng “systemic solutions such as strong regional university systems, enabling CHED for a federalized environment, an enhanced open university and alternative learning superstructure, and enactment of the Philippine Qualifications Framework.”

“I hope the PQF becomes as law by March, April or May this year during the graduation season,” giit ni Belaro

Dagdag pa ni Belaro na kailangan ng bansa ng education bonds “to fund the education equivalent of Build Build Build” dahil maraming SUC ay kailangan ng bagong pasilidad at serbisyo. “Many private schools are also in crises because of the exodus of teachers to public schools and because of lack of funds to upgrade their facilities.”

Ayon naman kay Rep. Herrera-Dy, kailangan ang HB 6972. “I want to further insulate the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) from partisan political pressures that come with the reappointment process yet give the CHED Chairman and Commissioners ample time to effect substantial impact on higher education development in the country.”

Tutol siya sa reappointment ng CHED officials. “Reappointment can become a motivation to grant political favors or give in to political demands from various sectors. This bill removes that motivation, so that the CHED officials can focus on work, on their mission at CHED.”

Para naman kay Rep. Romero, “leading the highest policy-making government agency for higher education can be taxing on personal health and also requires wisdom that comes with age.”

Photo Release

17 January 2018

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD: The Build, Build, Build Program and foreign participation in ownership and operation of construction in the country took center stage at the recent deliberations of the House Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Rep. Arthur Yap (3rd District, Bohol). Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte (2nd District, Camarines Sur) sought the expertise of resource speakers Roberto Bernardo, undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Ruth Castelo, undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, and Ibarra Paulino and Jorge Consunji of the Philippine Constructors Association, Inc. on the implications of excluding assets in the computation of net financial contracting capacity. For his part, Rep. Bayani Fernando (1st District, Marikina City) was bullish on the ability of local entities to carry out large-scale projects. He explained that instead of opening the door to foreign bidders, constructors in the country should be encouraged to seek out foreign partners that have the necessary technology. Representatives at the meeting include Reps. Cesar Sarmiento, Orestes Salon, Rodante Marcoleta, Ferdinand Hernandez, Juliet Marie Ferrer, and Henry Ong. / CMBE

News Release

17 January 2018

SC officials admit violation in purchase of Sereno’s Land Cruiser

Supreme Court officials today admitted there was violation of the Government Procurement Reform Act in the purchase of Toyota Land Cruiser for use of Supreme Court Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno.

Testifying at the House Committee on Justice hearing on the impeachment case against Sereno, SC Procurement head Atty. Ma. Carina Cunanan admitted that prior to their purchase of the vehicle there was already a directive from Sereno’s vehicle to get a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Among others, Sereno was accused by complainant Atty. Lorenzo Gadon of committing corruption when she used public funds to finance her extravagant and lavish lifestyle by ordering the purchase of a brand-new luxurious Toyota Land Cruiser 2017 top-of-the-line model as her personal vehicle, amounting to more than P5 million.

Cunanan told the panel that before the purchase of the vehicle there was a prior directive through one of the members of the Procurement Planning Committee, whom she identified as Atty. Michael Ocampo, to consider the type of vehicle to be given to Sereno.

“We had to ask the office of the end-user what vehicle she would prefer in the event that we would procure a vehicle. So it was them who said Land Cruiser po,” Cunanan said.

Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas pointed out that under the existing procurement laws, naming a brand is prohibited. He said that only specifications should be stated in putting out notice for the purchase, say of vehicles, to be fair to other brands.

Atty. Thelma Bahia, head of the SC Bids and Awards Committee, said that in posting the procurement of the vehicle they did not specify the brand and just stated the specifications although there was already an endorsement to get a Land Cruiser.

“That's how you skirt the law,” Fariñas noted.

“Opo,” Bahia replied. She also admitted that during the bidding no other car manufacturer showed up but Toyota.

Atty. Gadon said there is documentary evidence to show violation of the procurement law.

“The initiatory document, the first endorsement clearly states Toyota Land Cruiser, even the color pearl white, even the engine displacement and the amount. It's attached in the records your honor,” Gadon said.

Rep. Eugene De Vera said that the P6 million budget the SC prepared for the purchase of vehicles was specifically meant for the purchase of a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Apart from the Land Cruiser, Sereno is using another vehicle, a Starex Gold, according to Cunanan.

In her reply to the allegations against her, Sereno said that there is a budget circular explicitly allowing the Chief Justice, as well as the President, Vice President, Senate President, and Speaker of the House to purchase a luxury vehicle for security reasons.

However, Rep. Vicente Veloso said that no other SC justices had requested a similar kind of vehicle for security reasons. ###

HIGHLIGHTS

Hearing of House Committee on Justice on the Impeachment Case against CJ Sereno

17 January 2018

1. Atty. Lorenzo Gadon reiterated his accusation that the head of the TWG who was tagged as the cause of the delay in the release of survivorship benefits, Atty. Jocelyn Fabian (who is also Sereno’s lawyer), is unqualified, as her only previous work was as an accountant in a small department store. Fabian said she worked as accountant in Gaisano Davao before she took the Bar exams.

2. Fabian categorically denied Gadon’s allegation. She admitted knowing CJ Sereno but said she does not know her personally. She also admitted they were both born-again Christians but they attend different churches.

3. Fabian claimed she just wrote a letter of application to the SC, addressed to Sereno, in applying for a job but she does not know where here letter landed.

4. Atty. Gadon noted that it is illogical for CJ Sereno to hire someone to a confidential position whom she does not know personally.

5. Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas noted that Fabian was hired in the SC as Attorney VI despite having been a laywer only for two years. Chairman Umali noted that in contrast, the JBC rejected his lawyer as Attorney V, on the ground that the latter only had one-year experience.

6. Atty. M. Carina Cunanan noted that Fabian’s experience is not material in hiring her because here position is primarily confidential, or co-terminus with the appointing power.

7. Rep. Rodante Marcoleta said the two-year delay in the processing of survivorship benefits can be traced to CJ Sereno’s decision to tap an inexperienced lawyer like Fabian to head the TWG that processed the claim. Marcoleta noted that eventually the SC en banc noted that the TWG decision is erroneous. Marcoleta also noted that prior to the creation of the TWGs, 271 similar cases had been processed in an average of 2-3 weeks.

8. Fabian said her latest job before the SC was as head of the operations group of realty firm Stateland, Inc. and that she was receiving a salary of P60,000 a month. She said she was happy with Stateland. She added that she has no problem with the company and neither did the company with her.

9. Atty. Ma. Carina Cunanan told the panel that a P6M amount was allocated for a vehicle for CJ Sereno because there was a prior verbal instruction from her office, through one of her lawyers, that she prefers a Land Cruiser.

10. Atty. Thelma Bahia, Chief of Fiscal Management and Budget Office of SC, said that they do not actually specify Land Cruiser when they put out a notice of bidding for a vehicle. Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas pointed out that this how some government offices skirt the provisions of the procurement law.

11. Rep. De Vera noted: “Ibig sabihin bago nag-bidding ng Dec. 9 talagang ang gusto ninyo Land Cruiser, pati yung funds eksakto para sa Land Cruiser.”

12. Cunanan admitted that the choice of Land Cruiser for Sereno was already “pre-determined”. Likewise she said there is a request of additional P4 million for bullet-proofing of the vehicle. She also admitted that no other SC Justice had requested for a similar security vehicle. Aside from the Land Cruiser, she said Sereno uses a Starex Gold. ####

mga ibinalita ni terencius

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Script for 20180120 KSK Edition

Previous Posts