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SHAMCEY: Reveals ‘12 plans

PAG

E 6

Task force created to unify, strengthenperformance monitoring of gov’t agencies

President Benigno S. Aquino III has creat-ed an inter-agency task force that will simpli-fy, harmonize and further boost the monitor-ing and reporting systems of the performanceof national government agencies.

Administrative Order No. 25, signed by thePresident on December 21, seeks the devel-opment of a collaborative instrument that willwarrant “a unified and integrated” Results-Based Performance Management System(RBPMS) across all department and agen-cies in government.

“In line with the President’s commitmentto streamline processes and systems in thebureaucracy, as well as his administration’scommitment to transparency, accountability,participatory and effective governance, ouroffice initiated efforts to bring into line andintegrate government performance monitor-ing systems,” said Executive SecretaryPaquito N. Ochoa Jr. on Sunday.

“We conducted several meetings on thiswith NEDA, Presidential Management Staff(PMS), DBM, CSC and the DevelopmentAcademy of the Philippines (DAP), and itwas the consensus that there is a need for a

Cont’d on page 2

Aquino to groom successor who’ll sustain reforms in governmentPresident Benigno S. Aquino III said he wants a successor who will sustain the momentum

he has set in government when he steps down in 2016.During an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), the President said it is impor-

tant that the reforms he has initiated in the bureaucracy are sustained in the future so that thecountry doesn’t go back to its previous state.

He also said that maintaining these gains needs collective efforts of the people and thepublic shouldn’t solely rely on their leader to realize it.

“The point is if we are able to really transform the country, sulit. So siyempre yun ang target,

that we will be successful in training our successor and the successor is an inheritor ofsomething that is so good that people are so used to that system that there’s no possibility ofbacksliding,” the President said when asked about how he views retirement in 2016.

Expressing his views over anointing a successor, the President said he always encountersquestion from some community leaders asking him how these reforms are continued after hisstint as President.

“I responded in this manner: ‘Kako kung iaasa ninyo sa akin lahat, ‘di wala naman talagangCont’d on page 2

A municipality or a cluster of barangaysmay be converted into a component city if ithas an average annual income of at least P100million for the last two consecutive years.

Under House Bill 5429, authored by Rep.Cesar Sarmiento (Lone District, Catandu-anes), the capital town of provinces will alsobe exempted from paying the annual incomerequirement of P100 million if it has no exist-ing city.

The bill seeks to amend Section 450 of theRepublic Act 7160, otherwise known as theLocal Government code of 1991, as amend-ed by Republic Act 9009.

Given the role as the commercial, politicaland socio-cultural centers in their respectiveprovinces, Sarmiento said it becomes neces-sary to further capacitate these municipali-ties by elevating their status to componentcities.

Bill exempts capital town from annual income requirement of P100M“The change of status will give them more

autonomy and taxation powers and an in-creased share in the internal revenue allot-ment,” Sarmiento said, adding that cityhoodwill boost investor confidence and invigoratethe business and even tourism climate.

Furthermore, a contiguous territory shallbe at least 100 square kilometers, as certifiedby the Land Management Bureau (LMB) orhave a population of not less than 150,000inhabitants, as certified by the National Sta-tistics Office (NSO).

The bill provides that the Commission onElection (Comelec) shall conduct and super-vise plebiscites in qualified towns within 120days from receipt of the list from the Depart-ment of Interior and Local Government(DILG). The capital town concerned shallshoulder the expenses of the plebiscite.

Press Release

Salary hike of gov’tworkers to minimizecorruption - solon

Increasing the salary and benefits of gov-ernment workers is one of the priority mea-sures the State should adopt to address theunabated corruption in the bureaucracy, a law-maker said.

In a privilege speech, Rep. Sherwin Tugna(Party-list, CIBAC) said the governmentshould adopt a comprehensive and integrat-ed national plan that would reduce corruptionin the bureaucracy and address the securityof government workers.

“We can start by increasing the salaries ofgovernment workers. Government workersmust earn salaries decent enough to sustaintheir families, a wage that will provide a de-cent and humane standard of living and im-proved quality of life,” Tugna said.

“Given the inflation, the soaring prices ofbasic commodities and services, the value ofgovernment worker’s salary has significantlydecreased. Government employees whosebasic needs are not addressed are more like-ly to succumb to temptations since what theywould gain is far greater than what they wouldlose,” Tugna said.

Tugna said the government seems to haveoverlooked the basic needs and security ofgovernment employees.

“The need of the government employeesfor a decent standard of living and security

Cont’d on page 2

Accompanied by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa,President Noy reviews the honor guards during the Arrival Honors for the commemorationof the 115th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Rizal National Monument,Rizal Park in Manila on Friday (December 30). Rizal was exiled in Dapitan (now Dapitan Cityin Zamboanga del Norte) from 1892 – 1896. The Spanish authorities accused him for alleg-edly keeping subversive pamphlets in his possession. He was arrested and charged thecrimes of rebellion and sedition. On December 30, 1896, Rizal was executed by firing squadat Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park).

FLAG-RAISING - President Benigno S. Aquino III (right) leads the flag-raising ceremony during the commemoration of the 115th anniversary of the Martyrdom of Filipino National Hero Dr.Jose P. Rizal at the Rizal Park (Luneta), Manila. Assisting the President, anchored on this year’s theme “Rizal: Haligi ng Bayan”, were (from right) Vice President Jejomar Binay, ManilaMayor Alfredo Lim, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chair Maria Serena Diokno, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Public Works and Highways SecretaryRogelio Singson, Presidential Political Adviser Ronald Llamas and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa, among others.

Add’l P1.1-B for TESDA’s education, training means opportunities for 125,000 more workers — Baldoz

THE NATIONMetrEx: RP’s 1st & only WEEKLY Broadsheet Newsmagazine

2 Jan 2 - 9, 2012

mangyayari sa atin. Mangyari na angmangyayari, maski gaano ako ka-health con-scious, tatawagin tayo ni Lord at some pointin time. So it has to be a collective effort,’” hesaid.

The President mentioned some allies hewants to be in the legislature as the countrygears up for the mid-term election in 2013.Having more allies in Congress means speed-ier implementation of the administration’seconomic and political agenda, he said.

Some of the names mentioned by the Pres-ident include former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hon-tiveros-Baraquel, Customs chief Ruffy Biaz-on, Sen. Antonio Trillanes and former gener-al Danilo Lim.

“I said four and that’s a third of the wholeslate who is supposed to foster the interest ofthe nation as a whole. We have such a broadcoalition. We’d like to say that they’re all equalpartners,” he said.

The President’s interview Tuesday focusedon his views for the coming year and his ac-complishments in 2011.

Aquinoto groomsuccessor...

(Cont’d from page 1)

cost-effective and integrated framework to simplify existing reporting mechanisms used bythe oversight agencies and ensure that the data requirements are met by the reports submittedby the government agencies,” he added.

According to Ochoa, various oversight agencies currently employ different performancemonitoring and reporting systems within the Executive Branch that have resulted in redundantdata, reports in different formats, delay in submissions, inaccurate results and inefficiencies inperformance monitoring evaluation and reporting.

To date, oversight agencies such as the National Economic and Development Authority(NEDA) uses Results Matrix (RM); the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), theOrganizational Performance Indicators Framework (OPIF); the Civil Service Commission,Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS); and Career Executive Service Board(CESB), the Career Executive Service Performance Evaluation System (CESPES).

But with the creation of the inter-agency task force, Ochoa said a Common Set Perfor-mance Scorecard and Government Executive Information System shall be developed anddesigned, among others, towards addressing deficiencies and duplication in the present per-formance monitoring systems and processes.

Ochoa said the RM and OPIF shall be the underlying framework for the proposed RBPMS,which will be used by all government agencies mandated to exercise broad oversight over theperformance of all agencies. The harmonized RBPMS, he added, shall also be used fordetermining entitlement to performance-based allowances, incentives, or compensation ofgovernment personnel.

“In order to attain Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact status, the Philippinegovernment had previously committed three Policy Improvement Processes (PIPs) to furtherimprove good governance. One of them is the introduction and institutionalization of a bal-

anced scorecard framework,” Ochoa noted.“So, there is a need for this unification of the efforts of government agencies mandated to

exercise broad oversight of government agencies’ performance relative to our commitmentsand targets, as well as the National Leadership’s Agenda and Philippine Development Plan2011-2016.”

The Executive Secretary added this effort also strengthens public institutions in order toregain the trust and confidence of the public in government. “This measure is one big steptoward the specific goal of strengthening the capacity of government institutions to link theirrespective budgets with performance outcomes and enabling citizens and civil society tomonitor and evaluate these.”

Under AO 25, the inter-agency task force shall compose of the DBM, as chair with theOffice of the Executive Secretary (OES) as co-chair. Members of the task force include theNEDA, PMS and the Department of Finance (DOF).

Other government oversight offices like the CSC and the CESB shall also be involved in theinter-agency task force in order to align the SPMS and CESPES to the proposed RBPMS. TheCommission on Audit and the Office of the Ombudsman may also be invited by the task forceto provide insights on the harmonization process.

The private sector will likewise be involved in the task force through the National Compet-itiveness Council for the purpose of providing inputs and aligning other performance manage-ment systems with the proposed unified RBPMS.

The DAP, meanwhile, shall serve as the Secretariat of the inter-agency task force as wellas its technical resource institution, according to the President’s directive. President Aquinoalso directed the task force to submit to him within six months its recommendation on theRBPMS through the Executive Secretary. Funding of which provided for by the DBM.

(Cont’d from page 1)Task force created to unify, strengthen performance ...

The additional P1.1 billion released by thegovernment for TESDA’s education and train-ing programs meant productive and qualityemployment opportunities for 125,000 moreworkers in construction, semi-conductor andelectronics, agribusiness, and tourism —- thefive priority sectors under the Aquino III ad-ministration’s disbursement acceleration pro-gram.

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosal-inda Dimapilis-Baldoz said this yesterday asshe disclosed that graduate-trainees and re-trainees from the Technical Education andSkills Development Authority’s technical-vo-cational education and training (TVET) cours-es has reached a total of 1,129,179 workersbetween January to November 2011.

“This number represents an accomplish-ment of 83.99 percent of the 1.3 million work-ers in various technical and vocational cours-es that the TESDA targets for 2011,” Baldozsaid, citing a report of the TESDA on its year-end accomplishments.

The TESDA, according to its report, alsoovershot its target of 50,000 workers to betrained under the Training for Work Scholar-ship Program, or TWSP, by 35 percent whenit trained 67,581 workers during the January-November 2011 period, and its target of15,000 students under the Private EducationStudent Financial Assistance (PESFA) pro-gram 23.5 percent when it assisted 18,539students.

The TWSP is a TESDA program that aimsto boost supply of skilled workers to meetindustry needs. Under the TWSP, workersare provided proper training on skills directlyconnected to existing jobs for immediateemployment.

On the other hand, the PESFA offers edu-cational grants to qualified college freshmenboth in degree and non-degree courses. TheTESDA partners with the Commission onHigher Education to implement this program.

Baldoz credited these remarkable accom-plishments to the support of the national gov-ernment to the TESDA’s key mandates. InOctober, Baldoz said the Office of the Presi-dent provided the TESDA with an additionalbudget of P1.1 billion for the skills training ofworkers in five key priority sectors under theDisbursement Acceleration Program of theAquino III administration.

Of this amount, P600 million is for the train-ing of 60,000 workers in construction, semi-conductor and electronics, agribusiness, andtourism.

Todate, 21,321 scholarship vouchersamounting to P153.625 million have been re-leased to TESDA regional offices (ROs) rep-resenting identified training slots require-ments per sector per region based on ap-proved qualification maps submitted by theregions. Another P29.161 million had alsobeen released to the regional offices for thepurchase of tool kits and to cover the admin-istrative costs for the implementation of the

Add’l P1.1-B for TESDA’s education, training meansopportunities for 125,000 more workers — Baldoz

TESDA Specialista Technopreneurship Pro-gram (TSTP).

The balance of P500 million is earmarkedfor the training of 65,000 ‘near-hires’ in theBusiness Process Outsourcing (BPO) indus-try. Some 10,447 scholarship vouchersamounting to P73.960 million have been re-leased to the TESDA RO network nationwidefor this purpose.

“The DOLE, through the TESDA, providesmassive technical-vocational skills training,retraining, and upgrading of workers, in re-sponse to the requirements of modern indus-tries for highly-skilled, flexible, and more pro-ductive manpower,” Baldoz explained.

“Next year, the TESDA as the third pillarof the country’s educational and human re-sources development system shall keep push-ing forward the frontiers of productive col-laboration with the Department of Educationand the Commission on Higher Education,industries, the private sector, and tripartitepartners, in pursuit of the aim of PresidentBenigno S. Aquino III to “invest in our coun-try’s top resource, our human resource, tomake us more competitive and employablewhile promoting industrial peace based onsocial justice,” she added.

The labor and employment chief empha-sized that President Aquino III, in his SocialContract with the Filipino people, envisionsinclusive growth that generates and sharesthe fruits of growth and leaves no one behind.

“The Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 speaks of inclusive growth as that kindof growth that creates jobs, draws the major-ity into the economic and social mainstream,and reduces mass poverty, and the PhilippineLabor and Employment 2011-2016, the ac-companying sectoral document to the PDP2011-2016 pinpoints its practical realizationby means of decent and productive work,”Baldoz said.

For this purpose, she said the developmentof the Filipino workers is indispensable inaddressing the labor-mismatch by promotingbetter coordination between employers, aca-demia, and government through strengthen-ing both public and private sector labor mar-ket information and exchange institutions,especially at the local levels.

TESDA’s training and scholarship programresponds to Item No. 13 in the 22-point laborand employment agenda of the Presidentwhich aims to “invest in the formal and regu-lar skills training and upgrading of our work-ers with TESDA” and “to utilize returningOFWs to conduct training so that they maytransfer skills learned abroad”.

This will contribute to enhancing humancapital to improve workers’ access to em-ployment opportunities, a strategy embodiedin the LEP 2011-2016 upon decent work basedinclusive growth, particularly under the em-ployment and social protection pillars of thePlan.

(Press Release)

To enhance the capability of the police forceto effectively fight criminality and maintainpeace and order, the Department of Budgetand Management (DBM) greenlighted therelease of P115.6 million for additional main-tenance and other operating expense (MOOE)of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Budget and Management Secretary Flo-rencio B. Abad said the additional fundingwill support the efforts of the Aquino admin-istration, through Secretary Jesse Robredo ofthe Department of Interior and Local Gov-

P115.6-M released for addt’loperating expenses of PNP

ernment and the DBM, to secure sufficientoperation funds for precinct-level police op-erations.

“The fund will be directly distributed to theprovincial, district, city and municipal stationsbased on the number of policemen for eachPNP station. With this release, the smallestunits in the PNP will be more capacitated toperform their duties. This is also a more trans-parent mode of providing funding for the po-lice force,” he said.

He noted the National Capital Region and

the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindan-ao will receive the highest budgetary aug-mentation of P24.82 million and P19.54 mil-lion, respectively.

The PNP has a budget for MOOE of P5.72billion this year. This has been increased toP6.13 billion for 2012.

A general view shows rows of tents set up for tropical storm Washi survivors in the southern Philippines city of Cagayan de Oro on MindanaoJanuary 2, 2012. Thousands of homeless residents are still in evacuation centers more than two weeks after raging floodwaters brought byWashi swept their houses in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. The deaths in the Philippines from Washi, one of the country’s worstnatural disaster in two decades, has risen to 1,257 with about 1,100 missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councilsaid. Picture taken January 2, 2012.

BUSINESS & POLITICSMetrEx: RP’s 1st & only Weekly Broadsheet Newsmagazine

3Jan 2 - 9, 2012

Filipino traders celebrate during the last day of trading this year at the Philippine Stock Exchange in the financial district of Makati, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday Dec. 29, 2011. The Philippine Stock Exchange index was up 0.82 percentor 35.33 points to close at 4,371.96. Inset shows a trader blowing a horn during the year-end closing of trade in front of a giant electronic board at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Manila on December 29, 2011. The Philippine economy isfacing major risks from abroad that could limit its growth prospects next year, the central bank governor said.

Imports up 2.3% in OctThe country’s merchandise imports ex-

panded by 2.3 percent in October comparedto a year ago, according to the National Sta-tistics Office (NSO).

Data from NSO showed that the total mer-chandise imports for October amounted to $5.019 billion from $ 4.904 billion last year.

Month-on-month, however, it dropped by1.1 percent from $ 5.076 billion in Septemberthis year.

This led imports in the first 10 months ofthe year to grow by 12.2 percent to $ 50.521billion compared to $ 45.028 billion postedduring the same period last year.

The country’s trade deficit in October stoodat $ 932 million, bringing the 10-month tallyto $ 9.228 billion.

Electronics, which accounted for 24.6 per-cent of the total import bill declined by 19.9percent to $ 1.235 billion from from $ 1.542billion registered in October last year.

Imports of mineral fuels, lubricants and re-lated materials amounted to $ 1.159 billion,up by 28.4 percent over last year’s figure of $

902.82 million.Industrial machinery and equipment record-

ed a total import of $ 267.20 million, an annu-al growth of 13.4 percent from last year’s $235.60 million.

Imports of iron and steel rose 38.6 percentto $ 132.89 million from its year ago level of$ 95.89 million.

Purchases of transport equipment droppedby 9.1 percent to $ 337.49 million from $371.32 million posted a year ago.

Rounding up the list of the top ten importswere plastics in primary and non-primaryforms amounting to $ 123.77 million; organicand inorganic chemicals valuing at $ 122.39million; telecommunication equipment andelectrical machinery including telecommu-nications and sound recording and reproduc-ing apparatus and equipment, $ 98.90 mil-lion; cereals and cereal preparations, $ 84.94million; and medicinal and pharmaceuticalproducts, $ 78.25 million.

Total payment for the country’s top ten im-ports for October reached $ 3.640 billion or

72.5 percent of the total import bill.Japan remained the country’s biggest

source of imports in October with $ 606.42million, an increase of 0.8 percent from $601.36 million in October 2010.

United States of America (USA) includingAlaska and Hawaii, was the second biggestsource of imports at $ 493.68 million from $481.58 million.

Imports from People’s Republic of Chinaamounted to $ 476.34 million, higher by about9 percent from $ 437.16 million during thesame month in 2010.

Other major sources of imports for Octo-ber were Singapore, $ 407.08 million; Re-public of Korea, $ 402.91 million; Saudi Ara-bia, $ 335.25 million; Taiwan, $ 327.80 mil-lion; Thailand, $ 287.20 million; Malaysia,including Sabah and Sarawak, $ 271.41 mil-lion; and Indonesia, $ 232.63 million.

Payments for imports from the top tensources for October amounted to $ 3.841 bil-lion or about 76.5 percent of the total.

Press Release

ICTSI sets $21mcapex next year

The International Container Terminal Services Inc. on Monday said its board approved the$ 21 million capital expenditures next year.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, ICTSI said the capex would be used tofinance domestic expansion projects as well as investment in foreign ports next year.

In addition, ICTSI Warehousing Inc. has declared dividends amounting to P995 million.The Razon-led port operator said net income increased 35 percent to $ 41.4 million in the

July to September period from $ 30.7 million in the same period last year.In the first nine months, ICTSI posted a net income of $ 101.4 million, up 39 percent over the

$ 73 million earned last year.“The higher net income was mainly due to the upsurge in revenues, lower effective tax rate

for the period and a one-time gain on sale of non-core assets,” ICTSI said.ICTSI is a leading port management company involved in the operations and development

of 22 marine terminals and port projects in 17 countries worldwide.

CAB approves SEAIRpetition to form a subsidiary

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said it has approved the request of SoutheastAsian Airlines (SEAIR) to form a unit to focus on leisure destinations.

Carmelo Arcilla, CAB executive director, said the regulator would issue a Certifi-cate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for SEAIR International Inc.

“SEAIR International is going to be like a full service airline but its main focus is onleisure destinations,” Arcilla said.

He, however, said that SEAIR would remain a low cost carrier.

The new unit would fly long-haul using Airbus, as well as domestic destinationssuch as Batanes and El Niño using turbo-prop aircraft.

At present, SEAIR has 11 aircraft, four of which are Dornier 328s and seven Let410 UVP-Es.

The airline also flies between Manila-Clark and Singapore, and serves 18 Philip-pine destinations, including Caticlan (Boracay) and Cebu in the Visayas; Clark inNorthern Luzon; Busuanga, Cuyo, El Nido, Puerto Princesa and Rodriguez in Pala-wan; and Camiguin, Cotobato, Zamboanga, Jolo, Tawi-Tawi in Mindanao.

Seafarers from Magsaysay MOL Marine, Inc. (MAGMOL) load boxes of relief goods onto a Philippine Coastguard commissioned ship at thePhilippine Coastguard’s headquarters in Manila on December 28, 2011. The ship will deliver relief goods to the Cagayan de Oro, southernPhilippines, devastated by typhoon Washi. The death toll from killer floods in the Philippines surged by more than 200, more than a week afterthe disaster struck, with officials expecting more corpses to be found. The confirmed toll reached 1,453, up sharply from 1,236 the previousday as navy and coastguard ships fished more bodies out of the waters off the southern island of Mindanao, the civil defence office said.

OPINIONEWSMetro Express: PH’s 1st & only Weekly Broadsheet Newsmagazine

4 Jan 2 - 9, 2012

The Metro Express is a weekly broadsheet newsmagazine published by el amigomedia solutions and distributed widely in Metro Manila at LRT/MRT Stations, the Houseof Representatives, the Senate and other government offices. For press, photo releasesand advertising inquiries, text or call Hotlines Globe 0915-5517486 and Smart 0949-1661022. Emails: esns03@yahoo.com & 2011metroexpress@gmail.com.

Ismael ‘El’ AmigoEditor

Fitzgerald CecilioAsst . Ed i tor

Benjie AlejandroEdi tor ia l Contr ibutorColumnist

el amigo media solutionsPublisher

Your comments/shoutouts on issues are welcome here.Please send them through esns03@yahoo.com

and we’ll have them published PRONTO!

EDITOR’S NOTE: All commentaries and or opinions submitted by colum-nists and herein published shall remain as personal opinion of writers. Assuch, these cannot and never be construed nor considered as similar tothat of this publication (Metro Express)’s stand on issues discussed. Bethat as it may, Metro Express shall not be held liable on any legal issuesrelated/pertaining to, or any column/commentaries that may appear herein.

EDITORIAL

ISMAEL A. AMIGO

1ST-APLUMA

CHANCES ARE

NEXT PICTURE:CORONA IMPEACHMENT

(bulatlat.com)

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: Never everforget to write my column throughout the Year of theDragon. With it here we go…

A high-ranking World Bank official hinted economiesof the United States and that of Europe may remain thesame as they are now even as he pointed out Philippineeconomy may take an upward swing.

In fact, the World Bank averred Ph’s economy maygrow up to 4.2 percent this year due to the full recoveryof public spending and exports.

We hope that with the Season of Hope now over,WB’s economic term on public spending do not onlydwell on the public’s Christmas Season spending butrather, on the Aquino Administration’s ability to keep itsfaucet open or flowing on public infrastructure projectsthis year.

The year 2011 where even our good friends incongress felt the pinch on budgetary slash on projects for public servicewas very much of a regretful kind of economic state as when one holds thepurse on white knuckles, mula Aparri hanggang Jolo would also feel theeconomic pinch.

But it’s so good to note each one of us got away with and enjoyed thespirit of Christmas complete with Noche Buena kahit papano along withNew Year’s Eve handaan.

To our distressed Kababayans in CDO and nearby Iligan, just have faithGod is with you and all of us will be able to recover in time, in His time.For them, there had been no reason not to celebrate the Christmas justpassed for it is the time we all commemorate the birth of Jesus, our Savior.

Back to WB’s report, it said that in its latest Philippines Quarterly Update,the Washington-based lender said the country’s gross domestic product(GDP) is projected to grow 4.2 percent in ’12 from an earlier forecast of 5percent.

GDP refers to the total value of final goods and services produced in the

‘PH economy looks bright in ‘12’country.“Higher 2012 growth hinges on improvement in

exports, acceleration of PPP projects and private sectorinvestment, and a full recovery of public spending withpossibly a medium-size fiscal stimulus,” the lendersaid.

For this year, the economy is projected to grow 3.7percent from an earlier forecast of 4.2 percent.

“Our projection hinges on the successful implemen-tation of the government’s disbursement accelerationprogram and an acceleration in private consumptionand investment, which have begun to grow faster in thelast quarter. In addition, lower growth in the fourthquarter of 2010 should provide the added base effectboost. Significant downside risks largely stem from theweaker external environment and less than satisfactorypublic spending,” the World Bank report said.

The Aquino administration earlier announced a P72-billion disbursementacceleration plan to ensure that the budgeted items are spent by year end toboost the economy.

The economy grew by 3.6 percent in the first three quarters of the yearbecause of weak exports and government spending.

The World Bank also said that the growth prospects in the medium tolong-term could be sustained at above 5 percent, provided that reforms toaddress structural bottlenecks are implemented.

It may be recalled that WB accordingly released P2.2 billion in financialassistance to the Philippine government for the full recovery of areas hit by“Sendong.”

If handled properly, said assistance could keep Ph’s economy afloat untilnext Christmas along with the government’s plan for “all-out, extensivespending on infrastructure projects this year.

Indeed, the Philippine economic future looks bright in the Year of theDragon you may even consider wearing shades.

In order to conserve and protect biological diversity and promote ecologi-cal sustainable development, the House of Representatives has approved onthird and final reading a measure establishing an “Adopt-A-Wildlife SpeciesProgram.”

House Bill 5421 seeks to address major inhibiting factors to widen privatesector participation in conservation by providing not only incentives but also astrong science-based framework that will guide programs and activities.

According to Minority Leader Edcel Lagman (1st District, Albay), princi-pal author of the bill, the Philippines has enacted various laws to protect thecountry’s threatened species, including Republic Act 9147 or the “WildlifeResources Conservation and Protection Act” and Republic Act 7586 or the“National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act” and a number ofexisting laws aimed at protecting specific threatened species but unfortunate-ly, all have yet to achieve their intended conservation impact.

“These are primarily due to problems in implementation, poor coordinationof various species protection efforts among NGOs, universities and the gov-ernment, a dearth of appropriate monitoring mechanisms and a lack of inter-est and participation by local communities and the private sector,” Lagmansaid.

Lagman said despite these conservation efforts, population estimates forsome notable species, including the national bird of the Philippines, the Phil-ippine Eagle and the largest mammal endemic to the country, the Tamarawstill continue to decline.

The measure cites the policy of the State to protect and advance the right ofthe people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm andharmony of nature.

The bill provides the establishment of “Adopt-A-Wildlife Species Pro-

House passes Adopt-A-Wildlife Species billgram” to be implemented in all appropriate areas of the country with theactive participation, involvement and assistance of local government units(LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations (POs),civil society and private individuals.

The bill further provides for the prevention of species extinction and pro-motes the protection of threatened species and their habitats and encouragesthe conservation of threatened species and their habitats through the activeparticipation of the private sector and all other sectors of society.

Under the measure, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) shall be exe-cuted by and between the adopting entity or individual and the Secretary of theDepartment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), or the Secre-tary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), or the Chairman of the PalawanCouncil for Sustainable Development (PCSD) stipulating the terms and con-ditions of the adoption in accordance with R.A. 9147.

The bill grants tax exemption on any donation, contribution, request or grantwhich shall be made to the “Adopt-A-Wildlife Species Program” by theadopting entity or individual from donor’s tax and shall be considered as anallowable deduction from gross income in the computation of the donor’sincome tax.

The bill mandates the DENR, DA, and the PCSD in consultation with theDepartment of Finance (DOF) to jointly formulate the rules and regulations toimplement the relevant provisions of this Act.

Co-authors of the measure include Reps. Francisco Matugas (1st District,Surigao del Norte), Joseph Emilio Abaya (1st District, Cavite), HermilandoMandanas (2nd District, Batangas) and Nancy Catamco (2nd District, NorthCotabato).

Press Release

Stiffer penalties on theft of govt’srisk reduction equipment theft sought

With the Philippines being prone to typhoons and other natural disasters,lawmakers have sought stiffer penalties to those who would steal or tampergovernment equipment or devices used to collate and disseminate risk reduc-tion warnings and advices on weather, earthquakes, volcanic or tsunami ac-tivities and other natural calamities.

Agham party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones, one of the authors of the bill, saidstealing or tampering of government equipment is a crime against the people.

“What will happen during natural calamities if government services be-come ineffective,” he said.

Under the bill, the government risk reduction and preparedness equipmentaccessories include equipment or devices, or parts thereof that gather, store,archive or monitor meteorological and seismological date and informationwhich are analyzed and used in warning the public regarding natural occur-rences like calamities.

The proposed measure imposes 12 to 15 years imprisonment or fines rang-ing from P1 million to P3 million or both at the discretion of the court forunlawful taking or possession without authority of government disaster mon-itoring devices.

Tampering, dismantling, or disassembling any of the said devices shall alsobe meted six to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of P500,000 to P1 million orboth, at the discretion of the court.

Attempting to commit any of the prohibited acts shall also have a penalty ofsix to eight years imprisonment or a fine of P500,000 to P1 million or both.

Benefiting from the proceeds of any of the prohibited acts also carries apenalty of two to seven years imprisonment or a fine of P200,000 to P500,000or both at the discretion of the court.

Aside from criminal penalties, any person found guilty of violating theproposed Act shall pay the full cost of repair or replacement of said govern-ment equipment or other vital items which are objects of the crime.

The bill likewise provides for incentives to any person or persons who willgive information leading to the apprehension and conviction of violators.

The incentive system shall incorporate a cash reward of P10,000 to P50,000,with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) having the authorityto review and revise the ceiling of the cash rewards as appropriate.

The House committee on revision of laws has already endorsed the bill forplenary deliberation, which is a consolidation of measures declaring stealingor tampering with government equipment as a crime.

Co-authors of the bill are Reps. Erico Aumentado (Bohol), Romero Feder-ico Quimbo (Marikina), Homer Mercado (1-UTAK party-list), Tomas Apacible(Batangas), and Rachel Del Mar (Cebu).

We never learnBy the looks of it, we Filipinos never ever learn from

past New Year’s revelry based on the latest report bythe Department of Health.

Said report saysNew Year’s celebra-tion-related injuriesthis year eclipsed lastyear’s record, yes, inthousand cases.

We wonder what is with it that we need to sever ourfingers, damage our eyesight (or another) and causeundue injuries to other parts of our body to celebratethe coming of a New Year?

That’s extremely, extreme. Beyond logic in fact.My family never ever bothered to buy a single piece

of firecracker and we felt contented just watching fire-works from neighbors as they explode in full splen-dor in mid-air.

In fact, you could even claim as though they wereyour very own and they just lit them up for you.

As the smoke from all sizes of firecrackers and fire-works subsided, my family exchanged greetings andwishes for the brand new year and that was it.

THE METROPOLISMetrEx: 1st & only Weekly Broadsheet Newsmagazine

5Jan 2 - 9, 2012

MMDA to implement new guidelines regulating billboardsDespite opposition from outdoor advertisers, the Metropolitan Manila Development Au-

thority (MMDA) has said it will implement new guidelines regulating billboards and otheradvertising signs along major thoroughfares in the metropolis next month.

“Effective January 2012, guidelines for billboard operators, and billboard height and sizerequirements will be enforced,” MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said at the agency’sradio program Saturday.

The new guidelines were supported by the Metro Manila Council (MMC) mayors and theMMDA after a series of consultative meetings early this year.

The MMC, whose members are the 17 Metro Manila mayors, is the policy-making body ofthe MMDA.

The first guideline deals with the issuance of structural and locational clearances for bill-board operators where the MMDA shall enforce and implement the National Building Codeprovisions on billboards along major and national thoroughfares falling within its jurisdiction.

A separate guideline deals with billboard height and size requirements.The guideline on locational and structural clearance and on height and size limitations

further provides that effective January 1, 2012, all existing billboard building permits, businesspermits and clearances shall be disregarded or canceled, and all billboard sign owners shallbe required to apply anew for clearances or permits from their respective local governmentunits.

Tolentino said that by January 2012, all billboards must have a size of 60x40 feet and be atleast 100 meters apart, or they will be removed, adding that the campaign objective is toinstitute a standard on billboard similar to those implemented in other countries such as SaoPaulo in Brazil and Honolulu in Hawaii, United States where many areas are billboard-free.

Tolentino said under the new guidelines, owners and operators of billboards along majorthoroughfares such as Epifanio delos Santos Ave. (EDSA), C-5, Roxas Blvd. and MacapagalAve. shall obtain a clearance from the MMDA.

Meanwhile, all billboard owners are required to submit their existing permits to the MMDAand their respective local government units for verification and validation.

The agency said they are aiming to remove or dismantle some 424 billboards out of the2,000 structures along the metropolis’ main thoroughfares for such violations as failure toshow building permits, certificate of use, violation of the National Building Code and locationalclearance.

However, the MMDA chief said he will meet with members of the Outdoor AdvertisingAssociation of the Philippines (OAAP) before enforcing the guidelines to impress on them theneed to regulate the industry.

Upgrading of maritimecurriculum pushed

The maritime education in the Philippines needs a lot of upgrading to make its gradu-ates more competitive in their chosen profession.

Capt. Hernando Eusebio, a member of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)technical panel, said this will also enable the country maintain its standing as the premiersupplier of quality seafarers to the global merchant marine fleet.

“Only through upgrading our maritime training curriculum can the Philippines main-tain its lead as the world’s number one supplier of efficient and highly trained seamen,”he emphasized.

Eusebio opined that the CHED technical panel and its working group is doing every-thing in its power to come up with updated training syllabus that will further cement theFilipino seamen’s excellent reputation.

“We are being aided in this task by other government agencies (with maritime func-tions) and manning industry stakeholders,” he added.

Apart from updating the maritime schools’ curriculum, Eusebio said training centersmust also invest on quality people and equipment to make their graduates more competi-tive internationally.

“This is the only way we can survive and compete internationally. Adequate fundingmust be set aside to obtain these requisites,” Eusebio said.

Probe on P60-B Navotas reclamation projec urgedA lawmaker has asked the committees on

natural resources and aquaculture and fish-eries resources of the House of Representa-tives to conduct an investigation on the im-pact of the P60-billion reclamation and de-velopment of the Navotas Bay on the plightof the fisherfolks in the area.

Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano,author of House Resolution 1746, urged thetwo House bodies to look into the plan to re-claim and develop a 3.3-kilometer area inNavotas Bay that will run parallel to the city’sshoreline from C-4 to Tangos —48.41 hect-ares of offshore land and 22.04 hectares ofoffshore area in Navotas City.

Under the P60-billion Navotas reclamationproject, the Department of Public Works and

Highways (DPWH) will construct a baywalkfrom C-4 to North Luzon Expressway tra-versing the cities of Malabon, Valenzuela andCaloocan.

Mariano said several concerned groups likethe fisherfolks alliance Pambansang Lakasng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas(PAMALAKAYA), the Koalisyon KontraKumbersiyon ng Manila Bay (KKK-ManilaBay), and the Pinagkaisang Lakas ngMamamayan ng Navotas (PIGLAS-Navotas) expressed opposition to the pro-posed reclamation project.

He said the memorandum of agreement(MoA) for the reclamation and developmentof the Navotas Bay area project was signedbetween former City Mayor and now Navotas

City Rep. Tobias Tiangco and the First SeaFront Renew, Inc.

Tiangco earlier said the construction of theproject will place the fishing city in the Na-tional Capital Region’s roadmap of nationaldevelopment.

DisplacementThe Anakpawis party-list solon, however,

said the project will result in the displace-ment of fisherfolks in the area as 80 percentof the people of Navotas City rely mainly onthe fishing and fishing-related industries.

He said the project will not only affect themarine environment but also the livelihoodand housing rights of some 75,000 familiesliving along the shorelines of Navotas City.

Press Release

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it has so far deported 144 illegal aliens this year thatresulted to decongestion of its detention center in Bicutan, Taguig City.

BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said the aliens were expelled pursuant to deportationorders against them for violating the country’s immigration laws, and had placed them in theimmigration blacklist, banning them from re-entering the Philippines.

The bureau’s legal and jail officials have been instructed to facilitate the immediate depor-tation of foreign detainees once their cases are resolved.

David stressed that the BI cannot deport a foreign detainee unless the necessary clearancesare secured from courts, police and the National Bureau of Investigation.

The deportees also included several fugitives who were arrested while hiding in the countryto evade prosecution for crimes committed in their homeland.

BI records showed, 53 Chinese are top on the list of deportees, followed by 18 Americans,17 Indians, 15 Koreans, and 10 Taiwanese.

Also deported were seven Japanese, 7 Nigerians, three Germans, two Bangladeshis, twoAfricans, a Briton, an Australian, a French, a Malaysian, a Singaporean, a Slovenian, aNorwegian, Spaniard, a Syrian, and a Vietnamese national.

As of December 19, there are at least 89 foreigners detained at the Bicutan jail, most ofwhom could not be deported yet due to cases pending against them before the local courts.

BI deports 144 illegal aliens in 2011

The Department of Budget and Manage-ment approved the release of P128 million tothe Department of Education (DepEd) for theimmediate reconstruction of 80 classroomsin the F. Serrano Elementary School campusin Parañaque.

Budget and Management SecretaryFlorencio B. Abad said the program will becharged against the 2011 Calamity Fund, sincethe Quick Response Fund of the DepEd isalready programmed for the reconstruction

DBM fast-tracks P128-M release for Paranaque elementary schooland rehabilitation of other projects.

An entire building in the campus burneddown after a five-seater Beechcraft QueenAir crashed into the school grounds in earlyDecember.

“A thorough evaluation by the DepEdfound irreparable damage to the building,which then had to be completely demolished.Given that, we need to quickly allocate fund-ing toward the reconstruction of the wholeschool. We are now fast-tracking the release

of funds to begin the construction as soon aspossible,” Abad said.

ReconstructionHe added that the reconstruction, once

completed, should sufficiently accommodatethe school’s 2,652 grade school pupils.

“We will build enough rooms so the schooladministration can conduct a single-shift pro-gram for its students, instead of putting themon the usual double shift. Once the recon-struction is finished, classes will be back to

normal and students can have a school envi-ronment more conducive to learning,” Abadsaid.

Meanwhile, Abad announced that theDepEd is closing in on its classroom con-struction target for this year.

Zero backclog“The Aquino administration is committed

to closing the supply gap in much-neededlearning facilities. We are serious in our bidto have a zero backlog of classrooms by 2013.

To be able to do this, the Aquino governmenthas been tapping different approaches in con-structing school buildings, including an im-portant collaboration with the League of Cit-ies to fast-track the construction of class-rooms,” he added.

The budget chief also noted that classroom-construction projects will be included in theAdministration’s Public-Private Partnershipprogram to build the required number of class-rooms in one year.

A Filipino clerk lists patients injured by firecrackers at the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center during New Year celebrations in Manila,Philippines on Sunday Jan. 1, 2012. More than 200 people have been injured by illegal firecrackers and celebratory gunfire in the Philippinesdespite a government scare campaign against reckless New Year revelries, officials recently said.

WONDROUS NEWYEAR’S REVELRY is

nothing but wonderful ifdone of course without

damage to life and limbs.Sadly though, the DOH

reported this year’snumber of new year’s

celebration-related casesof injuries surpassed to

that of last year’s.

METRO EXPRESS NEWSMAGAZINE6 Jan 2 - 9, 2012

FAITH, HEALTH, EVENTS, PLACES & PEOPLE

Jesus’ amazing salvation“By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had

promised them” (Hebrews 11:33)Please pray for those who are far away from hearing about Jesus. Jesus came for the sick,

not the healthy; the sinners, not the righteous. Pray that God would give every Christian accessto the hearts of unbelievers to tell about Jesus’ amazing salvation and forgiveness.

I want to hear from you! What issues are most important to you? What do you need help withand want to see at www.godlife.com ? Every day this week, I will be asking you at our Facebookpage for your thoughts and dreams and needs. Get the daily posts by “Liking” our page! Thanks!

Just Keep Swimming. When I was little, my parents made me go to swimming lessons. I wasso afraid that I got sick to my stomach every time I stood in front of the pool. But I had a nicecoach who wanted to give me the accomplishment of swimming the entire pool. It was so long!There was no way I thought I could do it, but here’s what he would do: He would stand in theshallow-end of the pool and invite me in. “Just swim to me,” he said. Ok, that I can do. But thenhe would move back a little farther. “Just keep swimming, Amy. Don’t stop paddling.” I swam alittle more. He kept doing this until suddenly I was at the end. I was so amazed—I neverdreamed I could do that! He helped me the entire way with his closeness, the promise of hisreach to save me, his encouraging voice saying, “Just keep swimming.”

That’s what faith is. It is the continual reach to get something great. Try this with me now,even though it seems a little silly: Reach out your hand as far as it will go, as if for somethingjust at the edge of your grasp. I want you to remember that feeling as we read about one unlikelywoman’s amazing reach of faith:

As Jesus went with him, He was surrounded by the crowds. A woman in the crowd hadsuffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behindJesus, she touched the fringe of His robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. “Who touchedMe?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing upagainst You.” But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched Me, for I felt healing power go outfrom Me.” When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble andfell to her knees in front of Him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched Himand that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has made youwell. Go in peace.”

Jesus said it was her faith that made her well, showing how much God values faith. Imaginethis woman’s obstacles: all the crowds, the larger men, the people who disdained her because ofher sickness, and the countless disappointments of failed cures. But to push through the crowds,bear the shame, and reach out to Jesus, she had to believe that what was on the end of herreach was worth it: that Jesus had the power no one else had. This is the essence of faith. “Andit is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe thatGod exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Maybe you’ve been treading water awhile in the pool of your promise. You haven’t quite givenup, but you don’t feel you have the strength to keep paddling. God wants to help you today. Justlike my swim coach was there to help me if I got tired or scared, God is near you to uphold youand encourage you to keep going. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remainsfaithful— for He cannot deny Himself.”

God wants you to know today that He is faithful when you are faithless, and He wants to helpget you to the other side to receive your promise. Reach out today and tell Him, “Help! I want tokeep kicking. Please give me Your strength.”

So this week, let’s all pray together—for ourselves and each other—that:1. God would renew the vision of the promise He has given us2. We would reach out to God to receive His strength to keep going in faith3. Global Media Outreach would reach those we haven’t been able to reach beforeWhy don’t you post about the promise you are believing for at the GodLife Prayer Wall? We

can all pray for each other and see God help us as a united group get to the other side.

Your Friends at GodLife.com

House leader assails 100% hikein OFW PhilHealth premium

A senior administration lawmaker has urged Malacanang to recall a decision by the Philhealth Corporation to make the cost of governmenthealth insurance restrictive to millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Batangas Rep. Mark Llandro Mendoza said that an “unconscionable” hike in insurance premium will greet OFWs at the start of 2012 dueto a directive issued by PhilHealth which states that premium payments for health insurance covering OFWs should further increase by mid-2012.

Under PhilHealth Circular No. 22-11 released 10 days before Christmas day, premium payments for OFWs will increase from P900 toP1,200 by January 2012. The amount will double to P2,400 by mid-2012.

“Malacanang should stop PhilHealth from playing ‘Scrooge’ to the unsung heroes of Philippine economy. Circular No. 22-11 only serves asa spoiler to the Christmas spirit of generosity and selfless concern for others,” said Mendoza.

“The increase is both drastic and unjustified as doubling of fees collected by a government agency is unheard of in recent history,” he added.Mendoza, who heads the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) contingent in the Lower House, assailed the state-run health care agency for

imposing the insurance premium adjustment without sufficient public consultation.“If PhilHealth should be true to its mandate to serve the people rather than act as a financial monster that it wants to be by nibbling even the

morsels earned by our OFWs,” he said.Mendoza echoed the appeal of non-government organizations representing OFWs for the scrapping of the PhilHealth circular, saying that

public hearings must or repeated if the state-run firm insists on pursuing its plan.PhilHealth officials earlier explained that imposing higher premiums has become necessary to pave the way for the implementation of

performance targets, accomplish the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and pursue a universal health care coverage for Filipinos.“We cannot continue to be insensitive to the plight of the poor in these times when many are growing hungrier by the day and hundreds are

dead and thousands were rendered homeless by the recent typhoon,” the Batangas solon said.

DOLE online posting of labor cases promotes transparency, accountability

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday reported that the DOLE marks the end of the year with a total of37,619 labor cases posted on its online docket system.

The online case status mechanism covers all collated cases from the DOLE’s bureaus, agencies, and services.As of November 30, 2011, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration topped the list of online cases posted, with 29,202 cases;

National Labor Relations Commission, 4,111 cases; and the Bureau of Working Conditions, with 1,372cases.Other agencies and services that have posted their labor cases are the Legal Service with 993 posts; Professional Regulation Commission,

618; National Conciliation and Mediation Board, 504; Bureau of Labor Relations, 458; and Employees Compensation Commission, 361.All DOLE bureaus, agencies, and services have been regularly updating their online case postings.“Workers and employers can check this out at the DOLE’s website at www.dole.gov.ph,” Baldoz said.Secretary Baldoz said the continuous online posting of the status of labor cases is part of its reforms in promoting transparency, accountabil-

ity, and accessibility in labor arbitration and adjudication, and in boosting efficient and just resolution of all filed labor cases.“Through the online posting, we provide our workers and employers with an accessible and cost-effective feedback mechanism to avoid

delay and ensure impartiality in the settlement of their cases. Hence, we urge them to use our online system in monitoring the status of laborcases,” she said, adding:

“By just one click at the DOLE’s website, concerned parties can directly view the status of their case(s) instead of going to DOLE officesand agencies to do personal follow-up. This online mechanism promotes our “no-contact” policy,” she added.

All labor and employment cases have already been posted on the website since the online system’s inception on September 15 last year.Through the system, one can check the status of the labor case in three easy steps, to wit: (1) log on at www.dole.gov.ph; (2) click on case

status icon on the lower left portion of the web page; and (3) type in the text box the complete and exact case docket number of a particular caseone would like to check.

Upon clicking the search button, the nature of a case, the case title, date case was filed, and status of the case will be displayed and can beseen.

“From time to time, they can check if their filed case is pending, for review, for evaluation, or already settled with signed order/resolution.We encourage parties to self-monitor their own cases as we give them an instant feedback online,” Baldoz said.

Baldoz said case status reports can be accessed not only at DOLE’s website, but also in links at the websites of the aforementioned bureausand attached agencies.

Government channels more aidinto potable water programsIn a move to increase access to safe water in Sendong-hit Cagayan de Oro and other waterless areas, President Benigno S. Aquino III

directed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release P52.8 million for the rehabilitation of Cagayan de Oro’s water supplysystem, as well as P619.6 million for the continued implementation of the Potable Water Supply Project.

The funds will be released to the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), which oversees the development of water supply systemsin provincial cities and municipalities outside Metro Manila.

“The Aquino administration pledged swift action in providing disaster relief to all Sendong-affected areas, beginning with Cagayan de Oro’scompromised water systems,” said Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad. “We are releasing P52.8 million to the LWUA sowe can jumpstart repairs in the city’s water facilities and restore the water supply in the local community.”

P32.4 million of the LWUA fund for Cagayan de Oro will be used to repair source and production facilities damaged by Tropical StormSendong. The rest of the fund—amounting to P20.4 million—will be directed to restoring critical service connections to local concessionaires.

“At the same time, the administration recognizes the urgent need for potable water in several municipalities around the country. Throughthe Potable Water Supply Project, we can provide safe drinking water and basic sanitation services in waterless communities, thus ensuringbetter public health—and a better quality of life—in impoverished localities,” Abad said.

DA, PNOC-EDC to develop “salad bowl” in Leyte, allot initial P92 MThe Potable Water Supply Project is con-

current with the conditional cash transfer(CCT) program of the Department of SocialWelfare and Development, as well as otherkey social protection programs initiated bythe Aquino administration.

The communities chosen for the programwere based on: a) poverty criteria of NationalAnti-Poverty Commission, b) “Seal of GoodHousekeeping” standards of the Departmentof Interior and Local Government, c) priorityareas identified by the DoH for the reductionof water-borne diseases, and d) guidelines ofthe National Economic Development Author-ity-Investment Coordination Committee per-taining to national government grants for de-volved services.

The 2011 budget provided a total alloca-tion of P1.5 billion for the Potable Water Sup-

ply Program. The complete amount was is-sued to the Department of Health in the lastquarter of the year.

The Department of Agriculture—in part-nership with the PNOC-Energy DevelopmentCorporation (EDC), farmers’ groups, and oth-er institutions—will develop a 20,000-hect-are area at Tongonan mountain range, strad-dling Ormoc City and municipality of Kanan-ga, in Leyte, into a “salad bowl” that willproduce high value semi-temperate vegeta-bles.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala ledthe signing of a memorandum of agreementon December 12 to implement a five-yearinitiative, called Agri-Pinoy integrated anddiversified program for the development ofthe “OK” upland range. OK refers collec-tively to Ormoc City and Kananga. The Ton-

gonan mountain range is 500 to 800 metersabove sea level.

The DA and EDC will jointly invest P92million in the next five years to develop suit-able areas surrounding the Leyte Geother-mal Production Field (LGPF) to benefit 5,600farmers, who are members of 23 farmers’associations in Ormoc City and municipalityof Kananga.

Secretary Alcala said the DA through theDA Region 8 office and National Agribusi-ness Corporation (NABCOR) will assist farm-ers in the land preparation, cultivation, har-vesting, processing, and marketing of vege-tables and other high value commercial crops.

Currently, subsistence farmers at LGPFproduce assorted vegetables and fruits likecabbage, green onion, tomato, eggplant, rad-ish, chayote, cucumber (pipino), and pineap-

ple. About five tons are harvested weekly andsold at public markets in Ormoc City andKananga.

Under the five-year project, farmers willbe encouraged to plant other crops like duri-an, rambutan, jackfruit, coffee, and abaca.

Aside from the DA and EDC, the otherproject partners are the Visayas Sate Univer-sity (VSU) and the Partners Multi-PurposeCooperative (PMPC), representing the 23farmers’ associations, located in 16 villagesor barangays surrounding the LGPF at theOK upland range.

Secretary Alcala said the joint project willnot only uplift farmers from poverty but, moreimportantly, transform them into entrepre-neurs. It will benefit about 3,000 subsistencefarm-families in seven villages in Kananga(Rizal, Hiluctogan, Montebello, Aguiting,

Lim-ao, San Ignacio, and Tongonan) and ninevillages in Ormoc City (Milagro, Nueva Vis-ta, Cabaon-an, Danao, Gaas, Liberty, Tongo-nan, Mahayahay, and Dolores).

“Sa pagsasamang ito, mahalaga na mali-wanag sa bawat isa na hindi lamang tayo tu-tulong sa produksyon. Tutulong rin tayo saprocessing, hanggang sa marketing. At samarketing, mahalaga ang economies ofscale. Hindi kayo makakakuha ng magan-dang presyo kung walang economies ofscale,” said Secretary Alcala during a forumafter the MOA signing ceremony.

Of the P92-million initial funding, the DA-NABCOR will share P29 million to establisha consolidation center and pilot packinghouse,and provide marketing support, said NAB-COR president and CEO Honesto Baniqued,Jr. Another P13m is for research and dev’t.

Beauty queen Shamcey Supsup is still unsure what liesnext in her possible showbiz career but reveals she is willingto take projects that are near and dear to her heart.

Supsup said she is open to doing more shows in 2012 butonly if it is socially relevant.

“Something that is about home design, lifestyle or aboutcharities. Somewhere I can express my opinion and helppeople,” she said.

She also said that what really excites her is to continue herstudies next year. She said she plans to take distance languagecourses instead of going abroad to study.

Supsup said she never knew that joining the BinibiningPilipinas beauty pageant would bring her to the Miss Universe pageant and a 3rd runner-upfinish in the competition. She said it was in December last year when she asked her dad if shecould join the Bb. Pilipinas pageant.

Supsup said her initial motivation in joining the pageant was to change people’s perceptionsof beauty queens. However, she said she was changed when she started learning the othercontestants and had a chance to join the Miss Universe pageant.

“Akala ko I was there to change people’s minds but what happened, it was me whochanged...Hindi pala siya madali. For me, in all the things I’ve done, board exams, architec-ture school, this was one of the hardest but it was all worth it,” she said.

Shamcey reveals plans for ‘12

BUSINESS & POLITICS 2MetrEx: 1st & Only Weekly Broadsheet Newsmagazine

7Jan 2 - 9, 2012

To enhance the government weather forecastingsystem, President Benigno S. Aquino III has directedthe Department of Budget and Management to re-lease P150 million for the installation of 1,000 auto-matic water level sensors nationwide to aid forecast-ers in tracking river water levels and potential floods.

Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B.Abad said the released funding issued to the Depart-ment of Science and Technology (DOST) will be usedin the fabrication and installation of 1,000 automaticwater level sensors to be placed in 18 river basinsthroughout the country.

“The Aquino administration is moving fast in itsrelief efforts for the victims of Tropical Storm Sen-dong, as well as in providing additional technology torefine our country’s weather prediction systems. Theproduction and installation of the automatic water lev-el sensors are part of the Aquino administration’simmediate-response projects for Visayas and North-ern Mindanao,” Abad said.

He added that the government will prioritize theinstallation of the water sensors in the Cagayan deOro River (two sensors upstream, 1 downstream),Iponan River, Cagayan de Oro-Iligan, Misamis Orien-tal (one sensor), and Iligan City (one sensor upstream,one sensor downstream). The installation of all unitswill begin in 2012.

“Climate change adaptation and mitigation is partof the five key priority areas of the Aquino administra-tion. We are working toward innovating the country’sweather facilities to preserve the safety and well-being of all Filipinos, and also to minimize the social,economic, and environmental damage wrought by nat-ural calamities,” Abad said.

DOST getsP150M fundingto boost weatherforecast system

To boost the competitiveness of the agri-culture sector, the Aquino administration re-cently invested P90.3 million in a compre-hensive scholarship program to support 1,050scholars in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, andveterinary medicine education.

“We need to develop a steady base of com-petent professionals who will unlock the po-tential of our agriculture and fisheries sec-tor,” Budget and Management SecretaryFlorencio B. Abad said.

“President Aquino is committed to ensur-ing rice self-sufficiency by 2013 and, ulti-mately, to developing a robust agriculture sec-tor that provides meaningful and sustainablelivelihoods for the rural poor. The scholarshipprogram will help us achieve this goal,” hesaid.

The scholarship, charged against the Agri-cultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund(ACEF), covers the full amount of tuition andother fees, and will be paid directly to theschool. The ACEF, enacted in 1996, aims tosupport farmers and fisherfolk, cooperatives,and agribusiness entrepreneurs to competein an increasingly globalized agriculture mar-ket.

Under Republic Act 9496, “An Act To Ex-tend the Utilization Period of ACEF,” localgovernment units, state universities and col-leges or other government institutions involvedin the research and development of agricul-tural products may avail of ACEF financialgrants without collateral. It also added that 10percent of the fund shall be earmarked forthe funding of the comprehensive scholar-ship program for agriculture sector.

The Aquino administration has committedto pursue development of and reforms in theagriculture and fisheries sector, being one ofits five priority areas for economic growthand employment generation. The other prior-ity areas are business process outsourcing,semiconductor and electronics manufactur-ing, tourism and general infrastructure.

Agriculture, fishery and forestry accountsfor 16.3 percent of gross domestic product(GDP), rebounded to 5.4 percent from a de-cline of 2.9 percent in 2010, contributing 1.0percentage point to the total GDP growth. Thebiggest contributors to growth in agriculturewere palay, fishery, corn, poultry, and live-stock.

Gov’t invests P90.3 M for 1,050 DA scholars

Legarda sees approval of OPCAT to jump-start reform in jailsSenator Loren Legarda said on Monday the approval of an international agreement would

jump-start the implementation of much-needed reform programs for jails and detention facil-ities and better treatment of prisoners, noting that the country’s jails “are 201 percent” con-gested.

“Harsh prison conditions, overcrowded jails, inadequate nutrition and medical attention forprisoners — that sums up our prison and detention conditions today,” Legarda pointed out.

Legarda, chairperson of the Senate committee on foreign relations, said that the OptionalProtocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) promotes better rehabilitation of prison-ers by ensuring that they are not subjected to physical abuse and poor living condition in jailsand detention centers.

“In March 2011, millions have witnessed on national TV the brutality of prison conditions,while a naked and bound robbery suspect was allegedly being tortured by police officersinside a station. There have also been incidents of rape inside police stations,” Legarda said.

In June 2011, there had also been media reports that prison officials were receiving kick-backs from the food budget for National Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmates, she added.

“Cases were filed because people came out and spoke against these abuses. We want toinstitutionalize a visitorial and documentation system for our prison and detention facilitiesand we want to see outcomes of government action against these violations,” Legarda said.

”The OPCAT forwards the idea that through a system of regular jail visits by independentinternational and local monitors, torture and other forms of ill-treatment can be prevented inprisons and that jail conditions can be improved,” she explained.

In calling for the Senate’s concurrence in the accession to OPCAT, Legarda said that shesupports the Department of Foreign Affairs’ requests for a deferment of the implementation ofthe obligations in Part III of the treaty to allow for completion of the government’s reform

programs for jails and detention facilities.Highlighting the need for such deferment, she noted the dismal situation in the country’s

detention cells. Jails under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) have a totalcell area of 56,982 square meters, which can accommodate only 18,944 inmates. As ofAugust 2009, BJMP facilities held a total of 57,007 inmates nationwide, translating into a 201percent congestion level. As of 2010, the number of prisoners increased to 59,289.

Furthermore, the country has a ratio of about one guard to every 48 prisoners, while theinternational standard is one guard for every seven prisoners.

Regarding allowance for an inmate’s meals, the government provides P50 per inmate eachday. The daily budget for medicines is a meager P3 per inmate.

The lady senator explained that the deferment of the implementation of the obligations inPart III of the OPCAT gives the Philippines three years to improve prison, detention andcustodial facilities before an international monitor can perform visits, but she emphasized thatthe deferment refers only to requests for visits by an international monitor and not on theestablishment of the National Preventive Mechanism which is required by the OPCAT to beestablished within one year after accession.

The OPCAT also enables States Parties to benefit from advisory, technical and financialassistance.

“We are confident that the OPCAT will strongly assist us in keeping in check acts of torture,as well as cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment of detainees. We arehopeful, that by our accession to this instrument, our jail conditions will finally be improved,making them conducive to promote the rehabilitation of its residents,” Legarda stressed.

Legarda has already submitted the Committee Report on the OPCAT and has urged theSenate for the swift concurrence to the ratification of the treaty.

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga— The revenue collections on quarry opera-tions in the province has reached more thanP355.5-million since Governor Lilia Pinedabecame the provincial chief executive almost18 months ago.

Based on the records of the Provincial En-vironment and Natural Resources Office,(PENRO) the collection on quarry operationsfrom January to December 26, this year hasmarked at least over P236 million.

The record also shows that the provincegranted gratuitous permits to different mu-nicipalities which led to the delivery of 10,701truckloads of quarry materials.

The extraction fee for each truckload isP300. For gratuitous permits, if duly convert-ed, will give additional income of P3,257,400.

Aside from this, the provincial governmentalso facilitated the delivery of 5,415 truck-loads of filling materials to various groupsand institutions.

Last year, from July 1 to December 31, therevenues of quarry collections isP119,385,000.

The provincial government attributed itssuccess in quarry collection to the coopera-tion of the stakeholders, mayors, quarry op-erators and truckers like the Pampanga TruckOwners Association.

The monthly quarry collection (in millions)for 2011 is broken down s follows: January,20.280; February, 20.385; March, 21.780;April, 19.710; May, 23.175; June, 19.230; July,20.415; August, 20.265; September, 17.595;October, 19.755; November, 18.930 and untilDecember 26, 14.670.

Quarrycollection inP’anga hits

P355.5M mark

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) announced that consolidated revenues of listedfirms increased by 15.4 percent to P2.78 trillion from P2.41 trillion in the first nine months of2011.

This is attributable to the improved performances in the financial, property and miningsectors.

Combined net incomes of listed firms however dropped by 10.1 percent to P308.86 billionfrom P343.59 billion in the same period last year.

The decrease was mainly due to lower net profits recorded by the industrial, services andholding firms sectors.

Data was gathered from the nine-month financial statements of 235 companies out of 248domestic listed companies.

“While it’s good to note that revenues of our listed firms continue to improve, their netincomes had to contend with the challenges in the economy such as rising production costsand lower-than-expected demand,” PSE president and chief executive officer Hans B. Sicatsaid.

“However, despite the uncertainties in the global landscape particularly in the Eurozoneand US, some key sectors have managed to post higher net income figures. This, togetherwith the country’s sound fundamentals and exciting growth potential, continue to bolsterinterest in our listed companies,” he added.

“This confidence has been reflected in the PSEi, which continues to be a top performer inAsia this year,” Sicat emphasized.

In terms of sectors, the financial sector’s collective income rose by 17.1 percent to P53.09billion during the nine-month period.

Contributing to the growth was the increase in net interest income posted by MetropolitanBank and Trust Company.

Meanwhile, BDO Unibank, Inc. and Union Bank of the Philippines posted foreign ex-change gains and higher incomes from service charges and fees.

The property sector reported a combined income of P31.08 billion, P5.05 billion or 19.4percent higher than last year.

Listed firms’ revenues expand by 15.4%A nonrecurring gain from the sale of investment in available-for-sale shares boosted Mega-

world Corporation’s (MEG) net income by 62.8 percent.Increased revenues from real estate sales through improved sales volumes of both residen-

tial units and commercial lots lifted the net incomes of Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) and SMDevelopment Corporation (SMDC) by 32.9 percent and 51.0 percent, respectively.

The mining and oil sector’s aggregate income also surged 162.8 percent to P21.25 billion asaverage global metal prices improved.

Philex Mining Corporation’s (PX) revenue from gold and copper grew by 50.7 percent and17.3 percent, respectively, leading to an overall income growth of 102.9 percent in the firstnine months of 2011.

Semirara Mining Corporation’s (SCC) local and international sales of coal increased by10.0 percent as average coal prices jumped 33.2 percent.

Similarly, Nickel Asia Corporation’s (NIKL) net income rose 131.9 percent with the in-crease in nickel ore prices.

Meantime, the industrial sector registered a P42.62 billion or 35.3 percent decline in collec-tive income which totaled Php78.11 billion.

One-time gains recorded in the same period last year caused a 97.4 percent and 23.0percent decline in the net income of First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPH) and SanMiguel Brewery, Inc. (SMB), respectively.

Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and Aboitiz Power Corporation (AP) also posteda 109.4 percent and 12.4 percent drop in net income, respectively, on account of loweraverage Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices.

First Gen Corporation (FGEN) suffered from lower equity in net earnings of associateprimarily due to the losses of EDC.

Likewise, the Services Sector posted a lower net income of P51.95 billion, down by 16.6percent from P62.26 billion a year ago. PAL Holdings, Inc. (PAL) registered a 168.1 percentor P5.66 billion decline in net profit as its passenger revenues were pulled down by the peso-dollar exchange rate fluctuations.

Press Release

Manila, PHILIPPINES Jan 2 - 9, 2012

Vol 1 No 30 P151st Alliance of Provincial News

Practitioners (APNP)

(MOBILE: 0915-5517486)

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SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA)has disclosed a two-point program which is expected to put the Subic Bay

Freeport in a more competitive investmentposition over its Asian neighbors.

In a meeting with executives of theInvestment Promotion Agencies (IPA)composing the Technical Working Group ofthe Philippine Investment Promotion Plan(PIPP), SBMA Chairman Roberto Garciasaid that he is now working on two pointsthat will encourage investors to come in.

The first point, he said, is the rationaliza-tion of investment incentives, which, whenapproved, will be given to all investors

SBMA bats for 2-ptprogram to attractmore investors

equally by all investment promotionagencies in the country.

“Here at the SBMA, we are not allowedto offer income tax holidays and that is adisadvantage [on our part] versus thePEZA (Philippine Economic Zone

Authority). The incentives for investorsshould be the same as with the otheragencies. Otherwise, investors will withdrawtheir proposals because we don’t haveincome tax holidays,” Garcia said.

Second, Garcia said that his administra

tion is currently working onmaking the incentives in Subiccompetitive with the incentivesgiven in other countries.

Press Release