December is overseas Filipinos, Int’l Migrants month

THE celebration of the annual Month of Overseas Filipinos (MOF) and International Migrants Day will start today, Thursday, via various activities, programs and services benefiting Filipino migrants and their families in line with the theme “Overseas Filipinos: Rising to Global Challenges.”

The Inter-Agency Committee (IAC) for the celebration of MOF and International Migrants Day said the theme embodies overseas Filipinos’ indomitable spirit and sense of unity to overcome the problems they face as migrants.

P10,000 additional bonus for gov’t workers pushed

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has proposed an additional holiday bonus of P10,000 to government personnel in the form of a productivity enhancement incentive (PEI).

Most domestic travelers take a trip for pleasure, vacation

THE National Statistics Office said about 23.1 million Filipinos age 15 years old and above traveled in any place within the country, mostly for pleasure or vacation at 53.3 percent followed by visit to friends or relatives and attendance to family gatherings at 36.9 percent.

In Visayas, Negros Occidental topped the list at 1.7 million domestic visitors followed by Cebu, Iloilo, Leyte and Capiz. In Mindanao, the most frequently visited places were Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Davao Sur and Misamis Oriental.

Maritime sector urged to upgrade standards, connectivity via RoRo

THE National Economic and Development Authority (Nedia) called on the maritime industry Tuesday to anchor its direction on upgrading its standards and implementing the sector’s existing plans and strategies, including those outlined in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016.

Anti-poor housing law repeal eyed

REPUBLIC Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act (Udha) should be repealed since it is “anti-poor and has been instrumental at violating the rights of urban poor communities.”

Anakpawis party-list Representative Rafael Mariano, in House Bill 5443, claimed that the enactment of Udha has led to demolitions of urban poor communities to give way to development projects that favor big foreign and local businesses.

PhilMech eyes 156 tramlines

THE Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) is planning the construction of around 156 tramlines in various regions, including Western Visayas, in addition to the 107 expected to be completed before the end of this year.

Mall owners asked to establish emergency assistance service

MALL owners were asked to set up emergency assistance services in their commercial centers to ensure the safety of their customers especially with the start of the shopping rush ahead of the Christmas season.

While thousands of early shoppers are already flocking to various malls and tiangges or night markets, there continues to be a lack of facilities where customers can seek medical assistance and other emergency services, even in big commercial centers, stressed Cagayan Representative Jack Enrile.

BSP: Business sentiment improves

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said business sentiment continues to improve this last quarter of 2011 with the seasonal increase in consumer demand during the Christmas season and the steady remittances cited as two of the factors for the optimistic outlook.

Owwa told: Collect missing contributions

CITIZENS' Battle Against Corruption (Cibac) sectoral solon Sherwin Tugna is calling on the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) to fast track its collection of overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) contributions which were reportedly not remitted by its collection officers.

Increase in withholding tax on income payments eyed

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue is planning to increase the withholding tax rates on various income payments under Revenue Regulations (RR) 2-98.

As per the draft regulations, the proposed increases will involve income payments to certain contractors, whether individual or corporate, at four percent; on gross commissions or service fees of customs, insurance, stock, real estate, immigration and commercial brokers and fees of agents of professional entertainers, 15 percent if the gross income for the current year exceeds P720,000 and 10 percent if otherwise;

DPWH employees told to disclose kin doing business with department

DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways officials and employees have been ordered to disclose family members doing business with the DPWH in the last five years.

The disclosure statement shall be duly sworn and filed with the DPWH Central Records Management Division not later than April 30 of every year starting 2012.

BOC nets P36M antivirus software

THE Bureau of Customs yesterday said it seized around 18,000 units of branded antivirus software worth over P36-million for misdeclaration, undervaluation and illegal importation.

The misdeclared Russian brand Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 software, which arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) in one container, was detected by the BOC’s X-Ray Division.

Ratification campaign in support of domestic workers intensified

THE campaign to ratify the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 189 or the Domestic Workers’ Convention is gathering momentum with the drive going around the regions and provinces to reach out to more people.

This is to demonstrate that “efforts to bring vulnerable workers under the umbrella of decent work will not just be ‘ningas cogon’ but will soon be a reality,” the Labor department said. “This also attests to our capability to face up to our responsibility in responding decisively to the vulnerability at work of our disadvantaged workers.”

Free text, call services during calamities proposed

TELECOMMUNICATIONS companies have been asked to offer free text messaging and calls services to their subscribers in times of calamities and other natural disasters.

House Resolution 1845 appealed to the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, Globe Telecom, Digital Telecommunications Corporation (Digitel) and Bayan Telecommunications Corporation “to give the people access to free text messaging and call service in times of emergencies.”

DAR backs organic fertilizer

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is urging farmer-beneficiaries to engage more on cost-saving and environment-friendly farming activities such as the use of organic fertilizer to reduce their dependence on costly farm inputs.

DAR Secretary Gil de los Reyes yesterday said “the use of organic fertilizer helps cut cost on farm inputs while maintaining the level of production, as well as income of farmer-beneficiaries.”

Asbestos management plan in schools lauded

THE Associated Labor Union (ALU) lauded Thursday the Department of Education (DepEd) for its positive response to its call last month to remove asbestos-containing wire gauzes from public high schools.

The discovery of a wire gauze used in schools, colleges and universities that contains three percent chrysotile asbestos led to the call to phase-out wire gauzes laden with the cancer-causing asbestos mineral.

Trade office to strengthen SMEs via trade fairs

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will increase its support in improving micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and in expanding the opportunities for entrepreneurs through the continuous conduct of trade fairs.

Republic Act 9501 or the MSME Law provides more assistance to entrepreneurs by also requiring lending institutions to allocate at least eight percent, an increase from the previous six percent, of their total loan portfolio to micro and small businesses.

Probe on pilferage of letters, balikbayan boxes proposed

THERE is a need to ensure the security and reliability of letters, parcels or balikbayan boxes being sent by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), following increasing reports of theft and/or pilferage.

Employment Offices assist 25,630 job seekers

AROUND 25,630 jobseekers were assisted by the Public Employment Service Offices (Pesos) in Western Visayas in the first nine months this year.

In Bacolod, the local Peso reportedly helped 17,395 job applicants, of which 8,347 were placed and deployed with 2,317 for local employment and 6,152 for overseas.

P5.5-B stimulus fund for Public Works projects released

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now implementing an additional 376 projects under the P5.5-billion government stimulus fund.

Of the money released, around P695.4 million was allotted for Western Visayas. The amount is for the construction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, flood control and other projects, many of which have been damaged by the recent typhoons.

Drivers, operators join Pag-ibig Fund

THE Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Fejodap) and the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF or Pag-ibig) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to pave the way for the registration of the drivers and the remittance of their contributions to Pag-ibig.

The agreement, which was signed by Pag-ibig chief executive officer, Lawyer Darlene Marie Berberabe, and Fejodap president Zenaida Maranan, would also allow the agency to extend to Fejodap members its benefits such as the multi-purpose and housing loans.

Agrarian reform council to decide on 2 Negros SDOs

AGRARIAN Reform Secretary Gil de los Reyes said he would request President Benigno Aquino III to convene the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (Parc) as soon as possible so it can finally decide on whether to grant or deny the application for stock distribution option (SDO) for the 972.7-hectare landholdings of haciendas Teresa and Salamanca in Negros Occidental.

Dole pays P11M to 10,911 Spes workers

THE Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in Western Visayas has paid around P11.8 million as the agency’s share in the wages of some 10,911 students employed under the Special Program for the Employment of Students (Spes).

The program, which brought education and employment to poor but deserving student-beneficiaries, aims to strengthen the ‘bridging employment’ program to capacitate and enhance the employability of young student-workers.

Pag-ibig to offer penalty condonation for delinquent housing borrowers

THE Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-ibig) will condone the penalties incurred by delinquent housing loan borrowers starting January 2012.

In an advisory, Vice President Jejomar Binay, who also chairs the Pag-ibig Fund Board, stressed: “We are providing our delinquent borrowers an opportunity to make good on their housing loan obligations.”

January-October releases reach P1.462T

THE Department of Budget and Management said that a total of P1.462-trillion in allotments, representing 88.9 percent of the P1.645-trillion national budget for 2011, has already been released to various departments and agencies as of end-October.

In its factsheet, DBM said P822-billion were releases from the General Appropriations Act while the balance of P640B came from the automatic appropriations, continuing appropriations from the 2010 budget and from the un-programmed fund.

Housing loan pact signed for GSIS members, pensioners

THE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-ibig Fund) yesterday inked a credit facility agreement providing an initial GSIS allocation of P5 billion to finance the housing loans of members and pensioners through Pag-ibig.

No tax on PhilHealth premium

THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation said Tuesday no taxes will be imposed on the premium contributions of its members.

PhilHealth president and CEO Dr. Eduardo Banzon issued the clarification following a recent issuance from the Bureau of Internal Revenue imposing taxes on voluntary contributions to social security agencies like the SSS, GSIS, Pag-ibig and PhilHealth in excess of what the law allows.

Probe into ‘arbitrary’ reduction of solar power allocation sought

AN INQUIRY should be conducted into the alleged reduction by the Department of Energy of the capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants to only 50 megawatts (MW) from the initial 235 MW as per the Renewable Energy law.

"The DOE and the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) should explain the rationale behind the drastic reduction they made in the capacity of solar PV power plants for initial implementation under Republic Act 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008," stressed House Resolution 1785 authored by Rep. Florencio Flores Jr.

Call center tops vacancies

STUDENTS, fresh graduates and workers are urged to continuously enhance their skills in communications and other aptitudes since investments and demand for call center agents continue to grow.

Latest data from the Phil-JobNet system, the government’s main jobs-and-skills matching portal in the Internet, consistently affirmed that opportunities for call center agents remain on top along with other local job opportunities.

'D' world market sugar available to CBW exporters

“D” WORD market sugar produced this crop year 2011-2012 is now available to processors and exporters of sugar-based products.