COVID relief grants open to CA small nonprofits...

aid toward the end of the pandemic. We were very involved in advocating for this legislation to include small nonprofits, who were previously not given the opportunity to apply for state-reimbursed grants. This issue has become cumbersome in the sense that small nonprofits now have to go back and identify their COVID sick leave with payroll providers and apply for funds, and we’re here to make that process as easy as possible.”

Since being informed in very late May that small nonprofits would be eligible for SPSL alongside other businesses, Gibbons has spearheaded CalNonprofits’ advocacy work at the community and legislative level in collaboration with the small business lending platform Lendistry, which the state chose to execute the program and vet applicants.

“One of the most potentially confusing aspects of the grant application for small businesses is employee headcount, given that it shifted drastically for many companies during the pandemic,” he added.

The challenges that may arise during the SPSL filing process do not owe to a lack of interest on the part of nonprofits — “the Lendistry folks were impressed to see that our webinars have turned out more than three times the numbers of small businesses,” said Gibbons — but rather to the limited bandwidth of many small nonprofits.

“That’s where CalNonprofits comes in,” he continued. “Call us, email us, and we will advocate on your behalf as the go-between between you and your payroll provider.”

“CalNonprofits is the only partner working with Lendistry in California to identify eligible nonprofits, and advocate for them through the application process. This sets a precedent for more inclusivity with the way that we think about helping nonprofits in the context of state legislation,” Gibbons added.

An FAQ page for SPSL written by CalNonprofits and geared specifically toward nonprofit applicants is available at https://docs.google.com/document/ d/1u89v2Wpgmr5IdGhI2v5tAiVE_ lUXfO4xHY7HC3_sM1I/edit.

An informational webinar on the grant program, hosted by CalOSBA, took place on Monday, June 26. Eligibility requirements, an application guide, FAQs, and an application portal for the program is available at the California SPSL website (https://caspsl.com). (By Selen Oztruk/Ethnic Media Services) n fourth in command as acting chief of directorial staff.

A joint turnover and assumption ceremony — with Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, PNP’s No. 2 as acting chief for administration, serving as the presiding officer — was scheduled in Camp Crame on Tuesday morning, which was moved to late in the afternoon, until it was eventually called off.

In stopping the action of the PNP leadership, Abalos, who sits as Napolcom chair, cited Section 6(3)(f) of Napolcom Memorandum Circular No. 2019001, stating that “the assignment/ designation of the [concerned positions] shall be submitted to the Commission for confirmation prior to the submission of the same to the President for approval.”

“Civilian control over the police is a hallowed principle of our fundamental law. Rest assured that the Napolcom will carry out its duty to oversee and enhance the administration of the PNP,” Abalos said.

Changes

Under Acorda’s orders, Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., who was formerly the intelligence director, was named the new acting regional director of the NCRPO. He would replace Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo, who was named the new chief of the Directorate for Police Community Relations (DPCR).

Interestingly, Nartatez was among the five brigadier generals who were reassigned in early May when Acorda implemented a “minor reorganization,” his first reshuffle in the PNP.

Before being named as chief of the intelligence service, Nartatez headed the Directorate for Comptrollership for barely a week—which was assigned to him by former PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin days prior to his retirement and was criticized by some officials as a midnight appointment. Okubo would have been among the NCRPO chiefs with the shortest stint, serving for only four months, after being appointed in February also by Azurin.

Meanwhile, then DPCR director Maj. Gen. Mario Reyes was designated to head the Directorate for Logistics, while Maj. Gen. Jon Arnaldo replaced Nartatez as the new Directorate for Intelligence chief.

Brig. Gen. Ronald Oliver Lee was designated as the new chief of the Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development, replacing Arnaldo. Maj. Gen. Eric Noble, director of the PNP Academy (PNPA), was named the new head of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, while Brig. Gen. Samuel Nacion would be the acting PNPA director.

Brig. Gen. Alan Nazarro from the Directorate of Information and Communication Technology Management was named the acting director of the Highway Patrol Group.

Acorda’s third

It would have been the third revamp implemented by Acorda, following the May 8 major reshuffle of some senior police officials that affected the third and fourth highest posts of the force’s command group.

The previous reassignment orders of Acorda did not face any problems with the DILG chief. PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the current positions of the officials would be maintained.

“Let’s wait for the official announcement of when the new schedule will be for the formal assumption of office and turnover of these positions,” she told reporters.

“But until such time that there is already a new schedule, the concerned officers will remain in their current positions,” she added.

Acorda earlier assured the PNP members that “promotions, assignments, and designations will be based on merit, ability and moral ascendancy, thereby placing the right people on the right job.”

He tasked the members of the Senior Officer Placement and Promotions Board— composed of officers duly authorized to vet, select and recommend PNP officers due for promotion, and placement to key positions—to conduct proper deliberations “to ensure that their recommendations are fair, objective and acceptable to all.”

Abalos, in his promise to cleanse the PNP of scalawags, ordered last April an independent Napolcom investigation of the October 2022 raid that yielded 990 kilos of “shabu” (crystal meth) worth P6.7 billion.

On June 9, 50 police personnel, including high-ranking officials, were named respondents in the criminal complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman for their involvement in the anti-drug operation. n driver,” the BSP chief said.

Medalla pointed out that the current circumstance have allowed the BSP to prioritize its mandate of price stability by bringing back inflation back to within the two to four percent target range.

In the same forum, National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said the Philippines performed remarkably over the past decade, with GDP growth posting between six and seven percent.

Unfortunately, the streak was interrupted in 2020 by mobility restrictions and policy response challenges during the height of the pandemic, resulting in a sharp contraction of 9.5 percent.

“Nevertheless, the economy demonstrated remarkable resilience. In 2022, the full-year growth reached 7.6 percent, surpassing the government’s official target of 6.5 to 7.5 percent. The first quarter of 2023 also brought good news, as growth remained strong at 6.4 percent, indicating a continued recovery and a return to the highgrowth trend observed before the pandemic,” Edillon said.

Edillon added that two main factors have played a significant role: consumption on the demand side and services on the supply side.

“The reopening of our economy, largely facilitated by the relaxation of mobility restrictions, provided a boost to household spending, particularly as people eagerly resumed travel. The services sector, which includes retail, tourism, transportation, and education, benefited the most from the reopening, as it encompasses highcontact industries,” she said. (Philstar.com) n