A2 Thursday, July 20, 2017
BMReports BusinessMirror
Pinoys hope Duterte keeps campaign promises in Year 2 Continued from A1
plan and the need to create jobs, boost social services and cut poverty levels. Asked what they hope to hear in t he President ’s upcom ing Sona, Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara said Duterte can also opt to unveil his administration’s plans for education, as well as job creation. Angara asserts the Duterte administration should address the need to create more jobs, since it has been a perennial problem. “We have the highest unemployment in Southeast Asia,” the senator said, even as he acknowledged there has been some “ improvements made in battling underemployment”.
Gordon’s list
FOR his part, Sen. Richard J. Gordon listed 13 “key points” for inclusion in the President’s Sona. On top of Gordon’s list is Marawi’s rehabilitation and redevelopment, including the development of Lake
Lanao area as a tourism zone, to generate employment and livelihood opportunities, saying this would “stimulate again the commercial instincts of the Maranao”. Second in the senator’s list is tax reform, saying it “must be reasonable but adequate enough to support investment in infrastructure required to ensure that the country is competitive and productivity loss minimized due to nonavailability of adequate infrastructure, leading to high costs and slow movement of people and goods.” He also endorsed the adoption of a “National ID System”, including a facial-recognition system, to minimize cr imina lit y and terrorism, as well as subscriber identity module (SIM) card registration, mandating all SIM cards to be registered to minimize human trafficking, including child prostitution and terrorism; discourage sex tourism, particularly foreign pedophiles, who are registered sex offenders in their own country; drug trafficking; and money laundering
Gordon also proposes inclusion of the postponement of the Marawi Barangay Elections and holdover of incumbent barangay officials until October 2018 to enable village officials to “help address the ongoing armed conflict in Marawi and the prevalence of illegal drugs”.
Peace, order
GORDON said the President could also endorse passage of the Campaign Finance and Election Automation Law intended to “level the playing field for all candidates by encouraging national debates on the candidates’ political and policy platforms.” Gordon also listed modernization of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces in terms of equipment, training and for defense and law enforcement to ensure peace and order. He also proposes amending the Motorcycle Law to require bigger license plates to ensure that numbers can be recorded on closedcircuit television and/or seen by
witnesses, as well as facilitate identification of witnesses. The senator, likewise, batted for reforms in the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) and special courts for the police by having a civilian head of the IAS; special courts for police cases so that disciplinary action is fast for all concerned. Gordon f ur ther sug gests refor ms to cover sa l a r y a nd t ra i n i ng of teac hers, say i ng this will encourage good teachers through competitive salaries and continuous training, especially in this time of rapid technological change. Next in Gordon’s list is to step up government drive to increase foreign direct investments. He said reforms should also cover domestic investments and tourist visits. He also prodded concerned authorities to address the worsening traffic problem. Last, Gordon suggests that Air Transport officials should move to “optimize the use of Clark and Subic”. To be concluded
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BoP deficit widened to $569M in June By Bianca Cuaresma
T
@BcuaresmaBM
he country’s balance of payments (BoP) deficit expanded to $569 million in June, the largest recorded by the Philippines this year, according to data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Data from the BSP showed that the June deficit is larger than the $59 million posted in the previous month, and a reversal of the $418 million surplus chalked up a year ago. Central Bank Deputy Governor for the Monetary Stability Sector Diwa C. Guinigundo said the development was due mainly to higher corporate demand for dollars that affected the foreign-exchange operations of the BSP. The large demand was coupled with debt payments by the national government to further drove the deficit during the month. Guinigundo said the deficit could have been larger, if not mitigated by the national government’s deposits with the BSP and inflows from the BSP’s investment income from abroad. “Although trade data are not yet
$418M The BoP surplus posted in June 2016
available for June, we surmise that while exports continued to recover, the expanding economy pushed imports higher, particularly of capital goods and raw materials,” Guinigundo told reporters. “This contributed to the recent downtrend of the peso against the US dollar, even as the overall macroeconomic fundamentals remain robust,” he added. In January to June, the BoP deficit reached $706 million, a reversal of the $216-million surplus recorded in the same period a year ago. Earlier, the BSP said it expects the country’s BoP to register a deficit of $500 million by the end of the year. The Central Bank was more optimistic last December, when it announced that the country would record a $1-billion surplus this year. The BoP is the country’s summary of transactions with the rest of the world.
Duterte streamlines rules for approval of govt deals Continued from A1
(GPBB) should they decide to tap into alternative methods of procurement. Government projects and transactions usually undergo public bidding, but State agencies are permitted to make use of alternative procurement procedures under certain conditions. The head of the procuring entity is mandated by Section 4 of EO 432, Series of
2005, to secure the approval of the GPPB before resorting to alternative methods of procurement for government contracts amounting to at least P500 million. To this, Duterte said in EO 34, “The requirement of GPPB determination and approval as to the appropriateness of the alternative methods of procurement to be adopted adds to the total procurement process and timeline and defeats
the very purpose of resorting to alternative methods of procurement, which is to promote economy and efficiency”. It is for this reason Duterte has decided to relax Section 4 of EO 432 to streamline present procurement procedures with the objective of achieving “a more optimal and expedient procurement system”. Under D uter te’s a mended procurement order, the head of
the procuring entity may proceed with the alternative methods of procurement as supervised by existing rules and regulations. For government projects and transactions amounting to at least P500 million, the head of the procuring entity must issue a certification under oath vouching that the contract falls within the exceptions of public bidding to ensure faithful compliance with applicable laws.
“ E x c e p t f o r g o v e r n m e nt contracts required by law to be acted [upon] and/or approved by the President, the head of the procuring entity shall have full authority to give full approval and/or enter into said government contracts through alternative methods of procurement allowed by law and applicable rules and regulations upon issuing the [certification], when applicable,” the amended EO 423 read.
The head of the procuring entity may delegate in writing this full authority to give final approval or to enter into government contracts through alternative procurement procedures. However, the head of the procuring entity cannot pass on the authority to certify under oath to another person. Duterte’s procurement order also requires the head of the procuring entity to submit to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) within seven days a complete report on the vouched procurement contract. Government contracts submitted to the Neda shall be accompanied by a complete execution copy of the contract, related agreements, annexes, other approvals and permits, including a detailed summary of the pertinent laws, rules and regulations.
Amla. . .
Continued from A12
of the 17 priority measures of the Duterte administration. Under the law, casino refers to a business authorized by the appropriate government agency to engage in gaming operations. On the other hand, an Internet-based casino is a gaming site in which players make use of remote communication facilities, such as, but not limited to, Internet, telephone, television, radio or any kind of electronic or other technology for facilitating communication. Central Bank Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. welcomed the development, saying the law is crucial for the Philippines’s battle against dirty money. “This is a very welcome development. It plugs a critical gap in our legal framework. It will significantly strengthen our ability to prevent the entry of illicit money into our economy,” Espenilla told reporters on Wednesday. The governor also said the AMLC Secretariat is already in the process of building up its manpower, in line with the expanded scope. Espenilla said the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the revised Amla is expected to be fast tracked and would be in place by year-end, at the latest. “The IRR will be developed in coordination with casino regulators notably Pagcor [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.].”