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News
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016
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DoJ chief warns erring BI agents By Vito Barcelo
WE WILL ENDURE. Newly-recruited coast guards run around the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex as part of their daily exercise. Ey Acasio
IN BRIEF More night airports eyed THE government plans to increase the number of night rated airports in the country to ease congestion and increase the number of flights. Night rated airports have the facility for night flight landing operations such as airfield lighting systems, communications equipment, power supply systems, air disaster management systems, and other systems for managing air traffic services. Among the proposed airports for night rating are Pagadian Airport, Masbate Airport, Catarman Airport, Calbayog Airport, Dumaguete Airport, Naga Airport and Cauyan Airport, said Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Assistant Director General Capt. Donaldo Mendoza. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Subic Bay International Airport, Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and Mactan-Cebu International Airport are some of the existing night rated airports in the country.
Teco opens essay tilt THE Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines has launched the contest, “An Amazing Short Break in Taiwan,” to encourage more Filipinos to discover the beauty of the Philippines’ closest neighbor up north. Eligible participants are required to submit a 500-word essay on why Taiwan is an ideal and safe place for Filipinos to visit. The essay can touch on Taiwan’s scenery, history, food, shopping, technology, cheap airfares, proximity to the Philippines, leisure farms, medical services, culture, lifestyle, Taiwan-Philippine interaction, shared values, folk arts, movies and education. In addition, one photo showing the beauty of Taiwan and a two-minute video describing your essay and what impresses or amazes the participant most in Taiwan are also required. Two First Prize winners will each receive one economy round-trip air-ticket between Manila and Taiwan plus three days accommodation in Taipei. Two Second Prize winners will each receive a Taiwan Asus Zen Phone 3 (worth more than P10,000), while the Third, Fourth and Fifth Prize winners will receive gift certificates ranging from P4,000 to P6,000. Contestants must submit their entries—the essay, photo(s), and video—together with their full name, contact number, and scanned valid Philippine ID verifying their Filipino nationality, to the email: amazingtaiwan2016@ gmail.com no later than 5 p.m. on September 26. The prizes will be presented to the winners during Taiwan’s National Day Celebration on Oct. 10 at the Sofitel Plaza. PNA
JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II warned the men and women of the Bureau of Immigration against corrupt practices that may lead to their being dismissed from the government service and even land them in jail. For alleged corruption and for failing to “improve their watch” over ports, the Justice Secretary wants to change the image of the bureau and even gave the BI leadership one year to improve the bureau. Vitaliano made the remarks in an ambush interview with reporters during the 76th anniversary celebration of the BI. But Aguirre also lauded BI personnel who have kept their integrity and successfully arrested foreign fugitives, overstaying aliens and aliens linked to cyber syndicates. “Keep up the good work, but don’t associate with human trafficking syndicate or bad elements,” he told the BI officers, personnel and guests.
In his speech at the recent 76th BI anniversary celebration, Aguirre congratulated the BI for its successful drive against human trafficking which contributed to the upgrading of the Philippines to Tier 1 in the State Department’s global ranking index on human trafficking for 2015. Aguirre also cited the BI for the Aug. 19 interception of 177 Indonesian nationals who attempted to leave for Saudi Arabia and join the Haj pilgrimage there, using Philippine passports that were fraudulently acquired for them by a syndicate. He said the twin accomplishments are just a few of the “viable indicators of professionalism and commitment” of BI personnel to their mandate as gatekeepers of the country. “You keep watch and assure us that no unwanted persons will enter our country to wreak havoc on our people. You tell us that no criminal will leave our country to escape the clutch of our laws that they violated. Please continue doing that and please do it well,” he said.
DAR aims to generate 30,000 jobs for farmers T
HE government is hoping to generate 30,000 jobs for landless farmers and women in 44 provinces through the P10.2-billion Inclusive Partnership for Agricultural Competitiveness (IPAC) Project of the Department of Agrarian Reform.
The National Economic and Development Authority has approved IPAC which aims to develop agribusiness, particularly in copra production, organic and low-chem rice, cacao, cassava, coffee, oil palm, muscovado sugar, abaca and rubber.
It will enhance linkage of 300,000 farmers and 650 farmerorganizations to viable markets and establish productive partnerships with relevant private enterprises. The project will assist smallholder farmers and farmer organizations in 50 agrarian reform com-
munity clusters across 14 regions. The project is part of the reforms DAR Secretary Rafael Mariano hopes to implement as he announced the prohibition of further land conversion in the next two years. “The [Presidential Agrarian Reform Council] has adopted the two-year moratorium on the conversion of agricultural lands. We are now drafting an executive order for President [Rodrigo Duterte] to review and sign,” Mariano said. He said that the order will cover all awarded lands under the Com-
prehensive Agrarian Reform Program, Presidential Decree 27, and other agrarian reform laws and agricultural lands with notices of coverage issued by DAR. Mariano said this will immediately protect more than 4.7 million hectares of agricultural land that have already been awarded to farmer-beneficiaries. The decision to impose the moratorium was reached after a meeting of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council, the highest policy-making body for agrarian reform, which had not convened in 10 years.
“The President fully supports [the] agrarian reform program, wants land distributed directly to land beneficiaries. [He wants] PARC to be more responsive to the issues by imposing timelines,” Mariano said. More than 621,080 hectares of land still have to be distributed to farmers. Mariano had earlier said the DAR aims to distribute a total of 400,000 hectares of land to 379,236 beneficiaries by 2019 which he hopes to fulfill via a new agrarian reform law since CARP expired in 2014.
42,000 PH villages to hold assembly day MORE than 42,000 barangays are expected to hold their respective Barangay Assembly Day on Sunday, the Department of the Interior and Local Government announced Saturday. Proclamation No. 260 issued on Sept. 30, 2011 declared the last Saturday of March and the second Sunday of October 2011 and every year thereafter as barangay assembly days. Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno said the 2nd barangay assembly this year shall include the discussion of issues affecting the barangay such as illegal drugs problem, peace and order situation, disaster preparedness and solid waste management, among others. Sueno urged barangay officials to discuss their compliance with DILG memo circulars, such as the implementation of the DILG’s Mamamayang Ayaw Sa Anomalya, Mamamayang Ayaw sa Iligal na Droga, allocation of a portion of the annual budget for anti-illegal drugs programs, projects, and activities and strengthening of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils. He said barangay officials and councils are also expected to deliver their State of the
Barangay Addresses which will include the presentation of their accomplishments and financial reports covering the first semester of 2016. He also instructed barangay officials to invite members of faith-based groups within the barangay, like Ugnayanng Barangay at Simbahan, civil society and other community organizations to attend the assembly and rally for their support and involvement in project monitoring and evaluation and in advocating good local governance. Barangay officials are also directed to undertake public awareness activities by hanging posters and banners about the conduct of the barangay assembly in conspicuous places like the barangay hall, plaza, main streets, public market or talipapa, or transport terminals. The DILG, through its National Barangay Operations Office, is spearheading the preparations for the national barangay assembly twice every year. The barangay assembly day on Oct. 9 is also part of the 25th anniversary of the Local Government Code celebration this year.
ABLE LEADERS. Terry Tuazon (right), president of the Philippine Association of Free Labor Unions,
together with pensioners of the Social Security System, demand the removal of SSS president and chief executive officer Emilio de Quiros. Manny Palmero
Travelers warned vs turbulence By Joel E. Zurbano AIRLINE and aviation authorities on Saturday reminded travelers to always wear seat belts during a flight, even when the signs are not illuminated, to protect them from possible injury if the plane experiences a sudden downdraft. The reminders came after a Philippine Airlines plane encountered clear air turbulence (CAT) on Sept. 13 which resulted in the injury of two passengers and four flight crew before it landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Civil Aviation Authority of the Phil-
ippines officials insisted that the warnings to air travelers is a must and for those who fell asleep during the flight to keep them strapped all the time. CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said airline personnel found that some passengers might not see the point of wearing seat belts which is a very important thing when traveling in a plane. Apolonio said clear air turbulence, particularly during typhoon season, could neither be seen nor detected by conventional radar and can strike even in the absence of clouds. He reminded passengers to wear seat belts all the time, “a little in-
convenience but it will save us from accident.” He explained that CAT can be present in almost all altitudes even in 32,000 feet or above, that cannot be detected. Ma. Cielo Villaluna, PAL External Communications manager, said it is already a policy of airlines to inform and advise passengers to keep their seatbelt fastened whenever they are seated or on their seats. However, she said, “a few passengers ignore the warnings and look what happened. Most of the injured passengers are those who ignored the fasten seatbelt signs.”
Hasten Yparraguirre probe, Ople Center asks DFA THE Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-profit organization that assists distressed overseas Filipino workers, welcomed the Department of Foreign Affairs’ announcement that it will investigate the allegations of 59-year-old Milagros Braza against her former employer, Ambassador Lourdes Yparraguirre, the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations. The NGO, however, said that
the DFA should act faster on such complaints especially since it involves a head of post. “The complainant sent a letter of complaint last February 3 and this was acknowledged by the DFA through an e-mail that it sent on February 11, 2016. “Seven months have passed and yet the department has not done anything to resolve this matter. This isn’t fair to both parties and to
the Philippine Mission to the United Nations because no less than the ambassador is being accused of violations of labor rights,” the Ople Center said. Braza who was kicked out of the ambassador’s residence in New York City an hour before midnight on Dec. 25, 2016, also submitted a sworn affidavit to the Philippine Mission to the United Nations last April.
In an e-mail sent by OPAS-Internal Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs dated Feb. 11, 2016 to the complainant, the DFA confirmed that it had received Braza’s complaint letter. Braza continues to await the formation of an investigative team to hear her complaint. The head of the policy center, Susan Ople, said that it was the slow pace of action on the part of the DFA that prodded Milagros
Braza to seek the help of the Ople Center as well as the media. “She was tired of waiting and Mila badly wants to come home. However, her red passport is expired and she is at a loss on how best to proceed. She told me that she is willing to see the Secretary of Foreign Affairs while he is in New York City for the UN General Asssembly to share her sad experience,” Ople said.