News
A3
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
PDP-Laban to extend recruitment —Pimentel
Senate to tackle Open Access Bill —Bam By Macon Araneta IN CELEBRATION of the World Competition Day, Senator Bam Aquino announced that the Senate is moving forward with measures to remove barriers to competition in telecommunications and data transmission services. “I am happy to announce that the Senate will start tackling the Open Access Bill in my committee next week.” said Aquino, who is the principal author of Senate Bill No. 171, otherwise known as the Open Access in Data Transmission Bill. On Tuesday, the committee on science and technology, chaired by Aquino, held its first hearing on the Open Access in Data Transmission Bill, which will formulate regulations to encourage the entry of more players in different segments of the telecommunications and data transmission industry, while ensuring that safeguards are in place to maintain fair competition.” “The price of internet service in our country has been tagged as one of the most expensive in our region. Healthy competition is our best bet to promote for the Filipino consumers,” said Aquino who is also the principal sponsor and co-author of Republic Act 10667 or the Philippine Competition Act in the Senate during the 16th Congress. It was during Aquino’s tenure as chairman of the committee on trade, commerce and entrepreneurship that the Philippine Competition Act was passed into law. This landmark legislation took twentyfive (25 years) to pass. The Philippine Competition Act is expected to eliminate cartels, and penalize anti-competitive agreements and abuses of dominant players in the markets that lead to high prices of goods and services. In addition, the law promotes a culture of healthy competition that inspires ingenuity, creativity, and innovation in addressing market needs. The measure will also prohibit anti-dominant position that distort, manipulate, or constrict the operations of markets in the country.
DISMANTLED. Caretakers of pigpens in Baseco compound evacuate their pigs after workers from the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission dismantled their pigpens. PRRC executive director Jose Antonio Goita led the dismantling operation of the pigpens inside the compound following their discovery that pigpen owners unload animal waste into the Pasig River. Norman Cruz
Judiciary doing its part for transparency—CJ By Rey E. Requejo
C
HIEF Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Tuesday said the judiciary has already been implementing measures aimed at promoting transparency in the judicial branch.
Sereno made the statement in response to the call of President Duterte for the Supreme Court to allow public access to information on affairs of the judiciary. In a statement issued by
the SC public information office, the chief magistrate pointed out that the judiciary has already implemented reforms as part of its transparency program since 2012, even without the Freedom of Information
law, which remains pending before Congress. Sereno cited several measures implemented by the high court for this purpose, including the release of summaries of the statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth of the justices since 2014 and fiscal and financial data like disbursements from Judiciary Development Fund and Annual Procurement Plans. The chief justice also referred to the audio live streaming of the oral arguments of the SC and posting of relevant pleadings and legal documents on cases of public concerns in
its website. She also pointed to issuance of updates on relevant and current developments through the SC PIO Twitter page, release of bar exams results every year since 2013 and approval of new rules and procedures and guidelines to judges. Sereno said the SC PIO has been conducting press briefing on Tuesdays after each session of the high court. She said that apart from the reforms already implemented, the high court is considering more measures for purposes of transparency
in its affairs. “The Court is also deliberating on a draft Rule of Access to Information about the Supreme Court pursuant to its power to promulgate rules and its power to supervise the lower courts,” Sereno said. President Duterte earlier called on both the legislative and judicial branches to join the executive branch “in strengthening our democracy institutions by following suit and instituting measures that would allow unfettered public access to relevant information about their affairs.”
Stakeholders urged to help in education reform AFTER the passage of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, Senator Bam Aquino called on education stakeholders and leaders to unite and work together for education reform to give more Filipino students a chance at a better future. “Now that we’ve passed our major reform, giving more Filipinos access to a college education through the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Educa-
tion Act, we must move to strengthen the quality of education in the country,” said Sen. Bam during his speech at the 2017 Philippine Education Summit. At the event, various stakeholders including the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Deveopment Authority presented their accomplishments over the past year, the challenges that lay ahead and their
plans to improve access to quality education in the Philippines. “Let’s work together to ensure that there is a seamless transition from student to employee or entrepreneur through strong academic-industry linkages,” added Aquino. During his time as chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress, Aquino worked with stakeholders in the crafting of reforms that can give more Filipinos access to
quality education. While his chairmanship was a short one, Sen. Bam spearheaded the passage of one of the most important education reforms in the country–Republic Act 10931 or Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which he pushed in the Senate as principal sponsor and coauthor. The law provides free education to students in state universities and colleges, local universities and col-
leges and Tesda-run vocational schools. Aside from tuition fees, the government will shoulder miscellaneous and all other mandatory fees. Scholarship grants will be made available to students of both public and private college and universities. It also provides a new and improved student loan program, where students can apply for financing for other education expenses. Macon Araneta
Nearly 900,000 new voters registered for 2019 SK, barangay polls By Vito Barcelo NEARLY 900,000 new voters registered during the 22-day voters’ registration period for the 2018 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, bringing
the total number of voters in the country to more than 55 million, the Commission on Elections said. The Comelec said a total of 843,588 new voters applied to different Comelec satellite office in the coun-
try. The registration started last Nov. 30. The Comelec said that there are 54,363,844 registered voters nationwide in 2016 and with the new registrants, there is an increase of almost 900,000 in the
number of voters for a total of 55,207,432. This, however, do not yet include the 1,376,067 registered overseas Filipino voters. Comelec spokesperson James Jimnez said the figure includes 45,927 people aged
18 and above who signed up as regular voters, and 249,925 people aged 15 to 17 who signed up as youth voters. “This is because of the effectiveness of the Comelec’s information campaign,” he said.
Ombudsman chairs SEA confab vs corruption
RIDE SHARING. Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar and Uber country manager Laurence Cua on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, signed an agreement to promote the Uber ridesharing and carpooling app aimed at lessening the volume of vehicles on the road in Metro Manila. Norman Cruz
THE Office of the Ombudsman recently hosted the 13th Southeast AsiaParties Against Corruption in a two-day meeting on anti-corruption with an operational theme of “Prospects and Opportunities to Strengthen Cooperation.” As chairperson of the event, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales urged the members in this year’s meeting to focus on reaffirming the cooperation among the parties under a memorandum of understanding on the prevention and fight
against corruption; review and adoption of the guidelines of cooperation to strengthen and guide the regional cooperation against corruption, and the strengthening of the SEA-PAC programmatic interventions and action plan in support of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations charter and its purposes and principles. She also acknowledged the anti-corruption efforts of the SEAPAC in the region and the “formation and fortification” of SEA-PAC as
an organization. “With the massive adverse effect of corruption, there remains no other option but to confront it and pursue effective means in a concerted effort that will tackle and thwart corruption,” she said. “The war against the scourge of corruption must incessantly be pursued in all fronts. The battle does not end in jailing the corrupt, there remains an array of weapons in the legal armory that the region should utilize,” she added. Rio N. Araja
THE PDP Laban leadership decided to extend its recruitment for membership due to the overwhelming number of applications that remain pending, said Senate President Aquilino ‘‘Koko” Pimentel III. Pimentel said it will be unjust to arbitrarily close the gates when so many applications for membership remain unacted. “We decided to extend the recruitment deadline to give our countrymen the chance to be a part of PDP Laban and the change it advocates”, said Pimentel. Previously, the Party had announced that it will cease accepting new members by the end of November of the current year. But Pimentel clarified that despite the extension, the plan to consolidate the Party’s gains in time for the 2019 midterm elections is still in force. “We have to deal with the influx of new members and ensure everyone in the Party is aware of our ideals, goals, and values. 2019 will be an issuebased election, not a personality contest,” he said. The Senate President, who recently arrived from Beijing where he represented both country and Party in an international conference of political parties, said that the grassroots recruitment of PDP Laban is intended to effect change in the country’s political system, particularly in the adoption of a federal system of Government. “Our country needs a mature, party-based political system. PDP Laban will lead the way in this change,” Pimentel said.
Macon Araneta
Japanese cops, PDEA join forces in fight vs Illegal drugs By Rio N. Araja PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino on Tuesday welcomed the partnership with Japan’s National Police Agency to fight illegal drugs. The PDEA chief warmly welcomed the arrival of the members of a Japanese delegation who paid a courtesy visit to PDEA and its officials, as the two agencies agreed to promote closer interaction and stronger bilateral cooperation against illegal drug trafficking. “Their visit to the PDEA national headquarters in Quezon City served as an avenue to showcase PDEA’s accomplishments, operational capabilities and facilities for them to have a better understanding of our organization and the current drug trends affecting the national drug situation in the country,” Aquino said. He added that the meeting was an excellent opportunity to open lines of communication, share operational experiences and knowledge about international drug syndicates engaged in drug trafficking and the best possible practices, he added. According to Aquino, the diplomatic cooperation and exchange of information relative to drug trafficking between PDEA and Japan dates back 11 years ago with the signing of a record of discussion between the agency and the Japan Coast Guard on Oct. 3, 2006.