News
CHECKPOINT. Policemen
inspect identification at a checkpoint to deter volcanoaffected residents from returning to their homes in Agoncillo town, Batangas on Jan. 15. AFP
RESCUED CATTLE. A cow and its owner walk along a volcanic ash-covered road as they are brought to a safer place by their owners in FOOD LINE. Evacuees from Barangay Sampaloc, in Talisay, Batanngas in a gym in Agoncillo town, Batangas on Jan. 15. AFP PUP Sto. Tomas, Batangas line up during the distribution of food.
MUD EVERYWHERE. This a bird’s eye view of roofs of houses covered with mud, as
Taal Volcano erupts in Laurel town, Batangas on Jan. 15. AFP
Use logbook in transactions, agencies told PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has floated the possibility of requiring all state departments and offices to use a logbook to record their respective transactions in a bid to fast-track the release of government funds, especially after Taal Volcano erupted. He said this after Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado on Tuesday told the local officials of Batangas present during the situation briefing to use their respective calamity funds first before seeking help from the national government. “Can you abbreviate the protocols? Make it easy. For example, if the request is there, you write it on a logbook. Siguro after two or one day, you can release the fund. If it’s there and if it’s for the spending, when there is really need to inquire with their— what are you going to do with the money and how are you spending it,” President Duterte said. The President, who called himself a “very impatient man,” also lamented over the slow government transactions which delay public services, even in times of calamity. “I will require every department, all of you Cabinet members, ask the bureaus to have a logbook,” Duterte said. “Tell them, you write all the things that you need for a particular transaction or paper or document in your office. List it in the logbook when it was submitted. Then, in another logbook or across it, indicate when it was released so I will audit it,” he added. Avisado explained that local government units need to show first that their calamity funds have dried up before seeking help from the national government. “This is our standard in the DBM [Department of Budget and Management] that before the national government gives you help, you need to show that you have spent your funds first,” Avisado said. MJ Blancaflor
EXODUS. Mask-clad residents ride in a jeepney as they evacuate their homes in Laurel town, Batangas on Jan.15. AFP
A3
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Communism, drugs hinder PH economy, says Duterte T By MJ Biancaflor
HE Philippine economy’s growth is losing steam because of the perennial problems of illegal drugs and communism in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday. In a speech delivered in Batangas City, the President admitted that he was having difficulty in improving the country’s economy because he was spending most of his time addressing the rampant narcotics trade and the decades-long insurgency in a situation briefing attended by Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas in the wake of Taal Volcano eruption. President Duterte said the only way to further boost the economy is to neutralize all the big-time drug offenders, as well as the members of the communist’s armed wing, the New People’s Army. “I cannot improve the standing of our economy if marami akong kalaban, itong mga droga at itong NPA (if we have so many enemies, the drug personalities and NPA insurgents),” he said during a situation briefing on the effects of the Taal Volcano eruption. Since Duterte assumed office in July 2016 until Nov. 30, 2019, a total of 151,601 legitimate anti-drug operations led to the arrest of 220,728 drug offenders
FISSURE. Motorists maneuver a huge fissure caused by Taal Volcano eruption, along a highway in Lemery town, Batangas on Jan.15. AFP
Drugstores vow not to raise prices of face masks By Othel V. Campos and Macon Ramos-Araneta DRUG and medical stores gave their commitment to the Trade department to keep the prices of N95, surgical, and other similar masks at pre-eruption level as the country faces the effects of the phreatic eruption of Taal Volcano. Upon receipt of public reports about the rampant selling of overpriced medical masks in the market, the Department immediately mobilized monitoring teams in the affected areas of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, and Metro Manila to monitor the prices and supply of these products, including prices of basic necessities and prime commodities. Monitoring reports revealed that N95 masks are sold at P120 up to P150 per piece while surgical masks that were priced at P1 per piece were sold at P4 per piece after the Taal eruption. Supplies were mostly sold out due to an increase in public demand as ashfall enveloped nearby cities and provinces
surrounding Taal. “While we recognize that the N95, surgical, and other similar masks as medical supplies are under the jurisdiction of the Health department, the Trade department readily dispersed its teams to monitor the prices and supply of these masks to assist the Health department and the consumers. We understand that its utmost priority is ensuring the lives and health safety of those who are affected by the phreatic eruption. Market surveillance and monitoring is the best form of immediate assistance that the Trade department can provide. As the President constantly underscores, A whole-of-government approach is highly necessary and called for especially during times of calamities and disasters,” said Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez. The Trade department further clarified that these masks are neither classified as basic nor prime good under the Price Act. Therefore, these have no Suggested Retail Prices and were never part of the list of products being monitored by the Health
department or any of the implementing agencies of the said law. However, the Price Act provides that the National Price Coordinating Council in which the Trade and Health departments are part of, can recommend to the President the inclusion of these masks in the list of basic or prime goods. When approved, the NPCC through the recommendation of the Health Department and in consultation with relevant stakeholders can set an SRP, if found necessary. Since stocks of the medical masks are depleted, the Trade department spoke with local suppliers and major drug store chains such as Mercury Drug, Watsons, and Southstar Drug, to ensure that they immediately restock and ensure constant availability of supply in their branches, especially those located in the affected areas. At the interim, current inventory in their branches and warehouses in non-affected areas will be distributed to their stores in CALABARZON and Metro Manila while waiting for the arrival of new stocks.
Meralco restores power in Tagaytay affected by Taal eruption By Alena Mae S. Flores POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. was able to restore some circuits in Tagaytay City affected by the Taal eruption thus reducing the number of affected customers by outages to 122,761 from around 150,000. The Energy department said those affected by the power outages will continue to go down “as the linemen and the other field personnel continue to clean and restore the electricity services.” Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said areas still affected by the eruption as of 10 a.m. Wednesday includes portions of Sta. Rosa, Cabuyao, Calamba, Biñan in Laguna, portions of Talisay in Batangas, portions of Silang, Amadeo, Alfonso, Mendez-Nuñez, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Dasmariñas, Indang, Maragondon, Naic, Trece Martirez in Cavite and portions of Tagaytay City. Batangas I Electric Cooperative Inc. and Batangas II Electric Cooperative Inc., are also working to restore the electricity
services to areas surrounding the Taal Lake. Affected municipalities in the franchise area of BATELEC 1 includes Agoncillo, San Nicolas, parts of Calaca and Lemery, Sta. Teresita, and parts of San Luis with 23,916 households for reconnection. Affected municipalities of BATELEC II includes Tanauan City, Talisay, and Laurel with 19,989 household connections for restoratio. “The Department of Energy [DOE] is closely coordinating with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center [NDRRM], as well as all the members of the energy family for subsequent updates and information pertinent to the status of energy facilities and systems, or any other emerging problem that may affect energy supply in concerned areas,” the agency said. It said state-run National Power Corp. has activated its contingency forces, which handles the close monitoring of power plants’ status and operations, in partnership with the DOE’s Electric
and the deaths of 5,552 drug suspects. In his speech, Duterte reiterated that Batangas remains to be a “red spot” because it still serves as a “sanctuary for a drug personality.” Lashing out anew at drug personalities, Duterte said it would be better to “kill” them since they are already considered as “useless idiots.” “Drugs will destroy my country. I will not allow it, at least not during my term. Drugs will kill the youth of the land,” he said. “A good number of them would be, alam mo ‘pag nabuang sa droga, nabuang na talaga iyan (you know, they will get insane because of drugs). Wala na (They will be useless),” the President added. Meanwhile, NPA insurgents continued to launch attacks against government troops, even after the President in November last year expressed openness to the possible resumption of moribund talks with communists’ political wing, the National Democratic Front.
Power Industry Management Bureau and the Task Force on Energy Resiliency. As of Jan. 15, the department said several plants are running below capacity or derated as they were affected by ash fall. These are Team Energy Corp.’s Pagbilao coal-fired power plant unit 1 and 2, Pagbilao Energy Corp.’s Pagbilao coalfired power plant unit 3, Quezon Power Philippines Ltd. coal-fired power plant, San Buenaventura Power Ltd. coal-fired power plant, KEPCO Ilijan Corp. Ilijan Natural gas-fired power plant Block 1 and Block 2. Meanwhile, grid operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines is implementing contingency measures, as it continues monitoring the effects of volcanic activity of Taal Volcano on transmission facilities. The following transmission lines are still out as of Wednesday, namely BinanCalaca 230kV Line, Calaca-Malamig 230kV Line, Dasmariñas-Ilijan 500kV Line and Tayabas-Dasmariñas 500kV Line.
2 months needed to process prison returnees—DOJ By Rey E. Requejo THE Bureau of Corrections has asked for two months more to complete the processing of the papers of the remaining 410 former prisoners who were prematurely released on account of the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law but opted to surrender upon orders of President Rodrigo Duterte last year, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Wednesday. Guevarra said that he had already approved the request of BuCor Director General Gerald Bantag to give them until March to process the remaining 410 returnees due to limited resources. “They said they don’t want to make any mistake again, and DG Bantag is very, very careful,” Guevarra told reporters during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum. “So I said okay. We’ll give you that grace period that you are requesting on one condition. And the condition is during the interim, while these PDLs [persons deprived of liberty] are waiting for you to process their papers, make sure that they are properly fed, they are properly accommodated, and they are safe,” Guevarra said. A total of 2,352 CGTA’s released prisoners returned to BuCor’s custody last year to heed President Duterte’s ultimatum for freed heinous crime convicts to surrender and serve the remainder of their sentences. The PDLs were prematurely released due to misapplication of the GCTA Law. However, BuCor original list of expected surrenderers turned out to contain errors, and many of those who surrendered are apparently qualified for release after all. In a recent report to Guevarra, the BuCor chief said 410 returning PDLs are staying in a covered court at the New Bilibid Prison and 24 are at the Correctional Institute for Women.