LGUs
Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com
B4
Salceda: New Balik Scientist Act to reverse brain drain
LocaL government units
wednesday, july 11, 2018
Kadayawan 2018 organizers vow biggest fiesta yet By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—The Kadayawan executive committee has vowed to make this year’s festival the biggest event in the history of the city. On Monday, the 33rd Kadayawan sa Davao was formally launched to the media, revealing a more grandiose lineup of activities that will showcase the cultures of the 11 tribes in the city. Festival director Gatchi Gatchalian Jr. said the festival will be longer, with bigger prizes and more activities than in previous years. “Last year’s Kadayawan festival is already big, but we want to make it bigger,” Gatchalian said. “It will not be hard for us to market Kadayawan, since the stigma of Martial Law was already lifted.” he said several new sponsors like SM Development Corp. and Philippine Airlines that are willing to help the city put up a grandiose Kadayawan that the people will enjoy. City Tourism Officer Regina Rosa Tecson said officials are expecting more than 200,000 local and foreign tourist to join the festival this year. “Last year, we recorded more than 185,000 tourists through our hotel occupancy data. This year, we expect to exceed that and raise the number to 200,000 or more,” Tecson said. For this year’s festival, the Kadayawan committee prepared a budget of P44 million, P12 million from the City Government. The remaining P32 million will be gathered by its private partners. “We are really optimistic that we will reach the P32 million budget since we received positive response from the sponsors,” Gatchalian said. “We will also give incentives to winning team of the indak-indak competition. An additional P500,000 will be given to the winning team if they reached a score of 95% or more,” he said. Gatchalian explained they put up the incentive to encourage the performers to do even better than the previous years, to lessen their props and to add more dancing to their performances.
AGRI INSURANCE HEARING. Senator Cynthia A. Villar (seated center, front row), chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, hears a presentation with Dennis Funa (left), Insurance Commissioner, on how a system of insurance would greatly help small farm holders recover from natural disasters. During the roundtable discussion on agricultural insurance organized by the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association and the World Bank, Villar said Senate Bill 1759 or the Free Index-Based Crop Insurance, which she authored, is one of her priority legislative measures. Lino Santos
Makati backs ALS pupils with uniforms, supplies
By Joel E. Zurbano
T
he city government of Makati gave free school supplies and uniforms to 84 young individuals housed in two city-run caring facilities and enrolled in its Alternative Learning System.
Mayor Abigail Binay said 43 boys in Makati Youth home and 41 girls in the Social Development Center were the latest beneficiaries the city government’s Project FRee (Free Relevant excellent education). The caring facilities are also part of the city’s rehabilitation program for juvenile delinquents and young victims of abuse. “We have begun providing free school supplies and uniforms to these
young Makatizens as an added incentive for them to do good in the ALS program. It will prepare them in going back to school for formal education after they are released from the city’s custody,” Binay said. “We believe that children in conflict with the law and children at risk would greatly benefit from a holistic program that promotes their physical and emotional well-being as well as their intellectual development. It will help ensure
their successful reintegration into the community,” she underscored. According to city’s Department of education, each ALS learner received a set of school supplies consisting of 10 notebooks, 10 ballpens, and 10 pencils. They also received a pair of new black shoes, one set of school uniform, bag, pad paper, and a school diary. Deped-Makati chief Rita Riddle said that children in the said caring facilities are being taught through ALS with modified and individualized modules according to the needs of the learner. “Because of the constant support of the city, these children now have a better chance to pass the ALS Accreditation and equivalency or A&e test,” Riddle said.
TOWER AWARDS. The
Rotary Club of Manila TOWER Awards partners recently signed an agreement with RCM at the New World Hotel Makati for the annual Search for Outstanding Workers of the Republic. In photo (seated from left) are assistant vice president Charmaine Canillas of Petron Foundation, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello, RCM past president Grace Abella Zata of the People Management Association of the Philippines and RCM director Robert Lim Joseph, the presiding officer of the day. Standing (from left) are RCM’s past president Benny Laguesma, past district governor Robert Pagdanganan, presidentelect Jesus Pineda, and district governor-elect Rudy Bediones.
Lawyer’s quest on a bicycle to raise dystonia awareness By Ronald O. Reyes (Conclusion, continued from yesterday) SIx months after recovering from dystonia, a rare neurodegenerative disorder that affects muscular movement, lawyer JP Anthony Cuñada launched an advocacy to help end the misery of his fellow patients, particularly in his home province of Panay. According to Cuñada, his drive is one way of helping scientists, geneticists, microbiologists, and specialists by collecting the data that they need in their research. “everyone is doing their part in finding the cure for dystonia. And they are very patient and enduring to find the cure. I can’t do that intellectual distance. But this I can,” Cuñada said on what inspired him to continue biking despite his condition. “That’s why, on the other level I want them to know that, hey guys, there is also someone here like you who is determined or perhaps desperate to find the cure,” he added. “When the going gets tough in the laboratory, I want them to know that there is also someone here, although not in your field, but in another field, who is willing to go this distance to find the cure for dystonia,” Cuñada said in his message to the medical staff at The Sunshine Care Foundation and other specialists across the globe, while fighting back his tears.
Cuñada urged Secretary of health Dr. Francisco Duque to respond to his Dec. 13, 2017 letter, where he inquired on what Republic Act 10747 or the Rare Diseases Act of the Philippines can do to people with xDP, especially those who have not undergone Deep Brain Stimulation like him. RA 10747 orders the Doh to establish the Rare Diseases Technical Working Group, composed of a pool of experts on rare diseases from the National Institute of health and other agencies. A rare disease or orphan disease “is any health condition resulting from genetic defects that rarely affect the general population.” This working group is tasked with identifying rare diseases, orphan drugs, and orphan products. “has the RDTWG been convened by Doh? May I have the list of the names of these designated pool of experts? May I also have the list of disorders or diseases determined by the RDTWG as rare, as well as the list of orphan drugs, and orphan products?” Cuñada wrote Duque. “Also, what policies have been formulated by RDTWG to regulate the approval and certification of orphan drugs and orphan products? When is their regular meeting? May I look into significant Minutes that will help enlighten patients like me,” he asked in his letter, which remains unanswered. “Upon studying the Rare Disease Act, there might not be a need for a separate law on xDP [x-linked dystonia-parkinsonism]. RA 10747 is so
broad it covers all rare diseases including dystonia. But the RDTWG must do its job,” the lawyer said. “I would like to know if dystonia is listed by the RDTWG as one of the rare diseases in the Philippines. Because if it did, then, we dystonia patients can avail of these benefits enumerated in Sections 21 and 22, Article VII of the law,” he added. “I searched the internet and the Doh website about any information about the RDTWG, yet I could not find any,” Cuñada said. Signed into law by then-President Benigno Aquino III on March 3, 2016, RA 10747 “will help provide patients with rare diseases and their families better access to adequate medical care, health information, and healthcare products needed to treat their condition.” A person with rare diseases can avail basic benefit package from the Philippine health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth), which shall be provided in accordance with its guidelines; and medical assistance as provided in Section 8 of Republic Act No. 10351 or the Sin Tax Reform Act of 2012. Cuñada urged Doh to convene RDTWG before he will file charges against the agency. It is provided in the Anti-Red Tape Act that you must respond to a letter within three days, the lawyer said. Cuñada, who has been in the legal profession for the past 10 years, also asked President Rodrigo Duterte to intercede for them with the Doh and act on his concerns.
The Balik Scientist Act of 2018 (Republic Act 11035), signed by President Rodrigo Duterte recently, is expected to dramatically reverse the country’s brain-drain crisis and induce Filipino experts abroad to come home and avail of the incentives, benefits, and privileges it offers. “Filipinos are basically family oriented. Many of them venture overseas for better remunerations to provide for their families,” Albay Second District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda said. “Wherever they may be, they long to come home to savor and enjoy the emotional security of close family ties. Family cohesiveness is an anchor value among them and forms a vital part of their culture and traditions,” he added. Salceda, principal author of RA 11035 in Congress, said the new law serves this Filipino cultural orientation. Better still, beyond the package of benefits it offers to returning expatriate experts, the prospect of working in their own country near their families, and where cost of living is low, is an enticing alternative. Administered by the Department of Science and Technology, RA 11035 provides motivations for Filipino scientists and experts abroad, armed with latest know-how, to flock back home and trigger the inflow of needed modern technologies to help speed up Philippine development. Returning Filipino scientists and technology experts are expected to undertake mentorship, training, lectures, research, and development while in their country. Salceda said under RA 11035, Balik Scientists will enjoy benefits and incentives like exemption from licensing or permit requirements of the Professional Regulation Commission; accident and medical insurance; exemption from renouncing their oath of allegiance to their adopted country, if any; tax and duty exemption in donation of equipment and materials to DoST; tax and duty exemption on imported professional equipment and other materials; and reimbursement of excess baggage imposts. They can also participate in Grantsin-Aid research and development projects of DoST, enjoy one round-trip airfare originating from a foreign country to the Philippines, subsidized visa applications, and tax exempt daily allowance. DoST can also organize annual conventions of Filipino scientists to highlight successes of explorations and research.
Joy vows closer QC ties with gov’t, private sector By Rio N. Araja QUeZON City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Tuesday said she will seek closer collaboration with various government agencies and the private sector in fixing the city’s problems. She vowed to forge more partnerships with national government agencies, private companies, and organizations in addressing the socioeconomic problems of the city, such as poverty and housing. “Partnerships will be beneficial for us and if I become the mayor. I want to initiate more partnerships with government agencies and with the private sector,” Belmonte said. Through cooperative agreements and creation of interagency bodies to focus on issues, such as poverty alleviation, public housing, education and criminality, the city government could maximize the use of its resources, she added. “I think all our problems in terms of poverty mitigation, housing, livelihood education… these can all be solved with proper partnerships with the private sector, the non-government organization sector and with the public sector,” the vice mayor said. Inter-agency partnerships should be able to help the disadvantaged sectors in highly urbanized cities, such as illegal vendors, informal settlers and urban poor, reformed drug dependents and former convicts, senior citizens and persons with disabilities, and victims of disasters and natural calamities. According to Belmonte, the city government could work out agreements with Department of Labor and employment, Technical education and Skills Development Administration and other related agencies.
CIIF-OMG VS LAO: Coconut Industry Investment Fund Oil Mills
Group Chairman Eddie P. Delima and most board members of the group flash their fists after filing a graft case against fellow board director Rehan Balt Lao at the Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday. Lao was charged for willful misrepresentation in his social media accounts and for his failure to file his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth as mandated by law.