Solon: Re-classify tobacco products law

n By MARICEL V. CRUZ

DEPUTY Majority Leader and Rep.

Margarita Nograles of Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list group on Saturday said the series of seizures of hundreds of millions worth of cigarettes should prompt the re-classification of tobacco products as an agricultural commodity subject to the maximum penalty under Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.

DSWD, Aussie envoy meet on ‘SHIELD’ plan

n By MARICEL V. CRUZ

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary

Rex Gatchalian has met with Australian Ambassador to the Philippines HK Yu PSM and the Australian Embassy delegation to discuss ways to further improve the Department’s disaster response mechanisms, community development initiatives, and social protection efforts.

During the meeting, Gatchalian said one of his priorities is “to strengthen the disaster response system of the DSWD.”

The Australian Embassy representatives shared the Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities Against Disasters and Climate Change (SHIELD) Program, a disaster preparedness program supported and funded by the Australian government.

The SHIELD program is being implemented with 11 local government units in the country. The embassy delegation committed to share with the Department their disaster response framework and best practices.

The House of Representatives has already approved House Bill 3917 co-authored by Nograles and presidential son Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos. The bill seeks to classify cigarette smuggling as economic sabotage as provided under RA 10845 but its counterpart version remains pending in the Senate.

Nograles said the government is losing billions in potential revenues because of the massive smuggling of tobacco products, especially in

Mindanao.

Just a few days ago, police operatives intercepted P2.5 million worth of smuggled cigarettes as they are being unloaded in an apartment in Brgy. Tetuan, Zambaoanga City. Nograles said this is obviously part of a bigger shipment of cigarettes that was successfully smuggled into the country.

Very recently, sine 19,000 master cases of smuggled cigarettes were also confiscated by the Bureau of Customs at a warehouse in Indanan, Sulu.

About 1,400 voters took part in the referendum.

Barangay Boganga has 992 registered voters out of its population of 6,320 while Barangay Sagonsongan has 480 registered voters out of its population of 7,137.

Garcia noted that so far, they have not received any report of an untoward incident during the poll.

The manual voting started at 7 a.m. and will end at 3 p.m.

The split of the two barangays was proposed to better facilitate the delivery of services to residents displaced by the May 2017 Marawi siege.

CEB to begin Taiwan flights in April

CEBU Pacific Air (CEB) on Saturday announced it will start operating its Taiwan commercial flight service to and from Clark in Pampanga next month.

“The Philippines’ leading carrier, continues to strengthen its Clark hub by adding flights to Taiwan, allowing more Juans to experience its bustling night markets and delicious street food,” the CEB management said in a statement.

Beginning April 29, CEB will fly directly from Clark to Taipei four times weekly --- every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Return flights from Taiwan will begin on April 30 and