Ex-bank executive files graft case against PCGG chief

By Rio N. Araja

A FORMER bank executive on Friday filed a graft complaint against the Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG) head Jose Agbayani before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Lucy Lapinig, ex-accounting head of the UCPB CIIF Foundation Inc., said Agbayani appointed employee

THE Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) has awarded accreditation certificates to 35 urban poor organizations from Metro and Luzon.

PCUP chair and chief executive officer Elpidio Jordan Jr. spearheaded the Luzon awarding ceremony of 13 organizations and the National Capital Region accreditation awarding to 22 organizations to enable the marginalized sector to have better access to the national government through the commission’s line agencies.

He said there is nothing more important than helping build resilient urban poor communities through the mandate and programs of the commission.

“Apart from the accreditation at predemolition conferences, PCUP continues coordinating with different agencies to address the concerns of the sector. Memoranda of agreement are being forged to push for the agency’s four banner programs,” he added. PCUP Supervising Commissioner for Luzon Andre Niccolo Tayag stressed the need to uphold the rights of the poor through the facilitation of pre-demolition conferences and accreditation of organizations.

Aside from assisting the communities in getting access to basic services, PCUP through its Field Operations Division has been closely coordinating with the appropriate agencies to help address land issues. Rio N. Araja

Mark Abelon without the desired letter from the Office of the President during the election ban on March 29, 2022. On June 6, 2022, and Jan. 11, 2023, Agbayani allegedly appointed another PCGG employees — Stephen Tanchuling and Sherwin Jan as director/trustee of Cocofinance and Cocofoundation without a letter from the Office of the President.

AGRI Rep. Wilbert T. Lee urged the government to find effective ways to encourage the younger generation to pursue farming to address an impending shortage of farmers.

Citing a study by retired University of the Philippines anthropology professor Florencia Palis, Lee said the average age of Filipino farmers is 53 — up from 46 in 1966. The same study also said these farmers have been working for 25 years.

“The challenge remains for the government to revitalize agriculture through modernization, which would shift employment toward higher-value jobs like equipment operators and others that utilize technology,”

Lee said. The study, “Aging Filipino Rice Farmers and Their Aspirations for Their Children,” also noted that farmers are actively discouraging their children from working in agriculture. “We have to show that we are undertaking serious and sincere efforts to improve agriculture, so that the youth will not see it as a “dead-end job,” Lee said The lawmaker noted that urgent action is needed to help farmers and fisherfolk, who continue to belong to the poorest sectors of society, have a better quality of life.

Lee stressed with improved agriculture, “we also improve the livelihood of our farmers and other producers and help them escape the cycle of poverty.” Maricel V. Cruz

Lapinig claimed on March 31, 2023, Agbayani wanted a monthly regular meeting with a P20,000 per diem to the PCGG directors and observers each, and that he “pushed for the management to hire his referral, friend/ kumpadre, a 70-year-old consultant, with a monthly salary of P120,000.” importance of the new college building because it will provide modern facilities to students who wish to study for free in various engineering courses. Aguilar expressed confidence this will create many talented and professional engineers from Las Piñas who will bring success and honor not only to the city but to the rest of the world.

She said the PCGG chairperson violated Section 3 of Republic Act 3019.

The city chief executive said the project is one of her projects to return the favor to the trust and tireless support of her constituents.

By Maricel V. Cruz

DAVAO City Rep. Paolo Duterte on Friday pushed for a bill mandating the creation of an additional division in the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) to further improve the body’s accomplishment rate in resolving labor-related disputes.

Duterte said that establishing an additional division in the NLRC as embodied in House Bill 4958 is “in support of its mission to resolve labor disputes in the fairest, quickest, least expensive and most effective way possible.”

The bill is co-authored by Benguet Rep. Eric Yap.

Duterte proposed that the divisions in the NLRC be increased from eight to nine.

As provided under the Labor Code, the NLRC’s first to sixth divisions are located in Metro Manila, while the seventh is based in Cebu, and the eighth in Cagayan de Oro. Under HB 4958, the additional ninth division will be located in Davao to handle cases in Mindanao.

The bill also provides for the addition of three NLRC commissioners, bringing the total number of the commission’s members to 27, including the Chairperson of the body.

According to its 2021 Performance Report, the NLRC maintained a high disposition rate and significantly reduced the number of its pending cases. The commission posted an overall output of 32,433 cases for compulsory arbitration of which 24,262 are original cases from the Regional Arbitration Branches (RABs) and 8,171 are appealed cases from the NLRC.