BUSINESS Gov’t extends CARS program by five years

By Othel V. Campos

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the implementation of the incentives program for vehicle manufacturers by another five years, according to the Private Sector Advisory Council.

The council said the president supported its recommendation to give the participants in the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy another five years to comply with the terms of the program.

CARS is a six-year incentives program designed to spur local vehicle manufacturing by requiring partici-

In Brief

License plate confiscation prohibited, says LTO

THE Land Transportation Office said Friday motor vehicle license plate confiscation during apprehensions by law enforcers and deputized agents is prohibited.

LTO chief Jay Art Tugade issued a memorandum order to underscore the provisions under Joint Administrative Order No. 201401. The order stipulates that a driver’s license, student permit or motor vehicle can only be flagged if the apprehending law enforcer cannot immediately administer the relevant penalty to the vehicle or driver.

“In all instances where the penalty includes the confiscation, suspension or revocation of a driver’s license or student permit, as well as the suspension or revocation of the registration of a motor vehicle or impounding the motor vehicle, and the same cannot be immediately implemented, the driver’s license, the student permit, or motor vehicle, as the case may be, shall be placed on alarm until the proper penalty may be implemented,” Tugade said, citing the JAO. Tugade issued a clarifying memorandum after the numerous complaints raised by the public concerning license plate confiscation by LTO law enforcers and deputized agents.

Tugade said in his memo that all LTO law enforcers and authorized agents are forbidden from confiscating license plates if they cannot impound the apprehended motor vehicles. Darwin

G. Amojelar, Rio N. Araja

Globe to expand SIM registration sites

DIGITAL solutions platform Globe teamed up with local government units in Visayas and Mindanao to deploy and expand assisted registration sites.

“We have seen the lowest number of SIM registrations in Visayas and Mindanao, especially in rural areas. Our efforts to educate and encourage people to register are ongoing, and we are working with LGUs to make the process more accessible for those who need assistance,” said Darius Delgado, head of Globe’s consumer mobile business.

Globe also called on the government to support telecom companies to increase the number of registered users in underserved communities.

“We need government support to roll out infrastructure that can be leased by telcos in missionary areas such as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Marawi and other regions where telcos have a weak presence. Local government units are also critical in pushing for the registration of their constituents,” said Globe general counsel Froilan Castelo.

Castelo said LGUs may provide access to SIM registration venues, on-site registration assistance and training for local agents who can help facilitate the process.

Darwin G. Amojelar

DBP offers loan programs to meet PH energy needs

STATE-RUN Development Bank of the Philippines said it is prepared to provide the necessary financing to all players in the energy industry in support of the national government’s efforts to accelerate initiatives to meet the country’s rising demand for power fueled by a rapidly-expanding economy, a top official said.

DBP president and chief executive Michael de Jesus said the bank’s loan programs for the energy sector would be beneficial to firms seeking to expand capacity or venture into power generation projects especially in underserved areas of the country.

“DBP is ready to provide the necessary financial and technical assistance to all firms that are seeking new opportunities to meet the expanding energy requirements, especially in areas of the country where there is a resurgence of economic activity,” de Jesus said.

DBP is the eighth largest bank in the country in terms of assets and remains a relevant and reliable partner of the national government in serving the financing needs of strategic and critical economic sectors, particularly infrastructure and logistics, micro, small and medium enterprises, social services and the environment.

pating car companies to manufacture 200,000 units in a span of six years or throughout the life of the program.

The incentives come in fiscal and non-fiscal support to qualified participants, but only Toyota Motor Philippines and Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corp. passed the accreditation process.

Under the CARS program, the participant-companies were required to place investments on capital equipment to sustain production of 200,000 units each of enrolled models, which are the Vios for Toyota and Mirage for Mitsubishi.

The two companies spent over P9.5 billion in capital investments on machineries and parts manufacturing.

Members of PSAC said the program proved its effectiveness and value as a high-end manufacturing operation which greatly helped in the creation of jobs, transfer of technology and boosting global competitiveness by supporting domestic automotive manufacturing and stimulating investment.

The program is anchored on the resurgence of the automotive manufacturing industry and in priming the country as a regional automotive manufacturing hub.

It offers P9 billion worth of timebound and performance-based fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to each qualified participant to support new investments in fixed-capital expenditures in new parts making capability and to encourage large-scale production in vehicle assembly.

The approval came as Mitsubishi’s compliance to CARS is about to expire before end-2023, while Toyota’s participation is expected to come to an end by 2024.

Participants in the CARS program

STRATWORKS EXECUTIVES.

Strategic Works Inc., an industry leader in PR and marketing communications, announces the appointment of a new managing director and key executives to lead the company. Key executives steering Stratworks are (clockwise from right, seated) Mark Christian Parlade, managing director; Rey Ganayo, vice president for strategic planning and data analysis; Robbie David, vice president for client service; and Liezl Rustia, senior vice president for activations and digital marketing. As managing director, Parlade will be responsible for the leadership and development of Stratworks’ business and will play a vital role in leading its high-performance team to meet the company’s growth goals.