COVID-19 health emergency lifting

IT MAY have been too long in coming, but after three years, the government has finally lifted the nationwide state of public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a timely and appropriate move on the part of the Philippine government.

The speedy progress of the bill through the legislative process can be attributed to President Marcos Jr.’s certification of its urgency, which resulted in swift approvals in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The primary source of initial funding for the Maharlika fund will come from government banks, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and other government revenue sources. Its main objective, as outlined in the bill, is to promote socio-economic development in the country.

However, some lawmakers and economists have expressed concerns in the past regarding the bill’s potential impact on pensioners, as well as the need for stronger safeguards in its management.

Despite these apprehensions and concerns, Republic Act 11954 was signed into law.

In the House of Representatives, the proposed bill was authored by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, along with several other lawmakers, including Speaker Romualdez’s wife, Tingog Representative Yedda Romualdez, and presidential son Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.

The House bill received significant support, with 282 co-authors and a final approval vote of 279-6 on December 15, 2022.

On the Senate side, the bill was sponsored by Senator Mark Villar and received a swift approval with a vote of 19-1-1 at 2:32 am on Wednesday, May 31.

Senator Risa Hontiveros was the only one voting against the bill, while other senators raised questions about the fund’s necessity and safeguards during the short deliberation process.

The concept of the Maharlika fund drew inspiration from successful sovereign wealth

During a December 1 House hearing, Salceda remarked, “This is genuinely a presidential aspiration to finance grids, dams, national broadband, which are typically reallocated to other programs by tradition in this Congress.”

The MIF is expected to yield several positive impacts: shabu that arrived in the country in January that year.

• Enhanced investment capital: As a longterm source of investment capital, the MIF will contribute to economic growth and job creation.

• Infrastructure development: The fund’s utilization in financing infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, and airports will enhance connectivity and attract more investors to the country.

• Increased foreign investment: By attracting foreign investment, the MIF will inject fresh capital and technology, stimulating economic growth.

• Strengthened governance: The fund will be overseen by a board of directors appointed by the president, leading to improved governance and corruption prevention.

The MIF represents the Philippines’ inaugural sovereign wealth fund, with allocation across diverse assets such as foreign currencies, fixed-income instruments, domestic and foreign corporate bonds, commercial real estate, and infrastructure projects.

To fulfill its objectives, at least 70 percent of the fund’s assets will be invested within the Philippines, with strict prohibitions against investing in gambling, tobacco, or alcohol production.

President Marcos views the MIF as a “game-changer” and a transformative force for the economy, playing a vital role in his strategy to spur economic growth and job creation.

But is it true?

Or is the Maharlika Fund a vehicle for the kind of corruption we saw in the time of Marcos Sr.?

It comes close on the heels of the recent announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) that noted the decreasing trend in COVID-19 deaths, a decline in hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions, and high levels of population immunity to the virus.

According to the WHO, COVID-19 “no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern” and advised the transition to long-term management of the pandemic.

Following the presidential proclamation, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has said all COVID-19 protocols are deemed lifted.

These include the requirement for wearing masks in public transportation and other settings as specified in Executive Order 7. However, the remaining vaccines in the government stockpile procured under Emergency Use Authorization may still be administered for free to eligible individuals for another year.

The lifting of the state of public health emergency is the right thing to do as the latest DOH figures showed that as of March this year, some 78.4 million people had been fully vaccinated in the Philippines, or 100.4 percent of the government target.

Over 23.8 million of them had availed themselves of the first booster shots, while 4.4 million had yet to get their second boosters.

The President pointed out that although COVID-19 “remains a serious concern for certain subpopulation and requires continued public health response,” the country had maintained sufficient healthcare system capacity and low hospital bed utilization rates.

At the same time, DOH emphasized that while COVID-19 is now considered by health workers as similar to other illnesses like coughs, colds, and influenza, it is “crucial to recognize that while the state of public health emergency is lifted, we must remain vigilant and proactive in our approach to health and safety.”

The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions had become urgent because the pandemic had a devastating impact on the Philippines.

It battered the economy and left the country sliding into its worst post-World War II recession, with a record 9.5-percent drop in gross domestic product in 2020.

This was aggravated by the onslaught of natural disasters, such as the January 2020 Taal Volcano eruption and a series of strong typhoons.

Following the presidential proclamation, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has said all COVID-19

Government statistics showed some 4.5 million Filipinos lost their jobs in 2020. The average unemployment rate went up to 10.3 percent that year, the highest in 15 years.

That’s not all. The pandemic pushed 2.3 million Filipinos into poverty.

Based on the results of the family income and expenditure survey for 2021, about 19.99 million, or 18.1 percent of the population, were considered poor, reversing pre-pandemic poverty-reduction gains.

But last year, the economy showed strong recovery, with a GDP growth of 7.6 percent.

What’s important now that the public health emergency has been lifted is that the government can accelerate economic recovery efforts.

Convenient app for OFWs

We hear you, the Department of Migrant Workers seemed to be saying to their constituency, namely the 6 to 7 million overseas Filipino workers now deployed in the four corners of the curbing corruption in Customs. world.

The DMW has now issued a new mobile application that makes the required Overseas Employment Certification for our migrant workers.

And what’s good about it is there will no longer be additional fees to be collected from them for the issuance of the OFW Pass.

The announcement was made by DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City that we co-moderate.

Cacdac explained the mobile application aims to make the experience of OFWs easier and more efficient when it comes to securing documents prior to their departure from the Philippines.

The DMW mobile app, launched last week, streamlines the documentation process for legitimate OFWs, replacing the traditional OEC with the QR code-based OFW pass.

The app requires basic information and uploaded photos of the passport and visa information of the applicant, which will then be cross-referenced with the DMW database.

Once the information is verified, the app will generate a QR code.

The DMW database and that of the Bureau of Immigration are integrated so that the OFW Pass will serve as official documentation recognized by the immigration authorities during checks at the airport.

The agency targets about six to seven million OFWs who will benefit from the initiative once it goes into full implementation.

All this is well and good since OFWs can access 24/7 technical support through links within the application in case there are glitches and issues when using the application.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

Philippines must face once and for all.

AMONG the most notoriously corrupt agencies of government is the Bureau of Customs (BoC)—this assessment came from no other than former president Rodrigo Duterte, who was unable to clean up the mess there during his term (along with that other huge mess, Edsa traffic).

Considering how important Customs’ role is in nation-building, how come no mention of cleaning it up was made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation speech last Monday (July 24)?

During Duterte’s term, there were at least two cases of massive smuggling of meth into the country; in 2017 (P6.4 billion worth) and 2018 (P11 billion worth). Both scandals remain unresolved as of 2021.

In August 2017, then Senator Panfilo Lacson revealed the ‘tara’ payoff system in the BoC. This is a system-wide bribery scheme that benefits certain officers and personnel.

In 2019, Duterte announced the dismissal of 64 BoC personnel in relation to the concealment of some P1 billion worth of

In August 2020, Duterte asked the Department of Justice to “look into anomalies hounding” the BoC. “This is a very troublesome office for all of us historically,” Duterte said.

In November 2020, Duterte revealed the names of BoC officials and personnel dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman for various offenses. These are just some instances of mentions of the BoC in relation to corruption over the last few years. Even President Marcos Jr. is aware of the anomalies at the BoC.

In June 2022, outgoing Senate President Tito Sotto said that in a conversation he had with Marcos, the latter said that he was “bothered” and “disgusted” by the “corruption na mga pinag-uusapan sa DA [Department of Agriculture], sa Customs.”

In May 2022, Marcos said he would not focus on corruption that occurred in the past, that happened “not under my watch,” but would pursue those involved in corrupt activities during his term.

In his SONA speech this year, all the President directly said about Customs was that it increased its revenue collection by

7.4 percent from January to July 2023.

Indirect mentions of goods illegally coming into the country, however, were made. Marcos Jr. addressed the smuggling, hoarding, and price manipulation of agricultural products, saying this contributed to high prices.

“Hinahabol at ihahabla natin sila… Bilang na ang mga araw ng mga smugglers at hoarders na ‘yan.”

He also spoke of “unscrupulous law enforcers and others involved in the highly nefarious drug trade” and said: “I will be accepting their resignations… We cannot tolerate corruption or incompetence in government.” He made no direct statements about

But the smugglers and drug traders he mentioned would not prosper in their activities without inside help.

Why has one administration after another been unable to clean the mess in Customs?

Are they afraid of taking down the behemoth that the agency has become?

President after president, none has been able to fully clean up the operations there.

Customs corruption costs the government billions of pesos in lost revenue each year. This money could be used to fund essential services, such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

A corrupt Customs also makes it easier for smugglers to bring goods into the country illegally.

This leads to a loss of jobs for legitimate businesses, as well as the introduction of counterfeit and dangerous goods into the country. Damage to the economy also results from Customs corruption by discouraging foreign investment and trade.

It also leads to higher prices for consumers, as the President noted in his SONA.

Putting an end to corruption in the BoC is a complex challenge, but it is one that the

The government should take a number of steps to address the problem, including increasing transparency and accountability within the BoC, strengthening the enforcement of anti-corruption laws, providing better training and incentives for Customs officials, and creating a culture of integrity within the agency

In February, Marcos Jr. appointed Bienvienido Rubio as Customs Commissioner, who promised, among other things, to push for good governance by implementing sustainable reforms.

He also vowed to use digitalization as a tool to make Customs operations more efficient and transparent.

Let us hope he prospers in his plans.

The fight against endemic corruption in the BoC will not be easy, but it is one that is worth fighting.

If Marcos Jr. can clean up Customs under his watch, it will be one of his biggest legacies.

Let’s see whether he will make any mention of this in the near future – we shouldn’t have to wait until the next SONA.

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