IN BRIEF

Navy chief welcomes new PMA cadets

PHILIPPINE Navy’s Flag Officer in Command, Vice-Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. graced the incorporation rites of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Mandaraig” Class of 2027 as the guest of honor and speaker at Fort Del Pilar in Baguio City over the weekend.

Adaci congratulated the cadets for being officially incorporated into the Cadet Corps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

“The road to becoming an officer of the AFP is long, so I encourage you to face each obstacle with the conviction that you have what it takes to overcome them. Believe in yourselves, support one another, and uphold the values instilled in you at the academy.” he added during his remarks.

The Navy chief likewise expressed his deepest gratitude to the PMA for shaping the finest leaders of the AFP as the institution remains the cradle of military leadership, instilling in its cadets the values and principles necessary for a strong and unified military organization.

Incorporation Rites is the culmination of the rigorous and transformative summer camp as members of the New Cadet Battalion, two months after their reception at the Philippine Military Academy. Vince Lopez

SBMA chief sees Subic Bay tourism recovery

SUBIC Bay Freeport—Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman and administrator Jonathan D. Tan said he is confident that the freeport’s tourism industry is on its way to a full recovery.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier lifted the public health emergency in the country thru Presidential Proclamation No. 297 effective July 21, 2023.

Tan said “this encouraging development” provides Subic Freeport “an optimistic outlook” of its travel and tourism industry.

Tan was the guest speaker at the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) 2023 Luzon Cluster Regional Consultative Forum, where he addressed some 200 members, tourism stakeholders, and guests. With the theme “Sustainable Tourism: Leading the Recovery and Profitability of Business Operation in the Post-Pandemic Era,” the said regional consultative meeting aims to bring together the government and industry stakeholders to hear concerns and protect stakeholders.

During the meeting, participants and panelists discussed issues, concerns and plans to formulate joint programs ensuing that the interests of the stakeholders will be heard and protected.

In his speech, Tan took pride of the 99% tourist arrivals in 2022, which is relatively higher than 89% in 2019; and as of June 2023, 5.15 million visitor arrivals and 436,000 tourist arrivals have been recorded cumulatively. Butch Gunio

Mayor ‘Along’ inspects shop selling bad meat

CALOOCAN City Mayor Dale Gonzalo “Along”

Malapitan personally inspected an illegal warehouse located at Tuna Street, Kaunlaran Village, known to store expired frozen meat and meat products from China and Germany, on Tuesday.

Malapitan also commended the partnership of the City Veterinary Department (CVD) with agents from the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), which found five container vans of illegally-imported and expired products valued at around P30 Million inside the said storage facility.

The mayor also recognized the impact that illegally-imported products have not only on the health of his constituents but also on the income of local meat vendors and vowed to strengthen the efforts against said illegal activities.

The BOC will be filing cases against the illegal importers once their identities are known. Meanwhile, Malapitan directed the CVD to properly dispose of the meat products. Jun David

Under the Constitution, all money measures of the national government emanate from the House.

Romualdez earlier assured the people that “every centavo of the national budget will be spent wisely by ensuring that spending will contribute to economic and national development.” The money measure “is the most important piece of legislation,” he said.

The proposed national govern - ment budget for 2024 is equivalent to 21.8 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and is 9.5 percent higher than this year’s P5.268 trillion budget.

The House is expected to begin its deliberations on the budget bill next week. It committed to pass the measure before Congress adjourns on October 1.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) earlier said the proposed 2024 NEP shall continue to prioritize expenditures that will sustain economic growth bearing in mind inclusivity and sustainability, consistent with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, and the administration’s 8-point socioeconomic agenda.

“Guided by our Medium-Term Fiscal Framework, the proposed national budget will continue to prioritize expenditures outlined in the administration’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and cater to the objectives of PDP 2023-2028. It shall continue to reflect our commitment to pursue economic and social transformation to address the scarring effects of the pandemic, as well as the impact of inflation, by prioritizing shovel-ready investments in infrastructure projects, investments in human capital development, and sustainable agriculture and food security, among others,” the DBM said.

By Joel E. Zurbano

AT LEAST nine motorcycle riders were apprehended for taking shelter under a flyover on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA)

Tuesday morning in Quezon City.

Those who were caught were the first batch of riders who received citation tickets and fined P1,000 imposed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) under its new policy that took effect Aug. 1.

The violators were all apprehended while sheltering under the EDSA-Timog flyover.

The MMDA prohibits motorcycle riders from using footbridges and flyovers as shelters during heavy rains, saying such practice is dangerous not only to themselves but to other motorists as well.

“Starting today, August 1, motorcycle riders who are caught sheltering under bridges, footbridges, and MRT stations when it rains will be fined,” said MMDA acting chairman Romando Artes in his official Facebook account.

Artes said under the single ticketing system, the fine is P1,000 for those who violate road obstruction. He added antiobstruction laws have been in place for a long time, and his agency can implement it at any time or day.

“I repeat, it is not forbidden to take

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos

Jr. on Tuesday emphasized the importance of promoting the Filipino language as it helps in facilitating development in the country.

In his “Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa” message, Mr. Marcos said the use of the national language is vital in advancing the goal of transforming the Philippines into a more united and prosperous nation.

“This time, let’s pay attention to the power of language not only in the development of our minds and means of communication but also in enriching and advancing our collective knowledge to every generation,” he said. “Through the Filipino language, let us tell the stories and experiences that will be the solid foundation of our development.”

President Marcos said the use of the Filipino language plays an important role in shaping the country’s heritage and culture.

He urged Filipinos to show their love for the country in their own way by promoting the national language.

“More than a year has passed since we felt the sweetness of victory and the flame of our unity in the midst of the challenges we are facing,” he said.

“As Filipinos, let’s embrace the spirit of unity and patriotism as we continue to chart our future.”

By virtue of Proclamation 1041 signed in 1997, Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa is celebrated in August of every year.

Buwan ng Wika highlights the importance of Philippine languages in promoting communication, understanding, unity and progress in the country.

This year’s celebration carries the theme “Filipino at mga Katutubong Wika: Wika ng Kapayapaan, Seguridad, at Ingklusibong Pagpapatupad ng Katarungang Panlipunan.” shelter to wear rain gear. What is prohibited is hanging out and waiting in the middle of the road to wait for the rain to stop because it is dangerous and causes traffic congestion,” the MMDA chief said.

The MMDA made the decision following a recent meeting with representatives of motorcycle ride-hailing firms - Grab, Angkas, Joyride, Toktok, Transportify, Maxim Riders Food Delivery, and Move It at the agency’s main office in Pasig City.

LTO taps cops to regularly weed out fixers in agency’s offices nationwide

By Rio N. Araja

THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) is seeking the assistance of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct regular operations against fixers in all the agency’s offices nationwide. Its chief, lawyer Vigor Mendoza II, said the operations would include a crackdown on all fixers using social media for their illegal activities. including the identification of servicerelated loopholes that the agency could still improve.

“We are planning to conduct operations on a regular basis. Sustained operations by joining the PNP and the LTO will surely make these fixers think twice before engaging in their illicit activities,” he said.

The sustained operations against fixers would complement the deployment of the so-called mystery applicants who are tasked to report the status of operations and service transactions in all district offices of the LTO, he said.

The LTO chief said he is particularly interested in ensuring that the services down to the farthest LTO district offices are satisfactory, timely and are done with integrity and courteousness to their client.

The sustained operations against fixers and improved services are part of the good formula to drive fixers out of their illegal business, he said.

“The certainty that these people will be punished, I always maintain, is one of the best ways to address this problem,” he noted.

The public would not avail the help of these fixers if they see that the LTO is providing efficient and effective services.

THE provincial government of Quezon was able to make significant headway in the delivery of meaningful and sustainable services, Governor Helen Tan said.

Tan, in a speech, highlighted her accomplishments as the first woman governor of the Province of Quezon during her “Ulat sa Lalawigan” on Monday which focused on the delivery of health services and various programs and projects.

Tan explained that although there is still much to be done in fighting poverty, the provincial government was able to implement projects and services including health, education, agriculture, livelihood, infrastructure, nature and environment/tourism, and good governance (HEALING).

Tan cited gains for the Quezon Medical Center (QMC) which is now in the middle of massive physical renovation and management improvement.

She reported that QMC is now enjoying public confidence through its delivery of improved services. QMC was also able to bring down to 400 what used to be a 600 average occupancy for the hospital which has only 200 authorized bed capacity.

Tan also highlighted the implementation of PhilHealth’s Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama or Konsulta Package in Quezon as one of the five pilot LGUs where the public can access preventive care services including free medicine and laboratory tests for out-patient consultations.

As part of her continuing advocacy of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, which she authored when she was a member of Congress, Tan reported that she has signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) together with all the city and municipal local chief executives along with the Department of Health (DOH) for the implementation of the Province-Wide Health System Integration that is considered as the first in the country.

The deployment of mystery applicants is one of the strategies of Mendoza to get a clear picture of what is actually happening in the district offices,

“We must ensure that the services of the LTO are efficient and effective, and less complicated for the public. We will work towards more simple measures as we do away from bureaucratic processes,” Mendoza said.