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Customs revamps officials By Vito Barcelo and Gabrielle H. Binaday THE Bureau of Customs has reshuffled port collectors and other key officials in a bid to improve its collection performance. Custom Commissioner Alberto Lina said the revamp affects mostly acting district collectors, a move seen to make its operations more “responsive.” Lina signed Customs Personnel Order 13-126-2015 which re-assigns Bonifacio De Castro, acting district collector of Port of Subic to Office of the revenue Agency Modernization and was replaced by Ernelito Aquino, Pendatun Alim, acting district collector, Port of Iloilo to acting district collector, Port of subic, Samson R. Pacasum, Acting Sub Port Collector, MCT Tagoloan to Acting Sub Port Collector, General Santos City. Honore R. Hernandez, Office of the District Collector, MICP to Acting Sub Port Collector, North Harbor, MICP, and Jennifer A. Lagbas Sub Port Collector, Sub Port of North Harbor to Acting Deputy Collector for Operations, POM. Lina noted that the agency hit its target only twice for the first six months of the year, the higher-on-target P35.657 billion revenues collected in March and the latest June preliminary data of P31.2 billion revenue collection. The BOC revenue collections for the first semester was also short of its target of P202.185 billion. Revenue collections for the first half of the year is short by 11.8 percent to P178.357 billion.
No to lakeshore road. Activists picket the Department of Public Works and Highways central office in Manila to protest the planned Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike Project which they claim will displace around 200,000 families residing around Laguna Lake. EY ACASIO
Lawmaker bares another LTO scam By Christine F. Herrera
QUEZON City Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo on Wednesday exposed another anomaly and corruption involving Land Transportation Office officials in collusion with unscrupulous insurance firms, this time amounting to P15 billion in bogus insurance coverage. Castelo made the expose after his office received reports that certain insurance firms, with the help of some corrupt LTO officials, do not actually issue insurance policies to motorists despite their insurance coverage payments. Castelo, chairman of the
House committee on metro manila development, had his panel come up with findings of overpricing of the P3.8-billion substandard car plates. Panel member Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano III said the anomalous contract of procuring imported but substandard plates
was being done to raise funds for the 2016 election campaign of the administration. Albano, along with Abakada Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz demanded that the P3.8billion car plate contract be suspended. In the bogus insurance racket, Castelo said they issue photocopies of insurance contracts with the same serial numbers to vehicle owners. Castelo assailed the practice of requiring owners to obtain Third Party Liability (TPL) insurance coverage before the registration of their motor vehicles at the LTO. “It has become a ‘milking cow’ of corrupt LTO officials and
incompetent insurance firms,” Castelo said. “The collusion has turned the bogus TPL insurance business into a P15 billion a year industry, but with little benefits for policy holders,” Castelo stressed. According to Castelo, more than 16 million motor vehicles are registered yearly, providing insurance firms a windfall, as this would mean at least P15 billion in annual insurance premium payments. “Yet, owners could not get the supposed benefits because of the stringent and numerous requirements,” Castelo said. “The TPL insurance coverage has become ineffective, unresponsive, and costly.”
Filipina pilots take to the skies By Rudy C. Santos and Eric B. Apolonio
Come fly with me.
Philippine Airlines pilot Capt. Marie Geraldine Gamallo, 31, is one of the 25 Filipinas in the country who are certified for transcontinental jets, like the Airbus 330 and 340, although their number is quickly increasing. RUDY SANTOS
FEMALE pilots are rapidly increasing and earning their seats in the cockpit in the maledominated airline industry with Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines records showing that there are now 25 certified woman pilots operating planes across the country in the first quarter of 2015. The first to earn that distinction in the Philippines is Capt. Aimee Carandang, the country’s first female commercial pilot who became the first full-fledged captain of Philippine Airlines in 1993, CAAP said. The demand for pilots around the world has continuously increasing through the years and the needs are felt even in the country. For those who inspire to become a pilot will face many risks and is therefore rewarded for its prestige for taking command in the cockpit and matched with a promise of a good compensation. But CAAP Assistant Director General-Flight Standard Inspectorate Service (FSIS) Capt. Beda Badiola noted that while the number of Filipina pilots is steadily growing, it is still small
“percentage-wise” with only only less than 2% of total pilots in the country. CAAP records show there are 2,605 commercial pilot license-holders, 91 helicopter pilots, 538 airline transport pilots, 66 multi-crew pilots, 46 private helicopter pilots, 2,769 private pilots, 4,074 student pilot license-holders and 68 student helicopter pilot license-grantees in the country. “There are so many female aircraft captains as of now, such as Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific (CEB) and other airlines to mentioned,” Badiola said. “More women want to fly an aircraft because it is a very challenging job and is mostly dominated by male pilots.” Badiola said even his daughter Ileen BadiolaLogos shifted careers and belatedly went on to become a pilot at 42. “My daughter is 42, married and with two kids, I asked her to learn how to fly. I persuaded her to change careers. She’s an AB Masscom graduate of Ateneo and a middle manager. Good thing is she adapted quickly,” he beamed. His daughter is now a licensed commercial pilot with instrument rating and on her final interview with a reputable airline operator.