TOLLWAY FEE HIKE TO GRAVELY AFFECT MSEs IN BICOL, SALCEDA

LEGAZPI CITY --- Bicol is making a big noise over the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) toll fee increase issue because most of the travelers are the lynchpins of the regions Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE) which account to almost all businesses in Bicol, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said.

Salceda, explaining his strong opposition to the proposed SLEx toll fee increase said , “viajeros and compradors” (travelers and traders) are the key players or the binding forces in rural markets, representing 99 percent of businesses in the region.

Bicol travelers and traders using vehicles account for only 15 percent of the total vehicular traffic at SLEx and Albay is estimated at 4 percent.

Asked why he became the prime mover against SLEx toll fee hike, Salceda admitted that it should be Batnagas and Quezon provinces that should be at the forefront of this cause but Bicol would be economically affected.

He said the 4 percent actually translates to P400 million per annum and this becomes big when compared to the province nominal aggregate household income of P18 billion using 2006 Family Income and Expenditures Survey (FIES).

Using only the incremental impact of the approved toll hike (4% of P9,8bn less 4% of P2.7bn), this represents a net resource transfer from our provincial economy of P280m, although small it represents a third of the provincial budget of P920 million a year.

“Being a governor, I have the mandate to manage local economic development effort to reduce poverty, the revenue lost due to the toll fee hikes is a huge resource outflow that could be saved and retained in our local economy,” Salceda said.

The money could be used by our households for their basic needs and by small businesses to invest. It is quite an effort to raise revenues or to attract new investments, he said.

We are all for infrastructure modernization. But for whom? And at whose expense?

Reports have it that once a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) is issued by the Supreme Court (SC) against SLEx this would send negative signals on the country's policy predictability and undermine its attraction as an investment destination.

Salceda, said it is optimistic that his petition for a TRO would be granted because: the STOA joint venture was not subjected to procurement procedures- it was neither bided out or even Swiss-challenged; and the toll fee was not subjected to notice and hearing.

The former Arroyo economic adviser said “It is the judgment call of the investor to take the intrinsic risks as a consequence of such utter lack of transparency behind such shocking quadrupling of rates. Common sense would easily tell you that such lethal combination would trigger a public outcry.”

Salceda said in the six cases pending at the SC, the TRB is represented by DOJ and PNCC by OGCC.

TRB is the first party to the STOA that stipulated the toll fee per km with formula for inflationary adjustment, who then represents the people, the consumers, the motorists, the rural viajeros, the farmers in all of this, he asked. (PNA Bicol)


DENR LAUNCHES CADASTRAL SURVEY PROJECT IN CAMARINES SUR

LEGAZPI CITY – A cadastral survey project is now ongoing in Pasacao,Camarines Sur, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources here said.

Engr. Pedro Noble, DENR Regional Technical Director for Land Management Service said the project launching of Cad-480-D, Pasacao Cadastre was held last week at the Pasacao Livelihood Center, with local government officials and barangay chairmen and other officials in attendance.

At the launching program Noble appealed for support and asked all the barangay chairmen, and officials present to inform their respective constituents about the importance of the cadastral project.

“We need the support and cooperation of all, especially the landowners and claimants so that the project can be completed successfully,“ Noble said.

Cadastral survey refers to survey made to determine the metes and bounds of all parcels within an entire municipality or city for land registration and other purposes. (ASAraya, DENR V/PIA)

NPA REBELS TORCHED DOWN MINING FACILITY IN CAMARINES NORTE

CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur – Suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) torched down a building owned by a mining company in Camarines Norte early Wednesday morning, a military official said.

Major Harold Cabunoc, spokesperson 9ID of Philippine Army, said that at least five heavily armed rebels burned down a building owned by El Dore Mining Corporation in Barangay Dumagmang in Labo town.

Cabunoc said that no one was injured in the burning incident while the amount of damages is yet to be determined.

“This could be another attack against business firms that refuse to give extortion money to the terrorist rebels. The 902nd Military Brigade is already conducting a thorough investigation regarding this matter,” said Cabunoc.

Barely a month ago, motor graders owned by a construction firm were also burned down by NPA rebels in Camarines Sur followed by a bombing attempt against a Globe cell site in Masbate Province.

Major General Ruperto Pabustan, 9ID commanding general, has direct all line units to remain vigilant and implement countermeasures to preempt the attacks against ‘soft targets’ such as government facilities, civilian-owned business establishments and unarmed soldiers. (HMCabunoc, DPAO 9ID PA/PIA)

500 ARMY SOLDIERS HELP CLEAN THE BINASAGAN RIVER IN CAMARINES SUR

CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur – 500 Army soldiers stockpiled their service firearms and flocked to a river in CamSur for de-clogging operations today, a military report said.

Major Harold Cabunoc, Division Spokesperson said that the Binasagan River over-flowed during heavy rains last year, leaving hundreds of soldiers stranded inside the camp.

“If we are stranded due to heavy flooding, we might end up unable to send our Disaster Response teams to save the victims of natural disasters. Likewise, the protection of this river is the responsibility of the community and the soldiers who are assigned here,” said Cabunoc.

Colonel Arthur Ang, the Chief of Staff of the 9th Infantry Division led the soldiers during the clean-up drive which kicked-off at 6:00am.

“It is part of our sworn duty to protect the environment. In our Oath of a Filipino soldier, we commit ourselves to be ‘maka-kalikasan’ (pro-environment),” Ang proudly declared in a TV interview.

A week ago, the Disaster Response Operations Platoon has completed its training activities in preparation to the foreseen natural disasters which plague the Bicol Region every year.

Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and gadgetry, the DRO platoon will be deployed to conduct search and rescue operations ‘anytime and anywhere’.

Presently, the DRO platoon is re-echoing their skills and techniques to all disaster response teams assigned to the brigades and battalions.

Major General Ruperto Pabustan, Commander of the 9th Infantry Division, has directed the subordinate units to activate their own teams to be deployed for disaster response operations in their respective area of responsibility. (HMCabunoc, DPAO 9ID PA/PIA)

KALAHI-CIDDS INTEGRATES CCA, DRR
ON POVERTY REDUCTION MEASURES

LEGAZPI CITY — The world’s climate is changing--higher temperature, rising sea levels, and more frequent weather-related disasters that pose risks for agriculture, food and water supplies--scenes like these play out in developing countries like the Philippines.

Developing countries are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because of high dependence on natural resources and the limited capacity to cope with these impacts. They will have to ensure their development policies and strategies are resilient to a changing climate. International donors like the World Bank (WB) have a critical role to play in supporting such efforts.

The World Bank representatives from the Philippines are currently coming up with a framework for “integrating Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA)” in KALAHI-CIDSS project in Bicol.

The conduct of the research aims to develop a framework and enhance awareness on practical integrated CCA and DRM approaches at the community level that will reduce the risk of disaster by identifying activities on the implementation of KALAHI-CIDSS: KKB.

WB representatives visited the municipalities of Juban, Sorsogon and Presentacion, Camarines Sur.

The group conducted a focused group discussion with the community volunteers in Barangays Taboc, Tinago and Sablayan in Sorsogon, Cagnipa and Maangas in Camarines Sur.

The conduct of the WB study indicates that most of the community doesn’t have institutions, policy and budget for DRM preparedness and response and early warning system is dependent on general announcements from television and radio which are at times not accurate.

The expert team also came up with a positive response on KALAHI-CIDSS from the community people. “Clearly, KALAHI-CIDSS is a good project because it recognizes the role of the communities as key players in implementing community projects. We need to work with the KALAHI-CIDSS approach to address issues on CCA and DRM. Our efforts must be “bottom-up approach.” We must start creating awareness at the community level,” said WB consultant Maya Villaluz.

“We must also remember that all of us are victims of climate change,” Villaluz added.

As reported by the WB during their exit conference, the communities agreed that more activities must be added in KALAHI-CIDSS to ensure that their projects will be “climate proof”.

DSWD Bicol Assistant Regional Director Evelyn M. Lontok during the conference said “the manner in which CCA and DRM is addressed will determine our actions on the ground for the implementation of KALAHI-CIDSS. I am positive that it will not be difficult for us to convince the local government units to support CCA and DRM.”

With the findings from the WB, the DSWD Regional Project Management Team (RPMT) hopes that the framework will get the approval from the National Project Management Team (NPMT).

KALAHI-CIDSS: KKB or the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services: Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Baragay is the largest poverty alleviation project of the government and has been conferred with a Presidential Citation by Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for its provision of “capacity-building, implementation support and community grants to 4,583 barangays in 200 of the poorest municipalities across the country thereby improving the lives of Filipinos by empowering them to chart the directions of their local development.” (CLMartinez, DSWD V/PIA)

PGMA streamlining saves government P2.234 billion

MANILA — A total of P2.234 billion has been saved as a result of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s order of streamlining the bureaucracy to make it lean but efficient.

In a press briefing, Budget Undersecretary Laura Pascua said the approval of the rationalization plan of 76 government agencies resulted in the abolition of 11,256 positions of which 5,930 were funded positions.

Ninety-four more rationalization plans of departments, agencies or government-owned and controlled corporations are still being evaluated by the Department of Budget and Management, according to Pascua.

The government, she added, has paid P1.2 billion in benefits and incentives but stressed that the benefits paid were “recouped within the year.”
Pascua expressed hopes that the Aquino Administration would continue implementing the rationalization program.

EO 366, entitled "Directing a Strategic Review of the Operations and Organizations of Executive Branch and Providing Options and Incentives for Government Employees Who May Be Affected by the Rationalization of the Functions and Agencies of the Executive Branch," aims to promote effectiveness, efficiency, affordability and transparency in government service.

Under the plan, government agencies are required to submit their own rationalization plans to weed out redundant positions and avoid duplication of functions.

The government will allocate funds to pay state employees who opt to voluntarily retire from service under the rationalization program.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will provide "seed funds" to agencies upon submission of the separation and retirement package.

The EO is based on the mandate of Republic Act 9206, as reenacted, authorizing the President to direct changes in the organizational units or key positions in any agency; require the executive branch to conduct comprehensive review of its mandates, missions and operations; and implement structural and functional adjustments to improve the delivery of government services.

It is also grounded on the Administrative Code of 1987, which vests the President the authority to reorganize the executive branch. (PIA V Release)

PGMA's budget reforms, lower debt payments freed more funds for eco and social services

MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s reforms instituted at the Department of Budget and Management, have substantially improved the national budget process and efficiency, allowing government to pour in more funds to economic and social services.

“These reforms have helped us strengthen fiscal consolidation. From 2001 to 2009, there is a downward trend in the budget deficit,” Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Laura Pascual in a news conference in Malacañang Thursday (June 24).

She said the reforms have made the budget strategy-based and result-oriented and improved the efficiency of budget execution.

“Allocation of budget is now focused on actual outputs. If the project is not implemented, there will be an impact in the release of funds and on the budget for the following year. So, there is more pressure on agencies to deliver,” Presidential Spokesperson Ricardo Saludo explained.

Pascual said the DBM has pushed the implementation of public expenditure management that resulted to a decrease in government disbursements, from 19.9 percent to 17.1 percent in 2008

Pascual credited this achievement to the decline of personnel services and debt interest payments due to improved deficit control.

“With the decline in the amount allocated to debt payments, resources were allocated more and more to economic services, which includes infrastructure projects, particularly in transportation,” Pascual said.

From 2000 to 2009, budget allocation for economic services increased by 128 percent (or 14 percent a year), from 167 billion in 2000 to 382 billion in 2009.

Allocation for social services grew by 112 percent (or 12 percent a year), from 213 billion in 2000 and 452 billion in 2009.

On improving the efficiency of budget execution, Pascual said the DBM has exercised the early release of budget and faster funds utilization by agencies.

She said the government has implemented the semestral release of Notice of Cash Allocations (NCAs) which lapses monthly.

She added the DBM has also examined books and advise agencies on the proper use of funds.

“This improves fund utilization and enables agencies to save funds,” she said. (PIA V Release)

PGMA fiscal program puts RP in stronger position

MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s adroit fiscal management has been cited for the nation’s stronger fiscal position today compared to nine years ago when she inherited an economy on the brink of bankruptcy.

In a news briefing in Malacañang, Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran stressed that major tax reforms have boosted revenue collections. These reforms include the imposition of excise tax on liquor, cigarettes, and tobacco, the attrition law and the reformed value added tax law.

These reforms Beltran said resulted in increased revenues for social programs such as vital infrastructures that created more jobs and regained the international financial communities’ confidence that resulted in major investments.

Another milestone of the Arroyo administration in fiscal management, he said, was the implementation of administrative reforms such as the RATE (Run After Tax Evaders) program, RATS (Run After Smugglers) program and the RIPS or Program Rest in Peace aimed at running after estate tax evaders.

Other reforms included computerized filing of taxes and computerized tax audit, third part information and Oplan Kandado.

Beltran pointed out that the nation’s fiscal position was stronger during the Arroyo administration because of the proactive debt management where the national government debt rate dropped to a manageable level by cutting deficit, debt exchange, debt pre-payment and debt conversion.

Thus, he recommended that it is but prudent for the new administration to raise more taxes to continue with the improvement in infrastructure efforts. (PIA V Release)

Educators honor PGMA

MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was honored Thursday (June 24) by the country’s biggest organization of private schools with a testimonial event in Malacanang during which her support to the country’s private education sector was highlighted.

The umbrella-group Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAPSCU) also thanked the outgoing Chief Executive for including the private education in her priority programs.

“When you made the pronouncement that the Filipino nation should take advantage of the flatness of the world and move into the first world in 20 years and created the Presidential Task Force for Education (PTFE) to assess, plan and monitor the entire educational system, making a firm commitment to truly improve the educational system towards producing a globally-competitive workforce, nurturing the future leaders of our nation and thereafter adopting the recommendations and action plan for the implementation of the Philippine Main Education Highway, Your Excellency reminded us that the human mind is the nation’s fundamental resource and that our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education,” the PAPSCU said in a certificate of recognition given to the President.

The certificate was signed jointly by Jose Paulo E. Campos, PAPSCU president; Alejandro Escano, vice president of the Technical Vocational Schools Associations of the Philippines (TEVSAPHIL); Vicente Fabella, president of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) and; Daniel Dial, president of the Association of Christian Schools Colleges and Universities (ACSCU).

Summing up its role in the country’s education sector, PAPSCU officials said that private education helps enrich democracy. And they added they were gratified by the President’s support to private education.

“Unlike its public counterpart, private education rarely developed according to a national plan where there is a dominant blueprint for forms, structures, pursuits and policies. Nobody can safely predict the total shape of private education in the future, or its size. And variation not only enhances the public-private partnership in education, it also enriches democracy,” the manifesto said.

The President was then handed the plaque of recognition for the “education legacy you left the Filipino people. Thank you for this and we hope you continue to support private education and consider it a priority of your legislative agenda,” the manifesto said. (PIA V Release)
Foreign trips boost investor’s confidence in RP
MANILA — Malacañang spokesman Secretary Ricardo Saludo said the foreign travels of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have raised international investors’ confidence in the country for the past nine years.

He said foreign trips were government’s confidence-building efforts aimed at foreign investors so they would bring their businesses in, thus creating job opportunities to many Filipinos and add vibrancy into Philippine economy.

“If we would calculate, we have gained billions of dollars in investments, along with financial aids and bilateral agreements that enhance our relationship with other countries and protect the welfare of our Filipino Overseas Workers (OFWs) in the countries they are working,’ Saludo said during an interview aired over Radyo ng Bayan.

To cite an example, Saludo cited the benefits of Arroyo’s first foreign trip to the United States in 2001, saying the President had actually brought home with her some $2 billion-worth of investments.

“And that is one trip alone,” Saludo said.

Compared to the P2.8 billion which the government reportedly spent on foreign travels in nine years, the expenses are all worth it, he added.

Aside from foreign travels, Saludo credited the fiscal reforms initiated by the President for low budget deficit enjoyed for years which almost reached zero, until the global economic crisis in 2008 forced government to deficit spending to cushion the impact of the crisis.

Meanwhile in the same radio interview, Presidential Management Staff chief Maria Elena Bautista-Horn said the Arroyo administration is leaving behind intact and active the “Pro-Performance System” a public-private scheme of monitoring government projects.

Bautista-Horn said there are more than government 100 projects that are still pending and in the pipeline.

President Arroyo issued Executive Order 789 in 2009 to enhance project performance, monitoring and evaluation system and reinforcing public-private partnership and collaboration on the monitoring of government projects to ensure the timely and efficient delivery of public services to the people.

EO 789 provides, among others, a “private sector representative” as the chair of the steering committee (Fr. Anton C.F. Pascual) of the Pro-Performance System and the head of the Presidential Management Staff (Bautista-Horn) as co-chair.

The committee is composed of representatives from the business sector, civil society sector, academe, youth sector, mass media, religious sector, local government sector, international development organizations, and a national government advocacy group. (PIA V Release)