BIR BICOL OVERSHOOTS TAX COLLECTION FOR FIRST TEN MONTHS OF 2010
By Ed de Leon

LEGAZPI CITY- The tax collection efforts of the government in the Bicol for the first ten months of 2010 were again very fruitful when the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in the region was able to surpass anew its tax collection goal by P399,963,172.33.

BIR Revenue Region 10 Director Atty. Diosdado Mendoza said that the bureau was able to collect a total of P4,050,047,172.33 from January to October this year against the collection goal of P3,650.084,000.00 or 9.13 percent more than the goal.

He also said that the revenue collection was P820,606,580.18 more than the same period last year .

He added that all the seven revenue district office of the tax agency were able to surpass their collection goal thereby contributing to the total effort.

For the month of October, Mendoza said the bureau was able to collect a total of P403,059,525.81 or P60,371,525.81 more than the P342,688,000.00 goal for the month (or 17.62 percent over the goal) .

He said the October 2010 collection figure was P96,261,860.75 more than the same period last year or 31.38 percent more.

Mendoza said that he was very optimistic that the bureau will be able to surpass the P4.7 billion tax goal for the year within the remaining two months of 2010.

He explained that during the past three years BIR Bicol has consistently surpassed its tax collection goal.

He said that the project of BIR Commissioner Kim Henares in seriously running after tax evaders is producing results .(PIA V/mal)

MOUNT BULUSAN ERUPTS ANEW FRIDAY

LEGAZPI CITY — Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon province belched on Friday morning a voluminous ash plume 700 meters above its crater rim that drifted and covered villages in the southwest flank of the volcano, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Phivolcs said the phreatic explosion occurred at 6:59 a.m., sending light gray ash column that was accompanied by rumbling sounds, a typical characteristic of Bulusan's restive state.

Ash falls were reported in the villages in the towns of Irosin and Juban.

Phivolcs seismic instruments recorded a total of four volcanic earthquakes during the past 24 hours.

Prior to the ash explosion, weak steaming was observed from the crater during times of good visibility, Phivolcs said.

Ed Laguerta, Phivolcs resident volcanologist, said Friday’s phreatic explosion had brought to five the ash and steam explosions since Nov. 6 when the volcano showed signs of restlessness, prompting the agency to raise its alert status to Level 1.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said following an aerial survey on Thursday that the series of explosions at the summit of the volcano resulted to the joining of two explosion craters of the 2006-2007 eruptions into one crater.

He also observed that ash deposits of the Nov. 9 explosions indicated that the ash grains are old and no new material from the magma is involved.

Alert Level 1 remains in effect over Bulusan Volcano.

Villagers, as well as tourist, were advised to keep out of the designated four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone due to danger posed by sudden phreatic or ash explosions.

Pilots were likewise advised to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ejected ash and volcanic fragments from sudden explosions may pose hazards to aircraft.

Meanwhile, the Bicol Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) the other day requested the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office in Bicol to coordinate with local government units (LGUs) in Sorsogon affected by the Bulusan volcanic activities regarding the use of their respective calamity fund.

Chief Supt. Cecillo Calleja, Philippine National Police (PNP) regional director, told members of the DRRMC at a council meeting that newly-elected town mayors in eruption- affected municipalities in Sorsogon expressed their lack of knowledge with the ways in using their respective calamity funds.

Under the General Appropriations Act (GAA), LGUs could use five percent of their 20 percent economic development fund for calamity purposes provided the Sangguniang Panlalawigan or Sangguniang Bayan pass a resolution placing the area under a “state of calamity.”

Bernardo Alejandro, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) director and concurrent DRRMC chair, explained that aside from placing a locality under a state of calamity, an executive order issued by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has given local chief executives authority to use their calamity fund for disaster preparedness measures.

Alejandro asked the DILG to facilitate and inform town chief executives in Sorsogon regarding the proper use of the calamity funds.

He said that “once they learn about the use of the calamity funds, they can start with their contingency measures.” (PNA Bicol/PIA/mal)

DPWH BICOL DESIGNATES ALTERNATE ROUTES IN THE WAKE OF MT. BULUSAN ERUPTION

LEGAZPI CITY — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) IN Bicol has dispatched manpower and equipment in strategic areas along the national highways in areas where ash falls may likely occur following the eruption of Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon.

DPWH Bicol Assistant Regional Director Jesus Salmo said the agency has established Motorists’ Assistance Center, manned by personnel on a 6-hour shift, at km. 621+897 in Barangay Patag and San Pedro, Irosin.

He added that alternative routes in case of massive eruption were already identified along the route of Abuyog-Casiguran-Juban-Magallanes-Bulan-Gate-Matnog Ferry Terminal, which is approximately 86 kms. The other alternate route is Abuyog-Gubat-Barecelona-Irosin-Gate-Matnog Ferry Terminal, approximately 72 kms. along the national arterial and secondary roads.

“The agency has already activated its disaster response team in Sorsogon 2nd District Engineering Office since Sunday, November 6, when the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) declared Alert Level 1 status of Mt. Bulusan”, he bared. (LVCastañeda, DPWH/PIA/mal)

COPS SEIZE LARGE QUANTITY OF EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS IN MASBATE

LEGAZPI CITY — Police operatives nabbed on Thursday a man and seized from him a large quantity of explosives materials and big amount of cash in a village in Cawayan town in Masbate, a police officer said.

Chief Inspector Pelagio Samson, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson, said Masbate police operatives scored anew in their campaign against loose firearms and explosives following the arrest of Pedro Metante for illegal possession of dynamite explosives.

Samson said policemen armed with a search warrant swooped down at around 5:30 a.m. Thursday at the suspect's home in Barangay Mahayahay, Cawayan and seized from him 11 sacks weighing 28 kilos of ammonium nitrate, a material used in making explosives, and P65,000 believed to be proceeds from selling explosive materials.

The suspect did not resist arrest. He is now detained at the town police custodial center, awaiting the formal filing of charges for illegal possession of explosives. (PNA Bicol/PIA/mal)

LAKE BUHI'S MASSIVE FISH KILL CAUSED BY HIGHLY POLLUTED WATERS

LEGAZPI CITY— The massive fish kill that hit Lake Buhi on October 29, 2010 was caused by highly polluted waters according to the water quality monitoring conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Bicol.

Water quality survey was conducted with the physical and chemical parameters tests such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide. The first sampling was done in five stations on November 2, 2010 while the second test was conducted in eleven stations two days later.

Based on the results obtained, Lake Buhi has very low dissolved oxygen content and very high ammonia nitrogen concentration as compared to the optimum ranges set by the South East Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). Moreover, very high traces of hydrogen sulfide was detected in five sampling stations during the water quality monitoring conducted on November 4. This critical water condition of the lake probably led to the massive fish kill.

Low dissolved oxygen (or low volumes of oxygen in the water) occurs when water temperature rise and stratification occurs during respiration of plants and fish and during aerobic decomposition of organic matter. Under low dissolved oxygen, fishes will have poor growth, be prone to diseases or even die.

It was also observed that about one-fourth of the lake is covered by water hyacinth which contributed to the depletion of dissolved oxygen by blocking the sources of oxygen such as photosynthetic activity by phytoplankton and wind aeration.

Meanwhile, ammonia (NH3) is the major end product of protein catabolism excreted by fish. Its unionized form called UIA is highly toxic. It is caused by decomposed organic matters like unconsumed feeds and fertilizers, industrial and domestic wastes and decomposition of phytoplankton.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a poisonous gas which arises from a by-product of decaying and decomposed organic matters like unconsumed feeds, plant debris, dead phytoplankton and fish feces. Too much of this will cause mass mortality due to suffocation and hemorrhages in gills of fish.

These results were presented by Irmi Mora, BFAR Regional Fish Health Officer to municipal officials of Buhi on November 6, 2010 during a meeting held at the town's session hall. Also present in this activity was a team from the Environment Disaster Management and Emergency Response Office of the Camarines Sur headed by Luzena Bermeo; Caridad Roxas, Fishery Division Chief of the Provincial Agriculture Office and Central Bicol State University for Agriculture Environment Science Professor Joyce de la Trinidad.

The 2007 data of the local government of Buhi showed that there were 15,597 registered fish cages that occupy 226 hectares of the 1,707 hectare lake. However, Lake Development Officer Ronilo Leal said that there are more to this figure with the growing number of unregistered fish cages.

Fish cages in the lake produce 9 to 10 tons of tilapia daily. About 100 tons of tilapia and other fish stocks was lost due to the recent fish kill with an economic value of P80 million.

Section 51 of Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code limits aquaculture activities such as fish cages and fish pens in lakes to only 10% of the lake's surface area. Ideally, the allowable percentage specified by law for fish cage culture in Lake Buhi should not exceed 170 hectares. However, the registered fish cages in Buhi Lake alone exceeded the allowable percentage.

Municipal Councilor Zaldy Arcilla commented that the implementation of this national law can have more teeth once the municipal fishery ordinance (which is now on its second reading) is approved. He admitted that up to ninety percent of the lake has been occupied by fish cages contrary to the prescribed ten percent. He added though that the other lake resource users such as the National Power Corporation's Hydro Electric Plant and the National Irrigation Administration's controlled structure in Tabao River complicates the problem of increasing siltation of the lake by blocking the lake's outlet in washing out sediment and water hyacinth.

Municipal Administrator Beethoven Nachor presided over the meeting representing Mayor Rey Lacoste who was on official travel. He proposed a stakeholders conference to be attended by fish cage operators and marginal fisherfolk with BFAR officials and other researchers as resource speakers.

BFAR-Bicol Regional Director Dennis del Socorro for his part said that regular water quality surveys will be done by his office at least once a week and support remedial measures in coordination with the Local Government Unit such as capacity building trainings, provision of alternative livelihood to displaced fisherfolk and fish stock enhancement in Lake Buhi. (RCAnabe, BFAR V/PIA/mal)

DTI BICOL FILES CHARGES AGAINST ERRING ESTABLISHMENTS

LEGAZPI CITY— As a result of the intensified monitoring conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry Region V (DTI-RV), forty-three (43) establishments throughout the region were charged in violation of RA 4109, otherwise known as the Product Standards Law.

Director Jocelyn L.B. Blanco said that these establishments were found to be selling uncertified products or products which do not have the required Product Standard (PS) and Imported Commodity Clearance (ICC) marks. Products confiscated include; mono blocks chairs, angle bars, ceramic tiles, flat irons, lighters, and electric stoves.

Blanco added that “these products were seized for proper disposition. Some were destroyed in order to raise consumer awareness on safe and quality products.”

Blanco made an appeal to the public to be discriminating in the purchase of goods and commodities in order to get best value for money.

"Each one should be cautious and must look for the appropriate markings particularly on the mandatory products", she added.

Blanco likewise disclosed that the DTI conducts regular monitoring of these products in all the provinces in the region to ensure the safety and well-being of the consuming public. Moreover, the Director relayed that she wants the enforcement of fair trade laws and other related laws be strengthened. (JRBerango, DT V/PIA/mal)

OFWS EAGERLY AWAIT AQUINO'S VISIT TO JAPAN

YOKOHAMA, Japan – Some 300,000 members of the Filipino overseas workers are “super excited” over the visit of President Benigno S. Aquino III here where the Chief Executive is scheduled to meet them.

The President will arrive here on Friday (November 12) following an overnight stay at the Okura Hotel in Tokyo, Japan from Manila.

In an interview, Charge d’ Affaires Belen Anota of the Philippine Embassy in Japan said the members of the Filipino community (Filcom) are all excited to personally see President Aquino for the first time since he assumed office in June 2010.

“Ang Filipino community rito ay excited na excited, gustong-gusto nilang makaniig at makasama ang Presidente. I think it ang unang pagkakataon na makikita ng Filipino community ang Presidente kaya super excited sila,” Anota said

Aside from attending the 18th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting here, the President is scheduled to meet with representatives of the OFWs in Japan at the Yokohama Futaba High School on Sunday (November 14), a day before he leaves Japan for Manila on Monday (November 15).

The Filcom meeting will be highlighted by a concelebrated mass to be led by Most Rev. Raphael Umemur Masahiro, Bishop of the Diocese of Yokohama with Father Oscar Samson, PIME Assistant Pastor of the Sacred Cathedral Parish (Seat of the Diocese) and other Filipino priests from the Archdiocese of Tokyo and Chiba, Yokohama and Urawa.

After the mass, the President will deliver his speech where he is expected to expound further on his administration’s programs and policies as well as the new developments under his administration.

Anota noted that there are about 300,000 members of the Filipino community, mostly women, who are currently residing and working all over Japan. She added that generally, all of them are working in better conditions.

“Some did encounter minor problems in the past but these were eventually resolved,” Anota explained, adding that part of the talks between the President and Japanese Prime Minister during their trip to Hanoi last month was how to improve the working conditions of the Filipino overseas workers in Japan.

Anota further said that President Aquino won by a landslide in Japan during the last May 2010 elections.

She also stressed that while most of the OFWs work as entertainers for the past decade, the composition of OFWs working in the entire Japan now has changed. From entertainers, Anota said, the OFWs now include highly skilled workers such as engineers, architects, and teachers, among others. (PIA V)

AQUINO CALLS FOR CONCERTED ACTION TO COPE WITH REGIONAL CURRENCY VOLATILITY

TOKYO, Japan — As growth prospects in emerging markets are expected to get much better, President Benigno S. Aquino III will call for a concerted action among member economies in the Asia-Pacific region to ensure less volatility in the regional currency markets.

The President, in an interview on arrival at the Okura Hotel here at 8pm Thursday from Narita Airport, said this is what the Philippines and other APEC economies will highlight during the 18th Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) Economic Leaders Meeting slated November 12-14 in Yokohama.

“We will be focusing on the volatility of the currencies and underscore that concerted action be generally accepted,” the Chief Executive said, adding that there is need to ensure there is less volatility in the markets.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, who is accompanying the President during the APEC meet, said that more developed economies are currently growing slower resulting to an accelerated flow of currencies to the emerging markets.

Purisima said we cannot stop fluctuations in currencies from occurring as a result of these inflows from developed economies but “we can only smoothen it by creating interventions, if necessary, if it becomes too volatile.”

Purisima said emerging markets will have to further develop their respective domestic markets and not just focus solely on exports.

“In the Philippines, our plan is to channel the flow of dollars into public-private partnerships in infrastructure and that is why we are launching that program next week. And we believe this is an opportunity for the Philippines to reduce the infrastructure gap and improve our productivity,” said Purisima. “It is a rare opportunity and we will take advantage of it.”

The government, in cooperation with the private sector, will hold an infrastructure forum from November 17-19 to launch the President’s major infrastructure drive which aims to examine investment opportunities, profiles of public-private partnership projects in the country, as well as policy, regulatory, and legal concerns in developing the infrastructure sector in the country.

Last Sept. 9, the President signed Executive Order No. 8 reorganizing and renaming the Build-Operate and Transfer Center into the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines, to fast-track the implementation of such programs and projects with the end view of channeling its gains into essential social services, such as those in education, health, and other poverty alleviation programs. (PIA V)

AQUINO BAGS $3.655-B JAPANESE INVESTMENTS

YOKOHAMA, Japan — President Benigno s. Aquino III secured today a $3.655 billion worth of Japanese investments in a series of meetings with top Japanese investors in the Philippines.

The President met with top officials of Marubeni Corp., Itochu Corp. and Toshiba Corp. at the Okura Hotel in Tokyo before proceeding to the APEC meeting here on Friday morning.

The President met with Marubeni president and CEO Truo Asada, Toshiba president and CEO Norio Sasaki, Itochu deputy COO Yoshihisa Nishimura and JGC president Masahiko Yaegashi. JGC is the design and technology arm of Itochu Corp.

The President got the biggest chunk of the pie from Marubeni which will pour in $3.4 billion for the expansion of the Sual and Pagbilao power stations; MRT Line 7; LRT 2 East and West extension project and digital TV system and equipment.

Toshiba, on the other hand, will invest $133 million for its electronics products expansion in the economic zone.

Itochu will invest $122 million for the development of 11,000 hectares of sugarcane plantation in Isabela for bio-ethanol production which is expected to generate 18,000 jobs in two years and benefit some 15,000 farmers. (PIA V)

PHL HAS GONE A LONG WAY FROM DAYS OF BANGKANG PAPEL— AQUINO

BALAMBAN, Cebu — From the bangkang papel (paper ship) days of hopelessness and despair, the Philippines has transformed into one that can build ships of progress and confidence, according to President Benigno S. Aquino III.

In his speech at the naming and ceremonial delivery of the SC Cape Size Bulk Carrier Tenshu Maru here Wednesday, the President said the country has indeed gone a long way, thanking the ship manufacturer, Tsuneishi Heavy Industries (THI) Cebu Inc. Shipyard, for making such leap a reality.

“Today we are we are naming the biggest ship ever to be built on a Philippine shipyard. Thank you for your investments, the 11,000 jobs you created, the trust and confidence in our nation and for expressing your solidarity with our agenda of hope,” he said.

The President also thanked the company’s local partner, the Aboitiz Group, for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects like building a hospital, public market and school buildings in Balamban and neighboring municipalities.

“I remain positive that it is only the first step to a more fruitful partnership in the years to come,” the President said.

As the country’s ship captain, he said, “we are now unfurling our sails and carried by the wind of our people’s trust, their optimism and the honor and esteem that our nation has reclaimed from across the globe, we will get to where we deserve to be.”

The President said he will go to Yokohama, Japan for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit Thursday expecting to bring home more good news from the private companies of one of the country’s longest-standing partners and allies.

He led the christening of the 185-dead weight ton bulk carrier, Tenshu Maru and the breaking of traditional bottle of champagne at the ship’s bow by cutting the cord using a small golden axe and the simultaneous release of giant confetti from the ship’s deck.

“This ceremony signifies our readiness to set sail. Hope lives in the Philippines, and powered by this hope, we have begun the journey toward the achievement of our aspirations. The time of darkness is over; daylight is finally peeking from beneath the clouds,” the President stressed.

He called on the people and the country’s partners: “Steel yourselves tighten your grasp on the railings of hope. Let us not allow ourselves to be carried away by pettiness, pessimism, and the winds of overblown bad news.”

“I plead to everyone: do not let go. Do not be swayed by those who wish only to preserve the old ways of lying, cheating, and stealing, of putting their own interest above and that of everyone else’s. We have achieved much in such a short time, and we stand to achieve so much more. Join us in this journey toward progress,” the Chief Executive said.

Tenshu Maru is the 120th vessel built by THCI. The company said the shipyard is fully booked for orders until 2013 such that among its immediate plan is to build more shipbuilding facilities.

Aboitiz Group of Companies’ chairman Jon Ramon Aboitiz said Tenshu Maru is the largest vessel ever built in the Philippines.

The shipyard was built 16 years ago. Today the complex covers 147 hectares and employs 11,000 skilled men and women with an investment of P22 billion. Over the next couple of years, this shipyard expects to hire an additional 2,000 workers.

He informed the President that the Philippines will become the fourth largest shipbuilder in the world with the combined production of THCI and Hanjin in Subic. (PIA V)

AQUINO VOWS TO CURB CORRUPTION DESPITE HITCHES

CEBU CITY— President Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday reiterated his determination to curb corruption notwithstanding a recent Supreme Court order limiting the scope of an Executive Order against midnight appointments.

"I still hope that the Supreme Court heeds the call of the majoriy for judicial prudence, and promote justice with dignity, rather than pander to the influence of those who are itching to return to their old corrupt routine," the President said in his message at the formal opening of the P2.5 billion Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu here.

The President noted that last month, the high court issued a status quo ante order which limits the scope of Executive Order 2 . EO 2 was issued to recall, withdraw or revoke the midnight appointments made by the previous administration.

The Chief Executive said the SC order was released at the time when public confidence in government was picking up.

"Closure is what we need. We cannot have a cloud of doubt hanging over an entire chapter in our nation's life, as it would only corrode our institutions,it will also embolden those who brazened it out in the past, to not only enjoy the fruits of their crimes but plot their comeback, " the President said. (PIA V)

AQUINO DECLARES NOVEMBER 16 A NATIONAL HOLIDAY

MANILA — President Benigno S. Aquino III declared November 16 (Tuesday) a national and non-working holiday in celebration of the Eid'l Adha, or the Islam feast of sacrifice.

The President declared the holiday through Proclamation No. 60, which he signed Tuesday, November 9, 2010.

The proclamation was based on Republic Act 9849, which provides that Eid’l Adha shall be celebrated as a national holiday, though a movable date.

Proclamation No. 60 stated that the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) has confirmed that the feast of Eid’l Adha falls on November 16.

Eid’l Adha is one of Islam’s two major festivals celebrated by 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. (PIA V)