Dispatches

Lawyers to make noise vs ‘unconstitutional’ cha-cha

2009-08-06T03:33:00.000+08:00

Written by Jesus F. Llanto
Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Integrated Bar members to join SONA protesters on Monday .

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) said on Wednesday it will not keep silent as congressmen try to force a Senate-less constituent assembly and “trample the Constitution,” and will make its protest known during President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address on July 27.

In a forum held in Pasig City Wednesday, former IBP president Anselmo Cruz said that some 1,000 members are expected to join sectoral groups in a march and rally on Monday to show their opposition to the moves to amend the Constitution through a constituent assembly.

“This present Congress that we have is so confident of trying to push an unconstitutional constituent assembly by the house operating by itself, in the absence of Senate, in a bicameral system of presidential form of government,” Cruz said.

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Call center jobs also for retirees, OFWs, housewives

2009-08-06T03:30:00.002+08:00

Written by Jesus F. Llanto
Monday, 20 July 2009

Expert says companies should look beyond fresh graduates.

Faced with the problems of shrinking talent pool, high attrition rate, and low recruitment yield, call center companies should tap other types of possible employees to meet industry demands, an expert said.

Eric Concepcion, regional vice president for human resources of Teleperformance, said that among potential call center agents are the near-hires in the industry, retirees, stay-at-home mothers, and returning overseas Filipino workers.

“The pool of talent is not growing for the past several years and this is very alarming,” Concepcion said during the recent 2009 Call Center Conference and Expo in Pasay City. He said that the number of firms competing for the talents increased while the supply of qualified labor did not.

Concepcion said companies must try to reach the alternative job market rather than rely only on the supply of fresh college graduates every year. He said that call center employees are mostly fresh graduates, coming from other call center firms, or professionals from other industries, and belonging to the 20-30-year-old age bracket.

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Advice to call centers: Go green, save on costs

2009-08-06T03:15:00.002+08:00

Written by Jesus F. Llanto
Saturday, 18 July 2009

Experts give tips on how BPOs can weather the crisis.

Adapting environment-friendly facilities and investing in incentives for employees can help minimize operational costs of call center companies during the economic crisis, a business processes outsourcing expert said.

Dave Rizzo, regional vice president for operations of Teleperformance, on Wednesday said that call center companies can save a lot of money by using green technologies.

“Electricity costs here in the Philippines is very high,” he said during the 2009 Call Center Conference and Expo held Wednesday in Pasay City.

Rizzo said that having a “green mindset” in the company by teaching employees energy and water conservation measures can help save more money for the company. He cited Teleperformance for being able to bring down utility costs by as much as 25% by continuously educating their workforce from the moment they start working about energy conservation.

“At the end of the day, those dollars and cents can be put back into the operations for additional investments,” he said.

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RP call centers should target European clients

2009-08-06T03:10:00.000+08:00

Written by Jesus F. Llanto
Thursday, 16 July 2009

Crisis, Obama policy taking the US out as lead market for the Philippines.

Call center companies in the Philippines should look into tapping European markets because the United States may no longer provide as many clients as it used to, industry experts said.

“Don’t put all your eggs in the US basket,” Martin Dove, managing director of Dimension Data’s CIS Global, said Wednesday during the 2009 Call Center Conference and Expo in Pasay City.

The US has been the leading market of call center companies in the Philippines, but the recent global financial crisis that hit it has put pressure on companies to tap alternative markets in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and other Asia-Pacific countries.

The new US President, Barack Obama, has also promised to adopt a policy that will bring back jobs to the Americans by giving incentives to US-based companies that will not outsource their business requirements to other countries.

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Salary hikes in call centers becoming unsustainable

2009-08-06T02:56:00.001+08:00

Written by Jesus F. Llanto
Wednesday, 15 July 2009

Mar Roxas: Don’t price the Philippines out of the market.

Call centers may have increased their employees’ salaries too much too soon in the last 5 years that the practice may become “unsustainable” despite the the double digit growth that the industry is expected to post this year.

During the Call Center Conference & Expo 2009 in Pasay City, experts said that while industry is expected to post “healthy double digit” growth of 15-20% despite the economic crisis, companies must address the high salary inflation of call center agents.

Benedict Hernandez, president of the Contact Center Association in the Philippines (CCAP), said that salaries of call center agents increased annually by 10 percent, starting in 2004, when the industry experienced rapid growth as the Philippines became a preferred outsourcing destination.

“When you hear 10% year-on-year salary inflation, whether you’re under a global economic crisis or not, that is simply unsustainable,” Hernandez said. He advised companies to instead focus on giving performance-based incentives to their employees.

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RP’s performance worst in the region–study

2009-08-06T02:51:00.000+08:00

Written by Jesus F. Llanto
Monday, 13 July 2009

Competitiveness rankings put the Philippines at the bottom in terms of economic performance, government efficiency, and infrastructure

The Philippines has become the least competitive country in the Asia Pacific region, lagging behind its neighbors in economic performance, government efficiency, and infrastructure, the 2009 World Competitiveness Ranking showed.

The Philippines’ ranking also slid by 3 notches from 40 in 2008 to 43 in 2003 out of the 57 economies included in the World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY).

“The Philippines is in the bottom among the 13 countries in Asia-Pacific region,” said Felipe Alfonso, interim president of the Asian Institute of Management, during the presentation of the results at the State of Philippine Competitiveness National Conference in Pasay City on Monday.

The 2009 World Competitiveness Scoreboard of the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development uses four criteria in ranking the competitiveness of 57 economies. These are economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure. Each of the four criteria have sub-factors.

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‘Trains are best place for ads’

2009-08-06T02:47:00.002+08:00

Written by Jesus F. Llanto
Wednesday, 08 July 2009

Study says 73% of Metro Manilans take the MRT and LRT.

Advertisers of products and services, advocacies, and even candidacies in Metro Manila should look into the potential of transit ads, particularly those placed on train cars, to reach more people.

A study on the travel habits of Metro Manilans, conducted recently by media research firm Nielsen, showed that 73 percent of residents of the national capital region have travelled using the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems in the past months.

The “MRT LRT Travel Habits” study also showed that more than half (52 percent) of Metro Manila residents above 15 years old or 4.2 million Filipinos are mobile or are out of their homes for most of the time.

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Local pols may use youth jobs program for early campaigning

2009-08-06T02:32:00.001+08:00

Written by Jesus F. Llanto
Monday, 22 June 2009

Citizens urged to monitor LGUs that will implement $6-million program funded by Spain.

National government officials on Monday urged citizens and civil society groups to keep an eye on local government officials who may take advantage of a foreign-funded vocational training program for the youth to boost their popularity among the voters for next year’s elections.

The Spanish government is providing US$6 million to train young people in four provinces, namely Masbate in the Bicol Region, Antique in Western Visayas, Agusan del Sur in Caraga, and Maguindanao in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The project funded by Spain’s Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDG-F) targets 10,000 men and women, aged 15 to 24 years, in these provinces where there is high incidence of poverty, out-migration, low enrolment rates, and huge number of out-of-school youth.

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More girls to work, stop schooling due to crisis

2009-08-06T02:26:00.002+08:00

Written by Jesus F. Llanto
Monday, 15 June 2009

Their parents lost jobs in massive layoffs

The global financial crisis is expected to push a huge number of children, particularly girls, to drop out of school and become laborers, according to a study by the International Labour Organization (ILO) released Monday.

This development could erode the progress in fighting child labor in the past decade, said the report, called “Give Girls A Chance: Tackling Child Labor, A Key to the Future?”

These prospective child-laborers are children of parents who lost their livelihood due to the massive layoffs in companies worldwide.

“Although processes has been made in reducing child labor during the course of the past ten years, the onset of the global financial crisis threatens to erode recent advances,” said Michele Jankanish, director of the ILO International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor, in his foreword on the study.

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Opposition ‘presidentiables’ push for modern family planning

2009-08-06T02:14:00.000+08:00

By Jesus Llanto
Newsbreak
June 6, 2009

Couples should be allowed to make an informed choice, say Estrada, Legarda, Binay

Three declared presidential aspirants from the ranks of the Opposition on Friday night showed their inclination to adopt a policy promoting reproductive health and responsible parenthood, and funding it, when they become President. They went directly against the position of President Arroyo, who, despite her admission of having used contraceptives as a young mother, refuses to push artificial methods in the government's family planning program.

Speaking at the leadership forum organized by the ABS-CBN News Channel at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, former President Joseph Estrada, Senator Loren Legarda, and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay expressed their support for an information campaign on reproductive health that give families informed choices in deciding their family sizes.

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Excess gov’t execs cost taxpayers P58 M a year

2009-08-06T02:10:00.001+08:00

Written by Jesus Llanto
Wednesday, 20 May 2009

The Office of the President has the most number of excess—unqualified—undersecretaries and assistant secretaries

The government could save as much as P58 million a year if it would remove all the redundant executives from the bureaucracy, a study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) showed.

The 2008/2009 Philippine Human Development Report (PHDR), which was launched Wednesday in Quezon City, counted as many as 81 unneeded undersecretaries and assistant secretaries, most of them with the Office of the President.

More than half of these excess executives are unqualified for their positions, the study sa(id.

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New party-list reps aid RH bill passage

2009-08-06T02:01:00.000+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Thursday, 07 May 2009

The entry of new party-list representatives in Congress is expected to give a boost to the passage of the reproductive health (RH) bill, lawmakers said.

In a forum on the reproductive health bill held Thursday in Quezon City, two lawmakers said the number of legislators supporting the RH bill is expected to increase as a result of the entry of additional sectoral representatives in Congress.

The Supreme Court on April 21 allowed the entry of an additional 32 sectoral representatives to fill up all the available seats for the party-list system. The 1987 Constitution states that 20 percent of the members of the House of Representatives should come from the marginalized or under-represented sectors.

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Creation of 20 districts unconstitutional?

2009-08-06T01:53:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
May 5, 2009

Newsbreak

If House stuck to its initial interpretation of maximum number of seats, district congressmen would have been limited to 200.

When Speaker Prospero Nograles recently asked the Supreme Court to clarify the number of members that the House of Representatives can have, he may have unwittingly raised questions on the legitimacy of 20 congressional districts created since the ratification of the 1987 Constitution.

Citing the “constitutionally mandated maximum of 250” seats for the lower chamber, Nograles filed on April 28 a petition asking the High Tribunal to clarify its new formula in computing the number of allocated seats for party-list representatives. A week before that, the SC allowed 32 additional party-list nominees to be proclaimed, bringing the total membership of the House to 263.

“Considering that this is the first time that the number of members will actually exceed the constitutionally mandated maximum of 250, clarification is sought whether a prior act of increasing the number of members of the House of Representatives is necessary in order that the 32 named party-list representatives may be accommodated or whether it should enrol only such number that will complete the 250 maximum membership prescribed by the 1987 Constitution,” the petition read.

Article VI, Section 5, of the Constitution states that the number of House members should not exceed 250, and that 20 percent of that—or 50—should be the party-list representatives. That leaves only 200 seats for district representatives, which was the number of districts when the 1987 Constitution was ratified.

Since 1987, however, several laws were passed that created 20 additional legislative districts. Nineteen have elected congressmen, while the newest district will elect its first representative in 2010.

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TOIL AND TROUBLE: How Jobs and Decent Work Are Faring Amid the Crisis

2009-05-02T11:50:00.006+08:00

Newsbreak Special Issue

Newsbreak magazine’s special edition on decent work is now off the press.
Called “Toil and Trouble,” the collection of in-depth articles examines current trends and explores various issues on labor and employment.

Made all the more timely and relevant by the current financial crisis, the special issue looks into layoffs at export processing zones, the call center phenomenon, contractualization in the retail industry, safety at work, the fading appeal of workers’ unions, the killing of labor leaders, among other issues.

Copies are available at bookstores and at the Newsbreak office. Call 920-0997 for bulk orders.

CONTENTS

By the Numbers

Facts and figures on labor and employment

OVERVIEW

The Hidden Jobs Crisis

By Roel Landingin

The government is reporting just a small number of jobs lost as the economy slows down, but the impact on workers lives is devastating.

CONTRACTUAL LABOR

A Nation of Casuals

By Clarence Pascual

Non-standard work is on the rise among wage earners, diminishing the gains from the steady shift from self-employment to higher quality jobs.

OVERSEAS WORKERS

Uncertain Future

By Prime Sarmiento

Overseas work has become a riskier and less rewarding proposition, but most Filipinos still prefer it to domestic alternatives.

ECONOMIC ZONES

Enclaves of Sorrow

By Jesus Llanto

Factories in special economic zones allegedly ignore labor standards, but there are no of few alternatives for laid-off workers but to return to these employers.

CALL CENTERS

Hello and Goodbye

By Clarence Pascual

Call centers still offer high-paying jobs amid the global slowdown, but work-related stress and ill-health are rife among workers.

INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

From Shipyard to Graveyard

By Raymund Antonio

The growing number of fatalities at the Hanjin shipyard reveals problems both with investors and the government.

FARMING

Hard Labor

By Earl Parreno

Farming remains backbreaking work with few rewards.

DEEP-SEA FISHING

Nowhere to Fish

By Criselda Yabes

Dwindling tuna catches are turning deep-sea fishing from a decent livelihood into a game of chance for the proud fishermen of Kiamba in Southern Mindanao.

SOCIAL INSURANCE

Protection Racket

By Roel Landingin

Social security institutions have mixed feelings about expanding or introducing new benefits for troubled members.

LABOR UNIONS

Losing Ground

By Carmela Fonbuena

Labor unions fight an uphill battle to maintain relevance amid corporate controls and worker

apathy.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Collateral Victims

By Aries Rufo

Labor leaders and organizers are turning up dead or missing in the course of the government’s counterinsurgency drive.

THE WORKPLACE

Who Moved My Office?

By Jesse Edep

Technology and new business models radically transform the Philippine workplace.

FIRST PERSON

Nighttimer

Why a call center agent decided to keep his job.

A crisis unfolds

A photo essay by Luis Liwanag

For orders and inquiries regarding the special issue: email admin[at]newsbreak.com.phcall (632) 9200997. fax (632) 9203611

Smoking ban in most LGUs unsuccessful

2009-02-25T23:58:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
January 28, 2009

Authorities need to intensify monitoring, make more apprehensions, impose bigger fines

In the Philippines, the national government spends P276 billion every year for citizens’ treatment of four major diseases related to smoking, according to a study on poverty and tobacco use released in 2006.

If that amount were used instead to implement anti-smoking ordinances by local government units (LGUs), each of the 1,631 cities and municipalities across the country would have had P169.22 million a year.

Yet, based on figures that some cities provided Newsbreak, LGUs that have a smoking ban only spend from P300,000 to P2 million yearly to sustain their campaign. In fact, there are only at least 340 LGUs that have this campaign.

No wonder, the anti-smoking drive in the country has barely made strides.

According to representatives of seven cities, as well as health experts, interviewed by Newsbreak, LGUs need to intensify their monitoring of people and public places, be strict when apprehending violators, and impose bigger fines if their smoking bans are to succeed.

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As elections near, LGUs getting 'bigger'

2009-02-25T01:29:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
February 19, 2009

A year into the election season, a number of local government units (LGUs) across the country are expanding—creating new barangays, seeking independence from mother units, and lobbying for new congressional districts. These expansions, in turn, will pave the way for new local positions that politicians may seek.

Recently released data from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) showed that 13 new barangays were created, and a city was converted into a highly-urbanized city in the last quarter of 2008.

At the House of Representatives, there are bills seeking the creation of 18 new congressional districts in 15 provinces and cities. There are also bills seeking the creation of 4 more provinces, 7 municipalities, and 24 barangays.

Most, if not all, of these proposals were encouraged by the recently released 2007 census. Localities naturally saw increased populations, thus many of them finally met the minimum population requirement for the creation or expansion of political units.

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BPO growth slowed down in 2008

2009-02-20T22:17:00.002+08:00
By Jesus Llanto
Newsbreak, Researcher
Feb, 9, 2009

The revenue growth of the business process outsourcing industry in 2008 has slowed down to 26% as a result of delays in projects last year, an industry expert said.

Speaking at the 9th E-Services Global Conference in Pasay City, Oscar Sanez, chief executive officer of the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP), said the industry grew only by 26 percent in 2008 because of delay in projects during the last quarter.

“Initially we are estimating that we will be hitting 30-35 percent growth but we did not hit that,” Sanez told reporters. “Some of the projects in the last quarter have been delayed to 2009."

The latest industry data presented at today’s conference showed that the industry generated revenue of US$6.06 billion last year, from US$4.9 billion in 2007. Data also showed that the number of workers employed by the industry grew by 25% from around 297, 000 in 2007 to 371,965 in 2008.

Sanez said they are expecting a growth of 20-30 percent in 2009. In an interview last December, Sanez told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak that a slower growth in 2009 is expected as companies implement re-structuring policies and review their expansion plans amidst the global economic slowdown and the recession in the United States, where most BPO clients are located.

“A 30 percent growth in 2009 will get us to US$7.5-8 billion dollars,” Sanez said, adding that they are still on track with the target of attaining the 2010 target of US$13 billion, or 10 percent share of the global market.

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RP population growth burden on economy

2009-02-20T22:08:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreaak
January 29, 2009

The continuous increase in population in the country is expected to put additional pressure on the Philippines as it suffers from the effects of the global economic slowdown, the head of the country’s anti-poverty commission said.

Speaking at a forum on hunger mitigation, population management and poverty reduction at the University of the Philippines, National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary Domingo Panganiban said that slowdown in economies abroad would mean a decrease in trade, reduction in foreign investments and higher levels of unemployment.

“The bleakness of that prospect is multiplied many times over as our ever-increasing population exerts ever-increasing pressures on our nation’s resources,” Panganiban said.

“Already, a host of unemployed Filipinos face the grim problem of existence and an equally great number of employed workers toil with little return,” he added.

The latest census in 2007 showed that there are 88.6 million Filipinos. The population grew at 2.04 percent from 2000-2007 and is expected to double or reach 177 million in 2041. This means that population will grow by 1.8 million Filipinos every year.

The Philippines is the 12th most populous country in the world. A reproductive health bill that seeks more funding for a government campaign to promote natural and artificial family planning among Filipinos is pending at the House of Representatives but is facing tough opposition from the influential Roman Catholic Church.

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Bulacan, Rizal communities up in arms against landfills

2009-02-03T22:29:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
January 28, 2009

An environment group and local residents of two towns near Metro Manila are opposing the construction of two landfills, which, they claim, are both located in watershed or forest areas.

Environment group Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE) and local groups from San Mateo town in Rizal province and San Jose del Monte in Bulacan province told reporters in a forum Wednesday that the landfills constructed in these towns would pose risks to residents and to nearby watershed areas.

Fr. Anacleto Ignacio, one of the leaders of those who oppose the landfill in Barangay Minuyan Proper in San Jose del Monte, said the local government allowed the construction of the landfill despite the health risks it poses to the residents.

“We are saddened by the fact that there are government officials and businessmen who will risk the life of our people and destroy the environment for the sake of profit,” Ignacio said, adding that the landfill is in Barangay Minuyan Proper, which is also the site of the water treatment plant of the town.

Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of Kalikasan-PNE, added that the San Jose del Monte landfill still does not have an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).

Similarly, residents of Barangay Guinayang in San Mateo town in Rizal are calling for the closing of the landfill project in their area. Tony Balute, a local resident and member of Coalition for Garbage-Free San Mateo, said that aside from the dangers it pose to their health, there are anomalies surrounding how operators obtained the legal requirements.

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BPOs can absorb laid off workers--but they should be trained first

2009-02-03T22:21:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
January 23, 2009

Workers who have been affected or will be affected by lay offs triggered by the global economic crisis can be re-trained so they can be absorbed by the business process outsourcing and information technology industries, outsourcing experts and industry players said.

During the pre-event press conference for the 2009 e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition to be held in February, industry experts said that retrenched workers from the manufacturing sectors are welcome to join the BPO industry as long as they meet the skills needed by the outsourcing firms.

The statement came after news that 1,800 workers of Intel Corp., the world’s largest manufacturer of micro-processors, will lose their jobs as the company is set to shut down its plant in Cavite.

“BPO and IT industry are looking forward to basically absorb them,” said Lauro Vives, chief executive officer of information and communications techonology research firm XMG Asia Pacific.

Vives, however, said that not all workers are suited to jobs in the BPO and IT sector and the government should help them by providing them training. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo: abs-cbnNews.com

Who is Tirso Danga?

2009-02-03T22:15:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
February 2, 2009

President Gloria Arroyo's appointment of retired Rear Admiral Tirso Danga as head of the National Printing Office (NPO) was met with criticism by government officials and the head of a poll watchdog.

Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. likened his appointment as chief of the agency that will print the ballots for the 2010 elections to placing a “forger as governor of the Central Bank” because of his involvement in the “Hello Garci” scandal.

Danga, a Philippine Military Academy 1975 graduate, was appointed to replace Enrique Agana, who was accused of raping a girl.

"The swiftness with which the Palace removed Agana from his post and installed Rear Admiral Danga as his replacement clearly show an administration effort to put the National Printing Office under the control of a man whom it can trust despite his sullied reputation. But this only raises suspicion that this is part of a sinister agenda to manipulate the 2010 elections to keep administration forces in power," Pimentel said in a statement.

Henrietta de Villa, head of the National Movement for Free Election (NAMFREL), said that his appointment would taint the results of the 2010 elections. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

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Former intel chief Danga's appointment to NPO stains election process--Namfrel

2009-02-03T22:02:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
January 27, 2009

Election watchdog head Henrietta de Villa of the National Movement for Free Election (NAMFREL) expressed her worry over the recent appointment of a retired military officer involved in the controversial Hello Garci scandal as head of the National Printing Office (NPO).

Speaking during the launch of the election database Web site of NAMFREL in Manila, de Villa slammed the appointment of retired general and former head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) Tirso Danga as head of the agency that will print the ballots for the 2010 elections.

“We are very concerned over the new appointment of the president for the chief of the National Printing Office,” de Villa told reporters.

Danga was the head of ISAFP during the 2004 elections, when its agents allegedly intercepted and bugged telephone conversations between President Arroyo and former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. The wiretapped conversations, popularly called Garci tapes, hinted on rigging the results of the election in favor of Arroyo. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the whole story.

Photo Credit: NAMFREL website

White House smoking ban? Obama can learn from RP mayors

2009-01-26T00:11:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
January 22, 2009

The new US President, who has promised to keep the White House tobacco-free, should pick up a thing or two from mayors who did it for Makati and Davao city halls.

Testing public sentiment toward Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay running for president in 2010, his camp has been packaging him as the counterpart of the popular new American President Barack Obama. They both have dark complexion, they say, and Binay could be the Philippines’ first “black” president, like Obama is the first president of color to be elected in the United States.

There’s one distinction between them, however, that Binay would be glad to emphasize: he doesn’t smoke; Obama’s struggling to kick the habit. That makes the mayor of the country’s richest local government better at keeping his workplace smoke-free than the chief executive of the world’s most powerful country.

“JCB doesn’t smoke,” said an ally of Binay in the United Opposition, the national coalition of political groups against President Arroyo. “So it’s literally a breath of fresh air that you get when you go to the Makati city hall. It smells clean. It’s the best-smelling city hall I’ve been to.”

The success of an anti-smoking ban is more dramatic in Davao City. It’s Mayor Rodrigo Duterte himself—a former heavy smoker who turned anti-smoking advocate—who sometimes accosts violators. Establishments that didn’t comply, including a casino, have been shut down.

The White House has implemented a total ban on smoking since the administration of President Bill Clinton.

“The big issue about health is so paramount to me that I don't think we should permit smoking,” First Lady Hillary Clinton was quoted by newspapers in 1993. She said White House visitors who wanted to smoke would have to do it outdoors.

Prior to Clinton’s announcement, smoking in the White House was prohibited only in the kitchen, maintenance areas, and locker rooms.

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Language experts, educators nix House bill for all-English teaching

2009-01-26T00:03:00.002+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
January 16, 2009

The proposal to adopt English as the primary medium of instruction (MOI) from Grade IV to high school appears to be gaining support in the House of Representatives. Language experts and educators however are pushing for a multi-lingual education (MLE) policy that puts emphasis on the use of child’s first language as language of teaching.

Language experts said Thursday in a forum at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City that instead of adopting English as the teaching language from Grade IV to the secondary level, Philippine schools should use the language first learned by a child (L1) as MOI from pre-school to Grade 6 because it facilitates the child’s learning.

“One’s own language enables a child to express himself or herself easily, as there is no fear of making mistakes,” said Ricardo Nolasco, a linguistic professor at UP and head of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino.

Nolasco said that MLE encourages active participation by children in the learning process because they can easily comprehend what is being discussed by their teachers.

“They can immediately use L1 to construct and explain their world, articulate their thoughts and add new concepts to what they already know,” Nolasco said adding that MLE would yield better results than instituting English as MOI.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo Credit: www.newsbreak.com.ph

BPOs can absorb laid off workers--but they should be trained first

2009-01-25T23:53:00.003+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
January 23, 2009

Workers who have been affected or will be affected by lay offs triggered by the global economic crisis can be re-trained so they can be absorbed by the business process outsourcing and information technology industries, outsourcing experts and industry players said.

During the pre-event press conference for the 2009 e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition to be held in February, industry experts said that retrenched workers from the manufacturing sectors are welcome to join the BPO industry as long as they meet the skills needed by the outsourcing firms.

The statement came after news that 1,800 workers of Intel Corp., the world’s largest manufacturer of micro-processors, will lose their jobs as the company is set to shut down its plant in Cavite.

“BPO and IT industry are looking forward to basically absorb them,” said Lauro Vives, chief executive officer of information and communications techonology research firm XMG Asia Pacific.

Vives, however, said that not all workers are suited to jobs in the BPO and IT sector and the government should help them by providing them training. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo: www.abs-cbnNews.com

Pacquiao fights, hikes in prices are 2008 most-followed news

2009-01-20T14:54:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher,Newsbreak
January 14, 2009

The fights of Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and the spikes in the prices of rice and oil were the most-followed news events of 2008, the survey review of the Social Weather Stations showed.

The fight between Pacquiao and Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and the increases in the prices of the staple food were the most followed news event last year, with 81 percent of respondents who followed the news.

Among the other most followed events of the respondents for 2008 were oil price increases, Pacquiao’s fight against boxer David Diaz, and melamine food scare.

Sports is extremely interesting to the people and next is the price increases,” said Mahar Mangahas, president of SWS, in a press conference in Makati City.

Mangahas said that events that concern health issues like the melamine food scare, which started in China, were also closely followed by the respondents. “We tend to be jittery about things like this, just like SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

Meanwhile, among the events that were followed but by fewer respondents were: the Congress’ move to extend the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform (31%) , Senate hearing on the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (40%), the aborted Memorandum on Agreement on Ancestral Domain or MOA-AD (37% in September 2008 and 41% in December 2008), alleged road insertion by Senator Manny Villar (41%) and the disciplining of the Court of Appeals justices (41%). (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the full story.

World Bank: Integrate leading and lagging regions to cut poverty

2009-01-14T11:07:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researtcher, Newsbreak
January 12, 2009

Economic integration of highly developed urban areas and poor far-flung areas will help reduce poverty and result in inclusive economic growth, economists from the World Bank said in their World Development Report 2009.

Contrary to the belief that distributing economic activities from the urban centers to remote areas will reduce poverty and spur growth, it is the economic integration of the urban centers and far-flung areas that will boost economic development and cut poverty, said World Bank economists during a presentation of the report, entitled Reshaping Economic Geography, at Makati City today.

“The reality is that interaction between leading and lagging places is the key to economic development,” said Indermit Gill, director of the WDR and WB chief economist for Europe and Central Asia.

Gill said that economic growth tends to favor some regions and this is the reason why economic activities tend to be concentrated on some areas. “Economic growth is seldom spatially-balanced.”

“The world is not flat. Markets favor some places over the others. To fight this concentration is tantamount to fighting prosperity,” Gill added. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Senate is key to passing English as medium of instruction bill

2009-01-14T10:48:00.002+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
January 8, 2009

The proposal to adopt English as medium of instruction from Grade III to other higher levels may be gaining supporters from the congressmen but its enactment really depends on whether the Senate can act on it before the election season.

House Bill (HB) 5619 or the Act Strengthening and Enhancing the Use of English as Medium of Instruction is the consolidated version of all the bills—HB 230 by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, HB 305 by Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, and HB 406 by Cebu Rep. Raul del Mar—seeking the adoption of English as language used for teaching from Grade 3 up to high school levels.

Gullas, one of the lead sponsors of the HB 5619, told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak that 213 out of the 237 congressmen have already expressed support for the bill.

The bill has just passed the first reading and is expected to be taken up when Congress resumes its session this month.

“It is as good as approved,” Gullas said, adding that the Congress should pass the legislation since the previous Congress also passed it.

Valenzuela Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo, one of the critics of the bill, said that sponsors of the bill should not be confident that the bill will be passed easily.

“It’s not a walk in the park. Co-authorship is not the same as voting,” Gunigundo told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.

Gunigundo is opposing the bill. He believes that first language should be used as the medium of instruction and supports a multi-lingual education system. (abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

RELATED STORIES
• Legislators push English as medium of instruction
• Experts' advice on how to improve English skills: Have no fear
• BPO experts: Pinoys’ ‘improved’ English skills need more improvement
• Fixing Education

'Obama will listen to Asia'

2009-01-14T10:29:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
January 10,2009

Barack Obama’s multicultural background is expected to bring changes in the foreign policy of the United States, a US professor who specializes in Southeast Asia said.

Vincent Boudreau, professor and chair of the City College of New York's (CCNY) political science department, said that Obama’s background would result in a departure from the foreign policy of outgoing US President George Bush.

“He does not see other countries as small Americas training to be America,” Boudreau said Friday in a lecture at the University of the Philippines Asian Center in Quezon City.

Obama, will be sworn in as the 44th US president on January 20. His late father was from Kenya while his late mother hailed from Kansas. Obama studied in Indonesia after his parents divorced and her mother married an Indonesian.

“He spent his formative years in Indonesia and he has the perspective of Malaysia, Indonesia, and even the southern Philippines,” said Boudreau, author of "Resisting Dictatorship: Repression and Protest in Southeast Asia (2004)." The book deals with political transitions, social movements and democratization in Indonesia and the Philippines.

“He wants to come to Asia and he will listen to Asia,” Boudreau said, adding that he does not see that Obama will be telling Asians what to do. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read full story.

Photo: www.barackobama.com

Slow growth for sunshine industry in 2009

2009-01-02T10:34:00.002+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 30, 2008

The business process outsourcing industry (BPO) will continue to grow in 2009, though on a slower pace, thanks to the impact of the global financial crisis.

After posting a robust growth in recent years, the business process outsourcing (BPO), industry, experts say, is expected to grow at a slower pace in 2009 as the country starts to feel the effects of the global financial crisis.

Industry experts said that although the industry will continue to grow in 2009, the global economic slowdown affecting major economies—particularly the United States—will dampen the industry’s growth and delay its expansion.

Oscar Sanez, chief executive officer of the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP), said the financial crisis has forced companies to re-structure and review their plans.

“There will be a distraction because of the restructuring of some companies,” Sanez told abs-cbnNEWS.com. “A review of their structure can cause delay in expansion plans.”

Sanez expects the industry will grow between 20-30 percent in 2009, down from the expected 2008 growth of about 30 percent.

“The slower growth is also caused by a bigger base in the previous year,” Sanez added.

Considered as one of the sunshine industries, the BPO industry has grown by an average of 50 percent for the past three years. In 2007, it generated US$4.9 billion revenues and employed around 300,000 workers.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Local governments await Supreme Court decisions

2009-01-02T10:24:00.004+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 26, 2008

If there is one thing that makes 2008 a surprising year for local governments, it is the fact that the Supreme Court voided and questioned the legality of the creation and conversion of a number of local government units (LGUs).

Most of these cases are still on appeal. Next year, the High Tribunal must decide on these pending cases.

In 2008, the High Court voided the creation of a province in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), junked the 16 laws converting municipalities into cities, and issued a temporary restraining order on the release of the plebiscite held to determine the people’s opinion on a proposal to divide a province in the southern Luzon.

The final ruling of the Supreme Court on the case of the 16 cities will not only settle the legality issue of their creation but will also serve as guidelines for the Department of Budget of Management in determining whether these cities will receive the city-rate or the municipality rate internal revenue allotment (IRA).

In July, the SC, in an 8-6 vote, voided the creation of Shariff Kabunsuan province in ARMM and declared unconstitutional the power of the ARMM’s lawmaking body—the Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA)—to create provinces.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

RELATED STORIES:

• Supreme Court voids creation of Shariff Kabunsuan
• Bai Sema vs. Comelec: Supreme Court Decision
• Jobless officials, confusing poll preparations follow province's dissolution
• 'Creating More LGUs Prevents Conflicts in ARMM'
• Cities Contemplate Tax Boycott, Work Stoppage
• SC decision voiding the creation of 16 cities
• Mayors glad, sad over SC decision voiding 16 cities
• 16 cities to revert to towns; face huge revenue cuts
• 'Lawmakers should be careful in passing cityhood laws'

He said, she said: Conflicting statements in fertilizer hearing

2008-12-26T22:13:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 22, 2008

Witnesses invited at today’s Senate hearing on the fertilizer fund scam gave conflicting statements during the probe.

Maritess Aytona, who denied being a runner for alleged fertilizer fund scam architect Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante, said that Jaime Paule told him that there are funds available for fertilizers for local government units (LGUs) and lawmakers and that it was Jose "Boy" Barredo who made the proposal for the allocation for the province of Bulacan.

Barredo, who approached local officials informing them of the fertilzier funds, denied Aytona’s claim and said that it was Aytona who sent her the instructions. He also added that it he received his salary from the office of Aytona at the National Organization for Agricultural Enhancement and Productivity.

Click here to read full story.

Timeline: Cities vs cities

2008-12-26T22:01:00.000+08:00
11th Congress—The House of Representatives enacts into laws 33 bills converting 33 towns into cities. The Congress, however, does not act on 24 other cityhood bills.

12th Congress—Republic Act 9009 is enacted. The law increases the minimum income requirement for cityhood from P20 million to P100 million. After the law took effect, the Congress adopts Joint Resolution No. 29, which seeks to exempt the 24 municipalities from the minimum income requirement prescribed by RA 9009. The Senate, however, fails to approve the resolution.

13th Congress—The House re-adopts Joint Resolution No. 29 as Joint Resolution No.1 and forwards it to the Senate for approval. The Senate fails to approve it. Congressmen of the 16 municipalities vying for cityhood files 16 cityhood bills that contain provision exempting them from the P100- million income requirements set by the Local Government Code, as amended by RA 9009.

December 22, 2006—The House of Representatives approves the cityhood bills.

February-June 2007—The Senate approves the cityhood bills.

March-July 2007—The cityhood laws lapses into law without the signature of President Gloria Arroyo.

March 27, 2007—The LCP files its first case in the Supreme Court after six towns were converted into cities.

May 4, 2007—Another case is filed by the LCP after six more towns were converted into cities. —Research by Jesus F. Llanto, abs-bnNews.com/Newsbreak

Click here to view full timeline.

Source: News reports, Supreme Court decision voiding 16 cityhood bills

'Lawmakers should be careful in passing cityhood laws'

2008-12-26T21:57:00.002+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 15, 2008

The Supreme Court decision voiding the conversion of 16 municipalities into cities should make lawmakers more careful in passing cityhood bills, local officials and an expert on local governance said.

Sources interviewed by abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak said that lawmakers should ensure that the criteria set by the Local Government for cityhood are met before pending cityhood bills are approved to avoid another incident similar to the High Tribunal’s decision to void cityhood laws.

In November, the SC, voting 6-5, junked the cityhood laws of three cities in Luzon, seven in the Visayas, and six in Mindanao for failing to meet the qualifications prescribed by the LGC.

The SC voided the cityhood laws of the following cities: Tabuk in Kalinga; Tayabas in Quezon; Batac in Ilocos Norte; Naga, Bogo and Carcar in Cebu; Baybay in Leyte; Guihulngan in Negros Oriental; Catbalogan in Samar; Borongan in Eastern Samar; Tandag in Surigao del Sur; Bayugan in Agusan del Sur; El Salvador in Misamis Oriental; Mati in Davao Oriental; Lamitan in Basilan; and, Cabadbaran in Agusan del Norte.

As of posting time, local officials of the 16 cities filed a motion for reconsideration at the Supreme Court.

Alex Brillantes, dean of the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), said that the decision was a “positive development” because it emphasizes the need to follow the rules in converting towns into cities.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

RELATED STORIES
• GMA Creating Too Many LGUs
• As year ends, GMA creates more LGUs
• IRA Formula Makes Local Governments Complacent
• Birth Pains
• Cities Contemplate Tax Boycott, Work Stoppage
• Less IRA Forcing Mindanao Cities to Cut Down on Services, Workers
• With less IRA, some cities may lose competitiveness
• Mayors glad, sad over SC decision voiding 16 cities
• 16 cities to revert to towns; face huge revenue cuts

16 cities to revert to towns; face huge revenue cuts

2008-12-26T21:40:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 13, 2008

When Lamitan City celebrated its first anniversary as a city last June 2008, local officials and residents held a one-week program. During the celebration, the city government also inaugurated P74 million worth of infrastructure projects, which included a P30-million wet and dry markets and P48 million new transport terminal and air-conditioned hostel.

“The celebration was festive,” the city’s legal counsel Quirino Esguerra Jr., told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak.

Local officials of Lamitan interviewed by abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak said the conversion has spurred development in their city. City councilor Juan Puri Jr. told us in a previous interview that the city government was able to implement more infrastructure projects because of more funds from the national government that came along with their cityhood status.

Lamitan’s mayor, Roderick Furigay Jr., told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak in November that their share on the tax collection of the national government or the internal revenue allotment (IRA) leaped from P80 million to more than P200 million.

Five months later, however, the optimism and promises of cityhood faded away when the Supreme Court declared the conversion of Lamitan City—along with 15 other cities—as unconstitutional.

The 16 cities, whose cityhood bills were voided by the Supreme Court last month, are now the ones facing the possibility of losing huge amounts of IRA allocations.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

RELATED STORIES
• GMA Creating Too Many LGUs
• As year ends, GMA creates more LGUs
• IRA Formula Makes Local Governments Complacent
• Birth Pains
• Cities Contemplate Tax Boycott, Work Stoppage
• Less IRA Forcing Mindanao Cities to Cut Down on Services, Workers

World Bank: Economies of RP, Asia to recover in 2010

2008-12-26T21:19:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 11, 2008

The World Bank (WB) expects the Philippines and other East Asia and Pacific economies to post slower 2008 growth rates, skid further in 2009, before exports pick up and credit and investments start flowing again in 2010.

In its Global Economic Prospect (GEP) 2009 report released Wednesday, the World Bank said the Philippines will grow by only 3 percent in 2009, slower than its 4 percent forecast for this year.

These projections are lower than the Philippine government's own economic growth targets of between 4.1 to 4.8 percent this year, and 3.7 and 4.7 percent in 2009.

World Bank's projections showed the Philippines lagging behind peer countries' growth prospects in 2008 up to 2010.

This year's 4 percent growth forecast for the Philippines is lower than South East Asian countries, like Thailand (4.6 percent), Malaysia (5.5 percent), Indonesia (6 percent).

Even previous laggards in the neighborhood, like Vietnam (6.5 percent), Lao (7 percent), and Cambodia (6.7 percent) will also slowdown in 2008, but their growth rates still outpace the Philippines'.

It would be the same case in the World Bank's 2009 growth forecast for the Philippines. The country's 3 percent growth will again be slower than the others: Thailand (3.6 percent), Malaysia (3.7 perrcent), Indonesia (4.4 percent), Vietnam (6.5 percent), Lao (6 percent), and Cambodia (4.9 percent).

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo: www.abs-cbnnews.com

East Asia growth to slow down--World Bank

2008-12-26T21:08:00.000+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 11, 2008

The growth of the economies of developing East Asia countries will slow down to 6.7 percent in 2009 and 7.8 percent in 2010, from 8.5 percent in 2008 as the impact of the financial crisis reaches the region, the latest economic update of the World Bank said.

The Global Economic Prospect (GEP) 2009 said that the 6.7 percent real gross domestic product (GDP) growth of the region next year is the weakest since the dot-com recession of 2001 and the East Asia crisis of 1997-1998.

“The 6.7 percent is not as good as it sounds because a huge part of it is China,” Vikram Nehru, World Bank’s regional chief economist in the East Asia region told reporters.

Developing East Asia includes the China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and the island economies in the Pacific.

The latest six-monthly assessment of the region said that while the East Asian countries are better prepared than they were for the 1997 Asian financial crisis, none of them is immune to the impact of the global economic financial crisis.

“While decline in oil and food prices will support external positions and provide some relief in the inflation front, reduced investment spending is expected to contribute to a substantial slowdown in regional growth to 6.7 percent in 2009,” the report said.

Regional export volumes, the report added, are expected to fall from 8.3 percent in 2008 to 2.6 percent in 2009 while investment is expected to ease to 7 percent.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

BPO industry in Mindanao suffers from MILF attacks

2008-12-26T20:55:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 9, 2008

The clashes between the government troops and the rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were isolated in several provinces in Mindanao, but it is the entire region that is paying for it.

The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is suffering, particularly in the industrialized cities of Davao and Cagayan De Oro, because of the negative perception due to the volatile peace situation. It scares away investors, industry experts told Newsbreak.

“There is a huge potential because of the huge number of talents in Davao and Cagayan de Oro, but it is difficult to convince [the investors to come] because of the perception that Mindanao is not peaceful,” said Jamea Garcia, executive director for talent development of the Business Process Association of the Philippines.

Another source disclosed that two BPO firms, who were close to finalizing their plans to locate in Mindanao, backed out when the clashes between the military and rebels erupted in August due to the aborted signing of the Moro homeland accord.

This is unfortunate because the region has made strides in attracting the multinational BPO companies away from established outsourcing hubs like Metro Manila and Cebu.

Other Mindanao cities—General Santos, Dipolog, and Zamboanga—have also been gearing to benefit from the growing industry.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Galing Pook Awards finalists named

2008-12-16T00:48:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 8, 2008

How can local government units (LGUs) ensure that their projects will still be implemented even if there is a change of leadership?

This is the question posed by local governance experts to this year’s 19 finalists for the Galing Pook Award, which recognizes the best practices in local governance.

During the final screening and panel interview held last Friday at the Ateneo de Manila University, local officials of and representatives from the LGUs cited for programs were asked by the Galing Pook Awards search committee to explain how they can guarantee that their ongoing projects will still be adapted and continued by their successors.

Rafael Coscolluela, chair of the Galing Pook Foundation and former Negros Occidental governor told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak that they are looking for programs that can be adapted even if a change of leadership happens at the local level.

“We are looking for programs, not just projects,” Coscolluela said. “We are looking for the institutionalization of projects, the ordinances and the creation of permanent body that will run the program.”

Launched in 1993, the Galing Pook Awards recognizes innovative projects of local government units. The awarded are chosen using the following criteria: positive results (35%), promotion of people’s participation and empowerment (35%), transferability and sustainability (20%) and efficiency in program service delivery (10%).

Coscolluela said that local executives should avoid naming their projects after themselves so that the program may still be implemented even if there is a change of leadership.

“That [naming a project after an official] takes away the values of the project,” Coscolluela told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak adding that newly-elected local chief executive would not like a project named after their predecessors.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Wanted: Alternative BPO sites

2008-12-16T00:19:00.002+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher,Newsbreak
December 5, 2008

With the concentration of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms in Makati and Ortigas Center, investors are looking for alternative sites not only in Metro Manila but also in the provinces.

David Leechiu, country head of global property consulting firm Jones Lang La Salle Leechiu told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak that Quezon City would be one of Metro Manila’s most in-demand location in Metro for BPOs looking for office space.

The Quezon City government has already announced its plan of developing its own business districts.

“It is near educational institutions and residential communities and has a big population,” said Leechiu.

Quezon City is the most populous city in the country with 2.67 million inhabitants. Major educational institutions, like the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University are located in the city.

“There’s so much unutilized government land in the city,” Leechiu added.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Real estate industry bullish, driven by BPO demand for office space

2008-12-16T00:10:00.005+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 5, 2008

Try to visit Makati, Ortigas Center and other locations where a number of outsourcing firms are located and chances are you may find the following: convenience stores and restaurants are open for 24 hours, public utility vehicles are plying their routes even during the ungodly hours and construction of buildings is ongoing.

The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, which is considered as one of the sunshine industries in the country, has created ripple effects on the economy and on businesses.

Apart from providing 300,000 direct jobs for Filipinos and generating US$4.9 billion revenues in 2007, it has improved the local economy by creating a new segment of the population, composed of BPO workers in their 20s, with high disposable income, much more than their counterparts in other industries.

Restaurants, coffee shops, convenience stores, and even the public transport system, are now serving BPO workers 24/7 since the nature of their jobs requires them to deal with customers living in different time zones. And this phenomenon has generated additional employment opportunities for Filipinos leaving near the BPO sites.

Commissioner Monchito Ibrahim, chair of the Commission on Information Technology, said in a previous interview with abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak that for every job generated by the BPO industry, there are three indirect jobs created in the indirect services like retail and the transport sector.

One of the sectors that has benefited so much from this growth in outsourcing is the real estate sector, mainly because of the huge demand for office space by the BPO firms. Unlike other businesses that need only two or three units for their operations, BPO companies rent several floors or even an entire building to house their facilities and operations.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

OFWs displaced by crisis should try BPO jobs: experts

2008-12-16T00:05:00.003+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 4, 2008

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who may be affected by job cuts caused by the global economic slowdown can be tapped as workers for the business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, industry experts said.

During the second day of the BPO Summit Philippines 2008, experts said that OFWs, particularly those who will lose their jobs and will return to the Philippines, can be trained to be potential workers for outsourcing companies.

“This is an option for OFWs, especially because of the job cuts resulting from the global economic slowdown,” said Commissioner Monchito Ibrahim of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology.

The Department of Labor and Employment recently said that around 50,000 OFWs may lose their jobs as a result of mass lay offs and job cuts triggered by the US-led financial crisis.

“We want them to go back because there are jobs waiting for them in the BPO industry,” Ibrahim told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak referring to Filipino migrant workers who may be affected by retrenchment and cost-saving measures of companies in other countries.

“Most OFWs speak English while they are in other countries and they just need to go through finishing schools to improve their accent,” Ibrahim said. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo: http://www.en.wikipilinas.org/

Local BPO industry feels heat of global financial crisis

2008-12-07T12:08:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 3, 2008

The global economic crisis is slowing down the demand for services in some sectors of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry and experts are saying they may revise growth targets for 2010.

At the ongoing 2-day BPO Summit Philippines 2008 in Ortigas business district, industry leaders from the various sectors of the BPO industry said that the slowdown in the United States—where major BPO clients are located—and in other major economies have slowed down their operations.

Industry leaders from the non-voice sectors of the BPO industry like animation and transcription said that the financial crisis has been affected by decreasing demand from the United States.

Grace Dimaranan, president of the Animation Council of the Philippines, said some of the projects they have were on hold due to the recession. “Some animation series where reduced.”

The animation sector has been growing by an average of 38 percent during the past three years, data from the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP) showed. In 2007, it generated a revenue of US$105 million or 2 percent of the US13 billion generated by the entire BPO industry in 2007.

Meanwhile, Myla Reyes, managing director of the Medical Transcription Industry Association of the Philippines (MTIAPI) said that some of their operations slowed down as a result of the economic meltdown.

The transcription sector generated US$197 million or 4 percent of the total BPO revenues. For the past three years, the sector is growing at an average of 24 percent.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Medical transcription industry to take a hit from US recession

2008-12-07T12:06:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 2, 2008

The Philippine medical transcription industry will not be spared from the effects of the global economic slowdown although its share in the global market is small, an executive of a transcription company said Tuesday.

Speaking in one of the sessions at the BPO Summit Philippines 2008, Fred Kumetz, chief executive officer of medical and transcription firm eData Services said that the medical transcription (MT) sector is not immune to the effects of the slowdown in the economy of the United States, where most MT clients are based,

“The belief that medical transcription is recession proof is a fallacy,” said Kumetz.

Kumetz, however, said that the effect of the slowdown in the global MT industry will be “totally insignificant” because the Philippine MT industry is too small to be affected by the financial crisis.

The transcription sector is one of the non-voice sectors of the BPO in the Philippines. In 2007, the sector generated US$197 million and it has grown by an average of 24 percent during the past three years.

Click here to read full article.

Hello Bacolod!

2008-12-07T11:59:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 2, 2008

Bacolod City did not top the list of the next-wave cities of the Department of Trade and Industry, Commission on Information Technology and the Business Process Association of the Philippines. But it surpassed all other business process outsourcing (BPO) locations in one category—business environment.

In the 2008 scorecard for next-wave cities, Bacolod City landed on the 5th spot—behind the clusters of local government units of Laguna and Cavite, and the cities of Iloilo and Davao. Bacolod City, however, got the highest score of 96% in the business environment category of the study.

The business environment category, which accounts for 15 percent of the final score, takes into account the incentives given by local government units to BPO firms: peace and order situation, crime rate, travel advisories and vulnerability to natural disasters. Other criteria used in the survey are availability of talent (50%), infrastructure (30%) and cost (5%).

Bacolod City is one of the growing BPO locations outside Metro Manila. The city hosts three big BPO firms—Teletech, Teleperformance and Convergys—and a number of smaller companies. Around 5,000 employees are working in the BPO industry.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Beyond Manila: BPOs expanding to new destinations

2008-12-07T11:53:00.003+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
December 1, 2008

It’s already 9 p.m. but the day has just started for a group of call center employees in an outsourcing firm in Quezon City. They will be wearing headsets and talking to customers calling from the other side of the world, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, until 6 a.m. Every two hours, they will be given 30-minute breaks, which most of them spend by smoking outside their office buildings.

More than five years ago, one could see this familiar scene only in the business districts of Makati and Ortigas, where most business outsourcing (BPO) firms are located. Now, the scene is replicated all throughout the archipelago—from Baguio to Bacolod and from Dumaguete to Davao.

Driven by shrinking talent pool, wage inflation and increasing rental rates, BPO companies in the Philippines have been expanding and locating in the provinces, outside established outsourcing hubs, for the past few years.

“We are avoiding another Bangalore in the making,” said Teletech senior vice president Maulik Parekh in a local governance conference on October attended by representatives from local government units (LGUs) interested in attracting investments from the BPO industry. Parekh was explaining why some BPO firms are establishing their presence outside Metro Manila and he was referring to the case of India’s outsourcing hub where concentration of BPO firms in one location resulted in high labor and rental rates.

Dubbed as one of the sunshine industries of the Philippines, the BPO sector employs around 300,000 workers and generated US$4.9 billion in 2007. For the past three years, the industry revenues have grown by an average of 50 percent.

Manila-centric

Around 80 percent of BPO workers, however, are employed by outsourcing firms based in Metro Manila. In contrast, data from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) showed that 74 percent of around 400,000 graduates every year are from outside Metro Manila. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

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Photo: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Remembering the Manila Pen siege: A detained senator, a hotel that has bounced back

2008-12-07T11:49:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 29, 2008

It all started from a walkout from a court hearing of soldiers facing charges on the failed Oakwood mutiny in 2003. What followed, however, was an unfolding of intense and gripping events comparable to an action series on television. The event was full of suspense but for Filipinos it was just one of those upheavals that occasionally rock the political landscape of the Philippines.

The Manila Peninsula siege, which occurred exactly a year ago, has all the ingredients of drama—a senator elected by 11 million Filipinos but was not allowed to serve, a group of soldiers calling for protest actions against a hugely unpopular president, bishops and opposition figures expressing support for them, guests who were forced to leave a hotel after it was occupied by the soldiers, government forces outnumbering the mutineers and a horde of reporters who, unfortunately, ended as the subject of the news.

After Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig, Gen. Danilo Lim and other soldiers walked out of the court hearing, they marched through the streets of Makati City .The soldiers then proceeded to The Peninsula Manila—a posh hotel in the financial district popularly known as Manila Pen—where they held a press conference and called for the ouster of President Arroyo.

Former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr, former University of the Philippines president Francisco Nemenzo and Catholic bishops Antonio Tobias and Julio Labayen joined Trillanes and Lim at the hotel.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo:www.newsbreak.com.ph

Asia needs to step up anti-AIDS info campaign

2008-11-29T20:37:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 28, 2008

With an estimated 10 million Asians infected by AIDS by 2010, experts said that governments in the Asia-Pacific region should start stepping up their information campaigns on prevention of AIDS.

During the launch of an online AIDS database (www.aidsdatahub.org) in Manila, experts said that while the prevalence of AIDS in Asia-Pacific is still low compared to sub-Saharan Africa, governments in the region should not be complacent and should start addressing the epidemic.

Amala Reddy, regional program advisor for strategic information of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said that by 2010 there will be around 10 million cumulative cases of AIDS in the region. She added that infections per year may reach 500,000.

“We do not expect infection levels to reach as high as Africa,” Reddy told reporters.

A March 2008 report of the Commission on AIDS in Asia showed that AIDS epidemic in the region is driven by the cases of unprotected paid sex, sharing of contaminated needles and syringes among injecting drug users and unprotected sex between men.

HIV’s continuous transmission, the report said, will continue to be a threat to the region with an estimated 75 million Asian men buying sex regularly from 10 million Asian females who sell sex.

The report also said that growing prevalence of male-to-male sex and drug injection add another 20 million or more to men at high risk of HIV infection.

'Know our epidemics'

Anupama Rao Singh, United Nations Children’s Fund regional director for East Asia-Pacific, said that a major step in the campaign to contain the spread of the epidemic is dissemination of information.

One of the main problems in tracking the epidemic, she said, is the lack of updated HIV prevalence data of some countries in the region. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Arroyo allies say there's 'no beef' in impeachment rap

2008-11-29T20:09:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 25, 2008

Anti-impeachment lawmakers defended President Arroyo on Tuesday at the House committee on justice hearing on the impeachment complaint against her by saying that it failed to implicate the president and described it as merely based on hearsay evidence.

Comparing businessman Jose "Joey" de Venecia III's impeachment raps against President Arroyo to a sandwich without the beef, Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia cited that the complaint, albeit sufficient in form, is yet to be determined for sufficiency in substance.

"When the committee found that the complaint is sufficient in form, it was as if this committee is being offered something which looks like a sandwich in form. But the question that is at the mind of our colleagues is 'Where's the beef? Where is the substance?" he said during the hearing Tuesday of the House Committee of Justice.

Garcia defended Mrs. Arroyo's trip to Shenzhen, China in relation to the controversial ZTE-NBN deal, pointing the failure of the complainant to make a recital of ultimate facts, or truths enough to constitute for an impeachable offense.

"The President and the First Gentleman went to China. That is a fact. But does that constitute an offense? Is going to China an impeachable offense? That's why we have to examine and analyze the complaint," he said. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo: www.abs-cbnNews.com

Pro-gov't solons clear Arroyo in ZTE deals

2008-11-29T19:54:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 25, 2008

Pro-administration lawmakers on Tuesday cleared President Gloria Arroyo of involvement in the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal and the Mt. Diwalwal agreement with China’s ZTE Corp..

During the continuation of the House justice committee hearing on the impeachment complaint against the President, anti-impeachment lawmakers said she has no direct participation in these contracts since it was her subordinates who signed them.

The continuation of the hearing Tuesday came after pro-impeachment lawmakers faced the committee Monday to provide details to all the cases involved in the impeachment complaint.

The complaint cited the alleged involvement of Mrs. Arroyo in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam that was purportedly used to for her campaign kitty in 2004, the US$329 million NBN deal with ZTE Corp., the alleged bribery of House members, and human rights violations under her administration.

Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, a former staunch ally of Mrs. Arroyo, on Monday linked her to the NBN-ZTE deal and showed a photograph of himself with the President, First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, former elections chief Benjamin Abalos and a ZTE official in Shenzhen, China. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

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Photo: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

JDV, opposition solons detail alleged Arroyo offenses

2008-11-29T19:37:00.003+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 24, 2008

After former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. linked President Arroyo to the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China's ZTE Corp. and to the alleged attempts to bribe some House members, pro-impeachment lawmakers detailed the president’s involvement in two anomalous contracts.

Pro-impeachment lawmakers on Monday implicated the president to the controversial contracts of North Rail and the agreement that would allow ZTE Corp. to pursue mining operations in Mt. Diwalwal, Compostela Valley.

Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan told the House justice committee that Arroyo violated the constitution when she approved the contract that allows ZTE Corp. to explore, process and use mines in Mt. Diwalwal despite her earlier order for a suspension of mining operations in the area.

“The president sold our gold resources to ZTE,” Ilagan told the panel, adding that the contract is disadvantageous because 90 percent of the revenues will go to ZTE and only 10 percent will go to the Philippines. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

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Palace says JDV 'sour graping'

2008-11-29T19:13:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 24, 2008

Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. implicated President Gloria Arroyo on Monday in the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China's ZTE Corp and in the alleged bribery attempts to House members at the House justice committee hearing on the substance of the impeachment complaint.

Speaking in the House justice committee hearing on the impeachment complaint against Arroyo, De Venecia told the panel that president told him to approve the US$329-million NBN deal with ZTE Corp.

De Venecia also linked First Gentleman Jose Miguel 'Mike' Arroyo to the deal by saying that it was the presidential spouse who proposed that the contract should be done on a government-to-government contract instead of the build-operate-transfer scheme, which is more favorable to Filipino taxpayers since it will built at no cost to the government.

The former Speaker said the president told this to him in November 2006 when she invited him to play golf in Shenzhen, China. De Venecia said that he met former Commission on Elections chief Benjamin Abalos and First Gentlemam Mike Arroyo in Shenzhen.

De Venecia also showed a photo of Arroyo, the First Gentleman, Abalos and an official of the ZTE Corp.

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Photo Credit: http://www.pia.gov.ph/

Customs, BIR, DPWH most insincere in fighting corruption --SWS survey

2008-11-23T22:05:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 21, 2008

Only 8 out 30 government agencies have become more sincere in fighting corruption, a business survey on corruption by the Social Weather Stations showed.

The 2008 Survey of Enterprises on Corruption showed improvements in ratings of sincerity in fighting corruption of the city/municipal government, the Department of Health, the Commission on Audit, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Senate, the Department of Justice, the Philippine National Police and the Commission on Elections.

The survey—the eighth SWS business survey on corruption since 2000—asked managers of 402 enterprises in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao from Sept. 9-October 10, 2008 to rate 30 government agencies in terms of their sincerity in fighting corruption.

The institutions are ranked in terms in net sincerity—the difference between the percentage rating an agency as very/somewhat sincere and the percentage rating as very/somewhat insincere.

The ratings of the eight agencies with improved sincerity in fighting corruption are as follows: City/municipal government (from +27 in 2007 to +35 in 2008), DOH (+29 to +30), COA (from +21 to +23), AFP (from -10 to +6), Senate (from -7 to -6), DOJ ( from -21 to -17), PNP ( from -25 to -18) and COMELEC (from -36 to 27).

Best performers: Filipino business associations, SSS
The survey showed that Filipino business associations, the Social Security System, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Supreme Court and city/municipal governments are the most sincere in fighting corruption.

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Mayors glad, sad over SC decision voiding 16 cities

2008-11-23T22:00:00.002+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 19,2008

Mayors of cities that have experienced a substantial decrease in allocation as result of the creation of new cities welcomed the Supreme Court decision voiding the laws converting 16 municipalities into cities.

City mayors interviewed by abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak said the decision of the High Tribunal proves that the requirements for cityhood set by the Local Government Code (LGC) should be strictly followed and that there should be no exemptions in conversion of towns into cities.

The Supreme Court, voting 6-5, nullified the conversion of 16 municipalities into cities by granting the petition of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) seeking to declare as unconstitutional the 16 cityhood laws. The LCP claimed that the 16 cities were created even if they did not meet the minimum income requirements for cityhood.

The decision of High Tribunal will reduce the number of cities in the Philippines from 136 to 120.

Among the cities whose cityhood laws have been voided by the Supreme Court are: Batac in Ilocos Norte; Tabuk in Kalinga; Tayabas in Quezon; Baybay in Leyte; Catbalogan in Samar; Borongan in Eastern Samar; Guihulngan in Negros Oriental; Bogo, Naga and Carcar in Cebu; Tandag in Surigao del Sur; Cabadbaran in Agusan del Norte; El Salvador in Misamis Oriental; Mati in Davao Oriental; Bayugan in Agusan del Sur; and, Lamitan in Basilan.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

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Bolante clears Yap, lawmakesr, local officials

2008-11-20T16:31:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 18,2008

Except for denying that he was the one who linked Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Arthur Yap to the P728 million fertilizer fund scam, there was nothing new in the testimony of former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante at the house committee hearing on Tuesday.

In his first appearance at the hearing of the House committee on food and agriculture, Bolante, a former agriculture undersecretary for finance, reiterated his previous statements during last week’s investigation of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

The former undersecretary just repeated his previous statements that there was no scam involved in the release of the fund, and he cleared President Gloria Arroyo, lawmakers and local officials implicated by the scandal.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Cover-up seen as de la Paz clears PNP chief

2008-11-20T16:22:00.002+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 15, 2008

Former Philippine National Police (PNP) comptroller Eliseo de la Paz has made himself more liable for the P6.9 million (105,000 euros) fund mess of the PNP delegation to the Interpol conference in Russia.

During his appearance at the investigation of the Senate committee on foreign relations and the Blue Ribbon committee, the former comptroller pinned himself down by clearing his superiors, admitting there was an abuse of discretion on his part, and taking full responsibility for the controversy that has dragged the names of high-ranking police officials.

De la Paz, who was held by Russian airport authorities in Moscow for carrying money beyond the allowable outbound cash limits on Oct.11, absolved his superior PNP chief Jesus Verzosa and Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno from the fund mess.

“I did it on my own behalf,” said De la Paz.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chair of the foreign affairs committee, said she was not convinced of De la Paz's statement.

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Related Stories:

TIMELINE: PNP, De la Paz and the euro scandal
'Euro generals' have a chance to redeem themselves

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Photo: http://www.pia.gov.ph/

'Euro generals' have a chance to redeem themselves

2008-11-16T12:53:00.002+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 14, 2008

The testimonies of former Philippine National Police (PNP) comptroller Eliseo dela Paz and other police officials, including PNP chief Jesus Verzosa, will be the PNP’s chance to clear its name and redeem itself from the anomaly surrounding the Moscow fund mess.

The controversy, which started when dela Paz was held by Russian airport officials on Oct. 11 for carrying an amount of money (105,000 euros or nearly P7 million) beyond the airport’s outbound cash limit, has dragged the names of high-ranking officials of the PNP and has tainted the image of the police department, especially after the officials issued conflicting statements about the scandal.

If all the invited officials will appear and testify on the joint hearing of the foreign affairs and Blue Ribbon committees on Saturday, the Senate will have the chance to trace the money trail.

25 were invited
Apart from Dela Paz, who is now under the custody of the Senate, 24 others were summoned by the Senate—including Verzosa, retired director Rolando Garcia of the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime; Deputy Director General Ismael Rafanan deputy chief for operations; Deputy Director General Emmanuel Carta, deputy chief for administration; Director Romeo Ricardo, director for plans; Silverio Alarcio Jr, director for operations; Chief Superintendent Raul Bacalzo, director of the PNP Investigation and Detective Management; and retired Director Jaime Caringal, former regional director for Zamboanga Peninsula.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Related Story: TIMELINE: PNP, De la Paz and the euro scandal

Photo: PNP website

TIMELINE: PNP, De la Paz and the euro scandal

2008-11-16T12:48:00.000+08:00
Oct. 6-10, 2008—Philippine National Police officials attend the 77th Interpol General Assembly held in St. Petersburg, Russia.

October 9, 2008—PNP comptroller Eliseo De la Paz retires from service.

October 11, 2008—Russian customs officers detain De la Paz at the Moscow International Airport for carrying 105,000 euros—an amount beyond the airport’s outbound cash limit.

October 15, 2008—Zamboanga police regional director Jaime Caringal, one of the police officials stranded in Moscow, says that “forgetfulness” caused trouble for PNP officials in Russia. PNP, meanwhile, says Dela Paz was not yet retired when he went to Russia.

October 17, 2008—Philippine Consul General Joselito Jimeno says dela Paz was cleared by Russian authorities because he was able to convince him that the money in his possession was a “travel contingency fund” issued by PNP.

October 18, 2008—PNP Chief Jesus Versoza says Dela Paz money was contingency fund. PNP Spokesperson Nicanor Bartolome says there was nothing irregular in the Russian trip of the PNP officials’ wives because they were also invited by the Interpol.--Research by Jesus F. Llanto

Click here to view the full timeline.

Lessons for Thaksin from deposed leaders

2008-11-16T12:41:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 11, 2008

After the government of United Kingdom cancelled the visas of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, Pojaman, the media have been reporting on where the couple might set up home next.

Reports have been saying that the couple might decide to settle in China, Bolivia, African states and even in the Philippines. The Department of Foreign Affairs, however, said that the Philippines has not received an asylum application from the former prime minister.

Thaksin, however, may found it hard to seek political asylum because of global treaties that makes it harder for corrupt leaders facing charges in their home countries to find states that would accommodate them as political exiles. Among these treaties are the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which contains provisions on extradition, transfer of sentenced persons and recovery of stolen assets.

Thaksin has been on self-imposed exile in Britain since he was ousted from power by a military coup in 2006. He was found guilty of corruption and was sentenced to two years in prison for violating rules on conflict of interest. His wife, meanwhile, is found guilty of tax evasion.

Click here to read the rest of the story

Related Story: Safe Haven for Corrupt Officials Shrinking

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Bolante clears Arroyo; most senators not convinced

2008-11-16T12:40:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 13, 2008

Former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante on Thursday cleared President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of having a role in the P728 million fertilizer fund scam but passed the blame to the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional offices.

In his testimony at the resumption of the Senate investigation, Bolante cleared President Arroyo, congressmen and local officials implicated in the controversial scam. He said regional offices of the agriculture department are the ones in charge of implementing the funds.

Bolante said the president did not have a hand in the distribution of the funds

“President Arroyo is not and has not been involved in this kind of project,” Bolante told the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

House members in fertilizer scam won’t inhibit in investigation

2008-11-16T12:29:00.002+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 12, 2008

Despite the involvement of some congressmen in the fertilizer fund scam, the House Committee on Food and Agriculture will not require some of their colleagues implicated in the P728 million fertilizer fund scam to inhibit themselves from participating in their investigation of the case.

During the first day of the House probe today, Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra, chair of the committee, said that there is no need to ask some of the congressman to inhibit from the case.

“They should not inhibit. They have not been found guilty,” said Mitra adding that they want the investigation to become a free and transparent hearing.

Mitra’s reaction came after two representatives—one of them a member of the investigating committee—admitted that they have benefited from the fertilizer funds when they were still governors.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

LGUs should tax idle agri land--study

2008-11-09T23:17:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 7, 2008

Local government units have been missing a lot of potential revenues because of their slow and weak implementation of taxes on idle agricultural lands, a study by the La Liga Policy Institute and the Development Academy of the Philippines showed.

According to the recently-published book by the LLPI and DAP, Enhancing Taxation on Idle Agricultural Lands: A Policy Study in Aid of Legislatio, despite the presence of laws and policy directives, LGUs have been slow in imposing tax on idle agricultural lands.

The Philippine government has been imposing taxes on idle lands since 1974, when former President Ferdinand Marcos signed Presidential Decree 464, which enacted a real property tax code.

Francisco Lara and Rachael Morala, authors of the book, said that a lack of clear definition of “idle land” and of investment on tax mapping, the cost of implementation, and politics have hampered LGUs from implementing taxes on idle agricultural lands.

Click here to read full article.

BPO players still confident despite win of anti-outsourcing Obama

2008-11-08T16:29:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 5, 2008

Industry experts from the business process outsourcing (BPO) believe that Barack Obama’s victory in the US presidential election will have no major direct impact in the growth of the industry in the Philippines.

Oscar Sañez, chief executive officer of the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP), said that victory of Obama will have only little effect on the BPO industry in the country.

Obama has expressed during the campaign that he is not in favor of outsourcing jobs to other countries. His campaign website (www.barackobama.com) said that Obama and his vice-president-elect Joe Biden would end tax breaks for companies that send job overseas.

“Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that companies should not get billions of dollars in tax deductions for moving their operations overseas. Obama and Biden will also fight to ensure that public contracts are awarded to companies that are committed to American workers,” the website reads.

Obama was also among those who introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007, which seek to reward companies that create good jobs for American workers by providing tax credits to firms that maintain their corporate headquarters in the United States and maintain or increase their full-time workers in America relative to those outside US.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo: www.barackobama.com

Camilo Sabio wants PCGG out of justice department

2008-11-06T22:57:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 4, 2008

After Department of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales asked him to extend his leave for another 30 days until the Supreme Court has ruled on his disbarment case, Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) chair Camilo Sabio said that he will take a second leave immediately.

“I will immediately take a second leave of absence,” Sabio told reporters in a press conference at the PCGG office in Mandaluyong. “It may be 30 days or more but I’m willing to wait…just take care of PCGG.”

Sabio said his second leave does not need the approval of the President. “I just comply with the suggestion of Secretary Gonzales.”

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Davao, Cagayan de Oro among best BPO locations

2008-11-06T22:55:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Newsbreak, Researcher
November 3, 2008

Despite the negative perception of Mindanao, two of its major cities are cited as among the best business process outsourcing (BPO) locations outside Metro Manila and Cebu.

Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City were cited as among the 10 next-wave cities for outsourcing by the BPO scorecard of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT), Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Davao was at the fourth place—with a score of 80 percent out of 100—behind Metro Laguna (88%), Metro Cavite (85%) and Iloilo (81%).but ahead of Bacolod City (78%), Angeles-Clark-Mabalacat cluster in Pampanga (77%) and Baliuag-Marilao-Meycauayan cluster in Bulacan (74%).

Cagayan de Oro landed on the 8th spot with a score of 73%. Its score is the same as the scores of Malolos-Calumpit cluster in Bulacan and Lipa City in Batangas.

The BPO scorecard was computed using the following criteria: availability of talent (50%), infrastructure (30%), cost (5%) and business environment (15%).

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Laguna, Cavite top next wave of locations for BPOs

2008-11-06T22:49:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 3, 2008

Clusters of cities and municipalities in Laguna and Cavite topped the list of the 10 next wave of locations for outsourcing in the Philippines, a scorecard of the BPO industry showed.

Metro Laguna—composed of Santa Rosa City, Calamba City, Los Banos, Cabuyao and San Pablo City—was cited as the best outsourcing location in the Philippines outside Metro Manila and Metro Cebu by the scorecard ranking of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT), Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and the Department of Trade and Industry. Metro Laguna got a score of 88 percent out of 100.

Metro Cavite—composed of Dasmarinas, Bacoor, Imus and Cavite City—was ranked as the second best outsourcing location with a score of 85 percent.

The scorecard also included two cities in the Visayas, two cities in Mindanao, a city in Batangas, the Angeles-Clark- Mabalacat cluster in Central Luzon and two clusters of local government units in Bulacan.

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LGUs increase income, Bulacan top earner

2008-11-02T16:42:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
Oct. 31, 2008

Income generated by local government units (LGUs) in 2007 increased by 7.56 percent and reached P234.82 billion, financial statements from the Commission on Audit (CoA) published in major dailies today showed.

The 2007 gross income of LGUs was P16.51 billion higher than 2006’s P218.30 billion.
Net income of LGUs, however, reached P40.02 billion. The figure is P751.33 million or 1.84 percent lower than last year’s net income of P40.77 billion.

The Local Government Code or Republic Act 7160 has given local government units the power to generate their own source of revenue by levying taxes, fees or charges.

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Poor LGUs can't afford pay hikes in SSL 3--Boncodin

2008-11-02T16:40:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
Oct. 30, 20008

Poor local government units (LGUs) and heavily-subsidized government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) would have difficulty in raising the salaries of its employees under a proposal to modify the compensation scheme, a former budget secretary said Tuesday.

Former Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Emilia Boncodin said poor LGUs and subsidized GOCCs would find it hard to implement the salary rates prescribed by Joint Resolution No. 24 or the Salary Standardization Law 3 (SSL 3) because they do not have the financial capability to do it.

The SSL 3, which was filed by House Speaker Prospero Nograles, seeks to give salary increases to government employees in the next four years.

“Poor local government units (LGUs) cannot afford this, especially those who belong to the fifth and sixth class who are dependent on IRA [Internal Revenue Allotment],” said Boncodin in a forum on the compensation rationalization bill held at UP on Tuesday.

Boncodin said most of the LGUs belonging to lower-income classes—or those who belong to the 4th, 5th and 6th class categories—may not be able to apply the new salary rates prescribed by the SSL 3 since most of them are dependent on their share on national taxes or IRA and have low capacity to generate revenues.

“They can hardly expect an increase in their IRA share with the crisis,” Boncodin said.

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34 OFWs face death penalty

2008-11-02T16:38:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
Oct. 31, 2008

The latest execution of overseas Filipino worker Jenifer Bedoya in Saudi Arabia has heightened interest on cases of OFWs convicted of committing crimes in their host countries and facing death penalty.

Data from the Department of Foreign Affairs show there are 40 death penalty cases that involve OFWs. Thirty four of these cases are still in the litigation process.

Esteban Conejos, undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, said that since January 2006 the department has handled 64 probable death row cases, 24 of which have been commuted.

Among the OFWs whose death sentences have been commuted were Marilou Ranario and Mae Vecina. Ranario allegedly stabbed her employer to death and was given the death sentence by the Kuwaiti court. Her sentence, however, was commuted to life imprisonment after a personal appeal of President Arroyo, who was then visiting Kuwait.

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Outsourcing to drive growth in real estate

2008-10-28T13:19:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

October 23, 2008--Despite the slowdown of major economies, the business process outsourcing industry will continue to boost growth in the real estate sector, particularly the demand for office space, industry experts said Wednesday.

“Offshoring and outsourcing will continue to drive the demand in most real estate segments, particularly in offices,” said Rick Santos, chair of real estate services and consulting firm CB Richard Ellis Philippines.
Multinational companies, said Santos, would continue to outsource operations to survive and thrive especially during these times when a global economic slowdown is happening.

“Even with the lingering global financial crisis and the recession in the US, the outsourcing and offshoring remains to be a major economic and property industry driver of the country,” Santos said. “It will continue to provide cost-effective and high-value alternative to ailing US companies who need to survive this short-term weakness in their economy.”

The BPO industry is one of the growing sectors in the Philippines. Industry experts expect revenues to increase by 43 percent and reach almost US$7 billion in 2008.

CBRE estimates that around 501,968 sq. meters of new office space is scheduled for completion in 2008 across Metro Manila to meet the demand from the BPO industry. The figure is higher than last year’s monitored take up of 300,000 sq. meters.

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Survivors: OFWs have endured major crises

2008-10-28T13:18:00.000+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

October 23, 2008--With the global financial crisis spreading its dark shadow on host countries, the labor department foresees reduced remittances as it estimates that about 50,000 of our migrant workers (in Europe and the US) may lose their jobs.

What will happen to our modern day heroes?

The billions of dollars they send to their families in the Philippines fuel consumption in the country and keep the economy afloat. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed that, from January to July this year, remittances from the eight million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) reached US$ 9.6 billion.

But this is not the first time that OFWs are experiencing a financial crisis. In 1997, Filipinos working in Asia went through the regional financial crisis.

We compiled a list of the most difficult situations our OFWs have been through, from volatile peace situations in their host countries to disease outbreaks. Here are some of the most prominent crises that affected them. The recent incident in Somalia where Filipino seafarers were held captive by pirates is the latest in a long list of crises involving Filipino workers deployed in various parts of the world.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

A Continuous Rebuilding: Newsbreak's Special Issue on Mindanao

2008-10-23T06:50:00.003+08:00

Newsbreak magazine's special issue on Mindanao is out.

This issue looks at the state of governance, education, health services, and enterprise in the island. There are lessons from yet another failed peace negotiation, as much as it is about independent efforts of people's organizations, local governments, and foreign donors to help residents rise above the poverty that the decades-old conflict has brought on the island. There are assessments of each region's prospects for growth, as much as they are hopeful glimpses on localities that are not giving up on agriculture and fisheries despite the promise of quick bucks from mining. The Australian Agency for International Development engaged us to put together this special edition.

Copies of the magazine are available in bookstores and other magazine outlets at P150 each. For bulk orders, contact Newsbreak at 920-0997, fax 920-3611, email admin@newsbreak.com.ph.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OPINION

Forgotten Stories of a Renewed War. Progress and peace could be a thing of the past in Lanao del Norte.

Back to Scratch Will the government's new tack on the peace talks work?

What is GMA's Agenda? Former Senate President Franklin Drilon argues the unconstitutionality of the canceled deal with MILF.

Critics not after the best interest of Mindanao' Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. defends the MOA with Muslim rebels.

The Spirit of EAGA Marites Dañguilan Vitug reminds us of a possible key to Mindanao's growth.

PEACE

From Poor to Poorer Why many villagers oppose inclusion in a Muslim territory

How Not to Address Inequality Development aid may be favoring one ethnic group over another. "

All wars end in peace' Soldiers can be peacebuilders without losing their fighting spirit.

Justice Without Distinction A Maguindanao town balances different tribal customs in administering justice.

GOVERNANCE

A Spirit No Attack can Ruin North Cotabato towns pillaged by MILF fighters are starting all over again.

A Hyped Achievement Automated voting was only half-successful in the ARMM elections.

EDUCATION

A New Page for Muslim Filipino Students New subjects prepare them for mainstream education.

Where the Kids are Tagum City's public market is also the street children's school.

HEALTH

Cannot Be Reached No health services in Mindanao's poorest areas? Blame the fighting.
Healthy Moms and Babies In Maitum, Sarangani, their welfare is government policy.

IMAGES
Actually, They are Living in Peace Mindanaoans are busy earning a living.

ENTERPRISE

Neglecting the Farms Mindanao can produce enough rice, but it needs P30 billion to built farm-to-market roads.

Disabled No More A mobile store project gives persons with disability a new lease on life and livelihood.

Pride in Their Farmlands They grow fruits even on rough terrain and steep slopes.

REGIONS

Problems on the Peninsula Zamboanga needs investments and a better image to boost its prospects.

A Boom in Northern Mindanao But it has to strike a balance between agriculture and industrialization.

Hope on the Streets Cagayan de Oro continues a project for street children even after donors have left.

The Price of Progress Davao Region continues its economic boom, but why are there more poor residents now?

'Padre' Lifts Up the Poor In Davao del Norte, the province learns from a town about fighting poverty.

Tuna in Transition Troubles in the global economy catch up with Soccsksargen's main industry.

Other Wealth Region 12 also has vast potentials in agriculture and mining.

Holding on to an Empty Promise Caraga is not ready for the growth that the mining industry is expected to bring.

Forget Federalism Dr. Sukarno Tanggol says that Muslim Mindanao can do well with genuine autonomy.

Where Have MNLF combatants Gone? Some 28,000 of them are now productive farmers and fishers.

Low crime rate in Batanes but alcoholism rising

2008-10-23T06:44:00.003+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Newsbreak, Researcher

October 20.2008--Batanes, the smallest province in terms of land area and population, is also one of the most peaceful places in the country and its almost empty jails are the proof. Unlike most areas in the Philippines, Batanes remains to be one of the places with lowest crime rate. Incidence of index crimes is uncommon and most of those arrested are those only caught violating ordinances like using bicycles without early warning device.

Eduardo Dasilao of the Batanes provincial office of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said the occupants of the provincial jail are just the three Vietnamese who were caught poaching in the island of Sabtang.

Illegal poaching is one of the major problems of Batanes. Lalaine Banares, chief of police of Basco said that poachers, who have larger vessels, usually go to Batanes waters whenever there are rough waves.

The absence of crimes, particularly those that are caused by poverty, can be attributed to the low poverty incidence in Batanes. The province recorded a zero percent poverty rate in 2006, data from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Local officials show support for GMA in paid ads

2008-10-23T06:34:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Newsbreak, Researcher

October 17,2008--Local executives expressed their support for President Arroyo and described the latest impeachment complaint against her as “divisive” and “destructive” through advertisements published in at least two major dailies today.

Two leagues of local officials came up with newspaper ads affirming their support for the President through advertisements published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star.

The League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) came up with an ad in the Philippine Star expressing their support for President Arroyo and condemning the impeachment complaint filed against her on October 13 by Joey de Venecia, son of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Iloilo vice governor Rolex Suplico and law professor Harry Roque.

“The impeachment suit is usually politically motivated, divisive and destructive that attains the common weal of our people,” the LPP said in its advertisement signed by LPP Secretary-General and Eastern Samar governor Ben Evardone, LPP national chair and Camarines Sur governor Luis Raymund Villafuerte and the league’s national president and Misamis Occidental governor Loreto Leo Ocampos.

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Scotland in RP? Go to Batanes

2008-10-21T23:49:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
October 16, 2008

BASCO—Batanes may be the country’s least populated and smallest province but its natural resources, rich history and culture could rival wonders offered by more established tourist destinations in the Philippines.

Tourists visiting the islands will be reminded of Scotland once they see the massive cliffs and of New Zealand upon seeing the gentle rolling terrain of green pastures and the fields bounded by hedge rows. These can be found in Batan, the province’s main island and where the capital Basco is located.

In Sabtang Island, a 30-minute boat ride from Basco, the famous cobblestone houses--with walls made of approximately 1-meter thick stones—that withstand earthquakes and typhoons that battered the province can be found in the villages of Chavayan and Savidug.

The white sand beach of Nakabuang, which is famous for its rock formations, is also in this island.

The archeological site of the oldest settlement in the province, meanwhile, can be found in Torongan Cave in the island of Itbayat, a three-hour boat ride from the capital. Various burial sites and old churches can also be found all throughout the province.

Batanes is also a candidate in the World Heritage Site list by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

With all these natural and man-made wonders, the province hopes that its tourism sector would become its major source of income in the coming years. Batanes governor Telesforo Castillejos said that at present income from tourism is marginal but they expect it to contribute more revenue to the province’s coffers in the future.

“Eco-cultural tourism will be the major industry that will propel the economy of Batanes,” Castillejos said.

Peak season

Tourist arrivals in Batanes reached 5,000 in 2007, said acting provincial tourism officer Robert Bastillo. The figure, he said, is expected to double this year and since the latest tourist arrival data showed that a total of 8,000 have arrived.

Peak season is during the months of November and December and during the Holy Week.

Tess Valiente, general manager of Batanes Grand Holidays Travel and Tours, said that occupancy rate during these months reaches 100 percent. “People who want to go to Batanes during these months should make their reservations four months earlier.”

Occupancy rate, meanwhile, during rainy season reaches only to 50 percent but Valiente said it has been increasing by 10 percent due to the promos of some airline companies. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Disclosure: This is the last in a three-part series on Batanes. The author's trip to the province was sponsored by NEDA.

Related Stories:

Zero poverty in Batanes but..
Beyond typhoons: Organic farming thrives in Batanes

SIDEBAR: BPOs in Batanes

2008-10-19T08:14:00.000+08:00
In a recent meeting between Batanes governor Telesforo Castillejos and members of the media, the governor said his province wants to attract investments from the growing business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

Castillejos said that call centers can help stop the exodus of the educated people in their province. The governor estimated that 60-70 percent of their graduates leave to look for better opportunities elsewhere. He added that the provincial government will be willing to give task incentives to BPO companies.

There is a growing trend among BPO firms to establish their presence outside outsourcing hubs like Metro Manila and Cebu, where industry concentration has driven up the cost of labor and the rental rates.

In a recent Local Governance Unit summit held in Makati, Commissioner Monchito Ibrahim of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology told that BPO firms should go outside the National Capital Region, where major BPO operations take, because the provinces offer cheaper rental rates and a huge pool of talents. --Jesus F. Llanto (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

RELATED STORY: Zero poverty in Batanes but...

Zero poverty in Batanes but...

2008-10-19T08:06:00.002+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
October 15,2008

BASCO—In 2006, Batanes was able to achieve what most local government units in the country aspire—the absence of poverty among its citizens.

Official poverty statistics for 2006 released this year reveal this archipelagic province in the northernmost part of the country registered a zero percent poverty incidence. Poverty statistics for the years 2000 and 2003 showed that Batanes consistently landed on the ten least poor provinces.

Batanes, the country’s smallest province in terms of population and land area, registered a 10.4 percent and 6.3 percent poverty incidence among families during 2000 and 2003, respectively.

Batanes governor Telesforo Castillejos said the zero poverty incidence could be attributed to the fact that almost all Ivatan families engaged in farming, and therefore has assured source of food. “Almost all the families have a piece of land to till.”

Difficulties of linking with neighboring provinces and the unpredictable weather, said the governor, have taught the Ivatans to be self-reliant. “Our mentality is we cannot always depend on the outside [mainland] especially when the seas are unnavigable so we have to go farming,”

“Even government officials and employees here are involved in farming,” the governor added.

Despite a huge number of families involved in farming, the province's agriculture sector was not able to take off and maximize its potential due to weather and transportation problems. Tess Castilejos, provincial trade and industry official, said that these problems have discouraged the farmers from planting more crops so they can trade with other provinces.

“They only produce [agricultural products] to be self-sufficient,” DTI’s Castillejos told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak. The DTI official also said that lack of access to market has hampered the growth in agricultural production. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to continue reading the story.

This is the second of a three-part series on the province of Batanes. The first part discussed organic farming in the province.

(Disclosure: The author is among the journalists who visited Batanes during a media appreciation seminar sponsored by NEDA.)

Beyond typhoons: Organic farming thrives in Batanes

2008-10-18T09:35:00.004+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto

October 15, 2008

BASCO-Whenever people hear the word “Batanes,” images of strong winds and rains pounding stone houses usually come to their minds. But for the Ivatans, the province’s native inhabitants, the mainlanders’ perception of their home is inaccurate.

“We want to erase the perception that it [Batanes] is dangerous,” said Batanes governor Telesforo Castillejos adding that they want to change this misconception by promoting Batanes as an eco-tourism destination.

Located in the northernmost part of the country and in between the Pacific Ocean and South China Sea, Batanes is on the typhoon belt. The perception that it is always devastated by typhoon might have been caused by the fact that Basco, the province’s capital, hosts the last weather station in the northern part of the country.

“Batanes is always mentioned as a reference point of the typhoon,” said Milagros Rimando, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director for Region II. Rimando added that Batanes is always mentioned in weather reports even when some of the typhoons do not really cross the province’s islands.

Weather and geography

Local officials, however, admit that the frequent weather disturbance, the province natural strong winds and waves, and its archipelagic nature—the province is composed of ten islands—have hampered the development of its agriculture and trade. Lack of infrastructure for transport of goods from one island to another, and from mainland Luzon makes the problem worse.

“We could be isolated anytime,” said the governor adding that the seas are sometimes unnavigable even when there is no typhoon. He added that during these times, goods cannot be brought from one island to another because small vessels and boats are used in transporting them.

The prevalence of typhoons prevents the development of agriculture, particularly the production of staple crops like rice and corn. The province imports rice from neighboring provinces. “We produce only 10 percent of our rice,” said Castillejos.

Governor Castillejos added that vegetable production is very erratic in Batanes because of the weather and transportation problems—scarcity during summer and surplus during the rainy season. He said that during rainy season there is a surplus of vegetables since boats cannot transport them to other markets. “Farmers just feed the extra supply of vegetables to the pigs.” (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

This is the first in a three-part series of stories about the province of Batanes.

(Disclosure: The author is one of the journalists who visited Batanes last September as part of the media appreciation seminar sponsored by NEDA.)

Local execs welcome SC cancellation of MOA on Muslim territory

2008-10-16T21:01:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
October 14, 2008--Local officials from Mindanao Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court decision declaring as unconstitutional the memorandum of agreement that would have given Muslim rebels control over an expanded territory in the south.

Interviewed by abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak, the most vocal critics of the MOA on ancestral domain said the tribunal’s ruling should be a lesson to the government to be more careful and transparent the next time it negotiates with the Muslim separatist groups.

By a vote of 8-7, the Supreme Court declared on Tuesday that the deal forged by the national government with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was unconstitutional. The signing of the MOA-AD in Malaysia was cancelled last August 5 after the court issued a temporary restraining order, based on a complaint filed by local officials in Mindanao whose areas were covered by the agreement.

Petitioners said the deal was tantamount to the creation of a separate state in Mindanao. Under the agreement, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and territories that would vote for inclusion in the Moro homeland through a plebiscite would form the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE). The agreement would also empower the BJE to establish its own courts and police and the power to independently deal with foreign governments.

“We are very elated and pleased,” Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat, one of the petitioners, told us. Six Muslim barangays in Zamboanga’s Sacol Islands were included in the proposed BJE.
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'Strong local economy can soften impact of financial crisis'

2008-10-13T19:04:00.002+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
October 8,2008-Local government units (LGUs) should improve their competitiveness to attract more investments and to develop their local economy, local officials and private sector representatives said in a LGU summit held Wednesday in Makati City.

Speaking at the 2008 Local Government Code Anniversary Conference, government officials and private sector representatives said improving the competitiveness at the local level and developing a strong local economy can help the country cope with the effects of the global economic slowdown.

“Harnessing LGU competitiveness is important in mitigating the effects of economic crisis,” said Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno in a statement read by DILG undersecretary Austere Panadero.

Puno said the 17 years of the implementation of the Local Government Code has enabled the LGUs to increase their contribution to the national economy. “The Local Government Code (LGC) is instrumental in raising the local economic development and the growth of cities.”

The LGC, which was enacted 17 years ago, devolves some functions from the national government, like taxation, registration of business to local government units—provinces , cities, municipalities and barangays

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LGUs can lure outsourcing business

2008-10-13T18:49:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

October 9, 2008--Local government units (LGUs) were urged to develop business-friendly environments to attract investments from the fast-growing business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

During the 2008 Local Government Code Anniversary Conference held Wednesday in Makati City, local officials were told that they should adopt policies that would make them attractive to BPO investments.

LGUs were also encouraged to follow the measures done by the Bacolod City government in supporting the BPO sector. Bacolod City passed an ordinance endorsing accreditation of Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) sites, and promoted Bacolod as ICT hub by participation in conferences and trade shows and by using website and brochures.

“LGUs sometime have to see themselves as business planner, catalyzer, and enabler instead of being just enforcer,” said Bacolod City councilor and Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology chair Jacelle Batapa-Sigue.

Sunshine industry

Considered one of the sunshine industries—along with mining, agri-business and tourism—that can be tapped by local government units, the BPO industry has employed around 300,000 workers and has estimated revenue of US$ 4.9 billion in 2007.

Dan Reyes, president of Sitel and of the Business Process Association of the Philippines, said that among the advantages of the country in attracting BPO investments are the Filipinos’ English-speaking ability, their cultural affinity to the United States, competitive labor, real estate and telecommunication costs. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Related Stories:

• US recession "opportunity" for call centers: experts
• Call Centers Told: Meet the (Workers') Parents
• BPOs build talent pool through CSR programs
• 14 Locations Outside Metro Are BPO-Ready

Photo Credit: http://www.newsbreak.com.ph/

LGUs urged to adopt 5 secrets to tourism success

2008-10-13T18:41:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto

October 9, 2008--Local government units should focus on five key sectors to become competitive tourism destinations, an expert on tourism told local officials Wednesday.

During the 2008 Local Government Unit Summit held in Makati City, Samie Lim, vice chair of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said that to develop a strong tourism industry, policies and investments must focus on the five A’s of tourism—arrival, access, accommodations, attractions, and activities.

Lim, who was behind the PCCI’s BizTour5 program that aims to develop private sector initiated tourism programs, said there should be available budget airlines, and chartered planes, cruise liners and ferries to accommodate the arriving tourists. He added that there is a need to develop travel agencies, tour guiding businesses, and world-class airports and seaports.

Investments, he said, should also be poured to tourism infrastructures like roads, ports, energy, telecommunication facilities and sewerage system.

To develop the accommodations needed by the industry, Lim said the country must follow the model of Malaysia.

“Malaysia created a chain of hotels in every major province,” he said adding that these hotels were used not only as for tourist accommodations but also as venues for regional and local conferences.

LGUs should also try to develop historical, cultural and heritage sites and build parks, museums and camping sites, and it must offer sports and recreation activities.

The influx of tourists, Lim added, will help boost the growth of shopping malls, medical tourism facilities, retirement homes, spa and resorts, casino-hotels and convention centers.
(abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Oil exploration in RP active, shows promise

2008-10-10T05:11:00.003+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Reseacher, Newsbreak

October 7, 2008--It may come as a surprise that the Philippines has substantial oil reserves. But the growing number of oil exploration activities in select parts of the country attests to promising finds.

In 2005, the Department of Energy estimated that the Philippines had a total of 456 million barrels of fuel oil. The volume consists of 54 million barrels of condensate, 2,135 billion cubic feet of gas and 25 million barrels of oil.

“These petroleum reserves calculations are based on the 16 sedimentary basins situated all over the country from the Cagayan Valley Basin in the north down to the Agusan-Davao Basin in the south as well as the prolific Northwest Palawan Basin and the Sulu Sea Basin along the western flank of the archipelago,” the DOE said.

Vietnam has 600 million barrels of oil reserves as of 2007, according to the Oil and Gas Journal. Thailand has 290 million barrels of proven oil reserves. Malaysia has 3.0 bilion barrels of proven oil reserves.

This promise of the potential petroleum reserves in the Philippines , together with the recent surges in oil prices, has attracted a number of oil exploration companies to the country. The government has awarded these companies service contracts to explore areas identified as having potential petroleum reserves.

Based on news reports and a list of petroleum service contracts obtained by abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak from the energy department, there are 33 active petroleum service contracts awarded to oil and gas exploration companies as of the end of September 2008.

“Exploration activity in the Philippines has recovered to levels last seen in the mid-1970s,” the United States Energy Information Administration said in its latest country analysis of the Philippines.

It was in the 1970s when the Cadlao and Nido oil fields were discovered and when the country produced as much as 20% of its fuel requirement. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Click here to read the full article.

RP gets lowest score ever for anti-corruption efforts

2008-09-30T10:32:00.001+08:00
By Jesus Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

September 23, 2008–The Philippines is perceived as more corrupt now than last year, a study by the international anti-corruption group Transparency International showed.

The 2008 Corruption Perception Index showed that the Philippines got a score of 2.3 in 2007—down by 0.2 points from 2.5 in 2007. This year’s score is the lowest for the country since 1995 when the first CPI was devised as a tool for a country’s resolve to fight corruption.

The corruption perception index measures the perception of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and analysts. This year, 180 countries are rated from 0 to 10. A grade of 10 means the country is perceived as very clean while a rating of 0 means the country is perceived as very corrupt.

The Philippines ranked 141st—along with Cameroon, Iran and Yemen—and was behind most of its ASEAN neighbors. Singapore, with a 9.2 rating, was in the 4th place while Malaysia got 5.1 to land on the 47th place. Thailand is in the 80th spot with a rating of 3.5 while Vietnam is in the 121st place with a score of 2.7 Indonesia, which ranked lower than the Philippines last year, was in 126th place with a rating of 2.6

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines fared better than Timor-Leste (145th with a grade of 2.2), Laos (151st with a rating of 2.0), Cambodia (166th with a score of 1.8) and Myanmar (178th with a score of 1.3)

Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden got the highest score of 9.3 while Singapore landed on the second spot with a rating of 9.2. Countries that received the lowest rating are Haiti (1.4), Iraq and Myanmar (1.3) and Somalia (1.0)

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Balancing between fuel and food

2008-09-30T10:25:00.002+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Newsbreak, Researcher

September 23, 2008–In some areas in the country, farmers who have abandoned planting coconut and cassava are now cultivating these crops again because of increasing demand for biofuels.

Governor Rolando Yebes of Zamboanga del Norte said that farmers in his region are now going back to planting these crops because of the surging demand and the entry of companies interested in the production of biofuels.

“Before farmers cut their coconut trees and sold them for lumber. Now, they are planting coconuts for biofuels,” he told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak adding that cassava, which has shown growth in previous years, is expected to increase further due to investments from biofuel companies like Basic Energy Corp., which is reportedly eyeing an ethanol plant in the region using cassava as feedstock.

Constancio Alama, assistant regional director for agriculture of Region IX, said that despite the promise of biofuels, there is a need to ensure that local government units should prioritize the production of food over biofuels. “Bakit uunahin ang sasakyan kung may nagugutom? (Why should we prioritize vehicles when people are hungry?)”

Zamboanga del Norte is not alone. In many parts of the world, with the unprecedented rise in oil price, a tug of war is taking place over using land for fuel or food.

The passage in the Philippines of the Biofuels Act in January 2007 generated a lot of interest about this renewable source of energy. The law aims to break the Philippine’s dependence on imported fuel particularly oil. Two years after the enactment of this law, liquid fuels for vehicles and engine are required to contain at least five percent of biofuel.

Click here to read the rest of the story.
Photo Source: http://www.sarangani.gov.ph/

RP policies make it 'less vulnerable' to US financial crisis: ADB economists

2008-09-23T12:25:00.001+08:00
By Jesus Llanto, Newsbreak

Sept. 16,2008--The Philippines is not immune to the effects of the financial turmoil in the United States but it is in a better position to respond to the impacts, an economist from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said today during the release of the bank’s growth forecast for the region.

“The Philippine cannot be insulated…but there have been macroeconomic policies that have make it less vulnerable and in better position to respond to the negative impacts of these events,” said Thomas Crouch, ADB’s deputy director general for Southeast Asia, during the release of update of the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) Tuesday.

“The cost of insulating is very high,” said Neeraj Jain, ADB’s country director for the Philippines. “It will be bad for the Philippines to cut itself from the global market.”

Jain said fiscal space created by policies implemented during the past two to three years will curtail or limit the impact of these events.

The ADB economists gave their comments as the financial crisis in the US spread following the events on Wall Street, where Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy protection and rival Merrill Lynch agreed to be sold to Bank of America for $50 billion.

Slower economic growth

The ADB has trimmed down its economic growth forecasts and raised inflation projections for the Philippines. The Manila-based multilateral bank forecasts a 4.5 percent and 4.7 percent economic growth in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The figures are below the 6.0% and 6.2% projected in April. With a report from Reuters.

Click here to continue reading.

RP second to last among ASEAN in ease of doing business

2008-09-13T12:58:00.003+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

Wednesday, September 10, 2008--The Philippines’ ranking in ease of doing business has declined: it has fallen by seven notches, a recent study by the World Bank and the International Finance Corp showed.

The Philippines ranked 140th out of 181 economies in the Doing Business 2009 report, which compares the regulations that enhance or constrain business activity. This year’s ranking was a decline from last year, when the country ranked 133rd out of 178 economies.

Last year’s ranking, however, was adjusted to 136th place because of the inclusion of three new countries—Qatar, Bahrain and the Bahamas.

The Philippines was behind most of its Asian neighbors. Singapore, for the third consecutive year, topped the ranking. Thailand and Malaysia landed on the 13th and 14th spot, respectively, while Brunei ranked 88th. Vietnam was on the 92nd spot while Indonesia and Cambodia ranked 129th and 135th, respectively.

The Philippines performed better than Asian neighbors Laos (165th) and East Timor (170th).

The Doing Business 2009 is the sixth in a series of reports that rank economies based on regulations affecting 10 stages of the life of a business: staring a business, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and closing a business.

Click here to read full article.

Charter change pet issue of Arroyo since 2004

2008-08-16T15:44:00.003+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

August 15,2008--President Gloria Arroyo’s recent statement that she is supporting a shift to federal form of government to ensure lasting peace in Mindanao revived the debate on charter change—a process perceived by her critics as her way to stay in power beyond 2010.

Arroyo’s interest in amending the Constitution, however, had started even before she ran for president but she became more vocal about it since she declared her candidacy in 2004.

Based on our research and on official statements of Malacañang culled from government Web sites, Arroyo made charter change one of her key issues when she ran for president, mentioned it in three of her State of the Nation Addresses and has campaigned for amending the Constitution during the latter part of her term.

During the early years of her administration, Arroyo described the debate on charter change as a distraction “from what we need to do to survive.” Her attitude towards the issue, however, changed during the latter part of her administration.

On May 3, 2002, she said in a keynote speech at the First Philippine Political Parties Conference that before the shift to federal and parliamentary form of government, proposed federal states must achieve economic viability and political reforms must be implemented first.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Photo Credit: http://www.ops,gov.ph/

Arroyo has consistently advocated federalism. Let us count the ways.

2008-08-14T20:37:00.004+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newbsreak

August 13,2008--President Gloria Arroyo recently expressed her support for the move to shift to a federal form of government. In a state banquet for Swiss President Pascal Couchepin, she said she is supporting it as a way to ensure peace in Mindanao.

"We thank the Swiss government not only for the values of freedom and civil rights that are enshrined in its culture but also for its willingness to share in its experience of federalism through the Institute of Federalism located in Fribourg in Switzerland which has been helping us do our studies on this form of government. We advocate federalism as a way to ensure long-lasting peace in Mindanao,” Arroyo said.

This is not the first time that Arroyo expressed her desire to have a federal government for the country.

Our research shows that she has been advocating for a shift to a federal form of government since 2004, when she ran for president. The shift to a federal form of government was part of the platform of her party, Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4).

(abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

Photo credit: http://www.ops.gov.ph/

Timeline: ARMM Election

2008-08-14T20:28:00.002+08:00
August 1, 1989: The Republic Act No. 6734 or the Organic Act of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, is signed into law by then President Corazon C. Aquino.

November 17, 1989: A plebiscite is conducted in the proposed areas of ARMM (13 provinces and nine cities) to determine if the residents want to be part of the region. Plebiscite was held in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Davao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato, Palawan, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur and in the cities of Dapitan, Dipolog, Cotabato, General Santos, Iligan, Marawi, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, and Zamboanga. Only four provinces—Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur—choose to join the region.

February 12, 1990: Election for the newly-created region is held. Zacaria Candao and Benjamin Loong win as the region’s governor and vice governor, respectively.

March 25, 1993: Election is held for the 2nd time. Liningding Pangandaman and Nabil Tan are proclaimed winners for the gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial posts.
September 9, 1996: Election is held for the 3rd time. Nur Misuari and Guimid Matalam are elected as governor and vice-governor, respectively.

Research by Jesus Llanto and Fharhana Abdurahim.

Click here to read the whole timeline.

DSWD, DepEd, DOH get highest approval rating—Pulse Asia

2008-08-11T14:33:00.003+08:00
By Jesus Llanto
Resaecher, Newsbreak

August 7,2008- Filipinos think that government agencies that deliver social services and administer the education and health sector are performing better than other government institutions, a survey by polling firm Pulse Asia showed.
Based on the July 2008 Ulat ng Bayan survey of Pulse Asia, Filipinos give high approval ratings for the performances of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DEPED), and Department of Health (DOH).
DSWD received the highest approval rating of 65 percent among the 20 government agencies included in the survey. The education department got 63 percent approval rating while the health department received 61 percent.
The approval ratings of these three agencies are higher than those received by Supreme Court (39%), the Senate (34%) and the House of Representatives (31%). (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)
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Filipinos want next president to curb prices and enforce the law—Pulse Asia

2008-08-06T09:58:00.004+08:00
By Jesus Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

August 5,2008-Most Filipinos think that the next president should be pro-poor and should focus on preventing the soaring prices of the basic commodities and reducing poverty, a survey by polling firm Pulse Asia showed.

The Ulat ng Bayan Survey held from July 1-14, 2008 showed that almost four out of 10 (39%) Filipinos thinks that being pro-poor is the most important characteristic the next president should possess.

Aside from being pro-poor, the next president, the survey showed, should be able to enforce law equally on influential as well as ordinary people (35%) and be knowledgeable in the management of government (34%). Respondents also think that the next president should be trustworthy (29%) and fight anomalies in the government (28%). (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

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Power rates can be cut P2 per kWh: UP study

2008-08-06T09:51:00.002+08:00
By Jesus Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

August 4,2008--Power rates can be reduced by at least P2 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) by adjusting regulatory policies and amending the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), a study by University of the Philippines professors showed.

The study, “Reducing Power Rates By at Least P2.00/kWh”, showed that a combination of regulatory policy adjustments can lower electricity prices of MERALCO consumers by at least P2.0913.

These policy adjustments are:
reduction of National Power Corporation’s (NAPOCOR) basic average generation charge
an optimal power mix for MERALCO
removal of Value-Added Tax (VAT) on systems loss
amendments on the some provisions of the EPIRA law.
The study, written by professors Allan Nerves, Edna Espos, Ivan Benedicto Nilo Cruz and Rowaldo del Mundo of the UP College of Engineering, said that the amount of reduction that may be estimated at this time using MERALCO’s current supply mix (40% from NPC, 35% from MERALCO IPPs and 25% from others, including WESM), are as follows:
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High price hampers switch to energy-saving lamps

2008-08-01T10:43:00.002+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

July 30,2008-The high price of alternatives to incandescent lamps and a lack of information campaign have discouraged Filipinos from switching to more energy efficient lamps, business executives and environmentalists said during the launch of an energy conservation program.

During the launch of Bright Light campaign, Rico Gonzales, chief executive officer of Philips Philippines said a major constraint in promoting the use of the energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) is its higher price compared to the incandescent lamps.

Gonzales said that Filipinos, particularly those from the C, D and E class, still prefer incandescent lamps because CFLs are four times more expensive. He estimates that while the price of incandescent lamps ranges from P20-25 the price of CFLs can reach as high as P100.

“Those from the C, D, E classes see the P20 but not the savings from the energy efficient lamps,” Gonzales said.
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Photo Credit: www.pelmatp.doe.gov.ph

Manila's Arroyo: The most unpopular post-Marcos president

2008-08-01T10:22:00.004+08:00
By Jesus Llanto
Nnewsbreak, Researcher

July 23,2008--President Gloria Arroyo will deliver her 8th State of the Nation Address (SONA) amid her very low and negative satisfaction rating and a public perception that her administration is the most corrupt in the entire Philippine history, according to a leading survey outfit Pulse Asia.

Arroyo, the longest serving president since Ferdinand Marcos, has been performing very badly in opinion surveys and is making—and breaking records—when in comes to satisfaction ratings.

As far as net satisfaction ratings of post-Marcos presidents are concerned, Arroyo holds four records: she is the first post-Marcos president to receive a negative rating; she is the only president since 1986 who received a negative satisfaction rating for the longest time; she is the president who received the lowest rating at start of her administration; and she is the one who received the lowest rating among the four presidents since the fall of Marcos regime. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

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Photo Credit: www.ops.gov.ph

US recession "opportunity" for call centers: experts

2008-07-28T10:59:00.001+08:00
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newbreak

July 28,2008--Philippine call center companies should treat the recession in the United States as an opportunity rather than as an obstacle for growth and expansion, industry experts and an economist said.

During the Call Center Expo and Conference held recently, executives from call center companies said they believe that the ongoing recession in the United States, where a huge chunk of Philippine business process outsourcing or BPO clients are, will be beneficial in the long run since it will create more opportunities for the country.

Dan Reyes, president of Sitel and director of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) said that the US recession may have some negative impact only in the immediate term.

“There may be reduced demand in certain industries but the need to reduce costs may likely lead to more outsourced work to countries like the Philippines,” he said.

Felipe Medalla, an economics professor at the University of the Philippines, said that the BPO industry is “recession proof”.

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Call centers should hire home-based workers—expert

2008-07-25T21:45:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

July 24,2008-Philippine call centers are urged to try home-based operations to curb high attrition rate and increase employee satisfaction.

During the Annual Call Center Expo 2008, an expert on business process outsourcing (BPO) urge Philippine call center companies to hire work-at-home agents or home-based employees to solve the high turnover rate in the industry.

William Dieu, senior research analyst from callcentres.net, said that companies can lower attrition rate and foster high agent satisfaction if they will allow home-based operations.

"The Philippines should think about the benefits of hiring home-based agents," Dieu said. He added that working from home also allows employees to save on transportation cost, especially now when prices of fuel are soaring.
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Photo: http://www.newsbreak.com.ph/

BPOs build talent pool through CSR programs

2008-07-25T21:41:00.001+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

July 22, 2008-It is like hitting two birds in one shot.

Faced with a shrinking talent pool, business process outsourcing (BPO) companies are using their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs not just to help local communities but also to attract and train potential employees.

During the CSR Conference 2008 held in Makati recently, BPO executives said that more than improving the lives of communities, most of their CSR programs, particularly those that focus on education, have helped them build potential pool of workers and meet their demand for skilled workers.

Industry experts said most of their external CSR programs put emphasis in education and training of college students to address the mismatch between the quality of the supply of workers and the needs of the industry.

BPO firms have undertaken educational projects like establishing schools that offer free training on information technology (IT), donations of computers to schools, and offering and sharing technical expertise in drafting courses in colleges and universities.

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Photo: http://www.newsbreak.com.ph/

Jobless officials, confusing poll preparations follow province's dissolution

2008-07-24T18:00:00.003+08:00

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

July 17,2008--Local officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) warned Thursday that the Supreme Court (SC) decision voiding the creation of Shariff Kabunsuan province by the regional legislature would cause leadership problem and unemployment in the province.

According to local officials interviewed by abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak, the tribunal’s decision will cause some of the elected officials and government employees in Shariff Kabunsuan to lose their jobs since the province will be reverted to Maguindanao, its mother province.

The High Tribunal, voting 8-6, voided a law enacted by the ARMM’s lawmaking body --the Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA)-- in August 2006 that established Shariff Kabunsuan. It nullified Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act 201, which created the province by carving out eight municipalities from the first legislative district of Maguindanao and was ratified in a plebiscite in October 2006.

The SC argued that since the creation of provinces and cities require the creation of legislative districts, and only Congress—not regional and local bodies—can create or reapportion legislative districts—the creation of Shariff Kabunsuan province by the RLA was against the Constitution.

Photo: Wwikipedia

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Supreme Court voids creation of Shariff Kabunsuan

2008-07-24T17:53:00.002+08:00

July 16,2008--The Supreme Court has declared the creation of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao void and ruled that the power of ARMM’s legislature to create provinces and cities is unconstitutional.

The SC, in an 8-6 vote, declared void Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act 201, which created the province of Shariff Kabunsuan, which was carved out of Maguindanao province.

“Only Congress can create provinces and cities because the creation of provinces and cities necessarily includes the creation of legislative districts,” the 33-page decision penned by Justice Antonio Carpio reads.

The SC ruling said that creation of province or a city “inherently involves the power to create a legislative district.” Creating a province or a city without creating a legislative district, the decision said, is unconstitutional because the Constitution mandates that a province or a city with at least 250,000 inhabitants is entitled to at least one representative.

The ruling said that only Congress can create or reapportion a legislative district. “Congress exercises these powers through a law that the Congress itself enacts and not through a law that a regional or local legislative bodies enact.”

July 16,2008--The Supreme Court has declared the creation of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao void and ruled that the power of ARMM’s legislature to create provinces and cities is unconstitutional.

The SC, in an 8-6 vote, declared void Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act 201, which created the province of Shariff Kabunsuan, which was carved out of Maguindanao province.

“Only Congress can create provinces and cities because the creation of provinces and cities necessarily includes the creation of legislative districts,” the 33-page decision penned by Justice Antonio Carpio reads.

The SC ruling said that creation of province or a city “inherently involves the power to create a legislative district.” Creating a province or a city without creating a legislative district, the decision said, is unconstitutional because the Constitution mandates that a province or a city with at least 250,000 inhabitants is entitled to at least one representative.

The ruling said that only Congress can create or reapportion a legislative district. “Congress exercises these powers through a law that the Congress itself enacts and not through a law that a regional or local legislative bodies enact.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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