Author: malaysiang

MANILA: The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reminded private sector employers to release the 13th month pay of their workers before Christmas.

In an interview Thursday, Labor Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez said the 13th month pay is mandatory pursuant to the Labor Code of the Philippines and Presidential Decree No. 851.

‘May mga maliliit na negosyo ang umaapela (There are small businesses who are appealing) but 13th month pay is a legal obligation. Payment is the only remedy to extinguish a legal obligation. Covered employers are legally required to pay,’ he added.

Those who are entitled to receive the payment are payment rank-and-file employees in the private sector regardless of their position, designation, or employment status, and irrespective of the method by which their wages are paid, provided that they have worked for at least one month during the calendar year.

Employees who are also paid on a piece-rate basis, fixed, or guaranteed wage plus commission; those with multiple employers; th
ose who resigned; those who were terminated from employment; or those who were on maternity leave and received salary differential.

Earlier, the DOLE issued an advisory on the computation of 13th month pay. It should not be less than one-twelfth (1/12) of the total basic salary earned by an employee within the calendar year computed as follows: total basic salary / 12 months = proportionate 13th month pay.

To monitor compliance, the Department directed employers to submit a report through the DOLE Establishment Report System not later than Jan. 15, 2024.

The report shall contain the name of the establishment, address, principal product or business, total employment, the total number of workers benefitted, the amount granted per employee, and the total amount of benefits granted.

For further queries on the 13th month pay, the public is advised to call DOLE Hotline 1349, which is available 24/7. They can also call or text 0931-066-2573, from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Inquiries may also be sent via
electronic mail to hotline1349@dole.gov.ph or via direct message to DOLE’s Facebook Page.
Source: Philippines News Agency

BACOLOD CITY: The national government is seriously looking into buying sugar directly from farmers early next year to prop up farmgate prices and lower retail prices at the same time, the top official of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said Thursday.

‘As an intervention, we have long been planning this. The government is looking at the idea of once again purchasing sugar like what we did before with the National Food Authority,’ SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said in a press briefing here.

‘It will come in and buy sugar directly from the farmers in an effort to boost the price, start a spark. They have a temporary funding allocated for it,’ he added.

Azcona shared the development as the country’s sugar producers’ federations sought intervention from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. amid the plummeting farmgate prices of sugar.

While the price of PHP3,000 per 50-kilo bag is considered a fair market price, farmgate sugar prices are just abou
t PHP2,500 in Negros while in Bukidnon, it is even lower at the PHP2,300-level in recent weeks.

According to the United Sugar Producers Federation, the biggest producers’ sugar association, these prices are way below the price levels of PHP3,200 for the same period last year.

Azcona said however, that the SRA itself cannot participate in any marketing or pricing activity.

‘We have been working on it, spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture. We are checking the legalities of the agencies involved. Can they do it, where to bring the sugar, what will we do with the sugar they will buy? Possible agencies are those involved in trading,’ he said.

Moreover, Azcona said they also sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking to allow the Philippines to deliver part of the country’s US sugar quota.

‘There are producers and traders who volunteered (to supply). They feel they will make money doing so. I wrote the USDA asking for an allocation. Earlier, we also wrote the USDA that w
e cannot serve our allocation because of low production. There are traders who are holding on to (their) sugar and they want to ship it out,’ he added.

As of Nov. 12, raw sugar production for crop year 2023-2024 is almost 400,000 metric tons.

‘It’s about 25 percent (of the total estimates). The weather is favorable. Our production numbers are very high on a weekly basis. Although there are many farmers complaining of low yield,’ the SRA chief said.

‘For the farmers and everybody involved, rest assured, based on the data we have right now, there are no plans to do any sugar importation,’ he added.
Source: Philippines News Agency

LEGAZPI CITY: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported on Thursday that a high number of Bicolano families and individuals facing adversities were served under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.

Jastine Joy Dichoso Escuro, DSWD-Bicol AICS program focal person, said as of Dec. 7, their office gave a total of PHP1.8 billion worth of assistance to 278,511 individuals.

“With this accomplishment, we have exceeded our average client count between 2020 and 2022, which was 167,000. This serves as a testament to our unwavering commitment to providing exceptional service to our people,” she said in an interview.

Escuro said that apart from psychosocial intervention, the forms of assistance being provided by the DSWD under the AICS program are medical, educational and monetary, which were also the most availed forms of aid.

A substantial number of clients, meanwhile, requested funeral, food and transportation assistance.

“The DSWD commits to improving the AICS
program to help and support individuals and families to recover from unexpected crises,” she added.

In a statement, DSWD Regional Director Norman Laurio said the number of beneficiaries served in 2023 represents the highest accomplishment in the past three years.

‘The field office facilitated the request for various types of assistance from individuals who experienced unexpected crises such as illness or death of a family member, natural and man-made disasters, and other emergencies,’ Laurio said.

DSWD-Bicol attributed the increased number of beneficiaries served to the streamlined delivery process which reduced documentary requirements and simplified forms for expedited aid release.

‘We have operationalized various satellite offices in strategic areas in the region to strengthen AICS. We have brought the services under AICS closer and more accessible to clients,’ he added.

DSWD-Bicol has established 10 satellite offices in six provinces in the region.
Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The head of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) on Thursday cited innovation played a key role for the agency to address food insecurity.

“We at the FNRI have been looking for ways to make (food) products more accessible and nutritious. We analyze the nutrients of all the products we develop,” FNRI Director Imelda Agdeppa said in a televised briefing.

She cited as an example how the FNRI innovated the ingredients for the nutribun, making these as alternatives for the normal costing flour. Nutribun uses carrots, squash and sweet potato as ingredients.

The FNRI, she said, had used technology to make iron fortified rice using “broken rice”.

“That means the ‘broken rice’ are converted for human consumption, adding to the volume of rice supply in the country,” she said.

Agdeppa added that the Education and Social Welfare departments also use iron-fortified rice in their food packs during disasters.

Also, as part of the FNRI’s move to alleviate food insecurity, Agdeppa said they also mad
e an iodine drinking water.

“Iodine is good for the brain. Using technology, we add iodine to the water for children’s consumption,” she said.

Food insecurity, Agdeppa said, means there is limited access to sufficient and safe food. When there is food insecurity, people resort to reducing the amount and quality of food, she added. There are also instances when people would not eat for the whole day.

According to Agdeppa, the FNRI’s survey in 2021 showed that some areas in the country have experienced moderate to severe levels of food insecurity. These include the Bangsamoro region, Caraga, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga Peninsula and Bicol.

She, however, did not provide an update on the said survey.

Meanwhile, without citing a figure, Agdeppa said there was an increase in obesity and overweight rates.

She said the pandemic has caused the increase since the people were not allowed to go out, and there was also the distribution of “ayuda” (assistance) or food.

“The pro
blem with being obese or overweight is there is (a) higher probability to have hypertension, high cholesterol, and the heart could also be affected,” she emphasized.

Agdeppa noted that losing weight should be a wholistic approach, which means there’s physical activity and the right amount of food.
Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers arrested a South Korean fugitive wanted by authorities in his country for illegal drugs at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City.

In a statement Thursday, the BI’s border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) reported that Son Hyunbeen, 37, was arrested upon his arrival at the NAIA Terminal 1 aboard a Philippine Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand last Dec. 15.

Son was arrested after the immigration officer who processed his arrival saw that his name prompted a positive hit in the International Criminal Police Organization’s (Interpol) 24-hour global police communications system that is linked to the BI’s database of wanted foreign criminals.

He was later committed to the BI detention facility at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City where he will remain until he is deported.

Information provided by the Interpol’s national central bureau (NCB) in Manila showed that Son is subject of an arrest warrant issued on Oct. 23, 2020 by the Suwon district
court in South Korea where he was charged with illegally trading psychotropic drugs.

Authorities alleged that Son conspired with three other suspects in illegally importing methamphetamine from Cambodia into South Korea from May up to August in 2017.

They allegedly sold the drugs to South Korean customers 251 times from which they earned an estimated 157 million won or more than PHP6.7 million.

Commissioner Norman Tansingco lauded Son’s arrest as he described the fugitive as a menace to society due to his involvement in illegal drugs.

‘His presence here is inimical to our nation, thus he should be deported for being an undesirable alien. We will also put him in our blacklist and perpetually banned from re-entering the country,’ he said in a statement.
Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Thursday reminded bus companies and other operators of public utility vehicles (PUVs) to ensure the safety of passengers through strict security, adherence to traffic laws and proper maintenance of their PUVs.

In a press release, LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz III called on PUV operators, especially bus companies, to ‘go the extra mile’ to provide a seamless and pleasant journey to their customers.

‘I urge bus companies to prioritize passenger welfare, uphold safety standards, and contribute to the spirit of goodwill during this joyous time,’ he said.

Guadiz reminded that violating LTFRB regulations and other relevant laws may result in heavy fines and penalties such as suspension of their franchise.

‘Failure to comply with these regulations poses a significant risk to the well-being of passengers and will not be tolerated. Bus operators are hereby warned that any lapses in ensuring the safety and security of the riding public may re
sult in severe sanctions,’ he added.

Guadiz also encouraged operators with terminal facilities to set up online ticketing and dispatching, assistance counters, priority lanes, accessibility ramps for persons with disabilities (PWD), concrete flooring on the entire terminal and other measures required by the government.

He also warned operators against ‘overloading, overcharging and using colorum vehicles.’

Overloaded PUVs, he added, are dangerous to passengers, drivers and conductors.

Guadiz called on the public to avoid colorum or unregistered PUVs as these lack proper insurance and did not undergo safety standards checks as part of PUV registration.

‘Passengers might face difficulties in claiming compensation or medical assistance in the absence of authorized and regulated services. It’s crucial to prioritize safety by choosing legally authorized transportation options,’ he said.

On the other hand, Guadiz said operators and drivers of colorum PUVs face sanctions such as impounding of involved vehicles
, blacklisting and revocation of their certificate of public convenience (CPC), as well as their vehicle registration.

He asked commuters and the public to reach out to the LTFRB through its hotline 1342 to file complaints related to these illegal activities.

To ensure a sufficient number of PUVs during the holiday season, the LTFRB chief said 1,080 special permits have been issued to bus operators, allowing them to increase the number of their PUVs operating during the period.

These special permits are valid beginning Dec. 15 until Jan. 14, 2024.
Source: Philippines News Agency

WASHINGTON: For the third time, the vote on a UN Security Council resolution calling for a suspension of hostilities in Gaza to deliver aid was postponed on Wednesday.

On Thursday, 15 members of the Council are expected to vote on the resolution, which was first postponed on Monday.

The text, drafted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access and for urgent steps toward a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

Reaffirming that all parties to conflicts must adhere to their obligations under international law, it also requests that a UN monitoring mechanism be deployed expeditiously.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, killing over 20,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 52,586 others, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory’s housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million
people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 130 hostages remain in captivity.
Source: Philippines News Agency