Category: General

MANILA: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking to hold a second round of bidding for the 2025 poll automation project in January 2024.

Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) is planning to hold the activity next month for the PHP18.8 billion project.

“Under the rules, after this failed bidding, the SBAC is mandated to conduct mandatory review, afterwhich we are already proceeding to the 2nd (bidding) cycle,” he said in a message to reporters on Friday.

“Once we have posted notices, we will probably have the bid opening by the first week of January, most likely by January 4, 2024,” Laudiangco added.

On Thursday, the Comelec Committee has declared failure of bidding for the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) project.

It declared the Joint Venture of Miru Systems Co Ltd, Integrated Computer Systems, St. Timothy Construction Corporation, and Centerpoint Solutions Technologies, Inc. (MIRU-ICS-STCC-CPSTI) as ineligible.

Laudiangco noted that the early setting of 2nd public bidding is connected to their timeline in preparing for the next elections.

“Time is of the essence that’s why we are moving fast with the mandatory review,” he said.

“Unless the Commission en banc cancels the procurement project altogether, the work of the SBAC will just continue,” he added.

Laudiangco said they will follow the provisions of Republic Act 9184, in case there is no bid winner or the 2nd bidding cycle also fails.

“After two failure of biddings, the Comelec may resort to alternative methods of procurement,” he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency

LEGAZPI: The local government unit (LGU) of Camalig has released more than PHP2.5 million in cash assistance to barangay health workers (BHWs) and nutrition scholars (BNSs) for their contributions and efforts to improve the villagers’ health and nutrition status.

In an interview on Friday, Tim Florece, LGU-Camalig information officer, said the distribution of the cash assistance on Wednesday benefited 272 BHWs and 56 BNSs.

“The cash assistance provided by LGU is one way of recognizing their participation in maintaining healthy individuals that are very important in community development. The 272 BHWs were awarded PHP7,000 each while the 56 BNSs received PHP10,200 each,” Florece said.

The Camalig LGU also recognized and rewarded four outstanding BNSs with PHP5,000 each.

BHWs and BNS from Anoling, Sua, Tumpa and Quirangay villages who served in different evacuation centers during Mayon Volcano Alert Level 3 operations also received additional cash incentives of PHP600 each.

Meanwhile, 22 BHWs and BNSs rece
ived the Service Milestone Award with PHP3,000 in additional cash aid.

“They are the health workers and nutrition scholars who served for more than 35 years. Their continuous commitment shows love for the people and the community,” Florece said.

He said aside from monetary assistance, BHWs, and BNSs continue to participate in capacity-building programs of the Municipal Health Office and skills training that enhance their services.
Source: Philippines News Agency

LAOAG: Fifty-six passengers from Cebu landed at Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte on the inaugural Philippine Airlines flight on Friday.

Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc and the Ilocos Norte Tourism and Investment Offices welcomed the visitors of the 2 1/2-hour direct flight via an 86-seater De Havilland Dash 8 400 NG aircraft.

‘This is a momentous event and we are very excited because we will open up our small and humble province of Ilocos Norte to the central and southern Philippines,’ Manotoc said in a simple program at the airport’s arrival area where guests were greeted with sumptuous snacks and dance performances.

Until Dec. 19, the passengers from Cebu will be toured around the province.

The province will also stage “Himala sa Buhangin,” a music and arts festival at the Paoay sand dunes.

Manotoc said Ilocos Norte has ‘hidden gems” that include Badoc Island, a white-sand, virgin beach Island in Badoc town; and the Solsona-Apayao road, which offers a scenic view of lush greener
y, Cordillera mountain range, and at times, a sea of clouds.

‘I’d like to always say that we are the only province in the Philippines that can offer a slice of Dubai, a slice of dunes, of Boracay in our white-sand beach in Pagudpud, and a slice of Baguio in Solsona-Apayao road,’ he said.

PAL president and chief operating officer Stanley Ng expressed hopes that the brand-new route will open up a new market for tourists and business travellers, both local and international.

He said the new Cebu-Laoag-Cebu flight will be available twice a week, every Tuesdays and Fridays.

The Cebu-Laoag flight leaves 7:35 a.m. and Laoag-Cebu at 10:25 a.m.
Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Friday hailed the House of Representatives’ adoption of four concurrent resolutions favoring the grant of amnesty to various rebel groups, saying it was a “significant move towards national reconciliation and societal healing”.

NTF-ELCAC Secretariat Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said the amnesty to rebel groups prioritizes the “healing of past wounds”.

“The resolutions stand as a testament to the nation’s commitment to peace-building and nation-building,” Torres said in a statement, referring to House Concurrent Resolutions 19, 20, 21, and 22 passed last Dec. 12.

Torres said granting amnesty was a “courageous step” towards fostering unity and dismantling the barriers that have divided communities.

“The NTF-ELCAC, through its multifaceted strategy, has endeavored to address not only the armed aspect of insurgency but also the socio-economic, political and ideological factors that contribute to the pe
rpetuation of conflicts,” Torres said.

He added that the amnesty initiative aligns with the body’s holistic approach to ending local armed conflicts.

“By recognizing the importance of reintegrating former rebels into society, it echoes the task force’s core principle of addressing the underlying grievances and creating pathways for those once involved in armed struggle to peacefully reintegrate into mainstream society,” Torres said.

Last November, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. granted amnesty to former New People’s Army rebels and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Moro National Liberation Front and Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade.

He issued Proclamations 403, 404, 405, and 406 on Nov. 22 for the granting of the amnesty to rebels and insurgents to encourage them to return to the fold of the law, as part of the administration’s comprehensive peace initiatives.
Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: About PHP776 million worth of excavators have been distributed to various irrigators’ associations nationwide by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to intensify local irrigation and agricultural systems.

In a news release Friday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the NIA procured 141 excavators under the first tranche of its three-year equipment re-fleeting program.

“Our irrigators’ associations will use these for the desilting of their canals, repair of their irrigation, so these could help in the improvement of our food security,’ DA-NIA Acting Administrator Eduardo Guillen said during the turnover ceremony in Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Olongapo City on Wednesday.

Aside from augmenting the country’s inventory of machines and resources, the program aims to undertake and intensify the regular operation and maintenance of national irrigation systems.

It also aims to immediately repair or construct irrigation facilities damaged by natural disasters.

With a total budget of PHP2.59 bi
llion, the equipment re-fleeting program is divided into three tranches.

More than PHP782 million was dedicated to the purchase of 138 excavators of various models, 28 dump trucks, and 17 truck tractors with trailer for the implementation of the second tranche.

Meanwhile, the third and final tranche will entail the procurement of various types of heavy equipment with a funding of more than PHP1.03 billion.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who was present during the turnover ceremony, said effective irrigation systems could boost local agricultural production by 30 percent.

The 141 NIA-procured excavators will also improve the country’s 257 national irrigation systems and 10,144 communal irrigation systems, further increasing the productivity and profitability of local farmers nationwide.
Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: A technical vocational institution (TVI) in Quezon City was shut down by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Friday for illegal recruitment for allegedly offering bogus jobs in Taiwan.

DMW Officer in Charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac, together with personnel of the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB) and the QC Police District, conducted a closure operation of the Match Trend Training Assessment Center located at 145 Biak na Bato St.

‘Match Trend, under the guise of a technical vocational institution, preys on the hopes of aspiring Filipino workers to work in Taiwan by charging exorbitant training and processing fees and illegally referring them to foreign employers. This is a clear case of illegal recruitment,’ Cacdac said.

He said despite having a registered program on Caretaker Level II, Match Trend is not an accredited assessment center with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

He added that Match Trend is not an accredited agency of the DMW and doe
s not have any legitimate job orders.

During the closure operation, Cacdac also inspected the “facilities” of Match Trend and deplored the squalid conditions its resident “trainees” were forced to live in.

The DMW said surveillance operations were conducted by the MWPB before its closure operation, where it was disclosed that Match Trend charged an amount of PHP30,000 as training fee for the caretaker program.

Applicants were asked to pay an initial amount of PHP6,000 upon enrollment and were referred to a lending institution in case they could not afford the required payment.

Upon completion of the training program, applicants will then be referred to foreign employers who collect processing fees ranging from PHP40,000 to PHP45,000.

Aside from the caretaker jobs, the MWPB disclosed that the training center also offered employment as factory workers in Taiwan.

Cacdac said Match Trend and its staff would be included in the DMW ‘List of Persons and Establishments with Derogatory Record’ to prevent them fr
om participating in the government’s overseas recruitment program.

Moreover, its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Program Registration certificate with the TESDA will be revoked.

The DMW encourages the victims of Match Trend to contact the MWPB through its Facebook page at email at [email protected], or through their hotline number +63 2 8721-0619 for legal assistance in filing cases against the training center.

Cacdac reiterated his warning to Filipino overseas jobseekers to never engage with training centers or firms promising jobs abroad without the appropriate license and approved job orders from the DWM.

Filipino overseas jobseekers may visit the DMW website for the list of licensed agencies with approved job orders.
Source: Philippines News Agency

BAGUIO: A city lawmaker has proposed to make Everlasting as Baguio’s official flower, liking the flower’s longevity and resiliency to that of the country’s summer capital.

Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda filed the proposed ordinance last November 23 and it was approved on first reading on December 11, more than three decades after the city government adopted Everlasting as its official flower in 1991.

The proposed ordinance will give the earlier resolution more teeth, symbolizing how the city thrives amidst any problems, and hopefully will encourage more people to prefer the flower over other varieties for leis and brooches.

In an interview Friday, Tabanda said the city has endured many challenges, the biggest of which is the magnitude 7.7 earthquake in 1990, but the local economy continues to bloom and flourish.

‘Like the garland of everlasting, Baguio and its people stand strong, intertwined by common aspirations and embody the unique charm of Baguio,’ according to the ordinance.

Tabanda said the flowe
r, which has different colors such as golden yellow, pink, orange, violet, brown, red, and ivory white and is made into a garland for offering at altars and leis during graduation rites, also represents the rich culture of the city.

Rosalia See, an employee at the Baguio City Hall, said she gets to receive several Everlasting leis during the recognition ceremony at the closing of the school year as a present for her school achievements.

‘It was hung on my neck every year and the one that I got the year before is given to another family member like an inheritance passed on to the next generation,’ she told the Philippine News Agency on Friday.

The Everlasting flower lasts long and remains beautiful either fresh or dried grows best in full sun and thrives best in high altitudes, adapting to local conditions.
Source: Philippines News Agency