Category: General

MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday said there is an ongoing review of the distribution of coffee seedlings nationwide following reports from the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) that millions have gone missing.

In an earlier report, the PCAFI said that each seedling costs PHP100.

DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in an interview Tuesday there is no formal order yet but a review has already started, including looking into the inventory of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), which is in charge of the seedlings’ distribution.

“Bagamat mayroon talagang ibinigay na sumbong ang PCAFI at ito ay i-rereview na, sinisiyasat na ng kagawaran (Although the PCAFI has submitted a complaint, and this is under review, the agency is already looking into it),” he added.

De Mesa also insisted on the need to revitalize the coffee industry, considering the high demand locally.

‘Malaki kasi ang demand for coffee. Malaki rin iyong ini-import natin, so kung magkakaroon tayo ng ma
gandang production, so import substitution iyon (The demand for coffee is huge. We are also importing a huge volume, so if we come up with a good production, that’s an import substitution),” he said.

He mentioned good quality coffee produce in the country including Arabica, Robusta, and Excelsa, among other varieties.

“Sa ngayon karamihan ng coffee natin is being produced in Mindanao, especially in Region XII, sa Sultan Kudarat (For now, most of our coffee is being produced in Mindanao, especially in Region XII [Soccsksargen], in Sultan Kudarat),” De Mesa added.

Besides this, local coffee is also being sourced from the Cordillera Administrative Region, Southern Luzon, and Visayas.

The local production, however, only covers 20 percent of the demand.

Source: Philippines News Agency

CEBU: The move to finish the Metro Cebu Expressway through the public-private partnership (PPP) will help address the delay in its completion due to budgetary challenges, an official said on Tuesday.

Kenneth Cobonpue, co-chair of the Regional Development Council-Central Visayas, said he supports the idea of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to have the expressway project with an alignment traversing from Naga City in the southern Cebu to Danao City in the north through partnership with the private sector.

‘The strong will and determination of the governor will ensure that this long overdue project (will be) completed for the benefit of all the Cebuanos,’ Cobonpue told the Philippine News Agency.

Cobonpue, an internationally renowned designer, said the 73.7-kilometer expressway is designed to provide an alternative highway to decongest roads in highly urbanized cities’ major thoroughfares.

However, the project encountered environmental and construction challenges under the management of the Department of Public Wo
rks and Highways (DPWH)-Central Visayas.

Cobonpue said the recent setback in Naga City further underscored the urgency for a strategic intervention by the province of Cebu to salvage the project’s momentum.

Garcia offered to the DPWH to allow the provincial government to take over the Metro Cebu Expressway construction project and implement it through PPP.

The governor cited existing joint ventures with Filinvest Land and Manila Water while it is set to sign a joint venture agreement with Spain-based Acciona Energia Global to build a 150-megawatt solar plant in Daanbantayan, north of Cebu.

With an indicative cost of PHP94 billion, the proposed expressway is composed of four segments but 4.2-kilometer Segment 3 from Naga City to Minglanilla is ongoing, while the rest of the segments are yet to proceed and open for PPP arrangements.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Prices of fish are expected to increase as the Holy Week approaches, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.

In an interview, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the price hike may be felt in wet markets, even more, starting Holy Monday.

‘People are weaning away from consuming pork and other protein kagaya ng baka (like beef),” he said.

“Kasi tayo, 85 percent Catholics ang mga Pilipino (Because 85 percent of Filipinos are Catholics) so that drives alone, na mga Katoliko na nagninilay, kasama na iyon especially for Black Friday (are meditating, that includes especially Black Friday),” De Mesa added.

Traditionally, the adjustment may hit around 10 percent to 20 percent price increase.

According to the latest DA’s Bantay Presyo (price watch) monitoring, retail prices of bangus, galunggong and alumahan (milkfish, local round scad and Indian mackerel) slightly increased from Friday, March 15 in Metro Manila.

Milkfish is now at PHP150/kilogram to PHP220/kg from last week’s PHP1
40/kg to PHP250/kg; local round scad is now at PHP180/kg to PHP300 from PHP170-PHP300; while Indian mackerel is at PHP260 to PHP360 from PHP240 to PHP360 price range.

The price of tilapia and imported round scads, meanwhile, stayed the same.

For vegetables, De Mesa said there may also be a slight hike considering it is also a meat alternative.

“Sa gulay, ganun din halos parehas sa isda pero hindi kagaya ng isda na mas mahal, mas malaki iyong tinataas (For vegetables, it’s almost the same with fish but not like fish which has a higher spike),’ he said.

No price cap needed

The DA, meanwhile, said there is no need to implement a price cap despite the price increase of several commodities.

These include pork which is now priced at PHP420/kg amid the remaining threat of African swine fever (ASF) in the country.

“We are not considering any price ceiling on any commodity kahit sa pork… Sa ngayon kasi kapag mayroon kang pagpigil, magca-cause iyan ng mga problema rin na ayaw nating mangyari sa atin (even in por
k… For now, maybe if there’s a constraint, it may cause a problem which we do not want to happen to us),” De Mesa said.

He said there are adequate efforts to fortify the country’s biosecurity measures, as well as continuous coordination with the private stakeholders in the swine industry.

The DA earlier expressed optimism about securing the supply of ASF vaccines by the year-end or early 2025.

The country also requested ASF vaccine suppliers from the US and Vietnam to secure their applications before the Food and Drug Administration.

Source: Philippines News Agency

CALAMBA: A total of 204 individuals believed to have been involved in various crimes were arrested during a five-day anti-crime dragnet, the provincial police chief reported on Tuesday.

Col. Gauvin Unos, Laguna Police Provincial Office (LPPO) director, told reporters the Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO) conducted from March 14 to 18 specifically targeted persons wanted for illegal drugs, illegal gambling, loose firearms and other serious offenses.

Unos said the operations netted 59 individuals for illegal drugs and confiscated 47.48 grams of suspected ‘shabu’ and two grams of marijuana, with a total street value of PHP323,104.

He added 32 persons were arrested for illegal number games (bookies) while 59 for other forms of illegal gambling with PHP20,854 in bet money seized.

Five persons were arrested and 20 loose firearms were confiscated.

Additionally, 17 individuals classified as ‘most wanted’ persons as well as 32 others wanted for lesser crimes were also caught.

Unos
attributed the success of the anti-criminality operation to the cooperation of the community and the perseverance of Laguna police personnel.

“With the continued cooperation of the police and the people of Laguna, operations against criminality have been successfully carried out. The public can hope that the Laguna PNP will continue to suppress all types of criminality to ensure security, peace and order in the entire province,’ he added.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Hanoi: A grand military parade will be held at Dien Bien province’s stadium on May 7 morning in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, according to the Ministry of Defence.

During the event, 18 cannons, including 15 official and three stand-by units, and 12 helicopters, including nine official, two stand-by, and one for search and rescue, will be used.

The parade will be the highlight among a series of activities to mark the anniversary, contributing to affirming the significance, stature, and historical value of the Dien Bien Phu Victory and the continuous development and growth of the Vietnam People’s Army, the Militia and Self-Defence Force and the People’s Police Force over the past 70 years under the Party’s leadership.

On March 13, 1954, the Vietnamese revolutionary army launched the first attack against the French colonialists’ heavily fortified base of Dien Bien Phu, starting a 56-day historic campaign whose victory directly led to the signing of the Geneva Accords on end
ing the war and restoring peace in Indochina.

During the 56 days of undaunted, brave, and creative fighting, the Vietnamese army and people created the Dien Bien Phu Victory that ‘resounded across the five continents and shook the globe’.

President Ho Chi Minh affirmed that the Dien Bien Phu Victory was a golden milestone in history that created the foundation and conditions for the Vietnamese people to secure victory in the resistance war against the US, liberate the South, and reunify the country in 1975./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: A joint panel of the House of Representatives approved on Tuesday three bills seeking to expand the benefits of senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs).

During a hearing, the House committees on senior citizens, disability affairs, and ways and means approved House Bills (HB) 10061, 10062, and 10063, all of which aim to enhance the discounts, benefits, and privileges of senior citizens and PWDs.

HB 10061, in particular, proposes that the mandatory 20-percent discount and value-added tax exemption granted to senior citizens and PWDs be applied in addition to any prevailing promotional offers or discounts extended by business establishments.

Ways and means committee chairperson Joey Salceda said the senior citizen (SC) and PWD discounts should remain applicable even with a bigger promo.

‘If something is available to the general public, then by definition, it is not a privilege. The point is to ensure that the preferential treatment of PWDs and SC, as a shared responsibility of government
and society at large, is preserved,” he said.

HB 10062, on the other hand, seeks to rationalize the benefits and privileges of senior citizens and PWDs to ensure equitable access to essential services, social welfare, and opportunities for participation.

The bill introduces a 20 percent discount and value-added tax (VAT) exemption from the payment of the initial rate for parking fees, as well as the grant of a 15 percent discount to the monthly utilization of water and electricity supplied by public utilities, provided the consumption does not exceed 100-kilowatt hours of electricity and 30 cubic meters of water every month.

It also proposes free postal charges on books and periodicals, orthopedic and other devices, and teaching aids for the use of senior citizens and PWDs sent by mail within the Philippines.

It likewise provides for an additional deduction of 25 percent on labor expenses for employers of PWDs and senior citizens.

Meanwhile, House Bill 10063 seeks to integrate a dedicated section within
the eGov PH Super App to cater to the specific needs of senior citizens and PWDs and offer tailored services, information, and resources to empower them to navigate through available government offerings.

Salceda highlighted that the series of joint hearings achieved other milestones that encouraged some private businesses to improve their services to senior citizens and PWDs.

‘We were able to get Starbucks to do a 40 percent discount to compensate for misapplication of the standard discount. We got Grab and Angkas to improve ease of access to SC and PWD discounts. We got MERALCO to make applying for the discount on electric bills easier,’ he said.

Aside from that, the government, through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), will increase the senior citizen’s discount on basic goods from PHP65 per week to PHP125, or a total of PHP500 per month, he added.

‘Based on our calculations, as a result of increased compliance and the expansion of the discount on basic
goods, the hearings alone will result in as much as PHP112.6 billion in more benefits for seniors and PWDs this year alone. This does not account for the bills yet,’ Salceda said.

Speaker Martin Romualdez has directed the appropriate House panels to investigate reports of senior citizens and PWDs being denied discounts under existing laws.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Senate’s Office of Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) was given the green light to arrest Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri signed the order on Tuesday.

This is due to Quiboloy’s continued refusal to appear before the inquiry of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality chaired by Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros into reported human trafficking, rape, sexual abuse and violence, and child abuse in KOJC.

“The Sergeant-at-Arms is hereby directed to carry out and implement this Order and make return hereof within 24 hours from its enforcement,” the order said.

“Upon the motion of the undersigned Chairperson, and seconded by Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, during the March 5, 2024 hearing, hereby cites Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy in contempt of the Committee, and of the Senate, and ordered arrested and detained at the Office of Sergeant-at-Arms until such time that he will appear and testify in the Commi
ttee, or otherwise purges himself of that contempt.”

In a press briefing on Monday, Hontiveros expressed her confidence that the OSAA, as the front-line security of the Senate, could execute the order after having served Quiboloy’s subpoena in Davao City.

She also noted that the OSAA could ask for assistance from the Philippine National Police (PNP), if necessary.

With the order already in effect, the lawmaker expects Quiboloy to appear before the panel’s next public hearing, along with the presence of witnesses with sworn statements and representatives of the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

Arrest order not a punishment

Meanwhile, Zubiri clarified that the arrest order is not a punishment to Quiboloy but “to make the inquiry potent and compelling.”

Zubiri maintained that the order is a “committee matter” and only the committee should determine “the sufficiency of Pastor Quiboloy’s response to the show cause order” which was earlier issued.

He said Hontiveros found no merit to Quiboloy’s response and ha
s decided to issue the order of arrest.

“Pursuant to our duly published Rules Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation and the Rules of the Senate, it is ministerial for me to sign the order of arrest. We are signing the order to protect our Committee system, to preserve the Senate’s power of inquiry with process to enforce it,” he added.

The Senate President also clarified that if Quiboloy appears during the next hearing and purges himself of contempt, there will be no need to order his arrest.

In a copy of the panel’s ruling, Quiboloy was seeking “to raise the issue of the show cause order to the Senate plenary for a vote; recall the subpoena; and set aside the contempt order issued against him.”

Source: Philippines News Agency