MINDANAO TAPESTRY IN ROME Models from the Philippines show off Filipino designer Renee Salud’s new designs made of textiles from Mindanao, at the Villa Desiree Srl in Rome, Italy on June 13, 2024. Organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce, the fashion show was attended by Ambassador Nathaniel Imperial and members of the Filipino community. (Photo by Renee Salud)
US 7th Fleet commander Vice Admiral Frederick William Kacher reaffirmed his country's stance in upholding rules-based international law to promote a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said Kacher made this comment following his courtesy call to the AFP headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo where he was welcomed by AFP vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura.
"During the meeting, Lt. Gen. Cordura and Vice Admiral Kacher discussed the current security environment and reaffirmed their commitment to upholding rules-based international law to promote a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific Region," Trinidad said.
The two officials also talked about progressive engagements in multilateral partnerships that aim to advance collective maritime domain security.
Cordura thanked he US' continued support in enhancing the military's capabilities, stressing the importance of the annual "Balikatan" exercise.
The Philippines, the US and other partner nations such as Australia have been conducting military drills amid Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
Kacher's visit came days after the Chinese Coast Guard rammed a Philippine vessel while on rotation and resupply mission in Ayungin Shoal, causing severe injury to a Philippine Navy personnel. PNA
VISITING 7TH FLEET COMMANDER Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura (right) and US 7th Fleet commander Vice Admiral Frederick William Kacher during the latter’s courtesy call on Wednesday (June 19, 2024). Kacher reaffirmed his country's stance in upholding rules-based international law to promote a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. AFP PHOTO
Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Garcia said Wednesday he is pushing for the statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCEs) of all candidates in the 2025 midterm election to be posted on the commission’s website to promote complete transparency.
“Ipo-propose rin po ng inyong lingkod sa Comelec en banc ngayong linggo na dapat mailathala rin 'yung SOCE (I will also propose to the Comelec en banc this week that the SOCE be published),” Garcia said in a media interview. He said the voters should know the campaign donors, how much the candidates spent, and how they spent the money.
“This time, kapag ito ay nailabas natin kahit sa website ng Comelec, sa aking palagay, kahit papaano mase-serve na natin 'yung general interest na magkaroon ng complete transparency lalong-lalo na kung eleksyon ang pag-uusapan (This time, once we release this even on the Comelec website, we will somehow be able to serve the general interest of having complete transparency, especially when it comes to elections),” Garcia said.
All candidates are required to file their SOCEs days after the election.
COCs, CONA
Meanwhile, Garcia said the seven-man en banc panel has approved in principle his earlier proposal for the posting of the candidates’ Certificate of Candidacy (COC) and Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA) on the Comelec website.
“Itinalaga ang law department at information technology department para gumawa ng policy paano isasagawa nang hindi ma-violate privacy ng candidates (The law and information departments have been tasked to create a policy on how to implement the policy without violating the privacy of candidates),” he said.
“Para hindi later on nagugulat ang kababayan natin kung bakit biglang kandidato ito or pinaghahanap pala sa batas, convicted pala. Hindi pala citizen ng bansa.
Hindi pala tamang edad (So that our countrymen would not be surprised later on why this individual suddenly became a candidate when he/she is wanted by the law, or has been convicted, or is not a citizen of the country, or is not the right age),” he said.
SOCE FILING Candidates of the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections submit their statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCEs) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Davao City on Nov. 28, 2023. Comelec chairman George Garcia said Wednesday (June 19, 2024) that he is pushing for the SOCEs in the 2025 midterm election to be posted on the commission’s website. PNA
The filing of COCs for the May 2025 midterm will be from Oct. 1 to 8. Environment-friendly election campaignGarcia.
He said specific penalties would be included in the guidelines to be crafted by the Committee on Environmentally Sustainable Elections headed by Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr.
“At naatasan din sila na mag draft ng guidelines at policy direction paano papasakatuparan ng Comelec yung sustainable elections hindi lang sa 2025 (And they were also assigned to draft guidelines and policy direction on how the Comelec will carry out sustainable elections not only in 2025),” Garcia said.
In the past, candidates and political parties have been using campaign materials that would later contribute to the country's waste. Over 3.7 million applications have been processed since the voter registration activities resumed early this year, the Comelec said. The voter registration period will run until Sept. 30, 2024.
Aside from registering new voters, the poll body also accepts applications for transfer, change/corrections of entries in the registration records, reactivation of registration records, inclusion of registration records and reinstatement of names on the list of voters, and transfer of registration records from foreign service post to local. PNA
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday said the 30% target population, including those with weaker purchasing power, will benefit from the sale of PHP29 per kilogram of rice in various Kadiwa sites.
"Ang intensyon noon is para sa targeted beneficiary na mostly iyong mga mahihirap, tsaka seniors, atsaka iyong mga solo parents (Its intention is for the targeted beneficiaries who are mostly the poor, elderly, and single parents).
That's about 30 percent of the total population," said DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa in an ambush interview.
He said persons with disabilities (PWDs) and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are also included in the subsidized rice sale.
De Mesa said the mechanics for the rice sale and distribution are still being finalized.“Pinag-aaralan pa rin ngayon, iyong number of kilos na ipapamigay sa kanila, part pa rin iyon ng pinag-aaralan kung gaano maraming kilos kada buwan (It’s still under study, the number of kilograms to be distributed to them, that’s part of the study on how many kilograms per month)," he said.
To date, the DA is conducting a trial sale of PHP29/kg. of rice in select Kadiwa sites, prioritizing 4Ps beneficiaries, solo parents, PWDs, and senior citizens, with the allowed volume set at 3 kg per buyer.
The subsidized pricing scheme may be rolled out in August through the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)’s contract farming program with farmers’ cooperatives.
Earlier, the NIA said around 100,000 metric tons of rice equivalent to 10 million sacks of 10 kg. rice can be produced, with 4 million sacks targeted to be distributed in August.
De Mesa said others who are not included in the select beneficiaries may still enjoy the expected lower rice retail prices following the tariff reduction from 35 to 15 percent.
"Iyong target na pagbaba (The target of lower price) because of tariff, ang target is the general public,” he said. Eliminating rebaggingThe National Food Authority (NFA), meanwhile, said it is finalizing a plan to eliminate rebagging to save more funds.
NFA administrator Larry Lacson said this strategy makes NFA act like a trader since its end product is milled rice and not play. He also mentioned a significant estimated amount of savings with the waiving of 10 million NFA sacks costing PHP13 each.“That’s roughly PHP130 million.
Sa handling cost, siguro (In handling cost, maybe) PHP30 per bag, that’s PHP300 million. So that’s totaling to more or less half a billion savings na pwedeng ma-save ni NFA (that the NFA can save) just by tweaking that particular process,” he said.
Earlier, Lacson vowed to push for more cost-effective reforms in the NFA to avoid corruption and improve strategies to meet the country’s national buffer stock alongside support to local farmers. PNA
The country’s healthcare system response capabilities will get a shot in the arm as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the request of the Department of Health (DOH) to purchase 141 units of medical vehicles.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has approved the Authority to Purchase Motor Vehicles (APMV) amounting to PHP387 million on June 11, the DBM said in a statement Wednesday.
The motor vehicles to be purchased include land and sea ambulances, as well as passenger vans for patient transport.
The acquisition is part of the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), which aims to address gaps in healthcare delivery and make facilities and services more accessible.
“Improving the responsiveness of our healthcare system is crucial to ensuring timely and effective medical care for everyone, particularly in underserved and geographically isolated areas,” Pangandaman said.
“The HFEP aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to providing efficient health services for all Filipinos,” she added. PNA
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. scored China for its latest act of "reckless and aggressive" harassment that targeted a rotation and resupply (RORE) mission for Filipino troops manning the BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) in Ayungin Shoal last June 17.
In a statement Tuesday evening, Brawner said the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) has "no right or legal authority to interfere with our legitimate operations or damage our assets within our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
""This reckless and aggressive behavior has caused bodily harm and constitutes a blatant violation of international maritime law, Philippine sovereignty, and sovereign rights," he said.Earlier, the AFP said the intentional ramming by the CCG on the Philippine ship involved in the RORE mission severely injured one Navy personnel.
However, the military did not give more specific details on the injuries and damage caused to the vessel.
"The AFP strongly denounces these actions, which not only infringe upon our maritime rights but also pose significant risks to regional stability," Brawner said.
Earlier reports, citing unnamed sources, said that at least eight Navy personnel were hurt, with one losing a finger, when Chinese maritime forces boarded and punctured their rigid-hulled inflatable boats, damaging the craft, aside from confiscating several items onboard.
The AFP has yet to comment and confirm this allegation as of posting. Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. earlier said China’s dangerous and reckless behavior in the sea "shall be resisted by the AFP.
"DFA denounces actionAs this developed, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday denounced the “illegal and aggressive actions” of the Chinese near the Ayungin Shoal on June 17, which severely injured a Philippine Navy personnel and damaged Filipino vessels.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jr.