Wednesday, October 10, 2012

KIKO: AFTER MILF, PHL SHOULD LOOK INTO RESUMING TALKS WITH CPP-NPA


MANILA, October 10, 2012-Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan urged the Philippine government to continue talks with the Communist Party Philippines and its armed forces, the New People's Army.

"We urge the government peace panel to ride on the momentum it gained with its peace pact with the MILF and initiate the resumption of talks with the CPP-NPA."

"We should keep pushing until we achieve peace on all fronts," the lawmaker said. "Our people deserve no less."

Pangilinan credited the Aquino government's track record of upholding good governance and the President's popularity with the masses as key factors in the government panel's securing a new peace pact with the MILF. He believes the government should use the same leverage in resuming talks with the CPP-NPA.

"Not since the Ramos administration has the possibility of total peace been within reach. Back then, the country was enjoying international recognition as an emerging tiger in Asia. The same thing is happening now under the Aquino administration. PNoy has four more years as President. Should the government under his leadership make a breakthrough with the MILF and the CPP-NPA within the next year, it would be enough for countrywide economic progress to start manifesting itself."

Pangilinan added, "Poverty is the number one reason for social unrest. But poverty cannot be addressed as long as there is war anywhere in the country. 'Ang sakit ng kalingkingan ay sakit ng buong katawan', they say. And we have been ailing for decades. It is about time we put a stop to this war and move ahead towards prosperity as one nation. Let's do this for the future generation of Filipinos."

Senate Ways and Means panel unveils its own sin tax measure for plenary scrutiny and approval


MANILA, October 10, 2012-The Senate Committee on Ways and Means has finally presented for plenary consideration its own version of the restructured sin tax measure, adjusting the excise tax rates slapped on cigarette and alcohol in the hope of lowering consumption while yielding fresh revenues to expand the country’s healthcare programs.

Committee Chair Sen. Ralph G. Recto said their committee report was the fruit of exhaustive consultations with stakeholders, other affected sectors and a product of collaborative effort with the academe, Civil Society and finance department (DOF).

“We will be recommending a Senate version to the plenary and we are open to amendments from our colleagues considering the limited time we had because of the impeachment,” Recto said.

He said the Committee had only two months to deliberate and study the original DOF-sponsored bill, House Bill (HB) 5727 as passed by the House and Senate bills on sin taxes filed by Senators Panfilo Lacson and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Recto said: “All told, our Committee Report predictably and responsibly could generate in the first year between P15 billion to P20 billion."

He said the new tax regime on cigarettes could yield between P9.8 billion to P14.8 billion in additional revenues while alcohol would contribute by as much as P5.2 billion to P7 billion in the first year or in 2013.

“Whereas, the House version – HB 5727 -  based on the Committee’s appreciation of the data and on the many “runs” or revenue scenarios conducted by DOF in the TWG, would result to a loss of P300 million or a gain of P11.5 billion for both cigarette and alcohol,” Recto said.

The senator said the original Palace version that was submitted to the Lower House – again based on his appreciation of the assumptions- would redound to a loss of P5.314 billion or a gain of P7.4 billion based on the “runs” conducted by the DOF.

Below is the summary of the highlights of the Recto panel’s Committee Report:

- In revamping the tax on tobacco, a 52 percent increase in the tax rates during the first year will be imposed;
- Those in the first tier or low-priced class will absorb an increase of 121 percent from P2.72 to P6 per pack;
-   This tax formula is seen to generate anywhere between P10 billion to P15 billion in tobacco taxes, which is “predictable, recurring and fair to all stakeholders;”
-   Will result to a decrease in smokers by 8 percent on the average and possibly more from D and E classes;
-   Senate proposal is much lower than the P2.72 to P14 (first year) or the P2.72 to P30 tax hike that the DOF wants, “which to my mind will redound to a loss of P10.3 billion and a gain at best of P2.2 billion as found in the original Palace version;”
 -    With respect to alcohol, the Committee concurs with the House version as to the need to temper increases which will hike revenues between P5.2 billion to P7 billion;
-          For both cigarettes and alcohol, the Committee agrees with the Palace and DOF in removing the price annexes; mandating increases in tax rates and indexing it to inflation;  increasing the same every two years; and, allowing for re-classification and free competition;
-          After the series of biennial adjustments, the Committee projects that by 2020, there will be two tiers for tobacco taxes and two tiers for fermented liquor; and,
-       Our version was designed not to promote smuggling and illicit trade as warned by experts.

“We’re open to amendments for a single tier,” the Senate ways and means chair nevertheless said.

Recto said pursuant to government’s priority program to expand healthcare services, the Committee proposes to earmark 50 percent of the total proceeds of the law or roughly about P33 billion for the health sector. 

Of the 50 percent, about 40 percent or P26 billion will go to finance the expansion of the universal health coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) benefiting 10.4 million families while the balance of 10% will be divided equally to DOH regional hospitals and to district hospitals operated by local government units.

Under this sharing scheme, each of the existing 16 regional hospitals will receive P200 million while each of the 618 district hospitals will be entitled to P5.25 million per year.

Recto said the earmarking under existing laws such as Republic Act (RA) 7171 shall remain.

He said on top of these mandates, some P100 million from total sin taxes will go to fund a yearly nationwide public information and education campaign on the dangers of smoking and drinking to be administered by the DOH.

“To those who would quickly label our proposal as a watered-down version, this isn’t. We just hosed down promises of windfall tax revenues that were based on wrongful assumptions,” Recto said. 

Legarda: Women No Longer Mere Victims of Disasters; But Agents of Change


MANILA, October 10, 2012-Senator Loren Legarda today said that women and girls, who make up 52% of the world’s population, are no longer mere victims of disasters, but are now effective agents in making communities disaster-resilient.

Legarda, the United Nations Regional Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, said that the 2012 International Day for Disaster Reduction, with the theme “Women andGirls – The [in]Visible Force of Resilience”, aims to celebrate the often unnoticed but immense contributions of women and girls in building disaster-resilient communities.

“Despite bearing the brunt of disasters, women have been silently and effectively at the frontline of disaster prevention and climate change adaptation efforts,” she stressed.

The Senator cited Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2004, who founded the Green Belt Movement, which has planted over 51 million trees in Kenya and empowered communities, especially women and girls, to promote environmental protection at the grassroots level.

Meanwhile, in the country, group of women farmers in Montalban, Rizal started to practice agroforestry to adapt to the prolonged wet season, while a group of women fisherfolk in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur reforested over a hundred hectares of mangrove areas to protect their settlements from storm surges and secure an additional source of food for their families.

“We must invest in women, make them part of decision-making, as their development role is crucial in adapting to climate change and building community resilience to disasters,” she said.

“Let us create meaningful opportunities for women’s participation and leadership. Let us recognize and empower women, who are agents of solutions, indispensable holders of valuable knowledge and skills, and able leaders from community to global level,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda: Women No Longer Mere Victims of Disasters; But Agents of Change


MANILA, October 10, 2012-Senator Loren Legarda today said that women and girls, who make up 52% of the world’s population, are no longer mere victims of disasters, but are now effective agents in making communities disaster-resilient.

Legarda, the United Nations Regional Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, said that the 2012 International Day for Disaster Reduction, with the theme “Women andGirls – The [in]Visible Force of Resilience”, aims to celebrate the often unnoticed but immense contributions of women and girls in building disaster-resilient communities.

“Despite bearing the brunt of disasters, women have been silently and effectively at the frontline of disaster prevention and climate change adaptation efforts,” she stressed.

The Senator cited Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2004, who founded the Green Belt Movement, which has planted over 51 million trees in Kenya and empowered communities, especially women and girls, to promote environmental protection at the grassroots level.

Meanwhile, in the country, group of women farmers in Montalban, Rizal started to practice agroforestry to adapt to the prolonged wet season, while a group of women fisherfolk in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur reforested over a hundred hectares of mangrove areas to protect their settlements from storm surges and secure an additional source of food for their families.

“We must invest in women, make them part of decision-making, as their development role is crucial in adapting to climate change and building community resilience to disasters,” she said.

“Let us create meaningful opportunities for women’s participation and leadership. Let us recognize and empower women, who are agents of solutions, indispensable holders of valuable knowledge and skills, and able leaders from community to global level,” Legarda concluded.

Jinggoy pushes nationwide SPED program for ‘children and youth with special needs’


MANILA, October 10, 2012-Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada is pushing for immediate approval of a measure which seeks to establish a special education (SPED) program for children and youth with special needs (CYSN) in all public and private elementary and secondary schools nationwide.
 
Senate Bill 3002 or the proposed Special Education Act aims to make the country’s education system inclusive, ensuring its accessibility among the young including CYSN or those with developmental delays, intellectual disability, learning disability; speech defect; behavior problem; autism; or visual, hearing, orthopedic or physical impairment; as well as those considered as gifted and talented.
 
It specifically seeks the following:
-       establishment and operation of at least one special education (SPED) Center for each school division and at least three SPED Centers in big school divisions;
-       creation of the Bureau of Special Education (BSPED) under the Department of Education which will formulate and administer appropriate curriculum and developmentally-suited programs for CYSN, train SPED teachers/instructors and produce needed teaching materials;
-       provision of financial assistance in the education of CYSN; and
-       integration to the education of CYSN the provision for their respective medical, intervention, health, recreation and nutrition needs.
 
The measure calls for partnerships between and among the national government, local government units and the private sector for maximum efficiency in the implementation of the nationwide SPED program.
 
SB 3002, a consolidation of several related proposals in the Senate regarding CYSN, is principally authored by Estrada and is up for the chamber’s deliberation under Committee Report No. 75.
 
“Our government should fully support children and youth with special needs in their development as self-responsible, competent and productive citizens as well as in their active participation in social activities and functions. Ensuring accessible, quality education for them through the proposed Special Education Act is one important step toward this,” Estrada underscored.
 
The senator said the measure boosts development goals for CYSN as expressed in the country’s Constitution and respective laws as well as in international declarations such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

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