SECURITY TIGHTENS AS APEC SOM1 DELEGATES START TO ARRIVE

CAMP OLIVAS, CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA- Police Regional Office 3 together with the AFP, OCD and BFP tightens its security measures and emergency response preparedness as foreign delegates for theAPEC- First Senior Officials' Meeting and Related Meeting (SOMI) start to arrive at Clarkfield, Pampanga and Subic, Zambales.

           

            PNP-PRO3 personnel are still deployed within the summit venues and areas where the delegates will be billeted to ensure their safety and security until the entire duration of the APEC- First Senior Officials' Meeting and Related Meeting (SOMI) here in Region 3.

 

            Relatedly, additional augmentation force from the Regional Public Safety Battalion 3 and Nueva Ecija and Tarlac Police Provincial Offices were also sent to ensure maximum police presence.

           

            Meanwhile, STG “Clark-Subic” continues to convene daily in order to make sure that no single detail is being overlooked as well as guarantee the safe and smooth flow of the grand event.  

 

            The APEC- First Senior Officials' Meeting and Related Meeting (SOMI) will start on January 26,2015 and conclude on February 7, 2015.   

Legarda to Youth: ASEAN Integration Brings Opportunities, Challenges

MANILA-While the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Integration brings many opportunities—free flow of goods, services, investment capital, education and skilled labor—there are key challenges that the region needs to overcome in order to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth, Senator Loren Legarda today told youth leaders and student participants of the ASEAN Youth Summit 2015 at the De La Salle University Manila.

“As we pursue the pathway that will bring the economies and people of ASEAN under a single economic community, we also have to be mindful of some obstacles and challenges that hound the people of the region such as the issues of poverty eradication, income distribution and equality, high infant and child mortality rate, poor sanitation, among others,” Legarda stressed.

She added, “The agenda of poverty eradication is one of the goals of ASEAN, and yet, nearly 50 years after its creation, almost 13% or 76 million of the region’s people continue to live below the World Bank’s international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.”

Legarda pointed out other concerns—more than one third of the region’s people have no access to improved drinking water sources; about 415 infants die each day in the region; and income distribution and equality concerns abound as evidenced by the fact that GDP per capita across ASEAN countries can be as low as 800 US Dollars to a high of 49,000 US Dollars.

“The words ‘ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)’ invite optimism, but they also evoke a sense of uncertainty and even fear for some. Much work obviously needs to be done in order that this community that we all seek to build will be relevant and will help usher in a higher quality of life for our people,” she said.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, also said that resilience and sustainable development should be at the core of the AEC, stressing that, “We must realize that we are living in a world with finite resources and yet generations have lived over the centuries like there is no tomorrow. If we truly want the ASEAN Economic Community to be successful, we must learn to co-exist with our environment.”

She added that disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation must be linked with local, national and regional development planning.

“The ASEAN Community is geographically located in one of the most disaster prone regions of the world. Moreover, climate change has already made its presence felt in our region and in our respective countries. It is a must that development policies should promote effective risk reduction towards sustainable and resilient growth,” said Legarda.

Clark hosts APEC Special Senior Finance Officials Meeting

CLARK FREEPORT-Clark Freeport played host this week to the two-day Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Special Senior Finance Officials Meeting.

 

Held at Holiday Inn, it featured sessions on the general overview of the Cebu Action Plan, Promoting Financial Integration, Advancing Financial Transparency, and Enhancing Financial Resiliency among others.

 

“The Cebu Action Plan is envisioned to provide a stepping stone towards an APEC Community that is more financially integrated, transparent, and resilient. In a decade, APEC economies should have harmonized policies, rules, and practices that enable and /or facilitate,” APEC said in a statement.

 

This shall include free trade and free flow of cross border investments, good governance that results to sustainability and inclusive economic growth, and rapidly growing and robust financial markets that offer diversified financial instruments.

 

Roadmap of the Cebu Action Plan consists of three action programs namely Promoting Financial Integration, Advancing Financial Transparency, and Enhancing Financial Resiliency.

 

“Financial Integration in the Asia Pacific can pave the way for greater intra regional trade and investment, as well as more developed financial markets across APEC economies. Financial integration can bring forth various mechanisms that support trade and investments and at the same time widen financial markets in terms of products, service providers, and investors,” APEC added.

 

Moreover, Financial Transparency is an essential component of good governance as it allows for greater scrutiny that in turn leads to a more efficient use of government resources for development priorities.

 

APEC economies are enjoined to cooperate on practices fostering financial transparency such as reporting of fiscal data, exchange of information on tax policies and financial transaction across borders, auditing of uses of funds among government agencies, and making the information on and conduct of government procurement process more accessible to the public.

 

“And lastly, sustainable and inclusive growth and financial market development can only be achieved through macroeconomic stability. Prolonged intra regional trade and investments also rely on the soundness of its participating economies. An important tool in attaining macroeconomic stability is financing resiliency. Financing resiliency entails among others, the creation of sufficient fiscal space that can be used when shocks to the economy arise,” APEC added.

 

APEC began as an informal dialogue group in 1989, but has since become the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade, and investment in the Asia Pacific region.

Apart from the Philippines, other members include Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; and Viet Nam.

This year’s meetings carry the theme “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World.” (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu)

Congress sets target up to June 2015 Drilon says other major bills won’t take back seat due to Bangsamoro debates

MANILA-Though the Congress is intent on passing the Bangsamoro Basic Law within the first quarter of the year, Senate President Franklin M. Drilon said the Congress will also work double-time in ensuring the passage of what it has identified as “must-pass’ measures before the end of the second regular session in June 2015, which mostly include legislation that will sustain fiscal and economic growth and provide job opportunities to millions of Filipinos.

Among these bills are the amendments to the Built-Operate-Transfer Law, the Fair Competition Act, Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives Act, the rationalization of the mining revenues, the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and the amendments to the Charter of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Also included in the “must-pass” legislation are the postponement of the Sangguniang Kabataan elections, creation of the Department of Information and Communication Technology, the Philippine Immigration Act, the creation of information and communications technology hub, definition of public utilities, and the Magna Carta of the Poor.

“Our schedule is a bit tight considering that we only have six session weeks before we adjourn in March 19. The scheduled SK election next month is just around the corner, so a decision has to be made immediately whether to allow the elections of new set of SK officers or postpone it further to October 2016 to give Congress more time to overhaul the current SK system,” said Drilon. The SK elections are scheduled for February 21.

Drilon said that by synchronizing the SK elections with the barangay elections, there will more time for current system to be reviewed and reforms be introduced, while saving public funds and precious time.

Drilon said the SK postponement along with the BBL shall be passed within the first quarter of the year: “We will have to strictly follow our schedule, because this bill that will create and embed peace in Mindanao still has to go through a lot of process including the ratification by the areas covered by the law, and the ratification should take place before the election period,” he added.

The Senate leader also emphasized that the Congress will deal with a number of legislation that will help the country sustain its fiscal and economic growth amid emerging challenges, provide assistance to the poor and enhance ICT in the country.

The Congress will re-work the Magna Carta of the Poor to provide more complete and stable programs for the poor. He said the budgetary requirement of the proposed law will be included in the annual national budget.

It will also work on a bill that will mandate the establishment of ICT hubs in the country to support the growing demand for technology and the creation of a Department of Information and Communication Technology to supervise and implement policies on ICT.

Drilon said that a new agency devoted to improving the national capacity in the information and communications technology sector is all but necessary for a nation like the Philippines: "We are close to being the top business process outsourcing nation in the world, yet our ICT capacities are insufficient in several aspects, such as internet speed," Drilon said. 

Legarda Calls For Climate Action And Climate Cooperation In Meet With Nicolas Hulot, France’s Special Climate Envoy

Senator Loren Legarda with Mr. Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the French President for the Protection of the Planet

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today said she looks forward to French President Francois Hollande’s forthcoming visit to the Philippines, which is expected to tackle Philippine-French cooperation on climate action.

Legarda made the statement following her meeting with the Special Envoy of the French President for the Protection of the Planet, Mr. Nicolas Hulot, who said that President Hollande is very keen on working with the Philippine Government to ensure that the COP 21 or the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, France will be more than just the usual climate talks as it should compel nations to carry out urgent climate action.

“The COP 21 is a very crucial platform for climate action and I am glad that President Hollande is eager to make this a successful conference that would bring in significant results, specifically a universal and ambitious climate deal, which has been elusive for many years now,” she said.

Legarda, United Nations Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, said that the meeting with Hulot focused on how the two nations can work together to mitigate climate change and ensure that nations affected are able to adapt to its effects.

“France is moving towards a green economy and sustainable development. One of its aims is to halve French consumption on fossil fuels by the year 2050 as part of its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. On the other hand, the Philippines has been working towards resilience as it is greatly vulnerable to natural hazards and the effects of climate change. These realities make a good formula for climate cooperation between the two nations,” she explained.

The Senator said that Hulot also called for climate justice, stressing that nations like the Philippines, which is a very low emitter of greenhouse gas, are those that bear the brunt of climate change.

“It is in developing countries where disaster risks abound and the poor are the most affected by disasters, which are getting stronger and more frequent due to climate change. Natural hazards have rendered vulnerable populations as climate refugees in their own communities. These people are seeking climate justice for a catastrophe they never created or caused,” Legarda said.

She noted that France is likewise calling for the operationalization of the Green Climate Fund and for industrialized nations to assist developing countries in reducing the risks and coping with the impacts of extreme weather events, while reducing their own GHG emissions.

“We look forward to this climate cooperation with France and we hope that the COP 21 will result in climate cooperation among all nations. No nation is safe from climate change unless we do something now. We must act now,” Legarda concluded.

Jinggoy: Lying witness must suffer same penalty of convicted defendant

MANILA-Given how easy some unscrupulous individuals could let out baseless and malicious accusations against other people before various forums and the mass media especially in time for the coming 2016 elections, Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada seeks grave punishment for witnesses who shall provide false testimonies.

 

Senate Bill 2573 which was filed last Monday, the first session day of the Senate after the holiday break, aims to amend Article 180 of the Revised Penal Code and impose heavier penalty for lying witnesses.

 

The same bill was first introduced by Sen. Estrada on July 2007 during the 14^th Congress. The measure was then re-filed during the previous 15^th Congress. The bill was then referred to the Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws.

 

Under the current laws, the penalty for false testimony depends on the sentence imposed on the person against the false testimony was given.

 

“For instance, if a witness testifies falsely against the accused charged with homicide, and such accused is convicted and sentenced to reclusion temporal (minimum of 12 years imprisonment) and the witness was later found to be lying and was in turn prosecuted and convicted, the penalty imposable to such lying witness is onlyprision mayor (minimum of 6 years),” the bill’s explanatory note reads.

 

“This is grossly unfair to the accused falsely convicted as a result of a witness’ false testimony,” Sen. Estrada stresses.

 

The proposed bill further provides that if the defendant is acquitted, the lying witness shall suffer the penalty imposable upon the defendant if the latter is convicted.

 

“The bill is in no way intended to silence or intimidate witnesses who seek to expose anomalies in the government. In fact I support them through the passage of a comprehensive Whistleblower Protection Act,” says Sen. Estrada, also the author of Senate Bill 1286 that guarantees security and benefits for whistleblowers.

 

“But while we pursue transparency and accountability in our government, we must ensure that this crusade does not lead to mere besmirching reputations, assassinating characters and destroying one’s honor through fabrication of stories and exposition of tall tales just like Benhur Luy and Ruby Tuason did in relation to the PDAF scam,” he adds.

Pope's Leyte visit should spur govt to fast-track Yolanda rehab -Angara

MANILA-Pope Francis’ visit to Leyte should spur government to “speed up and finish” the reconstruction of areas ravaged by the strongest typhoon in history, Sen. Sonny Angara stressed today.

“The Pope’s visit will all be for naught if it will not result in ending the misery of the victims of Yolanda,” Angara said.

“If the Pope’s visit has been hailed as inspiring, then it should inspire us all in completing the rehabilitation of lives and places wrecked by Yolanda. The best way to honor his visit is to accomplish the unfinished tasks," he pointed out.

“When the Pope said we should help the victims of Yolanda, it is not enough that we nod our heads in agreement. The correct response is through action, by transforming his words into deeds," Angara said.

“Having been personally been blessed by the Pope, I sincerely believe that the President's cabinet men have been energized and are now ready to hurdle bottlenecks that delay the delivery of assistance to Yolanda victims," the lawmaker emphasized.

He noted that “a raft of appropriations” has been authorized by Congress to sustain reconstruction work in Yolanda-hit areas, citing the 2015 national budget which earmarks P14 billion in Calamity Fund and P1 billion in Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Fund.

These are on top of regular agency funds lodged in departments like the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Agriculture which allocate funds for the Yolanda devastated places.

And before 2014 came to a close, Angara said Congress also passed the P22.5 billion 2014 supplemental budget which gave P8 billion to the National Housing Authority for the construction of 27,313 permanent homes for Yolanda victims.

The supplemental budget also funneled P2.1 billion to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for emergency shelter assistance in Yolanda hit areas.

Angara has urged concerned executive officials to cut the lag time from fund release to actual construction, further suggesting that agencies involved in rehabilitation work should accelerate the procurement and immediate implementation of the projects.

“Kung totoo nga na ang budget ay sya na ring nagsisilbing release document, wala nang dahilan para maantala pa ang ang pagsasakatuparan ng mga proyekto para sa mga biktima ng Yolanda," Angara said.

Yolanda has left 6,300 dead, 28,689 injured, 1,061 missing and destroyed 536,313 houses as it barreled through four central Philippine regions in November of 2013.

To rebuild these areas, the lead agency coordinating relief work led by former Sen. Ping Lacson has submitted to Malacanang a detailed reconstruction plan which will cost P172 billion to implement.

Senate Adopts Legarda’s Reso on Review of UN Peacekeeping Operations

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today said that the Senate has adopted on Wednesday (January 21) Senate Resolution No. 1044, which affirms the Senate’s support to the review of the United Nations’ peacekeeping operations and special political missions.

Legarda, who filed the Resolution, said that a review of the UN’s peacekeeping operations is needed in light of new challenges and changes in the geopolitical landscape and risks faced by UN international missions.

“In August last year, our Filipino peacekeepers who were conducting their mission at Golan Heights in Syria were forced to defend themselves against Syrian rebels and reposition to avoid further harm. As a founding Member-State of the United Nations and in keeping with our obligations to the international community, our country has at various times deployed peacekeepers to war-torn areas, and though we know the risks, the safety of our soldiers remains our utmost concern. Thus, we support this comprehensive assessment of the state of UN peace operations,” she stressed.

On October 31, 2014, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the creation of a High Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations, which is tasked to conduct a major external review of UN’s peacekeeping and special political missions. Its findings will be taken up for consideration by the UN General Assembly at its 2015 General Debate.

The Panel is chaired by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta (Timor-Leste) and was originally composed of thirteen (13) other members namely, Jean Arnault (France); Abhijit Guha (India); Ameerah Haq (Bangladesh); Andrew Hughes (Australia); Alexander Ilitchev (Russia); Hilde F. Johnson (Norway); Bruce Jones (Canada); Youssef Mahmoud (Tunisia); Ian Martin (United Kingdom); Henrietta Joy Abena Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu (Ghana); B. Lynn Pascoe (US); Floriano Peixoto Vieira Neto (Brazil); and Wang Xuexian (China).

Three additional female panelists were later included. They are Marie-Louise Baricako (Burundi); Radhika Coomaraswamy (Sri Lanka); and Rima Salah (Jordan).

Senate urges political leaders to heed Pope’s call for simple living

MANILA-The Senate has adopted a resolution urging political leaders to heed the call of the Pope to live simply and in “outstanding honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good.”

            Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who introduced Resolution 1110, said the Pope’s call for all to live simply is relevant since the Philippines faces the challenges of achieving inclusive growth, which despite the sincere efforts of the government today, still eludes a significant percentage of our population who continue to live in poverty and want.

Senate President Franklin Drilon also said that the Filipinos need and deserve leaders who will make true of the Pope’s assertion that public governance is one of the highest forms of charity: “Public service is not about power or control, it is about uplifting our people from poverty and hopelessness.”  

            Pimentel cited a 2014 report from the Philippine Statistics Authority which showed poverty incidence at 25 percent since 2003.

In a population of 100 million people, that would translate into some 25 million poor Filipinos who are marginalized, robbed of their dignity and stripped of their basic human rights, according to Pimentel.

He said Pope Francis also challenged everyone, at all levels of society, “to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor.”

            “The year 2015 has been declared by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) as the Year of the Poor, to respond positively to the papal challenge for us to live simply, it behoves our political leaders to show the way by their living with honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good so that our nation’s resources are channelled properly to benefit the people, especially the poor, in a culture where the human rights and dignity of everyone are cherished and respected, and justice is done to them whatever their station in life may be,” Pimentel said.

            Meanwhile, the Senate also adopted Resolution 1044, expressing its full support to the review of peacekeeping operations and special political missions conducted by the United Nations in the light of changes in the geopolitical landscape and risks faced by UN international missions.

            Sen. Loren Legarda, who introduced the resolution, said that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had announced last year the creation of a high Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations which will review issues such as the changing nature of conflict, evolving mandates, peace building challenges, managerial and administrative arrangements, planning, partnerships, human rights and protection of civilians, uniformed capabilities for peacekeeping operations, among others.

         Senate President Drilon said that the upper chamber will support any initiative by the UN to reassess its protocols on its peace-keeping operations, given that the Philippines has long been consistently involved in the international organization’s human development and peacekeeping programs.    

            “This comprehensive assessment is both relevant and timely given the challenges experienced by Philippine peacekeepers during the conduct of its missions at Golan Heights in Syria in August 2014 when they were forced to defend themselves against Syrian rebels and reposition to avoid further harm,” Legarda said, adding:

            “Being a founding member state of the UN and in keeping with its obligations to the international community, the Philippines has at various times deployed peacekeepers to war-torn areas like Korea, Congo, Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, Iraq, Nepal and Sudan. We therefore express our support to the UN’s review of peacekeeping operations and special political missions.”

Legarda Meets With French Envoy for Environment

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda will meet with Mr. Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the French President for the Protection of the Planet, on January 22, 2015 to discuss climate-related issues, including Philippine-French coordination in preparation for the COP 21 or the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, France.

“This year’s UN Climate Change Conference in Paris is very crucial as nations are set to adopt a binding and universal climate agreement that will take effect in 2020. As the host country, France should not only be a venue but also a leader in the climate talks,” said Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committees on Environment and Natural Resources, and Climate Change.

“Mr. Hulot’s appointment as Special Envoy of the French President for the Protection of the Planet is an attestation of the French government’s strong commitment towards resilience and sustainable development,” she added.

Mr. Hulot, a French politician and former journalist, was appointed as French President Francois Hollande’s Special Envoy for the Protection of the Planet in 2012 as part of France’s efforts to raise awareness about climate change, promote the implementation of climate mitigation policies, and influence action towards protection of the environment.

Legarda noted that President Hollande has been initiating measures towards energy transition and aims to halve French consumption on fossil fuels by the year 2050 as part of France’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We want to strengthen cooperation between the Philippines and France in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. We also hope that like France, other nations, especially the biggest emitters of greenhouse gas, would not only agree with climate treaties but also translate commitment into urgent action by cutting down on pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, reducing fossil fuel consumption, promoting the use of renewable energy, and assisting developing nations that are most vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation and climate change,” Legarda said.

ANGARA URGES GOVT TO BUILD ON 'GAINS' AND 'GOOD HANDLING' OF PAPAL VISIT

MANILA-Government’s “good handling” of Pope Francis’ recent visit to the country effectively served as a “dry run” for Manila’s hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit scheduled late this year, Sen. Sonny Angara stressed today as he called on the Aquino government to build on the gains and success of the 5-day papal visit.

“If there’s another good thing which came out of the papal visit aside of course from the spiritual aspect, it was the dress rehearsal which allowed us to assess our logistical preparedness, the state of our infrastructure, the security arrangement for the series of bigger events that we’re hosting this year,” Angara pointed out.

Among these are APEC’s Economic Leaders Meeting in November which will be attended by 21 heads of governments and the number of high-level ministerial meetings preceding it.

About 10,000 delegates are expected to attend the 25th staging of the annual gathering of Pacific Rim leaders.

In addition, the government has declared 2015 as the Visit Philippines Year, with a target to attract nine million visitors from around the globe.

“We will be rolling out the red carpet on all these events and luckily we had the Pope’s visit as a trial run on how good we are as hosts,” Angara said.

“The Pope’s visit yielded many valuable lessons that will serve us well on the months ahead."

He said government should “assess the strengths and weaknesses of its handling of the papal visit so it will know the best practices it should repeat and improve on things where it fared poorly.”

"Among the complex challenges of the Pope’s visit which it passed with flying colors was the security arrangements," Angara exclaimed.

“Its being able to deploy a massive force of 70,000 policemen and soldiers to guard the papal motorcade route and public engagements where an estimated six million people attended was impressive,” the senator said, adding: "That should prepare us when 21 heads of state will be here for the APEC.”  

He said the traffic plan adopted for the Pope’s visit will also come in handy when it is time for the MMDA to devise a plan for the APEC event.

For hosting the APEC meeting, the government will be spending at least P6 billion, P4.6 billion authorized under the “International Commitments Fund” in the 2105 national budget and P1.4 billion in the 2014 supplemental budget passed last December.

The amount does not include funding for key infrastructure projects such as the improvement of Roxas Boulevard, the asphalting of EDSA and the sprucing up of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

DOLE imposes work stoppage at site of construction accident in Guiguinto

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga-Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued Tuesday a Cease and Desist Order (CDO) to two firms in the wake of a wall collapse at their construction site in barangay Ilang-Ilang, Guiguinto, Bulacan which claimed 12 lives.

 

Responsible companies were Number One Golden Dragon Realty Corporation and Holcim Co Construction Corporation.

 

“Based on the ocular inspection at the accident site conducted by our team, they found out that it was the right side wall of the on-going warehouse construction that collapsed right above the quarters of the workers. It is approximately 7 meters high and 20 meters wide. It happened during their lunch break,” DOLE Regional Director Ana Dione said.

 

It took approximately eight hours to retrieve the victims, as the construction firms had no response team to take immediate action during the incident.

 

“They noted the absence of supervisors such as engineers, safety officers, and the like that is in charge of overseeing the construction as well as representative from the principal at the accident area,” Dione added.

 

The team likewise observed the incomplete concrete pouring in the foot-tie beam to strengthen the structure; insufficient reinforcement bars and stirrups installed at the column, beam, and wall structure; type of concrete mixture for the columns and beams do not meet as per specification, backfilling was not properly observed and/or conducted to stabilize the movement of the concrete wall structure, and proper evaluation of the soil-bearing capacity was not validated through test.

 

Moreover, there was no proper engineering and safety supervision to validate and implement the correct engineering standards and work procedures for the nature of work and the volume of rain occurred contributes additional load pressure to the lower portion of the concrete wall structure.

 

“Both firms shall be held liable for all violations related to the safety and social welfare of the workers and affected civilians resulting to death and injury as amended in the Labor Code of the Philippines and Occupational Safety and Health Standards. We have issued this CDO, which is effective until further notice to both companies because we are serious when it comes to the safety and welfare of our workers. Safety should be practiced at the workplace at all times,” Dione stressed.

 

“At the time of this painful tragedy, our hearts and thoughts go out to the workers who perished. We will be continuously coordinating with their families and see what kind of interventions we can provide to ease their burden,” Dione added.

 

In order for the CDO to be lifted, the principal and subcontractor must submit a number of requirements including employer’s accident-illness report, incident report, police report, medical abstract, employment record or contract, corrective work methodology, and proof of salary payment and remittance to Social Security System, Pag-Ibig, and PhilHealth.

 

Both companies must also attend a conference hearing with DOLE Technical Support and Service Division for Labor Relations and Labor Standards head Ma. Rima Hernandez on January 23 to address the issues and concerns pertaining to the incident. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu)

Security forces, emergency preparedness and response teams begin deployment of personnel and equipment for Clark, Subic APEC meetings

CLARK FREEPORT-Security forces and emergency preparedness and response teams began Tuesday the deployment of personnel and equipment in Clark and Subic in line with the first Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM1) of the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit from January 26-February 7.

 

“We are deploying around 3,000 of our personnel to ensure peace and order inside and within the perimeters of the two Freeports. We shall make our presence felt but not visibly seen by the delegates,” Philippine National Police Deputy Regional Director PSSupt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe said.

 

PNP Police Regional Office 3 has been conducting since last year relative trainings that would beef up its preparations for SOM1.

 

This includes Close Protection Orientation, Hostage Negotiation Course, Proper Etiquette and Protocol, Radio Operation and Procedures Course, Pistol Proficiency Training, Civil Disturbance Management Training, and Explosives and Ordnance Refresher Course.

 

A simulation exercise was held Saturday to test these preparations.

 

“For our part, we have formed an Emergency Preparedness and Response Task Group which is composed mainly of member-agencies of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and local disaster risk reduction and management offices. Our goal is to guarantee that necessary measures are taken to mobilize equipment, facilities, materials, human and financial resources required to respond to any possible emergency that may happen during SOM1,” Office of Civil Defense Regional Director Josefina Timoteo said.

 

It is likewise responsible for the development of strategies and contingency or response plans to reduce losses from disasters.

 

OCD heads the group whose 24/7 Emergency Operations Center is located inside the premises of the 1^st Air Division of the Philippine Air Force.

 

SOM1 begins with a series of more than 30 working group and committee-level meetings covering various topics such as Trade and Investment, Economic and Technical Cooperation, Anti-Corruption, Counter Terrorism, Competition Policy, Ocean and Fisheries, Customs, E-Commerce, Services, Life Sciences, Health, Illegal Logging, and Services.

 

Following from the outcomes of the APEC Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting held last December 8-9, 2014 in Manila, the various meetings will also discuss how each working group can advance the APEC 2015 priorities and the overall theme of “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World”.

 

The series of working group and committee-level meetings from January 26 to February 5 shall culminate with the Senior Officials’ Meeting on February 6-7 at Fontana Leisure Park in Clark Freeport.

 

As host, the Philippines will also hold a Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) on Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM), Creative Industries, and Research and Development Services on February 3.

 

The PPD on Services is the first in a “Dialogue Series”, which aim to guide the APEC Senior Officials and the APEC Business Advisory Council in promoting trade in services in the Asia-Pacific region. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu)