Angara urges gov't to beef up the country's national police force

MANILA-To fight the crime surge, government should put “more boots on the ground” by hiring 50,000 more policemen, a move which would both raise the national police strength to 200,000 and the cop-to-population ratio to the ideal one per 500, Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara said on Thursday.

"With a current population of 100 million, the country needs about 200,000 policemen, but the authorized 'uniformed personnel ceiling' of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is only around 151,410," Angara stressed.

“Filling all of these, plus adding more," he said, “should be part of the 'last two years’ agenda of the Aquino administration."

“If I may give an unsolicited advice, I think the President should announce a massive policemen recruitment program in his second-to-the-last SONA (Statement of the Nation Address)," Angara said.

"It will send a comforting message to the nation that more men are being suited up to roll back crime," the neophyte senator emphasized.

Last year, 1,033,833 crimes were reported to the police, which Angara said could just be fraction of the total as more victims, skeptic perhaps that the culprits will not be caught, opt not to report to the police what they had experienced.  

“Understated the data may be, it still paints a scary picture: One is murdered every hour, a robbery is committed every 10 minutes, someone is raped every 72 minutes, a theft is happening every three and half minutes,” he exclaimed.

Angara said Aquino’s SONA announcement can be followed through with a request in the 2015 national budget, which the President must submit to Congress within a month after his July 22 speech, for funds to hire the initial batch of rookies.

He proposed that 25,000 policemen be hired in 2015 and the same number in 2016 .

"The initial cost of hiring 25,000 new cops, assuming they will join the service in the second half of the year, is about P5 billion," Angara said.

But he admitted that the number of recruits can be pared down. “Of course, there is the question of funding. We can then downscale the quota and stretch the recruitment period. What is important is to assuage the people that more cops are coming.”

Angara noted that the “first year price tag” of P5 billion is almost equivalent to the P4.8 billion of the scrapped PDAF of senators. “It is one-fifth of what could have been the entire pork of both houses of Congress.”

“If we are looking for a project to which we can rechannel the scuttled PDAF funds, then what could be more worthy than hiring more policemen to keep our communities and children safe?" the lawmaker said.

Angara said the one policeman for every 500 population ratio “is not an option but a mandate of law, Republic Act  6975, the 1989 law creating the Department of Interior and Local Government.”

But a quarter of a century since it was passed, the policeman-to-population ratio, which on paper currently stands at one per 675, has never been achieved, Angara pointed out.

“In contrast, our ASEAN neighbors are fielding more policemen. Thailand has one for every 304 persons; Indonesia, one per 428; Malaysia, one per 267," he said.

In addition to hiring more policemen, the PNP can maximize its force by “unshackling police officers from their desks, and handing over administrative duties to non-uniformed personnel (NUP),” Angara said.

In a bid to free police officers who should be pounding beats instead of doing paper work, the PNP is hiring 13,000 NUPs this year.

Angara said the Philippine ratio of one policeman to 675 population does not translate to the actual number of cops on duty at any given time.

“Cops work in shifts. There are those who call in sick, on leave, in training, or are suspended. Thousands are assigned to headquarters duty or support services.    So the actual number of policemen in precinct duty, or on patrol, who can respond to a distress call is probably a third of the total force, and that is already a very optimistic estimate," he said.

Legarda Honors Centenarian Helena Benitez

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda honored Dr. Helena Z. Benitez and highlighted her notable contributions to the country, as the former senator, pioneer environmentalist, educator, advocate of culture and civil society leader celebrates her 100th birthday today, June 27.

“Dr. Helena Benitez is a Filipina whose character inspires people. She has established a place in our history with her vision, intelligence, resilience and innovative spirit. Dr. Benitez is a catalyst of change who played many roles and conquered many frontiers,” said Legarda.

Dr. Benitez was a member of the Philippine Senate from 1968 to 1972. She was the first Filipina to have chaired the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the first Filipina member of the Board of the International Association of Universities, and the first Filipina conferred the Presidential Award of the Order of Sikatuna, with a Rank of Datu.

She established the Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company in 1957, was co-founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, served as chair of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, and was multi-term president of the Civic Assembly of Women of the Philippines.

“Dr. Benitez is a trailblazer and a positive force towards nation building. She is a woman leader I look up to and among her many achievements, I wish to highlight her role in environmental protection,” said Legarda, who is also a known environmentalist.

“She is famous for initiating the first comprehensive report on the State of the Philippine Environment in 1971 and authoring several pieces of legislation that allowed environmental issues to come to the forefront of national concern,” Legarda said.

Dr. Benitez is the author of Republic Act 5752, the Municipal Forests and Watersheds Act, which mandated every city and municipality in the country to establish, develop and maintain a permanent forest, tree park, or watershed that covered at least two percent of its territory. She also authored the Philippine Eagle Protection Act (R.A. 6147), the Tamaraw Sanctuaries Act (R.A. 6148), and the Forestry Profession Law (R.A. 6239), among other legislative accomplishments.

Her commitment to saving the environment extends beyond national borders. She headed the first Philippine Delegation on the UN Conference of the Human Environment (UNCHE) in 1972, became the first Filipina and first woman president of the Governing Council of the UN Environment Programme, and became the special adviser to Secretary General Maurice F. Strong in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development (UNCED), more popularly known as the Rio Summit, in 1992.

“Dr. Benitez has worn many hats and achieved so much not only for herself but also for the Filipino nation. She continues to live a very fruitful life because at 100 years old, she still serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Philippine Women’s University. I wish all Filipinos would strive to replicate her fearlessness, vision, resilience and innovative spirit to nurture a better, greener and more sustainable future,” said Legarda.

On June 4, 2012, the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 786, sponsored by Legarda, to honor Dr. Benitez for her service to the Filipino people and to acknowledge her contributions to the nation.

Organizers of Ecija’s “Taong Putik” Festival eyes Guinness Record

ALIAGA, Nueva Ecija – Organizers of Tuesday’s “Taong Putik” Festival are seeking another milestone : the event’s inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records (GBWR) for having the most number of people who bathed in mud in one single occasion.

          Father Carlos Padilla, parish priest of the St. John the Baptist Parish in Barangay Bibiclat which organized the festival, said the event is unique in itself and deserves to be recognized by appropriate world-renowned bodies such as the  GBWR.

          “It’s possible that we may apply it with Guinness. Anyway, it is something that is unique, a religious ritual involving mud people and devotees,” Padilla said.

Mayor Beth Vargas agreed, saying the event has distinguished itself from other events in the country. “But of course, we have to consult the organizers because as far as we know, they don’t want to commercialize the event,” she said.

The possible application of the “Taong Putik” Festival in the GBWR was raised after it drew 7,000 mud people and St. John devotees Tuesday which was covered by national media and wire agencies.

Every 24th of June, Bibiclat, a rustic barangay some 30 kilometers from Cabanatuan City, welcomes hundreds of tourists and devotees of St. John. They were welcomed by a uniquely-dressed group of devotees whose faces and bodies were smeared with mud and covered with dried banana leaves, a form of religious ritual of humility, penance and vow.

By turning themselves into mud people, participants emulate St. John the Baptist, who hid his role as the chosen one to baptize Jesus Christ by appearing in most biblical tales dressed like a beggar, wearing animal skin to deceive those who were after his head.

Among those who took part in Tuesday’ festival were elderlies and children as young as three years old.

Vargas said the oldest participant in the event is a centenarian whose name she could not recall.

Asked if the festival could also be declared as an international pilgrimage site, which is being lobbied by the city government of Manila in the case of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Padilla said the St. John parish has been declared a diocesan shrine of the Archdiocese of Cabanatuan and thus, is a pilgrimage site in itself.

He explained that a parish can be declared as a diocesan shrine when its patron saint is a miraculous patron. 

Vice Mayor Alfredo Domingo and his wife Leny, who go to Church in the morning said the event has enhanced the town’s image as tourist spot.

The patron saint, St. John the Baptist, is said to perform numerous miracles, including the healing of fatal diseases and ailments.

But the single biggest miracle associated with the patron saint was believed to have occurred sometime in 1944 shortly after a group of Japanese soldiers was ambushed by guerrilla rebels.

In retaliation, the Japanese officers ordered all the men of the community arrested and brought to the chapel grounds in Bibiclat.  Filipinos were about to be shot at noon when their relatives went to the church and prayed hard for their safety.

Suddenly, it rained hard and the Japanese officers - interpreting this as a sign of disapproval from heaven - ordered the execution stopped and set the men free.

The people then danced in jubilation and played in the mud. They attributed the miracle to St. John the Baptist.

As in rituals past, the festival starts before the crack of dawn at 4 am when participants wake up and go to the nearest rice paddies to smear mud on their bodies and wear the grass or dried leaves.

Then they walked around the community and begged for candles or money to buy candles, which they lit before praying.

House owners give them money or candles, believing that this gesture would be paid back with blessings.

Afterwards, they proceed to the church yard to hear Mass. The saint's statue is then paraded around the community, with the devotees carrying lit candles and roses, offering prayers before they wash themselves and join their families for the fiesta celebration later in the day. (Manny Galvez)

Noy wants world-class Bilibid by year-end in Fort Magsaysay where pa was detained

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija–President Aquino wants to have the New Bilibid Prisons, now in Muntinlupa City, to be transferred by year-end to the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation (FMMR) in Nueva Ecija where his late father, former senator and democracy icon Benigno Aquino was detained during Martial Law. 

  

          Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. told newsmen that the Chief Executive wants a modern national penitentiary, reportedly worth P40 billion, to be included in his accomplishment report for 2014.

          “The President wants it done by the end of 2014,” Catapang stressed, adding that the site being eyed is in the municipality of Laur covered by the 44,000-hectare FMMR.

Considered the largest military camp in the country, the reservation - named after another democracy icon - former President Ramon Magsaysay, houses the Army’s 7^th Infantry Division (7^th ID), the Scout Ranger Regiment, the Special Forces and the Airborne Forces.

It was also in this reservation where the elder Aquino and his fellow former senator Jose Diokno were placed under solitary confinement for one month during the Martial Law years.

Catapang said the transfer is now being worked out in coordination with other government offices such as the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

He said it is being eyed as Public Private Partnership Project of the Aquino administration.

Early this month, DOJ Undersecretary Francisco Baraan, its supervising official on the BuCor and the NBP, said the new facility being eyed is a modern one that will follow international standards and will cost P40 billion.

Baraan said the 551-hectare NBP in Muntinlupa , which opened in 1940, is now heavily congested as it houses 14,500 prisoners in its maximum security detention area alone although it was programmed to accommodate only 8,400 inmates. All in all, the NBP houses around 20,000 inmates.        

 Recently, a controversy broke out in the NBP over the alleged unauthorized hospitalization of high-profile inmates, including convicted drug lord and Sigue Sigue Sputnik gang leader Ricardo Camata, Pasig drug flea market operator Amin Buratong and bank robbery gang leader Herbert Colangco.  

Baraan said the plan is to convert the Muntinlupa penitentiary, valued at around P42 billion,  into a mixed-use commercial area.

As early as May 2012, the Aquino administration has been working to carry out the transfer of the NBP and the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) to Fort Magsaysay.

Gaudencio Pangilinan, then-BuCor director, said the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council was also involved in the negotiations. 

The plan to transfer the 20,000 inmates from the NBP and 2,000 inmates from the CIW was pursued after local officials in Tanay, Rizal opposed an earlier order to transfer them there.

In 2006, Aquino’s predecessor, then-president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Executive Order 568 authorizing the transfer of the NBP to a 272-hectare reservation in Barangay Cuyambay in Tanay.    

Legarda Hails Declaration of Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary as UNESCO Heritage Site

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today hailed the inscription of Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in the UNESCO World Heritage List and renewed her call for greater protection of the country’s natural and cultural heritage.

“I am happy that we have our new UNESCO World Heritage Site. I commend the agencies, local government units and communities for working hard to preserve and protect the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary,” said Legarda.

“This triumph should also remind us of our role as stewards of our natural resources and cultural heritage. Every citizen should be aware of our collective responsibility to protect our heritage not only for the sake of recognition or inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, but more importantly as part of our sustainable development goals,” she added. 

Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary is officially the 6th World Heritage Site in the Philippines. Other UNESCO Heritage Sites in the country are Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Baroque Churches of the Philippines, Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and the Historic City of Vigan.

The official description of the site states that “the property showcases terrestrial and aquatic habitats at different elevations, and includes threatened and endemic flora and fauna species, eight of which are found only at Mount Hamiguitan.”

Legarda said that the declaration of Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary as a World Heritage Site further highlights the need to safeguard the biodiversity in the area.

“This wildlife sanctuary and many other naturally abundant areas make the Philippines a mega diverse country, but it is also one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots, with a large number of species either endangered or threatened of extinction. Thus the need for collaborative efforts among government agencies, local government units and citizens to conserve our heritage and if possible, rehabilitate the natural resources that have been damaged by our irresponsible acts,” Legarda concluded.

Drilon backs DOJ for administration of WPP

MANILA-Senate President Franklin M. Drilon said he is opposed to a proposed legislation which seeks to remove the Witness Protection Program (WPP) from the Department of Justice, saying that it is part of the agency’s mandate as the government’s primary prosecution arm to search out for witnesses and ensure their safety to aid in effective disposition of justice.  

The Senate leader threw his support behind Secretary Leila de Lima who sought to retain jurisdiction on the WPP under the DOJ which is the subject of House Bill No. 4583 seeking to transfer administration of WPP to lower courts.

As former justice secretary, Drilon said he fully understands the need for the DOJ to retain control of the WPP.

“It is the duty of the DOJ being the lead prosecutor to gather credible witnesses who have knowledge about the crimes committed. But to persuade a witness to speak out is not an easy task. It is where the WPP plays an important role because it is being used by prosecutors to convince a witness to testify against a criminal offender,” said Drilon.

“The WPP is a factor that convinces witnesses to cooperate with the DOJ in its duty to prosecute criminal offenders and provide justice. It is also therefore the obligation of the DOJ to give 24-hour protection to the lives of state witnesses and provide for their needs while they are in government’s custody,” he added.

Drilon pointed out that there are standards the DOJ follows to enroll a witness into WPP and “politics is definitely not a consideration.”

“The primary considerations are the relevance of the testimony and the threat to the life of the state witness. Politics does not and should not play any role in determining who qualifies as state witness,” he stressed.

During his time as justice secretary, Drilon said the WPP became effective in the conviction of then Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez.

The Senate leader concluded that the WPP has been an effective government mechanism for the administration of justice in the country. 

Ecija’s “Taong Putik” Festival draws 7,000 mud people, Catholics

ALIAGA, Nueva Ecija – In 1999, Mary Domingo, then 63, felt a numbing sensation on the right side of her face.

          With the pain refusing to go away, she sought the help of many doctors but they all failed to determine the cause of the pain. She next went to  herbolarios (quack doctors) but they also could not unmask her mysterious ailment.

          Desperate, Domingo turned to this town’s patron saint John the Baptist and went to grace this town’s annual “Taong Putik” Festival. Now 78, she has never missed a single festival since.

Domingo was one of some 7,000 mud people and St. John devotees who turned up for yesterday’s annual event in Barangay Bibiclat here, witnessed by Manila-based newsmen from various media outfits and wire agencies.

Chief Inspector Roberto  Sena, Aliaga police station commander, said this year’s event, themed “Ang Pamamanata,” drew devotees from all walks of life, with the youngest a four-year-old girl Janaya dela Cruz, a first-timer who came over because of her mom.

Another participant Rodel Capalad said he has been gracing the event the past eight years as his way of thanksgiving for the fulfillment of a wish : to pursue his studies. “For as long as I can, I will attend the festival every year,” he vowed.

Sena said by their own estimates, the crowd was easily at least 5,000, including 2,000 mud people.

Every 24th of June, Bibiclat, a rustic town some 30 kilometers from Cabanatuan City, welcomes hundreds of tourists and devotees of St. John. They were welcomed by a uniquely-dressed group of devotees whose faces and bodies were smeared with mud and covered with dried banana leaves, a form of religious ritual of humility, penance and vow.

Father Carlos Padilla, parish priest of the St. John the Baptist Church – a declared diocesan shrine - officiated the morning Mass here which was attended by third district Rep. Czarina Umali and Mayor Elizabeth Vargas.

Padilla said the tradition originated in 1944 when a group of Japanese soldiers were ambushed by guerrilla rebels. In retaliation, the Japanese officers ordered all the men of the community arrested and brought to the chapel grounds.

The Filipinos were about to be shot at noon when their relatives went to the church and prayed hard for their safety.

Suddenly, it rained hard and the Japanese officers, interpreting this as a sign of disapproval from heaven, ordered the execution stopped and set the men free.

The people then danced in jubilation and played in the mud. They attributed the miracle to St. John the Baptist.

Village elders said people who attend the unique celebration also fulfill a "panata" (vow) for a family member's good health. One of them was Eugenio Alamon, 62, who suffered three strokes and couldn’t walk.

As in the past, the ritual starts before the crack of dawn at 4 am when participants wake up and go to the nearest rice paddies to smear mud on their bodies and wear the grass or dried leaves.

Then they walked around the community and begged for candles or money to buy candles, which they lit for before praying. Afterwards, they proceed to the chapel for a Mass.

The saint's statue is then paraded around the community, with the devotees carrying lit candles and roses.

          By turning themselves into mud people, participants emulate St. John the Baptist, who appears in most biblical tales dressed like a beggar.

From the village’s rice field, groups of taong putik roam the village and ask for alms. House owners give them money or candles, believing that this gesture would be paid back with blessings.

After the ritual, participants gather at the church yard to hear Mass. They light candles and offer prayers before they wash themselves and join their families for the fiesta celebration later in the day.

Vice Mayor Alfredo Domingo and his wife Leny also go to Church in the morning shortly after the Mass was heard.

The vice mayor said the event not only enhanced the town’s image as a pilgrimage site but also its tourism potentials.

Devotees are also known as "San Juan or nag-sa-San Juan" by the townsfolk because they imitate John the Baptist who hid his role as the chosen one to baptize Jesus Christ by wearing animal skin to deceive those who were after his head.

Edwin Dizon, 47, said yesterday’s event was a bit subdued because there was no rain, unlike the previous years.”It was merrier when it rains,” he said.  

Legarda Cites Gov’t Efforts to Provide Public Easy Access to Hazard Info

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda lauded the efforts of government, especially the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), to provide the public with easy access to information on hazards and vulnerabilities.

Legarda, Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committees, said she looks forward to the completion of the mobile application on the geo-hazard map, which the DENR is developing in partnership with the PIA, especially with the onset of the rainy season.

“When more people are able to access real-time information on hazards and weather events, more lives will be saved,” she said.

According to the DENR, the mobile application facility will offer the geo-hazard map as a default reference.

It will be useful for government agencies’ dissemination effort of relevant advisories, alerts and mobilization information; while the public can access it for disaster warnings, emergency alerts, situational reports, other important advisories and relevant tips on safety and disaster preparedness.

“I commend the DENR and PIA for creating this application and I hope that this will further strengthen convergence among government agencies to be able to provide accurate and real-time information to the public. A crucial step in building resilience and reducing disaster risks is dissemination of risk information, early warning and disaster preparedness tips to individuals and communities. We hope that this project will help achieve the goal of making every citizen disaster-literate,” said Legarda.

Legarda suggested to also include air quality monitoring and data on water quality and solid waste management.

The DENR said other functions may be developed depending on technical feasibility.

The mobile application is expected to be released in July 2014.

SBMA tops free ports and eco-zones with P185-million dividends remittance

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT-Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) emerged as the highest dividends contributor among special economic zones in the country during the recent Dividends Day in Malacañang, an annual event recognizing government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) with the highest remittances.

 

SBMA remitted a total of P185 million to the National Treasury this year, the first time for the Subic agency after more than a decade.

 

“Overall, SBMA placed number 10 among the 50 GOCCs that remitted dividends out of the total 114 GOCCs in the country today,” SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said.

 

“Meanwhile, we ranked number one and surpassed eight other free ports and special economic zones,” Garcia added.

 

Under RA 7656, GOCCs are required to declare and remit half or 50 percent of their net income to the National Treasury as dividends.

 

The remittances are used mainly by the government for its social services programs.

 

According to Department of Finance reports, this year’s top contributors were Land Bank of the Philippines which had the highest dividends remitted at P6.298 billion, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation which had the highest total remittances at P9.791 billion.

 

Other GOCC contributors were Development Bank of the Philippines with P3.616 billion; Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp - P2.5 billion; Bases Conversion Development Authority - P2.107 billion; Manila International Airport Authority- P1.577 billion; Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation- P1.5 billion; Philippine Ports Authority-P1.422 billion; and Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation-P1.05 billion.

 

Meanwhile, next to the SBMA in the free port/special ecozone category were Clark Development Corporation with P110 million; Cagayan Economic Zone Authority- P100 million; and Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan- P4.56 million.

 

In his Independence Day message, President Benigno Aquino III said that GOCCs have remitted a total of P95.38 billion in just the three and a half years of his administration, compared to the P81.54 million that the corporations remitted in eight years of the Arroyo government from 2002 to 2010.

 

Garcia explained that since 2004 until 2013, the SBMA failed to remit dividends after the agency suffered financial losses.

 

However, with major financial and operational restructuring in the last three years, the SBMA has managed to recover and turn financial statistics upward.

 

Records indicated that the SBMA first complied with the dividends requirement by remitting P5.23 million from its net earnings in 1993.

 

Then in 2003, the SBMA remitted P75.6 million from its net earnings from 2000 to 2003 as a result of the adjustment of the required dividends from 50 percent to only 10 percent for GOCCs with very low net earnings.  

 

The GOCC Dividends Day started in 2011 as an annual ceremony spearheaded by the Department of Finance and later on by the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG), to recognize complying GOCCs and to raise support for the government’s “unprogrammed fund.”  

 

A total of P32.3 billion was raised by the national government during the GOCC Dividends Day recently.

 

Garcia said that while the SBMA could use the amount it had just remitted as dividends for its various capital expenditure projects, the Subic agency is happy to comply with the law.

 

“For one thing, we are able to help the President with his developmental programs. That’s one significant contribution by Subic to national development,” Garcia said. (SBMA)

MAKE COLLEGE TUITION TAX DEDUCTIBLE –ANGARA

MANILA-Due to the high cost of tertiary education in the country, Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara has filed a bill that seeks to allow college tuition fees and related expenses as tax deductions from the gross income of an individual.

 

"Access to tertiary education remains problematic and elusive especially to the poor and underprivileged Filipinos. This bill seeks to appease this problem by making tuition fees and allied expenses tax deductible from the gross income of the taxpayer," he explained.

 

The neophyte senator cited an annual poverty indicator survey released by the National Statistics Office in 2011 that shows that six million out of 39 million Filipinos aged between six and 24 are out-of-school youth or those who are not attending formal school or have not finished college or post-secondary courses.

 

“The same report also indicates that 29 percent of high school graduates could not attend college because of its high cost,” added Angara, whose advocacy is to broaden access to and improve the quality of education in the country.

 

Angara's Senate Bill 2228 aims to amend Section 34 of the National Internal Revenue Code of the Philippines to include payments for tertiary education tuition fees and allied educational expenses as allowable deductions in computing taxable income.

 

Under the proposed measure, educational deductions should not exceed P40,000 for the taxpayer or for each dependent not exceeding four for the taxable year.

 

The deductions of dependents for tertiary education, which includes post secondary courses from higher educational and technical and vocational institutions, must be claimed by only one of the spouses in the case of married individuals.

 

The purpose of tax deductions is to decrease the taxable income, thereby increasing the net income or the take-home pay of the taxpayers.

 

“Such initiative is also a way of encouraging the parents to send their children to school and for working students to continue their education because of the tax incentives they could get,” said Angara, chair of the committee on ways and means.

 

The lawmaker noted that in Malaysia, the allowable deduction on educational expense is up to 5,000 ringgit or P69,000 on the income of taxpayer who is enrolled in the tertiary level, and up to 4,000 ringgit or P55,000 on the income of taxpayer whose dependent is over 18 studying in the tertiary level.

 

Meanwhile, in Thailand, aside from tax deductions, an additional 2,000 baht or P2,700 per child is granted for educational allowance.

 

In the United States, tuition and related fees deductible is up to a maximum of $4,000 or P176,000 to the income of the taxpayer who shouldered the expense for his/her own, or for the spouse, or for the dependent.

 

"It is imperative for the State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education as mandated by the Constitution. And given the limitations of government financial assistance such as scholarships, grants and student loans, providing tax deductions is an effective way of helping the poor and underprivileged Filipino families who have to spend a huge part of their small incomes to pay for education," Angara said.

 

“More importantly, we should not see this proposal as a possible revenue loss for the government. We should look at the bigger picture and think of the additional college graduates our country would produce and the significant contributions they could offer our society,” he stressed.

At NIA, it’s more fun in anniversary rites sans Noy

MANILA-Rank-and-file employees of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) are visibly elated and are having fun during the agency’s 51^st anniversary rites at the agency’s central office along Edsa Friday afternoon.

          Reason : there is no President Aquino around to ruin the party, he being a known KJ or killjoy, a term to describe party spoiler.

          During last Friday’s awarding rites for most outstanding irrigators’ associations, operation managers and project managers, employees were seen exhibiting unbridled emotion, raining the area with cheers. They were overjoyed that the Chief Executive was not invited to possibly – again – ruin their day with a sermon just like what he did last year.

          “Buti naman at wala siya dito. KJ siya kasi. Masisira lang ang araw namin. Baka manermon na naman (It’s a good thing he was not here. It’s because he’s a KJ.He would unmake our day. He might deliver another sermon),” one of the employees commented.

          He recalled that Mr. Aquino’s speech during last year’s anniversary rites where he lambasted then-administrator Antonio Nangel while everybody was in a jolly and upbeat mood still leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the NIA family, particularly the employees who were expecting him to announce an anniversary bonus.

It would be recalled that in June last year, Aquino scolded Nangel over the agency’s supposed failure to meet its targets. The President, in last year’s 15-minute speech, said he was “dismayed” with the NIA leadership because it was only able to irrigate 52,000 hectares out of its 81,170-hectare target in 2012, or a 65% accomplishment rate.

From 2001 to 2009, he said NIA failed to meet its yearly irrigation targets, getting as far as only 66%. He said in 2011, when he was already President, NIA was able to irrigate 32,830 out of its target area of 37,659 hectares or a high 87%.

“I will be honest with you, I am still dismayed because until now, it shows that there is little change happening in the National Irrigation Administration. We are already in the middle of our term and it is difficult if until now, you still don’t know what you want to do,” he told Nangel as Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala looked on.

He also failed to hide his disappointment over the non-implementation of Phase 2 of the Balog-Balog Irrigation Project in his home province of Tarlac.

After finishing his sermon, the President left in a huff, without even waving to the crowd who he failed to acknowledge at the start of his speech.

Prior to Mr. Aquino’s speech, the atmosphere inside the oven-hot venue was festive and upbeat as Nangel excitedly rattled off the agency’s accomplishments under his watch. He said that irrigation development in the country rose from 49% in 2009 to 56% in 2012 owing to the funding support from the Aquino administration.

          Employees called the presidential dressing-down as uncalled for and inappropriate as he ignored the agency’s having achieved corporate financial viability, the first time it has happened in 50 years.

A week later, he replaced Nangel with Claro Maranan.

In last Friday’s rites, the culminating activity of a week-long festivity, employees shouted themselves hoarse during the awarding ceremonies, marked by a fashion show of the 60’s and 80’s.  

          Maranan reported that among the accomplishments made by the agency has been improvements in its database and that it has bidded out the projects for 2012 and 2013. 

          He added that as of March of 2014, NIA’s accomplishment was around 72.54% that shows improvement in the delivery of irrigation development projects.

          This year’s anniversary rites, which carry the theme: Tulong-tulong, Sama-sama sa Pagsulong ng NIA sa Pandaigdigang Pagbabago ng Klima,” kicked off last June 16 with a business forum and the setting up of a tiangge and fun games.

          Maranan reported that NIA passed a two-day performance evaluation conducted by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Food Security and Agriculture Modernization led by Secretary Francis Pangilinan. (Manny Galvez)