MARCOS ROLLS OUT 5-YEAR DEVELOPMENT PLAN

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed an executive order (EO) approving and adopting the Philippine Development Plan for the period 2023-2028, which provides a five-year roadmap for the country’s economic recovery and aims to make the Philippines an upper-middle-income country by 2025.

The Plan lists several target outcomes that the Marcos administration commits to achieve over the medium term

– Bring down the poverty rate to a single-digit level—9 percent—by the time the administration’s term ends in 2028

– Keep food and overall prices low and stable. Food and overall inflation will be kept within 2 to 4 percent

– Create more and better-quality jobs. Although unemployment is nearing pre-pandemic levels in 2022 at 5.7 percent, there is much room to improve the quality, productivity, and stability of employment. By 2028, the target unemployment rate is within 4 to 5 percent, and the percentage of wage and salary workers in private establishments to total employed is within 53 to 55 percent

– Maintain high levels of economic growth in the medium term, rising from 6 to 7 percent in 2023 to 6.5 to 8 percent from 2024 to 2028 and

– Ensure fiscal discipline. The national government deficit to GDP ratio will be gradually brought down from 6.5 percent during the first half of 2022 to 3 percent in 2028. The outstanding government debt to GDP ratio will also be gradually reduced from 63.7 percent in September 2022 to 51.1 percent by the end-2028.

The PDP seeks to “bring back the country to a high-growth trajectory and more importantly, enable economic and social transformation for a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient society,” the President said.

“This plan represents not only our aspirations as a people but also our resolve to build a nation that we can be truly proud of,” Mr. Marcos said during yesterday’s launch of the PDP 2023-2028 at the PICC in Pasay City.

The President said the Plan will ensure that economic gains will redound to the benefit of ordinary Filipinos.

US DEFENSE CHIEF'S MANILA VISIT TO FOCUS ON EDCA, PLANS TO ADDRESS NEW THREATS

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will discuss “speeding up” the implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement on top of “modernizing” the alliance to address new threats, such as maritime issues, during his visit to Manila.

Austin will be in South Korea and the Philippines this week as Washington seeks to strengthen its presence via alliances in the Indo-Pacific.

"We anticipate that 2023 is going to be a very exciting year for the alliance. Right now, I think we’re seeing a very positive upswing in the trajectory of the relationship," a senior defense official speaking on background was quoted saying in a department article.

While in Manila, Austin will be hosted by his counterpart, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. Austin will also meet with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Andres Centino, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

Amid the changing security environment, the US Department of Defense aims to "bolster regional alliances and partnerships" to maintain regional stability. The trip comes amid regional tensions between China and Taiwan, on top of long-standing issues in the South China Sea —  including the part of it that Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.

"We see the investments that we’re making to advance our allies as grounded in the recognition that they are real force multipliers in our efforts to sustain a free and open Indo-Pacific," the official said.

Officials from Washington and Manila have previously said there are plans to expedite the completion of existing EDCA projects and adding new sites. Through the agreement, US military may use facilities in Philippine military bases and camps on top of allowing US troops to rotate in the country.

MARCOS SAYS EDUCATION SYSTEM ‘FAILED’ THE CHILDREN

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said the education system has “failed” Filipino children as he vowed to do better to improve the education sector.

“We have failed them. We have to admit that we have failed our children. And let us not keep failing them anymore. Otherwise, we will not allow them to become the great Filipinos that we know they can be,” the President said after receiving the 2023 Basic Education Report from Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio yesterday.

“The Filipino is better than this. The children are better than this. And we cannot fail them. And that is the main motivation that we should keep in our hearts,” Mr. Marcos said.

In her report, Duterte-Carpio revealed the multiple challenges hounding the education system as she launched the so-called “MATATAG” roadmap to address the identified problems.

These problems included the lack of school infrastructure, the “cracks” in DepEd’s procurement practices, the decrease of enrollment in private schools, congestion in the K-12 curriculum, employability of senior high school graduates, and lack of support for teachers, among others.

“We will rally for an improved learning system in the country. Together, we will rally for every Filipino child,” the Vice President said.

Mr. Marcos, for his part, vowed to invest in Filipino teachers.

PHILIPPINES 'READY' FOR RCEP RATIFICATION, OFFICIAL SAYS

MANILA — The ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Cooperation (RCEP) will be beneficial to the country but there should be safeguards placed to ensure that key agricultural products are protected, a trade official said on Tuesday.

RCEP is a free trade deal among Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and the 10-member ASEAN which seeks to lower tariffs for select goods for participating nations.

In an interview with ANC, Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said only limited agricultural tariff lines would be affected if the RCEP is enforced.

"There are only about 15 agricultural products that will be affected and these are not the basic agricultural products that we have," she said.

"This excludes rice, sugar and corn and all the other basic agriculture products that we commonly consume," she added.

Despite opposition from some agriculture groups, Castelo said the Philippines is "ready" for the RCEP while the agriculture department focuses on industrialization and modernization of the sector.

"The Philippines is ready for this and it's going to increase actually our gross domestic product, it will increase of course job multiplication job generation and all that," she said.

Critics have said the agriculture sector must be improved first before allowing more foreign imports.

Higher food prices, especially vegetables, have pushed inflation to over 18-year highs. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said improving the agriculture sector would help tame inflation.

INFLATION LIKELY WITHIN 7.5 TO 8.3 PERCENT RANGE IN JANUARY 2023: BSP

MANILA - Inflation for the month of January likely settled within 7.5 to 8.3 percent range, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas think tank said on Monday.

Price pressures likely came from higher electricity rates, water rate rebasing, higher prices of petroleum products, the uptick in key food items as well as the increase in sin taxes, the BSP's Department of Economic Research said in a statement.

But the BSP said the upward price pressures may have been partly offset by the lower LPG prices as well as peso appreciation.

"The BSP will continue to adjust its monetary policy stance at the necessary pace to prevent the further broadening of price pressures and monitor emerging price developments closely in accordance with the BSP’s price stability mandate," it said.

In December 2022, inflation hit 8.1 percent, the highest since November 2008, largely driven by the prices of vegetables including onions.

Economists have said that although the Philippine economy grew faster than expected at 7.6 percent in 2022, the majority of the population did not feel its effect due to the higher prices of commodities.

WHO SAYS COVID-19 STILL AN INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY

GENEVA — Three years to the day after the World Health Organization sounded the highest level of global alert over COVID-19, it said Monday the pandemic remains an international emergency.

The UN health agency's emergency committee on COVID-19 met last Friday for a 14th time since the start of the crisis.

Following that meeting, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus "concurs with the advice offered by the committee regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and determines that the event continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)," the organisation said in a statement.

Tedros, it said, "acknowledges the committee's views that the COVID-19 pandemic is probably at a transition point and appreciates the advice of the committee to navigate this transition carefully and mitigate the potential negative consequences."

Even prior to the meeting, the WHO chief had suggested the emergency phase of the pandemic is not over, pointing to surging numbers of deaths and warning that the global response to the crisis "remains hobbled".

BIR OFFICIALS MEET JICA REPRESENTATIVES TO STRENGTHEN RELATIONS

MANILA — The Bureau of International Revenue said on Tuesday officials have met with the representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to strengthen cooperation.

In a photo release, the BIR said newly appointed BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. met with JICA Chief Representative Sakamoto Takema on Jan. 9.

During the meeting, JICA's proposal for the institutionalization of an intensive Transfer Pricing Team in the bureau was presented, the BIR said.

"The main frameworks of the work plan for the proposed institutionalization of an International Taxation Service was thoroughly discussed, which included the actual Transfer Pricing practice and conduct of capacity development in collaboration with other donors, such as Asian Development Bank (ADB), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), among others," the tax bureau said.

JICA and the Asian Development Bank are conducting an interactive workshop on Mutual Agreement Procedure for the BIR in February to educate revenue personnel on the Advance Pricing Arrangement and Transfer Pricing Assessment, the BIR said.

JICA is one of the Philippines' largest multilateral lender partners that is supporting projects focused on nation-building such as the Metro Manila Subway.

PNP TO DEPLOY MORE COPS NEAR SCHOOLS

MANILA – The Philippine National Police is deploying more cops near schools following a spate of incidents of violence in campuses.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said field commanders are now tasked with assessing how many policemen to send to some schools and what time to send them there.

“Inatasan po ng ating Chief PNP, si Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. yung atin pong mga field commanders to directly coordinate po doon sa mga eskwelahan doon sa kani-kanilang lugar para alamin po kung ano po yung mga security concerns po nila at kung paano po makakatulong ang PNP po para mas lalo po paigtingin yung mga seguridad sa loob at labas po ng mga eskwelahan,” she told TeleRadyo.

She said more cops will likely be visible outside campuses before the start of classes and during dismissal.

“Doon po sa atin pong mga in-establish po na mga police assistance desk ay normally may dalawa po dyan na naka-post po dyan at yung sinasabi ko pong mga maximum police presence ay yan lang po yung mga mobile patrol po natin na umiikot po, yung ating motorcycle patrol ay umiikot po dyaan sa mga oras, lalong-lalo na po yung mga oras ng pasukan, may mga recess po, may mga break time, at uwian po ng mga estudyante.”

The move from the PNP comes after a 13-year-old student was stabbed to death by his classmate at Culiat High School in Quezon City last Jan. 20.

On January 26, a 12-year-old student accidentally shot himself with his father’s gun, which he brought to school in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

In December, 2 students of Colegio San Agustin in Makati were involved in a brawl inside one of the school’s comfort rooms – an incident that was caught on video which later went viral on social media.

Aside from boosting security, the Department of Education also said it will work to strengthen programs addressing students’ mental health issues to avoid incidents of violence.

MARCOS VISITS WAKE OF OFW SLAIN IN KUWAIT, VOWS TO HELP FAMILY

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday visited the wake of Jullebee Ranara, the Filipino migrant worker who was murdered and burned in Kuwait last week, vowing to provide assistance to her bereaved family.

Marcos told reporters that he personally wanted to extend his sympathies to Ranara's family at their residence in Las Piñas City.

"Ang pangako ko sa kanila kaya naman nagsakripisyo ang anak nila na magtrabaho sa abroad ay dahil may mga pangarap siya para sa kanyang pamilya. Sinabi ko, nawala na iyong anak niyo, kami na lang ang tumupad ng pangarap... lahat ng assistance na pwedeng naming ibigay, ibibigay namin," he said.

A scholarship is being prepared for Ranara's children, while death benefits from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) were also given to the slain OFW's family, Marcos said.

He is also set to hold bilateral meetings with the Kuwaiti government to determine if there were "weaknesses" in its labor agreement with the Philippines, which might have allowed Ranara's murder, and "make sure that those weaknesses are remedied so that the agreement is stronger."

"We hope this will not happen again to any of our countrymen," Marcos added.

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NO LETUP IN SEARCH FOR MISSING CESSNA PLANE

MANILA — Rescue teams searching for the missing Cessna plane and its six passengers in Isabela are starting to get sick from the rain and cold weather.

“They are groping in the dark... Sumusuko na yung iba. Nagkakasakit na. Unang-una malamig, pangalawa umuulan... Paakyat na madulas dahil virgin forest,” Constante Foronda, head of the Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said over dzBB yesterday.

”Zero visibility pa halos... Hindi nila nakikita yung kanilang target,” he added.

While rescue teams are not giving up and doing their best, authorities believe it will take time to locate the aircraft or its wreckage.

Foronda clarified there has not been any sighting of debris.  He said the area where a white object was last seen is the main focus of search and rescue operations, but other teams are searching in other areas.

He said there is a low chance that the missing aircraft landed at sea since one of the cellular phones of the passengers rang when relatives tried to call.

The Philippine Army said three teams from the 95th Infantry Battalion continue to comb through possible landing areas in Barangays Sapinit and Dicaruyan in Divilacan town.

FUEL PRICE HIKES: GAS UP P1.30/L, DIESEL BY P1/L

Domestic pump prices went up for the third consecutive week by as much as P1.35 per liter effective 6 a.m. Tuesday to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market.

The oil firms raised the price of kerosene by P1.35 per liter, gasoline by P1.30 per liter, and diesel by P1 per liter.

POWER SNAPS MAY HIT RURAL AREAS

State-run National Power Corp. warned on Monday about year-long daily power interruptions affecting 1.3 million households in remote islands and off-grid areas because of high fuel prices and funding deficit.

NPC, suffering from funding shortages, proposed to reduce the operations of 156 power plants under the Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG), which could affect 450,000 households.

It said delayed payments to new power providers and qualified third parties might also result in power outages affecting about 835,000 households.

“The idea that was presented is to ration available fuel throughout the entire year effectively. We had initially announced the rationing to start as early as February, but we have not finished the consultations, so, we decided to defer it for consideration in March,” NPC president Fernando Martin Roxas said.

GROUP WARNS CONSUMERS VS FROZEN EGGS

MANILA — A group yesterday warned consumers against buying frozen eggs out of the shell, saying these are not up to standards, although the freezing has been done for a long time by poultry farmers.

In an interview on dzBB, Philippine Egg Board Association (PEBA) president Irwin Ambal discouraged consumers from buying frozen eggs since these have not followed industry standards.

“Broken eggs should not be sold,” Ambal said. “We don’t endorse the consumption of these eggs because of unforeseen effects.”

Ambal said frozen eggs are being used by industries, such as bakeries, as a cheaper option, especially with the increase in egg prices.

The Department of Agriculture (DA), however, sees no problem with frozen eggs sold in the market.

DA Assistant Secretary and deputy spokesman Rex Estoperez said frozen eggs are safe for consumption as long as these are mixed and stored properly.

This has long been practiced by some poultry farmers and there have been no reports of salmonella poisoning, Estoperez said.

The DA official, however, advised consumers to buy eggs in the shell, which have followed standards.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

PAOLO CONTIS ADMITS RELATIONSHIP WITH YEN SANTOS, DENIES HER INVOLVEMENT IN BREAKUP WITH LJ REYES

Paolo Contis has admitted he is currently in a relationship with Yen Santos.

In Monday's episode of "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda," Paolo straight up admitted  that Yen is now his girlfriend.

He however denied that his "A Faraway Land" co-star was the reason for his breakup with LJ Reyes.

Paolo clarified there had already been misunderstandings between him and LJ, even before issues about him and Yen circulated online.

In fact, he also admitted it was his fault, not prioritizing LJ's mental health.

“Hindi ko inalala yung mental health ni LJ. Isa 'yun sa feeling ko na simula ng downfall namin, na hindi ko inisip 'yon,” he said.

"Kapag nahihirapan siya [LJ] during pandemic, ang utak ko, 'Ah four times a day tayo kung kumain, chill ka diyan’ which was one of my biggest mistakes,” he added.

In October 2021, LJ confirmed her separation from Paolo.

Shortly after, Paolo and Yen were rumored to be together after they were spotted in Baguio.

He cleared Yen of involvement in the split — said they were only friends — but admitted a third party was involved in the breakup.

Before admitting to his relationship with Yen, Paolo shared a date night photo with her after Yen won the best actress award for "A Faraway Land" at the Grand Urian Awards.

In his two-part interview with Boy Abunda, Paolo said he wouldn't force people to be happy about his relationship with Yen.

"What you see is what you get," Paolo said.

"Sana lang isipin nila na kung ano lang yung nakikita nilang naka-post, 'yun na lang yung truth na alam nila," he added.

INDICATORS

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. - Albert Einstein