VOG AFFECTS AGONCILLO, BATANGAS; CLASSES SUSPENDED IN 3 BARANGAYS

MANILA — Face-to-face classes in some barangays in Agoncillo, Batangas were suspended Wednesday as the town dealt with vog (volcanic smog) from Taal Volcano's increased activity.

Mayor Cinderella Reyes told ABS-CBN TeleRadyo that classes in the town's 3 most affected barangays were suspended to avoid students from running the risk of inhaling vog at school, including the villages of Banyaga and Bilibinwang.

"Sila ho ay nakaranas na ng pagputok ng bulkan. [Kaya] talaga pong nakahanda po ang ating mga kababayan lalo na ho sa mga barangay ng Banyaga at Bilibinwang, na-evacuate na po sila noong nakaraan," Reyes said, referring to her town's experience from Taal Volcano's recent phreatic eruptions between 2020 and 2022.

"Tayo po ay nakahanda, ang ating pamahalaan, ito po ay closely coordinated sa mga barangay," she added.

As of Thursday, Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1, which means it is in a state of low-level unrest, Phivolcs said.

The agency's director Teresito Bacolcol earlier told residents to stay at home or wear protective masks when going out.

"As of now, Alert Level 1 pa rin. It might lead to a volcanic eruption but it might not.... That’s the reason why we’re closely monitoring Taal Volcano," he added.

MARCOS VOWS STRONGER TIES WITH COUNTRIES THAT PROTECT OFWS

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Wednesday guaranteed overseas Filipino workers (OFW) that his administration would foster stronger ties with countries that protect their welfare, stressing the importance of their contributions.

During his Migrant Workers Day message, Marcos said OFWs "left an indelible mark" that helped not only the Philippines, but their host countries as well.

"Your contributions have enriched the lives of countless individuals and societies to your different professions and capacities... We understand the challenges that you faced being far from your loved ones, adjusting to new cultures and overcoming barrier," said Marcos.

"That’s why this administration will continue to foster stronger ties with countries that host our migrant workers, ensuring safety, welfare and wellbeing," he added in his nearly two-minute video message.

"As you build your dreams in far-off lands and seas, do know that you are not alone."

His message comes after the Kuwaiti government last month imposed an entry ban on Filipinos without a residence permit due to the Philippines' alleged non-compliance to a labor agreement.

The President said protecting OFWs is a priority in his administration.

DOJ: MT PRINCESS EMPRESS OPERATOR FAKED DOCUMENTS

MANILA - The Department of Justice said the operator of the sunken tanker MT Princess Empress falsified public documents.

According to DOJ Undersecretary Raul Vasquez, documents show that there was a falsification of public documents in the operation of MT Princess Empress.

"As far as the records would show- the fact of the matter is there have been falsified documents which we discovered to have been falsified. Kasi 2 documents ito - number 1 yung certificate of registration which allegedly is arising from a decision that was issued by MARINA which MARINA denied of having issued and secondly 'yung mga construction certificate which indicate that the vessel was allegedly constructed in Bataan but actually it was constructed in Navotas," Vasquez said.

Vasquez also said that based on investigation, two regional officers of the Maritime Industry Authority in Bicol region signed the falsified documents of RDC Reield Marine Services, the operator of MT Princess Empress.

DOJ Sec. Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla also believes RDC Reield Marine Services did not operate in "good faith", considering it used falsified documents.

"Pagkukulang? I think good faith talaga kulang dito eh - parang bad faith…hindi sila naging really compliant with all the responsibilities as people who would want to get certificate of necessity and public convenience kaso common carriers sila….the diligence…extra-ordinary diligence ang hinahanap sa kanila eh so we have something missing there. The took things for grunted, they took shortcuts," Remulla said.

Remulla also reiterated the importance of following the requirements of regulatory agencies.

DOJ spokesperson Atty. Mico Clavano said it took them some time to file charges against RDC Reield Marine Services because the government prioritized the clean-up of the oil spill.

SENATORS SLAM DOOR ON GSIS, SSS FUNDS IN MAHARLIKA, RIP DIOKNO

Senators stood firm on their position that state-run pension and insurance institutions are absolutely prohibited from investing in the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III admonished Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno for his “play on words” when he claimed the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Social Security System (SSS) can invest in projects backed by the Maharlika Investment Corp. to be formed out of the MIF law.

“They are avoiding the words used in the law like initial capital, additional capital and bonds. If they say ‘subscribe to projects’ what does it mean? Financing means advancing the money needed. Isn’t that plain and simple ‘lending’ or ‘loaning money’ to the project?” Pimentel said.

“It is just like buying a bond from the Maharlika Corp. It is the same thing. Circumvention in effect,” he added.

Asked for comment, Diokno did not reply to the Standard as of press time.

Senator Risa Hontiveros reminded the Executive Branch that it is tasked to carry out laws that have been passed by the legislature — in this case, the absolute prohibition.

“What Congress intended should be the standard for how the law is implemented. The Executive is not allowed to change, expand or limit it based on its own interpretation,” she said.

She said the Senate will exercise its oversight function to ensure that these safeguards for the protection of pensioners’ and contributors’ hard-earned money are enforced.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Joel Villanueva, however, took the side of Diokno on the issue.

He said the bill passed by Congress allows state-led pension funds to enter into joint venture projects with the Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC), the state-led company that will manage the MIF.

“For example, if the MIC enters into a power plant project, and GSIS also enters into the same power plant project. They formed a joint venture. That is okay. That is legit,” Villanueva said.

“What is not allowed is for GSIS to go to Maharlika to enter into a certain project,” he added.

Senator Grace Po, for her part, said the Senate version even strengthened congressional oversight over the fund by requiring the quarterly submission of investment portfolio and audit reports.

“We put a premium on the public’s right to freedom of information by giving them access to investment plans for the fund and to audit documents,” she said.

While differing in opinion on the possible investments in MIC-backed projects, Villanueva said the bill was “clear in absolutely prohibiting government agencies and GOCCs providing for the social security and public health insurance of government employees, private sector workers and employees, and other sectors and subsectors, such as but not limited to the SSS, GSIS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, OWWA, and PVAO Pension Fund, whether mandatory or voluntary’ in the MIC and the MIF.”

He said there is no room for interpretation regarding the absolute prohibition.

PH: NO MORE KUWAIT SHELTERS ONLY IF OFWS STOP FLEEING FROM BOSSES

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said the Philippines will stop setting up more shelters for distressed overseas Filipino workers in Kuwait if the number of those fleeing their employers declines.

“It’s non-negotiable in a sense that we have to operate them because there are runaways. What is negotiable is, definitely, not to put up more because we don’t want to see shelters sprouting,” Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in an interview with ANC.

The shelters have become a sore point in the country’s relations with Kuwait, which imposed a ban on the entry of Filipinos after Manila barred the deployment of first-time domestic helpers to that country in reaction to the gruesome killing of Jullebee Ranara in early 2023.

The DFA official noted that more than 500 OFWs were being sheltered by the DFA before, with the embassy estimating that one out of 400 OFWs in Kuwait are considered runaways. He said this number is higher compared to other Middle East countries.

De Vega pointed out that the DFA, along with the Department of Migrant Workers, considers the repatriation of more than 600 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Kuwait as a “positive development.”

“It is a positive development because those 600 or so, including 353 who flew just this weekend from Kuwait, had been waiting for months and months and that was an issue between the Philippines and Kuwait — why are we sheltering so many workers, instead of allowing them or using the Kuwaiti system? It showed that Kuwait is capable of and willing to issue exit permits,” he said.

He said with the repatriation of these distressed OFWs, the number of Filipinos staying in shelters has gone down, with only slightly over a hundred of them remaining there.

But Senator Raffy Tulfo slammed the Kuwaiti government for what he described as a crackdown on OFWs.

PRESIDENT TAPS EX-KUDARAT GOV TO LEAD TESDA

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed former Sultan Kudarat governor Suharto Mangudadatu as Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Malacañang announced Tuesday.

Mangudadatu’s appointment was confirmed by Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil.

“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. today appointed former Sultan Kudarat Governor Suharto Mangudadatu as Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority,” Garafil said in a statement.

Created by virtue of Republic Act 7796 or the Technical Education and Skills Development Act of 1994, the TESDA is the government agency tasked to manage and supervise technical education and skills development in the Philippines.

TESDA formulates manpower and skills plans, sets appropriate skills standards and tests, coordinates and monitors manpower policies and programs, and provides policy directions and guidelines for resource allocation for the technical-vocational education and training institutions in both the private and public sectors.

Garafil said Mangudadatu has a notable career in public service, given his leadership abilities.

PBBM MEETS KOREAN AGRI COOP LEADERS

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. engaged in a discussion with the executives of Korea Agriculture Machinery Industry Cooperative (KAMICO) on ways to further enhance the country’s agricultural cooperation and mechanization in a meeting at the State Dining Room in Malacañan Palace on June 6.

During the meeting on Tuesday, the President witnessed the signing of the amended Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperative Partnership for Agricultural Machinery between KAMICO and the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The MOU stipulates the establishment of a local agricultural machinery manufacturing cluster in the country.

President Marcos Jr. conveys his utmost gratitude to the officials of KAMICO for assisting the Philippines in its efforts to further enhance the nation’s agricultural sector, saying the MOU will give Filipino farmers a chance to improve their farming strategies and be globally competitive through new machinery and equipment.

It was first signed in 2018 and was later strengthened through a renewal in 2019.

The MOU also seeks to promote agricultural development between the Philippines and South Korea in terms of mechanization and modernization of its agriculture equipment and farming techniques.

These include technical cooperation in research and development, capacity enhancement and the establishment of an agri-machinery manufacturing complex in the country.

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VISA-FREE ENTRY TO CANADA FOR SOME FILIPINOS: WHO ARE ELIGIBLE?

MANILA — The Canadian Embassy in the Philippines announced Wednesday that some Filipinos can now enter their country by air without a visa.

For Philippine citizens to be eligible for visa-free entry, they must have either held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or currently hold a valid US non-immigrant visa.

Instead of applying for a visa, these eligible Filipinos will just apply for an electronic travel authorization (eTA), a digital travel document that most visa-exempt travelers need to travel to or transit through Canada by air.

Canadian officials use the eTA to conduct light-touch, pre-travel screening of air travelers.

It costs CAN$7 (around P293) to apply for an eTA and the Canadian Embassy says most applications are automatically approved within minutes.

Applying for an eTA requires only a valid passport, a credit card, an email address and access to the internet, the Canadian Embassy said.

Once approved, Filipino visitors can stay in Canada for up to six months for either business or leisure.

Visa-free entry to Canada for eligible Filipinos is only applicable for air travel, so those traveling by land or sea must still secure a visitor visa.

PH 'LOSING WAR' VS SINGLE-USE PLASTICS, DENR CHIEF SAYS

MANILA – The Philippines is not winning the war against single-use plastic as the country continues to generate thousands of tons of plastic daily, environment and natural resources chief Toni Yulo-Loyzaga said Tuesday.

DENR data based on World Bank and Asian Development Bank studies showed that the country generates around 61,000 metric tons of garbage per day.

Of this amount, 12 percent or over 7,000 tons is plastic. This is a stark contrast to the 16,000 metric tons of trash generated 7 years ago.

Yulo-Loyzaga admitted that the problem of plastic is multifaceted and must be faced using different lenses.

“It has a social issue attachment. If we cannot address the social issue, we will not be able to address the use of single-use plastics, specifically for certain sectors of our economy. Single use plastics is the only recourse for their use on a daily basis when they purchase their daily food or for other uses,” she said.

Single-use plastic is most commonly used in public markets and small stores where each purchase is usually wrapped or placed in clear plastic bags only to be discarded, at times inappropriately, just minutes after.

She noted that finding an alternative to single-use plastic is not as easy as it seems. Investing in chemistry and research to find the right alternative is, by itself, already a challenge.

“The challenge is on academe. Of course government, we need to do our own research as well. But certainly the producers, those that are using plastic products, they need to be responsible for finding a sustainable replacement.”

To limit the use of single-use plastic packaging, the DENR is calling on enterprises to comply with the recently passed Extended Producer Responsibility Act. Under this, manufacturers are obliged to recover the plastic they generate and package their products using materials aside from plastic.

The DENR says out of 4,000 enterprises, around 600 have registered and complied. Communicating and educating companies on EPR is also slated in order to meet targets.

“We will focus on the large generators. Those would be the fast moving consumer goods corporation. Some of them are global. Those would actually be the strategic priorities of tis program,” said DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones.

PAL OFFERS SEAT SALE FOR AS LOW AS P125 TO CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY

MANILA — Philippine Airlines said it would mark Independence Day 2023 with a seat sale for as low as a one-way base fare of P125 for domestic and $79 for international flights.

Promo fares can be booked until June 25 for flights within the Philippines, to and from Australia, Hong Kong, Guam, Macau, Taipei, Japan, South Korea, Port Moresby, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, the flag carrier said.

For those flying to US and Canada, flights can be booked until July 4, PAL said. Meanwhile, for flights to and from Mainland China, the booking period starts on June 19 until July 2, it added.

"Celebrate your freedom to fly! We are happy to invite you and travel aficionados all over the world to avail of our Independence Day Seat Sale," said Bud Britanico, PAL Vice President for Sales.

"As we focus on our all-out efforts to boost the full recovery of the tourism industry, we hope you will make Philippine Airlines a part of your 2024 travel plans by checking out our affordable promotional fares," he added.

The travel period for the promotional seats are as follows:

July 1 onwards for travelers bound to South Korea and Guam

Sept. 1 onwards for those going to Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taipei and Southeast Asia

From Jan. 15, 2024 for Japan

From Feb. 1, 2024 for North America, Middle East, Port Moresby, Australia and domestic destinations

Travelers originating from other countries must check the travel period from PAL's website

ILANG LUGAR SA MAYNILA BINAHA DAHIL SA BAGYONG CHEDENG

Nagdulot ng pagbaha ang malakas na pag-ulan sa ilang lugar dito sa Maynila Martes ng gabi.

Sa ulat ng Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, lagpas tuhod ang naranasang tubig-baha sa Kalaw Avenue kaya hindi ito nadaanan ng maliliit na mga sasakyan.

Lagpas gutter naman ang naging baha sa ilang mga kalye tulad ng Vito Cruz, Pedro Gil, at sa may kahabaan ng Taft cor. UN Avenue sa Ermita.

Malaking abala ito sa mga komyuter at mga motorista na pauwi galing sa kani-kanilang mga trabaho.

Nagpaalala rin ang Manila DRRMO na iwasan ang paglabas sa bahay kung hindi naman kinakailangan upang makaiwas sa mga sakit na dulot ng ulan at baha tulad ng trangkaso, leptospirosis, at iba pa.

CHEDENG INTENSIFIES INTO TROPICAL STORM

MANILA -- Chedeng has intensified into a tropical storm as it hovers over the Philippine Sea, state weather bureau PAGASA said Wednesday.

In its latest tropical cyclone bulletin, PAGASA said Chedeng was last seen 1,060 km east of southeastern Luzon.

Chedeng is packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kph near the center and gusts of up to 90 kph. It is moving west northwestward at 10 kph.

Chedeng is unlikely to directly bring heavy rainfall over any portion of the country in the next 3 to 5 days, and is not expected to affect Philippine weather.

It is expected to move generally northwestward or west northwestward from Wednesday through mid-Friday, before turning more northward or north northeastward for the rest of Friday through weekend.

"Throughout the forecast period, Chedeng will remain far from the Philippine landmass," PAGASA said.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon or habagat is affecting the western section of Southern Luzon.

Palawan will have cloudy skies with rainshowers and thunderstorms due to the habagat, while Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 56.22

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes His creatures, or has a will of the type of which we are conscious ourselves. - Albert Einstein