Task force on media says it’s working on 72 ‘active cases’

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

Blotter incident

DURING the meeting, PTFoMS also talked about the case of Jose Rizal Pajares, a reporter of Radyo Natin, who was arrested last August 2, 2023, for supposedly violating the Data Privacy Act (DPA) by scanning a police blotter.

T he policeman who detained Pajares claimed the reporter violated PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2020-073, which safeguarded the personal data in the blotter.

T he active incidents are part of the 202 media-related cases recorded by the PTFoMs. A side from the active cases, the list included 101 cases which have been resolved and 29, which prescribed by operation of law. A mong the resolved cases were the four incidents of media attacks under the Marcos administration, according to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Vilacaria-Garafil. For this, I commend our law en -

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Below DBCC target WITH this, the BSP expects fullyear GDP growth to be below 6 percent this year and next year. The Development Budget Coor - forcement bodies, particularly the PNP [Philippine National Police] and the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] for working closely with the PTFoMS in solving these cases,” Garafil said in her speech at the meeting of the PTFoMS last August 16. D espite the “scant” resources of the PTFoMS, PCO Assistant Secretary Michel del Rosario noted the government will prioritize the resolution of the cases, which are work-related. dinating Committee (DBCC) target is to post a 6-7 percent GDP growth rate for 2023 and 6.5-8 percent for 2024.

The full-year growth forecasts for 2023 and 2024 were adjusted downward from the previous MPR to reflect slower-than-expected Q2 2023 GDP growth outturn of 4.3 percent, benign global eco -

However, the PTFoMS reiterated the position reiterated by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) that such private information processed for journalistic purposes is exempted from the DPA.

T he Department of Justice (DOJ) said it will be issuing a legal opinion on the matter to serve as a guide to police and the media.

Pending that clarification, PTFoMS advised reporters to seek nomic conditions, and higher global crude oil prices,” BSP also said in the MPR. first the approval of the precinct’s police public information officers (PIOs) for their access to data in the police blotter.

T he report noted that the BSP’s latest estimates from its Policy Analysis Model for the Philippines (PAMPh) continue to indicate a “broadly neutral output gap” which is the difference between actual and potential output for 2023.

P TFoMS executive director Paul M. Gutierrez said they are set to hold another meeting in November to continue with their discussion on the definition of a “media worker” within the ambit of AO-1 (Administrative Order No. 1).

Former President Rodrigo R. Duterte created the PTFoMS in 2016 through his AO-1 to address incidents of violence against the media.

L ed by the DOJ, the PTFoMS members include the PCO; Department of National Defense/Armed Forces of the Philippines (DND/ AFP); Department of the Interior and Local Government/Philippine National Police (DILG/PNP); Office of the Solicitor General (OSG); and, the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC).

However, the report stated that based on the results of the PAMPh model, the output gap will fall to slightly negative territory in 2024 and 2025.

B SP noted that the PAMPh is a monetary policy model for a small open economy like the Philippines. It is a semi-structural gap model based on New Keynesian foundations.

“ The projected gradual decline in the output gap reflects the impact of BSP policy interest rate adjustments on consumption and investment, projected slowdown in global growth owing in part to tightening monetary conditions across major economies, and a decline in real income in the domestic front owing to high inflation and fiscal consolidation,” BSP said.

H owever, BSP noted that the output gap could be supported by the projected increase in remittances amid a peso depreciation.

B SP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. earlier said cash remittances could “rise further” next year from this year’s projected total amount of $33.5 billion. (Full story here: https:// businessmirror com.ph/2023/08/16/remittances-of-overseas-filipinos-seento-breach-33-5b-in-24/)

T he MRP also said the country’s potential output points to the economy’s ability to sustain its recovery given the increase in economic activity after Covid-19 was declared as no longer a health emergency.

T his reopening of the economy has, BSP said, led to improvements in labor market conditions and continued investment growth. Cai U. Ordinario

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T his, BSP said, ensures availability of foreign exchange to meet balance of payments financing needs. These needs are for the payment of imports and debt service, in extreme conditions when there are no export earnings or foreign loans.

T he data also showed that the GIR level is about 5.9 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4.1 times based on residual maturity.

Short-term debt based on residual maturity refers to outstanding external debt with original maturity of one year or less, plus principal payments on medium- and long-term loans of the public and private sectors falling due within the next 12 months,” BSP said.

U nder the MOA, the DOT chief said the agency has committed to provide “financial support to tourism-related capacity building/capacity development, infrastructure projects, product development, and other tourismrelated programs activities, and projects to eligible and interested ICCs/IPs that will help improve their socio-economic status.”

With support from its attached agencies, the DOT will likewise help develop and promote the ICCs/IPs’ ancestral domains and fund the latter’s identified tourism-related projects, including their local products, to generate business and create jobs.

T he MOA was signed by Frasco and NCIP Chair Allen A. Capuyan on August 16, 2023 at the DOT Central Office in Makati City.

For his part, Capuyan said: “It is our honor and privilege to be partnering with the Department of Tourism in the implementation of our Katutubo-Kapwa project, which aims to involve the indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples in tourism de - velopment. We hope that this will pave the way for a more stable and secure future.”

U nder the National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028, the DOT has identified the need to invest “in defining our cultural experiences to stand out more effectively in Asean’s highly competitive tourism environment.” economic reforms and the amended Foreign Investments Act, Philippine Consul General (in Karachi)

T his, after a survey the agency commissioned in 2021 showed the Philippines ranked lowest in terms of historical landmarks (51 percent), and very poorly for cultural/art activities (29 percent) after respondents were asked about what they thought about Southeast Asian countries being ideal destinations for several types of activities.

O n the upside, the survey showed the Philippines ranked among top three Southeast Asian destinations for sun, beaches, and islands (76 percent) and nature (50 percent), as well as several outdoor activities like hiking and water sports. (See, “They won’t visit for history, culture,” in the BusinessMirror , May 26, 2023.)

Imran Yousuf and Economic Diplomatic officer Digna Khan both said they plan to pay a business visit soon.

RCEP is a regional trade agreement between the 10 Asean member states and five Asean FTA partners—Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. RCEP countries account for 30 percent of global gross domestic product and one-third of total inward foreign direct investment (FDI).

I n an email to Young, Yousuf said Pakistan has already invested in various industries in the Philippines.

[It is also] importing garments, textile, apparel manufacturing, as Other made textile articles, sets, worn clothing and worn textile articles, rags [amounting] at US$6.7 million in 2022,” he said.

He cited some Pakistani companies’ investments in the Philip - pines: TRG Philippines in Manila of TRG Pakistan Ltd., Getz Pharma Philippines of Getz Pharma Pakistan, and Royal Life Pharma, a joint venture in Batangas, Philippines from Pakistan.

Yousuf said the Philippines has “unrivaled access” to key markets such as the Asean, Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies, as well as Asia, Europe and the United States.

“ The Philippines’ location is a critical entry point to over 600 million people in the ASEAN market and a natural gateway to the East Asian economies,” he said. “[It] is likewise placed at the crossroads of international shipping and airlines.”

Yousuf said Pakistan and the Philippines are among beneficiary countries of the European Union’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus program, and are also members of the World Trade Organization with all the privileges and protections it provides.

I n terms of education, Balisacan said, effort must be exerted in recovering learning losses. He noted that Filipino “children consistently lag in the most fundamental cognitive tasks.”

B ased on data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in 2022, the learning poverty in the Philippines is 90.9 percent. Learning poverty refers to the proportion of 10-year-old children in and out of school who cannot read a simple text.

T he same data also showed learning deprivation in the country was at 90.4 percent. This refers to the share of children in school who have below minimum proficiency in reading.

Further, schooling deprivation in the Philippines was at 5 percent. This data refers to the share of primary age children who are out of school.

“ The prospect of witnessing the effects of our educational deficits later on—when the children enter the labor force and labor-saving technologies such as artificial intelligence may have evolved in ways we have not yet even imagined—is quite disturbing,” Balisacan said.

I n order to address this, programs and projects that align and match the needs of the private sector and industry with skills and competencies being developed in educational institutions are vital.

T hese institutions include basic education as well as technical, and vocational educational training (TVET) and higher education in institutions such as UP, the country’s national university. Our education sector must be able to develop processes and spearhead initiatives that will allow our citizens to quickly adapt and respond to emerging trends in the labor market,” Balisacan said.

We must address learning losses and improve global competitiveness, as we must not stay caught up and remain insulated from the rest of the world,” he added.

In terms of health, Balisacan said the pandemic highlighted the need to “equitably distribute health infrastructure and human resources and promote health-seeking behavior and health literacy.”

B alisacan said there is a need for efforts to enhance the government’s capacities for public health emergencies both at the national and local levels.

A nother important consideration in health is food security. Balisacan said better nutrition outcomes should be the “broader objective” of food security.

T here is a need, he said, to expand “consumers’ access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food through investments in our food systems, including agricultural production, transport, and logistics.”