‘SC didn’t bar Congress from deferring elections’

prosperous, inclusive, and resilient Philippine society, it must diversify the country’s sources of growth by expanding its markets, raising productivity, and enhancing the value added for the country’s products and services.”

A t the same time, in generating jobs, Balisacan said the country must prepare its workforce with the “needed skills, build its incomeearning ability, and ensure that these capabilities are protected from the adverse impact of various risks.” tion that seeks to postpone and reschedule the conduct of any future barangay and SK polls.”

AMID a recent Supreme Court ruling invalidating a law postponing the 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), Sen. Francis Tolentino still sees a possible future deferment of polls as long as Congress follows guidelines set by the SC.

It “remains a possibility,” Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, said in a radio interview over the weekend, days after the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional the law postponing the 2022 BSKE.

He added that what was clear is “the Supreme Court did not say that Congress is banned from postponing.” “ Yun naman po ang maliwanag dito. Hindi po sinabi ng Supreme Court na bawal kayo [Congress] mag-postpone. [That’s what’s clear here. The SC did not say that you, Congress, may not postpone],” Tolentino stressed.

S ocioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan further attributed this optimistic projection to consumption and the services sector.

In recognition of the urgent need to regain lost ground, the decisive reopening of the economy reinvigorated the country’s main growth drivers, particularly, consumption on the demand side and the services sector on the supply side, as firms in the high-contact sectors in retail, transportation, and tourism benefited the most from the removal of mobility restrictions,” Balisacan said in a statement on Friday.

T he NEDA chief pointed out that the 2022 full-year growth average was at 7.6 percent, which exceeded the government’s target for the year of 6.5-7.5 percent, while real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita surpassed pre-Covid-19 levels beginning in the fourth quarter of 2022.

B alisacan said, “These indicators paint a promising picture of a sustained recovery for 2023.”

P ointing to another growth driver, the Neda chief said the country’s strong economic rebound was likewise reflected in the labor force statistics, with the latest unemployment figure in April 2023 at 4.5 percent, down from 5.7 percent in April 2022.

Noted as well the improved quality of jobs, as underemployment also fell to 12.9 percent in April 2023 from 14 percent in April 2022. These latest unemployment and underemployment rates, Balisacan noted, “are even lower than the prepandemic rates in April 2019.”

A s for the increase in the prices of commodities, the Socioeconomic Planning secretary said inflation has “steadily moderated” as it came from a peak of 8.7 pecent in January 2023 to 6.1 percent in May 2023.

With this trajectory, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas [BSP] expects inflation to return to the 2 to 4 percent inflation target by the fourth quarter of 2023,” Balisacan said.

Moving forward, the Neda chief said the Marcos administration recognizes that “to effect economic and social transformation for a

A ccording to him, in 2022, Marcos’ assumption into office provided the “critical pivot” toward the country’s full recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Further, he said, “his leadership is charting for the Philippines a path that is resilient and inclusive.”

He cited the 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda, which he said Marcos used to address the immediate issues at hand. The said Agenda is a list of priorities that would guide the policies, programs, and initiatives of his presidency. “ The agenda not only focuses on pressing, short-term issues such as inflation, a tighter fiscal space, and socioeconomic scarring, but also on priorities for the medium term to reinvigorate higher-quality job creation and accelerate poverty reduction in the next six years,” Balisacan said.

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T he IR program of the BSP entails reaching out to stakeholders to disseminate continuously updated information on the Philippine economy and to solicit feedback from the investment community.

T he Economic Team’s proactive engagement with investors through regular participation in investor conferences, bilateral meetings, economic briefings, and non-deal roadshows have contributed to the Philippines’s improved ranking.

T he IIF IR and Debt Transparency Report features guidelines for emerging markets’ best practices on IR and data dissemination in conjunction with the Principles for Stable Capital Flows and Fair Debt Restructuring.

T he 2023 assessment was conducted through a combination of IIF’s desk research and a survey of countries with active IR programs.

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L abor violation incidents from previous administrations have drawn the attention and concern of the Committee on Application of Standards (CAS) of the International Labor Organization (ILO) during the 111th International Labor Conference (ILC) last month.

I n response to the CAS feedback, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) earlier announced it is now crafting a tripartite road map to address the said FOA violations, which it hopes to submit to the CAS by September. T he All Philippine Trade Unions (APTU), which also includes SENTRO, criticized the government efforts to address FOA violations.

APTU never lacked in offering the government its social partnership in improving the country’s dismal track record on labor rights. DOLE responded with various meetings, consultations, and forums just for show. In reality, meaningful constructive inputs from workers and employers fell on deaf ears,” APTU said in a statement. Samuel P. Medenilla

T he senator asserted that “despite the High Court’s ruling which declared Republic Act No. 11935— the law postponing the BSKE from its initial schedule of December 5, 2022, to the last Monday of October 2023—as “unconstitutional,” the decision was also clear that any future postponement must be in accordance with guidelines set by SC such as the presence of a public emergency and for as long the move to defer is “intended to safeguard other fundamental rights of the electorate.”

“Now it’s clear, there are guidelines set by the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court decision did not say that postponing (the BSKE) is prohibited. As long as you follow the five guidelines, it will not prevent future Congresses from postponing—if these guidelines are followed,” said Tolentino, speaking mostly in Filipino.

In its ruling last week, the High Tribunal found it imperative to set forth guidelines and principles pertaining to any government ac -

The stock footage were taken from Storyblocks, an online resource for audio, video, and photos that can be paid for by publishing and creative media companies.

Following this, DDB issued a news statement on Sunday “profusely apologiz[ing] to Secretary Frasco, the DOT, and the Filipino people for the apparent use of non-original/stock footage in the audio visual presentation [AVP] shown [at] the launch event….As DOT’s agency on record for the launch of this campaign, we take full responsibility over this matter.”

It admitted, “[The] use of foreign stock footage was an unfortunate oversight on our agency’s part. Proper screening and approval processes should have been strictly followed. The use of foreign stock footage in a campaign promoting the Philippines is highly inappropriate, and contradictory to the DOT’s objectives.” DDB described the situation an “isolated incident.” The video has since been taken down from DOT’s social media pages.

No public funds paid

HOWEVER , DDB failed to address earlier concerns that the slogan was copied from Barbados or patterned after the branding of Liloan, of which Frasco was mayor. (See, “Love Barbados or Love the Philippines,” in the BusinessMirror , June 29,

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T he two-cab Isuzu D-max was converted into a single cab to fit the Pope’s Italian leather-upholstered chair and two additional seats for his entourage. Because “Lolo Kiko” discouraged a bulletproof vehicle, the popemobile has both sides open and only a plexiglass cover in front, to shield the Pope from the weather. Strong rails were installed at the vehicle’s sides for the Pope and his security team to hold on as the popemobile is in motion. Another excellent aspect of the Isuzu Popemobile was the recessed overhead lighting which made it possible for onlookers to see His Holiness at all hours of the day and night.

T he Popemobile was assembled in record time through the efforts of Isuzu Gencars and donated for

Moreover, he stressed that the SC did also recognized Congress’ authority to legislate laws on future “hold overs” of incumbent barangay and SK officials, contrary to the argument of the petitioners that it can be branded as “legislative appointments.”

Tolentino said it is up to the leadership of both houses of Congress, especially the members of the majority bloc, on whether or not to appeal the SC decision.

T he senator also clarified that despite the High Court’s ruling, the tribunal still recognized the legal practicality and necessity of proceeding with the conduct of the BSKE under RA 11935 on the last Monday of October 2023, pursuant to the socalled “Operative Fact Doctrine.” “ This is also aligned with the 1971 decision of the Supreme Court—Agbayani vs. PNB—that recognizes that if a law already has an effect before it was declared unconstitutional, it does not become totally void. The preparations made by Comelec—yung printing the ballots, scheduling the exercise—that will push through,” Tolentino stressed. Butch Fernandez

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2023.)

DDB Philippines won the DOT bid for Consulting Services of an Agency for Philippine Tourism Branding worth P50 million. According to the bid’s terms of reference, among the deliverables of the winning advertising firm are three to five AVPs, twothree 60-second TV commercials, as well as design and layout of the approved tourism branding. In a news statement issued at 11:18 pm Saturday, Frasco said, “During the various meetings and consultations held relative to the tourism brand enhancement, the DOT, for its part, repeatedly sought confirmation from DDB on the originality and ownership of all materials contained in the AVPs and key visuals presented to the Department. In ALL these occasions, DDB repeatedly assured the DOT that the originality and ownership of all materials are in order.”

S he added, “While no public funds have been paid for the AVP in question as this particular component of the launch was released on the account of DDB, the DOT holds the responsibility of promoting the country to the highest standard. Therefore, it will not hesitate to exact accountability and take the necessary action to protect the interest of the country even as it continues to exhaust all efforts to develop and promote the Philippine tourism industry.” the pope’s visit by the family of the late businessman-philanthropist Ambassador Antonio L. CabangonChua, the former ambassador to Laos, popularly called ALC. I n his remarks at the exhibit opening, the papal nuncio Cardinal Brown thanked all those who helped make the exhibit possible, citing the help of Isuzu Gencars, now led by ALC’s son D. Edgard A. Cabangon.

T he late ambassador was a known faithful servant of the church, and patron of numerous causes and advocacies of the Catholic Church. For four decades, he was the driving spirit behind the Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA), a cause he championed owing to his close friendship with the late archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin.