Napolcom, PNP file raps vs 50 cops in 990-kg drug bust

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

FDI. . .

Continued from A1 during the reference period—a result of uncertainties caused by some US regional bank failures—contributed to the drop in the country’s FDIs in March.

Ricafort pointed out that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which took effect in the Philippines last June 2, would help the Philippines attract more FDIs.

Administrative cases will also be slapped against them within the next two weeks.

At a hybrid press conference on Tuesday, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. said the criminal raps were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.

The cases involved violations of Republic Act 3091 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act Reublic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drug Act, Falsification of documents, False Testimony, Malversation of Private Property, and Obstruction of Justice.

Among the 50 respondents, 12 were police commissioned officers.

Abalos is confident the case against the suspects is airtight, taking into consideration the evidence and the sworn affidavits gathered during the investigation.

“We have culled this not only from the investigation of the Napolcom but also from the investigation of the Special Investigative Task Force of the PNP. The investigation done was comprehensive,” he said. In filing the criminal complaint, Abalos said the PNP officers’ testimonies that they were just following orders were also taken into account.

A closed-circuit television footage indicating the alleged pilferage of over 40 kilos of the drug haul triggered allegations of recycling drugs by the PNP, which also partly forms part of the evidence against the suspects.

Of the 50 active PNP officers, Lt. General Benjamin Santos was the highest-ranking official. He was charged based on the principle of command responsibility.

Without going to the specifics, Napolcom Vice Chairman Alberto Bernardo said at that time the alleged crime was committed, Santos was the deputy chief for operations.

He added that as the case unfolds before the Office of the Ombudsman, more PNP officers may be included in the complaint. “We believe that based on their counteraffidavit, some of the accused said they were just following orders,” he said.

The filing of the criminal complaint also took into consideration the facts of the case, the casing, the drug bust, and the Senate and House of Representatives investigations uncovered over the past few weeks.

“Some said they are not among the involved. They will have the opportunity to prove that [before] the Ombudsman,” said Bernardo.

According to Abalos, the case buildup will be “a continuing process. As evidence arises, as sworn affidavits come in…”

In March, former Police Master

Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr., the policeman who was arrested in a drug buy-bust operation in October last year that resulted in one of the biggest drug hauls in the country’s history, was dismissed from the service.

Some 990 kilograms of suspected shabu with an estimated value of over P6.7 billion was seized after a series of anti-drug operations in Manila.

At the time of his arrest, Mayo was an intelligence officer for the PNP Drug Enforcement Group. The drug bust caught the attention of lawmakers, who sought a public inquiry to get to the bottom of the drug fiasco.

Abalos was quoted in newspaper reports as saying there was a massive attempt to “cover up” Mayo’s arrest in connection with the drug haul.

Export. . .

Continued from A1

Peñaranda also noted that with sustained initiatives to develop and promote Philippine capabilities in game development, the Philippines can position itself as a “major player” in the game development sector globally. In fact, he added that preparations are now ongoing for the next mission to Gamescom 2023 in August, which will be held in Cologne, Germany.

For her part, Sylvie Cochin, Arise+ Project Manager at the International Trade Centre, said participating in Nordic Game 2023 under Arise+ with their partners at DTI and the Philippine game industry allowed them to generate export sales and establish “valuable” trade leads, opening doors to new European clients.

“This initiative has the potential to truly diversify export markets for the gaming industry of the Philippines,” Cochin stressed.

In a statement on Tuesday, DTI said Nordic Game is Europe’s leading game developer conference. It gathers regional and international industry professionals and executives in the game development community.

The event features various activities, including speaking engagements from leading industry figures in the region and renowned global experts, business matching meetings, and trade fairs, DTI said.

The ARISE Plus Philippines project aims to improve the Philippines’s trade performance, competitiveness, and economic integration. ITC provides full support to Philippine companies through training and coaching on export marketing, and on building market linkages with the European and other markets.

In line with this, Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual emphasized that the government is set to launch the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2023-2028 on June 15.

“Through the PEDP, we aim to assist more exporters and aspiring exporters in building and strengthening their linkages in international markets, and in capacitating them to meet the demands of their customers by implementing initiatives that are attuned and responsive to the needs of Philippine businesses. We aim to make them competitive global players,” Pascual said in a statement on Tuesday.

The free trade agreement would also boost the Philippines’s stature as a possible “access point to bigger export markets of the other RCEP member countries in the region and in other parts of the world,” Ricafort added.

“For the coming months, net FDIs could pick up further amid an easing trend in inflation and eventually interest rates,” he said.

Ricafort outlined the factors that could boost the country’s FDI in the coming months: “fast” economic growth in the region, further reopening of the economy, the country’s attractive demographics as well as reopening of China and recent investment commitments secured by the administration.

On a January-to-March period basis, the estimated amount of the three FDI components were as follows: $261 million of equity other than reinvestment of earnings, $202 million of reinvestment of earnings and $1.579 billion of debt instruments, based on BSP data.

BSP data showed that during the three-month period, FDIs in the form of debt instruments declined by 22.1 percent from last year’s $2.027 billion.

Meanwhile, FDIs in the form of equity other than reinvestment of earnings from January to March was 15.9 percent lower than last year’s $311 million, while the value of reinvestment of earnings was 0.7 percent lower than the $204 million recorded amount last year.

UPSE. . .

mandates,” they added.

Continued from A1

Last week, Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno disclosed that the enactment of the MIF and the proposed Public Private Partnership (PPP) Act would easily double the country’s annual infrastructure spending to as much as 12 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2023/06/08/diokno-defends-maharlika-fund-vs-upsecolleagues/)

According to Diokno, doubling the country’s infrastructure spending hinges on the success of the proposed PPP Act and the implementation of the MIF.

The Finance Secretary estimated that as early as next year, the country could see its annual infrastructure spending program hitting 10 percent to 12 percent of GDP from the current share of 5 to 6 percent. The Marcos administration wants to sustain its infrastructure expenditure program of 5 percent to 6 percent of GDP annually until 2028.

This year, the government’s infrastructure program is pegged at almost P1.3 trillion, equivalent to 5.3 percent of the country’s GDP.

“If the PPP and the MIF push through, we can reach 10 percent to 12 percent per year [in terms of infrastructure spending]. The 5 percent to 6 percent [infrastructure spending] comes from the budget, therefore, more or less it is assured,” Diokno told reporters in a chance interview in Pasay City.

“Most of the priority projects already have feasibility studies and some are in detailed engineering [stage]. [Attaining the 10 percent to 12 percent infrastructure spending of GDP] could be as early as next year,” he added.

Last week, nearly two dozen faculty members of the UPSE expressed “grave concerns” regarding the proposed MIF and urged President Marcos Jr. to “seriously reconsider” signing the measure into law.

The faculty members published a discussion paper describing the MIF as “still beyond repair.”

They urged Marcos to “seriously reconsider” enacting the measure into law.

The paper had six arguments on why the MIF “violates” fundamental principles of economics and finance and how it poses “serious” risks to the economy and the public sector. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/06/07/upse-facultymembers-air-grave-concerns-with-mif/) Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

DOLE. . .

Continued from A1 filed HB 7396 in response to reports of how AI can be used to spread misinformation and displace jobs.

Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) Director Patrick P. Patriwirawan, Jr. said they are now preparing DOLE’s position paper on HB 7396.

“DOLE will be supportive of legislations that promote efficiency and productivity but always in consideration of a balance to protect workers rights and ensure continuity of their employment, instead of being restrictive and simply regulatory,” Patriwirawan told BusinessMirror in an SMS.

Skills training

LAGUESMA said they are now conducting a study to determine the labor impact of AI, automation, and other disruptive technology from the so-called 4th Industrial Revolution.

Based on their initial observations, AI and automation are expected to cause job displacements in the labor-intensive industries such as the manufacturing sector, he said.

“But not all of the human resources will be replaced [by new technology] since workers still have their advantages,” Laguesma said. In fact, he said, the introduction of AI and automation in business operations can also create new high-skill jobs in establishments.

DOLE will come out with new measures to upskill workers so they will qualify for the said new job opportunities, he added.

“We should level-up our skills and not have a negative perception of new technology. We should have the concept of lifelong learning,” Laguesma said.