A4 Friday, June 18, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug
Economy BusinessMirror
PHL frozen pork inventory jumps 8%, hits 11-month high of 49,849.76 MT
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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
@jearcalas
HE country’s frozen pork inventory as of June 7 rose by nearly 8 percent to 49,849.76 metric tons (MT), the highest weekly inventory recorded in almost 11 months, National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) data showed.
Latest NMIS data showed that the nationwide frozen pork inventory in accredited cold storages was 3,683.26 MT higher than the 46,166.5 MT recorded inventory on June 8, 2020. Furthermore, the latest pork inventory level was 16.74 percent higher than the 42,699.68 MT recorded in the last week of May, based
on the same set of data. On a monthly basis, the June 7 frozen pork inventory was 39.83 percent higher than the 35,649.97 MT recorded on May 10, data further showed. Historical NMIS data showed that the June 7 frozen pork inventory was the highest since the 51,960.81 MT recorded on July 13, 2020.
NMIS data showed that 96 percent of the frozen inventory as of June 7, or about 47,924.02 MT, were imported while the remaining volume of 1,925.74 MT were locally produced. Imported frozen pork inventory during the reference period was 22.57 percent higher than last year’s 39,097.99 MT and was 45.16 percent over the 33,013.43 MT recorded in the same week of May, NMIS data showed. NMIS data showed that the highest frozen imported pork inventory was recorded in Region 3 at 18,737.26 MT followed by Region 4A at 10,812.29 MT. NCR was third in terms of frozen imported pork inventory as of June 7 at 10,673.09 MT. The NMIS noted that its frozen pork inventory data covers pork carcass, primal parts and specialty cuts. The Philippine government is banking on imported pork to augment the shortage in domestic supply and
to arrest rising pork retail prices. The Executive has implemented a twin measure that seeks to achieve this short-term solution: lowering pork tariffs to as low as 10 percent and hiking minimum access volume (MAV) for pork imports. The BusinessMirror earlier reported that the country’s imports of pork bellies and cuts are on-track to reach a record-high after Januaryto-May volume surged by nearly 330 percent to 98,369.608 MT, surpassing total purchase last year. Industry players attributed the increase to the need to plug the shortfall in domestic supply that raised pork retail prices to unprecedented levels. They also noted that the lowered pork tariffs contributed to the quadrupling of imports of prime cuts of pork. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/06/10/philippine-pork-imports-may-reachrecord-high-this-year-bai-data/).
House panel eyes creation of body to ‘screen’ DepEd modules By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie
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HE House Committee on Basic Education and Culture has created a technical working group to craft a substitute bill providing for a third-party external auditor that would ensure the accuracy, quality, and effectiveness of learning materials for the K to 12 curriculum. Panel chairman and Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo approved last Wednesday the creation of a TWG that would consolidate House Bills 6247 and 6417. He said the two measures seek to reform the country’s basic education system by introducing structural and institutional adjustments to the K to 12 curriculum.
Romulo cited the need for a third-party external auditor in light of errors being discovered every year in the learning materials and modules of the Department of Education (DepEd). The TWG would use the proposal of Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, as embodied in his HB 6247, to create a Learning Materials Development Center (LMDC) attached to the University of the Philippines, which would ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of nationally procured and nationally distributed learning materials, including textbooks and modules in public elementary and secondary schools. No textbook could be procured by DepEd unless certified accurate by the LMDC, the bill provides.
“The problem with materials produced by the Department of Education is really quality assurance. I have not seen a textbook produced by the DepEd that compares with the quality of learning materials typical in more sophisticated public school systems. Instead, what we see are materials that jump too high, steep too low, or are just plain inaccurate or objectionable,” Salceda said. “So we need an independent center to act as a sort of content and quality ombudsman for our learning materials.” Salceda said that because testing is standardized in the country, “textbooks are crucial, because public schools don’t deviate from them.” “If you spread inaccuracies with one textbook, it spreads all over
the country. And because we keep these books for a while, you could be misinforming or miseducating a generation with a bad textbook,” Salceda added. Despite the presence of an external auditor, Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, for her part, said there has to be accountability that clearly rests on the DepEd. DepEd Undersecretary Tonisito Umali said that personally, he is in support of the proposal that would ensure provision of error-free learning materials for children. On the issue of K to 12 curriculum review or assessment, Umali requested the committee to give them 15 days to submit a partial or complete report on the DepEd’s review of the K to 12 Program.
Incineration banned under our new energy policy–ADB continued from a14 “ADB is not really harmonizing their assistance to countries like the Philippines in terms of trying to help these countries attain carbon neutrality,” Osorio said. Osorio, a lawyer, added that the ADB can even be held liable for its actions in terms of violations of existing laws such as the Clean Air Act.
She added that incineration also violates the Solid Waste Management Law or Republic Act 9003 which was signed into law in 2001. Section 2 of the law provides that the country’s solid waste management program shall “Ensure the proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and
disposal of solid waste through the formulation and adoption of the best environmental practice in ecological waste management excluding incineration.” “These waste to energy facilities actually encourage more waste to be produced rather than stopping waste at the source,” Osorio said.
She said about 600 metric tons of feed stock are required to run these WTE facilities. This means more waste is needed to continue operating them. Osorio said this will also become a burden to cash-strapped local government units because they need to pay for these facilities in the long run.
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Too costly to pull out coal-fired power projects in the pipeline–ADB expert By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
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HE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has admitted that it may be difficult to cancel coal-fired power plant projects that have been included in the pipeline of countries at this time. During a session at the 16th Asian Clean Energy Forum (ACEF), ADB Southeast Asia Department Senior Energy Specialist David Elzinga said it may already be too costly to pull out these contracts. Elzinga said this means that governments must not only impose moratoriums on the use of coal but also provide alternatives such as investing in renewables. “Imposing a moratorium is a good start but [governments must also] provide alternatives,” Elzinga said in the open forum of the session on Thursday. “Reliability and adequacy are important.” In his presentation, Elzinga said the “coal fleet” of Southeast Asia, which includes the Philippines, is set to significantly increase in the medium term. “Large-scale solution is needed to simultaneously rapidly decarbonize and build-up clean energy in Asian developing countries,” Elzinga said. This is the reason for an upcoming technical assistance (TA) project, which aims to accelerate the clean energy transition of countries in Southeast Asia.
The project will include investments in new renewable-energy (RE) capacity and create opportunities for energy efficiency improvements. The TA will also create a mechanism for accelerating the phase out of coal and other fossil fuel-based generation assets; promote energy sector governance and transparency; and regional power grid integration. Meanwhile, Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) coordinator Lidy Nacpil challenged participants of the ACEF to aim for a fossil fuel free-Asia way before 2050, if the world is to keep on track for keeping global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Nacpil said that this will not happen if many of the governments, institutions, and corporations participating in the forum, including the host itself, still insist on supporting the expansion of fossil fuel energy in the region. “The cost of developing and using clean and renewable energy technologies no longer remains a barrier to a swift and just transition out of fossil fuels. There is no need to lock in Asian economies to many more decades of dirty energy by continuing to build new fossil fuel projects,” Nacpil said. “The International Energy Agency, in its latest report, affirms what we have been saying—there should be ‘no investment in new fossil fuel supply projects’ and that ‘no new oil and natural gas fields are needed,’” Nacpil said.
Pandemic offers way to solve development woes in region–Neda continued from a14
On Wednesday, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said it has expanded Registration Centers for Step 2 of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). PSA said another 219 registration centers across 21 provinces are now open for online appointment for Step 2 Registration. Previously, there were only 16 registration centers in 13 provinces. Online registrants who reside in select cities and municipalities may now register at PhilSys registration centers in Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Isabela, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Quezon and Albay. Registrants in Camarines Sur, Masbate, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Leyte may
also register for the National ID’s Step 2. Step 2 Registration involves the capture of biometric information and validation of demographic data. The online Step 1 Registration for additional registration centers offer June 18, 2021 as the earliest date for an appointment. Online booking of appointments is part of PSA’s strategy to ensure that a manageable number of registrants visit a registration center at any time during operating hours, in compliance with health and safety standards of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF). PSA strongly advises the registrants to follow their chosen schedule to avoid problems with their registration. Cai U. Ordinario
DOLE widens livelihood program to include former drug dependents and extremist groups
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ORMER drug dependents and extremists groups could now avail of the livelihood program being offered by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). This after it expanded the list of beneficiaries of its DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) through its Administrative Order 126. Also to be included in the new list of qualified DILP recipients are applicants of Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa program, and dependents of casualties in legitimate police and military operations, parents of profiled child laborers who are beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), family
members of probationers/parolees, and indigenous people who are also beneficiaries of 4Ps. “I issued supplemental guidelines on the implementation of the DILP to expand its covered beneficiaries, and we are reaching out to more members of our society for a truly inclusive development,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said in a news statement. DILP beneficiaries could avail a group micro-livelihood, which has a maximum grant assistance ranging from P250,000 to P500,000, depending on their members. Samuel P. Medenilla
Brace for higher fuel, food prices–experts continued from a1 “As more economic activity happens, we expect more upward pressure on oil prices in the coming months until it reaches some normalization—pre-pandemic level and demand,” Asuncion said. “Remember that we are coming from a very low base of demand and with the easing of more restrictions, economic activity and demand is sure to rise. This, however, I believe will be transitory in nature,” he added. Meanwhile, Action for Economic Reforms (AER) Coordinator Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III told this newspaper that a new study published in December 2020 on oil and food prices found no long-term link between fuel
and food prices. With that, Sta. Ana said, the Philippine experience in the pre-pandemic period of rising food prices could be attributed to factors like a rice shortage, and was independent of the increase in global pump prices. However, the recent spike in oil prices will still see the country being affected. Nonetheless, Sta. Ana said it will not be the primary concern as the country’s challenges in terms of making food affordable are varied. On Thursday, a Reuters report said oil prices increased for the fifth consecutive day on Wednesday at $75 per barrel. The report attributed the increase to the recovery that is happening in the United States.
