House transport panel outlines priority bills for current legislative session

The House committee on transportation has laid down its legislative priorities for the second regular session of the 17th Congress.

Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, chair of the House transportation panel, bared the legislative track of the committee during his “State of the Committee Address” on Wednesday.

Sarmiento said the panel will push for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Amendment Law which will separate the operator and regulatory functions of the agency.

Sarmiento said a Philippine Airport Development Corporation Bill will be filed within the week which will provide institutional reform for a unified aerodrome policy.

This is one of the priority measures of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Other priority measures of the Speaker that are also aligned with that of the committee’s include the Merging of Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB) into the land Transportation Authority and the establishment of the Philippine Railways Authority.

Sarmiento said the panel will also focus on the “much delayed important legislation” which seeks the establishment of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Furthermore, the committee will undertake other priority bills such as the Sustainable Transportation Act, Harbor Pilotage Act, and the Investigation of Third Party Liability Insurance, the lawmaker noted.

Sarmiento called on the House leadership to strengthen the committee by providing a special budget for hiring railway, aviation, and maritime engineers and consultants to validate all the reports from the agencies. (Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA)

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House okays government rightsizing bill

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on third and final reading a measure which seeks to rightsize the ballooning bureaucracy in order to improve the delivery of public service.

With 230 votes in the affirmative, 6 negative, and no abstention, the lower chamber approved House Bill 5707, also known as the “Rightsizing the National Government Act,” covering all agencies of the executive branch.

President Rodrigo Duterte in his second State of the Nation Address on Monday called for the immediate passage of the Rightsizing Bill.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, principal author of the bill, cited the need to improve the quality of government service deliver by reducing redundancy and rationalizing operations, support systems, and organization structure.

“The passage of the bill will further ensure the long term sustainability of our government service through resource mobilization and cost effective public expenditure management,” said Nograles.

The Philippine President is granted the authority in the rightsizing of the operations of the executive branch in accordance with the guiding policies and guidelines under the proposed measure.

The bill seeks the creation of the Committee on Rightsizing the Executive Branch to oversee the implementation of the rightsizing program.

The said committee shall be composed of the Executive Secretary as the Chairperson, and the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as Co-Chairperson.

The members of the committee will include the Socio-Economic Planning Secretary, Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), and the Head of the Presidential Management Staff.

The committee will be tasked to create an overall change management program, including communication plans to effectively manage the transition and ensure the smooth implementation of the rightsizing program.

It shall also formulate the mechanisms to safeguard the welfare of employees who may be affected by the rightsizing efforts as well as the appropriate organizational development program.

Under the bill, the affected personnel hired on a permanent basis and with appointments attested by the CSC, shall be entitled to retirement benefits and separation incentives.

There will also be a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee to oversee, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Act to be composed of five members each from the Senate and from the House of Representatives. (Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA)

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Groups oppose cutting of trees in Naga City

NAGA CITY 7/26/17 (Bicol Standard)--Two groups have joined forces to oppose the cutting of trees along Magsaysay Avenue and San Felipe here.

The groups, Sulog and Save 651, have released a petition earlier today on social media to strongly protest the "retrogressive plan of the DPWH."

"WHILE WE UPHOLD the need for safe roads and highways, and passable thoroughfares, we believe these can be achieved without harming, injuring, or cutting decades and century-old trees," the petition reads.

"TREES ALONG ROADS AND HIGHWAYS are not inimical to public interest or public safety; neither are they obstacles to progress and development," it continues.

""WE CALL FOR ACTION from our responsible Local Government Officials to actively and actually pursue a green propaganda and PUT A STOP to non-renewal actions. We used to call for a Clean and Green Naga City; Without trees how could that be possible? The Official Logo of Naga City has a symbolic tree in it, how have we ignored our very own symbol? WE LIVE IN THIS DANGEROUS ERA OF GLOBAL WARMING, and Our conscious efforts in alleviating its effects could be an insurmountable challenge; but it must be done."

"THEREFORE, We sign this Petition to ask the DENR, DPWH, and the LGU Naga City to CEASE and DESIST from all tree-cutting activities and CONVENE all sectors to address once and for all the viable and green alternatives available to us."

"Let us all lend a hand to save trees," it adds.

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POEA warns vs fake websites luring jobseekers

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) warned the public against several fake websites luring those who are looking for jobs abroad.

This after the agency has identified unscrupulous websites which use its name and logo.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Bernard Olalia warned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and those who are planning to apply for employment in other countries, to verify first the legitimacy of job vacancies.

He noted that the proliferation of some fake POEA pages in social media, particularly on Facebook such as Donald HRserv, POEA Jobs Online, OFW POEA Jobs Abroad, POEA Jobs Abroad, POEA Job Hiring USA, POEA Job Hiring Australia, POEA Job Hiring UK, POEA Job Agency Hiring, POEA Trabaho Abroad Hiring, POEA Jobs in Dubai, Work Abroad-POEA Licensed Company, and POEA Accredited Licensed Agency.

The agency issued the warning after it received reports that some unscrupulous individuals and groups are illegally using their name and logo to advertise job vacancies in countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.

Olalia added that these job opportunities advertised on social media are not verified nor approved by the POEA, adding that the public can either validate the legitimacy of the job vacancies or the recruitment agencies through the official website of POEA, www.poea.gov.ph/.

Likewise, he clarified that the agency's official Facebook accounts are www.facebook.com/mypoea and www.facebook.com/poea.official. These pages have check marks which are authenticated by Facebook.

The public may call their hotline numbers at 7221144 and 7221155, for inquiries, concerns, and to verify legitimate job vacancies and recruitment agencies. (Ferdinand G. Patinio/PNA)

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SPECIAL REPORT: In Naga City, bakwits from Marawi cry for help

NAGA CITY 7/19/17 (Bicol Standard) – “We have lost everything, except the hope of living again,” 22-year-old Norhana Bonca, one of the 50 or so bakwits or evacuees from war-torn Marawi City who came to Naga City told the BICOL STANDARD.

Now residing in a small and cramped house in Lerma, Bonca narrated that they fled their city after a bomb fell on their rooftop.

“We were feeling very unsafe as we would hear gunfire and bombings all day long,” she said.

Taking only the most basic needs that they could carry, they went to Cagayan de Oro City to escape the crisis.

“We had nothing to eat for a week. We had limited money, and the price of a sack of rice there reached more than 7,000 pesos.”

Some bakwits, she narrated, even turned to eating non-edible items such as Styrofoam, if only to stave off hunger.

Bonca said their group decided to go to Naga City, where they have a relative, Armela Bonca-Paqui.

Bonca-Paqui, who now hosts the evacuees in her home, said she did not hesitate to welcome her relatives, who have nowhere else to go.

“Some of the children are still suffering from trauma. One even has stopped speaking and just lays down in bed all day long because of what they experienced in their village,” she said. “They probably need medical attention."

Meantime, 26-year-old Alinoding Alexander, is being treated at Bicol Medical Center for internal bleeding.

“We are appealing to the good people of Bicol to send us help as we try to rebuild our lives,” Norhana Bonca pleaded, blinking back tears.

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