DOLE profiling of Pogo workers done By Justine Xyrah Garcia
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HEARTBROKEN OVER RATE HIKES Members of the Power 4 People Coalition condemned Meralco’s consecutive rate hikes, accusing the utility provider of anti-consumer practices during a press conference in Quezon City on Thursday, September 12, 2024. The group called on Meralco to halt the passon charges to consumers and prioritize issuing refunds for overcollections, urging for more transparent and fair energy pricing to protect the public from excessive costs. NONOY LACZA
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HE labor department said on Wednesday that it has completed the profiling of almost 27,000 Filipino workers who will be affected by the nationwide ban on all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos). As of September, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the department had already profiled 54 Pogos or Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), which directly employ a total of 26, 996
local workers. Additionally, there are 2,549 Filipinos working indirectly for the profiled IGLs through their attached service providers. According to the labor secretary, most of these IGLs are concentrated in the National Capital Region, with some operations in Region IV-A and Region VII. “There are still six who haven’t submitted their list, but we won’t wait for them. If they don’t submit, we will go to them because the President’s directive is clear. We have to help the workers,” Laguesma said in Filipino.
During the profiling process, DOLE gathers basic information from the workers such as their age, employment status, nature of work, and salary level. The labor secretary said that this data will enable the department to determine what forms of intervention it can provide the affected workers. “Expectedly, by the first week of October, we are ready to provide help for these workers,” he said. To support the displaced employees, DOLE will hold a special job fair in October exclusive to those affected by the POGO ban.
“For those workers we’ve profiled who match available jobs, we will intervene through direct referrals to companies,” Laguesma added. Aside from employment facilitation, displaced employees will get access to different forms of assistance like livelihood projects, training, retraining or upskilling. With these efforts, DOLE aims to ease the transition for workers affected by the ban and help them find alternative sources of employment or income.
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Friday, September 13, 2024 Vol. 19 No. 332
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 26 pages | 7 days a week
By Cai U. Ordinario
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@caiordinario
HE decline in employment as inflation increased in the Philippines in recent months— and vice versa, as unemployment rose when inflation slowed —may have been due to poor quality economic growth, according to a United Statesbased think tank. In the latest “In Brief,” Global Source Partners Country Analysts Diwa Guinigundo and Wilhelmina Mañalac noted that inflation increased to 4.4 percent in July 2024 and slowed to 3.1 percent in August 2024. See “Think,” A2
KEEPING AN EYE ON BEBINCA PAGASA weather forecaster Aldzar Aurelio points to the monitor showing the latest location of tropical storm “Bebinca,” which has intensified into a severe tropical storm. Predicted to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Friday night as a typhoon, Bebinca will be given the local name Ferdie upon entry. Authorities are closely tracking it for potential heavy rains and strong winds. This follows the recent exit of Tropical Storm Enteng, which caused severe flooding across Metro Manila and several provinces. NONOY LACZA
IT-BPM SECTOR URGED: MAKE CYBERSECURITY TOP PRIORITY By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
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HE Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) is calling on the IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry to formulate solutions to strengthen cybersecurity among subsectors and business process outsourcing (BPO) firms to maintain global competitiveness. In a statement on Thursday, CCAP President Mickey Ocampo encouraged BPO companies
to prioritize cybersecurity as a “core component” of their operational strategies so they could contribute further to a “more secure and resilient industry.” “Continuous engagement and investment in innovative security technologies are critical for maintaining global competitiveness and trust,” Ocampo said. The CCAP president underscored that digital trust is “pivotal” in the Contact Center and Business Process sector. See “IT-BPM,” A2
House opens 2025 budget plenary debates next week By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
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@joveemarie
HE House of Representatives is set to begin plenary debates on the 2025 P6.352trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) next week, with target final approval date of September 25, a leader of the lower chamber announced on Thursday. Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, announced that the committee's recommendations under House Bill 10800 have now been transmitted to the plenary for another round
of deliberations. “The approved committee report, which includes the recommendation to reduce the OVP's [Office of the Vice President] budget, has moved forward for plenary debates beginning September 16,” Quimbo said during a news briefing. “If we adhere to the schedule and nothing too eventful happens, we hope to approve the GAB on the third reading by September 25,” she added. Quimbo emphasized that there is still an opportunity for amendments during the plenary sessions from September 16 to 25. See “House,” A2
PESO exchange rates n US 56.1320 n japan 0.3944 n UK 73.2242 n HK 7.1978 n CHINA 7.8846 n singapore 43.0559 n australia 37.4625 n EU 61.8238 n KOREA 0.0420 n SAUDI arabia 14.9582 Source: BSP (September 12, 2024)