Champion of OFWs, journalist Toots Ople, 61 By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
‘M
IGR A NT workers’ r ights a re hu m a n rights. Diminishing these rights, diminishes us all.” Thus said Susan “Toots” Ople during the meeting of the United Nations Committee on Migrant Workers last March 2023. This was her first and unfortunately became the last address before a UN body composed of experts on migrant workers. Ople was a consummate champion of over 10 million Filipino migrant workers, one of the largest
diaspora populations in the world. For the newly elected head of the UN agency in charge of migrant workers, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Ople’s demise was not only a loss to the Philippines, but also to the entire world. “I am absolutely devastated by the passing of Secretary Ople. She was kind, fierce, funny and passionate. A true advocate for migrants and for the vulnerable. The world is poorer today because of this loss,” Amy Pope, IOM’s Director General-elect, wrote on X (former Twitter).
Her death is a tragedy for the Ople clan who are still grieving the loss of her two elder brothers--journalist Blas V. Ople Jr. and former Hagonoy Mayor Felix “Toto” Jr. Her two brothers died five days apart last June and she sought for a two-week leave on July 25 to grieve and be with members of her family “while also looking after her own wellness needs” as Ople was diagnosed with breast cancer. “Secretary Toots was a special person. With the deep compassion really for the people she had to care for, namely the migrant workers;
she’s a big loss,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. told reporters after his visit in the Toyota manufacturing plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. “It’s very, very sad news. I have lost a friend, the Philippines has lost a friend,” he added.
Crafting her own path
BEFORE she was appointed as the first secretar y of the Department of Migrant Workers, Ople helped his dad—the late Senate President, L abor a nd See “Ople,” A2
BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Wednesday, August 23, 2023 Vol. 18 No. 310
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 20 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
GOVT PROCUREMENT TO MIMIC ONLINE PLATFORM n
By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
S
Marcos OKs interconnection project to expand grid
@jearcalas
TATE agencies could be “adding to cart” in the near future as the national government plans to create its own Lazada or Shopee online marketplace as an option to make state procurement easier and more efficient. This was one of the measures disclosed by budget and management officials regarding the proposed amendments to the country’s Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA). Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the creation of a Lazada or Shopee-like online marketplace for government procurement is supported no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The DBM, led by Pangandaman, presented to Marcos the proposed reforms to the GPR A on Tuesday. Procurement Service-DBM (PSDBM) Executive Director Dennis Santiago explained that the online marketplace would work just like any other online shopping platforms, with government agencies being able to browse through and purchase items of their need. Santiago explained that the PS-DBM will craft and issue the mechanisms and guidelines on how the online marketplace for government procurement would work. Part of the guidelines would be the eligibility of items and suppliers to sell in the platform to ensure that the items are of quality and economical in value, he added. “Not all products will be available in the marketplace. We will start with the basics in our platform: we will ensure that the products are of quality, necessary and available,” he said in a press briefing on Tuesday. “We will pilot-test this with motor vehicles. There will be motor vehicles with different brands in the marketplace,” he added. Pangandaman explained that expanding the procurement options and making them more efficient and easier are part of the procurement reforms that the DBM is pushing for. She pointed out that the DBM has divided the proposed amendments into six items with “innovative” procurement methods topping the list.
P
ASHEN MOONSCAPE The wildfire that struck Maui nearly a week ago has transformed one of the nation’s most celebrated island vistas into an ashen moonscape and claimed the lives of at least 99 people, a toll that authorities warn might increase as the search continues. This wildfire, the deadliest in the US in over a century, engulfed homes and businesses, consumed cars, and left neighborhoods FRAGILE SECTOR . In Manila's bustling streets, a man his wooden carta through Laong Laan Street andwas Lacson Avenue, offering in ruins. In some areas, the fire spread as swiftly as a car on aguides highway—covering mile in just a minute. Lahaina hit particularly hard, budget-friendly household support his family. This scenario embodies the informal economy, where self-employed workers operate losing almost every buildingitems in thetotown of 13,000. The aftermath presents a challenging journey of recovery for survivors, who mourn the independently outsideteams formal labor regulations. Often devoid social protection, this sector's vulnerability is measured by the proportion loss of lives, as search sift through the charred debris andoffamilies aim to rebuild. The cause of the wildfire is being investigated, of own-account and contributing family workers. The Philippines’ Labor Force Survey marks revealsHawaii’s that 38.3deadliest percent natural of employed individuals fall fueled by dry conditions and strong winds linked to a passing hurricane. This wildfire disaster in decades, into this category, precariousness their work arrangements and heightened susceptibility to crises shocks. ROY DOMINGO surpassing even theunderscoring toll of a 1960the tsunami and a 1946oftsunami that claimed the lives of over 150 on the Big Island. AP/RICKor BOWMER
RESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has approved the proposed interisland c o n ne c t i o n o f Pa l aw a n a nd Mindoro Islands to expand the national grid. The chief executive made the decision, when he met with officials of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Power Corporation (NPC) in Malacañang on Tuesday. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) had proposed the interconnection project with the use of submarine cables to improve the power supply in Palawan by connecting it to the main Luzon power grid. Palawan and Mindoro suffered power outages in the past due to delayed release in Universal Charge Missionary Electrification (UCME) subsidy from National Power Corp. (Napocor) to power plants operating in both areas. During the power sector meeting, Marcos also called for the use of renewable energy in 125 stand-alone islands served by small power utilities groups. See “Grid,” A2
‘TOYOTA INVESTMENTS HELP BOOST PHL GROWTH’ By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
P
R ESIDENT Ferd inand R. Marcos Jr. said he is hopeful that Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. (TMP) will continue to support the local auto industr y and help in t he cou nt r y’s economic transformation. In his speech during his visit to the TMP Manufacturing Plant at the Toyota Special Economic Zone in Santa Rosa City, Laguna, Marcos lauded the contribution of Toyota to the country’s economic progress through job creation in the last three decades.
“We have to recognize the help that it has given -- that this plant such as this has given us and our people,” he said. “And now especially in these difficult times, these are the partnerships that we think— that I am certain will be of benefit not only to the Philippines but also to Toyota and even for our partners in Japan,” he added. Since 2000, TMP and the Toyota Group have cumulatively invested P73.7 billion in the Philippines and paid P448 billion in taxes. On Tuesday, the Chief Executive personally received 35 vehicles donated by TMP to the
Office of the President (OP). The donated units included 10 units of Hiace Ambulance 3.0 M/T-ZD-24 as well as five units each of Lite Ace 1.5L Pickup MTVB-3, Innova 2.8J M/T-DM-6, Vios 1.3 XLE CVT-EK-29, and Lite Ace 1.5L Cargo MT-V2-5. The OP also received three units of Yaris Cross 1.5 S HEV CVT 2T PC-BC- 2 and two units of Coaster, customized for the Lab For All program of the Office of the First Lady. The keys for the said units were turned over to Marcos by Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) Chairman Akio Toyoda. See “Toyota,” A2
See “GPRA,” A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.4340 n JAPAN 0.3860 n UK 71.9929 n HK 7.1996 n CHINA 7.7502 n SINGAPORE 41.5689 n AUSTRALIA 36.1855 n EU 61.5018 n KOREA 0.0421 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.0567 Source:
BSP (22 August 2023)