Water lack worsening food insecurity–WB
‘Close borders, cut Omicron exposure risk’ By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
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By Cai U. Ordinario
THE WORLD ›› A6
CHINA MOVES AGGRESSIVELY ON COVID AS COMMUNIST PARTY SUMMIT LOOMS
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S @caiordinario the Philippines struggles to address supply issues of keythe commodities, another LOSING country’s borders major commodity—water—is is one of the most immediatealso expected to present serious, urgent courses of action the governproblems, according to an expert ment must take to prevent the latfrom the World Bank. est Covid-19 variant, Omicron, from the Washington-based reachingInPhilippine shores, accord-lender’s blog, World Bank Water Global ing to local economists. Practice Global Saroj KuT he new var iantDirector is a threat, mar Jha—citing estimates e s p e c i a l l y w it h t he hol id aymade s by the International Monetary coming up and more foreigners (IMF)—said water beingFund a llowed to travel to demand the will outstrip supply by 40 percent Philippines, De La Sa lle Univerin less thanMar a decade. sit y economist ia Ella Oplas Globally, Jha said 2 billion told BusinessMirror. people still usually lack safe drinking The holidays bring in water and 3.6 billion people Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are stilleager in need of safeChristmas sanitation. who are to spend
In the Philippines, the National Economic and Development (Neda) said 57 million withAuthority their loved ones, while forFilipinos have to fetch water for eigners living in temperate regions theirwant families from usually to relax in communal tropical pipes or springs or wellsThis up to countries like the Philippines. 250 meters away. year’s influx of OFWs is expected to “Water is amany basicof human be heavier since them right— were but it is also a finite resource. Waunable to come home for the holidays ter scarcity is a growing problem, in December 2020. with one in four people living in “My recommendation is to protect water-scarce areas,” Jha said. “The the borders. Do not allow people with global water crisis undermines a history of travel to countries with our ability produce food, propositive cases totoenter,” Oplas said. tect livelihoods, and build strong “We should be more restrictive. [We haveeconomies.” to be] more protective in terms Jha said water security is far of our measures.” from beingthat realized many Oplas said whilein this willcounbe tries, with an estimated $150 a setback to some industries, thisbilyear to deliver is a lion fair needed measureeach considering that universal safe water sanitation this could help prevent and placing the globally. country in another strict lockdown,
n Tuesday, August 30, 326 Monday, November 29, 2022 2021 Vol. 17 No. No.52
P100-B needed
IN the Philippines, the Neda said, the country to invest which, she said,needs the economy canP100 no billion annually between 2020 longer afford. and meet the Sustain“It is2030 betterto that we do protective able Development Goals (SDGs). preventive measures than get exThe total price tag to improve posed again. We have a lot to lose,” the said. country’s water saniOplas “We should do and it now so tation situation is P1.1 trillion that we can open just before ChristbyIf2030. mas. it gets contained, we can open The scale of the needed init again.” vestments, Jhaforsaid, cannot Ateneo Center Economic Re-be addressed by just one institusearch and Development (ACERD) tion alone. These efforts require Associate Director Ser Percival greater collaboration between K. Peña-Reyes said closing the gover nment, and country’s bordersbusinesses, would be effeccivil society. tive but should still adhere to the “The scale ofthe investment needed standards set by World Health requires the involvement of the priOrganization (WHO). vate sector and innovative financWhat is needed, Peña-Reyes told ing mechanisms complement this newspaper, is forto travel restriclimited government resources, tions to be put in place swiftly and
transforming efficiency and resilience in water-dependent sectors such as agriculture, for government to be energy, proactiveand in industry—and in urban water supimposing them. ply,” Jha said. Previous instances when the In one of the countrythe hadPhilippines, the opportunity to imprimary solutions is to create the pose travel restrictions did not preDepartment which vent the spreadof of Water Covid-19. Thataims was to address the fragmented manmainly because the decision was not agement of the country’s made immediately, he said.water resources. “Kung papatay patay [If we’re There least 30 agencies reslow] and are we at get caught flat-footlated to the creation of policy and ed, [that’s risky] We were too reregulation for the water sector. This active instead of proactive before. includes the Department of EnviWe should learn from that,” Peñaronment Reyes said. and “It’s aNatural delicateResources balancing (DENR), the National Irrigation act. We need to push testing and Administration (NIA), theinformed National tracing to be properly ResourcesBlanket/shotgun Board (NWRB), ofWater our decisions. and various local water districts, approaches could have dire conseamong others. quences on the economy.” See “Water,” A2 See “Omicron,” A2
P25.00 P25.00 nationwide nationwide || 22 sections sections 18 20 pages pages ||
NATL BORROWINGS ‘HIKEGOVT SOCIAL PENSION, FOR MOS DIP TO P2.75T END10 PANDEMIC AYUDA’ By Bernadette Nicolas D. Nicolas By D. Bernadette
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@BNicolasBM
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Omicron risk spurs revival of quarantine rules in PHL
@BNicolasBM
INANCE Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno HE national sees it more prudent at this point to use government’s public funds for the newly-approved law gross increasing the social pension of indigent senior borrowings of on cash aid associated with citizens ratheras than end-October shrank the Covid-19 pandemic.
by almost 6 percent year-on-year to that Diokno insisted on Monday public finances are “finite” and P2.75 trillion.
should be “allocated judiciously for programs and projects that would result in the greatest benefit for Latest data from the Bureau ofthe the greatest number of citizens and the Treasury showed that the governoverall welfare.” ment’s gross borrowings during the The finance chief reiter10-month period felllikewise by 5.99 percent ated that the cash assistance related from P2.92 trillion a year ago. to the Covid-19 pandemic should be With only two months left for
this year, the latest figure is already equivalent to 89.6 percent of its P3.07-trillion borrowing program. Broken down, gross domestic borrowings from January to October settled at P2.23 trillion, down by 5.08 percent from P2.35 trillion in 2020. By Andrea E. San Juan The bulk of the amount was sourced from Fixed Rate Treasury HE trillion), Philippine Chamber Bonds (P1.19 followed by of Commerce and short-term borrowings fromIndusBang(PCCI) isor counting on ko Sentraltry ng Pilipinas BSP (P540 the House of Representatives to billion), Retail Treasury Bonds/Prepursue the enactment of busimyo Bonds (P463.3 billion), Retail ness-friendly measures crucial Onshore Dollar Bonds (P80.84 bilto recovery efforts, jobs creation lion). In the same period, there was long-term progress alsoand a netthe redemption of Treasury of the economy, including the Bills amounting to P43.94 billion. amendment of the Magna Carta Net debt redemption means forwere micro, small, medium there more debtsand repaid comenterprises (MSMEs). pared to the amount borrowed dura recent dialogue with ing theInperiod. House Speaker Ferdinand Meanwhile, gross foreign Marbortin Romualdez at the PCCI’s rowings in the same period also General Meetcontracted by Membership 9.7 percent to P518.7 ing,from PCCI by P574.4 its President, billion lastled year’s billion. George T. Barcelon and the DiThis was raised through global rector of its Legislative Commitbonds (P146.17 billion), program tee,(P139.98 Atty. Benedicta loans billion), Du-Balaeuro-dedad, presented the Chamber’s nominated bonds (P121.97 billion), a project loan (P86.41 billion), and yen-denominated samurai bonds (P24.19 billion).
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
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discontinued given that the Philippine economy “has recovered.” “With the normalization, it is more appropriate to continue the existing social protection programs — the DSWD welfare grants for poor families with children of school age, support for senior citizens, assistance to displaced workers, etc. See “Social pension,” A2
PCCI PINS HOPES ON HOUSE FOR BILLS BOOSTING JOBS, MSMES
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legislative agenda.
Towalk facilitate the agriculture PEOPLE past the mural of Gat Andres Bonifacio at Manila City Hall Underpass. sector and and en- anniversary of Filipino revolutionary The country willmicro celebrate thesmall 158th birth terprises’ access to on finance a hero Gat Andres Bonifacio Tuesday,asNovember 30. ROY DOMINGO tool to support their growth— the PCCI is pushing for the amendment of the Magna Carta for MSMEs Act and the Philippine Warehouse Receipts Act Amendment. By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas Trade Secretary Alfredo E. @jearcalas Pascual said during the open forum at the 43rd National ORE than 3 million Conference of Employers, “we and coconut farmers are now reviewing the Magna workers are now regisCarta forwith MSMEs.” Last month, regtered the government’s Employers Confederation thebasis istry, which serves asofthe Philippines (ECOP) President for the number of people to be Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr. told theof the covered by the utilization BusinessMirror that P75-billion coconutthe levyprefund. vious Magna Cartas for MSMEs Philippine Coconut Authority were not properly implemented. Roel (PCA) Deputy Administrator
NTER NATIONA L concerns over the possible spread of the more infectious Omicron Covid-19 variant prompted the government to reimpose mandatory facility-based quarantine for all arriving passengers in the country. Acting Presidential spokesperson Karlo B. Nograles announced on Sunday that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) suspended the implementation of its Resolution No. 150A (s.2021), effectively imposing stricter protocols for all inbound travelers. To note, IATF The Resolution 150HONORING HEROES granite marker at A had allowed fully the Bantayog Ng Mga Bayani of peoplevaccinated who opposed non-visa from Green List martial law was travelers in focus on Monday as the nation areas Heroes to enter the country withobserved National Day. In other commemorative out theFerdinand need Marcos for facility-based events, President Jr. led rites at the quarantine as long asPresident they secure Libingan ng mga Bayani, while Vice Sara Z. negative Reverse TranscriptionDuterte was in Davao City. BERNARD TESTA Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) test within 72 hours prior to their departure. programs as President Duterte “Except for countries classified is expected to sign the industry as ‘Red,’ the testing and quarantine development plan in early 2022. protocols for all inbound internaofRosales beneficiaries, andPCA to augment amount of cash grants to help bensaid the will notthe tional travelers in all ports of entry cash aid that they are receiving,” eficiaries keep up with runaway stop updating its list of coconut shall comply with the testing and Libananand said. inflation. farmers enjoined them to regquarantine protocols for ‘Yellow’ with no the proposed 2023 national ister“Marginal in order tohouseholds reap the benefits listIn countries,” Nograles said, citing cushion against economic shocks budget, Libanan said the governof the decades-long idled coconut the provision of IATF Resolution are falling backwill intonot survival, ment plans to spend P105.4 billion levy fund. “We stop atand 3.1are No. 151-A. now extremely vulnerable to hunger,” next year to pay forKong, 4Ps cash grants, million. We hope that more indiHe noted Hong which has added Libanan, of 4Ps partylist. excluding the cost of personnel serviduals will register in our coconut confirmed a case of the Omicron Libanan and fellow 4Ps partylvices andwill spot checks, administrafarmers registry,” he said. variant, also fall under the YelistThe Rep.updating JonathanofClement Abalos tive expenses, bank service fees, the coconut low list countries. II earlier filed House Resolution and other incidental overheads. farmers registry is mandated by The suspension of the rules for 184, calling an11524 increase “4Ps,” A2 Republic Act for (RA) or in thethe “Green List”Seecountries will be in Coconut Industry Trust Fund Act. effect from November 28, 2021 to See “3-M farmers,” A2 December 15, 2021.
OVER 3-M FARMERS LISTED FOR P75-B COCO LEVY FUND Bigger 4Ps grants sought amid rising food prices
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See “PCCI,” A2 M. Rosales said about 3.11 million coconut farmers and farm workers have been registered with the government since it started up-
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.0080 See “Borrowings,” A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.4600
dating its registry following the enactment of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund law. By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz Rosales explained that about @joveemarie 500,000 coconut farmers and workers were added to the PCA’s minority leader of the 2018HE list that had about 2.5 million House of Representatives on coconut farmers and farm workers. Monday is pushing for higher The PCA’s next step is to concash to households listed ductgrants an exclusion-inclusion prounder the government’s cedure by making the flagship updated Pantawid Pilipino Profarmers’Pamilyang registry public, providgram (4Ps) as he warned of worsing everyone the opportunity to ening food check theinsecurity veracity ofamong the list,poor Rofamilies due to price shocks. sales added. “The list will be posted in public spaces where people can easily see
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them. This allows everyone to see who are listed in the registry and if farmer doesn’t see his name then he House Minority leader shall coordinate with theMarcelino PCA imLibanan, in a statement, the Comediately,” he explainedsaid at a recent vid-19 pandemic has left a big dialogue with coconut farmers.scar of growing due to the de“On the poverty other hand, if people struction of jobs and income, and the would see names on the list and fallout of rampant energy and food they think they are not coconut inflation from the Russia-Ukraine farmers or their details are incorwar threatens to further rect, they can report it toput the many PCA Filipino families in dire straits. for immediate action,” he added. “We the government Thewould PCA urge official noted that to quickly expand the completion of the the coverage initial listof the 4Ps to include a greater of coconut farmers registrynumber would be just in time for the expected rollout of coconut levy-funded
n JAPAN 0.4104 n UK 66.3079 n HK 7.1379 n CHINA 8.1799 n SINGAPORE 40.3254 n AUSTRALIA 39.0880 n EU 55.8792 n KOREA 0.0419 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9116 Source: BSP (August 26, 2022) Continued on A2
n JAPAN 0.4374 n UK 67.2329 n HK 6.4722 n CHINA 7.9013 n SINGAPORE 36.8968 n AUSTRALIA 36.2807 n EU 56.5758 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.4531
Source: BSP (November 26, 2021)