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SC: POGO ‘rider’ tax illegal Rules 5% franchise tax on gross bets not relevant to Bayanihan 2 law
By Rey E. Requejo, Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz and Joel E. Zurbano
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HE Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional a 5-percent franchise tax that the government imposes on gross bets from gaming operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). In an en banc decision written by two years or upon a determination that Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan, the COVID-19 has been contained. Court said Sections 11(f) and (g) of the But the Court said: “The Bayanihan 2 Law that imposes the tax imposition of new taxes, are unconstitutional for being what it camouflaged as part of a described as “riders” and are not germane long list of existing taxes, to the purpose of the law. cannot be contemplated as an This violates the “one subject, one title integral part of a temporary rule” of the Constitution, the Court said in COVID-19 relief measure.” the 42-page decision promulgated last Dec. The sections of the 7, 2021 but only released last Sept. 21, 2022. law are unconstitutional, Section 11 mentions a 5% franchise insofar as they impose tax based on the gross bets or turnovers new taxes on POGO earned by POGOs. The law states the licensees, it added. revenue will continue to be collected after Next page
VOL. XXXVI • NO. 227• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Old MOA used in P2.4b laptop purchase for DepEd By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Department of Education (DepEd) went ahead with the bidding for P2.4 billion worth of laptops without a valid authorization to transfer funds to the Procurement Service of the Department
of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) as its purchasing agent, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee learned on Thursday. During the fourth hearing of the committee on the DepEd’s purchase of under-powered laptops, the current
PS-DBM executive director, Dennis Santiago, told senators that it may have been illegal for DepEd and PS-DBM during the previous administration to use a 2017 memorandum of agreement (MOA) because it did not cover the purchase of laptops. Next page
PH lacks 200k health workers due to exodus By Willie Casas THE Philippines needs to offer better benefits and salaries to fill a shortage of nearly 200,000 health workers, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday. DOH data earlier showed the country was short of some 106,000 nurses. However, the workforce gap spans other health care professionals such as doctors, physical therapists, and dentists, with the total shortage at around 194,000, the agency said. The breakdown is as follows, it said: nurses, 106,541; physicians, 67,345; pharmacists, 6,651; x-ray technicians, 5,502; medical technologists, 4,416; nutritionists and dietitians, 1,680; occupational therapists, 884; midwives, 785; physical therapists, 223; and dentists, 87. DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the shortage would not be solved solely by implementing a deployment cap. Policies on benefits and salaries will have a greater impact on bolstering the country’s health workforce, she said. “We’re proposing to [amend] the Magna Carta bill to cover both private and public workers. The second one will be a bill on the standardization of salaries,” she said. “This means that the workers in the private sector will get the same salary as Next page
PBBM vows to support SSS at its 65th anniversary event By Vito Barcelo and Vince Lopez PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday vowed to support the Social Security System (SSS) to ensure its effectiveness, particularly as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic while also dealing with the unintended effects of the
JOKE’S ON YOU. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Special
Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo and Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma (from left) all share a laugh after Laguesma forgot to mention Mr. Marcos’ surname – and the Chief Executive did the same in jest -- in introducing him during the Social Security System’s 65th Anniversary event in Quezon City on Friday. Revoli Cortez
present global geopolitical situation. “As your President, I assure you that I commit myself to every initiative that will improve the efficiency and productivity of the SSS and thereby improve the lot and welfare of our people,” Marcos said during the state insurer’s 65th anniversary event at the SSS Building in Quezon City. Joining the President during the event
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Typhoon losses on agriculture hit P3b, death toll 12 AGRICULTURAL damage caused by Super Typhoon “Karding” has reached almost P3 billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Friday, as the governor of Bulacan moved to suspend mining and quarrying activities in the province after flash floods killed five local rescuers at the height of the storm. The death toll from the typhoon reached 12, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Friday, after resi-
dents of Tanay and Antipolo, both in Rizal province, were added to the casualties. The number of individuals affected by Karding climbed to 911,404 or equivalent to 245,063 families in seven regions, the agency added. These individuals are from 1,759 villages in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and the Cordillera region. Only 921 families are now sheltering in 27 evacuation centers with the remain-
der returning home or seeking shelter with family and friends, NDRRMC added. The Department of Education (DepEd) also said it needed P1.17 billion to repair 165 schools damaged by Karding. Also, 396 more schools were “totally damaged” and 92 schools were still being used as evacuation centers for the disaster victims, DepEd spokesman Michael Poa said in a briefing. Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Next page
Fuel price cuts loom next week, US cites Makati for its resilience role LPG set today
NEW NURSES. Nursing graduates from Centro Escolar University (CEU) gather at the World Trade Center in Pasay City for their annual capping and pinning ceremony on Friday. The Department of Health said the country needs 106,000 nurses in both private and public hospitals. Norman Cruz
By Joel E. Zurbano THE United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has proclaimed the City of Makati as the firstever Resilience Hub in the Philippines and the Southeast Asian Region for its excellent program to address disaster and
PH DEBT REACHES P13T ON LOANS, DEPRECIATION BUSINESS /B4
climate risks. Makati Mayor Abigail Binay expressed her gratitude to the UNDRR for recognizing the city’s readiness to take on a more prominent role in the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030). The MCR2030 is an initiative aimed Next page
LTFRB APPROVES 43 PRE-PANDEMIC ROUTES, 3.5K PUVS NEWS / A2
By Alena Mae S. Flores LOCAL oil firms will roll back prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by P2.55 per kilo and auto LPG by P1.43 a liter starting today, as the Department of Energy projected pump prices of other fuel products to go down by as much as P3 per liter due to the softening of world oil prices. In separate advisories, Petron and Solane said they reduced their LPG prices by P2.55/kg (VAT inclusive) effective October 1, at 12:01 a.m. for the former and 6 a.m. for the latter. “These reflect the international contract price of LPG for the month of October,” Petron’s statement said. Next page
ITALIAN FILMFEST AT VENICE GRAND CANAL. For the first time ever, the Italian Film Festival opens in the Philippines, bringing seven fulllength contemporary Italian films to the big screen. Enthusiasts can watch the films for free at Cinema 5 of Venice Cineplex in Venice Grand Canal, McKinley Hill from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2. Leading the opening are (from left) Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Head Graham Coates, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, Italian Ambassador to the Philippines Marco Clemente, and Italian Film Festival Director Antonio Terminini.