CBCP official warns against over-dependence on AI
By Gerard Naval
AN official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday warned the faithful against overdependence on artificial intelligence (AI), especially when communicating with people.
In a radio interview, CBCP – Episcopal Commission on Social Communication (ECSC) Chairman Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit said it is imperative for the public to continue giving value to human communications, and not just relying on machines.
“We must continue to put value on the truth, personal experiences, and human communications so we must not fall for the temptation of simply relying on AI,” said Maralit.
“We should be wary over the dangers AI brings to human relations as emotion and deep communications remain important and necessary,” he added.
AI is an evolving technology that tries to simulate human intelligence using machines to perform several activities.
In the Philippines, several industries have started using AI in their operations, including their social media engagements.
Maralit, however, admitted that the introduction of AI is not a negative development.
“In our modern times, artificial intelligence is not something that is naturally bad,” he said.
What is important, though, according to the prelate, is to establish guidelines on its usage.
“If there are no guidelines in its usage, it can cause adverse effects to us and the society,” said Maralit.
Retired cop loses land claim on NCRPO property in Taguig
BY ASHZEL HACHERO
THE Court of Appeals (CA) has junked the plea of a retired police officer seeking to overturn a ruling of the Taguig City Regional Trial Court that dismissed his and his family’s bid to stay in a compound in Taguig owned by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
In a 13-page decision promulgated on April 25, 2024, the appellate court’s Fifth Division threw out the petition of retired Police Senior Master Sergeant Arnel delos Santos and his wife, Josephine Delos Santos, questioning the November 15, 2022 ruling of the Taguig RTC Branch 271 dismissing their bid to stay in a parcel of land located at the Old RDSU Compound at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio in Brgy. Western Bicutan, Taguig.
The NCRPO has said that the compound is government-owned and that Delos Santos and his family were allowed to live in the property only until his retirement in 2019 as a logistic officer of the Philippine National Police.
The regional police office said the compound on which Delos Santos built his family’s home was part of the Fort Bonifacio reservation area covered by an agreement inked between the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The ownership issue came to a boil in April 2020 when a team of policemen from the Southern Police District led by Brig. General Arwin Pagkalinawan tried to evict Delos Santos and his family.
Delos Santos’ family refused to leave, saying that he owned the property. He said he bought it from one Deogenes Rodriguez. The retired police officer claimed Rodriguez appointed him as administrator of the Rodriquez estate, including the compound, before he bought the property.
Delos Santos then accused several police officers, including then NCRPO chief, Maj. General Debold Sinas, of harassing him and his family.
The harassment claim prompted then PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa to order an investigation.
Insisting that he owned the property, Delos Santos filed a case before the Taguig RTC, and named the PNP, NCRPO and the SPD as respondents.
But the RTC dismissed the case, prompting Delos Santos to elevate it to the appellate court.
The appellate court, in upholding the RTC decision, said Delos Santos’ appeal was “bereft of merit.”
“Petitioners-appellants contend that the court a quo’s act of not conducting a trial on the merits effectively deprived them of their right to due process, and consequently, of their property. They were likewise deprived of the opportunity to cross-examine the evidence of respondents-appellees. We are not persuaded, “said the CA ruling penned by Associate Justice Ramon Garcia and concurred with by Associate Justices Michael Ong and Gabriel Robeniol.
The CA said the RTC did not err in rendering a summary judgment on the case, adding that the trial court correctly held that “no genuine issues exists as to the ownership of the subject property.”
“From a careful perusal of the parties’ respective evidence, it found that TCT No.38400, from which petitioners-appellants derived their supposed legal and or beneficial ownership, was spurious. As such, the same could not be the source of any right, and all documents emanating therefrom are considered void and without any legal effect,” the CA ruled.
The appellate court said Delos Santos has previously confirmed the government’s ownership of the subject property when he admitted during the pre-trial of the case that he asked the NCRPO for an extension of time to stay when the regional police office asked him and his family to leave.
The CA also said the respondents were able to submit documentary evidence, including certifications issued by the Register of Deeds of Rizal, Antipolo City, Marikina and Pasig that TCT No.38400 does not exist in their respective official records.
“With the above admissions-petitioners-appellants effectively negated their own claims and further butressed respondents-appellees ownership of the subject property. Since there is no genuine issue existing as to the ownership of the subject property, the court a quo correctly rendered a summary judgment,” the CA said.
The appellate court likewise held that Delos Santos’ claim of denial of due process has no legal basis to stand on.
“By reason of the foregoing discussion, there is no compelling reason to veer away from the assailed judgment of the court a quo,” the CA ruled.
MMDA ramps up clearing operations on Mabuhay Lanes
BY Ashzel Hachero
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has already apprehended 88 vehicles in Quezon City and Marikina as clearing operations in Mabuhay lanes intensified amid the partial closure of the EDSA-Kamuning flyover.
Data provided by the MMDA showed that as of yesterday afternoon, operatives of the Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group and the Special Operations Group-Strike Force have made 17 apprehensions in Quezon City while five other unattended/illegally parked vehicles were towed.
In Marikina, MMDA personnel apprehended 61 vehicles while nine others were towed.
Motorists issued with traffic citation tickets for illegal parking will pay a fine of P1,000 while owners of unattended illegally parked vehicles will have to shell out P2,000.
Mabuhay lanes serve as alternate routes for motorists affected by the partial closure of the EDSA-Kamuning flyover.
The closure of the southbound lane of the flyover started last May 1 and will last for six months to pave the way for a much-needed six-month retrofitting and rehabilitation.
Rehab works affect two lanes of the flyover while the remaining lane is exclusively for the EDSA busway.
Data from the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center showed that 24,000 four-wheeled vehicles and 23,000 motorcycles traverse the southbound lanes of the EDSA-Kamuning flyover daily.
MMDA General Manager Procopio Lipana said clearing operations in Quezon City were conducted at the corner of Sgt. Esguerra Avenue and Scout Madrinan and Kamuning Road.
These streets are part of the alternate routes for the flyover’s closure, according to Lipana.
Aside from clearing the roads of unattended and illegally parked vehicles, Lipana said illegal structures along the sidewalks were also dismantled.
Lipana said the MMDA will further intensify clearing operations on Mabuhay Lanes and other identified alternate routes to ensure they are passable to motorists.
Senator wants dental services included in PhilHealth coverage
BY RAYMOND AFRICA
SEN. Raffy Tulfo has filed a resolution proposing amendments to the Universal Health Care Act to include comprehensive dental health services in the benefit packages of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
Tulfo said the current PhilHealth coverage under the UHC do not include oral prophylaxis and free dentures.
“Dental health is an integral component of overall health and well-being, yet, access to dental services remains limited and often unaffordable for many Filipinos,” Tulfo said in his Senate Resolution No. 1021.
He cited a 2018 National Health Survey showing that around 73 million Filipinos are suffering from dental caries to tooth decay.
He also said that an article published by Harvard Publishing last February 15, 2021, indicated that heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular events are two to three times more likely to happen among people with gum disease, also known as periodontal disease.
Gum disease begins with the sticky, bacteria-laden film dentists refer to as plaque that builds up around the teeth. A completely different type of plaque can then build up inside arteries which may lead to coronary artery disease known as atherosclerosis.
Tulfo said that good oral health is significantly linked to an individual’s employability since most employers prefer potential employees with pleasing personality and those who have professional appearance.
“Ensuring access to dental health services is not only a matter of public health but also of economic productivity, as poor dental maintenance can adversely affect job prospects and career advancement,” Tulfo said.
He said that the provision of dentures, as a prosthetic solution for tooth loss, “can restore oral function and enhance self-esteem for individuals who cannot afford dental treatment.”
“The inability to access affordable dental care, including dentures, disproportionately affects marginalized populations and weighs in on existing disparities in oral health outcomes,” he added.
PCSO distributes medical items to Camarines Sur, Nueva Ecija
By Christian Oineza
THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has distributed 50 wheelchairs to senior citizens, PWDs, and polio patients in San Fernando, Camarines Sur.
Mel Robles, PCSO general manager, turned over the wheelchairs to Mayor Fermin Mabulo of San Fernando, Camarines Sur.
Robles also distributed 50 wheelchairs, 50 walkers, 50 nebulizers, and 100 BP apparatuses to the 4th District of Nueva Ecija.
Provincial Board Member Ms. Teresita Patiag, who accepted the items, said these will be distributed to those who need it most.
BLE: 17K customer service assistants needed
By Gerard Naval
OVER 17,000 jobs as customer service assistants are available due to high vacancies in the country, according to the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE).
Based on BLE data, the top job vacancy is customer service assistants during the period of April 19 to 25.
A total of 17,086 vacancies for customer service assistants are registered with the BLE.
This is followed by the high demand for 10,982 production workers, according to the agency.
There are also 4,601 job vacancies for call center agents.
The BLE said domestic helpers are also in demand with 2,036 job vacancies.
Completing the top five are demands for production machine operators with 1,415 vacancies.
The BLE said the data is based on the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Employment Information System (PEIS) sourced nationwide.
Also serving as source of information by BLE are those from the government-run job matching portal PhilJobNet.
P50M Naga City evacuation center has leaky toilets, roof: COA
BY Peter Tabingo
NAGA City’s P50 million Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center (MPEC) funded by a grant from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) has a stinking problem due to leaky toilet plumbing and defective roofing.
In the 2023 report released last April 29, state auditors revealed the city government is having trouble getting the contractor to do repairs after it issued a Certificate of Completion and Project Turnover on October 13, 2022.
If calamity victims were to take shelter in the structure as it stands now, they would be met by funky air and damp floors.
“The comfort rooms on the second floor of the building have leaks from the embedded plumbing and sanitation lines. This leakage had caused stains in the ceilings of the ground floor and dispersed foul odor,” the audit team said.
“Defects in the roof/gutter at the main staircase …caused seepage of water …that flooded the front lobby and even affected the sleeping area/shelter of the second floor,” it added.
These problems were listed during the inspection conducted on February 22, 2024 by a team of government auditors and personnel of the City Engineering Office.
In addition, the inspectors found broken restroom doors and lavatories, cracked walls on female restrooms making them only partially usable, and low-quality floor tiles that are slippery and break easily.
The designated “camp manager” for the evacuation center told auditors the defects were not yet there during the joint inspection by personnel of the city government and Pagcor in December 2022. At the time, the only modification required of the contractor was about the exposed ceiling lamps.
An official from the City Engineers Office informed the audit team that the contractor has already been notified of the various structural issues within the one-year warranty period which tolls upon acceptance by the local government of the project turnover.
The same official said the contractor was “not cooperative” but the city government insisted on a technical conference to decide on a course of action to rectify the building deficiencies.
“It must be noted that the defects in the structure and the facilities of the evacuation center indicate its unsafe usage to the detriment of the evacuees. This runs counter to the very purpose of the building …which is intended to provide a safe shelter for citizens in times of calamities or disasters,” the COA said.
The city government notified the commission that its personnel would start the most urgent repairs necessary to prevent the problems from worsening and would keep a record of expenses to be incurred and charged against the contractor.
COA: No processing facilities built out of P7.5B Philmech coco levy share
BY PETER TABINGO
NOT one out of 44 planned shared processing facilities (SPFs) funded out of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund, or coco levy funds, has been completed by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech).
Former President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11524 on February 26, 2021 for the creation of a P75 billion coconut levy trust fund from money recovered from the proceeds of the sale of coco levy assets forfeited by courts in several ill-gotten wealth cases.
Ten percent or P7.5 billion of the said fund was allotted to the PhilMech for the implementation of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), including the establishment of the shared processing facilities.
According to the CFIDP, the SPFs were expected to enhance the competitiveness of coconut-based products through improved quality and lower production costs, and spur entrepreneurship and technical know-how among farmers to start viable and sustainable ventures.
Among the identified major value chains for the local coconut industry were copra-crude coconut oil (CNO) refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) oleochemicals value chain; desiccated coconut (DCN) value chain, virgin coconut oil value chain, coconut shell value chain, coconut sap value chain, and young coconut value chain.
To enhance each value chain, the SPFs were proposed for integrated white copra centrals, copra buying stations, integrated coconut processing; coir, shells, and sap-based processing centers; young coconut processing centers, coconut food centers, coffee and cacao processing facilities, dairy milk and livestock-based processing centers, and meat processing plants.
In 2023, the PhilMech spearheaded several groundbreaking ceremonies for the awarding of SPFs to coconut farmers cooperatives and local governments in coconut producing areas.
The audit team noted that under Section 7.3 of the CFIDP, the construction of SPFs shall be facilitated by the Department of Public Works and Highways in consultation with PhilMech to ensure compliance with the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) standards.
“Reportedly, the construction of the building for SPFs was not included among the priority projects of the DPWH during CY 2023 as the said government agency’s focus was on the completion of its farm-to-market road projects,” the Commission on Audit said.
With the SPF constructions put on hold, the Philmech only managed to use P14.67 million or a dismal 2.93 percent of the P500 million Notices of Cash Allocation (NCAs) for the project.
Reacting to the audit observations, the head of the CFIDP-SPF said a proposal will be submitted to amend the CFIDP by transferring the job of constructing the SPFs to PhilMech to catch-up on the delayed implementation.
The PhilMech added that it has started talks with different local government units for their support in hosting the SPFs to facilitate construction.
Egg-loaded dimsum products recalled
BY GERARD NAVAL
THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday said distribution firm CJ Foods Philippines Corporation has recalled several batches of its dimsum products due to the potential presence of egg, an allergen, in the said products.
In its Advisory No. 2024-0739, the FDA said that CJ Foods has voluntarily recalled Bibigo Mandu Prawn Dumplings (15DEC2023 P1), Bibigo Mini Mandu Prawn – Quick Frozen Korean Dumplings Filled with Prawn (14DEC2023 P1), and Cau Tre Seafood Net Spring Roll (14DEC2023 P1, 16DEC2023 P1).
“The public is hereby informed that CJ Foods Philippines Corporation has an ongoing voluntary recall of specific batches of the said products,” said the FDA, clarifying that “this product recall applies only to the affected batch codes.”
The FDA said the voluntary recall was due to the potential presence of undeclared allergen egg in the said products.
“Persons, including children, who have hypersensitivity to eggs, should avoid consuming the abovementioned products,” it said.
It also said consumers who have purchased or have any concerns about the said products may contact CJ Foods Philippines via telephone no. (02) 8815-6194 or email cjf.ph@cj.net.
The FDA likewise called on all local government units and law enforcement agencies to ensure that the said products are not sold or made available in their localities.
