News Highlights: March 20, 2024

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Sevilla’s appointment to one-star general bypassed

BY RAYMOND AFRICA

THE Commission on Appointments yesterday bypassed the ad interim appointment of Ranulfo Sevilla to one-star military general over unsettled family matters.

“He was bypassed. Sen. Risa Hontiveros did not really like it because it was not enough that Sevilla promised to give funds to his family. She wants to put it on paper. To give him more time so he can come up with the documents. It was at the committee level that they moved to bypass him…So he has to come back,” Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said.

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Zubiri said the issue is more on the monetary aspect, saying the military officer was not giving enough financial support to his children.

He said that during their last caucus with Sevilla, he said that he would give around P50,000 a month to his family. But during yesterday’s caucus, Sevilla thought it was just P30,000.

Sevilla’s former wife earlier recounted what she said was her and their children’s sad experience at the hands of Sevilla. She added that Sevilla now has a paramour who lives with him in a military camp.

Sevilla is the deputy commander of the AFP-Special Operations Command.

While the appointment of Sevilla was bypassed, the CA confirmed the appointments of 129 other AFP officers during the plenary session.

The CA panel also deferred Sevilla’s appointment at least two times before he was finally bypassed.

Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, the CA committee on national defense chair, said Sevilla will still don the rank of “colonel” after his appointment to brigadier general was bypassed.

“He cannot don the one-star rank. He’ll still be a colonel since he was bypassed for now. President Marcos Jr. needs to reappoint him, then that’s the time that we will deliberate on him again,” Romualdo said.

Romualdo said he hoped that Sevilla would resolve the issues regarding his children.

5 education execs named to new CHED posts

BY Ashzel Hachero

FIVE veteran education officials were appointed by Malacanang to new posts in the Commission on Higher Education, the agency announced yesterday.

CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera said the five are Jimmy Catanes, Lora Yusi and Mary Sylvette Gunigundo, who were appointed as Directors IV, and Marco Domingo and Rody Garcia as Directors III.

“I congratulate and welcome our new CHED officials. They all come with impressive academic credentials and expertise that will help CHED implement its mandates and priorities under the Marcos administration,” De Vera said.

“The appointment of our new CHED Directors is a manifestation of President Marcos’ vision for people in government to be the best and the brightest with a commitment to efficient and responsive public service,” he added.

Gunigundo first joined CHED in 2004 as an education supervisor at the agency’s National Capital Region Office.

After six years, she joined SEAMEO Innotech to gain an international perspective on educational systems.

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In 2014, De Vera said she was requested to return to the CHED to help with a newly established Central Office, the Office of Institutional Quality Assurance and Governance where she worked as the chief of the Quality Assurance Division.

Starting 2019, she has served as the Officer-in-Charge of various offices such as the Office of Programs and Standards Development, Higher Education Development Fund Staff, Office of Student Development and Services, and now the Office of Planning, Research and Knowledge Management.

Guisdan Catanes is formerly the Education Supervisor II at the CHED Cordillera Administrative Region and is a member of the DOST-TAPI Technical and Commercial Viability Evaluation Panel.

Before assuming this role, he served as the director of the Research Planning and Development Center at Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation in San Carlos City, Pangasinan.

De Vera said Catanes is the proponent and lead implementer of significant projects in the Cordillera Administrative Region funded by the CHED, including the Kabadang Research Publication Mentoring and the Filipino Leaders in Advancing International Reputation Masterclass.

Yusi started her career as an Education Program Supervisor II from 2008 to 2014 at the CHED Regional Office III.

In September 2014, she was elevated to the post of Chief Education Program Specialist of the CHED Regional Office.

The following year, she topped the Career Executive Service Written Examination given by the Career Executive Service Board.

Yusi also served as the officer-in-charge of CHED Region III, from April 2019 to February 2020 and from April 27, 2023 to present.

Garcia is formerly the OIC Regional Director of CHEDRO-IX in Zamboanga Peninsula since 2019.

“He has been serving the government for 31 years of which 24 years in the Commission on Higher Education. He was awarded as one the most outstanding Research Advisers of the Philippines by the DOST and Intel Philippines in 2000 when he was still with the Department of Education Culture and Sports now DepEd,” De Vera said, adding that in his new post at CHED, he will co-chair the agency’s One Touch Integrated Systems and Services.

De Vera said Domingo has been with the agency since 2014.

“Prior to his designation as OIC-Director of CHEDRO 2, he was the Division Chief of the Investigation and Enforcement Division of the CHED Legal and Legislative Service,” he said, adding Domingo also served as OIC of CHED Cordillera Region and OIC-Office of the President, Batanes State College and Benguet State University.

Clark’s 2023 earnings wow COA

BY PETER J. G. TABINGO

THE Clark Development Corporation (CDC) posted P3.277 billion earnings before taxes in 2023 and a net income of P2.79 billion, earning praises from the Commission on Audit.

The 2023 annual audit report on the CDC released yesterday noted that the Clark Freeport Zone’s income from last year surpassed the target of P2.118 billion set by the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations (GCG).

“The Corporation exceeded expectations. Achieving an EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) of P3.277 billion, the Corporation surpassed the target by 55 percent, demonstrating its robust financial performance,” the COA said.

Auditors credited CDC’s improved earnings to “strategies aimed at bolstering revenue streams and effectively managing approved budgets for maintenance and other operational expenses.”

A record of the net income of the freeport zone likewise showed it has rebounded fast from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From only P835.24 million in 2020 and P1.296 billion in 2021, the CDC’s net income jumped 69 percent to P2.188 billion in 2022 and 27.5 percent in 2023 to P2.79 billion.

Not counting the 2023 dividends that have yet to be declared, the audit team said since 2018, the CDC has remitted P4.732 billion to the Bureau of Treasury as the government’s share in its income.

“CDC has consistently adhered to Republic Act (RA) No. 7656, also known as the Dividend Law, by declaring and remitting the required cash dividends to the National Government (NG). Notably, CDC’s contributions through dividend remittances play a pivotal role in providing the government with the essential funds needed to achieve its socio-economic objectives,” the COA added.

Also highlighted in the audit report were initiatives undertaken by the agency to implement RA No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.

The audit team commended the freeport management for instituting full automation of permit applications for the convenience of client investors and other establishments. This includes processing of sanitary, building, and environmental permits online as well as the eVISA and Residential Sublease Information and Data Entry System (RESIDE).

Previous delays and documentation problems in monitoring the CDC’s percentage of gross revenue share from locators and tenants is also being addressed by the implementation of Revenue Share Monitoring System.

“The shift from manual reporting to automation aims to properly and efficiently monitor CDC’s percentage of gross revenue share,” the COA said.

SC upholds COA ruling on illegal car plan program at PhilRice

BY Ashzel Hachero

THE Supreme Court has upheld a ruling by the Commission on Audit that declared as illegal the 2008 car plan scheme implemented by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to entice its officials and employees to stay in the agency, saying it is not among the benefits allowed under the law.

In a decision promulgated on March 14, 2023 but only made public last March 18, the Court en banc denied the petition filed by Sophia T. Borja and other PhilRice officials and employees challenging the COA ruling disallowing PhilRice’s payment of the amortization of private cars for being highly irregular.

In 2008, PhilRice, through its Board of Trustees (BOT), crafted a car plan program to attract and retain outstanding and deserving officials and employees who often opt for lucrative jobs elsewhere.

The scheme was meant to benefit PhilRice’s priority officials and senior staff, including program and project leaders, division heads, and branch managers who were involved in the development and extension of the Rice Self-Sufficiency Project and other operations of PhilRice.

The car plan scheme operated as a rental plan under which qualified officials and employees procured vehicles of their choice through a financing program by the Philippine National Bank for three years, payable on a monthly installment basis.

The vehicles were then mortgaged to the PNB until full settlement of the obligation.

The vehicles were then rented out to PhilRice for use in operations in its central station located in the Science City of Muñoz and other branches or stations in Batac, Ilocos Norte, San Mateo, Isabela, Los Baños, Laguna, Ligao, Albay, Murcia, Negros Occidental, RT Romualdez, Agusan del Norte, and Midsayap in North Cotabato.

The rental payments were used to pay for the private vehicles.

In 2013, the COA issued 26 notices of disallowances in the amount of P10,449,557 against PhilRice for “expenses incurred during the trips made using rented private vehicles” under the said car plan scheme.

The disallowed expenses were found irregular on the grounds that the car plan scheme was not approved by the President, not included in the exemptions under Section 12 of Republic Act No. 6758, or the Compensation and Position Classification Act of 189, as well as for contravening and the required government austerity measures.

This prompted the petitioners to seek redress from the SC.

In resolving the petition, the High Court affirmed the COA’s findings that the payments were irregular but excused the petitioners’ civil liability to return the disallowed amounts.

It held that that under Section 12 of RA 6758, all allowances and fringe benefits granted on top of the basic salary, except representation and transportation allowances, clothing and laundry allowances, subsistence allowance of marine officers and crew on board government vessels and hospital personnel, hazard pay, and allowances of foreign service personnel stationed abroad, are deemed integrated into the standardized salary rates.

Thus, the SC added, the additional allowance pursuant to the car benefit plan of the PhilRice, in the guise of monthly amortization payments of petitioners’ private vehicles, is “utterly devoid of legal basis.”

“Here, while petitioners approved and authorized the payment of government funds in violation of Section 12 of R.A. No. 6758 ( Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989), nevertheless, the exceptional circumstances surrounding the case tenaciously show they acted in good faith and were solely propelled by a valid and genuine cause- the prevention of ‘brain drain’ within the institute through a more cost-effective approach,” said the SC decision penned by Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao.

Conviction of Baguio City barangay official for falsification affirmed

BY Peter Tabingo

THE Sandiganbayan has upheld the February 15, 2023 decision of the Regional Trial Court branch 3 of Baguio City that convicted Barangay Camp 7 treasurer Romel Beltran of falsification by a public officer but reversed the guilty pronouncement against barangay chairman Faustino Danao.

The anti-graft court’s 66-page ruling promulgated March 19, 2024 held that prosecutors proved beyond reasonable doubt that the list of recipients of protective gear and equipment for barangay workers prepared and submitted by Beltran contained forged signatures and multiple false information.

On the other hand, Danao was acquitted as the Sandiganbayan Sixth Division pointed out that his participation was limited to issuing a certification that checks payments was issued to the supplier, J&J Tools and General Merchandise, for delivering the sets of Disaster Preparedness Equipment.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by four barangay workers who found that the list submitted by Beltran identified them as having received the full gear sets of raincoats, rubber boots, hard hats, vests, and shirts in 2015.

The complainants testified during the trial that they only received either the raincoat and rubber boots or a raincoat and t-shirt but not the entire set of protective gear.

Three of them disowned the signatures on acknowledgment documents, and all denied that they ticked all the boxes for each gear they were supposed to have been given.

“It is undisputed by all parties that none of the four complainants received the four sets of Disaster Preparedness Equipment from Camp 7, Baguio City. Therefore, accused-appellant Beltran committed Falsification by Public Officer …when he accomplished the List of Recipients,” the Sixth Division pointed out.

However, it rejected the prosecution’s theory that Beltran and Danao acted in conspiracy.

“There is neither allegation nor proof showing facts and circumstances that accused-appellant Beltran and Danao acted in concert with each other in preparing the falsified list. Only accused-appellant Beltran committed falsification when he submitted the forged list,” the court said.

The Sandiganbayan modified the sentence against Beltran to imprisonment for four to eight years, removing the fine of P2,500.

On the part of Danao, the court ordered that his bail bond of P12,000 and the additional cash bond of P6,000 posted after his assailed conviction be released back to him.

Bill seeks to give 5% discount to `underprivileged’ students

BY WENDELL VIGILIA

REP. Brian Raymund Yamsuan (PL, Bicol Saro) yesterday batted for the approval of a bill which seeks to provide underprivileged students a 5 percent discount on tuition, school supplies and prescribed electronic devices for online learning.

House Bill No. 1850, which Yamsuan co-authors with Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte and other Bicolano lawmakers, covers all underprivileged students in the basic education, technical-vocational and college levels.

“This measure will significantly provide relief to the financial woes continuously faced by poor students in pursuing their education. A 5 percent discount may not mean much to those who can afford to buy everything they need for school. But this would be a big help to students and their families struggling to make ends meet,” Yamsuan said.

Under the bill which is pending in the House committee on basic education and culture, the discount would also apply to textbooks, food items and medicines they consume and to entrance fees to museums, theaters and cultural events sanctioned by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.

“We hope that through this measure, many underprivileged students would be encouraged to continue their studies and tread the path towards a bright and stable future,” Yamsuan said.

The bill defines an “underprivileged student” as a Filipino student “whose parents have a gross annual income of not more than P250,000.” Students who opt to take part-time jobs to subsidize their  education, and whose income combined with those of their parents do not exceed P250,000, are also entitled to the proposed benefit.

The P250,000 threshold is subject to the review of the National Economic and Development  Authority every three years, according to the bill.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Yamsuan noted that about 7.8 million Filipinos or 1 in every five Filipinos aged five to 24 did not attend school in 2022-2023 for various reasons, largely because of the high cost of education and financial problems.

Under the bill, private establishments mandated to provide the discounts may claim the cost as allowable tax deductions from their gross income in the computation of their income tax.

Penalties to be imposed on establishments violating provisions of the measure include the temporary suspension of their license to operate and fines ranging from P20,000 to P250,000.

Teacher berating students on TikTok still reporting for work

BY Ashzel Hachero

THE teacher who went viral on social media for berating her students live on TikTok continues to report for work pending the results of the investigation on the incident, the Department of Education said yesterday.

DepEd Assistant Secretary and deputy spokesperson Francis Cesar Bringas said there are no reasons yet to bar the teacher from going to school, adding a probe is underway and no sanctions have been issued.

“Yes, she is still in school. We cannot impose any sanction without due process,” Bringas said, adding: The teacher will undergo due process because it is her right, to be able to explain her side.”

Last Monday, Bringas said the department issued a show cause order to the teacher to explain her side within 72 hours.

Last Saturday, Bringas said the DepEd was still verifying the report from the field, adding the department will need a complete incident report to determine its next course of action.

He said there are DepEd policies that will guide their action on the incident.

In 2012, the department issued its child protection policy which states that ‘”any act by deeds or words that debases, degrades, or demeans the intrinsic worth and dignity of a child as a human being is considered child abuse.”

The DepEd also observes the Anti-Child Abuse Act and other laws and regulations to ensure that students are safe in schools.

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