FEEDING PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL KIDS GETS BOOST WITH P6B FUND IN 2021 — POE

Sen. Grace Poe said the school-based feeding program should reach every student beneficiary with guaranteed funding under the 2021 national budget. “In the midst of the pandemic, no child should worry about when his next meal will be,” said Poe, who in 2018 championed the passage of the Republic Act 11037 or the “Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act,” which aims to combat hunger and undernutrition among Filipino children.

Senator Grace Poe

The program was appropriated with P5.97-billion budget for next year lodged under the Department Education (DepEd). The proposed funding is currently being deliberated in Congress.

Poe also welcomed the modification in the implementation of the school feeding law in the light of COVID-19 that prohibited face-to-face learning in schools.

The distribution of hot meals to students will instead be replaced by ration of nutritious food products which the DepEd said would be delivered to households or picked up by parents in schools.

The target beneficiaries will also now cover all incoming kindergarten learners and the Grade 1 to 6 students who were wasted and severely wasted based on the 2019-2020 School-Based Feeding Program report, except those who have moved to Grade 7.

“Good nutrition is unquestionably linked to a child’s growth and development. Nutritional intervention at a very early stage will give our children greater fighting chance to survive life-threatening diseases and enhance their physical, intellectual, social, emotional and moral development,” Poe said.

“The way we feed our children today will dictate the nation we have tomorrow,” she added.

The World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI) 2020 report showed the Philippines' record falling to 0.52 in 2020 from 0.55 in 2018.

The country’s HCI score means that “children born in the country today will fail to achieve almost half their potential,” the report said.

The index, which measures the human capital potential of children today, ranges from 0 to 1, with scores closer to 1 indicating better human capital status.

Despite the slight decline in its HCI, the World Bank noted the Philippines is among the countries with marked improvements over the last decade, along with Singapore, Morocco and Ghana.

Poe said the budget deliberation on the school feeding program is a timely intervention to improve the country’s HCI.

“We cannot change our ranking overnight but consistent implementation of our feeding program makes great strides toward eliminating threats to our children’s health,” she said.

The national feeding program is being complemented by a public health nutrition and values transformation campaign to promote a holistic and integrated approach to health and nutrition education.(30)

Online Sellers should Register Up to Sept. 30 – BIR

OTHERWISE THEY FACE PENALTIES

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Those traders who are into digital transactions but are not registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue are given an extension to register up to the end of this month.

“The deadline for the registration of those into digital transaction discussed under RMC No. 60. 2020 which extention was only up to August 30 this year,” Region-1 Regional Head of the Taxpayer Assistance Unit Chief Lee Caday quoted Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 92-2020 signed by BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay.

ONLINE OR DIGITAL SELLERS. Photo Credit: PinoyMoneyTalk.com

He said that Commissioner Dulay saw a surge of registrants in various revenue district offices that wanted to beat the deadline.

RMC No. 60-2020, titled as “Obligations of Persons Conducting Business Transactions Through Any Forms of Electronic Media, and Notice to Unregistered Businesses”, meant to give notice to all the people doing business and earning income in any manner or form, specifically for those who are into digital transactions- E-commerce. These do not only include partner sellers or merchants, but also the  stakeholders involved such as the payment gateways, delivery channels, internet service providers, and other facilitators.

Caday said that those who will beat the September 30 extension will not be penalized as imposed by law to those late registrants.

He said those who will be found later doing business without complying with the registration and update requirement and those who failed to seek past due taxes shall be imposed with the applicable penalties under the National Internal Revenue Code, the laws, and rules and regulations.

The newly-registered business entities, including existing registrants are advised to comply with the provisions of the Tax Code and other applicable tax revenue issuance, particularly on the following:

1. Issuance of registered Sales Invoice or Official Receipt for every sale of goods and services

2. Keep a registered Books of Accounts and other accounting records of business transactions

3. Withholding of taxes (if applicable)

4. Filing of required tax returns

5. Payment of correct tax dues on time 

READ MY OTHER BLOG:

Filipino Senators For Sale?

Isinusulong Ko ang Eddie Garcia Bill

MAAYOS NA WORKING ENVIRONMENT SA MGA ARTISTA

By Cong. Christopher "Toff" de Venecia

Ngayong 18th Congress at sa gitna ng pandemya, tayo ay patuloy na nakakatutok sa kapakanan ng mga manggagawa at pagsuporta sa creative industries sa pamamagitan ng Arts, Culture, and Creative Industries Bloc (ACCIB) sa Kongreso.

Ilan sa mga creative industries na ating sinusuportahan ay ang indutriyang malapit sa aking puso at lalo na sa aking pamilya, ang mga local na industriya ng pelikula, telebisyon, musika, at libro.

COURTESY CALL of Philippine National Police Region 1 Director PBGEN Rodulfo Santos Azurin Jr.at the residence of Pangasinan Fourth District Rep. Christopher de Venecia in Brgy Bonuan Binloc, Dagupan City. Azurin was accompanied by Pangasinan Provincial Director PCOL Redrico A. Maranan, Acting Chief of Police of Dagupan City Police Station PLTCOL Luis M. Ventura Jr., Acting Chief of Police of San Fabian Municipal Police Station PCPT Hermilita L. Guitering, and Acting Chief of Police of San Jacinto PMAJ Edgar Allan G. Serquiña.

Ako ay naniniwala na mas nagiging malalim ang ating pagiging Pilipino kung tayo ay patuloy na sumusuporta sa mga industriyang ito, dahil hindi lamang husay sa paggawa ng pelikula, palabas sa telebisyon, musika, at paglathala ang ipinapakita nito, ipinapakita rin nito ang makulay na kultura at kasaysayan ng ating bansa.

Kaya isinusulong natin sa Kongreso ang pagpasa ng Eddie Garcia Bill o Creative Workers Bill at Freelance Protection Bill na may layong gawing maayos ang pamantayan ng working environment at bigyan ng kaukulang proteksyon ang mga manggagawa na nasa harap man o likod ng kamera.

Maraming Salamat kay Ms. Rica Arevalo at sa Manila Bulletin para sa inyong feature!

***

Ang agrikultura ay isa sa mga adbokasiyang malapit sa aking puso.

Simula pa noong 17th Congress, inihain na natin ang Magna Carta for Young Farmers at ngayong 18th Congress, ito ay pumasa na sa committee level as consolidated kasama ng iba pang mga bills bilang Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Bill.

Samahan niyo ako ngayong Huwebes ng 9AM sa webinar ng Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development para alamin ang mga salient provisions ng batas na ito.

Ex-General Loves this “Odorous” Fruit

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Many folks in the gargantuan Province of Pangasinan don’t have any iota of knowledge as dictated by their olfactory system how the King of Fruits’ durian smell when it permeates the thin air.

When my two sons ventured to haul this pungent and thorn-covered rind stuff and other Mindanao’s fruits (This yokel went back to the “unprofitable’ pen pushing, er keyboards pounding profession, his loved of his life after guiding them the nuances of getting the stocks in the Southern Island) and bringing ‘em here in the Kingdom of Princess Urduja through a lorry and plane, they are immediately besieged by the presence of high purchasing middle class of the Northern Luzon’s province every time they opened, of course with presence of the missus Miles, the temporary fruit stall in front of McDonald – Tapuac in Dagupan City.

Strategical location to snare the human traffic, eh?

Customers who regularly patronized our weekly crates full of the export variety Puyat Durians, Malaysian variety D-101 durians, Arancillo, and Thailand variety’s Chanee were Pangasinan Fifth District Congressman Ramon “Mon-Mon” Guico, III, former Police Three-Star General, Ex Nine-Year Congressman, and incumbent Capital Town Lingayen Mayor Pol Bataoil, San Manuel, Pangasinan former mayor and present Vice Mayor Alain Jerico Perez, renowned lawyer and Mangaldan Councilor Joseph Emmanuel Cera, and other members of the “Illustrado Class” as what my Davao City based classmate Resty Pancho quipped upon seeing these privileged class acquiesced to my request to have a photo ops with either them or my two kids carrying the prickly thorns fruits that if not handled property can hurt some skins.

FANATICS. Durian “zealots” (from upper photo clockwise) Presidential Adviser for Northern Luzon and  Cagayan Special Economic Zone (CEZA) Administrator and Secretary Raul Lambino and author showing to all and sundry the Davao durians, marangs, and other Mindanao fruits, San Manuel former mayor and incumbent Vice Mayor Jerico Perez with author’s kids Nico and Jigger,  Capital Town Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil, and Pangasinan Fifth District Congressman Ramon “Mon-Mon” Guico.

Did I hear somebody scream the name of Solicitor General Jose Calida? Hahahaha!

“Pag mag train ka doon sa Maguindanao pag panahon ng durian everybody eats durian. Kami naman na mga taga Luzon tikim tikim kami. Then eventually nagustuhan na namin. First tikim parang alanganin pag na accustomed na ang taste bud mo and iyong smell para bagang naano na siya its just a delicacy na na condition ka and later on you crave for it,’ Bataoil, who was a three-star police general, told this writer his first encounter of the cultivar whose full-bodied creamy and mild sweet-tasting flesh can be addictive, when he was first assigned in Parang, Maguindanao.

He narrated to me his adventures in Mindanao as a young alumnus of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1976 and as Philippine Constabulary’s Second Lieutenant prowling the jungles and the boondocks to kill warriors of the Moro National Liberation Front in Maguindanao and the elusive hit and run guerrillas of the commies’ New People’s Army in the provinces of Davao, Agusan, and Surigao.

“Noong 1976 pag graduate namin sa PMA dinala kami sa Cotabato ang unit namin ay 54^th Ranger PC Batallion. Lahat kami nag-graduate PMA na 1976 na Easy Group ginawang platoon leaders iyan dalawang batallion 57^th at saka 54^th PC Ranger Batallion. At saka meron pang isa ang PC Brigade noong araw. Tatlong lugar iyang pinagdalhan sa amin mga combat battalion ng mga PC/INP.”

His first deployment in 1976 as training officer of the new PC recruits in Parang, Maguindanao where he trained these newly recruited infantry units of the Constabulary (a gendarmerie-type police force founded by the Yanks in 1901 and ended by the Philippine Congress in 1991) and minted them to be a “killing machine” versus the bad guys operating on these provinces I mentioned recently.

“During a lull in the operation against the MNLF I told my men not to spend their siesta under a durian tree because the falling lethal sharp thorns of the fruits would kill them instead of the bullet of the enemy,” he once told reporters during the Mindanao First Fruit Festival held at the Capital town September last year.

 Geez, as a teenage growing up in the Promised Land (as dubbed by U.S tutelage’s Common Wealth Government under the Flips, er, Filipinos' President Manuel Quezon) I remember a saying in Indonesian, ketiban durian runtuh, which means "getting hit by a durian",

I learned later that there is a Bald Durian, susmariosep, growing in Davao and Malaysia where it is spineless and could be safe to the soldiers of then Lieutenant Bataoil to have their nap under its tree. The Malaysians and those in Borneo, an Island just below my place in Mindanao, called the Bald Durian as “Durian Botak”.

 Nope baby, they ain’t the slang word of Takbo or Run (reverse of Butak) coined by Manileños.

The former Congressman said that his family except the youngest daughter loves to eat the “exotic fruit” considered as one of the most expensive fruits in the world.

“My wife and kids eats durian except one. Camela when she was small I bought her along sa Cotabato City kasi and that time she was only about three to 15 years old nag stay kami doon she ate durian. During her younger days nasanay siya doon. Ngayon iyong pangalawa ko she never liked durian,” Bataoil, who was a former Metro District Commander of Cotabato City recalled his assignment in the war torn Mindanao particularly in the province known as Kutawato where I spent 16 years of my life after we migrated from PMA, Baguio City to join my military father reassignment there in the middle of the 1970s.

When he texted me via Facebook’s Messenger to buy the export variety Puyat Davao and Malaysian D-101 in August this year, this writer could still remember the longing of the nostril-and taste bud of the general when he first encountered the fruit during his first assignment in Mindanao.

"I'm craving for them, Mortz," he quipped.

"I could not blame you General sir. You were once a favorite son of Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Agusan Provinces when you were a young graduate of the PMA," I retorted as I asked Galman and Abbie, our two salesmen at our Davao Fruits Stand to prepare the species scientifically called durio.

The Javanese in Indonesia believe durian to have aphrodisiac qualities or one that stimulates sexual desire.

When some radio commentators visited me at the house and quaffed my Jack Daniels while they make pulutan (finger food) the butter liked creamy durian pulps and bitter-sweet Davao mangosteen, media men Atong Remogat, a descendant of Sultan Durio of Borneo, and Ruel Camba argued emphatically that the prickly rind fruit is an aphrodisiac.

To pacify them I quoted a Java, Indonesia axiom: Durian jatuh sarung naik (Durian falls and the sarong comes up).

Sarong (we called in Cotabato as Malong) by the way is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist of a man or a woman who  either wear or not an underwear there.

READ MY OTHER COLUMN:

The General Who Saved Mindanao

(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)

BIR La Union exceeds goal by 11.85% amidst pandemic

 

 

        Bureau of Internal Revenue District Officer Charmaine de la Torre revealed Monday that RDO-3 San Fernando City, La Union has exceeded its collection target as of July 31 by more than P157-Million. Amidst the crisis caused by the Corona Virus Disease -19 (COVID-19) pandemic, RDO-3 La Union posted P1.49-Billion in tax collection, exceeding its goal of P1.3-Billion by 11.85%, the highest in the region.

 

 

Bureau of Internal Revenue District Officer No. 3 Chief Charmaine de la Torre

 

 

            De la Torre and her Assistant Revenue District Office -3 Chief  Doris Rimando attributed the

 success to the consistent implementation of enforcement activities as well as taxpayer awareness programs. As part of the Bureau’s Oplan Kandado program, RDO-3 La Union managed to secure a Closure Order for an erring establishment, further raising consciousness among taxpayers to declare their true income and pay the correct taxes or face untoward consequences. The Revenue District Office also held massive information campaigns and dialogues with local government units, as well as tax practitioners to deepen awareness and enjoin active participation of the taxpaying public in nation-building. De la Torre further attributes the collection increase to the implementation of revised zonal values since August last year.

 

 

           Just recently, De la Torre also launched their Webinar Series on various Tax Updates to keep the public updated with tax regulations and issuances. She enjoined the public, especially those engaged in digital (online) transactions to register now with the BIR, where deadline is extended to September 30, 2020. Online businesses who will register on or before the deadline will not be penalized for late registration, filing and payment. Beyond the deadline however, penalties will already be imposed.

De Venecia, ACCIB Naghain ng Panukalang Music Development Act

 By Pangasinan Congressman Christopher “Toff” de Venecia

Patuloy natin binibigyang boses ang iba't ibang sektor na kabilang sa creative industries. 

Kaya naman ang Arts and Culture and Creative Industries Bloc (ACCIB), na ating pinangungunahan, ay naghain ng panukalang Music Industry Development Act para ma pump-prime ang ating lokal na industriya ng musika at OPM.

 Pangasinan Congressman Christopher “Toff” de Venecia (Photo Credit: Manila Bulletin 

Kasama na din dito ang pag-improve ng music education natin na napapaloob sa MAPEH program ng DepEd at para magkaroon din tayo ng mga music festivals kung saan ito ay magiging avenue para sa ating local musicians na ipakita ang kanilang talento.

Maraming Salamat sa Manila Bulletin para sa inyong feature!

Excerpts of the news article:

A group of lawmakers at the House of Representatives is set to file on Tuesday, Sept. 1, the Music Industry Act of 2020 to help pump-prime the Philippine music industry.

The group, called the Arts and Culture and Creative Industries Bloc (ACCIB), is composed of 22 lawmakers, whose objective is to introduce and support legislations that protect and promote culture, the arts, and the creative industries. 

Some of its members are: Reps. Vilma Santos-Recto (6th Dist, Batangas), Lucy Torres-Gomez (4th Dist, Leyte), Edward Maceda (4th Dist, Manila), Jose Atienza (BUHAY partylist), Juan Miguel Arroyo (2nd Dist, Pampanga), Baby Arenas (3rd Dist, Pangasinan), Camille Villar (Lone Dist. of Las Piñas City), Lianda Bolilia (4th Dist, Batangas), and Loren Legarda (Lone Dist. of Antique).  

Rep. Christopher De Venecia (4th Dist, Pangasinan) is the group’s convenor.

In a privilege speech, De Venecia said that “despite having a very talented pool of musicians and having a relatively young population who have agency, currency, and propensity for creativity and innovation, we are still not maximizing the potential of our music industry the way South Korea for example has ignited the global dominance of K-Pop.”

He pointed out that the Korean craze, called the Hallyu Wave, has been estimated to contribute US$11.6 billion to the South Korean economy.

“But what we have to learn from the experience of South Korea is that they did not become the global influence they are overnight.”  He said, “their country’s leadership decided to invest significant funding, infrastructure, human resource development, marketing and incubation, in partnership with the private sector, for the development of their music industry and ensured that there would be governance structures and sound policies in place to ensure its sustainability.

“This is precisely what we hope to do with this measure,” he stressed.

De Venecia said that while the business aspect of music-making is definitely highlighted in this bill, “it does not neglect our duty to ensure the preservation of our musical heritage.”

Thus, under this bill, he said the Music Development Council shall be created and shall endeavor to work with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to preserve musical traditions in the Philippines.

“This Music Industry Development Bill is not a silver bullet but a measure that should work in consonance with other congressional initiatives that can pump-prime this sector of the creative economy.”

On a separate measure, de Venecia said they will need to revisit the Intellectual Property Code and ascertain whether or not it needs updating as it affects almost all sectors of the creative economy.

Also, he said the amusement and entertainment tax as enshrined under the Local Government Code might have to be revisited as these have proven to be very much restrictive to the growth of the creative industries, not only to live events, but also to film.

“Which is why we are equally grateful to the House Leadership in including the relaxation of amusement tax in the Bayanihan 2 as a form of regulatory relief to first movers in both film and live events,” he said.

He is also pushing for the need to explore how Original Pilipino Music (OPM) might be mainstreamed in broadcast media to instil greater appreciation of the local music among the people, either through incentives, regulatory measures, or a combination of both.

The government, through the Optical Media Board, must continue to clamp down on music piracy, even if the modalities by which this is done is likewise transforming alongside evolving technologies, he said.

De Venecia said that while many creative industries like music pivot towards the digital space, it is equally important to have sound ICT infrastructure in the country “so we welcome any efforts by the DICT and other agencies that will endeavor do so.”

He added that if most concerts in the interim or even as the country heads towards the new normal will involve live streaming for amplified reach and sustainability of the creative industries, “then let’s strive to ensure that patrons wouldn’t be bothered by buffering, low-resolution, and intermittent internet connections.”

De Venecia said that amidst the grim public health crisis Filipinos are currently facing, “we heed the plight of artists whose livelihoods are in peril, having been deprived of their bread and butter, and yet continue to share their talent and artistry to the world.”

“We want them to know that Congress, through the leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, is determined to help them as best we can, just as they have helped millions of Filipinos during this pandemic,” he said.

“In our book, the creative class of the Philippines is just as much front-liners because they cater to our mental health. Without music to keep us company during these past months, it’s unlikely that we might have survived,” De Venecia said.

He added, “It is high time for us to finally give the music industry, among many other sectors of our creative economy, the support and attention it deserves.”