Friday, September 1, 2017

House approves national ID system

Written by Jester P. Manalastas

THE national identification system  (House Bill 6221) was passed at the end of period of debates at the plenary, according to House Committee on Population and Family Relations chair Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones.

It was former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who headed the technical working group in consolidating several version of national id system bills.

“Sa Section 14 po ng ating panukalang batas, inaatasan ang Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) na makipag-coordinate sa Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) at National Privacy Commission (NPC) para maisaayos ang implementasyon ng Fil Sys hinggil sa organizational, physical, and technical security measures na dinisenyo upang tugunan ang risks na involved dito.

“Magkakaroon po ng system para sa protection against natural dangers gaya ng accidental loss or destruction at human dangers gaya ng unlawful access, fraudulent misuse, alteration and contamination ng data,”  Aragones said.

Under the bill,  access to the FilSys shall be restricted to personnel of the PSA, DICT, NPC, and other implementing agencies that have the appropriate security clearance and shall be limited to the extent necessary for the performance of their respective functions relative to the FilSys.

During the interpellation, the issue on whether police authorities can access the database was also raised.
   
According to the oppositors of the measure, this can be exploited by authorities by prying into the lives of Filipinos registered under the FilSys through a continuous surveillance.
   
Aragones, who is also one of the principal authors of the bill, allayed fears surrounding the possibility of being profiled and unduly investigated by police authorities using the unified database system.
   
Aragones said information stored in the FilSys will not be given to third parties except for certain circumstances enumerated in the proposed bill.
   
“Walang probisyon sa panukalang-batas na nagbibigay sa kapulisan ng access sa Fil Sys dahil sa right to privacy na nakapaloob sa ating Saligang Batas.
   
“Ayon po sa Section 13, walang sinuman ang puwedeng mag-disclose o mag-disseminate o magbigay ng personal data na registered sa Fil Sys sa third parties kasama na po d’yan ang law enforcement agencies, national security agencies o AFP, maliban na lamang po sa mga sumusunod: una, kung nagbigay ng consent at inauthorize mismo ng holder ng Fil ID ang pagbibigay ng kanyang personal data; pangalawa, kung may accident, disaster, o fortuitous event, at kailangan malaman ang medical history ng isang tao gaya ng blood type at special medcial needs; ikatlo, kung ang interes ng public health or safety ang nakasalalay; at ikaapat, kung may kautusan na galing sa korte,” Aragones explained.

Aragones added that all applicable laws, including RA 10173 or the Data Privacy Act, will be fully observed in cases of unauthorized or unlawful processing and disclosure of any information registered with the FilSys.
   
She pointed out that any information obtained as a result of unlawful acts previously mentioned shall be inadmissible in any judicial proceedings and cannot be held against the holder of the FilID or the other person involved.
   
Under Section 16 of the proposed bill, [t]he biometric data shall be accepted in case a cardholder fails to present the FilID when transacting business with the government and shall not be a ground to deny or limit the grant of basic government service as long as such transaction allows the non-presentation of the FilID.
   
When passed into law, the FilSys shall prioritize the registration of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICC/IPs), persons with disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens, and Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) beneficiaries.

http://www.journal.com.ph/news/nation/house-approves-national-id-system

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MRT 3 rehab pushed

The private shareholders of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 want President Duterte to step in and support their bid to rehabilitate the congested railway line along Edsa.

Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC) said yesterday that it had directly written Mr. Duterte, prompted by the “inaction” of the Department of Transportation on an earlier $150-million offer to rehabilitate MRT-3, which is prone to breakdowns.

MRTC is led by a group of investors led by businessman Robert Sobrepeña. It also has government shareholders, which control a minority voting position.

The main objective of MRTC’s offer is to “fast-track” MRT-3’s rehabilitation and bring back long-time maintenance provider Sumitomo Corp. of Japan.

It was during the Aquino administration that Sumitomo was replaced by various other groups, including the current maintenance provider, Busan Universal Rail Inc., which MRTC said was partly to blame for MRT-3’s current condition.

“The solution submitted by MRTC is for the full rehabilitation and maintenance of the trains in order to restore the system to accommodate over 550,000 passengers per day and allow effective capacity expansion,” MRTC president Frederick Parayno said.

It said the letter to Mr. Duterte was prompted by the lack of action or response from the DOTr on its proposal submitted in April.

“Aside from acknowledging receipt of the letter proposal, DOTr has not given MRTC any reply,” Parayno said.

A DOTr official did not immediately comment on the issue. In a letter to the MRTC dated May 5, 2017, DOTr assistant secretary for legal affairs Leah Quiambao said the offer was under study.

She added that the DOTr’s review “shall be without prejudice to our position that the proposal shall not stall, delay or otherwise postpone” ongoing arbitration proceedings between MRTC and the government.

MRTC and the government are embroiled in various legal cases involving the late payment of equity rentals and the acquisition by the previous Department of Transportation and Communications of new trains from China’s Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co.

Dalian had completed the delivery of 48 train coaches. However, the DOTr said in March that most of these could not be deployed, citing power supply issues and the need to install a new signalling system required for the trains to operate safely.

In its letter to Mr. Duterte, MRTC said accepting its proposal would also aid accountability given the restoration of a “single point of responsibility” regime.

“The Single Point of Responsibility is an element of MRTC’s contract with Sumitomo that holds the maintenance provider liable for any and all breakdowns and glitches in the MRT-3 system, leaving no room for excuses or finger pointing,” MRTC said.

Part of the offer included the acquisition of spare parts worth $50 million. It added that the offer comes at no cost to the government and can be implemented rapidly since it was allowed under its build lease transfer agreement with the government.


Read more: http://business.inquirer.net/236117/mrt-3-rehab-pushed#ixzz4rdhu5L6B
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The road not taken

Uber is back.

On August 29, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) lifted the one-month suspension order on the operations of Uber, a transport network company (TNC), after the latter complied with the Php 190 million fine and other remuneration requirements.

LTFRB previously issued a show-cause order to Uber for violating its July 26 halt instruction on accepting new drivers. On August 1, the Board ultimately decided to suspended all operations of the TNC.

When news of the suspension broke, social media grew into a frenzy of agitated and confused Uber patrons. The suggestion of LTFRB officials for commuters to hail taxi cabs as a remedy only added fuel to the fire.

Regular customers of the TNC pointed out that picky drivers and arbitrary rates of taxis are the very reason why they avail of Uber’s services. Soon enough, the debate became a dichotomy between Uber and taxi drivers, as if one side was more deserving to earn than the other.

Pockets of discussions dragged on, but the bigger picture revealed itself in no time. While LTFRB has been riddled with an inept bureaucracy and TNC regulation has the government in talks, the fact remains that the Uber issue is just a minute detail of the public transportation conundrum in the country, particularly in the capital.

Undoubtedly, majority of the populace in Mega Manila cannot afford the services of ride-hailing applications, leaving them with no other option than to rely on mass transit despite issues on inefficiency and safety.

A study reported by Japan International Coordination Agency (JICA) shows that 69% of all the total trips in Metro Manila every day are aboard public transportation. In addition, buses and jeepneys account for 71% of these daily trips. The same JICA report suggests that the solution in easing the transportation dilemma is for railways to take up 41% of the overall transport system.

But with a Metro Rail Transit (MRT) that has proven itself more than capable of having three different trains experience similar glitches in just one day, it is only with hope that projects such as the long-delayed MRT-Light Rail Transit (LRT) Common Station will soon benefit the daily Filipino commuter, not just the pockets of officials.

It is one thing to hear about the dilemmas of riding the MRT, LRT, buses, jeepneys, and other forms of public transportation, it is another to experience them for ourselves. And admittedly, the latter is quite foreign to those who were very vocal on the Uber issue.

While everyone has the right to criticize the actions of the government and demand a better response from them, it may still be appropriate to examine and ask ourselves if we speak out only when we are inconvenienced.

Uber is back. But public transportation woes have never really left us. Why the sudden silence?

http://www.theguidon.com/1112/main/2017/10/road-not-taken/

Enchong and Anj Dee for arena and speedo swimwear


Catch Enchong Dee for arena swimwear and Anj Dee for speedo!


Catch Enchong Dee for arena Swimwear and TIMEX IRONMAN WATCH combo!
Enchong Dee
He was 2009 UAAP Swimming Championship Senior’s Division MVP and 2009 UAAP Swimming Champion – DLSU Green Tankers! Also, he was a member of Bodyworx Spa and Fitness Club!



Enchong Dee’s Arena Swimwear and Timex Ironman combo contains 2011 Nike DLSU Centennial Jacket and Pant, Nike DLSU Tee (White), ARN-4091-blk swimcap, AGL- 1400-EMBL goggle, Timex Ironman Triathlon 100-Lap Resin Strap Watch #T5F591 and ARN-6014  nux-F ニュークスF スパッツ  DGRNDグリーン jammer!









2011 Nike DLSU Tee (White)
A post shared by Jerome Juarez (@jeromejuarez) on












Anj Dee
And his sister, Anj Dee for speedo FASTSKIN FS-PRO Recordbreaker!