Duterte renews Air Philippines franchise for another 25 years

By Azer Parrocha

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed a law renewing the franchise of Air Philippines Corp. for another 25 years.

Duterte signed Republic Act No. (RA) 11682 on April 11 but a copy of the law was released to reporters on Tuesday.

RA 11682 allows Air Philippines to secure a new 25-year franchise to “establish, operate and maintain transport services for the carriage of passengers, mail, goods, and property by air, both domestic and international…”

Air transport services include the maintenance and operation of hangers and aircraft service stations and facilities and other services of similar nature which may be necessary, convenient, or useful as an auxiliary to aircraft transportation.

Air Philippines will have the right at its terminal and landing fields, as well as in its aircraft, to construct, operate, and maintain stations or transmitting sets for wireless telegraphy and direction findings, and other radio aids to air navigation, using wavelengths in accordance with the rules and regulations made from time to time by the proper agencies of the government. The wireless communication facilities will be used solely for receiving and transmitting weather forecasts and other matters in connection with its services.

Under PAL Holdings Inc., Air Philippines Corp. operates as PAL Express and is the third-largest airline in the country.

Other laws

Aside from RA 11682, Duterte also signed RA 11694 or the Revised Batangas State University Charter which declares Batangas State University as the national engineering university, and RA 11695 which strengthens the Tarlac State University.

He also inked RA 11683, which amends section 450 of Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 as amended by RA 9009 by providing for the requisites for the conversion of a municipality into a component city.

Among others, a municipality or a cluster of barangays may be converted into a component city if it has a locally generated average annual income, as certified by the Department of Finance, of at least PHP100 million for the last two consecutive years based on 2,000 constant prices.

It must also be a contiguous territory of at least 100 square kilometers as certified by the Land Management Bureau and a population of not less than 150,000 inhabitants as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

He also signed RA 11689 which revises the charter of the city of Baguio and RA 11690 which renames Barangay San Isidro in the municipality of Lupon, province of Davao Oriental as barangay Ernesto D. Violan.

The renaming of Barangay San Isidro as Barangay Ernesto D. Violan will be effective upon ratification of the majority of the votes cast by qualified voters in a plebiscite to be conducted and supervised by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the present Barangay San Isidro, Municipality of Lupon, Province of Davao Oriental in compliance with Section 13(g) of RA 7160.

The expenses for such a plebiscite must be borne by the Municipality of Lupon, Province of Davao Oriental.

Duterte signed RA 11683 on April 10 while RAs 11694, 11695, 11689, and 11690 were signed on April 11. All laws were released to reporters on Tuesday.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1173027

PRRD inks Egg Basket law, declares Catanduanes abaca capital

By Azer Parrocha

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed two laws that recognize the significance of the abaca industry and egg industry in the Philippines.

Duterte signed Republic Act No. (RA) 1170 declaring the province of Catanduanes as the Abaca Capital of the Philippines on April 15.

Under the law, the state recognizes the importance of the abaca industry and its development as a driver of rural development not only because of its singular potential as a raw material that can increase the country's export earnings tremendously and put the name of the country in the map of the world for producing the biggest volume of abaca fiber but for having provided livelihood to many small farmers in the countryside.

"In recognition of its status as the country's biggest producer of abaca and making the Philippines world-renowned as "Manila Hemp" in the fiber industry, and in support to the agricultural development of the province, it is hereby declared that Catanduanes be the Abaca Capital of the Philippines," the law read.

RA 1170 was passed by the Senate as Senate Bill No. 1978 on Jan. 31, 2022, and adopted by the House of Representatives as an amendment to House Bill No. 6149 on Feb. 2, 2022.

The Philippines has long been known as the leading producer of abaca, considered one of the strongest natural fibers in the world, and touted to be the "future fiber" by the United Nations.

The Catanduanes province leads with the highest abaca production in the country--with 31.72 percent contribution to the country's production in 2020; 33.74 percent in 2019; and 33.37 percent in 2018.

Catanduanes account for more than 80 percent of the Bicol region's production with at least 21,500 hectares of land dedicated to abaca planting.

Egg basket of the Philippines

On April 17, Duterte also signed RA 11707 declaring the municipality of San Jose in the province of Batangas as the egg basket of the Philippines.

"The Municipality of San Jose in the province of Batangas is hereby declared as the 'Egg Basket of the Philippines' in recognition of the economic significance of its egg industry at both local and national levels," the law read.

San Jose is a first-class municipality with the highest egg production of at least 70,000 tons of eggs a year.

In 2019, the municipality contributed 12 percent to the country's egg basket.

RA 11707 was passed by the Senate as SB 2044 on Jan. 31, 2022, and adopted by the House as an amendment to HB 7660 on Feb. 2, 2022.

Both laws were released to reporters on Tuesday.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1173004

Palace wishes Erap happy 85th birthday

 By Azer Parrocha

Malacañang greeted former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada with a happy 85th birthday on Tuesday.

Acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, on behalf of the Palace, wished for Estrada’s happiness and good health.

“Binabati po natin si Pangulong (We are greeting President) Joseph Ejercito Estrada sa kanyang ika-85 kaarawan ngayong araw (on his 85th birthday today), April 19. Happy birthday, Mr. President, Mayor Erap. We wish you happiness and good health, Mr. President,” he said in a Palace press briefing.

Estrada was born on April 19, 1937 in Tondo, Manila to Emilio Ejercito and Maria Marcelo.

He became a movie actor in his early twenties and established himself as a living legend in local filmdom.

Estrada first entered politics in 1967 when he was elected mayor of the municipality of San Juan and served up to 1986.

He was elected Senator from 1987 up to 1992 and as a lawmaker, he was appointed Chairperson of the committees on Cultural, Rural Development, and Public Works.

In 1992, he was elected Vice President of the Philippines under President Fidel V. Ramos and served until 1998.

In May 1998, he was elected as President although his tenure was short-lived.

Estrada was ousted on January 20, 2001, amid mass protests, and his vice president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, ascended to the presidency.

In September 2007 he was convicted of plunder. However, he was later granted a presidential pardon by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He ran for president again in 2010 but was defeated by Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

In 2013, Estrada ran for mayor of Manila and defeated the incumbent, Alfredo Lim.

Last year, Estrada celebrated his 84th birthday in a hospital following a bout with pneumonia caused by Covid-19.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1172425

Multiply bayad buwis muna bago makabalik sa ere — Duterte

Hindi makakabalik ang Multiply hanggat hindi nagbabayad ng kanilang atraso sa buwis sa gobyerno.

Ito ang inihayag ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa proclamation rally ng PDP-Laban sa Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu kamakalawa.

Sinabi ng Pangulo sa mga taga-Cebu na huwag maniwala sa Multiply dahil hindi nagbabayad ang mga ito ng kanilang buwis.

Hindi aniya uubra sa kanya ang mga gimik ng nagsarang E-commerce marketplace at social networking site para palitawing kinawawa sila ng kanyang administrasyon.

“Don’t believe in Multiply, they don't pay their taxes. And until they pay their taxes, they will never get to go back to social networking again. Don’t mess with me. Thi nis how the rich play eh,” anang Pangulo.

Ikinuwento ni Pangulo Duterte sa mga taga-Cebu ang P300 milyon na utang ng pamilya Lopez sa Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) na pinatawad o hindi pinabayaran matapos suportahan ang isang kandidato sa pagka-pangulo.

Sinabi ng Presidente na masakit para sa mga Pilipino ang nangyari dahil pera ng taong bayan pero hindi nagbayad kahit sentimo dahil sa pabor na ibinigay ng sinuportahang Presidente.

“Magdalinski loaned P600 million from the DBP. But after some time, the president they campaigned for condoned all the loans made by the owners, the Lopez. It was condoned, they didn't have to pay. That’s how painful it is,” dagdag ng Pangulo.

https://tnt.abante.com.ph/abs-cbn-bayad-buwis-muna-bago-makabalik-sa-ere-duterte/