news The Manila Times THURSDAY BY LLANESCA T. PANTI REPORTER


HE Senate wants to cut the non- existent P880-million “proposed” budget for family health and


in the media is a classic case of sound and fury signifying nothing. It was never appropriated. How can you cut something, which is not there? They should realize this blun- der,” Lagman said.


A 3


D e cember 9, 2010


Senate to cut non-existent P800-M health fund T


contraceptives and is proposing a P400- million increase in the P2.7-billion Senate budget, the Minority bloc in the House of Representatives revealed Wednesday.


House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman noted that the P880 million was merely the Department of Health’s alternative budgetary allo- cation proposal for family health and family planning based on the


number of married women of repro- ductive age in the country who ex- pressed a desire to limit the number or space the births of their children “The supposed P880-million fund for contraceptives as reported


Lagman cited that Health Secretary Enrique Ona merely submitted the P880-million proposal as requested by the House of Representatives dur- ing the budget deliberations of the agency’s budget and is not the basis of the actual budget proposal sub- mitted by the department. “What happened in the Senate is a lesson on the importance of not resort- ing to knee jerk reactions and making sure that religious dogma does not in- terfere with policymaking,” Lagman


said in a press conference. Rep. Mitos Magsaysay of the First District of Zambales noted that there is already P932-million funding for family health and contraceptives under the Health department’s pro- posed P33.3-billion budget for 2011. Also, Magsaysay and Deputy Mi- nority Leader Danilo Suarez also ex- pressed concern over their Senate counterparts’ proposed P400-million increase on the latter’s budget, con- sidering that only 21 of the 24 Senate slots are occupied as of the moment. Sen. Panfilo Lacson is hiding since a warrant of arrest was issued by the Department of Justice in January for his alleged involvement in the Dacer-Corbito double-mur-


der case, while Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th is still detained on coup d’ etat and rebellion charges. Another seat was vacated when then Sen. Benigno Aquino 3rd won the presidency in June. As it stands, the Senate budget is at P2.7 billion according to Suarez, while the House budget is at P4.7 billion. Magsaysay disclosed that based on the Senate version of the pro- posed P1.645-trillion 2011 budget, which was provided in the Bicam- eral Conference Committee, the Senate slashed P1.8 billion from the Department of Public Works and Highways, P640 million from the Department of Transportation and Communications and P400 million


DOLE urges workers to report nonpayment of 13th-month pay


THE Department of Labor and Em- ployment (DOLE) on Wednesday warned against employers who failed to pay the mandatory 13th-month pay and asked workers to report to the department these violators for possible disciplinary actions. According to Labor Secretary


Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz em- ployers should not shirk from their obligation to release them the man- datory 13th-month pay this year and the Labor department has pro- vided in its national and regional telephone hotlines for the workers to report these violations. “We would like to reiterate that it is the obligation of employers under the law, specifically Presidential De- cree 851, to pay the 13th-month ben-


efit to all workers and employees. If they are not paid, they can call our hotlines and tell us so,” Baldoz said. All rank-and-file employees, re- gardless of the nature of their em- ployment and whatever the mode of payment of their wages and who have worked for at least one- month during the calendar year are covered by the 13th-month pay requirement.


The minimum amount of the 13th-month pay should not be less than 1/12 of the total basic salary of the employee. For purposes of computing the


13th-month pay, the basic salary shall include all remunerations or earnings paid by the employer for services ren- dered but does not include allow-


DOH to tighten measures against toxic plastic toys


THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday assured the public that they would do some preventive measures on all plastic toys that are being sold in the country now that the Christmas season is coming. Health Secretary Enrique Ona in a radio interview said that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) would conduct tests to some plastic toys that are being sold in the market to know if it will be hazardous for children. Ona also said that the FDA would tighten security against all imported toy products that would enter our country. The secretary, however, admitted that the department does not have a policy that would control the selling of imported toy products, but he as- sured that they would do a long-term solution to the said problem. Meanwhile, despite the recent warn- ing of the EcoWaste Coalition about the danger of toxic plastic toys might bring to the public especially to chil- dren, plastic toys containing a chemi- cal compound called “phthalates” are still being sold in Divisoria, Manila. The phthalates (pronounced as THAL-ates), commonly found in various toy products create hazard- ous effect in the children’s health, as it can be easily ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. This chemical compound could interfere with the production of testosterone and have been associated with repro- ductive abnormalities. Moreover, since 1999 the Health de- partment had warned that phthalates may cause adverse health effects such as liver and kidney wounds, re- productive abnormalities and im- mune system defects.


The coalition also advice consum- ers should check the labels of toys


to ensure that the toys they will buy do not contain hazardous chemical such as phthalate.


On choosing toys The Women in Europe for a Com-


mon Future (WECF), however, pub- lished tips for choosing safe toys: • Less is more! Buy fewer toys, aim for quality over quantity; • Avoid very cheap toys because they often contain more hazard- ous chemicals; • Do not buy a toy with a strong chemical or perfumed smell or if it feels uncomfortable to the touch; • For young children, make sure that no small parts can be pulled off and swallowed; • Unpack any new toy and leave it outdoors to let some of the hazard- ous chemicals to evaporate; • For dolls: buy rag dolls and wash stuffed dolls before use; • For cuddly toys: look for prod- ucts from natural or organic materi- als and wash and air toys before use; • For wooden toys: buy solid,


unvarnished and unpainted wooden toys with as few glued parts as possible; • For plastic toys: choose natural rubber toys, look for PVC-free and phthalate-free labels and avoid prod- ucts which smell strongly of chemicals; • For art materials and cosmetics: do not buy fragranced toys, as these can trigger lifelong fragrance aller- gies, which cannot be cured; choose products with food or plant colorings and without preservatives. WECF is an international environ- mental and health organization, which implements projects in 40 countries including the Philippines. JOVEE MARIE N. DELA CRUZ AND ANGELICA DUCUSIN


ances and monetary benefits which are not considered or integrated as part of the regular or basic salary. These allowances and monetary benefits include cash equivalent of unused vacation and sick leave cred- its, overtime, premium, night differ- ential and holiday pay, and cost of living allowances. However, these salary-related benefits should be included as part of the basic salary in the computation of the 13th month pay if by individual or col- lective agreement, company practice or policy, these are treated as part of the basic salary.


The companies are required to pay the 13th-month pay not later than December 24 of each year. They, however, may pay one half of the


13th-month pay before the opening of the regular school year and the balance on or before December 24. Resigned or separated/terminated


employees are entitled to the 13th month pay in proportion to the length of time he worked during the year, reckoned from the time he started working and up to the time of his resignation or termination. In the National Capital Region,


workers can call 339-2016; 339- 2017; and 400-6242. At the DOLE central office, they can also call the DOLE Call Center at 527-8000 or 908-2917. They can also dial the Center at Globe 2917.


The other telephone numbers are as


follows: Cordillera Administrative Re- gion, (074) 424-0824; Region I, (072)


700-3879 and 700-3122; Region II, (078) 844-5516 and 844-0133; Region III (045) 455-1613 and (045) 455- 1619; Region IV-A, (049) 545-7360; Region IV-B, (043) 288-1485; Region V, (052) 480-3058 and 480-5831; Re- gion 6, (033) 322-8026; Region VII, (032) 254-9309; (032) 253-5156; Re- gion VIII, (053) 325-5236; Region IX, (062) 991-2673; Region X, (088) 857- 1930; Region XI, (082) 227-4289; Re- gion XII, (083) 228-2190; and Region XIII (Caraga), (085) 345-5212. Baldoz had instructed all DOLE national and regional officials to ensure that the above-mentioned hotline numbers should be manned by competent staff to answer all calls from workers and even the general public.


Looking for truth


Vehicular accidents continue to rise – PNP


JOMAR CANLAS


THE number of vehicular accidents in the country continues to rise every day because of lack of safety education on the part of the driver. Statistics from the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) showed that at least 80 percent of some 15,000 ve- hicular accidents, which is equiva- lent to 50 accidents everyday, oc- curred during the first 10 months of the year nationwide is caused by avoidable human error. Accidents during January to Oc- tober far exceeded the 2009 whole year statistics in terms of driver er- ror wherein 57 percent of the more than 20,000 accidents was attrib- uted to driver error. The 2009 figure was also 25 per- cent higher to the 2008 record of over 16,000 vehicular accidents. The PNP-HPG chief, Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina, disclosed that a total of 14,847 vehicular accidents were recorded in various parts of the country during the January to Oc- tober period. Of the vehicles involved in acci-


PHOTO BY MIGUEL DE GUZMAN


The independent findings on the death of botanist Leonardo Co are given to his father, Lian and wife, Glenda by Agham chairman, Dr. Giovanni Tapang, on Wednesday. (See story on page 7)


DILG asked to file case vs. multiple termers


AFTER Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo and his commissioners were slammed by the Department of Interior and Local Government [DILG] for allowing the proclamation of multiple-termer barangay officials, the election court now ordered Interior and Local Gov- ernment Secretary Jessie Robredo to file the disqualification cases. Under Resolution 9107 of the Comelec en banc, they directed DILG to formalize their list and file a peti- tion for disqualification against the multiple-termer barangay officials. “The DILG is hereby required to formalize by way of a petition for disqualification the list of barangay


officials serving three (3) or more consecutive terms in office earlier submitted before the Commission,” the document states.


The Comelec has laid down the procedure in filing disqualification case through a “verified petition against each of the multiple termers (which) shall be filed before the Of- fice of the Clerk of the Commission, stating its averments with particular- ity, including the date and time when the list of such multiple termers were submitted to the Commission.” However, it was only Commissioner


Elias Yusoph who made a marginal note on this resolution that their or- der shall be “applicable only to those


Restaurant clerk wants to organize union Dear PAO, I am a clerk in a restaurant company


in Pasig City. The other employees and I decided to organize a union. We were told that the president of the company learned about this and after a few days we received a text message informing us that we cannot organize ourselves and that we will be under surveillance. If any one is caught violating, we may be suspended or terminated. Can they actu- ally do this to us? We do not have inten- tions of going on strike. We just want to be properly represented especially when- ever we have employment-related con- cerns which we want to address. I hope you can shed light on this matter. Thank you.


Mr. Gensan


Dear Mr. Gensan, It is very common for employees to de- sire to create an organization or a group, which may serve as their avenue in dis- cussing their points of interest among themselves, as well as a tool, which will allow them to address their concerns with the management of the company they are working with. So, we understand why you and your


have the right to self-organization and to form, join, or assist labor organiza- tions of their own choosing for purposes of collective bargaining.” Collective bargaining is very essential be- cause this gives the employees an oppor- tunity to discuss and negotiate the terms of their employment contracts and look af- ter their interests without sacrificing that of the employer. Even ambulant, intermittent and itin-


co-workers wish to form your own union and we believe that there is nothing wrong with that as long as the purpose for which your union will be created is not contrary to law, public order or public morals. Even our labor laws recognize the rights of employees, both in the private and public sectors, to form an associa- tion or organize a union. As provided for under Article 243, Labor Code of the Philippines, “All persons employed in commercial, industrial, and agricultural enterprises and in religious, charitable, medical, or educational institutions whether operating for profit or not shall


erant workers, self-employed people, ru- ral workers and those without definite employers may form labor organizations for their mutual aid and protection. (id) Thus, based on the information you have shared with us, we see no cogent reason for your company to prohibit you from exercising your right to self-organization or union-formation.


In addition to the foregoing, our Con- stitution recognizes the right of laborers to create their organized associations. Section 8, Article 3 of the 1987 Philippine Consti- tution states that, “The right of the people, including those employed in the public and private sectors, to form unions, associa- tions, or societies for purposes not contrary to law shall not be abridged.” However, we would like to stress


that not everyone may form or join a union. There are restrictions laid down under our laws. For instance, manag- ers are not allowed to form unions. In- sofar as supervisory employees, they may not join a union whose members are rank-and-file employees, but they can join, assist and form a union of their own which must be comprised only of supervisory employees. (Arti- cle 245, Labor Code) Given that you are holding a cleri- cal position, you are not restricted from exercising your Constitutional right and neither should you be sus- pended or terminated if you choose to exercise said right. We hope that we were able to answer


your queries. Please be reminded that this advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated.


Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily col- umn of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to dearpao@manilatimes.net or via text message (key in: Times dearpao <YOUR QUES- TIONS> and send to 2299).


who are not yet proclaimed.” Earlier, Robredo blamed Melo and his commissioners for the Comelec’s inaction in allowing the proclama- tion of all winning barangay officials even if they are already considered multiple termers. Robredo told Melo that Comelec’s inaction to verify the list the depart- ment has submitted as early as Septem- ber 24 regarding multiple-termer barangay officials resulted to a clear violation of the law. Robredo slammed Resolution 9100, which allows the proclamation of the multiple-termer barangay officials as a clear cover-up made by the Comelec after being rem- ised of its dut.


JOMAR CANLAS


dents, Espina said, 8,260 were private cars; motorcyles, 2,829; trucks, 2,062; and 5,240 were buses, jeeps, tricycles and other kinds of motor vehicles. Figures also showed that 64 per- cent of drives involved in accidents said that their vehicles malfunc- tioned; 44 percent admitted their accident was caused by over- speeding; and 22 percent attributed the accident to their failure to fol- low traffic rules.


Other caused of accidents, Espina


said, were because of bad turning, drunk driving, hit and run incidents and by drivers using cellular phones while driving.


Statistics also showed that 8,709 accidents happened on nighttime and 6,138 on daytime. According to Espina, most of the accidents happened on national highways with 4,206 incidents, fol- lowed by expressways with 2,729. He said a total of 20,346 people


were involved in the accidents, with 1,102 classified as fatalities. Espina expressed alarm over the increasing number of accidents, say- ing that concerned government agen- cies need to conduct anew an aggres- sive road safety education campaign and impose the necessary regulations to discipline erring drivers. WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL


Christmas break starts December 17 for students – DepEd


CHRISTMAS break for public elementary and high school students starts next week, December 17, the Depart- ment of Education (DepEd) announced on Wednesday. According to Education Secretary Brother


Armin Luistro, this would give time for the students to prepare for the Christmas festivities. But Luistro reminded the children that Christmas is not all about receiving gifts or money from godparents. He said that the spirit of Christmas is about thanking God and praying as a family. He also said that Christmas should be centered in the family and not material things. Classes resume on January 3, Monday. In the same light, Luistro reminded the


Education department officials to ensure that the celebration of Christmas parties in schools should be simple. He also said that students should not be obligated


to give contributions to Christmas parties or give gifts. FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO


from the Department of Finance. “We want to know what is that P400 million increase funding for and what part of the DOTC budget was slashed because of it,” Magsaysay said, referring to the De- partment of Transportation and Communications.


Suarez, for his part, noted that the trimmed funding for tertiary educa- tion and road upgrading of second- ary roads could out the rural districts at a disadvantage. Lagman, however, stopped short


of saying that the Senate’s proposal of P400-million hike on its budget is a bad move. “We still have to validate it,” Lagman added.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14