TRENDS (29 January 2010)

New SSS law benefits more workers

CAGAYAN de Oro (27 January) – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed on January 7 a new Social Security System (SSS) law that will condone penalties of delinquent companies with unpaid contributions.

According to SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Romulo Neri, many employees of delinquent companies will regain their active status and avail of loans or benefits because of the new Condonation Law of 2009.

This will not only benefit more workers but also those companies with huge amount of delinquencies because the cases filed by SSS would be withdrawn and their penalties will be waived as well.

It is estimated that there are more than 4.8 million workers employed in companies with overdue contributions while another 1.7 million workers have premiums yet unpaid by companies that already stopped their business operations.

On the other hand, SSS has tied up with Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost) in order to expand the coverage of a streamlined unified multi-purpose identification system.

Postmaster General Hector Villanueva has signed the memorandum of understanding between SSS and PhilPost at the Manila Post Office on January 19.

This partnership will eventually facilitate electronic-based remittances of Filipinos working abroad. SSS President Romulo Neri said that this tie up will enable SSS members to get payments for pensions, loans and benefits and also lower remittance rates using PhilPost’s nationwide network of offices, more than half of which are also money transfer offices.

The unified multi-purpose identification system (UMID) was created under Executive Order 420 in 2005 as an effort to minimize expenses due to databases and redundant ID systems of government agencies.


Phil-Japan’s MIRIDP nears completion

TUBOD, Lanao Del Norte—Creating new avenues for catalyzing development in selected municipalities under the Land of Beauty and Bounty, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) granted assistance to the Philippine government through the conception of the Metro Iligan Regional Infrastructure Development Project (MIRIDP), in which the provincial government of Lanao Del Norte served a very important role being the implementing arm of the project.

On January 21, representatives of both JICA and the provincial government of Lanao del Norte conducted site visits to three (3) different sections around the region. These sections were the Tagoloan-Balo-i road section, Linamon-Matungao-Balo-i road section and the Kauswagan-Delabayan-Munai road section.

The purpose of the visits was to conduct comprehensive and actual field inspections of the construction sites.

The following day, the team commenced a pre-project implementation review meeting along with the concerned municipal representatives and other concerned agencies at the Dynasty Court Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City, in which MIRIDP implementation status, highlighting the issues and concerns to be settled for the implementation of the project, were discussed.

Among the issues were civil works, right-of-way divided into acquisition and peace and security, updates on the Alternative Fuels Investment Program (AFIP), refund of the un-recouped amount for the hydropower consulting services, disbursements and other claims.

Reports on the status of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) bridge project in Balo-i wrapped up the necessary deliberations.

The project is nearing its completion and high hopes for materializing development potentials are already laid on the ground. Such international government partnerships prove that there are so many ways to channel various forms of assistance to sectors needing them.

With the participation of the provincial government of Lanao Del Norte as the implementing agent, gargantuan success of the project is more than a possibility. (SNDP/PIO-LDN)


PGLDN launches official website

THE provincial government of Lanao del Norte formally launched its official website www.lanaodelnorte.gov.ph.

The website is purposely developed to provide the latest news and information on the biggest events and developments in the province tagged as the Land of Beauty and Bounty.

“With regular promotional activities in the province especially with our bid to become the Motocross Capital of the Philippines, we saw the need to set-up our own website,” explained Provincial Information Officer Lyndon Calica.

Articles, photos and videos are regularly updated and posted on the website to showcase the breathtaking attractions and scenic spots of Lanao del Norte as well as the latest episodes of locally produced TV shows like “Kapihan sa Lanao del Norte” and “Abante, Lanao del Norte”.

These programs are regularly shown in cable TV stations throughout northern Mindanao and deal with crucial issues that affect the lives of the locals.

The website also allows visitors to share their reactions and insights on the news articles, events and activities posted. Visitors can also participate in surveys by casting their votes on poll questions that seek to get the pulse of the people.

Through the website, local and foreign individuals who are interested in the province can readily download facts and figures on specific categories. For balikbayans and tourists, they can also download pictures as well as videos of the many must-see attractions in the province to plan their anticipated vacation.

This new media is a potent tool in presenting the many important accomplishments and services offered by the provincial local government unit (LGU).

This technological improvement in the delivery of information is an initiative of the provincial leadership thru its information office with the goal of bringing the provincial government closer to the people. (ARMS & VNL/PIO-LDN)


Normin industries project a far better year than 2009

CAGAYAN de Oro City—Members of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Industries (COCI) express optimism that the current year will be “far better than 2009”.

In a survey conducted among its 14-member industries, COCI President Jerome Soldevilla said the group gave an overall positive economic outlook for the “Year of the Tiger”.

COCI indicates that while doing business will continue to remain tough, the prospects would be much better as the global economy is expected to improve a bit from the serious crunch experienced last year.

Major export processing plants such as the Philippine Sinter Corporation (PSC) and Mindanao Silicon Metals Inc. project at least a 10% increase in their outputs. Roger Lim of PSC cited reports of better global forecasts for the steel industry. Moreover, RI Chemicals also reported that the company remains bullish as it projects a 10% increase in sales volume owing to a consistently strong domestic market.

Beverage giant Asia Brewery is also looking at a decent growth in production volume of its plant in Mindanao this year as it moves towards expanding its local market shares. It is confident to sustain the positive performance or even surpass production targets to a leap of 5 to 10% for this year.

Meanwhile, wood processor CATIMCO group indicates a major shift towards production of finished and semi-finished wood products as global competition worldwide gets stiffer. CATIMCO group representative Prudencio Plaza said that the wood industry needs to innovate more as raw materials become scarce and the market expands to include the use of alternative construction materials.

Although sales volume for some companies paint a promising forecast, the manufacturing sector as a whole is faced with a serious concern of increased production cost.

Apollo Alavanza of Del Monte Philippines acknowledged that while there is a robust global market for its products, the company has to pursue more innovative measures to sustain its market leadership amidst rising cost of inputs. Cagayan de Oro based Coca-Cola bottlers Philippines also share the same view adding that it will continue to be more responsive to the growing market trends particularly in the beverage industry.

Leoncio Ang of Limketkai Manufacturing indicates that domestic supply of raw material for its Marca Leon oil products is a concern that needs to be addressed as the local coconut industry continues to be saddled with issues of low productivity.

COCI also voice concerns on the rising cost of fuel and electricity. It has earlier approved a proposed resolution calling for a review of the planned privatization of the hydro electric power plants in Mindanao as the same is expected to increase further cost of electricity and hamper the manufacturing industries competitiveness. COCI is also asking concerned local government units to suspend any planned increase in local taxations especially at this time when cost of doing business is continually on the rise.

COCI is an association of manufacturing industries in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental. Established in 1980, the group serves as a mechanism to collectively address major concerns faced by the manufacturing sector. Its members include Asia Brewery, CATIMCO, Coca-Cola, Del Monte Phils., LKKS Manufacturing, Nestle Phils., Phil Agro, PICMW, Pilipinas Kao, RI Chemicals, Mindanao Silicon, STEAG State Power Inc, and Elegant Chemical Alloy.