President Aquino enjoins support for first ASEAN Conference on Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in Manila

President Benigno S. Aquino III has enjoined all heads of departments, agencies and instrumentalities of the national government, including government-owned-controlled corporations, local government units, and state colleges and universities to extend full support for the 1st ASEAN Conference on Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering on September 24-26 in Manila.

The directive was issued by virtue of Memorandum Circular No. 52 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on July 19.

With the theme “Integrating Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in the ASEAN for Food Security, Climate Change Mitigation and Global Practice,” the conference will lay the initial groundwork for the development of harmonized qualifications and standards necessary for the mobility of agricultural engineering services in ASEAN Region which will help achieve long-term competitiveness of ASEAN’s food, agriculture and forestry products/commodities.

The Board of Agricultural Engineering of the Professional Regulation Commission, Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers and the National Agricultural and Fishery Council-Agricultural and Fishery Mechanization Committee, in coordination with the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Services, is set to conduct the First ASEAN Conference on Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering this September.

In collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Commission on Higher Education and the Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors Association, the organizers will hold the three-day event at the Manila Hotel.

Agricultural engineers of various government agencies are encouraged to participate in the said ASEAN Conference, subject to the approval of their respective heads of offices, and in accordance to the regular procedures for leaves of absences and availability of funds.

The President directed the Department of Foreign Affairs to extend assistance in coordinating with concerned officials and embassies of all ASEAN countries to encourage the participation/attendance of their agricultural engineers, agricultural and biosystems engineers and concerned officials to the said ASEAN conference.

Malacanang says DTI and associations of flour millers and bakers studying ways to improve yield of ‘Harinang Pinoy,’ main ingredient in Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal

The Department of Trade and Industry is working with members from the associations of flour millers and bakers into developing a higher yielding batch of Harinang Pinoy, a low-cost flour ingredient used to make Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal, two favorite bread types of Filipinos that may cost higher to buy, Malacanang said on Wednesday.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that until then, millers and bakers have committed not to increase prices of these two bread types.

He added that if studies on improving the yield of Harinang Pinoy will not materialize, bakers will have to use the much more expensive local flour which in turn will increase the prices of Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal.

“The commitment the millers is to find ways to improve the yield of Harinang Pinoy so they’re doing it right now and the bakers have committed na wala munang price increase ngayon but they’re planning na sakaling gagamit na sila ng local flour … magiging expensive na yan,“ Lacierda said.

“DTI is reviewing their suggested price but we’re looking already how the millers will improve the yield of Harinang Pinoy.

Wala na munang pag-galaw sa presyo ng Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal dahil pinag-aaralan ng DTI kasama ng mga bakers and millers kung ano magagawa nila,” he added.

The Presidential Spokesperson clarified that the planned price increase will only affect Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal.

“Let’s just clarify: its not all the bread whose prices will increase. We’re focused only on Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal because these two types of bread use a different kind of flour called Harinang Pinoy,” Lacierda said.

“So ang concern nila ay sa Pinoy Tasty at sa Pinoy Pandesal at hindi sa lahat ng tasty o pandesal. The bakers are limited to this,” he said.

Palace says it’s well-versed about corruption in the Bureau of Customs

Malacanang said it has enough information about the severity of the corruption in the Bureau of Customs and knows the scope of the overhaul needed to reform the bureau.

“Part of the process of instituting reforms is to know the battlefield. It is safe to say that we know the battlefield and we know the lay of the land; and so, what the reforms are will be in response to the lay of the land,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in the press briefing in Malacanang on Wednesday.

Pressed by reporters if the President has solid evidence to prove Customs personnel who are involved in smuggling, Lacierda said the Palace can’t divulge at this time the measures to be carried out to reform the bureau.

“You will know our reforms. We don’t want to telegraph our measure. If I answer you one way, there will be a lot of implications or consequences —unnecessary consequences or unintended consequences. So the safest answer is to say: you will know,” he said.

In his State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 22, the President lashed out at BOC personnel for not collecting more than P200 billion from the smuggled goods.

The President said that instead of collecting the proper taxes and preventing contraband from entering the country, those officials permitted the smuggling of goods, drugs, arms and other items into the country.

Customs personnel who could not do their job don’t deserve to remain in office, he said.

Senator Francis Escudero, the Senate finance committee chair, on Tuesday filed a resolution directing three committees to investigate the padrino system in the BOC.

Escudero’s resolution mandates his committee as well as the Senate blue ribbon and ways and means committees to spearhead the investigation of a rumored patronage system in the customs bureau.