by anyajulia | Jul 11, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
INSURGENTS in Bohol have become insignificant that authorities have downgraded the “single fighting front” into a section level, a high-ranking military officer said.
Considered then as a formidable force of three guerilla fronts gripping Boholanos in reign of fear, the local members of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) were forced to regroup outside the province following effective convergent anti-insurgency efforts by the civilian and military authorities here.
The remaining rebels who could not leave Bohol disbanded, while 13 insurgents are now being processed for the government’s integration back to the mainstream, army’s Major Eduardo Malig-on said.
“At least in the whole area under the military jurisdiction of the 802nd Brigade led by Col. Alan Luga, I can say that they [rebels] have been left ineffective due to our joint efforts with local governments, the private sector and the communities,” he said.
“Rebels have become insignificant they could not successfully put up a tactical offensive”, he adds.
At the weekly Kapihan sa PIA, the army officer recounted how insurgents’ attacks on vital installations: cell site towers in Carmen and Candijay towns ended up.
Quick action and coordination among private security guards and the immediate community helped foil the attempt, Maj. Malig-on shared.
Himself the 802nd Brigade’s Civil Military Operations (CMO) Officer, Maj. Malig-on said the military now, armed with their best CMO tool; their discipline takes over the vacuum.
The government forces then cements communities and empowers people to defend from themselves and withstand the possible return of the rebels, while introducing more livelihood opportunities to supplement family income.
Romeo Teruel, a peace advocate formerly handling Capitol’s poverty reduction program believed ousting communities from poverty deters rebels from instigating the community to hurl anti-government sentiments, this he continuously stresses in his talks with the people here.
Now left filling in the vacuum left by the insurgents, the army’s special action forces metamorphosed from fighting into machines bringing in community development through infrastructure building and livelihood training assistance, the civil military operations chief added.
Bohol has become a national model for it’s anti-insurgency efforts: one that showed two prongs: the government’s strong and soft hands.
In fact, with Bohol model being replicated all over the country, no less than 67th Infantry Batallion Commander Maj. Gen Reynaldo Mapagu who said the CPP-NPA is losing in every front, losing their mass support in the barangays and struggling with issues from within. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Jul 10, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
WHILE reports have been sketchy, Capitol sources have revealed Malacanang’s confirmation of the attendance of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA) to the 155th Foundation Anniversary and Bohol Day celebration this July 22.
“We received a communication from the Office of the President through assistant secretary Ronald M. Jorvis confirming the attendance of the president,” Provincial Administrator Tomas Abapo relayed to the media during the weekly Governor’s Reports.
Earlier, Bohol local officials led by Governor Erico Aumentado and Vice Governor Julius Caesar Herrera have aired the desire to have the president as guest of honor and speaker to the Bohol Day in 2009.
When the president comes, it would be her second this year; she was here last April 1 to launch the Samasama para sa Kalikasan youth environment program and this time for the Bohol Day.
Governor Erico Aumentado, who has been so vocal about the President’s support for the infrastructure development drastically helping change the economic landscape in Bohol has called the Arroyo as the patroness for Bohol’s development and progress.
In fact, in recognition to PGMA’s outstanding contribution to the over-all development of the province, Bohol officials are reported to hand the Datu Sikatuna Award of Excellence to the President when she comes, Capitol spokesperson June Blanco revealed.
The President is also expected to formally launch a project here called Skills Training Advocating Reliance and Self-employment (STARS), which is targeted to generate at least 22,180 more jobs in the rural areas here.
Seeing the project as in line with the government’s economic resiliency plan by starting employment, the president has reportedly committed P13M from her social funds which counterparts Bohol sourced funds to get the project going.
The P13M from the President forms half of the amount needed to keep the project moving, Capitol sources said.
On the other hand, PGMA is also set to inaugurate the multi million Bohol Diagnostic Center at Dao District in this city. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Jul 10, 2009 | Headlines, National News
REVENUE increase of P19 billion in the first year of implementation alone puts the Department of Finance (DOF) into lobbying for both houses of Congress to pass a law to correct the weaknesses of the excise tax on alcohol and tobacco products law.
Otherwise known as Republic Act 9334, the excise tax law needs to be restructured to keep tax rates at par with Asian neighbors, sources at the finance department said.
The Philippines has the lowest excise tax rates among Asian countries and still loses more revenues with its implementation of lower corporate income tax, high personal exemptions and tax incentives, DOF said
DOF also points out that the law is prone to downshifting or misreporting of consumption from high-priced and high-taxed brands to low-priced and low-taxed brands resulting in lower revenues.
“The current excise tax structure also needs to classify brands which create discretion for the taxing authority. The law is likewise eroded by inflation due to lack of automatic tax rate adjustment, the government agency said.
Over these, the agency is proposing for the adoption of a unitary tax rate for each category of alcohol and tobacco products, which will also lapse in time.
Under the scheme, a unitary rate will be indexed using a relevant price index for tobacco and alcohol.
With the revenues from the excise tax, DOF proposes to allocate a portion of the excise tax revenues to a trust fund for the transitional guaranteed income of farmers who are shifting to other crops.
DOF says, the country needs to raise revenues now to strengthen its fiscal position amidst continuing pressure from the global recession.
With the threat of economic recession in the country, the DOF explains that the government has to have more revenues to pump-prime the economy. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Jul 10, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
THE REGIONAL Development Council (RDC) in Central Visayas (CV) moves to unify all specific plans and programs here into an integrated regional action plan so it dovetails into the national economic resiliency plan (ERP).
To attain such, RDC Chairperson Gwedolyn Garcia issued a memorandum directing all heads or regional line agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations or financial institutions, state universities and colleges, local government units and Congressional representatives to submit respective programs and projects to the council through its secretariat.
Doing so would allow the RDC to integrate into the Central Visayas plan of action on the ERP and come up with an efficient and highly coordinated implementation and monitoring of such here.
Despite the country’s strong macro-economic fundamentals that have cushioned the Philippines from the impact of a global economic downtrend, the need to pump-prime the economy to sustain it pushed for the ERP.
The ERP hopes to ensure sustainable growth and attain the higher end of the country’s growth targest by saving and creating as manay jobs as possible.
This, economists said, should protect the country’s most vulnerable sectors from getting the full brunt of the crisis, stabilize prices improve the people’s competitiveness in time for the economic bounce.
To get all these, the government proposed implementation of budget interventions such as the full and quick spending of this year’s budget, hasten spending on small infra projects, widen social protection programs and create jobs while protecting jobs.
In Central Visayas, Chairman Garcia, who is concurrently the govenor of the region’s economic hub stressed the need for the region to be protected from the effects of global economic slowdown.
Over this, she said it is imperative that the region’s ERP be very clear and must be translated to concrete economic and socail programs activities and projects.
In her memorandum circular number 0l-009, she asked concerned agencies to submit to the RDC specific programs, activities and projects to be implemented by them this year.
The report to be submitted to the RDC secretariat must contain the title of the Program, activity or project, its brief descrition, project location, targe physical performance, target number of jobs to be generated, projetc cost, funding source and actual expenditures. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Jul 10, 2009 | Headlines, National News
The Department of Finance, in order to raise revenues as funding for the government stimulus program and plug deficit spending, has toughened its campaign against tax evaders
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The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)have the main task of raising revenue through effective and efficient collection of taxes, quality service to tax payers and uniform enforcement of tax laws.
To ensure government’s success in the collection of taxes both from company and individual payees, the BIR and the Bureau of Customs initiated administrative revenue raising measures.
Operations RATE (Run Against Tax Evaders), RATS (Run After the Smugglers), and RIPS (Revenue Integrity Protection Service). The measures were initiatives against tax evasion, smuggling and corruption. (PIA)
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