I’ve got to hand it to Lord Allan Velasco. He found a route to the Speakership, linked up with the right people, and picked his shots. He stuck to his plan and didn’t wilt despite the hailstorm that his more seasoned adversary, Alan Peter Cayetano, hurled his way.

Now, Velasco sits at the helm in the House of Representatives. If you didn’t know who “LAV” was a year ago, you certainly know him now.

There’s a life lesson here. Does “work smarter, not harder” ring a bell? Because that’s what the Marinduque congressman did, and it paid off. Would you dislike him for succeeding? That’s up to you. But haven’t we been demanding for new blood in our politics for the longest time? The guy has just turned 43 but looks more like 33.

Now let’s see what Velasco is made of. The time has come for him to work harder. Let LAV do his job.

I say this because Velasco is already grappling with coup rumors less than a month since becoming Speaker. For him, it must feel like walking on a minefield in Batasan — he knows everybody is waiting for him to make a mistake.

But even his most rabid haters in the House know that any attempt to unseat Velasco now won’t fly. They can sell it to their congressman-colleagues, but it’s doubtful anybody would bite. No less than President Duterte swore him in as Speaker last November 9. When was the last time that happened?

Let Velasco do his job. He already hurdled his first big test — passing the proposed 2021 national budget and submitting it to the Senate early. The senators received the House’s copy of the budget last October 27, a day ahead of Senate President Tito Sotto’s requested transmittal date.

With that move alone, the Velasco leadership spared the House weeks’ worth of demonization for passing the budget “late” as they wait for the eventual Bicameral Conference Committee meetings with senators.

For proper context, the 2021 budget bill worth P4.506 trillion is the country’s first pandemic-era budget. A lot of practical and economic relief is riding on it. That’s what made then-Speaker Cayetano’s planned post-October submission to the Senate so hard to swallow. Amid the perennial gamesmanship between the Senate and House, the latter chamber certainly can’t be blamed for screwing up the budget at this stage.

Based on the coup rumors reaching my spies in Congress, the plotters raise Velasco’s perceived inability to rally votes for administration bets from the district representatives come May 2022 elections as a ground to unseat him.

To me, that sounds forced if not a weak justification for an upheaval of this magnitude. So, under this alleged coup blueprint, Velasco should be kicked out for failing to do something that he has yet to be given an opportunity to do. The House members will find that very hard to support.

It’s only November 2020, people. There’s still a year to go before any meaningful election posturing can take place. Velasco will show his worth in that arena when the proper time comes because he has no choice. For now, LAV’s got a job to do.

*              *              *

SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at Home – The Philippine Business and News

About the title of this column, I just said that to grab the DOH’s attention. So be it, if I’d be accused “purveyor of fake news” by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III himself – you 10,000-year-old fart!

Pardon my disdain or my allegory, but what sick agency would tamper its statistics and expect public applause? Just days ago, the DOH reported nothing short of a lie, claiming that 38,075 COVID patients suddenly recovered from the disease.

It handsomely sang the tune of “a mass recovery” while it really meant that it started reclassifying mild and asymptomatic COVID patients beyond 14 days of testing positive for the virus as “recovered” even in the absence of a confirmatory test.

It was, by far, the most dangerous lie carried by media in this pandemic. It was a message to all COVID-positive patients who felt good after two weeks to ditch any more tests – heck, not even a return check-up – and go out into the world and spread some more.

What’s insufferable about this lie is the stamp of truth of the DOH, an agency headed by the same man on top of the Inter-Agency Task Force against COVID-19 or IATF.

Rants in social media reflect the growing dislike of Duque, largely because of the runaway statistics on COVID infections; hospitals in full capacity; the lack of medical equipment and ICU facilities; failure to keep medical staff paid and protected, and many other missteps arising from the sheer absence of a clear-cut strategy to confront this pandemic.

And since the statistical curve could not be flattened, the DOH flatters itself by changing how it counts the sick and recovered. Many would agree that it came up with this record-breaking “mass recovery adjustment” as a cover-up for its previous day’s report of the highest daily record of new COVID-19 cases at 3,954.

Taking us for fools, the DOH insists that its “time-based reckoning of recoveries” of mild and asymptomatic cases is now the internationally accepted standard of data management on COVID-19 patients. It begs the question of how government so often and so conveniently points at media for biases and fake news when it sells lies as life-threatening as this latest “alternative truth”.

Sec. Duque, saan ba talaga kami dapat mag-ingat – sa COVID o sa DOH?

*             *             *

SHORT BURSTS. Condolences to the family and all those who were mentored by or shared in the life of Ramon Francisco, former professor in Journalism at UST, former associate editor of the Manila Bulletin, summa cum laude, walking dictionary, thesaurus, grammar guide, and stylebook-in-one, and tireless disco king. Rest in peace, my friend.

For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at https://thephilbiznews.com

Whatever happened to the country’s drive towards attaining the sustainable development goals (SDG) set by the United Nations (UN) in 2015?

Is there a real and concrete effort to implement the social, economic, and environmental reforms necessary for government and business to end poverty, reduce inequality, and combat climate change?

How much progress have we made in adopting this UN blueprint for peace and prosperity on three of the Philippines’ major economic sectors – agriculture, maritime, and tourism?

These are the questions of the day which the European Innovation Technology and Science Center’s (EITSC) Advocacy Forum shall attempt to answer on June 20 at the Dusit Thani Manila hotel in Makati City.

At a recent press conference at Makati Shangri-la, Mr. Joona Selin, executive director of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (NordCham) which is EITSC’s partner in staging the event, said key leaders in the government, business, and banking sectors will be leading the discussions.

Among them are Senator Cynthia Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture; Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia; Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon, Jr.; Ms. Doris Magsaysay-Ho, president and CEO of Magsaysay Group of Companies; Dr. Benigno Peczon, president of the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP); Ms. Jo Ann Eala, Bank of the Philippines (BPI) head of Sustainable Energy Finance and Specialized Lending; and Mr. George Platzer, manager of Ikano Philippines and IKEA Southeast Asia.

Mr. Selin said the mix of speakers had been carefully studied by NordCham and EITSC so as to appropriately address the event objectives which center on six of the 17 SDGs of the UN – no poverty; zero hunger; good health and wellbeing for people; quality education; decent work and economic growth; and reducing inequalities.

“We want to engage the stakeholders – the public sector and the private sector – in these kinds of discussions and forum. What we the Nordic states (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) can share is our success stories; what has worked. And as in recent years when sustainability has been at the forefront, we put in perspective the public sector on setting the policy direction; and the private sector going out and taking that policy direction into action,” he said.

Mr. Henry Schumacher, EITSC (European Innovation, Technology & Science Center) president, said the EITSC, which was formed by European and Philippine development-oriented organizations like the European Union (EU), German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), and Hanns Seidel Foundation in 2002, has long believed that sustainable development is anchored on striking a balance among the 3 Ps – people, planet, and profit.

“I’ve been in the country (Philippines) for 42 years and, yes, I have seen a growing middle class. But what is most important to address is the inequalities. I see that there are a lot of people still out there — many who are not part of it (economic growth),” Schumacher told THEPHILBIZNEWS. “And we want to come across with the message – with respect to the UN (SDG) goals for 2030 – that industries have to do more.”

As head of the National Economic and Development Academy (NEDA), Secretary Pernia will keynote the event which is themed “Achieving Win-Win Approaches in Sustainable Development” and delve on implementing inclusive and sustainable growth in the Philippines.

It is seen that while the discussions will break down specific policies and goals, they shall all converge on three of the country’s strongest economic sectors which are agriculture, maritime, and tourism.

Schumacher told THEPHILBIZNEWS: “We selected three areas (agriculture, maritime, and tourism) that when you look at inclusive growth and bridging the gap between people who have money and people who don’t have money, then we need employment; development of supply chains in agriculture; the potential of the Blue Economy in the maritime industry; (and) enhancing tourism as the country’s next growth engine.”

The Blue Economy he mentioned refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth; and, with reference to livelihood and jobs, it encompasses ocean activities from renewable energy to fisheries; from maritime transport to waste management; and from tourism to climate change.

As such, Selin and Schumacher underscored the discussions to be led by Ms. Magsaysay-Ho and Usec. Bengzon.

In this respect, Schumacher also underscored the value of hearing from Mr. Platzer and the IKEA Group’s take on promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth while finding the balance with full and productive employment and decent work for all.

In the agriculture sector, Dr. Peczon will navigate through the topic of creating sustainable agriculture in the Philippines.

Schumacher warned that with the average age of Filipino farmers at 57, there may not be much to be had in the future. He also called out the need for supply chain management and, at the same time, to diminish the middlemen system to entice more people to share in the benefits of farming.

With regard to policy direction, Sen. Villar will show the link between and among both Houses of Congress, the national and local governments, business, and civil society in achieving the win-win approaches in sustainable development. She is a pro-environment and backyard farming advocate, herself, having established farm schools and recycling trash by way of livelihood programs for women.

In another front, Schumacher revealed that the EITSC had long been convinced that the Philippines would emerge as a major player in the field of information and communications technology (ICT). “EITSC is convinced that the sector of innovation, technology, and science in its widest and potentially most disruptive interpretation has become and will continue to be one of the drivers of change in the Philippines,” he said.

Compelling discussions in this area, Selin said, will surely interest the forum’s target participants from national and local industry associations; corporate affairs and business development professionals; think tanks and business associations; C-level executives from multinational firms in the Philippines; and the various government agencies.

“But we will also address issues like access to finance, insurance and technologies, and we’ll certainly not forget the impact digitalization can make in the three sectors and beyond,” said Schumacher, adding that microfinancing will be a topic brought to fore by Ms. Eala of BPI, which is a silver sponsor of the event.

In addition, the whole day affair will include a discussion on the new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sustainability reporting guidelines for publicly-listed companies or PLCs. Business Development Manager JM Reyes said: “It has to be understood that what is today limited to PLCs will eventually become the requirements for all companies – for understandable reasons, taking the mentioned SDGs seriously.”

For inquiries on participating and/or partnership in the EITSC Advocacy Forum, contact Mr. Reyes at tel. No. (632)752-0541, email him via jmreyes@eitsc.com or check www.eitsc.com.

No less than DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez spearheaded the DTI’s initiative supports to the agency’s promotion of innovation as a tool to help Filipinos build novel products and businesses, and is in line with DTI’s Inclusive, Innovation-led Industrial Strategy (i3S).

Aside from this, the Trade Chief said that the foundation can tap DTI’s network and existing programs for their projects. PFST is the private organization behind the Philippine Science Centrum and travelling science exhibits visiting different regions in the country.

Mr. Henry Sy, Sr. passed away quietly last week, as quietly as he led his life.

He was a very humble man and I had the opportunity to join them on a quiet dinner with the entire family to celebrate the birthday of my cousin from my mother’s side in Quezon Province, Rosa Lim Chang who is connected with SM Megamall on Edsa for the longest time. She is particularly close to the Sy family.

Henry Sy, Jr. known for his nickname “Big Boy” whom I have known for many years for he was a friend of my nieces and nephews Juanto Morato Cuenca (father of actor Jake Cuenca); and his sisters, my nieces, Alicia Morato Cuenca and Coni when they were studying here in Manila.  But both nieces of mine married in Spain, while the two brothers, Juanto and Manny, married Filipinas and stay here in the Philippines.

Those were during their younger days when my niece, Alicia, then age 17, was a Pitoy Moreno model who travelled a lot with the former First Lady Imelda Marcos to model in Bloomingdale in the U.S., in Russia and many other countries.

I went to the wake last Tuesday, January 23, and it was the first time I saw the The Heritage Parks and Chapels in Taguig so full of people and parked cars in all the streets inside the Heritage Park.

Pastor Peter Tanchi of Christ’s Commission Fellowship gave a very inspiring talk but too long for me to print.  I shall pick some highlights that I feel are very meaningful in life to think about.

First, he spoke about the “Four Realities of Life”: “Death is sure; Life is short; Heaven is real; Jesus is our Hope.”

On “Death is sure: How come we live in denial?  How come we don’t prepare?  The Bible says death is final.  It is appointed unto men, you die once.  After this, judgment.”

On “Life is short, …compared to eternity, life is short… The Bible is saying life is short and that’s why you need wisdom.”

On the third reality, “Heaven is real…  Heaven is real to those who are sure of going, but if you’re not sure where you’re going, you can never rejoice on this.”

The last reality of life is: “Jesus is our Hope.” …“It is not winning the sweepstakes.”  And if I may add, neither winning in the lotto, STL nor Jueteng.  “Jesus is our certainty of eternal life.”

What also struck me in Henry Sy, Jr or “Big Boy’s” short talk was about what his father always said to them, his children: “A good name is to be more desired, more than great wealth.”

Mr. Henry Sy, Sr. lived up to his motto in life.  He was quiet, reserved, simple and sincere, more on the shy and humble side.  Totally unassuming sans pretentions.  A good man blessed by God for his many kindnesses toward his fellowmen.

Post Script:

I would like to thank all my readers in The Philippine Business and News. Your various reactions to my regular column discussing various issues make me happy and humbled by your continuous trust to me and THEPHILBIZNEWS. God bless you all and our country!

For comments and suggestions email at mlmorato@yahoo.com

With the recent revelation from Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino, that the actual amount of missing shabu (methamphetamine) from the four magnetic lifters found in Cavite last August was not P6.8-B, but 11-B, Duterte prompted to replace the BOC personnel by military men.

On this latest development at the bureau on militarization, business leaders said they would watch if it would improve transactions at the ports.

According to Duterte, he is forced to take this bold move as part of his “declaration of a state of lawlessness” at the start of his term in mid 2016, with “part of the lawless elements are there inside the Bureau of Customs.”

Some business leaders generally welcomed this latest step in Customs, but were cautious on how it would affect transactions in the country’s ports.

The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines through its Senior Adviser John Forbes said, “he welcomed all reforms that would reduce smuggling of illegal and underpaid goods. However, he also noted that the exporters also need goods to flow smoothly since local materials are very insufficient and foreign markets need to receive orders on time at a time of “importing peak period in November”.

“We will need to understand what changes will result from the president’s announcement when more details are known,” the AmCham Philippines Adviser added.

For the Philippine Exporters Confederation President Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr., he commended the effort being taken by Duterte to clean up the Customs. But he also expressed his concern about having active military in the post without necessarily underestimating their capability by saying, “they (the military being appointed) may not have business sense…”

Meanwhile, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce of Industry (PCCI) President Ma. Alegria Sibal-Limjoco said that the President’s move in the bureau “is a good start”. THEPHILBIZNEWS tried to get in touch with PCCI President to expound what she meant by “a good start” but Limjoco is still out of the country. Based on the call made by THEPHILBIZNEWS which was answered by a certain Arlene, they will await for the reply of Edgardo Lacson, Honorary Chairman of PCCI and acting President while Limjoco is away, on our verification and revert to us. However, as of this posting we did not get any update yet.

To the President Semiconductor & Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. Danilo Lachica, he shared what he is expecting on this move from the President. Lachica said, “While he was “indifferent” to the use of soldiers for Customs work, as long as they “are men of integrity”, ease the process of doing business and expect no corruption”, this should be okay.

This will be the third time that the Bureau of Customs got into controversy. Back under the time of under former BOC commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, who was implicated over the smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of “shabu” (crystal meth) last May 2017.

Then it was BOC commissioner Isidro Lapeña who was in hot water after some people accused him that he was in cahoots with drug smugglers after it was discovered that the scrap magnetic lifters contained drugs slipped through and now missing which was according to PDEA Director General Aquino was worth 11B and not 6.4B as previously estimated that led to Lapeña’s resignation as BOC Commissioner.