Page 2 - Hello Philippines November 2015 'B' issue

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TALE OF 2 DATA SETS
BNiEnDayAscaiytessstraetcsosvheorwy i2nMEm. Voriseapyoaosr,
TACLOBAN CITY – Eastern
Visayas is on the road to recovery as
far as export, import, tax collections,
and employment are concerned, the
National Economic and Development
Authority (NEDA) regional office here
reported.
In a separate development, however,
Vice President Jejomar Binay, citing
government data, noted that more than
2 million people in the region have in
fact fallen below the poverty line.
Making the round of Leyte and
Southern Leyte ahead of the second
anniversary of typhoon Yolanda, Binay
took a dig at the slow pace of recovery,
which he said had caused more people
to fall through the cracks, unable
to get back on their feet because of
government incompetence.
Citing the latest available data from
the Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA), NEDA Regional Director
Bonifacio Uy said the value of first-
quarter export of the region rose to
US$138.25 million in the first quarter
of this year or more than thrice the
$35.01-million exports in the same
period last year.
For importation, the total value
increased to $156.26 in the first quarter the 35.7 percent recorded a year ago.
or more than double last year’s $60.62
million.
Imports are an indicator of recovery,
Uy said. “We buy raw materials for
processing and export. If we are
importing the raw materials to a level
equivalent to the pre-Yolanda, that’s
Permits to carry guns outside
home suspended during APEC meet
Continuation from page 1
At the same briefing, Chief Inspector
Kimberly Molitas, spokesperson of the
National Capital Regional Police Office,
said the 18,000-strong police force
was placed on full alert early Thursday
evening.
Mayor appealed to groups planning
to stage protests during the APEC
summit to keep these peaceful.
He said police will hold a dry run
Saturday morning for the security
measures they will be implementing
next week.
Several major roads will be closed
during the APEC meet. But Mayor said
road closures are the responsibility
of the Metro Manila Development
Authority.
The MMDA also made preparations
for the APEC summit.
It has prepositioned plastic barriers
along EDSA and Macapagal Avenue.
The MMDA clarified that vehicular
traffic will only be stopped for heads
of economies, but not for delegates,
an indication that operations of big
companies here have already been
restored.”
The NEDA regional chief was
referring to the performance of
the Philippine Associated Smelting
and Refining (PASAR) Corporation
operating at the Leyte Industrial
Development Estate in Isabel, Leyte.
It is the country’s only copper smelter
and refinery.
He conceded that the growth may
not be inclusive since PASAR’s client is
the foreign market, but other economic
indicators also point to recovery,
according to him.
In terms of tax collection, the Bureau
of Internal Revenue reported that 3rd
quarter national taxes generated have
risen to P1.72 billion from P1.36 billion
in the same period last year.
Improved tax collection means
that businesses in the region are doing
well, hence, generating more jobs
and curbing underemployment, he
explained.
For July 2015, underemployment
rate was at 27.6 percent, lower than
Likewise, unemployment rate dropped
by 5 percent in the same period.
“There are jobs generated by the
local economy and less people are
looking for work,” he added.
Nonetheless, Uy explained that some
indicators need improvement such as
coconut production, where millions of
people in the region depend on.
passing through EDSA.
The agency also reminded motorists
that the vehicle reduction number-
coding scheme will not be suspended
next week.
Apart from the road closures
and rerouting schemes that MMDA
announced earlier, parts of the
westbound lane of Ayala Avenue in
Makati City, particularly from Makati
Avenue to Paseo de Roxas, will be closed
to traffic from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Nov.
16-17.
Atty. Cris, Saruca, head of operations
for MMDA, advised motorists to avoid
EDSA and Roxas Boulevard during APEC
week.
Earlier, the government announced
the suspension of classes and work in
government offices in Metro Manila
from Nov. 17-20.
Work in the private sector, on
the other hand, will be suspended on
Nov. 18 and 19. n InterAksyon.com / News5 /
November 13, 2015
NEWS
A man tends to a meat stall in the Tacloban market. The NEDA regional chief said economic data indicate steady recovery of the region hardest hit by super typhoon
Yolanda in 2013, but Vice President Binay, who happened to be in the area, said government poverty statistics showed 2 million more people were added to the ranks
of the poor. InterAksyon.com File
“If we compare the recovery phase
undertaken in other areas in the world
that experienced the similar magnitude
of disaster, we are at the very least at
par in terms of recovery,” Uy told PNA.
“The government is doing its best
to respond to the needs of affected
population. Recovery takes times,
especially on the magnitude of disaster
that we went through,” he said.
NEDA has been leading the
supervision of post-Yolanda recovery
efforts in central Philippines. This,
after President Benigno Aquino III
transferred the function of the Office
of the Presidential Assistant for
Rehabilitation and Recovery (PARR)
to NEDA through Memorandum Order
79 issued on April 22, 2015.
VP Binay: rising poverty in region.
Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar
Binay lamented Thursday the rising
poverty incidence in the Eastern
Visayas.
“Nakalulungkot na ang Eastern
Visayas na ang pinakamahirap na
rehiyon ayon sa pinakahuling Annual
Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS) ng
Philippine Statistics Authority [It’s sad
that Eastern Visayas is now the poorest
region based on the annual APIS of
the PSA],” he said during his visit to
Southern Leyte.
Speaking in Filipino, Binay said that
per APIS, “poverty incidence here in
Eastern Visayas reached 54.9 percent in
2014, up from 45 percent in 2012. That
means, 2.25 million people in Eastern
Visayas do not earn enough to sustain
themselves and are mired in poverty.”
Binay said the poverty incidence
in the region rose in the aftermath of
super typhoon Yolanda in November
2013. Eastern Visayas was directly in
the storm’s path and was the hardest
hit region in the country.
“It’s sad that even after several years, yet they haven’t completed giving what
our people are deeper in poverty,”
November 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 22 • UK & Europe Edition
Binay said, adding that what makes
things worse is that “there’s money
there to help our people who deserve
it, but it’s not being spent well.” He said how to manage...how to administer].”
it seemed that is the norm under the
administration: not to use funds for
their intended purpose.
“May budget para sa mga biktima
ng Yolanda pero 27 percent pa lang
ang inilalabas na pera. Kasama
iyon sa budgeting. Appropriation at
implementation ang kailangan para
ma-realize iyon,” he said.
VP Binay will be going around
Leyte this week, mainly, he said to see
for himself the progress - or lack of it
- of efforts to help typhoon Yolanda-
affected communities recover.
In his first outing Thursday, he
mingled a lot with senior citizens,
in a bid to cement his reputation as
the champion of the elderly with his
vaunted record in Makati, where he
was mayor for 18 years.
The atmosphere was festive, with
some in the crowd greeting him
“Happy Birthday” in advance: he
marks his natal day on Nov. 9.
Binay was accompanied by some of
the candidates for Senate of the United
Nationalist Alliance (UNA), which
is fielding Binay and Sen. Gregorio
Honasan as his running mate.
The festive mood was broken by
a grim assessment made by the vice
president of the state of things in
Yolanda-ravaged areras where, he
noted, much remained to be done
to help people recover despite the
administration’s boast that billions of
pesos were ready for the purpose.
“Itong Yolanda, dalawang taon na, di
pa nakumpleto yung dapat ibigay pero
ang yabang/yabang: damu pera, damu
pera, wala! Di marunong magmanage.
Di marunong maging administrador
[It’s been two years since Yolanda, and
they promise. And yet people hear,
there’s so much money, there’s so much
money---but none! They don’t know
He asserted he has the experience
and the competence and took a dig at
people [apperently referring to his LP
rival] he said had been “secretary of so
many things, and yet are incompetent;
they don’t know how to work.”
Coconut sector most affected. The
Vice President said coconut farmers
were the most affected by the super
typhoon, with 1.1 million farmers
losing their source of income after
Yolanda destroyed 33.82 million
coconut trees.
As support, Binay said the
government should teach farmers to
harvest other higher-value coconut
products.
“We need a paradigm shift in the
products being produced here,” he
stressed, instead of, for instance, just
copra.
He cited as examples coconut
milk, which if supported could reduce
reliance on imported dairy products.
The coconut milk can also be used for
feeding programs in order to reduce
malnutrition among students.
Aside from coconut, the government
should also look into the possibility
of planting other high-value, export-
quality crops, Binay said.
If he gets elected as president,
Binay said he will push the “one
town one product” program and
strengthen the relations between
farmers and consumers in the region,
maximizing the opportunities offered
by ASEAN integration. “Magtatayo
tayo ng tatak Pilipino na magdadala
at magtataguyod ng ating high-value
crops, katulad ng kiwi sa New Zealand
sa ilalim ng Zespri,” he said. n InterAksyon.
com / Mon Gualvez / News5 / with PNA report by Sarwell
Q. Meniano / November 5, 2015 / 4:38 pm