News Briefs: Feb. 19, 2019

Palace hails BIR move to track down Chinese workers

Malacañang on Monday welcomed as a “good measure” the plan of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to ask the help of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. in requiring the registration of all Chinese employed by online gambling companies that operate in the country.

“That’s a good measure to determine exactly how many Chinese nationals … are here in violation of our laws,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.

The BIR, he said, apparently wants to determine the number of Chinese workers here for taxing purposes.

Some lawmakers have raised concerns over big number of Chinese working in the country. —Christine O. Avendaño

Bishop urges victims of clergy abuses to speak out

Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David has called on victims of clergy abuses to come out in the open and speak out.

“If you are in this kind of situation, please don’t hesitate to talk directly to your bishops. Don’t be quiet about it,” David said over Radio Veritas.

David, vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), also urged the faithful to abandon the “culture of silence.”

“The culture of silence is wrong at times … You have been victimized and yet you fear the embarrassment [of coming out in the open]. In reality you should find people who would be willing to help you address the issue,” he said.  —Tina G. Santos

ROTC program instills patriotism in youth–Gatchalian

A majority of Filipinos support the return of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), which was discontinued as a mandatory program in 2001 because of allegations of abuse and corruption, according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

A Pulse Asia survey conducted on Dec. 14 to 21 last year showed that 80 percent of Filipinos agree that the ROTC program should be implemented in senior high school or college.

Gatchalian said only 15 percent did not support it.

The ROTC program should be supported because it is a “powerful means of instilling patriotism and discipline in the Filipino youth,” said the senator, who is set to conduct a hearing this week on bills seeking its return. —Leila B. Salaverria

Prices of gasoline, diesel rise by 70 centavos per liter

Oil companies raised pump prices of their products for the second successive week as the price of Dubai crude increased in the past week.

Shell, Phoenix, Total, PTT, Seaoil, Eastern and Caltex announced a price increase of 70 centavos per liter of both diesel and gasoline.

Prices of the bellwether Dubai crude, the import of choice for Asian countries, climbed to $64.04 per barrel on Feb. 14, from $61.65 on Feb. 11. —Ronnel W. Domingo