MANILA – Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Friday urged local government units (LGUs) to continue the nationwide Road Clearing Operation (RCO) and campaign against tricycles on national highways to protect children from road accidents following the shift of schools to face-to-face classes.
“The Road Clearing Ops and ‘no trike on national highway’ campaign have to be sustained. Hindi puwedeng ningas-kugon (We cannot lack sustained perseverance on this). We urge our LGUs to continue and sustain their successes to protect our children from road accidents, lalo na ngayong papalapit na ang (especially now that we are about to resume) face-to-face classes,” Año said in a news release.
Año said out of 41,365 barangays covered by the RCO initiative, 93.53 percent or 38,690 barangays continue to respond to the call to clear streets of obstructions in March 2022 with the latest data submitted on May 6, 2022.
He noted that all regions were above the 80 percent adherence rate establishing the hard work performed in the barangays in ensuring that their streets are free of obstructions and are safe for children to travel.
“Malaking tagumpay ito [RCO] sa pagtiyak natin na magiging ligtas ang ating mga anak sa kalsada. Hinihikayat natin ang mga LGU na protektahan ang mga bata sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatutuloy ng mga nasimulan ng programang ito sa susunod na administrasyon (This is a big victory in ensuring that our children will be safe on the streets. We encourage our LGUs to protect the children through continuing this program under the next administration),” he added.
He said LGUs and the PNP must ensure that national highways must be free of tricycles and pedicabs unless otherwise allowed by an ordinance in the absence of alternate routes.
The DILG Secretary also said each city and municipality should ensure that their tricycle task force is activated and is separate from the tricycle regulatory boards to formulate or review its tricycle route plan.
“Kadalasang tricycle ang sinasakyan ng mga bata sa pagpasok sa eskuwela kaya naman mahalaga na tiyaking ng mga LGUs na ligtas ang daan at sumusunod ang mga drayber sa mga limitasyon nila (Children frequently ride tricycles in going to schools so it is important for LGUs to ensure road safety and that drivers are complying with limitations).”

Policies vs. road traffic injuries

Año said newly elected officials (NEOs) must also look at formulating policies that lead to the protection of children from road accidents for this will play a critical role in ensuring that they are safe on the streets and far from road traffic injuries.
He encouraged them to include in their priority programs and/or continue existing road safety initiatives protecting children from road accidents and penalizing individuals exposing children to the possibility of involvement in road traffic injuries.
He said NEOs have the most opportune prospects as new LGU officials to dictate the pace and introduce new programs on top of their platforms.
“As the influx of children travel on roadways going and back from their schools, children are exposed to road accidents. These policies on road safety can save lives and reduce road collision deaths and injuries,” Año added.
Meanwhile, DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya urged LGUs to join the Nationwide Child Road Safety Law Enforcement Visibility activities where the government’s effort on road safety for children will be highlighted.
Malaya said cities such as Quezon, Valenzuela, Tuguegarao, Danao, Ormoc, and Zamboanga are participating in the event by setting up separate checkpoints around schools to distribute information, education, and communication materials on various road safety laws.
“We are likewise encouraging all LGUs nationwide to join us in Nationwide Child Road Safety Law Enforcement Visibility activities and participate by initiating parallel activities, advocacy efforts, and related programs in preparation for the opening of classes,” he said.
The Nationwide Child Road Safety Law Enforcement Visibility activities are part of the government’s ‘Oplan Balik Eskuwela’ and is led by the National Coalition for Child Road Traffic Injury Prevention in partnership with national government agencies and civil society organizations.

Give your kitchen an upgrade with LG Side by Side Inverter Refrigerators to store your ingredients, and create nutritious meals – including barbecues – for your family this summer with durable and versatile La Germania Ranges.
You’ll also be amazed by how inverter washing machines help you save energy, time and money in doing all your laundry chores. LG Inverter Washing Machines allows you to remotely operate your laundry, download additional cycles and interact with it with smart convenience with Smart ThinQ features.

Now is the best time to shop for your favorite appliances with SM Appliance Center’s Summer FUNalo promotion and get a chance to win exciting prizes which is ongoing until April 30, 2022. You will earn 1 e-raffle entry for every P1000 single receipt of purchase at SM Appliance branches or online channel at www.smappliance.com or ShopSM at https://shopsm.com/collections/sm-appliance when you shop.

Five lucky winners can drive home the KYMCO KRV 180i TCS Motorcycle. They can also win prizes for their home: 40 Carrier Airconditioners and 200 Camel Electric Fans.

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The Department of Foreign Affairs Consular Office has recently launched its Temporary Off-site Passport Service (TOPS) site at SM City Olongapo Downtown to address the high demand for passport processing.

DFA Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said in a virtual briefing that the opening of temporary sites will address the current backlog in passport processing.

He said that current TOPS sites are already in operation and are located at SM Mall of Asia, SM City North Edsa, SM Aura, Robinsons Place Las Piñas, and Robinsons Place Magnolia. Additional temporary sites outside Metro Manila including Olongapo, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal were opened to provide passport services in regions where there is also a high demand for passport services. DFA-TOPS Olongapo has the following features:

1. Because this TOPS is not configured to handle complicated applications, only straightforward passport renewal applications are accepted – no new/ first-time applications, no renewal which require change/correction of name, no renewal of lost passports.
2. No walk-in applicants will be accepted. All appointments must be booked online via www.passport.gov.ph. The online appointment system (OAS) is on first-come, first-served basis. Please have your current passport ready when making an appointment.
3. Appointments booked at TOPS Olongapo are non-transferable and cannot be rescheduled. If an applicant wishes to make any changes after obtaining their TOPS appointment, the existing TOPS appointment must first be cancelled. A new appointment can then be booked and paid.
4. Because there is no cashier at this TOPS, all payments must be made during the online appointment booking process. Cards or e-wallets should be readied prior to the registration. Only charges shown during the online booking process are to be paid. No other fee will be paid on-site at TOPS Olongapo, nor should applicants pay extra fees to obtain an appointment.
5. All passports will be released via courier only, therefore, applicants must agree to have their current passport cancelled on-site. Those who do not wish to have their passport cancelled prior to receiving their new passport must not apply at TOPS Olongapo.
6. There is no expedited processing at TOPS Olongapo. Processing time for passports is between 12-15 working days. The delivery of passports via courier will add 3-5 working days to the passport turnaround time.
7. Applicants who booked at TOPS Olongapo who do not meet the requirements of a straightforward passport application and / or who do not agree to its procedures (i.e. cancellation of passport on-site) will not be processed. No request for refund nor change of passport processing site will be entertained.
   The opening of TOPS-Olongapo is the start of the DFA’s project to roll-out regional TOPS operations.
   DFA-TOPS Olongapo is under the supervision of the DFA Consular Office in San Fernando, Pampanga; TOPS is from Monday to Friday, 9:00AM to 5:00PM at SM City Olongapo Downtown Cinema 2.

The United States welcomes the successful May 10 arrival to the Philippines of 193,050 doses of the U.S. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, one of the safest and most effective vaccines in the world.

This delivery is the first tranche of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines and follows the arrival of 2,030,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on May 8, bringing total COVAX deliveries to the Philippines to 2,673,000 doses.

The U.S. is by far the largest contributor to the COVAX effort, funding one in five vaccinations in the Philippines provided by the facility.

U.S. Embassy Economic Counselor Chip Gamble joined Secretary of Science and Technology Fortunato de la Peña, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, and National Action Plan Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon from the Philippine government, and other stakeholders at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to welcome the first arrival of Pfizer-BioNTech on Monday night.

“As the largest contributor to COVAX, the United States welcomes the arrival of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine here in the Philippines. I am proud that this extraordinarily safe and effective vaccine, developed through U.S. scientific ingenuity, will protect Filipinos. As we fight the pandemic together, the United States will continue to support the Philippines’ vaccination and COVID-19 mitigation efforts,” said U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John Law.

This is the fourth shipment of vaccines made available through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a global initiative to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The United States already has donated Php97.2 billion ($2 billion) to COVAX, to ensure the Philippines and other countries receive COVID-19 vaccines, and committed to provide an additional $2 billion.

With this delivery, the Philippines has now received more than 2.5 million vaccines through COVAX. In total, COVAX will provide 44 million doses to Filipinos. Upcoming COVAX deliveries from Pfizer will total over 2.3 million.

Developed jointly by American pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. and German biotechnology company BioNTech SE, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was the first to receive emergency use authorization from the World Health Organization and is 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 illness, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In February, the U.S. government announced a total planned contribution of Php194.4 billion ($4 billion) to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment. The United States already has provided an initial Php97.2 billion ($2 billion), and the Philippines is among the first countries in the region to have received COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility. 

The United States has worked closely with Philippine stakeholders throughout the pandemic to protect public health and strengthen local response to COVID-19. To date, total U.S. government COVID-19 assistance to the Philippines amounts to nearly Php1.3 billion ($27 million).

Several business locators have given the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) superior grades for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic since March last year, citing its strict implementation of safety protocols that allowed businesses to continue operation amid the health crisis.
In a series of interview for last week’s State of the Freeport Address (SOFA) by SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, Subic firms gave the agency from 8 to 10 points for its Covid-19 response.
David Reyes, a public relations strategist for the utility firm SubicWater, said he would give SBMA an 8 rating “because SBMA did things very well, relative to other neighboring areas.” He added that one of the things that a lot of locators appreciate about the SBMA was its “effort to adjust to improve.”
Santiago Detal Jr., customer service manager at Subic’s high-end eyewear maker Lindberg, also gave SBMA an 8 mark, pointing out that there were not that many Covid-19 cases in the Freeport. “Not having many cases meant that the SBMA did what needed to be done during the pandemic,” he said.
“Actually, I will rate it as 9 because they really handled it well, especially the protocols during the ECQ,” said Marvin Gangano, HR supervisor for Datian Subic Shoes, Inc., one of the biggest employers in the Subic Freeport today. He pointed out that strict border restrictions in Subic resulted in fewer cases.
For Catherine Stewart, HR and IT manager for Philippine Coastal Storage & Pipeline Corp., the SBMA deserved a grade of 9.5 for handling the Covid-19 challenge “very smartly.”
“It has not been intimidated by anyone, (including) people forcing their authorities over SBMA,” Stewart observed. “It has been confident that it has been following the guidelines of the government, so it has stood its ground to implement what is necessary to protect everyone here.”
PTT Philippines Trading Corp. president and CEO Danny Alavado, meanwhile, gave the SBMA a perfect score for handling the pandemic. “I think they were able to manage the Covid cases inside the Freeport Zone. There are some pocket outbreaks, but they really did a good job. For me it’s a 10,” he said.
In her report about the state of the Subic Freeport last week, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma recalled that the Covid-19 pandemic “practically crippled Subic’s emerging cruise tourism business” and began to impact the local economy more after a nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 17, 2020.
But even before the lockdown, Eisma said the SBMA was already on top of the situation. As early as January last year, she said the SBMA issued a public health bulletin to warn Subic stakeholders of a viral pneumonia and also formed a task force to plan the agency’s pandemic response.
Among the measures taken by the SBMA to fight Covid-19 were strict implementation of border controls, temperature scanning at Freeport gates and buildings, and regular disinfection of facilities. It also established isolation facilities, and put up a Covid-19 testing center with the Philippine Red Cross.
On the other hand, the SBMA boosted business in Subic amid the pandemic by coming up with a series of relief measures to help companies weather the economic slowdown. It also came up with various online platforms to allow business transactions with the SBMA to continue.
“Let me assure everybody that the SBMA will come out of the Covid-19 pandemic wizened and experienced and more capable in steering the Subic Bay Freeport Zone into a better tomorrow,” Eisma said in her SOFA last Thursday.
As of now, Eisma said the SBMA is teaming up with the private sector for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines for SBMA employees, as well as Subic residents and workers of business locators.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) reported continuing growth in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in 2020, with P3.2 billion in operating revenue, 69 new investments and expansion projects worth a total of P1.55 billion, and exports of $1.03 billion.
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, in her State of the Freeport Address (SOFA) that was streamed online on Thursday, attributed Subic’s remarkable growth last year to sound economic fundamentals and strict adherence to government health protocols.
The SOFA presentation, an annual project of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC), was held virtually this year and broadcast over social media—the first time in 14 years of the group’s existence.
Eisma said that while Covid-19 crippled Subic’s emerging economic niche of cruise tourism, “Subic survived for the most part.”
“The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic did not completely erode the solid business foundation we built over the years. Our sound policies gave us the toughness to weather the storm, while proactive measures to fight Covid-19 gave us the resilience to be able to bounce back after some beatings,” Eisma said in the SOFA.
The SBMA chief then proudly ticked off positive figures recorded in 2020 by the Subic agency in its key measures. Among them are: P3.2 billion in operating revenue and P1.51 billion in operating expense; P9.2 billion in cash and investments; P6.3 billion in other assets; P30.73 million in contribution to the National Treasury; P278 million in remittances to local government units (LGU’s); P131 million in income tax remittance; and P990 million in dividends.
Eisma also noted that the Port of Subic recorded stellar numbers with $1.12 billion in imports and $1.03 billion in exports. The Subic port also recorded 226,000 twenty-footer equivalent units (TEUs) of containerized cargo volume and 7.09 million metric tons of non-containerized cargo last year.
With these, the Port of Subic generated a total of $1.2 billion in revenues last year, while the Subic Bay International Airport earned a total of P62.9 million.
In the tourism sector, Eisma said Subic recorded 5.19 million in visitor arrivals and .29 million in tourist arrivals, while generating P8.48 million from actual tourism activities despite Covid-19 restrictions.
“And even as a lot of sectors were ravaged by the economic downturn, the Subic Bay Freeport welcomed a total of 69 new investment projects,” Eisma also reported. She said the new projects were mostly in the fields of construction, health and wellness, logistics, and information and communication technology. These new projects yielded total committed investments of P1.39 billion and 682 new jobs.
On the other hand, Eisma announced that existing Subic locators set up 11 expansion projects in 2020. These are in construction, leisure, real estate, logistics, and petroleum trading, and generated a total of P163 million in new investments, as well as 264 additional employment.
She added that despite job losses when some firms closed or cut back manpower during the pandemic, the new projects, particularly in manufacturing, still brought the total Subic Freeport workforce to 138,966 workers, the highest level since Subic Freeport was established in 1992.
“Our experience in the past months of the Covid-19 pandemic tells us that it really pays to keep safe, and that there’s a reason for following rules—not only for our personal physical health, not only for the protection of our loved ones and our community, but also for economic reasons,” Eisma also pointed out.