Airport Authorities Implement Traffic, Safety Measure This Holiday Season

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In anticipation of the heavy volume of passengers this Christmas, airport officials have laid down measures to ensure safety and convenience of passengers nationwide.

A slot management system is being enforced to make sure airlines depart as scheduled. The system has helped improve the on-time performance (OTP) of airlines, effectively reducing incidents of flight delays. At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the OTP of airlines improved from 47% to 71% since the new administration took over.

A two-minute waiting time is also being implemented for people fetching passengers at the airport. Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Ed Monreal appealed to the public to refrain from turning arrival gates into a parking area.

"Kailangan po talaga magtulungan tayo dito," said Monreal at a press briefing today.

To improve the flow of traffic to and from the NAIA, Monreal said MIAA is now coordinating with Villamor Airbase to allow passengers to pass through and decongest traffic especially along Andrews Avenue. Security issues are currently being discussed.

The MIAA is also hopeful that the stretch of NAIA Expressway covering Terminal 3 will open in December.

Capt. Jim Sydiongco, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, also reported that Legazpi, Dumaguete, Roxas, and Caticlan airports are now night-rated. Night landing capabilities will enable airports to accommodate flights after sunset.

In terms of safety and security of passengers, the MIAA will deploy an additional 97 security personnel at the NAIA. The PNP is also ready to augment the airport's security force should it become necessary.

Nine (9) suspects of "salisi" incidents in the NAIA were also presented to the media to show how serious authorities are in ensuring safety of passengers. Since January, a total of 57 "salisi" incidents were reported, wherein 20 have been apprehended.

Monreal also warned airport personnel from asking gifts and favors from passengers this Christmas.

"I have no problem with personnel greeting passengers a 'Merry Christmas,' as long as there is no intention to ask for gifts," he said.

For those who will be found guilty of the act, he warned: "Kapag may nanghingi ng regalo, hindi na yan aabot ng Pasko. Definitely may disciplinary action."

House of Representatives' Probe of Ronnie Dayan is Lowest of the Low - Hontiveros

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The House of Representatives hit a lowest of the low as the House Committee on Justice reopened its probe into the narcotics trade inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) during Senator Leila De Lima's stint as justice secretary. It was not an investigation in aid of legislation. It was a public lynching in aid of misogyny and sexism.

The intention was clear. Members of the committee were grossly unparliamentary. Their derogatory line of questioning did not aim to shed light on the issue of the drug trade in our prisons. They were meant to humiliate and shame Senator De Lima for her association with a certain man, or her past relationship.

It is very frustrating that in this day and age, the integrity and reputation of women can be undermined by unreasonable, traditional and conservative expectations of women's conduct in romantic and even sexual relationships. It is even more shameful that this nation's supposed leaders, elected representatives of the Filipino people, made the shaming of women a political strategy and a spectacle in the "honorable" chambers of Congress.

Even the very premise of focusing on Sen. De Lima's past relationship reeks of elitism. It assumes that people of a certain social and political stature shouldn't or couldn't enter into relationships with people belonging to a different social class, and should be the subject of ridicule.

It is not surprising that there is a surge in the number of sexual harassment cases against our women both online and off. The dishonorable behavior of our lawmakers has reinforced this despicable culture since the beginning of these investigations.

I join Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel Jr. and my other fellow Senators in calling on the members of the HoR to observe and respect the principles of co-equality and inter-chamber courtesy even with their issuance of a show cause order to Sen. De Lima. It is prudent for both the House and the Senate to first conclude their respective inquiries on the issue.

Lastly, I urge the House of Representatives, specifically House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to reign in its members and stop them from resorting to sexist and misogynistic attacks against another elected public official. If they are confident that they have real and tangible evidence against Senator De Lima, then let the evidence speak for itself. That is the only way for the Lower House to recover from this plunge into new and unparalleled lows.

Photo: Ronnie Dayan from CNN Philippines

CHED last-ditch attempt to appeal to Congress for the return of P2-B budget cut for faculty development and research Inbox x

Wazzup Pilipinas!

CHED would like to issue this appeal to concerned lawmakers to restore the P2 billion budget cut at the bicameral conference committee on budget scheduled on 29 November.  This will allow CHED to fulfil its role of working towards a locally responsive and globally competitive Philippine higher education system.

On 19 October 2016, the House of Representatives (HoR) during its third and final reading of the P3.35 trillion Duterte Administration budget, slashed the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) proposed P13.37 billion to P11.37 billion.

The HoR removed PhP1 billion each from CHED’s Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI) Project and its K to 12 Transition Program.  These funds were intended for faculty development and research.

 

For the PCARI Project, which is a continuing program since 2013, the proposed 2017 budget of PhP1.763 billion was intended to support 131 PCARI post-doctoral scholars, which CHED expects to double next year for advanced degrees in science and engineering. It will also fund 35 new PCARI research and development (R&D) proposals.

PCARI seeks to address the low research and innovation productivity of the Philippines in comparison with neighboring countries, based on the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index.  It was conceived by the science and academic community and approved by Congress in 2013 as a leap frogging strategy to build the country’s capacity for research that translates to technological innovations, strategic policies and concrete solutions to address development problems in the country.

The PCARI R&D Projects involve 15 Philippine HEIs with collaborators in the University of California. These projects address vital societal-scale problems and seek to develop capacity by supporting scholars who work on topics related to the research projects. All scholars are expected to study full-time or part-time in the University of California.

The current PCARI R&D portfolio includes the extension of cell phone sites for remote areas using the technology in a Village Base Station; design  hardware and software to manage the collection and analysis of big data gathered through the deployment of sensors in the power grid, water system, and the environment; design an algorithm for managing traffic in urban areas; develop affordable and efficient printable solar collectors and power storage systems that could be deployed in rural areas; create an early warning system for plant diseases affecting our banana plantations; design precise water management systems for agriculture; invent accurate diagnostic kits for dengue that could be used by rural health workers; discover new anti-malarial drugs; and enhance local capacity to design and assemble medical devices.

The K to 12 Transition Program was designed to mitigate the effects of the implementation of K to 12 on the higher education sector from 2016 to 2021, and to provide a safety net for faculty, staff and higher education institutions affected by low student enrolment, as students will be in Grades 11 and 12 instead of college. In the 1st semester of AY 2016-17 alone, more than 4,000 faculty and staff received grants from CHED, with an additional 3,000 grantees targeted for the 2nd semester. This allowed CHED to successfully minimize displacement of HEI personnel to just 3,286, compared to the estimated 9,000 for 2016 alone. 

The budget for 2017 is even more critical as two full batches of students—supposedly college freshmen and sophomores, respectively—would be enrolled instead in Senior High School come June 2017.

Continued support is needed to provide cushion to HEIs and encourage them to place their affected faculty and staff in graduate studies, continuing professional education, or research activities instead of retrenchment. Without sufficient funds, displacement numbers will increase drastically in 2017, with a PhP1 billion cut equivalent to a decrease in the coverage of about 2,463 faculty and staff.

CHED underscores the opportunity to invest in strategic reforms during this transition period to upgrade Philippine higher education sector, and for it to become more competitive regionally. In Malaysia, 70 percent of their faculty already have graduate degrees, while in Vietnam, the figure is at 62 percent, paralleled with generous scholarships abroad. Meanwhile, only 50 percent of our faculty have graduate degrees, oftentimes in disciplines not aligned to what they are teaching. Through the K to 12 Transition Program, CHED aims to increase this share to 70 percent in the next 5 years, with accompanying efforts to improve institutional capacities.

Finally, it is important to stress that the reduction in the budget of both projects run counter to President Duterte’s ten-point agenda that puts primacy on investments in human capital development—which begins foremost with faculty who are well-trained in their fields—as well as the promotion of science and technology to enhance innovation and creative capacity.