Month: July 2024

DUMAGUETE CITY: The Department of Education (DepEd) in this Negros Oriental capital is optimistic about increased proficiency levels of elementary and high school learners after completion of the National Learning Camp (NLC) this month, an official said Wednesday.

Some 8,000 basic education, junior high, and senior high school learners in this capital have enrolled for the learning camp that officially began Tuesday.

‘The NLC is a national program to address the learning gaps of our learners with three separate camps on intervention, enhancement, and collaboration,’ said Dr. Juditha Mapue, chief of the curriculum implementation department of the City Schools Division here.

It will also enhance teacher capacity, the DepEd official added.

Mapue told the Philippine News Agency that the intervention is designed for children who have not reached their proficiency level in a particular subject, focusing on literacy and numeracy.

Enhancement and collaboration, meanwhile, are designed to boost the skills of lear
ners with higher academic performance, she added.

The three-week NLC is a simultaneous program conducted nationwide and is implemented in all 25 DepEd elementary and high schools in this city.

Running until July 19, students will be attending classes until noon physically every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

The teachers handling the camp will spend Mondays and Fridays for ‘collaborative expertise’ for best practices sharing and materials preparation, Mapue said.

The camp promised to incorporate fun-filled activities outside classroom instruction.

Mapue hoped to have 100 percent attendance in the camp although the first day of classes appeared to have fewer learners.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The release of nearly 12,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) resulted in a significant decrease in the congestion rate of the country’s prison facilities, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday.

This is a result of the Marcos administration’s sweeping reforms in the justice system, Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres said during the agency’s town hall meeting in Dasmariñas City, Cavite.

‘Congestion in prisons remains a challenge but since the change of administration in July 2022 up to March 2024, DOJ has caused the release of 11,940 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) after a diligent review of their prison records. As of May 2024, overcrowding in prisons have been substantially reduced to 239 percent,’ Andres added.

Andres said these PDLs were freed through the efforts of the Public Attorney’s Office.

Andres, meanwhile, said this jail congestion rate is a significant drop from the previous 300 percent.

“Hindi pa po na-solve ngunit nasa tamang direksyon na po tayo. Hindi na po tayo puma
payag na may mahinang kaso na isampa sa korte para wala na po harassment, wala pong deprivation of liberty ng walang sapat na ebidensya (We have not yet solved the problem but we are in the right direction because of the reforms. We no longer allow weak cases be filed before the courts so as to eliminate harassment, there will be no more deprivation of liberty without sufficient evidence),’ Andres said.

“He added that reforms in terms of streamlining the prosecution process and case build-up to weed out weak harassment and nuisance cases has also resulted in a marked improvement in conviction rates.

He said DOJ prosecutors now secure a very high conviction rate of 93.59 percent of cases actually filed before the courts.

He said the new system institutionalizes cooperation between law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and prosecutors who now take a closer participation in investigating cases.

‘We have institutionalized the close cooperation and coordination between prosecutors and LEAs envisioned to weed out wea
k cases that would not stand the rigors of a court trial. What is more important the threshold of evidence, kung ano po ang ebidensyang hawak bago kayo makasuhan ay kailangan ho kumpleto. Hindi po kagaya ng dati naghahanap ng ebidensya habang trial na. Ngayon po hindi na dapat nasa kamay ng prosecutor ang kumpletong ebidensya beago simulan ang paglilitis (we ensure that the pieces of evidence available before somebody can be charged must be complete. Gone are the days when evidence is sought when the case is already pending before the courts),’ Andres said.

‘Hindi po nasayang ang pagod ng kapulisan at pagod ng korte at ng prosecutor dahil po sa masinop ng pagkuha ng ebidensya, paghahanda sa trial (The efforts of police and the courts along with the prosecutors in securing evidence is not wasted,’ he said.

After a full year of proactive involvement in case build-ups up to March 2024, Andres also said 7,114 weak cases were not filed in courts which contributed to decongestion of its dockets.

Source: Philipp
ines News Agency

Starter Im Chan-kyu had a solid outing and his teammates provided just enough run support, as the LG Twins defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 3-2 on Thursday in their final game before the All-Star break in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Im, making his second start after missing nearly a month with a lower back injury, held the Heroes to a run on four hits in six innings at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. The Twins snapped their two-game losing skid and ended the Heroes’ six-game winning streak.

The KBO will go on a four-day All-Star break beginning Friday, with Incheon, just west of Seoul, hosting the midseason festivities. The regular season will resume next Tuesday.

The Twins scored twice in the top of the first inning against starter Ha Yeong-min. After the first two batters hit a single and a double, Kim Hyun-soo plated the first run with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.

Austin Dean followed up with another sacrifice fly to double the Twins’ lead.

After the Twins failed to score with runners at the
corners in the top third, the Heroes cut the deficit in half in the bottom third. Kim Gun-hee led off the frame with a double off starter Im Chan-kyu. Jang Jae-young, a former pitcher who converted to outfielder last month due to elbow problems, brought Kim home with a single to center.

Two batters later, with Jang still on first, Ronnie Dawson drove a first-pitch changeup from Im to deep right field for what could have been a game-tying double. But right fielder Hong Chang-ki tracked it down and made a leaping catch just in front of the fence to end the inning and preserve the Twins’ 2-1 lead.

The Twins regained their two-run lead in the very next inning, with Gu Bon-hyeok making it 3-1 with an RBI groundout to shortstop.

The Heroes couldn’t capitalize after putting two runners on in the bottom sixth, with cleanup Song Sung-mun and No. 5 hitter Choi Joo-hwan both unable to deliver.

The Heroes once again had two runners aboard for Song in the bottom eighth. He worked an eight-pitch walk against closer You
Young-chan to load the bases, but Choi could only manage an RBI fielder’s choice that made it a 3-2 game.

Pinch hitter Byeon Sang-kwon grounded into a force out to kill the final Heroes rally.

You Young-chan got the final five outs for his 18th save of the season. The Twins scored all three runs without the benefit of a hit.

Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb said scoring those two runs in the opening frame helped set the tone.

“We couldn’t add any more runs after the fourth inning and so we made life difficult on ourselves,” Youm said. “But the players maintained their focus and took it across the finish line. Chan-kyu did his job as the starter and Young-chan closed out the victory under pressure. They deserve a lot of credit.”

Im was sidelined for most of June before returning on June 23, when he held the KT Wiz to a run over five innings and struck out eight. After tossing another one-run ball Thursday, Im improved to 5-3 for the season and lowered his ERA from 4.31 to 4.08.

The Twins are entering the b
reak in second place at 46-38-2 (wins-losses-ties). They are 3.5 games behind the Kia Tigers, who are trying to win their first Korean Series title since 2017.

The Tigers beat the Samsung Lions 8-3 Thursday by scoring five runs off closer Oh Seung-hwan in the top of the ninth. This was the Tigers’ third straight win, which took them to 48-33-2.

The Lions entered this week with a chance to overtake the Tigers for first place, but they fell to fourth place instead at 44-39-2.

The Doosan Bears, after beating the Lotte Giants 6-3 Thursday, are in third place at 46-39-2.

The SSG Landers are occupying the fifth and final playoff position at 41-42-1, despite losing to the NC Dinos on a 12th-inning, two-run blast by Matt Davidson.

The Dinos are in sixth place at 40-41-2, and only trail the Landers in winning percentage, .4939 to .4938.

The KT Wiz saw their five-game winning streak snapped in a 13-5 loss to the Hanwha Eagles on Thursday. The Wiz are still in seventh place at 38-45-2, while the Giants are right b
ehind them at 35-42-3.

The Eagles are in ninth at 37-44-2, just half a game back of both the Wiz and the Giants.

The Heroes, after their six-game winning streak ended Thursday, are bringing up the rear at 35-46.

The All-Star break begins Friday with the home run derby, followed by the game on Saturday, both at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, just west of Seoul.

The midseason break has been cut from seven days to four days for this season, as the KBO looks to crown the Korean Series champions before the end of October and help the national team, made up largely of KBO stars, prepare for the Premier12 tournament in November.

The regular season will resume next Tuesday.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

MANILA: Strengthening linkages with the private sector and ensuring the ease of doing business (EODB) are the key steps in “future-proofing” the country’s job market against modern challenges, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said Thursday.

During the Pre-SONA (State of the Nation Address) Special over state-run PTV, Laguesma said this is President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s marching order to government agencies to cushion the effect of market challenges and breakthroughs, including artificial intelligence.

“Alam natin na ang lumilikha talaga ng trabaho ay ang pribadong sektor, ang pangunahing responsibilidad ng pamahalaan ay lumikha ng isang (We all know that the private sector is the who creates jobs, the primary responsibility of the government is to create an) enabling environment conducive to investment tsaka paglago ng negosyo (and growth of business). How do you do that, through digitalization, reducing the cost of doing business in the Philippines, saka (and) ease in doing business,” Laguesma said
.

He underscored the importance of stability in policies in enticing more investors.

“Hindi ‘yung pabago bago. Nakapag-invest ka na, may problema ka na naman agad. Hindi ka pa nagsisimula, napalaki na ng iyong ginagastos. Yun ang gustong tugunan ng ating Pangulo (We do not want policies that change from time to time. You already placed an investment and you are already having problems. You haven’t even started and yet you have spent so much already. Our President wants these problems resolved),” he added.

Last month, the government launched the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) plan at the first-ever National Employment Summit.

The TPB is a 10-year roadmap that will serve as the national guide toward greater employment generation and recovery.

“Ang sinasaad noon ay ang paglilikha ng mga dekalidad at sustainable na hanapbuhay. Mabawasan ang ating poverty incidence na pwedeng i-address ng paglikha ng mas maraming hanapbuhay at dapat ay mas maging inclusive yung pagbibigay ng serbisyo, pati ‘yung paglago ng ating
ekonomiya, dapat ma-cascade natin sa lahat ng level ng ating lipunan (It mandates the creation of quality and sustainable jobs. It also aims to reduce poverty incidence by creating more jobs and ensuring that these are inclusive, as well as the services and our economic growth. It must be cascaded to all levels of society),” the labor chief said.

The TPB is expected to help generate at least 3 million new jobs by 2028.

Laguesma, citing data from the Department of Trade and Industry, said investment commitments from the foreign trips of the President are expected to generate an additional 200,000 jobs.

He said the DOLE is also sparing no effort in preparing the youth for employment through programs such as the Government Internship Program and the Special Program of Employment for Students.

Employers must address wage distortion

The DOLE chief also said employers are responsible for adjusting workers’ salaries to maintain the wage gap.

This comes after the National Capital Region wage board approved a PH
P35 hike in the daily pay of private sector workers in the region.

Laguesma said this is essential to uplift the morale of workers.

‘May nakaset na proseso. Pwede makipag-usap na kayo. Alam nila kahalagahan ng correction ng distortion. Ilang taon ka na nagtatrabaho, inabutan ka na ng minimum wage earners (There is a process. They should hold talks. They know the importance of correction of the distortion. You have been working for so long and yet the minimum wage earners have caught up on you in terms of salary). The employers must make adjustments to maintain the reasonable gap between wages,’ the DOLE chief added.

In Wage Advisory No. 1, Series of 2023, the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) reiterated relevant provisions of the Labor Code of the Philippines and jurisprudence on the matter, outlines how instances of wage distortion may be recognized.

The procedures to correct wage distortions are as follows: for organized firms (with union), employer and the workers’ union shall negotiate
to correct the distortions; any dispute arising from wage distortions shall be resolved through the grievance procedure under their collective bargaining agreement; and if it remains unresolved, the parties may push through with the process of voluntary arbitration.

On the other hand, for unorganized firms (without union) the procedures will be, the employers and workers shall endeavor to correct the wage distortions; any dispute arising therefrom shall be subject to mandatory conciliation-mediation through the Single-Entry Approach (SEnA) of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB); and if there is no settlement, the distortion may be resolved through the labor arbiter or may be submitted by both parties through voluntary arbitration.

The formulas and examples may serve as guide in adjusting wage structures to rectify any wage distortions can be viewed through this link, https://nwpc.dole.gov.ph/nwpc-advisory-no-01/.

Wage distortion occurs when the variations in wage structures or rates among
employee groups within an enterprise are significantly eliminated or substantially diminished due to mandated wage increases.

Restoring the substantial distinction or gap is permissible under Article 124 of the Labor Code.

On the other hand, Laguesma noted that if the parties did not reach an agreement, they may submit a letter to the DOLE.

‘Kung hindi magkasundo, pwede sila sumulat sa DOLE. May Single Entry Approach (SEnA) kami. Kung may issue, papatawag lang, ang usapan ay cordial, civil. Wala muna file-an ng demanda (If they do not agree on something, they can write to the DOLE. We have a Single Entry Approach. If there is an issue, we will call them for cordial and civil talks. No filing of charges yet),’ he said.

SEnA is an administrative approach to provide a speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement procedure of all labor issues or conflicts to prevent them from ripening into full-blown disputes or actual labor cases.

Source: Philippines News Agency

After winning his final start of the season’s first half Thursday, LG Twins starter Im Chan-kyu said he doesn’t have any statistical goal for the remainder of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) campaign.

Im, who missed nearly a month earlier in the season with a lower back injury, said he wants to stay on the field.

“I don’t want to miss any turn in the rotation,” Im said following the Twins’ 3-2 win over the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. He limited the opponents to a run on four hits in six innings, while striking out four. “I want to be a cornerstone for the pitching staff and keep giving the team a lead before the bullpen takes over.”

Im had a disappointing 6.39 ERA at the end of April with a 0-3 record, a far cry from 2023 when he established career highs with 14 wins and a 3.42 ERA and helped the Twins capture their first Korean Series title in 29 years.

The 31-year-old has been a completely different pitcher since the start of May, though. He went 3-0 in five starts in May with a 2.
51 ERA. A lower back injury knocked him out of action for most of June, but Im returned with a bang on June 23, when he limited the KT Wiz to a run on three hits in five innings and struck out eight.

Then came Thursday’s outing, in which he mixed in four-seam fastballs, curveballs and changeups to great effect. He is now 5-3 with a 4.08 ERA.

The Twins had a short offseason after their title run ended in mid-November last year but Im said it didn’t have any bearing on his sluggish start to this season. He said he needed some time to adjust to the automated ball-strike system, implemented in the KBO for the first time this year. Colloquially called the robot umpire, the new system uses tracking technology to determine balls and strikes and relays calls to the home plate umpire through an earpiece.

The accuracy and consistency of the system at different ballparks has come into question throughout the season, and Im said he had to figure out quickly how to attack the new strike zone.

Im also thanked his bullp
en and defense behind him for their help in preserving Thursday’s win, with closer You Young-chan notably collecting a five-out save and surviving a bases-loaded jam in the eighth.

Im is far from the only significant player to suffer injuries for the Twins this season, and he called on the rest of the team to be more vigilant in taking care of their bodies.

“I think we all have to be responsible as far as avoiding injuries,” he said. “We’ve had a couple of injuries in the starting rotation. Hopefully, when everyone is back in the second half, we will compensate for the time that we’ve missed earlier in the year.”

With Thursday’s win, the Twins ended the first half in second place at 46-38-2 (wins-losses-ties), 3.5 games behind the Kia Tigers. Prior to the game, Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb said he felt his team would be able to push the Tigers harder once all the injured players are back.

Asked how he thought the Twins would do with everyone in the mix, Im smiled and said, “I have no idea. Only God know
s that.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency

CEBU CITY: The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is eyeing Bohol as the next skilled workers’ hub in Central Visayas with the upskilling and reskilling initiatives through the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act.

Lilia Estillore, regional director of DOLE-7, said Bohol is among the key areas in the 3 million jobs to be created through Republic Act 11962 or the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in September last year that mandates upskilling and reskilling of workers.

The law, she said, ensures the increase in employability and competitiveness among Filipino workers.

‘Maka-kompetensya jud ta, dili ta maawahi kung dili kompetensya jud ta sa uban nga mga nasud sa atua nga kamao, sa atuang kamaohan, sa atuang mga skills (We can truly compete; we won’t be left behind if we compete with other countries through our expertise, our skills, and our abilities). So, there will be some initiatives and support to the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and industry stakeholders,
‘ Estillore said in her speech during the three-day Regional Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Congress in Anda, Bohol.

She said the Visayas Cluster Employment Summit tackled challenges and the future of employment.

The upskilling effort includes exposing workers to new skill sets and providing skill capacity build-up through technical-vocational training.

Estillore said among the items discussed was the shipbuilding and repair industry in Cebu ‘since there is the international port that is to be done in Consolacion.’

‘So Bohol is one of the places that have been looked into,’ Estillore said, referring to the island province prospect of being the next possible ship repair hub.

However, the effect of ship repair activities on the pristine white beaches in Bohol was one of the issues discussed and needs to be addressed.

Source: Philippines News Agency