Tag: Philippine Statistics Authority

Statements

On Long Lines and Other Issues Affecting the Implementation of the National ID Law

If the national government is really serious to implement the National ID system and capture as many registrants and serve the purpose of better delivery of social services to our people – including more efficient revenue collection, effective anti-corruption and anti-criminality efforts and the like – they better resolve some pestering issues quickly and surely.

While the National ID law has finally taken off the ground, it has been slowed by several issues – from the controversies that attended the awarding of contracts in outsourcing supply and services, to the crashing of the PSA website due to the unanticipated surge of applicants, and now the long hours of waiting just to register and God knows what else.

The key to the effective implementation of the National ID System or PhilSys Act is our ability to ‘capture the universe’ and encourage as many Filipinos to sign up and register. That much I used as one of my arguments while sponsoring and defending the measure on the Senate floor three years ago.

Finally, it was enacted into law in 2018. It has already taken a long time since its passage and the implementation of the said law is now taking off the ground. If the issues are left unaddressed, it will be another missed opportunity to uplift the lives of our people in more ways than one.

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Statements

Ping: Hinihinging Pondo para sa Bakuna ng Kabataan, Puwedeng Kunin sa mga Nautang Na

Maaaring hugutin mula sa P57.3-bilyon na nautang na ang P25 bilyon na hinihingi ng pamahalaan para pambili ng bakuna para sa mga kabataan, ayon kay Senador Panfilo Lacson.

Batay sa datos ng Philippine Statistics Authority, P30.462 bilyon lamang ang kakailanganin para makapagbakuna ng 68.2 milyong adult Filipinos ngayong taon, ani Lacson.

“Figures from the PSA as of March 28 this year shows the Philippines’ midyear population will reach 110,198,654 by July 1. Of this, 62 percent or 68.323 million are adults. If we multiply this by P446 per dose, including logistical costs, we will need about P30.472 billion to inoculate our adult Filipinos. Thus the difference of P26.83 billion is more than enough to cover the P25-billion requirement to procure the vaccines for our minors,” paliwanag ni Lacson.

“Based on these figures, we may not need to look for an additional P25 billion since it is amply covered by the ‘excess’ in borrowings,” dagdag ng mambabatas.

Related: Lacson: Funding for Minors’ Vaccination Amply Covered by Existing Borrowings
Continue reading “Ping: Hinihinging Pondo para sa Bakuna ng Kabataan, Puwedeng Kunin sa mga Nautang Na” →

Statements

Lacson: Funding for Minors’ Vaccination Amply Covered by Existing Borrowings

The P57.3 billion in loans already secured by the government for the procurement of vaccines can cover the P25-billion requirement for the vaccination of minors, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said Friday.

Lacson cited updated figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicating only P30.462 billion may be needed to inoculate 68.2 million adult Filipinos this year.

“Figures from the PSA as of March 28 this year shows the Philippines’ midyear population will reach 110,198,654 by July 1. Of this, 62 percent or 68.323 million are adults. If we multiply this by P446 per dose, including logistical costs, we will need about P30.472 billion to inoculate our adult Filipinos. Thus the difference of P26.83 billion is more than enough to cover the P25-billion requirement to procure the vaccines for our minors,” Lacson said.

“Based on these figures, we may not need to look for an additional P25 billion since it is amply covered by the ‘excess’ in borrowings,” he added.

Related: Ping: Hinihinging Pondo para sa Bakuna ng Kabataan, Puwedeng Kunin sa mga Nautang Na
Continue reading “Lacson: Funding for Minors’ Vaccination Amply Covered by Existing Borrowings” →

Statements

Ping: Higit P1-B Nawawala Kada Taon sa ‘Smuggling’ ng Isda at Seafoods

Bukod sa baboy at manok, nawawalan ng bilyon-bilyong piso ang gobyerno kada taon dahil sa katiwalian sa pag-import ng isda at iba pang produktong dagat.

Isiniwalat ito ni Senador Panfilo Lacson sa pagpapatuloy ng pagdinig ng Senate Committee of the Whole tungkol sa iregularidad sa produktong agrikultura.

Kinwestyon ni Lacson ang malaking pagkakaiba sa datos ng World Trade Organization (WTO) at Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) tungkol sa pag-import ng isda at seafood mula 2015 hanggang 2020.

“The Department of Agriculture will have a lot of explaining to do. The discrepancies may mean there is a lot of misdeclaration, underdeclaration, or outright smuggling. There’s a pattern,” dugtong ng mambabatas.

Continue reading “Ping: Higit P1-B Nawawala Kada Taon sa ‘Smuggling’ ng Isda at Seafoods” →

Statements

Hindi lang Pork at Chicken! Lacson Bares P1.058B a Year Lost to ‘Smuggling’ of Fish, Seafood

Aside from pork and poultry, the government is also losing billions of pesos a year due to irregular practices involving the importation of fish and seafood products, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson bared Thursday.

Lacson questioned the huge discrepancies between the records of the World Trade Organization and the Philippine Statistics Authority in terms of fish and seafood importation from the top 15 exporting countries from 2015 to 2020.

“The Department of Agriculture will have a lot of explaining to do. The discrepancies may mean there is a lot of misdeclaration, underdeclaration, or outright smuggling. There’s a pattern,” he said at the second hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on irregularities involving agricultural products.

“It’s not just in pork and poultry products where there are irregularities. It cuts across practically all FSRAs (food safety regulatory agencies). What action has the DA taken? The bottom line is that we have lost so much revenues – some P1.058 billion yearly from 2015 to 2020 in foregone revenues on imported fish and seafoods alone on account of all these discrepancies,” he added.

Continue reading “Hindi lang Pork at Chicken! Lacson Bares P1.058B a Year Lost to ‘Smuggling’ of Fish, Seafood” →

Statements

Lacson Thankful for Hope Brought by Donated COVID Vaccines
Image Courtesy: CNN Philippines

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson expressed thanks over the weekend to the donors of COVID-19 vaccines that arrived in the Philippines recently, saying these give Filipinos hope of recovering from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

Lacson said the vaccines from China-based Sinovac, as well as AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC), will help achieve herd immunity that is a key to resuming economic activities.

“Always grateful to China and COVAX AMC for making us see a sliver of hope to achieve herd immunity,” he said on his Twitter account Friday evening, adding the P2.2-billion daily loss in household consumption and the 9.5-percent economic contraction was driving the country a step closer to insanity until the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines arrived.

Continue reading “Lacson Thankful for Hope Brought by Donated COVID Vaccines” →

Statements, Videos

Ping: Ekonomiya, Mabilis na Ibabangon ng National ID

Bibilis ang pagbangon ng ekonomiya ng bansa kung ganap na maipapatupad ang Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act o ang National ID.

Ito ang nakikita ni Senador Panfilo Lacson, isa sa mga may-akda at ang sponsor sa Senado ng naturang batas na ngayon ay nasa inisyal na bahagi na ng pagpapatupad.

“The lack of identification creates formidable barriers for the downtrodden and the poor, and creates even larger barriers between the government and the people. Hence, we should push for the implementation of the National ID if we want to further strengthen our response not only against the pandemic, particularly in the roll-out of the much-awaited vaccines, but in many of our future endeavors,” paliwanag ni Lacson sa kanyang pagsasalita sa pangatlong taunang economic and political briefing ng Colegio de San Juan de Letran Graduate School.

Related: Lacson: Full Implementation of National ID to Speed Up Economic Recovery
Continue reading “Ping: Ekonomiya, Mabilis na Ibabangon ng National ID” →

Statements, Videos

Lacson: Full Implementation of National ID to Speed Up Economic Recovery

A full implementation of the Philippine Identification System (National ID) Act will speed up the country’s economic recovery following a 9.5-percent contraction in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said.

Lacson, one of the authors and the principal sponsor of the measure in the Senate, said the National ID system will promote financial inclusion and streamline government services – both of which are needed at this time.

“The lack of identification creates formidable barriers for the downtrodden and the poor, and creates even larger barriers between the government and the people. Hence, we should push for the implementation of the National ID if we want to further strengthen our response not only against the pandemic, particularly in the roll-out of the much-awaited vaccines, but in many of our future endeavors,” he said at the third annual economic and political briefing of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Graduate School.

Related: Ping: Ekonomiya, Mabilis na Ibabangon ng National ID
Continue reading “Lacson: Full Implementation of National ID to Speed Up Economic Recovery” →

Statements

Fast-Tracking the National ID System and Funding R&D

The National ID system was signed into law nearly two years ago. There is no other time than now where it is most needed.

I hope the National Economic and Development Authority can fast-track the implementation of the National ID system, as directed by the President.

NEDA should have ample help from the Philippine Statistics Authority as the frontline agency, and the Department of ICT which plays a major role.

The first question is, is the system ready to accept registrants? If so, they should give priority to the marginalized sector, and those targeted for financial assistance because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Meanwhile, while the President has made a P10-million offer to whoever can develop a vaccine for COVID-19, it would mean much more if the government invested more on research and development than the token annual average share of 0.4% from the General Appropriations Act.

We only need to look at how much the most prosperous countries spend on R&D to see why we are among the laggards. Even if we bump up the percentage to 1 or 2 percent of the national budget, it would make a major difference.

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