DT_20190713

98-METER PASSENGER
FERRY ARRIVING OCT.
1.3B ‘MULTIDIMENSIONALLY
POOR’ — UN
B10
B10
‘5% CME SHOULD
NOT BE EXPENSIVE’
B14
SHOPEE PHL EYES 5-FOLD
ORDER VALUE GROWTH
B11
Jun Vallecera, Editor
Saturday, 13 July 2019
Daily Tribune
BUSINESS
B9
Toyota recalls 12,000 units over airbag error
INAPPROPRIATE computer programming of airbags installed on Toyota Rush units has forced a recall on 12,124
of the vehicles. It was found that a rear wheel impact could cause the airbags to deploy.
Willful leadership
transforms Manila
THE Z PERSPECTIVE
Joe Zaldarriaga
COMMENTARY
“The eloquent mayor
turned those offers
down, and moved on to
pursue his mission to
remove the dirty image
that his city has grown
through the years.
It is one thing to lead by words, and another to lead by action.
That exemplifies the ‘new kid on the block’, the Tondo boy who
worked as garbage collector in his younger days to meet both ends
meet, became a TV celebrity for his boyish look, and now leading
to transform the once dingy, dangerous and ‘abandoned’ Manila,
into a tourist destination.
While Manila is the most popular city in the Philippines,
famous worldwide, and while it remains the nexus of our entire
country, it was simply allowed to rot by previous mayors during
the 30 post-EDSA years.
Manilenos cheered when Manila Mayor Isko Moreno hit the
ground running in the City of Manila, clearing the clogged roads
of illegal vendors and setting a clear policy agenda to reverse that
city’s slow death.
Moreno is the product of the public’s expectation for willful
leadership and effective governance. People expect their mayors
and governors to be both compassionate and decisive. Because we
have a willful President today that leads an effective governance,
it trickles down to the local executive level.
When Moreno reported for work on his first day at office, he
readily rolled his sleeves to clear the busy streets of Divisoria,
Blumentritt, and even beyond that, cleaning up Carriedo, Plaza
Miranda and its underpass. That’s when I realized that Manila is
fortunate to have a man of action in charge — who clearly knows
and envisions what he wants and how to do it.
A small, seemingly minor community program like a clearing
operation may not be sexy, but the important steps toward greatness
rarely are. So, it is a wonder when the government’s resources are
actually put into good use, as they are being used right now, such
as firetrucks being utilized to clear out the grimy streets of Manila.
But it is with these small baby steps that we see a man striving to
give his city a new life, refreshed in its own way, but with a better
outlook on life.
Mayor Isko revealed that he got an offer of P5 million a day
to close his eyes on the anomalous situation. The eloquent mayor
turned those offers down, and moved on to pursue his mission to
remove the dirty image that his city has grown through the years.
The initial results of his campaign during his first week in
office did not go unnoticed. The press reported and posted photos
of places like Divisoria, looking almost unrecognizable without the
messy crowd of people trampling around the place. There is order,
there is peace, and it is a beauty to watch.
Moreno’s willful leadership is also getting good raves from
government officials with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana
looking to personally congratulate him for the reforms that he is
putting in place.
Turn to page B10
Special service campaigns are issued to inform
customers on technical issues in specific products
which may be inspected, repaired or replaced with
no expiration date
By AJ Bajo
It should be fairly easy for the Philippine Gaming
and Amusement Corp. (PAGCOR) to generate P8
billion from so-called Philippine Offshore Gaming
Operators (POGO).
This was learned from Pagcor Chairman and
CEO Andrea Domingo who expressed the optimism
despite the exit of three gaming operators who
were apprehensive of the impact on changes in the
tax system.
“We will make it. We’re going to collect another
P8 billion,” Domingo told reporters at the sidelines
of the Phil-Asian Gaming Expo on Friday.
The PAGCOR chief said the tax authorities are
all “very intelligent and mature people” who will tax
POGO correctly and that these companies “could
still make a profit enough for them to stay here” as
competition from other countries is tight. She said
the Philippines has more lenient rules and cheaper
operational costs.
“There’s a lot of competition from other countries
like in Cambodia. You only have to pay $1,000 and
you can put up an operation. I think Laos is even
thinking of opening up and I don’t know if Japan
will open up to offshore gaming, but they’ve already
(issued) three licenses,” she added.
The establishment of POGO hubs is also another
issue that PAGCOR is looking into.
“I think it’s good. First, it legitimizes the presence
of offshore gaming in the Philippines. It assures
transparency in all transactions. It assures players
that they’re no longer going to fear for their bets
because we are here to assure that there’s fair play,”
Domingo said.
Industry leader Toyota
Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP)
is issuing a special service
campaign for the curtain shield
airbag computer of 12,124 Toyota
Rush units.
In an advisory to the
Department of Trade and
Industry signed by TMP first vice
president Rommel Gutierrez,
TMP said the recall covers units
sold in the Philippine market
from 2 April 2018 to 7 February
this year.
“Due to inappropriate airbag
computer programming of the
involved units, the Curtain Shield
Airbags may deploy upon impact
on the rear wheel,” TMP’s advisory
read. The campaign is in line
with the automaker’s “corporate
commitment to product safety and
quality,” it said.
TMP said it will notify
concerned customers through
official notification letters. The
ADJUSTMENTS in the country’s tax regime has allegedly forced three offshore gaming operators to
leave. Still, the head of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. is certain the agency’s P8-billion
collection target is within reach this year.
PAGCOR says P8B income
from POGO possible
She noted the country is no longer
the illegal gambling capital of
the world and that “everybody
is looking at the Philippines as
somebody who has actually done
a very good intervention in the
offshore gaming sector industry”
“(Also,) it assures the government that we are
collecting the gaming revenues through our audit
service provider...so that every single centavo
that goes to the government legally, will go to the
government legally,” she added.
According to her, the POGO hub, being a new
revenue source for the PAGCOR, is still being studied
noting on the agency’s focus on how to establish it,
attract operators and how to regulate the gaming
portion of it.
Further, the PAGCOR boss said they will provide
licenses with a longer effectivity period for those
operators who choose to set their operations within
the hubs while those that will operate outside the
hubs will also be licensed, but with a much shorter
effectivity period.
“Since it’s easier for us to regulate when they
are in hubs, then there are some special privileges
there like five-year licenses for those inside the hub
but for those outside, three years, which is better
because before, it was only effective for a year,”
Domingo explained.
On the exit of three gaming operators the
PAGCOR chief attributed to their fear of upcoming
tax rules and regulations, Domingo said the
Philippines succeeded in creating a good
regulatory regime for such operators.
“We were able to successfully convince
about 59 operators to get to the Philippines.
We have a very good model now. We do
not segregate the operators from the
service provider to circumvent revenue
collection,” Domingo said.
She noted the country is no
longer the illegal gambling capital
of the world and that “everybody
is looking at the Philippines as
somebody who has actually done a very
good intervention in the offshore gaming
sector industry.”
She said operations against illegal POGO have
already began with some 170 operators closed by
operations from the National Bureau of Investigation
and the Philippine National Police. Joshua Lao
owners of the affected units may
bring it to any authorized Toyota
dealer for a free replacement of
the airbag computer assembly.
Special service campaigns
are issued to inform customers
on technical issues in specific
products which may be inspected,
repaired or replaced with no
expiration date.
In April last year, TMP also
recalled more than 10,000 units
of its models Alphard, Corolla,
Vios and Yaris produced from
January 2013 to December 2014
over a defect in the units’ airbag
inflator.
This was followed with a
September recall of 15,000 Toyota
Wigo models manufactured in
2017 due to a faulty wire.
BoC halfway
past P10-B tariff
collection target
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) has
already collected P5.889 billion from rice
imports under the new rice tariff law,
officials said on Friday.
The amount translates to over 50 percent
of its total target collection.
According to Customs Commissioner
Rey Leonardo Guerrero, the BoC is on track
to meet the P10 billion target rice tariff
collection set under Republic Act 11203 also
known as the Rice Import Tariffication Law.
The law, which took effect on 5 March
this year, was created to address the rice
shortage in 2018.
Tariffication replaced the former quota
system on rice imports that make it easier
for importers and traders to import rice to
meet local demand, ease consumer prices
and by extension the country’s inflation
rate. Food accounts for the bulk of the
consumer price index and rice is a key
component.
According to the BoC, the Bureau
reported an increase in privately imported
rice under RA 11203 with a volume of
966,690 metric tons in March to June period
as compared to only 185,100 metric tons
for the same period in 2018. Likewise, an
increase of 422.25 percent in volume was
also observed and attributable to RA 11203.
An average of 256,445 metric tons
per month of rice imports after the
implementation of RA 11203 was noted
compared to only 46,275 metric tons per
month in the same period last year.
In a statement. the BoC said the volume
of rice importation is a strong indication that
the BoC will meet the target of P10 billion
pesos in tariff collection this year earmarked
for remittance to the Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund.
CUSTOMS officials reported having already
collected this early half, or P5.89 billion,
of its full year goal in rice tariff revenue
this year, raising hopes the target should
be met.