Maharlika
The news that the Supreme Court has instructed the executive and legislative branches of government to comment on the petition seeking to declare as unconstitutional Republic Act 11953 (Maharlika Investment Fund Act of 2023) is welcome.
Both branches are required to comment on the petition “within 10 days.”
The petition was filed by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares, and former Bayan Muna representatives Carlos Zarate and Ferdinand Gaite. They argued that the passage of the law bypassed the constitutionally mandated legislative process.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersarmin, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, the House of Representatives and the Senate were named as respondents in the petition.
We await their response with interest.
The proposed Maharlika Investment Fund would be the first-ever sovereign wealth fund in the Philippines. Great care should be taken to ensure that there is a careful and complete legislative process which is adhered to before the fund is operational.
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Moderna
In the fight against COVID, many of us were inoculated with the Moderna vaccine.
It now seems that Moderna is planning to establish a facility in the Philippines.
We welcome this development. The quality of jobs engendered by Moderna’s presence will be high. The aim is to establish a Virology Science and Technology Institute.
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International Labor Organization (ILO)
The ILO is also supporting work programs much as upskilling to generate decent employment opportunities for our workforce.
I believe, however, that it is important that the ILO works in conjunction with our Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to achieve mutually agreed objectives.
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Tourism
The Department of Tourism has launched a tourist assistance call center. This is aligned with the National Tourism Development Plan (2023-2028). The aim is to “enhance the tourism experience”, according to Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco.
I hope so.
She says that the call center will provide, where necessary, complaint resolution as well as travel and emergency assistance.
I wish the call center every success, but I wonder if the complaint resolution will be successful. Nevertheless, as far as complaints are concerned, the call center should be able to gather useful information which may help in the longer term./PN
