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Date Posted: 04:13:42 09/21/12 Fri
Author: IMRD
Subject: Sept. 21, 2012 news

http://business.inquirer.net/79718/promising-future-forecast-for-ph


Promising future’ forecast for PH
Gov’t says country to enjoy ‘demographic window’ by 2015
By: Michelle V. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
2:01 am | Saturday, September 1st, 2012
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The Aquino administration said the Philippines was up for a “promising future” that investors should take advantage of, saying there was a good chance the economy would grow more than 7 percent a year for at least 10 years after 2015.

On top of the country’s favorable economic fundamentals, the administration said the so-called “demographic window” that the Philippines would enjoy by 2015 could make the country a good investment destination.

“A promising future lies ahead,” the government said in its latest economic presentation distributed online to foreign sub scribers, which included businessmen, bankers and economists.

The “demographic window” is the period when the bulk of an economy’s population is of working age. In particular, it is the time when the proportion of the population aged 15 years old and younger falls below 30 percent and when the proportion of the population aged at least 65 years old drops to less than 15 percent.

Such a period should be enticing to businesses because it is when labor supply and income-earning consumers are abundant and an economy becomes more productive.

The Aquino administration said the demographic window would add icing to the cake for investors, citing the favorable macroeconomic indicators, including low inflation, sustained economic growth, a healthy banking sector, and strong remittances from overseas Filipinos that help fuel household consumption.

Citing a study by the United Nations, the government said the Philippines would follow the lead of strong Asian economies that previously entered the demographic window.

“The Philippines is the last major Asian economy to benefit from this demographic dividend, which is typically associated with accelerated economic growth,” the government said.

The country is expected to enjoy a robust growth rate of more than 7 percent over the long term starting 2015, saying some Asian countries, led by Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and China, experienced fast growth rates in the long term following their entry to the demographic window.

Japan entered the demographic window in 1965, Hong Kong and Singapore in 1980, South Korea in 1985, China in 1990 and Thailand in 1995.

Other neighboring countries have entered this window fairly recently. Indonesia and Vietnam did so in 2005, and Malaysia and India in 2010.

The average economic growth rate of selected countries for 10 years following their entry to the demographic window was 7.3 percent, the government said.

The Aquino administration aims to woo more long-term foreign investors into the country in the belief that investments from abroad were necessary to help create more jobs and reduce poverty.

The Philippines continues to lag behind other emerging Asian economies in terms of cornering foreign direct investments (FDIs).

Documents from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed that the net inflow of FDIs amounted to $844 million in the first five months of the year. This was up by about 10 percent from $766 million in the same period last year, but was one of the smallest among emerging Asian economies.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/news/nation/12117-repro-health-bill-debate-in-senate-faces-delays

Repro health bill debate in Senate faces delays
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Published on Monday, 03 September 2012 00:00
Written by JP LOPEZ and GERARD NAVAL
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SENATE President Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday said deliberations on the reproductive health bill might be suspended until June next year, after the mid-term elections.
The Senate is supposed to be in the period of amendments to the bill but has not started because the “turno en contra” of majority leader Vicente Sotto III has not been completed. Sotto will deliver the final part of his turno en contra today.
The bill will enter the period of individual amendments by next week.
Before the individual amendments, the committee on health and demography headed by Sen. Pia Cayetano will present committee amendments which are based on deliberations during the period of interpellation.
Enrile said he expects lengthy deliberations during the period of amendments. Other factors that will delay proceedings are upcoming Congress breaks and the elections in May next year, he said. Also, he said, the Senate is occupied with the proposed 2013 budget which it targets to approve by November.
Enrile clarified that senators opposed to the measure have no intention to delay the passage of the bill.
“Unless they want to vote us out to stop the amendments…Still we don’t have closure in the Senate,” Enrile said. ““They will vote to accept or not to accept every amendment,” he said.
He maintained that lawmakers should be cautious in passing the measure which he described as “most delicate.”
“You know, pinakamaselan at pinakadelikadong bill ngayon ang RH bill na pumasok sa buhay ng bansang ito. You will control the size of our population because the bill itself is a population control bill,” he said.
Enrile reiterated that he would propose to “delete” a provision describing condoms, intrauterine devices and other contraceptives as essential medicines.
“I will delete the definition of essential medicines. They have to explain to me why a condom is a medicine, why an intrauterine device is a medicine, not only medicine, but also an essential medicine. What diseases does it cure?” Enrile asked.
Enrile said he is also against a “hidden provision” in the bill that basically controls the growing population, especially of the poorest sector.
“My God, it is very basic: they are going to reduce the number of people, they will dictate what will be the size that is ideal for us. But, hindi puwedeng arbitrary,” he said.
The Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation Inc., through its executive director Romeo Dongeto, said it was “unfair” for Enrile to make such statements because “given his position, he should ensure that the bill goes through the process and not allow any delaying tactics.”

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/nation/30287-enrile-iuds-condoms-are-not-medicine

Enrile: IUDs, condoms are not medicine
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Published on 03 September 2012
Hits: 235
Written by RITCHIE A. HORARIO
SENATE President Juan Ponce Enrile on Sunday said that he would move to strike out the classification of some artificial birth control devices as essential medicines in the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

Enrile said that proponents of the measure should explain why they consider condoms and Intra-Uterine Devices (IUD) as essential medicines under the RH bill.

“They have to explain to me why condom is a medicine, why an IUD is a medicine, not only medicine but essential medicines,” Enrile told radio dzBB.

He said that he would push for amendments in the measure to strike out the said definition of essential medicines.

“I will delete the definition of essential medicine,” he added.

He explained that by declaring condoms and IUDs as essential medicines, the proposed measure would mandate the government to allocate funding for their purchase and distribute them for free to the public.

He, however, assured RH bill advocates that the amendment would not delay the enactment of the measure.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto 3rd, an ally of Enrile, expressed confidence that they can muster the number to introduce amendments in the RH Bill.

He said that the amendments would concentrate more on the said bill’s provisions on contraceptives, abortion, population control, and funding.

The senator is scheduled to deliver the last tranche of his “Turno en Contra” speech against RH Bill, promising to drop more “bomb shells” against the measure.

He said that if there would be no more interpellations, the Senate could proceed with the period of amendments.

He added that senators would likely push for their individual amendments on the measure before approving it on the second reading.

“We leave it to Sen. Pia Cayetano and Sen. Miriam Santiago if there are committee amendments and then after that we will probably review the committee amendments,” Sotto added.

He also warned proponents of the measure that should the bicameral conference committee come out with a committee report that is very different from whatever the Senate will approve, the measure might be just rejected by the plenary.


http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=Law-eases-changes-to-register-of-birth&id=57802

Law eases changes to register
of birth


ADMINISTRATIVE CORRECTIONS in the register of birth has been eased under a new law signed by President Benigno S. C. Aquino III.
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Republic Act (RA) No. 10172 in particular expedites the correction process by authorizing the city or municipal civil registrar or the consul general to correct clerical and typographical errors in the first name or nickname, dates of birth, or sex of a person in the civil register without need of judicial order.

Under Republic Act 9048, or the Clerical Law, corrections in the register of birth and certificate of marriage require the proper petition in a judicial court. The process takes more than six months.

Instead of the tedious court proceedings, requesting parties are now required to file an affidavit and submit a certified true machine copy of the certificate containing the entries sought to be corrected; at least two documents showing the correct entries; and other relevant documents.

Earliest school documents such as medical records, baptismal certificates, among others, are required for correction on entries concerning the date of birth or the sex of a person.

Changes on the sex, meanwhile, can be carried out only if the requesting party presents a certification issued by a physician stating that the petitioner has not undergone gender reassignment.

The measure notes that corrections will be made only on typographical errors, which refer to a mistake committed in the performance of clerical work in writing, copying, transcribing or typing an entry in the civil register that is harmless and innocuous.

Signed on Aug. 15, RA 10172 requires that a petition for correction of an erroneous entry or typographical error concerning the date of birth or sex requires publication at least once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation.

The new law will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two newspapers of general circulation. -- Noemi M. Gonzales


http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/09/03/time-to-vote-on-the-rh-bill/



Time to vote on the RH bill
By Rita Linda V. Jimeno | Posted on September 03, 2012 | 12:01am | 694 views

The renewed debate on the reproductive health bill (House Bill 4244 and Senate Bill 2865) has produced unlikely and unexpected protagonists. On the side of the anti-RH bill, prominently taking the front line, side by side with the church hierarchy, were Senator Tito Sotto and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. On the side of the pro-RH bill, no less than President Benigno C. Aquino III exhorted the need for responsible parenthood in his State of the Nation Address in July. Also supporting the RH bill is Jesuit priest and renowned constitutionalist, Fr. Joaquin Bernas.
Fr. Bernas and the 192 Ateneo professors who openly support the RH bill are now considered the champions of all those who have chosen to remain silent for fear of the threat of excommunication from the Catholic Church. For their part, the rabid oppositionists of the measure have lent color and excitement to the debate. Unfortunately, however, they have clouded and muddled the issues, confusing many, especially the Catholic laity.
First, the anti-RH advocates have been demagogically pronouncing that they are pro-life while those in favor of the bill are anti-life, claiming that all types of contraceptives end the life of the unborn fetus. But one need not be a doctor or a medical professional to understand that there is no fetus to speak of when there has been no conception at all. And contraceptives, among them condoms, precisely prevent contraception.
Next, they say, the RH bill encourages abortion as a method of family planning. The truth is, the bill clearly states that abortion shall be prohibited because it is an assault on life. Abortion will, therefore, continue to be counted as a grave criminal offense that will be penalized under our laws.
Recently, some anti-RH advocates have taken the campaign against the legislative measure to a new level, using entirely off-track arguments. To illustrate, a friend recently invited me to lunch supposedly to catch up on each other. As it turned out, she came with another friend who was out to convince me to support the campaign against the RH bill. Her friend had a laptop and presented to me a power point on why a large population is good for the country and why we should not stop the growth of our population. She had demographics. She argued that countries of the world with negative or zero population growths are now on the way down. Filipinos, she said, will soon rule the world because of our fast growing population and we should not stop it.
I restrained myself from arguing with her as I saw it futile. However, I was genuinely disturbed, though amused, by this new tack of the anti-RH advocates. Did she honestly believe I would see the RH bill as a measure that will force all families to stop having children? Or, make me believe that, as in China, our government will enforce a one child per family policy; otherwise, the state will carry out forced abortions or elimination of babies? I almost felt I was in the middle of an ugly nightmare. I could not believe that those against the RH bill would carry their argument this far. Do the oppositionists of the RH bill really think it is good for the country to have a runaway population so that Filipinos will leave the country and their families to work overseas? Did she not see that this was not, and should not be the goal of any country, but was merely the unintended consequence of lack of jobs in the country? Did she not see that this was not a matter of choice but of survival?
But how does the reproductive health bill figure in this woman’s line of non sequitur arguments? The RH bill only intends to give mothers and couples an informed choice; not to force them to accept anything against their will, much less force them to use contraceptives against their beliefs or personal preferences. If the bill passes into law, the government would implement an educational program to make women, especially the less privileged ones, know that they have a choice; that they need not risk their health by being pregnant year after year regardless of their health and means. The RH law will give women who cannot afford the various safe methods of preventing conception access to them. They will be given the chance to plan the size of their families so that their children will enjoy a quality of life that affords them good nutrition, good health and education. The law will have no power to force families into anything at all. It will only give access to information and the methods of contraception. It is a fact that not a few women, especially among poor families, have died in an attempt to terminate unwanted pregnancies. It is also a fact that many poor families which continue to have many children simply because they have no knowledge about, or access to, contraception have suffered from hunger and abject poverty.
It has been more than three years since debates on the RH bill began. Before ideas get more insane, the legislature must now get into the business of voting upon a reproductive health law.
E-mail: ritalindaj@gmail.com Visit: www.jimenolaw.com.ph


http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/national/37255-uphill-battle-ahead-for-rh-bill


Uphill battle ahead for RH bill
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Published : Monday, September 03, 2012 00:00
Article Views : 25
Written by : Ryan Ponce Pacpaco

GETTING House Bill No. 4244 or the Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011, approved remains an uphill battle despite the termination of debates which signals the start of period of amendments after President Benigno Aquino.

House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali “Boyet” Gonzales II said the House of Representatives will have until this week to discuss the RH measure during plenary sessions as the institution will devote its time exclusively starting next week to the 2013 P2.006-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

“Starting next week, we will devote our plenary sessions to approve the national budget for next year, meaning we will only have until this week to discuss RH measure. After this, we can still discuss RH measure after we approved the national budget on final reading in the middle of October,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales also said the RH bill has become a “personal thing” for the House members.

“Masyado nang nagkaka-personalan lalo na sa mga privilege speeches. Mahirap talaga ‘yan,” Gonzales stressed.

He disclosed that at least 20 House leaders, including six deputy speakers and party leaders are at loggerheads over the approval of the proposed law.

“As far as RH is concerned, hati talaga,” he stressed.

Deputy Speaker and Cebu Rep. Pablo “Pabling” Garcia strongly opposed the passage of HB (HB) No. 4244.

Gonzales said that they have yet to discuss the ground rules because Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte was sick recently.


http://www.google.com.ph/#hl=fil&sclient=psy-ab&q=enrile+wants+%27condom+provision+from+rh+bill+cut&oq=enrile+wants+%27condom+provision+from+rh+bill+cut&gs_l=serp.3...72822.73087.4.73298.3.3.0.0.0.0.122.122.0j1.1.0...0.0...1c.IZol9B8dPew&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=61fa5e90e87e43db&biw=1022&bih=593

Enrile wants ‘condom’ provision from RH bill cut
• Written by PNA
• Monday, 03 September 2012 00:00
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Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday said he would move to delete a provision which describes condom as essential medicine under the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill which is pending before the upper chamber.
“At the period of amendment, I will delete a definition of essential medicine. I want to know why condom is an essential medicine. What does it cure?” Enrile said in an interview over dzBB radio.
The Senate chief added he will not deliver his own privilege speech after Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III’s last chapter of his “turno en contra” (turn of the opponents to the measure) speech against the RH bill on Monday.
“I have no privilege speech. I will just propose amendments,” Enrile stressed.
If the bill becomes law, Enrile wants to know how long it will be implemented even as he expressed concerns the law might reduce the population to an alarming level.
“Some of our neighbors in Asia and other countries have been experiencing problems because of their small population,” Enrile warned.
The upper chamber leader said the solution to the poverty problem is not the big number of population but on how the government provides livelihood to the poor.
“Why target the poor? It’s the responsibility of the government to educate and to provide jobs for them,” Enrile noted.
“They are saying the poorest sector has bigger families because they are ignorant so they have to be helped. What is the antidote to ignorance? Education. What is the antidote to poverty? Jobs,” he stressed.
He added that he has no idea how long the period of amendments will take but “we are not going to delay it.”
According to Enrile, the upcoming congressional breaks may affect the passage of the controversial measure, which is being backed by Malacañang.
“We will try to finish it this year and if not, when we resume in June (next year). We all have the right to present amendments, unless they want to vote us out to stop the amendments... Still we don’t have closure (of the period of amendments) in the Senate,” Enrile stressed.
He also denied speculations that Malacañang was convincing him to support the bill.
“Nobody is talking to me from Malacañang. I don’t know about the other senators,” he said.
Enrile earlier said President Aquino had no special “request” in ensuring the approval of RH bill in the Senate, much more any marching orders to ensure that the measure will muster enough numbers for its approval even if the proposed legislation was considered as one of the priority measures of the Aquino administration.
“I had not been approached (by Malacañang). To be fair to the President, I’ve been with him several times, during official functions, official duties, sometimes upon his invitation but he never opened up to me about the RH bill. Although he explained his position that he is in favor of the RH bill but he never asked me personally to vote in favor,” he said.
PNA

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