MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 02, 2007) – A lawmaker on Friday accused the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) of spending millions of pesos for a show on board a luxury liner.
Rep. Joseph Santiago said the PCSO spent the money in subsidizing a show by American singer David Pomeranz on board the 76,800-ton SuperStar Virgo, a five-star luxury cruise ship that provides five-day "escapades" across Southeast Asia.
“Why did the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office spend millions of pesos to sponsor a show on board an international luxury cruise ship, when the agency does not sell lottery tickets overseas? Did PCSO officials simply want an excuse to go on a junket, a pleasurable excursion at public expense?” he asked.
Santiago said PCSO executives were among those treated to front row seats in one of Pomeranz's shows in the SuperStar Virgo off Singapore.
“This is ridiculous and wasteful on the part of the PCSO and its officials. They definitely have a lot of explaining to do,” he said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
“We are dumbfounded as to why the PCSO is sponsoring these costly overseas events, when it does not sell online lottery tickets abroad,” Santiago added, but he did not say how much PCSO spent for the concert.
Santiago has been highly critical of the "needless and lavish spending" of the PCSO and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) on advertising and other promotional activities, even if they are “virtual monopolies.”
The Catanduanes lawmaker previously criticized the PCSO and Pagcor for spending hundreds of millions of pesos every year on publicity when they have no local competitors.
“This is something that should be promptly looked into by the appropriate congressional committees, if only to ensure the more prudent use of public funds,” Santiago said. “Both the PCSO and Pagcor are obviously wasting a lot of badly needed financial resources on publicity spending.”
“We are dealing here with staggering sums that could be better spent to directly subsidize more community hospitals and patients, or to boldly support basic as well as higher education in the provinces. Besides, the best way for the PCSO and Pagcor to promote their activities, considering they face no real competition here, is simply to help more underprivileged communities and charitable institutions,” Santiago said.
Pagcor is the country's third most profitable corporation and government's third biggest revenue generator. In 2006, Pagcor posted a total income of P25.4 billion, the firm's highest ever in its 23-year history.
Pagcor alone is believed to be allocating at least P1.25 billion annually for advertising, marketing and public relations.
Showing posts with label Rep. Joseph Santiago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rep. Joseph Santiago. Show all posts
Friday, November 02, 2007
Sunday, October 07, 2007
5 Years In Prison For CATV Thieves Under Proposed RP Law
MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 07, 2007) - A Philippine lawmaker has proposed a bill that will finally criminalize illegal cable television connections in the country where at least P7 billion in revenues are lost every year from the illicit activities.
Rep. Joseph Santiago, chairman of the House committee on information and communications technology, said the widespread illegal cable television (CATV) connection in the Philippines is alarming.
“There is no question that extensive illicit CATV connections not only cost private service providers staggering financial losses, but also deprive the government billions of pesos in tax revenues,” Santiago said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the Philippine Cable TV Association (PCTVA) estimates that its members have been losing at least P7 billion in combined subscription fee income as a result of rampant signal piracy.
“Based on this estimate, in terms of value-added tax revenues alone, at 12 percent (of the P7 billion), we are easily looking at P840 million in potential tax revenue losses every year,” the Catanduanes lawmaker said.
“Tis does not include increased corporate income taxes on CATV operators that should be earning much more, if not for signal piracy. So we can easily round off to at least P1 billion the government's annual tax revenue loss," Santiago added.
Santiago said he introduced a bill proposing to “criminalize” all unlawful CATV connections.
According to the PCTVA, illegal users now outnumber legitimate subscribers three to one. The industry group reckons that its members have a total of 1.5 million paying subscribers, and three to four million illicitly connected users.
Under his Bill 4665, Santiago said, anyone caught with an unauthorized CATV or Internet connection would face two to five years in prison, and a fine of P50,000 to P100,000.
Santiago said the spread of illicit connections is threatening the survival of the local CATV industry.
“Apart from this, the illegal tapping of CATV signal is totally unfair to paying subscribers, who tend to suffer degraded signal quality as well as recurring service interruptions,” he said.
Once enacted, Santiago's bill would enable CATV providers to recover from pilferage losses caused by the unauthorized use, interconnection or reception of services.
The PCTVA said illegal connections remain unchecked because there is no law to help them catch pirates. The industry could easily double its annual taxable subscription fee receipts from P10 billion to P20 billion once piracy is stopped, the association said.
Largely on account of signal theft, the country's CATV operators have dwindled from about 1,000 a few years ago to only 400, according to the National Telecommunications Commission.
Rep. Joseph Santiago, chairman of the House committee on information and communications technology, said the widespread illegal cable television (CATV) connection in the Philippines is alarming.
“There is no question that extensive illicit CATV connections not only cost private service providers staggering financial losses, but also deprive the government billions of pesos in tax revenues,” Santiago said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the Philippine Cable TV Association (PCTVA) estimates that its members have been losing at least P7 billion in combined subscription fee income as a result of rampant signal piracy.
“Based on this estimate, in terms of value-added tax revenues alone, at 12 percent (of the P7 billion), we are easily looking at P840 million in potential tax revenue losses every year,” the Catanduanes lawmaker said.
“Tis does not include increased corporate income taxes on CATV operators that should be earning much more, if not for signal piracy. So we can easily round off to at least P1 billion the government's annual tax revenue loss," Santiago added.
Santiago said he introduced a bill proposing to “criminalize” all unlawful CATV connections.
According to the PCTVA, illegal users now outnumber legitimate subscribers three to one. The industry group reckons that its members have a total of 1.5 million paying subscribers, and three to four million illicitly connected users.
Under his Bill 4665, Santiago said, anyone caught with an unauthorized CATV or Internet connection would face two to five years in prison, and a fine of P50,000 to P100,000.
Santiago said the spread of illicit connections is threatening the survival of the local CATV industry.
“Apart from this, the illegal tapping of CATV signal is totally unfair to paying subscribers, who tend to suffer degraded signal quality as well as recurring service interruptions,” he said.
Once enacted, Santiago's bill would enable CATV providers to recover from pilferage losses caused by the unauthorized use, interconnection or reception of services.
The PCTVA said illegal connections remain unchecked because there is no law to help them catch pirates. The industry could easily double its annual taxable subscription fee receipts from P10 billion to P20 billion once piracy is stopped, the association said.
Largely on account of signal theft, the country's CATV operators have dwindled from about 1,000 a few years ago to only 400, according to the National Telecommunications Commission.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Pinoy Porn Site Shut Down
MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Sept) – Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday tracked down the alleged owner of a Filipino web site accused of pornography by a solon.
Sen. Loren Legarda said the website boybastos.com provides Internet users, including minors, free and unrestricted access to the largest online accumulation of “extremely” hardcore pornographic materials of Filipino women and girls.
“This is by far the filthiest Internet site we've come across that offers open and unlimited access to some of the most obscene videos and photographs of Filipino women and girls,” Legarda said.
She urged the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the NBI to find ways to shut off boybastos.com, which claims on its site to be "the premiere bastos (lewd) portal of the Philippines.”
The IACAT is the agency tasked to enforce the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and other laws against the prostitution, white slavery and the sexual exploitation of women and children.
The NBI tracked down the owner of the website through its hosting provider and was held for questioning over the reports. The young man said the website was only for entertainment.
The gallery on Friday was offline and a notice on the site reads: “Mga mahal naming boys bastos, masyado po tumaas ang traffic ng site dahil sa libreng publicity na binigay satin ni Senadora, GMA News, at iba pang mga istasyson ng radyo."
"Dahil dito, baka ma-kansela ang account natin sa ating hosting provider at lalo nang magkandaloko-loko. Pahinga muna tayo mga kaibigan.”“Maraming site dyan na pwede nyo bisitahin, alam nyo naman na siguro yun. Babalik po tayo (online) paglipas ng ilang araw,” it said.
Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago, chairman of the House committee on information and communications technology, also supported Legarda in the war on computer pornography.
“We wholly support the fight against online pornography," Santiago said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
Santiago said the decision of boybastos.com to close down its electronic gallery of Filipino women and girls indicates guilt, and “that its administrator is fearful of the potential legal consequences of the site's lewd materials.”
Santiago also said the NBI could find ways to remove the domain name boybastos.com with the help of Network Solutions Inc., a US company that registers and manages domain names.
“We've checked the domain name boybastos.com. It is registered with Network Solutions. The original domain name registrant is traceable, even if they tampered with the online listing on the day Senator Legarda assailed the site, and put in her name as registrant, apparently in a feeble attempt to mock her,” Santiago said.
“The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has already managed to get Network Solutions to remove several domain names used by pedophiles to traffic in child porn,” Santiago said.
“The NBI can make a case that the porn site has been violating existing Philippine laws against obscenity and child sexual exploitation. This can then be used to persuade Network Solutions to remove the domain name boybastos.com,” Santiago said.
Sen. Loren Legarda said the website boybastos.com provides Internet users, including minors, free and unrestricted access to the largest online accumulation of “extremely” hardcore pornographic materials of Filipino women and girls.
“This is by far the filthiest Internet site we've come across that offers open and unlimited access to some of the most obscene videos and photographs of Filipino women and girls,” Legarda said.
She urged the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the NBI to find ways to shut off boybastos.com, which claims on its site to be "the premiere bastos (lewd) portal of the Philippines.”
The IACAT is the agency tasked to enforce the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and other laws against the prostitution, white slavery and the sexual exploitation of women and children.
The NBI tracked down the owner of the website through its hosting provider and was held for questioning over the reports. The young man said the website was only for entertainment.
The gallery on Friday was offline and a notice on the site reads: “Mga mahal naming boys bastos, masyado po tumaas ang traffic ng site dahil sa libreng publicity na binigay satin ni Senadora, GMA News, at iba pang mga istasyson ng radyo."
"Dahil dito, baka ma-kansela ang account natin sa ating hosting provider at lalo nang magkandaloko-loko. Pahinga muna tayo mga kaibigan.”“Maraming site dyan na pwede nyo bisitahin, alam nyo naman na siguro yun. Babalik po tayo (online) paglipas ng ilang araw,” it said.
Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago, chairman of the House committee on information and communications technology, also supported Legarda in the war on computer pornography.
“We wholly support the fight against online pornography," Santiago said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
Santiago said the decision of boybastos.com to close down its electronic gallery of Filipino women and girls indicates guilt, and “that its administrator is fearful of the potential legal consequences of the site's lewd materials.”
Santiago also said the NBI could find ways to remove the domain name boybastos.com with the help of Network Solutions Inc., a US company that registers and manages domain names.
“We've checked the domain name boybastos.com. It is registered with Network Solutions. The original domain name registrant is traceable, even if they tampered with the online listing on the day Senator Legarda assailed the site, and put in her name as registrant, apparently in a feeble attempt to mock her,” Santiago said.
“The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has already managed to get Network Solutions to remove several domain names used by pedophiles to traffic in child porn,” Santiago said.
“The NBI can make a case that the porn site has been violating existing Philippine laws against obscenity and child sexual exploitation. This can then be used to persuade Network Solutions to remove the domain name boybastos.com,” Santiago said.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Filipino Lawmaker Wants Security Cameras On All ATM Machines
MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 28 Jul) - Catanduanes Representative Joseph Santiago has urged the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to compel the country's three major automated teller machine service providers to install surveillance cameras around their ATMs as part of a security measure.
"If users cannot get any reprieve from excessive ATM charges, then regulators might as well rigorously require security cameras in every ATM location. This way, users will at least get enhanced security protection, and more value for the money they are being forced to pay for ATM services," Santiago said in a statement sent Saturday to the Mindanao Examiner.
Over 18 million Filipinos are ATM cardholders. They are serviced mainly by the three major ATM network operators - Megalink Inc., Bancnet Inc. and ExpressNet Inc. - that group 58 universal, commercial and thrift banks. The three networks combined now have more than 6,000 ATMs nationwide.
"To begin with, banks are duty-bound to protect ATM users. In fact, we are surprised the BSP and local government units are not forcefully requiring banks to install surveillance equipment around their premises. This is supposed to be a basic and readily available security feature," Santiago pointed out.
"This is not just about the increasing number of crimes around banks and ATMs. This is also about the community fighting crime. Every community member - whether an individual or a business entity - is supposed to help prevent crime," Santiago said.
"Banks form part of the community. They should do their share and invest in deterring crime," he added.
Police previously reported a rising incidence not only of bank robberies, but also of crimes victimizing ATM and credit cardholders.
The most widespread of these crimes involve robbers who entrap cab passengers, mostly women, who are then forced either to withdraw money (using their ATM or credit cards) from the nearest ATM location, or to surrender their cards and give their personal identification numbers.
For instance, Metro Manila's Eastern Police District earlier reported that of the 168 bank offices in Pasig City alone, at least 18 were found to have no security cameras at all in their premises.
"We assumed from the start, when the BSP issued branch licenses to these banks, that they were required to install security cameras. So we find it puzzling that the police are now claiming that many branches still do not have the surveillance equipment," Santiago said.
"If users cannot get any reprieve from excessive ATM charges, then regulators might as well rigorously require security cameras in every ATM location. This way, users will at least get enhanced security protection, and more value for the money they are being forced to pay for ATM services," Santiago said in a statement sent Saturday to the Mindanao Examiner.
Over 18 million Filipinos are ATM cardholders. They are serviced mainly by the three major ATM network operators - Megalink Inc., Bancnet Inc. and ExpressNet Inc. - that group 58 universal, commercial and thrift banks. The three networks combined now have more than 6,000 ATMs nationwide.
"To begin with, banks are duty-bound to protect ATM users. In fact, we are surprised the BSP and local government units are not forcefully requiring banks to install surveillance equipment around their premises. This is supposed to be a basic and readily available security feature," Santiago pointed out.
"This is not just about the increasing number of crimes around banks and ATMs. This is also about the community fighting crime. Every community member - whether an individual or a business entity - is supposed to help prevent crime," Santiago said.
"Banks form part of the community. They should do their share and invest in deterring crime," he added.
Police previously reported a rising incidence not only of bank robberies, but also of crimes victimizing ATM and credit cardholders.
The most widespread of these crimes involve robbers who entrap cab passengers, mostly women, who are then forced either to withdraw money (using their ATM or credit cards) from the nearest ATM location, or to surrender their cards and give their personal identification numbers.
For instance, Metro Manila's Eastern Police District earlier reported that of the 168 bank offices in Pasig City alone, at least 18 were found to have no security cameras at all in their premises.
"We assumed from the start, when the BSP issued branch licenses to these banks, that they were required to install security cameras. So we find it puzzling that the police are now claiming that many branches still do not have the surveillance equipment," Santiago said.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
“Democratize" Stock Market, Solon Urges Brokers
Rep. Joseph Santiago
MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Jul) – Rep. Joseph Santiago, of Catanduanes province, on Saturday urged regulators, publicly listed firms, stockbrokers and other stakeholders to find ways to boldly reform and democratize the local equities market so that the enormous new wealth it has been generating may be distributed to more Filipinos.
He said less than 500,000 Filipinos are directly making money out of the market.
“More aggressive efforts are absolutely imperative to enable and encourage more Filipinos to get invested in the market, to allow the broader apportioning of new riches,” Santiago said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
To get an idea as to how much new money is being created by the market, Santiago said one simply has to look at the stock price of the country's dominant carrier, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).
According to Standard and Poor's Equity Research Services, P10,000 invested in PLDT's common stock five years ago is now worth P84,634, without counting dividend income.
The stock market has been hovering at or near record highs, buoyed by strong corporate earnings, the country's improved economic and financial outlook and massive local as well as global liquidity due to low interest rates. The Philippine Stock Exchange composite index hit a fresh high of 3,822.41 on Friday.
To reform and democratize the stock market, Santiago proposed:Incentives to mutual funds that cater to small investors, offer low management fees and are fully, if not mainly invested in publicly listed stocks;
Direct stock purchase schemes, just like in the United States, that will enable long-term savers to steadily buy and accumulate on installment and absolutely commission-free, small lots of shares straight from the issuing publicly traded firms;
Automatic dividend reinvestment programs for small, long-term shareholders, whereby any cash dividends payable to them may be used to buy more company stock;
Perks for online as well as offline discount stockbrokers that offer cheap commissions to retail investors; and the extension of the mandatory 20 percent discount for senior citizens and pensioners to include broker's commissions;
A system wherein any residual or uninvested cash in a every investor's brokerage account will be swept every day into a money market fund earning interest income for the investor's account; and grants to schools, including public high schools that provide extra education programs on the stock market.
Santiago said stockbrokers would not be harmed by the proposal to allow small investors to directly purchase and pile up shares in small lots from issuing firms over extended periods.
"In fact, stockbrokers will benefit from direct purchases. Small savers will have no choice but to sell through brokers later on. The scheme is limited only to purchases," he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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