Palace to parents: Watch your children to
prevent injuries as New Year approaches
Malacanang appealed to parents on Friday to
watch their children in order to avoid firecracker-related injuries or deaths
as the country celebrates the New Year.
In a
media briefing in Malacanang on Friday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson
Abigail Valte asked the members of the press to help the government raise
public awareness about the ill-effects of fire cracker.
“To our
friends in the media, please help us reach the families especially the parents.
The DOH (Department of Health) has been actively promoting the 'Iwas Paputok’
campaign,” Valte said.
Valte
asked the parents to supervise their children to reduce the number of injuries
or deaths during the holidays. "Loosing fingers or limbs is a bad way of
welcoming the New Year," she said.
“Hopefully, let’s keep it that way; let’s keep
the number of injuries down. Please watch your children, huwag nating hayaang
magpaputok ng mga piccolo… maraming list of banned fireworks,” Valte said.
“Please,
let us keep a very tight watch on our children kasi kawawa naman sila. But
nonetheless, the DOH and our public hospitals are very well-prepared for what
we hope to be minimal cases of fireworks-related injuries,”
From
December 21-26 this year, there were a total of 71 fireworks-related injuries
and one stray bullet case. However, the DOH stressed that the number of cases
is 33 percent lower compared to the same period last year.
According
to the DOH, there were no deaths reported adding that for the same period last
year there were 108 fireworks-related injuries: 99 from fireworks, 8 from stray
bullets, and 1 from firecracker ingestion.
The
Philippine National Police (PNP) is strictly enforcing the law on firecrackers
and pyrotechnics, Lacierda stressed.
In a
press briefing on Thursday, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the
government continues to step up its campaign against dangerous firecrackers and
pyrotechnics to ensure public safety.
The campaign
also aims to avoid or minimize the adverse effects of firecrackers to the
environment, he said. PND (as)
Government envisions long-term plan to rebuild
typhoon-damaged areas in Mindanao
The
government will carry out long-term solutions to the problems created by the
devastation of Typhoon Pablo in Mindanao, a Palace official said on Friday.
In the
last Cabinet meeting, President Benigno S. Aquino III told the members of his
Cabinet to focus on long-term solutions aside from the ongoing relief and
relocation of affected families in Mindanao, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson
Abigail Valte said in a press briefing in Malacanang.
After
seeing the areas hit by the typhoon, Valte said the President acknowledged the
effects of climate change to vulnerable communities that made safe areas no
longer habitable for people.
“Ang
mahigpit na utos ng Pangulo ay kung ire-relocate itong mga taong ito,
siguraduhin, kung saan sila ililipat ay tiyak din ‘yung kanilang kaligtasan,”
Valte said.
The
Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have been working
together to watch out for threats brought about by weather disturbances, she
said.
Among
these initiatives include Project NOAH and the geo-hazard mapping being carried
out by the DENR, Valte added. Information related to weather disturbances has
been distributed to the local government units to make sure that they can
sufficiently warn their constituents to avoid loss of lives, she said.
In a
recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey, it reported a drop in the public’s
hopefulness for 2013, particularly in devastated areas in Mindanao.
This perception
among typhoon victims is understandable, according to Valte, adding that the
administration has been relentless in its efforts to extend assistance and help
them rebuild their lives. PND (as)
Aquino government expresses support for plan of
BIR to study possibility of taxing online stores
The
Aquino administration expressed support for the Bureau of Internal Revenue's
plan to study the possibility of taxing online stores by next year, a Palace
official said on Friday.
Deputy
Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte issued the statement during the regular
press briefing in Malacanang on Friday following the announcement of Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares that the agency plans to tax
online stores which earn considerable revenues.
The BIR
chief said online shops are no different from the actual stalls that sell items
or merchandises to people.
Henares
emphasized the need for online businesses to be registered with the BIR to
level the playing field in the buy-and sell market. She also said that online
businesses should also issue on-line receipts.
"Ang
hinahabol naman po ni Commissioner Kim Henares dito ay makapagbayad po sila ng
tamang income tax at ng tamang VAT (value-added tax) kasi sales naman po ‘yan
at dapat pinapatawan talaga ng VAT depende sa binebentang item… lalo na kung
retail po ‘yan, that really is subject to VAT," Valte said.
The BIR's
proposal aims to boost tax collection next year and protect the rights of
consumers who wish to return or exchange the items they bought.
"Ang
tina-target po really ng BIR are the online sites that really do selling for
business. Hindi po ‘yung---halimbawa meron kang bag tapos, gusto mo nang
ibentang pre-owned or--hindi po ganoon. ‘Yung mga secondhand items. Hindi po
ganoon ‘yung intensiyon ng BIR," Valte said.
Traders
and sellers usually conduct their transactions through buy-and-sell websites.
PND (js)
