Disclosing office spending at presidential businesses act

FILE PHOTO: The Social Security System Building on East Avenue in Quezon City. Photo taken January 18, 2016. INQUIRER/NIÑO JESUS ORBETA ILOILO CITY — The Social Security System (SSS) here on Wednesday invited businesses to avail of its Pandemic Relief and Restructuring Program (PRRP) 3 to ensure employee benefits and avoid legal troubles. A Run Against Contribution Evaders (RACE) campaign team from the SSS’ Iloilo-central office conducted surprise visits to six businesses in the city proper to inform and remind them of their accountabilities. These six businesses, which range from food products and services to general merchandising, owed a total of P945,000.67, including P758,616 in principal liabilities and P186,384.67 in penalties. The team, led by Acting Vice President for Visayas West Area 2 Angelo Blancover and legal operations lawyer Bernardo Dofitas Jr., informed them of their respective accountabilities, and that they have until November 22 to avail of the PRRP 3. … [Read more...] about SSS urges businesses in Iloilo to avail of its pandemic relief and restructuring scheme

The National Assembly’s regular audit of the Blue House was botched after the Blue House refused to send seven presidential aides to the session Thursday. The presidential office cited several reasons, including the need to quarantine an official after a trip overseas. However, its abrupt refusal constitutes a brazen disrespect for the legislature. The almighty Blue House of President Moon Jae-in’s administration has left another bad precedent in the National Assembly’s history. We wonder if the Blue House really regards the legislature as being an equal to the presidency. The seven presidential aides who refused to appear at the audit session included Suh Hoon, director of the National Security Office; Kim Jong-ho, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs; and Ryoo Yeon-sang, presidential security service chief. First of all, Suh should have explained the government’s timid reaction to the brutal murder last month of a South Korean fisheries official by the North Korean … [Read more...] about Arrogance on display (KOR)

- A + A "The Covid-19 lockdown in China is still impacting our business. It may be quite a difficult year [for FY23], and it’s quite hard to achieve the results we want.” Sime Darby Bhd group chief executive officer Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson (Photo credit: Sime Darby Bhd) KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 17): Sime Darby Bhd expects financial year ending June 30, 2023 (FY23) to be tough in the face of continuing headwinds from the Covid-19 pandemic, rising inflation and supply chain issues, said group chief executive officer Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson. "I see more headwinds than in the past because inflation is 'rearing its head', interest rates are rising and borrowing costs are also rising, which may dampen consumer sentiment," he said at Sime Darby's financial results briefing for the fourth quarter ended June 30, 2022 (4QFY22) held virtually on Wednesday (Aug 17). In addition, Jeffri said, supply chain issues have not yet been fully resolved, which could affect the … [Read more...] about Sime Darby expects ‘tough’ FY23 amid rising inflation, supply chain issues

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The legal industry has been remarkably buoyant in a tumultuous world. It has weathered 9/11, the global financial crisis, economic downturns , automation, digital transformation , domestic and international instability, and the Pandemic. Through it all, the legal sector has prospered financially , even as its resistance to change has misaligned it with business and distanced it from society . Law’s financial success has come at a steep price—the health and well-being of its workforce, an obscured purpose, and high profits but low customer satisfaction. Public trust in lawyers , legal institutions , and the vitality of the rule have law are historically low. Most Americans believe the legal system is accessible only to the wealthy and the data confirms this. The legal system is widely perceived as lacking accessibility impartiality, transparency, diversity reflective of the society it purports to serve, … [Read more...] about Democratic Degradation Is Law’s Ultimate Disruptor

Representative image. Many SMEs approach us for consultation on how to implement PoSH (prevention of sexual harassment) provisions at workplaces, especially when new investors scrutinise such provisions. The new-age investors understand the need for making the workplace safe and congenial and the PoSH guideline is the first step to inclusion and diversity. Diversity on the other fronts comes later. Though the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act has been notified, the details on its administration are not clear. We hear about sordid cases of harassment every now and then. These grab the headlines, especially if the people involved are high profile. SMEs can have a major challenge if things blow over and their major ethical customers stop dealing with them due to their poor record on this front. This can also present a risk because while details of how to submit compliance reports are nebulous, the fines prescribed can create an … [Read more...] about Should SMEs take sexual harassment at workplace seriously?

Akasa Air continues to mourn Rakesh Jhunjhunwala but his passing will not affect its operations or growth, India’s newest airline’s chief executive officer and co-founder Vinay Dube said on August 17. Billionaire investor Jhunjhunwala, the biggest investor in the low-cost airline, passed away on August 14, exactly a week after Akasa launched its operations with a Mumbai-Ahmedabad flight. "Yesterday (August 16) we received our third aircraft in Delhi, which will be put into operation on the Mumbai-Bengaluru sector shortly. We will continue to grow our fleet by adding one new aircraft every two weeks," Dube said in a release to the media. Jhunjhunwala’s family holds around 45 percent stake in the airline through three trusts named after his children Nishtha, Aryaman, and Aryavir. Dube, a former CEO of Jet Airways, said Akasa Air was well capitalised with the financial means to induct 72 aircraft over the next five years. Close COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently … [Read more...] about Akasa Air well capitalised, Jhunjhunwala’s untimely demise won’t affect operations: Vinay Dube

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Federal statutes in the U.S. Code and agency rules in the Code of Federal Regulations are easy to locate online. This is not the case , however, for the thousands of sub-regulatory guidance documents and “interpretative rules,” notices, bulletins, circulars, memoranda and so forth . But then again, these were never easy to locate offline either. Guidance documents are ostensibly non-binding, meant to inform or provide clarity, but guidance can be inapprorpriately leveraged to influence policy and public behavior, according to the Administrative Conference of the United States . This is a concern especially in presidential administrations inclined to deploy the “pen and phone,” as Obama did; or to “act without Congress,” as Biden’s spokespeople often declare he can do. So it was a good thing back in 2019 when Donald Trump issued “ Promoting the Rule of Law through Improved Agency Guidance Documents ” … [Read more...] about Good News On Red Tape? Some Trump-Era Federal Agency Guidance Document Portals Remain Intact

National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) MANILA, Philippines —The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has urged the Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision to comply with the Anti-Red Tape Authority’s (ARTA) ruling on Newsnet’s application to operate interactive pay television and multimedia services in the country. In a motion for reconsideration made public Wednesday, the NTC, through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), said ARTA’s order is already moot and academic since it reversed itself in an order dated June 17, 2022. The June 17 order states that “following the directives laid down in Secretary of Justice Resolution in OSJ Case No. 01-2020 dated July 9, 2021, which has become final and executory,” the declaration of completeness and order of automatic approval dated Feb. 12, 2020, for Newsnet are “hereby set aside.” ARTA’s reversal was based on a resolution by the Department of Justice (DOJ) which stated that ARTA does not have the authority to … [Read more...] about NTC asks Court of Appeals to reconsider decision on Newsnet franchise