Establishment or agency cannot deny person of availing discounts on doubts on validity of person-with-disability (PWD) identification card.
In five-page legal opinion released last Jan. 27, Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said, “in sum, Republic Act 10754 (An Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of Persons with Disability) and its IRR (implementing rules and regulations) do not require verification of PWD ID card as pre-requisite of PWD’s availment of their benefits and privileges, said verification cannot be imposed as condition thereon.”
He answered two questions raised by National Council on Disability Affairs officer-in-charge deputy executive director Dandy Victa.
Vasquez said it is not permissible for establishments and agencies to deny and withhold PWD benefits and privileges solely because authenticity of PWD ID card cannot be verified at the time of transaction.
As to query if such denial constitutes violation of existing laws and IRRs related to rights and privileges of PWDs, DOJ official answered in affirmative.
Only 100 displaced POGO workers got jobs at DOLE fair
By J.Lo
“We continue to reach out because records show that around 40,000 IGL workers have been directly affected by closure of POGOs,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said out of thousands of displaced workers from Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) attended recent job fair in Pasay City, only 100 were hired on the spot.
Career Con 2025 job fair, ran for two days, offered over 8,000 job vacancies through at least 150 participating employers.
While 18,000 displaced IGL workers initially expressed interest in the event, only around 8,000 showed up, according to DOLE.
cording to DOLE, most of the IGL workers were previously employed in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Central Visayas, earning monthly salaries ranging from P16,000 to P22,000.
Labor department is also offering skills enhancement programs and livelihood assistance of up to P30,000 for those interested in starting business to support displaced workers.
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SB19 to release ’Simula at Wakas’, latest EP
By Cynthia Montojo
A’Tin, with video for their upcoming EP set for release this February and April, P-pop group SB19 teased its fans,.
SB19 uploaded teaser video features imagery associated to their past albums and to story of beginning of time, golden tree and red apple appear.
Pablo, Josh, Ken, Justin and Stell are seen walking away from golden tree, as Pablo looks back at it. Dates for EP release and tour kickoff are then revealed.
SB19 is set to release EP single on February 28, EP “Simula at Wakas” will drop on April 25. Their tour will kickoff on May 31.
P-pop group released its first EP “Pagsibol” in July 2021. Two years later in 2023, quintet released its second EP “Pagtatag.”
They held their “Where You At” tour in 2022 and followed it up with “Pagtatag” world tour in 2023 to 2024.
“Ang lumalabas na consensus dito sa House of Representatives, pending ongoing public consultation, baka kayang dagdagan ng P200 bawat araw ang minimum wage,” House Speaker Martin Romualdez said House of Representatives is expediting deliberations to push for P200 wage hike.
Announcement by Romualdez came day after meeting with labor groups on Tuesday, January 28.
In statement, House Speaker said proposed wage hike legislation will address “urgent need for economic relief” while “ensuring balanced approach that considers welfare of workers and sustainability of micro, small, and medium enterprises.”
Romualdez also noted that last major wage increase occurred over three decades ago with Wage Rationalization Act of 1989, successfully raised wages without causing significant inflation or widespread business closures.
“If we were able to do this in the past, there is no reason why we cannot do it now, especially with careful planning and collaboration with all sectors…hindi lang natin tataasan ang suweldo, titiyakin din nating makatutulong ito sa ating ekonomiya,” he said.
Wage increase in 2024
In December 2024, data from the Department of Labor and Employment said that wage increases that had been approved across the country by 14 Regional Tripartite Wage Productivity Boards had benefitted almost five million workers.
The wage hikes range from P21 to P75.
Wage increases were granted in the following regions:
National Capital Region (NCR)
Cordillera Administrative Region
Region1
Region 2
Region 3
Region 4-A
Region 4-B
Region 6
Region 7
Region 8
Region 9
Region 10
Region 12
Region 13
For example, in the NCR, the Tripartite Wage Productivity Boards approved a P35 wage increase, raising the minimum wage from P610 to P645.
However, despite the wage increase, data from the economic think tank Ibon Foundation shows that the P645 minimum wage in Metro Manila is still insufficient for a family to live decently.
“A family of five in NCR should receive a wage of P1,223 a day or 26,590 a month in order to live decently,” Ibon Foundation said.
Happy 21st anniversary, Servants of God in Jesus Christ Christian Ministries Incorporated, Rev. Nestor Sadim, Rev. Manuel Soliman, Director Jorge Lopez
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Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez, Happy 91st birthday Nanay
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Comelec, TikTok vs fake news
By J.Lo
Commission on Elections (Comelec) as campaign period for May midterm polls nears, signed deal with social media platform TikTok to fight fake news and disinformation.
TikTok’s partnership with poll body is “good news” as it is leading social media platform utilized by politicians and candidates, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said.
Poll body has made request to freely avail itself of TikTok’s services to verify misinformation and disinformation, Garcia noted.
In the agreement, content violative of election law shall be reported, with TikTok holding briefings for candidates on proper use of platform.
Political advertisements are banned on the platform, TikTok policy manager Peachy Paderna reiterated.
There is no law regulating political campaigns on social media, Garcia noted.
Stricter campaign guidelines will be released soon by poll body, he said.
Happy 21st anniversary, Servants of God in Jesus Christ Christian Ministries Incorporated, Rev. Nestor Sadim, Rev. Manuel Soliman, Director Jorge Lopez
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Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez, Happy 91st birthday Nanay
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PM for any hospital discharge problemABS 202529 Enero ,2025 Miyerkules
election campaign period, gun ban in effect
a day to love month
Happy 21st anniversary, Servants of God in Jesus Christ Christian Ministries Incorporated, Rev. Nestor Sadim, Rev. Manuel Soliman, Director Jorge Lopez
No to Divorce!!!
Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez, Happy 91st birthday Nanay
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supports National Bible Month 2025
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Pangasinan
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Hotel101 Global app reaches 1 M registered users
By J.Lo
“All of these can be done in HBNB app. HBNB app is expected to become most efficient and easiest to use hotel app globally,” Hotel101 Global CEO Hannah Yulo-Luccini said DoubleDragon Corp., listed property developer owned by Edgar “Injap” Sia II and Tony Tan Caktiong, has achieved new milestone as it continues to expand its hotel portfolio, hitting one million registered users on its Hotel101 Global app.
Luccini said HBNB app would provide Hotel101 customers with seamless hotel experience starting from the time they book their rooms to check in and all the way through to check out and settling bill.
“Hotel101 Global hotel chain seeks to delight its customers by providing them with completely predictable and consistent one room concept anywhere it locates around the world,” she said.
DoubleDragon said Hotel101 adopts dynamic pricing on its room rates via HBNB app where its room price moves up and down depending on real-time supply and demand on chosen date of booking.
Over medium term, DoubleDragon said HBNB app is expected to accumulate 25 million registered users from 25 different countries.
It is also expected to exceed 100 million registered users from 100 different countries over long term.
“Eventually our goal is for HBNB app to have over one million registered users in every country where Hotel101 operates,” Sia said.
“We would start to build up HBNB app users towards another one million from citizens of Spain, to be followed by another million users from Japan in 2026 then United States, and eventually million each from citizens of United Kingdom, UAE, India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mexico, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Turkey, Italy, Germany, France and Saudi Arabia,” he said.
DoubleDragon aims to make Hotel101 largest hotel company in the Philippines and simultaneously become one of the top five hotel companies in the world.
Of the Hotel101 Global’s one million operating hotel rooms global target by 2050, 50,000 are intended to be in the Philippines.
For its expansion abroad, first three Hotel101 overseas projects in Spain, Japan and US are expected to generate inflows of $471 million in foreign currency revenues to DoubleDragon.
Upcoming Hotel101 Global listing in US is also seen to further strengthen DoubleDragon’s balance sheet.
Happy 21st anniversary, Servants of God in Jesus Christ Christian Ministries Incorporated, Rev. Nestor Sadim, Rev. Manuel Soliman, Director Jorge Lopez
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Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez, Happy 91st birthday Nanay
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supports National Bible Month 2025
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Misconduct vs Dan Fernandez in Quad Comm hearings
By Nidz Godino
“Hence, I submit that Respondent has conducted himself against integrity of House and its members, consequently warranting his expulsion therefrom,” Ferdinand Topacio, legal counsel for Cassandra Ong, authorized representative of Lucky South 99 said ethics complaint was lodged against Rep. Dan Fernandez (Santa Rosa, Lone District) accusing him of violating House of Representatives’ Code of Conduct.
Complaint was submitted by Topacio, recommended that Fernandez be removed from lower chamber for allegedly depriving Ong of right to communicate with her legal counsel and for misinterpreting jurisprudence from Supreme Court decisions.
Happy 21st anniversary, Servants of God in Jesus Christ Christian Ministries Incorporated, Rev. Nestor Sadim, Rev. Manuel Soliman, Director Jorge Lopez
No to Divorce!!!
Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez, Happy 91st birthday Nanay
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supports National Bible Month 2025
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Headline
Disobedience, assault raps vs Sara Duterte,dropped
By Nidz Godino
“They did not narrate encounter between parties in their respective affidavits… they also did not discuss behavior of police-doctor after the incident, could have persuaded us that he was threatened and intimidated, if at all,” the resolution read, Quezon City prosecutor has dismissed complaints filed by police against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio and her security and protection group over scuffle involving Duterte’s chief of staff at medical facilities in November 2024.
In resolution dated Jan. 17, 2025, Assistant City Prosecutor Criscelyn Caryugan-Lugo dropped charges of direct assault, disobedience to authority, and grave coercion against Duterte, Col. Raymund Lachica and others, citing “failure to sustain finding of prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction.”
Case was filed by officers from Quezon City Police District following commotion at House of Representatives and Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) during transfer of Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez.
Complainants alleged that Lachica, head of Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, physically pushed and assaulted police doctor assigned to assist Lopez during her transfer to VMMC.
However, prosecutor stated that allegations against Lachica were “not supported by evidence,” as none of witnesses corroborated police doctor’s claims of being subjected to “attack, physical force, intimidation, resistance, disobedience, violence, or threats.”
“Video footage submitted by him also negates his own asseverations…being so, we are constrained to dismiss complaint for insufficiency of evidence,” it stressed.
Lopez was transferred to VMMC after falling ill, following House of Representatives Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s order for her detention at Women’s Correctional Institution in Mandaluyong City.
She was cited in contempt for “undue interference” during House panel’s investigation into alleged misuse of P500 million in confidential funds by Office of the Vice President and P112.5 million by Department of Education.
On Dec. 10, 2024, the House panel ordered Zuleika’s release from custody.
ISKUP! 