Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, 2nd Distrrict of Quezon City) today expressed surprise over the admission of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport management that it had no closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the fight between Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Ramon Tulfo and the group of showbiz couple Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barretto, saying it shows what he has described as “incompetent management” on the part of the NAIA authorities.

Castelo, author of RA 5971, which seeks the submission of CCTV footages to police probers in incidents involving criminal activity, said he was contemplating to seek a new policy, either by legislative or executive fiat, on the compulsory installation of CCTV cameras to sensitive areas prone to the commission of crime.

Castelo made the statement as NAIA General Manager Angel Honrado said the brawl on Sunday afternoon did not have any CCTV footage because it occurred at the baggage conveyor area, which is not covered by airport CCTV cameras.

“This is unusual because the baggage conveyor area is sensitive to theft. Any person could just filch any baggage from anyone,” Castelo said.

“Besides, the global threat of terrorism is real. Ho could we cope with those threats if we don’t have CCTV cameras? Castelo said.

While saying the airport management was doing its own probe on the brawl, Honrado said NAIA authorities have yet to install CCTV cameras on the baggage conveyor area, adding that only the arrival area has CTV cameras.

Castelo expressed surprise over Honrado’s statement adding that his statement did not in any way conform to the claim that “ours is a world class airport.”

“We ask tourists to come over and have fun in the Philippines. We say that our airport is world class and comparable to the best in the world. But where are the CCTV cameras?” Castelo said.

Castelo said he intends to write President Benigno Aquino III to require the NAIA airport to install CCTV cameras in all important and sensitive areas of NAIA.

Castelo said he intends either to fill a separate bill or seek the inclusion in RA 5190 the compulsory installation of CCTV cameras in crime-prone public areas, which include airports, seaports, and other public and private transport terminals, among them.

Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, 2nd District of Quezon City) is seeking the creation of a commision to regulate dozens of health maintenance organizations (HMOs), which have been largely unregulated since their proliferation more than three decades ago.

Castelo has filed House Bill 6025, or the Health Management Organizations Regulatory Commision of 2012, which proposes the creation of the independent Health Management Organizations Regulatory Commission to exercise control, supervision, and authority over all HMOs nationwide.

In the bill’s explanatory note, Castelo said he has filed the bill after noting that the HMOs have been largely unregulated except for what he has described an an accreditation system, where the Department of Health merely issues a “clearance to operate” to those HMOs.

While likening the HMOs as business entities that have to comply with their contractual obligations to include prearranged and prepaid health services to their cardcarrying members, Castelo said bonafide cardholders were not getting the maximum benefits by way of exemptions, whih deprive them of ample medical services.

“There must be a regulatory commission to tke charge of the multifaceted problems that now plague this industry as the ones that serve as medical services providers in the broad sense of the term,” Castelo said.

According to Castelo, the proposed regulatory commission could address what he said the cardholders’ “many humiliating experiences,” which have been largely the result of the lack of regulatory mechanism for these HMOs.

The bill proposes that the commission initially assumes the accreditation system, which the Department of Health exercises through its Office for Health Facilities Standards and Regulations, and adopt the rules and regulations on the supervision of HMOs under DoH’s Administrative Order 34.

After two years of transition, the proposed commission will evolve automatically as “independent in its overall administrative and operational functions as the proper regulatory agency,” Castelo said.

Aftyer the transition, the proposed commission will issue new sets of supervisory and regulatory guidelines to implement the measure.

Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, 2nd District of Quezon
City) today lauded the enactment by the Quezon City Sangguniang
Panglunsod of the ordinance classifying 250 hectares of the North
Triangle, East Triangle and the Veterans Memorial Medical Center
(VMCC) as the new QC Central Business District, but proposed that the
City Council should also look for the commercial development of the
Commonwealth Avenue as its extension.

While saying the ordinance is expected to spur economic development in
what is generally regarded as Metro Manila’s largest city in land area
and population, Castelo said the development of the 12.4-kilometer,
20-lane Commonwealth Avenue has become a matter of course because of
its strategic location, as it connects northern Quezon City with
southern Bulacan, western Rizal, and the cities of Marikina, Kalookan,
and San Jose del Monte.

Its commercial development requires the QC City Council’s
consideration and study for the following reasons:

• The continuing saturation of major business districts like the Ayala
Central Business District in Makati City, Ortigas Central Business
District in Mandaluyong City, and Araneta-Cubao Business District in
Quezon City;

• The increase in the volume of traffic arising from the construction
and operations of MRT-7 in 2014 and the C-5 completion and extension
to NLEX within this year; and

• The clearing of areas currently occupied by informal settlers, their
relocation elsewhere, and the availability of new spaces for business
purposes.

According to Castelo, the contiguous areas along Commonwealth Avenue,
including the communities of informal settlers, have steady supply of
skilled, semi-skilled, and trainable workers, who can be useful for
the enterprises that will relocate there.

Castelo made the statement as the new ordinance seeks to implement a
CBD Master Plan, which divides the CBD into five districts–the
Triangle Exchange, the Emporium, the Downtown hub, the Residences and
the Commons.

Supported by Mayor Herbert Bautista, the city council enacted the CBD
ordinance, mainly sponsored by Councilors Precious Hipolito-Castelo,
Julian Coseteng, Allan Benedict Reyes, and Eufemio Lagumbay.

The master plan says the new CBD will be bounded by the stretch of
EDSA from the MRT North Avenue station up to GMA-Kamuning station,
portions of East Avenue, North Avenue and Elliptical Road.

The Triangle Exchange and Emporium districts will house mixed
commercial and retail zones such as shops, restaurants, service
establishments, banks, radio and TV stations, etc, while the Downtown
hub will be for national or local offices such as institutions of
higher learning, medical institutions, academic research or scientific
centers, museums and religious structures.

The Residence district will be dedicated to family or individual
dwellings where residents will be allowed to practice their
professions within the district, while the Commons district will be
used as open space zones for parks, open-air sports facilities,
memorials or shrines, etc.

Castelo said the proposed commercial development of Commonwealth
Avenue would divide what was formerly known as “killer highway” into
several components:

• The Financial Services – Business Process Outsourcing (FS-BPO) Row
should embrace the Technohub, which already has several BPO firms, and
its adjacent areas. It can be the FS–BPO Row so long as it does not
encroach upon the UP Arboretum at the back.

• The Professionals” Row comprising the adjacent vacant areas, where
new buildings can be built for the offices of lawyers, doctors, CPAs,
engineers, and the likes, and professional services like diagnostic
centers, consulting services, among others. Technohub can be expanded
for financial services like investment banking, insurance, among
others.

• The Funeral Parlors’ Row, which will be the virtual extension of the
Araneta Avenue and it include the middle-level funeral parlors and not
just the high-end type. Flower shops and restaurants can also be
established to cater to visitors of those funeral parlors. Already,
St. Peter and Loyola Memorial Services have relocated there.

• The Furniture Row along Commonwealth Avenue – Tandang Sora Avenue -
Luzon Avenue – Zuzuaregui Estate – Old Balara, where furniture could
be produced and sold there. The entrepreneurs there are already
producing furniture from imported soft woods.

• The Bus Terminal Row for North Luzon buses, which will decongest the
Araneta-Cubao and EDSA. This is feasible, as the C-5 extension that
passes through Luzon Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue nears completion.

• The Automobile Row along the eastern Commonwealth-Old Balara area,
where other car manufacturers can put up their showrooms, sales
offices, and their repair and maintenance services. Toyota and Kia
have put theirs there.

• The Grand Tiangge (flea market) for dry goods can be in the Western
Commonwealth-Tandang Sora-Luzon Avenue areas, while the Eastern
Commonwealth-Capitol area can be further enhanced into the Mall Row
with Ever Gotesco as the lead mall.

• The Commonwealth Market can be a wet market similar to Balintawak’s.
With the C-5 Extension opening this year, traders of vegetable, fruit,
poultry, and animal products from Central and Northern Luzon can drop
them off there. This will decongest Balintawak.

• The University Row along the Commonwealth Avenue-Dahlia area since
the Far Eastern University and National College for Business
Administration are already there. The area is perfect for the
expansion of Quezon City Polytechnic University there.

• The Manggahan area can be developed into an open-air sports complex
for football, baseball, or boxing, in case of high stakes fights. The
establishment of a sport complex interfaced with a shopping complex
there requires feasibility study.

Castelo urged the City Council to conduct feasibility studies in the
area and produce a master plan that would develop Commonwealth Avenue
into an extension of the new CDB.

Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, Second District of
Quezon City) today batted for the enactment of a new safety law that
requires the compulsory installation of underride rear guards for
trucks, trailers, and other heavy motor vehicles to prevent fatal and
near fatal accidents arising from collision between heavy and light
motor vehicles.

Castelo has filed House Bill 5930, or the Truck Rear Underride Safety
Act of 2012, which prescribes motor vehicle safety standards by
requiring heavy motor vehicle manufacturers to install cheap underride
rear guards to protect smaller vehicles from adverse effects of at
least 40-mile per hour crashes.

The bill seeks to mandate the Department of Transportation and
Communications (DoTC) to provide the implementing technical guidelines
for the design of what the bill has described as “cheap, lightweight,
and economical” underride rear guards for heavy motor vehicles.

Justifying his bill, Castelo said fatal and near fatal vehicular
accidents could have been avoided had motor vehicle producers
installed those “effective, economical, and lightweight” underride
rear guards on heavier vehicles.

“New regulations should consider as permissible guard height above the
ground to be within 16 to 18 inches to prevent smaller vehicles from
decapitation,” Castelo said.

The guard’s strength requirement should be beyond the minimum
collision rate of at least 40 miles per house, adding that the point
of impact should prevent light vehicles from going underneath a heavy
motor vehicle, Castelo said.

Catelo said the compulsory installation of rear underride guards
becomes a matter of course as indicated by the rising trend of road
accidents, of which official statistics showed a rise from about 3,000
incidents in 1998 to over 10,000 incidents in 2003.

At least 72 percent of those road accidents happened in Metro Manila,
according to Castelo, adding that the enactment of the proposed safety
standard law could reduce the incidents of fatal or near fatal road
accidents.

Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (LP, 2nd District of Quezon City) today urged the Aquino administration to address the country’s energy situation by certifying as urgent the consolidated bill that seeks to repeal Republic Act No. 8479, or the Oil Deregulation Law of 1998.

In a statement, Castelo said Malacanang’s certification on the bill repealing RA 8479 would give it a better chance of enactment in Congress and provide stability for the current volatile prices of
petroleum products in the country.

Castelo issued the statement as various civil society and transport groups have initiated what they have described a mass transport strike to press Malacanang to address the issue of what could be regarded as unabated rise in the prices of petroleum products.

RA 8479’s repeal has assumed immediate necessity and significance because the deregulation of the oil industry has been widely perceived to have failed to create a competitive market that would result in fair prices and sufficient supply of oil and petroleum products, Castelo said.

“The interplay of market forces has become illusory and what we see is the emergence of an oligopoly of three large oil companies that keep on dictating without mercy and increasing the prices of petroleum products,” Castelo said.

“Even the presence of small but independent oil companies has not given the much anticipated stability to the prices of domestic petroleum products,” Castelo said.

At least 14 lawmakers have authored different bills in a multi-partisan initiative for the repeal of the oil industry deregulation law. Those bills have already been consolidated for
inclusion in the list of priority bills in the Legislative-Executive Development Council (LEDAC).

Considering the political dynamics at the House of Representatives, the Palace’s certification on the consolidated bill could mean virtual support for the legislative initiative. This support will lead to its enactment, Castelo said.

Castelo also urged President Benigno Aquino III to make public the review of the oil industry deregulation law, which the Palace has initiated last year to provide for a more competitive market in the local petroleum industry.

Although a mere review of oil prices would not lower its cost, Castelo said a repeal of the oil industry deregulation law would enable the government to regulate once again oil prices.

“The Filipino people in general are the principal stakeholders whenever oil prices keep on changing and, therefore, government should step in to impose the necessary safeguards against cartel, monopoly and unfair market competition,” Castelo said.

Rep.Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, Second District of Quezon City) today proposed the immediate dismantling of the rotunda at the intersection of Mindanao and Quirino Avenues in Quezon City, saying it has been causing traffic jams since its construction several months ago.

In a statement, Castelo suggested the reversion to the old system, where U- turn slots are installed and traffic law enforcers are assigned to conduct the traffic flow at the intersection of the two major thoroughfares in Metro Manila’s largest city.

Castelo claimed he neither knew of any serious study about its construction nor saw or attended any consultations among the affected sectors.

As far as he could remember, Castelo said the lack of a serious study and consultations among affected sectors could be reasons for the failure to anticipate the consequent traffic jams in the area.

Castelo also said he has been receiving complaints from his constituents, who have been adversely affected by the serious traffic problems in the area, which is part of the Quezon City’s second district, the political constituency he represents at the House of Representatives.

While saying he could not turn a blind eye on the issue, Castelo said he did his own occular inspection to validate the complaints and saw they were valid and truthful.
Castelo urged the national government, through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), to initiate its dismantling at the soonest time possible, but suggested they should work with the affected sectors too

Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, Second District of Quezon City) today urged the Aquino administration to use a portion of the P40.2 billion under the 2012 conditional cash transfer (CCT) program to cushion the impact of tuition fee increases in more than 300 private educational institutions nationwide.

In a statement, Castelo said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which administers the CCT program, could rechannel a portion of the CCT fund to finance the educational requirement of the more than five million households that comprise the nation’s “poorest of the poor.”
Castelo made the statement as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) was reported to have received the applications of about 300 of the more 2,000 private educational institutions to raise their tuition fees for the schoolyear 2012-2013.
According to CHED chair Patricia Licuanan, the tuition fee hikes appeared certain as CHED was powerless to stop the schools from raising their tuition fees.

Castelo said the fund support could be in the form of scholarship grants for deserving college students, whose families are among the beneficiaries of the Pantawid sa Pamilyang Pilipino PROGRAM (4Ps), otherwise known as CCT program.
It could also be outright subsidies to the tuition fees of elementary, high school, and college students under the 4Ps, Castelo said.
Castelo also said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), through the local government units (LGUs), is in a better position to administration the CCT program for college students since the national government is focused more than on the provision of basic education for the nation’s over 50 million children.

Castelo urged the DSWD, CHED, DILG and the Department of Education (Deped) to come out with guidelines for the rechanneling of CCT program fund for education primarily to lessen the impact of the new round of tuition fee increases. #

Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, 2nd District of Quezon
City) today lauded the planned 40-kilometer-per-hour speed limit on
all passenger buses in Metro Manila, but said a stricter loading and
unloading policy should complement the bus speed limit to prevent or
reduce road accidents involving passengers.

In a statement, Castelo said the strict implementation of the 40 kph
speed limit could reduce accidents caused by reckless driving and
speeding buses, but stressed the adoption of the half meter rule on
loading and unloading of bus passengers could mean traffic discipline
among public transport drivers.

Under the proposed policy, all buses will be required to load and
unload passengers only at designated bus stops. Buses will also be
required to stop and load and unload passengers at least half meter
away from the sidewalk, Castelo said.

Justifying the proposed half meter rule, Castelo said the practice of
bus drivers to load and unload passengers at the middle of the street
has been a major cause of road accidents involving passengers and, in
most instance, they obstruct the flow of traffic, causing jams.

“The imposition of the 40 kph speed limit is incomplete without the
corresponding half-meter loading and unloading rule,” Castelo said.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) has
announced that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory
Board would issue a memorandum-circular to require bus operators to
install a speed limiter device on their vehicles.

The device either automatically prevents the driver from going faster
once the speed limit is reached or warns him when the vehicle’s speed
goes beyond 40 kph.

But Castelo said the lack of a passenger loading and unloading policy
has been a factor for the lack of discipline among drivers of public
utility vehicles, especially buses and jeepneys, creating traffic
problems and causing accidents.

“The half-meter loading and unloading policy is a perfect complement
to the 40 kph bus speed limit,” Castelo said.

The new speed limit is lower than current 60-kph being implemented at
two major thoroughfares in the metropolis – Commonwealth Avenue in
Quezon City and Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City. #

If Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, Second District of
Quezon City) would have his way, all manufacturers should adopt a
standard measure for the seating space of locally-manufactured
jeepneys to assure passenger safety and comfort and avoid overloading.

House Bill 5850, or the “Seat Space Requirement of Jeepneys Act of
2012,” which Castelo has filed over the weekend, requires
manufacturers to provide a seating space capacity, which is based on
what Castelo described as “the anthropometric dimension of jeepney
passengers” equivalent to 357 millimeter hip breadth or 14 inches. The
term anthropometric refers to measurement of size, weight, and
proportion of human body.

Castelo’s bill requires the Department of Transportation and
Communications (DoTC) to issue appropriate guidelines, rules and
regulations for its effective implementation through the Land
Transportation Office (LTO).

While 55 percent of the population in Metro Manila uses jeepney as the
primary mode of transport and about 350,000 jeepney units ply major
and minor routes in the metropolis, Castelo said the country does not
have national standards for assembly of “customized local road
vehicles” (CLRV), resulting in passenger overloading and discomfort.

As a consequence, most jeepney manufacturers have varied
specifications with regard to capacity dimensions, even as most
passengers have perceived the designed seating space is insufficient
for the passengers, Castelo said.

The proposed anthropometric dimension of 357 millimeter hip breadth or
14 inches for every passenger has been based on scientific studies and
its adoption would assure passenger safety and comfort.

The enactment of his bill, according to Castelo, could be the initial
step towards the crafting of subsequent laws to improve mass transport
system in terms of the safety of locally-constructed jeepneys. #

Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, Second District of Quezon City) today urged President Benigno Aquino III to certify as urgent the Palace version of the Freedom of Information of 2012 (FoI) bill to speed up its enactment and implementation.

In a statement, Castelo said the certification could lead to the start of the legislative process, triggering healthy debates among lawmakers and various sectors, leading to the emergence of a consensus among lawmakers and refinements of the FoI bill.

At least a dozen versions have been filed before the House of Representatives and Castelo said he is among the lawmakers, who have filed a version.

Castelo expressed elation over what he regarded timely the inclusion of the provision that requires top government officials, including the Supreme Court justices, to disclose publicly their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) and post these documents in the official websites.

Castelo expressed belief that this provision would go a long way to foster transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in public service.

Castelo issued an earlier statement calling for the posting of the SALNs of those top officials on the websites of their respective government agencies and their publication in the Official Gazette portal to stop the commission of graft in government service.

Castelo acknowledged the timely submission of the administration’s version to Congress, but said it requires further refinements and amendments to assure public disclosure of official documents and records

Castelo made the statements as the President submitted to Congress the final Palace draft, which requires the public disclosure of the SALNs of the President, the Vice President, members of the Cabinet, members of Congress, members of the Supreme Court, officers of the Armed Forces with the rank of general or flag officer, and members of
Constitutional commissions and other constitutional offices.

Among the public records and documents mentioned in the Palace version include acts and resolutions of Congress, executive and administrative orders and proclamations of general application, decisions or abstracts of decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, and other documents of general application, among others.#