Saturday, July 2, 2022
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Columns About Town by Ernesto M. Hilario

How much should we pay for ‘convenience’?

Ernesto M. HilariobyErnesto M. Hilario
September 15, 2021, 12:10 am
in About Town by Ernesto M. Hilario
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
85
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

"All we want now is to be able to go where we want to go without having to cough up extra cash from our already depleted pockets."

 

Travelers and migrant workers alike have welcomed the recent government move to issue International Certificates of Vaccination (ICVs) for COVID-19 as this would no doubt facilitate movement across national borders.

The ICVs, also called yellow card or yellow book, are issued by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), an agency under the Department of Health (DOH). These certificates are recognized by member-countries of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The ICVs are available for travelers who got fully vaccinated in the country and are leaving for countries requiring proof of COVID-19 immunization.

Inbound travelers, on the other hand, can use their ICVs issued as proof of inoculation to reduce the length of their mandatory quarantine in hotels before they can travel to their final destinations.

ADVERTISEMENT

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) fully vaccinated against COVID-19 need to acquire the ICVs if they want to travel and work abroad because the vaccination cards issued by local government units (LGUs) of the localities where they have had their jabs are not recognized by other countries.

To be able to avail of the ICVs, applicants must upload on the BOQ website their vaccination card, passport and valid IDs, and submit them on the day they will get the document. Those applying for the ICV must pay P300 and a “convenience fee” of P70 for a total of P370.

But what’s this we hear that even within the BOQ, there have been questions regarding the agency’s move to tap Pisopay as the payment gateway for the online processing of the fees for the ICVs?

One issue raised is the allegedly excessive fee of P70 charged by Pisopay for processing of online payments.

We’re told that similar service fees charged by other government agencies only range from P15 to P30, or less than half of the financial services provider’s “convenience fee.”

Hence, sources say, Pisopay’s rate is considered prohibitive amid the financial hardships on the part of many Filipinos because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within the agency itself, we understand that concerned officials who prefer to remain anonymous have sought President Rodrigo Duterte’s help to rectify this allegedly questionable deal.

Has this issue already reached the attention of President Duterte, who has time and again said that he would bear down hard against even just “a whiff of corruption?”

On its website, Pisopay is described as a financial technology company and licensed remittance center that delivers fully-integrated financial and payments cloud-based applications for end-to-end payments of organizations and businesses.

This payment gateway allows users to make online transactions using credit and debit cards, electronic or e-wallets like GCash or PayMaya, and cash or over-the-counter payments like Bayad Center and LBC.

But some quarters have cast doubts on the fintech company’s track record, which, to their credit, were promptly answered.

A Pisopay statement said it “duly filed its Annual Income Tax Returns for years 2018, 2019, and 2020…That Pisopay failed to file Monthly Remittance Return on Income Taxes Withheld on Compensation (BIR Form No. 1601-C) is absolutely false. Pisopay is not, and has not been, subject to any audit and investigation by the BIR for non-compliance with tax laws.”

Nevertheless, Congress, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and regulatory agencies have been urged to investigate Pisopay’s contract with the BOQ.

If such an inquiry is held, then the fintech company will have the opportunity to explain their stand and convince the public that its contract with the BOQ passed a thorough vetting process compliant with existing procurement laws.

Travelers and migrant workers have already endured nearly two years of lockdowns and harsh COVID-19 restrictions. All they want now is to be able to go where they want to go without having to cough up extra cash from already depleted pockets.

* * *

Will Senate hearings on Pharmally uncover the truth?

Meantime, back at the ranch, the Senate hearing on the Pharmally controversy continues to unravel more details. We’re waiting with bated breath as to how this probe will end, amid Duterte’s frenzied counter-attacks against the key figures in the Blue Ribbon Committee trying to get to the bottom of it. The key question now is how high up the stink in this awful mess goes. Pass the popcorn, please.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

 

Tags: Bureau of QuarantineCOVID-19Ernesto HilarioICVsInternational Certificates of Vaccinationmigrant workersTravelersyellow bookyellow card
ADVERTISEMENT
Ernesto M. Hilario

Ernesto M. Hilario

Related Posts

The new administration

byErnesto M. Hilario
July 1, 2022, 12:15 am
0
300
Denying Villafuerte justice

"Winning the hearts and minds of the rest of the population behind a viable program for economic recovery in the...

Read more

Economic recovery hinges on strong domestic cement industry

byErnesto M. Hilario
June 29, 2022, 12:10 am
0
267
Denying Villafuerte justice

"A healthy and competitive cement manufacturing industry in the country, currently with at least 10 domestic players, enhances the Philippines’...

Read more

UP proposals on foreign policy

byErnesto M. Hilario
June 24, 2022, 12:00 am
0
268
Denying Villafuerte justice

"The Philippines now finds itself in the midst of intensifying great power rivalry, particularly between the United States and China"...

Read more

UP proposals on local governance

byErnesto M. Hilario
June 22, 2022, 12:10 am
0
346
Denying Villafuerte justice

"While there has been improved access to maternal health services and a decrease in infant mortality, LGUs still struggle with...

Read more

UP’s proposed governance agenda

byErnesto M. Hilario
June 17, 2022, 12:10 am
0
504
Nullity of marriage: a defense in bigamy cases

"UP academics contend that politics in the Philippines is highly personalistic, with candidates relying on popularity, patronage and fear in...

Read more

What’s the US agenda?

byErnesto M. Hilario
June 15, 2022, 12:15 am
0
683
Denying Villafuerte justice

"One possible outcome of the detente is that the US could favorably consider the resumption of economic assistance to the...

Read more

Stories you may like

  • Snapshots

    The next, now, or never in new romance film ‘Ngayon Kaya’

    2084 shares
    Share 834 Tweet 521
  • Of course, it was BBM’s project

    31832 shares
    Share 12733 Tweet 7958
  • Property relations in marriage

    1012 shares
    Share 405 Tweet 253
  • Herbosa will make an excellent DOH Secretary

    1790 shares
    Share 716 Tweet 448
  • First Family to showcase local fashion design in barong, terno

    935 shares
    Share 374 Tweet 234

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Google to delete user location history on US abortion clinic visits
  • Sneakers for Makati : AB4.0
  • BBM extends free bus rides
  • SC clears way for OMB to probe bank accounts of Erap, mistresses
  • Palace declares vacant Duterte filled positions
  • DBM releases P6.2 billion to fund ayuda to 6 million poor beneficiaries
  • Government wants to ramp up trading activities with US—Romualdez
  • DOH: All regions post sharp rise in COVID cases, but still low-risk

Advertisement

Latest News

DBM releases P6.2 billion to fund ayuda to 6 million poor beneficiaries

byJulito G. Rada
July 2, 2022, 1:20 am
0
185

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released a total of P6.20 billion to bankroll the first tranche of...

Read more

Government wants to ramp up trading activities with US—Romualdez

byOthel V. Campos
July 2, 2022, 1:10 am
0
222
PH companies told to look at US market

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants more economic activities between the Philippines and the United States under his administration, Ambassador to...

Read more

DOH: All regions post sharp rise in COVID cases, but still low-risk

byWillie Casas
July 2, 2022, 1:00 am
0
168
Duque says no stopping of jabs for kids amid case vs. it

All regions in the country continue to see an increase in COVID-19 infections, with 88% of provinces, highly urbanized cities,...

Read more

Enrique Manalo, PH envoy to UN, named DFA chief

byRey E. Requejoand1 others
July 2, 2022, 12:50 am
0
229
PH, CH form way to settle dispute

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday appointed a career diplomat, Enrique Manalo, as the secretary of the Department of Foreign...

Read more

NBI files raps for deaths of inmates

byManila Standard
July 2, 2022, 12:40 am
0
214
Modernization plan to beef up NBI arsenal

Eight murder complaints have been filed against 22 members of the National Capital Region Police Office over the questionable deaths...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App