MANILA — Amid discussions surrounding the proposed amendments to the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez affirmed that self-regulation within the advertising industry would persist.

The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Amendments made this assertion in response to concerns voiced by stakeholders during a recent Senate hearing on the amendment proposals.

Emphasizing the importance of maintaining the current internal arrangements of the advertising industry, Rodriguez clarified that the focus lies primarily on ownership issues. He underscored that there are no intentions to disrupt established practices such as self-regulation. Rodriguez firmly opposed any proposal that would alter this aspect of the industry.

During the Senate hearing, Rudolph Jularbal, legal counsel for the Ad Standards Council, highlighted that foreign ownership would not pose a challenge as long as self-regulation remains intact. He emphasized the significance of functional self-regulation, asserting that effective content regulation can be upheld regardless of ownership structures.

Addressing concerns regarding the perceived lack of value brought by foreign ownership to advertising agencies, Rodriguez argued that additional capital infusion into any business entity, including those in the advertising sector, inherently adds value. He also pointed out the potential benefits of technology transfer and access to foreign expertise, which could enhance the operations of such agencies.

In response to raised issues regarding editorial independence and advertiser influence on content, Rodriguez assured that editorial judgments would remain within the purview of ad agencies. He reiterated the stance that legislative interference in editorial decisions would not be entertained. Furthermore, he emphasized that decisions regarding advertisement content would be left to the discretion of both advertisers and their respective agencies.

Throughout the discourse, Rodriguez reiterated the commitment to preserving the autonomy and self-regulation of the advertising industry. Despite discussions on potential changes to ownership structures, the assurance was clear: the industry’s internal regulatory mechanisms would remain intact.

(Filed by el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Mincing no words, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Monday (22 April 2024) described a group of UP economists as “anti-poor” for opposing the initiative of the House of Representatives to amend the 37-year-old Constitution’s restrictive economic provisions.

“This group is anti-development, anti-employment, anti-economic progress, and anti-poor. They are trying to block economic Charter reforms which we believe will bring in more foreign direct investments (FDIs), which in turn will accelerate our country’s economic development, and create more jobs and income opportunities for our people,” Rodriguez said.

He noted that UP where he obtained his law degree is known as the bulwark of activism and academic freedom where progressive ideas also flourish.

“But its economists and other academicians should not find fault in every proposal from the government, including Congress. They should not oppose just for the sake of opposing,” Rodriguez lamented.

In a position paper, the UP economists said instead of proposing economic Charter amendments, lawmakers should attend to more important factors that affect FDIs, including infrastructure, connectivity, corruption, and the rule of law.

But the CDO lawmaker disagreed.

“I do not agree that the other ingredients for attracting investments are more important than removing foreign equity restrictions in the Charter. These limitations are the root cause of the reluctance of foreign businesses to invest in our country,” said Rodriguez, whose undergraduate degree is AB Economics at De La Salle University graduating summa cum laude.

He said economic constitutional amendment proposals and other factors affecting investments are not mutually exclusive and could be addressed together.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Citing studies that the anticipatory stress and expectation of answering after-hours e-mails is draining employees, leading to “burnout” or physical, psychological, and emotional distress, Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez has filed a bill granting employees the right to disconnect from work, including responding to offline and online communications after work hours.

Rodriguez, president of the Centrist Democratic Party (CDP), also noted that in France there’s a labor law that grants employees the right to disconnect from email, smartphones, and other electronic leashes once their working day has ended to ensure respect for rest periods and balance between work, family, and personal lives.

A country in Europe, France is considered one of the seven most significant economies in the world.

“Advances in technology have made it easier for people to work and conduct business. Everyone is getting more and more connected it is also easier to reach anyone at any given time. However, problems arise in such a way that employees work even beyond the normal working hours (i.e. replying to emails, replying to messages on their phones, answering calls, among others),” Rodriguez said in the explanatory note of his House Bill 9375.

Under the bill proposed by Rodriguez, an employee should not be reprimanded, punished, or otherwise subjected to disciplinary action if he or she disregards a work-related communication sent after work hours.

This provision, however, is subject to the terms and conditions of the policy to be established by the employer.

Further, House Bill 9375 provides that rest periods of short duration during working hours shall be counted as hours worked.

(ai/mnm)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Stressing that the country’s sovereignty cannot be compromised, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Friday called on the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to exclude China from the financing of planned railways and other infrastructure projects.

Instead, the president of the pro-administration Centrist Democratic Party (CDO) proposed that the financing could be secured from friendly nations like Japan and South Korea.

“I think Beijing is linking project funding to raging territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea. If they believe they could extract concessions from us, they are dead wrong. We cannot compromise our territorial integrity and sovereignty and maritime interests in waters that are ours under international law,” Rodriguez said.

The CDO congressman made the statement on the heels of the latest China’s “shadowing” of the Philippines-US joint maritime and air patrol in the West Philippine Sea held from November 21 to 23.

The Mindanaoan lawmaker also lauded the decision of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to back out of loan negotiations with a Chinese bank for three railway lines in Luzon and Mindanao.

“We can even consider internal financing like private investments and the annual national budget for these critical rail lines, including the first railway project in Mindanao,” Rodriguez pointed out.

(ai/mnm)

By Dang Samson-Garcia

CAGAYAN de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez filed a measure that aims to grant tax exemption to public school teachers as a non-wage benefit.

Under House Bill 9106, all salaries, wages, allowances and benefits granted to public school teachers, including those in state colleges and universities, shall be exempted from withholding taxes.

Rodriguez said it is crucial that teachers get adequate compensation.

“The government must provide compensation and benefits, whether monetary or otherwise, commensurate to the work they perform and the contribution they make to society,” he said.

Teachers, he added, are among the lowest-paid government workers.

He cited in his bill data from the Department of Budget and Management that there are about 880,000 public school teachers in the country.

The teacher-to-student/pupil ratio is 1:29 in the elementary level, 1:25 in high school, and 1:29 in senior high school.

“This highlights the difficulties our teachers face in providing quality education to our students,” Rodriguez said.

By Dang Samson Garcia

HINIKAYAT ni Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez ang Commission on Higher Education na ipawalang-saysay ang partnership sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at ng ilang Chinese universities.

Partikular na hinimok ni Rodriguez si CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III na pangunahan mismo ang pagkansela sa partnership habang pinoprotesta ng Pilipinas ang Chinese aggression sa West Philippine Sea.

Iginiit ng kongresista na habang patuloy ang engagement ng CHED sa China ay nagpapakita ito ng ‘wrong signal’ dahil lumilitaw na hindi nagkakaisa ang mga Pinoy.

Inaalmahan naman ng gobyerno ang harassment at bullying ng Chinese Coast Guard sa mga sunadalong Pinoy, Philippine Coast Guard at mangingisdang Pilipino sa West Philippine Sea.

Pinayuhan pa ni Rodriguez si De Vera na sundan ang ginagawang hakbang ng AFP na ipinatigil ang pagpapadala ng sundalo sa China para mag-aral, magsanay o magsagawa ng social visit, at pagtanggi na magkaroon ng joint patrol sa Philippine Maritime Territory.

Sa halip na makipagkasundo sa Chinese higher education institutions, binigyang-diin ni Rodriguez na dapat sa mga kaalyadong bansa na lamang makipag-partner ang CHED gaya ng Estados Unidos, Japan, South Korea, Australia at iba pa.