I’ve visited the Quezon City Environmental Protection and
Waste Management Department who gave me an overview of the environmental
problems, how they are trying to become a more environmentally sustainable
city, their efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the planting and protection of
trees, the production of energy from waste garbage and the upgrading of street
lights to use LEDs. All of these issues are very similar to what we are doing
in Bolton and I’m very impressed with their work.
I also visited the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources of the Philippine Government and I was shown an indigenous tree
planting scheme and was given the opportunity to take part in transplanting the
seedlings into grow bags. This project is very important in protecting and
improving the rural environment and forests of the Philippines.
Visits have also taken place to the Philippine Social
Security System Government Department and the Philippine Government Social
Insurance System which are two separate social security departments. The first
being for ordinary working citizens and the second for all government
employees. I was given a very warm welcome at both departments and a
presentation on the work that each do.
I was told that the SSS department has an imbalance in the
contributions collected and the benefits paid out and they would like their
government ministers to increase the levels of contributions. So currently they
are running at a deficit.
On the other hand the GSIS department is running in credit
so does not pay out as much as it collects. This is because government
departments are compliant in making employee contributions whereas the SSS
department has many problems in collecting ordinary employee contributions. I
was struck when visiting the GSIS that they have their own art gallery and
museum with many expensive artefacts including a 20 million peso wood carving
picture and two grand pianos for twice weekly concerts all funded within their
budget.
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