A lot will be spent on the cost of the public service if the public service structure is not better managed by the government. This was the suggestion put forth by former Prime Minister and Member for Ialibu Pangia Peter O’Neill, when debating the 2022 National Budget in parliament today. Mr. O’Neill said the K13billion allocated to maintain the operational expenditure in the 2022 budget, which also covers the public service expenditure, is way too high. “In fact, it is more than what the revenue that the entire country got in 2021 to go to maintain public service structure,” said O’Neill. “Real wage has not gone up, but public service machinery is increasing at ten per cent or around ten per cent every year. He said the real reforms are not being introduced like stopping recruitment, retiring the aging population in the public service because all these things need to be done so to cut the cost. “We need to relook at that so we can pull back this expenditure that is blowing out of proportion.” O’Neill concluded by saying that this matter will need everyone’s effort to address it by reducing the cost of public service structure. Picture courtesy: Parliamentary Media Services

The theme of the 2022 National Budget is “Lightening the Burden,” but some of the measures to take in the projected revenue of K16.1billion, could add burden to the people. One such measure is the introduction of the Banking Levy of K190 million, which is considered to impact people, especially the contributors of superfunds. According to Mr. Andrew Oaeke, the Acting Deputy Secretary Economic Policy of the Department of Treasury, there are a set of revenue measures that will be used to get that revenue in 2022. “They are categorized in three areas of Revenue Raising, Revenue Policies to Promote Fairness and Equity, and Enhancing Tax Administration and Compliance. There are thirteen of them, but we are categorizing them into three broad areas,” he said. Of the three areas, the introduction of the Banking Levy along with the introduction of Telecommunication Levy, comes under Revenue Raising. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one party not in favour of this introduction of the Banking Levy, saying it would hurt the contributors in the end. In a statement, the association said that this decision will affect Bank South Pacific Group (BSP), whom superannuation funds on behalf of ordinary workers and taxpayers are major investors and shareholders and claim that this new banking levy will result in a decline in profitability, dividend payments to shareholders and a decline in BSP’s share price. “We are cognizant of the Government’s endeavours to raise more revenue internally and will support initiatives that achieves this objective but not at the expense of our members, the ordinary workers of this country who are already doing it tough. Retirement savings with the Superfunds are the only real means of financial protection workers have.”

Local Australian Football League (AFL) players will have the chance to represent the country in the national teams when the PNG AFL Commission hold the national championships next year to select potential players for the teams. According to the AFL Senior Football Operations Manager, Mr. Rex Leka, the selections for the train on squads for both the male and female teams should make way for the teams to participate in the 2023 AFL International Cup in Australia. Mr. Leka said the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the selections in the past two years with competitions having to postponed or even cancelled in some regions. “Basically for the outside centres, most of the competitions were in the high risk regions and they had to cancel the competitions when the National Control Centre issued out the measures and instructions, “said Mr. Leka Nevertheless, the AFL body is looking at hosting the national championships in 2022. Even with the pandemic still on they are optimistic about things ahead and will be looking at applying different formats of the game and to also ensure matches are played under strict health protocols. He added that a previous list of the train on squads was put together in 2019 in anticipation of the International Cup set for 2020, but due to covid-19 in the following year, that list has been disregarded and a new one must be made.

The government has put together a budget of K22.1billion with a focus on health, education and law and justice sectors. Treasurer Ian Ling-Stucky when presenting the budget, said these three sectors are vital at this time duet to the need in these sectors in the provision of service in all sectors of the community. [caption id="attachment_17096" align="aligncenter" width="605"] Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey presenting the 2022 National Budget in parliament. Pic credit: Parliamentary Media Services[/caption] Education got the highest of 45% of the budget, and health 43% while law and justice 2.9% of the budget. Meanwhile, the total budget for 2022 is 9.3% higher than the 2021 supplementary budget. Secretary of Treasury Dairy Vele, added that the Revenue envelop for 2022 is K16.1billion, 18.4% higher than the 2021 supplementary budget, while the budget balance is at K5.1billion deficit, 5.9% of 2022 GDP. "It is the best possible plan we have with what is happening around us," he said.

PNG Power Ltd (PPL) is taking steps to put a stop to illegal connections and power theft by moving towards implementing something new that is being used by other countries in the world. PNG Power General Manager Retail, Mr. Kingston Albert, said the new devices should be brought into the country next year upon which PPL will commence roll out with the installations. “We are looking into installing smart meters with SIM cards in them and if there is tampering done, the system itself will automatically notify us,” Mr Albert said. “So, we are going towards that direction. Many countries have taken that path and we are also taking that path and we are already in the tender and evaluation stage, so that should be coming in soon,” Mr Albert added. Mr. Albert said the new smart meters are expected to reach the country by early 2022. “We should start to replace big meters like those in manufacturing, shops and supermarkets. All of these should start to see smart meters installed by next year,” Mr Albert said.

PNG Power Ltd (PPL) is sending a message to its customers in Port Moresby city that theft of electricity will be seriously dealt with, even if it means laying charges on the offenders. This was demonstrated yesterday afternoon when a foreign business owner was taken in for questioning by police upon PNG Power's request after the business owner was alleged to have stolen electricity from PNG Power by tempering with a power meter box at his shop located at the Hohola suburb. PNG Power General Manager Retail, Mr. Kingston Albert, said the bust yesterday is part of the state-owned company’s exercise to recoup money lost to illegal collections and outstanding bills through its' mass disconnection exercise, which will eventually roll out to the rest of the country. “This is mostly because of our cashflow situation, and we as a company know how much energy we produce and how much equivalent revenue we supposed to take. There is a big difference between what we produce and what we collect from our customers,” said the general manager. Albert said as part of this massive exercise PPL is conducting what he said is the Revenue Protection Initiative, which basically is going from house to house checking all installations set up by PNG Power across the country, starting with Port Moresby city. It was through this that the business owner was taken in for questioning by police after it was revealed to PNG Power technicians that something illegal was done at his premises that resulted in him paying less than the expected bill for the usage of the electricity service. “We have come across a lot, about eight hundred major customers whom we suspect and have been monitoring this over the last five to six months and we have targeted the first eighty to correct those illegal activities that are happening.” “So, if you talk about PPL not making money, that is where our money is going. We are trying our best with the limited resources that we have to recoup the money we lost,” he said. The general manager said so far PNG power has corrected eleven customers already through this exercise and with that recouped about a quarter of a million Kina. That money should go to such things as investing in equipment and power infrastructure in the country, which will then lead to better electricity service and connectivity to most parts of the country. “So, we want to set this as an example to all the businesses and operators in PNG who are stealing power, that PNG Power will come one day, and they will have to pay the bill that rightfully should be paid as this money will be used to rehabilitate or refurbish our equipment and infrastructure so that Papua New Guineans can live with consistent and reliable power provided to them.” Lastly, the general manager made an appeal to PNG Power customers who are doing illegal connections or not paying up their bills to stop and work with them to ensure a safe and proper connection to this vital service.

Parts of the Modilon General Hospital in Madang town went up in flames in the early hours of this morning destroying equipment and some documents but claiming no casualties or affecting too much of the service. According to the Director of Public Health of the Madang Provincial Health Authority, Dr. Martin Daimen, the parts that got burned down was the hospital library and part of the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNG IMR) office, which lost some of the laboratory research equipment in the fire. He added that the hospital library used to be the old section B of the children’s ward but was later converted into the library. Dr. Daimen said the rest of the hospital facility remains intact and health services to the public continues at this time, including the COVID-19 testing and vaccination. “The medical research institute office is burnt but that has not affected COVID-19 testing because the lab is mainly for medical research for the hospital. Testing for COVID-19 continues at its own facility at the other part of the hospital.” According to Dr. Daimen, the fire started at around midnight and is suspected to be caused by an electrical fault in the ceiling. He also confirmed that no one was injured in the fire as the buildings had no hospital staff inside them at the time of fire. The fire service also arrived on time to put out the fire before it spread to the other nearby buildings. Pictures sourced: Facebook

The recent signing of the recommencement agreement between the National Government and Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL) has been welcomed by local businesses in the Porgera Valley in after the closure of the Porgera mine 18 months ago affected their operations. The President of the Porgera Valley Women in Business (WiB) and businesswoman, Mrs. Elizabeth Iarume, said it is great news because they have suffered for far too long. “People are welcoming the decision the prime minister has made but they must do it in a timely manner so that all the other agreements are met and signed off by the parties concerned,” said Iarume. "Also, on that same page, we want to see landowner participation in the agreement." "It's not going to be the state and Barrick, but we want to see full participation of the landowners in every meeting, every negotiation, in every agreement signing." "We don’t want to repeat what has happened in the past. We don’t want to see the bad side of all the impacts we saw in the last thirty years.” "Therefore, the recently signing of the recommencement agreement brings a lot of optimism that things will eventually turn out alright after almost two years of not benefiting from the mine operating." “It’s not only the business houses, but it has also affected the other institutions and organisations because everyone depended on the mine operation, directly or indirectly, all of us benefited from the mine,” Mrs Iarume said. Iarume said since the mine closure, the cash flow in the valley has drastically dropped. This has seen vendors at the markets unable to sell their produce and business houses making losses because some of the items that are usually sold out quickly are taking longer to be sold. Nevertheless, the signing of the recommencement agreement now brings much hope to the valley. The Porgera Mine was closed in April 2020 after the Papua New Guinea government denied Barrick Niugini Limited an extension to the mining lease.

Coca- Cola worldwide has made a new brand change to the iconic brand name, and that new look especially on the can, has now reached the shores of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Coca- Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) PNG General Manager, Mr. Philippe Mondada, said the new look tells consumers that the brand continues to produce the top product everyone around the globe loves for over 125 years. “From time to time every icon brand needs a bit of refreshing,” said Mr. Mondada. “We have a new design, and the purpose of the new design is basically to celebrate the authenticity of the product and as well the iconicity of the brand.” Mondada said every single product which bare the Coca- Cola brand will go for change, but that doesn’t mean the product itself will change. “While the look has changed the taste hasn’t, the content of the can is exactly the same.” “Consumers can rest assure that they will still enjoy the authentic and delicious flavour and refreshing taste of Coca- Cola,” he added. Meanwhile, the Acting Head of Marketing, Mr. Donald Mangila, said the distribution of the new look can into the PNG market should take place by the end of this month. “So, the key visual is all about having one message, and that’s about celebrating our authenticity in the market,” he said. The new look can show a brighter red colour and the Coca- Cola brand is labeled horizontally and in a much bigger print and is almost around the can itself.

There have been growing concerns regarding the mistakes and sometime fraudulent practices taking place during the application for a new driver’s license or to renew an existing license. The matter of duplication of driver license numbers has popped up recently where people renewing licenses were told their license number is being used by someone else; therefore, delaying the process for them to have that sorted out. The Road Traffic Authority (RTA) Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nelson Terema, said this has been happening, but the RTA is now doing something to address it. “We do not have an IT system or a centralized system to perform vehicle registry and driver licensing. Therefore, at the moment Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited (MVIL) and the provincial government traffic registry are performing vehicle registering and driver licensing in Papua New Guinea.” “But the RTA is now procuring a centralized system which we hope will be up and running before the end of the year,” said Mr. Terema. He added that there might be some issues with the registries at the other vehicle registry offices, but the proposed new system should address this. “So, the only way to co-exist is to have a centralized IT system in PNG so we can correct these omissions, duplications and fraudulent activities, so that our drivers can go through the normal process to obtain driver license.”

The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) Military Band will stand out the next time it performs for the defence force, to the public or even performing at the international stage. The military band today received new ceremonial uniforms presented by Japan-PNG Association with the support of JICA, the Japan Ground Self Defence Force Military Band and the Japan Ministry of Defence. Director of the Japan-PNG Association, Mr. Akinori Ito, said the presentation of the new uniforms is the third official assistance to the military band. The first was the assistance given to establish the band in 2016 and the second was the donation of used instruments for the band members to train with. He said the Japan-PNG Association is a non-profit organization based in Tokyo, Japan and focuses on promoting relationship between Japan and PNG. The Association was established in 2002. He added that the association gets its funding through membership fees and donations, and with that it has supported the PNGDF military band along with other areas and activities it has supported in the country. The Deputy Chief of Defence, Commodore Philip Polewara, thanked the support given and said that it will continue to strengthen the relationship between the two countries and its militaries. “It is a memorable occasion for the PNGDF military brass- band and it started with the undivided full support of the Japan Ground Defence Force Central Band, Japan- PNG Association, JICA and those others behind the scene supporting this program,” said the Commodore. “I also would like to acknowledge the chief instructors and instructors from the Japan Ground Self Defence Force for your commitment, dedication, effort and loyalty to see the PNG defence force military band from its beginning to what it is today.” Meanwhile, the colours of the new look uniforms are bright and represent the colours of the PNG national flag.

The PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) will soon have a new aircraft operating to boost its air capability and also to provide further training for new young pilots who have recently completed training in both New Zealand and Australia. The new aircraft, the PAC 750, was acquired by the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government in 2018 and has been sitting at the Air Transport Wing (ATW) since its' arrival. Major Darius Kaule, the Acting Commanding Officer of the Training Squadron, said since 2018 up till now the aircraft has not been airborne because the defence force had to comply with civil aviation regulations in order to allow the aircraft to safely operate in the airspace. The single engine aircraft was taken up into the skies for the first time this morning from Port Moresby for its' test flight before it is given the all clear to go into service in the PNGDF. “The flight that we see happening this morning is part of the maintenance check flight and this flight has been approved by the Commander of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force after it has fully complied with civil aviation regulations,” said Major Kaule. “This maintenance check flight is basically to check the aircraft and make sure that all the parameters of the aircraft are fully safe and operational. This flight has to happen before the PAC 750 will be used for further flights the PNG Defece Force wants it to be used for.” Major Kaule added that the new aircraft was bought purposely to boost the PNGDF air capability. Back in 2018 the defence force had only one aircraft operational but unfortunately, today it has no other aircraft operational except for this new one, and with the assistance of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), it is hoped that the air capability is further improved. “The Papua New Guinea Defence Force in liaison with the Australian Defence Force and the defence operation program has established a relationship with the thirty two squadron of the Royal Australian Airforce and they are here now to help us achieve the air capability the PNG Defence Force needs,” added Major Kaule. Once the new PAC 750 aircraft is operational, it will initially be used for training of pilots. Major Kaule said about six new pilots from the PNGDF will use the aircraft for their further flight trainings in country.