The House of Representatives is now ready to submit the 2020 annual national budget to the Senate for their concurrence. It will, however have a hard time for that prepared budget to be confirmed by the Senate, thanks to Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.
Hard-headed congressmen have again included this nauseating and unlawful pork barrel for each congressmen amounting to P706 million each or a total of P54 billion for the 300 congressmen in the Lower House.
Some congressmen rebuked Lacson for exposing this what they called unsubstantiated expose even saying he was lying, but they probably do not know that Senator Lacson’s sources were from other fellow congressmen.
Pork barrel funds are supposed to finance projects of congressmen in their respective districts but it has been a practice that some corrupt and wealth-hungry congressmen got substantial amount as share, albeit unlawful. The result more often than not produced substandard implementation of projects.
We are also surprised that House Speaker Allan Peter Cayetano has 22 deputy speakers. Why and what for? Each of them gets an additional allocation of P1.5 billion each.
Fortunately, we learned that the Senate will truly review the proposed budget and will delete some of these questionable allocations. Malacañang through Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo also revealed that President Rodrigo Duterte will exercise his veto power in these questionable, unnecessary and unlawful allocations prepared by congressmen.
Nakakahiya mga congressmen.!!!
TACLOBAN CITY- A clerk of court in a municipal court in Alangalang town in Leyte province died after he was shot multiple times by a lone assailant on Thursday (Sept.26) afternoon.
Reports reaching the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) based in Palo town, also in Leyte province, identified the victim as Cedric Jose Ramos, 44, clerk of court of the municipal trial court in Alangalang and a resident of Barangay Binongtoan of the said town.
Based on the information, that at about 4:35 pm, the victim was on board on his single motorcycle and just meters away from his home, when the still unknown suspect, who was on board a sport utility vehicle, suddenly drew his gun and shot the victim several times, hitting him at the different parts of his body.
He was declared on arrival by the attending physician at the Leyte Provincial Hospital located in Palo town.
Local authorities are still conducting their investigation to determine the identity of the suspect and the motive of his killing.
(PNP/PR)
MAASIN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) field office here has recently planted 51,779 trees in watershed areas in Southern Leyte province replacing 1,492 trees cut due to road widening projects in 2017.
The massive tree planting activity replaced the 429 trees uprooted in Maasin City, 418 in Libagon, 317 in Macrohon, 133 in Sogod, 112 in Bontoc, 64 in Tomas Oppus, and 19 in Malitbog town.
A memorandum of agreement has been entered into between DPWH and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regarding mechanisms on the replacement of felled trees.
“As agreed with the DENR, the DPWH is bound to replace 50 trees for each felled tree planted in private or forest land and 100 trees for each naturally grown tree affected by road works,” said Southern Leyte District Engineer Ma. Margarita Junia.
The DPWH invested about P3.2 million for the replacement of trees cut by road projects in 2017.
Also, DENR has identified 9.69 hectares, an area set aside to replace cut trees in last year’s infrastructure projects.
Plantation of 16,153 seedlings with an allocation of P732,000 is now ongoing.
DENR has deputized farmers’ association of the respective towns to cultivate the newly planted seedlings, ensuring at least 85 percent survival rate.
A team from DPWH was formed to monitor the replanted trees.
“Every time we implement projects, we always consider the environmental impacts. We cannot immediately proceed with the construction without properly addressing them,” Junia said.
Junia vowed to continue the DPWH’s active involvement in different activities of DENR such as tree planting and clean-up drive. (PR)
TACLOBAN CITY-The Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) regional office issued a notice of violation against the city government of Catbalogan for allegedly dumping dirty water and solid wastes that go directly to Maqueda Bay, a major body of water in Samar province.
Based on its ruling dated September 13 of this year, the EMB in a decision signed by Regional Director Letecia Maceda, said that the city government violated Republic Act 9275 or the ‘Clean Water of 2004,’ and Administrative Order 2016-8 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources(DENR) known as ‘Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards.’
The alleged dirty water and sludge were from the public market of the city which is located in Barangay San Roque.
The said public market, involving around 300 stall owners, is a temporary facility as the original site, located in Barangay 13(Poblacion 11), is under construction being developed by the Primark Town Center under the private-public partnership entered by the city government.
“After a careful evaluation of the investigation report, the office records, and such all records relevant to the case, this Office finds respondent liable for both of the violations…that there being substantial evidence to support the conclusion that a prima facie exists against respondent,” the EMB, on its five-page ruling, said.
This action of the EMB-8 was prompted on a complaint-letter dated on May 27 filed by one Plaridel Oscar Bohol, a lawyer and resident of the city.
On June 3, personnel from the EMB conducted their investigation which issued its findings, among others: that the waste water coming from the different stalls goes into the drainage system and drains directly to the sea; no waste water treatment was installed; and improper waste disposal was observed.
But these findings of the EMB is being questioned by the city government through Edgardo Guya, city environment and natural resource officer.
Guya, in a phone interview, said that they were surprised on this EMB ruling saying that they have instituted the necessary precautionary measures to avoid that the Maqueda Bay would not be polluted.
For one, they have installed what he called ‘holding tanks’ where the waste waters coming from the vendors are being deposited.
And in turn, he said, these waste waters are treated using bio-enzymes so these could still be used.
Guya also said that they have also advised the vendors to impound their wastes waters and placed in a container and disposed them properly and not directly to Maqueda Bay.
The official also said that City Mayor Dexter Uy also asked for a thorough clearing operation to ensure the orderly and cleanliness of the area.
Guya said that they will be seeking for a reconsideration on this findings of the regional office of the EMB before its adjudication board- Manila which will rule on what possible sanctions would be meted against the city government of Catbalogan.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
TACLOBAN CITY-This early, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) here in the region is asking individuals who have no live birth records to register themselves as they are readying for the implement the national ID system program July of next year.
Wilma Perante, PSA regional director, said that while Eastern Visayas is not part of the first regions in the country where the Philippine Identification System ID (PhilSys ID) is to be tested, they are encouraging those who have no records with their office to have themselves registered.
This way, they would not find any difficulties once the program will be rolled out starting on July,2020.
Perante, speaking during the weekly media forum ‘Kapihan ha PIA” on Thursday(Sept.26),they estimated that out of more than 4 million people of the region, 10 percent of them have no birth records at their office.
Around 90 percent of the people of the region have records with their office, using their registration level.
Thus, she said, they are asking them to register with their office under the early registration process being offered by the government.
Perante said that they are asking all the people of the region to cooperate, especially those who have no records with their office.
“We encourage those who have no live birth (record) to register under the late registration (policy) which is needed under the program before we implement it on July, 2020,” the PSA regional head said.
She said that those who will have no ID under the program, which is to be completed by 2022, are likely to be left out from programs being offered by the government where IDs are required.
“They will not benefit the programs of the government that requires an ID,” she said.
Perante said that under the program, all citizens of the country, from zero to 100 years old or more, to include the indigenous peoples (IPs), are required to enroll under it.
She said that basic informations of a person like his name, birthday, and address, among others, are those contain in the ID.
This early, Perante assured the public that all data contained under the ID will not be used for any sinister purpose but merely to have a single identification cards for all Filipinos.
“All informations contain in the ID will be strictly confidential as we adhere to the Data Privacy Act,” the PSA-8 director said.
Some sectors have expressed their opposition to the national ID system program of the government saying this could be used against them by the government.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
CONTEST FOR RDC CHAIRMANSHIP. Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla (right) and Tacloban City Alfred Romualdez were both nominated as the next chairperson of the Regional Development Council. President Rodrigo Duterte will have the final say who will become the next chairperson. Photo shows both Romualdez and Petilla in a light mood with Regional Director Meylene Rosales of the National Economic Development Authority during the RDC meeting on Thursday (Sept.26). (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
CONTEST FOR RDC CHAIRMANSHIP. Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla (right) and Tacloban City Alfred Romualdez were both nominated as the next chairperson of the Regional Development Council. President Rodrigo Duterte will have the final say who will become the next chairperson. Photo shows both Romualdez and Petilla in a light mood with Regional Director Meylene Rosales of the National Economic Development Authority during the RDC meeting on Thursday (Sept.26). (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Pres. Duterte will have the final say
GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte – Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez were endorsed by the members of the Regional Development Council (RDC) for Malacañang to appoint as the next chairperson of the said regional body.
The more than 50-member council, composed of representatives from different government agencies and private organizations, nominated both Romualdez and Petilla during their regular meeting Thursday (Sept.26) held at the regional office of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), which serves as the secretariat of the highest policy-making body of the region.
Also nominated were representatives from private sectors, namely, Roy Bernard Fiel, Luisita Quebec, and Miguel Tezon, for the vice-chairman of the council.
All the names of the nominees are to be forwarded to President Rodrigo Duterte who will have the final say who will become the next chairman and co-chairman of the RDC.
While Gov. Petilla once served as the RDC chairman in 2013 until 2016, Mayor Romualdez, who served as mayor of Tacloban City for nine years, has never been appointed to the post.
His wife, Cristina, however, served as the chairperson of the body from 2016 until June 30 of this year. His father, Alfredo ‘Bejo’ Romualdez, also served as RDC chairman from 1998 to 2001.
Gov. Petilla’s mother, Remedios, was also named as RDC chair from 2001 to 2004 while his brother, former governor and energy secretary Carlos Jericho, held the same post from 2011 to 2012.
Romualdez, in his message, admitted that during his nine years as city mayor, he seldom attended the RDC meeting and chose to send a representative on his behalf.
“After reading the mandate of the RDC, I felt compelled and decided to accept the nomination because I feel Tacloban City, being the capital of the region, all the municipalities and cities in the region are constituents. Whatever happens to Tacloban affects all municipalities, cities and provinces,” he said.
Earlier, Mayor Romualdez said that he is not that keen to succeed his wife as RDC chair though he was willing to serve if his services are needed.
“Rest assured, whether I will be part of the RDC as chairman or not, I will always be here 99 percent. Just coordinate with me, there is no conflict with any LGU as far as Tacloban is concerned,” the Tacloban city mayor said.
“I just want this region to overcome our target,” Romualdez added.
Gov.Petilla said that the position of chairmanship will always depend to the decision of the President.
Petilla disclosed that when he was serving on his first term, he was nominated for the post but declined.
He, however, was eventually named by then President Benigno Aquino III.
Petilla, in his message, said if he would be named as the next RDC chairman, he would push for the improvement of the region’s economy, which is one of the poorest regions in the country.
“I serve to the pleasure of the President. As RDC chair our main goal is for the common good of the people,” Petilla said.
