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Sueno said the scheduled barangay assembly would be In a resolution handed down by Judge Armando Yanga
an appropriate venue to highlight PHederalism, of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 173 on Jan.
which he described as a Philippine version of 13, he dismissed the petition for a temporary
federalism that takes into account the cultural restraining order (TRO) and a writ of preliminary
particularities and sensibilities of the countrys diverse injunction, citing lack of merit.
cultural communities.
Lacuna earlier questioned the validity of the council
The barangay assemblies are expected to draft a sessions in which Ordinance No. 7810, which tackled
resolution supporting a shift in the countrys form of the executive budget, was approved on second, third
government. and final reading in December and earlier this month.
PHederalism is our own indigenized federalism The respondents were Councilor Casimiro Sison of the
experience that reflects the identities of our people 6th District in his capacity as majority floor leader, and
while deriving and learning from the best practices of 17 other city councilors who approved the budget.
all federal countries, thus, we reserve to attain an
evolving type of federalism that is fully unique to the
Philippine experience, Sueno said in a statement. Sison, Lacuna and Mayor Joseph Estrada are allies
under the latters Pwersa ng Masa. Estrada, however,
has yet to comment on the issue.
Emily Padilla, Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG) undersecretary for legislative
liaison and special concerns and focal person on In an interview with the Inquirer, Lacuna pointed to
federalism, urged barangay officials to be consistent anomalies in the budget process, including a council
partners of the government in its drive for federalism. session that took place in the city hall lobby
supposedly after the meeting had been adjourned for
the day.
Padilla said federalism will only come into fruition with
the support of the barangays through consistent
discussions within their localities and being firm We were after the process of the approval of the
contributors to the vision of the government in pushing budget, she said, adding: We believe it was
the country to progress. railroaded.
Let us help our government. Let us help our President. Lacuna said there were unauthorized moves carried
Let us bring down the concept of federalism in our out by some people, particularly the committee on
barangays, Padilla said. appropriations. The budget of some departments,
including the Office of the Vice Mayor, the City
Administrators Office and the Sanggunian, were not
Federalism is our last card to attain peace and heard, she added.
progress in our country, she added
According to Lacuna, her offices budget was slashed
by P360 million which included allocations for job
orders, contractual employees, office supplies and
donations. All that is needed for my office to run, she
said.
In a 21-page joint resolution signed by Ombudsman The act of naming an ineligible corporation as the
Conchita Carpio-Morales on Dec. 13, 2016, the eligible bidder reflects bias and partiality that should
Ombudsman also indicted Leonardia for graft after the not be countenanced in procurement activities using
anti-graft body found probable cause to charge him for public funds, according to the Ombudsman resolution.
violating Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Act). The Ombudsman said the officials also violated the
procurement law and rules by retaining the P500,000
Leonardia said his lawyers filed a motion for bidders bond of Comfac and treating it as a
reconsideration on January 11. performance bond.
This was a surprise to us because we knew that this The bidders bond is a fee paid by bidders as a
case was already close and terminated. But we will guarantee that the winning bidder will enter into a
face the case and our lawyers will present our contract with the procuring office or agency. The
arguments in the proper venue, Leonardia told the performance bond is a guarantee that the winning
INQUIRER in a phone interview. bidder will comply with its contract obligations.
He declined to elaborate on the merits of the resolution The Ombudsman said the performance bond should
but pointed out that it was clear in the Ombudsman have amounted to P2,452,984.84.
resolution that all goods were delivered and there was
no money stolen. By merely converting the bid security of P500,000 to
performance bond, the respondents exposed the city
There was no overprice, no conspiracy and we did not government to the risk of Comfac not performing its
act in bad faith, the mayor said. obligation, according to its resolution.
The Ombudsman also indicted for graft and ordered The anti-graft body also noted that Comfac Corp.
the dismissal from service of nine other city officials should have paid damages amounting to
and employees. P14,152,717.80 for the delay in the delivery of the
goods which reached up to a year and eight months
after December 2, 2008, the delivery date.
These included members of the citys bids and awards
committee Goldwyn Nifras (chair), Luzviminda
Treyes (vice chair), Nelson Sedillo and Melvin Recabar The respondents had charged the supplier P57,600.01
(secretariat head); and technical working group for a delay of 128 days.
members Eduardo Ravena, Jaries Ebenizer Encabo,
Belly Aguillon, Aladino Agbones; and city treasurer Undoubtedly, therefore, the city government suffered
Annabelle Badajos. loss of funds in terms of liquidated damages
chargeable to Comfac, which should not have
The Ombudsman found Leonardia and the other happened had the respondents exercise due diligence
officials and employees guilty of grave misconduct and in observing (the) procurement law and rules, the
gross neglect of duty for violating the procurement law Ombudsman said.
and rules and showing partiality to the supplier.
Leonardia, in his counter-affidavit, invoked the
They were meted out the accessory penalties of condonation (Aguinaldo) doctrine which absolves an
forfeiture of retirement benefits, perpetual elective official of administrative liabilities if the official
disqualification from holding public office and is re-elected.
cancellation of civil service eligibility.
But this was rejected by the Ombudsman, citing the
The Ombudsman said in its joint resolution that those Supreme Court ruling abandoning the doctrine.
found guilty violated procurement rules by awarding
the contract to supply property, plant and equipment, Leonardia is serving his fifth term as mayor. He served
furniture and fixtures for the New Bacolod City his first term from 1995 to 1998 and another three
Government Center to Comfac Corp. terms from 2004 to 2013.
He won a fifth term in the May 2016 elections after
serving three years as representative of the lone SC halts QC ordinance on property valuation hike
congressional district of Bacolod from 2013-2016.
By: Tetch Torres-Tupas - Reporter / @T2TupasINQ
By: Vince F. Nonato - Reporter / @VinceNonatoINQ The court also pointed to the Commission on Audits
findings in Audit Observation Memorandum No. 2010-
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:58 PM March 31, 2017 005-(10) as reiterated in the Interim Report on the
Audit of the Accounts and Operations of the City of
Angeles.
The Sandiganbayan has sentenced former Angeles City
Mayor Francis Blueboy Nepomuceno to at least 12
years imprisonment for the unlawful donation of a city- A total of 11 functioning and newly acquired motor
owned service vehicle to a nongovernment vehicles with acquisition cost of P10.21 million were
organization in 2010. donated to different barangays (villages), government
agencies and NGOs without ample consideration for
the citys financial condition and service needs, and
The antigraft courts Fourth Division found without observing the pertinent rules, the said report
Nepomuceno guilty of one count each of violating found.
Sections 3(e) and 3(g) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Act, for giving unwarranted benefits to a
private party and for binding the government into a Justice Reynaldo P. Cruz penned the decision, with the
disadvantageous contract. concurrence of Justices Alex L. Quiroz and Geraldine
Faith A. Econg.
Nepomuceno and one private individual, Kapanalig
Angeles City, Inc. president Abelardo Pamintuan Jr.,
were each meted prison terms of at least 12 years and
two months to a maximum of 20 years arising from the
two criminal convictions.
Inquirer Southern Luzon / 03:00 PM April 04, 2017 In House Bill No. 5510, Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-
Alvarado proposed that elected barangay officials also
NAGA CITY In a collective motion, the city council be allowed to serve three consecutive terms, or a total
here opposed, on Tuesday, President Rodrigo Dutertes of 15 years, longer than the nine-year term limit for
plan to postpone the barangay elections this year and mayors, councilors and lawmakers.
appoint punong barangay (barangay or village
chairmen) on the basis of information that 40 percent HB 5510 also seeks to reset the October 2017
of them have been found involved in illegal drugs. barangay election to May 28, 2018.
Resolution No. 2017 of the Naga City Council stated The elections in October this year would disrupt
that the idea of President Duterte appointing village the continuity of the programs initiated by the
chiefs runs counter to the essence of democracy and President. The positive momentum carried out by the
hearing the voice of the Filipino people, from whom government can again be [halted] if partisan politics
sovereignty resides and all government authority and inherent divisiveness become the spotlight again
emanates. in the local scene, Alvarado said.
Vice Mayor Nelson Legacion said the decision to The lawmaker said a five-year term would establish
officially oppose the appointment of village chiefs was neutrality and [allow incumbent village leaders] to
the result of the clamor from village officials who effectively discharge their duties impartially.
wanted the elections rather than appointment of
officials of the villages. He said a longer term for village officials would also
allow communities to pursue projects even if the local
The resolution also questioned Mr. Dutertes claim of government leadership had already been changed in
the supposed widespread narco-politics in the an election.
country, saying it remains unsubstantiated and
unfounded to the present. The longer term would also force communities to vote
wisely, he said.CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE
If the raison detre behind the proposal is to get rid of
those barangay leaders involved in drugs, the proper
course of action is not to punish the people and
disenfranchise them of their rights to suffrage, but to
charge those concerned officials before the courts and
let due process administratively, criminally punish
them, the resolution said.
Poll body starts bidding out contracts for village, youth Earlier, Comelec chairperson Andres Bautista appealed
polls but will not sign contracts yet to lawmakers to inform the poll body by July at the
latest if the polls would push through or not.
By: Julie M. Aurelio - @inquirerdotnet
This is to ensure that government funds will not go to
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 03:26 PM April 03, 2017 waste.
MANILA The Commission on Elections said it might This is the second time in two years that lawmakers
delay the issuance of the notices of award in its have been asked to postpone the barangay elections,
ongoing bidding of contracts for the barangay following a law deferring last years barangay and
elections, in case of another election postponement as Sangguniang Kabataan polls to 2017.
proposed by President Duterte.
In both instances, President Duterte backed the
So far, the poll body has published at least four bid postponement. He cited his war against illegal drugs as
invitations for contracts in relation to the barangay a justification, claiming that he did not want bets
elections, while waiting for a law which would defer the backed by drug syndicates to win.
polls for the second time in two years.
This year, the President wants to declare the posts of
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the agency barangay officials vacant and instead appoint the new
has begun preparing for the barangay elections initially sets of barangay officials nationwide.
scheduled for October 23, 2017, pending the passage
of a new law in Congress for their postponement. Following this, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace
Barbers filed a measure seeking to postpone the 2017
If we begin with the bidding process, we can delay the barangay elections to 2020 in order to curtail the
notice of award if the postponement is formalized, the countrys drug problem. SFM/rga
poll official said.
The bidders will know that they will not get the notice
of award until everything is clear. They will know that
someone won the bidding, but the notice of award,
Manila govt scraps realty tax hike this year
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:55 AM January 25, 2017 Manila rolls out smoking ban
We are debt-free now thats why I ordered the halt in Violators of the ordinance will be arrested by city hall
the increase in real property taxes, Estrada said in a employees.
statement on Tuesday.
Estrada was a longtime smoker himself but stopped
Councilor Anna Katrina Yupangco, who authored the the vice after he was hospitalized last December due to
ordinance, said the cancellation of the second round of asthma attacks.
tax increase was also in response to the request of the
citizens, who in public hearings had complained that An executive order on a nationwide smoking ban is still
the tax increase would be too much for them. awaiting Duterte's signature.
JOVIC YEE
Before his rise to the presidency, Duterte imposed in
Davao City an anti-smoking ordinance that imposes a
P5,000 fine or four months in prison as penalty.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan ordered the suspension of Dry run starts on March 15-June 15
the implementation of Ordinance No. 05, series of
2017, which seeks to regulate the use of streets in the Updated March 10, 2017, 4:19 PM
city by trucks with gross weight of 4,500 kilograms or
more for 10 days to resolve the concern of truckers
loaded with perishable goods. Domogans decision to By Anna Liza Villas-Alavaren
temporarily suspend the implementation of the new
truck ban ordinance came after La Trinidad Mayor Starting March 15, light trucks which have a gross
Romeo Salda, La Trinidad police chief Inspector Benson capacity weight of 4,500 kilos and below are banned
Macli-ing and officers of the traders and truckers from traversing Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue and
association from Benguet requested for exemption of Shaw Boulevard during rush hour morning and
those trucks loaded with perishable goods, particularly afternoon, said the Metropolitan Manila Development
vegetables from the La Trinidad trading post to the Authority (MMDA).
lowlands via the citys roads, for timely delivery to their
buyers. We have to temporarily suspend the Container trucks
implementation of the new truck ban ordinance to (KJ ROSALES / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
allow us, with the support of stakeholders, to find ways
on how we can closely work together without unduly
interrupting the transport of perishable goods from the This is based from a resolution approved by the
La Trinidad vegetable trading post to their prospective agencys policy-making body, the Metro Manila Council
markets in the lowlands, Domogan stressed. While the (MMC) amid the proliferation of light trucks on the two
truckers and traders agreed to work out arrangements major thoroughfares, contributing to traffic congestion.
by which they could adjust their schedules in travelling
from the trading post to their prospective markets in In a two page resolution, light trucks are banned from
the lowlands, the local chief executive is also looking traversing EDSA and Shaw Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 10
into ways on how to grant the truckers the exemption a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., periods where traffic
from the coverage of the new truck ban ordinance for in the metropolis is heavy.
the smooth transport of agricultural products to the
markets in Metro Manila and the lowlands. Under the The MMDA is set to conduct a trial run of regulating
new truck ban ordinance, six wheeler trucks are barred light trucks along EDSA and the entire stretch of Shaw
to traverse in various roads around the city from 6 a.m. Boulevard, which traverses the cities of Mandaluyong
to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The truckers and Pasig, for three three months from March 15 until
agreed to the implementation of the total truck ban in June 15.
the city from 6 am to 9 am but questioned the
enforcement of the truck ban from 4 pm to 9 pm which
is the height of the transport of vegetables from the The uniform light trucks ban will be enforced from
trading post to Metro Manila and lowland markets. Monday to Saturday except Sundays and holidays, the
According to the truckers, the height of their travel is resolution said.
from 2 pm to 6 pm to beat the 6 pm to 8 pm truck ban
in La Trinidad that is why they want the local Violators will be slapped with a P2,000 fine.
government to exempt their trucks that transport
perishable goods from the coverage of the new truck MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said there is a
ban in the city. Domogan requested Salda, Macli-ing necessity to regulate the light trucks on the roads
and officers of the truckers association to submit their which have also contributed significantly to traffic
proposals to him before the lapse of the 10 day grace congestion in the metropolis.
period so he will be able to work out the issuance of
the appropriate orders for their exemption from the
coverage of the truck ban or request the local At present, around 3,000 light trucks are passing Edsa
legislative body to amend the truck ban ordinance. and Shaw Boulevard.
Salda expressed his gratitude to Domogan for his
timely intervention and decision to temporarily This is only one of the several measures that has been
suspend the implementation of the citys new truck approved by the local executives during the meeting in
ban ordinance to give a chance for the affected an effort to further improve traffic condition in Metro
truckers to submit their proposals on how to address Manila, Orbos said.
the issues raised against the implementation of the
ordinance. (Dexter See/PIO) Light trucks carrying perishable goods are exempted
from the ban but they still need to apply for exemption.
By: Nestor P. Burgos Jr. - @inquirerdotnet Miraflores also served as governor of the province from
1995 to 2004, and representative of the lone
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:51 AM April 04, 2017 congressional district of Aklan from 2004 to 2013.
ILOILO CITYThe Office of the Ombudsman has In ordering the dismissal of the couple, the
ordered the dismissal of Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores Ombudsman cited undeclared, undervalued and
and his wife, former Mayor Lourdes Miraflores of Ibajay, overvalued assets, including P6,497,200 in shares of
also in Aklan, for failing to properly declare assets stock in Rural Bank of Ibajay, undeclared vehicles
worth about P12.18 million in their statements of amounting to P708,400, and a property in Quezon City.
assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) from 2001 to
2009. The respondents failed to properly declare their net
worths in their 2001-2009 SALNs and to prove that
The Court of Appeals (CA), however, issued a 60-day they have the financial capacity to accumulate their
temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping the explained and unexplained wealth, according to the
Department of the Interior and Local Government from Ombudsman.
enforcing the Ombudsmans decision.
It also said the irregularities were committed
Reached for comment, Miraflores denied any repeatedly and caused prejudice to [the] government.
wrongdoing.
The antigraft office also imposed accessory penalties,
ADVERTISEMENT including cancellation of civil service eligibility,
forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual
disqualification from holding public office and from
There was no deliberate intent to conceal properties taking civil service examination.
or assets or commit grave misconduct or bad faith, he
told the Inquirer.
If the decision is upheld, Lourdes would be imposed a
fine equivalent to her salary for a year when she was in
Rachel Cariaga-Favila, graft investigation and government service.
prosecution officer, issued the 19-page Ombudsman
order on Aug. 15, 2016, which was approved by Overall
Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang on Jan. In their counteraffidavit, the couple said their total
25 this year. income should be placed at P12,132,519. They said
they loaned P20 million to subsidize their living
expenses and acquire assets.
The CAs 16th Division promulgated the TRO on Feb. 27
in relation to a petition for review filed by the Miraflores
couple. The order was penned by Associate Justice Miraflores siblings also contributed to the purchase of
Edwin Sorongon and concurred with by Associate the property in Quezon City, according to the
Justices Ricardo Rosario and Marie Christine Azcarraga- counteraffidavit cited by the Ombudsman in its
Jacob. decision.
Condonation doctrine The respondents did not declare a Mazda pickup truck,
Nissan Safari wagon and Kawasaki motorcycle even if
these were registered to their names because these
In their petition, the couple invoked the condonation were already owned, used and given to people who
doctrine (also known as the Aguinaldo Doctrine), noting had served their family for years.
that the alleged offenses were committed in 2001 to
2009, but they were reelected in 2010.
They said the supposed irregularities in the
computation of the value of their declared assets were
The legal doctrine extinguishes administrative cases due to confusion brought about by changes in the
filed against any public official during the officials SALN forms.
previous term after the officials reelection. The
Supreme Court abandoned the doctrine in 2015, saying
it was rendered obsolete by the current legal regime.
It is apparent that when Kam was called to account for The inescapable conclusion is that the Office of the
the properties he received, he could not produce the Ombudsman took its own sweet time to terminate the
same, read the resolution penned by Justice Alex L. preliminary investigation and lodge the Information in
Quiroz. court, unmindful of the fact that in the interim, accused
had to endure the agony of an uncertain future, akin to
The case arose from a complaint by Abayon against having the potential sword of Damocles hanging over
Kam, who became provincial health officer. Kam was their heads, read Degamos motion.
charged at the Sandiganbayan in 1995, but
proceedings had to be deferred pending the resolution He told the court that he could not be blamed for the
of a suit seeking the recovery of the items. delay because he complied with the periods for the
filing of his pleadings and never asked for an
extension.
The case arose from the provincial governments award By: Tetch Torres-Tupas - Reporter / @T2TupasINQ
of 11 infrastructure contracts worth P143.2 million,
even after the Department of Budget and Management
withdrew the June 5, 2012 special allotment release Philippine Daily Inquirer / 06:06 PM March 29, 2017
order after 14 days.
Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo on Wednesday
ADVERTISEMENT filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) a
complaint for graft against officials of the Office of the
Ombudsman for ordering his dismissal from service for
The money was meant for the repair of infrastructure malversation and graft for the alleged misuse of his
damaged by typhoon Sendong in December 2011 and provinces calamity funds during a previous term.
a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in February 2012. On June
19, 2012, the DBM informed Degamo that the SARO
was being withdrawn over the provinces failure to Named respondent in the complaint were Deputy
comply with existing guidelines for infrastructure Ombudsman for Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente, Deputy
projects. Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law
Enforcement Offices Cyryl Ramos, and graft
investigators Laurrei Layne Cristobal, Anna Francesca
But instead of complying with the order to return the Limbo, Ma. Bernadette Andal-Subaan and Amy Rose
already-released funds, Degamo proceeded with the Soler-Rellin.
award of the 11 infrastructure contracts. The
Commission on Audit later issued 11 notices of
disallowance, but these orders are still under appeal. He accused the said officials for violation of Republic
Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act
specifically Section 3 (e) for causing any undue injury
against a party through evident bad faith.
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To be able to divert substantial funds from the PDAF Inquirer Southern Luzon / 11:34 PM March 29, 2017
and the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization
Program funds, access had to be made available, and SAN PEDRO CITY The police arrested on Wednesday
this was made possible by Umali who chose MAMFI and afternoon a woman accused of duping a government
the Samahan to implement his livelihood projects, official into paying half a million pesos by posing as a
stated the resolution. member of the staff of Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno.
It noted that, Umali likewise signed the project Supt. Harold Depositar, the city police chief, said the
proposals and endorsed said NGOs to facilitate the suspect, Michelle Almonte, was arrested at her house
release of the funds to them. in Barangay San Vicente here at around 3:00 p.m. The
warrnt of arrest was issued by a court in North
The funds in question could not have been transferred Cotabato.
to said NGOs if not for their certifications, approvals,
signatures found in the disbursement vouchers and In a phone interview, Depositar said police had been
checks. monitoring Almontes movements since January after
the Department of the Interior and Local Government
(DILG) coordinated with them.
This early, there are groups asking for money from If the mayor is proven to be involved in illegal drugs,
those who want to be appointed barangay officials if Halili said, quoting the President, the chief of police
barangay elections do not push through in October, will be replaced and the new one will be the one to
according to Sueno. shoot the mayor.
Sueno said the Department of the Interior and Local Would you still raise a question? He was already very
Government had received reports that groups or clear, Halili said. The chandeliered Rizal Hall was very
people claiming to be close to Mr. Duterte were asking quiet as the President spoke, he said.
for money from those who want to be appointed to
barangay positions.
The mayor said Mr. Duterte warned mayors against the
use of their intelligence funds. If you keep on taking
intelligence funds and nothing improves in terms of
peace and order, then you are just most likely
pocketing the money, he said, quoting Mr. Duterte.
Executive Judge James Clinton Nuevo of the Regional SURIGAO CITY The provincial boards of three mining
Trial Court Branch 12 promulgated the ruling Thursday provinces in Caraga passed resolutions opposing the
morning, acquitting Ilagan of the charge that he raped confirmation of Gina Lopez as secretary of the
a 19-year-old woman inside a pension house in 2013, Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
in Ormoc City.
In separate resolutions passed this week, the provincial
Judge Nuevo said the complainants testimony was not legislative bodies of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur
credible and trustworthy. He said there were too many and Dinagat expressed apprehension over the potential
details in her story that did not match verified facts. effects of Lopezs order to shut down mine operations
in their respective areas.
Ilagan, in his ruling, said there was enough basis to
doubt the alleged victims credibility in this case, Provincial legislators also criticized Lopez for
adding that reasonable doubt constantly hovered supposedly failing to conduct adequate consultations
above her supposedly air-tight rape story. with local government units affected by her decisions.
DoF said Carrascal, Surigao del Sur, would lose P198.3 Each of the six provinces in the region has unique
million, or 62.3 percent of its total operating income; destinations to offer Biri Rock Formations in Northern
Tagana-an in Surigao del Norte would lose P70.3 Samar, Calicoan Island in Eastern Samar, Sohoton Cave
million, or 54 percent of its income; and the in Samar, Sambawan Island in Biliran, diving sites in
municipality of Tubajon in the Dinagat Islands would Southern Leyte, and Kalanggaman Island in Leyte
lose P38 million, which represents 55.4 percent of its province.
total operating income.
Promoting the regions tourism potential as a whole is
The opposition from the two Surigao and Dinagat one of the programs that Leyte Governor Leopoldo
provinces comes on the heels of Tuesdays Dominico Petilla wants to push through this year.
confirmation hearing, where Lopez faced the
Commission on Appointments (CA) whose members Petilla said that to promote the region in unison, the
bypassed her appointment twice. provincial government will construct a hub at the
Government Center in Palo town for intensive
CA members are voting on Wednesday (May 3), promotion of all tourist destinations in the region.
whether to reject or approve Lopezs appointment. A
rejection meant that President Duterte must choose a Tourists will just check the place where they can go in
replacement for Lopez. the region and avail of the packages offered, Petilla
said.
But the aggressiveness of the local government to By: Julliane Love De Jesus - Reporter / @JLDejesusINQ
promote their areas for tourism must be carefully
planned to ensure sustainable tourism, she added.
INQUIRER.net / 01:20 PM February 02, 2017
The governor acknowledges the problem on
accessibility and security as some of the factors that People concerned about unscrupulous cops being sent
might affect the full blast promotion of Samar province to Mindanao have nothing to worry because these
in tourism. policemen will eventually be reoriented, retrained,
reformed and transformed, assured the chief of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
We need to address this problem including other regional police.
needs of our tourist like on food supply and souvenir
items, Tan told PNA.
ARMM regional police head Chief Supt. Reuben
Theodore Sindac said a total of 151 scalawags in
Tan added that this year, the provincial government is uniform have been reassigned to his area as the
preparing additional areas in the province to be Philippine National Police (PNP) started cleansing its
included in the Samar tourism campaign launched in ranks following the killing of South Korean businessman
2015. Jee Ick-joo.
For this year, the provincial government has listed the In a press statement, Sindac addressed concerns
towns of Calbiga, Jiabong, San Jorge and Calbayog City raised by Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel III and
as part of the Spark Samar campaign. This is on top of ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman about the
priority towns identified earlier Basey, Marabut, Sta PNP transferring undisciplined cops, including those
Rita, Pinabacdao and Paranas. involved in illegal drug activities, to Mindanao.
But some of these places are not tourist-ready like San ADVERTISEMENT
Jorge due to setback in accessibility and security.
READ: Pimentel to PNP: Dont send erring cops to
We cannot just go for marketing if the place is not yet Mindanao as punishment
ready. Once we fail, our efforts will be gone forever,
she said.
Sindac said that these personnel will be limited to
administrative functions where they were closely
Due to upgrading of local tourism-related facilities in monitored and accounted for.
2016, the DOT and stakeholders had raised the seven
percent annual growth target in previous years to 15 to
20 percent in 2017. He said their reassignment to ARMM, which is
composed of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao,
Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces, will prevent them from
going back to their old ways and would also deny them
from furthering their connections to illegal crime
syndicates.
The regional director also pointed out that the 151 bad
cops assigned to ARMM are merely 2.2% out of the
6,727 total strength of dedicated police officers there
doing operational and sensitive peacekeeping
functions.
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Good governance
At least 10 soldiers were wounded in the clash, which We support the Presidents campaign even in the
broke out as a team of policemen and soldiers were judicious use of intelligence funds in the maintenance
entering the town of Ampatuan to search the houses of of law and order, Hataman said.
Mayor Rasul Sangki and his men.
ARMM Interior Secretary Noor Hafizullah Abdullah said
Senior Supt. Jimmy Daza, head of the Criminal the region, as part of the war on drugs, also wants to
Investigation and Detection Group in the Autonomous establish drug- and crime-free communities.
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said the team was
in the village of Saniag when they were met with heavy
gunfire.
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State witness
Displacement
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Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:48 AM February 18, 2017 Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:10 AM January 21, 2017
Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Friday LUCENA CITYHouse Minority Leader Danilo Suarez
appealed anew for the resumption of peace has proposed to split Quezon province into seven
negotiations between the government and communist legislative districts, saying this would meet
rebels, citing civilian casualties in the renewed armed socioeconomic and political demands as the province
conflict. continues to grow.
Taguiwalo said the social workers of the Department of The disproportionate number of constituents for each
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the of Quezons [four] representatives hampers their ability
Cordillera Administrative Region are assisting nearly to reach out and provide adequate representation in
400 villagers who fled their homes in Asipulo, Ifugao, Congress, Suarez, who represents Quezons third
after soldiers attacked a suspected camp of New district, said in House Bill No. 4072, which he
Peoples Army rebels in Sitio Pinugao, Barangay Namal, sponsored.
in the municipality on Feb. 12.
Under HB 4072, Suarez proposed the following
At least one villager died from exposure outside the districts: District 1 (northern Quezon), District 1B
evacuation center, she said. (central Quezon), Lone district of Lucena City, District
2, Bondoc Peninsula district, Lamon Bay Area district
ADVERTISEMENT and Ragay Gulf district.
The DSWD said 98 families, or 398 villagers, including The towns of Atimonan, Plaridel, Gumaca, Lopez,
107 children, had been staying in five evacuation Calauag, Alabat, Perez and Quezon will form the Lamon
centers in Asipulo. Bay area district (359,581) while the Ragay Gulf district
(211,275) will be composed of San Andres, San
Meanwhile, Malacaang on Friday insisted that Narciso, Buenavista, Guinayangan and Tagkawayan
communist rebels show confidence-building measures towns.
to prove their sincerity in talking peace, after the
Ecumenical Bishops Forum urged President Duterte to Suarez said the additional representatives for Quezon
keep walking toward peace. will require an extra P24-million to P30-million
allocation in the annual national budget.
By: Joey A. Gabieta - Correspondent / @joeygabietaINQ Farnacio said he had written letters to politicians
believed to be running the private armed groups.
Inquirer Visayas / 12:49 PM March 12, 2017
If the parties involve will stop paying or sponsoring
TACLOBAN CITY Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan has PAGS, they will stop operating. We will hit them,
asked the police to stop the violence in her province nothing personal. We will do our job, Farnacio said.
believed to be the handiwork of private armed groups
(PAGS) funded by politicians. Farnacio, however, declined to identify the politicians.
The governor said that while she could use her position
as the chair of the Regional Peace and Order Council
for Eastern Visayas (RPOC-8) to solve the problem, she
opted to first ask the police and avoid accusations of
bias.
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Tan said she hoped that the task force, led by the 8th
Infantry Division under Major Gen. Raul Farnacio, could
rid the province of PAGS.
Cops, VACC clash over tanim droga But we need not resort to doing tanim droga in the
face of risks accompanying antidrug operations, he
Central Luzon police chief says men demoralized, said.
disputes anticrime groups claim that lawmen planted
drugs on suspects The Central Luzon police needed to clear 245 villages
that have records in drug use and trading. At the start
By: Tonette Orejas - @ttorejasINQ of the campaign last year, more than 2,000 villages in
Central Luzon were affected by illegal drugs.
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:26 AM May 17, 2017
In the Bacolor buy bust, everything was proper, said
Supt. Williard Vias, deputy chief of the IAS in
CAMP OLIVAS, PAMPANGA Tension has erupted Pampanga. Four policemen, including the towns police
between the Philippine National Police in Central Luzon chief, await reinstatement.
and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption
(VACC) chapter in Pampanga province over allegations
that policemen had planted illegal drugs on suspects Gov. Lilia Pineda said the provincial government would
arrested in two drug busts in April. wait for the advice of the Civil Service Commission on
the employment of Wilhelmo Galura, 52, a principal
suspect in the Bacolor buy bust.
Why is VACC claiming that our policemen [in
Mabalacat City and Bacolor town, both in Pampanga]
are into tanim droga? There is no tanim droga. VACC Galura, a provincial government employee, was one of
should conduct its own investigation before making the suspects who claimed he was being set up by the
any allegations, Chief Supt. Aaron Aquino, the regions police. He eluded arrest during the police operation on
police director, said during a press briefing on Monday. April 26. A police informant said he was seen last week
in the company of Lucas.
Saying he was angry and emotional, Aquino
defended his men who, he noted, were demoralized
by a claim made by Pyra Lucas, VACC Pampanga head.