EDITOR maRIfI s.

jaRa WEDNEsDaY, sEPTEmBER 20, 2017

#nationataglance
naTional CapiTal region: CalooCan CiTY
Police chief asks Davao cops to volunteer for caloocan posting
poliCe DireCTor general ronald M. dela rosa is eyeing members of the Davao region police for reassignment in
Metro Manila, particularly in Caloocan City, where the entire police force was sacked last week except for the newly
appointed head and his deputy. in a visit to Camp Catitipan in Davao City last Monday, Mr. Dela rosa said he does
not intend to force the transfers and wants volunteers so that it will be in their goodwill to do the jobs. The
entire Caloocan police force of about 1,000 was relieved following controversies on the murders of teenagers kian
delos Santos and Carl angelo arnaiz as well as break-ins and robberies involving cops. Mr. Dela rosa, who served
as Davao City police chief when president rodrigo r. Duterte was mayor, said he is confident that if a Davao po-
lice (officer) will be assigned (in Caloocan), he or she will not do any mess. carmelito Q. francisco
The
Nation
NATIONWIDE ROUND-UP
Lawyer groups flag house of Representatives use of terrible powers
TWo laWYer groUpS the philippine Bar association, inc. (pBa) and the integrated Bar of the philip-
pines (iBp) yesterday raised concern on the evidently frequent use of what it called terrible powers of
the House of representatives, such as impeachment and slashing the budget of government agencies.
Rosemarie a. Zamora
>> See full story on https://goo.gl/vAymR9
Trillanes in singapore to refute secret account claims
HULI KA na, bistado ka na, Mister Duterte, sinungaling ka [Youre already caught, we already know that
you are lying, Mister Duterte]. This was the message of Sen. antonio F. Trillanes iV to presidente rodrigo
r. Duterte on Tuesday hours after the lawmaker, accompanied by journalists, went to banks in Singapore to
belie the chief executives allegations that he had hidden bank accounts abroad. interaksyon.com
>> See full story on https://goo.gl/Fkyqfu

BfaR seeks more funding to upgrade surveillance vessels

THe BUreaU of Fisheries and aquatic resources (BFar) is seeking more financial support to improve its
surveillance vessels, which are used to monitor the countrys waters to keep illegal fishers at bay. [We
have] 14 monitoring control surveillance vessels. its outgrown its use already and we need to upgrade. We
are proposing asset upgrading for this, BFar assistant Director Drusila esther e. Bayate told reporters on
the sidelines of a Tuesday press briefing in Quezon City. Boats are hard investments, Ms. Bayate said, that
is why more funding is needed. janina c. Lim

malacaang frowns on farias immunity assertion

MalaCaang on Tuesday thumbed down House Majority leader
rodolfo C. Farias assertion that lawmakers should be given im-
munity when faced with minor traffic violations. The president
THE FREEMAN
eaSTern ViSaYaS himself continues to observe a modest lifestyle and receives no
special treatment, whether inside or outside the palace. We hope
Body cameras our colleagues in Congress, especially our allies, can bring them-
The Eastern Visayas police regional office (PRO) presents the 20 new body cameras selves to do the same, presidential Spokesperson ernesto C. abella
recently purchased and to be worn by cops during anti-drug operations. The PRO said during a press briefing yesterday. law is law right? it should
also bought 10 bulletproof vests for members of the media covering the police. be blind to all, he added. Mr. Farias, on Monday during the House
transportation committee hearing, asked the Department of Trans-
portation to grant lawmakers immunity from traffic violations when
Congress is in session, citing the congested traffic conditions in the
capital. Rosemarie a. Zamora

DaVao: DaVao CiTY

WeSTern ViSaYaS: iloilo AFP
small-scale quarry operators ask govt to check on big firms
THe aSSoCiaTion of small-scale quarry operators in iloilo province has appealed
to the Department of environment and natural resources (Denr) and the pro-
vincial government to inspect the alleged illegal operations of large-scale quarry
firms. rick Macalalag, the groups president, accused large operators of going be-
yond the allowed volumes stipulated in their permits. There is this big contractor
in Janiuay whose permit only states 10,000 metric tons allowed. But if you check
his stockpile, it exceeds more than the (allowed) volume, Mr. Macalalag said. He
said the Denr and provincial officials should prioritize the inspection of operators
who deploy around 50 units of 10-wheeler trucks. Mr. Macalalag said they have also
submitted their appeal to the Denr central office. Meanwhile, Mr. Macalalag also
said that small-scale operators are not adversely affected by the moratorium issued
by governor arthur D. Defensor, Sr. on new permits for river quarrying. The morato-
rium was issued following reports that river systems in the province are in danger of
degradation due to over-extraction of sand and gravel. The moratorium covers the
aganan, Jalaur, Sibalom, Suage, and Ulian rivers. Louine hope U. conserva
ZaMBoanga peninSUla: SiaY, ZaMBoanga SiBUgaY
P15-m emergency loan fund open to gsIs members in siay
THe goVernMenT Service insurance System (gSiS), which covers government
employees, has earmarked p14.86 million in emergency loan (el) for its active
members and old-age pensioners in Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay, who were affected
by landslides, flash floods, and overflowing of the Sibuguey river due to an inter-
tropical convergence zone. Deadline for filing of application is on Sept. 23. gSiS said
in a statement that there are 610 members who have no existing el who may apply
for a p20,000 loan each, while 48 members, who have not yet fully paid their previ-
ous el, may borrow p40,000 with their remaining balance to be deducted from the
new loan proceeds. The el is payable in 36 equal monthly instalments at a 6% inter-
est rate per annum. bw Mindanao bureau
Landbank urges
agri players to avail of
financing as it joins
Davao trade fair
STaTe-oWneD land Bank of
the philippines (landbank) will lure agriculture sector players, par-
ticularly micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMes), to avail
of financing during the Davao agri Trade expo 2017 slated on Sept. 21
to 23 at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City. landbank manager
Jose B. dela Cruz said their loan program is open to cooperatives,
industry associations, private companies, and sole proprietorships.
The amount, he added, will depend on the project proposal that will
be subject to evaluation. There are different types of borrowers and
we can cater to all of them, Mr. Dela Cruz said in an interview. orga-
nizers said other banks are also expected to participate in the event,
including China Savings Bank, Banco de oro, Development Bank
of the philippines, Security Bank, and several cooperative banks.
This years trade fair focusing on the livestock, poultry, dairy, and
aquaculture industries will have an agri-financing forum as well as
technical seminars, business matching and networking sessions.
maya m. Padillo
businessworld gRaPhIcs: erka Capili inCiong