Negros barangay holds peace and development 'pulong-pulong'

 

Barangay 2 Himamaylan officials with members of the Philippine Army and TFK Commander John Chiong held a boodle fight after the Pulong-Pulong in the Barangay covered court.

 By Teresa D. Ellera

ABOUT 200 residents of Barangay 2 in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental participated in the grand “pulong-pulong” initiated by the Civil Military Office (CMO) of the Philippine Army in partnership with Task Force Kasanag, Friday, June 8.

Captain Win Love Bag-ao, commander of the 31CMO said that they have conducted the pulong-pulong not because there is an insurgency problem in the area but they want to promote peace and development in the area.

"We want to uplift the living condition of the people and bring the government to them by getting their concern," Bag-ao said.

John Chiong, National Commander of TFK, said that their partnership with the Philippine Army has been going on for seven years already.

They also held a similar activity in Barangay Tan-awan, Kabankalan City where the recent atrocities of members of the New People's Army was reported.

Chiong said they want to strengthen people’s trust to government and TFK, as representing the civil society, has been facilitating the problems and complaints of the people to concerned government agencies to address them.

Concerned government agencies like the PNP, Bureau of Fire a Protection, Himamaylan City Planning and Development Office, Department of Social Welfare and Development , City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, City Assessor and Department of Agrarian Reform have also been represented during the pulong-pulong that directly answered the concerned aired by the residents in the area.

(Reposted from SunStar Bacolod.  Original title: 
200 Himaymaylan residents attend 'pulong-pulong'. Contributed photo.)

Rody to protect barangay officials fighting drugs

President Duterte, whose tough stance on narcotics helped him win a landslide victory in 2016, said he would not allow barangay chiefs performing their duty to be jailed.

By Alexis Romero

President Duterte has vowed to extend to barangay officials the legal protection he promised to soldiers and policemen who are fighting his war against illegal drugs. 

Duterte, whose tough stance on narcotics helped him win a landslide victory in 2016, said he would not allow barangay chiefs performing their duty to be jailed. 

“I take care of my armed forces and the police. That is why they don’t have a problem anymore. Cases? Performance of duty? Shot a thousand in the line of duty? Fine. I’ll support you,” the President told barangay officials in Cebu last Thursday.  

“I will never allow a soldier or police or barangay captain to go to jail for killing someone in the performance of their duty. And I will tell you, you will never go to jail,” he added. 

About 4,000 drug suspects have been killed since Duterte waged his brutal war against illegal drugs in 2016. Critics claim Duterte’s promise of legal protection has emboldened the police to commit extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations.

Officials deny this, saying law enforcers only use violence if suspects pose a threat to their lives.

Last year, Duterte said about 40 percent of barangay captains in the country are involved in illegal drugs. 

The President said the success of the government’s anti-drug campaign depends on the cooperation of barangay captains. He reiterated that he is ready to kill officials who “destroy the country” by facilitating the sale and distribution of narcotics. 
“Only you (barangay chiefs) can put an end to the drugs, not us. Sometimes the police refuse to act because the barangay captain is there. There are many problems in our nation. I am asking for your help,” Duterte said. 

“I’m almost begging on my knees because what I want for myself is to look into the mirror when I’m no longer president and see that I have done something for my fellowmen and the Filipino. And I will have a full sense of fulfillment for doing my duty.” 

Duterte said he was considering providing barangay chiefs with guns for their security but the proposal needs to be discussed further with government forces. 

Reposted from Philippine Star. Photo credit: Presidential Communications)

Over 3000 Central Visayas barangay chiefs take oath before President Duterte

President Duterte swearing in the newly-elected barangay officials in Central Visayas in Lapu-lapu City

Over 3,000 newly-elected barangay captains in Central Visayas took their oath of office before Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte on Thursday at Hopps Dome, Humay-Humay Road, Brgy. Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

DILG OIC-Secretary Eduardo M. Año encouraged the newly-installed punong barangays to share the national government’s vision to prevent illegal drugs, criminality, corruption, and violent extremism in their respective barangays.

“We have one vision: To make our barangays a better and safer place and ultimately make our country a better Philippines,” Año said.

The DILG chief also urged the new local officials to help spread the merits of federalism in their respective Barangays.

Of the 3,003 punong barangays who took their oath of office, 1,109 are from Bohol, 1,066 from Cebu, 80 from Cebu City, 30 from Lapu-Lapu City, 27 from Mandaue City, 557 from Negros Oriental, and 134 from Siquijor. 
Año  said that being a punong barangay is both challenging and fulfilling as they are sometimes forced to make decisions that might differ from their beliefs and principles.

“We all know that your position as Chiefs in your respective barangays comes with a huge and deep personality,” Año said.

“Ngayon na kayo ay pormal nang maluluklok na mga Kapitan ng inyong Barangay, dapat ang inyong prayoridad ay ang kapakanan ng inyong mga nasasakupan,” he added.

Campaign for Community Involvement                Año called on the barangay captains to provide good governance to their constituents.

“Ibigay ninyo kung ano ang makapagpasaya sa inyong mga nasasakupan pero siyempre iwasan naman ang mga hindi karapat-dapat kagaya ng sugalan, bahay-aliwan o mga tupadahan,” Año said.

DILG’s top management also took center stage during the event to campaign for community involvement on the government’s fight against illegal drugs, criminality, corruption, and violent extremism.

Also present in the event were Undersecretaries Martin Diño and Epimaco Densing III and Assistant Secretaries Ricojudge Janvier Echiverri, Manuel Felix, and Alexander Macario.

The oath-taking ceremony in Central Visayas is the first of the series of regional events for the newly-installed barangay captains in the Philippines.

The event is made possible through the collaboration of the DILG Central Office, DILG VII Regional Office, Presidential Management Staff, Philippine Information Agency, Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Presidential Security Group and Local Government Unit of Cebu.

(Reposted from DILG News website. Original title: DILG: 3,000 new-elected barangay capains take oath of office in Central)  Photo credit: Presidential Communications

Kalinga barangays help irrigate two provinces

 

A portion of the Upper Chico River Irrigation System in Tabuk City, Kalinga.

At least 4,000 farming households here and in Cagayan province were seen to benefit from a China-funded irrigation project that will tap the Chico River.

On Friday, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco and Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua led the groundbreaking ceremony for the P4.4-billion Chico River pump irrigation project at Sitio Karaw in Barangay Pinococ here.
The project included six electric pumps in Barangay Katabbogan that can draw 3,800 liters per second. This will irrigate 7,150 hectares in Tuao town and 380 ha in Piat town, both in Cagayan, and 1,170 ha in this Kalinga town.

Chinese requirement
The construction of the pumps, a 42.6-kilometer diversion channel and main canal, and a 98-km lateral canal will employ 14,780 skilled workers during the building phase and 8,700 workers when the Chico River irrigation system becomes operational, said Ricardo Visaya, chief of the National Irrigation Administration.

Zhao said the project would be financed by China Eximbank. He said China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd. would build the project, part of the requirement of China Eximbank.
Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba, who joined the ceremony here, said the project would improve the income of 4,350 families here and in Cagayan.

Reposted from Inquirer.net. Original title: Chico River tapped anew for irrigation. Photo credits: Inquirer file photo/Contributed by Adolph Bravo.)

59 Cebu barangays declared drug-free

Another 59 barangays in Cebu Province were declared drug-cleared by the Barangay Drug Clearing Program Regional Oversight Committee yesterday.

This brings the total number of drug-free barangays in the province to 244, out of more than 1,200, including those in all cities.

Of the 59 drug-cleared barangays, 18 are from Borbon; 16 from Tabogon; nine from Alegria; four each from San Francisco and Oslob; three from Medellin; two from Samboan; and one each from the City of Naga, Sogod and San Remigio.

Carmen Remedio “Ivy” Durano-Meca, executive director for the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CPADAO), told reporters that in Tabogon town, they were supposed to declare all 18 barangays as drug-cleared.

But the regional oversight committee led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 decided to only declare 16 barangays as drug-cleared since illegal drug personalities are reportedly still present in the two other villages.

Meca said the 59 villages underwent stringent validation by the regional oversight committee before they were declared as drug-free.

She clarified that PDEA 7, as head of the regional oversight committee, has the final say on the matter.

The role of CPADAO, Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Health is to ensure that the 14 parameters set in the Barangay Drug Clearing Program is followed by the village before the on-site validation, she said.

These parameters include, among many others, the absence of drug personalities in the barangay, implementation of an active Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Badac), and the existence of a voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation program in the villages.

(Reposted from SunStar Cebu.  Original title: 59 more barangays declared drug-free)

To barangay poll winners: no SOCE, no office

In a list published on its website, the Comelec identified 105 candidates who were perpetually disqualified from holding public office for failure to file their SOCE twice.

 By Mayen Jaymalin

A poll watchdog yesterday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) not to allow newly elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials to assume their posts until they have filed their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE).

In a list published on its website, the Comelec identified 105 candidates who were perpetually disqualified from holding public office for failure to file their SOCE twice.

The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) said the Comelec and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) should implement the law on the filing of SOCE.

“This should be strictly implemented to ensure compliance with the campaign finance laws,” LENTE executive director Rona Caritos said.

The winners in the barangay and SK polls will assume their posts on June 30.

The Comelec earlier warned candidates who would fail to file their SOCE before the June 12 deadline of disqualification.
Carios said even those who did not win the elections are required to submit their SOCE to the local Comelec offices.

“We would like to remind all candidates to file their SOCE whether or not they won to avoid being penalized,” Carios said.

Under Repuclic Act 7166, all candidates are required to file true and itemized statement of campaign contributions and expenses within 30 days after the election.

Winning candidates who failed twice to file their SOCE would be prohibited from holding public office until they comply with the requirement.

Earlier, the Comelec announced that all its offices would be opened on June 12, which is a non-working holiday, to accept SOCEs. - With Cecille Suerte Felipe

(Reposted from The Philippine Star. Original title: 'Barangay. SK Officials must report expenses to Comelec'. (Photo Credit: Boy Santos)

Cebu barangays urged to follow waste segregation laws

It has been three months since the “no segregation, no collection” policy in Cebu City was reintroduced, but some barangays reportedly have yet to strengthen their enforcement.

Because of this, all elected officials from the 80 barangays will undergo a seminar on solid waste management from June 19 to 23.

The activity is organized by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO), the Environmental Management Bureau 7 and the Office of the Environmental Ombudsman.

“(It’s) sad to say that my barangay, Barangay Luz, is one of the non-compliant villages. We’ll be filing charges against the driver and collectors since they are allegedly negligent,” said incoming CCENRO head Nida Cabrera.

“Another Barangay is Tisa. Although reelected Barangay Captain Phillip Zafra has been strongly campaigning on the policy, there are still defiant residents. There are also cases where our barangays and households are segregating, but the failure is in the collection,” she added.

The policy falls under City Ordinance (CO) 2031 (solid waste segregation at source) and CO 1361, which provides for the issuance of citation tickets to those caught urinating, spitting, littering, defecating in public places, or not following the correct schedule of garbage collection.

It prohibits the disposal of trash in public places and penalizes those who fail to segregate garbage into residual, non-biodegradable, biodegradable and special wastes.

The policy also prohibits the disposal of trash outside the scheduled time of collection and throwing garbage beyond five meters from the household and/or establishment’s gate.

Violators will have to pay P500 within seven days as a compromise fee and render community service for one to six months, or the court may also order jail time.

Cabrera urged everyone to practice segregation since it not only reduces garbage but also helps the City Government save on collection costs.

She added that the policy is expected to reduce garbage by 20 to 30 percent. From 650 tons a day, the city has only generated 530 tons of garbage a day for the past months.

The City is paying Pasajero Motors Corp. P1,248 for every ton of garbage they dispose of.

“We’ve recommended to the mayor that the salary of collectors should now be based on output. We’re doing this because we found that barangay collectors are not serious enough on the implementation. Collecting once a day isn’t enough and will only make it a recurring problem,” Cabrera said. 

(Reposted from SunStar Cebu. Original title:  Cenro to village officials: Enforce laws on garbage segregation)

House speaker to swear in Iloilo barangay captains

By Loine Hope Conserva

HOUSE Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez will administer the oath of incoming barangay captains from Iloilo City and the 1st to 3rd districts of Iloilo province on June 24, 2018, at the Iloilo Convention Center.

Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. said he already met with congressmen Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City, Oscar Garin Jr. of the 1st district, Arcadio Gorriceta of the 2nd district, and Arthur Defensor Jr. of the 3rd district who all confirmed to join the mass oath-taking.

“We will not encourage barangay captains from far-flung areas but if they really want, they can join,” he said.

The governor clarified that the ceremony is for the candidates’ new term as they assume office on June 30, 2018, not an oath-taking as new members of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

Defensor said he also extended the invitation to the leaders of the 4th and 5th districts but he said their attendance is voluntary.

As to Rep. Raul Tupas of the 5th district, Defensor said the former will still meet with the mayors to inform them of the invitation.

“He will call me as to the result of the meeting. Our invitation is purely voluntary for only those who want to attend,” he said.

Meanwhile, Iloilo City has 180 barangays. Rep. Treñas said he has yet to finalize the invitations to the barangay captains.

Garin and Defensor Jr. have transferred to PDP-Laban from LP and it was also Alvarez who administered their oath in January 2018.

Gorriceta is still with Liberal Party while Biron and Tupas are with Nacionalista Party.

(Reposted from The Daily Guardian)