by admin | Oct 29, 2018 | Headlines
Heads and representatives of the pillars of criminal justice system (CJS) in Bohol jointly manifested their intent to a better coordination among them towards speedy disposition of cases by signing in the Commitment of Stakeholders capping the day-long round-table conference October 26, at the Belian Hotel.
Organized by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Parole and Probation Office (PPO) in coordination with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the round table conference intends to consult with the key pillars on how each one can efficiently manage and perform their mandates by ironing out issues and concerns leading to the goal of speedy resolution of cases, says PPO 7 Regional Director Georgette Paderanga.
Present during the conference were representatives of the community, law enforcement, the prosecution, the courts and the corrections.
Leading the concerns which the PPO brought up was the problem with court referrals.
PPA, which maintains 22 parole and probation offices in the region, has reported an upsurge in drug cases clients in the past years.
This is largely due to the Supreme Court issued plea bargaining in drug cases to enable drug offenders to avail themselves of such arrangement.
Although the plea bargaining framework is not allowed in drug cases where the imposable penalty is reclusion perpetual or death, or under Section 5 of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.) which penalizes sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution andtransportation of all kinds of dangerous drugs, a plea bargain to a lesser crime can be accepted.
For example, the new framework says an accused charged with violation of Section 11 of RA 9165 for possession of dangerous drugs where the quantity is less than five grams (shabu, opium, morphine, heroin and cocaine, and less than 300 grams in case of marijuana) owns a penalty of 12 years and one day to 20 years in prison and fine P300,000 to P400,000, the accused can plea bargain to a violation of Section 12 on possession of equipment, instrument, apparatus, with a penalty of six months and one day to four years in prison and a fine ranging from P10,000 to P50,000, cited PPO administrator Dr. Manuel G. Co, during his pro-round table conference message.
With the plea bargain, courts are then mandated to refer the accused eligible for probation to the PPO.
PPO Tagbilaran City Aileen Rose Dumalesaid her office gets several court referrals but these do not have complete documents.
A referral without complete documents could hamper the PPO assessment of the application for probation.
Moreover, while the courts send in referrals, these do not come with thenotation that petitioner of the probation should report to the PPO within 72 hours.
Other PPO offices also said that when there are referrals that arrive, the petitioners do not have home addresses, which makes it hard for the probation officers to conduct initial investigation if they do not know where to start.
Former City Police chief George Vale who represented law enforcement pillar admitted that in some cases when the accused apprehended for a crime is non local, the accused often uses aliases or fake addresses and the police may not be able to know if the information is false.
With this, the information forwarded to courts would sometimes contain no addresses, or false names.
For the courts, the office of the Provincial Prosecutor also admitted that the increase in cases caused delays in the submission of post investigation reports, a fact that several of their referrals to the PPO may not have with them file folders this important document.
The courts also insisted that as per mandate, the delay in the submission is also due to the delayed inter-office referrals as these have to be thorough, substantial and complete investigations and accompanying records.
On these, the pillars of the justice system agreed to work on the motion for extensions, and a fixing of the processes in the documentation processes that includes a verified address to solve the issues of the PPO initiated investigation for approval of probation applications.
The PPO also informed everyone that in several cases when the accused who have served part of their sentences are released based on recognizance.
PPO RD Paderanga said some officials who vouch for thesereleases do not even know the person they are supposed to have under their supervision.
“This is dangerous as they can be liable when the persons they accept commit new crimes or escape from their temporary custody,” the lady probation officer said.
Over all these issues, the round table capped the day with the signing of commitment to assist the PPO in the resolution of their issues and concerns affecting the effective and efficient delivery of their services to the public.
In the commitment, representatives of the pillars of criminal justice also pledge to do to the best of their abilities to perform in accordance with their mandates. (rahc/PIA/Bohol)
by admin | Oct 27, 2018 | Local News / Bohol Balita
Becoming soldiers in a different kind of war, troops of the 302nd Infantry Brigade adopts a new kind of shooting skills.
At least 28 officers and men of the 302ndInfBde joined the skills enhancement in shooting, not with their rifles to neutralize the enemy, but with the camera, to put in more good news in these times when most you see in the newspapers are the trivial and non-inspiring.
Since Bohol was declared insurgency free in 2010, the soldiers left her in Bohol shifted to a new kind of battle: that of helping communities rise from the cowering fear with the trauma of war and the government services that came but only in trickles.
Instead of wielding rifles, the soldiers picked on shovels and spades to repair impassable barangay roads, dangerous sections of trails and put up culverts to address flooding and the eventual rutting of the roads making them tough to maneuver by vehicles.
In some areas, along with the Army Engineering Battalion, soldiers wield saws and hammer, buildings schools but putting up the labor counterpart to stretch government budget for school buildings.
Then, they also fix school fences, barangay halls, waiting sheds, put up tap water stands with their trowels and masonry skills, or they use no hunting knives but paintbrushes for painting jobs in government and public infrastructures needing these services.
Reeling from a past when soldiers were accused of being abusive and had indiscretions that are publicly known, the radical change has to happen in time, according to Captain KhadaffyTawantawan, Civil Military Officer of the 302ndIBde.
And yet just as the army has transformed its image into community workers as an avenue for peace work, their activities remain unknown and is filed only in military lockers.
With this, the brigade, which performs the administrative supervision of the army and citizens armed forces for geographical units in Bohol intends to bring these community empowerment accomplishments to the mainstream, and this time, becoming photojournalists would be a good start.
Along this, the brigade requested the Philippine Information Agency for the training, which the PIA also obliged.
Other than PIA basic media skills, which includes photojournalism which are offered for free, the PIA in Bohol also trains communities in literary, arts, sports and disseminates information on key government programs and projects. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Oct 27, 2018 | Headlines
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, October 26 (PIA)—Traffic related incidents are getting fewer and fewer through the months from a very high 10.9 incidents per day in March to 5.6 daily average in September, or a 51.37% reduction rate in the last six months.
According to consolidated police reports delivered by Bohol Provincial Police Chief at Camp Francisco Dagohoy during the recent joint Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) and Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) meetings at the Conference Hall of the People’s Mansion, Police Senior Superintendent Angeles Geñorga showed that in March, Bohol’s traffic related incidents (TRI) peaked at 338 cases.
It may be recalled that Bohol police started implementing the Philippine National Police’s anti-crime Operation Plan Sita (OPLAN SITA), where Camp Dagohoy mandated all police stations to put up road checkpoints to check on the driver’s compliance to traffic rules and safe driving policies.
By April then, crime statisticians at Camp Dagohoy immediately noticed the 73 TRI less in the monthly non index crime trend.
By June, with the continued police operations and their increased presence in the streets, the 266 TRI cases in May drastically dipped to 215; some 51 TRI cases less.
In July, the police traffic operatives and the entire force stepped on the brakes for traffic accidents in Bohol as they staved off 19 more incidents in the monthly average.
TRI in July totaled 196, according to the presentation which Pssupt. Geñorga showed to the two councils in a joint meeting.
When the traffic incidents reached 190 in August, observers surmised that it could be the end of the downward slide as apparently, the decrease has tamed off.
In September however, council members saw an even better police performance in imposing discipline and order in the streets, as shown in the recorded decrease of cases.
The dipping trend in traffic related incidents also embellishes the 13% decrease in the monthly average crime volume for the island province from last month to September.
That means, from 324 crime cases in August, the cases plunged to 287 in September, according to Supt. Geñorga.
The data however did not include traffic related incidents.
Earlier, in previous meetings, some council members have asked the police to separate the index and non-index crimes especially traffic related incidents.
The request was to determine how much of the traffic related incidents are bloating the crime data and marring the true peace and order situation in Bohol.
And true enough, without TRI, the average monthly crime rate in Bohol slipped from 23.50 to 20.81.
And just as authorities now look at the stricter compliance in the helmet law and the traffic code, police data showed that there has been a decrease in motorcycle accidents from a high 198 in March to a down trending 137 in September.
With the helmet law strictly implemented since the beginning of March, Boholanos have found that from 198 cases of motorcycle accidents in the same month, 142 of those involved were injured, 45 unharmed and 11 died.
This September, of the 137 motorcycle accidents, 89 involved in the accident were injured, 43 were unharmed and deaths were now down to five. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
ANGEL ON THE STEERING WHEEL. With Bohol Police Chief Angeles Geñorga, Bohol has seen not just a drastic reduction in index crimes but also in the alarming traffic related incidents that have happened mostly involving illegal drivers, unregistered vehicles and dis-order in the streets. (PIA-Bohol)
by admin | Oct 22, 2018 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
JAGNA, Bohol, October 18 (PIA)—Now, here is good news to all member-borrowers of the Social Security System funds who have past due calamity or salary loan early renewal program (SLERP), or member-borrowers with past due short-term loans in calamitydisaster-stricken areas, the SSS Loan Restructuring Program (LRP) or better known as SSS Loan Condonation Program has been extended.
Initially offered until October 1, 2018, the SSS LRP has been extended until April 1, 2019, according to SSS Information Officer Michael Ian Mission.
Speaking during the out of town Kapihansa PIA held at DyPJ in Jagna, Bohol, Mission said the extension should provide member-borrowers who have unpaid loans, ample time to avail of the condonation of penalties offer.
SSS clarified that when one applies for an SSS loan, it is not the contributed premium that one borrows, but rather part of the SSS funds.
Members who have been default in paying for their loans have reasoned out that it is wrong for SSS to ask them to pay as what was borrowed was the SSS Premium.
This is a wrong notion, SSS authorities said.
According to the SSS, the money you borrowed from the SSS comes from the funds and is not necessarily the contributed amount, that a failure to pay will necessitate the full sum including the accumulated penalties and interests taken off from the member’s retirement or death benefit.
“That is why if you have a long overdue SSS Loan, the SSS Loan Condonation is your chance to pay,” clarifies Mission.
As one applies for the LRP, the accumulation of penalties and interests on his outstanding Loan will stop, or at least until one again defaults in paying the agreed amount and schedule of payment of the restructured loan.
With the penalties waived, the amount of obligation will be smaller.
As per policy, SSS would demand an unpaid loan or outstanding balance from the SSS Pension, that a retiree may not get his initial months of pension until it can fully pay for the borrowed and unpaid amount.
The SSS said, one thing about being able to pay for the loan is the possibility of getting another loan in times of need.
Earlier, the SSS offered the LRP from April 2 to October 1, 2018.
Recently however, the SSS decided to extend the program some more to serve the majority of its member borrowers who did not know of the offer of condonation of penalties until recently.
Moreover, SSS Bohol informs the people of Jagna and its catchment area that soon, an SSS Service Desk would soon be put up in the first class port town.
The service desk would make the SSS Services regular for Jagna-anons, Mission said.
In the past, SSS assigned an SSS Service Desk Officer to visit Jagna twice a month to facilitate and perform SSS service processes. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
SSS information officer Michael Ian Mission announces the extension of the SSS loan Restructuring Program which was supposed to end by October this year. The SSS LRP would be until April 1 of next year. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Oct 22, 2018 | Headlines
By: Doris Isabel J. Racho
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, October 20 – In consonance with the Philippine Organic Act of 2010, which seeks “to promote, propagate, develop further and implement the practice of organic agriculture in the country” the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) continuously conduct training and extension activities geared towards organic farming.
Recently ATI Region VII conducted training on Internal Control System (ICS) to 30 organic farmers and agriculture technicians from the different parts of Bohol on October 16-19, 2018 at ATI-7 Regional Training Center, Cabawan District, this City.
ICS system which is part of the certification process to be complied by the organic producer to be certified.
It has been known that Organic Act stressed for the promotion of community-based organic agriculture systems which includes farmers’ produced purely organic fertilizer such as compost, pesticide and other farm inputs, together with a nationwide educational and promotional campaign for their use and processing as well as adoption of organic agriculture system as viable alternative.
The 4-day training involved lecture-discussion, structured learning exercises, workshop, critiquing and evaluation and mock-up demo of ICS installation with the members of the approving body, quality control and inspection committee doing the participatory guarantee system process at JQL Farm, Luyo, Dimiao, Bohol.
Said farm is a Learning Site applicant of ATI-7.
ICS training was aimed to produce more organic certified producer, increase the availability of organic certified products and to protect the consumers from fake organic producers.
Participants were encouraged to re-echo the training to other farmer or farmer leaders and to come up with a re-entry/action plan as part of training output.
The pool of resource persons wereJannelGeconcillo and Merlissa I. Garcia who were Negros Island Certification Services (NICERT) Inspectors, while Andrew M. Macaambac acted as project officer and assisted by Jun Alguin Oliver of ATI-7.
ICS Participants and Training Management Team with ATI-7 Center Director Carolyn May O. Daquio, PhD. in the middle front row. (ATI-7)
