by cathytej | Jun 30, 2008 | National News
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will preside over the joint Cabinet and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) meeting on Tuesday in Iloilo to discuss the ongoing rehabilitation and relief efforts in typhoon-damaged areas of Panay Island.
She will also conduct an inspection of typhoon-affected areas in the province that include the towns of Cabatuan, Sta. Barbara and Pavia.
As of June 28, the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC-6) has reported 322 deaths and 288 persons still missing mostly in Panay Island.
The RDCC reported that damage to property has reached P234.5 million, infrastructure at P1.53 billion, and agriculture at P1.38 billion.
Even while in the United States, the President has been issuing directives via video tele-conferences with her Cabinet members and NDCC officials to alleviate the damage wrought by Typhoon Frank. (PIA/Bohol)
by cathytej | Jun 27, 2008 | Local News / Bohol Balita
HAVE commercial fishers finally left the waters of Pamilacan island for good in fear of a spreading maritime law enforcement dragnet or are they merely playing cats and mouse with enforcers?
On exactly the same days when Baclayon local officials had to relent due to repairs for their pumpboat, illegal fishers had the time of their life casting nets at the barangay marine sanctuary on the evening of June 23.
How they came to know about the incapacity of the local enforcers is still a thing of wonder though.
A text message, this time sent by an informant in Pamilacan last June 23 at about 8:29 PM said, “Sir, gud eve, dia na pud tawon manaktak ari duol sa sanctuary ang mga way batasan.”
He was advised to positively get the names or identify the perpetrators and report the matter to any barangay official. Moreover he had the explicit instruction to file a police blotter on the incident.
When the same text message was forwarded to Mayor Uy, he responded that they could not respond because their pumpboat was in repair. He assured however that “we are doing everything for our seas.
This as Capitol Administrator Tomas Abapo, at the weekly Governor’s Reports Friday June 27, said fishing at Pamilacan and Baclayon seas has “returned to normal”.
By that, he means that marginal fishermen from the island and nearby towns sharing the municipal waters can now venture into the territory, which was once ruled by commercial fishers.
According to him, the return to normalcy happened after Governor Erico Aumentado pressed the provincial police brass to do everything to curb illegal activities in the area.
Complaints have surfaced in Bohol papers about the seeming disappearance of dolphin and whales in the seas of Pamilacan.
Tourism stakeholders ascribe to the presence of big-time commercial fishers in the area as a major which has scared dolphins away.
As a reaction to the complaints, radio programs and citizens jammed the air lanes to jointly call on authorities for action. On the other hand, the renewed interest has boosted Baclayon local government’s efforts at activating and deputizing its own fish warden group against the bigtime fishers straying into the territories set for marginal fishers.
Meanwhile, Abapo said the governor also met with Baclayon officials under Mayor Alvin Uy, Vice mayor Elena Uy, local police commander and Bohol Environment Management Office head Renato Villaber last June 2. They discussed and gathered commitments to pursue illegal fishers and go tough on them.
On his behalf, Bohol PSSupt Edgardo Ingking, Abapo said he met with local fish wardens and barangay officials to further the aim. (rachiu/PIA)
by cathytej | Jun 27, 2008 | Local News / Bohol Balita
WITH President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo still of official visit in the United States, National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) chair Roilo Golez is hands-on with massive relief assistance for the victims in Western Visayas, which have been hit hard by the recent typhoon frank.
Golez said the different line Agencies of government are fully mobilized with the Philippine Armed Forces, the Philippine National Police and the US Navy Forces in distributing relief assistance to alleviate thousands of families who lost their homes as a result of typhoon “Frank”.
Tons of ready to eat foods, clothings, bottled drinking water and medicines have been flown in via series of C-130 flights to Ilo-Ilo, Aklan, Kalibo, Roxas and other areas in Western Visayas.
Executive Secretary Ermita also said that the US Navy’s USS Reagan is also on hand in the ground as well as an the for the search, rescue and retrieval operations of victims of the ill-fated Princess of the Star.
Ermita pressed that Arroyo, while on Official Mission for the country in the United States continues to be hands-on in monitoring and giving orders ensuring relentless day to day relief operations in all areas in the country that was hard hit by the typhoon.
The President has ordered the fast rehabilitation of all infrastructures in all areas of the country particularly in the Western and Eastern Visayas, which were hard hit by the typhoon.
Ermita said the President ordered soft loans of Php 5Million pesos to be released to Electric power cooperatives to immediately rehabilitate respective power systems in the Ilo-Ilo and Aklan provinces of which power systems were destroyed. The loans were provided thru Secretary Reyes of the Energy Department.
He said the NDCC have solicited several units of water purification system and were flown to the Ilo-Ilo, Aklan, Kalibo, Roxas, Panay island to provide potable water considering that these areas were totally flooded and potable water is badly needed.
DOTC Sec. Mendoza said that Task Force Princess of the Star, headed by DOTC under Secretary Len Bautista, have employed over hundred divers from the Philippine Navy, PNP with the assistance and the facilities of USS Reagan and are doing a lot of progress in the rescue and retrieval operations of victims of the ill-fated passenger Ferry Princess of the Star. (PIA)
by cathytej | Jun 27, 2008 | Features, Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
TUESDAY would be a non-working holiday in Tagbilaran City as it celebrates its Charter Day, July 1, 42 years after it earned it in 1966.
The declaration is based on Republic Act 8267, which declares the day non-working special public holiday for the City of Tagbilaran.
The city, which has gone a long way, after it became a town since February 9, 1742 came by virtue of a decree by Spanish Governor General Gaspar dela Torre.
Formerly called San Jose de Tagbilaran, the town was formally established as a separate town from Baclayon then.
Historically too, the old settlement of a 15th Century Bohol, the place forms part of the “Bool Kingdom”, states the city website.
Sometimes touted as a place called “tinabilan”, which means “screened”, the city is also shielded on the southwest by Panglao Island and north by Maribojoc mountain ranges.
Tradition also tells that the word “Tagbilaran” was derived from “tagubilaan”, a contraction from two local words tagu (to hide) and Bilaan (a Muslim marauder tribe). Literally, it means a place hidden from the pillaging Muslims.
On July 1, 1966 by virtue of R.A. 4660, Tagbilaran became a chartered City.
As a chartered city, Tagbilaran was established by a Congressional act and is then governed by its own charter from where its leaders exact powers rather than look up to the provincial, regional or national laws. It also enjoys a higher Internal Revenue Allotment compared to towns, a political analyst said.
“This is the main reason,” he pointed out, “why by its own charter, the city has achieved a significant level of development in view of the increase in its share of internal revenues.”
Meanwhile, another holiday for Bohol is on the offing.
July 22, another Tuesday is Bohol Day, and is another special non-working holiday by virtue of Republic Act 7683. (rachiu/PIA)
by cathytej | Jun 27, 2008 | Local News / Bohol Balita
THE Civil Service Commission (CSC) ruled in favor of a draftsman “thrown” to a nursery and told Cortes mayor Apolinaria Balistoy to reinstate and pay him his backwages and other benefits.
In a decision promulgated June 17, 2008, the government commission agreed with the appellant, Joseph Ligan III, that his reassignment is a reduction in rank and threatens his security of tenure.
Earlier, in a Memorandum dated May 22, 2007, Mayor Balistoy ordered Ligan’s transfer of work assignment to the Municipal Nursery located at Rosario Cortes, where he is to report to nursery caretaker Tersita Samuya.
On his assignment however, Ligan said it was not the Nursery caretaker who monitored him, but a barangay secretary, as allegedly ordered by the mayor.
In an appeal dated January 9 2008, sent to the CSC and in a copy furnished to the Mayor, Ligan averred that he had been stationed at the Office of the Municipal Engineer (OME) as draftsman designate.
Ligan was appointed permanent as Engineering Aide and his item was from the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO), according to his appointment by then Mayor Herminia Labor.
However his Position Description Form states his responsibilities including preparing plans, program of works, bill of materials and detailed estimates of proposed projects, requisitions, checks and inspects as to specifications quality and quantity of construction materials delivered, supervising project construction in coordination with the Municipal Engineer and conducts ocular inspections of sites of proposed projects.
Prior to his reassignment, Ligan was designated draftsman at the OME.
The CSC noted that for reassignments to be deemed regular, they should be consistent with employees duties and responsibilities, not one with servile or menial task and the reassignment should also include definite duties and responsibilities.
Absent these, the CSC said it gives the impression that the employee has been given a floating status, which infringes on his security of tenure.
Moreover, the reassigned employee, the CSC noted was made to report to a barangay secretary, where his PDF names the MAO as his immediate supervisor.
Over this, the CSC noted the reduction in rank. It said that the barangay secretary, being an employee of the barangay cannot be made to supervise a permanent employee of the town. (rachiu/PIA)
