by admin | Oct 21, 2015 | National News
The Philippines had two calamities sweeping across it yesterday. Storm Lando did not come unannounced.
Since its presence got into the weather watch radars, people did not believe it packs something as dangerous as its doomsday prophets project.
Every local government unit swore they knew what this typhoon packed in its over 600 kilometer cloud cover.
Everyone of them also professed they warned communities of the impending threat: real or imagined.
That still however resulted to millions of people evacuated, billions of agricultural losses and at least 18 deaths.
Then on the same day, a friend texted us about the earthquake happening in Manila.
No, it was not the feared Big One. It was even way too little some people in the city literally walked through it. Those on pretty stable positions however perceived the movement and smirked.
Seconds later, people spilled into the buildings corridors, out to the streets, impervious to the usual protocols that must be activated in cases like this.
The earthquake drills that they showed on television and documented on newspapers hardly happened. Hotels and residential tall edifices did not stir. Hotel and establishment workers did not shift to alarm mode. All they did was just allow people to slide back to normalcy.
Good no one was reported hurt as the earthquake which occurred in Looc Mindoro was too far out at sea and did not trigger the Marikina fault.
Of the two incidents, one gave us a preview of what would be the people’s response to a government warning during a storm.
Another gave us an idea how useless this educating people have become, especially for a threat like the big earthquake.
There is however a bigger and more calamitous event from these two unfortunate incidents happening a day.
When these popped up in the same day, no less than the government cashed in on it like it allegedly did during the past calamities. It has been proven to work in deaths. Now this must be like it.
On national television, we had flooding victims, people rendered homeless by Pablo’s wrath. They lined up for food and social relief.
And we had presidential candidate Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo roro-ing their way into the deluge sheepishly handling out food stuffs.
There should be nothing wrong with it if both were not filing for any posts. And if this government had opted for a non-political entity dishing out food packs.
But Roxas has ceased to be the Interior and Local Government Secretary and, the allegedly meek and mild Robredo has just morphed into that dish-rag of a trapo.
You see, if she did hand goods for her brother Bicolanos, it can be overlooked as human nature.
But she knows it is going to draw her flak and she still did it because her party is that which dances to the upbeat of death and suffering.
In a country where its leaders profess to stick it to the rule of law, and simply thrashes an election law flaw, because it does not apply to them is an incident sadder than sorry.
We have just created a calamitous situation when our aspiring leaders can as casually toss the law. Now, would you expect the people to believe in the government’s fair warning?
by admin | Oct 19, 2015 | National News
MANILA, October 19, (PIA)—To make marine resources sustainable, the government opens up option for fishermen to sell their catch which may be on the stage of spawning.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) through Leo Bongalos said the government is offering to buy bycatch which have been found to be spawning, the price is that of its market value.
The move, according to the BFAR is in support of the effort to keep the these resources into producing their offsprings by keeping them in laying pens to keep these fish or crustaceans into keeping its young.
This too as the government also implements close and open seasons for fish and crustaceans who are known to spawn in specific periods, Bongalos explained.
The government authorities have asked fishermen to release back to the sea whatever it is that they catch that shows signs of being pregnant or in the process of laying eggs.
But, at times when the gathering is low, and the only ones they get are spawning, there is always thus great chance that this becomes part of the fisherman’s meal.
We urge fishermen to turn over their spawning catch to the government laying pens in Sinandigan Ubay and in Calape, Bongalos appealed.
According to the BFAR, buying these based on the current market price earns for the fisherman and at the same time, allows the fish to complete the laying.
The BFAR however buys only those which are showing signs of good health and is still capable of hatching the eggs.
In the list of most common resource buy-outs are siganids and blue crabs, says BFAR Bohol.
The practice is also now becoming an innovation, coming after the sardines closed season implemented in the Visayan seas, BFAR, who talked about fish conservation explained. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Oct 19, 2015 | Headlines, National News
MANILA, October 19, (PIA)—If you think somebody’s family is not on the Listahanan and should be there, you can actually get them in.
All you need to do is see the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) area supervisor who will be accepting information updates and inclusion or exclusion complaints ten days after the list is publicly posted in barangay halls, says DSWD.
This as the government agency is currently validatingListahanan, an information management system that would largely be the basis for upcoming government assistance to the country’s identified poor.
Compiled by its enumerators who have to personally see for themselves the conditions in reference to poverty to get the family into the list, Listahanan is the common name for the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), which the DSWD updated recently, according to information officer KerwinMacopia at the Kapihansa PIA.
After ten days when the list gets posted at the barangay halls, DSWD area supervisors would be visiting the area and would be accepting complaints, he explained.
The DSWD is looking at helping 232,000 families with the Listahanan giving a face to poverty.
Complaints however may be inclusion or exclusion errors, which still could happen especially in urban areas where the surveys are largely concentrated in areas where there are noticeable pockets of poverty, he candidly admits.
When the area supervisors come, they bring with them forms which they will fill based on the data from those information.
This form would be the basis for the Local Verification Committee to decide who gets in and who gets stripped off the list, according to the DSWD.
The Local Verification Committee consisting of the City or Municipal Mayor, Planning officer, social welfare officer and two representatives of local groups, will finalize the list before any help group can get to their target help beneficiaries. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Sep 23, 2015 | Local News / Bohol Balita, National News
TAGBILARAN CITY, Sept 23 (PIA)–The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) municipal election offices await for the remaining 38,704 voters in Bohol who have yet to validate their records to be able to exercise their rights to vote come May 2016.
This as the COMELEC counts less than 30 days before they close the registration by October 31, 2015, at 5:00 PM.
Moreover, the poll body added that registration would be suspended on October 12-16 to allow the COMELEC to accept the certificates of candidacies; the days being allotted as the officials dates for filing of certificates.
With that, Boholanos would only have less than 30 days to have their registrations validated, entries changed or certificates of transfer filled so they could still get into the final list, according to the COMELEC.
Bohol Comelec Supervisor Atty. Eliseo Labaria then urges Boholanos, especially from the island barangays to go visit their municipal election offices for registration validation, through the taking of one’s biometrics.
Over 10,000 voters have not registered from the towns of Ubay, Inabanga, Tubigon and Talibon, Comelec records bare, which leads them to believe the island registered voters may have yet to come to the mainland to be validated via the biometrics.
The validation by biometrics essentially cleans the old list in as much as this exacts from the voter his picture, fingerprint and signature which it stores in a databank that can be used to identify similar features in a person.
The biometrics, according to Atty Labaria has a feature called automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) which puts up red flags as soon as a person logs into the election voters list using one’s already data-banked fingerprint.
The same automated feature allows the computer networks to compare one’s facial features with the thousands across the country and puts up notifications for double registrations.
He also warned voters who might have falsely believed that having a COMELEC issued identification card is enough.
“The law provides that biometrics would be the basis for the final list of voters, and not the Comelec voter’s identification cards,” Labaria said.
For new registrants, or those who would be 18 by May 9, 2016, all they need to bring to the Comelec offices are Identification cards with dates of birth, or simply birth certificates, which could be PSA authenticated or the ones that can be obtained from the local civil registrars, he said. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Sep 15, 2015 | Headlines, National News
If the 2016 elections were like basketball, teams have started pounding the ball and are dribbling to the basket, even before the organizers could draw the crowds.
And the referees could do nothing but scratch their heads in despair. Or is it despair?
Yesterday, out of apparent disgust on the unfair advantage some are taking, the National Movement for Free Elections called on the public to join in the campaign.
The campaign is to raise a red flag on early campaigning. No, not just raise, but smear these teams name in the national and international scenes.
Some people are obviously oblivious to the rules of the game and the referees are not picking on the violations.
The referees, when called upon to call the foul, said they can only do that after tip-off.
The Election Law however says unless these people file their certificates of candidacies (COC), they are deemed non candidates and non candidates and “campaigning” to them is void ab initio.
But, Namfrel, as with everybody else (except maybe the Commission on Elections) have seen the intent of the law and the goal to level the playing field.
In basketball, as with elections, in order to play and win the game, one must abide by the rules.
In it are mediators of sorts who will suspend the games as soon as rules are breached.
But even before the referees could come into the hard court, some teams have already started piling up on the hoops and are bringing the rah-rah with them.
Namfrel knows these calloused opportunists (who know the law better than us) are obviously circumventing the law and are getting away.
On this, one needs to do is to use, not their Comelec heads or ears or eyes, but the eyes, ears and heads that see these violations.
The move is against over-eager politicians promoting themselves months before official campaign starts. You can easily spot them: tarpaulins announcing events, congratulating, epals and riding on government projects.
All one needs to do is take a snapshot at a printed political advertisement, record the campaign speech and post these on a dedicated Election 2016 Pampams facebook page.
Pampan is a street language for prostitutes.
On twitter, all these documents could be uploaded and tagged with a hashtag #pampam.
You see, in a government that has become inutile over its prostituting, people can take the roles ostracizing the errant and exacting the kind of justice they deserve.
by admin | Aug 6, 2015 | Headlines, National News
MANILA, Aug. 06 (PIA)–Bawal nang mosakay sa mga motorsiklo ang mga bata human gilagdaan na ni Presidente Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III ang balaod kalabot niini.
Base sa Republic Act No. 10666 nga gilagdaan ni PNoy niadtong Hulyo 21, 2015 apan gahapon lamang gipagawas sa Malakanyang, gibawal na sa bisan kinsang magmaneho sa 2-wheeled motorcycle nga adunay angkas nga bata ug moagi sa pampublikong kadalanan nga daghang mo-agi nga sakyanan o may moaging paspas og dagan nga mga sakyanan.
Ang maong balaod nga gitawag og ‘Children’s Safety on Motorcycles Act of 2015’, nakalatid nga mahimo lamang mo-angkas ang bata kun maabot niini ang ‘foot peg’ sa motorsiklo, kun makagakos na sa driver ug kun magsul-ob og standard protective helmet.
Exempted niining balaod ang pag-angkas sa bata sa motorsiklo nga kinahanglang dalhon dayon sa tambalanan o ospital.
Ang driver nga molapas sa maong balaod pahamtangan og multang P3,000 sa unang offense, P5,000 sa second offense ug P10,000 sa third ug succeeding offenses, gawas pa sa pagsuspinde sa drivers license sulod sa usa ka bulan.
Kun badlongon gayud ang driver ug naka-upat na nga violation sa maong balaod, automatic revocation o pagkumpiska sa drivers license ang ipahamtang nga silot.
Ang gilagdaang balaodnon mao ang gihiusang bersyon sa Senado ug Kamara.
Si Sen. Vicente Sotto III sa Senado ang nagsulat ug nag-sponsor sa Senate Bill 2488 samtang ang bersyon usab sa Ubos Balay Balaoranan gisugyot ni Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop ubos sa giduso niining House Bill 3554 nga ang tuyo mao ang pagduso sa public safety ug ma-protektahan ang mga bata gikan sa peligro sa kadalanan. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
