VOLUME 7NUMBER 21WED - THUJULY 24 - 25, 2013

P 8.P 8.P 8.P 8.P 8.0000000000

BY ASHLEY MANABAT

ANGELES CITY —The PinoyGumising Ka Movement(PGKM) has questioned the

fresh loan being sought by theDepartment of Transportation andCommunications (DOTC) for theupgrade of the Clark InternationalAirport (CIA).

P1.3-B to CIAC questionedPGKM: Luciano yet to account for earlier P1-B loan

PAGE 6 PLEASE

DONATION. Councilor Angie Hizon, chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod's Committee on Peaceand Order and Public Safety, donates two motorcycles to the City of San Fernando policeoffice to support its crime-fighting initiatives. Witnessing the turnover are Mayor Edwin Santiago,Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin, Councilors Harvey Quiwa, Nelson Lingat, and Tino Dizon.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CSF-CIO

CLARK FREEPORT –Rep. Oscar S. Rodriguez(3rd District, Pampanga) isnot keen on sponsoring aproposed resolution seek-ing to transfer Rep. GloriaM a c a p a g a l - A r r o y o

Oca not keen on sponsoring resolutionasking House to take CGMA into custody

(2nd District, Pampanga)from hospital arrest intothe custody of the Houseof Representatives. Theresolution is now being cir-culated in the province.

However, Rodriguez

said he loves CGMA andthat he was a party to herassumption to the presi-dency.

“Para sa akin hindimadali yan. Pero siyempremahal ko si GMA kumare

ko, party siguro ako ngkanyang pagiging presi-dent (For me that is not aneasy thing to do. But ofcourse I love GMA, she’smy kumare. I may be a

BY DING CERVANTES

ANGELES CITY- The Ki-lusang Magbubukid ngPilipinas (KMP) lamentedyesterday Pres. Aquino’s“one-liner” on HaciendaLuisita in his State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA)as indication of his fami-ly’s intent “to circumventland distribution” in theestate. PAGE 6 PLEASE

KMP laments SONA‘one-liner’ on Luisita

Reacting to the Presi-dent’s SONA, the KMPalso expressed disap-pointment over his failureto bring up the issue ofrice price hike and the re-turn of the “coco levy” fundto planters.

“The one-liner on Ha-cienda Luisita is enoughproof that the Departmentof Agrarian Reform’s

MABALACAT CITY – Premier mall developer SM isin the process of forging a partnership with the localgovernment here for the construction of a new publicmarket.

In a press release, Mayor Marino Morales saidSM’s Henry Sy will support the development of anew multi-level Mabalacat Public Market right at thesite of the old, crowded, dilapidated one along Mac-Arthur Highway in Barangay San Francisco.

“Ginagawa po natin ang lahat para mapabuti angkalagayan ng ating mga nagtitinda sa public marketat para narin sa ating mamimili (We are doing every-

Morales eyesSM team-up PAGE 6 PLEASE

PAGE 6 PLEASE

FOR NEW PUBLIC MARKET

BY DINO BALABO

MALOLOS CITY—Bula-can Gov. Wilhelmino Alva-rado has called for theamendment of forestrylaws in the country.

This came in the wakeof the Bulacan ProvincialAnti-Illegal Logging TaskForce (PAILTF) confisca-tion of over 5,000 board

Gov: Amend forestry lawsfeet of illegally cut logsworth over P200,000 lastweek within the AngatWatershed.

”I will soon meet withBulacan congressmen todiscuss possible amend-ments in our forestrylaws,” Alvarado said duringhis weekly radio programaired over Radyo Bulacanon Saturday.

He proposed that pen-alties imposed against ar-rested timber poachers beincreased.

Based on a copy of therevised Presidential De-cree 705 or the ForestryReform Code of the Phil-ippines “any person whoshall cut, gather collect,remove timber or other for-est products from any for-

est land or timber fromalienable or disposablepublic land or from privateland without the legal doc-uments as required byexisting laws and regula-tion shall be punished withthe penalties under Articles309 and 301 of the RevisedPenal Code (RPC).

RPC Article 309 statesPAGE 6 PLEASE

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EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION. Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda leads the distribution ofequipment to farmers groups from different towns in the province. Joining him areChairman of the Committee on Agriculture BM Ferdinand Labung, BM Anthony Torres,Provincial Agriculturist Crispin Guinto, and President of the Municipal AgriculturistsMaria David. PHOTO COURTESY OF JUN JASO, PIO PAMPANGA

DINALUPIHAN, Bataan — Longlines of people on Monday filledmunicipal halls in Bataan duringthe first registration day after theMay 13 elections for the baran-gay and sangguniang kabataanelections on October 28, 2013.

Elaine Grace Santiago, elec-tion officer of Dinalupihan,Bataan, said registration startedMonday and to last until July 31.

The youth from 15 to 17 yearsof age registering for the SKpolls occupied the back portionof the municipal hall while newvoters, transferees and thoserenewing their registration for the

Comelec offices swampedregular elections, this time forthe barangay polls, crowded theinner portion of the hall.

“Kakaunti pa nga ‘yan, kani-na wala ng madaanan,” Santia-go said.

Some Aeta youth ate theirlunch inside a vehicle while wait-ing for their turn to register forthe first time.

Big crowds were also noticedat the offices of the Commissionon Elections in the towns ofHermosa, Orani, Samal andAbucay and the City of Balangaeven during lunch time.

— Ernie B. Esconde

MALOLOS CITY— The firstday of new voters’ registrationin Bulacan for the comingbarangay and sangguniangkabataan elections wentsmoothly yesterday, but forthe damaged phone lines thathindered the daily reporting ofproceedures by the Comelec.

Lawyer Elmo Duque, theprovincial election supervisorof Bulacan said that voters’registration in 21 towns andthree cities in the provincewent as scheduled.

He said that there is nountoward report in the first hourof registration.

Duque said the turn-out ofregistrants was low in the firsthours, but they expectedmore voters to come in regis-ter towards the weekend.

“We are calling on first timevoters to come, register andnot wait for the last day,” hesaid referring to the deadlineof registration on July 31. Hestressed that there will be noextension of registration be-cause the Comelec is strictlyfollowing its schedule of ac-tivities.

As this developed, Duquealso said that there is nothingwrong with some possiblecandidate hauling voters toregister.

“It is alright, it is not yetthe elections,” he said notingthat no law prohibits would-becandidates in helping trans-port new voters to Comelecoffices.

Residents of Guiguintotown disclosed yesterday thatsome would be candidates aretransporting new voters.

While the registration wentsmoothly on the first day, Du-que called on the PhilippineLong Distance Telephone(PLDT) to immediately fix theirtelephone lines.

He said that it is the sec-ond time in as many electionpreparations that Comelec-Bulacan’s telephone lines aredisconnected. – Dino Balabo

OLONGAPO CITY — Waves ofyoung men and women from thecity’s 17 barangays swampedthe Comelec office here on thefirst day of registration for thebarangay and SK elections.

The SK registration had beenearlier undertaken but only a fewyouth managed to register, aComelec official said.

Processing at the cityComelec office was sloweddown with a single working “pho-to capture.”

The filing of registration,transfer, correction of entries,change of status and reactiva-tion of voters started July 22 andwill end on July 31.

– Johnny Reblando

Defectivephone lines

hamperregistration

BY GEORGE HUBIERNA

TARLAC CITY — “In terms ofsupport, we are like countrylessbut, ironically, we bear the Phil-ippine flag.”

This is how one official de-scribed the plight of the Philip-pine Little League Baseball teamat the Little League BaseballWorld Cup in Taiwan slated July19-25.

The source who requestedanonymity accompanied the 22-member delegation. He quoted

Phl Little League Baseball teamgoes to World Cup sans gov’t aid

the Philippine team manager,Jose “ Pepe” Munoz, as saying“this is unbelievable. We raisedfunds for our travel without a cen-tavo of support from the Philip-pine Sports Commission or fromany government office. And wewere still charged of the termi-nal fee at the NAIA”.

Munoz’s comment, thesource said, came out just be-fore their flight to Taiwan whenthe delegation’s appeal to havethe travel tax and terminal fee ofP1,620 per person, P850 for ev-

ery kid-member of the teamwaived was refused by NinoyAquino International Airport Gen-eral Manager Jose Honrado.

The 15-member Little LeagueBaseball team is composed ofelementary pupils aged 12years and below, four of whomcame from Tarlac, home prov-ince of President Benigno Aqui-no and Honrado.

“Walang ibinigay kahit kus-ing ang PSC para sa aming(plane) ticket at (hotel) accom-modation. Tapos hindi pa kami

pinagbigyan sa terminal fee niNAIA manager. Pang-kain nasana namin sa Taiwan ‘yungP24,090 (terminal fee)”, Munozreportedly said at the NAIA de-parture lounge minutes beforetheir flight.

The source also disclosedthat several months back, thePhilippine Baseball League offi-cials wrote the Philippine SportsCommission Chairman ButchGarcia for support but their re-quest was denied for “flimsy rea-son”.

“Masyadong ma-pulitika sasports (PSC) natin, kawawa(ang) mga athletes natin”, alsosaid the source who contribut-ed at least P60,000 for the dele-gation’s expenses besides so-liciting from personal friends.

The Philippine team will bat-tle the Japanese little leaguerson July 19, the Italian team onJuly 20, the Czech Republicteam on July 21, the Mexicoteam on July 22, the Taipei teamon July 24 and the Brazilian onJuly 25.

OLONGAPO CITY – Dead on-the-spot ang isang lalaki mata-pos itong barilin sa gate ngkanilang beach resort sa Baran-gay Barretto sa lungsod na ito.

Kinilala ng pulisya ang bik-timang si Paul Salvatus, 50,residente ng Skipper ChristianBeach Resort.

Ang biktima ay nagtamo ngtama ng bala mula sa 9mm pis-tol sa leeg at dibdib.

Batay sa autopsy, ang biktimaay namatay bunga ng hypoglece-mic shock secondary to rupture ofthe heart due to gunshot wounds.

Ayon sa mga residente salugar sa pagitan ng alas 9 at alas

10 ng gabi nang makarinig silang putok ng baril at saka lamangnakita ang angkay ng biktimaalas 2 ng madaling araw.

Nabatid pa na sa mabagal naresponde ng Police Station 6 ngOlongapo PNP kung kaya naka-takas ang di kilalang suspek.

–Johnny R. Reblando

Lalaki patay sa pamamaril

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BY DING CERVANTES

CLARK FREEPORT - BigBrother is finally descendingupon this freeport and, far yetfrom invading privacies, is like-ly to be a welcome securitydevelopment.

Clark Development Corp.(CDC) Vice President for Op-erations Frank Madlangbayansaid in an interview that initial-ly six closed circuit television(CCTV) monitoring cameraswould be installed in importantsections of this freeport, as henoted they would be specialcameras.

“The cameras would notonly relay to a center and cap-ture video footages, but alsobe able to zoom in the capturedimages clearly,” he said.

Madlangbayan said thatbidding is ending for the projectwhich would initially cost P10million. So far, the PhilippineLong Distance Co. and CCTVof the Uy brothers have ex-pressed interest to bid.

“Eventually, we will have

Traffic congeals at the main gate of Clark Freeport amid the re-imposed policy ofthe CDC to separate gates for vehicles with or without its stickers.

PHOTO BY DING CERVANTES

Big Brother comingto Clark Freeport

more monitoring cameras in-stalled at Clark as more invest-ments pour in,” he said.

Madlangbayan said he ex-pected the initial cameras to befunctioning by the end of thisyear or early 2014. He said thebidding process itself would re-quire about three months.

He noted that part of theproject would be a monitoringcenter where television screenswould show actual happeningsbeing monitored by the camer-as outdoors.

The move to install such cam-eras in this freeport, coveringover 4,000 hectares including anaviation complex housing theClark International Airport, wasapparently pushed by growingsecurity concerns.

Madlangbayan said that withthe installation of monitoringcameras, there would no longerbe a need to require stickers onsome vehicles for monitoring atthe gates of this freeport, partic-ularly at the main gate in Ange-les City.

The recently re-imposed pol-

icy of the CDC to separateegress and ingress for vehicleswith or without CDC stickers atthe Angeles gate has been asubject of irritation among mo-torists who have questioned itslogic, amid reports that virtual-ly anybody could readily ac-quire stickers costing P200each from the CDC securitydepartment.

The sticker policy has of-ten caused traffic at the maingate, amid complaints that ex-pensive-looking sports utilityvehicles even without stickersreadily pass through the “with-stickers-only” gate amid theapparent reluctance of securi-ty men to confront them.

A member of the Clark In-vestors and Locators Associa-tion (CILA) who asked not tobe named as condition forspeaking out, noted that “sinceit’s easy to get a sticker, thepolicy only enhances the ca-pability of criminals to get intoand outside Clark with moreease provided by such stick-er.”

BY ARMAND M. GALANG

FORT MAGSAYSAYSAY,Palayan City – The govern-ment has washed its hands ofthe worldwide protest whichseveral groups plan to stagenext week to condemn Chi-na’s supposed “incursion” inAyungin Reef, 105 miles ofPalawan.

Defense Sec. VoltaireGazmin maintained that thegovernment keeps its hands offthe protest.

Gazmin graced the changeof command of the PhilippineArmy’s 7th Infantry Division herefrom Maj. Gen. Gregorio PioCatapang to Brig. Gen. Hernan-do Iriberri at the commandground in this vast militaryreservation.

“It is their right to do that,”Gazmin said of groups led bythe US-based Pinoys for GoodGovernance (USP4GG) thatset the protest on July 24 toprotest China’s allegedexpansionism.

“Walang kinalaman, angalam ko, walang kinalamanang gobyerno sa protestangisinasagawa nila,” Gazminsaid.

Gazmin: Gov’t handsoff global protest

Anakbayan Rep. WaldenBello has said his group isjoining the July 24 mass actionin the Philippines and willencourage its supportersthroughout the world to join inglobal actions to denounceChina’s provocative actions inthe Ayungin Reef.

“China seized the Philip-pines’ Mischief Reef in 1994,then our Scarborough Shoallast year,” stated Loida NicolasLewis, the national chair ofUSP4GG and former nationalchair of the National Federa-tion of Filipino AmericanAssociations (NaFFAA).

“This year, China is set toinvade and occupy the AyunginReef. We refuse to acceptChina’s expansionist agenda.”

Gazmin said the govern-ment has not ceased protect-ing its territory.

“We’re taking care of ourterritory, ‘yung mga maabot ngating makakaya,” he said.“Yung ating mga luma nanggamit, although luma na, ‘yunang ginagamit natin upangmabantayan natin at makitanatin kung mayroong pag-aabuso sa ating teritoryo,” hesaid.

BY ERNIE B. ESCONDE

BALANGA CITY - Bataan Gov.Albert S. Garcia welcomed theinvestigation to be conducted onthe alleged fund scam involvingthe Priority Development Assis-tance Fund of some senatorsand congressmen .

“Public funds ito at pera ngtaong-bayan kaya dapat na ma-imbistigahan para malaman angkatotohanan at hindi na mau-lit,” the new provincial governorsaid.

Garcia, former three-termcongressman, said he heardthat the Senate, Congress andthe National Bureau of Investi-gation will conduct their respec-tive investigations. “We will waitfor the results so we can actaccordingly,” he said.

The governor said he wassure that the Commission onAudit has findings on the trans-actions on the specified timethat will be summoned duringthe investigation. “After this, wewill know more about the issue,”he said.

On the municipalities men-tioned in the news report of re-ceiving from P5 million to P10million each, Garcia said he willcheck the COA reports; “Kungmay findings, then we will pur-sue the case,” he said.

He said that in his case ofbeing congressman for nineyears, his PDAF is beyondquestion. “A big chunk of myPDAF goes to scholarships andour records are transparent andopen for anyone to check,” hesaid.

Reports showed that seven

Gov welcomesinvestigationon PDAF scam

to 10 municipalities in Bataanwere included in the alleged fundscam amounting to about P100million.

Former Dinalupihan MayorJoel Payumo, Samal MayorGene dela Fuente and Marive-les Mayor Jesse Concepciondenied having received P10 mil-lion from the pork barrel of sen-ators or congressmen.

They claimed their signa-tures in the alleged letter-requestwere forged. Other mayors couldstill not be contacted. They wereeither on seminar or attendingto official transactions.

Balanga City Mayor JoseEnrique Garcia III said he wasnot yet mayor in 2006 when thecity was mentioned to have re-ceived assistance from PDAF.During his incumbency, he saidthat he has not received anysuch funding.

“We are having the recordschecked if there really was afunding request, if the moneyarrived and who were the benefi-ciaries,” the city mayor said.

Thelma Ratonel, Limay mu-nicipal administrator, said fromJuly 1, 2010 and to the present,they have not received so-callledP10 million assistance out of thePDAF of senators.

“We only received P100,000from Sen. Chiz Escudero underNotice of Funding Check datedApril 2013 from the Departmentof Budget and Management andthese were used in developmentprojects,” she said.

“Pinapahalungkat pa niMayor Roque ang mga recordsng previous years,” Ratonelsaid.

FORT MAGSAYSAYSAY, Pa-layan City – The Philippine Ar-my’s 7th Infantry Division (7ID)is set to “pound” Bulacan prov-ince, particularly Dona Reme-dios Trinidad (DRT), with com-bined armed and civilian militaryoperations to fully rid its area ofresponsibility of rebels beforethe yearend.

This, as ranking military of-ficers identified Bulacan as thelone province within 7ID opera-tional jurisdiction not declaredinsurgency-free during the turn-over ceremonies of the com-mand from newly installed North-ern Luzon Commander, MajorGen. Gregorio Pio Catapang toBrig. Gen. Hernando Iriberri Fri-day.

Wishing Iriberri “all the luck”,Catapang said he wanted all

Army to ‘pound’ BulacanNolcom areas clear of insurgen-cy before year-end as he reiter-ated shifting military thrust toterritorial defense.

“Dito naman po sa 7th Divi-sion, ‘yung Bulacan na lang poang ating kailangang i-clear,” hesaid.

Iriberri said that DRT hasbeen a strategic location forrebels because of its locationwhich is adjacent to Rizal andQuezon provinces.

“Dahil ito ay boundary ngRizal, nagki-crisscross ang mgaarmado doon,” the new 7th IDchief said. He expected Bulacanto be declared “peaceful andready for further developmentsoon.”

Iriberri said he will conduct“focused military operation todismantle armed groups in the

area and we will continue ourpeace and development in thewhole area of 7th ID “ with fullsupport of his staff, officers andmen.

Iriberri, a native of SurigaoSur, found his AOR vital as it in-cludes, he said, the gateway toour country’s seat of governmentfrom the north. “(It) holds im-mense strategic importance infueling our nation’s developmentand in sustaining our economy’sdynamism,” he said, adding thischaracteristic adds “weight andcomplexity to our mission.”

To address the insurgency inBulacan, he said, “we will havethe right mix of military opera-tions and establishing good re-lationship with all the stakehold-ers of peace.”

–Armand Galang

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Zona LibreBong Z. Lacson

E d i t o r i a l

acaesar.blogspot.com

Business & Editorial office at Unit B Essel Commercial Center,McArthur Highway, Telabastagan, City of San Fernando

Tel. No. (45) 625•0244 Cel. No. 0917•481•1416puntogitnangluzon@yahoo.com or marketing@punto.com.ph

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Atty. Gener C. EndonaCaesar “Bong” LacsonJoanna Niña V. CorderoKarl Jason S. ManalotoDondie B. VenturaJojo Manalo/Lacson Macapagal

Out of PNoy’s radarMORSELS OF thoughts from President BS Aquino’sfourth SONA:

“…Before, even just the construction of a singleairport already made headlines. Let us compare thisto what we are seeing today: apart from theLaguindingan airport, which is already being utilized,we are upgrading and modernizing the TaclobanAirport, the Bicol International Airport, the New BoholAirport, and the Mactan Airport all at the same time…”

Whaaat? No Clark International Airport?“…Since we are being frank with each other, let

us talk about the renovation of NAIA 3. This is acomplex issue, which has already undergone twoarbitrations. We would have won both of them, butone of the decisions was reversed due to atechnicality. This is why we are now preparing for ourcase to be heard once more. And there are addedcomplications because of the issue of warranties forthe completion of NAIA 3—it is not acceptable for usto find defects after renovations, and then have tospend even more money to fix them. This is why whenwe were told that the original contractor was willingto give a proper warranty, we agreed to the deal. Butwe want to be certain; we want to fully and correctlygo through the process. So I must ask for yourunderstanding on this issue.”

But Clark International Airport is not NAIA. No, wedon’t understand.

“… Once this road is opened to the public, whatonce took two hours from SLEX to NLEX will nowtake only 15 minutes. What once was a three-hourdrive from Clark to Calamba will be reduced byalmost half to an hour and forty minutes.”

Sooo, there’s Clark after all, only as a referencepoint.

“…Think about it; what if our aviation industry hadalready been improved and strengthened before?Was it not a waste to miss out on tourists whose lackof enthusiasm for visiting the country can be attributedto this? Missed jobs, funds, and opportunities—theseare the results of the previous system of governance.”

Think about this yourself: What if Clark InternationalAirport has been improved and strengthened aspremier gateway within the first three years of youradministration? Was it not a waste to miss out ontourists, on trade and commerce that Central andNorthern Luzon could have benefited from?

The Clark International Airport is under, aye,outside PNoy’s radar.

‘Be like Boking’NO, SHE did not say that verbatim, but Gov. Lilia G. Pineda mightas well have said it when she enjoined heads of local governmentunits and barangay officials in Pampanga to emulate MabalacatCity Mayor Marino “Boking” Morales.

Pampanga mayors did not really need that urging from the Gov.For who – in his right political frame of mind – wouldn’t want to belike Boking? Sitting mayor since 1995 pa and yet in only his firstterm – as city mayor – now!

With two more re-elections – 2016 and 2019, it’s Boking pa rinuntil 2022. He would have ruled and reigned over Mabalacat in all of27 years by then – translating to all of nine terms running straight!The three-term limit be damned! The Guinness Record will not befor breaking but for blasting to smithereens there.

So what did the Gov really say?“Mabalacat City has been successful in reducing its garbage.

In fact, itong si Mayor Boking mayroon pang incentive na P500,000per year dahil sa kanilang sistema (sa pagsasa-ayos) sa problemasa basura.”

Uh-oh. So the governor meant Mabalacat’s wayof concretely addressing its garbage problem pala.Not Boking’s political longevity.

So what did Mabalacat/Boking do to earngubernatorial encomium and merit being posterboy of LGUs in waste management?

Boking entered into an agreement with leadingcement company Holcim Philippines in the “co-processing” of his city’s solid wastes using a so-called Geocycle System.

On the side of the LGU, plastics such asStyrofoam, cellophane, bags and foil packs,textile, rubber and the like – collectively called“Holcimables” – are manually segregated fromother non-biodegradable residuals at the “runningdump” by “authorized” scavengers and 30personnel of the city government.

Twenty to 25 sacks of Holcimables weighingfrom 2.5 to 5 kilos are produced by individualsorters daily, totalling to some 2.5 metric tonsaverage.

These are then baled – with the machineprovided by the Capitol, and hauled by Holcim for“alternative fuel use” with the resultant ash madeas additive to concrete materials.

“In this co-processing system, the‘mangangalakal’ earns while the city saves a hugeamount in hauling waste to Kalangitan. If before,they used to haul garbage at least once a weekon the gross average of P15,000 per haul, nowthe city does it just twice a month and often, oncea month na lang. And they get, in addition, theP500,000 from the Department of Environment andNatural Resources through the solid wastemanagement secretariat as an annual materials

recovery facility assistance.” So was JaesonSambat of the Provincial Environment and NaturalResources Office (Penro) quoted in media reports.

Everybody productively happy in that set-up,eh?

While the Geocycle System is not exclusiveto Mabalacat City, being also at work in Poracand Guagua, it is however proven most efficaciousin the next Makati north of Manila, with a monthlyoutput of 200 metric tons, as against Porac’smeasly 60 MT and Guagua’s even smaller 20 MT.

Maybe, just maybe, Boking is the bigdifference here. Hence, the Gov pushing for him –embodying Mabalacat City – as the LGU templatein solid waste management.

So, are there any heeders to the Gov’s call?Reported Sun-Star Pampanga over the

weekend:The local government unit (LGU) of Mexico is

gearing up for solid waste “co-processing” andwill use Mabalacat City’s “running dump model”and Geocycle system.

Mayor Roy Manalastas, told Sun.StarPampanga on Friday, that the Local DevelopmentCouncil (LDC) is now re-aligning funds for thepurchase of an additional dump truck which willcomplement three smaller garbage trucks neededto successfully emulate Mabalacat City’s systemof recycling and wisely transforming solid wasteinto “Holcimables.”

Emulate Mabalacat City and be like Boking.The first-time mayor of Mexico is looking waybeyond 2016.

Did I just hear once and future Mayor TeddyTumang laughing?

ON JULY 25, 1978, Louise JoyBrown, the world's first baby tobe conceived via in vitro fertiliza-tion (IVF) is born at Oldham andDistrict General Hospital inManchester, England, to parentsLesley and Peter Brown. Thehealthy baby was deliveredshortly before midnight by cae-sarean section and weighed inat five pounds, 12 ounces.

Before giving birth to Louise,Lesley Brown had suffered yearsof infertility due to blocked fallo-pian tubes. In November 1977,she underwent the then-experi-mental IVF procedure. A matureegg was removed from one of herovaries and combined in a labo-

ratory dish with her husband’ssperm to form an embryo. Theembryo then was implanted intoher uterus a few days later. HerIVF doctors, British gynecolo-gist Patrick Steptoe and scien-tist Robert Edwards, had beguntheir pioneering collaboration adecade earlier. Once the medialearned of the pregnancy, theBrowns faced intense publicscrutiny. Louise’s birth madeheadlines around the world andraised various legal and ethicalquestions.

The Browns had a seconddaughter, Natalie, several yearslater, also through IVF. In May1999, Natalie became the first

IVF baby to give birth to a childof her own. The child’s concep-tion was natural, easing someconcerns that female IVF babieswould be unable to get pregnantnaturally. In December 2006,Louise Brown, the original "testtube baby," gave birth to a boy,Cameron John Mullinder, whoalso was conceived naturally.

Today, IVF is considered amainstream medical treatmentfor infertility. Hundreds of thou-sands of children around theworld have been conceivedthrough the procedure, in somecases with donor eggs andsperm.

Source: www.history.com

World's first ‘test tube baby’ bornTODAY IN HISTORY

The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defendingit deliberately with faulty arguments. –Friedrich Nietzsche

Never be a cynic, even a gentle one. Never help out a sneer, even atthe devil. –Vachel Lindsay

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talentto the dark places where it leads. –Erica Jong

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S.O.N.A. niyoito, PNoy tells

agents of changeWHILE MANY expected President Aquino’s 4th State of the NationAddress to be a repeat of his denunciations of his predecessor, hesurprised many sectors by exulting ordinary people, whom he called“agents of change” for their courage in fighting evil and apathy,which has gripped Philippine society for so many years.

He said “SONA niyo ito” to each of these “agents of change”which he elaborated on in his speech with matching videopresentations on the wide screen that was covered live and flashedto millions of households and offices here and abroad, via televisionand cable news.

Reading in his usual fast pace Pilipino from the prompters, itwas but natural for him to cough every now and then and sip fromthe glass of water that kept being filled throughout his speech.

No quick fixEdgar V. Movido

His speech-- which began at 4:05 and endedat 5:49 p.m. -- was disturbed by 69 claps fromthe audience of legislators, diplomatic corps, theCabinet and former presidents and the cops heexhorted for their bravery in the face of death andbeyond the call of duty.

He spoke of the changes he effected ingovernment which reaped bounties like a steadygrowth in practically all sectors from themarginalized people to the robust economy thathas placed the Philippines in a very competitiveplane making it a fast rising tiger in Asia.

He rebuffed some heads of institutions who

still stick to their old crooked ways thinking thatin another two years his term would be over andthings will be back to normal. He named theseagencies as the National Irrigation Administration,the Civil Service Commission, the Bureau ofImmigration, the Philippine National Police (fordefective rubber boats and second-hand choppers)and the Bureau of Customs.

To them he warned, “to those who refuse toget rid of the wang-wang culture, hahanapin kokayo, pasensiyahan tayo.”

He also said he has ordered the filing ofcharges against the former head of TESDA andPAGCOR for overly-bloated payments fordonations, contributions (to a party list and ricedonations during the last elections) and equipmentpurchases.

By contrast, he lavished with praises agencies

that transformed their ways, and which resultedin economic benefits and savings for thetaxpayers because of the improved system ofgovernance. He named them as the Departmentof Public Works and Highways (who he said is

commonly known as the most corrupt agency),the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), theLocal Water Utilities Administration and the ManilaWaterworks and Sewerage System.

Because of good governance, he said, thePRA declared dividends of P676.8 million afterearning P1 billion in 2012; the LWUA emergedfrom a net loss of P950 million in 2011 to a gain ofP870 million, remitting P365 million to the NationalTreasury in 2012; the MWSS from a miserableP34 million loss in 2010 earned P333 million in2011 and then upped this to P2 billion in 2012,thereby increasing their dividends.

He cited that for one bridge in Gerona, Tarlac—“which I proposed to fund in instalments to theprevious administration from my pork barrel butthey refused-- the DPWH saved P108 million whichcan now be used for the second phase of anirrigation project,” the President said.

He said several foreign magazines and travelgroups have fallen in love with the Philippinescalling it as a best tourist destination, withShanghai Morning Post even citing it as the “mostromantic destination in 2012. The Scuba DivingMagazine in 2012 called the Philippines as theBest Diving Destination.

From just 3.1 million tourists in 2010, touristarrivals hit 4.3 million or an increase of 21 percentand domestic tourism grew to 37.5 million fromjust 35.5 million. We would hit our 56.1 milliondomestic tourism goal in 2016, he said.

The speech was long but the message simple:“shape up or ship out. My bosses deserve noless.”

After emphasizing that the burden of sustainingchange and transformation rests on everyone’sshoulders, he ended by saying “Eto po si NoynoyAquino.. Napakasarap maging Pilipino.”

Napag-uusapanlangNi Felix M. Garcia

Batu-batosa langit,

ang tamaanhuwag magalit

KUNG BAKIT kahit na simpleng kaso lamangAy di maresolba agad sa Hukuman,Ya’y sanhi tiyak ng bulok na sistemangPang-”Believe It or Not’ ni Ripley sa bagal

Na walang iniwan sa usad ng pagongKung magsikilos ang mga honorableSa pagresolba ng kahit simpleng kasongDi dapat bumilang ng maraming taon

Sa MCTC at mga Regional CourtBago n’yan tuluyang makuhang ma-resolve,Kaya kadalasan gabundok na halosSa Korte ang kasong di matapos-tapos

Kung saan nang dahil sa naturang punto,Ay natural lang na iba’t-ibang kasoAng ‘pending on trial’ pa rin sa husgado,Partikular na sa Court of Appeals mismo.

At yan ay patuloy na nararadaganSa bawat paglipas ng araw at buwan,Hanggang sa tuluyan itong madaganan,At ang may asunto pareho nang patay;

Gaya na lang nitong nakadetine naKahit di pa tiyak na ya’y nagkasala,Pero sanhi lang ng kapos sa pampiyansaPara sa ‘provisional liberty’ niya

Ay nasa kulungan na nga’t humihimasNitong kasabiha’y malamig na rehas;At kailan posibleng ya’y makalalabasSa karsel kung ganyan kabagal umusad

Ang Court of Justice sa paghimay ng kasoNitong di pa man nga’y nagdusa ng husto,Sanhi lang ng kabagalan ng husgado,Kahit inosente naman pala ito?

May mga instansya kasi sa Hukuman,Na kahit may ‘setting’ ng bista kung minsanAy kung alin itong Huwes at saka PiskalAy sila malimit ang di makapa riyan.

Kaya nga sa puntong nasabi di natinMasisisi itong iba kung isipin,Na ang ‘branches’ na yan ng justisya na rinAng nagpapabagal sa takbo ng ‘hearing’

O dili kaya ang mga abogadoNitong alin man sa magkabilang kampo,Upang sa gayon ay kumita ng hustoSa tinagal-tagal ng hawak na kaso?

Di ko ninanais sabihing may ganyan,Pero nakarinig na tayo n’yan minsan;Kung saan bagama’t ito ay kuwento langPosibleng mangyari sa tunay na buhay.

Ang ‘characters’ ay mag-amang abogado,Na ang katatapos na ‘hijo unico’Ay humingi yan sa tatay niya umanoNg ilang kaso na mahawakan nito

Para matulungan na rin ang matandaSa tambak na kaso na nitong niluma,At makapag-practice o masanay kaya‘As trial attorney’ na gusto niyang lubha.

(May karugtong)

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PGKM chair RupertoCruz said Clark Interna-tional Airport Corp. (CIAC)President and CEO VictorJose Luciano has yet toaccount for the P1 billionloan acquired from theLand Bank of the Philip-pines (LBP) last year andalready another freshP1.3-billion loan is being

P1.3-B to CIAC questioned

that “any person guilty oftheft shall be punished bythe penalty of prision may-or in its minimum andmedium periods, if the val-ue of the thing stolen ismore than 12,000 pesosbut does not exceed22,000 pesos.”

According to Alvarado,the said penalty is too lightcompared to effects of tim-ber poaching on the envi-ronment especially on thewatershed and affected

FROM PAGE 1

Gov: Amend forestry lawscommunities downstreamof the watershed.

The same was echoedby Mendel Garcia, thehead of the Angat Water-shed Area Team (AWAT)of the National Power Cor-poration (Napocor) whichmanages the Angat Damand its watershed.

Garcia said that in thepast, they arrested sus-pected timber poachersoperating within the water-shed, but after posting fewthousands pesos in bail,they go free again.

Like Alvarado, Garciasaid there is a need to re-visit PD 705 which wasissued in 1975 and amend-ed in 1991.

For his part, BrotherMartin Francisco of theSagip Sierra Madre Envi-ronmental Society (SS-MES) said “it is about timeto re-amend the law.”

He said that penaltiesshould be increased andthat impacts of climatechange aggravating contin-ued deforestation be inte-grated.

Earlier this week, thePAILTF confiscated over5,000 board feet of illegal-ly cut logs from the AngatWatershed.

Garcia said that confis-cated timbers were cutinto flitches from at least50 year old trees withinthe watershed.

The Angat Watershedis considered the mosthighly critical watershed inLuzon as it supplies 97percent of Metro Manila’sdaily potable water require-ment.

thing we can to improvethe market condition forthe benefit of our vendorsas well as market-goers),”Morales said.

According to the first-term city mayor, the newmarket’s ground floor willbe dedicated to the stallowners at the old market.SM will have the secondfloor for its own tenants

and the third floor will serveas parking lot.

“Absolutely no oneamong the current marketvendors will be displaced,”Morales vowed. “Or dislo-cated with the entry ofSM.”

It can be recalled thatpublic market vendors inthe City of San Fernandocomplained of “economicdislocation” when SM CityDowntown was put up in

the Poblacion area.“We have a totally dif-

ferent set-up here,” Mo-rales said in an interview.“Rather than competitive,SM and the public marketvendors are in completesymbiosis, housed to-gether as they are in onesite.”

Morales noted “SM’sdrawing power to consum-ers will be a big boon to ourpublic market vendors, in-

fected as they are with it inthe new public market.”

Complementary to thenew market project, Mo-rales said a National MeatInspection Service-ap-proved “Triple A” abattoir isset to be constructed inthe city.

“This is our way ofguaranteeing the safety ofthe food in every Mabal-aqueno table,” said Mo-rales. – Bong Z. Lacson

FROM PAGE 1

Morales eyes SM team-up

FROM PAGE 1

party to her assumption tothe presidency),” thecomebacking congress-man said after the induc-tion of the new set of offic-ers of the Integrated Barof the Philippines- Pam-panga at the Widus Hoteland Resort here on July 19.

Rodriguez was HouseJustice Committee Chairduring the impeachment ofthen President JosephEstrada who was eventu-ally ousted leading to thenvice president Arroyo as-suming the presidency in2001.

“Titignan ko ang reso-lution (I will look at the res-olution) then I will decideon that particular issue af-ter a thorough and seriousstudy,” Rodriguez said.

“Medyu ticklish yan e.Hindi naman simplengtanong yan. Hindi sim-pleng isyu (That’s a littleticklish. That’s not a sim-ple question and not a sim-ple issue),” he said. “Weare traversing now withinthe realm of the justicesystem,” he added.

Rodriguez explainedthat sponsoring the reso-lution is like intruding intoa separate branch of gov-ernment referring to thelegislative and judicial

branches of government.Anyway, he said, he

has no position on the is-sue yet and any decisionhe makes will have to beconsulted with his group.Rodriguez is a stalwart ofthe Liberal Party in Pam-panga.

The proposed resolu-tion based its premised onthe American revolutionarybattle cry “taxation withoutrepresentation is tyranny.”

It said the arrest anddetention of CGMA hasresulted in the “denial anddeprivation of her constit-uents in Pampanga of theirrepresentation in the leg-islative body.”

It also said CGMA“should be granted the pre-sumption of innocence asshe has not been convict-ed of any crime imputedto her and it is the Consti-tutional duty of the Con-gress of the Philippines toensure and guarantee thesafety, welfare and well-being, not only of the peo-ple in general, but also, ofits members, even thosecharged with crimes sansconviction, consideringtheir official mandates asthe elected representa-tives of the sovereign peo-ple of the Republic of thePhilippines.”

–Ashley Manabat

sought. The CIAC is anattached agency of theDOTC under ExecutiveOrder 64 signed by Presi-dent Aquino in December2011.

News reports lastweek indicate that theDOTC has recommendedto Pres. Aquino the allo-cation of another P1.3 bil-lion for the upgrade of theClark International Airport

(CIA).In the same news re-

port, Luciano said the fund-ing proposal is now pend-ing in Malacañang after itwas endorsed by DOTCSec. Joseph EmilioAbaya.

Luciano said the P1.3billion is on top of the P1billion approved loan fromthe LBP which he de-scribed as “standby funds”

for the further developmentof the CIA.

But Cruz said Abayaand Luciano should firstaccount for the P1-billionloan acquired last yearsince only P360 millionhas been allocated for theupgrade of the Clark air-port terminal.

“Where’s the rest ofthe money?” Cruz asked.He said the expansion of

FROM PAGE 1

Oca not keen...

(DAR) raffle draw or tam-biolo system is a ploy bythe President’s family tocircumvent the distribu-tion of the vast sugar es-tate,” KMP said.

The KMP was referringto a three-sentence para-graph in the SONA report-ing the completion lastFebruary of the list of qual-ified land reform beneficia-ries at the hacienda andciting that the identifica-tion of lots for them hasalready started last week.He also said the landsare expected to be distrib-uted by this September.

“Aquino’s one para-graph on Hacienda Luisi-ta in his SONA showsthat the deception and co-ercion inside the hacien-da enjoys the blessings ofthe President. It is enough

proof that the deceptivetambiolo system and theforcible and coercivepromissory note signing isa maneuver by the Cojua-ngcos and DAR to cir-cumvent the distributionof lands to the farmwork-ers,” said KMP ChairRafael Mariano.

Mariano also allegedthat “the DAR itself isthreatening and black-mailing the farmworkerbeneficiaries with disqual-ification if they do not signa promissory note.”

The promissory noteguarantees compensationfor the Cojuangcos whohad owned the haciendasince 1957.

Mariano said “theDAR intentionally disre-garded the farmworkers’demand for collective own-ership because it isagainst the will and inter-

est of the Cojuangcos.””Collective ownership

could hinder the re-con-centration of lands to thehands of the President’sfamily,” Mariano noted. Al-ready, there are reportsthat some beneficiariesplan to sell the lands yetto be awarded to them.

”Parceling out Hacien-da Luisita into small farmlots or at a measly half-hectare each is easier forthe Cojuangcos to re-claim. The DAR only pre-served the backward andsmall-scale productionthat favors big landlordslike the Cojuangcos,”Mariano lamented.

He stressed that “Ha-cienda Luisita farmwork-ers are not simple benefi-ciaries. They are alreadythe owners of the lands.The hacienda’s distribu-tion should be beyond the

bounds of the sham com-prehensive agrarian re-form program.”

The KMP also as-sailed the President for“having no solution to theincreasing prices of riceand the small coconutfarmers’ demand for theimmediate return of thecoco levy funds.”

He noted that last July9, rice prices in MetroManila increased by P1-P2 per kilogram. Recentreports also said that inCebu, rice prices in-creased by P4 per kiloand that even the price ofbroken rice has gone upfrom P30 to P34 per kilowhile the National FoodAuthority sells its rice atP32 per kilo and corn gritsat P27 per kilo.

“The absence of a con-crete solution to the in-creasing prices of the Fili-

KMP laments SONA ‘one-liner’ on LuisitaFROM PAGE 1

the passenger terminalbuilding at the Clark airportis “too small” if it is worthP360 million.

Cruz arrived from Chi-na via the CIA last weekand had a first-hand viewof the construction of theterminal expansion. “Frommy own estimate, I thinkthey are constructing anexpansion which has onlysix bays of about six to

eight meters per bay,” ob-served Cruz, who is intothe construction business.

The PGKM chair saidhe also doubts if the con-struction of the terminalexpansion will be finishedin time for Luciano’s self-imposed deadline of Sep-tember 30 or a day beforethe start of the daily flightsto Dubai via the CIA byEmirates Airline.

pino people’s staple foodis tantamount to approvalof the illegal and arbitrarymanipulation of prices byrice cartels,” Marianostressed.

“The P32 well milledrice released by the NFAin the market did not in-fluence the high prices ofrice. Instead, the NFAonly contributed to nailingthe lowest price of rice toP32,” Mariano added.

At the same time, theKMP also noted that“Aquino did not mentionanything about the returnof the multi-billion coco-nut levy funds.”

“We are alarmed bythe President’s continuing

silence on the controver-sial coco levy funds. Theabsence of any policy onthe multi-billion coco levyfund in his SONAstrengthens our fears thatthe Aquino administrationis scheming to use smallcoconut farmers’ moneyas a ‘pork barrel’ and forhighly unacceptable andanti-small coconut farmerprograms like the graft-rid-den conditional cashtransfer program,” he said.

In a pastoral statementissued on SONA’s eve, theCatholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines(CBCP) also expressedconcern over the coco levyfund issue, he noted.

time it has to guide birdwatching groups to thearea.”

Vice Mayor BabesEvangelista talked of a“Pinac development” foreco-tourism which shesaid will expand the bird-watching areas in thetown. “Pinac” is swamp-land in Kapampangan.

Reconnection to rev up renewalFROM PAGE 8 A former mayor herself,

Evangelista said they havelaid out the legislative sup-port agenda to Mag-lanque’s development pro-grams.

“Education and healthare the top priorities, asthey make the fastest con-nections with the majorityof our people and thespark for the renewal ofCandaba as a progressive

community,” she said.The mayor is also de-

termined to establish acommunity hospital in thetown, either inside thecompound of the Ms.Earth Park in BarangayMandasig to be housed inthe existing Mayor’s Ac-tion Center or in the Pan-sol area which the munic-ipal government is planningto purchase.

THINKGREEN

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TheGossip-millerby Cesar Pambid

www.smcinema.com

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James Yapisinapubliko na’ngbagong Italian GF

MAY PANGALAN nang nasusulat ang Italian girlfriend ni James Yap na laginiyang pinu-post sa Instagram na kasama niya. Michela pala ang pangalannito and mukhang proud na proud ang basketbolista sa GF, otherwise, hindiniya ito ipapaalam sa publiko.

Sa interviews din niya recently ay unti-unti na ring nagsasalita si Jamesabout her, although may limitasyon pa rin ang kanyang mga isini-share naimpormasyon.

Ayon kay James in his recent interview, alam naman daw ni Michela anglahat tungkol sa nakaraan niya.

Siyempre, kasama na marahil dito ang dati niyang marriage kay KrisAquino at ang pagkakaroon nila ng isang anak -- si Baby James.

Last Sunday ay muling nag-upload si James ng picture nila ni Michela saInstagram kung saan ay yakap siya ng girl while they were having tea.

Well, good for him. Sana nga'y maging maligaya na siya para hindi naniya binubulabog si Kris.

Spongecola vocalist ibinabando na ni KarylleLOOKS LIKE going strong talaga ang relationship ni Karylle and Spongecola’s vocalist Yael Yuzon. Nanoodkami ng 10th anniversary concert ng nasabing banda na ginanap sa Music Museum last Friday at siyempre,naroon ang aktres/singer para suportahan ang boyfriend.

Not only that, hindi lang si Karylle ang dumating kungdi maging ang future mother-in-law ni Yael na si ZsaZsa Padilla.

Hmm, looks like boto naman ang Divine Diva sa boyfriend ng anak.Bagama’t wala pa tayong naririnig na opisyal na pag-amin mula sa dalawa na sila na nga, everybody knows

in the business na talaga namang in a relationship sila for quite sometime now.Anyway, panalo ang concert at kahit hindi kami mahilig samga rock song, napabilib kami ni Yael. In fairness to him, ang

lakas pala ng karisma niya kapag nagpi-perform na onstage.

And he has this funny side, may sense of humorsiya at nakakatuwa ang mga punch line niya. Maypagka-komedyante pala ang singer at kitang-kitasa bawat pagbitiw niya ng mga linya na matalinosiya. No wonder, na-in-love sa kanya si Karylle.

Pinakagusto naming part ng concert ay angnumber nina Yael and Mr. Pure Energy, GaryValenciano.

Sarah Geronimoline producer ng

sariling albumNASA MUSIC STORES na ang latestalbum ni Sarah Geronimo napinamagatang Expressions.

Mismong si Sarah ang lineproducer for Viva Records kayanaman tutok na tutok siya habangginagawa ang album.

First time ni Sarah na maging lineproducer ng kanyang album at

Expressions ang napili nilang title dahilpawang mga kantang nagpapakita ng

nararamdaman niya sa kasalukuyan ang lahatng kantang nakapaloob dito.

Mula sa umpisa ng production ay kasamasi Sarah. Nagbibigay siya ng opinions andsuggestions na pinakikinggan ng Viva Records.

Maging sa pictorial at sa mga susuutinniyang damit ay may say ang pop superstar.Namili siya ng mga simpleng mga damit langsa pictorial na babagay sa Expressions.

Karamihan sa mga kantang kasama ayoriginal at may ilang sinulat si Sarah.

The tracks of the album are: Again, Patiang Pangarap Ko, Maaari Ba, Eyes on Fire,Sweetest Mistake, Mama, You’ve Got AFriend (ft. Delfin Geronimo), Make MeYours, It Takes A Man and A Woman(Bonus Track).

Matagal-tagal ding walang album siSarah, almost eight months ago na nangilabas ang kanyang Pure OMP Classicsna hanggang ngayon ay malakas pa rinang benta sa mga record store.

Bukod sa album na ito, sure na rinang kanyang major concert for this year.

Gaganapin ito sa November 15. Ang venue,pinag-uusapan pa.

Excited na siyempre si Sarah sa nasabingconcert dahil major pasabog din ang gagawinniya.

Pramis ng Viva Concert, producer ng concert,na mas bongga ito sa 24/SG kung saan kinabilibanna ang effects noon.

Kasalukuyang nasa Hawaii si Sarah para mag-celebrate ng kanyang 25th birthday. Pero hindi sinaMommy Divine at Daddy Delfin ang kasama niya.

Sino kaya?Anyway, isa pang ini-enjoy ni Sarah sa

kasalukuyan ay ang kanyang pagiging coach sa TheVoice.

Sa paggawa ng pelikula, before the end of the yearay malamang na may pelikula siyang ipalala-bas. Pero

inaayos pa kung sino ang makakasama niya.Karylle

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Asked of the state he foundthe municipality upon his as-sumption of office, Maglanquesaid the local government unitis “financially sound” with theremaining budget for the rest ofthe year “intact.”

“Only P200,000 in mainte-nance and operations and P6.1million in road concreting makeup the financial obligations,”said Maglanque. “Fairly easy tomeet, especially so with incom-ing P3.75 million from the Cap-itol.”

Candaba generates someP146 million in local revenuesand its internal revenue allotment(IRA).

Reconnection to rev up renewalAGENDA FOR CANDABA

LOOKING UP. Mayor Maglanque and VM Evangelistaenvision a Candaba renewed. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON

Ibon-EbonMaglanque’s theme of recon-

nection with the townsfolk re-curs in his controversial “down-grading” of Candaba’s signaturefestival, “Ibon-Ebon” largely cred-ited for putting the town in thenational tourism calendar.

“I think the festival’s budgetof P6.5 million is just much toomuch,” Maglanque said, dis-closing that some P410,000were left at the municipal coffersfrom this year’s staging.

Instead of spending “all thatprecious resource for one socialevent,” Maglanque said hewould rather re-align the greaterpart of its budget – P5 million –

to scholarship grants, with justP1.5 million for a festival.

“I have to consult the peoplewhether they would like to con-tinue with Ibon-Ebon or mount atotally different festival, or alto-gether scrap festivals in favourof a continuing scholarship pro-gram for the youth,” Maglanquesaid.

While conceding that Cand-aba did indeed become knownnationwide for Ibon-Ebon, he saidthe festival “did not make a ma-jor impact in the lives of the lo-cal residents.”

“As a matter of fact, manyexpressed shock upon knowingthe festival cost P6.5 million,which they said could have beenused for more productive ven-tures that would have benefitedthem,” the mayor said.

Eco-tourismStill, migratory birds will re-

main a major factor in the devel-opment of Candaba, Maglanquesaid, dispelling reports that hehas been lax in the implemen-tation of the ordinance on (ban-ning) bird hunting with reports ofpoachers and hunters again op-erating in the wetlands that havebeen declared as bird sanctuar-ies.

“There was no evidence tosubstantiate so-called reports ofhunting and poaching in Canda-ba, still I have standing orders tothe police and barangay officialsto be ever-vigilant in guarding ourbird sanctuaries,” he said.

Meanwhile, Maglanque ruedwhat he called a “major con-straint” in promoting Candaba asa bird-watching destination.

“The current center of bird-watching activity , the 80-hect-are Dona Simang area is privateproperty of the Pelayos.” Man-rique revealed. “The municipali-ty has to get permission every

BY BONG Z. LACSON

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Befitting his civil engi-neering degree and his professional career in infra-structure enterprises, Candaba Mayor Rene Mag-lanque sees roads as the key to his town’s develop-ment.

Thus, at the top of the agenda for the first-timemayor and former assistant secretary of the Depart-ment of Transportation and Communication is “Con-nect Candaba to Candaba, “ which seeks to completethe nexus of roads between the town’s Tagalog andKapampangan regions.

“Intra-town trade and commerce will be expandedwith the completion of the improvement of the Canda-ba-to-Baliuag and Candaba-to-San Miguel roads,”Maglanque said in an interview here Friday evening,referencing Candaba barangays at the Bulacan bound-ary.

He added that the delivery of basic services fromthe seat of government in the Poblacion area to the“remotest corners” of the town will also be facilitated,“as well as quick response in times of calamities anddisasters.”

“In effect, our constituencies there get re-connect-ed with the heart and nerve center of the town,” hesaid.

The mayor expressed strong determination to buildup the town center as well with the establishment of acommunity hospital “either in what is now the May-or’s Action Center at the compound of the Ms. EarthPark in Barangay Mandasig, or in the Pansol areawhich the municipal government is planning to pur-chase.”

Maglanque was quick though to credit his prede-cessor’s establishment of satellite municipal halls inthree strategic points of the 176.4-square-kilometermunicipality comprising mostly of swampy wetlands.

“Mayor Jerry (Pelayo) did indeed bring the localgovernment to the town’s remotest areas with his sat-ellite town halls, and we aim to further improve on whathe initiated,” Maglanque said. “We plan to bring bu-reaucratic paperwork like the issuance of permits, civ-il registration, and the like there, plus of course, regu-lar health services, livelihood trainings and agriculturalextension services.”

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