http://www.thedailyguardian.net [e-mails: [email protected] / [email protected]] P7.00 Entered as Second Class Mail at Iloilo City Post Office VOL. XV NO. 274 Wednesday, March 8, 2017 Western Visayas, Philippines 16 PAGES 2 Sections C ONLU CUSTOMS BROKERAGE & CARGO HANDLING SERVICES EMAIL: [email protected][email protected]Door No. 3, One Rodolfo Place Corner Montinola & Muelley Loney Sts. Brgy. Pres. Roxas Iloilo City TELEFAX: (033) 509-81-82 (033) 336-38-32 CELL NO: 0917-623-2100 We provide for all your Importation & Exportation needs: l l l l l l l l Tariff Consultancy Import/Export Documentation Customs Clearance Exemption processing Application/Renewal of Accreditation Trucking Services Freight Forwarding Ship Agency BY JENNIFER P. RENDON ALMOST two years after hogging the headlines, a former seafarer accused of abducting and assaulting women is back on the spotlight. SIRIUS Gim Villarreal (left) and Raymund Vincent Cordero were arrested for abduction, carnapping and rape charges. (Courtesy of RMN-Iloilo) BY M. A. DE LOS SANTOS FORMER Iloilo provincial ad- ministrator Manuel “Boy” Me- jorada Jr. asked the Regional Trial Court in Pasay City to reverse its decision to convict in the libel charges filed by Senator Franklin Drilon. Mejorada’s counsel, Adonis Edgar Angelo Macam, filed the Motion for Reconsideration (MR) before RTC Branch 118 in Pasay City on Mar. 6, 2017. Presiding Judge Rowena Nieves Tan sentenced Me- jorada to a minimum of two years, four months and one day imprisonment to maximum of four years and two months. In the 11-page motion, Macam argued that the non- presentation of Drilon (as wit- ness) is very fatal to the cause of the prosecution. “Further, this is an affront to the constitutional right of the accused to confront his accuser, in this case, Honorable Franklin Drilon,” Macam said. Macam also questioned the court’s determination that the articles Mejorada published in his blog were malicious, and were published by the accused allegedly to get back at Drilon because the latter did not renew his consultancy contract when it expired on June 30, 2011. Macam said his client’s supposed libelous articles were published more than two years after the consultancy contract with Drilon, then chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, expired. He said that if Mejorada was motivated by vengeance then BY M. A. DE LOS SANTOS “PLEA bargaining agreement what?!” THIS was the reaction of Iloilo City councilors when the council tackled on Mar. 7, 2017 the request of Jorge Duron, Task Force on Moral and Val- ues Formation chairman, to au- thorize him to enter into a Plea Bargaining Agreement (PBA) with the owners of Moonlight BY LOUINE HOPE CONSERVA SEVERAL tourists expressed disappointment with the thick algae found in the shores of Boracay Island, the tourism gem of Western Visayas. In a report posted on gmanetwork.com, one tourist claimed that the algae destroyed the beauty of Boracay’s crystal clear waters. Another female tourist who went to Boracay for the first time said she finds the water “dirty” due to the presence of algae. She said she did not return in the island because of her discovery. Department of Tourism (DOT-6) Director Helen Catalbas said that based on her observation, algal bloom is a normal phenom- enon in the island every summer. Car ‘rapist,’ pal nabbed for rape, carnapping raps GREEN algae that bloom in the shoreline of Boracay Island in Aklan continue to freak out some tourists. But the tourism department said arrival figures in the island resort continue to be on the uptrend every year. (Tara Yap photo) Mejorada appeals libel conviction Boracay algae still drive some vacationers away Council declines bargain on ‘Moonlight death’ And as if to prove his con- sistency, Sirius Gim Villarreal was also arrested for the same crime – rape. And it happened just when the country is ob- serving the Women’s Month celebration. Villarreal, 22, a resident of Barangay 7, Tigbauan, Iloilo, and his friend Raymund Vin- cent Cordero, 24, a security guard of Masacate Building in Janiuay town and resident of Barangay Amamaros, Pototan, were arrested in Barotac Viejo town, Iloilo after they allegedly abducted a young couple, com- mandeered their vehicle, and raped the woman. Villarreal and Cordero alleg- edly planned stealing a vehicle inside a mall along B. Aquino Avenue in Mandurriao, Iloilo City. Cordero’s neighbor, Robert Tingzon joined them thinking that they will just roam around the city. But Chief Inspector Charlie MEJORADA/P7 BORACAY/P7 CAR/P7 COUNCIL/P7
Transcript
http://www.thedailyguardian.net [e-mails: [email protected] / [email protected]]P7.00 Entered as Second Class Mail at Iloilo City Post Office
vol. xv No. 274 Wednesday, March 8, 2017 Western Visayas, Philippines 16 PAGES2 Sections
Application/Renewal of AccreditationTrucking ServicesFreight ForwardingShip Agency
By Jennifer P. rendon
ALMOST two years after hogging the headlines, a former seafarer accused of abducting and assaulting women is back on the spotlight.
SIRIUS Gim Villarreal (left) and Raymund Vincent Cordero were arrested for abduction, carnapping and rape charges. (Courtesy of RMN-Iloilo)
By M. A. de los sAntos
FORMER Iloilo provincial ad-ministrator Manuel “Boy” Me-jorada Jr. asked the Regional Trial Court in Pasay City to reverse its decision to convict in the libel charges filed by Senator Franklin Drilon.
Mejorada’s counsel, Adonis Edgar Angelo Macam, filed the Motion for Reconsideration (MR) before RTC Branch 118 in Pasay City on Mar. 6, 2017.
Presiding Judge Rowena Nieves Tan sentenced Me-jorada to a minimum of two years, four months and one day imprisonment to maximum of four years and two months.
In the 11-page motion, Macam argued that the non-presentation of Drilon (as wit-ness) is very fatal to the cause of the prosecution.
“Further, this is an affront to the constitutional right of the accused to confront his accuser, in this case, Honorable Franklin Drilon,” Macam said.
Macam also questioned the court’s determination that the articles Mejorada published in his blog were malicious, and were published by the accused allegedly to get back at Drilon because the latter did not renew his consultancy contract when it expired on June 30, 2011.
Macam said his client’s supposed libelous articles were published more than two years after the consultancy contract with Drilon, then chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, expired.
He said that if Mejorada was motivated by vengeance then
By M. A. de los sAntos
“PLEA bargaining agreement what?!”
THIS was the reaction of Iloilo City councilors when the council tackled on Mar. 7, 2017
the request of Jorge Duron, Task Force on Moral and Val-ues Formation chairman, to au-thorize him to enter into a Plea Bargaining Agreement (PBA) with the owners of Moonlight
By louine HoPe ConservA
SEVERAL tourists expressed disappointment with the thick algae found in the shores of Boracay Island, the tourism gem of Western Visayas.
In a report posted on gmanetwork.com, one tourist claimed that the algae destroyed the beauty of Boracay’s crystal clear waters.
Another female tourist who went to Boracay for the first time said she finds the water “dirty” due to the presence of algae. She said she did not return in the island because of her discovery.
Department of Tourism (DOT-6) Director Helen Catalbas said that based on her observation, algal bloom is a normal phenom-enon in the island every summer.
Car ‘rapist,’ pal nabbed for rape, carnapping raps
GREEN algae that bloom in the shoreline of Boracay Island in Aklan continue to freak out some tourists. But the tourism department said arrival figures in the island resort continue to be on the uptrend every year. (Tara Yap photo)
Mejorada appeals libel conviction
Boracay algae still drive some vacationers away
Council declines bargain on ‘Moonlight death’
And as if to prove his con-sistency, Sirius Gim Villarreal was also arrested for the same crime – rape. And it happened just when the country is ob-serving the Women’s Month celebration.
Villarreal, 22, a resident of Barangay 7, Tigbauan, Iloilo, and his friend Raymund Vin-cent Cordero, 24, a security guard of Masacate Building in Janiuay town and resident of Barangay Amamaros, Pototan, were arrested in Barotac Viejo
town, Iloilo after they allegedly abducted a young couple, com-mandeered their vehicle, and raped the woman.
Villarreal and Cordero alleg-edly planned stealing a vehicle inside a mall along B. Aquino Avenue in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
Cordero’s neighbor, Robert Tingzon joined them thinking that they will just roam around the city.
But Chief Inspector Charlie
Mejorada/p7 Boracay/p7
car/p7
council/p7
TopNews uardianthe dailyG Western Visayas Most
Read and Respected2 Wednesday, March 8, 2017
OMBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio Morales has found probable cause to charge former Secretary Florencio Abad of the Department of Budget and Management with violation of Article 239 (Usurpation of Legislative Powers) of the Revised Penal Code.
The charge stems from Abad’s unlawful issuance of National Budget Circular (NBC) No. 541 to carry out the implementation of the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) involving P72 billion.
NBC No. 541 authorizes the withdrawal of un-obligated allotments of agencies with low levels of obligations as of 30 June 2012.
In addition, Abad was found guilty of Simple Mis-conduct and ordered suspended for three months.
However, considering his separation from the ser-vice, the penalty is convertible to a fine equivalent to his salary for three months.
The cases arose from the complaint filed by Rep-
resentative Carlos Isagani Zarate, Renato Reyes, Benjamin Valbuena, Dante LA Jimenez, Mae Paner, Antonio Flores, Gloria Arellano and Bonifacio Car-mona, Jr.
During the investigation, the Ombudsman found that by issuing NBC No. 541, Abad unlawfully en-croached on the powers of Congress by effectively modifying the provisions on savings of the 2012 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
According to Ombudsman Morales, “NBC No. 541 provided the principal bases for the withdrawal of unobligated allotments which were declared as savings and used to fund PAPs (programs, activities and projects) under the DAP. The issuance of this circular is an act of usurpation. This is contrary to law.”
It will be recalled that in 2014, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the following acts committed
in pursuance of the DAP: (1) withdrawal of unobligated allotments from the
implementing agencies; and the declaration of the withdrawn unobligated allotments and unreleased appropriations as savings prior to the end of the fiscal year without complying with the statutory definition of savings contained in the GAA; and
(2) the cross-border transfers of the savings of the Executive to augment the appropriations of other of-fices outside the executive.
Under Article 239 of the RPC, the penalties of pri-sion correccional in its minimum period, temporary special disqualification, shall be imposed upon an ex-ecutive or judicial officer who shall encroach upon the powers of the legislative branch of the Government, either by making general rules or regulations beyond the scope of his authority, or by attempting to repeal a law or suspending the execution thereof.
By M. A. de los sAntos
ILOILO City Councilor Joshua Alim wants Panay Electric Company (PECO) to establish a meter reading card system to keep consumers updated of their monthly power consumption.
Alim introduced his proposed “Meter Reading Card System Ordinance” in the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) session on March 7, 2017.
“With the Meter Reading Card Sys-
tem, the consumers may be appraised of their monthly consumption, make comparison, and do necessary complaint before the issuance of a billing receipt or payment,” he said.
Alim said his proposal targets to address the perennial problem of “con-fusions and complaints relative to the exact (power) consumption of PECO consumers.”
If approved, the PECO will be re-quired to place visibly in the houses
of consumers a card that reflects the household’s monthly consumption and other charges.
Failure by PECO to put a Meter Reading Card in the household would mean fine of P3,000 and P5,000 per consumer for the first and second of-fense and P5,000 fine and imprisonment of one to three months plus cancella-tion of permit to operate in the third offense.
Any person caught tampering the
card shall also be fined P3,000 and/or imprisoned for one to three months at the discretion of the court.
In the proposed ordinance, the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) shall be the lead enforcement office, with the support of the City Legal Office and City PNP.
The body passed the ordinance on first reading, and was referred to Com-mittee on Public Utilities for study, report and recommendation.
By louine HoPe ConservA
THE CIVIL Service Com-mission said it still maintains Hotline 8888 which was cre-ated under the Duterte admin-istration to cater to citizen’s complaints.
CSC Commissioner Robert Martinez said all the complaints they received are forwarded to concerned government agen-cies.
He added that they also get updates from the agencies if they have resolved the issues relayed to them.
Martinez said most of the issues they received were cen-tered on slow response of the employees in attending to their needs, lack of personnel to accommodate the public, and lack of citizen’s charter in some offices.
The hotline was launched August 2016, along with 911 line designed for emergency cases.
But several citizens claimed that 8888 is always busy or nobody takes their calls.
Meanwhile, Martinez was in Iloilo City last week for the commission’s Citizen’s Satis-faction Center Seal of Excel-lence Award (CSC-SEA).
The award is in line with the implementation of Republic Act No. 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) of 2007.
ombudsman indicts ex-budget sec for DAP
By louine HoPe ConservA
THE ILOILO Provincial Tour-ism Office (PTO) came up with tour packages for each five congressional districts to provide better accommodation to tourists.
PTO Head Gilbert Marin said that for the first district, tourists will get to visit the heritage destinations.
Eco-cultural destinations will be made available in the second district where visitors could enjoy hiking and moun-tain climbing.
The third district is designed to accommodate tourists who
are into agri-cultural sites.Fourth district will be for
adventure and sports while fifth district gets to showcase its beautiful beaches and islands.
“We will present these tour packages during the National Convention of Association of Tourism Officers in October to be hosted by Iloilo City,” Marin said.
Last year, PTO launched the agricultural-tourism (agri-tourism) circuit which cov-ers eight towns in the second district such as Alimodian, Leganes, Leon, New Lucena, Pavia, San Miguel, Santa Bar-bara, Zarraga.
Marin added that they are currently monitoring the readi-ness of tourist destinations among towns as summer has officially begun.
PTO is doing inspection of the different attractions to make sure that the areas are clean and safe.
“Last week we visited Gi-gantes Island in Carles as we have received complaints that there were garbage found in the famed Tangke Lagoon,” he said.
Marin added that they have started regulating the number of tourists that can access the lagoon.
What’s in store for tourists in Iloilo
By Jennifer P. rendon
ANTI-narcotics police operatives failed to arrest a barangay kagawad who evaded a drug raid in Pototan, Iloilo evening of Mar. 6, 2017.
It is believed that Jose Hiso, Jr., 48, of Jardin St., F. Parcon Ward, Pototan, escaped through the back portion of their house before police operatives could enter.
Senior Inspector Bonifacio Alabe, Jr., Pototan police chief, said Hiso may have sought refuge with one of their neighbors.
“Most of his neighbors are his relatives. It was easier for him to seek refuge there,” Alabe added, citing reports from a police asset that the suspect was inside their house shortly before the raid was conducted.
Joint elements of Pototan Police Station and the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (ICPO)-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) Team Brave, together with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 6 (PDEA-6), conducted the operation.
The raid was authorized by Search Warrant
Number 17-075 issued by Executive Judge Vi-cente Go of the Regional Trial Court Branch 68 in PD Monfort North, Dumangas, Iloilo.
Hiso’s wife and mother were left inside the house.
Police recovered four sachets of suspected shabu; a specimen cup; five disposable lighters; an improvised tooter; three magazines and 98 ammunitions for an M16 rifle; ammunitions for 12-gauge shotgun, caliber .45 pistol, and caliber .40 pistol; and P820 cash.
Alabe said Hiso, a former barangay captain, surrendered through Oplan Tokhang in 2016. But police monitoring revealed that he’s still engaged in the illegal drug trade.
A high-value target (HVT) drug personality, Hiso’s area of operations goes beyond Pototan area as he also traded in some towns of the fourth and fifth districts of Iloilo province.
DRUGS LINK Alabe said that Hiso’s involvement in the
illegal drug trade could be traced back to the
Kagawad skirts police drug raid
City councilor urges PECO to adopt meter reading card
CSC still maintains Hotline 8888
Kagawad/p7
opiNioNWednesday, March 8, 20174 uardianthe dailyG Western Visayas Most
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is a publication of Kayo & Partners Co., a SEC-registered companyManila Office:
Unit 2417 Cityland Shaw Tower, Shaw Blvd., cor. St. Francis Street, Mandaluyong City, M.M.
IT IS VERY rare that a municipality or even a city in the Philippines will take an exhaustive and scientific assess-
ment of its surface and underground water resources.
A n y natural re-source as-s e s s m e n t whether it’s gold, iron or water will always ad-dress these questions – what do we h a v e a n d how much do we have;
can we utilize it on a sustainable basis; and how can we protect it from undue exploita-
tion or pollution.Pavia is the first municipality in the
country to pass Ordinance No. 2015-07 – AN ORDINANCE REGULATING THE EXTRACTION OF SURFACE WATERS FROM CREEKS AND RIV-ERS, AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF PAVIA. ILOILO FOR SUSTAINABLE WITH-DRAWALS AND PROTECTING THE SAME FROM OVER EXTRACTION AND POLLUTION.
Water resources of Pavia are composed of surface waters from Maliao Creek, Aganan and Tigum Rivers and the under-ground waters found within the boundary of the municipality.
The National Water Resource Board (NWRB) claims that underground water, which seeps at 1 km. per 7 years, and flowing waters from creeks and rivers are
NOT an exclusive resource of any mu-nicipality because it is just passing by that municipality.
But this theory is NOT in consonance with pinpointing responsibility in the preservation of that water resource, its judi-cious use and protection against pollution and over use. Why should one care for a given resource when it doesn’t belong to him, hence the concept of ownership.
There are two types of underground wa-ter resource. The perch water, or the shal-low water table or resources, are stored up to 50 feet below the ground. The source is local rainfall which penetrates the ground and stored as perch water or shallow water resource. If there is no rain as in during dry season, there is no replenishment or recharge for this water resource, hence it is easily depleted.
THE ONLY hope that Bacolod Bulk Water has to comply with the contract with Baciwa to supply water to Bacolod by October 2017 is the Ngalan River. Now that the water
permit of Baciwa has expired, where will BBWI get the water?There are reports that Baciwa
and its partners are going to tap the Sum-ag River, the Caliban River in Murcia, the Imbang River in Talisay and even Matab-ang River in Tal-isay. These are targets but they are not easy ones. There are numerous hurdles to overcome. But let us put these hurdles aside for the moment.
Baciwa knows the difficulty of securing a water permit for the other rivers and the inability of BBWI to draw from Ngalan River. This is the reason it has started to implement its alternative plan which is to dig wells
and pump the water out to feed into its web of pipes. I already mentioned last week about the well that Baciwa dug
in Mansilingan. The reported cost of the well is P8 million. In-formation however says that the cost is almost double and there are other contractors that can provide the same and even more for just over P4 million. Moreover broadcast information says that the contractor in the Mansilingan well had been blacklisted by Baciwa itself.
The name of the contractor, Rotadrill, was mentioned so I ask Rotadrill to clarify if indeed it was blacklisted and how it was able to re-qualify. I am asking this because of radio insinuation of corruption and this space is open to Rotadrill.
Radioman Marlon Solidum informed me that the owner of Rotadrill and Baciwa Manager Mario Macatangay were buddies in the Local Water Utilities Administration. Was this relationship the reason Rotadrill was removed from the blacklist and qualified to contract with Baciwa?
This suspicion of how Rotadrill got the business needs to be looked into, as suggested by the SP and the Ombudsman consid-ering the reports that the project is highly overpriced. Was the project properly bid out?
The other question is: did Baciwa secure an Environment Compliance Certificate for its wells? Baciwa admitted that they started digging the well without any ECC as with the other wells. Baciwa Manager Macatangay also said that the DENR has not issued a Cease and Desist Order to stop their diggings.
I was furnished a document from the DENR, Region 18 dated February 10, 2017 saying that “as of the present time, there are no Environmental Compliance Certificates that had been issued to Bacolod City Water District for the said deep wells. Moreover, no ECC application was officially received by this Office regarding the Ngalan River.” We’ll deal with this below.
This added information about Ngalan River reinforces our contention that this source cannot be used by the Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. There flies the plan I(or ploy) of Baciwa.
Baciwa depends on BBWI tapping Ngalan River for water delivery in October. That is now gone. Granting that Baciwa can get another permit, it cannot be used by BBWI immediately because the water would be for municipal use only and BBWI is an industrial user.
Still granting that a water permit is issued to Baciwa for in-
bare factsEdgar Mana-ay
The water resources of Pavia, Iloilo – 1
focusModesto P. Sa-onoy
Water crisis-3
Bare Facts/p5 Focus/p5
Bare Facts... from p.4
Focus... from p.4
opiNioNuardianthe dailyG Western Visayas Most
Read and Respected 5Wednesday, March 8, 2017
WE SHOULD understand this point well. We should not just be willing to go through some suffering and pain because they are unavoidable in life. Neither should it
be because we like something or love someone for whom we are willing to suffer certain inconveniences and sacrifices.
We have to understand that we need to make sacrifices sim-ply because, whether they are unavoidable or not, or whether we offer them for someone or something or not, they are an essential and integral part of our Christian life.
Christ himself commanded us so. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt 16,24) These clear words of Christ do not limit our need for sacrifices to the facts that suffering and pain are inescapable in life, or that we
are willing to suffer for something or someone we love.Our need for sacrifice is first of all based on the fact that Christ
commands it. We should not wait for suffering and pain to come before we make sacrifices. Neither should we wait to be moved to suffer for something or for someone we love before we make sacrifices.
We make sacrifices simply because Christ said so, and he said so because it is necessary for us. More than expiating for our sins, the sacrifices are a clear expression of a total self-giving which is the essence of love.
Sacrifices, as iconized by the Cross of Christ, are what distin-guish a Christian. The cross is the sign of the Christian because it is the center of the saving life and action of Christ. It shows how much Christ obeys his Father out of love, and how much he loves us.
We have to learn to sanctify our sacrifices by uniting them with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. That is how we make our suf-ferings and pain divine and with redemptive value.
It is by uniting our sacrifices with that of Christ that we can find the meaning and value of suffering and pain in this life. As a Church document puts it: “Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful. Apart from His Gospel, they overwhelm us.” (Gaudium et spes, 22)
We should not doubt that the cross has a tremendous saving power. We have to learn to love it and therefore to look for it and to carry it, as Christ himself commanded us. We should not just tolerate it.
This, of course, will require a certain discipline. As the Cat-echism would put it: “The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the asceticism and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes.” (CCC 2015)
The love for the cross will certainly require the need of faith which God actually gives us in abundance. It is also what would occasion the growth and the strengthening of our faith. We actu-ally cannot grow in our faith unless we are driven by the love of the cross.
It is through love for the cross that we become more and more like Christ, after whom we have been patterned and by whom we are redeemed and reconciled with our Father God. It is what would make us the perfect image of Christ.
We should actively grow in our love for the cross by developing a spirit of mortification and penance. In a manner of speaking, we need to die in order to live a life of holiness, a supernatural life of love of God.
St. Paul expresses this point this way: “If you live ac-cording the flesh you will die. But if by the spirit, you put to death the deeds of the flesh, and you will live.” (Rom 8,13)
Thus, we need to die a bit each day by self-denial, mortifica-tion and penance. We need to control our disordered inclinations and passions.
“Coming together is a beginning; keep-ing together is progress; working together is success.” – Henry Ford
NEW YORK CITY – The deci-sion to hold the ASEAN Summit in Iloilo City, Philippines from
March 6-16, 2017, aside from Boracay Island and Bacolod City, is laudable.
Summit dele-gates and other visi-tors attending the conclave will surely enjoy the warmth and hospitality of the Ilonggos.
Forces and re-sources for ASEAN 2017 in Visayas Re-gion in Iloilo City composed of highly competent men and women of Philip-
pine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army (PA), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Phil-ippine Navy (PN) have been on top of the situation and doing a yeoman’s task to ensure the success of the event.
Unknown to some people outside the country, Iloilo City, otherwise known as the “City of Love”, is one of the most modern
and safest cities in the Philippines. It is blessed with a high literacy rate
and among the progressive cities in the country with lowest rate in peace and order, according to the PNP. The Department of Tourism (DOT) rates Iloilo City as one of the top tourist destinations.
Rich culturally and religiously, Iloilo City is an ideal venue for any international gathering that requires field trips and visits to tourist spots.
WORLD-CLASSInfrastructures from the Iloilo Inter-
national Airport to government edifices, hotels and convention centers are hi-tech and world-class.
When it comes to economic, political, and social progress and development, Iloilo City can definitely compete with other modern cities in Asia.
The city’s economic climate has been the subject of positive remarks from in-dustrialists and investors planning to put up additional businesses.
Delegates and guests would also be privileged to set foot in the city considered as the “Athens of the Philippines” owing to the presence of highly-established state and private universities and colleges that have attracted foreign enrollees from dif-ferent continents.
Iloilo City is the only metropolis in the country surrounded by an octagon-shaped
river, a state-of-the-art international pier, and a sea accessible to nearby island-provinces and regions.
VISITA crew of the Royal London Circus
(RLC) that visited Iloilo City in June 1993 once told us in a press conference at the Sarabia Manor Convention Center that “if you visited the Philippines and you didn’t visit Iloilo City, you did not visit the Philippines.”
He was impressed with Iloilo City that he decided to marry a local woman who resided near the circus venue and brought her to Europe.
Iloilo City has developed by leaps and bounds since 1993.
Traffic equipment and facilities, wid-ened roads, lighted avenues, decorated mini-parks, expanded sidewalks, im-proved lampposts, extended highways and overpasses have spruced up and helped ease movement of local economy and increase the productivity of human resources.
The grassy area where RLC stunt men and women, mostly coming from Europe and America, held their shows for two weeks in the former Iloilo Diversion Road (now Benigno Aquino Avenue), is now a sprawling commercial fulcrum.
Amazing Iloilo City is now truly a big thing.
above the belt
Alex Vidal
Amazing Iloilo City, ASEAN Summit host
reflectionsFr. Roy Cimagala
We need to make sacrifices
The water level of my open and shallow well at home (25 ft. deep) reaches almost ground level during days of heavy rains, (full saturation of soil condition), but just a month of no rain, water level goes down by 20 ft.
During prolonged dry season, well water remain steady at only 10 inches deep and in less than 20 minutes of pumping by a ½ horsepower centrifugal pump, the well dries up! It will take at least 4 hours for the water to return to the 10 inch level.
The second underground water resource of Pavia is the water found in confined aquifers. These are strata underground com-posed of sand, gravel, silt or clay with sand and or a combination of any of them, sometimes at 50-50 or 70-30 ratio, although there are also a few of pure sand and gravel aquifers.
Based on deep wells drilled in Pavia, aquifers are located at different levels from 60 ft. to 220 ft. with thickness varying from 5 ft. to 30 ft.
The source of water or recharge for these aquifers is NOT from Pavia but from faraway places like the mountains of Maasin and Alimodian where, because of a hydraulic gradient, underground water will flow thru the path of least resistance (sand or gravel strata) towards the sea. Just like the surface waters of rivers, underground water flows in the same direction only at a much slower pace of 1 km. in 7 years.
Shallow wells up to 50 ft. deep maximum gets its water sup-ply from the perch water table while a deep well gets its supply from 60 ft. down to 200 ft. or more. Most deep wells in Pavia get their supply beyond 100 ft. deep, hence, the need to use ex-pensive submersible pumps to draw out water from the aquifer
to the surface. In contrast, shallow wells can use a pitcher pump or an electric
centrifugal pump up to 1 horsepower because the suction lift is limited to 50 ft. as mandated by the ordinance.
The essence of Municipal Ordinance 2015-07 is to allow the common tao the exclusive use of the perch or shallow water re-source of the municipality, that this shallow water resource should not be subject to the commerce of man.
There will be no restriction, a free for all system for all citi-zens provided the water it gets is for PERSONAL, HOUSE-HOLD OR AGRICULTURE USE. Agriculture is included because the water pumped out of the ground into the fields also returns back into the ground with minimal evaporation loss of about 20%.
For Pavia citizens who will use the underground water for com-mercial purposes (such as a water re-filling stations, delivery of water to hotels by use of water tankers or where water is a major component to its business such as boarding houses and restaurants where requirement is more than 5,000 liters per day or 5 cubic meter daily), then it should draw water beyond 60 ft.
The rationale behind this is that when one is in business, he has money, then he spends more in sourcing the water needs of his business. He should not compete with the ordinary citizen in exploiting the perch water resource.
Let’s keep in mind an 18th century English Proverb which says: “We will never know the worth of water till the well is dry!”
Note: The author is the Hydro-geology Consultant of the Mu-nicipality of Pavia and a Professional Member of The National Ground Water Assn. of the U.S. (NGWA)
dustrial use this month which is improbable, can BBWI secure the right of way, construct its facilities like a reservoir and treatment plant to be completed by October this year?
There is also awful talk that BBWI will draw water from Ngalan River and pipe it in di-rectly into the Baciwa system just so it can comply with the October deadline. This is unthinkable; nevertheless it is no longer a scare since BBWI cannot draw water from there. Water from a river or spring must have reser-voir and a treatment plant.
Information says the DENR
has already issued a CDO but not yet enforced as of last week. What I have, however is a No-tice of Violation and Technical Conference sent by DENR, Region 18 to Baciwa on Feb-ruary 17, 2017. The violation involves Baciwa’s “proposed
upgrading of Bacolod City Water Supply located at East Granada and Mansilingan.”
However, the DENR inspec-tion of February 15-16, 2017 “showed that you have violated conditions no. 1 (Project expan-sion without an approved ECC
amendment) and condition no. 2 (Securing of permits from pertinent agencies prior to devel-opment) of your ECC…issued last January 22, 1996 and was amended last August 25, 2005.”
More critical matters on Monday.
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By dolly yAsA
BACOLOD CITY – The families of victims of extra-judicial killings in Escal-ante City, Negros Occidental expressed optimism that the judge hearing the re-maining murder case they filed against Rep. Melecio” Beboy” Yap (1st district, Negros Occidental) will implement a fair and speedy trial.
“We trust her (Judge Katherine Go) fair-ness, yet we remain ever vigilant in search for justice,” they said in a statement sent to the media by their legal counsel Luke Espiritu.
Earlier, Regional Trial Court -San Car-los City Judge Danilo Amisola dismissed a frustrated murder and three murder cases against Yap.
In dismissing the cases against Yap in a 30-page order signed February 17, Yap said “The court finds that the evidence
as evaluated did not meet the standard of probable cause to warrant the issuance of warrants of arrests against the accused and the act or omission complained of does not constitute the offense charged.”
Ariel Malunes, counsel of the congress-man, said he is confident that the fourth murder charge against Yap, which is still pending before Go’s sala, will also be dismissed for lack of evidence.
Espiritu claimed that the dismissal of the charges against Yap “is a sorry attempt to cover the truth with a purple robe.”
“We have eyewitness accounts, admis-sions from former assassins and documen-tary admissions, pointing to Representative Yap as the perpetrator of these crimes against five known supporters of former Escalante City Mayor Santiago Barce-lona,” he said.
Espiritu said Amisola was “speedy, but his fairness, we seriously doubt.”
Amisola said the witnesses’ testimonies in this case are full of material inconsisten-cies that the court deemed tainted.
“This, coupled with the delay in the filing of the criminal complaints, affected the credibility of the complainants,” Ami-sola said.
“It is worth noting that all nine com-plainants and their dead relatives are avid supporters of Barcelona. Consequently this created the impression that the filing of the cases could be politically motivated,” the decision added.
Espiritu said that they will file an ad-ministrative case against Amisola before the Supreme Court.
Earlier, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and her team found probable cause to indict Yap for the murder.
Yap called the murder charges filed against him by the Ombudsman as “politi-cally motivated.”
BACOLOD City – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) Regional Office 6 has started the pre-qualifying process for the deputation of personnel of Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) and Traffic Management Unit of Ba-colod City Police Office (TMU-BCPO).
As of March 6, 2017, a total of 35 traffic en-forcers of BTAO and 15 policemen from TMU-BCPO have undergone a two-day seminar led by LTO-6 Regional Director Roland Ramos and LTO-Bacolod Chief Renato Novero.
Those who will qualify to be deputized will undergo examination and further evaluation and may be tasked to support the LTO Provincial Law Enforcement Team.
Novero, who also heads the LTO Provincial Law Enforcement Team, said deputized person-nel will augment their personnel to put order in roads of Bacolod.
Ramos had earlier said they lacked personnel thus they needed to train traffic enforcers and
policemen that they could deputize in Bacolod.Deputized traffic enforcers are mandated to
execute the functions of LTO personnel, includ-ing issuance of temporary operator’s permit (TOP) ticket to traffic violators.
The TOP ticket has higher penalties compared to the citation ticket issued by personnel of BTAO and TMU-BCPO.
Ramos had also said the LTO-6 will have im-mediate actions to the concerns of the transport sector in Negros Occidental.
In Bacolod, he already met with the leaders of United Negros Drivers and Operators Center, Fed-eration of Bacolod Drivers Association, and Alliance of Concerned Transport in Occidental Negros.
Among the concerns raised were the imple-mentation of Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 that provides higher penalties for traffic viola-tions and the transport modernization program that phases out public utility jeepneys older than 15 years. (PNA)
By dolly yAsA
BACOLOD City – Contrary to claims by a critic that animals in its upkeep has been dying, the provincial government- owned Negros First Ranch in Murcia said that it is now taking care of 459 heads of sheep and 226 cows.
Regen Besa, farm manager of the 155-hectare property in Hacienda Ilimnan, Brgy. Santa Rosa, said the 459 heads of sheep include 166 breeders, 41 pregnant, 59 lactating, 11 are senior rams, 55 are junior rams, 76 growers and 51 lambs.
“The cows include 31 preg-nant heifers, 33 lactating, 41
ESCALANTE KILLINGS UPDATE
Kin of victims pray for fair, speedy trial
‘Negros ranch far from dying’
LTO-6 starts deputation of traffic cops, enforcers
negros/p7
7Wednesday, March 8, 2017uardianthe dailyG Western Visayas Most
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Mejorada... from p.1
council... from p.1
negros... from p.6
Kagawad... from p.2
catalan... from p.8
dry cows (non-lactating), 23 males or bulls, 65 yearlings and 33 calves,” Besa said.
In a radio interview on Mar. 6, 2017, lawyer Roger Reyes claimed that only five heads of cattle are left in the ranch.
Reyes has filed a case before the Ombudsman against Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and members of Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) over the ranch issue.
The provincial government lost its petition before the De-partment of Agrarian Reform to have the land exempted from
the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
Besa said that all the animals are healthy.
She said that cows ready for milking are transferred to the facility in Brgy. La Granja, La Carlota City while the sheep are just for breeding purposes.
this is a challenge that can bring out the best in me,” he said.
“This is MMA. The core of martial arts is to unleash a human’s true potential. I want to know my potential in this sport. That’s why I am happy to be in this fight against a tal-ented fighter like him,” Catalan added.
The 30-year-old native of Iloilo City shared that he had a solid preparation for his return to the ONE Championship cage as he trained with close friend and fellow ONE Championship athlete Rocky Batolbatol.
Catalan also divulged that he worked on his ground game
with the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners at Mindanao Ul-timate Mixed Martial Arts, an MMA training facility that is based in Cagayan De Oro City, Misamis Oriental and houses top fighters in the Philippine’s southernmost major island of Mindanao.
“My preparation for this fight has been absolutely awesome. I got help from my friends and teammates. They helped me to level up my striking. For this fight, I did extra work on my grappling. This will probably be the best camp that I’ve ever had in my career,” he stated.
Coming off a second-round stoppage setback at the hands of Team Lakay’s Joshua Pacio
in April 2016, Catalan stressed that his recent loss gives him an extra drive to get the win at ONE: WARRIOR KING-DOM.
“I really want this win be-cause I lost my debut in ONE Championship. This is a chance to redeem myself. I know this fight will not be a walk in the park, but I am determined to shock the world on March 11th,” he ended.
For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONECh ampionship.
time when he was still barangay captain.
His network involved former barangay captains Ramon Pla-ton, who was tagged as Iloilo province’s topmost drug per-sonality, and Bram Pimentel.
PDEA-6 operatives arrested the 50-year old Platon, 50, on Feb. 25 at his house in Baran-gay Intaluan.
PDEA operatives seized from Platon more or less a kilo of shabu, with an estimated street value of P8 million.
Platon is also wanted for
double murder. In July 2013, Pimentel and
his two village tanod or watch-men were arrested in a raid on a suspected drug den in Ledesma Street, Poblacion, Pototan, Iloilo.
Pimentel was a sitting vil-lage chief when arrested.
the articles would have been published earlier, not two years afterwards.
Macam added that only Drilon could testify on the pres-ence of malice.
Macam said Mejorada’s articles were “fair” and made
on the basis of research and investigation.
Drilon’s charges stemmed from Mejorada’s Jan. 14, 2014 posts in his Facebook and Wordpress blog, Mejorada’s Point of View:
-Posted in FB pictures of earth-filling project in the Iloilo Cirfumferential Road in Ungka,
Pavia entitled “Drilon’s versio of the Macapagal Boulevard - grossly overpriced”
-The great ferry terminal rob-bery attempt (blog/Jan 15, 2014)
-Drilon’s Midas Touch (blog/Jan 29, 2014)
-Putting Safety on the Line - the Iloilo Convention Center (blog/Sept. 30, 2013).
Lodge in Arevalo district.The PBA is relative to the
murder of a 15-year-old girl inside Moonlight Lodge on June 13, 2016.
Her killer remains at-large. The Iloilo City government
filed charges against Moonlight Lodge owner Olive Yusay and manager Josel Jover for violat-ing City Regulation Ordinances (CRO) Nos. 2015-447 and 2011-307 as amended.
CRO 2015-447 regulates the operations of motels, hotels, lodging houses and the likes; while CRO 2011-307 mandates the installation of closed circuit TV cameras in businesses.
The case is pending with the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 3.
But the counsel for the re-spondents manifested that the owner be dropped from the case and enter into a plea bargaining agreement that they will pay the penalty sum of P5,000 only.
Duron requested the City Council to authorize the PBA as recommended by the City Legal Office.
But some councilors find the deal unacceptable and ap-palling.
“We all know what hap-pened in that establishment. And for us, we are protect-ing the minors, especially the women and girls,” said Coun-cilor Liezl Joy Zulueta-Salazar, who was then chairperson of SP Committee on Moral Recovery. She led the investigation on the Moonlight incident .
Salazar recalled that Moon-light Lodge had many violations
during the incident: “There was no CCTV, no signage indicat-ing minors are not allowed, and there was no security guard!”
“Daw kabahol na gid ni ya kun ipasugtan pa gid ya namon amo na to ang natabo? Kabuhi ang baylo sadto. Ano nga are-glo pa ya ang inyo na ya? May napatay na to, menor de edad pa, ano pa ya ang inyo?” she added.
Salazar stressed that based on the ordinances, even if the owners are not in direct man-agement of the establishment, they are still accountable.
“Ginatudlo nila (owners) na wala man sila kabalo sa nagakalatabo kay tanan man-ager na da kuno gapadalagan...Maskin sa manager lang na, re-sponsibilidad man nila gihapon kay ila na ya establisyemento,” she added.
“They just have to face the consequences.”
For Councilor Joshua Alim, the “Moonlight Lodge” case is a test of the efficacy of city ordinances.
“For the first time, we will be testing our ordinance. Daw subong kinulbaan ang gin-akusara ta subong naman ta maisol, sigehon ta na lang ni bala,” Alim said.
Councilor Plaridel Nava stressed that the ordinance clearly states that penalties for violators are imprisonment and fine of P5,000.
“Wala option ang court...and then, wala sang written nga proposal, the proposal was done in an open court...verbal lang ‘to,” Nava said.
Nava agreed with Majority Floor Leader Ed Peñaredondo
that the City Legal Office should decide on Duron’s re-quest, not the City Council.
HARD TO IMPLEMENT?Peñaredondo said that it is
“very hard to implement the or-dinance...that’s why we should consider the element of doubt. It is very hard.”
But Councilor R Leone Gerochi retorted that “inconve-nience should not be an issue if it is going to save the lives of the minors. Never mind if they are inconvenienced what is important is we save the lives of the minors.”
Salazar agreed, stressing that there no others establish-ments are complaining against the ordinance.
Meanwhile, the TF on Moral and Values Formation has stepped up campaign against lodges, motels and similar es-tablishments allowing minors.
Last February 14, the TF pre-vented some 73 couples, with minor companion or both were minors, from entering lodges.
Duron then said that the campaign was not a “ningas-kugon.”
“This is not a ningas kugon. Aton lang ginpaluyag sa man-agement na may responsibility sila kay both of them are par-ents, ang management under the provisions of the law are required to institute measure to prohibit minor, what we did as part of our advocacy is turuan ang management imple-ment nyo otherwise tagaan namun kamu citation ticket kun makita namon nga may ginpasulod kamu na minor,” Duron stressed.
Boracay... from p.1
car... from p.1Sustento, Ajuy police chief and supervisor of the Iloilo Pro-vincial Police Office-Special Operations Group (IPPO-SOG) Team Charlie, said Tingzon was not aware of the planned carnapping.
A white Ford Everest later fancied Villareal’s interest. But his plan changed after see-ing Mark Ymel Jocson, 22, of Banuyao, La Paz, Iloilo City and his girlfriend Quennie (not her real name), 24, of Monte Rosa Subdivision in Hibao-an, Mandurriao.
“The thought of abducting the couple came into Villareal’s mind because he found the girl to be attractive,” Sustento said.
At around 6:30 p.m., the three suspects tailed the couple to the mall carpark as they were about to board their vehicle.
Villareal allegedly poked a gun at Jocson and ordered them to get inside the vehicle.
Villareal and Cordero took turns in driving the vehicle.
Upon reaching Zarraga town, Tingzon insisted that he be dropped off.
While on the road, the two suspects allegedly stripped the woman of her clothes and took turns in molesting her.
Jocson watched helplessly as he pleaded with the suspects not to touch his girlfriend.
Before reaching Banate town, Quennie thought of a plan to escape their abduc-tors: she asked the suspects to buy water from a convenience store.
“Villareal gave in to her re-quest with the plan of buying a condom,” Sustento said.
As the vehicle slowed to a stop, the woman pushed Vil-lareal with all her might and immediately alighted from the vehicle while shouting for help.
The two suspects, together with Jocson, immediately sped off until they reached Barangay Puerto Princesa, a village lead-ing to the Northern Iloilo Poly-technic State College campus in Barotac Viejo town.
Inside the vehicle, Jocson claimed that the suspects threat-
ened to shoot him.By then, the Banate Police
Station already sent a flash alarm to neighboring police stations to conduct checkpoints and look for a white Ford Everest.
At around 8:20 p.m., the Ajuy police learned of a vehic-ular accident at Puerto Princesa village.
When they responded, they saw a white Ford Everest SUV which crashed into a mahogany tree.
They later saw Jocson jump-ing out of the vehicle while Cordero already escaped.
Police arrested Villareal during the hot pursuit opera-tion. He yielded a homemade shotgun (pistol-type) loaded an ammunition in its chamber aside from 16 pieces of caliber .45 ammunition, two mobile phones, and personal belong-ings of the victims.
Cordero was believed to have proceeded to a mountain-ous area near the accident site.
“We don’t think that he would come out, as long as he would see police vehicle. So, we pulled out of the area but we left some personnel to look for him,” Sustento said.
At around 2:30 a.m., police arrested Cordero in front of the DPWH office also in Puerto Princesa village.
Sustento said the Banate PNP will charge the two sus-pects for illegal possession of firearm.
The Mandurriao Police Sta-tion might file cases for car-napping and abduction against Tingzon.
Aside from carnapping, Villareal and Cordero would also be charged for abduction with rape.
DENIAL In an interview with RMN-
Iloilo, Villarreal denied that what happened was his handi-work. He instead he pointed to Cordero and Tingzon as the masterminds.
He repeatedly said that his conscience was clear.
“The plan is for me to drive the vehicle,” he added.
Villarreal claimed that it’s unbelievable that he would be
on the steering wheel, poke a gun, and molest the woman all at the same time.
He allegedly went with the duo after they made a “thumb up,” a sign that Jocson’s car was the target.
Villarreal said he thought that the plan was to sell the vehicle and make money out of it.
WANTED ‘RAPIST’In the morning of Mar. 7,
Villareal was brought to the Tigbauan Police Station to face earlier charges filed against him.
Police served an arrest war-rant against Villareal in Crimi-nal Case No. 2761 for rape with carnal knowledge.
The warrant was issued by Judge Victor Gelvezon of the Regional Trial Court Branch 67 in Guimbal, Iloilo on Jan. 20, 2016.
Villarreal admitted that he had been hiding in Janiuay but he was always mobile. He also denied that he sought refuge with the Locsin clan of Janiuay.
He claimed that he accepted odd jobs to sustain his needs.
Villareal was accused of raping a 36-year old call cen-ter agent on April 29, 2015 in Tigbauan town.
He was also implicated in the abduction of a 20-year old woman on May 5, 2015 in City Proper, Iloilo City.
Villareal and his alleged cohort, 21-year-old Paul Aaron Campos, were charged for rape in the May 5 incident, although it was only Villareal who alleg-edly raped and later dropped her off in Oton, Iloilo at around 3:30 a.m. of May 6.
Authorities believed that the suspect used the same modus of asking for directions then faking a mechanical problem to attract his would-be victim’s attention.
On May 8, police tried to arrest the suspects but Villareal escaped allegedly with help from his mother Gemma.
Gemma was charged for obstruction of justice but the case against her was dis-missed for lack of probable cause.
“It is a phenomenon brought about by the hot temperature that triggers the fast reproduc-tion of algae. When the weather turns cold, it disappears. So it is like a cycle” she said.
Claiming that she is not a scientist, Catalbas declined to comment further on the issue saying she only relies on her observations as a layman.
She said the proper authority to speak on the issue is the De-partment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“It is not my expertise and I don’t want to speculate and give false assurances or false interpretations of that. It is just a layman’s observation, just like yours when you go to the area,” she said.
According to Boracay Foun-dation Inc. (BFI), water in some areas in the island appears green from February to May due to the seasonal bloom of green algae.
BFI claimed that the phe-nomenon had been observed by residents even before the island was discovered as a tourist destination.
It added that the algal bloom is not something to be scared of.
“Scientifically, green algal bloom is linked to the high nu-trient load of the water. Usually
with the calm and warm waters, coupled with intense light dur-ing summer, these green algae consume excess nutrients from the water and process it for their growth and reproduction,” the foundation said.
But other studies and in-depth probes point to waste-water as the cause of the algal bloom. The island has been notorious for lack drainage and sewerage system.
Catalbas noted that the local government units, as well as civic organizations and tourism stakeholders are mount beach cleanup in their designated area to keep the shoreline clean.
But the DOT director as-sured visitors that tourist desti-nations in the region are safe.
“Even if many things are happening in other parts of the country at present, we trust our security organizations in Region VI that they are at par or above the requirements to keep this region very safe or its own residents and for the tourists. Whatever threats posed by common criminality, terror or natural threats like typhoons and floods are always monitored and put under con-trol particularly the manmade threats,” she said.
Catalbas said she cannot say with certainty whether residen-tial and commercial establish-ments which lack wastewater
treatment facilities should be blamed for the algal bloom.
She said establishments should tap to the main pipe of Boracay Island Water Com-pany owned by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and Ayala Corp.
Wastewater goes to the sewerage treatment plant. It undergoes a thorough process before it is released back to the beach.
“I cannot say for sure if the occurrence of algae has some-thing to do with those who did not tap with BIWC pipes. There could be other factors aside from the normal condition. But again, I am not in the authority as it is DENR which checks the water quality,” she said.
TOURIST ARRIVALSDespite the yearly occur-
rence of algal bloom, Catalbas reported that tourist arrivals in the island increased in Janu-ary and February 2017 against 2016.
Tourists in January totaled 169,843, higher than last year’s 158,701.
The same hike was noted in February with 174,183 tourists, against 173,256 a year ago.
“February’s tourist arrival is even higher than January, despite the month falling short of three days,” Catalbas said.
By elyrose s. nAorBe
YOUNG booters of Cabatuan Football Club and Kalibo Sakeros ruled the First Invita-tional Futsal Cup at the Guimbal gymna-sium and amphitheater, Mar. 4-5, 2017.
Cabatuan snatched the crown in boy’s category (born in 2000) after thrashing Guimbal National High School, 4-1. They also disposed Seahorse FC, 4-0, in the
semifinals.Meanwhile, Kalibo Sakeros blasted
Guimbal Futsal team, 4-1, in the semis before clinching the crown in the girls cat-egor at the expense of Jaro FC via penalty shootout, 3-2.
Cecil Dieta paced Aklan in offense and was hailed the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
The two-day futsal games aim to raise
funds for the upcoming summer football clinic which will be participated in by dif-ferent teams in the region.
The competing teams were Cabatuan FC, Guimbal FC, University of San Agustin FC, Tubungan FC, Janiuay FC, Leganes FC, San Joaquin FC, Mina FC, Kalibo Sakeros, Iloilo City National High School Futsal Team, and Central Philippine University (CPU).
STEPHEN Curry and Andre Iguodala weighed in with 24 points each as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Atlanta Hawks 119-111 on Monday (Mar. 7, 2017 in PHL).
The Warriors maintained their grip on the Western Con-ference rankings after an in-spired performance from Ig-uodala, who scored his points after coming off the bench to lead a second-quarter rally.
Iguodala made six of eight shots from the field as well as grabbing five rebounds, three steals and providing four as-sists as the Warriors improved to 52-11 for the season.
It was a vintage display from Iguodala, who is eager to help fill the void created by the
injury to Kevin Durant.“Collectively, as a unit, we
try to make up for KD’s pres-ence,” Iguodala said. “Tonight we did a great job of that,” added Iguodala, a pivotal figure in the Dubs’ 2015 NBA Finals win.
Iguodala’s performance delight-ed Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
“I told him it looked like he was 25 out there again,” he said of the 33-year-old.
“Andre has been absolutely phenomenal the last couple of weeks. He just looks so spry out there and young and confident and such a great basketball player.”
Curry’s 24-point haul in-cluded six three-pointers and he also contributed nine assists and four rebounds.
Klay Thompson meanwhile
finished with 13 points, all scored in the second half, while Dray-mond Green had eight rebounds, six assists and 12 points.
Atlanta, who fell to 34-29, saw point guard Dennis Schro-der net 23 points.
However, Schroder was hooked with 9:30 left in the third quarter, with coach Mike Budenholzer clearly unhappy with his defensive work.
At one point, an unmarked Curry calmly drained a three as Schroder ar-gued with center Dwight Howard.
“There were moments when it felt like we were close to getting back in it and competing,” Budenholzer said. “A few more plays from our guys here and there and a few less threes from Iguodala... but that’s the game.” (Agence France-Presse)
By elyrose s. nAorBe
THE Iloilo Bike Festival (IBF) failed to break the record for the longest line of single moving bicycles.
Dhaka, Bangladesh is still the record holder with 1,186 bikes.
A total of 1,255 participants registered in the attempt on Mar. 4, 2017 but after a series of verifications, Guinness organizers only counted 1,147 cyclists due to some lapses on the part of the bikers.
During the ride attempt, each biker was assigned a unique race plate with a corresponding barcode to make the recording of participants easier.
Each race plate was scanned for verification
before entering the starting point and after pass-ing the finish line.
The number of scanned plates must exceed the current record, both at the start and finish lines.
According to IBF Director Ronald Sebastian, they came up short after some of the bikers strayed out of the line while others had problems with their bikes.
Atty. Pablo Nava IV, president of the Federa-tion of Iloilo Cycling Organizations said they are thankful for the huge number of participants despite falling short of the Guinness World Record.
Some riders also noted that holding two differ-ent events at the same time might be the reason for their failure to break the record.
cabatuan, Kalibo booters top futsal tournament
A TOUGH test awaits Filipino fighter Rabin “The Rock” Cata-lan as he locks horns with undefeated Thai standout Pongsiri “Punhod” Mitsatit in his second outing as a ONE Championship competitor.
Both men are booked to face each other on the undercard of ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM, which takes place at the 12,000-seater Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, 11 March.
An undefeated prospect from Chiang Mai, Thailand, Mitsatit holds a stellar win-loss standing of 7-0, with five knockout tri-umphs and one submission victory.
Catalan might have his hands full against Mitsatit, but he remains unperturbed with the fact that the most challenging bout in his eight-year professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career is ahead of him.
“I am not worried because he is undefeated. I know he has won most of his fights by finish. Plus, he will have the whole arena cheering for him on fight night. I don’t see it as a problem. To me,
PRICES of consumer goods rose by more than 3 percent in February, the fastest in over two years, on the back of higher increases in food and non-alcoholic beverages.
“At the national level, the headline inflation further ac-celerated by 3.3 percent in February 2017. It went up by 2.7 percent in the previous month and 0.9 percent in Feb-ruary 2016,” the Philippine Statistics Authority said in the Summary Inflation Report.
The statistics office noted the faster annual rate of the heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages in-dex was primarily responsible for revving up inflation last month. The index advanced by 4.1 percent in February, year-on-year, it said.
The growth was primarily brought about by higher an-nual rate posted in the as it ad-vanced by 4.1 percent during the month.
Faster yearly increases were also observed in the in-dices of the following com-
THE state-run Social Security System (SSS) on Thursday said it has already released some P2 billion to its pensioners for the month of January 2017 as part of the recently approved P1,000 additional benefit for its pensioners.
SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel F. Dooc said more than 2.04 million pensioners will be able to re-ceive the additional P1,000 benefit on Friday, March 3.
THE Philippines’ leading carrier, Cebu Pa-cific Air (PSE: CEB) took delivery of its 59th aircraft last February 28, 2017. This new ATR 72-600 is the fourth of the 16 firm orders CEB made last year.
This brand-new ATR 72-600 will be used to support the company’s expansion as CEB, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Cebgo, will be launching two new routes this March 15 2017: Cagayan de Oro to Bacolod and Cagayan de Oro to Tagbilaran.
“We are eager to receive yet another addi-tion to our ATR fleet, supporting our expansion plans in the archipelago. CEB remains commit-ted to further increase inter-island connectivity within the Philippines, to serve not only our ka-babayans but also tourists who wish to explore the country’s beautiful islands and experience the world-renowned Filipino hospitality,” said Alexander Lao, President and CEO of Cebgo.
“Rest assured, we will continue making more destinations accessible to everyJuan
while consistently providing our trademark low fares, paired with our safe and fun service” added Lao.
CEB currently offers flights to a total of 37 domestic and 29 international destinations, operating an extensive network across Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and USA. Its 59-strong fleet is comprised of four Airbus A319, 36 Airbus A320, seven Airbus A330, eight ATR 72-500, and four ATR 72-600 aircraft. Be-tween 2017 and 2021, CEB expects delivery of one more brand-new Airbus A330, 32 Airbus A321neo, and 12 ATR 72-600 aircraft.
For bookings and inquiries, guests can vis-it www.cebupacificair.com or call the reserva-tion hotlines (+632)7020-888 or (+6332)230-8888. The latest seat sales can be found on CEB’s official Twitter (@CebuPacificAir) and Facebook pages.
Guests may also download the Cebu Pa-cific official mobile app on the App Store and Google Play.
LIKE OFWs, money changers and export businesses stand to benefit in the low valuation of the Philippine peso against the US dollar, which recently hit its 10-year low.
HIGHER FOOD AND BEVERAGE PRICES
February inflation fastest in more than 2 yrs. – PSA data
CEB takes delivery of its 59th aircraft
SSS: Pensioners can withdraw P1,000 additional benefit
Who’s benefiting from low peso-dollar rate
Economist Prof. Winnie Monsod said in a report by GMA News’ Ivan Mayrina on “Unang Balita” on Tues-day that the low exchange rate meant all goods exported by the Philippines cost less to buy than other products, therefore enticing more buyers.
“Kung mas mura ang itinit-inda mo kesa sa yung iba, si-yempre mas maraming bibili sa inyo,” Monsod said.
Sergio Luis-Ortiz, PHILEX-PORT president, said the Phil-ippine economy will also be stimulated by the improved value of OFW remittances.
“Ang nire-remit sa ating pera ng OFW sa pamilya nila sa Pilipinas ay nasa $24 billion a year. So in short, i-multiply mo sa limang piso yung $24 billion, so P120 billion,” Luis-Ortiz said.
“Yoon ang pumapasok sa ekonomiya natin, pumapasok sa pagpapaaral ng pamilya ng mga OFW, pumapasok sa pagbili ng mga bahay, low-cost housing, na siyang nagpapasigla sa ating ekonomiya,” he added.
The benefits from the weak peso, however, is offset by the added expense in importing
raw materials and products.A sudden inflation in the
price of petroleum products, which usually triggers a price surge for common goods, may also turn the situation around, though economists and export-ers are not worried by this pos-sibility, the report said.
“If the prices of oil were very high, I’d be worried. But the price of oil is very low. So tataas ang presyo ng oil — so what?” Monsod said.
“Yung inflation basket, maliit na porsyento lang dun ang fuel,” Ortiz-Luis, for his part, said.
The Philippine peso sunk to P50.40:$1 on Friday, though some money exchange shops have rates that go as high as P50.50:$1. As it stands, the current exchange rate means every $100 can be exchanged for P5,000, or P500 higher than the previous rate of P4,500.
According to financial ana-lysts, rising interest rates in the United States and remarks made by US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on another possible interest rate hike in March gave way to the higher rate. (GMA News)February/pB6
SSS/pB7
BUSINESS uardianthe dailyG Western Visayas Most
Read and RespectedB2 Wednesday, March 8, 2017
CORNER OF RIZAL & LOPEZ JAENA STREETS ROXAS CITY, CAPIZ, PHILIPPINES
The public inform that on March 15, 2017, an auction sale will be held at 9:00 a.m.- 10:00 a.m. for all unredeemed jewelries and articles from the month of December 2013 the conditions have expired.
THE MANAGEMENT
Ginapahibalo ang tanan nga sa Marso 15, 2017, may pagahiwaton nga baligyaanay mga alas 9:00 - 10:00 sang aga para sa alahas kag pagkabutang nga wala magawad sang Disyembre 16, 2013, nga sa diin ang mga plasos nga ginsugtan natapos na.
ANG TAGDUMALAHAN
THE government will now try to forge new trade agreements with the United States and other countries, the Depart-ment of Trade and Industry revealed on Mar. 7, 2017, citing the US stand on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
“If the US is not really going to take part in the TPP, for us, I think, the best alternative would be to go for a bilateral with the US,” Trade Assistant Secretary Rafaelita Aldaba said during Arangkada Manufacturing Policy Note briefing in Makati City.
US President Donald Trump pulled out of the TPP, a trade pact linking the United
States and 11 countries.The Philippines earlier said it is open
to joining the TPP, but is likely to put it in the back burner and take a closer look at the possibilities surrounding the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
“The new bilateral FTA (free trade agreement) must have the elements of the TPP,” Aldaba said.
“We’re not looking at an FTA only covering goods. It has to be really the new-age FTAs which would embody both goods, services, along with the other in-ternational standards that are present in
most FTAs,” she added.Among the main areas of trade are gar-
ments and travel goods industries, accord-ing to the trade official.
“There’s a very wide composition un-der these two headings,” she said.
Aside from the US, Aldaba said the Philippines is also negotiating an FTA with the European Union, and other coun-tries such as Chile.
“Our goal is to be able to finish and conclude RCEP and for the Philippines to be able to forge additional FTAs with oth-er countries like Chile,” she said. (GMA News)
FOR THE seventh year in a row, Filipino consumers have main-tained that they still prefer Whirlpool as their brand of choice in washing machines.
This year, Whirlpool is once again distinguished with the Ul-timate Seal of Consumer Approval as one of the Most Trusted Brands for Household Products for the Washing Machine Cate-gory in the Reader’s Digest Asia’s Trusted Brand 2017 Awards.
Since its launch in 1999, the Reader’s Digest Asia Trusted Brands built a solid reputation as the premier consumer-based survey in Asia, providing an objective and reliable reference for consumers throughout the region. Achieving the Reader’s Digest Asia Trusted Brands status is a genuine recognition of consumer approval as the survey reflects consumers’ choice of their most trusted brands among the thousands available in the market.
“To be recognized by the Filipino consumers as one of the most trusted brands in the market through this award simply fills us with gratitude and pride. To be able to sustain this trust further validates Whirlpool’s commitment as a brand to bring only high-quality and energy-efficient products to help make the lives of Filipino families more delightful,” said Joy Catiis-Cruz, Market-ing Manager of Whirlpool in the Philippines.
Since 1911, Whirlpool has distinguished itself as a brand designed for families. Every Whirlpool product has been me-ticulously made with the family in mind, providing outstanding quality, unparalleled durability and advanced technology. No other appliance brand in the world has the trusted legacy that Whirlpool has been able to achieve in over 100 years, and that trust extends not only to its washing machine products but to the rest of its product line which consists of refrigerators, freezers, microwave ovens, washers and dryers, inverter air conditioners and cooking appliances.
To know more about Whirlpool, you may visit their website at www.whirlpool.com.ph or follow their official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WhirlpoolPhilippines.
SEOUL/CHICAGO — South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have limited imports of US poultry after the United States detected its first case this year of avian flu on a com-mercial chicken farm, South Korea’s govern-ment and a US trade group said on Monday.
South Korea will ban imports of US poul-try and eggs after a strain of H7 bird flu virus was confirmed on Sunday at a chicken farm in Tennessee, South Korea’s agriculture ministry said.
Japan and Taiwan will block poultry from the state, while Hong Kong will restrict im-ports from the Tennessee county where the in-fected flock was located, said James Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, a trade group.
The limits will reduce the potential for major US chicken companies, such as Tyson Foods Inc. and Pilgrim’s Pride, to sell poultry overseas.
The Tennessee farm infected with avian flu was contracted to sell birds to Tyson.
South Korea’s import ban took effect on Monday, the agriculture ministry said in a statement. Live poultry and eggs are subject to the ban, while heat-treated chicken meat and egg products can still be imported, the state-
ment noted.South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest econo-
my, has been importing eggs from the United States as its worst-ever bird flu, or avian in-fluenza (AI), outbreak has tightened the coun-try’s egg supplies.
So far this year South Korea has shipped in nearly 1,049 tons of US eggs, according to ministry data, accounting for more than 98 percent of its total egg imports as of March 3.
Sumner said South Korea’s decision to prohibit shipments of US shell eggs was dis-appointing. Its move to continue imports of certain processed egg products was “good because Korea’s got this terrible AI problem and they were definitely in need of eggs,” he said.
South Korea resumed US poultry imports in June last year after imposing a ban in early 2016 when bird flu cases were detected in the United States.
The resumption of the US import ban means South Korea can import chicken meat from Brazil, Chile, Australia, Canada, the Philip-pines and Thailand.
Live poultry imports are limited to farm birds from New Zealand, Australia and Can-ada. (Reuters)
FLAG carrier Philippine Air-lines on Mar. 6, 2017 said its foregone revenues due to the canceled flights during the maintenance shutdown of the Tagaytay radar will only be “negligible.”
“Majority of our passengers opted to rebook to the next available flight which means their payment is still with our system. If we’re talking about loss of revenue, ito ‘yung mga nag-refund, but that is negli-gible,” said Cielo A. Villaluna, PAL spokesperson, according to a report on Unang Balita on Tuesday.
To recall, PAL and other lo-cal carriers had to cancel over 100 flights each starting March 6 until March 11 due to the maintenance shutdown of the air traffic radar in Tagaytay.
The Civil Aviation Author-ity of the Philippines (CAAP) earlier said that flights during the period have to be reduced as a result of the upgrade and maintenance works in the ra-dar facility. (GMA News)
PLDT Inc.’s net income continued to decline 2016, as revenues declined and the cost of shifting its business to digi-tal services piled up.
The company reported core net in-come of P27.9 billion last year, down 21 percent from the previous year. It was
also the third straight year of decline.Net income attributable to share-
holders reached P20 billion from P22 billion in 2015, the company told the stock exchange.
Consolidated service revenues fell 3 percent to P147.6 billion, PLDT said.
“We faced very tough tests in the past year as competition intensified and the shit to digital services accelerated. Our results reflect the impact of these challenges, but also point to us the way forward,” PLDT Inc Chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.
Pangilinan said he expected PLDT to recover in profitability this year, tar-geting a six-percent growth in recur-ring core net income to P21.5 billion.
PLDT Inc shares were up 0.2 per-cent to P1,473 at noon Tuesday. (ABS-CBN News)
LIFE AFTER TPP
PHL eyes new bilateral deals with US, other countries
Foregone revenues due to radar shutdown ‘negligible’ —PAL
Whirlpool is most trusted brand in the Philippines Asian nations restrict US
poultry imports over bird flu
PLDT net income continues slide on digital shift
WHERE TO DINEuardianthe dailyG Western Visayas Most
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EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF THE LATE JOSE
ROEVEL JESENA SANGRADORNotice is hereby given that the estate of the late
JOSE ROEVEL JESENA SANGRADOR who died intestate on June 07, 2016 was extrajudicially settled among his heirs, and that the estate of the deceased has been the subject of an Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate, Notarized before JORGE VINCENT LACSON ACOLOLA, on October 21, 2016, a notary public of California, Los Angeles County whose notarization and commission is authenticated by Philippine Consul REA G. ORETA of the Consulate General of the Republic of the Philippines Los Angeles, on October 21, 2016, as per Service No. 1109; Doc. No. 17158; Page No. 190; Series of 2016.
modity groups:Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
(6.0%)Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and
other Fuels (2.9%)Transport (2.8%)Communication (0.2%)“Inflation for February tipped at 3.3
percent due to higher annual increases in prices of food and non-alcoholic bever-ages,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. said in a separate text message to reporters.
This is the first time inflation accel-erated by more than 3 percent since it notched 3.7 percent in November 2014,
PSA data showed.“This puts the average for the first two
months of the year right at the middle of the Government’s target range, and con-firms our expectations that the monthly path of inflation will move up, and that the average for the year will be within tar-get,” Tetangco said.
The BSP expects inflation to clock in between 2 percent and 4 percent this year.
“As the uptick is in line with forecast, there appears to be no immediate impetus to adjust the stance of monetary policy, but we will remain data dependent in our assessment and forthcoming decisions,”
Tetangco said.Price pressures will likely come from
petitions for higher utility rates and trans-portation fare, as well as the tailwind of the Malampaya maintenance shutdown last month, Tetangco noted.
The central bank is also monitoring the near-term impact of the proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Program and market reactions to the US Federal Reserve and its assessment of the US economy.
“On the downside, we are looking at the growth in the rest of the global econ-omy, which continues to be tentative,” Tetangco said. (GMA News)
approves of Piolo
for sister ShainaMANILA -- Even Vina Morales is in the dark about the real score between Piolo
Pascual and her youngest sister Shaina Magdayao.In a press conference on Monday for her newest album “VINA XXX” under
Star Music, he actress-singer admitted that she is clueless about the status of her sister’s relationship with Pascual.
“Alam mo naman ang kapatid ko napakatahimik din, ‘di masyadong nagkukuwento. Pero sa nakikita ko and in my heart, they really have big respect for each other. They really get along well. I don’t know what they have but I know that they care for each other. They are always there for each other when they need someone to talk to,” Morales told reporters.
She also described Pascual as “a very good person” with “a very good heart.”“Wala po akong masabing hindi maganda sa kanya and to his
family. Napakabait nila kay Shaina and Piolo, he’s so nice to Shaina,” Morales said.
“Kung maging brother-in-law ko siya, he is very welcome. Sino ba naman ako para i-stop ang kanilang
pagmamamahalan, yung respeto nila sa isa’t isa at pagsasama? I always have big respect for Piolo at kung saan masaya ang kapatid ko na sa nakikita ko ay happy naman siya sa sitwasyon, so I respect that,” she added.
As a sister, Morales said she will just be there to guide and support Magdayao.
Last month, Pascual announced that he and Magdayao have been “exclusively dating” for five years now. He even described his relationship with
the actress as “something that we value, something that we treasure and we appreciate.” Magdayao, however, downplayed the news by saying
that she doesn’t want to label their relationship.“Just for the record, he is free to date anyone he wants, the
same way I’m free to date anyone I want,” she said. (ABS-CBN News)
uardianthe dailyG Western Visayas Most
Read and Respected COMMUNITY B7Wednesday, March 8, 2017
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESSIXTH JUDICIAL REGIONREGIONAL TRIAL COURT
CLERK OF COURT & EX-OFFICIO SHERIFFPROVINCE OF ILOILO
LIFEBANK – A RURAL BANK(formerly known as LIFEBANK RURAL BANK OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL FORECLOSUREMAASIN (ILOILO), INC.) (NOTARIAL)Mortgagee, (Under Act 3135 as Amended) CASE NO. NF-1575-17
-versus-
SPS. CESARIO S. FORTUNA and LEONILA P. FORTUNA,represented by their atty.-in-fact RHODORA F. CORONADO,Mortgagors,x-----------------------------------------------------------------------------x
NOTICE OF SALE AT PUBLIC AUCTIONUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by
LIFEBANK – A RURAL BANK (formerly known as LIFEBANK RURAL BANK OF MAASIN (ILOILO), INC.), a corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the Philippine Laws, with principal office at Bypass Road, Brgy. Duyan-Duyan, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, Philippines, Mortgagee, against SPS. CESARIO S. FORTUNA and LEONILA P. FORTUNA, through their atty.-in-fact RHODORA F. CORONADO, of legal age, Filipino, and a resident of Brgy. Tiring, Cabatuan, Iloilo, Philippines, Mortgagors, to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of January 9, 2017 amounted to Two Hundred Twenty Five Thousand Four Hundred Sixteen Pesos and 68/100 (Php 225,416.68) Philippine Currency, including interest but excluding penalty charges and expenses, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned Ex-Officio Sheriff of Iloilo and Notary Public will SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION on April 4, 2017 at ten (10) o’clock in the morning or soon thereafter at the Office of the Clerk of Court, RTC, Hall of Justice, Bonifacio Drive, Iloilo City, to the HIGHEST BIDDER, for CASH or MANAGER’S CHECK and in Philippine Currency, the mortgage property/ies with all its improvement, to wit:
TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-183625“A parcel of land (Lot 547-F, Psd-06-047365), being a portion of Lot 547,
Iloilo Cad. 28), situated in the Brgy. of Tiring, Mun. of Cabatuan, Prov. of Iloilo, Island of Panay. x x x containing an area of THREE HUNDRED TWENTY NINE (329) Square Meters, more or less.
All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date. In the event the public auction will not take place on the said date, it shall be held on April 11, 2017, at the same time and place without further notice and republication.
Prospective buyers/bidders may investigate for themselves the certificate of title/s and the encumbrances thereon, if any there be. Let this Notice of Sale at Public Auction be published and posted in accordance with provisions of the law.
Iloilo City, Philippines, February 03, 2017.
(sgd.)Atty. Brian T. Gayanilo (sgd.) Atty. Gerry D. Sumaculub Notary Public Clerk of Court & Ex-Officio Sheriff
By Leonard T. Pineda i
THE PHILIPPINE Information Agency (PIA) encouraged Ilonggos to know more about the ASEAN (Association of South-east Asian Nations) community and how it benefits them.
In the launching of the PIA information kiosk last March 4, 2017 at the SM City-Iloilo Events Center, PIA Director Gen-eral Harold Clavite said it will be benefi-cial for Filipinos to learn more about the ASEAN community.
“Ano ba ang ASEAN sa buhay natin? Kaya kami may brochures, flyers, nag-
tatayo ng kiosks sa mga matataong lugar para may impormasyon kayong makuha,” he said.
The PIA-Western Visayas put up two information kiosks in Iloilo; one is situ-ated at the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, and the other is at SM City Iloilo in Mandurriao district here.
“Inaanyayahan natin ang lahat na mag-basa, magtanong tungkol sa ASEAN, kung ano ang importansya nito at ang impact nito sa ating mga buhay,” Clavite said.
He said that the ASEAN community is growing big in terms of economy and in
terms of activities happening in between and among member-countries.
Clavite also said that ASEAN citi-zens have enjoyed privileges made possible by the organization including improved physical connectivity, insti-tutional linkages, and people-to-people interaction.
He added that 2017 is an important year for ASEAN because it is celebrating its 50th founding anniversary.
It also coincides with the Philippine chairmanship which banners the theme “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World”. (PIA-Iloilo)
A TOTAL of 45 participants from 21 municipalities, two universities and DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Offices (PENRO) and Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices (CENRO) personnel attended the 1-day workshop on Sustainable Integrated Area De-velopment (SIAD) for the consolidation of the Jalaur River Basin Plan.
The workshop was spearheaded by DENR-PENRO Iloilo at Madison Hotel, Delgado St., Iloilo City recently.
The SIAD structure offers significant opportunities through ecological and economic aspects. SIAD aids in developing an approach to eradicate poverty and also integrates the national programs and initiatives.
Jalaur River Basin is one of the priority sites that are to be developed since this has a strong ecotourism potential where the communities in the area will be involved and will benefit both ecologically and economically. (DENR-6)
SAY no To ToBAcco Wardens and regional staff of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology VI with Senior Inspector Marie Charryl Jamolo (seated, 3rd from left) attend the recent tobacco control network meeting spearheaded by the Department of Health in Western Visayas. Anti-smoking advocacy in jails is a serious business. (J. Britanico/BJMPVICRS)
‘Know more about ASEAN’Youth have more to learn about ASEAN
Workshop for Jalaur River basin plan
By Leonard T. Pineda i
THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) com-munity provides a haven of opportunities to harness the im-mense potential of the youth in the region.
Krezyl Joyce Pugna, National Youth Commission (NYC) Iloilo area officer, said that it is vital for the youth, particu-larly the Ilonggos, to build their awareness on the ASEAN.
“They play an important role in further strengthening co-operation among the ten member-countries,” she said.
According to the website of the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative (YSEALI), approximately 65 percent of people in the ASEAN region are under the age of 35.
She said that the young generation could play a signifi-cant role by sharing their stories of hopes, aspirations, and feedback towards building a forward-looking ASEAN Com-munity.
“The youth could contribute so much in attaining the goal of ASEAN,” she said.
With her experiences in various fellowships and initiatives in Southeast Asia including the YSEALI Generation: ASEAN Education for the 21st Century in Bangkok, Thailand some years back, Pugna said that youth should look beyond them-selves, see the needs of their communities, and work together towards building a stronger ASEAN.
“There are various programs that the youth can take part such as the SSEAYP (Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program) which promotes friendship and mutual un-derstanding among the youth in the region,” she said.
She said that the youth at present are beset with issues and challenges such as lack of education and employment oppor-tunities.
However, she said that the youth are also implementing ini-tiatives and projects that can help address these challenges.
Pugna also said that Iloilo’s hosting of various meetings for ASEAN 2017 can help elevate public awareness on what ASEAN is.
The city will be hosting the 22nd Senior Officials Meet-ing and the 17th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Coun-cil (ASCC) Meeting from March 6 to 9 and the 3rd ASEAN Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Good Regulatory Practice Network Meeting from March 14 to 15. (PIA-Iloilo)
“We are pleased to announce to our pensioners that the P1,000 additional benefit is now ready for withdrawal in their respective bank accounts while the remaining ret-roactive amount will be received in the next two Fridays of March (10 and 17).” Dooc said.
“The SSS will continue to find ways to make our pension fund vi-able so it can continuously serve its current and future members in perpetuity,” Dooc added.
Based on the program re-run conducted by the pension fund’s Information and Systems Depart-ment, more than P2.04 billion were already deposited in the pensioners’ bank accounts which are ready for withdrawal on the announced date.
The P1,000 additional benefit
for SSS pensioners was approved by President Rodrigo Duterte last Jan 10 while the order authorizing the release was signed last Feb 22.
All retirees, survivors and per-manent disability pensioners will receive the P1,000 additional ben-efit, which also covers all future SSS pensioners.
SSS earlier estimated that around P6.9 billion is allotted for the release of the additional P1,000 benefit for the first quarter alone. This is on top of the P7.4 billion released per month since January 2017 for regular benefits.
More than 2 million SSS pen-sioners are expected to receive the initial additional benefit. The num-ber of pensioners is expected to in-crease by about 350,000 next year.
as t-shirts, food keepers, ballers and free pan de sal from Sweet Treats and Mama Tina misua.
Raffle items were also up for grabs, including gift certificates from The Fitness Hub and Floyd’s Famous BBQ; assorted Chevrolet items such as USBs, power banks, caps and tumblers.
Under Armor singlets and two Samsung Gear Fit2 watches were given away by Mr. Peter Po, GrandCars, Inc. chairman.
The foundation would like to thank their sponsors es-pecially Chevrolet-Iloilo, Metrobank, Philchema, Pedi-atrica Inc., Davies Paints Philippines, Magic Touch Print Shop, Inc., Amazing Planet and exclusive media partner, The Daily Guardian for making this event successful.
UFI is the corporate social responsibility arm of the La Filipina Uy Gongco Group of Companies which include La Filipina Uy Gongco Corp., Phil. Foremost Milling Corp., Amigo Terrace Hotel and Capiz Sugar Central and is a non-stock, non-profit and non-political organization having adopted 14 public schools to date spread across Iloilo City, Guimaras and Capiz.
sss... from p.1 run... from p.8
B8 Wednesday, March 8, 2017 EventsWestern Visayas Most Read and Respected
uardianthe dailyG
MORE than 1,700 runners gath-ered at the Chevrolet Show-room in Taft North, Man-
durriao, Iloilo City on Feb. 26, 2017 in support of Uygongco Foundation Inc.’s (UFI) 5-kilometer fun run. This is the second run that UFI mounted in partnership with Chevrolet-Iloilo.
The 7th edition of the UFI fun run raised more than P400,000 which will be used to improve the facilities of the foundation’s adopted public schools.
In 2016, the proceeds were allo-cated to the construction of Don Pedro Vasquez Memorial School library in Jordan, Guimaras.
The event kicked off with UFI Exec-utive Director Pia Gan-Uygongco wel-coming and thanking the participants.
Dinagyang 2017’s second runner-up, Tribu Ilonganon of Jalandoni Memorial National High School (an
adopted school of UFI), provided an eye-catching performance aside from the warm-up zumba dance by students of the same school.
Children, parents, teachers, seniors, running enthusiasts, and employees from the government and non-govern-ment sectors gathered at the starting point of the 5-kilometer route.
In less than 30 minutes, the top run-ners finished the race and received prizes for both the male and female category.
For the male category, Aden Doro-nilla bagged first place followed by Edmark Galapin and Jero Jaro.
For the female category, Abegail Odelmo received first place with Al-exandra Ganzon in second and Jacque Rose Lamparero in third.
Special awards were also given to Joruss Delgado, 9 years old, as the first youngest finisher and Thaddeuse Gua-
dalope, 57 years old, as the first oldest finisher.
Tri-Active Team was the first team to finish together and Philippine Foremost Milling Corp. was cited for having the most number of registrants from the La Filipina Uy Gongco Group of Companies.
The Winners received cash prizes, medals, Mama Tina gift packs, Amigo Segurado pasta and sauce, La Filipina canned goods, Yakult gift packs and a gift certificates from Beauty Essentials Facial Care Center.
Company mascots “Maxi” from Ex-cel Feeds, “Colby” from La Filipina, Davies Paints “Sun & Rain” and “Col-or Factory Paints” and “Lactobacil-lus” of Yakult also graced the event to entertain the runners and congratulate them at the finish line.
All finishers received freebies such
RUN for theBy VicToria anne c. SuLLiVanUygongco Foundation Inc.
THe team behind the run, UFI staff with German volunteers TrI-Active Team is the first group to finish the run
A YoUnG runner wins a Samsung Gear Fit2 during the raffle by GrandCars, Inc. Chairman Peter Po and Philippine Foremost Milling Corp. Vice-President for Trade Feeds Terence Uygongco
mAScoTS congratulate the winners at the finish line
fUn rUn Mascots “Maxi” from Excel Feeds, Davies Paints “Sun & Rain” and “Color Factory Paints” and “Lactobacillus” of Yakult. “Colby” from La Filipina also joined the runners.
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