NEWS: Flexi fare ordinance not yet acted upon – Rellon

oct 21

Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon said yesterday that the City Council as a whole has not yet acted upon the proposed executive-initiated ordinance putting as flexible the motorcycle fare based on the current prices of gasoline.

“We are still waiting for it,” he said in an interview at Tahanan ng Punong Lalawigan, the official residence of the governor inside the Capitol complex at Mankilam, Tagum City where guests, mediamen and provincial officials with Press Secretary Jesus Dureza took their lunch after the holding of local National Press Club activities yesterday.

Last October 8 the new measure passed the first reading and was referred to the committees of laws and of public facilities.

On the other hand, as to what is dubbed as urban poor ordinance, he said that its proponent Councilor Nicandro “Nickel” Suaybaguio has still to fully introduce the measure.

Observers earlier said that Suaybaguio’s measure may yet draw another controversy as it plans to suspend for five years the issuance of approval of permits and requirements to urban poor housing.

Last week, the city’s purok ordinance on motion for reconsideration was junked anew by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for being “legally infirmed”.

Under the proposed ordinance entitled “An Ordinance Imposing the Regulation of Fare Rates of Motorized Tricycles for Hire (MTH) of the City of Tagum” fare rates would vary based on the set schedule.

If gasoline prices per liter (gpl) range P20 to 29.99 it will have P6 for regular fare and P4 for student or senior citizen; P30 to P39.99 gpl- P7 regular fare, P5 student/senior citizen; P40 to 49.99 gpl- P8 regular fare, P6 student/senior citizen; P50 to P59.99 gpl- P9 regular fare, P7 student/senior citizen; P60 to P69.99 gpl- P10 regular fare, P8 student/senior citizen; P70 to P79.99 gpl- P11 regular fare, P9 student/senior citizen; P80 to P89.99 gpl- P12 regular fare, P10 student/senior citizen; P90 to P99.99 gpl- P13 regular fare, P11 student/senior citizen; and P100 and above gpl- P14 regular fare, P12 student/senior citizen.

The fare rates are good for the first three kilometers of the Central District from where the passenger originated, and would have an additional of P1 for every kilometer or every fraction thereof. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: allan rellon, councilor suaybaguio, tagum, tagum city, tagum city councilors, tagum city flexi fare, tagum city hall, tagum councilors, tagum urban poor , tagum city councilors, tagum flexi fare ordinance, tagum tricycle fare, vice mayor allan rellon

OPINION: Too high a budget for “paperless legislation”

Prices of computer nowadays are dropping. It’s different before, 5 or 10 years ago, when acquiring a computer was considered a rare luxury. Appliance stores in Davao City and Tagum City then made so much a killing for profit by selling slow-speed computers at so expensive price through installments.

Now you can buy a computer set at P5,000. It’s a surplus though but it works for the novice and practicing, kids and youths who are not addicted to top speed RAN online game and its ilk, say it’s only for encoding, web research and small games (not the one the needs 1 gigahertz of processor and 1 gigabytes of memory, that’s so fast at these specs).

With the fast rate of computer innovations and production of new brands and products at much improved performance and more features, as well as the stiff competition of computer makers while chip and parts makers are vast for computer assembly industry, computer imports are ever coming to the country inevitably decreasing computer prices. It’s like the cellphones.

Try online search in Davao City stores, the usual source of supplier in Davao del Norte and Comval local government units for the product and you’ll see good, fast brand new laptops having a capacity of 1 GHz processor and 1 GB of memory, which are so fitted to for the city councilors and vice mayor eyeing to have “paperless legislation” next year priced lower. Say an HP Compaq Presario or Acer, both with 512 RAM, priced at P35,000. That’s fair and modest budget, although one could now buy a fairly fast WIFI (wireless) capable laptop at P25,000 nowadays.

But we’ll stick to P35,000-worth laptop that’s already so good for our city councilors. At this budget multiplied by the number of Tagum City councilors plus the vice mayor and the secretariat or 14, and add P200,000 for the two servers, peripherals and for the licenses of operating systems so the greedy software business alliance cohorts of Bill Gates will not run after the City Hall, and what we have as modest and practical budget for Tagum SP “paperless legislation” is a little over the half of the planned P1.5 million budget as proposed by Councilor Rey Salve. That’s too high a budget Kons.

An P800,000 budget is already so good and cool budget to our estimate.
There’s actually no training seminar in other venues needed there. What is important is that the city IT department first set up the networking cables, and conduct hands-on training, dry run for the city councilors right at SP hall after the goods arrived. And that’s it. Meantime, Councilor Inting Eliot could have all the time learning the sophistication of his laptop at home with an apo at his side. There’s actually no so much fuss and grand in implementing a “paperless legislation”. And the balance of P700,000 that is squeezed out could as well be infused to the La Filipina public cemetery for our beloved deads to be happy. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: allan rellon, tagum, tagum city, tagum city councilors, tagum city hall, tagum paperless legislation , la filipina cemetery, tagum city councilors, tagum city officials, vice mayor allan rellon

NEWS: Mayor Cee O: “No cause for alarm”

On rise of killings in Tagum

oct 14

Tagum Mayor Rey Chiong Uy in a report of DXDN Radyo Ukay in Tagum early morning yesterday said that the city’s statistics on killings reported by the police “is no cause for alarm” adding that that those “salvaged” or killed were bad elements in the society, “mga kawatan, holdupper, snatcher, akyat bahay… so walay dapat ikaalarma.”

Asked in an exclusive field interview the other day by Ruel Dagsangan, anchor of Radyo Ukay’s early morning newscast program, the mayor added that the city in fact had been banking on its good peace and order situation in receiving continuing confidence from people for its continuing development.

In the same Radyo Ukay report, Vice Mayor Allan Rellon condemned extrajudicial killings in the city saying that the “root cause of the problem” should be addressed to in an effort of helping the police solve it.

The mayor’s and vice mayor’s statements came close to the heels of provincial police reports on the rise of crimes against persons particularly shooting incidents in the city that accounted the bulk in the reported cases throughout Davao del Norte.

Provincial police director PSSupt. Benelito Bianzon bared a total of 54 shooting incidents from January to October 10 in the city last Friday’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s human rights committee hearing-inquiry initiated by Boardmember Antonio Lagunzad, the committee chairman.

The crime statistics included the still unresolved slaying of long-time serving former Mankilam barangay captain and kagawad Noel dela Cruz.

PSSupt. Bianzon however that police has solved 23 crimes and a lot of petty crimes like stabbing, hacking and others and recovered many loose firearms in their Operation Kapkap.

But he also bared on increasing death threats which he said the police has been meeting difficulties in responding to all requests for protection considering the limited number of police personnel.

In that committee hearing, the police director admitted difficulties and loose ends in stemming off the rising crime index in the city primarily owing to the lack of police personnel to secure the high city population even as he said that the province is still generally peaceful.

He called on for active civilian support while asserting that police has all been doing its work to secure the populace.

Also in that hearing, Bianzon downplayed reports on the presence of death squad operating in the city, but he admitted the police is looking into reports on hired killers. PSSupt. also cited various causes and motives in the rise of shooting incidents in the city.

The hearing led to various initial proposals in addressing the problem of criminality which the SP committee had documented.

Boardmember Lagunzad said that extrajudicial killing is a human rights violation and vowed to continue his committee’s probe. He planned to conduct activities with barangay officials to address the problem.

Also present during last Friday’s committee hearing-inquiry held at Lakan’s Place were Boardmembers Jose Recarido Federiso, Ely Dacalus, Artemio San Juan, Salvador Royo, and SK federation president Dennis Café, Tagum City police chief PSupt. Dario Gunabe, CIDG-Davao del Norte provincial director PSupt. Rowena Garma, and some members of the family of the slain Dela Cruz who shared their fearful plight to the committee. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: CIDG-Davao del Norte Police Supt. Rowena Garma, PSSupt. Benelito Bianzon, Tagum police chief Dario Gunabe, allan rellon, board member larry caminero, boardmember artemio san juan, boardmember ely dacalus, boardmember jose recarido federiso, boardmember salvador royo, boardmember tony lagunzad, mayor rey uy, police supt gunabe, rellon, tagum city crimes rise, tony lagunzad , boardmember tony lagunzad, CIDG-Davao del Norte provincial director PSupt. Rowena, killings crimes in tagum city, mayor rey chiong uy, Tagum City police chief PSupt. Dario Gunabe, vice mayor allan rellon

A statesman’s act of VM Rellon

VIEWS

July 23

It really commendable that Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon played it cool in addressing the issue of zero major legislation that have unruffled some feathers in the City Council. Certainly, there’s grace and poise in him although under pressure in facing the issue based on an honest admission: that public officials have to be reminded when they failed. Rellon’s response to the press is verily also a true leader-statesman’s act, no wonder that he was seeing already places like the Great Wall of China and other isles across the four seas while even young.

His is also verily unlike to the onion-skinned in government who think that public coffers, nay even public records are privately theirs and therefore need to be concealed even if the real test of award-winning governance comes with how you respect, appreciate, nurture and better still institutionalize democracy, transparency and accountability at the heart of productivity, efficiency and effectivity in public service.

Rellon’s leadership aura should better exude to those who want to forsake opportunities and channels of communication of the people to say something for their elected leaders. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: allan rellon , rellon, tagum city sp, taugm vice mayor

NEWS: VM Rellon: “City Council’s many legislations are not yet uploaded in the website”

By Cha Monforte

july 22

Tagum City Vice Mayor Allan Rellon has played it cool in responding to the charge that the present City Council has not produced a single major legislation, saying even that he thanked the local press for letting them know of the oversight that the many ordinances made by the present councilors since they started their term July 1 last year have not yet been uploaded in the City Hall’s website.

Sidlak yesterday bannered the story that based on the posting of the city’s well-updated website on http://www.tagumcity.gov.ph, it appears that the present City Council including the previous two councils have a lackluster performance in legislating hard ordinances.

“The city website is not yet updated,” he said in an interview with Sidlak at his office yesterday.

The vice mayor said that “in fairness to the City Council” he has called the attention of the Information Technology division to make immediate update of the website with the output of the present councilors.

Earlier in the morning, Sidlak office in Tagum City has also received eight issues of biannual Sanggunian Digest magazine from years 2005 to 2007 delivered by a personnel from the Vice Mayor’s Office.

The issue of zero major legislation has reportedly stirred nerves of several councilors during yesterday’s session.

One councilor had even sent a text message to a member of the media community in the city reminding that Sidlak missed his ordinance that is already benefiting a lot of city scholars on vocational and technical education.

At presstime, Sidlak has yet to browse and gauge though the ordinances enacted by the present councilors based on the Sanggunian Digest magazine. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: allan rellon , allan rellon, tagum sp