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

Scuds for DavNor SP

BLOGISTA

By Cha Monforte

It seems that the City Council has been sending scuds to the hall of Davao del Norte SP. Last month there was a city ordinance that Tagum’s old political turk Tony Lagunzad detonated for being “vague”.

It was about an NFA lot subjected to a spot zoning and reclassification from agricultural to residential land use. It triggered a verbal ruckus at the SP, and so sooner it blew over to the face of Lagunzad, who was left out in the cold as the inquisitive Boardmember Ely Dacalus abandoned him and joined with the rest present in approving the measure. In the end, Lagunzad abstained. He was so lonely- home alone.

Such verbal wrangling inside the SP of Lakas/Kampi partymates is a portent of things to come even while the Great Tug of War across all DavNor SPs and SBs was not yet evidently coming unlike now after the Cong. Anton’s little subterfuge in the 1st District last week. Maybe there’s already backroom talk in the DavNor SP that Gob. Dolfo and his “eyes and ears” inside the Capitol, chief of all is his politically nosey administrator, have to better watch out.

BM Roger Israel murmured during the verbal tussle between BM Larry Caminero and BM Pol Monteroso over BM “Joe” Federiso’s landmark ordinance on participatory governance three months ago that he was not joining in the fray “kay mahadlok ko makasala”, obviously referring to a political wrath of Gob. Dolfo. “Seguro sa 2009 na,” Israel, the non-Dick, muttered.

Now the scud of the Purok Ordinance stirred the SP anew after it was left to gather dust in one of the SP drawers when it was first quelled from detonating last February. It is over 7 months now when the measure is intentionally- obviously- left to sleep lying on the table. It was not really shelved after Atty. Pasamonte struck the Purok Ordinance down as “legally infirmed” and following the city council resolution asking for its reconsideration.

But after that, nothing was heard, until the SP’s committee of laws chaired by BM Artemio San Juan dropped it like a hot potato to the committee of government and non-government organizations chaired by BM Caminero.

It was not in the dream of BM Caminero that one day he would be presiding a committee hearing attended by lawyers locking their horns over a measure suspected to be politically motivated like the Purok Ordinance and Suaybaguio’s Anti- Urban Poor Ordinance. Such first scud already landed hard on the lap of BM Caminero last Tuesday.

Now, the jaded political observers said that once the Purok Ordinance is enshrined, automatically Yayong Gementiza is emptied of his purok mass base, and if Suaybaguio’s ordinance becomes a reverse landmark piece of legislation, Cong. Arrel Olano, who has no other choice but to run for mayor for a dignified run or retirement, is also emptied of his urban poor mass base. These, while Mayor Rey “Cee O” Uy has his barangay mass base broadened by the mass bases of his most potential contenders in a three-corner mayoral figh by 2010. What a nosey guess of these jaded observers.

It would seem now that these scuds of what they say as “political legislations” are turning out to be seeds of discord between the City Hall and Capitol. The city council might be launching more scuds like rains before 2010, pundits just guess more.

BLOGBUZZ: No mea culpa. I used the word summon in ordinary way, most synonymous to call, and not within the legalese world and word. Well, Comval Boardmember Ruwel Peter Gonzaga last Wednesday delivered his privilege speech to clarify Sidlak’s banner news story on Tuesday about the SP’s plan of summoning (or calling) ex-Gob. Joecab to shed light on the ZTE deal in Diwalwal. He said Sidlak news and Joecab’s reactions were premature as the SP and its environment commitee would still act on the matter. But obvously, from our vantage point, there was already such agreement for a legislative probe, only that it was referred to a committee for final recommendation. The word summon I used was meant for the ordinary and not as a legal parlance… It should be UM Tagum College, and not UM Tagum City which I used in my series of reportage on the city’s own sex scandal. My mea culpa…. I went inside the campus the other day to coordinate for the Rural Urban News policy presentation and press forum next week. A lot of students said that the campus is now back to normal. Thanks. (For online edition, visit my blog at: http://cha4t.wordpress.com)

Filed under: arrel olano, baby suaybaguio, board member larry caminero, boardmember jose recarido federiso, chiong uy, davnor boardmember, davnor capitol, ruwel peter gonzaga, yayong gementiza , arrel olano, bm larry caminero, boardmember israel, boardmember lagunzad, tagum mayor uy, yayong gementiza

NEWS: City Hall, Capitol SPs clash anew over Purok Ordinance

Prospect of delay of more ‘political” city ordinances seen

sept 18

TAGUM CITY- The long pending city ordinance that tries to abolish elections in purok and instead gives the city mayor the power to appoint purok officials has put the City Hall and Capitol to new legal clash as the measure was tackled again by the provincial board the other day.

No less than a battery of five lawyers from the city government were sent and locked horns with lawyers and officials of the provincial government over the controversial City Ordinance No. 270 entitled “An Ordinance Adopting the 2008 Guidelines in the Organization of Purok”.

The ordinance, which also provides for the formation of purok coordinating councils composed of two or more neighboring puroks, has been seen as a “political ordinance” allegedly meant for City Mayor Rey Uy to have “political control” over puroks in the city.

This as Sidlak sources said that legislations of this type coming from the city council are reportedly bound for delay at the provincial board for one reason or another.

This developed as the City Councilor Nicandro Suaybaguio Jr, who was inside the office of his uncle Vice Governor Victorio “Baby” Suaybaguio yesterday said that he is determined to introduce this coming Monday his ordinance stopping urban poor housing for five years in the city, another measure that is currently drawing flak from the urban poor sector.

Sidlak tried but failed to reach the mayor for comment yesterday.
On Tuesday, Boardmember and PCL provincial president Helario Caminero presided over the hearing on the measure by the joint committee on government organizations and non-government organizations which he chaired, and the committee of laws, resolutions and ordinances chaired by Boardmember Artemio San Juan.

Defending the city’s measure were lawyer councilors Allan Zulueta, Rey Salve, Mylene Baura and Joey Millan and City Legal Officer Roland Tumanda, who took turns in insisting for the legal tenability of the said ordinance which the city government had earlier appealed for reconsideration.
The ordinance was transmitted for  confirmation to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan last February but was struck down by former OIC provincial legal officer and provincial prosecutor Ruben Pasamonte as “legally infirmed”.

New provincial legal officer Atty. Jennifer Namoc held on Pasamonte’s grounds the other day.

When the measure reached the SP it was immediately referred to the San Juan’s committee on laws, which subsequently asked for Atty. Pasamonte’s legal opinion.

The measure then sit idly at San Juan’s committee after issuance of Pasamonte’s opinion until two months ago it was referred the measure to Caminero’s commitee.

Caminero said that the joint committee would convene again next week to deliberate the measure less the city council representatives.

Pasamonte described that the ordinance is “legally infirmed” arguing, among others,  that the purok is not a local government unit but a people’s organization for which the city government could not interfere in its affairs.

Her chided the city government as “setting a dangerous precedent of appointing purok coordinators and members of purok coordinating council, which is composed of two or more neighboring puroks, and of providing grounds of suspending or removing them, as he stressed on the tradition of puroks to elect their leaders as “linchpin of democratic and republican framework.”

The City Council in a resolution moved last June for reconsideration invoking that under Pasamonte’s view on the purok as an NGO the more the measure is within the ambit of the Local Government Code of 1991 particularly on the specific provisions giving local government units the right to promote, make arrangements with and give assistance to NGOs, among others.

The ordinance authored by lawyer Councilor Zulueta seeks to make the purok as active partner to development with the city government.
On the other hand, asked for comment, Vice Gov. Suaybaguio said that in his own personal opinion and based on what he recently learned from Davao City it is the barangay council which has the power to legislate on purok matters.

He said though he did not want to preempt the SP saying that the “rule of majority” will decide on the fate of the ordinance.
As to his nephew councilor’s forthcoming ordinance, charged by critics as “anti-poor”, he said he would not inhibit himself if it would reach the halls of the SP citing that his role is only to preside and “break a tie or not break a tie”.

He also said that he does not yet sense that controversial city ordinances are putting strains to the relationship of the city and provincial governments including their officials. “The SP is here to confirm or not”.
Sidlak sources said Governor Rodolfo del Rosario reportedly does not like the idea of stopping urban poor housing as pushed by the young Suaybaguio.

Boardmember Jose Recarido Federiso, in separate interview, said that while there is good intention in the ordinance of giving greater participation to the purok to local governance, it pains to him to see the measure trying to destroy the good administration of his friend Mayor Uy.
He called for modification on the controversial measure. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

Filed under: board member larry caminero , atty. mylene baura, board member caminero, mayor rey chiong uy