OPINION: Like copra price today

BLOGISTA
By Cha Monforte

dec 22

If Tagum’s flexi-fare ordinance will be followed to the liter, err letter, the fare cut of P7 should have been effected sometime a month ago. On Saturday, Mayor Rey Uy and the City Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board officers led by Atty. Roland Tumanda agreed in a meeting to effect the P7 minimum fare from the latest P8 by January 2. That’s still within the Holiday and classes will resume by January 5, Monday. It’s good enough and it’s still one big Christmas gift for Tagumenyos.

The flexi-fare ordinance is now showing to be novel piece of legislation that relates with the changes of the world, particularly the international oil price that has been affecting Filpinos since then. Tagumenyos are also worth for their due if oil prices are falling. It’s a legislation with built-in reflex mechanism adjustible to the workings of the market.

It appears now that the City Hall is putting up sort of implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the flexi-fare ordinance. While it chooses the CTFRB as the fare setter, the chief executive being the man on top of all City Hall layers and bodies has the final say and Saturday’s meeting is right process, to consult also the affected sector, the pedicabbers. After that, the corresponding CTFRB board resolution is a foregone conclusion to legally implement the second fare cut. What about the habal-habals? They have been adjusting by P2 to P5 over the tricycle fare in the two fare movements. When the tricycle fare was increased to P10 from P7, habal-habal drivers also increased and collected P15 from their usual P10. Today’s P8 fare is countered by habal-habal fare of P10. Sineswerte talaga ang mga colorum habal-habals. But it seems the usual market force determines the habal-habal fare rates in the city.

Without the de facto IRR on the flexi-fare ordinance, the order of the day under this flexible regime could be riotous. Fare decrease or increase isn’t automatically dependent on current gasoline rates after all. But such could be remedied possibly if the City Hall mounts electronic billboard in strategic corners in the city informing the current gasoline prices and the price average as a yardstick, as well as the City Hall-set tricycle fare. I don’t know if the jacking up of crude and gasoline prices in gas stations in the city above the levels in Panabo and Davao City has been addressed already by Councilor Mylene Baura. Or her probe was just for media op?

Anyway, the unsolicited advice to make the flexi-fare fully operational and automatic is a mounting of electronic billboard, like the basketball scoreboard, stating the fare akin to the copra buyer’s notice on his buying price with words “COPRA PRICE TODAY:P__”, no resecada. In the Tagum City Hall case today, this would be: “TRICYCLE FARE TODAY: P8″. Perhaps Councilor Rey Salve could be a devil’s advocate for this.

BLOGBUZZ: The Panabo legislative department, they say last week, is too over security conscious. During sessions, in its door, there’s that bully who flag down and ask visitors of their purpose in entering the gallery of the session hall. Inside, there’s one sitting cop and a sergeant at arms who watches the faces of entering visitors. Inside the gallery, there’s another who hangs on and looks over the crowd with suspicions. Mediamen are prevented from taking photos of the session inside but only in the glass-enclosed gallery. People entering the Panabo City Hall are earlier thoroughly checked by the security guards and SCU at the front main gate. They say na-OA na ang security details for Panabo session hall during sessions. Such SOP is driving the public from listening the session and getting public records in its rawest verbal forms. We don’t know yet if Vice Mayor James Gamao throws this OA security details intentionally. It’s only in Panabo and not found in Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley and elsewhere. (For online edition, visit my blog at: http://cha4t.wordpress.com, for comments and reactions, text 09069104553, e-mail: chamonforte@yahoo.com)

Filed under: panabo city hall, panabo news, panabo vice mayor james gamao, tagum city councilor mylene baura, tagum city councilor rey salve, tagum councilors, panabo city hall, panabo news, panabo vice mayor james gamao, tagum city councilor mylene baura, tagum city councilor rey salve, tagum councilors

NEWS: Tagum dads withhold persona non grata verdict to NDC-Tagum execs

After three snubs

nov 4

Majority of the Tagum City councilors in their session yesterday morning have decided to give one more week for the officials of the controversy-wracked North Davao College-Tagum Foundation, Inc to refute and prove why they should not be declared persona non grata and their licenses and accreditations not revoked after snubbing for three times the city council invitations to appear on their sessions and hearing.

The NDC-Tagum officials led by the school’s dean of the college of nursing Dr. Roberto Palec were already present yesterday in the session hall but they were not called in during the question hour and remained seated until the session adjourned.

Also several complaining nursing graduates and their parents were present as reported in the live coverage of DXDN Radyo Ukay-Tagum City.

They have been up in arms against the NDC school administration for allegedly requiring nursing graduates to take first a P10,000-worth nursing review and P7,000-worth mock board examination at the school before their credentials could be issued to them.

Instead, the committee report of the committee whole was read to apprise the audience on the recommendation of passing seven proposed resolutions that ostensibly sanctions the school that could potentially lead to its closure.

The report narrated the grounds and failure of the school officials to respond to the invitations of the city council in their sessions and committee meetings and hearings.

It said that even the NDC’s reply letter with scarce reasons and signatories reached the City Hall already lapsed of the Oct. 28 deadline imposed by the city council.

Among the recommendations heard were the proposed resolutions declaring the school officials persona non grata in the city, urging the city mayor for the revocation of the school’s affiliation to the city, demanding for the refund of the collected P10,000 fees for nursing review and the P7,000 fees for the mock board examinations, recommending to the Center of Higher Education (Ched) for the non-renewal of the school’s accreditation in its nursing course, and demanding for the release of the school credentials to the complaining nursing graduates.

Councilor Joey Millan reiterated yesterday the committee of the whole’s recommendations.

The committee met last Thursday, Oct 30 at 5:00 P.M. at the vice mayor’s office. Present were

Councilors Millan, Mylene Baura, Vicente Eliot Sr, Joedel Caasi, Nicandro Suaybaguio, Francisco Remitar and ABC President Alfredo Pagdilao. Councilor Allan Zulueta was accordingly on official business at that time. Vice Mayor Allan Rellon signed the report.

Millan informed that with the “controlling facts and consistent with the committee report” the city council has already decided and deemed that the NDC officials “have waived their rights to air their side.”

But he said that the resolutions are not yet approved and bared that their consensus is to give seven days to the respondent officials “to refute and show proof” why the city council should not act on the said resolutions.

“The resolutions would still follow the three-reading principle,” he said even as he stressed on the need for due process on theb prodding of Councilor Rey Salve.

Millan then moved to calendar the resolutions in the unfinished business in the next Monday’s regular session. It was unanimously approved.

It also requested for the presence of Ched representatives and the complaining nursing graduates and parents (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: tagum city, tagum city hall, tagum councilors, tagum, tagum vice mayor allan rellon, tagum councilor joey millan, tagum councilor rey salve, tagum councilor mylene baura, tagum councilor vicente eliot sr, tagum councilor joedel caasi, tagum councilor nicandro suaybaguio, tagum councilor francisco remitar and tagum councilor A, ndc-tagum, tagum nursing graduates controversy, dr. roberto palec, dxdn radyo ukay tagum, tagum, tagum city, tagum city hall, tagum councilors, tagum councilor nicandro suaybaguio, tagum vice mayor allan rellon, tagum councilor joey millan, tagum councilor rey salve, tagum councilor mylene baura, tagum councilor vicente eliot sr, tagum councilor joedel caasi, tagum councilor francisco remitar and tagum councilor A, ndc-tagum, tagum nursing graduates controversy, dr. roberto palec, dxdn radyo ukay tagum

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

NEWS: Only P9 under flexi fare ordinance for tricycles

At P50 gas price

oct 8

TAGUM CITY- Under the newly proposed flexible fare ordinance, the motorcycle fare at the current gasoline prices above P50 per liter would only be P9 and not the present P10, which was effected just two weeks ago.

City legal officer Roland Tumanda said that under the proposed flexi fare ordinance the P9 fare would be effected if gasoline prices would range P50 to P59 per liter.

He said that the proposed flexi fare ordinance was come up and initiated by Mayor Rey Uy, whom he said has heard and felt of the widespread complaints of the riding public in the city after the delayed implementation of the latest fare increase ordinance.

Atty. Tumanda also said that under the proposed measure it will be already the City Tricycle Franchising and Regulatory Board (CTFRB) which he currently chairs which would adjust the tricycle fare from time to time depending on the current prices of gasoline, and thus tricycle fare adjustment would no longer need the lengthy cycle of  legislative process that reaches up the provincial level including public hearings.

On Monday session of the City Council, the new measure passed the first reading and was referred to the committees of laws and of public facilities.

Vice Mayor Allan Rellon said that today the committees will meet to tackle the executive-initiated measure.

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: tagum city, tagum city hall, tagum city councilors, tagum councilors, tagum, tagum business, Apple Green Policy, tagum sex scandal, tagum city website, davao del norte councilors, tagum tricycle fare, atty roland tumanda, tagum tricycyle fare, tagum city mayor uy

The tricycle fare increase in Tagum City

sept 19

The City Legal Officer Roland Tumanda made the inevitable reason loud and clear to quell murmurs around on the possibillity of holding in abeyance the present P7 motorcycle fare since prices of oil products have been already decreasing over the last two weeks. The increased P10 fare will continue for Tagum City despite the price rollbacks.

Since it’s the Tagum City Federation of Tricycle Transport and Services Cooperative (Tafettrasco) that would be benefited, its act of volunteering to distribute the taripas is a just a natural reaction knowing that tricycle drivers and operators have then been losing when gasoline prices were still about a double of the January price level, as well as due to the unfair competition posed by the colorum habal-habals which have been snatching their passengers in the city’s streets during sunny days.

“Unless the ordinance is amended,” Atty. Tumanda said to belabor a point that the fare could still be decreased to attune with current oil prices.

It’s good that there seems to be a quick price reflex now in the country’s deregulation regime in the oil industry but this positive news about price rollback is so scarce vis-avis the many instances of price increase.

We hope there will also be quick reflex mechanism in our local legislation. It seems to us that on the average it would take us one month and a half to two months before legislation is finally implemented after passing through the local and provincial legislative processes. But we start to count on the date of approval of the ordinance. In particular, the city ordinance on fare increase was unanimously enacted last July 28 and if taripas would be issued today, it takes us a total of one month and 21 days to have it implemented.

However, the delay on this fare increase ordinance seems to occur at the provincial level.

Nevertheless, despite what appear as discreet dilatory processes occurring at the provincial level for this piece of legislation, the city councilors who all voted yes to the ordinance should still be congratulated- for increasing fare at a time of decreasing oil prices. Thanks for the delay.  (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

Filed under: tagum city, tagum city hall, tagum city councilors, tagum councilors, tagum, atty. tumanda, councilor joey millan, councilor francisco remitar, mylene baura, councilor alfredo pagmilao, councilor suaybaguio, councilor allan zulueta, mayor rey uy, tagum tricycle fare increase, atty. tumanda tagum

Heaven forbid

sept 8

The Tagum City Government must let its axe fall now so that, proverbially and immediately, heads will roll down from whoever have condemned the life and future of a young coed in one of the colleges in Tagum City already to perdition and put the honor of her family and relatives in the deep, dark quagmire.

In this video sex scandal, that strikes much the hearts and minds of foremost the parents, especially the mothers who nourished, cared and protected their daughters while they were still on the wombs, “Baby”, the pretty young coed was first victimized by a foreigner chatmate-friend usernamed “Cled”, and doubly victimized by the video taking criminal/s.

We pity “Baby” so much for expressing uncensored and fetish innocence on the command and at the pleasure of a prodding foreigner boyfriend, who has ostensibly lured the pretty coed who is so innocent about the stealth and crimes wrecking havoc and unbridled against privacy, life and future in the cyberspace. Truly, in the age of the Internet we’re in already in a Naked Society that our privacies can just be intruded by use of high technologies at the command of the criminal types of techies, programmers, hackers and their funders.

We are most interested to hear on whether those among the internet cafes in the city have installed this so-called remote access applications that can espy on the activities of their paying users. The charge that Tagum sex video scandal was recorded inside one of the internet cafes in the city using this kind of software is serious and is not only giving mischief to the ones who pay for their hourly rates but also violating the city’s ordinance on internet café regulation as well as laws protecting privacy and the rights of women.

We already heard of the statement of the Internet Café Association of Tagum (ICAT), but while condemning the incident is one and belittling it as an isolated incident is another, but these could not compensate for crime that reaches the scale of the heinous in secretly recording a stripping innocent one, who is countryman of their own, before a sex-maniac foreigner knowing that merely possessing a video of it is already risking the life and future of a young Filipina given the implications of its potential spread to cellphone and cyberspace technologies.

We are not yet accusing here as city authorities are still closing in on for their probe, but most probably the sex video clip of “Baby” was recorded in one of the internet cafes in the city by someone, given that café internet themselves have put up firewalls and deep freeze technologies that blocks and kills viruses, hackers and remote access intruders.

We further say to tell it to the marines the call to stop the further the spread of Tagum sex video as internet café owners themselves pretty know well that a sex video clip once this is uploaded and shared to pornographic sites owned by who else but the satanic maniacs it sticks there til eternity. In this Internet era without bounds and barriers, an upload of one triggers millions of downloads worldwide and it spreads in unknown scale and intensity to thousands and millions of cellphones. While there’s yet no international protocol that sanctions for deletion of files in an Internet populated by billions of websites, against these high technologies, “Baby” is totally helpless in preventing her own sex video from further spreading.

The city government has its own Information Technology department as well as the provincial government can beef up its own IT people to immediately deploy now, based on the city ordinance, to conduct inspection of all the computers in all internet cafes in the city to find out whether remote access applications have been installed, and trace its marks in program files, cookies and logs while from among them they could not yet reformat  and re-install programs in the hard disks of their computers.

The monitors and the police on the other hand should look for the similarities of the settings in the internet cafes as to the physical leads shown in the cubicle used by “Baby”.

Councilor Joey Millan has a point in saying that the city council needs to re-visit the city ordinance on internet café regulation for an amendment.

These and many more, as we don’t want to see that in one day it’s already our own very own daughters that the world in lust have been feasting on til eternity. Heavens forbid. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: tagum councilors, tagum sex scandal, tagum sp, um tagum sex scandal, um sex scandal, um tagum scandal

NEWS: 9:30 PM siren for 10 PM youth curfew mulled in Tagum City

A 9:30 P.M. siren to warn for a proposed 10:00 P.M. curfew for the youths and minors has been proposed at the Tagum City Council in Monday’s session.

In the bid of nipping at the bud the emerging problem of youth gangs in the city, Councilor and ABC president Alfredo Pagdilao proposed for an imposition of 10 P.M. curfew time for the youths and for this a 9:30 P.M. warning siren would be sounded off for the loitering youths and minors to return to their respective homes.

“Beyond 10:00 P.M. dakop na,” Pagdilao said before his colleagues on privilege motion.

But Pagdilao’s proposal immediately met several opposition voices on Monday.

“Unsay iyang gipasabot, di na manan-aw ug kalingawan ang kabataan sa Freedom Park?” (What does he mean, that the youths would no longer watch festivities at the Freedom Park?), said Ryan Subico, a habal-habal driver said.

A source from University of the Mindanao said that Pagdilao’s proposal is “alarmist” besides that it could immediately make “lonely nights” for city.

During yesterday’s session where the existence of youth gangs was tackled, Pagdilao informed his colleagues that his Barangay Magugpo South has been mulling for a 10:00 P.M. curfew time for the minors as they have been apprehensive over reports of youth gangs that are preying on even on minors.

He said that aside from gangs the city has also been facing the problem of drugs engaged by youths.

Pagdilao though did not specify the maximum age among youths who would included in his coming measure.

But Councilor Raymond Joey Millan immediately favored Pagdilao’s proposal as he urged him to pass first a resolution from Pagdilao’s Association of Barangays Councils (ABC) as guide to the city council.

Pagdilao admitted though that youths from his own barangay who are returning late at night have been reasoning out that they come from nightly festivities held at the Freedom Park. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

Filed under: tagum city, tagum city hall, tagum city councilors, tagum councilors, tagum, councilor joey millan, councilor alfredo pagmilao, tagum, tagum city, tagum sex scandal, tagum city council, tagum police

The way it should not be

Blogista

By Cha Monforte

July 24

Local legislation involves passage of resolutions and ordinances. By its two-face character, local legislators such as barangay kagawads, municipal councilors and provincial boardmembers are therefore expected to produce either or both of these local policy instruments. And as expected resolutions which are easier done come to be the mainstay and consist the bulk of the legislations of local legislative councils, not only in Tagum City but as well as to any other sanggunian in the country. Just browse the Internet and lo, we have easy tons of these.

It’s good that the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines is reportedly coming out what the Tagum City Vice Mayor Allan Rellon said as an E-Legis project. Well, it’s an electronic shareware project where important legislations in all city governments would be compiled in one huge database and shared online to the public. We hope a parallel effort will be made for municipal and provincial legislations.

But it still matters most if each city or municipal government will do the act of being transparent. The Tagum City councilors could not have been suspected of having lackluster legislative performance in delivering hard legislations that come out from no-nonsense researches relevant and demanded by the locals if the City Hall official website itself was peppered with updated and all of the city resolutions and ordinances, regardless how recurring and trivial they may be especially when it comes to resolutions. That way the public can know the range and quality of our local legislation and who among our legislators are prolific, industrious and creative, otherwise who among them are swivel-chair deadwoods and lazy. A resolution although easier to be made still entails or shows phases of works of our local legislators such as concept-making, writing, field investigation, coordination and consultation with involved stakeholders, committee hearing and works and finally the introduction, debate if need be, and the passage of the piece of legislation.

But what could differ from the chaff to the grain is the proof of hard legislation that has impact to the local constituents – that which help them, alleviate their plight, open opportunities for their empowerment and welfare, promote the greatest good for the greatest number of the constituents and develop the communities where the local legislators are mandated to serve. They are after all paid of the precious people’s money to legislate and not to do the known three Ps: pungko (sit), paminaw (listen) and pauli (go home). It’s the way it should not be.

BLOGBITS: Comval Boardmember Maricar Zamora-Apsay appears on the offensive. By first declaring she’s running for the 1^st congressional district to fill into the shoes of her father Cong. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora, who is now on his last term, she has pulled a fast one outbidding Vice Gov. Ramil Gentugaya, whom Gov. Chiongkee Uy has earlier described as “most senior than Maricar” in the Lakas-Kampi’s equity of the incumbent policy. That’s from the horse’s mouth but BM Maricar is putting the cart before the horse….Remember that VG Ramil has greater position as vice governor lording over lower boardmembers like BM Maricar. Ramil has 2 terms as BM (1 as SK fed prexy, 1 elected), and 2 terms as VG, so that’s a total of 4. BM Maricar on the otherhand has 1 term as SK fed prexy plus 2 BM terms. Precisely, a greater 4 is not equal to a lower 3…. VG Ramil is no pushover. It hurts to imply: that since BM Maricar is running for congress, she’s not thinking that Ramil will jump from the mammoth Lakas-Kampi ship. Not now when Gov. Chiongkee got the Lakas-Kampi provincial chairmanship. As they say, in the end blood is thicker than water… Belated happy birthday to Gov. Chiongkee who turned 56 the other day (July 22). The gov is younger than Cong. Way Kurat, 58 (November 16, 1950), provincial elder Pros Amatong, 71 (October 18, 1931), former Gov. Joecab, 58 (March 22, 1950), but older than Cong. Bobong Amatong, 47 (October 5, 1961). Forgive the dates, compliments from the net, aside that that’s just for the kongkos and political gatecrashers around…. Nabunturanons innocently got it all wrong for 51 years in celebrating their Araw including yesterday on July 23 on wrong date. Councilor Raul Caballero discovered a new evidence that the real Araw date is June 23, and not July 23. It was June 23, 1957 that Republic Act No. 2038 became a law as certified by the Office of the President Carlos P. Garcia. The law divided the then bigger Compostela town into two – Compostela and Nabunturan. Next year folks we’ll celebrate the Araw on real date- which is June 23 and not July 23 for the sake of correctness and truth. Kons. Raul has made a legacy of truth for his townmates.(For online edition, visit my blog at: http://cha4t.wordpress.com)

Filed under: tagum councilors, tagum scandal, tagum sp