Davao Norte governor RDR introduces newest infra legacy

aug 29, 2014

Governor Rodolfo del Rosario has bequeathed another lasting legacy to the big, beautiful province of Davao del Norte with the rise of the new, elegant and homely Provincial General Services Offices (PGSO) Building, his newest throughout his long stint of excellently working as the governor. 

 

The last-termer governor, who will turn 80 years old by Monday, had completed in the recent years notable infrastructure projects like the provincial sports complex, gym, separate buildings for provincial health and disaster risk reduction offices, pasalubong center, Bulwagan ng Kapitolyo and the Tahanan ng Gobernador.

 

He’s been close to four decades serving in elective post in various capacities starting as assemblyman during Marcos time.

 

“It’s a dream come true. It’s an office with home ambiance,” says PGSO department head Sammy Sanchez. 

 

The two-storey building, worth about P7 million, now ostensibly stands southwest of the Capitol compound in Mankilam, Tagum City.

 

It was inaugurated just last August 18, and on the same day, the PGSO people transferred to their exquisite and modern official work station.

 

It is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies such as CCTV system, intercom and internet connectivity. It is an online office, just right in t the digital age, for the being the provincial government’s arm engaged in procurement.

 

If one gets there now, he gets unmistakable cozy feeling and good vibes ooze everywhere inside just as PGSO employees get a high motivation to work and exceed their performance targets. 

 

There’s a welcoming small garden at the left when you set foot on the first level, below the flight of stairs made of narra. Upstairs, a small waiting lobby with the office’s bulletin standing on natured wood carving, and a minimalist yet striking wall decor beside the glass door can impress clients and visitors over the impact of the combined ambiance.

 

The half-cubicle partitions give ease for employees to coordinate each other as clerical and staff works can be seen by standing. It has fresh rest and washing rooms for male and female akin to those in posh hotels. There’s small altar there. 

 

Foremost, its conference room with cushion seats and speakers is superb, where a small conference can be held. It serves for multiple functions, not just for the biddings. The dining room on the ground level is spacious for those bringing baons for their lunch and snacks.  

 

The building houses all the PGSO’s divisions including the civil security unit, and importantly, it is attached to its warehouse.  

Eleven years ago, Sanchez dreamed to have a separate PGSO office to be attached to PGSO warehouse. 

 

“It’s in the warehouse where I have great responsibility,” he said in an interview last Tuesday.

 

 The warehouse is where the provincial government’s supplies and other valuable properties already purchased are stockpiled. 

For 11 years, the PGSO had then been holding office at the second level, near the center-right wing of the main Capitol building.

 

The funding which realized the new building was included in the 2014 General Fund Annual Budget as authorized under the Provincial Appropriation Ordinance No. 2013-005. 

 

It took only five months and 28 days for the building to be completed since Day 1 of the construction period.

 

And just how the PGSO’s new home gets to motivate now its usual busy-body workers? They come early, eager to work. Among those having no dates and kids at home, often they work beyond 5 P.M. 

 

“It’s nice place, and everybody is welcome to visit us. We thank so much the Governor for this,” adds Sanchez, who conceptualized and designed the building, that’s certainly comes up now to be an additional pride of the whole Provincial Government of Davao del Norte. (Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)

Mayor Duterte asks businessmen to do more beyond putting up CCTV

aug 25, 2014

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has asked businessmen in the city to do more beyond putting up CCTV cameras to secure their establishments and prevent criminals from doing crimes. 

Even as the mayor is not keen in amending the city’s CCTV ordinance, tagging it as “about nil or nothing”, he said that the CCTV is “no longer a mechanics for crime prevention but for crime review.”

 

“Maybe they are just wasting electricity for the CCTV, but anyway the CCTV- recorded footage after the crime has happened can be used by police investigators,” he opined.

 

Especially for the big malls which have security guards, he added, the guards must go on roving around and be equipped with handheld radios for them to quickly inform others in case they have seen a crime occurring.

 

The problem lies on the greater number of small businessmen who have no guards after they installed their CCTV system, he said.

 

He urged them to be still vigilant, take other security measures and at least have a licensed .22 caliber handguns to be used against robbers and holduppers.

 

“Dapat pusilon na sa ulo ang holdupper (they should shot the head of a holdupper),” he said.(Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)

PNoy’s rah-rah boys feed “hogwash”advices on term extension issue- Mayor Duterte

aug 25, 2014

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said that the rah-rah planners of President PNoy are feeding him “hogwash” advice in the call for his term extension through charter change. 

 

In his Sunday TV program over ABS-CBN Davao, the mayor said that they are feeding the President “hogwash” advices in putting up a reason of “saving democracy” for PNoy’s term extension.

 

He said they should put up instead valid reasons like the need to continue the President’s good efforts as a reason to amend the Constitution than that.

 

“Limpyo man gyod na’ng pagkatawo ni PNoy (The character of Pnoy is clean),” he said.

 

The trouble is the kind of advices the President has been receiving from them like that one, he added. 

 

As to the issue on the President’s getting a new term, the mayor said that in street-smart reasoning that cannot be done as the term “term” is “attached to the person” in saying that Pnoy could no longer run.

 

But after saying that, Duterte shortly took a swipe to a “former congressman”, whom he said as “di ka na kadagan.. gipost niya akong… pahuway ka na, laos ka na dodong (you can no longer run, he posted my… hey you should take a rest, you’re past of your limelight).”

 

He added that cases are coming to run after the “former congressman.”

 

The mayor has been known to throw frank verbal potshots and cuss words to the media that are often beeped on TV.

 

But the ABS-CBN failed to beep the mayor’s statement last Sunday that “dapat pusilon sa ulo na’ng madakpan nga holdupper” in his talk on the issue of the city’s CCTV ordinance. (Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)

Mayor Duterte thrilled of the bumpcar fight of 2 taxis

aug 25, 2014

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte just shrugged off the viral video on the two taxi drivers making their units like bumpcars over a spat of picking up passengers.

 

The mayor said he instead “enjoyed” watching the video posted in YouTube, which has gone viral on Facebook.

 

He said it is not worth for drivers to end in prison, adding that “kailangan ta’g comedy dire sa Davao.” 

 

The video posted by netizen Ronald Zamora Vasquez showed first a yellow Maligaya taxi bumping the side of a white taxi, whose driver in turn exact revenge by also bumping the side of Maligaya taxi.

 

The scene took place at Ecowest Drive, Ecoland, Davao City, around 5:40 P.M. last Thursday. 

 

On the other hand, in his Sunday TV program, Duterte handed over his personal P30,000 cash reward to an honest taxi driver Lorenz Ygonia, who returned a P54,000 cash left by his passenger last week.

 

“You have to give that to your wife,” the mayor told the driver, asking further if the latter is a drunkard or a womanizer, to which he replied negative and said “you’re my idol mayor.” (Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte) 

 

ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE SWEEPING IN AND CHILLIN’ UP DAVAO REGION’S ELECTED OFFICIALS

aug 25, 2014

 

The popular ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money to local charities and causes is starting to sweep in Davao Region and it is first chilled up by elected officials.

 

Last Saturday evening Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo “Polong” Duterte on his Facebook posted his own ALS Ice Bucket Challenge daring his sister former Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, Senator JV Ejercito, and Compostela Valley Board Member and former Vice Governor Ramil Gentugaya to do their own and also donate to charities of their own choice.

 

Vice Mayor Polong challenged:”(T)hey have 24 hours to do the challenge or donate to (ALS)/and to any local charity of your choice or both.”

 

He pledged to donate money to ALS and/or to Boys Town.

 

On Sunday morning Board Member Gentugaya did his turn challenging four persons to also do their own Ice Bucket Challenge. The four are: Governor Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy, Vice Governor Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora, Congresswoman Maricar Zamora and Joanna Gentugaya, the board member’s wife.

 

Gentugaya pledged to donate to ALS and/or to Gawad Kalinga.

 

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is taking the US by storm as made popular by ALS Association in its way to raise money for the cure of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. It is always fatal and has yet no known cure, for which ALS Association dedicates itself to do research and ultimately find a cure.

 

The ALS Association describes itself as the “the only national not-for-profit health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS.”

 

Some quarters in the US, however, warned to potential donors to be cautious in donating money to the association considering its track record and use of donated funds.(Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)

Comval barangay thankful for APEX’s P2 M contribution to IRA

aug 22, 2014

The punong barangay of New Barili, Maco, Davao del Norte has been grateful that the Apex Mining Corp. that is operating in his barangay is contributing about P2 million share to the Internal Revenue Allotment of the barangay.

 

“As our IRA increased tremendously, our barangay has developed and we launched many projects and programs for our people,: said chairman Policarpio Omega. 

 

He said out from it the barangay managed to construct a P1.5-million school building, fund the continuing honorararium of 20 barangay health workers, and augment the livelihood and free coffee tree seedling programs of the barangay.’ 

 

Since the recent years his seedling dispersal  has been boosting coffee production in the barangay.

 

As he thanked the Apex company, he also prayed for the continuing unhampered access of small miners in the Minahang Bayan neighboring the Apex mining site. (Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)

DAVAO DEL NORTE GOV. RDR DROPS TWO CONDITIONS TO RUN IN 2016

aug 22, 2014

Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario has dropped  two conditions that would have him inevitably run for a new post in 2016 polls.

The conditions are first, if the people still want him to be their leader, and second, if he still has good health by then.

 

“Let the will of the people take care of itself. I think we will know by then… although I have no intention of not seeking any elective position until this,” he said to interviewing Tantan Gorgonio of the Sidlak Daily news. 

 

“We will never know. Depende din yan sa health condition natin. I will let you know in due time,” he added. 

 

“Election is still 18 months away.”

 

The governor sayeth nothing further. 

 

He is rumored to run for a mayoral post, either in Samal Island or Tagum City. 

 

The grand old man of Davao del Norte politics will turn 80 by Sept. 1. (Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)

 

 

 

 

P5T burial assistance in Tagum City

aug 20, 2104

Tagum City Councilor lawyer Eva Lorraine Estabillo has successfully caused for the City Council’s approval of City Ordinance No. 482-S-2014 granting P5,000 burial assistance for qualified senior citizens in the city, starting January 1 next year, 2015.

The city’s current burial assistance fund is pegged P3,000 per beneficiary.

 

The lady councilor invoked Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9994, otherwise known as the Expanded Senior Citizen’s Act of 2010 and the principles of social justice as enunciated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. 

 

In the ordinance, those who can avail of the P5,000 burial assistance, in case of death, are the qualified senior citizens as vouched by their legitimate beneficiaries in five requirements.

 

These are: certificate of punong barangay on the residence of the deceased, marriage certificate or certificate of no marriage, certification from the barangay senior citizens coordinator that the deceased is a bonafide member of the senior citizen association, photocopy of death certificate and an affidavit of claimant.

 

Moreover, the city mayor is mandated to appropriate at least P500,000 per year for such purpose.

 

If the budget is consumed before the end of the year, it is to be replenished through a supplemental budget. 

 

Estabillo’s ordinance effectively repealed City Ordinance Bo. 138, s-2004. 

 

She thanked her colleagues in the legislative body for the support they made in the passage  of the ordinance, as well as the support of Mayor Allan Rellon.  (Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)

Asuncion LGU to loan P35M for barangay dumptrucks

aug 22, 2014

Asuncion, Davao del Norte Mayor Joseph Nilo Parreñas has bared that he is currently seeking a P35-million loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines to fund for the acquisition of 20 units of dumptrucks to be given to all barangays in his town.

“The dumptrucks would decongest us in meeting  the frequent requests of the barangays for transportation need every now and then,” he said.

“Barangays would be empowered when the municipality downloads its responsibility and authority to them. It can make them less dependent to us,” the mayor added.

 

He said the incoming dumptrucks would be given to barangays for their economic enterprise as these could be made additional source of barangay income from multiple purposes like transport of people during weddings and burials, sand, gravel and earth for barangay road and individual home improvement and others.

 

The mayor also bared that the town officials and Solazone company are now in the proposal stage on the latter’s offer to provide an 18-kilowatt solar power system which accordingly could suffice to meet the power requirements of the municipal hall and even the street lightings of the poblacion. 

 

“That would have a big impact to our savings. We would ask clearance from Daneco on this once we decide,”  he said.

Parreñas has laid down big projects for the town during his three terms including the P18-million new municipal hall, new terminal, other public buildings and farm-to-market roads alongside giving poverty-alleviation programs and services.     

 

He doesn’t hide his profuse appreciation to the administration of President Aquino saying that it’s only during PNoy’s time that various national government agencies poured a total of more than P700 million to his municipality “unlike before nga halos di ta kakuha ug P1 million worth of project.”

 

As he actively supported the water district, there is an ongoing laying down of mainline pipes in 10-kilometer length to a water source in an upland barangay in the P30-million LWUA-assisted water upgrading project. 

 

Construction of three new bridges destroyed by typhoons is also underway in DPWH’s projects worth a total of P160 million.

“In Asuncion alone, more than P6 million is given to the beneficires of 4 Ps’(Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program),” he said, thanking big President PNoy. (Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)

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GPH, MILF peace panels conclude BBL discussions

aug 16, 2014

The peace panels of the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front concluded their discussions on the draft Basic Bangsamoro Law (BBL) yesterday, Friday afternoon.

A statement on the ending of discussions was posted in the official Facebook page of the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process (OPAPP).

It was signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa and Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) Chairperson Mohagher Iqbal.

The statement stated: “After a series of productive meetings involving the GPH and MILF Peace Panels, the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process, the Office of the Executive Secretary, and the Office of the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, we have concluded discussions on the various issues involving the draft Basic Bangsamoro Law (BBL) originally drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission and submitted to the President last April.”

The parties have agreed that the resolutions arrived at by both parties will be incorporated into the final draft Basic Bangsamoro Law that will be prepared and submitted to President Benigno S. Aquino III.

The conclusion followed ten-day marathon meetings of the panels held at Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao in Davao City last Aug. 1-10.

The panels are expected to finish the final draft of the BBL in their level on Monday, Aug. 18, per their timetable before they will submit the same to the President.

The statement did not provide highlights of the BBL as the panels have been bound by their protocols not to disclose the details to avoid confusion and prevent the derailment of the process.

Earlier, they however assured the public that when the President submits the bill to Congress the document will be opened for public scrutiny. (Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)