NEWS: Mylene not yet withdrawing from Daneco GM bid- Salve

“NEA would have still to declare the position vacant”

july 21

Tagum City Councilor Mylene Baura has not yet withdrawn from her bid as she has yet to apply for the vacant position of general manager of the multi-billionaire Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative (Daneco), clarified City Councilor Reynaldo Salve in an ambush interview during a forced break of their session due to a sudden brownout Monday morning.

Baura, a lawyer and certified public accountant (CPA), was earlier endorsed in a resolution filed at the City Council in last week’s session as more than qualified to be the next Daneco general manager following the death of GM Edgardo Savellano.

She was present on Monday’s session but she went out from the session hall when the session resumed after about 10 minutes of power interruption.

Salve said that inasmuch that the National Electrification Administration (NEA) or the Daneco Board of Directors has not yet declared the position vacant and “published it in a newspaper” nobody could yet apply for Daneco GM.

Salve said that the the right process based on the bylaws is that first NEA would have first to receive applications from applicants for the GM and it (NEA) would have to select from among qualified applicants and endorse him or her to the Daneco Board which would also endorse its choice to NEA for confirmation.

“The resolution of endorsement to Mylene is still referred to the committee on government organizations and nongovernment organizations,” Salve clarified in the heels of reports that Baura has withdrawn from her GM’s bid in favor of the current OIC GM Alan Laniba, who was endorsed the other Saturday by all of the present members of Daneco Board except member Dean Briz, the city budget officer and Mayor Rey Uy’s protege.

“NEA has still many things to do in selecting who should head Daneco including doing BI (background investigation) on the applicants,” Salve said.

The resolution endorsing Baura for Daneco GM in last week’s session had fueled speculations that Mayor Uy was pulling the strings in his plan of putting the electric cooperative that services most of Davao del Norte, all of Compostela Valley and the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) under the city’s program and direction.

Daneco has over 120,000 member-consumers at present.

For its 37 years of existence now, Daneco is already billionaire cooperative deriving about P1.2-billion operating revenue as of November 2007, per earlier report of Daneco official website. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

OPINION: Tagum City Hall’s gambit?

BLOGISTA

By Cha Monforte

The cat is out in the bag, and now we know that Tagum City Councilor Mylene Baura is being tossed up the city officialdom to vie for the coveted position of the general manager of billionaire Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative. Of course, the lady whom a colleague of her in a council supra dominated by men calls a pretty city legislator has all the rights to apply for as well as the qualifications to hold the position. She’s not only the rose among the thorns- she’s a lawyer and an accountant as well.

By the city council’s full endorsement of her bid last Monday, and presumably due to the imprimatur of City Mayor Rey Uy, at no time in the wildest dream of OIC GM Alan Laniba, who is junior in age of Councilor Mylene (and others say he’s yet underage to be a Daneco GM), has he been given a good contender, who is in fact more than qualified than him except that Laniba counts to be an insider than an outsider and has reportedly the backing of the present Board of Directors as he gets the impression of being the most senior among the seven other department managers. But maybe the councilor, who is still single, is, too, a member-concessionaire like the Daneco info man.

This city council endorsement visibly revives or reveals once again the city mayor’s long interest to put Daneco under the city hall’s direction. There was that power summit called by him but the Daneco’s power holders did not give meaning of it. And the libel case filed by Daneco officers against Ed Valdez, the mayor’s info man, which was already dismissed, was a side story in what can be seen as an imbroglio between the City Hall officialdom and Daneco management. It generated more speculations, while it is far-fetched to say it trod on the path of Barry Levinson’s Wag the Dog satire.

With Councilor Baura’s entry, Laniba must all the more defend himself in public that he is more than qualified to lead a big organization covering two provinces and an island even with the looming energy crisis and power rates increases ahead of us. After all, he styles himself a mediaman even while employed as the senior manager for Institutional Services Department, which functions like a public and media affairs department like in the corporate world, even as he clings to the position as the president of the National Press Club-Davao del Norte and Comval Chapter (was this NPC chaptering recognized by NPC-National? Just asking). Morever, Laniba is also writing columns and is reportedly the publisher of a local weekly which his sister Jo circulates – even past Daneco’s doors. And these give him all the right to reply. By that particular engagement, Alan must also be transparent, and declare transparency he must now as one of his cherished policies under his management if heavens favorably smile at him.

But there’s a quiver in the thought of some observers over the councilor’s non-reluctance to apply for the position knowing that the city council had been already stigmatized by two stunts of mandate abandonments made by  then Councilor Tristan Royce Aala who went to Japan, and then Councilor Agripino Coquilla who went to become the unconfirmed provincial engineer of Compostela Valley during the time of former Governor Jose “Joecab” Caballero. For trying to go for greener pastures (just nobody could block anybody wishing to try his luck outside), the first reportedly had his finger broken in an accident, while the second had his heart broken for not being confirmed by the provincial board, and media-tatterred while sources said they both had sterling legislative record before their unimagined stunts.

But this bad karma isn’t a downer for the lady councilor. What evidently comes up next from her endorsed bid is both hushed and bare public reactions and opinions hovering about abandonment of people’s mandate. But maybe Mylene’s bid could come past after the November’s deadline of filing of certificates of candidacy. But what if there’s No-El (no election) given that bombs are exploding everywhere, and martial law is declared to perpetuate local incumbents (heavens forbid)? It’s not regretable anyway as a Daneco’s GMship too lasts until the holder returns to his/her Maker (no pun intended).

However, if Baura’s endorsement is really a City Hall’s gambit, then we’ll expect her to get further support from notable politicians like the Comval Gov. Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy, brother of the city mayor, and Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario, in tandem with her uncle Vice Gov. Victorio “Baby” Suaybaguio. But maybe, it’s go Mylene, go! despite the precedents, since as sources from the Daneco board of directors say nobody and nobody can just be appointed and confirmed as Daneco GM by the superimposing (if not irritating) National Electrification Administration (NEA) without him or her being backed and lobbied by powerful politicians. I don’t know yet who among Baura, Laniba and other applicants has already the upperhand in this most important factor and key in capturing this perks-blessed Daneco GMship (email: chamonforte@yahoo.com)

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: https://cha4t.wordpress.com, for comments and reactions, text 09069104553, e-mail: chamonforte@yahoo.com)