Vol 3 No 152.pmd

P 8.00
VOLUME 3
NUMBER 152
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 2, 2009
GMA PA RIN. Sea of her constituency engulfs GMA on her way to file her
COC.
Priest likens
GMA to Christ
‰ ‘Blasphemy’ cries Bishop David
BY DING CERVANTES
L
UBAO, Pampanga – A priest who concelebrated
here yesterday a Mass attended by Pres.
Arroyo before she filed her candidacy for
Congress, compared Mrs. Arroyo to Jesus Christ
who “stooped down” to serve mankind.
PAGE 6 PLEASE
Husband Mike beams as GMA
shows media her COC.
PHOTOS BY BONG LACSON
Arroyo files COC
BY BONG Z. LACSON
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo – in
person – filed her certificate of candidacy for
Pampanga’s 2 nd con-
gressional district yesterday at the Commission on
Elections office here.
This, contrary to earlier reports that it would be
mayors from the second
district that would file her
COC on her behalf.
As early as 7:30 a.m.
throngs of supporters
with streamers expressing support for her candidacy had crowded B.
Mendoza St. fronting the
Comelec office. The
PAGE 6 PLEASE
Electronics engineer
to challenge PGMA
PORAC, Pampanga – A
55-year-old electronics
engineer from this town
said yesterday he remained undaunted in his
plans to challenge Pres.
Arroyo in the congressional race in Pampanga’s
second district.
“All I want to do is
share my talent in electronics which has influenced
many aspects in our
lives,” said congressional
aspirant Feliciano Serrano,
a native of Barangay
Sepung Bulaon here after
the President filed yesterday morning her certificate
of candidacy at the provincial office of the Commission
on
Elections
(Comelec).
Serrano filed his candidacy all by himself Monday last week in the same
venue in the polls body’s
dark provincial office on
the second floor of a building along Mendoza St. in
downtown San Fernando.
Serrano’s filing of COC
was different from that of
Pres. Arroyo. The President’s filing was attended
by fanfare that started in a
Mass concelebrated by 12
priests at the San Agustin
PAGE 6 PLEASE
SM expansion means more jobs – EdPam
BY JOEY AGUILAR
SNOWY WHITE. Sec. Ed Pamintuan, chairman of the Subic Clark Alliance for
Development Council, and Mabalacat Mayor Boking Morales pose with SM Supermalls
officials during the unveiling of the Giant Snowmen on Saturday at the SM City Clark’s
The Event Center. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHERWIN REX MALIT
ANGELES CITY – Sec.
Edgardo “EdPam” Pamintuan
has lauded SM Supermalls for
continuously “expanding
despite the global economic
crisis.”
“In the United States, malls
offer 70 percent discounts just
to invite people to purchase. In
the Philippines, SM malls are
expanding,” said Pamintuan,
who led the unveiling of the
Giant Snowmen at the SM
City Clark on November 28.
He also cited the mall’s
proactive approach in dealing
with the crisis, generating
thousands of jobs nationwide
and helping various communities through various programs
as part of its corporate social
responsibility.
Pamintuan, together with
Mabalacat Mayor Boking
Morales, Balibago Barangay
Captain Rodelio “Tony”
Mamac, and other local
officials like Angeles City
Councilors Jay Sangil and
Willie Rivera also graced the
unveiling at the malls Event
Center.
“By expanding, we expect
jobs to be generated and
factories to be whirling.
Opening of SM branches has a
multiplier effect; it keeps the
economy afloat,” he said.
Pamintuan also added that
SM malls give joy to Filipino
families. “SM is the great
equalizer.”
GIANT CHRISTMAS ICONS
In a press statement, SM
City Clark officials said the
mall delivered its own “gigantic
versions of Christmas icons to
make the holiday season more
awesome.”
“From the Giant Santa
Claus to Grand Gingerbread
House, SM City Clark brings
another unique, fun, frosted
concept with the Giant Snowmen,” it said.
“The Giant Snowmen are
made of stuffed fabric, synthetic wool and nylex fabric as soft
toys big enough for kids,
finished with Velboa fur to add
a touch of winter. The custommade scarves were sewn in
Baguio City.
Teri Onor to run for board member in Bataan
BY ERNIE B. ESCONDE
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • DECEMBER 2, 2009 •WEDNESDAY
BALANGA CITY – Television
star Teri Onor on Tuesday filed
his certificate of candidacy
(COC) for a slot in the 10member provincial Board in
Bataan. She joined other
provincial and congressional
candidates to run against the
group of incumbent Gov.
Enrique Garcia in the May
2010 elections.
Onor in real life Dexter
Dominguez will be completing
his first term as vice-mayor of
Abucay, Bataan on May. She
is running under the banner of
the Nacionalista Party and
targets one of the five Sangguniang Panlalawigan seat in the
First District.
His supporters carried
placards that read “Kabataan
Tayo Naman, Teri Onor
Kaagapay Mo” and “Teri Onor
Kapuso Mo.”
2
Also filing on the last day
were gubernatorial candidate
Limay Mayor Nelson David,
Efren Pascual Jr. for vicegovernor, Herminia Roman for
congresswoman in the first
District and 10 SP candidates.
Lawyer Marie Gonzales,
daughter of Defense Sec.
Norberto Gonzales, filed her
COC as representative of
Bataan’s Second District last
Nov. 20, the first day for filing.
Members of Onor’s group
come from different political
parties. Some belong to the
NP while others to the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Liberal
Party and Partido Demokratiko
Sosyalista ng Pilipinas.
Rep. Roman filed her COC
under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD
merger but Governor Garcia
claimed that her daughter, Gila
Garcia, is the administration
party’s official candidate for
congressman in the First
District opposing Roman.
The governor, sons Rep.
Abet Garcia of the Second
District and Balanga City
Mayor Joet Garcia and daughter Gila, director of the Subic
Bay Metropolitan Authority,
have filed their COCs together
with the complete municipal
and provincial slates. They are
all under the Lakas-KampiCMD.
Nicera transfers China operations to Subic
‰ Infuses additional $1-M for expansion
By MALOU DUNGOG
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT —
Ultrasonic sensor-manufacturer Nicera Philippines, Inc. formally announced its second
expansion project in this freeport, committing another $1million for its Subic facility after the firm decided to close
down its China operations and
transfer it here.
“We will expand our current
product line with new merchandise because we are go-
ing to transfer our China plant to
Philippines,” said Takashi
Morimoto, president and general manager of Nicera Philippines, during the formal contract
signing with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on
Tuesday.
He added that the relocation
to Subic was prompted by the
one-child policy of the Chinese
government, which had resulted
in “insufficient workforce” for the
firm’s China factory.
SBMA administrator Armand
Arreza welcomed the $1-million expansion project and
lauded Nicera for “taking successful steps in meeting the
challenges posed by recession
head-on.”
Arreza also said that the
transfer of Nicera’s China operations to the local facility
would hasten the resurgence
of export production in Subic
Bay.
Takashi said that upon
completion of its expansion
PAGE 6 PLEASE
LAKAS-CMD-KAMPI MABALACAT. Mayor Boking Morales shows the certificates of candidacy of the Lakas-CMD-Kampi in Mabalacat after filing
at the comelec office yesterday morning. Joining the slate are Dong Dayrit, Arlene dela Cruz, Oscar Aurelio, Froylan Galang, Vice Mayor Pros
Lagman, Jerry Basilio, Rox Peña, Liza Pineda and Bok Tiglao. PHOTO COURTESY OF DENG PANGILINAN
Subic freeport honors
outstanding workers
BY MALOU DUNGOG
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT
— At least 10 workers,
who have demonstrated
excellence in their respective fields, were recognized recently by the Subic Bay Workforce Development Foundation, Inc.
(SBWDFI) and the Subic
Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) — the eighth
batch of workers to be honored under the annual “10
Outstanding Freeport
Workers” awards.
SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga led Subic
officials in recognizing the
outstanding workers, noting that “the quality of a
person’s life is in direct
proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen
field of endeavor.”
“It is therefore our great
honor to have with us the
best workers in the country who contributed their
talents and wisdom to
make Subic as it is now
— progressive and one of
the top investment and
tourism destinations in
Asia,” Salonga added.
SBMA administrator
Armand Arreza, meanwhile, noted that perseverance, initiative, and concern for the common good
are characteristics shared
by Subic’s best workers
— the same attributes of
a globally competitive
worker.
“These stemmed from
the spirit of volunteerism
that has empowered the
Subic workers ever since,”
he added.
This year’s search for
the 10 outstanding workers in the Subic Bay Freeport began in July when the
SBWDFI sent out nomination forms to all companies
in the free port, as well as
the different departments
of the SBMA, said SBMA
labor department head
Severo Pastor Jr. Pastor
also heads the SBWDFI.
Pastor revealed that
from a field of more than a
hundred nominees, only
25 advanced to the final
selection process that
was carried out by a threeman panel chaired by Dr.
Julia Mallari, director of the
University of the Philippines Subic/Clark program.
From the 25 finalists,
the 10 outstanding workers were chosen.
They are: Juan Afidchao, electronics technician supervisor (SBMA
TransComm Department),
who is credited for the efficient installation, repair,
rehabilitation and maintenance of SBMA telephone
lines and units. The work
he did from January to
August this year alone
has resulted in savings of
more than P100,000.
Melvin Bactad, training
specialist (SBMA HRMD),
has contributed greatly to
the empowerment of his
fellow workers and to the
development of a highly
proficient and committed
work force in the SBMA.
Bactad facilitated 35
courses in the past year,
or an average of three per
month — one of SBMA’S
most productive years in
terms of internal trainings.
Edmond David, process shift engineer (Subic Water & Sewerage
Company), saved the free
port from a disastrous situation with his expertise
and exceptional ability to
handle a crisis, preventing
a water outage in March
2009. For three days, he
directed the operation of
the Binictican Water Treatment Plant to ensure unhampered water supply in
the Subic Bay Freeport.
Florante Frias, bulk
operations superintendent
(Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Corp.),
was instrumental in the
discovery of pilferage cases in the petroleum tank
farm and stopped a crime
of economic sabotage.
This fortified their clients’
confidence in the company and earned him the respect of his fellow workers,
management and the
Freeport community.
Mariel Go, industrial
engineering technician
(Wistron
Infocomm,
Phils.), provided real-time
support to the production
line, helping improve manpower efficiency, line productivity and yield rate,
thereby notably enhancing
the efficiency rate of new
cell lines to 99.58 percent
within six weeks.
Magnolia Lagrama,
production worker (Nicera,
Phils. Inc.), was twice
named as the best production worker of Nicera in
the frequency adjustment
process. Lagrama does
not refuse any assignment
and performs well in whatever task she is given in
the product line, thus making her name synonymous
with assured output at any
given time.
Virgilio Manzano, fire
marshall (SBMA Fire
Dept.), is one of the gallant firefighters whose participation in major emergency operations earned
for the SBMA Fire Department the “Gawad Kalasag”
special citation from the
National Disaster Coordinating Council. He has,
time and again, risked his
own life to save others.
Manzano is also an expert
in automotive repair and
maintenance, who gets
old fire trucks and support
vehicles back in shape.
Relly Nicolas, electronics communication engineer, (Wistron Infocomm,
Phils.), has done various
research and implemented many innovations that
saved his company millions of pesos. He is credited for enabling Wistron to
meet quality standards
and on-time delivery, thereby increasing productivity
and reducing “failure machine” complaints from
customers.
Sharon Pasion, production worker (Nicera,
Phils.), was one of the
company’s employee of
the year awardees in 2008,
and was chosen twice last
year as model production
worker of the month. Being part of the final inspecPAGE 6 PLEASE
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • DECEMBER 2, 2009 • WEDNESDAY
UNVEILING OF GIANT SNOWMEN
3
She’s really
running
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • DECEMBER 2, 2009 •WEDNESDAY
NO MORE speculations and innuendoes. It’s
goodbye to the Philippine presidency and hello to
the Lower House of Congress for Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo.
Yesterday, at 10:30 in the morning, GMA ended
months of predictable suspense over her after2010 political plans by officially filing her certificate
of candidacy for Pampanga’s 2nd congressional
district at the Commission on Elections provincial
office in the City of San Fernando.
No, it was not GMA herself that did the filing but
the mayors of her district. Yeah, they that moved,
not mountains but, molehills to convince her to run.
“After much contemplation, I realized I’m not
ready to step down completely from public
service…Gaya ng alam ninyo, hinihilingan ako
ng mga mamamayan ng aking tahanang distrito
sa Pampanga na manatili sa buhay-publiko (As
you all know, I have been asked by the citizens of
my home district in Pampanga to stay on in public
life), so after much soul-searching, I have decided
to respond affirmatively to their call,” she said
Monday over the government-run Radyo ng Bayan.
“I have been thinking of many opportunities and
one day, I hope to pursue them. For example, I
plan to go back to teaching or work for causes
near and dear to me like climate change,
improvement of education, and the cause of
women.” So said the outgoing President.
So why the congressional option?
“These opportunities will remain open in the
coming years. But now, the best way to continue
to champion the things I love is in Congress.” she
said.
Really now, how about the speculations that her
congressional run had the not-so-hidden agenda
of her being installed as prime minister in case of
a shift to a parliamentary government.
“That speculation is so hypothetical (that) I won’t
even bother to speculate on it,” was GMA’s curt
reply.
Give her the benefit of the doubt, shall we? As
presidential lawyer Romulo Macalintal said: “History
will be the judge whether she made a good
decision.”
Yeah, let’s leave it at that. For now.
4
EDGAR V. MOVIDO
Founder
LLL Trimedia Coordinators
Publisher
General Manager Atty. Gener C. Endona
Editor Joey R. Aguilar
Editorial Consultant Caesar “Bong” Lacson
Marketing Manager Joanna Niña V. Cordero
Administrative Staff Ma. Teresa U. Villanueva
Layout Dondie B. Ventura
Circulation Gilbert Mendoza
Business & Editorial office at Unit B Essel Commercial Center,
McArthur Highway, Telabastagan, City of San Fernando
Tel. No. (45) 636•6327 Cel. No. 0917•481•1416
e-mail address: [email protected]
pdf file at http://www.punto.com.ph
Punto! Central Luzon is a proud member of
The Philippine Press Institute
O p i n i o n
New party,
old principles
acaesar.blogspot.com
Zona Libre
Bong Z. Lacson
BALIMBINGAN, IT is called in the local parlance.
The game of musical chairs, or the dance of changing partners,
transposed to politics. So it is euphemized.
Butterflies flitting from one flower to the other, seeking the
sweetest nectar. So politicos engaged in it are metaphored. And,
put in simile, like rats abandoning a sinking ship, where the
administration party is concerned.
Political prostitution. So Sen. Jamby Madrigal went graphically
ballistic.
Strange bedfellows politics does indeed make. So sworn foes
today are the sweetest friends in the next polls. The party pooper
in the last elections becomes the party boy in the next.
Political opportunism, but an aberration in the party politics of
the parliamentary system is the very rule of thumb in the Philippine
political praxis.
So Ferdinand Marcos left the Liberal Party to be standard bearer
of the Nacionalista Party against incumbent Diosdado Macapagal,
and won in 1965.
So Fidel Ramos jumped the Laban ng
Demokratikong Pilipino ship after losing the party
convention and formed his Lakas-Tao to contest
the presidency and won.
In the Senate and the Lower House, at the
provincial, city and municipal levels, candidates
have changed political colors so often that etched
in the national political consciousness is that
broad-based multi-hued spectrum, most
appropriately termed “rainbow coalition” by the
ultimate politico, Joe de Venecia, who in the end
was devoured by his own machination.
Dedikasyon. Delicadeza. De Venecia. Who do
they think they can still fool with that political
infomercial? More than a simple oxymoron, the
blurb is an idiotic contradiction in terms. Be it
applied to either the elder or the younger De V.
Bottom-feeding invertebrate. Parasitic fungus.
So we sneer at the opportunist who switches
party affiliation at the slightest…well, opportunity
for self-preservation, if not self-gain.
The rule among the rare exceptions to
turncoatism here is embodied by City of San
Fernando Mayor Oscar Samson Rodriguez.
Rodriguez rose and fell with the fortunes of
the LDP: winning Pampanga’s 3rd congressional
district seat as Cory’s candidate in 1987, losing
in 1992 by obstinately sticking it out with Ramon
Mitra, even when Cory herself shifted her
administration’s support to Lakas-NUCD.
For all his loyalty to the LDP, the party
slammed its door on Rodriguez’s face in 1995
when it coalesced with Lakas-NUCD, taking in
Mitra as a senatorial bet. Even partyless,
Rodriguez won. And Mitra, with two parties, lost.
Which goes to show how (in)essential the party
is in congressional district contests.
Of course, Lakas-NUCD knew a man of the
vote when it saw one and promptly recruited
Rodriguez: winning re-elections to Congress
in 1998 and 2001, the San Fernando
mayorship in 2004, and again in 2007 – against
Kampi’s then comebacking Rey Aquino, whose
own loyalty, not necessarily to the party, but
to some party powers-that-be merited him the
Philhealth presidency, so it was whispered
within Kampi.
In 2004, Rodriguez declared his intent to run
for governor but was promptly prevailed upon by
the President, to give in to then provincial Liga
ng mga Barangay chair Mark Lapid. The party –
so GMA was supposed to have invoked – needed
the elder Lapid in the Senate. And she needed
the action star Lapid – along with Bong Revilla –
to somehow counterbalance the star value of her
rival, the FPJ. To the interest of the party – and
his President’s – Rodriguez readily subsumed
his own, putting on an indefinite hold his
gubernatorial aspiration.
All these indubitably proving that more than
make Rodriguez, party loyalty unmade him.
Yesterday, Rodriguez took his oath as
member of the Liberal Party. More than his whole
slate for the City of San Fernando and the votes
he would muster for the Aquino-Roxas ticket,
Rodriguez took along to the LP his lifelong
dedication to popular democracy and
unassailable commitment to the principles of
good governance as embodied in his article of
faith, Magsilbi Tamu – that which has always
served him in good stead, that which has served
his constituencies the highest degree of
excellence. Or have you not been watching the
transformation of the City of San Fernando?
Hence, where other new converts could only
show form, Rodriguez already provides the LP
the very substance of that which the party still
dreams of.
TODAY IN HISTORY
Dam collapses in France
THE MALPASSET DAM in
France collapses on this day in
1959 and the resulting flood kills
more than 400 people. The city
of Frejus, dating back to Caesar’s time, was devastated by
the massive flood.
Frejus was built by Roman
Emperor Caesar as a port city
on the French Riviera. Over the
years, the city center moved a
few miles inland near the Reyran River. The river ran through a
narrow gorge miles from the city
and, in the 1950s, it was decided to build a dam to control the
river’s flow.
In late November 1959, a
week-long rain storm stalled
over the French Riviera. It was
the middle of the night on December 2 when the rock beneath the Malpasset Dam gave
way under the weight and pressure of the water. The entire
dam collapsed and the water
rushed down the gorge with tremendous power. Miles away,
windows and doors were blown
out of homes by the water.
Some victims were buried in
mud, while others are believed
to have been swept out to sea.
Rescue and relief efforts
were extremely difficult as all
access roads were destroyed.
Even when help arrived, the mud
was so thick that it took days
of work to dig out the bodies.
The best estimate is that approximately 412 people perished.
Mysterious
and perilous
Agusan Marsh
Regarding
Henry
Henrylito D. Tacio
IT WAS all over the radio, television, and newspapers. Rowena
Romano and her cousin Jennifer Daga-as were rowing their wooden
banca home in Lake Mihaba, barangay San Marcos, Bunawan,
Agusan del Sur when a saltwater crocodile suddenly attacked them.
For the information of the uninformed, saltwater crocodiles are
considered the largest living among crocodilians and reptiles on
Earth. Its average size is 17 feet.
According to reports, the crocodile bumped the banca, causing
it to capsize, and caught the 12-year-old Romano by the head,
before bringing her down into the water. A fisherman, who was
following the two young girls, rescued the other girl.
“When I was a kid accompanying my parents, the crocodiles
then were even afraid by the mere sound of human voice and engines
of motorboats,” 57-year-old Manobo tribal leader Bae Ligaya Dagaas told newsmen who visited the area. “Now, they are not afraid
anymore.”
So when Sonny Dizon asked me if I wanted to
join the group in a nature trip going to Agusan
Marsh – of which Lake Mihaba is a part of – I had
a second thought. But then, he is the man behind
the Davao Crocodile Park and those thrill
adventures like wild water rafting, zip line, and
the giant water slide in Samal, I decided to come
along.
After more than four hours of travel from Davao
City to Agusan del Sur, we finally arrived at the
town of Bunawan, the starting point our trip to
Agusan Marsh. Rey O. Calderon, president of the
people’s organization that monitors some parts
of the marsh, welcomed us and provided us some
necessary information.
“There are several lakes found in Agusan
Marsh,” Calderon told us. “But we will be going to
the most nearest lake – Lake Mihaba.” Hearing
those words made my spine tingling. What if the
killer crocodile attacks us? Or, so I thought.
When I counted the people who were going, I
found there were thirteen of us. I am not suffering
from triskaidekaphobia but the number is a bad
omen. Remember Jesus Christ and the twelve
disciples? Judas committed suicide while Jesus
was crucified. Will the same fate happen to us?
But before we boarded, Sonny said our driver
will be staying to watch over our things. I was
relieved!
The perilous boat trip following the chocolateladen Cebulao River (which seems not flowing at
all) to Agusan Marsh took us about one hour and
forty-five minutes. To some, the voyage may be
boring but I tried to open your eyes and marvel at
the floating houses along the riverbanks and
alluvial junctions. It was also along this trip that I
got the first hoard of exotic and migratory birds
gracefully flapping their wings as they transferred
from one tree to another in search for their food.
Before we knew it, we arrived at Lake Mihaba,
one of the 56 lakes found in Agusan Marsh. The
marshland, which is said to be similar to the
Everglades of Florida, “acts like a sponge,” to
quote the words of 106 scientists who attended a
consultative meeting held in Butuan City. It buffers
“downstream towns and cities from devastating
floods.” This wetland soaks up excess water from
a yearly rainfall of four meters plus nine rivers that
slice through the provinces of Agusan del Sur,
Agusan del Norte and Compostela Valley.
The marshland, which covers an area of
14,835.989 hectares, was declared as a protected
area by the former President Fidel V. Ramos. The
area harbors unique and pristine habitats like the
sago and “peat swamp forest.” In the very heart of
the marsh is a semi-permanent lake where many
square kilometers of lily pads, hyacinths and other
aquatic plants spread out like an enormous green
quilt.
In the dark tea-colored waters live untold
numbers of catfish, carp, soft-shell fresh water
turtles called dinata, and sailfin lizard. In fact,
some parts of the marsh are used for traditional
fish ponds and rice paddies.
During the rainy season, when the water rises
to create large lakes, vast numbers of ducks come
to Agusan Marsh to nest. The wetland also serves
as the refuge of the rare Oriental darter (Anhinga
melanogaster), purple swamp hen (Porphyrio
porphyrio) and the threatened Philippine hawk
eagle, spotted imperial pigeon and rufous-lored
kingfisher.
In the dry months, thousands of birds come
from as far as Japan, China and Russia to escape
the chilly winter winds of Northern Asia. Over 200
individual species have been known to spend at
least part of the year in the marsh, making it one
of Asia’s most important transit points for wild
birds.
More importantly, It harbors the most diverse
assemblage of reptiles and amphibians and
supports the largest remaining population of the
estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and is
also believed to harbor the endangered Philippine
crocodile (C. mindorensis).
Some 42,000 hectares of the marshlands has
been declared as a “world heritage center” by the
United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) due to “its floral and
faunal diversity with seven habitat types.”
As the protected area is so huge, you won’t
be surprised to see several floating communities
within its lakes. Most of those who have made
their permanent homes deep within the marsh,
living on floating homes, are mostly ethnic
Manobos. The small houses made of bamboo and
nipa lashed to hard wood logs, freely rise or fall
with the level of the marsh itself.
The Manobos have their own dialect, which is
a mixture of a native dialect and an acquired foreign
language. The name “Manobo” is influence by the
Malay river people. These people are called
“Mansuba” from the word suba, the Malayan term
for river. Literally, “Mansuba” means “people living
near or in the river.” Later on, Mansuba is
shortened to Manuba, which eventually took its
masculine gender, which is Manobo.
What we failed to visit during our visit was the
so-called “Wonderland,” where you can see natural
bonsai trees crafted by nature. My source said
that it can be reached from barangay Caimpogan
or from barangay New Visayas in the municipality
of San Francisco.
By the way, have I told you that Agusan Marsh
is one of the largest and the most contained
freshwater catch basin wetland in the Philippines?
It stores more than 15 percent of the fresh water
resources in the country.
Napaguusapan
lang
Ni Felix M. Garcia
Kualipikasyon,
depende dapat sa
posisyong habol
(KARUGTONG NG SINUNDANG ISYU)
NA LUBHANG mababa ang kualipikasyon
Na nasasaad sa Omnibus Code ngayon,
Kaya naman kahit na sinong amuyong
Ay ‘qualified’ kahit sa anong posisyon.
Kung kaya pati na posibleng may topak
Ay maluwag na makapaghain agad
Ng C.O.C. nila bunsod nitong batas
Na basta’t marunong magbasa’t sumulat
Ay ‘qualified’ na at puede nang humabol
Sa kahit na anong ‘elective position;’
Kung kaya dapat na po natin sigurong
Amyendahan o baguhin ang parteng ‘yon.
Sa kasalukuyang batas sa eleksyon
Na mababa na nga at hindi naa-ayon
Sa makabuluhan at napapanahong
Isyu na di dapat hayaang ganoon.
Na animo’y larong pambata na lamang
Sa ibang tao r’yan ang kahalagaan
Ng eleksyon natin sa kasalukuyan,
Kaya marapat na nating masusugan.
Tama po bang basta’t marunong magsulat
At magkapagbasa’y tanggap na kaagad,
Kahit Presidente pa ng Pilipinas
Ang ninanais na takbuhin at sukat?
Sana naman, depende sa kakayahan
O ika nga’y antas ng pinag-aralan;
Kung ang natapos ay elementarya lang,
Di dapat lalampas sa Kagawad lamang.
Kung nakapagtapos man lang ng high school
Ay puede na kahit ‘Board Member’ o Mayor;
Pero Congressman o para Gobernador,
Kung di man ‘bar passers, college graduate’ ngayon.
At di tulad nitong mga nakaraan,
Na kahit ang iba ay nag-‘high school’lang
At wala naman din yatang katangian
Kundi sikat lang at mapera ang ilan
Ay naging Governor at nag-Senador pa;
Kaya hayan pati si Pacman gumaya;
At kahit ‘boxing’ lang ang ‘expertise’ niya
Ay nakisawsaw na rin sa pulitika.
Sana naman sa posisyong mas mataas,
Gaya ng sa Pangulo ng Pilipinas,
Ay huag naman nating isali at sukat
Itong ang turnilyo ay tila maluwag;
Na kagaya nitong nagpamalas mandin
Ng inaakalang pambihirang galing;
Anong silbi n’yan kung boses lang ng kambing
At tilaok ng manok ang kayang gawin? .
Mabuting pangulo at hindi panggulo
Ang dapat maupo sa ating Palasyo,
O sa alin pa mang sangay ng gobyerno;
At di sirkero o kaya komikero.
Para magkaroon naman ng dignidad
O matatawag nating kredibilidad
Ang ating eleksyon sa lahat ng antas,
Sa kapakanan ng bansang Pilipinas!
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • DECEMBER 2, 2009 • WEDNESDAY
Editorial
5
Kristine Hermosa, Oyo Boy Sotto
nag-walkout sa Star Awards nang
makita sina Diether at Rima?
Priest likens GMA to Christ
Some people who were
at the church remarked
that the 12 priests who
concelebrated the Mass
seemed designed to reflect the number of Christ’s
apostles.
Pampanga Auxiliary
Bishop Virgilio Pablo David said that “Moraleja’s
middle name should be B”.
He said that the letter
stands for blasphemy.
Earlier, David said that
“in the name of decency
and for the sake of propriety, I’d appeal to her (Pres.
Arroyo) not to run and to
respect the spirit of the
Constitution instead of
exploiting the letter of the
law which indeed does not
categorically mention pro-
hibition of running for lower positions.”
“The Constitution drafters were such decent people that they left for common sense and propriety,”
he said.
David also stressed
that “to have to ask the
Supreme Court to state it
categorically means we’ve
sunk that low in our sense
of civility. How sad indeed.”
Yesterday’s Mass concelebrator, Fr. Jun Mercado, parish priest of Barangay Lourdes Sur in Angeles City, also addressed
the crowd, saying that “in
behalf of the other priests
in the Mass, I appeal for
support for Pres. Arroyo.”
Electronics engineer to challenge PGMA
FROM PAGE 1
church in her Lubao hometown through a balloon-festooned rally and then a
motorcade
to
the
Comelec.
Serrano said he had
nothing to do with Arroyo’s
candidacy amid some
people who suspect he
was fielded to make it appear that Pres. Arroyo,
despite her stature, could
still be challenged by anyone in the district.
“These days, our lives
are affected by electronics. There’s electronic
loading (of cellphones) and
we do not even know
whether some go to taxes
because the telecom firms
are in full control,” he said,
adding that he wants legislations passed to make
such transactions more
transparent.
Serrano said he graduated from an electronics
engineering course from
the University of Sto. Tomas in 1975. His wife attends to their car battery
shop in Angeles City. Their
three children have all finished college and are gainfully employed.
He said he works in
Manila in “on demand” ba-
sis, but noted that he
would be able to find time
to campaign in the second
district once the campaign
season starts.
“I will also campaign
via text messages and internet,” he said, citing the
potential of Facebook social network for campaign
purposes.
Serrano traces political
roots to a grandfather who
at one time had been
barangay chairman of
Sepung Bulaon.
He said that in 2004,
he ran as independent for
mayor of this town, but
noted that he got only
“very few votes”.
“They sent out my
watchers from the precincts so I don’t really
know how much vote I got,”
said Serrano who has two
other siblings, including an
elder sister who works at
the National Power Corp.
and a younger brother who
is employed in a firm here.
Earlier, Prof. Randy
David of the University of
the Philippines, a native of
Guagua in the second district in this province, vowed
to challenge the President
in the congressional race.
Recently, however, he
backed out.
Arroyo files COC
FROM PAGE 1
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • DECEMBER 2, 2009 •WEDNESDAY
crowd swelled to over a
thousand when the President arrived on board a
Toyota mini-bus 10:30
a.m.
Ms. Arroyo was
mobbed by the crowd soon
as she got out of her bus
and took sometime pressing the flesh before she
could go up three flights of
steps to the Comelec office where provincial election supervisor Temmie
Lambino waited for her.
It was First Gentleman
Mike Arroyo that handed
Lambino the five copies of
the COC which verification
took Lambino less than
ten minutes. The President took longer posing
before television cameras
and press photographers
6
holding her COC.
Earlier, Ms. Arroyo attended a concelebrated
Mass at the St. Augustine
church in her hometown of
Lubao and later delivered
a message to her constituents at the church patio.
The President led a 20vehicle motorcade from
Lubao to the capital city.
With her in the bus were
her husband, son Juan
“Miguel” Arroyo whose
seat she now seeks,
Reps. Aurelio “Dong”
Gonzales (3rd District) and
Anna York BondocSagum (4th District), Mayors Dennis Pineda
(Lubao), Eddie Guerrero
(Floridablanca), Roger
Santos (Porac), and Ric
Rivera (Guagua) – all in the
second district; Mayors
Jerry Pelayo (Candaba)
and Digos Canlas (San
Simon) of the 4th district.
On Monday, Ms Arroyo
claimed her decision to
run was borne by her desire to pursue public service and heed what she
called “clamor” by her
cabalens.
“After much contemplation, I realized I’m not
ready to step down completely from public service,” she announced over
the government-run Radyo
ng Bayan.
“Gaya ng alam ninyo,
hinihilingan ako ng mga
mamamayan ng aking tahanang distrito sa Pampanga na manatili sa buhaypubliko (As you all know,
I have been asked by the
citizens of my home district in Pampanga to stay
on in public life), so after
much soul-searching, I
have decided to respond
affirmatively to their call,”
the President said.
The President was entered in the ledger of candidates for provincial/district positions at No. 24.
As of noon yesterday
only one other candidate
for the 2nd district House
seat had filed a COC. Listed at No. 4 was a Feliciano Galcim Serrano, an
“Independent.”
Already the secondlongest serving Philippine
president next to the late
dictator Ferdinand Marcos,
she apparently did not
bother with criticisms that
her congressional run was
ultimately intended to reinstall her as prime minister in case of a shift to a
parliamentary government.
Nicera transfers China operations...
FROM PAGE 2
project, Nicera will be hiring 110 additional workers
for its Subic facility where
it would manufacture new
electronics products such
as pyrosensor modules
and pyroelectric infrared
sensors used in home-se-
curity lighting systems.
These products are
used in the assembly of
the so-called Ecopa ball
and stick, that combined
with another system with
voice recorder, allows the
detection of motion in the
dark. The system emits
white light diodes upon
detection and activates the
playback of a recorded
message.
Takashi said this new
product line would be manufactured in a new building
to be built in a 15,000square meter lot at the
Subic Techno Park (STEP)
sometime next year.
He added that the firm
aims to produce 50,000
pieces of pyrosensor modules and one million pieces of pyroelectric infrared
sensors a month.
As of now, Nicera employs 136 direct workers
and 553 employees from
sub-contractors.
Subic freeport honors...
FROM PAGE 3
tion group exposes her to
stress and long hours of
work, given the tight shipment schedules they must
meet.
Joy Seridon, chemical
engineer (Juken SangyoPhils., Corp.), was recently promoted as line leader, and has helped reduce
product rejection ratio by
as much as 60 percent
through improved monitoring, inspection and coordination activities. She
was also instrumental in
establishing the company’s internal calibration
team. Seridon was one of
the key personnel who
worked on the company’s
ISO certification and succeeded in getting the renewal of the company’s
ISO certification in just one
audit.
The 12 priests have
long been known as supporters of the President,
some of them identified
with provincial board member Lilia Pineda who is now
running for governor of
Pampanga.
Biblical passages were
also invoked during a rally
outside the church patio
where the President proceeded after the Mass to
greet some 3,000 folk from
various towns in Pampanga’s second disctrict.
In his speech before a
crowd carrying placards
manifesting support for
the President’s congressional bid, Floridablanca
Mayor Eduardo Guerrero
also reminded local voters
of the Biblical passage
saying that those who
ask do receive and those
who seek do find. This, he
said, was fulfilled for local
voters by the decision of
the President to run for
Congress.
First Gentlemen Mike
Arroyo and son Rep.
Mikey Arroyo, who gave
way to his mother in the
congressional race in the
second district, were with
the President during the
Mass up to her filing of her
candidacy in San Fernando.
Addressing Mikey,
Guerrero said that “while
we love and need you, we
love and need the President more.”
The
Gossipmiller
by Cesar Pambid
Republic of the Philippines
OFFICE OF THE NOTARY PUBLIC
PROVINCE OF TARLAC
VERY SUCCESSFUL ang nakaraang Star Awards For Television na ginanap sa Pagcor, Parañaque. Bagamat may kalayuan ang venue,
walang duda na pinagsadya ito ng maraming artistang dumalo at ng publikong talaga namang pinuno ang malaking venue na pinagdausan nito. We heard someone declared na sa lahat na nakita niyang awards night, ito na ang pinaka dahil aniya, well-attended nga ito.
Bukod siyempre sa talaga namang walang hassle at coordinated ang lahat ng mga bagay tungkol dito.
And for that, we would like to congratulate VIP Access Media for making this possible. At siyempre sa pamunuan ng Philippine
Movie Press Club who left no stone untrurned para nga makasigurong isang malaking tagumpay ang naturang event.
Kaya gusto kong ipaabot sa aking mga kasamhan sa club na sana’y mapanatili naming ang kaayusang nakita natin sa gabi ng Star
Awards.
Sa PMPC, mabuhay po tayong lahat.
And speaking of Star Awards for Television, dumating ang real life lovers na sina Oyo Boy Sotto at Kristine Hermosa. Napakaelegante ng dalawa at talaga naming marami ang napapalatak dahil nga nakakikilig ang romansang nakapalibot sa kanilang pagkatao.
Although, as usual, nag-dilly-dally na naman ang dalawa tungkol sa kanilang relasyon. Wala naming naninwala sa kanila malinaw na
silang-sila na sa haba ng panahon at kulang na lang talaga ang kasal upang masabing sila ay tunay nang mag-asawa.
Sa tanungan portion sa kanilang dalawa, nalaman nila na andoon din sa affair sina Diether at Rima. Nakita naming sandaling
umasim ang mukha nina Oyo Boy at Kristine pero sa huli, napakaganda ng mga salita nila tungkol kina Diether at Rima.
Nang pumasok na magkasabay sina Kristine at Oyo Boy, sinundan pa naming sila hanggang sa loob ng
bulwagan. Agad na nahanap ng dalawa and kinaroroonan nina Diether. Sandaling naupo lang sina Oyo Boy at
Kristine pero wala pang kalahating oras, magkasabay silang tumayo at agarang nilisan ang venue ng awards
night.
Kumbaga, sa tingin naming at siyempre ng ilang kibitzers, the two did a ceremonial walkout na hindi nila
tinapos ang palabas at agad na tumalilis.
Could this mean na naasiwa nga sina Oyo Boy at Kristine dahil sa nakita nila sina Diether at Rima?
Your guess is as good as mine!
RURAL BANK OF STA. IGNACIA, INC.,
Mortgagee,
-versus-
Maja Salvador reyna ng horror movies
RE: EXTRAJUDICIAL FORECLOSURE
OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE
UNDER ACT. NO. 3135, AS AMENDED
LINDA V. DE GUZMAN,
Mortgagor.
x-----------------------------------------------------------------------------x
NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE
WHEREAS, on June 18, 2008, but notarized on June 19, 2008,
a Deed of Real Estate Mortgage was executed by LINDA V. DE
GUZMAN, of legal age, Filipino, single, and a resident of and with postal
address at Atioc, San Miguel, Tarlac City, as MORTGAGOR, in favor of
RURAL BANK OF STA. IGNACIA, INC., a banking institution duly
organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Philippines,
with principal place of business at Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac, but with branch
office at Tarlac City, as MORTGAGEE, in order to secure the principal
amount of TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (P250,000.00),
Philippine Currency, obtained by the MORTGAGOR, plus interest and
other charges.
WHEREAS, as security for the payment of the aforementioned
obligations, the MORTGAGOR mortgaged property together with all the
improvements then existing or which may thereafter exist thereon located
in the Barrio of San Miguel, Tarlac City, and more particularly described
in Transfer Certificate of Title No. 414024, of the Registry of Deeds for
the Province of Tarlac, as follows:
TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE No. 414024
“ A PARCEL OF LAND (Lot 3-C-1-F-1 of the subd. plan
Psd-03-154717, being a portion of lot 3-C-1-F, Psd-03-149754
L.R.C. Rec. No. ), situated in the Bo. of San Miguel, City of
Tarlac. Bounded on the NE., along line 1-2 by lot 3-C-1-A; on
the SE., along line 2-3 by lot 3-C-1-I both of Psd-03-149754; on
the SW., along line 3-4 by lot 3-C-1-F-9 and on the NW., along
line 4-1 by lot 3-C-1-F-2 both of the subd., plan. x x x x x x
containing an area of FOUR HUNDRED ELEVEN (411), square
meters, more or less.”
WHEREAS, a Requests for Foreclosure was filed by the
MORTGAGEE before me as Notary Public for the Province of Tarlac for
the extra-judicial foreclosure of Real Estate Mortgage under Act. 3135, as
amended, on the ground that the terms and conditions of the said Real
Estate Mortgage have been breached with the default on the part of the
MORTGAGOR in paying the loan to the MORTGAGEE, which the
MORTGAGEE had extended to said MORTGAGOR as it appear in the
book/records of account of the MORTGAGEE.
WHEREAS, said Request for Foreclosure states that the outstanding
indebtedness of the aforesaid MORTGAGOR under a Deed of Real Estate
Mortgage as of October 2, 2009, is in the amount of THREE HUNDRED
THIRTY SEVEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED NINETY THREE
PESOS and 75/100 (P337,493/75), Philippine Currency, plus interest,
penalty and other charges after said date, plus expenses of foreclosure
and sale, all secured by the aforementioned mortgage.
NOW THEREFORE, by virtue of the Power of Attorney incorporated
in the said Deed of Real Estate Mortgage and in accordance with the
provisions of Act No. 3135, as amended, the undersigned Notary Public
for the Province of Tarlac, upon request of the MORTGAGEE
aforementioned, hereby gives notice to all interested parties and to the
public in general. The auction sale shall be held on December 16, 2009
at 9:00 o’clock in the morning or soon thereafter at the Entrance
Lobby of the Regional Trial Court of Tarlac City. He will sell at public
auction to the highest bidder and for cash, Philippine Currency, the said
real property above-mentioned including all improvements contained
therein to satisfy the full amount of the mortgaged debt, plus interest, cost,
lawful fees and expenses of foreclosure and sale.
Prospective buyers or bidders are hereby enjoined to investigate for
themselves the registered title to the property described above and
encumbrance thereon, if any there be.
Tarlac City, November 13, 2009
Copy furnished:
MS. LINDA V. DE GUZMAN
Brgy. Atioc, Tarlac City
RICARDO C. ATIENZA
NOTARY PUBLIC
Until December 31, 2010
PTR No. 0240951 / Jan. 5, 2009
Tarlac City
RURAL BANK OF STA. IGNACIA, INC
Tarlac City
Punto! Central Luzon: November 18, 25 & December 2, 2009
NEW MOON (GP3)
1030FS • 1050MF • 125 • 400 • 635
850LFS • 915LMF • 1130END
NINJA ASSASSIN (R13)
1020FS • 1050MF • 1255 • 300 • 505 • 710
848LFS • 915LMF • 1053END
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (GP3) Digital
1235FS • 1245MF • 300 • 505
640LFS • 710LMF • 845END
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (PG13)
1100FS • 1115MF • 115 • 315 • 515 • 715
850LFS • 915LMF • 1050END
2012 (PG13)
1125FS • 1145MF • 255 • 605
842LFS • 915LMF • 1152END
NAPANSIN N’YO BA, tila yata nalilinya si Maja Salvador sa mga horror films? Dahil dito, puwede na yatang
bigyan ng tag si Maja bilang Reyna ng Horror Films.
Say mo, Pacita M.?
Mismong si Maja, nakahahalatang lagging horror filmns ang natotoka sa kanya. Hindi na nga niya maipaliwanag kung bakit ganito ang nangyayari sa kanayng career.
She can’t understand why she keeps on making scary films and TV shows like “Sukob,” “Villa Estrella,”
“Patayin Mo sa Sindak Si Barbara,” “Nginig” and “Spirits” when she gets scared so easily. “Totoo ‘yun, matatakutin talaga akong tao,” sabi niya. “Tapos, ewan kung bakit puro katatakutan ang ginagawa ko.”
Katatapos lang niyang gawin ang Diablo episode ng
“Shake, Rattle & Roll XI,” the directorial debut of Rico Gutierrez of “Showbiz Central.” “I play someone who
lost her faith in God as she’s growing up lalo na nang masaktan ako sa lovelife at ang boyfriend ko, nagpari,” she
says. “Dahil dito, I get possessed by the diablo. It’s a very challenging and difficult role kasi in the possession
scenes, nilagyan ako ng prosthetic makeup sa mukha. 24 hours na nakakabit sa akin ‘yun during the shoot kaya
nag-break out ang mukha ko at kita ito sa ibang scenes ko in my soap, ‘Nagsimula sa Puso.’ It’s also a very
physically tiring role kasi maraming scenes na hinahabol ko ang victims ko at sigaw ako nang sigaw. Buti
napanood ko yung ‘Exorcism of Emily Rose’ so more or less, I know how it is to be possessed. But I’m really
scared while filming this and I pray to God first before each take kasi iba talaga ito from past horror films I did
dahil may devil. Playing my boyfriend na nagpari is Mark Anthony Fernandez and my current boyfriend na naging
biktima ko is Alex Castro, also in the cast are Gina Alajar as my aunt who took care of me, Irma Adlawan as a
doctor, and Joem Bascon as a seminarian. But I’m excited about
‘Shake’ kasi first Metro filmfest entry ko ito at I’ll join the parade
of stars.”
Is it true she’s now on with Coco Martin? “No. How can that
be hindi naman nanliligaw man lang ‘yung tao? Pero masaya
kami sa taping ng ‘Nagsimula sa Puso,’ along with Jason Abalos na
pilit ding nili-link sa’kin. Friends lang kaming tatlo sa set.”
How about the rumor that her-BF, Carlo Aquino, is now on secretly with GMA7’s Kris Bernal? “Okay lang sa’kin kasi matagal
nang nanligaw sa’kin si Carlo, but I haven’t asked him kung
totoo nga ‘yun sa kanila ni Kris. Kung totoo man, walang
kaso sa’kin ‘yun.”
JENNIFER’S BODY (GP3)
Claudine Baretto, Mark Anthony
Fernandez magkakabalikan?
1100FS • 1115MF • 115 • 315 • 515 • 715
900LFS • 915LMF • 1100END
2012 (PG13)
1100FS • 1115MF • 230 • 545
830LFS • 900LMF • 1140END
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (G)
1220FS • 1235MF • 240 • 445
620LFS • 650LMF • 825END
JENNIFER’S BODY
1220FS • 1240MF • 245 • 450 • 655
840LFS • 900LMF • 1045END
NINJA ASSASSIN (R13)
1050FS • 1100MF • 100 • 300 • 500 • 700
840LFS • 900LMF • 1040END
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
1050FS • 1105MF • 105 • 305 • 505 • 705
840LFS • 900LMF • 1035END
NEW MOON (G)
1050FS • 1100MF • 130 • 400 • 630
840LFS • 900LMF • 1110END
HETO NA, hinmdi pa man, nagsisimula na’ng mga intriga
dahil sa paglipat ni Claudine sa GMA 7. Ex kasi ni Claudine
si Mark Anthony na favorite leading man sa naturang network.
Maituturing na homegrown talent ng ABS-CBN.
She really practically started with the network as
she was still a teener when she started doing
movies for Seiko Films.
Claudine is mum about the real reason ng
desisyon niyang lumipat ng network.
During the contract signing, Claudine expressed her wish na makatrabaho ang asawang
si Raymart Santiago, who is, wika nga, a certified Kapuso.
Would she mind working with former
boyfriend Mark Fernandez, who is one of
the most in-demand leading men ng
GMA-7?
“I’d love to work with Mark
again,” sagot ni Claudine.
“Napag-usapan na namin
’yan ni Raymart. And he
has no objection.”
Mark, for his
part, welcomed
the idea, too.
Now both
married and with
children (two
each), both
Claudine and
Raymart think
they are both
matured to continue dealing
with what happened before.
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • DECEMBER 2, 2009 • WEDNESDAY
Kapampangan priest
Fr. Roland Moraleja was
chosen to deliver the homily by a group of 12 priests
who concelebrated the
Mass for the President
before she filed her certificate of candidacy for Congress at the provincial office of the Commission on
Elections (Comelec) in
San Fernando.
Moraleja said that the
decision of Mrs. Arroyo to
“go down” from presidency to run for a lower post
in Congress was like
Jesus “taking the form of
a slave to serve mankind.”
He urged the President
“not to be afraid” in her
decision to run for congress.
“To serve, we must
humble ourselves,” he
said, while noting that one
does not have to be president nor congressman to
be able to serve others.
Moraleja cited the New
Testament, specifically
chapter 2 of St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians which
cited Jesus as God humbling himself by taking the
form of man.
“You have served Pampanga well and they still
need you in Pampanga,
regardless of what people
say. If other people put
you down, we Kapampangans will put you up,” he
said in his homily.
Maja Salvador
FROM PAGE 1
7
LP IN SAN FERNANDO. Mayor Rodriguez (2nd from right), official
candidates of Liberal Party answer questions from the Pampanga media.
With him are LP vice gubernatorial bet Marco Lazatin, Gov. Ed Panlilio, LP
senatoriables Riza Hontiveros and other local candidates of LP Pampanga.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DENG PANGILINAN
WITH NEW PARTY
Oca to pursue crusade
for good governance
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • DECEMBER 2, 2009 •WEDNESDAY
BY JOEY AGUILAR
8
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Mayor Oscar “Oca”
Rodriguez has announced
on Monday that he will
“carry on with the crusade
of good governance” under
the Liberal Party.
“I dare go against expediency and practicality.
As always, I have chosen
to follow my principles, the
same motivation in joining
LAKAS before. It is the
same principles that I uphold and stand for today –
dignity, integrity, humility,
honor and patriotism – the
same principles that the
Liberal Party stands for,”
he said during a press
conference at the Heroes
Hall here.
“It is now official; I am
now a bonafide member of
the Liberal Party – a decision reached after a long
and arduous contemplation,” he said.
Rodriguez, together
with the “Magsilbi Tamu”
team, met LP standard
bearer Sen. Noynoy Aquino and his runningmate
Sen. Mar Roxas for the
wreath laying rites at the
Heroes Hall to commemorate Andres Bonifacio’s
heroism.
However, Aquino and
Roxas went back to Manila and failed to join the
senatorial and local bets
in the press conference.
The two term mayor
also said that good governance thrives in a society
under traditional patronage
politics; “that responsible
citizenship and transparency in good governance
go hand in hand; that governance for the people and
by the people should not
be sacrificed at the altar
of political ambition.”
“The City of San
Fernando is the benchmark, the fulcrum and the
catalyst that would propel
governance from the dark
ages of traditional patronage politics,” he added.
Rodriguez led the Magsilbi Tamu team in the filing of their respective certificate of candidacy (COC)
yesterday morning. Vice
Mayor Edwin Santiago will
be his runningmate.
His line up for councilors include: Alex Patio,
Ruperto Dumlao, Jaime
Lazatin, Paul Quiwa, Redentor Halili, Jun Lutero,
Rosemary Calimlim, Engr.
Mariano Castro, Jr., Atty.
Jose Elmer Teodoro and
Dr. Leticia Yap.
“Join
me…Jopin
us…Let us move forward
hand in hand in pursuing
the change borne of justice, social and economic
equality. Let us continue
the struggle fought for by
our forefathers. Let us light
the beacon of hope for our
people. Magsilbi Tamu!”
Rodriguez said.
MODEL CITY
The City of San Fernando is the first city in the
Philippines to achieve a
Performance Governance
System (PGS)-institutionalized status.
Based on the performance audit findings conducted by the Universal
Access to Competitiveness and Trade (U-ACT),
CSF delivered impressive
results in the implementation of its PGS.
As one of Institute for
Solidarity in Asia’s (ISA)
partners, the city adopted
the PGS as its governance
framework in 2005.
In the past five years,
CSF has achieved more
than 100 percent growth in
business enterprises, 33
percent growth in local income, and a high constituency satisfaction rating
for efficient delivery of services. Processing time for
the issuance of business
permits was streamlined
from six weeks to two
hours.
In his audit findings, UACT Executive Director
Ryan Patrick Evangelista
said that with the creation
and institutionalization of
the Multi-Stakeholder Governance Council (MSGC),
the city has achieved an
effective governance model for pubic-private partnership that deviates from
partisan politics.
The same findings
said: “the CSF was successful in increasing the
level of dynamism and cohesiveness of the legislative-executive dialogue process to ensure public accountability.”
This paved the way for
the enactment of a new
Revenue Code, Market
Code, Environment Code
and Revision to the Property Tax Administration.
It also “successfully
initiated substantial reforms in the conduct of
business processes and
transactions, improving
the issuance of business
permits and licensing and
real property tax assessment through an ISO-certified management system.”
Evangelista said that
the city has reduced its
dependence from the Internal Revenue Allotment
(IRA) and substantially increased its revenues.
‘Palengke ng laman’ sa Angeles City nasunog
NI JOEY AGUILAR
LUNGSOD NG ANGELES – Nasunog kahapon
ang malaking bahagi ng
“Area” sa barangay Sta.
Teresita na mas kilala bilang “palengke ng laman”
sa lungsod na ito.
Sinabi ng isang nakasaksi sa pangyayari na
bandang alas-dos ng
hapon ng masunog ang
kalahating bahagi ng
“Area”. Ngunit hindi parin
alam kung ano ang pinag-
mulan ng sunog.
Sinabi ni Senior Supt.
Danilo Bautista, ang city
police director dito na
mahigit sa 10 bahay na
magkakalapit ang nasunog sa nasabing lugar.
Ayon naman kay Chief
Insp. Jaime Villamil, station 2 commander, ang
sunog ay nagsimula sa
bahay ng isang nagngangalang Modesto Dayrit.
Sinabi din niya na
humigi’t kumulang sa P1.5
milyon ang halaga ng mga
nasunog.
Inaalam parin ng mga
imbestigador kung ano
ang pinagmulan ng
sunog.
Matatandaang nasubog din ang malaking
bahagi nito noong 1988 sa
panahon ng yumaong alkalde Antonio Abad Santos.
Ngunit pagkatapos ng
ilan pang mga sunog ay
patuloy parin umanong
nag-ooperate ito bilang
“palengke ng laman.”