Zamboanga Sibugay celebrates 16th Founding Anniversary

IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay, Feb. 16 (PNA) – The opening of the agricultural fair marks the start of the week-long 16th Founding Anniversary celebration from February 17 to 24, of this province.

The agri fair will be preceded by a holy mass and a grand parade to be joined by the different sectors and 16 towns.

Gov. Wilter Palma told the Philippine News Agency that this year’s anniversary celebration will be fabulous and sublime for the visitors and residents to feel the rich culture and tradition of this province.

“Through these vibrant celebration, the people can testify to the cheerfulness and unity of the Sibugaynons,” Palma added.

Several activities have been lined up for this year’s anniversary celebration and these include the following: cheer dance; drum and lyre; pyrotechnic display; cultural night, education night; academe contest; motor show; mardi grass showdown; animal clinic; legal clinic; medical-dental-surgical outreach; executive-legislative night; and, Miss Sibugay beauty pageant.

There will be sports activities such as bicycle race, motocross, basketball, dart, table tennis and volleyball.

The provincial government has invited celebrities to spice up the 16th anniversary celebration.

This year’s anniversary celebration is anchored on the theme: Sa Pag-Bag-o, Adunay Kalinaw ug Kalambuan (In Change, There is Peace and Progress).

“We are looking forward to displaying the progress our province has reached at this point in its short history in this year’s celebration,” Palma said.

Zamboanga Sibugay was created through Republic Act No. 8973 passed on November 7, 2000, and signed into law by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on February 24, 2001.

This province comprises of 16 municipalities, organized into two congressional districts and further subdivided into 389 barangays with a population of 633,129 as of 2015 census. (PNA)

OCD-11: Close to 8,000 families affected by Davao floods

DAVAO CITY, Feb. 19 (PNA) -- Some 7,814 families were affected while one casualty was recorded brought by flooding incident due to heavy rains in Davao Region since last Wednesday.

This was bared by Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) 11 regional director Leoncio Cirunay in a telephone interview on Saturday.

“Ang atong mga evacuees nag adto sa mga evacuation centers sa mga eskwelahan. Ang uban naa pud sa ilang mga parente (Our evacuees stayed in schools which served as evacuation centers. Other families stayed with their relatives’ home near the evacuation center),” he said

Cirunay said the families affected came from the provinces of Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental.

He said that of the total families displaced by the flood, 6,171 came from Davao Oriental while 1,229 from Compostela Valley and 66 from Davao del Norte.

“Karong mga orasa gireport na nga namalik sa sila sa ilang mga balay (As of this time, it was reported to us that the evacuees already went home),” he said.

Cirunay also bared the death of a man identified as Dodong Lupogan who died due to drowning brought by the flood in the town of Maragusan, Compostela Valley.

There were also 67 partially damaged houses, two of these are in Monkayo, Compostela Valley Province while 65 in Mati City, Davao Oriental.

Cirunay said as of now, the OCD-11 has no record yet of the total cost of damage brought by the heavy rains.

“Wala pa ta nag-conduct og damage assessment. Puhon, mag-counduct kay ato man gyud ng siguradohon unsay tamang reports sa mga cities, municipalities and provinces (We have not yet conducted a damage assessment. Maybe later, because we want to make sure that we can get accurate reports from the cities, municipalities and provinces on the damage brought by the heavy rain),” he said. (PNA)

232 nabbed in anti-illegal gambling raids in Bicol

LEGAZPI CITY, Feb. 19 (PNA) -- As the government’s war against illegal gambling is starting to warm up, at least 232 persons were arrested in police operations across the six Bicol provinces, a ranking official of the Philippine National Police in Bicol on Sunday said.

Chief Superintendent Melvin Buenafe, director of Police Regional Office in Bicol (PRO5), said police have carried out 76 anti-illegal gambling operations during the period February 3 to 18.

"The crackdown came in the form of street arrests of jueteng (illegal numbers games) bet collectors and raids in gambling dens operating table games such as 'pusoy,' 'tong-its,' poker and mahjong."

Most of the arrested suspects were also involved in the illegal operation of cockfighting, bookies, lotteng, card games and cara y cruz.

Buenafe said aside from those arrested, the police operations initially yielded some PHP47,841 in bet money confiscated from illegal gambling bet collectors and gambling dens across the region.

Buenafe vowed to stop all forms of illegal gambling believed to be the root of criminality in the region, including drug addiction.

He said many drug dependents resort to doing petty crimes and get involved in illegal gambling to have money for drugs.

During a command conference last week, which was attended by all the highest officials of PRO5 along with the six PNP provincial directors and the city director of Naga City Police Office, Buenafe ordered them to double their efforts to stop any kind of illegal activities in the region, particularly illegal gambling.

Burnafe had warned all the provincial directors and chiefs of police about “the three-strike policy” with the implementation of “Target Output Policy (TOP) Charlie,” which he said “temporarily replaces the anti-illegal drug campaign called Oplan Tokhang.”

Under TOP-Charlie and the chain of command responsibility, the provincial director, city director and the chief of police who will fail three times in the implementation of the program will be facing administrative cases and automatically relieved from their posts.

Senior Inspector Ma.Luisa Calubaquib, PRO5 spokesperson, said the officers and men of PNP Bicol are already familiar with the target output policy especially during the time of then PRO5 director Victor P. Deona.

During Deona’s term, there were provincial directors and chiefs of police who were relieved and had to undergo a re-training course after they failed to meet the target output policy assessment given to them by the advisory board created by Camp Gen. Simeon Ola, headquarters of PRO5 here.

The advisory board consists of heads and representatives of non-government organizations, academe, religious group, government line agencies and some of high ranking police officers of PRO5.

Calubaquib said there were parameters also set up in grading the performance of the provincial directors and chiefs of police with the board given the power to recommend the kind of penalty.

The PRO5 is still consolidating the reports of police provincial offices regarding their operations against the most wanted persons in their area of responsibility, illegal fishing, illegal logging and other criminal activities. (PNA)

Hugpong organizes regional speakers bureau training

By Judys G. Cogo

Hugpong Federal Movement of the Philippines organized speakers bureau training and workshop on federalism road map from February 10-12, 2017.

The training was held at Agro Industrial Foundation College in Davao City.

Participants of this training are regional directors and regional speakers bureau from the 18 regions nationwide.

They took part in interactive segments focused on organizational development, communicating skill and understanding federalism France model.

Topics were designed to stimulate reflection on activity from different angles for every federal forum organized in the region and the sustainability of the regional level which strengthen the organization.

Throughout the three days, participants were encouraged to reflect on and formulate the best practices to promote federalism, where the present administration believes people equipped with intercultural dialogue can advance the cause.

Celso Tizon, national chairman, spoke on the objectives of the advocacy. He expressed belief that federalism may address inequitable development and cultural differences of the country.

Speaking on organizational strategy, Dr. Zuraida Comedoy said organizing the grassroots may lead to a strong organization.

She said the best way to promote federalism to the ground is a well-organized community.

Meanwhile, Vergilio dela Cruz, secretary general, present the board of trustees output.

Judys G. Cogo, region 9 director, gave the body an update on the activity in Zamboanga Peninsula and the status of the organization.

She said the movement in the region has not yet encounter any form of resistance on the promotion of the administration’s France model federalism. 

It may be recalled that Duterte had said federalism allows regions to keep most of their income.

 

“Regions with more resources to fuel their development is one promise federalism can deliver,” said Rodrigo Duterte during the campaign.

 

Their call for a federalist form of government was one aspect of their platform the pair highlighted when they campaigned in vote-rich provinces.

 

Concept of Jure Regalia

 

Elsewhere, Atty. Joel C.Obar, Hugpong national legal counsel, told participants that in federal form of government the state will have autonomy in the utilization of their natural resources which has the better chance to improve economy.

 

Obar said the state is given the capacity to own property which is enshrined in the past and present constitutions of the land that all lands of the public domain, water, minerals, coal, petroleum and other mineral oils and other natural resources are owned by the State.

 

Region or States can keep most of their income when they can draft their own economic policy context to their economic cultural orientation.

 

It may be recalled that with the exception of agricultural lands, all other natural resources shall not be alienated. The exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State.

 

The State may directly undertake such activities, or it may enter into co-production, joint venture, or production-sharing agreements with the citizens, or corporations or associations at least sixty per centum of whose capital is owned by such citizens.