BACOLOD Councilor El Cid Familiaran, chairman of the City Council Committee on Police and Security, requested the Office of the City Mayor to provide reflective jackets or vests for street cleaners.
He said the recent hit-and-run traffic accident along Lacson Street, Bacolod City, involving a 70-year-old woman from Barangay 39 employed as a street cleaner, is worthy of consideration. Previous to this, a similar reported incident happened at night fronting the Redemptorist Church along B.S. Aquino Drive where a person was likewise killed, he added. Before these two incidents happened, there were numerous reported cases of hit-and-run road accidents that killed or injured people where the drivers flee from the venue of incidence leaving their victims behind, he added. He said the recent road accidents could have been avoided if appropriate actions were properly taken by pertinent offices. Among the measures that could minimize such traffic incidents and protect the street cleaners is to provide them reflective jackets or vests for them to wear while on duty, especially during nighttime or the wee hours of the morning, Familiaran stressed. (Carla N. Canet) Sunstar Bacolod
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FORMER Bacolod City vice mayor Renecito Novero was the choice of a group of Bacolod City councilor called the “First Five” for the vice mayoralty post.
Novero confirmed this, saying the First Five, which is composed of incumbent Liberal Party (LP) Councilors El Cid Familiaran, Sonya Verdeflor, Archie Baribar, Elmer Sy and outgoing Councilor Catalino Alisbo, chose him to be their candidate for vice mayor. He said there are members of the party called the LP-Monico wing that also supports mayoralty aspirant Monico Puentevella. He said they are still finalizing the eight candidates for councilor under the LP-Novero wing. But Novero said he will run as an independent candidate for vice mayor and the LP candidates for councilors will join forces and support each other in the 2013 polls. "As of Wednesday night, there were six aspirants who are with us. From among the list who has the love and inclination to run, we are still courting them," Novero said, adding they will come up with the final slate and make an official announcement soon. Novero said the support shown by the First Five councilors encourages him to pursue his crusade for good governance through the Office of the Vice Mayor in Bacolod City. "Our conviction is to provide the City Council majority of well-meaning people whose names and track records are clean and whose motivation are honest and sincere so that whoever sits there as mayor, although while we intend to work also sincerely and cooperate with him, they cannot play monkey business with them," he said. Frank Carbon, LP chairman in Bacolod City, said the First Five has the leeway to join and support Novero. "The 12 candidates of the LP for councilor in Bacolod City will be given a free hand to choose and support candidates for vice mayor, mayor and congressman outside of the Liberal Party. Bacolod is a free zone. There is no conflict with us when they join and support Novero," Carbon said. Meanwhile, Councilor Baribar is already part of the 12 candidates for LP. Baribar’s certificate of nomination is already with Councilor Sy, but Sy said he has not yet signed Baribar’s certificate of nomination. However, as of Thursday, Baribar decided to run for councilor under LP and will join and support Novero for vice mayor. He is expected to file his certificate of candidacy (COC) next week. "We will wait for his final announcement. But as to his certificate of nomination, it's already with me," Sy said. He added that they joined Novero because ever since he is part of their group. "If Novero was chosen by the Nationalist People's Coalition, I would be forced to support Mayor Bing Leonardia. But our party now is well and okay. But if the election time nears, I might have my own personal choice for mayor and congressman," he said. Baribar was unreachable for comment as of this posting. (Carla N. Canet) Sun Star Bacolod Insisting that it was not a “boycott”, Bacolod City Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said yesterday the Sangguniang Panlungsod session last Wednesday was called off due to lack of quorum.
Sayson said that under the rules of the SP, eight councilors constitute a quorum that would allow the session to proceed. The vice mayor clarified that the calling off of the session was not due to “intentional absences” or planned boycott, as he explained “it just happened that most of them have other important concerns.” “Since we didn’t have the quorum, I called it off,” Sayson stressed. The vice mayor said that usually there are only one or two councilors absent every session day posing no problem with the conduct of the session. At the SP Session Hall Wednesday were Councilors Sonya Verdeflor, Elmer Sy, Catalina Alison, Archie Baribar and El Cid Familiaran, all members of the minority block in the city council known as the First Five. Sayson declared that there was “no session” at around 4:30 p.m., after only five of the 14 members of the SP showed up. Normally, the regular session of the SP starts at 3 p.m. every Wednesday. Conspicuously absent were Councilors Em Ang, Caesar Distrito, Dindo Ramos, Carlos Jose Lopez, Homer Bais, Al Victor Espino, and Roberto “Bobby” Rojas, ABC president Mona Dia Jardin and SK Federation president Keith Ramos, who were either on official leave or official travel. While there was no confirmation that the GP councilors intentionally “boycotted” the session, suspicions were strong that it was their way of protesting the process of choosing the group’s vice mayoralty bet. Mayor Evelio Leonardia announced Tuesday that the national directorate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition had chosen former Councilor Greg Gasataya as the party’s candidate for vice mayor from among the nine contenders whose names were submitted by the local group. /WDJ Bacolod City Water District director Greg Gasataya brushed off reports that he is pushing for the privatization of the water district.
According to Gasataya, the news and text messages being circulated around the city is very much unfounded and a clear propaganda to destroy his name. Gasataya said the issue linking him to the privatization of BACIWA came out a day after he was officially named by the Nationalist People’s Coalition-Grupo Progreso as their candidate for the vice mayoralty post. The former three-term city councilor explained that persons or groups behind the black propaganda should study their strategy as Bacolodnons are not dumb to understand that it would take a Congressional act to push for the privatization of water services utilities like BACIWA. Gasataya stressed that after graduating from the Sangguniang Panlungsod and being appointed as director of BACIWA, he silently worked to improve the level of services of the water district. Most notable in his stint with the water district is their corroborated effort to negotiate with the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to reduce the interest of the more than P200 million loan availed by the water district, Gasataya revealed. Meanwhile, Gasataya assured the Bacolodnons that he is very much ready to serve as their next vice mayor, as he insisted that he is very much qualified to the said position. The BACIWA official explained that presiding over the session of the city council is nothing new to him, as he cited several instances during which he served as acting vice mayor. Gasataya stressed if given the mandate, he will pursue a consultative style of leadership to make sure that every stand and point of views of the members of the city council would be respected and heard. He added he sees no problem with the possible entry of incumbent councilors Atty. Archie Baribar, Atty. Sonya Verdeflor, El Cid Familiaran and Elmer Sy to Grupo Progreso as he has worked with them in the past./WDJ No quorums halt work at Capitol, city hall, too Sayson denies boycott by disappointed allies9/27/2012 he Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City did not hold its regular session yesterday for failure to reach a quorum as some of its members were on sick or official leave.
Only Councilors El Cid Familiaran, Sonya Verdeflor, Elmer Sy, Archie Baribar and Catalino Alisbo of the “First Five” were present at the Session Hall together with Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, the presiding officer. Councilors Dindo Ramos, Al Victor Espino, Roberto Rojas, Homer Bais, Caesar Distrito, Carlos Jose Lopez, Mona Dia Jardin, Manuel Keith Ramos, and Em Ang, all of the Grupo Progreso, failed to show up yesterday. Lopez and Jardin were on official travel, while Ramos said he was not able to attend due to hypertension. Both Distrito and Ang said they were on sick leave. Espino said that although he forgot that it was Wednesday yesterday and they had a scheduled session, he still could not go because he could hardly walk. Bais said he was also on official travel. Baribar yesterday confirmed the lack of quorum, saying he does not know what went wrong. “My own interpretation is that the absence of the nine members of Council might be a fall out of the group because of the choice for the Vice Mayor,” he said. The Vice Mayors' League of Iloilo City were on an educational tour at the Bacolod City Government Center yesterday and their failure to reach a quorum might be more educational to see on their part, he added. The National People’s Coalition has nominated former Councilor Greg Gasataya as the party’s official candidate for vice mayor of Bacolod. Gasataya was chosen by the NPC national hierarchy from among the list of nine probable candidates submitted by the local party in Bacolod. Baribar said "I considered it as a boycott. This is first time in my own experience since I became councilor in 1995.” Sayson, who is NPC’s mayoralty candidate, denied that it was a boycott as two councilors were on official travel and four others were on official leave. They only needed three more councilors yesterday to have a quorum, he said. It might be that the rest have other concerns and that, usually, there are one or two councilors who are absent every time they conduct sessions, he added.. However, Sayson said there were no “life and death” concerns included in the agenda yesterday. There were reports yesterday that the nine members of the Grupo Progreso did not accept the decision of the NPC Manila nominating Gasataya as the official candidate of the NPC for Vice Mayor, for lack of proper consultation. Mayor Evelio Leonardia said they expected some reactions and anticipate that. There were many who are interested in the position but they only have to choose one, he said. Leonardia said they have agreed earlier to let the NPC national directorate decide who will run for vice mayor to avoid any possible personal repercussions in their relationship with one another. Asked for his reaction on the choice of Gasataya, Ramos said he does not want to comment on the matter for now. But he is considering many options, whether to go back to private practice or seek higher office, he said. Espino said he is also weighing his options and is consulting with his family, friends and leaders. Distrito said he respects the decision of the NPC national directorate since it was not the decision of the local party. They will abide with its decision as members of the NPC, he said. Leonardia said he believes the NPC national directorate may have seen the teamwork of Gasataya and Sayson when they were together from 2007 to 2010, where the former was floor leader of the Vice Mayor. He said he believes that was a major factor that helped them work together in harmony and they were productive. Leonardia said this may have been the time when the SP was recognized by the Department of Interior and Local Government as the number one performing SP in Western Visayas. A big factor then was the teamwork of Sayson and Gasataya, he said. “If given a chance to work together as mayor and vice mayor, they can use this chemistry for a higher responsibility that will ensure the continued progress of Bacolod,” he added. BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO The Visayan Daily Star THE Liberal Party (LP)-Bacolod chaired by Frank Carbon announced Wednesday its 11 candidates for councilor in the City of Bacolod.
The candidates are Edwin Balajadia, lawyer Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Frank Carbon, Ray Carmona, El Cid Familiaran, lawyer Andy Hagad, lawyer Ana Marie Palermo, Elmer Sy, lawyer Sonya Verdeflor and Tony Wong, according to Butch Ebreo. Councilor Archie Baribar, a practicing lawyer, was included in the list but did not show up, as he said he attended a court hearing. Asked what position he will seek, Baribar said: "We are still discussing it. I will decide on the filing date. If I will run for vice mayor, I will run as an independent candidate because the LP will not field a candidate for vice mayor, mayor and congressman. In terms of percentage in my plan to run for vice mayor, I am giving it a more than even chance." Ebreo confirmed that the LP will not field official candidates for congressman, mayor and vice mayor. Hagad said the LP in Bacolod was formed only in 2010 and they could not afford yet to field candidates for mayor, vice mayor and congressman. "Our decision is to field candidates for councilor. It was the idea of Councilor Familiaran that, if we will field candidates for councilor, we will put a very strong slate that the majority of the group will win. It would be better that the mayor, congressman and vice mayor will not come from our group so that there will be no connivance in both the legislative and executive branches of government. Knowing our weaknesses, let us put it as our strength. Let us field very good candidates and get the majority votes of our people and let's check and balance the way democracy works," he said. He added that Bacolod City is a free zone. "We will just follow our conscience in our choice for the top position. When elections are over and majority of us win, we will regroup and work as one. We have many roads to take but we only have to reach one destination." The partnership between the LP and Nationalist People's Coalition will only be good for the position of governor and up, according to Hagad. "We are free where to align and join in the local positions," he said. Carbon said it is high time the business sector will have a voice in the City Council. He said he entered politics as he wants to effect change in the local level, and he saw the sincerity of President Benigno Aquino III to effect change. (CNC) Sun Star Bacolod _
The Liberal Party in Bacolod City presented yesterday its slate for councilors composed of four incumbents, two former councilors and five new candidates. LP-Bacolod district chairman emeritus Andres Hagad yesterday said they have decided to field only councilors. They also prefer that the mayor and vice mayor will not come from their party so there will be no collusion between the two branches of government, he said. The LP-Bacolod line-up is composed of Councilors Sonya Verdeflor, El Cid Familiaran, Elmer Sy and Archie Baribar, who was not present, former councilors Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and Ana Marie Palermo, businessmen Frank Carbon, Tony Wong, mediaman Ray Carmona, Hagad, and Edwin Balajadia of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement-Negros. Hagad said they have decided to put up a very strong slate to ensure that majority of them will win, as suggested by Familiaran. If that happens, there will be check and balance between the executive and legislative departments, regardless of who will sit as mayor, he said. What is important is that if they win after the elections, they will regroup and work as one, Hagad said. He said most of them will be joining forces with mayoralty candidate Monico Puentevella except for the group of Familiaran who may be supporting other candidates for mayor. They have no problem with that since Bacolod was declared a free zone, he added. They will have two independent groups that will be campaigning simultaneously although they have an agreement with Puentevella that they will keep their separate identity as LP, Hagad said. Familiaran said he, together with Baribar, Sy and Verdeflor will be running as independent candidates under former Vice Mayor Renecito Novero who is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition. Baribar said he has not yet decided whether to run for vice mayor or councilor. If he decides to run for vice mayor, he will be running as an independent candidate, he said. Meanwhile, Carbon, LP city chairman, said the business sector believes it is high time that they have a voice in the City Council, when asked for his decision to join politics. They were inspired by the Mayor of Dumaguete City who is the president of Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said, adding that they want to bring in businesses and create jobs in Bacolod. Batapa-Sigue, chairman of the National Information Communication and Technology Confederation, said she has presented to Puentevella the programs she had not finished when her term ended, which she hopes will help promote more jobs and investments for Bacolod, she said. Palermo said she continued to work as an advocate and volunteer for the less privileged members of society and this sector had prodded her to return to politics so she could continue her advocacies at the SP to help uplift the lives of the people. Balajadia said that as an advocate for good government and environmental protection, he hopes to craft ordinances and programs for an effective management of the city’s coastal resources and the community and to help the fishermen, farm workers and other marginal sectors. Carmona said P-Noy’s slogan “Walang mahirap kung walang corrupt” and “Ang matuwid na daan” has motivated him to take his oath before the President when he visited Talisay and to run under his slate. If elected, he will give priority to education and will push for the improvement of the Bacolod City College, he said. He will also advocate good governance, transparency and accountability in governance, he added. BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO The Visayan Daily Star For the first time in the history of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City under the leadership of Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, the regular session was called off yesterday due to lack of quorum.
Sayson declared that there was “no session” at around 4:30 p.m., after only five of the 14 members of the SP showed up. Normally, the regular session of the SP starts at 3 p.m. every Wednesday. Present were Councilors Sonya Verdeflor, Elmer Sy, Catalino Alisbo, Archie Baribar and El Cid Familiaran, all members of the minority block in the city council known as the First Five. Conspicuously absent were Councilors Em Ang, Caesar Distrito, Dindo Ramos and SK president Keith Ramos, all on official leave based on the records of the SP. Also failed to attend the session were Councilors Carlos Jose Lopez, Homer Bais and ABC president Mona Dia Jardin, all of whom were reportedly on official travel. The SP records showed no justification for the absence of Councilors Al Victor Espino and Roberto “Bobby” Rojas. Maruja Abayon, designated SP administrative officer, revealed that Ang, Distrito and the two Ramoses filed their “sick leave” only hours before the session. She explained that a member of the SP is allowed to file an official leave of absence before, during and after the session. The administrative officer said that in the case of Lopez, Bais and Jardin, the three councilors had shown memoranda covering their official travel. While there was no confirmation that the GP councilors intentionally “boycotted” the session, suspicions were strong that it was their way of protesting the process of choosing the group’s vice mayoralty bet. Mayor Evelio Leonardia announced Tuesday that the national directorate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition had chosen former Councilor Greg Gasataya as the party’s candidate for vice mayor from among the nine contenders whose names were submitted by the local group. While there was no strong opposition against Gasataya’s nomination, several members of the group aired resentments over the process through which Gasataya was selected. “It’s not the choice but the process of choosing our VM candidate that we resent,” a councilor who asked not be named told Watchmen Daily Journal. Lopez and Jardin said the former councilor “is a good choice”, however, they refused to comment on the reported disappointment of several members of the group. On the other hand, Distrito and Espino said that they respect the decision of the party, adding that they will give the full support to Leonardia, Sayson and Gasataya. Espino, however, said that he is open to any plan. “Let’s just wait and see, (the) filing of COC is still on October 1-5,” he added. NATURAL REACTION Leonardia said it is normal for the other members of the group to feel bad. “We are just human beings. I may say, it is the expected natural reaction,” he stressed. Just like Sayson, Leonardia said they are in the process of resolving the issue, adding that “we are just waiting for some developments. Let’s just wait and see.” The mayor clarified that the decision came from NPC chairman Faustino Dy and NPC president Frisco San Juan. The mayor revealed that there were no criteria or measurement set in choosing the vice mayoralty candidate. “We want to avoid comparing one from the others,” he explained. The mayor said he believes in the Sayson-Gasataya partnership, as he further explained that both of them had worked together in the SP in 2007 and 2010. Sayson, on the other hand, assured that they will try to fix everything. He said that due to the number of probable candidates for vice mayor, “it is a normal reaction to feel disappointed.” “We cannot please everybody,” he stressed.The vice mayor said the party has no choice but to select only one vice mayoralty bet./WDJ Bacolod City will celebrate the Rabies Day Friday that will kick off with a motorcade at 8 a.m. from the New Government Center en route to the BAYS Center.
Acting city veterinarian Rex Juplo said several groups have signified their intention to join the motorcade such as the K-9 Club, Dog Form Club and two motorcycle clubs. Dog enthusiasts were also invited to join the activity. The motorcade will be followed by a mass vaccination of dogs at the Liga ng mga Barangay Hall while at 1 p.m., a program at the same venue will be held to discuss and get feedback on the enforcement of City Ordinance 544, series of 2011, the ordinance establishing dog-owners responsibility, requiring enclosures or fenced-in yard for pet dogs as preventive measure against occurrence of rabies injury, damage and other hazards, authored by Councilor El Cid Familiaran. At the program, acting city administrator Goldwyn Nifras will give the opening remarks, followed by Mayor Evelio Leonardia’s message and the keynote speech of Familiaran. Juplo said that as of 2012, they have no recorded cases of human rabies. The last time was in 2005. His office had recorded only two positive dog rabies cases from January 1 to September 24 this year. This is because for the last two years, they had vaccinated about 40,000 dogs, Juplo said. / Watchmen Daily Journal The Liberal Party of Bacolod City will announce its final lineup of councilors today at the Apollo Restaurant, Hilado-Malaspina Streets.
According to LP member Frank Carbon, after a series of meetings and discussions, the group has finally decided to make public the party’s official candidates for councilor of Bacolod for the 2013 local polls. Carbon, however, clarified that the party has yet to decide on its congressional and mayoralty candidates. “All we have right now is only the final list of the LP bets for councilors,” he added. Carbon said that today’s gathering will be attended by the local party leaders and members. Earlier, Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, chairman of Nationalist People’s Coalition-Bacolod chapter, declared that they have given the four incumbent councilors belonging to the LP until end of this week for them to decide whether to join the Grupo Progreso or not. Sayson stressed that since the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy is fast approaching, it is better for them to decide soon. The Grupo Progreso has a standing invite for Councilors El Cid Familiaran, Archie Baribar, Elmer Sy and Sonya Verdeflor to become part of the local coalition. The filing of the COC per Commission on Elections guidelines will be on October 1-5, 2012. “We will give them the chance to decide whether to join us or not,” Sayson said./WDJ |
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