THE Bacolod City Council approved on second, third and final reading the P1.230 billion budget of Bacolod City for 2013 during a session held Thursday.
However, opposition Councilors Archie Baribar, El Cid Familiaran, Sonya Verdeflor, Catalino Alisbo and Elmer Sy manifested a qualified vote and pushed for the quarterly reporting of expenditure to avoid a situation of over-spending, especially on the hiring of personnel. Verdeflor said they voted in the affirmative but qualified such votes, particularly on the conversion of five city departments and offices, namely the Department of Public Services, Bacolod City College, City Cooperative and Development Office, Bacolod Housing Authority and City Veterinary Office, into socio economic enterprise units of the City Government. The reason for this conversion, she said, was the Budget Notice from the Department of Budget and Management citing that the city has gone beyond the 45 percent ceiling on the hiring of personnel. What the administration did was to let Councilor Caesar Distrito file an ordinance to cure the said defect, she said. The ordinance was meant to pull out the said department and offices so that their personnel could no longer be included in the 45 percent ceiling. It was passed and was made retroactive January 1, 2012. "We did not support such ordinance because its effectivity was made on the middle or third quarter of the year but will retroact to January," she said. This was the reason also that they manifested a qualified vote in the passage of the 2013 executive budget, except for the portion on the economic enterprise. These departments and offices have already made a position paper that they could not sustain themselves as economic enterprise units of the city. She added that the colatilla or condition on the new budget was for the executive department to make a quarterly report on the utilization of the budget, especially on the General Services where the hiring of casuals and job order employees fall under. This is to make sure that they will not go beyond the 45 percent ceiling on the hiring of personnel, as set by the DBM. Meanwhile, those who voted in favor of the 2013 budget were Councilors Dindo Ramos, Al Victor Espino, Em Ang, Homer Bais, Mona Dia Jardin, Roberto Rojas, Caesar Distrito, Carlos Jose Lopez and Kevin Ramos. BY: CARLA CANET SUN STAR BACOLOD
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The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on second, third and final reading the P1.230 billion annual budget of the City for 2013, during its last session for 2012 yesterday.
It also approved on final reading the amendments to the Revised Revenue Code. Expressing elation over the speedy approval of the budget, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said he is thanking the Vice Mayor and the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod for acting on it on time. He also underscored the fact that their administration has managed to double the budget from the P614 million in 2004 when they took over, to the P1.230 billion the SP has approved for 2013. This is truly indicative of how the city has grown, he added. Bacolod Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said that, after approving the amendments to the Revised Revenue Code as requested by the businessmen, they will have it published and they hope to implement the new rates on January 15, 2013. The Revised Revenue Code was passed with majority of the SP members voting in the affirmative. Sayson said only Councilor Catalino Alisbo voted in the negative, saying that he wants to maintain his previous vote, while Councilors Archie Baribar, Sonya Verdeflor and Caesar Distrito voted in the affirmative, but with reservations. He said Verdeflor wanted to lower the rates to 35 percent of 1 percent but they cannot go lower than 37 percent of 1 percent, or their rates will be lower than the tax imposed by the municipalities. Baribar said he believes the rates should be lowered to just 10 percent of what is allowed by law. Distrito said he also voted in the affirmative with qualification that the cases filed against the city by the Rolling Hills Memorial Park before the Regional Trial Court and the one filed before the Department of Justice by the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bacolod Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, be withdrawn. . Meanwhile, Sayson said the members of the SP voted in favor of the passage of the 3013 annual budget. He said Councilors Archie Baribar. El Cid Familiaran, Sonya Verdeflor, Councilor Catalino Alisbo and Elmer Sy also voted in the affirmative on the budget, but with abstention on the items regarding socio-economic enterprises. They do not want the Bacolod Housing Authority, City Cooperative and Livelihood Development Office, Bacolod City College placed under socio-economic enterprise, he added. Familiaran cited a memorandum circular discouraging local governments from subsidizing socio-economic enterprises that cannot sustain their operations. Espino had said earlier that the increase of P105 million in the new budget will fund the implementation of the last phase of the Salary Standardization law since Bacolod is one of the few cities in the Philippines to have complied with the law by giving the last tranche for next year. This will increase the salary of plantilla casuals from P6,862.00 to P9,000, he said. Espino added that the city will also focus on five key areas, which are peace and order, traffic and providing assistance to the Bacolod City Police Office, garbage collection, basic infrastructure, like roads, and education, with the passage of the new budget. BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO THE VISAYAN DAILY STAR Liberal Party member Bacolod City Councilor El Cid Familiaran said that LP Bacolod is free to support or ally with any political group in the city.
Bacolod City is considered as a free zone for LP, he stressed. Only the position for councilor was made as the LP's official nominees/candidates but the positions for congressman, mayor and vice mayor are left to each LP member to choose whom to support. This came after Atty. Lyndon Caña was adopted as guest candidate of the Bacolod LP. Some quarters questioned such adoption, as the LP national directorate has coalesced with the Nationalist People's Coalition and Nacionalista Party. Some people also pointed out that the decision to adopt Cana as guest congressional candidate of the LP is only the decision made by LP Chairman Frank Carbon and LP Chairman Emeritus Atty. Andy Hagad. For his part, Caña said that it is just normal that some quarters will react. He emphasized that such action made by the LP Bacolod Chapter was done with the consensus of the LP Bacolod Executive Committee who were present during his official adoption to the LP. BY CARLA CANET SUNSTAR BACOLOD The Liberal Party (LP) District Committee based in Bacolod City, in a move taking his political rivals by surprise has taken in Congressional bet Lyndon Caña as its guest candidate with the announcement taking place in one of the function rooms of the Bacolod Pavillon Hotel compound yesterday.
The declaration which was covered by journalists and attended by Liberal Party (LP) stalwarts Andy Hagad, Frank Carbon and campaigners led by Roger Balderas and Napoleon Dojillo and attended by rabid supporters of the party, was done in a festive mood as well as boosted the congressional candidacy of Caña who bared that he almost won as vice-mayor with 66,000 votes years back while one of his rivals, incumbent Congressman Dr. Anthony Golez, won with only 61,000 in the 2010 elections. In the press conference which followed and when Caña was asked about perceived weaknesses which could bedevil his campaign foremost of which is logistics, he confidently asserted that this time, he would be able to surmount these weaknesses along with the LP District officials and his avid LP campaign Team. "On the question of logistics, there is a solution to this which he would not disclose. Waxing ecstatic and explaining the voting demographics of Bacolod City, Caña said one must remember these figures: two (2%) percent of the population here are filthy rich, 42 percent are middle class while 56 percent belong to the masses or the urban poor, farmers, workers and employees. Then keeping his listeners guessing, Caña quipped that it is not all the time that money primarily becomes the major factor in winnability, citing the examples of giant political killers, Fr. Panlilio, Grace Padaca in Isabela Province in Luzon and even former Mayor Oscar Verdeflor in Bacolod who won over then well-funded Evelio Leonardia. Earlier, with many politicians and candidates talking about incumbent Congressman Golez’ better-half, Princess Soraya Jaafar, Caña was silent, merely saying that he had talked to the scion of the Royal family of Tawi-Tawi, primarily in Mindanao. But he would not disclose what transpired during their talks. Political punsters have always analyzed Caña’s political base as among the middle class and the protestant, the Christian sectors who number quite a substantial figure in Bacolod. When asked about the reproductive health bill now being discussed in Congress, Caña indeed, bared that he was anti-RH and he had essential reasons for his position. NNF/NDB data showed that Caña is chairman of the anti-reproductive health bill coalition established months back to campaign against the bill’s non-approval in Congress of the Catholic Church Bacolod Diocese under Bishop Vicente Navarra. Liberal Party (LP) Chairman-Emeritus, lawyer Andres Hagad and District Chairman, businessman Frank Carbon in their joint declaration of full cooperation and support said in a written document that the LP-Bacolod District is adopting Atty. Lyndon Caña as its congressional candidate for the Lone District of Bacolod during the May 13, 2013 national and local elections. Continuing, they said, "Taking note of our common objective towards a clean and honest electoral exercise and to a transparent and effective government, the party throws its full support behind Atty. Caña." Following suit, the Bacolod District LP Campaign team composed of various groups expressed its support for the candidacy of Atty. Caña. This support is non-equivocal, unflinching and partakes of a full support without any preconditions. "We will not be influenced by negative information and we believe that what has transpired and which could be negative or positive will lead to the LP becoming strong. This is something we have done under President Benigno Aquino III’s "Matuwid na Daan" exhortation." The statement was signed by LP-Bacolod Campaign Team Manager Roger Balderas. In response, Caña explained that he was supposed to have been sworn in as LP member in the Bacolod District. But the local party was instructed by the national directorate to hold in abeyance Caña’s oath-taking because of the NPC-LP merger in the national and provincial levels. In addition, this was also because of Caña’s stand on the RH bill which has been endorsed by Malacañang. This is something which he says he respects and Caña has declared likewise his support for the LP-Bacolod electoral slate in the May 13, 2013 elections. Caña said he also thanks the LP-Bacolod local slate namely, Edwin Balajadia, lawyer and councilor Archie Baribar, lawyer Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Frank Carbon, Ray Carmona, El Cid Familiaran, Mario Gerona, Atty. Andy Hagad, Atty. Ana Marie Palermo, Elmer Sy, Atty. Sonya Verdeflor and contractor Tony Wong for their support. As to who intercepted his swearing-in at the national level, Caña said this is to be expected in politics. It only shows that his candidacy is gaining momentum. Caña added that the LP support is a great, big boost to his candidacy. Edgar cadagat NEGROS DAILY BULLETIN Bacolod Councilor Al Victor Espino yesterday said there are very positive results from businessmen regarding the proposed amendment to City Ordinance No. 565, or the Revised Revenue Code, as there were no opposition from them during a committee hearing on the matter yesterday.
Espino said none of them expressed opposition, but endorsed the measure during the public hearing conducted by the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Ways and Means that he chairs. He said he was informed by Frank Carbon and Ben Ortega, presidents of the MBCCI and BFCCCI, respectively, that they have endorsed the amendment that was proposed. Espino said the amendment was also endorsed by the Northern and Southern Chinese Chamber of Commerce, he added. They all support the measure, except that there was a comment from SM that it will submit its own position paper on Monday, while the Bankers Association of Bacolod will submit theirs today, he said. Espino said they proposed an amendment of 37.5 percent of 1 percent. from the original tax rate of 57.5 percent of 1 percent of the gross business tax. The businessmen had asked for as low as 30 percent of 1 percent, he said. But they deemed it beneficial to give the businessmen a lower take off rate of 37.4 percent, which is the take off rate of the municipalities, instead of giving them rebates, Espino said. “In effect we will be more competitive over all other neighboring cities,” he said. Espino said the ordinance amending the Revised Revenue Code for 2012 has already been passed on first reading. He said he expects that after the collation of all the data and the discussion done yesterday, it will be introduced in the session next week. Hopefully, after complying with requirements, like publication, it will be enacted, by the latter January 2013, he added. In his opening statement at the hearing, Espino said that if he were asked, he would not have gone for any revision in the Revenue Code because he believes it is legal, it is transparent, and the committee observed all process under the law. “We are not rocks, or immovable objects, but I would rather be like the bamboo which is pliable, or willing to listen to the needs of the businessmen,” Espino said. He gave credit to acting Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, who was authorized by Mayor Evelio Leonardia and himself, to conduct the hearings with the businessmen on the amendment of the Revenue Code. Also present at the hearing were acting Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, City Legal officer Joselito Bayatan, a representative from the City Treasurer’s Office, and the Negros Distributors Association, among others. BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO THE VISAYAN DAILY STAR City Administrator John Orola, on behalf of Vice Mayor/Acting Mayor Thaddy Sayson, led the unveiling of the marker at the lobby of the Bacolod City Government Center, December 10, symbolic of the city’s commitment to life, recognizing the existence of a peaceful and more humane way of punishing criminals.
Councilor El Cid Familiaran, principal proponent of the resolution at the Bacolod SP supporting the International Day of Cities for Life, joined Atty. Orola in the candle-lighting and signature campaign (moratorium on the death penalty) in support of the International Day of Cities for Life. Joining them in the activities are: a representative of Grace Galvez Candol (National Representative of Phil. Communita de Sant’ Egidio), Charito Zamora (Regional Director of the PPA-DOJ Region 6), barangay officials, representatives of the Phil. National Police, DSSD, Napolcom, BJMP, Metro Bacolod Volunteer Probation Aides, PPA-DOJ, among others. Appellants for a moratorium to the death penalty are convinced that the particular penalty is a denial of the right to life, that it takes away something that cannot be retrieved, that it is inadequate to stop violence, dehumanizes our world by putting vengeance and reprisal first and eliminates clemency, forgiveness and rehabilitation in the justice system, etc. The ‘Communita’ launched the 1st World Day of Cities for Life - or cities against the death penalty in November of 2002. In Rome, the move was started in 1968, following the 2nd Vatican Council as a worldwide movement of some 60,000 lay people based on prayer, solidarity, ecumenism and dialogue. The first abolition of the death penalty for crimes took place in the Grand Dutchy of Tuscany on November of 1786. To date there are 1,527 membercities, 69 of these are state capitals in five continents, per the Communita’. NEGROS DAILY BULLETIN The new chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Negros Occidental Provincial Office said he hopes to implement random drug tests on taxi and public utility vehicle drivers in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
Guilbert Sumalangcay said they have entered into a memorandum of agreement with taxi operators in Iloilo who have agreed to have their drivers undergo drug testing and they could also apply it here. He hopes the program will be accepted by the government agencies concerned, and the taxi and PUV operators, in the province for the protection of their business and the riding public. Bacolod Councilor El Cid Familiaran, chairman of the Sangguniang Committee on Police, Security and Jail Management, said there is a MOA supposed to be implemented last July or August yet but because of a revamp in the PDEA, so the implementation was delayed. Familiaran said he hopes the random drug test on taxi and PUV drivers will be implemented this time with the new PDEA head. The result of the drug will be confidential and no cases will be filed against drivers found positive for drugs because the intention is to give them a chance to undergo rehabilitation and to reform them, he said. Investigation agent 1John Carlo Daquiado said there are no highly organized drug syndicates in Bacolod City and the supply being brought in usually come from Mindanao, Cebu, and some from Manila. Meanwhile, Sumalangcay said that, aside from conducting operations against prohibited drugs, they will concentrate on demand reduction which is preventive education especially among the youth community to keep them from using in the illegal substance. He said they also want to establish barangay intelligence networks in Bacolod and conduct seminars for tanods and kagawads who chair the Committee on Peace and Order, to teach them how to gather information on illegal drugs activity. Sumalangcay also said they plan to make their office in Bacolod City functional and community-friendly and, at the same time, be involved in community service, like feeding programs or tree planting activities, to make their presence felt in the city and the province. BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO THE VISAYAN DAILY STAR All is set for the staging of the annual “Alay Lakad” or walk-for-a-cause dedicated to the country’s out-of-school youth that will start at 6 a.m. on Sunday in Bacolod City, a press release from City Hall said.
This year’s Alay Lakad, on the theme: “Bawat hakbang ng mamamayan, kapakanan ng kabataan”, hopes to raise P100,000 for more than 25 scholars.Over P55,000 has already been raised by the city-DepEd, through its Division Office and Alay Lakad Program Committee head, Nenita Cordova. Sunday’s walk starts from three points:Bacolod City National High School, led by Acting Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson (on behalf of Mayor Evelio Leonardia), with Councilors Carl Lopez, Em Ang, Caesar Distrito, Bacolod Police director Senior Supt. Ric de la Paz, Alay Lakad Officers and members, DepEd and Bacolod City College personnel and students. Group 2 will start at 6:10 a.m. at the Goldenfields Commercial Complex and will be led by Acting Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran with Councilors Bobby Rojas, Al Victor Espino and Archie Baribar, BACIWA and CENECO officials, Boy Scouts of the Philippines, other members of the city council, Kiwanis Club, BCPO personnel, VMA Global College, Casino-Filipino personnel. Bacolod Rep. Anthony Golez will lead the third group that will leave West Negros University at 6:20 a.m. with the Girl Scouts of the Philippines-Bacolod City Council, Rotary Club of Bacolod and Rotary Anns, 303rd Infantry Brigade - Philippine Army, Negros Occidental Fil-Chinese Club, the YMCA, PLDT personnel, San Miguel Corporation, among others. Angel Verdeflor will head the 4th group, on behalf of Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., that will leave the provincial lagoon at 6:30 a.m. with City Councilors Catalino Alisbo and Sonya Verdeflor, NOPSSCEA officers and members, the Alay Lakad Foundation, Inc. people, SSS, KBP, Phil. National Red Cross, Occidental Negros Lions Club and Provincial Govt. employees, others. The barangays are joining the walk alongside BCPO personnel and force multipliers who will be providing security.The BCNHS band will act as the lead band with the Luis Hervias National High School Band following. Winners of the fun run and the on-the-spot poster-making contest will be announced after the walk according to Execom chairman Pacifico Maghari III said THE VISAYAN DAILY STAR A resolution strongly supporting November 30 as the International Day of Cities for Life–Cities against Death Penalty was approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod, Tuesday.
The resolution authored by City Councilors El Cid Familiaran and Sonya Verdeflor said the International Day of Cities for Life should be held yearly as commemoration of the anniversary of the first abolition of death penalty by the Union of European States. It said Republic Act No. 9345 approved on June 24, 2006 prohibits the imposition of death penalty or the capital punishment in the Philippines. It also said that capital punishment is a relic of the past as it has been for slavery and torture that was eventually rejected by the conscience of the world. Supporting thisGlobal Call, will lead to a new and higher threshold in the respect for human rights, the resolution also said. BY:Shiela May Gelera THE VISAYAN DAILY STAR A resolution requesting the Office of the City Mayor to extend Christmas gift packs for city-paid barangay workers as assistance for the holiday season, was approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod yesterday.
Authored by Councilors Sonya Verdeflor and El Cid Familiaran, the resolution said the city-paid barangay workers such as barangay health workers, day care teachers/workers, child development workers and barangay nutrition scholars extend indispensable child care and health services to the city’s constituents ranging from 3-year old infants up to the ailing and sick elderly citizens. The resolution said these health workers receive very minimal honoraria for their services and during the Christmas season, they are not entitled to any 13thmonth pay and other bonuses as compared to the regular city-paid employees. Meanwhile, the SP passed on third and final reading, an ordinance amending Article VII, Section 2 of City ordinance 347, Series of 2003, or “An ordinance strengthening and institutionalizing the day care service and early childhood care and development programs and services of Bacolod City.” The ordinance, authored by Councilor Em Ang and co-authored by Councilor Sonya Verdeflor, said Article VI, Section 2 of C.O. No. 347, Series of 2003 provides that DSSD child development workers performing services or implementing ECCD programs other than the Day Care Service Program in the barangays, will receive a monthly honorarium of P3,000.00. Honorarium may be increased at any time in the future depending upon the availability of funds and upon approval by the City Mayor and the SP, it said. The present honorarium of the CDW’s of P 3,000 per month is heavily tied up with the recent increases in the costs of public transportation while doing regular home visits and surveys to priority targets, follow-ups of the children’s nutrition wellness and health and other relevant activities, the ordinance said. The ordinance provides that CDW’s and other DSSD ECCD workers performing services or implementing city ECCD programs other than the Day Care Service Program in the barangays will receive a monthly honorarium of P5,000.00. The SP also approved a resolution urging the City Mayor’s Office and the Human Resource Management Office to immediately act on the urgent need for a permanent local civil registrar for the City of Bacolod. It said acting Civil Registrar Evelyn Legaspina retired on July 19 leaving the next in rank, Corazon Mori, to handle the functions of the Local Civil Registrar but in acting capacity. BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO THE VISAYAN DAILY STAR |
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