I HOPE news reports are true that Cong. Iggy Arroyo’s remains will be brought to Negros Occidental, particularly in his 5th District.
Many of those who want to view him for the last time but who can’t afford going to Manila for that purpose will be thankful that they can personally bid him farewell. For sure, his family will make the proper announcement once they have decided to bring him here before interring him in his final resting place. Again, my heartfelt condolences to the family he left behind. *** If Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia of Bacolod City were a queen, then Familiaran and company are all the “queen’s loyal opposition.” The Galeno Construction vouchers and checks exposed by Donard Nojas should have fired up Familiaran’s and his group into action as Nojas provided them with another ammunition, the most damming so far, in the long and sordid corruption record of the Leonardia administration. On second thought, their paralysis in the face of Nojas’ exposé may not be surprising. After all, there were two vouchers amounting to hundreds of thousands pesos issued to the Sanggunian. If indeed, this amount was divided equally, then who is to complain? *** Those issued to Leonardia are in gargantuan amounts. One voucher alone is in a cool million. Yet, I have not heard His Honor issue even a lame denial that he had pocketed the amount. Maybe, Bing believes that silence is golden. This time, however, the adage is not just simple words. There’s really gold in silence. That Nojas’ exposé was met with strong silence speaks in clear and resonant words: GUILTY! *** We said in a previous column and in reaction to Leonardia’s pompous claim that his tax measure was motivated by his good intentions, that the road to hell is also paved with good intentions. The only difference is that hell will befall on the business community rather than on him. *** The prosecution continues to get a beating from the members of the Impeachment Court in addition to its inability to match the trial skills of defense lawyer Serafin Cuevas. What is even more pronounced is the fact that while the prosecution has a battery of lawyers to take care of every charge in the Articles of Impeachment, Cuevas single-handedly cross swords with all of them and always comes out the winner at the exchange, making the prosecution look like freshmen in the courtroom. The prosecution’s latest gaffe, which accents its drive to convict Chief Justice Renato Corona through trial by publicity, was when it presented to the Impeachment Court a list of Corona’s 21 properties. Sen. Ralph Recto called the prosecution’s attention to their oft repeated claim over the media that Corona has 45 properties to which the prosecution can only lamely deny that it was not the one who released to the media the claim of Corona’s 45 properties. The senator-judges were aghast at the denial, insisting that the prosecution regaled the media of Corona’s alleged 45 properties which it strongly hinted were ill-gotten. One senator-judge angrily accused the prosecution of trying to win its case in the media rather than in the Impeachment Court. Again, the prosecution made much of the alleged erroneous declaration of Corona’s properties in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. When Presiding Senator-Judge Juan Ponce Enrile inquired whether perjury, which the prosecution tries to pin on Corona, is an impeachable offense, the prosecution lawyer can only stare blankly. The prosecution is clearly bungling its case against Corona. I will not be surprised if, notwithstanding the Aquino administration’s obsession to impeach him, Corona is acquitted by the Impeachment Court./PN Ely delos Santos Panay News Negros
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The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod passed the ordinance authored by Councilor El Cid Familiaran extending the deadline for payment of local tax fees and charges without penalties in relation with the issuance of business permits from Feb. 15 to March 30, 2012.
He said that 30% of private business establishments have not yet paid their local taxes for their business application or renewal. After asking and discussing with the businessmen the reason for their delay, Familiaran said they revealed that, among others, they were not prepared to pay the tax increase, apart from the voluminous papers or documents that they have to prepare in the course of processing their business permits applications or its renewal. Carla Canet Sun Star Bacolod The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod has approved a resolution Wednesday extending the deadline for payment of local tax fees and charges without penalties in relation to the issuance of business permits from February 15 to February 29.
The resolution was authored by Councilor El Cid Familiaran and co-authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito. The SP also approved on first reading Wednesday an ordinance condoning the surcharges, interests, penalties, and arrearages on the rental obligations of stall, table and block occupants in the local markets of Bacolod City. The ordinance said the local markets are considered the economic movers of the community, as the goods they sell are mostly locally produced, the owners/sellers are local people, and the buyers are mostly residents of the locality, thus they are very important to the local economy. As of this date, Bacolod Cityhas accumulated in arrears from the unpaid market rentals from all stall leases from Libertad, Central and Burgos Public Markets, it said. The need to update this ordinance is crucial since this will give order and solution to the problem that the City of Bacolod is facing in the Public Markets of the City, it added. The ordinance provides that occupants will be given one year to pay the principal amount of their rental obligations from 2002 to 2012 starting from the date of approval of this ordinance. Delinquencies prior to the period covered will be added to the total principal amount of the rental obligations of the occupants with interests, it said. The ordinance also said all qualified market stall owners will have at least 60 days from receipt of the notice of delinquency sent after the effectivity of this ordinance to file an application with the office of the local market supervisors. Upon review of the market supervisor of its compliance, the application shall then be endorsed to the Local Market Committee and the chairman of the SP Committee on Markets and Slaughterhouse for approval of the application.The applicant should attach to the application, a notarized promissory note, it said. Any delinquent stall owner who failed to avail of the reprieve granted through this ordinance, and after due notice, will automatically be subjected to the cancellation of contract in accordance to the provision of C.O. 160, series of 1996 or the Local Market Code, the ordinance said. Occupants will also be required to pay their past dues before they can secure their business permits but the same shall be free from surcharges, interests and penalties, it said. The Permits and Licensing Division of the City will ensure that businesses operating in the public markets will pay their obligations before their permits will be granted, it added. The ordinance was authored by Distrito and co-authored by Councilors Dindo Ramos, Al Victor Espino, Em Legaspi-Ang, Roberto Rojas, Carlos Jose Lopez, Mona Dia Jardin and Familiaran.*CGS Vice President Jejomar Binay, the principal sponsor in the biggest mass wedding of the country this year that was held in Bacolod City yesterday, urged the couples to work at making their marriage successful.
The marriage of 755 Scouples yesterday at the Bacolod City Government Center yesterday, the biggest in the country, was solemnized by Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia.Binay said this is the first time he had witness such a great number of couples joining the mass wedding since he was mayor of Makati City. Other sponsors were Leonardia, Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson and the city councilors. The Pag-Ibig Fund sponsored the mass wedding in Bacolod City dubbed “I do,I do, Arraw ng Pag-Ibig” as well as in other parts of the country. Mass weddings were also held in Silay City and E.B. Magalona as the world celebrated Valentine’s Day (stories on page 16). Binay, chairman of Pag-Ibig Fund Board of Trustees, said “Marriage requires courage and today you have proven that you were able to muster enough courage to be part of the mass wedding.” He said marriage is not a bed of roses since there will be bad times and good times. Binay advised the couples that if they have misunderstandings, they should not go to sleep without resolving it. He also advised the husbands to respect their wives and that couples have to understand the character of their partners, he said. “There is no such thing as a perfect marriage so we, your godparents, wish you all a successful marriage,” he added. Binay said he had to fly back to Manila to attend a reception for another mass wedding at the SM Mall of Asia after the affair in Bacolod. He arrived in the city yesterday with his daughters Anne and Nancy. Leonardia said Binay was invited to several mass weddings in the country yesterday but he chose to come to Bacolod. The couples cheered when the mayor announced that Binay brought a truckload of gifts for them. When Leonardia asked them what else it was they needed, they all shouted a “house and lot” which was going to be given away by Pag-Ibig Fund as its grand prize. After the ceremony, Binay gave away P1,000 in cash to 10 lucky couples. The newlyweds also received gifts from the city and other sponsors. Leonardia thanked the Bacolod Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry for providing the fireworks. He also thanked God for the good weather that allowed the newly-weds to have a romantic reception by the fountain area of the government center until sundown. Leonardia said the Pag-Ibig Fund sponsored the reception of the 600 newly wedded couples, while that of the 155 couples was sponsored by businessman Ricardo Yanson. The oldest couple were Feliciano Malunes, 73, and Estelita Setias, 62, of Brgy. Pahanocoy, Bacolod City. Also present were Murcia Mayor Andrew Montelibano, Councilors El Cid Familiaran, Al Victor Espino, Em Ang, Caesar Distrito, Roberto Rojas, Sonya Verdeflor, Mona Dia Jardin, Catalino Alisbo and Archie Baribar, former Bacolod Rep. John Orola, BACIWA director Greg Gasataya, Pag-Ibig Fund officials led by regional director Vicky de la Peña and Bacolod branch manager Lourdes Uy, representatives from SM City, and several barangay captains.*CGS CHRYSEE SAMILLANO Visayan Daily Star COUNCILOR El Cid Familiaran insisted that two-thirds vote of all the members of the City Council is needed to pass the Revised Revenue Code of Bacolod covered under City Ordinance 565, series of 2011.
He cited Article 99 of the Implementing Rules and Regulation of the Local Government Code which states: “with concurrence of at least 2/3 of all the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) grant tax exemption, incentives or reliefs to entities engaged in community growth-inducing industries, subject to the provisions of Chapter 5, Title I, Book II of the Code.” Familiaran was the presiding officer when the bill was voted upon. He made his reservation to it, considering that the members of the council passed this bill with a simple majority vote and not 2/3 as he cited. “My belief until now, it needs 2/3 or ten votes and not eight votes. We have approved the revenue increase and at the same time the exemption. It is very clear in the Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR),” he said. He ruled that the ordinance was lost because it failed to get the number of votes required. But they overruled him. Thus, he signed the ordinance with reservation. The appeal filed by the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) and the Bacolod Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry before the Department of Justice also questioned the legality of the passage of the ordinance. The bill has procedural lapses, he said. He added that the reduction in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the city of more or less P78 million was reduced by half. The Office of the President has returned half of it and Bacolod’s IRA deficit is now pegged at approximately P39 million. He clarified that he is not against imposing an increase in the revenues, as long as it will not be beyond 10 percent of the previous rate. “My personal stand is to increase 10 percent straight. The old revenue code was passed in 1993 and the revised one was in 2011. That allows the LGU to increase by 10 percent every five years,” he said. The court is the final arbiter on this matter. The Department of Justice can only issue an opinion and can be appealed before the Court of Appeals up to the Supreme Court. But it’s good that the City Government officials sat down with the affected sectors with the aim to reach a win-win solution. Carla N. Canet Sun Star Bacolod Councilor Elcid Familiaran, with Councilor Catalino Alisbo, have resolved during Wednesday’s session of the sangguniang panlungsod of Bacolod City to provide welfare services to senior citizens. They said the elder people shall be provided with services that will make their lives easier, by providing and affording them with services such as exempting them from fees on parking imposed by malls, department stores, or in any area in Bacolod City.
The SP patterned the said resolution from Article 25 of Rule V of the Rules & Regulations Implementing the Local Government Code of 1991. The granting of such welfare services to our senior citizens will alleviate their state, thus easing and lightening also their lives. Senior citizens deserve respect, it was pointed out. Penalty shall be imposed upon violators of this Ordinance:
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