BACOLOD City – Discussions on the terminal site offer to the city government will be held today after the executive-legislative caucus set on Monday was postponed. Mayor Monico Puentevella ordered the postponement, said Councilor El Cid Familiaran. The reason was unclear at press time. Yanson Realty Development Corp. (YRDC) offered to donate a 5-hectare lot on Circumferential Road, Barangay Tangub here, for the proposed new Bacolod Southbound Terminal. The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) called for the executive-legislative caucus last week to clarify issues surrounding the offer. Familiaran said the SP wanted some provisions in YRDC’s deed of donation revised so they would be compliant with City Ordinance No. 08-15-746, which sets guidelines for the construction of new terminals. After which it may give Puentevella the authority to accept the offer. In the deed of donation, YRDC said the new terminal should also house public utility vehicles bound for San Carlos City and Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto towns. These three areas are on the eastern side of Negros Occidental, but the terminal caters to southbound vehicles, Familiaran said. He said the city council will also seek clarifications with regards to the access road that YRDC wanted built toward the terminal. Representatives from YRDC were invited to the caucus, said Councilor Ana Marie Palermo, chair of the SP committee on laws, ordinances and good governance./PN By MAE SINGUAY
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THE scheduled executive-legislative caucus for the Deed of Donation between the City Government and the Yanson Realty Development Corp. (YRDC) for the construction of the new south terminal in Bacolod City that was postponed Monday will be held today, September 29. YRDC has offered to donate to the City Government its five-hectare lot at the circumferential road in Barangay Tangub, to be used exclusively for the construction of the south terminal. Councilor El Cid Familiaran said there was an advice from the Office of Mayor Monico Puentevella on Monday that the caucus was cancelled for unknown reason. Last Wednesday, the City Council deferred action on the Deed of Donation due to the executive-legislative caucus where the members of the City Council, the vice mayor and the mayor will thresh out issues regarding the matter. Familiaran said there are some issues in the Deed of Donation that the executive department is asking for revision because it is in conflict with Ordinance 08-15-746, or an ordinance laying down the guidelines for the establishment of the new southbound transport terminal. Some of those issues that need to be cleared by the YRDC to the City is that it was indicated in the Deed of Donation that it is "southbound and east terminal" by which the eastbound routes like Murcia, Salvador Benedicto, Mambucal and San Carlos will occupy also the terminal, Familiaran said. The ordinance only stated southbound, not including the eastbound, he clarified. He added that other issues also involved the development sharing on the road terminal and the management. Councilor Ana Marie Palermo, chairman of the City Council committee on laws, said they will request the presence of the donor or its representative during the caucus, and will take up the Deed of Donation in the their next session. She said Mayor Monico Puentevella was asking the City Council for the approval the YRDC's Deed of Donation and to give him an authority to sign it. by :CARLA N. CANET The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) will conduct its executive-legislative caucus today to clarify issues on the proposed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the East and Southbound Terminals of Bacolod City. The meeting will be between the city of Bacolod, Yanson Realty Development Corporation (YRDC), and Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI). The announcement was made yesterday by Councilor El Cid Familiaran, the presiding officer of last week’s regular session. Familiaran said the caucus, which was originally scheduled yesterday, was postponed due to the other commitments of the other city council members. Contrary to the city ordinance, Familiaran pointed out that the meeting will include discussions on the establishment of the Eastbound Terminal, as well as the new Southbound Terminal of Bacolod City. The SP decided to defer the proposed MOA and the request of the city mayor for authority to sign the agreement during last week’s regular session, pending further discussion. “There are still a lot to be clarified,” Familiaran said. The YRDC offered to donate its 5-hectare property to the city government for the Southbound Terminal. The said property is comprised of a road lot and a terminal, which covers four hectares of the area; while the remaining one hectare will be used for the construction of a public market./WDJ By Glazyl Jane Marie Y. Masculino It’s political persecution. This was how Bacolod Lone District Representative Evelio “Bing” Leonardia described the relief of Portia Familiaran, wife of Councilor El Cid Familiaran, as supervisor of the Libertad Public Market. The Bacolod solon said he believes that Mayor Monico Puentevella relieved the councilor’s wife from her post and ordered her to return to her previous position as administrative officer 2 at the General Services Office “due to politics.” “The people would also think that way,” Leonardia claimed. Puentevella had informed Familiaran of her relief though a memorandum order dated August 28, with the mayor designating Cherry Aujero as acting market supervisor effective September 1. This development came following the reports that Portia’s husband will join the lineup of Leonardia for the forthcoming local election. Leonardia claimed that he was not even shocked by Puentevella’s action, claiming that the mayor has been known for his vindictive politics. The solon, however, stressed that it would be better if the Familiarans will present their side on the issue./WDJ By Glazyl Jane Marie Y. Masculino BACOLOD City – Civilian gun owners in this city may not be allowed to use their firearms during the month-long 36th MassKara Festival. Councilor El Cid Familiaran, Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) committee on police, security, jail management and penology chairman, is set to present a resolution in today’s SP session requesting Director General Ricardo Marquez, Philippine National Police chief, through Chief Superintendent Bernardo Diaz, Police Regional Office 6 director, to implement a gun ban in this city during the festival. If the resolution will be approved, civilian gun holders, excluding on-duty security guards, will not be allowed to carry or use their firearms from Sept. 25 to Oct. 20. Familiaran said he pushed for the gun ban after festival director and Kasadya Bacolod Development Foundation, Inc. president Rhoderick Samonte asked him to do so. It is proper that a gun-ban will be imposed during the festival to ensure the safety of “merry-goers” and maintain the city’s peace and order situation. Themed, “It’s Booming Bacolod. Experience the Vibrance,” this year’s MassKara Festival started with pre-festival activities Aug. 24. The pre-MassKara events are set to end on Sept. 30, while the festival will formally start on Oct. 1 and is set to end during the city’s Charter Day anniversary on Oct. 19./PN By MAE SINGUAY A gun ban is being proposed by the Bacolod City government to be implemented in the city during the celebration of the MassKara Festival to ensure a peaceful and orderly celebration. Supt. Armando Tubongbanua, Bacolod City Police Office deputy director for Operations, yesterday said they are waiting for a resolution from the Sangguniang Panlungsod to support their request with the regional and national police headquarters for its implementation. Bacolod Councilor El Cid Familiaran, chairman of the SP Committee on Police, Security and Jail Management and Penology, proposed a resolution requesting Police Director General Ricardo Marquez, Philippine National Police chief, through Chief Supt. Bernardo Diaz, Police Regional 6 director, to declare a gun ban in Bacolod from September 25 until October 20. The resolution said the request was made by the City of Bacolod through MassKara Festival director Rhoderick Samonte. Tubongbanua appealed to the public not to bring firearms during the MassKara Festival since they will strictly implement the gun ban in Bacolod, especially in the festival sites. Drinking of liquor should be confined within the kiosks and restaurants only, and bringing of bottles of beverages in the festival sites will be prohibited, he said. Tubongbanua said they will deploy police and traffic enforcers along Araneta Street, and will put up five police booths in strategic areas at the festival sites. Before the start of the MassKara Festival, they will implement pre-operation plans, which include the anti-drug campaign and arrest of wanted persons to minimize crimes, he said. Tubongbanua said they have also requested for 200 police personnel to be deployed during the MassKara Festival, 100 from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and 100 from the PRO 6. However, these policemen are expected to arrive in Bacolod starting October 10 since they will be assigned from September 26 to October 9 to secure the APEC Conference in Iloilo City, he said. They will be augmented by about 500 regular police personnel of BCPO, he added.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO If granted, carrying of firearms will be banned in Bacolod City from September 25 to October 20, 2015. This, after the Kasadya Bacolod Development Foundation, Inc. (KBDFI), through its president, Rhoderick Samonte, has requested for the gun ban implementation in the city during the MassKara Festival. Samonte’s request, which was submitted to Councilor El Cid Familiaran, will be discussed in today’s session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod. Familiaran, chairman of the SP Committee on Police Matters, Security and Jail Management and Penology, has proposed a resolution requesting Director General Ricardo Marquez, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), through Chief Supt. Bernardo Diaz, regional director of Police Regional Office (PRO)-6, to declare a 26-day gun ban in Bacolod. According to the resolution, the main objective of the gun ban is to keep the public, including officials and guests from across the world, safe and preserve peace and order during the celebration. The declaration of the gun ban rests on the authority of the PNP Director General being the highest responsible officer concerning the maintenance/preservation of peace and order in the whole country, the resolution added. Meanwhile, Supt. Armando Tubongbanua, deputy for operations of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said the police will conduct inspections during the festival to discourage people from carrying or bringing their guns while attending various activities of the celebration. He said they will strictly implement the gun ban if the request of the city is granted by the higher office of the PNP. But Tubongbanua said it would be better for the revelers, including those licensed gun holders, to refrain from carrying firearms to avoid untoward incidents during the festivity./WDJ By Glazyl Jane Marie Y. Masculino ORGANIZERS of MassKara Festival has requested the Bacolod City Council to declare a gun ban in the city during the festivity from September 25 to October 20. Kasadya Bacolod Development Foundation Inc. (KBDFI) president and festival director Rhoderick Samonte said a series of pre-Masskara events have been lined up from August 24 to September 30 before the opening salvo on October 1. The festivity will end on Oct. 19 during Bacolod’s Charter Day celebration. Councilor El Cid Familiaran, chairman of the committee on police, security and jail management, said he proposed a resolution based on the request of Samonte. He said that he is requesting Director General Ricardo Marquez, chief of the Philippine National Police, through Chief Superintendent Bernardo Diaz, director of Police Regional Office 6, to declare a gun ban for Bacolod only during the said dates. The resolution is subject to the approval of the City Council during its regular session on Wednesday. Familiaran stated in the resolution that it is “primordial for this celebration to provide safety for the public who will be the merry-goers” and “preserve peace and order for the city” during the cited period. To ensure peace and order during the festival, the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is also requesting an augmentation of 300 personnel from Police Regional Office-6. The additional personnel will be deployed to different areas of Bacolod during the festivity. The request of BCPO is still pending since police personnel in Western Visayas will still be needed for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings in Iloilo City starting this week. More than 200 BCPO personnel were deployed to Iloilo on Tuesday. To strengthen the BCPO force for the MassKara, Superintendent Noel Polines, chief of Operations Branch, will ask Diaz for the early release of the BCPO personnel from their Iloilo assignment. During the MassKara Festival, personnel of Police Station 2 will be allowed to use the lot near the Andres Bonifacio Elementary School as command post as approved by Mayor Monico Puentevella. At present, the Police Station 2 headquarters is situated inside the BCPO compound. The BCPO is still scouting for its permanent location in the vicinity of Police Station 2’s previous area on Lacson Street, which is among the main festival sites of MassKara. by : Carla N. Canet Return to your previous post. This was the order issued by Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella, who directed Portia Familiaran, wife of Councilor El Cid Familiaran, to go back to her post as administrative officer 2 at the General Services Office. In a Memorandum Order dated August 28, Puentevella has designated Cherry Aujero as acting market supervisor, effective September 1. Familiaran was previously detailed as acting Market Supervisor IV of Libertad Public Market for two and a half years. Puentevella said the councilor’s wife has done a good job in her two years as market supervisor but he wants to give others the chance to grow. “I thanked her for her good performance,” Puentevella added. He pointed out that Councilor Familiaran was with him during the last election but recent developments have indicated that the councilor has allied with the rival group. “Honestly, I don’t know where he stands now,” he added. The mayor revealed that Mrs. Familiaran was placed on floating status by the previous administration but he appointed her as market supervisor during his term. Talks had circulated that the transfer of Familiaran was triggered by reports that her husband is being eyed as the vice mayoral running-mate of Bacolod Lone District Representative Evelio Leonardia. Meanwhile, Councilor Familiaran said he respects the decision of the mayor. However, he stressed that reports about him seeking the vice mayoral post under the group of Leonardia has not been confirmed. “Everything is still fluid,” he emphasized, adding that “nothing is certain yet.” He said several members of the group of Leonardia had expressed interest to seek the vice mayorship, including former Councilor Dindo Ramos and Councilor Roberto Roxas, who is in his last term./GJMYM, WDJ By Glazyl Jane Marie Y. Masculino |
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