A resolution inquiring from the City Engineer's Office through the City Mayor about the status of the Taculing-Alijis Bridge construction, was approved Wednesday by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod.
The resolution authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, said the construction of the Taculing-Alijis Bridge was inaugurated on March 16, 2011, and the SP had authorized Mayor Evelio Leonardia to file expropriation proceedings for the property of Catholic Women's League (Bacolod Girls Home) which was affected by the construction. It has been eight months since the ratification the Compromise Agreement on January 11, 2012 but no further updates about the construction of the bridge were provided particularly to the SP, it said. The construction of the bridge is very important because it will surely shorten the distance for people traveling from the downtown area to Alijis, Handumanan and Cabug, and, at the same time, create a short cut between the two barangays and will also decongest traffic along the Araneta-Magsaysay area. The SP also approved a resolution authored by Councilor El Cid Familiaran requesting the Office of the Mayor to provide reflectorized jackets or vests for street cleaners, particularly those who are assigned during nighttime or the wee hours. The resolution said the recent traffic accident along Lacson Street involving a 70-year-old woman from Brgy. 39, Bacolod City who was a victim of alleged hit-and-run vehicle while performing her duty at night, is worthy of consideration. Previous to this incident, a similar incident also happened at night fronting the Redemptorist Church along B.S. Aquino Drive where another person was likewise killed, it said. These road night accidents, would have been avoided if appropriate actions had been properly taken by pertinent offices , it said. The resolution added such traffic incident would be minimized, if street cleaners are provided reflectorized jackets or vests to be worn while on duty, especially during nighttime or the wee hours.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO THE VISAYAN DAILY STAR
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The team of former Bacolod Vice Mayor Renecito Novero, who call themselves the “Magnificent Seven”, filed their certificates of candidacy yesterday at the Commission on Elections Office in Bacolod City accompanied by their family, friends and supporters.
Novero is running as an independent candidate for vice mayor of Bacolod together with Councilors El Cid Familiaran, Archie Baribar, Sonya Verdeflor and Elmer Sy, and businessmen Hermilo LIzares and Robert Francis Coscolluela, who are all running for councilors. Novero and the incumbent councilors, who are members of the Liberal Party, ran in the last elections under the Grupo Serbisyo team of former Bacolod Rep.Monico Puentevella. Novero said they have no candidate for mayor or congressman but his group is free to make their own choice. They were supported by graduating Councilor Catalino Alisbo and some LP officials during the filing of their COC's. yesterday Novero said his group is committed to seven virtues for good governance - integrity, sincerity, transparency, honesty, simplicity, accountability and trust. He said he chose the six candidates for councilor because they have the same conviction and vision for Bacolod City . They have a crusade for the birth of a new governance they call the “ Bacolod renaissance,” he added. Novero said they want people to expect competence, efficiency and integrity in the delivery of public service. Familiaran, the number one councilor, said he is running for re-election on the basis of his performance. He said that out of the 118 sessions held, he has recorded a perfect attendance, had authored 24 quality ordinance, most of them pro-poor, and also authored over 100 resolutions. Verdeflor said she wants to continue her advocacies especially for the women and children so she is bidding for a second term, while Baribar said his track record will speak for itself and that he will continue to be a fiscalizer in Bacolod Novero said that when he was chairman of the Committee on Education, he had authored a resolution creating the Bacolod City College , he was lawyer of the teachers when they fought for their Emergency Cost of Living Allowance during the Verdeflor administration, authored an ordinance creating the Ang Bacolodnon song, among others. Sy, said “Less talk, more action,” when asked why he is seeking re-election. Asked about his stand on the “BREDCO issue”, Novero said his interest is for the city and its people. He said he is only a “humble lawyer” of one of the “best things” that had happened to Bacolod since BREDCO expanded and gave the city a facelift, additional income, investors, employment, and businesses like SM, among others.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO VISAYAN DAILY STAR Committing themselves to the seven virtues for good governance, “The Magnificent Seven” led by former vice mayor, lawyer Renecito Novero, yesterday filed their Certificate of Candidacy with the Commission on Elections in Bacolod City.
Running for vice mayor as an independent candidate, Novero said of his group: “We vowed to commit the seven virtues such as simplicity, integrity, sincerity, transparency, honesty, accountability, and trust to the people of Bacolod.” With Novero as councilorables are incumbents El Cid Familiaran, Archie Baribar, Sonya Verdeflor, and Elmer Sy; businessman Robert Coscolluela, and former Barangay 40 Captain Hermilo Lizares. “The fundamental reason why I stand to join in this group because personally I believe that they can walk and run along with me for the good governance on managing the people of Bacolod and its resources,” Novero said. He added that he chose to run as independent on the belief that the people will choose him, not because of what party affiliation he belongs to, but “they will evaluate me in my conviction, sincerity that I can offer the best service to the people of Bacolod.” As of this time, Novero admitted they don’t have a congressman and mayor to support, but that, “it could be possible at the trail of the campaign period we will be going to support the candidates that we believe stand with our vision and principle.” Confident that they will rebirth the political system in Bacolod City, Novero further said: “We have one vision, principle and conviction in the public service.” Familiaran, Baribar, Verdeflor and Sy jointly said they joined the group of Novero because they believe in the capacity, hard work and determination of the former vice mayor. Coscolluela and Lizares, for their part, said that since both of them would be first-time councilors if elected, they want to ensure they are with the right affiliation that gives much priority to the people of Bacolod. LEGISLATIVE EXPERIENCE According to the former vice mayor, the selection or the qualification for vice mayor should be based on legislative experience. “As far as I know all the vice mayors had started being a councilor.” He said his experience as a three-term councilor and three years of service as vice mayor of Bacolod had motivated him to continue his service as vice mayor. If he wins in the 2013 elections, Novero said he will give priority to the main concern of the people especially on peace and order, housing, traffic management, as well as business and employment renovation. “We believe that the Seven Magnificent virtues of the group will lead us to the renaissance of the city of Bacolod,” he stressed. Novero urged the people to try and give the group a chance to continue their public service to the city, as he vowed to do their “utmost capacity that we will prove to people the trust in governance.”/WDJ Watchmen Daily Journal The biggest surprise in the recent political intramurals in Bacolod City was the announcement of former councilor Greg Gasataya as the official candidate for vice mayor of Grupo Progreso.
From among the members of the “Voltes V,” it is Greg Gasataya whose name has never been floated as a possible vice mayoralty candidate. Very vocal in their plans to seek a higher position, especially the vice mayoralty post, were councilors Dindo Ramos, Al Victor Espino and Homer Bais. The public and even Ramos, Espino and Bais believed that ultimately the choice would be narrowed down among the three of them. Gasataya’s name was recently floated only as a possible candidate for councilor . That is why everybody was taken aback when suddenly Gasataya was announced as the candidate for vice mayor. Of course Ramos, Espino and Bais felt disrespected and betrayed. Imagine, they stuck it out with Leonardia and Sayson through thick and thin defending them from allegations of corruption and wrongdoings, putting their necks on the line if only to prove their loyalty to their group and this is what they get in return? I personally understand the show of disgust and anger of the three councilors because Leonardia and Sayson did was a direct affront to their persons. In fact, it is rumored that Dindo Ramos confronted Leonardia and told the latter angrily why this has happened. According to reports, Leonardia wanted to explain to Ramos but the latter gave him a deaf ear when he discovered the painful truth. Remember a month or so ago when the name of Atty. Renecito Novero was bruited about as a possible vice mayoralty candidate of Sayson? That in exchange, reports and insinuations indicated that Novero’s supporter by the sea, Atty. Simplicio Palanca, gave Bing/Thaddy P30 million as campaign contribution of Novero as a sign of goodwill? This was, however, followed by a howl of protest from Ramos, Bais and Espino. Especially Espino who went on a media blitz to violently protest the possible inclusion of Novero because he said that, the latter is an outsider while they remained loyal to the party. Because of this, the bruited partnership was publicly cancelled and there were reports that the post-dated checks issued to Bing/Thaddy were withdrawn from the mayor’s possession and given back to Palanca. But because P30 million is a gargantuan addition to the war chest of Leonardia and Sayson, reports have it that the Leonardia bright boys concocted an idea whereby Grupo Progreso appoint a weak vice mayoralty candidate without a bailiwick or stronghold unlike Espino, Ramos and Bais. According to reliable sources, the Leonardia-Sayson machinery will junk Gasataya as the campaign progresses and accommodate Novero making Gasataya an innocent fall guy in the exercise of sheer political infidelity. Another possible victim here other than Gasataya are the first five councilors who are with the group of Novero as independent candidates. If plan pushes through, these four will be left holding the empty bag because how can they expect to be included in the Leonardia-Sayson ticket when the latter has a full slate of twelve councilors? Unless Bing/Thaddy will sacrifice their four weakest candidates in exchange for Baribar, Familiaran, Verdeflor and Sy. This can only happen if the four are included in a package of exchange deal with Grupo Progreso. I doubt it. Who was it who said, “Your foolishness will go back to your body”might be altogether correct. Watchmen Daily Journal Citing a recent traffic accident which resulted to the death of a woman street cleaner, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City passed a resolution urging Mayor Evelio Leonardia to provide protective gears to street cleaners.
In a resolution authored by Councilor El Cid Familiaran, the SP requested the Office of the City Mayor to provide reflectorized jackets or vests to street cleaners, particularly those who are assigned during nighttime or wee hours. The resolution stated that the recent incident involving a 70-year old woman of Barangay 39 who was hit and killed by a car while on duty, has proven that even street cleaners are not free from danger. It also cited a similar night time incident in front of the Redemptorist Church along B.S. Aquino Drive where a person was killed. “Before these two incidents, there were numerous reported cases of road accidents which killed or injured people, others caused by hit-&-run vehicles where drivers left their victims or fled from the venue of incidence,” it claimed. The resolution also stated that “those road night accidents, particularly killing our street cleaners on duty would have been avoided if appropriate actions have been properly taken by pertinent office.” As a precaution, the SP deemed it necessary to implement “measures believed to minimize such traffic incidents that unnecessarily victimize our street cleaners”, which include the provision of reflectorized jackets or vests./WDJ WAtchmen Daily Journal The official candidates of the Nationalists People’s Coalition-Grupo Progreso in Bacolod City for the May 2013 elections marched to the Commissions on Elections Office to file their certificates of candidacy yesterday together with their families, friends, barangay leaders and supporters who all wore red shirts.
Before the filing, the Grupo Progreso candidates headed by congressional candidate Mayor Evelio Leonardia and mayoralty candidate Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayon,heard mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral officiated by Fr. Narciso de la Cruz. Leonardia and Sayson were appointed last month by the NPC as the party’s district chairman and city chairman, respectively. Their line-up is composed of three-termer councilor and Bacolod City Water District director Greg Gasataya, who is running for vice mayor, and their candidates for councilor include incumbent Councilors Em Legaspi-Ang, Caesar Distrito, Carlos Jose Lopez, Mona Dia Jardin and Roberto Rojas. Other candidates for councilor are former councilor and radio broadcaster Alex Paglumotan, former Central Negros Electric Cooperative president Ed Guillem, Coast Guard Auxiliary member and businessman Chito Jalandoni, businessmen Bart Orola, Migs Estrella and Sangguniang Kabataan adviser Israel Salanga. Andy Leonardia, formerly general manager of VMC Rural Electric Service Cooperative, manager for Administration and Property Department of CENECO and assistant regional manager of National Electrification Administration, is the older brother of Mayor Evelio Leonardia, while Bart Orola, an engineer, is the younger brother of former Bacolod Rep. John Orola. Andy Leonardia helped transform VRESCO from a Class C to Class A electric cooperative in less than a year, like Guillem who was able to help transform CENECO from a Class B to Class A during his term as president in 2003. Jalandoni, Salanga, and Andy Leonardia are neophytes in politics. Distrito, Estrella and Lopez, who filed their COC’s as members of the Nationalista Party, said they will continue their partnership with Grupo Progreso since they have a very good relationship with the members of the party. Mayor Leonardia is the only mayor of Bacolod who has completed three terms as mayor. Others who filed their COC’s Monday were retired teacher Ely Sergio Palma who is running as an independent candidate for congressman of Bacolod and Julius Tamayo and Arthur Villadelgado, who are both running as independent candidates for councilors Meanwhile, former Vice Mayor Renecito Novero is filing his COC as an independent candidate for vice mayor on Friday together with four incumbents councilors and two businessmen. Joining Novero in filing their COC’s on Friday are Councilors El Cid Familiaran, Archie Baribar, Sonya Verdeflor and Elmer Sy and businessmen Bobby Coscolluela and Rocky Lizares, who are all running for councilors as independent candidates. Novero said they are calling their group the “Magnificent Seven, in an interview over ABS-CBN.” He, with Familiaran, Baribar, Verdeflor and Sy and ran in 2010 under Grupo Serbisyo led by former Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella. BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO The Visayan Daily Star Mayoralty candidate and former Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella presented yesterday the members of his slate dominated by members of the Liberal Party.
The MKK Team (Magbinuligay Kita sa Kauswagan) is composed of vice mayoralty candidate Vladimir Gonzalez of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), and their candidates for councilor, LP chairman emeritus Andy Hagad and city chairman Frank Carbon, Former councilors Jocelle Batapa Sigue and Ana Marie Palermo, both LP members; Wilson Gamboa Jr. (Nationalista Party), lawyer Bong Dilag of PDP-Laban; May Cueva (non-government organization), mediamen Marlon Solidum and Ray Carmona (LP), and Puentevella’s son, Claude, who represents the youth sector. Puentevella said they will reveal their two mystery candidates when they file their certificates of candidacy tomorrow at 8:15 a.m. He said one of them is female and the other is a male lawyer. MKK is a coalition of the LP-PDP-Laban and NP and their group is a mixture of businessmen, lawmakers, youth and people who have experience, he added. Puentevella, who ran under the Lakas Party in 2010, said he is running as an independent candidate although three parties have invited him. Gonzalez said they have a very good and dynamic team which is offering transparent and consultative politics. He lost the mayoralty race in the 2010 elections with Gamboa as his running mate. Puentevella said he has chosen Gonzalez over former Vice Mayor Renecito Novero and his former party mate Councilor Archie Baribar as his running mate after consulting with his family, barangay captains and many people. He said his choice of Gonzalez is more on the business side because they want to bring in more investors to Bacolod. Both of them are in the memorial park business, as the family of Puentevella owns Rolling Hills Memorial Park while Gonzales owns Santuario de Bacolod. Gonzalez thanked Puentevella for his confidence in him inspite all the opposition, he said. Asked about his relationship with the Group of Baribar, which include Councilor El Cid Familiaran, Sonya Verdeflor and Elmer Sy, Puentevella said he loves them and he wishes them good luck. Meanwhile, Batapa-Sigue presented the team’s vision and agenda during a press conference yesterday. She said their first agenda is good governance which is participatory and consensus-oriented. Batapa Sigue is the chairman of the National Committee on Information Technology, while Palermo was formerly with the Pubic Attorney’s Office, and former City Legal officer, and a three-termer councilor of Bacolod. Hagad, Batapa-Sigue, Dilag and Palermo are lawyers. Carbon is the president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while Dilag is an ex-seminarian, law professor and former officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government. Carmona is the anchorman of “Banwa Binagbinaga” program over DYAF Radyo Veritas, while Solidum hosts “Singgit Bacolod” over cable TV. Cueva has been involved in community service for 12 years, while Claude Puentevella is a former athlete who represented the city in the Palarong Pambansa. The Visayan Daily Star Former Bacolod Rep. and mayoralty aspirant Monico Puentevella said he has chosen businessman Vladimir Gonzalez to be his running mate for the 2013 elections.
Puentevella said he will officially announce their slate during a press conference today in Bacolod City. He said Gonzalez will be his vice mayoralty candidate who will be running against Nationalist People's Coalition-Grupo Progreso’s vice mayoralty candidate Greg Gasataya, while he is running against mayoralty candidate Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson. The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) had endorsed on September 5, the candidacies of Gonzalez and lawyer Lorney Lyzander “Bong” Dilag for vice mayor and councilor, respectively. Jesus Hinlo Jr., PDP-Laban secretary general, said their group has also committed to support and partner with Puentevella in his bid to run for mayor of Bacolod. Puentevella said he will reveal why he chose Gonzalez against his loyal ally Councilor Archie Baribar, who also expressed interest to run for vice mayor, during the presentation of their slate today. Baribar, who ran for councilor during the 2010 elections under the Grupo Serbisyo headed by Puentevella, earlier said that he, together with Councilors El Cid Familiaran, Sonya Verdeflor and Elmer Sy, will be supporting former Vice Mayor Renecito Novero in his bid to run for vice mayor in 2013. Meanwhile, Puentevella also announced over DYRL's Mercado Publico that he holds no grudge against Mayor Evelio Leonardia, who is a close kin of his wife. Puentevella said it is only Leonardia and incumbent Bacolod Rep. Anthony Golez, Jr. who are political nemesis. BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO The Visayan Daily Star Former Bacolod City Vice Mayor Renecito Novero has confirmed that two known businessmen in the city will be running as councilors under his ticket in the upcoming 2013 election.
However, Novero stressed that he agreed with the group of councilors known as the “First Five” before they left to attend the Philippine Councilors’ League convention in Manila not to reveal the names of the two probable candidates for councilor. “They will be presented to the public in proper time,” he said. This development came after the four incumbent councilors from the “First Five”, namely: Lawyer Archie Baribar, Elmer Sy, Sonya Verdeflor and El Cid Familiaran, announced their decision to join Novero. The former vice mayor said he is happy to get the support of the five councilors including last term Councilor Catalino Alisbo. When pressed about the identity of the businessmen, Novero described them as “honorable, hard-working individuals, sincere, trustworthy, no bad record, with good moral standing and know how to follow the law. And, both have not been in politics,” Novero added. “Though these personalities are from the business sector, they are competent to represent any sector in society,” the former vice mayor claimed. Novero said there were offers for him to run for a higher post but he opted to seek the position of the vice mayor for practical reasons. “For now, my main objective is to return as vice-mayor of Bacolod since I have only rendered one term. And I believe that I haven’t done any wrong to the city,” he stressed. He added that among his priorities are education, peace and order, housing projects, traffic and environment. “I am looking at providing our city college the needed support particularly for the indigents who are studying in this institution,” he said. Bacolod City College was established based on the ordinance authored by Novero, when he was still a city councilor. Novero stressed that he can only achieve these goals if there are competent legislators in the Sangguniang Panlungsod. “If the council will be filled with sincere and straight forward elected officials, whoever sits as Mayor will becautious of doing unlawful actions. Though, we can work hand-in-hand with the city’s chief executive if his program will benefit the Bacolod populace,” he added. As he cited his performance as vice mayor of Bacolod, Novero said “I can say that I had been sincere, competent and straight forward in holding this position.” INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE Novero said despite the negative reactions toward their group’s status as independent candidates, he remains optimistic that they will able to achieve their goal. “Many said that we are weak because we don’t have the machinery and resources. But we have faith that the people of Bacolod are our machinery and resources because they are the only ones who can judge us. They are the ones who can make us win or lose as well as put us into office,” he said. The former vice mayor explained that their group will not endorse candidates seeking higher office such as the congressional and mayoralty posts. “What the group had agreed is that we will not officially endorse a candidate for congressional and mayoralty posts. But it doesn’t prevent any of us from supporting individually, according to our own personal conviction, a candidate for the said positions. For now, our group is definitely solid as far as the vice mayor and the councilors are concerned,” he said. “I won’t attack or favor anybody unless something miraculous comes out later on,” he said. P34M PAY CHECK Novero laughed off rumors that his benefactor, Lawyer Simplicio Palanca of the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation, has paid P34 million to the Grupo Progreso of Mayor Evelio Leonardia in order to secure the position as the vice mayoralty running mate of Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson. “Where will I get that huge amount of money? I don’t have that amount and if I do, I would rather keep it. These people are good in making up stories,” he stressed. Opposition mayoralty candidate and former Bacolod lone district Congressman Monico Puentevella bared yesterday in a chance interview at a local restaurant that he will field his own slate composed of himself as candidate for mayor, Vladi Gonzalez, for vice-mayor and councilors, without this former coalition mates now dubbed as the First Five composed of Councilors El Cid Familiaran, Archie Baribar, Sonia Verdeflor and Elmer Sy, all incumbents and who have also affiliated with the city’s majority party, the Liberal Party. Puentevella said he will not go out of his way if they won’t affiliate with him. The First Five has indicated in earlier interviews that they will support Vice-mayoralty bet, and former Vice-Mayor Renecito Novero.
Novero and the First Five have decided to field a separate ticket in view of Puen-tevella’s not having taken in Novero as vice-mayoralty candidate. A few remaining days are left for the First Five to decide to affiliate with Puentevella’s slate which counting from today, could take only five days. Political punsters opined that without any network for one’s candidacy in any post, winnability could be difficult. While the First Five had earlier affiliated with the Liberal Party, the political party itself, has indicated it could team up with Puentevella. Highly-reliable sources also indicated that the choice by Leonardia of former Councilor and BACIWA Board Member Greg Gasataya is in extreme annoyance among his colleagues in Grupo Progreso placing a damper on some of his plans earlier, such as opposing his privatization program, flaying his chosen candidates for vice-mayor and their having forged an alliance with feisty whistle blower Romy Niere who has now become an archenemy. While the various slates have to take concrete forms yet, at this point in time, an analysis of the various aggrupations and parties would show that it may be composed of Puentevella’s own aggrupation; Leonardia’s Grupo Progreso, the First Five with Novero, and the Liberal Party (LP), - Bacolod fielding a full slate of councilors but adopting Puentevella as mayoralty candidate, Vladi Gon-zalaez for vice-mayor and various councilors to complete the aggrupation. There would, therefore be four aggrupations and parties but could increase to five if BARIS or RABIS would field its own complete slate. BARIS stands for Bais, Ramos Espino, and possibly Rojas. Or Rojas would continue to be part of Leonardia’s Grupo Progreso. Punsters add that the political contest in Bacolod could be the most interesting in years. Sources further say, there is no love lost between Leonardia and LP-Bacolod officials who do not see eye-to-eye in the issue of corruption. But they are tied down by a political coalition on the national level, seeping down into the local level. Puentevella’s staffers have invited the media to a press conference today, at the Business Inn this afternoon. Edgar Cadagat Negros O |
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