PART OF SUBCULTURE IN A SEMI-FEUDAL SOCIETY. SP Members El Cid Familiaran’s proposal to legalize the numbers game in the form of jai alai operation in Bacolod City, has, of course, stirred the hornet’s nest, because it is beyond the normal. Beyond the normal because what is normal now and since years ago, is the government-approved PAGCOR Casino, Small Town Lottery and the Lotto, which operates nationwide, except for PAGCOR which is operating in fewer areas, but which we believe earns more income for the government than other legally-approved numbers games.
Another numbers game if one can call it that is bingo which is operated by private individuals, a very good example being now Congressman Albee Benitez, who cannot but be considered a billionaire because his gross earnings happen to be in the billions of pesos yearly. Now, jai alai and jueteng or what it is called in other areas of the country, is illegal, mainly because it does not have permit from the state. SO MANY JAI ALAI OPERATIONS IN BACOLOD CITY. In spite of the apparent illegality of the numbers game, jai alai in Bacolod City, has flourished according to highly-reliable sources, with an already 11 operators of the game, with their own grassroots network of bet collectors and coordinators. Since it is supposed to be illegal, the police makes the motion of apprehending bet collectors but other operators swear that they target only those who are not within the circle of ‘protected operators’ including that of a topranking city government official whom their detractors say have been in the business of accumulating personal cash for, of course, his own personal benefit. Fortunately for Bacolodnons, the government which is supposed to cater to their very interest, is, instead used to protect the interest of those involved in the illegal numbers game. The sources said that Small Town Lottery is operating legally in Silay City and also in Bacolod City which has become a convenient front for jai alai operations which, as a Senate Investigation Committee Probe said is franchised under the name of a close loyalist of then First Gentleman, Mike Arroyo, husband of the former President. In Bacolod City, STL, as a front for jai alai in its operations has established links with the topranking city government official who rakes in millions of pesos monthly. The other "pecky" jai alai operators are being destabilized by frequent police arrests because they prove to be competitors to Bacolod City officials who are deep into the numbers game, legal or illegal. Many traditional political leaders using their people, also want in because the network one establishes when he is into the numbers game, prove very handy during election time as one would earn income to bankroll his political base and to establish his political network in the barangay level. JAI ALAI OPERATIONS PROLIFERATING. And one is surprised because the present administration appears to be ‘wishy-washy’ in its effort to stop the operations of the illegal numbers game when opponents during the period then PGMA held sway were successful to some extent in minimizing jai alai or jueteng operations, more so on the local level in Bacolod and in Negros Occ. Province.* (continued) Negros Daily Bulletin
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SP Chairman Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson has declared at the Dec. 22 SP Session that the 20l0’s last session shall be held on Dec. 29 at 10:00 a.m.
There was a choice between Dec. 28 or 29 but the body finally decided to have it on Dec. 29 in the light of a very busy week for the city officials. Other days were likewise suggested and for a while the group had dilly-dallied but ultimately saw that the best time would be Dec. 29 which is expected to clean up remaining issues and items for floor debate. Several vital matters took center stage on Dec. 22 or prior to the final session, with the newly-approved 2011 budget brought before the body by Councilor Al Victor Espino, Appropriations and Finance Committee Chairman and Councilor El Cid Fami-liaran’s Jai Alai proposal as sizzling hot issues. Councilor Archie Baribar had to ask clarifications about the budget before he finally went along with the approval. There was a long recess, following lengthy deliberations. The proposal on whether to allow the controversial Jai Alai in the city met highly-mixed opinions. It shall be taken up in today’s (Dec. 29) ultimate SP session simply a few days before the turn of the year. Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Sayson had cited the city’s 900 casual plantilla workers and about 1,300 job order hands plus the city’s compliance of the Salary Standardization Law, benefiting regular employees, in relation to the budget. He recalled that 2 years ago, there was a cap on the number of job order workers, which he himself authored, but that it was lifted paving the way to an increased budget for personal services. Thereafter, "there’s no more hindrance to the number of hired job order workers," he pointed out. In a separate development and in the thrust to beef up the city’s revenues, Councilor Espino revealed in a side interview that residential, commercial and agricultural taxes would be a proposed l.65% tax, instead of the previously suggested 2% tax (during a CREBA forum of realtors guested in by Espino) on the assessed value of all real properties whether residential, commercial or agricultural. This year’s current tax rate is only 1.5%. Espino pointed out that the latest proposed l.65% tax was taken up on Dec. 8, 20l0 in an Executive-Legislative Caucus at Planta Hotel.*(Willy Gutierrez) SP Chairman Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson has declared at the Dec. 22 SP Session that the 20l0’s last session shall be held on Dec. 29 at 10:00 a.m.
There was a choice between Dec. 28 or 29 but the body finally decided to have it on Dec. 29 in the light of a very busy week for the city officials. Other days were likewise suggested and for a while the group had dilly-dallied but ultimately saw that the best time would be Dec. 29 which is expected to clean up remaining issues and items for floor debate. Several vital matters took center stage on Dec. 22 or prior to the final session, with the newly-approved 2011 budget brought before the body by Councilor Al Victor Espino, Appropriations and Finance Committee Chairman and Councilor El Cid Fami-liaran’s Jai Alai proposal as sizzling hot issues. Councilor Archie Baribar had to ask clarifications about the budget before he finally went along with the approval. There was a long recess, following lengthy deliberations. The proposal on whether to allow the controversial Jai Alai in the city met highly-mixed opinions. It shall be taken up in today’s (Dec. 29) ultimate SP session simply a few days before the turn of the year. Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Sayson had cited the city’s 900 casual plantilla workers and about 1,300 job order hands plus the city’s compliance of the Salary Standardization Law, benefiting regular employees, in relation to the budget. He recalled that 2 years ago, there was a cap on the number of job order workers, which he himself authored, but that it was lifted paving the way to an increased budget for personal services. Thereafter, "there’s no more hindrance to the number of hired job order workers," he pointed out. In a separate development and in the thrust to beef up the city’s revenues, Councilor Espino revealed in a side interview that residential, commercial and agricultural taxes would be a proposed l.65% tax, instead of the previously suggested 2% tax (during a CREBA forum of realtors guested in by Espino) on the assessed value of all real properties whether residential, commercial or agricultural. This year’s current tax rate is only 1.5%. Espino pointed out that the latest proposed l.65% tax was taken up on Dec. 8, 20l0 in an Executive-Legislative Caucus at Planta Hotel.*(Willy Gutierrez) Negros Daily Bulletin My car clock read 10:39 AM. It was Dec. 27. I was driving along the Circumferential Road when, just before the New Government Center, I saw a tricycle driver unloading unsegregated garbage by the sidewalk. Remember when they did this in the dead of night? Have we lost all shame? There’s no better way to bring a year to a crescendo than by giving credit where credit is due. There are members of our Sangguniang Panlungsod (that’s City Council, for my readers abroad) who have of late displayed their preference for being clean. These are councilors who have shown their enthusiastic support for the passage of what I call "clean" laws. I would like to celebrate these people in my column this week, starting with Councilor EM ANG who authored the city’s ordinance banning plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam, and the anti-littering law. I would like to thank Councilors EL CID FAMILIARAN and CARLO LOPEZ who, I am told, strongly support the ban on plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam. Councilor Familiaran must be genuinely green, because he also previously penned an ordinance on tree planting. I am reminded of the text message of Councilor Lopez’s mother during the campaign season, promising that her son will bring Godliness to the council. Councilor Lopez is now delivering on that promise, because in my books, cleanliness equates with Godliness. As I round out my list, let me give to Ceasar what is due Ceasar. I give Councilor CEASAR DISTRITO praise for writing the anti-vandalism ordinance. He is joined in this effort by Councilor Em Ang and Councilor AL VICTOR ESPINO, who now heads the Environment Committee. I am happy to note that the anti-vandalism ordinance prays for the collaboration of the Department of Education to launch an Information, Education, and Communication campaign. This is critical, because most vandals are school-age kids who spray paint walls all over the city. And you’d be surprised what schools these kids go to. It shows, vandalism knows no social status. Neither does UN-cleanliness.
Issuing this short-list of CLEAN COUNCILORS begs the question, are there only five clean councilors? For our sake, I hope that when the dust of the debates settles, there will be more than just five councilors standing, or these laws won’t pass. Perhaps, we should wait and see how all the councilors will be voting on all three ordinances, whether for or against. Only then will I complete my list of clean councilors. And only then will we know who needs a good scrubbing. You might wonder, how does vandalism fall within the realm of concerns of the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance? An anti-vandalism ordinance will go a long way in inspiring a cleaner lifestyle for us, and when cleanliness gets into our consciousness, the urge to segregate garbage will not be far behind. I recall how former Marikina Mayor Marides Fernando took her councilors to Singapore, a country where vandalism is painfully punished, to show them a clear picture of WORLD-CLASS CLEANLINESS, so they will be moved to support her solid waste management program. The trip paid off. And now that Mayor Leonardia’s administration is working on the sanitary landfill, of course in time for its promised opening on June 30, 2011, we should start talking about how to wean ourselves from these modern conveniences. Let’s start by clearly defining the objective of the proposed laws. The ordinance banning plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam forbids the use of plastic shopping bags (a.k.a. SANDO BAGS, film bags) only. That’s not to say that all other forms of plastic are okay. Not at all. This ordinance, in fact, only starts us on a journey to a zero-plastic lifestyle. And it is a substantial first step, considering who we are. And who we are as FILIPINOS, easily the world’s No. 1 abusers of plastic shopping bags and Syrofoam. Goodness, we even use these sando bags as human pooper-scoopers. And so obstinate are we that we claim our plastic shopping bags are biodegradable, that our Styrofoam boxes and trays do not contain CFC (chlorofluorocarbons). Fib most foul. Fabrication most perilous. But granted that the companies currently claiming these are being truthful, though I am yet to be convinced, what worries me more is this, that by their claims, the unscrupulous in their ranks would take their cue and pass off their own plastic shopping bags for biodegrable. In the event, we could end up worse off than before. For indeed, what’s to stop Tia Rosing, a market vendor, from claiming that the sando bag she uses to sell her tilapia is biodegrable, too? And there are millions of Tia Rosings. There are many industries that regularly use plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam in running their businesses. We should discuss them in light of helping them out of their tight spot, because their predicament is our predicament. We should bring their problem out into the open, because we need to have a say in the solution. Look at what our collective silence got us, plastic shopping bags flaunted as biodegrable, Styro packaging ballyhooed as CFC-free. Wet market vendors, fast food restaurants, even fine dining restaurants, groceries and supermarkets, department stores and boutiques. In future columns, we will discuss how these industries can re-tool themselves, and how we, as intelligent and concerned consumers, can help. By Alan S. Gensoli Negros Daily Bulletin A TOP police official in Western Visayas said the proposal to legalize jai alai operation in Bacolod City requires further study by concerned local government officials.
“I do not know any local government unit running the operation of jai alai in the country. There are no basic guidelines about the city government running the jai alai operation,” Western Visayas police Director Cipriano Querol said. He said there is no other means to stop illegal gambling activities in the city except for the legalization of jai alai. “I know the police will be consulted on that and that would depend on the guidelines and who will be the beneficiaries,” Querol said. He said such numbers game could be run by private corporations. During Querol’s visit in Bacolod City on Monday he had assessed the police efforts against illegal gambling as above average. He said the one strike policy of the Philippine National Police wherein any chief of police who will be found to have poor performance in the campaign against illegal gambling will be relieved from his assignment. “So even without instructions from the higher command, they are conducting operations,” he said. Querol said jai alai operations run by small time operators are happening not only in Bacolod and Negros but also in other provinces. (Teresa Ellera-Dulla) Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on December 28, 2010. The proposal to legalize jai-alai in Bacolod City should be studied further before it pushes through, Police Regional Office 6 Director Chief Supt. Cepriano Querol said yesterday.
Bacolod City councilor El Cid Familliaran recently proposed a resolution urging Mayor Evelio Leonardia to have the city government get a jai-alai franchise for its possible operation as the city’s economic enterprise, if the activity cannot be stopped and continues to operate illegally. Aside from the benefits the city would derive from the legal operation of jai-alai, Familiaran said in the resolution, the 61 barangays will have a 10 percent share or about P98,360 every month or a total of P1.1 million a year, finally addressing and stopping illegal operations of jai-alai in their respective barangays. Last month, Querol said he has not received any document that would justify the operation of jai-alai betting stations in Negros Occidental and will personally look into the existence of those in Esclante City and Calatrava town. Querol stressed that there should be consultations from various sectors of society, including the police. He said that it should clarify who will be the beneficiaries if jai-alai operations will be legalized in Bacolod. Querol also admitted that the police are having a hard time locating for jai-alai financiers. “It’s hard to pinpoint them because some are into guerilla operations and we also have no list of their names”, Querol said. Despite that, Querol said, their campaign against jai alai and other forms of illegal gambling in the region has been successful and is above average. “Police chiefs are active in the campaign because of the one-strike policy and we receive daily apprehension reports”, he said.*APN BY ADRIAN NEMES III Visayan Daily Star MEMBERS of the Bacolod City Council opposed proposals to legalize jai alai and allow its operation in the city.
The move is being proposed by Councilor El Cid Familiaran. But, Councilor Homer Bais said he is against it since it is a form of gambling that spreads in all walks of life and ages. Even children are seen holding or analyzing the jai alai tipster. “I think we need to have a thorough debate on the pros and cons of that proposal because it will somehow touch the issue of morality and propriety,” Councilor Caesar Distrito said. He said the church will surely object to the proposal. “Personally, I am opposed to the proposal of letting the city operate any kind of gambling,” he added. ”I'm against it. We should not attempt to legalize it just because our authorities can't seem to crack down on their operations. Instead, our police should intensify their surveillance and apprehension of operators and go after the financiers and all their protectors,” Councilor Em Ang said. “The Church is against it and there is public outrage against the proliferation of gambling. The public should be consulted before we enact any measure to legalize it,” he added. Familiaran pushed for the legalization of jai alai operation in the city with the rationale that, if the illegal operation of jai alai cannot be stopped, it will be better to push for its legal operation. However, Mayor Evilio Leonardia discouraged the said move as there are already legal gambling like Lotto and Bingo which are presently legally operating. He said that there is a need to review the proposal to determine whether jai alai is worth legalizing or not. Familiaran presented data which shows that the net income of jai alai in its illegal operation reaches P2 million a day; P60 million a month or P720 million a year. (Carla N. Canet) Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on December 24, 2010. A resolution urging Baoclod Mayor Evelio Leonardia to immediately implement City Ordinance No. 331, Series of 2003 that imposes a curfew on minors from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. the following morning was approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod Wednesday.
Authored by Councilor El Cid Familiaran, the resolution said recent developments on the crime situation in the city is worrisome, and reports of various crimes in different degrees committed in different places in the city is of alarming. It said that what is moiré alarming is that most of the perpetrators of these crimes are minors, below 18 years old. Alarmed by previous similar crimes the present SP upon its assumption approved and passed Resolutions No. 414 or a resolution requesting the mayor to reconvene members of task force on curfew of minors. It said the implementation of C.O. 141 would deter or minimize the city’s worsening crimes, especially those committed by minors. The SP also passed a resolution urging the mayor, the Department of Public Services and the Task Force Clean and Green to seriously address and resolve th worsening garbage problem of Bacolod City. Authored by Councilor Sonya Verdeflor, the resolution said the present state and condition of Bacolod as far as beautification and sanitation is concerned is very much the opposite of what to used to be 10 years ago when it was awarded as the cleanest and greenest highly urbanized city in the country. This problem should be addressed immediately and seriously and must be resolved by the city government as among its priorities, the resolution added.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO Visayan Daily Star The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod approved Wednesday a resolution requesting private hospitals to stop the practice of collecting affiliation volunteer or training fees or its equivalent from registered nurses in Bacolod City.
The resolution, proposed by Councilors Caesar Distrito and Em Ang, said private hospitals in the city are collecting such fees from all registered nurses, who render duty for free as their on-the-job training and their volunteer nurse program as they are already qualified to receive salaries. The resolution said because they have a hard time looking for jobs, some registered nurses end up as call center agents because they have to undergo the volunteer nurse program where they are required to pay for the training by the hospitals. A resolution requesting Bacolod Schools Division Superintendent Gemma Ledesma, through the Office of the City Mayor, to look into the status and concerns of job order teachers, is being proposed by Councilor El Cid Familiaran. It said that information gathered show that the city has hired about 380 job order teachers, denominated as Local School Board – Job Order, assigned in public elementary and high school in Bacolod City. It said, also according to reports, that job order teachers have not received their salaries of P6,800 per month since October.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO Visayan Daily Star Mayor Evelio Leonardia (right), holding spade) and DENR OIC Regional Director (Region 6) Oscar Cabanayan lay the time capsule of the sanitary landfill at Brgy. Felisa, during groundbreaking yesterday. With them are top city government officials and guests: (L-R) SP Members Caesar Distrito, Al Victor Espino (partly hidden), Em Ang, El Cid Familiaran, Vice Mayor Thaddy Sayson. Extreme left is Atty. Andy Santiago, President of AL Salazar Construction and CENRO head Max Sillo (partly hidden).
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