DURING the second and third weekly episodes of my teleradyo program “Aksyon Legal” over DYEZ Aksyon Radyo and Sky Cable I decided to take a peek at those city ordinances that have been passed by the Sangguniang Paanlungsod but for one reason or another were never implemented. I had as my first guest former councilor Atty. Lyndon Cana, and Councilors Archie Baribar and El Cid Familiaran during the most recent episode. What they told me and the radio and TV audience was unexpected.
If the experience of my three guests are taken as a guide, it seems that almost half of the city ordinances that our Sanggunian approved during all these years and ratified by a succession of city mayors have not been implemented. Councilor Baribar even cited one ordinance passed during the 1960s, one that required all business establishments to have at least one light bulb turned on in front of their stores or offices at night. I can imagine how bright and safe Bacolod City would have been at night if the frontage of all stores and offices in Bacolod were lighted. To think that implementation is all that is needed here! Why are these ordinances, where huge time, money and effort were expended to make them into law, languishing in the archives of City Hall when they could have been used to benefit our City and our citizens? Why are they wasting and gathering dust instead? My guests gave several possible answers. One, because the reality is that in spite of declarations of unity and cooperation, a chasm still separates the mayors with the councilors when it comes to needed legislation. Councilor El Cid noted that the SP members author ordinances that they feel are needed by the city residents, but invariably have little idea what the mayor wants. What therefore happens is that ordinances are passed but many are shunted aside and eventually forgotten because in the mind of the mayor they are not urgent. El Cid offered a practical solution: why don’t the mayors have their assistants make drafts of ordinances which they think ought to be given priority by the SP, and then submit them to the councilors for deliberation and passage? If the councilors agree with his sense of priority, the ordinance will be passed and will in all likelihood implemented by the Mayor’s Office because that is where it would have emanated from in the first place. Councilor Baribar noted that it is the job of the executive assistants of the mayor to check what ordinances need the Mayor’s action and to prioritize them for actual implementation. He said that with the many daily responsibilities that the chief executive has to attend to he cannot be expected to know or to remember these ordinances. Many city ordinances, good ones at that, have been neglected this way, said Councilor Archie. Both Atty. Cana and El Cid Familiaran pointed to the City Development Council (CDC) as the most ideal bridge to close the gap between the passage by the SP of city ordinances and their implementation by the Office of the Mayor. They said the CDC is the ideal body to determine what the citizens need, the ordinances that the SP should pass to address this need, and the body to convince the city mayor to implement them, once passed. Both however regretted that the CDC is not performing this vital function. We think it’s time it did. Finally, there’s truth in the observation of many that while the ordinances are supposed to benefit the people, many do not even know these pieces of good legislations exist. Without an informed citizenry reminding City Hall to carry out the provisions of these ordinances, it is not surprising that they gather dust instead of momentum. By Andy H. Hagad Sun.Star Bacolod
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EIGHT members of the City Council of Bacolod are proposing an ordinance that will authorize the renaming of the Bacolod Government Center (BGC) into the People's House.
The proponents are councilors Archie Baribar, El Cid Familiaran, Wilson Gamboa, Ana Marie Palermo, Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Sonya Verdeflor, Claudio Puentevella, and Noli Villarosa. The proposed ordinance cites Article 21, Section E of the Implementing Rules of the Local Government Code of 1991 that grants authority to the SP of highly urbanized cities to name any public place or building owned by the city. In 2007, the City of Bacolod constructed a government building known as the “New Government Center” to house its administrative offices, it said. The building was constructed at the expense of the people of Bacolod through a loan of P400 million where the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the city was used to guarantee payment for the next 15 years, according to the ordinance. The taxpayers of Bacolod City can thus rightfully claim that such structure belongs to the people of Bacolod. Naming the structure the People’s House will instill a sense of ownership, common pride and enduring identity to Bacolodnons, the bill added. Former City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan said anything related to former mayor and now Bacolod Representative Evelio Leonardia is just unacceptable to Mayor Monico Puentevella. Bayatan cited as an example the welcome marker at the Bacolod Public Plaza, which is a replica of the government center, has been covered by a giant tarpaulin using the excuse that there is an occasion. “What good will it render to Bacolod if the name of the government center is changed. It is a waste of energy and time of the SP,” he said. Bayatan said the SP should devote their time to other productive and meritorious ordinances and resolutions and not in changing the name of government center to whatever name they wish, especially so that the name adopted by the Leonardia administration is sourced from a national law, Section 12 of the Local Government Code. “This is politics in high gear by Puentevella and his “Monico inspired politicians,” he said. Bayatan said these actions will only cause division among the people. “If these are the type of politicians that we have, we can expect more actions from them that will further divide the people of Bacolod,” he added. By Carla N. Canet Sun.Star Bacolod BACOLOD City Councilor El Cid Familiaran has proposed the installation of close circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all public elementary and high schools in the city.
Familiaran said the installation of CCTV cameras in the schools would be an effective tool to curb the occurrence of crimes. The employment of CCTV cameras by any entity purposely to record factual evidence of crime has been proven to be an effective instrument to deter any act of lawlessness, he said. Familiaran said the CCTV cameras that will be installed in the public schools should meet the minimum technical standards and should be operated in coordination with the City Mayor’s Office and the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO). He said the head of school or its personnel will be prohibited from viewing or using any saved or archived recorded data through camera or video recordings. Except for the complainant, unauthorized disclosure of the identity of any person in the video is prohibited, without the order of the proper Court, he added. Familiaran said that the City Council previously passed City Ordinance No. 595 or the “Bacolod City Eye in the Sky Comprehensive Closed Circuit Television Ordinance.” They have also passed C.O. No. 600 or “An Ordinance Requiring all Banks and other Financial Institutions, as well as Certain Business Establishments within the City of Bacolod to install CCTV within their premises.”(CNC) By Carla N. Canet Sun.Star Bacolod THE City Council of Bacolod has effected amendments to its internal rules under the new floor leader, Councilor Archie Baribar.
Baribar replaced Councilor Caesar Distrito, a member of the Grupo Progreso of Bacolod Representative Evelio Leonardia. Distrito was on official travel. Councilor El Cid Familiaran said they were able to amend three items, which include the order of business, duties of the City Council's floor leader, and items in the agenda. Familiaran said they will continue the amendment of the internal rules during the next session and these may take them about two months to finish. Under Resolution No. 589, series of 2013, or a resolution adopting the consolidated internal rules of the City Council, the members of the council will elect from among themselves the floor leader. Under the resolution, the floor leader will be the temporary presiding officer if the vice mayor steps down to participate in a debate. The vice mayor will prepare and submit matters for inclusion in the agenda, and can only vote in case of a tie. In the absence or inability of the vice mayor to preside a session, the members of the council, constituting a quorum, will elect from among themselves a temporary presiding officer for that particular session day. On the reorganization of the committee tenure, Resolution 589 provides that the election chairman, vice chairman, and members of the different standing committees will be on the first session of July of each year. The chairman, vice chairman and members-elect will hold office for one year unless sooner removed by two-third of all members of the SP. Meanwhile, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) director Jesus Duque IV said a reorganization, that involved the change of persons without affecting the committee created in the council, will not necessitate amendment of the City Council’s internal rules or procedures, because the number of committees or members and the manner and procedure by which members and chairmen are chosen remain and the reorganization will only involve change of persons occupying the chairmanship and membership positions. This should be treated by the City Council as an ordinary transaction, which will be resolved by a simple vote of majority of the embers of the members present there being a quorum, he said. By Carla N. Canet Sun.Star Bacolod THE Commission on Elections in Bacolod proclaimed on Tuesday congressman-elect incumbent city Mayor Evelio Leonardia, vice mayor-elect Greg Gasataya, and the 12 councilors who won in the May 13 polls.
Despite failing to canvass the remaining four clustered precincts, acting Bacolod City election registrar lawyer Milagros Salud Villanueva officially proclaimed Tuesday night the winners in the Monday polls. Villanueva said the basis of the decision of the board of canvassers (BOCS) in the proclamation of winners was the recently passed en banc resolution of the Comelec that authorized BOCs to proclaim winners if the remaining uncanvassed election returns no longer affect the standing of the winners. She said that, if not for the mislabeling of the CF Cards of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, the BOC would have finished the canvassing of the election returns as early as 2 a.m. of May 14. She said the total number of voters in the four uncanvassed clustered precincts totaled only 3,286 and that the number does not affect the margin of votes garnered by the winning congressman, mayor, vice mayor and councilors. The councilors who were proclaimed winners were: El Cid Familiaran with 98,956 votes; Jocelle Batapa-Sigue with 90,270 votes; Bobby Rojas with 86,305; Em Ang with 85,728; Carl Lopez with 85,356; Claudio Puentevella with 83,122; Caesar Distrito with 76,206; Archie Baribar with 72,272; Wilson Gamboa Jr. with 69,034; Alex Paglumutan with 68,380; Sonya Verdeflor with 64,432 and Ann Marie Palermo with 63,419. CARLA CANET THE Magnificent 7 candidates led by vice mayoralty candidate Renecito Novero and six candidates for councilor will hold a caravan today, Monday, starting at the old Bacolod domestic airport in Singcang.
Re-electionist councilor El Cid Familiaran, a Liberal Party candidate who coalesced with Magnificent 7, said they will motorcade from the old airport to public markets and downtown area starting 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Their opening salvo is on Tuesday at Barangay Bata. They will be joined by their die hard supporters. The Magnificent 7 commits to uphold and practice sincerity, integrity, simplicity, transparency, honesty, accountability and truth as magnificent virtues for good governance,” Novero earlier said. The Magnificent 7 is composed of Novero and reelectionists Councilors Sonya Verdeflor, Archie Baribar, El Cid Familiaran, Elmer Sy, Rocky Lizares, and Bobby Coscolluela. Sunstar Bacolod By Carla N. Canet BACOLOD City Councilors Sonya Verdeflor, El Cid Familiaran and Archie Baribar registered perfect attendance in the conduct of the 51 regular and specials sessions at the City Council from January 1 to December 31, 2012.
Based on the 2012 attendance report prepared by acting secretary to the Council, Helen Legaspi, councilors Em Legaspi-Ang and Caesar Distrito also have perfect attendance from January 1 to June 30, while councilors Catalino Alisbo and Elmer Sy were always present from July 1 to December 31, 2012. Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson has one official leave and five official travels recorded last year. Councilor Homer Bais had two official leaves while Ang and Distrito had one official leave and one official travel each. Alisbo had 14 official leaves while Sy had one official leave. Councilor Roberto Rojas had eight official leaves and Councilor Mona Dia Jardin had three official leaves and three official travels. Councilor Al Victor Espino had three official leaves, three official travels and one absence while Councilor Dindo Ramos had 11 official leaves and four absences. Councilor Carlos Jose Lopez had nine official leaves, five official travels and two absences while Councilor Keith Emmanuel Ramos had 10 official leaves, two official travels and three absences Carla N. Canet SUN STAR BACOLOD 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 BACOLOD City Councilor El Cid Familiaran is pushing for the establishment of a Botika ng Bayan at the Bacolod City Health compound which will be classified as one of the economic enterprise units of the city.
He said he saw the need to put up a pharmacy in the city, as senior citizens could not avail of the 20 percent discount in medicines from regular drug stores. Pharmaceuticals could not grant the 20 percent discount to senior citizens, as their profit is only pegged at 10 percent, he added. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has a program called “Partner Pharmacy Scheme” wherein the Botika ng Bayan will enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the hospital providing that the Botika ng Bayan will provide medicines and medical supplies to patients who are PhilHealth members. “Medicines, oxygen, dextrose, among others, up to the maximum amount that is being allowed by PhilHealth to its members. Then the PhilHealth will pay directly to the pharmacy just like the Lying-in Clinic of the city,” he said. With this scheme, each councilor that has a Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) share can put up a budget of P5,000 each. Each councilor can issue an advice to the hospital that these patients can avail of medical assistance wherein they can get medicines from the Botika ng Bayan, he said. It will be easier and more systematic to help those in need of medical assistance, he said. CARLA CANET SUN STAR BACOLOD Bacolod City Councilor El Cid Familiaran appealed to president Noynoy Aquino, III thru Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Sec. Ramori Paje, to exempt Bacolod City from the DENR memorandum which directs the suspension of acceptance and processing of public land applications on lands formed by action of the sea in all waterway and accretion islets in river channels and adjacent shores, dried creeks and river beds and other lots of similar character. He cited Republic Act No. 10023, "An Act authorizing the issuance of free patents to lots nationwide, paved the way for the land tenure of poor families who are living in slum areas, coastal corridors and other areas considered as public lands." Due to a situation in Bacolod where a big chunk of population occupied the public lands for so many years , approximately 2, 000 have been applying to the DENR to own the lots they have been occupying thru such law (Republic Act No. 10023). In fact, the required processes have bee completed, just pending for appropriate title distribution to the beneficiaries. Because of the DENR memorandum, these applicants composed of informal settlers will be denied such program giving the land tenure for their homes. Bacolod has been haunted by eviction and demolition, even as it continues to offer shelter program and services. The issuance of DENR Memo to the effect that it suspends all applications relative to0 public lands covered by Republic Act No. 10023 would unnecessarily derail the city's program for the informal settlers who have been waiting for help from the government, he said.
By Carla N. Cañet Sun Star Bacolod |
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