Cagayan de Oro City News June 2013

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Cagayan de Oro City within Misamis Oriental

Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

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Cagayan de Oro City Public Market
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The river of cagayan de oro city
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St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.
Limketkai Center Mall, Cagayan de Oro City.jpg
Flood Waters in the streets of Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Buildings
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Bus Terminal, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City

Benaldo out of danger

By Julie M. Aurelio


MANILA, Philippines—Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Jose Benjamin “Benjo” Benaldo is out of danger after undergoing surgery for a gunshot wound in the chest that appeared to have been self-inflicted last Thursday night. In a medical bulletin on Saturday, St. Luke’s Medical Center said “the patient is now out of danger and is in stable condition.” It was signed by Benaldo’s attending physician, Dr. Jose Oreta Jr. In an update furnished reporters, Oreta said Benaldo sustained a gunshot wound in the left side of the chest. The bullet struck the upper lobe of his left lung, as well as several blood vessels. “Chest exploration, control of bleeders and upper left lobectomy (removal of the upper lobe of the left lung) were done,” the update read. Benaldo, husband of Brazilian model and TV personality Daiana Menezes, has been confined at the SLMC since Thursday night after he was found shot in the chest alone in his office at the House of Representatives at around 7:30 p.m. The Quezon City Police District has closed its investigation into the incident. QCPD director Senior Supt. Richard Albano said the probe would be reopened if the congressman would talk to the police. “We are concerned about his health. But if he wants to talk to us, our investigators are always ready,” Albano said. The QCPD has ruled out foul play.

On Benaldo’s shooting incident: Suicide or accident?

By Bobby Lagsa


PEOPLE who knew the controversial outgoing Cagayan de Oro first district Representative Benjamin “Benjo” Benaldo are baffled whether the lawmaker committed suicide on Thursday night, or it was an accident.

The police said, however, that only Benaldo could tell what happened, and “foul play” had been ruled out.

Benaldo was seen drenched in blood at the South wing of Batasang Pambansa Thursday night. He was brought to the New Era Hospital along Commonwealth Avenue but was later transferred to the St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. immediately rushed to the hospital to check on Benaldo's condition. He said the outgoing lawmaker was conscious at the hospital and was able to give him a thumb-up sign.

Benaldo's Brazilian wife, Daiana Menezes, was also at the hospital, he said.

The bullet entered below Benaldo’s heart and exited downward, "possibly hitting parts of his lungs."

Belmonte said the Secretary General has instructed the House Sergeant at-arms to allow the police to further investigate the incident.

Benaldo had been in the news recently over a marital spat with his Brazilian wife who posted photos on her Instagram account suggesting that she is a victim of domestic violence.

The couple married in Las Vegas, Nevada in December 2012.

Benaldo lost his reelection bid in the 2013 midterm polls against the Liberal Party bet Rolando “Klarex” Uy.

Deputy Majority Leader Miro Quimbo appealed to the public to give Benaldo space so "he can sort things out."

Suicide note

Andrew Bascon, Benaldo’s chief of staff in Cagayan de Oro City, also said the lawmaker stayed in Manila after he lost in the May 2013 elections.

“After election, he never went back to Cagayan de Oro as he is completing some documents in his office,” he said.

Bascon, however, refused to comment further on the alleged suicide note of Benaldo found in his room.

He said they were instructed by Belmonte not to issue further statements pending the conduct of investigation by the House’s Sergeant at Arms.

Meanwhile, Bascon described Benaldo as contemplative and they only usually talked on his political life.

“We seldom talked of his personal life and I respected his privacy. What he always expressed and discussed is how to serve his constituents. He is a deep person with deep views, especially on serving his constituents,” he said.

Partymates

On Friday night, Acenas said he is saddened by the news.

“I pray for his quick recovery, and that he should lift it all to God,” Acenas said.

Cagayan de Oro City Councilor President Elipe said: “Benjo is a strong man and has weathered some very personal problems. He survived difficult problems but did not commit suicide. He doesn’t have suicidal tendencies.”

For former city councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, whatever the reason is, “It’s not about his wife.”

Former mayor Vicente Emano, who showed Benaldo the rope of politics, said: “He is a very strong person, nice fellow.”

Emano said that what happened to Benaldo is “not personal.”

Not politics

But his former colleagues believed that the reason that Benaldo attempted to take his own life is not political but personal.

However, Nacaya believed that Benaldo made a grand statement about the state of politics in the city and in the country.

Benaldo apparently left bundles of 1,000 pesos and a note saying: “Cremate for political reform.”

The cryptic message has investigators facing a blank wall.

City Councilor Dante Pajo said that during the PaDayon Pilipino (Padayon) campaign trail, Benaldo was protective of Menezes.

“They are a new couple, they must have been going through some adjustment period,” Pajo said.

Pajo said that the clashes of personality between the two could have been the root of the problem.

“Benjo is so in love with Daiana,” Pajo said, adding that Benaldo has always stayed close to Menezes, always holding her hands as they went about the campaign.

Political career

Benaldo started his political career as first time councilor in 1998, joining Vicente Emano’s PaDayon Pilipino party.

As a councilor, Benaldo campaigned against the rising cost of electricity, and Cagayan de Oro Electric Power and Light Company (Cepalco) became his favorite whipping boy.

In 2010, Benaldo ran for congress for the first time after serving three terms in the City Council.

His sweeping victory in the city’s first district was complemented after he was elected as the assistant majority floor leader of the 15th Congress.

Benaldo, in his three years in congress, had authored 14 bills and co-authored 38 bills and is a member of the committees on energy, rules, government reorganization, higher and technical education, human rights, information and communication technology, justice, overseas workers affairs and the ways and means.

During the campaign trail in last May’s elections, Benaldo always highlighted his work in Congress as the voice for Mindanao.

Benaldo is also known for being a metrosexual, a neologism that refer to men who are very meticulous with their appearance and grooming typically spending lavishly on time and money when shopping.

Benaldo likes to dress up, and is seen in public wearing signature clothes and one of the well and most lavished dressed congressmen in the 15th Congress.

He lost in 2007 on his first attempt in Congress.

When his first marriage with his wife Gladys ended, Benaldo was seen with several women. In one instance, Benaldo was seen with a mysterious Russian lady in Cagayan de Oro City.

He was even chided by observers as having an “Imeldific” lifestyle.

Wildfire in social media

On social media, Bangon Kagay-an Inc. page on Facebook posted a photo of a flower and card that reads: “Dear Cong. Benaldo, Get Well Soon!”

Ophelia Moreno-Lacre commented on the photo: “Get well soon Cong Benaldo. Our prayers for your soonest recovery.”

Other netizens are not as forgiving as the others. Some posted “depression” while others said “left by the Brazilian,” referring to Menezes.

Another commented: “Drama or suicide?” While another said, “cannot accept his defeat.”

Someone posted: “This must be drama, if he wanted to kill himself, he should shot himself in the head, perhaps he wants to be an actor?”

Some made fun of the incident by posting a thumb-up photo, in response to Quimbo’s photo showing Benaldo’s thumb-up when asked if he is okay.

Another commented: “Drama Queen,” while one posted “This is the only suicide where he showed his thumb up! It’s different really!”

“Committed suicide so that no audit can take place, always somewhere, always overseas,” another Facebook user said.

But former journalist Dolly Ilogon commented on the photo of Bangon Kagay-an: “Thank you Bangon Kagay-an for the message. It is so sad how some people can be so mean and heartless. The Benaldo family is suffering in silence. Instead of criticism, let us all offer some prayers after all, they like us are also pure Kagay-anons.” (With reports from Annabelle Ricalde and Abigail Chee Kee Malalis)

3 illegal Chinese miners convicted

By Abigail C. Malalis


AN ENVIRONMENTAL watchdog hailed the conviction of three Chinese nationals nabbed for illegal mining activities, but questioned the alleged remaining others who are still carrying out illegal mining in the upstream villages of Iponan River.

Orlan Ravanera, director of Cooperative Development Authority and leader of environmentalist group "Sulog," dared the Mining and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to seriously run after these operators.

“Unless everyone involved in the illegal mining activities in the area is arrested and charged, justice has not yet been served yet. On behalf of the group, we highly appreciate the efforts of MGB, the law enforcers and the courts for this victory,” Ravanera said.

He further commented that the arrest of the three is just the tip of the iceberg and those financiers and all those involved in illegal mining must answer the damage they have inflicted in the Iponan river.

“We will dig deeper because these Chinese nationals are working in cahoots with Filipinos. From our estimates based on the intelligence reports our group has gathered, there are about 30 Chinese nationals here,” he said.

New raid

MGB director Rex Monsanto told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that his office rounded another operation in one of the hinterland barangays on Wednesday.

The MGB team confiscated hydraulic engines, but the operators escaped arrest.

The heavy rain on Wednesday prompted the group to cancel the trip back to the city and bring the hydraulic engines.

Monsanto said there are two more Chinese who are waiting for the pre-trial on their alleged involvement on illegal mining operations.

Monsanto said the MGB isn’t supposed to go after small-scale mining because the Supreme Court has ruled that it is the local government unit’s duty.

“However, with the public clamor, the MGB went out of its way in running after these small-scale mining, our duty is bounded within the large-scale mining,” Monsanto clarified.

But, Ravanera said illegal mining activities in the upstream barangays of Iponan river isn’t small-scale.

“Would seeing 15 brand new backhoes in those areas small-scale? Would the vast damage of the environment along and within the Iponan watershed small-scale? MGB should examine that very well,” Ravanera said.

Ravanera dared the MGB to reveal the alleged “shadow” or investors behind the illegal mining operations in those areas.

Chinese convicted

Presiding Judge Maria Luna G. Lanticse-Saba found Meng Chang, Wu Feng and Yu Prinze all from Yunnan, China, guilty of theft of minerals under Section 103 of Republic Act 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

These Chinese nationals would face two years imprisonment. They are ordered to pay P200,000 for damages.

The three Chinese were arrested last January 25, 2013 by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and MGB representatives after they were caught extracting minerals in Barangay Tumpagon, an upstream barangay of Iponan river.

City Prosecutor Fidel Macauyag said Chang, Feng and Prinze would serve their sentence in the penal colony if they fail to appeal within 15 days.

After serving their sentence they will be deported back to China, Macauyag said.

Macauyag said the complainants, the MGB and the CIDG, submitted enough evidence as grounds for filing the case against the three Chinese.

MGB regional director Rex Monsanto said the convicts came to the Philippines under tourist visas when arrested for extracting and recovering gold without permit.

“These people used tools and equipment, including dredging machines in their illegal activities under the guise of sand and gravel operations,” Monsanto said. (With a report from Grace Cantal-Albasin)

New CDO mayor to review city’s financial status

By (PNA)

LAP/CD/UTB


CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, June 27 (PNA) -– Newly elected City Mayor Oscar Moreno (LP) on Thursday said he would first examine the real financial status of the city government once he reports to the Office of the City Mayor on Monday.

Moreno, together with newly elected Rep. Rolando Uy, (LP), of the city’s First Congressional District, and reelected Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, (CDP), are scheduled to take their oath of office on Sunday at the Plaza Divisoria’s Kiosko Kagawasan (Freedom Kiosk) here.

Moreno said he does not believe that outgoing City Mayor Vicente Emano would be leaving a P1.3-billion cash fund in the city’s financial coffers.

“I think that is not true. What I understand is that the amount is the budget of the city government for the year 2013,” Moreno said.

He said he would also look into the status of the traffic problem in the city, find a place to relocate the “Night Café” at Plaza Divisoria, and implement a serious health care program in the city as the three major programs that he would tackle during his first few months at the City Hall.

Moreno, currently serving his last term as provincial governor of Misamis Oriental, won the mayoral race in Cagayan de Oro City in the May 13 midterm elections against reelectionist Mayor Vicente Emano, (UNA).

Although Moreno won, the partymates of Emano remain in control of the city council with the Vice Mayor and 11 city councilors winning the city council seats against Moreno’s five city council members.

Emano swears in son as new Misamis Oriental guv

By Abigail C. Malalis


OUTGOING Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Emano inducted into office his son, Misamis Oriental governor-elect Yevgeny Vincente Emano as the latter begins his duty on June 30.

The younger Emano vowed “to work 24/7.” Emano, along with three elected provincial board members under the Padayon Pilipino (Padayon) party, took their oath Tuesday at the Our Lady of Candelaria church in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.

Emano’s running mate and Vice Governor–elect Jose Mari Pelaez, would have his separate oath taking on June 27 at the San Isidro parish Church in Medina, Misamis Oriental with Vice-President Jejomar Binay as guest and inducting officer.

Emano, founder of Padayon, led the oath taking ceremony after a concelebrated Mass officiated by Msgr. Elmer Abacahin and four other priests.

Governo Emano said his administration will focus on the tourism industry and the controversial P1.2 billion debt of the province, which includes Misamis Oriental Telephone Co. (Misortel).

“With the existing capitol debt we have to work 24/7 to be able to deliver the services needed especially to the least of our fortunate brothers and sisters,” he said.

He added that he still has to review the final state of affairs of the province and that he is confident that “there is always a way to look for funds.”

“We have to tighten our belts and stop cash advances so that we can save,” Emano suggested.

Challenge

Governor Emano, however, admitted that running the affairs of the province is not an easy task and challenged the other elected officials to work hard and to support him.

“It will not be easy to face the problems especially that of 424 barangays, 23 municipalities and 2 cities of Misamis Oriental which all need balanced services despite rotten political issues within.”

He also noted the plight of the employees of the provincial capitol who have been denied of their salaries.

“The step increment of employees’ salary should have reached step 4 already since it started in 2008 but sadly, it is still in step 2,” he said adding that the province has already earned at least P600 to P800 million to provide the step 4 increment for the employees.

Tourism

Among his agenda in his first 100 days is the improvement of the two hot springs in the municipalities of Alubijid and Balingasag as well as the development of the white islands in Jasaan town and El Salvador City.

Tourism is among the focus of the eight-point agenda of Emano during his campaign.

He also vowed to develop the natural waterfalls in the province by 20 to 30 percent.

Legacy

Meanwhile, outgoing Cagayan de Oro City mayor Dongkoy Emano also urged the new governor to perform the task the people have entrusted him.

“There are lots of things to be done and the tasks are not easy. Being a governor of the province is the hottest political task.Nobody should be left out just because of their political color,” the younger Emano said.

The senior Emano had been in the politics for 33 years as former municipal mayor of Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental governor, Cagayan de Oro City mayor and vice mayor.

DOH 10 aims for tobacco-free environment through Red Orchid Awards

By Jasper Marie Oblina-Rucat


CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, June 25 (PIA) - The Department of Health (DOH) Center for Health Development Northern Mindanao has launched the Red Orchid awards for local government units (LGUs), government agencies and government hospitals who strictly practices no-smoking inside and outside their offices.

Doctor Ellenieta HMV N. Gamolo, assistant regional director of DOH 10, said that organizations who practice and implement no-smoking in their establishments are our modern heroes in ensuring that the environment we are living in is tobacco-free.

The DOH Red Orchid award started four years ago in 2009 to highlight achievements in tobacco control by local government units (province, city and municipality), government hospitals, government offices, and DOH centers for Health Development.

Further, DOH Red Orchid Awards winners are judged based on the strength of comprehensive efforts to implement a 100% Tobacco-Free Environment using the World Health Organization MPOWER initiative.

MPOWER is an acronym that denotes the six proven tobacco control policies, namely Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies; Protect people from tobacco smoke; Offer help to quit tobacco use; Warn against the dangers of tobacco; Enforce bans on tobacco advertising; and Raise taxes on tobacco.

Regional Director of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) region 10 Hilarion E. Ulep and recipient of the Red Orchid for two consecutive years, said that this advocacy for a smoke-free environment must start with the self and everyone must have that willpower.

In region 10, the town and local government of Talisayan in Misamis Oriental is awardee for Hall of Fame for the Red Orchid Award after winning the title for three consecutive years.

Regarding the e-cigarette, the DOH still discourages its use because of the strong presence of nicotine, even without smoke. (JMOR/PIA10)

P10B sought for housing of Sendong victims

By Abigail C. Malalis


THE woes of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are living in difficult conditions in the various Sendong relocation and off-site areas here would soon be resolved with the Urban Development Program Fund that provides P10 billion every year to recipient cities like Cagayan de Oro.

The IDPs sought an audience with Mayor-elect Oscar Moreno at Xavier University last Saturday to bring to his attention the needs and solutions of their deplorable living conditions for more than a year and a half since Typhoon Sendong hit the city.

“Not all cities can be a beneficiary of this fund, but because of the strategic location of Cagayan de Oro it was chosen. However, nothing happened, the city didn’t avail of it,” Moreno said.

IDP representative Vanboyd Torres aired the IDPs dismay over the lack of budget for the site development under the administration of outgoing Mayor Vicente Emano.

Torres said that in the manifesto, the IDPs have been seeking sanctuary where basic needs have been served and fulfilled through communal efforts and assistance of the civil society organizations, private, some public institutions and other sectors.

“It is in this light that our needs and concerns of a comprehensive development plan must be supported by the City Government of Cagayan de Oro,” the manifesto read.

Torres said that one of the difficulties they’ve encountered is the inefficient and unresponsive service of some government agencies responsible in processing the requirements to avail the housing projects. Sendong survivors living in the off-site areas have mostly endured this problem.

“Almost every day, I go to the office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the City Hall and other agencies to follow up with the legal papers required as a beneficiary of the Community Mortgage Plan (CMP),” Torres said.

The manifesto further demands that the local government must enact efficient and responsive service from the concerned government agencies to the beneficiaries of CMP totaling to 2,000 members from various resettlements.

The main problem, the manifesto stated, is the deferment of their application documents from government agencies in-charge of processing their CMP application.

The IDPs need assistance for their legal and rightful status as beneficiaries of CMP. They felt that they are not a priority of the LGU agencies.

Informal settlers

Moreno said the problem of informal settlers in the city is one of the eight-point agenda his administration will focus on.

“Every barangay in Cagayan de Oro has informal settlers, not even the business districts have been spared. The problem with the City Government is it has failed to have a resettlement program for many years. The last legitimate project was during the term of former Mayor Pablo Magtajas,” he added.

Support

Moreno said the forum is a good venue to validate what needed to be done.

“I cannot do this alone, I need your help and I urged various associations to help me. We have to have a strategy basing on what will be the available resources when I will assume office,” he said.

“Urban development fund of P10 billion per annum is there and we can tap it, it has been there every year...let’s just come up with projects, though there is an equity requirement for it,” he added.

The issue on resettlement especially Sendong-related, Moreno said, will serve as “a wakeup call since corrective measures have to be done to address inaction.”

“We have to correct this deficiency now and we will do all this even with those who are not listed in the manifesto,” he said.

City College

Meanwhile, another manifesto was also presented to the Moreno by the youth sector asking for the creation of a city college in order to improve access to quality education especially from students in the hinterland barangays.

The youth also focused their agenda to the protection of environment and good governance. They are also offering help to the local government in its program meant to improving basic social services such as health, skills training and minimizing long-and small-scale mining by providing alternative livelihood programs to those who engage in this business.

In their manifesto of support, the youth also committed to help in the enactment of the Local Youth Development Council that will comprise the Sangguniang Kabataan president, representatives from federation of youth organizations, church and community-based youth groups.

“We firmly believe that empowering the youth is not only an act to enable their sustainable development but should be considered as our command responsibility as a people in ensuring our society’s highest good,” the manifesto read.

Bracing for the rains

By Grace Cantal-Albasin


Bracing with whatever the rain comes with like flashfloods, waterspouts, landslides and the merely flooding of Cagayan de Oro City’s main streets is a matter of preparations and choices.

And Kagay-anons shudder each time a heavy downpour coupled with lightning and thunder envelopes the city.

The rain has become a reminder of the gripping horror that the city went through when Typhoon Sendong (International code name: Washi) struck the city eight days before Christmas of 2011.

With the climate change, nothing is stable in the world today. Countries all over the world have been experiencing extreme climate and weather disturbances and the Philippines is not exempt.

As a tropical country that is cyclically visited by typhoons, rain isn’t new to the Filipinos, but the amount of rainfall it brings is a different story. Too much rain, forest denudation, river siltation, growing population and chaotic urbanization have led to disasters.

Sendong sent us a horrifying message.

In an interview with the city disaster officer Armen Cuenca, he said that Sendong has been “a blessing in disguise” for it has turned the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management to fare well in handling imminent dangers brought by Typhoon Pablo that hit the city in December 2012 and the incessant rains early this year before summer started.

“CDRRM is aiming more at preparedness rather than response. Look at Pablo, the city preparedness spared us from losing lives. The more prepared we are at disasters, the less we need to respond. If there’s a need to respond, it will just be minimal such as helping people who might be hit by fallen trees or posts, but not on responding on anything that is related to flooding,” Cuenca said.

Part of strengthening its CDRRM is the newly launched Infoboard project powered by Smart Telecommunications. All its transactions are free of charge.

It disseminates information on weather disturbances to all stakeholders and they should subscribe by visiting the CDRRM office.

“It is important that any stakeholder should register because it is a requirement from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). We cannot just subscribe one without showing up to the office, with this, we will know that the person is taking the Infoboard seriously,” he adds.

The Infoboard can’t cater to all the more than 500,000 residents in the city.

“Take for example, the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), its head is subscribed to the Infoboard and she disseminates the information to PNRC members and affiliates.

“If we flood the Infoboard with individual subscription, it will lag due to traffic and we can’t allow that, so we prefer that for each group or organization there should be one representative. This representative will be the one who will spread the advisories and warnings.”

But, the Infoboard would be useless without the early warning devices that accurately feed information to it.

Thus, making the process and transmission of these warnings expensive considering that the devices entail huge expenses. These are the rain gauge, water level sensor and the Doppler radar.

The rain gauges have been installed in Talakag, Baungon, Kinawe and Libona town center, San Simon, Pigsag-an, and the latest is installed in Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon.

Meanwhile, the water level sensors have been installed in Kabula, Bubunawan and Cagayan River near Rotunda.

With regard to the Doppler radars, the city checks the radars in Hinatuan, Cebu and Tampakan in South Cotabato to get more accurate data.

Triangulation

“This is what triangulation does. With this, we can get the amount of rain and the flood that comes with it. Getting all the information from these devices help us localize the weather advisory and give an accurate weather tracking. The Infoboard gives warnings until it is time to leave low-lying areas,” Cuenca explains.

The message sent in the Infoboard is in the dialect for the people to fully understand the advisories and warnings. It is devoid of technical language found in the Pagasa advisories.

“The message is 90% in Bisaya. It points out the areas that are high risk at the time there is an imminent flood. Thus, people affected are alerted hours before the condition could worsen.”

The CDRRM office is manned 24/7. Its hotline is 888.

In terms of responding to disaster, Cuenca said the CDRRM has its Quick Response Team (QRT) and it only has the basic needs and lack the equipment needed to respond especially on earthquakes.

The QRT team doesn’t even have the dry suit that could help the staff to last for more than a day of responding to disasters. “An overnight rain couldn’t hold the responders long because they can’t stand the cold.” Responding on collapse buildings in earthquake is beyond the QRT’s capabilities since there aren’t equipments that could detect survivors through Xray cameras or the sound devices.

“We can only do what we can, when earthquake comes, God forbid.”

For her part, Anna Caneda, director of the Office of Civil Defense in Northern Mindanao, said OCD focuses on capacity development of local government units, mitigation, preparedness and prevention.

OCD works closely with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for advisories. It also focuses on providing information to the LGUs.

Informal settlers

She cites the lack of multi-hazard maps is one difficulty that has to be hurdled by the LGUs.

These maps can provide information vital in planning especially in metropolis where informal settlers have clogged the waterways of the cities that have been contributing to the flooding once the amount of rainfall goes beyond the capacity of the city to hold and drain water quickly.

“Infrastructure plays an important role considering that old drains couldn’t anymore hold the volume of water when the rainfall is heavy.

These drains should be replaced. The informal settlers should also be relocated to declog the waterways and even expand them so the rainfall can’t be stuck that causes the flooding,” she explains.

But, reforms on informal settlers will be very arduous and expensive. It is a long-term solution to address flooding in the city, Caneda adds. Climate change

With climate change, Caneda hopes that local chief executives will find more ways to solve climate change-related problems because the people are very serious on how their local governments address these.

“People would ask now where have the taxes gone and what happens to ordinances that would keep the city away from disastrous floods and inconvenience of mere flooding whenever it rains. I am sure that mayors, governors, and councilors regardless of party affiliations will work together so the electorates would see concrete actions to these problems,” Caneda tells Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro on phone.

Caneda opines that short-term solutions are here to stay, while long-term ones should go beyond politics for when disaster strikes no one will be spared and everyone gets affected regardless of status in life. “Climate change doesn’t wait for horse trading. It needs fast and doable solutions. The role of civil society is vital here and we are thankful they are around to make noise,” Ms. Caneda said.

The government has been spending millions in order to purchase these equipments. A Doppler radar costs P300 million apiece.

Caneda urges the local chief executives to heed warnings and ensure that wherever they go they are online especially on days when disaster looms. She adds the barangays also must have mobile Wifis, although she highly recommends the DSL Internet connection, to also get information especially that Project Noah is very effective while the Infoboard is another source of accurate and local information.

“For those who have smartphones, the Project Noah has been very helpful. Individuals can now determine what to do once rainfall gets worst or the situation in areas where they are or in their residences.”

As Kagay-anons brace for the rains, preparation is better than a pound of cure.

To heed early warnings is lifesaver.

Man jumps off in a mall, dies

By Loui S. Maliza


A MAN died after jumping off from the third floor of Centrio mall in Cagayan de Oro city, Friday afternoon.

He was immediately brought to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) but was declared “dead on arrival” by Dr. Feliciano John, the attending physician, around 1:40 p.m.

The man sustained a wound at the back of his head, causing his death.

An NMMC guard on duty said no family members visited the victim as of 5 p.m. Friday.

The man was only identified through his Social Security System (SSS) identification card.

The Cogon police could not yet determine the reason why he jumped off the third floor. But they discount the possibility that he was provoked.

In a text message sent to Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro Friday evening, an official of Centrio mall denied allegations that the man was an electrical engineer employed at said mall.

The mall official said he might have committed suicide and that the mall management will release an official statement in due time.

The man’s remains still lie at the NMMC morgue waiting to be claimed as of this posting.

Hackers angered by spike of crimes deface Oro websites

By Bobby Lagsa


AT LEAST four Cagayan de Oro City websites were hacked and defaced on Thursday morning by a group of hackers who called themselves Pinoy Vendetta.

The city’s official website, www.cagayandeoro.gov.ph; the website of Promote CdO foundation; the blogging site www.kagay-an.com; and even the website of the Cagayan de Oro Power and Light Company (Cepalco) were defaced and replaced by the logo of Pinoy Vendetta.

The attack was apparently led by “Hitman,” and the logo of Anonymous replaced the main index page of the websites.

Wikipedia, the world’s biggest publicly edited encyclopedia, defined Anonymous as “Anonymous (used as a mass noun) is a loosely associated network of hacktivists.”

The logo shows a headless man in a coat and tie with a question mark as its head. The man without a head represents a leaderless organization and anonymity.

The same group hacked websites based in Taiwan during the tension that rose from the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard personnel, prompting a cyber attack from Taiwanese hackers.

The website of Cagayan de Oro City, which was developed and maintained by Syntactics Incorporated, could not determine when exactly the attack took place. Syntactics said, however, that its technical support team was able to restore the website of the city.

On its Facebook page, Pinoy Vendetta posted a screen capture of the hacking and commented “sa mga pang goberno sa Cagayan de Oro... cge nlng og tulis daun ang mga tao mahadlok na... gkapoy na ang mga tao, krn Cepalco njud! (To the City Government of Cagayan de Oro…there’s always robbery and the people are already afraid…the people are exhausted and now it’s Cepalco!)”

Based on the timeline of the post on Pinoy Vendetta’s Facebook page, the hacking must have taken place between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Wednesday.

The websites were restored shortly before noon Thursday.

Pinoy Vendetta, for some unknown reason, hacked the Cepalco website.

Cepalco’s Carmen branch was robbed on Tuesday morning, with the police highlighting the failure of its security as the weakest link.

Carl Pontillas, representative from Syntactics, said their technical support have already rectified their security measures, password protection and sockets for the websites.

Pontillas added that the attack on the city’s websites was part of a massive attack on websites across the Internet.

On Pinoy Hack News, a hacker posted, “Wake up! Government of CDO! (And) the new Mayor, why can you not solve the crimes happening in the City of Cagayan. Where is the ‘City of Golden Friendship’ now? People no longer go out at night because the authorities just ignore the incidents. Now, it happens to Cepalco. Are you waiting for bloodshed?”

“Calling on local authorities/government officials to solve the rash of robberies and killings that victimized residents, including students,” the hacker added.

The hacker was referring to Mayor-elect Oscar Moreno, who is yet to sit on July 1.

For Anonymous members, the attack on the City Government’s website is a “wake-up” call to the City Government to act on the spike of crimes in the city.

A website associated with the group describes it as "an Internet gathering" with a very loose and decentralized command structure that operates on ideas rather than directives."

The group gained popularity after it launched a series of well-publicized hacks and spread denial-of-service attacks on government, religious, and corporate websites.






Cepalco heist suspects known

By Bobby Lagsa


POLICE have identified two of the suspects in Tuesday’s robbery at the Cagayan de Oro Electric Power and Light Company (Cepalco) that authorities considered as highly planned and well executed.

A composite sketch, a computer generated sketch, and a “sighting” of a police character outside the Cepalco premises gave the police an initial lead on the case.

The robbery, carried out by at least five men, happened in broad daylight when the suspects swooped in at Cepalco’s Carmen branch, carting away at least P35,000 from the power firm’s tellers and a still undetermined amount from its customers who were paying bills on that day.

The whole heist took less than seven minutes.

Carmen Police Station commander Senior Inspector Alfredo Ortiz Jr. said that based on their investigation and coordination with Cepalco’s legal team, the tellers were able to help provide the police the sketches of the suspects.

Ortiz showed Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro a picture of one of the suspects from a rogue’s gallery.

Ortiz, however, asked that the name of the identified suspects be withheld as police operations are still ongoing.

“The staff positively identified one of the suspects which has been very helpful in creating composite sketches of the suspects,” Ortiz said.

In the closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footage provided to Sun.Star, the robbers still allowed customers to enter the payment centers. They even directed customers to sit down while security guards were disarmed and made to lie down.

In one instance, the robber allowed a woman carrying her child to enter the lobby and directed her to be seated in a row of chair.

When the woman realized what was going on, she wanted to leave, but a suspect pointed a gun at her and directed her to stay in her seat.

As of Wednesday, the police are tracking known accomplices of the suspects in the city.

“We want to arrest them, and we want the victims to file cases against the suspects,” Ortiz said.

The police have coordinated with Cepalco for the filing of cases against the suspects.

As of press time Wednesday, however, they have not received a copy of a formal complaint.

“We want them to file the case against the suspects so a warrant of arrest can be issued against them as soon as possible. Then if there are sightings of the suspects, they can be arrested on the spot,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz also urged the victims who were inside the Cepalco premises during the robbery to come forward, so they can be assisted in filing individual case against the suspects. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)

Activist: Climate change impact already hitting us

By Correspondent Christine Emily L. Pantaleon


MORE frequent and more intense storms are the direct impact of climate change. And the Philippines is bearing the brunt of climate change impacts. In fact, the Global Climate Risk Index (GCRI) released this year ranks the country 4th in terms of climate change impact vulnerability in 2011. It was in 2011 that typhoon Sendong (Washi) hit previously typhoon-free cities of Cagayan de Oro cities, claiming 1,659 lives. “So far we are feeling the effects of runaway climate change. In fact, gamay ra ang uwan, nag banaw na. [Just a little rain, we are already flooded.] We are experiencing it and we continue to experience it,” Aaron Pedrosa, secretary general of the Freedom from Debt Coalition Cebu. The Philippines tied El Salvador as 4th most climate change vulnerable countries in 2011. On top of the list are Thailand, Cambodia and Pakistan. These countries also experienced floodings. The GCRI measures climate change impact vulnerability in terms of death and economic losses. Pedrosa, said Cebu is facing high risk of sea level rise. Cebu ranked 13th in the DENR list he said, while Cebu City is the 5th most vulnerable cities. He took the occasion to express their opposition to the operation coal-fired power plants in the province and the proposal to build more coal-fired power plants here in yesterday’s 888 Forum at the Marco Polo. Coal-fire power plants he said is the leading emitter of global warming Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas. Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2010, Sendong (Washi) in 2012 and Pablo (Bopha) in 2012 are grim indicators of how destructive climate change can be, he warned. And things aren’t getting any better. Pedrosa cited the findings Mauna Lao Observatory, a laboratory based in Hawaii, USA, a premier atmospheric research facility that has been continuously monitoring and collecting data related to atmospheric change since the 1950s. It has observed last May that concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has reached an unprecedented level of 440 parts per million (PPM), way beyond the threshold of 350 ppm as the threshold to support life on Earth. He said that it is first time in three million years that we have reached this kind of level of CO2 in the atmosphere. “The scenario na gi project sa mga scientists na 4 to 6 degrees Celsius increase in global temperature is far inevitable,” Pedrosa said.

Emano biggest spender among Oro bets

By Annabelle L. Ricalde


DEFEATED City Mayor Vicente Emano has emerged as the biggest spender in the May 13 midterm elections based on the statements of election contributions and expenditures (Soces) received by the city’s Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Based on his Soce filed last June 13, Emano, who ran under his own PaDayon Pilipino Party, spent P800,000 in his campaign.

Of this, P568,000 was spent for his political meetings, rallies, sound systems, mobilization, among others. While the P232,000 was used in political advertisements in print, television and radio.

The Comelec said it will not hesitate to file perjury cases against candidates if they fail to file their Soces on June 13.

Based on the list provided by the Comelec, most of the 64 candidates in the city already filed their Soces last June 13.

This included mayor-elect Oscar Moreno who ranked second as the biggest spender based on his Soce. Moreno spent P791,301 both from his personal funds and contributions from supporters.

Defeated mayoralty candidate Elmer Francisco, who ran as independent, spent P28, 481.25.

Meanwhile, re-elected Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez (second district) and Congressman-elect Rolando Uy (first district) have already submitted their SECEs.

Rodriguez spent P432,480, while Uy also spent P206,501 in his political campaign.

Other defeated congressional candidates who filed their Soces were outgoing city councilors Ian Mark Nacaya who spent P126,383.00; Alvin Calingin who spent P128,583.00 all from their personal funds.

Former city mayor Constantino Jaraula, who also ran as first district representative, spent P317,000 with P90,000 of which, he received as contributions.

All winning city councilors have already filed their Soces.

Re-elected city councilor Annie Daba is the highest spender among the candidates with P116, 801.57 from her personal funds based on her Soce.

City Councilors-elect Teodulfo “Bong” Lao’s expenses totaled P119,550; P56,000 of which he received as contributions, while Zaldy Ocon spent P53,000 also from contributions.

Neophyte city councilors Candy Darimbang spent P153,716 from personal funds; Leon Gan spent P11,924.50 from his personal funds; Enrico Salcedo P180,600 with P105,600 received contributions.

Councilor-elect Edna Dahino’s expenses totaled P144,008.44 with P58,726.00 contributions received.

Other re-elected city councilors were Roger Abaday who spent P85,300.00; Ramon Tabor, P42,876.86; Alden Bacal, P55,630.02; Alexander Dacer, P54,804; Dometilo Acenas, P60,411; Adrian Barba, P40,031. 25; Nadya Emano, P22,903.60; President Elipe, P23,400, and Dante Pajo P58,203.

The staff from the city Comelec said they still have to check all the Soces submitted in their office to determine who among the 64 candidates who ran in the May 13 elections failed to submit.

According to Republic Act 7166, every candidate and treasurer of a political party shall be required to file an itemized statement of all contributions and expenditures within 30 days after Election Day.

Failure to submit Soces is penalized with an administrative fine from P2,000 to P30,000 for the first offense, and from P2,000 to P60,000 for second offense, depending on the position, according to Comelec Resolution No. 9476.

While it is not a criminal act, failure to file Soces can be penalized with disqualification from holding public office, the law said.

321 passengers reach Cagayan de Oro

By ADRIAN NEMES III


MANILA - The 321 passengers from this city and Bacolod City who were stranded at the Iloilo port after the St. Gregory The Great of 2GO Shipping they were on almost sank Saturday when water penetrated the engine compartment of the ship due to damage have reached Cagayan De Oro City.

Iloilo City Coast Guard head, Lt. Commander Dominador Senador told the DAILY STAR yesterday that the stranded passengers from Manila and Bacolod were ferried to Cagayan De Oro City by Pilipinas Cebu fast craft at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The 155 passengers from Panay, were meanwhile ferried at 6 p.m. Last night, he said.

Reports showed that St. Gregory the Great came from Manila and picked up passengers from Bacolod, however, while the vessel was traveling about seven nautical miles off Siete Picadas island of Guimaras at about 3 a.m. Saturday, some passengers felt that the ship was shaking and that there was an unusual sound at the engine area.

When the crew checked, they discovered that the water already penetrated the engine compartment area. Luckily, the ship reached its destination and all of the passengers and the 149 crew were all accounted for, Senador said.

The management of 2Go gave the stranded passengers such assistance as food until they reached their destinations.*APN

HOUSING PROJECT

By Mike Crismundo


CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Big number of homeless families in this city have availed of shelters that were distributed yesterday. Before city officials, these tear-eyed families expressed their gratitude to the authorities who responded to their needs, after their houses were destroyed by typhoon “Sendong” last year. The city government here distributed at least 2,000 houses to families/recipients at the new relocation sites in the villages of Canito-an and Balulang. Most of the lucky beneficiaries also came from the danger zones identified by the city government and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Farewell, Lumbia

By Abigail C. Malalis


AS THE last plane took off Friday night, the Kagay-anons bid farewell to Lumbia Airport which served Cagayan de Oro for more than fifty years and stood as the symbol of Cagayan de Oro City’s progress.

It may now become a part of the city’s history as it closed its commercial operations while Laguindingan Airport starts today in Barangay Moog, Laguindinga town in Misamis Oriental.

Lino Lluisma, administrative staff of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap), is melancholic as Caap has started moving out at Lumbia since Thursday.

“It’s quite painful and sad to leave the Lumbia airport, but this is our mandate and we have to abide by it,” Lluisma said.

BAC 1-11

Lluisma started his job at the Lumbia airport in January 1, 1981 when there were only two flights with BAC 1-11 aircrafts, and a P2-taxi fare from downtown Cagayan de Oro to airport.

According to its website, the British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven, also known as the BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s conceived by Hunting Aircraft and was developed and produced by the British Aircraft Corporation when Hunting merged into BAC along with other British aircraft makers in 1960.

The One-Eleven was designed to replace the Vickers Viscount on short range routes.

The BAC 1-11 was the second short-haul jet airliner to enter service. This gave it the advantage of more efficient engines and previous jet-airliner experiences, making it a popular model. Over half of its sales at launch went to the largest and most lucrative market, the United States.

The One-Eleven was one of the most successful British airliner designs and served until its widespread retirement in the 1990s due to noise restrictions.

Employees’ anxieties

The transfer from Lumbia to Laguindingan airport has brought anxieties to the employees living within the airport’s complex.

Lluisma said most of them are also anxious of the deadline the Philippine Air Force gave them to vacate their houses.

Most of the airport’s employees, numbering more than 200 persons including retirees and civilians, have been living there for more than 50 years.

“They are worried of losing their homes here, and they are uncertain of their place in Laguindingan,” he said adding: “these are temporary inconveniences, but later on we can move on and reap the fruits of these inconveniences.”

The Lumbia airport will be turned over to Air Force starting today, June 15.

Lluisma said the full commercial operations start today, June 15, at the Laguindingan Airport. It has been built in accordance to international standards and will open to international flights once expansion and landing instruments are completed.

He said the preparations have included the free shuttle rides for the employees for 15 or 30 days until the transportation services are stabilized.

Leo Yañez of the Civil Security Intelligence Services in Lumbia airport said relocating his family would be his next move to save from the exorbitant rates in transportation and other expenses as he travels from Laguinding to Cagayan de Oro.

The closing of the commercial operations at Lumbia airport has also brought more anxieties to the small vendors.

Rodolfo Seloveres, 66 and a father of five, started his eatery store in 1989. He is now uncertain of his family’s future.

Seloveres said he cannot afford to transfer his eatery to Laguindingan due to lack of capital to start anew.

“What else can we do? We even resorted to lending scheme here to survive,” he said.

He said CAAP staff promised that the vendors would be recommended to the Ayalas for as long as they maintained “positive performance.”

“My family would go hungry, especially now that I have students who are elementary and high school,” he added.

Visual flight rule

Lluisma assured that Laguindingan has met the visual flight rule (VFR), which is the wind condition and precision approach path indicator (Papi). It has met the minimum requirements set by ITO that pilots must adhere.

“Visually, the pilot can see a three-degree angle that he/she will follow until he/she is cleared for landing,” Lluisma said.

He said there would also be communication between the airport in Lumbia and Laguindingan and the pilot using flight station service (FSS).

“The tower and the other vital instruments here (Lumbia) would still be used for en route flights. Coming to Cagayan de Oro, the pilot will use the instrument and shift to VFR,” he added.

He said when the plane is on a six to seven nautical-mile approach, it has already aligned for landing and the pilot can see the Papi. “The Papi is like a beacon of light that the pilot should look for.”

“There will also be communication between the controller and the pilot in Laguindingan since we also establish temporary FSS,” he said.

“We will still use the Lumbia airport control tower until such time that the air navigational aids and the tower communication are permanently installed at the Laguindingan tower. Currently, the tower in Laguindingan is still temporary,” he said.

Comelec gives final call on filing election spending

By Bobby Lagsa


A FINAL call to all candidates to file their election expenses has been made by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Northern Mindanao after the deadline of filing expired on June 13.

Only 28 out of 64 candidates filed reports on their election spending and contributions.

Comelec 11 director Noli Pipo on Thursday reiterated Comelec’s call for all candidates of the May 13 synchronized national and local election to file their election contributions and expenditures.

Noli said that based on Comelec Resolution 9616 promulgated in January this year, all candidates are directed to file contributions and expenditures.

In Cagayan de Oro City, vice mayor-elect Cesar Ian Acenas was the first to file in compliance with the directive. Acenas filed his report on June 7.

Legal action

Cagayan Comelec Officer Palmer Palamine said failure of the candidates to file their report is a ground for legal action.

The same Comelec Resolution 9616 also stipulates the election violations of the May 2013 election as well as limits the expenditure of politicians to just P3.00 per voters.

“By law, a candidate is only allowed to spend P3 per voter and the Comelec can verify and cross match their statements,” Palamine said.

When Roger Villazorda filed his statement Thursday, he submitted the original contract of his printing for tarpaulins and other contracts for supply of election paraphernalia.

Congressman Rufus Rodriguez, who has already filed his statement, reported that he spent P432,000 and his counterpart, Representative Rolando Uy filed more than P200,000 in expenses.

Palamine said that for the late submission of candidates’ reports, “they will have to file it in Manila.”

“Candidates have to explain why they were not able to file their report, but I doubt if the legal department will entertain any alibi. The legal department will always file a case for not submitting their report,” Palamine said.

Palamine said that for winning candidates who fail to file their statements, they cannot officially function for their position.

“We have a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) that in case of failure to comply, they cannot sit in their position,” Palamine said.

On Thursday afternoon, representatives of candidates started to flock to the city Comelec, to file their election contributions and expenditures.

While other candidates submitted receipts and contracts for their election paraphernalia, others did not.

Palamine said they will be requiring the candidates to submit their receipts and contracts as these are part of their requirements.

One representative of a losing candidate said that he was not aware of the requirement of attaching original contracts to the statement. She will have to submit if afterwards, she said.

Palamine said that failure to submit supporting documents as requirements will ring suspicious bells and so he is urging candidates to submit them along with their statement report.

HIV/AIDS advocates urge MSM to get counseling, testing

By Nicole J. Managbanag


LOCAL advocates working on providing correct information and slowing down the spread of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Cagayan de Oro City have been persuading individuals engaged in men having sex with men (MSM) to avail of a free voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) at the City Health Office.

The month-long Integrated HIV Behavioral and Serologic Surveillance System (IHBSS) conducted by the Department of Health (DOH) discovered that 60 percent of these respondents approached refused to participate in the survey, according to John P. Dulguime, City Health worker and IHBSS volunteer.

Dulguime said they have gathered the required 300 respondents of the IHBSS from different bars and popular watering holes in the city.

He said they did not force the individuals to become their sample as they are covered under the Republic Act 8504 or AIDS prevention and control act of 1998 under the confidentiality section.

The City Health is amenable to individuals who are willing to undergo the free VCT. These individuals are assured of strict confidentiality and free retroviral treatment if their results would turn out positive, he said.

The VCT program of DOH is a privilege given for free to persons with active sex lives, unlike in private institutions where patients are required to pay more than P4,000 for the VCT, he said.

Opening up

Giovanni B. Cagurin, a registered nurse who also volunteered to conduct the survey, said individuals engaged in unprotected sex are afraid to face the reality of their susceptibility to the virus.

Cagurin shared that before he became a volunteer of the DOH program and a member of Tingog-CdO, he had sexual relationships with different male partners.

He was encouraged by the strong campaign of DOH against HIV/AIDS, and realized that “it’s not too late to be aware of the virus and get a negative VCT result.”

He is now active in his advocacy against HIV/AIDs by practicing safe sex, and also going out into the open telling his peers to undergo VCT after his laboratory results came out negative.

The IHBSS, DOH in partnership with Tingug-CDO, chose the MSM category as it is the most vulnerable sector when it comes to HIV and other sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).

Meanwhile, respondents who voluntarily submitted for the IHBSS, were given a questionnaire, and if they passed the critical questions they were asked for an immediate blood sampling for Syphilis and HIV test at their mobile laboratory, Namocatcat said.

He said the respondents’ blood sample results will be sent to the DOH main office for further processing.

The respondents will be provided with strict confidentiality, in which all who had undergone the blood testing were not even asked their names. They were only given a privilege card or respondent code, he added.

Namocatcat said the code will be their access to the results of the tests which will be forwarded from the DOH head office.

He also said respondents will be advised to visit Dr. Joey Retuya at the CHO to know the test result, which is also kept confidential.

Bonn Keneth Zafra, IHBSS surveyor, said the result of the first batch of the IHBSS will be out on the third week of June.

Zafra advised the 300 respondents not to lose their privilege cards otherwise their results will not be released.

Enrique Niño Patricio, a registered nurse and IHBSs surveyor, said they should get their result in order to pacify the brewing worries over getting infected or not.

And to those who lost their privilege card, they are advised to take another VCT, Patricio added.

In a study on HIV/AIDS conducted by the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, it showed that people infected with the disease are getting younger.

There are 1,089 people living with HIV/AIDS in 2013. Most of them are between 22 and 29 years old. It cited the social media’s contribution to the changing and evolving views on casual sex, the study said.

Dr. David Mendoza, head of the DOH’s Regional Epidemiology, Surveillance and Disaster Response Unit (Resdru) in Northern Mindanao, said the eight cases for the first quarter of 2013 is alarming and Kagay-anons should be aware of it.

Aquino inaugurates new, safer Cagayan de Oro airport

By Bobby Lagsa


LAGUINDINGAN, Misamis Oriental—Barely three days before its commercial operation, the P7.9-billion Laguindingan Airport is already in need of expansion to meet the expected influx of air passengers in Northern Mindanao. Despite the lack of several precision instruments to guide landing aircraft, the new airport, located some 50 kilometers from the old Lumbia airport in Cagayan de Oro City, was inaugurated Tuesday, with President Aquino and other top government officials attending. It will be open to commercial flights on June 15. Aquino affirmed the airport’s high safety assessment during a press forum, saying it was safe to land there even during bad weather. Three times bigger than Lumbia, it could accommodate five wide-bodied planes at a time, he said. Also known as Cagayan de Oro Airport, Lumbia was considered the second-busiest airport in Mindanao after Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City. Located on a hilltop where visibility is usually affected by fog, it serves Cagayan de Oro and nearby areas in northern Mindanao. Currently, there are 25 daily flights at Lumbia. 3-km runway Laguindingan Airport sits on a 400-hectare property donated by Ayala Corp. It has a three-kilometer runway and a terminal with a floor area of 7,184 square meters. The safety issue persists as it lacks the Instrument Landing Systems, a vital piece of ground equipment that tells aircraft the precise position of the runway; VHF omni-directional radio range (VOR); the Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), Meteorological Observing System; Precision Approach Lighting System-Category 1; and the Precision Approach Path Indicator. Several groups led by the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry have asked to defer the opening of the new airport, pointing out that the absence of air navigation and systems support facilities and the pilots’ reliance on the visual-flight rule would reduce the number of flights. “The sunrise-to-sunset operation will greatly affect our campaign to entice airline companies to invest in the city. Most significantly, such a move will jeopardize public safety and the integrity of the multibillion-peso project,” the Chamber said. Lt. Gen. William Hotchkiss III, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said that despite the absence of several guiding instruments, planes could take off and land more safely at the airport than at the older and aging Lumbia. Test flights In April, two test flight landings of a Cessna and Pilatus PC-12 aircraft were conducted as part of the airport’s “dry run” activities. Maj. Gen. Artemio Orozco, CAAP chief of staff, had said the pilots would assess wind conditions for landing and that a probing flight for passenger airlines would also be scheduled in the coming weeks. One of the pilots said he was impressed with the new airport’s runway and that even without navigational lighting, it was safer than Lumbia. The construction of the airport was started in 2008 although the project was conceptualized during the administration of President Corazon Aquino in the late 1980s and approved by then President Fidel V. Ramos. During the term of President Joseph Estrada, only P375 million was allocated for the project. Under the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the airport’s construction was put on hold until 2006 when the Laguindingan Airport Development Project was inaugurated, with Arroyo herself leading the groundbreaking ceremony. The opening of Laguindingan Airport was moved from April to June 15 on the request of airlines, which found it difficult to rearrange flight schedules of affected passengers. Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, who was present during Tuesday’s ceremony, said the number of air passengers was projected at 1.6 million per year.






Traffic worsens as classes open

By Loui S. Maliza


TRAFFIC congestion in Cagayan de Oro City’s busy thoroughfares would last only one to two hours during school days, the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) said Monday -- the day private schools formally opened their classes.

Nonito Oclarit, RTA administrator-designate, said portions of the city that experienced traffic congestions were noted on Velez Street where Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School (Mogchs) and City Central School (CCS), the most crowded secondary and elementary schools in Cagayan de Oro, respectively, are located.

Also on RTA’s areas on concern are the West City Central School in Barangay Carmen and the Macasandig Elementary School in barangay Macasandig.

“These areas are experiencing traffic congestion, but the traffic usually normalizes once the children are in the school,” Oclarit said.

He said traffic congestions can only be experienced between 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Oclarit said that compared to the regular days, school openings normally create the worst traffic scenario considering that public utility vehicles have almost doubled.

“It’s only during the school days that the drivers get to regain their income. That’s why almost all of the public utility vehicles, especially motorelas, are out on the streets because their earnings will increase,” he added.

Oclarit also cited a subsequent increase in the number of passengers during school days as a factor of heavy traffic.

But he said these traffic scenarios can only be expected one to two weeks from the day public and private schools open their classes.

He assured the public that the deployment of traffic personnel in schools can be enough to manage the traffic situation and lead students going in and out to safety.

“As long as our traffic enforcers report for duty, we will ensure that they will be in schools to manage the traffic,” Oclarit added.

Moreno urges Cowd board of directors to resign

By Abigail C. Malalis


CAGAYAN DE ORO mayor-elect Oscar Moreno expressed alarm over the seemingly “blame game” of the city’s water district and its partner water distributor, Rio Verde, over the water supply crisis in the western areas of the city.

Moreno, in his radio program over the weekend, said he was shocked over the statement of the Cagayan de Oro Water District (Cowd) pointing the problem of insufficient water supply to its “partner,” Rio Verde Water Consortium, Inc (RVWCI).

He said he was not only shocked but also disturbed since Rio Verde is a partner of Cowd “and their partnership is very strategic, crucial and fundamental.”

“Their statement and the press conference on Friday came as a shock to me when they laid the blame over to Rio Verde,” Moreno said.

The water supply problem especially in the western areas of the city has already been disturbing and unbearable to the consumers since April and May where numerous households in the western areas have experienced a slow water supply to nothing.

The problem, according to Cowd was due to intermittent water supply from the Rio Verde who has been experiencing either power turbidity or muddy water problems.

Engr. Joffrey Hapitan, senior vice president of Rio Verde, insisted that Rio Verde has been delivering the contracted volume of 40,000 cubic meters per day to Cowd.

Moreno said if Rio Verde has supplied the contracted volume then there must be wastage in the part of Cowd.

“Perhaps there are broken pipes of the Cowd because the supply is not sufficient.”

Moreno also criticized Cowd’s Board of Directors for mishandling the affairs of the corporation. He challenged them to tender their courtesy resignation before June 30, 2013.

“I wish and I hope they will tender their courtesy resignation out of decency,” Moreno said.

Ruben A. Vegafria, past president of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is the current chairman of the Board of Directors with members Joel A. Baldelovar of Magnum Radio, Sandy R. Bass, Sr., Soc Anthony M. Del Rosario, Atty. Emmanuel Gaabucayan and Neogen M. Chavez.

“I would not have asked them to resign if there were no problems,” Morena said adding that what has been experienced by the consumers now is the BODs’ responsibility.

When reached for comment, Vegafria did not answer the queries sent over text message on Saturday.

Meanwhile, outgoing Mayor Vicente Emano on Sunday announced that he is seeking authority from the city council for the filing of class suit against the COWD board of directors and Rio Verde officials.

“A class suit has to be filed so that those who are responsible should be answerable and to find a solution to the water problem that has distressed the consumers,” he said.

However, Emano did not elaborate further on the issue. (With a report from Annabelle Ricalde)

Muddled water

By Abigail C. Malalis


WATER is essential. People would prefer brownout than without water.

Residents, particularly the consumers of the western villages in Cagayan de Oro City, have been distressed with the intermittent supply of water or worst the lack of water that could span for days.

The inconvenience that comes with it has been disrupting the daily routine of the households affected which has been worsened as the classes began.

And this ineptitude has been going on for years despite the millions spent for repairs and maintenance. Not even the coming in of Rio Verde Water Consortium, Inc. (RVWCI) could ease the perennial, repeated and unresolved problems in managing the water system in the city.

In a press conference held on Friday, June 7, the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) vowed to normalize the water supply in the western areas of the city this week.

Engr. Rachel G. Beja, COWD general manager, said COWD's technical staff will make more adjustments in the system after the pipes have been emptied due to intermittent supply from Rio Verde to the COWD system.

The water volume supplied by the Rio Verde is stable and has gone back to delivering 1,667 cubic meters per hour as stated in the contract for the total contracted volume of 40,000 cubic meters per day.

“It is natural that the water supply system couldn’t normalize immediately because the pipes have been loosened since they have been empty for quite some time. The water has to go to the deepest part to fill the empty lines until the pressure builds up and water normalizes,’ Beja said.

The COWD has been doing technical manipulations of the valve to speedily recover the system.

“This means the technical manipulations or “bypass” is needed. It isn’t possible to allow the natural course of water to go through since it is going to take time. An area should be bypassed so it can also go through the other areas without totally depriving the areas of the source,” she added.

Water shortage

The intermittent water supply from Rio Verde began in January this year when it has experienced turbidity problem, Beja said and it only became more evident in April and May where it averaged to five and 11 interruptions, respectively due to power failure and turbidity.

The Rio Verde, she added, has been consistently delivering the contracted water volume to the Cowd at 1,667 cubic meters per hour or equivalent to a total of 40,000 cubic meters per day.

“When they have already reached the 40,000 cubic meters per day before the end of the 24 hour period operation, they shut down their plant. We have our reading at 1pm daily that ends our 24 hour operation and prior to the 1pm they already stopped supplying us,” Beja added.

Engr. Joffrey Hapitan, Rio Verde senior vice president, said Rio Verde can deliver the contracted water volume in at least 14 hours only and does not need to operate their plant in 24 hours.

Hapitan said they shut down their plants after completely delivering the 40,000 cubic meters per day to COWD and only allow the plant operation when the water is clear for less treatment.

In a data sent to Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, Rio Verde has delivered 288,870 cubic meters of the 240,000 volume ordered by Cowd from June 1-6, 2013.

Contract

Rio Verde was awarded with a 25–year contract with Cowd in 2004 to undertake Bulk Water Supply Project (BWSP) and supply the needed 40,000 cubic meters per day in the western areas of the city after participating in a bidding process.

It began its operations in 2007 with a contracted volume of 40,000 cubic meters per day.

The BWSP addresses two things: it will provide reliable and sustainable supply of potable water to COWD's service area; and, it will prevent the draining and destruction of Cagayan de Oro City's aquifer due to continuous pumping of deep wells.

Under the contract, Rio Verde will build, operate, and own infrastructure facilities that will produce World Health Organization (WHO) and Philippine-grade potable water via the abstraction and treatment of water from Bubunawan River, in Baungon, Bukidnon.

The contract came after COWD saw the need for other water sources and planned in 2002 to produce water coming from the rivers, and not solely depend on drilling and deep wells.

Cowd's current water supply comes from groundwater sources, primarily deep wells.

Water supply

Engr. Bienvenido Batar Jr., COWD assistant general manager, said that 70 percent of the water supply in the western areas comes from Rio Verde.

The total daily requirement of the west side is 55,000 cubic meters per day and 40,000 cubic meters come from Rio Verde while 15,000 come from COWD wells.

“Supply has been stable throughout the month of January until the turbidity problem that caused the drop of supply in January and February,” Batar said.

However, COWD and Rio Verde agreed to find solutions to the problem in the meeting on May 31, 2013.

Based on the contract, the water supply should be at 80,000 cubic meters per day in 2011 and 120,000 cubic meters per day in 2016 however, the contracted volume remains at 40,000 cubic meters per day.

The problem with the water supply in the western areas may only be a “little problem” compared to the more than 15 years of no water service in barangays Indahag, Upper Camaman-an and Upper Gusa in the eastern areas.

In the press conference, Beja also admitted that the water pipes did not reach yet in the areas mentioned.

“The pipes haven’t reached Indahag yet. In Gusa, the pipes are installed in the lower portions,” Beja said.

Beja said COWD needs more funds for the water supply to reach those areas.

“These are highly elevated areas and they need a larger requirement to answer the water needs in those areas.”

Population growth

The mushrooming of the subdivisions in the western areas requires more water to supply the growing number of households.

Beja admitted the COWD needs more volume of water, but “we managed to provide supply.”

The need to increase it to 80,000 cubic meters per day in 2011 has never been materialized because COWD didn’t request for the additional supply, which we could easily provide, Hapitan said.

“They never requested for additional water volume and we remain at 40,000 cubic meters per day until now,” Hapitan added.

The COWD, Beja said has been serving 40,000 consumers in the western areas.

Wastage

Tito Mora of Sulog and Save CDO Now Movement found the presentation of the Cowd as shallow especially on the non-revenue water (NRW) which shows that 52 percent of the water supply is wasted.

Mora said 20,000 cubic meters go to waste.

“Example if we buy 40,000 cubic meters to Rio Verde, 20,000 of it will just be thrown away,” Mora said adding that it could possibly be due to leakage or other means of wastage.

In many areas, leaking of pipes is ubiquitous. It seems the repairs have been temporary through the years.

He said the standard of NRW should only be 25 percent.

“The waste if compared to companies is half of what you paid for,” he added.

He said COWD has the right to demand to Rio Verde since it has provided the latter with business.

To arrest the wastage or the NRW, COWD needs to re-pipe since the existing pipes are more than 40 years old already, Beja explained.

She said the project is very expensive and it entails half a billion pesos.

In 2009, the NRW has reached up to 59 percent.

During typhoon Sendong, the city experienced without water for more than a month as COWD’s distributing wells were badly affected and filled with mud.

Overrated stipend

In a report published in Transparency Reporting Project in 2011, COWD spent at least PhP2.5 million (USD 59,524) for the stipend of its board of directors.

According to the report, COA found out that COWD spent P1.350 million for stipends and overpaid its board members by PhP1.155 million based on the rates which LWUA had set in Memorandum No. 003-004 issued on September 27, 2004.

“The 2004 Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) memorandum provided a P 20,000 (USD 476) ceiling for honoraria and benefits for every director each month,” report said.

However Beja said the extravagances in the past was just appropriate to be given during that time.

“If there were benefits handed out in the past, it was just appropriate to what COWD could afford then. When the time came that COWD could not afford those same benefits, it had stopped. Right now, whatever it can afford to give, it is what the Cowd employees and the staff get,” Beja said.

NEW HOMES

By Mike U. Crismundo



Cagayan De Oro City – The commanding general of the Philippine Army (PA) on Wednesday awarded three-ten-door apartments to the working force of the 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division at Camp Edilberto Evangelista here. PA Chief Lt. Gen. Noel A. Coballes personally turned over the three ten-door apartments to officers and enlisted personnel of the 4th ID, as part of the Army’s program in uplifting the living conditions of officers and enlisted personnel. The military officers and personnel who availed will pay through an automatic monthly deduction out from their Quarters Allowance depending on their rank.






Church positive new admin to tackle river basin

By Abigail C. Malalis


CAGAYAN de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma is optimistic that the newly elected executives in the city will take the Cagayan de Oro river basin as one of its priority programs.

He said during the World Environment Day forum that was organized by the environmentalist group Sulog on Wednesday, it tackled on the state of the city’s environment.

Ledesma said the forum is a good way to raise consciousness and a preparation and response for the new city government officials to the urgent need to protect the Cagayan de Oro River.

“I am very happy that many government agencies and multi-sectoral groups responded to the invitation. Through the forum we can present comprehensive plans for protecting the Cagayan de Oro river basin,” Ledesma told SunStar Cagayan de Oro.

Ledesma, who is also celebrating his 50th year as a Jesuit priest Friday, is a staunch defender of the environment who repeatedly calls on all sectors to protect the watershed areas of the river from further degradation, including Cagayan de Oro river with its basin area of more than 150,000 hectares that extend up to the northwestern area of Bukidnon and a portion of Lanao del Sur.

Regional Director Sabdullah Abubacar of the Environmental Management Bureau-Region10 (EMB-10) said that based on the water classification his office had conducted, the Cagayan de Oro river is classified as Class A river and must be protected.

“We should work hard for it to maintain its classification,” Abubacar said.

He said one of the purposes of classification is to maintain the status of the water according to the beneficial use as embodied by the user and the planner.

“This data will be needed for the new administration as its basis on taking care of the environment,” he said.

In November 2010, the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council chaired by Ledesma and co-chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional director was founded and formed four technical working groups involving government agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations and church communities to map out immediate as well as long-term plans to conserve the river’s resources. Orlan Ravanera, Sulog chair and regional director of the Cooperative Development Authority-region10 (CDA-10), urged Cagayan de Oro Water District to disclose the status of the water as reports had it that the water is contaminated due to the heavy use of chemicals in plantations surrounding Cagayan de Oro and going down through Bubunawan River.

“Give us the status of the water quality. I suspect chemicals used by these plantations and companies are contaminating our water,” Ravanera told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.

He said chemicals, that are being used by these industries, are non-biodegradable and will always form part of the environment and these are all going down to Cagayan de Oro river.

“It is our responsibility to ensure our water is clean and I hope this will be included in the agenda of the new mayor,” Ravanera said.

We are ready – FCRU

By Bobby Lagsa


THE fire crash rescue unit (FCRU) of the aviation authority in Cagayan de Oro said its staff of 43 highly-trained, highly-specialized firefighters and rescuers are ready for any runway emergencies at the Laguindingan Airport.

Following the Cebu Pacific Flight 5J-971’s skidding off the runway at the Davao International Airport Sunday night, the FCRU in Davao has been put in crosshairs due to slow response in that emergency. The passengers of the ill-fated plane said it took 15 minutes before the FCRU arrived on the scene.

FCRU Fire Fighter 1 Agustin Ysalina, one of the national instructors for Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said he cannot speak for what happened in Davao City but he is confident that the FCRU of Laguindingan will be capable of responding to an emergency at the airport.

Ysalina said in his more than 20 years of service as component of FCRU at the Lumbia airport, there has been no untoward incident. He prays that there will be none and assures the FCRU will always be prepared for any eventuality.

Lumbia Airport’s FCRU is equipped with three airfield fire fighting vehicles which included the VMA-105, with 9,500 liters capacity for water and 2,000 gallons of Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF), a R190 and a Dodge 350 fire truck.

This fleet will be transferred to Laguindingan Airport a day ahead of its commercial operation slated for June 15.

Two additional new high end fire trucks deployed at the Laguindingan Airport will bring the number of its fleet to five with the addition of a brand new ambulance.

Rescue response time

According to the international standards on ARFF set by the Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the response time of the ARFF must be two minutes in each end of the runway and must not exceed three minutes from any other location in the movement area with optimum visibility.

The ACI and the ICAO are the worldwide organizations of airports and civil aviation authorities that set the standards in airports operations.

ICAO is a United Nations specialized agency created to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world.

The Philippines, as signatory to the International Convention on Civil Aviation, adheres, to the extent practicable, to the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices.

According to an ICAO requirement, for a primary airport like Lumbia, a crash fire category 6 airport, it is required to store at least 7,900 liters of water and 474 gallons of AFFFs and 225 kilogram of Dry Chemical Powder (DCP).

Lumbia has currently 13,790 liters of water, 2,000 gallons of AFFFs and 405 kilograms of DCP.

Ysalina said with the eventual closure of the Lumbia Airport, these inventories will be transferred to the Laguindingan Airport.

Simulation and fire drills

Ysalina said based on the simulations and fire fighting drills conducted last month, the fire fighting capability and capacity to respond to emergencies are above the required response time. It means, the FCRU can comply with the standards set.

Ysalina said the FCRU from the CAAP national office tested his team’s physical endurance as well as its adherence to international protocols in ARFF.

The team is also well equipped with Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) which include aluminized bunker suit, rebreathers, head gears, fire retardant boots and gloves.

Laguindingan: Category Six airport

Since the Laguindingan airport will allow the same types of aircraft that land in Lumbia, Lino Lluisma, administrative staff of CAAP in Cagayan de Oro, said it will be classified as category six – the same category as Lumbia Airport.

The ICAO has 10 categories for airports based on its classifications on the width, length and fuselage of the planes that use it.

Lluisma added that the additional capacity for the ARFF will be instituted and recurrent trainings for the 43 FCRU will continue.

Ysalina said all 43 FCRU staff are certified and capable of responding. “I am confident of our capabilities as fire fighters,” Ysalina said.

On any given time, FCRU is stationed outside for visual inspection and monitoring of the active runway.

An active runway is the runway at an airport that is in use for takeoffs and landings.

The Aviation Safety Advisory Group based in Arizona, USA, called active runways as the most hazardous location on an airport.

Ysalina said the Air Traffic Control Tower coordinate its visual monitoring with the FCRU.

“We monitor every take off and landing of all aircrafts. We watch all of them. That way we are sure that all planes are safe during take offs and landings,” Ysalina said.

31 lawmakers face poll protests

By Jess Diaz


MANILA, Philippines - Election protests have been filed against 31 elected incumbent and incoming members of the House of Representatives. The protests, filed with the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), include those lodged against Representatives Diosdado Arroyo of Camarines Sur’s second district and Lani Mercado-Revilla of Cavite. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, a tribunal member, said the outgoing HRET would screen the complaints for compliance with its rules before turning them over to the incoming HRET of the next Congress. Arroyo, younger son of detained former President and reelected Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and Mercado-Revilla have both won reelection. Outgoing CamSur Gov. Luis Raymond Villafuerte, whom Arroyo defeated in the second district’s congressional race, is the complainant in the election case against the former president’s son. Jessie Castillo, former mayor of Bacoor town, filed the protest against Mercado-Revilla, wife of Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. Sibling rivalry in Agusan del Sur’s second district did not end when Rep. Evelyn Plaza-Mellana beat her brother, former congressman Rodolfo Plaza, by just a few hundred votes. The latter has questioned his sister’s victory before the HRET. The tightly contested fight in CamSur’s fourth district, where actor Aga Muhlach lost to former Rep. Wimpy Fuentebella, son of outgoing congressman and Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella, has spilled over to the election tribunal. Muhlach, who reportedly still has a petition pending with the Commission on Elections for the annulment of Wimpy’s proclamation, filed the protest against his opponent, who won by 2,205 votes. The fight between outgoing Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco of the lone district of Marinduque and Regina Reyes was another close one. Reyes beat her congressman, prompting the incumbent to file a protest against her. Complainant Velasco’s father is Supreme Court Justice Presbitero Velasco, who is HRET’s presiding officer. There are two protests in Metro Manila: those filed by outgoing Rep. Mary Mitzi Cajayon of Caloocan’s second district against outgoing vice mayor and Representative-elect Edgar Erice, and Orlando Salatandre Jr. against reelected Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo. In South Cotabato’s first district, Rogelio Pacquiao, brother of Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, has lodged a protest against reelected Rep. Pedro Acharon Jr. The congressional race in three of Quezon’s four districts is being contested. Election protest cases were filed by Pauline Villaseor against Rep. Mark Enverga of the first district, Barbara Talaga versus Vicente Alcala of the second district and Wigberto Tañada Jr. versus Angelina Tan of the fourth district. The other cases involve Acmad Omar vs Abdulla Dimaporo of Lanao del Sur’s second district, Angel Rodriguez vs Aileen Radaza of Lapu-Lapu City, Tomas Apacible vs Eileen Ermita-Buhain of Batangas’ first district, Eduardo Matillano vs Douglas Hagedorn of Palawan’s third district, Hans Roger Luna vs Maria Jocelyn Bernos of Abra; Jose Benjamin Benaldo vs Rolando Uy of Cagayan de Oro’s first district, Aurelio Gonzales Jr. vs Oscar Rodriguez of Pampanga’s third district, Carlos Valdez Jr. vs Raden Sakaluran of Sultan Kudarat’s first district, Emilio Bernardino Yulo III vs Alejandro Mirasol of Negros Occidental’s fifth district; Liwayway Vinzons-Chato vs Elmer Panotes of Camarines Norte’s second district, Rolando Yebes vs Rosendo Labadlabad of Zamboanga del Norte’s second district, Froilan Nagao vs Magnolia Rose Antonino-Nadres of Nueva Ecija’s fourth district, Mary Elizabeth Ty-Delgado vs Philip Pichay of Surigao del Sur’s first district;aul Daza vs Harlin Abayon of Northern Samar’s first district, Solomon Chungalao vs Teodoro Baguilat of Ifugao, Faysah Dumarpa vs Ansaruddin Adiong of Lanao del Sur’s first district, Niel Tupas Jr. vs Hernan Biron Jr. of Iloilo’s fourth district, Jerome Paras vs Manuel Iway of Negros Oriental’s first district, Jun Omar Ebdane vs Cheril Deloso-Montalla of Zambales’ second district, and Richard Ziga vs Edcel Lagman Jr. of Albay’s first district. Besides Velasco, two other Supreme Court justices – Lucas Bersamin and Diosdado Peralta – sit in the nine-member HRET.

Classes open with usual woes

By Annabelle L. Ricalde and Nicole J. Managbanag


OVER 10,000 students trooped back to Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School (MOGCHS) on Monday only to find that some schools are far from ready due to a shortage of classrooms.

With this, most of the public elementary and high schools in the city will continue to hold two class shifts per day, especially now that many of students from private institutions have transferred to public schools because of the costly tuition fees.

Helen Maasin, spokesperson of Misamis Orienal General Comprehensive High School (MOGCHS), said classes for third year and fourth year students will start at 1:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. while classes for Grade VII and Grade VIII then first year and second year will start at 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Although we have an additional 73 teachers what we lack now are classrooms. Occupied na ang Moreno building (The Moreno building is occupied),” Maasin told reporters.

With this, she is urging government officials especially those legislators who graduated from MOGCHS to put more infrastructure projects particularly school buildings to address classroom shortage.

In April 2011, 18 classrooms in MOGCHS were gutted causing the classroom shortage to the most populated public school in Misamis Oriental, with student population of 11,000.

Fortunately, outgoing Governor Oscar Moreno has approved the construction of a three-storey 18-classroom school building that can address the classroom shortage, she said.

“Pero kulang pa gyud gihapon, okey lang kung wala nasunog ang daan nga mga classrooms at least medyo okey ra especially nga every year gasaka ang enrolees (We still don’t have enough classrooms. It would have been enough if those classrooms were not gutted. At least we could cope with the number of enrolees which are increasing every year),” she added.

Annie Rojo, a mother of two students, is apprehensive over the schedule of classes of the third and fourth year high school as she worries over her daughter who will come home late from school.

“Magdoble na akong gasto kay kinahanglan gyud nga akong kuhaon, delikado baya kay gabii na manggawas (My expenses will double since I have to pick her up at school since they dismiss late and it can be dangerous),” she told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.

120,000 students

The city division declared its class opening in all of its 107 public schools with over 120,000 students on Monday successful despite the usual problems of classroom and books shortage, violations of “no collection” policy among others.

Elena M. Borcillo, city district superintendent, said the classes went normal except for the usual problems commonly observed during the first day of classes.

Regular classes should start on the first day, however some classes were suspended to admit and process the transferees.

She said almost all public schools situated in the urban areas have a lot of student-transferees mostly coming from private schools.

“Transferees who enrolled without credentials or any school record will be accepted temporarily. But we require the parent and the student to sign a memorandum of agreement to submit their requirements within the month of July, otherwise, students who will fail to comply with the MOA will be reevaluated,” she said.

Borcillo said without those credentials the school cannot determine the exact grade level of the student.

Borcillo said they will be stricter this time, citing that in the past there were students who did not comply with their credentials and the teachers had a hard time evaluating them come graduation.

Another problem they identified is the perennial lack of classrooms particularly in the City Central School where classrooms had been gutted out by fire last year.

Maria Lodel C. Daabay, the school’s principal said the city government assured that the construction of the building is almost completed. This will address the shortage of classrooms there.

To address this dilemma, Daabay said they are holding two sets of classes—one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Students will have to adjust with their time, as they need to go to school an hour earlier instead of the usual schedule to make up for the lost time.

Daabay said her office would upgrade the quality of education at the City Central School through the setting up of speech laboratories, ‘E-classrooms,’ and a big library at the former DepEd building.






Judge’s ouster in fraud scam trial sought

By ASHZEL HACHERO


THE Department of Justice has asked Cagayan de Oro City Regional Trial Court Branch 20 Presiding Judge Bonifacio Macabaya to recuse himself from handling the syndicated estafa charges against alleged ponzi scam mastermind Jachob “Coco” Rasuman due to his alleged bias towards Rasuman and his wife.

The state prosecutors led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Edna Valenzuela, in a two-page motion for inhibition dated May 30, asked Macabaya to inhibit from hearing the case after complainants against the Rasuman couple alleged that they cannot expect to get a fair trial and justice before his court.

They also asked the court to defer the arraignment of Rasuman’s wife, Princess Aliah Tomawis set for today, June 3, pending the resolution of their motion.

The Rasuman’s couple is detained at the National Bureau of Investigation main office in Manila.

The state prosecutors’ motion for Macabaya’s inhibition stemmed from a graft complaint filed by some of the investors in the Rasumans’ “double-your-money scheme” against the judge and his sheriff, Celestial Gilbolingo, before the Office of the Ombudsman.

In their complaint, Naim Sampao, Mangoda Tagoranao, Abu Amar Sambitory and Yusoph Paito said Macabaya and Gilbongo violated the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices law,

They said Macabaya showed bias by allowing Tomawis to be transferred from the Pasay city jail after her arrest last month in Quezon City to the NBI without their knowledge and that of the prosecutors. They said the judge also junked syndicated estafa charges against Rasuman’s co-respondent, Sultan Yahya “Jerry” Tomawis.

They also said Macabaya recalled the warrants of arrest against all the accused, despite the motion for reconsideration filed by the DOJ.

Earlier, the DoJ charged Rasuman, his father former public works undersecretary Bashir Dimaampo Rasuman, and nine others for syndicated estafa after Sambitory and 24 others complained that the accused, who represented themselves as directors and officers of NAD Auto Options Corporation, enticed them to invest in their business, promising high-interest schemes and between 85-150 percent return on investment within a period of two months.

They said the accused failed to pay maturing obligations on their investments, ceased business operations, and could no longer be located.

The case was originally handled by Cagayan de Oro-based prosecutors but Justice Secretary Leila de Lima created the Special Panel of Prosecutors after the discovery of another pyramiding scam perpetrated by Manuel Amalilio.

Judge in P300-M ponzi scam case asked to inhibit himself

By Leonard D. Postrado


Government prosecutors handling the syndicated estafa suit filed against Jachob “Coco” Rasuman, the alleged brains behind the P300 million ponzi scam in Lanao province, has asked a local court judge in Cagayan de Oro City to inhibit himself from the case, citing the latter's alleged bias toward the respondents.

A panel of Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Edna Valenzuela asked Cagayan De Oro City Branch 20 Judge Bonifacio Macabaya to inhibit himself from the case, citing the judge's “unjust acts and partiality” in favor of the accused.

Pending the resolution of their motion for inhibition, Valenzuela also asked the court to defer the arraignment of Princess Allah Tomawis, wife of Coco, which was earlier set on June 3. Tomawis and Rasuman are presently detained at the the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila.

“In view thereof, it is respectively moved that Judge Macabaya be inhibited from presiding over Criminal Case Nos. 2013-071 & 2013-072 as complainants allege that they cannot expect to get a fair trial and justice before this court,” read the two-page, motion for inhibition of the DOJ prosecutors filed last May 29.

“In connection thereto, it is respectfully moved likewise that the arraignment on June 3, 2013 of accused Princess Allah Tomawis-Rasuman in Criminal Case Nos. 2013-071 & 2013-072 as noted by the court in its order dated May 17, 2013 be cancelled/deferred pending the resolution of the motion for inhibition,” they added.

According to Valenzuela, the DOJ prosecutors anchored their motion from the graft complaint filed by some of the investors of the failed “double-your-money” investment company, Nad21 Auto Options owned by Rasuman, against the judge and his Sheriff Celestial Gilbolingo before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Scam victims Naim Sampao, Abu-Amar Sambitory, Mangoda Tagoranao, and Yusoph Paito, informed

the DOJ that they filed a graft case against Macabaya and Gilbongo in a letter dated May 27, 2013 and even sent the prosecutors a copy of their joint-complaint.

“We are furnishing you a copy of our joint complaint so that through your Office, we can file necessary pleading for the inhibition of Judge Macabaya in presiding over our cases. We do not expect to get a fair trial and justice before his court,” according to the scam victims.

In their six-page, joint-complaint affidavit filed before the Ombudsman, the scam victims charged Macabaya and Gilbongo with violation of Section 3 (a) and (e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act of Republic Act No. 3019 “for their partial, unjust and unlawful acts.

They cited several instances wherein the Judge Macabaya allegedly showed his bias, including the granting of a petition of Tomawis to be transferred from a Pasay City jail to the NBI detention facility, without the knowledge of the prosecutors and victims as well as the dismissal of the case of Sultan Yahya “Jerry” Tomawis, a co-respondent of Rasuman.

Macabaya reportedly dismissed Sultan Yahya Tomawis and recalled the warrants of arrest against all the accused despite the motion for reconsideration filed by the DOJ panel of prosecutors requesting for the urgent motion to suspend proceedings and for deferment in the implementation of warrant of arrest filed by Sultan Tomawis.

The affidavit revealed that Macabaya instead granted to defer the implementation of the warrant of the accused Tomawis without giving the DOJ panel the opportunity to participate and be heard during the hearing of the said motion.

“All the above narrated incidents clearly established the repeated inequitable acts of Judge Macabaya showing his manifest partiality and evident bad faith, in favor of the accused. How he is handling the proceedings of our cases as the presiding judge thereof is unjust and highly irregular and unlawful – tantamount to corrupt practices of a public officer..,” the scam victims said.

In a Resolution dated 22 November 2012, the Special Panel of Prosecutors from the National Prosecution Service (NPS), created by Department Order No. 963, resolved to charge Rasuman, his father, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Bashir Dimaampo Rasuman and, and nine (9) others for violation of Article 315, par. 2 (a) of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), in relation to Presidential Decree No. 1689, or syndicated estafa.

The case arose from various complaints filed by individuals, led by Abuamar D. Sambitory in his own behalf and that of twenty-four (24) other co-complainants, who claimed that the accused, who represented themselves as directors and officers of NAD Auto Options Corporation, enticed them "to invest with the respondents because of the grant of high-interest schemes and guarantee of extraordinary return in investments," promising between 85% to 150% return on investment within a period of two (2) months

Because of such promises, the accused succeeded in persuading the complainant Sambitory, not just to part with his own money, but also to invite other relatives and close family friends to invest, which altogether amounted to a total sum P 120 million which, under the scheme, was calculated to yield up to P 274,075,000.00 in just two (2) months.

However, aside from the purported yield for the months ofFebruary and April 2012, which complainants were nonetheless persuaded to re-invest, the accused have failed to pay maturing obligations on their investments, ceased business operations, and could no longer be located.

The case was initially filed with the Office of the City Prosecutor of Cagayan de Oro, but was subsequently re-assigned to the Special Panel of Prosecutors, which was created by Secretary of Justice Leila M. De Lima after the discovery of another grand-scale pyramiding scam operating in the Mindanao area, commonly referred to as the "Pagadian" or "AMAN" scam, necessitated the formation of such Special Panel of Prosecutors.

WORM’S EYEVIEW: Martial Law took the fun out of citizenship

By Manny Valdehuesa


CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/01 June)–Before the unrepentant dictator and the remorseless martial law administrator cast the shadow of authoritarian rule over our society in 1972, we had a vibrant democracy, pleasing to libertarians, exhilarating to freedom-lovers. We faced the challenge of nation-building and we went at it with vigor and determination. Especially in the 1960s, years when the youth of the world awakened and drew attention to the fact that they too were citizens.

Thus we staged eyeball-to-eyeball debates, conducted “teach-ins.” We marched and held rallies, calling it “parliament of the streets.” We organized forums of various intensities, formal and informal, in plazas, on campuses, on radio and TV. We were young professionals and students, but even bystanders debated issues into the wee hours, informing themselves and others, forming judgments and community decisions—which is what civilized debates do or ought to do. And we did so throughout the Philippine archipelago, from Appari to Tawi-tawi.

It was unconscionable for a political candidate in those years to avoid debates or refuse to take part in one. Besides, over a century of Balagtasan, elocution, and oratorical contests had conditioned the young and young-once to watch, listen, participate, or follow debates wherever they took place. Debates were as natural as the haranas and festive singing that took place wherever a guitar materialized and a group formed. Debating was a close cousin of merrymaking among fun-loving Pinoys.

Marcos and Enrile changed it all

The social dynamics changed with Martial Law. Authoritarianism cramped social relations. It inhibited spontaneity and took away the joy of creativity. It robbed merrymaking of its verve, carousing of its abandon. That Marcos needed no coaxing to make a speech, or that Imelda needed no excuse to belt out a song, was no joy to behold but an obligation to suffer—to be indulgent, to be polite, to smile wherever and whenever importuned, as one does towards a monarch holding court before intimidated subjects.

That was the effect of Martial Law. It not only took away freedom, it peeled off the joy of citizenship. It was as if society had been injected with formaldehyde, just like Marcos’ cadaver in his mausoleum, so the surface of its skin would not betray the decay beneath it. Thus embalmed, it could be displayed with a set demeanor that is ever pleasing to the powers that be. Cosmeticized corruption. Corruption with a pleasing appearance and a false façade.

So thoroughly was our society controlled and corrupted during those regimented times; such that like a virus-afflicted computer, our society and political system needed to be cleansed and reprogrammed. But it couldn’t be restored to normal operation unless Martial Law and the Conjugal Dictatorship ended. Unfortunately, by the time we managed to end it at EDSA, neither President Cory nor President Eddie had it in them to undertake the task.

Winning by deception

So the culture of corruption and suppressed spontaneity lingered. And when Erap sought the presidency a decade after EDSA, he had but to slink away behind the shadows of public discourse, avoid debates, and act out the deception of his screen persona. And doing so, he won the presidency! Then this year, just as we all thought we had recovered from Erap’s antics, he ran for mayor of Manila…and won! It’s amazing how Manila voted for two people known mainly for the fakery projected by their screen aliases to be their top leaders.

Then, too, what is it in plunderers and philanderers that drive Pinoy voters to elect them? And what is it in mutineers and coup plotters that wins Senatorial votes? Sure, Gloria Arroyo—that model of unmentionable governance—pardoned Erap, but the fellow was, is, a convicted felon!

Not to be outdone, Jojo Binay’s daughter, Nancy, supposedly convent-bred and university-educated, made no bones about emulating Erap, deftly avoiding a proffered debate with another woman candidate… and won a Senate seat!

Who was it who said that you can’t lose by underestimating the electorate’s intelligence?

Debates fuel intelligent discussion, widen exchange of ideas, broaden perspectives, and promote democracy. Before Marcos and Enrile padlocked our rights and freedoms in 1972, we had a vibrant, albeit freewheeling, Democracy. You could see, hear, and feel it in action and couldn’t help but be involved!

Clinging to power

But now, already more than a quarter of a century since we discarded dictatorship, thinking (wrongly!) that we had banished the ogres of Martial Law, we have managed to let Enrile—the Marcos enabler and legalizer—back into the democratic playing field that he and his cohorts bastardized not so long ago.

We even let our other so-called public servants—the senators!—ensconce him firmly on the Senate’s throne! All this without even having him apologize or show remorse for his depredations during the Martial Law years. Old as he already is, does he show any sign that he will ever vacate power? Perhaps he derives confidence in the assurance of protection and undying loyalty from his erstwhile aide-de-camp, now fellow senator, Gregorio Honasan, a confirmed coup plotter!

We are being very cavalier about freedom and justice in our democracy. Where and how can the excitement and joy of elections return to our society with such brooding vultures sitting atop our political system as they feed on Pork and the perks of high office?

Can it be right that Juan Ponce Enrile and his ilk are empowered to allocate the billions in Pork Barrel funds and other entitlements that decide who shall be our leaders? (MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Manny Valdehuesa is the president and national convenor of Gising Barangay Movement Inc. He can be reached at valdehuesa@gmail.com.)

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