Sunday, March 28, 2021

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Bacolod remains under MGCQ

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 07:59 AM PDT

BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia warned Bacolodnons to refrain from spreading fake news related to community quarantines as these cause panic among people.

Leonardia made the clarification after some netizens posted on social media last week that Bacolod City was placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

"I just want to clarify that these are malicious and fake news. I appeal to our people that we are now in pandemic so please stop spreading fake news," Leonardia said.

The mayor in a statement said Department of the Interior Local Government (DILG)-Bacolod head Ma. Joy Marideth Madayag informed them that the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has approved that Bacolod City is still classified under MGCQ from April 1 to 30.

He said from December 2020 until April 1 to 30, 2021, Bacolod City is under MGCQ.

"But of course, whether we will retain that or not, will depend on us because the classification of the IATF will depend on our actual situation. So if we want to stay under MGCQ, we should help each other so that our Covid cases in the city will not increase," he added.

The mayor said the only way to do it is to continue exercising strictly the health protocols.

Leonardia noted that on March 26, Bacolod City recorded 24 new Covid-19 cases, 20 new Covid-19 cases on March 25 and just a week ago, it reached 25 cases.

"The last time that we had these kinds of numbers was way back November 21, 2020 when we recorded 28 Covid-19 cases," Leonardia said.

He said from December 2020 to February 2021, Bacolod recorded a single-digit number of Covid cases.

"With our figures these days, these are warning signs or warning shots that we cannot afford to ignore. We have to put this into our minds that we have threats," he added.

Leonardia also urged the public to avoid social gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus.

The mayor also appealed to Bacolodnons to register for the Covid-19 vaccination program.

Leonardia said the vaccination already started with medical frontliners.

"We all want to get out of this pandemic, we want to go back to a normal situation but for now, the vaccine is our way of doing this. Only the vaccine can save us from this pandemic," he said.

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Negros Occidental guv, 3 execs test negative for coronavirus

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 07:58 AM PDT

NEGROS Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, three other officials and 13 employees tested negative for the coronavirus (Covid-19), results released Sunday afternoon, March 28, 2021, showed.

Also tested negative were lawyer Rayfrando Diaz, provincial administrator; Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, provincial health officer; and Dr. Jessica Fama, assistant health officer.

Thirteen other employees, whose names were withheld for privacy considerations, from the Office of the Governor and the Office of the Provincial Administrator also tested negative.

They were tested Sunday morning at the Capitol grounds.

The swab testing was conducted after Dr. Zeapharf Gerhart Caelian and three of his staff members from the Provincial Incident Management Team tested positive for the coronavirus last week.

These forced the locking down of two offices and the quarantine of officials and employees.

The said offices will reopen on Monday, March 29.

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Push for termination of 'A' sugar allocation backed

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 07:57 AM PDT

AN OFFICIAL of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has expressed support for the push for the termination of the seven-percent allocation for the US quota or "A" sugar amid the anticipated tightness in the domestic supply of the commodity.

SRA Board Member Emilio "Dino" Yulo III, representing the planters, said he is fully supportive of the stakeholders' call to terminate the current allocation for the US quota "in light of the obvious fact that we may not be able to reach our targeted sugar output for this crop year."

Yulo, in a statement, said the projected national production of 2.190 million metric tons (MT) appears to be a long shot based on simple mathematics.

Yulo said he already expressed to SRA head Hermenegildo Serafica as early as November to revisit and review the SRA estimates given the heavy rainfall experienced in Negros Occidental and with Batangas getting hit by Typhoon Quinta during that time.

"Administrator Serafica assured me in a letter that he has ordered a study as early as October and will appraise the Sugar Board about the situation but nothing happened," Yulo said, adding that "rather, the administrator reiterated through media last February his forecast that we will have excess sugar this crop year which will need to be exported."

He further said that "such a statement was quite alarming because of clear figures coming from the ground which prompted me to reiterate my reservations in my letters between January to March because it was near impossible to attain by then the initial projected national production."

Yulo said the sugar industry needs to average a 50-kilogram bag per tonnes cane (LKg/TC) of 2.22 for the remainder of the milling season to be able to attain the projected national production.

Just to be able to reach two million metric tons, the industry needs to average a LKg/TC of 1.78 for the remainder of the crop year, Yulo said.

By the end of February, figures showed that the LKg/TC continued to be mired in the 1.71 level, which makes it next to impossible to aim for the projected national production, he added.

The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (Confed) earlier recommended to the SRA the termination of the seven-percent allocation for "A" sugar as soon as possible.

Confed president Raymond Montinola, in a letter to SRA head Hermenegildo Serafica dated March 26, said this is an anticipation of tightness in the domestic supply.

"[Also] we support the SRA's effort to review the current allocation formula," he added.

Montinola said most of their members have increased their cane tonnage this crop year due to the heavy rainfall that prevailed since December 2020.

He said sugar recovery, however, has dropped significantly compared to last year leading the SRA to revise its crop estimate for Crop Year 2020 to 2021.

"We take note, likewise, of a rise in withdrawals of raw sugar and a drop in demand for refined as reflected in the supply and demand report of the SRA last February 28," the Confed president told Serafica.

The group believes that terminating the "A" sugar allocation would help relieve the tightness in the domestic market.

In line with this recommendation, Confed also proposed that the SRA establish a deadline for verification and shipment to the US market of all "A" sugar already quedanned.

For Yulo, the sugar producers group was right to assume that there's an expected tightness in the domestic supply as figures have clearly shown.

Aside from Confed, other stakeholders calling for the scrapping of US quota allocation include the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines, Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers, and Luzon Federation of Sugar Producers Inc.

Yulo said the handwriting is on the wall and scribbles were already seen as early as January and should have been acted upon.

"As I have repeatedly stressed in my correspondences, it is unconscionable to export if eventually, we are to import which will again prompt the resurgence of calls to liberalize which industry stakeholders have been fighting against, knowing that this will kill the sugar industry," he added.

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CPSU faculty member asks COA, Ombudsman to probe P49-M project

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 07:56 AM PDT

A FACULTY member of Central Philippine State University (CPSU) is asking the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the alleged corruption and irregularities on the P49-million renovation of a school building at the university's main campus in Kabankalan City.

In a letter complaint addressed to Mary Grace Reyes, state auditor, the faculty member who asked anonymity said, "I am bringing serious corruption happening in Central Philippine State University main campus. CPSU Kabankalan advertised through Philgeps on November 20, 2020, for the renovation of the three-story classroom building at CPSU main campus in the amount of P49 million."

Bidding was conducted in December 2020 and a resolution was passed by the members of the Bids and Awards Committee and duly approved by Aladino Moraca, head of the Procuring Entity (Hope).

Despite the approval of a resolution, the Head of the Procuring Entity headed by Moraca failed to issue a Notice of Award and Notice to Proceed based on the approved structural/engineering and architectural design, the complaint stated.

It added, "What actually happened was HLJ, a contractor, implemented the construction of the project. However, there were changes, revision which is in violation of RA (Republic Act) 9184 because such revisions were never published in Philgeps, thus, illegally approved by Moraca."

"Other changes and revisions made, which were not published and advertised in Philgeps, are transfer of the building site; complete revision as to the facade, structural design, the floor area is drastically reduced at the advantage of the contractor but disadvantageous to those who joined the bidding as their estimate was based on the actual designed engineering, structural and architectural perspective; the contractor in alleged collusion with Moraca constructed an entirely different structure in contrast to what was published in Philgeps," it further said.

"There was no transparency by which RA 9184 requires as a matter of policy giving all bidders equal opportunity and information so that they could all participated in the bidding and tendered their bids based on the publication in Philgeps and based supposed on the engineering, structural and architectural design that were never published in Philgeps," the complaint further stated.

When asked for comment, Moraca told Sunstar Bacolod that they proposed to the Department of Budget and Management the transfer of the project because during the final check-up they noticed that the heritage building of the university will be affected.

There was also a technical finding that the soil was hollow in the original site and that they are looking for an option that does not destroy the guidelines for the project implementation, Morca said.

"We have chosen the location with the consensus of the management team with the College of Education which is the end-user. I want a legal and exact process. There were bidders of course and in the process that is the result. I want a clean and honest transaction and I hate corruption," Moraca said.

He also said the design was being followed and the construction of the three-story building was even improved.

"We should consider that we are in the Covid-19 pandemic. There were also other bidders but HLG won. We are open to any investigation and willing to answer issues," Moraca added.

He said that COA already informed them of the complaint.

Moraca said the P49-million budget for the project comes from the capital outlay.

"CPSU submits the plan and cost estimate of the infra project every year and that the BDM has already studied the proposal," Moraca further said.

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Spike in Covid-19 cases in La Carlota traced to BJMP trainees

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 07:55 AM PDT

LA CARLOTA City Mayor Rex Jalandoon revealed over the weekend that the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in his locality can be traced to trainees of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

According to Jalandoon, of the 34 active cases they have at the present, 27 were BJMP trainees temporarily assigned at the Cubay Training Campus and have previously originated from the Regional Training Center.

A total of 400 trainees arrived in the city and all of them were required to undergo swab tests, of which 27 came back positive for the virus.

Jalandoon also made a statement for the public to remain calm and not to be frightened as the 27 were all inside the training campus and have not gone out of their isolation rooms.

Based on a report released by the Provincial Health Office, as of March 25, La Carlota City had a total of 287 Covid-19 cases, six of which were tagged as local cases with 242 recoveries, and 12 deaths.

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Bacolod court suspends criminal proceedings against Yanson

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 07:54 AM PDT

THE Bacolod Regional Trial Court (RTC) suspended the criminal proceedings against Ricardo Yanson, Jr. and held in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrant, lawyer Carlo Joaquin Narvasa, council of the four Yanson siblings, said.

Narvasa, in a statement, said Ricardo Jr., who is allied with Roy, Emily, and Celina Yanson-Lopez or the Y4, filed a Petition for Certiorari assailing the orders of the Bacolod Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Br. 7 finding probable cause and issuing an arrest warrant against him. He claimed that the MTC completely disregarded the fact that a prejudicial question exists on who the rightful majority shareholders and managers of Vallacar Transit, Inc. (VTI) are.

In granting the Petition for Certiorari, Branch 45 of the RTC of Bacolod City in its order dated March 1, 2021, confirmed that a prejudicial question indeed existed as there was a pending issue in a prior case before Branch 53 that must first be resolved before the criminal case against him may proceed, Narvasa said.

The resolution of that issue would determine the guilt or innocence of the accused in the criminal case, the lawyer said.

He further said the existence of a prejudicial question necessitates the suspension of the criminal proceedings and any issuance of warrants of arrest would be premature, hence, void.

Narvasa also stressed that the reason for the rule, the Court clarified, is to avoid conflicting decisions between two courts.

t ruled that RTC Br. 53, which has jurisdiction over the intra-corporate case involving control of Vallacar Transit Inc., must first resolve the validity of the ouster of Leo Rey Yanson before any criminal case can proceed against Ricardo Jr. Then, too, the propriety of the authority of the party who caused the filing of the criminal case against Ricardo Jr. is linked to the resolution of the intra-corporate case. If Branch 53 finds the Y4's action in removing Leo Rey Yanson justified, then the criminal suits filed against them by persons who took authority to do so from Leo Rey will also be void.

"Thus, it annulled and set aside the orders of the MTC Br. 7 and ordered that the proceedings in the criminal case against the Y4 be held in abeyance pending the resolution of the prejudicial question issue before RTC Branch 53 in the intra-corporate case over the control of VTI," Narvasa said.

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Village residents condemn CPP-NPA terrorists

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 07:39 AM PDT

SOME 210 villagers in Calatrava and Toboso strongly denounced the violence and atrocities committed by a communist terrorist group (CTG) during the two-day consecutive peace rally from March 25 to 26, 2021.

The activity commenced with a film-showing and information drive aimed to give awareness to residents regarding insurgency, deception and recruitment strategies of CTGs and to address the issues and concerns of the residents.

Former rebel "Ka Joross" also shared his testimony about his worst and miserable experiences when he was still in the armed group and how the government helped him after he surrendered.

Participants of the activity, mostly youth and parents, led by Barangay Captain Dominador Jubahib of Barangay Cambayobo, Calatrava and Barangay Captain Eulogio Julom of Barangay Bandila, Toboso took their oath of commitment to reject the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) in their communities.

This was followed by the burning of the CPP-NPA flag that symbolizes their total denouncement of the terrorist organization as they hoisted banners and placards calling for an end to the "terrorist" activities, extortion, harassments and deception to civilians, as well as recruitment of minors by the CTGs.

Simultaneous with the activity was the distribution of educational leaflets that contained information about the benefits of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program to encourage members of CTGs to return to the folds of the law.

Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Alvaran, 79th IB Commanding Officer said, "I urged everyone not to get swayed by the deceptive communist propaganda and help us counter their activities. Armed struggle is not the key, but a big hindrance to attaining peace and development."

"As your partner in this endeavor, the Masaligan troopers will continue to protect the public, especially the youth from any form of terrorist activities. Help us in encouraging our deceived and misled brothers and sisters to end their fake and senseless armed struggle. Let us convince them to come down and embrace the path to peace with their loved ones," Alvaran added.

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Over P700,000 shabu seized in Bacolod

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 07:39 AM PDT

AN ESTIMATED P748,000 worth of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride was seized in a drug bust by operatives of Police Regional Drug Enforcement Unit- Western Visayas, Anti-Illegal Drug Team, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group on Carlos Hilado Highway, Marapara Heights, Purok Fine Tree, Barangay Bata, Bacolod City Saturday afternoon, March 27, 2021.

The operation also led to the arrest of Mark John Tanique, 32, of Zone 5 Talisay City; Rodel Vasques, 25, of Zone 5 Talisay City; and Dave E. Dumip-ig, 18, of Purok Magti-ayon, Barangay 10, Bacolod City.

Police records showed the suspects were arrested after they sold a sachet of shabu to a police undercover around 5:30 p.m.

Police recovered from the suspects' possession 14 sachets of shabu weighing 110 grams, the P28,500 marked money and a motorcycle.

Tanique and Vasques were identified as high-value individuals in Bacolod City. They were under surveillance for almost a month before their arrest.

The suspects were detained at the custodial facility of Police Stations 3. They are facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Meanwhile, an estimated P13,600 worth of shabu was also seized in a drug bust by operatives of Police Station 4 in Purok Acacia, Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City Saturday afternoon.

The operation led to the arrest of Jerric Palis, 27, of Charito Heights Subdivision, Barangay Granada.

Police Lieutenant Ma. Liberty Indiape, spokesperson of Bacolod City Police Office, said Palis was arrested after he sold a sachet of shabu to a police undercover around 12:40 p.m.

Police recovered from Palis's possession five sachets of shabu weighing two grams and the P200 marked money.

The suspect was detained at the custodial facility of Police Station 4. He is facing charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

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Kasanag chief reminds Duterte of promise on federalism

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 07:05 AM PDT

TASK Force (TF) Kasanag Commander John Chong on Sunday, March 28, 2021, reminded President Rodrigo Duterte of his promise to initiate a Charter Change for federalism.

TF Kasanag has a large membership in Luzon, Mindanao and Negros Occidental, where it held caravans in Luzon and Mindanao to highlight this reminder to the president.

"We want to remind President Digong as to the status of that promise," he said.

TF Kasanag has been supporting the administration of Duterte, particularly in his fight against the four menaces of society such as crimes, corruption, terrorism, and criminality.

Since 2010, TF Kasanag has thrown its support to the federalized form of government.

There were already 126,000 signatures gathered manifesting their support for Federalism.

"We hope that before he steps down, Federalism will push through," he said.

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