Friday, April 30, 2021

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/

Guv: Defunding NTF-Elcac’s budget to affect villages

Posted: 30 Apr 2021 06:21 AM PDT

DEFUNDING the P19-billion budget of the National Task Force to end Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) will affect barangays who had fought to clear their communities from communist influence and insurgency, Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang said Thursday, April 29.

"We appeal to those who are calling to defund the Elcac to open their hearts and minds to the plea of our people. Defunding the [Elcac] would be a huge disservice to these barangays who fought long and hard to clear their communities from communist influence and insurgency that has brought nothing but fear and poverty aggravated by violence," he said.

Dayanghirang is the chairperson of the Regional Peace and Order Council of Region 11 (RPOC-Davao).

He said the Barangay Development Program (BDP) will sustain the peace in communities already cleared from the communist influence through development projects and programs that will ultimately improve the lives of the people in these hinterland barangays.

The BDP, a hallmark program of NTF-Elcac with the end goal of bringing development to former conflict-prone communities, has identified 822 barangays nationwide that were former guerilla fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA).

Of the P19 billion total budget of the NTF-Elcac, P16.5 billion is allotted for the development of 822 barangays cleared of insurgency.

Each recipient barangay would receive P20 million for the following: one-kilometer farm-to-market road worth P12 million; classrooms (P3 million); water and sanitation systems (P2 million); health station (P1.5 million); and livelihood projects (P1.5 million).

Dayanghirang said it is "sensible to finish what was started, to deliver the last stroke, to give what our people truly deserve an insurgency-free community."

The insurgency has brought nothing but fear and poverty aggravated by violence, he added.

"For us in the Provincial Government, it is not only of utmost necessity and urgency that we share the national government's commitment but most importantly that we respond to the very root cause of the problem," he said.

The problem of communist insurgency, he added, persisted primarily because the people in the hinterland barangays did not feel the government's presence and care.

"Their abject poverty and longing for government support are exploited by these communists," Dayanghirang said, adding that it is the first time the government has invested so much in a program bent to end the communist armed conflict.

"We need to take advantage of this rare chance to pour down our support to these once-neglected communities and prevent them from being swayed back to the side of the enemy," he added.

The move to defund Elcac comes after several lawmakers joined calls to defund Elcac, including Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Joel Villanueva, who urged the realignment of the task force's current budget to the government's social amelioration program.

Drilon said there is no need to wait until the 2022 budget deliberations to defund the task force since President Rodrigo Duterte has the power to realign the budget.

At the House of Representatives, Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas proposed that the P19.4-billion budget of the task force be considered among the sources of funding for the proposed P10,000 cash aid for the poor under the Bayanihan 3 bill.

The task force's budget consists of P16.44 billion for the Support to the Barangay Development Program under the Local Government Support Fund and around P3 billion in operational expenses.

"We cannot let billions in people's taxes be wasted in the unrelenting red-tagging spree of the NTF-Elcac," Brosas said in her letter to the House committee on economic affairs.

The lawmakers were reacting to the pronouncements of Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr., task force spokesperson who also heads the Southern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and who red-tagged community pantries, which have been distributing free basic goods to the poor since April 14, 2021.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, when asked during a radio interview on Monday, April 26, declined to comment on the proposed defunding, saying she will leave it to the discretion of the national government.

Duterte-Carpio said they have complied with the following requirements, including the establishment of City Elcac Task Force.

She added they have reviewed the projects submitted by the barangays and endorsed them to the Regional Elcac Task Force, including memorandum of agreement with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

"We will leave the decision to the national government. We did not ask for this fund, but they gave it to us, and the barangay beneficiaries were told to identify projects for their communities," Duterte-Carpio said.

Davao City's 82 barangays are set to receive a total allocation of P1.6 billion or P20 million each. The city has the largest chunk of the NTF-Elcac's allocation.

Various progressive groups, including Bagong Alyansang Makabayan–Southern Mindanao Region (Bayan-SMR) questioned Elcac's budget, saying it is a "waste of people's money" amid the Covid-19 pandemic

The mayor already declined to comment on their claims. (With reports from SunStar Philippines and PNA)

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DepEd eyes limited face-to-face classes in Davao Region

Posted: 30 Apr 2021 06:19 AM PDT

AFTER begging off in the initial round of the supposed pilot implementation of face-to-face (F2F) classes, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones revealed that Davao Region is now reconsidering joining in the limited F2F classes.

Briones said during a virtual press conference on Friday, April 30, that Davao was supposedly included in DepEd's plan to conduct pilot F2F classes for the whole month of January 2021 in select schools in areas declared as low-risk for coronavirus transmission.

President Rodrigo Duterte approved the plan on December 14, 2020 but later on ordered to cancel the plan due to the discovery of new variants of the coronavirus in the country.

Duterte also said that he will allow the F2F classes if the country has already secured a steady supply of Covid-19 vaccines.

"Initially, ayaw ng Davao. Kasi yung criteria natin...the parents, the local government, [and] sa assessment ng regional director, baka hindi ready ang Davao. Pero nag-change na yun dahil mas open na ang mga schools sa Davao to possible face-to-face. (The region initially begged off because based on the assessment of the parents, local government, and the regional director, the region then was not yet ready. But this has changed because they are now open to the idea of having face-to-face classes in the region.) Maybe because there has been a change also in the situation of Covid[-19]," Briones said in a virtual presser.

Briones said they already selected 1,900 out of the 47,000 schools in the entire country for the gradual implementation of F2F classes.

The decisions as to where F2F classes will be held are data-driven.

DepEd-Davao Regional Director Allan Farnazo said while there has been an "anxiety" on the part of the region to participate in the limited face-to-face, but they reconsidered participating in the limited face to face classes due to the continuing downtrend of Covid-19 cases in the entire region, especially in Davao City.

"Lahat ng ito, bago natin i-recommend ang (All of these things, before we make a recommendation, there must be an) approval for the conduct of a limited face-to-face ay dapat sumusunod siya sa (because we base it on the) local health risk assessment," Farnazo said.

The regional director also said Davao de Oro Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy, who is also the Regional Development Council chairperson, submitted a proposal to their office to conduct face-to-face classes.

In a press release, the Social Development Committee-Davao Region (SDC-Davao), during the first quarter Full Council Meeting, passed a resolution enjoining the support of Davao Region local government units (LGUs) in the pilot implementation of DepEd's limited F2F classes.

The adoption of the limited F2F classes came as a response to the monitoring and assessment of DepEd on the Distance Learning Delivery Modalities (DLDMs) during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the success of the current mitigating measures and the anticipated roll out of the Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan for Covid-19 vaccines.

"The proposed limited face-to-face classes will serve as a mechanism to assess the viability of the safe reopening of schools in low-risk areas, identify strategies or resource requirements for the effective and efficient transition of learners from distance learning to expanded face-to-face classes," SDC-Davao said in a press release.

According to SDC, DepEd-Davao informed that 39 schools are eyed to implement limited face-to-face classes – seven schools from Davao de Oro, five from Davao del Sur, 20 from Davao Occidental, and seven from Tagum City in Davao del Norte.

However, Farnazo said they have selected 18 schools for the pilot implementation. He did not give a breakdown per LGU.

He clarified, however, that they will not force students to attend.

Children with existing health issues or comorbidities will not be allowed to attend the face to face classes.

F2F appeal

Briones admitted the move for the possible face-to-face classes is due to the request of some parents and barangays, particularly, in the indigenous communities in far flung areas.

This after some parents raised concerns that they cannot cope in helping their children as some have not finished their studies.

She said they already anticipated the problem prior to the first day of the blended learning class.

Briones said she is open to the idea of a F2F in low risk areas considering not all places in the country have severe transmission of the Covid-19.

Before DepEd will pilot the gradual face-to-face classes in selected areas, she said certain conditions must be met. These include the approval from the local government units, the school facilities must be ready, and that health protocol measures must be in place.

Parents' consent is also a requirement but they won't make it compulsory.

"We're very careful because children's lives are at stake," the DepEd head said.

She, however, said the distance learning modalities will still be implemented for as long as the threat of the Covid-19 is still around and some parents won't allow their children to go to school.

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual presser that the pilot implementation of face-to-face (F2F) classes might be conducted in August this year.

"Perhaps, the pilot testing of face-to-face classes can be done by August or it can come earlier. Let's see. It depends on our vaccination drive," Roque said.

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DOTr to start Mindanao Railway Davao segment partial ops before Duterte’s term ends

Posted: 30 Apr 2021 06:18 AM PDT

A GOVERNMENT official said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) assured that the Mindanao Railway Project-Tagum-Davao-Digos (MRP-TDD) Segment will partially operate before President Rodrigo Duterte steps down in mid-2022.

"DOTr Secretary [Arthur] Tugade committed to have partial operability of this MRP-TDD [Segment] by the time President Duterte steps down," National Economic and Development Authority (Neda)-Davao Director Maria Lourdes Lim said during the 2020 Economic Performance of Davao Region virtual presser on Thursday, April 29.

Based on the information provided by DOTr, Lim said the big ticket project is currently at its road right of way (RROW)-acquisition phase.

The official said the agency is targeting to complete the RROW acquisition for the 102-kilometer phase 1 of the Mindanao Railway Project by the third quarter of 2021.

She said the RROW acquisition for the depot and stations sites of the TDD segment is ongoing with the property owners.

Lim said acquisition rates vary around seven local government units (LGU) involved in the first phase of the railway project.

The LGUs referred to are Tagum City, Carmen, and Panabo in Davao del Norte, Davao City, Santa Cruz and Digos City in Davao del Sur.

"They hope to complete this process at least earliest by the third quarter of 2021, and hopefully by the fourth quarter, the actual construction would already commence," Lim said.

But the Neda chief said the loan negotiation between governments of Philippines and China, through an official development assistance ODA is still being "perfected."

"The Chinese government has yet to identify three shortlisted bidders, Chinese companies that would participate in the tendering process of the actual construction of the railway TDD segment," Lim said.

DOTr Assistant Secretary for Mindanao Cluster Project Implementation Eymard Eje said in a virtual presser on February 24 that the MRP will be partially operational next year despite not having a loan agreement yet with China.

Eje said the railway project is supposed to be completed with a loan from China, but the project was delayed.

The agency is currently working on the TDD Segment, which has a total project cost P81.7 billion.

Compared to other ODA or to any "ordinary loan," Eje said China's process in funding projects is different.

"Sa ibang funding source, nauuna yung loan then procurement, sa China-funded [projects], nauuna ang procurement kesa sa loan (In other funding sources, the loan is released first then the procurement, but from China-funded projects, the procurement is done first before the loan)," he said.

He said they are expecting the loan agreement with China to be signed this year.

Despite some delays, Eje said the Panabo and Carmen stations in Davao del Norte will be operational by March 2022.

The TDD segment has a total of 100 kilometers, which is expected to reduce travel time between Tagum City, Davao del Norte and Digos City, Davao del Sur from 3.5 hours to 1.3 hours.

Based on the timeline given to them by DOTr, the schedule of the construction is expected to last until the second quarter of 2022.

Partial completion of the project is expected within the first quarter of 2022 and full operations at the end of the second quarter of the same year.

DOTr said the TDD is expected to serve approximately 134,000 riders a day by 2022 and up to 237,000 by 2032. Daily ridership is estimated to increase to 375,000 by 2042.

The original proposal was a two-rail electric train system, but the DOTr approved the monorail locomotive system or the diesel-electric multiple units. Earlier, the Mindanao Development Authority and the Regional Development Council (RDC) in Davao Region questioned the approved design.

The MRP is one of the big projects announced by Duterte in his first State of the Nation Address in 2016.

The MRP has a total of more than 1,500-kilometer railway composed of 10 different segments: TDD; Digos-General Santos-Marbel; Tagum-Butuan; Marbel-Kabacan-Bukidnon-Cagayan de Oro (CDO)/Davao-Bukidnon-CDO; Butuan-CDO; CDO-Iligan-Pagadian; Pagadian-Cotabato-Kabacan-Digos; Pagadian-Dipolog; Pagadian-Zamboanga; and Butuan-Surigao.

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Digos mayor supports ‘semi-closed’ borders in Davao

Posted: 30 Apr 2021 06:17 AM PDT

DIGOS City Mayor Josef Cagas said while they support the proposed semi-closing of Davao Region's borders, this move will clearly affect the local tourism in the area.

"Unsa may mga restrictions and limitations amo nang pagasundon and I know ang intention ana siguro, of course, para sa kaayohan sang tanan and to reduce cases of Covid in Davao Region, mu cooperate ug mu support ko ana na kalihokan na semi closure of borders (Whatever the restrictions and limitations are, we will follow, and I know the intention of that is for the good of everyone and to reduce the cases of Covid in Davao Region. We will cooperate and support with that movement of (implementing) semi-closure of borders)," Cagas said during Kasikas sa Probinsya on the Davao City Disaster Radio 87.5 FM on April 29, 2021.

Cagas expressed gratitude to tourists visiting Digos because it is one of the factors that helps the economy of the city.

"Actually, free na gud kay ta na mu travel, ang mobility or movement sa tao kay wala na 'tay mga restrictions or limitations (You are free to travel to Digos City, we do not have strict restrictions or limitations)," Cagas added.

But with the proposed implementation of the semi-closed border, Cagas said this will affect the tourism activities of the city and even business activities that operate within Digos City.

In a previous radio interview, Davao city mayor, Sara Duterte, appealed to the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) Against Covid-19 to "semi-close" the borders of the region and implement stringent screening measures for travelers passing by the region.

This was recommended by the Department of Health in Davao Region after the discovery of new Covid-19 variants were detected in some parts of Mindanao.

It was recently confirmed that the B.1.1.7. variant, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom, has been detected in General Santos City. The city is less than a three hour drive from Davao City.

Meanwhile, Cagas said Covid-19 cases in Digos remain low with 48 active cases as of April 28. Total cases in the city as of April 28 are now at 824 with 753 recoveries and 23 deaths.

Despite the low cases in the city, Cagas urged Digos City residents to continue to observe safety protocols set by the government.

"Hangtod dili ta mabukanahan, kanunay ta mag amping (Until we get vaccinated, we have to take care of ourselves)," Cagas said. (Vener Zygmond O. Rebuelta, AdDU Intern)

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