PNP station commanders ordered to achieve 3-minute response mandate

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Police station commanders in Davao City were told to achieve Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Benjamin Acorda Jr.’s marching order of 3 minutes of response time to crime incidents.

Acorda urged on Friday regional commanders to replicate the Quezon City Police District’s (QCPD) Integrated Command Control Center (ICCC), which ensures a three-minute response time (3MRT) of police personnel to crime incidents.

“Before na directive ang standard sauna nga response time naa sa five minutes karon nibaba nahimong three minutes. Sa atong kapulisan atoa nang paningkamutan nga makuha nato ang three minutes. Diha man gud makita nga kailangan as soon as ma receive nato ang request for assistance, aksyunan gyud dayon. Gina-audit mi ana kung unsa ang among response time ug gina-monitor na sa national headquarters,” said Police Major Catherine dela Rey, spokesperson of Davao City Police Office (DCPO), over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Monday.

However, according to dela Rey there is an exception in remote areas like the hinterlands

FPNP, P7

French envoy sees Davao City’s potential for green energy projects

French Ambassador to the Philippines Michéle Boccoz saw the potential of Davao City for green energy projects.

During her courtesy meeting with Vice Mayor J. Melchor B. Quitain at the Davao City Investment and Tourism Promotions office on May 4, 2023, the Ambassador expressed interest in discussing matters on public safety and security, green hydrogen energy and improving water systems in Davao City.

The Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) shared online that Boccoz saw Davao City as having great potential as an investment destination and with green hydrogen energy projects, the development will be coupled with environmental sustainability.

Boccoz said as France is known for implementing sustainable environmental practices, it will support such initiatives in Davao City.

“They talked something about alternative sources of energy that will be good for Davao City and Mindanao, support on programs from women, and the good and long-standing relationship of the Philippines and France via Treaty of Amity signed around 75 years ago,” Quitain told Edge Davao.

Boccoz was accompanied by Mathieu Geze, president and director of Hydrogène de France (HDF) Energy Asia, a renewable power company.

“For our part, we welcomed them and thanked them for the visit and invited them to visit again and invest in Davao City for there are around almost a hundred

FFRENCH, P7

CTTMO to drivers: Pay your citation ticket penalties, clear system record

The Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) warned drivers that they have a system to trace those who have paid their citation or not. Those with records cannot renew their PUV ID, Motorized Tricycle Operators Permit (MTOP) and will not be eligible for High Priority Bus System enrollment.

CTTMO Head Dionisio Abude said that in their system of apprehension, they have discovered that around 10 drivers have torn the citation tickets issued to them by an apprehending officer. He underscored that tearing off the tickets will not erase the liability.

“Bisan gision pa nila kay naa man tong original masulod gihapon kay ma encode gihapon tanan (Even if they tear it the original still exists and everything will be encoded),” he said.

Abude said that it will be a burden for a driver if their penalties accumulate so they must pay it accordingly.

“Ang panawagan nato kung naa sila’y violation is anyway sila man, wala ma’y nagsugo nila ana, personal man nila na kay wala sila’y disiplina so normal lang kay enforcer lang man ta. Ang violation makita sa enforcer nga naka-agi and naa ta’y police have almost 400 ka deputized police so maka-issue silag citation ticket. Kung dili nila bayaran karon tungod sa system makita na namo. (We just want the public to know that if they are liable for their violations because of lack of discipline—it is normal to FCTTMO, P7

On the creation of an additional division of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) to help fast track resolution of labor-related conflicts:

Editorial Consultant

Senior Reporter

I was awakened from my deep slumber last night. The reason: the air-conditioner was not working. There was also no light. The cause: brown out in the early morning. I wasn’t able to sleep back since it was so hot in my room.

It was at 6:30 in the morning that the power returned. I know, it’s just the beginning of this on-andoff affair with electricity. Even if the summer ends, this scenario will still continue as the country will soon be under the mercy of the El Niño phenomenon.

Long drought, dry spell, no water and hot weather – all these will happen in the coming months. All have one thing in common: heat. The scorching heat of the sun these days are too much to bear. How much more if there’s no water and the trees are without leaves?

One solution to the heat problem are air-conditioners and electric fans. But what if brown-outs continue? Or, if ever there’s an electricity, the cost would be out of reach of most of us?

The cost of electricity in the country is considered to be among the highest in Southeast Asian countries, according to a paper penned for the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development of the

Ateneo de Manila-Department of Economics.

In the Philippines, the kilowatt per hour (kWh) is $0.16. In comparison, the cost of electricity in Thailand and Indonesia is $0.10/ kWh while in Malaysia, it is even lower at $0.05/kWh. At $0.18/kWh, Singapore surpassed the country’s record.

I think it’s time for our country to find other sources of power. Industry players said about 50% of the country’s power generation comes from coal, with natural gas and renewables accounting for just more than 20%. The remaining comes from oil-fired boilers.

Power crisis is in the offing. My research showed the country’s electricity consumption is expected to triple by 2040 – from the 90.2 TWh (Terawatt-hour) in 2018 – due to its rapidly growing economy.

That’s where nuclear power comes into the picture. “We need to keep an open mind, make it a part of the solution to meet an increasing energy demand while meeting low carbon diet,” said Dr. Art Romero on the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

The Westinghouse Electric built the BNPP during the time of Ferdinand Marcos at a cost of US$2.2 billion. It was mothballed in 1986 due to safety concerns, even before it could begin operations.

During the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, proponents wanted the BNPP rehabilitated. But it would cost a whooping US$1 billion to rehabilitate.

In 2019, a public perception survey indicated that 79% of Filipinos supported the rehabilitation of the shelved BNPP. In addition, 65% approved the building of new nuclear power plants.

Dr. Romero, a geoscientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley, California, emphasized, however, the need to conduct due diligence, technical hazard studies, and engineering and safety reviews. Also, the need for government action support, especially on the need to raise public awareness of the consequences of global warming and the need for clean energy.

Dr. Romero believes that the country’s transition to cleaner energy based on the roadmap of the Department of Energy is doable in a gradual fashion, without putting a heavy burden on the economy.

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), a line agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), agrees. It says the adoption of nuclear power is the fastest option and would make electricity costs more affordable.

PNRI Director Carlo A. Arcilla said that including nuclear power in the country’s energy mix would be beneficial to consumers as it would bring down the “expensive” electricity rates and provide a stable electricity source of power.

Gayle Certeza, convenor of Alpas Pinas – a group that educates and advocates for nuclear energy –agrees. A Daily Tribune feature quoted her as saying: “We believe that nuclear energy will positively impact the lives of Filipinos because it will mean lower electricity rates that will better allow for more savings.”

During the time of the presidency of Rodrigo R. Duterte, Executive Order 164 was signed, thus including nuclear power in the country’s energy mix. Under the new policy, it stated that the country “shall ensure the peaceful use of nuclear technology anchored on critical tenets of public safety, national security, energy self-sufficiency, and environmental sustainability.”

The DOST, in support of EO 164, issued this statement: “Nuclear power is envisioned to bring down the cost of electricity and to contribute to energy security considering the various limitations now being encountered in the other sources which includes natural gas, geothermal, hydro, and coal.”

The DOST is a member of the Nuclear Energy Program Interagency Committee (NEPIAC), whose responsibility is mainly to study the adoption of a national position on nuclear power.

Arcilla emphasized that nuclear has been with us for 60 years. There were some accidents but have minimal casualties and are isolated incidences.

“If you look at the number of hours operated by coal and gas versus nuclear; nuclear has one of the lowest incidents. Although if there is an accident, it could be spectacular. That is the issue. However, in terms of lives lost, it is minimal. If you are running nuclear, you are not burning coal; meaning it is not releasing carbon dioxide,” he explained.

He stressed, however, that nuclear, in general, will be helpful for all especially if risks are managed properly. Then he added that if people have concerns with nuclear, he notes that the United States has allowed the operation of 94 nuclear power plants with average lifespan of 60 years, supplying 20% of its energy requirements.

KARAKOL AS A STREET DANCE OF FAITH DURING BOHOL’S FIESTA MONTH OF MAY

The Gorechos hailed from Barrio Matabao in Tubigon, Bohol which celebrated its barrio fiesta last May 8.

The first habitants in Tubigon settled along the shores of the river. Seasonal overflowing of the river flooded the community and led the place to be called “Tubigan” (meaning “place having water” or “watery”), which later morphed into “Tubigon” (meaning “place abounding in water”).

Tubigon has 34 barangays and 17 minor islands.

Known to be fiesta month, it is jokingly said Bohol is “sinking” during May because the population of the island is multiplied twice, thrice, or even four times.

Known as a reverse exodus or “balikbarrios”, once the first of May strikes, people from abroad, Manila, and even nearby provinces begin flocking back to their small barrios in Bohol.

Date of fiestas in Bohol vary from town to town yet most of the feast days fall on the month of May, earning it the name the “Fiesta Month”.

Barrio Matabao is not an exemption whose fiesta falls on May 8 for its patron saint San Jose while Tubigon is on May 15.

One of the highlights of the Matabao fiesta is the Karakol, a procession dance or street dancing ritual that is considered to be of the cultural practices with a religious meaning.

It is part of panata (vow) which is usually carried out as colorful form of plea to God for continued provision of daily needs or as thanksgiving for healing, blessing or granted wish.

Filipino Catholics are known for having sincere, enormous, and extreme expressions of piety considering that the country is the third-largest Catholic population in the world.

Essentially fusions of Catholic and secular beliefs and practices, fiestas are prime manifestations of the Filipino’s fervent devotion and faith characterized by history, artistry, creativity, and passion.

Filipinos are “visual” religious people who like to tell stories by acting them out in the form of mass gatherings like processions.

The more popular religious street dancing events include Sinulog, Dinagyang, Ati-Atihan and Dinagsa.

The word Sinulog came from the Cebuano adverb “sulog” roughly meaning “like water current movement” describing the forward-backward dance movements. The dance consists of two steps forward and one step backward, done to the sound of drums.

In Ati-Atihan, the street parade is known as Sadsad, a form of dancing where the foot is momentarily dragged along the ground in tune to the beat played by the marching bands while participants paint their faces with black soot.

In Dinagyang, the Ati tribe competition consists of a number of “warrior” dancers in a tribe dancing in a choreographed formation and patterns as well as chanting to the sound of loud drum beats and improvised percussion instruments innovated by the respective tribes.

As “prayer through dancing” or “pasayaw na pananalangin”, the Karakol is a procession with a slow snail-like pace as its etymology came from the Spanish word “caracol” which means snail .

The term symbolizes resilience and is also attributed to the shedding of the shell covering of the snail to reveal a different and much livelier side of the participants.

The karakol started with a parade of performers (devotees, and locals) going to the barangay proper while dancing to effervescent music to show their sincere devotion to the patron saint San Jose.

Characterized by an abundance of food and merriment, not a single day will pass without a fiesta somewhere on the island.

Old folks seem to have mastered the art of putting out most of their earnings for the year.

Filipinos take their festivals and fiestas seriously as part and parcel of our culture.

Fiesta means “feast” from the Latin word “festus” meaning ”festive, joyful, or merry.”

The roots of Philippine fiestas go back even further than Spanish colonial rule.

Pre-Hispanic Filipinos had their own set of cultures and traditions Including worshipping many gods or anitos. They made regular ritual offerings to placate the gods.

When Spanish missionaries came to the Philippines in the 1500s, they discovered that the fiesta was a helpful tool to help teach Filipinos the Roman Catholic faith and its saints, as indigenous Filipinos already had a sense of patronage of a deity for their mostly pagan practices and rituals.

Each fiesta or festival has a unique theme which defines its flavor through a set of activities, such as religious processions, live brass bands, street dancing or parade of dancers in colorful costumes and props, high masses, sports fest, beauty pageants, cultural shows and performances.

A wonderful fiesta season means good luck for the rest of the year.

(Peyups is the moniker of University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786.)