LGUs
Herbert vetoes QC dashcam ordinance QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Tuesday vetoed a proposed ordinance requiring the installation of dashboard cameras in marked police vehicles of the Quezon City Police District. In his veto message, Bautista said “he is constrained to return the proposed ordinance without affirmative action on the ground that it violated the rule which provides that all funding requirements should pass through the budgeting process.” Under the proposed measure, funding “shall be taken from any available funds of the city, otherwise unappropriated, or from the grants and subsidy account of the Office of the Mayor.” “The authority granted to the chief executive to procure such equipment through negotiation, if such is permissible, can also be validly done in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act,” Bautista said. The law requires public bidding as a preferred mode of award. Bautista said the proposed measure also failed to provide the rules “in the appreciation of evidence gathered by these devices.” As provided under the Rules on Electronic Evidence, “Audio, photographic and video evidence of events, acts or transactions shall be admissible provided it shall be shown, presented or displayed to the court and shall be identified, explained or authenticated by the person who made the recording or by some other person competent to testify thereof.” Apart from failure to provide rules in the appreciation of evidence, Bautista said, the proposal also failed to comply with the provisions of the Republic Act 10173, or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Moreover, the measure was not able to provide the prescribed minimum standard or specifications for the procurement or installation of dashboard cameras. Rio N. Araja
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS
Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016
Federalism talks start today C By Romeo Dizon
LARK FREEPORT, Pampanga—The government’s campaign to inform the people in Central Luzon about federalism will start today in Nueva Ecija. Araceli San Jose, assistant director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in Central Luzon, said the info campaign would then proceed to Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Aurora, Zambales, and Bulacan
until the end of the year. The campaign was launched because the people “have limited knowledge of federalism as form of government as shown by the latest DILG survey,” San Jose said.
Central Luzon DILG officials will only inform the people on the main features of federalism “and not promise anything that their lives will improve or be better under the new form of government,” she added. A lone speaker will inform a target audience of 1,000 per seminar on the pros and cons of federalism, to help the people decide on what form of government they want. Scholars and pro-federalism intellectuals have proposed Central Luzon as one of up to 11 fed-
eral states in the country, with Clark Freeport and Manila as the seats of the state and federal government, respectively. These proponents of federalism include Dr. Jose V. Abueva, former president of the University of the Philippines and chairman of the Citizen Movement for Federalism Philippines, and the late Dr. Salvador Z. Araneta, a nationalist who founded the Gregorio Araneta University Foundation, the first private agricultural school in the country, San Jose said.
Federalism advocates proposed different periods of transition from the current presidential system of government. Araneta had suggested a 10 to 20 year period, while Abueva proposed a five to 10-year transition. The Duterte administration is proposing an immediate shift to a federal system. Araneta had also proposed just six federal states for the Philippines, while the administration is still silent on the political subdivisions under the federal system.
IN BRIEF American engineer commits suicide A RETIRED American engineer died of an apparent suicide on Saturday inside his home in Noveleta, Cavite on Saturday, police said. Thomas Paul Wheeler, 60, was found with a gunshot wound to his head at his home on 523 Ipil Street, Seaview Subdivision, Barangay San Rafael 2 in Noveleta, officer on case PO2 Ricky Cirilos said. Initial investigation said that Wheeler’s sister-in-law, Edel Liporada, found him lying lifeless on the dining room floor at 6 a.m. Recovered from the scene were a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson pistol, four rounds of live ammunition and one empty bullet shell. Relatives said Wheeler was suffering from depression and had financial problems. Benjamin Chavez
UPI’S FINEST. Dr. Bernabe Dela Fuente Sr. National High School students of South Upi, Maguindanao perform an ethnic dance during the 27th founding anniversary of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao which kicked off on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 inside ARMM compound, Cotabato City dubbed as Pakaradjaan sa ARMM. DBDFNHS won third place in the recent Aliwan Fiesta in Manila. Omar Mangorsi
Erap wants clean, orderly Manila as his legacy MANILA Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada envisions the Philippine capital to be as clean and orderly as Tokyo and Hong Kong and wants it to be his legacy when he retires from public service. On Tuesday, Estrada said it is not a tall order to regain Manila’s long-lost beauty and old glory because all it requires from every Manileño is discipline and concern to their city. The mayor wants it to happen
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“because this is my last hurrah [in public service]… I was born here. I want to bring back the old glory of Manila, the old Manila that was called the Pearl of the Orient. “It is the capital city of our country… [and I will do it] even if I have to sacrifice my life just to bring back the old glory of Manila,” Estrada added. The city government’s recent road and sidewalk clearing op-
erations, which has driven away more than 3,500 illegal vendors and removed countless obstructions and illegal structures, has the mayor longing for order in the city. Estrada said the time has come to clear precious road spaces that have been occupied by illegal vendors, to clean up the city and relieve traffic congestion in Manila’s thoroughfares. He has personally led clear-
ing operations in Divisoria, Blumentritt, Quiapo, Binondo, Sta. Cruz, R-10, and Pedro Gil, among others, and major roads leading to and from the Port of Manila. He also cleaned up the University Belt weeks before the opening of classes last June. The mayor said he has personally observed how clean the capital city of Japan is. “I looked around to see why Tokyo remains one of the most
beautiful and cleanest cities. You cold not see any trash, not even in the sidewalks, the streets look beautiful,” he said, adding that Hong Kong and Singapore are also similar to Tokyo in terms of cleanliness. This is the reason, Estrada said, why he is scolding thousands of vendors in Manila’s markets who could not even clean up their own mess. Sandy Araneta
Parades await Makati hosts CityNet intl seminar beauty titlist, sports heroes BAGUIO CITY—The city government will honor reigning Miss International Kylie Verzosa, mixed martial arts champion Eduard Folayang, and wushu artist Divine Wali—all natives of the Cordillera region—in the coming days. Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said they will fete Verzosa with a motorcade once she arrives in the city on Saturday, November 26. The city is also asking Verzosa’s managers if she can attend the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, November 28, so she can be presented to the people of Baguio. The city will also honor Folayang with a motorcade after the fighter dubbed “Landslide” won the ONE Fighting Championship lightweight championship over Japan’s Shinya Aoki last Nov. 11 in Singapore. Wali, the first Filipina to win a gold medal in the World Wushu Championship recently held in China, will be accorded a similar welcome, Domogan said. He pointed out the supreme sacrifice made by the beauty titlist and the athletes in preparing for their international exposures thus “bringing honor and pride not only to our country but also to the city where they come from.” Verzosa became the sixth Filipina to win the Miss International crown when she beat a field of 69 contestants in the beauty pageant last Oct. 27 in Tokyo, Japan. She earned the right to represent the country after winning in the Binibining Pilipinas pageant last April. Folayang and Wali, who happen to be first cousins, trace their roots to Sadanga, Mountain Province, and were students at the Baguio-based University of the Cordilleras. Dexter A. See
THE city government of Makati will host the 34th CityNet Executive Committee Meeting and International Seminar from November 23 to 24 at the Discovery Primea Makati Hotel on Ayala Avenue. CityNet is an Asia Pacific regional network of local authorities, committed to helping local governments solve challenges commonly faced by cities in working toward a livable, sustainable and healthy environment. Mayor Abigail Binay said Makati City has been an active member of CityNet for 25 years. Binay, as Second Vice President of CityNet, will lead city officials in welcoming CityNet officials led by Secretary General Vijay Jagannathan and delegates of member-cities from various Asian countries and international organizations. “The City of Makati warmly welcomes the delegates of fellow CityNet members participating in this important annual event. We are proud to be a part of the Asia Pacific Region’s largest association of urban stakeholders mutually committed to sustainable FACING CLOSURE. Inspectors from the Makati Business Permits Office (BPO) issue an development,” she said. The mayor also acknowledged the Apprehension Notice to Haoying Solutions for failing to present a valid Mayor’s Permit on Tuesday morning. The firm, located at the 15th floor of Multinational Bancorporation crucial role of CityNet in strengthening Building along Ayala Avenue, was caught doing illegal online gambling operations during the capability of the city government to a drug-related raid conducted by the National Capital Region Police Office last October. address urban challenges and promoting Following the incident, Makati Mayor Abby Binay ordered a tight watch on IT firms in the safe and resilient communities. city, to promptly identify and close down those operating without a valid business permit, “For almost three decades now, engaging in illegal activities, or employing undocumented aliens. CityNet has been helping empower cities around the world to transform ble of adapting to varying risks posed and businesses can enjoy sustainable themselves into ideal habitats capa- by climate change, so that residents growth,” Binay said. Joel E. Zurbano
More barangays freed from drugs CLARK FREEPORT—The Department of the Interior and Local Government in Central Luzon has declared a total of 1,162 barangays in the region free from illegal drug activities. The drug free barangays were part of the 2,841 affected barangays out of the total 3,103 villages of the region, said Araceli A. San Jose, DILG assistant regional director. The total affected barangays involved about 35,568 persons mostly users and pushers. Another 1,679 villages remain affected, as reported during a Peace and Order Council meeting here, San Jose said. Romeo Dizon
Diabetes cases rising up north BAGUIO CITY—The number of diabetes cases in the country is still growing, and the failure of about half the people suffering from the disease to know their condition is considered alarming, a consultant of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center said Tuesday. About seven percent of the urban population has diabetes compared to four percent in rural areas, said Dr. Francis Pizarro, who consults with the BGHMC Department of Internal Medicine. From 2012 to 2015, Pizarro said more than 1,200 patients were admitted to the hospital for diabetes-related cases annually, which represents about 4 percent of the total hospital admissions every year. “We call on the public to sustain a healthy lifestyle to combat the serious negative effects of the two types of diabetes that might affect their health condition,” the doctor said. “Unfortunately, some 50 percent of those with diabetes do not know that they already have the disease, thus, the importance of undergoing the medical checkup to detect the illnesses they are suffering from.” Dexter A. See