9 dead, 9 injured in 3 vehicle smash-up in NE

SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija, September 26, 2012–Nine persons, including all three drivers and a couple, died whole nine others were injured when a tanker collided with two other vehicles along the national highway in an ill-fated vehicular accident in this city early this morning.

          Police identified the fatalities as Leoncio Pajarillo, 39, and his wife Evangeline Pajarillo, 41, both of Villa Javier, Bantug, Munoz; Donatella Aquino of Maguinling, Piat, Cagayan; Sylvino Marzo of Banitbet, Bagabag, Nueva Viscaya; Ryan  Camaging of 186 Roosevelt, Quezon City;Marife Cale Bondoc, of Tamza, Cavite; and three other unidentified female passengers.  

They were all brought to the Muñoz Funeral Parlor for autopsy.

Injured were Rolando Cotanes, of Maguinling, Piat, Cagayan; Maria Rowena Dacanay of Pugoncino, Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya; Arthur Antonio Solinas, 45, of Sta Maria, Nueva Vizcaya; Juan Lima Taguilan, 70, of Enrile;   Araceli Medina; Jone Audalang; Arthur Calinas of Sta Maria, Isabela; Elvino Bajinang of Juan Cagayan and Alama Sansano of Bayombong, Nueva Viscaya.

They were brought to hospitals in San Jose City, Munoz and in Cabanatuan for treatment.          

The accident took place at around 2:30 am yesterday along the Maharlika Highway at Purok Curva, Barangay Bantug here when the three vehicles : a Honda motorcycle, an Isuzu truck gasoline tanker and a Victory Liner bus collided with each other.

Initial police investigation said that the bus, with license plate CWR-195 and driven by Camaging was travelling to Cabanatuan City when it lost control and hit the motorcycle from behind. The motorcycle, with license plate YZ-5358 and driven by Pajarillo fell by its side.

When Camaging turned the bus’ steering wheel to its left, it collided with the gas tanker (license plate CWR-195)  driven by Marzo head-on.

The impact of the collision rendered the two vehicles a total wreck.

          Others who sustained only minor injuries or were completely unhurt went on with their travel to their destination.

DENR exec in NE sacked for “unauthorized’”release of typhoon-uprooted trees to furniture shop

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija, September 26, 2012–A community environment and natural resources officer (CENRO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been relieved from his post Monday for allegedly illegally releasing 92 pieces of felled trees uprooted by two typhoons to a furniture shop and sash factory without prior authorization from higher authorities.

          Relieved in Special Order 299 issued by DENR regional executive director for Central Luzon Maximo Dichoso was Joselito Blanco, CENRO of the DENR-Cabanatuan.

          Blanco was placed on floating status at the DENR regional office in Barangay Maimpis, City of San Fernando in Pampanga. He was replaced by CENRO-Talavera Samuel Danganan whose post was taken over by Juan Fernandez Jr.    

          Blanco’s relief arose after Dichoso issued him a show-cause memorandum last August 30 ordering him to explain why he should not be charged administratively and criminally for disposing of the uprooted trees felled at the height of typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel.”

          Dichoso said Blanco illegally disposed of the trees, with a volume of 167 cubic meters at South Salabuyo, Barangay Bugnan, Gabaldon town by entering into an unauthorized memorandum of agreement (MOA) with AVV Furniture Shop and Sash Factory (FSSF).

          The agreement was supposedly for the purpose of retrieval and disposition of the trees.

          Dicho, in his memorandum, told Blanco that the latter failed to conduct a prior inventory of the trees, did not submit a report thereof and did not seek clearance for its disposition from higher authority.

          “These acts and omissions may constitute gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, dishonesty and act grossly prejudicial to the interest of the service, contrary to the existing laws, rules and regulations.

          Blanco, in his notarized sworn affidavit submitted to Dichoso denied the allegations against him. He pointed out that the agreement he entered into with AVVFSSF was not a MOA but a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and this was executed on May 8, not May 18 as reported.

          He said that contrary to claims he failed to conduct an inventory, he had rendered an inventory report of the uprooted trees.

          On claims that he did not seek clearance for the disposition of the trees from higher authorities, he said he personally consulted Dichoso’s predecessor Ricardo Calderon regarding the retrieval of the trees.

          He said he informed Calderon that the uprooted and damaged trees pose a “great risk” as it could accumulate and clog the narrow waterways in the area.

          Blanco denied his supposed acts and omissions, adding these could not have constituted gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, dishonesty and act grossly prejudicial to the interest of the service since he exerted “all my earnest effort to uphold my duties and obligation.”

          He pleaded with Dichoso that if his acts may have been overlooked, these should be considered which he said, he believed he did in good faith and in accordance with the interest of the public at large.

          Blanco said the trees were put to good use because they were utilized as construction materials for school buildings, classroom and school armchairs in the town of Gabaldon, benefitting the community, including schoolchildren.

          “My initiative is also in response with the policy of DENR Secretary Ramon Paje to provide assistance to the Deped (Department of Education) for the improvement of their school facilities,” he said in his affidavit.

          But Dichoso was far from convinced. He said Blanco failed to satisfactorily explain what authority he had in disposing the trees.

He said Blanco was also being linked to illegal logging operations in his jurisdiction. (Manny Galvez)      

             

ARMM in dilemma over P2.15 billion unpaid premiums, loan amortizations, says Drilon

MANILA, September 26, 2012-The current administration of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is in a quandary regarding the payment of unpaid and unremitted contributions and loan amortizations to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) to the tune of P2.15 billion, said Senator Franklin M. Drilon.

Of the amount, Drilon said, only P907.06 million corresponds to unpaid shares in premium and loan amortizations, while a bigger portion of P1.24 billion refers to interests that accrued over the years due to the non-and late payments.

“This is a ghost of the past that continues to haunt us. This is a manifestation of how the past administration and the past leaders of ARMM remissed in their obligations to the public,” said Drilon who also chairs the Senate Committee on Finance that reviews the country’s proposed expenditures.      

“The interests would continue to balloon if the problem is not settled at the soonest time. The interests would accumulate to a point that it has already surpassed the principal amount like where it is now, and to a point where the government budget will only go to the payment of interest rates,” said Drilon.

Drilon vowed to look into the problem which he described as “a source of disappointment and burden for teachers and retired personnel of the Department of Education in the ARMM.”

"This sorry scenario continues to frustrate our teachers in the ARMM because they could not avail of their GSIS and Pag-IBIG benefits like housing and salary loans due to the discrepancies in the premiums," stressed Drilon.

Drilon said that based on the document submitted to him by ARMM Governor Mujiv S. Hataman, the discrepancies in the contributions to the GSIS started in 1997. A memorandum of agreement was entered into in 2004 in a bid to settle the dispute.

However, it is only in 2006 that the Congress was able to appropriate P250 million for the payment of unpaid contributions, but only P127 million was released by the Department of Budget and Management and which the GSIS applied to both the principal and the interest, explained Drilon.    

He also said that there appears to be a misunderstanding between the DepEd-ARMM and the DBM and the GSIS insofar as the payment of interest rates is concerned.

Of the P2.15 billion, Drilon said, P877.25 million and P213.15 million refer to unremitted contribution to the GSIS for the period 1997 to 2003 and 2004, respectively.

Another P877.24 million corresponds to unremitted loan deductions for 17 months within 2001 to 2004. Also, P243.83 million is for the unremitted contributions and loan amortizations to the Pag-IBIG Fund. 

The DepEd-ARMM owes the Philippine Public School Teachers Association (PPSTA) an amount of P31.93 million which corresponds to the unremitted loan payments for the period of April 2003 to September 2005, noted Drilon.

Lastly, P160.39 million is being charged by the GSIS for delayed payments.

“The situation merits an investigation. It has to be settled before a similar case blows up in our face,” said Drilon.

Hataman, meanwhile, has vowed to go after the officials responsible for the mess.

This has resulted in demoralization among teachers in the ARMM. According to ARMM-DepEd Secretary Jamar M. Kulayan, “they received less than the amount actually due them for retirement because their creditable service was reduced corresponding to the actual number of their unremitted contributions and are receiving lesser monthly retirement benefits.” 

 Summary of unremitted contributions and amortizations of DepEd-ARMM

Item	Period Covered	Principal	Interest	Total (P)
Unremitted contributions to the GSIS	1997 to  2003	384,793,448	237,829,920	622,623,368
Unremitted loan deduction	2001 to 2004	309,854,512	567,394,099	877,248,612
Unremitted contributions to the GSIS	2004	64,712,281	148,438,613	213,150,894
Penalty for delayed payments	2003 to 2011	-	160,391,189	160,391,189
Unpaid Pag-Ibig contributions and amortizations	2001 to 2006	115,765,260	128,066,679	243,831,939
PPSTA	2003 to 2005	31,932,132	-	31,932,132
Total		907,057,633	1,242,120,500	2,149,178,133