Drilon: Let’s revive people’s faith to Senate

MANILA-Senate President Franklin M. Drilon today appealed to his colleagues to set aside 2016 elections and focus on reviving the people’s faith in the Senate by working on legislation aimed at expanding the economy and generating more jobs, advancing workers’ welfare, and strengthening anti-graft and corruption measures, among others.

“The eyes of the people are upon us again as we open the second regular session of the 16^th Congress. I view this day as our opportunity to recover the people’s faith in their Senate, regain their trust and revive their confidence,” Drilon said in a speech during the opening of the Second Regular Session.

Drilon, however, acknowledged that the task would be difficult, as he admitted that the barrage of criticism against the Senate may have succeeded in reducing the worth and the weight of the Senate in the minds and lives of the people.

“Though not within reach, I believe with hard work and perseverance we would in time walk past the difficult path ahead,” he said.

“I recognize that as public servants we must remain receptive to and tolerant of criticism. But should we as individuals and as a collegial body allow the Senate to continue to be casually scorned”? asked Drilon.

“The Senate as an institution remains a constitutional body entitled to respect, even if some of its members may have been found to have erred through their individual acts,” Drilon stressed.

He thus called on his colleagues to defend the institution: “We owe it to this chamber to combat falsehoods concocted by cowardly minds who spread their lies through proxy voices and pens; to speak up for the Senate even when it may seem to be more politically convenient and safer for us to be silent, to just wait for the tempest to pass.”

Despite the negative attacks on the institution, Drilon said the Senate will continue to work on various measures that are important for national development.

“My esteemed colleagues, even amid this political turbulence, let us continue to weave dreams for our country,” said Drilon.  

“Let us set aside 2016 and work hand in hand for the rebirth of the Senate,” he stressed.

Drilon said that the Senate would prioritize legislation that would stimulate the economy and generate more jobs, promote fair competition in business, increase the take home pay of our workers, strengthen our campaign against graft and corruption and criminality, expand access to health and education, and protect our country’s territorial sovereignty.

He also assured that the Senate would not waive its constitutional mandate over the 2015 national budget.  

“We shall wield our power of the purse. We shall craft a budget focused on spending on the right priorities and with measurable results, keeping in mind our goal for inclusive growth,” underscored Drilon.      

Also, the Senate, Drilon added, is committed to work on the Bangsamoro Basic Law that will put an end to the decades-old conflict in Mindanao.

Drilon finally requested for the public’s support in the Senate’s efforts to legislate positive and meaningful changes for society.

“Admittedly, instituting reforms to create a better society is an enormous task. We need your help and cooperation. We need your trust,” Drilon.

“To the Filipino people, be assured that your Senate will stand in solidarity with you,” he concluded. 

OVP DISTRIBUTES 33 ​​K RELIEF GOODS TO GLENDA-HIT AREAS

MANILA-The Office of the Vice President (OVP) distributed 33,700 bags of relief goods as aid to areas affected by typhoon Glenda that hit the country last week.

OVP teams went to various towns in the provinces of Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Bataan, Zambales, and Cavite, which bore the brunt of the typhoon.

"Our relief operations are still ongoing. We want to assure our kababayans that the government will help them recover," said Vice President Jejomar C. Binay.

Binay visited the provinces of Laguna and Batangas over the past weekend, and told the affected residents about the housing programs that they may avail.

So far, 500 relief packages have each been distributed in the following areas in Quezon Province: Quezon, Alabat, Perez, Guinayangan, Tagkawayan, Calauag, Lopez, Gumaca, Plaridel, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Agdangan, Unisan, Pitogo, Macalelon, Gen. Luna, San Andres, San Francisco, Malanay, Catanauan, San Narciso, and Buenavista.

In Bataan, 500 bags each were also given out for the local governments of Samal, Abucay, Orani, Pilar, Orion, Limay, Mariveles, Bagac, and Morong.

The same number of relief goods was handed in Palawig, Masinloc, Candelaria, Sta. Cruz, Botolan, Cabangan, San Felipe, San Narciso, and San Antonio in Zambales.

In Cavite, 300 bags per town were distributed in Maragondon, Ternate, Alfonso, Emilio Aguinaldo, Magallanes, Rosario, Kawit, Trece Martires, and Dasmarinas.

In Rizal, the towns of Taytay, Angono, Binangonan, Cardona, Morong, Baras, Pililia, and Jala-Jala received 300 relief goods packages each. Tanay received 500 bags.

The following areas in Laguna also received aid: San Pablo, 1500 and Liliw, 500. The towns of Victoria, Calauan, Rizal, Nagcarlan, and Alaminos received 300 bags each.

In Batangas, the towns of Rosario and Nasugbu each received 500 bags. San Luis, Laurel, Tuy, Lian, Taal, San Pablo, and Balayan received 300 bags each. The town of Lemery received 400 bags, while Ibaan, San Nicolas, and Balete received 200.

Legarda Celebrates UNESCO Inscription of Mt. Hamiguitan in SONA Outfit

MANILA-As a tribute to the recent inscription of the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Davao Oriental as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Senator Loren Legarda will be wearing a traditional Mandaya outfit at the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, said she wants to further promote her advocacies through the garments she will wear at the President’s SONA.

“My outfit represents two advocacies closest to my heart—environmental protection and heritage preservation. Since the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary is the newest addition to the Philippines’ UNESCO World Heritage Sites, I want to celebrate this triumph by wearing the traditional garments of the Mandaya, one of the indigenous communities in the area,” she said.

Legarda’s Mandaya attire was handcrafted by the Mandayas and a gift from them and Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon. It is composed of a badô (blouse) with embroidered geometric designs of colorful threads and beads, and a dagmay(handwoven skirt) made of abaca strips dyed using organic colorants from plants and herbs. The outfit is worn with various metal jewelry.

The Mandayas, characterized as brave and intelligent, are one of the three major indigenous groups of Davao. In Davao Oriental, most of them reside in Barangays Sangab and Pichon, Municipality of Caraga; Barangay Pantuyan, Municipality of Manay; and Sitio Patong Barangay Aliwagwag, Municipality of Cateel.

Meanwhile, a highlight of Legarda’s outfit at the Opening of the Second Regular Session of the 16th Congress, which will be in the morning before the President’s SONA, is the pangalapang necklace.

The pangalapang is one of the neck ornaments of the Cordillerans, particularly those in the eastern Ifugao region. It is made of at least six pieces of mother of pearl formed into flat trapezoidal shapes and connected by a thin rope of finely braided rattan.

“The outfits and accessories that I wear prove the richness of our cultural heritage and the abundance of our natural resources as these items are made of organic materials. In wearing them, I hope to convey the message that we should not take these things for granted and instead show our gratitude through responsible stewardship of our natural resources and safeguarding our heritage,” said Legarda.

In the 2013 SONA, the Senator also wore indigenous garments from the Gaddangs of Mountain Province and the Bagobos of Mt. Apo in Davao and explained that her outfits represent ‘fashionalism’—fashion and nationalism.

MESSAGE OF SEN. ANGARA FOR INC CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Malugod kong binabati si Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo at ang lahat ng kasapi ng Iglesia ni Cristo sa bansa at iba pang panig ng mundo kaugnay ng kanilang ika-100 na anibersaryo.

Nawa'y ang susunod na siglo ng Iglesia ni Cristo ay patuloy na magbubuklod sa mga Pilipino na bukod sa mga totoong alagad ni Hesukristo ay tunay na kumakalinga sa ating mga kababayan at nagmamalasakit nang lubos sa ating ikinararangal na bansa.

Senate resumes session, focuses on education, fiscal bills

MANILA-The Senate resumes its session on Monday, July 28, with the opening of the 2^nd Regular Session of the 16^th Congress, as Senate President Franklin M. Drilon vowed that the Upper Chamber “will endeavor to bring back the people’s faith in this institution as a bastion of our democracy.”

The senators, headed by Drilon, will proceed to the House of Representatives in the afternoon for a joint session of Congress to hear the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“In our 1^st Regular Session, the Senate has shown a strong resolve to fulfill its duty to the nation, with fervor and determination. Amid the issues that confront us, we have persevered and continued to discharge our duties to the Republic, with our commitments and vows to the people serving as the guiding light on the road to recovery and redemption,” Drilon said.   

The Senate had approved more than 19 bills and 41 resolutions during the 1^st Regular Session of the 16^th Congress. It had also concurred in the ratification of three international treaties and adopted 44 resolutions.

The Senate committees, subcommittees and joint congressional oversight committees had conducted 352 public hearings and technical working group meetings on 806 bills.

As it resumes working on priority bills, Drilon said that the Senate “must not lose sight of our ultimate goal, which is to provide a better life for each Filipino; a life that is not wanting in choices and opportunities.”

Drilon said the Senate will pass on third and final reading four bills that will increase and democratize access to education. These are Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2274, which seeks to expand access to education through open learning and distance education in tertiary levels of education; SBN 2272, which aims to strengthen the ladderized interface between technical-vocational education and training and higher education; SBN 2212, which promotes entrepreneurship and financial education among the Filipino youth; and SBN 2275 or the proposed Iskolar ng Bayan Act, which mandates all state colleges and universities to annually confer automatic admission and provide scholarship grants to the top 10 public high school students of their graduating class.

Also to be approved on final reading is SBN 1647 which would repeal Article 351 of the Revised Penal Code, which punishes a woman who marries within 301 days from the time of her husband’s death or her marriage’s dissolution, or who marries before delivering a child from her previous marriage.

Drilon added that the Senate would also prioritize the consideration and passage of bills already in the advanced stages of deliberations such as the Barangay Officials Welfare Act, the Anti-Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Apprenticeship Training Act, the Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship Act, the Open High School System Act, among others.

The Senate is also set to start plenary debates on the Competition bill and Senate Joint Resolution 2 and SBN 480, which aim to increase the subsistence and quarterly allowances of military and police personnel. 

 “We will also work to extend Philhealth coverage to senior citizens and increase the tax exemption ceiling of the 13th month pay for Christmas bonuses and other benefits for public workers from P30,000 to P75,000 so our workers can go home during the holidays without having to worry about decreases in their bonuses," Drilon said.

As agreed upon with the leadership of the House of Representatives, Drilon said they will await House action on the proposal to amend the economic provision in the Constitution to improve the country's ability to invite foreign direct investments.

He said the Senate will immediately act on the Bangsamoro Basic Law as soon as the draft version of the law is submitted to Congress.

“The Senate remains confident and committed to the cause of serving our people, no matter the challenges that this institution will face. We will continue to legislate measures that are of paramount interest and importance to our people, especially in terms of improving the quality of Filipino life, and reforming public service," Drilon said.

Ecija mayor says inmates, garbage welcome in town, but not jueteng

GENERAL TINIO, Nueva Ecija – Mayor Virgilio Bote of this municipality where a P50.2-billion regional prison facility (RPF) will be built to accommodate 26,000 prisoners from the National Bilibid Prisons (NBP) and the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW), said the inmates, including hardened criminals are most welcome – even garbage – but not jueteng operators.

          “Gen. Tinio is opening its doors wide to prisoners and garbage. But we are closing our doors to jueteng,” Bote said, claiming that among the 27 municipalities in the province, it was only this town which can lay claim to the distinction of being jueteng-free and illegal logging-free.

          He said the possible transfer of prisoners has not created a fear factor in the town.

          Bote said the prison facility project is a very rare opportunity to pass up for the town although this has been opposed in Tanay, Rizal. “Out of 1,500 towns, we were chosen to be the site of the RPF so why not?” he said.

“Sa dami ba naman ng bayan, ikaw ang pinili tapos kokontrahin mo? (Of so many towns you were chosen and yet you would oppose),” he said, apparently referring to the municipal leadership of Tanay.

In 2006, President Aquino’s predecessor, then-president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Executive Order 568 authorizing the transfer of the NBP to a 272-hectare reservation in Barangay Cuyambay in Tanay. But this was shot down due to opposition from the local leadership.

Bote said the prison facility is expected to further trigger the economic and tourism boom being experienced by Gen. Tinio which is in the process of establishing two giant dams and a two-megawatt power plant.

He said he is also not opposed if the sanitary landfill project pushes through as long as the project site is remote and not inhabited.

He said that the town, which has the biggest organic papaya plantation in the country spanning 135 hectares, is also set to put up between 5,000 to 10,000 agricultural plantation in the mountains.  

The creation of the RPF is expected to generate at least 53,800 jobs to Novo Ecijanos.

          The two-storey new facility will be constructed under the build-transfer-maintain structure at a 500-hectare area in Barangay Nazareth inside the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation.

          The 551-hectare NBP in Muntinlupa , which opened in 1940, is now heavily congested as it houses 14,500 prisoners in its maximum security detention area alone although it was programmed to accommodate only 8,400 inmates. All in all, the NBP houses around 20,000 inmates. (Manny Galvez)

NE hailed as Phl’s most disaster-prepared province

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija–The province of Nueva Ecija, which has been identified as one of the high-risk calamity areas a few years back, now has the distinction as the most disaster-prepared province in the entire country, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Governments (DILG).

          Dr. Abraham Pascua, DILG assistant regional director for Central Luzon and concurrent DILG provincial director, said Nueva Ecija was cited as the most prepared provincial local government unit (LGU) in a just concluded meeting at the DILG central office that was presided by Secretary Mar Roxas II.

          Pascua, who sits as co-chairman of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) chaired by Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali, made the revelation during a meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) at the old provincial capitol here Thursday.

          Pascua said the province was cited not only for the presence of quick response disaster personnel but also the availability of equipment for rescue and relief operations. “We have so many equipment on hand so when disaster strikes, we can make use of them,” he said.

          Among these equipment, Pascua said, are a water treatment truck and boats made of fiber glass. He said the province was one of only two provinces – the other is Albay – which became a recipient of the truck.

          He explained that the water treatment truck is a vital facility during disasters because it may get water from irrigation canals and treat and convert it into potable water in the event of water shortage.

          He also said the fiber glass boats have replaced the old rubber boats which are prone to deflate when struck by hard objects.

          Pascua said that the PDRRMC is eyeing to train 15 able-bodied persons per town and city in the province to form the corps of  the council. “They will be organic personnel, not job orders and casuals and they will be given communications facilities,” he said.

Umali said the province is the only provincial LGU that knows what to do ahead of the coming typhoon. He stressed that the province effectively handled past calamities by  releasing water from the Pantabangan Dam and other irrigation systems ahead of the coming typhoons to avert floods and landslides and mitigate the impact of calamities, resulting in minimal casualties  and property damage.

          He noted that during typhoon “Ondoy,” the province suffered zero casualty because the Upper Pampanga river Integrated Irrigation Systems released water from Pantabangan Dam several  days before the typhoon came.

Umali said the province’s management of disasters is participatory in that the DILG takes a pro-active role. He recalled that when he first became governor in 2007, he involved the DILG in disaster preparedness when he appointed Pascua as council co-chairman.

“The rationale of my having appointed Director Pascua was because back in 2007, I have few allies among the mayors. I wanted the DILG to become the provincial government’s conduit with regards to disaster mitigation and also, to disabuse the minds of the local chief executives of politics in calamities,” he said.

“As a result, the mayors responded and now, they have been cooperating with us ever since.”

          Umali said in areas beyond his reach, there’s a man of the hour calling the shots, convening emergency meetings and leading the conduct of training seminars on geo-hazards and the risks of landslides and floods. 

          He said because of its disaster preparedness plan, the province was extended a P203.2-million grant in 2011 by the Spanish government to further strengthen its capability to respond to disasters. 

The grant, then the first of its kind involving disaster risk reduction, was used to fund the training component, infrastructure and livelihood in select cities and municipalities whose respective disaster councils were strengthened.

Pascua said the province was effective against calamities because Umali was always on top of the situation, micro-managing and presiding over the inspection of damaged areas and in the distribution of relief goods to affected families.

          “Over the years, the governor has been risking his life, even going to landslide-prone areas  and braving floodwaters in low-lying areas to oversee our disaster mitigation, rescue and relief efforts. He was not only visible. He was personally involved,” he said.

          Pascua said the PDRRMC also formulated a comprehensive disaster risk reduction contingency plan involving the pre-positioning of evacuation centers and relief goods. The council had five command posts and four advanced command posts in strategic areas where personnel, heavy equipment, medicines and goods are deployed and stockpiled in advance in anticipation of a forthcoming typhoon.

          Pascua said disaster management in the province has become a total team effort with concerned agencies actively involved in all aspects of disaster preparedness.

 “If you can see, the disaster mitigation efforts of Nueva Ecija is very unique because you not only cope with calamities but also the water at the Pantabangan Dam. If you don't manage the dam well enough and its water release, then you will surely end in disaster,” he said, recalling the massive flooding in Pangasinan when water overflowed from the San Roque Dam. (Manny Galvez)

General Catapang Receives 4th Star

CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City – The 45^th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. receives his fourth star in a donning of ranks ceremony held at the Department of National Defense today. The ceremony was presided by Secretary of National Defense Voltaire T. Gazmin and came exactly one week since his assumption last July 18. (In the photo with General Catapang is his wife, Mrs. Vilma Catapang and Secretary Gazmin.)

CL peace czar dares PDEA to name pols, lawmen in drug trade

CABANATUAN CITY – Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali, the chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) in Central Luzon, on Thursday challenged the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to name the politicians and law enforcers involved in the illegal drugs trade in the province.

          Presiding  over a meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) at the old provincial capitol here, Umali called on Jeoffrey Tacio, PDEA regional director, to once and for all identify the biggest drug pushers and traffickers in the province.

          He said that the PDEA  should likewise provide classified information on the possible involvement of public officials and policemen in the illegal drugs trade.

          The meeting was attended by officials of various government agencies involved in law enforcement among them the Department of the Interior and Local Governments, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Army, the Department of Justice and others.

          Also involved in the discussions were DILG Region 3 director Florida Dijan, DILG assistant regional director and concurrent provincial director, Dr. Abraham Pascua, Army Col. Felimon Santos, commander of the 703^rd Infantry Brigade and police deputy provincial director for operations, Superintendent Bernie Orig representing provincial police director Senior Superintendent Crizaldo Nieves who is on official mission abroad.

          Umali issued the challenge shortly after Tacio presented the accomplishment report of the PDEA during the first semester of 2014.

          In his report, Tacio,a member of the PPOC, cited they have conducted 233 operations against illegal drugs and arrested 322 persons and seized 532 grams of metamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu and 9,550 grams of marijuana and filed 226 cases in court.

          Of those arrested, 173 were pushers and 92 were possessors. Of the 233 operations, 176 were carried out during buy-bust and the rest  through search warrants, checkpoints among others.

          Tacio said for the period covered, Cabanatuan recorded the highest number of drug-affected barangays with 13 followed by Sta. Rosa, San Jose City and Sto. Domingo.

          He said the agency is employing a three-pronged strategy of conducting joint intelligence workshop, the neutralization of drug personalities and the close monitoring of clandestine laboratories, suspected drug dens and shabu tiangge.

          Umali said that while the PDEA is doing its job of neutralizing drug personalities in the province, it would be to the best interest of the public if it would identify the biggest drug pushers involved.

           “You need to name names. Identify the biggest drug pusher. And are there public officials and policemen involved? And is there any  clandestine laboratory in Nueva Ecija?,” he said.

          He said if the agency could not release the names, then its intelligence build-up would amount to nothing.

          “And if you could not give us hard facts on illegal drugs, how can we possibly provide you with the needed support to solve the drug menace?,” he said.

          Tacio did not publicly respond to the governor’s dare. But when pressed by newsmen, he said five politicians and between five to 10 law enforcers were involved in the illegal drugs trade.

          He said, though that he could not yet disclose the names of those involved because the information they gathered is still being validated. 

          Umali also expressed concern that this city, Nueva Ecija’s urban and commercial center, has emerged as the drug capital of the province thus, disturbing its climate of peace.

He said he found it disappointing that while he heads the RPOC, disturbing peace and order problems need to be addressed in his province. “How can you talk peace in the entire region when in the province where I belong I can’t give peace?,” he said.   

          He said he would call an executive session in the coming weeks to further tresh out the drug problem. – Manny Galvez

VP BINAY: COMPLAINT FLAWED, NOT BASED ON FACTS, DRIVEN BY 2016 POLITICS

MANILA-Vice President Jejomar C. Binay today described the plunder complaint filed against him as devoid of factual basis and connected to the 2016 presidential elections where he is widely seen as the frontrunner.

The Vice President also revealed that the complainants, all local political opponents of the Binays, are backed by a known group of lawyers who has been trying to resurrect dismissed cases against him.

In a speech before the Financial Executives of the Philippines (FINEX) and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Binay said the complainants have a routine of raising non-existent issues against his family during election season.

“This complaint is no exception, although we have been informed that this time around, our local opponents have been provided with the needed resources, financial and otherwise, by certain national interest groups, particularly a group of lawyers closely identified with a national personality,” he said.

The Vice President said the group – which he did not identify – “has been trying in vain” to resurrect the dismissed cases against him.

Binay also said he expects more complaints and issues to be raised against him in the coming months.

“Believe me, this is only the beginning. We expect more to come. And like the one filed yesterday, these complaints will be devoid of facts, devoid of legal basis, and fueled by the dirty politics that was supposed to have been swept away with the previous administration,” he said.

The Vice President expressed confidence that the complaint will be dismissed. He also said he will continue focusing on his work in government.

“In a fair and impartial evaluation, this complaint, and all the others that we know for a fact are in the pipeline, will be dismissed. Nonetheless my commitment to advance the interest of our overseas Filipino workers, provide shelter for the poor, and assist our fellow Filipinos in need will remain undiminished by these false and politically motivated accusations,” he said.

The Vice President also said those behind the complaint intend to sow intrigue between him and President Aquino by spreading the word that the complaint was a Palace move.

“And it appears that there is a deeper agenda at play. We have been told that those who are pulling the strings want to sow intrigue between President Aquino and myself. They want me to think that the Palace is orchestrating the filing of this baseless complaint against me and my son to divert attention from the impeachment complaints filed against the President,” he said.

“Gusto nilang isipin ko na pakana ito para isalba si Pangulo at dahil dito ay magtampo ako at sumama ang loob sa ating Pangulo. Sa madaling salita, gusto nilang pag-awayin kami ng ating Pangulo,” he said.

The Vice President also pointed out that the complainants focused only on his allies in Makati, and dropped the names of their allies who attended City Council sessions.

“They only included the names of our allies. But their allies and partymates were part of the city council and were present when the council approved the ordinances they cited, so why exclude them? Your guess is as good as mine but that, for me, is undeniable proof of the selective, frivolous and political nature of this co-called complaint,” he said.

P50.2-B new prison facility to generate 53,800 jobs in NE

PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija–The plan to transfer the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City to Nueva Ecija through the construction of a P50.2-billion regional prison facility (RPF) is expected to generate at least 53,800 jobs to Novo Ecijanos, its proponents said yesterday.

          In a project presentation of the proposed NBP at the Sierra Madre Suites here yesterday, architect Armando Alli, adviser of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Center, said the two-storey new facility will be constructed under the build-transfer-maintain structure at a 500-hectare area in Barangay Nazareth in Gen. Tinio town inside the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation.

          The project was presented during a public hearing called by Gov. Aurelio Umali amid concerns over its environmental and socio-economic impact in the province.

          The project will be a joint undertaking of the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Corrections.

Alli said that based on estimates, the construction will require 40,000 workers, some 4,800 custodial and rehabilitation officers and 9,000 people for prison maintenance.

Umali said the national government should prioritize Novo Ecijanos for employment and source of construction materials.

He said Novo Ecijanos should carefully weigh the pros and cons of the project amid issues over its environmental impact in the adjoining communities.

Teodora Diaz, BuCor assistant director, said the facility will have a maximum capacity of 26,000 inmates. She said they expect the project to be approved by the Investments Coordinating Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority within this month and by the NEDA Board of Directors next month.

The bidding has been set in February 2015, contract-signing in April 2015 and actual construction will start in October 2015. Construction will take three years.      

          To be transferred are 20,000 inmates from the NBP and 2,000 from the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.  

          President Aquino earlier indicated he wants to have the NBP to be transferred by year-end to the FMMR.

DOJ Undersecretary Francisco Baraan, the department’s  supervising official on the BuCor and the NBP, said the new facility  will follow international standards.

He said that at present, prison conditions in the various penal facilities in the country leave much to be desired, citing those in Muntinlupa, Palawan and Davao.

“I saw correctional facilities in Japan, Canada and Australia and our facilities pale in comparison, he said, adding that Muntinlupa, for one, does not look like a prison facility at all and constitutes cruel and degrading punishment to the prisoners.

The 551-hectare NBP in Muntinlupa , which opened in 1940, is now heavily congested as it houses 14,500 prisoners in its maximum security detention area alone although it was programmed to accommodate only 8,400 inmates. All in all, the NBP houses around 20,000 inmates.        

The government plans to convert the Muntinlupa penitentiary, valued at around P42 billion,  into a mixed-use commercial area.

The plan to transfer the NBP to the province dates back to a decade ago. Umali recalled that as early as 2004, his predecessor, then-governor Tomas Joson III, had been scouting for a site in Talugtug town but the plan did not push through.   

In May 2012, the Aquino administration has been working to carry out the transfer of the NBP and the CIW.

The plan to transfer the 20,000 inmates from the NBP and 2,000 inmates from the CIW was pursued after local officials in Tanay, Rizal opposed an earlier order to transfer them there.

In 2006, Aquino’s predecessor, then-president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Executive Order 568 authorizing the transfer of the NBP to a 272-hectare reservation in Barangay Cuyambay in Tanay.

The public hearing was attended by city and municipal mayors and vice mayors and other local officials. (Manny Galvez)

BCDA implements P207.18M worth of SCTEX infra projects

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga-State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is currently implementing six infrastructure projects worth P207.18 million that is expected to give motorists speedy, comfortable, and convenient travel while plying the 94-km Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).

These are the P71.62 million Long-Term Permanent Works at Pasig-Potrero Bridge, P18.96 million Protection Works at Gumain Bridge’s Pier Nos. 5 & 6, P7.13 million Construction Management and Supervision of the Long-Term Permanent Works at Pasig-Potrero Bridge, P68.48 million Heavy Maintenance Works– Asphalt Pavement Resurfacing, P12.43 million Heavy Maintenance Works– Bridge Revetment, Slope and Drainage Repair Works, and Fortification Works of the Pasig-Potero Bridge.

BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Arnel Paciano Casanova said five of the six projects are still in their early stages of implementation.

He noted that the P28.56 million fortification works of the SCTEX Pasig-Potero Bridge is on track and will be completed by the end of the July, just in time for the torrential rains that usually come during the months of August to October.

“We are on track in completing the fortification works by the end of July so that when the strong rains come, the structural integrity of the Pasig-Potero Bridge and the temporary Bailey Bridge will not be compromised and ensure the safe travel of the motorists plying the SCTEX,” Casanova said.

Casanova said the fortification works, which is part of the long-term permanent repair works, involves the installation of concrete sheet piles around the damaged abutment of the Pasig-Potero Bridge. 

An abutment refers to the substructure at the end of a bridge span wherein the bridge’s superstructure rests.

He explained that the installation of concrete sheet piles would secure the eroded slope of the bridge abutment as well as its exposed bored piles from further scouring by strong current of floodwaters during the rainy season.

It will be recalled that last year, the strong river current initiated by the heavy downpour during the height of Tropical Storm Maring set off a massive erosion of up to 10 hectares of land from the banks of the Pasig-Potrero river that caused the damage to a segment of the toll road that serves as an approach to the Pasig-Potrero Bridge. (BCDA)

PNoy graces inauguration of Iglesia Ni Cristo’s Ciudad de Victoria

BOCAUE, Bulacan-President Benigno Aquino III graced Monday the inauguration of Ciudad de Victoria of Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) in Bocaue town which is home of the Philippine Arena- presently the “world’s largest domed indoor structure.”

“Angkop nga po ang pangalan ng lugar na ito—na may kahulugang Lungsod ng Tagumpay—lalo pa’t sinasalamin nito ang mga nakamit na tagumpay ng Iglesia sa nagdaang siglo. Mula po sa pagkakatatag ng Kagalang-galang Felix Manalo hanggang sa patuloy na paglago ng inyo pong kongregasyon, tinitingala ang Iglesia ni Cristo hindi lang sa ating bansa kundi maging sa iba’t ibang panig ng daigdig (This place has a fitting name- which literary means City of Victory- for it mirrors the achievements of the Iglesia in the last century. From its establishment by the honorable Felix Manalo up to the continued growth of the congregation, they look up to Iglesia Ni Cristo not only in the Philippines but in other parts of the world as well),” Aquino told over 55,000 INC members that attended the occasion inside the jam-packed arena.

He added that the 75-hectare complex serves as a concrete example of the exceptional unity manifested by the group throughout the years.

The INC is known as a close-knit religious organization, whose congregation leaders visit their members and actively encourage them to participate in various church activities and other community services.

“Pero batid nating itinayo ang strukturang ito, hindi para makipagpaligsahan. Ipinagawa ito para sa banal at dakilang layuning noon pa man ay pinangarap na ni Ka Eraño Manalo- ang magtaguyod ng espasyo upang maglingkod at ibahagi ang biyaya ng Panginoon sa lokal at pandaigdigang komunidad (But we understand that this structure was built not to compete. It was built for the holy and great cause, which was the dream of Bro. Eraño Manalo- to have a space to serve and share the blessings of God to the local and global community),” Aquino stressed, referring to the late executive minister of INC.

Philippine Arena, whose construction cost over $200 million, was constructed to withstand strong earthquakes and super typhoons.

The design was inspired by the narra and banyan trees and has a dome spanning over 3.6 hectares.

It stands with two other massive structures- the 20,000-seater Philippine Stadium and Philippine Sports Center.

Apart from these, others to be built within the area soon include the Eraño G. Manalo Medical Center and New Era Sports Academy of New Era University.

The development of Ciudad de Victoria is in line with the group’s centennial celebration this year.

Established on July 27, 1914, membership of the INC presently span over 100 countries in all six inhabited continents. 

Ecija mayor tells Fort Magsaysay execs : ‘don’t bypass us on Bilibid project’

PALAYAN CITY, N ueva Ecija–Neophyte Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas has called on the military leadership to consult the city government on the plan to transfer the New Bilibid Prisons from Muntinlupa City to the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in the province.

          Cuevas told newsmen that the Army’s 7^th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division has set for Wednesday the public hearing on the proposed transfer of the NBP but they have not been invited to the said consultations.

          “They need to consult us Palayenos on the planned transfer. In the first place, people from other places who will travel to the proposed NBP site in Laur will pass our place. So our voices will have to be heard,” she said.

          Earlier, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Ge. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said President Aquino wants to have the NBP transferred inside the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation (FMMR) by 2014.

Catapang said the Chief Executive wants a modern national penitentiary, reportedly worth P40 billion, to be included in his accomplishment report for 2014.

Cuevas said that personally, she is not opposed to the project but would want that a thorough consultation with people in the impact areas should be included in the public hearing.

“My only concern is the welfare of my constituents,” she stressed.

          She said that in the past months, there have been certain moves made by the 7^th ID leadership which have not been coordinated with the city government.          “Sometimes, we learn of it from the national offices instead of the 7^th ID so we need to be notified because it falls within our jurisdiction,” she said.

          Cuevas explained that consultations with local government units (LGUs) are provided for in the Local Government Code, more specifically Sections 2 and 7.

          Section 2, she said, provides that “all national agencies and offices are mandated to conduct periodic consultations with appropriate LGUs non government organizations and people’s organizations before any project or program is implemented in their respective jurisdictions.”

          On the other hand, Section 7 states that “no project or program shall be implemented by government authorities unless the consultation mentioned in preceding sections are complied with the prior approval of concerned city council is obtained.”    

          Considered the largest military camp in the country, the 44,000-hectare reservation - named after another democracy icon - former President Ramon Magsaysay, houses the Army’s 7^th Infantry Division (7^th ID), the Scout Ranger Regiment, the Special Forces and the Airborne Forces.

It was also in this reservation where the elder Aquino and his fellow former senator Jose Diokno were placed under solitary confinement for one month during the Martial Law years.

The transfer is now being worked out in coordination with other government offices such as the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and is being eyed as Public Private Partnership Project of the Aquino administration.

Last May, DOJ Undersecretary Francisco Baraan, its supervising official on the BuCor and the NBP, said the new facility being eyed is a modern one that will follow international standards and will cost P40 billion.

Baraan said the 551-hectare NBP in Muntinlupa , which opened in 1940, is now heavily congested as it houses 14,500 prisoners in its maximum security detention area alone although it was programmed to accommodate only 8,400 inmates. All in all, the NBP houses around 20,000 inmates. – Manny Galvez