Ecija town has 2 mayors

ALIAGA, Nueva Ecija – This town now has two mayors.

           This after the camps of Mayor Elizabeth Vargas and her rival, court-declared Mayor Reynaldo Ordanes both declared their hold on the mayorship, triggering a leadership crisis.

          Vargas, who was unseated 10 days ago in an order issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 30 Judge Virgilio Caballero which proclaimed Ordanes by a scant 11 votes, urged her townmates to respect the mandate given by constituents, and maintained she is still the mayor.

          In a streamer hanging in front of the municipal compound, Vargas ended her message with the words “patuloy na naglilingkod (continuously serve),” to indicate she is still in charge.

          The Vargas camp circulated a supposed copy of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) En Banc enjoining Caballero to cease and desist from enforcing and/or implementing or continuing to enforce and implement his June 19 issuance of a writ of execution of his decision pending appeal and Ordanes to cease and desist from assuming the post of mayor.   

          Ordanes’ camp has initially dismissed the TRO, saying it was fake since it was only signed by Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes and not the commissioners.

          The supposed Brillantes order, dated September 23, was later stamped with the words “fake po to (it was fake).”

          Ordanes, in a text message, said he is still the legitimate mayor, adding that by next week, Brillantes’ TRO would be suspended.    

          Last week, Ordanes was declared duly elected winner in the May 2013 elections, ending the Vargas’ 22-year stranglehold in this town.

          Ordanes,  an ally of the Joson’s Nationalist People’s Coalition,  was installed after Cabanatuan City RTC  Branch 30 deputy sheriff Victoria Roque served the writ of execution issued by Caballero to Vargas at the town hall where she  holed herself last week.

          Ordanes, a brother of Quezon City assessor Rodolfo Ordanes, has been holding office in his residential compound “to keep the peace.”

          Vargas, a four-term mayor and wife of former three-term mayor Marcial Vargas, was proclaimed winner by the municipal board of canvassers last year, garnering 11,477 votes to Ordanes’ 11,413, or a scant margin of 64 votes.

          However, Ordanes  filed an election protest before the RTC which examined the votes.

Last May 28, the court voided 72 of Vargas’ votes. It also ruled that three of Ordanes’ votes, which were rejected by the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines , were valid, bringing his vote total to 11,416 while Vargas’ votes were reduced to 11,405 votes after the 72 votes were deducted from her tally, prompting the court to declare Ordanes winner by a plurality of  11 votes.

The June 19 writ of execution was withheld on July 15 after the Comelec issued a TRO enjoining it to cease and desist from enforcing its order for a 60-day period. The TRO expired last September 16, prompting the court to issue another order dated September 17 implementing the writ.

In its September 17 order, the court said Vargas has not produced any evidence to defend her position.

          He was accompanied by his running mate, Vice Mayor Alfredo Domingo and throngs of wildly cheering, loyal supporters. (Manny Galvez)

Legarda Invites Filipinos to Visit Weaving Demos at the National Museum

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today encouraged Filipinos to visit the Hibla ng Lahing Filipinogallery at the National Museum in Manila every weekend to witness various weaving traditions continuously being practiced in indigenous communities in the country.

“As part of efforts to raise awareness on our culture of weaving and to ensure its continuity, the National Museum is organizing events that will further promote this tradition. From September to November this year, weavers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will showcase their weaving traditions. I hope that Filipinos would be able to visit the Hibla gallery and witness these weaving demonstrations,” said Legarda, patron of Hibla, the country’s first permanent textile gallery.

For the month of September, weavers from Cordillera showcased their tradition, starting with Ifugao weavers from Kiangan, who demonstrated their craft last September 6 and 7, and Kalinga Weavers from Mabilong Weaving Center of Buscalan, who showed their distinctive weaving design and pattern last September 21-22.

Weavers from Samoki, Mountain Province will demonstrate a distinctive style of weaving on a back-strap loom on September 27-28.

For October and November, the National Museum invited weavers from Sagada as well as those from the Panay Island and Mindanao.

Weavers from Arevalo, Iloilo will demonstrate Sinamay weaving; the Indag-an Cooperative in Miag-ao, Iloilo will showcase patadyong weaving and its innovations; weavers from Bagaton, Bugasong in Antique will show their own style of patadyong weaving; and members of the Panay Bukidnon community will demonstrate their panubok embroidery.

Meanwhile, Maranao weavers from Tugaya in Lanao Del Sur will show their traditional back-strap loom weaving known as dagmay and langsay; weavers from the T’boli Weaving Center in Davao will feature their ikat weaving process on abaca textile; weavers from the Yakan Weaving Center in Zamboanga City will demonstrate their expertise in creating patterns from supplementary warp weaving; and Zamboanga-based Tausug weavers of Pis Siyabit will showcase their craft.

The weaving demonstrations can be viewed from 1:00-5:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, at the Hibla gallery, located at the 4^th Floor of the Museum of the Filipino People, Finance Road, Manila.

“These weaving demonstrations reveal the richness of our culture. We have many other weaving traditions as we see the various kinds of weaving patterns and designs in the textiles and items at the Hibla gallery. We will continue to collaborate with the National Museum in organizing more events that will heighten the awareness and renew the interest of Filipinos in our indigenous culture and heritage,” said Legarda.

In 2012, Legarda and the National Museum organized a lecture series on Philippine Traditional Textiles and Indigenous Knowledge, which included lectures from Dr. Maria Stanyukovich of Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in Russia; Dr. Lynne Milgram of Ontario College in Toronto; Dr. Patcharawee Tunprawat, a specialist in Cultural Heritage Management based in Bangkok; Hoang Thi To Quyen and Nguyen Thi Tuan Linh of the Vietnam Musem of Ethnology; and Sonja Garcia, along with members of the Tudaya School of Living Tradition of the Bagobo Tagabawa Community who demonstrated weaving and making dyes from natural sources.

P29.8-M JICA-funded projects benefit 4,900 townsfolk in Ecija town

ZARAGOZA, Nueva Ecija – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the municipal government unveiled here on Thursday P29.8-million worth of projects funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) covering a farm-to-market road (FMR), potable water system (PWS) and day-care centers (DCCs) benefiting 4,904 local residents in two Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs).

DAR regional director for Central Luzon Arnel Dizon led the launch of the projects at the municipal gymnasium along with DAR provincial agrarian reform officer (PARO) 2 Romeo Cordero, PARO 1 Jocelyn Ramones, Mayor Lovella Belmonte-Espiritu and other local officials.

The projects consist of the 2.6-kilometer, P18.5-million FMR in barangays Sta. Lucia Young and Old covered by the ARC, PWS for 216 households in Sta. Lucia Old and the repair and renovation of day-care centers in all 19 barangays of this third-class town.

ARCs refer to a cluster of barangays provided support services by the DAR.

Belmonte-Espiritu said the three projects are high-impact projects, particularly the FMR which enables 3,794 local residents to have access to good roads and hasten the transport of agricultural produce from the farms to the market.

The economy of this town, covering a population of 42,217 and a household population of 9,874, is largely agricultural with 6,246 hectares out of land area devoted to farming.

Belmonte-Espiritu said that prior to the completion of the road, local residents have been enduring the dirt road, particularly during the rainy season when it gets muddy.

“The local residents have suffered long and hard waiting for the road network to be concreted. It has been a long wait. Now, they can finally cross the road in the two barangays without having to worry about the bad road condition,” she said.

Cordero said the three projects are under the Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project (ARISP) of the DAR whose scope covers FMR, PWS, communal irrigation system (CIS), agriculture and agribusiness development (AAD) and institutional development (ID); and other program components such as the grassroots participatory planning and budgeting (GPPB) and ARCCESS covering mechanized palay production.

ARISP is a JICA-funded project wherein the local government unit (LGU) and recipient shell out their equity.

As its equity for the FMR, the municipal government has earmarked P2.4 million and also bankrolled  four other road projects spanning 15 kilometers worth P17 million.

For the PWS, the municipal government also allocated P2.5 million as its share for the establishment of an elevated water tank for 216 households.

Belmonte-Espiritu said that for the DCCs,  914 children under the day-care service will be the principal beneficiaries of the project worth P950,000.

She said over the last three years, the town has been the recipient of various projects funded by both the national and provincial governments involving a P10-million flood control project, nutrition, disaster preparedness, infrastructure and education.

She said that Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali  has extended to the municipal government projects involving the construction of gymnasium cum evacuation center, and several bags of cement for its “Bayanihan” road-concreting project in the barangays, scholarship programs for poor but deserving students and assistance to senior citizens.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, she noted, has also released a P1.2 million-check for supplemental feeding and hog dispersal.

Belmonte-Espiritu added that the AECID or the Spanish Cooperation Agency for International Development also gave a P4-million grant to the town for disaster preparedness.

Jocelyn Ramones, provincial agrarian reform officer 1, said that early this month, they also turned over a P4.5-million water systems project to the Canaan West Potable Water Service Cooperative (CWPWSC) in Rizal town.

The project, completed in partnership with Rizal Mayor Rafaelito Andres, enabled 130 households to now avail of clean, potable water in the said town.

          Ramones said the project was the second to have been turned over by the DAR in Rizal following the P18-million 5.37-kilometer FMR which connected the town’s four barangays of Canaan East, Canaan West, Casiligan and Gen. Luna. (Manny Galvez)

Legarda: Let Us Do More To Address Climate Change, Disaster Risks

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today renewed her call for greater climate action not only from the international community, the national government and concerned sectors but also from every citizen.

Legarda, United Nations Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, noted that in the speech of President Benigno Aquino III before his fellow heads of state at the UN Climate Summit in New York, he urged his fellow leaders to have “a change in mindset from arguing over the division of work to one where we’ll do the maximum we can.”

Legarda said that Filipinos should likewise have a change in attitude.

“We must be the change we seek. With all the disasters that we have experienced, we have to be concerned and get involved now. We must do more and do everything we can to address climate change,” she stressed.

“We could have reduced the volume of floodwaters, if not completely prevent flooding, caused by the recent Typhoon Mario, which was enhanced by the Southwest Monsoon, if we have been faithfully implementing the Solid Waste Management Law and if we all do our share in protecting our environment,” she added.

The Senator said that the Climate Change Act, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, and the People’s Survival Fund Act, as well as other environmental laws, should all be fully operational and implemented down to the local level.

Legarda said local-based resilience strategy should be strengthened, especially that the People’s Survival Fund now has one billion in programmed funds under the proposed 2015 national budget intended to finance climate change adaptation activities of local governments and organizations.

She also said that she is hopeful for a significant progress in the global climate action as many world leaders who attended the UN Climate Summit renewed their commitment to cut down carbon emissions and to contribute to the Green Climate Fund, which supports climate adaptation programs of developing countries.

“We continue to hope that industrialized countries would commit to ambitious sustainable development goals such as deep cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions and significant technological and financial assistance to countries which remain poor and vulnerable to disasters. But as we demand bold global climate action, we must equally demand from ourselves involvement in adaptation, mitigation and resilience efforts in our respective communities,” Legarda concluded.

RDC forms TWG on Ancestral Domain

PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija-Regional Development Council (RDC) has approved the request of its Sectoral Committee on Social Development, which is chaired by Governor Lilia Pineda of Pampanga, on the creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) on Ancestral Domain.

 

“The TWG shall assess the state of ancestral domain lands in Central Luzon and recommend ways to facilitate and derive maximum benefit from the use of it for the improvement of the economic conditions of Indigenous Peoples (IPs),” RDC Vice Chair and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Severino Santos said.

 

“This initiative supports the provisions of Articles XIII and XIV of the Philippine Constitution and Republic Act 8371 otherwise known as Indigenous Peoples Rights Act,” Santos added.

 

National Commission on Indigenous Peoples shall head the TWG with NEDA, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Interior and Local Government, the RDC Private Sector Representative for IPs, and provincial government of Pampanga as members.

 

RDC 3 is the highest policy-making body in Central Luzon and serves as the counterpart of the NEDA Board at the subnational level.

 

It is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region and serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities.

 

Council members include all governors, city mayors, municipal mayors of capital towns, presidents of municipal mayors’ league, regional directors of national government agencies and representatives from the private sector. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu)

National government allots P1.5B for 2015 Grassroots Participatory Projects in CL

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga-The national government has allotted for 2015 around P1.5 billion for funding of 1,144 projects in Central Luzon under the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting (GPB) formerly known as Bottom-Up Budgeting.

 

Department of Agriculture has the most number of projects with 285 followed Department of Social Welfare and Development with 257, Department of Education-170, Department of Health-148, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)- 118, Department of Trade and Industry-76, Department of Labor and Employment-44, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-24, Department of Tourism and Department of Environment and Natural Resources with 10 each, and Department of Energy and National Electrification Administration with one each.

 

“GPB is a process through which priority poverty reduction projects are identified jointly by citizens and their local governments and are incorporated into the proposed budgets of the implementing national government agencies submitted to Congress for approval,” DILG Regional Director Florida Dijan said.

 

It specifically seeks to make the national budget more responsive to local needs, provide incentives for local good governance, strengthen the devolution of basic services delivery, create a conducive environment for people’s participation, and generate demand for good governance at the local level.

 

GPB cycle begins with the conduct of city/municipal civil society general assembly whose main agenda is have an orientation on the undertaking, conduct poverty situation analysis, and election of members and co-chairpersons of the Local Poverty Reduction Action Team (LPRAT).

 

Civil Society Representatives (CSO) shall constitute 50 percent of the membership of the LPRAT while the remainder shall come from both the national and local government.

 

It is followed by the holding of local poverty reduction planning workshops; submission of list of priority projects and other supporting documents to DILG; consolidation of list of projects by DILG Regional Office and submission to the National Anti-Poverty Commission and distribution to Regional PRAT members; adoption of final list of priority projects by local Sanggunian; integration into the national budget; and provision of funding for local government unit (LGU) counterpart in local budget.

 

“Projects must be supportive to the provision of basic social services and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals; hunger mitigation and elimination; job generation and inclusive local economic development; climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness; and shall not be less than P500,000 except for Gulayan sa Paaralan,” Dijan explained.

 

Over P20 billion was allocated for GPB projects this 2014 covering 1,226 towns and cities of which 52 are in Central Luzon.

 

For next year, it shall cover all LGUs including Region 3’ s 116 towns and 14 cities. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu)

RDC OKs construction of Pulilan-Baliuag Diversion Road

PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija-Regional Development Council (RDC) has passed a resolution favorably endorsing the construction of the P660 million, 10-kilometer Pulilan-Baliuag Diversion Road in a bid to boost the potentials of Bulacan’s emerging agri-industrial area.

 

It has a width of 20 meters as well as a 2.80-meter, two-lane bridge and drainage with Tibag, Pulilan serving as entry point and Makinabang/Pinagbarilan in Baliuag as exit point.

 

“The strategic location of Pulilan along the confluence of North Luzon Expressway and Cagayan Valley Road has made vehicle traffic a major issue specifically multi-national companies and factories located in the northern part of the municipality where trucks coming from the central business district (CBD) cause heavy traffic and delays in delivery of goods and services. This road is expected to address the matter,” RDC Vice Chair and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Severino Santos said.

 

RDC 3 is the highest policy-making body in Central Luzon and serves as the counterpart of the NEDA Board at the subnational level.

 

It is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region and serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities.

 

Council members include all governors, city mayors, municipal mayors of capital towns, presidents of municipal mayors’ league, regional directors of national government agencies and representatives from the private sector. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu)

NIA’S 2015 BUDGET GETS A NOD FROM CONGRESS

MANILA-The proposed P28.824-billion budgetary support  for the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) under the National Expenditure Program (NEP), which forms 90% of the total NIA budget, has been approved by the House of Representatives during the budget plenary sponsored by Ilocos Sur 2^nd District Representative Eric D. Singson on September 23, 2014.

The NIA – which has been placed under the supervision of the Office of the President’s Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization (PAFSAM) headed by Secretary Francis N. Pangilinan together with the National Food Authority (NFA), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), and Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA – satisfactorily addressed the inquiries of the House members  and provided sufficient justifications pushing Singson to move for the approval of the agency’s budget. However, NFA was scheduled for another plenary.

Bulk of the budgetary support the agency will receive from the government, or 57%, amounting to P16.614 billion is allocated for locally-funded projects (LFPs). LFPs include small reservoir irrigation projects, small pump irrigation projects, feasibility studies and detailed engineering, Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Projects (GPBP), Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) Program, and other major irrigation projects such as the Casecnan  Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project Phase II (CMIPP-II), Balog-Balog Multipurpose Irrigation Project Phase II (BBMP-II), Malinao Dam Improvement Project (MDIP), Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project Phase II (MMIP-II), and Umayam River Irrigation Project (URIP).

NIA’s Operations, which include Irrigation Network Services (estension/expansion and restoration/rehabilitation of existing projects, climate change adaptation works, Irrigation Management Transfer Support Services, and Payment of Right-of-Way and Completion works & unpaid claims) and Construction of irrigation projects and repair of systems, claims 27% of the allocation amounting to P7.710 billion.

The remaining amount went to the agency’s foreign-assisted projects (P2.279 billion or 8%); general administration and support (P1.643 billion or 6%); and support to operations (P.578 billion or 2%).

The other 10% of the total NIA budget falls under the corporate funds amounting to P3.205 billion making the overall NIA budget P32.029 billion.

Senate adjourns today, ratifies pro-education bills

MANILA-The Senate ratified three bicameral committee reports promoting education before it adjourned session today, September 24, 2014. Plenary sessions will resume on October 20, 2014. 

 

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon said the passing of a number of pro-education legislation is seen to expand the delivery of educational services offered by the state.

On its final day of session, the upper chamber ratified the bicameral committee report for Senate Bill No. 2272, which aims to strengthen the ladderized interface between technical-vocational education and higher education. The proposed measure seeks to provide alternative methods and systems of education for working students and out of school youths. 

On Tuesday, the Senate ratified the bicameral committee reports for Senate Bill No. 2274, which seeks to expand access to education through open learning and distance education in the tertiary level, and Senate Bill No. 2275, or the “Iskolar ng Bayan Act,” which seeks the automatic admission and provision of scholarship grants by all state colleges and universities to public high school students who belong to the top ten places of their graduating classes.  If enacted into law, the bill would give approximately 80,000 graduating students access to free college education as early as next year.

Drilon said the three education bills belong to the five proposed legislation passed by the Senate since the beginning of the 2^nd Regular Session of the 16^th Congress that are intended to advance the reach of the national educational system, and to overcome the challenges posed by poverty, physical barriers and lack of opportunities to the educational sector.

“Since the opening of the 16^th Congress last July, the Senate has passed 14 bills on third reading, and another bill on second reading, while eight other bills are currently being interpellated or amended on the floor. The Senate also passed a total of 16 resolutions and three concurrent resolutions with the House of Representatives,” the Senate chief said.

Greater Social Services

Drilon said senators also pushed for the upgrading of social services extended by the government to its citizens.

Leading such measures is the Senate Bill No. 712, which provides for the mandatory Philhealth coverage for all senior citizens, thus amending Republic Act No. 7432 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

“Under the bill, all senior citizens would only need to present valid IDs to avail of Philhealth coverage for their medical expenses, as compared to the existing law where only senior citizens classified as indigent could avail of the national health insurance program,” Drilon said.

The Senate also passed Senate Joint Res. No. 2, which seeks to increase the subsistence allowance of all personnel under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) from P90 to P150 per day, and carried over House Bill No. 694, which aims to increase the burial assistance for veterans from P10,000 to P 20,000.

Up next: 2015 budget, Bangsamoro bill

Drilon said that upon resumption of plenary sessions, the Senate will immediately focus on the passage of the 2015 national budget, and other priority legislation such as Senate Bill No. 2408, or the Bangsamoro bill.

“When we return to the Senate floor, we will act on the proposed General Appropriations Act, which we have to finish and pass by the end of the year,” Drilon said.  

Drilon said he anticipated the beginning of healthy debates for the Bangsamoro bill, which he expected to be passed the Senate within the first quarter of next year.

Drilon said the Senate would also work on the joint resolution being sought by President Aquino granting him emergency power to deal with the looming power shortage in the summer season next year.

 

Senate commends Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Awardees

The Senate today adopted a resolution commending the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Awardees for their contribution in promoting the country’s cultural heritage.

           

Senate Resolution No. (SRN) 765, introduced by Sen. Loren Legarda, recognizes the outstanding Filipinos artists whose craft reflects Filipino culture and identity.

            The Gawad ng Manlilikha ng Bayan or GAMABA award was institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355 in April 1992.

“Since its first conferment in 1993, the GAMABA award has so far recognized the efforts of 13 traditional artists,” the resolution said.

 

The GAMABA awardees are Ginaw Bilog, Masino Intaray, Samaon Sulaiman, Lang Dulay, Salinta Monon, Alonzo Saclag, Federico Caballero, Uwang Ahadas, Darhata Sawabi, Eduardo Mutuc, Haja Amina Appi, Teofilo Garcia and Magdalena Gamayo.

 

“Cognizant of their artistic genius and their perseverance to instil national pride through the arts, it is but fitting that our Manlilikha ng Bayan, the nation’s "living treasures," be recognized and honored for their painstaking dedication to promote, protect and safeguard the nation’s rich intangible heritage,” Legarda said.

 

Candidates for the GAMABA award must be inhabitants of an indigenous cultural community in the Philippines that has preserved indigenous customs, beliefs, rituals and traditions and/or has syncretized whatever external elements that have influenced it.

 

She said each candidate must have engaged in a folk art tradition that has been in existence and documented for at least 50 years. The candidate must have consistently performed or produced over a significant period works of superior and distinctive quality. He or she must possess a mastery of tools and materials needed by the art, and must have an established reputation in the art as master and maker of works of extraordinary technical quality.

Legarda said the candidate must have passed on and/or will pass on to other members of the community their skills in the folk art for which the community is traditionally known. (Olivia Caunan)

Legarda: Dams Should Control, Not Worsen Flooding

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today reminded the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), which is in charge of managing 22 water dams in the country, to ensure that protocols on dam water releases effectively control, not worsen, flooding.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, said that at the height of incessant rains brought by Typhoon Mario and enhanced by the Southwest Monsoon, several dams reached their spilling levels.

“Updated dam protocols and improved coordination among agencies on disaster management and dam operators must serve their purpose of reducing, and not worsening, disaster impacts. Protocols should include projections of extreme weather events and must be linked with effective forecasting and early warning systems,” she said.

“Aside from ensuring that dam protocols are updated, there is a need to review actual implementation of such procedures. Timing is important—when and how much water should be released before a typhoon arrives is crucial in ensuring that dams store flood volume,” she added.

Legarda also said that when dams reach spilling levels due to heavy rains, operators should ensure that they do not indiscriminately release dam waters, that the warnings reach the communities that will be affected, and that the alerts allow them to respond ahead of time. Meanwhile, local governments should make sure that flood warnings are heeded by the communities and forced evacuation is implemented when needed.

The Senator recounted that in 2009, the Senate Committee on Climate Change, which she chairs, conducted a series of public hearings after the onslaught of Ondoy and Pepeng. A matter of discussion in these hearings was dam operations as waters were released based on outdated protocols, flooding several provinces in Luzon.

“Like Ondoy in 2009, Mario brought too much rain for a day. These extreme weather events are the new normal and we should keep up with it through effective disaster risk reduction and management programs, which should include updated protocols on dam water releases,” said Legarda.

Cabanatuan HUC plebiscite set November 8

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – After two postponements spanning three years, the Commission on Elections has set for November 8 the holding of a plebiscite to ratify the conversion of this city into a highly urbanized city (HUC).

          In a four-page resolution approved by the Comelec En Banc, the poll body gave the go-signal for the plebiscite with all 1,360,508 registered voters of Nueva Ecija to participate in the exercise.

          City election officer Leonardo Navarro said the resolution was signed by Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. and Commissioners Al Parreno, Arthur Lim, Christian Robert Lim, Luie Tito Guia and Lucenito Tagle.

          It came after the Supreme Court directed the Comelec to hold the plebiscite after ruling that all registered voters in the province should vote, granting a petition for certiorari filed by Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali seeking to stop two earlier Comelec resolutions setting the dates for the conduct of the plebiscite on December 1,2012 and January 25,2014 but with only registered voters of the city allowed to vote.

The bid to convert this city into a HUC, which is being pushed by Umali’s former ally, Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara, is contained in Presidential Proclamation 418 issued on July 4,2012 by President Aquino. However, the proclamation needs to be ratified in a plebiscite.

          Last January, the SC issued a Temporary Restraining Order stopping the Comelec from proceeding with the plebiscite scheduled on January 25. In issuing the TRO, the SC granted the petition of Umali who filed an earlier petition with the Comelec to consider allowing all qualified voters in the province to participate in the plebiscite, not just voters from the city.

The poll body struck down his petition and his motion for reconsideration.

Umali  has argued that Novo Ecijanos will be affected once Cabanatuan becomes HUC and thus, it is imperative for them to participate in the  plebiscite. He said no less than two former SC chief justices – Claudio Teehankee and Reynaldo Puno – have held the view that the political units affected by the plebiscite – Nueva Ecija and Cabanatuan – should participate in the electoral exercise.

“We are not saying the plebiscite should not be allowed. What we are saying is who should be allowed to vote,” he said.

Vergara said that the conversion of the city into a HUC is long overdue and has been supported by senators, among them former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and former senator Aquilino Pimentel who authored the Local Government Code of 1991.  

Umali, a lawyer, said there is already  existing jurisprudence, foremost of which is a July 11,1986 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Tan vs Comelec regarding the creation of a new province of Negros del Norte wherein 2,768.4 square kilometers from the land area of the parent province were to be removed to create a new province whose boundaries would be substantially altered.

          He mentioned the separate concurring opinion of Teehankee stating that to limit the plebiscite to only the areas to be partitioned and seceded from the province is “as absurd and illogical as allowing only the secessionists to vote for the secession that they demanded against the wishes of the majority.”

          Another case in point, he said, was the October 19,1992 ruling in Padilla Jr. vs Comelec which stated that when the law states that the plebiscite shall be conducted in the political units directly affected, it means that residents of the political entity who would be economically dislocated by the separation of a portion thereof have a right to vote in the said plebiscite. “Evidently, what is contemplated by the phrase “political units directly affected,” is the plurality of political units which would participate in the plebiscite,” he stressed, quoting from the ruling.

          Umali said this is not the first time the issue of who should vote in the plebiscite is raised before the Comelec, citing the first case was Antipolo City’s own HUC bid wherein Rizal Gov. Casimiro Ynares III raised the same arguments.         The Law Department of the Comelec, he recalled, found basis in the contention of Ynares and officially opined that the conduct of the plebiscite must include the qualified voters of Rizal.

          He said the Department of Budget and Management has categorically ruled that there will be a substantial decrease in the land area of the province once Cabanatuan becomes a HUC.

The poll body originally set the date of the plebiscite on December 1, 2012 but this was postponed by the issuance of a TRO by the Palayan City Regional Trial Court. Subsequently, the Comelec issued a resolution postponing the plebiscite because of its proximity to the elections.

          On June 28 last year, shortly after Vergara got reelected, he wrote the Comelec asking it to conduct the plebiscite but the poll body said it was forced to defer all actions until after the barangay polls. 

          Vergara’s bid marks the second attempt to turn the city into HUC.  In 1995, Vergara’s predecessor, then-mayor Manolette Liwag pushed for HUC conversion which was subsequently proclaimed by then-President Fidel Ramos.

           However, the move lost badly during the plebiscite, largely due to the opposition of the Josons who were then at the height of their political reign. (Manny Galvez)