MORE NEWS, BAGUIO CITY

SM foundation to hold medical, dental mission
Karren N. Padilla

BAGUIO CITY -- For SM Foundation, caring for the sick and the less fortunate has gone beyond traditional. It means promoting the total well being of individuals by providing them basic health services and most of all, encouraging them to have a positive outlook despite life's many challenges.

This year, SM Foundation will once again share its helping hand to residents of Barangay Irisan targeting a total of 1,500 patients who will receive free medical and dental assistance on January 21 at Quirino Elementary School.

SMFI initiated "Gamot Para Sa Kapwa", a comprehensive medical and dental mission, in response to the need of the indigent families to be provided with complete healthcare.

SM Foundation will offer free chest Xray, ECG, blood sugar screening, blood pressure monitoring, medical consultation, dental services and free medicines to the patients in cooperation with the Baguio Health Department, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine National Red Cross Baguio- Chapter and the City Government of Baguio.

SM Foundation has already organized 401 medical missions assisting 306,168 of patients in indigent communities since 2002 until December 2008.

SM Foundation Inc., SM' s outreach and community service organization, has four areas of advocacy: education through scholarship and donations of schoolhouses, mall-based outreach programs, health, and community projects. Its guiding principle through the years has been People Helping People, as it undertakes projects with civic organizations, government agencies, and the media.


Baguio City officials at odds over garbage deal

BAGUIO CITY — City officials are at odds again over the renewal of an agreement between the city government and the management of the sanitary landfill in Capas, Tarlac for dumping of the city’s garbage at the facility.

This developed as the city council failed to approve the proposal for the renewal of the agreement between the city government and the Metro Clark Waste Management Corp. .

The councilors cited various issues that have to be clarified by the city mayor in connection with the city’s obligations stipulated in the contract.

The council decided not to act on the proposed ratification of the agreement between the office of the mayor and MCWMC after most of the councilors said that the signing of the contract would legalize allegedly irregular payments for the hauling of garbage to the company.

These payments were not authorized by the city’s legislative body, they said.
But the city mayor’s office said the ratification of the agreement is one of the pre-requisites asked by the sanitary landfill management for the continuous dumping of solid wastes in Capas, Tarlac.

MCWMC, operator of the engineered sanitary landfill, threatened not to allow the city government to dump garbage at the facility if there is no agreement for the purpose.

But the council asked why the company is still requiring a memorandum of agreement when it has allowed the city government to dump wastes at the facility since last July even without the benefit of a written contract.

The city’s legislative body opposed a proposal of the mayor’s office to make the contract retroactive because it would mean that this would give legitimacy to past deals, which did not pass legislation. – Dexter A. See


Coldest night felt in Baguio
BAGUIO CITY — For the second time this year, the mercury level in this mountain resort city dropped Thursday morning to its lowest level of 9.6 degrees Celsius.

The same mercury level was recorded here in the morning of Jan. 3, 2009.

It was also the first time in many years that the city recorded a temperature level of less than 11 degrees Celsius in the first two weeks.

Records of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration show that the coldest temperature experienced in the city was 6.3 degrees Celsius which was recorded on Jan. 18, 1961.

As a result of the continuous drop in the city’s temperature, foreign and domestic tourists continue to flock to the city. Many of the visitors want to experience first-hand what the city is like during the cold months.

The low temperature is also described as ideal honeymoon weather.

Weathermen predicted a prolonged cold spell in the city and nearby Benguet, saying this may last until the end of March. They noted the prevalence of the tail end of the cold front and the northeast monsoon that brings the winter wind from the North Pole.
PAGASA officials here said the prevailing cold temperature in the city could further drop in the coming days. They advised the residents and tourists to prepare for much cooler days.

Meanwhile, health authorities urged the residents to protect themselves from illnesses that may come as a result of the cold weather. These may include colds, influenza, and cough.
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They should avoid going to crowded places, especially if their immune system is weak, the authorities said.

The people were also advised to wear thick clothes when going to places in the city and nearby towns in Benguet. -- Dexter See and Mike Guimbatan


Firm eyes P1.7B fund: Court denies bid to stop Baguio market project
By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY — The Regional Trial Court’s Branch 59 here has denied a motion for reconsideration filed by groups of vendors who want to stop the proposed P1.7-billion market project here.

This, as the contracted developer of the city’s dilapidated public market said it is going to implement the P1.7-billion project even though it has been greatly affected by the escalation of prices of construction materials.

In a three-page decision, Judge Iluminada P. Cabato denied separate motions for reconsideration filed by the groups of vendors for lack of merit.

She declared that both the proposed market development plan and the ordinance authorizing it are valid and constitutional.

The court ruled there is no compelling reason to reverse its earlier decision, saying the evidence submitted by the petitioners is just a reiteration of previous arguments already discussed in court and ruled upon in the decision on the case handed down in July 2008.

Cabato said the thrust of the motions for reconsideration is to move the court to reverse its decision because the ordinance in question is unconstitutional.

However, she said, the court is not impressed by the arguments by the groups, and taking them as a whole, these are direly wanting to overcome the argument that Ordinance 38-1995 is presumed constitutional and valid.

The decision stated that the petitioners failed to clearly and convincingly demonstrate that the documentary evidence submitted disproves the presumption of validity of the ordinance in question.

Furthermore, the court stated, the best arguments presented in the motion for reconsideration are merely reiteration of what had been earlier presented in the memorandum of the petitioners.
Ordinance 38-1995 prescribes the guidelines for the development of the city’s public market on Kayang St. and in the Sto. Niño compound or popularly known as Slaughterhouse Compound.

While the petitioners raised issues concerning their exemption from payment of real estate taxes and improvements introduced in the market, the court ruled that these issues were not raised during the pre-trial conference, a legal procedure in which all issues and concerns regarding the case are agreed upon by both parties.

Cabato said it would be an error for the court to make a finding in a case in which there is no actual and legal basis upon which it would make a determination of the issues being raised by the concerned parties.

While admitting that the planned development of Uniwide Sales and Realty Development Corp. will still be put on hold because of an expected appeal to be made by the petitioners, the city government is determined to introduce development in the market.

This would ensure that the market, the city’s show window, would be at par with the markets of neighboring cities and first-class municipalities.

Meanwhile, legal officer of Uniwide Sales and Realty Corp. said the recent rejection by the Regional Trial Court of the motions for reconsideration of a decision on the issue was a breakthrough in the implementation of the project.

Lawyer Ceasar Oracion, legal counsel of Uniwide, said the company is aware of the plans of the city government to spend for the partial rehabilitation of the market because it had been informed earlier of the plan.

However, he said, Uniwide is still interested in pursuing the project to show to the people of the city that its contract for construction of the world-class market had gone through regular procedures.

Uniwide was the lone bidder in the public bidding conducted in 1996 for the development of the city’s public market. It submitted a P1.7-billion bid for the construction of the seven-storey structure. The P1.7-billion bid was based on costs prevailing in 1996.

The development of the public market is authorized by Ordinance No. 38, series of 1995, which prescribes the rules and regulations governing the project.

But several groups of market vendors questioned the plan of Uniwide, claiming that the ordinance prescribing the development guidelines is unconstitutional and that the bidding is invalid.

In July last year, the RTC upheld the constitutionality of the ordinance and the validity of the market development contract and allowed the company to pursue the project.

Recently, the RTC also denied the motions for reconsideration of the decision submitted by the protesting vendors for lack of merit.

While awaiting the finality of the decision, the city government has allotted at least P25 million from the city budget this year for the initial development of the market, which includes the rehabilitation of the Rillera building and Blocks 3 and 4 of the market area.

The proposed market development to be undertaken by the city government is not as extensive as that of the Uniwide plan, but the concerned City Hall department is now preparing the blueprint for the improvement.

If the Uniwide plan is pushed through, the company would operate the public market for 30 years. The first and second floors would be owned and operated by the city government.

P254.5M drugs seized, 63 pushers nabbed in Cordi
By Larry Madarang

BAGUIO CITY—The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Cordillera Administrative Region seized a total of P254,524,024.50 worth of illegal drugs and arrested 63 pushers last year.

Chief Insp. Edgar Apalla said P176,814,200 accounted for 884,071 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants; P66,887,500.00 in the form of 2,675.50 kilos of marijuana dried leaves in brick form; P5,523,200.00 in 138,080 pieces of marijuana seedlings; P4,132,673.50 in 165.31 kilos of plain marijuana dried leaves; P625,000 in 25 kilos of marijuana seeds; P354,276.00 in 59.05 grams of shabu and P187,175 worth of 748.70 grams of marijuana hashish.

With these accomplishments, it has caused a 78.41% drug supply reduction in the Cordillera from January to December 2008, compared to the same period in 2007.

For the year 2008, Apalla said the regional PDEA conducted 62 anti-drug operations consisting of twenty-nine buy-bust entrapment operations; 21 search and seizures, nine drug eradications, two warranted searches and an arrest, Apalla said.

The operations led to the arrest of 63 pushers, nine possessors, five users and two traffickers of dangerous drugs, or a total of 79 individuals. 72 of them are aged 18 years and above with seven minors; while 66 of them were males and 13 are females, Apalla added.

Aside from being active with drug apprehensions, Apalla said the Cordillera PDEA conducted seminars, symposia among schools, non-government organizations, barangay organizations, local government units and other affiliate agencies which contributed to arrest of some drug pushers.