MORE NEWS, PAMPANGA

Pampanga board junks law on anti-overloading
By George Trillo

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — Voting 101, the Pampanga provincial board repealed the controversial "anti-truck overloading ordinance" after it held Wednesday a meeting with quarry truckers.

The provincial board approved the ordinance last Jan. 9. The action of the board came after Ordinance No. 261 (An Ordinance Regulating the Hauling and Transporting of Sand, Gravel, and other Quarry Materials) generated controversies regarding its implementing rules and regulations (IRRs).

Earlier, the Federation of Pampanga Truckers Inc. (FPTI) had appealed to the board to repeal the ordinance or scrap its IRRs because its provisions set the height of the trucks to avoid overloading.

The truckers said provisions are illogical and would cause additional expenses to them.

The provincial government said, however, that the reduction of the height of trucks lessens the risks of accidents posed by overloaded trucks.

Earlier, the truckers requested Gov. Eddie Panlilio to scrap the IRRs but the provincial chief executive refused.

The truckers suggested to the provincial government to purchase weighing scales instead of reducing the height of trucks.

The governor said that a technical working group that oversees the implementation of the ordinance has not acted on the truckers’ request because it is determined to implement the approved IRRs.

The priest-turned-governor cited records which show that the owners of some 2,000 trucks have already complied with the accreditation and other requirements of the ordinance.

Of the 11 board members, only Ricardo Yabut of Pampanga’s fourth district opposed the repeal of the ordinance.

"There is nothing wrong with the ordinance. It so happens that its implementing rules and regulations are controversial," Yabut said.


5,000 workers displaced in Central Luzon provs
By George Trillo

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The worldwide economic crisis displaced some 5,000 workers in Central Luzon since November, the Department of Labor and Employment here said.

But the local call center industry remains in need of thousands more of agents.

“The government is ready with financial assistance for them as well as others in the labor sector affected by the current crisis,” said DOLE regional director Nathaniel Lacambra.

Lacambra said some 5,000 workers in the region were either laid off or whose employment had been subject to “rescheduling” that led to lesser pay.

“We have to tell the truth about this situation, while putting emphasis on the fact that the government is also trying its best to cushion the impact of the global crisis,” he said.

Lacambra said he expected bigger allocations this year for livelihood assistance for affected workers, noting that last year, Central Luzon got P30 million for its regular share, such assistance coursed through the DOLE, plus another P29 million for the department’s “Tupad” and “Isla” programs.

The latter two programs, he said, were successfully piloted last year in Central Luzon. “The President now wants them done in 77 provinces nationwide,” he said.

He said the “Tupad” program grants families of displaced workers enough cash to provide them their basic needs until such time their bread winners get another employment, while the “Isla” program gives financial help to fisherfolk.