MORE NEWS, BAGUIO CITY

City execs to DENR: Use fund for political survey
By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – The city council urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Cordillera to use the P10 million fund intended for the stalled cadastral survey project for a political boundary survey of the city’s 129 barangays instead.

The body passed Resolution No. 146 series of 2009 for this purpose.

In the resolution authored by Councilor Isabelo Cosalan Jr., the body said the P10 million fund was given to the DENR-CAR to complete the cadastral survey of the city but since the project was sought for suspension, the fund should instead be used for a barangay political boundary survey instead.

In the resolution, the body said the P10 million fund was intended for the conduct of final lot surveys and adjustment of old surveys to convert all of the 129 barangays.

“Basing on the costing presented by the DENR-CAR regional executive director, the project cost for the Cadastral Survey would reach P104,701,440. The P10,000,000 currently allocated is only 9.55 percent of the said amount,” the resolution noted.

“In cadastral Survey Projects, the political boundary survey is done first prior to the survey of lots which, in this particular project, is the survey of the political boundaries of each of the 129 barangays,” it added.

Last Feb. 2, the DENR-CAR regional executive director in a memorandum “sought further instruction from the Undersecretary for staff bureaus as regards the implementation of Cadastral Survey Project in the city” in view of the said issues raised.

The council last year demanded the DENR-CAR to indefinitely suspend the implementation of the cadastral survey to give way for the clarification of issues and concerns raised by the city government and other sectors.

The body raised issues relative to existing laws, regulations, policies and guidelines concerning lands in the city particularly the lack of consultation and participation of the city government in said project which they said is very crucial to the city.

The DENR-CAR embarked on a Cadastral Survey for the City of Baguio, the first phase of which was implemented in 2007 with Barangay Brookside, Baguio City as the pilot area.

The bidding process for the said project was scheduled to start on November 24, 2008 until December 2008.

The body learned then that P2,000,000 was earmarked for the Modular Cadastre of Brookside Barangay while P10 million will be shared by the 127 barangays which the council felt was measly as compared to the budget allotted for Brookside.

In calling for the project’s suspension., the body also cited Resolution No. 04, series of 2008 of the Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines, Inc.-Cordillera Administrative Region which also said that political boundaries should first be established before the execution of the survey.

The association also questioned the project’s compliance with the city charter, the lack of consultation with the city government and the prioritization of the local engineers in the bidding.


Dairy Farm lot eyed as science high site
BAGUIO CITY – The city government will request President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to allocate a six-hectare lot from the property of the Department of Agriculture at the Baguio Dairy Farm and proclaim the same as site of the Philippine Science High School in the Cordillera region (PSHS-CAR).

In Resolution No. 138 series of 2009, the body stressed the need to locate a site for the Science High School to pursue the intent of House Bill No. 498 sponsored by Rep. Mauricio Domogan which seeks to establish the PSHS-CAR to offer scholarship to deserving students in the CAR for training under a curriculum specially designed to nurture their abilities in science and technology.

“The PSHS will provide the region’s and country’s leaders who will spearhead the science and technological advancement by taking under its wings the region’s gifted children and molding them into future scientists and nation builders,” the resolution noted.

Authored by Councilors Fred Bagbagen, Isabelo Cosalan Jr. and Elaine Sembrano, the measure said the establishment of the PSHS is supported by the Constitution which mandates the prioritization of the development of science and technology in the country’s educational system.

The measure also cited section 1 of Republic Act No. 9036 or the Act Strengthening the Governance and Defining the Scope of the PSHS System… which mandates the creation of one PSHS campus in each of the administrative regions “to give the regions equal opportunity to benefit from the establishment of the PSHS system.”

They said the site at the Baguio Dairy Farm is suited for the purpose. – Aileen P. Refuerzo


Power firm to venture into hydropower plant project
BAGUIO CITY – The Benguet Electric Coop will venture into a hydro plant project, according to Beneco marketing specialist Leo Belingon.

Belingon told a radio station Beneco had identified a possible site in Buguias, Benguet for the hydro plant and that the power firm’s board approved the awarding of a feasibility study that will be conducted by AV Garcia, a Manila- based power generation company.

The memorandum of agreement for the P1.4 million feasibility study is now being finalized.

He said main objective of the project is to lower rate of electricity for consumers Belingon said at present, the price of electricity that Beneco buys from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and government-controlled corporations like the National Power Corp. is high.

He added if the coop can produce at least 50 percent of the power requirements through its own renewable energy, like a hydro plant, this will have a large effect on the electricity rate.

In a related development, Belingon said Benenco is willing to discuss with the city government possible joint operation of the Asin hydro power plants on Tuba, Benguet.

AV Garcia Power Generation Company also confirmed its intentions to partner with Beneco for the project.

Belingon also said Beneco will increase electricity generation and system loss charge, starting in the billing period of May.

He said they have to do this, as the Energy Regulatory Commission, granted NPC, one of the power suppliers of Beneco, a .4682 centavo increase per kilowatt hour.

According to Belingon, the coop has to pass this on to the consumers, though with a lower amount of .4299 centavos per KWH and the system loss will also increase by .06 centavo per KWH.

The rest of the charges on Beneco’s unbundling rate will remain the same, he said. -- Lito Dar


Lack of funds hamper urgent forest summit
By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – Lack of funds has hindered the immediate conduct of a planned inter-regional watershed in Northern Luzon that would formulate a sustainable program aimed at stopping environmental degradation.

This was reported by Primitivo C. Galinato Jr., regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Cordillera.

Galinato said the agency in charge of the North Luzon Growth Quadrangle, which was supposed to fund the summit, has no more fund for the purpose.

However, he assured that the summit, a noble project of the Regional Development Council in the Cordillera, would be held in the future.

The summit would gather officials of the RDCs of Regions I and II and Cordillera who would make a program to address critical watershed problem in Northern Luzon.

Galinato said it is imperative for lowland regions to help the Cordillera in addressing concerns about the maintenance and rehabilitation of watersheds in the upland region to ensure the continuous flow of river water considered the lifeblood of the agriculture and energy sectors.

Engineer Abraham Akilit, manager of the National Irrigation Administration office in the Cordillera, earlier said by establishing agro-forests, three concerns are immediately addressed. These are need for additional livelihood sources, watershed rehabilitation, and restoration of the ecosystem.

At the same time, Akilit said, the rehabilitation and proper management of the watersheds would ensure maintenance of the agro-forests, noting that it is taboo to the indigenous peoples in the region to destroy fruit-bearing trees.


Summit yields solutions to city market problems
By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – The market summit held April 25 yielded recommendations for both short-term and long-term solutions to the problems affecting the city’s public market.

Councilor Elaine Sembrano, chair of the council committee on market, trade and commerce which spearheaded the summit, said recommendations were culled from the group workshops discussed during the plenary of the summit convened by city officials led by Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. and Vice Mayor Daniel Farinas.

The summit was participated in by members of the market vendors associations with legitimate stall spaces, vendors groups without legitimate market spaces, building owners and administrators associations, government offices involved in administering the market, city executives and legislators, punong barangays of barangays covered by the city market and representatives from the private sector.

A synthesis of the recommendations prepared by the facilitators led by University of the Cordilleras vice president for administration Leonarda Aguinalde and professor Mike Guimbatan listed three proposed long-term actions to address the development of the city market.

Topping the list is the review, updating and amendment of the market code “to set clear and responsive policies in the operation, management and development of the city market particularly the sub-leasing of stalls, expanding the representation of vendors’ organizations, and the regulation of illegal peddling.

The other two are the declaration of the city market as heritage site specifically but not limited to the Hangar building and the Maharlika Livelihood Center and the identification and development of satellite markets to decongest the trading center.

The short-term actions proposed were made on five concerns: peace and order; physical facilities; garbage disposal; legal framework; vendors’ organizations; overall market development and others.

On peace and order, the proposed actions are the establishment of partnership between the city government and vendors’ groups, set-up of additional police outposts and increase in police visibility within and around the entry and exit points of the city market and strict implementation of curfew rules.

On physical facilities, solutions were offered on the following:

*At the burned area, to allow the stallholders to introduce improvements and repairs within their stalls and provide of roofing in the area;

*Electricity and water, for the city government to implement regular and adequate maintenance of electrical wirings, streetlights, block electricity metering in coordination with the Benguet Electric Cooperative Inc. and to provide water pipes and facilities for water impounding;

*Comfort rooms, installation and maintenance of portalets and let vendors’ groups to manage and maintain the comfort rooms;

*Bagsakan facilities, for the city government to provide adequate bagsakan facilities and implement clear rules on the time and place of bagsakan.

On garbarge disposal, it was proposed that the information and education campaign on proper waste management, designated pick-up points and waste management activities be intensified.

It was also suggested that the city improve the solid waste management at the city market be improved by enforcing segregation at the source, designating clean and consistent collection point and time; providing a Materials Recovery Facility for exclusive use at the city market; and imposing appropriate penalty for non-compliance and incentives for compliance to rules and regulations on waste management.

On the legal framework, suggestions were made on taxes and permits particularly issuance of permits for Block 3, removal of all fees that allow physical extension of stalls and sanctions for violators, re-evaluation of taxation policies to consider present and future economic conditions, improvement of transparency in tax operations and maximization of tax collection from other sources.

On peddling, the city was urged to implement clean operational guidelines for ambulant vendors including designation of a place for vending and the regulation of vending activities and to study the possibility of allowing the street vendors to temporarily use closed stalls at lenient terms.

On the Uniwide case, the city government was asked to provide complete information on relevant enabling order, contract and decision of the court.

On the vendors’ organizations, it was suggested that a general assembly or summit for all vendors associations be conducted to be facilitated by the city government for strengthening or reorganization of the Baguio Market Vendors Association and that the city provide technical and other needed assistance in the federation of the vendors’ cooperatives organized in the city market.

On the overall market development, the city government was urged to open gate for broad-based consultation and participation in the development planning for the city market; to study all proposals and plans for development and consider these in the final plan; and improve zoning in the area.

Other recommendations were for the promotion of the city market through the conduct of the “Fiesta sa Palengke” and the implementation of measures to address the problem on vending by minors.

The participants agreed that the recommendations will constitute the “covenant for action towards a clean, attractive, safe, peaceful and orderly city market” of which symbolic signing was done by the participants at the close of the summit.


Visiting master trains JKA blackbelts
By Ramon Dacawi

BAGUIO CITY -- As a master worth his salt would, fourth dan blackbelt Eugene Orbita, recently reminded local blackbelts under the Japan Karate Association-Orient that true karate boils down to a continuing mastery of the basics.

Here recently for a religious conference among Christian businessmen, Orbita, a lawyer from Cebu, took time out to check on the execution of the “heian” (shodan, nidan, sandan, yondan and godan) set of basic kata (formal exercise) by colored belts of the JKA-Orient chapter based at the YMCA of Baguio.

“I asked him to teach and he chose a return to the basics to refresh our students,” said Edgar Kapawen Sr., the chapter’s chief instructor.

Both masters are fourth dan, but Orbita defers to Kapawen, being his senior, both in age and experience in the “shotokan” (knife-hand) school of karate founded by Master Gighin Funakoshi.

Orbita sits as a member of the governing board of JKA-Orient based in Cebu. He joined the JKA in 1976 while in first year college and was promoted to first dan blackbelt in 1981. “I failed in my first try,” he admitted.

Kapawen took on the martial art much earlier, under the JKA school established by Master Kunio Sasaki, who introduced “shotokan” in the Philippines in the early 1960s. He has been long overdue for promotion to fifth or even seventh dan.

Among the most illustrious students who studied under Sasaki and Kapawen is former world shotokan kata champion Julian Chees, now the head of over 50 gyms in southern Germany under the Shoshin (Beginner’s Mind) School.

Chees, the only non-native German to be drafted to the national team of Germany, has also established Kinderhelfe, foundation reaching out to ailing children in the Cordillera. He was due recently for promotion to fifth dan.


Pickpocket robs tourist; jailed
BAGUIO CITY – A pickpocket who reportedly tried to rob a tourist is now in jail.

Ann Jell Dillo 30, a local tourist, filed a complaint last week against Brandon A. Mapangdol 25 for trying to rob her at Sunshine Bldg, Abanao Road.

The complainant said she just alit from a van when the suspect espied her and followed her inside Hotel Veniz, swiftly seized her black pouch, then ran away

SPO1 Proculo Sumabong and PO1 Jerrom Serrano Sr., said in a report the security guard pointed the suspect to the police who pretended to be a customer,

Police seized from the suspect the black pouch he hid in his jacket.

A Nokia 6300 worth 12,000, another cell phone N76 worth 16,000 and 13,000 cash were seized from th3e suspect and turned over to the owner.