MORE NEWS, BAGUIO CITY

RDC shifts strategy in pushing autonomy
By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera Regional Development Council has shifted its approach to the autonomy issue from an aggressive mode to a development-based advocacy to pave the way for the realization of the establishment of a Cordillera Autonomous Region.

The approach is aimed to enhance development capabilities of the region and the local governments to be able to assume duties and responsibilities of an autonomous region once such functions which is now being undertaken by the national government will be devolved to the regional level.

The RDC said the idea of gradually developing the region’s capability to become autonomous is the demand of almost all sectors in the provinces including this mountain resort city.

The policy-making body’s decision to refocus the renewed pursuit for autonomy is anchored on the results of the baseline survey conducted between October 2007 to January 2008 across the six provinces and the city which showed Cordillerans are still not aware on the real purpose of establishing an autonomous region.

Ironically, 30 percent of the people believe that the region is not ready for autonomy while another 40 percent tend to have no opinion as to the overall readiness of the region for such issue.

Furthermore, 66 percent of Cordillerans remain undecided should there be a plebiscite for the ratification of a new organic Act while another 15 percent are decidedly not in favor of autonomy.

Some 58.6 percent of Cordillerans tend to be undecided or tend to vote no but want more explanation of the autonomy issue while 39 percent want to see better capacity of their local government to deliver basic public services before they will vote yes for autonomy.

In the contrary, 19.8 percent of the people favor a regular administrative region for the present generation and let the future generation take advantage of the constitutional provision mandating the establishment of an autonomous region in the cordillera while another 43 percent want to work out a flexible program to gradually develop the Cordillera’s capability to become autonomous on a phase by phase program.

RDC officials said the people of the Cordillera are more interested of development activities that would develop capabilities towards becoming autonomous, thus, the urgent need to refocus the approaches to ensure pursuit for regional autonomy would not go to waste.

After the interventions shall have been put in place by the RDC, a validation survey will again be conducted to determine how far the efforts of the government have gone to convince the people to favor the establishment of the long overdue autonomous government.

Autonomy advocates said self-governance is far more advantageous to the cordillera because of the expected greater control of resources and reduced restraint from outside forces.


P30 million released for repair of dangerous Marcos Highway cuts
By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY — The central office of the Department of Public Works and Highways has approved the release of P30 million for the repair of two dangerous road cuts along Marcos Highway, a major road linking this mountain resort city and the lowlands.

Engineer Mariano Alquiza, DPWH Cordillera director bared this saying the repair of the two road cuts is expected to start this year. It has been long delayed due to the lack of funds.

Alquiza said the repair of the bigger of the two road cuts requires an allocation of at least P20 million. The repair work includes the installation of signages. The balance of the fund will be used to repair the smaller road cut on Marcos Highway.

Marcos Highway is now the main road leading to the Cordillera. It used to be Kennon Road, but the regional office of the Department of Transportation and Communications has banned inter-regional commuter vehicles from passing through Kennon, the shortest route to this city from the lowland.

Alquiza said the delay in the release of the fund for the restoration work on the road cuts took some time because the money was sourced from the government’s unprogrammed budget or the calamity fund.

The regional DPWH official said it is difficult to source funds for unprogrammed projects such as repair of road cuts because the limited funds are apportioned first for priority projects in calamity-stricken areas in the country.

The road cuts on Marcos Highway were caused by the series of typhoons that hit the region over the past several years.

Earlier, the Benguet engineering district requested the realignment of a P65 million fund set aside for the repair of ripraps on Marcos Highway to the repair of the road cuts but the request was denied.

The amount which is in the form of savings is intended for a specific purpose and could not be used to fund the repair of the road cuts.

Motorists regularly plying the Marcos Highway have complained that the road cuts in several sections of the roads pose danger specially when the weather is foggy.

The road cuts, located at deep ravines, could cause in serious accidents which could result in loss of lives and damage to properties.


Baguio execs seek help as hawkers get bolder
By Isagani S. Liporada

BAGUIO CITY – City officials are finding it hard to “retake” road and walkway easements from illegal vendors.

While doing their regular rounds at Burnham Park about 1:30 p.m. on March 15, three POSD men were met with a force of around 30 fuming hawkers who threatened them with bodily harm.

A POSD official said they retreated to the nearest police station and came back with policemen and 12 additional POSD men.

“Moments later, they hurled rocks at us, hitting one of our comrades, while shouting ‘magkakapatayan tayo,” he said.

POSD chief Gregorio Deligero said “The situation seems to be getting nastier as days go by. Our number’s not really getting any bigger and current laws don’t really afford us protection. It would just be a matter of time when one of our men would suffer serious injuries or even death.”

Of the 30 hawkers that included women, the responding Special Weapons and Tactics collared only one not so lucky vendor.

A case was filed against the vendor, known only by an alias “Abah,” who posted bail Monday, after being incarcerated at the city jail.

Deligero said the city council could make anti-vending laws that “favor anti-vending operations rather than misplaced humanitarian considerations. I guess, what we’re asking is for our concerned officials to extend some humanitarian considerations to our men whose lives and limbs are placed in a state of peril everyday.”

The POSD chief urged city police to form an anti-vending task force, saying it would revive erring vendors’ respect for authority.

A team of city officials recently visited Marikina, to observe local government “best practices” the city may adopt.

Following this, city councilors proposed an ordinance regulating the use of city streets, sidewalks, bridges, parkways and overpasses” in the city.

Penned jointly by councilors Elaine Sembrano and Perlita Rondez, the measure
consolidates all anti-easement encroachment measures that now provides immediate confiscation or removal of goods, tools of trade, and other impediments “without prior notice.”


Baguio media chooses 4 lucky summer visitors
Four firs-time visitors in this mountain resort city were chosen by the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club as this year’s lucky summer visitors during the selection conducted at a gasoline station in Rosario, La Union.

It took the BCBC team more than two hours of stopping Baguio-bound buses to look for first-tome visitors.

The first lucky visitor, who was picked in Victory Liner bus with body number 6028, was Jasmin Landero, 24, single, agronomist of the ASEAN agriculture development office in Makati. He nails from Surigao City.

The three other lucky visitors were also picked from among passengers of a Victory Liner bus.

They were Marited Maturana, 22, website developer, of Valenzuela City; her sister Vanessa Maturana, 26, certified public accountant and John Angelo Butac, 22, environment engineer, of Manila.

The local media group gave the lucky visitors a four-day red carpet treatment while they were in the city.

They visited tourist destinations in this city and nearby towns of Benguet.

The search for the Lucky Summer visitor is an annual BCBC undertaking, which is aimed at helping promote the tourism industry of Baguio City and Benguet.

The lucky visitors expressed their gratitude to the members of the local media and their benefactors. -- Dexter See


AFP falls short of target to dismantle 17 NPA fronts
FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City – The Armed Forces of the Philippines fell short of its target to dismantle 17 alleged fronts of the communist guerrilla movement in the first quarter of the year.

The AFP though claimed its anti-insurgency campaign is on track.

AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said government forces were able to identify and dismantle 14 alleged front organizations of the communist New People’s Army.

Though the AFP fell short of its target, Esperon said this was much higher than what they have accomplished last year, dismantling 13 guerrilla fronts all over the country in 2007.

“In 2007, we dismantled 13 and said that others were in advanced stage of degradation, so 13 last year then 14 for the first quarter, that means the pacing is faster,” Esperon said.

He said the momentum is with the government forces, dismantling guerrilla fronts much faster than the NPA could create them.

“So we’re on track, we’re on target, (and) we’re winning,” he said.

Because of the increased tempo of operations, Esperon said more NPA fronts could be dismantled to meet the 2010 deadline.

President Arroyo gave the AFP two more years to end the decades-old Maoist insurgency being waged by the NPA in the countryside.

The AFP top brass also forecast a reduction of the NPA’s manpower by 1,500 for this year.

“When we last counted it last quarter they were at 5,700, we hope to reduce their armed strength by 1,500 this year, from the average of 1,000 every year since 2001 so we might hit 1,500 now. We’re largely on target,” he said.

Esperon said the AFP is bracing for possible attacks from the NPA, which marks its 40th anniversary on March 29.

This is the reason why the AFP did not declare a Suspension of Offensive Military Operations against the NPA during the Holy Week, he said.

“No SOMO. For one, the anniversary of the NPA comes in March and it’s a time for them to be meeting. I think it’s a good time for us to be operating,” Esperon said.
He said the NPA traditionally attacks military and police detachments as a show of force during their anniversary.

“That’s part of the overall preparation, because they still have 5,000 plus armed men. You expect that they would launch some activities if only to highlight their anniversary,” he said.