COMMUNITY BILLBOARD

>> Sunday, April 7, 2013




By Carlito C. Dar

BAGUIO CITY -- With the implementation of the Sin Tax Reform law this year, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products jumped at the top of the consumer price index (CPI) as shown in a National Statistics Office (NSO) data. 

Based on the NSO-Cordillera’s February 2013 Regional Price Situationer, Cordillera’s CPI stands at 131.1, higher by 5.9 compared to the 125.2 CPI last February 2012. 

CPI is defined as a general measure of the change in the retail prices of a market basket or collection of goods and services commonly purchased by the average Filipino household. 

The said regional price situationer shows that all the provinces in the region reflect an increase in CPI due to increase in prices of goods and services.

As per commodity groups, alcoholic beverages and tobacco reported the highest CPI with 166.5, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages with a CPI of 141.3 and transportation with 130.9. 

Republic Act 10351 or Sin Tax Reform 2012 signed by President Benigno Aquino III last December 2012 and took effect last January 1, aims to increase government revenues on alcohol and tabacco products that will also help elevate the quality of public health in the country through the Universal Health Care program. 
With higher prices of alcoholic beverage and sin products, the government also aims to discourage the public especially the young against such vices, which also causes financial and health constraints to every Filipino family. 

Meantime, the same NSO data sheet shows that the increase in the CPI also brings up the region’s inflation rate to 4.7, an increase by 2.4 percent compared to the February 2012 inflation rate of 2.3 percent. 

As for the average purchasing power of peso in the region, the NSO data shows that the value of peso dropped to 76 centavos compared to last year’s 80 centavos; meaning the market value of goods and services worth 76 centavos in February 2006 (baseline date) are bought at one peso this February 2013. 

The province of Apayao has the highest peso value at 82 centavos, followed by Abra and Kalinga with peso value of 79 centavos. Ifugao registered the lowest peso value at 74 centavos. -- PIA

Airshed body resurrected to improve Metro Baguio air
BAGUIO CITY -  Air quality in the highlands, particularly along the Metro Baguio area (Baguio and the towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan , Tuba and Tublay), will soon be cleaner with the 10-year old “Airshed Governing Board” springing back to life.

Resurrected by the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the airshed body aims to put together an integrated master development plan as recommended by a study done in 2004 by the European community.

The Environment Department rates Baguio’s air as “fair to good”. The Metro Baguio government has already vowed to coordinate for the effort.

Airshed refers to “a geographical area within which the air frequently is confined or channeled, with all parts of the area thus being subject to similar conditions of air pollution”.

Such, however, is undefined in the Clean Air Act (Republic Act 8749), said Ramon Dacawi, an environmental advocate and public information officer of Baguio City.

On Feb. 12, 2003,  DENR Secretary Elisea Gozun issued Administrative Order 2003-04 creating the BLISTT Airshed interim governing board.

Under RA 8749, “the designation of airsheds shall be on the basis of, but not limited to, areas with similar climate, meteorology and topology which affect the interchange and diffusion of pollutants in the atmosphere, or areas which share common interest or face similar development programs, prospects or problems”.

The governing board has already reaffirmed 10-year-old resolutions adopted including strengthening the campaign against air pollution from motor vehicle exhaust.

Environment officials recall how Baguio was portrayed in a Philippine Star report as “being the most polluted city in the country” based on the vehicle smoke emission monitoring at the foot of Session Road, the city’s main business thoroughfare. 

The EMB said, however, that the extent of air pollution at the base of the main street did not reflect that average air quality of the whole city.

With the revival of the airshed board, Baguio is now calling for the expansion of its membership, to include the jeepney and taxi associations, the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Education.

The DENR-Cordillera is calling for the strengthening of the campaign through the installation and activation of a closed circuit television system that would monitor vehicles emitting excessive exhaust, resulting in easier apprehension of violators of the Clean Air Act. 

Others are also pushing for the identification of and support to existing local clean air and environmental initiatives being undertaken with or without the sanction of the airshed board and the use of manual emission measuring gadgets far cheaper than the P10 to P12 million electronic device at the foot of Session Road which conked out last December.


Vizcaya town demands share in Casecnan tax
By Charlie Lagasca

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – About 300 residents from Alfonso CastaƱeda town in this province held a picket at the capitol compound yesterday to ask for the release of their P50-million share from the operation of the US-owned firm Casecnan Multipurpose and Irrigation Project. 

The placard-bearing residents asked the provincial government to release the amount, which has been withheld since October last year. 

Gov. Luisa Cuaresma withheld the release of the quarterly real property tax share of Alfonso CastaƱeda amid allegations of fund misuse.

In her letter, Cuaresma told Mayor Jerry Pasigian to comply first with the order of the Commission on Audit to explain the alleged misuse of funds  from the tax share, which has reached P130 million.     


Start of P’sinan bets’ campaign peaceful
DAGUPAN CITY – The start of the campaign period for local candidates in Pangasinan turned out peaceful yesterday except for reports of posting of campaign materials on structures not designated by the Commission on Elections as common poster area.

Lawyer Marino Salas, provincial election supervisor, told the media local bets have started going around to boost their candidacy.

Salas said he was informed by a concerned voter that in Binmaley town, the entire fence of the public auditorium was decorated with posters of re-electionist Mayor Lorenzo Cerezo and re-electionist Councilor Ellen Alipio.

“We will immediately act on this matter and call the attention of the ‘Oplan Baklas’ committee in the area to notify the mayor and the councilor about it,” Salas said.

Salas said Cerezo and Alipio have three days to remove their illegal posters.

3 arrested for gun ban violation in Pangasinan
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Three persons have been arrested for gun ban violation in this province.
Reports reaching the Pangasinan Provincial Office here showed that Marcelino Obra, 44, of Barangay Diaz, Umingan town was drinking with his friends last Thursday when his brother, barangay captain Paquito Obra, passed by and found in his possession a fragmentation grenade and a fan knife.
Paquito arrested his brother and turned him over to the police.

Meanwhile, 24-year-old Jar-Ar San Miguel, of Sitio Dalumat, Barangay Sto. Tomas, San Jacinto was nabbed for possession of a caliber .38 revolver.

Police said they also recovered from San Miguel marijuana leaves and live ammunition for caliber magnum 35.
Jimmy Rebudan Jr., 41, of Barangay Salud, Bolinao town, was apprehended after he allegedly fired his homemade shotgun in front of the house of barangay councilor Rolando Casta.

Charges of violation of the Omnibus Election Code have been filed against the suspects, police said.





1,950 nabbed for gun ban in C. Luzon
CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga– At least 1,950 people have been arrested and 1,916 assorted firearms confiscated in Central Luzon since the start of the election gun ban on Jan. 13.

Senior Supt. Moro Virgilio Lazo, deputy director for operations of Police Regional Office-3 (PRO-3), said among those arrested were 25 government officials, 1,785 civilians, 13 personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and 23 from the Philippine National Police.

A member of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, 22 security guards and two members of the Citizens Armed Force Geographical Units were also among those arrested.

Police have filed charges against all the arrested persons.

Lazo told the media among all regions, PRO-3 has registered the most number of confiscated firearms from Jan. 13 to March 23.  



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