Regional action centers to hasten govt programs

By Gina Dizon

BAGUIO CITY - Regional action centers to facilitate actions on people’s request for assistance and coordinate issues and concerns brought to government offices shall be set up by the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD NECC).

MRRD NECC national chairperson and former TESDA Secretary Guiling “Gene” Mamondiong in a meeting with MRRD Cordillera said the greater number of people should be provided access to socio-economic programs and services of the government.

Following an MRRD NECC directive signed by Mamondiong, national president John Castriciones and national secretary general Martin Dino, the memorandum was directed to regional and local MRRD officers to implement said memorandum.

MRRD is a national movement that supported President Rodrigo Duterte during the 2016 national elections.

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Baguio, 7 LGUs in CAR rated outstanding in peace and order

By Jessa Mardy P. Samidan

The city government of Baguio was rated 90.86 percent in the 2018 Peace and Order Council (POC) Performance Audit earning a first level ranking together seven other local government units in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

             The result of the POC performance audit conducted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office was transmitted to the city mayor’s office June 6 with the corresponding reasons for the compliance rate.

            Based on the DILG report, the city was able to perfect its score in four out of five pillars particularly on the presence of all required documents related to peace and order as well as the presence of good practice on Integrated Participatory Community Building Program (IPCBP) for Persons with Substance Disorder (PSUD). 

            The performance audit team gave bearing to the city’s effort in establishing its program on PSUD as best practice of the City Human Rights Justice Peace and Order Council (CHRJPOC).

           Baguio only fell short of percentage point on Pillar 4 having 30.86 percent rating out of 40 due to the late submission of POC reporting forms for the first and second quarter of 2018 including the late submission of the POC Secretariat 2018 Annual Report.

Also garnering an outstanding POC performance includes the 5th class-component City of Tabuk in Kalinga with 82 percent final score while Ifugao Province had a final score of 87.43 percent.

             In the municipalities’ category, both the 2nd class towns of Bontoc and Paracelis in Mountain Province were able to get a final score of 93.14 percent. The same score was given to the 4rth class municipalities of Bauko and Tadian as well as the 5th class town of Barlig all in Mountain Province.

LGUs with outstanding final score will be eligible for the Most Outstanding Peace and Order Award after passing a rigorous validation phase by the DILG central office.

Other municipal LGUs in the region were able to pass the POC performance audit except for 16 towns that were given a failed mark due to lack of good practice to comply with Pillar 5 checklist.

The LGUs that failed the peace and order audit include Mankayan and Tublay in Benguet; as well as the Abra municipalities of Boliney, Bucloc, Daguioman, Lacub, Lagangilang, Lagayan, Licuan-Baay, Malibcong, Manabo, Peñarrubia, Pidigan, Sallapadan, San Quintin and Tayum.

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Cooperation in public services

BANTAY GOBYERNO

Ike Señeres

Public schools and public hospitals are the best known public services; because we see these and we physically go to them as a matter of fact. The same could be said about public markets and public works, but that is not so in the case of public attorneys and public housing.

Common sense would tell us that public works would usually mean roads and bridges, but that should be broadly interpreted now to mean anything that would construct any infrastructure or any physical project that would assist in the delivery of public services and thus improve the quality of life.

It is good to note that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has already started building public schools, but what could also be good is if they could start building public hospitals as well.

At first I thought that courtrooms could be the places where the people could go to seek justice, but that is not really the case in the real world. Seeking justice would usually mean filing suit in a court of law, but in reality, a lawyer is always needed to do just that.

That is the reason why I now say that the people who seek justice should now go to the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), on the assumption of course that they could not afford a private lawyer. In a manner of speaking, it could be said that PAO offices are just like private law offices, except that they could not be found in more places as they should be.

As I see it, there is a need to re-invent the whole process of providing free legal assistance, and one way to do that perhaps is to outsource it to non-profit organizations, possibly including cooperatives as well.

Perhaps unknown to many, there is a law granting cooperatives to own and operate public markets, in partnership with, or under the authority of Local Government Units (LGUs). I think that this provision has a double advantage, somewhat like having two sides to a coin.

On one side, it will free the LGUs from the expense of building and maintaining the public markets. On the other side, it will give the cooperatives a default business to invest in, aside from the fact that it will automatically create a market for the goods and services produced by their members.

Needless to say, the LGUs could still generate incomes from local taxes, a function that they could also delegate to the cooperatives. Looking at this from the positive side, it may even reduce the incidents of corruption, because of the reduced involvement of public officials.

In theory but with so much legal basis, it could generally be said that all of the public services mentioned here could already be owned and operated by cooperatives, including public housing as a matter of fact. Apparently and for some reason, there seems to be no concept of “public housing” in this country, in much the same way that there appears to be no concept of “homeless persons” here also.

So far, what is generally understood here is the concept of “socialized housing”, which is now defined to mean low quality homes with short amortization periods. My wish however that the term could be interpreted to mean high quality homes with longer amortization periods, possibly even on a rent-to-own basis. By comparison, rental housing would be a better offer for those who could not afford expensive mortgages.

Imagine what would happen if the public services mentioned here could already be owned and operated by cooperatives? Among other things but most of all, we would have a very big chance to reduce poverty in this country. How do we do that?

All that we have to do really is to eat our way out of poverty, going into prosperity. That might sound that simple to you, but it is really that simple. And what do I mean by that? I do not have the figures right now, but I do know that we are importing billions of pesos worth of food items and petroleum products. Can you imagine that?

               We are not only importing so much of what we eat, but we are also importing so much of the fuel that we cook our food with. Again I say that I do not have the figures with me right now, but can you imagine what would happen if we import in the substitution of these imported items?

Goods and services that are purchased from cooperatives are generally cheaper, and for that reason alone, co-operators could already save a lot of money. On top of the savings however, they could also earn money not only from rebates, but also from dividends.

Seriously, one does not have to be a math genius to understand that with the combination of discounts, rebates and dividends, co-operators would not only become richer, they might also become healthier because they will be consuming organic and natural foods that are also produced by their own members.

I have searched far and wide, high and low, but up to now I have not found any other movement that has the full potential of liberating the people from poverty and bringing them forward to prosperity.

For feedback email iseneres@yahoo.com or text +639083159262

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City workers cited/ Baguio lass Phl rep to ASEAN

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY - The city government on Monday recognized three offices and six employees who displayed exemplary behavior and work ethics in discharging their functions.

Cited and bestowed the On-The-Spot (OTS) Awards of the Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) Committee were the Baguio City Fire Department under Chief Insp. Nestor Gorio, the Permits and Licensing Division under Supervising Administrative Officer Allan Abayao and the Real Property Tax Division of the City Treasury Office under Local Treasury Operations Officer IV Rowena Gaviola. 

Administrative Aide III Sylvester Masgay of the Local Civil Registry, Administrative Aide IV Cecilia Aspiras and Local Assessment Operations Officer II Marlon Sayan of the City Assessor’s Office, LTOO I Kathleen Louis Joy Domingo, Revenue Collection Clerk II Remedios Cardeno and Local Revenue Collection Officer I Sherwin Mole also received OTS certificates from city officials led by Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Rep. Mark Go, Vice Mayor Edison Bilog and PRAISE committee member Coun. Joel Alangsab.

Alangsab said the commendations were based on the feedback received from satisfied clients.

The three offices were praised for their “wonderful” services by a client who resides in Manila who appreciated the fast processing of her business permit.

“Nagulat ako.  Ang bilis.  Nandito ako 11:30 a.m. then natapos agad,” the client wrote in her feedback form which was verified on the same date by the PRAISE committee.

Masgay and the LCR office were commended by Remedios Inay for the smooth and fast processing of her application for marriage registration.

“Maganda ang pagtanggap ng clients at mabilis ang pag-transact hindi katulad ng ibang municipalities na ang daming questions and requirements,” she was quoted as saying.

               Aspiras and Sayan were also cited for being kind and efficient by Kathleen Dilem who related that she was entertained by the employees despite being there at 7:30 a.m.

“I was able to get my documents in less than 10 minutes.  Kapag sinabi nilang within the day makukuha, talagang on the day na, hindi kailangang bumalik,” Dilem said.

Domingo, Cardeno and Mole were praised for their pleasant demeanor and professionalism.

The OTS is a regular awards program to acknowledge employees who demonstrated courtesy, honesty, promptness and efficiency and their daily efforts such as reporting for duty on time, using government office hours diligently and retiring from work only after office hours.

The selection of awardees is based on the letters of commendation or appreciation from the clients, private companies or public institutions citing the employee that they have directly transacted business with and the latter’s demonstration of exemplary behavior. 

The letters must come from the PACD-suggestion box located in the city hall lobby or addressed to the city mayor/city vice mayor or department/office heads. 

                ***

A Baguio girl was one of the nine Philippine representatives to the 2nd ASEA-India Youth Summit held Feb. 3-7 at Guwahati, Assam, India.

Sheridan Athena Gajete of Upper Pinget barangay who is currently the cluster head of the National Youth Commission Office for Visayas and Mindanao was chosen from among the almost 10,000 applicants screened by the India Foundation, Ministry of External Affairs.

A doctorate graduate where she studied the behavior of adolescent and young people in Baguio City and the region, Gajete was considered for her advocacies while with the NYC.

Her advocacies were focused on the nine centers for Filipino youth participation as embodied in the Philippine Youth Development Plan: health, education, economic empowerment, environment, governance, active citizenship, global mobility, social inclusion and equity and peace building and security.

Gajete along with other co-delegates from the Philippines and nine other member countries took part in presentations, classroom sessions, peer learning activities and experiential site visits during the summit which focused on the theme “Connectivity: Pathway to Shared Prosperity.”

Panel discussions focused on topics of “Physical Connectivity,” ”Economic Connectivity,” “Governance and Polity,” Cultural and Historical Linkages,” “Entrepreneurship and Skill Development,” Youth and Socio-Cultural Connectivity” among others.  

The summit aims to serve as a “confluence of youth leaders from India and the ten ASEAN countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (to) lead to a shared understanding of the challenges we face and the actions that we need to take to restore and nourish connectivity in all dimensions within the region.”

“Promising young leaders from India and ASEAN will get an opportunity to participate in brainstorming events over the course of five days and they will be mentored by thought leaders from the region.”

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10 mayors probed over Ompong absence; cases, sanctions poised

THE DEPT. OF INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT is set to impose sanctions against ten municipal mayors of the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley who were reportedly absent during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong.

DILG Undersecretary for peace and order Bernardo Florece Jr. said local chief executives or LCEs found liable for absenteeism and negligence of duty may be sanctioned with administrative cases.

Florece said LCEs could be suspended in connection with cases filed before the DILG. But for cases filed with the ombudsman, “erring mayors could face dismissal,” Florece told a press conference at the DILG central office in Quezon City.

“We were surprised with the reports received at the central office of absentee mayors whose local government units are part of the critical areas in the Typhoon Ompong track,” Florece said.

Based on the DILG’s Operation Listo protocols, LCEs whose local government units fall under the alpha (low-risk), bravo (medium-risk) and charlie (high-risk) areas during typhoons are mandated to undertake necessary critical preparedness actions as part of disaster preparations.

DILG spokesman Jonathan Malaya said actual names of the municipal/city mayors could not be divulged at the moment as the department is still reviewing their performances vis-à-vis Operation Listo protocols.

“The department doesn’t want trial by publicity so the actual names of erring mayors will be released after the investigation is complete,” he said.

Mayors who will be proven negligent or remiss of doing their duty, especially as chairpersons of their respective local disaster risk reduction and management council, need to explain or justify in writing within the prescribed period why no disciplinary action shall be taken against them, according to Malaya.

“As mandated by the Local Government Code, the presence and support of mayors in their respective areas of jurisdictions are imperative for them to carry out measures to protect their constituents from the harmful effects of disasters and calamities,” he said.

Malaya added that being the agency mandated to exercise general supervision over the LGUs, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año enjoined the LCEs days ahead to be physically present in their respective LGUs before, during and after the onslaught of Ompong.

He said according to doctrine of qualified political agency, the DILG as the alter ego of President Duterte has the power to sanction erring LCEs.

“I emphasize that we do not necessarily aim to look for bad performance but we also hope to find best practices,” he said.

DILG Central Office Disaster Information Coordinating Center chief Edgar Allan Tabell said in the absence of a national law on forced evacuation, it is up to the LGUs to undertake forced evacuations in their LGUs.

“There is enough authority for mayors to conduct forced evacuation under the general welfare clause of the Local Government Code. So, even in the absence of a specific law, there is legal authority for the mayor to implement forced evacuation if the conditions so warrant,” he said.

In the case of Barangay Ucab in Itogon, Benguet, where missing miners and their families were reported buried underneath a collapsed bunkhouse, the agency did not receive any report that the LGU conducted the forced evacuation.

“We received a report that the LGU conducted preemptive evacuation prior to the onslaught of Ompong. Unfortunately, the miners evacuated to another area which happened to be landslide-prone,” Tabell said.

He added that the DILG, as lead agency of the Management of the Dead and Missing cluster, has activated the MDM-Benguet to extract these missing persons in coordination with other national government agencies in the cluster.

Philippine National Police spokesman Senior Supt. Benigno Durana said the DILG would investigate the liability of those who failed to implement the forced evacuation of people in danger zones.

“For now, the DILG is investigating if concerned authorities have liability on why it happened. What I know is that according to the DILG, it is a hazard area and if we have situations like this, preemptive evacuation is necessary, if it was done,” he said.

                “The DILG is looking into local officials, if they have ample reaction in preparing for Typhoon Ompong,” he added.

Durana noted that the PNP is ready to help in the investigation in the event that the DILG needs its support.

“As of now, we have not yet received any order regarding that but if the DILG wants us to be involved, definitely, we will because the PNP is also under the DILG,” he added.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has reported that there were about 74 casualties — 60 in the CAR, 10 in Cagayan, two in Central Luzon and one each in the National Capital Region and Ilocos region.

While the mayors are now under investigation, the DILG lauded some LCEs and the PNP for their timely action which saved 591,762 persons or 147,540 families in seven regions across the country.

Florece said the preemptive evacuation, pre-positioning of supplies and equipment, and establishment of critical preparedness actions by LGUs based on Operation Listo protocols significantly contributed to successful Ompong operations.

“I commend our governors, mayors and barangay captains for being on top of Typhoon Ompong activities in their respective areas of jurisdictions, which saved the lives of thousands of Filipinos, especially those who are living in vulnerable areas,” he said.

Florece was designated as OIC while Año is on official travel abroad.

The NDRRMC reported that Ompong affected 2,738 barangays, 433 cities and municipalities, and 31 provinces across the NCR; Regions I, II and III; CAR; Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan).

Of the figures, a total of 219,508 people or 57,196 families were served inside and outside evacuation centers.

Florece said the department activated its 24/7 Disaster Monitoring and Reporting Systems led by its CODIX as early as Sept. 11 or five days before Ompong was expected to hit the country.

He likewise commended the PNP for its round-the-clock monitoring to ensure continuous operations of communication system, repacking of family food packs at the Department of Social Welfare and Development field offices and the deployment of search and rescue (SAR) personnel across Ompong-affected areas.

“Our police officers set aside their personal safety and braved strong winds and rains just to fulfill their avowed duties and save the lives of our people,” he said.

With Ompong now out of the Philippine area of responsibility, Malaya said LGUs should continue with the post- disaster activities such as relief pack distributions and mass feeding.

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Search on for best provincial employees of Mountain Province

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The provincial government has launched search for best performing employees for first and second level classes with salary grade 22 and below.

               This is to recognize and reward provincial government employees for their contribution and achievements in public service.

Nominees must be at least five years as permanent employee with no pending administrative or criminal charge and never administratively charged and penalized since entering the provincial government.

One must also have very satisfactory work performing rating for the last five years or for ten rating periods and the office of the nominee should have office performance commitment and review form rating of very satisfactory since 2013.  

Nominators can be permanent employees or contractual workers with at least two years of service in the provincial government, non-government organizations and clients.

Nominees are evaluated on the following criteria: 50% on IPCR (individual performance commitment and review form) rating, 30% for initiative/innovations, and 20% for  courtesy, punctuality, wearing of uniforms with ID.

They must also not have been accused of smoking, chewing and spitting of momma, under the influence of liquor before entering the office and while on duty, must have attended flag raising ceremonies and other provincial government activities.

Accomplished nomination forms with attachments shall be submitted on or before Sept. 28 for initial validation by the nominees’ own office screening body. 

The body shall submit consolidated list of nominees together with accomplished nomination forms to the PRAISE secretariat though the provincial human resource management office on or before Oct. 12 for posting in three conspicuous places.

The PRAISE committee will evaluate list of nominees on Oct. 29 to come up with the awardees for this year’s search for best performing employee/s of the provincial government who will be recognized and awarded during the retirees’ mabuhay-pasasalamat program in December.

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Appointment of permanent regional directors pressed

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY – The Regional Development Council in the Cordillera passed a resolution requesting Secretaries of different government departments to appoint a permanent regional director for their established offices in the region to ensure continuity and sustainability of programs and projects.

The resolution was passed by the region’s policy-making body during the recent Advisory Committee meeting in the presence of Cordillera lawmakers who also expressed support to the said move considering the presence of numerous officers-in-charge overseeing the various regional line agencies.

The RDC-CAR chaired by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan called on the concerned authorities in the national level to fastrack the screening process for the qualified applicants for the vacant positions of regional directors in the region and for their subsequent appointment to their permanent position as not to jeopardize the implementation of their programs and projects around the region.

Among the agencies that were pinpointed to have officers-in-charge for a long period of time include the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The RDC-CAR stated that in the appointment of permanent regional directors for the various agencies with regional offices in the region, the pertinent provisions of Executive Order No. 220 must be given weight because qualified Cordillerans will have the chance to share their skills and knowledge in contributing to the growth and development of the region.

Domogan expressed confidence that the sentiments of the Cordillerans will be considered by the appointing authorities in the designation of permanent regional directors in the different line agencies so that regional concerns will be appropriately ventilated with the national government considering the peculiar situation of the region.

According to him, the government is currently implementing numerous development projects in the different parts of the region which should be supervised by responsible officials of the different line agencies considering that officers-in-charge are simply holding their posts in a temporary capacity and could be replaced or relived anytime.

The approved RDC-CAR resolution will be immediately transmitted by the secretariat to the Secretaries of the concerned line agencies for immediate action and information.

The concerned officers-in-charge who were present during the meeting expressed their gratitude to the RDC-CAR for extending the regional policy-making body’s support for their being vein a permanent appointment as directors for their respective agencies so that they will have the peace of mind and that they could concentrate in aggressively cascading to the grassroots level the various development programs and projects of the government.

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3 cops, bopap commended for public service

BAGUIO CITY – Special commendations were given to three city cops  and certificate of commendation to a punong barangay for dedicated public service and active participation in the city’s anti-criminality program.

SP04 Efren Anapen was cited for providing immediate assistance to a visitor and motorist who had a vehicular problem while traversing  Loakan access road extension earlier this month.

Also commended were SPO3 Virgilio Rebollido Jr. and PO3 Danny Bomogao for apprehending an individual wanted for the crime of robbery with violence that occurred this January along Upper Magsaysay Avenue.

Upper Magsaysay punong barangay Prescilla Dacanay was recognized for active participation in city police’s anti-criminality campaign.

“Such noble contribution bespeaks of her invaluable support to the relentless crime prevention and solution efforts of the BCPO to accomplish its mandate of maintaining peace and order in the City of Baguio, worthy or praise and admiration,” Dacanay’s commendation stated.

Signed by acting city police director Ramil Saculles, the commendations were handed over by city officials headed by Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Rep. Mark Go and Vice-Mayor Edison Bilog in Monday’s flag-raising ceremonies at city hall.- Gaby Keith and Rebecca Tial 

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Dolores top 5 LGU in national CSC survey

By Maria Teresa B. Beñas

DOLORES, Abra -- The local government unit of this town was ranked fifth by the Civil Service Commission in its nationwide report card survey in delivery of services.

It is the only LGU in the Cordillera Administrative Region included in the Top 10 nationwide with a rating of 94.65 percent.

Mayor Robert Victor G, Seares, Jr. said he was proud of the result and thanked his fellow officials and employees for their support and cooperation in the implementation of the various anti-graft and corruption laws and CSC policies and guidelines for more  effective and responsive public   service delivery system.

The CSC   rated LGUs and government agencies in the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA), display of Citizens' Charter, No Noon Break Policy, wearing of IDs or nameplates, establishment of public assistance desk and anti-fixers campaign. 

Other LGUs in the Top 10 were Santiago City, Isabela; Tagum City, Davao del Norte; Arayat, Pampanga; Mamasapano, Maguindanao; Iriga City, Camarines Sur; Talipao, Sulu; Lano, Camarines Norte; Lal-lo, Cagayan, and Mati City, Davao Oriental.

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Population and planning

By Gina Dizon 

Population increases. It does not decrease  unless there is mass death. And so with  increase of Philippine population  from 76.5 million in year  2000 to 101 million in 2015, expect  2017 population to go 103 million. 

This means need for more food, more school rooms, more health facilities, more vehicles, and more space where humans move around, establish shelter and source their livelihood. More space for officials and officers in government to plan how an increasing population is addressed with services whether a resident is bona fide or an informal settler.  

A recent forum here sponsored by the National Statistics Office –Mountain Province presented trends of the population  in the national, regional and province  level registered the highest in CARAGA region at 14.4 million  followed by  the National Capital Region at 12 .6 million and the lowest in the Cordillera  among the 14 regions at 1.72 million.  

The Cordillera increased population from 1.37 million in year 2000 to 1.6 in 2010 to 1.7 million in 2015 with the highest population growth rate in Benguet at 1.9% followed by  Baguio City at 1.54%. Obviously Benguet where  bustling La Trinidad is located is nearly a city by itself is the most populated  at 330 thousand  followed by Baguio City  at 252 thousand. In the same  manner that the highest populated place in Kalinga is Tabuk City and the most populated in Ifugao is Alfonso LIsta near the business district in Santiago, Isabela.

Republic  Act 1062 is clear on its mandate: to provide  government planners, policy makers and administrators with population data on which to base their  social and economic  development  plans and programs.  

Data particularly gathered by NSO are size and geographic distribution of the population, composition in term of age, sex and  marital status; religious affiliation; school attendance, literacy, highest grade completed, technical or vocational course  obtained; housing characteristics, agriculture, business, industry and other sectors of the  economy; occupation  of people, household level characteristics such as  those used for lighting, source of water supply for drinking or cooking. 
And for Executive Order 352 particularly calls for  census on housing characteristics in the barangay level including  presence of selected facilities, establishments, informal settlers, relocation areas and inmovers.

Other data needed is the number of women and children  abuse as noted by Provincial Social Welfare and Development (PSWD) Officer Rosalinda Belagan during  said population forum. And so with vulnerable data sites where  disaster can happen as  forwarded  by Edward Padcayan of the Provincial Disaster Risk and Management Council (PDRRMC). 

And with the number of drug surrenderees nowadays is there space for drug rehab centers, space for Special Education Centers (SPED), space for persons with disabilities (PWDs) with nearly 1500 cases of registered PWDs in the province and space for women in crisis centers.

Need for public space

This brings to a concern the need for equivalent space as population  expands and needs demand the space- commercial area, agricultural farms, government offices,  housing space, evacuation space, lots for social  facilities, school and training spaces, parks where children and  people come together and  talk and play and move around. And parking spaces to accommodate persons who buy cars and don’t have their personal garages and cars of  tourists who visit  tourist places. This while having sharp note on protective areas as watersheds not to be  invaded to ensure the much needed water supply of residents.    

Parking  happens anywhere even especially on public roads in the midst of people having their own cars without securing their own garages. And  in the midst of a growing tourism industry since the 1980s.

School rooms are needed with growing number of schoolchildren and  the community is in need of space to build public facilities.

Consider space for Materials Recovery Facilities  (MRF) when  economy grows. And so when make shift  MRFs  just sprout from anywhere one will come to the conclusion that  a proactive planning of where an MRF site shall be located  was not  a priority  of officers and officials in government until  ecologists shouts it’s  the call of the day. 

Mountain Province which opens and exits  road outlets to commercial towns in Santiago Isabela, and tourist towns of  Banaue Ifugao in the east and Ilocos in the west, and a Halsema Highway cut in the middle of the province to heavily populated Baguio City has the ;lowest  population growth rate in CAR and the lowest  population among the  six provinces. 

Nevertheless,  increasing population is noted highest  in the vegetable producing  town of  Bauko with its majestic mountains which pose potential for  eco-tourism, followed by  Paracelis  near  the bustling business area in Santiago Isabela.

Bontoc  the capital town of the Province since the early 1900s  up to now already  showed potentials of  getting heavily populated. It was a century ago in June 28, 1910 when the Philippine Commission under the American Government issued Resolution Number 29 delineating area and boundaries of the Bontoc townsite  of the provincial government. And so the  Capitol space,  barracks, hospital, and  jail section  were  identified of  where these shall be. The  Bontoc town site seemingly had  a plan of how  Bontoc shall look like. 

The presents reveals how public space is  slowly getting  depleted due to  infrastructure facilities  and residential houses built on the once spacious lot. Meantime the center of the town  utterly shows a demand for parking lots at the turn of the  21st century.

Tourism and parking spaces

Jerry Santos, NSO-Mountain Province  director wondered how Bontoc as the capital city should have foreseen the need for parking spaces.

In the tourist town of  Sagada, not only when  tourists boomed in the 1990s that the tourist-visited town  saw the need for parking spaces which let  the spacious Mission Compound  opened for parking and so too in  other private lots.

Not only Bontoc or Sagada is a potential tourist town but practically the 10 towns of the province  each with distinct attractions- hot springs in Bontoc, majestic mountains in Sadanga, astounding rolling hills in Paracelis, trekking trails in  Bauko and boating spots in Tadian apart from caves and waterfalls in Sagada, and cultural interests in Bontoc. 

With the Province a vast space for eco-tourism potential awaits  communities how they treat tourism in their own areas in the now and in the coming days. With Sagada serving as an example of how it welcomed backpack tourists in the 70s to 80s in their homes having eventually  expanded to a number of small inns to big inns and a few restos in the 90s to spaces for parking lots in the very recent years, other eco-tourist potential towns better start planning now how extensive or regulative their tourism be when  tourists come invading their very homes, backyards, and woodlots.

Comes now planning which is the direction of why there is  gathering of population  and data. Through CLUP or the Comprehensive Land  Use Plan lays down the plan of how community space is used- for residential, forest, watershed, agricultural,commercial lot and space for recreation.  

That is, with LGUs  limited public space as population increases, LGUs  need to invest money to buy  lots or let someone donate his or her land for public use. For alongside is the question on the readiness of LGUs to respond to demands of the times and the very near future to come. 

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Poverty and indigency

 BANTAY GOBYERNO

Ike Señeres

Republic Act No. 10606 of 2013 defines indigent as a person who has no visible means of income, or whose income is insufficient for the subsistence of his family, as determined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), based on specific criteria. Although being an indigent really has no direct bearing on the age of a person, a House Bill was recently introduced by Rep. Angelina Tan, seeking to define an indigent senior citizen as “any elderly who is without pension or permanent source of income, compensation, or regular and appropriate financial assistance from his/her relatives to support his/her basic needs, as determined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in consultation with the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board (NCMB).

Just in case you missed the point in the previous paragraph, not just anyone could claim indigency status. In both the legal references stated in the previous paragraph, only the DSWD could determine whether a person is an indigent or not, regardless of whether he or she is a senior citizen or not. I have no complaints against the legal definitions as set forth, but how I wish there would be clearer definitions of the term “poorest of the poor” as used by the government, and the term “extreme poverty” as used by the United Nations (UN) in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Related to that, how I wish we would be able to reconcile our method of measuring poverty with that of the UN.

I am raising these issues because as I understand it, anyone who belongs to the “poorest of the poor” and those who are experiencing “extreme poverty” should be automatically considered as indigents, no questions asked. While I believe that that is a fair statement to make, that I think would raise another question and that is the question of how we would draw the line between the “ordinary poor” and the “poorest of the poor”. Not that I would want to complicate this discussion, but it seems to me that those who are experiencing “extreme poverty” might even be poorer than those who are considered as the “poorest of the poor”.

It is interesting to note that the government has practically abolished the Regional Wage Boards (RWBs) , in effect decreeing that there would be only one minimum wage for the entire country. I am curious about that move, because I have always believed that the cost of living in every region should have a direct correlation to the minimum wage in the region. I am not really sure if someone in the government somehow missed out in the overall equation, but as far as I know, the cost of living has a direct effect on the ability of a household to be able to afford the imaginary basket of goods that is used to measure whether a household would fall below the poverty line or not.

Pardon my inquisitiveness, but I have also been curious about the question of whether the people who are earning only the minimum wage would be able to afford the imaginary basket of goods or not. If the answer is yes, we would truly have a humungous problem because in effect, all those who are earning only the minimum wage would actually fall below the poverty line! If you are alarmed by that, then you should even be alarmed by the possibility that all those who are earning below the minimum wage are not just “ordinarily poor”, because they might already be “extremely poor”! Of course, these are just my speculations, but somehow, someway, we should get to the bottom of these concerns.

It could be said that the ways of the old days have been overtaken by new technologies. In the old days, censuses were taken every five years or so, to measure population growth as well as the incidence of poverty. In the present days however, new technologies are available to conduct surveys on a daily and hourly basis. To a large extent, it could be said that the new technologies that are used to conduct surveys could also be used to have censuses taken on a yearly and monthly basis. As I see it, it would be more practical to have censuses taken more frequently, because the prices of the items in the imaginary basket of goods would also change frequently.

As I remember it, the computations of the minimum wages by the RWBs were based on the Consumer Price Indices (CPIs) of the specific regions, an indication that the local prices of goods have a direct correlation with minimum wages. Even if the government has practically abolished the regional computations of the minimum wages, it might want to look into the idea of determining the prices of the items in the imaginary basket of goods regionally, based on the regional CPIs. That way, it would be more grounded on the local realities. To add to that, the government might want to look into the idea of tasking the provincial Governors to measure their own local poverty rates. Email bantaygobyerno-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or text +639956441780

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10 gov’t agencies serving Central Luzon folk in malls

By Mar T. Supnad

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Department of Labor and Employment other national government agencies rendering frontline services reminded Central Luzon residents that they can visit and transact with satellite offices located in malls in the region.

Currently, 10 government agencies have satellite offices inside two malls in the City of San Fernando namely DOLE, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippine Postal Corporation, Social Security System (SSS), Pag-IBIG, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

“With these offices inside SM City Pampanga and Robinsons Starmills, we want our convenience to OFWs  availing of our services. These malls are ideal since food and other amenities are just nearby, and both malls are connected by a shaded footbridge to make it easy for clients to walk from one mall to the other or vice versa,” the DOLE said in a statement.

Among the services that can be availed at the POEA satellite office include documentation of workers (land-based and sea-based), documentation of workers-on-leave (Balik Manggagawa), registration of land-based worker-applicants, verification/certification of OFW records, provision of legal assistance, and response to queries.

Moreover, clients can also avail for the processing of their OWWA Membership/Renewal of Membership and Scheduling of Pre-Departure Orientation Seminars from the OWWA Satellite Office.

TESDA’s Specialista Desk, on the other hand, provides information on technical-vocational scholarships, apprenticeship, and learnership programs.  It also offers career guidance and counseling.

The DFA satellite office meanwhile processes new and passport renewal applications and passport validity extension of returning OFWs.

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10 gov’t agencies serving Central Luzon folk in malls

By Mar T. Supnad

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Department of Labor and Employment other national government agencies rendering frontline services reminded Central Luzon residents that they can visit and transact with satellite offices located in malls in the region.

Currently, 10 government agencies have satellite offices inside two malls in the City of San Fernando namely DOLE, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippine Postal Corporation, Social Security System (SSS), Pag-IBIG, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

“With these offices inside SM City Pampanga and Robinsons Starmills, we want our convenience to OFWs  availing of our services. These malls are ideal since food and other amenities are just nearby, and both malls are connected by a shaded footbridge to make it easy for clients to walk from one mall to the other or vice versa,” the DOLE said in a statement.

Among the services that can be availed at the POEA satellite office include documentation of workers (land-based and sea-based), documentation of workers-on-leave (Balik Manggagawa), registration of land-based worker-applicants, verification/certification of OFW records, provision of legal assistance, and response to queries.

Moreover, clients can also avail for the processing of their OWWA Membership/Renewal of Membership and Scheduling of Pre-Departure Orientation Seminars from the OWWA Satellite Office.

TESDA’s Specialista Desk, on the other hand, provides information on technical-vocational scholarships, apprenticeship, and learnership programs.  It also offers career guidance and counseling.

The DFA satellite office meanwhile processes new and passport renewal applications and passport validity extension of returning OFWs.

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Cutting red tape

BANTAY GOBYERNO

Ike Señeres

It is not really a scientific breakthrough, but it seems that I have found a correlation between red tape and customer relations management (CRM). Red tape is a term that refers to excessive rules and requirements that have to be met before a permit or a document is issued.

Even if the term is applicable to both private sector and public sector transactions, it seems that it is used more to refer to the latter. The symbolism of the term originates from the use of real red tapes that were used to bind documents during the late 18th century in England and the American colonies. The so called red tape somehow is still used today, in the form of red ribbons that are used to bind and seal legal documents.

 There are many definitions of what bureaucratic red tape could mean, but the common denominator seems to be the excessive formality that is required that almost always results in slower processing or much more delayed fulfillment. Whenever we mention the term excessive, what immediately comes to mind is that it is a relative term, relative of course to what could be lesser or simpler. Conversely, what also comes to mind is faster processing and quicker fulfillment. The bottom lines in all of these are customers that are customers that are more satisfied, and therefore happier. It is at this point where I think where the old paradigm of rules based processing would come into conflict with the customer driven practices of CRM.

In so many words, President Rodrigo Duterte has already decreed that government agencies should already reduce the documentary requirements that are now required when applying for permits, licenses or benefits. President Duterte also said that he does not want applicants to be waiting in long queues, and that he wants applicants to be notified about the status of their applications within 72 hours.

We already know that Duterte is now fighting a war against crime and corruption, the former of course including drug dealing, being also a crime. Although he is not directly saying it, it appears that his directives pertaining to the cutting of red tape is already part of his war against corruption, because everyone already knows that it is extortion and bribery that delays most of the government transactions.

         In simple terms, it could be said that red tape makes customers sad and good CRM makes customers happy. Although CRM is already a significant innovation by itself, I think what is even a more earth shaking paradigm shift is the growing understanding that the applicants of government transactions are actually the citizens, the customers, the taxpayers and the voters all rolled into one. If these multiple roles are not enough to highlight their importance, I do not know what will.

Among everyone else at this point in our history, it is perhaps Duterte who understands this most, because it is he who has experienced the phenomenon of being elected by the vast majority of the people, beating all other candidates who had more money and had more time to prepare.

 It is significant to note that one of Duterte’s first moves as soon as he assumed his office is to announce the activation of a 24/7 call center hotline that would be manned by at least 10 operators. He said that he has already chosen 8888 as the default number for the hotline.

Aside from that, he also announced the deployment of 911 as the emergency number, apparently similar to the system that he also deployed as Mayor of Davao City. It is very clear from all indications that 8888 will be the CRM number, and 911 will be the emergency number. After all these years, it is only now that we are going to have a national emergency number that is easy to remember.

 Duterte’s directive to reduce the number of documentary requirements is really very welcome move, because in reality, there are really many requirements that are not really necessary. Firstly, there are some requirements that are not really necessary, because these were probably born out of a punitive culture to make it difficult for applicants to get what they want, apart from making it hard for them to apply in order to create the conditions for corruption to happen.

Secondly, the same punitive culture places the burden of proof upon the applicants, even if the information that is required of them could already be found elsewhere in so many databases of several government agencies. If only the burden of proof is transferred to the government agencies concerned, then many ways could be found so that the databases could be accessed easily, thus also making it easy for applicants to get what they want.

 I have no doubt in my mind that one of the best ways to shorten the waiting lines in government offices is to process applications online, and the only way to do that is to accept soft copies and/or images of the documentary requirements. The problem with that however, is that most government offices would always ask for hard copies of the documents, and obviously it is impossible to do that via online means.

As provided for in the Electronic Commerce Act (ECA) however, electronic evidence is already admissible in all online transactions, with the added caveat that there is now supposed to be data parity between hard copies and soft copies in terms of admissibility.

 It appears that many government employees who are tasked with the processing of applications would often refuse to accept soft copies, because of fears that the transactions would later be disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA) and they could later on be made accountable and even be required to pay for penalties. Since their fears are well founded, it may be a good idea to give them assurances that the government will help them in case they run into problems, in much the same way that Duterte gave assurances to the police that he will defend them in case they run into trouble in connection with their implementation of the anti-drug campaign. This is just one idea, but we need more ideas about how to cut red tape and improve CRM.

Email bantaygobyerno-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or text +639956441780

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CSC exam passers in Cordillera bared

BAGUIO CITY -- A total of 25,276 out of 229,463 examinees or 11.02 percent who passed the Career Service written examinations nationwide last April 17shall be conferred civil service professional eligibility while 3,235 shall receive sub-professional eligibility.

Marilyn Taldo, CSC regional director of Cordillera Administrative Region, said 1,086 or 16.32% passed the professional level out of 6,656 while 197 or 13.72 % of the 1,239 examinees passed the sub-Professional level in Cordillera.

These represent the actual number of examinees who took the career service examinations in April 17 in four test centers: Baguio City, Bangued, Abra, Bontoc, Mt. Province and Tabuk City, she said.

The top ten passers of the April 17, 2016 Professional level examination in CAR are the following:  McPhearson Christian F. Ramos (90.72) UP; Jireh-el P. Rodriguez (90.18) SLU; Jose Fernando B. Masarate (90.09) SLU; Alden Benedick H. Agcon (89.86) SLU; Teresa A. Saysay (89.76) UB; Rodolfo B. Po,III (89.72) UP; Francisco V E Arzadon (89.46) DLSU; Katherine Marie L. Hipol (89.39) UP; Josiah Noella B. Rull (89.39) UP; Anna Grace D. Papey (89.13) SLU and Shirley Ann E. Nierva (89.12) SLU.

For the Sub-professional level, the top ten passers in CAR are the following: Johanne Kate G. Valdez (86.81) KCP; Marienne Joy D. Galimba (86.58) SLU; Bernalyn M. Alos (86.32) BSU; Florinda C. Tiw-an (86.26) BSU; Cheri Daniell G. Leyaley (85.77) SLU; Kim Amber D. Teliaken (85.74); Princess Faith A. Pauly (85.65) SLU; Louie M. Aguimayo (85.11) DCP; Ryan Christian R. Gabuat (85.01) and Peter Justin D. Padilla (84.97) UC.

The passers will be conferred the corresponding civil service Professional and Sub-Professional eligibilities. The Professional eligibility, among other qualification requirements, shall be appropriate for permanent appointment to both first level (clerical) and second level (technical) positions in the career service that do not involve practice of profession and are not covered by other special laws. The Sub-Professional eligibility shall be appropriate only to first level positions in the government that include clerical, trades, crafts, and custodial service positions.

The complete list of successful examinees of the April 17, 2016 career service Professional and SubProfessional examinations is available at the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph. The CSC said examinees may now generate their individual test results using the Online Civil Service Examination Result Generation System (OCSERGS), which can be accessed also through the CSC website.

The next schedule of the Career Service written examinations will be on Oct. 23, 2016. Filing of application is ongoing until Sept. 1, 2016. Applicants should personally file their applications at the CSC Regional Office (CSCRO), or at any of the concerned CSCRO’s Field Offices, where they intend to take the examination. The test centers in CAR are Baguio City, Bangued, Abra, Lagawe, Ifugao and Luna, Apayao. 

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Witch-hunting at DSWD- CAR over ‘missing millions’

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY – Top officials of the regional Cordillera office of the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development officials have reportedly embarked on a “witch-hunt” to identify sources of this paper in our banner story last week about millions of pesos allegedly being withdrawn and misused by executives of the government agency.

According to reliable sources, DSWD employees suspected to have given information to this writer about the “missing millions” are being harassed, grilled and made to confess by their department heads.

Our sources say the morale of suspected employees is now so low as they fear they could be the object of transfer or termination anytime.

For the information of the gods-that-be in DSWD, our sources are those who left the agency after they were fired or made to resign by their bosses but still maintain correspondence with their former peers.

They said the processes and procedures in the agency are not being done in a professional and competent level that department heads go off the line and become bossy. It is unfair that you vent your ire on your subordinates. You should just answer issues and not become personal.

If DSWD regional director Janet Armas doesn’t know anything about this, she should reign in her direct subordinates – meaning her department heads and those holding the money bags from harassing their subordinates. What they are doing could be against Civil Service rules and regulations.

***

I talked to Nerizza Villanueva, DSWD regional information officer last Friday and asked her if the allegations were true. She said she was drafting a letter for Yours Truly to answer the accusations. She added Armas was on leave.

***

For those who didn’t read last week’s edition, our sources said it was the practice of some DSWD officials to withdraw millions of pesos from the Landbank intended for Social Security Pension of beneficiaries and put these in their personal accounts to accumulate interest or use the money for their lending businesses.

They allegedly hold the money for at least two weeks and return these in time for audit. One top DSWD official had also reportedly withdrawn P72 million and as of press time, the amount was still with the person.

These officials could have felt bad about the article that they started to call their subordinates one by one and interrogate them if they had a hand in the “leak.” Ilocanos call it “nasilyan.”

***

In the interest of transparency so the public may know, we urge the regional DSWD to hold a press conference or a kapihan to clarify this issue and talk about its programs.

Since the regional Philippine Information Agency under its director Helen Tibaldo is holding media kapihans every week, they could ask the DSWD to be the respondents this time.

All these actually started when a DSWD finance officer reportedly absconded with more than P3 million SPF funds.

Our sources said the case was just the “tip of the iceberg,” as millions of pesos of SPF among other funds were allegedly being withdrawn from the Landbank by DSWD officials who put these in personal bank accounts to earn interest or lend these for profit.

***

Sources said the National Bureau of Investigation could also investigate this practice as this could be in violation of laws and charge those involved. They said if some officials of the DSWD were related to those of the Commission on Audit, the latter’s investigation could be muddled.

The COA was urged to conduct frequent spot auditing of the DSWD considering some in the regional office were reportedly in private money lending business.

Sources said concerned government officials should start a process in the DSWD so funds should not be held by officials or employees and beneficiaries could get these directly from the Landbank or local government unit offices as this practice breeds corruption considering this could be happening nationwide.      

The Civil Service Commission and Dept. of Interior and Local Government could also start investigations on the issue to set the matter straight. If some DSWD officials or employees are liable, then they should be meted proper sanctions.    

***

The controversy erupted when DSWD finance officer Oliver Garcia Hernandez, 22 single, of City Camp Alley Extension was charged April 28 for alleged malversation of public funds and estafa by the DSWD. Hernandez was due for inquest and an arrest warrant could be out against him in due time.

A police report said the missing money was found out by the DSWD finance department on April 20. The report said Hernandez allegedly received a total amount of P3,176,000 but failed to turn over the same to persons-in-charge for disbursement.

Villanueva sent an official statement of the regional DSWD on the matter signed by Armas. Below is the unedited statement:

“On 22 April 2016, Department of Social Welfare and Development – Field Office Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD-CAR) confirmed that a certain amount of money allotted for the Social Pension Program of the DSWD was unlawfully taken by a Finance Officer of the order to recover the amount taken and to bring the person responsible before the authorities for proper disposition of the matter. Despite what happened, the DSWD has assured and continues to assure the public that payouts will not be affected and that the necessary coordination has been carried out to ensure the release of succeeding stipends.

Per internal investigation, the DSWD determined that the amount of Four Million Eight Hundred Twenty-Six Thousand Pesos (PHP4,826,000.00) was taken from the Social Pension Fund through separate transactions. Upon coordination with the family of the respondent, the amount of One Million Pesos (PHP1,000,000.00) was recovered infact, and which has already been returned to the Department. Despite what had happened, the DSWD-CAR was still able to push through with the scheduled distribution of stipend for the Social Pensioners-proof of the Department’s assurance that our stakeholders will not be put in jeopardy by this incident.

On 28 April 2016, the DSWD-CAR initiated the appropriate criminal action before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Baguio City although as of the time of this writing the Prosecutor who is to conduct preliminary investigation has yet to be assigned by the OCP. Likewise, administrative action has already been commenced against the respondent in observance of official processes. The Department recognizes one’s right to due process at all times although as of this writing, the respondent has yet to respond to administrative notices.

As of this date, the Department intends to fully cooperate with the Office of the City Prosecutor for the Speedy and Efficient resolution of this matter. For now, the Department wishes to inform that the matter is now within the jurisdiction of the OCP of Baguio City, who has sole authority to resolve the Complaint, and that public service will continue.

With this incident, DSWD CAR to put the interests of the general public above all else, and will ensure that public service is always available. The Department has commenced a review of its internal processes and security measures to ensure that other incidents, whether similar or not, will not happen again. Provision of assistance through the Social Pension Program will continue as scheduled. DSWD-CAR, Social Marketing Unity.”

Approved for Release:

Janet P. Armas

OIC-Regional Director

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