Metropolitan BLISTT Development Authority created under new law

By Marlo T. Lubguban

BAGUIO CITY -- The Metropolitan BLISTT Development Authority (MBLISTTDA) was officially created through Republic Act No. 11932 last July 30.
    BLISST stands for Baguio City and nearby Benguet towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan,Tuba and Tublay.
    House Bill 9215 creating the MBLISTTDA was endorsed to the Office of the President last June 29 and lapsed into law 30 days later.
    HB 9215 was authored by Baguio City Rep. Mark Go and supported by the BLISTT governing and development councils through council resolutions.
    The law imbues the BLISTT inter-local cooperation with the capacity to implement high-impact BLISTT-wide projects and consolidate inter-local efforts to improve service delivery in the BLISTT.
    The MBLISTTDA Council composed of local chief executives of the BLISTT and province of Benguet will be the governing board and policy-making body of the development authority. They will select a chairperson among themselves that shall preside over meetings and will nominate candidates for MBLISTTDA Administrator that the President will appoint.
    The MBLISTTDA Administrator will serve a six-year term.
    The Administrator and the Council will nominate to the President three senior manager positions for operations, planning and finance and administration.
    Other non-voting members of the council include vice mayors of the BLISTT and representatives from NEDA, Departments  of Transportation, Public Works and Highways, Tourism, Information and Technology, Budget and Management, Housing and Development, Trade and Industry, Agriculture, Science and Technology, Commission on Higher Education, Philippine National Police, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and two additional.
    The MBLISTTDA will lead BLISTT area development planning and facilitate funding and implementation of BLISTT projects towards coordinated management of public safety and order, tourism, transport, solid waste, flood control and sewerage, water resource, health, and sanitation.
    The MBLISTTDA shall foster institutional linkages in the public and private institutions as well as coordinate with the Dept. of Finance and NEDA to get foreign assistance, grants, support, and other programs and projects.
    The current BLISTT institutional set-up is facing lack of human and financial resources to operate effectively.
    The current set-up was implemented through a memorandum of agreement dated Jan. 17 2014. The NEDA Cordillera has been acting as interim technical secretariat of the BLISTT governing and development councils.
    Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, current BLISTT Governing Council chairperson, called for a meeting to craft implementing rules and regulations (IRR) and plan transition from the current set-up to the MBLISTTDA set-up under the administrative supervision of the Office of the President, as specified in RA No. 11932.

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PRO2 cops get 3 major awards during 121st PSA celebration in Camp Crame

By Liezle Basa Inigo

CAGAYAN — The Police Regional Office 2 (PRO2) clinched three major awards during the 121st Police Service Anniversary celebration held at the Philippine National Police National Headquarters in Camp Rafael Crame, Quezon City on Monday, August 8.
    President Marcos Jr. personally awarded the medal and a trophy to Police Colonel Renell R Sabaldica, Provincial Director of Cagayan Police Provincial Office (CPPO) during the celebration that had ‘Strong Police-Community Partnership, Toward Unity, Peace and Progress’ as its theme.
    Colonel Sabaldica was adjudged as Best Senior Police Commissioned Officer for Administration while the Cagayan PPO was named Best Police Provincial Office.
    Colonel Sabaldica is a proud member of Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) ‘Kabalikat’ Class of 1998.
    During his assumption as Provincial Director of Cagayan PPO on June 24, 2021, he introduced the Team Cagayan PPO 9-Point Program Thrust which served as his anchor in leading the over 2,000 men and women of Cagayan PPO.
    PD Sabaldica was also awarded as Outstanding Police Community Relations (PCR) Senior Police Commissioned Officer (PCO) and Cagayan PPO as Outstanding PPO for Police Community Relations in the recent culminating ceremony of 27th PCR Month.
    Meanwhile, Police Staff Sergeant Arnel G. Abenoja, personnel of 1st Isabela Provincial Mobile Force Company, Isabela Police Provincial Office was adjudged as Best Junior Police Non-Commissioned Officer for Operations-Nationwide.
    He dedicated his twelve years in the PNP service with his intensified campaign against insurgency and terrorism as he was assigned in most Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) influenced municipalities in Cagayan and Isabela Provinces.
    With his commitment in ending local armed conflict in Cagayan Valley Region, Abenoja was accorded various recognitions and citations, including 46 ‘Medalya ng Kagalingan,’ one ‘Medalya ng Kasanayan’ and two ‘Medalya ng Papuri’ from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.
    PNP Chief, Police General Rodolfo S Azurin Jr. paid tribute to the fallen police officers whom he addressed as the unsung heroes who exemplified exceptional dedication to duty and unconditional love and sacrifices for the country.
    Police Brigadier General Steve B. Ludan, Regional Director of Cagayan Valley Region (Region 2), also joined the other officers from the PNP National Headquarters and Police Regional Offices and guests from other government agencies.
 
 
 

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Baguio Prosecutor's Office files 839 criminal cases in 6 months

By Gaby B. Keith

BAGUIO CITY: A total of 839 criminal cases were filed in court by the City Prosecutor's Office for the first half of this year (January to June) after the conduct of preliminary investigations.
    During the flag-raising rites at City Hall on Monday, August 8, prosecutor Bernard Allan Angeles said 265 inquest cases were also filed during the same period with no pending complaints for resolution upon the close of June this year.
    "It means we have acted upon the cases and no pending ones," he said.
    Angeles said filed cases included 11 murder and homicide cases; 13 robberies; 48 rape; 32 VAWC (Violence    Against Women and Children); and 22 cases pertaining to child protection laws.
    During the same period, he said, 188 inquest cases were referred to the City Prosecutor's Office and that 100 of these cases involved illegal drugs.
    Angeles said that most of those involved in illegal drugs are now in jail.
    Mayor Benjamin Magalong commended the City Prosecutor's Office led by chief prosecutor Conrado Catral for a "job well done."
 

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Robin bill seeks to build regional penitentiaries

To address the issue of congestion in the New Bilibid Prison and make sure persons serving final judgment receive visits from their families, Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla has filed a bill for the "regionalization" of penal farms.
    Padilla filed Senate Bill 235, seeking to set up penitentiary systems in at least 10 regions - Regions I, II, III, V, VI, VIII, IX, X, XII at XIII.
    "Ultimately, this bill seeks to create additional regional penal institutions not only to address the severe congestion in the country's jails and prisons, but to also ensure the welfare of persons serving final judgment as they await their reintegration to society," he said in his bill.
    "While (congestion) remains a pressing issue, this representation wants to focus more on the impact of far incarceration of persons serving final judgment from their families," he added.
    Padilla noted there are only seven penitentiary institutions nationwide: the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City; Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City; Iwahig Penal Colony in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City; Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro; Leyte Regional Prison; and Davao Prison and Penal Farm.
    Due to the limited number of penitentiary institutions nationwide, Padilla lamented visits among families "become a mere privilege" due to the costs of transportation and accommodation.
    "Recognizing the paramount role of the family in providing emotional, moral and psychosocial support to every person serving final judgment, this measure is being proposed to widen the opportunities of families and other support groups to pay a visit to their loved ones inside the penitentiaries," Padilla said.
    Under the bill, the penal farms to be established will have a "standard and uniform design" for the prison, reformation and administrative facilities.
    The bill mandates the Bureau of Corrections to create an infrastructure plan, coordinate the construction of the regional penitentiaries, and carry out the decentralization and transfer of prisoners to the regional penal farms.

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Baguio City cops nab 506 wanted persons in 6 months

BAGUIO CITY – Police here arrested some 506 persons with standing warrants of arrest in the city over the past six months.
     City police director Col. Glen Lonogan said of the arrested wanted persons, were regional level wanted individuals, 29 city level, four provincial level, eight municipal and 121 station level.
    Lonogan said 335 other wanted persons were arrested.
    On anti-illegal drugs, Lonogan said city police conducted 119 anti-drug operations during the first six months of the year.
    He added 114 drug personalities were arrested while a total of P221.3723 worth grams of shabu, 921.04 grams of marijuana and 585 ml. of marijuana oil with a total market value of P1,725,531 was confiscated.
     There were reportedly 79 operations against loose firearms that led to  confiscation of four illegal guns  while 75 assorted firearms were surrendered.
    He said four individuals were also arrested and charged for violation of Republic Act (RA) 10591 or the Revised Firearms Law.
    According to him, law enforcers apprehended 20 persons in four anti-gambling operations.
    Arrested persons were charged for violation of Presidential decree 1602 or the Anti-Gambling Law.
    On aggressive implementation of traffic rules and regulations, Lonogan said some 46,694 erring motorists were apprehended that resulted in payment of more than P20.2 million fines during the first six months of the year. - Dexter A. See
 

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Cagayan fault lines leading to strong quakes: Philvolcs

By Leander C. Domingo

TUGUEGARAO CITY -- Due to the presence of three active fault lines, there is a high chance that Cagayan province can experience strong earthquakes, according to the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DoST-Philvolcs).
    Shally Marck Daguiao, DoST-Philvolcs Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) science research assistant, has identified the active fault lines during the "Kapehan sa Kapitolyo" program held by the Cagayan Provincial Information Office on Monday, August 8.
    The fault lines are located in Sicalao in Lasam town; Dummun River in Gattaran town and Taboan River in Baggao town.
    According to Daguiao, the earthquake magnitude can reach up to 6.7 if the fault line moves in Sicalao; 7.2 magnitude in Dummun River and 6.8 magnitude in Taboan River in Baggao.
    She explained that although their office can monitor movements in fault lines, she, however, clarified that until now, there is still no gadget or equipment that can predict an earthquake.
    "There is no way to determine ahead of time or know when an earthquake will occur in an area," Daguio said.
    "Thus, it is better for everyone to be prepared during calamities and disasters," she added.
    "Let us also participate in exercises such as earthquake drills that are often conducted in schools and government agencies to be prepared during disasters," Daguio said
    She noted that compliance with the National Building Code is also important, particularly among builders of structures.
    Meanwhile, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Cagayan Valley also affirmed that prompt and proper planning is necessary for preparation for any possible earthquake.
    Felicitas Piligan, MGB Region 2 Geoscience Division chief, said their agency often conducts geological assessments.
    Piligan said a good design is needed in the construction of structures, even houses to avoid damage when there is an earthquake.
    She said the MGB has already conducted an inspection in areas that often experience landslides in the province.
    Piligan explained that the conduct of inspection and assessment is to give immediate notice to the residents to avoid any accidents.
 

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Baguio sends aid to Banaue slide victims

THE government of Baguio City has sent financial assistance amounting to P500,000 fro0m the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office's (CDRRMO) quick response fund to the municipality of Banaue, Ifugao, which was badly hit by flood and landslide caused by the southwest monsoon recently.
    Under Ordinance 49, series of 2022, the grant of the financial assistance to Banaue, Ifugao is in accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act 7160 or the "Local Government Code of the Philippines."
    The city government, in countless occasions in the past, extended financial assistance to cities, municipalities or provinces stricken by natural or man-made calamities, a tradition of support and thoughtfulness and reciprocation of what other local governments from various parts of the country had extended to the city when it was hit by the magnitude 7.9 killer earthquake on July 16, 1990 and other calamities.
    On July 7, 2022, heavy rains with strong winds caused by the southwest monsoon were experienced in Banaue, Ifugao, causing flash floods and massive landslides that resulted in the loss of properties, housing, agricultural crops, and support facilities as well as infrastructure in the said locality.
    Some 1,052 families from nine villages were affected by the said incident and some 1,047 families lost their dwellings.
    Earlier, the Banaue municipal council placed the whole municipality under state of calamity due to these incidents by virtue of Sangguniang Bayan Resolution 61, series of 2022.
    The city's financial assistance to Banaue, Ifugao was certified available by the local finance committee, which will be charged to the quick response fund under the CDRRMO of this year.
 

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Benguet one of top LGU revenue collectors in Phl

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- The Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) has recognized Benguet along with other provinces, cities and municipalities that made it to the list of top performing local governments in the country in terms of local revenue generation for the fiscal year 2021.
    "Benguet reveals the list of the national top performing provinces, cities, and municipalities in local revenue generation for FY2021 in recognition of their exemplary efforts and performance towards sustainable growth and effective local fiscal management," the BLGF stated in an official announcement recently.
    Benguet placed 2nd in the top 10 provinces on the year-on-year growth in locally sourced revenues (LSRs) for the fiscal year 2020-2021.
    Based on the 2021 LSR, Benguet recorded a 67.9 percent increase with P683.65 million compared to the P407.15 million LSR in 2020.
    Gov. Melchor Diclas recognized the effort and camaraderie of the personnel in the Provincial Treasury Office and all the offices concerned with the collection of fees and charges, saying it's a fruit of working in unity.
    He said the provincial government will continue to work hand-in-hand in putting more effort to maintain or even improve its performance in revenue generation.
    The province has also ranked 7th nationwide under the same category for the fiscal year 2019-2020.
Meantime, Diclas and Vice Gov. Ericson Felipe, with other Benguet board members, led the launch of the Marcos administration's 'PinasLakas' Covid-19 vaccine campaign at the Provincial Capitol Monday, August 1.
    Diclas, Felipe and Board Member Joel Timbaoen received Covid-19 second booster shots during the ceremonial vaccination of the campaign.
    The PinasLakas campaign aims to increase number of Filipinos given with Covid-19 booster shots in a bid to maintain the nation's wall of immunity.
    Dr. Meliarazon Dulay, provincial health officer 1, said the National Vaccination Operations Center will ensure private and government agency stakeholders collaborate to attain 90 percent coverage of senior citizens inoculated, with primary series and 50 percent coverage of the general population receiving at least a first booster shot, on or before Oct. 8, 2022.
    "Once we become successful in all these endeavors, we will come to that time when we remove mask mandates, remove alert level systems, and fully reopen school and travel," Dulay said.
    Although the province has vaccinated 73 percent of its population against the Covid-19 virus, Benguet is still under Alert Level 2 as vaccination rate of senior citizens has not yet been met, having only inoculated 60.54 percent.
    Meanwhile, three towns in the province are now under Alert Level 1 having met the 70 percent criteria for the general and senior citizen population, namely, Buguias, Sablan and Tublay.
    Dr. Mercedes Capitol, district health officer, encouraged the public to advocate the vaccination program in order to hit the target numbers and attain herd immunity.
    Vaccination sites in the different towns in the province through rural health units have been actively catering to the general population. House-to-house vaccination is also being conducted for those who cannot come to designated vaccination sites.
 

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Baguio still ‘low risk’ in Covid infections despite tourist influx

EDITORIAL

Even with increasing influx of travelers and tourists in Baguio, the summer capital is still at 'low risk' status in Covid-19 infections with a positivity rate of 9.62 percent the past two weeks.
    City Health Services Office (CHSO) head Dr. Rowena Galpo bared this in meeting with local officials led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong at City Hall.
    She said the city has Covid-19 average daily attack rate of 6.8/100,000; two week growth rate of 54 percent (253-391); and a weekly infection rate of 1.27.
    Average Covid-19 tests done in the city in the past two weeks was 290; hospital critical utilization rate was 16.09 percent (61/379) and an isolation facility bed occupancy of 16.73 percent (46/275), Galpo said.
    The health official urged residents not to be complacent but to continue strictly adhering to minimum public health standards for their own protection and that of their families, friends and workmates.
    These include frequent washing of hands with soap and water or alcohol; proper wearing of face mask; avoiding crowded places; practicing a healthy lifestyle and having good hygiene.
    Earlier, Mayor Benjamin Magalong discouraged greeting each other with handshakes but rather use our elbows instead to minimize possible Covid-19 transmissions from one person to another.
    Prevention is better than cure.

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Death threats and scams

BEHIND THE SCENES

 Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY – I’ve had my share of threats all these years as a newsman and just shrugged these off as part of the job. But what happened last Monday was unnerving. I started the day doing the rounds when I got a call from an unknown number around a quarter to 11 a.m.
    “Mr. Dizon, makinig ka ng mabuti at importante ito (Mr. Dizon, listen carefully since this is very important),” the male caller said in an authoritative voice as cold as steel. His voice sounded like he was in his 50’s. I asked him what it was all about. He said I had to listen carefully as it concerned my life and my family. Since I was talking to somebody, I told him I will get back to him.
    It was a busy day and I did not think much about it, so when all the chores were done, I texted him late afternoon asking about the matter since I was intrigued. He immediately called. “Makinig ka ng mabuti (Listen very carefully),” he repeated what he said.
    I asked him who he was. “Ako ay isa sa mga head ng mga gun-for-hire dito sa Davao. May kumontak sa akin na ipatumba ka. May usapan na kami ng tao kung magkano, pero, nung bandang huli, sabi nya na isali ang pamilya mo. Hindi na kaya ng kunsensya ko na gawin yun dahil nagawa ko na at hanggang ngayun, binabagabag pa rin ako ng konsensya ko.”
    (I am the head of one of the gun-for-hire groups here in Davao. Somebody contacted me, saying he wanted you killed. We had an agreement how much to get the job done. But later, my contact said he also wanted your family killed. My conscience could not make me do it anymore, since I did it before and my conscience is still bothering me).
    I asked him what he planned to do next it that was the case. “Hindi na kami nagkabayaraan at nagkalabuan. Pero napadala ko na yung apat na kasama ko jan sa Baguio na tatrabaho sana sa iyo. Anjan pa sila sa Baguio. Ang gusto ko na lang, uuwi na lang sila dito sa Davao. Ang problema, wala sila pamasahe at panggastos pabalik dito. Kung puede sana bigyan mu na lang sila ng panggastos. Gawin mo ito sa kapakanan mo at ng pamilya mo. Huwag mong sabihin kanino man”
    (The payment was not made so the deal was off. All I want now is for my four companions who there now in Baguio to do the job to come home to Davao. Problem is they don’t have the money for their fare and expenses to come home. I just want you to give them money for their expenses. Do this for yourself and that of your family. Don’t tell this to anyone.)
    I asked him how much his companions needed. “Kahit bente mil, puede na. (P20,00 would be fine.)” I told him I did not have that money and only had P3,000 for my gasoline saying I was on the way to Bauang. He was silent, but after a few minutes, told me,” Sige ipadala mu sa G-cash account ng kasamahan ko. (Just send it to the G-cash account of my companion). ”
    He texted the account number and the purported person who will receive it. This is a scam, I thought.
   **
I told him I will call him later, so I went to the main police station. I asked the investigator if they had a gadget to locate the caller and told him the whole story. He said, they did not have the technology for that. He said since I was along Ambuklao Road which is part of La Trinidad, Benguet when the caller called first, it was better if I blottered the incident in the capital town. The “killer” called again but the investigator told me not to answer it.
He told me to tell the caller that I will give it physically to the contact person so he could be entrapped. 
    So off I went to the main La Trinidad police station to have the incident blottered. I narrated again the story. The investigator there said it could be a scam. Then, the “killer” called again. I signaled the investigator, it was the perpetrator calling. He got the phone from me and answered the “killer” – “Nakuha mo na ba yung three thousand. Nagpadala na ako sa G-cash account na tinext mo (Did you get the three thousand? I sent the money through the G-cash account number you sent me).”
    The investigator later told me the “killer” was hesitant in talking and closed his phone.  Like the Baguio investigator, he told me it could be a scam, but added, I still needed to take precautions considering the nature of my work. I told him I did not know of anybody I personally slighted or borrowed money from and did not have any enemies.
   ***
He said the caller might be someone I know or someone alluded to in an article I wrote who wanted to frighten or rile me. The “killer” never called or texted after that. Suffice to say that it got me more conscious about me and my family’s security. I was thinking it was indeed a scam considering he was intent in even getting the P3,000.
But these days, in cases like this, you never know until it is too late.   
    **
Scams abound nowadays considering it is very easy to fool people online. We hear of people getting scammed on a daily basis. There are the big-time scammers who entice people like old folks to invest their hard-earned money in too-good-to-be-true schemes and the gullible still fall for these.
    Then, there are the ones who are content in getting a penny or two just to get by the day like a vendor here selling imported oranges but passed these on as coming from Sagada, Mountain Province. A client complained to authorities and discovered she also used a tampered weighing scale to pad her gain.
    A trading store found engaged in a tricky marketing strategy preying mostly on senior citizens and unwary residents was also padlocked on July 23.
   ***
Such reports made the city government intensify its crackdown against sellers engaged in deceptive marketing ploys to entice customers and earn more profit.
    According to City Permits and Licensing Officer Allan Abayao, said operations will be sustained by a team composed of his office, the Public Order and Safety Division, both under the office of Mayor Benjamin Magalong and the Market Division under the City Treasury Office.
    Abayao urged help of businessmen in ridding the city of deceitful schemes in a letter he sent to malls and business enterprises recently.
     “Let us be vigilant especially to tenants/agents within your jurisdiction who are meeting passers-by or mallers and offering their products/services with deceptive market strategy. A trading business was already closed…and a vendor was also penalized in violation of the provisions of the Consumer Act (RA 7394) and there are more to come,” he warned. “Let us help one another in making our city free from any deceptive marketing strategies.”
 Abayao said Article 50 of RA 7394 provides the definition of a deceptive act or practice by a seller:
     "A deceptive act or practice by a seller or supplier in connection with a consumer transaction violates this Act whether it occurs before, during or after the transaction. An act or practice shall be deemed deceptive whenever the producer, manufacturer, supplier or seller, through concealment, false representation or fraudulent manipulation, induces a consumer to enter into sales or lease transaction of any consumer product or service." 

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Bongbong’s SONA short on objectives

PERRYSCOPE

Perry Diaz

PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s first SONA before the joint session of Congress lasted for an hour and 14 minutes.  It highlighted a 19-point legislative agenda.  However, it excluded human rights, justice, and peace -- issues that have houndedthe previous Duterte regime.
    What was the message or what was he trying to avoid… or both?   Why the sudden silence on the three most important issues that would determine the paths to be taken by his presidency?  Or could it be that he isn’t prepared to elevate the priorities that he as chief steward of the ship of state to a level of highest importance? 
    At this point we can only speculate just like when he refused to participate in the debates during the campaign.  He probably surmised that by evading discussion of these important issues, the Filipino people would give him a pass just like before. 
    But skipping the debates is one thing and evading the issues is another.  After he skipped the debates, it left his future direction uncharted.  He didn’t have to make promises on how to address the pressing issues like the Covid-19 pandemic, economic downturn, drug problem, inflation, unemployment, health care, rising prices of gas and rice, and recession.
    Unlike his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who said that he’d solve the peace and order situation and how he’d get rid of the drug and criminality problem in six months, Marcos did not mention them at all.  He did not talk about the issue of justice and rule of law, which Duterte pursued with vigor, eliminating 27,000 people as a result in the campaign against drugs, which was Duterte’s pet project.  He did not talk about how he is going to fight corruption in government.  Needless to say, by not addressing them, he did not take responsibility and own accountability.
    “Simplicity, economy, and efficiency”
    He issued Executive Order No.1, which abolished the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) in the guise of achieving “simplicity, economy, and efficiency.”  But instead it created another layer of bureaucracy, the Deputy Secretary for Legal Affairs (DESLA), which has its hands already full of cases investigating internal and external legal matters.
    He did not mention appointments to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) that is tasked to recover the ill-gotten wealth of his family and their cronies. The PCGG was formed in 1986 in the aftermath of the People Power Revolution that ousted the Marcos dictatorship and ushered in the government of Cory Aquino.  It was tasked solely to recover the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family and their cronies.
    Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of human rights group Karapatan, also noted that there was no mention of “press freedom, disinformation, death penalty, and failed domestic accountability mechanisms.”
Justice and rule of law
    Former Senate minority floor leader Franklin Drilon said the Marcos government should not “sweep under the rug” issues concerning justice and rule of law, saying that a strong justice system could also boost investors’ confidence.
    But Marcos raised some concerns among business circles when he vetoed HB 7575 creating the Bulacan Airport Special Economic Zone and Freeport adjacent to the proposed airport city in Bulacan province.  It is expected that his veto would drive foreign investors away.  Not good for his fledgling presidency.
    Marcos, surprisingly, included in his legislative agenda the revival of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. (ROTC).  Surmise it to say, the ROTC could be called upon in cases of national emergency.   But short of invasion by a foreign power, the ROTC need not be activated and armed.  Unless of course a civil war erupts between the communist New People’s Army (NPA) and the Muslim separatists in Mindanao, in which case the ROTC could be armed and sent to the troubled region.  But between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police who have a combined strength of 250,000 armed personnel, I don’t think the ROTC needs to be deployed in the war zone.
Overkill
But that just shows Marcos’ paranoia of national turbulence.  A case in point was during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 25, he ordered 21,000 armed personnel to guard the National Museum of Fine Arts where the swearing-in occurred.  It was overkill.  It shows how he fear for his life.  Besides, the protestors were not allowed near the building.  They had to hold their rally miles away in Quezon City.  
    Many Filipinos are apprehensive about the prospect for martial law under Bongbong Marcos.  Although it’s unlikely that he’d declare martial law soon, a lot of people are expecting him to gradually undermine the existing system by changing the law, little by little. 
    One of the laws that he needs to address is taxation.  When he was elected, he commented that the government does “not have good collection on taxes,” citing the influence of corruption.
    “The economy of the Philippines will simply not succeed, we cannot collect duties, tariffs, etc through the BOC and we do not have good collection on taxes both on the national and local level. Hindi talaga uubra. The numbers don’t match,” Marcos said.
    He added, “So that’s why it’s very, very important and we have to at the very least reduce the corrosive influence of corruption in government as a general rule,” he added.
Marcos’ unpaid estate tax
    Last March, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) confirmed that it sent a demand letter to the Marcos family to settle their unpaid estate tax worth P203 billion.
    When asked about corruption in the BIR, Marcos Jr., consistent with the family’s historical denialism, said that past corruption in the agency would be forgotten.   Hmm… Does that mean that he would not pursue the collection of the Marcos unpaid estate taxes?  He said that it was not under his watch.  “I was not in charge at the time. Now that I am governing, there shouldn’t be corruption anymore.  Wait until the taxpaying people stop paying their taxes, then you can say that Mr. President.
    At the end of the day, I believe President Marcos Jr.’s SONA was short on objectives.  I wish him all the best and may the good Lord guide him on the righteous path in governing the Filipino people.
(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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FVR, 94; Baguio media president

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza

BAGUIO CITY -- Prior to his planned candidacy in 1992, President Fidel Valdez Ramos, 94; had several memorable brushes with members of the Baguio media. As his remains lies in state at the Heritage Park in Taguig City, personal experiences and stories told by PFVR himself come to mind.
    An experience with him that I describe as extraordinary began sometime in 1989 when he sent his driver-secretary to look for newsmen whom he wanted to toss spirits with. Unluckily, there were only a few of us available that evening.
    At the Cabinet Hill Defense Cottage, Baguio Midland editor Eli Refuerzo, sportswriter Fred Puntawe, Pony Boys Association boss Dinky Casem; elders Ramon Dacawi and Willie Cacdac, and I were saluted by DoD Sec. FVR who was in Japanese slippers and his ever present tobacco.
    “Apay sikayo lang?” (why are you few), he opened the conversation as we followed him to the dining table where a bottle of Hennesy was waiting to be opened. As we shook hands at the same time identifying ourselves, he said “dinuguan, pinakbet and dinakdakan” were on the stove.
    “That camera is a war veteran like me. I have one just like that,” he remarked, when he saw the Nikon F that I was carrying. He added that he still loved to see pictures in Black and White.  
    Down-to-earth conversations and stories of many issues were heard including his declaration to run for the presidency while everyone in the room, including the driver-secretary-cook, shared a basket of boiled peanuts washed down with FVR’s favorite brandy.
    Then he quickly related a story about news correspondent Sid Chammag whom he called “Dean” of the Baguio media. Understandably, the late “Chammy” was revered by him due to an unfortunate event in Buguias, Benguet.
   ***
We almost downed two Hennesy bottles that made one of us throw up. It was at this moment that we came to understand why he was admired by his men, even while the Philippine Constabulary which he headed during Martial Law was chiefly answerable for the abuses on civilians.
    FVR served as Martial Law implementor for 13 years and five months from 1972 to February 22, 1986. As true believer of martial law, he said in a speech before businessmen in 1972: “It is a martial law that is uniquely our own, a Philippine-style martial law…” But that is another story.
    Back at the tipsy table, while one of us vomited the peanuts and the expensive brandy, FVR quickly positioned one of the plates under the guy’s head, a quick move unexpected from one who was to become the next president of the republic.
     I stole a few shots of the scene with my Nikon F but the room was dark and I had no camera flash. I already expected the negs and pics to be “not good”.
    Still with a sharp mind, FVR said he expects us to jog with him at 4 a.m. around the Teachers Camp oval as he ushered us to the front door where a military jeep was waiting to bring us to our homes.
    In 1989, FVR called for a breakfast-press con at the Camp John Hay golf shop. The first person he looked for was Sid Chammag who was nowhere to be found. “Where is Chammag? The breakfast will not be served without him,” FVR jokingly said.
   ***  
The press con had already started when he saw the late Chammy going down the stairs of the golf shop. “Oh, here comes Dean Chammag. Agtugaw ka dituy abay ko” (Sit beside me), FVR quipped as he waved at Chammy.      At the same press conference, FVR learned that the PTV8 was headed by Richard Valdez who carried his middle name. Upon meeting Richard, the soon-to-be president said, “You really look like a Valdez”.
    Over a year after winning the presidency, presidential guards were following PFVR down Session Road when he suddenly took a left turn and entered the famous Dainty Restaurant and ordered the late Ah Kong’s black coffee.
    The guards were all stunned, they knew not what to do. The next scene was a crowd of waiters, lawyers, contractors, “istambays” and early customers from all walks jostling for space to have their faces photographed with President Ramos.
    Then at Itogon in 1996 when FVR was in the middle of his term as president, he was having a dialogue with the people of the barangays to be affected by the construction of the San Roque dam when a commotion where the photojournalists were positioned flared up.
    Then I saw colleague Jojo Lamaria venting inaudible words to one of the Manila-based photogs. As usual, photogs jockey for positions to get good pictures of the incident, especially so when the subject was none other than FVR talking to ordinary folks.
   ***
But be careful, jockeying for good positions can put one into trouble. The late war veteran and photographer Angel Villaralbo kept moving back to take a good angle of FVR who was about to drive the first shot of a golf game at Camp John Hay.
    FVR’s drive was interrupted as the photographer. Villaralbo fell from the four feet stone terrace of the golf shop.     To loosen up the situation, PFVR called on his guards to check if the photographer had injuries. Apart from having rounds at the fairways that could be the reason why he was always in Baguio, the foregoing events were situations that involved PFVR with the Baguio media.
    Surely, he will feel at ease with those of our media colleagues who will cover every game in the great golf course. They all rest in peace! PFVR, Dean Chammy and all. 

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Baguio folks vigilant vs defective projects/ Cashless payments

 CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- Mayor Benjamin Magalong is pleased that residents are now becoming vigilant over the quality of the projects being undertaken in their communities.
    Recently, officials of barangay Lourdes Proper asked the mayor to inspect an ongoing multi-purpose building project that appears to be of inferior quality despite having a huge budget.  The mayor went to inspect and tasked the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) to assess and document.
    Since institutionalizing the conduct of ocular inspections of projects, the mayor had been appealing to residents to report substandard and defective ones in their communities as his way of driving a message that as end-users of these infrastructures, people have stakes on them and that they should be concerned if the desired output is not met.
    "It appears that people have started to develop a mindset that they have an important role to play in safeguarding their stakes on these public infrastructures.  The previous indifference is slowly being replaced by watchfulness and vigilance and it is a good sign," the mayor said.
    "From our end, we promise to achieve results out of the concerns raised to us so that your efforts will not be wasted," he added.
    Issues and concerns in communities may be forwarded to punong barangays with whom the mayor has a direct line or to the Special Services Division of the City Mayor's Office at tel. no. 4427295.
   ***
Preparations are on for the launching of the “Paleng-QR Ph” cashless payment program set to be piloted in the city.
    An organizational meeting was held last June 21 among representatives of program proponents Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Dept. of Interior and Local Government, the city government's executive and legislative departments, financial institutions and service providers and other stakeholders to set ground preparations for the inaugural run of the program.
    BSP Director Joyce Suficiencia issued guidance to the city council represented by market, trade, commerce and agriculture committee chair Coun. Isabelo Cosalan Jr. on the passage of a legislative measure to pave the way for the program in the city.
    She said Baguio will serve as the model implementer of the program for other local government units to follow.
    The meeting also allowed stakeholders to discuss the concerns raised by market vendors during the initial meeting held July 13.
    The BSP officials led by Deputy Governor Berna Romulo-Puyat introduced the program to Mayor Benjamin Magalong who expressed reception to the scheme having been aligned with the city's own digitalization thrust.
Aimed at promoting cashless system as alternative method of transaction in public markets and local transportation, the program aims to create a digital payments ecosystem making use of existing financial service providers like G-Cash, Paymaya, banks and others to facilitate cashless transactions between merchants and consumers.  
    Magalong said the program will help improve the city's collection system and eliminate collection malpractices at the city market while also benefiting the vendors in terms of speeding up payment and ensuring integrity in transactions.
    He earlier assured that the program will not be implemented without preparing the merchants to the new system and without addressing concerns on the prohibitive transaction fees that may be levied by the service providers.
    Among the activities during the launching is the onboarding of interested merchants by the different financial service providers.
   ***
1 August 2022 – The Environmental Summit will push through on Aug. 8-9 at 1:30 pm at the Baguio Convention Center with the theme, “Leapfrogging towards livable communities.”
    The activity is open to the public who may attend physically or virtually via Zoom or livestreaming at the Public Information Office Facebook page where they can put forward their questions, concerns or suggestions.
The Zoom meeting link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84612067837?pwd=aGpFU21CMnJhd0VvSXhENVlEdTVBdz09; Meeting ID: 846 1206 7837; Passcode: CPDO.
    The Aug. 8 session is dubbed as Environmental Summit for Children and is expected to be participated in by students from Grades 5 to Senior High and school principals or administrators.
    Topics and resource speakers are Mayor Benjamin Magalong on the Baguio City’s Agenda for Livable Communities; Urban Audit by City Planning and Dev’t Coordinator Arch. Donna Tabangin; Local Climate Change Action Plan by City Environment and Parks Management Officer Rhenan Diwas; Baguio City’s Urban Carrying Capacity by Dr. Gladys Navarro; Towards an Environmentally Conscious Community by Josefa Carino Elem. School pupil Arjon Samantha Namologo; and Mandated and Innovative Environmental Activities in School by Guisad Valley National High School student Bryan Bert Ganaden.
     The Aug. 9 activity on the other hand will be devoted to the adults with the invitees coming from concerned city departments, regional line agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), punong barangays, officers of the Heritage Foundation, Creative Council and representatives from the youth, academe, senior citizens and persons with disability sectors.
     Mayor Magalong said the summit aims to gather inputs on how to address the critical issues affecting the city’s environment in relation to the thrust to save it from further decay.
     As a sidebar to the event, the City Health Services Office announced that summit participants may avail of vaccination services during the event as they will set up vaccination booths at the site.
     The summit will be facilitated by the City Planning and Development Coordinator (OCPDC) and the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO).

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Women urged to eat potassium-rich foods to improve their heart health

 
WELLNEWS

Victor Romulo Gallardo Dumaguing, MD

SOPHIA, Antipolis, France --  Women who eat bananas, avocados and salmon could reduce the negative effects of salt in the diet, according to a study published  in European Heart Journal, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 The study found that potassium-rich diets were associated with lower blood pressure, particularly in women with high salt intake.
    “It is well known that high salt consumption is associated with elevated blood pressure and a raised risk of heart attacks and strokes,” said study author Professor Liffert Vogt of Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands. “Health advice has focused on limiting salt intake but this is difficult to achieve when our diets include processed foods. Potassium helps the body excrete more sodium in the urine. In our study, dietary potassium was linked with the greatest health gains in women.”
    The study included 24,963 participants (11,267 men and 13,696 women) of the EPIC-Norfolk study, which recruited 40 to 79 year olds from general practices in Norfolk, UK, between 1993 and 1997. The average age was 59 years for men and 58 years for women. Participants completed a questionnaire on lifestyle habits, blood pressure was measured, and a urine sample was collected. Urinary sodium and potassium were used to estimate dietary intake. Participants were divided into tertiles according to sodium intake (low/medium/high) and potassium intake (low/medium/high).
    The researchers analysed the association between potassium intake and blood pressure after adjusting for age, sex and sodium intake. Potassium consumption (in grams per day) was associated with blood pressure in women – as intake went up, blood pressure went down. When the association was analysed according to sodium intake (low/medium/high), the relationship between potassium and blood pressure was only observed in women with high sodium intake, where every 1 gram increase in daily potassium was associated with a 2.4 mmHg lower systolic blood pressure. In men, there was no association between potassium and blood pressure.
    During a median follow-up of 19.5 years, 13,596 (55%) participants were hospitalised or died due to cardiovascular disease. The researchers analysed the association between potassium intake and cardiovascular events after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, sodium intake, use of lipid lowering drugs, smoking, alcohol intake, diabetes and prior heart attack or stroke. In the overall cohort, people in the highest tertile of potassium intake had a 13% lower risk of cardiovascular events compared to those in the lowest tertile. When men and women were analysed separately, the corresponding risk reductions were 7% and 11%, respectively. The amount of salt in the diet did not influence the relationship between potassium and cardiovascular events in men or women.
    Professor Vogt said: “The results suggest that potassium helps preserve heart health, but that women benefit more than men. The relationship between potassium and cardiovascular events was the same regardless of salt intake, suggesting that potassium has other ways of protecting the heart on top of increasing sodium excretion.”
    The World Health Organization recommends that adults consume at least 3.5 grams of potassium and less than 2 grams of sodium (5 grams of salt) per day.2 High potassium foods include vegetables, fruit, nuts, beans, dairy products and fish. For example, a 115 gram banana has 375 mg of potassium, 154 grams of cooked salmon has 780 mg, a 136 gram potato has 500 mg, and 1 cup of milk has 375 mg.
    Professor Vogt concluded: “Our findings indicate that a heart healthy diet goes beyond limiting salt to boosting potassium content. Food companies can help by swapping standard sodium-based salt for a potassium salt alternative in processed foods. On top of that, we should all prioritise fresh, unprocessed foods since they are both rich in potassium and low in salt
    Dear readers and friends, while we may not have salmon in our daily diet, we are blessed by the good Lord with an abundance of potassium-rich foods like bananas, potato and avocados. Cheers!
    Next Week: Air Pollution and the Exercising Man
 

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The paradoxes of Christian life

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

“WHOEVER wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mt 16,24-26)
    With these words of Christ, we should be warned that Christian life will always involve some paradoxes. He told us about this unavoidable condition in our life here on earth.
    We are told, for example, to lose in order to win, to die in order to live, to give in order to receive, to be empty so we can be filled. We are told to be detached from persons and things of this world to be attached only to who would truly matter to us, and that is God. Christ even made use of the word, “hate,” so we can follow him, so we can be his disciples. Still more, he told us to be as simple as doves yet as astute as serpents.
    To be sure, if we would only use our own faculties or our own understanding of things, there is no way but really to be at a loss as to what to make out of all these contrasting qualities.
    But precisely, we have to know the true character of a paradox to realize that these contrasting qualities are meant to highlight a higher truth. That’s what a paradox does. It takes cognizance of the many different and competing values of our many different and competing parts and aspects of our life to attain a certain unity of life and to gain our one ultimate goal.
    Thus, we should not be surprised that we have to deal with these paradoxes. We should just learn how to do it properly. And again, the secret is already given to us. It is to be with Christ, to be like him, to be “another Christ,” if not “Christ himself.”
    To be with Christ is when we would not only know but also live the art of losing in order to win. This art is truly helpful given our wounded and sinful condition which is prone to undue attachments to earthly thing and other anomalies.
    Divine logic many times baffles us because God’s ways are different from our ways. St. Paul articulates this predicament when he said, “O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and untraceable his ways. Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Rom 11,33-34)
    To be able to live by this divine logic, we of course would need first of all the grace of God. We have to ask for it with humility. And then we need to do our part, exerting the due effort to acquire the appropriate attitude and corresponding virtues.
    We should have the attitude of willingly giving up everything else just to be with God. “Vale la pena,” it is all worthwhile, should somehow be like a slogan for us. In the gospel, the same spirit is expressed when Christ said,     “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Mt 13,45-46)
    We should be willing to let go of everything if only to get to God who is everything to us! -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

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Balu’n Habal (Education is the new way to farm)

CULTURAL NOTES

Richard Kinnud

LA TRINIDAD, benguet -- A usual morning groove of jogging brought me lately down the road here from Town to Bineng.  The terrain featured rocky mountainsides with the gushing of the Balili River and some of its tributaries at the background.
    Houses rose along the narrow road, an all-weather so to say but obviously very much in need of paving on some parts. The scenery though is cool to the eyes especially at this time that the chayote farms, thriving on the slopes, are lushly green.
    Incidentally, I reached a flat where some farmers were operating a cable line. I was mesmerized at how a carrier was moving slowly from about two hundred meters down then up to the level of the road.  It carried chayote fruits apparently harvested from the bottom of the mount packed in some plastic bags. I watched the carrier go up and down about a couple of times, its load transferred to a truck waiting by the roadside.  When the truck left, I struck conversation with those who were left behind whom I later knew to be a mother and her two sons who just came to help their household head who was the one who brought their chayote to the trading post.
    “The carrier can be loaded with utmost ten bags,” the lady explained. “Each bag is about twenty-five kilos.”
    “How much would that be sold in the market,” I asked.
    “If we’re lucky, the best price is at seven pesos per kilo for first class” she said. “Otherwise, traders may buy it at two pesos per kilo.”
    They have loaded to the truck fifty bags.  That would translate to about one thousand two hundred fifty kilos. If they get the best price, that would translate to about nine thousand pesos.
    “If we don’t get the best price, it’s sorry to be a farmer,” she laments.
    Noticing that they were not speaking Ibaloi, the native language of the place, I asked how long have they been farming in the area.  The boys said they have already seen at least two generations of their ascendants to include their parents planting and harvesting chayote. There was a lull and the boys were soon conversing about an invitation from their friend to play basketball later.
    I soon bade them good bye to continue with my jogging.  In my mind, those boys are innately farmers.  They are so lucky as even as such, they are able to think about a hobby of say basketball.  Are they pursuing or has plans to pursue an agricultural degree in college? I wish I would have asked them.
    My mind went back to an old adage I heard in my native language. “Hay adal ya hiya di balun habal.” (An education is the new way to farm.) Figuratively, this means that education would be the new source of livelihood.  This I think has been and is being preached everywhere.  It reinforced the belief that the best bequest parents can give their children is education. But on retrospection, sometimes, this kind of belief can contribute to the youth leaving farming.
    As I write this, some friend gave the information that here in the university we’re working where agriculture is a flagship course, the ratio of first year enrollees to the number of slots opened for the course is barely above fifty percent while slots are already full even as many are in the waiting list for the non-agriculture courses.  This may indicate a waning interest in agriculture as professional course.
    Was it because many are considering themselves as naturally farmers that they need not go to school for it?  Or was it because trading prices of farm produce are not an enticing prize?  Whether it is the first, the second or both, this corner believes that it is time to repackage “hay adal ya hiya di balun habal.”  This means that farming is science as with other more enticing courses in college.  This is about learning and searching for new knowledge and technologies and thus going to school for it is a must.  And just like any other college course, this leads to rewarding opportunities.  So if there are still students out there who have not yet decided on what course to college, ask the state university near you.  There’s “balu an habal” waiting for you.

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