Thursday, July 20, 2006
'City Hall won't pay GSIS loans'
By Danilo V. Adorador III

CITY Hall employees whose government-funded housing units are already facing foreclosures are now finding themselves slapped with a double whammy.

They were told that the City Government will not pay the interest, penalties, and other surcharges accumulated as a result of the latter's delinquency in paying housing loans with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS

Last week, a number of employees from several City Hall departments complained of receiving foreclosure notices in their GSIS-funded housing units, despite on-time salary deductions made by City Hall.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of possible reprisal, they faulted the City Government for dilly-dallying on their contributions.

The employees' housing loan repayments--as their respective papers from GSIS would show--has not been paid for the last six months.

Legal actions against the City Hall will be resorted to, once GSIS repossess their homes, they said.

Paying for the housing loan arrears, which they say had sprouted because of the City Hall's own doing, was the least they expected.

"We were shock. It was not our fault that our loans were declared by GSIS as accounts-in-default," an employee said, saying the matter was learned after a telephone inquiry to the City Budget Office early this week. "We were promptly told that the city will not shoulder the arrears."

City Budget Officer Grescelda Joson was in Ozamiz City Wednesday when this paper called her office to seek comment.

Joson has earlier said the City Government already paid the employees' GSIS premiums, though it was not clear if the housing loan repayments were also paid.

An Account-In-Default under the GSIS housing loan program is considered as an account with arrears equivalent to at least three monthly amortizations.

GSIS imposes 8 to 12 percent interest rate on its socialized and non-socialized housing packages. Penalties and other surcharges are computed monthly, though members can avail of several GSIS condonation programs.

Thursday, July 20, 2006
Sign up for impeach bid, city folks urged
By Lizanilla J. Amarga

CAGAYANONS and other interested personalities all over Northern Mindanao can now join and sign as complainants for the impeachment of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Congress, Black and White Movement regional coordinator Antonio Soriano announced Wednesday.

He said interested persons can visit their Black and White Movement branch office located at the 2nd Floor ICS Building, Tiano Montalvan Streets this city or call or text Nythnyth Sabanpan in their hotline 0915-598-1399.

"We are calling on all persons who are interested not to be afraid, we are just exercising our rights," Soriano said.

He added that the affidavits of the local complainants will be duly notarized and collected by opposition First District of Sorsogon Representative Francis "Chiz" Escudero who will be in the city this Saturday.

The Black and White Movement has now distributed sample copies of the affidavits and summary of impeachment complaint against Arroyo.

The group cited Article XI, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution that enumerates the ground for impeaching a president.

The charges being pushed include how Arroyo "exercised dictatorial powers to silence, if not stifle, political dissent arising from her illegitimate presidency."

"She (Arroyo) abetted, if not encouraged, the systematic and widespread killings of political dissidents and journalists to silence criticisms lodged against her and to continue her illegitimate hold on power," their statement reads.

Another charge stated is on how Arroyo "criminally concealed her conjugal assets, engaged in graft and corruption, and entered into illegal government contracts."

They also alleged the President to have committed "betrayal of public trust while it has not been given any definitive meaning in law and jurisprudence, involves the violation of a public officer's oath of office."

The group cited bribery as it is defined by the Revised Penal Code as being "committed by a public officer who receives a gift in connection with the performance of official duties in order to perform an act whether constituting a crime or not."

Black and White Movement said Arroyo has committed Graft and Corruption acts enumerated under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006
CDO showcases best in Ozamiz tourism show Wednesday

CAGAYAN de Oro City will be showcasing its best products, destinations, and services in the annual tourism show Pasundayag Northern Mindanao, in Ozamiz City on July 19.

Imma Rae D. Gatuslao, acting city tourism officer, disclosed that Cagayan de Oro will be featured Wednesday through the Cagayan de Oro Day in the month-long regional tourism exhibit.

In Wednesday's staging of Cagayan de Oro's best, Gatuslao said that the City Tourism Office will showcase a video presentation of the city's different destinations, and a basic mountaineering course which will be conducted by Eric Bontuyan of Viajero Outdoor Centre.

This will be capped with an Adventure Race to be conducted by the CdeO Outfitters Inc.

After the adventure game, the Cagayan de Oro City booth will be formally opened with "high-five of paddles", a symbol that the city is truly the adventure capital of the Philippines.

The formal program will then follow where Mayor Vicente Emano will present the historical ties of the two cities to Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr.

The city's pride Cagayan de Oro National High School Dance Society and the Purple People Band 49th Edition will entertain the Ozamiznon and guests. A food tasting will then follow featuring Cagayan de Oro City's best delicacies.

Gatuslao is hoping that through the tourism expo, the people will visit and explore the adventures of Cagayan de Oro. (CIO)

Monday, July 17, 2006
City vendors' foods unsanitary: agency
By Danilo V. Adorador III

FOOD sold in the streets of Cagayan de Oro has been found to be unsafe, a report from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Northern Mindanao showed.

Of the 13 food samples randomly bought from street vendors in six different locations, 12 were found to be contaminated with two harmful microorganisms

Foods tested comprise mostly of snack foods regularly eaten by school children, the report says.

The report warned that the results of the tests -- conducted at the DOST Microbiological Laboratory last month -- "have grave implications to the safety and well-being of our school children."

"The probability of food poisoning is high...measures should be initiated to prevent such incidents," it said.

City officials who were furnished the report vowed swift action, saying a legislation that would mandate regular test sampling of street-vended foods is underway.

Councilor Simeon Licayan, who heads the Health and Social Services Committee of the City Council, said a proposal to ban sidewalk vendors altogether is also being studied.

An Adhoc committee composed of representatives from DOST, City Health, and Licayan's group was created last Friday to craft an ordinance to address the health hazards of foods sold in sidewalks.

Among the tested foods, buko juice -- commonly sold by ambulant vendors in almost all corners downtown -- yielded the highest amount of fecal coliform count.

Foods such as camote-cue, pineapple slices, tempura with sauce, squid roll with hot sauce, banana cake, biko, egg pie, pork barbecue and deep fried chicken were found to be positive of E.Coli and Salmonella -- types of bacteria classified as "harmful microorganisms.

Ice and iced water were also found to be above the normal coliform count.

The report observes that "even freshly cooked food was contaminated with these pathogenic microorganisms...the duration of the cooking and temperature was not enough to destroy all pathogenic microorganisms."

It adds: "Contamination may also occur with improper handling of food, unsanitary utensils, or unhygienic surroundings, or the packaging materials used."

The team who collected the food samples also observed that street vendors recycled used plastic bags and newspapers as food wrappers."

Among others, it advised the City Government to:

* conduct periodic monitoring of street food specially those near school

* train street vendors on proper food handling tecniques

* regulate the selling of street foods by ambulant street vendors

* come up with legislations that will improve assurance of street foods

The DOST report rings a bell with a case of food poisoning in one of the mall's here recently, in which scores were hospitalized after eating foods from their canteen.

Subsequent investigation confirmed that the foods were contaminated with harmful bacteria.

Saturday, July 15, 2006
Mayor claims being victim of fertilizer fund scam
By Lizanilla J. Amarga and Joey P. Nacalaban

AMID the arrest of the primary person involved in the P2.8-billion fertilizer scam, Mayor Vicente Emano recently said his signature was forged in documents relating to this controversy.

But former Misamis Oriental Governor Antonio Calingin, the mayor's former political ally, is not convinced, saying if it were true the mayor should have immediately filed charges against those who forged his signature.

In a radio interview, Emano revealed there were papers linking him to this fertilizer scam controversy but that his signature in these documents was forged.

"Clearly, my signature in these documents was forged as the name that appears as my signature spelled out my entire name Vicente Y. Emano, which is not my signature," he said in the dialect. "The person who forged my name also used a ballpoint pen with blue ink when I always use a green one."

Earlier, Senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr. reported that around P2.8 billion of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani program was probably used in the 2004 presidential election with former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante as "architect of the scam."

Magsaysay, chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture, issued a preliminary report on his committee's investigation into the alleged fertilizer scandal that asserted the use of the fund "to favor administration candidates."

When Bolante was summoned by the Senate for an investigation, the former was reported to have already fled the country.

Recently, the United States Government arrested Bolante, not over the fertilizer scam, but for some issues concerning his visa.

There were reports that tagged administration candidates Cagayan de Oro lone Representative Constantino Jaraula and Emano as allegedly receiving huge amounts of money from this P2.8 billion Ginintuang Masaganang Ani Program.

Jaraula earlier denied being involved in this fertilizer scam controversy while Emano just last Wednesday admitted there were documents linking him to this controversy but that his signature in these papers was forged.

But Calingin is convinced that there is something fishy with Emano's claim that his signature was forged in documents relating to this fertilizer scam issue.

This particularly when it was made only after Bolante was arrested in foreign soil.

"Emano is trying to pre-empt any statement that Bolante might issue particularly as he has already been arrested," he told Sun.Star Friday.

He said the person who forges another's signature generally would exert his utmost efforts to copy the strokes and even the kind of pen and ink color used to sign documents.

"But how would Emano know the pen that was used to forge his signature was colored blue when the documents that probably reached his hands are only machine copies of the original," he said.

Calingin said the best way to determine whether Emano is actually telling the truth is for him to formally file legal charges against those responsible for such forgery.

"What Emano is saying is difficult to believe and in such cases what usually happens is that Emano will then point the blame on Jaraula," he said.

Friday, July 14, 2006
Opposition argue over unity summit
By Lizanilla J. Amarga

OPPOSITION leaders are still extending an open invitation to lawyer Manolo Tagarda and other opposition leaders who have doubts over their move to unite the local opposition.

Tagarda, however, said their Pundok-Mindanao already have its list of nominated candidates for the 2007 elections, which their members picked during their recently held General Assembly

The core group is set to meet Saturday for the finalization of their expanded list of over 200 opposition leaders and sectoral and non-government organization representatives who will attend their expanded core group meeting this July 29 and formal launching on August 25.

Tagarda told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro they suspect ill motives in the call for unity initiated by lawyers Frederico Gapuz and Butch Bagabuyo.

"The call is even more divisive," he said, adding that the members of their Pundok-Mindanao are now well-oriented and trained to detect "traditional politicians."

But lawyers Manuel Ravanera and Antonio Soriano, opposition political lieutenants who are supportive of the unification call, said they will still welcome Tagarda to their fold.

Soriano who ran as mayor with Tagarda as his vice-mayor said they would still want the former centennial mayor among their ranks and put up a more unified front.

For his part, Bagabuyo said, "I would like to believe that the people of Cagayan de Oro is convinced that unless the opposition is united it will be slaughtered."

He said that while many describe the call to unify the opposition as a "tall order" still "nothing is impossible."

"I still believe that in due time the opposition will unite and those who will not join will become irrelevant, impertinent and immaterial," said Bagabuyo.

"I hope and pray that if there is a group who believe that they have a chance to win, their only choice is to unite with the mainstream leadership opposition based on leadership by example and not on Messianic Complex," he added.

But Tagarda said their Pundok-Mindanao has already held a General Assembly and claimed that it was attended by some 3,000 to 5,000 members.

He said the General Assembly has nominated its tentative list of candidates for the 2007 elections --Tagarda as congressional bet, City Councilor Zaldy Ocon for mayor, and Barangay Lapasan chairman Bong Lao for vice mayor.

"But for me, I have not yet decided on whether I will run for congress," said Tagarda.

As for City Council member candidates, Tagarda named two other broadcast media practitioners, three lawyers, and even a local regional trial court judge.

Ravanera said their Partido Kalikasan and the local opposition are now "wooing and courting" other prominent personalities.

He said these persons are known for their "courage in dispensing functions of the government" and who are "clearly vanguards of the environment."

"We too are wooing and courting the likes of Justice Alfredo Lagamon, Bencyrus Ellorin, Sustines Lolong Magallanes, Elpie Paras and Maximo Simbulan to mention a few to be with us in our crusade," Ravanera said.


(July 14, 2006 issue)

Bugo exec petitions court to hold rival in custody

ELECTED-barangay chairman Perseverando Araña formally filed a separate petition asking a local court to hold in custody his rival, appointed-barangay chairman Nerio Obliosca, pending the resolution of a petition to cite the latter in contempt of court.

The petition further asked that, should the court find Obliosca in contempt of court for violating its preliminary injunction after comment and hearing, the penalty should be at least one month imprisonment and a minimum P30,000 fine.

Obliosca defended himself saying he is only trying to obey Mayor Vicente Emano's commands and hold true to the chief executive's pronouncements that City Hall still acknowledges him as barangay chairman of Bugo.

"I am the one appointed and recognized by Mayor Emano as barangay chairman of Bugo," he said over dxIF Bombo Radyo.

Barangay Bugo currently has two barangay chairmen -- Araña who got elected in the last barangay elections but "wrongfully tendered his resignation" and Obliosca who was appointed by Emano.

Obliosca refused to step down and so Araña went to court and got a preliminary injunction order against Obliosca with a P100,000 bond from Judge Florencia Sealana-Abbu.

But Obliosca stormed the Bugo Barangay Hall last Friday and locked himself inside the Office of the barangay chief, claiming that he has not yet seen the court's order and the P100,000 bond receipt that Araña paid.

Obliosca stepped out of the office only last Tuesday after Philippine National Police regional director Florante Baguio and Cagayan de Oro city police director Aurelio Trampe went to Barangay Hall to look into the situation.

Bagabuyo, due to the incident, filed Thursday a motion to cite Obliosca in contempt of court at the Regional Trial Court.

The petition is asking Judge Abbu that she issues an order for Obliosca to "immediately report" to the court upon receipt of order and that Obliosca file his comments within 10 days thereon.


(July 14, 2006 issue)