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City welcomes
whistleblowers
with evidence
BY: FLORENCE BAESA & DEMS REY T. DEMECILLO
Dumaguete City Mayor Agustin Perdices reiterated his commitment to
weed out corrupt officials and employees in the city hall and would appreciate
anyone who would expose anomalies and other irregularities
provided that the latter can provide sufficient evidence that would withstand
legal scrutiny.
Perdices even offered
dismissed City Social Development
Office casual employee
for 14 years Lorna
Ceriales a place in the mayor’s
office should she be able
to substantiate all her allegations
against some officials in
the city hall.
Ceriales bared some alleged
corrupt practices by her
superiors in her previous
postings like forcing her to
come up with written reports
containing false data. She
also alleged that some of her
co-employees who are
“close” to her erstwhile boss
Mrs. Marina Mendoza would
report late but would sign in
on time; others would have
nothing to do but sit idle, preoccupy
themselves with computer
games or head to the
public market for some real
property deals.
CSWD head Mrs. Marina Mendoza has
refused to comment on the
charges of Mrs. Ceriales except
to declare that Ceriales
is one employee that is “hard
to deal with.” Mendoza is
more inclined to wait for the
resolution of the case filed
against her by Ceriales before
the Ombudsman rather
than dispute with her in public.
Roused by the allegations
leveled on air and print
by Lorna Ceriales, Atty. Neil
Rey Lagahit declared that
there are no “scared cows”
in the administration.
He cited the suspension
of City Agriculture head
Alfredo de los Santos and the
dismissal of two others as
proof that the city administration
would never tolerate
any incidence of malfeasance
in the service.
Dared by Mayor Agustin
Perdices to appear before the
City Council during last
Thursday’s regular session in
order to lend “officiality” to
her allegations and possibly
square off with her bosses,
Ceriales refused citing the
absence of Mrs. Mendoza
and the inability of some
councilors in helping her.
Ceriales’ ambivalence is
due to the fact that majority
of the councilors are allied
with Mayor Perdices whom
she described as hostile to
her. However, after some
coaxing, she indicated her openness to attend this
week’s regular session of
the City Council but only
upon her lawyer’s endorsement.
Pru Life UK opens
Another big international insurance and investment
company has opened its doors to
Dumaguete investors. It is the PRU LIFE UK
at the Sol Y Mar Bldg along the Rizal Boulevard.
Its President Mr.
Nishit Majmudar, who met
with local businessmen and
investors at the Heritage
House here, said that Pru
Life UK is a direct subsidiary
of British financial services giant Prudential
pic., with extensive financial
services worldwide.
Prudential pic has more
than 21 million customers and
has about US$530 billion of
funds under management as of
March 2008.
Pru Life U K helps people
prepare for their future in terms
of educational funding, retirement
funding, critical illness
funding and income continuation
funding.
For particulars call 422-
4129 or 226-3139. Ask for manager
Gina.

Gov’t to clamp
suspected illegal
Tambobo trade
The provincial and local government units of Negros Oriental and
Siaton, together with all line agencies concerned with maritime environment,
safety, health and welfare, will ensure that no illegal trade
is going on inside and outside the docked pleasure yatchs in scenic
Tambobo Bay in Siaton.
This will mean the immediate
deportation of foreigners
and imprisonment of
locals who, after due process,
will be found to be engaged
in illegal trade in
Tambobo bay.
On the other
hand,government is willing
to protect foreigners from illegal
traders by strengthening
the presence of law enforcers
in the area, also to
protect tourists most of all.
There are persistent reports
that there might be foreigners
who are sick with
contagious dreaded diseases
and might endanger local
residents of Siaton; some of
those sick might go downtown
Dumaguete and contaminate
city residents in bars and restaurants; there
is a need for an effective quarantine
inspection;
With Gov Macias last Friday
were (above foto) 3rd district
Rep Henry PrydeTeves;
CG Cmdr Robert Patrimonio,
Customs collector Mediolita
Cabanag; PPA port manger Rene
Tolinero; BI Immigration officer
Peter Bueno; Jack Raymond;
Mayor Bing ARbolado and VM
Roy de Gamo, of Siaton ;BM
Butch Adanza; CENRO Charlie
Fabre; PPA Operations Raul
Merecido; and Engr. Cornelio
Singson, pier oprations; among others.
There are reports that at
some time, the illegal drug
trade may have been flourishing
as the foreign owned
yatchs dock and that possible
gun running activities may
not be discounted considering
the number of noted vehicles
of prominent people , which
have long been listed by intelligence
groups and seen
around the shorelines of
Tambobo at some time or another.
Gov Emilio Macias and
3rd D.Rep Henry Pryde Teves
immediately acted on the reports
and quickly called for
the establishment of a
Tambobo Bay Marina or
Yacht Basis under a
Tambobo Development Authority
like Subic or Balanan
for that matter.
DANGER OF
OVERLAPPING
The governor emphasized
(see foto page 2) that
corruption must be 100% taboo
and that agencies must
not overlap their functions
and remain uncorruptible to
those foreigners who might be
engaged in illegal activities. So
he asked them to submit
a.s.a.p. their position papers
as to the scope of their functions
and jurisdictions.
The agencies pooling
their resources, policies and
personnel, are the departments
of environment, health,
police, ports authority, coast
guard, LGUs, immigration,
marina, customs, maritime
police and the fisheries bureau.
(see their functions on
Critical Reporting page 2)
SANITIZE THE
TAMBOBO BAY AREA.
Gov Macias observed
the following in Tambobo per
results of his intelligence investigation:
Foreign pleasure yatchs
dock and go without proper quarantine process in
Tambobo; no customs, no immigration
nor any marina police
to inspect what they bring
into the island; no census or
inventory as to their passports
and visas if any; no health inspection
for dreaded diseases;
it is possible that prostitutes
and human trafficking are being
engaged; smuggling and
contraband entry and exit; and
the installation of electronic
surveillance equipment.
DA bares NegOr rice score
BY DRT DEMECILLO
Only two cities and two municipalities out of the 25 local government
units composing the province of Negros Oriental, with a population of
1.3 million, are rice sufficient declares Provincial Agriculturist Mr.
Gregorio P. Paltinca.
The cities are Canalon,
which is 369.42 percent rice
sufficient and Bayawan in
the South, 152.08 percent.
The towns of Zamboanguita
and Ayungon are rice sufficient
by 143.33 percent and
126.28 percent, respectively.
The rest of the cities and
towns are considered rice deficient and are
highly dependent on importation.
Paltinca said for the
province to be rice sufficient
government must irrigate
and plant some
20,000 hectares with rice
but at present only 15, 059
hectares are actually
planted with rice.
Negros Island Sustainable
Agriculture and Rural
Development Foundation
Inc. Provincial Coordinator
Merlisa Garcia asserts that
the province will never be
rice sufficient for the following
reasons: only 14,000 hectares
of rice land are irrigated;
many of the watersheds
are drying up; land
conversion from agricultural
to commercial, diversion of
rice planters to growing
kangkong and high cost of
farm inputs which prevents
farmers to maximize the full
potential of their land in rice
production.
Both Paltinca and
Garcia underscored the need
to rehabilitate and build
more irrigation facilities for
expansion. The National Irrigation
Administration has
already submitted on
Wednesday 39 irrigation
projects for repair and improvement
amounting to Php
72 million covering 1,085
hectares which is expected to
boost food security and benefit
some 2,490 farmers.
Recently, in a meeting
with members of the League
of municipalities presided
by Jimalalud Mayor
Reynaldo Tuanda, Regional
Technical Director of the
Department of Agriculture
Angel Enriquez announced
that major interventions
worth Php 18 million will be
made available for the province
to increase rice sufficiency
level from 65 percent
this year, 72 percent in 2009
to 79 percent in 2010.
Among the interventions
to be funded by DA are
the provision of flatbed dryers,
post harvest facilities,
certified seeds, rehabilitation
of irrigation sites, subsidy
in planting hybrid rice
and the location of areas
where rice growing is best
suited.
Victim stages own hold-up
Police investigators led by Dumaguete City PNP
Chief Col. Leopoldo Cabanag managed to solve
an alleged hold-up case within 24 hours after it
was revealed during intense interrogation that the
messenger himself stage-managed the supposed
robbery so he could keep some Php180,000 for
himself.
The victim-turned-suspect
was identified as
Pablicito Paclauna of
Banilad, Bacong and an
employee for many years
with the Merchants Bank.
He was asked to deposit
some Php 182,000 to
Metrobank but he later
sought police assistance for
he was allegedly robbed by three unidentified men.
In the course of the investigation,
two security
guards of Metrobank who
were some 4 meters away
from the site of the alleged
incident swore that they
never saw any commotion or
violence during the period
when the caper was supposedly
carried out. Some “police
assets” interviewed in
the vicinity also made the
same assertions.
This led the investigators
to interrogate Paclauna
who broke down and confessed
that he kept the
money in his house. He also
asked for his superiors’ pardon
which was granted on
account that this is the first
time he committed a criminal
act but Ms. Jane Mijares,
Officer-in-Charge of the
Merchants Bank said that
Pacaluna can no longer work
with them.
Amazing Energy
race by PNOC
Highlighting the
weeklong 5th
Energy Camp,
which is an annual summer
recreational event organized
by geothermal leader
Energy Deve-lopment Corporation
for their high
school scholars all over the
country, was the Amazing
Energy Race where the youth campers hurdled a battery of
physical and mental challenges to win the Survivor
Champion Award. It was unmistakably inspired by
the Amazing Race from the United States.
In Negros Oriental, forty-seven incoming fourth
year high school students were given a rare opportunity
to undergo experiential learning activities for
eight days at the PNOC EDC Energy Camp. There
were 200 more studentsif">Amazing Energy
race by PNOC
Highlighting the
weeklong 5th
Energy Camp,
which is an annual summer
recreational event organized
by geothermal leader
Energy Deve-lopment Corporation
for their high
school scholars all over the
country, was the Amazing
Energy Race where the youth campers hurdled a battery of
physical and mental challenges to win the Survivor
Champion Award. It was unmistakably inspired by
the Amazing Race from the United States.
In Negros Oriental, forty-seven incoming fourth
year high school students were given a rare opportunity
to undergo experiential learning activities for
eight days at the PNOC EDC Energy Camp. There
were 200 more students in five other Energy Camps
around its geothermal sites in Bacon-Monito
Sorsogon, Tongonan Leyte ( 2 camps), Bago City
and Murcia in Northern Negros and Kidapawan,
North Cotabato.
A brain child of EDC President and CEO Paul
A. Aquino, the program aims to ensure fun and experiential
learning for the youth in the company’s where the youth campers
hurdled a battery of
physical and mental challenges
to win the Survivor
Champion Award. It was
unmistakably inspired by the
Amazing Race from the
United States.
In Negros Oriental,
forty-seven incoming fourth
year high school students
were given a rare opportunity
to undergo experiential
learning activities for eight
days at the PNOC EDC Energy
Camp. There were 200
more students in five other
Energy Camps around its
geothermal sites in Bacon-
Monito Sorsogon, Tongonan
Leyte ( 2 camps), Bago City
and Murcia in Northern
Negros and Kidapawan,
North Cotabato.
A brain child of EDC
President and CEO Paul A.
Aquino, the program aims to
ensure fun and experiential
learning for the youth in the
company’s host communities
as well as children of
EDC employees to learn
more about life, environment
protection and geothermal
energy.
The EDC’s Energy
Camp has already been
cited not only by the LGUs
and host communities but
by the Public Relations Society
of the Philippines’
Anvil Awards and the International
Association of Business Communicator’s
(IABC) Gold Quill Awards
for being a more sustainable
program than a one-time PR
project.
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