City welcomes whistleblowers with evidence

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.

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.

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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