Cebu Coast Guard, police seize illegal firecrackers
by Amor Saludar
CEBU CITY December 21 (PIA) --- Ten boxes of illegal firecrackers worth P48,000 were recently confiscated by the Cebu Coast Guard Operatives at Pier 4 in Cebu City.
The boxes contained “piccolo,” a small type of firecracker which is one of the prohibited firecrackers for use under the Firecrackers Law.
Cebu Coast Guard Commander Rolando Punzalan said that they received reports about the smuggled firecrackers bound for Leyte but would first pass Pier 4. A team was then formed to monitor and verify the reports that eventually resulted to the confiscation of the illegal products, Punzalan added.
When the smuggled firecrackers were confiscated nobody declared ownership of the products, this is said.
In another development, the Firearms, Explosives, Security Agencies and Guards Supervisor Section (FESSAGS) Central Visayas under the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 raided and conducted surprise inspections on several stalls selling fireworks and pyrotechnics in Manalili Street and Carbon Public market in Cebu City.
FESSAGS 7 Chief Rex Derilo headed the operation along with policemen from the PRO 7 together with members of the local media. The team was able to confiscate P10, 000 worth of firecrackers and pyrotechnics illegally sold and displayed in some stalls at Carbon Public Market.
Illegally sold and displayed firecrackers and pyrotechnics were also recovered in the same operation along Manalili Street, Cebu City.
The FESSAGS will hold the custody of the confiscated firecrackers and pyrotechnics, after the inventory of the products. (FCR/AS/PIA-CEBU)
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LGUs urged to undertake revenue generating projects,
strengthen local tax collections to fund basic services
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, December 20 (PIA) -- Local government units (LGUs) are urged to initiate revenue-generating projects and strengthen their tax collections in order to raise money and fund basic social services such as road improvement, education and health needs of their constituents.
Ofelia Oliva of the Bureau of Local Government and Finance (BLGF) 7 said most municipalities are 80 to 90 percent dependent on their internal revenue allotment (IRA).
Oliva added that even cities are 50 percent dependent on their IRA.
“LGUs should undertake economic enterprise projects and strengthen local tax collections to fast track the development of their locality. LGUs should not entirely depend on their IRA because when the money is spent and no funds can be taken to fund basic social services, development is also stalled,” Oliva said during the recent year-end gathering of the Cebu Association of City and Municipal Public Information Officers.
The former city treasurer of Cebu City, Oliva cited some local utilities where LGUs could save and earn money.
“Public markets and hospitals should not be subsidized by the local government. Instead these should be operated and managed by the private sector with no government intervention,” Oliva declared.
Oliva also said she does not believe in educational scholarships. Instead, the local government should just provide jobs to the parents of the deserving scholars and let them spend for the education of their children.
“It is not good to always provide anything for “free” such as educational scholarships because the people would just be dependent on it. I do not believe in “dole out” because we do not have a dole-out economy,” Oliva stressed.
Other economic enterprise activities mentioned by Oliva where LGUs could save and earn money are in bus terminals, crematorium and even telephone services especially in far-flung towns.
“It is also not good to raise real property taxes because the business sector will be the one heavily affected. LGUs should create a business-friendly environment to attract investments into their locality,” Oliva said.
“Instead of raising real property taxes, instead LGUs should intensify their local tax collections through tax mapping operation and identification,” Oliva said.
Oliva advised LGUs that they should invest their funds in revenue-generating projects or self-liquidating undertakings to produce income so that local governments can have funds for basic services such as road asphalting and drainage system.
“LGUs should also go into public-private partnership or any joint venture with the private sector which is what the Aquino Administration is espousing,” Oliva ended. (PIA-Cebu)
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Phil Health 7 brings gifts to children at
Cebu City gov’t hospital in the spirit of Christmas
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, December 20 (PIA) – In the spirit of showing love and gift-giving to those in need, the employees of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Phil Health) 7 visited the children confined in the pediatric ward of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).
Eighty children received gifts and milk packs from the Phil Health 7 led by Christmas Committee chair and Planning Officer Maria Cristina Ramos.
The ward’s very young patients also enjoyed a simple snack of arrozcaldo and spaghetti with their parents and guardians.
Phil Health also brought gifts of joy with balloon makers clad as Santa and Santa dwarves to entertain the kids who may be spending this Christmas in a hospital. As a special treat, the little ones get to have balloons shaped just the way they want it.
The Phil Health 7 expressed hopes that in their own little way, it made Christmas a bit more special for the 80 young patients of the CCMC.
Every year, the Phil Health 7 and its employees make it a point to celebrate each Christmas with those in need and truly live out the essence of corporate social responsibility.
Phil Health 7 said it also intends to continue giving more than public service to the community throughout this year and on to the next and not just on Christmas. (PIA-Cebu with PR from Phil Health 7)
Art exhibit to showcase the 'Gabaldon' schools
by: Minerva BC Newman
CEBU CITY, Dec 19 (PIA) -- The Cebu Provincial Government, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., League of Municipalities-Cebu Chapter, and Department of Education with the support of the Cebu Artists Inc., University of San Carlos-Conservation and Heritage Research Institute and Workshop, and United Architects of the Philippines will open an art exhibit called "Mugna-Lambigit" on December 21 at the 3rd floor Atrium of SM City-Cebu.
"Mugna-Lambigit" is a fund-raising Gabaldon exhibit that will showcase paintings of well-known local Cebuano artists depicting the Gabaldon schools in the province.
The Gabaldon Restoration Project is a collaborative project designed to restore old and dilapidated Gabaldon school buildings and provide a better learning environment for public school children.
It also aims to raise awareness on the value of conserving our cultural heritage and encourage support from stakeholders and concerned individuals to rehabilitate the schools that will not only benefit the students but also build our sense of pride and identity.
Proceeds of the exhibit will go to the Gabaldon Restoration Project. The exhibit will run for two weeks from December 17 to 30.
Gabaldons are heritage school buildings built as early as 1907 through an Act authored by Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon, which appropriated an initial budget of Php 1 million for building school structures all over the country. (PIA-7 & RAFI)
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LGUs ink with DENR-7 for express issuance of land titles
By Hazel Gloria
CEBU CITY, December 18 (PIA) --- Five local government units (LGUs) in Cebu recently signed a Memorandum of Partnership (MOPA) with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) to institute express lanes for the issuance of land titles and to improve land administration and management at the local level.
DENR-7 regional executive director Maximo Dichoso pointed out the importance of this partnership as a vehicle to cover untitled alienable and disposable lands at the local level to get them titled in a reasonably expeditious and speedy manner.
The LGUs that signed the partnership are Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy, Borbon Mayor Bernard Sepulveda, Tabogon Mayor Eusebio Dungog, and Ginatilan Mayor Antonio Singco.
This came after DENR-7 received a letter of intent from these LGUs to partner the land titling program and the conduct of series of consultations, dialogues and trainings on the existing laws, rules and regulations on the issuance of titles or patents, particularly under the Residential Free Patent Act or RA 10023.
A free patent on residential land covers untitled residential lands in public alienable and disposable lands, that are zoned by local government units as residential areas, including townsites, public schools, municipal halls, public plazas or parks, delisted and abandoned military camps or reservations.
Any Filipino citizen who is an actual occupant of a residential land for at least ten years may apply for a free patent title.
Based on the MOPA, a cadastral council is constituted to provide advice and oversight functions in the execution of titling program to accelerate the issuance of land titles.
The DENR-7 on the other hand will assign Land Management Officers (LMOs) to the LGU initiated titling program and the titling office may be created.
The DENR-7 will also provide technical assistance and conduct surveys, land adjudication, training and capacity building on public land administration and management including the relocation or delineation of territorial boundaries between adjacent LGUs.
The LGUs shall facilitate the titling of lands owned by LGUs concerned through the passage of an ordinance which shall constitute the creation of a local titling program, a titling office, adjudication teams, and information office to facilitate exchange of information, reconciliation, and reconstruction of data from local government and national government offices.
“We will be capacitating our LGUs with appropriate trainings and orientation so that they would be able to know how to initially process and evaluate land title applications,” Dichoso said.(mbcn/hfg/PIA-7 & DENR-7)
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Philpost 7 goes online
By Hazel Gloria
CEBU CITY, December 18 (PIA) --- The Philippine Postal Corporation in the region (Philpost-7) is now seen in the net with its official website: philpost7.com.
Philpost-7 information officer Rachel Betos said the website aims to facilitate customers' concerns the fastest way possible.
They could ask for the rates in sending their mail matters; they can also track and trace their mail status; they can download application forms for business reply permit; postal ID, postage charge account; and they can contact the office through the website without the hassle of going through busy telephone lines, Betos explained.
The website contains the rate calculator in which the customers could now calculate postage charge right on the web. Track and trace system for detailed mail information, Betos continued.
Another information posted in the website is the zip code for fast and accurate mail processing and delivery. News update for latest events and development within the corporation, she added.
Philpost was created under Republic Act No. 7354, or the Postal Service Act of 1992.
It was primarily established to undertake and implement an intensive modernization and development program geared towards improving the country’s postal system to best serve its postal needs.
PhilPost has set four (4) major goals to enable it to sustain the postal requirements of the country in the next millennium. They are: global reliability and dependability; market expansion through clientele satisfaction; mutually beneficial labor-management relations; and profit maximization through cost-effectiveness and resource efficiency.(mbcn/hfg/PIA-7)