Monthly Archives: August 2006

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Nordis Weekly, 27 August 2006 articles

August 27, 2006 in general

News stories

Opinion

Special: Addressing Baguio’s top three concerns

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Pay parking law repealed

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, politics, public works, social concerns

BAGUIO CITY (August 23) — Today marks a little victory for the people of Baguio City as the city council approved on second reading the repeal of a traffic ordinance, Ordinance 003-2000, which, the councilors said, allowed the city streets to be utilized commercially by a private entity, as proposed by Councilor Edilberto B. Tenefrancia in July 2004. A related resolution introduced by Councilors Rocky Thomas A Balisong, Perlita Chan-Rondez and Jose M. Molintas, asking the city legal officer to notify Jadewell of the rescission of the contract, and a people’s petition were likewise unanimously approved.

How the councilors voted

Aside from Tenefrancia, Molintas, Rondez and Balisong, councilors, Galo D. Weygan, Leandro B. Yangot, Jr., Rufino Panagan, Antonio R. Tabora, Jr., and Faustino A. Olowan voted for the resolutions towards repealing the traffic ordinance and rescinding the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the city and the Jadewell Parking Systems Corp. (Jadewell). Read the rest of this entry →

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Dr. Priscilla Supnet-Macansantos

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, Cordillera, education, social concerns

Dr. Priscilla Supnet-Macansantos
Chancellor, UP Baguio
Interviewed by Jun Verzola

Editor’s note: We asked Dr. Macansantos to focus on how UP Baguio interacts with its immediate regional and urban environment. Excerpts follow.

An academic institution serving the wider community. As an academic institution, it’s expected that UP focus on academic excellence as its primary mission. By pursuing academic excellence in the region, I think we are serving the region, even if that’s something the community may not readily see. But we have programs whose community impact is more immediate. For instance, the College of Science is partnering with other institutions for the Clean Air program and to implement the Clean Air Act in education. In the social sciences we offer training programs for teachers and technical assistance to other schools. Read the rest of this entry →

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Eric “Kidlat Tahimik” Oteyza De Guia

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, Cordillera, lifeways

Eric “Kidlat Tahimik” Oteyza De Guia
‘Cultural Observer’, Filmmaker
Interviewed by Pink-Jean Melegrito

Editor’s note: Although Kidlat Tahimik notes the big changes in Baguio such as population increase, uncontrolled migration, more vehicles, and impinged environment, he sees the lively cultural life of the city as the crossroads of artists hailing from neighboring provinces and of course from the Cordillera highlands. He also dwells on how artists here depict the influence of the Cordillera lifestyle in their artworks. A “Balik-Bahag Movement” advocate, he believes that a strong focus on our local culture by artists can be a catalyst for our people to rediscover the Filipino people’’ “Indio-Geniusness” – a term he proudly coined from his Ifugao woodcarver-guru’s mispronunciation of “indigenous” as “in-die-genius”. Excerpts follow:

This city was practically carved out by the Americans to serve as the seat of government during the summer. Art in those days was just seen in Western books. We were trying too hard to be Americans, to the point of actually “culturally copying” from the Americans what we see in them. From that premise, when I was growing up, I was mainly influenced by Western art styles. When I entered UP Diliman, that was when I realized how Americanized I was. But as time passed, I saw nationalism grow – seeing colonialism, 400 years of our colonial past – and then the questioning started: Where has Cordillera culture gone? Read the rest of this entry →

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Architect Joseph “Jody” Alabanza

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, Cordillera, economy, social concerns

Architect Joseph “Jody” Alabanza
Ret. Director of the National Economic Development Agency (NEDA), Region I
Chairperson, Baguio Centennial Commission
By Lyn V. Ramo

Editor’s note: These are excerpts from his speech during the Kapihan sa Baguio, August 24. Urbanization issues top former NEDA Dir. Joseph Alabanza’s list of concerns for Baguio City as it approaches the Centennial year in 2009. He expressed concern for the vanishing open spaces in the city.

“Baguio City used to be among the cities in the country with the largest open spaces. These have been dwindling through the years,” he said as he urged residents and development planners to be stricter this time.

He said the growing population now compete on the city’s resources. Aside from land, water supply and electrification top his concerns. Moreover, he is also concerned with traffic and pollution in the central business district. Read the rest of this entry →

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Gerry De Guzman

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, economy, social concerns

Gerry De Guzman
Sidewalk vendor, 44 years old
Interviewed by Johnny Fialen

Trabaho – sana gawing prayoridad ng mga kumukuha ng trabahador ang mga taga rito. Dapat gawan ito ng MOA ng lokal na gobyerno at mga establisyemento dito. Dumarami na ang mga tambay lang kaya dumarami rin ang gumagawa ng krimen gaya ng panghoholdap at pandurukot. Para sa akin ay ito ang isang paraan para maging tahimik ang isang lugar. Dapat ipatupad ang minimum wage at parusahan ang di nagpapatupad nito. Read the rest of this entry →

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Raymund Soriano

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, economy, social concerns

Raymund Soriano
Student, 18 years old
Interviewed by Bryan Balolong

Isa sa mga nakikita kong problema rito sa Baguio ay ‘yung sobrang daming sasakyan. Iyong iba ay nakaka-dagdag lang sa polusyon dito kaya hindi na gaanong malamig ngayon ang Baguio. Dati-rati ay hindi ako pinagpapawisan ngayon sobra na ang pawis ko, parang laging summer.

Isa pang problemang nakikita ko lalo na sa amin ay yung mga basura. Minsan kasi hindi nakokolekta on time kaya yung mga aso eh nagpipiyesta. Ikinakalat nila yung mga basura at bumabaho tuloy. Sana’y alam din ng mga tao kung paano paghiwa-hiwalayin ang mga basura. #

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Charlie A. Bruzon

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, economy, social concerns

Charlie A. Bruzon
Taxi Driver, TOTAL-Radio Action Group
Interviewed by Brenda S. Dacpano

Una, di pantay ang pagpapatupad ng batas trapiko ng mga pulis. Halimbawa, ang mga drayber ng mga pribadong sasakyan ay maluwag nilang hinahayaang lumusot maski lumabag ng batas trapiko samantalang kaming mga drayber ng taxi at dyip ay hinuhuli kaagad. Sana parehas ang trato. Read the rest of this entry →

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Victims’ kin urge case vs ex-chief cop

August 27, 2006 in Cordillera, human rights

BAGUIO CITY (August 25) — The families of two Tabuk residents summarily executed, allegedly at the hands of the relieved Kalinga Philippine National Police (PNP) provincial director, are demanding justice and urging the authorities to file criminal cases against the PNP members involved in the murder of their kin.

Two persons who said they were survivors in the said killings, Rodel Gallema and Robert Lutao, claimed in an affidavit that relieved Kalinga PNP Provincial Director Pedro Ramos and his men killed Noel Gubiangan and Elmer Gallema, both residents of Tabuk. Read the rest of this entry →

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Urban poor explain ‘poison letter’

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, housing, land rights, urban poor

BAGUIO CITY (Aug. 26) — The Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili ti Syudad (Ornus), an urban poor organization, and some residents of Cypress Point, UP Village and San Carlos Heights in Barangay Irisan here explained that a document dubbed by critics as a “poison letter” is an organizational paper that would be presented before the congress of the Irisan Peooples Action against Demolition and for Good Governance (IPADeGG).

Geraldine Cacho of Ornus said the paper entitled Land to the Landless, Land to Actual Occupants: A Report on the Irisan peoples Capacity Building Work was a discussion paper to be tackled on August 27 during the first IPADeGG general assembly at San Carlos Heights. She said that it was a report from a researcher of the Tebtebba Foundation. Read the rest of this entry →

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Editorial: The Left, the Right, and the media

August 27, 2006 in editorials, human rights, media, national

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales recently warned that communists have infiltrated media’s ranks.

We are in no position to contest the factual accuracy of Gonzales’ claim. After all, for many decades now, from the time of Quezon and Roxas to the time of Marcos and all presidents who followed him, the communists have been accused of infiltrating all walks of life – labor and farmers’ groups, youth and women, professionals, business, churches, lawmakers, and so on. Read the rest of this entry →

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Advocate's Overview: Impeachment: tyranny of numbers

August 27, 2006 in columns, national, politics

By ARTHUR ALLAD-IW

The House of Representatives, dominated by GMA’s allies, finally thrashed the people-initiated impeachment against GMA. The final count showed 172 Congressmen voting against the impeachment while 32 voted in favor.

The pro-GMA House majority evaded issues of substance on whether GMA had committed impeachable acts. Instead, the impeachment process became a loyalty issue: whether this or that lawmaker is pro-GMA or not. Read the rest of this entry →

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Pathless Travels: Boatless Badjaos (1)

August 27, 2006 in columns, indigenous, lifeways, people

By PIO VERZOLA, JR.

I was just telling my neighbor here, Kabsat Kandu, about a chance encounter I had with a Badjao beggar family who were stranded in flooded urban streets, minus their boat.

I was recently in Manila, gulping down my second cup of coffee in a rush to catch an appointment, when someone banged on the steel gate of the printing press house where I was staying. She was waving a letter and shouting in an unfamiliar language. The noisy machine drowned her out, and no one else in the house wanted to indulge a visibly desperate beggar. Read the rest of this entry →

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Women's Front: Globalization: making rural women more hungry, angry (1)

August 27, 2006 in agriculture, columns, economy, women

By INNABUYOG-GABRIELA

There is massive loss of livelihood. Hunger is becoming widespread. Forced migration and violence against women are increasing in different forms and levels.

This is a simple synthesis of how rural women in the Cordillera describe the current level of economic crisis in their own communities. This is a clear impact of globalization to agriculture and the Arroyo government’s persistence in realizing its commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Read the rest of this entry →

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Weekly Reflections: Political killings

August 27, 2006 in columns, human rights, religion

By REV. LUNA L. DINGAYAN

“You killed the one who leads to life, but God raised him from death — and we are witnesses for this.” — Acts 3:15

Spate of Political Killings
One of the most disturbing trends in our country today is the spate of political killings happening almost everyday. The victims come from the ranks of militant groups and media people, including those from the church. We may ask why these people are being killed. Obviously, they are the prophets of our time. They are the bearers and seekers for truth. Truly, a government that could not withstand the truth would do everything it could to cover it up. Read the rest of this entry →

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Pokus: Sino ang dapat sisihin sa leakage ng nursing licensure exam?

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, health, national, opinion, professionals

Ni JOHNNY FIALEN

Ang nangyaring leakage sa nursing exam ay isang malaking dagok sa kakayahan ng mga nursing student, at pati kinabukasan ng propesyon nila ay apektado na. Ang mga taong dapat sana maging modelo para sa mga kabataang propesyunal ay sila pa ang gumawa ng masama at lumikha ng malaking problema ngayon.

Kailangan seryosohin ang imbestigasyon sa kaso, lalo ang posibleng pagkasangkot ng mga opisyal ng Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) at Board of Nursing, na siyang responsable sa mga licensure examination. Dapat lang maparusahan ang mga pasimuno sa nasabing leakage, upang maiwasan na parang ang buong batch ng nursing board examinees ay napaparusahan sa hindi nila kasalanan. Read the rest of this entry →

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BENECO’s other option

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, Cordillera, energy

BAGUIO CITY (Aug. 25) — The Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) management and Baguio-Benguet Electric Consumers Coalition for Empowerment (BBECCE) are in an intense debate over the conversion of Beneco from non-stock to stock cooperative. However, Tongtongan ti Umili-Cordillera Peoples Alliance (TTU-CPA) maintains that beyond this conversion issue is the looming privatization of a basic service such as electric power.

The conversion issue
Beneco management and board want to maintain its status as non-stock cooperative under the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to maintain its rural electrification project. The management said conversion to stock cooperative boils down to conversion from service oriented to profit oriented. Read the rest of this entry →

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BENECO ask ERC to call off refund order

August 27, 2006 in Baguio City, Cordillera, energy

BAGUIO CITY (Aug. 26) — The Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) last Tuesday asked the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to withdraw its order for Beneco to refund its consumers a total of P33.9 million, saying there was no over-collection for the purchased power adjustment (PPA) component of its billings from January 1999 to April 2004.

In Beneco’s motion for reconsideration, they argued that they followed the 12-month running average systems loss adopted by the then Energy Regulatory Board (ERB) in computing the PPA for the five-year period covered by the refund order. Read the rest of this entry →

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Kalinga youth decry killings

August 27, 2006 in Cordillera, human rights, youth

TABUK, Kalinga (Aug. 23) – Unfazed by the series of death-squad ambushes, abductions and drive-by harassment shootings in this violence-torn province, the Kalinga chapter of the militant youth organization AnakBayan held its 7th General Assembly on Aug. 19-20. Seventy-eight of Kalinga youth delegates attended.

The AB-Kalinga assembly dwelled at length on the issue of political violence, with focus on the Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) based on what critics say is a rehashed National Internal Security Program. Read the rest of this entry →

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Ilocos nursing school deans deny leakage involvement

August 27, 2006 in health, Ilocos, professionals

VIGAN CITY (August 22) — Deans of the College of Nursing and College of Health Sciences of the University of Northern Philippines (UNP) deny the allegations on their receipt of leakage materials days before the Nursing Board Examinations.

Prof. Brigida De Leon, Dean of the College of Nursing-UNP, denied attendance at the controversial orientation at SM Manila. “We vehemently deny that we received materials during the final coaching at SM Manila,” she told Nordis in an interview. Read the rest of this entry →

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