February | 2009 | Northern Dispatch (nordis) Weekly

Ka Filiw urges government troops to join revolutionary movement

February 22, 2009 in Cordillera, general, insurgency

BAGUIO CITY — In an open letter addressed to all low-ranking government security forces such as those in the CAFGU, AFP troopers and junior officers and policemen, Simon “Ka Filiw” Naogsan of the Cordillera People’s Democratic Front (CPDF) asked them in the name of “…true patriotism and service to the people (to take) a stand against those who oppress and exploit the majority of our fellow Filipinos”.

The open letter was apparently sparked by an incident that took place last January 22, 2009 in an army detachment in Tocucan, Bontoc where a CAFGU militiaman, Jose Wayangen, from Betwagan, Sadanga, Mt. Province shot dead Sgt. Pauig Pattaguan of the 77th IB, after the former was verbally abused and humiliated by the victim. Read the rest of this entry →

Dads seek sources for Baguio supplemental budget

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, budget, general

BAGUIO CITY — Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas expressed doubts that the P950 million proposed budget submitted by Mayor Reinaldo Bautista can be raised to 1.1 billion pesos as suggested by the city council particularly by Councilor Galo Weygan.

In the weekly Ulat sa Bayan held in the city mayor’s office, Farias said that some of the councilors are looking into a 150 million additional source from raised rental of market stalls and raised garbage fees and increased share from the Baguio City Export Processing Zones (BCEPZ) taxes. Read the rest of this entry →

Domogan favors ConCon

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, general, national

BAGUIO CITY — To dispel the widespread suspicion that Charter change is being pushed to extend the stay in office of incumbent public officials, Baguio’s representative to Congress, Mauricio Domogan, expressed his preference for the holding of a consitutional convention to work on the proposed Constitutional amendments, where delegates to the said convention would be elected simultaneous with the presidential elections in 2010.

Whether this is now the prevailing sentiment of the dominant Lakas-Kampi coaliton in Congress or not, was unclear in the public forum held last February 15, Saturday, at the Mission Center of the Anglican Church here in Baguio City. Read the rest of this entry →

Aboitiz’ 2-year rehab of Ambuklao dam

February 22, 2009 in Cordillera, energy, general

BAGUIO CITY — While SN Aboitiz Power-Benguet, Inc announced its two year rehabilitation work on the Ambuklao Hydroelectric Power Plant, residents of Bokod also ask the company support livelihood and forest conservation related projects of the area which serves as the watershed and water source for Binga and Ambuklao dams.

In a press conference Friday last week, Mike Hostillos, of the Aboitiz Corporation Communication Office, told the media that their company started the rehabilitation work December last year, to be completed at the end of 2010. Read the rest of this entry →

Baguio eyes San Fernando in La Union for alternative dumpsite

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, general, Ilocos

BAGUIO CITY — In its bid to solve the garbage problem and lessen the city’s expenses for private haulers for Baguio’s trash delivery to Capas, Tarlac, the city is looking into bringing a limited tonnage of garbage to San Fernando City in La Union. Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas said that the mayor together with other city offials went to San Fernando this week to discuss with officials of San Fernando City regarding the dumping of garbage there.

San Fernando City has a 10 hectare-land fill that was designed for 15 years. The Department of Environmental and Natural Resources of Region 1 approved the said dump site limiting the daily absorbence of trash for 14 tons per day. Read the rest of this entry →

Baguio dumpsite blockers indicted

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, general

BAGUIO CITY — The City Prosecutor’s Office has found probable cause to indict, for the crime of grave coercion, the Irisan barangay residents, who caused the padlocking of the gate to the city’s open dumpsite in August last year.

Prosecutor III Elmer Manuel Sagsago filed an information dated January 29, 2009 for the prosecution of the criminal case for grave coercion against Leonardo Taganas, John Siloy, Amadeo Binwag and several unidentified others who were accused of “conspiring, confederating and mutually aiding one another, taking advantage of their numbers and displaying hostile attitude, arrogance and intransigence and by actually closing and padlocking the gate to the dumpsite…” Read the rest of this entry →

Photo exhibit warms search for James

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, Cordillera, general, human rights

BAGUIO CITY — February 17 marks the 154th day of the enforced disapperance of James Moy Balao, and his family and friends remain clueless about his whereabouts and condition but they are not giving up the search.

DKK BELT OUT A TUNE. At the top of their lungs the Salidummay fills the People’s Park with calls for solidarity in the search for James M. Balao. Photo by Noel Godinez

As part of their unrelenting search efforts, the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) and Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) held a photo exhibit on the said day at People’s Park that culminated in a short program. The said exhibit aimed to educate the public about enforced disappeance and iterate their demand from the government to surface Balao. Read the rest of this entry →

Deferring labor rights due to crisis denounced by migrant and labor groups

February 22, 2009 in general, national

Marching from Sto Domingo Church to the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) building, Migrante International and Kilusang Mayo Uno together with retrenched workers here and abroad have joined forces to condemn the alleged inhuman and illegal dismissals being done by companies which are cutting down on labor due to the global financial and economic crisis.

JOINED FORCES. Migrante International decided to work with Kilusang Mayo Uno to launch a campaign against blatant labor rights violations and the accountability of the Arroyo government in failing to protect its workers. Photo courtesy of Migrante-KMU

“With the continuing mass lay-off presently occurring here and abroad, the Arroyo administration seems to have already thrown our labor rights in the garbage using the current global crisis as an excuse. The ongoing retrenchments, wage freeze, reduction of working hours, among other infringement of labor rights are direct attacks from greedy capitalists in collaboration with the Arroyo government. This is unacceptable. The inherent right of workers to due process cannot be set aside in whatever condition or circumstances, even at a time of severe crisis,” explains Gina Esguerra, Secretary General of Migrante International. Read the rest of this entry →

Filipinos say gov’t will not deal with crisis seriously

February 22, 2009 in general, national

BAGUIO CITY — As the country suffers from the impact of the global financial crisis, more Filipinos think that the present administration will not address the crisis well.

According to the January 2009 Nationwide Survey of Ibon Data, a research-education-information development institution that out of the 86.2% respondents who are aware of the global crisis, 61% said that the government will not deal with the crisis adequately in the coming six months. Those who said it will deal with the crisis well had a 4.6% share, while 32.6% had no answer. Read the rest of this entry →

Consular fees increase will spark protest

February 22, 2009 in general, international

BAGUIO CITY — The largest alliance of overseas Filipino workers’ organizations in the Middle East warns that the impending increase in passport fees and other consular fees will spark international protests from OFWs.

Migrante – Middle East Regional Coordinator John Leonard Monterona said the 25% increase will only be an additional burden to struggling OFWs and their family amid the global financial crisis and increase on the prices of basic commodities and services in the host country and in the homeland. Once the said increase will be implemente he said, this will surely earn the rage of OFWs who are now restive due to threat of jobs lay off as the global financial crisis worsens sending more of their number back home with no jobs readily available to absorb them. Read the rest of this entry →

Knife wielding men rob nurse

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, criminality, general

BAGUIO CITY — Two unidentified men, armed with kitchen knives, robbed a nurse and threatened to hurt her and her family.

Ana (not her real name), a registered nurse, as quoted in the police blotter, said that early in the morning of February 14, at Amsing, Pacdal while on her way home walking through the stair-path she was violently confronted by the perpetrators. Read the rest of this entry →

Baguio pleads for pause on tuition hike

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, education, general

BAGUIO CITY — In the weekly Ulat sa Bayan, Vice-mayor Daniel Fariñas said that the city government will try to ask colleges and universities to slow down on tuition fee increases.

Fariñas said that this in consideration to the many students who can no longer afford to enroll and continue their education because of the recent and pending increase in tuition and other school fees. Read the rest of this entry →

SONA projects in full swing

February 22, 2009 in Cordillera, general

BAGUIO CITY — The implementation of the government State-of-the-Nation-Address (SONA) Projects in the Central Cordilleras will be in full swing this week with the complete awarding of all 27 contract packages worth 3.9 billion to 17 winning construction firms.

Out of the 27 contract packages, the Omengan Construction and Development Corporation (OCDC) based in Kalinga Province won 7 packages in addition to the ongoing 4 packages awarded to them in December 2008. The aggregate cost of the 11 contract packages awarded to OCDC the is 1.11 billion pesos. Read the rest of this entry →

Jeepney top prize in city tax raffle draw

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, general

BAGUIO CITY — One of the city’s early taxpayers settling their real property and business fees for 2009 in full before the end of this first quarter may end up owning a brand new passenger jeepney this summer.

Seventy others will each receive a bag of assorted groceries while 70 more will each bring home a sack of rice during the draw set on April 17, according to city treasurer Thelma Manaois. Read the rest of this entry →

Realty tax amnesty deadline — March 2

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, general

BAGUIO CITY — The public is reminded anew that the deadline for the grant of amnesty on delinquent real property taxes falls on March 2.

The “general amnesty” applies to real property taxpayers who are delinquent in the payment of real property taxes as of December 31, 2007. Read the rest of this entry →

March 12 is World Kidney Day

February 22, 2009 in general

Every year millions die prematurely of kidney failure or heart attacks and strokes linked to chronic kidney disease (CKD). A global health awareness campaign focusing on the importance of our kidneys and in reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide will be spearheaded locally by the Philippine Society of Nephrology (PSN).

March 12, 2009 is World Kidney Day (WKD), to be celebrated locally with a motorcade starting from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in East Avenue and culminating at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in North Avenue where a program will be held to disseminate information on how one can prevent having a kidney disease. On the same day, satellite lectures will be conducted by nephrologists in other cities nationwide in order to raise awareness about the importance of our kidneys – an amazing organ that plays a crucial role in keeping us alive and well. Read the rest of this entry →

Editorial: “Junk VFA”

February 22, 2009 in editorials, general, opinion

A decade or so ago, a cross-section of our citizenry were holding fora and marching on the streets protesting against the impending passage of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which would allow the return of American troops to Philippine soil.

These critics of the VFA then pointed out the danger posed to our sovereignty by the return of American soldiers citing our sad experiences when Subic and Clark were huge American military bases with hundreds of night clubs in the nearby cities of Olongapo and Angeles, respectively, providing “rest and recreation” comforts to the American G.I.s. Read the rest of this entry →

From Under This Hat: Mangled, unrespected and buried?

February 22, 2009 in columns, general, opinion

By KATHLEEN T. OKUBO

Tomorrow is the day about a hundred years ago that the Justice Oliver Wendel Holmes of the US of A, Supreme Court brought down the historical decision that the Ibaloi Mateo of Baguio City owned and had native title over his ancestral land. That decision is now better known as the Carino Doctrine or the Doctrine of Native Title. The titled land that was contested was that where the Camp John Hay is located.

The Doctrine and a law that has and continues to pass discrediting and watering down actions by the different administrations of the Philippine government. Even with the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) that government representatives, both sincere and insincere, recognize as an off-shoot of the Doctrine of Native title and a local version of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that protect the Indigenous peoples’ (including the Ygorotes) rights to their ancestral lands and domains, and the right to self-determination. The Doctrine and the Act that should have facilitated the rendering of Justice to a scandalously wronged victim like Mateo. It is 100 years hence and justice has not yet been served Justice to the man or even to his memory. Read the rest of this entry →

Labor Watch: Open Season again for child maximization?

February 22, 2009 in columns, general, opinion

By ALDWIN G. QUITASOL

“I think he is an entertainer. I would prefer if he were a performer.” — Carol Bellamy on child exploitation

While tourists again enjoy the parades, landscape displays, exhibits and other shows in the 2009 flower festival, a mother of a public elementary school pupil laments in Ilocano: “Hay, Panagbenga manen, praktis a praktis diay anak ko nga agsala para idiay parade ket ti problema, aggastosak para iti icostume na ken ti balon ken plete na kada agpraktis”. (hay it is Panagbenga again, my child is always at practice for the parade dance. The problem is I have to spend for the costume, snack and fare every practice.)

Since the Panagbenga business started here in Baguio, students were the best “resource capital”. They are already being trained to do the hard work of entertain foreign and local tourists to the benefit of the tourism industry. They let the carpet roll for pure commercial profit. Can they also be called “ isang tipo ng bagong bayani”, for they also help lift the economy just like the OFW sacrificial lambs the GMA administration is claiming. Read the rest of this entry →

Letters: On our kids' sports incentives

February 22, 2009 in Baguio City, general, letters, opinion

If the so-called honorable Mr. Mayor B is the “father of the city,” I would rather be an orphan.

I thought, the good mayor would do something about the absence of a City sports program or the failing grant for sports incentives. Instead, the athletes, our kids have become platforms for city and DepEd officials to put their faces on local newspapers. Read the rest of this entry →