By Sheila Hortaleza-Aquino

THE Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon has dismissed for lack of merit the cases of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019), illegal use of public funds (technical malversation) and grave misconduct filed against City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim, City Treasurer Romelita Alcantara and Engineer Miguel dela Torre of the City Engineer’s Office.

Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Victor Fernandez approved the decision based on the recommendation of Director Emilio Gonzales III and Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer I Maritess Fabila-Vizconde.

The complainant, lawyer Victor Llamas, who represented the so-called Citizens Coalition for Reforms, Social Justice and Good Government, alleged the three respondents conspired and connived with each other for the purchase of 420 sets of streetlight and their accessories from Grandtex Marketing Corporation without public bidding and corresponding ordinance by the sangguniang panlungsod.

Llamas, a former regional trial court judge, said the procurement of the streetlight in the amount of P8,064,400 was overpriced and that these were installed in February 2003.

“A careful evaluation of the records of the case reveals the respondents cannot be held liable for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act since there is no evidence to show that complainant or the City of Dagupan suffered undue injury under the circumstances,” the ombudsman declared.

Records reveal that Ordinance 1775-2003 passed by the sanggunian covered the purchase of the streetlights and their accessories.

The ordinance which was approved on June 6, 2003 appropriated a total of P10 million for the construction and installation of streetlights and fixtures around the Dagupan City Proper.

Although the construction and installation of the streetlights and their accessories started on March 2003 or prior to the approval of the ordinance, the defects in the implementation of the project were cured by the eventual passage and approval of the ordinance, according to the ombudsman.

The decision added that the purchase from Grandtex Marketing Corporation was made without public bidding because these were procured directly from an exclusive distributor.

Fernandez said General Services Officer-in-Charge Gil Maramba testified that the streetlight exclusively distributed by Grandtex has no suitable substitute of the same quality available in the local market.

“It is worthy to note that the respondents paid Grandtex only on June 19, 2003 which was after the passage and approval of the ordinance appropriating the P10 million amount,” the decision stated.

Fernandez said the charge of illegal use of public funds similarly lacked merit, because one element—the use of public funds or property on something other than the purpose for which such are intended—as provided under Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code, was lacking in order that the accused may be held liable.

“The administrative charge of grave misconduct against the respondents must be dismissed because the procurement of the streetlights and their accessories is legal and supported by proper documents and the administrative case against Mayor Benjamin S. Lim must also be dismissed for being moot and academic considering that he was reelected as City Mayor of Dagupan City last May 2004 x x x” the ombudsman declared.

MANGALDAN – An over-speeding 10-wheeler truck driven by a drunken driver sideswiped and killed two persons before ramming an electric and telephone posts along the national highway in barangay Bantayan here last Tuesday afternoon.

The truck with plate number AVZ-847 and driven by a certain Rivera was proceeding to Dagupan City from Baguio City when the accident happened.

Police identified the fatalities as Mark Ulanday, 13, and Jovito Caccam of Burgos, La Union. They were declared dead on arrival at the Region 1 Medical Center in Dagupan City, some seven kilometers away from the accident scene.

Injured were the driver of the truck, identified only by his family name Rivera who was found under the influence of liquor; his helper identified as Rolly William, 22, of Irisan, Baguio City; and one Arjay Yulo, 19.

A case of reckless imprudence resulting to double homicide and one physical injury has been filed by the police against the truck driver who is now detained at the town’s police jail.

Aside from this, the Central Pangasinan Electric Company and Digital Communications of the Philippines (Digitel) are also readying damage suits against the truck driver. (PNA)

CITY Mayor Benjamin S. Lim led city officials, key personnel of Dagupan and other coastal towns, and private fish farm owners on a visit to Taipei in Taiwan last Wednesday until Sunday, to study the successful fisheries and aquaculture program of that neighboring Asian country.

The study tour was organized in coordination with the Institute of Marine Resource Management of the National Taiwan Ocean University represented by director and professor Dr. Ching-Ta (Ted) Chuang.

Chuang has been to Dagupan City during the 2nd National Bangus Industry Congress where he lectured on minimizing the cost of bangus production based on Taiwan’s experience.

“Through this trip, we hope to learn new fishing technologies and programs that we could replicate in our respective localities to boost our aquaculture industry,” Lim said in a letter to Chuang.

Chuang noted that the fisheries and aquaculture sector has made a significant contribution to Taiwan’s economy.

“Our goal is to pursue further cooperation with the related industries and organizations both at home and abroad,” Chuang said.

According to City Agriculture Officer Emma Molina, Taiwan’s fishing technologies are more advanced than in the mainland.

The first leg of the proposed itinerary of the Dagupan team was in Kaohsiung where the group visited milkfish and tilapia farms and recreational fishing harbors even as they met with fishermen associations. The group proceeded the next day to the Pin Tung Fisheries Research Instutute, Grouper Farms and the Pintung Government.

The group will also visit the Fisheries Research Institute to learn more about tilapia, eel and aquaculture gene bank.

A tour of Taipei capped the visit of the group.

The rest of the delegates in the study tour are San Fabian Mayor Majamito Libunao, Jr.; Dasol Mayor Angelita Jimenez; Binmaley Councilor Leo Urmaza; Sangguniang Panlungsod members Alex de Venecia, Nicanor Aquino and Teofilo Guadiz III; Georgina Guadiz, wife of Councilor Guadiz; City Agriculture Officer Emma Molina; City Agriculture Office Technologist Felita Ugaban; Executive Assistant Emmanuel Bamba; fish farm owners Jessie Doria, Danilo de Sola, Barangay Captain Marcelino Fernandez, Antonio Caneng and Chi Wang Lim; and Alexander Romulo Siapno, an entrepreneur. (Sheila H. Aquino)

MRS. ELLA CRUZ (not her real name) of Barangay Olympia, Makati City, has been a longtime cable subscriber. Recently, however, she has been feeling shortchanged. Not once has she missed paying her bills, she says, but cable services seemed better years ago when the signal was crystal clear. These days, Ella laments that her cable TV reception seems to have deteriorated.

Aling Ella may not know it, but legitimate subscribers like her are the real victims of the growing cable piracy problem in the country. If left unchecked, cable theft will divest more consumers like Aling Ella of quality cable service.

“Cable companies may have been bleeding financially, but it is the subscribers who are at the losing end in the cable piracy crisis,” said Elpidio Paras, vice-chairman and one-time president of the Philippine Cable Television Association (PCTA).

Paras said illegal cable connections cause a 30-to-40-percent degradation in cable signals. This means ghost images, static lines, blurred pictures, hissing noises, sudden flickers on screen and surges of static noise that can damage the TV set. Thus, legitimate subscribers are not just robed of cable signals; they are incurring other potential losses as well.

“The worst thing is, many subscribers out there don’t know they’ve been had,” Paras pointed out. “They are virtually paying for other people’s illegal cable connection and they only complain when the signal has become so bad.”

Paras added cable theft in Metro Manila have become so rampant that the number of illegal connections have surpassed the total number of subscribers of all the cable companies combined.

“Legitimate subscribers are paying for these illegal connections and they get nothing in return,” Paras said.

That is why cable companies are urging their subscribers to report incidents of cable theft as well as bogus linemen offering free cable in their neighborhood.

Paras said it’s very easy to spot an illegal cable connection.

“One tell-tale sign is the presence of multi-channel splitters in the electric splitters. We keep our cable connections seamless, so all you can see is one cable wire connecting the subscriber to the main cable line. We don’t do octopus connections.”

Subscribers, Paras added, should call their cable company’s hotline whenever they see a splitter. “Subscribers should take part in the battle against illegal connections because ultimately, they are the ones being robbed, not the cable companies,” he said.

LINGAYEN – Gov. Victor E. Agbayani has forged a multi-sectoral partnership for the establishment of an Institute of Environmental Governance (IEG) in the province to boost efforts for environmental protection and conservation.

Agbayani explained that under the Local Government Code or Republic Act, local government units are given a broader role in enforcing and implementing environment-related laws and projects.

“With increased power comes additional responsibilities,” he said, as he called for a mechanism to provide training and capability building for local executives and local policy makers in order for them to effectively perform their given mandate.

Among the devolved functions are those on pollution control, solid waste management, law enforcement, management of communal forest, control over small scale mining, fisheries management, and environment protection.

The governor has tapped the assistance of several concerned agencies, notably the Pangasinan State University (PSU), DENR and Tanggol Kalikasan in setting up the IEG at the PSU campus in Lingayen town.

Aside from the governor other signatories to the memorandum of agreement were Dr. Rodolfo Asanion, PSU president, Engr. Roberto Verzola, president of Tanggol Kalikasan; Dr. Andre Uycheoco of the Sagip Lingayen Gulf Project; Dean Rolando Cerezo of the PSU College of Fisheries, and Provincial Agriculturist Jose Almendares.

The training design comprises basic environmental science, relevant environmental policies, applicable management models, basic enforcement skills, and integrated area planning. Almendares said the institute will cater to two levels: one level for barangay officials and another for municipal and provincial officials.

The first batch of trainees was composed of 24 participants from Anda, Bani, Bolinao, Alaminos City, and from the PNP Provincial Mobile Group. (Jennifer Domantay/PIO)

By DANNY O. SAGUN
PIA-Pangasinan Infocenter

SEVENTEEN claimants to the controversy-laden Pindangan Estate in Alcala town finally got their land titles Tuesday in time for the town’s 130th founding anniversary celebration.

The Pindangan Estate, an agricultural land of some 491 hectares touching four barangays in the town, has been ruled a government property some 82 years of conflict between the original owners and later the government and occupants/claimants.

The property was foreclosed by the defunct Agricultural Bank of the Philippines when the original owner, Don Francisco Gonzales, failed to settle his loan obtained in November 1922 with the then government bank. His daughter Cristina, married to Swiss national, Ernest Schenkel, tried in March 1923 to redeem the property thru repurchase on installment basis.

Pending consideration of her application, she applied for a provisionary permit to occupy and cultivate the land which was granted. On October 8, 1923 she filed a lease application but was not granted because of the fact that she had become a Swiss citizen. On November 28, 1923, the land became a government property when the period of her right for redemption expired. She then formed a corporation, Cristina Gonzales, Inc. and filed another lease application with the Director of Lands.

Meanwhile some 93 families occupied the land for themselves even before government took hold of it. The claimants represented by lawyer Cipriano Primicias, protested against the lease application of the corporation, but the agriculture Secretary on December 23. 1926 dismissed their appeal.

The Director of Lands on August 5, 1932, meanwhile, cancelled the corporation’s deed of repurchase. The agriculture secretary however reversed the director’s order and granted Cristina her second repurchase application for which she paid P5,084,62 as first installment. The move only courted more court litigations between and among the claimants that spanned several decades. A group of 178 claimants emerged as well as another group of 302. The land controversy eventually reached the Supreme Court.

On May 15, 1980, the high court resolved to terminate with finality all judicial litigations and authorized the Director of Lands and the Secretary to determine adjudication and distribution of the estate to legitimate claimants and occupants. A modular survey was conducted four years later. On January 18, 1993, the DENR Secretary Angel Alcala issued Administrative Order No. 3 to judiciously implement the 1980 SC decision.

In May 1996, a field team set guidelines to determine the value or cost of the subdivided residential lots and to subject them to bidding. Also in May 1996, Transfer Certificate of Title No. 151 in the name of Cristina Gonzales was transferred to the government with the director of lands as estate administrator. The controversy did not end though as a local court issued a status quo order. The agrarian reform committee of the House of Representatives also held its own inquiry. An inter-agency task force, which was recommended by the House agrarian committee, met with the opposing groups, the 178 claimants and the 302 group to settle their disputes amicably. Several meetings followed between the DENR, the municipal government, and the affected parties for the final resolution of the controversy.

The sangguniang bayan also passed a resolution asking the DENR to finally distribute the property to legitimate claimants as ordered by the high court. Initially, 20 residential lots were approved fro distribution. A group tried desperately to delay the proceedings as if filed a petition for mandamus before the Villasis regional trial court but Judge Manuel Pastor Jr. dismissed it paving the way for the publication and posting of notices for the sale of government lands.

On August 1, 2005, initial bidding for the 20 lots was conducted at the community environment and natural resources office in Dagupan City. Only 17 were bid out because the three supposed bidders had no money for publication in the newspapers. The DENR meanwhile continues to process applications for the other claimants, it was gathered. DENR Regional Executive Director Victor Ancheta and Mayor Manuel Collado led the awarding ceremony Tuesday at the municipal gym coinciding with Alcala Day, the 130th founding anniversary of the town.

SAYAN INDIO
Mario F. Karateka

AGAYLAY sulit ya nalilikna na Estados Unidos natan. Mantotombokan tan makmaksil iran bagyo – “hurricane” so tawag dadman – so ombabasig ed saray partey New Orleans, Mississippi, tan ingen, ed sayay imbeneg a simba labat, pati Texas, saray estados to ya asingger ed “Gulf coast” a tatawagen.

Say sankabalegan, sankakasilan tan sankayamanan a bansa ed mundo singa labatla gakgalaw ed limay natural iran puwersa. Onlan migiyera ed arom a bansa usar toy sankamodernoan iran armas tan bomba balet no basigan manayay panaon so mismon dalin to et singa ogaw ya kapay-kapay tan man-ngesnges ed sakit. Ansakit a tuloy ed imahen na Estados Unidos so nagagawan pakakanengneng na intiron mundo ed dapag na kakapuyan to.

Kuandaray pigaran Pinoy lanti ya wadian manaayam ed baley ya inianakan, no nipaakar ed kalamidad, sanay lay Pinoy. Delap, pool, yegyeg, ibetag na bulkan, bagyo, anggan bombaan, asali lay Pinoy. Nalalampasan ton amin iya. Pati diad eras tan irap ingen, siansian ag naekal so imis tan gayaga ed lupa to.

Saray manaaral ed onian ugaliy Pinoy, ibabagaran singa laba-labay to kono so nasasakitan, samay tatawagen dan masokismo (masochism, ed Ingles) ta lalon mamapakasil iya na karakter to. Kuay arom balet, say sipor ya pananisia tod Dios a Manamalsa (faith) a tan say aralem ya sukat na ilalo to (hope) ya makabangon ed irap so mamapakasil ed tipikal a Pilipino. Ontan met say sipor a ugali ton maelek o magalaw makakatulong ed pakakalingwan tod problema tora – ya no nalilikna bilang iya na sakey ya Yuropano (European) odino Norte Amerikano (North American) et ngalngali tola kaambagel.

Nengneng molay litrato odino saray ipapaway dad telebisyon no ontan ya dela-delap ed pigaran paspasen: Maslak ed saray totoo ya onaarap ed kamera, manimis, manelek tan pakawey-kawey ni ingen – anggan say danom et anggad awak dala, odino say agos na delap ed bakgrawn da et makmaksil. Ikomparam ed saramay abantayan mon kalupaan tan ayos daray Amerikano nen binasigan ira nen Hyurikin Katrina, nagnagba so lupa da tan ameneng-meneng ira tan mangoyangoy so arom.

Duman talaga so Pinoy.

Agmetla pankelawan ingen ta wadtan ya mabata-batar so istoryay Bataan tan Korehidor nen imbeneg a giyera mundial ya istoryay anos, tepel tan sibeg na saray sundalon Pilipino ya akilaban ed saray Hapones anggad kasampotan na biskeg da.
Mabuhay so Pilipinas!

H5NI.

That is the particular strain of the avian (bird) influenza that the world’s medical and research community is looking and watching out for today.

While many of us in the Philippines are preoccupied with finding out the Political and Moral Truths, or hiding it, in the Garci case, the deadly bird flu has crept up on our neighboring Asian country, Indonesia, which has reported four confirmed deaths from the disease so far, with 17 others now in hospitals under close observation for symptoms of the pathogenic H5NI.

With God’s blessing, the Philippines remains free from the disease until now even while a less virulent strain of the avian flu was found some months back in a poultry farm in Bulacan, prompting the culling of the feathered ones to stop whatever possibility of a spread.

The World Health Organization’s chief last week said that bird flu was moving towards becoming transmissible to and by humans and that the world has “no time to waste to prevent a pandemic.” As many of us might not yet know, the last great influenza pandemic was in 1918-1919, causing an estimated 40 million to 50 million deaths.

No time to waste, and yet our politician-leaders are squandering precious funds and efforts over just about anything, instead of fully preparing for the worse and mounting as many defenses as it could for our sake.

In Europe and North America, they are stocking up on anti-virals and speeding up research on vaccine development and preparations for social and economic disruptions. This because the scientific community agrees there will only be a window of “a few weeks to contain an outbreak before a pandemic virus spreads with lethal speed.”

Now, how have we been doing in our own preparation in these 7,107 islands?

A matter of national security such as this one now staring countries all over the world in the face – and here, our national security chief himself has become, so to speak, a jailbird, courtesy of the Senate. Not to worry though, he hasn’t got the H5NI avian flu strain, that’s for sure.

AFTER ALL
Behn Fer. Hortaleza, Jr.

SINCE we started in this trade, back when we were still in college and just earning our spurs from the likes of veteran writers and editors Armando R. Ravanzo, Bayardo E. Estrada, Dominador P. Navarro, Magno Vent Cornel, all now in the Great Beyond and Dante M.Velasco, Gerardo E. Garcia, and elder brod Rhee Fer. Hortaleza, all still active and practicing the calling, we guess we’ve done our own fair share of ministry work for journalism.

Campus journalism seminars, classroom lectures, press club skills workshops, media orientation gatherings and similar activities in various places have seen us teaching the new ones whom we’ve often visualized stepping into our shoes when the time comes. As fate would have it, our two daughters seem to have inherited the writing inclination (possibly, the genes), without much prodding from us. As was their luck, when they applied for their jobs, their former employers had simply felt they were a chip off the old block and pronto, put them a-writing. If there’s ever a forced learning, theirs must have been it, although we must admit, they already had the basics to begin with.

Last week, after a self-imposed semi-retirement from the journalism lecture circuit, we again found ourself engaging in the talk before a rather new audience – the corporate communications officers and various key personnel of the National Transmission Corporation (Transco) on quite a fresh subject: Media Handling.

As it turned out though, other than just discussing the hows and whys of interacting with Media, we (brod Rhee, Radyo ng Bayan’s Bernie Errasquin, and Skycable’s Rommel Partosa, Migs Velarde and Marlon Marville) ended up answering a slew of questions from the Transco guys who were mostly uninitiated on the ways of the press, about Media’s role in improving the moral standards of society. While the audience was low on practical skills of journalism, it certainly was high on perception of the morals and attitudes that should govern the craft.

We believe we all acquitted ourselves well in the “engagement” though.

It was such a welcome change from the humdrum lectures we do on “5 Ws and 1 H” in the journalism lecture circuit. When people probe into your philosophies, and you offer to share these with them, there’s some catharsis that follows.

As the veteran journalist, now executive director of the Center for Culture and Mass Media Foundation, Inc. Alito Malinao told his audience of young masscom students yesterday in the journalism seminar at the Lyceum-Northwestern University: Sharing joy increases happiness, sharing grief lessens the pain.

The Pen Speaks
By Danny O. Sagun

COASTAL town mayors including Dagupan’s Benjie Lim left Wednesday for Taiwan purportedly on a study tour of the island’s rich aquaculture industry. Now, why do they have to go to that place considering that our country is not bereft of experts who, we learned, actually just transferred the technology to the Taiwan technicians? Only that the Taiwanese improved on it while most of our fisherfolk here contented themselves with the traditional or primitive system

The study tour may become just another junket as were the previous lakbay aral here and abroad by local executives and legislators. Remember the trips to Boracay and Bohol by some councilors from Binmaley? We heard no positive results after those junkets.

***

Before he left, Lim told mediamen expenses for his constant trips abroad came from his own pocket, adding that he was not just loitering or merrymaking but moving things for the city’s good.

The mayor was indeed noted often absent in his office and people just get informed he might already be in the U.S. or China. Several time, Vice-Mayor Alvin Fernandez was left to man City Hall.

What’s BSL doing in China, the birthplace of his father? Well, he might be seeing his relatives there. Or he might be taking care of a business. Rumor has it that he is partnering with a close political mentor of his on a certain business venture. Lim’s stint as general manager of the Philippine Duty-Free Ship during the Ramos years has established his connection far and wide. But he might be working really for the city’s interest, who can tell? BSL is a human dynamo. He was quoted as saying he was inviting investors for the long delayed fish processing plant in Bonuan the funding of which from the national government has yet to come although the President herself made the pledge during a visit in her early years in office.

Lim could not just wait endlessly for funds for the project from the national government particularly now that he had severed his ties with GMA when he joined calls for her resignation last July. So he must be looking for possible help outside, particularly from his father’s countrymen, that’s a fair guess. Is Benjie’s absence at City Hall already affecting his governance or performance?

After initiating bold changes in say, the traffic system to include the lights, park improvement at the city plaza, and renovations at City Hall including reassignments of offices threat, the city’s scene seems to have practically remained the same.

Some people say the city administration got “burned” with such big projects as acquiring the deteriorating Mac Adore building and construction of a new market-cum-mall involving huge funding. The new Malimgas market continues to suffer in terms of patronage and the Mac Adore building remains an unsightly abandoned edifice. What happened to the proposed transfer of government offices there after the construction of the Malimgas market?

Perhaps, Lim should limit his overseas trips and staying more at home to prevent the early deterioration of his grand projects. Sayang met kasi.