Cebu local news (daily update)

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Historical Structures: Gabaldon school buildings to be preserved
CEBU, Philippines – Officials are now moving to preserve the remaining Gabaldon buildings in various schools, as they mark a period in the country's history.
The Cebu Provincial Government, the Department of Education (DepEd), local government units and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) plan to help each other in the preservation of these old school buildings.
The Gabaldon school buildings were named after the late congressman Isauro Gabaldon, who authored the Republic Act 1801, which appropriated P1 million for the construction of school buildings in every municipality in the country.
A lot of these American-period school buildings remain standing up to now.
There are 146 Gabaldon buildings in the entire Cebu province and 28 were already restored, according to data from the Provincial School Board.
Twelve of them are in the first district while the second district has 59. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth district has 21, 16, 31 and seven Gabaldon buildings each.
According Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, she was so impressed of RAFI's active participation in the restoration of these educational and heritage structures, since DepEd can afford to restore only one building.
"RAFI is active in restoring these buildings but we are not limiting to RAFI alone since there may be some NGOs who wish to adopt and for that, the Province of Cebu is willing to be a counterpart by providing the materials," she said.


She added that the local government unit concerned can provide the labor component needed for the restoration works.
The Province of Cebu is also willing to put up 50 percent of the total fund needed for the labor to restore the doors, windows and the building's foundations.
The DepEd declares Gabaldon school buildings as heritage structures. The governor, for her part, stresses that she does not wish to tamper with history.
"I won't wish to tamper its history because I may commit a crime against history," she said.
Meanwhile, the governor proudly declared that the province now has more than 280 scholars, from the previous number of 50 scholars. It has also constructed over 600 classrooms.
From 120 [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]students[/COLOR][/COLOR] per classroom, the number has been reduced to 40 students per class. The Province targets to build 200 classrooms a year.
DepEd is also conducting an assessment for teachers who have better performance, for them to be included in the list of nationally funded teachers.

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Pag-IBIG expects more members

CEBU, Philippines – The Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG) is expecting to grow more in terms of membership with the full implementation of Republic Act 9679, which im-poses mandatory coverage.
Before the law's full implementation this year, several companies or employers did not have their workers covered by Pag-IBIG.
Rio Teves, Pag-IBIG Assistant Manager for Cebu, said that with the full implementation of HDMF law since last January, he is expecting employers to cooperate and register their coverable employees.
"Ang bottomline ani nga law kay maka-generate ta og more members nga maka-avail sa mga benefits," Teves said.
Teves added that RA 9679 is one way of having force savings for the employees through their monthly contributions which earn dividend by end of the year.
Under this law, compulsorily membership is for those covered by the Social Security System (SSS) not more than sixty-five (65) years old, all employees who are sub-jected to mandatory coverage by GSIS, Filipinos by foreign-based employers, household helpers earning at least P 1,000 a month and self-employed persons regardless of trade, [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]business[/COLOR][/COLOR] or occupation with an income of at least P 1,000 a month not more than 60 years.
Also covered by the mandatory membership are the members of the military, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Phil-ippine National Police.
A private employee, whether permanent, temporary or provisional who is not over 60 years old, and Filipino seafarers are also included in the mandatory membership.


People between 18 to 65 years old who are unemployed can opt for voluntary coverage.
Earlier, a nongovernment group criticized Pag-IBIG's expansion of the voluntary coverage to include overseas Filipino workers, which was reportedly labeled as legal-ized extortion.
Members of Migrante International had condemned the newly imposed policy as unfair and unreasonable.
After what lobby groups considered as a success, the mandatory contribution for OFWs was already dropped and was changed into voluntary.

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23-anyos gipusil patay sa ilang tugkaran

CEBU, [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Philippines[/COLOR][/COLOR] - Gipusil patay ang usa ka 23-anyos nga ulitawo samtang nag-estorya sa iyang higala sa gawas nga bahin sa iyang pinuy-anan diha sa sitio San Miguel barangay Uwak sa lungsod sa Asturias niadtong Huwebes sa alas 10:00 sa gabii.
Ang biktima mao si Roel Arguilles, 23, molupyo sa nahisgutang lugar samtang ang mamumuno nga wala mailhi nagsul-ob ug nagtabon og sinina sa iyang nawong.
Subay sa imbestigasyon sa kapulisan samtang nakig-estorya ang biktima sa iyang barkada nga si Jujie Ostia dihang kalit miabot ang mamumuno ug sa walay igong hinungdan kalit nga gipusil si Arguilles dapit sa tiyan [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]usa[/COLOR][/COLOR] ka higayun gamit ang wala matinong kalibre sa armas ug pagkahuman misakay sa motor paingon sa wala matumbok nga direksyon.
Ang kapulisan padayun pa sa ilang imbestigasyon pagtumbok sa suspek og sa motibo sa kremin og ingon man pagsikop niini aron pagtaral sa hukmanan.


Acetylene gang nangabot

CEBU, Philippines - Human masigpati ang grupo sa tulisan dinhi sa dakbayan sa Sugbu nga gikan sa Mindanao niadtong milabay’ng semana, laing grupo sa acetylene gang gikan gihapon sa Mindanao ug kaulohan nga giingong ania karon dinhi sa Sugbu sumala pa ni Sr. Insp. Bonifacio Garciano hepe sa Theft and Robbery Section sa Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
Tungod niini iyahang gipahimangnuan ang mga tag-iya og pawnshop nga duol sa mga boarding house nga dili mokompiyansa sanglit ang modus niining grupoha mao man ang pag-abang duol sa mga pawnshops aron makahigayon sila sa pagpangawat.
Si Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador hepe sa CCPO mipasidaan sa tagdumala sa mga dagkong establisamento nga sa miaging tuig ang grupo sa acetylene gang nakaigo diha sa Colon area. Dugang pasidaan mao nga kasagaran mangigo ang grupo atol sa weekend basta taas ang bakasyon nga walay trabaho.


2 angol sa pusil ug dunggab

CEBU, [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Philippines[/COLOR][/COLOR] - Duha ka tawo ang naangol sa pagpamusil ug panunggab sa managlahing lugar sa Metro Cebu kagahapon sa buntag ug sa miaging gabii.
Ang napusilan didto sa sitio Sangi, barangay Tabunok, dakbayan sa Talisay kagahapon sa kadlawon mao si Nelmar Cabatuan Mahinay, 16, nga taga Tabunok,
Samtang ang suspetsado mao ang tulo ka tawong wala hiilhi kinsa nagsakay og motorsiklo ug gituohang sakop sa fraternity gang.
Ang gidunggab usab sa miaging gabii didto sa sitio Tabukanal, barangay Basak-San Nicolas dakbayan sa Sugbo mao si Jupiter Toring Petellar, 33, pintor, nga taga sitio Alumnus, barangay San Nicolas.
Ang suspetsado nailhan lang sa kapolisan nga usa ka Jun-jun Delgado, silingan ra usab sa biktima.
Ang kapolisan sa dakbayan sa Talisay may katahap nga na-aan si Mahinay nga usa ka sakop sa Crips gang.
Kini tungod kay una siya pusila giingong nagbarogbarog lang siya sa daplin sa karsada dihang mihunong ang motorsiklo nga gisakyan sa tulo ka tawo ug nangutana kaniya kun asa ang lugar sa mga Crips gang, dayong pusil kaniya.
Samtang si Petellar giingong nagbugal-bugal sa suspetsado hinungdan nga giluba kini.


Si Mahinay samdan sa [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]usa[/COLOR][/COLOR] ka bala sa iyang tuong paaa, samtang si Petellar samdan usab sa kutsilyo sa tiyan ug sa tuong bahin sa lawas.
Ang duha nalandig sa tambalanan.

[cobraKing]

---------------------------------------Aug. 23, 2010----------------------------------------

LTFRB to run after "kabits"

CEBU, Philippines - The Land Transportation [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Franchising[/COLOR][/COLOR] and Regulatory Board will start a campaign this week against owners of public utility vehicles (PUV) that do not have a garage for their units.
LTFRB-7 regional director Benjamin Go said the first thing that his office will do is to run after the so-called “kabit system” because he believes that it is the main reason why there are many PUVs that are just parked along the roads at night.
Public utility vehicles or PUVs include passenger jeepneys and taxis, and these kinds of vehicles can be seen parked on public roads at night.
Go explained that the so-called “kabit system” is an illegal scheme where desperate individuals, who cannot get a [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]franchise[/COLOR][/COLOR] from LTFRB are forced to attach their units to a person, who has an existing franchise, but with no units or don’t have enough vehicles.
According to Go some of these operators who have been granted franchise long time ago to operate a number of public utility vehicles, but they have only few vehicles accepted other vehicles to “kabit” with their franchise, but for a fee.
Go said he learned that those operators who want to attach his unit with the franchise holders are required to pay P25,000 to P30,000 plus monthly fees of P3,000 to P3,500.
In order to allow the modus to work, the franchise holders and the unlicensed PUV operators will have to sign a bogus deed of sale to make it appear that the vehicles are really owned by the franchise holders.
Go learned that both parties will also enter a separate deed of sale to make it appear that the vehicle has been repurchased by the original owner, although such documents will not be submitted to the LTFRB.


The LTFRB official has admitted that it would be difficult to prove it unless the concerned operators will testify and will act as state witness.
But Go has another way of how to run after against these illegal PUVs by inspecting the garage of the operators and find out whether he has enough parking for all his vehicles.
“Pwede rin ito mabuwag kapag mapatunayan ko na itong mga kabit system ay walang sufficient garage na kakasya ang lahat ng mga authorized units niya base sa aming records,” he explained.
Go was surprised when he discovered that the LTFRB records showed that there are some PUV operators that have as many as 70 units, but he believes that in reality they only own a few.
“Siguro ang totoong pag-aari niya ay nasa lima lang and the rest are owned by different individuals na kumabit lang sa franchise nila at kanya-kanyang parada ito sa kani-kanilang mga bahay,” Go said.
A few weeks ago, The FREEMAN exposed the illegal activities of several PUV operators, who are converting the roads as garage of their vehicles at night.
“Kasi a kabit system operator would only have a very small garage, lahat ng mga kumabit sa kanya ay bahala na sila saan iparada ang kani-kanilang mga sasakyan,” the LTFRB regional director said.
According to Go, those franchise holders who do not have sufficient garage for their vehicles will face the consequences because his office will revoke their franchises.
Go is asking the support of the media in running after against the so-called “kabit system.”
The FREEMAN yesterday interviewed some PUJ operators in Cebu City and all of them admitted that the “kabit system” really exists.

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PAG-ASA warns of possible flooding

CEBU, Philippines - The weather bureau yesterday warned the residents in the southern part of Cebu province and in Negros Oriental against possible flooding in their areas due to the expected rains next month.
Oscar Tabada, regional director of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAG-ASA), said the residents of these areas should now start to prepare for possible calamities.
Tabada has observed that the rainfall in Cebu the past days have exceeded their expectations in terms of volume.
Cebu had experienced cloudy skies and scattered rain showers the past several days.
Some areas of Cebu also experienced moderate to occasionally strong winds blowing from the southwest to south that caused the coastal waters to be occasionally rough.
Tabada expressed concern about possible flooding because of past incidents where the southern part of Cebu and several areas in Negros Oriental experienced heavy flooding.

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Markets improvement to cost P58M

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City market administrator has proposed at least six projects amounting to P58 million to improve the conditions of the markets in the city.
Raquel Arce said her proposal was already submitted to assistant city administrator for economic enterprise management Rene Sanapo.
Her proposal includes the re-roofing of Pasil Public Market amounting to P10 million, re-roofing and construction of a perimeter fence of Taboan Public Market with an estimated costs of P8 million and P9.5 million, respectively.
Arce’s proposal also include a P10-million perimeter fence for unit 1 of Carbon Market, P4 million installation of trusses and roofing and P4-million installation of stalls in Pardo Public Market, P9.5 million canopy for unit III of Carbon Market and P3-million repair and roofing of T. Padilla Market.
Arce said that money for the projects will be sourced out from the surpluses of the City Market Administrator’s Office in the past years. According to Arce, last year alone they have about P10 million in surplus because they were only able to spend P21 million for the market operations out of the P31 million [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]budget[/COLOR][/COLOR].
The projects aim to improve the conditions in the city markets for better service to the consumers and also to the traders who are mostly residents of Cebu City. This is the direction that Mayor Michael Rama has told the market operation division to take at least for the next three years of his term.
This and other plans were discussed during the strategic planning of the market authority held recently.
The P58 million for the six infrastructure projects in city markets does not include the reconstruction of the unit 2 building of Carbon Market which will be fully realized at most in two years.


The reconstruction of the Unit 2 building is the major project that will be implemented by the market authority for the next three years but the program of works that will determine the cost of the project is still being worked on.
Arce said that Rama already committed to set aside a partial P65 million for the construction which might be included in the next supplemental budget or the annual budget for 2011.
When the building gets fully operational, the city can finally clear M.C. Briones where the vendors were relocated when the building was razed by fire in 1998.

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Governor asked to address traffic near Mandaue-Mactan bridge

CEBU, Philippines - Concerned by the worsening traffic going to the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge, Provincial Board Member Arleigh Jay Sitoy has authored a resolution asking the provincial government to help solve the problem.
In a proposed resolution, Sitoy is asking Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who also chairs the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board, to help address the traffic plaguing the routes leading towards the bridge and beyond.
The route leading to the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge creates daily traffic congestion during rush hours especially in Mandaue area near the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM), Sitoy said.
The sixth district’s representative to the Provincial Board said that under the Local Government Code, local government officials like the governor can intercede in the traffic problems.
Meanwhile, in a separate resolution, Sitoy also asked Garcia to authorize the LGUs in the province to make arrangements with the banking institutions to pave way for an agreement that would allow LGUs to extend their credit lines up to not less than P1 million, which will serve as principal source of funds for the full implementation of the e-GWEN program.
The amount will be covering the aspects of Cleanliness, Health and Sanitation, Greening and Protection of the Environment, Creativity and Aesthetic Impact, Tourism Promotion, Education, Heritage Preservation, and Governance and System Structures.
The deficiency of funds in the municipalities and component cities is one of the main reasons why the program is not yet fully implemented despite its noble objectives, Sitoy explained.
Sitoy stated that an agreement can be reached among the province, the component cities and municipalities and the funding institution to financially assist the LGUs but with the usual safeguards and the compliance with the terms and conditions of the funding institutions.

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Ouano pushes for review of juvenile justice law


CEBU, Philippines - To further strengthen the implementation of the curfew on minors, Cebu Provincial Board Member Thadeo Ouano (sixth district) is pushing for a review for possible amendment on the Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.
Ouano specifically wanted the Section 6 of the law, which exempts a child aged 15 years old or below who is conflict with law from criminal responsibility, be thoroughly reexamined.
The former Mandaue City mayor said that there is a need to review R.A. 9344 because of the fact that minors of this age are commonly used by older criminals as accessories of a crime.
In his proposed resolution, Ouano said that “in outlining the principles of juvenile justice, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act 2006 calls for restorative justice to be incorporated into all laws, policies and programs applicable for children in conflict with the law.”
The law, which was passed unanimously by the Congress, is a response to criticism of the conditions under which young offenders were being held in prisons where an estimated 4,000 children were imprisoned at the end of 2005 and most of them are minors according to the United Nation’s Children’s Fund.
The Cebu Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force on Criminality also called for an amendment on R.A. 9344 last Friday and expressed support to the pending PB ordinance urging the local government units in the province to impose curfew on minors.
Based on the figures from the Philippine National Police, crimes involving minors rose by 18 percent in 2008 with most offenders committing theft.
A total of 2,158 cases involving under age offenders were reported to the PNP Women and Children Protection Center, half of them are theft cases in 2008.


Number of children involved in illegal drugs also rose by some 28 percent from 113 in 2007 to 145 last year and there were also 208 reports of rape involving youth offenders.

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DepEd reminds schools of storm guidelines

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Education is reminding schools of the guidelines that ought to be followed by public and local decision makers in the event of a typhoon.
According to DepEd Order Number 28, Series of 2005, classes in pre-schools are automatically suspended or cancelled when the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration raises a signal number 1.
When PAGASA raises the signal to number 2, classes in pre-schools, elementary and high schools must be suspended or cancelled.
The so-called “localized suspension” is allowed in the absence of storm signals like during weather disturbances, DepEd said.
The decision may be handed down by the school principal, division superintendent or local government executive.
Still, DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro said the final decision on whether or not a child may attend school lies with the parents.
Luistri said local suspension and parental decision are allowed since parents and officials on the ground have a better idea about the situation in their areas.
“We have existing policies that allow DepEd officials and local government executives to suspend classes at their level. This will avoid leaving our children on the streets when heavy rains and strong winds hit certain areas,” Luistro said in a statement

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OFWs can still pay Pag-Ibig membership through POEA

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration clarified it has not suspended the collection of Pag-Ibig Fund membership fees from overseas Filipino workers, as reportedly ordered by Vice President Jejomar Binay in his capacity as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.
In a statement, POEA Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili said POEA is yet to meet with Pag-Ibig to further study the issue and discuss a more facilitative mechanism to implement the coverage of workers under the fund.
Membership with Pag-Ibig was made compulsory among OFWs by virtue of Republic Act 9679 or the Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009. Under the law, OFWs can send their contributions directly to any Pag-Ibig office nationwide.
Under RA 9679, membership to Pag-Ibig is also compulsory for all employees – including their employers – coverable by the Social Security System or Government Service Insurance system, regardless of status of employment or nature of appointment.
The law took effect last January 1, 2010.
Meanwhile, in a separate matter, POEA warned recruitment agencies in the Philippines on the charging of fees from applicants to jobs in the United States and Guam under the H-2B visa category or non-agricultural temporary worker.
The policy, contained in POEA Memorandum Circular No. 10 Series of 2009 issued in September last year, is in line with US Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009, which forbids the charging of recruitment or placement fees from a worker as a condition for employment under an H-2B visa.
POEA said it has adopted a policy that prohibits charging of placement fees from workers applying for jobs in countries that do not allow charging of such fees since 2001.


The US, including Guam, now forbid the charging of placement fees from workers, POEA said.
Other places that prohibit the collection of placement fees from workers are United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel, some parts of Canada like Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, Seskatchewan, and Netherlands.