1,000 volunteers to clean Dinagyang debris
Some 1,000 volunteers have signified their commitment to help clean the city streets after the Dinagyang Festival the highlights of which are on Friday, January 22 until Sunday, January 24, 2010.
City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said he has designated Engr. Raul Gallo of the Office of Public Services (OPS) to head the task force and help mobilize the volunteers clean the city streets.
It has been noted in the past Dinagyang Festival, mountains of garbage of more than 20 metric tons were collected in the downtown area, site of the three-kilometer long parade route of the Dinagyang. Read more
City to host 3 intl events this month
This highly urbanized city in the Visayas is raring to host at least three international events before the end of November.
According to city mayor Jerry P. Treñas, the city is currently preparing for these events envisioned to once again, put the city in the international map of important convention destination in the country.
He likewise call on the barangays to do extra effort in cleaning up the barangays and for the persons involved in garbage collection to live up to name of the city as environment-friendly and the cleanest city in Western Visayas. Read more
La Paz ABC prexy ready to vacate post
The president of the Association of Barangay Captains La Paz district here said he is willing to vacate his post as president but within the ambit of due process.
ABC La Paz president Carlos Guarin said the reported installation of an officer incharge of the district has no meaning on him since this was not done legally.
“I am willing to vacate the position but they must give me due courtesy because I am also giving them full respect,” Guarin said referring to 14 barangay captains who reportedly abandoned him and selected Ingore Brgy. Capt. Ernie Poral to be the ABC OIC district president. Read more
WV rural women told to assert rights
ILOILO CITY – More than 100 women in rural areas in Western Visayas participated in the two-day Rural Women Congress by asserting their rights and empowering them as major partners in the development of rural economy.
DA Reg. Exec. Dir. Larry P. Nacionales said the women congress held November 11-12, 2009 is the department’s project in helping women farmers and fisher folks in the region as vital partners in agriculture.
Reg. Dir. David Bermudo of the Commission on Human Rights also exhorted women of their rights and helped them understand the law regarding women and family.
Bermudo stressed that rural women are more prone to abuse and sexual harassment than women in the urban sector. He added that only educated women tend to defend their rights up to the judicial level, whereas rural women are afraid to bring their cases to court. Read more
City included in AIM, WB business study
This southern highly urbanized city in the Visayas is included in the global business study of Doing Business in the Philippines Round 2 conducted by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy Center, World Bank Group, International Finance Corp. in cooperation with the Australian and Canadian governments and the Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth (LINC-EG) project.
This was disclosed by Atty. Ma. Lourdes Sereno, executive director of the AIM Policy Center after conferring with city mayor Jerry P. Treñas on the second study covering 25 cities in the country.
In the Philippine cities, the time motion business survey will cover three areas of indicators and business regulations such as starting a business, dealing with construction permits and registering property. Read more
City councilor bags award from consumers group
The Consumers League of the Philippines Foundation (ConPhil) Inc. is awarding city councilor Nielex C. Tupas the Dangal ng Pilipinas Award for Local Legislative and Service Excellence in glittering ceremonies on November 25, 2009 at the Irwin Theater of Ateneo de Manila University in Katipunan Rd., Quezon City.
Beth Daluraya, the foundation’s managing director, said the awards are divided into 10 major categories with sub-areas on different fields such as Education, Engineering, Medicine, Business, among others that covers the Special Citation for Kids 10-14 years old; Youth Model of the Year for 15-21 years old; Young Professional Excellence Awards for 22-40 years old; Filipino Role Model of the Year for over 41 years old who are still in practice of their chosen professions and belong to key positions in corporations and in government offices; Special Citation for Senior Citizens for 60 years and above who have devoted their time in Humanitarian and Community Service; Sports, Arts and Cultural Excellence Awards; Celebrity Excellence Awards; Ecclesiastical (religious) Awards and the Dangal ng Pilipinas Award for government and public service and special affairs conferred to top government elected officials, government agencies directors, secretaries, chairmen and dignitaries. Read more
Treñas assures financial assistance to proposed city public college
Mayor Jerry P. Treñas has assured his support to the proposed city public college by looking into the budget and determine where to get the initial P6 million to start the tertiary school.
The city chief executive said the annual budget of some P1.2 billion for 2010 is undergoing a series of committee budget hearings and he will try to see where the amount asked by city public college proponent, city councilor Jeffrey Ganzon may come in.
Ganzon has been campaigning for a city public college since last year and had drafted a proposed ordinance “creating, establishing, organizing and operating the Dalubhasaan ng Lungsod ng Iloilo or the Iloilo City Public College” subject to availability of funds certified by the city treasurer. Read more
Iloilo towns go for hybrid rice
The campaign for hybrid rice in the province of Iloilo is gaining higher grounds as more rice producing municipalities are into hybrid rice production particularly the Pioneer HB varieties augmented by Durabloom organic fertilizer.
This developed as some 170 hectares of rice lands selected as hybrid demo farms in the municipality of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo are being planted to hybrid rice, thereby crushing the notion that hybrid rice is not good for Iloilo farmlands.
The launching of hybrid rice production at Brgy. Bungacl, Barotac Nuevo is supported by Mayor Hernan Biron and Cong. Ferjenel Biron of the fourth district of Iloilo and the Department of Agriculture regional office here.
Recognizing the economic potentials of hybrid rice, the Birons had subsidized the hybrid seeds and 450 sacks of organic fertilizer to start the planting in the hybrid demo farms. Read more
GSIS inefficiency under scrutiny of city solon
The many complaints against the inefficient and substandard services currently employed by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has caught the attention of this city’s lone district congressman who vowed to push a congressional investigation on the delays of pension remittance.
Congressman Raul Gonzalez Jr. admitted that he is also open to the idea of opening up a market for other government insurance players, particularly for the more than half a million public school teachers “to break away” from GSIS and form their own insurance group.
Gonzalez Jr. recently sent a letter to city councilor Erwin Plagata to acknowledge receipt of SP Resolution No. 2009-1385 requesting for a congressional investigation on the delays in the remittance of regular monthly pensions of all government retires and employees under the GSIS. Read more
Phaseout of 2-stroke motorcycle alarms tricycle sector
The government’s policy of phasing out 2-stroke motorcycles by 2010 has alarmed the tricycle industry in Metro Iloilo that accounts for more than 10,000 registered motorcycles used in the livelihood of more than 15,000 drivers and owners of tricycles here.
The phase out of two-stroke motorcycles is in compliance with the provisions of Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999, the “Act of providing for a comprehensive air pollution control policy and other purposes” in the country.
Reynaldo Beso, president of the Metro Iloilo City Federation of Tricycle Drivers and Owners Association, said the phase out will definitely affect the livelihood of the sector and will put them at risk and added burden to the government if they could not find a solution to the problem now. Read more