Bikol Reporter April 12 - 18 Issue

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regional exponent for progressvol. xxii, no. 29 Bicol, the philippines april 12-18, 2015 p5.00

Solons assures college education to poor students

(Story on page 3)

BSTC lines upsummer activities

NAGA CITY Marking its 15th year of providing science and technology education, the Bicol Science and Technology Centrum (BSTC) based in this city has or-ganized a series of activities to make the summer vaca-tion of Nagueos fruitful and truly a learning experi-ence.

Called Summer Fun-filled Family Day, the event in-cludes the conduct of outdoor recreation where families may get to have bonding moments while enjoying outdoor activities organized by BSTC.

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NAGA CITY --- Un-derprivileged but deserv-ing High School gradu-ates can still pursue their college dream through the various government programs offering schol-arship assistance and grants in their respective localities, the representa-tive of the 4th District of Camarines Sur recently assured.

There are a lot of poor but deserving students but there seems to be a problem on how they can have an easy access to scholarship grants, particularly with the guidelines set by other patrons like the Commis-sion on Higher Education (CHED). I already antici-pated this, so I transferred all my education funds to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) if CHED cannot immediately act up on this, said Congressman Felix William Wimpy Fuent-ebella during a pre-Lenten Season get-together with the members of the local media at Abo Farm, Tigaon,

By AnA-LizA S. MACATAngAy

Cong. fuenTeBeLLA Cong. roMuLo

Camarines Sur, Monday. The simple gathering also served as a welcome din-ner for couple Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad and Pasig City Representa-tive Roman Romulo.

Soledad accompanied her husband who was in-vited as Guest Speaker at the Partido State Univer-sity (PSU) during its 14th Commencement Exercises with the theme "Quality Graduates in the Face of ASEAN Integration".

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Daraga Church/Photo by Margaret Joy CaraigDaraga Church/Photo by Margaret Joy Caraig

Albay tourism goes digitalAlbay tourism goes digital

Bikol reporter2 april 12-18, 2015

the implementing details watered down.The MILFs aspiration for self-rule, by

the very terms of the BBL, is exclusive to the Bangsamoro only, and distinct from any self-governance given by our Constitution to any local government unit. It goes far beyond what has been granted to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or to any province, city or town.

However, the Courts decision is emphatic in clarity: Any law that dilutes, restricts, equivocates or degrades any power or authority granted by the Charter to any of the three branches of government (executive, legislative or judicial) or to any independent agency (Commission on Elections, Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission and Commission on Human Rights), especially those that involve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country, would be unconstitutional.

Will SC change ruling? Given that only four of the original 15 Supreme Court justices who decided the North Cotabato case are still sitting now, and given the utter importance of peace to our country, is there a chance that the Court may change its mind and uphold the BBL in its present form?

I do not think so. The Constitution is the singular deity of the Court. It is the Courts raison dtre. The justices are its

high priests and zealous guardians, who are ever ready to strike down anything that desecrates and defiles it directly or indirectly, immediately or remotely. For without the Constitution, the Supreme Court is nothing.

Despite changes in its composition, the Supreme Court is a continuing entity that rarely reverses or modifies landmark decisions that are protective of the Constitution. Though the decision writer, Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, has retired from the Court, the current most senior justice, Antonio T. Carpio, wrote a concurring opinion that found more constitutional objections than the decision itself.

True, the three other still-sitting justices, Presbitero J. Velasco Jr., Teresita J. Leonardo-de Castro and Arturo D. Brion, wrote dissenting opinions. However, their dissents were not so much on the substantive issue of constitutionality as on the procedural questions of mootness and prematurity of the petitions challenging the MOA-AD.

The three jurists opined that the case was mooted after then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo advised the Court that the MOA-AD would no longer be signed and that she had dissolved the government negotiating panel. Thus, it was pointless to discuss its constitutionality.

On the other hand, Justice Carpio unflinchingly declared unconstitutional not only the underlying associative concept but, quite significantly, also 36 specific provisions of the MOA-AD, the shadows of which can be gleaned in the BBL.

CJ Serenos position. Although not a member of the Court when the North Cotabato case was decided, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno, nonetheless, participated in the controversy as counsel for Sen. (now Senate President) Franklin M. Drilon, who was an intervenor.

President Benigno S. Aquinos administration is vigorously pushing the approval of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that will be his legacy when he leaves his office. Its alright if this will be good and beneficial to all the Filipinos but it is not. It is favorable to MILF and unfair to all Filipinos outside Bangsamoro. Many Muslims who are not members of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front do not want to be under MILF control. Same with the Nomads, the Christians and the indigenous people in Mindanao and other tribal groups who are so much greater in number than the MILF are not in favor of the BBL. The BBL will not promote peace but divisiveness. It can be a legacy of problems.

In view of this, heres the following opinion of former SC Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban written in the Philippine Daily Inquirer dated March 29, 2015 entitled Three Vital References for BBL for our information.

In North Cotabato vs Government (Oct. 14, 2008), the Supreme Court struck down the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and declared unconstitutional the underlying associative relationship between the government and the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Exclusive and distinct. As I explained last Sunday, although the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) changed the word associative to asymmetric, still the MILFs lofty aspiration for self-determination remains unchanged.

Notably, the MILFs chief negotiator for the old MOA-AD and for the new Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) upon which the BBL is anchored is one and the same person: Mohagher Iqbal. And the MILFs chair to whom Iqbal reports is also the same: Al Haj Murad Ebrahim. Understandably then, their common dream for self-rule remains the same, even though worded differently and

oPinion

opinionsunlimited

Atty. TONY (APA) ACYATANSoon cloud-seeding will be an

option.. We must pray for rainclouds to form near our mountain ranges atop our water reservoirs. Our Lord loves us so dearly He will not punish us with drought (after saving us from typhoons). We can help ourselves by economizing on water usages. Wasteful watering of our plants and lawns should be reduced. The water we save could quench the thirst of our fellow Filipinos!

TAX SEASON: The current heat of Summer is accompanied by the hardships in filing and paying our annual income taxes. BIRs new system which requires electronic filing has become penitential on the part of our taxpayers and their accountants-auditors. Commissioner Henares forgot that efficiency of the internet system varies from location to another. As we write this column the BIR website is awash with tax filings, and also with complaints,

Two reasons for this problem came to the fore. First is the propensity of tax filers to wait for the last-hour before filing their

annual returns. (Our auditing staffers have been sleepless since last week and this will go on up to the April 15 deadline). Second reason is the habit of the BIR to institute new systems for immediate implementation right before the income tax deadline. We are for good systems, but taxpayers must be given leeway and time to study and to comply.

NATIONALISM Many of our modern day (party-list) politicians are taking advantage of the crisis in confidence and presidential flip-flops related to the Mamasapano tragedy. They keep on harping that American soldiers are involved in the Maguindanao operations. Their brand of nationalism (if we can label it as such) is actually anti-Americanism. You never hear these opportunistic politicians object to the Chinese invasion of our Western Phl Sea territories.

In our threatened situation, our only hope of succor (actual or psychological) can come from the USA be it in all sorts of military hardware or training. The Philippines and our ASEAN neighbors should be thankful that the USA still believes that she is the worlds general policeman - protecting smaller and weaker countries, among them the Philippines. Anyone lambasting the Americans should be asked what is his own defense formula for our country which is being bullied by China?

WISDOM: When youre gone, will the people whom you have touched continue with your good work?

Atty. APA chairs Acyatan & Co., CPAs-DFK International is past chair of ASEAN Federation of CPAs, PICPA past president and Hall-of-Famer, and ACPAPP Lifetime Achievement Awardee).

RICE PRICE: The government is now boasting that the prices of domestic rice are continually going down - citing that the retail price of well-milled rice has went down to P41.72 per kilogram (from P42.12) while regular milled rice is now selling at P37.97 (from P38.47). Wholesale prices for both WMR and RMR are usually P3.00 lower per kilogram. The NFA explains that the rice prices are falling because of the summer season harvests.

The problem now has shifted to the handling of excess harvests. Our farmers are praying that the NFA will keep on buying at reasonable prices as incentives for them to continue tending their farms. Among the tax-free de minimis benefits for employees is P1,500/mo rice subsidy, supposed to be equivalent to one sack of rice. With the present retail price, beneficiaries are still shortchanged because the monthly cash grant is not enough to buy the 50-kg sack of RMR rice!

SUMMER: We now feel the heat of the sun as the day becomes longer than the night. Summer outing is for now as there are more fruits in season available by the roadsides and in supermarkets. Harvest of various crops comes in time for Summer together with blooming of colorful flowers. Chedeng flirted near our north-eastern shores only to exit as an LPA. She brought some rains that irrigated drying-up fields, but our farms needed more.

Summer-Harvest Season

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Three Vital references for BBL-former SC Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban

NENITA FuENTEBELLA-PEONES

frommy

window

editorial easy way in

in recent media interviews, the spokes-man of the beleaguered CASureCo iii had announced the purported preference of its consumers for the privatization of the co-operative.

Some view this option as an easy way in and too hasty a move as it will be giving too much to the takers who will be giving too lit-tle in return in terms of personal stake and investment to the cooperative.

They say the decision was expressed by a group who were hauled in the old Marco-sian hakot-style to irigas coliseum one day purposely to give a semblance of trans-parency and democratic consultation to the moro-moro.

others are wondering whether privatiza-tion is the only option left for the coop as there are sectors who are now proposing that it start thinking out of the area cover-age box, the foundational thrust of all elec-tric cooperatives in the country; towards a more manageable economic scale along Schumachers Small is Beautiful idea. That is, for each covered areas, like towns, to run their own system.

This way they say, the cooperative will be able to free itself from the grip of traditional politicians who are given an added advan-tage and parallel political base by the elec-tric cooperative system.

easy way outDepartment of Education officials who

are now implicated in the recent Palarong Bicol cheating should not be given an easy way out.

The practice of altering the age of athletes to ensure advantage and victory had sadly been an age-old problem of the department as well as in our country. Just remember the Little League fiasco decades ago.

This should stop.The Deped, as molders of the young,

should itself be a mold of fair play, hon-esty and sportsmanship; intangible values which elevate the ideals of citius, altius and forties of sports competitions.

As we are wont to say in Bicol, sports sana ngani.

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Bikol reporter 3april 12-18, 2015

Albay tourism goes digitalDARAGA, Albay -- The

provincial government of Al-bay and Smart Telecommu-nications Inc. (Smart) once again joined hands -- this time, in the launch of digital tourism for Albay on Fri-day afternoon at the historic church of Nuestra Seora de Porteria, which lies atop the St. Maria Hill in this town, with the majestic Mayon Vol-cano at the background.

The partnership made Albay the first province in the Philip-pines to have digital tourism.

The occasion was led by Albay Governor Joey Sarte Sal-ceda; Jose FL. Rosete, Smart external relations manager for

Luzon; representatives from the National Historical Commis-sion and the Catholic church; Albay provincial and Daraga and Camalig municipal offi-cials; tourism officers; media and other sectoral group repre-sentatives.

Salceda said digital tourism is the third collaborative project of the province with Smart: first is the Info Board with 15,000 subscribers and the second is Pindot.

He said the first two mobile applications are both part of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Pro-gram of Albay.

The DRRM expert called the

the continuously rising level of the tourism industry in the province," he claimed.

Salceda said that as a free mobile application, one can see in just one press at his Android cellphone the needed informa-tion about tourism in Albay, thus, serving a handy tourism guide to the province.

He said the free apps Albay Guide will further enhance the level of the state of the tourism industry in Albay by making people in and outside the coun-try more aware of the tourist destinations and amenities in the province.

This, the Albay provincial chief executive said, will fur-ther enhance the quality of service of the local tourism in-dustry players and the level of customer satisfaction.

"We expect greater custom-

er satisfaction through greater information and, thus, more re-peat customers, while broaden-ing our access to tourism mar-kets," Salceda added.

For his part, Rosete dis-closed that Albay is the first province in the country to have digital tourism while among cities only Baguio, Cebu and IloIlo have.

He said Smart and Albay have long been partners in prog-ress and in this project, which, he said, is part of Smart's cor-porate social responsibility, the company has allotted a lot of money, which he did not men-tion.

The Smart official claimed that any network provider can download the Albay Guide free mobile application -- however, only through an Android cell-phone unit.- PNADaet honors ten

outstanding womenBy roSALiTA B. MAnLAngiT

MICROFINANCE CELEBRATION & SURGICAL MISSIONDaet Mayor Tito Sarion spoke at the "Kabalikat sa Maunlad na Buhay, inc ( KMBi ) Summer Saya " at the our Lady of Lourdes College foundation where he noted the 90% repayment performance of borrowers in the whole province of Camarines norte. He also tendered a welcome Dinner for the volunteers of of BACnA (Bay Area Cam. norte Association), an organization of Cam. norte residents in the u.S. west Coast, which conducted a Surgical Mission in the town.

DAET, Camarines Norte The municipal govern-ment of Daet announced the ten outstanding women of the town during its culminating activity in line with the Na-tional Womens Month Cel-ebration held here recently.

Mayor Tito S. Sarion said that the honorees are Daeteos who have proven their ability to lead, inspire and enable others, somebody who gave their com-mitment in the organization, dedication and sustained their advocacy. They too possessed remarkable accomplishment

that has major impact towards a gender fair society and to the community.

The awards recipients this 2014 are SPO1 Rosalinda B. Tenso, Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) In-vestigator of PNP; Mercy P. Canindo, Rural Health Mid-wife of LGU-Daet; Estela E. Dames, retired DILG officer; Madonna B. Ramores, baran-gay councilor, Emma P. Demin, Teacher III, Dogongan Elemen-tary School; Maria Ofelia A. Calubaquib, research officer of MDRRMO; Cleotilde B. Da-

vid, RIC President/retired Agri-culturist; Princes Joy C. Burse, 4th year Mining Engineering Student at UP Diliman; Jhessa France A. Dela Cruz, Bachelor in Secondary Education student of CNSC and Rosie E. Encinas, day care teacher at Angel Day Care Center.

The honorees were cho-sen from various professions, namely, judicial service, pro-tective and security services, professional services, academe and education services, volun-teerism, social and community

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MISIBIS BAy Albay Guide free mobile appli-cation a magical tourism tech-nology of Smart in the province of Albay.

"This is a concrete proof of

BIKOL REPORTERPublished: April 12-18, 2015

Bikol reporter4 april 12-18, 2015hAlo-hAlo

inner chessBy J. Henry DAniCAn

Looming Power Crisis(Part 3 of a 3-part series)

The high power rates and the convoluted billing system of the power industry in the Philippines can be blamed to the sins of the past and to the lack of foresight of our political leaders. It all began when the then totally mismanaged National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) was divided into several sub-units such as generation, power grid transmission and sub-distribution. Through the EPIRA law or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act was introduced to address the inefficiencies of the state-owned power industry, thereby ending the monopoly of the government. NAPOCOR was sold piece by piece to private corporations. Through the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp or PSALM, the power generation aspect was sold to several private investors and the transmission aspect was sold to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines or NGCP, which is actually a Chinese consortium. The government gave up its monopoly on the power industry but also passed on portion of its debts(amounting to 6.5 billion dollars in 2001)to the public and created new problems. The original intention of selling NAPOCOR to private entities was to create a free market wherein the prices would eventually go down and efficiency of services would improve because of competition. However, even PSALM incurred debts worth 130 billion pesos because it was forced to maintain the ageing power plants that were not able to make profits.

The liberalization of the Philippine power industry, however, led to the opening of a proverbial Pandoras Box. This was partly because the sub-distribution component of the industry was largely left to the management of the so-called electric cooperatives. With few exceptions such as MERALCO, the power sub-distribution became the de-facto proxy battlegrounds of local politicians. It is not uncommon that certain local politicians such as mayors, congressmen and governors would support or sponsor certain candidates for the board of directors of electric cooperatives. The politicians then gain proxy control over the cooperatives that happened to have the majority of board of directors that are their protges.

Some corrupt politicians even convert the power cooperatives under their control as personal milking cows. Special concessions and contracts are granted to private suppliers and contractors that are transacting with the cooperatives. Oftentimes, the contractors and suppliers are under the name of dummy owners that are also controlled by the corrupt politicians. Special treatments are also given to some of the friends of the politicians even if their power bill arrearages are already amounting to several millions. As a result, some electric cooperatives incur large amounts of debts and become totally mismanaged and inefficient.

At the national level, there are other factors that contribute to the high cost of electricity and the general inefficiency. Aside from the basic costs of power generation, grid transmission, sub-distribution, systems loss, taxes and subsidies, the government also provides profit guarantees to the power producers. One way of guaranteeing profits is through the Incremental Currency Exchange Rate Adjustment Mechanism or ICERA. It is a protection against the fluctuations of currency in the international market. The currency fluctuations directly affect the costs of fossil fuels that many power plants are using to generate electricity. The power plants can also recover their power generation losses through the Generation Rate Adjustment Mechanism or GRAM. Meanwhile, the power transmission companies also could recover losses from the Transmission Rate Adjustment Mechanism. As a solution to the rolling power blackouts in the 1990s, the government guaranteed to purchase the excess power productions of the independent power producers or IPPs.

The combination of various factors such as politicking, mounting debts and government guarantees to private companies, the sub-distribution sector (electric cooperatives) had no other choice but to charge high rates. Meanwhile, the inefficiencies of the sub-distribution sector resulted to the bankruptcies of some of the electric cooperatives. Some proposed to simply privatize these coops while others are advocating cooperative-to-cooperative cooperation. Some of the recent victims of these inefficiencies include the now defunct ALECO of Albay and CASURECO III of Camarines Sur. Hence, the looming power crisis is not only a problem of generating sufficient supply of electricity but also a problem of sub-distribution.

The debate of whether or not to privatize all electric cooperatives deserves a more thorough discussion. I will devote the next article to this topic. Thank you to my friend John Russel Barbosa for suggesting this topic.

homar murillo

tip of aniceBergEmail: [email protected]

Kun Mayong Masurat

dis*Karte*Kusyon*Kurso

FRANk PEones jr.

Sa sakong parte, ginigibo kong garo mga hollow blocks an nagdadalagan na mga nasasaboot o naiisip, sinusurat ini abot na ini magkapatong-patong, garo tungtungan na sakong gagamiton nganing maluksuhan an nakakaulang sa sakong pagsurat.

Kan sarong banggi kan naputulan an CASURECO III, nagtingag ako sa langit. Sarong banggi idto na garo ladawan kan pangako ni Yahweh ki Abraham. Dai mabilang an mga kabitoonan asin sa irarom kaini, napupungot ako kan diklom. May sarong garo kinindatan ako asin sakong nagiromdoman si Sta. Teresa kan Avila: Dai nungkang maribaraw, dai nungkang mahandal. Malipas an gabos na bagay

Nagbalik ako sa sakong kama asin nagturog na tamong an rinibong mga bitoon.

Garo nagtitinikling an uran sa atop nagdudurudotdot an sarong bitis asin minalumpat si saro, habong madakop sa sarong makusog na pagbulos. Siring kaini an sakong namamati ngonyan na mga nakaaging aldaw sa pagsurat, masakiton magsulog an mga boot isurat, mailyas arog kan mga talas na kadto dakul asin matalingkas na naglilibot sa kadlagan kan bukid Iriga. Pinurbaran ko nang bilangon an sakong mga nakaaging balaog asin magpasalamat kan mga ini, nganing magtaong konsolasyon sa sakong ispiritu na malinaw na yaon sa desolasyon. Yaon sa tag-init kun bako man tagtutong, kun bubutungon ko pa an komparasyon. Ano man an matubo sa alang na daga? Siguro kapagalan na ini, o natipon na mga kaanggotan asin pagkadisganar. O pagpatong-patong kan panahon. Mga dapat gibohon o nagdadangadang na

mga kasiributan.Dakul na an nagsurat kun pano

malagpasan an inaapod na writers block. Malinaw na mayong sarong epektibong solusyon. An sarong nagin positibo sa saro, posibleng dai magamit nin saro.

LIBMANAN, Camarines Sur, April 9 (PIA) --- On its 5th Handiong Festival and celebra-tion of Libmanans 441st Foun-dation Anniversary, Libmane-os chose to rekindle the sense of heroism and look back on the sacrifices and bravery of their local hero, Handiong.

Libmanan Mayor Marilyn Jimenez stated that the week-long celebration of Handiong Festival aims to remind the young generation how the towns civilization started and for them to imitate the good deeds that Handiong possessed and the tenets that he lived by, not to mention his bravery and love for his people.

Handiong is known in the archives of Bicol history as the brave warrior who wiped out the monsters that were creating havoc over the peaceful land of Ibalon. The restoration of

peace in his place brought forth many good things, one of which is the creation of an equal law that no one will be called masters nor slaves. Everyone will all have an equal footing.

Jimenez said that these traits are worth-emulating and should be continued and nurtured by the upcoming generation.

We do not want to lose sight of these valuable principles and ethics and one way of continually reminding our youth about these is through the celebration of Handi-ong Festival where we commemo-rate the blessings of having a great hero in the name of Handiong- the very reason too why we have a progressive Libmanan.

One of the highlights of the celebration is the annual Libman-an Regatta competition. Here, all the best rowers will show off their stamina and harmony in paddling in order to grab the champion-

ship crown. The municipalities of Cabusao, Calabanga, Camaligan, Magarao joined the race which was held at the historic wide river of Libmanan.

The recently concluded com-petition was divided into three cat-egories: the 10-man team, 6-man team and the dragon boat competi-tion. Paddlers from LGU Maga-rao grabbed the first place under the 10-man category, followed by Calabanga as 2nd placer and Ca-busao in the 3rd place.

Rowers from Camaligan grabbed the first place in the 6-man team category, Calabanga 2nd and Magarao got the third place. Magarao redeemed another win when it got the 1st place in the Dragon boat competition.

Aside from honoring Handiong, the local government through the Municipal Programs and Events Section headed by its Chief, Ruel Bibby Jimenez also intends to

promote the preservation of their culture and the promotion of their tourist sites to domestic and local tourists. Some of the activities which were conducted in line with this objective in-clude the launching of the In-land cultural heritage Ecotour-ism tour and marine ecotourism adventure, Handiong Exhibits and Fair, among others.

Various programs were also launched to protect and preserve the environment. This includes the Buhayon an Salog program or river revival program which kicked off through the dispersal of fingerlings in the river and the Libmanan Riverbanks veg-etation and forestation program, a soil erosion control disaster mitigation measure.

The town of Libmanan is considered as an extremely large municipality with a total of 75 barangays under its reign.

Libmanan celebrates Handiong festival anewBy: ANA-LIzA S. MACATANGAY


MOBILE JOBS FAIR JMTS/DAnrey/MMeCThe provincial government has conducted a jobs fair at the Camarines Sur Polytechnic College-nabua last March 31, 2015 where 251 registrants were given first crack at choice vacancies for local and overseas employment opportunities. A total of 5 overseas recruitment agencies and 24 local companies and agencies participated in the said activity.

un population agency hailsAlbays youth program

By nAnCy iBo MeDiAViLLo

romulo to assist local TeSDALEGAzPI CITY -- "Al-

bay is a very proactive, en-gaged and good partner of the UNFPA. In fact it has a lot of very good ideas and policies," Klaus Bleck, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country representative in the Philippines, said Wednes-day at the Albay Astrodome where he is the guest speaker during the Albay Adolescent Congress on Wednesday and Thursday.

In fact, Bleck said, only four out of the 80 provinces in the Philippines have collabora-tion with the UNFPA -- Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato; Sa-ranggani, Surigao Del Sur and Albay.

He said that when the col-laboration between the UNFPA and the Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) under Governor Joey Sarte Salceda through the Provincial Health Office and Albay AIDS Council headed by Mike Dela Rama was firmed up, the province has made significant steps towards the welfare of the youth, which, he said, is the hope of the country.

The UNFPA official noted that more than 30 percent of the population is composed of the youth.

Bleck said the most com-mon issues confronting the youth today are teenage preg-nancy, difficulty in finding job, and increasing cases of HIV/AIDS.

He stressed that those get-ting pregnant and suffering from HIV/AIDS are getting

younger and younger.Bleck said these can be best

addressed by the combined forces of the national and lo-cal governments, private sector and UNFPA.

He called for the imple-mentation of the Reproductive Health Law and strengthening of the policies of the local gov-ernments on issues confronting the youth.

Board Member Herbert Borja, chair of the committee on health of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Albay, said health programs are in the pri-ority agenda of the PGA under Salceda.

In fact, the province has es-tablished Teen Health Centers in the cities of Ligao and Taba-co and the towns of Guinobatan and Daraga.

The PGA plans to put up similar center in every city and town of the province.

Borja said the primary purpose of the Teen Health Centers is to provide right place and services to the youth that would not make them hesitate to bring out their problems because those who will run the centers are also young individuals.

Aside from these centers, the province has also put up U4U Center at the Ligao National High School and soon it will set up similar establishments in other big public schools like the Tabaco National High School, Daraga National High School, Pag-asa National High School, Libon Central School and Polangui Comprehensive National High School.

Cong. roMuLo Councilor roMuLo

Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo has promised to assist vocational schools administered by the Technical Education and Skills Devel-opment Authority (TESDA) following an unscheduled visit to the Cabugao School of Handicraft and Cottage Industries the other Sunday (March 15) to consult with TESDA officials.

Taking precious time off his schedule as the guest speaker at the 44th Commencement Exer-cises of the Catanduanes State University, the congressman, accompanied by wife Shalani Soledad-Romulo, acceded to the invitation of TESDA OIC-provincial director Elpidio Tu-boro.

At the school, Tuboro, CSH-CI OIC-vocational school ad-ministrator Gloria Sorrera and

other TESDA officials brought to Rep. Romulos attention the need for the development, upgrading and provision of in-structional equipment and fa-cilities at Cabugao and at the two other TESDA campuses in Pandan and Vigaa.

Romulos assistance would

be vital in securing inclusion in the General Appropriations Act of 2016 of the required funding for the effective and ef-ficient transfer of technology to students and trainees based on industry standards to produce quality and employable gradu-

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CSC-Bicol enjoins Bicolanos to availof Australian scholarship awards

By DAnny o. CALLeJA

LEGAzPI CITY - The Civil Service Commission (CSC) Bicol regional office is enjoining Bicolanos to apply and become lucky grantees of the Australia Awards Schol-arships (AAS), which is now accepting applicants for its 2015-2016 program.

The deadline for filing ap-plications is set this month and CSC Regional Director Cecilia Nieto on Saturday here said those who may be eligible and interested should better be in a hurry so as not to miss this big

opportunity.The scholarships are long-

term development awards ad-ministered by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide opportuni-ties for people from developing countries like the Philippines to undertake full-time undergrad-uate or postgraduate study at participating Australian univer-sities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions.

Offered for the minimum period necessary for the in-dividual to complete the aca-demic program specified by the Australian higher education in-stitution, the program generally includes benefits such as full tuition fees, return air travel, establishment allowance, con-tributions to living expenses (CLE) and Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), among others.

To be eligible to receive a scholarship, Nieto said, local applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of commencing the study grant; a citizen and resident of the Philippines and; not married, engaged to or a de facto of a person who holds, or is eligible to hold, Australian or New Zea-land citizenship or permanent residency, at any time during the application, selection or mobilization phases.

To qualify, an applicant must not also be currently a military serving personnel; not a citizen or holder of permanent residen-cy in Australia or applying for a visa to live in the same country permanently; have satisfied any specific criteria established by the Philippine government and; be able to satisfy the admission requirements of the institution at which the award is to be un-dertaken.

To ensure the development impact of AAS, all awardees must return home on comple-tion of their studies so they can contribute to development in their country

Nieto said her office is help-ing in the implementation of this program as CSC is one of the partners of the Philippine-Autralian Human Resource and Organizational Development Facility (PAHRODF) taking part in the information cam-

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BIKOL REPORTERPublished: April 12-18, 2015

Bikol reporter6 april 12-18, 2015

nAMe of DeCeASeD DATe of inTerMenT

CLArA M. MArTinez MArCH 2, 2015zACH nyeL P. CACHo MArCH 10, 2015LAiLAnie A. BonTo MArCH 11, 2015MAriA D. SALiVA MArCH 11, 2015LiLiAn S. gArDiner MArCH 12, 2015enCArnACion S. MAnAiT MArCH 14, 2015fLorDeLiTo g. LoPez Sr. MArCH 15, 2015JoSe A. MAnzAno MArCH 15, 2015DAnTe o. CLeDerA MArCH 15, 2015AnTonio C. frAnCiSCo MArCH 18, 2015SALVACion B. MerCA MArCH 20, 2015LornA C. SAn PASCuAL MArCH 21, 2015AnDreA B. DeLA TriniDAD MArCH 22, 2015CriSAnTo f. CASTro Jr. MArCH 25, 2015ALfreDo n. MArCo MArCH 26, 2015riTA g. TuASon MArCH 26, 2015renDeL ryAn D. Sy iii MArCH 27, 2015AMPAro P. BongAT MArCH 27, 2015SALuD S. grACiLLA MArCH 28, 2015VirginiA e. oJeDA MArCH 29, 2015AMeLiA T. BorregA MArCH 29, 2015

MArCH

4PS GRADUATIONRose Bongon, a local beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) joined other high school students from all over the country during the first graduation of the beneficiaries of the program last April

9, 2015 at the Philippine international Convention Center (PiCC) Banquet room ii in Pasay City, attended by no less than Social welfare and Development (DSwD) Secretary Corazon J. Soliman.

JeSS M. eSCAroS Jr./SCS/JMe

Denr issues guidelinesfor school sites patents

Barangays tapped in AiDS drive

The Department of En-vironment and Natural Re-sources (DENR) through Sec. Ramon JP Paje has recently issued guidelines for the processing and issu-ance of special patents for public school sites or those within the administrative jurisdiction of Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Edu-cation.

Department Administrative Order 2015-01 dated March 4, 2015 also provides for educa-tion related services such as, Sec. PAJe

Dr. BorJA

but not limited to, those used for offices, canteens, gardens, aethetic fields, sports compex, sports courts, clinics, gymnasi-um, car parks, science centers, nature parks and related areas.

The requirements for re-questing said patent include: 1) request by the DepEd; 2) historical background of pos-session/occupation; 3) recent photographs showing the view of the area and adjacent areas; and 4) certification of no pend-ing land registration applica-tion issued by the Regional Trial Court/Land Registration

Authority (LRA) having juris-diction over the land.

The Provincial Environ-ment and Natural Resources Officer shall approve or disap-prove such request.

The Special patent may be requested by the Superinten-dent of the Division of Schools or any authorized Officer of DepEd Central Office may re-quest for its issuance.

Inquiries could be made at any Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices having jurisdiction over the site being applied for.

NAGA CITY Strength-ening its campaign against human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune defi-ciency syndrome (HIV-AIDS), the Association of Barangay Councils, here, is holding on April 9, this year, an informa-tion and education campaign that would raise the level of awareness of the public on the fatal disease.

The activity, which will be conducted at the Blue Room of the Public Safety Office, is expected to be replicated in the citys 27 barangays in the fol-lowing days as the Naga City AIDS Council has called on the community officials to join in organizing a massive move that would allow the body to identify and place under close surveillance all individuals sus-pected of HIV-AIDS.

The move, which will in-clude the conduct of counsel-ling sessions for the patients and their families, was prompted by the councils concern to help re-duce the incidence of AIDS in the city, if it cant be decimated totally.

Individuals who have been found positive for HIV are being provided with medical services like giving them anti-viral medicines to prevent HIV from developing into full blown AIDS.

The Council also encourag-es HIV-AIDS patients to come

out in the open along with their partners to be able to avail of the medical services that the city government is willing to give to individuals suffering from or having symptoms of the disease.

Medical Technologist II Grace Eleazar Guevara of the Social Hygiene Clinic of the City Health Office said most of the HIV-AIDS cases were acquired thru MSM, a contrac-tion of male who have sex with fellow male/s.

Dr. Butch Borja, city health officer and vice-chairman of the NCAC, is assuring the public that every data and informa-tion about the matter, especially on the patients identity and health status will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

There has been a report of escalating cases of HIV-AIDS disease throughout the country. jASoN b. NEolA

paign for the AAS 2015-2016 intake.

Earlier, she said, the CSC regional office initiated a series of orientation that provided in-formation about the scholarship program and the process of ap-plication for interested individ-uals and groups in the region.

Representatives from pri-vate sectors -- particularly civil society and non-government organizations, persons with dis-ability, women and indigenous peoples -- attended the activi-ties held here and in Naga City, according to Nieto.

She said representatives from PAHRODF, which fa-cilitated the orientation, also gave attendees an opportunity to one-on-one consultations on the eligibility and application process and requirements.

Since the AAS is an interna-tional development scheme of the Australian Government that aims to develop leadership and build partnerships and enduring linkages between Australia and its partner-developing countries including the Philippines, Nieto said her office wants more Bi-

csc-Bicol enjoins Bicolanos . . . services, philanthropic, culture and arts, math, science and tech-nology, entrepreneurship; non-government organization and civic organization, media pub-lic information and journalism, government service and sports, and those with disability.

Also in line with the celebra-tion, the local government also bared that a total of 29 women have donated their blood dur-ing the bloodletting activity conducted recently. The activ-

daet honors ten . . .ity carried the theme: Babae: Dugo mo Buhay ko.

Aside from the said activi-ties the local government also had the hanging of streamer, lecture on the preventive mea-sures and livelihood programs for the entertainment estab-lishment workers (EEWs) and Womens Congress.

This years theme for the celebration is Juana, Desisyon Mo ay Mahalaga sa Kinabu-kasan ng Bawat Isa, Ikaw Na!

colanos into it.She explained that the pro-

gram is designed to provide high-achieving Filipino devel-opment leaders with the op-portunity to pursue Masters degrees in Australias premier academic institutions.

Priority areas of the scholar-ship awards are in basic educa-tion, social protection and wel-fare, peace and development, public financial management, disaster risk reduction and man-agement, organizational devel-opment/human resource man-agement, trade and economic development, foreign relations, governance and mining or min-ing-related fields, Nieto said.

For over 50 years, she said, Australia has supported the Philippines best and the bright-est to study and train at its world-class universities on this Australian Government-funded scholarships that are open to talented Filipino leaders and achievers regardless of gender, ethnicity or disability who are passionate about sparking posi-tive change and development in the Philippines.

It has also so far awarded 22 emerging leaders from the Philippine public sector such as the Department of Education), Department of Interior and Lo-cal Government (DILG) and the National Mapping and Re-sources Information Authority (NAMRIA) who were taken in last January.

They will head to Austra-lia's world-renowned universi-ties next year for post-graduate studies in key areas such as ed-ucation, peace studies, disaster preparedness, and geographic information science.

Upon their return to the Philippines, these scholars are expected to implement in their organizations a re-entry action plan (REAP)an innovative feature of the program that would enable them to apply the knowledge gained in Australia to spearhead positive change in their workplaces, Nieto said.

Previous returning schol-ars have successfully initiated change through their REAPs, Nieto said, citing among oth-ers a 2013 scholar from the DILG in Western Visayas who now assists local government units in crafting investment

and incentive codes, which in turn, helped create a business-friendly environment for local and foreign investors.

Another one is a 2011 schol-ar who is now helping NAM-RIA deliver enhanced software for the distribution to the public of the source code management system, which is proving essen-tial in helping the agency reach-es its goal of delivering timely, accessible and accurate geospa-tial information, Nieto said.


LoT for SALe863 SQ. MeTerS

Location: gogon-Dugcal, Camaligan, Camarines Sur

For inquiries: Please contact 09192822901 (Direct Buyers only)

All unredeemed items/articles pawned at ASPe iguAL-DAD PAwnSHoP, Cor. igualdad ext. & J. Hernandez Ave., igualdad, naga City, pawned from noV. 2-30, 2014 whose terms have expired will be sold to public auction sale on MAy 1, 2015 from 9:00 A.M.-12:00 noon.

redemption/renewals of all pledges covered by the above-mentioned date will be honored until APriL 28, 2015 only. THe MAnAgeMenTBiKoL rePorTerPublished: APriL 5 and 12, 2015

NOTICE TO THE PUBLICAUCTION SALE/SUBASTA

All unredeemed items/articles pawned at ASPe eXPLor-er PAwnSHoP, ground floor, Bichara Complex, Abella St., igualdad, naga City, pawned from noV. 2-30, 2014 whose terms have expired will be sold to public auction sale on MAy 1, 2015 from 9:00 A.M.-12:00 noon.



All unredeemed items/articles pawned at rowenA ASPe PAwnSHoP, P. Burgos St., corner J. Hernandez Avenue, naga City, pawned from noV. 2-30, 2014 whose terms have expired will be sold to public auction sale on MAy 1, 2015 from 9:00 A.M.-12:00 noon.



All unredeemed items/articles pawned at r. M. ASPe PAwnSHoP, Cor. Panganiban & elias Angeles Street, naga City, pawned from noV. 2-30, 2014 whose terms have expired will be sold to public auction sale on MAy 1, 2015 from 9:00 A.M.-12:00 noon.



All unredeemed items/articles pawned at ASPe Crown-JeweL PAwnSHoP & JeweLry STore, Bichara Mall corner J. Hernandez & gen. Luna Sts., naga City, pawned from noV. 2-30, 2014 whose terms have expired will be sold to public auction sale on MAy 1, 2015 from 9:00 A.M.-12:00 noon.



SUMMER READyThis private farm at Sitio yabo, Bgy. Carolina, naga City with its well-manicured lawns and solarenergized farm house and cottages welcomes

its visitors and vacationers as they enjoy its cool spring waters and endless summer sun!

JoreCHiii

BSTC, which will be cele-brating its founding anniver-sary on June 15, this year, is joint project of the city gov-ernment and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). It is a museum that promotes science and tech-nology through the use of interactive gadgets and ex-hibits.

From April 20 to June 31, this year, the museums sci-ence gallery will be open to the public without admittance fee. We will treat families and individuals to a super-vised tour around the galler-ies every day except Sunday, from 8:00 to 11:00 AM and from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, de-clares Nestor Villanea, OIC-Administrator of BSTC.

An event called stargazing sa barangay will also be held from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM from April 20, this year, un-til June 31, 2015, along with film showing in the citys 27 barangays. The schedule for

Bstc lines up summer . . .the twin activities in the ba-rangays are as follows:

Abella, June 5; Bagum-bayan Norte, April 27; Ba-gumbayan Sur, April 29; Bal-atas, May 20; Calauag (to be determined yet), Cararayan, April 24; Carolina, May 13; Concepcion Grande (to be determined), Concepcion Pequea, April 20; Dayang-dang, May 22; Del Rosario (to be determined), Dinaga, May 25; Igualdad (to be de-termined), Lerma, May 27; Liboton (to be determined), Mabolo, May 6; Pacol, May 11; Panicuason, May 15; Pe-afrancia, May 18; Sabang, June 10; San Felipe, May 4; San Francisco, June 3; San Isidro, May 8; Sta. Cruz, June 1; Tabuco (to be determined), Tinago, April 22 and Trian-gulo (to be determined).

Stargazing and film show-ing will also be conducted at the City Hall grounds on June 29, this year. jASoN b. NEolA

Fuentebella stated that Romulos presence also speaks of his own aggressive advocacy to help indigent students acquire their much-coveted college education by informing them of the vari-ous scholarship grants that is up for grabs for state colleges and universities (SUCs) all throughout the country.

The exclusion of the Prior-ity Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from the local legislators fund brought fear among the scholars sponsored by politicians after it was de-clared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Fuentebella, in order not to severely affect his constit-uents, has thought of resort-ing to other avenues so as not

solons assures college . . .to derail the education of his scholars. One of which is to transfer the education fund to DSWD for implementation. He also made mention of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its internship program which can assist the students in pursuing their education.

Romulo, who is the cur-rent Chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education and one of the sponsors of the Iskolar ng Bayan bill, said that this legislation will allow poor families to fulfill their dreams of sending their children to college.

We have Republic Act 10648 or the Iskolar ng Bayan program which al-

lows top ten students of ev-ery High School to enroll and be admitted to SUCs of his choice within his province. We have already 8,000 public High Schools and that would translate to 80,000 scholars who can benefit from this program, Romulo added.

The Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2014 was signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III in November last year.

Romulo also informed his audience, mostly scholars and professors of PSU and LGU Chief Executives within the 4th District of Camarines Sur, that the UniFAST Bill which has already passed

its 3rd and final reading is on its way to the Senate for deliberation.

Under this proposed bill, student financial assistance programs can be in the form of scholarship, grants-in aid, students loan, socialized tu-ition fees and other modali-ties that the UniFAST Board may develop.

ates locally and abroad.In addition, they impressed

on the visitor, the upgrading and provision of equipment and facilities will eventually help the Department of Education in the implementation of the

romulo to assist . . .Basic Enhanced Education or the K+12 program, especially in the capability building of DepEd teachers.

It was stressed that the con-struction of two buildings in Viga and Pandan were funded by former Cong. Edcel Lag-man but were not allocated any

equipment, maintenance funds and other operating expendi-tures as well as regular staff to man the centers operation.

Rep. Romulo brought with him a list of tools and equip-ment needed by the TESDA-administered institutions for their different priority disci-plines and qualifications.

Her 72-page memorandum was a brilliant defense of the Constitution and veritable source of her mindset on the conduct of peace negotiations. She detailed the constitutional violations [that] eroded the sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines , split its national identity [and] created a state within a statea concept alien and antithetical to the one sovereign nation embodied in the Constitution.

At bottom, I believe that before enacting the BBL, Congress would be well-advised to ingest very well three vital documents: (1) the North Cotabato decision; (2) the concurring opinion of Justice Carpio, and (3) the memorandum of then Attorney Sereno.

from my window . . .

BIKOL REPORTER

REgIOnaL ExPOnEnT fOR PROgREss

outstanding local newspaperfor five consecutive years by the st. peter

Baptist catholic mass media awards

8 april 12-18, 2015ARAW NG KAGITINGANnaga Mayor John Bongat at the wreath-laying ceremony held at the naga City hall grounds commemorating the 73rd year of Day of Valor last Thursday, April 9.

By AnA-LizA S. MACATAngAy

NAGA CITY --- As it joins the entire nation in commemorating the 73rd year of Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor, this city also celebrated today the 70th death anniversary of one of Bicols valiant heroes, Lt. Delfin C. Rosales and the observance of Philippine Veterans week.

In a meaningful yet brief ceremony held at the Naga City hall grounds this morning, Mayor John G. Bongat reiter-ated the reason why we have to honor and remember our fallen heroes and live by heart what was written in the historical pages of our forebears strug-gles, including the sacrifices made by our forefathers.

It is only fitting, that we should not only commemo-rate, but make the spirit of these dead alive, not only in our minds, but also in our hearts. What is most impor-tant in this gathering is the understanding of what we are commemorating and how this understanding will be applied in our present lives, whatever our status is in the govern-ment. We remember them since they sacrificed not only for themselves, but for our people and for our nation, Bongat said.

Bongat added that as Naguenos celebrate these three significant events, they also have to remember the reason behind the death, mar-tyrdom and sacrifices of these great men of courage. He then challenged everyone to bring out that hero inside them by simply looking at the spec-trum of sacrifice as a worthy endeavor.

What is the effect of this to me as a Nagueno as a Filipino? If you are a teacher, teach well; if you are a Police-man, find ways to give Nague-nos that sense of security that they will walk with peace of mind, without fear. We at the City hall, what do we have to do to make our clients happy? That will be through genuine public service. The buzz word is sacrifice.

Bongat was joined by all the members of the Sang-guniang Panlunsod, various Department Heads and of-fice personnel, including the members of the media in re-membering these significant occasions.

The officers and men of the 9th Infantry Division, Philip-pine Army carried the wreath and rendered the 21 volley fire in honor of the fallen he-roes and in recognition of their great sacrifices in order to give their countrymen their much coveted freedom. The unified troops which include the 9th ID, PA, Naga City Po-lice Office of the Phillippine National Police (PNP) and the Naga City Fire Station, Bu-reau of Fire Protection (BFP) rendered the hand salutes.

Hon. Salvador G. Cajot, Philippine Veterans Federa-tion District Commander of Camarines Sur expressed his gratitude to Bongat for the city governments untir-ing support to the plight of the veterans.

LGU Naga honorslocal vets, heroes

Documents

Bikol Reporter April 12 - 18 Issue