Some Dipolognons took it as an initiation as Dipolog’s newly-elected Mayor Evelyn Uy battled against the Provincial Environment and Development Office (PEDO) and Gov. Lando Yebes when the latter took a hard stand regarding the issuance of gratuitous permit to the city to extract sand and gravel. Whether initiation or something else, the lady mayor went to court as 28 ongoing city infrastructure projects and eight more about to be implemented stalled due to exhaustion of sand and gravel supply.

Source disclosed that the City Engineering Office reported to Mayor Uy that the P34M worth city projects were recently stalled and that some workers were already laid off due to lack of sand and gravel. In fact, the CEO reported that some roads in Olingan and Turno badly hit by the heavy rains brought by Typhoon Bebeng were in bad shape and could not be repaired because of the supply of sand and gravel. Some officials close to the lady mayor disclosed that Mayor Uy will meet with PGMA in Cagayan de Oro City.

Although it would be a peace summit in CDO, they pointed out; she would find time to have a private time with the president to outline how the provincial government crippled the city government projects. However, Provincial Attorney Jess Gal Sarmiento argued that the city government could buy from any legitimate permit holders for any sand, gravel and quarry materials needed for its infrastructure projects if it wanted to and would never blame them for the project halt. It could be remembered that the PEDO seized two city dumpturcks loaded with sand and gravel last June 18 at Airport road, Sicayab this city.

It pointed out that the city government violated the Mining Act of 1995 when it quarried filling materials from a river without holding a permit to do so. However, the city government countered that it had pending application for such permit but it was just surprised why it had not been acted upon for so long a time already, by the governor’s office. Recently, Gov. Lando Yebes was clothed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan the authority to sue former mayor Uy for theft of minerals and abuse of authority.

On the other hand, the Dipolog Sangguniang Panlungsod also gave Mayor Evelyn Uy authority to file a suit of mandamus and a plea for Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and writ of preliminary ionjunction. When the legal battle started and accusations against each other piling up, some feared that the battle could go a long way and could put the people’s interests at stake. (Press Freedom, Vol. XIX No. 40)

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Zamboanga del Norte Chapter, in coordination with the Provincial Government of Zamboanga del Norte has conducted its Jail Decongestion Project by visiting the prisoners of the Provincial Jail in Misok, Sindangan, and in Don Jose Aguirre, Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte last July 7, 2007.  This was disclosed by Atty. Rubencio B. Legorio, IBP ZN Chapter president. According to Atty. Legorio, the Jail Decongestion Project is aimed to provide free legal assistance to indigent prisoners who were detained at the provincial jail for more than five years and whose cases remain pending in the different courts in the province without their cases being tried or heard.

He said inadequate or lack of legal representation of the said detention prisoners is the main factor for jail congestion simply because the prisoner is unable to post bail and has no means to get legal representation or is inadequately represented. He added that the jail decongestion project is undertaken by the IBP Legal Aid Committee, headed by its Legal Aid Lawyer, Atty. Eduardito S. Pacatang. There were more than 200 prisoners detained at the Misok Provincial Jail and more than 70 at the Don Jose Aguirre Detention Cell and of this number, approximatley 100 prisoners will be represented in court by the IBP Legal Aid Office, Public Attorney’s Office and court-appointed counsels de oficio.

The local chapter of the IBP also distributed to the prisoners personal items such as soap, tooth paste, used clothing and other personal needs. At the same time, the Provincial Government of Zamboanga del Norte during the jail visitation conducted a medical and dental outreach mission by providing medical and dental services to the prisoners at the provincial jail.  Free medicines from the Provincial Health office were given to the prisoners who were medically examined and availed of the dental services.  The medical and dental outreach mission was headed by Dr. Carmenciat P. Icao, Provincial Health Officer II who is herself, a member of the IBP, Zamboanga del Norte Chapter.

The Provincial Environment and Development Office has recently recommended to close the Layawan River in Sangkol, Dipolog City to all haulers of sand and gravel. PEDO action Officer Remelo Damuag disclosed that the river has already been battered of constant extraction and has no time to recover its minerals. He disclosed that the river has been the usual source of sand and gravel of private permit holders and the city government for its various infrastructure projects.

To prevent further destruction like soil erosion and farm destruction, the PEDO planned to recommend to the Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board and the Office of the Provincial Governor to stop the extraction. Reports said that the landowners of the other side of the river and even the Sangguniang Pambarangay of Silawe, Polanco, Z.N. were already alarmed of the present status of the river. Both complained about the threat posed by the regular extraction by the Dipolog City government which prompted the office of the provincial governor to suspend the approval of the gratuitous permit asked by Dipolog.

The refusal to renew the gratuitous permit applied by the city government prompted Mayor Evelyn Uy to file a mandamus suit against Gov. Yebes. On the other hand, Gov. Yebes sued the former mayor Roberto Uy of Theft of Minerals and Abuse of Authority as two dumptrucks owned by the city government were allegedly seized for hauling gravel and sand without securing a permit. (Press Freedom, Vol. XIX No. 40)

It could be the 11 votes Mayor Bert Macias edged over mayoral contender Nilo ‘Boy’ Sy that prompted the latter to file his electoral protest.

However, Judge Arturo Paculanang of the Regional Trial Court Branch 11 of Sindangan recently handed down a resolution declaring such protest lacking in merits. The resolution declared that the complainant’s petition failed to point specific details which would show that there was cheating, fraud and irregularity in the precincts protested over. Judge Paculanang also pointed out that the allegations of Sy were found to be purely rhetorical.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Zamboanga Peninsula recently challenged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of Zamboanga del Norte to implement strictly the labor laws especially those concerning child labor.

POEA Regional Director Renegold Macarulay disclosed recently that the city government of Zamboanga launched an all-out drive to close any business establishments which employ minors. He said he was sad that Dipolog City could not get rid of such kind of employers who keep children as workers. The regional director complained about the sixteen-year old boy he met here who worked in a 24-hour pub restaurant but receiving P1,500.00 only despite the 11 P.M. to 11A.M. work shift.

Board Member Fernando Cabigon Jr., chairman of Committee on Ways and Means could have submitted his committee report recommending an ordinance exempting the Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative (ZANECO) from payment of its real property taxes. However, BM Edgar Baguio who authored said ordinance requested for the rescheduling of its second reading.  He pointed out that he received new documents that he wanted his comrades at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to read and study.

Gov. Lando Yebes disclosed that it was just proper to study thoroughly all angles of the issue before the SP would finally approve the resolution into an ordinance. Meanwhile, General Manager Adelmo Laput warned that if the SP will not reall;y exempt the cooperative from paying its real property taxes, he will be forced to let the member consumers carry the burden based on its Tax Recovery Automatic Clause.

The Commission on Elections recently released an advisory urging the voters for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to register starting July 15. Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Wilfred Jay Balisado stressed that the registration will only last for eight days which means it will end on July 22.

The first hearing of the mandamus case filed by the Dipolog City Government against Gov. Rolando yebes was believed by Yebes supporters an initial triumph. Provincial Attorney Jess Gal Sarmiento Jr. moved for urgent motion for inhibition of Judge Yolinda Bautista. Sarmiento pointed out that Judge Bautista publicly announced her support for Mayor Evelyn Uy and husband Roberto Uy who was running for a gubernatorial post, when she hung streamers and posters of the duo in her own house.

Moreover, she added, her son, Engr. Arnel Bautista is presently an employee of Mayor Evelyn Uy and has been considered for promotion. Her daughter, Atty. Ana Myla Bautista was identified an election lawyer of the couple. Finding the motion substantial, the Court ordered the inhibition of Judge Bautista from such case, ordering further that record of such case be returned to the office of the Clerk of Court of the Regional Trial Court.

Moreover, the Yebes camp considered it another victory when they had successfully disqualifed private lawyer Kenneth Rosal who represented the city government in the case. In his Motion to Disqualify Private Counsel, Atty. Sarmiento clarified that under Section 481 of the Local Government Code of 1991, it was mandatory that the provincial government or the city government should appoint a legal officer. The legal officer, the provincial attorney stressed, should represent the local government in all civil actions and special proceedings.

It could be remembered that during the administration of former mayor Roberto Uy, two legal officiers sat in office such as Atty. Aniceto Young and Atty. Yolando Villaruz. But both reportedly resigned as the former mayor gave more weight to the opinion of city administrator than to the legal officer’s. Due to the violation committed by the city government, Atty. Rosal’s representation was considered illegal and that all pleadings made shall be erased from the court’s records.

General Manager Adelmo Laput of the Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative (ZANECO) recently griped over the action of some members of the board. He disclosed that he was informed by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) last week that a letter destroying his leadership of the electric cooperative reached them. The said letter, GM Laput pointed out, raised the issue of the cooperative’s elevation to category A in 2006, from category C.

Although the memorandum circular from the Department of Budget and Management outlined it should start in July, Provincial Budget Officer Mary Joy Abitona disclosed that the 10% salary increase will start in August. She disclosed further that her office had already computed how much the capitol needed for such increase. The office claimed that it needed about P16M for such increase and that P8M had already been allocated for such purpose under the 2007 annual budget.

The P8M more, the budget officer disclosed, had already been found to compete the amount needed. She pointed out that allocation of said funds has to be approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan yet but she believed it could already be integrated in the August payroll. As regards the contractual workers and job order employees, Abitona said that they would study the matter since these employees are receiving higher rates compared to casual workers who are already included in the plantilla.

About 18 Subanen leaders of Jose Dalman recently denounced the action of the provincial director of National Council of Indigenous people (NCIP) of Zambo-anga del Norte of not consulting thenm as regards the mining application of Toronto Ventures Inc. (TVI). Timuay Filomeno Ango of Tamarok, Jose Dalman felt deceived when he heard about the alleged agreement between the NCIP and TVI of a mining exploration in the municipality. Ango alleged that such negotiation could not b3 carried as valid since it was only between NCIP and the tribal council headed by Maximo Tigon whose leadership was questioned by other Subanen tribal leaders.

Timuay Jolito Bohol disclosed that Tigon’s leadership in the tribal council was questionable.  The tribal leaders, he pointed out, traced his genealogy roots and they found out that he was not the direct descendant of a tribal leader. Furthermore, he pointed out, they disclosed that Timuay Ango was the direct grandson of a tribal leader and cold have been the leader who qualified to sit in the tribal council and not Tigon with whom NCIP negotiated with.

Sponsored and organized by Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc., the Philippine Art Awards 2007 was created to support the development of Philippine contemporary art and to increase the national and regional exposure to Philippine art and artists. The competition encourages, inspires, and rewards creative works by contemporary Philippine artists, with an intent of nurturing their talent. The awards provide a platform for up-and -coming Philippine artists to exhibit their works nationally while allowing cross-cultural exposure.

The Philippine Art Awards 2007 is a nationwide visual art (2-Dimensional) competition which is in two parts. Phase 1 is the selection of 10 winners from each region (NCR, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao). Phase 2 is the selection of one Grand Prize winner and five equal Juror’s Choices from the collective 40 Regional Winners. The competition is open to all Filipino citizens who are 18 years old and above as of January 1, 2007. As proof of age and citizenship, all entrants must produce their ID card (photocopy of the artist’s birth certificate, passport, or any valid government ID showing birth date and citizenship when submitting their entries. Artists must also submit a recent Residence Certificate (not more than 6 months) as proof of residence in the region.

This is a two-dimensional art competition. Any medium is acceptable, not just painting. In the spirit of creativity and freedom of expression, an entrant may explore any subject or theme in his/her artwork. Each entrant may submit only one entry. An artist can join in any one Collective Regional Area. An artist shall be automatically disqualified if found to have joined more than one competition conducted in other regions. The works must be recent (not more than two years) and original. Works that have been exhibited before are eligible but not those that have been previously entered in any national, regional, or international competition, including the past Philippine Art Awards.

Size is not a criterion for selection and artists are encouraged to submit works of different sizes. Due to shipping constraints, the Organizer recommends that a work, including the frame, should be of a reasonable size,not exceeding 2 x 2 meters ( 200 x 200 cms. ). The work must be light enough for two people to handle, not exceeding 30 kilos. Two-dimensional installation works must be wall bound and be of reasonable depth, not exceeding 12.5 centimeters at any point. The Organizer reserves the right to exclude any entry that may pose presentation or freight problems.

Works must be sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of travel and handling. Works shall be disqualified if submitted wet or with incomplete documentation. Artists who may wish to protect their works must use plastic sheet but not breakable glass.

Si Former 1st District Congressman Romeo “Nonong” Jalosjos nga nabilanggo sulod na sa subra napolo ka tuig ang anaa na karon sa gawas gikan sa Maximum Security Compund sa

Credits: The New Nandau is a member of the Publishers Association of the Philippines (PAPI). Editorial office is located at 076 Quezon Avenue, Dipolog City with Tel. No. (065) 212-3794; Cell No. +639205201041

Thanks to our favorite pirates in various kantos in the city, I managed to get hold of my favorite cartoon series in my elementary days made into a movie - the Transformers. Despite the “very average” dvd-copy quality of the disc, it was still a good 2-hour sit down for me and my girlfriend.   The movie was everything I expected it to be. Lots of action, great visual effects, and that trademark of any Michael Bay film, explosions and human emotion emphasized in slow-motion. The story started things off with Shia Labeouf’s character Sam Witwicky begging his professor for an A minus grade for his dad to buy him his first car. After being given his grades, Sam and his dad proceeded to buy his car – a 1976 model Camaro painted yellow with black stripes, primer and rust patches, riveted hood scoop. Here’s the plotline, a long time ago, far away on the planet of Cybertron, a war was being waged between the noble Autobots (led by the wise Optimus Prime) and the devious Decepticons (commanded by the dreaded Megatron) for control over the Allspark, a mystical talisman that would grant unlimited power to whoever possessed it. The Autobots managed to smuggle the Allspark off the planet, but Megatron blasted off in search of it. He eventually tracked it in planet Earth (circa 1850), but his reckless desire for power sent him right into the Arctic Ocean, and the sheer cold forced him into a paralyzed state. His body was later found by Captain Archibald Witwicky, and before going into a comatose state Megatron used the last of his energy to engrave a map, showing the location of the Allspark, into the Captain’s glasses, and send a transmission to Cybertron. He is then carted away by the Captain’s ship. A century later, Captain Archibald Witwicky’ grandson Sam Witwicky, nicknamed Spike by his friends, buys his first car. To his shock, he discovers it to be Bumblebee, an Autobot in disguise who is to protect Spike, as he bears the Captain’s glasses and the map carved on them. But Bumblebee is not the only Transformer to have arrived on Earth - in the desert of Qatar, the Decepticons Blackout and Scorponok attack a U.S. military base, causing the Pentagon to send their special Sector Seven agents to capture all “specimens of this alien race,” and Spike and his girlfriend Mikaela find themselves in the middle of a grand battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, stretching from Hoover Dam all the way to Los Angeles. If you are my age, you would not dare miss this childhood favorite. If you’re into film criticism, one flak would be the dialogue. The script just has one too many of those sentimental, and even downright corny at times, dialogue (Optimus Prime giving a speech about sacrifice and morality among the Autobots themselves; the Secretary of Defense’s speech to nerds tracking who or what is Scorponok) And who can forget Optimus Prime’s fighting words for Megatron in their climactic battle, “One shall stand and one shall fall.” Hell, it may sound corny, but that’s how Prime used to say it in the cartoon series back in the 80s. Another problem would be distinguishing who is who among the Autobots and the Decepticons in their fight scenes. Optimus Prime doesn’t show up until an hour into the movie and once the robots finally do go at it, the action is chaotic and hard to follow. The slick redesigns of the characters have made them more modern but less distinctive, and it’s often difficult to tell who is fighting whom. All the CGI wizardry (and it is undeniably impressive) is awesome but slowing the pace down would have helped. I don’t know if it was the pirated DVD making it hard for me to know who’s fighting who but the fact is, its hard tracking these robots visually in their fight scenes.  Other than that, the movie’s worth my time. You don’t expect to watch an Oscar-worthy performance from the actors and even for the director on this one. If you’re looking for a film masterpiece and acting quality in the mold of Al Pacino in Godfather and Tom Hanks in Philadelphia, then you have no business reading on, much less watching the film. For the rest of us, though, conjuring up fond memories is enough to give this movie a thumbs-up.
 

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The San Miguel Pilipinas team composed of the very best Pinoy basketball has to offer just wrapped up their preparation for the Tokushima FIBA-Asia, set July 28 to August 5, with a “good” third place finish in the 29th William Jones Cup. With their 5 wins – 4 loss records, the RP Team finished third behind champion Jordan (7-2) and Lebanon (6-3). Not a bad outing. I saw all of their games in ABC 5 except for their loss to Kazakhstan and I can’t feel bad for the 3rd place finish. Their losses were not that bad. They lost eventual champions Jordan by just 4 points. Then they had two heart-breaking losses to Japan and Lebanon. They lost to Lebanon 65-62 thanks to a lucky buzzer-beating triple, then lost to Japan 86-84 on the next day by giving up a breakaway layup to a Japanese cager in the dying seconds off an interception of a pass by Dondon Hontiveros. On both the Japan and Lebanon games, the RP team was in command for most of the game only to sputter at the finish. We can all have comfort in the fact that these losses are just because of the team’s unfamiliarity of playing international basketball. The RP team players are not used to playing against bigger and heftier opponents. They are not used to playing against good shooters who often move the ball to get open shooters rather than rely on dribble penetration and low post scoring. They are not used to the defensive pressure by the zone defense used by their opponents. After such “learning experience,” I think Chot Reyes should spend more time in the drawing board to prepare his team for the FIBA-Asia tournament especially in terms of their offensive execution. I can’t help but notice the fact that the RP Team always seem to have a hard time breaking the full-court defense utilized by their opponents. If you watched their game against the defending champions, Athletes in Action of the USA , you know what I’m talking about. If they can just get to their half-court offense, the Filipinos can score. We have the individual talent to do that. Mark Caguioa and Jimmy Alapag showed that they can penetrate almost at will. Hontiveros and James Yap showed that they can shoot the three-ball with the best of them in Asia. Asi Taulava and Eric Menk displayed that they can guard opposing big men. Then there’s Gabe Norwood and Kelly Williams – both are super-athletic – with Norwood more of a Boris Diaw-type while Williams more of a Shawn Marion-type of player.  From what I saw, the only disappointing player was Renren Ritualo – the supposed gunslinger who was supposed to hit all those threes to open up the inside for our big men. Yes, Ritualo did score 21 points in the loss to Japan, but other than that game, Ritualo didn’t make a good push for his bid to make the RP team for Tokushima. He was jacking up threes with reckless abandon, and I hardly think those were made up in plays set by Coach Chot. I remember one game wherein he started for the team, and in the early minutes of the first quarter, he shot four straight three-point shots and he made just one. And those attempts were all defended pretty well by his taller defenders except for the one he made. He could have waited for the team to set a play in those three possessions and he could have gotten a better attempt. Instead, he rushed things, and that’s why he never got fielded in that game again. What’s worse, Ritualo just don’t like defense. He does not seem to commit himself in defense the way Hontiveros guard his man that would definitely impress PBA great-defensive stalwart Glenn Capacio.  In my eyes, Hontiveros should get the nod of Chot for the shooting guard spot, the second spot should go to either Caguioa or Yap (but it wouldn’t hurt to bring them both to Japan for the Asia qualifiers).

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No disrespect to Coach Chot, but I don’t think his comments after one of their four losses in the Jones Cup is one of his best post-game reactions. “Itinago ng Jordan si Idais against the United States. Pinagpahinga din nila yung si Jamal Almaaytah. Pero sa atin, inilabas nila ang dalawang iyon,” Reyes said. He was suggesting that while Jordan wet full throttle, he still managed to hold some punches, reserving the likes of Ritualo, Nino Canaleta and Ranidel de Ocampo from that game. Now, that would be desperate man’s reasoning for a sorry loss. Why not say, “they were just a better team tonight, they out hustled us, they were the better prepared team?” A loss is a loss. No ifs and buts. The team lost, period.

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