Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Laguna’s 4th district congressional bet substitution sealed

SANTA CRUZ, Laguna-The congressional candidate for the 4th district of the province who filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) last month for the 2019 midterm election has given up his candidacy on Monday.

This paved the way instead for Laguna lawyer Antonio Carolino, 52, the unopposed 2nd termer Mayor of Santa Maria town, to fill in the legislative district bid vacated by the withdrawal of the younger Felicisimo ‘Bingbong’ San Luis under the Nationalista Party (NP).

The incumbent Santa Maria mayor also gave up his second-term mayoralty bid to his wife, former mayor and lawyer Cindy Carolino, in a substitution move.

The Carolino couple filed their respective candidacies as substitutes with the incumbent mayor Antonio for the congressional seat and wife Cindy for Sta. Maria mayor on Monday at the provincial Commission on Election (Comelec) office here.

San Luis who has withdrawn from the congressional race, in a brief statement, reasoned out the move was to give way to the governance of a more experienced and qualified Carolino.

According to Comelec-Laguna provincial officer lawyer Patrick Enaje, such substitution is allowed by law for as long as there is a proper endorsement of the political party where the candidates belong.

He also said that this is the first case of substitution in the province starting from the municipal level and to the provincial level.

In his statement after the filing, Mayor Carolino said that being unopposed for the second term as mayor in his hometown is a sure win but the call to serve across the district covering 16 municipalities and occupying almost 50 percent of the province’s land area, prompted him to accept the candidacy.

“The 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd districts of the province are already experiencing developments while our district covering 16 municipalities occupying almost 50 percent of the land area of the province has been left behind,” Carolino said.

“The farmers in our town produce 80 percent of the coffee processed in Batangas province for lack of facilities in the district,” said Carolino, citing that the 4th district which includes Sta. Maria town is predominantly agricultural lands.

Laguna is composed of 24 municipalities and six cities comprising four districts and two lone districts.

The cities of San Pedro and Santa Rosa belong to the 1st District while the city of Cabuyao and the municipalities of Los Baños and Bay belong to the 2nd District.

The cities of Biñan and Calamba used to belong to the 1st and 2nd Districts respectively but have achieved their status as lone districts.

San Pablo City and six other municipalities of Alaminos, Calauan, Liliw, Nagcarlan, Rizal and Victoria comprise the 3rd District; while the 4th district covers the towns of Cavinti, Famy, Kalayaan, Luisiana, Lumban, Mabitac, Magdalena, Majayjay, Paete, Pagsanjan, Pakil, Pangil, Pila, Sta. Cruz, Santa Maria and Siniloan.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1054375

SEC Bacolod created through legislation

BACOLOD City – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration in Bacolod City is the SEC office in the country created by legislation.

According to Gerardo del Rosario, director of SEC Company Registration and Monitoring Department, the Bacolod SEC office is the only SEC local office in the country created by legislation and credits are given to then Rep. Evelio ‘Bing’ Leonardia.”

Del Rosario added that the SEC will officially open its permanent office in Bacolod City on Nov. 23, 2018.

On his part, Leonardia explained that, “This was conceptualized to serve our corporate and business sectors and create a climate conducive for business to grow. It is also aimed to improve the ease of doing business in Bacolod and Negros Island. And eventually it will provide inclusive growth.

Del Rosario was here recently and led the delegation, composed of Human Resource and Administrative Department Director Romuald Padilla, training officer Diana Elvina Cortes, and legal counsel Ma. Cristina Montelibano, that visited the Bacolod City Government Center recently to formally announce the SEC Bacolod opening.

Leonardia’s bill was passed into law in the 16th Congress as Republic Act No. 10785, otherwise known as “SEC Bacolod Office Law.”

“This means that no matter who will run the SEC, the Bacolod office is here to stay as a permanent office. This will not be subjected to administrative policy changes. Its existence will even be more stable than any other field office in the country,” Leonardia said.

He added that a SEC office in Bacolod will further boost the “business-friendly policies” of the administration, which has been consistently recognized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) as among the top finalists in its “Most Business-Friendly” annual national contests.

The creation of a SEC office in Bacolod is one of the legislative moves of Leonardia to help boost the local growth and development. Among his measures were to seek the establishment of Bacolod local offices for the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Department of Tourism (DoT), and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and others.

PNP complaint with ‘Ang Probinsyano’ is Duterte’s fight vs ABS-CBN?

Police Chief Oscar Albayalde’s tantrums over the blockbuster teleserye “Ang Probinsyano” is alarming coming on the heels of Pres. Duterte’s renewed attack on ABS-CBN, threatening non-renewal of its franchise which is due to expire on March 30, 2020.

Duterte’s threat not to renew ABS-CBN’s license has been a common refrain in many of his speeches whenever he complained about unfavorable media reports about him.

“I will file a complaint. Congress, no need to renew it,” he said in one speech.

Another time he said ABS-CBN owners sent feelers to talk with him but he refused.““I will not talk to you, but I will also never intervene. Pero if I had my way I will not give it back to you,” he said.

There has been a noticeable respite from his threat to ABS-CBN in recent months as the public was pre-occupied with the successful Malacañang-initiated ouster of Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno and failed attempt to send back to prison Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV by voiding the amnesty granted to him by Pres. Benigno Aquino III in 2011.

But it seems it was just the proverbial calm before the storm. Last month, a media activist shared with us his concern about an information he got that Duterte is so impatient with ABS-CBN and he does not want to wait until the 2020 expiration of ABS-CBN’s franchise.

The source said Duterte wants ABS-CBN out of the way before the May 2019 elections.

The same source also said friends in the judiciary tipped him that Duterte’s “bright boys” are thinking of usinga “quo warranto “ against ABS-CBN, the same tactic Solicitor General Jose Calida used to oust Sereno.

Quo warranto (Latin for “by what warrant or authority?”) is a legal procedure used to challenge an individual’s right to or authority over the position he or she holds.

The source said Malacañang is going to question how the Lopezes regained ABS-CBN in 1986 after the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos who ordered the government take-over of ABS-CBN when he declared Martial Law on Sept. 21, 1972.

We could not believe these talks and we wished that they were just rumors.

Alarm bells, however, rang last Nov. 8, when Duterte brought up his issue with ABS-CBN againin his speech during his visit to the newly re-opened Boracay. He said,“Hindi ko palusutin. iyong franchise niyo matatapos. But let me ask you questions first. Kasi ako talaga mag-object na ma-renew kayo. Alam mo bakit? Magnanakaw kayo, estapador.”

Our concern has been compounded by Albayalde’s complaint, joined by Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, of the negative portrayal of police in “Ang Probinsyano.”

Albayalde’s complaint reeks with arrogance and stupidity.The militant Gabriela Women's Party put it in the right perspective: The police are the ones tainting the PNP's image with their bloody anti-drug crackdown and sexual abuse of women and minors.

Albayalde complained that the PNP chief in the current season of “Ang Probinsyano” is portrayed as villain. “"Parang 'yung the chief PNP himself is a villain -- hindi naman po siguro kailanman nangyari sa amin. In reality, well, hindi puwedeng mangyari iyan."

Sen. Grace Poe, who has a personal attachment to the show because the series honors movie great Fernando Poe Jr, her father (her mother, Susan Roces also appears in the TV series) reminded Albayalde that the teleserye is a work of fiction. “The story emanates from the source material, with bits of twists. There are antagonists in the story, which did not only include the police, but many others,” she said.

She added: "Pwede nating sabihin na 'bato-bato sa langit, tamaan ay wag magalit.”

Albayalde said he is not calling for the cancellation of the hit series. Just a revision of the script.

That’s censorship. That violates the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.

As Gabriela pointed out, Albayalde’s statement “is censorship as it amounts to creating prior restraint on the part of the producers in sustaining the storyline of the show. This will also set a very dangerous precedent, as the DILG will abuse legal actions to sanction shows and content that are inconsistent with its desired image of the PNP. “

The DILG said is it "seriously considering" filing charges against the producers of“Ang Probinsyano.”

DILG Spokesperson Jonathan Malayasaidamong the charges they are looking into include the prohibition on the use of police uniforms, properties and even using the acronym of the organization (PNP),and possible violations of the Children's Television Act of 1997 "because the show may have violated the National Council for Children's Television standards for television programs that should be child-friendly."

"We will seriously consider filing legal action and imposing sanctions..." Malaya said.

We just hope this is not in compliance with Duterte’s crusade against ABS-CBN.

http://verafiles.org/articles/pnp-complaint-ang-probinsyano-dutertes-fight-vs-abs-cbn

Robinsons Galleria unveils a fresh new look

By Zsarlene B. Chua
Reporter

ROBINSONS Galleria, one of the first shopping malls that opened along EDSA in 1990, has gotten a much-needed makeover.

It took more than two years to complete the renovation of Robinsons Land Corp.’s flagship mall, which included widening the atrium, introducing more wood tones, removing the scenic elevator, and improving the lighting.

“The mall itself is an old one…so the renovations took time,” Myron Lawrence T. Yao, regional operations manager for the commercial centers division of RLC, told the media during a run through on Nov. 13.

Robinsons Galleria has a gross floor area of 215,000 square meters spread across five levels.

Mr. Yao said the renovation is 94% completed, and is expected to be finished by yearend. He said the mall only needs to re-paint its exteriors and finish the upgrade of the cinema, which will include a premium cinema with recliner seats for around 100 people.

To make the mall feel more modern, RLC used more wood in Robinsons Galleria’s interiors, particularly its ceilings, and installed more lights. Mr. Yao noted mall goers have often told them that the mall seems a little dark.

With the goal of making the space more open, Mr. Yao said they decided to remove the scenic elevator in the atrium. The new space is currently occupied by a 32-foot European fir tree Christmas tree which can be seen from all the mall’s floors.

Despite the extensive renovations, Mr. Yao said Robinsons Galleria maintained most of its tenants with the mall having 98% occupancy. He said the mall also increased the number of food retail partners, which now stands at 20% of the total tenants from 10% previously.

The mall’s food court, located at the lower ground floor, also increased the number of seats to 1,200 from 1,000.

Next year, Mr. Yao said Robinsons Galleria will also launch a new steel parking building near Saint Pedro Poveda College. The carpark structure will be able to accommodate 250 cars and 250 motorcycles and is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2019.

ROBINSONS MAGNOLIA EXPANSION

Meanwhile, Robinsons Magnolia is set to open a new wing by the second quarter of next year.

In an email to BusinessWorld, Arlene G. Magtibay, general manager of RLC’s commercial centers division, said the new wing will add “55,000 square meters in floor area to the existing mall.”

Robinsons Place Manila will also undergo renovation in 2019 “to refresh and reinvigorate the malling experience,” Ms. Magtibay added.

Next year will also see RLC opening Robinsons Galleria South in San Pedro Laguna, which, as Ms. Magtibay describes, will be their “premium mall in the south.”

But before 2018 ends, RLC is scheduled to open their 51st mall in Valencia City, Bukidnon on December 12. This will be the company’s seventh mall in Mindanao and will have a floor area of 47,000 square meters spread across three levels.

The new mall will have around 200 stores and restaurants, six cinemas and a green park with a pond.

Passage of universal health care bill seen before Christmas

MARILAO, Bulacan — Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, on Monday expressed optimism that the Universal Health Care (UHC) bill seeking to give all Filipinos access to health care coverage and services, will become a law before Christmas.

Ejercito, principal author of Senate Bill 1986, the "Universal Health Care Bill," said the bicameral conference committee would only need to reconcile the different provisions in two versions of the bill before bringing it to President Rodrigo Duterte for signing.

“If President Duterte will sign the measure, this will be a beautiful Christmas gift for all Filipinos,” said the senator, who served as guest of honor during the flag ceremony inside Marilao Municipal Hall on Monday morning.

Ejercito said the Senate passed the bill on third and final reading last week.

“All senators voted for the approval of the said measure. This came immediately after President Duterte's call for the passage of the proposed measure at the Senate,” he added.

Ejercito said the passage of the bill into law would also expand the PhilHealth coverage to include free consultation fees, laboratory tests and other diagnostic services.

The senator also shared another landmark measure which has been approved in the Senate -- the bill seeking to consolidate all housing agencies with the creation of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

He said the department would be responsible for all housing and urban concerns, including planning, policy-making, regulations, program coordination, and performance monitoring.

Aside from the two bills, Ejercito is also hopeful for the construction of the mass railway transport system known as North and South rail project by January 2019.

“The traffic in Marilao and even in the City of Malolos and other parts of Bulacan will be reduced because of the proposed railway system and modernization of the transport sector,” he said.

“Through this railway system, towns will continue to flourish along the railway system. Traffic will be discarded or reduced. Development is no longer centered in Metro Manila. It will spread to the provinces traversed of the railway system from Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan to La Union and to PNR South from Laguna, Quezon to Bicol,” the senator added.

The young senator from San Juan City also distributed bag and learning materials to 2,000 students from 27 daycare schools in this town. (PNA)

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1054279