City gives assistance to fire, tornado victims

FINANCIAL assistance were given to 16 families here on Wednesday amounting to P65,000 upon the recommendation of the city social welfare office.

The beneficiaries were mostly fire victims from three city villages. Families from Barangay Compania Central in Molo district received P5,000 and P2,500.

Health department strengthens campaign vs filariasis

ILOILO CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) regional office is strengthening its campaign against the spread of filariasis, popularly known as elephantiases, after knowing that some Panay Island municipalities are not immune and has a 1.5 percent remaining filarial rate.

Ana Marie Luz Hibionada, DOH regional filariases program coordinator, said the disease was not eliminated in five years despite massive treatment and deworming under its filariasis eliminating program.

Defensor cites ‘valuable’ help of BSPOs

MORE than 2,000 Barangay Service Point Officers (BSPO) filled the covered gym of Iloilo Sports Complex on Wednesday (Nov. 28) for the BSPO Day celebration organized by the Provincial Population Office (PPO).

Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. graced the occasion where he took the opportunity to thank the BSPOs for their valuable help in the different programs of his administration.

Mayor: Misreported SWS survey is attack vs Iloilo City

THE “misreported” survey result of the Social Weather Station (SWS) showing corruption in the Iloilo City Government is an attack against the city of Iloilo and its people, Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said.

“I am just protecting the good name and integrity of Iloilo City but I do not begrudge the survey of SWS. The column of SWS chairman Mahar Mangahas that appeared at the Philippine Daily Inquirer last November 24, 2012 distinctly shows a misreporting of survey results,” he said.

Health department aims for Zero Aids by 2015

THE Department of Health (DOH) office in Western Visayas admitted facing adverse challenges in meeting the target of Zero on Acute Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) by 2015.

Charity Perea, DOH regional HIV-Aids coordinator, said that with barely three years left in the country’s commitment to halt and reverse the spread of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) and Aids, the country is at a critical stage in its response and gravely challenged by the rapidly accelerating rate of infection.

Iloilo’s e-DTS is Best in eGov Customer Empowerment

THE Iloilo Provincial Government’s Electronic Document Tracking System (e-DTS) bagged the Best in eGov Customer Empowerment (G2C) Award for the entire Visayas.

The Provincial Government was recognized as such in the recently concluded first eGov Awards of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines.

City tour to start at City Hall

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) has recommended the start of city tours at the new seven-storey City Hall building in front of the Plaza Libertad for tourists to see the beautiful and rehabilitated Iloilo River.

DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said that aside from seeing the city gallery exhibits, the tour should begin at the top floor to see not only the river but also the imposing Lin-ay sang Iloilo statue and the plaza, which he called the town square.

Megaworld considers renaming city’s convention center

MEGAWORLD Corp. is considering the idea of permanently naming the proposed convention center as the Iloilo City International Convention Center comparable to other international convention centers in the world.

Kevin L. Tan, Megaworld First vice president and head of Commercial Group, assured that they are going to look at the international side of the convention center project as a major hub for tourism conventions and exhibits in the city.

Western Visayas key players called to focus on tourism

TOURISM Secretary Ramon Jimenez on Thursday called on the Western Visayas key players to be at the forefront in making Iloilo and the region a must tourist destination.

Jimenez, in the second regional business forum spearheaded by UI-Phinma, said he challenges the key players of the Iloilo Business Club, Iloilo Chamber of Commerce, Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau, Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Iloilo Hotels and Restaurants Association and other stakeholders to spearhead the said move.

City elementary kids join fight against smoking

THE Grades 5 to 6 school children from seven City Elementary school and one high school show their united stand against smoking by joining a march-rally last November 16 at the grounds of the City Hall.   The children’s advocacy march with anti-smoking placards and streamers show the heightened advocacy against smoking with a vision of making Iloilo a smoke-free city before 2015.

City gives more than P5M for livelihood

THE City Government of Iloilo recently released financial assistance to barangay beneficiaries under the Pantawid Assistance and Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K) programs, an official of the City Social Welfare said.   DSWD officer Alfredo Villanueva said the funds came from the city coffers earmarked by City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog to fund community-based capacity and sustainable livelihood programs.

Iloilo volunteer workers to get cash gift

MORE than 9,700 members of the Provincial Government in Iloilo City will be merrier this year as Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. said on Thursday that workers will receive P3,000 each this year.

The governor said that instead of the usual cash gift of P2,000 the volunteer workers will be receiving P3,000 each for this year.

City ground breaks P450M convention center

THE first state-of-the-art convention center will be officially launched with a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, November 23, at the Megaworld property in the old Iloilo airport area in Mandurriao district.

To be known as the “Iloilo Convention Center,” the edifice will be constructed at the 17,000 square meters lot donated by Megaworld Corp., with construction funds of P200 million from the Department of Tourism-Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (DOT-Tieza) and P250 million from the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) of Senator Franklin Drilon.

Councilor vows to work hard vs corruption at City Hall

MAYOR Jed Patrick Mabilog has vowed to work harder to achieve a corruption-free Iloilo City Hall after the Social Weather Station (SWS) survey results showed that the city posted a high level of corruption.

Mabilog also said he is going to meet SWS officials in Metro Manila or in Iloilo to clarify areas of corruption in the City Government, so that corrective measures will be implemented immediately.

Court dismisses case filed by councilor

A COURT has dismissed a case filed in early 2011 by Iloilo City Councilor Edward Yee against Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog for forcible entry and damages of his claimed property at the diversion road.

Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 10 said the complainant has no legal documents to show ownership of the land, now entry site of the City Government’s Iloilo River Esplanade project.

Drilon: Sin taxes to support universal health care, agriculture sector

THE sin tax from cigarettes and liquors is expected to improve the universal health program, including PhilHealth and finance agricultural projects to uplift the national economy, said Senator Franklin Drilon.

President Benigno Aquino III had certified as urgent the Senate Bill 3299 or the sin tax reform bill, which will add some P40 to P45-billion revenues every year to the government.

City asks Audit commission to lower lot price

MAYOR Jed Patrick Mabilog has asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to adjust and lower its recommended lot price of the city-owned 6.7 hectares land located at Barangay Ungka 2 in Pavia, Iloilo.

Mabilog admitted there are no bidders since last year to purchase the land pegged at P3,700 per square meter after the City Government decided to sell the lot property.

Ilonggos laud, slam government agencies on corruption

THE Ilonggos laud the performance of 12 government agencies surveyed to have sincerity in fighting corruption, but also slam seven agencies with low sincerity ratings.

The Social Weather Station (SWS) survey results on corruption in government agencies were presented to the public last November 19, 2012 covering the 2009 and 2012 surveys with only Metro Iloilo as first time interviewed with 100 respondents in 2012.

City readies houses for informal settler-families

WITH the list of affected families already complete, the Iloilo City Government has readied the relocation houses for the affected informal settlers who are living along the Iloilo River.

Wilfredo Jurilla Jr., chief of the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (Icupao), reported to City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog the said validation of the families affected by the ongoing rehabilitation and upgrading of the Iloilo River.

Livestock industry players to make use of city abattoir

LIVESTOCK industry players and other entrepreneurs were challenged to make full use of the renovated and expanded “Double A” government-owned slaughterhouse in Barangay Tacas, Jaro in Iloilo City.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said the government, through the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) under his department, spent P40 million for the renovation of the slaughterhouse for full “Double A” standards in providing safe and quality meat for the consumers.

Village officials off to Japan for disaster mgmt training

OFFICIALS of five barangays in Iloilo City are going to Japan in November for a 10-day training on disaster risk management.

The training, sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), CityNet and the Iloilo City Government, in partnership with Makati City Government and City Disaster Cluster, is set from November 20 to 30 in Yokohama, Japan.

8 indicted, 19 dismissed as Ombudsman rules over Iloilo housing scam

OMBUDSMAN Conchita-Carpio Morales has finally approved another order on the multi-million Iloilo City Housing scam involving a legal officer of the Iloilo City Hall and eight others.

Morales agreed and backed up the extensive findings and recommendations of a top Graft Investigation and Prosecution officer.

Ombudsman temporarily spares Treñas in city housing scam

GRAFT charges against Iloilo City Lone District Representative Jerry Trenas, businessman Melchor Tan and City Treasurer Katherine Tingson were temporarily “set aside” over the city housing project brouhaha.

With at least P130 Million in wasted City Hall funds, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales agreed on an earlier Ombudsman recommendation that called for reinvestigation of the trio.

Mabilog eyes greening city diversion road

ILOILO City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog is eyeing the regreening of both sides of the diversion road in Mandurriao district and establish a greenbelt by planting trees and beautifying the two to three-kilometer stretch fronting SM City shopping mall.

Supported by Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon, the project is envisioned to take off early next year and will also have a bicycle lane in the sides of a four lane road.

Drilon supports privatization of MIWD

SENATOR Franklin M. Drilon is supporting the move of Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog to start the ball rolling for the privatization of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD).

Admitting to bite the bullet when the time comes for drastic action on MIWD, Drilon said what is happening now at the local water district needs a very strong political will to resolve its internal problems.

Iloilo finalist in first eGov Awards

TWO entries from the province of Iloilo were included in the list of finalists in the first eGov Awards of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines.

Salvacion Sibonga, chief of Information and Communication Technology Management Division (ICTMD), said she got this information from the eGov Awards Secretariat which informed her through e-mail that the two entries were included in the awarding slated on November 23, 2012 at Enchanted Kingdom in Laguna.

Senator leads projects launching, inauguration today

ILONGGO Senator Franklin M. Drilon will lead the launching and inauguration of development projects in Iloilo City today, Friday, November 16, 2012 as partial fulfillment of his promises to the Ilonggos and supported by President Benigno Aquino III.

Drilon, accompanied by City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and lone city Representative Jerry P. Treñas, will lead in the groundbreaking ceremony of the P200-million Iloilo fishport breakwater project of the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Media guidelines out for reporting children’s cases

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional field office here has issued a Guide for Media Practitioners on the Reporting and Coverage of Cases Involving Children based on principles and guide for use of the media.

The media guide is a product of the Special Committee for the Protection of Children and a symposium for social media ethics was held November 14 in this city in coordination with area-based standards network Panay I cluster.

Health office embarks on 5-yr tobacco control strategy

THE Department of Health (DOH) has embarked on a five-year national tobacco control strategies to arrest and reduce smoking and second-hand smoke from cigarettes.

Dr. Ivanhoe Escartin, director of the National Tobacco Control Coordinating Office (NTCCO), National Center for Health Promotion of DOH, said the 2011-2016 national program will focus on compliant laws and policies aim to the reduction of smokers and second-hand smokes.

Task force focuses on illegal mobile internet cafes

An official of the City’s Task Force (TF) said they are focusing on the proliferation of mobile internet cafes mostly operating in barangay houses without a business permit.

The proliferation of mobile internet cafes without business permits mostly operating in barangay houses will be watched closely, an official of the City’s Task Force (TF) said.