Security set in Western Visayas for Holy Week

SECURITY preparations for the Holy Week are in place as Western Visayas readies to celebrate the Holy Week on April 18 to 24, 2011, Police Regional Office-Western Visayas Director Cipriano E. Querol Jr. said.

Querol said they are going to coordinate with other agencies for security and order plan for Holy Week.

Councilor given 30-day reprieve for property demolition

DEMOLITION of the controversial Barbecue Park and Restaurant owned by an Iloilo City councilor was temporarily stopped upon orders of the city mayor, an official said Monday.

City legal officer Jose Junio Jacela said the temporary halt on the demolition efforts was made to pave the way for Councilor Edward Lee, who owns the Barbecue Park and Restaurant, to voluntarily demolish the illegal structures within 30 days from April 4.

Fishpen operators to get livelihood assistance soon

SEVENTY-FIVE fishpen operators along the Iloilo River will soon receive their livelihood assistance as the City Government recently received the special allotment release order of P750,000.

Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said the amount was facilitated by Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon through his priority development assistance fund (PDAF) to help the displaced fishpen and fishtrap operators at the river start another livelihood aside from constructing the fishpens.

Aquino vows to rebuild country by sustainable energy

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III opened the full operation of the 164-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Barangay Ingore, La Paz, Iloilo City with a vow to rebuild the country through sustainable energy.

Keynoting the unveiling of marker and switch-on ceremony of the power plant on April 1, the President said sustainable energy will power industries and businesses that will develop and put the Philippines in the developing business map.

Ilonggos told to improve tourism packages

TOURISM Secretary Alberto Lim urged the Ilonggo private sector to help in the development of other tourism destinations in Western Visayas aside from world-renowned Boracay Island.

Lim said the agency is willing to promote other tourism destinations in the region but the private sector will have to play a major role in arranging total tourism packages and help market the tourism products.

Jalaur River project ‘to solve water crisis’

A PROMINENT Ilonggo businessman and civic leader is pushing for the realization of the multi-billion peso investment on the Jalaur River multi-purpose project that will help solve farm irrigation needs and water shortage in Iloilo.

Doctor Alfonso Uy, a top official of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation (ILEDF), national president of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and vice chairman of Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) warned of a looming water shortage should there be no other water source tapped to deliver the water needs of a growing city.

Power firm to cut rate by P2/kilowatt-hour

PANAY Electric Company (Peco), the sole power distributor in Iloilo City, is set to reduce consumer’s power bill by P2 per kilowatt-hour after the coal-fired power plant of Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) started operating this week.

Aquino to open Iloilo’s first coal energy plant

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III will formally open on April 1 Iloilo City’s first coal-fired power plant that will augment the power requirement of the whole Panay island.

The P17.8 billion facility owned by Metrobank Group, Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC) and Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) is the biggest private sector investment in Western Visayas.

Signature drive vs water firm starts Monday

A SIGNATURE campaign calling for the abolition of Iloilo City’s lone water distributor will start Monday, a top city official said.

Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said the campaign targets 100,000 signatures that he said would be enough to "open the senses" of both Board of Directors and management of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD).

Total smoke-free policy to be implemented starting Monday

THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force (Icast) will implement starting Monday a 100-percent smoke-free policy on vehicles and terminals.

The joint operation will strictly require all holders of Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) to observe the smoking prohibition in all public utility vehicles (PUVs) and public transport terminals as well as to prominently post “No Smoking” signage in their authorized units and premises.

Agri office raises alert vs rice wastage

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) raised the alert against rice wastage and bad eating habits saying the wasted cooked rice is enough to feed four million hungry Filipinos a year.

The alert was raised during the first quarterly meeting of all DA regional information officers in the country held at the Grand Tower in Iloilo City on March 28 to 30, 2011.

Western Visayas to get P157M feeding aid

CITIES and provinces in Western Visayas will receive P157 million fund for the supplemental feeding program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), an official said.

DSWD Regional Director Minda Brigoli said the recipients of the fund include Iloilo City (P8 million), BacoLod City (P4 million), Roxas City (P2 million), Iloilo province (P38 million), Negros Occidental (P59 million), Antique (P18.5 million), Guimaras (P3 million), Capiz (P12 million), and Aklan (P10.7 million).

Public offices reminded of 'no noon break' order

GOVERNMENT offices should be able to serve their clients even during lunch break, a top Civil Service Commission (CSC) official said.

Regional Director Rodolfo Encajonado said CSC Chair Francisco T. Duque III wants to stress this order as provided under Republic Act No. 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA).

Information, communication technology groups convened

REGIONAL stakeholders recently committed to support plans and programs of the Aquino administration to boost the information and communications technology (ICT) development in cities and provinces.

Indian company eyes $100M investment for solar energy

AN INDIAN company is planning to put up a $100 million solar farm in Iloilo City to provide 10 megawatts energy this year and another 15 megawatts in 2012.

Mayor opens door to councilor for a dialogue

ILOILO City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said he is not closing his door for a dialogue or reconciliation with Maverick City Councilor Jeffrey Ganzon despite harsh words uttered by the latter against the mayor.

Mabilog said he is ready to talk to Ganzon but he never had the chance to do so in the past week due to his busy schedule. He admitted that his family was hurt after hearing the harsh and insulting words of Ganzon.

Mayor endorses Earth Hour observance

ILOILO City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog urged Ilonggos to join the observance of Earth Hour on Saturday, March 26, as a tribute to environment conservation and protection.

Mabilog said barangay residents, vehicle drivers and even children should observe a one hour break from using their appliances, particularly television and lights, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

No harm done in copying best practices: mayor

MAYOR Jed Patrick Mabilog admitted Thursday that he is copying the best practices of other progressive cities in the country for the best interest of Iloilo.

City readies signature drive vs water district

MAYOR Jed Patrick Mabilog is set to launch a massive signature campaign in all barangays in Iloilo City against the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) management and board for dereliction of duty and betrayal of public trust.

Mabilog said several professional and people's organizations have already signified their acceptance of the signature drive to weed out the employees, managers and board of the local water district.

E-jeeps to take city roads on March 25

TEN units of electronic jeepney (e-jeep) will take the roads on March 25 to service kindergarten and elementary pupils and senior citizens for free.

These e-jeeps are donated by businessman Rommel Ynion to the City Government of Iloilo.

Mayor: Abolish water district

ILOILO City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog reiterated his proposal to abolish the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) amid another round of disagreement between the water district’s board of directors and general manager.

“I don’t care what their personal differences are but all I want is for them to work and deliver sufficient potable water to the city of Iloilo,” Mabilog said after expressing frustration over the latest caper at the MIWD office in the city.

City to look into complaints vs coal plant

ILOILO City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog instructed city environment and natural resources officer Noel Hechanova to convene the multi-monitoring team (MMT) to look into complaints against a power plant.

Mabilog said he received complaints from Barangay Ingore, La Paz residents against noise and air pollution of a nearby power plant.

2 Iloilo towns undergo biz permits processing training

SELECTED heads of the towns of Barotac Viejo and New Lucena in Iloilo province underwent a two-day workshop on Business Permits and Licensing Systems (BPLS).

The activity tackled the BPLS Standards as per joint Memorandum Circular 2010-01 containing the guidelines in Implementing the Standards in Processing Business Permits and Licenses in all cities and municipalities.

1.5 million Ilonggos brace measles immunization

THE Department of Health (DOH) will immunize 1.5 million children in Western Visayas against measles and German measles or Rubella, commonly known as "makayha".

The "Measles-Rubella Campaign" or "MR-C" targets children with ages nine to 95 months old, or seven years and 11 months old, and is mandatory. It will start on April 4 to May 4.

Poll body resumes registration of voters

THE Office of the City Election Officer of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to resume the system of continuing voter's registration on April 1, 2011 until October 31, 2012.

City Comelec official lawyer Reinier B. Layson announced this, saying applicants shall personally file at the office of the city election officer from Monday to Saturday inclusive of holidays during regular office hours at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Health office: Radiation fallout minimal in Philippines

THE Department of Health (DOH) has ruled out any radiation fallout from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, saying it will not reach the Philippines.

DOH Regional Director Ariel Valencia said recent reports from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) showed the possible fallout is being brought by winds eastward to California, United States.

Iloilo prepares for community college

EVERYTHING is in place and the Iloilo City Government is bracing up for the operation of a new community college opening on 2012, said Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.

Mayor willing to meet cause-oriented groups on river issue

ILOILO City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog assured members of cause-oriented groups who call him anti-poor that he will meet and listen to their complaints regarding the demolition of fishtraps and fishpens along the Iloilo River.

"I would like to meet them, especially members of the Kadamay who were protesting the demolition of fishpens. They may have something to tell me and may have the solution to the burning issue of illegal structures at the river," Mabilog said.

Police implement innovative practices to foil robbers

POLICEMEN in Iloilo City have been implementing two innovative and practical practices to foil a robbery attempt that led to the killing of one suspect last week.

Police Regional Office Director Cipriano Querol Jr. said the foiled robbery is a milestone in the implementation of Police Integrated Patrol System (Pips) and Motorcycle Anti-Street Crime Operation (Masco), which augmented efforts of the Special Operations Group (SOG).

Task force to remove illegal structures on national roads

SOME 300 illegal structures identified by the Department of Public Works and Highways as nuisance are set to demolished by a task force formed by the Iloilo City government.