Uncategorized

By Vincent P. Grecia

The much-awaited redevelopment of Iloilo City’s two biggest markets – the Iloilo Central Market and Iloilo Terminal Market – under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme with SM Prime Holdings has officially started.

The Iloilo City Government and SM Prime Holdings held separate groundbreaking ceremonies for the two projects on Monday, Sept. 18.

The event was led by Mayor Jerry Treñas and SM Supermalls VP for Operations Engr. Bien C. Mateo, together with Michelle Leslie K. Llanos, SM Supermalls Vice President for Mall Operations, Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, Iloilo City Councilors, Department Heads, business sector leaders, and other SM executives.

Treñas considered the event a “historic milestone” for the city “that signifies a powerful leap forward towards a world-class market experience right here in Iloilo.”

“Imagine a market that’s not just a place to shop, but a destination to experience, a place where residents and visitors alike can revel in a vibrant, diverse, and captivating environment. This market will be more than just a collection of stalls, it will be a hub of culture, community, and commerce,” Treñas said.

A press release from the city government said the new Central and Terminal markets will have retail spaces and ample parking for the convenience of the customers as well as generate additional customer traffic for the market vendors.

Other modern features and specifications of the new market facility will include a Building Management System, a computer-based control system that controls and monitors the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment; a fire detection and alarm system; and a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), which tracks maintenance operations.

It will still be managed by the City Government through the Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO).

The total project cost for the two markets is around Php 3 billion at no cost to the city government. It is expected to be completed in December 2024.

Mateo said that SM considers Iloilo as their “partner for good”.

“We will not be your partner for long, we will be your partner for good,” he quipped.

LEEO head Maricel Mabaquiao assured the bonafide stall holders that they will be given their respective spaces back when the two markets are completed.

It was learned that around 3,000 market vendors were affected by the redevelopment of the two markets. They were transferred to temporary stalls built around the two markets.

By Vincent P. Grecia

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started releasing the PhP 15,000 Sustainable Livelihood Program – Economic Relief Subsidy (SLP – ERS) to some 250 micro rice retailers in the region starting September 13.

DSWD 6 regional director Atty. Carmelo N. Nochete said the government allotted an initial amount of P3.75 million for the Western Visayas recipients.

The Department of Trade and Industry identified the rice retailers who will be provided with a maximum of P15,000 subsidy, a one-time assistance due to the rice price cap that affects small rice retailers.

Identified small rice retailers in Iloilo City, Bacolod City, and Negros Occidental received their subsidy on September 13 while Aklan, Antique, Guimaras and Capiz received theirs on September 14.

In Roxas City, at least 31 qualified rice retailers received their respective government subsidy for complying with the rice price cap as stipulated in Executive Order No. 39 of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. These include the 29 rice retailers from Teodoro Arcenas Trade Center (TACT) and two others from a public market along Burgos Street, all in this city.

“The subsidy will depend if the recipient is a plain retailer and or selling rice in a sari-sari store,” said Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Capiz – Consumer Protection Unit head Merian Asas, adding that a venue and time are being finalized by the DTI and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the release of the assistance.

It may be recalled that the Roxas City Cereals Retailers Association (RCCRA) based at the TATC was among the first to announce and comply with the EO No. 39 in the region after a series of consultations and dialogue with the rice retailers of the DTI, Department Agriculture, and local governments.

Asas noted Capiz vice-governor and Grains Retailers’ Confederation of the Philippines Inc. (GRECON) president Jaime Magbanua has helped a lot in the decision of the rice retailers.

Meanwhile, 14 retailers from Iloilo City received their subsidy on Sept. 13 at the office of Iloilo City Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon.

In her message, DTI officer-in-charge Regional Director for Western Visayas Ermelinda Pollentes said prioritized in the list were registered retailers that were compliant with EO 39.

The focus of the DTI is to monitor manufactured basic needs and prime commodities, but they were requested to help the Department of Agriculture (DA), she added.

The EO puts the price of regular milled rice at P41.00 per kilo and well-milled rice at P45.00 each kilogram.

The implementation of the subsidy, under the SLP – ERS, to help small rice retailers cope with the impact of losses due to the imposition of price ceiling and freezing of rice prices in the country as mandated by the President under Executive Order 39. (PIA-6)

The Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force (ICAST) has apprehended and fined a total of 7,278 smokers and e-cigarette users who were caught smoking and “vaping” in public areas in the metro.

ICAST director Iñigo Garingalao, in a media interview on Sept. 11, 2023, said that the task force together with the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) apprehended 868 e-cigarette or “vape” users and 6,410 cigarette smokers from Jan. 1 to Aug. 15, 2023, noting that the violators this year are higher compared last year.

He noted that they were already expecting the increase in number of violators, including students, as the agency also ramped up their operations.

“Expected na abi nga may mga estudyante nga makaladakpan subong kay daw hindi gid ta kaintindi sa mga estudyante ta nga gastusan sila sang ila ginikanan, part sang ila budget, ti sigarilyo nila. So, expected gid na siya nga magtaas,” Garingalao said.

He cited the easing of health and safety protocols in the city, as well as the agency’s intensified monitoring and operations as some of the reasons for the increase in the apprehension of illegal smokers.

“[Ongoing] man dayon ang aton operations sa mga palibot sang smokers. Nakakasa man sa ICAST ang aton nga Kids Smoke-Free Storytelling Program, Forums for Schools, mga amu na nga hilimu-on and other things for awareness 

like pagpanagtag sang posters,” he furthered.

Garingalao also debunked the idea that using e-cigarettes is safer than conventional cigarettes, as it is misleading and even propagates the habit of smoking among students.

He added that the anti-smoking campaign does not stop at apprehending smokers as it should need collaborative efforts among stakeholders, including the education and health sectors, as well as the parents of the students.

“Ang aton nga mga ginikanan should also be aware of this. Ang anti-smoking and anti-vaping needs holistic approach and collaboration as it is behavioral, cultural, addiction [health issues], so, this should be a community work,” Garingalao explained.

The Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Ordinance penalizes individuals caught smoking in prohibited places with P1,500 and/or three days imprisonment at the discretion of the court for the first offense; P2,000 and/or five days imprisonment at the discretion of the court for the second offense, and P5,000 and/or 10 days imprisonment at the discretion of the court for the third offense.

Establishments without designated smoking areas or allow smoking in non-designated areas, on the other hand, are fined P2,000 on the first offense, P3,000 for second offense, and P5,000 or cancellation of their business permit on the third offense. (PIA-6)

The Iloilo Provincial Government has acquired two new speedboats to be used by the Iloilo Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force (IPBDTF) for anti-illegal fishing operations in northern Iloilo.

The speedboats, which costs PhP 3,499,500 each, has a hull length of 25-26 ft, breadth of 7-3 ft, and is being run by a 150 HP outboard (gasoline) motor, 4 stroke engine with hydraulic system and fuel water separator. It has a maximum speed of up to 30 knots.

Its hull is molded fiber glass with get coat and foam filled hull between stringers and a stainless plate bow guard.

The patrol boat is equipped with GPS, chart plotter combo with blue chart G2, VHF marine base radio with antenna, navigation lights and comes with galvanized trailers.

Stoneworks Specialists International Corp., supplier of the two speedboats, conducted a sea trial last Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the Philippine Coast Guard station in Brgy. Bo. Obrero, La Paz, Iloilo City and the Iloilo Strait.

The Bantay Dagat operatives were also given an orientation on the how to operate the patrol boat as well as the use of its accessories.

Provincial Administrator Raul Banias with General Services Office (GSO) chief Vicente Flores, Jr. and the staff from the Provincial Agriculture Office witnessed the conduct of the sea trial.

Banias thanked Philippine Coast Guard Iloilo Station Commander Paterno Belarmino, Jr. for allowing the conduct of the sea trial in their area.

Banias said the new patrol boats will help boost the provincial government’s campaign against illegal fishing activities particularly in northern Iloilo.

He added that Gov. Arthur Defensor, Jr. has also approved the budget for the acquisition of additional Bantay Dagat patrol boats with outriggers to augment the existing floating assets.

Flowers come in a variety of colors, sizes, and scents but are usually given to someone for the same reason: appreciation. The month of November to February has always been its peak season. Those were also the busiest months for Emelyn Balaba, a floral shop owner from Davao City. Born and raised in Bukidnon, growing flowers used to be just a hobby. When the land she was using was reclaimed by the landlord, she decided to seek her luck elsewhere, which is how she discovered a vacant stall in Davao City. As a flower farmer, it has always been her desire to open a flower shop. Fortunately, she was able to open one and hire a florist who would arrange the flowers according to their client’s preference. She started catering flowers for anniversaries, weddings, and other important occasions. She always ensures that her flowers remain in good condition before starting to deliver

Labor unions and federations have found an ally in Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

That’s because he is pushing for the passage of Senate Bill 2002, which calls for a national minimum wage hike of P150 for all private sector workers, including those in the agricultural industry, by December this year.

There’s another senator, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who is seeking a P12,00 increase in the minimum wage, this time for those working in government. This should also put him in the good graces of those sweating it out in frontline public agencies.

That’s all well and good, except that there’s a big obstacle in the double-barreled move in the upper chamber of Congress to give workers in both the private and public sectors a reprieve from galloping inflation.

The problem is this: A wage hike bill is not among the priority measures of Congress.

But Zubiri believes the Senate should take up the cudgels for the working class, even if the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) is similarly not inclined to support a wage hike bill.

Zubiri justifies his move to speed up the passage of a wage hike bill in clear terms: “The cost of living has increased all over the country and they need that decent wage so they can have a decent life.”

And more: “We need it. Our countrymen are really struggling.”

That may sound like music to the ears of our labor force, but Zubiri’s exuberant endorsement of a legislated wage hike by the end of this year may not be shared at all by his fellow lawmakers in the House of Representatives.

Zubiri appears undeterred, however, and even vowed to appeal to no less than President Marcos Jr. himself to consider his proposal.

The Senate honcho would also have to deal with existing law that created the regional wage boards with tripartite representation – labor, employers and government – where they consider the stand of every member of the committee before making a decision, which, as experience shows, is lopsided in favor of employers.

Three siblings who are tagged as high value individuals (HVIs) and two others were nabbed in separate anti-illegal drug operations in Lemery and Carles.

The drug buy-bust operation on September 1, 2023 (12:24 AM) at Brgy. Poblacion Southeast, Lemery, Iloilo resulted in the arrest of Shiela Mae Yu y Francisco, 34, Regional Target Listed/HVI, single, fish broker; Jose Maria Yu y Francisco, 26, Provincial Target Listed/HVI, single, jobless; Bryan Yu y Francisco, 29, single, fish broker, all of Brgy. Poblacion Zone 1, Estancia, Iloilo; and Angel Kyth Alavaren y Dela Cruz, 21, of Brgy. Ipil, Balasan, Iloilo.

About 200 grams of suspected shabu worth Php 1,360,000.00 and other non-drug items were recovered from the suspects.

Meanwhile, a follow-up operation at NHA Pabahay in Brgy. Barosbos, Carles, Iloilo at 9:10 PM on the same date, led to the arrest of another brother of the suspects, Raul Yu Jr y Francisco, 24, HVI, single, laborer, and resident of Brgy. Poblacion Zone 1, Estancia, Iloilo for violation of Republic Act 9165 and RA 10591 in relation to COMELEC Resolution 10918.

About 315 grams of suspected shabu worth Php 2,142,000.00, a break-type homemade pistolized shotgun loaded with ammunition, two pieces ammunition, and other non-drug items.

The two drug busts were led by the IPPO Provincial Intelligence Unit, and Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit-Provincial Special Operations Group together with Carles MPS, Lemery MPS and 2nd IPMFC with the support of NISG-C, NAVFORCEN, PNP Drug Enforcement Group-RFU6, Maritime Group-SOU4 and Iloilo Maritime Police Station and in coordination with PDEA 6.

The IPPO Director, PCol. Ronaldo Palomo, commends all members of operating units for these significant accomplishments and renewed his call to every Ilonggo to support the IPPO’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs. (Report from IPPO)

To address the declining supply of blue swimming crab, the provincial government built a crab hatchery in the municipality of Concepcion located at Northern Iloilo State University (NISU).

Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. led the blessing and inauguration of the facility on August 31, 2023. Other attendees include Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, Provincial Agriculture Office chief Dr. Ildefonso Toledo, Mayor Milliard Villanueva, SB Members Mark Villaruz and Nean Gregorio, Dr. Marjorie Villanueva of NISU, SEAFDEC AQD Chief Dan Baliao, Dr. Roger Edward Mamauag of SEAFDEC, and Dr. Erwin Ilaya of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Iloilo, among others.

Provincial Agriculture Office chief Dr. Ildefonso Toledo the facility costs P5 million and was constructed in 2018 during the administration of former governor Arthur Defensor Jr. The present administration assumed the project and has allotted roughly P3 million for the fencing and other support equipment.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed a decrease in the production of blue swimming crabs in Iloilo Province from 5,282.79 metric tons in 2020 to 4,808.98 in 2021.

Aside from increasing the stocks of crab, Dr. Toledo said the facility could also serve as a learning hub for Fishery students to help them become industry-ready when they graduate.

Governor Defensor said the facility is an important facet of the province’s overall program and initiatives for the conservation and management of the Visayan Sea, adding that he hopes the province can do the same with other species.

“In the Iloilo provincial government, we see crab as a commodity. For us, fundamentally, it is a source of protein. And together with other products of the sea, we want to develop our capability to practically add (in the conservation of the Visayan Sea),” he said.

Furthermore, the provincial government is collaborating with SEAFDEC and the universities and colleges in Iloilo to develop a research and development program and one important subject is fisheries. (Capitol news)