Criminals, no matter how cunning, cannot escape the hands of justice. The case of Ruby Rose Barrameda Jimenez, the woman who was missing for more than two years and whose body was found by police authorities last June 10, stuffed inside a drum that was sealed in a cemented steel case, proves this.
The steel case was fished out of the waters of Navotas after a suspect in the murder of Ruby Rose—Manuel Montero—confessed to his involvement in the case and helped the police recover the body.
Montero’s confession led to the filing of murder charges against influential and cunning fishing magnate Lope Jimenez and his brother, lawyer Manuel Jimenez II, who is Ruby Rose’s father-in-law, before the Department of Justice (DOJ). Also charged with murder were Montero and four others. The family of Ruby Rose had also included her husband, Manuel Jimenez III, in the murder complaint.
Beauty queen-actress and victim’s sister Rochelle Barrameda thanked the many people who have been assisting them in the case. She singled out Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno, who, unknown to many, has long been helping the Barramedas in their search for truth and justice.
“Kitang-kita ko po ang sincerity ni Secretary Puno sa pagtulong sa aming pamilya kaya po kami ay nagpapasalamat sa kanya,” Rochelle said during a televised press conference.
Rochelle recalled that Puno has been helping their family ever since she sought his assistance, through a common friend, in searching for Ruby Rose since 2007.
Following Rochelle’s personal appeal to the DILG secretary two years ago, it was learned that Puno mobilized the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in looking for witnesses who could shed light on Ruby Rose’s whereabouts, with police probers searching as far as Bicol. But it was only after Montero came forward that the police found a solid lead that led to last June’s recovery of Ruby Rose’s body.
Rochelle said that she was heartened to learn that Puno is continuing to help her family now that they are faced with a much tougher and longer struggle, which is to put Ruby Rose’s murderers behind bars.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Traffic violators and over speeding drivers, disciplined!
Tuesday last week, I was waiting for a tricycle for home when lovers on a motorcycle were hit by a bus running at 180 kph while the lovers were trying to maneuver over the opposite street. It was so sudden that the last thing I saw were the lovers’ cadavers, “heads” spread on the street.
The nauseating view has not left me until now. I was so enraged with anger to the bus driver who was over speeding on the highway.
While reading a national paper, I was somehow delighted to know that DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno is heightening his move against drivers over speeding and other violators of traffic laws and regulations.
Puno directed the PNP’s Highway Patrol Group (HPG) headed by its director, Chief Supt. Orlando Mabutas, to increase its visibility on national roads and other major thoroughfares and step up its crackdown against traffic law violators.
“Upon the instructions of the President, I have directed Chief Superintendent Mabutas of the HPG to step up its campaign against overspeeding motorists, drunk drivers and other violators of traffic laws,” Puno said.
Puno noted that most motorists seem to be unaware of the maximum allowable speed limits as prescribed under existing laws.
The prescribed maximum allowable speed limits under Republic Act 4136, otherwise known as the Land Transportation and Traffic Code are 80 km/hr for passenger cars and motorcycles, and 50 km/hr for trucks and buses in open country roads “with no blind corners not closely bordered by habitation.” On “through” streets or boulevards clear of traffic with no blind corners, the limits are 40 km/hr for passenger cars and motorcycles and 30 km/hr for trucks and buses .
On city and municipal streets with light traffic and not designated as through streets, the speed limit for cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses is 30 km/hr. For crowded streets “approaching intersections at blind corners, passing school zones, passing other vehicles which are stationary or for similar dangerous circumstances,” maximum allowable speeds are 30 km/hr for cars and motorcycles and 20 km/hr for trucks and buses.
I hope drivers now will take safety a part of their culture. We do not know who will suffer tomorrow, who will bereave over someone’s loss or who will lose a father, mother or a bread winner due to the negligence of others. I believe Puno’s cause against undisciplined drivers will go a long way.
The nauseating view has not left me until now. I was so enraged with anger to the bus driver who was over speeding on the highway.
While reading a national paper, I was somehow delighted to know that DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno is heightening his move against drivers over speeding and other violators of traffic laws and regulations.
Puno directed the PNP’s Highway Patrol Group (HPG) headed by its director, Chief Supt. Orlando Mabutas, to increase its visibility on national roads and other major thoroughfares and step up its crackdown against traffic law violators.
“Upon the instructions of the President, I have directed Chief Superintendent Mabutas of the HPG to step up its campaign against overspeeding motorists, drunk drivers and other violators of traffic laws,” Puno said.
Puno noted that most motorists seem to be unaware of the maximum allowable speed limits as prescribed under existing laws.
The prescribed maximum allowable speed limits under Republic Act 4136, otherwise known as the Land Transportation and Traffic Code are 80 km/hr for passenger cars and motorcycles, and 50 km/hr for trucks and buses in open country roads “with no blind corners not closely bordered by habitation.” On “through” streets or boulevards clear of traffic with no blind corners, the limits are 40 km/hr for passenger cars and motorcycles and 30 km/hr for trucks and buses .
On city and municipal streets with light traffic and not designated as through streets, the speed limit for cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses is 30 km/hr. For crowded streets “approaching intersections at blind corners, passing school zones, passing other vehicles which are stationary or for similar dangerous circumstances,” maximum allowable speeds are 30 km/hr for cars and motorcycles and 20 km/hr for trucks and buses.
I hope drivers now will take safety a part of their culture. We do not know who will suffer tomorrow, who will bereave over someone’s loss or who will lose a father, mother or a bread winner due to the negligence of others. I believe Puno’s cause against undisciplined drivers will go a long way.
They who do not know the reality
Priests who should promote impart upon people that which is true, honest and with bases are telling people wrongs and unfounded claims.
Lilia Mosqueda of the Gagmay Kristohanong Katilingban (Small Christian Community) said Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying president Cecilia Moran and a certain Liezl Bacalso were reported to have talked to the parishioners during mass for the Feast of St. Ignatius at the Ateneo de Manila University last July 30, to the seminarians at the Ateneo School of Theology, to students of the Ateneo Law School at Rockwell in Makati and to socialites at the Nine-Mile Bar along Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City.
"Their forum is a grossly one-sided affair and is a repudiation of Ateneo's time-honored tradition of being issue-confronting but dialogic and educative," said an Ateneo Law School student.
Cecilia Moran’s neighbours expressed shock and dismay that some priests in Manila have fallen for her emotional outburst against Davao's banana industry.
Barangay Captain Romulo C. Tubal of Dacudao, Calinan said people opposing the aerial spraying are totally disconnected from Barangay and reality. Tubal said that they insist on using "pesticides" because Manila residents associate it with "insecticides" and therefore harmful when the truth of the matter is that what is being sprayed is low-dose fungicide. He said that they do not represent the majority sentiments of the people who are daily witnesses to the good agricultural practices of the industry and who have actual experience for the past 30 years of the effects of low-dose fungicide to their health and environment. "It is not harmful as it is milder than table salt, coffee or laundry soaps contrary to their claim that it is as strong as insecticides," he said.
Lilia Mosqueda of the Gagmay Kristohanong Katilingban (Small Christian Community) said Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying president Cecilia Moran and a certain Liezl Bacalso were reported to have talked to the parishioners during mass for the Feast of St. Ignatius at the Ateneo de Manila University last July 30, to the seminarians at the Ateneo School of Theology, to students of the Ateneo Law School at Rockwell in Makati and to socialites at the Nine-Mile Bar along Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City.
"Their forum is a grossly one-sided affair and is a repudiation of Ateneo's time-honored tradition of being issue-confronting but dialogic and educative," said an Ateneo Law School student.
Cecilia Moran’s neighbours expressed shock and dismay that some priests in Manila have fallen for her emotional outburst against Davao's banana industry.
Barangay Captain Romulo C. Tubal of Dacudao, Calinan said people opposing the aerial spraying are totally disconnected from Barangay and reality. Tubal said that they insist on using "pesticides" because Manila residents associate it with "insecticides" and therefore harmful when the truth of the matter is that what is being sprayed is low-dose fungicide. He said that they do not represent the majority sentiments of the people who are daily witnesses to the good agricultural practices of the industry and who have actual experience for the past 30 years of the effects of low-dose fungicide to their health and environment. "It is not harmful as it is milder than table salt, coffee or laundry soaps contrary to their claim that it is as strong as insecticides," he said.
Doctors violate code of ethics?
Where's the code of ethics?
The International Code of Medical Ethics provides that a doctor has the duty to use great caution in publishing discoveries.
This code of ethics sworn with the help of God during the oath-taking are not always carefully exercised and followed.
Dr Romeo Quijano released an unfounded allegation that Residents of Sitio Camocaan in Davao del Sur are “are sick and dying due to the aerial spraying of pesticide, said the residents.
Justice pays, for this has earned for Dr. Quijano a libel rap from Lapanday, a member of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association.
Another tenuous claim was released – the lie this time came from Dr. Alan Dionisio.
Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) spokesperson Anthony Sasin said that Dr. Dionisio and his co-investigators undertook the research with strong bias against pesticide, used environmental samples of questionable integrity and fabricated illnesses among residents. This conclusion was arrived at after painstaking investigation which finally established Dr. Dionisio guilty beyond reasonable doubt
He said that PBGEA have already provided the top-level Inter-Agency Committee on Environmental Health (IACEH) a copy of their findings including the videotaped testimonies of witnesses, among them a barangay health worker, who said that they were left alone by one of the investigators, Engr. Ana Francisco Rivera, to gather water and soil samples.
Rivera, in an open forum June 3, 2009 during the People's Inquiry on said study said that she gathered water from a fishpond and from an irrigation canal. Mrs. Adela Amado, the barangay health worker, pinpointed the exact site where she took the water sample: in a mangrove pond some distance form the village where water from two newly-developed fishponds accumulate. On page 21 of the DOH study, said samples were cited as drinking water.
Mrs. Amado also testified that she gathered soil sample not from undisturbed soil but from a pile of sweepings which experts find grossly unscientific especially for a health risk assessment study. "Engr. Rivera just sat in the shade while were gathering these samples," said Mrs. Amado which made apparent that Engr. Rivera does not have personal knowledge of the integrity of the environmental samples.
It was also found out that Dionisio's team used an HPLC to analyze air samples of which four out of six samples proved negative for pesticide residue, one with an allowable level and one with residues slightly above the acceptable level. Experts say that these samples should have been confirmed by mass spectrometry since the samples were not actually sprayed with fungicides. A fungicide was also analyzed by a non-selective detector (electron capture) so this should have been confirmed also..
The very same haphazard sampling was done in Sitio Baliwaga where Mrs. Nara Ventura, a barangay health worker in the area since 1986, testified that a soil sample was taken in a mud alley to Purok Dagsa. Said purok was not mentioned in the study. Mrs. Ventura also said that majority of the residents whom they invited for a free check-up, free meals and hauled to the barangay center were from said Purok Dagsa where the households use fishpond water for laundry. This was also not cited in the study and buried under the sweeping statement that "the residents have dermatologic ailments probably due to pesticides used in a nearby mango plantation." Said mango plantation is actually a good two kilometers away from coastal Baliwaga.
The municipal health officer of Hagonoy, Dr. Patricio Hernane and of Sta. Cruz, Dr. Lorraine Ana Lindong, were both quoted a week ago saying that until now, they have not received the list of people that Dionisio claimed to be sick due to aerial spraying so that they can be attended to. Dionisio promised to give said list last June 3, 2009.
"It has been three years and several months since they made the study. How long will we wait?" asked Rowelito Tigao of Camocaan. He said that he and his daughter were among those who submitted to Dionisio's free check-up but until now was not informed whether he or his daughter is sick. He said he works in a banana plantation and is regularly exposed to pesticides.
A local health official who requested anonymity said that they now understand why Dionisio and company hid the study for three years, did not open it for peer review, allowed it to be used as a prop in a television show, held a very low-profile public discussion on said study mostly with militants and resist contrary findings, an attitude that is un-scientific. She disclosed that the first time they heard of the study was when she received a text message from Dr. Dionisio on the day that the pesticide issue will be aired on TV. Dionisio urged them to see the show so that they will be able to handle queries from the media.
"Our track record the past thirty years proved that low-dose fungicide poses no risk to people's health and environment. It is milder than table salt, coffee, nizoral shampoo or of the obnoxious and deleterious carbon monoxide which people from all walks of life are exposed daily or of the acetaldehydes, chloromethanes, dioxane, phosphates and alkylbenzene sulfonic acid in laundry soaps and detergents used daily by millions of households in the country" Sasin said.
"No amount of theatrics can cover-up their wrong premises, false postulates and falsified attestations," said Sasin as he expressed optimism that the DOH, despite Engr. Ana Francisco Rivera sitting as chairperson of IACEH's Secretariat, will still be able to appraise Dionisio's study with scientific objectivity and finally bring out the truth that whatever raw risk that they tried to establish against aerial spraying is purely anecdotal and non-existent.
The International Code of Medical Ethics provides that a doctor has the duty to use great caution in publishing discoveries.
This code of ethics sworn with the help of God during the oath-taking are not always carefully exercised and followed.
Dr Romeo Quijano released an unfounded allegation that Residents of Sitio Camocaan in Davao del Sur are “are sick and dying due to the aerial spraying of pesticide, said the residents.
Justice pays, for this has earned for Dr. Quijano a libel rap from Lapanday, a member of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association.
Another tenuous claim was released – the lie this time came from Dr. Alan Dionisio.
Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) spokesperson Anthony Sasin said that Dr. Dionisio and his co-investigators undertook the research with strong bias against pesticide, used environmental samples of questionable integrity and fabricated illnesses among residents. This conclusion was arrived at after painstaking investigation which finally established Dr. Dionisio guilty beyond reasonable doubt
He said that PBGEA have already provided the top-level Inter-Agency Committee on Environmental Health (IACEH) a copy of their findings including the videotaped testimonies of witnesses, among them a barangay health worker, who said that they were left alone by one of the investigators, Engr. Ana Francisco Rivera, to gather water and soil samples.
Rivera, in an open forum June 3, 2009 during the People's Inquiry on said study said that she gathered water from a fishpond and from an irrigation canal. Mrs. Adela Amado, the barangay health worker, pinpointed the exact site where she took the water sample: in a mangrove pond some distance form the village where water from two newly-developed fishponds accumulate. On page 21 of the DOH study, said samples were cited as drinking water.
Mrs. Amado also testified that she gathered soil sample not from undisturbed soil but from a pile of sweepings which experts find grossly unscientific especially for a health risk assessment study. "Engr. Rivera just sat in the shade while were gathering these samples," said Mrs. Amado which made apparent that Engr. Rivera does not have personal knowledge of the integrity of the environmental samples.
It was also found out that Dionisio's team used an HPLC to analyze air samples of which four out of six samples proved negative for pesticide residue, one with an allowable level and one with residues slightly above the acceptable level. Experts say that these samples should have been confirmed by mass spectrometry since the samples were not actually sprayed with fungicides. A fungicide was also analyzed by a non-selective detector (electron capture) so this should have been confirmed also..
The very same haphazard sampling was done in Sitio Baliwaga where Mrs. Nara Ventura, a barangay health worker in the area since 1986, testified that a soil sample was taken in a mud alley to Purok Dagsa. Said purok was not mentioned in the study. Mrs. Ventura also said that majority of the residents whom they invited for a free check-up, free meals and hauled to the barangay center were from said Purok Dagsa where the households use fishpond water for laundry. This was also not cited in the study and buried under the sweeping statement that "the residents have dermatologic ailments probably due to pesticides used in a nearby mango plantation." Said mango plantation is actually a good two kilometers away from coastal Baliwaga.
The municipal health officer of Hagonoy, Dr. Patricio Hernane and of Sta. Cruz, Dr. Lorraine Ana Lindong, were both quoted a week ago saying that until now, they have not received the list of people that Dionisio claimed to be sick due to aerial spraying so that they can be attended to. Dionisio promised to give said list last June 3, 2009.
"It has been three years and several months since they made the study. How long will we wait?" asked Rowelito Tigao of Camocaan. He said that he and his daughter were among those who submitted to Dionisio's free check-up but until now was not informed whether he or his daughter is sick. He said he works in a banana plantation and is regularly exposed to pesticides.
A local health official who requested anonymity said that they now understand why Dionisio and company hid the study for three years, did not open it for peer review, allowed it to be used as a prop in a television show, held a very low-profile public discussion on said study mostly with militants and resist contrary findings, an attitude that is un-scientific. She disclosed that the first time they heard of the study was when she received a text message from Dr. Dionisio on the day that the pesticide issue will be aired on TV. Dionisio urged them to see the show so that they will be able to handle queries from the media.
"Our track record the past thirty years proved that low-dose fungicide poses no risk to people's health and environment. It is milder than table salt, coffee, nizoral shampoo or of the obnoxious and deleterious carbon monoxide which people from all walks of life are exposed daily or of the acetaldehydes, chloromethanes, dioxane, phosphates and alkylbenzene sulfonic acid in laundry soaps and detergents used daily by millions of households in the country" Sasin said.
"No amount of theatrics can cover-up their wrong premises, false postulates and falsified attestations," said Sasin as he expressed optimism that the DOH, despite Engr. Ana Francisco Rivera sitting as chairperson of IACEH's Secretariat, will still be able to appraise Dionisio's study with scientific objectivity and finally bring out the truth that whatever raw risk that they tried to establish against aerial spraying is purely anecdotal and non-existent.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Justice for women and children - thanks to Ronnie
Battered women and children are now gaining justice and more importance in a traditionally patriarchal society with records of unfair execution of justice– thanks to DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno.
Secretary Puno called on victims of exploitation and abuse to seek help by going to the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) of the Philippine National Police that have been established in every PNP municipal station in the country.
Last July, our DILG Secretary announced that all the regional offices of the PNP were requested to complete their Women and Children Protection Regional Centers within a month. And then from there, the DILG will go to provincial centers and then city centers.
“The chief of the PNP, Director General Jesus Verzosa and I have placed the establishment of the WCPDs on our priority list of projects for the PNP,” said Puno.
Puno said the PNP should ensure that its WCPDs are functioning in every municipality as “one-stop shops” for the investigation and treatment of victims of child abuse, violence against women and other similar crimes.
Headed by a woman general—Chief Supt. Yolanda Tanigue—the WCPD is directly involved in formulating relevant training programs for police personnel handling cases of women and children and supervises over the strict enforcement of laws and investigations to protect these sectors from all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
These centers and WCPDs will be headed by, and staffed with, female police officers, Puno said, to provide women and children a more comfortable and relaxed setting when seeking assistance from the police.
Unlike a typical police station, these women- and children-friendly centers will have a more relaxed, “home-like” ambiance, brightly colored walls and even temporary shelters for distraught women and kids.
Puno said the establishment of these Centers is not only in accordance with RA 9262, but also demonstrates the importance that the DILG and PNP have placed on family-related concerns and these institutions’ responsiveness to gender-sensitivity issues.
He said the Centers being set up at the regional levels will follow a program “that will promote and propagate both the consciousness and knowledge of what we need to do to protect our women and children.”
The Women and Children Protection Center in Camp Crame, which is headed by Tanigue has so far established 1,830 WCPDs nationwide staffed with 2,728 female police officers, of whom 1,951 have undergone training on gender sensitivity and the basic investigative skills in handling crimes against women and children.
Among the more prominent cases now being investigated by the WCPD is the complaint filed by the actress Yasmien Kurdi against actor Baron Geisler for acts of lasciviousness, sexual harassment and unjust vexation.
Battered women and children are now gaining justice and more importance in a traditionally patriarchal society with records of unfair execution of justice– thanks to DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno.
Secretary Puno called on victims of exploitation and abuse to seek help by going to the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) of the Philippine National Police that have been established in every PNP municipal station in the country.
Last July, our DILG Secretary announced that all the regional offices of the PNP were requested to complete their Women and Children Protection Regional Centers within a month. And then from there, the DILG will go to provincial centers and then city centers.
“The chief of the PNP, Director General Jesus Verzosa and I have placed the establishment of the WCPDs on our priority list of projects for the PNP,” said Puno.
Puno said the PNP should ensure that its WCPDs are functioning in every municipality as “one-stop shops” for the investigation and treatment of victims of child abuse, violence against women and other similar crimes.
Headed by a woman general—Chief Supt. Yolanda Tanigue—the WCPD is directly involved in formulating relevant training programs for police personnel handling cases of women and children and supervises over the strict enforcement of laws and investigations to protect these sectors from all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
These centers and WCPDs will be headed by, and staffed with, female police officers, Puno said, to provide women and children a more comfortable and relaxed setting when seeking assistance from the police.
Unlike a typical police station, these women- and children-friendly centers will have a more relaxed, “home-like” ambiance, brightly colored walls and even temporary shelters for distraught women and kids.
Puno said the establishment of these Centers is not only in accordance with RA 9262, but also demonstrates the importance that the DILG and PNP have placed on family-related concerns and these institutions’ responsiveness to gender-sensitivity issues.
He said the Centers being set up at the regional levels will follow a program “that will promote and propagate both the consciousness and knowledge of what we need to do to protect our women and children.”
The Women and Children Protection Center in Camp Crame, which is headed by Tanigue has so far established 1,830 WCPDs nationwide staffed with 2,728 female police officers, of whom 1,951 have undergone training on gender sensitivity and the basic investigative skills in handling crimes against women and children.
Among the more prominent cases now being investigated by the WCPD is the complaint filed by the actress Yasmien Kurdi against actor Baron Geisler for acts of lasciviousness, sexual harassment and unjust vexation.
Technologically-proficient for archipelagic Philippines
The 7,107 island in the Philippines bring hurdles for local government unit officials to communicate and convene with high officials and discuss ways to move our country forward.
Given this situation, we need government leaders, at least the Philippine President, to be tech savvy so he can call together the local officials, discuss problems, solutions, plans and local government status.
Who among our aspiring leaders are proven technologically-adroit?
DILG secretary Ronnie Puno. We have learned that the secretary was supposed to go to Baguio City recently to attend a congress of the Cavite chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay. However, a development in the Mindanao insurgency problem had required him to stay put in Manila, hence prompting him to call off his Baguio City engagement.
But this never became a letdown for the congress participants. Arrangements were made and Ronnie was able to deliver his message to the barangay officials through a teleconference via the Internet (from his office in Camp Crame).
Ronnie’s technological adeptness paved the way for 1.2 million barangay officials to soon enroll themselves and their dependents to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) with sharing arrangements on the payment for premiums through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the DILG and the barangay city and municipal officials.
Truly this is a milestone. This could not have happened had Ronnie been inept on the latest technologies. We need a President like him - someone who can connect with the archipelago without necessarily travelling; someone who can bridge gaps without necessarily being physically present. This does not only solve issues on hectic schedules but more importantly, this lessens government spending on airfares, stipends, allowances and a lot more travel expenses.
Who among our officials are like Ronnie – technologically-proficient for archipelagic Philippines?
The 7,107 island in the Philippines bring hurdles for local government unit officials to communicate and convene with high officials and discuss ways to move our country forward.
Given this situation, we need government leaders, at least the Philippine President, to be tech savvy so he can call together the local officials, discuss problems, solutions, plans and local government status.
Who among our aspiring leaders are proven technologically-adroit?
DILG secretary Ronnie Puno. We have learned that the secretary was supposed to go to Baguio City recently to attend a congress of the Cavite chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay. However, a development in the Mindanao insurgency problem had required him to stay put in Manila, hence prompting him to call off his Baguio City engagement.
But this never became a letdown for the congress participants. Arrangements were made and Ronnie was able to deliver his message to the barangay officials through a teleconference via the Internet (from his office in Camp Crame).
Ronnie’s technological adeptness paved the way for 1.2 million barangay officials to soon enroll themselves and their dependents to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) with sharing arrangements on the payment for premiums through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the DILG and the barangay city and municipal officials.
Truly this is a milestone. This could not have happened had Ronnie been inept on the latest technologies. We need a President like him - someone who can connect with the archipelago without necessarily travelling; someone who can bridge gaps without necessarily being physically present. This does not only solve issues on hectic schedules but more importantly, this lessens government spending on airfares, stipends, allowances and a lot more travel expenses.
Who among our officials are like Ronnie – technologically-proficient for archipelagic Philippines?
Filipinos’ miracle
We’re seeing a miracle ounce by ounce.
First, far from his duties as the DILG Secretary, Ronnie Puno entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Liga ng mga Barangay and the leagues of provinces, cities and municipalities to enroll 1.2 million barangay officials and their dependents to Philhealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation).
Beneficiaries of the DILG project are barangay officials in city or municipal barangays that have annual Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) shares of less than P1 million each.
Projects which are fully-shouldered by aspiring political leaders are flooding now due to circumstance of time. With Ronnie, this is not the case. Amidst all circumstances, the DILG man implements development projects in partnership with the beneficiary local government unit. For Ronnie, projects are not his personal projects but projects of the Philippine national and local governments. His undertakings are purely for development and are not tinted by any political color. With the Philhealth project, the premiums shall be paid through a sharing agreement between the barangays and municipalities as stipulated in the MOU.
The annual premium per beneficiary is P1,200. Under this DILG project, PhilHealth will shell out P1,080 while the local government unit (LGU) concerned will pay for the balance of P120 in 4th to 6th class municipalities. In 1st to 3rd class cities and municipalities, the sharing will be 50-50, with the LGUs and PhilHealth paying P600 each per beneficiary.
Second, Ronnie reiterates his commitment to lobby to Congress to set aside funds in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget to finance anew benefits for barangay officials as provided under the Local Government Code.
Historically, the problem with laws Congress pass is that many of these are not being implemented fully in the absence of funding support. In the case of the Local Government Code that was passed in the early 1990s, there is a provision on the benefits due barangay officials, such as christmas bonuses, death and medical benefits, and educational scholarships for them and their legitimate children in state universities and colleges (SUCs). However, many of these benefits are not being enjoyed by barangay officials because of the usual budgetary constraints.
During his first stint as DILG secretary under the Erap Estrada administration, the DILG was able to oversee in 1999 and 2000 the grant of such benefits because of an existing funding program in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget. But this funding program disappeared starting in 2003, when Ronnie was no longer DILG secretary.
Even the provision of free college scholarships has been honored more in the breach. So one of the things Ronnie did was to get in touch with Chairman Emmanuel Angeles of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and discuss this problem. The result was that Angeles eventually issued a memorandum reminding SUCs of their mandate to provide free college education to barangay officials or their legitimate dependents.
Kudos to Ronnie and the DILG for taking the cudgels for barangays officials and taking concrete steps for them to avail of benefits that are due them under our laws. With Ronnie, we are experiencing a miracle step by step. In essence, he is the miracle we all need.
We’re seeing a miracle ounce by ounce.
First, far from his duties as the DILG Secretary, Ronnie Puno entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Liga ng mga Barangay and the leagues of provinces, cities and municipalities to enroll 1.2 million barangay officials and their dependents to Philhealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation).
Beneficiaries of the DILG project are barangay officials in city or municipal barangays that have annual Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) shares of less than P1 million each.
Projects which are fully-shouldered by aspiring political leaders are flooding now due to circumstance of time. With Ronnie, this is not the case. Amidst all circumstances, the DILG man implements development projects in partnership with the beneficiary local government unit. For Ronnie, projects are not his personal projects but projects of the Philippine national and local governments. His undertakings are purely for development and are not tinted by any political color. With the Philhealth project, the premiums shall be paid through a sharing agreement between the barangays and municipalities as stipulated in the MOU.
The annual premium per beneficiary is P1,200. Under this DILG project, PhilHealth will shell out P1,080 while the local government unit (LGU) concerned will pay for the balance of P120 in 4th to 6th class municipalities. In 1st to 3rd class cities and municipalities, the sharing will be 50-50, with the LGUs and PhilHealth paying P600 each per beneficiary.
Second, Ronnie reiterates his commitment to lobby to Congress to set aside funds in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget to finance anew benefits for barangay officials as provided under the Local Government Code.
Historically, the problem with laws Congress pass is that many of these are not being implemented fully in the absence of funding support. In the case of the Local Government Code that was passed in the early 1990s, there is a provision on the benefits due barangay officials, such as christmas bonuses, death and medical benefits, and educational scholarships for them and their legitimate children in state universities and colleges (SUCs). However, many of these benefits are not being enjoyed by barangay officials because of the usual budgetary constraints.
During his first stint as DILG secretary under the Erap Estrada administration, the DILG was able to oversee in 1999 and 2000 the grant of such benefits because of an existing funding program in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget. But this funding program disappeared starting in 2003, when Ronnie was no longer DILG secretary.
Even the provision of free college scholarships has been honored more in the breach. So one of the things Ronnie did was to get in touch with Chairman Emmanuel Angeles of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and discuss this problem. The result was that Angeles eventually issued a memorandum reminding SUCs of their mandate to provide free college education to barangay officials or their legitimate dependents.
Kudos to Ronnie and the DILG for taking the cudgels for barangays officials and taking concrete steps for them to avail of benefits that are due them under our laws. With Ronnie, we are experiencing a miracle step by step. In essence, he is the miracle we all need.
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