BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–About P10 million-worth of various medical equipment are now being left to rot at the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Hospital (NVPH) in Bambang town, following the discovery of anomalies in its purchase, officials here have admitted.

The equipment, which include an operating table, a delivery table, an anesthesia machine, blood bank refrigerator, intensive care unit (ICU) monitor, operating room lights, were part of a P10-million purchase made by the provincial government for NVPH sometime in late 2009.

A source privy to the transaction, but who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the hospital apparatuses were delivered in April 2010 but the NVPH chief, Dr. Edwin Galapon, refused to accept them.

“It was highly questionable why the supplier was already given partial payment when there was no delivery made yet,” the source, a top-level official of the provincial government, said.

Even officials of the Development Bank of the Philippines in Solano town, the province’s main depositary bank, should also explain why the check was encashed despite the irregularities, the source said.

Health officials here said the funds used for the purchase came through a grant from the five-year Fourmula One program of the Department of Health.

According to a DOH primer, the program supposedly aimed at carrying out “reforms in the health sector and improving the delivery of health services to Filipinos, especially the poor”.

Nueva Vizcaya is one the the 16 provinces in the country that was given the Fourmula One funds, according to Galapon, acting provincial health officer.

Since April, the apparatuses, which should have been used to improve the provincial government-run hospital’s facilities, have been stored at the labor room at NVPH in Bambang.

The Commission on Audit here has ordered the freezing of full payment for the hospital equipment after it noted irregularities in the purchase, mostly missing bid documents, according to auditor Florentina Sagabaen.

The COA has directed 11 provincial officials and employees, led by Gov. Luisa Cuaresma to explain why partial payment of more than P4 million has been released to Medisafe Phils, Inc., the supplier, despite the failure of delivery of the equipment.

Sagabaen, however, said she would not discuss the case further, expressing concern that a full disclosure to the public might supposedly pre-empt the results of the COA investigation. She also denied a request by this writer for copies of documents involving the transaction.

“It seems that the purchase was fast-tracked and they (officials concerned) failed to follow government guidelines on procurement. As to what their reasons are, we are still waiting for their explanation,” she said.

In an interview, Galapon, also the acting provincial health officer here, said he refused to accept the equipment because these did not conform with quality standards required for hospital apparatuses by the Department of Health.

“For instance, the tables were wobbly and were made of aluminum instead of steel. Other equipment bore brands which are known to have inferior quality,” he said.

Galapon also noted that purchase documents were lacking, and that other papers were unsigned.

“Based on my personal assessment and knowledge of prevailing prices, I believe that these were also overpriced,” the health official added. He declined to elaborate.

Several attempts to reach Governor Cuaresma for comment proved futile. Manuel Tabora, provincial administrator, said she was at home in Bambang town attending to visitors.

Two officials who were involved in the deal, acting provincial treasurer Rhoda Moreno, and Eileen Dacuycuy, purchase officer, declined requests for interviews.

When asked to comment on the controversy, Tabora said they have decided to cancel the previous transaction involving the rejected equipment and would be conducting a “re-purchase”.

“We will be starting (the purchase procedure) from the beginning since the delivered equipment did not meet the requirements set by the end-user (NVPH),” he said.

“By doing so, there is no loss on the part of government, because the supplier has agreed to return the amount initially paid to them, except maybe for the delay in the usage of the equipment by patients,” he said.

When asked if they would abide by the COA directive, Tabora said a re-purchase would render the investigation “moot and academic”.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–Officials and anti-mining groups on Tuesday stepped up their campaign to support the proposal of the Commission Human Rights to cause the ouster of an Australian mining company from the province and the revocation of its mining permit for supposed abuses it committed against villagers in a remote community in Kasibu town.

Catholic Bishop Ramon Villena of the Diocese of Bayombong said expressed support to the CHR recommendation for the government to withdraw the financial and technical assistance agreement (FTAA) it entered into with OceanaGold Philippines, Inc. (OGPI).

“We are again inspired and fired up to continue the uphill struggle in Didipio and the other areas in the Diocese of Bayombong endangered by mining applications. We will not relent nor give up. Our battle cry lives on: no to mining, yes to life,” he said.

Didipio village is the site of OGPI’s proposed gold-copper mining project, which has met stiff objection from locals composed mostly of Ifugao natives. The conflict has triggered complaints from residents of OGPI’s alleged abuses, prompting the CHR to conduct an investigation in November 2009.

In a 19-page resolution dated Jan. 10, the CHR urged government to “consider the probable withdrawal of the FTAA granted to (OGPI) in view of the gross violations of human rights it has committed.”

The FTAA is an instrument under the Mining Act of 1995 whereby government allows foreign-owned companies explore, exploit and develop the country’s mineral resources, subject to conditions such as acceptance by the host community.

The CHR found that OGPI, in its attempt to launch actual mining operations since 2008, allegedly committed human rights violations against the people, including their right to property, to have adequate residence, their freedom of movement, and right to security.

The CHR also directed agencies like the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the police and the military to “submit (to CHR) reports on concrete actions they have taken to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of the affected community.

In a statement, OGPI officials maintained that the company has not violated any provision under its FTAA “in partnership with the Philippine government”.

“The company is firmly committed to building strong and enduring relationships with our community in the development and ongoing operations of the Didipio Project for the benefit of all stakeholders,” said Mick Wilkes, OceanaGold chief executive officer.

The company statement expressed lament that OGPI was not yet officially notified of the resolution, when the CHR has already released the document to various “interest groups” and Philippine media.

“(OGPI) is compliant with all the laws and regulations associated with operating as a foreign company in the Philippines and is committed to ethical, responsible and sustainable mineral development,” OGPI said in a statement.

The CHR findings also drew praise from officials and community leaders here, who considered the CHR resolution a victory in a crusade that has spanned 17 years.

Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla said President Aquino now has more reason to cause the revocation of the FTAA.

“The findings of the (CHR) only confirm what our (House) inquiry had discovered two years ago. It is now high time that government acts on this,” he said.

The CHR issuance now affirms the position taken by the people of Didipio, Padilla said, that while the country may reap benefits from the mining operations, this will be far outweighed by the damage that the project will cause on the communities and the environment.

“The mining project may indeed give us benefits, but only for 25 years. Meanwhile, the injury to the environment and the people will transcend many generations,” he added.

He expressed concern how villagers described the situation in Didipio as “worse than martial law”.

Anti-mining groups said the CHR resolution is not only a victory for the indigenous peoples (IPs) of Nueva Vizcaya, “but for the whole rural sector who are pursuing sustainable development”.

“The CHR report…should serve as a valuable lesson to large multi-national companies who continue to deny and marginalize rural poor communities, particularly the IPs, by side-stepping important steps and procedures in securing genuine consent and participation from affected communities,” Alyansa Tigil Mina said in a statement.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–As the raging bluish and reddish fire engulfed the five-story hotel, and thick, black smoke billowed from its openings, young men, trapped inside their rooms, were frantically waving, shouting and crying for help from the building’s grilled windows.

“We’re burning! May exam pa kami bukas (We’re having our exams tomorrow)!” one of the trapped men were heard shouting, as he and several others desperately tried to extricate themselves out of the window.

But responding firemen, whose ladder was short by two stories, could not reach out to the victims and could only helplessly watch. Minutes later, the wailings waned, and the waving hands, one after the other, disappeared. One victim whose body was later recovered had both legs jutting out of his hotel window.

The joint government panel which probed the fire tragedy that gutted two five-story buildings, including a hotel, in Tuguegarao City on the dawn of Dec. 19 noted the sheer inadequacies in equipment of the firemen, which prevented them from rescuing the 16 persons killed.

The buildings, which housed the Bed & Breakfast Pension Hotel, PA’s Sunshine Motorcycle Parts and Sunshine Marketing, were burned down in the 1 a.m. fire which, investigators theorized to have come from faulty electrical wiring inside the motorcycle parts store.

“They only had one axe which was (eventually) broken… They had only one cable which snapped… Not every fireman was equipped with a helmet. Their suits were old and appeared worn. The only ladder they had could reach only the second floor. They have one bolt cutter only,” the investigating panel said in a 20-page report.

Of those killed, 11 were nursing graduates and review students of University of La Sallette (ULS) in Santiago City who were to take the nursing licensure test that day.

The five others were members of the Fondevilla family, including Michael Norma, the hotel’s registered owner, his wife Amybelle, children Karyl and Josh, sister Mildred De Leon, and their house help, Jennifer Agtarap.

The other 27 male nursing examinees who stayed at the hotel, as well as two other guests and two roomboys, with the help of firefighters and managed to climbed down to safety. The building owners, spouses Pepito and Araceli Fondevilla, also survived.

The victims, who were trapped, died of suffocation from the thick black smoke caused by burning rubber and plastic, paint, and other materials, as rescuers could not get to them on time, the team said.

“The people on the ground outside the building, including the firemen, helplessly watched (the victims) die slowly. Some did their best to save (those trapped) although their best appeared not enough,” the report added.

But aside from the firefighters’ lack of equipment, the panel also blamed the negligence of 11 persons, including city and fire officials, for the tragedy.

The team, composed of prosecutors Marinette Gavino-Daliuag and Ronnel Nicolas, and police investigators SPO1 Pedro Binarao Jr. and PO3 Clifford Nolasco, found out that the hotel and the stores had managed to operate for almost the entire year in 2010 despite lack of a business permit.

The city mayor’s office, the report said, did not release the pre-signed permit because the owners failed to submit a fire safety inspection.

The four-member panel recommended the filing of criminal charges against the Fondevilla couple, for operating the stores without a permit. But the hotel’s registered owner, Michael Norma Fondevilla, was among those killed in the fire.

Administrative charges should also be filed, the panel said, against four city officials for gross neglect of duty, for failing to check on the Fondevillas’ “illegal” business operations.

Tuguegarao Mayor Delfin Ting was also implicated for “command responsibility”.

The DOJ-PNP panel cited other flaws which, due to fire officials’ failure to conduct an inspection, reportedly contributed to the tragedy: fire hazard materials, such as paints and aerosol sprays, were stored in the building; the hotel’s fire exits were not accessible.

As such, administrative charges were recommended to be filed against Fire Supt. Neil Caranguian, city fire marshall, and SFO4 Paulino Camacam, chief of the fire safety and investigation section.

The panel also found ULS officials to be liable, for failure of its clinical instructors, who arranged for the examinees’ stay at Bed & Breakfast, to look after their reviewees.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–A provincial official here has exposed the alleged illegal practice of the provincial government to give away thousands of bags of cement to villages, religious groups and private organizations.

Board member Patricio Dumlao Jr. on Sunday expressed disgust that provincial government continued to distribute bags of cement despite the clear prohibition in the local government code.

“This (practice) is a blatant disregard for our laws, which clearly outlaws the use of public funds for private purposes, especially the religious sector,” he said.

Documents revealed that the provincial government this month bought 6,790 bags of cement worth 3.4 million for distribution to various barangays, churches and private organizations.

In the records obtained by this writer, purchases listed 72 beneficiary-groups, which include towns and barangays, public elementary schools and people’s organizations.

Of this number, 11 were church groups, five were private schools while others were tricycle organizations and parents-teacher community associations.

Dumlao said such doleouts violate the basic legal principle that public funds may only be used for public purpose.

“While we understand that these groups are really in need of funds to finance certain viable projects, there are ways by which this can be resolved. this need cannot be used as an excuse for them to violate what is clearly prohibited by law,” he said.

According to a COA auditor, who declined to be named for lack of authority to speak on the matter, said the practice clearly violates the law, but officials remain scot-free because “no one is complaining”.

He cited section 335 of the local code, which states that “no public money or property shall be appropriated or applied for religious or private purposes”.

According to Dumlao, the latest purchases were part of those which the provincial government allegedly rushed using 2009 funds to beat the deadline on the closing of accounts for last year.

“We cannot also ignore the fact that these grants are being made very close to the local elections,” Dumlao said.

The purchases and the grant of bags of cement by the provincial government have been hounded by controversy for the past years here, amid public perception that unscrupulous provincial officials were making money out of these transactions.

In 2008, the Commission on Audit exposed the irregular purchases of cement by the provincial government amounting to P23 million, which did not undergo the required public bidding.

Such bags of cement were likewise given out to accommodate requests of private groups, barely weeks before the May 2007 elections.

Gov. Luisa Cuaresma was not available for comment. Provincial officials, however, defended the grants of cement.

“While such grants may not at first glance be for public purpose, a closer look at these may reveal that the public is being benefitted indirectly. For example, when an individual or group’s request is granted, that may have an effect on the peace and order in the community because they are happy,” said Vice Gov. Jose Gambito.

Manuel Tabora, provincial administrator, said the grants of cement are anchored on the provision of the local code that non-government organizations are partners of the government in the delivery of basic services to the people.

SANTA FE, Nueva Vizcaya

Would-be couple Salvador Soliven, 37, and Rowena Ricaide, 29, felt so relieved as they walked out of the Santa Fe town hall one Wednesday afternoon. The bride, an overseas Filipino worker who hurriedly came home for her wedding preparations, wondered long it would take them to process and secure all requirements before they could be issued their marriage license. Ricaide, a native of Sudipen town in La Union, drearily set her mind to devote one week just to complete their purpose.

But much to the their delight, the couple was able to finish all requirements just two hours after they walked into the Local Civil Registrar’s office here. They were married on a sunny Monday morning, less than a week later.

The newly-wed couple are just among the hundreds who have reaped the benefits of what observers deemed a much-improved system of government service delivery in this upland town, best known only as the scenic mountain gateway to Cagayan Valley region.

The “quick-response” practice is embedded in Santa Fe’s Citizen’s Charter program, which outlines guidelines on how local government employees must respond to the needs of their constituents, especially those who troop to the town hall for various purposes.

“The charter mandates that a client should not wait idly for someone to attend to him for more than 15 minutes. In many of the offices, we require that under ordinary circumstances, a client should have been able to accomplish his purpose in that office within one hour,” explains second-term Mayor Florante Gerdan.

The Citizen’s Charter is just one of Gerdan’s “innovative” programs, which revolve around the principle of people participation in governance. Such programs opened doors for the mayor to be chosen as one of the seven new “Champions of Good Governance” by Kaya Natin!, cause-oriented movement which aims to “promote genuine and lasting change in our government by promoting transparency, social accountability, people empowerment and electoral reforms”.

He and six other local and government officials were formally installed on April 24 as new purveyors of good governance in the country, joining the brood of local leaders like governors Ed Panlilio of Pampanga, Grace Padaca of Isabela and Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao; Mayor Jesse Robredo of Naga City; and Mayor Sonia Lorenzo of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija.

The charter is one of the products of Gerdan’s participatory style of leadership, which centers on constant consultations and dialogues with the people of Santa Fe, its officials and employees, leaders of non-government organizations, religious groups, the schools, and other sectors. Many of them volunteers, they comprise what is now called PART–Panagtitimpuyog para ti Agnanayon nga Rang-ay dagiti Tattao (collaboration for lasting progress among the people), which maps out plans on how the town government can better help improve the lives of the common resident.

As a first step, consultations were made through the “summits” in the locality–a gathering of the town’s major role players and stakeholders–to discuss problems and to find solutions on three key areas: education, health and environment.

There was also the “development summit” where participants like tricycle drivers, farmers, or pupils’ parents, were allowed to air their grievances, as well as suggest solutions on any social issue confronting them, in a public forum attended by the mayor and other town officials.

“In these dialogues, the people get the chance to confront their officials about (issues like) the existence of ‘jueteng’ in their area, the proliferation of videoke bars, illegal logging in the town’s watershed area, and many others. We like it because we also get a chance to respond. We also get feedbacks about how our employees have been performing,” says Gerdan.

Today, Santa Fe leaders see their reformed bureaucracy as their crowning glory.

Crusade

The town government’s road to reform began in 2004, during Gerdan’s first term as mayor. Faced with a bureaucratic system that was “steeped in the politics of patronage” and was “highly partisan, unwilling and uncooperative”, the neophyte mayor’s first challenge was how to make the local government and its workers responsive to the needs of the townspeople.

“We had difficulty instituting change because of political reasons. Naturally, people really resist change because for them, it is a painful process,” the retired Army Captain says, partly blaming his rigid leadership style that he has brought in from 11 years of service in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Besides, he was fighting an age-old practice, a conflict between the traditional against the non-traditional style of governance: one that purely revolved around doleouts and handouts as opposed to one that was anchored on consultation and participation among the people, the mayor says. Town employees who are staunch supporters of Gerdan’s political rivals resisted his programs.

“Naturally, it was at first difficult and painful to fight tradition and institute change that directly goes against tradition. But as time passed, we were able to convince (the skeptics in the local government) because they saw the positive effect; they saw the difference,” he says.

Santa Fe’s bureaucracy was then reactive and would not care less about work outputs, the mayor says. Many employees, especially those holding permanent status, were content on waiting for work to fall on their laps, uncaring as to how much they would accomplish for the day because after all, they get their salaries on pay day. As such, its services to its people suffered.

In 2007, the Santa Fe town government put up a personnel management system (PMS) that was envisioned to better monitor the performance of each employee and serve as a more accurate basis for promotions and giving of rewards to them.

Inspired by the prospects of better incentives, every employee now grabs every task as an opportunity to earn productivity points, with the smile and “thank you” of a pleased townmate as a welcome bonus, says 61-year old Edgar Dulawan, Santa Fe’s human resources officer.

“Nobody wants to stay idle; he or she must always have something to do; otherwise, he does not earn enough productivity points for that day,” he adds.

The points are added up, and at the end of the month, the employee that hs the most number of points gets the best performing employee of the month award. The prize: cash and a plaque of recognition.

The rewards get bigger for the yearend awards, says Rolando Carreon, an administrative assistant.

Department heads were also among the main subjects of Gerdan’s mission to cause a paradigm shift in the town government, transforming their “just-an-employee” mindset to being–and performing like–managers.

“By doing that they are empowered, so that now, they are the ones drafting already policies (while) I just guide them. They are now the ones assessing the performance of their employees. There are still a few who are not convinced, but we hope that in due time, they will join our cause,” he adds.

Santa Fe’s transformation is now a far cry from other local government offices in the province, where employees are normally arrogant and crabby, and are often seen loitering, or gossiping inside air-conditioned offices while making queuing clients languish for hours. As such, the Santa Fe PMS model is now being studied by the Civil Service Commission to make it as a possible template for other local governments, according to Gerdan.

Fruits

With every employee “raring to go to work”, the workhorses behind Santa Fe’s reformed bureaucracy are slowly gaining the fruits of their labor, barely less than a year following the launch of the programs in 2008, such as the malnutrition rate dropping from a high of 204 cases to just 129, earning for them the best nutrition program for 2008 in the province. The local treasury has more than doubled its target of revenues from local taxes year.

On the agricultural front, Santa Fe has developed a system whereby farmers are allowed to acquire loans from the town’s coffers, to be paid upon harvest time. Farm inputs, such as seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, are given to the farmer only when they actually need them–a deviation from the old practice that all inputs are given to the farmer all at once at the start of each cropping season. This gets rid of a common practice among farmers who, instead of using the fertilizer for their farm, sell it to a fellow farmer for easy cash, the mayor says.

Employees from the town’s agriculture office, yearning to earn “productivity points” under the PMS system, closely monitor the farmer’s activities, from land preparation until he sells his produce in the market. The employee accompanies the farmer to the market to collect the former’s loan payment just as he receives the proceeds of the sale of his harvest.

“We have to instill in the mind of our constituents and our employees that just like in the private business sector, our town government should also be run like a corporation. Whenever government funds are spent, it should have (a return-on-investment) after it has helped its beneficiaries,” Gerdan says.

All these programs are outlined on the principle that delivering better services makes people pay their taxes, earning more income for the government, and in turn, to allow it to provide better benefits for its employees.

To address the age-old issue of poverty, Santa Fe has established the multi-sectoral anti-poverty council, which drafts plans and programs to be implemented by the local government, and leads the advocacy for residents to be part of the “revolution”.

“Part of this program is to urge residents to set up their own vegetable garden in their backyard, so that we can minimize expenses for food. But we can’t get people to do things unless we do it ourselves, so I, too have put up my own vegetable garden,” says Gerdan, as he shows the vast greenery of that dominate his 1-hectare lot in Barangay Consuelo here.

Gerdan is also pushing for the installation of more micro-hydro projects in communities, especially in remote upland areas that could not be serviced by the Nueva Vizcaya Electric Cooperative, Inc. With this project, water from creeks are stored and diverted to rotate a tubular device that serves as a small turbine, generating enough power to light up one household at nighttime. He has four at home.

The mayor’s passion to invent and innovate has infected residents like Patrick Fernando, 54, a mechanical engineer and former overseas Filipino worker, who has worked hand-in-hand with the local officials in crafting livelihood projects that are envisioned to help the people of Santa Fe.

Fernando’s inventions and discoveries range from the outright simple–such as a water wheel as a micro-hydro project, or an eggplant species grafted with the root stock of its wild variety to make it last for ten years–to the downright ambitious, such as a pneumatic device (a machine that is run by compressed air) which they plan to install on the highway in Sitio Zigzag here to generate electricity from the weight of passing vehicles.

“Ang maganda sa nagyayari ngayon dito sa Santa Fe ay lahat nagkakaroon ng pagkakataon na magsalita, sabihin at subukan kung ano ang para sa kanila ay makatutulong sa ikagaganda ng buhay ng lahat (What is nice about this present style of governance is everybody gets a chance to speak out, say and try out what they think would help to make the lives of the people better),” says Fernando, who owns Manang Ading restaurant here.

Seeing this, more non-government organizations as well as private corporations are coming to town to offer livelihood and social development projects, Gerdan says.

Businessmen like Filipino-Chinese Samuel Lorenzo Lu are giddy about the prospects of Santa Fe’s changing social and political landscape.

“In the 25 years of doing business here, I have never involved myself in the affairs of government the way I am these days. I realized how fulfilling it is to join this revolution and be involved,” says Lu, who runs the renowned Melvin’s Restaurant here.

The Santa Fe experience is a welcome sign that, amid the noise and the filth that dominates this country’s political system, this obscure town can lead the way in the field of good governance to provide a refreshing whiff of cool mountain air, very much like the feeling that it very often provides travelers.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–A provincial official here has exposed the alleged illegality of the car purchases made by a town government here, without the required approval of the funds used.

Board Member Patricio Dumlao Jr. called on the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the purchase of 18 sports utility vehicles by the town government of Alfonso Castañeda, without the required approval of the town’s supplemental budget before the provincial board.

“The purchase is already in itself highly questionable because we do not believe that spending P24 million for SUVs is a priority. But the fact that the appropriation has not been approved makes it even more anomalous,” he said.

Last December, the town government acquired 14 Nissan Navara units, two Toyota Fortuner units and 2 Nissan Urvan units, using its share of the P750 million real property tax payment collected by the province from American firm California Energy-Casecnan.

CE Casecnan, owner and operator of the Casecnan Multi-purpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMIPP) in Alfonso Castañeda, paid the province P750 million as partial payment of its real property tax obligations. It, however, paid the amount under protest.

Alfonso Castañeda received its share of P337.5 million after town officials submitted a supplemental budget to the province, which supposedly laid out how the town government planned to spend the windfall.

Under the local government code, town ordinances such as those allocating local funds shall be reviewed by the provincial board within 90 days, before the town government can disburse the funds for listed projects.

“We are surprised how the town managed to buy all these vehicles when the budget has not yet been passed the Sangguniang Panlalawigan,” Dumlao said.

Also, documents revealed that the purchase of new vehicles was not listed in the town government’s annual investment plan. In the supplemental budget, only P9 million pesos was earmarked for “procurement of service vehicle” for the mayor’s office.

“What is so sickening about this supplemental budget is that there is not even a sufficient allocation (of funds) for the protection of the environment, such as a reforestation project. We must remind them that the forests of Alfonso Castañeda are the watershed of (the CMIPP); if we do not do something about it, we are killing the goose that lays the golden egg,” he said.

He noted that the budget was prepared in haste, having been approved by local officials barely four days after the CE Casecnan paid the amount on Nov. 13.

This writer tried but failed to reach Mayor Jerry Pasigian through his mobile phone. Members of his staff said they were told that the mayor was sick.

But Vice Gov. Jose Gambito, who is also presiding officer of the provincial board, downplayed Dumlao’s claims.

“We cannot yet ascertain whether there is something illegal about the purchases because as of now, there is yet no indication that (Alfonso Castañeda officials) have already paid for the vehicles,” he said.

The mere fact that vehicles are now being used does not mean outright that money has already been spent to pay for them, Gambito added.

He also defended the car purchases made by Alfonso Castañeda officials.

“We may disagree with what our officials do, but they are our still elected leaders. That is the price that we have to pay in a democracy,” he said.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–Anti-mining groups in Cagayan scored officials of government for allegedly staging a cover-up of alleged illegal mining operations in the province, which, they said, was exposed by the recent grounding of a Korean ship as it was to ship a cargo of magnetite sand out of the country.

Gensun Agustin, convenor of the newly-formed federation of anti-mining movement in Cagayan, slammed the “protection” that government authorities there in order to conceal illegal mining and quarrying operations on the riverbed of the Cagayan River and the province’s northern coastline, allegedly by foreigners.

“The situation has become very clear: illegal mining has been going on in Cagayan but people in government, who are supposed to be the first to stop these operations are the ones scrambling to protect these aliens who are exploiting our natural resources,” he said.

Agustin assailed the alleged conspiracy among government agencies, which include the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the provincial environment office, in a “desperate” effort to cover up the ongoing illegal mining activities in Cagayan.

“They always tell us that we should provide proof that indeed there are mining operations. But when we present to them mounds of evidence, such as photos, video footages and witnesses’ testimonies, they are so quick to dismiss all these proofs,” he said.

But by divine intervention, Agustin said, government men’s claim that no mining is ongoing in Cagayan was belied when a North Korean ship, MV Nam Yang 8, reportedly loaded with about 2,816 tons of magnetite sand bound for China, malfunctioned off Claveria town in Cagayan.

It soon drifted westward and ran aground near the shore of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

“After this (mishap) was exposed, people in government are now one in saying that everything–from the working papers of the Korean crew, to the load of magnetite sand–is in order, but they could not show proof,” he said.

These recent development, Agustin said, has emboldened groups to unify and form a multi-sectoral movement that will lead efforts to oppose any mining activity in the province.

The federation, which was organized Saturday, is composed of people’s organizations from Cagayan towns that said to have been affected by illegal mining and quarrying operations, namely: Santa Ana, Gonzaga, Santa Teresita, Buguey, Aparri, Camalaniugan, Lallo, and Baggao.

Sought for comment, Mario Ancheta, MGB Cagayan Valley director, however, denied the allegations.

“There is no cover up here. We are just making our findings based on what we see from our validation activities, and from what we saw, there are no ongoing mining operations anywhere in Cagayan,” he said.

He maintained that the magnetite cargo was allowed to be shipped out of the country and was covered by an export permit issued by Gov. Alvaro Antonio.

He said Nam Yang 8’s load of black sand was part of an “old stock” that was allowed to be shipped out, despite a cease-and-desist order earlier issued by former Environment Sec. Lito Atienza on all mining operations in the province.

However, Fr. Christopher Coballes, Aparri parish priest, disputed this claim.

“There is no such thing as ‘old stock’ in Lallo; we have looked everywhere and nowhere have we found mounds of black sand awaiting shipment. (Nam Yang 8’s) cargo is freshly extracted sand,” he said.

For his part, Roberto Adap, Cagayan’s environment officer, would neither confirm nor deny that the magnetite shipment was covered by a shipping permit.

“I would rather suggest that you visit my office and take a look at the documents, then you make your own judgment whether the papers are sufficient for the cargo to be considered legal,” he said in a phone interview.

Ancheta urged anti-mining groups to document all mining activities that they discover and file a formal complaint.

“We cannot simply act on the basis of verbal reports and text messages. Everything should be made official,” he said.

Yes, I’ve been out for a while. Almost a year, in fact. No excuses. I just found a renewed vigor to start blogging all over again. I give thanks to you, my readers who gave me this newly-found inspiration to do what I used to do and what I love doing.

Let’s get it on.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–Local officials and civil society leaders here have expressed outrage over the alleged extravagant spending of the P750 million which the provincial government collected last year from the foreign owners of a multi-million irrigation and power project in upland Alfonso Castañeda town.

This developed following reports that town officials of Alfonso Castañeda purchased a fleet of sports utility vehicles from the town’s share of real property taxes worth P337.5 million last year.

“This is a total disgrace to these local officials who are now spending the money at will for their own benefit and enjoyment,” said human rights lawyer Ernesto Salunat.

Board member Patricio Dumlao Jr., said that in early December 2009, the town government of Alfonso Castañeda acquired 14 brand new units of Nissan Navara valued at P1.3 million each, two units of Nissan Urvan also costing about P1.3 million each and two units of Toyota Fortuner, said to be worth P1.6 million each.

The total cost of the purchase would be about P24 million.

The vehicles were reportedly issued to each of the town’s elected officials, chiefs of offices, barangay captains, including the town’s education officials.

“There are restrictions set forth by our laws, as well as administrative orders issued by the CoA (Commission on Audit) and DBM (Department and Budget and Management) involving the purchase of vehicles. In this case, I think they (town officials) went overboard,” Dumlao said.

This writer repeatedly tried but failed to reach Alfonso Castañeda mayor Jerry Pasigian through his mobile phone.

The Alfonso Castañeda government made the purchases in December after it got its share from the partial payment of P750 million by California Energy-Casecnan, the US company that owns and operates the Casecnan Multi-Purpose Power and Irrigation Project (CMIPP) there.

Pursuant to the local government code, the amount was to be shared among the provincial, town and barangay governments where the CMIPP is located. The other half comprises the special education fund, which is to be shared between the provincial and town governments.

CE Casecnan paid the amount under a compromise agreement it entered into with the provincial government of Nueva Vizcaya, in an effort to stave off the auction of the CMIPP due to tax debts totaling P1.7 billion, according to lawyer Leslie Costales, provincial special legal officer.

The US firm, however, made the payment under protest.

Costales said the provincial legal office has given pieces of advice to Alfonso Castañeda officials on what to do with the money.

“Whether they abide would still be entirely up to them,” he added.

Salunat said he will file graft charges against local officials who were responsible for the purchase of vehicles.

“We cannot allow this indiscriminate spending of people’s money. There are many people who are starving, who cannot even afford to eat three straight meals a day. Yet, here come public officials who waste people’s money by buying these luxury vehicles,” he said.

Dumlao expressed concern that Alfonso Castañeda officials may have been following the lead of the provincial government in a buying spree of luxury vehicles, citing the fleet of sports utility vehicles that have also been bought by the province last year.

He cited a DBM circular which limits the purchase of vehicles only to ambulances, fire trucks, vehicles for mass transport and other utility vehicles only when these are necessary in the interest of public service.

“How can (these officials) claim now that these vehicles would be used for the delivery of basic services to the people?” he asked.

Acting provincial treasurer Rhoda Moreno said Alfonso Castañeda’s share was released in full after they had submitted supplemental budget that was required by the provincial government. She, however, did not furnish reporters a copy of the document, saying she did not have it.

She said the use of the town’s share was the prerogative of local officials.#

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya–The illegal numbers game has taken on a new disguise here following the arrival of Bingo 2 Balls, which, bet collectors said, was meant as a supposed legal alternative to “jueteng“.

Quoting gambling operators who met with a group of “jueteng” workers on Sunday, a source said the newly-revived “Bingo 2 Balls” operation here is purportedly sanctioned by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

“They showed us documents with the name of a certain corporation as a registered entity with the PCSO. This is why we were made to believe that this is now the legalized version of jueteng,” said the source, who asked not to be named for fear of his safety.

“Jueteng” has continued to flourish in this province as part of what police officials called “guerrilla-type” operations. Reports were rife, however, that this had the blessing of local officials here. 

The source said gambling lords had wanted to shift their “jueteng” operations to the government-sanctioned STL, ostensibly to shield their workers from perennial threat of arrest by law enforcement operatives, and to avoid payment of bribe and protection money local and police officials.

“Paiba-iba ang sinasabi ng mga operators. May nagsasabing Bingo 2 Balls, at meron ding Online Bingo. Medyo nakakalito pero isa lang ang paulit-ulit na sinasabi–legal na daw ito, di gaya ng jueteng (There are varied claims. Some said it’s Bingo 2 Balls, others said it’s Online Bingo. But they made one thing clear–that this is already legal unlike jueteng),” the source, who was privy to the Sunday meeting, said.

Documents obtained by this writer, however, indicated that the purported redesigned numbers game being introduced here was Small Town Lottery, but supposedly under license from the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.

In a letter to mayors here, Meridien Vista Gaming Corp. has asked for the issuance of a business permit, together with an endorsement from the town councils for the conduct of STL in the province.

Former police director Segundo Duran Jr., Meridien provincial coordinator, said the firm is a registered enterprise licensed to conduct gaming operations within the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport in Santa Ana town in Cagayan, which is being managed by Ceza.

“(Meridien) is authorized by the office of Ceza to set up betting station in any place as may be allowed by law in support to the virtual games conducted by aforementioned company outside the Cagayan Freeport,” Duran said.

But bet collection activities failed to take off on Monday after police officials here had warned that they would arrest workers who would take supposed STL bets for Meridien.

Police sources showed copies of a letter from Romualdo Quinones, PCSO STL project manager, stating that Isabela is the only province in Cagayan Valley that has an approved and operational STL license.

“Thus, any alleged STL operations in the other provinces under your jurisdiction are not authorized by the PCSO,” Quinones said in his letter to Chief Supt. Roberto Damian, Cagayan Valley police director. 

Ceza officials, however, clarified that that while they have granted a gaming license to Meridien, a Spanish-owned company, the permit covered only “virtual gaming” and jai-alai operations.

“We never issue any license for STL because that is outside our jurisdiction. It is only PCSO that has that authority to issue STL licenses,” said Nilo Aldeguer, Ceza senior deputy administrator.