INFOBYTES, Issue No. 24, Sept. 8, 2005

Oriental Negros holds one of the lowest crime rates in Region 7

Oriental Negrenses are basking in what a top police official describes as an "atmosphere of peace and tranquility" in the province that has been identified to hold the second to the lowest crime rate in the region this year.

With an average monthly crime rate of 8.27%, Oriental Negros has been cited in a recent Regional Peace and Order Council meeting as one of the localities enjoying the low crime rate, disclosed P/Supt. Orlando Walat, deputy provincial director of the Provincial Police Office here, in a Kapihan forum yesterday.

Statistics presented during the Region 7 Peace and Order Council meeting held August 19 in Dumaguete City show that Cebu City holds the highest recorded incidents, followed by Cebu province and Bohol.

Based on records from the Provincial Police Office here, a total of 745 crimes were recorded in Oriental Negros from January to August this year, of which 479 are classified as index crimes and 266 as non-index crimes.

Crimes against person ranked highest among crime incidents reported with 163, followed by murder, 108; homicide, 52; and rape, 31.

Some 40 street crimes were reported in the same period of which 43% were theft or snatching incidents and 35% were illegal drug activities.

The provincial police force has been persistent with the conduct of its anti-crime activities from January to August this year, during which Police Community Precincts were put up in various strategic barangays in the province.

Walat added that a Community Police Action Center (COMPACT) was also established. "This allows the policeman to stay outside of the police station and take post in places accessible to people to attend to petty crimes and serve the public most hours of the day and night," he said.

The national government has also come up with a strategy to firm up anti-crime efforts in the barangay level with the creation of the expanded barangay peace and order council (EBPOC).

Jofralito Lorico, provincial director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) here, in the same forum said the EBPOC will consolidate the various anti-crime bodies in the barangay such as the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council, Brgy. Intelligence Network and Brgy. Against Narcotics Abusers and Traffickers.

Meanwhile, speaking in the same forum held in celebration of National Crime Prevention and Control Week, Dumaguete City Police Chief Insp. Manuel Hidalgo urged residents in the city to be cautious against making themselves vulnerable to crime.

"Sometimes we give snatchers the opportunity, like using our cellphones while walking on the street or counting money out in the open," says Hidalgo.

The city police chief however assured that Dumaguete City is safe with "no organized crimes or syndicated crime groups."

Records show that Dumaguete City ranks fifth in the top ten crime-prone localities in the province with an average monthly crime rate of 15.88%.

The full list of the top ten crime-prone areas here based on the average monthly crime for the first eight months this year are Jimalalud (24.89%), Valencia (20.67%), Bacong (17.81%), Zamboanguita (16.73%), Dumaguete City (15.88%), Amlan (13.94%), La Libertad (10.24%), Ayungon (9.99%), San Jose (9.71%) and Basay (9.69%).
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CSC exam on October 16 will be held in Dumaguete

Civil service examinees in Oriental Negros and Siquijor no longer need to travel to Cebu to take the Career Service Examinations.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) Negros Oriental Field Office recently announced that they will conduct the Career Service Professional and Sub-Professional tests in Dumaguete City on October 16, 2005 for examinees from Oriental Negros and Siquijor provinces.

This developed following numerous requests from examinees in Oriental Negros and Siquijor provinces, said local CSC OIC-Supervising Personnel Specialist Prolaine de la Calzada.

For the past years, examinees from Bohol, Siquijor and Oriental Negros had to travel to Cebu City where the CSC testing center for the Career Service Examinations is located.

The conduct of the said exam in Dumaguete City is still at a "testing" stage, and if everything goes well, then "hopefully we can make it permanent," says De la Calzada.

Deadline for examination applications is set on September 16, 2005.

De la Calzada is urging prospective applicants to grab the chance to maximize the opportunity of taking the career service examination in the city "because the next scheduled examination may not be here in our locality."

Meanwhile, a house bill has been filed seeking to criminalize cheating in civil service examinations.

House Bill 4435, authored principally by Rep. Henedina Abad of the lone district in Batanes seeks to impose six (6) to twelve (12) years imprisonment and a fine of not less than P50,000 to violators.

Abad said cheating refers to any act of omission before, during, or after examinations that will directly or indirectly undermine the sanctity of the process.

"These forms of cheating include impersonation, the use of crib sheets or "codigo", employing a "poste" or a person who disguises as an examinee during examination, tampering with examination records," Abad said.

According to Ms. Prolaine de la Calzada, the house bill, if approved, will enhance the CSC's jurisdiction over civil service examination irregularities.

The CSC imposes administrative and civil penalties on examinees caught cheating in the civil service tests.

The highest penalty is dismissal from government service for examinees who are already state employees and for others, disbarment from entering government service and taking any future civil service examinations.

According to De la Calzada, exam irregularities in Region 7 are not rampant. "The usual case is impersonation, wherein a person would take the exam in behalf of another person who took the test previously and failed," she added.
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Prov'l gov't creates Bird Flu Task Force
Prompted by the possibility of a bird flu outbreak in Oriental Negros, the provincial government here recently created the Bird (Avian) Flu Task Force.

According to Executive Order 05-05 issued by Governor George P. Arnaiz, the bird flu outbreak in the neighboring Asian countries have affected a total of 109 persons of which 55 died as of July 29, 2005.

Arnaiz stated in the said executive order that there is a strong possibility that the province will be infected by the said disease following reports from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the presence of migratory birds in Tanjay-Bais area and Olango Island in Cebu.

The creation of the said task force came in the heels of a recommendation from the Avian Flu Protection Program created by the national government, which called for the "establishment of linkages between and among local government units, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health to respond to whatever emergency may arise."

Chaired by the governor, the provincial Avian Flu Task Force is composed of teams on surveillance/vaccination evaluation, poultry/bird movement and control, public information, data/GIS and legal support.
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Siquijor to celebrate 34th day

This year's 34th Araw ng Siquijor will put the province on center stage, and rightly so.

The island, now a byword among tourists for its natural and cultural sites, will come full circle this September in fiesta and celebratory mood.

Exciting events that spice up this year's Araw ng Siquijor have been lined up and finalized recently at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Session Hall.

Larena will play host to the opening sportsfest program simultaneous to the Philippine Civil Service Commission's 105th celebration.

Highlighting the occasion are the four-day Agro/Trade Fair and Exhibits, which run from September 14-17 at the St. Francis of Assisi Church grounds. A joint undertaking of the Provincial Government and the different agencies composing the Siquijor Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council (SMEDC), it is meeting of maturity and experience of seasoned entrepreneurs on one hand and the creative fresh air and enthusiasm of beginners on the other. More so, it will offer a taste of everything from processed food products to woodcraft and arts. It will also be an opportune time to give honor to our island's bests and agri/trade achievers.

Sure presence will be the Solili dance festival, a "Lumad Siquijodnon" showdown on the day of September 17 that will no doubt gather people into a biggest crowd.

There may be rains in September and upheaval in the national political arena; however, Siquijor people are ready to brave hell and high water to push through with the celebration. This month promises to be a showcase and a reminder of everything that makes us truly Siquijodnon.
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PGMA calls for peace and understanding for unity and progress

LAPU-LAPU CITY-- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo thanked last night the leaders of various religious groups and organizations in the country who have made a clear call in promoting a culture of peace and fostering of understanding not only in the Philippines but in the whole world.

The President sounded her expression of gratitude when she addressed Wednesday night the closing of the National Summit of Religious Leaders Towards a Culture of Peace attended by some 180 leaders of various religious and ethnic denominations at the Crown Regency Suites here.

"I am grateful to you, our religious leaders, and to the many well-meaning Filipinos who have made a clear call of prudence, sobriety, dialogue, understanding, and peace in these trying times. Because you have called for and conducted dialogue, you have tempered the onslaught of hate and manned the perimeters of prudence, understanding, sobriety and the rule of law, the President said.

The two-day summit which envisions to unite and galvanize peoples of diverse religions and beliefs towards addressing peace and order issues was spearheaded by the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA) -- Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month 2005.

The summit participants came from various religious groups/organizations such as Islam, Roman Catholic, Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches 9PCEC), National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), Greek Orthodox, Brahma Kumaris, Hindu, Bahai, Sikhs, Buddhist, Seventh Day Adventist, and the indigenous peoples.

The President said what the country needs now is "less talk but more dialogue and more action on jobs, high prices especially coming from the world oil upsurge, hunger, law and order, and corruption, which, she noted, is "the very sentiment mentioned in the summaries and statement presented to her by the summit participants.

"Yesterday Congress spoke with the mighty voice of the people they represent and I thank all of them. Their voice is clear -- let us work for peace not conflict. Let us get back to work not in the streets but in our offices and industrial centers, in our farms and communities. Let's bury the conflict of the past and gather around a brighter, peaceful tomorrow, the President said.

The President said she has instructed her entire Cabinet to "get down to brass tacks and let the people feel in their bones, and in their hearts, in their spirit the power of honest and efficient service. "These are things that you our religious leaders can fully help internalize in your public servants, the President added.

According to the President, her personal pain or political triumph is of no moment to the task of building this nation and putting the economy in order. "I offer the olive branch of peace to all my critics and detractors for a principled partnership for the people, driven by responsible governance and responsible fiscalization, she said

The President asked for the guidance and support of the summit participants to help save the Philippines from the "rapidly degenerating political system that breeds not only the compartmentalization of ideas and the misunderstanding among religions, ethnicity and culture, but also compartmentalization of work, "a system that foments division not only across the institutions of our national government, but also along the axis of national and local governance and also across different religions and ethnic cultures.

"Now is the time to begin to change the system. You in this dialogue, in this promotion of peace is part of the changing of the system and I thank you for that, she said.

Extending the hand of peace to her detractors, the President invited the citizenry, including her critics and supporters, to an earnest and sincere debate to amend the Constitution, "which many of you want, to bring power back to the people and to cast the demons that have haunted our politics.

The President said the National Summit of Religious Leaders Towards a Culture of Peace "transcends all politics and partisan concerns, and I thank you for your statement and I look forward to the follow up that we will be making.

The President also tasked Ma. Isabel Tobias, Secretary General of the Presidential Council for Values Formation, to study the possibility of integrating the summit's recommendation to create an Interfaith Commission, together with the recommendation of evangelical bishops to organize a Council on Moral Values.
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PGMA calls for peace and unity for development

Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo chose Cebu for her first public appearance and public statement as she reached out a hand of peace to her critics and detractors alike after the recent controversial foiled impeachment rap against her in Congress.

Mrs. Arroyo was briefly in Cebu yesterday afternoon to grace the first-ever "National Summit of Religious Leaders Towards a Culture of Peace" in Lapulapu City attended by 180 leaders of 11 faiths throughout the country. Those in attendance were from different religions such as the predominant Roman Catholic, Buddhism, Hindu, Islam, Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, National Council of Churches in the Philippines, Indigenous people, Orthodox, Brahma Kumaris, Bahais, Sikhism, and 7th Day Advenstist.

Pres. Arroyo in her message stressed that "we need development to sustain peace and we need peace for development to flourish" as both are inter-related to fight the common enemy which is poverty.

Mrs. Arroyo called on the opposition and her critics to bury the past and transform the weariness of our people into a fresh dynamism for action, enterprise and reform. She further said that in these trying times of world oil price upsurge, hunger and corruption, what are needed are less talk and more action on jobs.

Arroyo described to the delegates that the Philippine seemed to live in two countries: one that is poised for economic takeoff, and the other that is held back by discord sired by a degenerating political system.

Instead of going to the streets for demonstrations, the President appealed to the people to get back to work in the offices and industrial centers, in the farms and communities for a brighter tomorrow.

As the President is set to leave for the United States next week to preside over the United Nations (UN) Security Council, she wished to deliver the same message that she is working for One Philippines and One God.

For her part, the President ended that she would continue to open all doors towards keeping our nation together in achieving One Philippines.
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