ISSUE NO. 29, JULY 20, 2006

Oil price hike looms; Palace cuts oil tariff
The government is confident that the country will pull through the challenge of steep oil prices if tensions affecting the global crude market will continue to persist.

Oil industry officials are seeing a likely P8 per liter increase in oil prices by September as world prices teeter near record high amid a worsening conflict between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

Malacañang assured that it will not cease in its efforts to mitigate the impact of rising oil prices on the lives of the Filipinos.

Provincial Director Javier Fortunato Javier of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here said that should the P8 oil price increase occur, a hike on prices of basic goods and commodities is inevitable.

Javier however assured that DTI’s price monitoring team will closely monitor prices of basic goods here to prevent traders from taking advantage of the looming oil price hike and resort to profiteering.

According to Jojo Sumido, DTI enforcement officer, the department will look into price increases that are more than 10 percent from the item’s previous prevailing price.

“When there is a 10 percent increase from the previous prevailing price, we will verify its cause and conduct an investigation…this is also to give a chance to business establishments to explain,” says Sumido.

Sumido, however, expects a gradual increase in the foreseen oil price hike. “I hope that the increase will not be abrupt. Let’s just cross our fingers,” he said.

He is also confident that should there be an oil price hike, the government will implement measures to ensure that the increase in local prices will not be abrupt but gradual.

The government has recently cut its import tariff on crude oil and petroleum products to two percent from three percent to help mitigate the high oil prices, says Energy Undersecretary Guillermo Balce.

Balce said the cut in the import tariff was among the short-term measures by the government and that further reductions “may be expected depending on the movements of oil prices in the world market.”

The government, aside from renewing its call to Congress for the passage of pending energy-related bills, is also coming out with programs urging motorists to use alternative fuels such as LPG and ethanol blends.

Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her visit to Libya was also successful in securing a steady oil supply.

The latest oil monitor report from the Department of Energy states that world oil prices have been on strong upward pressure on fears that hostilities between Israel and Lebanon might spread throughout the Middle East, a region that produces about 31 percent of the world's oil.

With the heightened geopolitical pressures in the region, DOE said prices are more likely to rise rather than fall because of the risk of supply interruption.

Gov’t probation program works; registers 10% revocation rate
The government’s probation program is effectively working in the country, says Chief Probation and Parole Officer Atanacio Llena of the Negros Oriental Parole and Probation Office.

Llena said that the revocation rate of those granted probation in our country is at 10 percent, a clear proof that the government’s probation program works. “Studies show that even with a 20% revocation rate, it still means that the probation system is working,” he said.

The Probation and Parole Administration recently celebrated its 30th anniversary to mark the occasion when then President Ferdinand Marcos signed Presidential Decree No. 968 in July 24.

Parole and probation is a non-institutional type of correction as opposed to imprisonment, which is the institutional type.

Correction is one of the five pillars of justice with the others namely: police, prosecution, courts and community.

Llena, in a recent Kapihan forum held by Philippine Information Agency, disclosed that the six parole and probation offices under the Negros Oriental cluster serving a total of 1,289 active clients.

The Bais City Parole and Probation Office, which covers six other municipalities, topped the list of active supervision cases last year with 404, followed by the Provincial Parole and Probation Office with 259, Dumaguete City PPO with 225, Canlaon City PPO with 141, Bayawan City PPO with 138 and Tanjay City PPO with 122.

“Can you just imagine if there were no parole and probation services of the government, these clients would have been crowding our jails,” says Llena.

In the same forum, Negros Oriental Executive Judge Rosendo Bandal lauded the passage of Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.

Under RA 9344, the age exemption to criminal responsibility has been upped to 15 years old. “Before, only a person who is below nine years old is exempt from criminal liability,” explains Bandal.

The new law states that children up to 15 years old are exempt from criminal liability. “They can only be civilly liable but they cannot be prosecuted or convicted for any offense committed,” he said.

Bandal said the law was enacted primarily because the government recognizes the role of children in nation-building. “The State wantes to provide protection to the children, promote their welfare as well spiritual, moral, physical and social well-being,” he said.

Hands-on training on virgin coco oil processing set in Cebu City
The Department of Science and Technology-Region 7 (DOST-7) will conduct a two-day training on virgin coconut oil processing at DOST-7 Conference Room in Brgy. Banilad, Cebu City on July 27 to 28, 2006.

Each participant will be charged a course fee of P3,000 to cover meals/snacks, training materials, hand-outs and certificate.

Government employees who wish to participate will only be charged P2,400.

Reservation is required. Interested participants may contact (032) 231-7008 or (032)416-2753 or text at 09217117488.

Only those who have made reservations will be informed of any change in schedule.

Check payments are also accepted payable to COSPO.

OCD stresses preparedness at all times, calls LCEs to come up with contingency plans
Larena, Siquijor (19 July ) – Following the series of crises and calamitous events hitting the country, Civil Defense Officer Welino Gubuan stresses anew preparedness and calls local chief executives to come up with contingency plans.

“Even if Siquijor is not prone to disaster, let us always be prepared and we must have a contingency plan to effectively meet all types of disaster,” says Gubuan.

While contingency plans of most local government units (LGUs) here are still in the process of ‘polishing’, Gubuan however said that disaster preparedness are already in place.

As part of its preparedness effort, the province thru its Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) has conducted briefings and educational drive to schools and barangays aside from the fire and earthquake drills being conducted.
In each briefing, Gubuan said deputized civil defense officers and local government officials were urged to strengthen their disaster efficiency and contingency plans activities.

Meanwhile, DND Secretary Avelino Cruz assured the people that the Arroyo government is ready to effectively meet natural disasters like the volcanic activity in Mayon and help absorb the blow on local population as he appeals to residents and travelers to adhere to the off-limit zones and to abide by the contingency measures implemented by authorities.

“The NDCC and the LGUs are on top of all disaster preparedness measures and President Arroyo is monitoring the developments closely,” he said.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye also explained that the present leadership has a multi-level disaster management plan for calamity-prone areas and every effort is being made to save lives and property.

The Palace official expressed that the national government and LGUs are gearing for more proactive measures to prevent, contain and act upon all disaster scenarios.

KALAHI-CIDSS exits after 3 years of successful implementation in EV
After three years of successful implementation in Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor, the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan: Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI: CIDSS) finally made its exit and handover recently.

An exit/turn-over ceremony was done in EV attended by officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) from the national and regional levels .

Mayor Elery Clint Orquillas expressed his gratitude to the people behind KALAHI: CIDSS and pledged to sustain/maintain all the completed projects in his municipality.

“KALAHI: CIDSS has been proof that the government is helping. It was a sincere and true implementation of government projects, gaining back people’s trust,” he said.

Conquering not only mud-spattered, rugged terrains or lightless households but people’s hearts as well, testimonials on the goodness of the program were given by the town folks themselves.

KALAHI: CIDSS is a flagship project of the government developed under the KALAHI framework, which is the administration’s overarching program for a focused, accelerated, convergent and expanded and strategic effort to reduce poverty.

As noted, the administration’s dedication in providing sound governance and shunning political noise is gaining recognition with the higher approval rating for President Gloria Arroyo.

Malacañang said “the President and her Cabinet are intensely focused on the aggressive and strong-willed implementation of political and economic reform agenda, not weighed down by vagaries of the political situation.”

Gov’t warns coup ploutters; Siquijor remains peaceful
The administration and its security forces will take the necessary measures to fight the plotters and safeguard the nation.

This was stressed by Malacañang in view of reports of conspiracy allegedly aimed to topple the government.

“The rule of law stands unsullied, upheld by a criminal justice system that dispenses with the cases against these destabilizers swiftly under due process,” Malacañang officials warned coup plotters.

Of Operation Plan Trident, Malacañang said it is an “unmistakable threat to our democracy”.

Operation Plan Trident is allegedly the latest plot of rebel soldiers to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo if not disrupt her State of the Nation Address (SONA).

But the administration leaves to the law enforcement authorities the task of further exposing to the public the intricate web of destabilization involved in Oplan Trident.

Siquijor Police Superintendent Orlando Domingo Ualat, for his part, said that aside from the regular police operations, he is directing all field units to be on red alert which he said as automatic with the upcoming President’s SONA or any related events that call for intensive security measures. This, he said is necessary to secure the province from any threat groups who may take advantage of the situation.

Ualat said that although the peace and order situation in the province remains stable, the local Philippine National Police is pursuing police visibility and patrolling operations to “preempt any advances by lawless elements.”

As additional security measure, “we are also updating our barangay information network,” Ualat said.

This, he said is also part of the local police’s security measures undertaken in view of the upcoming SONA on July 24.

Despite the destabilizations, Pres. Gloria Arroyo and her team continue to focus their energies and vigor towards the fulfillment of our goals of drawing investments, providing more jobs and cutting down poverty through the entire range of good governance,” Malacañang said.