Presumptive Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III will be the guest speaker at the inauguration of incoming Bacolod officials, led by Mayor-elect Evelio Leonardia, Vice Mayor-elect El Cid Familiaran, and Congressman-elect Greg Gasataya at the New Government Center, 5 p.m. on July 6. Pimentel is the president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), the party of incoming President Rodrigo Duterte. The Nationalist People's Coalition, of which Leonardia is a member, has recently coalesced with PDP-Laban. Pimentel sponsored the Senate version of House Bill 4491, principally authored by Leonardia at the House, to create three more Regional Trial Courts in Bacolod. President Aquino had signed it and is now a law. "We are very pleased and honored that the presumptive Senate President has accepted our invitation inspite of his tight schedule. Together with Senator-elect Manny Pacquiao, the two will lend prestige and inspiration to the incoming officials and the people of our city," Leonardia said. Pacquiao, adopted son of Bacolod, will swear in the incoming mayor. Leonardia was the first public official to take his oath before Pacquiao in 2010, when the boxing phenomenon was first elected congressman. Again, he could be the first that Pacquiao will swear in when he becomes Senator. Leonardia and Pacquio were seatmates in the last Congress, where Leonardia served as a freshman legislator. They leave congress at the same time – Pacquiao to serve as senator; Leonardia to return as mayor of Bacolod. Leonardia had carried the champion's belt and the Philippine flag in most of Pacquiao's fights. He is also godfather to two of Pacquiao's children, Queenie and Israel. Also confirmed as guest is former governor Chavit Singson, who was also in the 2010 inaugural and a constant companion of the new senator. Some congressmen and local government officials have also been invited. Incoming councilors expected to attend are Ricardo Tan, Caesar Distrito, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Em Ang, Elmer Sy, Ann Palermo, Wilson Gamboa, Jr. Dindo Ramos, Bart Orola, Claudio Puentevella and Sonya Verdeflor.* Visayan Daily Star
0 Comments
BACOLOD City Mayor-elect Evelio Leonardia led members of his transition team in inspecting various sites in the city less than a week before his administration takes over on June 30, a press release from his office said. He was joined by both incoming Representative Greg Gasataya and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran. The group checked the promenade at Negros Occidental High School, the Bacolod Public Plaza, and several other sites needing reconstruction and refurbishing. They also inspected the Diamond Jubilee Memorial Tower at the plaza, which the Leonardia administration built in 2013 to commemorate the city’s 75th year. “It is time to return this structure to its original intentions which is to celebrate the diamond milestone of the city,” Leonardia said. “Let us give this symbol of our creation as a city dignity and prestige.” Other areas identified were the lighting up of New (Bacolod) Government Center, the clean-up and rehabilitation of the median islands, and strategic sidewalks along 6th Street and North Drive and on San Juan Street near the San Sebastian Cathedral. Sun Star Bacolod Bacolod Rep. and Mayor-Elect Evelio Leonardia asked the Commission on Elections to dismiss the election protest filed by outgoing Mayor Monico Puentevella against him for lack of merit and to grant his counter-claim after proving the same at the hearing of the case. Puentevella and his running mate, vice mayoralty candidate Vladimir Gonzalez filed an election protest against Bacolod Rep. and Mayor-elect Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor-elect El Cid Familiaran, respectively, before the Electoral Contest Adjudication Department of the Commission on Elections, seeking a manual recount or audit of the ballots cast during the May 9 elections. Puentevella got 97,993 votes against Leonardia who got 120,231 votes, while Gonzalez got 86,611 votes against El Cid Familiaran who got 108,360 votes. In his answer dated June 21, Leonardia, who is represented by Joselito Bayatan and Edward Joseph Causing, said there is no violation of Batas Pambansa 881 Section 206 with regard to the appreciation, tabulation and computation of ballots per clustered precincts as claimed by Puentevella. Leonardia said Puentevella cannot distinguish between the old election law and procedure under B.P. 881 and the updated and modern methodology of election under R.A. 9369. In his petition, Puentevella said that the Board of Election Inspectors should have counted the ballots in a public manner in ascertaining the votes in the concerned precinct. SYSTEM BLAMED He further blamed the electronic system by stating that the use of the Vote Counting Machine avoided the publicly-visible counting, tabulation or computation of the total votes cast because, according to him, only the VCM did the computation without any human witness, thus violates Sec. 206 of BP 881. NO PROOF SHOWN Leonardia said Puentevella cannot show proof even in his initiatory pleadings that there were alleged anomalies, irregularities, or fraud in their specific manner of commission, except by his own unsubstantiated outcry, opinionated generalization, and his obnoxious condemnation of the existing Automated Electronic System is only to satisfy his obsession in questioning his massive defeat in the mayoralty election. He said Puentevella should have raised the issue at the earliest opportunity during the canvass, either by filing his petition under oath before the Board of Canvassers, or even directly to the Comelec as provided in Resolution 10083, Section 9. The claims of Puentevella that the candidates were deprived through their watchers to check on their election returns because the proclamation of the winners was simply based on the consolidated data from the storage data devices, is another expression of his ignorance of the nature and characteristic of the Automated Election System, he added. Leonardia said the alleged “manifest error” claimed by Puentevella would have come from the voter's themselves, inasmuch as they were given the opportunity to examine for themselves the correctness of their votes from their voters' receipt print-out, pursuant to Comelec Resolution 10117. ESTIMATED SUPPORTERS Puentevella argued that since his estimated 120,000 supporters failed to deliver their votes for him then the constitutional guarantee on suffrage was violated, or it worked against him. For Puentevella to claim that he had 120,000 supporters to vote for him and none should go astray, is an argument that distorts the meaning of suffrage. Supporters can be far different from voters insofar as suffrage is concerned, Leonardia said. Especially in the given situation that Puentevella garnered 97,993 votes out of his expected 120,000 votes, then these 97,993 votes, in the meaning of suffrage, are those who exercised their sovereign free will in favor of Puentevella, while the rest of the 120,000 “supporters” could have abstained or could have shifted their votes to other candidates, he said. Leonardia said Comelec Resolution 10057 and 10083 were issued by the Commission to safeguard the rights of the candidates and the voters in the conduct of the election at the level of the BEI and BOC. This is not to mention that the proficiency and efficiency of the Vote Counting Machine has been tested and validated under Comelec Resolution 10090 and 1000109 by way of Random Manual Audit, he said. FORUM SHOPPING Leonardia said Puentevella is guilty of forum shopping because there is a similar pending case of “recount” filed before the Branch 42 of the Regional Trail Court filed by Richard Calulut et al also seeking a manual recount or audit of the ballots cast in the May 9 elections. This warrants the dismissal of his petition, he said.*CGS Visayan Daily Star BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO “I am returning to the New Government Center with a clean slate, with the last of the 14 cases filed against me for building this edifice already dismissed.” The statement came from Bacolod Rep. and Mayor-elect Evelio Leonardia, during a huddle with reporters Saturday in Bacolod City, a week before he returns to the NGC as the incoming mayor. Leonardia was referring to the dismissal last week by the Regional Trial Court Branch 44 of the civil case against him and other city officials, challenging the legality of the contract for the construction and site development of the NGC. “We can say Divine Justice finally prevailed for us: on the eve of my return, the court throws out the last of the 14 cases,” Leonardia said. This will allow me now to come home to the NGC unencumbered by the legal questions which my political opponent threw at us without let-up in the last eight years, he said. I have always known we were in the right in building this for our people, but yes, it feels good, knowing this has been affirmed by the Ombudsman, the Commission on Audit, and the courts. “We had to face and endure six criminal and six administrative cases filed before the Ombudsman, an audit case before the Commission on Audit and this civil case,” Leonardia said. It was not a smooth ride coming here, he added. “And what an irony it is that the very same Monico Puentevella who was behind all these cases intended to sabotage the NGC, and even had the gall to author the change of its ‘natural born' name to one which our people find totally unacceptable,” Leonardia said. Leonardia returns to the NGC noon of June 30 for a three-year term after he defeated incumbent mayor Monico Puentevella. Leonardia garnered a record 120,231 votes or a lead of 22,238 votes against Puentevella's 97,993 votes. The NGC, which was built in 2007, is one of the major infrastructure projects under the Leonardia administration before he stepped down when he became congressman in 2013. Leonardia said they will conduct a massive clean-up of the government center and its premises when the new set of officials comes in. Meanwhile, incoming officials led by Leonardia and some members of the transition team went around Bacolod City recently for a look-see, ahead of the turnover on June 30. With Leonardia were Congressman-elect Greg Gasataya and Vice Mayor-elect El Cid Familiaran. The group visited the promenade at the Negros Occidental High School, the Bacolod Public Plaza, and several other sites in the city that had deteriorated and need instant reconstruction and refurbishing. They also visited the Diamond Jubilee Memorial Tower at the plaza, which the Leonardia administration built in 2013 to commemorate the city's 75th year. “It is time to return this structure to its original intentions, which was to celebrate the diamond milestone of the city. This is definitely not a structure for hanging tarpaulins or what-not. Let us give this symbol of our creation as a city of dignity and prestige," Leonardia said. The other areas pointed out were the lighting up of the New Government Center back to its original state, the clean-up and rehabilitation of the median islands, as well as strategic sidewalks along 6th street and North Drive and in San Juan street near the San Sebastian Cathedral. The incoming mayor also said that the inspection was part of the preparations for the transition.* Visayan Daily Star BACOLOD City – Bacolod Election Officer Mavil Majarucon-Sia said that they will file their answers to the recount case filed by supporters of Pamilya Magbinuligay Kita Para sa Kauswagan (MKK). This, after Regional Trial Court Branch 42 Judge Fernando Elumba granted the motion to intervene filed by MKK bets during the hearing on Civil Case No. 1604 filed by Richard Calulut, et. al. which sought for a manual recount of the ballots cast in the May 9, 2016 elections. Elumba issued the decision June 24. The class suit was filed by Calulut, Rufino Alcala, Rodelyn Jagunap, Lope Ledesma, Jr., Levy Cadagat, Jr., Rodolfo Robles, Jr., Banni Macapodi, Nelson Reyes, Rosanna Ilon, Jose Jessie Bantigue, Madeline Diaz, Salvacion Penuela, Febe Legaspi, Joji Agbas, Emilia Lopez, Edgardo Emilia, Jessel Sombilla and Stella Alfabeto. The respondents are Bacolod Election Officer Mavil Majarucon-Sia, Lelanie Lory Bojos and Gerald John Joven of the Board of Canvassers and City Treasurer Giovanni Balalilhi. Majarucon-Sia told reporters that they will file their answers to the case. “After that, the petitioners themselves have the right to file their counter-reply,” she added. Majarucon-Sia said she was represented by the Office of the Solicitor General during the hearing. “In the hearing, the petitioners claimed that their constitutional right of suffrage was violated,” she added. In the manifestation of their legal counsel Joel Cabalatungan, the petitioners sought a manual recount and asked the court to issue an order prohibiting the City Treasurer from transferring the questioned ballots to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila. “This is because there was a case also filed by Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella and vice mayoralty candidate Vladimir Gonzalez seeking a manual recount of the ballots cast and the Comelec might order the transfer of the ballot boxes to Manila,” she explained. But the judge did not issue a ruling on the transfer of ballots saying they should wait for the respondents' answers. The petitioners were represented by lawyer Lyndon Caña. Losing MKK candidates for councilor include Councilor Alex Paglumotan, Homer Bais, Catalino Alisbo, Jocilyn Uychiat, Arnel Sigue, Lyzander Dilag and Dr. Francis Balzomo. Puentevella and Gonzalez filed an election protest before the Comelec central office seeking a public manual recount of all votes cast in Bacolod City. Puentevella who got 97,993 votes, lost to Bacolod Rep. and Mayor-elect Leonardia who garnered 120,231 votes. Councilor and Vice Mayor-elect El Cid Familiaran garnered 108,360 votes against Gonzalez who got 86,611 votes. In the 12-seat city council, 8 are from Grupo Progreso and 4 are with MKK. The Daily Guardian By: Dolly Yasa Regional Trial Court Judge Fernando Elumba of Branch 42 yesterday granted the motion to intervene filed by losing Pamilya Magbinuligay Kita Para sa Kauswagan candidates for councilor during the hearing of Civil Case No. 1604 filed by Richard Calulut et. Al. seeking a manual recount of the ballots cast in the May 9 elections. Calulut, Rufino Alcala, Rodelyn Jagunap, Lope Ledesma, Jr., Levy Cadagat, Jr., Rodolfo Robles, Jr., Banni Macapodi, Nelson Reyes, Rosanna Ilon, Jose Jessie Bantigue, Madeline Diaz, Salvacion Penuela, Febe Legaspi, Joji Agbas, Emilia Lopez, Edgardo Emilia, Jessel Sombilla and Stella Alfabeto filed the class suit against Bacolod Election Officer Mavil Majarucon-Sia, Lelanie Lory Bojos and Gerald John Joven of the Board of Canvassers and City Treasurer Giovanni Balalilhi. Majarucon-Sia yesterday said they will file their answers to the case and after that, the petitioners have the right to file their reply. She was represented by the Solicitor General during the hearing of the case, she said. Majarucon-Sia said that, during the hearing, the petitioners claimed that their constitutional right of suffrage was violated. In the manifestation of their legal counsel Joel Cabalatungan, the petitioners sought a manual recount and asked the court to issue an order not to allow the City Treasurer to transport the ballots to Comelec Manila, she said, when they were asked by the judge. This is because there was a case also filed by Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella and vice mayoralty candidate Vladimir Gonzalez seeking a manual recount of the ballots cast and the Comelec might order the transfer of the ballot boxes to Manila, Majarucon-Sia said. But the judge did not issue a ruling yesterday and said they should wait for the answer of the respondents, she said. The petitioners were also represented by Lyndon Caña, she added. Losing MKK candidates for councilor include Councilor Alex Paglumotan, Homer Bais, Catalino Alisbo, Jocilyn Uychiat, Arnel Sigue, Lyzander Dilag and Dr. Francis Balzomo. Earlier, Puentevella and Gonzalez filed an election protest before the Commission on Elections Central Office seeking a public manual recount of all votes cast in Bacolod City. Puentevella who got 97,993 votes, lost to Bacolod Rep. and Mayor-elect Leonardia who garnered 120,231 votes, while Councilor and Vice Mayor-elect El Cid Familiaran garnered 108,360 votes against Gonzalez who got 86,611 votes.*CGS Visayan Daily Star BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO Senator-elect and celebrity boxing champion Manny Pacquiao will lead the guests at the inaugural ceremonies of incoming Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, and the councilors on July 6 at the Bacolod City government center. And, as a gesture of unity among the incoming Bacolod City officials, Congressman-elect Greg Gasataya will also take his oath on the same stage. Pacquiao, adopted son of Bacolod City, has already confirmed he is arriving for the inaugural rites scheduled at 5 p.m. of July 6 at the New Government Center. Leonardia was the first public official to take his oath before Pacquiao in 2010, when the boxing phenomenon was first elected congressman. Again, he is expected to be the first that Pacquiao will swear in after he becomes Senator. They were seatmates in the last Congress, where Leonardia served as a freshman legislator. They also left congress at the same time Pacquiao to serve as senator; Leonardia to return as mayor of Bacolod. Leonardia had carried the champion's belt and the Philippine flag in most of Pacquiao's fights. He is also godfather to two of Pacquiao's children, namely, Queenie and Israel. Also confirmed as guest is former governor Chavit Singson, who was also in the 2010 inaugural and a constant companion of the new senator. Incoming councilors expected to attend are Ricardo “Cano” Tan, Caesar Distrito, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Em Ang, Elmer Sy, Ana Marie Palermo, Wilson Gamboa, Jr. Dindo Ramos, Bart Orola, Claudio Puentevella and Sonya Verdeflor.* Visayan Daily Star BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Senator-elect Manny Pacquiao will lead guests during the inaugural ceremonies of incoming Bacolod City officials on July 6 at the Bacolod Government Center.
The incoming officials will be led by Mayor-elect Evelio Leonardia, and Vice Mayor-elect El Cid Familiaran. Congressman-elect Greg Gasataya will also join them. This is the first time, after many years, that the three top officials will have one inauguration. Leonardia, Gasataya, and Familiaran all come from the same local party, Grupo Progreso. Pacquiao, adopted son of Bacolod City and long-time friend of Leonardia, has already confirmed he is arriving for the inaugural rites. Leonardia was the first public official to take his oath before Pacquiao in 2010, when the boxing champion was first elected congressman of Saranggani province. Again, he is expected to be the first elected official that Pacquiao, as a senator, will swear into office. Leonardia and Pacquiao were seatmates in the 16th Congress, where Leonardia served as a freshman legislator. They leave Congress at the same time, with Pacquiao to serve as senator; and Leonardia as mayor of Bacolod. Leonardia had carried the champion's belt and the Philippine flag in most of Pacquiao's fights. He is also godfather to two Pacquiao's children, namely, Queenie and Israel. Also confirmed as guest in the Bacolod event is former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson, who was also in the 2010 inaugural and a constant companion of the new senator. Incoming city councilors expected to attend are Ricardo Tan, Caesar Distrito, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Em Ang, Elmer Sy, Ann Palermo, Wilson Gamboa Jr., Dindo Ramos, Bart Orola, Claudio Puentevella and Sonya Verdeflor. (FREEMAN) By Danny B. Dangcalan Champion boxer and Senator-elect Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao will be the guest of honor for the inauguration rites of Mayor-elect Evelio ‘Bing’ Leonardia and Vice Mayor-elect El Cid Familiaran.
Pacquiao, an adopted son of Bacolod City, confirmed he will be attending the inaugural rites scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on July 6 at the People’s House. Besides Leonardia and Familiaran, Congressman-elect Greg Gasataya will also take his oath of office on the same stage. Incoming councilors Ricardo Tan, Caesar Distrito, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Em Ang, Elmer Sy, Ann Palermo, Wilson Gamboa, Jr., Dindo Ramos, Bart Orola, Claudio Puentevella, and Sonya Verdeflor are also expected to attend the event. Leonardia was the first public official to take his oath before Pacquiao in 2010, when the boxing phenomenon was first elected congressman. He is, again, expected to be the first one the boxing icon will swear in as senator. Also confirmed to attend the inaugural ceremony is former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson, who is a close friend of Pacquiao. Leonardia, who has carried the Champion’s belt and the Philippine flag in most of Pacquiao’s fights, is also the godfather of Queenie and Israel, two of the boxing champ’s kids./WDJ Watchmen Daily Journal By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Bacolod City is experiencing a very good economic condition in 20 years. The landscape has changed. Real-estate developments have been sprouting around the city from local and national developers, an indication of their confidence in the city’s economy. Bacolod has a growing information technology and business-process management (IT-BPM) industry, ranked 85 in the Tholons 2016 Top 100 outsourcing destinations worldwide. It was identified as a Center of Excellence for IT-BPM in 2013 by the Department of Science and Technology’s Information and Communications Technology Office and IT and Business Process Association Philippines, a position it still holds to this day, together with Davao City, Iloilo City, Metro Cebu, Metro Clark and Metro Manila. The rating is based on talent, infrastructure, cost and business environment. The province started with only 1,000 IT-BPM employees; the number increased to 11,00 in 2010. Today Bacolod has over 24,000 IT-BPM employees from 20 major companies that are growing by 20 percent every year. One of the most inspired advocates of the industry is lawyer Jocelle Batapa-Sigue. Together with members of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, she helps cities and provinces create a stronger and smarter countryside. She believes the biggest challenge is not only to be leaders, but innovators. National government must make sure that information and communications technology (ICT) development must not only be in Metro Manila, but must trickle down to the provinces. The passion and commitment to help the country grow one province, one city at a time is so evident it has become viral. Many ICT champions stand up and engage other sectors to a dialogue to create collaborative mechanisms to work together as one. Bacolod City is now considered a “land of opportunities” due to its booming economic growth. Mayor Monico O. Puentavella expressed his gratitude for what Bacolod has become and attributes the success of the city to its hardworking citizens. Incoming Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid M. Familiaran will soon have the responsibility to manage and lead the growth in this beautiful city. According to global online property portal Lamudi, traffic for Bacolod increased by 279 percent, from the fourth quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2015. The city ranked fifth on its list of eight cities to watch this year. SM has a Hypermart, a mall and an SMX convention center. Ayala Land has a mixed-use development that will cover 9 hectares. Megaworld is building a township in a 50-hectare lot and 34 hectares in size. Soon, Bacolod will be the commercial hub of the region. It is a first-class city with the biggest economy and population in the Negros Island Region. It is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region and the 17th most populous city in the Philippines. It is part of a metropolitan area called Metro Bacolod, which includes the cities of Silay and Talisay. Among the tertiary colleges and universities in Bacolod City are Bacolod City College, Carlos Hilado Memorial State College, Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, La Consolacion College, University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, University of Saint La Salle and West Negros University. Its airport, the Bacolodo-Silay International Airport, is one of the three international airports, together with Kalibo International Airport and the Iloilo International Airport, serving the Western Visayas region. Tourists will enjoy the adventures in this city from the culinary to the historic. The people of the city are known for their excellent cuisine. The families and communities were able to maintain a number of ancestral homes and churches. During the third week of October, Bacolod hosts the delightful and much-awaited MassKara Festival. The city plaza is interesting. It is where you will find San Sebastian Cathedral built in 1876. Its coral stone is from Guimaras and its hardwood is from Palawan. The historic building of Palacio Episcopal, or Bishop’s Palace, built in 1890, served as a refuge for the Spanish colonizers during the revolt of 1889. The fountain of Justice in front of the old city hall is where the Spanish colonizers surrendered to Filipinos in 1898. The Diocesan Shrine of Saint Thaddeus has a “floating” Risen Christ at the altar and its painted ceiling. The Santa Clara Chapel is modest, but has a mosaic mural made from mother of pearl and 95,000 pieces of shells. The San Antonio Abad Church looks like a crown, notable for its altar made by National Artist Solomon Saprid. Bacolod is an awesome place to live, work and raise a family. Hats off to the people of Bacolod. BusinessMirror FORWARD MOVING Jemain Diaz De Rivera |
Archives
September 2020
Categories
All
|