No more Lakbay Aral- Duterte

DAVAO CITY May 17 (PIA)- Presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte wants to do away with Lakbay Aral (travel study) which is done by barangay and local government officials.

“It’s an abuse of people’s money.” Duterte said during a press conference held yesterday (May 16) at his temporary office in the Matina Enclaves, a residential development in the suburb of Matina, Davao City.

“You don’t have the right to go all around the Philippines.” Said the outgoing Davao City Mayor, referring to barangay captains who often avail of the Lakbay Aral trips.

Lakbay Aral are trips arranged to exposed local government officials particularly those in the barangay to different parts of the country to learn of different best practices implemented by the respective host local governments, however it has become a  junket of sort.

Duterte said it has become an excuse for vacation. He also recalled while as a City Mayor discovering a Lakbay Aral done in Hongkong which infuriated him.

Aside from Lakbay Aral, the incoming president wants to stop seminars being held in Manila where government employees are made to attend. “They will have to fly in the speakers here.” Duterte said instead of wasting money making people go all the way to Manila to just fly-in the speakers to the respective localities where the participants are based.

He also said that government officials must fly in economy class. (PIA/RG Alama)

No untoward incidents during special polls – PNP

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ricardo Marquez said on Monday there were no reports of untoward incidents in the Elections Assessment on special elections.

”So far so good. I received the report that the conduct of special elections where concluded without any untoward incident,” Marquez said.

The PNP Chief added that it is easier to deploy forces for a particular area during special elections as compared to the election day where the police force were thinly dispersed in many areas.

“The BEIs (Board of Election Inspectors) were there, the COMELEC officers were there and as I have said, the conduct of special elections was terminated without any further hitches,” he explained.

The Comelec conducted special polls on May 14 in 52 clustered precincts which include 17,657 registered voters.

Prior to this, the PNP has already issued a directive to regional directors of PRO 6,7,8 and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to ensure peaceful and fair special elections.

He noted that guns which they confiscated during the gun ban will be brought to the crime laboratory for comparative test, ballistic examination to find out if it has been used in past shooting incidents.

He said that concerned officials were directed to oversee the case tracking of all those cases and the firearms as a matter of procedure. (PNA)

Power supply stable amid scheduled outages – DOE

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Zenaida Monsada expects the power supply situation will be stable for the coming months in the Luzon grid, amid the scheduled power plant outages, due to the expected nearing end of the El Nino phenomenon.

"The power demand will decrease... before El Nino the peak demand was around 8,800 megawatts (MW)," Monsada said.

She cited the Luzon grid had a record power demand of 9,726 MW, with a forecast peak demand of 9,737 MW this week. However, Monsada said the 9,737-MW forecast demand is expected to decrease due to the weakening of the El Nino phenomenon.

The DOE chief explained the power-grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) scheduled the power plant outages away a week before and after the elections.

The secretary assured Luzon also has a standby capacity from the Avion and San Gabriel natural gas-fired plants, Malaya oil thermal plant and oil-based Millennium Energy.

Monsada also said the Interruptible Load Program (ILP), which has a de-loading capacity of around 800 MW is also prepared to run. The ILP works with establishments and offices de-loading their consumption through the use of generator sets.

She further pointed out the 382-MW Pagbilao coal fired power plant will be the largest power plant scheduled for shutdown in the coming months. (PNA)

DILG reminds local bets: Submit poll contributions, expenses to Comelec by June 9

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is reminding newly-elected local officials to submit their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), before assuming office.

In a memorandum addressed to all newly-elected governors, mayors, vice-mayors, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan/Panglungsod/Bayan, and Governor of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), DILG Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento urged them to file their SOCE by June 9, and submit to the DILG a certification on SOCE compliance by June 17.

Citing Republic Act (RA) No. 7166 otherwise known as “Synchronized National and Local Elections and for Electoral Reforms Act”, he said “No person elected to any public office shall enter or assume the duties of his office until he has filed the SOCE.”

Section 14 of the said law further states that: “Every candidate and treasurer of the political party shall, within thirty (30) days after the day of the election, file in duplicate with the offices of the Comelec the full, true and itemized statement of all contributions and expenditures in connection with the election.”

The DILG Secretary also said the Department and the Comelec had also forged memorandum of agreement in 2012 which states that the DILG or any of its attached agencies shall require any winning candidate to present a Certification from the COMELEC that he or she has satisfactorily complied with his or her obligation under Section 14 of Republic Act No. 7166 by filing his or her SOCE with the Comelec.

“In the absence of this certification, the winning candidate cannot enter into the execution of his or her office pursuant to Paragraph 2 of the same provision of the law,” he said.

Winning Governors, Vice Governors and Sangguniang Panlalawigan members are to submit their Comelec certifications to their DILG provincial directors; City Mayors, City Vice Mayors and Sangguniang Panlungsod members to their DILG City Directors; and Municipal Mayors, Municipal Vice Mayors and Sangguniang Bayan members to their DILG Municipal Local Government Operations Officers.

For the newly-elected local government officials who will be filing their SOCE for the first time and for those who have further questions about this mandate, they can get in touch with the DILG at Telephone Numbers (02) 925 0351 or (02) 928 9181 or email at blgspcmd@gmail.com. (PNA)

DICT bill now with Malacanang - Palace exec

The Office of the President (OP) is now reviewing the Department of Information and Communication (DICT) bill, which aims for the creation of a stand-alone estate information and communications technology agency.

“According to PLLO (Presidential Legislative Liaison Office), (the) DICT bill was transmitted to Malacanang on May 10. There’s a 30-day review period,” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.

House Bill No. 6198, a priority measure of Congress, was approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading in October 2015.

The Senate adopted the same last Dec. 15, thus, removing the need for a bicameral meeting for the proposed measure.

Once signed into law, the bill will boost improvement in the country’s information and communication technology (ICT) system.

It is eyed to address, among others, the issue of internet speed in the country, which to date is among the slowest in the world.

The DICT is eyed to be created by merging existing ICT-related agencies under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). (PNA)