That award-winning 1992 film Scent of Woman strikes a nostalgia in me. I ask Davao del Norte Vice Governor “Baby” Suaybaguio to watch the blockbuster film again- at home.
The film is starred by actor Al Pacino (a retired irascible, blind, medically retired U.S. Army officer Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in the film) andChris O’Donnell (tukayo Charlie Simms,a preparatory school student who takes a job as an assistant to Al Pacino or Frank Slade).It won for Al Pacino the Academy Award for Best Actor and more cinema laurels for director Martin Bres.
I think last year or early this year the HBO and Cinemax played it again- and again(in the outfits’ shenanigans to playing with our culture of easily forgetting things, err like Ninoy’s heroism or Kris loves with Phillip Salvador and Joey Marquez- no pun intended).
There’s a lot of walking CD vendors now and pirates are coming up with well-CD recorded films in glossy and sleek covers. Ask for it, and the latest Pacquaio’s fight, and vuela- they have it.
Anyway, film-watching at home is good for the coming weekend holiday as warm-up starter before going to the cemetery to meet a riotous exploding living population paying homage to our millions of beloved dead, the global warming notwithstanding.
To set our mood for the All Saints Day (Nov 1, Saturday) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2, Sunday), choose the film genres that are good for the soul- the classic, romantic, that which dramatically slow-moving but emotion-captivating with surprise denouement. Not the comedy, action, Jacky Chan, brutal, horror films please.
I mean the Scents of the Woman is primarily classic but comic. It intrigues the heart in seeing a cantankerous middle-aged man who is now blind, alcoholic and impossible to get along with (Al Pacino) having a time in New York with the aid of youthful assistant Charlie Simms, just to take a room at the posh hotel, eat at an expensive restaurant, to wish to sleep with a beautiful woman, and then commit suicide. Later, the blind Colonel tangoes with a girl whose perfume captivates him (hence the title of the movie).
To cut the movie short, Slade’s suicide does not materialize as he is prevailed upon by Simms.The rest is history.- they become close friends and shortly Slade cause for the exoneration of Simms from the allegation that he plays the prank on school headmaster. End for now.
Flashback: I saw the vice governor two decades ago so smart in jeans when he was still the city mayor. That time his nephew Konsehal Nickel must have been still in shorts. I saw in the latter a déjà vu on VG Baby. But being older but still smarter, VG Baby could take the Al Pacino’s role, while being young and neophyte, Kons. Nickel could take Chris O’Donnell’s.
Not that the VG portrays in real life Slade’s film character. He’s already south in age now after serving the city and province in length, with interregnums after electoral defeats.And huwah! (Slade’s stereotyped shout in the movie which I like to hear), the VG has returned fragrantly ensconced in his current public seat- for that scent of a kingmaker.
Forget that blink when he was reminded by movant BM Larry Caminero there was still that third and final reading to finally junk the Purok Ordinance two weeks ago. VG Baby might have just an afterthought what’s in store for the Urban Poor Ordinance of his young nephew Nickel that was yet forthcoming to land in his august hall.
As to Kons. Nickel, he may play a prank of his Urban Poor Ordinance, knowing that as his uncle’s earlier plan of running for the Congress was political suicide, hence the VG’s silence now, the new measure that has recently reached at the Davnor SP seems to be also one that would have him kissed his young political career goodbye. Or this scent of 2010 is just subject for a director’s cut? Oh baby, for that Scent of a Woman. (For online edition, visit my blog at: http://cha4t.wordpress.com, for comments, reactions, e-mail: ruralurbanews@yahoo.com, or ruralurbanews@yahoo.com)
Ban on firearms, liquor, sound system to be enforced
Davao del Norte provincial police director PSSupt. Benelito Bianzon bared yesterday that he has already directed all his police chiefs and stations to secure all cemeteries and memorial parks across the province for the All Saints Day and All Souls Day celebration this coming weekend.
He said that, under the police-coordinated Oplan Kaluluwa, police elements with civilian force multipliers will be deployed in every cemetery to put up close security and public assistance centers.
He added that the police will coordinate with each local government unit in the province on the properly designated parking areas, stalls, entrances and exit ways.
He reminded cemetery goers on the ban to carry firearms and other deadly weapons, liquors and sound systems inside the cemeteries that the police would enforce to make our All Saints Day and All Souls Day solemn and peaceful.
The police will be in full alert starting Saturday. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
Tagum City bankers interviewed by the press yesterday said they “could not yet sense or feel” that the effects of the global financial crisis that is affecting intensely the United States are already reaching the city.
A branch manager of a nationwide bank, who requested anonymity, said that at present his bank has not yet experienced decrease in their accounts on foreign remittances and foreign currency deposits.
He said that his bank has largely the same trend on their foreign accounts since the recent months when the global financial crisis hit the headlines, even if they are catering only a “not so significant volume of dollar remittances” from the United States.
“Still we are experiencing the same trend,” he said.
He said though that when the news on the global financial meltdown have been nagging the headlines recently, several depositors in Tagum City had made phone calls to his bank to inquire and verify.
But he said that even the few banks in Manila that have been reported to have investment exposures to collapsed banks and financial companies in the US can only be likened to have been “wounded” adding that the affected banks are not bound for closure considering the provision on retaining cash liquidity.
On the other hand, LandBank-Tagum assistant manager Eunice Sumatra in an interview with Sidlak said that “they are business as usual”.
She added that the Landbank is unperturbed by the global financial crisis knowing that they financially cater to government offices and government workers.
“Dili pa gyud ma-feel nang international financial crisis namo,” she said.
An internal corporate circular obtained by Sidlak from another local bank official who also refused to be named, advises local clients not to panic, saying that Philippine banks remain strong, their exposure to the credit crisis is minimal and small, relative to their or entire Philippine banking system capital base”.
It also said that the country “has lessened dependence on the US economy on account of its strong consumer-led economy and the increasing prominence of other countries and regions that it trades with- such as China, India, Japan, Europe and other ASEAN countries.”
“The Philippines also can count on the continued strong inflows of remittances from its OFWs (projected to top last year’s $18 billion), most of whom are in oil-rich Middle East nations whose economies remain buoyant due to high oil prices,” the internal corporate circular said. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
NABUNTURAN- The minority councilors opposing the controversial P90-million bond flotation of the municipal government managed yesterday in their session for the backtracking of the steps the majority councilors by putting anew for questioning the project and its feasibility study and particulars with the participation of the municipal accountant.
Opposing Councilors Alfonso “Jun” Tabas and Raul Caballero got their motion approved to call in municipal accountant Gilda Savellano in their next session by Monday to give her opinion on the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the P90-million municipal bond float that would fund for the construction of a new public market building.
Savellano, a member of the Local Finance Committee, accordingly has preferred a loan option and not the bond flotation which in the earlier LFC recommendation tagged as more costly and has uncertain terms that could potentially run havoc to government yearly budgeting.
Surprisingly, pro-bond float councilor Eddie Minoza, LFC chairman, suddenly moved for the deferment of the discussion of the TOR.
But Councilor Tabas was quick to call for a new public hearing on the TOR, that for the recent three sessions including yesterday has been sought for approval by the majority.
The consensus of six present deliberating councilors was reached to put it on public hearing although the presiding officer Councilor Iluminada Cabuga was insistent to put the TOR on “thorough discussion”.
Vice Mayor Romeo Clarin was not presiding as he reportedly graced an affair at the municipal gym for being the town’s OIC Mayor.
Mayor Macario Humol was accordingly out of town.
Also present in yesterday’s session were pro-bond float Councilors Vivencia Secuya and Cheryl Asion, and also opposing Councilor Editha Arangcon.
The town’s oppositionists have charged the P90-million as exorbitant, extravagant and grossly disadvantageous to the government as spelled out in their running people’s initiative petition to repeal the ordinance approving the project.
Last week, the sanggunian majority denied the petition filed last Sept. 25 but petitioners bounced back by girding to prepare at press time to lodge the petition in higher phase at the Comelec level which they hope could finally result to a people’s referendum to decide the fate of the controversial project. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews/blogspot.com
Legislation seeks to defer approvalof urban poor housing for 5 years
oct 28
TAGUM CITY - Two weeks after the controversial Purok Ordinance of the City Hall was unanimously junked by Davao del Norte Sangguniang Panlalawigan, another city ordinance considered by several quarters here as ”contentious” and critics as “anti-urban poor” reached yesterday at the provincial board in its 48th regular session.
Vice Governor Victorio “Baby” Suaybaguio immediately referred City Council Ordinance No. 320 to the SP committee on human settlements, planning and development chaired by Boardmember Roger Israel as the lead committee and to the committee on laws, resolutions, ordinance and justice chaired by Boardmember Artemio San Juan.
Dubbed by critics as “Anti-Urban Poor Ordinance”, the new legislation reaching the provincial board, which recently smarted from its act of finally junking the controversial Purok Ordinance, is seeking to defer for a period of five years the issuance of accreditation and approval of permits and other requirements by the City Hall for urban poor subdivision housing projects.
It appeared to have been passed at the city council without much fuss, and suddenly it reached at the SP secretariat last October 22.
It was authored and pushed by Councilor Nicandro “Nickel” Suaybaguio as initiated by the city executive department. He is a nephew of the presiding vice governor.
But the young Suaybaguio, in a phone interview yesterday, said that the city council had passed it in two sessions, the first one of which was followed by a public hearing attended by representatives of shelter agencies and the affected sectors.
He said that his measure was approved by the city council last September 22 and that for a month it was at the city council secretariat which had worked on its long minutes and proceedings.
Yesterday, urban poor leader Gregorio “Loloy” Ibanez said in text message that Suaybaguio’s ordinance “is anti-urban poor for being contrary to the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) and executive order of the Dept. of Interior and Local Government and to the policy of the Presidential Commission of the Urban Poor (PCUP)”.
He vowed that he himself will make a petition to oppose it at the SP level.
Ibanez is the executive director of the Davao del Norte Urban Poor Foundation, Inc. He is also the president of the Davao del Norte Press. Radio and TV Club.
Earlier, in one report of a weekly paper, District 1 Congressman Arrel Olano branded as “anti poor” the ordinance that would evidently stop him from carrying out land acquisition projects for the urban poor which he has been funding out from a congressional fund.
Sidlak clarified also with Vice Mayor Allan Rellon an earlier report that the urban poor ordinance would have still to be fully sponsored by Suaybaguio saying that he was confused on the question posed to him by the media adding that it mixed up with the preoccupation of the city council of also formulating a revised comprehensive ordinance on the city’s land use.
Earlier also, Vice Gov. Suaybaguio said he would not inhibit from the deliberations on the ordinance authored and pushed by his nephew, adding that the rule of the majority would prevail He presided when the Purok Ordinance was unanimously junked by his boardmembers.
The urban poor ordinance has invoked the ground that that urban poor subdivisions and informal settlements in the city are not livable due to inadequacies of basic community facilities and services such as road, water, electricity and have low occupancy rate.
The young Suaybaguio earlier said that the deferment could be “automatically lifted” if a high occupancy rate of existing urban poor housing projects could be attained.
He also said that several existing urban housing projects whose requirements are on process are included in the exemption clause of the ordinance.
But critics also charged that the ordinance is “a class legislation” saying that it favored the rich subdivision developers and would stop informal housing for the poor in the city like the Habitat and the Gawad Kalinga projects initiated by the religious.
They said that the urban poor housing projects instead contributed to solve the city’s acute housing backlog of at least 28,000 families per projection of the City Comprehensive and Development Plan (2001-2010). (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
Row on NDC nursing graduates, City Council snubbed again
oct 28
Davao del Norte Boardmember Gregorio Facula registered his objection in yesterday’s session of the provincial board to the measure that would open the province-run hospitals for the medical training of the nursing students of the controversy-wracked North Davao College (NDC)- Tagum Foundation, Inc.
He said he was opposing the resolution approving the contract of affiliation between the NDC-Tagum and the provincial government pending the resolution of therow between the nursing graduates and their parents and the NDC at Apokon, Tagum City.
Nursing graduates and their parents have been up in arms recently against the NDC school administration for allegedly requiring graduates to take first a P10,000-worth nursing review and mock board examination at the school before their credentials would be issued to them.
The city council had invited NDC’s officials to shed light on the issue during question hour in its last week’s session with the complainants but the NDC officials did not attend.
Yesterday, the city council and complainants were reportedly snubbed again of their invitation by the NDC officials, who accordingly are out of town or in Manila since last week.
Hearing of NDC’s second snub over DXDN live coverage on the city council’s sessionin the morning yesterday, Boardmember Facula dared colleagues saying that “there are matters we need to clarify on how (NDC officials) handle our constituents” before acting on the measure on NDC’s asking a favor from the provincial government.
“Pending that, I’m registering my objection for now,” Facula added.
Ten of his colleagues though still approved the measure. Committee on laws chairman Boardmember Artemio San Juan sponsored the measure. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
Snagging only with a little hitch raised by a questioning boardmember from Panabo, the P20-million general appropriation supplemental budget (SB) number 4 ordinance that contains a budget’s bulk for the Provincial Governor’s Office (PGO) was approved yesterday afternoon.
The SB No. 4 amounting to P22,404,836 was approved by present 11 members with Vice Gov. Victorio Suaybaguio Jr presiding the session following two queries posed by Boardmember Ely Dacalus on the expenditure object of over P8,000 and the “discrepancy” of a PGO budget amounting to over P4 million.
The budgetary measure was just received by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan yesterday with the Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario treating it as “urgent”.
Provincial Budget Officer Norma Lumain, who was asked to be present during the session, informed that the P8,389 expenditure object represented the five percent calamity fund taken from the province’s share of national wealth.
On the other hand, she said that while the PGO has a budget of P14,723,127 in summary by department, for the current year the governor’s office has a budget of P10,073,027, and the over P4.6 million “discrepancy” is stated under the 20-percent development fund.
Having known that, Dacalus, who said earlier “I’m a little bit confused”, said he was already enlightened.
Asked on why the measure was deemed urgent when transmitted, Lumain said that “there are items waiting to be paid, almost all items here”.
“The programs and projects have already started and to be completed” and “appropriations of department offices are already exhausted, so we have to act now,” she added.
A copy of the approved SP Appropriation Ordinance No. 2008-204 for the SB No. 4 is still to be obtained by the press at press time. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
COMPOSTELA VALLEY- Some 300 evacuees from faraway highland barangay of Manurigao in New Bataan started returning home by 3:00 yesterday afternoon since Sunday’s start of skirmishes between government troopers and communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.
Municipal information officer Marvin Ilajas said in text message that the evacuees who sought temporary refuge at the municipal gym have been returning home after the municipal disaster coordinating council in town declared the Manurigao area as already safe for the evacuees to return.
The evacuees since Monday trickled in to the town poblacion after eight government soldiers were killed in an ambush staged by the NPA rebels.
Ilajas said that during the evacuees’ temporary stay at the municipal gym Mayor Lorenzo Balbin Sr had to shell out funds from their limited resources for the rice, canned goods and other foodstuffs for the large number of evacuees.
He added that the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development, Cong. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora and Governor Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy had also chipped in provisions for the evacuees.
The military said Monday that the slain soldiers were on a humanitarian mission in the town when ambushed by the NPA rebels.
In emailed statements to the media, Rigoberto Sanchez, a regional spokesman for the New People’s Army (NPA), claimed that the ambushed soldiers were on a military operation and part of a bigger group deployed to track down NPA rebels in the province.
On Monday, NPA rebels launched separate attack to government soldiers in Monkayo resulting to the wouding of trooper Cpl. Robert Cabadocia of 66th Infantry Battalion.
The separate military report said the soldiers were bringing the body of a dead comrade to Sarangani province who died in Friday’s land mine attack when harassed by undetermined number of NPA rebels communists in Olaycon area in Monkayo.
Cpl. Cabadocia was the driver of the vehicle the soldiers were riding when they were ambushed by the NPAs, a military field report said.
The other soldiers on board the truck fired back, triggering a brief firefight with the rebels. However, there were no reports of rebel casualties during the brief gunbattle as the rebels immediately run away to nearby mountain.
Also on Sunday, undetermined number of communist rebels attacked a patrol base of the Army’s Special Forces Battalion in the village of Canidkid in neighboring Montevista town. The defending troops managed to foil the attack, a military field report said.
Col. Alan R. Luga, commanding officer of the Army’s 1003rd Infantry Brigade, is currently leading the big ground operation in “specified targets” of communist lairs in the province, said EastMincom spokesman Maj. Randolf Cabangbang on Monday.(Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News with reports from PNA)
Journalism, someone said, “is history in a hurry”. The news that comes out now becomes accumulating details for summarizing history in the future. And so, at the hands of a journalist lies constantly developing stories, sans those news stories of one-shot, short shelf life. But whatever, such news might be later be a relevant part one day in history.
For this, especially in print daily, a journalist is faced everyday of beating the deadline. Always he sends his story immediately after it unfolds to his outlet on or before the deadline set by the editor as there are still series of works to do involving machines, working men and newsboys before the news gets to the hands of the readers the early morning after. Sidlak is one of these.
At the age of the Internet, there are now news outfits in the country that updates its news from time to time in a day in their websites. Just visit the good online sites of GMA TV, the Inquirer, or Philippine Star. Traditional media converging with net and cellphone technologies is today’s challenge in the country.Innovative print media or journalists in the provinces wanting to share their news and information to the world, outside the localities where their papers are in circulation, have now the free blogs to seize on. I’m doing this since June although in two days delayed to give exclusivity and justice to Sidlak which funds for my newsgathering.
Now thanks again to the web’s e-mail feature. Now, at least I have a lot or Internet cafes anywhere, in Tagum, in most of Comval towns, wherever I cover, to choose from to send my news stories since I have no laptop and purse to seize on the free WIFI like at Miko’s Brew, where coffee latte is not–of course- free. Sidlak has email address intentionally flashed daily right at its front page so readers and sources could send contributions, comments, reactions or sides from any party, aggrieved or not. This is the latest technology, and by e-mail’s speed in delivering messages in seconds, let’s avail it.
In freer Manila, journalists are better off. Besides the higher remuneration and abundant centers of news of journalists of the Big Club that come with the Imperial Manila as the center of everything and the national market and audience, most important is that they are situated in a freer milieu , in liberated zones where news sources aren’t afraid to be identified as news sources and often they are properly attributed in the news. In the provinces, there is a gulf of difference as often sources of news, which is “sensitive”, or that which may step on someone’s toes, have the tendency to beg not to be named or to speak only on the condition of anonymity to the Small Club journalists.
This is compounded by the tendency of public officials in the provinces to be mum, to tombstone or not to reply to media issues about them or reply to gut issues head on. The worst is they become onion-skinned. If this situation would have its way, then we’re left to have no public interest news at all, and PIA apologists would be happy churning out their always positive devcom news for the government. Press Sec. Jess Dureza should better be apprised on these difficulties than telling all and sundry, brimming last week on the caveat about “efforts of the press to get the side of Mr. So and So proved futile”. It’s easily said than done in countrysides newspapering- except perhaps to Cong. Anton Lagdameo, who is a stand out among the big Davnor and Comval politicians for always texting us his replies, even long, when we did ask for his statement on burning issues of the day. So he got for several times front-page treatment on the next day.
There are cases that since the information given by the source who spoke on anonymity is one issue of public interest, especially about one who occupies a public position (not private citizen), so the news of the source comes out on the news values of immediacy and public interest, with us relying that the subject who cannot be immediately reached at a time near to the deadline can have all his reply on the next day or next immediate days.
It wasn’t Friday (daily Sidlak has no issues on Saturdays and Sundays), but Monday last week when we did run the story about AGR’s alleged frequent stay in Manila. On the next day, his reply “Not true” did see another banner headline to give fairness to him, in equal space and prominence. I made sure I could interview him at Tahanan on the day Press Sec. Dureza came as the guest of NPC-Davnor-Comval Chapter oath-taking and opening of the provincial media center. Moreover, the story was proactive to him as it was about a source supportive to him and to his congressional bid wanting for his visibility for sure winning by 2010.
Had it been published Friday (which we would not allow), it could have been unfair, kay we know bahaw na ang AGR reply by Monday. No malice about that, sir. As we seek solace on the right of journalists to protect their sources, we also are holding sacrosanct the right to reply of subject parties in the news as we did in our Tuesday’s issue. But unfortunately, the Provincial Legal Officer Jennifer Namoc for asking for Sidlak’s fairness and objectivity in her letter that reached Sidlak office by Wednesday obviously failed to read AGR’s reply in our banner story on Tuesday or get hold of the issue. She could have sent her protest via the email and not via the snail mail, so we could immediately publish it the next day. But maybe the good lawyer was not just apprised on our Tuesday’s issue by the politically nosey provincial administrator Rufo Peligro, who is also the ed in chief of Executive Report, PGO’s weekly news bulletin, or by his many info men. Otherwise, we’ll say it’s not our duty to always give you free complimentary copies of Sidlak. A newspaper is sold, not given.
BLOGBUZZ: Heard about that when it comes to the Davnor Capitol, the local media is being looked upon with divisive stare, either you’re a suspect to be with the Panabo-based weekly publisher who is a long-time biased drum-beater for the Floirendos, or with the docile ones (di makabasag pinggan), the kongko (always soliciting) media of dubious circulation or outlets. Sidlak is neither either-or of whom… Oh my gulay! that usual and bankrupt media parameter- that you need a big ad sponsor in order to survive. Of course, we need ads to have cash, but we’re banking more on our burgeoning subscribers’ and readership base in order to survive…. We print replies as we really need them to be fair and objective. Again, we’re just striving to be your little real press. (For online edition, visit my blog at: http://cha4t.wordpress.com, for comments and reactions, e-mail: ruralurbanews@yahoo.com, or chamonforte@yahoo.com)
Internet cafes are given until December to dismantle their long, unauthorized semi-closed cubicles that authorities considered as one of the physical reasons that led to improper use of the Internet, said a report of a local Visayan paper last Friday.
But Vice Mayor Allan Rellon said in text message yesterday that while the Internet Café Advisory Board (ICAB) in its recent meeting agreed to still make the dismantling of the cubicles optional for now ICAB is enforcing to establishments wanting to put cubicles for privacy purposes to comply with the regulated height of up to four feet or face sanctions as provided by the city ordinance regulating operations of internet cafes. .
In earlier report, Councilor Joey Millan said that cubicles that are intended to protect privacy in communication have not actually led to increase of internet users that benefit internet cafes.
Reports said earlier that long cubicles have been used as a cover of the youths like high schoolers to surf pornographic sites in the web or malicious chatters to show their private parts on webcams to the ones they are chatting with.
The same report said that the victim UM Tagum student who was secretly camcorded resulting to the spread of what was dubbed as UM Tagum sex scandal video has already filed a case against suspects after NBI Tagum agents raided Oct. 15 the Aroma Internet and Computer located in Suarez Building along Sobrecarey Street.
The raided establishment is owned by Edgardo Silagan, president of the Internet Café Association of Tagum City (ICAT). His branch along Mabini St. has been closed for about two weeks.
The raiding team led by Head Agent Lorenzo Tan seized 23 computer units including webcams and other peripherals which were sent to Manila for the NBI computer experts to track on “cookies” that could leave imprints on the recording of the UM Tagum sex scandal video that shocked the city two months ago.
In an earlier interview at the height of the stunning news on Tagum sex scandal video, Silagan said that owners of internet cafes are usually entrepreneurs who did not know about technicalities of computer programs but he also admitted that there are some owners who know about it.
In that interview, he also expressed apprehension over what legal repercussions internet café owners would be culpable of if one of their attendants did something wrong without their knowing.
NBI agent Tan said that the suspected internet café will be facing a case for alleged violations to Republic Act 9208 otherwise known as Anti-Trafficking Law. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com
thank s its good