Barely two weeks after he won the mayorship of Tuburan town without an opponent and over a month before he assumes office.
Presumptive Mayor Aljun Diamante leads the blessing and inauguration ceremony of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Tuburan District Jail in Barangay Tominjao.
Gracing the event was Undersecretary Nestor F. Quinsay along with BJMP JDIR national chief Allan S. Iral, and BJMP RD JCSupt Efren A. Nemeño.
Diamante has donated over two hectares of land he personally owns in Barangay Tominjao for the construction of the Tuburan District Jail.
Earlier, Mayor Diamante donated five hectares in Barangay Mag-alwa for the PNP Regional Special Training Unit.
For the mayor, the donations will go a long way towards improving peace and order not only in Tuburan, the third district, and the Province of Cebu. It will stimulate economic development for generations to come.
First “Angkas Safety Fiesta” held at Plaza Independencia in Cebu City.
In a recent trip to Metro Manila, we got stuck in traffic that made me conclude it was worse there compared to that in Metro Cebu.
I have that impression which I wrote in my columns in Superbalita and a local business weekly until friends talked about the hours they spend in the commute to northern Metro Cebu towns.
Records from the Land Transportation Office Region VII (LTO-7) showed that over half a million motor vehicles and motorcycles in its registry for Cebu Province as of December 2017. In 2018, this number grew to around 800,000.
Moreover, in a recent study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the unresolved traffic congestion in Metro Cebu has resulted in at least P1.1 billion in economic losses a day.
It seems, even well-to-do young people have turned to Angkas with the worsening traffic situation in Metro Cebu, to survive the daily gridlocks and reach their destinations on time.
Angkas, a popular motorcycle taxi ride-hailing service, has become heaven-sent to many commuters with the increasing business activity in this business district in central Philippines. Industrialization has brought with it an increase in the number of vehicles plying the streets and the consequent traffic jams in and around the area.
“Traffic is a problem that affects all social classes,” businessman and Angkas advocate Gilbert Olan stressed during a press conference at the recent “Angkas Safety Fiesta.”
Angeline Tham, Angkas president and CEO, stresses a point during the press conference. With her are (from left) Lachme Reboton, Angkas assistant manager for operations, Gilbert Olan, chief transport advocat, and Jobert Bolanos, chair of the Motorcycle Rights Organization.
“Rich and poor alike, we are all affected by the traffic problem and are all burdened by its economic and social costs,” he added.
“As a Cebuano, dili ko ganahan sa sobrahan nga katrapik sa atoang Sugbu. Mao ning pirti gyud makalagot sa atoang tanan (As a Cebuano, I hate that our city is plagued by heavy traffic. It’s become increasingly frustrating for all of us),” Olan stressed. “This is exactly the reason why Angkas was born, to alleviate the commuting problems of Cebuanos,” he added.
“Angkas is an innovative and timely traffic solution that Cebuanos need and we are happy to offer this service to help commuters reach their destinations in a fast, convenient, and affordable way,” said Angeline Tham, Angkas Founder and CEO.
Tham adds that, Angkas biker-partners are strictly screened and are given thorough safety training before being allowed to service passengers. The Angkas bikers and their passengers are also entitled to insurance in every trip.
“We are all aware of how Angkas puts a premium on the safety of the passengers, the bikers, and everyone else on the road,” she noted. “And this is something that we are proud of.”
In line with their effort to ensure the safety of the biker-partners and their passengers, Angkas held the very first “Angkas Safety Fiesta” in Cebu last Sunday at the Plaza Independencia, Cebu City. The 12-hour event, which started at 10 a.m., featured a safety seminar and skills training session for their biker-partners, a dental mission, free haircut and massage for the participants, and a Gymkhana tournament.
The Angkas Safety Fiesta also served as an onboarding activity for new Angkas biker-partners, with the objective of being able to service more Cebuano commuters at a time.
As an added treat for the bikers and their families, a musical concert was held featuring popular artists such as Andrew E. and Cueshe as well as upcoming acts like the D7G Girls, Jay R Siaboc, Crazy Duo Jr., and the Maka Girls. The show, which was hosted by DJ Chixie and DJ Ringo, was open to the public.
“Our over 5,000 Angkas biker-partners in Metro Cebu are more than prepared to take on the task of ferrying commuters to where they need to go,” Olan declared. “And this is just the beginning,” he added, stressing that while traffic continues to plague Metro Cebu, Angkas will continue to help Cebuanos by not only providing an efficient transport option, but also providing a decent means of livelihood for motorcycle owners.
(This is supposedly my column for Sun.Star Cebu last December 2, 2017. I sent this because I was not able to open an earlier email officially informing me about the cost-cutting measure. When friends began texting to ask about my absence, I decided to post this in my blog. In fact, I promise to write regularly in this blog now. This way, I will be able to provide balance to the views of my mainstream media colleagues — Anol)
They say it was wrong to speak ill of the dead. But Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña was frank about what he felt. He was happy for Barangay Ermita with the death of an alleged drug protector.
After all, Ermita was the breeding ground of such drug lords as Tata Negro (who found it safe to often play basketball there with you know who when alive), Franz Sabalones, and Yawa Secretaria.
Was it best for the mayor to just keep his sentiments unsaid while his detractors, in seemingly similar talk points, chorused that he has a hand in the killing of Barangay Captain Imok Rupinta?
Was it not wrong for political enemies to immediately pin the blame on Osmeña even before the police could issue any statement on its investigation?
Imok was not even a candidate for mayor while Tomas is known for defeating, not killing, political enemies. I remember the killing of Tata Negro in May 2010. But Tata Negro as an issue against then mayoralty candidate Mike Rama. The ambush was said to be drug-related.
After the suspect Jimmy Largo was arrested, Tomas critics immediately call him a “fall guy.” At least one Osmeña critic even casted doubts on the positive identification by the lone witness.
Yesterday, police investigators released a CCTV footage proving Largo was in Liloan some 15 minutes before the Rupinta ambush.
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Impatient supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte went to the streets the other day to express their preference for a revolutionary government and thus give the president a free hand in carrying out the changes he wants done.
However, the president himself did not give his blessing on the mobilizations. He said revgov is an option only when government is already weak. But neither has he blessed with his presence the massive mobilization of PDP na pud in Cebu City.
President Duterte apparently prefers to attend the launch of his administration’s anti-poverty program called “Biyaya ng Pagbabago” in Davao City on December 9, 2017. The pro-Duterte mass movement Kilusang Pagbabago is mobilizing for this launch.
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The usual practice is for government anti-poverty projects granted patronage style by local politicians. The Biyaya ng Pagbabago program, on the other hand, taps non-government groups through the Kilusang Pagbabago and the Office for Participatory Governance (OPG) to “claim” these projects and implemented as their own.
Is this kneejerk reaction to the president’s so-called waning popularity? I don’t think so.
Duterte’s first Executive Order when he assumed office was to reorganize the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS). EO 1 placed under CabSec Jun Evasco 12 agencies that prepared grassroots anti-poverty projects. The concept of participatory governance was integrated in the Philippine Development Plan for 2017 followed by the formation of the OPG.
Note that the 2018 budget will fund these projects even as KP is expected to go full speed with federalism. Duterte and Evasco apparently think strategic.
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