DILG SEEKING EXTRA P24-M FUND FOR PNP MANDATORY TRAINING

Source: www.dilg.gov.ph

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is asking Congress for an additional P24 million on top of its proposed P61.66 billion budget for 2009 to avoid the disruption of the mandatory training and career advancement of police officers up for promotion next year.

The request by DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno, which was coursed through Sen. Edgardo Angara, was made during the plenary debates of the proposed 2009 DILG budget in the Senate.

Angara, who defended on the floor the DILG’s budget plan for 2009, said that the additional fund request was necessary for leasing facilities that will be used by the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) for its temporary transfer on Feb. 4 next year from its location in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig to an educational institution in Laguna.

The PPSC, an attached agency of the DILG, provides for the training, human resource development and continuing education of personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

This college provides training each year to about 27,000 police personnel nationwide, about 4,000 of whom are trained in its facility in Fort Bonifacio.

Among the courses it offers is the Officers Senior Executive Course, which is a mandatory requirement for third-level PNP officers up for promotion to the next higher ranks.

Puno explained that adelay in the transfer of the PPSC from Fort Bonifacio to a temporary facility pending the completion of its new building in Silang, Cavite would disrupt its operations and set back the promotions of PNP officers next year.

A similar observation was made by Sen. Benigno Aquino III, who chairs the Senate committee on local government, during the plenary debates on the DILG budget.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., a former DILG chief and lead author of the Local Government Code, supported the DILG’s request, saying that he would propose necessary amendments to source the P24 million additional funding for the PPSC to ensure the smooth flow of its operations next year.

He pointed that “if the functioning of the PPSC is delayed even for a few months, then this will have serious repercussions on the promotions of officers within the PNP, which could lead to demoralization among its ranks.”

The PPSC was asked to transfer by Feb. 4 to a new location only last month, or long after the DILG had already presented its proposed budget for 2009 to Congress.

The PPSC sits on a property owned by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and the National Police Commission (Napolcom), which plan to put up a high-rise building on the site next year.

The DILG, Puno said, has already found a new location for the PPSC in Silang, Cavite, but the construction of its facilities has yet to be completed.

In the meantime, the PPSC is planning to temporarily transfer to the St. James Academy in Calamba, Laguna by February, but it has no budget to lease the building and its facilities, which requires P2 million a month or P24 million for one year.

The DILG is seeking congressional approval of its Malacañang-proposed budget for 2009 amounting to P61.66 billion to sustain its ongoing initiatives on enhancing local autonomy, improving the crime solution efficiency rate, and modernizing the country’s jail management and fire protection services.

Puno said the Department’s 2009 budget proposal covers allocations for the 10% salary hike of DILG employees; creation of 3,000 new positions in the PNP, another 500 in the BJMP, and 500 more in the BFP; increased benefits for the PNP; and adjustments in the subsistence allowance and hazard pay of uniformed personnel.

In terms of agency, the DILG has proposed appropriations for the Office of the Secretary totaling P1.84 billion; for the BFP, P6.58 billion; BJMP, P4.16 billion; Local Government Academy (LGA), P84.06 million; Napolcom, P1.07 billion; PPSC, P865.78 million, and PNP, P47.05 billion.

Next year’s budget plan is P8.42 billion or 16% higher than the 2008 budget of P53.24 billion.

The DILG has allotted P50.2 billion for personal services under its proposed 2009 budget; P364.92 million for maintenance and other operating expenses, and P3.46 billion for capital outlay, Puno said.

Punp sqid the proposed capital outlay will be used for the acquisition of 100 new fire trucks and other firefighting gear and equipment for the BFP; and construction of new jail facilities and offices; procurement of prisoners’ vans, gas masks and firearms for the BJMP.

The bulk of the proposed capital outlay of P2.1 billion will go to the PNP for the construction of 14 new police stations and four engineering offices; and acquisition of more anti-terrorism gear and equipment, communications equipment, and other facilities.

AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER NOW A MUST IN LGUS

Source: www.dilg.gov.ph

The government’s effort to develop the agriculture sector got a boost with the institutionalization of the Agricultural Engineering profession in provinces, cities and municipalities of the country.

This developed as Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno issued a memorandum circular recently enjoining all provincial governors, city and municipal mayors and sanggunian members to institutionalize the position of agricultural engineer in their respective local governments.

Puno said the institutionalization of the agricultural engineering profession is mandated by Republic Act 8559 or the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Act of 1998.

He explained that RA 8559 was enacted to promote, upgrade and regulate the practice of agricultural engineering profession in the country in terms of planning, designing, supervision and management, research and extension, testing, evaluation and inspection, valuation, consultation, marketing and management of agricultural , fishery and forest machinery, buildings and structures, irrigation, soil and water conservation and utilization and other engineering facilities, systems and technologies.

The said also further enhance the delivery of basic agricultural services and facilities which had been devolved to local government units by the Local Government Code.

In his directive, the DILG secretary reminded local officials that with the institutionalization of the agricultural engineering profession LGUs shall ensure that planning, designing and implementation of small water impounding projects, communal irrigation, tractor and agricultural machinery pools, post harvest facilities, agricultural buildings and structures, slaughterhouses, poultry dressing plans, farm-to-market roads and other agricultural engineering facilities and systems are performed by licensed and registered agricultural engineers in their localities.

The registered agricultural engineer shall also be the one who will sign the design, plans, technical specifications and cost estimates in the procurement and implementation of LGU’s programs and projects on agricultural and fishery machinery, buildings and structure, post harvest facilities, slaughterhouses, farm-to-market roads and other engineering facilities and systems.

Puno said that with the implementation of RA 8559, LGUs may also reallocate agriculturist positions and other positions performing agricultural engineering works to the existing engineer class of positions subject to the approval of the sanggunian concerned through an ordinance enacted for the purpose.

At the same time, LGUs shall implement and enforce provisions of the law and the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards as part of the licensing, registration and issuance of business permits of firms engaged in agricultural and fishery machinery manufacturing, distribution and operation including issuance of building permits of agricultural buildings and structures.

PUNO ORDERS BFP, BJMP OFFICIALS TO INSTILL DISCIPLINE ON THEIR MEN

Following the recent jailbreak at the Biñan Municipal Jail in Laguna and the alleged extortion by a fire official in San Juan City, a visibly irked Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) today directed top officials of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to instill discipline on their personnel and ensure that “firefighters and jailguards are doing their jobs.”

At the same time, Puno gave instructions to DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety Marius Corpus to admonish fire and jail officials and personnel who are responsible for the two latest incidents that occurred in the public safety sector of the Department.

“While government is doing its best efforts to upgrade our public safety services and promote the welfare of our public safety officers, we should also go hard on erring fire and jail personnel who are remiss in their jobs, particularly those who are using their position to extort money on hapless citizens,” he said.

Early morning of Wednesday, 16 inmates bolted from their cells at the Biñan Municipal Jail in Laguna after overpowering the lone jail guard who was left manning the jail gates when the other one accompanied a sick prisoner to a nearby hospital.

Erickson Javier, charged for violation of RA 9165, voluntarily surrendered, while six others were recaptured by the police namely: Wilson Esteban, charged for robbery; Ralph Ochoa, carnapping; Andrew Placios, carnapping; Romano Mane, violation of RA 7832; Aries Bon, theft; and Marlon Pascual, violation of RA 9165.

In San Juan City , F/Inspector Chandler Arcadio is in hot water after being arrested in an entrapment operation for allegedly trying to extort money from a businesswoman to expedite the processing of the insurance claim of her store that burned down last month.

Undersecretary Corpus said, “Without prejudice to any case which may be filed against him, Arcadio has already been relieved from his post and is now on a floating status at the BFP National Headquarters.

He said that aside from administrative sanctions that may be imposed, “any erring fire and jail personnel shall be dealt with accordingly under existing laws and regulations.”

Corpus also appealed to the public to report their complaints or illegal acts of BFP and BJMP personnel directly to his Office at the DILG central office in Diliman, Quezon City or call Tel. Nos. 920-7783 and 925-9114.

EU extends P.5M aide for civilians in recent Mindanao clashes; reiterates call for early resumption of peace talk

MANILA (PNA) — The European Union (EU) in Manila on Monday announced “immediate but short-term assistance” worth Euro7 million (about P500.000) for civilian victims of the recent spate of clashes between Philippine government troops and rebel forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Implementation of the project takes between six to nine months, according to EU head of Delegation, Ambassador Alistair MacDonald.

In giving the humanitarian assistance, MacDonald said Europe acknowledges that the Philippine government “is doing a lot” to alleviate the conditions of victims, “but it is clear that resources are very overstretched.”

He said that EU’s “immediate concern is the civilians who have been displaced and in the longer term, the efforts that we have put in to small scale community-based development in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. It has been appreciated by the communities and I’m confident that these successes will not be endangered in the long term.”

At the same time, MacDonald repeated EU’s urgings for both the Philippine government and the MILF “to agree to early return to the negotiating table in order to seek lasting solution to the conflict.”

He added the EU has not been asked to help in mediating the peace talks.

”I think the main thing that we can say on the peace process is precisely what we said in the EU statement (of Sept. 15).”

Latest reports indicate about 500,000 Muslim and non-Muslims have been displaced from their homes in the spate of intermittent clashes triggered by MILF incursions into mainly Christian barangays in southern-central Mindanao in early August.

”I think the government is doing a lot. Both the national and local governments are doing a lot to help the civilian victims of conflict but it’s clear that their resources are very overstretched,” MacDonald told reporters after announcing the latest EU humanitarian assistance.

He mentioned reading in newspapers “that the stock of food are all gone, the scale of the number of people affected by conflict are so large that its important for the international community to help.”

”My impression from press reports is that the real sufferers are the civilians. Houses have been destroyed and properties have been destroyed and it has been photographed by newspapers which are quite telling,” MacDonald said.

The MILF were angry that a proposal to provide Muslims their own “Bangsamoro homeland” became a mere paper chase when a purported memorandum on the matter failed to be signed in Kuala Lumpur and was scuttled at the last minute by a Philippine court order.

MacDonald also described his own emotions, as it is perhaps the EU’s, on what he has read and seen from media reports:

“Imagine you have been forced to runaway from your village and take shelter in a school and it happens five, seven ten years. I would feel pretty damaged and frightened and I think the agencies that deal with indigenous peoples and refugees have a long experience of identifying the psycho-social experience from that repeated stress and repeated exposure to conflict. Its important to address them.”

EU total development assistance to Mindanao since 1989 amounted to Euro520 million already. But even if the conflict has stretched into the new millennium, the EU does not believe its help is in vain, he stressed.

”Now if you ask if efforts are in vain, certainly not. We have to recognize that one project is only a drop in the bucket compared to the overall development of Mindanao. That’s clear that peace is necessary for Mindanao to be able to develop and achieve its full potential,” he explained.

Of the Euros520 million euros, about Euro115-m has gone to actual development projects in Mindanao, or just 20 percent.

”But if you do the same calculation for humanitarian assistance and investments lending from the European Investment Bank (EIB), the picture’s quite different,” he explained.

”Our development assistance to Mindanao is 20 percent of the total assistance for the Philippines, the humanitarian assistance is 40 percent and EIB lending for projects to Mindanao is ten percent. You can see the pattern there. The development assistance is average compared to the overall assistance to the Philippines but humanitarian assistance is heavily secured towards Mindanao and we are not lending very much for lending projects in Mindanao.”

He clarified EU has not suspended any of its projects in Mindanao but it is “monitoring very carefully” the impact of the ongoing clashes on its projects, particularly those located in such actual conflict areas as Midsayap and Aleosan municipalities in North Cotabato.

“We are hopeful that our projects will not be seriously affected by the conflict,” he continued.

The EU has what is known as the Mindanao Trust Fund and MacDonald said he visited a project site in Sarangani Province (near North Cotabato) two weeks ago and met up with officials of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) “to ensure that the achievements of the project will be safeguarded.”

EU has Davao-based European staff members working on its health projects in Mindanao in tandem with non-governmental organization and the BDA.

Though they do not have to go to the conflict areas, they “have been very prudent not to travel,” MacDonald noted, expressing that they will not be pulled out except as an emergency measure. “What is necessary is to exercise common sense and prudence.”

As to suggestions from Malacanang to have at least 12 individual MILF combat commanders, including Commanders Bravo, Kato and Panglian, declared as terrorists by the United Nations, MacDonald responded:

“As far as I’m aware there has not been any consideration given on the EU side to expand our list of terrorists and institutions of terrorism.” The EU has listed the Muslim Abu Sayyaf Group and the New People’s Army as international terrorists.

Without giving a categorical response to a question of whether or not the EU supports military action in Mindanao, MacDonald simply referred to the September 15 EU statement.

In that statements, EU members declared they “are deeply concerned by the violence in Mindanao... we underline that the conflict can be resolved through dialogue and both parties should go back to the negotiating table and exercise restraint.”

MacDonald also referred to EU’s urging of “an early return to negotiations” in relations to the new government strategy of employing the UN-sanctioned peace talks strategy of DDR (Disarming, Demobilization and Rehabilitation).

It appears that if asked to assist in the peace talks, which Malacanang momentarily halted because of MILF intransigence, the EU would help if asked. MacDonald said, “There isn’t any suggestion from the (Philippine) government and the MILF to allow outside party such as EU to give assistance to the peace talks.”

There are suggestions that even Malaysia, which had facilitated the talks for more than a decade, should be taken off mediation.

Several weeks back, British Ambassador to Manila, Peter Beckingham, had offered to help in the peace talks on the aspect of disarmament. This was an offshoot of a meeting last December between then Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Beckingham said.

But Malacanang apparently has no solid response yet to announce on the offer.

MacDonald said EU would need an assessment or status report on Mindanao — such as figures on damages and other human and property casualties, how many years would it take for Mindanao to recover from this crisis.

- By Gloria Jane Baylon (PNA)

PUNO ALARMED OVER MILF ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS AND PLANTING OF BOMBS IN MINDANAO SCHOOLS

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DILG SEEKING CONGRESS APPROVAL OF P1.1-B OUTLAY FOR BFP TO MODERNIZE DILAPIDATED EQUIPMENT

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is asking Congress to approve a P1.1 billion capital outlay for the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) under its proposed budget for 2009 as part of the Arroyo administration’s efforts to modernize the country’s antiquated fire fighting facilities and equipment.

DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno said the proposed P1.1 billion capital outlay of the BFP for next year will be used to procure 100 units of 1,000-gallon capacity fire trucks, 500 sets of personnel protective equipment, and 632 units of breathing apparatus.

The DILG has proposed an allocation of P900 million to procure these 100 fire trucks; another P34.86 million for personnel protective equipment that includes fire suits, gloves, helmets and boots; and P170.88 million for breathing apparatus with refillers.

Puno said the fire trucks would be distributed nationwide to replace dilapidated and decommissioned units, while the breathing apparatus and personnel protective equipment will be distributed among fire stations in Metro Manila.

This year, the BFP has procured 14 units of fire trucks worth a combined total of P135 million, while another P100 million from congressional initiatives is now being readied to buy additional units, according to DILG data.

Besides fire trucks, the BFP is also in the process of procuring P23.77 million worth of breathing apparatus and hiring 500 fire officers to augment the shortage of fire fighters in the bureau.

Underscoring the urgent need to modernize the BFP, Puno noted that although fire protection is a basic frontline service, only 827 or 55.35% of the country’s 1,494 municipalities have fire protection capability.

If the BFP were to comply with the minimum requirements under the law of establishing one fire station with adequate firefighting equipment and personnel in each municipality, it would immediately need at least 667 fire trucks, Puno said.

However, the BFP has an existing fleet of only 1,741 fire trucks, of which only 74% are operational. The Bureau’s existing fleet is actually short of 1,926 units, considering that for an estimated population of 90 million Filipinos in 2008, it needs 3,214 units to bring down the fire truck-to-population ratio to one fire truck for every 28,000 people.

To date, the actual truck-to-population ratio is one fire truck for every 69,626 persons.

Worse, he said, only 2,285 sets of personnel protective equipment, such as fire-retardant coats and boots, are available for use by the BFP’s 12,814 firefighters, which means only 17.83% of them are protected when they are exposed to chemicals and other hazards during fire-suppression operations.

The BFP also has a shortfall of 16,406 firefighters, and a grave shortage of fire inspectors, considering that the bureau only has 1,620 of them in relation to the number of establishments to be checked, which is estimated at 835,000 structures nationwide. This does not yet take into consideration the construction of new buildings, which averages 103,000 units each year.

With the shortage of fire inspectors, the BFP can only inspect an annual average of 381,565 establishments.

FTD INSPECTS GROCERIES IN THE BINONDO AREA TO CHECK FOR CHINESE MILK PRODUCTS

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III leads the inspection of stores in the Binondo area to check for milk products from China which were banned recently because of findings that many contained the toxic chemical melamine. FTD talked to the store authorities and ordered them to remove the products from the shelves or the health department would file appropriate charges against them.

China Contaminated Milk Scandal Widens

A third infant has died in China from contaminated milk and more than 6,000 made sick. The scandal has forced nationwide recalls of milk products by China's top dairy producers, including some exported to five countries. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.

China's Health Minister Chen Zhu on Wednesday said there are now 6,244 reported cases of infants made sick and, among those, three have died from drinking tainted milk formula.

Speaking at a news briefing broadcast live on national television, he said the numbers could go up as more parents take their children to hospitals.

Chen says there are now 1,327 infant patients in the hospital. He says 158 are suffering from acute kidney failure.

The scandal over tainted milk powder surfaced after large numbers of babies were hospitalized suffering from kidney stones. All had been fed formula made with powdered milk.

China's largest powdered milk producer, Sanlu Dairy, was found to be using milk laced with melamine, an industrial chemical that can make food appear higher in protein.

Chinese officials said an investigation of 109 powdered milk producers found that 20 percent of them added melamine to their products, including China's largest milk producer Mengniu.

Li Changjiang, head of China's quality watchdog., says starting today they will station 1,400 inspection teams amounting to nearly 5,000 people at all dairy producing enterprises. He says they will make on-the-spot inspections and conduct strict and effective oversight.

Li says his department has ordered a recall of all suspect products, including goods from two companies that exported to Bangladesh, Yemen, Burma, Gabon, and Burundi.

The New Zealand dairy company Fonterra is part-owner of Sanlu and says it raised concerns about tainted milk weeks ago but Sanlu was slow to respond.

New Zealand's prime minister says the Chinese government began investigating only after she raised the issue through official channels.

The manager of Sanlu and four local officials in Hebei, where Sanlu is based, have been fired over the scandal.

Chinese officials have vowed to inspect all dairy products in the country and say they may for the first time begin regular testing for illegal additives such as melamine.

This is not the first time milk powder has killed babies in China. In 2004 at least 12 infants died from drinking fake milk powder.

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PUNO: CRIMINAL CHARGES FILED VS. KUMANDER BRAVO, UMBRA KATO, MORE THAN 80 OTHER MILF RENEGADES

by: www.dilg.gov.ph

Criminal charges that include double murder, robbery-in-band and arson were filed before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Lanao del Norte against Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader Abdulrahman Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, and over 80 of his cohorts in connection with the series of slayings of civilians and other lawless acts committed by these lawless MILF elements, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said yesterday.

At the same time, Puno called on the MILF central leadership to assist ongoing efforts by law enforcers to apprehend and bring to justice Bravo, his fellow MILF renegade leader Umbra Kato and their co-conspirators to prove its sincerity in pursuing the peace process.

“The filing of cases against are already known to the MILF central committee. We are hoping that they will assist the government in bringing to justice these lawless elements,” Puno said in a press briefing at the national police headquarters in Camp Crame . “If they are truly committed to peace and want the peace process to continue, then we expect them fully to cooperate with our system of justice.”

The DILG chief said the MILF Central Committee’s inaction in helping government pursue these rogue elements “is tantamount to a tacit approval” of the brutal acts committed by them.

“If the leaders in the MILF Central Committee cannot help the government, then this will just show that they do not have the right to speak for the MILF because they cannot even control their members. Perhaps we should not be talking to them,” Puno noted. “Kapag hindi sila tumulong, nangangamba ako sa mga mangyayari sa susunod na mga araw.”

Among those who were included as respondents in the criminal cases filed against Bravo and Kato were the 31 MILF members who surrendered recently to the government. Puno, however, said that if these 31 respondents are willing to turn state witnesses against their cohorts, then they may be accorded a different treatment by state prosecutors since they were merely acting on orders from their superiors and cannot be considered the most guilty.

An initial 90 respondents, among them, Abu Sawaf, Abu Subair, Alin Pangalian and Lunday Dayaan alias Commander Topsider, were included in the charges filed against the MILF renegades, which include one count of double murder, three counts of frustrated murder, one count of murder with frustrated murder, robbery in band, arson, and serious illegal detention, Puno said.

Puno said he will proceed to various areas in Mindanao early next week to hold dialogues with local government executives, Ulamas and Catholic bishops on how to restore normalcy to the lives of the people in areas that were attacked by the MILF.

Among the issues to be discussed during these dialogues, Puno said, are the deputization of members of civilian volunteer organizations (CVOs) as police auxiliaries who will assist the Philippine National Police (PNP) in securing villages prone to MILF attacks.

PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. made it clear that police auxiliaries to be deputized by the PNP will be limited to their respective barangays.

These auxiliaries, he said, will undergo extensive background checks, training and “re-arming” before they can be deputized to assist the PNP in securing barangays.

Puno called on the people in Mindanao to leave the task of fighting rogue MILF members to the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) instead of taking it upon themselves to carry out this responsibility.

He said that the PNP “will see in the course of the next few days” how may police auxiliaries are needed to secure villages in certain parts of Mindanao