City administrator promises Law-Order at markets

Outgoing City Councilor Elias “Ely” Enriquez has promised to instill law and order at the city’s public markets, scene of urban anarchy, after he assumes office as the City Administrator next week.

Enriquez who ends his third year term as city councilor, served as city chief of police in the early 1980’s prior to his political career nine years ago. “I am familiar about how the underworld operates in this city,” he said.

There is said to exist a “shadow government” in these public markets, who collects their own taxes from the thousands doing business is these facilities.

A few market officials have met violent deaths in recent years to include Market superintendent Manolo Alpichi shot dead about six years ago and Market Superintendent Idris Abdullah who was killed some three months ago.

The killers of these market official remain unknown to these days.

The city administrators overseas the economic enterprises of the city to include the old waterfront public market, the Sta. Cruz market at suburban Tetuan barangay, the Bagsakan (Food Terminal) Market in front of Sta. Cruz and the city’s slaughterhouse.

Enriquez said that among others, he will implement those ordinances that have something to do with the market orderliness and cleanliness.“I will put order in the market,” Enriquez promised.

According to Enriquez , there is no order in the main public market. People just put up their own structures in addition to what the government has invested in the facility in millions of pesos.

“There are illegal structures not provided in the ordinance,” Enriquez said .

“How can you clean a market that is in a state of anarchy ,”Enriquez asked.(FMS)

LTO rules SP’s Habal Habal law

The city government may not be able to implement its Proposed Ordinance No. 2005-20 that will govern motorcycle-for-hire or Habal-Habal operations in the city. The council ordinance was approved on 3rd and final reading during the June 14, regular session and has been forwarded for approval by the city mayor.

But while the city government will authorize the use of motorcycles to ferry passengers, the passengers cannot be covered by any insurance because a national law bars the use of motorcycles for hire.

Land Transportation Office LTO) regional officials said the law does not allow the use of motorcycles to ferry passengers since these are designed primarily for personal use.

Simply said, the LTO will not and cannot register for hire single motorcycle because Republic Act No. 4136 bars such an act.

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Land Transportation Regulation Officer Romeo Jallorina said that a recent LTO legal opinion said that Habal-Habal or any single motorcycle can not be used for hire or to solicit and ferry passengers.

Jallorina said that R.A. 4136 is definite that single motorcycles are not for hire vehicle but only for private use. “It can be registered as for private use only,” Jallorina said.

As this developed, Jallorina said that a single motorcycle is only insured and limited up to P 10,000 for personal accident thus the passenger or back rider is not included .

LTO Regional Director Aminola Abaton said that Habal-Habal can not be legalized because it is contrary to RA. 4136.

This being the case, the LTO can apprehend any body using their private motorcycles for ferrying passengers as contemplated in the city council proposed ordinance.

Comelec checks out voters voting records

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has starting checking out all voter’s voting record after the May 14 local and national election to retain or retire from the Voter’s Book of records, all voters who failed to vote in the last two elections.

City Election Officer Roy Cuevas said “Balik na kami sa administrative duty after the elections,” meaning that they are back to their regular work of checking voters records in preparation for the next elections.

The next elections will be for barangay officials scheduled for October this year.

Cuevas explained that if a voter did not vote for two elections their names will be removed from the master list and they can only vote again if they go to COMELEC and reactivate.

The voting record of the voters will reflect how many times a voter voted and where he or she voted.

The office is also checking and sees to it that the record of the dead are deactivated and removed so that no one will vote in their stead on Election Day.

More names at DTI lists

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) an increase in the registration for new business names in the city.

DTI Provincial Director Engr. Rolando Acuña said that from January 2007 to yesterday, his office has so far listed 884 new business names for one individual or sole proprietorship.

Fr the same period last year the number of business names registered reached only 882 who registered for business name also for sole proprietorship.

Most of the new business names registered with the DTI were for internet cafés, fast food, parlors and barber shops.

Acuña stressed that it is important to register their business names because this will give their businesses its own identities.

Those who would like to apply for business names need only to secure the forms from the DTI or its website www.dti.gov.ph fill it up and pay the fee of P300 for sole proprietorship and P500 for corporations they can get their papers after 30 minutes.

The DTI is checking on the business names from their data base to ensure there will be no duplicate of business names.

The office is also checking that the names given are related to the business example monitor internet café you cannot give the name monitor internet café to a barbershop. (FMS)

Region readies celebration of Disaster Consciousness Month

The regional disaster council has lined up a series of activities for the celebration of National Disaster Consciousness Month starting July 1 to July 31.

Office for Civil Defense (OCD) Regional Director Adriano Fuego said that the National Disaster Consciousness Month celebration will be spearheaded by the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) and the OCD.

Fuego said the celebration is an important one as this will increase the people’s awareness of disasters.

The RDCC headed by Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Jaime Caringal has presided over a meeting held last Tuesday to finalize plans for the celebration.

Until recently the National Disaster Consciousness Month is celebrated for only one week but a proclamation numbered 137 mandates its celebration for an entire month.

This year’s theme is “Safe Ka Ba? Programa Laban Sa Kalamidad, Tungo Sa Pag – Unlad.”

The activities for the Month of July will include the hanging of streamers, official launching of the occasion, joint meeting of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council and City Disaster Coordinating Council.

There will also be a one day forum on the Civil Defense Deputized Coordinator, sports feast, earthquake drills, water search and rescue training, disaster preparedness seminar, poster making and essay writing contest, awarding of winners, signing of Memorandum of Agreement with Institute of Criminology Western Mindanao State University and closing ceremonies.

Sabah deportees decrease

The number of deportees being shipped back to Zamboanga City by the Malaysian government is now decreasing according to records of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

DSWD Information Officer Fe Dela Cruz said from the average 1,000 deportees a month, this number went down to only 146, recorded in the recent arrival of last Saturday.

Data from DSWD says that from January to present the DSWD already served a total of 5,717 deportees.

Dela Cruz said that the reason for the decreasing numbers of deportees might be that there are only a few of them (undocumented Filipinos) in Malaysia.

She explains that the office does not only send the deportee’s home but gives them trainings.

For the deportees who has an immediate employer in Malaysia, the DSWD assist them to finish or complete their working papers such as passports and others.

Penalties await late car registrants

The Land Transportation Office-IX (LTO-IX) will impose the mandated penalty for late renewal of registration of all kinds of vehicles in the region.

LTO Regulation Officer Romeo Jallorina disclosed that there are still a big number of motor l vehicles with plates ending in 6 whose owners failed to renew their registration papers.

The LTO-IX can not have any excuse for failing to accept the registration of motor vehicles since the office is now computerized and easier to process papers of clients and patrons.

Jallorina said that that the office will impose a 50 % penalty late registration of all kinds of vehicles. The last day for the registration of vehicles with plate numbers ending in 6 will be on today June 29.

HE also said that the registration of motor vehicles will include subjecting the vehicles for emission testing pursuant to the provisions of the Clean Air Act.

Noise barrage vs dengue set

Noise barrage vs dengue set

The city government has adopted another tack at combating the rising number of dengue fever cases in Zamboanga.

In addition to fumigating suspected breeding places of the dengue fever carrier, aedis aegypti mosquito, the city health office will lead in a noise barrage scheduled for tomorrow, June 30 in several barangays.

The noise barrage will not be used to frighten the mosquitoes away – but to raise the awareness of the people to disease for which there is no known effective cure, except for palliatives to help the body resists and recuperate from the disease.

The barangays affected include Sta. Maria. Boalan, Pasonanca, Tumaga, Divisoria, Talon-Talon, Putik and Mampang.

City Health Officer Dr. Rodel Agbulos said that it will depend on the barangays affected to what time they will conduct the noise barrage on Saturday .

Dr. Agbulos said that cases of dengue fever already reached or gone to 59 cases registered just for the month of June.

As this developed, Dr. Agbulos said that CHO is appealing the citizenry to take active participation in the noise barrage since it is expected that dengue fever will still rise because of the rainy days . “The