Mitra begins term

Palawan second district representative Abraham Kahlil B. Mitra had already sworn in as the new governor of Palawan.

Mitra, together with other elected provincial and municipal officials, took oath on June 30 as the province’s new chief executive and was inducted by Regional Trial Court’s Executive Judge Perfecto Pe Jr. Hundreds of supporters witnessed the event at the Capitol Pavilion.

In his inaugural address, he said that it was a long and dangerous journey before he reached the governorship.

“There were threats and immoral amount of money was spent against us,” Mitra stated. He stressed that the past years had been the most painful for him and was politically ugly.

Mitra also faced a legal battle when his political rivals filed a disqualification case against him questioning his residency status. The complaint stated that Mitra was not a resident of Aborlan as he had filed in his certificate of candidacy. The petitioners claimed that he still resides in Puerto Princesa, a highly-urbanized city that does not vote provincial officials.

Although the Commission on Elections did not favor him, the Supreme Court had issued a status quo ante order, allowing his votes to be counted during the canvassing of the May 2010 elections.

He won by a margin of 1,738 votes against closest rival businessman Jose Pepito Alvarez, and was proclaimed governor by the Provincial Board of Canvassers, even with a pending disqualification case before the Supreme Court (SC).

But a day before his inauguration, the SC ruled against Mitra’s disqualification.

“We won and won convincingly. I was proclaimed governor in no uncertain terms and the Supreme Court voted upholding the Palaweños decision. Indeed, justice was served,” he told his supporters.

‘I am a Palaweño’

“In my blood and in my heart, we are a Palaweño. No one and nobody can take that away,” was Mitra’s first lines in his inaugural address.

During the campaign period, the three-term congressman stressed that he is a true-blooded Palaweño. His father, the late House Speaker Ramon Mitra also served Palawan for many years.

The question on the legitimacy of his residency prompted Mitra to stress that he was a real Palaweño in his campaign sorties, and that such issues were only tactics of his political rivals to demean his name.

His rival for the gubernatorial seat, Alvarez, was from Cagayan de Oro City but had already transferred his residency in San Vicente town in Palawan.

In the formal turn-over of governorship during the oathtaking ceremony, outgoing Gov. Joel Reyes uttered the line: “I, Joel T. Reyes, a Palaweño, is honored and privileged to turn-over the authority (of the governor) to another Palaweño.”     

Prioritize HEAT

“Let us move forward to make Palawan a premier province in the Philippines,” the 40-year old bachelor said in his speech.

He was planning to build “long-term projects for long-term gains”, adding that the most successful projects and programs of the former administration would be reinforced.

But Mitra said that he would be prioritizing health, education, agriculture and tourism, which he coined as HEAT, in his term as governor. He said that these were the sectors closest to him.

“I will be personally coordinating with the Provincial Health Office to ensure the delivery of primary health care even to the remotest barangay,” he said.

Mitra also recognized the importance of the establishment of district hospitals, adding that “I might go out of my way to ask for donations to improve health facilities (in the province)”.

“We will also work to transform Palawan. . . to  a leader in education,” he said.

Included in his priorities were the uplifting of public school teachers’ capabilities and evaluation of the teacher’s pool program. He said that a reprogramming might happen if the evaluation to be done would bring out negative results.

The provincial government’s scholarship program would be continued, Mitra pointed, but it would be renamed as the Provincial Educational Assistance Program. However, he stressed that there would be a maintaining grade for students who would be in program.

“Students should be worthy to be called scholars,” he claimed.

The newly-installed governor also said that part of his program would be to prioritize food security in the province. Mitra pointed that agriculture in Palawan should be developed so as to achieve the goal.

First directive

“I am directing the Provincial Planning and Development Office to immediately organize the energy summit,” Mitra instructed. He said that it would be his first directive as governor.

In his speech, he pointed that the power supply is still one big problem hindering the province’s tourism industry. He said he was hoping that the energy summit he would be calling for would bring solutions to Palawan’s energy problem.

‘Uphold mining moratorium’

Mitra stated that he was constantly asked if he was anti- or pro-mining, since the mining industry is one big issue in the province.

He, however, did not give a direct answer but said that the 25-year mining moratorium on small-scale mining operations in Palawan would be upheld.

“The mining moratorium. . . will stay, implemented and will never be superseded in my administration,” he stressed in his inaugural address.

24/7 work

“If you want one worthy government, you should be ready 24/7,” Mitra stressed, saying that he works 24 hours a day and seven days a week if necessary.

Public service has no definite time, he pointed, adding that as governor, “I am not a difficult person to work with.

Along with this, he also enumerated the things that he would not like to see during his term as governor.

Among these were waste of government resources, habitual tardiness, excessive display of arrogance and wealth, mediocre work, misuse of government resources and abusive government officials and employees.

“Simply avoid the things that I detest and we will work well,” he told the provincial government officials and employees.

One Palawan

“In the next couple of years, there’ll be no more two camps,” Mitra said in his first press conference as provincial governor June 30, referring to political parties in the province.

Unlike the previous inauguration ceremonies, the oathtaking of elected officials took place in two separate venues. One was at the Capitol Pavilion while the other one was at the JCA Pavilion in Brgy. Bancao-Bancao.

Asked why there were two separate oathtaking ceremonies, Mitra said that it should be the other camp (Partido Pagbabago ng Palawan) who should be asked.

“Capitol is the seat of government and it’s a long-standing tradition for elected provincial and municipal officials to take their oath of office there,” he pointed.

He, however, added that: “We should be broad-minded enough to understand their situation. Perhaps, there are still wounds of battle.”

Mitra also stressed that although some provincial and municipal officials did not took oath the Capitol, they were still given proper courtesies. Their names were in the program and they were called, he said.

When asked about his reaction on the reported willingness of the Kilusan Love Malampaya (KLM) to meet with his camp, Mitra said: “If they say that they want to talk with us, they still have to explain about the accusations.”

KLM was the group who revealed the alleged misuse of Malampaya funds in infrastructure projects in the second district where Mitra served as congressman.

Provincial Board endorses MacroAsia

The Provincial Board had already approved the large-scale mining application of MacroAsia Mining Corp. in Brooke’s Point despite claims that the endorsement from the municipal council was illegal.

During the Board’s 139^th regular session on June 22, which was supposed to be their last since a new set of legislators would sit starting June 30, the committee report endorsing the mining operation was adopted.

The Committee on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, in its report, said that the mining company had complied with all the requirements and that they found no reason not to endorse the operation.

“The Committee did not see anything illegal here so we really have to endorse it (MacroAsia mining operation),” Board Member Cipriano Barroma, chairman of the environment committee, pointed.

 Municipal endorsement was legal

The Board’s Committee on Rules and Laws had also decided that the Brooke’s Point municipal council resolution, which endorsed the mining operation of MacroAsia, was legal and did not violate any parliamentary rule.

“After thorough discussions, the Committee decided to sustain the endorsement of the Brooke’s Point municipal council,” said Board Member Modesto Rodriguez II, chairman of the rules committee.

Last May, the council adopted a resolution endorsing the application of MacroAsia. However, the resolution was questioned by the council’s own presiding officer, Vice-Mayor Mary Jean Feliciano, and was brought to the Provincial Board’s Committee on Rules and Laws.

Feliciano, a well-known anti-mining advocate claimed that the resolution was illegitimately approved since it was during the “second session” when the council reported it.

The municipal council, according to Feliciano, held another regular session despite her adjournment. It was held to approve the application of MacroAsia, she stressed.

Rodriguez, one of the main authors of the 25-year mining moratorium resolution in the province, said that being chairman of the rules committee, he had to endorse the application of MacroAsia Mining Corp. since they found the municipal resolution valid.

Minutes of the municipal council session showed that the committee report where the mining application was included was adopted when Feliciano was still the presiding officer.

“This is not a question whether you are anti- or pro-mining. The issue is centered on the validity of the municipal resolution,” Rodriguez said in his committee report.

He added: “I am still the author of the moratorium but as chairman of the committee (rules and laws), I have to report it to the Board.”

 ‘Express endorsement’

“Why are we in haste to approve this mining application? Why don’t we pass it on to the next Provincial Board for it to be thoroughly studied?” Board Member Vicky de Guzman reacted to the report of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.

De Guzman openly opposed the  endorsement of the mining application. She pointed that she does not want to leave the Board with a ‘heavy heart’, adding that approval of such application might put the 39^th Provincial Board in a bad light.

De Guzman, one of the authors of the mining moratorium, questioned the environment committee for endorsing the application despite lack of  necessary documents such as updated barangay resolutions and an endorsement from the indigenous people’s community. It was a practice of the Board to ask for the latest barangay resolution endorsing a project, whatever it may be, she claimed.

“I don’t know why the committee (environment) overlooked that important document when it is a policy that we would always request for a barangay resolution of current date,” de Guzman said.

Three barangay resolutions endorsing MacroAsia were included in the requirements submitted by the company to the Board. However, these were dated 2007 and 2008.

“I am objecting to the endorsement of the project on grounds that I am in doubt with the municipal resolution; I am consistent with Palawan’s stand on mining; the areas applied for are within Mt. Mantalingahan protected landscape; and that a project of this magnitude should be thoroughly studied,” de Guzman explained.

In an interview, de Guzman said that she expected some of the other board members to support her objection to the application. She related that before the committee reports, not more than four of her colleagues assured her that they will rally behind her. However, only de Guzman voiced her opposition to the mining project.

“I don’t know what happened. I counted on their words but now, it’s only me opposing,” she told reporters.

She also said that the committee reports, both of rules and environment, came as a surprise for her.

“I thought that our last session would be dedicated to valedictory addresses,” she said.

During the session, the agenda came in a form of a programme listing the flow of activities for the day, not the usual list of issues to be decided by the Board. However, it still included the part ‘other matters’ where the two committee reports were conducted.

Rodriguez claimed that the steering committee, which decides the issues to be covered in the agenda, had agreed to include the committee report under ‘other matters’.

Zero backlog

Environment committee chairman Barroma, on the other hand, insisted that all requirements were complied with MacroAsia and that his committee had meticulously studied the application.

MacroAsia have completed the requirements as far as the committee on environment is concerned, he said.

“Only MacroAsia has submitted these many documents,” Barroma said referring to the three thickly ring-bound papers. “We have endorsed Rio Tuba Nickel Corp., Coral Bay Nickel Corp. and LeBach Mining. Why can’t we endorse MacroAsia when they have already finished the exploration?”

He also stressed that they just want a “zero backlog” before leaving the Provincial Board.

“As far as the committee on environment is concerned, if there is no new resolution in contrary to the old resolution, that is still valid,” Barroma said answering de Guzman’s claim that no new barangay resolutions were submitted.

There is really no house rule to that effect, he added.

Barroma told reporters that the application has been with the Board since May and that if they would not act on the issue, the company could charge them with dereliction of duty.

“MacroAsia was already endorsed by the municipality and the barangays. There’s no rush in this endorsement . We decided based on the evidences that we have,” he furthered.

MacroAsia Mining Corp. applied to mine a 1,113-hectare land in Brgys. Mambalot, Maasin and Ipilan  but only 699 hectares was approved since the other areas are within the Mt. Mantalingahan protected landscape.

No more problems in north hospital

The Provincial Engineering Office (PEO) assured that all problems raised last week on the Northern Palawan Provincial Hospital in Taytay were already addressed.

Board Member Gil Acosta questioned on June 8 the status of the hospital weeks after its inauguration. He specifically pointed that the gravels stacked in the building’s entrance and the portion of the pavement which was already raised from the ground.

The hospital was funded with a portion of the province’s share from the Malampaya gas proceeds. The PEO clarified that, contrary to earlier reports that the construction of the hospital was worth P100 million, only P94 million was allotted to it: P80 million for the construction and P14 million for the equipment.

During the Provincial Board’s regular session June 15, the PEO said that the problems were already fixed but that they should immediately start the drainage system. BCT Construction, the project’s contractor, added that they had also worked to rectify the damages.

BCT Construction also insisted that the hospital was safe because most of the materials used were rock.

 “The problem now is only the drainage system. We will ask the local government unit of Taytay or the contractor to help us with the drainage system,” Engr. Colegio of the PEO said.

The Northern Palawan Provincial Hospital is located on a hilly area which would require a good drainage system especially that the rainy season had already started, according to the PEO.

Asked whether the hospital had secured an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the PEO said that it has none as of the moment.

“The release of the ECC was delayed because of what happened with Taytay-Rural Health Unit (RHU),” Colegio said referring to the landslide which occurred in Taytay last year that killed six health workers.

The PEO, however, informed the Provincial Board that the DENR had sent a composite team to inspect the hospital area. They also assured that what happened with the RHU will not happen with the hospital, pointing that the back of the hospital was composed of solid rocks.

The one-hectare land where the hospital was erected was originally owned by Taytay incoming mayor Evelyn Rodriguez. Rodriguez donated it to the Provincial Government so that a hospital could be placed in their municipality.

Dr. Eduardo Cruz, head of the Provincial Health Office, also informed the Board that the Northern Palawan Provincial Hospital would start its operation sometime in July.

“As soon as the documents are okay and the equipment were already transferred and delivered, it would start operating,” Dr. Cruz said.

“This hospital is bigger than the Southern Palawan Provincial Hospital in Brooke’s Point. It was constructed because we are targeting better medical service to the Palaweños,” he added.

   

MacroAsia endorsement questioned

Brooke’s Point Vice-Mayor Mary Jean Feliciano had requested the Provincial Board not to endorse the large-scale mining application of Macro Asia despite the municipal council’s approval of its application.

Feliciano, together with other anti-mining advocates of Brooke’s Point, questioned the legality of the municipal resolution endorsing the mining company.

The resolution was approved during the ‘second’ session which was said to be illegal.

Feliciano said that she had already adjourned their May 20 regular session but majority of the councilors called for another session after she left the session hall with Councilor Mary Ann Racuya and the municipal council secretary.

“There were lots of people inside the session hall and outside the municipal building because of a rally. As presiding officer, I have the prerogative to adjourn (the session) when there was chaos or public disorder,” Feliciano explained.

The vice-mayor related that the councilors who held the second session elected Councilor Mark Barroma as temporary presiding officer and ABC Pres. Georjalyn Joy Quiachon as temporary secretary.

The minutes of the session, which reached the Provincial Board, confirmed Quiachon as the secretary.

“Only in Brooke’s Point can we find a member of the council acting as the secretary,” Board Member Vicky de Guzman quipped.

The minutes showed that Feliciano declared a recess but also resumed with the session after a few minutes. However, she pointed that “it was them who prepared the minutes. I was not even a signatory of that.”

“I wonder why they were such in a hurry to approve the endorsement. It’s not like an emergency. It was not even in the agenda,” Feliciano said.

The Board’s Committee on Rules and Laws requested Feliciano to file a formal communication questioning the legality of the session held by some of Brooke’s Point councilors.

De Guzman, a member of the committee, said that they were hoping to come up with a decision on the issue before they leave office on June 30.

“You cannot have two regular sessions in one day. To call for another session is not in the parliamentary procedures,” de Guzman stressed.

Board Member Modesto Rodriguez II, chairman of the committee, also requested Feliciano to furnish the Board with their house rules.

BIMP-EAGA shows support to UR

Members of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) had manifested support to the Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park and the Komodo National Park in Indonesia, both finalists in the Search for the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

BIMP-EAGA is composed of the four countries which seek “to accelerate economic development” with its members.

“This gesture is in line with the tenets of strong partnership within the BIMP-EAGA region in strengthening cooperation for the development of tourism in promoting the same as the center of ecotourism destination worldwide,” the manifesto of support stated.

In a press conference regarding the 7^th Joint Tourism Development Cluster Meeting held June 9 in Puerto Princesa City, delegation heads of the member countries said that the statement of support to the two nominated sites would help in the promotion of the sites as well as to the ecotourism in BIMP-EAGA that they were promoting.

“We are in agreement that direct and indirect benefits shall be achieved by the member-countries with the Puerto Princesa Undergroun River and Komodo National Park as winners to the New Seven Wonders of Nature come 2011,” it added.

“We further commit to protect these God-given wonders of nature for our people and continuously abide by the rules of cooperation and unity within the framework of BIMP-EAGA objectives,” the statement of support furthered.  

I am not disqualified - Mitra

Governor-elect Abraham Kahlil Mitra reacted to reports stating that the Supreme Court (SC) had already disqualified him as candidate for Palawan’s gubernatorial race.

Rumors about Mitra being disqualified by the high court were circulating for the past days. The decision was even published in some newspapers, the rumors said.

“We should not believe these stories. The election is over and our people are growing tired with this kind of reports circulating,” Mitra said over radio station DYPR.

He also raised doubt over the rumored decision since the SC was in vacation, he said.

“The case would still undergo a long process since the court was asking for some documents to be presented to them,” Mitra related. He also stressed that “I was not disqualified. Let’s just wait for the court’s decision before saying anything.”

Mitra also called for his political rivals to just unite and work for the good of the people and the province.

“They were claiming that they were helping Palaweños in many ways. Why don’t they just do what they were doing before the elections? Let us all focus on helping the Palaweños,” he said.

Mitra’s closest rival during the automated polls was businessman Jose Pepito Alvarez who was known for his JCA Foundation which gives free medical services for the needy.

Despite his disqualification, Mitra was able to join the May 2010 polls after the SC issued a status quo ante order enjoining the decision of the Comelec to cancel his certificate of candidacy three days before elections.

The case rooted from a suit filed by Antonio Gonzales and Orlando Balbon Jr saying that the congressman still lived in Puerto Princesa City despite his transfer of residency to the municipality of Aborlan.

Residents of Puerto Princesa, being a highly-urbanized city, could no longer vote nor run for provincial posts.

Last week, former Senate president Jovito Salonga, Mitra’s collaborating counsel, filed a motion to the SC requesting for a favorable decision on the disqualification case.

Baragatan Festival

The province of Palawan is set to celebrate the yearly Baragatan Festival this June. I don’t have the program for this year’s celebration yet, but as far as I know, same events as the previous ones would highlight 2010’s festivity.

Baragatan Festival is the celebration of the founding anniversary of Palawan’s civil government.

Baragatan is a Cuyunon word meaning ‘to meet’. During this celebration, Palaweños all over Palawan’s 23 municipalities gather in its capital Puerto Princesa City.

I personally have fond memories of the Baragatan. I remember that when we were in high school, me and my classmates (actually, I think, the whole school) would skip our classes just to watch the street dancing competition or the float parade.

It was also during Baragatan where I first saw actress Katrina Halili. She then joined the search for Mutya ng Palawan and represented her town El Nido. Well, she was our bet for the pageant but she did not end up winning the title. She however got a minor award. Next thing we know, she was already a finalist in a reality talent search at GMA 7 and had managed to get a career of her own.

When I was already in my first year in college, I also remember having to make siksik with the big crowd in the street to watch the street dancers. I was with my classmates who used to join the Taytay group for street dancing and, needless to say, they want to see how their group was doing without them. LOL!

Of course, there are these stalls at the Capitol Grounds which sell various stuffs. You would normally see people roaming around the place either looking for something to buy or just merely looking around.

Last year, me and my friends each bought a cellphone accessory worth P10. We considered that a good find, though.

All municipalities also have booths of their own showcasing the uniqueness of their place. And to inspire them more, the provincial government also made it a competition where the most outstanding LGU booths would win prizes.

Also, employees of the provincial government give a special number during the celebration. And it is during this once-a-year event would we see the province officials dancing in the streets. Yes, the governor, vice-governor and board members had to show off their dancing skills as part of the festival.

I remember a lot of things with Baragatan. However, it would be unfair to you, readers, if I make a long list of them here.

Anyways, the soft opening of the festival would be later this afternoon.

Road construction is not affected by new admin - DPWH

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assured the Provincial Government that the concreting of the Southern Palawan road would not be affected even if a new administration would take over on June 30.

The concreting of the south road was under Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s El Nido to Bataraza road project which she mentioned during her state of the nation address in 2008.

“There will be no problem even if a new administration would take over because the project has a contract,” Engr. Ricardo Mañalac of DPWH said during the Provincial Board’s question and answer hour on May 25.

He also pointed that the funds would not be a problem because the budget for the project was already allocated. However, Mañalac admitted that the project was short of budget because of the P400 million still unreleased by the Department of Budget and Management.

For the south road project, the national government allotted a P1.8-billion fund but according to the DPWH, only P1.4 billion had been so far released.

The DPWH said they have no idea why the remaining P400 million was still not released.

“Although we’re ahead of schedule, June 30 is not a realistic date (for finishing the project) because of some problems we encountered. We’re just deferring the construction until the budget is enough,” Mañalac pointed.

He added that the “contractor is hesitant to deliver the cement requirements because of lack of funds.”

Under the contract, the project should be completed on Nov. 30 this year. Mañalac said that they were confident to finish the road concreting on schedule as long as the funds would be available at the soonest possible time.

DPWH’s project status report showed that as of May 20, 2010, 82 percent of the project had been finished. However, the contractor is still doing miscellaneous works which require going back to some already concreted areas.

Mitra is a full-blooded Palaweño - Salonga

Governor-elect Abraham Kahlil Mitra appealed to the Supreme Court (SC) to negate the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualifying him as candidate for the gubernatorial race on the May 2010 polls.

Former senate president Jovito Salonga, Mitra’s collaborating counsel, said in a five-page petition that the candidate’s transfer of residency should not be based on the physical appearance of his abode.

The Comelec said in its ruling that Mitra’s declared residence in Aborlan, being a barely-furnished farmhouse, was not fit for a congressman. Salonga argued that it was not a sufficient legal basis for the congressman’s disqualification.

”The determination of whether a person has changed his residence is primarily a question of his intention and not of the suitability of the living conditions,” Salonga said.

He pointed that “what is required is a candidate’s intimacy with the place where he is seeking election or his possession of a detailed knowledge or deep understanding of the locality and its people.”

“There is no doubt that he is aware and acquainted with its needs as a community and there is no reason to consider him a “stranger” or  a “newcomer” in Aborlan or, for that matter, the whole Province of Palawan,” Salonga furthered.

Mitra had served as congressman of Palawan’s second district, which includes the municipality of Aborlan and Puerto Princesa City where he was formerly registered, for nine years before running for governor.

Salonga argued that the residency requirement was still complied since Aborlan is a part of the province and the district where Mitra served. He also stressed that “Mitra has been a full-blooded Palaweño for all his life.”  

Mitra was proclaimed governor of Palawan on May 14.

Despite the Comelec ruling, he was allowed to have his votes counted in the automated elections due to a status quo ante order issued by the Supreme Court on May 7.

Where will we go? - market vendors

Some 40 market vendors in the municipality of Coron were complaining after they were forced to vacate their stalls May 24 to give way for the construction of a hotel.

Vendors said they were notified only three days before the demolition, giving them an unreasonable time to think of what should be done. They said they did not even know where they would be relocated.

“We just want to be clarified on this matter. We were not notified earlier and when we arrived (at the market) this morning, they were already tearing down our stalls,” one market vendor said over radio station DYPR.

She added that Coron Mayor Marjo Reyes also did not tell them about the plans that half of the market would be demolished to allow for the construction of a hotel.

As of this writing, Reyes had still not spoken regarding the issue.

Reyes files election protest

Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes filed an election protest before the House Electoral Tribunal on May 24 following his loss on the congressional race during the May 2010 polls.

Reyes ran as a representative of Palawan’s second district but lost to former Puerto Princesa City mayor Dennis Socrates by 2,811 votes.

Reyes said the election results did not match the survey results prior to the elections wherein he was consistently on top.

“It was my supporters urging me to know the truth. They were wondering why I lost in some barangays where they know I should be the one to win,” Reyes said over radio station DYPR.

He also pointed that it might be a good time for his protest since the House Electoral Tribunal was also investigating the alleged irregularities during the country’s first automated polls.

Reyes enjoyed a lead in the results from some municipalities. However, Socrates led in Puerto Princesa by 15,627 votes.