Bishop opposes Casino in Lipa

Casino at Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club also means

the first legalized gambling operation in the pilgrim city of

Lipa.

Lipa City – Saying that presence of gambling facilities will only lead to the growth of criminality in the province, Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles has called on Batangueños on July 25 to oppose the establishment of a casino in the Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club.      In the said homily on a July 25 mass, Arguelles said that the people should not allow the said project to push through because gambling only “destroys families.”
     “They tell us that (the casino) is only for the rich people, but even the poor are addicted to gambling. That’s why there are thieves and our streets are no longer safe. That’s why there are many hired killers. Why does a person kill? Because he needs money. Why does he need money? Because of drugs, because of gambling, because of sex,” Arguelles said in his homily.
     He said that a lot of people, even women themselves, have already committed suicide in the past after they fell in huge debt following a huge loss in gambling.

How much trouble will the casino cost to Architect Antonio

Turalba Sr.?  The people of Lipa who are opposed to the

gambling operations will let him know.

Trouble
     The bishop even compared the situation of Lipa allowing the casino to the Bible’s cities of Sodom and Gomorrah that was destroyed by God because of the people’s sins in the past.
    “My dear brothers and sisters, in the near future you will be asked (whether or not you’re in favor of putting up a casino) and you know the answer. Let us not put our province in trouble. This city is the city of God, the Marian Capital of the Philippines. Many people from other countries come here to witness God,” Arguelles said.
     This city is the home of numerous Catholic churches that have been famous for miracles and miraculous healings such as the Our Lady of Carmel church where the shower of rose petals was fully documented.

Opposition
     He added that the bishops of Southern Tagalog Region had already issued an open statement opposing all forms of gambling but the Church, particularly in Laguna and Quezon Provinces, are having a hard time fighting the said vice that’s why it is asking the help of the clergy.
     “We must not allow this province, our Archdiocese which is celebrating its 100th year as the kingdom of God to become Sodom and Gommorrah. Too many families will be broken. Too many people will commit suicide because they do not pray before God but they talk with the enemy of God,” Arguelles said, reiterating his appeal to the Batangueños in a Sunday mass.
      Aside from the casino, Arguelles had also opposed in the past the existence of illegal numbers game jueteng in Batangas province and the establishment of lodges in Lipa City.

Casino
     Earlier on July 15, Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) President and Chief Operating Officer Rafael Francisco had sent a letter asking Mayor Meynard Sabili and the Lipa City Council to issue a certification “interposing no objection and welcoming the proposed operation of a PAGCOR Club in Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City, Batangas.”
     In an interview with Sabili, he said he will not permit any casino to operate in Lipa, because this city, he said, happens to be a pilgrim city.
     “If they insist on operating, and if they operated without a permit, I will close them down,” Sabili said.
      According to Jean Asa, Sabili’s consultant they didn’t know about the casino’s operation in Malarayat until the interview.
“We were there (at Malarayat Golf Club) last week, and we were informed that they will only be putting slot machines there, no big-time gambling will be operated there,” Asa said.
     Sabili’s executive secretary Libay Lopez told the SLI that this publication should give them evidences and documents about the casino in Malarayat for them to study.

With the casino operation, the wholesome image of the golf

club  changes too.

Casino opportunity
     Francisco said that the PAGCOR has already conducted several studies in the area and after thorough evaluation, they found out that the Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club presents “good and viable opportunities in hosting a theme called PAGCOR Club.”
     In his letter, he also said that the proposed PAGCOR Club will “further improve economic activities in the city and inevitably raise revenue for the esteemed community.”
     The said letter was referred to the city council’s committee on games and amusement chaired by Councilor King Umali in a regular session on July 26. No committee hearing has been scheduled so far on the proposed casino.

Location
     SLI found out that even the location of the casino is not suitable for the said operation.
     The Malarayat casino or PAGCOR Club is located at the 2nd floor of the Sports lounge beside the Children’s Pavilion and children’s pool.
     Targeting the Korean guests who are staying at the condominium buildings in front of the Children’s Pavilion, the casino is projected to earn a bigger income from the gambling operations.
     According to the articles of incorporation that Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club, Inc. filed at the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 1995, the primary purpose of the company was to “promote social, recreational and athletic activities on a non-profit basis among its stockholders, the core of which will be the acquisition and maintenance of a golf field course and other similar facilities.”
     There was no mention of gambling in the company’s primary purposes.
      As of July 6, or a week before it reportedly opened on July 15, the casino has no operating permit. According to Jeffrey Olan from the Lipa City Permits and Licenses Office, the company hasn’t applied yet for any permit.
     The company has already decided the casino operation as early as May 8, 2010 during the meeting of the Board of Directors who unanimously approved the gambling operation.
     A male political analyst in Lipa told the SLI that the management could have taken advantage of the political lull and uncertainty in the new administration after the recent automated election when it decided to open the casino.

Family matters
     While Archbishop Arguelles was keen on his opposition on the casino, he also sent a letter on July 25 to Arch. Antonio Turralba, Sr. president of the Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club, restating his stand against the establishment of casino in the said exclusive resort.
     In the said letter, the bishop also thanked Turralba for the support given by the club president to the projects of the Archdiocese of Lipa, including the realization of the St. Therese Church and Parish in Dagatan Village, Lipa.
     He also thanked the architect for the assistance he gave to the January 17 wedding of Arguelles’ nephew who married Turralba’s daughter Antonella.
     Antonella is listed in the company’s SEC registration as one of its incorporators and sits in the board of directors.
    Arguelles however said that he “cannot and should not water down the opposition especially of the church in the archdiocese to all kinds of vices.”

     “Following the line of my predecessor, may I express my personal and official plea that no gambling facilities be established in Malarayat as well as anywhere in our province, the Archdiocese of Lipa,” Arguelles said.

     The SLI called Turralba in his office but he wasn’t there. Turralba also didn’t answer the questions SLI sent to him through his email. (Marlon Alexander Luistro and Mei Magsino)

The map of Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club shows how close the casino is from the children's pavillion

Batangas City fails in environment protection-DILG

Batangas City—The city that hosts the famed center of the center of marine biodiversity in the world happens to have a failing grade in environmental protection where marine life is in danger.

     This was how the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS) assessed this city’s performance or lack of it the environment sector.

     According to the LGPMS study which was done in 2009, and posted on 2010, the city failed in the coastal marine ecosystems development with a rating of only 2.36 which is going from poor to bad as a rating of 3 is considered fair.

     The study also revealed that the city’s marine life is in danger. Mangroves loss is high as its mangrove cover has been depleted to below 50% of the original area. Benchmark rate should not be lower than 50%.

     It showed that the city’s marine productivity is also at risk. The study further showed that coastal fish catch has decreased for the past five years. Many squatter households were observed on coastlines, and marine environment is at risk due to probable pollution loads.

     This city is fronting the Verde Island Passage which was declared by the World Conservation Union as the “center of the center of marine biodiversity,” and home to 1,736 marine species, or 60% of the the world’s fishes, the biggest in the world. But the presence of polluting industries in coastal areas added weight to the study’s conclusion that the city’s marine life is already in danger.

     But it wasn’t only the presence of sources of pollution that puts the marine ecosystem of Verde Island Passage in danger. The illegal trade of endangered species like the dried fins of the gentle thresher sharks discovered in 2008 was never stopped.
     What was stopped that time was the campaign to protect the endangered sharks as the officer of the non-government organization that started the call to protect the thresher sharks had to cool down and leave the city due to death threats he had been receiving.
     Even the state of freshwater ecosystems has also been on the failing side as fish catch in river has decreased over the past five years, while the presence of polluting industries in riverside has been observed. This could also contribute to the poor freshwater quality in the city that the study found out.
    The LGPMS is an on-line national information system on local governments. It is a self-assessment, management and development tool that enables local governments – provinces, cities and municipalities – to determine their capabilities and limitations in the delivery of essential public services. It also say where the local government failed and the areas where it should improve on.
     The web-based system has the ability to produce information on the state of local governance performance, and the state of local development, using governance and development indicators.
     The study also rated the elementary completion rate in the city as extremely low, while secondary completion rate is objectionable and concluded that the quality of human capital is at risk. On the unemployment side, the study rated the city’s status as alarming.
     In the state of urban ecosystems area, the study revealed that tree cover in urban areas falls short with the desirable condition while air quality is at stake and uncomfortable due to the presence of polluting industries .
     Despite the city’s active support on agriculture, the LGPMS’s assessment stated that the percentage of irrigated land to total irrigable land is too low, while agricultural land development is not of priority and the potential to increase agricultural produce is very weak while crop production indicates very low agricultural land productivity.
    The Southern Luzon Inquirer tried to interview the new mayor Vilma Abaya-Dimacuha in her office on her first day of office, but wasn’t granted the interview. Her son lawyer RD Dimacuha, who is now the executive secretary said they will have to hold a meeting about this problem first.
     According to Batangas city administrator Philip Baroja, who used to be the city’s environment and natural resources officer, the city is classified as industrial, which means the LGPMS would have reclassify it as soon as the city’s investment plan comes out. (Mei Magsino).

State of Calamity declared in 12 Batangas towns

Batangas city – The Batangas provincial board had placed 12 towns of Batangas under a state of calamity on July 21 due to the damages brought by typhoon Basyang.

     The municipalities covered by the declaration were Balayan, Calaca, Calatagan, Lemery, Lian, Nasugbu, Tuy, Agoncillo, Balete, Laurel, Sta. Teresita and Talisay.

     Batangas Vice Gov. Mark Leviste said that the declaration will allow the provincial government to spend around P5 million of its calamity fund for rehabilitating areas affected by the typhoon.

     Under the local government code or Republic Act 7160, local governments are authorized to declare a state of calamity to allow utilization of its calamity fund, which comprises about five percent of their local budget.
     The funds are usually allocated in providing relief or rescue.

     Republic Act 8185, which ammended certain provisions in the code, defined a state of calamity as “a state of extreme distress or misfortune, produced by some adverse circumstances or event or any great misfortune or cause or loss or misery caused by natural forces.”

     On July 18, the provincial disaster coordinating council (PDCC) reported that the typhoon had already left initial damages worth P161.44 million in Batangas.

     Of the said figure, the province’s infrastructure had the heaviest damage pegged at P102.4 million, followed by agriculture (P58.6 million), and livestock (P445,500).

     Batangas Civil Defense Chief Pedrito Dijan, Jr. said that the typhoon had damaged at least 1,561 houses, 133 of them were totally wrecked.

    Some major bridges like the P10 million worth Sinisian bridge, which connects Calaca and Lemery towns, were also damaged by the typhoon. The storm damaged the bridge’s 10 meter approach and wingwall, making it impassable to heavy vehicles to date.

      Dijan said that the typhoon also destroyed 92.05 hectares of corn plantations, 29.75 has. of ampalaya (bittergourd) farms, 12 has. of banana, 2.25 has. of tomato farm, and some other fruits vegetable farms in Balete, Malvar and Talisay towns amounting to P14 million.

     The typhoon also destroyed 87 fish cages in Talisay town and a still undetermined number of cages in San Nicolas, damaging about P45.2 million worth of tilapia and bangus stocks.

     Most of the said stocks were already in their harvestable size. It takes about six months to grow tilapia in fishcages in the Taal Lake.

     In its July 18 report, the PDCC said that the typhoon left three people dead, two injured and six others missing from the typhoon.

    Dijan, identified the fatalities as Marcelina Bathan, 47, resident of Sta. Maria village in Laurel; sisters Daisy Nicolas, 12, and Darenz Nicolas, 4, of Bugaan West village in same town; Mhyx Elipongga, 1 year and 8 months old of Balibago village in Lian and Ronald Argente, 27, of Matabungkay village in said town.

     The PDCC said that Bathan died of electrocution, while the Nicolas sisters died when a mango tree fell on their house. Elipongga meanwhile was drowned after she fell on a nearby creek, while Argente was drowned as he tried to save his cow from the flood waters.

    Dijan said 65-year-old Renato Tan of Kaylaway village in Nasugbu town was injured after a tree fell on him, while 48-year-old Liwayway Sarmiento of Bilibinwang village in Agoncillo injured her legs on a landslide.

     As of July 18, elements of the police and the Philippine Coast Guard are still looking for six missing victims identified as Natalio Gravantes, 38; Jessie Regencia, 21; Julie Regencia, 21; Aldrich Yuldi, 2, Prescilla Yuldi, 35, all residents of Laurel town.

     Seventy-two year old Benjamin Ventura was also missing after floods swept his house beside a creek in the village of Banga, Talisay town.
     Typhoon Basyang, with an international name of Conson, was the first tropical cyclone to reach the Philippine mainland.

     Packed with strong winds of 120 kilometers per hour, the typhoon wrecked havoc on the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) and Bicol regions, affecting a population of about 241,651 persons in 88 municipalities of 12 provinces. ( Marlon Alexander S. Luistro)

Basyang leaves 5 dead, 2 hurt, 6 missing in Batangas

Batangas City –At least five people were killed, two others were injured and six were missing, after typhoon Basyang battered portions of Batangas province on July 14, the provincial disaster coordinating council (PDCC) said in a very belated report on the casualties and losses brought by the first tropical cyclone that hit the country this year.
     Batangas Civil Defense Chief Pedrito Dijan, Jr., identified the fatalities as Marcelina Bathan, 47, resident of Sta. Maria village in Laurel; sisters Daisy Nicolas, 12, and Darenz Nicolas, 4, of Bugaan West village in same town; Mhyx Elipongga, 1 year and 8 months old of Balibago village in Lian and Ronald Argente, 27, of Matabungkay village in said town.
     Dijan said Bathan died of electrocution, while the Nicolas sisters died when a mango tree fell on their house. Elipongga meanwhile was drowned after she fell on a nearby creek, while Argente was drowned as he tried to save his cow from the flood waters.

     Meanwhile, he said that 65-year-old Renato Tan of Kaylaway village in Nasugbu town was injured after a tree fell on him.
    As of presstime, elements of the police and the Philippine Coast Guard are still looking for six missing victims identified as Natalio Gravantes, 38; Jessie Regencia, 21; Julie Regencia, 21; Aldrich Yuldi, 2, Prescilla Yuldi, 35, all residents of Laurel town.
     Seventy-two year old Benjamin Ventura was also missing after floods swept his house beside a creek in the village of Banga, Talisay town. In Agoncillo town, Liwayway Sarmiento, from Brgy. Bilibinwang sustained leg injuries during the landslide.
     Typhoon Basyang, with an international name of Conson, was the first tropical cyclone to reach the Philippine mainland.
     Packed with strong winds of 120 kilometers per hour, the typhoon wrecked havoc on the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) and Bicol regions, affecting a population of about 241,651 persons in 88 municipalities of 12 provinces.
     In a July 20 report published in its website, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said that the Calabarzon Region, where Batangas province is located, had the highest number of casualties, with 41 dead, 24 injured and 34 missing.
     The report also said that the estimated cost of damage from the typhoon on the four affected regions had already amounted P189.6 million, with infrastructure having the most damage pegged at P114.6 million.
     Office of Civil Defense Administrator Benito Ramos said the typhoon had damaged 31,542 houses, 3,691 of which are totally wrecked.
     As of July 20, he also said that at least 465 families or 2,365 persons remain housed inside 16 evacuation centers in various municipalities of the affected regions.
     Based on its assessment, the NDCC said most of the municipalities affected by the typhoon in Calabarzon Region were also the same areas affected by Typhoon Ondoy in September last year.
     It however said that the damages brought by the Typhoon Basyang are “very minimal” compared to the effects of Ondoy.
     “The strength of typhoon Ondoy was only 105 kph (kilometers per hour). However, prior to its landfall near the boundary of Aurora and Quezon, it brought more rainfall caused by the southwest monsoon, which caused widespread flooding in most parts of Metro Manila, Southern and Central Luzon, as well as other parts of Visayas and Mindanao, while typhoon Basyang was 120 kph but it didn’t bring more rainfall,” the NDCC said.
    On its final report issued on July 18, the PDCC said that the typhoon left an estimated total damage of about P161.44 million in Batangas province.
     Of the said figure, Dijan said that infrastructure of the province had the most damage amounting to P102.4 million, followed by the agriculture sector with P58.6 million worth of losses and livestock that lost a whooping P445,500 worth of damages.
     At least 133 houses in 14 towns were totally destroyed by the typhoon, while 1,428 are partially damaged.
     Laurel town incurred the most damage in livestock with an estimated worth of P360,500. Five cows, six carabaos, six hogs and two goats were reportedly killed by the typhoon.
     Dijan added that the typhoon destroyed 92.05 hectares of corn plantations, 29.75 has. of ampalaya (bittergourd) farms, 12 has. of banana, 2.25 has. of tomato farm, and some other fruits vegetable farms in Balete, Malvar and Talisay towns amounting to P14 million.
     The typhoon also destroyed 87 fish cages in Talisay town and a still undetermined number of cages in San Nicolas, damaging about P45.2 million worth of tilapia and bangus stocks.
     Most of the said stocks are already in harvestable size, the PDCC said.
     The Batangas provincial government had already extended financial assistance of P10,000 to P15,000 each to relatives of dead, injured and missing typhoon victims.
     It also had given P73,412 worth of food and non-food items to affected families in Nasugbu, Calatagan, Lian, Talisay and Laurel towns. (Marlon Alexander S. Luistro)

Star Tollway fees up by 8%

Lipa City, Batangas–Highway developer Star Infrastructure Development Corporation (SIDC) has implemented an eight percent increase on toll fees extracted from motorists plying the 42-kilometer Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway in Batangas.      SIDC General Affairs Department Administrator Louie Turgo said the increase took effect at 10 pm on July 10.

     The fees for Class 1 vehicles or cars and jeepneys passing the highway were raised from P55 to P60, while drivers of Class 2 vehicles or light trucks and buses who used to pay P109 will now have to pay P120 for toll fees.
     Class 3 vehicles or heavy trucks weren’t spared too, as they have to pay P179 from the original P164.
     SIDC made the announcement in the weekly Balitaan sa Tinapayan forum with the media held in a restaurant in Dapitan, Manila, held some two weeks ago.
     In a press conference, Turgo was quoted as saying that the toll fee increase – to be implemented in two schemes - was meant to recover the P132 million the company spent for the rehabilitation of the highway, which runs from Sto. Tomas town to Batangas City
     He said that eight percent toll hike was only interim and that they are planning to petition the Tollway Regulatory Board for an additional eight percent increase, which they expect to enforce once the petition was granted.
     He also claimed that the toll fee increase was agreed upon by the Star Tollway’s stakeholders, including the Batangas provincial board, in a multi-sectoral forum called by the SIDC, where the developer explained the reasons for seeking a 16 percent increase on toll fees.
     Turgo however said that they will revert back to the old toll rates once the SIDC fully recovers its investment for the project.
     The SIDC administrator said they expect to fully implement the 16 percent increase in toll fees by January 2012.
     Jeepney and service van drivers are opposing the tollway fee increase, saying it will only mean an added cost for their daily expenses.
     “I’m not in favor (of the increase) because we’re already suffering from the minuscule income we have now, with the less passengers and soaring prices of gasoline,” said driver Rolando Argame, who earns an average daily income of P200 to P500 in transporting passengers from Lipa City to the Crossing Terminal in Calamba City, Laguna.
      Of the said income, he said he already spends P300 for gasoline, P40 goes to the payment for the queue in the jeepney terminal, and P58 for the tollway fee.
     Since the tollway fee increase took effect, Argame said that he now pays an additional P6 for the toll fee, which is already a huge blow, with the little amount of income that an ordinary driver like him earns.
     He also thinks it was unfair on the part of SIDC to impose additional fees on the motorists just to immediately recover their capital from the project.
     “It’s their business and it will forever be theirs. Everyday, we always pass that highway and they will eventually recoup their investments,” said Argame, father of four children and head of the Lipa Bus Stop Calamba Jeepney Drivers Association.
     Donato Perez, a van driver plying the Lipa City – Sta. Rosa route, said he’s also not in favor of the tollway hike as it will not only be an added cost on his daily transportation expenses but the highway’s low infrastructure quality makes it not worth the price.
     “The roads in the Star Tollway haven’t changed anyway. Ask all the drivers and they will tell you that the roads are poorly built. Our vehicles tremble whenever we pass through (the highway),” said Perez, who earns an average daily income of P300 from transport.
     “Those investments can be recovered in time. They will not close the highway anyway,” he added. (Marlon Alexander Luistro)

Coast Guard contains Calatagan oil spill

Calatagan, Batangas – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on July 8 they have already completed the clean-up operation of an oil spill, which affected nearly 960 square meters of mangrove forest in the fishing village of Talibayog here.      “We’ve already contained the oil spill (in the sea) and it was not able to spread out. What only remains are the oil (that was stuck) in the mangroves,” said Lt. Cdr. Troy Cornelio, PCG-Batangas District Station Commander, in a phone interview.
   He said that the coast guard’s oil spill response team (OSRT) was able to contain the said spill using sorbent pads to absorb sticky oil during high tide.
     The Coast Guard Commander also said that their team conducted high pressure flushing using salt water boosted by two sets of generators, a mechanical high pressure sprayer and two electrical sprayers to clean-up the spill.
     The oil spill was discovered in July 4 afternoon by a small fisherman but the coast guard took at least three days to contain the spill, according to Cornelio.
     In a July 7 report published in its website, the Coast Guard said that based on their aerial inspection, they found minimal traces of oil in the affected mangrove area.
    The Coast Guard’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPCOM), however, said it will be monitoring the said mangroves “for rehabilitation and recovery.”
     Cornelio said they have yet identify the possible source of the oil spill as they are still waiting for the results of the lab test conducted by the MEPCOM, which are expected to be released on July 14.
     “We cannot single out where the oil spill exactly came from because a lot of ships have already passed in the area,” he said.

    Talibayog residents however believe that the oil spill may have come from the ships that were docked in the Balayan Bay, near the villages of Sanpiro and Palikpikan in the neighboring Balayan town.
    Jessie de los Reyes, Calatagan bantay dagat volunteer and project coordinator of environmental non-government group Conserve and Protect Oceans Foundation, said in a separate interview that a day before the spill was discovered, fishermen in the said villages have noticed some people “transferring oil from one ship to another.”
    The following day, he said that fisherman and bantay dagat volunteer Benny De Guzman discovered the oil spill in the mangrove forests of Talibayog.
   He expressed fears that the oil spill might cause fish catches in the town to decline since the mangroves serve as “breeding grounds of the fish.”
   To pinpoint the possible sources of the spill, Cornelio said that the MEPCOM’s technical team has already taken oil samples from four foreign shipping vessels docked in the Balayan Bay, namely, M/V Sta. Annabella, M/V Sta. Alexandra, M/V San Clemente at M/V Sta. Fabiola.

    In its June 8 visit to the oil spill site, the SLI noticed that while several traces of oil were not yet removed in the mangrove trees, where they were first discovered a few days ago, none of the mangroves have died so far from the spill.
    The village’s sea waters have also remained pristine and crystal clear as they were before.
     It is business as usual for some fishermen as they were even seen rowing their boats in the middle of the sunset to catch fish.
    “We’re back to normal now. Luckily it was high tide when the oil spill occurred and the area affected was not a place where a large concentration of fish exists,” De Guzman said in a separate interview.
    “We were also lucky that the incident was immediately reported (to the Coast Guard) because if not, then the oil spill might have spread,” he added.

     He said the fishermen in their village are confident that their livelihood won’t suffer after the oil spill “was already contained.”
     The coast guard also promised the residents that they will be scheduling another clean-up activity in the area to remove the oil leakage.
     Calatagan, a third-class municipality in Batangas province, was declared a marine reserve by virtue of Municipal Ordinance 08-92, and is under the process of rehabilitation.
     Records from the municipal government showed that Talibayog has about 2.14 of the town’s 268.21 hectare total mangrove area with avicena alba as dominant species.
     At least 200 residents of the said village depend on fishing for livelihood, while others are into farming, de Guzman said. (Marlon Alexander S. Luistro)

Worms attack farms in Calaca

Calaca, Batangas – Army worms have feasted on palay, corn and sugarcane plantations here, destroying around 1,266 hectares of farmland in the town since July 2, the municipal agriculturist office said.
        Quoting field reports, Calaca municipal agriculturist Alicia Cabrera said that the village of Niyugan was the heaviest plagued area, with the worms attacking a total farm area of 130.5 hectares, followed by Bisaya (129 has.) and Makina (103.95 has.) villages.
        In an interview with SLI, Cabrera said that the worm infestation was first reported on July 2 in the villages of Makina and Dila, but the ravage eventually spread out to 28 of the town’s 34 villages.
         “These army worms came from a moth’s caterpillar stage. Because of the heavy drought, these butterflies have laid their eggs. Now that the rainy season has begun, they rose from the ground and attacked the crops,” Cabrera said in Filipino.
            An army worm is the catterpillar life stage of a moth. It is regarded as a pest and can wreak havoc with crops if left to multiply.
            According to the Regional Crop Protection of the Philippines, an army worm’s most damaging stage is the larva stage, as it can either feed upon leaf tips or along leaf margins or feed upon leaves leaving only the midribs.
          An army worm can also damage crops by removing the whole leaves and plants for severe infestation; cut on stem and plant base and cut rice panicles from base.
         Cabrera however clarified that the worm infestation will not cause the affected crops to die but will only impede their growth.
          She explained that most of the affected palay crops were still on their tillering stage while the corn crops were on their vegetative stage and the leaves will eventually grow and be replaced as soon as they were eaten by the worms.
          “(Food) production is really affected since those farms attacked by army worms will definitely not be able to provide the needed production by harvest time,” Cabrera said.
            To prevent further damage on the crops, she said that the Calaca municipal government has already bought P50,000 worth of insecticides to be distributed to the farmers.
            “Because of the (town’s) vast rice and sugarcane farms, we have not yet controlled all of them. But we have already controlled those areas with army worms by recommending a poison that would kill the outbreak that destroyed our crops,” Cabrera said.

             Forty-year-old farmer Glenda Cabungcal, who works in a rice and sugarcane field in the village of Sinisian, said that the worms have severely damaged their crops and it would take them a long time to recover their investment.
           “We have been farmers for a long time but this was the only time for the last 45 years that this thing happened. We’ve invested P15,000 and we’re not even sure whether or not we will be able to earn profits again,” Cabungcal said.
            She said they have already sprayed insecticides on the affected farms, which had killed the pests but they are still waiting for a heavy downpour so that their crops would grow.
             The Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) has not yet released a figure on the total number of hectares affected by army worms and the estimated amount of damages on crops.
            It confirmed, however, that the pest had already damaged vast farmlands in the first district particularly in the towns of Lemery, Taal, Calaca, Nasugbu, Balayan, Lian, Calatagan and Tuy.
           PAO Agriculturist II Seferino Arago said though that the damage to crops may not be too severe as studies show that they have 80 to 90 percent chance to recover from the worm infestation.
            “According to the technical people, as soon as the climate changes and it starts to rain, then the worms will die and the chances of recovery are high,” he said in a separate interview. (By Marlon Alexander Luistro)

Police, Coast Guard, still looking for 5 missing

Laurel, Batangas –Basyang's fury left a trail of woes. The police said that they have yet to find the five missing persons in the village of Bugaan East, this town, whose houses were swept by floods at the height of typhoon Basyang on July 14.

         Senior Insp. Apolinario Lunar, Laurel police chief, identified the missing persons as Prescilla Yuldi, 38; Jessie Regencia, 21; Julie Regencia, 28; Aldrich Regencia, 2; and Natalio Gravantes, 38.

         The said missing persons were living in houses located near the Taal Lake. Now, their houses are gone, and they are still nowhere to be found

         In a phone interview with SLI on July 17, Lunar said they have already tried scouring the lake shores, including the nearby town of San Nicolas to search for bodies of the victims for the last four days but they haven’t found them.

          “According to the doctors of the municipality, a dead body of a drowned victim usually floats on the fourth day and if that’s true, then we expect them to float today,” he said.

            Their retrieval operations that day, however, yielded negative results.

          He said that the rescue team has already tried removing the tree branches scattered in the lake side of Bugaan East – an area where the relatives last saw the victims – but they did not found any floating body.

          Lunar said that the victims will remain missing on their record and they could only be declared dead upon the discretion of the town’s municipal disaster coordinating council. (Marlon Alexander Luistro)

Gov. Vilma’s re-election costs P3.6 M

Batangas City—Unbelievable as it may seem, but the campaign expenses declared by candidates in the last election revealed that re-elected Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto was the biggest spender in the May 2010 elections compared to the 43 other candidates in the province, the Commission on Elections said.
     In a June 25 report submitted by the candidates to the Comelec Law Department, a copy of which was handed to the SLI, Provincial Election Supervisor lawyer Gloria Ramos – Petallo, said Recto listed P3,616,512.25 as total expense for her re-election bid in the province’s highest post.
     The Star for All Seasons also reported in her statement of election contributions and expenditures that P2,459,387.05 of the money she spent came from her own pocket, while P1,157,125.20 came from donations from supporters – all coming from a group named Friends of Vilma Santos – Recto c/o Francisco Lardizabal. Lardizabal is the province’s tourism officer.
     Comelec records showed that Recto spent the highest amount among the province’s candidates in the recent elections.
     Her closest rival Sto. Tomas Mayor Edna Sanchez, who ran as a substitute candidate for her late husband former Gov. Armando Sanchez two weeks before the elections, spent only P3,491,544.00 in the elections, all coming from her personal funds.
     Records also showed that Sanchez was the biggest spender among the losing candidates in the province, followed by runningmate and losing vice gubernatorial bet Edwin Ermita, who spent P1,819,420.60 for the campaign.
     Both Sanchez and Ermita did not list any contributor on the documents they submitted to the provincial Comelec office.
     Former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who ran but lost in the province’s first congressional district, spent P945,414.60 out of his personal funds. The winner of the district, Tomas Apacible spent a total of P853,058.91 election expenses.
    Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, who ran and won his second term for the province’s second district, spent P925,000 for his electoral campaign, all coming from his own pocket. His closest rival Board Member Jun Berberabe spent the same amount for the elections.
    Winning Third District Rep. Nelson Collantes, spent P930,000 out of his personal funds, while his closest competitor Malvar Mayor Cristeta Reyes, spent P900,000.
    Rep. Mark Llandro Mendoza, who won the fourth district congressional race, spent a total of P705,750 out of his personal funds.
    Batangas Vice Gov. Mark Leviste, who was re-elected for his second term, declared election expenses of P3,200,547.20, with only P150,547.20 coming from his own purse.
    Losing first district board member bet Alexander Bonuan was the lowest spender among the provincial candidates with election expenses of only P40,000. Meanwhile, Marcos Mandanas did not spend a single centavo for his gubernatorial bid. Neither did Batangas saw his face during the campaign period.
    Among the winning candidates, it was Rowena Sombrano – Africa who spent the least amount with election expenses of only P66,000, all coming from her own pocket.
     Actor Christopher de Leon, who ran and won as board member for the second district, declared election expenses worth P950,000 for his campaign, making him the biggest spender among the candidates for the said post.
     The candidates, who ran for the May 2010 elections, were required to submit their electoral expenses last June 24.
     Petallo however said that eight candidates have not submitted the said document on the deadline date. Those who haven’t yet submitted are Nicomedes Hernandez (3rd District Congressman), Praxedes Bustamante (4th District Congressman), Gaudioso Platero (governor), Rodolfo Salanguit (1st District, Board Member), Julie Villena (2nd District, board member), Simeon Platon (3rd District, Board Member), Edgar Runes (3rd District Board member), and Fed Caisip (4th District, Board Member).
     She said that Villena and Caisip had already submitted their report to the Comelec Law Department in Manila on June 28.
     Resolution No. 9444 or the “Rules and Regulations Governing Electoral Contributions and Expenditures in Connection with the May 2010 National and Local Elections” requires candidates to file their statement of contributions and expenditures in triplicate copies to the Comelec by June 9.
      The commission later extended the deadline for filing to June 24.
      Candidates who fail to submit their report could face administrative fine penalties of P1,000 to P30,000, depending on the Comelec’s discretion.
      Those who fail to file their expenses after running for the second time, likewise, may face penalties of P2,000 to P60,000 and be permanently disqualified from running for public office. (Marlon Alexander S. Luistro)

CA okays arrest warrant vs ex-Vice Gov

Batangas City – The Court of Appeals Special Sixth Division has upheld on July 13 the warrant of arrest issued by the Batangas Regional Trial Court against former Vice Governor Ricky Recto.

     Recto was accused of masterminding the June 1, 2006 assassination attempt against then Gov. Armando Sanchez at the provincial capitol, which killed Sanchez’s bodyguard P02 Lucito Icaro and bodyguard Eric Landicho.

     Sanchez earlier died of brain hemmhorage and multiple organ failure on April 27, while campaigning for governor in the May 2010 elections.

     In a 12-page decision, CA Associate Justice Army Lazaro – Javier, rejected Recto’s claim that there was no probable cause to order his arrest on allegations that he plotted the bombing of Sanchez’s vehicle.
     “There is no doubt that a crime was committed. Two were dead and Governor Sanchez was wounded.    
     The latter’s car also exploded. On their face, the statements (of the witnesses) establish that Recto was involved in the assassination plot against Sanchez,” the appellate court said.

     Last year, the Department of Justice has charged Recto with frustrated murder and double murder for allegedly masterminding the slay attempt against Sanchez.

      Also charged were lawyer Christopher Belmonte, nephew of former Quezon City Mayor and now Rep. Feliciano Belmonte, Christina Antonio, niece of newly-elected Agbiag Timpuyog Ilocano, Inc. party-list Rep. Patricio Antonio, and Bettina Balderama.

     Sanchez’s camp has earlier offered a P1 million reward for Recto’s arrest and P500,000 each for Belmonte, Antonio, and Balderama.
     Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said the rewards remain notwithstanding Sanchez’s death.
     He also quoted Sanchez’s wife former Sto. Tomas Mayor Edna Sanchez as saying, “Now I know that (my late husband) Arman can rest peacefully, knowing that the killers will be brought before the bar of justice.”
      Ricky, brother-in law of Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto, earlier denied the allegations saying they were hearsays and a form of “political harrassment” on Sanchez’s part.
     “I’m not a criminal. Sanchez is a criminal,” said Recto, who has filed a corruption case on the Ombudsman against Sanchez and other officials over the anomalous P350 million computerization project at the provincial capitol. (Marlon Alexander Luistro )

Tourists still off-limits on Taal Volcano island

Talisay, Batangas – It might take awhile before tourists can once again visit the volcano island and ride on their horses atop to the viewing deck and enjoy the beauty of the Taal Volcano.

     In its July 13 bulletin, the Phivolcs said that the volcano remains on alert level 2 status, which means that the volcano is undergoing magmatic intrusion that could eventually lead to an eruption.
     “The main crater remains off-limits to the public because steam-driven explosions may suddenly occur or high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate,” Phivolcs said.
     It also warned the tourists from going to areas with hot grounds and steam emission such as portions of the Daang Kastila Trail as they are considered “hazardous.”
     “Furthermore, the public is reminded that Taal Volcano Island is a high risk area and permanent danger zone. Hence, habitation is strictly not recommended,” Phivolcs said.
     In the said bulletin, the agency said that it had recorded eight volcanic earthquakes from July 12 to 13, while the main crater lake’s water temperature is at 34 degrees Celsius.
     No significant changes, however, were noted in the volcano’s ground deformation measurements based on their July 10 survey.
     Lawrence Bañes, Phivolcs resident volcanologist said that the agency has not yet lowered the volcano’s alert status as they are still observing some other pertinent data that will serve as basis for their declaration.
     “We don’t only base (the alert status) on the number of earthquakes but we also observe other factors like the ground levelling, geochemistry and the precursors based on previous eruptions like increasing levels of seismicity and drying up of vegetation,” Bañes said in a phone interview.
     Bañes however said there's no need to panic as there are no signs yet that the volcano will erupt anytime soon.
     “People must stay alert and they must not panic because we will continuously monitor the volcano in 24 hours and in case (the situation) escalates, then we will inform them right away,” he added.
     Despite the volcano’s hazardous status, at least 6,000 people are currently living there, earning income from farming, fishing and guiding tourists to the volcano’s main crater.
     The Phivolcs has already recommended voluntary evacuation of island residents to safe areas but the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council said that as of July 13, there are no evacuees, so far, coming from the Taal Volcano Island.
     Talisay municipal administrator Alfredo Ordinario said that despite the volcano’s risk, the residents have decided to stay in their houses within the island instead of going to the town’s evacuation center.
    “Those people won’t leave even if they have already felt high intensity earthquakes since they have their own boats anyway,” Ordinario said in a separate phone interview.
     The municipal administrator also said that the island residents have demanded the local officials to open the volcano once again for tourists as they have no other source of income. The municipal government however refused to adhere to their requests for safety reasons.
     “We really cannot allow the people to go there because it’s dangerous according to the Phivolcs,” Ordinario said.
     Classes of 300 pupils in the Pulo Elementary School in Talisay have also been suspended since June 15, as part of the municipality’s precautionary measures. The said school is located within the volcano island itself.
     It is still uncertain when the classes will resume as Ordinario said that their decision will depend on the Phivolcs’ advise.
     The Phivolcs had raised the Taal Volcano's alert level status from 1 to 2 last June 8, after observing some abnormal activities such as increasing number of volcanic quakes, ground inflation, increasing water temperature in the lake and intensification of steamic activities accompanied by hissing sounds.
     The municipal police stations of Talisay, San Nicolas, Agoncillo, Balete, Laurel, and Mataas na Kahoy towns have already installed checkpoints in their respective areas to prevent the tourists from coming to the volcano island and provide information on the volcano’s situation.
     Regarded as the world’s smallest active volcano, Taal has erupted for 33 times since 1572. A strong explosion in 1965 killed about 300 people. The volcano last erupted on October 3, 1977. (Marlon Alexander Luistro)