MAASIN THROUGH THE YEARS
When the Spanish missionaries came to Maasin, they found out that a progressive community was already established and the hospitable people readily accepted the faith of Roman Catholicism. The very popular congeniality of the people of Maasin was indeed legendary because it originated from our forefathers.
The settlement was founded by the Jesuits in 1700 and was called “Tagnipa” owing to the presence of several swamps grown with palm called “nipa.” Now Tagnipa is one of the biggest barangays found at the heart of Maasin.
The town was established officially in 1755 as part of the Leyte province. Maasin that time was the hub of business and government activities from Palompon to Hinunangan. A Fiscal’s Office, a Court of First Instance, and an “Administrador de Hacienda” equivalent to a treasurer were already established in Maasin.
The name Maasin said to originate when some Spaniards looking for water to drink, navigated the waters of Canturing River from the shore. They asked the natives in Spanish about the name of the town. The natives did not understand what the visitors meant and thought the foreigners were asking whether the water was fresh for drinking. They answered “maasin-asin” meaning “salty.” So the Spaniards believed that the inhabitants were referring to the place. Thus the name Maasin came to be known.
The Jesuits built the first church when they occupied the parish from 1700 to 1768. It was later burned and was situated in what is now the existing cemetery with the ruins still there. It is located in what is now known as Barangay Mambajao.
The Augustinians replaced the Jesuits and administered the parish from 1768 to 1843. They built the second church, which is now the present cathedral at Barangay Tunga-tunga facing the public plaza now called Anatalio Gaviola Plaza.
The Franciscans later took the reins of the parish until 1896, when the revolution broke out. Since then, the native priests managed the religious affairs of the town.
Under the Spaniards, Maasin became a more prosperous municipality. The town’s seaport became the center of trade and commerce to and from Cebu, Bohol and Mindanao islands. It was the reason why our dialect is Cebuano with a Boholano accent.
From “Gobernadorcillo” the local executive was changed to “Capitan Municipal.” The last Gobernadorcillo was Alejo Alcantara from 1892 to 1894. Then Capitan Municipal Julio Raagas became the town’s executive from 1894 to 1896.
After the short-lived Philippine revolution against Spain, the Americans took over the administration of the national government. The American government instituted so many reforms most particularly a good public school system.
The town executive that time was called Municipal President and the first to hold such position was Eustaquio Rafols. Under the Americans, Maasin flourished and became the most progressive town in southwest Leyte.
In 1942, the Japanese occupied Maasin and many of the townspeople escaped to the mountains to evade the abuses and hostility of the Japanese soldiers. During the war, local heroes led by Colonel Ruperto Kangleon emerged to lead the guerrillas against the Japanese.
When the war was over and the Philippine Independence was granted, Maasin continued to be more progressive and became the center of commerce and industry in this part of the Leyte island.
Congressman Nicanor Yñiguez filed House Bill No. 1318 which proposed the creation of a new province of Southern Leyte comprising Third Congressional District of Leyte to include sixteen municipalities, from Maasin to Silago in the mainland and in the Panaon Island.
The bill became Republic Act 2227 otherwise known as an "Act Creating the Province of Southern Leyte" and was approved by President Carlos P. Garcia on May 22, 1959. On July 1, 1960, Southern Leyte was inaugurated as a province with Maasin as the capital town. Thus the third District of Leyte became the province of Southern Leyte and Lone District of Southern Leyte.
Congressman Anecito Saludo, Jr. authored R.A. 8796 converting Maasin into a component city and was overwhelmingly approved by a plebiscite on August 10, 2000. Maasin became the First City of the Philippines in the New Millennium.
Maasin qualified under the Local Government Code requirement of land area of not less than 100 sq. km. since the actual area of Maasin is 211.70 sq. km. The income also exceeded the required P 20 million per annum.
It also passed the requirements for government center site, market site, plaza, school site, cemetery site, potable water supply, sewerage, garbage and waste disposal site and number of commercial establishments.
It took exactly 300 years from the founding of the Jesuit missionaries in 1700 up to the conversion of Maasin into a city in 2000.
Maasin is also the seat of religion in the entire province of Southern Leyte and the western part of Leyte, from Matalom to Baybay. The Diocese of Maasin was launched on August 14, 1968 with Most Rev. Vicente Ataviado as the first bishop. The Maasin Cathedral is where Our Lady of Assumption Parish is situated.
With a pre-dominantly Roman Catholic population, the church has a vast influence on the culture, morals and even governance in Maasin. The history of Maasin has mostly been associated with the missionaries and the priests.
Miyerkules, Disyembre 24, 2014
Huwebes, Oktubre 23, 2014
URBAN HEALTH CHAMPION
The City of Maasin through the Health City Initiatives participated in the Urban Health Champion 1000 Cities,1000 Lives program. The global movement which encourages to make all cities healthier was made in preparation for the World Health Day 2010 which was celebrated on April 7-11, 2010 initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO). The campaign calls upon all cities worldwide to open up portions of streets to the people to promote health activities for one day during the week, like biking, walking and exercises.
There are two goals to the campaign:
1000 cities: to open up public spaces to health, whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles.
1000 lives: to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities.
As recorded by the WHO, 1,392 cities in 133 countries, Maasin City among them, have joined the campaign, and committed to closing off one or more streets to motor vehicles for a day and offering citizens a novel public space for physical exercise, meeting family, friends and community, health checks, eating healthy local food or visiting local attractions. In addition, many cities are organizing activities for children, holding town hall meetings with mayors and local governments to focus on local health concerns and sponsoring open street events.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends five calls to action to build a healthy and safe urban environment:
1. Promote urban planning for healthy behaviors and safety.
2. Improve urban living conditions.
3. Ensure participatory urban governance.
4. Build inclusive cities that are accessible and age-friendly.
5. Make urban areas resilient to emergencies and disasters.
The Maasin Healthy City Initiatives and the city officials submitted a 5-minute video through You Tube to give details nominating me as Urban Health Champion.
It also mentioned that when I assumed the stewardship as the City Mayor of Maasin last 2007, "he leads by example and thus energized and mobilized all the city officials and employees of Maasin to do what he calls simple service with no strings attached."
As a sports minded mayor, the video narrated that I also enhanced the camaraderie among the colleges and organized the first Maasin Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MICAA), which hand-in-hand protects the people especially the young ones from the menace of drugs and had reactivated the Citizens Anti Drug Narcotics Unit (CANU) to effectively prevent the curse of drug addiction.
Maasin Healthy City Initiatives also enforced the "no smoking" campaign and prohibits smoking in public places in order to have a clean and smoke-free city.
During that time, I was seeking reelection on the May 2010 polls and also initiated healthy activities celebrating the World Health Day 2010 by closing the portion of Espina Boulevard on Sundays throughout the year to give the people a "smoke and traffic-free" road. A Hataw exercise was also set every Friday afternoon for an hour, participated by city hall employees, students/pupils, teachers, the Philippine Army, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection among others.
Moreover, to install the importance of discipline and care of the environment, the video acknowledged my advocy for scouting. We had produced 5 eagle scouts, the first in Southern Leyte and I became a Wood Badger, an outstanding achievement for scout leaders with the highest rank in Scouting throughout the province.
According to WHO, this unprecedented global event involving 1000 cities will result in physical, mental and environmental health benefits, substantial opportunities for small business, and an overall boost in the well-being of participating cities and their citizens. We answered the World Health Organization's call to “be part of a global movement to make cities healthier.”
Many cities worldwide have conducted similar initiatives and continue to do so every weekend. Through the videos of 1000 lives, inspirational stories for us all to consider how we as citizens can work together and effect change were seen and hear including our very own video.
World Health Day was a unique opportunity to focus attention and unite governments, civil society and individuals to take action. It is the one day when we can all strive toward a global health goal and have meaningful participation in a global event. On World Health Day 2010 we helped give voice to our common desire to make cities healthier.
There are two goals to the campaign:
1000 cities: to open up public spaces to health, whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles.
1000 lives: to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities.
As recorded by the WHO, 1,392 cities in 133 countries, Maasin City among them, have joined the campaign, and committed to closing off one or more streets to motor vehicles for a day and offering citizens a novel public space for physical exercise, meeting family, friends and community, health checks, eating healthy local food or visiting local attractions. In addition, many cities are organizing activities for children, holding town hall meetings with mayors and local governments to focus on local health concerns and sponsoring open street events.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends five calls to action to build a healthy and safe urban environment:
1. Promote urban planning for healthy behaviors and safety.
2. Improve urban living conditions.
3. Ensure participatory urban governance.
4. Build inclusive cities that are accessible and age-friendly.
5. Make urban areas resilient to emergencies and disasters.
The Maasin Healthy City Initiatives and the city officials submitted a 5-minute video through You Tube to give details nominating me as Urban Health Champion.
It also mentioned that when I assumed the stewardship as the City Mayor of Maasin last 2007, "he leads by example and thus energized and mobilized all the city officials and employees of Maasin to do what he calls simple service with no strings attached."
As a sports minded mayor, the video narrated that I also enhanced the camaraderie among the colleges and organized the first Maasin Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MICAA), which hand-in-hand protects the people especially the young ones from the menace of drugs and had reactivated the Citizens Anti Drug Narcotics Unit (CANU) to effectively prevent the curse of drug addiction.
Maasin Healthy City Initiatives also enforced the "no smoking" campaign and prohibits smoking in public places in order to have a clean and smoke-free city.
During that time, I was seeking reelection on the May 2010 polls and also initiated healthy activities celebrating the World Health Day 2010 by closing the portion of Espina Boulevard on Sundays throughout the year to give the people a "smoke and traffic-free" road. A Hataw exercise was also set every Friday afternoon for an hour, participated by city hall employees, students/pupils, teachers, the Philippine Army, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection among others.
Moreover, to install the importance of discipline and care of the environment, the video acknowledged my advocy for scouting. We had produced 5 eagle scouts, the first in Southern Leyte and I became a Wood Badger, an outstanding achievement for scout leaders with the highest rank in Scouting throughout the province.
According to WHO, this unprecedented global event involving 1000 cities will result in physical, mental and environmental health benefits, substantial opportunities for small business, and an overall boost in the well-being of participating cities and their citizens. We answered the World Health Organization's call to “be part of a global movement to make cities healthier.”
Many cities worldwide have conducted similar initiatives and continue to do so every weekend. Through the videos of 1000 lives, inspirational stories for us all to consider how we as citizens can work together and effect change were seen and hear including our very own video.
World Health Day was a unique opportunity to focus attention and unite governments, civil society and individuals to take action. It is the one day when we can all strive toward a global health goal and have meaningful participation in a global event. On World Health Day 2010 we helped give voice to our common desire to make cities healthier.
Miyerkules, Oktubre 22, 2014
THE CITY'S SWIMMERS
Maasin City was known all throughout the Visayas for producing good swimmers. Every time the Eastern Visayas Athletic Association (EVRAA) meet was held, the city will emerge as the top medal harvester at the pool.
Jilma Maraon, a former Palaro medalist, was at the helm as coach and trainer of the Maasin City swimmers starting 2005 when we hosted the EVRAA and sent our first batch of swimmers to competition including my three sons.
But it was in the Ormoc City EVRAA in 2006 when we began to win category titles especially for the secondary girls.
Maasin City Sports Council produced two Palarong Pambansa gold medalists in swimming. Edison Pacsa won a gold in the 50 meter breaststroke in Puerto Princesa in 2008 with a time of 37.17 seconds. Christian Ivan Salud won the gold of the same event in 35.10 seconds and the silver in the 100 meter breaststroke in Lingayen, Pangasinan in 2012.
Another milestone in the city's swimming was achieved by a Maasihon, this time in the long distance feat by a golden aged triathlete. Urbano Baculanta, 50 years old, became the first Maasin City resident to swim the sea traversing the city waters from the first barangay of the next town, Ichon, Macrohon.
“If a person my age can still be physically fit and active, how much more the younger ones,” Baculanta was quoted by Philippine Information Agency (PIA) before he plunged into the water for the city's historic distance swim. “I just want people to exercise regularly, that’s the message I want to impart,” he added.
The adventurous exploit began at 8:02 in the morning on January 18, 2014, a Saturday.
The drizzly weather added more challenge as relentless rains brought by tropical depression “Agaton” almost cancelled the activity. But Baculanta pushed through with the ocean adventure escorted by the city rescue boat.
Baculanta estimated that he would cover the six kilometer distance in four hours. But instead went faster by finishing it in two hours, 20 minutes, 15 seconds.
And believe it or not, he learned how to swim only at the late age of 38. And 12 years later he realized his treasured dream.
Jilma Maraon, a former Palaro medalist, was at the helm as coach and trainer of the Maasin City swimmers starting 2005 when we hosted the EVRAA and sent our first batch of swimmers to competition including my three sons.
But it was in the Ormoc City EVRAA in 2006 when we began to win category titles especially for the secondary girls.
Maasin City Sports Council produced two Palarong Pambansa gold medalists in swimming. Edison Pacsa won a gold in the 50 meter breaststroke in Puerto Princesa in 2008 with a time of 37.17 seconds. Christian Ivan Salud won the gold of the same event in 35.10 seconds and the silver in the 100 meter breaststroke in Lingayen, Pangasinan in 2012.
Another milestone in the city's swimming was achieved by a Maasihon, this time in the long distance feat by a golden aged triathlete. Urbano Baculanta, 50 years old, became the first Maasin City resident to swim the sea traversing the city waters from the first barangay of the next town, Ichon, Macrohon.
“If a person my age can still be physically fit and active, how much more the younger ones,” Baculanta was quoted by Philippine Information Agency (PIA) before he plunged into the water for the city's historic distance swim. “I just want people to exercise regularly, that’s the message I want to impart,” he added.
The adventurous exploit began at 8:02 in the morning on January 18, 2014, a Saturday.
The drizzly weather added more challenge as relentless rains brought by tropical depression “Agaton” almost cancelled the activity. But Baculanta pushed through with the ocean adventure escorted by the city rescue boat.
Baculanta estimated that he would cover the six kilometer distance in four hours. But instead went faster by finishing it in two hours, 20 minutes, 15 seconds.
And believe it or not, he learned how to swim only at the late age of 38. And 12 years later he realized his treasured dream.
Sabado, Hulyo 26, 2014
MAASIN NUTRITION PROGRAM
Our quest for national nutrition supremacy started when I was still still Vice Mayor and Damian Mercado was the City Mayor. We won our first Green Banner Award for the year 2004 when we topped the city category in the whole Eastern Visayas Region beating Tacloban and Ormoc.
Before the winning of the Green banner, our malnutrition rate was high at about 20%. When we started implementing our nutrition programs, malnutrition was 10.33% among pre-schoolers which was the lowest among cities in Region 8. We won the Green Banner for three consecutive years in 2004, 2005 and 2006 garnering the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) award in the process.
The CROWN award was conferred by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to a town, city or province that has been adjudged by the inter-agency regional nutrition evaluation team as outstanding in the region in the implementation of its nutrition action plan for three consecutive years.
When I became City Mayor in 2007 we continued winning our CROWN garnering our first maintenance award from no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the Manila Hotel. Our malnutrition rate was 7.56% among pre-schooler children that time.
Then in the assessment for the 2008 accomplishments we faltered as we failed to get the passing mark during the national evaluation. It was the time when the abaca industry in Maasin was greatly affected by diseases like bungy top and alcoheres. There was also a long drought which affected our farmers. Our malnutrition slightly increased to 7.57% among pre-schooloers. Besides the barangays which were evaluated proved to be insufficient in their programs.
We were back to square one and competed again at the regional level garnering the Green Banner Award in the city category in 2009, 2010 and 2011. We emerged again as CROWN awardees and we returned to the national nutrition awarding ceremony. Malnutrition rate went down to 5.03% among pre-school kids in 2011.
I wanted to lower our malnutrition rate to a rate of 2%. The City Government needs the support of all stakeholders, considering we have a population of 86,000. We invested considerable amount for our nutrition programs. We worked hard not only for the awards, but for the future of our children and the city.
The villages with zero malnutrition are Canturing, Abgao and Cansirong. The city worked on perfecting the management of its nutrition program and ensuring further reduction of its malnutrition incidence from the prevailing 5.03 percent.
Also given focus was the formulation of a Barangay Nutrition Action Plan (BNAP) and strengthening of the Barangay Nutrition Committee (BNC), or its reactivation if non-functional or its organization if still nonexistent.
The functionality of the BNC is vital as it is responsible for formulating, managing, monitoring and evaluating the barangay nutrition action plan, generate and/or mobilize resources for the implementation of the projects under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN); coordinate and integrate nutrition-related projects and activities of government and NGOs; and organize and mobilize the community to participate in nutrition projects.
At the grassroots level, a very helpful and practical function of the BNC is in the promotion of home, school, and community food production. Among the many things it could do would be distribution of seeds and seedlings, planting materials, fingerlings, goat, chicken, duck, etc. and in the establishment of demo- centers and nurseries.
At least 54 children, 0-71 months old are identified as recipients of the “adopt-a-child” program initiated by the city government of Maasin.
The target beneficiaries for the said program are severely underweight children and those previously severe but had minimal growth in weight kids.
In a launching activity of the said program at the city gymnasium, in my opening message I urged everyone including non-government organizations, private sector and the general public to help the city officials reach the goal towards zero malnutrition.
“The recipients can be increased depending on the sponsor,” I was referring to children not only 0-71 months old, but including all children below 18 years of age that needs to improve their nutritional status.
We are targeting the vision, "Good Nutrition – A way of life of the people of Maasin City."
I adopted 3 malnourished kids, while the city vice-mayor and the Sangguniang Panlungsod members pledged to adopt one each, the different city offices at one each office, and some identified NGOs and private individuals also vowed to participate.
There were 150 supplemental feeding days which started December 2, 2014. Each office or agency contributed P30.00 a day per adopted child, excluding Saturdays and Sundays to rehabilitate the identified malnourished children. Supplemental feeding was only once a day.
During the launching event, Cong. Damian G. Mercado, who was the guest, actively supported the said program, and was grateful for the gift of life and sparing the Southern Leyteños from typhoon Yolanda.
“A good dream for the welfare of the children start in the community,” he disclosed during his inspirational talk, adding that child development start during pregnancy, so pregnant mothers should begin to nourish their self to have a well-nourished new-born.
The activity showcased some identified recipients that are living along the city proper. They were fed after the launching and were given pair of slippers sponsored by Cong. Mercado along with his family and a "get-to-know" between the adopted child and their sponsor
During the national evaluation, Health Assistant Secretary Bernardita Flores lauded Maasin City as it continues to aim for a healthy and well-nourished citizenry for almost 12 years already.
Flores is also the executive director of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and recently led the national team of evaluators who visited the city, as it vies for the National Honor Award (NHA), the highest award conferred to a local government unit.
The evaluators selected five villages for validation of their nutrition programs. There were three villages in the upland namely Pinaskohan, Laboon and Malapoc Norte while two urban villages were in Canturing and Ibarra.
Flores said that to get the National Honor Award, one has to get 98 per cent rating on overall nutrition program. The evaluators will also give 5 per cent bonus rating.
She said that the unity and the cooperation between the city, province and in the representative of the lower house chamber proves beneficial to Maasin City, because it gets all the support it needed in all its programs for a healthy citizenry.
She added that the support Maasin got from provincial Governor Roger Mercado and Representative Mercado is a big boost to the journey of Maasin towards excellence in implementing its nutrition program.
The journey towards the Nutrition Honor Award (NHA)is not a bed of roses, but my contention was that win or lose, the nutrition programs for the citizenry of Maasin City will continue.
For me, the award is just a bonus for our efforts, but our service to our constituents continues.
In 2004-2005 Maasin got its first Green Banner Awards. It was awarded during the incumbency of former mayor Mercado, under his MIAN (Management Inputs for Agricultural Networking) Project.
In 2006, it won its first CROWN Award (or Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner Nutrition Award). In 2007, it bagged the first CROWN Maintenance Award.
“In 2008, our best was not enough,” I said referring to the second CROWN maintenance award which the city did not covet that time.
In 2011 Maasin got the CROWN Award and in the year 2012 and 2013 they got the two consecutive years CROWN maintenance awards. It is the criteria for the selection who will vie for the highest nutrition award in the country.
Part of the national evaluation team were Ellen Ruth Abella, Serapio "Rap-Rap" Camarines, Joy Hermogenes. The three were from NNC and Jovita A. Kotuni of the Department of Agriculture.
“Our goal is to have a healthy and nourished citizenry not only in Maasin City but throughout Southern Leyte,” Cong. Damian G. Mercado disclosed in his opening message during the welcome program for the national nutrition evaluators held April 29, 2014 at the Maasin City College .
The Southern Leyte solon recalled how Maasin City attained the nutrition awards. “This is the prize of our efforts which started when I was still the local chief executive of Maasin,” he said referring to the numerous awards since he was still the mayor of Maasin, a municipality then, then became city mayor and was continuously supported by me.
The awards for Maasin for effective nutrition program implementation were mentioned such as the Green Banner Awards; Outstanding Municipality in the Region; Red Orchid Awards for three consecutive years which gained Maasin City the Hall of Fame for successfully implementing the anti-smoking campaign; Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN), to name a few.
This year Maasin City will vie for the National Nutrition Honor Award, the highest nutrition award throughout the country for being consistently winning the CROWN Maintenance Award for two years from 2012-2013.
“Giving good services to the people is our top priority,” Cong. Mercado, formerly the mayor of Maasin and Governor of Southern Leyte disclosed adding that “our burning desire and unending commitment towards nutrition improvement for all Maasinhons is a continuing journey.”
He was grateful to me for continuously implementing the best nutrition practices, not to mention all other innovative programs concerning health and nutrition that were introduced by Samaco.
Other than Maasin City, LGUs vying for NHA are the Municipality of Lal-Lo, Cagayan in Region II and Ifugao Province in the Cordillera Administrative Region. These LGUs have shown efficient and effective management of its nutrition program for the past 5 years which resulted to low prevalence of underweight among its preschool and school-aged children, it was learned.
The national evaluators for the Nutrition Honor Award was led by Assistant Secretary for Health Maria-Bernardita T. Flores. They selected 5 barangays to be validated such as Pinascohan, Laboon, Malapoc Norte, Canturing and Ibarra. The evaluation started today, April 30 and will end May 2, 2014.
At least five barangays were randomly chosen by the national evaluating team for the Nutrition Honor Award (NHA) led by Assistant Secretary for Health and National Nutrition Council(NNC) Executive Director Maria-Bernardita T. Flores.
We welcomed the national validating team which arrived April 29, 2014 in a short program held at Maasin City College together with the members of the City Nutrition Committee headed by Nutrition Action Officer Dr. Francilisa I. Tan, Sangguniang Panglungsod members, among other concerned local officials and employees. The evaluation lasted until May 2, 2014.
The five barangays chosen by the validating team were Pinascohan, Laboon, Malapoc Norte, Canturing and Ibarra. The team will also visit mangrove areas, school’s hand washing facility, Maasin City nursery, to name a few.
During the presentation of Maasin City’s nutrition situation, I focused on the impact programs implemented by the city such as food production, food fortification, livelihood assistance, micronutrient supplementation, nutrition information, communication and education, promoting healthy lifestyle, nutrition in emergencies, adopt a malnourished child program, among others and it’s road to the national Nutrition Honor Award, as its target and goal for Maasin City.
“Nutrition has always been included in my priority programs,” I said showing the Maasin City’s 13-point agenda, “MALONEY SAMACO,” as Market and business improvement; Agricultural production; Livelihood assistance; Orderliness and peace; Nutrition and health services; Education for the masses; Youth empowerment; Sports excellence; Anti-illegal drug campaign; Mangrove and forest protection; Advocacy for tourism; Concreting and maintenance of roads; and Over-all barangay development.
I explained that the city government allocated funds for nutrition program for at least P1 million for the past 3 years and more than P1.4-M last year.
I eagerly shared the leading intervening factors such as the home, school food production, adopt a malnourished child, that bounces up the nutritional status in Maasin City.
I discussed also “Gulayan sa Paaralan” and "Magulay ang Bahay" programs which are the most effective intervention that helps in the recovery of malnutrition in the city for years.
The program yields the nutritious food which are just planted within the premises of the household and in the schools thus readily provides food for the hungry children and even give the farmers a means for livelihood, as well, he said when asked by Assistant Secretary Ma-Bernardita Flores during the partial assessment.
In the earlier years in its journey of winning staunches in nutrition programs implementation, then Municipal Mayor Damian Mercado and presently the Lone Representative of the province, allocated some P3.7 M funds for the food production activities in the 70 barangays of the city.
Food production activities such hog raising, chicken dispersal, goat raising, planting of vegetables, it also includes the procurement of mobile vans that carries the agricultural output of the farmers down to the market, among others.
Last year, the City Nutrition Committee appropriated some P70,000.00 for the procurement of vegetable seeds distributed among the 70 barangays and to those identified nutritionally depressed barangays will be receive more, he said.
On top of this, is another innovative activity which is the adopt a severely malnourished child that is gaining support in the community.
Starting from my adoption of three severely malnourished children, each for all the members of the Sangguniang Panglungsod, heads of the department of the city government and city hall employees follow suit. Then it was simultaneously replicated with the adoptions by the different sectors in the city like the fraternities, civil society organizations, religious groups, national line agencies and even down at the barangay level.
The program was launched on November 29, 2014 with 95 underweight and severely underweight children as recipients. Each child was allocated P30 per meal per day budget good for 150 days. The total amount involved was P437,500.00. On February 14, 2014, we had a Love Day for these children where we had a feeding program and gift giving at the City Gym.
In the year 2013, our underweight children were 4.14% in the city as compared to 26.4% in Eastern Visayas and 20.7% in the entire Philippines. Wasting or thinness is 1.8% in Maasin while it is 6.7% in Region 8 and 6.9% in the entire country. Stunting or low height for age is 10.2% in the city while it is 41.1% in the region and 32.3% in the whole country. Overweight children is only 0.71% as compared to 3.3% in the whole Philippines.
For school children, our rates were still way below the national and regional standards. In the school year 2013-2014, we had 92.61% normal, 5.16% wasted, 0.65% severely wasted, 1.2% above normal, and 0.34% obese.
The National Nutrition Council conferred the highest distinction in nutrition, the Nutrition Honor Award, to Maasin City together with the municipality of Lal-lo in Cagayan province in region 2, and the province of Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region. According to the NNC, "Our LGUs have exemplified outstanding performance in nutrition program management as manifested by the continued reduction in the prevalence of undernutrition both among preschool and school children for six (6) consecutive years as validated by the inter-agency National Nutrition Evaluation Team." The City of Maasin and other nutrition champions each received a trophy and cash incentive of P1,000,000 during the 2014 National Nutrition Awarding Ceremony on October 21, 2014 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Sixteen (16) other LGUs to be recognized during the awarding ceremony.
Before the winning of the Green banner, our malnutrition rate was high at about 20%. When we started implementing our nutrition programs, malnutrition was 10.33% among pre-schoolers which was the lowest among cities in Region 8. We won the Green Banner for three consecutive years in 2004, 2005 and 2006 garnering the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) award in the process.
The CROWN award was conferred by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to a town, city or province that has been adjudged by the inter-agency regional nutrition evaluation team as outstanding in the region in the implementation of its nutrition action plan for three consecutive years.
When I became City Mayor in 2007 we continued winning our CROWN garnering our first maintenance award from no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the Manila Hotel. Our malnutrition rate was 7.56% among pre-schooler children that time.
Then in the assessment for the 2008 accomplishments we faltered as we failed to get the passing mark during the national evaluation. It was the time when the abaca industry in Maasin was greatly affected by diseases like bungy top and alcoheres. There was also a long drought which affected our farmers. Our malnutrition slightly increased to 7.57% among pre-schooloers. Besides the barangays which were evaluated proved to be insufficient in their programs.
We were back to square one and competed again at the regional level garnering the Green Banner Award in the city category in 2009, 2010 and 2011. We emerged again as CROWN awardees and we returned to the national nutrition awarding ceremony. Malnutrition rate went down to 5.03% among pre-school kids in 2011.
I wanted to lower our malnutrition rate to a rate of 2%. The City Government needs the support of all stakeholders, considering we have a population of 86,000. We invested considerable amount for our nutrition programs. We worked hard not only for the awards, but for the future of our children and the city.
The villages with zero malnutrition are Canturing, Abgao and Cansirong. The city worked on perfecting the management of its nutrition program and ensuring further reduction of its malnutrition incidence from the prevailing 5.03 percent.
Also given focus was the formulation of a Barangay Nutrition Action Plan (BNAP) and strengthening of the Barangay Nutrition Committee (BNC), or its reactivation if non-functional or its organization if still nonexistent.
The functionality of the BNC is vital as it is responsible for formulating, managing, monitoring and evaluating the barangay nutrition action plan, generate and/or mobilize resources for the implementation of the projects under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN); coordinate and integrate nutrition-related projects and activities of government and NGOs; and organize and mobilize the community to participate in nutrition projects.
At the grassroots level, a very helpful and practical function of the BNC is in the promotion of home, school, and community food production. Among the many things it could do would be distribution of seeds and seedlings, planting materials, fingerlings, goat, chicken, duck, etc. and in the establishment of demo- centers and nurseries.
At least 54 children, 0-71 months old are identified as recipients of the “adopt-a-child” program initiated by the city government of Maasin.
The target beneficiaries for the said program are severely underweight children and those previously severe but had minimal growth in weight kids.
In a launching activity of the said program at the city gymnasium, in my opening message I urged everyone including non-government organizations, private sector and the general public to help the city officials reach the goal towards zero malnutrition.
“The recipients can be increased depending on the sponsor,” I was referring to children not only 0-71 months old, but including all children below 18 years of age that needs to improve their nutritional status.
We are targeting the vision, "Good Nutrition – A way of life of the people of Maasin City."
I adopted 3 malnourished kids, while the city vice-mayor and the Sangguniang Panlungsod members pledged to adopt one each, the different city offices at one each office, and some identified NGOs and private individuals also vowed to participate.
There were 150 supplemental feeding days which started December 2, 2014. Each office or agency contributed P30.00 a day per adopted child, excluding Saturdays and Sundays to rehabilitate the identified malnourished children. Supplemental feeding was only once a day.
During the launching event, Cong. Damian G. Mercado, who was the guest, actively supported the said program, and was grateful for the gift of life and sparing the Southern Leyteños from typhoon Yolanda.
“A good dream for the welfare of the children start in the community,” he disclosed during his inspirational talk, adding that child development start during pregnancy, so pregnant mothers should begin to nourish their self to have a well-nourished new-born.
The activity showcased some identified recipients that are living along the city proper. They were fed after the launching and were given pair of slippers sponsored by Cong. Mercado along with his family and a "get-to-know" between the adopted child and their sponsor
During the national evaluation, Health Assistant Secretary Bernardita Flores lauded Maasin City as it continues to aim for a healthy and well-nourished citizenry for almost 12 years already.
Flores is also the executive director of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and recently led the national team of evaluators who visited the city, as it vies for the National Honor Award (NHA), the highest award conferred to a local government unit.
The evaluators selected five villages for validation of their nutrition programs. There were three villages in the upland namely Pinaskohan, Laboon and Malapoc Norte while two urban villages were in Canturing and Ibarra.
Flores said that to get the National Honor Award, one has to get 98 per cent rating on overall nutrition program. The evaluators will also give 5 per cent bonus rating.
She said that the unity and the cooperation between the city, province and in the representative of the lower house chamber proves beneficial to Maasin City, because it gets all the support it needed in all its programs for a healthy citizenry.
She added that the support Maasin got from provincial Governor Roger Mercado and Representative Mercado is a big boost to the journey of Maasin towards excellence in implementing its nutrition program.
The journey towards the Nutrition Honor Award (NHA)is not a bed of roses, but my contention was that win or lose, the nutrition programs for the citizenry of Maasin City will continue.
For me, the award is just a bonus for our efforts, but our service to our constituents continues.
In 2004-2005 Maasin got its first Green Banner Awards. It was awarded during the incumbency of former mayor Mercado, under his MIAN (Management Inputs for Agricultural Networking) Project.
In 2006, it won its first CROWN Award (or Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner Nutrition Award). In 2007, it bagged the first CROWN Maintenance Award.
“In 2008, our best was not enough,” I said referring to the second CROWN maintenance award which the city did not covet that time.
In 2011 Maasin got the CROWN Award and in the year 2012 and 2013 they got the two consecutive years CROWN maintenance awards. It is the criteria for the selection who will vie for the highest nutrition award in the country.
Part of the national evaluation team were Ellen Ruth Abella, Serapio "Rap-Rap" Camarines, Joy Hermogenes. The three were from NNC and Jovita A. Kotuni of the Department of Agriculture.
“Our goal is to have a healthy and nourished citizenry not only in Maasin City but throughout Southern Leyte,” Cong. Damian G. Mercado disclosed in his opening message during the welcome program for the national nutrition evaluators held April 29, 2014 at the Maasin City College .
The Southern Leyte solon recalled how Maasin City attained the nutrition awards. “This is the prize of our efforts which started when I was still the local chief executive of Maasin,” he said referring to the numerous awards since he was still the mayor of Maasin, a municipality then, then became city mayor and was continuously supported by me.
The awards for Maasin for effective nutrition program implementation were mentioned such as the Green Banner Awards; Outstanding Municipality in the Region; Red Orchid Awards for three consecutive years which gained Maasin City the Hall of Fame for successfully implementing the anti-smoking campaign; Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN), to name a few.
This year Maasin City will vie for the National Nutrition Honor Award, the highest nutrition award throughout the country for being consistently winning the CROWN Maintenance Award for two years from 2012-2013.
“Giving good services to the people is our top priority,” Cong. Mercado, formerly the mayor of Maasin and Governor of Southern Leyte disclosed adding that “our burning desire and unending commitment towards nutrition improvement for all Maasinhons is a continuing journey.”
He was grateful to me for continuously implementing the best nutrition practices, not to mention all other innovative programs concerning health and nutrition that were introduced by Samaco.
Other than Maasin City, LGUs vying for NHA are the Municipality of Lal-Lo, Cagayan in Region II and Ifugao Province in the Cordillera Administrative Region. These LGUs have shown efficient and effective management of its nutrition program for the past 5 years which resulted to low prevalence of underweight among its preschool and school-aged children, it was learned.
The national evaluators for the Nutrition Honor Award was led by Assistant Secretary for Health Maria-Bernardita T. Flores. They selected 5 barangays to be validated such as Pinascohan, Laboon, Malapoc Norte, Canturing and Ibarra. The evaluation started today, April 30 and will end May 2, 2014.
At least five barangays were randomly chosen by the national evaluating team for the Nutrition Honor Award (NHA) led by Assistant Secretary for Health and National Nutrition Council(NNC) Executive Director Maria-Bernardita T. Flores.
We welcomed the national validating team which arrived April 29, 2014 in a short program held at Maasin City College together with the members of the City Nutrition Committee headed by Nutrition Action Officer Dr. Francilisa I. Tan, Sangguniang Panglungsod members, among other concerned local officials and employees. The evaluation lasted until May 2, 2014.
The five barangays chosen by the validating team were Pinascohan, Laboon, Malapoc Norte, Canturing and Ibarra. The team will also visit mangrove areas, school’s hand washing facility, Maasin City nursery, to name a few.
During the presentation of Maasin City’s nutrition situation, I focused on the impact programs implemented by the city such as food production, food fortification, livelihood assistance, micronutrient supplementation, nutrition information, communication and education, promoting healthy lifestyle, nutrition in emergencies, adopt a malnourished child program, among others and it’s road to the national Nutrition Honor Award, as its target and goal for Maasin City.
“Nutrition has always been included in my priority programs,” I said showing the Maasin City’s 13-point agenda, “MALONEY SAMACO,” as Market and business improvement; Agricultural production; Livelihood assistance; Orderliness and peace; Nutrition and health services; Education for the masses; Youth empowerment; Sports excellence; Anti-illegal drug campaign; Mangrove and forest protection; Advocacy for tourism; Concreting and maintenance of roads; and Over-all barangay development.
I explained that the city government allocated funds for nutrition program for at least P1 million for the past 3 years and more than P1.4-M last year.
I eagerly shared the leading intervening factors such as the home, school food production, adopt a malnourished child, that bounces up the nutritional status in Maasin City.
I discussed also “Gulayan sa Paaralan” and "Magulay ang Bahay" programs which are the most effective intervention that helps in the recovery of malnutrition in the city for years.
The program yields the nutritious food which are just planted within the premises of the household and in the schools thus readily provides food for the hungry children and even give the farmers a means for livelihood, as well, he said when asked by Assistant Secretary Ma-Bernardita Flores during the partial assessment.
In the earlier years in its journey of winning staunches in nutrition programs implementation, then Municipal Mayor Damian Mercado and presently the Lone Representative of the province, allocated some P3.7 M funds for the food production activities in the 70 barangays of the city.
Food production activities such hog raising, chicken dispersal, goat raising, planting of vegetables, it also includes the procurement of mobile vans that carries the agricultural output of the farmers down to the market, among others.
Last year, the City Nutrition Committee appropriated some P70,000.00 for the procurement of vegetable seeds distributed among the 70 barangays and to those identified nutritionally depressed barangays will be receive more, he said.
On top of this, is another innovative activity which is the adopt a severely malnourished child that is gaining support in the community.
Starting from my adoption of three severely malnourished children, each for all the members of the Sangguniang Panglungsod, heads of the department of the city government and city hall employees follow suit. Then it was simultaneously replicated with the adoptions by the different sectors in the city like the fraternities, civil society organizations, religious groups, national line agencies and even down at the barangay level.
The program was launched on November 29, 2014 with 95 underweight and severely underweight children as recipients. Each child was allocated P30 per meal per day budget good for 150 days. The total amount involved was P437,500.00. On February 14, 2014, we had a Love Day for these children where we had a feeding program and gift giving at the City Gym.
In the year 2013, our underweight children were 4.14% in the city as compared to 26.4% in Eastern Visayas and 20.7% in the entire Philippines. Wasting or thinness is 1.8% in Maasin while it is 6.7% in Region 8 and 6.9% in the entire country. Stunting or low height for age is 10.2% in the city while it is 41.1% in the region and 32.3% in the whole country. Overweight children is only 0.71% as compared to 3.3% in the whole Philippines.
For school children, our rates were still way below the national and regional standards. In the school year 2013-2014, we had 92.61% normal, 5.16% wasted, 0.65% severely wasted, 1.2% above normal, and 0.34% obese.
The National Nutrition Council conferred the highest distinction in nutrition, the Nutrition Honor Award, to Maasin City together with the municipality of Lal-lo in Cagayan province in region 2, and the province of Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region. According to the NNC, "Our LGUs have exemplified outstanding performance in nutrition program management as manifested by the continued reduction in the prevalence of undernutrition both among preschool and school children for six (6) consecutive years as validated by the inter-agency National Nutrition Evaluation Team." The City of Maasin and other nutrition champions each received a trophy and cash incentive of P1,000,000 during the 2014 National Nutrition Awarding Ceremony on October 21, 2014 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Sixteen (16) other LGUs to be recognized during the awarding ceremony.
Huwebes, Hulyo 24, 2014
JASON PAGARA
JASON PAGARA
Jason was born in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental but grew up and learned his boxing fundamentals through his father Reynaldo in Maasin City, Southern Leyte where Jason’s mother came from. He would watch his father crush his opponents atop the ring and was greatly inspired by his boxing exploits.
Jason made his professional debut on September 29, 2006, at the age of 14, defeating Tata Tadena at Jagna, Bohol. On July 25, 2009, he defeated Simson Butar-Butar by unanimous decision in a 10-round bout at the Dao Public Terminal in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines.
Jason was awarded by the City Government of Maasin during its 11th Charter Day Celebration on August 10, 2011 with an Outstanding Maasinhon Award for Sports having won the WBO Asia Pacific Youth lightwelterweight title in April 2011 when he floored Tanzanian Deo Njiku thrice and scored a second round knock out. He also scored a fourth round knockout of Mexican Juan Carlos Gallegos before the first fight with Montoya.
Jason qualified for the award, his mother the former Sabrina Sotto Gerogalem being a Maasinhon from barangay Lib-og of Maasin City. He is the nephew of the Barangay Chairman of their village Hon. Walter Sepe.
Unfortunately, after receiving the award, Jason lost the title when he was outclassed by Rosbel Montoya on September 10, 2011. Montoya, who was not awarded of the crown because he was one pound over the weight limit.
When Jason lost to I was able to watch the bout at the Waterfront Hotel Grand Ballroom. He was the only defeated ALA boxer that time among the fighters of the main events. Later the following day, I was able to meet his father Reynaldo on board Cokaliong ship M/V Filipinas Dapitan for Maasin City.
The senior Pagara said that Jason suffered a fever prior to the fight with Montoya that is why he was not in good condition during the first tussle. He believed that Jason in fine physical form can easily defeat the Mexican “Lobito” Montoya.
This was different from media reports that Jason had a family feud with his father prior to the first Montoya bout which caused his mediocrity during their initial scuffle. Reynaldo stated that Jason was confident he could outdo the Mexican’s ability but succumbed to exhaustion in the later rounds of the first fight. Jason immediately asked for a rematch which the ALA Promotions granted on August 18, 2012.
He recovered by beating Frans Yarangga of Indonesia by second round TKO. Jason knocked him once in the first round and thrice in the second March 3, 2012.
On August 18, 2012, Jason dropped Montoya three times, one in the opening round and twice in the third round. Referee Danrex Tapdasan stopped the fight at 1:41 of the sixth canto when Montoya received enough blows from "El Niño" Pagara causing the Mexican to scowl in pain. Jason won the vacant WBO international junior welterweight championship.
After his loss, Montoya was all praises for Pagara. "My right arm was injured in the sixth round by a powerful punch to my right forearm near my elbow made me unable to continue the fight,” declared the Mexican. “Pagara was a much improved fighter from the first encounter that we had. He was faster, more powerful and was the better boxer.”
The “Hands of Stone from Barbados” Miguel Antoine is no match for the “El Niño of the Philippines.” But it was unlike what happened to Roberto Duran, the original “Hands of Stone” who cried “No más, No más (No more, No more)!” when he could no longer stand the stinging punches of Sugar Rey Leonard and turned his back to quit on the eighth round during their rematch on November 24, 1980.
Antoine dropped to the canvas right on the very first round courtesy of the solid punches of Jason Pagara during the Pinoy Pride XVII at the SM Mall of Asia on October 20, 2012. And the loss was worse than the infamous No Más fight.
Antoine bragged earlier that he will knock Pagara out because the ALA standout allegedly has not faced a boxer of his caliber. His trainer Samuel Gregory Layne even said his boxer fights and moves better than Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and wanted to face Manny Pacquiao after the Pagara fight.
But everything the Barbados team is crowing about is a bubble which burst right in the first round. The dream turned into a nightmare for Antoine. The Caribbean champion bragged that he will knock out Pagara and bring home the WBO international lightwelterweight title belt to his island country. But the Mayweather-like moves did not come out.
The end for Antoine came at 2 minutes 48 seconds of the first round. A body punch followed by a right to his face ended the fight early. Referee Bruce McTavish counted him out up to ten. He did not get up as if saying silently “No más.” It was a clean knockout. He just sat on the canvas and could not believe it was Pagara who has the “hands of stone" that night.
Pagara has defeated several other foreign foes like Thais Kondej Sithtrajtrakan, Decha Kokietgym and Sapapetch Sor Sakaorat, Young-Bin Kim of South Korea, and lots of Indonesians like Frans Yarangga, Billy Sumba, Simson Butar Butar, Heri Andriyanto, Eddy Comaro, and Hero Yauw Katili.
Antoine hasn’t fought outside of the Caribbean before the bout with Pagara. And as I have hinted previously, boxers in the Caribbean are not as tough as the Asian pugilists.
“I am confident I can win against him as I had a better training. I just wanted to end the fight early as the opportunity came in the first round,” declared Pagara. “I thank all those who supported me especially Sir ALA.”
The exciting professional boxing brothers were featured in the co-main events of the ALA Promotions boxing fight card on April 11, 2023 at the Maasin City Gym here in their hometown. The action-packed headliners is financed by the city government of Maasin and it was called Maasin Pride V.
“It’s a big boxing event because this is the first time that the Pagara brothers will be fighting in Maasin City,” said ALA Promotions President and CEO Michael Aldeguer as quoted by Freeman Cebu.
Jason was given a Special Award for winning the WBO international light-welterweight title before the main event featuring Albert versus Tawanrung Eausampan of Thailand at the Maasin City Gym. It was a reunion for the Pagara brothers, their parents and their siblings who were given special ringside seats by the city government.
Jason (32-2, 19KOs) still holds the WBO International light-welterweight title and Albert (19-0, 13KOs) is still undefeated since his amateur days.
Jason successfully defended his World Boxing Organization title on May 25 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City. It was a convincing unanimous decision win over Aaron Herrera of Mexico.
"El Niño" also successfully defended his WBO belt with a lopsided unanimous decision over Vladimir Baez of the Dominican Republic. It was held during the mega boxing promotion Pinoy Pride XXIII at the Araneta Coliseum on November 30.
Brothers Jason and Albert Pagara did not fail the thousands of Maasin kababayans who trooped to the City Gym on April 11. They stopped their respective Indonesian opponents to the delight of the biased crowd who cheered lustily for the two sibling boxing heroes.
In the opening bell, Jason started the assault on Rusmin Kie Raha by throwing head and body punches. Raha retaliated and connected a hard left on Jason's face. The referee stopped the fight when the Indonesian complained of a low blow inflicted on him by Pagara. When the fight resumed Jason unleashed a flurry on the head of Raha.
Raha's counterpunching was very effected every time Jason would pin him on the ropes. The elder Pagara punched combinations with the tummy of the Indonesian as the target. But he absorbed some straights from Raha when the visitor was protecting himself from further punishment.
Raha dominated Jason in the fourth round and it seemed he was ready to frustrate the hometown crowd. He connected several blows on the head of Pagara and proved to be the only round which the former Indonesian champ dominated based on the scoring do the judges.
Jason intensified his body punches with target on the stomach of his visiting foe. Exchange of fists wowed the audience as both fighters tried to outpunch each other in the fifth and sixth rounds.
Finally Raha went down the canvas never to get up at the count of ten when Jason connected to the weakened body of the Indonesian. This caused referee Tony Peasons to count Raha out in 1:52 of the 7th round.
The crowd roared in approval and thunderous applause cheered the Maasin City hero with his hard-earned yet convincing KO of his tough Indonesian opponent.
"I really intended to cause damage on his body," said Jason after the ring victory. "My punches took a tool on Raha and he collapsed in the seventh."
On June 21, 2014, I was given a complimentary VIP ringside ticket by ALA Promotions to watch Pinoy Pride XXVI featuring Pagara Brothers versus Mexicans at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino, Cebu City.
Jason successfully defended his WBO international lightwelterweight title against Mario “Rocky” Meraz of Mexico. Pagara floored Meraz with a left and right combination to the head in the opening round. Meraz immediately got up and tried to match Pagara blow by blow.
The elder Pagara threw a barrage on Meraz but the Mexican just resisted and stayed on his feet in the succeeding rounds.
A brutal barrage from Pagara had Meraz reeling and seeking refuge on the ropes. Meraz was knocked down again after a series of power punches. Meraz's camp complained when referee Danrex Tapdasan stopped the fight with a second remaining in the 4th round after the Mexican got up following his second knockdown. But the referee insisted that Meraz was on wobbly legs and was hurt
The two Mexicans has impressive pro records prior to the fight card. They were no patsies. Both are dreaded knockout artists.
Meraz has 20 wins, 3 losses with 16 KO wins. In all his losses he was knocked out. But his KO win rate was 67%.
ALA Patriatch Antonio L. Aldeguer and ALA CEO Michael Aldeguer thanked me for my presence and I congratulated them for the successful staging of another Pinoy Pride.
Jason Pagara proved he has the dreadful "Fists of Fury" when he battered the Mexican boxer called "El Dolar." Cesar Chavez now lost 8 bouts all by knockouts and displayed a style which definitely was no match to the Filipino WBO international junior welterweight titlist.
Hungry for a world title fight, Jason stepped out of the shadow of his younger brother Albert, the undefeated IBF intercontinental junior featherweight champion. Both siblings were always compared with each other and The Prince was most of the time identified as the deadlier of the two because of his unblemished professional and amateur record.
But during the Pinoy Pride 29 in Davao City, Jason showed the boxing global communities he too is a world championship caliber by punishing the visiting Mexican and ending the visitor's agony in just 1:56 of the second round.
Jason was born in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental but grew up and learned his boxing fundamentals through his father Reynaldo in Maasin City, Southern Leyte where Jason’s mother came from. He would watch his father crush his opponents atop the ring and was greatly inspired by his boxing exploits.
Jason made his professional debut on September 29, 2006, at the age of 14, defeating Tata Tadena at Jagna, Bohol. On July 25, 2009, he defeated Simson Butar-Butar by unanimous decision in a 10-round bout at the Dao Public Terminal in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines.
Jason was awarded by the City Government of Maasin during its 11th Charter Day Celebration on August 10, 2011 with an Outstanding Maasinhon Award for Sports having won the WBO Asia Pacific Youth lightwelterweight title in April 2011 when he floored Tanzanian Deo Njiku thrice and scored a second round knock out. He also scored a fourth round knockout of Mexican Juan Carlos Gallegos before the first fight with Montoya.
Jason qualified for the award, his mother the former Sabrina Sotto Gerogalem being a Maasinhon from barangay Lib-og of Maasin City. He is the nephew of the Barangay Chairman of their village Hon. Walter Sepe.
Unfortunately, after receiving the award, Jason lost the title when he was outclassed by Rosbel Montoya on September 10, 2011. Montoya, who was not awarded of the crown because he was one pound over the weight limit.
When Jason lost to I was able to watch the bout at the Waterfront Hotel Grand Ballroom. He was the only defeated ALA boxer that time among the fighters of the main events. Later the following day, I was able to meet his father Reynaldo on board Cokaliong ship M/V Filipinas Dapitan for Maasin City.
The senior Pagara said that Jason suffered a fever prior to the fight with Montoya that is why he was not in good condition during the first tussle. He believed that Jason in fine physical form can easily defeat the Mexican “Lobito” Montoya.
This was different from media reports that Jason had a family feud with his father prior to the first Montoya bout which caused his mediocrity during their initial scuffle. Reynaldo stated that Jason was confident he could outdo the Mexican’s ability but succumbed to exhaustion in the later rounds of the first fight. Jason immediately asked for a rematch which the ALA Promotions granted on August 18, 2012.
He recovered by beating Frans Yarangga of Indonesia by second round TKO. Jason knocked him once in the first round and thrice in the second March 3, 2012.
On August 18, 2012, Jason dropped Montoya three times, one in the opening round and twice in the third round. Referee Danrex Tapdasan stopped the fight at 1:41 of the sixth canto when Montoya received enough blows from "El Niño" Pagara causing the Mexican to scowl in pain. Jason won the vacant WBO international junior welterweight championship.
After his loss, Montoya was all praises for Pagara. "My right arm was injured in the sixth round by a powerful punch to my right forearm near my elbow made me unable to continue the fight,” declared the Mexican. “Pagara was a much improved fighter from the first encounter that we had. He was faster, more powerful and was the better boxer.”
The “Hands of Stone from Barbados” Miguel Antoine is no match for the “El Niño of the Philippines.” But it was unlike what happened to Roberto Duran, the original “Hands of Stone” who cried “No más, No más (No more, No more)!” when he could no longer stand the stinging punches of Sugar Rey Leonard and turned his back to quit on the eighth round during their rematch on November 24, 1980.
Antoine dropped to the canvas right on the very first round courtesy of the solid punches of Jason Pagara during the Pinoy Pride XVII at the SM Mall of Asia on October 20, 2012. And the loss was worse than the infamous No Más fight.
Antoine bragged earlier that he will knock Pagara out because the ALA standout allegedly has not faced a boxer of his caliber. His trainer Samuel Gregory Layne even said his boxer fights and moves better than Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and wanted to face Manny Pacquiao after the Pagara fight.
But everything the Barbados team is crowing about is a bubble which burst right in the first round. The dream turned into a nightmare for Antoine. The Caribbean champion bragged that he will knock out Pagara and bring home the WBO international lightwelterweight title belt to his island country. But the Mayweather-like moves did not come out.
The end for Antoine came at 2 minutes 48 seconds of the first round. A body punch followed by a right to his face ended the fight early. Referee Bruce McTavish counted him out up to ten. He did not get up as if saying silently “No más.” It was a clean knockout. He just sat on the canvas and could not believe it was Pagara who has the “hands of stone" that night.
Pagara has defeated several other foreign foes like Thais Kondej Sithtrajtrakan, Decha Kokietgym and Sapapetch Sor Sakaorat, Young-Bin Kim of South Korea, and lots of Indonesians like Frans Yarangga, Billy Sumba, Simson Butar Butar, Heri Andriyanto, Eddy Comaro, and Hero Yauw Katili.
Antoine hasn’t fought outside of the Caribbean before the bout with Pagara. And as I have hinted previously, boxers in the Caribbean are not as tough as the Asian pugilists.
“I am confident I can win against him as I had a better training. I just wanted to end the fight early as the opportunity came in the first round,” declared Pagara. “I thank all those who supported me especially Sir ALA.”
“It’s a big boxing event because this is the first time that the Pagara brothers will be fighting in Maasin City,” said ALA Promotions President and CEO Michael Aldeguer as quoted by Freeman Cebu.
Jason was given a Special Award for winning the WBO international light-welterweight title before the main event featuring Albert versus Tawanrung Eausampan of Thailand at the Maasin City Gym. It was a reunion for the Pagara brothers, their parents and their siblings who were given special ringside seats by the city government.
Jason (32-2, 19KOs) still holds the WBO International light-welterweight title and Albert (19-0, 13KOs) is still undefeated since his amateur days.
Jason successfully defended his World Boxing Organization title on May 25 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City. It was a convincing unanimous decision win over Aaron Herrera of Mexico.
"El Niño" also successfully defended his WBO belt with a lopsided unanimous decision over Vladimir Baez of the Dominican Republic. It was held during the mega boxing promotion Pinoy Pride XXIII at the Araneta Coliseum on November 30.
Brothers Jason and Albert Pagara did not fail the thousands of Maasin kababayans who trooped to the City Gym on April 11. They stopped their respective Indonesian opponents to the delight of the biased crowd who cheered lustily for the two sibling boxing heroes.
In the opening bell, Jason started the assault on Rusmin Kie Raha by throwing head and body punches. Raha retaliated and connected a hard left on Jason's face. The referee stopped the fight when the Indonesian complained of a low blow inflicted on him by Pagara. When the fight resumed Jason unleashed a flurry on the head of Raha.
Raha's counterpunching was very effected every time Jason would pin him on the ropes. The elder Pagara punched combinations with the tummy of the Indonesian as the target. But he absorbed some straights from Raha when the visitor was protecting himself from further punishment.
Raha dominated Jason in the fourth round and it seemed he was ready to frustrate the hometown crowd. He connected several blows on the head of Pagara and proved to be the only round which the former Indonesian champ dominated based on the scoring do the judges.
Jason intensified his body punches with target on the stomach of his visiting foe. Exchange of fists wowed the audience as both fighters tried to outpunch each other in the fifth and sixth rounds.
Finally Raha went down the canvas never to get up at the count of ten when Jason connected to the weakened body of the Indonesian. This caused referee Tony Peasons to count Raha out in 1:52 of the 7th round.
The crowd roared in approval and thunderous applause cheered the Maasin City hero with his hard-earned yet convincing KO of his tough Indonesian opponent.
"I really intended to cause damage on his body," said Jason after the ring victory. "My punches took a tool on Raha and he collapsed in the seventh."
On June 21, 2014, I was given a complimentary VIP ringside ticket by ALA Promotions to watch Pinoy Pride XXVI featuring Pagara Brothers versus Mexicans at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino, Cebu City.
Jason successfully defended his WBO international lightwelterweight title against Mario “Rocky” Meraz of Mexico. Pagara floored Meraz with a left and right combination to the head in the opening round. Meraz immediately got up and tried to match Pagara blow by blow.
The elder Pagara threw a barrage on Meraz but the Mexican just resisted and stayed on his feet in the succeeding rounds.
A brutal barrage from Pagara had Meraz reeling and seeking refuge on the ropes. Meraz was knocked down again after a series of power punches. Meraz's camp complained when referee Danrex Tapdasan stopped the fight with a second remaining in the 4th round after the Mexican got up following his second knockdown. But the referee insisted that Meraz was on wobbly legs and was hurt
The two Mexicans has impressive pro records prior to the fight card. They were no patsies. Both are dreaded knockout artists.
Meraz has 20 wins, 3 losses with 16 KO wins. In all his losses he was knocked out. But his KO win rate was 67%.
ALA Patriatch Antonio L. Aldeguer and ALA CEO Michael Aldeguer thanked me for my presence and I congratulated them for the successful staging of another Pinoy Pride.
Jason Pagara proved he has the dreadful "Fists of Fury" when he battered the Mexican boxer called "El Dolar." Cesar Chavez now lost 8 bouts all by knockouts and displayed a style which definitely was no match to the Filipino WBO international junior welterweight titlist.
Hungry for a world title fight, Jason stepped out of the shadow of his younger brother Albert, the undefeated IBF intercontinental junior featherweight champion. Both siblings were always compared with each other and The Prince was most of the time identified as the deadlier of the two because of his unblemished professional and amateur record.
But during the Pinoy Pride 29 in Davao City, Jason showed the boxing global communities he too is a world championship caliber by punishing the visiting Mexican and ending the visitor's agony in just 1:56 of the second round.
Miyerkules, Hulyo 16, 2014
SUPERTYPHOON YOLANDA
SUPERTYPHOON YOLANDA
She was named Yolanda, feminine in name yet super masculine in strength. For she was a Super Typhoon which struck our region Eastern Visayas that uneventful morning on Friday, November 8, 2013.
Yolanda or Haiyan as known internationally has gained infamy as the strongest storm ever known on record to make landfall and the fourth strongest storm ever recorded in the world.
"(Yolanda is) the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in world history," as quoted by weather website wunderground.com's Dr. Jeff Masters.
We were in Manila on November 5 for the Nutrition National Awards. We were booked for a flight to Cebu on November 6, but changed our ticket to Tacloban instead because Yolanda was set to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility, as we might get stranded in Cebu.
When we landed in Tacloban Airport, the weather was so clear and there were no airpockets at all. The sea was so calm, a clear indication of "calm before the storm." That was one of the last flights that landed Tacloban before the devastation. The following day all air travels were cancelled.
Maasin City fought Yolanda by giving intense warning three days before and implemented forced evacuation on hard-headed residents along the shore and rivers and landslide-prone areas. Disaster risk reduction management council worked immediately.
Everybody worked hand-in-hand including the police, firemen, rescuers, maintenance men, health workers, social workers, and barangay folks.
The US-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) as reference, Masters said that Yolanda's average strength of 195 mph (315 kph) with gusts up to 235 mph (378 kph) during landfall surpassed the previous record set in 1969 by Hurricane Camille, which registered 190 mph (306 kph) winds when it landed in Mississippi in the United States.
However, some storms were stronger but their forces diminished upon hitting the land. Not all storms are at their maximum strength when they landfell.
Considering overall strength, Yolanda is officially the fourth strongest tropical cyclone in world history, according to Masters. He said that the all-time record is still held by Super Typhoon Nancy in 1961 at 215 mph (346 kph), followed by Super Typhoon Violet in the same year at 205 mph (323 kph), and Super Typhoon Ida in 1958 with 200 mph (322 kph).
Yolanda made landfall in Guiuan, Eastern Samar at peak intensity. Interaction with land caused slight degradation of the storm's structure, though it remained an exceptionally powerful storm when it struck Tolosa, Leyte. The typhoon made four additional landfalls as it traversed the Visayas: Daanbantayan then Bantayan Island in Cebu, Concepcion in Iloilo, and Busuanga Island in Palawan.
PAGASA said Yolanda struck Guiuan with maximum sustained winds of 235 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 275 kph.
Presidential Proclamation No. 682, dated November 11, 2013, declared a state of national calamity, affecting Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, and Palawan.
Maasin City and Southern Leyte had zero casualty, but Tacloban and Leyte were not as lucky. It was believed that about 10,000 people perished. Officially 6,340 were confirmed dead and 1,061 were missing. According to UN officials, about 11 million people were affected by Yolanda, leaving several people homeless.
Storm surge was not anticipated and it damaged houses and buildings and swept people away. Tsunami-like waves as high as seven meters engulfed the city trapping several residents.
In our city, we distributed relief to 4,000 families and cleared all roads of trees and debris. I visited evacuation centers the day before and the barangays the day Yolanda struck. I reached the farthest barangay Libertad the afternoon of November 8.
But we helped Tacloban and Leyte amidst our own clearing operations. Their injury was bigger and more brutal. They needed more supporters in their cause to survive.
The wrath of Yolanda caused havoc to thousands of lives and billions of properties in the Visayas region.
Economist Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay estimated the economic loss of Yolanda to be P604 billion whose effects are long term. Official estimates placed the damage at P130 billion. Devastation may have weakened our body but not our spirits. We were down but definitely not out.
Maasin City tasted the fury of Yolanda though not as damaging as in Tacloban. But we suffered blackouts since our source was the geothermal power plant of Ormoc City. Cable television was not available too. But we have to offer something to our constituents at least to alleviate them from the trauma of the strongest typhoon ever.
For weeks there was no electricity. But our constituents wanted to view TV to monitor the news of the typhoon damages especially those of Tacloban and Leyte. So we used a generator set to supply power to our LCD projector and broadcasted TV Patrol every night where thousands would watch the free show at the City Gym.
We showed a free telecast of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios Clash in Cotai on November 24. No restaurants showed the fight and at home if you can't buy pay-per-view you have to bear with the delayed TV show. So our citizens from all walks of life from the 70 barangays trooped to the free live telecast we prepared for their entertainment. The City Gym was filled to the rafters by more than 5,000 fans.
There was panic buying in the groceries and stores in Maasin when people from Leyte drove in hordes to buy commodities here. Fuel prices went up as buyers lined up in long queues to purchase crude oil, gasoline and kerosene which were scarce. We inspected these stations to check hording. I warned unscrupulous merchants of deliberately taking advantage of our consumers.
There were reports of prisoners being able to escape from jails of Leyte and were going to Maasin. So we were on red alert and imposed curfew at 12 midnight. Banks also were afraid of looting and robbery as it happened in Tacloban.
We went also to Tacloban and Ormoc handing out donations to Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Mayor Edward Codilla, respectively. Our city was the first LGU to deliver relief goods to Ormoc in cooperation with the Gawad Kalinga three days after Yolanda hit the city. We also sent our rescue team to help in the retrieval operations of cadavers in Tacloban where they were able to retrieve 128 dead bodies and placed inside body bags. Another team was sent to Tacloban to assist DSWD in packing of the relief goods. We also let them borrow our water purifier machine and our fire truck.
The Maasin City Cooperative Development Council handed some 1,000 packs of bodbod, puto, biko, bread, candies and water to evacuees at Tanauan Central School, Tanauan, Leyte. It was our gift for them like the delicacies served during every Misa de Gallo. We made a courtesy call on Mayor Pelagio Tecson, Jr. at the town hall.
We also went to Guiuan, Eastern Samar as far as Solangan Island to extend help to some families.
She was named Yolanda, feminine in name yet super masculine in strength. For she was a Super Typhoon which struck our region Eastern Visayas that uneventful morning on Friday, November 8, 2013.
Yolanda or Haiyan as known internationally has gained infamy as the strongest storm ever known on record to make landfall and the fourth strongest storm ever recorded in the world.
"(Yolanda is) the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in world history," as quoted by weather website wunderground.com's Dr. Jeff Masters.
We were in Manila on November 5 for the Nutrition National Awards. We were booked for a flight to Cebu on November 6, but changed our ticket to Tacloban instead because Yolanda was set to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility, as we might get stranded in Cebu.
When we landed in Tacloban Airport, the weather was so clear and there were no airpockets at all. The sea was so calm, a clear indication of "calm before the storm." That was one of the last flights that landed Tacloban before the devastation. The following day all air travels were cancelled.
Maasin City fought Yolanda by giving intense warning three days before and implemented forced evacuation on hard-headed residents along the shore and rivers and landslide-prone areas. Disaster risk reduction management council worked immediately.
Everybody worked hand-in-hand including the police, firemen, rescuers, maintenance men, health workers, social workers, and barangay folks.
The US-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) as reference, Masters said that Yolanda's average strength of 195 mph (315 kph) with gusts up to 235 mph (378 kph) during landfall surpassed the previous record set in 1969 by Hurricane Camille, which registered 190 mph (306 kph) winds when it landed in Mississippi in the United States.
However, some storms were stronger but their forces diminished upon hitting the land. Not all storms are at their maximum strength when they landfell.
Considering overall strength, Yolanda is officially the fourth strongest tropical cyclone in world history, according to Masters. He said that the all-time record is still held by Super Typhoon Nancy in 1961 at 215 mph (346 kph), followed by Super Typhoon Violet in the same year at 205 mph (323 kph), and Super Typhoon Ida in 1958 with 200 mph (322 kph).
Yolanda made landfall in Guiuan, Eastern Samar at peak intensity. Interaction with land caused slight degradation of the storm's structure, though it remained an exceptionally powerful storm when it struck Tolosa, Leyte. The typhoon made four additional landfalls as it traversed the Visayas: Daanbantayan then Bantayan Island in Cebu, Concepcion in Iloilo, and Busuanga Island in Palawan.
PAGASA said Yolanda struck Guiuan with maximum sustained winds of 235 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 275 kph.
Presidential Proclamation No. 682, dated November 11, 2013, declared a state of national calamity, affecting Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, and Palawan.
Maasin City and Southern Leyte had zero casualty, but Tacloban and Leyte were not as lucky. It was believed that about 10,000 people perished. Officially 6,340 were confirmed dead and 1,061 were missing. According to UN officials, about 11 million people were affected by Yolanda, leaving several people homeless.
Storm surge was not anticipated and it damaged houses and buildings and swept people away. Tsunami-like waves as high as seven meters engulfed the city trapping several residents.
In our city, we distributed relief to 4,000 families and cleared all roads of trees and debris. I visited evacuation centers the day before and the barangays the day Yolanda struck. I reached the farthest barangay Libertad the afternoon of November 8.
But we helped Tacloban and Leyte amidst our own clearing operations. Their injury was bigger and more brutal. They needed more supporters in their cause to survive.
The wrath of Yolanda caused havoc to thousands of lives and billions of properties in the Visayas region.
Economist Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay estimated the economic loss of Yolanda to be P604 billion whose effects are long term. Official estimates placed the damage at P130 billion. Devastation may have weakened our body but not our spirits. We were down but definitely not out.
Maasin City tasted the fury of Yolanda though not as damaging as in Tacloban. But we suffered blackouts since our source was the geothermal power plant of Ormoc City. Cable television was not available too. But we have to offer something to our constituents at least to alleviate them from the trauma of the strongest typhoon ever.
For weeks there was no electricity. But our constituents wanted to view TV to monitor the news of the typhoon damages especially those of Tacloban and Leyte. So we used a generator set to supply power to our LCD projector and broadcasted TV Patrol every night where thousands would watch the free show at the City Gym.
We showed a free telecast of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios Clash in Cotai on November 24. No restaurants showed the fight and at home if you can't buy pay-per-view you have to bear with the delayed TV show. So our citizens from all walks of life from the 70 barangays trooped to the free live telecast we prepared for their entertainment. The City Gym was filled to the rafters by more than 5,000 fans.
There was panic buying in the groceries and stores in Maasin when people from Leyte drove in hordes to buy commodities here. Fuel prices went up as buyers lined up in long queues to purchase crude oil, gasoline and kerosene which were scarce. We inspected these stations to check hording. I warned unscrupulous merchants of deliberately taking advantage of our consumers.
There were reports of prisoners being able to escape from jails of Leyte and were going to Maasin. So we were on red alert and imposed curfew at 12 midnight. Banks also were afraid of looting and robbery as it happened in Tacloban.
We went also to Tacloban and Ormoc handing out donations to Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Mayor Edward Codilla, respectively. Our city was the first LGU to deliver relief goods to Ormoc in cooperation with the Gawad Kalinga three days after Yolanda hit the city. We also sent our rescue team to help in the retrieval operations of cadavers in Tacloban where they were able to retrieve 128 dead bodies and placed inside body bags. Another team was sent to Tacloban to assist DSWD in packing of the relief goods. We also let them borrow our water purifier machine and our fire truck.
The Maasin City Cooperative Development Council handed some 1,000 packs of bodbod, puto, biko, bread, candies and water to evacuees at Tanauan Central School, Tanauan, Leyte. It was our gift for them like the delicacies served during every Misa de Gallo. We made a courtesy call on Mayor Pelagio Tecson, Jr. at the town hall.
We also went to Guiuan, Eastern Samar as far as Solangan Island to extend help to some families.
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT WITH GIZ/GTZ
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT WITH GIZ/GTZ
Maasin City is a beneficiary of the Solid Waste Management for Local Government Units (SWM4LGUs) Program by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), formerly German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit or GIZ, as it is now called, is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal Government,
operating in many fields across more than 130 countries and mainly works for public-sector organizations.
On January 1, 2011 the GIZ was established through a merger of the three German organizations, the German Development Service (Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst, DED), the German Technical Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, GTZ), and Capacity Building International (Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung, InWEnt).
For more than thirty years, GTZ has been implementing projects to promote economic, ecological and social development in the Philippines, in behalf of the German Government. It has identified the following priority areas for development cooperation with the concurrence of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) of the Philippines: environment, sustainable economic development, conflict transformation and crisis prevention, and decentralization. It focuses on the Visayas Archipelago and the region of Caraga on the island of Mindanao.
GIZ was working with the AHT Group, a privately owned independent consulting firm offering management and engineering services in water, agriculture, environment, governance and waste. The scope of their services covers management and organizational aspects, institutional development and training, and the entire project cycle from preliminary site investigations and feasibility studies to detailed design, project implementation and evaluation. Their clients include national and local government institutions, private sector companies and all the major international development organizations, e.g. KfW, GIZ, European Commission, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, MCC and others.
In March 2006, a Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS) was conducted in the different urban barangays of Maasin City. Based on the study, the city’s municipal solid
waste (MSW) was distributed from following sources: low-income residential areas (43%), mixed residential and commercial areas (37%), commercial districts (15%), and other sources (5%). The average waste generation rate is 0.40 kg. per capita per day and as of 2008, estimated waste generation is 25 tonnes per day.
With assistance from GIZ-AHT, we were able to formulate a 10-Year SWM Plan on January 2007, which was submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) / National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) for approval. In June 2007, a centralized waste recovery and composting facility was established at the Southern Leyte Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SLEMCoop) Village at Barangay Ibarra. Another demonstration facility was set up at Barangay San Rafael.
The city government was also able to prepare the Closure and Rehabilitation Plan for its existing
6,000-square meter dumpsite at Barangay Combado and last October 2008 were granted an Authority-to-Close (ATC) No. 2008-04 by EMB-8. In June 2009, the city government has officially submitted its Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) Document to EMB-8 and was granted Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) No. R08-0906-061-9240 for its proposed 9.7-hectare Eco-Park, which includes a 6.1-hectare sanitary landfill facility (SLF).
Presently, Maasin City is in the process of constructing its Eco-Park. The city government is also updating its SWM ordinance with cost-recovery mechanism. Its existing materials recovery facility (MRF) with composting is currently being operated to service selected urban barangays of the city although its operational capacity was lower than before. At present, the collection system is still for mixed waste with biodegradables and recyclables are recovered from secondary segregation. With plans already set to collect biodegradables and recyclables separately from the households, community IEC activities are now being conducted.
Pursuant to the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) RO8-0906-061-9240 approved and issued by EMB-8 for the proposed SLF within the Maasin City Ecological Park (Eco-Park) located at Barangay Libhu/Bactul-1, the city government started SLF construction.
The experience of Maasin City in identifying candidates and screening the sites for its proposed SLF showed how the process should be carefully undertaken especially when there is a high probability that many locations are not suitable for a disposal facility. Specifically, ‘Rule XIV,
section 1 of the implementing rules and regulations of RA 9003 (DAO 2001-34) provides for the minimum considerations in siting SLFs such as accessibility to main roads, availability of clayey base liner system, and locating it in areas where the
landfill’s operation will not detrimentally affect environmentally sensitive resources.
Maasin City’s main tourist attractions are its many unique caves. Caves and sink holes, locally known as bito, proliferate the hills and mountains of the city. If one is to listen closely into a sink hole, he/she can hear the sound of waves from the nearby sea. However, according to geologists, such formations indicate that these are limestone or karst areas, which are likely to have subterranean channels as rainwater easily seeps through it due to very high permeability. This makes such areas part of an exclusion criteria in SLF siting. Even before the passage of RA 9003, the city government has been searching for a suitable disposal site. There was even a point when some lots were offered at no cost to the LGU just to solve the problem yet these were either located in a gully, very near the main road, in a nipa swamp or close to sink holes.
From 1992 to 2006, seventeen (17) sites had been proposed and investigated by the authorities. Finally, on February 2007, the GIZ-AHT SWM4LGUs Project conducted an SLF site identification and screening training for its LGU, EMB and MGB partners in the Visayas. Through the exercise, the LGU was capacitated on how to investigate and objectively rank the candidate sites based on national and international standards. The choice was left for the LGU to decide given the results of the screening matrix. But it was the process itself that could serve as a best practice model for other LGUs to benchmark on, with or without the same predicament/limitations as Maasin’s.
The first step in the SLF site identification process was the planning stage. Members of the technical working group (TWG) were assigned. The city’s general land use and other maps were also consulted for any valuable information about the areas to avoid such as those that were earthquake prone, protected and forested, located in floodplains, etc. Logically, the search for candidate sites was the next step. But since the LGU has already had various areas in mind that just needed validation, a pre-evaluation screening matrix was then prepared based on national criteria (DENR Administrative Orders 98-50 and 2001-34/RA 9003) as well as international standards. The criteria included the following:
Location: (sitio/barangay), Land availability (for later purchase), Distance from the city proper, Distance form road networks (accessibility), Existing and proposed land use, Topography and slope, Soil condition (clayey, silty, etc.), Proximity to airports, Seismic risks, Geological conditions (presence of sink holes, etc.), Ecological conditions (sensitive, endangered, etc.), Groundwater resources (depth of aquifer), Occurrence of flooding, Proximity to perennial surface waters (rivers, lakes).
Using the selection matrix, the team was divided and dispatched to do actual preliminary site investigation and ranking. The results of this evaluation process were then deliberated and recommendations were made for later scrutiny by the LGU.
Although by technical standards it is only second to the best one, LGU-Maasin selected the site situated between Barangays Bactul I and Libhu. The choice was made by the LGU considering such other aspects as socioeconomic, political and/or financial issues. The LGU then proceeded to have the site pre-investigated by Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 8 in May 2007. With a recommendation to proceed to a detailed hydro-geological assessment, a study was made in June-July 2007, which cleared the site of any geotechnical impediments. The succeeding month, soil permeability and pedo-hydrological tests were conducted by Visayas State University of Baybay City, which revealed good permeability value of 6x10-7 cm/sec. (Per DAO 2006-10, the minimum requirement for Category 2 SLF is 10-6 cm/sec.)
The process itself of conducting an objective yet simple evaluation process is the proper way to undertake SLF site selection. Decision-making processes are really at the hands of the LGU but if they are capacitated on how to do it properly, such decisions would at least have a sound basis. It was also learned that although a site as technically suitable, other non-technical issues needed to be addressed as well. In the end, the choice of the final site is aimed at ensuring that the project minimizes any possible negative impacts to humans and environment.
From 2007-2008, SLF conceptual plans were prepared. The LGU had already purchased the lot, consulted with the five (5) families living near the site, oriented the community leaders about the project, and has established baseline information on water quality.
Furthermore, as required by DAO 2001-34/RA 9003, the LGU had to formulate a bird control program. They then requested DENR-PAWS and CENRO to conduct a bird and bird population survey around the area. Last June 2009, the city was granted an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), which incorporated various environmental safeguards as conditionality prior to landfill construction and operation.
I was a beneficiary of a study tour to Germany together with other city mayors and officials. The cities invited were also beneficiaries of the SWM4LGUs Project of the GTZ. The travel expenses including plane tickets, hotel meals, and allowances were shouldered by GTZ. Chona went with me to meet her sister Marivic who married a German named Klaus Schöneweiss. We shouldered personally all her expenses.
On September 22, 2009, we left for Frankfurt, Germany via Abu Dhabi on board Etihad Airways flight. Our companions include Mayor
Jerry Treñas of Iloilo, Mayor Eric Codilla of Ormoc, Mayor German Saraña of Bayawan, DENR Assistant Secretary Gerry Calderon now Mayor of Angono, Rizal, League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) Executive Director Hilda Corpuz, League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) President Mayor Ramon Guico of Binalonan, Pangasinan, , and LMP Executive Director Li-An de Leon. Our Team Leader was Dr. Johannes Paul of the GTZ-AHT Project Office, Iloilo City.
Earlier on September 12, our respective SWM Landfill Managers travelled ahead to Germany. They were Atty. Feorillo Demeterio, Jr. (Maasin), Ms. Myraflor Fumar (Ormoc), Engr. Arthur
Batomalaque (San Carlos), Engr. Melijon Buquiran (Bais), Engr. Neil Ravena (Iloilo), and Engr. Antonio Aguilar (Bayawan).
From Frankfurt we boarded Lufthansa flight to Hannover on September 23. We were met by Udo Lange, AHT Project Manager. We checked in at Maris Hotel at Steinhude, once a quite fishing village, now a resort and recreation center. On September 24 our study tour began. Engr. Bernd Buescher and Engr. Burkart Schulte welcomed the group at the trend-setting Waste Management Center (WMC) Pohlsche Heide in Hille. The plant is designed to handle 100,000 tonnes per year, of which 37,500 tonnes per year are anaerobically digested. The plant treats both industrial waste and residual municipal solid waste (MSW), as well as dewatered sludge coming from wastewater treatment plants in the area surrounding the plant.
We met our respective landfill managers at Pohlsche Heide where they underwent vigorous training on solid waste management. It was a grand reunion for us mayors and our solid waste managers at Germany. We checked in at Hotel Exquisit at Minden where our landfill managers were housed 10 days ahead of us.
On September 25 we visited a Mechanical-Biological Waste Treatment Plant, a Composting
Plant, a Sanitary Landfill with gas recovery, leachate treatment and monitoring facilities, an Anaerobic Digester Plant and a Collection Center for special waste. The WMC serves an area consisting of several municipalities with more than 500,000 residents. These site visits provided familiarity on waste collection and segregation bins at household level and segregation systems within city sub-divisions as well as a large scale sorting plant for the processing of segregated wastes in Minden, Northrhine-Westphalia. We met Landrat Dr. Nehm, the Administrator of Minden-Lübbecke District, at the District Hall. We also met State Prime Minister Jürgen Rüttgers of Northrhine-Westphalia in a campaign for the parliamentary elections.
The study tour features main components and technologies applied for modern waste management in Germany such as integrated SWM planning, waste collection and segregation, material recovery, mechanical-biological waste treatment, biogas generation, waste incineration, biological-mechanical waste treatment and landfilling.
On September 26 we visited Tönsmeier Plastic Sorting Plant. Tönsmeier offered its customers a complete range of modern waste disposal services. They are a reliable partner for municipalities, for industry, business and retailers, and also for individual customers. We went to Porta Westfalica and climbed the top of the hill to the Monument of Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm I. It is overlooking the scenic view of the city.
On September 27 was the City Tour. We visited the old Minden Cathedral, old medieval streets, Minden Museum and Plaza and the commercial center. It was Election Day in Germany yet it was just an ordinary day for them. We went to a polling place and observed the voting. It was very tranquil and only few people went to vote. Just one hour after the closing of the precincts it was announced that Chancellor Angela Merkel was already reelected because her Christian Democratic Union won majority of the seats of the German Parliament.
On September 28 we visited NAUE Landfill Engineering Geosynthetics. NAUE & Co. was established over 40 years ago with the object of serving the civil engineering industry with tailor-made products for the various types of applications such as filtration, drainage, protection, separation, reinforcement, sealing and erosion control. We also went to the Ministry of Environment in Northern Australia office at Essen. Then we checked in at Hotel Lahnschleife at Weilburg, Lahn. We had a farewell dinner for the SWM Study Group from the GTZ and AHT Group.
On September 29 we travelled to the GTZ headquarters at Eschborn. It has about 17,000 employees working in more than 130
countries, including about 1,700 at its head office. The delegation met various experts of GTZ and KfW involved into the project who present status, experiences and opportunities of SWM4LGUs from their perspective. KfW banking group is a German government-owned development bank, based in Frankfurt. Its name originally comes from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, meaning Reconstruction Credit Institute.
During the meeting the tour impressions of the delegates and concerns of municipal SWM were taken up. The participants announced that the tour greatly contributed for them to expand understanding in modern SWM technologies, enhanced intercultural understanding and revitalized enthusiasm for the joint development project. Features including bulky waste collection, recycling markets, cost recovery mechanism, private public partnership in SWM,
enforcement strategies, public information and climate related aspects of SWM and CDM were also discussed.
Then we rode a train to Frankfurt Airport. The
other members of the group boarded a flight back to Manila. I rode a train from the airport to Durtmond then met Chona where we proceeded to Dateln, the home city of her sister Marivic.
Maasin City is a beneficiary of the Solid Waste Management for Local Government Units (SWM4LGUs) Program by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), formerly German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit or GIZ, as it is now called, is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal Government,
operating in many fields across more than 130 countries and mainly works for public-sector organizations.
On January 1, 2011 the GIZ was established through a merger of the three German organizations, the German Development Service (Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst, DED), the German Technical Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, GTZ), and Capacity Building International (Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung, InWEnt).
For more than thirty years, GTZ has been implementing projects to promote economic, ecological and social development in the Philippines, in behalf of the German Government. It has identified the following priority areas for development cooperation with the concurrence of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) of the Philippines: environment, sustainable economic development, conflict transformation and crisis prevention, and decentralization. It focuses on the Visayas Archipelago and the region of Caraga on the island of Mindanao.
GIZ was working with the AHT Group, a privately owned independent consulting firm offering management and engineering services in water, agriculture, environment, governance and waste. The scope of their services covers management and organizational aspects, institutional development and training, and the entire project cycle from preliminary site investigations and feasibility studies to detailed design, project implementation and evaluation. Their clients include national and local government institutions, private sector companies and all the major international development organizations, e.g. KfW, GIZ, European Commission, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, MCC and others.
In March 2006, a Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS) was conducted in the different urban barangays of Maasin City. Based on the study, the city’s municipal solid
waste (MSW) was distributed from following sources: low-income residential areas (43%), mixed residential and commercial areas (37%), commercial districts (15%), and other sources (5%). The average waste generation rate is 0.40 kg. per capita per day and as of 2008, estimated waste generation is 25 tonnes per day.
With assistance from GIZ-AHT, we were able to formulate a 10-Year SWM Plan on January 2007, which was submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) / National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) for approval. In June 2007, a centralized waste recovery and composting facility was established at the Southern Leyte Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SLEMCoop) Village at Barangay Ibarra. Another demonstration facility was set up at Barangay San Rafael.
The city government was also able to prepare the Closure and Rehabilitation Plan for its existing
6,000-square meter dumpsite at Barangay Combado and last October 2008 were granted an Authority-to-Close (ATC) No. 2008-04 by EMB-8. In June 2009, the city government has officially submitted its Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) Document to EMB-8 and was granted Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) No. R08-0906-061-9240 for its proposed 9.7-hectare Eco-Park, which includes a 6.1-hectare sanitary landfill facility (SLF).
Presently, Maasin City is in the process of constructing its Eco-Park. The city government is also updating its SWM ordinance with cost-recovery mechanism. Its existing materials recovery facility (MRF) with composting is currently being operated to service selected urban barangays of the city although its operational capacity was lower than before. At present, the collection system is still for mixed waste with biodegradables and recyclables are recovered from secondary segregation. With plans already set to collect biodegradables and recyclables separately from the households, community IEC activities are now being conducted.
Pursuant to the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) RO8-0906-061-9240 approved and issued by EMB-8 for the proposed SLF within the Maasin City Ecological Park (Eco-Park) located at Barangay Libhu/Bactul-1, the city government started SLF construction.
The experience of Maasin City in identifying candidates and screening the sites for its proposed SLF showed how the process should be carefully undertaken especially when there is a high probability that many locations are not suitable for a disposal facility. Specifically, ‘Rule XIV,
section 1 of the implementing rules and regulations of RA 9003 (DAO 2001-34) provides for the minimum considerations in siting SLFs such as accessibility to main roads, availability of clayey base liner system, and locating it in areas where the
landfill’s operation will not detrimentally affect environmentally sensitive resources.
Maasin City’s main tourist attractions are its many unique caves. Caves and sink holes, locally known as bito, proliferate the hills and mountains of the city. If one is to listen closely into a sink hole, he/she can hear the sound of waves from the nearby sea. However, according to geologists, such formations indicate that these are limestone or karst areas, which are likely to have subterranean channels as rainwater easily seeps through it due to very high permeability. This makes such areas part of an exclusion criteria in SLF siting. Even before the passage of RA 9003, the city government has been searching for a suitable disposal site. There was even a point when some lots were offered at no cost to the LGU just to solve the problem yet these were either located in a gully, very near the main road, in a nipa swamp or close to sink holes.
From 1992 to 2006, seventeen (17) sites had been proposed and investigated by the authorities. Finally, on February 2007, the GIZ-AHT SWM4LGUs Project conducted an SLF site identification and screening training for its LGU, EMB and MGB partners in the Visayas. Through the exercise, the LGU was capacitated on how to investigate and objectively rank the candidate sites based on national and international standards. The choice was left for the LGU to decide given the results of the screening matrix. But it was the process itself that could serve as a best practice model for other LGUs to benchmark on, with or without the same predicament/limitations as Maasin’s.
The first step in the SLF site identification process was the planning stage. Members of the technical working group (TWG) were assigned. The city’s general land use and other maps were also consulted for any valuable information about the areas to avoid such as those that were earthquake prone, protected and forested, located in floodplains, etc. Logically, the search for candidate sites was the next step. But since the LGU has already had various areas in mind that just needed validation, a pre-evaluation screening matrix was then prepared based on national criteria (DENR Administrative Orders 98-50 and 2001-34/RA 9003) as well as international standards. The criteria included the following:
Location: (sitio/barangay), Land availability (for later purchase), Distance from the city proper, Distance form road networks (accessibility), Existing and proposed land use, Topography and slope, Soil condition (clayey, silty, etc.), Proximity to airports, Seismic risks, Geological conditions (presence of sink holes, etc.), Ecological conditions (sensitive, endangered, etc.), Groundwater resources (depth of aquifer), Occurrence of flooding, Proximity to perennial surface waters (rivers, lakes).
Using the selection matrix, the team was divided and dispatched to do actual preliminary site investigation and ranking. The results of this evaluation process were then deliberated and recommendations were made for later scrutiny by the LGU.
Although by technical standards it is only second to the best one, LGU-Maasin selected the site situated between Barangays Bactul I and Libhu. The choice was made by the LGU considering such other aspects as socioeconomic, political and/or financial issues. The LGU then proceeded to have the site pre-investigated by Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 8 in May 2007. With a recommendation to proceed to a detailed hydro-geological assessment, a study was made in June-July 2007, which cleared the site of any geotechnical impediments. The succeeding month, soil permeability and pedo-hydrological tests were conducted by Visayas State University of Baybay City, which revealed good permeability value of 6x10-7 cm/sec. (Per DAO 2006-10, the minimum requirement for Category 2 SLF is 10-6 cm/sec.)
The process itself of conducting an objective yet simple evaluation process is the proper way to undertake SLF site selection. Decision-making processes are really at the hands of the LGU but if they are capacitated on how to do it properly, such decisions would at least have a sound basis. It was also learned that although a site as technically suitable, other non-technical issues needed to be addressed as well. In the end, the choice of the final site is aimed at ensuring that the project minimizes any possible negative impacts to humans and environment.
From 2007-2008, SLF conceptual plans were prepared. The LGU had already purchased the lot, consulted with the five (5) families living near the site, oriented the community leaders about the project, and has established baseline information on water quality.
Furthermore, as required by DAO 2001-34/RA 9003, the LGU had to formulate a bird control program. They then requested DENR-PAWS and CENRO to conduct a bird and bird population survey around the area. Last June 2009, the city was granted an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), which incorporated various environmental safeguards as conditionality prior to landfill construction and operation.
I was a beneficiary of a study tour to Germany together with other city mayors and officials. The cities invited were also beneficiaries of the SWM4LGUs Project of the GTZ. The travel expenses including plane tickets, hotel meals, and allowances were shouldered by GTZ. Chona went with me to meet her sister Marivic who married a German named Klaus Schöneweiss. We shouldered personally all her expenses.
On September 22, 2009, we left for Frankfurt, Germany via Abu Dhabi on board Etihad Airways flight. Our companions include Mayor
Jerry Treñas of Iloilo, Mayor Eric Codilla of Ormoc, Mayor German Saraña of Bayawan, DENR Assistant Secretary Gerry Calderon now Mayor of Angono, Rizal, League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) Executive Director Hilda Corpuz, League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) President Mayor Ramon Guico of Binalonan, Pangasinan, , and LMP Executive Director Li-An de Leon. Our Team Leader was Dr. Johannes Paul of the GTZ-AHT Project Office, Iloilo City.
Earlier on September 12, our respective SWM Landfill Managers travelled ahead to Germany. They were Atty. Feorillo Demeterio, Jr. (Maasin), Ms. Myraflor Fumar (Ormoc), Engr. Arthur
Batomalaque (San Carlos), Engr. Melijon Buquiran (Bais), Engr. Neil Ravena (Iloilo), and Engr. Antonio Aguilar (Bayawan).
From Frankfurt we boarded Lufthansa flight to Hannover on September 23. We were met by Udo Lange, AHT Project Manager. We checked in at Maris Hotel at Steinhude, once a quite fishing village, now a resort and recreation center. On September 24 our study tour began. Engr. Bernd Buescher and Engr. Burkart Schulte welcomed the group at the trend-setting Waste Management Center (WMC) Pohlsche Heide in Hille. The plant is designed to handle 100,000 tonnes per year, of which 37,500 tonnes per year are anaerobically digested. The plant treats both industrial waste and residual municipal solid waste (MSW), as well as dewatered sludge coming from wastewater treatment plants in the area surrounding the plant.
We met our respective landfill managers at Pohlsche Heide where they underwent vigorous training on solid waste management. It was a grand reunion for us mayors and our solid waste managers at Germany. We checked in at Hotel Exquisit at Minden where our landfill managers were housed 10 days ahead of us.
On September 25 we visited a Mechanical-Biological Waste Treatment Plant, a Composting
Plant, a Sanitary Landfill with gas recovery, leachate treatment and monitoring facilities, an Anaerobic Digester Plant and a Collection Center for special waste. The WMC serves an area consisting of several municipalities with more than 500,000 residents. These site visits provided familiarity on waste collection and segregation bins at household level and segregation systems within city sub-divisions as well as a large scale sorting plant for the processing of segregated wastes in Minden, Northrhine-Westphalia. We met Landrat Dr. Nehm, the Administrator of Minden-Lübbecke District, at the District Hall. We also met State Prime Minister Jürgen Rüttgers of Northrhine-Westphalia in a campaign for the parliamentary elections.
The study tour features main components and technologies applied for modern waste management in Germany such as integrated SWM planning, waste collection and segregation, material recovery, mechanical-biological waste treatment, biogas generation, waste incineration, biological-mechanical waste treatment and landfilling.
On September 26 we visited Tönsmeier Plastic Sorting Plant. Tönsmeier offered its customers a complete range of modern waste disposal services. They are a reliable partner for municipalities, for industry, business and retailers, and also for individual customers. We went to Porta Westfalica and climbed the top of the hill to the Monument of Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm I. It is overlooking the scenic view of the city.
On September 27 was the City Tour. We visited the old Minden Cathedral, old medieval streets, Minden Museum and Plaza and the commercial center. It was Election Day in Germany yet it was just an ordinary day for them. We went to a polling place and observed the voting. It was very tranquil and only few people went to vote. Just one hour after the closing of the precincts it was announced that Chancellor Angela Merkel was already reelected because her Christian Democratic Union won majority of the seats of the German Parliament.
On September 28 we visited NAUE Landfill Engineering Geosynthetics. NAUE & Co. was established over 40 years ago with the object of serving the civil engineering industry with tailor-made products for the various types of applications such as filtration, drainage, protection, separation, reinforcement, sealing and erosion control. We also went to the Ministry of Environment in Northern Australia office at Essen. Then we checked in at Hotel Lahnschleife at Weilburg, Lahn. We had a farewell dinner for the SWM Study Group from the GTZ and AHT Group.
On September 29 we travelled to the GTZ headquarters at Eschborn. It has about 17,000 employees working in more than 130
countries, including about 1,700 at its head office. The delegation met various experts of GTZ and KfW involved into the project who present status, experiences and opportunities of SWM4LGUs from their perspective. KfW banking group is a German government-owned development bank, based in Frankfurt. Its name originally comes from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, meaning Reconstruction Credit Institute.
During the meeting the tour impressions of the delegates and concerns of municipal SWM were taken up. The participants announced that the tour greatly contributed for them to expand understanding in modern SWM technologies, enhanced intercultural understanding and revitalized enthusiasm for the joint development project. Features including bulky waste collection, recycling markets, cost recovery mechanism, private public partnership in SWM,
enforcement strategies, public information and climate related aspects of SWM and CDM were also discussed.
Then we rode a train to Frankfurt Airport. The
other members of the group boarded a flight back to Manila. I rode a train from the airport to Durtmond then met Chona where we proceeded to Dateln, the home city of her sister Marivic.
Martes, Hulyo 15, 2014
IRA REDUCTION, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
IRA REDUCTION, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
The year 2012 saw the reduction in the internal revenue allotment (IRA) of the local government units (LGU). The lower revenues collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue in 2009 prompted the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to reduce the IRA share of the LGUs by 4.8%. The decline was the result of the global economic recession and revenue cuts imposed.
“It is unfortunate that revenues in 2009 declined, but that is the legally-mandated base year for computing the IRA for fiscal year 2012,” DBM Secretary Florencio Abad said.
The Local Government Code (LGC) mandates that the IRA share of LGUs should be computed as 40% of the national internal revenue taxes collected in the third fiscal year preceding the current fiscal year. The National Internal Revenue Code of the Philippines identifies the national internal revenue
taxes that are sources of IRA as: income tax; estate and donors’ tax; value-added tax; other percentage taxes; excise taxes; documentary stamp taxes; and such other taxes that may be imposed and collected by the BIR.
Just as we were alarmed by the looming IRA cut, the Supreme Court declared final on April 12, 2011 its resolution handed down on February 15, 2011 upholding the laws converting the sixteen towns into cities in 2007 as constitutional. The petition filed on March 2007 by the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), of which Maasin City is a member, appealing to declare the 16 cityhood laws as unconstitutional, was dismissed by the High Court.
The beneficiaries of the ruling were Republic Act No. 9389 (Baybay City, Leyte), RA 9390 (Bogo City, Cebu), RA 9391 (Catbalogan City, Samar), RA 9392 (Tandag City, Surigao del Sur), RA 9393 (Lamitan City, Basilan), RA 9394 (Borongan City, Eastern Samar), RA 9398 (Tayabas City, Quezon), RA 9404 (Tabuk City, Kalinga), RA 9405 (Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur), RA 9407 (Batac City, Ilocos Norte), RA 9408 (Mati City, Davao Oriental), RA 9409 (Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental), RA 9434 (Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte), RA 9435 (El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental), RA 9436 (Carcar City, Cebu), and RA 9491 (Naga City, Cebu).
The resolution was the fifth decision by the Supreme Court on the case questioning the constitutionality of the laws converting 16 municipalities into cities. The first decision was decided by a 6-5 vote and issued on November 18, 2008. It declared unconstitutional the 16 cityhood laws for violation of Section 6 and 10, Article X of the Constitution that specifies equalities in the creation of new cities. It said the 16 towns did not meet the criteria of a P100-million income to qualify them into cities.
On December 21, 2009, the first decision was reversed by the SC with a ruling that the laws converting 16 municipalities into cities are constitutional. This time, the decision was a 6-4 vote, declaring that all cityhood laws, enacted after the effectivity of RA 9009 which increased the income requirement for cityhood from P20 million to P100 million exempts the 16 municipalities from the said higher income requirement.
The third ruling was decided by the High Court on August 24, 2010, in a 7-6 vote, granting the motions for reconsideration filed by the LCP. It reinstated the November 18, 2008 decision declaring
unconstitutional the 16 cityhood laws.
The 16 municipalities filed their motions for reconsideration. On February 15, 2011, the Supreme Court issued the fourth ruling and granted the motions for reconsideration filed by several of the 16 municipalities as it declared constitutional the 16 cityhood laws.
The year 2012 saw the reduction in the internal revenue allotment (IRA) of the local government units (LGU). The lower revenues collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue in 2009 prompted the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to reduce the IRA share of the LGUs by 4.8%. The decline was the result of the global economic recession and revenue cuts imposed.
“It is unfortunate that revenues in 2009 declined, but that is the legally-mandated base year for computing the IRA for fiscal year 2012,” DBM Secretary Florencio Abad said.
The Local Government Code (LGC) mandates that the IRA share of LGUs should be computed as 40% of the national internal revenue taxes collected in the third fiscal year preceding the current fiscal year. The National Internal Revenue Code of the Philippines identifies the national internal revenue
taxes that are sources of IRA as: income tax; estate and donors’ tax; value-added tax; other percentage taxes; excise taxes; documentary stamp taxes; and such other taxes that may be imposed and collected by the BIR.
Just as we were alarmed by the looming IRA cut, the Supreme Court declared final on April 12, 2011 its resolution handed down on February 15, 2011 upholding the laws converting the sixteen towns into cities in 2007 as constitutional. The petition filed on March 2007 by the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), of which Maasin City is a member, appealing to declare the 16 cityhood laws as unconstitutional, was dismissed by the High Court.
The beneficiaries of the ruling were Republic Act No. 9389 (Baybay City, Leyte), RA 9390 (Bogo City, Cebu), RA 9391 (Catbalogan City, Samar), RA 9392 (Tandag City, Surigao del Sur), RA 9393 (Lamitan City, Basilan), RA 9394 (Borongan City, Eastern Samar), RA 9398 (Tayabas City, Quezon), RA 9404 (Tabuk City, Kalinga), RA 9405 (Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur), RA 9407 (Batac City, Ilocos Norte), RA 9408 (Mati City, Davao Oriental), RA 9409 (Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental), RA 9434 (Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte), RA 9435 (El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental), RA 9436 (Carcar City, Cebu), and RA 9491 (Naga City, Cebu).
The resolution was the fifth decision by the Supreme Court on the case questioning the constitutionality of the laws converting 16 municipalities into cities. The first decision was decided by a 6-5 vote and issued on November 18, 2008. It declared unconstitutional the 16 cityhood laws for violation of Section 6 and 10, Article X of the Constitution that specifies equalities in the creation of new cities. It said the 16 towns did not meet the criteria of a P100-million income to qualify them into cities.
On December 21, 2009, the first decision was reversed by the SC with a ruling that the laws converting 16 municipalities into cities are constitutional. This time, the decision was a 6-4 vote, declaring that all cityhood laws, enacted after the effectivity of RA 9009 which increased the income requirement for cityhood from P20 million to P100 million exempts the 16 municipalities from the said higher income requirement.
The third ruling was decided by the High Court on August 24, 2010, in a 7-6 vote, granting the motions for reconsideration filed by the LCP. It reinstated the November 18, 2008 decision declaring
unconstitutional the 16 cityhood laws.
The 16 municipalities filed their motions for reconsideration. On February 15, 2011, the Supreme Court issued the fourth ruling and granted the motions for reconsideration filed by several of the 16 municipalities as it declared constitutional the 16 cityhood laws.
The LCP filed its own motion for reconsideration.
“The Court can no longer modify, alter, or amend a judgment that had long become final, executory, and continues to be implemented and executed," the LCP cited.
The LCP also cited that Sta. Rosa and Biñan in Laguna, Trece Martires in Cavite, and Navotas and San Juan in Metro Manila became cities because they met the P100-million requirement in the LGC. It would be unfair for them if the 16 new cities had to pass only the P20-million annual revenue requirement.
The LCP said the existing cities were not greedy enough to share their IRA to the 16 would-be cities. It insisted that the law should be followed in the qualification of municipalities to be converted to cities.
In a dramatic display of disapproval, more than 40 city mayors led a protest march to the Supreme Court before filing the appeal. Hundreds of supporters joined them in the said protest showing their sympathy for their respective cities. But the appeal was denied by the High Court on April 12, 2011.
It resulted to considerable cuts in the IRA for 2012 among affected existing cities. The IRA of Maasin City reduced by P47 million due to the 4.8% reduction and the creation of new cities.
It was by far the biggest reduction in the income of Maasin ever since the application of the LGC and the apportionment of the IRA. Items in the annual budget had to be cut to cope up the decrease in revenues, except for the personal services like salaries, wages and benefits which we could not reduce.
I enjoined all city employees to join the first phase of protest by member cities of the LCP during the first reversal of the SC decision in favor of the 16 municipalities. In one flag ceremony, city employees wore black arm bands in protest of the ruling.
However, I later realized what if we were among the 16 municipalities deprived to become
cities? Maasin became a city with the same P20-million income requirement passed by the 16 would-be cities. It would be too greedy for us then if we hurdled the same requirement and deprive others who had filed their cityhood bills before the income requirement was raised to P100 million.
Three mayors of the affected 16 municipalities were my friends: Mayor Dale Corvera of Cabadbaran, Mayor Coefredo Uy of Catbalogan, and Mayor Mike Cari succeeded by her mother Mayor Carmen Cari of Baybay.
Mayor Corvera was a colleague in the Boy Scouts of the Philippines National Executive Board. While Mayor Uy together with elected and appointed officials of Catbalogan came to Maasin to study about our healthy city enforcement. Mayor Cari accomodated Mama as DPWH District Engineer of the 5th District of Leyte stationed at Baybay.
I also felt what they suffered when their cities were reverted to municipalities then to cities then back to municipalities. They were even jokingly been called “Municity.”
Mayor Corvera was a colleague in the Boy Scouts of the Philippines National Executive Board. While Mayor Uy together with elected and appointed officials of Catbalogan came to Maasin to study about our healthy city enforcement. Mayor Cari accomodated Mama as DPWH District Engineer of the 5th District of Leyte stationed at Baybay.
I also felt what they suffered when their cities were reverted to municipalities then to cities then back to municipalities. They were even jokingly been called “Municity.”
They even elected ten city councilors during the 2010 elections and when the decision was reversed during the third ruling, they were in a quandary on what to do with their two “extra councilors,” since the municipal council only has eight members prescribed by the LGC.
So when the LCP decided to stage another protest in filing the appeal to reverse the fourth ruling favoring the 16 new cities, I declared, “It’s enough. We will give chance to the 16 cities to become cities officially.”
I decided not to join the protest march to the Supreme Court, although we were hurting with the alarming IRA reduction. We would just brace ourselves up for the coming “financial calamity.”
I decided not to join the protest march to the Supreme Court, although we were hurting with the alarming IRA reduction. We would just brace ourselves up for the coming “financial calamity.”
The LCP National Executive Board finally accepted the 16 new cities as members of the league during its meeting at Pagadian City on September 2011. It was a “surrender” on the part of the 122-member city league.
However, to lessen the impact of the IRA reduction, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) made available a Local Government Support Fund (LGSF). The key requirement for the release of such fund is for the
LGUs to pass the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH), a program of the DILG which elevates the practice of good governance into institutionalized status.
The funds would be used to supplement the approved 2012 annual investment plan of the
city for the implementation of any or combination of the projects prescribed by the DILG. The identified projects include rural electrification, local roads connecting national roads, arterial farm-to-market roads and bridges, local economic enterprises, flood control and drainage and support to the priority projects of the National Government such as Millennium Development Goals, Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 and Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
The Seal of Good Housekeeping for LGUs is the criteria set by the DILG in its commitment “to aggressively scale up interventions to elevate the practice of governance that values transparency, accountability, participation and performance into an institutionalized status.”
Four (4) areas in good governance were considered:
(1) Good Planning - Updated and Approved Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Updated and Approved Comprehensive Development Plan, Updated and Approved Annual Investment Plan, Presence of Executive- Legislative Agenda,
(2) Sound Fiscal Management - Result of COA Audit (acceptable level), LGU Annual Budget approved and compliant to legal and statutory requirement, Percentage of cost to collect revenues to total local revenues (50% or less), Growth in local revenues over 3 years, Presence of Updated Revenue Code (every 5 years), Presence of updated Schedule of Market Values (every 3 years), Regular submission of Statement of Receipts and Expenditures (quarterly),
(3) Transparency and Accountability
- Functionality of Local Special Bodies, Transparency of the procurement process, Compliance to the Anti-Red Tape Law, Full disclosure of local budget and finances, and bids and public offerings through posting in conspicuous places within public buildings in the locality, or in print media of community or general circulation, and in their website, and
(4) Valuing of Performance Monitoring - Performance Monitoring Tool or Scorecard System being utilized, Published State of Local Governance Performance Report, State of Development Report, and Financial Report, Awards Received for Exemplary Performance.
EDSA REVOLUTION
According to President Corazon Aquino: "I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a meaningless life."
My first important involvement in politics was the memorable elections of 1986 which drastically changed the course of history of this nation.
When then President Ferdinand E. Marcos called a snap presidential election in February 7, 1986, my sympathy went to the widow Cory Aquino of the slain Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. Twenty years in power and abuses by the military during Martial law was a bitter pill to swallow. The assassination of Ninoy in August 21, 1983 fueled massive protests in the urban centers of the country.
When I worked at the then Ministry of Public Works and Highways (MPWH) in 1984, I voted for the candidates of Marcos’ Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) candidates. Most especially then Assemblyman Nicanor Yñiguez who was slated for Speakership during that time. I was connected with the government so I had to go with the current. But I believed also that the Speaker was a good man and an astute politician.
Then I worked as a full time instructor at the Saint Joseph College Engineering Department starting in the first semester of school year 1985-86. The School President Bishop Vicente Ataviado was pro-Cory during the presidential campaign and so did the majority of the faculty members. Our stand was Martial Law had good intentions and people were disciplined especially the bad elements of the society. Only that Marcos had lost control of his military and his close allies.
I openly campaigned in the classroom and in the gatherings of different organizations against Marcos and favored Cory to become President because of pure sympathy to Ninoy and the strong clamor for change.
It was against the will of my mother, who at that time worked at the MPWH. Her sympathy was with Cory but she could not voice out her sentiments as government employees were forced to vote for Marcos.
Cory may not have the experience as compared to Marcos. But Cory had the sincerity to serve and the fear of God. Human rights abuses by the military, massive cronyism and corruption, and the downfall of the nation’s economy were the main issues against Marcos. Gone were the days when the Philippines was number two to Japan in the Asian economy. Now we are second to Bangladesh at the bottom.
When the results of the snap elections came out, Marcos was ahead by millions. The COMELEC final tally had Marcos winning with 10,807,197 votes against Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. While the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), an accredited non-government poll watcher, had Aquino winning with 7,835,070 votes against Marcos' 7,053,068 votes.
There were reports of manipulation of votes and terrorism and the counting was marred by the walkout of 29 COMELEC computer technicians because of the fraud. It ignited the spirit of revolt among the people. Marcos was proclaimed by the Batasang Pambansa as the duly elected president. Protests mushroomed all over the Philippines as reports of massive cheating abound everywhere. Campaign of civil disobedience came to Maasin by the Cory Aquino Movement national officials.
The snap elections proved to be very divisive in the local scene. We had debates and heated arguments with friends, relatives and classmates who were backers of the KBL especially if they were working or their parents were connected with the government. Conflicts were everywhere as disputes on who won the elections were widespread.
We, Cory sympathizers were threatened to be arrested. My mother was threatened to be transferred to a far district outside Region 8. But the will of God prevailed as Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Vice Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos led a military revolt against the embattled president. Cory and Cardinal Sin called on the people to support the renegade soldiers and millions flocked to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) at Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo.
That time we had a ringhop and necklacing ceremonies for engineering students at the SJC Social Hall and my colleagues in the Cory
Aquino movement called on me at the school where the activities were still ongoing. We rejoiced and monitored the proceedings over radio. There was no clear television signal that time in Maasin.
The rest is history. People power prevailed. On February 25, 1986, Cory took her oath as President of the Philippines. While Marcos took also his own oath, then he left with his family for Hawaii. In Maasin, we had a big celebration among Coryistas. There was a motorcade but it was harassed by followers of the toppled regime.
But it did not stop the enthusiasm of the supporters of the new-found freedom. Democracy again prevailed. Dictatorship was overthrown. It was a revolution of the people, a bloodless one, by the Filipino people. The fruits of EDSA are for democracy for us the people of the Philippines.
EDSA People Power II came when President Joseph Estrada was impeached in the later part of 2000 and people gathered once again at EDSA calling for his resignation. It culminated in the swearing in of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, then Vice President, as President of the Philippines on January 20, 2001.
I joined calls for the resignation of Erap, myself being a member of Lakas-NUCD, the party of former President Fidel Ramos and Vice President Arroyo. It was based on the alleged receiving of Estrada of P220 million in jueteng money and P70 million excise tax on cigarettes. It was also the call of our party and the Catholics Bishop Conference (CBCP) and likewise of former President Cory Aquino.
We worked for Gloria from the time she campaigned as Senator then as Vice President. My brother Milko was the coordinator of the group Kaibigan ni Gloria Macapagal Arroyo or KGMA in Southern Leyte.
When Gloria was President, we enjoyed closeness to Malacañang, being partymates. Projects poured to Southern Leyte and Maasin City. Although it was Estrada who signed the cityhood law of Maasin and then San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada helped follow up the cityhood in the Palace, but we had to part ways with the short-lived Erap presidency for the sake of our constituents.
Then came the 2010 presidential elections when our group supported the Lakas-Kampi official candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, the former Secretary of Defense. Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III was the Liberal Party bet. Because of Cory’s death due to colon cancer Noynoy’s popularity soared high and this brought him to Malacañang.
We could not even let Gibo win in Maasin City and Southern Leyte as most of our people voted for Noynoy. He was the darling of the media at that time welding so much influence on our TV viewing constituents.
But the Cory spirit was still inside of me as EDSA People Power was the true symbol of the restoration of democracy. In the spirit of EDSA unity we supported the administration of President Aquino as the leader of this nation.
My first important involvement in politics was the memorable elections of 1986 which drastically changed the course of history of this nation.
When then President Ferdinand E. Marcos called a snap presidential election in February 7, 1986, my sympathy went to the widow Cory Aquino of the slain Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. Twenty years in power and abuses by the military during Martial law was a bitter pill to swallow. The assassination of Ninoy in August 21, 1983 fueled massive protests in the urban centers of the country.
When I worked at the then Ministry of Public Works and Highways (MPWH) in 1984, I voted for the candidates of Marcos’ Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) candidates. Most especially then Assemblyman Nicanor Yñiguez who was slated for Speakership during that time. I was connected with the government so I had to go with the current. But I believed also that the Speaker was a good man and an astute politician.
Then I worked as a full time instructor at the Saint Joseph College Engineering Department starting in the first semester of school year 1985-86. The School President Bishop Vicente Ataviado was pro-Cory during the presidential campaign and so did the majority of the faculty members. Our stand was Martial Law had good intentions and people were disciplined especially the bad elements of the society. Only that Marcos had lost control of his military and his close allies.
I openly campaigned in the classroom and in the gatherings of different organizations against Marcos and favored Cory to become President because of pure sympathy to Ninoy and the strong clamor for change.
It was against the will of my mother, who at that time worked at the MPWH. Her sympathy was with Cory but she could not voice out her sentiments as government employees were forced to vote for Marcos.
Cory may not have the experience as compared to Marcos. But Cory had the sincerity to serve and the fear of God. Human rights abuses by the military, massive cronyism and corruption, and the downfall of the nation’s economy were the main issues against Marcos. Gone were the days when the Philippines was number two to Japan in the Asian economy. Now we are second to Bangladesh at the bottom.
When the results of the snap elections came out, Marcos was ahead by millions. The COMELEC final tally had Marcos winning with 10,807,197 votes against Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. While the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), an accredited non-government poll watcher, had Aquino winning with 7,835,070 votes against Marcos' 7,053,068 votes.
There were reports of manipulation of votes and terrorism and the counting was marred by the walkout of 29 COMELEC computer technicians because of the fraud. It ignited the spirit of revolt among the people. Marcos was proclaimed by the Batasang Pambansa as the duly elected president. Protests mushroomed all over the Philippines as reports of massive cheating abound everywhere. Campaign of civil disobedience came to Maasin by the Cory Aquino Movement national officials.
The snap elections proved to be very divisive in the local scene. We had debates and heated arguments with friends, relatives and classmates who were backers of the KBL especially if they were working or their parents were connected with the government. Conflicts were everywhere as disputes on who won the elections were widespread.
We, Cory sympathizers were threatened to be arrested. My mother was threatened to be transferred to a far district outside Region 8. But the will of God prevailed as Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Vice Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos led a military revolt against the embattled president. Cory and Cardinal Sin called on the people to support the renegade soldiers and millions flocked to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) at Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo.
That time we had a ringhop and necklacing ceremonies for engineering students at the SJC Social Hall and my colleagues in the Cory
Aquino movement called on me at the school where the activities were still ongoing. We rejoiced and monitored the proceedings over radio. There was no clear television signal that time in Maasin.
The rest is history. People power prevailed. On February 25, 1986, Cory took her oath as President of the Philippines. While Marcos took also his own oath, then he left with his family for Hawaii. In Maasin, we had a big celebration among Coryistas. There was a motorcade but it was harassed by followers of the toppled regime.
But it did not stop the enthusiasm of the supporters of the new-found freedom. Democracy again prevailed. Dictatorship was overthrown. It was a revolution of the people, a bloodless one, by the Filipino people. The fruits of EDSA are for democracy for us the people of the Philippines.
EDSA People Power II came when President Joseph Estrada was impeached in the later part of 2000 and people gathered once again at EDSA calling for his resignation. It culminated in the swearing in of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, then Vice President, as President of the Philippines on January 20, 2001.
I joined calls for the resignation of Erap, myself being a member of Lakas-NUCD, the party of former President Fidel Ramos and Vice President Arroyo. It was based on the alleged receiving of Estrada of P220 million in jueteng money and P70 million excise tax on cigarettes. It was also the call of our party and the Catholics Bishop Conference (CBCP) and likewise of former President Cory Aquino.
We worked for Gloria from the time she campaigned as Senator then as Vice President. My brother Milko was the coordinator of the group Kaibigan ni Gloria Macapagal Arroyo or KGMA in Southern Leyte.
When Gloria was President, we enjoyed closeness to Malacañang, being partymates. Projects poured to Southern Leyte and Maasin City. Although it was Estrada who signed the cityhood law of Maasin and then San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada helped follow up the cityhood in the Palace, but we had to part ways with the short-lived Erap presidency for the sake of our constituents.
Then came the 2010 presidential elections when our group supported the Lakas-Kampi official candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, the former Secretary of Defense. Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III was the Liberal Party bet. Because of Cory’s death due to colon cancer Noynoy’s popularity soared high and this brought him to Malacañang.
We could not even let Gibo win in Maasin City and Southern Leyte as most of our people voted for Noynoy. He was the darling of the media at that time welding so much influence on our TV viewing constituents.
But the Cory spirit was still inside of me as EDSA People Power was the true symbol of the restoration of democracy. In the spirit of EDSA unity we supported the administration of President Aquino as the leader of this nation.
EL PRESIDENTE RAMON FERNANDEZ
EL PRESIDENTE RAMON FERNANDEZ
Ramon Fernandez is the most media exposed Maasinhon because he is considered as the greatest professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He won four Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards and a record of 19 PBA titles. He is the epitome of a sporty Maasin City, the home of champions.
Born in Maasin on October 3, 1953, he started his collegiate basketball career at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City. There was a controversy as to his telling the media that he was from Beverly Hills in Cebu City where he stayed in his sister Helen Fernandez Yusingco’s residence. He explained later that he did that because he was aspiring for the national team and there was discrimination at that time on players coming from the provinces. He corrected it later and in all media reports his birthplace is always being referred to as Maasin, Southern Leyte.
Because of his towering height at 6'4" with exceptional hoops skills, Fernandez became a member of several national teams. These include the 1972 Asian Youth Championships were they became champions, the 1973 Asian Basketball Confederation also a champion team, the 1974 World Basketball Championships in Puerto Rico, the 1974 Asian Games in Iran and the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing where they finished silver medalist to the champion China.
In 1975, when the PBA was born to become the first Asian basketball pro league, Fernandez joined the Toyota Comets team under coach Dante Silverio with teammates Robert Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz, Arnie Tuadles, Danny Florencio, Abe King, and fellow Maasinhon Joaquin "Dodong" Rojas. They harvested nine titles from 1975-1983 and Fernandez won the 1982 PBA Most Valuable Player award. He was a main participant in the fabled Toyota-Crispa rivalry in the PBA.
Toyota was disbanded in 1984 and it fuelled the media warfare with Jaworski. He joined Beer Hausen Brewmasters together with other former Toyota teammates. He was a one-man wrecking crew at Beer Hausen, winning the 1984 MVP award.
Amidst controversies he was traded at the middle of the 1985 to Tanduay in exchange for Abet Guidaben.
In Tanduay, Fernandez joined former Crispa rivals Freddie Hubalde and Padim Israel, J.B. Yango, Willie Generalao, Onchie dela Cruz since the Redmanizers had disbanded. With imports Rob Williams, Andre McKoy and David Thirdkill, Fernandez led the Rhum Masters to three PBA titles and won his third MVP award in 1986.
Tanduay disbanded but the franchise was bought by the Purefoods and the team had its PBA debut in the 1988 season. Fernandez became playing coach, his first coaching job, of a team composed of top rookies Jerry Codiñera, Jojo Lastimosa, Glen Capacio and later Alvin Patrimonio. In the 1988 Open Conference, he led Purefoods to a finals stint on its first tournament in the PBA and placed runner-up to San Miguel Beer in a hotly contested finals. But because of coaching pressure which took a toll on his game, he relinquished his coaching position to his assistant Cris Calilan.
But then again Fernandez was put to controversy and was benched during the All-Filipino Finals against Añejo Rhum. The said incident ignited another swap with Abet Gudaben with his transferring to San Miguel Beermen and Guidaben to Purefoods. He then led the Beermen to the 1988 Reinforced Conference title and eventually winning his fourth MVP Award, becoming the first player to win four MVP awards and the only player to do so with four different teams.
In 1989, San Miguel Beer scored a historic Grand Slam making Fernandez a member of the third Triple Crown in the PBA next to the two by Crispa Redmanizers in 1976 and 1983. It was a fitting commencement for the centennial year of San Miguel Corporation in 1990. El Presidente was on for his fifth unprecedented MVP award because of the Grand Slam and his lead in the statistical points, but Benjie Paras won the voting as a sentimental first Rookie of the Year and MVP awardee in the history of the PBA.
The 1989 All-Star Game was the time when Fernandez ended his feud with arch-rival Jaworski. El Presidente sank an undergoal stab off a Jaworski inbound pass to lead the Veterans team to a 132-130 win in the dying seconds of the game over the Rookie-Sophomores team in a hotly contested All-Star Game. Baby Dalupan, the coach of the Veterans, called both players to do a momentous handshake at the center of the court
demonstrating the end of their grudge.
In 1990, Fernandez was taken in as a member of the Philippine basketball team that won a silver medal in the Beijing Asian Games losing only to eventual gold medalist China. He was also considered in the national team for the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, but declined due to an injury. The year 1994 was also his last year in the PBA as he announced his retirement at the end of the season. He wanted to retire while still at the pinnacle of his playing career.
Fernandez won his MVP awards in even numbered years in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1988. He is considered as the best center in the history of the PBA. But he is the only player who can play all five positions on the court which is very strange for a
6-foot-5-inch tall player.
He was elected the first president of the PBA
Players’ Association, thus the moniker El Presidente. He had a signature shot called the “elegant shot” a one-handed running jump shot, his most powerful offensive threat. His best year was 1984 while playing for Beer Hausen, with only five assists short of averaging triple-doubles in scores, rebounds and assists. He had an astounding 27 point-15-rebound-9.9 assist feat, unparalleled as the most dominating in PBA history.
When the Metropolitan Basketball Association was organized in 1998, he became its first commissioner. He was also appointed as Commissioner of the Collegiate Champions League in 2003. He also became the Commissioner of the United Regional Basketball League in 2004.
In the 25th anniversary of the PBA in 2000, Fernandez was named as one of the PBA's 25 Greatest Players. In 2003, El Presidente played with the Toyota Tamaraws in the Crispa-Toyota Reunion Game. The climax of the event was the
pass of Fernandez to Jaworski, who scored a three-pointer to preserve Toyota’s 65-61 win over their arch rivals, Crispa Redmanizers. It was the reverse of the Jaworski to Fernandez assist during the 1989 All-Star Game.
Fernandez was also inducted to the prestigious PBA Hall of Fame. He played in the Greatest Game, a reunion game of the several members of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players, on May 30, 2005 when they lost to the TM Greats team 96-92.
In all the teams he had played in the PBA, Fernandez led all of them to the finals. He won nine championships with Toyota, led Beer Hausen to a title-series loss to Great Taste in 1984, led Tanduay to win three PBA crowns, led Purefoods to the finals in 1988, and won seven titles with San Miguel.
Fernandez is the only player in the PBA history who could actually play all five positions, the point guard, off-guard, forward, power-forward and center spots. His excellent dribbling skill is surprising for a center during his time. He also mastered unnatural passing abilities, perimeter shots, and unstoppable high or low post drives.
He won a barangay kagawad post at Ayala Alabang Village. He had an unsuccessful stint for senator in 1995 under the Nationalist People’s Coalition. He also ran for party list representative in 2004 under the Samahang Mangangalakal sa Ikauunlad ng Lokal na Ekonomiya or SMILE, but they were not able to muster the needed percentage in the party list votes.
Fernandez accompanied retired PBA players under the San Miguel-sponsored All Star game twice in Maasin in 2002, during the Southern Leyte Anniversary and during the Maasin fiesta. Among the players who came were Samboy Lim, Ato Agustin. Chito Loyzaga, Bonel Balingit, Hector Calma, and Bernie Fabiosa.
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