Ipil mayor grateful for "Pamaskong Handog ng Pangulo"

Ipil mayor grateful for "Pamaskong Handog ng Pangulo"

Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay (18 December) -- A total of 500 indigent
families coming from the 28 barangays of Ipil attended the official
launching of the "Pamaskong Handog ng Pangulo" and ceremonial
distribution of Christmas packages at the Mini-gym, Ipil Heights, which
was held yesterday.

Mayor Eldwin M. Alibutdan said that the people of Ipil were elated that
National Government Agencies (NGAs) distributed Christmas packages to
the less fortunate families, saying that it will help ease their
problems especially during this holiday season.[more]

http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&fi=p071218.htm&no=32

Internet connection in Sibugay

A wireless internet connection links Sibugay to the rest of the world.

Bizarre Plane Crashes in the Philippines

Feb 04		Bizarre Plane Crashes in the Philippines Posted (Jules) in Flight Stories on February-4-2008 | 9 Views Over the course of years, many pilots have been puzzled with the vicious chain reaction of air disasters around the globe. A combat helicopter pilot and Philippine Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Restituto Padilla Jr. said, “It’s a foreboding pattern we cannot explain. The bizarre phenomenon has baffled us pilots.” Padilla added, “In the Philippines, air mishaps usually happen in the month of May.” Philippine aviation records show based on statistics that from March 5 to May 30, 2005, there were six plane crashes, four of them in May. There were a total of 23 people killed. May 2005 is listed in aviation history as the month with the highest number of plane crashes in the Philippines. On April 28, 2005, a PAF UH-1H helicopter crashed in the Sierra Madre Mountain ranges, killing all nine people on board, including the notable Filipino scientist Raymundo Punongbayan, former director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). The plane crash was caused by engine trouble and also, the pilots weren’t familiar with the terrain. Aviation experts thought the April 28 crash will not follow another crash, but they were mistaken. On May 8, 2005, another Cessna plane, carrying a group of skydivers crashed shortly after its take-off at the Banandas airstrip in Tanauan, Batangas, 160 kilometers south of Manila. The crash killed four persons and injured two others. The series of plane crashes didn’t end when a four-seater plane went down into the waters off Palid in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay province in the southern Philippines on May 16, 2005, killing the pilot and his co-pilot, a lady aviator. On May 24, 2005, another PAF aircraft crashed in Atok Trail Village shortly after it took off from Loakan Airport on the mountain range resort of Baguio City, wherein it killed the instructor pilot and his three students.

LCP to meet with Pimentel, Hofer over IRA issues

February 5, 2008

LCP to meet with Pimentel, Hofer over IRA issues

Filed under: Making Democracy Work, Regenerating the Economy, Renewing the Public Realm — Site Admin @ 4:45 pm

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — League of Cities in the Philippines (LCP) chair Mayor Jerry Treñas will meet with Senator Aquilino Pimentel and Zamboanga Sibugay Representative Ann Hofer to address the problems on the creation of new cities that would cause the eventual reduction of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of existing cities in the country.

Treñas said the two are willing to sit down with the league and discuss the issues regarding the creation of new cities.

Pimentel is considered as the “Father of the Local Government Code.” Under the Local Government Code, a town should have a locally generated income of at least P100 million annually before it could be classified into a city. It should either have a land area of at least 100 square kilometers or a population of 150,000.

On the other hand, Rep. Hofer authored House Bill 24 that seeks to amend Republic Act 9009 or the Local Government Code by exempting the capital towns of provinces from the income requirements of city hood.

Treñas reiterated that the league is strongly opposing the creation of new cities that do no meet the income requirements because of the resulting decrease in their IRA share. He said the IRA is the tax share of local government units, which get 40 centavos of every peso in tax collected by the government from different forms of taxes.

The league is alarmed with the proposal to convert 28 capital towns into cities as it will result in the reduction of the IRA share of cities by P56 million each. Currently, there are already 136 cities. There are only 61 cities before the Local Government Code was approved, said Treñas.

Meanwhile, employees of the city government yesterday wore black arm bands to dramatize the city’s strong opposition on the creation of new cities and the reduction in the IRA share. The city would lose P36 million from its IRA share because of the 16 new cities. A message which states “Ibalik ang IRA” was inscribed in the black arm band.

Employees will wear the black arm band every Monday. The city could not fly the flag at half mast as they are holding office at the Robinsons mall. This will continue until no resolution is made regarding the IRA cut and the creation of new cities, said Treñas.

The LCP is also calling for a moratorium on the creation of new cities for at least two years and filed a petition before the Supreme Court to freeze the IRA share of 16 new cities pending the resolution of the case they filed.

Maricar Calubiran
The News Today

Red Cross

Zamboanga Sibugay

The Philippine National Red Cross, Zamboanga Sibugay Sub Chapter was open on September 2003 with its office located at Purok kaimito, Tirso Babiera Ipil, Province of Zamboang Sibugay. The Sub Chapter jurisdiction is the entire province of Zamboanga Sibugay which comprises 16 municipalities. The Ipil municipality is the seat of the Provincial Government thus: the PNRC Sibugay sub chapter is situated in this town. The geographical setting of the sub chapter is 138 kilometers from Zamboanga city, 148 kilometers from Pagadian City., Zamobanga sel Sur and 178 kilometers from Dipolog City, zamboanga del norte. PNRC-Zamboanga Sibugay Sub Chapter Purok Kaimito, Tirso Babiera Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay Telefax No. (062) 3335720

New City?

Is it just a matter of time, when Ipil, the provincial capital of Zamboanga Sibugay becomes a city? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a town becoming a city?Zambo Sibugay representative Ann Hofer authored House Bill 24 which will make for the creation 28 more towns into cities, otherwise unqualified in the criteria of P100-million income and 150,000 population set by Republic Act 9009. The debate is on. Many city mayors are opposed to it. Their IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment) for their cities will suffer a decrease. That seems to be their main concern. On the other hand, if the Hofer Bill wins out the day, would this be a model of decentralization, where centers of economic activities and power bases are spread out?