Bohol enjoys 5.46% crimes dip 

in Jan-March 2019 against ‘18 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 30 (PIA)—Bohol continues to enjoy a 5.46% decrease in crimes in the first three months of 2019, when compared to the same three months of 2018, reports Police Colonel Julius Cesar Gornez, at the joint Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (PADAC) Meeting March 29, 2019. 

At the inaugural meetings held now at the new and spacious Executive Session Hall of the P70 million Provincial Capitol at the New Capitol Site, Col. Gornez, citing the Philippine National Police national database of the enhanced e-Blotter or Crime Information Reporting and Analysis System (CIRAS), showed that there were 1,704 total crime volume in 2018, which was staved off in 2019 with only 1,611. 

The above data also showed that the average monthly crime rate in 2018 was 41.19 while in the first three months of 2019, police were able to bring it down to 38.94; this sums up to a sizable 2 crimes off per day. 

On the average monthly index crime rate, 2019 saw a 1.93 cases per day decrease, from 11.94 in 2018 to 10.01 in 2019, Col Gornez shared. 

He said the beginning months of 2018 had 494 index crimes, a figure that was trimmed this year with just 414 crimes which are all punishable by the Revised Penal Code. 

This, the three month old Provincial Police Director said, is a good 16% decline in cases. 

On non-index crimes, crime statisticians at Camp Dagohoy, the Bohol Police Provincial Headquarters noted that in 2018, non-index crimes reached 1,210, a figure which got trimmed to 1,197 or a percent less. 

While robbery in 2019 surged 10 cases more in the first quarter of 2019, Col. Gornez still said the overall data for the triumvirate of the notorious theft, physical injuries and robbery this year is still 16.1% compared to 2018. 

From 204 cases in 2018, theft in 2019 records only 181 cases or 11.27 % less, physical injuries in 2018 reached 152 whereas 2019 saw only 97 physical injuries cases or a 36.18% decrease and robbery, which only had 66 in 2018 snaked up 10 more cases in 2019 with 76 or a 6.6% surge. 

As to non-index crimes, police crime watch noted a 1.07% decrease despite a notable 30.4% increase in Special laws: from 265 cases in 2018 to 382 cases in 2019. 

In fact, police are optimistic there would still be a decrease in non-index crimes specifically in the area of traffic related incidents considering that the election checkpoints are up and more and more police are now visible on the roads. 

For the coming midterm national and local elections where more activities are expected, Camp Dagohoy police have prepared a deployment plan that involves 3,195 police personnel to assure peaceful and orderly conduct of pre and post-election activities. 

But then, Col Gornez said the current resources and capabilities of Bohol PPO plus the two Regional Mobile Forces Companies are still within the limit to effectively manage the peace and order in Bohol. 

This is even with the fact that the security environment would change in the coming months as local politicians prepare for 2019 Election. 

Over this, Camp Dagohoy chief said early deployment of security forces would be necessary to prevent formation of goons and harassments, which have been among the political practices that could be employed during campaigns. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

BARELY THREE MONTHS OLD. Police Colonel Julius Cesar Gornez presents the criminality update of Bohol in the first three months of 2019. More people expect a much lower crime by the next quarter as the elections put more police officers on the streets and nearer potential crime areas. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

Taloto anti-drugs council leads

in functionality, effectiveness

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 30, (PIA)—Taloto District Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) leads with the highest accumulated ratings as the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council and its allied teams conducted the self-assessment based on a government issued circular checking on the functionality and effectiveness of local drug abuse councils.

With an aggregated score of 85.5 points, Taloto leads Poblacion 3 and San Isidro Districts, who also came up with impressive scores that the City Assessment Team tagged their BADACs as ideal in functionality and effectiveness.

Tagbilaran City Interior and Local Government Operations Officer Redempcion Cag-ong coordinated with the City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II and City Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso and the CADAC implemented the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Joint memorandum Circular 2018-001 which lays out the parameters and criteria in the selection of the most functional and effective Local Drug Abuse Councils.

Issued last May 21, 2018, the Implementation Guidelines on the Functionality and effectiveness of Local Anti-Drug Abuse Councils also lays out the ways to standardize the criteria for functionality and effectiveness of local anti-drug abuse councils up to the barangay level, systematize an effective BADAC-CADAC monitoring and reporting mechanisms as well as put up the performance indicators of a functional BADAC as measurement of effectiveness in support to the reduction of drug affectation.

According to the joint memo circular, the criteria as are follows: Creation and reorganization of the ADAC which can be rated via the presence of an executive order; (10 points), the allocation of a substantial amount as indicated in the ADAC plan which can be verified in the presence of the Local Anti Drug Abuse Programs and Activities (LADPA) as included in the Peace and Order and Public Safety (POPS) Plan; 15 points. 

The City Team also looks for the implementation of the identified plans and programs which can be reviewed through the regular sending of quarterly accomplishments reports to higher ADACs with copies for local POCs and the DILG. This is equivalent to 40 points, according to DILG. 

Support to ADACs in component LGUS which means support to ADACs through an executive order supporting ADAC’s POPs Plan and the Local Anti Drug Abuse Plan is equivalent to 20 points.

The team, basing from the joint memorandum also looks at the conduct of quarterly meetings as proven by presence of minutes of meetings; this is equal to 10 points and finally, the team would also be checking on the innovations which can be gleaned from reports and certifications which is equivalent to 5 points for a total o9f 100 points.

Other than Taloto, also rating high are Poblacion 3 and San Isidro which had an equal points earned at 85.25.

After them are BADACs with moderate and progressive functionality ratings.

These are Dampas (73.25), Dao (72.75) Cogon (71.75), Mansasa (65.5), Ubujan (64.5) and Tiptip (64.25).

Aftewr them is Manga (63), Poblacion 1 (57.5) and Poblacion 2 at (56).

Over this, the city still admits that they still need to come up with innovations to bring down the power to barangays in their unified fioght against drugs.

Tagbilaran City Barangay Affairs and Constituency Unit chief Alvin Alcuzar, also ended his reports with a succinct admission: the city anti drug abuse campoaign is a story of a journet and is not a tale of success.

He said this is far from perfect, that is why the authorities are still studying to make the processes better and effect a much better program for the CLGU. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

SLOW BUT SURE. City Mayor John Geesnell Yap admitted that totally wiping drugs off the city is a tough act as the city has become a trans-shipment of drugs, where drug personalities from outside come to Tagbilaran and trade. The local solution however is to make sure barangays are setting up effective and working anti-drug abuse programs so that immediate rehab can be done when necessary. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

CILGO Redemcion Cag-ong explains the challenges which the team assessing the unctionality and effectiveness of the BADACs meet after going through the city districts. With her is City Mayor John Geesnell Yap. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Talibon, Ubay, Trinidad, lead

Bohols best ESWM programs 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 29 (PIA)—Five second district towns, three third district and two first district towns came out big winners in the 2016-2017 implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) programs enough to catapult them to Bohols top 10 towns in SWM. 

Talibon, Ubay and Trinidad, San Miguel and Danao brought honors to the second district, Pilar, Loboc and Candijay for the third district and Calape and Antequera came out winners for the first district in trash management. 

Talibon town, including its islets that have been accused of improper waste disposal redeemed itself and earned P300 thousand pesos, plus a plaque of appreciation for besting all Bohol towns in Ecological Solid Waste Management. 

Its secret? According to Municipal Engineer Lorenzo Flores, is nothing new, in fact is a practice they copied from the Bohol which spreads out accountability and appointing focal persons to help the municipal technical working group get the job done. 

Talibon accordingly expanded the membership of the Municipal Ecological Solid Waste Management task Force (MSWMTF) from the usual Association of Barangay Councils Chairman only, to the full participation of barangay chairmen for faster information cascading. 

He also said they expanded the Technical Working group to include barangay focal persons for SWM, for faster accountability. 

Finally, the town formulated a monitoring, evaluation and feed backing for all SWM activities and went down to checking even sanitary toilets. 

Talibon’s practice can also be replicated as other local government units can easily emulate, as long as everyone is serious about the task to advance trash management, according to Bohol Environment Management Officer Jovencia Ganub, during the awarding ceremonies. 

During the annual evaluation of Bohol’s Best Practices in Ecological Solid Waste Management among local governments, Engr. Flores, who was asked to give his comments said they did not expect to come home to their town 124 kilometers away with more cash they can use again to enhance local garbage management. 

Provincial monitoring and evaluation team chairperson Forester Richard Abella named Talibon as the top winner with their best practices after the multi-agency evaluation team lent to the town an aggregate score of 86.87, after ranking from a series of parameters in solid waste management. 

Ranking next to Talibon is Bohol’s largest town Ubay, which picked an aggregate evaluation score of 83.50, according to Abella. Ubay local environment officials claimed P275K cash prize for their efforts. 

Third in rank is Trinidad, which earned a total score of 81.79, and its officials brought home P250K. 

With a score of 681.25, Pilar came in next and its SWM officials carried home a plaque and cash amounting to P225K. 

Calape came in next with 80 total score and for it, local environment officials brought home P200K for their fifth place finish. 

Coming in sixth is Antequera, which garnered a total score of 79.00. Engr Erasmo Diez and Mayor Jose Mario Pahang received the P175K prize and plaque. 

Seventh best in ESWM is Loboc, which got a 77.5 total score and mayor Helen Alaba along with the MENRO claimed the town’s reward. 

On eight place is Candijay, which racked a total of 77.00 for the P125K cash reward. 

Ninth place went to San Miguel for a total score of 76.30 and a P100K cash reward, which can now be used immediately for SWM projects. 

Danao on the other hand bagged the tenth best ESWM with a total score of 76.25 as mayor Natividad Gonzaga and ESWM officials claimed the P75K reward. 

BEMO Ganub said they made sure a bigger reward comes out this year for the 2016-2017 ESWM monitoring and evaluation and added that they also made sure this time, the reward is cash and not just in the form of projects. 

Several town winners then were supposed to get projects as rewards but, a policy on unliquidated cash advances by the LGUs caused several prizes to be forfeited for lack of proper fiscal management on their part. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

Talibon ESWM officials received the P300K cash reward for the town after picking 2016-2017 Best Practices in ESWM from BEMO Chief Jovencia Ganub and PDRRMO Anthony Damalerio who sat in for Gov Edgar Chatto in recent ceremonies at the Panda Tea Garden and Suites. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

FEATURE 

Pressed creativity: City women 

Make history from plastic trash 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 26 (PIA)—Tagbilaran City has its ample share of problems: unemployed women, homemakers economically hostaged by circumstances, lack of capacities to be productive and a heaping problem of plastic garbage. 

But instead of looking at these problems and sulk, women leaders here took the issues as an opportunity through for growth and possibly making history. 

This is through Plastic Recycling Project for Improving Women’s Income (PRP4IWI), shares Ellen Grace Gallares, the program marketing consultant, during the recent Kapihan sa PIA. 

PRP4IWI proposes a solution to the plastic garbage problem, and this is through upcycling and recycling, where we can covert thrash into cash as additional income for city women, Gallares said. 

Women here, organized under Katipunan ng mga Liping Pilipina (KALIPI) of the 15 baragays with the BLGUs and the CLGUs sat and planned, trained and enhanced their skills to be more productive, capitalizing on their nurture capacities and their attention to details. 

We picked women as beneficiaries to show women play a huge role in creating an alternative and living economy if they are given enough knowledge, right equipment. We want to show that women are not limited in their economic development by training but they can be part of the innovation revolution happening world-wide, Gallares, who appeared so enthused, cited. 

The over-all goal is to reduce plastic wastes getting into the sanitary landfills and help nurture the environment, grant women their creativity skills through creating beautiful products from trashed plastic, sell from it for additional income, manage the manufacturing operations to make it sustainable and practice their skills in manipulating modern production machineries that are fitted to their capacities, Gallares who had a long stint in non-government organization work prior to being the marketing consultant detailed. 

We are now building garbage upcycling facilities or plants in two areas, while 13 others would be built in each of Tagbilaran City barangays would soon rise. 

In the recycling plants which the City Government and the Barangay Governments co-share are two hydraulic heat presses and one cold press that have a press weight of 5-15 tons, a laser cutter and design drawing boards complete with standard color charts and cellophane density categorizations. 

According to Gallares, "from trash, we can have plastic sheets using science applications where women who create them understand the types of plastic that can be recycled which machines can press. You see, women work best when it entails meticulous details, and their creativity is enhanced with science of the arts and the proper color combination to have products that are visually appealing." 

"We want them to be entrepreneurs and not feel that they are just abused workers, so they too can bring out the technologies and skills in their homes, them being home-makers in the first place," according to Gallares. 

After the two plants now set in Cogon and Poblacion 1, there are more upcycling facilities to be installed with implementing partners and assisted by Japan Keio University, the project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 

Things got excited after the Department of Trade and Industry opened the innovation incubator in the technology-based Fabrication laboratory at the Bohol Island State University. 

We just scaled up FabLab which was basically helping students in industrial design come up with their design prototypes, and then we saw women as catalysts for innovation in the city. 

That started PRP4IWI as women learned about the heat press machines and how we tweaked the design to assure women safety amidst the tons of heavy equipment operation. The trick is in another technology, the hydraulic systems where women can now operate heavy industrial machines by minimal strength. 

To produce desirable colors, women are shown charts and they are made to understand what kind of plastics to be used to get the desired colors. 

To make the production as labor intensive, we decided to leave the manual cutting, because we want more women to participate, as machines tend to remove human participation in the manufacture, Gallares said. 

The project also teaches women to use gadgets: electronic weighing scales, standards for measurements to arrive at a quality product. 

We are processing garbage, we want out outputs to be beautiful and not more trash. 

As to their products, Gallares said traditionally these become souvenir items. In Tagbilaran however, they want it to be value adding as raw materials for more expensive items. 

Gallares showed a 4 piece framed picture that sold for P35K. 

Other ideas from their plastic pressed sheets include lampshades, faux capiz shells, table laminants, architectural interior design highlights to designer bags and limited edition shoes. 

Women are giving women here chances of additional income,a nd their labor and creativity do not come cheap, Gallares hinted. 

“I think it is not only about having additional income but providing them the idea that they can create, that they can innovate and they can use technology, PRP is a technology based industrial type of manufacturing project only in Tagbilaran City, and these women are owners and managers of their operations. 

As this is alternative livelihood, putting a prime value of quality women products would certainly help the poverty sector soon have character, quality of home makers into city makers. This is the positive image of women we want, she demurred. 

In their plants, women only work for 6 hours a day, so they too have other roles at home, and they are paid the minimum wage for 25 quality sheets, which would soon be doubled. 

Women have reproductive roles, and we gave them the chance of taking care of themselves, their families and the environment by up-cycling plastics. 

Selling trash is already a hard sell, and the only way this gets past that is by selling quality, standard and beautiful creations that can be at par with ASEAN products entering the global market. 

For now, with still few heat pressed products in the market, Tagbilaran City women may be earning but change, but the bigger change in their mindset could soon make the change they desired, work for them. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

ART FROM THE UGLY. PRP4IWIW marketing consultant Ellen Grace Gallares shows off a piece of the 4 piece framed artwork priced at P35 thousand, one the women of Tagbilaran City attempts to copy to give a new lease of life to single-use plastics. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Eight tremors on March 25

evacuations, no damages 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 25 (PIA)—Students at the Holy Name University here were already receiving their blank test papers as they were spread out in the spacious activity center for the final examinations when the ground shook at about 10:53 AM, March 25, 2018. 

It was the third of the earth ground shakes that the government seismic experts tracked to have happened in Bohol, all in a day. 

The large covered activity center with oversized electric fans as ventilation sources has about 30-40 students spread out for the examinations and the air was already tense when the ground shook and most students were nailed to their seats, some looked up the huge rotors of the ceiling fan, wondering if a turnbuckle has snapped. 

It the fans fell, its giant rotor blades could be a major source of mass casualty, and everyone was sure they would avoid that. 

A few seconds later, somebody hit the alert button and as the drills had it, everyone piled out of the center and scampered off to the Barder Gym, where the occupants of this section of school were supposed to evacuate. 

In less than five minutes, the patients at the nearby HNU Hospital were all safely herded to the safe evacuation area followed by doctors and nurses still in their laboratory and smock gowns. 

HNU Tagbilaran has executed an earthquake evacuation without a hitch, even as reports of elementary kids asking their teachers if the evacuation was the real thing, surfaced. 

The response was quick as anticipated from large populated schools like HNU, which has just completed a simulated earthquake drill with mass casualty. 

The earthquake that had HNU, University of Bohol and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) First Consolidated Bank (FCB) momentarily evacuating their offices was the third earthquake that the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST PhiVOLCS) monitored of the series of eight tremors which their instruments recorded all from Bohol. 

The 10:54 AM earthquake, which lasted for a couple of seconds measured magnitude 4.5 and generated intensities 3 and 4 across the Visayas, according to Bohol Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office. 

Immediately, social media wen abuzz with posts, some showing a recurrence of the trauma from the October 2013 super tremor that shook Bohol. 

Phivolcs traced the 10:53 AM earthquake at 9.80° N and 123.96 °E from the depths of .008 kilometers and was located at 007 kilometers North 69° east of Antequera, Bohol. 

The tremors in Bohol during the day started at the 2.8 magnitude 7:35 AM shake, one which the seismologists traced from the depths of 032 kilometers at 9.76 °N and 123.97°E and was located at 008 kilometers 573° East of Antequera, Bohol. 

The second quake, happened at 10:33 AM which produced a 2.9 magnitude in the Richter scale. The sources was 9.78°N, 123.98°E and was at 008 kilometers deep, 003 kilometers N, 26°W of Balilihan. 

The third earthquake happened at 10:53, which was the strongest for the day. 

The fourth quake that produced a 2.9 magnitude record happened by 11:03 from 9.71°N, 124.01°E, one that was from 028 kilometers deep and was traced to 006 kilometers S43° east of Balilihan. 

The fifth, one that had 2.0 magnitude rating was from 29 kilometers deep and was at 009 kilometers south, 63°E of Catigbian, Bohol. 

Less than an hour later, at 12:43, a 1.8 magnitude shake was noted again from 9.82°N and 124.06°E from 33 kilometers deep off 008 kilometers S59°E of Catigbian, the sixth shake. 

The seventh quake happened at 3:47 PM which produced 1.4 magnitude in the scales, the tremor was at 0.85°N and 123.99°E, 033 kilometers deep and was at 002 kilometers S51°E of Catigbian. 

The eight happened 11:08 PM from a depth of 015 kilometers and produced a magnitude 3.5 rating from 18.65°N and 120.81°E, about 007 kilometers E, 07°South of Sagbayan. 

In all of the eight tremors for the day, no damages were reported. (rahc/PIA-07/Bohol) 

IT'S IN YOU. Holy Name University students gathered as whole sections in the open ground to facilitate faster accounting of survivors as they regrouped following an evacuation that happened when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake shook Bohol last week. (PIABohol)