Complete list of goods placed under price freeze in Bulacan

KONSYUMER ALERT!!!                                                                                          
Alinsunod sa Kapasyahan Bilang 171-T'13 ng taong 2013 na pinalabas ni Gob. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado nitong Agosto 21, 2013 ay dineklara ang Lalawigan ng Bulacan na "under state of calamity" dahil sa malawakang pagbaha dulot ng Habagat at Bagyong Maring.

Bilang pagtugon dito, ang Local Price Coordinating Council ng Probinsya sa pamamagitan ng DTI Bulacan ay nagpatupad ng PRICE FREEZE sa mga pangunahing bilihin para  na rin sa proteksyon ng mga konsyumer laban sa mga mapagsamantalang negosyante. Ang mga presyo ng pangunahing bilihin ay base sa huling price monitoring na isinagawa ng DTI Bulacan isang buwan bago mangyari ang kalamidad.

Mahigpit na ipanapatupad itong kautusan sa lahat ng supermarkets, groceries at palengke sa buong lalawigan ng Bulacan. Ang sinumang mahuli at mapatunayan na hindi susunod sa kautusang ito ay papatawan ng karampatang parusa.                                               

PARA SA KAALAMAN NG LAHAT, ANG MGA SUMUSUNOD AY ANG ITINAKDANG PRICE FREEZE. 


PRICE FREEZE - WET MARKET  (GROCERIES IN PUBLIC MARKETS)

Basic Necessities	Size	Price Freeze
CANNED SARDINES (in tomato sauce)
Toyo	155g	13.25
Hakata	155g	13.25
PROCESSED MILK
Sweetened Condensed Filled
Alaska	300ml	49.60
Milkmaid Full Cream	300ml	61.00
Evaporated Filled
Alaska	370ml	35.80
Angel	410ml	35.90
Powdered Filled
Alaska Instant	150g	45.95
Birch Tree Full Cream	150g	50.25
Other Brands (Please indicate brands)
Bear Brand w/ Iron	150g	45.00
Nido Fortified Full Cream	160g	72.50
COFFEE (REFILL)
Nescafe' Classic	25g	19.95
Nescafe' Classic	50g	39.50
DETERGENT/LAUNDRY SOAP
Surf Bar (Kalamansi, Blue, Tawas)	400g	18.95
Perla (White & Blue)	380g	44.00
Champion (Blue, White, Kalamansi Fresh & Poso)	400g	19.00
Speed Bar (Blue, White w/ Tawas, Kalamansi & Speckeld Blue)	420g	19.50

PRICE FREEZE  (SUPERMARKETS)
Basic Necessities	Size	Price Freeze
CANNED SARDINES (in tomato sauce)
Family Budget Pack Plain	155g	12.60
Lucky 7	155g	13.75
Toyo	155g	13.25
PROCESSED MILK
Sweetened Condensed Filled
Alaska	300ml	49.60
Milkmaid Full Cream	300ml	61.00
Evaporated Filled
Alaska	370ml	35.80
Angel	410ml	35.90
Alpine Full Cream	370ml	48.55
Powdered Filled
Alaska Instant	150g	45.95
Birch Tree Full Cream	150g	50.25
Other Brands (Please indicate brands)
Bear Brand w/ Iron	150g	45.00
Nido Fortified Full Cream	160g	72.50
Anchor	150g	73.30
COFFEE (REFILL)
Blend 45	25g	16.75
Blend 45	50g	33.50
Great Taste (Premium)	25g	17.75
Great Taste (Premium)	50g	35.50
Great Taste (Granules)	25g	18.75
Great Taste (Granules)	50g	37.50
Nescafe' Classic	25g	19.95
Nescafe' Classic	50g	39.50
DETERGENT/LAUNDRY SOAP
Perla (White & Blue)	380	44.00
Speed Bar (Blue, White w/ Tawas, Kalamansi & Speckeld Blue)	420g	19.50
Other Brands (Please indicate brands)
Surf Bar (Kalamansi, Tawas)	400g	18.95
Tide (Nature Fresh/Original Scent)	400g	-
Champion (Blue, White, Kalamansi Fresh & Poso)	400g	19.00
Pandesal
Pinoy Pandesal	250g	22.50

AFP Reserved Command lends a hand to calamity stricken Bulakenyos

HAGONOY, Bulacan—Relief goods began to pour in flood ravaged towns of Bulacan since the weekend, but it is still not enough no matter how many are distributed.

Distribution of relief goods continued on Monday along with medical missions which drew hundreds of Bulakenyos.

This time, not only local government units are distributing relief goods and conducting medical missions.

Even the Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserved Command (AFP Rescom) led by Brigadier General Quirino Calonzo joined the band wagon in a attempt to help Bulakenyos.

Speaking to hundreds of residents at Barangay Tampok here, Calonzo said that  AFP Rescom has been helping Filipino in different parts of the country, especially during and after a calamity.

He said chose this coastal town because he was born and raised in this town which has been ravaged by floods the last three years.

“It’s good to be back but I can just come back in my hometown without helping may kababayans knowing they suffered from floods,” he said.

Calonzo is joined by personnel from the AFP Rescom and volunteers from Association of Medical Doctors in Asia (AMDA.

Members of the Voice of the New Generation Rescue 184 also provided manpower assistance while San Miguel Foundation helped in providing relief goods.

In other towns of Bulacan, Governor Wilhelmino Alvarado led distribution of relief goods starting Saturday.

They have distributed relief goods in Balagtas, Obando, Hagonoy and the cities of Meycauayan and Malolos.

Even other politicians also joined in distributing relief goods to their constituents.

This includes Board Members Michael Fermin and Felix Ople of the first district of Bulacan.

Both board members has been distributing relief goods in different towns since Friday.

On Monday, Fermin distributed 160 bags of relief goods at Sitio Pulo, Barangay San Jose in Calumpit town. Dino Balabo

Bulacan celebrates Plaridel’s 163rd b-day

By Dino Balabo

MALOLOS CITY—It will be a special non-working holiday in Bulacan today (Friday) as the province celebrates the 163rd birthday of the great propagandist, Gat Marcelo H. Del Pilar.

The celebrations will be led by Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado and Senator Teofisto Guingona III.

As guest speaker, Guigona is expected to speak on the theme “Plaridel: Sa Tilamsik ng Diwa at Pusong Makabansa, Pilipino sa Buong Mundo ay Dinadakila.”

Alvarado said that at least 5,000 Bulakenyos are expected to gather at the Gat Marcelo H. Del Pilar National Shrine in Barangay San Nicolas, Bulakan town.

“Hinihikayat ko ang mga Bulakenyo na suportahan at pahalagahan ang mahalagang araw na ito sa pamamagitan ng sama-samang pagsariwa sa diwa at kabayanihan ni Plaridel na naging bahagi sa pagkamit ng kalayaan ng bansa,” Alvarado said.

He said that the holiday is in accordance with Republic Act No. 7449 or “An Act Declaring August Thirty a Special Non-Working Holiday in the Province of Bulacan,” which was approved on April 27, 1992.

Del Pilar is the youngest of the ten children of Don Julian del Pilar, a gobernadorcillo and Doña Blasa Gatmaitan.

Isagani Giron, president emeritus of the Samahang Pangkasaysayan ng Bulacan (Sampaka) said that in his early years, Del Pilar who is popularly known for his pen name “Plaridel”, studied law and became a lawyer.

However, his exposure to the plight of Filipinos and Bulakenyos in particular, led him to start speaking against the abuses of the friars.

A gifted speaker, Plaridel spoke on public markets, cockpit arena and even in special occasions where many people gathered.

He also started writing satires that included “Aba Ginoong Barya” and “Caiigat Cayo,” which drew the ire of Spanish friars.

Uncertain of his safety, he was convinced by his friends to move to Spain, and continue the struggle there.

Before moving to Spain, Plaridel established Diariong Tagalog which strongly criticized the way the Spaniards ran the government and treated the people.

In Spain, he served as editor of La Solidaridad newspaper, the mouthpiece of the propagandists working for reforms for the Filipinos.

Del Pilar died of tuberculosis on July 4, 1896 in Barcelona, Spain.

Bulacan under state of calamity again for 3rd straight year

MALOLOS CITY—For the third straight year, the province of Bulacan is placed under the state of calamity.

This was announced on Saturday by Governor Wilhelmino Alvarado during his weekly radio program over Radyo Bulacan, a local radio station in this city.

However, Alvarado announcement of the state of calamity is followed by caution on local mayors not to over spend their calamity funds, which is equivalent to five percent of a local government unit’s annual budget.

The governor reminded mayors from 21 towns and three component cities in the province that calamity funds must be spent judiciously.

“It is only August and end of the year is far from over, there might be another calamity,” Alvarado said in vernacular.

He explained that placing the province under state of calamity is a way of helping Bulakenyos  to easily recover.

The governor said that declaration of state of calamity will allow employees to obtain calamity loans.

In 2011, Bulacan was placed under state of calamity after the onslaught of typhoon Pedring and Quiel, and in August last year when the province was inundated due to heavy southwest monsoon rains.

According to Board Member Michael Fermin, the state of calamity was declared as early as Thursday after the Sangguniang Panglalawigan issued approved a resolution.

The resolution is based on the urgent request of Alvarado on Wednesday citing damages in the province caused by flood spawned by typhoon Maring and intense rains brought by the southwest monsoon.

Records from the  Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) showed that weeklong heavy rains and flooding left P116,509,373.82 damages in agriculture and fisheries in the province.

With regards to infrastructure, the PDRRMO cited reports from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) First Engineering District which estimated initial damage of P5.5-M on roads and other infrastructures.

The PDRRMO also reported that about hald of the 569 barangays in the province were inundated by one to four feet deep flood.

It left a total of 208,201 families of 952,038 individuals affected wherein a total of 7,790 families or 31,383 individuals were evacuated.

Heavy rains also caused dams in the province to discharge water, but as of yesterday morning, Engineer Precioso Punzalan of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said that they only discharging 151 cubic meters per second (CMS).

Punzalan explained that their water discharge will have minimal effect on villages at the downstream of the  Angat River.

For its part, the Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (PRFFWC) said flooding in the coastal towns of Bulacan and Pampanga will continue to persist due to high tide and backflood from Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Pampanga draining to Manila Bay.

Hilton Hernando, head of the PRFFWC said that affected towns includes Apalit, Macabebe, and Masantol in Pampanga, and the towns of Calumpit and Hagonoy in Bulacan. Dino Balabo

Bulakenyos cite prayers for downgrade of rainfall alert

By Dino Balabo

 MALOLOS CITY—Answered prayers!

This was how some Bulakenyos described the low rainfall yesterday morning, a day after priests of the Diocese of Malolos started praying while other residents invoked an “oration imperata” on Tuesday as intense rains pummelled several towns in the province.

Lower rainfall also gave a sigh of relief to thousands of Bulakenyos who expected deeper floods yesterday as the Bustos Dam discharged 500 cubic meters per second of water into the Angat River starting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Elmer Santos, a municipal councilor from Hagonoy, was overjoyed with the turn of events.

“God heard our prayers,” he said a day after sending out text messages containing oratio imperata and asked his town mates to recite it.

Records from the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRMMO) showed a lull in rainfall in the towns of Bulakan, Hagonoy, Sta, Maria, Paombong, Pandi, San Rafael, and Norzagaray. 

The most notable changes were observed in Paombong which recorded 127 mm six hour rainfall on Tuesday morning, but yesterday, it dropped to 48.77 mm.

In Bulakan, Tuesday’s rainfall was 80.01 mm but dropped to 11.86 mm yesterday while in Meycauayan City, it dropped to 38.10 mm yesterday from  63.75 mm on Tuesday.

Santos said that both towns were spared from the deep flooding  they expected to set in by early morning yesterday as Bustos Dam operators reduced the discharge to 190 cms by 11:30 p.m. of Tuesday.

The same was echoed by Mayor Raulito Manlapaz who explained in an exclusive interview yesterday that flooding in Hagonoy town was only caused by sea level rise or high tide and partly aggravated by the tail end of the water discharged from Bustos Dam.

Manlapaz also said that since Monday, at least 22 of the 26 villages of Hagonoy town went underwater due to heavy rains and high tide.

They are now repacking relief goods to be distributed before the end of the week even if there is no declaration of state of calamity in the town.

For his part, Vice Mayor Pedro Santos said that they will prioritize over 100 families evacuated in different evacuation centers in the town and the coastal villages of Pugad and Tibaguin as fisherfolk in those villages were not able to go out to the seas for over a week now due to stormy weather since typhoon Labuyo passed Luzon last week.

As this developed,  the PDRRMO reported a total of 2,436 families composed of 9,283 individuals were evacuated from 14 towns of the province, namely, Balagtas, Baliwag, Bocaue, Calumpit, Guiguinto, Marilao,Obando, Pulilan, Paombong, Plaridel, Sta. Maria, and the cities of San Jose Del Monte,  Meycauayan , and Malolos.

The PDRRMO also said that heavy rains rendered a number of roads in the province non-passable to light vehicles as of yesterday Thursday morning.

Bulacan celebrates 435th founding year

MALOLOS CITY--It’s a non-working holiday in Bulacan today, August 15 as the province celebrate its 435th founding anniversary.

Governor Wilhelmino Alvarado said the annual celebration will be observed with simple ceremonies as the province prepare for bigger celebration next month for the Linggo ng Bulacan.

The annual Linggo ng Bulacan is celebrated from September 8 to 15 every year.

He said that today’s celebration was declared non-working holiday by President Benigno Aquino III through Proclamation No. 627 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., last July 30.

Alvarado said the annual celebration is a time for estimated 3-Million Bulakenyos to look back at its history can culture.

As a historic province, the governor stressed that Bulacan is the only province in the country that hosted three republics namely, the Cacarong Republic of Pandi, the Biak-Na-Bato Republic and the first Philippine Republic declared by the Philippine Congress at Barasoain Church on January 23, 1897.

Alvarado added that abovementioned historical event is a source of pride for the province which produced heroes and national artists.

With regards to the founding anniversary of the province, he said that for a long time Bulacan traced its founding as a province during the American time.

But research conducted by Drs. Jaime Veneracion, Reynaldo Naguit of the Center for Bulacan Studies and Isagani Giron of the Samahang Pangkasaysayan ng Bulacan (Sampaka) shows that Bulacan is identified as a province as early as 1578.

This is due to a cedulario found by the researchers which states “Provincia De Bulacan” and dated 1578.

With regards to exact date of foundation of Bulacan as a province, Veneracion correlated it with the practice of Spaniard of dedicating the founding a pueblo to the feast of a patron saint.

In the case of Bulacan it is the Nuestra Senora de Asuncion, which is also the patron saint of Bulakan town, the first capital of the province. Dino Balabo