One Bulacan coalition candidates beat rivals

MALOLOS CITY—Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa’s engineered coalition between the Liberal Party (LP) and the National Unity Party (NUP) in Bulacan worked as 17 of its provincial candidates won in the recent election.

Dubbed as One Bulacan, 15 mayoral candidates of the coalition won in 21 towns and three component cities of the province.

The One Bulacan coalition’s victory is bannered by re-elected Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado and Vice Gov. Daniel Fernando.

Like his wife, re-elected Rep. Marivic Alvarado of the first district of the province, the governor ran unopposed in the recently concluded election.

Four other LP-NUP coalition congressional candidates trounced their rivals. They are Gavini Pancho of  the second district who will succeed his father the outgoing Rep. Pedro Pancho, and re-elected Representatives Joselito Mendoza of the third district, Linabelle Ruth Villarica of the fourth district, and Arthur Robes of the lone district of the City of San Jose Del Monte.

Also, LP-NUP coalition candidates for the provincial board emerged victorious except for Allan Ray Baluyot of the Nacionalista Party from the fourth provincial district of Bulacan.

Winning coalition candidates for the provincial board are Michael Fermin, Felix Ople Ayee Ople of the first; Lawyers Ramon Posadas and Enrique Dela Cruz of the second district; Rino Castro and Ernesto Sulit of the third district; and Jonjon Delos Santos and King Sarmiento of the fourth district.

In the mayoral race, 15 One Bulacan coalition candidates defeated their rivals.

They are Mayors Romy Castro of Balagtas, Eduardo Villanueva Jr.,of Bocaue, Patrick Neil Meneses of Bulakan, Arnel Mendoza of Bustos, Jessie De Jesus of Calumpit, Ronalto Flores of the mountain town of Donya Remedios Trinidad, Christian Natividad of Malolos City, Tito Santiago of Marilao, Joan Alarilla of Meycauayan City, Enrico Roque of Pandi, Jocell Vistan of Plaridel, Vicente Esguerra of Pulilan, Rey San Pedro of San Jose Del Monte City, Roderick Tiongson of San Miguel, and Bartolome Ramos of Sta. Maria.

Non-coalition winning mayors are Leonardo De Leon of Angat (LP) Carol Dellosa of Baliwag (independent), Ambrosio Cruz of Guiguinto (Partido ng Masang Pilipino), Raulito Manlapaz of Hagonoy (PMP), Fred Germar of Norzagaray (LP), Edwin Santos of Obando (United Nationalist Alliance), Isagani Castro of Paombong (independent), Gerald Galvez of San Ildefonso (UNA), and Cipriano Violago of San Rafael (LP).

Some of the said mayors-elect ran under the banner of LP despite the presence of One Bulacan coalition candidates in their towns. Dino Balabo

Fernando garnered highest vote in Bulacan history

MALOLOS CITY—It is now official, reelected Bulacan Vice Governor Daniel Fernando earned the highest vote of a local candidate in a single election in the history of the province.

As this developed, four other celebrity-turned politicians in the province lost in the 2013 polls including comedian Long Mejia, actor Alex Castro, and singers Imelda Papin and Rey Valera.

Lawyer Elmo Duque, provincial election supervisor of Bulacan said that the actor turned politician is voted by more than half of the 1,497,873 registered voters in the province.

Fernando’s certificate of canvass and proclamation showed that he received a total of 853,558 votes in the May 13 polls.

The said number is higher than the more than 800,000 earned by reelected Governor Wilhelmino Alvarado who ran unopposed, while Fernando battled two other candidates.

Duque said that Fernando’s votes earned is the highest in the history of Bulacan.

When asked if it is the highest number of votes earned by a local candidate in a single election all of Luzon, Duque said, “I could only speak for this province” referring to Bulacan.

Records showed that that Fernando’s recent votes earned is higher than the more than 535,000 votes in the 2010 elections when he first won as vice governor of Bulacan.

In an interview after his proclamation on Wednesday night, Fernando described the number of votes he earned as “tsamba lang.”

With regards to fellow actors and celebrities who lost in the May 13 elections in Bulacan, the reelected vice governor advised them not to give up.

“May bukas pa, kung talagang nasa puso ang paglilingkod,ituloy lang ninyo,” he said.

Fernando was referring to actor Alex Castro and singer Rey Valera, who both lost in the separate bids for the vice mayoral post in Marilao town and Meycauayan City.

Other celebrities in the province who lost are singer Imelda Papin who lost he bid for the lone congressional district of the City of San Jose Del Monte; and comedian Long Mejia who for the second time lost his bid to become a municipal councilor of Calumpit town.

Records showed that Fernando’s first attempt in politics was in 1998 when he ran lost as an independent vice mayor in his hometown of Guiguinto.

He did not stop there, in 2001 and 2004 elections, he ran for the provincial Board Member position and won, even earning him the title as a senior board member of Bulacan.

In 2007, he ran for vice governor and lost to then Congressman Wilhelmino Alvarado; but in 2010, Alvarado took Fernando as running mate and both of them won.

Prior to his entry into mainstream politics, Fernando was appointed as Sangguniang Kabataan chairman in Barangay Tabang,Guiguinto in the early 80s, then pursued a career in acting by joining theater groups.

In the mid-80s, he starred in the now classic film “Scorpio Nights 1.”  Dino Balabo

Smooth polls noted in Bulacan

MALOLOS CITY—Despite tensions and reported malfunction of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, elections in Bulacan went generally peaceful, officials said.

Lawyer Elmo Duque, provincial election supervisor in Bulacan, expressed gratitude to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for maintaining peace and order in the province.

He said that the PNP and the AFP did a good job in pre-empting the arrest of suspected armed groups in the province that could have sowed terror and fear to voters during elections.

“Everything went very smooth and very peaceful,” Duque said in an interview yesterday. He added there was no report of any harassment of local voters.

The same was echoed by Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado who, after casting his vote, said that tension was replaced by peoples hope for change.

“By Philippine standards, our elections in Bulacan are generally peaceful,” Alvarado said.

He stressed that the PNP and the AFP did their homework in disbanding suspected armed groups in the province that resulted in the arrest of 11 suspected New People’s Army Rebels on May 3 followed by the arrest of six additional armed men who are suspected to be members of a private army on May 10.

Alvarado said there were tensions among opposing parties in the province at the close of the campaign period.

However, he said that all went silent when the voting began on Monday.

He specifically cited tense situations in San Rafael, San Miguel and Donya Remedios town.

With regards to tension in Malolos City hours before the elections, the governor said that it stemmed from the intent of both groups to keep the elections clean.

“They guarded each other on the allegations that both camps were planning to conduct vote buying,” he said, referring to the camps of incumbent Mayor Christian Natividad and former Mayor Danilo Domingo of this city.

The Malolos incident late Sunday night occurred when Natividad’s supporters massed near the headquarters of Domingo. They complained that Domingo’s men were casing Natividad’s headquarters.

But Domingo said they were only monitoring the situation in response to reports that vehicles with loads of people were coming to and from Natividad’s headquarters.

With regards to incident of vote-buying in the province, Duque said that the PNP is still investigating incidents.

He said that one of the closest incidents was the seizure of about a million pesos in cash in Norzagaray town.

Police said that the seized cash was meant to be used in buying votes. Dino Balabo

WOA Issued: Goto Violago hunted by CIDG

MALOLOS CITY—A mayoral candidate in Bulacan is now in hiding days before the May 13 polls after the Regional Trial Court (RTC) here issued a warrant of arrest (WOA) against him on Wednesday for the murder of a police officer who is said to be his close friend.

Incumbent Vice Mayor Cipriano Violago who is now running for mayor in San Rafael town is now the target of a massive manhunt operations of the Criminal Investigation Detection Team (CIDT) here.

This came as Judge Corazon Domingo-Ranola of RTC Branch 10 here issued on a Wednesday as WOA against Violago and four other cohorts in connection with the murder of SPO1 Rafael Bartolome, a CIDT operative on May 13 last year.

Violago’s cohort were identified as Vergel dela Rosa Liquino, a resident of Barangay Pansumalok in San Rafael town; Nicolas Mangaluz alias Boyet and Joel Mangaluz, both of  Barangay Bahay Pare, Candaba, Pampanga; and Tristan S. Cruz IV, of Barangay  Tanauan in Bustos town.

No bail was recommended for the provisional liberty of all the accused pending their arrest.

Based on records,the CIDT filed  murder charges against Violago for the death of Bartolome who was identified in earlier reports as “close friend” of the mayoral candidate.

According to initial police report at the time of the killing, Bartolome was allegedly “set-up” and killed by assailants aboard a motorcycle riding-in-tandem after he responded to a friends call inside Lapid’s Ville Subdivision in Barangay Tambubong, San Rafael town.

Police claimed that the death of Bartolome was set-up, because he was killed a by two motorcycle riding men after he responded to the call of his friend residing at Lapid’s Ville in Barangay Tambubong, San Rafael on the night of May 13, 2012.

As a standard bearer of the Liberal Party (NUP) in San Rafael town, Violago is challenging incumbent Mayor Lorna Silverio of the National Unity Party (NUP) who is seeking reelection.

Silverio and Violago were running mates in the 2010 automated elections, until the latter severed ties with the former and decided to run for mayor.

Violago is the father of Board Member Mark Cholo Violago, representing the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) of Bulacan in the Sangguniang Panglalawigan.

Last October, the Violago’s were blamed for the killing of Renato Ignacio, the younger brother of SPO4 Norberto Ignacio who was killed on April15, 2012. 

On November 29 last year, Violago’s son Mark Cholo survived an ambush attempt in Plaridel town.  Dino Balabo

11 ‘NPA rebels’ arrested: Cited as members of private army of Bulacan politician

By Ding Cervantes

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -  Eleven armed alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were arrested over the weekend in a joint army and police operation in Barangay Kabayunan, Doña Remedios Trinidad (DRT) in Bulacan, but sources from Camp Olivas here said the armed men belonged to a private army of a politician running in the local elections.

Army 7th Infantry Division (7ID) public affairs officer Capt. Mark Anthony Ruelos said in a report the men were arrested by troops from the 56th Infantry Battalion (56IB) headed by Lt. Col. Bernardo Oña and the DRT police.

The arrested suspected NPA rebels were identified as Rodolfo Cruz, 65, of Barangay Bigte, Norzagaray, Bulacan; Rico Vicene, 43,  of San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan; Josefino Lupanco, 34, of Salangan, San Miguel; Cyrhyl dela Cruz,19, of Barangay. Tibagan, San Miguel; Jayson Valmadrid, 25, of Barangay San Juan, San Miguel; Randy Puno, 33, of Barangay Salangan, San Miguel; and Angel Cabrera, 48, also of Barangay Salangan, San Miguel.

“The operation resulted in no gunfire and yielded three .45 mm high-powered firearms, four hand grenades, a shotgun with six ammunitions, subversive documents which included Permit to Campaign (PTC) letters, solicitation letters, and a blue book containing names, places, activities, and area study; and paramedic instruments such as medicines, stethoscope, and syringe,”  Ruelos said.

Follow-up operations in the area later led to the capture of three more alleged NPA members identified as Graciano dela Cruz, Billy Asuncion and William Asuncion, and the seizure of their arms that included three M16 and two M14 rifles, as well as subversive documents.

The arrest of the armed men was triggered by information from a “concerned citizen” that about 30 men alleged to be NPA members were present in remote Sitio Mahangin and Sitio Sapang Linao in DRT, he said.

Ruelos said the armed men were apparently “sending PTC letters to local candidates and had even planned to establish checkpoints in the area to ambush uncooperative bets.”

”The seized items were turned over to the local police and will serve as evidences against the suspects who are now under the custody of DRT police for proper documentation and filing of appropriate criminal charges,” Ruelos added.

A source from Camp Olivas who asked not to be named for lack of authority to disclose information said that the alleged communist rebels who were captured in DRT were also members of an armed group being maintained by one candidate running for a local post in the Bulacan town in the coming May elections. The politician was not identified. – With reports from Rommel Ramos

Film shows the science of climate change

As part of Earth Day celebration, the British Embassy in partnership with the Climate Change Commission, New Zealand Embassy, SM Cares and SM Megamall, is participating in the global screening of the film ‘Thin Ice – the Inside Story of Climate Science’ through a private showing in SM Megamall on April 22 (Monday) at 7:00PM. The film about climate science made by geologist Simon Lamb as he takes a journey across the globe following leading scientists to the ends of the earth as they explain why they think humans are changing the planet’s climate through our emissions of greenhouse gases. Climate science has come under sustained attack in recent years, so Lamb took his camera to find out what is really going on. For over three years he followed scientists from a wide range of disciplines at work to create an intimate portrait of the global community of researchers racing to understand our planet’s changing climate which provides a compelling case for rising levels of carbon dioxide as the main cause, and Thin Ice is the culmination of that work. The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to extreme weather events. The country experiences an average of 20 typhoons a year. Almost 80 percent of disasters which occurred over the past 100 years have been weather-related, with typhoons and floods contributing to the two highest disaster event categories. Climate change is predicted to significantly increase the strength and frequency of such events in addition to putting strain on water resources and agriculture. The film is therefore of huge interest to the people of the Philippines. The British Embassy Manila and its partners are giving away up to 100 pairs of free movie tickets through an online contest so that members of the public will get a chance to join the private screening. Details of the contest are posted in the British Embassy Manila Facebook and Twitter accounts (@ukinphilippines). To join the contest, simply share British Embassy Manila Facebook posts bearing the headline “Thin Ice Movie (Earth Day 2013)”. Contestants may also use their Twitter accounts to re-tweet any messages on @ukinphilippines with the hashtag “#ThinIcePHL”. It is also encouraging people to view the film for free on April 22nd and 23rd viawww.thiniceclimate.org     Dignitaries to the private screening will be led by British Ambassador Stephen Lillie and officials from the Climate Change Commission, the British Embassy and the New Zealand Embassy. Among those invited are government officials, business leaders and members, civil society representatives and celebrities.

Ramon Efren R. Lazaro

Malolos Diocese to lead Earth Day Concert

MALOLOS CITY—Its all system go for the Earth Day concert here on Friday, a run up for the global celebrations next Monday.

Organized by the ecology desk of the Diocese of Malolos, the concert’s theme will focus on “Pintig ng Kalikasan: Buhay ng Sangkatuhan.”

It will feature singer-composer Noel Cabangon and will be held at the Malolos Convention and Sports Complex here on Friday at 7PM.

Father Efren Basco, head of the Diocesan Ecological and Environmental Program (DEEP) said the concert is an event that will fuse live music and environmental education and hopes to deepen people’s commitment towards being environmentally responsible.

He said that the concert will bring about the coming together of all age groups to a meaningful activity of great exuberance which speaks directly to our times.

“It’s the perfect time to ‘show and tell’ why concerts are the perfect venue to teach stewardship of the planet,” the priest said.

Basco stressed that  “addressing the beauty of creation as well as its destruction by humankind, this concert is both a call to action and a cry of hope; it promises to be an unforgettable experience for all who will attend it. May we be inspired and collectively work towards a common mission for Mother Earth’s well-being.”

Part of the run-up of activities before the Earth Day 2013 Concert were a series of education for care of the environment seminars that include proper waste management and promotion of organic method, tree planting in the Sierra Madre mountains.

They also led planting thousands of mangoves seedlings on the coastal towns of Hagonoy, Paombong and the City of Malolos.

Basco added that environmental care and protection is one of the key highlights in the year-long celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of the Diocese of Malolos that started last year.

This was magnified in DEEP’s Ecological Conference Statement of June 12, 2009 signed  by the Bishop Jose F. Oliveros and by 140 Clergy, 105 Religious communities and 132 parish and school leaders in the diocese.

An excerpt of the said statement declared that  “we affirm that the whole universe reveals God’s manifold blessings and acknowledge our responsibility as caretakers of God’s dwelling place. There is only one air, water and land system on planet Earth. Upon these interrelated systems, the health and survival of all forms and all peoples depend. Damage to one part of a system affects the whole system; damage to one system affects the other systems.” (Dino Balabo)