Nov. 12 - 18, 2012 Issue

Law and Order

Capiz cops briefed on election rules

By Alex Lumaque

ROXAS CITY - To provide the police advance information on election rules, the Regional Legal Service of Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 in Capiz hosted a lecture on election-related laws on Nov. 13 at the Governor's Hall of the Provincial Capitol here.

Participants consisted of all chiefs of police, police investigators and Special Action Force (SAF) members.

Led by PRO 6 Regional Legal Services Chief Supt. Ehdel Pereira, the activity was coordinated with Roxas City Police Station Chief Supt. Salvador Dagoon, Jr.

The activity featured Atty. Wil Arceño, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Provincial Election Supervisor; PRO 6 Regional Legal Services Chief Supt. Ehdel Pereira; and Senior Insp. Dennis Gabihan of the PRO 6 Regional Legal Services office.

Arceño shared to the cops the duties and responsibilities of police officers before, during and after the May  national and local elections while Pereira and Gabihan tackled election gun ban, checkpoints and related laws, rules and regulations.

Recently, PRO 6 Director Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, Jr. said that the gun ban for the upcoming elections will begin on Jan. 13 and will end on June 12, 2013.

To ensure peaceful and orderly elections, bearing, carrying or transporting firearms or other deadly weapons, unless authorized in writing by Comelec, will be prohibited.

According to Cruz, only uniformed members of the police, the military and other law enforcement agencies including the Presidential Security Group performing actual duties are authorized to bear their weapons during the gun ban period. Cruz said that a PRO 6 directive will be issued to all police stations in the region to fully observe the gun ban.

Capiceños displaced by calamity given temporary jobs

By Jemin Guillermo

Some  1,596 internally displaced Capiceños have already started to get temporary employment from the national government.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Capiz Field Office Head Josephine Degala said that beneficiaries of the agency's Cash for Work program kicked off their work as planned by the identified local government units.

An assistance for the internally displaced persons (IDP) in Capiz, the Cash for Work Program covers 11 local government units in Capiz, namely Panitan, Pilar, Maayon, Mambusao, Dumarao, Panay, Dao, Jamindan, Pontevedra, Sigma and Roxas City.

This means some 2,715 IDPs have been identified after said towns were affected by the recent calamities such as flood and fire, among others.

The first six towns, however, with 1,596 beneficiaries, will be released with funds for the cash for Work program implementation, after they have submitted their proposal as required by the DSWD Regional Office 6.

"The budget for the remaining five towns is ready and will be immediately released if they can comply with the requirements, such as the program proposal," she said.

Degala added that the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) will be given priority.

Wenna Berondo of DSWD Regional Office revealed that their Regional Office is set to release P3.625 million for the said program for the seven towns in Western Visayas.

Berondo said that the amount will benefit 1,726 internally displaced persons in the region who were affected by calamities such as flooding, typhoon and landslides, among others.

She added that under the program, each program beneficiary is required to render 10 days of work and will receive P208 per day as their salary or a total of P2,080.

The cash-for-work is a short-term intervention to provide temporary employment to distressed/displaced individuals by participating in or undertaking preparedness, mitigation, relief, rehabilitation or risk reduction projects and activities in their communities or in evacuation centers.

Capiz PNP greening initiative plants 40,000 trees

By Alex Lumaque

ROXAS CITY - About 40,000 trees have been planted by Capiz policemen since the Philippine National Police's (PNP) greening initiative was launched in the province early this year.

This is based on the Capiz Police Provincial Office's Tree Planting Monitoring Report which monitors PNP's "Pulis Makakalikasan: 10 Milyong Puno, Pamana sa Kinabukasan."

The project targets to reforest about 125 hectares of Capiz timberlands.

Capiz Police Provincial Office (CPPO) Public Information Officer SPO1 Donna Asmod said that the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) has provided each of the 6 municipal police stations with five hectares of planting area while CPPO, Roxas City Police Station (RCPS) and Provincial Public Safety Company (PPSC) were given 15 hectares each.

Under the Pulis Makakalikasan project, about 800 police officers simultaneously conducted a tree planting activity on Nov. 6 and 8 in various upland areas in the towns of Capiz's second congressional district

Planting sites included barangays Agnaga in Cuartero; Roxas in Tapaz; Aglalana in Dumarao and Dolores in Dumalag.

Calling for each PNP member to plant six tree every month or 72 trees per year starting Feb. 1, 2012, the project aims to plant 10 million trees in a year to help the government in resource conservation, protection and most specifically in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The compliance of each PNP member is monitored in a Pulis Individual Tree Planting Scorecard and Unit Tree Planting Compliance Report submitted every month to the PNP's Central Headquarters.

GSIS, hospitals insurance coverage until Dec. 31,  2012

ILOILO CITY - The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has given notice to all its members that it will terminate the implementation of the Hospital Insurance Plan (HIP) and the Family Hospitalization Plus Plan (FHPP) by Dec. 31, 2012.

According to Mrs. Eleanor D. Gregorio, Manager of GSIS Iloilo Branch, they have sent out notices to inform GSIS members about the termination date. These were the different agency heads and executives of the local government units in Iloilo, Aklan and Antique covered by the Iloilo branch.

Gregorio said the GSIS will no longer renew the existing policies after Dec. 31 and will no longer accept premium payment due on the HIP and FHPP.

The GSIS will accept and process claims as long as they have been filed within 60 days from the last day of confinement in 2012. The policy remains in force up to the end of 2012.

The Hospital Insurance Plan grants medical care benefits to the policyholder in case of hospitalization due to sickness or injury; the Family Hospitalization Plus Plan covers expenses fro room and board and fees for doctors, medicines and laboratory.

According to GSIS, the decision to terminate the HIP and FHPP came after the Board of Trustees found that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) offers better benefits than those offered by GSIS under both plans. As per GSIS figures, only 7,316 accounts nationwide remain in force until the end of the year from the total 63,000 accounts.

Members who wish to be clarified regarding the termination may contact the Iloilo branch which covers Iloilo, Aklan and Antique thru (033) 337 4308 local 3; the Capiz branch which covers the province of Capiz at (036) 621 3127; and the Negros Occidental Branch which covers Negros Occidental and Dumaguete at (034) 444 0603 to 06.

Members may also contact the Globe Toll Free 1-800-8-847-4747 (free landline and mobile phone) or through PLDT Smart Toll Free 1-800-10-847-747 (free landline; flat rate of P8.00 per call from mobile phone).