LAZIEST VICE MAYOR?

Believe it or not, CDO Vice Mayor Vicente Emano has attended once of the City Council’s 76 sessions last year. In his only appearance, he only spent less than an hour on the presiding officer’s chair.

Councilor Abaday reacted to this record and said,

“The laziest vice Mayor Cagayan de Oro ever had. And I think he is the only vice mayor in the country who don’t attend sessions.”

Emano’s perennial reason for not attending sessions is that he was attending ” other official matters of equal importance demanded by his office.”

Another Emano critic said the house rules should not prevail over the Constitution and Local Government and said Cagayanons are asking why is it that Emano get away with his absences.

“Maulaw na kita niini.”

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Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez lauded the decision the City Council to endorse his bill making city run J.R. Borja Memorial City Hospital as an extension of the Northern Mindanao Medical Center, the national government run hospital. The City Council earlier expressed objections to the Rodriguez measure saying this would completely strip the city government of control and administration over the said hospital. The compromise consist that the conduit for the release of funds would be the city government and not the NMMC. Rodriguez was quite satisfied with the compromise. “I am glad to know that the City Hall approve it.”

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Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno was dismayed and offended by comments from the city councilors asking if the provincial government has become a promoter of PBA games. This comment came about when the Provincial Government asked for an exemption from the City’s amusement taxes when it sponsored an out of town PBA game. Moreno, an avid basketaball fan and owner of Liga ng Pilipinas team Misor Meteors, said that with that comment he hinted that there might not be any PBA games to be held in Cagayan de Oro. Other alternative venue for the games will be Balingasag and Gingoog City.

Black Nazarene in Cagayan de Oro

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Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Constantino “Tinnex” Jaraula denied the request of Cecilia Roa, a realtor to dig part of the City Hall to find Yaashita treasures. He said the city hall was erected in 1921 way before Yamashita could hide treasure there. “Suba pa kana sa una, imposible makatago ug treasure diha. (It was a part of the river before, its impossible to hide treasures there.)”

Roa also submitted a request to the Provincail Capitol for permission of digging a part of it. Roa said that a source told her that a Jesuit Wenceslao Shu had a first hand information that a Japanese gold is buried beneath the city hall as well as the capitol site.

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The Mindanao Polytechnic State College has finally been converted into a university and is now to be called the Mindanao University of Science and Technology. Thanks to Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., the principal sponsor of the law. Jaraula called the conversion as “timely.” “The Industrialization of Mindanao started in Northern Mindanao. The Mindanao University of Science and Technology is not merely necessary, but it is imperative for the development of Mindanao and the country.”

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Transco explains the shut off of power in Caraga region. It said that the measure is to reduce loading due to an outage of the Abaga-Agus 2 Line 1 and 2 138 kilovotlts of transmission lines. Affected areas are the Anislagan-Pacemco-Surigao line, Butuan-Bayugan, and the Nasipit -Butuan 69 kilovolt sub-transmission lines. These lines interrupted power in Surigao City, Taganaan and Sison, Surigao del Norte, Pacemco Cement Plant, part of Butuan City, Gaisano Mall, NIA Bit-os, Bayugan City, Municipalities of Sibagat and Esperanza, Agusan Sur, municipalities of Buenavista, Nasipit and Carmen, Agusan del Norte, Agusan Plywood Corp. and International Port of Nasipit.

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Councilor Emmanuel Abejuela urged Mayor Tinnex Jaraula to implement measures to prevent city flooding in the future. Being a former city hall Planning and Development Officer, he recommends among others the construction of three major storm drainages in Indahag, Gusa and Macasandig. These plan would benefit Barangays Patag, Kauswagan, Bulua and Bayabas.

He also recommended the massive reforestation of outlying villages of the city and in Bukidnon, the dredging of city’s main drainage system along Claro M. Recto Ave., and the reclamation of islet between Cagayan de Oro river and Burgos street. He also would prioritized the resettlement program. “Ma stop sad ang city government in awarding piso piso project lots along islets and riverbanks nga walay klaro.”