Starting on the wrong foot

The Aquino administration started 2015 on the wrong foot when it allowed a big increase of Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 and Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and 2 fares, effective January 4.

A million commuters questioned the timeliness of the increase due to the poor service and frequent breakdowns of the train service.

Four suits questioning the fare hike have been filed in the Supreme Court (SC), pointing out that P11 billion has been provided in 2015 budget for the MRT/LRT subsidy.

It also pointed out that a previous appropriation of P4.5 billion was scrapped and transferred to the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

The concensus of commuters interviewed was that the fares should have been increased after the service has been improved.

More unfinished business

Add the following to our list last Tuesday:

16. freedom of information law

17. improvement of MRT and LRT service

18. flight congestion at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)

19. clear mining policy

20. improve bilibid and other jails and penal colonies

Typhoon Seniang death toll — 71

Despite of the government’s insistence that it made adequate preparations for Typhoon Seniang’s arrival on December 28, the number of confirmed fatalities has reached 71, with 41 people injured and 8 missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Officials of Samar, Eastern Samar, Cebu, or people affected by the storm blamed government for falling short in providing warnings on the amount of rains that the storm would bring, saying the local government agencies tasked to make preparations for the typhoon were on Christmas vacation.

According to Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, the local officials could always refer to the NDRRMC and its website as well as warnings sent through fax, email and text messaging.

Furthermore, Valte stated the government does not only focus on the weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA), but continues to improve the capability of responders and rescuers to effectively respond to disasters, which they claimed victory in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagupit last December that had prevented the affected areas from suffering huge casualties.

After Vice-President Binay heard of the devastation that Typhoon Seniang had caused, it was only him who visited southern  Cebu to help and show his sympathy to the affected families by bringing 7,500 food packs and cash assistance to families of those who died during the typhoon.

Binay also visited the towns of Ronda, Sibonga, Dumanjug, and Carcar.

The Vice President also defended the government’s preparations and response to Seniang: “It’s not true that the government failed to issue information about the storm. It just so happened that the rains it brought were excessive. There were residents who refused to abandon their houses because they had not experienced this before.”

The mayor of the Ronda town agreed with VP Binay, when some of their residents, who thought that Seniang would cause minimal destruction compared to last typhoons, opted to stay home during the storm despite the evacuation request from their local government unit (LGU), which left 13 persons dead and 2 missing.

The day before Seniang made landfall, typhoon signal no. 2 was only raised in 5 Mindanao provinces.

All bark, no bite

Senator Antonio Trillanes has come out with another charge against Vice-President Binay, alleging anomalies in the awarding of housing contracts by the Pag-IBIG Fund.

Binay is the chairman of the Home Development Mutual Fund   (HDMF) and concurrent chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).

Pag-IBIG President Darlene Berberabe issued a strong statement: “We work hard to earn the trust of our 14.6 million members. Please do not sully the good name of Pag-IBIG Fund with baseless allegations of an anomaly. In the strongest terms, I deny that Pag-IBIG Fund favors any stakeholder. On the contrary, we pride ourselves with having leveled the playing field when the new management and the new Board assumed office in 2010.”      

Berberabe added that HDMF does not award projects or deal with contractors as alleged by Trillanes. 

This latest charge destroys Trillanes’ credibility since he admitted he has no evidence to back up his charges.

Tidbits

Twenty moro bandits were killed and scores wounded when the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion launched mortar attacks against Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the borders of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat.

Houses of former Datu Salibo Mayor Akmad Ampatuan and Shariff Aguak officer in charge Mayor Marop Ampatuan were simultaneously strafed from an M79 grenade launcher.

Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader Imran Mijal, who is implicated in various crimes such as bombing, kidnapping, extortion, and killing soldiers and civilians, was arrested in his residence in Basilan.

Four constables Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) was arrested for extracting money (mulcting) from a truck driver who was caught for yellow lane violation along Commonwealth, Quezon City.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago topped the Senate rating in terms of filing the most number of bills and resolutions in 2014, which is 1,007, despite her battle with lung cancer.