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TEN local government units (LGUs) in Cebu have announced the temporary suspension of face-to-face (F2F) classes due to the recent increase in the heat index.The heat index is the temperature the human body feels when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature.The LGUs said schools will implement an alternative delivery mode of learning to minimize the disruption on students’ learning. This includes modular distance learning where learners use a self-learning module either in print or digital format that is usually implemented for those living in rural areas or provinces with intermittent internet connection.Lapu-Lapu City, Liloan and Consolacion suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from Wednesday, April 3, 2024, to April 12.The City of Naga and Talisay City suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 to 14. Toledo City and San Fernando suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from Thursday, April 4, to April 13. Ronda suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 to Friday, April 5. Private schools in these eight LGUs have the discretion to decide whether to suspend F2F classes.Minglanilla and Cordova suspended F2F classes in both public and private schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 until further notice.More LGUsDepartment of Education (DepEd) 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday that he expects more school division superintendents to give him an update on their situation.“So far, there are only three LGUs [that have notified us]. Though I am still waiting for documents from other superintendents [for other suspensions], but so far these are Talisay, Lapu-Lapu and Naga,” he said.He said LGUs also have the authority to suspend F2F classes during typhoons and other calamities.In an interview last March 18, Jimenez said public and private school heads and principals have the discretion and are authorized to shift to modular classes “in cases of unfavorable weather and environment, such as, but not limited to, extremely high temperatures,” under DepEd Order 37 of 2022.The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) 7, for its part, welcomed the move of the 10 LGUs.In a statement sent to SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, ACT 7 president Cristopher Abrajano called on other LGUs to exercise their power to suspend classes given the urgency of the matter.He also called on the DepEd 7 to look into the welfare of teachers, saying they have received reports “from the ground that teachers are still made to report to schools to supposedly prepare the modules for parents to collect from school,” which, for them, defeats the logic of suspending F2F classes.Cebu City Schools Division superintendent Nimfa Bongo reminded school principals about their authority to suspend F2F classes due to the continued hot weather. She said F2F should be automatically suspended if the heat index reaches 40 degrees Celsius.Less retentionIn Mandaue City, the Local School Board (LSB) said it plans to adopt a blended learning approach for pupils in elementary and high schools during the last two months of school year (SY) 2023-2024. During an LSB meeting at the Mandaue Science High School in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia on Wednesday, Bianito Dagatan, DepEd Mandaue superintendent, suggested putting in place measures to ensure pupils are still able to effectively learn, as most of them tend to have less knowledge retention without teacher supervision.Mayor Jonas Cortes, who is the LSB chair, supported the idea of blended learning. He said the approach is ideal, especially since pupils are still recovering from the learning gaps caused by the Covid-19 pandemic during which they had to attend full modular classes.Modular learning is an individualized instruction that allows learners to use self-learning modules, either in print or digital format, depending on the pupil’s needs.The LSB said it might implement a blended class setup that will involve dividing students’ class time between F2F and modular classes, as well as shortening class times.This blended class setup may remain in place while the heat index, particularly in Cebu, remains high.Dagatan proposed shortening classes from six hours to three hours and using the remaining three hours for modular activities to be done at home. The classes will be divided into morning sessions from 6 to 9 a.m. and afternoon sessions from 3 to 6 p.m.He said pupils will attend F2F classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for their catch-up classes. They will have modular classes at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays.Concerns Dixie Ortiz, president of Mandaue’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA), was worried about the safety of elementary school pupils if they were to be dismissed at 9 a.m. Ortiz said most parents are already at work by this time, which means children will either have to walk home by themselves or get stuck in school waiting for their parents to fetch them.It will also be difficult for parents with children attending afternoon classes to send them to school, especially if they have work.There are also concerns regarding the lack of drinking water, which prompted the LSB to discuss the provision of at least two tabletop dispensers per floor. This will ensure pupils are well hydrated while attending F2F classes.Cortes announced plans to issue an executive order (EO) that will formalize a decision based on the recommendations of all involved stakeholders. Representatives from school divisions, PTAs, and other school personnel had until 3 p.m. Wednesday to discuss and present their suggestions, which will serve as basis for the mayor’s EO.Cortes said he also asked personnel of the Mandaue City College to discuss their plans and recommendations for blended learning for college students.DepEd orderDagatan said DepEd has issued an order authorizing school superintendents to halt F2F when the heat index reaches 40 degrees Celsius.Schools in Mandaue City continue to hold F2F classes since the heat index in the city has not climbed above 38 degrees Celsius. This week, the weather bureau Pagasa Mactan warned that the heat index in Cebu may reach 51 degrees Celsius in the coming months.Cortes assured that he would revise the EO if the humid weather worsened over time.“As much as we wanted to be reactive, we want to prioritize consultation because our DepEd personnel, principals, and superintendents have a better understanding of the situations in our schools,” he said.Due to the heat, DepEd will shorten SY 2023-2024. It was initially scheduled to end on June 14, but it will now end on May 31 to give way to the gradual return to the old school calendar.The fourth grading periodical test for the current school year will be conducted on May 16 and 17, and the closing or the end-of-school-year rites are slated on May 29, 30 and 31.Earlier this year, Jimenez said the decision to shift the school year’s start back to June was in response to numerous complaints regarding the challenges of conducting classes during the dry hot season that starts every March.SY 2024-2025 will start on July 29 and end on May 16, 2025. He said they will finally be able to revert to the June opening of classes again during the opening of SY 2025-2026 and the succeeding school years. The late start of the school year began in 2020, when the opening of classes was delayed to Oct. 5, taking into account the logistical challenges in areas facing mobility restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.SunStar Cebu earlier reported that when the heat index reaches 51 degrees Celsius, it can cause heat cramps and exhaustion, and prolongued exposure can lead to a heatstroke.Pagasa Visayas weather specialist Jhomer Eclarino attributed the increase in the heat index to the El Niño phenomenon and the ongoing dry, hot summer. He said Cebu typically experiences its highest temperatures in May. On May 31, 2010, also during an El Niño, Cebu recorded a surface temperature of 37 degrees Celsius and heat index of 49 degrees Celsius. / KJF, HIC What's the best way to bet on slots? Philippines IN THE continuing struggle for control over the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA)-installed officer-in-charge (OIC), John Dx Lapid, was barred from entering the MCWD office building in downtown Cebu City on Monday morning, while on the same day Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and seven mayors expressed their support for the MCWD officials who had been suspended by the LWUA.Lapid was able to enter only after general manger Edgar Donoso, the person whom Lapid was supposed to replace, issued a memorandum at 12:32 p.m. allowing Lapid to enter and to report to his post as division manager for customer care, but not as OIC.Lapid had been outside the MCWD building since 5:59 a.m. Lapid said the LWUA had instructed him not to leave the entrance of the basement parking of the MCWD building.Upon hearing of his plight, Cebu City Administrator Collin Rosell, along with City Budget Officer Jerone Castillo and City Legal Officer Carlo Vincent Gimena, arrived at the MCWD office to support Lapid in his appointment as OIC general manager.The LWUA appointed Lapid following its suspension of Donoso for 90 days last Friday, April 12. When Lapid finally entered the MCWD building, he called for a general assembly on the eighth floor. But only a few employees showed up.Lapid and the city officials went to the fifth floor to Donoso’s office, where a short confrontation occurred.MCWD secretary Jodelyn May Seno asked Rosell and Castillo to leave because they were city employees. The two ignored her, arguing that she had already been suspended by the LWUA.Members of the interim board installed by LWUA also arrived during the confrontation.Also present were Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) head Harold Alcontin and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office head Reymarr Hijara.At least 90 personnel from Task Force Kasaligan, along with CCDRRMO personnel, were deployed outside and inside the MCWD building.No entryDuring a press conference on Monday, MCWD chairman Jose Daluz III said they drafted a resolution barring Lapid and the interim board from the MCWD building.He said it was similar to the resolution Lapid started drafting to ban him, Donoso and the rest of his board, meaning Miguelito Pato and Seno, from entering.Daluz reiterated that the LWUA’s March 15 intervention that saw him, Pato and Seno suspended for six months, was illegal, arguing that it could only intervene if the MCWD defaulted financially on its loan, which it did not.“We only owe (LWUA) P13 million. We pay P65,000 every month, non-bearing interest. And we pay in advance,” he said in Cebuano.Daluz said the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel’s (OGCC) opinion regarding the LWUA’s actions was clear that LWUA could only intervene if there was a loan default. He said the LWUA did not abide by the OGCC’s opinion, as it had earlier promised.ResignDaluz also encouraged Lapid to resign from his post to show “decency,” saying that his acceptance of the OIC position was an act of “insubordination” towards his bosses.“I won’t resign,” Lapid responded.Lapid said he is a regular employee of the water district, adding that if they give him a show cause order he will answer it.He said if they fire him, then he will see what will happen.“I am not afraid because I firmly stand by my conviction that the LWUA has jurisdiction over a water district, not just MCWD, but all water districts,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.Lapid said the LWUA’s suspension of Donoso and the Daluz-led board was part of the due process.“Nibarog ta for the water district para mahuman ni tanan problema (I stood up for the water district so all these problems would end),” he said, referring to the struggle for control of MCWD.Donoso said he did not receive a copy of his suspension order.He also questioned why he was not afforded due time to explain his side.Donoso said the respect and hospitality they gave to LWUA have reached their limits.He reiterated that the LWUA’s takeover was unfounded and without due process.Employees, mayors back DaluzMeanwhile, Sammy Suson, president of the MCWD employees’ union with 583 members, said they do not support Lapid’s appointment as OIC general manager.“We will not recognize the intervention of the LWUA,” Suson said.Daniel Lim Jr., president of the non-regular employees’ union with 100 members, echoed his sentiment.Some local chief executives in Metro Cebu also expressed their support for the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Daluz, Donoso, Seno and suspended board vice chairman Pato met with Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado, Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño, Cordova Mayor Cesar Suan, Liloan Mayor Aljew Frasco, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia at the Capitol on Monday.During a press conference at the Capitol, the governor said the LWUA’s intervention was untimely, creating confusion among employees and consumers as the province faces the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. She said she had brokered an agreement between both parties that they must adhere to the legal opinion of the OGCC, which was released last April 2. Garcia said the LWUA misinterpreted the OGCC’s opinion in its favor, and pushed through with its partial intervention. She said if LWUA insists on interfering in the local water district, she may be forced to invoke Section 16 of Republic Act 7162, or the “General Welfare” clause of the Local Government Code, to ensure the status quo at the MCWD.“I may call on government agency or uniformed personnel to see to it that the General Welfare Board of the constituent of Cebu will be upheld and law will be upheld because all of us took a solemn oath to that,” Garcia said. The mayors backed Garcia’s statement, arguing that changing the administration of a government agency that serves water during a dry spell was unnecessary. The MCWD’s franchise area includes the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay, and the municipalities of Consolacion, Compostela, Cordova and Liloan. The mayors also condemned LWUA’s partial intervention as unlawful due to its invalid reasons and not following the OGCC opinion. Members of the Provincial Board (PB) and Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, were also at the meeting to support the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Garcia said the PB will pass a resolution to support the mayors’ plea. The LWUA suspended Daluz, Pato and Seno for six months starting March 15, to give way for its investigation on several issues at the MCWD. It suspended Donoso last April 12 for 90 days for continuing to defy the interim board’s request to turn over documents on MCWD’s transactions and failing to respond to a five-day notice to explain his decision. Gwen vs. RamaThis is not the first time that the governor has backed officials and agencies that are at odds with the Cebu City Government.Garcia also supported the Cebu Port Authority, and called out the City for ignoring the port authority’s territorial jurisdiction.Earlier in the year, she and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama also disagreed on the implementation of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project, which resulted in the mayor filing an administrative case against Garcia for “meddling” in the city’s project.Garcia had issued a cease and desist order against the contractor to stop the construction of a bus station near the Capitol building due to lack of a permit related to heritage zones.As for the conflict at the MCWD, it started when Rama fired the Daluz-led board. Daluz had said he would opt to wait for the LWUA’s intervention on the matter and abide by the agency’s order. But last March 15, when the LWUA informed Daluz and Donoso that it would intervene in the water district for six months and appoint an interim board to replace the Daluz-led board, Donoso wrote the OGCC for its opinion on the matter. When the OGCC released its opinion, the LWUA and Daluz interpreted it differently in their favor. LWUA speaks outIn a statement late Monday, LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga said that although the OGCC’s opinion cited Section 61 of Presidential Decree 198 (Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973), which talks of default in terms of payment of the principal or interest on a loan, the same section also provides that “default includes ‘other obligations to the Administration’ as another ground independent from the financial provisions.”“The 2015 Financial Assistance Contract (FAC) memorializes those obligations both financial and technical. In fact, that very document notes that any failure to deliver or comply with any obligation, promise or covenant is a situation of breach and default. Thus, for Mr. Daluz and company to claim that default ONLY pertains to loans is merely their own interpretation that they are desperately peddling to the public, and we fear, to the governor and mayors,” Salonga said.“The default on the part of MCWD pertains to its obligations under the FAC between MCWD and LWUA, wherein MCWD committed to perform the following:1. To comply with the provisions of PD 198 or other amendatory decrees, acts, or laws, and the rules, regulations, and standards established by LWUA. 2. To establish a leakage control program. within one year from the date of the FAC. Said program will identify the principal causes of water losses in MCWD, identify its precise location, and establish a priority schedule to minimize such losses. The leakage control program will establish and systematically maintain a record of its transmission and distribution systems and will develop procedures for the regular inspection and repair of distribution mains and service connections to achieve a water loss position that is satisfactory to LWUA. 3. To consult LWUA before it appoints or makes permanent its General Manager, whose appointment shall be subject to confirmation of LWUA. “The above violations constitute default on the part of MCWD under the 2015 FAC.”Furthermore, he said MCWD had a high NRW (non-revenue water), which had no marked improvement from year 2020 to 2022. The consistent rise in its NRW during this period resulted in an annual loss on revenue by an average of at least P117.759 million. “MCWD’s NRW steadily increased from 20.34 million cu.m. in 2020 (with a 25.26 percent NRW), to 24.542 million cu.m in 2021 (29.04 percent NRW), and 29.481 million cu. m in 2022 (32.67 percent NRW)” when, in fact, Salonga said, MCWD had committed to a 15 percent NRW rate for 2023, which it failed to achieve. From the FAC signing, MCWD has yet to come up with the measures, plans and results it had committed in the deal, Salonga said.BankruptAnother reason for the LWUA action of suspending the Daluz-led board is that “at the rate the procurement is going, at the prices they are contracting, LWUA fears that MCWD as a GOCC (government owned and controlled corporation) is going to go bankrupt soon.”The FAC also gives LWUA multiple options to address the violations of MCWD. “The preventive suspension of the members of the MCWD board was a tame response on the part of LWUA and merely a preliminary step to investigate the violations of the FAC,” he said. Due processSalonga said due process was complied with, as it provided the suspended MCWD board multiple opportunities to respond to the violations “through the issuances of the show cause order and final demand letter dated 20 March 2024, and 03 April 2024, respectively. The suspended MCWD failed to respond, and thereby deemed to have waived their right to be heard prior to the remedial actions of LWUA.”He said LWUA is performing its mandate under PD 198 by implementing the FAC to ensure the prudent use of public funds and the provision of basic services to the people. He asked the local chief executives of Cebu to reconsider their position “upon a careful study of the full state of facts.”“At this time where El Niño is present and no infrastructure work can be done due to strained political and community relations, there is no reason why LWUA should not act in the most expedient manner,” Salonga said. / EHP, AML, JJL, CTL

IN THE continuing struggle for control over the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA)-installed officer-in-charge (OIC), John Dx Lapid, was barred from entering the MCWD office building in downtown Cebu City on Monday morning, while on the same day Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and seven mayors expressed their support for the MCWD officials who had been suspended by the LWUA.Lapid was able to enter only after general manger Edgar Donoso, the person whom Lapid was supposed to replace, issued a memorandum at 12:32 p.m. allowing Lapid to enter and to report to his post as division manager for customer care, but not as OIC.Lapid had been outside the MCWD building since 5:59 a.m. Lapid said the LWUA had instructed him not to leave the entrance of the basement parking of the MCWD building.Upon hearing of his plight, Cebu City Administrator Collin Rosell, along with City Budget Officer Jerone Castillo and City Legal Officer Carlo Vincent Gimena, arrived at the MCWD office to support Lapid in his appointment as OIC general manager.The LWUA appointed Lapid following its suspension of Donoso for 90 days last Friday, April 12. When Lapid finally entered the MCWD building, he called for a general assembly on the eighth floor. But only a few employees showed up.Lapid and the city officials went to the fifth floor to Donoso’s office, where a short confrontation occurred.MCWD secretary Jodelyn May Seno asked Rosell and Castillo to leave because they were city employees. The two ignored her, arguing that she had already been suspended by the LWUA.Members of the interim board installed by LWUA also arrived during the confrontation.Also present were Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) head Harold Alcontin and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office head Reymarr Hijara.At least 90 personnel from Task Force Kasaligan, along with CCDRRMO personnel, were deployed outside and inside the MCWD building.No entryDuring a press conference on Monday, MCWD chairman Jose Daluz III said they drafted a resolution barring Lapid and the interim board from the MCWD building.He said it was similar to the resolution Lapid started drafting to ban him, Donoso and the rest of his board, meaning Miguelito Pato and Seno, from entering.Daluz reiterated that the LWUA’s March 15 intervention that saw him, Pato and Seno suspended for six months, was illegal, arguing that it could only intervene if the MCWD defaulted financially on its loan, which it did not.“We only owe (LWUA) P13 million. We pay P65,000 every month, non-bearing interest. And we pay in advance,” he said in Cebuano.Daluz said the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel’s (OGCC) opinion regarding the LWUA’s actions was clear that LWUA could only intervene if there was a loan default. He said the LWUA did not abide by the OGCC’s opinion, as it had earlier promised.ResignDaluz also encouraged Lapid to resign from his post to show “decency,” saying that his acceptance of the OIC position was an act of “insubordination” towards his bosses.“I won’t resign,” Lapid responded.Lapid said he is a regular employee of the water district, adding that if they give him a show cause order he will answer it.He said if they fire him, then he will see what will happen.“I am not afraid because I firmly stand by my conviction that the LWUA has jurisdiction over a water district, not just MCWD, but all water districts,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.Lapid said the LWUA’s suspension of Donoso and the Daluz-led board was part of the due process.“Nibarog ta for the water district para mahuman ni tanan problema (I stood up for the water district so all these problems would end),” he said, referring to the struggle for control of MCWD.Donoso said he did not receive a copy of his suspension order.He also questioned why he was not afforded due time to explain his side.Donoso said the respect and hospitality they gave to LWUA have reached their limits.He reiterated that the LWUA’s takeover was unfounded and without due process.Employees, mayors back DaluzMeanwhile, Sammy Suson, president of the MCWD employees’ union with 583 members, said they do not support Lapid’s appointment as OIC general manager.“We will not recognize the intervention of the LWUA,” Suson said.Daniel Lim Jr., president of the non-regular employees’ union with 100 members, echoed his sentiment.Some local chief executives in Metro Cebu also expressed their support for the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Daluz, Donoso, Seno and suspended board vice chairman Pato met with Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado, Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño, Cordova Mayor Cesar Suan, Liloan Mayor Aljew Frasco, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia at the Capitol on Monday.During a press conference at the Capitol, the governor said the LWUA’s intervention was untimely, creating confusion among employees and consumers as the province faces the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. She said she had brokered an agreement between both parties that they must adhere to the legal opinion of the OGCC, which was released last April 2. Garcia said the LWUA misinterpreted the OGCC’s opinion in its favor, and pushed through with its partial intervention. She said if LWUA insists on interfering in the local water district, she may be forced to invoke Section 16 of Republic Act 7162, or the “General Welfare” clause of the Local Government Code, to ensure the status quo at the MCWD.“I may call on government agency or uniformed personnel to see to it that the General Welfare Board of the constituent of Cebu will be upheld and law will be upheld because all of us took a solemn oath to that,” Garcia said. The mayors backed Garcia’s statement, arguing that changing the administration of a government agency that serves water during a dry spell was unnecessary. The MCWD’s franchise area includes the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay, and the municipalities of Consolacion, Compostela, Cordova and Liloan. The mayors also condemned LWUA’s partial intervention as unlawful due to its invalid reasons and not following the OGCC opinion. Members of the Provincial Board (PB) and Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, were also at the meeting to support the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Garcia said the PB will pass a resolution to support the mayors’ plea. The LWUA suspended Daluz, Pato and Seno for six months starting March 15, to give way for its investigation on several issues at the MCWD. It suspended Donoso last April 12 for 90 days for continuing to defy the interim board’s request to turn over documents on MCWD’s transactions and failing to respond to a five-day notice to explain his decision. Gwen vs. RamaThis is not the first time that the governor has backed officials and agencies that are at odds with the Cebu City Government.Garcia also supported the Cebu Port Authority, and called out the City for ignoring the port authority’s territorial jurisdiction.Earlier in the year, she and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama also disagreed on the implementation of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project, which resulted in the mayor filing an administrative case against Garcia for “meddling” in the city’s project.Garcia had issued a cease and desist order against the contractor to stop the construction of a bus station near the Capitol building due to lack of a permit related to heritage zones.As for the conflict at the MCWD, it started when Rama fired the Daluz-led board. Daluz had said he would opt to wait for the LWUA’s intervention on the matter and abide by the agency’s order. But last March 15, when the LWUA informed Daluz and Donoso that it would intervene in the water district for six months and appoint an interim board to replace the Daluz-led board, Donoso wrote the OGCC for its opinion on the matter. When the OGCC released its opinion, the LWUA and Daluz interpreted it differently in their favor. LWUA speaks outIn a statement late Monday, LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga said that although the OGCC’s opinion cited Section 61 of Presidential Decree 198 (Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973), which talks of default in terms of payment of the principal or interest on a loan, the same section also provides that “default includes ‘other obligations to the Administration’ as another ground independent from the financial provisions.”“The 2015 Financial Assistance Contract (FAC) memorializes those obligations both financial and technical. In fact, that very document notes that any failure to deliver or comply with any obligation, promise or covenant is a situation of breach and default. Thus, for Mr. Daluz and company to claim that default ONLY pertains to loans is merely their own interpretation that they are desperately peddling to the public, and we fear, to the governor and mayors,” Salonga said.“The default on the part of MCWD pertains to its obligations under the FAC between MCWD and LWUA, wherein MCWD committed to perform the following:1. To comply with the provisions of PD 198 or other amendatory decrees, acts, or laws, and the rules, regulations, and standards established by LWUA. 2. To establish a leakage control program. within one year from the date of the FAC. Said program will identify the principal causes of water losses in MCWD, identify its precise location, and establish a priority schedule to minimize such losses. The leakage control program will establish and systematically maintain a record of its transmission and distribution systems and will develop procedures for the regular inspection and repair of distribution mains and service connections to achieve a water loss position that is satisfactory to LWUA. 3. To consult LWUA before it appoints or makes permanent its General Manager, whose appointment shall be subject to confirmation of LWUA. “The above violations constitute default on the part of MCWD under the 2015 FAC.”Furthermore, he said MCWD had a high NRW (non-revenue water), which had no marked improvement from year 2020 to 2022. The consistent rise in its NRW during this period resulted in an annual loss on revenue by an average of at least P117.759 million. “MCWD’s NRW steadily increased from 20.34 million cu.m. in 2020 (with a 25.26 percent NRW), to 24.542 million cu.m in 2021 (29.04 percent NRW), and 29.481 million cu. m in 2022 (32.67 percent NRW)” when, in fact, Salonga said, MCWD had committed to a 15 percent NRW rate for 2023, which it failed to achieve. From the FAC signing, MCWD has yet to come up with the measures, plans and results it had committed in the deal, Salonga said.BankruptAnother reason for the LWUA action of suspending the Daluz-led board is that “at the rate the procurement is going, at the prices they are contracting, LWUA fears that MCWD as a GOCC (government owned and controlled corporation) is going to go bankrupt soon.”The FAC also gives LWUA multiple options to address the violations of MCWD. “The preventive suspension of the members of the MCWD board was a tame response on the part of LWUA and merely a preliminary step to investigate the violations of the FAC,” he said. Due processSalonga said due process was complied with, as it provided the suspended MCWD board multiple opportunities to respond to the violations “through the issuances of the show cause order and final demand letter dated 20 March 2024, and 03 April 2024, respectively. The suspended MCWD failed to respond, and thereby deemed to have waived their right to be heard prior to the remedial actions of LWUA.”He said LWUA is performing its mandate under PD 198 by implementing the FAC to ensure the prudent use of public funds and the provision of basic services to the people. He asked the local chief executives of Cebu to reconsider their position “upon a careful study of the full state of facts.”“At this time where El Niño is present and no infrastructure work can be done due to strained political and community relations, there is no reason why LWUA should not act in the most expedient manner,” Salonga said. / EHP, AML, JJL, CTL Sports Betting sa Pilipinas THE National Government has exceeded its expenditure target in 2023 by 2.1 percent due to the significant expansion in infrastructure and other capital outlays, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Wednesday, April 3, 2024.In a statement, the DBM said that based on the Cash Operations Report released by the Bureau of Treasury, the total disbursement of the National Government in 2023 amounted to P5.336 trillion, P176.6 billion or 3.4 percent higher than the 2022 outturns, P107.8 billion or 2.1 percent more than the full-year target.It said the increase was primarily driven by the “significant expansion” in infrastructure and other capital outlays that reached P1.2 trillion, 18.7 percent higher year-on-year, and up by 16.2 percent from the target.“The robust performance was likewise mainly credited to the accelerated program implementation and fund mobilization of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) during the last two quarters,” the DBM said.“This was also supported by the direct payments made by development partners for the implementation of foreign-assisted rail projects of the DOTr,” it added.The DBM noted that the infrastructure disbursements were recorded at P1.419 trillion, which is P140.5 billion or 11 percent higher year-on-year and P126.2 billion or 9.8 percent above the target.It said spending for current operating expenditures, such as personnel services and maintenance and other operating expenses, also improved on the back of catch-up spending of major social departments.“On the other hand, subsidy to government corporations was 18.4 percent (P36.9 billion) lower year-on-year and 23.8 percent (P51.0 billion) below the program, largely on account of the calibrated releases to the PhilHealth considering its favorable financial position and substantial cash holdings,” it added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)

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THE National Government has exceeded its expenditure target in 2023 by 2.1 percent due to the significant expansion in infrastructure and other capital outlays, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Wednesday, April 3, 2024.In a statement, the DBM said that based on the Cash Operations Report released by the Bureau of Treasury, the total disbursement of the National Government in 2023 amounted to P5.336 trillion, P176.6 billion or 3.4 percent higher than the 2022 outturns, P107.8 billion or 2.1 percent more than the full-year target.It said the increase was primarily driven by the “significant expansion” in infrastructure and other capital outlays that reached P1.2 trillion, 18.7 percent higher year-on-year, and up by 16.2 percent from the target.“The robust performance was likewise mainly credited to the accelerated program implementation and fund mobilization of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) during the last two quarters,” the DBM said.“This was also supported by the direct payments made by development partners for the implementation of foreign-assisted rail projects of the DOTr,” it added.The DBM noted that the infrastructure disbursements were recorded at P1.419 trillion, which is P140.5 billion or 11 percent higher year-on-year and P126.2 billion or 9.8 percent above the target.It said spending for current operating expenditures, such as personnel services and maintenance and other operating expenses, also improved on the back of catch-up spending of major social departments.“On the other hand, subsidy to government corporations was 18.4 percent (P36.9 billion) lower year-on-year and 23.8 percent (P51.0 billion) below the program, largely on account of the calibrated releases to the PhilHealth considering its favorable financial position and substantial cash holdings,” it added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines) Sports Betting sa Pilipinas TEN local government units (LGUs) in Cebu have announced the temporary suspension of face-to-face (F2F) classes due to the recent increase in the heat index.The heat index is the temperature the human body feels when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature.The LGUs said schools will implement an alternative delivery mode of learning to minimize the disruption on students’ learning. This includes modular distance learning where learners use a self-learning module either in print or digital format that is usually implemented for those living in rural areas or provinces with intermittent internet connection.Lapu-Lapu City, Liloan and Consolacion suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from Wednesday, April 3, 2024, to April 12.The City of Naga and Talisay City suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 to 14. Toledo City and San Fernando suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from Thursday, April 4, to April 13. Ronda suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 to Friday, April 5. Private schools in these eight LGUs have the discretion to decide whether to suspend F2F classes.Minglanilla and Cordova suspended F2F classes in both public and private schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 until further notice.More LGUsDepartment of Education (DepEd) 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday that he expects more school division superintendents to give him an update on their situation.“So far, there are only three LGUs [that have notified us]. Though I am still waiting for documents from other superintendents [for other suspensions], but so far these are Talisay, Lapu-Lapu and Naga,” he said.He said LGUs also have the authority to suspend F2F classes during typhoons and other calamities.In an interview last March 18, Jimenez said public and private school heads and principals have the discretion and are authorized to shift to modular classes “in cases of unfavorable weather and environment, such as, but not limited to, extremely high temperatures,” under DepEd Order 37 of 2022.The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) 7, for its part, welcomed the move of the 10 LGUs.In a statement sent to SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, ACT 7 president Cristopher Abrajano called on other LGUs to exercise their power to suspend classes given the urgency of the matter.He also called on the DepEd 7 to look into the welfare of teachers, saying they have received reports “from the ground that teachers are still made to report to schools to supposedly prepare the modules for parents to collect from school,” which, for them, defeats the logic of suspending F2F classes.Cebu City Schools Division superintendent Nimfa Bongo reminded school principals about their authority to suspend F2F classes due to the continued hot weather. She said F2F should be automatically suspended if the heat index reaches 40 degrees Celsius.Less retentionIn Mandaue City, the Local School Board (LSB) said it plans to adopt a blended learning approach for pupils in elementary and high schools during the last two months of school year (SY) 2023-2024. During an LSB meeting at the Mandaue Science High School in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia on Wednesday, Bianito Dagatan, DepEd Mandaue superintendent, suggested putting in place measures to ensure pupils are still able to effectively learn, as most of them tend to have less knowledge retention without teacher supervision.Mayor Jonas Cortes, who is the LSB chair, supported the idea of blended learning. He said the approach is ideal, especially since pupils are still recovering from the learning gaps caused by the Covid-19 pandemic during which they had to attend full modular classes.Modular learning is an individualized instruction that allows learners to use self-learning modules, either in print or digital format, depending on the pupil’s needs.The LSB said it might implement a blended class setup that will involve dividing students’ class time between F2F and modular classes, as well as shortening class times.This blended class setup may remain in place while the heat index, particularly in Cebu, remains high.Dagatan proposed shortening classes from six hours to three hours and using the remaining three hours for modular activities to be done at home. The classes will be divided into morning sessions from 6 to 9 a.m. and afternoon sessions from 3 to 6 p.m.He said pupils will attend F2F classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for their catch-up classes. They will have modular classes at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays.Concerns Dixie Ortiz, president of Mandaue’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA), was worried about the safety of elementary school pupils if they were to be dismissed at 9 a.m. Ortiz said most parents are already at work by this time, which means children will either have to walk home by themselves or get stuck in school waiting for their parents to fetch them.It will also be difficult for parents with children attending afternoon classes to send them to school, especially if they have work.There are also concerns regarding the lack of drinking water, which prompted the LSB to discuss the provision of at least two tabletop dispensers per floor. This will ensure pupils are well hydrated while attending F2F classes.Cortes announced plans to issue an executive order (EO) that will formalize a decision based on the recommendations of all involved stakeholders. Representatives from school divisions, PTAs, and other school personnel had until 3 p.m. Wednesday to discuss and present their suggestions, which will serve as basis for the mayor’s EO.Cortes said he also asked personnel of the Mandaue City College to discuss their plans and recommendations for blended learning for college students.DepEd orderDagatan said DepEd has issued an order authorizing school superintendents to halt F2F when the heat index reaches 40 degrees Celsius.Schools in Mandaue City continue to hold F2F classes since the heat index in the city has not climbed above 38 degrees Celsius. This week, the weather bureau Pagasa Mactan warned that the heat index in Cebu may reach 51 degrees Celsius in the coming months.Cortes assured that he would revise the EO if the humid weather worsened over time.“As much as we wanted to be reactive, we want to prioritize consultation because our DepEd personnel, principals, and superintendents have a better understanding of the situations in our schools,” he said.Due to the heat, DepEd will shorten SY 2023-2024. It was initially scheduled to end on June 14, but it will now end on May 31 to give way to the gradual return to the old school calendar.The fourth grading periodical test for the current school year will be conducted on May 16 and 17, and the closing or the end-of-school-year rites are slated on May 29, 30 and 31.Earlier this year, Jimenez said the decision to shift the school year’s start back to June was in response to numerous complaints regarding the challenges of conducting classes during the dry hot season that starts every March.SY 2024-2025 will start on July 29 and end on May 16, 2025. He said they will finally be able to revert to the June opening of classes again during the opening of SY 2025-2026 and the succeeding school years. The late start of the school year began in 2020, when the opening of classes was delayed to Oct. 5, taking into account the logistical challenges in areas facing mobility restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.SunStar Cebu earlier reported that when the heat index reaches 51 degrees Celsius, it can cause heat cramps and exhaustion, and prolongued exposure can lead to a heatstroke.Pagasa Visayas weather specialist Jhomer Eclarino attributed the increase in the heat index to the El Niño phenomenon and the ongoing dry, hot summer. He said Cebu typically experiences its highest temperatures in May. On May 31, 2010, also during an El Niño, Cebu recorded a surface temperature of 37 degrees Celsius and heat index of 49 degrees Celsius. / KJF, HIC

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TEN local government units (LGUs) in Cebu have announced the temporary suspension of face-to-face (F2F) classes due to the recent increase in the heat index.The heat index is the temperature the human body feels when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature.The LGUs said schools will implement an alternative delivery mode of learning to minimize the disruption on students’ learning. This includes modular distance learning where learners use a self-learning module either in print or digital format that is usually implemented for those living in rural areas or provinces with intermittent internet connection.Lapu-Lapu City, Liloan and Consolacion suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from Wednesday, April 3, 2024, to April 12.The City of Naga and Talisay City suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 to 14. Toledo City and San Fernando suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from Thursday, April 4, to April 13. Ronda suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 to Friday, April 5. Private schools in these eight LGUs have the discretion to decide whether to suspend F2F classes.Minglanilla and Cordova suspended F2F classes in both public and private schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 until further notice.More LGUsDepartment of Education (DepEd) 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday that he expects more school division superintendents to give him an update on their situation.“So far, there are only three LGUs [that have notified us]. Though I am still waiting for documents from other superintendents [for other suspensions], but so far these are Talisay, Lapu-Lapu and Naga,” he said.He said LGUs also have the authority to suspend F2F classes during typhoons and other calamities.In an interview last March 18, Jimenez said public and private school heads and principals have the discretion and are authorized to shift to modular classes “in cases of unfavorable weather and environment, such as, but not limited to, extremely high temperatures,” under DepEd Order 37 of 2022.The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) 7, for its part, welcomed the move of the 10 LGUs.In a statement sent to SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, ACT 7 president Cristopher Abrajano called on other LGUs to exercise their power to suspend classes given the urgency of the matter.He also called on the DepEd 7 to look into the welfare of teachers, saying they have received reports “from the ground that teachers are still made to report to schools to supposedly prepare the modules for parents to collect from school,” which, for them, defeats the logic of suspending F2F classes.Cebu City Schools Division superintendent Nimfa Bongo reminded school principals about their authority to suspend F2F classes due to the continued hot weather. She said F2F should be automatically suspended if the heat index reaches 40 degrees Celsius.Less retentionIn Mandaue City, the Local School Board (LSB) said it plans to adopt a blended learning approach for pupils in elementary and high schools during the last two months of school year (SY) 2023-2024. During an LSB meeting at the Mandaue Science High School in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia on Wednesday, Bianito Dagatan, DepEd Mandaue superintendent, suggested putting in place measures to ensure pupils are still able to effectively learn, as most of them tend to have less knowledge retention without teacher supervision.Mayor Jonas Cortes, who is the LSB chair, supported the idea of blended learning. He said the approach is ideal, especially since pupils are still recovering from the learning gaps caused by the Covid-19 pandemic during which they had to attend full modular classes.Modular learning is an individualized instruction that allows learners to use self-learning modules, either in print or digital format, depending on the pupil’s needs.The LSB said it might implement a blended class setup that will involve dividing students’ class time between F2F and modular classes, as well as shortening class times.This blended class setup may remain in place while the heat index, particularly in Cebu, remains high.Dagatan proposed shortening classes from six hours to three hours and using the remaining three hours for modular activities to be done at home. The classes will be divided into morning sessions from 6 to 9 a.m. and afternoon sessions from 3 to 6 p.m.He said pupils will attend F2F classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for their catch-up classes. They will have modular classes at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays.Concerns Dixie Ortiz, president of Mandaue’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA), was worried about the safety of elementary school pupils if they were to be dismissed at 9 a.m. Ortiz said most parents are already at work by this time, which means children will either have to walk home by themselves or get stuck in school waiting for their parents to fetch them.It will also be difficult for parents with children attending afternoon classes to send them to school, especially if they have work.There are also concerns regarding the lack of drinking water, which prompted the LSB to discuss the provision of at least two tabletop dispensers per floor. This will ensure pupils are well hydrated while attending F2F classes.Cortes announced plans to issue an executive order (EO) that will formalize a decision based on the recommendations of all involved stakeholders. Representatives from school divisions, PTAs, and other school personnel had until 3 p.m. Wednesday to discuss and present their suggestions, which will serve as basis for the mayor’s EO.Cortes said he also asked personnel of the Mandaue City College to discuss their plans and recommendations for blended learning for college students.DepEd orderDagatan said DepEd has issued an order authorizing school superintendents to halt F2F when the heat index reaches 40 degrees Celsius.Schools in Mandaue City continue to hold F2F classes since the heat index in the city has not climbed above 38 degrees Celsius. This week, the weather bureau Pagasa Mactan warned that the heat index in Cebu may reach 51 degrees Celsius in the coming months.Cortes assured that he would revise the EO if the humid weather worsened over time.“As much as we wanted to be reactive, we want to prioritize consultation because our DepEd personnel, principals, and superintendents have a better understanding of the situations in our schools,” he said.Due to the heat, DepEd will shorten SY 2023-2024. It was initially scheduled to end on June 14, but it will now end on May 31 to give way to the gradual return to the old school calendar.The fourth grading periodical test for the current school year will be conducted on May 16 and 17, and the closing or the end-of-school-year rites are slated on May 29, 30 and 31.Earlier this year, Jimenez said the decision to shift the school year’s start back to June was in response to numerous complaints regarding the challenges of conducting classes during the dry hot season that starts every March.SY 2024-2025 will start on July 29 and end on May 16, 2025. He said they will finally be able to revert to the June opening of classes again during the opening of SY 2025-2026 and the succeeding school years. The late start of the school year began in 2020, when the opening of classes was delayed to Oct. 5, taking into account the logistical challenges in areas facing mobility restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.SunStar Cebu earlier reported that when the heat index reaches 51 degrees Celsius, it can cause heat cramps and exhaustion, and prolongued exposure can lead to a heatstroke.Pagasa Visayas weather specialist Jhomer Eclarino attributed the increase in the heat index to the El Niño phenomenon and the ongoing dry, hot summer. He said Cebu typically experiences its highest temperatures in May. On May 31, 2010, also during an El Niño, Cebu recorded a surface temperature of 37 degrees Celsius and heat index of 49 degrees Celsius. / KJF, HIC, check the following table to see what categories most online casinos in the Philippines fit in.

IN THE continuing struggle for control over the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA)-installed officer-in-charge (OIC), John Dx Lapid, was barred from entering the MCWD office building in downtown Cebu City on Monday morning, while on the same day Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and seven mayors expressed their support for the MCWD officials who had been suspended by the LWUA.Lapid was able to enter only after general manger Edgar Donoso, the person whom Lapid was supposed to replace, issued a memorandum at 12:32 p.m. allowing Lapid to enter and to report to his post as division manager for customer care, but not as OIC.Lapid had been outside the MCWD building since 5:59 a.m. Lapid said the LWUA had instructed him not to leave the entrance of the basement parking of the MCWD building.Upon hearing of his plight, Cebu City Administrator Collin Rosell, along with City Budget Officer Jerone Castillo and City Legal Officer Carlo Vincent Gimena, arrived at the MCWD office to support Lapid in his appointment as OIC general manager.The LWUA appointed Lapid following its suspension of Donoso for 90 days last Friday, April 12. When Lapid finally entered the MCWD building, he called for a general assembly on the eighth floor. But only a few employees showed up.Lapid and the city officials went to the fifth floor to Donoso’s office, where a short confrontation occurred.MCWD secretary Jodelyn May Seno asked Rosell and Castillo to leave because they were city employees. The two ignored her, arguing that she had already been suspended by the LWUA.Members of the interim board installed by LWUA also arrived during the confrontation.Also present were Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) head Harold Alcontin and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office head Reymarr Hijara.At least 90 personnel from Task Force Kasaligan, along with CCDRRMO personnel, were deployed outside and inside the MCWD building.No entryDuring a press conference on Monday, MCWD chairman Jose Daluz III said they drafted a resolution barring Lapid and the interim board from the MCWD building.He said it was similar to the resolution Lapid started drafting to ban him, Donoso and the rest of his board, meaning Miguelito Pato and Seno, from entering.Daluz reiterated that the LWUA’s March 15 intervention that saw him, Pato and Seno suspended for six months, was illegal, arguing that it could only intervene if the MCWD defaulted financially on its loan, which it did not.“We only owe (LWUA) P13 million. We pay P65,000 every month, non-bearing interest. And we pay in advance,” he said in Cebuano.Daluz said the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel’s (OGCC) opinion regarding the LWUA’s actions was clear that LWUA could only intervene if there was a loan default. He said the LWUA did not abide by the OGCC’s opinion, as it had earlier promised.ResignDaluz also encouraged Lapid to resign from his post to show “decency,” saying that his acceptance of the OIC position was an act of “insubordination” towards his bosses.“I won’t resign,” Lapid responded.Lapid said he is a regular employee of the water district, adding that if they give him a show cause order he will answer it.He said if they fire him, then he will see what will happen.“I am not afraid because I firmly stand by my conviction that the LWUA has jurisdiction over a water district, not just MCWD, but all water districts,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.Lapid said the LWUA’s suspension of Donoso and the Daluz-led board was part of the due process.“Nibarog ta for the water district para mahuman ni tanan problema (I stood up for the water district so all these problems would end),” he said, referring to the struggle for control of MCWD.Donoso said he did not receive a copy of his suspension order.He also questioned why he was not afforded due time to explain his side.Donoso said the respect and hospitality they gave to LWUA have reached their limits.He reiterated that the LWUA’s takeover was unfounded and without due process.Employees, mayors back DaluzMeanwhile, Sammy Suson, president of the MCWD employees’ union with 583 members, said they do not support Lapid’s appointment as OIC general manager.“We will not recognize the intervention of the LWUA,” Suson said.Daniel Lim Jr., president of the non-regular employees’ union with 100 members, echoed his sentiment.Some local chief executives in Metro Cebu also expressed their support for the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Daluz, Donoso, Seno and suspended board vice chairman Pato met with Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado, Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño, Cordova Mayor Cesar Suan, Liloan Mayor Aljew Frasco, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia at the Capitol on Monday.During a press conference at the Capitol, the governor said the LWUA’s intervention was untimely, creating confusion among employees and consumers as the province faces the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. She said she had brokered an agreement between both parties that they must adhere to the legal opinion of the OGCC, which was released last April 2. Garcia said the LWUA misinterpreted the OGCC’s opinion in its favor, and pushed through with its partial intervention. She said if LWUA insists on interfering in the local water district, she may be forced to invoke Section 16 of Republic Act 7162, or the “General Welfare” clause of the Local Government Code, to ensure the status quo at the MCWD.“I may call on government agency or uniformed personnel to see to it that the General Welfare Board of the constituent of Cebu will be upheld and law will be upheld because all of us took a solemn oath to that,” Garcia said. The mayors backed Garcia’s statement, arguing that changing the administration of a government agency that serves water during a dry spell was unnecessary. The MCWD’s franchise area includes the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay, and the municipalities of Consolacion, Compostela, Cordova and Liloan. The mayors also condemned LWUA’s partial intervention as unlawful due to its invalid reasons and not following the OGCC opinion. Members of the Provincial Board (PB) and Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, were also at the meeting to support the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Garcia said the PB will pass a resolution to support the mayors’ plea. The LWUA suspended Daluz, Pato and Seno for six months starting March 15, to give way for its investigation on several issues at the MCWD. It suspended Donoso last April 12 for 90 days for continuing to defy the interim board’s request to turn over documents on MCWD’s transactions and failing to respond to a five-day notice to explain his decision. Gwen vs. RamaThis is not the first time that the governor has backed officials and agencies that are at odds with the Cebu City Government.Garcia also supported the Cebu Port Authority, and called out the City for ignoring the port authority’s territorial jurisdiction.Earlier in the year, she and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama also disagreed on the implementation of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project, which resulted in the mayor filing an administrative case against Garcia for “meddling” in the city’s project.Garcia had issued a cease and desist order against the contractor to stop the construction of a bus station near the Capitol building due to lack of a permit related to heritage zones.As for the conflict at the MCWD, it started when Rama fired the Daluz-led board. Daluz had said he would opt to wait for the LWUA’s intervention on the matter and abide by the agency’s order. But last March 15, when the LWUA informed Daluz and Donoso that it would intervene in the water district for six months and appoint an interim board to replace the Daluz-led board, Donoso wrote the OGCC for its opinion on the matter. When the OGCC released its opinion, the LWUA and Daluz interpreted it differently in their favor. LWUA speaks outIn a statement late Monday, LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga said that although the OGCC’s opinion cited Section 61 of Presidential Decree 198 (Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973), which talks of default in terms of payment of the principal or interest on a loan, the same section also provides that “default includes ‘other obligations to the Administration’ as another ground independent from the financial provisions.”“The 2015 Financial Assistance Contract (FAC) memorializes those obligations both financial and technical. In fact, that very document notes that any failure to deliver or comply with any obligation, promise or covenant is a situation of breach and default. Thus, for Mr. Daluz and company to claim that default ONLY pertains to loans is merely their own interpretation that they are desperately peddling to the public, and we fear, to the governor and mayors,” Salonga said.“The default on the part of MCWD pertains to its obligations under the FAC between MCWD and LWUA, wherein MCWD committed to perform the following:1. To comply with the provisions of PD 198 or other amendatory decrees, acts, or laws, and the rules, regulations, and standards established by LWUA. 2. To establish a leakage control program. within one year from the date of the FAC. Said program will identify the principal causes of water losses in MCWD, identify its precise location, and establish a priority schedule to minimize such losses. The leakage control program will establish and systematically maintain a record of its transmission and distribution systems and will develop procedures for the regular inspection and repair of distribution mains and service connections to achieve a water loss position that is satisfactory to LWUA. 3. To consult LWUA before it appoints or makes permanent its General Manager, whose appointment shall be subject to confirmation of LWUA. “The above violations constitute default on the part of MCWD under the 2015 FAC.”Furthermore, he said MCWD had a high NRW (non-revenue water), which had no marked improvement from year 2020 to 2022. The consistent rise in its NRW during this period resulted in an annual loss on revenue by an average of at least P117.759 million. “MCWD’s NRW steadily increased from 20.34 million cu.m. in 2020 (with a 25.26 percent NRW), to 24.542 million cu.m in 2021 (29.04 percent NRW), and 29.481 million cu. m in 2022 (32.67 percent NRW)” when, in fact, Salonga said, MCWD had committed to a 15 percent NRW rate for 2023, which it failed to achieve. From the FAC signing, MCWD has yet to come up with the measures, plans and results it had committed in the deal, Salonga said.BankruptAnother reason for the LWUA action of suspending the Daluz-led board is that “at the rate the procurement is going, at the prices they are contracting, LWUA fears that MCWD as a GOCC (government owned and controlled corporation) is going to go bankrupt soon.”The FAC also gives LWUA multiple options to address the violations of MCWD. “The preventive suspension of the members of the MCWD board was a tame response on the part of LWUA and merely a preliminary step to investigate the violations of the FAC,” he said. Due processSalonga said due process was complied with, as it provided the suspended MCWD board multiple opportunities to respond to the violations “through the issuances of the show cause order and final demand letter dated 20 March 2024, and 03 April 2024, respectively. The suspended MCWD failed to respond, and thereby deemed to have waived their right to be heard prior to the remedial actions of LWUA.”He said LWUA is performing its mandate under PD 198 by implementing the FAC to ensure the prudent use of public funds and the provision of basic services to the people. He asked the local chief executives of Cebu to reconsider their position “upon a careful study of the full state of facts.”“At this time where El Niño is present and no infrastructure work can be done due to strained political and community relations, there is no reason why LWUA should not act in the most expedient manner,” Salonga said. / EHP, AML, JJL, CTL What's the best way to bet on slots? . Learn everything about ⭐ the best online casino in Philippines. Our review of the top PH casinos will take you through their ☑️ bonuses, payouts, and games. here is how to register at an online casino site in the Philippines:

TEN local government units (LGUs) in Cebu have announced the temporary suspension of face-to-face (F2F) classes due to the recent increase in the heat index.The heat index is the temperature the human body feels when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature.The LGUs said schools will implement an alternative delivery mode of learning to minimize the disruption on students’ learning. This includes modular distance learning where learners use a self-learning module either in print or digital format that is usually implemented for those living in rural areas or provinces with intermittent internet connection.Lapu-Lapu City, Liloan and Consolacion suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from Wednesday, April 3, 2024, to April 12.The City of Naga and Talisay City suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 to 14. Toledo City and San Fernando suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from Thursday, April 4, to April 13. Ronda suspended F2F classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 to Friday, April 5. Private schools in these eight LGUs have the discretion to decide whether to suspend F2F classes.Minglanilla and Cordova suspended F2F classes in both public and private schools from kindergarten to high school from April 3 until further notice.More LGUsDepartment of Education (DepEd) 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday that he expects more school division superintendents to give him an update on their situation.“So far, there are only three LGUs [that have notified us]. Though I am still waiting for documents from other superintendents [for other suspensions], but so far these are Talisay, Lapu-Lapu and Naga,” he said.He said LGUs also have the authority to suspend F2F classes during typhoons and other calamities.In an interview last March 18, Jimenez said public and private school heads and principals have the discretion and are authorized to shift to modular classes “in cases of unfavorable weather and environment, such as, but not limited to, extremely high temperatures,” under DepEd Order 37 of 2022.The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) 7, for its part, welcomed the move of the 10 LGUs.In a statement sent to SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, ACT 7 president Cristopher Abrajano called on other LGUs to exercise their power to suspend classes given the urgency of the matter.He also called on the DepEd 7 to look into the welfare of teachers, saying they have received reports “from the ground that teachers are still made to report to schools to supposedly prepare the modules for parents to collect from school,” which, for them, defeats the logic of suspending F2F classes.Cebu City Schools Division superintendent Nimfa Bongo reminded school principals about their authority to suspend F2F classes due to the continued hot weather. She said F2F should be automatically suspended if the heat index reaches 40 degrees Celsius.Less retentionIn Mandaue City, the Local School Board (LSB) said it plans to adopt a blended learning approach for pupils in elementary and high schools during the last two months of school year (SY) 2023-2024. During an LSB meeting at the Mandaue Science High School in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia on Wednesday, Bianito Dagatan, DepEd Mandaue superintendent, suggested putting in place measures to ensure pupils are still able to effectively learn, as most of them tend to have less knowledge retention without teacher supervision.Mayor Jonas Cortes, who is the LSB chair, supported the idea of blended learning. He said the approach is ideal, especially since pupils are still recovering from the learning gaps caused by the Covid-19 pandemic during which they had to attend full modular classes.Modular learning is an individualized instruction that allows learners to use self-learning modules, either in print or digital format, depending on the pupil’s needs.The LSB said it might implement a blended class setup that will involve dividing students’ class time between F2F and modular classes, as well as shortening class times.This blended class setup may remain in place while the heat index, particularly in Cebu, remains high.Dagatan proposed shortening classes from six hours to three hours and using the remaining three hours for modular activities to be done at home. The classes will be divided into morning sessions from 6 to 9 a.m. and afternoon sessions from 3 to 6 p.m.He said pupils will attend F2F classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for their catch-up classes. They will have modular classes at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays.Concerns Dixie Ortiz, president of Mandaue’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA), was worried about the safety of elementary school pupils if they were to be dismissed at 9 a.m. Ortiz said most parents are already at work by this time, which means children will either have to walk home by themselves or get stuck in school waiting for their parents to fetch them.It will also be difficult for parents with children attending afternoon classes to send them to school, especially if they have work.There are also concerns regarding the lack of drinking water, which prompted the LSB to discuss the provision of at least two tabletop dispensers per floor. This will ensure pupils are well hydrated while attending F2F classes.Cortes announced plans to issue an executive order (EO) that will formalize a decision based on the recommendations of all involved stakeholders. Representatives from school divisions, PTAs, and other school personnel had until 3 p.m. Wednesday to discuss and present their suggestions, which will serve as basis for the mayor’s EO.Cortes said he also asked personnel of the Mandaue City College to discuss their plans and recommendations for blended learning for college students.DepEd orderDagatan said DepEd has issued an order authorizing school superintendents to halt F2F when the heat index reaches 40 degrees Celsius.Schools in Mandaue City continue to hold F2F classes since the heat index in the city has not climbed above 38 degrees Celsius. This week, the weather bureau Pagasa Mactan warned that the heat index in Cebu may reach 51 degrees Celsius in the coming months.Cortes assured that he would revise the EO if the humid weather worsened over time.“As much as we wanted to be reactive, we want to prioritize consultation because our DepEd personnel, principals, and superintendents have a better understanding of the situations in our schools,” he said.Due to the heat, DepEd will shorten SY 2023-2024. It was initially scheduled to end on June 14, but it will now end on May 31 to give way to the gradual return to the old school calendar.The fourth grading periodical test for the current school year will be conducted on May 16 and 17, and the closing or the end-of-school-year rites are slated on May 29, 30 and 31.Earlier this year, Jimenez said the decision to shift the school year’s start back to June was in response to numerous complaints regarding the challenges of conducting classes during the dry hot season that starts every March.SY 2024-2025 will start on July 29 and end on May 16, 2025. He said they will finally be able to revert to the June opening of classes again during the opening of SY 2025-2026 and the succeeding school years. The late start of the school year began in 2020, when the opening of classes was delayed to Oct. 5, taking into account the logistical challenges in areas facing mobility restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.SunStar Cebu earlier reported that when the heat index reaches 51 degrees Celsius, it can cause heat cramps and exhaustion, and prolongued exposure can lead to a heatstroke.Pagasa Visayas weather specialist Jhomer Eclarino attributed the increase in the heat index to the El Niño phenomenon and the ongoing dry, hot summer. He said Cebu typically experiences its highest temperatures in May. On May 31, 2010, also during an El Niño, Cebu recorded a surface temperature of 37 degrees Celsius and heat index of 49 degrees Celsius. / KJF, HIC Sports Betting sa Pilipinas . It’s always a good idea to take your time and make sure you’ve found the best online casino in the Philippines on the online gambling market that can give you what you want.

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IN THE continuing struggle for control over the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA)-installed officer-in-charge (OIC), John Dx Lapid, was barred from entering the MCWD office building in downtown Cebu City on Monday morning, while on the same day Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and seven mayors expressed their support for the MCWD officials who had been suspended by the LWUA.Lapid was able to enter only after general manger Edgar Donoso, the person whom Lapid was supposed to replace, issued a memorandum at 12:32 p.m. allowing Lapid to enter and to report to his post as division manager for customer care, but not as OIC.Lapid had been outside the MCWD building since 5:59 a.m. Lapid said the LWUA had instructed him not to leave the entrance of the basement parking of the MCWD building.Upon hearing of his plight, Cebu City Administrator Collin Rosell, along with City Budget Officer Jerone Castillo and City Legal Officer Carlo Vincent Gimena, arrived at the MCWD office to support Lapid in his appointment as OIC general manager.The LWUA appointed Lapid following its suspension of Donoso for 90 days last Friday, April 12. When Lapid finally entered the MCWD building, he called for a general assembly on the eighth floor. But only a few employees showed up.Lapid and the city officials went to the fifth floor to Donoso’s office, where a short confrontation occurred.MCWD secretary Jodelyn May Seno asked Rosell and Castillo to leave because they were city employees. The two ignored her, arguing that she had already been suspended by the LWUA.Members of the interim board installed by LWUA also arrived during the confrontation.Also present were Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) head Harold Alcontin and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office head Reymarr Hijara.At least 90 personnel from Task Force Kasaligan, along with CCDRRMO personnel, were deployed outside and inside the MCWD building.No entryDuring a press conference on Monday, MCWD chairman Jose Daluz III said they drafted a resolution barring Lapid and the interim board from the MCWD building.He said it was similar to the resolution Lapid started drafting to ban him, Donoso and the rest of his board, meaning Miguelito Pato and Seno, from entering.Daluz reiterated that the LWUA’s March 15 intervention that saw him, Pato and Seno suspended for six months, was illegal, arguing that it could only intervene if the MCWD defaulted financially on its loan, which it did not.“We only owe (LWUA) P13 million. We pay P65,000 every month, non-bearing interest. And we pay in advance,” he said in Cebuano.Daluz said the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel’s (OGCC) opinion regarding the LWUA’s actions was clear that LWUA could only intervene if there was a loan default. He said the LWUA did not abide by the OGCC’s opinion, as it had earlier promised.ResignDaluz also encouraged Lapid to resign from his post to show “decency,” saying that his acceptance of the OIC position was an act of “insubordination” towards his bosses.“I won’t resign,” Lapid responded.Lapid said he is a regular employee of the water district, adding that if they give him a show cause order he will answer it.He said if they fire him, then he will see what will happen.“I am not afraid because I firmly stand by my conviction that the LWUA has jurisdiction over a water district, not just MCWD, but all water districts,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.Lapid said the LWUA’s suspension of Donoso and the Daluz-led board was part of the due process.“Nibarog ta for the water district para mahuman ni tanan problema (I stood up for the water district so all these problems would end),” he said, referring to the struggle for control of MCWD.Donoso said he did not receive a copy of his suspension order.He also questioned why he was not afforded due time to explain his side.Donoso said the respect and hospitality they gave to LWUA have reached their limits.He reiterated that the LWUA’s takeover was unfounded and without due process.Employees, mayors back DaluzMeanwhile, Sammy Suson, president of the MCWD employees’ union with 583 members, said they do not support Lapid’s appointment as OIC general manager.“We will not recognize the intervention of the LWUA,” Suson said.Daniel Lim Jr., president of the non-regular employees’ union with 100 members, echoed his sentiment.Some local chief executives in Metro Cebu also expressed their support for the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Daluz, Donoso, Seno and suspended board vice chairman Pato met with Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado, Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño, Cordova Mayor Cesar Suan, Liloan Mayor Aljew Frasco, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia at the Capitol on Monday.During a press conference at the Capitol, the governor said the LWUA’s intervention was untimely, creating confusion among employees and consumers as the province faces the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. She said she had brokered an agreement between both parties that they must adhere to the legal opinion of the OGCC, which was released last April 2. Garcia said the LWUA misinterpreted the OGCC’s opinion in its favor, and pushed through with its partial intervention. She said if LWUA insists on interfering in the local water district, she may be forced to invoke Section 16 of Republic Act 7162, or the “General Welfare” clause of the Local Government Code, to ensure the status quo at the MCWD.“I may call on government agency or uniformed personnel to see to it that the General Welfare Board of the constituent of Cebu will be upheld and law will be upheld because all of us took a solemn oath to that,” Garcia said. The mayors backed Garcia’s statement, arguing that changing the administration of a government agency that serves water during a dry spell was unnecessary. The MCWD’s franchise area includes the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay, and the municipalities of Consolacion, Compostela, Cordova and Liloan. The mayors also condemned LWUA’s partial intervention as unlawful due to its invalid reasons and not following the OGCC opinion. Members of the Provincial Board (PB) and Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, were also at the meeting to support the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Garcia said the PB will pass a resolution to support the mayors’ plea. The LWUA suspended Daluz, Pato and Seno for six months starting March 15, to give way for its investigation on several issues at the MCWD. It suspended Donoso last April 12 for 90 days for continuing to defy the interim board’s request to turn over documents on MCWD’s transactions and failing to respond to a five-day notice to explain his decision. Gwen vs. RamaThis is not the first time that the governor has backed officials and agencies that are at odds with the Cebu City Government.Garcia also supported the Cebu Port Authority, and called out the City for ignoring the port authority’s territorial jurisdiction.Earlier in the year, she and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama also disagreed on the implementation of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project, which resulted in the mayor filing an administrative case against Garcia for “meddling” in the city’s project.Garcia had issued a cease and desist order against the contractor to stop the construction of a bus station near the Capitol building due to lack of a permit related to heritage zones.As for the conflict at the MCWD, it started when Rama fired the Daluz-led board. Daluz had said he would opt to wait for the LWUA’s intervention on the matter and abide by the agency’s order. But last March 15, when the LWUA informed Daluz and Donoso that it would intervene in the water district for six months and appoint an interim board to replace the Daluz-led board, Donoso wrote the OGCC for its opinion on the matter. When the OGCC released its opinion, the LWUA and Daluz interpreted it differently in their favor. LWUA speaks outIn a statement late Monday, LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga said that although the OGCC’s opinion cited Section 61 of Presidential Decree 198 (Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973), which talks of default in terms of payment of the principal or interest on a loan, the same section also provides that “default includes ‘other obligations to the Administration’ as another ground independent from the financial provisions.”“The 2015 Financial Assistance Contract (FAC) memorializes those obligations both financial and technical. In fact, that very document notes that any failure to deliver or comply with any obligation, promise or covenant is a situation of breach and default. Thus, for Mr. Daluz and company to claim that default ONLY pertains to loans is merely their own interpretation that they are desperately peddling to the public, and we fear, to the governor and mayors,” Salonga said.“The default on the part of MCWD pertains to its obligations under the FAC between MCWD and LWUA, wherein MCWD committed to perform the following:1. To comply with the provisions of PD 198 or other amendatory decrees, acts, or laws, and the rules, regulations, and standards established by LWUA. 2. To establish a leakage control program. within one year from the date of the FAC. Said program will identify the principal causes of water losses in MCWD, identify its precise location, and establish a priority schedule to minimize such losses. The leakage control program will establish and systematically maintain a record of its transmission and distribution systems and will develop procedures for the regular inspection and repair of distribution mains and service connections to achieve a water loss position that is satisfactory to LWUA. 3. To consult LWUA before it appoints or makes permanent its General Manager, whose appointment shall be subject to confirmation of LWUA. “The above violations constitute default on the part of MCWD under the 2015 FAC.”Furthermore, he said MCWD had a high NRW (non-revenue water), which had no marked improvement from year 2020 to 2022. The consistent rise in its NRW during this period resulted in an annual loss on revenue by an average of at least P117.759 million. “MCWD’s NRW steadily increased from 20.34 million cu.m. in 2020 (with a 25.26 percent NRW), to 24.542 million cu.m in 2021 (29.04 percent NRW), and 29.481 million cu. m in 2022 (32.67 percent NRW)” when, in fact, Salonga said, MCWD had committed to a 15 percent NRW rate for 2023, which it failed to achieve. From the FAC signing, MCWD has yet to come up with the measures, plans and results it had committed in the deal, Salonga said.BankruptAnother reason for the LWUA action of suspending the Daluz-led board is that “at the rate the procurement is going, at the prices they are contracting, LWUA fears that MCWD as a GOCC (government owned and controlled corporation) is going to go bankrupt soon.”The FAC also gives LWUA multiple options to address the violations of MCWD. “The preventive suspension of the members of the MCWD board was a tame response on the part of LWUA and merely a preliminary step to investigate the violations of the FAC,” he said. Due processSalonga said due process was complied with, as it provided the suspended MCWD board multiple opportunities to respond to the violations “through the issuances of the show cause order and final demand letter dated 20 March 2024, and 03 April 2024, respectively. The suspended MCWD failed to respond, and thereby deemed to have waived their right to be heard prior to the remedial actions of LWUA.”He said LWUA is performing its mandate under PD 198 by implementing the FAC to ensure the prudent use of public funds and the provision of basic services to the people. He asked the local chief executives of Cebu to reconsider their position “upon a careful study of the full state of facts.”“At this time where El Niño is present and no infrastructure work can be done due to strained political and community relations, there is no reason why LWUA should not act in the most expedient manner,” Salonga said. / EHP, AML, JJL, CTL licensed online casinos THE National Government has exceeded its expenditure target in 2023 by 2.1 percent due to the significant expansion in infrastructure and other capital outlays, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Wednesday, April 3, 2024.In a statement, the DBM said that based on the Cash Operations Report released by the Bureau of Treasury, the total disbursement of the National Government in 2023 amounted to P5.336 trillion, P176.6 billion or 3.4 percent higher than the 2022 outturns, P107.8 billion or 2.1 percent more than the full-year target.It said the increase was primarily driven by the “significant expansion” in infrastructure and other capital outlays that reached P1.2 trillion, 18.7 percent higher year-on-year, and up by 16.2 percent from the target.“The robust performance was likewise mainly credited to the accelerated program implementation and fund mobilization of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) during the last two quarters,” the DBM said.“This was also supported by the direct payments made by development partners for the implementation of foreign-assisted rail projects of the DOTr,” it added.The DBM noted that the infrastructure disbursements were recorded at P1.419 trillion, which is P140.5 billion or 11 percent higher year-on-year and P126.2 billion or 9.8 percent above the target.It said spending for current operating expenditures, such as personnel services and maintenance and other operating expenses, also improved on the back of catch-up spending of major social departments.“On the other hand, subsidy to government corporations was 18.4 percent (P36.9 billion) lower year-on-year and 23.8 percent (P51.0 billion) below the program, largely on account of the calibrated releases to the PhilHealth considering its favorable financial position and substantial cash holdings,” it added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)

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IN THE continuing struggle for control over the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA)-installed officer-in-charge (OIC), John Dx Lapid, was barred from entering the MCWD office building in downtown Cebu City on Monday morning, while on the same day Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and seven mayors expressed their support for the MCWD officials who had been suspended by the LWUA.Lapid was able to enter only after general manger Edgar Donoso, the person whom Lapid was supposed to replace, issued a memorandum at 12:32 p.m. allowing Lapid to enter and to report to his post as division manager for customer care, but not as OIC.Lapid had been outside the MCWD building since 5:59 a.m. Lapid said the LWUA had instructed him not to leave the entrance of the basement parking of the MCWD building.Upon hearing of his plight, Cebu City Administrator Collin Rosell, along with City Budget Officer Jerone Castillo and City Legal Officer Carlo Vincent Gimena, arrived at the MCWD office to support Lapid in his appointment as OIC general manager.The LWUA appointed Lapid following its suspension of Donoso for 90 days last Friday, April 12. When Lapid finally entered the MCWD building, he called for a general assembly on the eighth floor. But only a few employees showed up.Lapid and the city officials went to the fifth floor to Donoso’s office, where a short confrontation occurred.MCWD secretary Jodelyn May Seno asked Rosell and Castillo to leave because they were city employees. The two ignored her, arguing that she had already been suspended by the LWUA.Members of the interim board installed by LWUA also arrived during the confrontation.Also present were Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) head Harold Alcontin and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office head Reymarr Hijara.At least 90 personnel from Task Force Kasaligan, along with CCDRRMO personnel, were deployed outside and inside the MCWD building.No entryDuring a press conference on Monday, MCWD chairman Jose Daluz III said they drafted a resolution barring Lapid and the interim board from the MCWD building.He said it was similar to the resolution Lapid started drafting to ban him, Donoso and the rest of his board, meaning Miguelito Pato and Seno, from entering.Daluz reiterated that the LWUA’s March 15 intervention that saw him, Pato and Seno suspended for six months, was illegal, arguing that it could only intervene if the MCWD defaulted financially on its loan, which it did not.“We only owe (LWUA) P13 million. We pay P65,000 every month, non-bearing interest. And we pay in advance,” he said in Cebuano.Daluz said the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel’s (OGCC) opinion regarding the LWUA’s actions was clear that LWUA could only intervene if there was a loan default. He said the LWUA did not abide by the OGCC’s opinion, as it had earlier promised.ResignDaluz also encouraged Lapid to resign from his post to show “decency,” saying that his acceptance of the OIC position was an act of “insubordination” towards his bosses.“I won’t resign,” Lapid responded.Lapid said he is a regular employee of the water district, adding that if they give him a show cause order he will answer it.He said if they fire him, then he will see what will happen.“I am not afraid because I firmly stand by my conviction that the LWUA has jurisdiction over a water district, not just MCWD, but all water districts,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.Lapid said the LWUA’s suspension of Donoso and the Daluz-led board was part of the due process.“Nibarog ta for the water district para mahuman ni tanan problema (I stood up for the water district so all these problems would end),” he said, referring to the struggle for control of MCWD.Donoso said he did not receive a copy of his suspension order.He also questioned why he was not afforded due time to explain his side.Donoso said the respect and hospitality they gave to LWUA have reached their limits.He reiterated that the LWUA’s takeover was unfounded and without due process.Employees, mayors back DaluzMeanwhile, Sammy Suson, president of the MCWD employees’ union with 583 members, said they do not support Lapid’s appointment as OIC general manager.“We will not recognize the intervention of the LWUA,” Suson said.Daniel Lim Jr., president of the non-regular employees’ union with 100 members, echoed his sentiment.Some local chief executives in Metro Cebu also expressed their support for the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Daluz, Donoso, Seno and suspended board vice chairman Pato met with Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado, Compostela Mayor Felijur Quiño, Cordova Mayor Cesar Suan, Liloan Mayor Aljew Frasco, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia at the Capitol on Monday.During a press conference at the Capitol, the governor said the LWUA’s intervention was untimely, creating confusion among employees and consumers as the province faces the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. She said she had brokered an agreement between both parties that they must adhere to the legal opinion of the OGCC, which was released last April 2. Garcia said the LWUA misinterpreted the OGCC’s opinion in its favor, and pushed through with its partial intervention. She said if LWUA insists on interfering in the local water district, she may be forced to invoke Section 16 of Republic Act 7162, or the “General Welfare” clause of the Local Government Code, to ensure the status quo at the MCWD.“I may call on government agency or uniformed personnel to see to it that the General Welfare Board of the constituent of Cebu will be upheld and law will be upheld because all of us took a solemn oath to that,” Garcia said. The mayors backed Garcia’s statement, arguing that changing the administration of a government agency that serves water during a dry spell was unnecessary. The MCWD’s franchise area includes the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay, and the municipalities of Consolacion, Compostela, Cordova and Liloan. The mayors also condemned LWUA’s partial intervention as unlawful due to its invalid reasons and not following the OGCC opinion. Members of the Provincial Board (PB) and Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, were also at the meeting to support the Daluz-led board and Donoso.Garcia said the PB will pass a resolution to support the mayors’ plea. The LWUA suspended Daluz, Pato and Seno for six months starting March 15, to give way for its investigation on several issues at the MCWD. It suspended Donoso last April 12 for 90 days for continuing to defy the interim board’s request to turn over documents on MCWD’s transactions and failing to respond to a five-day notice to explain his decision. Gwen vs. RamaThis is not the first time that the governor has backed officials and agencies that are at odds with the Cebu City Government.Garcia also supported the Cebu Port Authority, and called out the City for ignoring the port authority’s territorial jurisdiction.Earlier in the year, she and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama also disagreed on the implementation of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project, which resulted in the mayor filing an administrative case against Garcia for “meddling” in the city’s project.Garcia had issued a cease and desist order against the contractor to stop the construction of a bus station near the Capitol building due to lack of a permit related to heritage zones.As for the conflict at the MCWD, it started when Rama fired the Daluz-led board. Daluz had said he would opt to wait for the LWUA’s intervention on the matter and abide by the agency’s order. But last March 15, when the LWUA informed Daluz and Donoso that it would intervene in the water district for six months and appoint an interim board to replace the Daluz-led board, Donoso wrote the OGCC for its opinion on the matter. When the OGCC released its opinion, the LWUA and Daluz interpreted it differently in their favor. LWUA speaks outIn a statement late Monday, LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga said that although the OGCC’s opinion cited Section 61 of Presidential Decree 198 (Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973), which talks of default in terms of payment of the principal or interest on a loan, the same section also provides that “default includes ‘other obligations to the Administration’ as another ground independent from the financial provisions.”“The 2015 Financial Assistance Contract (FAC) memorializes those obligations both financial and technical. In fact, that very document notes that any failure to deliver or comply with any obligation, promise or covenant is a situation of breach and default. Thus, for Mr. Daluz and company to claim that default ONLY pertains to loans is merely their own interpretation that they are desperately peddling to the public, and we fear, to the governor and mayors,” Salonga said.“The default on the part of MCWD pertains to its obligations under the FAC between MCWD and LWUA, wherein MCWD committed to perform the following:1. To comply with the provisions of PD 198 or other amendatory decrees, acts, or laws, and the rules, regulations, and standards established by LWUA. 2. To establish a leakage control program. within one year from the date of the FAC. Said program will identify the principal causes of water losses in MCWD, identify its precise location, and establish a priority schedule to minimize such losses. The leakage control program will establish and systematically maintain a record of its transmission and distribution systems and will develop procedures for the regular inspection and repair of distribution mains and service connections to achieve a water loss position that is satisfactory to LWUA. 3. To consult LWUA before it appoints or makes permanent its General Manager, whose appointment shall be subject to confirmation of LWUA. “The above violations constitute default on the part of MCWD under the 2015 FAC.”Furthermore, he said MCWD had a high NRW (non-revenue water), which had no marked improvement from year 2020 to 2022. The consistent rise in its NRW during this period resulted in an annual loss on revenue by an average of at least P117.759 million. “MCWD’s NRW steadily increased from 20.34 million cu.m. in 2020 (with a 25.26 percent NRW), to 24.542 million cu.m in 2021 (29.04 percent NRW), and 29.481 million cu. m in 2022 (32.67 percent NRW)” when, in fact, Salonga said, MCWD had committed to a 15 percent NRW rate for 2023, which it failed to achieve. From the FAC signing, MCWD has yet to come up with the measures, plans and results it had committed in the deal, Salonga said.BankruptAnother reason for the LWUA action of suspending the Daluz-led board is that “at the rate the procurement is going, at the prices they are contracting, LWUA fears that MCWD as a GOCC (government owned and controlled corporation) is going to go bankrupt soon.”The FAC also gives LWUA multiple options to address the violations of MCWD. “The preventive suspension of the members of the MCWD board was a tame response on the part of LWUA and merely a preliminary step to investigate the violations of the FAC,” he said. Due processSalonga said due process was complied with, as it provided the suspended MCWD board multiple opportunities to respond to the violations “through the issuances of the show cause order and final demand letter dated 20 March 2024, and 03 April 2024, respectively. The suspended MCWD failed to respond, and thereby deemed to have waived their right to be heard prior to the remedial actions of LWUA.”He said LWUA is performing its mandate under PD 198 by implementing the FAC to ensure the prudent use of public funds and the provision of basic services to the people. He asked the local chief executives of Cebu to reconsider their position “upon a careful study of the full state of facts.”“At this time where El Niño is present and no infrastructure work can be done due to strained political and community relations, there is no reason why LWUA should not act in the most expedient manner,” Salonga said. / EHP, AML, JJL, CTL What's the best way to bet on slots?

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Every top pick out of all online casinos has impressed with its extensive gaming catalogue. It contains representatives of most gambling products that players have grown accustomed to seeing. The numbers Sports Betting sa Pilipinas , all housed under one single gambling roof. Regardless of your choice, each venue will exceed expectations quantity-wise.

9 Do all online casinos in the Philippines take PayPal?

PayPal is one of the leading e-wallets What's the best way to bet on slots? online. It is always associated with legitimate platforms and can be used to charge up your mobile PH casino account while on the go, as well. Not all casinos accept it, but the recommended ones do and Filipinos can freely use it.

10 Do all PH online casinos offer secure deposits and withdrawals?

Similarly to the land-based casinos in the Philippines, the licensed digital gambling platforms also ensure that all monetary transactions coming in and out of players' accounts are extremely secured. This is ensured by the BetToWin Facebook Tagalog that back up and protect each deposit and withdrawal.

Conclusion – Find Trusted Online Casino Sites for Filipino Players

There are a lot of safe and reputable online casinos for players from the Philippines to enjoy, though sorting through them can be time-consuming. To make the task simple, our experts put together a list of the certified online casinos in the Philippines that have been tested and proven to offer satisfactory experiences. Here, you can take advantage of Sports Betting sa Pilipinas and plentiful payment options in a completely legal setting.

We hope that, by now, you feel safe in the knowledge that there are trustable Filipino online casinos to choose from. Whether you choose to play at the sites featured here or go in search of operators on your own, remember that every 7x24 FREE bonu, get Red Envelope will release in anytime in 2024!.

List of All Filipino Casinos

If, after all the information included on this page, you feel you need a quick refresher on the available casino sites – look no further! The table below will show you What's the best way to bet on slots? , along with their welcome bonuses for this year and a direct link to the offer. Philippines’s BetToWin Facebook Tagalog Sites