Wake-uppers:
Scene:
Consumers in Tagbilaran lined up last Friday to buy cheap rice from National
Food Authority (NFA) as sales and distribution resumed in the province. According to NFA-Bohol manager Maria Fe
Evasco, 40,000 sacks of rice arrived in Bohol last Tuesday from Cebu after four
months of non-availability of NFA rice in the market. The NFA rice is sold at P27 per kilo half a
price of the commercial rice. Evasco
explained that they had to limit 5 kilos being sold to an
individual a day so
many consumers could avail of the cheaper rice. “We have to limit it in the sense that we have
plenty of consumers in the locality for them to avail/buy of the low price NFA
rice, we have to institute the measure of limiting it to 5 kilos per customer
per day,” she said.
Ilocos Norte. Gov. Imee Marcos |
Scene: Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos was in Bohol
last week to attend the Acquaintance Party of the BIT-International College and
meet the members of the Marcos Loyalists Movement. She was met by Vice Governor Dionisio Balite,
Agriculture Central Visayas director Salvador Diputado, Donald Sevilla of Alyansang
Bol-anon para sa Kausaban (Abaka) and Balilihan Vice Mayor Roy Adonis
Olalo. Marcos also met Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, Jr at the event.
Marcos said she was thankful to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio for
including her in the list of senatorial candidates that will be endorsed by
regional political party Hugpong Ng
Pagbabago (HNP) in the May 2019 elections. She said she was in Bicol when
she heard the endorsement during the Bohol launching of Abaka which Duterte was
the guest speaker. Marcos said she has yet to decide if she would run for
senator in the 2019 midterm elections. “Napag-usapan sa pamilya na iba na
tatakbo baka hindi na si BongBong because he doesn’t want to abandon the
protest. (It was discussed in the family that another one should run, maybe not
BongBong) Maybe, I will be the one to run,” she said.
***
Marking the start of the
National Breastfeeding Month, more than 300 lactating mothers from Bohol
province simultaneously breastfed their babies for one minute yesterday, August
4 at the Island City Mall.
More than 300 lactating
mothers simultaneously breastfed their
babies for one minute during Saturday’s
“The Big Latch”
to mark the celebration of the National Breastfeeding
\Awareness
Month. Photo by Leo Udtohan
The event dubbed “The Big
Latch” was the first ever breastsfeeding advocacy in Bohol, according to
Dr. Suzette
Quiwag-Redillas, chair of the breastfeeding committee at Gov. Celestino
Gallares Memorial Hospital.
Dianne Pozon, 38, a
resident of Tagbilaran City, brought her three month-old son Joseph NiƱo to the
event.
“This is an event for all
mothers and families,” said Pozon, a mother of five.
Pozon believed that there
are many benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers.
“I believe it is still the
best source of nutrition and growth of infants,” she said. “Breastfeeding is still best for babies.”
After the simultaneous
latch-on, lactation experts, peer counselors, and breastfeeding advocacy
supporters shared the benefits and importance of breastfeeding to the mothers.
There were parlor games to
enliven the event.
***
Sen. Bam
Aquino validates sufferings of
ordinary
Boholanos due to TRAIN Law
Senator Paolo Benigno
“Bam” Aquino IV said he would be the voice of the ordinary citizens who were
directly affected under the tax reform program.
The Senator made the
remark last Thursday afternoon as he had a consultation meeting with market
vendors, fishermen, and other members of the sectoral groups at the Dao Public
Market in this city.
Sen. Bam Aquino |
Aquino listened to the
residents who shared their plight on the high prices of goods under the Tax
Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.
“Magiging madali lang ito sa akin kasi kasama ko kayo. Naghahanap po ako ng tapang mula po sa inyo. Hindi ako mawawalan ng lakas ng loob na ipaglalaban ito kahit mag-isa lang ako. Pero sa totoo lang po kahit mag-isa lang ako dun, hindi ako nag-iisa kasi kasama ko po kayo,” he told at least 60 attendees.
“Magiging madali lang ito sa akin kasi kasama ko kayo. Naghahanap po ako ng tapang mula po sa inyo. Hindi ako mawawalan ng lakas ng loob na ipaglalaban ito kahit mag-isa lang ako. Pero sa totoo lang po kahit mag-isa lang ako dun, hindi ako nag-iisa kasi kasama ko po kayo,” he told at least 60 attendees.
Aquino said he has
been pushing for the immediate suspension of the excise tax on petroleum
products to lessen the burden on the public.
And if Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson would like to talk at the senate as invited by Senator Nancy Binay as one of the resource persons in the next hearings to amend the charter, Aquino said Uson is welcomed at the senate.
And if Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson would like to talk at the senate as invited by Senator Nancy Binay as one of the resource persons in the next hearings to amend the charter, Aquino said Uson is welcomed at the senate.
“Well, lagi tayo nag-attend dun sa mga hearing sa federalismo
at sa pagpapalit ng constitution. I think si Senator Binay ang nag-invite sa
kanya. Maganda nga pumunta siya para
mapag-usapan dun,” said Aquino.
Tapping Uson in raising
awareness about federalism, Aquino found it awkward since Uson was known for
posting fake news in the social media.
“Pero ako, simple lang,
yung Constitutional Commission na kunin ang isang tao na madalas o
may track record ng pagbabanggit
ng fake news bilang spokesman nila parang hindi seryoso dun sa gusto nilang marating sa pagtuturo ng
constitution sa ating mga kababayan,” Aquino added.
He said a constitutional
expert would help to raise awareness of the proposed shift to a federal
government.
“Sana po ang kinuha nila
talagang constitutional expert. Marami
sa kanila ganun yung pagkakilala. Sana
hindi po tayo kumuha ng isang Asec na alam natin na makontroberysa dahil sa
paglalabas ng fake news in the past,” he said.
Uson has been criticized by netizens in the social media
for posting misleading information and inaccurate photos.
Benjie Oliva, a former
youth leader and administrator of the Cooperative Development Authority, said
that Aquino’s visit was able to validate the sufferings of the ordinary Filipino.
“Sen. Bam Aquino was able
to validate the sufferings of ordinary Filipinos brought by the high inflation
rate and the implementation of Train law particularly on the excise tax on fuel
during the Konsultahang Bayan held at Dao Public Market,” said Oliva.
Oliva added that Aquino’s
‘Bawas Presyo Bill’ filed at the Senate is a measure that would suspend the
implementation on the excise tax on fuel thereby lessening the burden of our
poor Filipino people.
“Sen. Aquino’s consumer
protection advocacy is a testament of his deep concern to the poor and
vulnerable sectors of society,” he added.
***
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