We don’t want to spend our time criticizing the Honorable Representative of Mt. Province, Congressman Victor Dominguez because 1) he is getting old in years and 2) to be honest, we also admit that we grudgingly respect his achievements as a politician.
To have maintained a long political career — spanning from the 70s (?) to the 2ks — speaks of his ability to harness whatever political tools there are that one needs to remain in power or to win in the game of politics.
If there is one thing that online communications taught us, it is that you can do things cheaply. So why is the Department of Science and Technology proposing to spend P97.1 million (that’s a little over US$ 2 million) to build a tourism online database?
Granted we do not know the details of this project, but if the goal is to “build an online tourism database for Sagada and Banaue” and to “provide the medium for digital (travel) transactions directly from consumers to service providers” surely they can do it for much much less, say P500,000. Maybe P1 million to be a bit more generous. Boy, do we smell a fish?
From Sunstar Baguio:
Internet link for Sagada, Banaue proposed
Continue reading Project Watch: Tourism Online Database at P97.1 Million
Hey people of Baguio, do you know that your city government is a part-owner or a stockholder of the Pilipino Telephone Corporation (PILTEL)?
You don’t? Well you are not alone in not knowing because the city government itself also didn’t know — well, at least not until 2002 — that it is a PILTEL stockholder.
The task force created by the Kalinga provincial government to look into the land dispute in Rizal which led to the deaths of nine people has now issued its findings. Here’s a story by Estanislao Albano Jr. first published at the Manila Bulletin. The Philippine Information Agency has a similar report here.
Task force bares its findings on bloody Kalinga demolition
Says mayor’s order to demolish houses legally defective
By ESTANISLAO ALBANO JR.
Continue reading Rizal Tragedy: Task Force Malapiat Issues Findings
Over the past week, newspapers reported about the volatile situation in Kasibu, Nueva Vixcaya where some of our kailiyans are fighting to prevent the continued exploration of an Australian mining firm in their community. Details at the following links: Scores hurt as residents, militiamen clash at mine site; Aussie firm told to stop exploration; and Bishop steps in as Vizcaya mining row gets violent.
Although things have calmed down a bit, the situation remains volatile. If the mining company pursues its plan to build a mine in the area, there is the danger that succeeding news reports from Kasibu will not only be about clashes but about deaths and bloodshed.