General Santos City proposed as separate legislative district

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – South Cotabato officials are pushing for the separation of this city into a separate legislative district before the May 2013 midterm national and local elections.

Current legislative districts of South Cotabato province and General Santos City

Rep. Daisy Avance-Fuentes (South Cotabato, 2nd District) said Friday they are presently working for the referral to the committee on local government of House Bill (HB) 6038 or “an act reapportioning the composition of the first (1st) and second (2nd) legislative districts in the province of South Cotabato and thereby creating a new legislative district from such reapportionment” when Congress resumes its sessions next week.

She said they expect the committee to immediately schedule the hearings for the proposed measure, which was filed by Rep. Pedro Acharon Jr. (South Cotabato & Gen. Santos City, 1st District) last March 19. “Right now, our target is to have this bill passed and hold the first elections for the reconfigured districts in [May] 2013,” she said.

Fuentes, who is the bill’s co-author, said the measure mainly provides for the reapportioning of the present composition of South Cotabato’s first and second congressional or legislative districts.

She said the reconfiguration will pave the way for the creation of a separate or lone congressional district for this city.

 

The first district presently comprises this city and the municipalities of Tupi, Tampakan and Polomolok in South Cotabato. The second district is composed of Koronadal City and the municipalities of Tantangan, Banga, T’boli, Surallah, Sto.Nino, Norala and Lake Sebu in South Cotabato.

Under HB 6038, Fuentes said South Cotabato’s first district will be reshaped into the towns of Polomolok, Tupi, Tampakan and T’boli. Koronadal City and the six remaining towns will compose the province’s second district.

“We decided on this reconfiguration with the consideration of pushing later on for the creation of another separate district for Koronadal City,” she said.

Proposed reapportionment for South Cotabato province and General Santos City

Koronadal, which is a component city of South Cotabato, is the province’s capital and the seat of Region 12 or the Soccsksargen Region.

The city, which has a population of 538,086 based on the 2010 census, has long been classified as an independent and highly-urbanized locality but it has remained a part of South Cotabato’s first
congressional district.

It was originally a component of the undivided Cotabato empire province until Congress approved its charter in 1968.

Based on the 2010 census, the municipalities of Tupi, Tampakan and Polomolok of South Cotabato posted a combined population of 236,370, which is short of the 250,000 population requirement for the creation of a new congressional district.

The authors carved out T’boli town, which has a population of 79,175, from the second district to complete the population requirement.

Early last year, the South Cotabato provincial board passed Resolution No. 5, which sought for the separation of General Santos City from the province’s legislative configuration and the re-apportionment of the area’s existing districts.

Vice Gov. Elmo Tolosa, co-author of the resolution, said the proposal would significantly benefit the province in terms of increased allocation from the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund
or PDAF and guaranteed representation at the House of Representatives for local constituents.

Tolosa said they believe that being a first class province, there’s a need for South Cotabato to have more representation in Congress to cope with its rapid growth in terms of economic and social development.

With a population of 827,200 based on the 2010 census, the province’s total population was projected to reach around 851,000 this year based on its annual average growth rate of 1.46 percent.

Source: MindaNews

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South Cotabato Officials want separate Congressional District for General Santos City

South Cotabato officials want a separate congressional district for General Santos City. The ten-town, one-city province presently has two disctricts, with GenSan in the first.

In a resolution, the 13-person provincial board urged South Cotabato Representatives Pedro Acharon Jr. (1st district) and Daisy Avance-Fuentes (2nd dstrict) to push before the House of Representatives the immediate restructuring of the province’s current legislative set-up to complement the area’s socio-economic advances during the past years.

Board member Ernesto Catedral, chair of the board’s committee on justice and legal matters, said the move mainly seeks the separation of this city from the province’s first congressional district since it is already a chartered and highly-urbanized city.

General Santos City “has long been an independent or chartered city yet it remains a component city of the province in terms of congressional representation. I think it’s about time that this is properly threshed out because it also affects the development of the province,” Catedral said.

The city’s charter was approved by Congress 1968 but it has remained a part of South Cotabato’s first district, along with the municipalities of Polomolok, Tupi and Tampakan.

South Cotabato’s first congressional district is represented by Acharon, who is a former mayor of this city. The incumbent mayor, Darlene Antonino-Custodio, held the post for nine years or three until last year.

Catedral said that based on initial studies made by his committee, the three municipalities in the first district are already eligible in terms of the required income and population to comprise a
congressional district.

The towns of Polomolok and Tupi, which hosts the pineapple plantations of multinational firm Dole Philippines and other industrial companies, are presently among the province’s top income earners.

Tampakan town is currently the main base of foreign-backed mining firm Sagittarius Mines Inc., which is pursuing a large-scale copper and gold mining project in the area.

In the event General Santos City becomes a separate congressional district, Catedral said Polomolok, Tupi and Tampakan may automatically compose the first district, while maintaining a status quo in the second district.

The second district presently covers Koronadal City and the municipalities of Tantangan, Banga, Surallah, Norala, Sto. Nino, T’boli and Lake Sebu.

“We’re still studying this proposal but it so far appears very promising, considering the significant progress that we’ve gained these past years in the socio-economic and political fronts,” he said.

Catedral did not provide details of the realignment under the proposed three-district system but several proposals earlier came out regarding the possibility of creating a separate congressional district for Koronadal City and nearby Tantangan town.

The proposal cited the creation of another district for the municipalities of Banga, Surallah, Norala, Sto. Nino, T’boli and Lake Sebu, which currently comprise South Cotabato’s upper valley area.

“This will be a major break for the province once it materializes, given the prospects of having separate development funds for each district and enhanced representation in Congress,” he added.  

Source: MindaNews

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Dolefil: Leader in Halal Quality Assurance

Another reason to be proud of! The Islamic Da'wah Council of the Philippines Inc., (IDCP), has awarded Dolefil the prestigious HALAL Leadership award in the Fruit Products Category. Dolefil is one of the few selected companies to receive the award during the International Halal Assurance Seminar (IHAS) held last June 3, 2011 at the Hotel Inter-continental Manila, Makati City. The award was proudly accepted by Dr. Leo P. Balito and Jasmin Sodusta, both managers of Quality Assurance Division.

The HALAL Leadership Award is given to companies who consistently complies with the requirements and passed the rigid inspection and audit by IDCP. The company should also consistently maintain and sustain the Halal-approved production process and procurement of Halal-certified raw materials. The award, then, is a confirmation that Dolefil products are guaranteed, spiritually and scientifically, for genuineness, best quality, wholesomeness and cleanliness, and best fit for human consumption.

Halal Certified Products are known for human consumption with no unlawful component and uncontaminated against filth. Critical Control Points of and Compliance Criteria of Halal are compatible in Dolefil's food safety and health programs. The alignment of the two programs reinforces one another to produce an outstanding Halal Quality Management System in Dolefil.

The underlying principle of the Halal Quality Assurance is that the production of Halal Food is an integrated process involving several interconnected stages; each production stage should comply with the Halal requirements and guidelines set by the accrediting body, and packaging materials should prevent any chance of contamination of the Halal product.

IDCP is a Halal certification authority duly recognized by the World Halal Council to issue halal certificate to all products including halal food manufacturers, processed foods, meat and poultry, ingredients and flavors, cosmetics and other non-food products including packaging.

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Source: Dolefil News Vol. X Issue No. 4

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Dolefil Chairs for Trees Program

POLOMOLOK, SOUTH COTABATO - The Chairs for Trees Program is a part of Community Development Reciprocating Action Project of Dolefil, it started in the year 2003 in the partnership  between the company, the cooperative and the community itself. It utilizes the process of reciprocation, designed to protect the environment and sustain the available resources for future requirement of chairs in the community.

The chairs are manufactured by Unified Engineering and Manpower Services Multi-Purpose Cooperative from the company's wooden pallets, which are turned over by the company. Dolefil pays the cooperative 270.00PHP per chair fabricated. With the help of the Mahintana Foundaiton Inc., these chairs are evenly distributed to their beneficiaries, who are obliged - as a reciprocating action - to plant and grow one tree for every 10.00PHP worth of company assistance.

Dolefil also continues to use wooden pallets in its operation, and recycling these into useful school chairs in a relatively cheap production cost reinforces Dolefil's internal solid waste management scheme.

Dolefil, through Mahintana Foundation Inc., also regularly visit the planted trees; hence, the beneficiary may no longer request for additional chairs unless replanting is done to replace lost number of hills. As of this date, Dolefil's CSR Program released for about 1.4 million chairs and tables to it's beneficiaries which are the public schools and churches around the South Cotabato Province.

Of course, we cannot plant trees if there are no hills (other term for seedlings) coming from Mt. Matutum Federation of Marginal Farmers Association (MMFMFA), a cooperative which provides hills in different varieties of hills such as native guava, hagimit, jackfruit, yellow acacia, ilang-ilang, golden shower, balete, narra, avocado, bamboo and Norfolk pine trees. Though Norfolk pine trees are exclusively for Kalsangi Village purposes only. The cooperative are paid 1.75PHP for each hill and with this Dolefil helps the cooperative as well as the community.

 Furthermore, this project provides a sustainable source of income for the cooperative that manufactures the chairs and sells the seedlings for reforestation. This present a long-term benefit to the members of the cooperatives and their families who now have a steady income to meet their day-to-day needs.

Since 2003, Dolefil's Chairs-for-trees has served as a versatile and vital community development program that provides holistic progress in Dolefil's social landscape.

Thanks to Dolefil for aiding the community and for supporting South Cotabato Province as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Thanks to the following persons who made this Dolefil CSR Tour a successful one:

• Gwyn Ann Marie Ebol - Dolefil Communications Superintendent
• Mel Hernandez - Dolefil Human Resource Manager
• Kinmark Deypalan - UEMSMPC Representative

Thanks also to my SOCCSKSARGEN Bloggers family for inviting me to come to the Dolefil CSR Tour.

Photos by Rs Dee

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