New Dasureco BOD elected thru “People Power”

New Dasureco BOD elected thru “people power”
Written by Eldie S. Aguirre
Saturday, 15 November 2008
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originally posted at www.arcanemind.com
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More or less 20 thousand member/consumers of Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Dasureco) flocked to the main office in Barangay Cogon, this city on Saturday and elected new set of officers for the board of directors to man the cooperative.

Governor Douglas Cagas acted as presiding officer during the conduct of the election through “people power” outside the perimeter of Dasureco to unseat the existing board of directors who continuously hold their positions under an “expired” term of office.

The new set of officers is: Digos North – Mark Fernandez; Digos South – Leonardo Suario; Boy Mante – Malita/JAS; Margarito Geolina – Sta. Maria; Ludovico Abay-Abay – Kiblawan; Douglas Corpuz – Magsaysay; Flor Alupay – Bansalan; Danilo Dianga – Matanao; Corazon Calida – Hagonoy; Padok Miego – Padada; Jose Cambas – Sulop; and Melojean Paras – Malalag.

House Representative for the First District of Davao del Sur Marc Cagas sworn the newly elected directors into office before the mammoth crowd who joined the “people power.”

Jesus de la Victoria, Dasureco general manager allowed the newly inducted officers to the board room where an election of officers was conducted with the guidance Omar Mayo of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) legal division.

Leonardo Suario emerged as the new chairman and president of Dasureco board of directors.

Glenn Solana of Sta. Cruz town was not replaced since he is still serving his first term of office.

Suario said he would oppose any move to restructure the components of Dasureco personnel to avoid hampering the operation of the electric cooperative known to be one of the best in the country.

De la Victoria said he would abide with the decisions of the newly elected officers of the board being an ex-officio member.
“I welcome the decision of the majority of the member/consumers who wanted to change the composition of the board,” he said.

Mayo said the NEA will also heed on the decision of the majority of Dasureco members. “I am here to observe how the process of the elections. NEA will not intervene with what the members are doing.”

The board of directors under the leadership of Artemio Tajon has not been reached to comment on the election of officers to the Dasureco board of directors.

Tajon and other BODs maintained the other week they would not step down unless the case seeking for the nullity of the NEA Election Code of 1993 would not be resolved in court.

Regional Trial Court – Branch 18 Presiding Judge Marivic Daray issued a preliminary prohibitory injunction on year 2005 preventing Dasureco to hold an election before the main case would be resolved.

However, Governor Cagas insisted the regional trial court has no jurisdiction over the matter since NEA is a quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial body where cases could only be filed in a court higher than the RTC.


2008 ©

Bansalan Cooperative Day

By virtue of PROCLAMATION NO. 493 by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, the month of October has been declared as the Cooperative Month. As we all know, Cooperative is a legal association of people uniting themselves together to attain common goals in both social and economic aspects of development. In the province of Davao del, the cooperative month celebration was launched last October 1, 2008 at the Provincial Capitol Gymnasium , Matti Digos City with no less the Hon. Governor Douglas Ra. Cagas as the Guest Speaker.

In the different municipalities in the province, coop leaders, members and advocates have been doing activities to add color to the celebration. It is in this unified spirit that the Cooperative Movement in Bansalan will also celebrate the Bansalan Cooperative Day this coming October 30, 2008. . The whole day program will be held at the ABC Gym. In order to make the celebration more meaningful, a Holy Mass will be celebrated before the program proper. It is expected the all cooperative members in the locality will be joining the Coop Quiz Bee, Parlor Games and other events. The MBM Zonal Federation of Marketing Cooperatives had voluntarily donated One Head Cattle as the Major Prize for the quiz bee. Game mechanics shall be patterned after the well-known TV Show Pera o Bayong and Wowowee.

The Cooperative Day celebration will be spearheaded by the Local Government Unit of Bansalan in coordination the the Cooperative Development Authority, MBM Zofemco and the Municipal Cooperative Development Council. The program will start at a new time schedule known as THE COOP TIME. COOP TIME means starting and ending the activity as scheduled. Coop Time is the opposite of tardiness, it is the time to come early to talk about progress and development.

The 4 -day Dry Run of the One Way System

Last October 11, 2008 (Saturday ) many motorists were surprised to see " DO NOT ENTER SIGNAGES" in some parts of the Public Market. Traffic aids and officers were instructing the motorists to follow the new system correctly. It was a new system for the great majority. People were surprised about the new set up. Upon conversation with the traffic officers , they said they are conducting a dry run of the proposed one way system in the public market. The dry run will be for the period of four(4)days.

As a concern citizen, I took the initiative of documenting the traffic flow hoping that the same can help in the implementation of the new system. As a matter of fact, I submitted the said document to the Chairman of the SB Committee on Transportation a couple of minutes before the start of the committee hearing yesterday. I cited matters like: (a) traffic flow is quite impressive with the new system (b) consider the income of the business in the public market as well as the collection of the Economic Enterprise Management Office; (c) consider the reactions and comments of the tricycle drivers and passengers; and other details.

Yesterday (October 15, 2008), motorists were also surprised after seeing that the one way system has been suspended. The dry run had garnered diversified feedbacks from the public. It had revealed both advantages and disadvantages. Among the many things that is obvious is the reality that there was no massive information about the dry run per se. People were not aware that the new system was just experimental. Consequently, the suspension of the dry run also happenned very quickly. Traffic officers removed some of the DO NOT ENTER signages. Other signboards were just turned sidewards and the motorists begun to get confused. Some bus drivers were not aware that the one way system has already been suspended. This phenomenon had almost brought me to an accident last night.

A while ago, at around 6:00 PM I was nearly nearly hit by a Weena Bus coming from Davao City going to Cotabato . I entered the public market following the way of Viacrusis St. (fronting petron) because the DO NOT ENTER SIGN was not already installed in the that place. When I reached the curve section adjacent to the bridge and Centeno building, I noticed the same thing,…the DO NOT ENTER SIGN was not there anymore. Seeing this, I drove straight to the usual lane going to the terminal, when suddenly an air-conditioned Weena Bus going to Kidapawan also occupied the same lane. The bus driver thought that the one way system is still effective. On the other hand, I contemplated that the one way system was suspended because the DO NOT ENTER SIGNAGE were already removed. I had no other choice except to give way to prevent further trouble. Bystanders can testify that I was riding a white multivan with my wife as my sole passenger.

I immediately, asked the weena conductors and dispatchers if they were informed of the changes. The answer was NO. To my mind, I cannot blame my co- motorists because we were not properly informed regarding the result of the DRY RUN. In my conversation with other motorists, they pointed out that they do not even know that the One Way System is still a Dry Run.

I don’t simply give comments; I proposed alternatives because I believe that we all wanted a peaceful and well-developed local economy. My wife and I had almost lost our innocents lives a while ago. With this phenomenon, I am proposing these alternatives to our town's elected officials:

a. The public must be well informed regarding the duration of the dry run. Simple fliers and streamers may be posted and displayed in the conspicuous places to bring about awareness to the public, rather than just simply putting “DO not Enter” warning devices which are written in bond paper and cartolina using pentel pen . The public must be properly informed by means of announcement, posting and other related means.

b. Traffic officers and personel must coordinate with the management of the passenger buses and other motorists regarding the effectivity of the dry run as well as the suspension of the one way system to prevent accident.

c. All traffic warning devices shall be completely removed if a particular area is already open for entrance and exit rather than just simply turning them aside which may often create confusion to the public.

d. Traffic warning devices shall be presentable because they are government properties. Some of our DO NOT ENTER SIGNAGES are just written on bond papers and cartolina using marker pens.

I guess, the problem here is about COMMUNICATION GAP among the policy makers, traffic officers and personel and the public. I do believe that all of us deserved the right to be properly informed so as to prevent accidents and chaos. We should not place the lives of our people at risks. Laws and rules are designed to create order in the community. However, if they are not properly implemented, the exact opposite might possibly happen.

Accident Prone Area

Accidents and calamities may happen at any time, but they could be prevented if we anticipate their causes.

I had furnished the Barangay Council of Rizal, Bansalan Davao del Sur with a printed copy of my photo-documentation relevant to the safety of the motorists and commuters passing in the area near the Rizal Bridge. Several cases of accidents happened here in view of visibility problem. While trees are environmentally -friendly, yet, if it would cost the lives of many, then, what benefit can it bring to mankind?

Below is the list of my recommendations as frequent traveler and concern citizen:

1.trees should be pruned so that motorists coming from both north and south bounds can see each other;
2.bushes should be cut down to bring about better visibility;
3.“Accident Prone Area” signage should be placed in order to give warning to motorists.

While the design of the concreted road is not properly angled and the location of the bridge is “blind curve”, we can still make alternatives for safety purposes. Better visibility should be present by way of trimming down branches and cutting off the bushes.

The Cooperative Month Celebration

By virtue of PROCLAMATION NO. 493, the month of October has been declared as COOPERATIVE month. Pursuant to this, the Province of Davao del Sur, thru the Provincial Cooperative Development Council, had iniated the conduct of the Opening Salvo of the Cooperative Month Celebration. Last October 1, 2008, cooperative leaders and supporters came as one family as they open the cooperative month with a Thanksgiving Mass at the Provincial Capitol Gymnanium, Matti, Digos City.

It couldn't be denied that majority of the participants came from the Municipality of Bansalan. Records of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) reveals that there are 35 active cooperatives in Bansalan. These socio-economic institutions had succesfully participated to the said affair with the support of the Local Government Unit of Bansalan, the Municipal Cooperative Development Council and the Cooperative Development Authority.

Series of activities had been done to include; coop motorcade, coop banner raising, socio - cultural contest and the like. Bansalan's participation to the recently opened Cooperative Month opening salvo is another manifestation that cooperativism is very much alive in our town. It can be recalled that during recent celebration of the 56th Araw ng Bansalan, the cooperatives had also succesfully participated to the conduct of Agri-Trade Fair featuring coconut by-products.

This month's celebration carried the theme ; Cooperatives: Breaking thru barriers and beyond. In a situation where economic crisis is prevalent, people should unite to fight against poverty thru cooperativism. Cooperatives has to hurdle these barriers by way of doing business that will answer the common needs of its members.
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Kialegnon Festival

Magsaysay Davao del Sur is the nearest town next to Bansalan when it comes to geographical location. After the Bansaulog celebration of Bansalan, the Municipality of Magsaysay also will be celebrating the Kialegnon Festival. The festive event will be launched this September 24, 2008. Magsaysay, called by the locals as Kialeg, has been known for its inland resorts like the Encar, Kalapao and Kamonsilan.The Honorable Mayor Jess Lumanog together with town officials are hopeful that thru this festival, Magsaysay will be able to showcase the local products that will be about development in the local economy. Magsaysay is considered to be the rice granery of the province. The aromatic Magsaysay Rice (Magrice) is also grown and produce from Kialeg.

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BANSALAN CELEBRATES 56TH ANNIVESARY: "COLORFUL, LIVELY AND UNIQUE!" (By Henrylito D. Tacio )

This year's 56th anniversary of Bansalan, Davao del Sur – called Bansaulog (from the words "Bansalan" and "saulog," the Visayan term for celebration) was colorful, more unique, lively, and weeklong.

"Unlike the past celebrations, we are celebrating our town anniversary this year for one week," said Edwin Reyes, the town mayor. "Before, we only commemorate the celebration on the town's anniversary."

"Bansalan, Padayon sa Pinasahi nga Pag-uswag" was the theme of the celebration. "Our town is fast developing but we have to move further to fully develop," said Reyes, the youngest mayor of the town ever and a businessman. "I am hoping that by 2010, we will have improved economically."

Bansalan used to be a barrio of the municipality of Santa Cruz. When Digos (now the province's capital) became a town itself, Bansalan was part of it. The town lies 22 kilometers west of Digos.

On June 6, 1952, Bansalan was separated from Digos and under Executive Order No. 506 became a town itself. (In 1957, Matan-ao was created out of the territory of Bansalan. Ten years later, Magsaysay followed suit.) The Bagobos were the town's aborigines.

But it was not until Apolonio Ilagan, a captain in the Philippine Constabulary, that the town celebrated its anniversary. On September 18, 1952, Ilagan assumed office the town's first mayor.

How did the town get its name? Richard Ortiz, writing for the municipal comprehensive plan, recounted: "Datu Mandu, the adventurous tribal chieftain whose exploits were the first to have been recorded in the local historical data, established along the banks of the Miral River a village that grew so rapidly during his time. His successor, Datu Tumanas, relocated the settlement of his people to the nearby carambulig (a wide patch of cogonal meadows, where cultivation of crops and domestication of animals were started).

"It was Datu Tumanas who named the place Dansalan, after valiant Datu Dansalan who ruled the tribe some decades past and whose valor and chivalry were legends that came to be passed by word-of-mouth through generations."

But how Dansalan became Bansalan is an interesting story in itself. When Americans came to resettlement area, they asked the natives what the name of the place. They replied, "Dansalan." Ortiz surmised: "The initial plosive consonant must have been misheard by the Caucasians for they used the term 'Bansalan,' and the name stuck from then on."

However, the Provincial Tourism Development Plan has a different version: "Bansalan got its name from the one simple farmer named Bansalan who one day dug the earth in search of potable water to quench his thirst. Fortunately, he dug a spring which didn't satisfy his thirst but also his other companions. Rain widened the spring and the constant erosion of soil led to its formation into a creek, and later into a river. Bansalan did not live long. His companions, who were recipients of Bansalan's labor named the river after him."

As part of this year's celebration, Bansalan celebrated the event with street dancing, called "Sayo tut dalan." "Street dancing here is much better than in Digos," said a spectator.

According to Geraldine Batal, the municipal tourism officer, the first winner in the high school level (Category B) was Marber National High School, a grand slam since it won the top prize for three consecutive years.

The three other contenders settled for runner-ups: Nazareth High School, second; Don Pedro Arches Memorial High School, third; and Holy Cross College of Bansalan; fourth.

In the elementary level (Category A), there were six contenders. The best among them was Bansalan Central Elementary School. The runners were the elementary schools of New Clarin, Dolo, Villa-Doneza, Marber, and Kinuskusan.

Part of its unique celebration was the launching of its "one barangay, one product." And the town has chosen coconut as its pride. "Coconut has several uses and we found out that we can make several products out of it," said Julian Albores, the municipal agricultural officer.