www.punto.com.ph P 10.00 Central V 13 P N 26 unto! M - S+ D 30, 2019 - J 4, 2020 PANANAW NG MALAYANG PILIPINO! Luzon DOH says fi reworks injuries down 35% BISHOP TO LAITY CITY OF SAN FER- 21, 2019 to Jan. 1, 2020, injuries,” Health Secre- each from Marikina and NANDO – No stray bul- the DOH registered 164 tary Francisco Duque Las Piñas. The NCR Be hardworking, let injury. No case of fi reworks-related inju- III said in a news state- registered a 16 percent fi reworks ingestion. No ries – 87 cases lower ment. decrease in the number death reported. than the 251 reported The National Capi- of injuries compared to At the close of the for the same period last tal Region had the most last year. holy to be successful fi rst day of 2020, the year – and 71 percent cases at 84, followed Of the victims, males Department of Health lower than the 403 aver- by Calabarzon with 13, comprise 70 percent B8 E);& B. E,")<& said, noting even a 35 age for the fi ve-year pe- Ilocos Region with 12, of all reported injuries, percent decrease in fi re- riod from 2014-2018. Central Luzon with 11, their age range from 1 to BALANGA CITY -- The prelate of the Diocese of works-related injuries. “We were able to re- and Cagayan Valley and 71. Sixty three percent Balanga enjoined the laity to be hardworking and This, even as the agen- duce cases by as much Western Visayas both (104 cases) of the inju- holy to be successful in life in 2020 and years to cy cautioned the public as 35 percent, this is in- registering 10. ries were among those come. that the numbers may deed a welcome devel- Of the NCR cases, aged under 15 years. “Put into practice the maxim that is ‘nasa Diy- still increase due to “late opment but we will not 27 came from Manila, Per the DOH report, os ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa’. Do something consultation.” stop until we achieve 19 from Quezon City, the top fi reworks that P*/& 6 5#&*7& For the period Dec. zero fi reworks related 9 from Mandaluyong, 7 P*/& 6 5#&*7& Asia’s biggest cruise ship makes maiden call in Subic B8 M#"$ D$)/"/ UBIC BAY FREEPORT – MS Spectrum of the Seas, known Sas the largest cruise ship operating in Asia today, made its maiden port call here on Friday, capping Subic Bay Freeport’s stellar performance this year as the region’s emerging cruise ship destination. P*/& 6 5#&*7& 7 dead in New Year’s road mishap B8 A7=#&8 M*)*'*+ for the City of San Fer- nando lost control after MS Spectrum of the Seas, the biggest cruise liner operating in Asia, docks at the Alava Wharf LUBAO, Pampanga – being hit by the pickup in the Subic Bay Freeport. SBMA chair and administrator Wilma T. Eisma personally welcomes Tragedy struck on New truck and landed on its cruise ship passengers with lei. P !"!# % M'(!) D)*+!+ Year’s Day in Baran- side on the other lane gay San Agustin here where it was hit by the claiming seven lives in oncoming fl atbed truck. a vehicular accident in- The jeepney had 22 Converge ICT to spend volving a pickup truck, a passengers and sev- passenger jeepney and en of them, including a a fl atbed truck. child, were pronounced Based on the CCTV dead on arrival in a footage of Barangay nearby hospital where $600M in its expansion San Agustin, the pas- they were brought. senger jeepney bound As of press time, CONVERGE ICT solu- $600 million mark. The Converge ICT is year. “Our plan is to link Lt. Col. Michael John tions will spend $600 project will double the building a $1.8-billion in- the country’s main is- Riego, chief of police, million in its expansion in company’s subscribers ternet backbone across lands by domestic cable said investigation was 2020 as it rolls out high- to one million by next the country along with via 20 landing stations. still ongoing. He de- speed data connection year, he said. partners KT Corp of We are also in talks with clined further comment to underserved areas in “We are expanding South Korea and LSI-Fi- International submarine saying he was still a in a the country. aggressively” so we can bernet Konstruk Corpo- cable companies so we meeting with Mayor Es- Dennis Anthony Uy, hit that one million mark. ration, a Filipino-Korean can complete our proj- mie G. Pineda. president and CEO said It will also help increase venture. ects, Uy added. The driver of the the expansion is up by our revenue to P20 bil- Uy said that the Lu- Just last Septem- pickup was identifi ed as 50 percent compared lion this year, double our zon backbone will be ber, Converge ICT got P*/& 6 5#&*7& to 2019 that will hit the sales from 2019, Uy said. completed early this P*/& 6 5#&*7& Ping Lacson sees end to ‘disconnect’ depriving far-fl ung LGUs of funding 2020 MAY fi nally mark the be- Yet, local government units, said members of Congress, get the funding for the projects the funding of projects that did ginning of the end for the “dis- especially those in far-fl ung ar- particularly district represen- that will address their needs not undergo proper planning, connect” that has shut out eas, are in the best position to tatives, can still play an active and priorities,” he added. which in turn result in low bud- far-fl ung towns and provinces know their constituents’ needs role in pushing worthy local Lacson has been advocat- get utilization. from much-needed funding for and priorities,” said Lacson, development projects by tak- ing for empowering LGUs to Because of this, he reit- their development programs, an untiring watchdog of the ing part in meetings of Local pursue key development proj- erated Filipinos must remain Sen. Panfi lo M. Lacson said. national budget an advocate Development Councils, where ects, by providing them with vigilant against abuses in the Lacson said he has high of local government empow- they are members. They can much-needed funding. In the budget, and report them to the hopes for the Department of erment. then shepherd the projects 18th Congress, he re-fi led the authorities concerned. Budget and Management’s “I am thankful to DBM Sec- once the NEP is submitted to Budget Reform for Village Em- “As I have repeatedly been policy to require agencies to retary Wendel Avisado for re- Congress. powerment (BRAVE) Act of emphasizing, the national bud- secure certifi cations from Re- quiring agencies to obtain cer- “Under the Local Govern- 2019, which guarantees an get is the lifeblood of the econ- gional Development Councils tifi cations from RDCs to make ment Code, district represen- annual Local Development omy, if not the country itself. for projects to be included in sure projects have local sup- tatives can help shape priority Fund to help LGUs in provinc- No government or no nation the proposed national budget port. This is a step in the right projects for their towns, cities es, cities, towns and baran- will survive without its healthy for 2021. direction that we must follow,” or provinces by taking part in gays implement their three- components and circulation,” “For the P4.1-trillion bud- he added. the Local Development Coun- year Comprehensive Develop- Lacson stressed. get for 2020, projects initiat- Lacson noted Avisado had cils,” he said. ment Plans. “If we turn a blind eye, wa- ed by the Regional Develop- informed him that he ordered “What is important is to Meanwhile, Lacson voiced ver in fear of intimidation, give ment Councils accounted for certifi cations ahead of the bud- end this big disconnect be- hopes 2020 will fi nally mark in to pressure – we will leave only 25 percent of develop- get call for 2021. This means tween the needs and priorities the beginning of the end as nothing behind to the future ment projects in the National departments seeking funding of LGUs and the national bud- well of attempts to manipu- generations that would come Expenditure Program or the for projects need to submit get. So long as this disconnect late the budget to accommo- after us,” he added. President’s Budget that forms certifi cation from the RDCs. exists, poor provinces will get date the interest of the chosen – Offi ce of Sen. Panfi lo the basis of the budget bill. On the other hand, Lacson poorer because they cannot few. Such attempts have led to “Ping” Lacson Bizman held, 6 hurt in New Year revelry B• A••••• M. G•!••" the sparkler he was playing with friends at about 2:30 a.m. CABANATUAN CITY – A busi- Wednesday suddenly explod- nessman was arrested for al- ed. Job, meanwhile, was hurt legedly fi ring a pistol while fi ve when the “luces” he was also persons, including three mi- playing exploded at about 9:30 nors, were hurt during New p.m. Tuesday. Year revelries in diff erent parts Paul was picking unex- of Nueva Ecija. ploded fi recrackers when his Gian Carlo de Guzman, 32, mother went to stop him. But single and resident of Consue- a fi recracker just exploded and DAY lo Subd., Barangay Bayani- hit them both in the hands, han, Gapan City was held for prompting responders to rush allegedly fi ring a .9mm at Del them to San Jose City General Coro St., Barangay San Vicen- Hospital which in turn referred TUPAD.