In today’s regular session, Hon. Eliezer “Ondoy” Borja, Chairman of the Committee on Peace, Public Order and Safety, submitted a resolution favoring the Anti-Criminality Action Plan of the City PNP.
Every year, the City PNP presents their Anti-Criminality Action Plan to the Sangguniang Panlungsod for the latter’s approval in order to put the said Anti-Criminality Action Plan to action.
The 13th Sangguniang Panlungsod, led by City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio S. Veloso, unanimously agreed that there is a need to strengthen the government’s campaign on anti-criminality, internal security and anti-terrorism in order to preempt and prevent nefarious activities and without much further ado approved the said resolution.

The Ordinance adopting the Tuberculosis Control Program to strengthen and support all activities of the program to attain a tuberculosis-free community was approved unanimously during the regular session, presided by City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio S. Veloso.
Committee on Health Chair Eliezer L. Borja, sponsor of said ordinance, recognizes that tuberculosis remains a major public health concern in the City and that it has an annual mortality rate of 0.08%.

The passage of the ordinance shall ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the City TB Control Program through allocation of sufficient funds for the City TB program, proper implementation of the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) and Directly Observed Treatment Short Course Chemotherapy (DOTS), investment for quality improvement and certification and accreditation of the LGU health facilities as DOTS centers, ensuring that the LGU supports the monitoring, supervision, evaluation, training requirements, and NTP drug supplies.

In response to the many complaints aired by concerned citizens through social media and by word of mouth, the City Government has reiterated the need to file a formal complaint. City Mayor John Geesnell “BABA” Yap emphasized the need to work together in order for the city to take the necessary action regarding erring tricycle drivers.
Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso likewise in a separate statement lauded Mayor Baba’s initiative to answer the Tagbilaranon’s clamor for action. He added that Ordinance C-211 Governing the Operation of Motorized Tricycles for Hire in the City of Tagbilaran provided the prohibited acts, the grounds for suspension and revocation of tricycle franchises and the penalties thereof. However, it is in the power of the Executive department under the City Mayor to execute and implement the laws crafted by the Sangguniang Panlungsod. With proper implementation and execution, our ordinances cease to become spineless laws.

Click here for the copy of the ordinance C-211-Motorized-Tricycle-Ordinance

In their effort to support the Duterte administration’s drive to eradicate illegal drugs, the City Government will be providing the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Bohol a 519 sq meter lot for the construction of a PDEA Office building.
The lot provided for by the City Government shall be located in Barangay Dampas, Tagbilaran City near the proposed site of the Tagbilaran City College. The PDEA Bohol shall be allowed to use the lot for 50 years. Currently, the PDEA office is located at K of C drive, Poblacion II, Tagbilaran adjacent to the Tagbilaran City Maritime Police.
This is not the first time that the City is allowing other national agencies to utilize the lots of Tagbilaran. It can also be recalled that last 2016, City Government also donated a lot near the City Hall Building to the Philippine National Police
The 13th Sangguniang Panlungsod, led by Presiding Officer Jose Antonio S. Veloso, unanimously approved the resolution sponsored by City Councilor Adam Jala, authorizing the City Mayor John Geesnell L. Yap II to enter into a usufruct agreement with the PDEA- Bohol.
Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso believes that providing our police force and the PDEA with ample space for their offices will help boost their morale in maintaining the peace and order of the City of Tagbilaran.

During last Friday’s regular session, the 13th Sangguniang Panlungsod, presided by Vice Mayor Jose Antonio S. Veloso, expressed their approval for City Development Council Executive Committee Resolution approving the re-alignment of Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Budget for the purchase of an ambulance boat.
CDRRM Officer Gerard Lavadia emphasized the need for the City to acquire an ambulance boat to improve the response efficiency of City Disaster Reduction Management Office and are essential in reducing scenes to hospital time especially during traffic rush hour.
Vice Mayor Toto agreed that boat ambulances operate as integral part of emergency response service. It can help our CDRRMO respond to medical emergencies and referral transport in areas that are better accessible by waterways than roadways.
Out of the 15 barangays of Tagbilaran City, there are 9 barangays along its coastline. Stretching from Barangay Bool in the South to Barangay Manga in the North with other coastal barangays Mansasa, Poblacion I, Poblacion 2, Cogon, Booy, Taloto and Ubujan. The ambulance boat would be particularly useful in responding to emergencies along these areas.

The members of the 13th Sangguniang Panlungsod unanimously approved the CDC Executive Committee Resolution No. 01-18, A Resolution approving the concreting of F. Enerio street at Barangay Dampas, Tagbilaran City submitted by the City Development Council during today’ session. The project which has an estimated cost of 7.2 million shall be funded by the savings from the 20% Development fund last 2017. The Annual Investment Plan for 2018 did not include the concreting of the F. Enerio Street as part of their priority projects which mostly focused on the drainages and concreting of more frequently travelled city streets. After adopting several cost-efficient measures, City government was able to save 7.2 million from the 20% Development fund. The CDC then decided that this savings should be used to concretize F. Enerio Street. After thorough deliberation, the Sangguniang Panlungsod members decided that the resolution would greatly benefit the Tagbilaranons and unanimously agreed to approve it. With the bang of his gavel, Vice Mayor Jose Antonio S. Veloso, signified the SP’s approval and gave their go signal for the CDC resolution.

February 14, Tagbilaran City  — During their third regular session, the 13^th Sangguniang Panlungsod, presided by Vice Mayor Jose Antonio “ Toto” S. Veloso, approved the resolution introduced by the Committee on Engineering and Public Works Chair Hon. Vicento Polinar. The resolution authorizes the City Mayor John Geesnell L. Yap II to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) concerning the installation of modern street lightings in the strategic areas in the City of Tagbilaran.

Engr. Felito Francisco from the City Engineer’s Office joined the session and provided details regarding the 14 million street lighting project to be undertaken jointly by the City and the DPWH. DPWH shall fund the project and the City shall shoulder all the operation and maintenance related expenses. The streetlights (solar lights) shall be installed on the City’s main streets from barangay Dampas to Bool, CPG East Avenue.

Hon. Agustinus Gonzaga commended the efforts of the City Engineers Office to install lights on the said areas which is well-known to be dark and dimly lit.  He further encouraged  Engr. Francisco to  install solar road studs along Carlos P. Garcia Avenue similar to the ones installed in Ma. Clara Street going to the Tagbilaran Seaport.

In support of the DPWH and City’s efforts to ensure the safety, comfort and convenience of the city’s residents especially during night time, the 13^th Sangguniang Panlungsod led by VM Toto unanimously approved the resolution With the installation of the streetlights, the City aims to further enhance the maintenance of peace and order in the community and security of the Tagbilaranons.

In a step to make Tagbilaran a smoke-free city, the 13th Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on final reading Proposed Ordinance No. 10-17 during the last legislative session for year 2017 on December 27. The anti-smoking ordinance bans smoking or vaping in public places across the city, and limits the use of cigarette including e-cigarettes and other similar devices only in designated places duly approved by the City Health Office. P.O. No. 10-17 is intended to strengthen the national government’s campaign against smoking which aims to protect public health by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke and encouraging smokers to quit. Tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke have long been identified as one of the leading causes of death, disease and disability in the country.

Other prohibited acts provided for under Section 5 of P.O. No 10-17 are the following:

1. For persons-in-charge to allow, abet or tolerate smoking or vaping in places enumerated in the preceding paragraph, outside of approved Designated Smoking Area;
2. Selling or distributing tobacco products and/or ENDS to minors;
3. Purchasing tobacco products and/or ENDS to minors;
4. Ordering, instructing or compelling a minor to use, light up, buy, sell, distribute, deliver, advertise or promote tobacco products and/or ENDS;
5. Selling or distributing tobacco products and/or ENDS in a school, public playground or other facility frequented by minors, offices of the Department of Health (DOH) and attached agencies, hospitals and health facilities, or within 100 meters from any point in the perimeter of these places;28
6. Selling of tobacco products and/or ENDS within premises of a government facility;
7. Selling tobacco products and/or ENDS without a municipal permit to sell tobacco products or ENDS;
8. Selling of tobacco products and/or ENDS as individual pieces or per stick, or in tobacco product packs containing less than 20 sticks/pieces;
9. Selling tobacco products and/or ENDS removed from its original product packaging or without the proper government-regulated and approved health warning;
10. Selling tobacco products and/or ENDS by ambulant or street vendors, including other mobile or temporary stalls, kiosks, stations or units;
11. Selling or distributing of sweets, snacks, toys or any other objects in the form of tobacco products which may appeal to minors29;
12. Placing cinema or outdoor advertisements of tobacco products and/or ENDS;
13. Placing, posting, displaying or distributing advertisement and promotional materials of tobacco products or ENDS, such as but not limited to leaflets, posters, display structures and other materials within an establishment when such establishment or its location is prohibited from selling tobacco products and/or ENDS;
14. Placing, posting, displaying or distributing advertisement and promotional materials of tobacco products or ENDS, such as but not limited to leaflets, posters, display structures and other materials that show a tobacco/ENDS brand’s name (including company name), logo or indicia, such as in a point- of- sale establishment, where minors are allowed entry;
15. Conducting promotional activities, campaigns, events, product sampling, and the like, where the establishments or its location is prohibited from selling or unauthorized to sell tobacco products and/ or ENDS, and/ or where minors are allowed entry;
16. Openly displaying and placing tobacco products and/ or ENDS in open store shelves/racks, except in enclosed, opaque and single-coloured storages/containments;
17. Facilitation, participation or partnership engaged by any government official or personnel, regardless of employment status (permanent, casual, contractual, job order, consultant or special appointment) in any form of contribution, sponsorship or corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity, event, program or project by a tobacco company, tobacco industry front groups, or any representation working to protect tobacco industry interests, executed for or within the territorial jurisdiction of the City Government of Tagbilaran, with the aim, effect or likely effect of promoting a tobacco products and/ or ENDS, its use either directly or indirectly.

P.O. No. 10-17 is sponsored by the Chairperson of the Committee on Health , Sanitation and Environmental Protection, City Councilor Eliezer Borja. It shall be submitted to the Office of the City Mayor for approval. Once approved, this smoke-free ordinance shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in newspaper of general circulation or posting in at least two (2) conspicuous places within the city.

In line with the city government’s thrust of bringing its services closer to the people, the 13th Sangguniang Panlungsod, led by City Vice- Mayor Jose Antonio S. Veloso, conducted another out-of-city-hall session today, December 15, 2017, at the Barangany Hall of Poblacion 1. The third legislative session of the City Council for the month of December was held jointly with the barangay session of the Sangguniang Pambarangay of Poblacion 1. Barangay Captain Arlene P. Karaan, together with the Barangay Kagawads, welcomed the presence of the City Councilors and took the opportunity to raise their issues and concerns.

Also in attendance were key City department heads who were invited to shed light on the issues presented. Among those that were discussed were the rehabilitation of roads, and the actions taken on the sinkhole along A.M. Torralba St. Engr. Noel Datahan from the City Egineering Office assured the barangay leaders that plans are underway for the repair of the roads within Poblacion I. An update on the status of the sinkhole was presented by CDRRMO Gerard Lavadia. The Sangguniang Panlungsod committed to continue to resolve these issues, as well as to expedite other requests for assistance from Poblacion 1.

To aid the barangay in the perfomance of their legislative functions, City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso handed over financial assistance in the amount of P75,000.00 to Punong Barangay Arlene Karaan. This amount is intended to strengthen the legislative capabilities of the barangay council, especially in the areas of research and data gathering for the effective formulation and implementation of barangay measures.

The 13th Sangguniang Panlungsod held its second out-of-city-hall-session today at Barangay Cabawan. The last regular session for the Month of November was conducted jointly with the barangay session of the Sangguniang Barangay of Cabawan. Present during the session were the members of the City Council led by City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso, and the Members of the Sangguniang Barangay of Cabawan headed by Barangay Captain Luis Coto.
These out-of-city-hall sessions, spearheaded by the Office of the City Vice Mayor, provide barangay constituents the opportunity to air out out issues and concerns in their area. The City Council intends to engage barangay residents in policy formulation in order to effectively thresh out and address these problems
To aid the barangay in the perfomance of their legislative functions, City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso handed overKagawads financial assistance in the amount of P75,000.00. This amount is intended to strengthen the legislative capabilities of the barangay council, especially in the areas of research and data gathering for the effective formulation and implementation of barangay measures.