Zamboanga City Government News Bits March 18, 2015

Mayor Beng Climaco today spearheaded the Dia del Alcalde outreach mission in Barangay Lapakan serving over 400 mostly indigent residents. The services included medical consultations, dental services to include basic medicines and vitamins for children, farming and agri-tech demo, veterinary services, civil registration and other services, all free of charges. The Mayor also unveiled 3 infrastructure projects worth P6 million that included farm-to-market roads and drainage systems.

The City Legal Office has started evaluating records of the 42 suspected Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members charged with involvement in the 2013 Zamboanga siege, but were recently cleared and released by the Pasig Regional Trial Court due to lack of evidence. The evaluation of records is purposely to check if there are pieces of evidence that merit the refilling of cases.
The Protected Area and Ecotourism Management Board approved last Friday the implementation of a coral reef rehabilitation project on Sta. Cruz Island. To be spearheaded jointly by the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology and the Sangkalikasan Producers Cooperative, the project, entitled “Application of Coral Transplantation Technology to Harness Potentials of Sta. Cruz Islands for Underwater Tourism and Improved Productivity of the Coral Reef Resources”, will involve transplanting 10,000 live coral fragments and setting-up 10 coral nursery units using transplanting technologies approved by the Department of Science and Technology.
Tricycle Adjudication Board Chairman Atty. Jesus Carbon calls on the different tricycle associations in the city to police their own ranks and help in the effort not to place Zamboanga City in a bad light. This, as criticisms and complaints against erring and abusive tricycle drivers continue to mount. Some sectors even brand these drivers as ‘highway vultures’ for their practice of overcharging fares.
Executive Order BC 101-2015 authorizes the temporary parking of vehicles at La Purisima and Nuñez Streets for the duration of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University commencement exercises on March 17 (7 a.m.-12 nn), March 18 (1 p.m.-7 p.m.), March 19 (1 p.m.-7 p.m.) and March 21 (12 nn-9 p.m.). Specifically, areas covered are La Purisima Street from its junction with Gov. Alvarez to its junction with Campaner St. (Westside single parallel parking) and Nuñez St. with its junction with Gov. Alvarez to its junction with P. Rodriguez St.