Iligan Mayor Cruz requests DPWH P260-million infrastructure projects for 2012

Iligan City, Philippines - Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz requested the Department of Public Works and Highways for P260 million worth of infrastructure projects for Iligan City for 2012.

These include P50 million for the Iligan River Control Project, P50 million for the Mandulog River Control Project, P20 million for Iligan River dredging, P110 million for the Mahayahay – Tambacan Bridge and P30 million for the improvement of the Lambaguhon Access Road.

Mayor Cruz hopes that this request will be included in the final budget proposal of the DPWH for 2012 that is to be deliberated by the Regional Development Council in Cagayan de Oro today.

City Planning and Development Coordinator Architect Gil Balondo said that the RDC Chairman wrote a letter urging the DPWH to implement the P384 million additional allocations for the Iligan – Bukidnon Road project.

Balondo estimates that from 15 to 17 kilometer will be concreted using the allocated project fund.  [Melvin T. Anggot and Virgilio C. Garcia]

Ex-seminarians condem act of historian tourist-guide Carlos Celdran

We, the officers and members of the Philippine Alliance of X-Seminarians (PAX), a nationwide umbrella organization representing various federations of Catholic ex seminarians and Catholic seminary alumni organizations in the Philippines, do hereby declare:

1. That freedom of expression as enshrined in the Philippine Constitution is a democratic right of every citizen of the Republic, inviolable when exercised within the ambits of existing laws;

2. That religious freedom, the right of every citizen of the Republic to freely practice one's religious beliefs is likewise guaranteed in the provisions of our Constitution;

3.That all places of worship, churches, mosques and temples shall be revered as sacrosanct, holy and sacred houses of prayer and therefore should not be defiled or disturbed by any authority or individual;

4. That any disruption or disturbance during the celebration of the Holy Mass, regardless wherever it is celebrated, is a direct attack to the central faith of the Catholic Church and in violation of the religious freedoms of all its faithful;

5. That no citizen is endowed with such right to disrupt religious rites and ceremonies of any faith or creed, within their religious confines or in public places, whenever and wherever these rights and ceremonies are not prohibited by law;

6.That the actions of Mr. Carlos Celdran to disrupt the celebration of the Holy Mass at the Manila Cathedral, is an abject abuse of his right to freedom of expression, an affront to universally accepted social norms and decorum, and, most gravely, a desecration of the most sacred sacrament of the Catholic Faith ;

7. That while his right to freedom of expression is enshrined in Section 4, Article III of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, his condemnable action also violates Section 5, Article V of the very same Constitution;

Therefore, in the strongest possible terms, we condemn the actions of Mr. Carlos Celdran for desecrating a place of worship, the Manila Cathedral, and for disrupting a religious worship thereat, the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist on September 30, 2010. Such actions are devoid of good manners and social civility, disrespectful to an ongoing religious service, illegal, malicious and evil acts directed to a Faith, in total disregard to the hierarchy and church leaders present, and in violation of the rights of everyone participating therein to freely exercise their religious beliefs and creed.

We further condemn his cohorts for utterly condoning and supporting such acts, in brazen violation of the Philippine Constitution and existing laws.

Finally, we demand that Mr. Carlos Celdran and his cohorts apologize for their acts and make amends for their evil deeds, and resolve that they refrain from any such transgressions in the future.

- Philippine Aliance of X-Seminarians (PAX)