Sitoy has most resolutions for PB

THE Cebu Provincial Board (PB) approved 1,165 resolutions last year, of which 231 were authored by PB member Arleigh Sitoy.
Sitoy’s output, the highest in the PB, include a resolution asking municipal and city governments to impose sanctions on drivers of public utility vehicles (PUV) who use their smartphones while driving last August.
Sitoy said in jest that he worked so hard last year that he had to undergo heart surgery last December.
“I’m feeling okay now. I owe everything to God and in return, I will continue to do what I have been doing,” he told reporters yesterday. Sitoy also authored the most number of resolutions at 153 in 2013.
About 18 ordinances were enacted by the PB last year. These include the creation of the Cebu Provincial Sports Commission under the Governor’s Office sponsored by PB Member Raul Alcoseba.
The Provincial Youth Commission (PYC) was also created in 2014, through an ordinance authored by PB member Antonio Miguel Magpale.
An ordinance by Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale penalizing child sex tourism and other acts of exploitation of children was also approved in September last year.
The Provincial Anti-Truancy Ordinance, penalizing students who skip classes, was approved by the PB last October.
In terms of attendance, Jude Thaddeus Sybico attended 46 out of 47 sessions last year while Alex Binghay and Sun Shimura both missed 14. Absences incurred by board members were mostly attributed to “official business.”
Shimura said he attended meetings with congressmen or visited their districts which coincided with the board’s regular session, falling on every Monday of the month.
“It is better to go to your constituents than sit here and do nothing,” he told reporters yesterday.
Binghay said he has staffers who sit in the sessions to take down notes for him so he can be updated.
Vice Gov. Magpale attended 45 out of 47 sessions last year while PB Member Grecilda “Gigi” Sanchez attended 44. Board Member Julian Daan missed 12 sessions, mostly attributed to a leave, while Joven Mondigo missed 10 sessions due to “official business.”/Correspondent Victor Anthony V. Silva
Team to monitor Reproductive
Health Law programs
A REGIONAL implementation team (RIT) in Central Visayas will meet on February 27 to assess the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law.
The team is composed of representatives from the Department of Health (DOH), the Population Commission (PopCom), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG-7), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-7) and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
Also part of the team are representatives from local government units (LGUs), the regional development council and civil society organizations.
PopCom Regional Director lawyer Bruce Ragas said the RIT will hold orientations on the law in every town in Cebu. She said the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) approved a resolution urging LGUs in the province to appoint their population officer.
Based on the administrative order signed by Acting Health Secretary Dr. Janette Loreto Garin, the RIT will manage the dissemination and implementation of all programs covering the law. The RIT will also coordinate the actions of the regional agencies in the areas of policy development, capacity-building, advocacy, education, information, health service delivery, field operations, and monitoring and evaluation./Correspondent Michelle Joy L. Padayhag