KCC brings Yeng Constantino and Rico the Magician to GenSan

In what seems to be a never-ending series of variety shows featuring Manila artists, for the month of August 2011, the KCC Mall of GenSan is bringing in two of ABS-CBN’s contract stars whom they discovered and nurtured after winning in separate talent-reality shows.

These are young singer-songwriter Yeng Constantino, Grand Winner of their Pinoy Dream Academy Season 1 and the funny Rico the Magician, a finalist of the recently concluded Pilipinas Got Talent Season 2.

Since this will be Yeng’s first time to perform in General Santos City, a star of her magnitude deserves no less than the GenSan Gymnasium at Barangay Lagao to serve as her concert stage when she performs there on August 21, 2011, Sunday at 6:00 pm.
Bariles was there a few weeks back for their latest show with the first set of Pilipinas Got Talent Season 2 winners and the whole coliseum was super jampacked!
This is actually a better plan than having it at their Convention Center which do not have enough seats for everyone.
To get a ticket to the Yeng Constantino concert at GenSan Gym aka Lagao Gym, one should purchase at least P300 worth of goods at their newly-renovated and expanded KCC Department Store.  Receipts may then be exchanged for concert tickets at their Redemption Booth inside the mall.

For more info, please call KCC Mall of GenSan at (083) 554-5555.

Wastewater Treatment Facility for GenSan Central Public Market now underway

General Santos City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio, a few weeks back in June 23, 2011, broke ground for the construction of the Wastewater Treatment Facility of the General Santos City Central Public Market.

This project was first mentioned in this blog in February 2008, when a MOA was signed by then Mayor Jun Acharon and then US Ambassador Kristie Kenny for the  “Preparation of the Detailed Engineering Design (DED) & Detailed Cost Plan for the Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) of the City Public Market”. Read that account by clicking here.

The facility is located at the clearing beside the old site of the city abattoir along the area of the Sarangani Bay known as Pearly Shells Beach, about 60 meters from Queen Tuna Park.

This Wastewater Treatment Facility Project of the local government unit of General Santos costing P8,000,000.00 is in partnership with DENR-EMB and EcoGov2.  It is meant to treat the wastewater passing through a drainage coming out from the Central Public Market before it is released into Sarangani Bay. By treating, the wastewater is disposed of harmful bacteria.

"UNVEILING THE PROJECT SIGNATURE WERE CITY ADMINISTRATOR JONG GONZALEZ, HIS ASSISTANT TEODY DUMAGAN, CITY COUNCILOR RICHARD ATENDIDO, ECOGOV 2 DEPUTY CHIEF OF PARTY REBECCA PAZ, MAYOR DARLENE ANTONINO-CUSTODIO & DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE OFFICE OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT OF USAID, MR. JOSEPH FOLTZ.

During the Groundbreaking ceremony, followed by the unveiling of the Project Signboard, in attendance with Mayor Darlene were Mr. Joseph Foltz, Deputy Chief of the Office of Energy & Environment of the USAID; Mr. Ed Karl Galing, Country Program Coordinator of the World Bank; Ms. Rebecca Paz, Deputy Chief of Party of EcoGov2; Dr. Rolando Metin, World Bank Consultant; Director Alfredo S. Pascual, DENR Regional Executive Director; Mr. Ruel Divino of CENRO Buayan; and, Mr. Eduardo Saladero of PENRO Sarangani.
They were joined by City Councilor Richard Atendido, City Administrator Jong Gonzalez, Assistant City Administrators Glenn Gonzales and Teody Dumagan.
Representative Jun Acharon of the First District of South Cotabato was represented by his Chief of Staff Atty. Paolo Acharon.

The Wasterwater Treatment Facility Project for the General Santos City Central Public Market will become operational by November 2011.  Next similar project to watch out for after this is the soon to be completed  GenSan Sanitary Landfill Project which had its own ground breaking in 2010.

More than enough evidence on multiple plunder case vs. Ampatuan – Pnoy

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/14 Apr) – Government prosecutors have more than enough evidence to pursue multiple counts of plunder charges against suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and several other officials in connection with the uncovered irregularities in the handling of the region’s funds, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III said here today.
The President said the government is inclined to pursue the plunder charges against Ampatuan as part of its ongoing efforts to usher in proper reforms to the impoverished region and help bring justice for the victims of the gruesome Maguindanao massacre.
He said the Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently studying various vital evidence against Ampatuan, who was earlier found by the Commission on Audit (COA) to have allegedly misused “not less than P1 billion” of ARMM’s funds in just about a year in office.
Mr. Aquino said COA has yet to complete its audit on the region’s funds and they expect to uncover more evidence of supposed fund misappropriations involving Ampatuan and other regional officials.
“This is just the start of the process. (I instructed) the DOJ to move faster in terms of the gathering of necessary evidence to facilitate the immediate filing of charges (against Ampatuan),” he said in a briefing after inspecting the P27-million biogas power generation facility here.
Ampatuan, who had been tagged as among the principal suspects in the November 23, 2009 Maguindanao massacre, started his first three-year term as ARMM governor in 2005 and was reelected for another term in 2008.
His second term as regional governor was cut short in December 2009 after he was arrested, along with his father (former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr.), brother Andal Jr. (former mayor of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao) and several other relatives in connection with the massacre.
Witnesses said the Ampatuans had planned the infamous massacre in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman in Ampatuan Maguindanao that killed 58 people, including 32 journalists.

Magnitude 5.1 quake hits Gen San

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit General Santos on Friday dawn.
The earthquake occurred at 12:11 a.m. on April 15 with a depth of 143.3 kilometers, according to the website of United States Geological Survey’s (USGS).
The epicenter was 119 kilometers from General Santos City in Mindanao region.

P500-M new investments eyed

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- An investment mission next month to the International Food Exposition (Ifex) in Manila is expected to generate P500 million worth of new investments for Central Mindanao region, a regional Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) official said.
The Economic Development Committee (EDC) of the Regional Development Council-12 earlier identified six focus industry clusters as a strategy to further enhance the area's development.


Ethel L. Gumana, DTI-Soccsksargen National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center chief, said Central Mindanao is among the featured regions in the Ifex slated on May 12 to 14.
"Our delegates [from the business community] hope to forge joint venture agreements with multinational firms during the business matching activity. There will also be project proposals to the different embassies," she said.
Gumana said the region's participation to the Ifex is in line with efforts to promote awareness of the area's business opportunities.
It also seeks to facilitate linkages between potential investors and project proponents and intensify networking with local and foreign business community and funding organization, she added.
Hopefully, this would lead to the influx of investments in the region and the creation of employment opportunities for the people of Soccsksargen, Gumana said.
The region straddles the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. The six focus industry clusters earlier identified by the EDC were coffee, muscovado, tourism (culture, adventure and Nature), processed fish, processed fruits, and Information and Communications Technology. The committee identified the clusters based on their potential market demand, regional coverage and social benefits.
Other products that were also recognized to have growth potentials in the region are palm oil, art crafts, crabs, corn, coconut, rice, processed meat and hogs.
Secretary Luwalhati R. Antonino, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda), earlier urged Mindanao producers to expand their markets to abroad, by forging marketing links or trade partnerships.
The regional investment mission would join the Ifex exposition with the support also of the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) program.
Under the oversight of Minda, the GEM program is one of the USAid-funded programs covered by the Mindanao Peace and Development Assistance agreement between the governments of the Philippines and the United States.
Gumana said they have gathered at least 20 projects from local government units and the private sector that will be presented to potential funders and investors during the forthcoming trade mission.

Aquino backs arming of state prosecutors

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Noting the dangers they face in convicting crooks, President Benigno C. Aquino III strongly backed the arming of state prosecutors, even telling them that they can learn from him. Aquino on Thursday disclosed that the Department of Justice, the Philippine National Police and the Prosecutors League of the Philippines (PLP) have already signed a memorandum of agreement that will prioritize the firearms licensing application of prosecutors.


The government is concerned about the safety of prosecutors, especially when taking high-profile cases, said Aquino, a gun enthusiast, during the 23rd PLP national convention here. It was Aquino's first presidential visit to this city.

"If you need a so-so [gun] instructor, I'm also willing to volunteer," the President said."We cannot allow mere intimidation to stop us all from doing our jobs," he added. Aquino said that security orientation seminars will be conducted for prosecutors in the different parts of the country through the European Union Philippine Justice Support program, with 50 of them already benefiting from the project also undertaken with the Justice department. On top of favoring gun-toting prosecutors, Aquino also urged them to resist the temptation of money. "Wag sana ninyong tularan ang iba na agad nababaliktad ang paninindigan oras na lapagan sila ng sako-sakong pera (Don't follow others who change their stance when offered by sacks of money)," he said.
The President claimed that under his 10-month old administration, the conviction rate of government prosecutors rose to 25 percent from just 14 percent under the previous Arroyo government, commending Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for the feat.

To further enhance the prosecutors' performance, Aquino said the Justice department's allocation for prosecution services were raised by more than P260 million in the 2011 General Appropriations Act. In a related development, the President said the budget for the Witness Protection Program was also increased by almost 80 percent to P151 million from P84 million in a bid to encourage people to stand against crooks. The amount could cover 640 witnesses or whistleblowers, he added.

Earlier, Malacanang has certified as one of its priority bills the Whistleblower’s Act.

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III visited General Santos City and Sarangani provinces on Thursday to attend four events.

The President arrived at Gensan airport around 9 a.m. and proceeded to the KCC Convention Center for the opening ceremony of the 23rd national convention of the Prosecutor's League of the Philippines.



Immediately after, Aquino went to Baluntay village in Alabel, Sarangani for the ceremonial turnover of the Banana Chips Processing Facility to the Baluntay Women's Association.




At 11:30 a.m., Aquino proceeded to the Bibiana Farms and Mills Inc. in Katangawan, General Santos City where he was briefed on the Philbio Alternative Power Generation Facility.

Aquino also reportedly met with Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Shamcey Supsup.