Newsline Tarlac

16/07/2025

Editorial

The Morning After

‘There’s got to be a morning after,’ or so a popular song says.

This should likewise be a guiding line for members of the City Council of Tarlac when they failed to override the veto on the 2025 Budget by former Mayor Cristy Angeles.

Yes, Virginia, among the last official acts of Ex-Mayor Angeles was to veto the very budget she proposed and sought approval from the City Council.

Lest we forget, this budget was the subject of heated arguments and divisiveness among the members of the City Council prior to the May elections.

What the NPC Councilors who are the majority bloc then were inquiring about were double entries in the proposed budget. Minus these, they approved the budget.

On her last day in office, Ex-Mayor Angeles exercised her veto powers leaving the incoming administration in limbo.

Much like the President of the Philippines, veto powers belong to the executive. It is a constitutional right to reject a proposal made by a law- making body such as the senate. Translated on a local level this means a mayor can reject what was already approved by the City Council.

A budget however emanates from the executive as implementor of everything that the city needs to spend on. Projects proposed by the barangays are included in this executive budget.

Our government structure is such, that, while the executive spends, it is the legislative body that holds the purse, being so, any money drawn from the government coffers should be backed by an appropriation ordinance from this body.

The legislative body or city council for this matter, is also clothed with an oversight power. It is a function bestowed on them to look into how the funds were spent i.e, -- were they spent on projects and programs as defined in the budget? If so. were they spent judiciously?

Yesterday, July 15, 2025, the City Council had its first official session.

Despite the shift in the majority bloc of the council, expectations were high, that the new city council will override ex-Mayor Cristy Angeles’ veto of the 2025 budget, BUT THEY DID NOT.

This, amid calls for unity coming from both sides of the political spectrum now pervading in the City -- best expressed during the turn over ceremony of the City to the administration of Mayor Susan Yap last June 30, 2025 and during the first flag ceremony held last July 7, 2025; on the other side, Vice Mayor KT Angeles-Go, expressed the need to unite during the inaugural session of the City Council held the same week to which Mayor Yap was invited and to which she attended.

Other than political vendetta, we find no rhyme nor rea*on for the former Mayor’s veto of the very budget she proposed- especially so, that she is no longer Mayor day after she rejected it.

But, as we reel away from the pains of the past election towards a healing process, the new city council should take another look of what lies ahead in the service of their constituents, the People of Tarlac City.

So, what lies the morning after then? The song completes a vision. To the City Council of Tarlac, this is for you:

“We have a chance to find the sunshine.
Let’s keep on looking for the light.”

22/05/2025

Finally, the COA fraud audit report is officially disclosed at the Tarlac City Council through the privilege speech of re-electionist councilor Emy Ladera-Facunla. This belies the election propaganda of trolls and purveyors of fake news that there is no COA fraud audit report at the same time strengthens the belief that trolls were engaged to spread lies by those who were benefitted by such lies. So here.

09/05/2025

By Henry Empeño | May 9, 2025 THE Commission on Audit (COA) has disallowed P50.8-million worth of medicine purchases and P45.6 million in infrastructure projects undertaken by the Tarlac City gover…

09/05/2025

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte — Tarlac City local government has been flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) for different issues regarding the purchase of medicines — from overpricing items, failure

07/05/2025

STOP THE LIES! The 10-vol.Tarlac City Fraud Audit of COA is not fake news. It is real. Demand transparency & accountability.The people have the right to know.

03/05/2025

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?
Kanta yan pero sino ba nagpalabas ng a*o para mangailangan ng 36 milyon taon taon para sa anti rabies vaccine? Tama si Counci Emy. Marapat busisiin ang budget. Kasi, yung vaccines for dog bites reimbursable yan ng Philhealth which means good management ang kailangan to sustain ang availability ng funds to buy the vaccines. Di dapat na ma-zero out yan at laanan ng huge budget. Kasi may binabalik dapat ang philhealth na pwedeng roll over for succeeding procurement. Also ang national stats for dog bites ay 13,000 per 100,000 population at its highest but this had gone down to 900 since the enactment of the anti-rabies law.Taking the natl average vis a vis the city population ilang tao nakakagat ng a*o bawat taon? Vaccines cost P1,300/ vial. Ilang tao ang gagamit sa isang vial? Bawat victim 3x dapat pa-inject. Nangyayari ba ito? Last i heard sa una lang libre. Is this true? If rabies had to be eradicated, nip it at the source. Yung mga a*o din injectionan. Kasi sa P300 per vial 10 a*o na mabigyan ng anti rabies vaccine. Nways Just do the math...arf arf..

03/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DQnZotuJ5/

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?
Kanta yan pero sino ba nagpalabas ng a*o para mangailangan ng 36 milyon taon taon para sa anti rabies vaccine? Tama si Counci Emy. Marapat busisiin ang budget. Kasi, yung vaccines for dog bites reimbursable yan ng Philhealth which means good management ang kailangan to sustain ang availability ng funds to buy the vaccines. Di dapat na ma-zero out yan at laanan ng huge budget. Kasi may binabalik dapat ang philhealth na pwedeng roll over for succeeding procurement. Also ang national stats for dog bites ay 13,000 per 100,000 population at its highest but this had gone down to 900 since the enactment of the anti-rabies law.Taking the natl average vis a vis the city population ilang tao nakakagat ng a*o bawat taon? Vaccines cost P1,300/ vial. Ilang tao ang gagamit sa isang vial? Bawat victim 3x dapat pa-inject. Nangyayari ba ito? Last i heard sa una lang libre. Is this true? If rabbies had to be eradicated, nip it at the source. Yung mga a*o din injectionan. Kasi sa P300 per vial 10 a*o na mabigyan ng anti rabies vaccine. Nways Just do the math...arf arf..

07/04/2025

Mayap a Lunes Tarlaqueños!

Isa sa mga pangunahing adbokasiya ng Team Mayap ay ang mabigyan ng pagkakataon ang bawat Tarlakenyo na magkaroon ng maayos at sapat na pagkakakitaan. Dahil dito, kami ay patuloy na gumagawa at nagpapatupad ng mga programang nakatuon sa human development—isang mahalagang sandata tungo sa mas produktibo at mas empowered na mamamayan ng Tarlac, na hindi na lamang aasa sa ayuda kundi magiging aktibong bahagi ng pag-unlad ng ating lalawigan.

07/04/2025

12/12/2024

Jo M. Clemente

12/12/2024

Freespirit
By: Jo Z.Martinez-Clemente

ON ISSUES OF RESIDENCY

I am reviving my column of years ago, today, as I can no longer let pass the misinformation/disinformation flooding social media particularly those being posted by propagandists from my home province.

As both a journalist and a lawyer, my patience is truly wearing off. I believe these misinformation are either deliberate attempts at misleading our provincemates or plain ignorance of these political hecklers or both.

So, what constitutes residency? Let’s simplify by differentiating Domiciliary from Residency first.

Article 50 of our Civil Code, says that" for the exercise of civil rights and the fulfillment of civil obligations, the domicile of natural persons is their place of habitual residence,” The Supreme Court had also repeatedly said that the concept of domicile is to mean as an individual’s "permanent home," "a place to which, whenever absent for business or for pleasure, one intends to return…”

Differentiated from residence, the essential distinction in law is that “residence involves the intent to leave when the purpose for which the resident has taken up his abode ends. One may seek a place for purposes such as pleasure, business, or health. If a person’s intent be to remain, it becomes his domicile; if his intent is to leave as soon as his purpose is established it is residence. It is thus, quite perfectly normal for an individual to have different residences in various places. However, a person can only have a single domicile…”

Likewise, “The main difference between residence and domicile is that residence is a place where you can reside full-time or part-time, while domicile is your true, permanent home and legal address”

Is the physical structure or appearance of one’s abode or “residence” be a basis to deny a certificate of residency?

Construed from what the law and jurisprudence offers, the answer is no. “Residence, it bears repeating, implies a factual relationship to a given place for various purposes.” Any person can build any structure and take up his residence in said place full time or part time for such specific purpose. “Residence” therefore is not synonymous to a house in its traditional view and a person’s residence address could be his place of business being in said place full time or part time.

Are barangay officials allowed by law to inspect any private property such as a warehouse to make sure there is a barong-barong or mansion inside?

The answer is no. This is in fact an ultra vires act and unconstitutional. It is not within the powers of barangay officials to search private properties without a search warrant issued by the Court. To do so is tantamount to abuse of authority.

The attempt to inspect and search private properties of individuals without a court order is a violation of their constitutional right to privacy, -- “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unrea*onable searches and seizures of whatever nature and for any purpose .” And this right is inviolable.

(Newsline Tarlac 12/13/2024)

10/11/2024

ELDERLY FILIPINO WEEK CELEBRATION

Senior Citizens from the different barangays of Moncada came together to celebrate the Elderly Filipino Week at the Luis Morales Auditorium on November 5, 2024.

Moreover, senior citizens aging 90 and up received their Longevity Bonus which amounts to Php 9,000.