Skip to main content

Batac mayor rejects seniors’ death, burial assistance ordinance

By Dominic B. dela Cruz
Staff reporter

Batac City—The Sangguniang Panlungsod-approved death and burial assistance ordinance was disapproved by Batac Mayor Jeffrey Jubal C. Nalupta.

Batac Vice Mayor and council presiding officer Ronald Allan M. Nalupta expressed surprise to the disapproval.

The ordinance, officially tabbed as City Ordinance No. 3, SP 2015-o1 was supposed to grant a P3,000 death and burial assistance to this city’s qualified senior citizens.

Maladingitan tayo appo ngem isu met iti desisyon ni apo mayor tayo a saan nga agtuloy daytoy,” the vice mayor said.

Mr. Nalupta related that the measure was formulated during last year’s Christmas program for senior citizens in the city. It was during this occasion, he said, when Mayor Nalupta stressed that the existing P1,000 death and burial assistance for senior citizens is “too small.” The mayor then requested the council to amend the ordinance.

The main author of the amended ordinance is Batac councilor Avelard Ibarra Crisostomo with the vice mayor and ex-officio member Batac Liga ng mga Barangay president Johann Emmanuel “Jack” C. Nalupta as one of the co-authors

The ordinance was unanimously approved by members of the council.

Vice Mayor Nalupta stressed that the council would not have passed the said ordinance if the mayor had not requested it.

The Ilocos Times tried to get the reaction of Mayor Nalupta but he was out of the country as of press time.

In its notice of disapproval the mayor listed the following reasons:

1. Consideration is 200% increase which is staggering. Did you have actual/historical date of number of deaths 60 years and above in the last 3 years?

2. You completely changed definition of a “qualified senior citizen” vis-Ă -vis Ordinance NO. 16 s. 2006 which is to include all regardless of economic status.

3. Main body of Ordinance #16 s.2006 copied almost the letter. You could just have amended the amount. Where is difference to original sponsors?

4. Better give to the living than to the dead.    

Meanwhile, Batac councilor Florencio Laud who also approved the ordinance said that the original ordinance should only been amended but it was totally changed.

The question according to Mr. Laud was the phrase “qualified senior citizens” wherein the words in the first ordinance means senior citizens must be indigents only but the new ordinance now states that regardless of their economic status the assistance will be granted.


The councilor then added that it would be up to the mayor if the measure would be changed or re-entered.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Free dormitories eyed for Nueva Era students in LC, Batac

 Nueva Era mayor Aldrin Garvida By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Nueva Era , Ilocos Norte—The municipal government here, headed by Nueva Era mayor Aldrin Garvida is planning to establish dormitories in the cities of Laoag and Batac that will exclusively cater to college students from the said cities. “Sapay la kuma ta maituloyen iti mabiit tay ar-arapaapen tayo ken iti munisipyo a maipatakderan kuma dagiti annak tayo a college students nga agbasbasa idiay siyudad iti Batac ken Laoag iti libre a dormitoryo a bukod da ngem inggana nga awan pay ket an-anusan mi paylaeng nga ibaklay kenni apo bise mayor iti pagbayad da iti kasera aggapu iti bukod mi a suweldo malaksid dagitay it-ited iti munisipyo ken iti barangay nga stipend da kada semester, ” Garvida said.    Garvida added that the proposed establishment of dormitories would be a big help to the students’ parents as this would shoulder the expenses of their children for rent and likewise they would feel more secured

Empanada festival: A celebration of good taste and good life

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd  of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become an annua

P29 per kilo rice sold to vulnerable groups in Ilocos region

BBM RICE. Residents buy rice for only PHP29 per kilo at the NIA compound in San Nicolas town, Ilocos Norte province on Sept. 13, 2024. The activity was under a nationwide pilot program of the government to sell quality and affordable rice initially to the vulnerable sectors. (Lei Adriano) San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte —Senior citizens, persons with disability, and solo parents availed of cheap rice sold at PHP29 per kilogram during the grand launching of the Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka (BBM) Rice held at the National Irrigation Administration compound in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte province on Sept. 13, 2024. “ Maraming salamat Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sa inyong pagmamahal sa Region 1 lalong-lalo na sa bayan namin sa San Nicolas,” said Violeta Pasion, a resident Brgy.   18 Bingao in this town. The low-priced grains were sourced from the National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) contract farming with irrigators' association members in the province. Along with Pasion, Epi