Entrepreneurial Farmer

Wearing Helmet Is Not Enough

By Ambrosio R. Villorente

PNP Aklan under the direction of Senior Supt. Benigno Durana, Jr. told the motorcycle riders to wear helmets. "Even the back riders must wear helmet," Durana advised. And they are now complying.
This wearing of helmets by motorcycle riders must be complied with and be fully supported. Helmets protect and mitigate the damage to the riders in case of any accident.
But wearing of helmets in the case of motorcycle riders is too far from enough. The police must engage in a comprehensive traffic law enforcements that will cover all motor vehicles. The traffic police must also be along the road, both to educate motorists and to enforce the law. It is not only in the day that traffic violations happen. More tragic accidents and destructions of properties occur in the evening.
In the evening, drunken driving, overspeeding and driving with light at high beam are highly hazardous to other motorists. These will be drastically minimized if not totally stopped with traffic police visibility at night. Driving at high beam light will blind the other drivers of incoming vehicles that may result to collision.
SEAT BELT
The flying squad of the LTO Regional Office has been "on and off" in the enforcement of the wearing of seat belt, therefore compliance to it is also on and off. It is highly desirable if the PNP will enforce the wearing of seat belt while driving.
All this enforcement of traffic laws, rules and regulation must be a provincewide matter carefully synchronized and not only in Kalibo.
KOREAN FLIGHTS
Last month, Governor Carlito S. Marquez and Aklan Congressman Joeben T. Miraflores chorused in their announcement that by next month, March, there will be direct flights from Inchon, South Korea to Kalibo Airport, Kalibo and back to Inchon, south Korea. These planes will be fully loaded with foreign visitors particularly Koreans who will bring much money to be spent in Aklan, hence more income to Aklan. But as of this writing (March 15) plane from South Korea has yet to land in Kalibo Airport. What happen?
IRA INCREASE
IRA for Aklan has increased according to Ulysses Espartero of the Office of the Provincial Governor of Aklan. The national government increased the IRA of Aklan by P58 million. In year 2005, the IRA was only P309 million. Today, it is P367.6 million.
According to Vice Governor Ronquillo C. Tolentino who chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Aklan’s budget for 2007 is P664,224,699. Out of this amount, P420,259,032 will be General Fund budget and P243,985,667 for Economic Enterprise Development Department (EEDD). This appropriation is approved in Provincial Ordinance No. 06-007.
BLOOD PROGRAM
The Provincial capitol, Kalibo, Aklan also announced its full support to the Blood Program of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) Aklan Chapter.
In 2006, record regarding blood consumption revealed that 5,475 units of blood were used of which 670 units or only 12.23 percent were produced in Aklan while the 88 percent came from private blood bank. Beginning this year, it is no longer possible to source blood from private blood banks as the government has closed those blood banks.
With this development, administrator Arcely P. Pelayo, PNRC Aklan chapter is alarmed as this may lead to a shortage of