Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

Arsenio Yields
To Judge Paman

Perhaps justice will be served best with the surrender of the prime suspect, former Lezo Mayor Alfredo “Fred” Arsenio. Arsenio is suspected in the death of the late Herson “Boy” Hinolan, manager of the Bombo Radyo–DYIN, Kalibo, Aklan.
Arsenio appeared in the Regional Trial Court, Kalibo, Aklan in the afternoon of Wednesday, March 5, 2008 accompanied by his lawyer Atty. Lou Tirol.
Mr. Hinolan was shot at D. Maagma Street, Kalibo, Aklan on November 13, 2004. He died the next day in the hospital. On November 18, 2004 a certain Peter Melgar executed an affidavit which pointed to former Mayor Alfredo Arsenio as the suspect in the murder of Hinolan. That affidavit served as the basis for the issuance of Warrant of Arrest. However, Arsenio went into hiding until he showed up in RTC, Branch 7, Kalibo. With his lawyer, they requested Hon. Virgilio Paman to schedule Arsenio’s petition for hearing in Criminal Case No. 7475. Atty. Tirol cited the mistake of the lone witness, Peter Melgar.
It appears that Peter Melgar has retracted his sworn statement dated November 18, 2004 before Provincial Prosecutor Reynaldo Peralta which identified Arsenio as the man who shot Hinolan.

The Retraction

But on February 12, 2008, Melgar retracted his sworn statement of November 18, 2004. According to Melgar, he “wrongly identified Arsenio as Hinolan’s assailant”. “I have come to a conclusion that I have committed an honest mistake,” admitted Melgar. “The incident happened so fast in the nighttime”, Melgar added. Arsenio is now being detained in Aklan Rehabilation Center, Nalook, Kalibo.
“The case against Arsenio has no more leg to stand on and he should be entitled to bail for, although he is charged with a capital offense, the evidence against him is truly very weak,” argued his lawyer, Atty. Lou Tirol.
“There no longer exists any legal impediment for the court to proceed and hear the accuser’s petition for bail. Arsenio should be allowed to post bail for his temporary liberty as the evidence against him is weak,” Tirol pointed out.

P6 Billion For Agriculture

For the best of local agricultural sector, P6 billion is set as additional funds for the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEP) until 2015.
ACEP consists of all duties collected from the importation of agricultural products under the minimum access volume mechanism. This money will be used to modernize food processing, value adding and construction of post harvest facilities and to modernize Philippine agriculture as revealed by Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap.
If this money is well spent, it will attain its goal of helping small farmers move beyond primary agriculture to value added, higher earning farm enterprises.
The ACEP ended in December 2007. However, Congress approved its extension until 2015. It was signed into law last month. Congressman Abraham Kahlil Mitra sponsored the bill in the House of Representatives, while Sen. Edgardo Angara sponsored it in the Senate.

Poor Pilipino Families

There are now 4.7 million Pilipino families who are poor, according to the 2006 Official Poverty Statistics of the National Statistical Coordination Board.
The report said 4.7 million families equivalent to 26.9 percent of all Filipino families were poor in 2006. This increased to four (4) million poor families compared to the year 2003.
Poor are those families whose incomes fall below the threshold determined by the government. These are the families which could not provide in a sustainable manner for their minimum basic needs like food, health, education, housing and other social life’s amenities.
Is this because there are those whose greed is insatiable? They get more resources than what they can spend and enjoy lavishly in their lifetime?
This poverty incidence rose even if the average economic growth of 5.4 percent, as claimed by the Philippine economic growth from 2004–2006, the nation posted. This increase in poverty incidence simply means that the benefits of the growing economy does not trickle down to the poor.

Opposite

It is a real paradox and just simply the opposite. The late President Diosdado Macapagal in his presidency in the early 1960’s filed the Philippine claim to the United Nations that Sabah belongs to the Philippines. That ownership claim even led to the strained diplomatic relation between Malaysia and the Philippines. Pres. Macapagal and the First Lady, Eva M. Macapagal were never associated with any corruption and scandalous deals.
The opposite is now happening with their daughter, Gloria Maca-pagal Arroyo. She signed an Executive Agreement with the leaders of the Peoples Republic of China to allow China to enter and explore oil in Spratly Islands. GMA and her husband, Miguel Arroyo are also suspects to be involved in shady deals like the NBN and the Bureau of Customs purchases of X-Ray machines among others. What will the Filipinos do with these? Jun Lozada suggested, it is for the Filipinos to take action. /MP