CEBU CITY – At least 37,000 teachers and non-teaching personnel will be tapped to serve in the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in Central Visayas, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) 7 said Tuesday.

Comelec 7 Acting Director Veronico Petalcorin said these much personnel will be enough to man the manual local elections on October 25, adding that they are already knowledgeable in handling elections.

A seminar and training for those comprising the Board of Election Inspectors will still be conducted even if most of those tapped for the coming elections have already served in previous polls.

The seminar, he said, will refresh teachers and non-teaching personnel about the system and methods used in effectively handling local elections.

Meanwhile, at least 130 incumbent barangay chairmen in Cebu City and Cebu Province are no longer qualified to run for reelection in the upcoming barangay elections, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7 said Tuesday.

DILG 7 Legal Officer Danilo Almendras said these 130 incumbent barangay captains have already been serving their constituents for three terms, thus disqualifying them for reelection. (Mars W. Mosqueda Jr.)

LGUs Asked to Implement RA 9994

ILOILO CITY (PNA) – Iloilo Provincial Governor Arthur Defensor is calling on all local government units (LGUs) in Iloilo to implement the Expanded Senior Citizens Act.

Defensor, a senior citizen himself, said Republic Act 9994 is one of the laws he helped lobby for approval during his work in Congress as majority floor leader. He outlined the acts’ benefits which include 20 percent discount and exemption from value-added tax on the sale of goods and services like medical and dental fees, transport fares, hotels and restaurants services, among others.

The expanded act also calls for mandatory Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) coverage, five percent discount on water and electric bills, educational assistance for the elderly wanting to study again, and free medical and laboratory fees in all government facilities.

Defensor also said LGUs must make sure the senior citizens are well taken care of, and that they be accorded with proper respect and support through the establishment of an Office for Senior Citizens Affairs in all towns and a senior ward in every government hospital.

Bacolod Invited to Local Government Forum

Bacolod City – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has invited the Bacolod city government to be a panelist in the Policy Forum for Local Governance to be held at the Heritage Hotel, Pasay City, on October 14, 2010.

DILG Executive Director Marivel Sacendocillo, CESO III sent an invitation to the city government to be part of the forum session on "City Competitiveness: Recent Results and Recommended Actions."

Sacendocillo said Bacolod City is known as one of the high-performing cities in the country in terms of competitiveness and so they are requesting the city to be represented in the panel.

The DILG is also requesting for a 10-minute presentation showcasing the strategies and techniques used in creating a dynamic and responsive business climate in Bacolod that will serve to inspire other local officials and local governance stakeholders in the forum.