In a bid to address the prevailing dengue crisis in the city, Mayor Celso Lobregat has issued an executive order declaring this day, September 2, as a Citywide Cleanup Day.

As a manifestation of full support to help effectively address the outbreak of dengue in the city, Vice Mayor Cesar Ituralde yesterday disclosed that all the members of the City Council including their staffs are joining in today’s city wide anti-dengue campaign which is spearheaded by the City Health Office (CHO).

A businessman was abducted on Tuesday morning by still unidentified gunmen in front of his house in Marawi City, a local police official said.

Operatives of the Tetuan Police Station arrested a woman during a shabu buy-bust operation at Sitio Bilang-Bilang, Arena Blanco at dawn yesterday.

Councilor Rogelio “Gerky” Valesco yesterday filed a resolution in the City Council urging public elementary and secondary school officials to temporarily forgo the wearing of school uniforms by their students in an effort to stem the tide of dengue cases.

The City Council passed a resolution yesterday inviting Celso Bayabos, Airport Manager of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (formerly ATO), to a dialogue during next week’s session relative to the complaint of airport contractual employees of delayed salaries and no Christmas bonus for the past two years.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has decided to let go of the pre-printed ballots in favor of the manual ballots for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls on Oct. 25.

A training workshop on the Young People’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Poverty Reduction Strategies in the Philippines is set on November 5-8 initiated by the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Family Planning Organization of the Philippines.

Leaders of various sectors have commended Mayor Celso Lobregat for his steadfast commitment to sustain harmony between the Muslims and the Christians in the city by hosting the yearly Pagbukah or the breaking of the fast in the observance of the Holy month of Ramadan.

It seems like everything that can be said about the tragic Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident has already been said. This piece will not say how things could have been done differently. Certainly I have no experience in that area nor knowledge about negotiating for the freedom of hostages. What little I know of police work I have simply acquired from watching TV shows like CSI or Law and Order or reading novels of a certain genre. I most certainly cannot claim bragging rights on how things could have turned out better if I was in charge.

Now it can be told! The ordinary people, the low wage earners, the poor taxpayers are the milking cow of big-time officials occupying top posts in government agencies and corporations. They live in extreme luxuries, extravagance and lavishness at our expense. Every hard-earned centavo from our pockets contributes to their unlimited resources and wealth that make them live like kings, queens, princes and princesses. And we, the taxpayers, live as vagabonds, tramps, squatters, paupers, beggars, street urchins, etc.

CHRISTMAS 2010 STARTS, TIME TO SAVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Here’s an Internet posting from Alvin Tabanag (alvintabz@ yahoo.com), reminding us that the Christmas season, for 2010, is already upon us: “It’s already the start of the `ber’ months, which means Christmas season na sa Pinas. Many Pinoys see the holidays not just a time for merriment, but also a time for increased spending.