The city council has approved Ordinance 105, s. 2023 authorizing the release of P335,737.16 for the payment of the judgment award/obligation to spouses Nathaniel and Glenda Valencia whose house was among those destroyed by the trashslide at the Irisan dumpsite on Aug. 27, 2011.
The Valencia spouses sued the city government of Baguio for damages incurred on their property.
On Jan. 29, 2019, the court rendered its judgment in favor of the spouses and ordered the city government to pay them P166,833 as actual damages and an additional P150,000 as temperate damages.
Both parties appealed the judgment to the Court of Appeals which rendered a decision on Sept. 4, 2020, denying both appeals for lack of merit and affirming the Jan. 29, 2019, judgment of the regional trial court that all monetary awards shall earn legal interest at six percent per annum from the finality of the decision until fully paid.
The parties filed their respective motions for reconsideration which the CA also denied through its Resolution dated June 9, 2022 for lack of merit.
Consequently, the City Legal Office filed petition for review before the Supreme Court, which finally resolved and considered the case as closed and terminated in its resolution dated Aug. 8, 2022.
As per the resolution, the SC noted the petitioners’ manifestation dated Jan. 11, 2022, stating that after going through the petition for review on certiorari, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong decided not to pursue the case and settle the money claims of respondents, and grant their prayer for the dismissal of the case considering the withdrawal of the filing of the intended petition.
The resolution became final and executory on Nov. 21, 2022, under entry of judgment issued by the SC and a writ of execution on Sept. 27, for the enforcement of the judgment award of said case.
Thus, the ordinance complies with the requirements under the rules and regulations of the Commission on Audit as the appropriated money is public funds from the coffers of the city government.
A copy of the ordinance was submitted to the mayor for his signature.
The city council approved Resolution 724, s. 2023 restricting the conduct of any trade fair or similar activities at Malcolm Square or People’s Park and its surrounding vicinity specifically Perfecto Street for December 2023.
The action is meant to clear the park at all times from inappropriate activities other than the intended use as a place for promenading, relaxation, activities that promote health, family-oriented activities, and such other proper social and health services programs and projects of the city.
The resolution cites as basis the Trade Fair Ordinance and its succeeding amendments and Section 3 of Ordinance 264, s. 1956, which prohibits the selling or offering for sale or peddling of any foodstuff in any public park or garden, except for any person holding any concession or lease duly authorized by the city council to sell at stalls or structures constructed by the city government for the purpose, but only light foodstuffs usually for shacks and non-intoxicating drinks.
In Resolution 731, s. 2023, the city council reiterated its request to the City Environment and Parks Management Office to submit the development plan of the Botanical Garden for review which will serve as a guide for the crafting of guidelines for its efficient operation and management.
Through Resolution 728, s. 2023, Sr. Cosmedin Gorospe, or Sr. Mary Vitalis Gorospe has been honored as a centenarian of Baguio City.
Sr. Mary was born on Dec. 12, 1923, and raised in what she describes as an obscure little town, in Sta. Catalina, Ilocos Sur.
She was baptized and registered as Cosmedin R. Gorospe, but she adopted the name Sr. Mary Vitalis R. Gorospe when she entered the Good Shepherd Congregation.
Their parents are devout Catholics who were active in church where they met foreign missionaries. Her two brothers are priests in the Society of Jesus and the other is a lawyer residing with his family in the United States.
She wanted to become a nurse and consecrated life was far from her dream, but the many challenges in life made her realize God’s calling until she was finally professed as a sister on Sept. 8, 1955.
For 20 years, she taught groups of mothers and children in their residences and schools in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. During Martial Law, she spread her ministry to other provinces like the Cagayan Valley and eventually the Cordillera despite her medical condition.
Despite her age and health, she accepted a voluntary mission in Kenya, Africa to minister to her fellow sisters, poor families, and out-of-school girls. There were problems encountered like the language barrier but despite all those, it brought her fulfillment just seeing the smiles on people’s faces.
In 2019, while she was working inside the convent, she fell on her back which put her into a coma. She is presently being taken care of by fellow sisters and caregivers.
May 4, 2024
