One Mindanao - September 28, 2011

2 Wednesday, September 28, 2011

C O N T E N T SNATIONAL• Aquino and Prime Minister Noda underscore importance of improving business environment and promoting investment between Japan and PHL• President Aquino invites Their Majesties Emperor and Empress of Japan as well as Prime Minister Noda to visit PHL• Aquino urges Japanese investors to look at investment prospects in the Philippines• Aquino welcomes Japanese electronics firm to the Philippines• Aquino witnesses signing of business agreements with Japanese corporations• Aquino sums up four-day working visit to Japan as “very successful”

CNEX• DA targets staple food self-sufficiency• Avail of govt. crop insurance, farmers urged• PNoy asks Dept. of Agriculture to boost coco farming

Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga)• A model farm prospers in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur • The search is on for Miss Siargao 2011 • ALS program of HMC-TNP, DepEd fulfills aspiration of the mining communities in Surigao Norte• BayanTel reg’l marketing caravan hits Mindanao to explore new opportunities, reaf-firm leadership position• Itemize lumpsum entry in Educ budget - Chiz

Western Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula)• Dipolog embarks on massive tree planting• Strategic planning for “Kurambos” project of La Libertad set in Dapitan City Sept. 28-29• DOST-IX announces conduct of undergraduate scholarship exams• Alternative Learning System’s A & E Test moved to Nov. 6• Maguindanao floods draw 24-hour clearing operation

Northern Mindanao• XU-Ateneo de Cagayan campus to go green• GSIS, NSO ink MOA for implementation of ARAS• Mis. Or. housing project beneficiaries express gratitude to govt’s key shel-ter agencies• 10th Pabahay Caravan opens in Cag. de Oro• Another buy-bust operation in Mis. Occ. leads to arrest of suspect

Southern Mindanao (Davao Region)• Davao City Chamber eyes creative industries• GSIS expands ties with Land Bank• DavNor Capitol treats employees to free med services • Laak Kahimunan Festival cum Fruit Festival a success•Davao Light, Aboitiz Foundation turn over 6 Day Care classrooms

Central Mindanao (SOCSKSARGEN) • Programang 4Ps nagtatagumpay sa bayan ng Upi, Maguindanao, ayon kay Maguindanao 1st Rep Sema• AFP to turn over internal security operations to provincial government • Bagong PNP chief pinayuhan ang mga batang pulis sa North Cotabato

OUR COVERPa`

Today’s coverfeatures

Diyandi Festival of Iligan City

EDITORIAL STAFF

An Electronic News Magazine published daily by Philippine Information Agency (PIA)

Mindanao Clusters

Executive Editor ……......... EFREN F. ELBANBUENA Cluster Head, Southern, Western and Central Mindanao Regional Director, PIA Region XI

Managing Editor ……......... ABNER M. CAGA Cluster Head, Northern and Northeastern Mindanao Regional Director, PIA Caraga Region

Associate Editors ……....... OLIVIA T. SUDARIA Regional Director, PIA Region XII NOEMI A. EDAGA Regional Director, PIA Region IX

RUTCHIE C. AGUHOB Officer-in-charge,PIARegionX

Regional Desk Editors …... Jocelyn P. Alvarez, PIA Region IX Elaine O. Ratunil, PIA Region X Rudolph Ian G. Alama, PIA Region XI Danny E. Doguiles, PIA Region XII Robert E. Roperos, PIA Caraga Region Nora CL Molde, PIA Caraga Region

Copy Editor ……………….. Robert E. Roperos, PIA Caraga Region

Layout Artists ……………... Gerie Mae G. Coco, PIA Caraga Region Richard D. Atillo, PIA Caraga Region

Editorial Advisers ……….... ATTY. JOSE A. FABIA Director-General Philippine Information Agency

SEC. HERMINIO “Sonny” B. COLOMA PresidentialCommunicationsOperationsOffice

Photo credits:

Arthur L. SabillaAlfritz G. Ermac

3Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Cover Story:Iligan - Northern Mindanao’s street dancing hub

Lorry V. Gabule

In an age when culture and tradition are battered by the incursions of modernity, the significance of undertaking an

event as a completion of traditional art forms cannot be belittled.

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Iligan City is known not only for its rich natural resources, but also for the wealth of

culture that abounds in the area. The na-tive Iliganon is de-scended from two (2)

tribes: the Maranao and the Higao-non, whose dance forms remain a strong influ-ence upon a unique religious ritual in the Iligan Community, called the Diyandi. The Diyandi (rit-ual dance) is per-formed only during the feast of Iligan Pa-tron Saint Senior San Miguel (Feast Day on September 29). Other curious dance-forms, also performed during the San Miguel Fiesta, include the Eskrima (fencing), a dance simulating a fight be-tween San Miguel and his enemies, and the Yawa-yawa (literally, devil-devil), a dance form depicting the ce-lestial battle between the forces of good and evil as imperson-ated by St. Michael, the Archangel, repre-senting the good and Lucifer, the devil.

Cover Story: Iligan-Northern Mindanao’s.......from page 3

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Sometime in 1986, it was some-how felt by the local fiesta committee that there was a need to further popularize the folk-dance forms of the Iliganon. Thus, an idea was born: the concept of a Street-dancing Fes-tival that will not only preserve certain tra-ditional art forms but promote them, as well.

Owing to the success of the proper management of the Diyandi Competition, as the project was ini-tially called in 1986, the Iligan City Gov-ernment, through the annual Tourism and Fiesta Week Celebra-tion Steering Com-mittee and the Iligan Community at large, always looked for-ward to September and the Diyandi Com-

petition which was, by then associated with the Iligan Jay-cees, Inc. and made synonymous with a successful project management. Having it done every 27th of Sep-tember, this is the time when practically the major streets of Iligan are jampacked with people who wanted to celebrate fiesta and enjoy the


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Kasadya (merrymak-ing). It is to be noted that the San Miguel Fiesta focused on KASADYA was ac-claimed by the BBC Holidays (a monthly consumer magazine published in the Unit-ed Kingdom and the only publication of-ficially endorsed by the prestigious Brit-ish Broadcasting Cor-poration) as a tourist destination. It cited the trib-al pageantry mixed with Christian piety famous with bright-

ly costumed partici-pants miming a fight with unseen adver-saries to cries of “Viva Senior San Miguel”. Other partici-pants, dressed as warrior angels, march solemnly. It added that it is very unique because of the mir-acle play called the “Yawa-yawa,” per-formed in vernacular dialogue and depict-ing Lucifer’s unsuc-cessful revolt against God and the good an-gels. Other national and local publications also

cited KASADYA as a tourist attraction in Iligan. Since then, for more than 25 years now, subsequently, planning sessions of the Iligan Jaycees Board of Directors have always provided for the annual under-taking of the dance competition which blossomed into a full-scale festival that features not only the local dance forms but also other Mindanao Tribal dance-forms, including even more modern showcases. Thus, KASADYA has the following fea-tures: It was started as a form of local en-tertainment has be-come a major tour-ist attraction of Iligan drawing crowds to about 30,000 people both local and tourist alike. It is considered as a non-income gen-erating project hav-


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ing the most number of spectators both in the streets and in the showdown venue proper as compared to other tourism re-lated activities. For 25 years now, Kasadya has evolved into a full blown fes-tival needing more support both in bud-getary and manage-ment terms. It might, as well, be mentioned here that civic conscious-ness among the youth of St. Louis, Missouri, USA, was aroused by the Jaycees founder HENRY GEISSENBIER with his founding of the HERCULANEUM DANCE CLUB whose main objective was the preservation of American Traditional Dance-Forms in the community. During the 1992 Convention of the Philippine Jaycees held in Bacolod City, Project KASADYA ‘92

was adjudged as the “Outstanding Cultural Project in the Philip-pines.” It also bagged the same award dur-ing the 1994 Junior Chamber of the Phil-ippines National Con-vention held in Naga City, in the 1995 JCP National Convention held in Cebu City and in the 1996 JCP Na-tional Conven-tion held in Davao City. The year after, Proj-ect KASADYA ‘97 was ac-claimed as the HALL OF FAME AWARDEE be-ing the MOST OUTSTAND-ING CULTURAL PROJECT OF THE PHILIP-PINES for three (3) consecu-tive years. In 1998 World Con-

gress of Jaycees held at Manila, the project KASADYA, together with the Grand Cen-tennial Parade, was adjudged as the Best Cultural Project of the World (the highest recognition bestowed on a single category and competing with the best international project entries.





Aquino and Prime Minister Noda underscore importance of improving business environment and promoting investment between Japan and PHL


President Benigno S. Aquino III and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Tuesday held a productive first Summit Meeting in a cordial-forward looking and constructive atmosphere at the Prime Minister’s Office

(Kantei) here. 12


In their Joint Statement following their meeting, the two leaders confirmed the importance of im-proving the business environment and fur-ther promoting in-vestments between Japan and the Philip-pines. President Aquino affirmed his admin-istration’s commit-ment to promoting good and account-able governance and the improvement of the business envi-ronment, including continually enhanc-ing administrative transparency and predictability. During their meeting, Prime Min-ister Noda expressed his “high apprecia-tion for the efforts of President Aquino.” According to the Joint State-

ment, the President had requested Ja-pan’s support for his administration’s Public-Private Part-nership program, which prioritizes in-frastructure and de-velopment projects, in furtherance of the Philippine Develop-ment Plan 2011-2016. In his response, Prime Minister Noda said that Japan will support the im-provement of the investment environ-ment through active utilization of the Of-fice Development Assistance (ODA), and thereby pro-mote private invest-ment and contribute to the development of the Philippines. In this regard, Prime Minister Noda announced that Ja-pan will dispatch a

public-private mis-sion to the Philip-pines by March 2012 and hold a seminar in Manila which will contribute to the improvement and development of in-frastructure in the country. The two lead-ers also stressed the importance of the exchange and coop-eration between busi-ness groups such as the Japan-Philippines Economic-Joint Com-mittee in advancing infrastructure devel-opment to encourage investments. They likewise confirmed the im-portance of the time-ly conclusion of the Philippines’ ongoing process with regard to the Japanese ter-restrial digital TV broadcasting system. (RSDA)

Aquino and Prime Minister......from page 11


President Benigno S. Aquino III has conveyed his invitation for Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko and other members of the Imperial Family of Japan to visit the Philippines.

President Aquino invites Their Majesties Emperor and Empress of Japan as well as Prime Minister Noda to visit PHL

In a Joint State-ment issued by the President and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda following their Bilateral Summit Meeting at the Prime Minister’s Of-fice (Kantei) here, the Chief Executive invited the Imperial Family at a “mutually convenient opportunity.” His Imperial Maj-

esty Emperor Akihito is the eldest son and the fifth child of Emperor Hirohito (the Showa Emperor) and Empress Kojun. Expressing his profound gratitude for the warm hospitality accorded him and his delegation by the Gov-ernment of Japan dur-ing his four-day official

working visit to Japan, President Aquino also invited Prime Minister Noda to visit the Phil-ippines in 2012 at an opportunity convenient to both sides. For his part, Prime Minister Noda expressed his grati-tude for the invitation. (RSDA)


President Benigno S. Aquino III urged the business leaders of Japan to see for themselves what the Philippines can offer them in terms of investments as he underscored the various corrective measures that his administration have already

taken that would erase doubts among some who are exploring the idea of investing in the Philippines.

Aquino urges Japanese investors to look at investment prospects in the Philippines

“We are undertak-ing these measures to create a more equitable business environment, where each project rep-resents the Five “R’s” we are espousing: Right Project, Right Cost, Right Quality, Right People and Right on Time,” the Presi-dent said in his speech on Tuesday at the luncheon hosted by the Japan and Tokyo Chamber of Com-merce and Industry and the Japan Economic Co-operation Committee at the Tokyo Kaikan here. “This is the only way to ensure that “your projects are beyond question by the public, or by succeeding admin-istrations,” the President stressed. According to the President, his visit to Ja-pan and his attendance to all his business meet-

ings was “to share with them the bright pros-pects for the future of our partnership.” “I was elected into office with a clear man-date and it is my obliga-tion to make the promis-es I made to my people real and felt by all,” he said. It is in this connec-tion, the President said, that since he assumed Office in June 2010, his administration has been working round-the-clock to ensure that the re-forms he had already put in place would improve the ability of Filipino citi-zens to put food on the table. “First on our agen-da was to eliminate cer-tain roadblocks that turn away businessmen from investing in our coun-try, in matters big and

small,” he added. He noted that from “reducing red tape, sim-plifying the number of forms, and speeding up the time it takes to reg-ister a business, in small ways we can, and are, making a large improve-ment to the processes re-quired for investments.” The President also said that his govern-ment is undertaking in-novations, such as the Electronic Payment Sys-tem for the Philippine Economic Zone Author-ity (PEZA) applicable to four out of five selected transactions of PEZA en-terprises. “Local governments have begun to follow suit; as 79 local govern-ment Units have already streamlined their busi-ness permits and licens-ing system.

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The President also told the business lead-ers present that his ad-ministration has vowed to follow formal pro-cesses for getting deals approved, such as prop-er and transparent bid-ding, to help eliminate the preponderance of under-the-table transac-tions with bloated com-missions secretly pock-eted by corrupt officials. “All our efforts are governed by an over-arching principle: an end to corruption means an end to poverty. This was our rallying cry dur-ing the campaign, and this is what will carry us through until the end of my administration in

2016, “ he said. Because of all these, President Aquino said, the results are en-couraging. “Our stock markets shave hit all-time highs seven times since my administration took office. My country has received four posi-tive rating actions from credit rating agencies in over a little more than a year,” he said. “We were able to fund even more projects without raising taxes in the past year and are also on target with our social service commit-ments,” the President said. He expressed con-fidence that the posi-

tive trend will endure and strengthen further through Public-Private Partnership Programs and increase in foreign direct investments that the government hope to achieve. “This is a good time to invest in the Philip-pines, because this cul-ture of transparency we are cultivating will lead to a win-win situation for all stakeholders in-volved,” the President said adding that he will continue to invest in in-frastructure to make the Philippines attractive to those who want to es-tablish their business in the country. (RSDA)

Aquino urges.....from page 14


Aquino welcomes Japanese electronics firm to the Philippines

Presidential Com-munications Opera-tions Office Secretary Sonny Coloma, Jr. re-layed this information Tuesday following the business meeting of President Aquino with Murata officials at the Imperial Hotel. Flashing a sample of a so-called “mono-lithic ceramic microchip capacitor” to the mem-bers of the Philippine media delegation, Co-loma said the product would hit the Philippine electronics industry by October 2012 as Mura-ta targets to complete its 23-hectare power chip capacitor plant in the country by then. “You will see how microscopic the chips are—very small… This

is the new generation of technology in chips manufacturing and Murata is establishing the plant in the Philip-pines,” Coloma told re-porters during a press briefing at Tokyo Kai-kan. Coloma described Murata company as “one of the world’s largest makers of elec-tronic components used in many devices such as computers, mobile phones, auto-motive navigation, air-bag systems and med-ical equipment.” Originally based in Nagaokakyo, Kyoto, Murata was started by its honorary chairman, Akira Murata, as a per-sonal venture in Octo-ber 1994. At present,

it is considered as the leading company in manufacturing ceram-ic passive electronic components, primarily capacitors, and it has an overwhelming share worldwide in ceramic filters, high frequency parts, and sensors. Murata Manufac-turing reportedly has 23 subsidiaries in Ja-pan and 31 overseas, including those in the United States, Mexi-co, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, the Unit-ed Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, the Neth-erlands, Spain, Swe-den, Hungary, Finland, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Tai-wan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea and Chi-na. (HDC)

Japanese electronics components firm, Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., introduced a new generation of technology in chips manufacturing which it plans to bring to the Philippines by establishing a power chip capacitor plant in the first Philippine

Industrial Park in Laguna.


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Aquino witnesses signing of business agreements with Japanese corporationsPresident Benigno S. Aquino witnessed the signing of

four business agreements designed to help improve the country’s economic progress and development.

The four agree-ments, which were signed on Tuesday at the Imperial Hotel, follows: -- Partnership

Agreement between the Federal Land and the Orix Corporation on their Grand Hyatt Project with Francis-co Sebastian, chair-

man of the Federal Land Inc. and Yoshi-hiko Miyauchi, chair-man and chief exec-utive officer of Orix Corporation signing


the agreement. -- Memoran-dum of Agreement between First Metro Investment Corpora-tion and Mitsui and Co. Ltd. with Federal Land, Inc. chairman Sebastian signing the agreement on behalf of his company while managing officer and chief operating offi-cer Tatsuo Nakayama inking the agreement on behalf of the Mo-tor Vehicles and Con-struction Machinery

Business Unit, Mitsui and Co. Ltd. -- Reservation Agreement and Term Sheet of INGASCO and other Clark De-velopment Corpora-tion with Lawyer Fe-lipe Antonio Remolio, president and chief executive officer of Clark Development Corporation and Ma-sahiko Kitabatake, president of INGAS-CO, Inc. sealing the agreement. -- Memorandum

of Understanding be-tween Transnation-al Diversified Group and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) Line with Xavi-er Delgado, director of Transnational Di-versified Group and Naoya Tazawa, rep-resentative director and senior managing corporate director of Nippon Yusen Kabu-shiki Kaisha (NYK) Line signing the agreement. (RSDA)

Aquino witnesses.....from page 17


Aquino sums up four-day working visit to Japan as “very successful”President Benigno S. Aquino III

expressed an overwhelming gratitude to the people of Japan and its government for their hospitality as he

prepared to wrap up his very successful four-day official working visit here. During his tra-dit ion-al late

evening engagement with the members of the Philippine media delegation, Presi-dent Aquino said he was very heartened by the fact that Ja-pan decided to sus-tain its 9.2 billion yen official development assistance (ODA) to the Philippines not-withstanding the earthquake and tsu-

nami that swallowed its Tohoku region only last March. “So there’s a commitment na ime-maintain ‘yung ODA assistance sa atin eh. So in spite of their difficulties, handa pa rin silang tumulong sa atin, paano naman hindi ikagagalak ng ka-looban mo ‘yon, ‘di ba?” the President told reporters, Tues-day evening. President Aqui-no also mentioned

that all the business leaders he met the entire Tuesday man-ifested keen interest to expand their ex-isting investments in the Philippines especially those that are involved in the energy sector. Most, if not all, of the companies producing power in Japan had to volun-tarily reduce their energy consump-tion following the Great East Japan Earthquake, there-

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by prompting their owners to review their policy and con-sider transferring some of their opera-tions to other loca-tions overseas. President Aqui-no also mentioned that Japan has reaf-firmed its commit-ment to continue assisting the Philip-pines in its ongoing peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as a member of the In-ternational Monitor-ing Team. He said Japan shall keep its projects under the Japan Bangsamoro Initiative for Recon-struction and Devel-opment Program. The Japanese government fur-ther committed aid to strengthen the capability of the Philippine Coast Guard—both in

terms of manpower and equipment—in its protection of the West Philippine Sea in keeping with its bid for freedom of navigation. President Aqui-no said freedom of navigation is very important for the Japanese since all their oil exports pass through the West Philippine Sea. He underscored that Japan has been very supportive of the Philippines’ position to settle the dispute among claimant countries before the international law. The President, moreover, said Ja-pan through Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda also expressed commitment to look into the Philippines’ problem with respect to the low passing rate of nurses in the

country during the annual licensure ex-ams. President Aqui-no said Prime Minis-ter Noda was “quite positive” when he mentioned about the problem of nurses in the Philippines and the Japanese leader promised him that they will “review the procedures and see if it is too strin-gent”. “Pero, syem-pre, I don’t think he [Noda] is in a posi-tion to commit right now that we’ll have 3,000 by next year, 5,000 by the other,” the President clari-fied. He, howev-er, mentioned that there was an offer to invite 400 Filipi-no nursing students to study in Japan as part of the people exchange program. (HDC)

Aquino sums up.....from page 19


PHOTO RELEASESPhoto by: Gil Nartea / Malacañang Photo Bureau


PHOTO RELEASE

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda during the signing ceremony of the Exchange of Notes of Foreign Ministers Koichiro Gemba and Albert del Rosario at the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday (September 27). (PLDT powered by SMART) (Photo by Jay Morales/ Malacañang Photo Bureau).


PHOTO RELEASE

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda during the signing ceremony of the Exchange of Notes of Foreign Ministers Koichiro Gemba and Albert del Rosario at the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday (September 27). (PLDT powered by SMART) (Photo by Jay Morales/ Malacañang Photo Bureau).


DA targets staple food self-sufficiency by Andrea Renevera-BancudDepartment of Agriculture (DA) Sec. Proceso Alcala

said in the recent Communication and News Exchange Forum (CNEX) of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) that they are targeting staple food self-

sufficiency on top of rice self-sufficiency.

During his trip to different parts of the country, he dis-covered that in some regions, rice is not their staple food. Al-cala said that in Zam-boanga, their staple food is cassava while in Batanes, they eat different varieties of root crops. Mean-while, 14 regions consume corn. Part of the staple food suffi-ciency program is to

ease the pressure on rice. “May road map na rin para sa rice sufficiency para sa pangarap nating maging rice self-sufficient by 2013,” (aside from this, there is already a road map for the tar-geted rice self suffi-ciency by 2013) the secretary added. Alcala went to Iloilo last week and

he found out that Region 6 was able to improve their pa-lay production by 60 percent during this quarter, compared to the same quarter last year. He said cit-izens of Iloilo credit this to the govern-ment’s assistance in teaching them how to farm properly and in giving them ac-cess to high quality seeds.


Avail of govt. crop insurance, farmers urged by Jerome Carlo R. PaunanThe Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday urged

farmers to avail of government’s crop insurance program that would shield them from agriculture-related risks and cover their loses.

During the Com-munications and News Exchange (CNEX) Forum held at the Philippine In-formation Agency, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said farmers need only go to their nearest lo-cal government unit or to the Philippine Crop Insurance Cor-poration (PCIC), an attached corporation of the DA, in order to avail of the safety net for crop growers. Although he did not say how many farmers have already availed of the crop insurance policy, he

said, “the figure in-volving farmers get-ting crop insurance has increased tre-mendously” as they, agri-based coopera-tives and local offi-cials are beginning to realize the value of the program in line with the Aquino ad-ministration’s thrust of rice self-sufficiency by 2013. Alcala said farm-ers would find crop insurance very useful as this would allow them to recoup their loses and pay for im-mediate replanting in case certain calami-ties affect their farm

lands.Aside from natural ca-lamities, he said the insurance program will cover risks due to pests and plant dis-eases. Alcala said the DA and PCIC have been coordinating with LGUs to effec-tively set up variable insurance policies for crops that are well suited to a particular province or area. The DA chief said the provinces of Ne-gros Occidental and Cebu are just some of the areas that have successfully put up their crop insurance

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programs that bene-fit thousands of their local farmers. A recent partner-ship with the Negros LGU has allowed it to launch a P180 million insurance program, dubbed the Negros Negros First Univer-sal Crop Insurance Program (NFUCIP), that benefited over

10,000 rice farmers. The provincial LGU shouldered 60-percent or P500 of the insurance premi-um worth P840 per hectare per cropping while the balance was paid for by the farm-er. The policy, mean-while, gave each farmer a maximum of

P17,680 per hectare in insurance payouts should the insured crop be destroyed or lost. For special cas-es, however, like that of Cebu, the provin-cial government has agreed to shoulder the entire crop insur-ance premium.

PNoy asks Dept. of Agriculture to boost coco farmingby Phres A. EvardoneEnergy drinks used to be the “in” thing; now it’s coconut water,

locally known as “buko juice.” Who would have thought that this lowly coconut product would be such a hit among foreigners? Well, if you have pop icons like Madonna and Rihanna as

endorsers then certainly it will induce interest among consumers.

Coconut water has become a hit among foreigners especially Ameri-cans because of its natural and health benefits. Nutrition-

ists also favored coconut water over carbonated and en-ergy-boosting bev-erages. Upon his arriv-al from his official

trip to the United States, PNoy an-nounced that Pepsi Company and Vita Coco were inter-ested in investing in the country’s co-

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Avail of govt......from page 25


PNoy asks Dept. of Agriculture to boost coco farming

conut industry to meet the increas-ing international demand for coco-nut water. Being the sec-ond largest export-er of coconut prod-ucts in the world, this industry pro-vides livelihood to one-third of the country’s popu-lation. And since many Filipinos are actually dependent on copra farm-ing, this continuing trend on coconut water consumption overseas will cer-tainly benefit our local farmers. In view of this, Secretary Proceso J. Alcala of the De-partment of Agri-culture said during today’s Communi-cation and News Exchange Forum held at Philippine Information Agen-

cy, that President Aquino instructed the agency to con-duct further studies on coconut farm-ing to assist copra farmers across the country increase their yields. The Secretary added that the Phil-ippine Coconut Au-thority (PHILCOA) was allocated P692,757,000 in 2012, its biggest budget yet. It may also receive a sup-plementary bud-get of about Php 500,000,000 which is still pending for approval. The bud-get for this year as per DBM records was P539,915,000. With the said budget, funds will be allocated to in-crease coconut production. The Department of Ag-riculture together

with the Philippine Coconut Authority will provide tech-nical assistance to copra farmers on how to engage in massive fertiliza-tion and replant-ing. The Secretary also added that they will also pro-vide assistance by giving medium scale machineries to farmers to bring about an increase in processing coco-nut products. Besides the juice, a coconut tree--aptly called “Tree of Life”--pro-duces many other products such as oil from coconut meat, wood from coconut trunks, brooms and hats from its leaves, rugs from its husks and charcoal from its shells.

PNoy asks.....from page 26


Anthony Marie Amelda, 35 and a farmer in Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur has dreams of having a model farm and a nature park inside his 5-hectare property.

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www.piacaraga.blogspot.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/PIA-Caraga-Updates/165374590187484

[email protected][email protected]

A model farm prospers in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur by David M. Suyao


A model farm...from page 28

“Nangandoy gyud ko nga sa umaabot nga panahon dinhi sa akong area, usa ka model farm ug nature park mamahimong usa ka destinasyon dinhi sa Prosperidad,” Amelda smiled. Amelda’s dreams slowly came into place as relatives and friends encourage him to con-vert a 2,500 sq.m area into a fish pond. He visited the Pro-vincial Agriculture Of-fice (PAO) in his town to seek advice and technical assistance for his ‘fish pond’ proj-ect. He explained to the PAO technicians that the specific spot where he wants the pond constructed, he beleives has an under-ground spring water that never dries up. “I plan to make the area a trial for fish pond but I do not have the ‘know-how’, the technology and the capital to start and maintainan the pro-posed project,” Amelda told the PAO.

What followed was a series of tests, trials and study. Ac-cording to Amelda, the agriculture office gave him reading materials to whet his appetite for his ‘dream’ proj-ect. It was in 2009 that Diomedes Cimagala, PAO’s fishpond proj-ect incharge visited Amelda, eyeballed his property and saw the vast potential for a fishpond farming in the area. Luck smiled at Amelda. Friends and relatives extended all kinds of assistance. He started leveling the area and constructed a siphon to facilitate and control the spring water flow. As the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours,” this was true to Amelda because ac-cording to him, in due time, PAO chose him as one of the benefi-ciaries of its techno-demo in Tilapia pro-duction pond. As a recipient of the techno-demo proj-

ect, Amelda received 32 bags of Tilapia feeds and six bags of fertil-izer from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and 4,000 Tilapia finger-lings from the pro-vincial government of Agusan del Sur. With the help and close mentoring from the BFAR, PAO and the Prosperidad LGU, tech-nical assistance keeps coming. It was only a matter of time that Amelda’s ‘fishes’ will be on his table and in the market. Four months lat-er, Amelda harvested some 875 kilos of Tila-pia at P60 per kilo. He earned about P52,500 gross and after de-ducting his production expenses, he netted some P22,500. “Not bad at all for a 4-month income!” Amelda beamed with satisfaction. Amelda profusely counted the assistance and technology trans-fer from government agencies such as the BFAR and PAO to his

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Some lovely ladies representing the dif-ferent localities of the municipalities in Siar-gao Island will vie for the crown in this year’s

beauty pageant. The prestigious pageant is prepar-ing with a huge sum of money to the ma-jor awardee candidate.

Ms. Siargao 2011 will receive P30,000 with Sash and Trophy plus round trip to Hong Kong; Ms Siargao Tour-ism 2011 will receive

success. He proudly narrated the technics he learned from them that included the use of proper quality and quantity of fingerlings for stocking. “Stocking of qual-ity fingerlings and the quantity determine the proper growth of the Tilapia. Kanang dili sila maghuot,” Amelda added. The imporatnce of water analysis; quanti-ty and time of feeding, depending on the age of the fingerlings are also vital in the man-

agement of the pond. “Kinahanglan, ‘hands-on’ gyud ta aron ma-tan-aw nato ang tubo sa mga isda,” Amelda stated. “For proper guid-ance, constant consul-tation with the experts is also very necessary,” he said. Presently, Amelda enjoys Tilapia harvests twice a year. His fish-pond stock capacity now is at 6,000 finger-lings and still count-ing. What started as a ‘dream’ and beleiv-

ing at the huge poten-tial of his venture, he is starting to develop another 1,000sq.m area for his fishpond expansion. This time Amelda’s vision extends to me-andering under man-made forests; patches of purely organic veg-gies and herbs; a live-stock barnyard and hopefully in the near future, a nature’s park that will become one of the tourists’ desti-nations in Agusan del Sur.

The search is on for Miss Siargao 2011 by Dandy Lapura

SURIGAO DEL NORTE, Sept. 28 (PIA) – To conclude the very successful 2nd Siargao Surfing Festival, the provincial government of Surigao del Norte in cooperation with the First Congressional District of Surigao del Norte will launch the Miss Siargao 2011 in General Luna, this province.

A model farm...from page 29

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ALS program of HMC-TNP, DepEd fulfills aspiration of the mining communities in Surigao Norte

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P20,000 with Sash and Trophy plus round trip to Boracay; Ms. Siargao Environment 2011 will receive P10,000 with Sash and Trophy plus round trip to Boracay and P5,000 worth of consolation prizes for the non-winning can-didate. Also, Special Awards will be giv-en to the candidates, Best in Ethnic Fantasy Costume will receive P2,000 w/ Sash and Trophy; Best in Swim-suit will receive P2,000 w/ Sash and Trophy; Best in Evening Gown

will receive P2,000 w/ Sash and Trophy; Best in Talent will receive P2,000 w/ Sash and Trophy; Miss Friendship will receive P2,000 w/ Sash and Trophy; Most Photogenic will receive P2,000 w/ Sash and

Trophy. The coronation night will be on Octo-ber 2, 2011 in General Luna, Siargao Island during the closing cer-emonies of the 17th Siargao International Surfing Competition.

SURIGAO DEL NORTE, Sept. 28 (PIA) - The Alternative Learning System Accreditation & Equivalency (ALS A&E) System is one of the banner programs of the Department of Education aimed at reaching to the poorest of the poor and even to those who thought that time and age have grabbed them the opportunity to attend formal schooling. This is open to all Filipino youths and adults who dropped out of elementary and high school.

The search...from page 30


ASL program of....from page 31

This is also seen by the government as the means to respond to the increasing problem of out-of-school-youth (OSY). Although there have been several fac-tors which contributed to the increasing num-ber of OSY, the high cost of education and inaccessibility of the formal education were hindrance to achieving elementary and high education especially in poverty-stricken ar-eas. Combining non-formal and formal sources of knowledge and skills, the ALS was an alternative to the formal schooling being offered to graduate in high school. Handled by trained facilitators, the students learning system are module based and are being assessed through test to determine learning. After several months, the students will take the Accredi-tation and Equivalen-

cy Test (AET). If they pass the test, they will be given a high school diploma and can now enroll in college. But the ALS pro-gram itself of the De-partment of Education also requires a huge budget for its imple-mentation in order for this program to spread to several areas of the country. Confronted with a limited funding for this program, ALS could not be realized in areas which is found to be geographically re-mote and accessibility difficult as in the case of the mining communi-ties of Hinatuan Mining Corporation-Taganaan Nickel Project (HMC-TNP) -- the Barangay Talavera and 2 Sitios, Sitio Campandan and Sitio Bagong Silang in Taganaan, Surigao del Norte. Barangay Talave-ra can be reached from Surigao City through an almost 2-hour ride of a motorized ban-

ca and an additional forty-five minutes go-ing to Sitio Campan-dan and Bagong Si-lang from Barangay Talavera .Travel at sea going to these areas are convenient during summer but the rough seas make accessibil-ity tough most of the time. A National High School was established in the year 2010 with the help of HMC-TNP. Buildings and teach-ers were assisted by the company under their Social Develop-ment and Management Program. Since high school was offered in the Barangay only last year, not many of the residents were able to finish high-school and the high school diplo-ma is the proof of the residents so they can take advantage of the employment oppor-tunities being offered by HMC-TNP which is operating adjacent to their barangay.

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Hinatuan Mining Corporation –Taganaan Nickel Project needed skilled manpower to boost their operation and to beef-up em-ployees, skills training that will equip the resi-dents with the neces-sary skills needed by the company were con-ducted in partnership with TESDA. Minimum requirement to avail of the trainings should be a high school gradu-ate. The ALS program bridged the gap be-tween demand and supply of workers in the mining communi-ties. Residents who for lack of money, time and access to high school education can have the chance to graduate in high school and pur-sue their aspirations in life. Under the So-cial and Development and Management Pro-gram of the company, the implementation of the ALS A&E system for the mining commu-

nities will be a yearly project of HMC-TNP in partnership with the DepEd.May Ann Laranjan, 30 years of age is a plain housewife with 6 kids, stopped schooling af-ter second year high school and is proud to be back in school. She hoped to proceed to college and become a policewoman. Helen Ejandra, 35 years old and fin-ished 3rd year high school. She enrolled in the ALS program so she can make her kids proud of her. She finds the English subject as difficult. Sheila Dublusi 34, 6-months pregnant hopes to graduate and avail of the TES-DA program after high school so she and her husband can find bet-ter jobs. Her husband who works with HMC-TNP as checker is also enrolled with the ALS A&E System who has high hopes of becom-

ing a heavy equipment operator. This October 2011, the enrollees of the ALS A&E in the HMC-TNP mining com-munities are set to take the national ALS A&E test. The pass-ers of either the El-ementary or Second-ary Level will receive a certificate from the Secretary of the De-partment of Education and allows the passer to mainstream in the educational system of the country. It offers them a wide opportu-nities to enroll in post- secondary courses like technical, vocational, two to five-year course and TESDA skills train-ing programs and can join the government service if they pass the Civil Service eligibility for government em-ployment. The opportunities are unlimited for the ALS A&E learners. It would be up for them to pursue that desire to



BayanTel reg’l marketing caravan hits Mindanao to explore new opportunities, reaffirm leadership positionBUTUAN CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) – In keeping with its corporate mission of making a difference by bringing out the best in the lives of Filipinos, and in support of the government’s vision for Mindanao, Bayan Telecommunications Inc. (Bayan) is taking its marketing caravan program to Northern Mindanao to explore new opportunities for growth as well as strengthening its market leadership postion in the region, as its contribution in hastening the economic development of the region.

change their quality of life. The HMC-TNP and DepEd through the ALS A&E system could only

be a vehicle for them to reach the potential they hope to achieve in their personal and family life.

This rare opportunity should not be wasted but grabbed for a good future. (MGB-13)

Top management of Bayan headed by Chief Operating Officer Rafael T. Aguado have flown in to the regional center of Caraga (Region XIII) for the company’s marketing campaign dubbed “Bida ka sa Bayan,” a caravan program participated in by customers, employ-ees and LGU partners, which aims to showcase the company’s commit-ment to the local market it serves through a series of marketing and pro-motional activities like

a motorcade around the city, a customer fun fair promo and recognition program, a sales team and employee awards night, as well as a cour-tesy visit to local city of-ficials and LGU partners, among other activities. Bayan for Mindanao’s development The Northern Min-danao is an important market for Bayan where it currently holds the leadership position in the landline service. In

the areas of Digital Sub-scriber Line (DSL) and data services for both residential and business customers, the company is eyeing to increase its footprint in this segment in view of the vast po-tential market opportu-nities in the region. Part of the “Bida Ka sa Bayan,” caravan program was the site inspection for potential expansion and explora-tion of new market op-portunities in the areas of Cagayan de Oro, Gin-


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goog City, and nearby areas. The National Eco-nomic and Development Authority’s (NEDA) in its Mindanao Strategic De-velopment Framework 2010-2020 (MSDF) re-port has identified the need to increase the ac-cess to telecommunica-tions facilities to cover the entire island, as one of key challenge to its vision for Mindanao’s development, adding that efforts should focus on improving uninter-rupted signal along ar-terial road networks in Mindanao. NEDA said that the telecommunication in-frastructure highway will have to be strengthened by improving the regula-tory framework toward promoting efficiency and leveling the playing field to ensure fair com-petition in the delivery of telecommunications services in Mindanao. Reforms to stream-line procedures and in-centives, according to the MSDF report, will have to be introduced and promoted among the

LGUs. The LGUs, it said, can offer incentives, en-ter into joint venture agreements and/or un-dertake public-private partnerships that will be mutually beneficial for the public and private sectors. Bayan-Butuan part-

nership Bayan established its operations in Mind-andao in 1986 after it bought the franchise from Butuan Telephone Co. to operate telecom-munications services to Butuan City residents and in the nearby ar-eas. To date, Bayan operates in the North Mindanao area serving

the following locations: Butuan City; the mu-nicipalities of Nasipit, Buenavista, Carmen, Remedios T. Romualdez, Magallanes, and the city of Cabadbaran in Agu-san del Norte province; the city of Bayugan and the municipalities of San Francisco and Prosperi-

dad in Agusan del Sur province; and the cit-ies of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Ozamis, Pa-gadian as well as the province of Bukidnon. Mr. Aguado said Bayan believes in the economic potential of theregion, and ex-pressed his commit-ment to fully support the city governmetn’s vision to accelerate the

progress and develop-ment of Butuan through the various initiatives that the company and the city have partnered to work on. “In his very recent Report to the City, May-or Jun Amante has an-nounced that the city government of Butuan, together with the De-partment of Trade and Industry and the Butuan

BayanTel reg’l....from page 34

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City Chamber of Com-merce, will be working together to attract more investors by promoting investment packages in the Regional Center in Tiniwisan for more reve-nue and more economic activity for Butuanons,” Aguado said. In support of this, he said Bayan has in-vested close to a million pesos worth of cabling infrastructure capac-ity expansion to service the Butuan City Regional Center in order to help the city attract investors and locators to the facil-ity.

“This is our way of supporting the city’s plan of establishing the facility to become a call center/IT hub in Caraga and help in the jobs gen-eration program of the city government,” said Aguado. Moreover, Bayan has also provided the Butuan city government with an entrance cable facility worth of 50 lines to exclusively provide the telecommunications ser-vice needs of the people working in the city hall. The Bayan man-agement team will be paying Mayor Amante a

schedule courtesy vis-it to the city hall to to-morrow to highlight the company’s commitment to the city’s develop-ment programs. “Bayan is privi-leged to be working with the city government of Butuan in our collective effort to help bring out economic prosperity and sustainable growth that conforms with national development goals and objectives, and further emphasize Mindanao’s contribution to the coun-try’s overall growth”. (BayanTel/PIA-Cara-ga)

Itemize lumpsum entry in Educ budget - Chiz

BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) - The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) should itemize the lump sum entry in the 2012 budget for state universities and colleges (SUCs) to allay fears and doubts against the slash in funding, Senator Chiz Escudero said.

Last week, students and teachers across

the country protested the cutback by P146 million in proposed

BayanTel reg’l....from page 35

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spending plan of SUCs for next year. DBM Secretary Florencio Abad Jr., however, said that contrary to the pro-testers’ claim, SUC funding had been in-creased to P26.1 bil-lion from this year’s P23.7 billion. The proposed SUC budget for next year, Abad said, is broken down as fol-lows: P23.6 billion for the automatic ap-propriation for SUCs; P2 billion to fill up va-cancies lumped un-der the Miscellaneous and Personnel Ben-efit Funds (MPBF); and P500 million un-der the Committee on Higher education for SUC Development. Escudero said the lump sum en-try of MPBF should be disaggregated to

show the real budget for each agency. “Transparency demands nothing less and lump sum allocation is the ex-act opposite of trans-parency. If DBM is able to explain how the University of the Philippines budget is itemized, it should also be able to show aggregates of other SUC budgets to pre-vent the protest and to actually show what and how much exact-ly goes to where,” Es-cudero pointed out. The senator said whether contingent or not, the MPBF should be itemized, and not lumped to see what each school is getting. “It is sad that we have to argue about these things—budget for state uni-

versities. Why let our students fight for each and every peso in the educa-tion allocation when government should freely give it?” he added. Protesters are calling for a P45-million budget for each SUC next year, an amount which the proposed bud-get cannot meet. “The conditional cash transfer or CCT program is investing an additional P16 billion on our great-est resource: our people. We should also invest the same in human capital by filling the gaps and keeping up with common educa-tion standards and mechanisms as a matter of state poli-cy,” Escudero said.

Itemize lumpsum....from page 36


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by Franklin P. GumaponAttuning to the tempo of the national government’s call to adopt measures to mitigate the impact of global warming, the city government here

headed by Mayor Evelyn T. Uy is now embarking on a massive tree planting at government reservation lots in the city.

Dipolog embarks on massive tree planting


Dipolog embarks...from page 38

This coming Sept. 30 the city government employees are slated to hold a tree planting ac-tivity at Barangay Cog-on, targeting to plant 2,000 mahogany tree seedlings. City Environment and Natural Resources

Officer Wilson Mabilog disclosed that after the tree planting activity, his office will also spearhead a cleanup drive along the city’s coastal areas with the help of ROTC stu-dents. Mabilog further said the cleanup drive shall

coincide with the seventh “Dahunog sa Dipolog” festival, which is cele-brated every first week of October each year. This year’s “Da-hunog” festival carries the theme: “Save Your Life, Save the Environ-ment.”

Strategic planning for “Kurambos” project of La Libertad set in Dapitan City Sept. 28-29DIPOLOG CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) -- Participating agencies in the “Kurambos” project of La Libertad town will hold a two-day planning workshop starting tomorrow in Dapitan City to come up with a strategic plan for this undertaking.

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Dr. Evelyn R. Camp-iseño, Vice President for Research, Extension and Development of the Jose Rizal Memorial State University (JRMSU) will serve as the main fa-cilitator of the workshop which will be attended by the heads/ repre-sentatives from part-ner-agencies composed of national government agencies (NGAs), the provincial government of Zamboanga del Norte and the congressional office of Representative Seth Frederic Pal Jalos-

jos of the first district of Zamboanga del Norte. NGAs supporting the “Kurambos” project include the Department of Interior and Local Gov-ernment (DILG), Depart-ment of Trade and Indus-try (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Environment and Natu-ral Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Technical Education and Skills Development Au-thority (TESDA), Depart-ment of Agrarian Reform

(DAR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Philip-pine Coconut Authority (PCA), Bureau of Fisher-ies and Aquatic Resourc-es (BFAR), Philippine National Police (PNP), National Irrigation Ad-ministration (NIA), Philippine Army (PA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepED), De-partment of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Philippine Infor-mation Agency (PIA). The “Kurambos” project is a community


DOST-IX announces conduct of undergraduate scholarship examsDIPOLOG CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) -- Acceptance of application for the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) undergraduate scholarships is now open to graduating high school students.

This was the an-nouncement issued re-cently by DOST-IX re-gional office headed by Director Brenda Naza-reth-Manzano. It was also learned that DOST-SEI offers two scholarship programs, the Merit Scholarship Program for mentally gifted students regard-less of economic stand-ing and the RA 7687 Scholarship Program which is open to poor, talented and deserving students. The awardees shall be selected on the basis of their performance in the S&T scholarship ex-

amination which will be simultaneously conduct-ed in the different test centers nationwide on November 20, 2011. Applicants to the scholarship program must be high school se-niors belonging to the upper 5 percent of the graduating class and natural-born Filipino citizens of good moral character and must not be applying for resident or immigration status in a foreign country. Those who have al-ready earned units in any post-secondary/under-graduate course or have taken any DOST-SEI Un-

dergraduate Scholarship Examinations are dis-qualified from applying. Applicants for the S&T Scholarship under RA 7687, on the other hand, must be residents of their respective towns for the last four years as attested by their baran-gay and school records. The deadline set for the submission of application to the near-est DOST regional and provincial offices will be on October 21, 2011.Scholarship awardees are to enroll in any of the colleges/universities identified by DOST-SEI. Aside from maintaining

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employment and liveli-hood initiative of the mu-nicipality of La Libertad aimed at alleviating the plight of the poor through pooling of resources and convergence of services

among government agen-cies and non-government organizations (NGOs) to provide employment op-portunities to the people in the area. La Libertad is one of

the poorest towns in Zam-boanga del Norte as it is 97.8 percent dependent on the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the na-tional government. (JPA/FPG)

Strategic planning....from page 39


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Alternative Learning System’s A & E Test moved to Nov. 6by Alfonso T. Ruda

DIPOLOG CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) --- The Dipolog City Schools Division-Alternative Learning System(DCSD-ALS) of the Department of Education has announced that the Accreditation and Equivalency Test (A & E Test) scheduled to be conducted on October 2, 2011 has been moved to November 6, 2011.

DOST-IX announces.....from page 40

the grade requirements, the scholars should com-ply with the terms of the scholarship agreement that includes, among others, serving in the country on full-time ba-sis along field training for a minimum period equivalent to the length of time the scholarship was enjoyed upon com-pletion of the course. Among the privi-leges that DOST scholars will be receiving are free tuition and school fees subsidy up to P6,000 per semester, textbooks and school supplies allow-ance, physical education uniform allowance, free

transportation for one economy-class round trip fare between permanent residence and the place of study on reimburse-ment basis (for those studying outside their place of permanent resi-dence), monthly living allowance, group health and accident insurance, additional privileges dur-ing summer, if required by the curriculum, and post-graduation clothing allowance. The test centers in region IX are WMSU-ILS Social Hall at Normal rd., Balisawan, Zamboanga City for applicants from Zamboanga City and Sulu,

Zamboanga del Norte Na-tional High School-Main for applicants from the municipalities of Zam-boanga del Norte and the cities of Dipolog and Dapitan, Pagadian City Teacher’s Center for ap-plicants from the munici-palities Zamboanga del Sur and Pagadian City, and Claret School of Isa-bela for applicants from Basilan Province and its two cities of Isabel and Lamitan. Applicants from Zamboanga Sibugay may apply and take the test either in Zamboan-ga City or Pagadian City. (JPA/FPG)

Ms. Catalina S. Bar-inaga, DCSD-ALS Su-pervisor said a total of

562 qualified A & E Test registrants composed of 492 out-of-school youths

and adults and 70 in-mates from the Dipolog City Rehabilitation and


Alternative Learning....from page 41

Si Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Ro-bredo, mikutlo sa taho gikan sa National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO) ug sa mga buhatan rehiyo-nal sa maong depar-tamento, miingon 83 porsiento kon suma total sa 36,527 sa 43,279 ka mga LGUs sa nasud ang naka-organisar o nag-or-ganisar pag-usab sa ilang konseho alang sa mga kabataan su-kad miaging tuig, samtang 512 ang wala motuman niini. Sa pikas nga ba-hin, 20 ka mga prob-insiya, 17 ka mga si-yudad, 174 ka mga lungsod ug 3,876 ka mga barangay ang wala mosubmitir sa ilang taho. Sa 36,527 LCPCs, 55 anaa sa provin-cial level, 114 sa city level, 1,195 sa mu-

nicipalities ug 35,163 sa mga barangayas, miingon si Robredo. Apan, si Robre-do mipasabot, nga ang pag-organisar sa LCPCs wala nagpas-abot nga sa diha-diha molihok gilayon ang maong konseho. “The departa-mento motantiya sa lihok niining mga konseho base sa il-ang performance sa mosunod: organiza-tion, meetings, poli-cies, plans and bud-get accomplishments sa mga programa, proyekto ug mga ka-lihukan nga may ka-limbigitan sa kaay-ohan ug pagpanalipod sa mga kabataan,” miingon si Robredo. Ang mga LCPCs pagatawgon isip ideal kon maangkon kini sa rating 80 – 100% pi-naagi sa pagtuman sa mga kinahanglanon sa tanang indicators;

Mature kon makaku-ha kini sa rating 51-79% sa pagtuman sa mga kinahanglanon sa organisasyon ug meetings ug ubang mga sub-indicators; Progressive kon ang rating 21-50% kon nakatuman sa mga kinahanglanon al-ang sa organisasyon, meetings ug pipila sa mga sub-indicators; ang Basic kon rating sa 20% pa ubos alang sa mga konseho nga nakahimo sa mga ki-nahanglanon alang sa organisasyon o kaha meetings lang. Base sa mao-ng taho, si Robre-do miingon nga ang suma total sa 37,193 ka mga PCPCs nga gitantiya sa tibuok nasud, 5,581 (ideal); 14,018 (mature); 11,547 (progres-sive); ug 6,047 (Ba-sic).

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Maguindanao floods draw 24-hour clearing operationISABELA CITY, Basilan, Sept 28 (PIA) – Racing against time amid expected heavier rains spawned partly by tropical storm “Pedring” (internationally known as “Nesat”), some 600 volunteers have shifted to a 24-hour operation clearing carpets of water hyacinths that clogged rivers and bridges, and forced flood waters to flood low-lying towns in Maguindanao and villages in Cotabato city.

Reformatory Center are slated to take the said examination. Of the 492 Out-of-school youths and adult examinees who will take the A & E Test , 429 will take the secondary level while 63 will take the el-ementary level. On the other hand, of the 70 qualified inmates, 13 will take the elementary level while 57 others will try their luck in the sec-ondary level.

The examination for the out-of school youths and adults will be held at the Zamboanga del Norte National High School-Main Campus, Rizal Avenue, Estaka, Dipolog City, while the examination for the in-mates will be held inside the BJMP Complex in Lower Dicayas, Dipolog City. Barinaga said qual-ified to take the elemen-tary level are those who

will be aging 11 years old during the date of the examination while those who will take the sec-ondary level are those who will be 15 years old during the date of the examination. Lucky elementary level examinees will be eligible to enroll in high school while passers of the secondary level will be eligible to enroll in college.

Information chief of the Autonomous Re-gion in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Ali G. Macaba-lang reveals in a state-ment that the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) is on the round-the-

clock convergent opera-tions with 350 civilians and 250 soldiers start-ing Sunday with the ar-rival of a water master and the establishment of a command center on the water lilies-clogged

Taviran Bridge in Kabun-talan, Maguindanao. “We have to go on 24-hour clearing opera-tions since Sunday be-cause of more water hyacinths expected to drift down streams in

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Alternative Learning....from page 42


the coming downpours triggered by (typhoon) Pedring,” said Loreto Rirao, OCD-ARMM direc-tor, who coordinated the enhanced convergent works Sunday night. Ridao admitted while flooding cannot be prevented in Magu-indanao because by its name the province means “flooded plains,” cohesive interventions can help minimize the

ill-effects of flooding on the lives and properties in affected areas. As of Monday, he said, floods have al-ready affected 115 ba-rangays in 13 towns in Maguindanao and some low-lying villages in this city, displacing close to 160,000 residents. Two minors have been con-firmed drowned last week in Pagalungan town, he added.

Workers of the De-partment of Social Wel-fare and Development (DSWD) in ARMM and Region 12 have coor-dinated local govern-ment units in designat-ing evacuations centers alongside their distribu-tions of food packages and other relief goods, disaster management officials said. Classes in more than 50 public schools

ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo and OCD-ARMM Director Loreto Rirao view the flooded vicinity of the new town hall edifice of Kabuntalan currently occupied by soldiers pending suspension of construction works amid the inundation, during their ocular inspection last Saturday. (BPI-ARMM/PIA9-BST)

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Maguindanao floods....from page 43


in clouded Maguindanao towns have been sus-pended in last seven days, the ARMM’s Re-gional Disaster Risk Re-duction Management

Council (RDRRMC) said. ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Si-narimbo has asked for assistance from Secre-tary Luwalhati Antoni-

no, chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), on the initial dispatch Sun-day by Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson of a wa-ter master to help clear water hyacinths off the Taviran Bridge in Kabun-talan, Maguindanao. Sinarimbo and Maguindanao Rep. San-dra Sema, who visited Saturday some flooded places including the town hall and police station and schools in Kabun-talan, have separately requested for more in-terventions from the national government. (AGM/RVC)

Flood water also inundates the whole compounded ground of the Dadtimeg Elementary School in Kabuntalan town comprising seven academic edifices. Ostensibly written on the concrete fence is a slogan “edukasyon ang solusyon,” which visitors jestingly associated with a phrase “baha ang problema.” (AGM/PIA9-BST)

Still rising flood water forces abandonment of the police station and old town hall buildings in Kabuntalan. Photo taken during the ocular visit of an ARMM team led by Executive Secretary Sinarimbo and OCD-ARMM Director Loreto Rirao last Saturday. (BPI-ARMM/PIA9-BST)

Maguindanao floods....from page 44


Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan will explore the frontiers on the care for the environment through greater social engagement.

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XU-Ateneo de Cagayan campus to go green

by Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob


This was revealed by Fr. Robert Yap, the newly installed President of XU, who said making the campus green will be one of his environmen-tal stewardship projects, along with adapting to climate change. “We need to take care of creation so that creation can take care of us and caring for the environment is certainly one of the most crucial and most challenging to do in restoring the right relationships with cre-ation,” he said. Thus, XU will pur-sue the mandate given by the Association of Je-suit Colleges and Univer-sities Asia Pacific to be-

come a prototype green campus for the other Jesuit schools in the re-gion, he said. He also said XU will implement the plans for-mulated under the guid-ance of Fr. Pedro Walpole of Environmental Science for Social Change and use environment-friend-ly cleaning agents. Among others, XU will promote a styro-foam-free campus, will operate a Materials Re-covery Facility (MRF) and will reduce the waste volume that it dumps at the city landfill. It will also manage its many beautiful trees by pruning, landscaping and treating tree dis-

eases, will practice com-posting of its yard and fruit wastes, will set up a rainwater catchment system and will regu-larly do an energy audit and improve its energy efficiency. All of these will in-volve awareness and training programs so that the whole univer-sity community is mobi-lized to maintain a green campus, Fr. Yap said. “Ateneo de Cagayan will be a green campus … but … with a blue heart … a heart that appreciates the goodness of creation and discerns the active presence of God within creation,” Fr. Yap added.

XU-Ateneo de Cagayan....from page 46

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Sept. 28 (PIA) – The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the National Statis-tics Office (NSO) to address the problems of pensioners in the Annual Renewal of Active Status (ARAS) implementation.

GSIS, NSO ink MOA for implementation of ARAS

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by Wilmer M. Carabanes


CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis O¬¬riental, Sept. 28 (PIA) --- Em-ployees of the PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority (PIA) in Tagoloan, this province, have expressed their gratitude to the Housing and Urban De-velopment Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and its attached agencies for undertaking a housing project for them.

Mis. Or. housing project beneficiaries express gratitude to govt’s key shelter agencies

by Apipa Bagumbaran

During the recent Stakeholders’ Dialogue held in the city, Robert Vergara, GSIS Presi-dent and Chief Execu-tive Officer (CEO), said the partnership will re-quire NSO to provide the GSIS with a month-ly report/information and data on the death and marriage of pen-sioners. This data can be used by GSIS to deter-mine a match and coun-terchecks with the ros-ter of pensioners and beneficiaries. Vergara said that with this data from NSO, pensioners are no longer required to sub-mit an affidavit related to survivorship pension benefit, every year, ex-

cept upon application for the said benefit. Meanwhile, he said the NSO report will in-clude, among others, a remark on whether the record has a perfect match or similar/sounds like/partial matched re-cords. For similar/sounds like/partial matched re-cords of deceased pen-sioners, the GSIS will inform the pensioner through a written regis-tered notice and require them within two (2) months from receipt, thereof, to undertake any of the following: Report to any nearest GSIS office, send picture holding the newspaper of the dy showing visibly the

current date, undergo the GSIS Voice Activat-ed Processing System (G-VAPS) and request GSIS for home visita-tion. For reported re-married pensioners, the GSIS will inform the pensioner through a written registered notice and require the latter within two (2) months from receipt, thereof, to submit a Certificate of No Mar-riage (Cenomar) from NSO. Failure to comply with any of the above provisions, within the said 2-month grace pe-riod, shall result in the immediate suspension of his monthly pension, Vergara added.

GSIS, NSO ink ....from page 47

49


CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Sept. 28 (PIA) --- In an ef-fort to build stronger partnership with local government units (LGUs) in delivering quality homes to their constituents, the Housing and Ur-ban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and its attached agen-cies have organized a 2-day housing caravan for Northern and Eastern Mindanao.

10th Pabahay Caravan opens in Cag. de Oro

Mis. Or. housing.....from page 48

50

Elvira Garcia, pres-ident of PIA Employees Union, said the housing project is a realization of their dreams to own a house, thus, it is an invaluable legacy of the key shelter agencies and the PIA board to their employees. In its 37 years of existence, this is the first time that the PIA will undertake a hous-ing project for its em-ployees, she said, dur-ing the groundbreaking ceremonies of the PIA Employees Housing Project, yesterday. She said some of the PIA employees have already retired without houses that they can call their own, while some are still dwellers renting inside the PIA

compound. Dubbed as the PIA Employees Village, the housing project is a joint venture of PIA with the National Hous-ing Authority (NHA) which will be providing technical assistance on site development and the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) which will be providing loan facilities for house construction. It will be built at the 2.9-hectare PIA property and is envi-sioned to generate 125 housing units at 120 sq. M. per lot. The housing project will have three (3) hous-ing models with corre-sponding costs that are payable in 30 years, the 32 sq.m., single model

at Php312,000, the 42 sq.m., single detached at Php348,000, and the 73 sq.m., 2-storey house at Php516,000. Led by Vice Presi-dent and HUDCC Chair Jejomar C. Binay, the groundbreaking cer-emony of the PIA Em-ployees Village was held at the PHIVIDEC Estate in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Tagoloan town, this province. Also, a memo-randum of agreement (MOA) between PIA General Manager Leo Tereso Magno, NHA General Manager Chito M. Cruz and Pag-IBIG Chief Executive Officer Darlene Berberabe was signed during the cere-monies in the presence of Vice President Binay.


OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental, Sept. 28 (PIA) – Anoth-er Watch Listed Drug Personality (WLDP), fell into the hands of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), after a buy-bust operation, here.

Another buy-bust operation in Mis. Occ. leads to arrest of suspect

by Juliet Cagaanan

10th Pabahay Caravan....from page 49

51

The housing cara-van, held Sept. 26-27, at the Dynasty Court Hotel, here, was ac-tively participated in by local chief executives in Regions 10 and 13, as well, as their respective local planning officials and technical staff in-volved in housing con-cerns. Anchored on the theme “Strengthen-ing Local Government Units (LGU) in Housing Delivery and Local De-velopment Planning,” the opening of the Pabahay Caravan was spearheaded by no less than Vice President and HUDCC Chair Jejomar C. Binay. The caravan is the 10th of the series of housing events aimed at reorienting and up-dating LGU’s on the var-ious housing programs

available, as well, as the roles LGU’s play in the delivery of housing services to their con-stituents. By making the LGUs aware of our housing programs and services, we will be able to encourage them to work together with the national government in accelerating shel-ter production and en-hancing the delivery of housing services to the people, Binay said. Heads of the government shelter agencies such as the National Housing Au-thority (NHA), Housing and Land Use Regula-tory Board (HLURB), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), and National Home Mortgage Finance Cor-

poration (NHMFC) pre-sented their respective housing programs and services during the two-day housing caravan. Among the topics discussed were the role of LGUs in housing and urban development, as well, as specific hous-ing programs for LGUs, including HDMF’s Group Housing Loan Program, SHFC’s localized com-munity mortgage pro-gram, and NHA’s reset-tlement program. The HLURB also briefed the partici-pants on Comprehen-sive Land Use Planning (CLUP) and how it can help LGU’s in ensuring rational, ecologically balanced and sustain-able development of resources and growth of human settlements. (Apipa Bagumbaran)


Regional Di-rector, Roberto S. Opeña identi-fied the suspect as Jayson Orta-niza Lagahid, also known as, BA-KYOT, male, 36 years old, single, jobless and a res-ident of the city. Listed in the Order of Battle (OB) of PDEA-10, Lagahid was cov-ered under Oper-ational Plan “Oro-quieta.” He was caught during a buy-bust operation at Purok 2, Barangay Talic, on or about 5:30 p.m., last Sept. 21, by the opera-tives of Misamis Occidental Pro-vincial Special En-forcement Team of PDEA-10. Bought from the suspect by

the PDEA under-cover agent were two (2) pieces small size heat-sealed transpar-ent plastic sachets containing white crystalline sub-stance believed to be shabu. Also recov-ered from his possession and control were the following: four (4) pieces small size heat-sealed trans-parent plastic sa-chets believed to be shabu with an estimated to-tal weight of 0.06 grams. T w e n t y -four (24) pieces rolled aluminum foils and one (1) piece, each, of improvised toot-er, brown leather coin purse with attached keys,

Nokia 2323C cell phone and a black Honda wave mo-torcycle without a plate number. Opeňa said the seized drug and non-drug evidenc-es were brought to PNP Crime Labo-ratory for qualita-tive and quantita-tive examination. Meantime, the arrested suspect is now temporarily detained at Oro-quita City Police Station Detention Cell for booking and documenta-tion. App rop r i a t e charges for viola-tion of RA 9165 is now being readied for filing against the suspect in court, the PDEA-10 Director add-ed.

Another buy-bust...from page 50


The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industries is looking at improving the creative industries such as filmmaking and animation in Davao City.

53

by RG Alama

Davao City Chamber eyes creative industries

Gracing the recent Club 888 Media Forum at Marco Polo Davao, Marilou Monterverde M.D. chairperson of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industries Incorporated said that the board has discussed and approved

the creation of a creative industries committee in the chamber. Monteverde said that Davao City already has talented filmmakers and animation artists seeing the potential growth of this industry and also creative

industries can help bring more positive image for Davao complementing its new branding campaign. Currently the City Chamber is partnering with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)


GSIS expands ties with Land Bank

Davao City......from page 52

54

by Mai Gevera-Macapagat

in coming up with the planned Davao City Film Festival which is eyed to be held in the second or third quarter of next year. Peter Lat, FDCP coordinator in Davao City said that FDCP’s goal is to regionalize the film industry across the country. He said that filmmaking is becoming popular in Davao with

the people becoming more aware and creative in this field. Lat cited that favored Filipino films in the European festivals included films made in Davao and Mindanao. M e a n w h i l e Monteverde said that the planned Davao City Film Festival is aimed as a multi-sectoral effort particularly in

the engagement of the academe. She said the academe has requested that the film festival be held during school season. The FDCP is also exploring in bringing free workshops on filmmaking ( c i n e m a t o g r a p h y, editing, screenwriting) and animation in the schools.

DAVAO CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) - The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) is expanding its partnership with the Land Bank of the Philippines to allow not only pensioners but also its 1.4 million members to benefit from LANDBANK’s network of 927 ATMs nationwide.

LANDBANK, with more than 900 ATMs nationwide, also has the widest branch network in the banking industry with branches in all of the country’s 80 provinces. Beginning this year, GSIS members can now receive loan proceeds and

other benefits such as cash dividends through a LANDBANK-issued UMID e-Card instead of getting the same through your UN IONBANK- i s sued UMID e-Card. LANDBANK allows for no maintaining balance required for

the member’s savings account. There’s also no service fee on withdrawal and balance inquiry from any of LANDBANK’s more than 900 ATMs nationwide. The LANDBANK-issued UMID e-Card also


GSIS expands....from page 53

55

functions as a debit card in more than 20,000 accredited merchants nationwide. It is also a discount card for selected Pfizer medicines and when enrolling your children/relatives in any

STI campus nationwide. A member may transfer account from UNIONBANK to LANDBANK, just email name, date of birth, UMID Common Reference Number or CRN, and

preferred LANDBANK branch to [email protected] or visit the GSIS website www.gsis.gov.ph, and log on to the e-Card member transaction page by typing your GSIS ID No.

DavNor Capitol treats employees to free med services by Noel Baguio

It’s public servants’ turn to receive wellness services. Hundreds of Capitol executives and employees took a break from the taxing pressures of serving the public by taking advantage of the health care services liberally provided by the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte. In between holding medical outreaches in far-flung and depressed communities, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) organized the health and wellness program exclusively for the provincial employees and retirees on September 27, 2001.

The workers were given free check-up and medicines, dental services, minor surgery, cardio vascular screening, eye consultation, sugar screening, cancer screening, therapeutic massage, pap smear, and laboratory examinations, among other health services. Dozens of employees also participated in the bloodletting activity. The therapeutic massage service was provided in coordination with the Ventura College

and the International Spiritual and Material Therapeutic Massage Tagum City, Inc. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Agapito Hornido said the health and wellness program, which is now on its second year, was organized in line with the celebration of the 111th year of the Philippine Civil Service. He said the event intended to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases among the Capitol workers, and to motivate them to increase performance. Amid the myriad


DavNor Capitol....from page 54

56

of challenges and crucial responsibilities facing public servants today, Hornido said it is important to reduce the workers’ risk of developing chronic health conditions and to control the rising health care costs through the wellness program. “We must keep our employees healthy to enable them to serve the interest of the public better,” he said. Other activities slated in celebration of

the civil service month, which also seek to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Capitol workers, include seminars on stress management, communication skills and personality development; launch of the Pinoy Biggest Loser Capitol Edition; DDN Capitolympics 2011 and Capitol DavNor Got Talent 2011. The month-long celebration will be capped by the recognition/

awarding rites for deserving provincial officials and employees on September 29, 2011. “I hope these activities will inspire everyone to even more make good in the discharge of your duties towards Championing RACE: Public Services Excellence at Full Speed.” Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario said, alluding to this year’s theme of the Civil Service Month celebration.

Laak Kahimunan Festival cum Fruit Festival a success by Noel Baguio

Laak, Compostela Valley Province, (Sept. 23, 2011) – The Local Government Unit of Laak through the leadership of Mayor Reynaldo B. Navarro successfully celebrated its first Kahimunan Festival cum Fruit Festival last September 21, 2011. Kahimunan is a Dibabawon term for unity amidst cultural diversity. As diverse and exotic as their culture are, the Dibabawons, Muslims, Mandaya and other minority groups in the

Municipality even the Visayan flocked to the Municipal Hall Ground of Laak to showcase not only their cultural practices, customs and traditions but also the available products and on season fruits of their

respective barangay. Highlights of the said festivity were the Grand Parade which was attended by the Municipal Officials headed by Mayor Reynaldo B. Navarro, the 10th ID Band,


Laak Kahimunan....from page 55

Municipal Employees and all sectors and various stakeholders of the municipality including the entry for the best dressed horse competition in the morning followed by the blessing and inauguration of the Municipal Tribal Hall at Poblacion Laak, this municipality which is the biggest Tribal Hall in the Province of Compostela Valley. Program proper was held at the Laak Municipal Hall Ground which was attended by Congressman Rommel C. Amatong, SP Member Ruben R. Flores, 60IB Battalion Commander LTC Greg T. Almerol, LNMB ComVal Chapter Pesident Felisa A. Navarro, IP Representative Augusto S. Blanco, Montevista Mayor Teopista T. Jauod, Mabini Mayor Amir B. Muñoz, COA Supervising Auditor

Dina T. Novelero and others. Mayor Reynaldo B. Navarro in his message during the celebration said that the celebration is a way of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest that the Laakeños received from the Almighty. It is also a way of thanking and recognizing the indigenous people who made a great part in shaping the cultural influences that made Laak what it is today. Still part of the festival was the Fun Games and Competition such as durian eating contest, marang eating contest, banana eating contest and linutlot cooking contest. The twenty (20) clustered barangays on the other hand participated in the Booth Contest and Fruit Display where in they vie for best dressed booth, best in cultural design, best product displayed (handicraft

category) and most number of displayed fruits. C l u s t e r e d Barangays Kapatagan and Il Papa bagged the best dressed booth and best in cultural design while clustered Barangays Pob. Laak and Datu Ampunan, clustered Barangays Mabuhay and Bagong Silang bagged the best product displayed (handicraft category) and most number of displayed fruits, respectively. In the afternoon were the tribal games and other competition such as spear throwing, bow and arrow, native wrestling (layug), native song contest and native dance contest. Mayor Reynaldo B. Navarro attributed the success of the festival to the support of the different stakeholders of the municipality. (Janice C. Ollave – IO Laak)


Davao Light, Aboitiz Foundation turn over 6 Day Care classroomsDavao Light & Power Co., a member of the Aboitiz Group,

turned over last week three (3) Day Care Centers with a total of six (6) classrooms in support to the national government’s newly launched K + 12 education program.

Davao Light which distributes power in the cities of Davao and Panabo, and in the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte built the centers for the Aklat Gabay at Aruga tungo sa Pag-angat at Pangarap (AGAPP), a foundation headed by Presidential sister Pinky Aquino Abellada. The three centers are located inside the campuses of Maa Elementary School in the city’s 1st district; Lt. C. Villafuerte Sr. Elementary School in Calinan of the 3rd district; and Mudiang Elementary School in the city’s second district. Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.(AFI), the social development arm of Davao Light and all the companies under the Aboitiz conglomerate, funded the construction. Augusto P.I. Carpio III, Exec. Vice President and Managing Trustee of AFI, and Davao Light’s EVP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Art M. Milan,

led the turn-over from the benefactors’ side, while Jocy T. Ledesma, represented Presidential sister Abellada of AGAPP. Davao City Division Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ines Asuncion and Principal Mrs. Ferna G. Porras received the new kinder class facility. Dr. Antonia Diaz, Asst. Division Superintendent for Administration, and Principals Mr. Leonardo Mateo and Riza Joy Sarile, led DepEd officials in accepting the new day care centers at Villafuerte Elementary and Mudiang Elementary Schools, respectively. AGAPP’s mobilization of Day Care building donors came about to backstop the Department of Education’s integration of the Kindergarten education under its umbrella. This after the DepEd launched the K-12 expanded elementary and secondary curriculum. Each of the 2-classroom AGAPP Day Care Center costs about a

P1 million, the whole Aboitiz Group has committed to build for AGAPP and donate to the DepEd 50 units of Day Care Centers for the period 2011 – 2012. Davao Light is assigned to construct for the Foundation 6 of the 50 Day Care centers of AGAPP dubbed as “Silid Pangarap”. Meanwhile, two other Aboitiz companies under the Power Generation Group also constructed for AFI one Day Care Center each in their respective area of operation. Therma Mobile 1 in Maco turned over its completed Kinder classrooms lastSeptember 20 to Maco Central Elementary School in Maco, Compostela Valley Province. Therma Mobile 2 which operates a 100 megawatt power barge in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, is set to turn over its completed building for AGAPP to Sta. Ana Elementary School on September 28, 2011.

58 Wednesday, September 28, 201158 Wednesday, September 28, 2011


ni PBChangco

Kapansin-pansin ang makiki-tang unti-

unting pagbabago sa kabuhayan ng mga benepisyaryo ng Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program o 4Ps sa bayan ng Upi, Maguindanao, ayon kay Maguindanao 1st district/Cotabato City Rep. Bai Sandra Sema.

Programang 4Ps nagtatagumpay sa bayan ng Upi, Maguindanao, ayon kay Maguindanao 1st Rep Sema

Programang 4Ps nagtatagumpay sa bayan ng Upi, Maguindanao, ayon kay Maguindanao 1st Rep Sema

60


Binisita ng kon-gresista ang nasa-bing bayan kamakai-lan upang personal na makita at malaman ang kalagayan ng mga mamamayan at alamin ang mga pangangail-angan na karapat-da-pat na mapagkalooban ng tulong at suporta. Ayon kay Sema, kanyang napagala-man sa ilang mga be-nepisyaryo ng 4Ps at mga lokal na opisyal ang pagtaas ng bil-ang ng mga magaaral sa bayan sa tulong ng 4Ps at maayos na pa-mamalakad ng pama-halaang lokal sa iialim ng pamumuno ni May-or Ramon Piang, Sr. Sinabi ni Sema na nais nitong makaba-hagi sa pagsisikap ng gobyerno na iangat ng

antas ng kabuhayan ng maraming mahihi-rap na pamilya at ma-pabuti ang ekonomi-ya ng Maguindanao. “Napagalaman natin na marami ang mga kabataan ang nagaaral, at base sa report tumaas ang literacy rate at bum-aba ang school drop-out sa Upi sa tulong ng 4Ps,” ani Sema. Bunsod nito, nan-gako ang kongresis-ta ang pagpapatuloy ang pamamahagi ng kanyang tanggapan ng bag, lapis at papel sa mga batang ma-ge-enrol sa Grade 1, pagbibigay ng schol-arship sa limampung estudyante ng Upi Agricultural College sa susunod na pasu-kan at tulong para sa

malawakang pagta-tanim ng mga high-end na mga gulay. Kumbinsido ang kongresista sa po-tensyal ng Upi upang maging “salad bowl” ng rehiyon dahil sa malamig na klima, matabang lupa at ang ipinamamalas na ka-sipagan at tiyaga ng mga residente sa lugar. Bilang suporta sa mabuting pamumuno ni Mayor Piang, nan-gako si Sema ng hal-agang limang daan li-bong piso (P500,000) pondo na gagamitin sa pagsasaayos ng sirang Upi gymna-sium kung saan idi-naraos ang mga ma-hahalagang okasyon. (PIA Cotabato City)

Programang 4Ps....from page 59


AFP to turn over internal security operations to provincial government

All is set for the ceremo-nies that will signify the turn-

over of lead role in the management of the inter-nal security operations (ISO) to the provincial government of South Co-tabato.

by Dani Doguiles

Bravo said they have already

dismantled the NPA Fronts 76 and 73 oper-

ating in the province, par-ticularly in the

area around Barangay Ned,

Lake Sebu.

Gov. Arthur Y. Pingoy Jr, rep-resenting the provincial gov-ernment of South Cotabato and Maj. Gen. Jorge Segovia, repre-

senting the 10th Infantry Division, will be signing a memorandum of agreement on Friday to offi-cially effect the transfer of lead-

AFP to turn over internal security operations to provincial government


Bagong PNP chief pinayuhan ang mga batang pulis sa North Cotabato

Mainit ang naging pagtanggap ng mga opisyal at mamamayan ng

North Cotabato kay bagong hepe ng Philippine National Police (PNP) na si Director-General Nicanor Bartolome na dumalaw sa nasabing lu-gar kamakailan ilang araw matapos itinalaga ni Pangu-long Benigno Aquino III sa kanyang bagong pwesto.

Binisita ni Barto-lome ang mga opisyal ng lalawigan na pinagu-nahan ni North Cotaba-to governor Emmylou TalIño-Mendoza kasa-bay ng paginspeksiyon sa mga tropa ng ka-pulisan sa lalawigan. Sa simpleng pro-grama na dinaluhan

ng mga opisyal ng prubinsiya, pamaha-laang bayan, military, pulisya, civil society organization at mag-ing mga retiradong pulis, kinilala ng opi-syal ang katapatan at maayos na pagganap ng katungkulan ng mga dating kasamah-

an at tauhan na ayon sa kanya ay nagsilbing gabay at inspirasyon. Sa kanyang men-sahe, binigyan-diin ni Bartolome ang mga mahalagang hakbang na puspusang ipinatu-tupad kabilang ang transformation pro-gram sa layuning lalong

PNP Dir. Gen. Nicanor Bartolome

by PBChangco

Bagong PNP chief pinayuhan ang mga batang pulis sa North Cotabato

63


mapabuti ang serbisyo ng kapulisan upang iangat ang imahe at tiwala ng taumbayan. Pinayuhan ng opi-syal ang batang mi-yembro ng North Co-tabato PNP na laging himingi ng payo sa mga kasamahang mas nauna at malapit nang magretiro upang sila ay magabayan sa tama at maayos na pagtupad sa kanilang tungkulin

bilang tagapagpatu-pad ng batas para pa-nanatili ng kaayusan at kapayapaan sa lugar. Ayon kay Barto-lome, kanya ring ina-tasan ang highway pa-trol group na palakasin ang kampanya sa pag-gamit ng helmet para matiyak ang proteksi-yon ng mga motorist sa harap ng tumataas na kaso ng aksidente sa mga daan at lansangan.

Kaugnay dito, ti-niyak ni Gov. Mendoza ang suporta ng pama-halaang panlalagiwan sa militar at pulisya ka-sabay ng pahayag ng kasiyahan sa maayos at masigasig na pag-tutulungan at koor-dinasyon sa kampa-nya kontra karahasan at terorismo sa lala-wigan. (pbchangco/PIA Cotabato City)

PHOTO RELEASES:The Philippine Informa-tion Agency 12 (PIA 12) in partnership with Gensan College of Technology conducted a bloodletting activity on September 19, 2011 in collaboration with the Philippine Red Cross-Gensan Chapter collected some 6, 750 ml of blood. Fourteen (14) students from the school and Dani Doguiles, information of-ficer IV of PIA 12 donated blood. (RTL/PIA)

Bagong PNP chief....from page 62


One Mindanao - September 28, 2011

Documents

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