Tilaw sa Pagkaong Surigaonon Food Festival opens on Sunday
by Fryan E. Abkilan
SURIGAO CITY – Tourists will once again be treated to the city’s purely unique tasting dishes when the Tilaw sa Pagkaong Surigaonon (A Taste of the Surigaonon Food) Food Festival officially opens on Sunday, August 29 at the Luneta Park.
.
The event is a regular feature prior to the celebration of the city’s Charter Day Anniversary slated on August 31, showcasing the talents of local chefs in Cooking Show Competition as well as innovativeness of the students in the table setting, skirting, bartending and cocktail competitions.
.
As of press time, 6 participants for the open category and 13 for the barangay category in the Native Delicacies have already confirmed their participation, another 10 for the open category and 8 for the barangay category in the Exotic Kinilaw, 9 for the open category and 11 for the barangay category in the Native Cuisines, and 8 participants for the best Barbecue.
.
The City Tourism Office also said that 12 schools throughout the province have confirmed their participation for the table setting, skirting, bartending and cocktail competitions. These schools include Philippine Women’s University (PWU-Surigao Campus), Center for Health Specialists (CHP), Systems Technology Institute (STI-Surigao), St. Paul University Surigao, Surigao State College of Technology, Ipil Nat’l High School, SNCAT-Day-asan Campus, Surigao del Norte National High School, Surigao Education Center, Taft National High School, SNCAT-Mainit Campus and Siargao National College of Science and Technology.
.
The 3-day gastronomic affair will end on August 31.
.
The event is proudly organized by the city government of Surigao headed by Mayor Nitoy Matugas through the City Tourism Office and Surigao Caterer’s Association. (PIA-Caraga)
GSIS to provide DepEd with IT assistance to address teachers’ issues
The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has committed to provide the Department of Education with technical assistance on information technology to finally resolve the teachers' concerns.
The GSIS said it will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding with DepEd. The MOU calls for the pension fund to provide IT technical assistance to DepEd which will include the provision of computer hardware and software, among others.
The plan to come up with an MOU was arrived at following a dialogue between the two agencies, led by GSIS Chairman Daniel Lacson and DepEd Undersecretary for Finance and Administration Francisco M. Varela and Assistant Secretary Reynaldo D. Laguda who represented Secretary Armin Luistro.
Both agencies agreed to fully cooperate to jointly resolve the teachers' concerns.
A panel, headed by Usec. Varela on the part of the DepEd and GSIS Executive Vice President for Operations Consuelo D. Manansala, on the part of the pension fund, has also been formed to work on all issues raised by teachers.
Ms. Manansala is also the concurrent OIC-President and General Manager of the GSIS.
In 2005, the GSIS and the DepEd, which comprise 40 percent of the entire membership base of the pension fund, had previously entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the purpose of updating teachers’ service records.
This MOA was highlighted by a P17.2-million SR updating project fully bankrolled by the GSIS.
The GSIS has also recently requested the assistance of Department of Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad in the model arrangement that the pension fund is coming up with the DepEd. The model arrangement could later be adopted by the GSIS with other member-agencies, Chairman Lacson said. (GSIS/PIA-Caraga)
