GADCC-Caraga visits lumads in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte
By: Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 25 (PIA) – In line with the Women’s month celebration this year, the Regional Development Council – Gender and Development Coordinating Committee (RDC-GADCC) Caraga chaired by Atty. Marilyn Pintor, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Caraga Regional Director conducted Thursday Lumad visitation in Barangay Cuyago, Jabonga, Agusan del Norte.
A crowd of 400 residents which includes the Lumad tribe availed of free medical, dental, pap-smear services by various concerned agencies. They also enjoyed free mass feeding and the distribution of relief goods during the whole day activity.
Also, the Department of Health (DOH) Caraga Regional Office headed by Dir. Leonita Gorgolon turned over the 100 boxes of Amoxicilin; 10 boxes of Glibenclanide (for diabetic patients); 100 boxes of multivitamins; and assorted used clothings to the Punong Barangay Vicmar Tillo.
GADCC co-chair Edna Hontiveros acknowledges the joined efforts of various agencies for the conduct of the free medical, dental mission for the lumad tribe in the said barangay.
“This activity we are conducting now is in line with the women’s month celebration, and with this we want to laud the existence of our Lumad friends. We want you to know that we care for you and the government hopes to continue our partnership in the coming years,” Hontiveros added.
Meanwhile, the general public is also encouraged to participate in the sportsfest and culmination program of the GADCC member-agencies on March 31, 2011 at the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) Office here.
The celebration of women’s month this year has the theme: “Magna Carta of Women, Philippine CEDAW: In support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)”. (PIA-Caraga)
.
Lumad tribe in Ag Nor thanks GADCC
By: Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 25 (PIA) -- Lumad residents of barangay Cuyago, Jabonga, Agusan del Norte expressed their gratitude to the Regional Development Council - Gender and Development Coordinating Committee (RDC-GADCC) Caraga who visited them and provided medical and dental services to the community.
Imelda Cabongcabong, a lumad resident of the said barangay commends the efforts of the GADCC member-agencies for providing them the free medical, dental mission and mass feeding with relief goods.
“Nagpasalamat kami sa gobyerno sa paghatag ug bili kanamo nga mga lumad. Salamat usab sa libreng tambal ug pagkaon (We thank the government for showing us that they care and for providing us these free medicines and relief goods),” Cabongcabong stressed.
Also, Punong barangay Vicmar Tillo highly appreciated the time and efforts of the GADCC member-agencies and for the successful conduct of the free medical, dental mission.
“Thank you so much to all our partner agencies, we hope to work with you again,” Tillo said.
GADCC is yearly conducting Lumad visitation in the barangays of Agusan del Norte in line with the women’s month celebration. (PIA-Caraga)
.
PDEA to conduct anti-drug courier info campaign to schools in Caraga Region
By: Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, March 25 (PIA) –- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Caraga Regional Office is set to start with the anti-drug courier campaign in support to the national campaign of the Aquino Administration.
In an interview with Ms. Christy Silvan, Deputy Officer-in-charge of PDEA-Caraga during her visit to PIA-Caraga Regional Office recently, said the region’s drug enforcement agency will start the anti-drug information dissemination campaign of in schools in Caraga Region before the month ends.
According to Silvan, during the conduct of the regular meeting of the City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) held here recently, the info campaign was already presented to the member-agencies headed by Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante, Jr.
She said, the advocacy campaign is one way of informing the local government unit of Butuan City so that Butuanons will be saved from being victimized by drug syndicates.
Silvan also reminded Caraganons especially those who are constantly travelling abroad and those who are still planning to go abroad to be vigilant with the modus operandi of these drug syndicates.
In order not to be involved with such heinous crimes, Silvan said job seekers should get in touch with government authorities such as the POEA to ensure that they will be engaging with genuine and authorized recruiters.
To date, three Filipino drug couriers are already convicted by the Chinese court and are set to be executed on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. (PIA-Caraga)
.
SARAS displays skills on life-saving during fire drill
By: David M. Suyao
BUTUAN CITY, March 25 (PIA) -- The search and rescue Agusan del Sur team (SARAS) displayed their skills in life-saving and safe evacuation of patients during the fire drill conducted right at the D.O. Plaza Memorial Hospital (DOPMH) in partnership with the Bureau of Fire Protection and the DOPMH management recently.
Roberto Natividad, chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center, (PDRRMC) said the provincial government, by order of Gov. Adolph Edward “Eddiebong” Plaza, has intensified the trainings of volunteers who compose the SARAS in order to skillfully and timely respond to any calamities that will hit the province.
“In this fire drill, we brought along with us two fire trucks assigned in the province while the BFP brought one. Automatically, when we came over to participate in the fire drill, we pull out the boxes containing our equipments and bring them along with us. Just like when we respond to real emergency and calamity, without any time wasted, we jumped off and responded,” Natividad said.
Upon the sound of the siren, the three fire trucks, packed with uniformed SARAS volunteers and firemen, rushed to the DOPMH together with the rescue vehicles carrying the equipments of the SARAS.
In precise movement and speed, the team proceeded to their areas of responsibilities and expertly handled the fractured and wounded dummy victims of the fire.
In a few minutes, dummy patients with tourniquets were carried out on stretchers and some by rescuers using gliding ropes. These ‘victims’ were immediately attended by the doctors and nurses waiting at the assigned and secured holding area.
Present during the drill were DOPMH chief of hospital Dr. Joel Esparagoza, F/Insp. Danilo Castor, Dr. Elmore Lumpay and Dr. Lorelyn Pastor who led the first aid team, nurses from the DOPMH and SARAS, technical members of the SARAS volunteers, the police and the media.
Being the front liners during emergencies and calamities, SARAS has 26 nurse members serving as medical first responders and around 250 trained volunteers. Gov. Eddiebong Plaza has ordered the construction of a P7 Million worth of building with facilities for the SARAS to occupy and at the same time, will become the center of the PDRRMC. (PIA-Agusan del Sur)
.
Jobs Fair set in April
By: Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, March 25 (PIA) –The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) together with its attached agencies is set to conduct jobs fair in April. This was announced by Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)-Caraga Regional Director Marietta Bellotindos in an interview with PIA recently.
According to Bellotindos, aside from the usual and regular recruitments facilitated by POEA in the region, jobs fair will be scheduled on April spearheaded by DOLE and its attached agencies including the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), with the support of all the local government units in Caraga Region.
“The jobs fair is expected to be well-attended and participated by jobseekers in the region as it promised to have local and foreign employers who will be recruiting qualified applicants,” Bellotindos said.
As of press time, the POEA Director said, coordination with concerned agencies, LGUs and companies are on the process of finalization to see to it that the activity will be of big help in the jobs generation program of the Aquino administration.
POEA, on the other hand, promised to bring employment agencies during the activity. Bellotindos said POEA is now on the process of searching for skills registry to match the job skills to be brought here during the jobs fair. (PIA-Caraga)
.
Caraga’s RGIS will help reduce project costs – Butuan Dad
By: Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, March 25 (PIA) -- Butuan City Mayor Dr. Ferdinand Amante, Jr is elated over the establishment of the Regional Geographic Information System (RGIS) Network as this will help reduce cost in implementing projects.
In his speech read by Vice-Mayor Atty. Lawrence Lemuel Fortun during the launching of the RGIS Network held recently at NEDA-Caraga Regional Office ground, this city, Mayor Amante, said most of the time, the absence of necessary data or information to be used to design solutions to people’s problems largely increased project’s cost because data gatherings are conducted to define these solutions is expensive.
With the establishment of the RGIS where region-wide data will be stored electronically, the local chief executive said all necessary information needed by both the public and private offices as well as organizations will be easily available just at the fingertips.
Through this, Amante said one thing to sustain these solutions require the use and integration of updated data which in later days can also be retrieved from the same database.
Amante added the initiative needs for an inter-disciplinary and regional data also holds true for the private sectors whose venture is to conduct regular inventory of its market, available materials – processed or raw, that can steadily be converted into profit.
“With the huge need for data in the regional scale, answer to data and information queries are addressed by the RGIS Network,” Amante said.
The local chief executive of the city is hopeful that better designs for programs and projects will be implemented. “More cost-efficient projects and increased utilization of available resources in our localities,” he said.
Amante added that with this available, reliable and efficient data, potential entrepreneurs will have more knowledge and confidence with the local economy in the region. “Hence, inspire more investments and consequently generate for more employment of our people,” Amante stressed.
Amante further said that RGIS may be able to craft systems and mechanisms to functionally and sustainably upload data into the information database and generate processed information from the same with the use of RGIS to keep with our existing and potential partners and investors updated on local information.
The provincial and city GIS centers served as satellite centers for provincial and city repository of all local data and information where coordination of data access and distribution at the local level will be implemented. (PIA-Caraga)
.
DENR 13 tells public to switch off lights and electrical appliances for Earth Hour
BUTUAN CITY, March 25 -— Residents have been requested to switch off lights and electrical appliances on Saturday March 26,2011 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm in observance of the Earth Hour 2011.
“The idea of this activity is to relieve Planet Earth and its inhabitants of the destructive build up of carbon stress," DENR Caraga Regional Executive Director Leonardo R. Sibbaluca said in an interview by local newsmen.
He asked the people to “participate and reduce their carbon footprint by decreasing their electrical consumption for a total 60 minutes so that emissions generated from carbon dioxide and fossil fuel can be reduced.”
“This Co2 emission contributes substantially to adverse climate change”.
DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje said by switching off not only our lights but other non-essential electrical appliances for one hour can relieve Planet Earth and the people therein of the destructive build-up carbon stress.
“Beyond the hour-long sacrifice of switching off power, the Filipino can mitigate the further effects of climate change by eliminating wasteful or inefficient consumption of electricity, using cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels, and incorporating clean development mechanisms for greener products and services,” the DENR top official said.
Secretary Paje stressed that the “Filipino people should not wait for time to run out, or for global warming to become irreversible.” “The greater the darkness we produce on Earth Hour, the brighter our tomorrow will be,” he said.
Earth Hour is considered one of the largest mass participation for the Earth. It was organized by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, where 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make a stand against climate change. The number of participating communities has steadily risen from 35 countries in 2008, to 88 countries in 2009, and 128 in 2010. (Eric F. Gallego/DENR-RPAO 13)
.
401st IB celebrates 114th PA Anniversary; 29IB received cash gift, 2 officials promoted
LIANGA, Surigao del Sur, March 25 (PIA) -- The 401st Infantry Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army under Col. Agusto L Tolentino, the Commanding Officer celebrated the 114th the Founding Anniversary of the Philippine Army at the Brigade Headquarters in St Christine, Lianga, Surigao del Sur, recently.
One of the highlights of the event was the awarding of cash gifts amounting to eleven thousand pesos (P11,000.00) to the members of 29th Infantry (Matatag) Battalion (29IB) in recognition of outstanding accomplishment of the unit in support to the campaign against the Communist Terrorist/CPP-NPA.
It can be recalled that the 29th IB recovered assorted high power firearms: two (2) cal 5.56mm M16 rifles, two (2) cal 30M1 garand rifles, four (4) receivers of M16 rifles, one (1) upper receiver of M14 rifle, one (1) upper receiver of carbine rifle and assorted rifle spare parts during their combat operation in Andap Valley recently.
Also, part of the celebration was the pinning of rank of the two newly promoted officers Major Fernando Payapaya, Brigade Logistic Officer and 1LT Roxane S Roxas, the Brigade Adjutant/Admin Officer. They also delivered their inspirational messages among the troops assuring that they are ready to assume higher responsibilities in their military career.
Col. Tolentino also congratulated and thanked all soldiers, under his command for all the accomplishment support and cooperation they provided in the performance of their mandate and accomplishment of the multifaceted mission of the Brigade. He is proud to be the Commanding Officer of the 401st Unite N’ Fight troopers. (401st Brigade/PIA Surigao del Sur)
.
Tagalog News: NFA malaking impluwensiya sa presyo ng commercial rice
TANDAG CITY, March 25 (PIA) -- Naniniwala ang National Food Authority (NFA) sa Surigao del Sur na malaki ang kanilang impluwensiya sa presyo ng commercial rice.
Ayon kay Provincial Manager Raymundo Cotiangco, hindi basta nakapagtataas ng presyo ang mga commercial rice traders dahil kung gagawin ito, tutumal ang kanilang paninda.
Dagdag pa niya, sa ngayon, ang NFA rice ay nanatiling kumpetensiya pa rin sa P27.00 ang kilo bagay na gustuhin man ng mga commercial rice traders na magpatong, hindi nila magawa.
Sa Surigao del Sur, halos dikit lang ang presyo ng pinakmurang uri ng commercial rice sa NFA rice.
Samantala, sa gitna ng pangyayari sa tumataas na presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin sa walang puknat na pagtaas sa presyo ng produktong langis.
Hindi naman masabi ni Manager Cotiangco kung maapektuhan ang presyo ng NFA rice. Aniya, Central Office lang ang tuwirang nakakaalam nito sa ganitong usapin. (Greg Tataro Jr., Radyo ng Bayan Tandag/PIA Surigao del Sur)
