PhilHealth Sabado II to provide more Filipinos with health insurance
by Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, June 24 (PIA) -- Want to be a PhilHealth member? Then tomorrow’s “PhilHealth Sabado” is your chance to be one of the millions of Filipinos who are PhilHealth card holders and continuously benefit the health insurance services of the state’s health insurance corporation.
“PhilHealth Sabado, Magseguro. Magparehistro” is a one-day registration activity aimed at enlisting our fellow Filipinos who are not yet members of PhilHealth but have the financial capability to personally pay for their premium contributions.
The event also entails an advocacy activity to further educate members about their PhilHealth benefits, how and where these may be availed of as well as on their duties and responsibilities as members.
The registration desks will be ready by 9:00 a.m. and will stay on until 5:00 p.m.
The activity is primarily open to Filipinos who are not yet members of PhilHealth but who have the means to pay for their quarterly premium of P300. The national government is targeting parents of public schoolchildren who are not yet members of PhilHealth, as well as those whose lives revolve around the school such as the utility personnel.
Also qualified to register are those who are 21 years old and above; minors who have been working as heads of their families; those who have never been issued a PhilHealth Identification Card; those paying their contributions but are not yet registered; and inactive PhilHealth members who want to reactivate their membership.
Indigent families who are not in the NHTS List of the DSWD are also expected to be at the registration sites tomorrow. They will be asked to fill out the PMRF (PhilHealth Member Registration Form) for endorsement to the DSWD.
Also, employed members who do not know their PhilHealth numbers may verify their PhilHealth numbers and they can request for the printing of their PhilHealth ID Cards.
Furthermore, former employed members who wish to reactivate their membership coverage will be asked to fill out the PMRF to effect the change in their member status and correspondingly update their member data records; they may also pay their premium at the cashier stationed in selected registration areas
Retirees and pensioners who wish to register under our Lifetime Member Program and kin of OFW-members who wish to verify the validity of the OFW’s coverage are also expected to be at the registration sites.
For the principal registrants, the documentary requirement shall be the Birth Certificate or any of the following valid identification cards: passport, driver’s license, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ID, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance, Police Clearance, Postal ID, Voter’s ID, Barangay Certification, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) eCard, Social Security System (SSS) ID, Senior Citizen’s ID, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) ID, and OFW ID.
They may also present Seaman’s Book, Alien Certification of Registration/Immigrant Certificate of Registration, Government office and GOCC ID such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ID and Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) ID, Certification from the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Person (NCWDP), Certification from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) ID, Company IDs issued by private entities and institutions registered with or supervised by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Insurance Commission (IC).
The original copy of the above-mentioned requirements to be presented upon registration and the photocopy will serve as supporting document.
The prospective registrant shall go to the designated registration site, fill up the PMRF, attach the supporting documents and PhilHealth staffmembers shall process his registration documents. If the new registrant is willing to pay the premium on-site, he can do so and his PhilHealth ID card and Member Data record will similarly be issued.
The registrant shall then proceed to the IEC area for the brief orientation on NHIP benefits and benefits availment.
For new registrants who paid at least one quarter’s premium, they will be given their PhilHealth ID Cards, their Member Data Records, official receipt of premium payment made, and reading materials on their PhilHealth benefits, duties and responsibilities.
For new registrants who are not yet ready to pay their premium at the identified registration sites, they will be given the PMRF, the address of the nearest PhilHealth Regional or Service Office, and reading materials on PhilHealth benefits.
At the registration site, there will be a brief lecture-orientation on the benefits that a PhilHealth member is entitled to. An audio-video presentation on how benefits may be availed of may also be shown to help educate prospective members, as well as existing members about the availment procedures while they wait for their turn at the registration queues.
Among the PhilHealth’s partners in this activity are the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Education, League of Cities of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, League of Barangays of the Philippines, and the National Anti-Poverty Commission. (PIA-Caraga)
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Caraga Region has 15 sites for PhilHealth Sabado II tomorrow
by Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, June 24 (PIA) -- There will be 15 registration sites for PhilHealth Sabado II tomorrow, according to the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD).
“PhilHealth Sabado, Magseguro. Magparehistro” is a one-day registration activity aimed at enlisting self-employed and others in the informal sector who are not yet members of PhilHealth, but have the financial capability to pay for their premium health insurance contributions.
The event also entails an advocacy activity to further educate members about their PhilHealth benefits, e.g., how and where these may be availed of, as well as, their duties and responsibilities as members.
According to Ms. Sunshine Alipayo, DOH-CHD Regional Information Officer, of the five provinces of the region, the province of Surigao del Norte will have seven sites composed of Mariano Espina Memorial Central Elementary School and Surigao West Central Elementary School in Surigao City.
To complete the list in the province, Sison Central Elementary School, Tubod Central Elementary School, San Francisco Central Elementary School, Placer Central Elementary School, and Siargao Central Elementary School are also considered by the DOH as official sites.
In Agusan del Sur, Alipayo said three sites were identified, as follows: Bayugan Elementary School, Agusan Sur National High School in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, and in Veruela Gymnasium.
Meanwhile, the gymnasium in Tandag City and the Mangagoy Central elementary School Gymnasium in Bislig City were the identified sites in the province of Surigao del Sur.
Further, in Butuan City, only one site has been identified – Agusan National High School in A.D. Curato Street while the North Cabadbaran Central Elementary School in Cabadbaran City is of the official site assigned to constituents of the province of Agusan del Norte.
Lastly, in the Province of Dinagat Islands, the San Jose Central Elementary School is the only site for the activity. (PIA-Caraga)
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Ensure local chief executives' participation in greening campaign, says DILG
by Mary Christine Anthonette M. Salise
BUTUAN CITY, June 24 -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government instructed its field officers to encourage local chief executives to participate in the National Greening Program which will kickoff tomorrow during the country’s 7th Arbor Day Celebration.
DILG Region 13 continuously monitors the actions of its field officers in closely coordinating with their respective local chief executives to ensure success in the conduct of the Arbor Day Celebration.
DILG Regional Director Rene K. Burdeos instructed field officers and local chief executives to support PNOY’s National Greening Program by producing at least 25,000 seedlings to be planted simultaneously during the Arbor Day Celebration.
The said event will enjoin every barangay in the country to simultaneously plant trees together with other national government agencies, LGUs, NGOs, and other organizations to guarantee the successful launch of PNOYs Billion Trees Program.
PNOYs Billion Trees Program aims to have a nationwide synchronized tree planting activity with a target of 1 Billion trees by the end of 2016. (DILG-13/PIA-Caraga)
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Surigao City's P45-M waste treatment facility now operational
by Annette P. Villaces
SURIGAO CITY, June 24 (PIA) - City Mayor Ernesto T. Matugas led recently the inauguration of the P45-million waste treatment facility, the first of its kind in the entire Caraga Region and the most advanced in Mindanao situated in Barangay Cagniog this city.
In his inaugural message, Mayor Matugas said that the opening of the waste treatment facility marked an important event in the history of Surigao because it symbolized the beginning of an environment-friendly disposal of waste, in accordance with ecological standards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and in compliance with the provisions of RA 9003.
He also acknowledged the technical and financial assistance extended by the Swedish Government and Gunner Kassberg, the technical consultant of the project from Germany.
The mayor, himself, led the ceremonial switching of the conveyor machine that transports waste from the sorting area to the landfill while being further segregated for saleable/recyclable trash simultaneously by collectors or so-called “biomen”.
The said facility covers an expanse of approximately 10 hectares. Its capacity is expected to accommodate some 21-ton of garbage daily from the city’s urban and mainland barangays in the next 20 to 25 years.
The facility is composed of an administration building, a briefing room and viewing deck, a Materials Recovery building, a sanitary landfill consisting of two (2) cells, a leachate collector with submersible pumps, aerated ponds and other support structures.
Assisted by Councilor Christopher Bonite, chairperson of the Committee on Environment, the punong barangay of Cagniog, Hon. Marieta A. Boquilon and City Environment and Natural Resources Officer, Engr. Elmer Tecson, city and barangay officials, as well as heads of local and national government agencies and non-government organizations also came to witness the event.
The city Mayor expressed high hopes that this showcase project will make Surigaonons more conscious of the amount of garbage that they produce and more responsible of the manner by which their garbage is disposed, right down to the household level, in line with the city’s information drive: “Basura ko, Obligasyon ko.” (Surigao City PIO/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
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Massive Tree Planting set at Mt. Mayapay in Butuan City
by Eric Herzon F. Gallego
BUTUAN CITY, June 24 -- People are expected to trek anew to Mt. Mayapay on June 24,2011 to plant tree seedlings in a continuing effort of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Mt. Mayapay Rehabilitation Task Force to restore the lost forest of the mountain. Eight million hectares of forestland in the country are considered degraded and open.
The activity also coincides with the celebration of the “Arbor Day” on June 25.
The DENR Regional Executive Director Leonardo R. Sibbaluca issued appeal to the city residents and all sectors concerned including the academe, non-government agencies, local government units and the private sectors to join in the tree planting activities.
“This is a little sacrifice which is held seldom compared to the benefits the trees can give us and to the future generation,” Director Sibbaluca said in his statement. “We must do our share in this undertaking,” he added.
Arbor Day is celebrated in the country on June 25 of each year.
DENR Secretary Ramon JP Paje has likewise appealed to the people to start planting trees and other crops in line with the National Greening Program of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III.
“With so wide of forestlands are open and degraded, let us make every day an Arbor Day” Sec. Paje said.
“Now more than ever, Arbor Day celebration will take on a deeper and more significant meaning to every nature-loving Filipino and like-minded organizations in the country as the effort to win back the country’s forests have been launched under the mantle of the National Greening Program (NGP),” Paje said.
He said the declaration of 2011 as the International Year of the Forests and June as being the Philippine Environment Month” accentuates the centrality of NGP’s objective to the administration’s pursuit of a clean and viable environment for Filipinos.”
The President launched the NGP last month at the DENR Central Office. It seeks to transform some 1.5 million hectares of open and denuded areas into verdant hills and mountains with at least 1.5 billion trees over the next five years.
The program is being spearheaded by three convergence agencies namely Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform and the DENR. According to Sec. Paje the program has the full support also of the entire Cabinet members notably the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) which have already committed to mobilize students to plant at least 10 seedlings per student per year.
Aside from the students, all employees of the government including government-owned and controlled corporations and local government units are required to plant the same number of seedlings annually.(DENR-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
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Caraga’s “117” Emergency hotline facilities upgraded
by Mary Christine Anthonette M. Salise
BUTUAN CITY, June 24 (PIA) -- Two personnel from the Electronic Data Processing Services (EDPS) of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Central Office brought and installed new facilities for the upgrading of equipment of Caraga’s Patrol “117” Emergency Call Center.
The old facilities in the center were replaced to insure efficiency and timely delivery of service to callers considering that the center caters to emergency calls involving lives.
The workstation monitors were upgraded from Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor to Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) flat screen monitors and the installation of licensed anti-virus software.
During the installation of “117” equipment, Mr.Efren Roque Ramos and Ms.Catherine Bergado of the DILG EDPS also conducted a refresher course for dispatchers and supervisors in the handling of calls and the manipulation of user interface of Console Management System (CMS)-where all information distress calls are encoded before relaying to responders.
DILG Region XIII Regional Director Rene K. Burdeos said that the newly-installed call center equipment will surely be a great help in assuring the people that emergency calls will be responded promptly.
Caraga’s Patrol 117 Emergency Call Center is manned by the uniformed personnel of the DILG family - BFP, PNP & BJMP, and is supported by the Regional Peace and Order Council of Region XIII. Since its operation in 2008, it has already responded to 2,684 legitimate calls and since then it has raised the citizens’ level of confidence in fighting crime and dealing with emergencies. (DILG-XIII/PIA-Caraga)
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Agusan del Sur has 234 scholars, 184 graduates
by David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, June 24 (PIA) -- The province's 234 scholars for school year 2011-2012 were given recognition by Agusan del Sur Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza during the celebration of the 44th anniversary and the closing of the 19th Naliyagan Festival.
Through a resolution by Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Cesar Alonde, 207 scholars were confirmed and approved for the first semester of school year 2011- 2012. The budget will be taken from non-office appropriations in the approved annual budget for the year 2011.
The 207 scholars--97 of whom come from indigenous groups--may avail of free tuition fee, free board and lodging with allowances. They must be enrolled in Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology, and the Philippine Normal University.
Twelve scholars are taking up medicine courses, while another ten are nursing scholars. Five are taking up doctorate degree and another five, masteral degree.
A separate resolution provided distance learning scholarship program at the University of the Philippines Open University (UP-OU) effective school year 2011-2012 to 27 students.
The budget will also be taken from non-office appropriations in the approved annual budget for 2011.
Courses for the distance learning ranges from Master of Development Communication, Master of Arts in Education, Diploma in Mathematics Teaching, Master of Arts in Nursing, Diploma in Computer Science, Diploma in Science Teaching, Diploma in Language and Literature Education, Diploma in Social Work and Master in Social Work, to Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies.
The provincial government of Agusan del Sur has constructed a building for the use of the UP-OU scholars inside the compound of DepEd Division office. Inside the building are facilities for the use of the scholars, including 20 computers whose application for internet connection are now being worked out.
To date, there are already 184 scholars who have graduated and most are working with the provincial, municipal and barangay governments; while the doctors are hired by the D.O. Plaza Memorial Hospital in Patin-ay, Prosperidad. (PIA-Agusan del Sur)
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Tagalog News: Mga niyog sa Surigao del Sur sinalakay ng peste
ni Erma Dabalos
BUTUAN CITY, June 24 (PIA) -- Kinumpirma ng Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) ang pagsalakay ng peste sa mga niyog sa Surigao del Sur.
Gayunpaman, ayon kay PCA Caraga Regional Manager Robert Manlunas, ang kanyang opisina ay nagsagawa na ng mga bayolohikong hakbang upang makontrol ang pagsalakay ng Brontispa Longissima o ang Coconut Leef Beetle.
Napag-alamang sinasalakay ng nasabing Leaf Beetle ang mga hindi pa nabubuksang dahon ng niyog.
Limang munisipalidad na sa Surigao del Sur ang napinsala na ng nasabing peste simula pa noong unang quarter sa taong ito.
Kaagad na iniutos ni Agriculture Sec. Proceso Alcala ang masusing pag-monitor at pagbalita sa anumang pagbabago sa isinasagawang pagtugon ng PCA. (PIA-Caraga)
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Tagalog News: Pangmatagalang problema sa paglikas muling ikinababahala ng Marihatag
ni Erma S. Dabalos
BUTUAN CITY, Hunyo 24 (PIA) -- Tinawag ni Surigao del Sur Governor Johnny Pimentel ang atensiyon ng Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) hinggil sa paglilikas ng halos higit sa 1,000 katao o 212 pamilya galing sa walong (8) purok ng barangay Mahaba sa Marihatag.
Matapos ang isang maikling pagpupulong, sinabi ni PSWDO Chief May Navidad Salinas na siya ay inutusang mamigay ng paunang limang kilong bigas sa bawat pamilyang nakatira ngayon sa Marihatag Gymnasium habang ang iba naman ay nanatili muna sa kanilang mga kalapit na kamag-anak.
Sa impormasyong ipinadala ni Judalyn de Castro, isang Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO), inihayag niya na ang nasabing paglikas ay dahil sa hinihinalang sagupaan na nangyari sa umaga noong Hunyo 19, 2011.
Sa isang panayam ng Radyo ng Bayan, sinabi ni Salinas na ginulo diumano ng rebeldeng NPA ang isang hukbo ng mga militar sa nasabing lugar.
Sa kasalukuyan, ang munisipalidad ng Marihatag sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Mayor Leo Navarro ay nakapagbigay na ng halos P50,000 tulong para sa mga lumikas na mga residente. (PIA-Caraga)
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Tagalog News: Mga empleyado ng DILG-Caraga lumahok sa national fun run for education
ni Erma S. Dabalos
BUTUAN CITY, June 24 (PIA) -- Kaugnay sa pagdiriwang ng ika-150 kaarawan ng pambansang bayani na si Dr. Jose P. Rizal, lumahok ang mga empleyado ng Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region XIII sa isinagawang National Fun Run For Education na pinangunahan ng Department of Education (DepEd).
Sa temang “Every Runner, a Winner, Every Winner, a Finisher,” ang isinagawang national fun run ay naglalayong makalikom ng stakeholders at humingi sa kanila ng mga “school supplies” bilang donasyon sa DepEd na gagamitin ng mga batang mag-aaral sa mga pampublikong paaralan, kung saan ay hindi makabili ng kanilang sariling kagamitan.
Ang naturang aktibidad ay naglalayon din na mapalawak ang kaalaman tungkol sa kahalagahan ng edukasyon sa buhay ng mga mamamayang Pilipino. Binigyang-diin din ang layunin ng administrasyong Aquino na makapagbigay ng edukasyon sa lahat kung saan walang batang Pilipino ang maiiwang walang pinag-aralan.
Ang nasabing “fun run” ay nakapagbigay din ng opurtunidad sa mga Pilipino na magka-isa at maipahayag ang kanilang pag-ibig sa bayan sa pamamagitan ng pagmamalasakit sa pagbibigay ng edukasyon lalo na sa mga kabilang sa mga “marginalized sectors” ng lipunan.
Ang aktibidad, na sinimulan ng mga alas 6:00 ng umaga, ay nilahukan ng mga ahensyang pang gobyerno at iba’t-ibang organisasyon sa buong rehiyon, na nagpakita at nagpahayag ng kanilang matatag na suporta upang labanan ang kakulangan ng edukasyon.
Isang maikling programa ang sumunod matapos ang fun run kasama si Vice Mayor Lawrence Lemuel Fortun bilang guest of honor. (PIA-Caraga)
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Cebuano News: Aquino gipangulohan ang activation sa DPWH 24/7 hotline
ni Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, June 24 (PIA) – Subay sa mando ni Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III nga mohimo ug patigayon ang gobyerno nga duol ug matinud-anon sa katawhan, ang Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) nakig-alayon sa nag-unang kumpanya sa Solutions People Innovation (SPI)-Global Inc., ang subsidiary nga kumpanya sa Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), aron maoy manguna sa 24/7 call center hotline sa maong departamento aron ang ahensya makahimo sa madaliang pagresponde sa mga pagmulo ug pangutana sulod sa ilang hurisdiksyon.
Si Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III maoy nanguna sa gihimong ceremonial “activation” sa DPWH hotline 165-02 ang paghimo sa maong inaugural call maoy pormal nga pag-abli sa maong serbisyo ngadto sa publiko.
Ang DPWH hotline 165-02 magamit na karon 24/7 alang niadtong gusto nga mag report og damaged roads ug uban pang pampublikong estraktura, mga pangutana mahitungod sa mga proyekto sa departamento, mohimo ug suhestyon, mag file og complaint ug hasta pod report sa wrongdoings sa mga opisyales ug trabahante sa maong departamento.
Sa iyang pamulong atol gihimong paglunsad sa maong call center, nga tunong usab sa DPWH’s 113th Founding Anniversary, ang Pangulo midayeg sa ahensya alang sa pagpanglimbasog niini nga pagpa-usbaw sa serbisyo ngadto sa katawhan.
“Kaya naman ikinagagalak kong maging bahagi sa pagbubukas ng DPWH call center hotline. Ngayon may 165-02 hotline na ang DPWH na bukas beinte-kuwatro oras, isang tawag na lang ay maaari nang maipaabot ni Juan dela Cruz ang kaniyang mga hinaing o mungkahi sa DPWH,” ang Pangulo miingon.
“Sagisag itong palaging bukas ang inyong ahensya sa anumang suhestiyon at reklamo na magbibigay-daan sa paghahatid ng mas mataas na kalidad ng serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan,” dugang pa niya.
Sa iyang parte si DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson miingon nga ang maong launching sa call center hotline “signifies our commitment to provide higher levels of service in the coming years.”
“Filipinos anywhere in the country can now just call '165-02' if they see any potholes in our roads or if they have any other concerns with the department. The DPWH anniversary is certainly the perfect time to launch this call center,” si Singson miingon.
Ang DPWH gi- establisar niadtong Hunyo 23, 1898 ni Pangulong General Emilio Aguinaldo isip usa sa mga nag-unang ahensya sa gobyerno human sa iyang proklamasyon sa Philippine Independence. (PIA-Surigao del Norte)
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Tagalog News: Direct job recruitment para sa mga trabaho sa ibang bansa, isinagawa sa Surigao City
ni Diamond Year Cupay
BUTUAN CITY, Hunyo 24 (PIA) -- Ang pamahalaang panglungsod ng Surigao City--sa pamamagitan ng Public Employment and Services Office (PESO) at sa pakikipag-ugnayan ng M&M Placement International Incorporated--ay nagsagawa ng isang direct recruitment para sa overseas employment para sa bus drivers, driving instructors, therapists, receptionists, domestic helpers, at hotel and restaurant staff.
Ang Vice-President ng M&M Placement International Inc. na si Marcia Sadicon ay nakapag-interview ng halos 65 na mga lokal na aplikante kamakailan lamang sa City Cultural Center.
Tatlong aplikante para sa posisyon bilang bus driver sa Qatar ay agad na natanggap, habang ang iba ay isinailalim pa sa isang final interview sa pamamagitan ng mga employers galing Dubai at Qatar.
Ipinaabot ni Sadicon ang kanyang taos-pusong pasasalamat kay City Mayor Ernesto Matugas at PESO Manager Rolando Uyan para sa tagumpay ng nasabing aktibidad at siya rin umano ay umaasa na patuloy pa rin silang makikipagtulungan kasama ang pamahalaang panglungsod. Kalaunan, inihayag niya ang kanilang mga plano sa pagpapatayo ng branch office sa lungsod. (PIA-Caraga)
