Esperanza LGU conducts enforcers’ refresher
training on smoke–free ordinance
By David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, July 25 (PIA) -- The municipal
government of Esperanza recently conducted a refresher training for enforcers
on Smoke-Free Ordinance no. 113, series of 2011 to fully and strictly implement
the said ordinance, as well as to protect the environment.
Esperanza is known to be the environmental
champion in the province of Agusan del Sur and in the entire region because of
its environmental protection programs specifically on its Ecological Solid
Waste Management Program (ESWMP).
The second enforcers’ training was initiated by
the municipal health office and the Sangguniang Bayan office with
representative from the Department of Health regional office and coordinator on
healthy lifestyle Delma Legaspi.
Esperanza has been implementing the Anti-Smoking
Ordinance for several years and is recognized as White Orchid Awardee by DOH on
May 31, 2011 during the tobacco day, with the Municipality of Veruela, which
received the Red Orchid Award, and is one among the top awardees in the
country.
On June 18 this year, Esperanza received the Red
Orchid Award from DOH, handed to Mayor Leonida Manpatilan thru Governor Adolph
Edward Plaza, Sangguniang Panlalawigan member and Chairman of the Committee on
Health Nestor Corvera and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Joel Esparagoza.
During the training, Municipal Vice Mayor
Apolonio Layugan thoroughly discussed Municipal Ordinance No.113-2011, entitled
“The Comprehensive Anti-Smoking Ordinance of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur.”
According to Layugan, the ordinance covers any
person smoking or allowing smoking in public utility vehicles, government-owned
vehicles or any other means of public transport for passengers and
accommodation and entertainment establishments, public buildings, public places,
or any enclosed areas outside of one’s private residence, private places of
work within the jurisdiction of the municipality.
Layugan added that prohibited acts include the
following: smoking in any of the places enumerated; smoking while inside a government-owned
or public utility vehicle, whether moving or stationery or while soliciting
passengers is ongoing or while the vehicle is waiting for passengers; selling
of cigarettes or tobacco products by piece or more commonly referred to as
“menudo” that is not from the typical suggested retail or packages of cigarette
or tobacco product manufacturer; knowingly allowing, abetting or tolerating
smoking in establishments; selling or distributing tobacco products in school,
public playground or other facility frequented by minors; selling or
distributing tobacco products to minors; purchasing or obtaining tobacco
products from minors; placing cinema and outdoor advertisements of tobacco
products; and placing, posting, or distributing advertising materials of tobacco
products.
Aside from municipal and barangay officials who
pledged to be leaders in the implementation of the nonsmoking ordianance,
Municipal Health Officer Dr. Ma. Theresa Cacal also called on community leaders
and stakeholders to be partner implementers in order to reach the municipal
vision for both environmental protection and healthy lifestyle community.
(RER/DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Caraga police goes zero tolerance vs illegal
logging
By PO1 Ryan C Cagula
BUTUAN CITY, July 25 (PIA) -- Police authorities
in Caraga Region have conducted a coordinating conference with other agencies
involved in the implementation of Executive Order 23, or the total log ban.
This was developed to strengthen the cooperation
between the regulatory body, the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR), and the enforcement arm, the Philippine National Police (PNP),
to stay focused on the task at hand.
As a result, an operation was launched against
illegal logging activities that resulted in the confiscation of several logs of
different species, giving a strong message that the PNP will not tolerate any
form of violation against the environment.
On July 19, 2012, three separate operations were
done. The first operation was at Barangay Sta. Fe Esperanza, Agusan del Sur
where PNP elements from Agusan del Sur Police Provincial Office led by
Provincial Director Police Senior Superintendent Glenn De La Torre together
with elements from the regional public safety battalion under Police Senior
Superintendent Ernesto Flores confiscated 149 pieces lauan flitches.
The same team conducted a second operation with
personnel from Talacogon Municipal Police Station, together with DENR and the
Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). They confiscated some 300
round logs of mixed dipterocarp species at Barangay Sta. Inez, San Luis Agusan
del Sur.
On the other hand, in Barangay Lingayao, Las
Nieves, Agusan del Norte, joint elements from the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) led by Lt. Salvador and Agusan del Norte Public Safety
Company led by Police Senior Inspector Nelmida, elements from 13th RPSB and Las
Nieves Police Station led by Police Inspector Cordano were able to recover 127
cut flitches of assorted sizes and mixed species of hardwood with estimated
volume of 10,000 board feet that were concealed/covered with soil to avoid
detection.
During the past week, an aggregate volume of
80,322 board feet of logs with corresponding market value of P771,000 was
successfully confiscated by PNP.
Police Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal,
Caraga police director, stressed that these accomplishments would not be made
possible without the active support of the community that provides the
operating troops with vital and real time information from the ground.
(RER/NCLM/PNP-13/PIA-Caraga)
Tagalog news: Target ng DAR-Agusan del Sur sa
'land tenure improvement' tumaas ng 2% sa 2011
Ni David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Hulyo 25 (PIA) -- Isiniwalat ng
Department of Agrarian Reform- Agusan del Sur (DAR-AdS) na nahigitan nila ng
dalawang porsyento ang kanilang target noong nakaraang taong 2011 sa land
tenure improvement (LTI).
Ito ay sa pagkakuha ng 4,311.7723 hectarya na
kung ikukumpara sa kanilang target na 4,211. Sila rin ay nakapagpamahagi ng
4,311 hectaryang lupang agrikutura sa 2,431 na mga benepisaryo ng agrarian
reform program.
Sa isang "press conference" na ginanap
sa tanggapan ng DAR-AdS kamakailan, sinabi ni Provincial Agrarian Reform
Officer (PARO) Paysal Tumog Al hajj na ang pagpapatupad sa Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) ay mahirap, kahit nagkaroon na ng bagong
direksyon na ipinatupad simula noong kalagitnaan ng 2011 na nagsasabing
tatapusin na ang programang agraryo sa loob ng anim na taon.
Dagdag pa dito ang kakulangan ng mga tauhan at
"re-surging bottleneck" na kanilang hinarap sa pagpapatupad ng CARP
noong nakaraang taon, dahil alam nilang ito'y magdala ng pagbabago at
pagpapaunlad sa buhay ng mga makikinabang sa repormang agraryo (ARBs) at mga
komunidad habang nag bibibigay tulong sa malalayong mga barangay.
Sinabi ni Hilario Amas, pangulo ng Boan
Irrigators Association (BIA) sa bayan ng Rosario, na kalahati ng kanilang 172
miyembro at permanenteng nagmamay-ari ng kanilang lupain ay mga benepisaryo ng
repormang agraryo.
Sinabi rin ni Amas na pinagtibay ng DAR ang
kanilang samahan, at dahil sa tulong nito, ang BIA ay naging isang pambansang
irrigators' awardee noong 2010 at tumanggap ng premyong P1 milyon, habang siya
ay napili ring isang "awardee" noong nakaraang taon at nakatanggap ng
P200,000.
"Tungkol naman sa Agrarian Justice Delivery
(AJD), kami ay nagkamit ng 145 porsyento sa aming ginawang paglutas ng mga kaso
tungkol sa repormang agraryo, kabilang na sa mga ARBs kasama na ang pagbigay ng
lunas tungkol sa lupa. Sa pamamagitan ng program beneficiaries development
(PBD) component, kami ay nakapagbigay ng mga kinakailangang suportang pinansiyal
at serbisyo upang mapabilis ang pag-unlad ng rural development at agrikultura
atr maging produktibo kahit sa mga malalayong lugar," sabi ni PARO Tumog.
Ayon kay PARO Tumog, sa unang semestre ng 2012,
ang DAR-Ads ay nakakuha ng 199.6180 hektarya at naipamahagi ang 196.2289
hektarya sa mga ARBs. Sinabi ni Tumog na sila ay kampante na maibibigay nila o
mahihigitan pa ang kanilang target mahigit sa 4,500 hektarya sa kasalukuyang
taon 2012, tulad ng kanilang nagawa noong nakaraang taon 2011 sa pagpapatupad ng
programang agraryo.
Patuloy din silang nagbubuhos ng kanilang
suportang serbisyo, tulad ng P36 milyong "farm-to-market road," at P4
milyong ng sistema ng tubig na maiinom tubig sistema sa "agrarian reform
communities" ng Esperanza.
Ipinakita rin ni PARO Tumog ang bagong nakumpuni
nilang tanggapan sa San Francisco na ang pondo ay nagmula sa kanilang naitabing
pondo sa probinsiya.
"Sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon at ang mga
testimonya ng aming mga ARBs, kami ay naniniwala at naramdaman namin na ang
aming programa ay may nagawang mabuting pagbabago sa buhay ng aming mga
benepisaryo," pagtatapos ni PARO Tumog. (DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Cebuano news: Aquino gitudlo si Rojas isip
bag-ong director sa National Bureau of Investigation
SURIGAO CITY, Hulyo 25 (PIA) -- Gitudlo ni
Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III si Nonnatus Caesar Rojas isip bag-ong director
sa National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) sa Department of Justice.
Si Rojas nagserbisyo isip kasamtangang
officer-in-charge sa NBI. Siya gitudlo ni Justice Secretary Leila de Lima isip
OIC sa NBI niadtong Enero 30 karong tuiga human nga napahawa sa puwesto si
kanhi NBI director Magtanggol Gatdula.
Gipahibalo ni Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa
Jr. si Secretary de Lima sa pagtudlo kang Rojas isip bag-ong hepe sa NBI
pinaagi sa usa ka sulat niadtong Hulyo 20, 2012.
Sa wala pa siya matudlo, si Rojas nagserbisyo
isip regional prosecutor sa Region 1.
Ang bag-ong natudlo nga hepe sa NBI nagserbisyo
usab isip state prosecutor sa Region 1 sukad niadtong Agosto tuig 1999 ngadto
Septeyembre 2002, ug prosecutor sa Region 1 gikan Marso 1991 ngadto Agosto
1999.
Si Rojas gradwado sa law sa San Beda College, ug
siya anak ni kanhi NBI deputy director Mariano Rojas. (RER/SDA/PIA-Surigao del
Norte)
