DSWD-Caraga spearheads Universal Children’s
Month celeb
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) -- The Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-Caraga) in coordination with the City
Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) is spearheading this year’s
Universal Children’s Month celebration in October.
Anchored on the theme “Bright Child ay
Siguraduhin. Responsableng Pamamahayag ay Palaganapin (Ensure Bright Child.
Adopt Responsible Journalism)," the celebration will kick off on October 2
with a parade from the Butuan-by-the-River park going to the city’s Guingona
Park at 7 a.m.
City Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. will deliver his
speech during the program right after the parade.
CSWD Officer Aldeberan Mordeno, DSWD-Caraga
Regional Director Mercedita Jabagat will also deliver their messages while
Councilor Angelo Calo will also share his inspirational talk to all the
participating-children.
To entertain the guests and participants, a mass
demonstration will also be presented by the Libertad District pre-schoolers.
Meanwhile, City Councilor Ryan Anthony Culima
will give the closing remark. (RER/JPG/PIA-Caraga)
Butuan gov’t agencies celebrate Nat’l Filipino
Family Week
By Danilo S. Makiling
BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte, Sept. 28 (PIA) --
The Regional Inter-agency Committee on the Filipino Family (RIAC-FF) composed
of different government agencies celebrated the National Filipino Family Week
in Balanghai Hotel.
RIAC-FF members participated in a motorcade in
the Butuan City thoroughfare as a kick-off activity, in coordination with the
Philippine National Police (PNP) Band.
People should be sure to have quality time even
though they are working beyond the required hours of work as stated in this
year’s Filipino Family Week theme, “Ensuring Work-Family Balance,” Maria Aurora
Curaza-Maquiling of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Caraga said,
speaking before stakeholders during the opening program.
Maquiling also emphasized that too much work
diminishes quality time with the family.
“We should make sure that despite our hectic
schedule at work, we must ensure work and at the same time have a quality time
with our family,” she added.
Meanwhile, families representing government
agencies joined the “Search for Talentadong Pamilyang Pinoy (Search for
talented Filipino family),” where each family showcased their talents in dancing
and singing.
Winners of the contest received prizes such as:
first prize, a sack of rice, P1,000 cash and Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (Tesda) scholarship certificate; second prize, P1,000
worth of grocery items and Tesda scholarship certificate; third prize, P500
worth of grocery items and Tesda scholarship. Non-winners also received consolation
prizes. (RER/NLM/DSM/PIA-Caraga)
Tourism office awards individuals, firms for
excellence
By Francis Burwell
SURIGAO CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) -- The city
government here through the City Tourism Office bestowed awards of excellence
to individuals and firms who contributed in the promotion and enriching of the
city’s tourism industry.
For achieving the highest numbers of hotel
guests from October 2011 to July 2012 among hotel accommodation establishments
in the city, recognitions were given to Hotel Tavern with 20,220 guests; Aden
Apartelle, 13,307; E.Y. Miner Suites, 13,164; RSY Pension, 9,602; and Mt.
Bagarabon Resort, 7,230.
For the highest hotel occupancy rate recorded
from October 2011 to July 2012, recognitions were given to Philippine Gateway
Hotel with 53.93; Aden Apartelle 35.60; E.Y. Miner Suites with 81.75; Gunter
Pension 78.14 and Miwa Beach Resort with the rate of 72.94.
XL Pension House, Le Chard Place, Bed &
Breakfast, Miami City Suites, Moon CafΓ© and D’Resto Bar & Grill received
awards for promoting tourism and demonstrating positive economic impact. A
certificate of recognition was also awarded to Conching Apartelle for the
untiring support to tourism data collection activities exemplified in the
prompt submission of monthly tourist arrival data from the period of October
2011 to July 2012.
Also, a certificate of acknowledgement and
recognition was given to Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)
Officer-in-Charge Evangeline Babate and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA)
Surigao Port Manager Isidro Butaslac for setting the standards and providing
improved airport and port facilities to all the passengers and guests that
created a tourist friendly atmosphere.
Supervising Tourism Operations Officer Roselyn
Armida B. Merlin said that under the administration of City Mayor Ernesto T.
Matugas and that through the cooperation with the government sector and the
private sector, soon, Surigao City will be known all over the country and
eventually the whole world for its amazing and pristine tourist spots.
The award was given in line with the National
Tourism Week celebration in the city. (SDR/Surigao City Media Information and
Communication Office/RER/FEA/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Feature: Passing thru tech-voc program while
aiming for a degree course
By Gervacio Dauz Jr
Juanito P. Banzon, who hails from Buenavista,
Agusan del Norte, and is the second child among three siblings in the family,
had dreamed of finishing a degree in Bachelor of Science in Elementary
Education (BSEED).
Thus, when he graduated from high school in
March 2005, he went straight to Saint Joseph Institute of Technology (SJIT) in
Butuan City and enrolled in the BSEED course.
As a diligent guy, Banzon burned the midnight
oil over the next three and a half years gradually inching closer to his dream.
Somehow, his resolve to march on to the last and
final semester was interrupted because his unpaid dues had piled up to P45,000.
The amount was so huge that he was advised by his parents to stop in the
meantime while they try to figure out how to get the money needed to attain his
dream.
Dismayed by the turn of events, he left the
school with a heavy heart and took stock of what he could do to ease his
problem.
Banzon was unfazed, however. And with resolve
and an indefatigable initiative, he applied for and was admitted as a part-time
crew of Jollibee Centro here.
With the small savings working as a part-timer,
he enrolled at the Philippine Electronics and Communications Institute of
Technology here in 2010 and ended up in mid-2011 with a diploma in both
automotive technology and computer technology inclusive of a National
Certificate Level II (NC II) for the latter program.
His quest did not stop there. He was already
employed for eight months as a field computer technician troubleshooting
computer units under warranty from his employer – the New Downtown Computer
Services here – when the lure of adding another feather to his cap beckoned him
again.
When Banzon was assured by the Global
Competency-Based Training Center here that he would be admitted as one of the
tech-voc scholars under the Priority Development Assistance Fund of
Congresswoman Ma. Angelica Rosedell M. Matba of the 2nd District of Agusan del
Norte, he quit his job to give full attention to the new opportunity.
For a voracious learner such as him, 55 days of
going through the package of Consumer Electronics Servicing (CES) was rather
fleeting, but it was intensive enough to enable him to learn the rudiments of
repairing appliances such as flat iron, blender, washing machine, cell phone,
DVD player and even television set. Proof of his learning was his hurdling and
acquisition of another NC II under the CES program.
Right now, Banzon is busy working as a part-time
instructor at the Golden Gate College here teaching computer basics.
On the side, he is kept busy with constant calls
pleading with him to “kindly repair this, kindly repair that” from loyal
clients who appreciated his expertise as a computer and electronics technician
rolled into one.
Even then, he still entertained the idea of
acquiring additional proficiency in tech-voc, because he had learned that
there’s easy income when one has lots of technical expertise.
Surely, he enjoyed the easy life of earning
additional income, but stayed focused on the essentials like saving money for
the rainy days and to pay his dues at SJIT, so that he can continue with his
degree course.
He never ceased to believe that because of his
expertise, he would be able to finish a degree in college in the near future.
Looking back, he could only thank Congresswoman
Angel Matba, who made it possible for him to earn proficiency in consumer
electronics services through her project under the Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF).
He was convinced there’s wisdom after all in the
admonition that one can eventually finish a degree course faster by passing
through tech-voc, which was what he did. (TESDA-Agusan del Norte/NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
Cebuano news: Gobyerno magpabiling gitutokan ang
ekonomiya, mga reporma bisan pa sa ka bisi pagpangandam sa umaabot nga eleksyon
Ni Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Set. 28 (PIA) -- Nagpabilin nga
gitutokan sa administrasyong Aquino ang pagpalambo sa nasodnong ekonomiya ug
pagdayon ang mga reporma sa bureakrasya bisa pa sa ka bisi sa nasod sa
pagpangandam alang sa sunod tuig nga piniliay, matud sa opisyales sa Palasyo.
Sa regular press briefing kagahapon didto sa
MalacaΓ±ang, si Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda nagkanayon nga wala pa
gituki sa Pangulo ug sa iyang mga miyembro sa Kabinete kung adunay bay
kabag-ohan o mga pagtudlo og bag-ong mga gimbuhaton isip preparasyon sa umaabot
nga piniliay.
“We are enjoying a robust growth in our GDP
[gross domestic product]. We intend to focus on the economy, in our commitment
to bring about change and improvement in the lives of the Filipinos. The
programs of government will still continue. As to specific responsibilities, if
you’re referring to certain key officials, who are also members of some
political parties, that has not been discussed yet,” matud ni Lacierda atol sa
maong press briefing.
Samtang si Secretary Mar Roxas moasumir na sa
iyang posisyon isip Secretary sa Department of the Interior and Local
Government sunod semana, ang Pangulo wala pa magbutang ug bisan kinsa alang sa
tagsa tagsa ka mga reponsibilidad aron mangampanya karong umaabot nga piniliay,
matud ni Lacierda.
Bisan kung ang administrasyong nangandam alang
sa sunod tuig nga eleksyon, si Lacierda mipasalig nga ang administrasyon
magpabilin nga molihok aron madugangan ang panudlanan sa gobyerno alang sa
mosunod nga unom ka bulan ug aron mapondohan ang nagkalain-laing mga programa.
“We’re hoping to also promote further our
investments and consumer spending. But insofar as government resource for the
campaign, there has been no discussion on that. We’re working towards attaining
our targeted growth so, that’s the focus of the government right now,” matud pa
niya. (RER/FEA/SDR/PIA-Surigao del Norte)