IDP Caraga Link members discuss upcoming
activities
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 11 (PIA) -- Member-agencies of
the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Caraga Link convened Wednesday and
discussed upcoming activities for this year.
The IDP Caraga Link was organized on the IDP
workshop in Lianga, Surigao del Sur in September 2005 when the participants saw
the need for a body to help the commission promote respect for and protection
of IDP rights in Caraga.
As the lead agency, Commission on Human Rights
Caraga Regional Director atty. Marylin Pintor said that series of activities
have been conceptualized to strengthen the network’s capacity in responding to
issues and concerns affecting internally displaced persons.
Pintor added that members are invited to attend
the Internal Displacement Monitoring Workshop on October 25-26 at the Paradise
Island, Samal, Davao City.
“On October 29-30, we will also have our
strategic planning workshop at San Agustin, Surigao del Sur. This will be
sponsored by our partner agency – the Department of Social Welfare and
Development,” said Pintor.
Along with the discussion of its activities, the
members also reviewed how the organization started in Caraga, as well as its
accomplishments, since there are new members present during the meeting.
(RER/JPG/PIA-Caraga)
RDC Caraga backs proposal to increase tax
exemption ceiling
By David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Oct. 11 (PIA) -- Caraga Regional
Development Council will support the proposal to increase the P30,000 tax
exemption ceiling benefits of government employees to P60,000 as previously proposed
by the joint Regional Development Council 2 (RDC 2)– Regional Peace and Order
Council (RPOC).
A written endorsement presented by Butuan City
Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. states that the RDC2 and RPOC Resolution No.
02-39-2012 series of 2012 increasing the tax exemption takes into consideration
the current economic trends to include inflation rate, purchasing power,
average income, expenditures and savings, and poverty threshold and incidence.
In a meeting last September 12 by the RDC
Development Administration Committee that Amante chairs, the expression of
support to the joint RDC 2 – RPOC resolution No. 02-39-2012 series of 2012 was
raised.
“The proposal to support the increase of tax
exemption as per RDC 2- RPOC resolution was also previously passed in the
Senate under Senate Bill No. 2879, and House Bill No. 5661 proposing to raise
the ceiling from P30,000 for tax exemption to P60,000 given that the existing
ceiling is no longer feasible at present as it did during the time the tax code
was enacted,” Amante said.
The National Internal Revenue Code of 1997
(Republic Act No. 8424), particularly Section 32 (B), specifies the items that
shall not be included in the computation of gross income and shall therefore be
exempted from taxation. Under miscellaneous items (e) of the same section, it
specifically provides that the 13th month pay and other benefits such as
productivity incentives and Christmas bonuses received by officials and employees
of public and private entities are excluded from gross income. However, total
exclusion shall not exceed P30,000. (RER/DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
City gov't celebrates Universal Children's Month
by giving street kids a treat
By Danilo S. Makiling
BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 11 (PIA) -- Street children in
this city were given a treat by the city government in celebration of this
year's Universal Children’s Month, with the theme “Bright child ay siguraduhin,
responsableng pamayanan ay palaganapin.”
With the initiative of the city government
through the city social welfare and development, and in cooperation with the
government line agencies, street children here were gathered to a two-day
series of activities to include feeding and conducting plays/games.
During the program, Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand
Amante, Jr. welcomed the street children, saying that every project the city
government implements is for the development of the children.
“Every program and project that we are doing in
the City of Butuan is for the welfare and development of our children,
especially the street children,” Amante said.
Meanwhile, City Economic Enterprise and Development
Manager Ma. Ruth Jugao also expressed her gratitude and appreciation to
government agencies for their support to this year’s Universal Children’s Month
celebration.
“I would like to thank the city government,
especially the government line agencies in their support to the development of
our children who really need our help,” Jugao said.
In time with the celebration, Butuan City Mayor
Ferdinand Amante, Jr. together with the officials of government line agencies,
and national evaluators for Child-Friendly City led the launching of Center for
Redirected Youth. They also visited the newly built floating library located in
the same venue.
Personnel of Philippine Information Agency
Caraga region also facilitated the conduct of a film showing held in the same
area. (RER/NCLM/DSM/PIA-Caraga)
News Feature: Biotechnology in Organic Farming
By Aurell P. Arais
BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte, Oct. 11 (PIA) --
Amid the controversy on the introduction of genetically-modified organisms
(GMO) in the country, Agriculture Secretary Proseso Alcala said biotechnology
(BT) works in harmony with organic farming.
He corrected the wrong impression that BT refers
solely to genetically modified organisms (GMO).
To illustrate his explanation, he said the
production of friendly microorganisms is part of the biotechnology needed even
in organic farming.
“Dapat maliwanag yun. Meron pong maling
paniniwala na kung pag-uusapan ang biotechnology, akala ng lahat ay GMO. Hindi
po. (It should be clear. There’s a wrong impression that if we are talking
about biotechnology, we are referring to GMO. It is not),” he said.
To understand the benefits from BT and how to
make use of them, the DA has coordinated with Cuba, which has earned enough
experience to help the Philippines decide what kind of technology to bring into
the country.
However, during the just concluded 8th
Philippine National Corn Congress held in Davao City, Alcala said the
Department of Agriculture respects any decision from certain local government
units declaring a ban on access to the genetically modified organisms within
their area.
Alcala said it is the prerogative of LGUs to
formulate their own policies on GMOs by virtue of the Local Government Code.
“Yun pong mga lalawigan o mga munisipyo na
nagdedeklara na binabawal yong mga GMO sa kanilang lugar, di natin kayang basta
i-overrule dahil ito ay karapatan ng LGU. If they choose na sila po ay
mag-stick sa kanilang stand, di natin pwedeng pilitin na sila ay mag-open up
(We cannot simply overrule those provinces or municipalities declaring a ban on
access of GMO within their area. It is their right, if they choose to stick to
their stand, we cannot force them to open up),” he said.
He then advised those who want to plant GMO
crops to consider other areas that are open to such technology.
This developed as those for and against GMO are
still locked in contentious debates on whether it poses health hazard on humans
or not. (DA-13/RER/NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
Cebuano News: Aquino milaom nga mga kumpanya sa
business process outsourcing mamuhunan sa Mindanao aron mokaylap ang paglambo
Ni Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Oct. 11 (PIA) -- Si Pangulong
Benigno S. Aquino III miingon nga siya milaom nga negosyo sa business process
outsourcing companies sa dili madugay mamuhunan na sa Mindanao tungod sa
bag-ong nahuman nga framework agreement tali sa gobyerno ug Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF).
Sa iyang mensahe atol sa ika-4th Internationa
Outsourcing Summit didto sa Makati City niadtong Martes, giila sa Pangulo ang
kontribusyon sa maong sektor isip pinaka-importanteng drayber sa pag-uswag
partikular na pinaagi sa paglambo gawas sa tradisyunal nga kinaiyahan sa
commerce ug industry.
Kadaghanan sa mga kumpanya sa BPO ang namuhunan
didto sa gitawag nga Next Wave Cities, lakip ang Santa Rosa sa Laguna, Lipa sa
Batangas, ug Dumaguete.
“We are also hard at work to make even more
places in the Philippines ripe for investment. With the recently concluded
framework agreement with the MILF, we are very hopeful that there will come a
day, in the not too distant future, when we see a number of IT-BPO companies
operating in the Bangsamoro,” ang Pangulo miingon.
Gitak-opan sa Pangulo niadtong Martes sa hapon
ang pagtapos sa sesyon sa global outsourcing summit nga gipasiugdahan sa
Business Process Outsourcing Association of the Philippines (BPAP).
“The jobs you create in these areas, obviously,
take on a multiplier effect that goes a long way in developing the
countryside.”
Ang industriya sa BPO mitala og $11 bilyon nga
bulihisan sa 2011, ug nakahimog 113,000 ka bag-ong mga trabaho, matud sa
Pangulo. Kining maong dakong pag-uswag sa industriya nakapahimo usab sa
Pilipinas nga numero unong contact center industry sa kalibotan, nga nakalabaw
sa India niadtong 2010.
Sa umaabot tuig 2016, matud ni Pangulong Aquino
siya naglaom nga ang industriya sa BPO mokita og $25 bilyon, samtang mokabat
usab sa 1.3 ka mga Filipino ang mahatagan og trabaho.
Ang BPAP, nga maoy haliging asosasyon alang sa
industriya sa IT-BPO ug GIC (Global In-House Center) dinhi sa Pilipinas, adunay
pinakaimportanteng papel sa padayon nga pag-uswag sa industriya sa IT-BPO
pinaagi sa pagseguro sa permanenteng suplay sa man power, supporting service
innovation, ug providing country visibility. (PIA-Surigao del Norte)
