Butuan back to normal after Typhoon “Pablo” hits
city
By Danilo S. Makiling
BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 6 (PIA) –Life is back to
normal in Butuan as Typhoon “Pablo” leaves the Philippine area of
Responsibility. Air and land travel have been restored in the region.
As of this posting, Pablo was located 370 km
West of Coron, Palawan.
The Province of Surigao del Sur in Caraga
region, however, has been declared under the “State of Calamity.”
In an interview, Surigao del Sur Provincial
Governor Johnny Pimentel said some of the evacuees are now returning to their
homes.
Regional Risk Reduction and Management Council
(RDRRMC) Caraga reported that the Typhoon had affected 37 provinces, 4 cities,
163 barangays, 18,099 fFamilies and 15,645 family evacuees. Three houses were
also reported as badly damaged and some 332 house were partly damaged.
With this, the local government units (LGUs),
concerned agencies, Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Force of
the Philippine (AFP) are united to help the Region back to its normal life.
(NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
Nat'l Competitiveness Council conducts roadshow
in Butuan
By Danilo S. Makiling
BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 6 (PIA) -- In line with the
establishment of the Regional Competitiveness Council (RCC) the National
Competitiveness Council (NCC) of the Philippines in cooperation of the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Caraga region conducted recently a
roadshow, this City.
The NCC Roadshow is anchored on the theme,
“Boosting Regional Competitiveness through Public-Private Partnership.”
During the roadshow, Guillermo Luz of the Makati
Business Club and the current co-chair of NCC, discussed the Building the
Regional Competitiveness and 2012 below Poverty Line Survey (BPLS) results.
Luz presented the World Economic Forum (WEF)
were the country is on No. 65 out of 144 or No. 6 of 8 in Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) based on the Global Competitiveness Report; No.
138 out of 185 or No 8 of 8 in Asean for the International Financial
Corporation (IFC) doing Business Survey; No 43 out of 59 0r No. 5 of 5 IN Asean
for the International Institute for the Management Development (IMD) World
Competitiveness Report; and No. 78 out of 113 or No. 15 of 20 in Asian Pacific
for Future Brand’s Country Brand Index.
The creation of the RCC is championed by the NCC
– a public-private sector body that was formed in 2006 thru Executive Order 571
and amended by Executive Order 44 in 2011, which is tasked to improve the
country’s global competitiveness ranking, Luz explained.
Meanwhile, Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante
Jr. welcomed the participants of the roadshow from the government line
agencies, non-government organization, local government units, and the academe.
Amante also said that based on the 2011 National
Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) findings, Caraga Region is on its full
economic growth reaching 9.6 percent from 7.4 percent of the recent years.
With this development, Luz said that the NCC
believes that in order to raise the country’s over-all competitiveness – the
country needs to build the competitiveness of the region. (NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
Death toll left by typhoon Pablo in Agusan del
Sur rises to four, damages to properties, infra and agriculture also increase
By David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Dec. 6 (PIA) -- Typhoon
"Pablo" death toll in Agusan del Sur has risen to four, as another
casualty was identified, a report by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Office (PDRRMO) said.
The casualty was identified as Edgardo Gargar
from San Vicente, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur who was killed inside his house when
it collapsed due to a falling tree.
Totally and partially damaged houses increased
by more than 900 percent to 9,409 houses, from 1,737 houses reported yesterday.
Total damage was estimated at P105,142,000.
The municipalities of Rosario, Sta. Josefa,
Veruela and Esperanza, including their component barangays, have no
electricity.
After thorough inventory of evacuees at the
identified evacuation centers province-wide, the number also increased from
22,615 persons or 4,470 families presented on previous report to 30,305 persons
or 6,346 families in the present report.
As of this posting, three municipalities namely
Sibagat, Prosperidad and Talacogon have declared partial damages in agriculture
totaling to almost P5 million, with a total of 191 hectares agricultural lands
damaged.
Early this morning, Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza
ordered a team composed of technical personnel from the Provincial Agriculture
Office, the Provincial Planning and Development Office, the Provincial
Veterinary Office, the Provincial Engineering Office, the Provincial Environment
and Natural Resources Office and other offices to conduct actual inspection of
the extent of damages in the municipalities of Rosario, Bunawan, Trento, Sta.
Josefa and Veruela which were heavily affected and have a meeting with the
local officials regarding the help that the local government could immediately
extend to the victims.
Yesterday, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan also
conducted a special session in order to pass Resolution No. 461 series of 2012,
declaring the entire province of Agusan del Sur in State of Calamity.
(DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
News Feature: Philippines, Japanese unions
making ‘Progress’ in pioneering productivity initiative
MANILA, Dec. 6 (PIA) – After 17 years of
partnership, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP-ITUC) and
Japanese unions through the Japan International Labor Foundation (JILAF) are
preparing again for another round of national capacity programs to scale up
productivity efforts at the workplace.
The Program on the Role of Trade Unions in
Empowerment and Strategic Steps to Decent Work (Progrress) is an
action-oriented model initiative which integrates industrial relations,
corporate social responsibility and productivity-enhancing methods through 5S,
Kaizen and collective bargaining into one package. It was piloted and formally
introduced in the Philippines in 2011.
A high level delegation of five officials and
experts of Japan Productivity Center (JPC) and JILAF headed by its Executive
Director, Mr. Hisashige Danno, will lead the conduct of the five-day program
which will run from December 9 to 13, 2012.
“We are very excited about this program.
Implementing this new initiative in the country, now in its second year, shows
that considerable progress has been made towards improving working conditions
and productivity at the workplace,” said TUCP President Ernesto Herrera.
Herrera expresses pride at hearing the positive
reviews of all joint TUCP and JILAF programs. He shares that TUCP members and
partners always look forward to attending JILAF programs which are known to be
always dynamic and participatory-oriented with practical applications to any
type of workplace.
"We are very proud to be part of and the
key implementing partner of JILAF in so many pioneering efforts. This year, the
TUCP is proud to be jointly implementing yet another equally relevant and
timely program on productivity," he added.
Herrera notes that this program could not have
come at a better time. "Filipino workers and their families are faced with
many challenges and opportunities which make it even more important to get our
productivity performance up to speed. But rather than waiting for the
government to do something, unions and workers are taking productivity matters
into their own hands," he added.
"I am certain that unions, workers and
their families have the capability and commitment to take up this productivity
challenge and succeed," concludes Herrera.
This year’s module which has been expanded to
five days, will further emphasize strategies and actions by which workers and
their unions, and jointly with government and employers, can participate and
make meaningful contributions to improving productivity at the workplace.
Around 40 trade union leaders from Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao coming from sectors identified as key employment
generators such as BPOs, services (e.g., hotels and restaurants) and
transportation and other major industries will attend the program.
(FEA/TUCP/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Feature: Guarding museums, heritage sites
It is a growing challenge to museums and
heritage sites to safeguard precious artifacts while allowing visitors a chance
to see valuable pieces of history.
The recent burglary in Fort San Pedro Museum
raised questions in the public mind about the security of museums and heritage
sites.
During the Nov. 24 episode of “Pagtuki,” the
official radio program of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), SPO4 Romeo
Cabrera, deputy chief of Cebu City Tourist Police, revealed there is a shortage
of policemen guarding museums and local sites.
“Our tourist policemen are only on duty during
office hours (8 a.m.- 5 p.m.). When the museum closes, blue guards assume their
posts. This absence of round-the-clock duty is because of the number of tourist
policemen available,” he added.
The tourist police program was created by the
Philippine National Police in 2010 to regain foreign visitors' trust and
confidence in the law.
Cabrera said the installation of closed-circuit
television (CCTV) cameras in museums help museum administrators monitor
activities inside the building.
“Tourist policemen are doing the best they can
in their service. When a crowd of visitors are drawn to one heritage site
alone, our focus is on that site. Our concern is the lack of policemen who will
respond to the problems of other museums and heritage sites,” he said.
At present, there are only 22 policemen deployed
in Cebu City's heritage sites. Cabrera said they do not respond to tourist
problems alone but also to problems concerning the whole community.
For Florencio MoreΓ±o II, curator of Casa Gorordo
Museum, safeguarding cultural properties and archaeological artifacts is a
joint responsibility of the community and not just of the tourist policemen.
“Museums and heritage sites are important
because they help us understand our own history. They give us an idea of the
life of our forefathers. Also, this is our basis of our identity as Cebuanos,”
MoreΓ±o said.
“Museum burglary is a silent destruction of our
cultural properties. It’s a good idea to install modern technologies like CCTV.
But most importantly, the community must understand and value these artifacts
as well,” he added.
Casa Gorordo Museum will display the traditional
Belen of the Gorordo family on December 2.
"Pagtuki” is aired over dyLA every Saturday
at 10-11 a.m. The program, one of the Knowledge Sharing & Advocacy
capabilities of RAFI, tackles timely and relevant issues affecting the Cebuano
community.
For more information about RAFI’s radio program,
please contact Fatrick Tabada at 418-7234 loc. 542, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or
www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph. (RAFI/PIA-Caraga)
Cebuano News: Pangulong Aquino mianunsyo pagpili
kang Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio isip bag-ong Ambassador
ngadto sa China
Ni Fryan E. Abkilan
SURIGAO CITY, Dis. 6 (PIA) – Gianunsyo kagahapon
ni Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III ang iyang pagpili kang Foreign Affairs
Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio isip bag-ong Ambassador ngadto sa China hulip
kang kanhi Ambassador Sonia Brady nga nahiagom sa strok niadtong Agosto didto
sa Beijing.
Sa interbyu human sa iyang diskurso atol sa
League of Municipalities General Assembly didto sa Manila Hotel, ang Pangulo
miingon nga iya ng isumiter ang pangalan ni Basilio ngadto sa Commission on
Appointments isip iyang napili ngadto sa maong sensitibo nga puwesto. Si
Basilio sa kasamtangang nagserbisyo isip senior official sa Department of
Foreign Affairs.
“…We will submit her name to the Commission on
Appointments (and) once they confirm (her), therefore, we can seek the—the
French term is ‘agrΓ©ment’—parang the agreement for the designation of Usec.
Basilio as our new ambassador to China,” matud sa Pangulo.
Matud pa sa Pangulo nga iyang gibase ang iyang
desisyon pagpili kang Basilio gikan sa rekomendasyon ni Foreign Secretary
Albert Del Rosario, dugang pa nga si Basilio adunay “wealth of experience” nga
maipakita ngadto sa China “how important” ang atong relasyon ngadto kanila.
“Basically the high recommendations by our
Secretary of Foreign Affairs, given her wealth of experience; given that she’s
already a senior undersecretary sends a signal of how important our relations
are with China and how serious we are in trying to achieve an understanding
with them,” dugang pa sa Pangulo. (PIA-Surigao del Norte)
