Butuan training center opens massage clinic at
Bancasi Airport
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 9 (PIA) -- The Butuan City
Manpower Training Center (BCMTC) on Tuesday opened a massage clinic at the
departure area of the Bancasi Airport here.
In her welcome message during the grand opening
ceremony, Ruth Jugao, (BCMTC) training director, said while passengers are
still awaiting for their flight out, they can avail of massage for 15 to 30
minutes.
Jugao also said the massage clinic gives
opportunity to the blind masseurs who are graduates of BCMTC for a livelihood.
To date, there are five blind masseur graduates reporting to the clinic.
The official further said graduates of BCMTC are
also holders of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(Tesda) National Certificate (NC) II “which means that they are more than qualified
to perform massage therapy.”
Meanwhile, Caraga Tourism Council Chairman Atty.
Rema Erigbuagas-Burdeos said that this project is another milestone of the
mayor, Ferdinand Amante, in an effort to provide job opportunities to his
constituents, especially to persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Burdeos likewise enjoined the local government
to provide massage therapy training not only to blind masseurs but also to PWDs
who are deaf-mute.
Prior to the opening ceremony, Fr. Alfredo
Sanchez officiated the blessing, attended by city hall employees, as well as
officials in the region’s tourism industry, representatives of regional line
agencies headed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAA)
through Airport Manager Emmanuel Costelo.
After the program, Costelo and Richard Atillo of
Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-Caraga were among those who were treated
for a free sample massage. The massage service costs P200, it was learned.
Jugas also enjoins the public especially the
airport passengers to come and experience the rejuvenating acupressure massage
offered by blind massage therapists.
The massage clinic, dubbed as “Magic Touch Chair
Massage Services,” is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (RER/PIA-Caraga)
Fortun pushes for establishment of seaport in
Butuan
By Eldie N. David
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 9 – Congressional front runner
and Vice Mayor Lawrence “Law” Fortun has vowed to push for the development of a
sea port in Butuan City if elected in next year’s elections.
In a radio interview, Fortun revealed that the
establishment of a sea port in Butuan will definitely spur economic development
in the city as this will complement the on-going infrastructure projects being
implemented in the city.
“If a sea port of international standard is
established in Butuan City, this will complement the on-going upgrading of the
Bancasi Airport and the development of the Butuan-Malaybalay road,” Fortun
said.
“If this is realized, it will now be easy for
the products coming from Bukidnon and from all over Caraga region to be
transported to Visayas and Luzon which will result to a cheaper products being
sold elsewhere”, Fortun added.
The local government of Butuan has been
aggressively offering the development of Masao port for possible public-private
partnership (PPP) project.
In support to this effort, Fortun authored the
PPP Code of Butuan which laid down the guidelines and parameters for all joint
venture projects that will be entered by the government and the private sector.
Apart from the sea port, Fortun also said that
he will push for the completion of the farm-to-market roads especially in the
Municipality of Las Nieves which has long been neglected in the past. This is
just some of the priority programs that Fortun, who is seeking the First
Congressional seat of Agusan del Norte (Butuan City and Las Nieves), that will
push if elected in next year’s elections. (Vice Mayor’s
Office/LGU-Butuan/PIA-Caraga)
P28.7M-worth of palay bought by NFA in 2012
By Fe Moreno
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 9 (PIA) -- National Food
Authority (NFA) Caraga Regional Director Gil Pepito Paqueo has announced
recently that NFA bought from the farmers of Caraga 33,262 bags of Palay worth
P28.7 million from January to December 2012.
Paqueo said that for palay procurement in 2012
was higher by 20,720 bags or 165 percenr compared to the 12,542 bags procured
in CY 2011.
Moreover, palay procurement for the second
semester of 2012 totaling 28,094 bags was 5.4 times more than the 5,168 bags
procured in the first semester of the same year.
Paqueo attributed the higher performance
principally to the extensive preparations which NFA-Caraga region undertook in
the third quarter of 2012 which included the series of “Ugnayan” with local
government units, farmers and various farmer organizations, setting up of
temporary buying stations and satellite collection centers especially in the
rivertowns of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur and
augmentation of NFA’s mechanical-drying capability.
According to Paqueo, NFA Caraga region has
started to prepare for the procurement of the March to June 2013 palay and corn
harvests. He said that top priority is being assigned to the continuing
build-up of NFA’s mechanical drying capability especially for the buying
stations in the river towns. (NFA-13/PIA-Caraga)
Butuan to commemorate 1st formal hoisting of the
Philippine Flag
By Maria Luisa Dianah Z. Generalao
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 9 -- To commemorate the
Anniversary of the First Formal Hoisting of the Philippine Flag in Mindanao
more than 100 years ago, the local government of Butuan City will hold a simple
yet noble Flag-Raising Ceremony at the Guingona Park on the early morning of
January 17.
Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante Jr. and
the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod will lead this year’s celebration to
be participated by employees of this city’s local government unit.
Amante had already given directions to the
facilitating local government offices that the celebration be simple and not
extravagant, and that people should be able to observe the true meaning of the
commemoration’s nobleness.
Butuan City, along with the cities of Cagayan de
Oro and Surigao, all once claimed that the Philippine Flag was first hoisted in
their respective cities. This was debated on by local historians from each city
in a two-day round-table discussion with the distinguished members of the
National Historical Institute (NHI).
In 2000, the NHI came up with a stand, based on
the documents and arguments presented from each city, the Philippine Flag was
first hoisted in Surigao City on Dec. 26, 1898.
The NHI made it clear that all hoisting in these
cities were all official. It just so happened that the first one was done in
Surigao City.
In the case of Cagayan de Oro (then de Misamis),
the Phillipine Flag was raised by the five-man Concejo Provincial with then
Municipal Head Toribio Chaves y Roa reciting the poem “Pinahanungod” on January
10, 1899.
However, the first “formal” hoisting was done in
Butuan City on January 17, 1899 with then Gov. Wenceslao Gonzales presiding
over the flag raising ceremony in full regalia. (CMO-PIO/PIA-Caraga)
NSO ready for the conduct of 2013 Labor Force
Survey, Family Income & Expenditure Survey 2nd Visit
By Villa S. Bayotas
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 9 -- The National Statistics
Office (NSO) Caraga will conduct the January 2013 Labor Force Survey together
with the second visit of the 2012 Family Income and Expenditure Survey. The
second round of the FIES will gather data on income and expenditure of families
for the second semester, July 1 to December 31, 2012.
The Labor Force Survey (LFS) is a nationwide
quarterly survey of households conducted by the NSO to gather data on the
demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population.
The LFS aims to provide a quantitative framework
for the preparations of plans and formulation of policies affecting the labor
market.
Specifically, the LFS is designed to collect
information on the following: 1) distribution of household population 15 years
old and over, by employment status, by sex, and age group; 2) distribution of
employed persons by major occupation group, major industry group, class of
worker, number of hours worked, highest grade completed, nature of employment,
and by sex; 3) distribution of underemployed persons by total hours worked,
major occupation group, class of worker, and by sex; and 4) distribution of
unemployed persons by age group, highest grade completed, by number of weeks
looking for work , job search method, and by sex.
NSO-Caraga will also conduct the 2012 FIES as a
rider to the LFS, this is a nationwide survey of households which is the main
source of data on family income and expenditures. The 2012 FIES is the
sixteenth survey on family income and expenditure conducted since 1957.
Like the previous FIES, this undertaking aims to
accomplish the following objectives:1)to gather data on family income, sources
of income, family expenditure and related information affecting family income
and expenditure levels and patterns in the Philippines; 2) to determine the
income distribution, levels of living and spending patterns, and the degree of
inequality among families; 3) to provide benchmark information to update the
weights used in the estimation of Consumer Price Index (CPI); and, 4) to
provide inputs in the estimation of the country’s poverty threshold and
incidence.
About 800 items are included in the FIES
questionnaire. The survey involves an interview of a national sample of about
50,000 households. This sample size is deemed sufficient to provide reliable
estimates of income and expenditure levels for each region, including Caraga
region.
In Caraga, NSO field staff and selected trained
statistical researchers will do a comprehensive door-to-door interview in
sample households from January 14-31.
NSO would like to assure the respondents that
all information furnished to the SRs are strictly confidential and shall not be
used as evidence in court for purposes of taxation, regulation or investigation
as provided for in Section 4 of Commonwealth Act No. 591. (NCLM/NSO-13/PIA-Caraga)
Surigao Norte spearheads Program Review Workshop
By Arturo M. Cruje
SURIGAO CITY, Jan. 9 (PIA) -- The Provincial
Government of Surigao del Norte will spearhead a one-day Program Review
Workshop entitled, "Looking Back to Move Forward" today, January 9 at
the Sagisi Function Room, Gateway Hotel, this city.
The one-day workshop aimed to assess the program
accomplishments of the incumbent administration vis-a-vis the development goals
of the province.
The activity will cover sectoral presentations,
program review workshop and planning for the next steps.
Participants of the said workshop are the
municipal mayors, municipal planning and development coordinators, members of
the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and provincial department heads. (FEA/PPDO/PIA-Surigao
del Norte)
RAFI joins 1st World Blogathon
By Sarina Joy Odivilas
CEBU CITY, Jan. 9 (PIA) -- To promote social
advocacies through digital media, Cebu Bloggers Society (CBS) organized the
first World Blogathon held recently at Andy Hotel in Mandaue City.
The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) was one
of the participating organizations that attended the offline event. Other
groups were Island Rescue Organization (IRO), AIESEC, MIND7, Love Yourself,
World Vision, and “Dok Buboy”.
Representatives from each organization
introduced their respective advocacies.
Nancy Cudis, RAFI's communication specialist for
media and public relations, presented the Foundation's different focus areas
and programs, including Mega Cebu Project, where RAFI is the Research, Program,
and Organizational Development (RPOD) unit of the Metro Cebu Development
Coordinating Board (MCDCB) for the said project.
Mega Cebu Project is a 30-year master plan
program and framework for a long term and collaborative planning and action
towards a more sustainable city-region.
IRO, an animal welfare organization, calls for
responsible pet ownership. AISEC, an organization that develops youth through
integrated learning experience. National Nutrition and Development 7, together
with Kapisanan ng Brodkaster ng Pilipinas-Cebu Chapter and group of media
practitioners, battle malnutrition through nutrition advocacy and promotion.
Love Yourself is a non-government organization
that promotes awareness, prevention, education, and counseling on STI and HIV.
A heightened human trafficking awareness and prevention is the mission of the
International Justice Mission (IJM).
The World Vision is a community-based, Christian
organization that works with children, families, and communities to overcome
poverty and injustice.
“Dok Buboy”, the last speaker, is a
microbiologist, blogger, media online auditor and a CBS member. Through his
blogs, he has promoted his city and his advocacies for public health and social
change.
Ruben Licera, president of the Cebu Bloggers
Society announced that the World Blogathon will be held every quarter of the
year and encouraged Cebu bloggers to blog about events and organizations that
matters.
Jaysee John Pingkian, CBS Outreach Committee
head, said that CBS will focus more on social responsibility on its third year.
He added that CBS will hold on March of this year a National Social Summit that
will tap the youth, business sector, and non-government organizations. (RAFI/PIA-Caraga)
Cebuano News: Pangulong Aquino, Foreign Minister
sa Japan magtagbo didto sa Malacanang
Ni Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Enero 9 (PIA) – Si Pangulong
Aquino ug Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida magtagbo karong adlawa didto
sa MalacaΓ±ang diin gikatakda nilang tukion ang mga nagkalain-laing mga
importanteng isyu, matud ni Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda kagahapon.
Matud pa ni Lacierda nga sumala sa gipagawas nga
pamahayag sa DFA, ang pagbisita ni Kishida usa kini ka oportunidad sa duha ka
nasod aron mapalambo pa ang Philippines-Japan Strategic Partnership ubos sa
bag-ong Japanese administration, diin ang Japan maoy usa sa mga strategic
partners sa Pilipinas ug usa sa pinaka importanteng economic partners sa nasod
labi na sa patigayon, mga pamuhunan ug mga hinabang alang sa kalamboan.
Atol sa maong panagtagbo gikatakda usab nga
tukion nila Kishida ug Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario ang mga
bilateral ug regional isyu.
Gitumbok ni Lacierda nga hulaton usa nila nga
mahuman ang mga pagtuki nila del Rosario ug Kishida sa mga gikatakdang
pagatukion nga mga isyu una nila isingit ang isyu sa bikil sa West Philippine
Sea.
Dugang pa ni Lacierda nga ang pagbisita ni
Kishida maoy una niyang pagbisita dinhi sa nasod sugod sa paglingkod ni Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe isip bag-ong Japanese premier niadtong Disyembre. (PIA-Surigao
del Norte)
