Caraga disaster council to launch DRRM Plan in
Butuan
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 8 (PIA) -- The Regional
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) chaired by Blanche
Gobenciong of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is set to launch the DRRM Plan
2013-2017 of the region on March 5 at the Almont Hotel’s Inland Resort here.
Around 200 participants from the local DRRMCs of
different provinces are expected to attend the said event.
As the host of the event, Butuan City Mayor
Ferdinand Amante will give the welcome remarks.
Retired Army General Eduardo del Rosario, New
NDRRMC chief and acting Administrator of the OCD, and Secretary Mary Ann
Lucille Sering of the Climate Change Commission are the expected guests of
honor during the launching.
Also, the technical working group of
RDRRMC-Caraga said that during the program, a six to seven-minute audio-visual
presentation will be shown containing the situationer of Caraga region relative
to previous disaster experienced and how did the RDRRMC and partner
stakeholders responded to the incidents and to the needs of the victims.
RDRRMC chair Gobenciong with the four vice
chairpersons of the different committees namely Preparedness, Prevention and
Mitigation, Response, and Rehabilitation and Recovery will be presenting the
impacts, outcomes and outputs of every aspect/focus per committee.
Meanwhile, a ceremonial signing by the executive
committee with the two guests of honor will be held during the program along
with the signing of commitment by the partner stakeholders. Several sectors
will also be sharing their responses to RDRRMC.
A press conference will also follow right after
the program/launching at the same venue. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
DepEd-Caraga implements PPP school infra project
phase 2
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 8 (PIA) -- There is no
stopping this administration from going full steam ahead as it makes good its
promise to fill the classroom lack even before Aquino leaves office.
The Department of Education in Caraga Region
(DepEd-Caraga) is currently implementing the second phase of its large-scale
classroom construction project through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
scheme called the PPP for School Infrastructure Project III (PSIP-II).
During Tuesday’s first quarterly meeting of the
Regional Development Council-Social Development Committee (RDC-SDC) held in one
of the local convention halls here, Atty. Alberto Escobarte, DepEd-Caraga
director pointed out that this project is one of their key programs to deliver the
needed quality and accessible educational facilities for all learners.
Escobarte added the PSIP-II is implemented in
several sites in 14 regions, including Caraga, under a “Built-Transfer” scheme
wherein the private sector is responsible for the design, construction, and
financing of the project.
“In turn, the government will make the payment
to the proponent upon turnover of the completed school facilities,” Escobarte
said.
The official further said 708 classrooms will be
constructed for Caraga in 314 different school sites.
In Agusan del Norte, 82 classrooms will be
constructed in 51 school sites while Agusan del Sur will have 153 classrooms in
46 school sites.
Also, eight classrooms will be built in four
school sites in Bislig City and Butuan City with 76 classrooms in 22 school
sites.
Meanwhile, the youngest province of the region,
Dinagat Islands, will get 149 classrooms to be constructed in 75 school sites.
Siargao, on the other hand will have 106 classrooms in 50 school sites.
Escobarte further said Surigao City Division
will also receive 12 classrooms in six school sites, while 13 school sites in
Surigao del Norte will be constructed with 21 classrooms.
Finally, the region’s DepEd chief said around
101 classrooms will be built in 47 school sites in Surigao del Sur.
Furthermore, Escobarte said this school
infrastructure project through the PPP scheme has been published already in
some national papers of nationwide circulation and in the local as an
invitation to pre-qualify to bid for PPP for School Infrastructure Project 2012
– Phase II.
“The project is aimed at meeting the goal of the
Aquino administration to achieve zero backlog in classrooms for calendar year
2013,” Escobarte said. (RER/PIA-Caraga)
Fishers association gets P4.6-M worth liquid
quick freezer
By Vanessa P. Sanchez
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 8 (PIA) -- The Department of
Agriculture, in coordination with the National Agri-Business Corporation
(Nabcor), turned-over a Liquid Quick Freeze Machine worth P4.6 million to the
Tandag Boholano Fishermen’s Association (Tanbofisa) held recently at the
Tanbofisa Ice Plant in Surigao del Sur.
The freezer is a commitment of DA Secretary
Proceso Alcala to the association when he visited Surigao del Sur on June 2011.
The machine has a capacity to produce three tons of ice per day. The making of
ice takes two hours and is done by batches with 16 blocks of ice weighing eight
kilos each produced per batch.
The machine can also be used to freeze
agricultural products like fish, poultry, and vegetables to prolong its shelf
life.
Tanbofisa operates a Barangay Food Terminal as
well as an ice plant in the public market.
According to Wilma Evangelio, their business
manager, with their old ice-making machine, they only get to produce 72 ice
blocks weighing 25 kilos each per day which is not even sufficient for the
needs of the market vendors in the market. She added that now that they have
the freezer, they hope that they will be able to meet the demand not just in
the public market but also the entire city and also increase the income of the
food terminal.
The local government of Tandag counter parted
with a transformer and circuit breaker and its installation which amounted to
P130,000 while Tanbofisa’s counterpart is the building.
Tandag City Administrator Aldy Novo who graced
the turn-over ceremony expressed his gratitude to the Department of Agriculture
for granting the said project to the fishers association and encouraged the
members of the association to take good care of the machine and use it well as
it will be a big help not only to the BFT but to Tandag as well. (DA-RAFID
13/PIA-Caraga)
Tagalog news: Limang Pinay entertainers
papuntang Japan pinigilan sa NAIA
By David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Peb. 8 (PIA) -- Limang Pilipina
na papunta sana sa Seoul, South Korea ang naharang noong nakaraang linggo sa
terminal ng departure area sa NAIA 2 at pinigilang umalis ng bansa.
Ito ay dahil napag-alaman ng mga opisyal ng
Immigration sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport ang kasong human trafficking
na nagpapalabas sa bansa ng mga babaeng walang dokumento upang magtrabaho
bilang mga mang-aaliw o entertainer sa South Korea, ayon kay Bureau of
Immigration Commissioner (BI) Ricardo David.
Sinabi ni David na ang mga babae ay pasakay na
ng Philippine Airlines papuntang Hongkong nang sila ay imbitahan para sa
pangalawang pagsusuri ng grupo na komokontrol at nagpapatupad mula sa BI
matapos na sila ay nalamang mga manggagawang turista.
Sa simula, pilit na sinabi ng mga ito na sila ay
turista na magbabakasyon sa Hongkong pero sa tuluy-tuloy na pagtatanong, inamin
nilang papunta sila sa South Korea para magtrabaho.
“May mga natanggap kaming ulat na yung mga
babaeng natatanggap bilang mang-aaliw sa South Korea ay pinipinilit na maging
puta ng kanilang mga amo,” dagdag pa ni David.
Binalaan ni David ang mga nagbabalak na
magtrabaho sa ibang bansa na mag-ingat laban sa sindikatong nagpapalusot ng mga
manggagawa at hinikayat silang kumuha muna ng permiso mula sa Philippine
Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
Sinabi ni David na iyong mga nagtatrabaho sa
labas ng bansa na walang sapat na dokumento ay binubuksan ang oportunidad na
sila ay maabuso, mamaltrato at mabigyan ng hindi patas na trato sa
pagtatrabaho.
Hindi ibinigay ni Atty. Ma. Antonette
Mangrobang, kumakatawang hepe ng intelligence unit ng BI ang mga pangalan ng
mga naturang babae dahil ipinagbabawal sa batas ng anti-human trafficking na
isapubliko ang mga pangalan ng mga biktima ng human trafficking.
Sinabi ni Mangrobang na ibinigay sa pangangalaga
ng Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) ang mga babae para sa
tuluy-tuloy na imbestigasyon. (RER/DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Tagalog news: Kalihim ng DSWD pinaliwanag ang
kampanyang 'Bawal ang epal'
Ni David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Peb. 8 (PIA) -- Ipinaliwang nang
mabuti ni Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dinky
Soliman ang kanilang kampanyang “Bawal ang epal” sa isang panayam ng mga
"bloggers" sa kanya noong Enero 29.
Ayon sa kalihim ang kampanyang ito ay naglalayong
maprotektahan ang mga benepisyaryo ng programa ng DSWD na Pantawid Pamilyang
Pilipino Program (4Ps) laban sa mga pulitikong balak gamitin ang programa para
manakot at mang-abuso sa darating na eleksyon.
Ang 4Ps ay isang programa ng DSWD na nagbibigay
ng tulong pinansiyal sa mga maralitang Pilipino at pinatutupad sa 1,605 na mga
lungsod bayan sa 79 na lalawigan sa buong 17 na rehiyon sa buong bansa. Sa
buwan ng Enero ng taong ito, may kabuuang 3,843,502 na pamilya ang naging
benepisaryo na naisali sa programa.
Ayon sa DSWD mayroong mga abusadong pulitiko na
nananamantala sa programang 4Ps upang magkaroon ng masmaraming boto kesa sa
kanilang katunggali. Ang mga pulitikong ito at mga kandidatong ito ay nagsasabi
na may kapangyarihan sila na magsali o mag-alis ng mga benepisaryo sa listahan
ng programa.
Ito ang dahilan kung bakit inilunsad ng DSWD ang
kamapanyang "Bawal ang Epal" at ang mga magreklamo ay bibigyan ng
DSWD ng tinatawag na Grievance Redness System sa pamamagitan ng simpleng
pagpapadala ng text na naglalaman ng kanilang pangalan, lugar at ang reklamo na
ipapadala sa numerong 0918-9122813.
Sinabi ni Sec. Soliman na walang pwedeng
mag-alis o magdadag ng pangalan sa listahan ng 4Ps kundi ang DSWD lamang.
Hanggang ang benepisaryo ay sumusunod sa mga kinakailangan, ang DSWD lamang ang
makapagpapasya ukol dito. Idinagdag pa ni Sec. Soliman na “Walang ibang
magtatanggal sa’yo kundi ang sarili mo, kung hindi ka talaga sumunod o susunod
sa mga itinakdang kondisyon.” At para sa mga pulitikong umabuso at magkokontrol
sa kanilang mga botante, ang DSWD ay hindi magdadalawang isip na magbigay ng
ebidensiya at magsumbong sa otoridad gaya ng Ombudsman.
Ineengganyo ng DSWD ang mga mamamayan na
suportahan ang kampanyang "Bawal ang Epal" dahil hindi lamang nito
pinapalakas ang mga benepisaryo ng 4Ps, kundi tinitiyak rin nito na ang mga
botante ay hindi maiimpluwensyahan ng mga baluktot na pulitiko at mga
kandidato. (RER/DMS with reports from DSWD/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
