Butuan dad denies disrupting religious activity
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, April 3 (PIA) – Mayor Ferdinand
Amante Jr. denied involvement in the disruption of a religious activity dubbed
"Panaad 2013" in Barangay Anticala here, in which an alleged
misencounter between government forces occurred.
The activity was spearheaded by incumbent
Congressman of 1st District Agusan del Norte Hon. Jose 'Joboy' Aquino II, who
is also his opponent for mayor in the May elections.
“I am not against this religious activity of the
Catholics. I may not be a catholic by religion but I’m also a Christian and I
support other religious sector’s activity especially in times like this (holy
week) because people just want to express their faith and belief to the most
almighty... It is not my doing to create such scenario just to destroy my
opponents' activities and get attention from the people,” Amante said.
Amante added that when he received the report
early morning on ‘Good Friday’, he immediately called the attention of his
personnel to provide dump trucks so devotees can easily leave the area and move
to a safer place.
Amante also clarified that it is not a
‘misencounter’ between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP), as some people were claiming.
“I don’t think it is a misencounter between the
two forces because a week prior to the holy week season, both conducted
clearing operation in the area and declared it as ‘red alert’ area since there
was also a report of possible sighting by the NPAs. However, we could not force
the devotees not to join the activity since it has been their usual/yearly
activity during ‘Good Friday’ as an expression of their faith to God. So, I
instructed the PNP in coordination with the Phil. Army to secure the area and
safety of the devotees,” Amante pointed out.
Amante further said that he requested the office
of Sec. Mar Roxas of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
to create an independent task force from the national level to investigate the
said incident. This is to know the truth and avoid any whitewash though he also
released an executive order to the PNP and AFP to conduct their own
investigation and its results will be integrated afterwards.
“It will be my word against theirs
(detractors),” Amante said. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
NEDA-Caraga presents region’s labor, employment
status
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, April 4 (PIA) – The National
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in Caraga today presented the
region’s labor and employment status.
During the Sectoral Technical Working Group
Meeting on Mainstreaming Labor and Employment in the Regional Development Plan
(RDP) 2011-2016 Revision and Enhancing the Results Matrices held in one of the
local establishments here, Melanie Maur of NEDA-Caraga said in comparing the
key labor and employment indicators in 2010 and 2011 in the region, the labor
force participation rate has increased from 65.38 percent to 65.73 percent.
Maur also said the region’s employment rate has
also increased from 93.50 percent to 94.03 percent. In terms of unemployment
rate in the region, Maur said the region’s data has decreased from 6.48 percent
in 2010 to 5.98 percent in 2011.
However, the official said the underemployment
rate of Caraga has increased from 22.23 percent to 26.00 percent.
Maur further explained Caraga Region has
achieved moderate accomplishment with respect to employment creation, where
laborers and unskilled workers comprise a big chunk of the total labor force.
She also said number of jobs created did not
grow fast enough and there is still high level of underemployment in the
region.
With these developments, Maur said the
challenges that the region in particular, and the country in general is facing
is to translate potential jobs into actual employment. She also stressed there
is a need to improve governance infrastructure to encourage investments,
particularly in key industries.
The NEDA official further cited that
mainstreaming employment generation in sectoral and industry roadmaps must also
be made, as well as to facilitate school-to-work transition of young entrants
to the labor force, and maximizing productive capacities of large pool of
educated unemployed young adults.
In other developments, Maur presented the
region’s probability in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). She
said the region is seen to be high in terms of under five and infant mortality
rate, halt and begin to revers the incidence of malaria and other diseases,
access to safe drinking water, and households with sanitary toilets.
In terms of improving maternal health, the
probability was observed to be medium, while in the aspects of gender equality
and women empowerment, elementary cohort survival and completion rates, and
access to reproductive health services, the region was seen to have low
probability. (RER/PIA-Caraga)
Health dept orients stakeholders in addressing
environmental health problems
By Nora L. Molde
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 4 (PIA) – The Department of
Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Caraga region is conducting a
two-day orientation from April 4-5 for its Regional Inter-Agency Committee on
Environmental Health (RIACEH) stakeholders to address environmental health
problems.
According to Dr. Ernesto Pareja of DOH-CHD
Caraga, the orientation is aimed to strengthen better collaboration among
stakeholders on health and environment in addressing environmental health
issues and to delineate the functions of its stakeholders.
Dr. Pareja said that because of the
establishment of industries operating in the region like that of mining, palm
oil and banana plantation, and other industrial establishment, the development
of environmental health issues is expected as it operates along the way due to
exposures with chemicals, pollution, improper waste disposal and contamination
of water, there is a need for the RIACEH stakeholders to convene and help
determine practical ways & its application in protecting our environment
& lives from the environment health problems.
During the two-day orientation which started
Thursday and will culminate on Friday, the seven RIACEH subsectors (SWATOFS)
will be discussed. These include the subsectors on Solid Waste, Water, Air,
Toxic Substances and Hazardous Waste, Occupational Health, Food, and Sanitation
sectors.
On the second day (Friday), a planning workshop
will be held where stakeholders will identify and plan actions in addressing
health problems caused by the environmental. (NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
Caraga reduces illegal hotspot areas to 17 from
37
By Nora L. Molde
BUTUAN CITY, April 4 (PIA) -- Caraga region now
has 17 illegal logging hotspot areas, down from 37.
The Caraga Multi-Sectoral Forest Protection
Committee (MFPC) reported that the 17 illegal logging hotspot areas comprise
eight areas from the province of Agusan del Sur, eight areas from Surigao del
Sur and one from the province of Dinagat Islands.
The MFPC is lead by the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources.
The continuous monitoring and the implementation
of Executive Order (EO) No. 23 has contributed a lot to the forest protection
of the region, Maritess M. Ocampo, DENR-Caraga regional technical director for
forestry, said.
From January 1 to March 31, the DENR in
partnership with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) seized 850.92 cu. m of logs; 40,472.61 bd. Ft. of
lumber/flitches; and able to file four cases in court, she said.
Also, DENR Caraga was able to donate a total
milled volume of 529,088.5570 bd. ft to the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority-Agusan del Sur School of Arts and Trade (TESDA-ASSAT) in
Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur for the manufacturing of armchairs from
the start of the project in 2011 to December 31, 2012.
The manufacturing of armchairs using the
confiscated forest products is under the School Furniture Production Program
(SFPP) also known as PNoy Bayanihan Project.
From the confiscated forest products, a total of
27,353 armchairs were produced, 19,556 armchairs were delivered to different
Department of Education (DepEd) schools and 7,797 armchairs are now ready for
delivery, RTD Ocampo added.
The SFPP is a joint project of DENR, DepEd,
TESDA and PAGCOR for the production of school furniture and fixtures.
Meanwhile, during the committee’s meeting PNP
Caraga regional director PCSupt Getulio P NapeΓ±as also suggested that in order
to fully implement EO 23 & to stop &/or minimize illegal logging
activities in the region, checkpoints manned by the DENR, AFP & PNP must be
integrated & reconfigured. (NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
PNoy allocates P110-M to modernize Siargao
airport
By Jun Lira
DAPA, Surigao del Norte, April 4 (PIA) —
MalacaΓ±ang Palace has announced that President Aquino approved a P110-million
financial grant from the Social Fund for the modernization of the Siargao
airport.
The announcement was made during the official
visit of DILG Secretary Mar Roxas and DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya to
Siargao Island last March 27 where they made an ocular inspection of the
island’s airport and the proposed runway extension development.
They also inspected the new Tourist Police
stations in Dapa and General Luna towns and the newly-converted LTO District
Office for Siargao located in Dapa which came into being with the President's
approval of R.A. 10391.
Roxas and Abaya promised to lobby for additional
speedy release of presidential funds to fast-track improvements in Siargao
Island aimed at boosting the tourism businesses in the area. They envisioned
the island as one of the major tourism destinations in Asia-Pacific region in
the next five to ten years as evidenced by the increasing arrivals of foreign
and domestic tourists and the rising data on foreign and domestic investments
in the area.
The two also promised to promote Siargao as a
“Paradise Island” and to bring the ambassadors of different countries into the
place in a confidence-building move for the local economy to open up its door
to unlimited opportunities that would be brought by the international tourism
community. (PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Tagalog news: HL pinuri ng pandaigdigang
komunidad sa mahalagang ginampanan sa Historic Global Agreement
Ni David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Abril 5 (PIA) -- Matagumpay na
naisagawa ng United Nations Commission on Status of Women (CSW) ang ika-57 na
pagtitipon na may temang “Violence against Women and Girls.”
Ang taunang pagtitipon na ginanap mula Marso 4
hanggang 15 sa headquarters ng United Nations (UN) sa New York ay may naitalang
mataas na bilang ng mga dumalo kung saan 133 estados ang nagbigay ng pahayag.
Mahigit 6,000 mula sa civil society
organizations ang nagpatala bago pa dumating ang dalawang linggo na
komperensya.
Ang ika 57 na CSW ay tinapos sa pagtanggap sa
napagkasunduang konklusyon sa pagbasura sa mga bayolenteng gawain laban sa
kababaihan na siyang pinuri ng mga pamahalaan, mga opisyales ng UN at kuponang
sibil bilang pandaigdigang kasunduan, lalo na at binigyan ng Jack of Agreed
Conclusion noong 2003 ng napag-usapan ito sa komisyon, at ang kakulangan ng
kasunduan noong nakaraang taon kung saan ang nangungunang tema ay nakatuon sa
hindi kontrobersyal na isyu sa mga kababaihan sa lalawigan.
Ang napagkasunduang ay mahigpit na nagsasaad na
ang pang aabuso laban sa kababaihan ay isang paglabag sa karapatang pantao at
ito ay tungkulin ng lahat ng estado na pangalagaan na hindi alintana ang
kanilang sistemang politikal, economiya at kultura, para maipatupad at
protektahan ang lahat ng karapatang pantao.
Ang UN Entity for Gender Equality and
Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN) ay nakipag alyansa sa mga estadong miyembro ng
UN, mga bansang kaisa ng UN at ng mga civil society at sila ay gagabayan ng
naitalang kasunduan para protektahan ang karapatan ng kababaihan na mamuhay na
walang takot.
Ang kasunduan ay naglalaman ng mga gabay para sa
pag iwas at pagresponde, at may kabuuang 69 na kongkretong aksyon na dapat
gawin ng pamahalaan at iba pang sektor.
Ang Pilipinas ay hayagang pinuri ng
pandaigdigang komunidad sa kanyang papel na ginampanan na padaliin ang
negosasyon ng kasunduan.
Ang delegasyon ng Pilipinas sa 57th CSW ay
pinangunahan ni Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita-Quintos
Deles at Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan, Philippine Permanent representative
to the United Nations. Kasama rin sa delegasyon ang mga representante mula sa
Philippine Commission on Women, Department of Justice, Department of Social
Welfare and Development, National Anti-Poverty Commission, Office of the
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Commission on Human Rights,
Department of Health and civil societyorganizations.
Ang delegasyon ng Pilipinas ay aktibong
nakipanayam din sa ibang delegasyon sa loob ng mahigit dalawang linggong
mahigpit na negosasyon sa paggawa ng napagkasunduang konklusyon na pinamahalaan
ng CSW Vice Chairperson na si Ana Marie Hernando ng Philippine Permanent
Mission na siya ring kumakatawan sa Asia Pacific Region.
Malugod ding tinanggap ni UN Secretary General
Ban Ki Moon at ni UN Executive Director Michelle Bachelet ang makasaysayang
kasunduan at sila ay nanawagan ng maagang pagpapatupad nito. (DMS/PIA-Agusan
del Sur)
Cebuano News: Sumbanan andam na aron sumpo-on
ang oil products smuggling, matud sa Palasyo
Ni Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Abril 4 (PIA) -- Gisiguro sa
Malakanyang niadtong Martes nga adunay saktong mga sumbanan aron masumpo ang
oil smuggling sa nasud.
Sumala ni Presidential Spokesperson Edwin
Lacierda, lakip sa maong sumbanan mao ang tax regulation pinaagi sa Revenue
Regulation 2-2012 nga musiguro nga ang ecozone locators makakuha og tax
exemption.
Dugang pa niini, ang mga pagbisita ug inspeksyon
sa ginahimo sa Department of Finance (DOF), Bureau of Customs (BOC) ug ang
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)aron sumpoon ang maong lihok pagpayuhot.
Sumala pa ni Lacierda nga ang pagsumpo sa oil
smuggling makapauswag sa tax collection sa nasod.
Dugang pa niya nga sugod karong bulana, ang DOF,
BOC ug ang BIR mobisita sa Manila International Container Port, Port sa Ninoy
Aquino International Airport, ug ang Port sa Batangas, ug lain pang uban nga
mga major oil importers.
Sumala ni Ramon Ang, ang chairman ug chief
executive officer sa Petron Corp. nga katulo sa kinatibuk-ang gidaghanon sa
produkto sa oil nga gibaligya sa merkado nagagikan sa pagpahuyot og kini binase
sa pagtoon sukad niadtong 2007 hangtod 2011.
Sumala pa ni Ang nga adunay mokantidad sa P30
ngadto P40 bilyon ang nawala sa gobyerno matag tuig tungod sa oil products
smuggling. (PIA-Surigao del Norte)
