DOST-Caraga bats for food safety, quality
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, July 25 (PIA) -- The Department of
Science and Technology (DOST) Caraga emphasized food safety and quality to
prevent consumers from illness, during the Training on Food Safety Awareness
recently held at the Butuan City School of Arts and Trade.
DOST-Caraga Regional Director Dominga Mallonga
said food safety means proper handling, proper preparation, and proper storage
of food to avoid sickness.
“Food-borne illness is a disease transmitted to
humans by food and this may be caused by bacteria that grow on food or by
viruses that are spread because food is not cleaned, stored or handled
properly,” said Mallonga.
Also, Olga Virginia Demata of Food Safety -
DOST-Caraga said that when preparing food, proper hand washing must be
observed.
“These are the ways to proper hand washing: 1)
Wet hands with hot running potable water. The water should be as hot as the
hands can comfortably stand; 2) Apply enough soap to build up a good lather.
Soap may be liquid, powder or bar soap; 3) Rub hands together for at least 20
seconds. One fun way to do this is to sing a “Happy Birthday” song while
lathering the hands; 4) Clean under fingernails and between fingers. A nail
brush is recommended but avoid splashing; 5) Rinse hands thoroughly under
running water; and 6) Dry hands. Hands should be dried with clean, single use,
disposable paper towels or hot air blow dryer,” explained Demata.
Demata added that for food handlers who are
selling their products in the market, the food should also be properly sealed.
“By considering these things in our daily
living, we can all be healthy and away from any type of diseases especially the
food-borne illness where one can experience stomach upset/ache and diarrhea in
most cases,” Demata said. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
Co-op office, dev't officers to stage 6th Na’l
Tripartite Confab in Zamboanga City
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, July 25 (PIA) -- The Cooperative
Development Authority (CDA) Caraga with the League of Cooperative Development
Officers of the Philippines (LCDOP) will be holding the sixth National Tripartite
Conference on October 9-11 at the Garden Orchid Hotel, Zamboanga City.
The Conference is held every two years which
serves as a venue for discussion of issues and concerns on cooperatives;
harmonize the relationship of the regulatory agency and the local government
units in the implementation of the cooperative policies; and formulation and
passage of propositions that will address the clamor and interest of the key
players in the pursuit of cooperative sustenance and empowerment said LCDOP President
Celia Atienza.
“This year’s conference with the theme 'Shared
Vision and Responsibilities for Cooperative Empowerment,' will focus on the
Cooperative Strategic Direction as envisioned in the Philippine Cooperative
Medium Term Development Plan 2011-2016, and the responsiveness of the
cooperative sector and its stakeholders,” said Atienza.
It is also in this conference that the second
CDA Gawad Parangal for outstanding cooperatives, federations and unions, local
government units and coop leaders will be held, thus making this event very
memorable and meaningful.
Expected to participate are the CDA Board of
Administrators, Senate Committee on Coop Development, House Committee on Coop
Development, LGU representatives, members of the Coop Development Councils,
provincial/city and municipal co-op officers or its equivalent, CDA regional
officials and staffs, electric cooperatives, elected local government
officials, cooperative sector, and other stakeholders.
Registration fee is P4,800 per delegate for
early registrants until July 30, and P5,500 for later registrants.
(JPG/PIA-Caraga)
MOA for “Adopt a Hospital” Project in Surigao
del Sur signed
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, July 25 (PIA) -- An estimated crowd
of 250 comprising local chief executives of different municipalities in Surigao
del Sur, Municipal Health Officers, heads of government agencies, some medical
doctors, non-government organizations, and media personalities gathered on
Tuesday at the provincial social hall in Tandag City to witness the Memorandum
of Agreement (MOA) signing between the provincial government of Surigao del
Sur, Department of Health (DOH), Montero Medical Missions, and partners from
the public and private sectors for the project dubbed 'Adopt a Hospital’ with
Adela Serra Ty Memorial Center (ASTMMC) as the recipient.
DOH Secretary Enrique Ona was one of the MOA
signatories.
Surigao del Sur Governor Johnny Pimentel
expressed his thanks to Health Secretary Ona for providing funds for the
renovation of its health facilities in the province, in line with the
department’s Hospital Facility Enhancement Program.
“The MOA aims to strengthen the delivery of
health services of the recipient hospital - the ASTMMC, while the partners will
provide assistance in the form of voluntary health services; capacity
enhancement for the staff and technology transfer; and to have opportunities
for observation visits in foreign hospitals; and donations of required
medicines, supplies, equipment and devices; and technical support for
information dissemination,” relayed Pimentel.
Also in the MOA, the provincial government
through the Provincial Eyesight Board will mobilize local finance and in-kind
resources to complement, aid, and improve infrastructure and equipment needs of
the recipient hospital and provide transportation and accommodations to partner
mission groups during the conduct of local or foreign surgical missions.
Sec. Ona said that the 'Adopt a Hospital'
program is in line with the DOH Administrative Order 2012-0030, the guidelines
on Foreign Surgical and Medical Mission (FSMM) Program in Support of Universal
Health Care/Kalusugan Pangkalahatan and the Public-Private Partnership strategy
of the dept to better delivery, efficient and quality health services to the
public.
The FSMM Program of the department plays an
important role in the delivery of health care services, especially in attaining
Universal Health Care.
"FSMMs are activities where medical
interventions and/or surgical services are provided to select underserved areas
and communities by a foreign individual or organization in partnership with a
local government unit (LGU), non-government organization (NGO), hospital or
medical society. FSMM can either be a One-Time Conduct of Medical Mission or an
'Adopt a Hospital' Program," said Ona.
Ona further emphasized that as part of its aim
to achieve Universal Health Care, in three years time, all Filipinos will be
covered with the Philippine Health (PhilHealth) Insurance through the unified
efforts of the LGUs and partner stakeholders in providing health care services
especially to the indigents.
Meanwhile, along with other partners, Mr. Fryan
Abkilan, Deputy Regional Director representing Regional Director Abner Caga of
the Philippine Information Agency-Caraga signed in the MOA as manifestation of
support and commitment to promote quality health services in the province with
the media through intensified advocacy. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
CDA-Caraga to hold regional consultation on
PCMTDP 2011-2016
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, July 25 (PIA) – In line with the
conduct of the Mid-Term Review and Updating of the Philippine Cooperative
Medium-Term Development Plan (PCMTDP) 2011-2016, the Cooperative Development
Authority (CDA) Caraga will be spearheading a Regional Consultation Meeting on
August 9 at the CDA-Caraga Conference Room, this city.
CDA-Caraga OIC Regional Director Genaro Pogata
Jr, said the participants to this consultation are primarily members of the Regional
Cooperative Development Council (RCDC).
“This consultation will be facilitated by the
National Economic Development Authority,” said Pogata.
It was learned that the results of the Regional
Consultation will be forwarded to the CDA central office for consolidation,
review and approval by the Steering Committee and it will then be presented in
the National Validation Conference.
The Philippine Medium-Term Development Plan for
the period 2011-2016 is anchored on the realization of the collective vision
and mission of the cooperative sector which is: “An integrated and
transformative cooperative system with a mission to build integrated businesses
imbued with cooperative values for the improvement of the quality of life”.
(JPG/PIA-Caraga)
LMP-Surigao Norte Chapter elects new sets of
officers
By Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, July 25 (PIA) --The League of
Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Surigao del Norte Chapter on Wednesday
elected its new sets of officers and board of directors at the Philippine
Gateway Hotel, this city.
The newly-elected 2013-2016 officers are the
incumbent LMP President Bacuag Mayor Sheila Mae O. Cebedo; Vice President:
Mayor Afredo M. Coro II of Del Carmen; Secretary: Mayor Simplicia P. Bacol of
San Francisco; Treasurer: Mayor Cristina Hemady R. Arcillas of Tubod Auditor:
Mayor Yulie Y. Ruaya of Dapa. Board of directors for district 1 are Pilar Mayor
Lucio T.Gonzales; San Benito Mayor Rushford P. Dedumo; San Isidro Mayor Lalaine
E. DomiΓ±os and Sta. Monica Mayor Fernando N. Dolar, and for district II are
Alegria Mayor Dominador G. Esma, Jr; Gigaquit Mayor Carlos Egay, Sr; Malimono
Mayor Teodoro F. Sinaca and Tagana-an Mayor Cesar A. Diaz.
During yesterday’s election, the Metro Siargao
Alliance, a group of local executives in Siargao Island, also elected its news
sets of officers with Del Carmen Mayor Alfredo M. Coro II as the new President;
Vice President, Pilar Mayor Lucio T. Gonzales; Secretary, San Isidro Mayor
Lalaine E. DomiΓ±os; Treasurer, Dapa Mayor Yulie Y. Ruaya and Auditor, Socorro
Mayor Denia T. Florano, and the board of directors are Mayor Rushford P.
Dedumo; Mayor Fernando N. Dolar, Mayor Emmanuel N. Arcena of Burgos and Mayor
Jaime P. Rusillon of General Luna.
Re-elected president and Bacuag Mayor Sheila Mae
O. Cebedo, in her message, expressed her heartfelt thanks to Governor Sol F.
Matugas, 1st district rep. Francisco T. Matugas, 2nd district rep. Guillermo A.
Romarate, Jr and her fellow mayors for the support, the trust and confidence on
her administration.
“Rest assured that under my administration,
projects and program that are good for our constituents will be prioritized and
we will leave a legacy that will benefit in the next administration,” Mayor
Cebedo said.
On his part, newly-elected Metro Siargao
Alliance President Mayor Alfredo M. Coro II reminded his fellow chief
executives, that to be a good public servant, one must always put in heart that
public service is above-self.
Gov. Sol F. Matugas officiated the oath-taking
of the newly-elected officers of LMP Surigao del Norte Chapter and Metro
Siargao Alliance.
The League of Municipalities of the Philippines
was created and mandated under Republic Act 7160, Section 496, otherwise known
as the Local Government Code of 1991. (FEA/SDR/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Bill seeking to establish marine protected areas
filed in Congress
By Eldie N. David
BUTUAN CITY, July 25 -- Agusan del Norte First
District Rep. Lawrence “Law” Fortun has filed a bill seeking to establish the
marine protected areas (MPAs) in all coastal cities and municipalities in the
country.
The bill states that the State should ensure
that utilization of marine resources should be sustainable. The legislative
measure defines MPAs as “areas of the sea established and set aside by law,
administrative regulation or any other effective means in order to conserve and
protect a part of or the entire enclosed environment, through the establishment
of management guidelines.” MPAs need not be contiguous and must have a “minimum
size of ten (10) hectares, unless the total area of the municipal waters is
fifteen (15) hectares or less, in which case the MPA shall comprise fifteen
percent (15%) of the municipal waters”.
It further classifies MPAs as marine reserves,
Marine Park, and marine sanctuary. Under MPAs, access to, and uses of marine
resources are defined, regulated and controlled in a manner consistent with its
classification.
The house bill also puts premium on citizen’s
participation in protecting marine ecosystem and biodiversity through a
co-management scheme. As the house bill puts it, “the State also takes
cognizance of the preferred status of the citizenry as the primary users and
beneficiaries of the country’s resources. As such, Filipino communities are
therefore acknowledged as crucial partners in the effort to conserve and manage
our natural marine resources.”
Among the salient provisions of the bill are the
violations and the corresponding sanctions which states: “unless otherwise
allowed in accordance with this Act, the NIPAS Act of 1992 (Republic Act No.
7586), the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (Republic Act No. 8550) and the
Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act (Republic Act No. 9147), it
shall be unlawful for any person to willfully and knowingly exploit, damage or
destroy MPAs and/or any of its parts. Violators shall be subject to the
applicable fines and penalties as provided for in Republic Act No. 7586,
Republic Act No. 8550 and Republic Act No. 9147, and other related laws, rules
and regulations.” Furthermore, the bill added that, “should a coastal LGU fail
to establish an MPA as herein provided, the mayor, the vice mayor and the
members of the sanggunian shall be liable for prosecution under Republic Act
No. 3019, otherwise known as the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act” and
Republic Act No. 6713, otherwise known as the “Code of Conduct and Ethical
Standards for Public Officials and Employees”, or other applicable laws.”
Fortun said that it is about time that a clear
and comprehensive law of this kind must be made if we are really serious about
protecting our environment which has been denuded by both man-made and natural
destruction. (Agusan del Norte/PIA-Caraga)
DepEd Caraga tops NAT anew
By Isidro Biol
BUTUAN CITY, July 25 (PIA) -- The Department of
Education (DepEd) Caraga Administrative Region has topped again in the National
Achievement Test (NAT), which was conducted by the National Education Testing
and Research Center (NETRC) in March 2013.
The region acquired the top rank performance for
two consecutive years in Grade 3, Grade 6 and Year 4. The table below shows the
comparative results based on the Mean Percentage Scores (MPS) of the region’s
performance in the three grade levels:
Grade SY 2011-2012 SY 2012-2013
Grade 3
74.47 % 74.22 %
Grade 6
79.85 % 79.49 %
Year 4 62.42 % 64.62 %
It can be gleaned from the table that Grade 6
pupils have achieved more than the standard criterion of 75% achievement level
set by the Department of Education which is the national target and they
belonged to the superior group based on the percentage of correctly answered
items in a test or subject area proficiencies in four levels with the corresponding
descriptive equivalent, such as: 76 – 100% Superior; 51-75% Upper Average;
26-50% Lower Average; and 0-25% Poor. The performance of Grade 3 and Year 4
belongs to the Upper Average.
The Grade 3 pupils took the test based on the
six subject areas that included English Reading, Filipino Reading, English
Grammar, Filipino Grammar, Science, and Mathematics; while the Grade 6 pupils
took the Filipino, Mathematics, English, Science, and HEKASI subject areas. The
Year 4 students took the Filipino, Araling Panlipunan, Mathematics, Science,
English, and Critical Thinking subject areas.
DepEd Caraga regional director Atty. Alberto T.
Escobarte said the laudable feat was achieved due to the provisions of the
various intervention activities by the schools and the adherence to the
Time-On-Task Policy of the department. The said policy was implemented in order
to achieve the exact contact time allotment in every subject so that the
learning competencies per quarter is realized.
Escobarte added that the Remediation,
Reinforcement and Enrichment (RRE) Program of the region became effective due
to its implementation by focusing the Least Learned Skills (LLS) of the
pupils/students in the subject areas during the Friday classes integrating the
strategies of teaching the Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS).
“The success of the region is also attributed by
the supportive stakeholders such as: the nine congressional representatives;
the provincial governors; city mayors; and all municipal and government
officials all headed by Chairperson of the Regional Development Council (RDC)
and provincial governor of Surigao del Norte, Sol F. Matugas,” Escobarte said.
(FEA/DepEd-13/PIA-Caraga)
DENR to strictly monitor logging of edible-fruit
bearing trees
By Eric Gallego
BUTUAN CITY, July 25 (PIA) -- An official of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 13 said Wednesday the
agency will strictly monitor transport of edible-fruit bearing trees in the
region to prevent commercial logging of these species.
In a radio interview, Regional Executive
Director Nonito M. Tamayo said the agency agency has found that more fruit
trees are being harvested in the region. He also said some DENR personnel were
lax in manning checkpoints.
During an on-the-spot inspection in a highway in
Agusan del Sur, Tamayo found truckers lacked documentation in transporting
freshly cut lumber of fruit-tree species. Among the missing document was a
written transport agreement between the driver and the truck owner to prove the
latter's consent in transporting the tree product.
There was also no hatchet mark made by DENR
personnel on edible fruit trees to determine its origin.
The other requirements, he said, are contained
in the DENR Administrative Order No. 18 issued on May 25,1994 by then Secretary
Angel C. Alcala. The policy states that unauthorized cutting within forest
lands of certain edible fruit-bearing trees/shrubs is prohibited. Likewise, it
is also prohibited, unless authorized under a permit issued by the Secretary or
his authorized representative to “cut, detroy, damage or injure of naturally
growing or planted tree along roads in land sudivision or areas therein”.
Among the edible-fruit trees covered by the
order are Eugenia Spp.( Tampoy, Makopa, Yambu, etc. ) , Euporia didyema
(Alupag), E. Gracelis ( Boboa) , Mangosteen, Pili, Balobo, Baluno, Bulala,
Gumihan, Marang, Nanka or Langka, Lanzones, Kamagong or Mabolo, Apupag-amo,
Paho or Pahutan, Guava or Bayabas, Durian or Durian and other fruits of which
can be used as foods for human being and wildlife.
Director Tamayo said the policy seeks to attain
the objective of protection of the environment and maintenance of a desirable
ecosystems balance; provide edible fruits for the consumption or enjoyment of
the citizenry as well as food for wildlife and curtail the proliferation of
unauthorized cutting of edible fruit-bearing trees. (PIA Central Newsdesk/NCLM/DENR-13/PIA-Caraga)
