Surigao del Sur provincial gov't, partners hold
eye care medical mission
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, July 24 (PIA) -- The provincial
government of Surigao del Sur is conducting a Cataract-Pterygium Surgical and
Eye Care Mission from July 22-25 at the Adela Serra Ty Memorial Center in
Tandag City.
The activity is part of “Surigao del Sur Vision
2020” campaign which aims to eliminate preventable blindness by year 2020. This
is in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), Montero Medical
Missions, and other organizations.
"We are very fortunate to have the Montero
Medical Missions with us in this endeavor for giving us free Cataract-Pterygium
Surgical operation," Governor Johnny Pimentel said. "This operation
is very expensive costing to P35k per patient when operating in a private
health facility."
The medical mission will provide services to 100
cataract patients. Some 500 patients may avail themselves of free eye
examination and free glasses.
The Montero Medical Missions, a faith base
international non-government organization that has been working with the DOH
through the National Committee on Sight Preservation in line with the
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness - Vision 2020 The Right to
Sight initiative, which now started replication process in several strategic
areas of the Philippines.
Partner agencies include the Loving Presence
Foundation, Rotary Club of Central Tandag, American Orthotic and Prosthetic
Center, Surigao del Sur Medical Society, Philippine Nurses Association of
Surigao del Sur, Beach Eye Care, Virginia Center for Eye Surgery, Community
United Methodist Church, Philippine Medical Association of Southeast Virginia
in United States of America, Surigao del Sur Provincial Health Office, League
of Municipalities of the Philippines-Surigao del Sur, and Philippine Red Cross.
(JPG/PIA-Caraga)
Two Caraga LGUs to implement LEaDGov project of
DSWD
By Johny S. Natad
BUTUAN CITY, July 24 (PIA) – Two local
government units (LGU) in Caraga region are among the recipients of the Local
Empowerment and Development towards Good Governance (LEaDGov) project of the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Agencia EspaΓ±ola de
Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID).
These are the municipalities of Jabonga in
Agusan del Norte and Tagbina in Surigao del Sur.
The LEaDGov provides capacity building trainings
to LGUs for improved governance and development planning.
A memorandum of agreement on LEadGov and
Kalahi-CIDSS Bottom-up Budgeting (KC-BuB) Projects was signed last July 23.
The LEaDGov project will be implemented in six
(6) other pilot LGUs nationwide.
“LEaDGov is designed to improve the ability of
the LGU and community participation in development planning at LGU level,”
Ester Villamor, regional community development specialist of DSWD Caraga, said.
“This is to complement the Capability Building and Implementation Support
Component of the BuB implementation.”
She said the program should be anchored on the
lessons and experiences of the Poder Y Prosperidad de la Comunidad (Empowerment
and Development of Communities) or PODER and Kapit-Bisig Laban sa
Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services
(Kalahi-CIDSS) Projects in community-driven development for good governance.
The LEadGov pilot areas were chosen based on
their effectiveness in implementing the Kalahi-CIDSS program, according to
Minda Brigoli, DSWD Caraga regional director.
Other pilot LGUs for LEaDGov are Minalabac,
Camarines Sur and San Pascual, Masbate in the Bicol region; and Siayan,
Zamboanga del Norte and Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
(PIA-Caraga)
Ten Caraga LGUs sign MOA on Kalahi-Cidss
bottom-up budgeting
By Johny S. Natad
BUTUAN CITY, July 24 (PIA) – Ten local
government units (LGUs) in the region have signed a memorandum of agreement
(MOA) for the implementation of Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive
and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-Cidss) Projects Bottom-up
Budgeting (KC-BuB).
The LGUs signed the MOA with Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) during the Regional Launching for Local
Empowerment and Development towards Good Governance (LEadGov) and KC-BuB
Projects on July 23.
Mayors and representatives from the cities of
Butuan, Cabadbaran, Surigao, and Bislig, and the municipalities of Basilisa in
Dinagat Islands, Jabonga in Agusan del Norte, Loreto in Agusan del Sur, Tagbina
and Barobo in Surigao del Sur, and Gigaquit in Surigao del Norte have signed
the MOA with the DSWD Caraga Regional Director Minda Brigoli and Department of
Interior and Local Government (DILG) Caraga Regional Director Lilibeth
Famacion.
Agencia EspaΓ±ola de Cooperacion Internacional
para el Desarollo (AECID) Deputy Coordinator General Norberto Gomez who
witnessed the ceremonial signing as part of the donor partners of the project
said that the “beauty of the project is the presence of participation aspect of
partners in coming up priority projects which they believed can provide the
needs of the communities”.
"We recognized the importance of
partnership, working together for the welfare of marginalized sector,"
Gomez added.
Regional Community Infrastructure Specialist of
DSWD Caraga Engr. Macrino Sumagang bared that the KC-BuP funds are already
available in the regional office to fund the approved project proposals
submitted by the covered LGUs.
“Right now we are waiting for the project
proposals and other attached documents needed from LGUs for BuB funding
support. We are given until November 2013 to completely process all our
sub-projects for 2013 BuB,” Macrino emphasized.
Macrino added that the KC-BuB project approval
will be made at the regional level to facilitate the immediate implementation
of the project. Any approved KC-BuB project will be implemented in the covered
LGUs who have been implementing the Kalahi-Cidss like the municipalities of
Jabonga and Tagbina and non- Kalahi-Cidss areas being identified to be
recipient of the KC-BuB project based on the criteria set by the Joint
Memorandum Circular (JMC) entered into by the DSWD, DILG, and National
Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC). (FEA/PIA-Caraga)
PopCom, youth leaders to campaign against teen
pregnancy
By Angie Balen
BUTUAN CITY, July 24 – Students affairs director
and student council advisers of the various colleges and universities
region-wide will converge in one of the schools here on August 1 to map out
their priorities in support of the major initiatives of the government
addressing youth issues and concerns.
The regional office of the Commission on
Population as among the organizers together with CHED-Caraga and Caraga Youth
Leaders Network (CYLN) is looking to mainstream Adolescent Health and Youth Development
(AHYD) program into the programs of the student councils.
This effort of PopCom-Caraga is in follow-up of
the commitment of the student leaders during the Student Leaders Congress
organized by PopCom-Caraga that they will help the advocacy against teen
pregnancy.
PopCom-Caraga will also assist the student
leaders in launching projects and activities to fight against youth issues,
particularly teen pregnancy. A Regional Training on Events Organizing and
Leadership Program shall be conducted on August 10-11.
To recall, a total of 94 student leaders inked a
Pledge of Support and Commitment to AHYDP during the Student Leaders Congress
on July 9 in time of the World Population Day celebration.
Under its youth program, PopCom is helping
adolescents and youth avoid risky sexual behavior (e.g.. Pre-Marital Sex,
smoking, alcohol drinking, and drugs) to reduce incidence of teenage
pregnancies, early marriages, sexuality transmitted infections and other
psycho-social concerns.
PopCom provides age-appropriate and values-laden
sexuality education for the youth through the formal educational system and the
various youth programs of partners and provide parent education on adolescent
health and sexuality in partnership with the LGUs and stakeholders.
In the said Congress, Alexander A. Makinano,
PopCom officer-in-charge, urged members of the local media and religious groups
to support the commission in working proactively in addressing the issue on
teen pregnancy in the region.
PopCom Acting Executive Director Rosalinda D.
Marcelino in her press statement, said that in the Philippines, 9.5% of women
aged 15-19years old have begun childbearing, wherein 7.4% are already mothers
and 2.1% are pregnant with their first child. (PopCom-13/PIA-Caraga)
DSWD to hold household assessment anew
By Maria Cecilia N. Sosas
BUTUAN CITY, July 24 – The Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) will conduct another round of household
assessment to update the database of poor households in Caraga region this
September through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction
(NHTS-PR).
The household assessment will be conducted to
determine and generate data on the list of households that will become the
beneficiaries of the government’s social protection programs.
In line with this activity, the NHTS-PR is in
need of 1, 689 field staff composed of 41 Area Coordinators, 206 Area
Supervisors, 1, 030 Enumerators, 206 Encoders and 206 Verifiers to successfully
complete the second cycle. The applicants that will be hired will undergo
trainings and orientations.
“The purpose of this assessment is to update the
database of poor households and also to provide a high-quality data to help our
partners like the national government agencies and other stakeholders as basis
for their social protection programs and services,” saidDante Rosales, Regional
Focal Person for NTHS-PR Caraga.
The National Household Targeting System for
Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) is a national government project being implemented
by the DSWD. It is an information management system that aims to establish a
database of poor households that will become beneficiaries of social protection
programs. (FEA/DSWD-13/PIA-Caraga)
Over 900 Surigaonons received dental care
treatment
By 1LT Stephen G. Basco
SURIGAO CITY, July 24 (PIA) -- A total of 947
Surigaonons received dental care treatment during a dental mission with the
theme, “Ngiti Mo, Sagot Ko” led by the medical team of 30th Infantry (Python)
Battallion of Philippine Army held recently at the Municipal Gym in Barangay
Magsaysay and Placer West Central Elementary School all in Placer, Surigao del
Norte.
Out of 947 beneficiaries, 817 patients from
Barangay Magsaysay were given free dental consultation with free toothbrush and
toothpaste and 130 students from Placer West Central Elementary School,
underwent tooth extraction.
In his message 30IB Commanding Officer
Lieutenant Colonel Vincent B. Iringan expressed his appreciation to the dental
mission medical team who volunteered to provide dental assistance.
“The activity is truly in-line with the Armed
Forces of the Philippines-Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) dubbed as
“Bayanihan,” where the AFP is able to collaborate and coordinate with all
sectors of the society to join hands in winning the peace in order to help
create an environment conducive for sustainable development and a just, and
lasting peace in the province of Surigao del Norte,” Iringan said.
The activity is in collaboration with the
Philippine Dental Association, Surigao del Norte Chapter headed by its
President Dr. Francisco Lasala and ACS Manufacturing Corporation, makers of
UNIQUE Toothpaste. (SDR/PA/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
DENR-Army to build tree park featuring
indigenous, endemic tree species
By Eric Gallego
BUTUAN CITY, July 24 (PIA) -- The Philipine Army
and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is building a 5-hectare
tree park in Butuan City to feature premium species of hardwoood and
dipterocarp for the next generation to appreciate the value of forest and the
environment.
“I think we should grow premium species that are
considered rare these days for the people to appreciate them” DENR 13 Regional
Executive Director Nonito M. Tamayo said Monday.
Tamayo said the DENR is eyeing a potential site
in Barangay Bonbon for the proposed tree park that would showcase
indigenous/endemic
trees species. “We have seedlings of premium
species which are available and produced by the DERN Ecosystem Research and
Development Sector at its clonal tree laboratory facility in Barangay Buod,
Butuan City and experimental tree site in Bislig, Surigao del Sur.”
He said, however, that the DENR may also seek
financial assistance from the private sector for plantation maintenance.
Among the tree species that are considered rare
these days include Apitong ( Dipterocarpus grandiflorus), Dalingdingan ( Hopea
malibato), Yakal Saplungan ( Hopea Plagata), Malapasnit ( Kibatalia logifolia
which is endemic to Davao) , Bagtikan ( Parashorea malaanonan), Almon or
Philippine Mahogany ( Shorea almon) , Yakal ( Shorea astylosa) , Yakal Yamban (
Shorea faliciferoides) , Guijo ( Shorea Guijo), Red Lauan ( Shorea
Negrosenses), Philippine Teak ( Tectona philippinensis), Mayapis or White Lauan
( Shorea Palosapis), Almaciga or Dayugon (Agathis philippinensis) , Takobtob
(Areca parens), Pitogo ( Lycas riuminama) , Malaalahan ( Guioa discalor which
is endemic to Samar and Luzon) and the Dark Red Meranti ( Shorea Orata). (PIA
Central Newsdesk/NCLM/DENR-13/PIA-Caraga)
