Caraga DOST to host 2013 S & T fair
By Nora CL Molde
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 23 (PIA) – The Department of
Science and Technology (DOST) Caraga region will host this year’s Mindanao
Cluster Science & Technology (S & T) Fair.
With the theme “Science, Technology and
Innovation: The Road to a Smarter Philippines,” the event will be held in one
of the local convention centers here on November 6-10.
According to the DOST Caraga officer-in-charge
Dominga D. Mallonga, the event, which is organized by their agency will
showcase their commitment to give more attention to solutions to the pressing
needs of various sectors like agriculture, transportation, industry, services
and climate change.
Mallonga said the event will also give emphasis
on the role of science and technology in making a better future for Filipinos
through its projects and services that spur socio-economic development.
(NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
3rd Siargao Surfing Festival opens today
By Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Sept. 23 (PIA) – The 3rd Siargao
Surfing Festival will kick-off today at the famous Cloud Nine Surfing site in
General Luna, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte.
This year’s surfing festival will highlight
three major events that include, 15th National Surfing Competition, the Wahinee
International Surfing Cup (women) and 19th Siargao International Surfing
Competition (men).
Side events include beach volleyball, cultural
shows, trade fair exhibit and other games.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Assistant Secretary
Benito Bengzon is expected to grace in today’s opening of the Siargao Surfing
Festival together with Governor Sol F. Matugas, 1st district rep. Francisco T.
Matugas, other dignitaries and famous celebrities.
The series of events are organized by the
Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte and Local Government of General
Luna, Siargao Island in cooperation with the Philippine Surfer’s Federation.
(SDR/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Academe sector to adopt, develop relocation
sites
By Nora CL Molde
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 23 (PIA) – The city’s academe
sector has agreed to adopt and develop some of the relocation sites through its
“Adopt-a-Relocation Site.”
In a ceremony held on September 20 in one of the
local convention here, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) stating their
commitments was signed and sealed by the different schools.
Among the presidents, heads and representatives
of the local universities and fast-developing Higher Education Institutions
(HEIs) that signified their commitments, include: Agusan Business and Arts
Foundation, Inc. (ABAFI); Asian College Foundation (ACF); Agusan Colleges, Inc.
(ACI); Ama Computer Learning Center (ACLC) College of Butuan City, Inc; Agusan
Institute of Technology (AIT); Butuan City Colleges (BCC); Butuan Doctors
College (BDC); Caraga State University (CSU); Elisa R. Ochoa Memorial Northern
Mindanao School of Midwifery; Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU); Holy
Child Colleges of Butuan; Philippine Electronics and Communication Institute of
Technology (PECIT); Saint Joseph Institute of Technology (SJIT); and Saint
Peter College Seminary.
Each participating school will develop and
provide livelihood trainings in their adoptive communities. (NCLM/PIA-Agusan
del Norte)
PRC-Agusan del Sur awards boats to Bunawan town
By David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Sept. 23 (PIA) - The Philippine
Red Cross (PRC) Agusan del Sur Chapter turned-over earlier three boats to the
municipality of Bunawan for emergency use during floods in the area.
With the presence of the PRC Board of Directors,
Agusan del Sur Vice Governor Santiago Cane Jr. handed-over the responsibility
documents to Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde after the provincial flag raising
ceremony at the provincial capitol.
According to PRC Officer-in-Charge Darwina
Ligan, the municipality of Bunawan is the second municipality awarded with the
boats in Agusan del Sur. The first recipient municipality was Esperanza who
also received three boats last August 19, this year. Both municipalities are
flood-prone areas being located along Agusan river, while the province of
Agusan del Sur itself is a basin formation, a catchment of waters from Bukidnon
in the west, Compostela Valley in the south and Surigao del Sur in the east.
The boats are made of fiber glass with
double-walled body and can carry more or less ten persons. All boats are
powered with 30 horsepower outboard engines.
“We are very grateful to have these boats in our
municipality. In behalf of the people of Bunawan, I am expressing my heartfelt
thanks to the Philippine Red Cross for giving us these very needed equipment.
We all know here in Agusan del Sur that starting this month, floods may come
anytime because it is already rainy season. It is therefore timely that we
became the second recipient municipality of these boats. This means life to
us,” Mayor Elorde said.
OIC Darwina Ligan said the boats were given by
the Netherlands Red Cross, thru Guineviene De Jesus, PRC Agusan del Sur chapter
Partner for Resilience. They were manufactured in Manila and were directly
shipped to Agusan del Sur Red Cross for distribution. Each boat has an
estimated cost of P210,000, while each of the outboard engine costs P150,000
each. (DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Butuan launches Katok Dengue project
By Nora L. Molde
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 23 (PIA) - In support to the
Department of Health's (DOH) Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue Advocacy, the local
government unit (LGU) here will launch the "Katok Dengue" project on
September 28.
The project is a counterpart of the LGU to help
bring down cases of the deadly dengue fever will include a clean-up drive,
house visitations to the top 20 barangays with the most number of dengue cases
in the city.
The project, which will be done on Saturdays at
5:30 a.m. until 7 a.m. will include
Information dissemination and monitoring and surveillance thereafter.
"Katok Dengue" is a program initiated
by Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Member and Chairman of the Committee on Health
and Sanitation Dr. Virgilio G. Nery, Jr.
According to Nery, the initiative is expected to
intensify the city's Clean Ground Zero Waste (CGZW) Movement which is now on
its 2nd year in the thrust for a cleaner and healthier Butuan. (NCLM/PIA-Agusan
del Norte)
Agusan Norte solon gets DENR commitment to
reforest 500-hectare watershed
By Eldie N. David
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 23 (PIA) - Agusan del Norte
First District Representative Lawrence “Law” Fortun raised the issue of the
fast and continuous deterioration of the Taguibo Watershed during a hearing for
the 2014 budget of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
and pushed for the watershed’s substantial coverage in the National Greening
Program for the year 2014.
During the pre-plenary hearing for the
department’s budget, the Rep. Fortun brought to their attention the alarming
state of the watershed and asserted the urgency of serious, concrete and
immediate initiatives to address the same.
“Mr. Secretary, the Taguibo Watershed has an
area of more or less 4,400 hectares. Of these 4,400 hectares or so, only about a thousand
hectares are left with forest cover. And this watershed is our only source of
potable water in the City of Butuan. This is already extremely alarming.
Something serious, concrete and immediate has to be done to address this
ominous situation,” Fortun said during the hearing.
The Agusan solon pushed for the substantial
coverage of the Taguibo Watershed in the National Greening Program for 2014 in
light of its current condition. The DENR originally targeted 170 hectares in
the watershed for inclusion in the National Greening Program for 2014. With the
representation of Fortun, however, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje made a commitment
during the hearing to substantially increase the area to be covered.
Fortun went the extra mile of ensuring the
certainty of the commitment by writing him a letter reiterating the concern
immediately after the hearing and in time for the plenary deliberations on the
DENR’s 2014 budget which was to take place the following day.
The Agusan solon obtained a clear and
categorical commitment for an initial reforestation of 500 hectares in the
watershed area under the NGP for 2014, about triple the original target of the
department. “This is just the initial for 2014. We will vigorously push for
more,” Fortun said.
It can be recalled that Rep. Fortun, during his
stint as Vice Mayor in the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Butuan City, principally
authored the Butuan City Watershed Code, a landmark legislation for the
conservation, preservation, protection and rehabilitation of the Taguibo
Watershed. (FEA/PIA-Caraga)
NFA Caraga has a new ARD
By Fe Moreno
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 23 (PIA) - The National Food
Authority (NFA) in Caraga Region announced that acting Assistant Regional
Director Rocky Valdez assumed as the new assistant regional director effective
September 11, 2013 replacing acting Assistant Regional Director Marciano
Alvarez who will be assigned at NFA Region 3.
Alvarez handed-over the symbolic key of
responsibility to Valdez during a simple ceremony held recently attended by NFA
Deputy Administrator Pedro Hernando, employees from the four NFA provincial
offices of the region and some clienteles.
During the ceremony, NFA Caraga regional
director Gil Pepito Paque thanked Alvarez for his remarkable achivement as
assistant regional director in Caraga Region from January 11 to September 11,
2013 or a period of eight months. He also welcomed the new ARD to the region.
In his message, Hernando challenged the
employees in the region to do good in their assigned task, “and work for a
better service to the agency and to the community, as well.” (PIO
NFA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
