Signal no. 1 hoisted over Caraga Region
provinces, Mis Or, Camiguin
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 4 (PIA) - The Philippine
Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has
upped its warnings against possible disasters as it hoisted storm signal no. 1
over the five provinces of Caraga Region and two provinces in Northeastern
Mindanao due to Tropical Depression (TD) Wilma.
In its advisory issued 6:45 a.m., Monday, the
provinces of Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte including Siargao Island,
Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental and
Camiguin are now under Signal No. 1.
PAGASA said TD Wilma was estimated based on all
available data at 180km East of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. TD Wilma has a
maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center. Moving
west northwest at 19 kph, TD Wilma is forecast to be 60 kms east of Dumaguete
City by Tuesday morning and 80 kms east of Puerto Princesa City by Wednesday
morning.
An estimated rainfall amount of 5 to 15
millimeters per hour (moderate - heavy) is expected within the tropical
depression's 300-km diameter.
Embedded along the inter-tropical convergence
zone (ITCZ), TD Wilma is expected to bring moderate to occasionally heavy rains
and thunderstorms to the regions of Caraga, eastern and central Visayas, and
Northern Mindanao.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga regional director and Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) chairperson Liza Mazo said they
are now on Blue Alert for the possible effects of TD Wilma. Mazo said, the blue
alert will allow the council to continuously monitor and disseminate weather
bulletins to civil defense units down to the town levels.
Under blue alert, all field personnel are on
standby to respond to contingencies at any time and its assets are
pre-positioned for easy deployment. (FEA/PIA-Caraga)
Election contest rivals draw lots for barangay
council seats
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 4 (PIA) –Rival candidates for
barangay councilor who got the same number of votes during the 2013 Barangay
Elections last October 28 have agreed to draw lots to resolve the poll
deadlock.
In barangay New Society Village, Monib Manalocon
Nagamora won a seat in the council against Tarhata Moldes Unda after a one-time
toss of coin. Both got 272 votes and tied for the seventh seat in the barangay
council.
Sweden Cruzado and Frederick Plaza, electoral
candidates in barangay Baan Riverside who both obtained 698 votes, relied upon
their chance of winning in three coin tosses. Cruzado was proclaimed winner for
the seventh post of barangay kagawad.
Barangay Board of Canvassers (BBOC) chairperson
of barangay Masao Maria Amor Abrigo, along with other BBOC members have also
proceeded to the drawing of lots through two folded slips of paper, one marked
''Ruth del Valle'' and the other marked “Elizabeth Visaya.'' Del Valle whose name was first drawn and read
was declared winner who will occupy the fourth seat in the council while Visaya
to take the fifth seat.
The race was over for the candidates who are
favored by luck and hapless opponents took the grace in losing. The BBOC
prepared and signed the minutes of coin tossing as an official proof of
breaking the tie and proclamation.
Butuan City election officer Atty. Ernie Palanan
said that tossing a coin is a chance decision in accordance with the Omnibus
Election Code of the Philippines where candidates are fairly proclaimed as
winners. “Now that we have the results for the tie breaker, it’s high time for
the winners to take their winning post and accordingly deliver their duties for
the development of their respective local community,” he said. (VLG/PIA-Caraga)
DSWD Caraga evaluates Bayugan City Day Care
centers
By Alvin A. AΓ±onuevo
BAYUGAN CITY, Agusan del Sur, Nov. 4 (PIA) - The Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) Caraga Region has evaluated recently the five Day Care
Centers in Barangay Poblacion to determine that they have followed the
requirement for Level 1 Accreditation.
In an interview with Mrs. Ferilyn A. Lucenio,
Day Care worker of Madasigon Day Care Center, said that the level 1
accreditation will determine the quality of their centers such as their
physical structure, teaching materials, and other requirements as stated in the
Level 1 accreditation. The level 1 accreditation is good for one to three
years.
Madasigon Day Care center has about 50 pupils.
Other Day Care Centers in Barangay Poblacion are Bulawanon Day Care Center,
Bidcor Day Care Center, Masanagon Day Care Center, Mauswagon Day Care Center
and SNP Supervised Neighborhood Play.
The evaluation was led by Ms. Sherry Ann Flores,
Regional Accreditor and was assisted by City Social Welfare Development Officer
Mrs. Marilou A. Aquino on October 29.
The said activity was supported by the Barangay
Poblacion Council headed by Barangay Chairman Kim A. Asis and DSWD Bayugan City Day Care Officer Anita P.
Bandija. (Bayugan City/PIA-Caraga)
CENRO reports status of illegal logging cases
filed in court
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
SURIGAO DEL SUR, Nov. 4 (PIA) – At least four
cases against illegal loggers filed in the province have resulted in
conviction, said Bislig City Community Environment and Natural Resources
Officer (CENRO) Forester Michael Montalban during the Provincial Multi-sectoral
Forest Protection Committee (PMFPC) meeting held Thursday, Oct. 31 at the
municipality of Cantilan, this province.
Montalban said the implementation of the
Executive Order 23 has resulted to the apprehension of around 29,217.15 board
feet of lumber and 377.72 cubic meters of logs under his area of
responsibility.
EO 23 declared a Moratorium on Cutting and
Harvesting of Timber in the Natural and Residual Forest and Creating the
Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force, it was signed by President Benigno S. Aquino
III on February, 2011.
Meanwhile, CENR officer Joseph Leo Oconer being
the host, welcomed the members of PMFPC who attended this year’s first
conference conducted outside the city of Tandag.
Upon his assumption to CENRO Cantilan, Oconer
said, based on their data, the illegal logging activities have been neutralized
this year as compared from the previous years.
There are four CENR offices in Surigao del Sur
based in Bislig City, Lianga, Tandag City and Cantilan that strictly implemented
the EO 23 under the supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources – Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-PENR) office.
(PIA-Surigao del Sur)
TESDA launches video making contest
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 4 (PIA) – The Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is launching a video-making
contest.
Dubbed as “Tatak TESDA video-making contest,”
the competition aims to document success stories of technical-vocational
(tech-voc) graduates. It also propagates Technical Vocational Education and
Training (TVET) through testimonials from tech-voc graduates themselves using
digital and social media.
Also, the video-making contest aims to give recognition
to successful tech-voc graduates, and create greater awareness on TESDA and its
programs and services.
There will be two categories for the entries to
this contest. For individual category, any TVET graduate of any
qualification/course from 1996 onwards. He/she must be a holder of a National
Certification (NC) of Certificate of Completion (CoC) and is working in the
Philippines or abroad either as wage employed or self-employed in the
qualification where he/she was trained, and of any age.
For school category, any TVET graduates endorsed
by their Technical Vocational Institution (TVI) may join the competition. The
TVI must be a holder of Certificate of TVET Program Registration for any
qualification covered by Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP). The TVI
must also be a holder of Certificate of TVET Program Registration for the
qualification of the graduate on the video and currently offering the said
program.
More importantly, the school must be of good
standing, compliant to all the Unified TVET Program Registration and
Accreditation System (UTPRAS) requirements including passing the compliance
audit.
TESDA employees and their relatives up to the
third degree of consanguinity and affinity are not eligible to participate.
Interested participants must create a two to
three minute video using any recording device. Language used can be in English,
Filipino or combination of English and Filipino. The entry shall be
submitted/uploaded by the graduate or by the TVI.
The video should be taken at the workplace/work
setting and may be in the form of dramatization, storytelling or music video
and contains the answers to the question: “How did tech-voc training change
your life?”
Participants are also required to upload the video
in their Facebook account and send the link to tataktesda@tesda.gov.ph, along
with an accomplished entry form which can be downloaded from the TESDA website
at www.tesda.gov.ph.
Entries are accepted from November 4 to December
30, 2013. The TESDA Screening Committee shall review the entries and notify the
graduate/TVI if the video is considered an official entry to the contest. The
first 1,000 entries that pass the screening shall receive a token from TESDA.
The TESDA Screening Committee shall upload the video on the TESDA Facebook
account.
The graduate/TVI shall promote the video to
their friends and relatives since entries that get 1,500 Likes shall be
entitled to one TWSP scholarship slot. This is a one time availment during the
submission/uploading period. The videos shall remain on the TESDA Facebook
account until the end of February 2014.
Top ten entries from the Individual Category
shall receive P10,000 for the refinement of their videos.
For Best in Video (Cinematography) category, the
graduate will receive P25,000 and a trophy while winner in the TVI will receive
P250,000 worth of TWSP scholarship and trophy. Same prizes will be given to
winners under the Best in Story (Screenplay) category.
A graduate who wins the People’s Choice Award
will receive P50,000 and a trophy while the TVI receives P500,000 worth of TWSP
scholarship and a trophy.
Grand winner in the graduate category receives
P100,000 and a trophy while in the TVI category, the grand winner receives P1
million worth of TWSP scholarship and a trophy.
Participants/finalists can win only one of the
first three categories and the Grand Winner Award. The award and utilization of
the TWSP slots by the graduate and the TVI shall be subject to and in
accordance to the existing guidelines of TESDA.
Interested participants may contact the nearest
TESDA provincial offices for details. (TESDA-13/PIA-Caraga)
Caraga RTESDC chair cites benefits of mining
By Robert E. Roperos
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 4 (PIA) – The chairman of the
Regional Technical Education and Skills Development Committee (RTESDC) has
recently cited benefits of mining to the economic development of Caraga Region.
Speaking before the members of the RTESDC during
its second regular meeting held recently in one of the local convention centers
here, Dulmar Raagas emphasized that the mining industry has contributed to the
economic development of the region.
Raagas explained that aside from the two percent
excise tax that is collected by the government of the gross sales of the mining
companies, a five percent royalty tax of the actual market value of the
minerals produced within mineral reservation is also remitted to the state’s
coffer, he said.
The official further said mining companies in
the region have also paid corporate income tax of the contractor and other
taxes and fees such as occupational fee are appropriated in accordance with RA
7160 to the LGUs concerned. RA 7160 is known as the Local Government Code of
1991.
Raagas pointed out that 10 percent of the
royalty tax will be allotted for special projects and other administrative
expenses related to the exploration, development and environmental management
of minerals in government reservations, while 90 percent will be shared by the
National and Local Government by 60 percent and 40 percent respectively.
The RTESDC chair said the 40 percent LGU share
will be distributed to Barangay – 35 percent, Municipality/City – 45 percent,
and Province – 20 percent.
In 2012, Raagas said mining companies in the
region have remitted a total of P3,079,692,102.83 in taxes.
In terms of employment rate, a 17 percent
increase in 2012 was noted due to the existence of new producing companies such
as the Greenstone Resources Corporation and the Sinosteel Philippines H.Y.
Mining Corporation.
Specifically, Raagas said mining companies in
Surigao del Norte have 9,209 employees; Surigao del Sur with 4,797; Dinagat
Islands – 1,050; Agusan del Norte – 1,009; and Agusan del Sur – 3,245.
While the official admitted that mining may
destroy environment, he said Contingent Liability and Rehabilitation Fund
(CLRF) was generated by all mining companies in the region. He said ten percent
of the total amount of the cost of Environmental Protection and Enhancement
Program (EPEP) or P5 million, whichever is lower will be deposited to a
Government Depository Bank. For 2013’s EPEP, the mining industry has reserved
some P1,329,348,974.87.
To monitor the Trust Fund, a mine waste fee of
P0.05 per metric ton and tailing fee of P0.10 per metric ton was put in the
reserve fund. Also, final mines rehabilitation and decommissioning fund form
part of the CLRF.
In general, Raagas said the mining industry in
Caraga Region has uplifted the region’s economic condition.
It can be recalled that early this year, the
National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) has reported that Caraga Region
is not anymore the poorest region in the Philippines since the economy has
increased due to the mining industry.
On April 23, 2013, the NSCB released its latest
report on the state of poverty in the country through their website
http://www.nscb.gov.ph.
The report has used the data from the Family
Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) conducted by the National Statistics
Office (NSO) last July 2012, which measured poverty incidence or the proportion
of people below the poverty line to the total population.
The report revealed that at the regional level,
the regions with the lowest poverty incidence among families in the first
semesters of 2006, 2009 and 2012, continue to be the National Capital Region,
CALABARZON, and Central Luzon.
Also, for the same period in 2012, ARMM
consistently figured in the bottom (poorest) cluster of regions with the
highest poverty incidence among families between 42 to 47 percent in the same
period.
The NSCB report also emphasized that even Region
9 and Caraga were included in the poorest cluster in the first half of 2006 and
2009, the two regions did not figure in the bottom cluster during the first
semester of 2012. However, SOCCSKARGEN and Eastern Visayas were new entrants in
the said cluster at around 37 percent. (RER/TESDA-13/PIA-Caraga)
