IFAD on RuMEPP Caraga: Job well done
By Arnold D. Faelnar/Marson Jan S. Dolendo
BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 27 (PIA) - “Job well done!” –
This sums up the overall assessment of the recent supervisory mission on the
Rural Micro Enterprise Promotion Program (RuMEPP) in Caraga.
The Supervision and Implementation Support (SIS)
Mission for the RuMEPP was conducted recently by a team from the International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
In an interview following the IFAD SIS Mission,
Country Program Officer Yolando Arban commended RuMEPP project implementers in
Caraga for their work. He was joined by the other mission members – Dr. Ramon
Quesada, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Small Business Corporation
(SBC) and Edilberto Angeles of the National Economic Development Authority
(NEDA).
The mission was made to measure the strategies
of the region in helping reduce poverty incidence through increased economic
activities in the provinces. It also validated RUMEPP programme implementation
and the status of compliance to the agreed actions from the mission made last
year.
Arban confirms the positive impact of the RuMEPP
projects through the development of micro entrepreneurs (MEs) who were
operating profitably and sustainably through the RuMEPP initiative.
He said that the implementation of RuMEPP in
Caraga Region has achieved satisfactory marks by IFAD standards. This was
evident during the actual visits and interviews of the beneficiaries who
showcased development in their business enterprise because of the RuMEPP
intervention.
Among the projects visited were the seaweeds
pickle delights in Lianga, Surigao del Sur, the “Kalakat” or palm oil fronds
project in Trento, Agusan del Sur, and the woven water lily project of Butuan
City in Agusan del Norte.
RuMEPP is a seven-year, US$22.826 million
program assisted by IFAD with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as the
lead implementing agency. It aims to
reduce rural poverty through increased economic development, job creation, and
better income for poor rural households by promoting profitable and sustainable
micro enterprises. (DTI-13/PIA-Caraga)
Caraga industry players adopt 3 main strategies
for tourism development
By Eden Burnea
BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 27 (PIA) - Caraga’s tourism
industry is targeting an increased contribution to the regional economy of some
Php3.91 billion more and 48,522 new jobs by 2016.
To meet these goals, industry players are
adopting three main strategies as outlined in the National Tourism Development
Plan 2011-2016, namely – 1) improving market access and connectivity; 2)
developing and marketing competitive tourist destinations and products; and 3)
Strengthening tourism institutional government and human resource capacities.
The 2016 targets are made after due
consideration of 2012 base figures such as the estimated P1.16 billion gross
value added (GVA) in 2012 and about 74,465 jobs as of the same year. Estimates
were based on the number of tourists, revenues generated from each tourist, the
input level standard for the gross value added or economic contribution
figures, and the jobs created per tourist standard used by local government
units.
The move was made during the Learning Session on
Green Tourism cum Roadmapping Workshop, recently.
The activity was attended by tourism
stakeholders both private and government and supported by GIZ-Coseram through
its partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry - Caraga in the
Industry Cluster Assistance for Regional Economic Development (I-CARE) project.
In improving market access and connectivity,
Caraga will embark on improving the capacities of airports in the cities of
Butuan & Surigao and in Siargao Island. The industry will also work for the
regularization of flights in Bislig City and Tandag City.
Another task will be to make Caraga more
accessible from the Luzon and the Visayas Islands via sea travel through fast
craft transport and improving on-arrival tourist accommodation facilities and
amenities from the ports of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte and Surigao City to
tourist destinations.
For easier access from other places within
Mindanao, the industry will work to speed up implementation of the projects
under the DPWH-DOT road improvement development.
In terms of developing and marketing competitive
destinations and products, the region will focus on designing and setting up or
upgrading the tourism service infrastructure which include the transport
network, communication, and other tourist servicing facilities – in the
identified tourism development areas (TDAs).
Caraga’s TDAs are Siargao, Dinagat, Surigao
City-Lake Mainit, Butuan City- Cabadbaran City, Agusan Marsh, and San
Agustin-Hinatuan-Bislig.
To strengthen institutional governance and human
resource capabilities, priority tasks include skills capability building,
improving labor relations, professional tourism training and education, as well
as the improvement of governance for tourism development at the LGU level. (DTI-13/PIA-Caraga)
DTI-CIC conducts service excellence training for
LGU BPLS frontliners
By Fritzie Rose L. Gulle
BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 27 (PIA) - The Department of
Trade and Industry-Center for Industrial Competitiveness (DTI-CIC) conducted a
two- day training entitled “Service Excellence for LGU BPLS Frontliners”
recently, this city.
The training was made to capacitate local
government unit (LGU) personnel involved in licensing and permitting on how to
provide excellent frontline services to clients.
This is in support to the Business Permit and
Licensing System (BPLS) Streamlining Program of the National Competitiveness
Council (NCC) that aims to improve efficiency in the delivery of the LGU’s
service to the public particularly in the area of permitting. BPLS streamlining
initiatives are also pursued actively by the Department of the Interior and
Local Government (DILG) and the DTI in the region.
The activity tackled both intra and
interpersonal attitude examination during the first day while the second day
highlighted the concept on customer service excellence by applying positive
Filipino work values to help boost productivity and competitiveness.
Some 48 participants from 24 LGUs and two
national line agencies attended the training which was facilitated by Ms. Ella
C. Lachica and Ms. Carol R. Velasco of DTI-CIC.
The service excellence training is one of
several programs for competitiveness of the DTI-CIC to make both private and
public sector organizations become globally competitive. (DTI-13/PIA-Caraga)
DTI Caraga meets performance targets, braces for
more challenges and opportunities in 2014
By Geraldine B. Dangate
BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 27 (PIA) - The Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI) –Caraga has successfully met and, in most cases,
exceeded its annual targets as early as end of November, this year.
The preliminary data released by DTI- Caraga
showed that the jobs generated figure was already 8,701, that is 45 percent
more than the 6,000 annual target.
Domestic sales were also 11 percent more than
the P400,000 million annual target at P444.74 million.
DTI-Caraga also reported that the number of
business registrants improved to 5,700 as of November, a 3% higher than the
5,541 registrants in the same period last year.
Although the numbers for small and?medium
enterprises are higher than?target, the agency noted that the 2013? figures are
lower than in 2012. This is?because some of the SMES targeted to be served
through the shared service facility (SSF) programme have yet to receive those
services due to some delays in the procurement process.
“We are hoping we will no longer face the same
problem next year,” DTI-Caraga regional director Brielgo O. Pagaran said during
the agency year-end performance assessment held recently.
“The over P50 million allocation for SSF
projects and another P87 million of grassroots participatory budgeting (GPB)
projects (formerly known as bottom-up budgeting or BuB) have to be moved so we
can help more MSMEs,” he added.
Director Pagaran said that while the GPB/BuB and
SSF programs and the on-going climate change adaptation financing will take care
of DTI’s “inclusive growth” objectives, the agency also needs to work on
promoting our existing economic zones if not work for new potential areas to
get more investments.
He also said that the best bet for SME
development would be to promote franchising. He sees the need to set up
franchising incubation centers which would be tied up with the academe before
full commercialization/privatization. (DTI-13/PIA-Caraga)
Port cops seize deadly weapons
By Eugenio Lira, Jr.
PORT OF SURIGAO CITY, Dec. 27 (PIA) - Dozens of
deadly weapons confiscated from passengers in the island port of Dapa, Surigao
del Norte, were turned over on Thursday, December 26, to officials of the
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
Port Police Inspector Elvis Aurelio Daguman,
detachment commander of the Port of Dapa, turned in about 86 pieces of assorted
bladed weapons and 3 pieces of brass knuckles to PP/Superintendent Froilan
Caturla, commander of the Port of Surigao City, as part of the former’s
year-end accomplishment report covering the second half of 2013.
“This big haul of lethal weapons is a result of
our intensified campaign called “Operation Bakal” during the third and fourth
quarters of this year. We were able to detect these through our baggage x-ray
machine and manual security checks conducted by our port police personnel and
PPA security guards on outbound passengers in the Port of Dapa,” Daguman
disclosed.
PP/Superintendent Froilan Caturla said their
implementation of “Operation Bakal” in
all ports under the PPA Port Management Office of Surigao, which covers the
provinces of Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur, had
greatly helped in ensuring the safety of sea-going travelers and the public who
use governments ports during their travels.
Port Manager Isidro Butaslac, Jr. has commended
PP/Inspector Elvis Aurelio Daguman saying “his extraordinary vigilance against
criminally-minded passengers who were bringing deadly weapons had contributed a
lot in building Dapa Port as the safest gateway to the island of Siargao which
is globally known as one of the major tourists’ destinations in Asia-Pacific
region.” (FEA/ELJ/PPA-Surigao/PIA-Caraga)
Cebuano news: Administrasyon motutok sa
'reconstruction' sa mga naapektuhang lugar sa Yolanda
Ni Nida Grace P. Barcena
SURIGAO DEL SUR, Dis. 27 (PIA) – Samtang kini
nagadawat sa maayong rating kon “good” net satisfaction ni Presidente Benigno
S. Aquino III alang sa ika-upat nga kuwarter sa tuig 2013, ang kasamtangan
administrasyon magpabilin sa pagtutok sa ilahang trabaho, ilabina ang matang sa
rehabilitasyon sa mga dapit nga naapektuhan sa super bagyong Yolanda.
Si Presidential Communications Operations
Secretary Hermino “Sonny” Coloma Jr. miingon nga ang gobyerno nakahibalo na sa
dakong trabaho niini sa umaabot pinaage sa pagtabang sa mga katawhan nga
mobangon gikan sa kawad-on human miigo ang bagyong Yolanda.
"Siyempre kung yan ang opinyon, tinatanggap
namin ang kanilang pagpapasiya. Nguni't isinasaalang-alang pa rin natin na
napakalaki ng dapat gawing programa”, siya miingon sa pakighinabi kaniya sa usa
ka media briefing.
Ang Pollster Social Weather Stations nga survey
gikan Disyembre 11 ngadto sa 16 mitala ug 69 porsyento sa mga Filipino ang
natagbaw sa performance ni President Aquino, samtang 21 porsyento niini ang
wala mahimout.
Kini mihubad sa pagkamaayo (good) +49 net rating
alang sa president.
Apan si Coloma miingon nga ang gobyerno kahibalo
na sa mga dagkong hagit sa pag implementar sa program sa “reconstruction” alang
sa mga dapit nga apektado sa Yolanda, diin mibiya ug mokapin pa sa 6,100 ka mga
nangamatay.
“Kami anaa pa sa pagbuntog sa mga dagkong hagit
kalabot sa pagpahamtang sa programa sa reconstruction ug rehabilitasyon.
("We still have to surmount major challenges in terms of implementing
reconstruction and rehabilitation programs.) Kaya sabi natin mas mabuti
mag-focus na lang sa trabaho na dapat gawin " siya miingon.
Siya usab miingon nga ang resulta sa survey
mahimo maoy indikatura nga si President Aquino wala magpaapekto sa mga
kritisismo batok sa kasamtangang administrasyon kalabot sa rehabilitasyon nga
kakugi human sa bagyong Yolanda.
Ang resulta sa survey usab maoy indikatora nga
ang Presidente wala maapektohi sa mga kritisismo human sa kasamok didto sa
Zamboanga City niadtong bulan sa Setyembre, ug ang linog sa Bohol niadtong
bulan sa Oktubre. (NGBT/PND/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
Cebuano News: 2 ka iskolar sa probinsya midwife
na
Ni Jay Vincent V. Demain
AGUSAN DEL NORTE, Dis. 27 (PIA) – Duha ka
iskolar sa probinsya ang aduna nay lisensya sa midwifery human sila nakapasar
bag-ohay pa lamang sa gihatag nga midwifery licensure examination.
Si Kathleen Rose D. Enoy nga taga Sitio
Minbahandi, Camagong, Nasipit ug Shiojane B. Rapana nga taga sityo Subait,
Bonifacio, Las Nieves mitapos sa kursong midwidery niadtong Marso sa Elisa R.
Ochoa Memorial Northern Mindanao School of Midwifery. Duha sila sa 10 ka iskolar sa probinsya ubos
sa programa ni kaniadtong gobernador ug karon kongresista Erlpe John Amante.
Kini nga programa nga gitawag nga Provincial
Indigenous Scholarship Program maghatag og full scholarship sa mga lumad nga
kabos apan angayan nga mga studyante, nagsugod niadtong tuig 2011.
Gihimo ang oathtaking ceremony sa mga nakapasar
sa nasangpit nga tulonghaan niadtong Desyembre 4, 2013. (NCLM/LGU-Agusan del
Norte/PIA-Agusan Norte)
