DOST chief cites importance of 'Iba na ang
Panahon' IEC campaign
By Nora L. Molde
BUTUAN CITY, May 1 (PIA) – “We, at the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST), believe that we can use science to
better understand and improve our disaster planning and preparations at the
national and local community levels,” says Secretary Mario Montejo during the
“Iba na ang Panahon: Science for Safer Communities” Information, Education and
Communication (IEC) campaign in Surigao City on April 29-30.
“'Iba na ang Panahon: Science for Safer
Communities' Project campaign therefore, is our science-based formula in
dealing with calamities: Early Warning leads to Early Action. Early Action
minimizes Loss. Therefore, reduced amount of loss leads to Early Recovery,”
Montejo said.
Montejo said that based on the lessons of
typhoon Yolanda, "we have come up with a 4-point agenda to Guide Community
Disaster Preparedness, these include: Increase local risk knowledge; Capacitate
hazards monitoring; Test warning and communications protocol; and Build
response capability in communities."
The campaign slogan, according to Montejo bears
two meanings. One deals with the changes in our seasonal climate and weather
patterns, with weather disturbances coming in more frequently and with great
intensity -- a possible effect of climate change. “This is why Ondoy, Pepeng,
Sendong, Reming, and what would otherwise be a harmless Habagat happened one
after the other,” he added.
“The other change speaks of new available tools
such as the latest high-resolution maps and flood modeling solutions that allow
our scientists to study hazards and bring better forecast warnings which give
ample lead time for the community folks to take the necessary action,” Montejo
said.
Through these new tools, we also hope to raise
your awareness and understanding as local chief executives, disaster managers,
partner civil society organizations, and even the local community media on
these hazards. And introduce NEW tools that can be used for community disaster
preparedness hinged on the 4-pt agenda to guide Community-based Disaster Preparedness mentioned previously,”
Montejo bared.
DOST’s “Iba na ang Panahon” is a two-pronged
slogan that means: 1) Time (“panahon”) has changed (“Iba na”), so let’s move on
from antiquated “tools” to S&T-based information and tools in designing
disaster preparedness plans; and 2) Climate (“panahon”) change (“iba”) compels
us to be more prepared for hazards to make our communities safer.
(NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
Tourism Consultation Workshop conducted in
Dinagat Islands
By Ma. Jane Mayola
DINAGAT ISLANDS, May 2 (PIA) – The Provincial
Tourism Office here participated a three-day consultation workshop for the
preparation of Tourism Development Master Plan held recently at the Aurelio
Gym, San Jose, this province.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Assistant Secretary
Arturo P. Boncato, the event's guest of honor, said the activity aims primarily
to improve local products that include attractions and services that
Dinagatnons could offer.
"We have to focus on access and
connectivity that will open more doors for the travellers. The local government
should focus in the culture of tourism to ensure that tourism will grow thereby
making Dinagat a model island destination that is sustainable," Boncato
said.
The activity was attended by the members of the
Provincial Tourism Technical Working Group, provincial department heads, representatives
from the seven tourism municipal offices, tourism stakeholders, national line
agencies, NGOs and private sectors. (SDR/Dinagat Islands/PIA-Dinagat Islands)
SSS achieves another banner year in 2013
MANILA, May 1 - The Social Security System (SSS)
marked another banner year in 2013, highlighted by the sustained growth both in
net income and assets. Net income for 2013 was P38 billion, registering an
increase of six percent from P36 billion in 2012, while total assets likewise
grew by six percent to P385 billion.
May Catherine Ciriaco, SSS Vice President for
Management Services and Planning, credited the increase to improved financial
operations as reflected by the 9.3 percent jump in contribution collections
that for the first time surpassed the century mark at P103 billion.
“Investment and other income stood at P34.4
billion, up by 1.5 percent from P33.9 billion in 2012 despite the low interest
rate scenario and volatility in the financial market. SSS' 8.7 percent return
on investment continues to outperform market benchmarks such as the four
percent 10-year T-bond rate and 0.7 percent 364-day Treasury bill rate,”
Ciriaco noted.
SSS benefit releases totaled P91 billion, with
over half of which or P49 billion paid for retirement claims, and about
one-third or P30 billion disbursed to survivors of deceased members. Payments
for maternity, which totaled P4 billion, and retirement posted the highest
rates of increase among SSS benefit types last year at 12.6 percent and 12.5
percent, respectively.
The contribution-benefit surplus --- or the
positive difference between collected contributions and disbursed benefits ---
grew by 16 percent to P12 billion. The 2013 surplus marked a five-year high,
and was six times more than the P2 billion surplus in 2010.
Ciriaco said prudent management of operating and
capital expenditures led to improved SSS operating efficiency despite higher
transaction levels, greater number of members served and increased SSS presence
locally and overseas.
“SSS operating expenses in 2013 reached only
P7.6 billion, which was relatively flat compared to 2012. More significantly,
spending for SSS operations in 2013 represented only 57 percent of our allowed
charter limit, even as we were able to reach out to more members and handle a
heavier transaction load last year,” she added.
Transaction volume swelled by 6.4 percent to
33.7 million last year from 31.7 million in 2012, with contribution-related
transactions, accounting for half of the 2013 total. The growth in SSS
transactions is in step with the 4.3 percent growth in SSS coverage to 30.7
million individual members, while the number of registered employers totaled
about 912,000 by end-2013.
To provide members greater convenience and
easier access to SSS services and facilities, the agency last year opened a
total of 21 local offices nationwide – namely three new branches at Panabo
(Davao), Guadalupe (Makati City) and Congressional (Quezon City), as well as 18
rent-free SSS Service Offices located in 17 malls and one inside the Muntinlupa
City Hall.
“To reach out to overseas Filipino workers, SSS
opened two foreign representative offices for Filipino communities in Macau and
Bahrain that have a high concentration of migrant workers. We also deployed
more roving SSS officers to bolster our coverage activities in the Middle East,
Europe and Asia and encourage OFWs to register or re-activate their SSS
membership,” Ciriaco explained.
Members also benefited from the six-day work
week implemented by all SSS branches from October to December 2013, as well as
the special Saturday schedule of all SSS offices in June 2013 to accommodate
household employers and domestic workers complying with the Batas Kasambahay
enacted last year.
In 2013, the agency accredited 12 microfinance
institutions, cooperatives and organized groups as servicing or collecting
partner agents so that their members can transact with SSS via authorized
representatives within their own organizations. SSS also signed last year
coverage agreements with the Insurance Commission and the Philippine Institute
of Civil Engineers – Quezon City Chapter.
“Implementation of the AlkanSSSya Program, which
was introduced in 2012 as a major driver for the social protection of informal
sector workers, picked up its pace last year with nearly 600 groups representing
more than 53,000 members nationwide joining the program in 2013 alone,” Ciriaco
said. “SSS plans to further expand the AlkanSSSya's reach this year to extend
social protection to more workers in all corners of the country.”
There were government offices also joining the
AlkanSSSya Program in 2013 to provide SSS coverage for their job order (JO) and
contractual workers who are not covered by the Government Service Insurance
System (GSIS), with Brgy. Pulang Lupa Dos in Las PiΓ±as City as the first participating
local government unit. SSS further strengthened its coverage campaign for this
sector by signing agreements in 2014 with the Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
"We continue to seek ways to make
transacting with SSS easier, faster and more convenient for members. As part of
this thrust, we installed E-Centers where members can use or access SSS'
desktop computers, telephones, information kiosks and other self-service facilities
to help cut down the time spent transacting at our branches,” Ciriaco said.
Members can also check their records and
transact without going to the nearest branch through the SSS Website
(www.sss.gov.ph) as an alternative and more convenient option. The number of
SSS Web accounts rose to 2.9 million as of end-2013, with new enrollees last
year totaling 804,492 members and 91,056 employers. About two million SSS
website transactions were also recorded last year, from over a half a million
in 2012.
The SSS also met with stakeholders through
communication forums to provide updates on SSS plans and programs, as well as
gather direct feedback to help identify and address barriers to active SSS
membership. SSS briefings in 2013 were held at overseas Filipino communities in
Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oslo, Berlin, Hamburg, Tokyo, Bangkok, Beijing,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, USA and Canada, while local regional visits were also
conducted in Zamboanga, Tacloban, Butuan and Palawan. (SSS/PIA-Caraga)
DSWD-13 to hold job hiring, orientation for
KC-NCDDP
By Eunice G. Montaos
BUTUAN CITY, May 1 (PIA) - To easily facilitate
the hiring of competent workers for KALAHI CIDSS- National Community Driven
Development Program (KC-NCDDP), the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) Caraga will be conducting a Job Hiring and Orientation on
May 2, 2014 at the Robinson’s Place, this city.
The activity will seek potential employees that
will work with the Program, orient applicants on the KC-NCDDP, and will share
information between job seekers and employers.
With the expected launching of KC-NCDDP in June
2014, 346 field workers will be needed by the Office to complete the staffing
requirement for the 2014 implementation in the region.
Assistant Regional Director Mita G.Lim said that
this job fair is a strategy of the Regional Program Management Office (RPMO)
personnel to cope with the tight timeline of hiring qualified applicants since
the Program implementation is set to start in the early second semester of this
year.
Interested and qualified applicants for the area
coordinator, deputy area coordinator, municipal finance analyst and community
empowerment facilitator positions are invited to attend the said activity with
their comprehensive resume and application letter addressed to regional
director Minda B. Brigoli of DSWD-Caraga. (DSWD-13/PIA-Caraga)
DSWD-Caraga to hire 346 field staff for KC-NCDDP
By Eunice G. Montaos
BUTUAN CITY, May 1 (PIA) – Three hundred
forty-six (346) field workers are needed by the Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD) Caraga for the on-board of the Kalahi-CIDSS-National
Community Driven Development Program (KC-NCDDP).
With the 46 municipalities in the region which
are identified to be covered by the Program, many workers are needed to suffice
the workforce required for the implementation.
Regional Director Minda B. Brigoli already
announced that despite the presence of the existing Kalahi-CIDSS staff in the
office, still it will need more workers since the Program will have a broader
scope.
Assistant Regional Director Mita G. Lim
pronounced that the Office will hire 39 Area Coordinators, 44 Deputy Area
Coordinators, 49 Finance Analysts and 214 Community Facilitators in the region.
Interested and qualified applicants for the said
positions are invited to submit their application letters and resumes at the
Records section of DSWD FO Caraga, Pili Drive Ext., Butuan City or at kc_sm_caraga@yahoo.com.
The deadline for submission of applications is
on May 2, 2014.
The NCDDP is the scale-up program of the
Kalahi-CIDSS project, one of the core anti-poverty alleviation programs of
DSWD. With its participatory, transparency and accountability principles, the
Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach used by the Project is proven to be
an effective strategy in advancing development in local communities.
KC-NCDDP is set to commence in May 2014 in the
region. (DSWD-13/PIA-Caraga)
DSWD Caraga readies for KC-NCDDP take-off
By Eunice G. Montaos
BUTUAN CITY, May 1 (PIA) - With the recently
approved scale-up of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan - Comprehensive and
Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) Caraga is now getting ready for the set-off of
KALAHI CIDSS - National Community Driven Development Program (KC-NCDDP) in the
region.
For 2014 implementation, this Program covers 46
municipalities and five provinces in Caraga. With varied implementation
conditionalities, these are categorized into three: five belonged to the “177”
non-Poor but Yolanda-affected, another 36 are in the “377” Poor and
Yolanda-affected, while five are identified in the “293” Poor but not hit by
the super typhoon.
This final list of areas to be covered, and
workers needed by the Program for this year’s take-off was only finalized
during the 1st Quarter Mindanao cluster Project Review and Evaluation Workshop
(PREW) last April 9-12, 2014 at Eden Nature’s Park, Davao City, from which the
final go-signal for the KC-NCDDP national launching in June 2014 was signified
by the central office to the regional offices.
Right there and then, the RPMO met for action
planning, strategizing and tasking in preparation for this undertaking.
Social marketing initiatives were intensified
for the pulling of applications from potential applicants for 346 vacant
positions.
KC-NCDDP Regional Project Manager Mita G. Lim
said that public service announcements about the urgent hiring were already
plugged through radio stations and social media sites.
Examination for the 1st batch of shortlisted
applicants for the area coordinator, deputy area coordinator, community
empowerment facilitator and municipal finance analyst was already conducted
last April 27-28, 2014.
A Job Hiring and Orientation activity will also
be facilitated by the RPMO at Robinsons Place, Butuan City on May 2, 2014.
Local chief executives of the 46 target
municipalities were already communicated and notified for being recipients of
the KC-NCDDP grant and will set meetings for dialogues and orientation with the
RPMO in May 2014.
NCDDP is the national expansion of the CDD
strategy, which was used and proven effective by Kalahi-CIDSS in its past 11
years of implementation. KC-NCDDP is designed to support CDD post-disaster
response and is anchored on its development objective to have
barangays/communities of targeted municipalities become more empowered to
achieve improved access to services and to participate in more inclusive local
planning, budgeting, and implementation. (DSWD-13/PIA-Caraga)
SurSur Agraryo Scholars received certificate of
recognition from DAR-SDS
SURIGAO DEL SUR, May 1 (PIA) - The Agraryo
scholars who successfully graduated
four-year degree courses for the school year 2013-2014 received a
certificate of recognition from the Department of Agrarian Reform-Surigao del
Sur (DAR-SDS) provincial office headed by Benjamin Mataksil held during the
flag ceremony conducted on April 28.
The said scholarships accordingly were under the
Programang Agraryo Iskolar (PAI) in which 30 scholar-grantees already finished
their studies province-wide.
During the distribution of certificates, each
scholar had given the opportunity to expressed their heartfelt thanks and
gratitude of having such great opportunities extended by the government to the
less fortunate students. According to them the program really helped them a lot
in many ways and the answers to their needs in taking up their degrees in
college.
One parent of the grantee named Julita Consuegra
had emotionally shared a message that if it not because of the program, her
daughter will not be able to finish her studies due to poverty.
Meanwhile, the program has already five batches
since the start of implementation in 2003. The 10 graduates for school year
2013-2014 were the last batch to avail such program bared by DAR office.
Such scholars accordingly finished their degrees
in Surigao del Sur State University (SDSSU)-main campus, SDSSU-San Miguel;
SDSSU-Tagbina; and University of South Eastern Philippines, Bislig City.
(NGBT/with reports from Myra Yu, DAR-IO/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
Cebuano News: Butuan govt ug A. Brown, magtukod
ug mga multi-purpose hall
Ni Sheila Yatar
BUTUAN CITY, May 1 (PIA) - Pagasugdan na sunod
bulan ang konstraksyon sa duha ka Multi- Purpose Hall sa Brgy. Mahay ning
dakbayan human sa gipahigayong Groundbreaking and Capsule Laying Ceremony,
buntag sa Abril 28, 2014.
Isip usa ka joint venture sa Lokal nga
Panggamhanan ug A. Brown Company Inc., gipangunahan kini nila Mayor Ferdinand
M. Amante, Jr.. kauban sila Vice Mayor Angelo S. Calo, SP Members Hon. Sergio
C. Pascual ug Hon. Jaime M. Cembrano, Jr. ug mga representante gikan sa A Brown
Company Inc. (ABCI).
Gipadayag ni Mayor Amante, atol sa iyang
mensahe, ang kalipay ug pagpasalamat sa ABCI tungod sa pagsalig niini sa Lokal
nga Panggamhanan sa Butuan. Nanghinaut usab ang Halandong Mayor nga pinaagi sa
maong mga dakbalay, mahatagan ug dugang panginabuhian ang mga lumulupyo sa
maong barangay, hilabina ang mga kababayen-an.
Ang usa ka Multi- Purpose Hall adunay floor area
nga 120 sq.m. samtang ang usa pa niini nga dos andanas aduna’y floor area nga
240 sq.m. (LGU-Butuan City PIO/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
