PRC AgNor-Butuan to hold 9th Biennial Chapter
Assembly
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, May 26 (PIA) – In time with the
65th Founding Anniversary of the Philippine Red Cross Agusan del Norte-Butuan
City (PRC AgNor-Butuan) Chapter, its 9th Biennial Chapter Assembly will also be
held at Balanghai Hotel and Convention Center on July 23, 2014, this city.
This year’s theme is “Red Cross 143: United
Strong, Everywhere Against All Formidable Challenges.”
The assembly will be a venue to elect nine
members of the Board of Directors to succeed elected members whose terms will
be expiring on July this year.
Chairperson on Nomination and Election Committee
Renato Jose Villanueva said the nomination is open for those who have the
willingness to serve and commitment to work with the local chapter on a
voluntary capacity.
There will be an orientation of nominees on the
16th of July.
Also, the Chapter will conduct a Search for Ms.
Red Cross 2014 for which candidates can share to public the PRC’s programs,
project and services.
For the first phase of the competition,
canvassing of votes is scheduled on the months of May, June and July while the
second phase will be the Beauty and the Brain Competition on July 19, 2014.
The chosen winner of this competition will also
represent the chapter during the conduct of “Ms. Red Cross Mindanao” to be held
in Zamboanga City come November 2014.
The board of directors of PRC Agnor-Butuan
encouraged more support from its members, volunteers and communities and made
every effort to strengthen the volunteers' commitment to the Red Cross’
humanitarian services.
“For a more responsive Red Cross in the province
of Agusan del Norte and the city of Butuan, let us be together in achieving
PRC’s goals,” said Villanueva. (VLG/PIA-Caraga)
DPWH in SurSur does job for 'Balik Eskwela'
By Greg Tataro
TANDAG CITY, May 26 (PIA) – The Department of
Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 1st Engineering District Office in Surigao del
Sur headed by District Engineer (DE) Alipio Grana has already done with the
preparations and commitments in connection with the Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE)
for School Year 2014-2015.
According to Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Asst.
District Engr. Ruel Bantogan, everything has already been complied with in line
with the memorandum issued by Usec. Alfredo Tolentino to all regional directors
and concerned district engineers as well as the subsequent order coming from
the Office of the Regional Director in Caraga.
Engr. Bantugan confirmed that the activities
undertaken include repainting of pedestrian lanes, de-clogging of canals, and
making of vegetation control projects in various places near school zones.
An accomplishment report was already submitted
along with “pictures,” he stressed.
However, DE Eulogio Milla of the 2nd Engineering
District, for his part, said that they are still “in the thick of things” doing
the same.
He stressed that while they are already nearing
completion with their preparations and commitments on school zones along the
national highways, requests are likewise coming from those schools in the
hinterlands.
Milla vowed that these requests will have to be
entertained and accommodated all the same. (NGBT/Radyo ng Bayan/PIA-Surigao del
Sur)
DSWD to extend age coverage of Pantawid Pamilya
children
By Stella Maris Barlisan
BUTUAN CITY, May 26 (PIA) - The government’s
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program also known as the Conditional Cast Transfer
(CCT) that is being implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) will extend the age coverage of Pantawid Pamilya children
beneficiaries to all registered Pantawid Pamilya households this June 2014.
Previously, Pantawid Pamilya covers only
households with children aged 0-14 years old. With the extended age coverage,
the program will extend the age coverage of Pantawid Pamilya children
beneficiaries to 15-18 years old or finishes high school whichever comes first.
The expansion of age coverage will allow
Pantawid children to finish high school especially those who are under the K-12
program of the Department of Education (DepEd).
The Department believes that a child will have
better opportunities if he or she graduated high school compared to those who
only finish elementary.
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is one of
the flagship poverty reduction programs of the government. The program provides cash grants to
beneficiaries provided that they will comply with the set conditionalities of
the program.
At present, DSWD Caraga has 158,571 Pantawid
Pamilya beneficiaries benefiting from the program.
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is one of
the flagship programs of the government in reducing poverty in the country.
The Pantawid Pamilya aims to keep children in
school, its beneficiaries healthy and family especially the parents intact. (DSWD-13/PIA-Caraga)
Feature: The perks of a community volunteer
By Annabella Madelo & Eunice G. Montaos
KITCHARAO, Agusan del Norte, May 26 (PIA) -
Volunteerism is a popular word that not everybody appreciates; for it entails
selflessness, sacrifice, and even heroism (as other skeptics describe it).
The trend of this generation is that you will be
materially paid for the service that you extend. In the other flip of the coin,
though works that were done deserve to be remunerated, however, in the realm of
volunteerism, there is no room for one to expect monetary gain; the word is
defined otherwise.
In spite of all these liabilities we may
enumerate of being a volunteer, why is it that there are still people who
actively engage in such activities? Samuel R. Silong, 45, a simple resident of
Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte, shares his piece of what may be the answers to
this question.
Samuel is the president of the MAFIA. Don’t be
misled, he’s definitely not an assassin. MAFIA is an acronym for Marginalized
Fisherfolks Association. They don’t hunt people, they catch fishes for a living
since they are residing in a coastal area.
A responsible father to his three children, and
a loving husband to his wife, Cecelia, Samuel is just a simple man who only
dreams of a happy life with his family. As he stated, as long as he can provide
to the needs of his household and he maintains his good relationship with his
neighbors, he couldn’t ask for more in life.
Samuel admitted that Kapit-Bisig Laban sa
Kahirapan- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-
CIDSS), in its first entry to their barangay, sure had caught his interest.
Though he was only planning to participate, however, to his surprise, his
fellowmen nominated and elected him as the Barangay Sub-Project Management
Committee (BSPMC) chairperson. He thought that they just considered the position
as an extension of his current title held at MAFIA.
“Ako man lang ‘tong gidawat kay usa pud sa akong
pagtuo nga ako chairman nga duna koy madawdaw ani nga project o duna koy
sweldo. Pero pag-ingon man gud nga volunteer wa ko magdahum nga volunteer ra
man diay na. (I just accepted it because I thought being a chairman, I will
have something to get from the project, more so, a salary. But as told as a
volunteer, I didn’t know that a volunteer is literally a volunteer).” Samuel
expressed.
“Ang pagtuo man gud nako duna koy maayo ug taas
nga position taas pud ang akong sweldo. Pero volunteer ra gyud diay siya (I
really thought that in having a higher position, I will also have a higher
salary. But eventually a volunteer is a volunteer),” he added.
He said that this anti-poverty project of the
national government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) united the villagers (since there is a demand of a perfect attendance
during assemblies) and taught them strange principles. Its processes led them
to identify the basic social services that their locality lacked. It made them
realize they are in need and they will be tasked to address those.
“Adtong nagsugod ang proyekto, nibiya ko. Gituyo
jud nako nga wa ko mag-pasko sa akong pamilya kay aron musibat na ko, biyaan na
nako ni. Kay unsa man diay ning sigeg atubang-atubang nako nga volunteer ra man
diay ko wala man diay ko sweldo. (During the start of the project, I left our
place and fled to Butuan. I intended not to celebrate Christmas with my family
so that I can sneak from the responsibility of being a chairman since I can
benefit nothing from being a volunteer),” he honestly opened.
“Niadto ko ug Butuan, nanarbaho ko, pero usahay
magabie tulisukon ko sa akong kalag. Kay gisangon ni sa akoa, chairman, maoy
mudumala sa trabaho, unya akong hawaan. Mao to nga anang bag-ong tuig nibalik
ko. (I then worked in Butuan, but every night, my conscience pricks my soul
about the responsibility that I had forsaken. I realized that I was trusted to
perform the task, I should not leave it unfinished. And so, I returned in San
Roque after new year),” he said.
Samuel seriously led the implementation of the one-unit
two classroom elementary school building which amounted to Php 1, 552, 228.00.
He conducted regular weekly BSPMC meeting and guided his co-volunteers in their
respective responsibilities. He was present in the area every day and he did
his duty with less technical assistance from the Area Coordinating Team (ACT)
and Municipal Coordinating Team (MCT).
He also attended all the trainings that were
conducted to assist them (the volunteers) in project implementation. This, as
he mentioned, added to his skills. There were things that he previously didn’t
know but in his involvement as a community volunteer, he learned new things
which were of great use in improving his welfare.
Aware of the crucial role he had, Samuel
religiously managed the workers in accordance with the plan and strategized if
needed. As an outcome, they completed the sub-project ahead of time without
jeopardizing its quality. This amazing effort of the BSPMC chairman was
justified by the barangay local government unit (BLGU) officials, the municipal
mayor, the vice mayor, the parish priest, and the different stakeholders who
visited their sub-project. This made Barangay San Roque famous in their best
and outstanding project implementation.
Due to his noteworthy effort and distinguished
quality of work, he was hired by Mayor Aristotle E. Montante for the
construction of the Oval at Kitcharao Central Elementary School for 12 days in
preparation for the athletic meet to be held in the municipality.
At first, he refused since he thought that he
couldn’t do it. But Mayor Montante told him, “Nganong dili man nimo makaya?
Giunsa man diay nimo kadtong sa Kalahi-CIDSS nga dali raman nimo nahuman (Why
do you say you can’t do it? How did you finish the Kalahi-CIDSS project ahead
of time)?”
Because of these questions of Mayor Montante, he
accepted the task, though deep inside he felt anxious. With the help of his
neighbors and members of the MAFIA, as skilled and unskilled workers who were
also volunteers of Kalahi-CIDSS, they worked for the OVAL. It was a ‘rain or
shine’ endeavor, and, gladly, they completed the implementation prior to the
set date of completion.
During the payment of their works, the mayor
commented, “ Ingon ka dili nimo makaya, makaya man lagi (You said you cannot do
it, and now you did).” He then replied with a smile, feeling overwhelmed
because he absolutely proved to the mayor that he made it and seriously worked
and very much willing to help for the development of the municipality.
Just recently, Mayor Montante hired him again as
a contractor for the clearing of the Municipal Public Market in the amount of
Php 49,000 for the construction of a two-storey building in the same site.
Again, he managed his group to work on it and completed on time. Because of
this series of contracts he engaged with the LGU, most of his neighbors are
applying to him as skilled and unskilled workers.
Others even get interested in enlisting to be
volunteers for Kalahi-CIDSS because they observed the positive impact of the
Project to the people.
With this fringes he finally found in being a
volunteer, he was able to support his wife and two daughters who were studying
in college and eventually graduated. However, all of these positive happenings
in his life, according to him, he pays homage to Kalahi-CIDSS, which
accordingly paved way for his skills to be honed and recognized.
In the whole duration of the sub-project
implementation, Samuel had only thought of their sub-project as what
Kalahi-CIDSS is all about. Yet to his amazement, he realized that the
classrooms were just like wrappers packaging the real gift of the Project to
the community- empowerment and opportunities. Those, for Samuel, are the perks
of being a community volunteer. (DSWD-13/PIA-Caraga)
Cebuano News: Ang panggamhanang nasyonal padayon
sa pagpundo sa gihimong rehabilitasyon nga apektado sa bagyo sa Visayas
SURIGAO DEL SUR, Mayo 26 (PIA) – Ang Malakanang
miingon nga ang Department of Budget and Management (DBM) magpadayon sa
pagpagawas sa mga pundo alang sa rehabilitasyon sa mga dapit nga gikuso-kuso sa
bagyong Yolanda sa miaging tuig.
Kini sumala pa nga sukwahi sa mga pamahayag sa
pipila ka mga magbabalaod nga miingon nga sila wala makatagamtam sa bisan unsa
nga tabang gikan sa nasyonal nga panggamhanan.
Si Senador Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ang chair sa
Senate Committee on sa Local Government, miingon nga ang pundo alang sa mga
local nga paggamhanan nga mga naigo sa bagyo ug bisan ang mga apektadong mga
pampubliko nga mga eskwelahan, state colleges ug unibersidad, nagpabilin nga
wala makadawat.
"Susama usab sa giingon sa DBM, padayon ang
pagpang apod-apod sa pondo alang sa mga dapit nga naigo sa bagyong Yolanda
(Katulad ho nung sinabi ng DBM, patuloy po ang pag-release ng pondo para doon
sa mga lugar na sinalanta ng bagyong Yolanda)," si deputy presidential
spokesperson Abigail Valte miingon atol sa pakighinabi kaniya pinaage sa dzRB
Radyo ng Bayan niadtong Sabado.
Dugang pa niya nga nga bag-ohay pa lamang siya
nakakita sa P32 bilyones tunga tunga sa bulan sa Mayo nga gipagawas sa DBM
alang sa post-calamity mga paningkamot.
Sumala pa usab ni Valte nga ang DBM nagpadayon
sa paggahin alang sa Department of Health (DOH) sa Eastern Visayas Regional
Medical Center.
Ang DBM sumala pa nga ni-reles naglakip sa P2.2
bilyones alang sa National Housing Association, P2.01 bilyones sa DILG alang sa
municipal halls, merkado publiko, civic centers, ug estasyonan sa mga
kapolisan..
Ang pundo sa kalamidad ubos sa General
Appropriations Act gipundohan sa mga inisyatibo sa Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD), siya miingon.
Kalabot sa rehabilitasyon sa mga state
universities ug colleges nga apektado sa bagyo, si Valte miingon nga ang
Palasyo mo-coordinate sa DBM aron makakuha sa mga datus sa pagpagawas alang sa
pagpa-ayo ug rehabilitasyon sa maong estruktura sa mga tulonghaan.
(NGBT/PND/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
Cebuano News: Ang katawhang Pilipino mao ang
tinuod nga mga bayani sa Pilipinas nga kalambuan, nag-ingon ang Malakanyang
SURIGAO DEL SUR, Mayo 26 (PIA) - Ang Malakanyang
kagahapon miingon nga ang katawhang Pilipino mao ang mga tinuod nga mga bayani
sa Pilipinas nga kalambuan.
“Napakita sa mga katawhang Pilipino ngadto sa
mga delegado sa World Economic Forum on East Asia (WEF-EA) ug sa tibook
kalibotan ang kaandam ug dili matarog alang sa paghimo ug malig-on nga balwarte
sa pagpalambo nga giduyogan sa tanan kon malahutayon ug ang nahisgutan nga
pag-uswag, og ang pagpahimutang isip usa sa mga nag-unang nasud sa ASEAN
economic community (Naipakita ng mga mamamayang Pilipino sa mga delegado ng
World Economic Forum on East Asia at sa buong mundo ang kanilang kahandaan at
katatagan para sa pagiging matibay na balwarte ng pag-unlad na nilalahukan ng
lahat o ng sustainable and inclusive growth, at ang pagiging isa sa mga
pangunahing bansa ng ASEAN economic community),” sulti pa ni Presidential
Communication Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., atol sa
gipasibyang press briefing pinaage sa dxRB, Radyo ng Bayan.
“Ang katawhang Pilipino mao ang tinoood nga mga
bayani sa paglambo sa nasud sa Pilipinas og ang atoang pakigtambayayong pinaage
sa diwa sa bayanihan mao ang naghatod sa atoang tanan sa usa ka mas mahapsay
nga kaugmaon (Ang mga mamamayang Pilipino ang tunay na mga bayani sa pag-unlad
ng bansang Pilipinas, at ang ating pagtaguyod ng diwa ng bayanihan ang
maghahatid sa ating lahat sa isang mas maaliwalas na kinabukasan),” dugang pa
ni Coloma.
Kahinumduman, ang Pilipinas bag-ohay pa lamang
nga midumala sa ika-23 nga World Economic Forum (Mayo 22 - 23), kung diin mao
usab ang unang higayon nga gihimo ang maong aktibidad sa usa ka East Asian nga
nasud. (NGBT/PND/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
