SurSur DepEd: No collection policy stands
By Greg Tataro, Jr.
TANDAG CITY, May 29 (PIA) – The Department of
Education (DepEd) in Surigao del Sur reiterated anew its reminder to all
concerned public school heads that “no collection policy” has continued to be
in effect.
However, Schools Division Superintendent Teofila
Cabatuan said that starting August, authorized but voluntary contributions for
organizations like the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), Boy Scouts of the
Philippines (BSP), Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), Anti-TB Fund as well
as collections agreed upon by PTA (parent-teachers association) may start to be
accepted but no school officials are allowed to get involved.
Also, Cabatuan clarified that DepEd Order No. 41
s. of 2011 and DepEd Order No. 18 s. of 2008 state that no fees shall be
collected from kindergarten to grade four pupils throughout the school year.
Meanwhile, the local education chief believed
that there are only a few more enrollees to get listed before classes start on
June 2 since early enrolment has already been done in January. (NGBT/Radyo ng
Bayan/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
SSS members with biometric UMID cards reach 4-M
MANILA, May 29 (PIA) - The Social Security
System (SSS) said it has issued the biometric-based Unified Multi-Purpose
Identification System (UMID) card to over four million SSS members at present,
with 1.3 million UMID cards issued in 2013. SSS started issuing UMID cards to
members in July 2011.
Mario Sibucao, SSS Vice President for Member
Services, said the number of UMID applications, as reflected by the total
number of UMID “data captures,” reached 1.2 million last year, up by 22 percent
from about 975,000 in 2012.
“Data capture involves members' registration of
demographic and biometric data into the UMID database. The biometric
information, particularly the fingerprint scans, are used to protect the system
from persons trying to obtain multiple UMID cards to support fraudulent
identities,” Sibucao explained.
UMID data capture services are available in SSS
branches on regular working days, while 13 of these will remain open to UMID
applicants every Saturday until June 28, 2014. The SSS branches with Saturday
UMID schedules include Alabang, Diliman, Makati-Gil Puyat, Makati-Ayala,
Manila, Pasig-Shaw, San Francisco del Monte, Bacoor, BiΓ±an, Dagupan, Bacolod,
Cebu and Iloilo.
“Mallgoers can also visit SSS Service Offices on
Tuesdays until Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to apply for their UMID card at
Ali Mall in Cubao, Star Mall in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, and SM City
Cebu and Robinsons Fuente, which are both based in Cebu,” Sibucao said.
For overseas members, UMID services are open
from Mondays to Fridays at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Philippine Embassy in Abu
Dhabi, Brunei, London, Riyadh, Rome and Singapore; the Philippine Consulate in
Hong Kong, Jeddah and Milan; and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Dubai,
Kuwait and Taiwan.
Sibucao clarified that cardholders of the previous
SSS biometric ID can still use them for SSS transactions and are not required
to apply for the UMID. Those who prefer to upgrade to the UMID card must
surrender their old SSS ID and pay a replacement fee of P300. However, UMID
cards of first-time SSS ID applicants are free of charge.
Early this year, the SSS signed an agreement
with AllCard Plastics Philippines, Inc. for the installation of nearly 300
self-service Information Terminals in SSS branches nationwide. Once installed,
members can tap their UMID cards and scan their fingerprints in these terminals
to get secure access to their contributions, loan and benefit records.
“We also plan to enable these terminals to
accept SSS transactions such as salary loan applications, maternity
notifications, compliance with the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners and
submission of technical retirement claims, among other services,” Sibucao said.
Also in the pipeline are the activation of UMID
cards for withdrawing SSS loans and benefits at automated teller machines of
accredited banks. SSS is in talks with a number of banks for this venture, and
will make proper announcements once this new feature becomes available to
members.
The SSS processes UMID applications in 10
working days, and then forwards the packaged ID cards to the Philippine Postal
Corporation for mailing within an average period of two weeks, depending on the
member's address. SSS members with at least one posted contribution can apply
for the UMID. (SSS/PIA-Caraga)
Feature: Upland farmers revive denuded
forestland in Agusan Norte thru NGP
By Eric F. Gallego
BUTUAN CITY, May 29 (PIA) - The farmers
in the upland Barangay of Aclan, in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte have
over the years have either stood
witness or participated in the wanton destruction of an abandoned forest
lands formerly operated by the Nasipit Lumber Company (NALCO) near them through
the slash and burn farming to survive the harsh life. They gained some at first
try but in the end however, they ended up poor and starving most of the time
since they continued to be bound on the chains of poverty. Kainging farming has slowly destroyed the
forest that made the vast protection forest area into almost barren and idle
land for several years.
DENR Caraga regional director Nonito M. Tamayo
said “the chains that enslave these farmers for several years had been relieved
through the National Greening Program (NGP).” These farmers who were among the
more than 100 members of the DENR -assisted Aclan River Farmers Cooperative (ARFAMCO)
stand to benefit enough income from the Falcata Tree farm which they have
laboriously cultivated since 2011.
Director Tamayo said that from the earnings of
the 32- hectare falcata tree plantation alone, the cooperative would earn at
least P30 million by 2017 when the plantation are fully matured.
“We were partly relieved of our desperate
condition after we participated in the NGP," Norlito T. Sayson said as he
looks back on those hard years of living. The program he said was introduced to
them by an extension worker from the CENR Office in Nasipit in 2011. Sayson said that “once he had thought of
giving up farming and shift to illegal logging to survive. But that mind set was completely changed.
“The NGP program has encouraged us to pursue
tree farming because of the opportunities that we can earn more than enough
than kaingin farming. He said that there were several livelihood projects that
were implemented by the government in the past years but none of these program
has met our specific needs than what the NGP had done us,“Ka Lito said.
He said that for the succeeding years the
members of the ARFAMCO had thought of reviving the 171 hectares - waste
timberland in Kasunugan, Alikpawan and Malapuwi destroyed through kaingin
farming. The members strove to plant 85,000 indigenous seedlings at 500
seedlings per hectare over the period of three years to present with 80 to 85
percent seedling survival rate. These
areas, aside from 35-hectares Falcata plantations included 196
hectare-protection forest planted with indigenous species in 2012 and 2013.
“The CENRO had extended financial assistance to
us for the maintenance expenses to ensure the healthy growth of the young
seedlings,” Ka Lito said.
Among the
indigenous seedlings the farmers have planted in the protection forest
included the species of narra, talisay
gubat, mahogany, Palawan cherry, aguho, bagras, bahai, malapapaya, binunga,
lagnob, bunot-bunot, manga-manga, bintuko, ilang-ilang,alim, ituman, malapili
and bayog.
The so-called “climate change” did not dampen
our hopes to continue the reforestation effort.
According to Sayson, the members have been encouraged more to work to
ensure the survival rate of 85 percent “We replanted to replace those seedlings
that have not survived from the high- humid weather condition and kept on watering
the seedlings before the sunrise to sustain their growth,” Sayson said.
Their wives and kids and the women have likewise
pre-occupied themselves at the nursery to provide continuous seedling
productions.
“During these dry-months period, the farmer
usually do site preparations and weeding and resume our planting activities in
January when the seasonal rain comes,” he said.
The constant cutting of trees by poachers and
slash and burn farming had reduced the once abundant forest on the 171-hectare
timber land in Sitio Tabon-Tabon, Barangay Aclan to be barren and unproductive
over those years.
It was further aggravated by the presence of
migrating people from the lowlands during the late 90’s which put more pressure
on the land formerly operated by the the Nasipit Lumber Company. The farmers in the area in those hard times
were producing less crops in years of kainging farming owing to the
high-acidity of soil. Sayson said
“analysing the soil is far from their mind because of the high cost and proximity
of the village from the city proper.”
Barangay Aclan is about 42 kilometers away from the city with bad road
condition accessible through motorcycles and trucks that seldom pass by.
“We were told the low production of crops was
attributed to poor soil nutrients which were washed away by rain waters,” Ka
Lito said. The farmers has named
that area “Kasunogan” because of constant smoke from
burning woods from kaingin activities. “We never thought kaingin farming can
make a land barren because nobody had taught us,” he said.
The smokes from burning woods have cleared up
months after the NGP was implemented in the area. Nonetheless, the organization has formed a
team of Bantay Gubat serving as foot patrol officers to monitor the activities
at the site and ward off kaingin near the NGP site.
Director Tamayo has lauded the efforts of the
group in protecting the growing trees in the area. “The farmers are prepared to protect the
young seedlings because they discourage slash and burn farming neither would
they allow anybody to set fire near the planting site,” Director Tamayo said.
He said “the government has invested some four
million pesos on the rehabilitation of the denuded timber land in the area
through the NGP yet at this stage we are witnessing a transformation of living
standards of the farmers in the days ahead," Tamayo said. He said that the restoration of the bare
watershed in that area that was part of the 1,800-hectare developed by the
Southern Philippine Irrigation Sector in 2007 is becoming visible.
To date The ARFAMCO members, however, are hoping
their organization would be officially registered as Community-Based Forest
Management Agreement (CBFMA) since its application for registration has been
held pending after it was endorsed to the National Cultural Indigenous People
(NCIP) regional office in 2009 for approval.
Sayson said the members are “raring to work
about tree planting on the watershed but it would be of best interest to work
under a legitimate and recognized organization.”
“If we protect the forest, they will protect us,”
he said.
“Nakita namin ang pagsira sa mga puno at parang
napabayaan na ang parteng ito kung saan wala nang masyadong puno. Pagsisikapan
naming maibalik muli at mapanatiling buhay ang mga puno na tutubo dito at kahit
wala na kami, ang mga anak at magiging anak nila ang makikinabang sa malinis na
hangin sa mga darating na panahon (We have seen the destruction of forest and
neglect of man to restore the trees in this area over the past years. We will
try to bring the forest back to this place so that even when we are gone, our
children and their children shall reap fresh air)," Sayson said. (With
reports from Cristine P. Selanova and
Richell P. Bongato, DENR RPAO 13/PIA-Caraga)
PNP eyes highly suspicious activities behind
voluminous explosive chemicals, devices seized in SurSur
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, May 29 (PIA) – The Philippine
National Police (PNP) in Surigao del Sur is not ruling out the possibility that
the voluminous chemicals and other devices seized Sunday in a raid in a remote
barangay in Lianga town were supplies used by rebel groups for the manufacture
of “landmines and other improvised explosive devices (IED).”
According to Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Provincial
Director P/SSupt. Narciso Verdadero, an “in-depth” investigation is still
on-going due to the incredible “finds” at the said place which is also
well-known as one of the NPA-influenced areas in the province.
Reportedly, on May 25, at about 3:30 p.m., a
police operation was jointly conducted by Lianga Municipal Police Station (MPS)
led by Deputy Chief of Police (DCOP) Insp. Roy Licayan; Surigao del Sur Criminal Investigation and
Detection Team (SDSCIDT) headed by PCI Arvin Montenegro; Police Regional Office 13 (PRO 13) led by PCI
Greggie Pimentel; and SDS Police
Provincial Office (SDSPPO) also led by PSI Manolo Andrew Caoile in Purok 2 and
3 at Barangay Liatimco, Lianga town by virtue of Search Warrant No. L-SW-04-14
issued by Executive Judge Alfredo Jalad of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 28
against respondents Bebot Espuerta, Daday Abunado, ang Roberto “Talok” Consigna
for alleged violation of Presidential Decree 1866 or illegal possession of
firearms and explosives as amended by Republic Act (R.A.) 8294 and further
amended by R.A. 10591 and R.A. 9516.
However, Verdadero lamented that among the three
subjects of the search warrant, only Espuerta, who was later identified as
Arturo Andohuyan Espuerta, was nabbed while Abunado and Consigna eluded arrest.
But in their respective residences, S/Supt.
Verdadero pointed out that the search and seizure yielded lots of blasting
caps, wires, detonating cords, match sticks, and ammonium nitrate-fuel oil
(ANFO) in large quantities.
Besides, a Smith & Wesson Revolver (.357)
with a defaced serial number with five live ammunition was also found at the
Abunado residence, he added.
Meanwhile, Verdadero said that the investigating
team is also establishing possible links on other illegal activities, like
mining and fishing,that abound around the area. (NGBT/Radyo ng
Bayan/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
