Siargao agrarian orgs undergo strategic planning
By Daryll M. Tumbaga
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, May 11 (PIA) -
Five assisted agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) of the
Department of Agrarian Reform in Surigao del Norte (DAR-SDN) underwent a
two-day Strategic Development Planning and Workshop held at D’Islanders Pension
Hauz, Dapa, Siargao Island, this province.
The officers and members of Esperanza Farmers
Credit and Consumers Organization (ESFARCRECO) of Brgy. Esperanza, Del Carmen
underwent the said activity on April 26-27, 2016 as the ARBO embarks on a
project under the Village Level Processing Center Enhancement Project of
DAR-SDN.
According to Levy P. Alatraca, secretary of
ESFARCRECO, “the strategic planning really helped our organization because we
were able to identify the weaknesses and gaps of ESFARCRECO that we need to
work out for it to grow.”
Meanwhile, the officers and members of both Don
Paulino United Farmers and Fisherfolks Credit Organization (DOPUFAFICO) of
Brgy. Don Paulino, Dapa; OsmeΓ±a Small Farmers Credit Cooperative (OSFACO) of
Brgy. OsmeΓ±a, Dapa; Corazon Farmers Credit Association (COFARCA) of Brgy.
Corazon, Gen. Luna; and Poblacion San Isidro Farmers Association (POSAIFA) of
Brgy. Del Carmen, San Isidro have undergone the strategic planning last April
28-29, 2016 in preparation for the reportorial requirements of the Cooperative
Development Authority (CDA) should the said ARBOs register themselves with the
CDA.
According to Delia E. Pelicano, chairperson of
COFARCA, “we are very grateful to the DAR for this opportunity because through
this strategic planning we are able to come up with a one-year action plan and
most importantly the 5-year development plan for COFARCA.”
Meantime, Eugenio Escopete of OSFACO added that
the said activity was a big help in establishing the vision, mission, goals and
objectives of their organization. (DAR-SDN/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
News Feature: Barangay BUB: Bringing participative
governance to the barangays
By Emmylou P. Burias
BUTUAN CITY, May 11 (PIA) - The implementation of
Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) which embodies inclusive growth, participative
governance, and people consultation at its very best has been remarkably
successful in cities and municipalities all over the country. The gains and
benefits of BUB after only three years of implementation have already been felt
and so, the national government deemed it appropriate to bring the project down
to the barangay level. Communities are the ultimate beneficiaries of the
improved delivery of basic services, development in the barangays will
translate to progressive and peaceful communities which would eventually be the
over-all picture of the country. This is the overarching goal of Barangay
Bottom-Up Budgeting (BBUB).
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM),
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD), and National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC)
Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 8 provides the policy guidelines and
procedures in the implementation of BBUB. BBUB’s target is to cover all
barangays by Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The pilot phase will cover at least 30
percent of the total number of barangays in 2017 subject to the criteria
provided in the JMC. Recipient barangays will be given PhP1 M through direct
downloading of funds to the barangays. It shall be utilized for identified
priority projects and activities in line with the delivery of basic services
and facilities per section 17 (b) of the Local Government Code (LGC).
The objectives of BBUB are reducing the effects of
poverty by addressing the most basic needs of communities; encouraging active
people’s participation in the implementation of projects in their respective
barangays; and strengthening the barangays as the primary unit of governance.
In BBUB, barangays officials do not decide on the
prioritization of projects by themselves, community members are involved in
choosing projects fit for their felt needs. This process was started in March
2016 through the Barangay Assembly.
For barangays to qualify, they will be assessed on
two areas, Good Governance and Capacity to Implement Projects. Good governance
will look into Compliance to Barangay Full Disclosure Policy; Conduct of
Barangay Assembly; and Presence of Barangay Development Plan or Annual
Investment Plan. Capacity to implement projects assesses leadership; track
record; and good financial management.
To date, the filled-in assessment forms and
results of qualified barangays have been forwarded to the National Barangay
Operations Office (NBOO) of DILG central office for consolidation and basis for
budgetary allocation once approved by Congress. (DILG-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
HELP Online: A digital frontier in FNRI nutrition
counseling
By Edward Vincent Magtibay
As part of the Food and Nutrition Research
Institute’s (FNRI-DOST) Information and Communication Technology (ICT) program
– iFNRI, the Healthy Eating and Lifestyle Program (HELP) Online project was
created in response to the growing need to deliver information anchored on
scientific knowledge to the ICT-driven global and national society.
This web-based resource hub contains of up-to-date
nutrition and wellness solutions that promote positive lifestyle changes to the
public. It also provides quicker access to nutrition counseling service which
is one of the frontline services of FNRI-DOST.
One of the main features of HELP Online is an
improved nutrition counseling service inquiry and response system via web. Just
like booking your hotel room or flight, individuals or groups seeking
one-on-one nutrition counseling can simply make an appointment with FNRI’s
in-house Registered-Nutritionist Dietitian (RND) online.
For those who want to quickly assess their
nutritional status, the Fast Assessment and Screening Tools (FAST), a
collection of nutrition calculators which can compute and classify Body Mass
Index (BMI), Desirable Body Weight (DBW), Waist and Hip Circumference and
Ratios and Waist-Height Ratio, is also available for use.
HELP Online also features innovative information
materials such as infographics on specific topics about non-communicable
diseases. These are downloadable for free. Nutrition brochures with enhanced
images and current data will also be helpful for additional client education.
These materials will be given for free for those who had nutrition counseling
and available for download at the iFNRI website.
Individuals who opt to register in the site can
freely track their food intake and physical activities on a daily basis using
the Food and Physical Activity Tracker beta. The current module, which is
continuously being improved, allows individuals to understand their caloric
intake for the day and see their caloric expenditure on the different physical
activities they did. Calculations on these trackers are based on the Philippine
Food Composition Tables (PhilFCT) and from the metabolic equivalents of
physical activities based on the Compendium of Physical Activity.
At the back-end of the HELP Online, RNDs with
administrator privilege can also access the automated calculators for the
calorie and nutrient requirements, Food Exchange List, meal planners and
24-hour food recall sheets. This would eliminate the tedious manual calculation
every Dietitian performs when creating a personalized diet for clients. More
importantly, all client information will be kept confidential and be stored in
a secured system that follows the standard nutrition care practice model.
With HELP Online, modernizing the nutritional
assessment practices and delivery channel of nutrition counseling through the
use of ICT in the Philippines can be realized.
For more information on food and nutrition,
contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana,
Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and
Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; Telephone/ Fax Nos:
837-2934 or 837-3164; Direct Line:839-1839; DOST Trunk Line: 837-2071-82 local
2296 or 2284; e-mail: mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph or at mar_v_c@yahoo.com; FNRI-DOST
website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph.
Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/FNRI.DOST or follow our Twitter
account at twitter.com/FNRI_DOST. (FNRI-DOST
S & T Media Service/PIA-Caraga)
ET2M2: FNRI’s technology transfer information at
your fingertip!
By Alexis M. Ortiz
The electronic Technology Transfer Monitoring Map
(ET2M2) is an online web-based application on the Food and Nutrition Research
Institute’s technology transfer activities. The ET2M2 can be accessed through
the iFNRI website under the database category.
This application stores data on technologies
transferred and diffused nationwide classified as bakery products, noodle
products, complementary foods, stabilized brown rice, iron rice premix, and low
fat low sugar ice cream, among others.
The ET2M2 is a useful tool for entrepreneurs,
personnel of local government units (LGUs), non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), other stakeholders and the FNRI management in identifying the available
FNRI technologies and products developed which are ready for transfer and commercialization.
The tool was jointly developed by the Institute’s
Business Development Unit (BDU) and Management Information System Unit (MISU).
For more information on food and nutrition,
contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana,
Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and
Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; Telephone/ Fax Nos:
837-2934 or 837-3164; Direct Line:839-1839; DOST Trunk Line: 837-2071-82 local
2296 or 2284; e-mail: mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph or at mar_v_c@yahoo.com; FNRI-DOST
website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph.
Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/FNRI.DOST or follow our Twitter
account at twitter.com/FNRI_DOST. (FNRI-DOST S&T Media Service/PIA-Caraga)
DOST launches SETUP project in Bislig City
BUTUAN CITY, May 11 (PIA) - A P1.7Million project
of Mangagoy Fishermen Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MAFISCO) funded by the
Department of Science and Technologys’ (DOST’s) Small Enterprise Technology
Upgrading Program (SETUP) was launched rececntly in Bislig City. This is so far
the biggest SETUP funded project in the 2nd district of Surigao del Sur.
The launching of the upgraded ice plant with 17
tons capacity, from 10 tons capacity before, was attended by cooperative’s
officials and Caressa Leanne V. Lim, OIC Provincial Science and Technology
Director of DOST-Surigao del Sur.
Technology upgrading of the ice plant started last
November 3, 2015. It was completed by the end of January 2016. Series of test
runs were conducted to make sure that the equipment installed were running on
its specification.
The key features of the upgrade include having 360
cans of ice per batch compared to 165 cans before and, harvesting of ice and
water filling is now five cans per batch compared to one can before.
Members of the cooperative include fishermen, boat
operators, fish traders, market and ambulant vendors. A thousand of these
beneficiaries are expected to benefit from the gains of the project. The
upgraded facility aims to a increase 100 percent in sales during the first year
of operation.
DOST SETUP is a nationwide flagship program of
DOST that helps micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to improve their
business by boosting up their productivity and competitiveness through science,
technology and innovation interventions. (DOST-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
