SurSur bares activities for coop month
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Sept 28 (PIA) – The
province of Surigao del Sur and the city government of Tandag have lined up
various activities for this year's Cooperative Month celebration this October.
This year’s theme is “Cooperatives: The Catalyst of
Chage through Poverty Eradication and Social Transformation.”
In an interview, Provincial Cooperative Development
Officer Angeles Canda and Tandag City Cooperative Development Officer Lorna
Nova said among the identified activities include the hanging of streamers and
tarpaulins, which will start on Saturday, October 1; Zumba or Hataw exercise on
October 1 as kick off activity of the celebration; Regional Cooperative Month
Summit to be held in Butuan City on October 4-5, 2016; National Cooperative
Summit on October 24-26; and tree planting activity, which is also a culmination
activity scheduled on October 29 held in Barangay Maticdum, this city.
(PIA-Surigao del Sur)
CENRO Lianga, partners gather 255 kgs of garbage
during clean-up drive
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
LIANGA, Surigao del Sur, Sept. 28 (PIA) - Personnel
of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Lianga and
officials and employees of the local government units of San Agustin,
Marihatag, and Barobo collected a total of 255 kilograms of garbage during the
simultaneous clean-up activity held recently in several locations of the
province.
Jun Mark Bernaldez of CENRO Lianga said the activity
is part of the observance of the 2016 National Clean-up Month Celebration.
Anchored on the theme: “Bayan Ko, Linis Ko:
Partnering Towards People’s Environmental Movement,” Bernalez said the
synchronized clean-up drive was conducted in Tawnaga Creek, Terminal and Park
located in Barangay Otieza, San Agustin town; Marihatag Park, Terminal and
Creek located in Barangay Poblacion, Marihatag; and all barangays within the
municipality of Barobo.
According to Bernalez, some of the waste materials
collected were plastics, cellophanes and debris that caused pollution with
adverse impact to the environment. The said waste materials were properly
segregated, in accordance with Republic Act 9003 known as “Solid Waste
Management Act” and transported to the sanitary landfill for proper
disposition.
CENRO Lianga chief Hernan Hernandez was grateful
for the active participation of the concerned partners in the local government
units.
“The celebration was successfully undertaken
wherein the participants are helping to mitigate the impact of global warming
and climate change through proper waste management. Regular clean-up activity
is very important rto all of us to ensure a balance and healthful ecology,”
said Hernandez.
The simultaneous clean-up drive is the annual celebration
pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 244 that declares every September as
National Clean-up Month. The event aims to maintain the cleanliness of the
environment particularly in the coastal, river, creek/estero and other public
places that promote the way of life as well as the ecological balance of the
earth. (NGBT/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
Caraga Region shakes for #Pagyanig2016
By April Rose Anne Y. Sanchez
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) - Several local
government units (LGUs) and public and private stakeholders of Caraga Region
simultaneously performed the “Duck, Cover and Hold” technique on Wednesday,
September 28, 2016 at 9:00 A.M. in line with the 3rd Quarter Nationwide
Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED).
Dubbed as “PAGYANIG 2016,” the nationwide drill
measures the country’s readiness whenever an earthquake strikes. This is a form
of raising awareness to populace on the proper actions to be done before,
during and after the occurrence of earthquake.
The ceremonial site of Caraga Region is the
municipality of Talacogon, Agusan del Sur where a total of 9,571 individuals
participated in the drill. The provinces in the region have also identified
ceremonial sites in their respective areas of responsibilities.
The drill in the region’s ceremonial site was led
by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga Region together with the Bureau of
Fire Protection, Department of Public Works and Highways and RESPOND, Inc. as
pool of evaluators. Likewise, drills conducted region-wide were led and
evaluated by national/regional-line agencies and local disaster risk reduction
and management councils.
This tested the readiness and level of preparedness
of Caraga in efficiently and effectively responding to high magnitude
earthquake. Moreover, gaps, issues and lessons learned were identified during
the drills. The exercise improves the ability and capacity of Caraga Region to
respond to and recover from earthquake.
All drills in the region were officially terminated
at 12:00 noon. (OCD-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
OWWA-Caraga joins Angot festival jobs fair
By Sheamin Lae C. Dogmoc
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) - The Overseas Workers
Welfare Administration (OWWA) Caraga participated in the Angot Festival Jobs
Fair 2016 on September 26 at Brgy. Poblacion, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.
Said activity is part of the celebration of 15th
Angot Festival and 56th Town Fiesta, it was learned.
Participating agencies who are presently offering
jobs across Asia, Middle East and U.S. include: Jenerick International Manpower
Inc. with 2,105 job vacancies, Al-Alama International Manpower Services with
820 vacancies, and Eastern Overseas Employment Center with 365 vacancies.
Meanwhile, several companies offering various jobs
for local employment were also present: Sweetsation Inc. (Dunkin Donuts),
Philsaga Mining Corporation, Timberland Security Agency and Bachelors
Express.
During her talk, Provincial PESO Manager Divina
Lagumbay, emphasized the importance of participating in bringing the job
opportunities to the people. “Paving the way of employment for them would
somehow set an encouragement for them to participate and take chance for the
opportunity. The same event is encouraged to counter illegal recruitment and
human trafficking,” she added.
OWWA-Caraga also catered to a number of Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFWs), beneficiaries and dependents with their queries and
concerns. With the help of Ronilo Maningo, OWWA-Family Welfare Officer, five
individuals mostly OFWs were attended to with their respective concerns.
Reynold Monte, one of the OFWs, sought help for
application in the Balik Pinas, Balik Hanap-buhay Program (BPBH). Monte
expressed his thanks to OWWA upon knowing that he was qualified to apply for
the program. “I feel so lucky to be assisted here. It is so convenient on my
part without the need to travel to Butuan City,” stated by Monte, in local
dialect. (OWWA-Caraga/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Butuan's 3 barangays among most populated in Caraga
Region
By Maria Lourdes Pizarro-Apego
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 28 (PIA) - Three barangays in
the city are currently among the top ten most populated barangays in Caraga
region.
These are Barangays Libertad, San Vicente and
Doongan.
Based on the result of the 2015 Census of
Population released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Barangay
Libertad which has a population of 21,703 is second most populated barangay in
the region while Barangay San Vicente, with a population of 16,187 is ranked
fifth and Barangay Doongan, with a population of 13,728 is tenth most
populated.
The number one most populated barangay in the
region is Barangay Mangagoy in Bislig City with a population of 32,464,
followed by Barangay Libertad Butuan City, Barangay Washington in Surigao City
with a population of 18, 900, Barangay Taft also in Surigao City, with a
population of 18,571, and fifth most populated is Poblacion Trento with a
population of 18,139.
The sixth most populated barangay in Caraga region
is Barangay San Vicente of Butuan City, followed by Barangay Poblacion Bayugan
with a population of 16,010, Barangay San Juan in Surigao City with a
population of 14,925, followed by Bayugan 3 of Rosario with a population of
13,922 and Barangay Doongan, Butuan City. (Radyo ng Bayan Butuan/PIA-Agusan del
Norte)
Rep. Barbers calls on local chief executives to
mobilize anti-drug abuse council
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Sept. 28 (PIA) –
Surigao del Norte 2nd district representative Robert Ace S. Barbers once again
hits out at the uncooperative local government units (LGUs) for their inaction
to lead the fight against illegal drugs in their respective areas.
“The challenge now is for the local government
units to mobilize the anti-drug abuse council in their respective areas.
There’s an existing law for this. LGUs can be penalized for gross negligence
due to their passiveness,” Barbers said.
He said that according to Section 51 of R.A. 9165,
LGUs shall appropriate a substantial portion of their respective annual budgets
to assist in or enhance the enforcement of the Dangerous Drugs Act by giving
priority to preventive or educational programs and the rehabilitation or
treatment of drug dependents.
“Every Provincial Drug Abuse Council must spearhead
the training and capacity-building activities of their respective Barangay
Anti-Drug Abuse Councils to enable them to effectively help in this grave war
on drugs,” Barbers added. (SDR/Congressional Office/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Feature: First class slaughterhouse facility rises
in AgNor town
By Dan Gudahl
September 22, 2016 was a momentous day in the
history of the Philippine Cold Chain Project (PCCP). The morning was spent at the ribbon cutting
for the now well-equipped municipal slaughterhouse in Buenavista, Agusan del
Norte. The new slaughterhouse is located just a few kilometers west of Butuan
City.
When PCCP started working on slaughterhouse
development, we made the rounds visiting local mayors that requested some
assistance and wanted to collaborate.
The problem faced here in the Philippines is that each mayor and local
government unit has the responsibility to deal with issues of public health and
sanitation in their municipalities. Part
of this responsibility includes enforcement of rules and regulations regarding
the slaughter of animals and assurance that this process is done in a humane
and clean fashion. Backyard slaughtering
in the town is not legal and should be done in a slaughterhouse.
After evaluating the situation in Buenavista, we
found out that it was not unlike most other municipalities that the team
visited. First of all, the mayor, his
engineer and local staff involved with the public market and slaughterhouse did
not possess an in-depth knowledge on how to make a new slaughterhouse work.
The existing slaughterhouse, located a short
distance from the wet market could be described as a black cement slab and
table with a cast iron tub for scalding pigs.
All slaughtering was done on the floor of this totally inadequate
facility.
To promote change and improvements, the local
government unit (LGU) had built a new “slaughter” house in another location. We
inspected the existing place where animals were butchered and, afterwards,
visited the newly-built structure where the slaughtering will be done. On
touring this new facility, it had the rudimentary design features of a pig and
cattle slaughter facility. However, the
overall materials used showed that the contractor was familiar with building
houses but not building slaughter facilities.
The floor tiles, drainage system, water system, roof, entrances for
people and animals were mostly done incorrectly, if not all!
PCCP staff then proceeded to work with the LGU and
mayor’s office to redesign the new facility. There were necessary design
changes to turn it into a working facility.
The project had been able to locate an excellent contractor based out of
Manila who specializes in slaughter plant construction. This contractor had been able to take
measurements, prefabricate equipment and deliver it to the site. The
construction team lived on site until the installation was completed. They also worked with the LGU to initiate
necessary design changes and improvements.
PCCP discovered, as well, that plans developed by
the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) for small-scale slaughter
facilities have not been adequately vetted.
One problem with the NMIS plans is in the design of the chute for the
pigs when entering the plant. PCCP
changed this design to be just wide enough for the pig to walk in and also
walls should be made of hollow block and not rails. The ramp should also be on a gradual angle
and not difficult for the animal to walk up.
In this way, stress on the livestock and handler is minimized.
The Philippines has good law on the books that
mandates humane treatment of animals. A
properly designed facility should assure that the animal’s welfare is a primary
concern. PCCP works with NMIS provincial
unit to help raise awareness about what is illegal. “Zorro” marking where the pig is marked with
a razor blade on its hide for identification purposes should be stopped. Stunning the pig with ineffective means that
end up torturing the animal should be stopped as well. In PCCP-assisted facilities, a stunner is
installed. After the pig walks up to the
slaughterhouse, it is held in a specially designed chute. The butcher rinses off the pig and then uses
the stunner. The stunner is a “y” shaped
device that is placed behind the pig’s ears on its neck. A foot pedal is used to start and stop and
electric charge which stuns the pig to the point of unconsciousness. There is no noise if this device is used
correctly. The chute then has a swinging
door, which allows easy access to the now stunned pig. The pig then is “stuck” so that the blood
drains and is caught in a sanitary container.
Pig blood is a very popular cooking ingredient here in the Philippines
so it is saved. Once this process is
complete, the carcass is placed in the scalding tank. This tank has been designed in such a way
that it is easy to maintain the water at a scalding temperature without the
presence of smoke from the fire in the slaughterhouse. Above this tank there is an electric
winch. This winch, along with a
stainless steel gambrel is used to pull the carcass out of the scalding tank in
a way that keeps the butcher safe from the hot water and also helps him to
avoid heavy lifting. The carcass is now
placed on a stainless table where it is scraped of all its hair. People here like to have their pork with
“skin on” unlike in the United States where the skin is usually removed. Once scraped the gambrel is attached to a
hook and this hook is on a roller which is placed on a rail. This makes for easy movement of the
carcass. At this stage, the butchers may
choose to “flame” the carcass as well which entails using a blow torch to burn
of any remaining hair or fuzz on the skin.
The carcass is now open and the entrails are placed in a stainless
container. These entrails and the
carcass are examined by the local LGU meat inspector. The entrails are passed through an opening to
a “dirty” area where they are further processed. The butchers, who are wearing boots, aprons,
hair net and face mask continue their work while standing on an elevated metal
platform. Once everything is clean and
sorted, the carcass can be weighed, bagged in plastic or chilled (if a cooler
is available). At the end of the rail,
the carcass is then transferred to a meat van and taken to the local market
where the meat vendor cuts the carcass up in appropriate meat cuts.
The butchers have to wear proper equipment
including rubber boots and pass through a foot bath and hand wash before they
can start to work. They should also have
available a rest area and bathroom facility on site and be trained in proper
procedures and sanitation techniques. A
knife dip should be used regularly to keep knives clean and sanitary. Also the work areas should be kept
clean. In order to facilitate this, the
proper design includes overhead water piping with hoses and pressure nozzles
available in properly spaced intervals.
Outside the facility, there should be a wall with a gate, a cement
“apron” around the slaughter house, and adequate water holding and water
treatment facilities to handle the large amount of waste water generated by the
facility.
In the case of Buenavista, there was a very nice
ribbon cutting ceremony attended by all barangay captains and also members of
the mayor’s management committee or SB.
The facility was properly blessed by the local priest and speeches were
given. This was followed by a typical
meal that included roast pig. The best
part for me however was being able to see a project though to
implementation. It took longer than we
expected but, in the end, PCCP and the LGU were able to come together and
surmount all difficulties faced. There
is more to do at the new facility, including installation of a cattle line,
cementing for the lot outside and putting up a wall and gate. Still, Buenavista can now take pride of their
'AA' slaughter house facility where things are being done properly without any
“on-floor” butchering and reduced stress for the pigs and people involved.
(Winrock-PCCP/PIA-Caraga)
Sec. Panelo graces inauguration of rehab center,
launching of SURE program in AgSur
By David M. Suyao
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, Sept. 28 (PIA) - Chief
Presidential Legal Council Atty. Salvador Panelo flew all the way from Manila
to grace the inauguration of the Residential Treatment and Rehabilitation
Center (RTRC) and the formal launching of the Substance Use Recovery and
Enlightenment (SURE) program that will address the needs of the victims who
submitted themselves at the height of the war staged by the government against
illegal drugs.
The SURE program became Ordinance No. 135 series of
2016 passed by Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Santiago Cane Jr., approved on
September 14, 2016 by Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza. The RTRC is one of the
components of the SURE program purposely to house severely affected victims of
illegal drugs, who submitted themselves for treatment during the operation
“Tokhang.”
Presently, there are already patients who avail of
the totally free services of the RTRC located at the 401st Infantry Brigade
Headquarters in New Leyte, Awa, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.
After the blessing of the RTRC, Gov. Adolph Edward
Plaza and 1st District Representative Maria Valentina Plaza, with Sec. Salvador
Panelo, Department of Health (DOH) Usec. Achilles Gerard Bravo, PNP 13 regional
director PCSupt. Rolando Felix, BGen. Ronnie Evangelista of the Eastern
Mindanao Command, Philippine Army, and other dignitaries proceeded to the
Provincial Government Center for the formal launching of the SURE program at
the Outreach Drop-in Center (ODIC).
“If Pres. Duterte did not win the election, will
all these things about drugs be unearthed? Will there be a President as
decisive as now?” BGen. Evangelista remarked.
“In all sectors of the society, drug menace is
there. I would suggest that instead of barking against each other, why don’t we
exhaust our resources? Why don’t we exhaust our energy into contributing to
resolve this drug menace? This is no longer for us because we have been
affected already. This is for the next generation and the generation to come,”
BGen. Evangelista added.
In his statement, DOH Usec. Achilles Gerard Bravo
said he is glad to announce that the plan to establish rehabilitation centers
was decentralized at the regional level. He added that while the national
government is in the process of implementing the plan nationwide, Agusan del
Sur has already established its own.
According to Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza, he was
toying with the idea of formulating SURE program and establishing the ODIC in
Agusan del Sur for a very long time until he met an International Certified Substance
Abuse Therapist by the name of Mark Larry Chua two years ago.
“I believe it’s God’s blessings for the Agusanons
that President Rodrigo Duterte became our President because we have one common
goal: To eradicate the drug problem in the country. Now here we are,
inaugurating the RTRC and launching the SURE program. Presently, there are 41
recovering persons from drug addiction in the ODIC. And I am very proud that
only in Agusan del Sur that this program and project exist. I am also honored
to say that the people of Agusan del Sur is my inspiration and it is my moral
duty and responsibility to give better life of every Agusanon,” Gov. Plaza
said.
Meanwhile, Sec. Salvador Panelo thanked Gov. Plaza
for giving him the opportunity to join the activity. Panelo said he was
impressed with Gov. Plaza’s sincerity and passion, which is evident in his
accomplishments for several years serving as governor and with programs like
the SURE. Sec. Panelo also recalled the statements made by President Rodrigo
Duterte regarding the war against illegal drugs.
“Our country is facing very sensitive, very
dangerous problem. The President said never in his imagination that we have
such a drug menace in a magnitude that even the most visionary could not
visualize – the 712,000 surrenderees. There are already 3.7 million addicted
with these dangerous drugs and once already afflicted for more than a year, it
is no longer reversible. We can now imagine we have 3.7 million potential
killers, rapist, robbers and other criminals," he said.
"I then suggested to the President that with
this kind of people, we need an island with facilities like schools and other
facilities that would address the needs of the people and have these people
transferred to that island in order to save them and save the society from
them,” Sec. Panelo added. (PPIO-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del
Sur)
Cebuano News: Ika-22 nga Siargao International
Surfing Cup sa General Luna gisugdan
Ni Mary Jul E. Escalante
DAKBAYAN SA SURIGAO, Surigao del Norte, Sept. 28
(PIA) – Malampuson nga gisugdan ang ika-22 nga Siargao International Surfing
Cup niadtong Septyembre 23, 2016 didto sa Cloud 9, lungsod sa General Luna,
ning probinsya.
Mokabat sa 64 ka mga mahiligon sa surfing gikan sa
nagkalain-laing nasod sama sa Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Hawaii,
Hongkong, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, USA ug Philippines ang me
partisipar sa maong kompetisyon.
Ang maong kalihukan gitambungan sa mga inilang
bisita sama nila House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez sa House of Representative,
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea sa Office of the President, DOT Dir.
Shalimar Hofer Tamano nga nagrepresentar ni DOT Sec. Wanda Corazon Teo, COMELEC
Commissioner Atty. Ma. Rowena Guanzon uban sa iyang mga kauban nga mga comelec
directors ug uban pang mga pinasidunggang bisita.
Ang maong tinuig nga kompetisyon gisugdan niadtong
Septyembre 23 og kini mahuman sa Septyembre 29, 2016. (PGO-PIC/PIA-Surigao del
Norte)
