Abalayan group receives economic benefits from NGPI
By Rechel D. Besonia
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur, Jan. 10 (PIA) - A
total of 130 farmers from Abalayan group finally received their economic
benefits from the NDC-Guthrie Plantations Incorporated (NGPI) Multi Purpose
Cooperative (MPC) - formerly National Development Corp. (NDC) amounting to more
than P1M during the monthly meeting and assessment of validated Agrarian Reform
Beneficiaries (ARBs) of NDC Properties held recently at Escleto Microtel, San
Francisco, this province.
DAR Caraga regional director Julita A. Ragandang,
PARPO II Leoncio C. Bautista Jr., Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer
(PARPO) Allan N. Mundala, NDC team headed by Municipal Agrarian Reform Program
Officers (MARPO) Divina R. Castilla, Evita R. Puerin and Mario Anaviso, farmers
from Abalayan group headed by Metodio Abalayan and the NGPI MPC headed by
chairman Nestor D. Alcular graced said event.
“We are very grateful for this day knowing that our
sacrifices and personal commitment in helping you has paid off. Everyone is
entitled for an equal distribution of benefits because you are all agrarian
reform beneficiaries,” underlined director Ragandang.
“It is important that you should continue with your
good relationship to the department because they are the frontliners and direct
persons who will help you address the problems,” Ragandang added.
“I am happy that after many years of struggles,
mediation conferences, negotiations and dialogues, we finally come this far.
This only proves that we are heading towards a peaceful relation among each
members, though slowly but surely,” expressed Bautista.
Also, during his message, Abalayan extended his
thanks to the cooperative for finally granting what they have been yearning for
a long time. “We are only here to fight what is rightfully ours and we are not
asking more than what we owe,” he said.
For Dolores T. Loque, a member of the Abalayan
group, the effort made by the department is very commendable. “Thank you so
much to DAR for helping us in settling our individual differences. If it were
not because of the effort they made, this moment might not be realized,” she
highlighted.
The group was one of the breakaway groups from the
original NGPI Multi Purpose Cooperative created in 1988 and was formed when the
disgruntling members of the cooperative resigned due to various problems
encountered in running the cooperative. But since their resignation in 2013 they
were not given the benefits due to them.
The economic benefits distributed consist of their
MSO, savings deposit, capital build-up (CBU), dividend and patronage refund.
Meanwhile, it can be recalled that other breakaway
groups had already received their economic benefits during the Farmer’s
dialogue held last October 3, 2016 with Undersecretary Marcos D. Risonar Jr.
(JPG/DAR-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
'No to lowering age of criminal responsibility' -
DSWD-Caraga
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 10 - As the lead in social
protection, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Caraga
supports the call against lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility
(MACR).
This was the advocacy popularized by the members of
the Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee (RJJWC) chaired by the DSWD
during the recently concluded week-long observance of the 5th Juvenile Justice
and Welfare Week.
Regional Director Minda B. Brigoli bared that this
year’s theme which states “Rehab, Hindi Rehas: Itaguyod ang R.A.10630” is a
call of the JJWC to oppose several bills filed in Congress that intends to
amend the law and lower the MACR from 15 years old to nine.
“We are now facing another challenging battle in
pursuing our mandate and mission,” said Brigoli.
“Several bills were filed at the House of
Representatives proposing to lower the MACR. We, at the DSWD and the RJJWC
advocate for the full implementation of the law instead of amending the law again,”
she added.
“Our
children in conflict with the law (CICLs) need proper care and they should not
be put in jails where they are exposed to abuses and influence of hardened
criminals,” Brigoli quipped. (Social Marketing Unit/DSWD Field Office Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
DSWD secretary meets 'Pantawid Pamilya'
partner-beneficiaries in Agusan Sur
By Ryan Malbas Tapayan
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Jan. 10 (PIA) – The Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo, together
with DSWD-Caraga regional director Minda B. Brigoli, recently facilitated the
Focus Group Discussion (FDG) to selected Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
partner-beneficiaries in the municipality of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur as part of
the general program of activities of the 5th Annual Celebration of the
Sustainable Livelihood Program Congress.
The said FGD aimed to evaluate the gains of the
program after its eight-year implementation in the region, to collect success
stories from the field and to gather relevant information on how to enhance the
timely and effective delivery of services to
partner-beneficiaries.
Conducted at the Barangay Training Center, the
selected partner-beneficiaries showed some of the positive traits and their
learning on their participation in the monthly conducted Family Development
Session (FDS).
Some of the activities they did during the FGD were
the creative illustration of the kind of community they like, a community that
they do not like, and the sharing of personal experience as Pantawid Pamilya partner-beneficiaries.
Secretary Taguiwalo lauded the program
implementation in the region as she observed that some of the
partner-beneficiaries of the program are empowered, and they are articulate on
how their lives have changed with the intervention of the convergence of
programs of the government. (Social Marketing Unit/DSWD Field Office
Caraga/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
PNP Caraga records notable accomplishments in 2016
By PCInsp Charity S Galvez
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 10 (PIA) - The combined efforts
of police force in Caraga region and other stakeholders had resulted in several
notable accomplishments against illegal drugs, illegal gambling, illegal
logging, loose firearms, and illegal firecrackers in 2016.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 13 reginal director
CSupt Rolando Felix disclosed that Caraga PNP had already accomplished 99.73
percent in Project Double Barrel. PRO 13 and accounted a total of 9,080 drug
personalities out from the target of 9,104 regionwide.
He added that amid the continuing efforts against
illegal drugs, 1,142 operations, were conducted which resulted in the arrest of
1,158 drug suspects and confiscation of P120,081,833 worth of shabu and
marijuana. Then, 53 drug personalities were killed in the process of anti-drug
operations.
In the war against illegal gambling, PRO 13
recorded a total of 126 operations throughout the year. A total of 117 had been
arrested; 141 illegal gambling machines were confiscated, and 42 illegal number
games were tallied. Confiscated cash reached to P178,157.
Meanwhile, Felix also divulged that the PNP and its
partner agencies had made significant strides against illegal logging.
P7,644,078 worth of confiscated logs and lumber measuring a total volume of
466,248 board feet were confiscated during the 186 operations in the entire
region.
In terms of accomplishments against loose firearms,
PRO 13 had documented a total of 1,054 surrendered and confiscated firearms
during the successful conduct of 308 police operations. Based on the data, 300
arrested suspects were charged with the violation of Comprehensive Law on
Firearms and Ammunition.
On the other hand, during the strict implementation
of the selling of illegal firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices, the
police force in Caraga confiscated a total of 671,006 pieces with estimated
value of P287,644.40. Only 19 firecracker-related incident were recorded in the
entire region. This has reflected a 98.25 percent decreased compared with last
year’s 80 incidents. No record of indiscriminate firing and injuries due to
stray bullet all throughout the yuletide season.
Year 2016 had been a challenging year but with
successful activities and accomplishments of PRO 13, the region’s top cop is
hopeful to sustain these figures and breakthrough results in the coming years
with continues support of partner agencies and other stakeholders, said Felix.
(PNP PRO 13/PIA-Caraga)
2016 crime rate in Caraga down by 30%
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 10 (PIA) - Police Regional Office
(PRO) 13 disclosed that the crime rate in Caraga dipped 30 percent from January
1 to December 31, 2016 compared with the same period in 2015.
PRO 13 regional director CSupt Rolando Felix said
that a total of 10,029 crimes were reported in 2016, lower than the 14,331
crime volume listed in 2015.
Citing the record from the Regional Investigation
and Detective Management Division (RIDMD), 63 percent of crimes were solved in
2016 compared with only 44 percent solved cases in 2015.
Data also showed that crimes related to murder,
homicide, rape, robbery and theft posted a significant slide to 50 percent with
only 2,594 totaled crimes in 2016 compared with 5,194 crimes in 2015.
Crime against person like physical injury with the
highest number of cases in 2015 reaching 1,029 declined to 27 percent with 749
in 2016.
However, the case on Murder slightly increased from
395 in 2015 to 405 in 2016. The dramatic surged can be attributed to the number
of killings implicated to the campaign against illegal drugs.
Felix noted that the downtrend of crimes was the
result of combined efforts of the PNP, other law enforcement agencies, local
government units and the community.
“I am calling on the people in Caraga to continue
working with the PNP and our partner agencies to sustain these substantial
gains in bringing down crime incidents in the region,” Felix added. (PNP PRO
13/PIA-Caraga)
