DFA Butuan implements online appointment system for
passport applicants
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 17 (PIA) – The Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA) here will be fully implementing its online appointment
system for passport applicants on Monday, February 20, 2017.
It can be recalled that DFA has initially started
its appointment system since April 2016, and it applicants should have to take
online appointment before transacting at their field office at 3rd floor of
Robinsons Place, this city.
Starting on Monday, the DFA here will no longer
accept walk-in applicants except for senior citizens, pregnant women, minor
from 0-7 years old, Persons with Disability and returning OFWs on short
vacation.
For online appointment, visit DFA website at
https://www.passport.gov.ph. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
Pag-IBIG Fund promotes saving programs for
employees
By Regal C. Oribia
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 17 (PIA) – The Home Development
Mutual Fund (HDMF), more popularly known as Pag-IBIG Fund intends to promote
further its savings programs to help all the government and private employees
achieve financial independence during retirement.
Under the Pag-IBIG program 1, a member can have a
total accumulated value (TAV) of more than P90,000 in just 10 years by
increasing the employee’s share on top of the mandatory monthly contribution of
P100 as required by law.
The program has a superior savings features
compared to banks which has no maintaining balance required, no fees collected
during inactivity/dormancy, and tax-exempt dividends given that the declared
dividends for the last five years have not gone down below the four percent
level.
Hence, the bigger the savings, the bigger the
loanable amount which is 80 percent of the member’s savings regardless of the
number of months contributions. And it can be used for payment of child’s
tuition fee, home improvements, purchase of needed appliances, medicines, among
others.
In addition, Pag-IBIG Fund has an optional
investment program called Modified Pag-IBIG 2 (MP2) which has a higher annual
tax-exempt dividend rate than Pag-IBIG 1. It has a fixed term of five years and
pre-termination shall only be allowed under the following circumstances: total
disability or insanity, separation from service by reason of health, and death
of the member. The minimum savings required is P500 per month.
The management understands that the plight of the
retirees more often than not was caused by the absence or the lack of knowledge
in managing their finances. And they believe that there is no better way to
lessen, if not eliminate the problem, but to save more.
Pag-IBIG Fund suggested a formula to ensure savings
which is Income minus Savings equals Expenses (I-S=E). (RCO/PIA-Caraga)
PSA Caraga joins 2017 civil registration month
celebration
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 17 (PIA) - The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
Caraga has set various activities in celebration of the 2017 Civil Registration
Month this February in partnership with the PSA provincial offices and some
local government units of Caraga.
PSA Caraga regional director Dr. Rosalinda C. Apura
said the celebration kicked-off with the simultaneous hanging of streamers,
panel exhibits on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS); mobile
registration conducted to different barangays in the region in coordination
with the Local Civil Registrars; information dissemination conducted to various
schools; mass wedding; civil registration quiz for PSA employees and Local
Civil Registrars Office staff- provincial and regional levels.
Other activities include Best Display on CRVS: Death
Statistics using Infographics to be participated by LCROs of Agusan del Norte;
and poster making and slogan contests to high school students of Agusan del
Norte.
There will also be in-house training on
Decentralized Vital Statistics System (DVSS) and updates on Marriage
Registration still to be conducted by PSA-Agusan del Norte.
The month-long celebration is one of the approaches
of the agency in giving continuous awareness on the importance of Civil
Registration in the life of the Filipino people.
This year’s celebration carries the theme,
“Pilipinong Rehistrado, Matatag na Kinabukasan ay Sigurado.”
(FEA/PSA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
Agusan Norte OKs inter-agency convergence for abaca
commodity
By Aimee B. Sienes
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 17 (PIA) - The provincial
government of Agusan del Norte is into Program Contract for an Inter-Agency
Convergence for Abaca Commodity to institutionalize support for the
implementation of the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) in the
province.
This is now adopted and approved by the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan through Provincial Resolution No. 034-2017, authored by Vice
Governor Ramon AG. Bungabong, during its 25th regular session recently.
The program contract for abaca commodity
incorporates the identified priority programs and projects of the province for
inclusion in its list of projects for the year 2017 in line with the
implementation of the PCIP.
Under this program, the Caraga State University (CSU)
shall align the province’s programs, projects and activities through research
and development, knowledge management, industry/commodity profiling, Good
Agricultural Practices (GAP), Information Education Campaign (IEC) and industry
forum.
Governor Ma. Angelica Rosedell M. Amante-Matba
endorsed the said program contract to the SP to concretize the plans that are
in line with the agriculture and economic development thrusts of the province.
(LGU-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
Mindanao scholars complete 14-day training on
corridor dev’t in Korea
DAVAO CITY, Feb. 17 (PIA) – A delegation of
Mindanao scholars from government agencies and development organizations
completed a 14-day course on corridor development on Friday in the city of
Seongnam in South Korea.
The 24 participants from Mindanao underwent a
series of training and lectures on Building Strategy for Economic Development
through Corridor Approach from February 5 to 18 funded by the Korea
International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
One of the main objectives of the program is to
enhance the capacity of the participants in preparing strategic policies that
will contribute to the economic growth and development in Mindanao. KOICA is a
development aid agency founded in 1991 to maximize the effectiveness of Korea's
grant aid programs for developing countries.
Among the expected output from the training is an
action plan on establishing sustainable economic development policy in
Mindanao, enhancing the capacity of public officials, as well revitalizing the
regional or rural economic development in the island-region.
“This training will enhance further the skills of
our scholars and employees who will play key roles in pushing our initiatives
to establish economic zones in Mindanao through the corridors program,” said
Secretary Datu Abul Khayr Alonto, chairman of the Mindanao Development
Authority (MinDA).
He added that the region is currently looking at a
holistic approach in which Mindanao’s agriculture and its component sectors
such as fisheries and aquamarine culture are crucial to Mindanao’s development,
following the thrust of strengthening the corridors approach to development.
The training included study visits to some of
Korea’s industry facilities and historical sites including the Busan Port,
Korea Expressway Corporation Traffic Center, Samsung Innovation Museum, and
Cheongpyeong Temple. It is also part of the continuing efforts to strengthen
cooperation in trade between Philippines and Korea.
“This was a great opportunity for us to see for
ourselves Korea’s regional economic development strategies and best practices,
which we can also apply in Mindanao,” said Gerardo Reynaldo, MinDA’s chief of
the Central Mindanao area office and the head of the Mindanao delegation to
Korea.
Reynaldo added that the lectures and on-site
education from the training provided sufficient insights on how to better
pursue the Mindanao Development Corridors Program, as well as the Mindanao
Ecozones Development. Also joining the MinDA participants are representatives
from the local government units, academe, non-government organizations, and
ecozone agencies.
The delegates also took part in the unveiling
ceremony of the Asia-Pacific and Africa Cooperation Academy (APACA) led by its
Head Dr. Un-Seong Jeon and Director Joanne E. Jeong.
The APACA is an institution at Kangwon National
University designed to specialize in various leadership training programs for
individuals in Korea and abroad. Some of these programs are implemented in
cooperation with KOICA, which has been actively promoting sustainable
development, strengthening partnerships with developing partners, and enhancing
the local ownership of beneficiaries among developing countries.
“We are looking forward to applying the action plan
we crafted here, with the help of our professional experts in Korea, to our
respective offices once we get back home. There are still so many potentials to
be tapped in Mindanao,” Reynaldo said.
The 24 Mindanao scholars included Arvin Chua from
the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), Leah
Tarhata Mehila from the Regional Economic Zone Authority-ARMM, Sukarno Baraguir
from the Regional Board of Investments-ARMM, Gilbert Gordo from the University
of Southeastern Philippines, Eileen San Juan from the City Government of
Cagayan de Oro, Marie Angelique Go from the City Government of Zamboanga,
Norhayna Diamla from the Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur, Christopher
Lawrence Arnuco from the Zamboanga Ecozone Authority, Lucio Jamero Jr. from the
The Musikahan sa Tagum Foundation, Abdul Gaffur Madki Howard Alonto II from the
Department of Justice (DOJ) Region X, Abner Caga from the Philippine
Information Agency (PIA)-Caraga, Ameen Andrew Alonto from the Regional
Legislative Assembly-ARMM, and Gerardo Reynaldo, Lordilie Enjambre, Makmod
Pasawilan, Ana Marie Bless Labor, Yvette Valderia, Marjorie Apurado, Carlos
Cerezo, Renato Buhat Jr., Iris Mae Ferraris, Ambrojoe Daud, and Heidi
Villanueva from MinDA. The delegation were also joined by KOICA Philippines
Program Manager Francis Afable. (MinDA/PIA-Caraga)
Agusan Norte helps neighboring province
By Aimee B. Sienes
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 17 (PIA) - The provincial government of
Agusan del Norte, through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Office (PDRRMC) recently extended help and support to the neighboring province
of Agusan del Sur following heavy rains that hit the province and affected many
families and individuals.
The province, through the Agusan del Norte PDRRMC, provided
relief assistance and benefitted 722 affected families in the municipalities of
Talacogon, Bunawan and La Paz.
Aside from the relief assistance, 20 families in the
municipality of La Paz were also provided with hygiene kits, family size mats
and mosquito nets.
PDRRMO Chief Erma R. Suyo led the team in the delivery of
relief goods coursed through the three MDRRMC OpCen of the respective
municipality. (LGU-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
