DTI conducts Diskwento Caravan in flood-affected
areas in AgSur town
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, Feb. 7 (PIA) – Some
300 consumers/households have availed of the discounted prices from the
Diskwento Caravan conducted recently in the barangays of Osmena, Poblacion and
Sagunto by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provincial office here
with its regional office, in coordination with the local government unit of La
Paz.
According to DTI Agusan del Sur Provincial Director
Brenda Corvera, the Diskwento Caravan was conducted to give chance to the
flood-affected families to buy basic commodities and other dry goods at low
prices.
Commodities offered include the following:
sardines, beef loaf, corned beef, sausage, and other canned goods, noodles,
coffee, milk, bread, laundry soap, detergent powder, bath soap, kitchen
wares/utensils, mosquito nets, raincoats, shoes, umbrella, slippers, curtains,
blankets, blouses and t-shirts.
Suppliers who joined the Caravan include Life
Giving Products and Specialty Co., D’ Best Value Products Distribution
Corporation, Sunpride Foods Incorporated, Happy Enterprises from Butuan City
and some local producers of Agusan del Sur.
It was also learned that on February 10, 2017,
another Diskwento Caravan will be conducted in Barangay Panagangan, La Paz,
Agusan del Sur. With this, DTI is inviting more consumers to come on the
scheduled date. (JPG/DTI-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
2 rebels surrender at the start of army offensive
operation in Caraga
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, Feb. 7 (PIA) - Two
regular members of the New Peoples Army (NPA) in this province have surrendered
to the 3rd Special Forces Battalion based in Bayugan City on Monday, February
6, 2017. They brought with them one M16, two garand, one carbine, one Light
Anti-Tank Weapon and two IEDs.
The surenderees who were identified as Jerry Petelo
alias ‘Wawie’ and Rany Ayawon alias ‘Dondon’ of the North Eastern Mindanao
Regional Party Committee (NEMRC) of the NPA operating in Agusan Norte and
Agusan del Sur cited their frustration against the NPA leadership after their
promised allowances were no longer given. The fear of the incoming army
offensive was also among the reasons for their surrender.
The two surrenderees further revealed that a lot of
their NPA companions in their unit share the same sentiment after President
Rodrigo Duterte lifted the unilateral ceasefire earlier declared. They said
that many have already left their unit for good while others are planning to
surrender.
Lt. Col. Cristobal Zaragoza, Brigade Commander of
the 401st Brigade, assured the duo that they will be treated well and will be
assisted in their return to the mainstream society per instruction of MGen.
Benjamin Madrigal, the 4th Infantry Division Commander.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero of the
Eastern Mindanao Command congratulated the 401st Brigade especially Capt.
Jasper Bayrante and CInsp. Rommel
Villamor for ensuring the safety of the two NPA-surrenderees when they extricated
from their main group.
Also, the duo will be given their benefits under
the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) of the government and
incentives for the firearms they have returned to start a new life. (401st
Brigade, Phil. Army/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
DTI reminds repair shop owners to apply for shop
accreditation, renewal
PROPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, Feb. 7 (PIA) – To
ensure that repair shops operating in the province will have or maintain their
accreditation, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Provincial Office here
has conducted its provincial team monitoring primarily to remind service repair
enterprises to apply for accreditation and renewal.
As provided in the Presidential Decree No. 1572,
service repair enterprises engage in repairs of motor vehicles, heavy equipment,
engines and engineering work, electronics, electrical, air conditioning and
refrigeration, office machines and data processing equipment, medical and
industrial equipment, appliances and related devices are required to be
accredited first with the DTI before starting operation.
DTI Agusan del Sur Provincial Director Brenda
Corvera said that the accreditation aims to protect the interest of the
customer by ensuring that these enterprises comply with the standards in terms
of the following: tools and equipment, competency of workers, insurance and
others. “Yearly accreditation hopes to discourage unfair practices of service
repair enterprises and encourage continual improvement and adherence to set
standards,” she added.
Accreditation applicants are required to submit the
following to DTI office: Duly accomplished application form; Copy of
Comprehensive General Liability Insurance Policy and Official Receipt;
Warranty; List of tools and equipment and corresponding value; List of shop
employees; Photo of the shop; Shop lay-out, organizational chart; Certificate
of Competency from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA); and Dealership agreement for 5 Star Category. (JPG/DTI-Agusan del
Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
PopCom intensifies campaign for family planning
By May Ann O. Escobal
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 7 (PIA) - The Commission on
Population (PopCom) has always been positive that through concerted efforts
with the local government units (LGUs) and other relevant government agencies,
family planning services shall be made available to all women and couples who
need such services.
In the recently approved Executive Order No. 12 of
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, entitled Attaining and Sustaining “Zero Unmet
Need for Modern Family Planning” through the Strict Implementation of the
Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act, all LGUs are encouraged to
integrate strategies in their Local Development Plans (LDPs) and investment
programs to support universal access to Reproductive Health (RH) services
through demand generation, service delivery network and mobilization of community
volunteers including the Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), Barangay Population
Volunteers (BPVs) and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) in geographically
isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).
In close collaboration with all LGUs,
house-to-house visit and other intensive community-based demand generation and
referral activities shall be conducted to ensure the provision of quality
modern family planning information and services, within the principle of
informed choice and voluntarism. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and private
sector shall also be tapped in implementing these interventions to ensure that
all women and couples who wanted to space or limit pregnancies through the use
of modern FP shall be referred and served.
With the prevailing population issues, the
Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP) will be pursued to address the
key population issues in the country towards its overall goal of “Matatag,
Maginhawa, at Planadong Pamilyang Pilipino.” This aims to empower every
Filipino individual and family to achieve their aspirations and development
goals by enabling them to have their desired number and spacing of children
with the demands of responsible parenthood and principles of informed choice.
The population of Caraga Region will increase by
2,663,610 by end of 2017, based on projections made by the Commission on
Population (PopCom) Caraga using data from the Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA), and this projection includes women of reproductive age and adolescent
girls. PopCom further disclosed that adolescent pregnancies are also in the
rise.
“High unintended and unplanned pregnancies, low
contraceptive use and high unmet need for modern family planning, and low
involvement of men in Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Family
Planning are among the contributing factors of these development issues.”
PopCom Caraga Regional Director Alexander A. Makinano reiterated.
The PopCom official also stressed the demographic,
socio-economic and health implications of these population issues for these are
very critical in attaining the sustainable development goals – if the
population continue to rise and will not be addressed. (Popcom-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
NGCP to pursue Visayas-Mindanao grid connection
By Glory Rebleza
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Feb. 7 (PIA) - The
results are out. National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) completed
the first step towards unifying the nation’s three power grids.
In an NGCP-commissioned hydrographic survey
conducted from September to November 2016, a viable route along the country’s
western seaboard – beginning in Cebu and terminating in Dipolog– was determined
as viable for the implementation of the plans of interconnecting the Visayas
and Mindanao grids.
The Luzon and Visayas grids have long been
connected via NGCP’s Naga – Ormoc High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) line.
“NGCP is pleased to report that we already finished
the hydrographic survey that will determine the route of the Visayas-Mindanao
Interconnection Project (VMIP). With this development, we now have a clearer
plan on the project’s implementation. Power resource sharing between the
country’s major islands will now become a reality,” declared NGCP.
Previous feasibility studies conducted by the
National Power Corporation, one dating back to as early as 1984, were deferred
by the government, then the grid operator.
An earlier study conducted by NGCP revealed eastern routes as unsuitable
for submarine cable ground laying because of a significant quantity of live
ordinance – torpedoes and high explosive shells – from the Battle of Surigao in
1944, an underwater volcano, fault lines, and seismic hazards, such as unstable
rock slabs that can cause landslips and tsunamis.
NGCP is seeking the support of the public and its
stakeholders for the full and immediate implementation of the project. “NGCP
assures its stakeholders of the company’s dedication to determine the most
reliable and cost-efficient path to completion. This is a large undertaking. We
want this facility to be state-of-the-art, as well as sturdy enough to last
generations," it said.
“We are considering many factors in the design and
implementation of the project, including changing weather conditions. Ensuring
the quality and reliability of power transmission services to both Visayas and
Mindanao customers is of paramount importance,” the company said.
With the hydrographic survey result, NGCP will now
proceed with the preparation of a conceptual design, detailed cost-estimate,
and update of system simulation study using the Cebu-Dipolog route, in order to
complete documents needed for its ERC application by April 2017.
Inland and route surveys for substations and
associated overhead transmission lines will also coincide with the preparation
of documents. Barring unforeseen circumstances and unavoidable delays, the
project is estimated to be completed by December 2020.
“We need the support of the government, the Energy
Regulatory Commission, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and
the different local government units the project will traverse, among others,
to push this forward. With their full support, we are confident that we will be
able to complete this project on time,” stated the company.
NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of
operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid. It transmits
high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways” that include the
interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, substations, and related
assets.
The consortium, which holds the 25-year concession
contract to operate the country's power transmission network, is comprised of Monte
Oro Grid Resources Corp. led by Henry Sy, Jr., Calaca High Power Corporation
led by Robert Coyiuto, Jr., and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) as
technical partner. (NGCP/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
