Caraga RLECC to go digital
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 23 (PIA) – “The Regional Law
Enforcement Coordinating Committee (RLECC) in Caraga is the first RLECC in the
country to go digital, as we utilize various digital platforms in doing our
communication operations.”
This was the statement of regional director Abner
Caga of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Caraga, the chairperson of the
Sub-committee on Public Information during the sub-comiitee meeting held on
Tuesday at the regional office here.
RD Caga emphasized that there is a need for the
sub-committee to craft a communication plan to guide member agencies in all
their activities and for them to assess whether existing plans and activities
are effective and useful, thus, it will also serve as their basis to pursue
with existing activities or platforms in the next coming months.
Caga shared the background of how media works in
the region, as well as the trend of the technology these days. He said the
sub-committee will be tapping the media and the member-agencies will just have
to provide relevant information for broader reach of recipients.
The good director underlined how PIA operates and
disseminates timely, accurate and relevant information. He also enumerated the
different platforms of the agency, which include press and photo releases,
SMS/textblast, Caraga INFOcus electronic news magazine, Advance Forward
Emergency Broadcasting System (AFEBS) communication facility, Facebook pages
and other social networking sites.
RD Caga also presented special platform of the
agency like the One Mindanao mobile application, where anyone can download it
conveniently for free thru their smartphones. “We can always put an RLECC icon
in PIA’s mobile application if the sub-committee opted to have it included.
Updates of the sub-committee and its partners will be posted there,” he said.
The sub-committee then agreed to draft the
communication plan during its next meeting. Caga expressed his confidence that
the sub-committee is capable and assertive of doing its functions and
responsibilities.
“We will discuss this further again and we’ll place
every detail in our communication plan,” Caga stressed. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
Butuanons to commemorate 496th first mass
celebration in PH soil
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 23 (PIA) – Butuanons will once
again participate in the different lined-up activities for this year’s 496th
commemoration of the first mass celebration in Philippine soil from March
28-31, 2017.
On March 28, a Thanksgiving Mass will be celebrated
at Bood Promontory and Eco Park in Barangay Pinamanculan, this city by
officiating priest Rev. Fr. Joesilo Amalla, followed with the short program at
the same venue.
Cherry May Busa, city councilor and chairperson of
Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Committee on Tourism will deliver her welcome
message during the program. Butuan City Heritage Society president Gregorio
Jose Hontiveros, 1st District (Butan City and Las Nieves) representative Atty.
Lawrence Lemuel Fortun, Butuan City mayor Engr. Ronnie Vicente Lagnada will
also share their inspirational messages.
On the same date, the following activities will
also be held at the Caraga State University (CSU): opening program; dance
drama; presentation of Ethnic Contemporary Dances; Budjong Chorale
presentation; showcase of CSU’s dairy products and Cabadbaran City products;
Onaw products demonstration and display; as well as the on-the-spot poster
making contest and "baroto" ride.
On March 29, the following activities are also
scheduled at Libertad National High School: Chorale presentation (Butuan and
Visayan Songs); Philippine Folk Dances; Kundiman and Folk Songs; and
Contemporary and Pinoy Pop Dances. In the afternoon of the same day, the Manobo
and Folk Dances, on-the-spot Essay writing contest and Baroto ride will be held
at Butuan City School of Arts and Trades.
On March 30, the visual art exhibit, Manobo Dance
tutorial, bead working, and Baroto ride will be conducted at Agusan National
High School.
The culminating activities on March 31 include the
commemorative Latin Mass, program, and awarding ceremony for the on-the-spot
Poster making and Essay writing contests.
Meanwhile, representatives from the different
sectors will also be participating in the forum in the afternoon of March 31 at
Bood Promontory and Eco Park in Barangay Pinamanculan, Butuan City.
The said commemoration is anchored on the theme,
“One People. One Heritage. One Voice.” (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
RTWPB-13 launches ‘2017 Productivity Olympics’ in
Butuan City
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 23 (PIA) – With the objective to
intensify national awareness and commitment to quality and productivity and to
showcase the best productivity improvement practices, the National Wages and
Productivity Commission (NWPC) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
through the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Caraga Region
(RTWPB-13) launches today in this city the 2017 Productivity Olympics.
“It is a biennial national competition for best
productivity practices of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)
nationwide. This is done to encourage them to adopt productivity improvement
programs,” said Earl dela Victoria, board secretary of RTWPB-13.
Qualified MSMEs who may join the Search for the
Best Productivity Improvement Program are those that are duly registered with
the appropriate government agencies (e.g. Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Cooperative Development
Authority (CDA), Local Government Units (LGU)); must have a productivity
program, existing for at least two years; and never been a recipient of the
Productivity Olympics award at the national level of the same category.
“The award categories for MSMEs are agribusiness,
service and industry. And the criteria include best in business excellence
(total productivity - 25 percent, expansion and growth – 20 percent,
awards/recognition/certification – 5 percent) and best in resource management
(people – 35 percent, system, technology and green – 15 percent),” mentioned
dela Victoria.
The regional screening committee (RSC), composed of
the RTWPB and an external quality and productivity champion in the region,
shall review all MSME applicants according to the prescribed criteria. The RSC
shall select the regional nominees from whom the national screening committees
(NSC) shall select the list of national finalists for submission to the
national judging panel (NJP).
Dela Victoria said that the NJP, tripartite in
composition and headed by the DOLE Secretary, shall likewise select the
national winners. “Awarding will be in October, in time with the celebration of
the National Quality and Productivity Month,” he added.
The winners will be receiving trophy, certificate
and cash award. They too will be given the privilege to use the Productivity
Olympics 2017 Award logo for publicity purposes for three years (2017-2019),
and the priority endorsement to other training programs and services of the
NWPC/RTWPBs and other DOLE agencies.
Interested MSMEs may fill out and submit the
nomination form not later than May 30, 2017 to the RTWPB having jurisdiction
over the place where the applicant is located. (VLG/PIA-Caraga)
70 women, PWDs undergo store management training in
Surigao Norte town
By Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Mar. 23 (PIA) – A
total of 70 members of the women and persons with disabilities (PWD)
associations under the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) in Socorro town,
underwent a training on merchandising and store management on March 7-8, 2017
held in Socorro town, this province.
According to DTI-Trade and Industry Development
Specialists Mardell Allen G. Delanto, the two-day activity aims to uplift small
enterprises and improve the businesses of common citizens at the grassroots in
general.
"This effort will help retail vendors under
the SLP of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to improve
their micro-economic activities and at the same time, it will benefit the way
they handle clients and customers in their store operations,” said Delanto.
Delanto emphasized that the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) through its services, provides various interventions to micro
small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to promote the ease of doing business and
spur economic growth in the countryside.
The two-day training was conducted by the
provincial office of the DTI in partnership with the DSWD. (DTI-Surigao del
Norte/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Miss PH Earth 2016 beauties visit Bislig City
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
BISLIG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Mar. 23 (PIA) – The
Miss Philippines Earth 2016 queens visit the “booming city by bay” in Surigao
del Sur – Bislig on March 22 to 24, 2017.
The Miss Earth Foundation, Inc., in Facebook post,
says that the environmental queens will visit the various tourist attractions
in the city.
The Miss Philippines Earth 2016 reigning queens are
expected to experience the culture of Bislig has to offer, and participate in
various environmental activities, promote eco-tourism and do school tour
activities.
Entertainment by the Miss Philippines-Earth (MPE)
Angels (the singing beauty queens), and a Fashion Show by the MPE queens shall
also take place in this environmental campaign, it was learned. (PIA-Surigao
del Sur)
PSA to conduct consumer expectation survey in
Agusan Norte, Surigao Norte
BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 23 - The Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) in Caraga will conduct a consumer expectations survey (CES) on
April 1 to 12, 2017 to the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte.
CES is a household-based survey on the consumers’
assessment of their family income, financial situation, and the economic
condition of the country. It is
conducted on a quarterly basis and administered on a sample basis at the
household level. The said survey is a
joint undertaking between the PSA and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
The PSA’s responsibility is to undertake the data
collection and encoding of the questionnaires while generation of tables and
analysis of the results for the BSP.
It aims to provide a quick and regular assessment
of the financial condition of consumers and economic condition of the country
at present and in the near future, from the consumers’ own viewpoints; to
generate forecasts in the direction of the country’s economic activity based on
consumers’ outlook in the current quarter, next quarter and the next 12 months;
and to provide quick and regular assessment of consumers’ confidence in terms
of their income and expenditures as well as their outlook on key economic
indicators closely monitored by the BSP such as inflation, exchange rate and
interest rates.
PSA assures the respondents that all information
collected by the hired Statistical Researchers from the sample households shall
be kept strictly confidential and shall not be used for purposes of taxation,
investigation or regulation as provided under Article 55 of Republic Act 10625.
(PSA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
DOE to hold energy efficiency workshop
BUTUAN CITY, Mar 23 - The Department of Energy
(DOE) will hold a Regional Workshop on Energy Efficiency and Minimum Energy
Performance in the commercial and industrial sectors on March 29 and 30 at the
Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.
The workshop is being organized by the DOE, in
partnership with the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the
Philippines (IIEE), and other local and international organizations.
The two-day event is in line with the European
Union (EU) funded High Efficiency Motors (HEMs) project under the EU’s Switch
Asia Program. HEMS aims to accelerate the acceptance of more energy-efficient
electric motors and drive systems in the Philippine industries.
The objectives of the workshop are the following:
1. To learn about international initiatives that
can benefit the Philippines and the ASEAN;
2. To learn from regional and international best
practices on Energy Efficiency (EE) and Minimum Energy Performance (MEP);
3. To draw up an action plan for a regional
cooperation on EE standards and labeling of electric motors; and
4. To conduct public and stakeholders’ consultation
on the Philippine Energy Standards and Labelling Implementing Guidelines and
MEP in the commercial and industrial sectors.
The regional workshop will develop policy measures
and instruments that will sustain the switch to more energy efficient
appliances and equipment, starting with electric motors and drive systems.
(DOE/PIA-Caraga)
RTWPB Caraga conducts ‘Productivity 101’ to 300
workers
BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 23 – The Regional Tripartite
Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) Caraga conducted six sessions of
Productivity 101 to 300 workers of Wing-On Incorporated from February to March
2017 as part of the Workers Enhancement Program initiated by the company’s
human resource department.
RTWPB Board Secretary Earl Dela Victoria said the
activity is part of the continuous productivity improvement program of Wing-On
since becoming a beneficiary of the productivity programs of the Board.
“Employees play a significant role in the growth
and success of an establishment," said Dela Victoria.
"We have to enhance their talents and skills
to be competitive and to do that, we have to, first, adopt a productivity and
quality culture and mindset,” Dela Victoria added. (NWPC/PIA-Caraga)
DOE readies mechanisms in managing energy supply
BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 23 - The Department of Energy (DOE) is readying
measures to ensure the sufficiency and stability of energy supply in the years
to come, especially during the summer when the power supply is traditionally
lean.
In line with this, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi
has issued the appropriate directives to the Electric Power Industry Management
Bureau, the Energy Utilization Management Bureau and the entire DOE to conduct
a massive information, education and communication (IEC) drive.
The goal set by the DOE chief is to ensure the
implementation of an effective demand-side management program for energy
supply.
On the Post-Malampaya Scheduled Maintenance
Shutdown coordination meeting among industry players, the following inputs were
discussed and submitted to support the Secretary's directive:
1. To
continue the close coordination among the stakeholders in monitoring the entire
energy supply chain (i.e., from energy resource development to the power plants
to the distribution utilities up to the consumers composed of the industrial,
commercial and residential levels);
2. To continue the advocacy for the development of
indigenous energy resources, in which the permitting system must be addressed
by giving importance to energy projects and classifying such as projects of
national significance;
3. To
ensure delivery of power to the consumers by:
a. ensuring
the completion of power plants in time for the summer months. For instance, the
Limay Coal-Fired Power Plant in Bataan that have already been delayed for
various reasons to go online;
b.
monitoring the output of the power plants through the conduct of
performance assessment and audit. For instance, the maintenance schedules of
the power plants during the summer months like the Pagbilao Coal-fired Power
Plant;
c.
preparing the availability of the Malaya Thermal Power Plant as a
back-up generation to ensure sufficiency of supply and d. ensuring the
readiness of the Interruptible Load Program (ILP), in which the DOE is looking
into a change in policy where the differential in the cost of running the
generators will not be passed on to the consumers, but instead to be paid for
by power plants that went on forced outage.
ILP serves as an option for Distribution Utilities
(DUs) like the Manila Electric Company and electric cooperatives to ask their
big load customers to serve their own power needs by using their own generator
sets to augment power supply capacity in times of Red Alert Status or when
power supply reserves are thin.
“We have to give our consumers options on how to
manage their use of energy without sacrificing their productivity,” Cusi
emphasized.
“The DOE is already conducting an IEC campaign to
the top government load users like the Social Security System (SSS), Government
Service Insurance System (GSIS), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA),
etc., and energy tips for consumers,” Cusi said.
Meanwhile, Cusi said “the DOE is also looking at
the quick resolution of the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) by the
Supreme Court. Under the RCOA regime, the contestable customers and the retail
electricity suppliers are compelled to be more efficient in the delivery and
use of energy resources."
Additionally, the DOE is looking at the pending
applications of DUs and electric cooperatives on modern mechanisms for
demand-side management with the Energy Regulatory Commission, like the smart
grid and the pre-paid electricity technologies.
In conclusion, Sec. Cusi reiterates the energy
saving tips for the consumers as follows:
1.
Bawasan ng dalawang oras ang paggamit ng aircon araw-araw. Makatitipid
ng 30.50 kWh na konsumo, katumbas nito ay P346.50 na tipid kada buwan.
2. Ilagay
ang thermostat ng aircon sa 25 oC. Makatitipid ng 12.6 kWh na konsumo, katumbas
nito ay P138.60 na tipid kada buwan.
3.
Bawasan ng isang oras ang paggamit ng TV (mula sampung oras gawing siyam
oras). Makatitipid ng 1.8 kWh na konsumo, katumbas nito ay P19.80 na tipid kada
buwan.
4. Ilagay
sa “Low” ang electric fan sa halip na “High”. Makatitipid ng 4.8kWh na konsumo,
katumbas nito ay P52.80 na tipid kada buwan.
5.
Bawasan ng isang oras ang paggamit ng ilaw araw-araw. Sa isang ilaw,
makatitipid ng 0.45 kWh na konsumo, katumbas nito ay P4.95 na tipid kada buwan.
6. Bawasan
ng isang oras ang paggamit ng computer araw-araw. Makatitipid ng 4.5 kWh na
konsumo, katumbas nito ay P49.50 na tipid kada buwan.
7. Mas
mainam gumamit ng laptop dahil mas mababa ang konsumo nito kaysa desktop.
Makatitipid ng 30kWh na konsumo, katumbas nito ay P330 na tipid kada buwan.
8. Iwasan
ang pag bukas-sara ng refrigerator kung hindi kailangan. Makatitipid ng 2.59
kWh na konsumo, katumbas nito ay P28 na tipid kada buwan.
9. Bawasan
ng isangoras ang pag plantsa kada linggo, gawin itong Sabado o Linggo para
makaiwas sa “peak hours”. Makatitipid ng 4kWh na konsumo, katumbas nito ay P44
na tipid kada buwan. (DOE/PIA-Caraga)
PNP foils NPA’s sinister plot in SurSur
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Mar. 23 (PIA) – The
Philippine National Police (PNP) in Surigao del Sur had the belief that it
foiled the evil plan of the New People’s Army (NPA) to “sow terror” after
overrunning its position in Purok 1, Barangay Tambis, Barobo town, 105
kilometers, south, this city.
At around 1:30 p.m. on March 21, a 30-minute
firefight ensued between state forces and rebel groups when Police Chief Inspector
(PCI) Manolo Andrew Agcaoili, chief of police (COP) of Barobo Municipal Police
Station (MPS), mustered his men together with other PNP forces to conduct a
clearing operation.
Coordination was likewise made with the 75th
Infantry Battalion (75IB) of the Philippine Army (PA) under Lt. Col. Wilfredo
Amoma, which he said had done its part to keep the rebels at bay and not to do
more harm in the community.
Agcaoili said the successful operation was jointly
carried out together with the 1st Maneuver Company, Regional Public Safety
Battalion (RPSB) 13 led by PSInsp. Mawi Arcilla. Also, a little later, reinforcement troops
from Agusan del Sur Provincial Public Safety Company, 3rd Maneuver Company,
PNP-Special Action Force (SAF), and 11th Special Action Company (SAC) arrived
to join the fray.
Earlier, the police officer admitted it had been
tipped off about the activity of some highly suspicious armed men believed to
be members of the rebel groups roaming around the area. However, sightings had been reported to be
there for a couple of weeks already.
Upon arrival, an improvised explosive device (IED)
went-off, breaking the windshield of one of the police cars. The enemy also started firing upon the troops
which signaled the onset of the fierce gun battle, PCI Agcaoili stressed. The area where the IED was blown up was only
three meters away from the national highway, he added. The Barobo town COP also said that the
explosive could have been aimed at anybody, citing “To whom it may concern.”
No one was hurt on the government side, but the
police chief indicated that the pack of rebels, estimated to be at some 20 to
30 members, could have sustained injuries.
Recovered from the clash site were four gallons of
gasoline, four black tents, one black hammock, one crumpled electrical wire,
one unit black Nokia cellphone, one metal shrapnel, two flashlights, and a lot
more of personal belongings, including a pack of sanitary napkin, Agcaoili
bared.
The Barobo police chief had linked the presence of
rebels to the upcoming March 29 NPA anniversary, who, he believed seeking to
mark their occasion with a bang.
The armed group who had been operating in the area
belongs to Guerilla Front Committee (GFC) 19A headed by a certain “Ian” under
the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Command (NEMRC), Agcaoili confirmed.
However, he clarified that an in-depth
investigation had been ongoing in order to identify in particular the persons
behind the plot for the filing of appropriate charges. (Radyo ng Bayan-Tandag/PIA-Surigao
del Sur)
RxBox paves new way for better health in Caraga
By Gabrielle Espinosa
BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 23 - Caraganons living in rural and remote areas
can now have better access to the government’s healthcare services and can even
get advice from healthcare experts across the country. This is all thanks to
the RxBox Telehealth Device, a life-saving health care technology that
transforms the health information system of the country.
Through the partnership initiated by the Department
of Science and Technology (DOST) together with the National Telehealth Center,
UP Diliman College of Engineering, Advanced Science and Technology Institute,
and the Department of Health (DOH), the RxBox aims to deploy the RxBox units in
the remote areas across the country through a project called “Roll-out of 1000
RxBox Telehealth Device in Selected Rural Health Centers in the Philippines”.
This initiative is one among DOST’s efforts for a “Smarter Philippines.”
RxBox – “Real Life Experience in a Box”
The RxBox is a multi-component program that can
capture real-time electronic health data from the patients. It contains an
electronic tablet connected to the medical apparatuses like the Blood Pressure
Monitor, Pulse Oximeter, Electrocardiogram (ECG), Maternal Tocometer, Fetal
Doppler and Temperature Sensor. The tablet is programmed to collect electronic
health data from the built-in medical sensors attached to the apparatuses. The
simplified data immediately appears on the screen of the e-tablet once a
patient is being examined through the apparatus, hence the real life
experience.
Modernizing the health information system
More than its capacity to gather electronic health
data from the patients, the RxBox technology has also introduced a novelty on
the health information gathering system in rural and remote areas through a
paperless medical record system. Once a patient has been examined, the
real-time health data automatically stores in the information database of every
patient through the program’s electronic medical record system, the Community
Health Information Tracking System or CHITS.
Aside from providing a rich health information
database, the system also allows the healthcare workers to instantly send the
patient’s health information to health care specialists across the country when
the need arises for any further expert advice.
The CHITS model pioneers in the advancement of
health information system in areas that are hardly reached by nurses, medical
doctors and other medical specialists. Through providing easy access to
specialists, better patient care and reduction of costs will be achieved in the
long run.
RxBox in Caraga
A total of 55 RxBox units are scheduled for
deployment to 52 remote areas all over the region. Municipal Health Officers,
Nurses, Midwife and IT Staff who works at the municipalities of these areas
will be trained on the operations and management of the RxBox unit prior to its
deployment. The areas prioritized will be given one RxBox unit, an additional
central processing unit (CPU) and an internet router for the transmission of
health data to healthcare experts.
Together with the Department of Health Caraga, the
project has already conducted an orientation to the Provincial Health Officers.
The RxBox team of Caraga gained a positive response and an all-out support from
the local government units across the reigion. The Department of Science and
Technology and the Department of Health continues to work hand-in-hand in its
aspiration to promote a healthier Caraga. (DOST-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
