LGU-Butuan urges participation in Balangay float
parade competition
By Regal C. Oribia
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) - With the
aim to advocate, showcase and promote the City of Butuan as one of the leading
tourist destination, not just in the Philippines, but worldwide, the Butuan
City local government unit (LGU) led by Mayor Ronnie Vicente Lagnada is
inviting all private and government offices, barangays and schools to join the
Balangay Float Parade Competition in celebration of the 29th Balangay Festival
come May 2017.
The following are the boat/float parade
mechanics:
1. Concept or theme for the float must
depict the appearance of a Balangay boat.
2. Contest will be open to barangays,
schools, private and government offices situated in Butuan City. The float
shall be mounted in a vehicle not smaller than a multicab and not larger than
an elf.
3. Contestant will have option of
constructing or pre-fabricating their floats in their own discretion of
location. The vehicle that will be used should be in good condition.
4. Contestant will have the option of
providing performers as props during the duration of the parade. Entry must
portray authentic appearance of the Balangay boat including the color,
presentation and feature.
5. The height must not go beyond 12
feet; width must not go beyond 9 feet and length must not go beyond 20 feet.
For every foot in excess the maximum specifications, a penalty of five points
shall be deducted from the total score of all judges.
6. Floats will be judged during the
duration of the parade. Floats should be stable and secure and must be
well-ventilated to avoid suffocation of driver/rider.
7. Assembly time will be at North
Montilla Boulevard at 1:00 p.m. and will traverse at North Montilla Boulevard,
J.C. Aquino Avenue and ends at the City Sports Complex. Floats must remain
parked at the designated area in the complex for the judges’ final scoring.
8. Entries in the float competition
will be confirmed upon receipt by the secretariat of the duly accomplished
registration form.
9. Floats should be environmental
friendly. Participant will have the prerogative on its concept and design of
the Balangay float.
10. The float contestant will be given
their float number as they confirm their participation and submission of
registration form. The number must be printed in a 2 feet x 3 feet placard and
be placed on a conspicuous part of the float together with the name of
participant.
11. Entry will be disqualified if it
fails to abide with the mechanics.
12. The decision of the judges shall be
final and non-appealable.
Meanwhile, the criteria for judging the
boat/float contest will be 50 percent for craftsmanship, 25 percent for the
theme and 25 percent for impact and ingenuity.
“The prize for the grand winner is
P150,000. Second prize winner will receive P100,000 and P75,000.00 for the
third prize winner. Consolation prizes of P20,000 will also be accorded to each
five floats,” said Lagnada.
For queries, contact the Balangay
Festival Float Parade and Street Dance Competition sub-committee chair Alfredo
Mori at telephone number (085) 342-6880. (RCO/PIA Caraga)
RJJWC continues the conduct of
'Juvenille Justice Consultation Dialogue'
By Eunice M. Plaza
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) – The
Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee (RJJWC) in Caraga region
continues its lobbying efforts to the local government units (LGUs) to
intensify campaign against the approval of the bill on the lowering of the
Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility (MACR) from 15 to nine years old.
Officer-in-charge regional director
Mita Chuchi Gupana-Lim of the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) expressed the strong opposition of the agency against the said House
Bill.
“It is not right to punish the young
when they commit crimes especially when they are just used by the adults,” said
Lim.
“We have to strengthen our laws on
trafficking and child abuse and find a better and effective system to catch the
adults who are using the minors to commit an offense,” she added.
“When our minors are in prison, they
are more vulnerable to abuses, their health is compromised,” Lim stated.
In the first quarter of this year, the
Province of Dinagat Islands conducted a Juvenile Justice Consultation Dialogue
where the said LGU expressed its commitment to advocate against the approval of
the bill on the lowering of MACR. (Social Marketing Unit/DSWD Field Office
Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
2 NPA rebels dead, arms and ammo recovered in
Agusan del Sur clash
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) - Troops under the 26th
Infantry Battalion of 401st Infantry Brigade have recovered one CCZ 550 sniper
rifle and two dead New Peoples Army (NPA) were left by their fleeing comrades
after a major encounter ensued in the outskirts of Barangay Mahagsay, San Luis
town of Agusan del Sur at 3:30 p.m. on April 13, 2017.
Troops responded to a report from the concerned
civilians that a group of fully armed NPA bandits are harassing their
community. It said that the NPAs are forcibly taking foodstuffs and money from
the residents of the said community.
After a 30-minute fierce firefight, the NPAs
scampered out of the encounter area leaving their dead comrades, one sniper
rifle, 50 rounds of M60 ammunition, war materiel, 34 sacks of rice, 10
backpacks which contain personal belongings, and subversive documents.
Col. Cristobal Zaragoza, 401st Infantry Brigade
Commander ordered the 26th Infantry Battalion to conduct pursuit operation to
hunt down the bandits.
Major General Benjamin Madrigal Jr., 4th Infantry
Division commander lauded the swift execution of the said operation and
congratulated the troops for successfully hitting the NPA bandits who are
responsible for many atrocities in Agusan del Sur.
"Time and again, we have proven that no evil
will triumph. While most of the Filipinos are solemnly reflecting during this
lenten season, the NPAs are busy doing their extortion and other evil
activities. Fortunately, our relentless guardians of peace have displayed a
distinct act of courage when they foiled the extortion and recruitment scheme
of the said NPA group in the peaceful lumad community of Brgy. Mahagsay,”
underlined MGen Madrigal.
The 26IB is now coordinating with the concerned
local officials for the identification of the two dead NPAs and for their
burial. (4ID, Phil. Army/PIA-Caraga)
PSA to conduct 2016 annual survey on Philippine
Business and Industry
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) - The Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA) is set to conduct the 2016 Annual Survey on
Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI) in the provinces of Caraga Region.
Series of training sessions were already conducted
for the regional and provincial staffs involved in the project. Just recently,
the Regional Statistics Services Office 13 spearheaded by its regional director
Rosalinda Celeste-Apura had conducted the second level training.
Third level training sessions were also held in the
provincial offices last April 4-7, 2017. Respondents Forums were also arranged
in the provinces within last week of April and first week of May 2017.
The 2016 Annual Survey on Philippine Business and
Industry (ASPBI) is a continuing activity of the Philippine Statistics
Authority. It is primarily conducted to provide information on the levels,
structures, performance and trends of economic activities of the formal sector
in the entire country for the year 2016. It is one of the designated
statistical activities of the government and it generates the essential
statistics required for economic planning and analysis.
In particular, the ASPBI will collect data and
generate detailed information on employment, income, expense, inventories,
tangible fixed assets, intangible fixed assets and total assets of the
establishments. Moreover, some indicators to evaluate the performance of
industries at the national and regional levels can also be generated such as
value added, labor productivity, average compensation and other necessary.
Results from ASPBI were also used for Business Process Management (BPM)
activities and identification of micro, small and medium
establishments/enterprise (MSME) using data on total employment and total
assets collected.
The distribution of questionnaires to sample
establishment will start on April 17, 2017 to May 12, 2017 and collection will
begin on May 2 to July 14, 2017. All information collected from sample establishment
shall be kept strictly confidential and shall not be used for purposes of
taxation, investigation or regulation as provided under Article 55 of RA 10625.
(PSA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
SSS calls on members to settle delinquent loans
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) – With the loan penalty
condonation deadline on 27th of April 2017, the Social Security System (SSS) is
encouraging all members with short-term loan delinquencies to avail of the Loan
Restructuring Program (LRP) which offers affordable payment terms and
conditional condonation of loan penalties.
SSS president and chief executive officer Emmanuel
F. Dooc said that a total of 487,278 members have benefited from LRP which has
an equivalent collection of P2.89 billion as of February this year.
“Employed member payments amounting to P1.78
billion constitute for about 61 percent of the entire LRP collection while
voluntary member payments worth P766.35 million represent 27 percent of the
overall total. It only shows that the special program is highly recognized by
member-borrowers as reflected on the collection performance,” Dooc said.
More than 22,000 self-employed members also availed
of the LRP with an equivalent collection of P105.65 million. Meanwhile, nearly
30,000 OFW-members benefitted from the program with a total remittance of
P234.91 million.
In terms of geographical location, the National
Capital Region (NCR) processed the highest number of LRP applications with
226,776 followed by Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao area with 141,224 applications,
52,498 applications and 49,126 applications respectively; while the foreign
offices processed 17,654 applications.
SSS local branches that received the largest volume
of LRP transactions as of end-January 2017 were Diliman, Davao, Calamba, BiΓ±an
and Bacoor. Meanwhile, foreign offices that facilitated the highest number of
LRP applications were Hongkong, Riyadh and Dubai, where huge number of OFWs are
located.
Member-borrowers can still avail of the LRP until
April 27 to provide financial relief to borrowers affected by natural
calamities and disasters who struggle to pay their short-term SSS loans.
“We would like to remind other delinquent borrowers
to apply for LRP before the prescribed deadline to avoid hassle from
last-minute filing as well as to conveniently settle their financial
obligations to SSS. If they failed to avail the LRP, the loan interest and
penalty will continue to increase every month,” Dooc concluded.
To qualify for the LRP, the member should be
residing or employed in any of the calamity areas declared by the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) or the national
government. The short-term loan must also be overdue for at least six months as
of April 28, 2016.
Members can pay their overdue loan in full within
30 days with no additional interest, or apply for an installment payment term
of up to five years with a minimal annual interest rate of three percent.
(SSS/PIA-Caraga)
DAR donates P3.5-M worth of farm equipment to
REFAMCO
By Hazel Hope V. Bautista
ESPERANZA, Agusan del Sur, Apr. 17 (PIA) – The
Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) of
the Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD) Department of Agrarian
Reform (DAR) Provincial Office has recently turned over the P3.5 million worth
of farm equipment comprised of one unit 90hp tractor and three units corn
sheller to Remedios Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (REFAMCO) in Barangay
Remedios, Esperanza, this province.
Agrarian Reform Program Officer I (ARPO I) Hanisarah
Saripada of the provincial office, together with the staff of DAR Municipal
Office of Esperanza headed by OIC-Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer
(MARPO) Joven Pizarro, and the REFAMCO officers attended the said event.
ARPO I Saripada informed that the turn-over
ceremony would serve as a binding contract between DAR and REFAMCO, as a deed
of donation was being signed. This will give the cooperative an assurance that
the said farm equipments are already entrusted to them legally. She further said
that hopefully, with the use of the said farm equipment, REFAMCO will progress
into a more productive cooperative.
Meanwhile, MARPO Pizarro stressed that one of the
purposes of ARCCESS is to improve the economic aspect of life of the farmer
beneficiaries through provision of farm equipment that will not only aid the
farmers as they cultivate the land awarded to them but also to become one of
the income-generating assets of the cooperative that they are into.
“We will do our best to ensure utmost use of the
entrusted equipment to us so that soon we will be able to sustain and maintain
its usage as well as be able to purchase new equipment”, said Wilfredo C.
Yongco Sr., REFAMCO chair, as he addressed Saripada’s challenge to them.
(DAR-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
God catches our fall, ex-beauty queen tells DOE
family
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) - The Department of
Energy (DOE) Secretary, Alfonso G. Cusi believes that "energy empowerment
and women empowerment go hand-in-hand".
This was the message he made as he graciously gave
the stage to the women of the DOE during the culminating activity celebration
of the 2017 National Women’s Month.
The DOE’s Gender and Development Office chaired by
Electric Power Industry Management Bureau Dir. Mylene Capongcol invited Miriam
Quiambao-Roberto to talk about her life's challenges, struggles and victories.
If her name sounds familiar, it’s because she is
the former Miss Miriam Quiambao - the 1999 Miss Universe first runner-up.
Who says the life of a beauty queen would be a walk
in the park?
Miriam Quiambao-Roberto narrated that her slip
onstage in the 1999 Miss Universe led to a triumphant stance as she stood up
and walked confidently back to center stage, eventually finishing second to
Miss Botswana.
She said her international beauty queen status
brought her to fame and fortune, but also heartaches as her marriage to Italian
business tycoon Claudio Rondinelli ended in divorce after only two years.
She shared how she fought depression brought about
by the failed marriage, her attempt to commit suicide, and her spiritual
renewal with the help of her second husband, author and business entrepreneur
Ardy Roberto.
The beauty queen said that she found God anew and
in doing so, made positive changes in her life and the people around her.
Ms. Miriam Quiambao-Roberto shared that she
dedicates her book “He Can Catch You When You Fall” to all the women who have
fallen onstage or offstage.
She said that during her dark days, she wished for
the God of "infinite chances" to reveal himself with love and lift
everyone higher from one glory to another.
Dir. Capongcol said that Quiambao-Roberto added
more meaning to the occasion's theme: “We Make Change Work for Women.”
“Miriam remains an epitome of empowerment for all
genders and her experiences are a great source of inspiration to anyone. We can
learn from her experiences and relate to our own individual improvement and
recognition of self-worth," Capongcol expressed after the passionate talk
of Quiambao-Roberto before the DOE family last March 27 at the DOE
Multi-Purpose Hall.
Earlier activities conducted by the Gender and
Development Focal Point System (GAD-FPS), through the DOE's Consumer Welfare
and Promotion Office (CWPO), headed by Helen Arias for the 2017 National
Women's Month, included image enhancement, jewelry-making,
perfume-cologne-making and chocolate-making.
Secretary Cusi, for his part, said that all these
activities are aimed to enhance spiritual renewal and provide livelihood
opportunities to the DOE family. (DOE/PIA-Caraga)
DOE reminds public to adopt energy disaster
safeguards; pushes energy resiliency plans
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) - Department of Energy
(DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi reminded the public to adopt safety precautions in
using energy to avert possible danger to lives and property amid a series of
earthquakes that rocked Batangas, Mindoro and other adjacent areas over the
week.
“We want to remind everyone to adopt appropriate
safety precautions and be prudent in their energy use to ensure their family is
safe when a disaster, such as an earthquake, strikes,” Cusi said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported that between 3:07 p.m. and 3:09 p.m. on April 7
successive earthquakes with a magnitude 5.6 and 6.0 respectively joltsed
Mabini, Batangas affecting houses and major infrastructures, including energy
facilities.
Among others, Cusi suggested that a periodic check
for earthquake hazards posed by appliances that could move and cause rupture of
electrical or gas lines. Following a similar check should be done before using
those appliances.
Cusi also said fire hazards and flammable fluids,
such as kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), solvents or cleaning products
should be stored properly.
In addition, Cusi reminded the public to prepare
their own earthquake emergency kit at home that could include, food, water,
medicine, flashlight, whistle, as well as plan to communicate with their family
in times of emergency or disaster.
Meanwhile, Cusi bared that Department of Energy-
Energy Policy and Planning Bureau (DOE-EPPB) is drafting a policy on resiliency
planning and programs in the energy industries which include the power,
upstream and downstream oil, energy resource development and renewable energy
sectors, among others.
He said the energy resiliency plan aims to
strengthen existing infrastructure facilities to withstand adverse weather
conditions, incorporate mitigation improvements into the restoration of
infrastructure damaged by adverse weather conditions so that recurrence will
cause less damage; and improve operational and maintenance standards and
practices to ensure expeditious restoration of energy supply after adverse
weather conditions.
While the earthquake caused power interruptions,
the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) reported it fully restored at
3:45 p.m. on April 8, 2017 all transmission facilities in areas affected by the
tripping of generation plants due to the earthquakes that occurred at 3:08 p.m.
of the same day.
According to the NGCP’s report, the Batangas-San
Lorenzo Lines 1-2 were affected with an initial report on a toppled tower; and
the switchyard at the San Gabriel Natural Gas Power Plant was also damaged due
to the earthquake.
The report also stated a generation loss of 2,584
megawatts, which affected the power supply and services of various provinces in
Luzon, including Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan,
Bataan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija. (DOE/PIA-Caraga)
East-West Center accepts applications for ‘Senior
Journalists Seminar’
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) – The East-West Center will
bring together twelve to sixteen international journalists for 2017 Senior
Journalists Seminar (2017SJS), an immersive 22-day dialogue, study, and travel
program to Washington, DC; Minneapolis, MN; Manila and Cotabato City,
Philippines; and Istanbul, Turkey.
The seminar will start on August 23 until September
15 of this year. It will begin in Washington, DC with an overview of the
American political system, including the United States (U.S.) Constitution’s
First Amendment, federalism, the separation of powers, and congressional
influencers on foreign policymaking.
Other foundational sessions will examine the religious make-up,
diversity of religious identity, and the prayer and attendance practices of the
American public. The Washington, DC
study tour will also feature participant presentations summarizing religion’s
role in their home countries. In
Minneapolis, journalists will experientially explore America’s multicultural
and multi-religious society, the experiences of minority religious communities,
initiatives bridging faith divides, and how cultural and religious identity,
experience, and diversity is expressed in the literary, visual, performing, and
media arts.
Throughout the U.S. study tour, journalists will
consider the political, military, and cultural engagement of the U.S. with
Muslim majority regions. Travel to
Manila/Cotabato City, Philippines and Istanbul, Turkey will contextualize and
compare religion’s role in the public sphere across democratic nations; provide
first-hand exposure to and more nuanced understanding of the diversity of
Muslim societies; and build the professional networks of participating
journalists. Meetings with government
officials and academics in all three countries will explore domestic and
international counter-terrorism efforts and opportunities for cooperation. Interactive experiences will also be included
to deepen journalists’ understanding of Muslim cultures through the arts,
culture, and new media. Finally, the
media’s role in choosing, framing, and disseminating stories with a religious
element and its effective shaping of public perception and U.S. relations with
Muslim majority regions will be explored.
Media professionals from print, broadcast, online,
and multi-media news organizations, including editors, reporters, columnists,
editorial writers, producers, bloggers, videographers, and photo journalists
with a minimum of ten years of experience are eligible to apply.
The Senior Journalists Seminars will include a
total of 12-16 journalists from the United States and countries with
substantial Muslim populations. Of the total journalists selected, seven to
eleven will cover foreign and diplomatic relations, security, military affairs,
domestic politics and government or religion and five will cover the arts
and/or culture, including race and/or minority issues.
Journalists covering all relevant beats from the
following countries are eligible to apply:
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Burma, China, India, Iran,
Iraq, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and the United States. In addition to the
list of countries above, journalists who specifically cover art and/or culture,
including race and/or minority issues, from the following countries are also
eligible to apply: Algeria, Belgium,
Canada, Chad, Cyprus, England, Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya,
Nigeria, Mali, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia,
Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen. Successful candidates represent the
diversity of religions (e.g. covered and non-covered Muslims, Buddhists,
Catholics, Christians, Hindus, and Jews)s, ethnicities, and regional
differences within the United States, Africa, Europe, the Near and Middle East,
Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Preference is given to those journalists who
offer compelling story ideas and clear dissemination strategies. Fluency in
English is required.
Valued at approximately USD$11,725 per person,
funding includes, the 2017 Senior Journalists Seminar is funded by the
East-West Center, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation, and the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute and supports the
participation of journalists from the United States and countries with
substantial Muslim populations.
The EWC requires journalists to file at least one
story or a series of blogs and/or tweets resulting from their participation in
the seminar. Journalists must offer
specific story ideas and how you will fulfill this requirement in your
application. All participants are
responsible for the Senior Journalists Seminar fee of USD$800.00, visa fees,
health insurance and airline baggage charges. EWC encourages additional
participant cost-sharing of programmatic costs and considers cost-sharing in
the selection of applicants.
For more information about the Senior Journalists
Seminar and for instructions on how to apply, interested journalists may visit
www.eastwestcenter.org/senior-journalists. Deadline of application is on May
10, 2017. (U.S. Embassy/PIA-Caraga)
Cusi: PH to gain insights in hosting nuclear
seminar
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 17 (PIA) - Energy Secretary
Alfonso Cusi described as very timely the Philippines' hosting of the 7th
Nuclear Energy Cooperation and Sub-Sector Network (NEC-SSN) Meeting on April
17-19 at Hotel Sofitel, Manila.
According to Cusi, the Philippines hopes to gain
insights with the seminar as it is now undertaking various studies and capacity
building activities aimed to determine the nation's position on nuclear energy.
"The seminar will focus on securing
radioactive sources, a grave concern relative to risks to people and the
environment," said Cusi.
The actual meeting of ASEAN member states (AMS) who
are part of the SSN will take place on the 19th of April. Starting the
three-day activity of the NEC-SSN is the seminar on security of radioactive
sources organized by the ASEAN Center of Energy (ACE) in partnership with the
Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Nuclear Security
(ISCN) of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).
Attending the seminar are those from ACE, AMS,
international organizations including International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), ISCN/JAEA and European Union Chemical Biological Radiological and
Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative (EU CBRN COE).
Local participants from DOE, DOST, DOST-PNRI,
academe and electric utilities are also in attendance.
Most are members of the newly organized Nuclear
Energy Program Organization or the NEPIO. The Seminar will be keynoted by the
NEPIO Chairperson, DOE Undersecretary Donato D. Marcos.
The seminar has the objectives to reaffirm the
importance of international and regional cooperation in the field of nuclear
security especially security of radioactive materials; to promote ASEAN member
states’ enhancement of nuclear security or security of radioactive sources
through experience sharing; to enable JAEA to understand ASEAN’s needs and
concerns to counter the challenges on strengthening nuclear security for developing
a cooperative scheme to support ASEAN’s effort for the peaceful use of nuclear
and radioactive material. (DOE/PIA-Caraga)
