NPA rebel surrenders in SurSur
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, June 13 (PIA) – A
member of the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered to the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) here recently.
In a statement, the Army's 36th Infantry “Valor”
Battalion (36IB) identified the former rebel as “Ka Jumong,” 24 years old, a
former political instructor under Guerilla Front 21A, Northeastern Mindanao
Regional Committee (NEMRC). He voluntarily surrendered at the 36IB headquarters
based in Tago town accompanied by a tribal leader.
Accordingly, Ka Jumong carried two high-powered
firearms - the AK37 with an ammunition and M16 rifle (with serial number RP
25936) attached with M203 grenade launcher.
Ka Jumong said that he finished his studies at
Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur, (TRIFPSS) Inc. based in Sitio
Baroboan, Carromata, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, the exclusive school for
Indigenous People’s (IP). Said school was not recognized by the Department of
Education (DepEd), it was learned.
Ka Jumong claimed that he was working with the NPA
as its political instructor for a year and six months tasked to convince and
recruit the IPs to join their forces.
Meanwhile, 36IB commanding officer Lt. Col.
Randolph Rojas said that Ka Jumong will undergo due process in collaboration
with the concerned government agencies in order to avail the Guns for Peace
Program and Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP).
To date, some 33 NPA rebels in this province have
already surrendered to 36IB since the assumption of Lt. Col. Rojas. (PIA-Surigao
del Sur)
Body of NPA rebel found in San Miguel town
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, June 13 (PIA) –
Troopers of the army’s 16th Special Forces (SF) Company of Special Forces
Regiment Airborne, Special Operations Command, Philippine Army based in
Barangay Magroyong, San Miguel town recovered a decomposing dead body of a man,
believed to be a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Purok-4, Sitio Lago,
Brgy. Carromata.
Based on the initial report from the Municipal
Police Station of San Miguel thru the Police Provincial Office, the cadaver was
found at the mountainous area of Barangay Carromata and was positively
identified by the 16th SF intelligence personnel as Aljun Agustin also known as
“Ian,” a member of the NPA Guerilla Front 21A operating in San Miguel town and
Sibagat, Agusan del Sur.
In an interview, 16th SF Company CMO officer 1Lt.
Michael Clemente said that Agustin was believed to be wounded and later died due
to gunshot wounds on his body during the encounter, which took place on May 31
and June 1, 2017, respectively between the elements of 16th SF Company, at the
vicinity of Sitio Kiskis, Barangay Siagao, nearby place where the cadaver was
found.
Meanwhile, 402nd Brigade Commander Col. Franco
Nemesio Gacal said that the death of Agustin could have been avoided if the
NPAs just realized the futility of their armed struggle.
"The truth, is that most Surigaonons were just
exploited by the NPA terrorists. They were made to believe that the NPA will
provide a good source of living for their families through the so called
'SUPAMIL' (Suporta sa Pamilya) which amounts from P3,000 to P5,000 per
month," said Col. Gacal.
"The Army troops in the province under the
402nd Brigade will continue to perform its mandate to protect the people and
the communities," Gacal concluded. (PIA-Surigao del Sur)
DSWD installs 16 tapstands in Loreto island
barangay
By April Mae N. Waban, Marko Davey D. Reyes
LORETO, Dinagat Islands, June 13 (PIA) – The
Kalahi-CIDSS (Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated
Delivery of Social Services) program of the Department of Social Welfare and
Deveopment (DSWD) installed a total of 16 tapstands that benifited about 88
households in Barangay Magsaysay, Loreto town.
Since Magsaysay is an island barangay, a
sustainable water supply would prove to be a challenge for the community. They
would find themselves frustrated everytime they turn on their faucets with
water dripping so slowly.
Because of this, the residents would sail off with
their pump-boats on a 30-minute excursion to Barangay Helene, a neighboring
island barangay.
Residents had to endure the 30-minute pump boats
ride just to get to a place they call “Kabadjangan,” their nearest source of
abundant water supply.
Others, would opt to wake up before sunrise and set
off on an almost two-hour foot journey through the jungle trail to reach the
same place and fetch some water.
But when the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa
Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services
(Kalahi-CIDSS) program came into their barangay, the community found an opportunity
where they can address their needs as the program uses the Community Driven
Development (CDD) strategy.
The Kalahi-CIDSS’ CDD strategy provides a platform
where communities are made to identify their most dire needs, propose a
solution to address water problem and implement the sub-projects themselves.
Thankfully, Magsaysay was one of the barangays
selected for prioritization of which their proposed sub-project would be funded
through the program. Now, with 16 tapstands installed in their barangay, about
88 households are now enjoying an improved water supply of which they utilize
for domestic uses and daily consumption. (Social Markeitng Unit/DSWD Filed
Office Caraga/PIA-Dinagat Islands)
POPCOM, USAID launch new FP communication tool
BUTUAN CITY, June 13 - In partnership with the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project, the
Commission on Population (POPCOM)
recently launched the Enhanced Responsible Parenthood-Family Planning (RPFP)
IEC Resource Package.
The project presents package of information,
communication and education materials that shall be used by the population
workers and volunteers to easily reach women and spouses on Responsible
Parenthood and Family Planning.
The city of Butuan through its City Population
Office, is the pilot area for the said project in Mindanao. Under the said project, the family planning
tool kit including the other collaterals shall be used in all the RP-FP
classes. At the end of the class,
couple/participants are expected to assess the materials through a feedback
form, as a mechanism to gauge how effective the communication materials used.
POPCOM Caraga regional director Alexander Makinano
is hoping that with the aid of the new communication package in all the demand
generation activities of the region, it shall reduce the unmet need of modern
family planning, in compliance of
Executive Order # 12 of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
POPCOM partnered with Communication for Health
Advancement through Networking and Governance Enhancement (CHANGE) which is a
five-year project (2013-2018) of USAID-Philippines that addresses the need for
strategic and sustainable communication interventions that will generate
increased demand for maternal and child health, FP, tuberculosis (TB), and
human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(HIV/AIDS) services in the Philippines, and ultimately, contribute to the
reduction of maternal and child deaths, increase in contraceptive prevalence
rate, reduction in TB prevalence, and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
(POPCOM-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
Scaled-down e-trike project to push through, says
DOE
BUTUAN CITY, June 13 - The Department of Energy
(DOE) will push through with the long-delayed E-Trike Project although on a
much smaller scale from the original 100,000 units to just 3,000, and from the
original project cost of P21.672 billion to P1.73 billion.
According to Assistant Secretary Leonido Pulido
III, despite the many challenges faced by the project from previous
Administrations, now nearing the end of its five-year loan term period, the DOE
will move to showcase the potential use of clean and diversified energy
technologies through the E-Trike.
The DOE headed by Secretary Alfonso Cusi moved to
partially cancel the loan contract last year as the Department wanted to
revisit all the options available in view of significant flaws in the project’s
design, including the choice of just one model and pricing concerns.
Since the approval of the E-Trike Project by the
National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in June 2013, recorded
investments in e-trike manufacturing and support reached P500 million and
generated 14,840 jobs as of the end of 2016, according to the Board of
Investments and Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines.
This month, NEDA-Investment Coordination Committee
took note of the DOE proposal last March on the revised project implementation,
including the additional deployment options and arrangements.
As there would be substantial changes in the
project, the DOE is securing amendments to the loan, Project Administration
Manual and related documents with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The current DOE leadership is pushing through with
the procurement of the 3,000 units of e-trikes instead of 100,000 units because
this had already been contracted by the previous Administration.
Pulido explained that the DOE decided on 3,000
e-trike units as a sufficient quantity to demonstrate the viability of the
technology.
"Sustainability dictates that the appropriate
eco-system be in place to support the e-trike beyond deployment or at the point
of sale. The terms of the contract of the winning bidder under the project
include after-sales support and warranty. This sends a clear and strong signal
to the public to make the switch to e-trikes," Pulido said.
Prior to the E-Trike Project, there had been
previous attempts to deploy electric tricycles in various parts of the country.
However, these early attempts failed because after-sales support was absent or
inadequate.
In fact, during the pilot study which served as the
basis for the E-Trike Project conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in
2011, after-sales support and warranty were key lessons learned that would
determine the success or failure of the e-trike, Pulido pointed out.
Nonetheless, he said, the DOE is committed to
working with the ADB and other government partners to address the socially
sensitive issue of the project regarding price.
The DOE also noted that ADB’s international
competitive bidding rules were observed in every step of the project.
The original project scope of deploying 100,000
e-trike units with a total project cost of P21.672 billion required various
arrangements involving the government, the private sector and ADB.
Nevertheless, the DOE acted to ensure that the
project would benefit the public at minimal cost to taxpayers. Proof of this is
the downscaling of the project cost from a whopping P21 billion to just P1.73
billion.
Pulido said the project is an investment not only
in technology and the environment but more importantly, a socio-economic
investment that would jumpstart a nascent industry, generate jobs and ensure
sustainable energy consumption in the country. (DOE/PIA-Caraga)
POPCOM celebrates Father’s Day on June 18
By Angie Balen-Antonio
BUTUAN CITY, June 13 - The Commission on Population
(POPCOM) joins the whole world in the celebration of the Father’s Day on June
18 to recognize the important role of the men in the family, as equal partner
of women in the nurturance and rearing of children.
Experts believed that the role of men as partners
of women in reproductive health, contributes much in reducing maternal deaths
and improving women’s health. The
husband, who portrayed superiority over the wife, control access to
reproductive health information and
services, finances, transportation and other resources that bear upon women’s
health.
As part of advancing men as equal partner of women
in all spheres of life and to eradicate the existing gender inequality, POPCOM
partnered with the local government units and other government agencies to educate men to become an advocates for
maternal and child health.
POPCOM is currently implementing the “Kalalakihang
Tumutugon sa Responsibilidad at Obligasyon Para sa Kalusugan ng Ina at Pamilya”
or briefly called as KATROPA, whereby thousands of men are capacitated and turned-out
as advocates for maternal health and
responsible parenting.
Through its KATROPA project, POPCOM is mobilizing
men collectively for maternal health and responsible parenthood to make
pregnancy and child birth a joyous moment for women as well as their male
partners, thus ensuring safe motherhood. (POPCOM-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
Surigao Norte guv leads launching of P114M FMR in
Placer
By John Glenn A. Platil
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, June 13 - Governor
Sol F. Matugas recently opened new roads from Barangay Tapian leading to
Magsaysay and to Sta Cruz road in Anislagan, Placer, this province.
The 9-kilometer road concreting was reportedly
worth P114-million, Mayor Michael Jose PatiΓ±o and vice mayor Reynaldo Seeto
expressed their wholehearted gratitude to governor Matugas for making their
dreams come true.
“We really thank Gov. Matugas because she is very
fair and objective, there is no color coding. Funds were released on time and
fast access to the basic delivery of major services,” one of the residents
said.
For her part, Gov. Matugas said that these giant
projects are only the beginning and expect more under her administration.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Caraga Director Abel
James Monteagudo and former Congressman Francisco ‘Lalo’ Matugas witnessed the
activity. (PGO-SDN/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
