DILG-13 empowers vulnerable sectors in Butuan City
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 18 -- The vulnerable sectors of Butuan City were
empowered to become advocates of peace and development through an activity
dubbed “Capacitating Urban Communities for Peace and Development (CUCPD)” organized
by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Caraga Regional
Office and DILG-Butuan held recently in this city.
The activity centered on educating the youth and students; labor,
transport, women, and urban poor sectors identified as the most susceptible to
local armed conflict manipulations and recruitment and on the tactics and
strategies employed by the communist terrorist groups (CTGs) to deceive
citizens to favor and join their violent cause.
Participants were given an overview of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 or
Republic Act (RA) No. 11479 and Anti-Violent Extremism during the first day.
Likewise, they were apprised of the corresponding government programs that
would help them overcome the pressing issues and concerns that affect their
sector.
During the first four days of the CUCPD, presentations on RA 11479 by
Hanna Duero of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA);
methodological infiltration steps that CTGs implement to take over a specific
area by Captain Charles Doroin of the 402nd Infantry Brigade of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP); and concepts of Violent Extremism Florian
Bayawa of the DILG were discussed.
Civil society organizations (CSOs) led by Dr. Victor Emmanuel Ozarraga
of the Gawad Kalinga and Jaime Makinano of the Philippine Partnership for the
Development of Human Resource in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA) discussed the concept
of resiliency amid the pandemic.
The representatives from national government agencies also presented the
various forms of assistance that their respective offices can offer to those
whose livelihoods have been impacted by the pandemic.
Youth and students were also educated on the threats of the online world
by PCMS Raul Salubre and PSSg Razzel Labarate of the Cybercrime Unit of the
Philippine National Police.
They were warned of the various forms of crimes that loom around the
internet, especially in social media applications, and how they can avoid
falling prey to such illegal acts. They were also taught about the strategies
on how they can make their social media accounts more secure.
Also, Pedro Tecson of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Glynmer
Jamito of the Propelling Our Inherited Nation Through Our Youth (POINTY)
imparted to the participants the values on how to become responsible social
media users and how to become peacemakers in the digital era and the new
normal.
Meanwhile, members of the business sector were invited to have a
dialogue with the DILG, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on the threats and challenges that
entrepreneurs have struggled with and how the government can be of further
assistance.
The participants shared about the losses of the business sector due to
the pandemic and also expresses that amid the health crisis, entrepreneurs
continue to receive calls from CTGs extorting them of money.
Director Famacion, together with Major Mark Lagud of the 4th Infantry
Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and NEDA Caraga regional
director Priscilla Sonido, also committed to continually assist local
entrepreneurs through the RTF-ELCAC to ensure that they can recover from their
losses and that the extortions from CTGs will stop.
Expo for Peace
As a culmination of the week-long activity, a Peace and Development Expo
was held to give a platform to the sectors to voice out their responses to the
activities conducted through the CUCPD which will help the RTF-ELCAC assess the
effectiveness of its efforts and in identifying future interventions for the
urban communities.
Frontline service delivery agencies such as the Department of Health,
Department of Transportation-Land Transportation Office, Department of
Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Social Welfare and
Development, Commission on Higher Education, National Housing Authority, and
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority set up a one-stop-shop
during the activity to provide immediate assistance and information about their
programs to the participants.
The makeshift schools were established to house the displaced students
of the closed illegal and anti-government educational institutions in the area.
Adhering to the health protocols, only half of the capacity of the venue
was occupied throughout the event. However, to ensure that the discussions will
still reach the general public, personnel from the Butuan City Public
Information Office were present to document the activities. The recordings will
be uploaded to the official DILG Caraga Facebook page and YouTube account.
(DILG-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
Caraga MRFC
activities, MMT inspections continue amidst COVID-19 pandemic
By Lizlit C. Cabag and Manevil M. Espineli
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Nov. 18 (PIA) -- The Mine Rehabilitation Fund Committees (MRFCs) and the Multi-partite Monitoring Teams (MMTs) of Caraga mining companies have carried on with their respective duties by conducting regular and special meetings and inspections amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
The MRFC is a body that consists of private and public entities and one
of its major duties and responsibilities is to ensure that the approved
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (EPEP)/Annual EPEP (AEPEP) of
the mining and mineral processing projects shall be strictly implemented.
The MRFC deputizes the MMT as its monitoring arm. The MRFC
meetings and MMT inspections are regularly conducted quarterly for operating
companies and semi-annually for non-operating companies.
The unprecedented effects of the pandemic, which include a series of
lockdowns and quarantine protocols, hampered the conduct of the meetings and
inspections.
In response to the current situation, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau
(MGB) released Regional Memorandum Order No. 2020-24 entitled “Interim
Guidelines/Protocols for the Operations of the MRFC and MMT during the General
Community Quarantine (GCQ) or New Normal” so that the MRFC and the MMT can
carry out their functions in monitoring the implementation of the 2020 AEPEP of
mining and mineral processing projects notwithstanding the setbacks.
Some of the stipulated guidelines were the temporary reduction of MMT
members which may range from four to seven members only to ensure a very
minimum risk of exposure to COVID-19.
Instead of quarterly monitoring, semi-annual monitoring is conducted at
the mine/plant site to check compliance with the implementation of the 2020
AEPEP. As for the MRFC, meetings were conducted after the semi-annual
monitoring of the MMT.
A face-to-face meeting is preferred but if not possible then a virtual
meeting is conducted or a combined face-to-face and virtual meeting is
arranged. In the case of a face-to-face meeting, the number of attendees from
the mining company is reduced to a bare minimum in order to minimize
person-to-person interaction. For both MMT and MRFC, the safety and health
protocols such as wearing of face mask and personal protective equipment,
social distancing and adherence to established personal
hygiene/disinfection/sanitation/good housekeeping were strictly observed.
As of October 2020, 83 MRFC meetings and 52 MMT inspections have already been conducted. The MGB-13, together with its stakeholders, constantly ensures that the safety of the members and its employees is of utmost importance as it continues to perform its duties and deliver public service amidst the pandemic. (MGB-13/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Mga bata at magulang
sa liblib na barangay sa Agusan Sur tumanggap ng regalo mula PNP, pribadong
sektor
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
LUNGSOD NG BUTUAN, Nob. 18 (PIA) -- Wala mang naitalang kaso ng
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ang Barangay Desamparados hanggang sa ngayon,
kabilang pa rin ang mga residente dito sa prayoridad ng lokal na pamahalaan na
mabigyang tulong ngayong panahon ng pandemya.
Ang Barangay Desamparados ay isa sa mga liblib na lugar sa bayan ng
Talacogon, Agusan del Sur, kung saan mas pinaigting ng lokal na pamahalaan ang
seguridad at proteksyon ng mga residente dito laban sa pagkalat at patuloy na
pagtaas ng kaso ng COVID-19 sa ibat-ibang lugar ng nasabing probinsya.
Kasama ang Philippine National Police (PNP), Agusan Media Club, at
Philsaga Mining Corporation inihatid nila sa lugar ang kanilang regalo na
ikinatuwa ng mga bata at kanilang mga magulang.
Bawat isa sa kanila ay tumanggap ng nutribuns, ice cream, face mask at
face shield.
Pinaalalahanan din sila ng mahahalagang impormasyon na makatutulong
upang hindi mahawaan ng nasabing virus.
Ayon kay Richard Grande, presidente ng Agusan Media Club, marami pang
barangay ang kanilang pupuntahan at dadalhan ng mga regalo sa kabila ng
pandemya.
“Ang outreach program na ito para po sa kabataan ay naglalayong bigyan
sila ng nutritious product tulad nitong nutribun na ginagawa na namin na may
malunggay at saka kalabasa.. Sa buwang ito, marami pa kaming gagawin,” ani ni
Grande.
Ibinahagi rin ng PNP ang mga paraan kung papaano makatulong ang mga residente na masugpo ang insurgency o anumang insidente sa lugar. (JPG/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
