FEATURE: UPLIFTING THE LIVES OF AGSUR IPS THROUGH DA-CARAGA’S 4K

Uplifting the lives of AgSur IPs through DA-Caraga’s 4K

With its continued commitment to uplift the lives of Indigenous Peoples/IndIgeneous Cultural Communities (IP/ ICCs), the Department of Agriculture (DA)Caraga turned-over various livelihood projects amounting to P4.4 million in Rosario, Agusan del Sur on December 14, 2021.

Implemented under the Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo (4Ks), the livelihood projects was turned over to the officers and members of CAMMPACAMM or the Cabantao, Maligaya, Marfil, Panintingan, Caulisihan, Maputi, Masabong Ancestral Manobo Tribal Association. a recipient of a goat multiplier project that includes a goat house, perimeter fence and 22 heads doe and buck; chicken multiplier with 4 units chicken house, and fence, 480 heads of hen and rooster as well as incubator; corn production project inclusive of corn seeds, fertilizers, corn sheller, compact corn mill and vegetable production project.

Regional Technical Director (RTD) for Operations Rebecca Reyes Atega of DACaraga who graced the ceremonial turn-over said that the livelihood projects aim to uplift the living conditions of the tribal communities in the said municipality. “Through the 4Ks, DACaraga is able to extend realistic interventions for sustainable development to the IP/ICCs and capacitate them to take part in the programs of the government,” Atega said.

The DA- BFAR Caraga also turned over to the said beneficiaries Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) boat and 10 sets of fishing gears and paraphernalia. In addition, the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Component of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DAPhilMech) also turns over agricultural equipment and machinery.

Mayor Jupiter Abulog expressed how grateful he is and the whole tribal communities for the assistance given by the DA and its attached agencies. He committed to help in terms of continuous monitoring and seeing to it that these projects are being used properly and are being sustained. (Aurelius Arais/DA-CaragaRAFIS/PIA-Agusan del Sur) Caraga INFOCUS

NATIONAL NEWS

Statement of Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar on the PCOO and its attached agencies’ continued efforts of informing the public regarding Typhoon Odette

The Duterte administration remains on top of the situation, having prepared early on for the entry of Typhoon Odette in our country, particularly in the Eastern Visayas and Caraga regions.

As we have made and undertaken interagency prior risk assessments, various components of the relief operations and disaster responses through regional disaster risk reduction and management councils (RDRRMCs) and other regional offices of line departments have been pre-positioned to immediately respond to the communities foreseen to be impacted by typhoon Odette.

The DSWD has allotted standby funds and stockpiles of food packs in its central and field offices. While the DOH has dedicated teams to monitor health impacts by the typhoon, especially in evacuation centers, as well as supplies of medicines in regional offices. Pre-emptive evacuation and support in other operations of the RDRRMCs are being augmented by the assistance being provided by the AFP and the DILG. For our part, the PCOO and its attached agencies, through our Integrated News Team and Laging Handa crisis communications initiative, continue to provide needed and timely information and updates regarding Typhoon Odette and its foreseen impacts using all government instrumentalities.

We ask the public, particularly those in the affected regions, to follow all the directives of the national and local government units and to monitor all warnings and advisories to ensure their safety and welfare from the tropical depression.

We also remind everyone, especially those in evacuation centers, to continue observing all health protocols, such as of wearing face masks and safe physical distancing, as much as possible in order to minimize infection from COVID-19.

3 EU nations donate nearly 3.8M vaccine doses to PH

By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan

FOR THE PHILIPPINES. A staff of the Department of Health plants the Philippine flag near the boxes containing the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Tuesday (Dec. 14, 2021). This latest shipment of 1,778,400 doses of the single-shot vaccine was donated by the governments of Austria and Sweden. (PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler) More vaccine donations from European countries have continued to pour into the country, with the latest shipment of 3,789,600 doses of the Janssen vaccine from Sweden, Austria, and the Netherlands arriving on Tuesday. the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Annika Thanborg said it was a pleasure for her to personally witness the arrival of the vaccines, about 1,512,000 doses, donated by her country through the COVAX Facility. “We will also donate at least six million nonearmarked vaccine doses in 2021, 1.5 million of these doses will go to the Philippines as you have seen in this shipment, and we want to thank the Department of Health, Secretary (Carlito) Galvez, of course,

my dear colleagues from the European Union,” Thanborg said. “Vaccine equity is key. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Austrian Ambassador to the Philippines Bita Rasoulian said the vaccination drive is a “global effort” that must be done together with other nations. Austria also donated 266,400 doses of Janssen.

“You may know that Austria is among the lead contributors to the COVAX Facility as part of Team Europe, as part of the European Union. We applaud the Philippines for its ongoing vaccination effort, for this very successful vaccination drive, and for Austria that every nation, every citizen, every person around the world has access to high-quality vaccines,” Rasoulian said.

The Dutch government’s donation of 2,011,200 doses of Janssen also arrived on the same World Health Organization (WHO) representative Rabindra Abeyasinghe, who was present during the arrival, lauded Sweden and Austria for their donations, saying these would help increase the number of fully vaccinated Filipinos.

“As we mentioned before, this is a unique window opportunity we have to protect as many of the vulnerable people as possible. So that they are better protected when the Omicron variant eventually arrives here,” he said.

Abeyasinghe said COVAX would deliver an excess of 14 million doses this week alone, bringing the total number of deliveries through the facility to more than 50 million doses.

“This is much more than what COVAX promised at the beginning of the year when we promised to protect 20 percent of your population. We want to continue to partner with the government of the Philippines in your successful vaccination effort to ensure that every Filipino is protected,” he added.

National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said the donated Janssen jabs would be allocated to residents living in “geographically challenged” areas.

“Priority natin sa Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) ay yung (are the) areas of BARMM, Region 5 (Bicol), Region 12 (Soccsksargen), and other areas in Davao City, lalo na tinatawag nating (especially those we refer to as) most geographically isolated areas and also (the) island (of) Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, and other islands in the areas of Bicol,” he said. (PNA)

Add’l 2M doses of China-donated Sinovac arrive in Manila

By Lade Jean Kabagani

MORE LIFE SAVING DOSES. NTF chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. along with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, Health Undersecretary Ma. Carolina Vidal-Taiño, and NTF strategic communications on current operations head Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor welcome the arrival of 2 million doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines donated by the People’s Republic of China at the NAIA Terminal 2 in Pasay City on Tuesday (Dec. 14, 2021). Galvez said the latest shipment of Sinovac vaccines will be used for the administration of primary doses and booster vaccination. (PNA photo by Joey Razon) The Philippines on Tuesday received additional 2 million doses of Sinovac vaccines donated by the Chinese government.

National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. along with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, Health Undersecretary Ma. Carolina VidalTaiño, and NTF strategic communications on current operations head Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor welcomed the arrival of the Philippine Airlines Flight PR 359 that landed around 6 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in Pasay City.

Galvez, also the vaccine czar, said the Sinovac’s CoronaVac jabs will be distributed in different farflung communities. “It will be needed for the first and second doses and also for the boosters,” Galvez said in an interview.

Galvez noted that most people are seeking to get Sinovac booster doses under the homologous booster vaccination.

The latest shipment brought the country’s total Sinovac vaccines to 54,030,400 doses, with 4 million doses of which, are donations from the Chinese government.

Xilian said the Chinese government is committed to assisting the Philippines to revive its economy through scaling up the Covid-19 vaccination program.

“We will continue to support the Philippines until the final victory against the pandemic,” Xilian said.

The Chinese vaccine manufacturer, Sinovac, has become the country’s major source of Covid-19 jabs since February.

The Philippines is slated to receive more than 24 million doses of Covid-19 from various vaccine manufacturers until the end of this week. (PNA) Caraga INFOCUS

PH nod on Pfizer’s EUA for kids aged 5 to 11 seen before 2022

By Lade Jean Kabagani The Pfizer BioNTech company has applied for emergency use authorization (EUA) allowing the administration of its coronavirus jabs for children 5 to 11 years old in the Philippines, National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., announced Monday night.

Galvez, also the vaccine czar, said Pfizer has officially requested an amendment to its EUA by allowing the use of its vaccine for Filipinos under 5 to 11 age bracket.

“We will be expecting more or less na (that) before the end of the year ay mayroon na po itong EUA (the EUA will be approved),” Galvez told President Rodrigo Duterte during his prerecorded Talk to the People.

GOVT-PROCURED JABS. Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor (left), head of strategic communications on current operations of the National Task Force against Covid-19, and US Embassy Political Counselor Edward Vincent O’Bryan place the Resbakuna sticker on the shipment containing 859,950 doses of the government-procured Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine that arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Monday (Dec. 13, 2021). Mayor said the new shipment of Pfizer will be used to boost the pediatric vaccination program. (PNA photo by Avito Dalan)

Administration (FDA) Director-General Eric Domingo earlier said the country’s vaccine experts are now evaluating Pfizer’s application. Domingo said no other vaccine manufacturer has submitted a similar application.

Once approved, Galvez said the vaccination of kids under this age bracket may start by the first quarter of next year. The government targets to vaccinate at least 80 percent of the total population of children 12 to 17 years old, by end of this year.

The United States’ FDA has authorized the use of Pfizer jabs for kids 5 to 11 years old on October 29. (PNA)

Executive Editor ABNER M. CAGA

Associate Editor FRYAN E. ABKILAN Managing Editor NORA CL MOLDE Copy Editor VENUS LIM GARCIA Layout Artists RONNIE E. MADANGUIT JOHN CHARLES B. MALAZARTE Contributors JENNIFER P. GAITANO

Agusan del Sur NIDA GRACE B. TRANQUILAN

Surigao del Sur SUSIL D. RAGAS

Surigao del Norte/Dinagat Islands DOREEN MARIELLE N. ROSALES

Regional Office Aurelius Arais Christopher Lloyd Caliwan Nibika May V. Calixtro Karen Kei Decamotan Janicesa Dramayo Lade Jean Kabagani Shena Mae Pabia LGU-Agusan del Norte DA-Caraga-RAFIS DSWD-Caraga LGU-Hinatuan Agusan Up DA-13 PNA Business Managers ZARINA O. LASTRA MARIESH F. CELEDEÑA MAY AMOR O. ALABADO Photographer ROBESPIERRE C. TRADIO RUDOLF BONNIN E. SANICO

Regional Office

Jose Rosales Avenue, Butuan City piacaraga@gmail.com; pia_caraga@yahoo.com.ph (085) 341-5285; (085) 815-1991 Philippine Information Agency Caraga @PIACaraga

Information Centers

AGUSAN DEL NORTE

Jose Rosales Avenue, Butuan City (085) 815-1991 pia.northagusan@gmail.com PIA Agusan del Norte

AGUSAN DEL SUR

Provincial Government Center, Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur 0917-723-3455 pia.agusandelsur@yahoo.com.ph PIA Agusan del Sur

SURIGAO DEL NORTE/DINAGAT ISLANDS

Parrucho corner Magallanes St., Surigao City (086) 826-9450 piasurigao@gmail.com PIA Surigao del Norte; PIA Dinagat Islands

SURIGAO DEL SUR

Old DPWH Bldg., Telaje, Tandag City (086) 211-3353 piasurigaosur@gmail.com; sds_pia@yahoo.com.ph PIA Surigao del Sur