Slain IP leaders in Caraga reached 15

PALMERS will be the implementing mechanism to the Palm Oil Roadmap for the palm oil industry. Regional News

“Palm oil industry is one of the eight national priority industry clusters and it will generate more income and employment opportunities in Caraga,” said Jorge P. Silaga, national palm oil cluster focal person.

Silaga, who is also PALMERS project coordinator, shared that an executive order supported by the Board of Investment Governor Napoleon Concepcion and endorsed by the office of Representative Maria Angelica Matba has been drafted to create the regulatory body for palm oil.

“The said executive order known as the Philippine Palm Oil Development Authority (PPODA) is now at the office of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea for review and comments from involved national agencies,” Silaga added.

Silaga further said that the palm oil industry will help reduce the poverty incidence in the region and in the country basing on the low poverty incidence of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand which have palm oil as a common denominator of economic development. (DTI-Caraga/PIACaraga)

Slain IP leaders in Caraga reached 15 By Jennifer P. Gaitano

BUTUAN CITY - Due to the relentless violence and abuses of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPPNPA) in the Caraga region, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) bared that some 15 Indigenous People leaders were already killed and left their families in grief.

January 18-24, 2020 Caraga Infocus 10

According to NCIP Caraga Regional Director Ferdausi Saniel Cerna, the Commission has condemned at the highest level the ruthless acts of the terrorist CPP-NPA and the killing of IPs and their tribal leaders in the region.

He stressed that the withdrawal of support and the cutting of ties with the terrorist CPP-NPA by the IPs have caused the surge of attack and killing of the tribal leaders.

“In Caraga alone, I think more or less 15 tribal leaders were slain by the terrorist group because the IPs no longer give any form of support to the group,” cited Cerna.

Since the start of the implementation of Executive Order 70 of President Rodrigo Duterte, the IPs have shown higher trust and confidence to the government and have become more active in participating in the efforts towards addressing the insurgency problem.

The official added that the IPs are naturally peace-loving people, who just want to live a harmonious life in their respective communities.

With the help of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the NCIP director hopes that a patrol base or army detachment will be established in every IP community that is affected by the insurgency, in order to protect them from the violence and abuses caused by the CPP-NPA. “For me, I believe establishing a patrol base or army detachment in the area would really aid in securing the safety IP community,” added Cerna.

Datu Jumar Bucales, Municipal Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of Lianga, Surigao del Sur, who was once ambushed by the terrorist group and survived from the incident, also asked the government for protection. He expressed with high hope for more IPs to avail and benefit from the programs and services of the government.

“We asked the government to continue to help the IPs, especially in their safety and security. We also hope that whatever would be beneficial to the community would really be given to them,” said Bucales. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)

Regional News Caraga IPs receive threat from CPP-NPA

BUTUAN CITY - The Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Caraga region have received a threat through a message sent by the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), after Datu Bontula Tinaghao Mansinugdan, a Higaonon tribal leader in Barangay Kinamaybay, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur was inhumanely killed in the said area.

The terrorist CPP-NPA has warned the IPs to stop hindering them from their operations; in reporting to the authorities; and even tipped off to halt in following their trail in the communities or locations where they passed by.

Despite this warning, the IPs were not threatened as they are firm with their stand to fight for what is right for the welfare of the IP community.

According to Datu Manligonan “Larry” Mansinugdan, punong barangay of Kinamaybay, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, the CPP-NPA are the ones who should feel troubled and embarrassed as they are ones who are merely causing violence and abuses to the IPs.

Datu Manligonan stressed that the NPAs violate the agreement on ceasefire in the country. They take this as an opportunity to penetrate and move from one community to another, just to cause conflict.

“I’m not scared because we are on the government’s side. The NPAs are the ones who should fear the government because they always violate the rule of the law,” cited Datu Manligonan. By Jennifer P. Gaitano

He further elaborated that with the implementation of Executive Order 70 of the Duterte administration, the CPP-NPAs have difficulty in doing their illegal operations in the barangays.

Regional News Datu Manligonan also called on the NPA members to stick to the agreement on ceasefire, since they were the ones who asked for it to the government. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)

DSWD-Caraga hits Social

Pension 2019 target

BUTUAN CITY - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga ended 2019 with flying colors as it was able to surpass expectations, especially in hitting its targets for its

One of its programs, the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens (SocPen) was able to serve 140,000 senior citizens for 2019 – the set target for the Field Office for the year.

The field office has worked tirelessly to disburse the P840-million allocated budget for the program to the beneficiaries of the said program in 73 local government units in the region. A series of payouts were conducted so that beneficiaries could claim their P3,000 stipend every semester. A total 29,176 beneficiaries were served in Agusan del Norte province; 35,324 in Agusan del Sur; 10,715 in Dinagat Islands; 30,468 in Surigao del Norte; and 38,091 in Surigao del Sur. programs and services for the year.

Regional News The Social Pension program provides a monthly stipend amounting to P500 to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of indigent senior citizens. This is in line with the fulfillment of the government’s obligation to the most vulnerable sector through social protection, and for the full implementation of Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

“Nagpasalamat ko sa Ginoo nga naay pension para sa mga senior. Makatabang gyud sa kawadon. Gamiton ko ning akong nadawat para ipalit bugas ug tambal (I thank God that there is such pension for the senior citizens. Indeed, it’s a great help. I will use the pension to buy rice and medicine),” beneficiary Rosenda Mabilog, 76, said after she received her pension in San Jose, Dinagat Islands last year.

Another beneficiary, Fernando Bauso, 74, a resident of San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, was more than thankful to the program. “Nagpasalamat kog dako sa DSWD sa akong nadawat… nga di pud ko magsalig sa akong mga anak kay naa napud silay mga pamilya (I’m thankful to DSWD for the pension I got. I will no longer rely on my children as they already have their own families),” Bauso said.

Eligible for the program are senior citizens who are 60 years old and above; frail, sickly or with disability; no pension from government agencies or any other insurance company; no permanent source of income; and no regular support from their family for their basic needs.

Based on the 2015 Census of Population, there are over 7.5 million senior citizens in the country. The number is expected to hit 9.5 million by 2020. DSWD will be ready to cater to their needs, through the different programs and services. (DSWD-13/PIACaraga) DPWH Caraga puspusan

ang road projects para

sa mabilis na byahe

LUNGSOD NG BUTUAN - Patuloy ang ginagawang road construction project ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Caraga para sa mga kalsadang makakatulong para mapabilis ang biyahe sa iba’t ibang lugar ng Caraga region gayundin sa ibang lugar ng Mindanao.

Kabilang dito ang construction ng Agusan-Malaybalay road na nagkakahalaga ng P1.1 at nasa 77.62 percent sa buwan ng Disyembre noong nakaraang taon.

Sinimulan ang construction nito taong 2015 at inaasahang makakatulong ng maraming mamamayan.

Malaki ang pasasalamat ng mga residente ng Esperanza, Agusan del Sur sa ginagawang Agusan-Malaybalay road. Anila, bagamat hindi pa ito tuluyang natatapos, nakatulong na ito para mapadali ang pagdadala nila ng kanilang mga produkto sa merkado.

Naging emosyunal naman si Rosie Echinique habang nagpapasalamat sa gobyerno partikular na sa DPWH dahil sa halos 30 taon na siya ay nakatira sa lugar, ngayon lang niya naranasan ang magkaroon ng magandang daan.

Ayon kay DPWH Caraga Regional Director Pol delos Santos, kabilang din ang Buenavista-Lawan lawanboundary Bukidnon road sa mga inaasahang malapit ng matapos.

Samantala, dahil sa sunod-sunod na naranasang lindol sa iba’t ibang parte ng Mindanao, binigyang diin din ni director delos Santos ang patuloy na pag-iinspeksyon ng ahensya sa mga imprastraktura ng rehiyon at kabilang na ang Magsaysay bridge ng Butuan City na binuksan sa publiko noong Mayo 19, 1953. Ayon kay delos Santos nasa maayos pa na kondisyon ang tulay at walang pinsalang natamo sa sunod-sunod na lindol na naranasan sa Mindanao. (NCLM/PIA Caraga)