10 isiquijor 3 23 14

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iSIQUIJOR THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF THE PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.PIA.GOV.PH and the DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.DOST.GOV.PH

VOL. 2 | NO. 10 March 17-23, 2014

Siquijor town mayor bares development agenda

SIQUIJOR, Feb 16 (PIA)— Siquijor town mayor Mei Ling Quezon delivered on February 14 her State of the Town’s address (SOTA) that reported her administration’s agenda and the accomplishments for the past seven months.

In her SOTA, Quezon stressed to the Siquijodnons her development agenda which is anchored on the word “HEADS.”

“H”, she said, stands for health and nutrition program focusing on improved access to health services especially among woman and the protection of women’s rights.

“E” stands for education which focuses on grant of scholarships to poor but deserving students and the enhancement of Technical Education Skills and Development Administration ( TESDA) related skills training as a tool to fight poverty.

“A” stands for agriculture program that puts a wider approach in giving support to both farmers and fisherfolks to increase their income.

“D” stands for Development Administration, which addresses the environmental protection, sustainable use of resources and generate more job opportunities through the establishment of economic zones; and

“S: stands for social service which caters the increasing demands and needs to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and development issues.

Her top priority projects for 2014 includes increasing the number of Philhealth beneficiaries by enrolling at least 100 indigents,fund allocation of P250,000 for the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities, expansion of the Baywalk in Canal, Siquijor in the amount of 500,000, and construction of Farm to Market Roads, P1.350 million.

Allocation for tourism program is 800,000 and support to agricultural productivity program that includes Corn and

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DOST-Siquijor announces qualifiers for 2014 DOST SEI S&T scholarship

SIQUIJOR, March 21 (PIA)--The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the Science Education Institute (SEI) announces the names of the scholarship qualifiers in 2014.

For Siquijor province, qualifiers are John Ric Suminguit Hortelano and Ivy Mae Maglinao Magdali of Enrique Villanueva National High School; Archie Purol Amba from Tigbawan, Lazi, Siquijor of the Philippine Science High School, Central Visayas Campus; Jelly Rose Ligutom from Cangclaran, Lazi, Siquijor and Princess Claire Sangag Abing of Paliton, San Juan, both of the Sisters of Mary School- Girlstown, Inc.

Other qualifiers are Jan Louis Malagar Amantiad, Lovely Shane Rondero Lomongo, Jeanette Buhian Aliman, Adelfa Baguio Van Rozelaar, and Jhesyl Mee Ganob Ynot, all of the Siquijor Provincial Science High School.

The new scholarship awardees must seek admission in any of the priority S&T fields of study at state colleges and universities and CHED-identified Centers of Excellence/Centers of Development.

Each qualifier, according to Provincial Science and Technology Director Mario de la Pena, shall receive a notice of award from the DOST-SEI or DOST Regional Office stating the date of orientation and contract signing. He/ she shall report at the designated venue with a parent/legal guardian who must bring a 2014 Community Tax Certificate or Official Passport.

The legal guardian is required to present his/her affidavit of guardianship.

The names of some potential qualifiers are put on hold pending re-evaluation of some requirements. The following are the qualifiers of the DOST-SEI Scholarship Programs (also available at www.sei.dost. gov.ph and www.science-scholarships.ph).

De la Peña said that every year, there is an increase in number of passers which showed a good results in the review conducted by DOST staff prior to the scheduled examination.

The briefing and signing of contract will be on April 25, 2014 (Friday) at the DOST Siquijor Provincial S&T Center, Baluarte St., Siquijor, Siquijor. (mbcn/RAC/PIA7Siquijor w/ reports from M. de la Peña)

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

News Feature: Siquijor Chamber as catalyst for improving business climate in the province

SIQUIJOR, March 17 (PIA) -Economic drivers...catalyst for local business growth. This is what Siquijor Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (SCCII) is and what it should be.

Provincial Science and Technology director Mario de la Pena lauded SCCII as a “very strong, highly recognized and well respected organization” in the province even as he challenged them to adopt strategies that will make them more effective in support to the drive for a globally competitive Siquijor.

Speaking at the SCCII’s 24th anniversary, de la Pena said the association, in partnership with the government, academe, non government organizations, and other business organizations can do a lot of things for Siquijor.

Among these are the promotion and growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through capability building, national and international networking and policy reform initiatives that improves the business climate and sustain socio-

economic development in the province.

De la Pena specifically calls SCCII to facilitate linking MSME’s with the Siquijor State College and work closer together to initiate Research and Development (R&D) undertakings.

“Supplying the professionals needed would be a contribution of the academe in bringing in more foreign direct investments,” he said.

The SCCII, he added, should also initiate the crafting of resolutions for submission to the Regional Development Council (RDC) or any government organizations covering areas on agriculture and food security, climate change adaptation, ecological integrity, energy and power development, good governance, human development, ICT and Services, among others.

While lauding SCCII’s

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SETUP success story

A mother’s recipe turned into a business

As in many food businesses, it all starts with cooking traditional and favorite handed down home recipes. The processed meat products of R & J are no different from this usual beginnings.

Ronald Caraan never thought that the tocino that his mother usually cooks, which was a favorite of the family, would become a source of income for his very own family.

R & J Homemade Meat Products is one of the only two registered meat processing businesses in the island of Siquijor. R & J stands for Ronald and Rosnell, husband and wife, and J is the beginning letter of the names of their two sons, Jonas and Julius.

Their best sellers - tocino, longganisa and chorizo - are regularly delivered to their neighbors and later,

to groceries and meat shop. Cooking is done by Rosnell and Ronald delivers their products, in between his work as a member of a crew of a local shipping company. They raise their own pigs and cooking is done twice a month.

Their existing equipment could not cope with the demand. Their grinder has a small capacity. Steaming is done the conventional way using a cooking vat. Working tables are made of wood and ordinary cooking utensils are used. Processed meat is stored in a small refrigerator.

Being a member of the Siquijor Association of Food Entrepreneurs, Ronald learned of DOST’s SET-UP Program in one of their regular meetings. He did not doubt the support extended to SMEs since a friend in the association has been a recipient of such a program.

His trust paid off and he was assisted by DOST SET-UP by upgrading his processing technology. Stocks could now be stored in a chest freezer. A heavy duty meat grinder and meat slicer increased the grinding capacity. A stainless steamer and stainless working tables, which conform to the BFAD regulations, are used including stainless steel cooking utensils and accessories. A two-burner stove has replaced the ordinary ceramic pot stove which utilized firewood.

These technology upgrades enabled R & J to increase its annual gross sales of more than its original objective of 20% and product spoilage has likewise been drastically reduced.

They have yet to have a study conducted to scientifically determine the shelf life of their products.

For this family business that began by word of mouth from satisfied neighbors and friends, R & J may well represent the characteristics of husband and wife, Resilience and Joy (R&J), that made them a favorite supplier of processed meat products in Siquijor (SET-UP Product Catalogue).

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

Pantawid Pamilya’s extension of age starts in April

C E B U C I T Y, M a r c h 1 9 (PIA) --- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-7) will start implementing the extension of the age of beneficiaries covered by the Pantawid Pamilya Program to

15 to 18 years old who dream of going to college or getting a better-paying job.

Parents of children beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya program are advised to prepare their qualifying c h i l d r e n ’s b i r t h c e r t i f i c a t e s a n d certificate of enrolment during the Siquijor State College faculty and students listening validation to facilitate registration. and reacting to the talks of DOST Provincial director

Lariba said that Mario de la Pena during the College of Technology currently, the Pantawid Pamilya celebration last February 19 with theme “COT Gearing program provides health and Towards Technological Future” (RAC/PIA-Siquijor) education grants to children beneficiaries aged 0 to 14 only.

With the extention, beneficiaries aged 15 to 18 years old are now covered.

The reason for extending the age coverage is to help the children beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya finish high school and to get a twoyear course in college, at least, giving them a greater chance for a better employment and to become competitive in the professional world.

The program also compliments the K-12 program of the Department of Education (DepEd).

The expansion program

C E B U C I T Y, M a r c h 1 9 ( P I A ) - - - D e s p i t e b e i n g a m a j o r still requires an 85% attendance contributor in the development of the country, most women in the region still in school but will receive a do not have a decent means to earn a living or engage in livelihood activities. higher educational grant that

T h i s w a s r e v e a l e d i n t h e L i s t a h a n a n o r t h e N a t i o n a l H o u s e h o l d covers the 15 to 18 years old.

Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) data of the Department

For households with no o f S o c i a l W e l f a r e a n d D e v e l o p m e n t ( D S W D ) c o n d u c t e d i n 2 0 0 9 . children enrolled in the elementary,

T h e d a t a s h o w e d t h a t o f t h e 3 . 5 m i l l i o n a s s e s s e d i n d i v i d u a l they will not be receving anymore i n C e n t r a l V i s a y a s , 4 9 % o r 1 . 7 m i l l i o n o f t h e m a r e w o m e n . the P500/ month cash grant for health, Lariba explained.

The 2009 assessment showed that the women sector aged 18

She added that the to 59 constitutes 390,368 or 45% of the poor households in Central Visayas. selection of children aged 3-18 for

I n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e , w o m e n p a r t n e r w i t h t h e i r h u s b a n d education monitoring will be based a s t h e y w o r k i n f a r m s , f o r e s t s , a n d i n t h e f i s h i n g i n d u s t r y . on the existing policy which is, “the

O t h e r s p e r f o r m e d m e n i a l j o b s s u c h a s l a b o r e r s , household shall select from among u n s k i l l e d w o r k , a n d s h o p o r m a r k e t s a l e s w o r k e r s . the children whom to monitor, replace and additional children

From the 45% poor women ages 18 to 59, 2.3% or 8,852 did not finish or completed their beneficiaries to complete the education in any grade levels while 51.9% or 202,557 of them were able to finish their primary grades. three children limit per household,

The 43.2% or 168,466 just finished high school or the secondary level. provided that these children are

Local Government Units (LGUs), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and included in the household roster.” legislators are urged by DSWD to use the available data to formulate appropriate social

The existing children protection programs and services specifically to address the welfare of the women sector. beneficiaries aged 0 to 14 will

Currently, all 132 towns and cities in Central Visayas have already forged a Memorandum continue to be monitored and should of Agreement (MOA) for the Listahanan and DSWD has provided them with the datasets. abide by the program’s set conditions of visiting the health center and

Other than government agencies, NGOs like the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. attending the Family Development (RAFI), Outreach Program on Trainings, Integral Organizing and Networking for Solidarity Inc. Session (FDS) at least once a (OPTIONS), Alay Lakad Foundation, Euphrasia Parent Association Inc., Tzu Chi Foundation and month and an 85% attendance in Little Bamboo Foundation have also signed a pact with the office for the use of the Listahanan. school to continually receive their

T h e d a t a i n t h e L i s t a h a n a n i s u p d a t e d e v e r y f o u r y e a r s . cash grant of P500/month for health

This second quarter of 2014, another round of household assessment and P300/month for education. i n t h e r e g i o n w i l l b e c o n d u c t e d . ( r m n / J S M E / P I A - C e b u / D S W D 7 ) (rmn/JSME/PIA-Cebu/DSWD7) include 15 to 18 year olds next month.

According to Aileen Lariba, focal person of the Pantawid Pamilya program here, said that 2014 will be a new beginning for more than 140,000 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries especially for those aged

45% of women in CV are poor- DSWD-7

Cong. Pernes mipasalig sa iyang Cebuano News suporta aron Magbabalaod sa Siquijor nagkatigum makab-ot ang alang sa ‘road right of way workshop’ igong abot sa mais

SIQUIJOR (PIA)— Nagkatigum pag-abli niini, kalabot sa mga buluhaton sa iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS

ang mga lokal nga magbabalaod ning lalawigan alang sa usa ka pagtuki ug pagplano mahitungod sa ‘road right of way’ aron mapahimutang ang mga proyekto nga gitakdang ipatuman sa Siquijor.

Uban usab kanila mao ang mga ehekutibong lokal ug mga enhenyiro sa matag lungsod.

Ang panagtigum nagdala ug nagtumong sa tema nga “Responsive Legislation, Better Service Delivery, Progressive Community,” ug kini gitambungan ni Valenzuela City first district representative Sherwin Gatchallian nga mihatag usab sa ilang malampusong kasinatian sa pagdumala sa ilang dapit.

Ang panagtigum, sumala ni Provincial Governor Zaldy S. Villa sa iyang

Siquijor mayor... from page 1

Rice Production, livestock, fisheries and high value crops production, is P500,000.

Other projects lined up for this year are Sanitary Landfill at Caipilan, Siquijor at P1 million, repair of abattoir, P362,000, purchase a Boom Truck, Dump Truck and Back Hoe for the Disaster Management Program, and Water Works Project P200,000.

Electrification of various barangays is also lined-up with an allocation ofP600,000, installation of street lights in all Municipal Streets, P1 million, repair, improvement and construction of Barangay Manpower Centers, P1.250 million, completion Siquijor Capital Square stage, P500,000, and Partial completion of the Gender and Development Center at the back of the Siquijor Primary School, P500,000.

The mayor also reported that the provincial government has approved some P15 million for the municipality wide Electrification Program amounting to P3 million, Water Works Development, P2.350 million, Partial Completion of the Siquijor Bay Walk, P3 million, repair/ improvement of Municipal Abattoir, P1 million, and rehabilitation/improvement of Farm to Market , P6 million.

At the end of her SOTA, Quezon said the progress and development of the town is a shared responsibility both by the local leaders and the people.

“The quest for economic prosperity is still a long way to go. We need each and every one of us in this journey,” she said.

Finally, she thanked the Vice Mayor, Sangguniang Bayan members, department heads, LGU family, all government officials, the civil society organizations, and all persons who supported her for the past seven months. (Kerwin Patria/IO-LGU Siquijor/PIA-Siquijor)

mga opisyales nga mohatag ug katin-awan sa mga isyu sa lehislatibo nga migawas niadtong provincial roadmap planning workshop nga gihimo niadtong Enero ning tuiga nga mao usab gituohang motuman sa ilang damgo ug buot mahitabo alang sa Siquijor.

Ang gobernador usab mihangyosa hiniusang suporta alang sa mga proyekto ug programa sa gobyerno.

“Let us be united in this endeavor and forget our personal, professional, political and individual differences for the good of our fellow Siquijodnons,” (Kinahanglan kitang maghiusa ang kalimtan nato ang personal, political, propesyunal ug indibiduwal panaglahi alang sa kaayohan sa atong isig ka Siquijodnon) sumala pa niya.

Samtang giaankon niya nga ang kakulang sa pinansyal mao ang hinungdan nga dili tanan matuman ang mga proyekto, ang gobernador usab mipadayag nga siya nakakita ug kahayag ug paglaum sa dihang ang nasyonal nga kagamhanan mipakita sa ilang interes sa pagsuporta sa lalawigan.

Iyang gisaysay ang pinansyal ug uban pang suporta nga gikomitir sa National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) pinaagi ni Kalihim Joel Rocamora ug iyang mga kauban sa pagpatuman sa mga plano, programa ug proyekto sa Siquijor.

“All our plans, implementations and programs will be realised if it is coupled with an untiring support from the people of various sectors, stakeholders, and especially the public servants like us,” (Tanan natong mga plano matuman uban sa walay puas nga suporta gikan sa atong katawhan ug nagkalain-laing sector ug mga alagad sa gobyerno) sumala pa usab niya.

Ang tibuok kalihokan gipasiugda sa Siquijor Development Management Team (SDMT) nga giulohan sa ilang program director Karen F. Villanueva uban sa mga program officers nga sila Dexter Miraflor ug Cindy Uy. (RACalibo/PIA-Siquijor)

iSIQUIJOR

is the Island of Siquijor’s first electronic newsletter produced by the Philippine Information Agency-Siquijor Information Center and the DOST - Provincial Science and Technology Center.

It contains snippets of information about Siquijor, Central Visayas and the Philippine Government.

THERE IS GOOD NEWS EVERYDAY.

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SIQUIJOR (PIA)— Mipasalig si Siquijor lone district representative Marie Anne Pernes sa iyang suporta ngadto sa mga lokal nga mag-uuma aron mouswag ang ilang panguma ug makab-ot ang igong abot sa mais sa lalawigan kon “corn sufficiency”.

“Nandito lang po ako at handang tumulong sa inyo,” pasalig ni Pernes atol sa gihimong corn production and marketing sa Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) conference hall sa Helen, Larena, Siquijor.

Matud niya, komitido siyang motabang pagpangita ug pondo sa nasyonal nga kagamhanan alang sa mga galamiton kon ekipo ug uban pang suporta aron mouswag ang abot sa isla.

Ang kongresista mipasalig nga mahimo siyang modulo sa nagkalain-laing ahensya ug isiguro nga ang lalawigan makakuha ug pondo gikan sa nasyonal nga badyet sa sunod nga mga tuig.

Si Pernes miangkon nga ang lalawigan nanginahanglan gayud ug tabang sa agrikultura ug iyang gidayeg ang National Food Authority (NFA) ug kalabot nga ahensya niini sa gihimong panagtigum.

Matud pa niya dako ug ikatabang ang pag-inambitay ug mga ideya alang sa kalamboan sa Siquijor ilabi sa matang sa pagpalambo sa abot sa agrikultura ug sa mga mag-uuma. (RACalibo/PIA7-Siquijor )

Siquijor Chamber... from page 1

services that address various business needs and strengthen Siquijor’s business community, de la Pena also sees the need to strengthen capabilities of its members.

This he said, can be done through advocacy, linkages and synergy moving towards global competitiveness of the province and the people.

The DOST, he also noted, had been very helpful to MSME’s in the province.

“There are MSMEs who become beneficiaries of the DOST’s Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) program,” he said while announcing the program coverage that includes upgrading of production equipment of the following sectors--Food Processing, Furniture, Metals and Engineering, Gift and Holiday Decors, Marine and Aquatic resources, ICT, Horticulture and Agriculture and Health Products and services/ Pharmaceuticals.

In closing, de la Pena commended Engr. Kenneth Patria for his exemplary leadership and enthusiasm in heading the institution to a more active and visible organization. (mbcn/RAC/PIA7-Siquijor)