iSIQUIJOR Information is our business.
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. 5| NO.19 June 10-17, 2017
Siquijor optimistic to create more jobs with DICT SIQUIJOR (PIA) -- Siquijor Governor Zaldy S. Villa expressed optimism that Siquijor province will soon create more jobs with the help of the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT). Villa said the provincial government focuses on creating job opportunities for
Department of Information and Communications Technology - DICT eInnovation Group’s Program Manager, Ms. Emmy Lou Versoza- Delfin discussed Rural Impact Sourcing (RIS) to ICT stakeholders in the province, as a program intended to create meaningful ICT-enabled jobs in socio-economically disadvantaged areas in the country.
the new graduates and young professionals in the province as he strongly supports DICT’s Rural Impact Sourcing Program to bring digital opportunities and to promote online jobs in the countryside. He admitted there are a number of job opportunities available at present but most of those demands are offered in major cities where the standard of living is also very high. This is also the reason why our young individuals are hesitant to find their luck outside the province, he added. He said only a few of the Siquijodnons learn of the opportunities they can do at home to earn a living or get additional income. “Outsourcing will teach us to land jobs or start our own business,” he said to the participants of the StartUp and Rural Impact Sourcing Workshops held at the Siquijor State College on June 1 and 2,
respectively. The Startup workshop and Rural Impact sourcing workshops were conducted in collaborative partnership of the DICT Central Office, Field Operation Office of Visayas Cluster 1, Provincial Government of Siquijor, Digital Career Advocates of the Philippines - DCAP, and Knights of Online Marketers. International ICT and business communities, according to the DICT, are now recognizing the potential of the industry to uplift the economy, provide local employment and maximize the use of technology to address relevant issues in diverse areas including business operations as well as the general concerns of the society. It also aims to leverage the use of ICT for relevant economic and social change through the establishment and unification of the Philippine StartUp ecosystem and the proliferation of
innovative ICT businesses. Promoting this as a viable career path for the youth as well as supporting the thriving community will contribute to the greater goals of the government and the county, he said. Meanwhile, Isla-Bahay – an-app based homestay locator of the Siquijor State College’s Team Lumay made it to the National Finalists for the Philippine Startup Challenge spearheaded by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA). The Philippine Startup Challenge (PSC) is a digital startup competition for college students, which aims to inspire the youth to create digital solutions and socially relevant startups that could solve the country’s most pressing problems. (fcr/rac/PIA7-Siquijor w/ DICT reports)
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DOH open ‘quitlines’ to help Filipinos quit smoking
MANILA, June 20 -- The Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), today launched phone and mobile-centered support services to help Filipino smokers quit tobacco. Harnessing the power and potentials of communication technologies, the DOH now offers Filipinos who want to kick their smoking habits real-time counseling and support through a quitline. Quitline is a hotline –165364 - that smokers can call. For the mobile-based cessation, simply text ‘STOPSMOKE’ to (29290)165364 – and text messaging will begin support and guidance to quit smoking, instead of actual operators and voice. Services will be available and accessible via SMART/Sun Cellular and Globe. “We are all pleased to share with the public new services that will help them initiate or continue quitting the use of tobacco products,” Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial said. “The ubiquitous availability and reach of telecommunication devices have already enabled numerous possibilities. From effectively bridging the communication gap between people, these devices are now also seen as valuable tools in improving health care delivery systems to address the burden of tobacco use,” she added. Based on the country’s 2015 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), seven in 10 of Filipino smokers would like to quit tobacco. But only 4% of those who smoked in the past 12 months reported success in fully kicking the deadly habit. “The Philippines is once again at the forefront of tobacco control innovation as the first country to launch a mobile tobacco cessation initiative in the Western Pacific Region,” WHO Country Representative to the Philippines Dr. Gundo Weiler said. “With the Quitlines, Filipino smokers now have on their hands an accessible way to put into action their intention to quit smoking. The World Health Organization is proud to support this initiative together with the Department of Health and the International Telecommunications Union.” he added. Non-communicable diseases-NCDs (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases) are threat to the Western Pacific Region, to which the Philippines belongs. In 2012 alone, approximately 11 million deaths in the region were due to NCDs, undermining economic development. There are now 1 million less smokers in the Philippines (GATS, 2015),
PIA Siquijor joins the Municipality of Larena’s observance of the country’s 119th Independence Day at the Queengate Center, Larena, Siquijor and there is real demand for smoking cessation services as tobacco control programs are strengthened: graphic health warnings are prompting smokers to quit; significant number of local governments are enforcing better smoke-free ordinances and more recently, the President has just signed EO 26 banning smoking in public places nationwide. The Philippines was the logical pilot for the WHO-ITU partnership, ‘Be He@lthy,
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is the Island of Siquijor’s first electronic newsletter produced by the Philippine Information AgencySiquijor 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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Be Mobile’ (BHBM) because of the high penetration of mobile telephone in the country. “Cellphone penetration rate in the Philippines was 113% as far back as 2012. Mobile phones provide a reliable and cheap tool to access even the remotest of populations. The Philippines is a highly digitized society with a rapidly growing mobile phone penetration, and it made sense to roll out the mobile cessation here,” Secretary Ubial emphasized. The mobile cessation component of DOH’s real-time support services was developed under the the BHBM Initiative. BHBM is a larger movement that looks to exploit to incorporate mobile technology – in particular text messaging and apps – to help combat non-communicable diseases or NCDs. So far nine countries have joined the initiative: Costa Rica, Norway, Philippines, Senegal, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Zambia, India and Egypt. World Health Organization’s (WHO) document on Policy Recommendations for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence says it is difficult to reduce the tobacco-related deaths over the next 30-50 years unless adult smokers are actively encouraged to quit. Both Quitline technologies implement a range of techniques in their communication and messages, including motivation, advice and guidance, and counseling, over telephone and mobile platforms. (DOH)
iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS #Empowering Communities Thank you for being with us during the first launching in Siquijor, Siquijor. This time around, the Philippine Information Agency - Region 7 will launch the 2nd Information Kiosk for the province on June 30 at the Larena Seaport . See you there! #ASEAN | #EmpoweringCommunities.
Pag-IBIG offers lowest housing interest rate to members CEBU CITY, June 5 (PIA) --- Pag-IBIG Fund now offers the lowest housing loan interest rate in the market being offered to its members who are minimum wage earners. “We are happy to announce that the Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees approved the lowering of interest rate under Pag-IBIG’s affordable housing for minimum-wage earners to three percent. This will allow more opportunities for low-income workers to realize their dream of home ownership,” said Cabinet Secretary and PagIBIG Chairman Leoncio Evasco Jr. The new rate of 3 percent is 33 percent lower than the previous 4.5 percent nterest rate under the Fund’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP). Minimum wage workers in the National Capital Region not earning more than P15,000 gross monthly income, and workers in other regions with a gross monthly income of P12,000 are eligible to avail of the new interest rate for a loan not exceeding P450,000, according to PagIBIG Fund Toledo Branch Head Dale Mark Antonio. The move to reduce the housing loan interest rate under the program is in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to give the underserved sector equal access to housing opportunities, Pag-IBIG Fund Officer-in-Charge Acmad Rizaldy Moti said. Pag-IBIG Fund is able to subsidize the interest rate of minimumwage earners mainly because of the savings the Fund earns from its tax exemptions status as provided for in its charter, Moti explained. Moti likewise cited the reforms the Fund implemented in recent years as contributing factors in the lowering of the interest rate. “The reforms we have implemented particularly the outsourcing of collections has, for the first time, resulted in a single digit 9.45 percent Non-Performing Loans (NPL) Ratio of the Fund. This means that Pag-IBIG’s Performing Loans Ratio (PLR)
greatly improved, reaching 90.55% as of March this year, from just 75 percent a few years ago,” Moti said. Pag-IBIG has achieved unprecedented accomplishments recently, according to Moti, which reinforced the Fund’s standing as the top home financing institution in the country today. “Pag-IBIG’s achievements redound to the advantage of Pag-IBIG members. A stronger Pag-IBIG Fund means more benefits for PagIBIG members, including the low interest rate for housing loans,” Moti concluded. (jsme/PIA-7-Cebu/Pag-IBIG Fund)
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Cebuano News
‘DDS Podcast’, gilusad sa PCOO (PIA)--Gilusad na sa Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) ang ‘DDS Podcast’. Ang ‘DDS Podcast’ usa ka programa sa radyo diin mahatagan og update ang publiko kalabot sa mga
aktibidad ni Presidente Rodrigo Duterte. Mapaminaw ang ‘DDS podcast’ matag Domingo sa alas-9:00 sa buntag sa Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) ug simulcast kini sa Radyo ng Bayan. Mahimo usab kining ma-
monitor sa Facebook page sa Presidential Communications Office. Host sa maong programa sila Communications Secretary Martin Andanar ug Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
Sobra’s 19 kilos kinatibuk-ang drugas na ang nasakmit - PNP (PIA)--Sa motoo mo og sa dili, mikabat nag 19 ka kilo nga shabu ang nahipos sa tibuok Central Visayas sukad nasugdan ang kampanya batok sa ilegal nga drugas niadtong Oplan Double Barrel sa Hulyo 1, 2016 hangtud karon. Ug segun sa Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), kini nagkantidad na’g P224,695,600 kon nabaligya pa sa kadalanan. Dugang pa niini, dul-an sa usa ka milyon na ka kabalayan ang gi-toktok (TOK) sa mga kapolisan aron hangyoon (HANG) ang mga molupyo na gikatahong migamit sa ilegal nga drugas sa pagundang na, butyag ni Deputy Director for Administration sa Region 7 Police Superintendent Julius Cesar Gornez. Didto sa labing bag-o nga pagtaho sa Police Regional Office sa kahimtang sa kampanya sa ilegal nga drugas, gitaho usab nga tulo na ka hugna sa kampanya ang gipangunahan sa kapolisan agi og suporta sa Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Ug sahi sa kasagarang nahibaw-an, dili sa unang hugna, o sa oplan Double Barrel nasakmit ang labing daghan nga ilegal nga drugas. Napakita sa gigamit sa kapolisan sa Rehiyon nga Geographic Information System-Based Crime Analysis (GISBCA), nga mikabat sa 5 ka kilo ug .010 gramos ang nasakmit sa mga tinugyanan sugod Hulyo 1 ngadto sa pagtak-op sa Double Barrel sa Octubre 25. Halos doble usab ang gidaghanon sa nasakmit sa kapolisan dihang gipatuman ang Double Barrel Reloaded (DBR) sugod
“It is not the best time for our beloved Philippines but even with the circumstances, we need to celebrate and uphold the freedom that we have already enjoyed since our country gained its independence from foreign rules and oppression 119 years ago. Marso 1, 2017 ngadto sa Mayo 23. Matud ni Superintendent Gornez, 9 ka kilo og 393 ka gramos ang kinatibuk-ang nakuha sa mga tinugyanan sa kagamhanan sa ilang kampanya sa DBR. Sa kadaghanon, matud ni Supt Gornez, kinsa maoy mitaho alang kang PCSupt Noli Taliño, mikabat sa 40, 830 ka pakete ang nakuha sa mga tinugyanan gikan sa nagkadaiyang operasyon sa kapolisan sa Central Visayas sulod sa napulo pa ka buwan nga kampanya.
Sa 920,648 ka kabalayan nga na TOKHANG, 107, 714 ka tawo ang boluntaryo nga mingtahan ug mipabati’g pagtul-id sa ilang salawayong buhat samtang 7,695 usab ang nadakpan. Ug sukwahi sa gipatuo nga daghan ang nangamatay sa kampanya sa ilegal nga drugas, 173 lang sa mga gikataho ang giangkon nga napatay sa kapolisan sa rehiyon. Kini usab tungod kay mipakita’s pagsukol samtang gihimoag operasyon. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)