39 isiquijor 15 22 by iSIQUIJOR

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. 2 | NO. 39 November 15-22, 2014

Budget, NAPC Secretaries visit Siquijor, talk about country’s gains by Rizalie Anding-Calibo SIQUIJOR, Dec 1 (PIA)—Budget Secretary Butch Abad and his family visited Siquijor recently with National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary Joel Rocamora and talked about “unprecedented gains” the country has achieved, in two separate occasions here. In his talks during the welcome dinner hosted by the Liberal Party and another dinner on the second day by representative Marie Anne Pernes, Abad thanked the people of Siquijor for the support they give to the present leadership. “You made that decision in an unprecedented way to elect a leadership that will care for you and for our country especially the poor,” said Abad. He said that because of the people’s support and President Aquino’s good management, “we have made unprecedented improvements in the way we govern our country.” He cited the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program which when they started in 2010, had only 800,000 household beneficiaries with a budget of P10 billion. This year, he reported, the budget is raised six times higher to P64 billion covering some 4.4 million families. Budget for education sector has also increased from P225 billion in 2010 to P450 billion in 2015 so that the 66,000 classrooms gap and teachers were closed at the end of 2013, he added. Health sector budget has also increased three times higher from P30 billion in 2010 to P90.5 billion next year with Philhealth getting P35.5 billion to cover some 50.7 million poor people. There will be no more charity wards in hospitals while district, provincial hospitals and even rural health centers will become viable, Abad said.

Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad in one of his talks at Congresswoman Marie Anne Pernes’ residence in Nonoc, Larena, Siquijor.

Infrastructure budget has also increased from P165 billion in 2010 to P600 billion in 2016 so that in 2016, all roads should have been rehabilitated and paved, he said. Abad assured the LGUs that in 2016 budget will be allocated for provincial roads citing the bottomup budgeting (BUB) that the administration has launched as a way of getting the local government units (LGUs) and the communities involved and improve their capacity to undertake more complicated projects. He said that the increased government spending on projects is only made following vigorous anti corruption campaigns made during the initial period. As a result, the administration has increased spending in 2012 starting

with Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) that enabled the economy to grow by 6.8% and by 7.2% in 2013, Abad noted. All these is also attributed to the increase in tax collections that increased by 50% in three years from P1 trillion in 2010 to P1.5 trillion last year. He said investors and investment analyst have seen that this country will continue to lead the growth in the region through President Aquino’s leadership. With it, he said, collection of taxes will increase and the local governments Internal revenue Allotment (IRA) will also increase. The room for improvement is huge. If we continue helping each other there is so much that this country and we as a people can do, he said. (mbcn/RAC/PIA7-Siquijor)

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DOST, Siquijor Poblacion launch barangay info system

by Engr. Reinhold Jek Abing

SIQUIJOR, (PIA)--Electronic governance is finally possible in Siquijor province particularly in barangay Poblacion, Siquijor, Siquijor through the Barangay Information System (BIS) that was launched recently by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Siquijor and the barangay council at the Barangay Poblacion Session Hall. In his message during the launching, Barangay Captain Dr. Peck Cortes expressed his optimism on the undertaking. He said the project marks a new milestone for his administration and the council as he envisions the project to become a tool for maximizing the full capacity of the barangay as a nucleus of economic, social, health and political activities. Provincial Science and Technology Director Engr. Mario de la Peña also shared with the attendees that the project will earn Poblacion as the pilot barangay and the distinction of being the first to provide automated issuances of barangay clearances and computerization of financial records, inventory records and even the barangay peace and order proceedings for ease of access once the system becomes fully operational. Central Visayas Information Sharing Network (CVISNET) Foundation, Inc., executive director Jeffrey Llanto oriented the project beneficiary barangay on the BIS. According to Llanto, the system will incorporate the Barangay Clearance, Barangay Judicial System and Residents’ Profile. With the new system, barangay Poblacion can become efficient in delivering public services to its constituents, he added. Llanto further cited how the system can enhance the revenue of the barangay. He claimed that with Tax Collection System of BIS, it is now easier to monitor real property taxes in the locality. The coming and going of residents in his barangay can also be monitored easily through the Resident’s Profile, one of the key features of e-Barangay, he noted. On the other hand, Engr. Abraham Licayan demonstrated to the participants how the system works, explained why the system is versatile and that it can be customized to fit the needs and demands

Barangay Captain Dr. Peck D. Cortes in his welcome message during the briefing about the Training on Barangay Information System (BIS).

Jefrey N. Llanto of CVISNET Cebu conductING appreciation lecture on how BIS work

of barangay Poblacion. The project comes also with two sets of routers of Wi-fi for the general public’s use. During the initial operation at the launching, the signal went as far as Siquijor Primary School, Atong Botica and Siquijor Port area, some 100 to 200 meters from the BIS area. With the wide range of coverage, tourists,

students and ordinary citizens are expected to benefit from the free wi-fi However, formal training of the said barangay’s staff on how to operate the system will take place on the third week of November this year at the same venue due to time constraints of trainers from CVISNET. (mbcn/RAC/PIA7-Siquijor/with reports from Engr. Reinhold Jek Abing/ DOST-Siquijor)

iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

PRO-7 clamps down on illegal drugs in CV percent in the volume of illegal drugs cases filed in the courts this year compared to last year,” bared P/ Supt. Marvin Sanchez, chief of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (RAIDSOTG) of PRO-7 during the recent ‘Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis’ (TSIP) Forum. According to Sanchez, more anti-illegal drug operations have also been conducted this year from January to November 15 with 2,173 operations corresponding to slightly over 50 percent increase compared to last year. In 2013, the PRO-7 conducted 1,417 drug operations and in 2012 with 1,188 operations. From 2012 to November

15, this year, PRO-7 confiscated some 13,785.42 grams of shabu with a net worth of P162.667 million. The Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) on the other hand conducted the most number of antiillegal drugs operations since 2012 with 1,544 followed by the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) with 1,291 and in third spot is the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NPPO) with 616. In the most number of apprehensions since 2012, the CPPO also ranked first with 2,019 followed again by the CCPO with 1,527 and third placer is again the NPPO with 664 arrests. Likewise, CPPO led all police

CEBU CITY (PIA) --- Records from the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) showed that more suspects involved in illegal drugs, either as users or pushers, have been nabbed in Central Visayas with 2,720 arrests from January to November 15, 2014 compared to the 1,759 arrests last year and 1,258 in 2012. Since then the PRO-7 arrested 5,737 illegal drugs suspects in the region. The PRO-7 also reported a drastic hike on the number of cases filed against illegal drugs suspects with 3,091 cases now lodged in the proper courts since January to mid-November, this year compared to the 1,622 cases last year and 1,374 in 2012. “There is an increase of 90

Blessing & inauguration of Coco Princess, Mr. & Mrs. Mike Butler’s newest yacht that will serve the Dumaguete-Siquijor route soon. We are now on board its maiden voyage to Siquijor. (Myla Mae Bromo-Abellana’s photo.)

o ff i c e s i n t h e region with the most number of cases filed against illegal drugs suspects since 2012 at 1,670 followed by the CCPO with 1,474 cases while Lapulapu City Police Office ranked third with 922 cases. PRO-7 deputy regional director for operations S/ Supt. Conrado Capa said population and local economy are major factors that determine the rise of illegal drugs which comes as of no surprise why Cebu among all provinces in the region is beset with the social problem. “But we assure the people of Central Visayas that your police is working hard in addressing the problem,” said Capa. (mbcn/ FCR/PIA-7)

iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS

iSIQUIJOR

is the Island of Siquijorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

iNFOBYTES