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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. 4| NO. 5 February 02- 09 , 2014
Five Siquijor homestays grab ASEAN awards
SIQUIJOR, February 2 (PIA) – A great boost to this island’s tourism, Siquijor is the only tourist destination in the Philippines awarded the ASEAN Standard Homestay Award during the 35th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2016) in Manila held January 22. Five homestays from this island, namely Agan’s Homestay, Ates Homestay, Estelita Homestay, Xylla’s Homestay, and Daval / Omandam Homestay, received the coveted award during the ATF 2016 attended by Tourism ministers of Asian countries and their delegates. “Siquijor is the only destination awarded with such reputable distinction for homestay Philippines,” said Siquijor Senior Tourism Officer Jossette Armirola as she thanked the Department of Tourism (DOT) for pushing Siquijor to qualify for the award. Armirola calls it one of the proudest moments for the homestay awardees. She said she did not expect that Siquijor will be given the award for Philippine homestays since five islandprovinces in the country were eyed and assessed by DOT to get the award. She vowed to strive harder to improve the island’s homestays and encourage more homeowners to join the program especially since Siquijor’s tourist arrivals increased by 51.21% for 2014 to 2015. Recognizing the provincial government’s efforts, she hopes that it continues to support the tourism programs and activities. The first ASEAN Homestay Award ceremony was convened to provide opportunity to promote ASEAN Homestay and understanding of the basic requirements of a quality visitor experience, and
Siquijor homestay owners/operators with Senior Tourism Officer Jossette Armirola receiving the ASEAN Homestay Standard awards last January 22 during the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2016 in Manila. to establish a minimum standard across all ASEAN member states, said the provincial tourism officer. In this ceremony, the ministers awarded 31 ASEAN Homestay Standard Certificates to homestay organizations and providers that will enhance local quality of life to generate income, support local culture, arts and crafts business, encourage restoration of local and historic sites, and foster nature conservation efforts through community education. Homestays are awarded in all ASEAN-member nations, but for the Philippines, only Siquijor homestays were conferred with the award, Almirola disclosed. The other awardees come from Brunei (2), Cambodia (5), Indonesia (5), Lao PDR (1), Malaysia (5), Thailand (5), and Vietnam (3). The proposed validity period for the ASEAN Homestay
Standard is three years. Certified homestays will be reassessed every three years to renew their certificates. This will enable the government tourism organization to update and monitor the performance of certified homestays to ensure that they maintain their quality and standard as ASEAN Standard Homestays. With the theme, “One Community for Sustainability,” ATF 2016 was attended by 457 buyers and 1,000 exhibitors with 467 booths as well as 83 international and 100 local media. The ministers noted that ATF 2017 will b e convened on January 16 to 20 in Singapore with the theme: “Shaping Our To u i s m J o u r n e y To g e t h e r ” . The ministers also noted that Thailand agreed to host ATF in 2018. (rmn/rac/PIA7-Siquijor w/ reports from the Provincial Tourism Office)
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Mobile dental van to roam CV provinces
CENTRAL VISAYAS, February 5 (PIA) --- A mobile dental clinic has been deployed to serve local government units (LGUs) in Central Visayas, particularly those that do not have municipal dentists. Department of Health (DOH) in Region 7 said that the mobile dental van is now in Bohol to benefit those who were hit by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake and typhoon Yolanda. The mobile dental van has already served residents of Dauis and Panglao towns. In a recent Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO) Forum, DOH-7 Officer-in-Charge Assistant Regional Director Dr. Sophia Mancao said that DOH intensified their advocacy on dental care to cover these areas in the region without dentists and dental facility through its dental van that will roam around the region. Mancao said that after Bohol, the van will be brought to Cebu and then other provinces in the region. “We are working on it that Cebu
province will follow to be shared to towns without dentists, dental chairs, and dental clinics,” Mancao stressed. February marks the 12th Dental Health Month celebration with the theme “Kalinisan ng Ngipin Panatilihin, Ugaliing
Kumain ng Masustansiyang Pagkain.” In line with this celebration DOH-7 also supports the Purple February campaign of the Cebu Dental Chapter to promote awareness, advocacy campaign and dental services. (rmn/ays/PIA7)
DSWD, DILG confers 2015 Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance award in CV CEBU CITY, Feb. 4 (PIA) --Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) held the conferment of the 2015 Seal of Child-friendly Local Governance (SCFLG) in Region 7 on January 28, 2016 at Golden Prince Hotel, this City, bared DSWD-7 Social Marketing Officer for KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP, Frendly Tangonan. According to Tangonan, the seal is given to Local Government Units (LGUs) that were able to generate positive programs and services for the welfare of the children based on their performance from the previous year 2015.
All LGUs underwent an assessment in implementing programs and instituting measures to uplift the welfare status of the children, added Tangonan. Assistant Regional Director Elias Fernandez of DILG-7 said that out of the 132 LGUs in Central Visayas, 118 passed the seal of the most Child Friendly Local Governance (SCFLG). Fernandez said that having the total of 118 or 84.32% out of the 132 cities and municipalities in the region is already high compared to the previous years. He added that it only indicates that more LGUs have improved their support for the welfare of the children.
“Mas maayo unta by next year all the 132 cities and municipalities in region VII will pass and receive the child-friendly seal,” the Director said. LGUs with SCFLG are qualified for incentive and award under the Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities (PACFMC). The Presidential Award for the Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities, pursuant to Executive Order 184 entitled “Establishing the Presidential Award for the Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities,” is initiated by the Council for the Welfare of Children issued on December 13, 1999. The award is a recognition of their vital role in promoting children’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation as well as in ensuring childfriendly governance. In Region 7, four LGUs received SCFLG award for CY 2015 as the most Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities. For the 1st to 3rd class Municipalities category, the Municipality of Talibon, Bohol got the award while for the 4th to 6th class Municipalities category, the Municipality of San Isidro, Bohol got the award. For the Component City category, Canlaon city got the award and for the Highly Urbanized City, Mandaue City received the award.(rmn/jsme/PIA7-Cebu with DSWD7 report)
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iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS
PhilHealth must improve enrollment in the formal economy to achieve full coverage – PIDS study
Gauging the efficacy of enrollment in PhilHealth’s Employed Program will help policymakers in the health sector determine a more effective approach in achieving the goal of universal coverage. Last year, PhilHealth officials iterated their commitment to achieving universal coverage by 2016. President Benigno Aquino III signed an amendment of the National Health Insurance Act highlighting the responsibility of the national government to cover the health insurance
premiums of Filipinos in the informal sector. However, full coverage in the formal sector also needs due attention and improvement. Thirty percent of PhilHealth’s members come from the formal economy where enrollment is mandatory. But based on a study by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), “full coverage” is “yet to be achieved”. The private sector currently sits at 95-percent coverage, while the government employed sector sits at
Cebuano News: Bag-ong patakaran sa political ads, gipagawas sa Comelec
MANILA, Feb. 4 (PIA) -- Gibag-o na sa Commission on Elections (Comelec) ang patakaran sa pag-broadcast sa mga political ads alang sa 2016 elections. Base sa gipagawas nga bag-ong Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) Resolution No. 10049 sa Comelec, Himuon nang matag broadcast network o originating station ang gitakdang airtime limit. Nakalatid sa resolusyon nga ang mga kandidato sa national position adunay taman 120 minuto nga air time advertisement sa matag istasyon sa telebisyon ug 180 minuto usab sa matag istasyon sa radyo. Sukwahi kini sa gipatuman sa Comelec niadtong 2013 elections nga gitugotan lamang ang mga kanditado nga maka-broadcast og 120 minuto nga airtime sa tanan na nga TV ug radio stations. Alang sa mga kandidato sa lokal nga posisyon, ang matag kandidato adunay 60 minuto nga air time advertisement limit sa matag istasyon sa telebisyon ug 90 minuto usab sa matag istasyon sa radyo. Kinahanglan nga ang pahinumdom apilan og madungog nga pulong nga “political advertisement paid for,” ug angay sundan og tinuod nga pangalan sa kandidato o partido nga makapahimos sa maong election propaganda. Una nang gideklarang unconstitutional sa Korte Suprema niadtong 2014 ang pagtakda sa Comelec og aggregate airtime limit sa political advertisement tungod kay giingong paglapas kini sa freedom of expression, freedom of speech ug press freedom. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
Pahimangno sa DepEd: walay bayran sa early registration sa mga estudyante
75 percent. Denise Valerie Silverberg, author of the study, argues that examining the level of PhilHealth coverage and enrollment in the formal sector will help policymakers bridge that gap. Silfverberg surmised that the gap in coverage can be explained by looking at how some agencies comply with labor policy. For example, the low coverage rates may be attributed to the significant number of contractual employees in government who do not enjoy the benefits of being enrolled in PhilHealth. The perpetuation of contractual employees—something the private sector is just as guilty— allows firms and agencies to stall enrollment of employees into the PhilHealth Employed Program and withhold “appropriate benefits”. But companies deliberately shortchanging employees are not just the only flaws. Variations of enrollment rate can also be produced by characteristics that set the private and government sector apart, and other factors like establishment size and area. For the private sector, sectoral employment, nature of employment, union coverage, union-employees ration, and number of employees all influence variations of coverage rate. But in the provinces, it is the size of the firm that matters. “More employees hired by medium-sized establishments lead to a higher likelihood for the province to have lower coverage,” Silfverberg pointed out, “On the contrary, the greater the number of employees in large-sized enterprises, the more likely it is for the province to have higher coverage levels.” Silfverberg concluded that before the country can work toward full coverage, policymakers must find a way to address the problems that impede effective implementation of the national health insurance program. Enrollment should be
iSIQUIJOR
is the Island of Siquijor’s first electronic newsletter produced by the Philippine Information Agency-Siquijor Information Center MANILA, Feb. 08 (PIA)--Nipahimangno ang Department of Education and the DOST - Provincial Science and (DepEd) nga walay pagabayaran ang mga estudyante sa early registration Technology Center.
nga nagsugod niadtong Enero 30 alang sa academic school year 2016-2017. It contains snippets of information about Matud pa ni DepEd Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali, kinahanglan lamang Siquijor, Central Visayas and the Philippine dalhon sa mga ginikanan o estudyante ang ilang mga birth certificate alang sa mga Government. mosulod sa kindergarten ug report card usab alang sa mga mosulod sa Grade 1. Subling gi-awhag ni Umali ang mga ginikanan nga adunay anak nga naa THERE IS GOOD NEWS EVERYDAY. sa 5 taman 6 anyos nga mosalmot sa early registration campaign sa ahensiya. Gipasabot ni Umali nga tuyo sa maong programa nga FOLLOW US online! mahibaw-an kun pila ka bata ang mosulod sa usa ka tunghaan, pila ka magtutudlo ang kinahanglanon ug unsang materyales ug /Pia Siquijor pasilidad ang gamiton aron sayo kining mapangandaman sa DepEd. /PIA Siquijor Matapos ang early registration sa Pebrero 29, 2016. (mbcn/ecb/PIA7-Bohol) @PiaSiquijor