8 isiquijor 3 9 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. 8 March 1-9, 2014

Siquijor holds legislative workshop on road right of way

SIQUIJOR, March 1 (PIA)— Local legislators, chief executives, and municipal engineers from this province’s six towns gathered on February 28 to March 1 for a legislative workshop on Road Right of Way at the Coco Grove Beach Resort Pavilion in San Juan, Siquijor.

With the theme, “Responsive Legislation, Better Service Delivery, Progressive Community,” the event was graced by Valenzuela City first district representative Sherwin Gatchallian who served as the keynote speaker.

The workshop, according to Provincial Governor Zaldy S. Villa in his opening remarks, is part of the local officials’ “homework” that sheds light on some legislative issues encountered during the provincial roadmap planning workshop in January that hopes to fulfill their dreams and aspirations for Siquijor.

“When I assumed for office as governor of his province, I realized that the promises we have made during our campaign seem very hard to fulfil,” admitted the governor while appealing for support and unity in all the government’s endeavour for the betterment of the island.

“Let us be united in this endeavor and forget our personal, professional, political and individual differences for the good of our fellow Siquijodnons,” he said.

Admitting the lack of financial resources as the issue why implementations of some important projects are hindered, the governor said that he has seen bright hope when the national government showed interest to the province.

He cited the financial and all the support to Siquijor ’s plans, programs and projects the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) committed through Secretary Joel Rocamora and his allies.

“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,” says Villa.

The workshop included presentations on DILG’s LGPMS and Duties and Functions of legislators, Legislation 101 workshop and Formulation of Ordinances and Resolutions by Atty. Jocelyn Pesquera.

R o a d R i g h t o f Wa y Wo r k s h o p was facilitated by DPWH Legal O f f i c e , A t t y. B r a n d o R a y R a y a .

The whole activity was facilitated by the Siquijor Development Management Team (SDMT) headed by its program director Karen F. Villanueva with program officers Dexter Miraflor and Cindy Uy. (rmn/RACalibo/PIA-Siquijor)

Valenzuela City first district representative Sherwin Gatchalian shared to Siquijor legislators and chief executives his 3S (simple, speed service) + technology that earned him numerous awards in governance and public service (PIA-Siquijor)

Siquijor warned on child sex tourism

SIQUIJOR, March 2 (PIA) — With Siquijor’s effort and great potential in the tourism industry, the threat of child sex tourism should also be considered, warned Atty. Julse G. Bacolod of the Children’s Legal Bureau in a Tourism Awareness Seminar held recently at the Siquijor Sangguniang Panlalawigan Session Hall.

Atty. Bacolod in his lecture on Child Wise Tourism and Child Protection Laws said child sex tourism is a growing business.

Records show an estimated 1.2 million single male tourist arrival every year in the Philippines.

“How many of those arrivals seek our minors for sex is not known since it is a secret underground business worth millions of dollars,” he said.

Thousands of European, North American, and Australian sex tourists make the Philippines a destination and create a demand for commercially-sexually exploited children (CSEC), he said.

He said that Cebu, Central

Visayas’ premiere gateway and the prime tourist destination in the Philippines, is also known to be one of the top five areas for child prostitution and sex tourism in the country.

The Department of Tourism reported an average tourist arrival growth rate of 8.64% in Central Visayas from 2008 to 2012 with Siquijor having the highest in terms of percentage.

Foreign arrivals average growth rate of the same period was 11.26% while domestic arrivals was 7.15%, the report said.

In 2012, Cebu got the market share of 2,230,323 visitor arrivals; Bohol, 356,370; Negros Oriental, 3 0 7 , 9 8 0 ; a n d S i q u i j o r, 3 3 3 , 4 0 8 .

From January to October 2013, Cebu’s average growth rate was 9.35 % with 2,030,014 arrivals, Bohol, 4.98% with 321, 43; Negros Oriental, 45.43% with 374,907; and Siquijor, 0.96% with a volume of 28,678.

Central Visayas’ top tourism

to page 4

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DOST-PHIVOLCS launches questionnaire for quake-safe house

Is your house ready for a strong earthquake?

To help owners of concrete hollow block (CHB) houses answer this question, the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), launched a 12-point questionnaire last February 19 at the PHIVOLCS Auditorium in Quezon City.

The questionnaire is designed to guide homewners in assessing whether their homes are strong enough to withstand a major earthquake.

The questionnaire, titled “How Safe is My House?

Self-check for Earthquake Safety of CHB Houses in the Philippines”, has 12 questions, each with three possible

answers. Each answer is equivalent to a point.

The total number of points earned determines the strength or vulnerability of the structure.

Among the questions in the checklist are: Who built or designed my house? How old is my house? What is the shape of my house?

Has my house been extended or expanded?

The rest deal with equally important

information such as damage incurred from previous disasters, CHB thickness, soil condition, use of standard size steel bars, width of unsupported walls, among others.

“The solution is to recognize the problem. Where will this recognition start? It should start with the homeowner,” emphasized PHIVOLCS Director Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. during the launch.

Previously, Solidum explained that an earthquake resistant house will not collapse even if an Intensity 9 temblor strikes.

However, the questionnaire is not just useful for homeowners but also for local engineers, building officials, and local government unit authorities.

“This material can also be practically used to ensure safety before the construction of houses,” reminded Takahiro Sasaki, chief representative of JICA Philippines, in his message.

The questionnaire, which was

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SETUP success story

Providing quality furniture in the “mystique island”

He furnished his home with the furniture that he designed which are characterized by utter simplicity and unassuming practicality and elegance.

With a carpenter from his construction days as a contractor, Cle Bern J. Paglinawan, a Civil Engineer, started in 1998 making furniture that he fancied. He did not have any background in furniture making. Aside from his desire for quality items and his innate drawing abilities, he also derived inspiration from designs in magazines and made innovations to suit his taste. Soon after, people who visited his place would ask where he had his furniture made. Others insisted on buying these items. Through word of mouth, he became known as the maker of quality furniture in Siquijor.

Cle Bern established the CJP Furniture shop in 2001.

Considering the nature of his furniture, 90% of his customers are mostly foreigners and families with overseas workers or relatives abroad. He does not believe that he should compromise the quality of his work and diversify if only to attract more customers.

Being a member of the Association of Furniture Industries in Siquijor, Cle Bern joined trainings designed for its members. One such training was conducted by DOST where he learned quality furnishings and maintaining reputation for quality. To be able to maintain the quality of wood used, he needed to update his technology.

CJP applied for DOST’s SET-UP. In 2003, it was approved and the year after, a 3,000 board feet capacity furnace-type lumber dryer was acquired. This is the only kiln dryer in Siquijor. With this equipment, the drying time of lumber was reduced to 7-12 days, as contrasted to the original air drying method which takes a year or more. No furniture rejects have been experienced and customers continue to patronize it despite the price. However, with the entry of cheap furniture from Indonesia and China, the furniture industry has been affected.

For the moment, the plan to have a showroom in Dumaguete has been shelved. While the focus now is in a grocery business that Bern also owns, making quality furniture is still top in his priority list (SET-UP Product Catalogue).

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

CSC initiates search for outstanding public servants

Central Visayas, March 4 (PIA) --- The Civil Service Commission (CSC) starts the 2014 Search for Outstanding P u b l i c O ff i c i a l s a n d E m p l o y e e s .

This is a government- wide search recognizing public servants setting good exampl hence giving pride and glory to government service.

This also recognizes those

showing continuous excellence through innovations and inventions in their quest for public service; those courageously carrying out their duties against odds and those keeping integrity amid temptations and hindrances in work.

At stake in this search are three (3) award categories that include: Presidential or Lingkod ng Bayan Award; Outstanding

“Siquijor provincial governor Zaldy S. Villa welcoming the guests and participants to the Legislator’s Workshop themed, “Responsive Legislation, Better Service Delivery, Progressive Community,” (PIA-Siquijor)

Public Officials and Employees or the Dangal ng Bayan Award and the Civil Service Commission Pagasa Award.

Cut-off date for the submission of nominations will be on March 31, 2014.

CSC then clarified that there is no limit to the number of nominees.

In a press release CSC extends its belief that there are officials and employees in the government that are worthy of the mentioned awards.

CSC added that last year in Central Visayas there were about six (6) regional awardees and three (3) were able to reached to the national level.

In this note CSC encouraged agency heads to automatically nominate their Program on Awards and Incentive for Service Excellence (PRAISE) awardees.

Agencies are requested to submit their nominations to the nearest Civil Service Regional or Provincial/Field Office until March 31.

CSC then encourage government agencies to send nominations to the 2014 search and post the 2014 Outstanding Public Officials And Employees banner.

The softcopy of the said banner is posted at www.csc.gov.ph and www. honorawardsprogram.wordpress.com. (mbcn/AYS/PIA7 with report from CSC)

PRO-7 Chief: Bring down street crimes by 50% in CV

CEBU CITY, March 7 (PIA) -Central Visayas Police Chief Gen. Danilo Constantino has given marching orders to his men to reduce street crimes by 50 percent and increase crime solution efficiency rate in the region starting this year. This is part of the commitment of the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) to the possible holding of some ministerial meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Cebu in 2015.

Constantino said he met with the APEC National Organizing Committee during the team’s visit here over a month ago and assured them the provisional security plan is already in place.

“Bringing down street crimes will now be included in the Performance Governance System Report of every police office,” bared Constantino during the recent monthly police forum ‘Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis’ or TSIP at the police media conference room.

Street crimes recorded are snatching, theft and hold-up as Constantino

told police units to heighten police visibility in crime prone areas as part of the anticriminality measures in crime prevention.

Constantino said there is no official notice yet that Cebu will be included in the list of venues for some of the ministerial meetings for the APEC event, which next year will be the turn of the Philippines to host after 18 years. The Philippines hosted the APEC Summit in 1996.

Early last month, the APEC-NOC team headed by Ambassador Ma. Angelina Sta. Catalina came to Cebu to conduct an overall ocular inspection and validate the preparations done by Cebu for the possible hosting of some APEC meetings.

“The security plan for APEC is already in place. What we lack are just the specifics like as the venues and the number of participants,” said Constantino.

Likewise, the police regional chief also wanted the crime solution efficiency (CSE) and the crime clearance efficiency (CCE) to increase by 10

percent. The CSE refers to the resolution of crimes while the CCE are cases that have been filed in the proper courts but perpetrators are still at large.

Apart from the preparedness of the local organizers to host some of the events, peace and order was identified as one of the major criteria to choose the venue.

Constantino said reducing street crimes is part of the total package to further cement the image of Central Visayas as a tourism destination, which can be highlighted with the hosting of some APEC meetings here. Though Cebu has been identified as a likely venue for some meetings, there might be side trips that could showcase the other provinces in Central Visayas as well.

The PRO-7 chief said the creation of task forces in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapulapu are ready once it would be finalized that Cebu would be the venue of some ministerial meetings of the 2015 APEC Summit. (mbcn/PIA-7)

DOLE, gipalihok ang Sagip Cebuano News DA mikomitir ug suporta alang Batang sa agrikultura, panagat sa Siquijor Manggagawa

SIQUIJOR, March 5 (PIA) — Summit dili pa lamang dugay sa lalawigan. batok child Mipadayag ang Departamento sa Agrikultura

“We are here because we support (DA) sa ilang suporta alang sa kalamboan for the development of Siquijor in terms sa panguma ug panagat sa lalawigan pornography of agriculture and fisheries and you have sa Siquijor sa gihimong Development iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS

DOST-PHIVOLCS... from page 1

tested on some damaged houses and structures in Bohol following the Oct. 15, 2013 tremor in the province, was derived from field verifications, quake damage surveys, and several experiments and tests.

Among these experiments were the full-scale Shaking Table Test of CHB Houses conducted by Filipino and Japanese experts at the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention in Tsukuba, Japan in February 2011. The experiment involved two houses, an engineered model that followed the Building Code, and a non-engineered one representing the more common CHB residence in the Philippines.

Tests showed the latter incurring damage immediately , leading to the eventual collapse of certain parts during the earthquake simulation.

“Casualties from past earthquakes were caused by the collapse of buildings. And part of those are from damaged to collapsed non-engineered houses,” revealed Solidum.

During the open forum, Engr.

Ronaldo S. Ison of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP), another project proponent, said that a strong earthquake may still cause debris to fall. However, an eventual collapse will not take place if it is an engineered house.

” What we’re trying to do is to educate everybody, that even if you employ masons and carpenters, they should be following certain standards. It is the right time for us to inform the public that we should not just rely on masons and carpenters to build our houses,” declared Engr. Ison.

The PHIVOLCS director added that a safe house should be combined with appropriate response from people living in it to make them safer and further prevent damage and injury.

PHIVOLCS and its partners are currently preparing a Tagalog version of the 12-point questionnaire and plan to come up with a similar checklist for wooden houses.

Also in the pipeline is a computer simulation program to test the earthquake readiness of engineering and architectural designs.

Aside from PHIVOLCS, JICA, and ASEP, the Japan Science and Technology Agency is also involved in the project.

“How Safe is My House? Selfcheck for Earthquake Safety of CHB Houses in the Philippines” may be downloaded a t h t t p : / / w w w. p h i v o l c s . d o s t . g o v. p h .

our 101% support especially coming from our Secretary of Agriculture,” (Ania kami tungod sa among suporta sa inyong agrikultura ug panagat ug among ihatag ang 101% suporta ilabi na gikan sa atong kalihim sa agrikultura) matud pa ni DA-7 regional director Angel Enriquez sa iyang mensahe sa maong panagtigum.

Ang isla sa Siquijor, sumala pa ni Enriquez, adunay dakong bentaha sa matang sa kahayupan ug produkto sa mais bisan pa sa kakulang sa katawhan ug pagtagad sa ba-ong teknolohiya nga gihatag sa ilang buhatan.

Iyang gidayeg ang Siquijor isip bugtong probinsya sa Central Visayas nga gideklarang “rabies free”, maoy kinatasan ug abot sa humay ug unang lalawigan nga nakahimo ug commodity roadmaps nga maoy moggiya sa kalungsuran pag-ila sa kalamboan sa agrikultura.

Giila ni Enriquez nga ang maong kalamboan resulta sa maayong relasyon sa kagamhanang local ug sa buhatan sa agrikultura ubos sa kusganong pagdumala ni provincial agricultural officer Ramon Taroc ug provincial veterinarian Bernardita Tabada.

Sumala pa niya, nagkauswag na ang mga mag-uuma ug naghinay na usab pagdawat sa bag-ong teknolohiya.

Gihagit ni Enriquez ang mga katawhan sa pag-usa pag-edukar sa mga maguuma aron hingpit nilang dawaton ng mga bag-ong teknolohioya ilabi na sa pagpauswag sa abot sa mais.

“At the end of the day we are for the betterment of lives especially of the farmers and fisherfolks,” (sa katapusan ang ato ra gayung tumong mao ang kauswagan sa atong mag-uuma ug mga mananagat) sumala pa niya. (RAC/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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MANILA, Mar. 6, 2014 (PIA)--Aron mapugngan ang child pornography sa nasud, gimanduan na ni Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz ang tanang Labor regional directors nga palapdan pa ang Sagip Batang Manggagawa Quick Action Teams.

Kini gitukod sa nagkalain-laing rehiyon niadto pang 1993 aron mag-imbestigar ug mohimo og rescue operation sa mga menor de edad nga sayong gipa-trabaho sa mga pabrika, gi-ulipon o di kaha gitukmod sa prostitusyon.

Kini tungod na usab sa bag-ong teknolohiya nga nakaingon sa bag-ong pang-abuso sa mga kabataan pinaagi sa online live show ug cyber pornography.

Tungod niini, katambayayong sa DOLE ang National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) ug uban pang ahensya sa gobyerno aron masumpo ang maong krimen.

Gitataw ni Baldoz nga ang gobyerno anaa aron pagsiguro nga ang mga kabataan luwas gikan sa tanang matang sa pag-abusar, pagpasagad, pahimulos nga mapanamastamason ug diskriminasyon. (mbcn/PIA7-Bohol/ECB)

Siquijor warned... from page 1

market in 2012 were Korea, Japan, USA, China, Australia, Taiwan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Canada.

F o r S i q u i j o r, t h e t o p f i v e nationalities that frequented the island in the same period were French, German, American, British, and Australian.

A t t y. B a c o l o d warned that child trafficking and child sex tourism is a lucrative multi-billion dollar industry that fuels avarice and corruption.

“Sex tourists are not just holidaymakers but also others whose occupations take them to destinations away from home, such as business people, transport industry workers and military personnel,” he said.

Americans comprise an estimated 25% of all sex tourists, yet 38% of sex tourists in Cambodia and 80% of sex tourists in Costa Rica are American, he said.

With this, the lawyer urged the local government to help pursue efforts to protect the province from Child sex tourism by strengthening advocacy on Child Protection Act or R.A. 7610 that punishes child prostitution, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act or R.A. 9208, Anti-Child Pornography Law or R .A . 9775, and o t h e r la ws .

Advocacy among the tourism sector, such as hotels, resorts, and bar owners, is likewise encouraged. (rmn/RAC/PIA-Siquijor)