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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. 3 | NO. 8 March 2 - 9, 2015

CR+ID program in Siquijor to focus on tourism, agri dev’t

SIQUIJOR, March 2 (PIA)— Coordinating Roads and Infrastructure Investments for Development (CR+ID) project of the Asia Foundation and the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, in partnership with the Siquijor Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (SCCII), will focus on tourism and agriculture the priority sectors for Siquijor province.

This is made as an offshoot of the Provincial Consensus Building workshop held February 13, 2015 where multistakeholders arrived at an agreement on tourism and agriculture, particularly banana and coconut as the priority sectors and subsectors of the province.

To help multi-stakeholders trace the movement of goods and services from the production, processing and marketing areas and identify Strategic Road Links (SRL) and Strategic Infrastructures (SI) in the province, the SCCII conducted on February 25 to 26 Value Chain Analysis Workshop on Tourism and Agriculture (Coconut and Banana).

This facilitates the movement of certain products as they flow through key market actors such as farmers, traders, processors, transporters, wholesalers and retailers to be lobbied for inclusion in the 2016 budget, says SCCII Chair Judy U. Booc.

CR+ID, according to regional project coordinator Condrado Pono, is a successor to the CRID project or Coordinating Road Investments for Development, implemented over the last two years in five provinces: Bohol, Cebu, Guimaras, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur.

It coordinates and rationalizes road investments through the use of Value Chain Analysis in identifying strategic road links (SRLs) with local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies (NGAs) adopting a more regionally coordinated and integrated infrastructure investment program, Pono added.

I t p a r t n e r s w i t h the private sector, SCCII for Siquijor, LGUs, NGAs that are funding road and infra projects, and Congressmen who are using their PDAF as well as other legislation to support road projects, he also said.

L a s t y e a r, t h e A u s t r a l i a n Government and the Asia Foundation jointly agreed to expand CR+ID in two ways: thematically, to include not only roads but also key infrastructure with disaster risk and

Provincial Governor Zaldy S Villa (left) and party warmly welcomes the over a hundred Filipino-Canadian guests led by Ambassador to Canada Petronila Garcia right with Philippine aConsuls General across Canada and other professionals who made Siquijor as part of their Winter Escapade this year. (RACalibo/PIA7Siquijor) hazard identification, and geographically, to include all provinces in Regions VII and XIII, as well as three provinces in Region VI.

The Australian Government’s support enables The Asia Foundation to provide assistance to provincial governments to complete their road network and key infrastructure maps, identify strategic roads and infrastructure with the private sector, and conduct municipal level road investment planning workshops.

Unlike other projects, CR+ID allows local and national agencies to make their decisions on roads and other infrastructure investments across the provinces and within the region based on needs, and as determined by a multi-sectoral coalition anchored on the private sector initiatives.

This, he said, is based on the assumption that improving entire stretches of strategic road links leads to decrease in transportation cost and travel time, cost of farm inputs, and prices of farm products, increase in tourism traffic and increase in access to basic services and

that fragmentation is lessened if strategic road links are identified and there is increased coordination among agencies to invest in these strategic road links.

CR+ID also works to strengthen the Regional Development Council for broader participation of businesses and local governments in the realm of investment programming. NEDA Region VII highlights the importance of investment in infrastructure, especially on transportation in the updated Central Visayas Regional Development Plan for 2014-2016.

Pono also said, improving coordination of infrastructure investments effectively direct investments in areas/sectors where it is needed most, thereby addressing a more general and wide ranging concerns (i.e. movement of goods, services and people within the province or within the region).

Private Sector-LGU partnership, with support of National Agencies, are key to the success of CR+ID, he said. (rmn/RAC/PIA7-Siquijor)

iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS

DSWD: Misuse of cash grants can cause delisting in 4Ps

Launching of the Coordinating Roads and Infrastructure Investment for Development (CR+ID) Project with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Cebu City. Officials from the various organizations inked the MOU in Cebu City, including Efren Carreon, NEDA Region VII Regional Director; Ky D. Johnson, Deputy Country Representative of The Asia Foundation; Governor Edgardo Chatto of Bohol; Vice Governor Agnes A. Magpale on behalf of Governor Hilario Davide III of Cebu; Governor Roel Degamo of Negros Oriental; and Governor Zaldy Villa of Siquijor province as signatories. Australian Embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission, David Dutton, and Ruth Paul Cruz, NEDA Region VII’s Assistant Regional Director, witnessed the signing.

Local Government Support Fund-Local Economic Development (LGSF-LED) meeting with the tourism circuit development group in Siquijor province at the Provincial Capitol earlier. LGSF program assists municipalities to improve the business environment and service delivery capacity related to local economic development. (mbcn/RACalibo/PIA7-Siquijor)

of implementation in Negros Oriental.

As of 2014, there are 70042 registered household while the total cash grants DSWD has disbursed from 20102014 has reached P2, 526, 808, 600. ( r m n / r a l / P I A 7 - N e g O r )

a maximum of three children in the program. 4Ps beneficiaries will receive P500 health grants and P300 grants for school children in elementary and P500 for high school students.

The 4Ps is now on its 6th year

(PIA) – An officer from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region-7 (DSWD) reiterated that misuse of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) cash grants can be grounds for disqualification from said program.

DSWD-7 social welfare o f f i c e r J e s s a b e l Ta b a r e s emphasized this in a briefing with public information officers recently.

Tabares mentioned that they have received many reports on some household heads that use their cash grants to sustain their vices or bet in the lottery and other forms of gambling.

There are ongoing investigations conducted by their grievance officers regarding these reports.

Tabares warned those who use the cash grants for negative purposes that they can be delisted from the program.

She said beneficiaries will be excluded in the program if they h a v e c o m m i t t e d t h r e e o ff e n s e s .

During the first offense, beneficiaries will undergo counseling sessions with their municipal link. They will also receive a warning letter from the DSWD-4Ps provincial link. On the second office, beneficiaries will get a warning letter from the regional director and undergo a counseling session with DSWD social welfare officers. The pay out of cash grants will also be temporarily suspended during the commitment of the second offense.

With these, Tabares appealed to parents to properly use the financial assistance given to them by the government. She stressed parents must think of the future of their children so they won’t be tempted to spend the money unscrupulously.

“They should think of their children. If they will look at the future of their children, it will motivate them to spend the cash grants properly,” Tabares said.

The Pantawid Pamiyang Pilipino Program is the government’s conditional cash transfer program given to poor families in the country.

The financial assistance comes with conditions which beneficiaries have to comply, such as ensuring thier children go to school, regular visits of children and pregnant women to health centers, and regular attendance to family and youth development sessions.

Each family can enroll

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Gov’t to intensify climate change mitigation, adaptation in vulnerable areas

DUMAGUETE CITY(PIA) – With 450 days left before Aquino Administration ends, a Cabinet official announced that government will intensify its climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions to areas that are highly susceptible to the ill effects of this climate crisis.

Sec. Neric Acosta, the Presidential Adviser on Environmental Protection, said they will concentrate on introducing adaptive technologies and other climate change mitigation innovations to the most vulnerable provinces, cities and coastal communities in the remaining days of President Aquino’s term.

He cited that Eastern Visayas as well as Cebu, some parts of Mindanao, areas surrounding the Laguna Lake and Metro Manila are included in areas where the government will focus their interventions.

Acosta was in Dumaguete City for a speaking engagement in Foundation University on environmental imperatives for present environmental initiatives.

In a meeting with members of the press, Acosta talked about his office’s initiative in capacity building of communities and engaging local government units, schools, barangays to take actions against climate change.

“We are here to engage schools, the community, barangays, non-government organizations because that’s what really what counts,” he said.

Acosta also encouraged local

leaders to have science and empirically driven policy decisions and community engagement kind of intervention that will enable citizens to shift to green design as part of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.

The Presidential Adviser also lauded Foundation University’s environmental sustainability programs and projects and he hopes that this could be replicated to other parts of the country.

Meanwhile, Acosta also made an emphasize to Manila Call to Action on Climate Change, a joint statement of the Philippines and France addressing the climate problem during the visit of French President Francois Hollande in the country.

Acosta said Manila’s call to action will also set the direction or focus to government’s intervention against climate change in the coming days. (rmn/ral/PIA7-NegOr)

CEBU CITY, March 3 (PIA) --- The Metrobank Foundation, Inc. and the Probe Media Foundation, Inc. are set to launch in Cebu the Search for Journalists of the Year (JOY) on March 5, 2014 at Crown Regency Hotel, Fuente Osmeña Blvd, Cebu City.

The Search will recognize three (3) journalists as paragons of their profession and the media industry. Each of them will receive a Php 300,000.00 cash

prize and a specially designed medallion.

The awardees will also be bestowed the title “Metrobank Foundation Fellows in Journalism”, where they will share their expertise and experience through professional lectures for students, academic professionals, and media practitioners in different parts of the country.

Interested parties are requested to register via online

form at http://bit.ly/JOYCebu.

N o w o n i t s 2 n d y e a r, the JOY Search recognizes excellence in Philippine journalism.

It celebrates and honors Filipino journalists from print, television, radio and online media whose excellent stories have contributed to the development of the nation, and have influenced and inspired their colleagues and the broader media industry over the years.

The first journalists recognized

by MBFI in 2001, and then known as the Search for Outstanding Journalists (SOJ), were Sheila Coronel, Jessica Soho, and the late Armando Malay. In 2013, it was relaunched to become the Search for JOY with Malou Mangahas, Jarius Bondoc, and Jiggy Manicad as the awardees.

For further information, please contact the Probe Media Foundation, Inc. (PMF) at tel. no. (02)433-0456 or e-mail: metrobankfoundation.joy@gmail. com or visit the following links to access downloadable forms: http://bit.ly/2015JOY, www.mbfoundation.org.ph or www. probefound.com. (rmn/PIA Cebu/PR)

Pantawid Pamilya program beneficiaries in Maria, Siquijor listening to the PIA-Siquijor’s lecture and video presentation on Climate Change/Disaster Information Nationwide Awareness (DINA) during the 4Ps Family Development Session (FDS) for the month of February (RACalibo/PIA7-Siquijor)

Visayas launch of Metrobank Foundation’s Journalists of the Year set in Cebu

iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS

Cebuano News

DSWD convergence: Tulo ka bala batok kawad-on

(PIA)-Tulo ka pamaagi apan usa ra ka tumong: ang pagbuntog sa kawad-on sa 2016, o di ba gani bisan pag dili ning kinabuhia.

Kini maoy pit-ok nga pagkasulti ni Phoebe Jen Indino, information o ff i c e r s a p r o g r a m a n g P a n t a w i d Pamilyang Pilipino nga gipatuman sa Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) atul sa paghimo sa Convergence strategy Media Orientation didto sa Reynas Garden and Haven.

Didto, gipasabot sa DSWD ang paghiusa sa pagpatuman sa tulo nila ka dagkong programa: ang Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and

Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), ang Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya) ug ang Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) nga pulos gitumong aron asnaton ang kahimtang sa mga kabus sa nasud.

Partikular nga gitumong sa mga programa ang tabangan ang mga kabus nga mga katawhan, mga banay, mga bubong sa mga banay ug mga komunidad, pinaagi sa mga nagkadaiyang pamaagi, segun sa pagpatin-aw nga gihimo sa mga tinugyanan sa tulo ka mga nahisgutang mga programa.

Bitbit na sa tulo ka dagkong programa ang paghiusa sa mga pundo

nga magamit alang sa mga proyektong pagkaugmaran, ang paghiusa sa mga kahinguhaan sa de-kalidad nga katakus ug ang pagtimon sa komunidad aron kab-oton ang mga gikasabutang mga proyektong ilang nakita nga mas angay unahon sa pagpatuman.

Sa Convergence Strategy, gikinahanglan niini ang koordinasyon aron dungan nga tutokan sa kadaghanan nga nagtabang ang suliran, magbinayloay ug magtinampohay ug pagpanagsabotay sa pagpatuman sa tabang sa kagamhanan ug sa mga pribadong tighatag og hinabang sa usa ka lugar aron mas sayon ug paspas ang epekto sa pagpalingkawas sa katawhan sa lunang sa kawad-on

Sa tulo, ang KALAHI-CIDSS maoy tipundo alang sa pagpabarug sa mga proyektong natumbok na sa kadaghanan sa komunidad sama sa mga eskwelahan, karsada, tulay, patubig, panubig, panalipud sa baha health centers ug ubang pang mas gikinahanglan sa katawhan, unod sa gipaambit ni Alberto Suello, ang Regional Sub-Program Coordinator sa programa.

Sa laing bahin, ang Pantawid Pamilya naghatag og kwartang hinabang sa mga kabus nga banay aron maseguro nga makatungha ang mga anak, mas himsug kini ug mas segurado ang pagbuntis ug pagpanganak sa mga mabdos, ug may ikapamalit sa mga gikinahanglan alang sa nutrisyon sa banay, pasabot usab ni Luz Figarido, ang Provincial Link sa Bohol alang sa 4PS.

Ug ang SLP, nagtanyag og pundo agi og puhunan ug bansaybansay ngadto sa mga katawhang benepisaryo sa mga komunidad aron may ikasugod og negosyo, dugang ni Cherry Merin, provincial coordinator sa SLP sa Bohol.

Hinuon, kadtong kasagarang mga benepisaryo sa 4Ps ang makahuwan sa pundo sa SLP, ni Merin pa. (mbcn/RAHC/PIA7-Bohol)

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.

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Openning of 2015 National Women’s Month Celebration at Siquijor Provincial Capitol on March 2,2015 at 8:00 o’clock in the morning.

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