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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. 1 | NO. 9 August 9, 2013
DOLE gives livelihood packages to youth, workers in Siquijor By NOLE Torres SIQUIJOR (PIA) -- The youths and the informal workers are priority sectors of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and for years, been the recipients of livelihood packages through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Programs (DILP), said its Siquijor provincial office. In this connection, DOLE-7 through the Siquijor Field Office handed raw materials, supplies, equipment and tools for livelihood projects to the Carmelite Youth Association (CYA) of Carmelite College and informal sector workers of Siquijor town last July 16 at the Carmelite College campus in Tinago, Siquijor, Siquijor. The livelihood grant came from the DOLE’s Youth Entrepreneurship Support (YES) and Livelihood Starter Kits (LSK) Programs. Ma. Teresa D. Tanquiamco of DOLE together with Vice Governor Fernando “Dingdong” Avanzado, Flores who represented Cong. Marie Anne Pernes, Lina Medel, provincial PESO manager, and the accredited co-partner represented by Sr. Mila Margaret V. Montegrejo, Carm. O. L. turned over the heat press swing, pigment printer, 4-in-1 combo heat press, horizontal mug press machine, Epson printer T13, heavy duty button pin machine, and raw materials to 35 members of Carmelite Youth Association (CYA). The livelihood packages that include custom t-shirts, unique gifts and personalized products business enterprise amounted to P164,256. Likewise, P179,319-worth of livelihood starter kITs (LSK) which included various tools, jigs, materials and other inputs were also distributed to the 38 beneficiaries comprised of massage therapists, cosmetologists, carpenters, seaweed and vegetable YES program for Siquijor youth: Administrators, teachers, members farmers, eatery and food processors, fishermen and tailors. These kits will surely enable them to augment of Carmelite Youth Association (CYA) of Carmelite Collegein Tinago, their respective livelihood undertakings, said Tanquiamco. Siquijor, Siquijor who are recipients of the livelihood grant from DOLE’s Avanzado lauded DOLE and its partners Youth Entrepreneurship Support (YES) pose with Vice-Governor in implementing the project which showed their Dingdong Avanzado, DOLE SFO Head Tess Tanquiamco, Engr. commitment and dedication in helping the youth and the Cary Flores, PESO Manager Lina Medel and Sr. Mila Margaret V. marginalized sector by providing them livelihood projects. “We are so happy and thankful for the concerted efforts of DOLE, Public Employment Service Office, and Carmelite College in helping our constituents ease their economic plight by providing them the appropriate interventions to become more productive members of our community,” he said. Speaking in behalf of the youth recipients, Jesiel Mae Ocso, president of CYA, made a commitment to make the YES project grow and gain success. Moreover, recipients were also given a two-day training on Values Orientation, Business Management, Good Manufacturing Practices, Product Development, Costing and Pricing, Organizational Management, Entrepreneurship, Financial Management and Preparation of Documentary Requirements for Liquidation (narrative reports, acknowledgement receipt) . The activity was facilitated by the Siquijor Field Office Staffs with the ACP and assisting PESO manager. Technical staff from the supplier of the YES Technical support for youth association in Siquijor: Department of project was also invited to orient and train the youth Labor and Employment (DOLE) Technical staff demonstrates how beneficiaries on the production processes of their livelihood. to operate the machines for Youth Entrepreneurship Support (YES) Finally, to enhance their capacity to manage the livelihood package to the Carmelite Youth Association of Carmelite economic risks as well as for their social protection and other College in Tinago, Siquijor, Siquijor as recipients of the program. contingencies that may occur, Tanquiamco encouraged (NTorres/DOLE-Siquijor) LSK recipients to enroll in SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG. FOR MORE REGIONAL STORIES, LOG ON TO: http://pia7news.blogspot.com (FCR/ PIA-Siquijor/Nole Torres, DOLE-Siquijor)
iSIQUIJOR SCIENCETECHNOLOGY
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DOST's DATBED program to help youth start tech-based biz By Angelica A. de Leon, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII
Students, young professionals, and out-of-school youths planning to put up technologybased enterprises may avail of assistance from the Department of Science and Technology’s Technology Application and Promotion institute (DOST-TAPI) through their schools or non-government organizations (NGOs). In a technical forum held last July 31 during the recently concluded 2013 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits for the National Capital Region (NCR) at the Technological Institute of the Philippines in Quezon City, Engr. Arman Bionat, assistant regional director for DOST-NCR’s technical operations division, disclosed that TAPI’s DOST Academe Technology-Based Enterprise Development (DATBED) Program will help get them started in their business ventures. A project under DOST’s Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SET-UP), DATBED provides assistance through funding, training initiatives, and access to facilities and the latest technologies. At the same time, DATBED also develops income-generating projects for the school or the NGO with which the aspiring technopreneur is connected. Engr. Bionat revealed that one of DATBED’s objectives is to “stimulate the development of an entrepreneurial curriculum and technology business incubation (TBI) among participating schools/ organizations” in its mission to produce more employers among the Filipino youth. TBI is a concept that refers to support programs for the successful establishment and growth of technology-based businesses. To become a DATBED beneficiary, the school must have science and technology courses and entrepreneurship development programs in its curriculum, as well as a student-faculty ratio of 25:1 at the most in these courses, among other qualifications. On the other hand, an NGO should be registered with the Securities and By Allan Ace Aclan, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII Exchange Commission or the Cooperative More job opportunities, more career options. With a total workforce Development Authority and should have of 776,794 in 2012, some 137,066 of these were new hires, the country’s existing or completed some youth development IT-Business Process Management industry continues to burst at the seams programs or activities, among others The school or NGO will with a US$ 13.2-billion revenue. “The Department of Science and Technology - Information and perform the screening and selection of Communication Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) is furthering its efforts in their student recipients for DATBED. The first stage under the DATBED bringing jobs to Filipinos in the countryside, as we aim to hit our target of program covers a period of three years during 1.3 million full time employees working in the industry by 2016,” DOST-ICTO Executive Director Louis Napoleon C. Casambre said. DOST-ICTO is the which training in enterprise development is provided, as well as financial assistance country’s main agency handling the IT-BPM sector. Director Casambre said that for years, the country’s IT-BPM sector and technology transfer. In the second has shown strength in terms of revenues, positioning the country as the best stage, financial assistance is extended for the full commercialization of the enterprise. provider in voice services and second best in non-voice. Financial assistance will cover both Opportunities in the industry were echoed by speakers at the recently operating expenses of the startup enterprise held IT-BPM Career Talk during the National Science and Technology Week and capability upgrading cost for expansion at the SMX Convention Center as they also discussed the various skills projects. The DOST-NCR official added that needed in it, as well as options and perks. According to the speakers, other IT-BPM sectors such as animation, different financing schemes are available. Some of TAPI’s successful DATBEDgame development, health information management, and software assisted projects are those involving broiler development are quickly catching up with the popularity and capability of production using lagundi as a source of call centers. antibiotics, hydroponics, 3-in-1 instant cacao beverage, enterprise development Getting on the game and market testing of pili-based coffee, Alvin Juban, president of the Game Developers Association of production and marketing of pili chocolait, the Philippines, cited that the country today has an estimated 4,000 game v e g e t a r i a n b a k e s h o p , f i s h s a u s a g e , developers involved in motion graphics, motion capture, sound design, and White Tang Fish Tapa production. According to Engr. Bionat, they conceptualization and game quality assurance. Poised to further boost industry manpower is the newly established receive around 20-30 student applicants for Human Development Facility. Owned by the Korea International Cooperation DATBED assistance every schoolyear. “There Agency, the government of South Korea and the Department of National may be four or five students in a project. Defense of the Philippines , the facility is designed to strengthen the skills Sometimes too, a single school will approach of Filipino professionals in animation and game development, said Juban. us for assistance for more than one project – sometimes for more than four projects,” he said. The DOST-NCR official also mentioned Nurses, medics join the fray that technopreneurship involves high Meanwhile, Dr. Josefina V. Lauchangco, president of the Health technology and low technology businesses. Information Management Outsourcing Association of the Philippines He cited ICT, electronics, biotechnology, (HIMOAP), elaborated that a background in the medical field is a big service businesses such as e-learning, and advantage for those seeking jobs in the health information management cloud computing as among the high technology sector such as medical transcription. She added that the number of nurses ventures while organic farming, organic hired by HIMOAP’s member-firms in the country was estimated to reach production of livestock and new food recipes 43,000 in 2012. They aim to raise employment numbers to 100,000 by 2016, are among the low technology ventures. For more information on she reported. However, Dr. Lauchangco added that professionals from fields of DATBED, please call TAPI’s Technology specialization other than medicine are also welcome to work in the health Commercialization Division at 837-2071 to 82 loc. 2158/2165 or (632) 837information management outsourcing sector. 6186 or visit the DOST Regional Office.
BPM industry readies more job breaks for Pinoys, DOSt exec says
iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS
Go Negosyo teams up with DSWD-7 for OSY program
AGIO7 Forum on PH Civil Service Month. CSC7 personnel specialists Bryan Arquillano and Ricardo Gabule Jr. casually interacts with Cebumedia after the forum.
Cebu PDRRMC eyes P35-M digital early warning system By rachelle m. Nessia CEBU CITY (PIA) -- Cebu’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) is eyeing a multi-million digital early warning system (EWS) to boost its resources and capabilities in disaster preparedness. In a recent region-wide disaster summit in Central Visayas held in Mandaue City, Cebu PDRRMC Chief Neil Angelo Sanchez announced that they are considering implementing a digital, Global Positioning System (GPS)-based EWS in the province. The EWS will cost around P35 million. “This is very ambitious but it is an investment that will benefit the entire province and eventually each LGU will be given this type of system if approved,” said Sanchez. Said EWS will provide data important to disaster preparedness and response of local government units during emergencies. It can be accessed 24/7 on any communication device such as cellphones, tablets, and radio transmission systems. If the provincial board gives its nod to the proposed EWS this year, Sanchez said the system will be implemented in three phases starting either by last quarter of this year or first quarter of next year. Eventually, the EWS will expand to cover barangays and towns in the province. However, Sanchez said they will focus on implementing it first in Metro Cebu areas, particularly the hazard-prone zones. “Hopefully the provincial board will approve this, because it will benefit the entire province, and eventually each LGU will be given this type of system,” he said. (RMN/PIA Cebu)
CEBU CITY (PIA) -- Go Negosyo has partnered with the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD) through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) for an out of school youths (OSYs) program that aims to screen, train, and transform OSYs. Borne from this partnership is the "Negosyo mo, Buhay Ko Program" (NMBK) of Go Negosyo through which OSYs are given the chance to accomplish their goals and dreams in life, added Dela Fuente. The youths are matched with a partner entrepreneur/business where they can work and the OSYs will commit 40% of their income to a trust fund that will be used to finance their education, said Kerwin Macopia, DSWD-7 Information Officer. Macopia said the program is supported by various national government agencies led by DSWD, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Education (DepEd), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). Go Negosyo Program Manager Manuel Dela Fuente said “This is not only about employment but it also changes their lives and gives hope. They are able to support their studies with their earnings.” Participants were chosen from families benefitting from the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program whose age ranges from 18-25 years old. Of the 56 applicants, 47 passed the initial screening, Macopia said. Go Negosyo started the partnership with DSWD last year and catered to OSYs in Metro Manila. Cebu is the first province outside Metro Manila to host the pilot testing of the program, Macopia said. Macopia said that NMBK is Go Negosyo’s newest program, a project that gives opportunities linking the entrepreneurs with the OSY after they went through a value formation program. (rmn/JSME/PIA-Cebu/DSWD7)
iSIQUIJOR
ON AUGUST 2013 HOLIDAYS:
is a weekly electronic newsletter produced by the Philippine Information Agency-Siquijor Information Center and the DOST Provincial Science and Technology Center with stories submitted by local and national government agencies and from other Provincial Information Centers in Cebu, Bohol and Negros Oriental.
Fitr (source: Proc. No. 629, August 1, 2013)
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August 9, 2013 - Regular Holiday in observance of Eid'l NATIONAL HOLIDAYS (source: Proc. No. 459 - August 16, 2012) August 26 - National Heroes Day - Regular Holiday
iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS
Personal remittances reach US$11.8B in 1st sem of 2013 BSP announced today that personal remittances from overseas Filipinos (OFs) for January-June 2013 totaled US$11.8 billion, representing a 6.2 percent increase from the level registered in the same period last year. 1 The sustained expansion in personal remittances during the first half of 2013 was boosted largely by the 5.1 percent growth in remittance flows from land-based OF workers with work contracts of one year or more, whose remittances comprised 75.1 percent of the total. Meanwhile, remittance flows from sea-based workers and land-based workers with short-term contracts grew by 7.5 percent. For June 2013 alone, personal remittances from OFs rose year-on-year by 5.7 percent to reach US$2.1 billion, the highest monthly level recorded during the year. Meanwhile, cash remittances from OFs coursed through banks for the first six months of 2013 reached US$10.7 billion, sustaining the 5.6 percent growth posted in the same period last year. In particular, remittances from both sea-based (US$2.5 billion) and land-based workers (US$8.2 billion) expanded by 7.4 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively. The major sources of cash remittances were the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Canada, and Japan. Total flows from these countries represented about three-fourths (74.8 percent) of the total cash remittances coursed through banks. Remittances remained robust partly on the back of continued increase in demand for skilled Filipinos abroad. Latest data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showed that the number of workers deployed overseas in 2012 increased by 6.8 percent to 1,802,031 from 1,687,831 in 2011. About 80 percent of the total number of deployed OF workers were land-based workers (1,435,166), 32 percent of which were newly-hired workers (458,575). Majority of the new hires were employed as service, production, professional, and technical workers. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Qatar remained the leading destinations of land-based workers (both new hires and rehires). The steady stream of remittances also drew continued support from the efficient network of bank and non-bank remittance channels established worldwide and their expanding financial services to cater to the various needs of OFs. As of end-June 2013, commercial banks’ established tie-ups, remittance centers, correspondent banks, and branches/representative offices abroad reached 4,409. It may be recalled that the BSP started the release of data on personal remittances in June 2012. As defined in Balance of Payments Manual, 6th Edition (BPM6), personal remittances represent the sum of net compensation of employees (i.e., gross earnings of overseas Filipino (OF) workers with work contracts of less than one year, including all sea-based workers, less taxes, social contributions, and transportation and travel expenditures in their host countries), personal transfers (i.e., all current transfers in cash or in kind by OF workers with work contracts of one year or more as well as other household-to-household transfers between Filipinos who have migrated abroad and their families in the Philippines), and capital transfers between households (i.e., the provision of resources of capital purposes, such as for construction of residential houses, between resident and non-resident households without anything of economic value being supplied in return). Source: http://www.bsp.gov.ph
Public warned anew on text scam By Jennifer c. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 (DSWD) warned anew the public against circulating scam text messages particularly targeting the beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya program. DSWD learned about the scam text messages after it circulated to some recipients of Pantawid Pamilya program in the region. Said text messages claim that the recipient won P950,000 from the "President Noy-Noy Aquino Foundation 4Ps Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program" as "second prize winner in the 'Handog Pangkabuhayan' raffle promo with DTI P#9513 s’12.” DSWD emphasized that it is not true that the Department holds raffle promos or draws. Recipients are then asked to text their complete name, age, address, and work. DSWD urged recipients of said messages to report it to the nearest DSWD office or text to 09173815555. DSWD-7 stressed that Pantawid Pamilya does not give away prizes but the program provides cash grants to poor households in exchange for complying with the program's conditions. Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor households primarily of children aged 0-14. (rmn/ JCT/PIA7-Negros Oriental)
PIA News Digest DoJ set to file raps vs. solons in pork barrel scam Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was able to confirm the involvement of several lawmakers in the alleged pork barrel scam, and charges are forthcoming. Without giving names, De Lima said the charges will be filed “in a few weeks time,” only by testimonial and documentary evidence. Meanwhile, De Lima, who as justice secretary has direct supervision of the NBI, assures the public of the nonpartisanship of the team that investigated the scam.
Palace assures gov't fund available to help typhoon victims The Palace assured there is available fun to help victims of Typhoon Labuyo. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) is continuously assessing affected areas in Luzon which was devastated by the typhoon Labuyo while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has P160-million standby fund to help the affected communities. She added assistance covers the Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, Region 5, and Region 8, adding the DSWD has readied the fund for augmentation for any type of disaster in those regions in addition to the money available at the local level.
Pinoys advised to exit Egypt
Filipinos in Egypt are advised to leave the country amid growing unrest there resulting to 638 casualties and thousands wounded. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) already raised the alert level for the country to three due to “the escalating civil unrest and insecurity”. DFA Assistant Secretary and spokesman Raul Hernandez said that the Philippine embassy in Cairo would help repatriate any Filipinos who wish to depart. Meantime, Vice President Jejomar Binay urged around 6,000 Filipinos in Egypt to take all the necessary precautions and to immediately get in touch with the Philippine embassy in Cairo to receive instructions.
SWS: Hunger rises among Pinoy families in Q2
Hunger incidence among Filipino households grew in the 2nd quarter, according to a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS). The survey showed 4.9 million families or 22.7% of respondents claimed they experienced going hungry during the period April to June 2013. This was up from the March survey's 3.9 million families or 19.2%.