DSWD field workers mark convergence initiatives
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016
by Jamila M. Taha
MALAYBALAY CITY -- Provincial Operations Office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Bukidnon commemorates its 5th year anniversary on May 10.
This event is a celebration introduced by the provincial office under the leadership of Christopher Capinpin, the provincial link. According to the provincial link this initiative began in 2011 from a simple gathering of the provincial staffs, until it later extends to the field workers. He said the event aims to strengthen the camaraderie between and among the field workers through team-building activities and hopefully create a more positive working environment leading towards better delivery of services to their partner beneficiaries. The team-building activities include Sports Fest/Competition, allowing each municipality to create their very own teams for a friendly competition against the other areas. Each team is comprised of staffs working from various programs of DSWD like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Sustainable Livelihood Program, Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) and others. Like any other competition, winners from each sport category are rewarded with trophies, medals and some cash prizes. To magnify the convergence initiatives, the event also featured the Search for Mr. and Ms. Convergence
2016 where selected candidates were expected to embody DSWD core values that includes respect for human dignity, integrity and service excellence and becomes a catalyst of convergence. Apart from team-building activities, the provincial office also sends out various certificates of recognition and awards to all hardworking men and women in the field as a sort of motivation and encouragement to consistently thrives and be better public servants. “All deserving staffs who have worked above par expectations are rewarded, not to undermine the others but mostly to inspire them to improve and continue the good work they are doing,� Capinpin adds. This particular convergence activity is peculiar to the province among the four other provincial offices of the region, as it is the only DSWD Provincial Operations Office that observes such activity. Capinpin says this event overall serves as a thanksgiving gathering of all convergence staffs who have endured challenges in their respective areas and eventually surpass them and deliver quality service to the public.
Listahanan data launching set by Mitzie S. Santiago
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Department of Social Welfare and
Development, through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTSPR) or Listahanan, will be officially launching the regional data result of the Second Round Assessment conducted last year. Listahanan is an information management system that the government uses in identifying who and where the poor are nationwide. It serves as a basis for data users in identifying potential beneficiaries of their programs. Out of the 870,198 households assessed, 485,539 households have been identified as poor which allots for the 9.5% nationwide share of poor households identified. Nationwide, NHTSPR or Listahanan have identified 5.1 million poor households out of the 15.1 million households assessed. The Regional Launching will be conducted in June this year to present and share the results of the Second Round Assessment and database to various Listahanan data users. Another objective of the launching is to encourage other organizations, agencies and stakeholders to utilize the Listahanan data in identifying the potential beneficiaries of their various social protection programs and services. Local chief executives, planning officers, local social welfare and
development officers, and representatives from national government agencies, non government organizations, academe and research institutions will be invited to witness the said Regional Launching. The First Round Assessment was done in 2009 when 4.2 million households were enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program. Aside from other national government agencies that utilized the Listahanan data in their programs, non government organizations have also used the data which includes some from the academe like the Safer River, Life Saver of Liceo de Cagayan University and civil society organizations.
DTI leads confab to empower women micro entrepreneurs in NorMin by Joemides Daquio
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) region 10 gathered 115 women micro entrepreneurs from all over Northern Mindanao on 12-13 May in Cagayan de Oro City to conduct a two-day seminar workshop on Greening the Gender Responsive Value Chain Analysis, a project under Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in its Gender Responsive Economic Action for the Transformation of Women (GREAT Women Project). According to Ma. Eliza A. Pabillore, provincial director of DTI Misamis Oriental, this activity aims to help women achieve inclusive development and economic empowerment. She said that the project is funded by the Canadian Government focusing on creating an enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment at the
national and local level. Pabillore emphasized the importance of women as entrepreneurs in the economy. She said that women have a great potential to become successful entrepreneurs. “Women, are very focused at the same time have the ability to take care of a lot of concerns, and we do a lot of multi-tasking,” she said.
Further, women play a very big role in the economy, providing additional income to their families, employment to the country and also giving rise to more enterprises in the country side. “There is a great potential of contributing to the Philippine economy and so the development of the country,” she said. On the other hand, the seminarworkshop also included “greening” the environment. She said they are trying to consolidate Greening in the entire value chain project, from the crude materials to the last item, because everything ought to be processed. Further, the intention of the workshop is to come up with an action plan which would help women micro entrepreneurs to grow and at the same time incorporate the greening concern of the entire value chain. “Taking care of the environment is a responsibility also of an entrepreneur,” Pabillore said. Meanwhile, Rhodelia Sojor, a women entrepreneur from Lanao del Norte who started managing their family business of fabricating machines for food processing
since her husband slowed down few years ago, said that she attended the activity because she wanted to expand her business and go into the food industry since she is making equipment for food processing. She said that she makes sure that her equipment sold in the market is gender sensitive wherein women will not have a hard time such as in cooking or mixing food. She has also learned the importance of greening where she will be more conscious of the chemicals she will use and its disposal. Further, she said that in support to women, she hires women welders in her factory. Malou Tumang, proprietor of Vita-C and president of the Food Processors of Northern Mindanao (FOPANORMIn) said that she gained much information upon attending the seminar such as government programs and projects to support micro entrepreneurs. She said the Food Innovation Center at the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) is a great venue for food entrepreneurs to package their products. Lastly, she said that an entrepreneur must believe in his/her product and must have the discipline to be successful in the business. The activity was in collaboration with other government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) region 10, Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).