The eMagazine of Philippine Information Agency 10
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2016
OWWA urges OFWs to register, become active members to get benefits
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) region 10 Director Roselle Bartolome in Talakayan sa PIA urged Overseas Foreign Workers (OFWs) to register and become active members of OWWA to get benefits.
What make active OFWs advantageous are the benefits they get from OWWA, such as livelihood projects, scholarship for their children among others. He added they become priority of the government. Meanwhile, for those who are inactive, they do not get anything from the government. On the other hand, Philippine Overseas Employment Association (POEA) Officer In Charge (OIC) Ann Apasra Abas emphasized their campaign against illegal recruiters. After the opening of the One Stop Service Center for OFWs at OWWA Office in Cagayan de Oro on 25 November 2016, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), OWWA, POEA and local government of Libona Bukidnon signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) as convergence against illegal recruiters. The scope of cooperation of the MOA include capability building of local government unit (LGU) partners and local stakeholders, public information and worker education on overseas employment, establishment of OFW
helpdesk, illegal recruitment re: local government units campaign and data collection and management on OFWs and their families. Abas said this MOA means LGU of Libona is illegal recruitment free locality. Meanwhile DOLE Regional Director Raymundo Agravante said there are 15 government agencies open for the One Stop Service Center for OFW in Cagayan de Oro City. This center combines together various services to provide OFWs the facility for obtaining their requirements for efficient deployment abroad. He said, this is very significant since there are many OFW in the region. We have this one stop service center to ease burden with complying their requirements abroad, Agravante said. Further, this is in response to President Duterte’s directive to provide quick, efficient services for OFWs. Thus, expenses will be lessened because all agencies are in one venue. (JMOR/PIA10)
DOT, Iligan participate in 18-Day Campaign to End VAW ILIGAN CITY – Iligan City participates in the ‘Orange Your Icon for 18 Days Advocacy Initiative.’ It kicked-off with Inaugural Lighting of the Maria Cristina Falls in the city on Nov. 25
Orange is a bright and optimistic color chosen by the United Nations Secretary General to symbolize the brighter future of a world free from violence against women and girls. Thus, the City of Iligan declares its commitment in upholding the rights of women and girls to be valued and respected, said Vice Mayor Jemar L. Vera Cruz in his message after the Inaugural Lighting. This also declares support to the 18 Day-campaign from 25 November to December 12 to the vision of a Violence Against Women (VAW)-free community. The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), in collaboration with the local government unit (LGU)
of Iligan City likewise aimed to raise awareness that VAW is a public issue of national concern, and to end VAW by putting up or displaying color orange to all known tourist attractions in the country. The message also calls for the DOT and other stakeholders in the tourism industry to have a safe and non-exploitative tourism activities, capping this year’s theme, “VAW-free community starts with me.” The theme gives emphasis on continues pursuit of achieving a VAW-free community through everyone’s commitment and contribution to ending VAWs. Stakeholders—academe, training institution, private sector, non-government organization, civil society, of a man/boy, and woman/
girl among others also expressed their commitments during the inauguration. Ma. Nancy G. Derequito of DOT region 10 said that Maria Cristina Falls represents Region 10. The campaign was simultaneous opened with other 18 participating tourist destinations in all regions nationwide. November 25 is also celebrated as the ‘National Consciousness Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children’ under Republic Act 10398. Derequito also said that Maria Cristina Falls is a famous landmark of Iligan, the fountainhead of progress. It is also the Mother of all waterfalls in this part of the country for it gave birth to the islands electrification program through the
hydroelectric power plant. It stands 120 ft., harnessed and inaugurated in 1953 to give light to an island of darkness. It symbolizes the symbiotic existence of man and that of Mother Nature, she said. Meanwhile, Derequito, along with DOT Manila represented by Aida Soriano, talked on VAW free Region 10, and Rationale of VAWfree Philippines respectively. Proclamation No. 117, series of 2006, declares 25 November to 12 December as the 18-day Campaign to End VAW, as the Philippine Government’s goal to protect the human rights of women and its commitment to address all forms of VAW, consistent with the Magna Carta of Women. (LVG/PIA-10 LDN)
State of ICT in ARMM ‘brighter and better’ MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur – The Information Technology chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) describes the state of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the region as “better and brighter” compared with previous years. Abdelnur Campong, chief of 2011. the ARMM governor’s ICT office, said All regional line agencies now there were no efforts in establishing have their own websites and instituted ICT in the regional government before their database systems even as the
ARMM government created an ICT office through an executive order, said Campong. These efforts add up to reforms instituted by the administration of ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman since he was appointed as caretaker governor in 2011, and later elected twice in 2013 and in 2016. The regional government, he said, continues its efforts to further develop and improve ICT in the region. The ARMM held its 1st ICT Summit on December 5, to make the stakeholders knowledgeable of the latest trends and technology that could be used in the efficient delivery of government services. “Ang focus natin dito ay pagimprove at pagpapaganda ng serbisyo natin sa ARMM, particularly sa regional government (Our focus here is to improve the services in the ARMM, particularly in the regional government),” Campong said. The summit gathered all industry stakeholders, especially those from the government and the academe, as well as professionals and students to discuss current trends and challenges facing the ICT sector in the region and in the country. “We established systems at the office of the ARMM governor such as human resource information system, Electronic New Government Accounting System, Database, RadioFrequency IDentification, and many other systems,” Campong said.
“Definitely, mas brighter at maganda ang estado ng ICT ngayon ng ARMM kaysa dati (Definitely, we now have brighter and better state of ICT in the region unlike before),” Campong added. The summit invited five speakers who discussed topics relevant to governance in the regional government. The development and effective integration of technology to government services pave the way to better governance in the region, Campong added. “Data management ang topics dahil iyon ang kailangan ng region (Data management are the topics because these are what our region needs); how to establish our baseline data to be used in the present and future administrations for decisionmaking, and program proposal drafting,” Campong said. Among the partners of the ARMM government in the ICT event were the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Philippine Computer Society Foundation, Trend Micro, Indra Philippines, and Microsoft Philippines. (BPI/PIA-10)