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CV economy up by 7.6% in 2018
CEBU (PIA)--Central Visayas posted an economic growth of 7.6 percent in 2018, bigger than the national average economic growth of 6.2 percent last year.
This was revealed in the presentation of the 2018 Report on the Performance of the Central Visayas Economy by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Region 7.
Congratulations! to the 55 Arnis graduates (1 barangay captain, 1, councilor/ kagawad and 53 barangay tanods) of the Municipality of Siquijor! This is part of the Peacekeeping and Comelec Rules and Regulations Orientation Training in Siquijor, Siquijor. Kudos to Arnis medallists, PO1 Cris-Abriel Lingcong and PO1 Karla Jane Lumauag for the job well done as the trainors.
PSA-7 Regional Director Ariel Florendo said the 7.6 percent Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in 2018 has a value of P593.85 billion worth of goods and services, making the region the fourth largest economy in the country. The region’s economic performance last year is a huge jump from the 5.2 percent growth in 2017 and contributed 6.5 percent share in the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, said Florendo. Services sector remains the top contributor to the region’s economy accounting for 56 percent followed by the Industry Sector at 38.8 percent while the Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry and Fishing Sector only shared a minimal of 5.2 percent. Among the major drivers of the regional economic growth cited by Florendo are manufacturing and construction, which swelled to 8.3 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively. The PSA-7 director said the real per capita GRDP of Central Visayas went up from P71,743 in 2017 to P76,024 in 2018. Director Efren Carreon of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-7 expressed optimism that the region’s economy will continue to perform well this year despite the budget delay approval, which some say will drag down this year’s economic growth. Carreon said tourism continues to move in an upward swing as “in the MactanCebu International Airport alone, 15 new international routes were launched in 2018, 12 of which were from Cebu to various cities in mainland China. The other destinations were Macau, Taipei and Busan in Korea.” He added that the opening of the New Bohol Panglao International Airport will likewise continue to bring more tourists to the region. According to the Department of Tourism (DOT)-7, tourist arrivals in Central Visayas in 2018 reached 8.09 million, a spike of 16 percent from the previous year. Both Florendo and Carreon said the challenge remains on how to sustain or even surpass the GRDP growth rate last year despite the challenges such as the budget delay approval and the El Niño phenomenon. (fcr/ pia7) The Duocesan Electoral Bopard headed by Msgr. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela and Rev. Fr. Leonardo Tan, Siquiojr Police Provincial Office Director Angela Rejano, representatives from the COMELEC, PPCRV and PIA during the Trainer’s Training recently. This is to form and restructure every PPCRV Parish Electoral Board in the entire Province of Siquijor and to make action groups to achieve its mantra for a Clean, Honest, Accurate, Meaningful, and Peaceful Elections this coming May 13
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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. 07| No. 12 March 27-Aprii 3, 2019
Healing Festival: Capturing Siquijor color, Siquijor feel
By Rizalie Anding Calibo SIQUIJOR, April 3 (PIA)--Culture, heritage, tradition and environment. These make Siquijor. It’s the time of the year once more, when tourists get the best experience of all these while capturing Siquijor color and Siquijor feel. One consultant and amateur photography-hobbyist Rey Luciano Soliven, who once visited Siquijor likened the island to a pizza pie but with a unique shape, divided into six slices (six towns), each equally gifted with beaches, mountains, land areas, friendly people, and other spectacular natural beauties. All these he found out during his photo documentation tour around the province’s key cultural heritage sites, tourist spots, market areas, traditional market centers, still life, rural life, human element, and many more, he said. Precisely this is why domestic and foreign vacationers troop to the island, and with the Healing Festival, as a big bonus to those seeking respite in the island’s tranquil places like what any traveler would want in this time of the year. “Siquijor is just perfect for those wanting a relaxing and quiet place,” one traveler would say. The lush forest in Mt. Bandilaan, Siquijor, the highest point in the province that is home for numerous endemic flora and fauna and where Siquijor folk healers gather for the Healing Festival. (PIA/ Siquijor) According to the Provincial Tourism Office here, every Holy Week, Siquijor is packed with day-trippers, travelers, sightseers or trekkers the entire week not just to witness the festival but to explore the entire island.
The lush forest in Mt. Bandilaan, Siquijor, the highest point in the province that is home for numerous endemic flora and fauna and where Siquijor folk healers gather for the Healing Festival. (PIA/Siquijor)
They partly attributed the increased tourist traffic, though, to the Healing Festival, which is timed perfectly for the Holy Week observation. Aside from the island’s natural beauty, ‘Healing Festival’ is one of its main attractions based on the assessment from the various tourism stakeholders in the province. It is the perfect time of the year that caters to those visitors longing for a muchneeded long vacation while observing Holy Week as a significant time for Christians to remember Christ’s suffering and resurrection. “We are earning a reputation as a tourist destination during Holy Week,” a
government official said, citing the herbal gardens that the province has developed where ingredients for medicines and potions were taken, as another destination. Siquijor’s traditional healers and the healing practices are one of the assets that differentiate the island from other islands in the country. According to the Provincial Tourism Office, the love potions are the island’s top selling products. They come in a couple of variants, either in oil or non-liquid form, to be stirred with your favorite perfume and cologne. It has been said that by rubbing or
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Healing Festival: Capturing Siquijor color...from page 1 spraying the mixture on yourself, you will attract good vibes, business luck or the love of your life. The love potion is the concoction of 20 specific herbs gathered only during the seven Fridays of lent season. Herbal potion, on the other hand, is accordingly what Siquijor’s host of folk healers use for many, many years. It is a especially-brewed medicinal liniment to treat physical ailments, which they believe are either brought about by natural and supernatural causes. Each medicinal potion, it is said, contains 200 types of herbal plants, interestingly bears the names of the kind of effect it leaves on people like “tawa-tawa” (laughter), “sumbalik” (return), “Tulay” (connection), “tulog-tulog” (rest, and others.) The Healing Festival is a showcase of the alternative and traditional healing methods indigenous to Siquijor. These are composed of “Pangalap” or the gathering of the different kinds of herbs for seven Fridays of the Lenten season (March 9 - April 20); “Pag-adlip” or chopping of gathered herbs on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, this year, in April 18 and 19; and “Pagluto” or cooking/ Rev. Fr. Leonardo Tan in one of the Holy Masses that traditionally opens Siquijor brewing of herbal medicines by the Cantabon Island’s celebration of the Healing Festival in Bandilaan Mountain Park, Siquijor, Healers and Herbalists group on Black Saturday Siquijor. (PIA-Siquijor file photo) (April 20). To be opened with a Holy Mass, the whole festivity also includes among others, Opening Program with presentations ftom the Local Government Units (LGUs) and Indigo Band (Acoustic) starting on April 17, Product Display (herbal medicines, local food and others) with the Siquijor Association of Food Entrepreneurs (SAFE), “Sikijod” spa massage (Siquijor brand of massage), healing sessions with various healers, and “Bolo-bolo” healing, with some local entertainments, Tugas 2019, a 10K reflection walk or way of the cross to Mt Bandilaan starting from the Siquijor Boulevard and the Via Crucis on on April 18 and 19. Some healers also perform their rituals and healing practices at their respective houses, that tourists can seek information, assistance and guide, from the tourism booths nearby. The Healing Festival is regularly held at the Bandilaan Mountain View Park, situated at the center of the province that stands 557 feet at its highest point and is surrounded by a 224-hectare man-made forest that is home to endemic fauna and flora and other attractions. Undoubtedly Siquijor, one should say, is blessed with natural divine beauty – alluring white sand beaches, caves, natural spring, so that one visitor said she felt ecstatic the moment she saw Siquijor. “The water is so blue and inviting and the whole coastline is covered with white sand. It truly makes for a great first impression for tourists to this paradise island,” the same visitor said of the inviting waters in Siquijor pier. These are but a few of the Siquijor charms. Healing Festival, is another. And it’s a kind of festivity that also spells Siquijor magic. Not only because of the healers, herbalists and the potions or the so called “powers” that come with them, but also the island itself, that brings healing of one’s body and spirit. And while tourists are at the healing place, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Siquijor has put up measures to guide people attending the Healing Festival 2019. Solemnity must be maintained in the entire duration of the Healing Festival. Selling and drinking of hard liquor or “tuba” (coco wine) is prohibited. Selling of cigarettes and smoking in Bandilaan Park is strictly not allowed. Plastic Holiday is observed for the entire celebration, this means, single-use plastic materials, styro and other disposable containers are not allowed. Everyone is required to bring home their own garbage. Burning of all types of garbage, shrub, leaves and branches of trees is strictly prohibited. On the other hand, vendors must strictly follow the designated selling areas and observe proper waste segragation. Interested vendors need to register at the Provincial Tourism Office for free but daily cash tickets will be issued. During the Festival, cooking of food using firewood and charcoal is strictly prohibited. To observe abstinence, selling of “lechon baboy” is not allowed. In Mount Bandilaan, Siquijor Police Provincial Office (SPPO) has designated two parking areas for vehicles: one towards
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Cebuano News
Student loan program alang sa mga estudyante sa kolehiyo, ilusad sa CHED (PIA)--Ilusad sa Commission on Higher Education (CHED) ang Student Loan Program for Tertiary Education-Short Term Basis (SLPTE-ST) sa kaolohan karong Abril 17, 2019. Ubos niining programa, mahimo nang mo-apply og loan ang mga estudyante sa kolehiyo hangtod P60,000 alang sa pangbayad sa matrikula ug ubang galastohan sama sa libro, ubang mga gamit, allowance, ug licensure exam review. Mahimo usab mopahimos niini ang
mga estudyante nga nikuha og post-graduate degrees sama sa medisina ug abogasya. Adunay gigahin nga P1 bilyon nga pondo alang niining programa. Bukas ang SLPTE-ST sa mga estudyante nga naka-enroll sa publiko ug pribadong tertiary institutions nga sakop sa program implementers sa CHED alang sa mga kolehiyo ug unibersidad ug sa Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) alang sa tech-voc institutions. Ang SLPTE-ST gi-mandato sa
(PIA)--Nagsugod na niadtong Abril 13 ang usa ka buwan nga pagbotar alang sa piniliay sa mga Pilipino nga naa sa ubang nasud nga narehistro ilawom sa overseas absentee voting (OAV) kalabot sa midterm elections karong Mayo. Ubos sa OAV, mahimong mobotar ang mga overseas Filipino workers (OFW) og 12 ka senador ug usa ka party-list group. Ang pagbotar sa mga Pinoy sa gawas sa nasud molanat hangtod mismo sa maong adlaw sa piniliay dinhi sa nasud sa Mayo 13, 2019. Base sa datos sa Commission on Elections (Comelec), kapin sa 1.8 milyon ang giisip nga overseas absentee voters sa nagkalain-laing nasud. Kadaghanan niini land-based OFWs nga naa sa 1.7 milyon samtang ang uban mga sea-based Pinoy workers.
Pinakadaghang overseas absentee voters sa Middle East ug mga nasud sa Africa, gisundan sa Asia Pacific region, North ug Latin America ug Europe. Una nang gipahayag sa tigpamaba sa Comelec nga si James Jimenez sa iyang Twitter account ang mga nag-unang voter education tips sa mga overseas voters. Una na niini ang dili ipagawas ang resulta sa overseas voting hangtod dili matapos ang voting period sa Mayo 13. Alang sa mga seafarer, mahimong mobotar bisan asa kasamtangang modunggo ang ilang barko sa panahon sa overseas voting period. Ug ang katapusan, mahimong himuon ang overseas voting pinaagi sa personal, electronic mail, manual voting o gamit ang vote-counting machine. (ecb/PIA7Bohol)
Mga Pinoy sa ubang nasud, nakabotar na sugod Abril 13
Republic Act No. 10391 o ang Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education diin ubos niining balaod, wala na’y bayrang matrikula ug ubang galastohan ang mga estudyante sa public tertiary institutions. Dungan sa paglusad sa programa ang paglagda og memorandum of agreement tali sa CHED, Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), ug sa Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) aron i-automate ang paghatag sa salaping i-loan ug uban pang financial assistance grants sa mga estudyante. Tumong niining partnership ang paghimo sa DBP isip payment scheme nga gitawag nga direct remittance servicing scheme aron masiguro ang ‘timely disbursement’ sa pondo. Aron mahiapil isip partner, ang mga higher education institutions (HEIs) angay nga sakop sa UniFAST registry of institutions and programs ug angay nga makigsabot sa CHED o TESDA. Ang CHED gitakdang makig-alayon sa mga HEIs nga walay existing student loan systems. Matud pa sa CHED nga ihatag ang loan sa qualified student beneficiaries sa enrollment period sa pagsugod sa partikular nga term nga angay mabayran sulod sa 12 ka buwan. Aron ma-aghat ang mga estudyante nga bayaran ang salaping gi-loan, dili na nila kinahanglang bayran ang interest rate nga 6% per annum kun makabayad sila sulod sa academic term. Apan may ipahamtang usab nga penalty kun dili makabayad dayon. (ecb/ PIA7-Bohol)
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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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FOLLOW US online! As the National Midterm Election comes closer, here’s what the Provincial Election Supervisor, Atty. Lionel Marco R. Castillano of the Commission on Elections (Comelec Siquijor) has to say to Siquijor candidates and voters: “Know, follow and obey election laws, the Comelec will also be fair and transparent.”
/Pia Siquijor /PIA Siquijor @PiaSiquijor