VOL. 2 l NO. 19 July 11, 2012
A person with disability (PWD) student raises a question with an interpreter voicing out her concern during the Q&A portion of the public forum for the four candidates vying for the University President position at the Negros Oriental State University in Dumaguete City on June 22, 2012. PWD students aired their concerns over the lack of interpreters at the classroom and asked each of the four candidates what they would do to make the university more PWD-friendly. NORSU currently has 10 PWD students, according to current president Dr. Henry Sojor whose term expires on July 12, 2012. (RMN/PIA)
DSWD allots P204.6M for feeding prog ram in Central Visayas By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, July 13 (PIA) -The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is allocating over P204.6 million to feed more than 131,000 children in Central Visayas through its Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) this year. About 4,019 day care centers (DCCs) in the region are expected to benefit from this food supplementation in
the form of hot meals served during break time, five times a week for 120 days. This program provides food to children currently enrolled in DCCs in addition to their regular meals. It also covers children who are under the supervised neighborhood, which plays the part of DSWD’s contribution to the government’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) program. With this supplemental food, it is
City dwellers urged to undertake urban gardening By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, July 11 (PIA) -- Residents in cities such as Dumaguete are encouraged to take up urban gardening in view of the diminishing available space in residential areas for backyard gardening. The Provincial Agriculture Office here introduced “Orocan gardening,” named after the company that produces plastic containers such as pails, drums, pitchers, and basins. In a forum held Wednesday at the Sidlakang Negros Village here, provincial agriculturist Gregorio Paltinca said that with Orocan gardening, vermicast or vermicompost could be placed inside plastic pots along with fertile soil. “This way, we can plant vegetables like eggplants, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, and even kangkong in our own homes,” said Paltinca.
Interested household owners can approach any of the barangay agricultural development centers (BADCs) in their areas or the Provincial Agriculturist Office where technicians can assist in starting their own urban gardens. Urban gardening can address the decreasing daily vegetable intake of Filipinos. According to Dr. Edgardo Barredo, action officer of the provincial nutrition council here, studies show that in the latter part of 1978, Filipinos consumed 145 gm of vegetables per person everyday. In 2008, it was discovered that the Filipinos’ daily vegetable consumption decreased to 110 mgm per person. The figures for Central Visayas are even lower with an estimate of only 102 grams of greens per day for each person. (RMN-PIA7 Negros Oriental)
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expected the nutritional status, attendance rates, and learning achievements of the pre-elementary children will improve. The parents will manage the feeding program based on a prepared cycle menu using indigenous food materials in their respective villages. Other than the provision of hot meals, complementary activities like deworming, micronutrient supplementation, nutrition education, Sessions on Parent Effectiveness Service (PES), Pantawid Pamilya's Family Development Session (FDS), Pabasa sa Nutrition, and growth monitoring through monthly weighing and height taking will be undertaken. Budget per meal is P13 per child per day. The P10 is intended for the purchase of the viand, while the P3 is set aside for the Iron-fortified rice. An I-rice cost P30 per kilo and can serve 10 children at a given time. Of this amount, DSWD-7 pays P47 million directly to the National Food Authority (NFA) for the purchase of I-rice. The latter will also deliver the rice allocation to all local government units (LGUs) in Central Visayas. Meanwhile, the more than P157 million budget for the viand will be transferred to all the 131 LGUs in the region for the procurement of indigenous viand available in their localities. DSWD hopes to achieve a happy and healthy start for every child everyday as a public investment in the future. (HFG/ DSWD7/PIA7)
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NEGROS ORIENTAL
Electronics company to hire 4,000 workers in Negros By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, July 11 (PIA) -- An electronics company in Cebu is set to hire a total of 4,000 trainees from Negros Oriental. The Public Employment S e r v i c e s O ff i c e ( P E S O ) h a s deployed around 300 workers for Cebu Mitsumi, a Japanese electronic manufacturing firm and one of the largest electronic manufacturers in Cebu, said provincial focal person Jose Ramon Benedicto. “These applicants come from the different local government units like Pamplona, Mabinay, Tayasan and Siaton,” Benedicto said in an interview. The workers are hired as trainees to work as electronic assemblers for a contract period of three years, with a monthly allowance of P8,000 plus overtime pay, he said. “After three years, they will be able to receive from TESDA a NCII competency certificate as electronic
assemblers,” said Benedicto. With this certificate, Bened i c t o s a i d , t h e w o r k e r s will be qualified to work abroad such as Taiwan and Malaysia.
The PESO focal person is confident the province will meet the required 4,000 employees needed by Cebu Mitsumi. “I am very confident because
there are so many applicants here in the province who are coming to my office asking about employment opportunities,” said Benedicto. During the pre-deployment briefing held today for 85 applicants from Pamplona, which is the fourth batch for deployment to Cebu Mitsumi, Gov. Roel Degamo urged them to work hard and do their work well. (RMN-PIA7 Negros Oriental)
Applicants for electronic assemblers at Cebu Mitsumi filing out forms at the Provincial PESO office in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. Cebu Mitsumi is set to hire a total of 4,000 workers on a trainee basis from Negros Oriental. The will be given a monthly allowance of P8,000 plus overtime pay for a contract period of three years. (RMN/ PIA)
PWD groups mark Week of Disability DUMAGUETE CITY, June 11 (PIA) -- Several groups working for and with Persons With Disabilities (PWD) in Negros Oriental have linedup activities in celebration for the 34th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week on July 17-23. The Great Physician Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. (GPRehab), Dumaguete City Handicapped Association (DUCHA) and Ten Outstanding Persons With Disabilities in Negros Oriental Alumni Community (TOPD-AC), have set activities geared toward making the NDPR Week celebration a meaningful activity not only to PWD but also to the community. A thanksgiving mass will be held at Dumaguete Cathedral Church as an opening activity for the group on July 17 at 3 p.m. followed by a walk for disability and a short program at Quezon Park at 5 p.m.
By Jennifer C. Tilos
n the 18th, according to GPRehab coordinator Rolando Villamero Jr. this year ’s theme “Mainstreaming PWD in Economic Development” will be tackled during the Kapihan sa PIA forum at 9 a.m. at Bethel Guest House. Livelihood training on cooking and massage with TESDA and jail visitation at Dumaguete Rehabilitation Center were among the activities. Therapeutic massage, aerobics for disability, convention at Dumaguete Women’s Center; quiz bowl, extemporaneous speaking and poster making contests for the students at Silliman University; sports activities and congress for children’s with disabilities; among others are set for the PWDs on July 19 to 23. This week’s celebration, Villamero said, aims to stimulate public awareness on the issues and problems of disability, thereby encouraging every citizen of the
country to take active responsibility in the upliftment of the economic and social conditions of PWDs of our society. Likewise, college education students from the different academic institutions in Dumaguete City have also set activities which aim at raising the awareness of the people in the academe about disability issues. “It is good to note that different groups in the community, especially the government, have expressed commitment in working with us for the NDPR Week celebration. However, the challenge is how to make this commitment sustain in the years to come,” expressed Philip Vilos, a PWD. (mbcn/JCT/PIA-Negros Oriental)
BOHOL
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Trinidad tips CV Kalahi CIDSS MCC projects projects' completion By Rey Anthony Chiu TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 11 (PIA) -- Trinidad Bohol got a 99.46 percent rating in its community driven development projects under the government’s social payment program. Trinidad mayor Roberto Cajes announced this during the flag raising ceremony on Monday, July 9. Cajes, who also heads the League of municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Bohol Chapter quoted Christopher Pasco, a financial analyst of the Department of Social Welfare
and Development, Cebu Regional Field Office for the recognition. According to Pasco, with the ongoing developments in the implementation of the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Services Millennium Challenge Corporation (Kalahi CIDSS MCC), Trinidad is leading the 14 areas in Region 7 in terms of project completion even before the due date. Pasco, the mayor said the feat could even put Trinidad on top of all the 14 areas in the region.
Kalahi CIDSS MCC granted funded projects are simultaneously implemented in Bohol’s 12 towns and two others in Siquijor. The towns that benefited from the Kalahi CIDSS MCC include Pilar, Carmen, Mabini, Ubay, Bien Unido, Trinidad, San Miguel, Talibon, Jetafe, Buenavista, Danao and Carlos P. Garcia (Pitogo). In Siquijor, the government also funds projects implemented in Enrique Villanueva and Siquijor, Siquijor. (mbcn/rahc-PIA7 Bohol)
in their respective organizations in class or school who have very little knowledge on how to become a good leader. Aside from inputs on good leadership traits, the training workshop also included teambuilding game activities, officers’ rights and responsibilities workshop as well as rules in parliamentary procedures. Teachers noted that many students who get elected to key positions in their respective schools do not have the necessary skills to conduct meetings. Vincent Gee Abrasado, IKA class adviser also hailed the training saying it is a crucial skills enhancement activity that boosts student leadership capabilities which most students do not always confidently show.
The workshop also included a mock meeting where students go through the usual meeting process but are assessed on their use of training inputs including the terminologies, procedures and the skillful use of efficient and proven methods for effective meetings. Aside from the leadership training workshop, PIA-Bohol also offered news writing and school organ production training seminar series that detail the tasks and enhance the students’ skills in news production. PIA's news writing seminar series are offered during regular HEAT Caravans in various towns in Bohol and the training is designed for pupils, students and barangay secretaries. (mbcn/rahc/PIA-Bohol)
PIA conducts LETS workshop to 51 student leaders in Bohol By Rey Anthony Chiu
CORTES, Bohol, July 11 (PIA) -- Fiftyone high school students leaders from the Infant King Academy (IKA) in Cortes and Saint Vincent Institute (SVI) in Maribojoc gathered recently at the Parola Hall of the Municipal Port of Maribojoc for a one-day Leadership Enhancement Training Seminar (LETS) Workshop initiated by the Philippine Information Agency-Bohol. The workshop was designed to equip them with the necessary skills as student leaders in their respective schools. IKA Cortes Student Supreme Government (SSG) adviser Ma Rosario Baroso said the training suits the need of most students who got elected as officers
AgriTech. Former agriculture secretary and Bohol District 3 representative Arthur Yap reveals plans to the local media to revamp rice mills in his district which still uses the old technology making their premium quality rice come out broken and could not command a good marketing price. He envisions his district becoming its true potential as the largest rice producing district with all support facilities in place. (mbcn/PIA-Boh ol)
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SIQUIJOR
DOST distributes 1,364 OL trap kits to Siquijor schools
By Rizalie A. Calibo SIQUIJOR, July 10 (PIA) -- A total of 1,364 ovicidal-larvicidal trap (OL trap) kits were distributed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to public elementary and secondary schools to help fight dengue upsurge in the province. DOST-Siquijor provincial director Mario E. de la Pena said the number of kits given is proportionate to the number of classrooms provided by the Department of Education (DepEd). Some 534 elementary schools and 148 secondary schools or a total of 682 schools were enlisted for OL trap distribution. Each school gets two OL traps (in/out). DepEd-Siquijor Dengue Project
focal person Dr. Josephine Bongoyan said the project is timely as dengue cases in the province have reportedly increased. Twenty-eight dengue cases were reported from the province’s different Disease Reporting Units (DRUs) for the period January 1 to May 30, 2012. The figure, according to that report by disease surveillance officer Zellamaye Gascon, is 61 percent higher compared to the 11 cases reported during the same period of last year. To control the further increase, Provincial Health Officer Redempta Cortes also called on the national and local government agencies, barangays, schools and all households to intensify efforts and help in the government’s fight against dengue.
The OL trap, it was learned, is a simple technology that kills the eggs and larvae of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries the dengue virus. The black container attracts mosquitoes to lay their eggs on the lawanit strip soaked with the OL pellet-water solution. The OL pellets, made of organic and non-toxic material, attract mosquitoes and kill their young, in effect reducing the number of the next generation of mosquitoes. DOST’s school-based OL Trap program intends to reduce the number of mosquito population in schools and communities, and subsequently lower dengue incidents, through the use of the OL Trap. (RACalibo/PIA-7, Siquijor)
Siquijor Provincial governor Orlando A. Fua Jr. with the engineers, planners and decisionmakers in the province during the Storm Water Management and Design Training conducted by the Confederation of Scientific and Professional Orgaanization (COSPO) throught the DOST. (RACalibo/PIA-7 Siquijor/ fotos from MEP/DOST-Siquijor)
Siquijor holds training on storm water management By Rizalie A. Calibo SIQUIJOR, July 10 (PIA) -- The provincial government of Siquijor has sponsored a training on storm water management and design for engineers, planners and decision makers in the province. Mario de la Pena, Department of Science and Technology (Dost)-Siquijor provincial director, said the training provides basic concept of storm water management and techniques on the utilization of rain or storm water. “The technology on storm water management is very important especially with the occurrence of extreme weather condition in the country.”
He said the course enables the participants to be familiar with the basic concept of stormwater management and understand various approaches, tools and strategies to mitigate flooding. The training also aims to enhance planning and designing skills particularly on the sizing of hydraulic structures such as draining lines, lagoon and cisterns, and identify and develop the needed policy support mechanism to encourage water conservation measures that will eventually reduce flood frequency and its consequential effect. It was attended by provincial and municipal planning officers, engineers, engineers, Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Bayan chairpersons on agriculture,
and representatives from the Integrated Provincial Health Office. De la Pena said Provincial Governor Orlando A. Fua recognized the scarcity of water in Siquijor and for the need to tap storm water for agricultural and other purposes. He also participated in the activity. “We hope that through this training, we make use of the technology introduced for our offices, households and even for our farms,” de la Pena said. The training was conducted by the Confederation of Scientific and Professional Orgnanization (Cospo) through the Dost. (RACalibo/PIA-7, Siquijor).