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INFOBYTES
THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF THE PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY-7 | WWW.PIA.GOV.PH VOL. 2 | NO. 2| April 3, 2013
TOPSTORIES
BAYANI CHALLENGE: The wives of farmers in Brgy. San Miguel, San Remigio town in Cebu joined the Bayani Challenge volunteers in working on the farm build site which is part of the Bayani Challenge's 5-day volunteerism event. A total of 30 families in the farming village of San Miguel will benefit from the 30 homes being built by volunteers. (VVV/PIA CEBU)
Mabinay, NegOr Bayani Challenge gathers over 7,000 volunteers By Minerva B.C. Newman NEGROS ORIENTAL (PIA) -- An estimated 7,000 volunteers believed to be the biggest number in any Bayani Challenge site in the country is here in Mabinay, Negros Oriental. Volunteers from all walks of life, from business sector, ordinary folks, companies, 4Ps beneficiaries, other LGUs, NGOs, families, students, government workers, the military and police personnel, CAFGUs, foreign volunteers and even children as young as 7 and 9 joined this year's Bayani Challenge in Barangay Poblacion, Mabinay, Negros Oriental. Bayani Challenge NegOr project coordinator Joseph Ceriales said, "the Mabinay challenge could just be the volunteers' life's greatest adventure." Ceriales added that aside from building work activities, the volunteers can also explore the beauty of the place. "Mabinay has 400 caves, cold springs, exotic flora and fauna and other natural gems to explore." Mabinay Mayor Ernie Jango Uy has encouraged his constituents to join the Bayani Challenge event not only to empower the recipients but to help build communities and provide other free services in the spirit of volunteerism and love of country. "I believe Bayani Challenge is a volunteerism event that intends to create friendships despite political party differences, all of us working for a common good," Uy said after he and Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo had a GK-unity dance during the first night of the
opening event. According to Uy, the LGU of Mabinay has donated the 6-hectares lot for the Gawad Kalinga site where 35 two-storey-row houses will be constructed for the homeless victims of typhoon Pablo in December 2012. The LGU also alloted some P800,000 for the initial preparations of the land. Driven by this year's theme "Isang Bayani, Isang Bayanihan," and despite overpowering heat from the sun, the volunteers were inspired to do all kinds of tasks and engaged in varied-nation building activities. Volunteers, some in human chain labor helped build homes; repairs/rehab roads, schools; farm build; be heroes for the environment through tree planting and clean-up drives; story-tellers and carers of children in Paraisong Pambata; health missions and do all of sorts of tasks for 5 days from March 23-27. Alma Calija, 30, married and Krismarie Catulong, 17 are part of the barangay Team Samac. They said they felt very happy to be part of this year's Bayani Challenge in Mabinay. These women carried building materials, sand and gravel and hollow blocks. Youngest volunteers Chris Jan Meniano, 7 and Dante Johnson, 9 of barangays Cawitan and Alangilan in Sta. Catalina respectively were glad to join their parents in carrying sand and gravel and other materials for one of the houses at the GK site. Some 170 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries from old Namangka,
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Mabinay worked in rows soil-bagging 5000 seedlings production at the Mabinay Spring forested area. Australian volunteer, Kate Hrcyzyszyn from a study tour from Vietnam came to Mabinay to see and experience the Gawad Kalinga Bayanihan. She said the event is an inspiration. "Filipinos showed their passion, love and care for the poor and the environment." Gawad Kalinga Negros Oriental coordinator Cidni Mapa observed that volunteerconstruction workers set aside the overpowering heat to "help build the homes for the homeless as part of their sacrifice for the Holy Week season. For two successive years, Amlan and Mabinay towns hosted this annual event in 2012 and 2013 respectively in a five-day test of courage, endurance, and love for the province and country. Challenged with eagerness to build communities despite their meager resources, Mabinay LGU, San Miguel Corp., PhilSouth Inc. and other groups and individuals were convinced of the GK-Bayani Challenge with hope, honor and living heroism. As day two of Bayani Challenge in Mabinay closes, 35 new 2-storey-row houses now slowly sprout in barangay Poblacion in Mabinay. Thirty-five homeless families who were victims of typhoon Pablo in December last year were teary-eyed to see their homes and their community being built by thousands of volunteers. Indeed, Bayani Challenge forges hope, friendships, relationships, nationalism and the greatness of the Filipino spirit! (mbcn/PIA-7)
INFOBYTESTOPSTORIES
CEBU
Public, NGAs urged to continue support for NGP By Amorganda A. Saludar
CEBU (PIA) -- The Forest Management Service of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 urged the public and the national government agencies (NGAs) particularly the students for continued support to the National Greening Program (NGP). In a recent Association of
Government Information Officers (AGIO) 7 forum, Ambrosio Wenceslao of the Forest Management Services called for maintenance of the trees planted under the NGP. “Dapat ang tawo makasabot unsa ka importante ang kahoy ug naay sense of belonging unsay gitanom (The people should understand the importance of trees and there should be sense of belongingness to what is
being planted),” Wenceslao said. He added that the people should develop a habit of proper maintenance of the trees planted after three months. “Kung motanom, dapat i-maintain (If someone planted trees, they should maintain it),” he said. He also pointed out the part of the local government unit (LGUs) in the advocacy of NGP in their respective areas. “The LGUs should also initiate move in the maintenance of the tress and the advocacy of NGP in their areas,” Wenceslao said. He also cited that NGAs and the students play a vital role for the success of the NGP. “Tanan na mga ahensya sa gobyerno naay role for the NGP to be successful and the students play a vital role in NGP (All government agencies have a role for the NGP to be successful and the students play a vital role in NGP),” he added.
Foreigners join the locals in volunteering for the Bayani Challenge event in San Remigio, Cebu where 30 houses are being built for farmers in Brgy. San Miguel. Thousands of local and international volunteers are participating in the 5-day event in San Remigio. (VVV/PIA CEBU)
TESDA strengthens job bridging programs By Ferliza C. COntratista CEBU CITY (PIA) -- In the hope of producing and hiring more “TESDA Specialistas”, the Technical Education Skills and Development Administration (TESDA) is set to strengthen its Job Bridging program for this year. Nila Fidellaga, TESDA-7 Information Officer, said they are pushing for more job bridging this year aside from conducting a mere job fair. This is in compliance to the directive of TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva to produce and hire more than one million TESDA Specialistas for 2013. Fidellaga said a job bridging activity is an expanded form of a job fair. “In job bridging we don’t just have companies that has posting of vacancies but we also have institutions that offer short courses and workshops as well as services needed for employment,” Fidellaga said. Topics for the short courses include Orientation to Call Center Jobs, Personality Development, Basic Personal Accounting, Business Basics while the services that can be availed in a scheduled job bridging day include those from PhilHealth, Social Security System, National Bureau of Investigation, National Statistics Office, and many others. Fidellaga said the first job bridging for Central Visayas is on April 29 in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
At present, Wenceslao disclosed that Central Visayas is one of the regions in the country which has the highest survival of trees planted under NGP that reached into 80% survival rate of the trees planted. The DENR 7 already started the process of seedlings production, but temporarily stops the planting of it since the start of the summer season this year. “At the start of rainy season by June, tree planting will immediately start,” Wenceslao concluded. (rmn/AYS/PIA 7)
Schedules for job bridging activities for Cebu and Bohol are being finalized in May. She said TESDA is hoping that other than the provincial capitals, the same activity will also be held in bigger municipalities and cities in Region7. Through the conduct of jobs bridging, TESDA aims to fill the gap between graduation to employment by providing a convergence opportunity. In recent news, Villanueva admitted it was not enough to graduate and certify tech-voc specialists, saying Tesda also has to exert efforts to connect their graduates to the right job here or abroad. “We will tap our offices in the provinces to organize similar jobs fairs for Tesda specialists. The goal is to fill the void from graduation to employment so as not to waste time and opportunity,” he said. TESDA specialistas are those that undergo skills training and were already given accreditation. (rmn/FCC/PIA7)
BOHOL
INFOBYTES COMMUNITYNEWS
A rice processing complex to rise in Bohol By Juju Manubag-Empuerto
CEBU CITY PIA) -- Around 26,000 farmers await the benefits that the new Rice Processing Complex (RPC) in Pilar, Bohol can offer them. This was revealed by Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto during the recent inauguration of the RPC which was
attended by Korean Ambassador Lee Hyuk, Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Puyat, and other high-ranking government officials. A statement from the Department of Agriculture-7 said the RPC targets an area of 30,000 hectares or more. The complex will service Bohol's 18 municipalities, namely: Alicia, Batuan, Bilar, Candijay, Carmen, Catigbian,
Bayani Challenge 2013 in Brgy. Magsaysay, Talibon, Bohol: Frat members from Alpha Kappa Rho (AKRHO), led by Noel Mallari, were among those who responded to the Bayani Challenge 2013 in Barangay Magsaysay in Talibon, Bohol. These fratmen wielded crowbars, shovels, bolos and pick mattocks to the 5-day marathon community building project. (mbcn/ECB/PIA7-Bohol)
CEBU
Election security workshop for Cebu police, military held By Ferliza C. Contratista
CEBU CITY, (PIA) -- The Police Regional Office-7 initiated a series of Election Security Workshops among law enforcement members here to generate action plans on “unforeseen” events. The workshop was participated by over a hundred policemen from the entire Cebu province and several members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. P/Supt. Clifford Gairanod, PRO7 information officer, said the main purpose of the workshop is to gather information from the police stations on the issues and concerns they experienced during the past elections, the action taken, and lessons learned. He said the workshop is a convergence of specific issues encountered in the past so that other stations can also learn from it with several inputs from the PRO7 chiefs. “But what is important is the generation of 'unforeseen' events, or events which are not man-made
but maybe brought on by nature or unexpected happening,” Gairanod said. P/SSupt. Erson Digal, Regional Operations and Plans head, said the “unforeseen” events include fire, landslide, typhoon and other incidents that are out of the ordinary. “It is not just assassination or grenade throwing, it can be food poisoning or sudden explosion of the PCOS machine,” Digal said. Speakers during the workshop include lawyer Clarence Paul Oaminal who briefed them about possible incidences of vote buying; P/Supt. Julian Entoma who was the chief of Police of Bogo City in the 2010 stand-off incident; and P/Supt. George Ylanan of the Regional Intelligence Division for his talk on "How Goons and Guns Work." The workshop will cover Siquijor and Negros Oriental as well as the province of Bohol in the next days. Included among the participants are representatives from the Department
Dagohoy, Duero, Guindulman, Jagna, Pilar, Sagbayan, San Miguel, Sierra Bullones, Trinidad, Tubigon, Ubay and Valencia. The RPC also targets a reduction of postharvest losses from 15 percent to 8 percent, or about .74 million metric tons of rice a year. “The P150M Korean-grant project is capable of drying 40 tons and milling three tons per hour with a net recovery of 60-65 percent," said USec Puyat. Other benefits of RPC include the utilization of waste products such as bran for livestock feed, rice hull as biomass for furnace or stoves, and the burnt rice hull which can be used as soil conditioner, the official added. The RPC business management team will be buying the palay from the irrigators associations at a higher price or a P1 mark-up of the current buying price. Ines Quiachon, chairman of one of the turn-out service areas of the irrigators association in Talibon, Bohol, was pleased to hear the news because she averages 1,000 kilos of palay per harvest. Next harvest time, Quiachon will sell her palay to the RPC knowing that they will buy it for P1 higher per kilo. Angel Enriquez, director of DA Rural Field Unit-7, said the dream for the establishment of the RPC has finally become a reality. He is hopeful that the complex will change the agricultural landscape of Bohol and farmers’ income would increase. A memorandum of agreement on the RPC operation was forged during the turn-over ceremony between the DA represented by USec Puyat, the Provincial Government of Bohol represented by Gov. Chatto, the local government of Pilar represented by Mayor Wilson Pajo and the National Agribusiness Corporation represented by its President, Honesto Baniqued. (rmn/JSME/PIA-Cebu/DA RFU7)
of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Eelections (Comelec). The activity was initiated by PRO7 head PCSupt. Marcelo Garbo Jr. Also present in the workshop was Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director P/SSupt. Patrocinio Comendador and Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director P/SSupt. Mariano Natuel. In the 2010 elections, there were 4.68 million registered voters in Cebu province. (rmn/FCC/PIA7)
INFOBYTES
is a weekly electronic newsletter produced by the Philippine Information Agency-Region 7 with stories submitted by its Provincial Information Centers in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
INFOBYTES COMMUNITYNEWS
SIQUIJOR
DTI-Siquijor receives Citizen Satisfaction Center Seal of Excellence Award
By Rizalie A. Calibo SIQUIJOR (PIA)-- The Civil Service Commission (CSC) gave the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)– Siquijor Provincial Office the Seal of Service Excellence Award, Plaque of Recognition and a cash award of P75,000. CSC chairman Francisco Duque III handed the award to DTI-provincial director Nimfa Virtucio at Parklane Hotel, Cebu City recently and said, "this is the first agency to receive the award in the Province of Siquijor." The Service Excellence Award is a program of the CSC that aims at providing due recognition and giving incentives to government agencies, GOCCs, LGUs with excellent public performance based on the result of the Report Card Survey (RCS) conducted by the CSC. DTI-Siquijor provincial Office got a rating of 91.68% for citizens satisfaction, the CSC said. RCS is a survey tool used to rate front-line service delivery in terms of compliance with the requirements of Republic Act (RA) No. 9485 otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) of 2007. Factors considered include the posting of the Agency’s Citizens Charter that lists front-line services, procedures, time needed to complete the transaction, amount of fees among others such as advisories. CSC also checked the observance of the “No Noon Break Policy” and presence of public assistance desk. Virtucio in receiving the award said, “we will treasure this award and will be an inspiration, at the same time a motivation not only to keep doing what we are doing now but to continue to improve and build upon them.” (mbcn/RAC/PIA7-Siquijor with reports from Bborongan/DTI IO)
MGA KATANGIAN N G M G A K A R A PAT DAPAT NA LINGKOD BAYAN Mga katangiang dapat makita sa isang karapatdapat na Lingkod Bayan ay ang mga sumusunod: • Dapat ay may hangaring tapat at mahusay sa kanyang paglilingkod sa publiko. • Dapat ay may pantay at makatarungang pakikitungo sa sinumang lumalapit sa kanyang tanggapan. • Dapat ay may integridad at walang hangaring gamitin ang kanyang tungkulin sa kanyang pansariling kapakanan. • Dapat ay may integridad at paninindigan na hindi tatanggap ng anumang uri ng suhol o lagay. • Dapat maka-Diyos at may damdaming pagserserbisyo lalo na sa mga mahihirap. —
Gov't agencies train on natural, organic farming By Rizalie A. Calibo SIQUIJOR, (PIA) -- Through the spirit of collaboration and partnership, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the provincial government
of Siquijor recently hosted a training on organic farming. T h e Tr a i n i n g - Wo r k s h o p on Natural and Organic Farming System held at the DAR provincial office in Caipilan, Siquijor, Siquijor was conducted under the Farmers
Information and Technology Services (FITS) consortium. The activity aims to educate participants on the essence of Natural and Organic Farming System and its effects on the environment. Resource persons were Narciso
4Ps Beneficiaries: Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries listening to PIA information officer Rizalie Calibo giving a lecture on Active Citizenship and Voters’ Education as the topic for the month’s Family Development Session. (RACalibo/PIA-Siquijor)
Omandam of the Provincial Agriculture Office, organic farming practitioner, and a Gawad Pitak Awardee Elnard Ympal, and Crisanto Patay also an organic farming practitioner. Topics on vermi composting, importance of NFTS, ecological pests and diseases, organic pesticide, and bio-dynamic farming were discussed. This was followed by a hands-on training on natural farming inputs, where participants practice to prepare different natural inputs. Closing ceremony was attended by Alexander L. Juane of DAR, Mario de la Pena of DOST, and Dr. Bernardita S. Tabada of the Provincial Veterinary Office. (with reports from jbv/DAR-