(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Monday, 04 November 2024) Easterlies affecting the eastern sections of Luzon and Visayas. 𝗙𝗒π—₯π—˜π—–π—”π—¦π—§ π—ͺπ—˜π—”π—§π—›π—˜π—₯ π—–π—’π—‘π——π—œπ—§π—œπ—’π—‘: Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms. 𝗙𝗒π—₯π—˜π—–π—”π—¦π—§ π—ͺπ—œπ—‘π—— 𝗔𝗑𝗗 π—–π—’π—”π—¦π—§π—”π—Ÿ π—ͺπ—”π—§π—˜π—₯ π—–π—’π—‘π——π—œπ—§π—œπ—’π—‘: Light to Moderate winds coming from Northeast to North will prevail with slight to moderate seas / (0.6 to 2.1 meters).


PIA News Service - Thursday, March 8, 2012

GADCC-Caraga member-agencies converge for this year’s 8th Kalandrakas

By Jennifer P. Gaitano

BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 8 (PIA)
-- In line with this year’s Women’s Month celebration with the theme “Women Weathering Climate Change: Governance and Accountability, Everyone’s Responsibility,” member-agencies of the Gender and Development Coordinating Committee (GADCC) Caraga converged Thursday for the 8th Kalandrakas in one of the local convention centers here.

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Caraga Regional Director and GADCC chairperson Atty. Marylin Pintor expressed gratitude to all government agencies and partner stakeholders for their support and participation in the GADCC activities for this year.

She also said that today's 8th Kalandrakas is in time with the International Women's Day celebration.

According to Pintor, today's 8th Kalandrakas in Butuan City is a venue for technology transfer for life saving techniques, livelihood opportunities and skills development, trade fair, ukay-ukay, bingo game, garage sale, GAD film showing, beauty and massage parlors, parlor games, medical mission and also a venue for information dissemination on GAD issues and concerns.

Meanwhile, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Caraga Regional Dir. Marietta Lumawag serenaded this year's awardees of the GADCC-Caraga are men and women from the different government agencies. Lumawag expressed her congratulations through the songs.

This year's GADCC Outstanding Men and Women are: Ms. Anna Bel Salino, Department of Agriculture’s Woman Entrepreneur; PSInsp Charity Galvez, PNP's Medalya ng Katapangan; and GAD Focal Persons/Retirees: Mr. Luth Longos of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Asst. Regional Dir. Cecil Rosales of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Regional Director Leonita Gorgolon of Department of Health (DOH), and Ms. Gloria
Pabillore of Agusan del Norte Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).

Agusan del Norte PSWD Officer Gloria Pabillore, shared her inspirational message stressing that the local government units must implement the five percent GAD fund utilization, address the need to decrease maternal mortality rate, as well as environmental degradation and poverty among women.

"Even in my retirement, you can expect for my commitment," she said.

Also, Marc Gil Galang of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga conducted a short demonstration on Basic Life Support and discussed causes of heart attack, which is the most common cause of sudden death to men and women nowadays. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
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Turn over of Talacogon District Hospital signals better health care for Agusanons

By David M. Suyao

AGUSAN DEL SUR, Mar. 8 (PIA)
-- The Department of Health (DOH) turned over the newly constructed Talacogon District Hospital to the provincial government and to the municipal government of Talacogon.

The 50-bed capacity hospital worth P15 million was relegated by Asec. Romulo Busuego to Agusan del Sur Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza, then to Talacogon Mayor Isaias Masendo in a simple ceremony.

According to Plaza, the hospital will serve mostly the people from La Paz, San Luis and Talacogon towns and even Loreto.

“The turn over ceremony would mean more responsibility for the leaders of this province. This would mean additional budget for its modern facilities and equipments in order to deliver the best health services to our people. And it is not only the responsibility of the provincial government to provide all these facilities and equipments but the entire local government in the province because this is our hospital. I am therefore encouraging the municipal governments specially La Paz, Talacogon and San Luis to set aside funds for the personnel who will operate this hospital and the procurement of facilities and equipment,” Plaza said.

In his message, Busuego said, it is not really a big problem in filling the hospital with the modern equipment.

He added that one of the priority programs of P-Noy’s administration is to deliver the best health care and services to the Filipino people and therefore, the DOH has funds for this purpose. The only thing that the local government will do is to pass resolutions and requests in order that funds will be downloaded to them.

“Having now the building, there is no reason that the DOH will not extend its assistance by providing the hospital with the needed facilities. Of course, we cannot expect them to be there right away, because of the processes that will incur. But I am very sure the help will be there,” Busuego said.

Presently, patients coming from San Luis, Talacogon, Lapaz and Loreto are brought to the D.O. Plaza Memorial Hospital where modern facilities are set. But because the DOPMH serves not only patients from Agusan del Sur but also from the neighbouring provinces, it can hardly accommodate the all the patients. With the establishment of the Talacogon District Hospital, it would mean lesser burden now for the DOPMH. (PIA-Agusan del Sur)

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Butuan braces for 3rd VMLP Mindanao Island Congress

By Eldie N. David

BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 8 (PIA)
-- The Working Committee from the Office of the Vice Mayor and the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Butuan City have geared up its preparation for the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) 3rd Mindanao Island Congress slated on June 20-23, 2012 at a
convention center in the city.

The conference, which will be hosted by the VMLP Caraga Regional Chapter, will espouse the theme: “Protect the Natural Environment: Preserve the Natural Wonders, Promote Eco-Tourism.”

This year’s conference will have a different twist as tour packages has been prepared by the organizing committee in lieu of the usual break-out sessions done on conferences.

In this manner, actual site seeing of the region’s eco-tourism destinations will be experienced by the participants while in-depth understanding and awareness on these areas is expected through the mobile lectures in the course of the tour to be made by Caraga’s tour guides.

A meeting of the Working Committee was held recently to beef up plans for the said event. Around 1,000 delegates are expected to grace the event.

According to Fortun, not only vice mayors from Mindanao will attend the conference as others from the other parts of the country are also expected to attend the congress.

Fortun added that during the VMLP National Convention he attended recently, several Vice Mayors from Luzon and Visayas have already expressed interest to attend the said event as they are also excited to discover Caraga region. (NCLM/PIA-Caraga/BC-VMO)

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Provincial gov’t budget up by 2.78%

By Jay Vincent V. Demain

AGUSAN DEL NORTE, Mar. 8 (PIA)
-- With the reduction of its Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share from the national coffers by 4.8 percent, the provincial government vows to work doubly hard this year to address expenditures necessary for its operation and to be able to reach its goals.

By virtue of Provincial Ordinance No. 289-2011, the budget listed is P549,936,944.00. an increase of 2.78 percent compared to last year's P534,631,978.

According to the 2012 approved budget, 25 percent will go to general administrative overhead; 29 percent for health, nutrition and population; 33 percent for economic services; eight percent for social security and welfare services; and five percent will be reserved for calamity.

“The budget of the province is always aimed towards the revitalization of the economy based on three budgetary outcomes: fiscal discipline, strategic location of limited resources and operational efficiency at the agency level,” Governor Erlpe John M. Amante stressed in his budget message.

Conversely, following the the reduction of the IRA of all local government units, a P23 million was slashed in its IRA share.

With the cut, the provincial government is expected to exert all efforts to cope with the reduction by increasing collection of local taxes and intensifying revenue generation activities. Other sources of revenues like hospital and other income are likely to remain at five and three percent, respectively.

Despite the reduction of its IRA, the province ensures the continuity of all on-going programs, projects and activities prioritized under its local development plans, medium-term and long range goals.

“I believe we will achieve the desired goal of providing a strong foundation for a more progressive province,” Amante said. (NCLM/PIA-Caraga/LGU-Agusan del Norte)

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CSC Chair inaugurates "Botika Para sa Taumbayan

BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 8 (PIA)
-- Civil Service Commission Chairman Francisco T. Duque III visited Butuan City recently to formally inaugurate the "Botika Para sa Taumbayan" (BPT) outlet of the city government.

As a joint project, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Department of Health (DOH) forged a Memorandum of Agreement creating the BPT Program.

Under this program, the DOH shall grant the CSC an initial P15 million worth of medicines to initiate the establishment of drug retail stores in 300 government agencies nationwide. These outlets will sell low-priced but high quality medicines.

The establishment of BPT outlets in every government agency is in line with the CSC’s commitment to promote health and wellness in the public sector and provide additional health benefits for the state workers. This is anchored on the perspective that a healthy and sound bureaucracy is an effective and productive bureaucracy.

City Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante Jr., a medical practitioner himself, accepted the medical products worth P50,000 in behalf of the City Government of Butuan.

The BPT will be operated by the Butuan City Government Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Inc. (BCGEA) under its Chairman Samuel P. Carampatana who manifested their commitment to the program.

Duque, accompanied by Amante, then proceeded inside the City Hall to check on the different departments. (NCLM/PIA-Caraga/HRMD/CMO-PIO)