(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 27 March 2024) Easterlies affecting the eastern section of the country. 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 Easterlies / Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.


PIA News Service - Friday, June 29, 2012

2nd Leg of “Kasibulan” football clinic slated

By Eldie N. David

BUTUAN CITY, June 29 (PIA) -- More than 500 children are expected to participate in the 2nd leg of the Kasibulan Football Grassroots Festival slated on June 29-July 1, 2012 at the Butuan City Sports Complex in Brgy. Libertad, Butuan City.

The football clinic, which is aimed at introducing football to about 3,000 kids ages 6 to 12 years old, is organized by the Butuan-Agusan Norte Football Association (BANFA) and the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).

According to BANFA President and Butuan City Vice Mayor Lawrence “Law” Fortun, this development program is patterned after the very successful football program of the Federal Republic of Germany. “Since this program is offered for free, I urge the public to take advantage of this opportunity and entice their kids to participate in this worthwhile event. It is hoped that the next Azkals Team who will compete in the Asian Football Cup on 2018 will come from the participants of this program, and hopefully someone will come from our area as we have already proven in the past to produce high caliber football player,” said Fortun.

Not all major cities have a chance to host this kind of football festival, and Butuan City and the province of Agusan del Norte is lucky to be included, owing to the very active local football association headed by Fortun.

A basic coaching course will also be offered to interested football enthusiasts. To attract more participants to the clinic, BANFA and the PFF have partnered with the Department of Education for this leg’s staging. (RER/NCLM/BC-VMO/PIA-Caraga)


Feature: Breastfeeding vs bottle feeding during calamities

By Charina A. Javier

Calamities strain people’s physical and economic resources. The recent calamities that struck the country had displaced thousands of families and the aftermath was worse as illnesses began to spread.

During the displacement, infants and young children are the most vulnerable. Having weak immunities, they are the ones who easily get sick in crowded evacuation centers.

Feeding infants and young children with milk formulas in resettlement areas may pose dangers to their nutrition and health status.

First, safe water needed for the preparation of milk formula and for cleaning and sterilizing materials such as bottles and nipples may not be available in the area. Water in evacuation centers may be contaminated that may cause diarrhea, cholera, and other water-borne diseases.

Water should be boiled for at least three minutes if it is to be used to prepare milk formulas. Bottles and nipples should be boiled longer to make them sterile.

This poses a problem: not only regarding the safety of water but also of fuel source, which may also be scarce in evacuation centers.

Refrigerators, in evacuation areas, are hardly available, making milk formulas spoil easily. And in this critical situation, money is tight, making milk formulas out of reach.

Mothers who are under stress may have stopped lactating for a day or so, but this can be overcome with good support. It is a myth to think that because mothers are under stressful situations, they would not be able to breastfeed. They only need support for relactation.

On the other hand, breastfeeding is still the best for babies particularly in this condition. Breast milk is the perfect food for newborns and infants because it provides all the nutrients needed for healthy development.

Today, in families in emergency situations where their basic living infrastructures have been compromised, breast milk provides a safe food for babies. Breast milk contains antibodies that help protect them from common childhood illnesses like diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition.

Moreover, breast milk is readily safe and available. This helps to ensure that infants get adequate sustenance at the time when they need it, even in emergency situations.

Indeed, breastfeeding is a life-saving intervention. It is best for babies in normal and emergency situations. (NCLM/FNRI-DOST S & T Media Service/PIA-Caraga)


Spanish grant extends aid to Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries

By Keneath John O. Bolisay

BUTUAN CITY, June 29 (PIA) -- Caraga once again becomes a recipient of an international grant as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) finalizes a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Spanish government and three local government units (LGUs) here this month to complement the implementation of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Now on its seventh and final year of implementing the community-driven development (CDD) project Poder, Agencia Espanola Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID) will be giving a new grant of P12.4 million for development projects in the region, according to Regional Project Coordinator Elsa D. Montemor.

The municipalities of Sta. Josefa, Agusan del Sur; Tubajon, Province of Dinagat Islands; and San Agustin, Surigao del Sur will benefit from this Spanish grant that will cater primarily to the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries.

“As the number of Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries DSWD is supporting increases, so does the need for the additional supply side of the program,” Montemor said.

The implementation of Poder 7 in the region is aimed at improving the community’s access to basic health and education services.

“Aside from providing capability-building training to empower the volunteers and beneficiaries, the community will also build infrastructure projects that should aid them in complying with the conditions set by Pantawid Pamilya,” Montemor added.

Communities will be putting up sub-projects such as day care centers, health stations, and elementary and high school buildings during the one-year coverage of the grant.

“With a proven track record of implementing CDD projects in the country, we are very confident that our partnership with DSWD will deliver the intended results and help our countrymen in steering development for themselves,” Caraga Regional Training Officer for AECID Lyca T. Sarenas said. (RER/NCLM/DSWD-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)


Cebuano news: Palasyo miingon andam ang goberno alang sa pagsira sa manufacturing operations sa Ford Philippines

Ni Susil D. Ragas

SURIGAO CITY, Hunyo 29 (PIA) -- Ang gobyerno andam na kon ugaling magsara ang manufacturing operations sa Ford Philippines dinhi sa nasod ug kini andan motabang sa mga trabahante nga maapektuhan sa maong lakang, sulti sa Malacañang kagahapon Huwebes.

Sa media briefing didto sa Malacañang, si Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda miingon nga ang gobyerno wala pa makadawat og formal notice gikan sa Ford Philippines mahitungod sa plano niini nga pagsira apan ang Department of Labor and Employment nag-organisar na og quick response team nga maoy moasister sa apektadong mga empleyado.

“This quick response team is composed of DOLE, TESDA and DTI. They have been in touch with the human resources division of Ford Philippines,” siya miingon.

“The quick response team will ensure that in the event that the notice of closure has been filed with the Department of Labor and Employment this quick response team will ensure that the full separation benefits will be provided the employees affected,” dugang pa niya.

Ang Ford wala pa mopadala og notice of closure ngadto sa DOLE ug sulti ni Lacierda nga ila lamang nabatian ang maong plano sa Ford Philippines sa mga balita. Subay sa balaod ang Ford kinahanglan mohatag og notice of closure ngadto sa DOLE.

Moabot sa kapin ug kulang 250 ka mga trabahante ang apektado sa maong pagpasira og kadaghanan niini ang sa assembly, apan ang sales department magpadayon gihapon ang opersayon niini, sulti ni Lacierda.

Ang gobyerno motabang usab sa apektadong mga empleyado mahitungod sa ilang mga plano sa umaabot, dugang pa niya.

“If they wish to look for another industry and that would require retraining of skills, TESDA will be there to provide the retraining. Assuming some of them receive a substantial or hefty separation benefits and they would wish to go into business the DTI will be there to help them in developing their entrepreneurial skills”

Sa dihang gipangutana sa mga reporter kung plano ba sa gobyerno ang maong desisyon sa Ford nga magsara tungod kay matud pa sa maong kumpanya kini adunay hugot nga suporta sa gobyerno, si Lacierda miingon nga ang maong pagsira adunay kalabutan sa sales niini.

Giplano sa Ford Philippines o Ford Motor Co. nga ipasira ang assembly operations niini didto sa planta sa Sta. Rosa, Laguna talitapos nga bahin karong tuiga.

Matud pa sa Ford nga ang pagpasira sa operasyon niini sa Sta. Rosa, Laguna subay sa restructuring sa regional manufacturing operations sa maong kumpanya lakip usab ang hinay nga local demand ug supply base alang sa maong mga sakyanan.

Ang maong desisyon usa ka business decision sa parte sa Ford ug walay labot niini ang gobyerno.

Bisan pa sa pagsira sa assembly plant niini didto sa Laguna kini miingon nga magpabilin gihapon sila sa Pilipinas kay kini aduna may mga plano nga doblehon niini ang national dealer network sa mosunod nga tulo ka tuig. (RER/SDR/PCOO/PIA-Surigao del Norte)


Cebuano news: Pres. Aquino mi-inagurar sa $200 pasilidad sa dungguanan sa Manila

By Nida Grace B. Tranquilan

SURIGAO DEL SUR, Hunyo 29 (PIA) -- Si Presidente Benigno S. Aquino III, mi-inagurar sa bag-ong gihimo nga pasilidad sa duongan ang International Container Terminal Services, Incorporated (ICTS) nga gipahumutang didto sa Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) sa Manila niadtong Huwebes.

Si Presidente maoy nag-unang opisyales, mga empleyado ug mga bisita sa ICTSI nga gipanguluhan ni President Enrique Razon Jr., sa pagbubo sa “Champagne” tima-ilhan sa pormal nga pag abli sa pasilidad ang ICTSI’s Berth 6’s nga operasyon sa publiko.

Nagkantidad og $200-milyones, ang Berth 6 nakadugang ug 300 metros nga dugang gidak-on sa dunnggoanan ug 12 ka ektarya nga espasyo sa container storage ngadto sa existing nga pasilidad ingon nga mapalapdan ang operasyon ug mga serbisyo sa MICT gikan sa 1.9-milyones Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), ang sukod para sa kapasidad sa container nga trasportasyon, ngadto sa 2.5 milyones TEUs.

Pinaagi sa Berth 6, ang MICT karon adunay 1,600 metros berth nga mo-akomodar ug lima ngadto sa pito ka container vessels sa usa lamang ka panahon.

To help move around more containers efficiently, MICT’s container handling equipment has also been upgraded to include 12 quay cranes and 45 rubber tired gantries.

Sa pagtabang pagtarog ug dugang containers nga organisado, ang MICT’s container handling equipment dunay kabag-ohan apil ang 12 quay cranes ug 45 rubber tired gantries.

Mga miduyog sa Presidente atol sa inagurasyon nga seremonyal sila si Manila Mayor Alfredo lim, Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II , ug Philippine Ports Authority General Manger Juan Sta Ana.

Sa duongan nga nalambigit sa operasyon ug kalambuan sa 23 ka marine terminals ug duongan nga mga proyekto sa 17 ka nasud sa tibuok kalibutan. (RER/NGBT/PIA-Surigao del Sur)