(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 - Tuesday, May 7, 2013



Comelec to local candidates in Butuan: “Don’t harass our volunteers, partner agencies”

By Robert E. Roperos

BUTUAN CITY, May 7 (PIA) – Lawyer Ernie Palanan, City Election Officer has warned the local candidates here not to harass their partner agencies and volunteers.

In a press statement, Palanan reminded the local candidates not to intimidate those who are helping the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in achieving Honest, Orderly and Peaceful Elections (HOPE), particularly during the conduct of “Operation Langkat” or removal of political advertisement nailed on the trees and posts alongside the roadside of this city.

The local Comelec official also said if these candidates choose not to adhere to commission’s rules on campaigning, they will implement the full force of the law. “There should be no reason for the candidates not to be aware of campaign rules as we have already informed them of all these,” Palanan said.

Palanan also urged the public to report any complaints and violations committed by local candidates and their supporters directly to the City Comelec Office, and assured that their office will not leave any complaints unattended.

“I urged the public to report to us any violations committed by these local candidates vying for various positions from congressman, mayor, vice mayor to councilors in the local polls. I assure you that the office of the City Comelec Butuan will not leave any complaints unattended,” Palanan said. (RER/PIA-Caraga)


All systems go for Comelec-Butuan on election day

By Robert E. Roperos

BUTUAN CITY, May 7 (PIA) – It's all systems go for the Commission on Elections office here.

According to City Election Officer Atty. Ernie Palanan during the “City Comelec Hour on Friday,” the Comelec, together with officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) have already conducted ocular inspection in schools designated with voting precincts.

The official said majority of the schools in the Division of Butuan have already put in place directional arrows informing the voters of the location of the voting precincts. Also, action centers were already designated within the vicinity of the school.

He explained the action center is a venue for the voters to ask assistance or inquiry. Personnel from the National Movement for Free Election, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and other volunteer organizations will man the action centers.

Palanan added they have also coordinated with the security forces of the city particularly the Philippine National Police (PNP) to ensure safety and security of all the voting precincts here.

“We can assure the public that we are protecting the sanctity of the votes of the people, that’swhy we have been regularly coordinating with the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Today, the final testing and sealing of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines was already conducted at the Bishop Carmelo Morelos Campus of Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) in Brgy. Libertad here.

The official further said foods such as coffee and noodles were already packed by the Comelec staff to be distributed to the Board of Election Inspectors who will report on the election day. (RER/PIA-Caraga)


Mobilizing barangay workers on family planning

By Angie Balen-Antonio

BUTUAN CITY, May 7 (PIA) -- The Commission on Population intensified the campaign to reduce the unmet need on family planning through capacitating the Barangay Service Point Officers (BSPOs), in the region.

The BSPOs who served as the implementing arm of the population program at the community level were trained in four batches recently, who came from the Provinces of Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, and also Surigao City.

The training equipped the BSPOs on the skills needed to become an effective and efficient service delivery provider particularly in the identification and motivation of Married Couples of Reproductive Ages (MCRA) towards family planning,

According to the POPCOM OIC Alexander A. Makinano, capacitating and mobilizing the volunteer workers is one of the strategies and commitments of this office to reduce the unmet need for family planning. We tapped the volunteers considering that they have personally known the residents in their respective barangays.

“Couples who want to use Long-Acting and Permanent Methods will be referred to the Barangay/Rural Health Station for counseling and accessing the needed family planning services”, Mr. Makinano quoted.

Technically, unmet need for family planning is define as the proportion of currently married women who do not want any more children or prefer to space births but are not using any method of family planning.

Data on high unmet need for family planning in the region is still evident in the latest Family Health Survey posted at 20.4, higher than the national figure which is 19.3 percent.

Study revealed that top reasons identified on high unmet need indicate lack of correct information, fear of side effects on family planning methods, and myths and misconception about family planning in general. Other causes include poor access to FP services, husband’s objection and lack of LGU support. (NCLM/POPCOM-13/PIA-Caraga)


Youth in population development

By Angie Balen-Antonio

DINAGAT, Province of Dinagat Islands, May 7 (PIA) -- Youth leaders of this province pledged to support the campaign of the Commission on Population (Popcom) for responsible sexuality as their contribution in rationalizing population growth.

Prioritizing the importance of community outreach, an action plan was formulated by the youth leaders as an offshoot of the summer camp held recently.

They also organized themselves as advocates of the Population – Health – Environment (PHE) to help propagate among the youth the proper care and protection of the environment by way of balancing it with population.

Alexander A. Makinano , Officer-In-Charge of Popcom - Caraga pointed-out that the camp was a good venue of the participants in discovering their inner selves and gained more friends as some structured learning exercises and team building activities were introduced.

“Strengthening the leadership skills and inculcating positive values to our future leaders is of paramount importance as they will be facing new challenges ahead,” Mr. Makinano stressed.

Participants expressed their appreciation to the organizers for the opportunity given to them which have broadened their knowledge not only the physical aspect of the youth but more so on being responsible in their sexuality.

“One of the realizations I had being a Sangguniang Kabataan leader is I should not only focus on sports program, but also activities in curbing the cases of teenage pregnancies,” revealed by one of the participants.

Being one of the sponsoring groups, Popcom believed that the gathering of the youth is aligned with its program, Adolescent Health and Youth Development Program (AHYDP), which aimed at providing correct information that will help the youth understand their sexuality, develop right values and help them make responsible decisions to prepare them for adulthood.

About 56 SK officers and members coming from the seven municipalities of the Province of Dinagat Islands attended the 3-day Summer Youth Camp organized principally by the Population Office of the said province.

Similar activity is set to be staged in the cities of Butuan and Bislig sometime this May. (NCLM/POPCOM/PIA-Caraga)


Cebuano news: Malakanyang mihisgot sa S&P credit upgrade isip dugang palig-on sa peso

Ni Susil D. Ragas

SURIGAO CITY, May 7 (PIA) -- Gibutyag sa Malakanyang ang bag-ohay pa lamang nga credit upgrade nga gihatag sa Pilipinas aron pagpalig-on sa peso gikan sa international credit rating firm Standard & Poor’s (S&P).

Sumala ni Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte tungod sa maong credit upgrade, ang Philippine Peso karon nakalista na sa ikatulong pwesto isip best performing currencies sa kalibutan.

Sumala pa ni Valte usa kini ka maayong balita alang sa Pilipinas ug dugang pa niya nga sa maong kalamboan uban ang ika 28th nga pagsara sa Philippine Stock Exchange index lakip ang PSEi isip ika lima sa listahan sa mga gitawag nga “hottest” stock markets sa kalibutan nakapadako gyud sa paglambo sa investment climate dinhi sa nasod.

Sa pamahayag nga gipagawas sa S&P, kini miingon nga ilang gipasaka ang grado sa nasod gikan sa BB+ ngadto BBB-.

Dugang pa niini nga ang hinungdanan sa pagtaas sa grado sa Pilipinas mao ang pagpalig-on niini sa external profile, pagkunhod sa inflation, ug ang pagdumili sa Pilipinas pagsalig sa pagpangutang ngadto sa laing nasod. (SDR/PIA-Surigao del Norte)