(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Tuesday, 19 March 2024) Easterlies affecting 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. 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, December 26, 2013

DTI Caraga prepares for operations in Dinagat province, conducts price and fair trade laws monitoring

By Glendyl M. Escaret

BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 26 (PIA) - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will soon be establishing a field office in the Province of Dinagat Islands. This is made possible with the approval of DTI’s Rationalization Plan which provided for positions to be deployed in the new province.

But this early, DTI-Caraga’s regional office through its Consumer Welfare Division (CWD) has made initial ground works in the area as early as start of the 2nd half of this year.

At least five monthly price monitoring activities were conducted in San Jose, the capital town of the province. Prices of selected brands of basic necessities and prime commodities were checked in 21 selected stores.

Monitoring activities were also conducted for 147 firms in the seven municipalities of the province namely: Basilisa, Cagdianao, Dinagat, Libjo, Loreto, San Jose and Tubajon for compliance of the Price Tag Law (RA 7394, Art.81-83 & DAO 9, s.2002) and compliance with Labeling (Art.77, RA 7394).

For the Standards Law (RA 4109/ DAO 2, s.2007), 13 firms selling construction materials and electrical supplies were monitored. They were given a list of products under mandatory standards for their guidance and were verbally instructed to sell only products with Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers and Philippine Standard (PS) marks.

The CWD reported over-all compliance in their monitoring activities.

The regional team also embarked on municipal briefing sessions on the rights and privileges of people with disabilities (PWD) and the senior citizens especially when it comes to purchasing goods and services. (DTI-13/PIA-Caraga)


Caraga rubber industry localizes national plan

By Jardynne R. Narvasa

BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 26 (PIA) - With the aim to make Caraga become one of the top 4 producing regions of quality natural rubber in the country, the Caraga rubber industry cluster members met to validate, harmonize and localize the national rubber plans.

The meeting-workshop, which was conducted recently, was attended by the Board of Directors of the Caraga Rubber Industry Federation, Inc. (CRIFI) and support agencies such the departments of agriculture (DA), environment and natural resources (DENR), agrarian reform (DAR), trade and industry (DTI), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and local government units of Butuan City and Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.

DTI Agusan del Sur Provincial Director Lolita I. Dorado presented the Philippine Rubber Industry Updates, while the line agencies took turns in giving their reports and accomplishments in relation to their efforts in the rubber industry development.

The group then reviewed the Philippine Rubber Value Chain Map, Constraints and Opportunities as well as the 2014-2016 Industry Cluster Action Plan.

They also validated national vision, mission, goals and strategic targets for the rubber industry as outlined in the Philippine Rubber Master Plan before proceeding to localize the National Rubber Convergence and Industry Cluster Action Plan.

As follow-through actions, the cluster will be conducting a Basic Training on Rubber Tree Cultural Management and coordination meetings to finalize the Caraga Value Chain Map as well as discuss matters for endorsement to the Regional Development Council. (DTI-13/PIA-Caraga)


RuMEPP - on its last term, hopes partner LGUs and MFIs continue assisting rural enterprises

By Richelle Joy C. Palattao

BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 26 (PIA) - The Rural Micro Enterprise Promotion Program (RuMEPP) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - Caraga will be ending its project assistance by close of this year.

DTI – Caraga Regional Director Brielgo O. Pagaran is confident that local government units (LGUs) and micro financing institutions (MFIs) in the region will continue to help rural microenterprises (MEs).

“We have prepared for this by setting up the LGU-RuMEPP partnerships as early as two years ago,” Pagaran said.

“Of course, our agency will continue with the work and we will make sure that the MEs assisted will get continuing support if they need it through our regular programs,” he added.

RuMEPP is a seven – year, US$ 22.826 million programme funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). It aims to help poor entrepreneurs & rural families in the country by providing technical and financial support, which can in turn benefit other poor families through job opportunities.

The Caraga Region is one of only five (5) regions that is benefited by RuMEPP. All its then four (4) provinces were part of the 19 provinces implementing the programme. (DTI-13/PIA-Caraga)


6 SSF projects launched in 2013

By Jardynne R. Narvasa
        
BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 26 (PIA) -  DTI-Caraga launched six shared service facility (SSF) projects worth P2.583 million this year.

Four of these projects were given to cooperators in Agusan del Norte and Butuan City while the other two went to Agusan del Sur groups.

The Agusan del Norte/Butuan City recipients are IVORY .07 Arts and Crafts and Butuan-Agusan del Norte Handicrafts developers, Inc. (BAHANDI). These arts and crafts groups were given identical sets of sewing and foot machines for the production of various crafts from water lily such as bags, sandals, slippers and shoes.

The other two groups got equipments for their organic beverage projects (corn coffee and ginger/salabat). They are the women group of Culit Multi-Purpose Cooperative and Taguibo Organic Farmers Association for Sustainable Agriculture (TOFASA).

Cooperators/SSF recipients in Agusan del Sur were those engaged in Coco-coir Geonets: Community-Based Twining and Weaving Project and Organics: Processing and Packaging of Organic Inputs.


DTI’s SSF Development Program has been one of the tools of the agency in assisting and empowering micro, small and medium enterprise (MSMEs) to become more productive and competent entrepreneurs locally and globally, through better technology and more sophisticated equipment. (DTI-13/PIA-Caraga)