(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.


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

THPAL turns over ambulance to Caraga Regional Hospital

By Susil D. Ragas

SURIGAO CITY, May 27 (PIA) – The Taganito HPAL Nickel Corporation (THPAL) based in Taganito, Claver, Surigao del Norte recently turned-over one unit Paramedic Ambulance to the Caraga Regional Hospital (CRH).

Taganito HPAL Community Relations Manager Genevieve Chua personally handed-over the ambulance worth P900,000 to CRH Medical Center chief Dr. Andres M. Dolar, Jr. during a simple turn-over ceremony held at the CRH Compound, this city.

"This is part of the company’s Social Development Management Programs (SDMP) dedicated to improve the quality of life and promoting a well-balanced and enhanced standard of living through supporting projects, programs and activities in the community," said Chua.

Under the company's SDMP programs, Chua said they have implemented projects like medical-surgical mission and education caravan, provision of kiddy chairs, tables and rain water collector and installation of speech laboratory to schools province wide.

On his part, Dr. Dolar expressed his heartfelt gratitude to THPAL for a very noble undertaking, and hope that other mining and private companies will follow the same act of nobility.

The turn-over ceremony was witnessed by Chief Medical Professional Staff Dr. Cheryl A. Gotinga, Admin. Officer Albert Lancin, CRH employees and THPAL Nickel Corporation, and local media. (SDR/PIA-Surigao del Norte)


Mindanao river basin master plan secures inter-regional support

DAVAO CITY, May 27 (PIA) - Three regional development councils in Mindanao endorsed the implementation of the Mindanao River Basin (MRB) master plan, paving the way for its operationalization and the eventual creation of an institution that will manage, rehabilitate, and develop the river basin and its resources.

The Regional Development Councils of Regions X and XII as well as the Regional Economic Development and Planning Board (REDPB) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) submitted separate resolutions endorsing the master plan and pushing for the creation of the MRB Management Council.

Resolution No. 4, Series of 2014, Resolution No. 81, Series of 2013, and ARMM REDPB Resolution No. 06 were passed by the regional development councils of regions X, XII, and ARMM respectively.

“These developments will concretize efforts to come up with sustainable but environmentally-sound solutions to the recurring problems within the river basin such as the perennial flooding of the towns and provinces in the area,” said Luwalhati Antonino, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

She added that the MRB master plan is a result of a two-year study conducted from 2010-2012  by Woodfields Consultants, Inc. (WCI) with the support of the departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Interior and Local Government, National Irrigation Administration, and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). The study sought for the long-term rehabilitation and development of the river basin.

The DENR-River Basin Coordinating Office (DENR-RBCO) commissioned the study, while MinDA, through MindaNOW! Nurturing Our Waters Program facilitated for the approval and endorsement of the master plan by the regional development councils.

In July 2011, Executive Order No. 50 transferred the tasks and functions of the Presidential Task Force on Mindanao River Basin Rehabilitation and Development to regular government agencies which include MinDA, DENR-RBCO, and the National Risk Reduction Management Council-OCD.

With a total catchment area of 21,503 square kilometers, the MRB is the second largest river basin in the country encompassing large areas of three regions in Central Mindanao.

Recognizing the fact that the MRB spans multiple regions and provinces, the master plan also recommends the creation of the MRB management council to coordinate and provide directions on the effective and efficient management and development of the river basin and its resources.

The proposed river basin council will be composed of representatives from the concerned provincial and local government units, national government agencies, river basin and LGU alliances, non-government organizations and the private sector.

“A multi-stakeholder and collaborative approach in the implementation of sustainable solutions is eyed to respond to limitations posed by geo-political boundaries and administrative jurisdictions in addressing river basin issues,” said Marcia Isip, executive director of the DENR-RBCO.

She added “this setup ensures that all efforts and initiatives to rehabilitate and develop the MRB are well-coordinated and with a cohesiveness of objectives.”

Isip said the endorsement of the master plan by all three regional development councils is seen to ease the perennial flooding and improve the overall condition of the river basin.

Last year, P6.97 billion worth of flood control projects within the MRB were included in DPWH’s 2014 budget, providing long-term solutions to flooding in areas around the Rio Grande de Mindanao and its tributaries.  The projects, which are in their pre-construction phase are designed to mitigate recurring flooding within the river basin.

“We are optimistic that these projects will not only solve problems of flooding but also help accelerate socioeconomic growth and development in the area,” she said. (MinDA/PIA-Caraga)


PopCom, Church forged alliance for youth

By Angie Balen-Antonio

BUTUAN CITY, May 27 (PIA) - The Commission on Population (PopCom) and the Church partnered in honing life skills of the youth through the Inter-Parish Annual Youth Summit held recently at Santiago, Agusan del Norte.

About 150 youth participants coming from the different parishes attended the Summit which was organized by the parish youth coordinator.  The partnership was made possible through the funding support sponsored by PopCom.

PopCom Caraga regional director Alexander A. Makinano believed that the collaborative efforts was so timely considering that the lives of the youth are continued to be threatened by various issues and challenges that hampered their full growth and development.

Makinano emphasized the importance of harnessing the youth with appropriate life skills which could help them to squarely face the demands and challenges to everyday life as they go along the journey of adolescent towards adulthood.

The 2013 Young Adults Fertility and Sexuality Survey (YAFFS) conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) cited that one in three pinoy youth has engaged in pre-marital sex.  Furthermore, the survey revealed that four in 100 had sex with someone they met online or through text messages.

As defined by the World Health Organization, Life Skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. They are set of human skills acquired via teaching or direct experience.

One of the inputs shared by POPCOM Staff are the dimensions of responsible sexuality, and the core life skills coupled with the lessons learned out of the Adolescent Health and Youth Development (AHYD) movie entitled “Crossroads.”

In response, one of the participants happily shared that she learned many things from the summit particularly the different core life skills, which she can use as a weapon in facing the different challenges she will encounter as a student/adolescent. She promised that the knowledge she gained will be passed on to her friends, relatives and classmates. (PopCom-13/PIA-Caraga)


Caraga fire chief reminds 'men' to conduct building inspection

By Greg Tataro, Jr.

TANDAG CITY, May 27 (PIA) – Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Caraga regional director SSupt. Mario Socorro Timonera reiterated his order to his men regionwide “to conduct a thorough inspection of all buildings” including government-owned and other structures in their respective area of responsibility (AOR) “to ensure fire safety compliance.”

The memorandum dated May 16, 2014 cited that his office has yet to receive reports of compliance since the issuance of the previous memo particularly that which was sent in January 2014 by CSupt. Carlito Romero, officer-in-charge (OIC) of BFP.

Timonera also directed all concerned fire marshalls from the provincial level down the line to submit their respective accomplishment reports not later than May 30.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Provincial Fire Marshall in Surigao del Sur under Insp. Rowella Dinolan said that such conduct of inspection of all buildings has been being carried out on a regular basis.

In fact, Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Jeannette Rabusa, a staff of said office, stressed that since the school opening is already set next week, municipal and city fire stations have prioritized inspection of board and lodging houses. (NGBT/Radyo ng Bayan/PIA-Surigao del Sur)


Tagalog News: Mga Pilipino ang tunay na bayani sa pag-unlad ng Pilipinas, sabi ng Malakanyang

AGUSAN DEL SUR, Mayo 27 (PIA) - Sinabi ng Malakanyang noong linggo na ang mga Pilipino mismo ang tunay na bayani sa pag unlad ng Pilipinas.

“Naipakita ng mga mamamayang Pilipino sa mga delegado ng World Economic Forum on East Asia (WEF-EA) at sa buong mundo ang kanilang kahandaan at katatagan para sa pagiging matibay na balwarte ng pag-unlad na nilalahukan ng lahat o ng sustainable and inclusive growth, at ang pagiging isa sa mga pangunahing bansa ng ASEAN economic community,” sabi ni Presidential Communication Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., noong nagkaroon ng maikling pagpupulong sa media na narinig sa dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

“Ang mga mamamayang Pilipino ang tunay na mga bayani sa pag-unlad ng bansang Pilipinas, at ang ating pagtaguyod ng diwa ng bayanihan ang maghahatid sa ating lahat sa isang mas maaliwalas na kinabukasan,” dagdag ni Coloma.

Ang Pilipinas ay siyang naging “host” sa ika 23 World Economic Forum (Mayo 22-23) nasiyang pinaka unang pagkakataon ay ginanap sa isang East Asian na bansa. (DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)

Cebuano News: Mokabat sa 45 ka mga kabataan misalmot sa Youth Development Data Gathering Validation Seminar Workshop

SURIGAO CITY, Mayo 27 (PIA) -  Mokabat sa 45 ka mga kabatan-onan ang misalmot sa 2014 Youth Development Index Data Gathering Validation Seminar and Workshop gipahigayon bag-ohay pa lamang dinhi ning syudad.

Tumong sa maong kalihukan ang pagbalidar sa mga datos nga nakuha sa taga National Youth Commission gikan sa mga partisipante ug aron usab paghimo og mga plano ug aksyon ngadto na sa nagkadaiyang institusyon nga nagserbisyo sa mga kabatan-onan base na sa Philippine Youth Development Index.

Ang mokabat sa 45 ka mga kabatan-onan nga mipartisipar sa maong kalihukan nagagikan kini sa mga nagkadaiyang ahensya, local government unit ug mga youth organizations libot sa probinsya sa Surigao del Norte.

Ang maong kalihukan gipasiugdahan sa National Youth Commission pinaagi na nila Ms. Jeng Ramirez Salmo, PSO V ang Assistant Division Chief sa NYC/PRMED, Ms. Jigs Pasamba, PSO IV NYC Cluster Head ug PSO III Ms. Ariane Coronel. (SDR/MICO-Surigao/PIA-Surigao del Norte)