(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.


Thursday, September 11, 2014

Population board recognizes significance of ‘International Men’s Day’ celeb

By Venus L. Garcia

BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 11 (PIA) – Acknowledging considerable significance of celebrating the International Men’s Day (IMD), the Regional Population Executive Board (RPEB) approved and adopted RPEB resolution requesting the Regional Development Council (RDC) – Social Development Committee (SDC) to endorse the observance of IMD in Caraga region.

Commission on Population (PopCom) Caraga regional director Alexander Makinano explained in his presentation during the 3rd Quarter RDC-SDC Meeting held here on Wednesday that the objectives include focusing on men's and boys' health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality and highlighting the positive male role models. It is also an occasion to celebrate their achievements and contributions to community, family, marriage and child care.

Makinano also enumerated the various activities in a row such as orientation/symposium on Men's Participation in Family Health, Men's Role in GAD, Kalalakihang Tapat sa Responsibilidad at Obligasyon sa Pamilya (KATROPA), Usapang Maginoo, and other men -related topics/sessions shall be conducted during the celebration.

By substantiating more its importance, Makinano received positive reactions from the committee members. He then relayed that “according to Men’s Activism News Netwok, the IMD interfaces with the popular ‘Movember,' a worldwide moustache growing charity event during November each year that raises fund and awareness for men’s health, one of the key themes promoted on IMD. It also interfaces with Universal Children’s Day on November 20 with which IMD forms a 48-hour celebration of men and children and of the special relationships the share.”

"PopCom Caraga shall be the lead agency of the IMD celebration," added Makinano.

The IMD celebration is an annual international event celebrated every 19th of November supported by 60 countries and various organizations worldwide. It was inaugurated in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago where the day and its events find support from a variety of groups and individuals in Australia, the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe and the United Nations. (VLG/PIA-Caraga)


Population officers push for establishment of PopDev office in LGUs

By Jennifer P. Gaitano

BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 11 (PIA) - "The League of Population Officers and Workers of the Philippines (LEPOWPHIL) has been aggressively campaigning to strengthen the population program at the grassroots level. As a result, they have drafted and pushed for the bill creating the Population and Development (PopDev) office at the local government unit level. Said move of the LEPOWPHIL got positive response from the Commission on Population (PopCom) Board of Commissioners."

This was the statement of PopCom Caraga regional director Alexander Makinano during the Regional Development Council-Development Administration Committee (RDC-DAC) Meeting held on Tuesday in one of the local convention centers here.

Makinano bared that the provision on the appointment of a local Population Officer in Section 488 of the 1991 Local Government Code is rationalized within the impact of population factors to development.

“The same statutory law provides for the appointment of a Population Officer as merely an option for the LGUs. With this provision, many LGUs opted not to maintain their population offices despite the presence of population development issues and the changing needs of the population in their areas,” revealed Makinano.

Recognizing the important role of population in national and local development, Makinano stressed that there is a need to strengthen the local population offices to achieve its mandated functions under the local government code.

"As a way of strengthening the PopDev Offices in the LGUs, the PopCom and LEPOWPHIL pushes to make the establishment and operation of population offices mandatory to ensure effective population management strategies and measures at the local level. Such office shall be primarily responsible in addressing development issues in the locality, to include: a) increasing teenage pregnancy; b) high unintended pregnancies; c) rapid urbanization in cities and declining quantity of human resource in out-migration areas; and d) unmanaged human settlements especially in environmentally hazardous areas," cited Makinano.

Also, as chair of the RDC-DAC, Cabadbaran City Mayor Dale Corvera saw the need to discuss this Bill to the congressmen in the region for sponsorship and full support.

"It is much better that the Population Officers would really lobby the proposed Bill on the creation of a PopDev Office in each LGUs to the lawmakers or the congressmen for sponsorship and that this will really be pushed into a law, instead of endorsing this to the Regional Development Council. This should also include presentation of budgetary requirements so lawmakers will have concrete basis on how it will be undertaken," suggested Corvera.

Makinano then assured the committee that comments and suggestions on the said Bill will be incorporated in the content so as to be more detailed and comprehensive. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)


Dinagat Islands' scholar passes physician licensure exam

By Ma. Jane. Mayola

SAN JOSE, Dinagat Islands, Sept. 11 (PIA) - The first medical scholar of the provincial government of Dinagat Islands winded up triumphantly after Azalea T. Pajo, 26, from Barangay Poblacion here passed in the August 2014 Physician licensure exam conducted on August 23-24, this year.

Pajo was granted a provincial medical scholarship in 2009 at Mindanao State University in Iligan City, it was learned. 

She also ranked eight among 53 graduates in Doctor of Medicine in the said school where she also graduated as Magna Cum Laude during her pre-med course, Bachelor of Science in Biology.

According to Provincial Human Resource and Development Office representative Joyce Tio, Dr. Pajo will soon serve the Dinagatnons as Medical Officer-IV at Albor District Hospital, Libjo, Dinagat Islands.

The provincial medical scholarship is funded by the provincial government of Dinagat Islands. (SDR/PIO-Dinagat Islands/PIA-Dinagat Islands)


News Feature: ‘Reform SK before elections’ - NYC

After Commission on Elections (COMELEC) announced on Friday the date of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, the National Youth Commission (NYC) urged PNoy to certify the consolidated SK Reform bill as “urgent” in time for prescribed the period of registration.

By COMELEC Resolution No. 9899, the registration period for 15-17 year-old voters for SK will be from September 20 to 29, barely two weeks after the announcement.

“We are recommending that the president affirms the urgency of this much needed reform for our youth,” urged NYC Chairperson Gio Tingson.

#FixSK

Also known as the “Youth Development and Empowerment Act of 2014,” the SK reform bill was finally consolidated by a senate committee last August, 10 months after the SK elections was postponed.

For its part, the NYC has been active in building and engaging with constituencies for SK reform across the archipelago through events such as the National Day of Action for SK Reform held last August 12.

“We have the full support of the reform-minded young Filipinos. Our lawmakers should realize how much young people want and need the bill passed,” explained Usec. Tingson.

After COMELEC set the SK elections on February 21, 2015, failure to pass the bill into law by then would mean going back to the existing structure of the Sangguniang Kabataan.

“The essence of reform is precisely to do away with the status quo,” the chairperson added.

Anti-dynasty, fiscal autonomy and more

The consolidated bill features a number of provisions regarding eligibility, powers and key functions of the Sangguniang Kabataan.

Section 10 states that elective SK officials should be 18-24 years old and must not be related to “any incumbent elected national, local or barangay official within 4th civil degree of consanguinity or affinity.”

To empower even more young people, the local youth development council (LYDC) is composed of at most 2 representatives from accredited youth organizations to identify the needs and priorities of the local youth through the SK’s projects and programs.

Ten percent of the general barangay fund will serve as the youth’s funds, over which the SK will have autonomy, ultimately manifested in their budget proposal for the three-year Comprehensive Youth Development Plan.

Start from the youth

NYC believes that good politics starts with the younger generations, given that they will inevitably take the helms of leadership in the future.

“We simply cannot waste the youth‘s opportunity to finally make a change for the better,” said Usec. Tingson. (NYC/PIA-Caraga)


Feature: ‘A competitive youth means a competitive PH’ – NYC

MANILA, Sept. 11 – In a thriving environment of robust economic growth and institutional reforms, the National Youth Commission (NYC) called on all stakeholders to remember and recognize the role of the Filipino youth in sustaining the country’s competitiveness.

“Training young people’s skills and competencies in their early years can be helpful in improving our country’s level of competitiveness,” said NYC Chairperson Gio Tingson.

Leapfrogging 50 places since 2010, the Philippines has journeyed upward to 52nd place out of 148 in the rankings of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report.

This was credited to the “reforms of the past four years [which] have bolstered the country’s economic fundamentals,” as the report says.

‘Truly remarkable’

According to the perception-based report, efforts made against corruption have borne fruits, which paved the way for stronger institutions, higher government efficiency and better protection of property rights.

The Philippines has been able to adopt digital technologies at an accelerated rate, closely behind its neighbors such as Malaysia and Thailand.

“Such improvements create conditions that are conducive for young people to develop and innovate,” remarked the chairperson.

Focus on health, education and employment targets

However, the chairperson also underscored areas that still require some work, like education and health, in which the country ranks 92nd.

NYC, for its part, aims to increase gross enrollment rate in secondary education from 92.62% to 115.79%. The commission also targets lower incidence in teen pregnancy, tobacco and alcohol consumption, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS infection.

“We have the Philippine Youth Development Plan (PYDP) to facilitate the youth’s development founded on four pillars namely education, health, employment and participation,” said Tingson.

He also explained that these are the four major areas of concern that affect 28 million young people today and that there is a need for strategic direction in addressing them.

“We have also always worked towards realizing responsive education, training and methods of career-coaching that are tailor-fitted to the needs of young people,” the chairperson remarked, in response to the perceived rigidity of the Philippine labor market that puts the country in 91st place.

“For more efficient labor market, the NYC promotes employment-rich opportunities and offers policies that improve our labor market information systems in order to reach a 90% youth employment rate in 2016,” he added.

Rankings aside

With many other pillars still requiring some attention, the National Youth Commission urged the government and its partners to sustain their engagements in order to reach the agencies’ targets for the upcoming year.

“While we appreciate this kind of affirmation that the government is doing well, our ultimate measure of competitiveness should be based on our policies’ targets that we have set for the future,” the chairperson said. (NYC/PIA-Caraga)