SurSur starts plan to spruce up venue for 2015
Caraga Regional Athletic Meet
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Oct. 2 (PIA) – The province of
Surigao del Sur has already started to prepare the venue for the 2015 Caraga
Regional Athletic Meet (CRAM) which is slated early next year.
According to Provincial Engineer Joselito
Secarro, assessment of the area has already been done, adding that an initial
funding of P600,000 is being sought for the face-lifting of Surigao del Sur
Sports Center—the same venue where the 2014 CRAM was held—in Tandag City—just
below the capitol area.
However, he said that the funding requirement
can still go up to more than a million pesos.
It will be recalled that on August 15, the
Caraga Regional Sports Board headed by DepEd Regional Director Atty. Alberto
Escobarte wooed Governor Johnny Pimentel in a meeting here to host anew next
year’s regional sports event by which the latter eventually “relented.”
During the governor’s official announcement of
his commitment regarding the matter on August 18 in a flag ceremony program
before capitol employees, he remarked, “So, if I am not mistaken, this is the
only province that will host the CRAM for two consecutive years.”
A couple of days before the sports board meeting
was held, Pimentel admitted that he was “hesistant” of making a repeat of what
the province did early this year due to financial requisite—referring to the
hosting of the 17th CRAM.
It was learned from Danilo Durano, Draftsman III
of the Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO), who was tasked then to oversee the
massive repair and rehabilitation of the sports center, that besides other
related expenses for some public schools, which were used as billeting quarters
of all athletic delegations, the provincial government has spent, at least, P10
million in this particular project alone, in preparation for its previous
hosting—a stark contrast to the present situation. (NGBT/Radyo ng
Bayan/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
DENR Caraga exec declares success of the
TreeVolution, thanks volunteers
By Eric F. Gallego
BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 2 (PIA) - Declaring the event
successful, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Caraga
regional director Nonito M. Tamayo has expressed gratitude and thanks to all
who participated on the TreeVolution‘s massive tree planting events last
September 26, 2014 that contributed in the new Guinness World Record of the
most number of tree seedlings planted in one hour in different locations.. He
also commended the Department of Education (DepEd), the Philippine Army (PA) troops
and the Philippine National Police (PNP), different local government units,
industry partners, people’s organization and all those who gave their full
support to the great tree planting event.
“The participants are overwhelming as they
trooped together to the planting sites as early as 2am to register and be
counted in the lists for the historic event,” Director Tamayo said during the
Monday convocation program of the DENR-Caraga in Butuan City. Director Tamayo
and his three other Regional Technical Directors namely Atty. Paquito Rosal of
Land Management Services who had supervised the activity in Socorro, Surigao
del Norte, Ronilo Salac of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Management and
Ecological Research and Development Management Services in Agusan del Sur and Maritess M. Ocampo in
Agusan del Norte. Director Tamayo was assigned to supervise the activities in
the 185.50 hectare- planting site in Barangay Maticdum, Tandag, Surigao Surigao
del Sur.
For the record, he said, a total of 27,907
planters have registered on site, out of the more than 29,000 planters who
confirmed their participation days before the event. There were 1,125.33
hectares that were planted with a total of 514,038 different species of
fruit-bearing trees and other timber trees like mahogany, acacia, falcatta,
timber, cacao and other indigenous timber.
The PENRO in Tandag, Surigao del Sur under PENRO
Rosendo Asunto has the biggest contiguous planting area in Caraga region with
an area of 187.5 hectares in Barangay Maticdum, about 11 kilomters away from
the city proper. There were about 37,647 fruit tree seedlings of various kinds
planted in that area with an average time of 40 minutes only. Most of the
planters were seen resting after the task where they planted the 25 seedlings
assigned to each of them as they waited for the siren blast of firetrucks that
instruct them to stop.
“They were happy when they emerged from the
hills one hour later” Director Tamayo said.
Director Tamayo congratulated the entire
personnel of the DENR in the region for their untiring efforts that contributed
to the success of the event. He cited some CENR field personnel who spent their
time overnight at the planting site without minding the far distance just to be
at the start of the counting.
“It has proven that the people can bring back
the forest in unity” Director Tamayo said. “ Based on the reports reaching us ,
we have a 99.2 percent (%) completion of all the enrolled sites for the Guinness
Record-breaking attempt in Caraga Region “ he added.
The actual and final outcome of the Mindanao
TreeVolution event is expected to be finalized and available in about a month
but at this early, indications are clear that the Philippines has shattered the
record of India. (DENR-13/PIA-Caraga)
DILG-13 directs Punong Barangays to enjoin
Church/Faith based organizations during Barangay Assembly
By Florian Faith Jr. P. Bayawa
BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 2 (PIA) - The Department of
the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 13 (Caraga) directs all Punong
Barangays in Caraga region to ensure the active involvement of
Church/Faith-based organizations in the simultaneous conduct of Barangay
Assembly this October 12, 2014 through Memorandum dated September 29, 2014.
This is to discuss the tri-partite linkage between the government, the church
and barangay leaders in the partnership dubbed as Ugnayan ng Barangay at
Simbahan.
UBAS, short-term for the Ugnayan ng Barangay at
Simbahan is where information, volunteerism and participation flow freely
between the three stakeholders towards sustainable development. With the church
and the barangay working and assisting each other in the identification of
areas that require improvements in social services, together they will work in
harmony in the swift delivery and completion of projects that address social
issues and concerns.
The linkage began with the partnership forged by
the late DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo and Most Reverend Bishop Antonio R.
Tobias D.D. in 2011 – one that gave birth to a unique organization whose vision
was to empower good governance via grassroots and interfaith participation.
Presently, Secretary Mar A. Roxas continues the
legacy and empowers the development of barangays by strengthening the
partnership with renewed fervor during the UBAS Convenors meeting with Liga ng
mga Barangay President Atty. Edmun Abesamis, Bishop Antonio Tobias and Luis
Antonio Tagle.
One of the goals of UBAS is to develop barangays
as “Center of Development” by encouraging and transforming citizens into
Barangay Good Governance Advocates and strengthening rapport, friendship and cooperation
between the barangay Church and government for the effective delivery of social
services.
This tri-partite linkage is pursuant to Section
34 of the Local Government Code which provides that local government units will
promote the establishment and operation of people’s and non-government
organizations to become active partners in the pursuit of local autonomy. (DILG-13/PIA-Caraga)
DTI Surigao Norte conducts rapid market survey
on steel pipes, galvanized iron products standard compliance
SURIGAO CITY, Oct. 2 (PIA) - The Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI) together with the Philippine Association of Black Iron
and Galvanized Iron Pipes and Tubes Manufacturers, Inc. has conducted recently a rapid market survey on
Black Iron and Galvanized Iron Steel Pipes Philippine National Standards (PNS
26:2004) in some leading hardware retailers in the city.
The activity is undertaken to look into the
types and quality of steel pipes being sold in the local market as to its
conformity in prescribed standards set by the Bureau of Products Standards
(BPS).
According to DTI-Surigao del Norte Provincial
director Celestino Negapatan, it was found out during the monitoring that there
are few hardware establishments having investors of steel pipes that did not
conform to the product standard under PNS 26:2003 in terms of thickness, zinc
coating and the required markings.
“These concerned establishments were advised
accordingly to properly dispose of their product inventories without the
required BPS certificate for locally manufactured steel pipes or Import
Commodity Clearance (ICC) certificate for imported items.” Negapatan said.
After dutifully cautioning these establishments,
DTI will be conducting enforcement activities to follow through on their
compliance to existence laws and business regulatory requirements. He added.
(SDR/DTI-Surigao del Norte/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Tagalog News: Pangulong Aquino sinegurong muli
sa mga mamumuhunan na ang pinagsamang resolution ay para matugunan lamang ang
kakulangan ng koryente
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Okt. 2 (PIA) - Sinegurong muli
ni Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino noong Martes sa mga may kaakibat sa sektor ng
enerhiya na ang pamahalaan ay kumilos para humingi ng pinagsamang resolusyon,na
magbigay pahintulot na kumontrata ng dagdag na kapasidad na gumawa habang hindi
ginugulo ang merkado ng enerhiya.
“Nababatid ko na ang mga mamumuhunan sa sektor
ng enerhiya ay may agam-agam sa mga pamalakad na maaring gumulo sa merkado,
pero hayaan ninyong seguraduhin ko sa inyo. Ang panghimasok ng pamahalaan ay
nangangahulugan lamang sa pagsago sa kakulangan,” sabi ni Pangulong Aquino sa
kanyang talumpati sa komperensiya at ekshibisyon ng Energy Smart Philippines
2014 na ginanapsa SMX Convention Center sa Lunsod ng Pasay.
“Ang nag-iisang hangarin ng inisyatibang ito ay
para maseguro na ang ating ekonomiya ay hindi nawawala ang kanyang pagpursige
sa pagsapit ng kakulangan sa koryente,” sabi niya at habang sumang-ayon na ang
bansa ay may kinakaharap na posibleng magkaroon ng posibleng kakulangan ng 300
megawatts sa pagdating ng tagtuyot sa susunod na buwan.
Ang ganuong sitwasyon ay nangangailangan ng
hakbang para maseguro na ang suplay ng koryente kung kumulang man ay tataas,
kaya tayo humingi sa Kongreso,” sabi niya.
Kinuha ng Pangulo ang tulong ng Section 71 ng
Energy Power Industry (EPIRA) Reform Act ng 2001 o ang Republic Act 9136 na
kung saan nagsasaad na “Sa pagtitiyak ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas ng hindi
mapipigilang kakulangan sa suplay ng koryente, maaring magbigay ng otorisasyon
ang Kongreso, sa pagitan ng pinagsamang resolusyon, na magtatag ng dagdag na likhang
kapasidad sa ilalim ng mga termino at kondisyon kapag ito ay naaprobahan.
Samantala, sinabi ni Kalihim ng Enerhiya Jericho
Petilla na maraming mapagpilian ang makikita maliban sa paghingi mula sa
Kongreso na magbigay ng otoridadn sa pamahalaan na komontrata ng dagdag na
mapagkunan ng kapasidad.
Kasali na sa mga pagpilian na ito ay ang
paggamit ng mga industry players ng malalaking naka stand-bay na generators sa
panahon ng pinakakailangan sa buong araw sa ilalim ng Interruptible Load
Program, ang gawing sapilitang pagtipid ng enerhiya sa trabaho at sa bahay man,
at ang pagtakda ng air conditioning units sa 25 degrees celcius. Ang mga ito ay
iilang suhestiyon na ibigay natin sa mga mambabatas," sabi ni Petilla.
(DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
