PRC Agusan del Sur chapter bares accomplishments
on CBMNH special project
By David M. Suyao
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Oct. 8 (PIA) - Chosen as the
recipient of a special project of the Netherlands Red Cross, the Philippine Red
Cross Agusan del Sur Chapter (PRC-AdS) has piloted three barangays in Agusan
del Sur to become recipients of the project called the Community Based Maternal
and Neonatal Health (CBMNH).
The main goal of this project according to
PRC-AdS report to the Board of Directors, is to build a community resilience
that will show evidence and demonstrate impact of the contribution of the
PRC-AdS in partnership with Netherlands Red Cross to the Midterm Development
Goal (MDG 4) or the reduction of child mortality and the MDG 5 or the improved
Maternal Health in the year 2015.
The tree chosen pilot barangays are Nueva Era
and San Marcos in Bunawan and Langag in Esperanza. While timeliness is
essential, OIC Administrator Darwina Ligan said, the May 2013 election was one
factor that caused the delay in the implementation of the project thus,
accomplishments mostly focused on recruitment of volunteers and organizing.
“For the whole year, accomplishments on the
implementation of CBMNH includes orientations at the national and local levels,
recruitment and trainings of community health volunteers (CHV), conduct of knowledge,
attitude and practices (KAP) assessment, some trainings, health profiling,
simultaneous health education, CHV kit distribution and development of disaster
and community health plan. The highlight of last year’s accomplishment was the
conveyance of Memorandum of Understanding to the parties involved,” Ligan
added.
According to Chapter Project Officer May Angeli
de la Cruz, the first quarter of 2014
was full, coping up the delay of last year’s implementation.
“The first quarter of 2014 highlights of the
project review and planning workshop involving the key health officials of the
municipalities of Bunawan and Esperanza and the three pilot barangays from the
two municipalties. The 2014 plan of works was also formulated based on the 2013
accomplishments. The first three trainings conducted designed to improve the
knowledge of the CHVs focused on three behavioral change mainly Safe
Motherhood, Newborn care and immunization,” de la Cruz said.
The project officer also promised to provide the
members of the board of directors of PRC-AdS with update of accomplishment
until the end of the second quarter on the next meeting. (DMS/PIA-Agusan del
Sur)
PSA prepares for the conduct of October LFS,
2014 survey on Overseas Filipinos
By Villa S. Bayotas
BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 8 (PIA) - The Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA) Caraga will conduct the October 2014 Labor Force
Survey together with the 2014 Survey on Overseas Filipinos from October 8 to
31, 2014. The Labor Force Survey (LFS) is a nationwide quarterly survey of
households conducted by the PSA to gather data on the demographic and
socio-economic characteristics of the population.
The LFS aims to provide a quantitative framework
for the preparations of plans and formulation of policies affecting the labor
market. Specifically, the LFS is designed to collect information on the
following:
·
Distribution
of household population 15 years old and over, by employment status, by sex,
and age group;
·
Distribution
of employed persons by major occupation group, major industry group, class of
worker, number of hours worked, highest grade completed, nature of employment,
and by sex;
·
Distribution
of underemployed persons by total hours worked, major occupation group, class
of worker, and by sex; and
·
Distribution
of unemployed persons by age group, highest grade completed, by number of weeks
looking for work, job search method, and by sex.
The 2014 Survey on Overseas Filipinos (SOF) will
also be undertaken as a rider to the LFS, this is a nationwide sample survey
that seeks to gather information on Filipino citizens who left for abroad
during the last five years.
The SOF aims to provide data on overseas
Filipinos particularly the OCWs and their contribution to the economy.
Specifically, the survey hast the following objectives:
a. To
obtain national estimates on the number of overseas Filipinos including
overseas workers and their socio-economic characteristics; and
b. To
provide estimates on the amount of cash and in kind transfer received by the
families and mode of remittances.
For purposes of the survey, only those family
members who traveled outside of the Philippines within the period October 2009
to September 2014 for any reasons are included.
The October 2014 LFS covers about 50,000 sample
households nationwide. This sample size
will allow the generation of reliable estimates of indicators of employment and
the number of overseas Filipinos at the regional level.
In Caraga, PSA Field Staff and selected trained
Statistical Researchers will do a comprehensive door-to-door interview to the
sample households during enumeration period. The information collected shall be
kept strictly confidential and shall not be used for purposes of taxation,
investigation or regulation as provided under Article 55 of RA 10625. (PSA-13/PIA-Caraga)
DepEd shows concern over rising incidence of
school building fire in SurSur
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Oct. 8 (PIA) – Schools Division
Superintendent Teofila Cabatuan has expressed concern over the fire incident
that burned down a public school building anew in Surigao del Sur—this time, in
San Agustin town, once again, over 64 kilometers south of this city.
Last year, she recalled that Salvacion
Elementary School in the same locality had met the same fate, but said new
classrooms had already been built.
Cabatuan confirmed that the October 3 fire
incident was already the third in a row to hit a school building in a matter of
four months here this year—Barobo Central Elementary School—a public school;
and Andres Soriano College—a private institution. Both got burned in July.
Meanwhile, to initially address the problem, students
have to hold their classes temporarily in “makeshift” classrooms, the DepEd
chief stressed.
Also, Cabatuan said that both the DepEd regional
and central offices have already been informed of the matter.
It was learned from the responding Lianga Central
Fire Station under Fire Officer 3 (FO3) Rolando Daano, officer-in-charge (OIC)
fire marshall, which came out with the “Spot Investigation Report,” that the
incident took place at around 8:00 p.m. at Salvacion National High School,
gutting one school building comprised of seven rooms, placing the damage at
P3.5 million.
SFO1 Roger Secarro, Operations Section chief of
the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Provincial Office headed by
Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Provincial Fire Marshall Insp. Rowella Dinolan, said
that they have yet to find out the cause of the fire pending receipt of the
final/complete report.
The spot report likewise acknowledged three more
BFP stations’ crews that made it to the fire scene—Cagwait, Barobo, and
Tagbina—to help put out the blaze that lasted for about two hours. (NGBT/Radyo
ng Bayan/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
AgNor solon named 'Outstanding Filipino Achiever
in Public Service'
BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 8 (PIA) - Marking a priceless milestone as a public
servant, Agusan del Norte representative Erlpe John “Ping” M. Amante was
awarded 2014 Outstanding Filipino Achiever in Public Service by the Golden
Globe Awards for Business Excellence last September 27, 2014 at Manila Hotel,
Manila.
Through this award, Rep. Amante joins the ranks
of respected Filipinos recognized to have exceptional achievements in various
crafts and fields, as well as top-notch companies from all over the country
that have exemplified excellence in business and marketing.
Amante was cited for being one of the most
prolific neophyte lawmakers having filed 28 house bills and resolutions and
co-authored 25 in less than a year. He was also noted for his active role as
vice chairperson in the Committee on Natural Resources in Congress where he
strongly lobbied for the mandatory domestic processing of mineral ores in the
Philippines to ensure that Filipinos are able to maximize the benefits from our
precious yet finite resources. His principled stand on the issue has earned him
respect and support from different international media outfits and business
analysts.
His efforts in improving accessibility and
quality of education in Agusan del Norte during his stint as governor were also
highly commended. Placing great importance in education, Amante back then
focused on distributing textbooks to all public elementary and secondary
schools in the province and opening study grants to indigent college students.
His administration also strengthened its campaign to fight poverty through
various job generation programs. This led to the significant drop in poverty
incidence among families from a high of 38.7% in 2006 to 27.7% in 2012 – making
Agusan del Norte the most improved among the Caraga provinces.
More than a personal triumph, the award embodies
the overall transformation of governance in Agusan del Norte.
Rep. Amante has pledged to continue this; and
with the support of all Agusanons, no doubt the province will be able to reach
greater heights. (PIA-Agusan del Norte)