PhilRice promotes Rural Transformation Movement
for farmers
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 13 (PIA) – The Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice) Agusan is promoting its Rural Transformation
Movement (RTM) for the welfare of the community farmers not only in the
province of Agusan del Norte but in the entire Caraga region.
In an interview over Advanced Forward Emergency
Broadcasting System (AFEBS) Network of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)
Caraga in this city, Marilyn Amoin, Science Research Specialist 1 of PhilRice
Agusan bared that its Rural Transformation Movement is intended to make the
farmers more diversified and integrated.
"We want to help the farmers earn more by
venturing into other products and livelihood. We want to see them improve their
lives through different strategies," said Amoin.
Amoin also said that the pilot area for its Rural
Transformation Movement is in Brgy. Basilisa, RTR, Agusan del Norte. "We
are encouraging the community farmers to avail of this opportunity and be a
millionaire. We call this Movement because we wanted to see our farmers
experience the changes in their lives while they are into this program of
PhilRice. We should act and move forward to achieve this goal," she added.
With the said movement, farmers are encouraged to
produce other products such as livestock raising, vegetable production and
byproducts.
"Together with PhilRice personnel from our
central office, we are still on the process of conducting social diagnostic and
mapping in Brgy. Basilisa, as well as in other communities where we can
identify qualified farmers for the Rural Transformation Movement, which we are
promoting. We are also looking into and assessing the needs of the farmers and
on how we can better improve their present livelihood," shared Arbutante.
As to the criteria on how community farmers can
avail of the PhilRice's RTM, Ginalyn Arbutante, Science Research Assistant of
PhilRice Agusan also revealed that they are still finalizing the criteria and
will soon release it to the public. "It is an advantage on the part of the
farmers who are also land owners because they have big chances to expand their
livelihood," she said.
Arbutante further disclosed that PhilRice is also
promoting technology development for the farmers to improve their production
and increase their income. The institute also produces quality seeds available
for the farmers.
"For inquiries about our Rural Transformation
Movement, the public can send it along with their other concerns thru
PhilRice's Text Center at 09209111398. We will be very glad to accommodate
them," highlighted Arbutante.
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is a
government corporate entity attached to the Department of Agriculture created
through Executive Order 1061 on 5 November 1985 (as amended) to help develop
high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough rice
for all Filipinos. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
Butuan LGU, PhilHealth ready for this year’s Tree
Growing activity
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 13 (PIA) – In a press conference
held on Friday, the local government here thru Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. and
Philippine Health (PhilHealth) Insurance Corporation Caraga regional vice
president Johnny Sychua announced that all necessary preparations for the Tree
Growing activity on February 18, 2015 in Brgy. Bancasi of this city are all set
and ready.
It can be recalled that Sychua and Amante recently
led the groundbreaking for the landmark tree growing activity last January 23,
2015 in the city's eight-hectare parcel, a kilometer south of the Bancasi
airport.
Sychua announced that the 'Plant a Million Trees
Program' (Tree Growing activity) of PhilHealth with the Butuan-LGU is aimed to
grow and sustain a forest park in the city which will also mirror the agency's
corporate values, pursuing intergenerational responsibility by sustaining
Mother Earth's natural resource for the use, benefit and enjoyment of
generations yet to come.
"More than 650 individuals will be joining
our office and the city government of Butuan during the Tree Growing activity
on Feb. 28, 2015 in Brgy. Bancasi. See you all there and let's ensure the
growth and sustainability of the trees that's why when we plant them, let's all
plant them properly," emphasized Sychua.
Meanwhile, Amante bared that as the city
government implements its Vision 2020, 1,300 Pantawid Pamilya (4Ps) members are
targeted to graduate to self-sufficiency every year until 2020.
"With our Vision 2020 in Butuan City, we aim
that our people will experience economic upliftment thru the city government's
socio-economic bundling," Amante added.
The good mayor also stressed that all city hall
employees are required to share what is the Vision 2020 of the city government
because it will help uplift the economic condition of the city.
"The city government continues to aim to
plant variety of trees in the protected zone, production zone and in the
riverbanks/shorelines. For the protected zone, we will be planting more
indigenous and hard wood while Falcata and timber for the production zone and
mangroves for the riverbanks," shared Amante. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
DTI warns public on malpractices of vehicle
dealers
By Rodrigo R. Matabaran
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Feb. 13 (PIA) -
The Department of Trade and Industry warns the public to be cautious on
transacting business with vehicle dealers especially those handling
reconditioned units.
In a recent case that was brought to the attention
of the agency, it was learned that there are dealers who do not fully explain
the terms and conditions of purchase of reconditioned vehicle units and if ever
they explained to the buyers, these are not put in formal document.
Buyers should see to it that what is being said
and promised by the dealers must be expressly written in the contract of sale
or any documentary instrument relative to the transaction especially on the
matters like warranties.
Among others, insurance coverage and vehicle
registration, cost of repairs, repair or replacement of defective vehicle unit,
terms and mode of payment in the case of products purchased on instalment basis
should be clear on the part of the buyer.
The most common consumer complaints reaching the
DTI office include the delay of release of certificate of registration of the
vehicles including motorcycles and defective engine units that require
recurring repairs.
Having valid documents – contract and receipts –
of such transactions will help the buyer and in certain degree help concerned
government authorities to facilitate the resolution of particular complaints.
Buyer should read, fully understand and totally
agree on the terms and conditions before signing the document prior to making
initial payment. He/she should secure a copy of the fully signed contract or
purchase agreement.
Refusal of dealers to provide copies of signed
purchase agreement detailing terms and conditions should provide alarm signals
of potential customers.
For more information about consumer complaints
mechanism, interested parties may visit the local DTI office or call at
telephone number (086) 826-6129. (SDR/DTI-Surigao del Norte/PIA-Surigao del
Norte)
Pasig solon graces BHW forum in Surigao Norte
By John Glenn A. Platil
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Feb. 13 (PIA) –
Pasig City representative Roman Romulo, grandson of the late Gen. Carlos P.
Romulo, graced the Barangay Health Workers’ (BHW) Forum held recently at the
Provincial Convention Center, this city.
This year’s summit carries the theme, “BHW:
Pagpalig-on sa pagtambayayong aron sa pagkab-ot sa kinatibuk-ang Marajaw
Panlawas.”
Rep. Romulo was accompanied by his wife and TV
host Shalani Soledad.
Surigao del Norte governor Sol Matugas and 1st
district representative Francisco Matugas hosted the event together with vice
governor Arturo Carlos Egay, Jr, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan,
municipal mayors, delegates from national line agencies and private
stakeholders.
In her message, Governor Matugas asked the members
of the provincial board to increase the honorarium of BHWs with an additional
one hundred peso take-home pay apart from fringe benefits, free PhilHealth
cards and other rewards which the governor has in mind.
She said that in the very beginning, she has
always defended the rights of BHWs to live decently and work in a friendly
environment with just compensation.
Furthermore, governor Matugas expressed her
gladness that the convergence of health workers coming from the fundamental
unit of society, finally took shape after a very long wait and serious
preparations.
Every municipality was well-represented by BHWs
who wore t-shirts of different colors, waived harmoniously and cheered
flamboyantly during the said activity.
Meanwhile, Cong. Romulo stressed the important
role of BHWs to propel the 'Marajaw Panlawas' (good health) advocacy of the
province.
On the other hand, Soledad, who is also a city
councilor in Pasig City, thanked the Surigaonons for their genuine love and
warm reception which was extended by no less than the governor and congressman,
and the Capitol family.
At the end of the summit, Cong. Romulo and wife
Soledad handed a free trip ticket to Hongkong to one lucky BHW from the
municipality of Dapa.
They also went to Surigao del Norte Provincial
District Hospital located in Sta. Cruz, Placer for the inauguration of Medical
Arts, Ancillary and Motorpool Buildings of the province. (SDR/PIC-Surigao del
Norte/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Butuan City Division strengthens inclusive
education
By Marie Joy M. Intong
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 13 (PIA) – The Department of
Education (DepEd) Butuan City division is giving access to Children With
Disabilities (CWD) in all schools.
For several years, inclusive education and
empowering teachers to handle Children with Disabilities in all schools were
given less attention, thus every family with a child that needs special
education enrolls at Butuan City Special Education (SPED) center since it is
the only school having proficient and skilled teachers whose educational
background is specializing in SPED.
Consequently, series of orientations were
initiated in 2013 and up to the present to prepare district supervisors,
principals, kindergarten and elementary school teachers in embracing inclusive
education in schools.
This advocacy is also shared to private schools in
the city since they are also accepting children with special needs. The topics
include SPED: Foundation, Philosophies and Principles SPED Programs and
Services, Inclusive Education, Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment, Children with Intellectual
Disability Children with Autism, and Children With Learning Disability.
The orientation on inclusive education to the
different districts brought change in the perspective of teachers in accepting
children with special needs, clouds of confusion and queries about the program
were addressed. The teachers disclosed that they had been accepting and
teaching children with special needs but they were not capacitated on how to
deal with them and where to start.
Having the heart to teach not just CWDs, the SPED
Center teachers were also very kind to offer their extra time to teach teachers
from other schools on strategies, sign language and class observations that
will enhance their learning on SPED.
With the strong advocacy on inclusive education,
some central schools are implementing the SPED programs namely Libertad Central
Elementary School, F.R. Sibayan Central Elementary School and some of
non-central schools which accepted children with Autism, learning disability,
intellectual disability, and hearing impairment.
A total of 222 CWDs (Hearing impairment – 41;
Visual impairment – 7; Intellectual Disability – 47; Autism – 29; and Learning
Disability – 98) are currently enrolled
in the SPED Center and other inclusive education implementing
schools.
It is the ardent hope of the city division that
all families having children with special needs will avail of the special
education and inclusive education that the schools are offering since they
promote and advocate the Millennium Development Goal of the DepED on 'No Child
Left Behind.' For more information, you may call 341-0022 (205) Deped Butuan
City Division or 341-2881 Butuan City SPED Center. (DepEd Butuan City
Division/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
News Feature: Empowering private schools in Butuan
City division
By Marie Joy M. Intong
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 13 (PIA) - Private schools in
Butuan City are sprouting like mushrooms nowadays. The Department of Education
(DepEd) Butuan City division considers it a blessing to have a partner in
providing quality education to the pupils and students in every community.
Record shows that the number of private schools
have increased by 22 percent in two years’ time.
Additional 12 new schools are operating with
permit in 2013 to 2014 with a total of 66 regularly operating private schools
as of the moment which puts Butuan, a city having the most numbered private
schools in Caraga Region excluding few schools which are still on the process
of preparing their pertinent documents for permit.
The rapid growth of private schools is due to the
implementation of the K to 12 curriculum as stated in Republic Act 10157 or
"An Act Institutionalizing the Kindergarten Education Into The Basic
Education System," thus all private schools offering this program are
required to apply for permit since they have been warned through Regional
Memorandum no. 109, s. 2014 of the possible problems that may arise between the
parents/pupils/students and the school.
It should be stressed that students from private
schools without permit to operate or recognition could not be accepted in other
schools if they wish to transfer.
Further, Regional Memorandum no. 92, s. 2013 in
consonance with DepED order no. 18, s. 2009 reminds all private schools to
comply with the consultation and notification requirements mandated by existing
laws and regulations for tuition fee increase which should be completed not
later than March 30 of every year.
Supported by the necessary documentation
evidencing consultation and compliance with the utilization of the proceeds of
tuition fee increases, documents of these requirements have to be submitted to
the regional office not later than May of every year.
All these orders and memorandums are
well-communicated to all administrators and principals of private schools
through memorandums and conferences that lead to the empowerment of individual
schools.
Aside from catering to their legal needs, the
Division of Butuan City through the leadership of superintendent Josita B.
Carmen and assistant superintendent Jeanie L. Mativo, welcomes all private
school administrators and parents if they have concerns with regards to the
curriculum and educational welfare of their children.
This collaboration of public and private schools
make DepED Butuan City division produce champions in Science, Mathematics,
journalism, sports and other academic competitions in the regional and national
levels. (DepEd Butuan City Division/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
DA-13 strengthens ties with PLGUs through regular
coordination
By Fretcher Magatao
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 13 (PIA) - The Department of
Agriculture (DA) – Regional Field Office XIII recently conducted a coordination
meeting to all Provincial Agriculturists/Provincial Veterinarians in the region.
The said meeting aims to provide a venue for DA and the local government units
to impart their objectives and harmonize actions for CY 2015.
The activity also keeps track of updates and
developments employing the combination of top-down-bottom-up process in the
generation and discussion of policies, thrusts and directives in program and
project implementation.
“We want the LGUs to be aware of not just the
programs and projects to be implemented in their respective locality, but also
for them to know the status and situation of the Department so they can take
part in helping us achieve our targets,” said DA Caraga regional director Edna
Mabeza.
A total of ₱1.1 Billion regional allocations for FY 2015
according to General Appropriations Act (GAA) should be productively utilized
for the year to address the farmers’ need and increase agriculture
productivity.
The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP)
which aims to increase rural incomes through enhancing farm and fishery
productivity has a total of ₱ 334,130,000 for the region.
This is allotted for the infrastructure and enterprise development
subprojects to be implemented as additional interventions of the agency for
agriculture development.
The gathering also addressed issues and concerns
pertaining to the implementation of projects in LGUs such as the timely
submission and compliance of requirements to fast track implementation in the
ground. (DA-13/PIA-Caraga)
BIR bares 2015 tax goal for SurSur
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Feb. 13 (PIA) – The
Revenue District Office 106 (RDO 106) of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
in Surigao del Sur bared its 2015 collection goal.
BIR chief Monib Dimakuta said their office is
tasked to collect P913,525,000, citing the monthly breakdown as follows: January—P81,946,000;
February—P60,636,000; March—P59,625,000;
April—P98,317,000; May—P76,993,000; June—P68,948,000; July—P76,901,000;
August—P77,234,000;
September—P72,852,000;
October—P80,378,000;
November—P87,412,000; and December—P72,283,000.
This means an increase of 33.62 percent over the
preceding year with a collection target of P745,763,000, he explained.
Meanwhile, the said office has yet to show the
January 2015 tax collection accomplishment.
It can be recalled that late last year Dimakuta
expressed optimism that 2015 would be a better year for their office.
At the same time, the local BIR chief admitted
that while calendar year (CY) 2014 was quite a struggle on their part, they
still managed to raise the bar as far as tax collection is concerned.
Dimakuta pointed out that year in and year out,
the BIR office here has always posted a steady rise in tax collection by
surpassing the each and every preceding year only that they were not able to
hit the collection goal lately. (NGBT/Radyo ng Bayan-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del
Sur)
Tagalog News: Militar palaging handa para tugunan
ang anumang planong destabilisasyon, sabi ng Palasyo
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Peb. 13 (PIA) - Sinabi ng Palasyo
na ang Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas ay palaging handa sa anumang planong
destabilisasyon o coup plot sa gitna ng mga ulat na mayroong mga grupo na
nagpaplano para destabilahin ang pamahalaan.
Sinabi ni Senador Miriam Defensor Santiago noong
Huwebes na nakatanggap siya ng impormasyon tungkol sa planong kudeta laban sa
administrasyong Aquino.
Sabi niya na ang paratang na subuking magkudeta ay
kinakatigan ng isang mataas na negosyante.
Sinabi ni Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma,
Jr., sa kanyang panayam sa media noong Huwebes na hindi sila nakatanggap ng
anumang impormasyon tungkol sa tangkang kudeta.
Ngunit pinuna niya na ang AFP ay handang sanggahin
anumang balak na kudeta.
"Tungkulin ng Sandatahang Lakas na pigilan at
puksain ang lahat ng kalaban ng estado," sabi ni Coloma.
"Mismong si Secretary Voltaire Gazmin ang
nagpatunay sa kahandaan ng AFP na gampanan ang tungkuling ito,” dagdag pa nito.
Hindi na kailangan na gumawa ng loyalty check sa
hanay ng sandatahang lakas dahil naniniwala ang Palasyo na ang sandatahang
lakas ay handang supilin anumang tangka ng kudeta. (DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
