OWWA to celebrate 20th Migrant Workers Day
By Susil D. Ragas and Jean Mary Ronquillo
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, June 1 (PIA) - The
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will be celebrating the 20th
Migrant Workers Day dubbed “Araw ng Pasasalamat” on June 7, 2015 to show the
government’s resolve of honoring and recognizing the valuable contributions of
OFWs to the country.
This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme,
“Kasanayan at Husay sa Paggawa, Proteksyon ng Migranteng Manggagawa.” In Caraga
region, the event will be held at Surigao del Norte Provincial Gymnasium from
8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. The one day celebration will include fun-filled
activities such as parlor games, raffle draws and dance competition.
OWWA-13 regional director Samuel Madrid enjoins
all Caraganon Overseas Filipino Workers (vacationing and returnees) including
their families, especially those from Surigao del Norte area, to participate in
this celebration dedicated for them.
To register, please visit the nearest Public
Employment Service Office (PESO) or contact the OWWA Regional Welfare Office-13
with telephone numbers (085) 342-6178/815-1894. (SDR/OWWA-Caraga/PIA-Surigao
del Norte)
Global Surigaonons conduct tree planting for Lake
Mainit shores reforestration
By Zimmbodilion Peter Mosende
MAINIT, Surigao del Norte, June 1 (PIA) — Migrants
and residents of Mainit, Surigao del Norte led by the online facebook group,
Mainitnon Gihapon, in collaboration with the local government of Barangay
Quezon, joined hands recently in planting more than 600 bangkal trees along the
Bitan-ag area of Lake Mainit shore.
Members of Mainitnon Gihapon or MG are local and
migrants Mainitnons from all over the world. Many have come home as far as
Canada, North America, Europe, Middle East, North Africa, and Australia to join
this year’s 2nd global reunion which included a support to the tree planting
cause.
Several members of MG, even prior to its existence
as a facebook group (founded Dec 2011)
(http://pidjanga.blogspot.com/2011/12/mainitnon-gihapon-mg-facebook-group.html),
have been strong supporters of the re-greening and reforestation efforts for
the lake. This included support to the first ever tree planting efforts of the
online group Mainit Dot Org (MDO) in 2006 with 300 bangkal trees planted,
followed by Tambayayong Mainit, Inc. (TMI) in 2009 and 2012 (600 bangkal and
susot trees), all on the eastern side of the lake shore called Panayakpan.
Incumbent barangay captain and a tree enthusiast
Gaudencio Mondano, who has extensive experience on reforestation in Papua New
Guinea, pushed the lake shore reforestation as one of the barangay’s top
priority development agenda. The barangay named this as the Panayakpan Ecopark
project.
With a convincing proposal, and armed with
evidence from the previous tree planting experiments that both bangkal and
susot trees are guob-resitant which means they can survive in long term
flooding, the Philippine Red Cross granted a P300,000 seed fund for the
establishment of a barangay nursery and planting of additional trees. By end of
2014, the barangay has planted almost a thousand trees spanning around two
kilometers of lake shore from Barangay Quezon to the neighboring Barangay
Mabini.
The MG-led tree planting this year covers the
western portion of the lake going to Barangay San Isidro. A total of 625
bangkal trees were planted spanning around 1.5 kilometers of lakeshore.
“With its capacity to hold water of up to 40
liters a day, a throng of fully grown bangkal trees has a potential to help
mitigate the effects of the dreaded annual lake flooding,” said Mondano.
“I am so happy to be back home after several years
of living abroad. I am so excited to be of help,” shared Crispo Salino, an MG
member based in Canada who also joined the activity.
“This has always been among my advocacies. My
dream is to see one day that the 62-kilometer shoreline of Lake Mainit will be
fully reforested so that our children, grandchildren and their grandchildren
would enjoy the beauty of the ecopark. It is my prayer that with the joint
efforts of Mainitnons and Surigaonons, we will be able to see again the
beautiful lakeshore forest which existed in this very lake a century ago,”
expressed Manila-based MG member and Pidjanga blogger
(www.pidjanga.blogspot.com) Zimmbodilion Peter Mosende who was also among the
force behind the successful tree planting projects of MDO and TMI since 2006.
Members of Mainitnon Gihapon have suggested that
this project be sustained in the coming years with the hope that fellow
Mainitnons will realize the importance of trees in the lake’s ecosystem, and
the neighboring lakeshore towns will replicate barangay Quezon's success. (MG
member/PIA-Caraga)
Gov’t conducted Bayanihan through Peace Caravan in
Agusan del Sur
By Maj Christian C Uy
CAMP EVANGELISTA, Cagayan de Oro City, June 1
(PIA) – The local government unit (LGU) of Agusan del Sur province led by its
governor, Hon. Adolph Edward G. Plaza, together with the national and local
agencies, Philippine National Police (PNP), and 4th Infantry Division,
Philippine Army, conducted the 2-day Peace Caravan dubbed as “Nagkakaisang
bayan para sa kapayapaan. The Government works for you” in far-flung
communities of Loreto town on May 28-29, 2015.
On board five Huey Helicopters of Philippine Air
Force, trucks and light vehicles, said government officials went to Brgys.
Kauswagan and Manawe of Loreto, Agusan del Sur, and provided programs and
services for the people.
Loreto town has been one of the hotbed areas as
far as insurgency is concerned in Caraga. Since the deployment of the Community
Organizing for Peace and Development (COPD) in year 2013, a Bayanihan activity
that is being facilitated by the Philippine Army, LGUs and government line agencies
in support to peace and development initiatives, the delivery of programs and
services gradually changed the perception of the people to include the New
People’s Army (NPA) and their mass supporters into believing that it is only
through these developments we can solve the problems and alleviate their
plights.
Municipal Mayor Dario Otaza of said town welcomed
everyone and expressed his utmost gratitude to all the stakeholders during the
2-day program.
Present also during the activity were Office of
the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Deles;
Usec Gettie Sandoval of OPAPP; Usec Emmanuel Bautista, executive director of
the Cabinet Cluster on Security, Justice and Peace; Usec Ronaldo Geron, deputy
executive secretary for Finance and Administration Chris Morales of the
Department of Agriculture (DA); Director Leocadio Trovela of the Department of
Interior and Local Government (DILG); LtGen Aurelio Baladad, commander of Eastern Mindanao
Command, Major General Oscar Lactao, commander of the 4th Infantry Division and
other representatives of regional and provincial directors.
Government services include medical mission by the
Provincial Health Office; project turn-over of Timbangan ng Bayan by the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); hand-over of land titles by the
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR); skills training and scholarships for Provincial Community
Training Center by TESDA-13; distribution of seedlings and livestocks by the
Provincial Agriculture Office; implementation of OPAPP’s big ticket project
which is the farm-to-market road connecting Talacogon, La Paz, Loreto, Veruela,
Bunawan, all of Agusan del Sur; and Kasalan ng Bayan conducted by the Municipality
of Loreto local government.
“Just like what I’ve said before, through the
Internal Peace and Security Operation (IPSO) or the Bayanihan activities, all
stakeholders have worked together to achieve a common goal that is to bring
hope for the people and create a peaceful community that is ready for further
development. The role of the Philippine Army is to ensure that all of these
government projects and services will be safely delivered in your communities,”
MGen Lactao said.
After the giving of programs and services to the
people, the national and local dignitaries proceeded with the ceremonial
hand-over of support to 154 former rebels (FR) who finally decided to go back
to mainstream society. These FRs have received support based from the
Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) from the LGU of Agusan del Sur.
Further, a total of 152 high-powered and
low-powered firearms were surrendered by the FRs. Only those who have firearms
are entitled to receive cash assistance from the Guns for Peace Program of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines but the amount will depend on the result of the
joint validation and authentication committee (JVAC) as remuneration to the
guns surrendered. Moreover, Mayor Otaza also provided cash assistance to the
FRs.
“We congratulate our brothers and sisters who have
returned to their normal life. Thank you for finally leaving the non-sense
armed struggle and believing that the only solution to the problem is to take
part on the peace initiatives in your communities. Rest assured that these
continuing programs will reach not only to this area but in all corners of the
archipelago. Walang iwanan (no one will be left behind),” said Usec Bautista
during his speech. (INF, PA/PIA-Caraga)
DOST’s complementary food helps dip malnutrition
in Agusan del Norte town, study says
BUTUAN CITY, June 1 (PIA) - The complementary food
feeding program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Jabonga,
a third class municipality in Agusandel Norte, helped decrease malnutrition
incidence from a high of 74 percent to 34 percent, according to a study.
The study, tied up with a 120-day complementary
food feeding program, was conducted by DOST’s
Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI).
Findings showed that the significant increase in
body weights of children is attributed to the 120-day complementary food
feeding program implemented by DOST, through its attached agency FNRI. The latter developed several variants of said
complementary food.
This feeding program is a continuous undertaking
in partnership with the Municipality of Jabonga and its Municipal Department of
Social Welfare and Development office.
“As part of DOST’s commitment to help curb
malnutrition in the country, we have developed the complementary food technology
through the FNRI several years ago with extensive research using readily
available raw materials like rice and monggo,” said DOST Secretary Mario G.
Montejo.
The DOST-FNRI developed and rolled out three kinds
of complementary foods, namely the Rice-Mongo Curls, the Rice-Mongo Baby Food
Blend (Instant) and the Rice-Monggo with Sesame.
Complementary food samples were formally presented
during the Science Nation Tour (SNT) in CARAGA recently. Sec. Montejo handed over a basketful of
complementary foods to Jabonga Mayor Jasmin F. Monton, who welcomed the DOST
intervention as a very effective innovation that addressed the municipality’s
malnutrition problem.
“Nagpapasalamat kami ng lubusan sa DOST para sa
programang complementary food feeding program dahil ito ay nakabawas sa
malnutrisyon ng mga bata sa Jabongana may edad mula anim na buwan hanggang
tatlong taon sa loob ng 120 araw (We thank the DOST for the complementary food
feeding program because it reduced malnutrition of the children in Jabonga with
ages from six months to three years old in a span of 120 days),” said Mayor
Jabonga.
The Rice-Mongo Curls, a blend of rice flour and
mongo, is crispy with an appealing
cereal taste enhanced by artificial flavours. This product contains 130 kcal of
energy and 4 grams protein per 30 grams. This is enough to meet the 12 percent
of recommended energy and 14.3 percent of recommended protein intake of
children with age of one to three years.
As a nutritious snack, it contains 15 milligram of
calcium, one milligram of iron and 21 grams of carbohydrates.
The Rice-Mongo Baby Food Blend (plain variety),
meanwhile, is an instant food preparation rich in protein and energy, processed
using the extrusion cooking method. It contains 120 kcal and 4 grams protein
per 30 grams. This formulation is enough to meet 17 percent of recommended
energy and nutrient intake (RENI) for children aged six to 12 months and 29
percent of recommended protein intake for children of the same age.
The Rice-Monggo Baby Food Blend contains 140
calories (19 percent RENI) and four grams of protein (19.4 percent RENI) for
children aged six to 12 months.
The first batch of the Jabonga project had two
sets of participants who started in April and October 2014. Set A had 73 while
Set B had 15 participating children. After 30 days of implementation, 33 of the
73 children achieved the normal weight status for Set A and eight of 15
children achieved normal weight status for Set B. Then after the 120-day period
ended, 69 out of 73 was declared with normal weight for Set A and all 15 declared
with normal weight for Set B.
This complementary food feeding program of the
DOST-FNRI is now being replicated in other towns and municipalities in the
province as well as in the nearby province of Surigao del Norte, and other
regions in the country with significant malnutrition problem.
The unique and effective health food products of
DOST-FNRI will also be featured in the upcoming National Science and Technology
Week 2015 from July 24-28, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. All
kids and adults, science aficionados, techies, and fun loving people from all
walks of life are invited to see the DOST exhibits of various technologies and
innovations for FREE. For more details please log on to nstw.dost.gov.ph or can
also visit the DOST website, www.science.ph.
(S&T Media Service/PIA-Caraga)
Caraga farmer associations receive P2.93M worth of
farm machineries
By Rhea C. Abao
BUTUAN CITY, June 1 (PIA) - “To lower the cost of
production and to increase farmers income are priority concerns of the
Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Agri-Pinoy Rice Program”, said DA-13
Regional Director Edna M. Mabeza, as she personally turned-over the agricultural farm equipment
worth of P2.93 million.
The turn-over ceremony was spearheaded by the
Regional Agriculture Engineering Division (RAED) and witnessed by Chief of the
Integrated Laboratories Division John E. Gamboa, Sr. and Chief of
Field Operations Division. Rebecca R. Atega .
DA continues to uplift the lives of Caraga farmers
through the support of farm mechanization. There were 20 farmer- associations
and irrigator associations who received a full grant of pump and engine set.
Ten units were given to the associations from Agusan del Sur, five units for
Butuan City, one unit for Agusan del Norte, three units for Surigao del Sur and
one unit for the Province of Dinagat Islands.
Five farmer associations and irrigator
associatons from the five provinces also
received rice threshers. This is under to the 85:15 counter parting scheme
wherein 85 percent will be shouldered by the department and the remaining 15
percent will be the counterpart of the recepient. The distribution of the farm
machineries was based on the proposals submitted by the associations.
“Claver, Gigaquit, Bacuag (CLAGIBA) Irrigators
Association received four units of rice threshers. A total of 1,011 members
will benefit the said equipment. Aside from the machineries and equipment we
received DA also partnered it with technical assistance as they deliver the
services and programs of the government. With this, we are very grateful from
the full-packed assistance we have received,” said Pablo Escaro, president of
CLAGIBA Irrigators Association.
Under its Farm Mechanization Program, DA is continously
extending pre and post harvest equipment and facilities to qualified farmer
associations, irrigator associations, cooperatives, local government units and
accredited farm service providers. (DA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
DepEd-SurSur expects 130,000 students for 2015 classes
opening
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, June 1 (PIA) – Three
schools divisions of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Surigao del Sur are
ready to greet over 130,000 elementary pupils and high school students
province-wide for the opening of classes today.
Everything has already been set, according to the
respective schools division officers concerned.
Assistant schools division superintendent Lorenzo
Macasocol of DepEd-Surigao del Sur division said that they have started the
Oplan Balik Eskwela in which public assistance stations were put up that would
remain operational until June 6, 2015 following the successful conduct of the
Brigada Eskwela.
Macasocol added that as the biggest division, some
100,000 elementary pupils and high school students are expected to come to
school during the opening day while division planning officer III Bevelyn
Garrido cited they have a project enrollment of 82,504 and 29,536 for
elementary and secondary schools, respectively.
However, early registration data shows a
significant number of students have yet to enroll as there are only 74,063 for
elementary and 29,085 enrollees for secondary posted.
On the part of the Tandag City division, schools
division superintendent (SDS) Gregoria Su also said that they have a projected
enrollment of 10,206 and 4,511 for the 26 elementary and five secondary
schools, respectively.
Bislig City division headed by SDS Josita Carmen
said that public schools under her are also ready for the incoming school year.
The Bislig City division down south of the
province has a much bigger student population compared to Tandag City.
Meanwhile, Macasocol and Su told media that
classrooms are no longer a problem in their area due to construction of
additional school buildings.
However, Macasocol said in particular that some
newly constructed classrooms are yet to be turned-over due to back jobs upon
learning some minor defects after inspection.
“No collection policy” is strictly enforced here,
DepEd officials further emphasized. (NGBT/Radyo ng Bayan-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del
Sur)
