Feature: Building partnership in Del Carmen
By Danny Escabarte
The three-hour boat ride from Surigao City to
Dapa, Siargao Island is challenging. Still drizzling when the boat left the
city, sleep had to be shortened to be able to catch up with the boat that will
be leaving for the island at daybreak. This trip will bring us to the town of
Del Carmen, where a two-classroom school building will be constructed for the
high school students of Surigao State College of Technology (SSCT).
Waves at Siargao Strait inspired passengers to
take a nap as the boat cruises towards the island. Shoreline villages ringed
with mangroves and coconut trees catches the sight of curious onlookers, while
other passengers sought better positions to take a rest.
It’s almost noon time when the boat docked at Dapa
wharf. Passengers were in a hurry to disembark as it was already lunchtime. The
group proceeded to SSCT Campus to have one final look at the site where the
groundbreaking for the new school building would take place.
The municipality of Del Carmen will again take
center stage as another education-focused project will be constructed for
secondary students of SSCT. In 2013, digital literacy for children and youth
had been enhanced with PLDT’s donation of personal computers to the Computer
Training Education Center (CTEC) in Del Carmen.
The project is in transition to become the Tech4Ed Prorgram- which uses
information technology (IT) to combat poverty in Siargao.
The Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) also
participated in the Siargao It Up program of the Metro Pacific Investment Corporation
(MPIC). The undertaking included underwater clean up, formation of the Junior
Environmental Scouts and Run for the Mangrove Event.
PLDT InfoTeach Outreach Program participated by
the nine municipalities of Siargao Islands has trained 300 high school students
and teachers in Del Carmen. The training focused on teachers’ appreciation of
technology to improve teaching skills. The program with support from PLDT was
spearheaded by the municipality of Del Carmen led by Mayor Alfredo M. Coro II.
Private and public partnership in bringing social
development is possible in Siargao. This was shown by the people of the island,
as they eagerly joined with others in the community during the groundbreaking
for the two-classroom school building in Del Carmen. (PBSP/PIA-Caraga)
SurSur health office airs concern over high number
of dog bite cases
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Nov. 24 (PIA) – The
Provincial Health Office (PHO) here has raised concern over the alarming number
of cases of animal bites especially dogs.
Dr. Eric Montesclaros, PHO chief, reported last
week before capitol employees that dog bites had been posted at 732
province-wide with Tandag City topping the list at 163, also being tailed by
Bislig at 147.
However, he said that 93.44 percent of the victims
or 684 had been given full course of tissue culture vaccine (TCV).
No case of rabies was mentioned despite the high
incidence of such animal bites.
On the other hand, Dr. Montesclaros indicated that
concerned authorities had to step up campaign efforts to teach pet lovers on
how to be responsible pet owners.
Meanwhile, Dr. Gervacio Yparraguirre, provincial
veterinary officer, said campaign on responsible pet ownership in cooperation
with their counterparts at the municipal and city levels had always been all
year round.
The provincial vet chief likewise pointed out that
anti-rabies vaccination had been continuously implemented province-wide.
On the part of Tandag City, Dr. Zeny Gambe, city
vet officer, confirmed the high incidence of dog bites, explaining that one
factor could have also been the accessibility of this area to the animal bite
center. Thus, she stressed that data had
to be clarified.
Nonetheless, Gambe agreed that campaign on
responsible pet ownership should be intensified.
The city vet chief also bared that the local
government unit (LGU) under Mayor Roxanne Pimentel had always been active in
carrying out a regular anti-rabies vaccination especially during times of
“barangay civic action program.” (NGBT/Radyo ng Bayan-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del
Sur)
News Feature: Aggie chief turns over P216 Million
agri support to Caraga
By Emmylou Presilda
Walk the talk.
Fulfilling its commitment to the agriculture
sector, Secretary Proceso J. Alcala of the Department of Agriculture (DA) once
again turned over various agri support to Caraga Region amounting P216 Million
as he graced the farmers forum and techno clinic attended by more than a thousand
participants held in one of the University Gyms in Butuan City on Monday,
November 23.
These include the P208 Million worth of Farm to
Market Road Subprojects under the Philippine Rural Development Project
(PRDP). The five FMRs with Notice to
Proceed from the project is aimed at providing infrastructure support to the
development of agri enterprise such as Abaca for Santiago and Kitcharao in
Agusan del Norte and Rubber Production and Marketing in Agusan del Sur.
“The DA is committed to provide resilient and
quality roads for our farmers by providing concreted FMR that can withstand any
weather conditions ensuring the flow of goods from farm to the market,” Secretary Alcala said.
Alcala added that FMR concreting only started
during the Aquino administration who’s clear instruction is to take care of the
needs of the farmers. With that, Alcala
pushed for the implementation of the said guideline to ensure sustainability of
such project helping the farmers gain the optimum benefit of DA’s infra
interventions.
Aside from the support from DA-PRDP, Alcala also
turned over farm equipments amounting to P7.8 Million such as Rice Reaper, Corn
Picker, and Hand Tractor to various farmers’ associations and
cooperatives. Said equipment are in
support to the mechanization program of the department.
In addition, DA Caraga regional director Edna
Mabeza also prepared agricultural goodies for farmers to take home after the
one-day event where six carabaos with implements, bags of registered rice seeds
and open-pollinated variety (OPV) corn seeds are raffled off while every farmer
received assorted vegetable seeds for their household gulayan project. (DA-13/PIA-Caraga)
