OWWA sets PESO conference in AgSur
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 7 (PIA) – The Overseas Workers
Welfare Administration (OWWA) is set to hold a Public Employment Service Office
(PESO) Conference on September 9, 2016 at Mabes’ Savory Place, Barangay 1, San
Francisco, Agusan del Sur.
According to Ronelo Maningo, family welfare officer
of OWWA-Agusan del Sur, all PES Officers in all municipalities of the province
will be attending said activity.
“During the conference, PES officers will be
discussing updates on the programs and services of the Philippine Overseas
Employment Administration, illegal recruitment, issues and concerns of
recruitment agencies, latest policies imposed for Overseas Filipino Workers,
and issues on the undocumented OFWs by the National Reintegration Center for
OFWs,” disclosed Maningo.
The official also cited that repatriation of OFWs
who are from Agusan del Sur and are still stranded in Saudi Arabia after losing
their jobs will also be tackled by the participants. (JPG/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
OWWA Caraga provides assistance to displaced OFWs
in AgSur
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
AGUSAN DEL SUR, Sept. 7 (PIA) – The Overseas
Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Caraga has recently distributed different
assistance to the four Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from various
municipalities here, who were displaced/distressed after losing their jobs from
their companies in Qatar, Kuwait, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Under the OWWA’s Reintegration Program dubbed as
“Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay!” Program, the four recipients received an
assistance worth P10,000 each.
Two of the four recipients requested five sacks of
rice each worth P10,000 while one asked for grocery items worth P10,000 and the
other one asked for a unit of Sewing Machine worth P10,000.
The OWWA personnel delivered said assistance to the
four recipients in the municipalities of Rosario, Sta. Josefa, Trento, and
Bayugan City.
The "Balik-Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay!" is a
program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and OWWA where
displaced/distressed workers can avail of starter kits and livelihood
assistance worth P10,000.
OWWA is the government welfare institution that
protects and promotes the interest of member-Overseas Filipino Workers. It develops responsive programs and services
for the social protection of its members. (JPG/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Caraga's economic growth decelerated in 2015 says
PSA
By Nora C. Lanuza Molde
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 7 (PIA) – The Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA) Caraga revealed during the Regional Development
Council - Social Development Committee meeting conducted on Tuesday that the
region’s economic growth decelerated from 9.4 percent in 2014 to 4.2 percent in
2015.
The region’s growth declined as agriculture,
hunting, forestry and fishing (AHFF) declined and industry and services slowed
down during that period.
It was also noted that the services sector has
continue to account for the largest share in the region’s total economic output
with 14.7 percent followed by 37.2 percent of the industry sector while the
AHFF also contributed 17.1 percent.
During the year, the overall performance of the
services sector slowed down from 9.2 percent in 2014 to 5.3 percent in 2015
this is due to the decelerated growth of four sub-industries.
The transportation, storage and communication (TSC)
also recorded the biggest deceleration from 16.4 percent in 2014 to 4.2 percent
in 2015.
On the financial intermediation (FI), it slowed
down from 5.7 percent to 5.6 percent and the public administration and defense
(PAD) decelerated from 4.4 percent to 1.3 percent.
Meanwhile, real estate, renting and business
activities (RERBA) recorded an accelerated growth from 5.4 percent in 2014 to
7.4 percent in 2015 and other services (OS) expanded from 4.6 percent to 7.0
percent.
Also, the Industry sector has decelerated to 9.9
percent in 2015 from 14.8 percent in 2014. It says that the slowdown was
attributed to the slowdown in mining and quarrying (MAQ) and manufacturing.
MAQ, which accounted for the largest share in the industry decelerated from
14.7 percent to 5.0 percent in 2015.
Likewise, the manufacturing also slowed down from
12.7 percent to 2.6 percent in 2015.
However, electricity, gas and water supply (EGWS)
cushioned the decelerated growths of the first two sub-industries as it
rebounded from negative 5.8 percent in 2014 to 24.1 percent in 2015.
Construction further improved its performance by
accelerating from 20.6 percent to 22.7 percent in 2015.
The AHFF has suffered a reversal from 1.3 percent
in 2014 to negative 8.5 percent in 2015 due to the contraction of agriculture
and forestry by 9.6 percent in 2015 from a positive 1.4 percent in 2014. The
fishing also contracted from 0.8 percent in 2014 to negative 1.5 percent in
2015.
PSA further bared that the industry and services
sector has contributed 3.5 percentage points and 2.4 percentage points to the
region’s total growth for the year, respectively. (PSA/NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
Caraga RDC-SDC supports increase of senior
citizens' social pension
By Nora C. Lanuza Molde
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 7 (PIA) – The members of the
Regional Development Council - Social Development Committee (RDC-SDC) of Caraga
region have supported and endorsed the resolution to increase the social
pension of the indigent senior citizens to the Caraga RDC full council members.
It can be recalled that RDC XI has requested the
Caraga RDC to support their proposal to increase the indigent senior citizens'
social pension. The Resolution No. 32 Series of 2016 states that, “Supporting
the RDC-SDC XI Proposal to Increase the Social Pension of Indigent Senior
Citizens from P500.00 to P1,000.00.
The resolution is seen to better help indigent
senior citizens cope up with the continuing rise in the prices of basic goods
and services including medical and other needs, said Rhea Mae Mendez of the
National Economic Development Authority during her presentation of the issue.
Currently, the indigent senior citizens are
receiving a monthly stipend or social pension of P500 to augment their daily
subsistence and other medical needs which took effect on February 15, 2015.
(NCLM/PIA-Caraga)
OWWA holds capability building workshop for AgNor
PESO managers
By Nora C. Lanuza Molde
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 7 (PIA) – In its drive to
improve the delivery of its programs and services to Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFWs), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Caraga has recently
conducted a capability building workshop to some 18 Public Employment Service
Office (PESO) managers in the province of Agusan del Norte.
According to OWWA Caraga regional director Samuel
Madrid, the PESO managers play a vital role as the key partner-implementers in
the different municipalities of the province.
The activity has provided the PESO managers on the
timely update of the agency’s recent developments and also strengthened the
linkages among the local government units of the province. It also endeavored
in empowering and capacitate them of the proper protocol in responding to
request for assistance among their constituents and OFW families, Madrid said.
Also, Madrid said that the activity is another
approach to decentralize its programs and services in the local level through
empowering and enhancing the knowledge of the PESO relative to the agency’s
currently implemented services and the process of program availment.
(NCLM/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
Mindanao business community pushes for land
administration reform act, national land use policy
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Sept. 7 (PIA) –
Recognizing some inconsistent laws and conflicting land uses, Philippine
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) officials and delegates of the 25th
Mindanao Business Conference (MinBizCon) had proposed for the passage of the
Land Administration Reform Act (LARA) and National Land Use Policy (NLUPA) Act.
At present a number of bureaus and offices under
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agrarian
Reform, the National Mapping Resources and Information Authority (NAMRIA) and
National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) were among the government
agencies involved in land surveying, mapping classification, titling and
registration functions leading to the issuance of different land tenurial
intruments in the country.
It is hoped that the Duterte administration and the
17th congress will favorably act on aforesaid resolutions that will streamline
land surveying, mapping, classification, titling and registration processes to
be placed in one responsible agency.
With some existing inconsistent laws, the
resolution also proposed for the enactment of a National Land Use Policy Act
and recommend updating of comprehensive land use plans that will provide
broader framework on land allocations objectively considering vital land
requirements for settlements, production, commercial and industrial uses,
environmental management of protected and key biodiversity areas among others.
One of the concerns is that vast potential
agricultural lands remain unproductive due to absence of appropriate land
tenurial instruments. While some environmentally critical, key biodiversity
conservation and watershed areas are within mining exploration and mineral
production sharing agreement (MPSA) areas.
It has to be noted that in the last meeting of the
Economic Development Committee of the Surigao City Development Council, Uriel
Correos Assistant City Planning and Development Officer proposed for
endorsement of the passage of the LARA Bill be considered in the MinBizCon
resolutions of which the Surigao Chamber of Commerce and Industry has duly
supported.
DTI Provincial Director Celestino L. Negapatan,
vice chairperson of the City Economic Development Committee appreciated that
the PCCI leadership had gave priority for the pushing of the land
administration act that will hopefully paved the way for settlements of land
use conflicting issues among various interest groups and the eventual issuance
of appropriate land tenurial instruments that can ultimately lead to improved
land valuation, increase production and sustained economic growth. (DTI-Surigao
del Norte/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
