(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 27 March 2024) Easterlies affecting the eastern section of the country. Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Easterlies / Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.


Wednesday, December 21, 2016


Army capacitates young cultural minority professionals in Caraga

By Jennifer P. Gaitano

BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 21 (PIA) - In its aim to enhance the potential of the young cultural minority professionals to become an agent of peace and development in the communities, the 4th Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion, Philippine Army capacitated the youth sector thru the conduct of ‘Young Cultural Minority Professionals’ Forum from December 21-22, 2016 at 4CMO Conference Room, this city.

According to 4CMO Battalion commanding officer LTC Rey Pasco, this the first in Caraga region to conduct such forum involving the youth sectors, who are mostly officers of the Caraga Mindanao Cultural Development, Inc. (CMCDI), an Indigenous Peoples (IP) youth organization which was organized by the 4CMO as IP Youth Leaders and Communicators in the region, student leaders from Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) in Butuan City and Muslim young professionals identified by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).

“The youths as future leaders of our society are considered critical and decisive factor in the government's fight against insurgency and violent extremism, for they will soon shape the course of our society, thus, there is a great need to properly address and educate the youth sector so as to deny the Communist Party of the Philippines – New Peoples Army – National Democratic Front (CNN) and violent extremists a source for their recruitment and to discredit the enemy's propaganda against the government,” highlighted Col. Pasco.

Col. Pasco added that lecturers of said forum are coming from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), NCMF, Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), and 401st and 402nd Brigades of Philippine Army.

 “We invited speakers from the aforementioned agencies to discuss relevant topics, issues and concerns that affect the youth sector. We wanted to equip the participants with the right knowledge and capacitate them through a workshop to come up with an action plan for their respective community. Right after the workshop, they will present and explain their outputs to develop small group interaction and break barriers in expectation and pre-conceptions,” Col. Pasco underlined.

It was also learned that said activity will be replicated and conducted at the provincial and municipal level by the CMO companies in coordination with the brigades in the area of responsibility. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)


31 junior responders graduate from WASAR training in SurSur town

By Nida Grace P. Barcena

BAYABAS, Surigao del Sur, Dec. 21 (PIA) – Thirty one junior responders in Bayabas town graduated on Monday from the water search and rescue (WASAR) training in simple ceremonies hosted by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) of Bayabas here.

According to Bayabas DRRM Officer Geralyn Guibao, majority of the Junior Responders or Junior Bayabas SERTSS (Search for Emergency and Response Team of Surigao del Sur) are Senior High School Students of Solomon P. Lozada National High School.

Provincial DRRM officer Abel de Guzman confirmed the 31 young graduates during the closing ceremony. In his mesage, he emphasized the great role of being a 'responder,' that is, to save lives, and to 'rescue,' which is a life saving activity. Said initiative according to de Guzman is the first in the province and the entire region.

On the other hand, Bayabas mayor Maria Clarita Limbaro thanked the young participants and their parents for their strong commitment in supporting the activity.

 “The consent of the parents to allow their children to voluntarily join the training has a great factor to make this happen,” said Mayor Limbaro.

Last July 21, 2016, some 30 Senior High School Students of the same school also underwent a Basic Life Support Training spearheaded by the LGU thru the local DRRM office. (PIA-Surigao del Sur)


Dinagat PDRRMO holds 1-day ICS executive course training

By  Susil D. Ragas

SAN JOSE, Dinagat Islands, Dec. 21 (PIA) - The provincial government of Dinagat Islands through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in collaboration with the office of the Civil Defense (OCD) recently conducted an Executive Course on Incident Command System (ICS) held at Provincial Guest Center, Barangay Cuarenta, San Jose town.

PDRRMO Officer Rosario Inday Roxas-Alon Jr. said the one-day activity aims to increase appreciation of ICS as the vital tool for effective disaster response and incident/event management and to understand ICS background, concepts, principles and features, organizational roles, facilities and the common responsibilities of the ICS under the five modules.

She said that the five modules are composed of Introduction to Command System; Organizational and Staffing; ICS Facilities; Organizing and managing Incidents/events; and Common Responsibilities.

Roxas further said the five courses under the said modules are helpful to everyone in understanding roles and responsibilities when incidents happen.

The said activity was participated by chief executives and municipal council, provincial board members, national line agencies and provincial functionaries. (SDR, PDRRMO-Dinagat Islands/PIA-Dinagat Islands)


DA turns over P15 Million aggie projects to SurSur farmers

BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 21 (PIA) -The Department of Agriculture (DA) continues to provide pump priming economic activities for the farmers. This is to offer the much-needed support in improving their lives.

Recently, DA-Caraga turned-over 15 million worth of various interventions for the farmers of San Agustin, Surigao del Sur. DA Caraga OIC regional executive director Renato P. Manantan handed the certificates of turnover to Municipal Mayor Libertad O. Alameda together with the key of responsibility of the projects.

The purpose of the ceremonial activity is to formally transfer the projects to the 11 Barangays of the municipality of San Agustin namely: Brgy. Gata, Salvacion, Buatong, Buhisan, Kauswagan, Oteiza, Hornasan, Sto. Nino, Pongtod, Pon-on, Janipaan. A total of 26 farmer associations received the interventions from the department.

"We are very grateful for the Department of Agriculture for giving us these interventions. I encourage all the recipients and peoples' organizations to be good stewards from all they have received. The local government of San Agustin will continuously support our farmers through technology transfer and will continuously monitor all the interventions we have received," said Mayor Alameda.

DA together with LGU San Agustin pursues to strengthen its partnership for the farmers in the municipality. The essence of partnership put in place the needed and suitable interventions in agriculture as DA continues to strengthen farmer organizations through consultations and dialogues.

"A united farmer organization and united LGU is our key to progress. The resources you have received are the fruit of the unified effort of all key players who actively supports the development of the agriculture sector in the locality. I am appealing to all the recipients to take good care of these interventions. We are looking forward that you will be able to testify the successes of the projects you have received,” said Director Manantan.

Janipaan Abaca Farmers Association (JAPO) was one of the recipients of the provision of rubber and abaca planting materials and one unit of water pump. It is an association with 45 members dependent on agriculture as a means of livelihood. In an interview with Isidro Avenido-JAPO President, he was grateful for the projects they received.

"The water pump we received helps us makes us more productive. Today, we are now also earning from the abaca that we planted. We are now selling abaca fiber for 80 per kilo, and this gave an additional income to our respective families. We are very thankful for the Department of Agriculture for giving us interventions that can help us and improve our lives," said Isidro Avenido.

The turned-over projects include: Rubber and Abaca planting materials; Ginger Production; Banana Production; Organic Rice Production; Organic Fertilizer Production; Agro-forestry Plantation; Root crops Production; Carabao Dispersal; Goat Raising; Production of Improve Native Chicken; Fish-Pen Production; Pre and Post Harvest Facilities and Farm to Market Road. These projects were funded by the DA- Bottom-up-Budgeting and DA-Mindanao Rural Development Project additional funds. (DA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)


Surigao Norte guv to replicate Cuba’s best health practices

By Ivonnie B. Dumadag

SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Dec. 21 (PIA) – Governor  Sol F. Matugas will replicate Cuba's best practices in health, following her recent visit to Cuba last Nov. 23-25, 2016 together with officials from the Department of Health and representatives from the executive and legislative departments in the province.

"Cuba and the Philipines has a similar program on health, the Community Health System, but Cuba is known to have the best in the world," said Gov. Matugas. "Thus, when DOH Sec. Paulyn Jean Ubial encouraged us to visit the place, I immediately took the chance," she added.

On day one, the team was oriented on the evolution of Cuba's health system. Presently, it has about 120,000 doctors serving their 12M population all over the 14 provinces. Families in a community is provided with doctors who handles their immediate health needs. Patients that requires treatment from specialists are referred to polyclinics and only those requiring specialized medical treatment are sent to the hospitals.

The team visited a tenement with an assigned family doctor, the Policlinico Universitario 19 De Abril, one of Cuba's polyclinics, and the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital which is a highly specialized state-of-the-art hospital that provides a wide range of medical services and medicines to Cuban residents for free. The hospital has a capacity of 650 beds, manned by 600 specialized doctors, 800 nurses and support staff, but does not accept emergency cases, only referrals from polyclinics. It is also a teaching hospital for post graduate medical courses with about 800 doctors being trained at present to specialize various fields in medicine.

Support facilities to complement their health care program were also visited by the team. This includes the Casa de Abuelo Plaza dela Revolucion, a government facility that provides wellness and recreational activities to physically fit elderlies. There are about 247 centers of this kind all over Cuba. The Centro Communitario de Salud Central, a community mental center was also visited by the team. It provides programs for persons who needs counselling, rehabilitation, undergoing trauma and stress, at any given age. It also has a program on drug addiction which is implemented in coordination with the family and the community. Another facility visited by the group was the La Esperanza del Mundo, a maternity halfway house for high-risk pregnant women which monitors their health conditions before and after giving birth.

Since Cuba is a disaster-prone area, their government gives priority to disaster risk reduction and management program. The team visited the Unidad Central de Colaboracion Medica (UCCM) and the Museo dela Colaboracion, a Center for International Cooperation that has already provided disaster response to 62 countries worldwide.

"What we can adopt from Cuba is their strong community referral system, from their family doctors to the polyclinics, all the way to the hospital. We can also replicate how they operate health care support facilities such as their center for the elderly," Gov. Matugas added.

After a series of site visits, the team met with the officials of the Cuban Health Ministry and manifested their requests. "We asked for Surigao del Norte's membership to the International Cooperation on disaster response and the possibility of establishing partnership between the government of the Philippines and Cuba to enable us to request for Cuban physicians to assist us in providing health services in our primary health care facilities," said Gov. Matugas.

In addition, the governor asked the ministry to allow the sharing of Research Journals to complement the soon-to-be-established Health Training and Research Center in the municipality of Placer.

"We are so happy that the Cuban Ministry on Health was very receptive to our requests. Also, we are thankful to Sec. Ubial for the invitation to visit Cuba, as health care is the top priority of my administration and the insights we gained from the trip will help us improve further our health services for the Surigaonons," Gov. Matugas concluded.

The Philippine delegation to Cuba was composed of the former congressman of the first district, Atty. Francisco T. Matugas, officials from the DOH represented by Assistant Sec. Dr. Leonita P. Gorgolon and DOH Caraga regional director Dr. Jose Llacuna, Board Members Constantino B. Navarro and Leonila Gorgolon, Provincial Health Office chief Dr. Ma. Isabel B. Makinano and Provincial Planning and Development Office chief Ivonnie B. Dumadag. They were assisted by representatives from the Philippine Embassy in Mexico, headed by Ambassador Eduardo Jose de Vega. (LGU-Surigao del Norte/PIA-Surigao del Norte)