Agusan Norte approves major plans, programs for
2017
By Aimee B. Sienes
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 10 (PIA) - The Sangguniang
Panlalawigan of Agusan del Norte recently adopted and approved the proposed
major economic development programs, projects and activities (PPAs) as priority
projects of the province of Agusan del Norte.
Under Provincial Resolution No. 036-2017, authored
by Vice Governor Ramon AG. Bungabong, the body approved Provincial Development
Council (PDC) Resolution No. 04, series 2017, containing the major development
PPAs that included: Agusan del Norte Special Economic Zone (ANSEZ) – full
development of the Nasipit Agusan del Norte Industrial Estate (NANIE), tubay
Agricultural Processing Center (TAPCEN) and Buenavista Special Economic zone
(BSEZ); Agusan del Norte sustainable Agro-Forestry and Dairy Stockfarm Project;
LASBUENASCAR Sustainable Agro-Forestry Development Project (Co-Management);
Magallanes Fishpond Estate Development; Lake Mainit Integrated Area Development
Project; Bana Grass Plantation; Solar Renewable energy Development Project;
Implementation of Responsible Mining Industry-Sustainable Development Mining
Program 9SDMP) fund and corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); Capitol Business
Park; Nasipit Port Expansion; Mindanao Infrastructure Linkage (MinLink) –
Construction of Buenavista-Impasug-ong Road (Bukidnon Road);
Construction/Rehabilitation of Irrigation Projects; and Malaysian ALIF/AGIE
Palm Oil Development Project.
Provincial Governor Ma. Angelica Rosedell M.
Amante-Matba believed that the immediate implementation of the province’s
identified major economic and infrastructure PPAs are expected to bring
economic benefits to the province and its constituents. (LGU-Agusan del
Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
Social enterprises need enabling business
environment to thrive
BUTUAN CITY, Feb 10 (PIA) - The Philippines needs
to develop an enabling "ecosystem" of policies and institutions to
scale up social enterprises.
In a recent study released by state think thank
Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), authors Marife Ballesteros
and Gilberto Llanto remarked that social enterprises can be an important force
in addressing the gaps between the country's paradoxical experience of positive
growth and persistent poverty.
Ballesteros and Llanto, PIDS acting vice president
and president, respectively, noted that the current policy environment has
failed to capture the needs of social enterprises which in turn has hampered
their growth. The emergence of community economies, which include social
enterprises, presents a unique set of policy and institutional requirements.
Social enterprises, compared to for-profit
enterprises and nonprofit organizations, are businesses that put communities at
the center of their enterprise. At the core of their objectives include
promoting social welfare, enabling sustainable development, and encouraging
investments for empowering communities.
Currently, the United Nations has included
community economy as part of its social and solidarity economy agenda, which
gives attention and support to businesses that "can be vehicles for
profit, people empowerment, peace, and other moral imperatives".
A 2013 survey by the Institute for Social
Entrepreneurship in Asia reported that around 30,000 organizations in the
Philippines may be classified as social enterprises. They are made up of firms
in various forms, including social cooperatives, fair trade organizations,
microfinance institutions, and trading and development companies.
Currently, there is a proposed bill in Congress
that focuses on addressing the policy needs of social enterprises. Like the
Magna Carta for MSMEs and the Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act, the
Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship or PRESENT Act includes
important provisions on tax exemptions, special credit windows and guarantee
funds, support for local government units, and other considerations like cash
incentives for social enterprises that employ people with disabilities,
comprehensive insurance for calamities, and resources from the government for
comprehensive capacity building.
Ballesteros and Llanto explained that unlike the
other two laws, the PRESENT bill does not promote the exemption of social
enterprises from the minimum wage law. This is because they "are known to
pay above the minimum wage and apply other fair trade principles".
However, the bill faces visceral challenges,
including a question of definitions, where there is currently a "lack of
agreement" on what differentiates social enterprise activities from those
of for-profit and nonprofit entities. There is also a question of social
enterprises overlapping with social protection policies and programs of the
government.
That said, the authors acknowledge the potential of
social enterprises as an avenue to respond to social challenges left unmet by
existing entities—whether they are of the state, the for-profit sector, or the
nonprofit sector.
"The Philippines has a social and cultural
environment conducive for social entrepreneurship to emerge. This is largely
attributed to the widespread focus in the country on the bottom-of-the-pyramid
issues and the strong participation of the civil society and the private sector
in social issues," the author concluded.
It would beneficial for the Philippines to nurture
that environment through sound policies.
If you wish to know more about this study, download
a copy of the policy note from this page:
http://www.pids.gov.ph/dp.php?id=5781&pubyear=2017. (PIDS/PIA-Caraga)
AgNor SP pushes for study on domestic air travel
policies
By Aimee B. Sienes
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 10 (PIA) - The provincial
lawmakers of Agusan del Norte expressed support to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan
(SP) of Bohol, requesting the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the Civil
Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to revisit, re-examine and study
the existing policies on domestic air travel specifically on fare rates which
policies are already outdated.
In its Sanggunian Resolution No. 043-2017, authored
by Provincial Board Member Lorito Q. Maraganas, the SP of Agusan del Norte
found that the deregulated and liberated regime of the Philippine domestic
aviation industry is the reason why the fare rates of domestic air travel is
not fixed but unjustifiably vary from time to time.
The SP further noted that the passengers of
domestic air travel are always at risk of sudden change of fare rates depending
on the airlines’ unilateral action, thus, there is a need to infuse a certain
measure of balance, fairness and reasonableness on the fare rates of domestic
air travels to protect the rights and interest of the passengers.
Republic Act No. 776, otherwise known as the Civil
Aeronautics Act of the Philippines, the Department of Transportation and
Communication, through the Civil Aeronautics Board is mandated by law to
regulate the economic aspect of aviation, develop and promote the air potential
of tehPhilippines, with due regard to public interest and convenience.
(LGU-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
DOST to lead the crafting of harmonized national
R&D agenda
By Framelia V. Anonas
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 10 (PIA) - The Department of
Science and Technology shall hold the 2nd National Research and Development
(R&D) Conference on February 15, 2017 to harmonize the country’s research
and development agenda and priorities for 2017-2022.
In this conference, DOST will present to
stakeholders the final Harmonized National R&D Agenda 2017-2022. The final
agenda, to be presented by Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara, undersecretary for
research and development, is based on the outputs of the 1st National R&D
Conference held October 21, 2016.
DOST’s Councils – the Philippine Council for
Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development; Philippine
Council for Health Research and Development; Philippine Council for Industry,
Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development; and the National
Research Council of the Philippines – as well as the Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and Philippine Institute
of Volcanology and Seismology will also discuss the call for R&D proposals
for the following sectors: health; industry, energy, and emerging technologies;
agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources; basic research; and disaster risk
reduction and climate change adaptation.
During the 1st National R&D Conference,
Secretary Fortunato T. De La PeΕa identified 11 areas/strategies included in the
R&D agenda, namely:
1. R&D to address pressing problems on health
self sufficiency, food and nutrition, priority agricultural commodities,
transport and mobility, national security and human security;
2. R&D for productivity, responsible mining,
and S&T for the creative, tourism and service industries;
3. R&D to tap and manage resource potentials
(responsible mining, energy source, biodiversity and sustainable development);
4. R&D to apply technologies across sectors for
our benefits (e.g. artificial intelligence and space technology);
5. Climate change and disaster risk reduction
(PAGASA Modernization Law, technical advisory services, and disaster
preparedness and risk reduction);
6. Maximize the utilization of R&D results
through technology transfer and/or commercialization
7. Assistance to the production sector (e.g.
OneExpert, OneStore);
8. Upgrading of facilities and improvement of
S&T services (Strengthening of R&D and S&T Services in the regions
through infrastructure, facilities, human resource development and R&D
funding);
9. Human Resource Development for science and
technology;
10. Capacitate and utilize institutions in the
Regions (SUCs who do R&D and develop human resources in S&T); and
11. Collaboration with industry, academe and
international institutions.
More than 350 participants of the 1st National
R&D Conference represented various agencies such as the departments of
agrarian reform, budget and management, environment and natural resources,
information and communications technology, health, and trade and industry, as
well as the National Economic and Development Authority, private and public
universities and colleges, national and regional research and development
institutions, civil societies and non-government organizations.
Other participants included international R&D
and funding agencies such as the Australian Centre for International
Agriculture Research, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
World Food Programme, World Fish, and US Agency for International Development.
Said participants identified and agreed on the
R&D priorities of the Philippines for 2017-2022 which resulted in the draft
Harmonized R&D Agenda.
Said R&D Agenda is anchored on the Duterte Administration's
10-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and in line with the Philippine Development Plan
tagged "AmBisyon Nation 2040."
The holding of both National R&D Conferences is
consistent with the DOST mandate of providing central direction, leadership,
and coordination of scientific and technical activities in the country.
Through the national research agenda, the DOST will
unify all R&D projects and initiatives in the country, and ensure that
results of these R&D activities will be used to improve the socio-economic
conditions of Filipinos.
R.A. No. 10055 (Technology Transfer Act), Article
IX, Section 19 provides that DOST shall regularly conduct national R&D
conferences to gather all agencies of the government with R&D activities.
(S&T Media Service/PIA-Caraga)
Surigao Norte holds 1st LGBT Summit
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Feb. 10 (PIA) –
Around 270 lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) gathered recently
for the 1st LGBT Summit spearheaded by the provincial government of Surigao del
Norte at the Provincial Convention Center, Provincial Compound, this city.
The one-day activity was aimed to educate the third
sex community on reproductive health, which focuses primarily on STI/HIV and
AIDS prevention and control.
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is a
disease that recognizes no territorial, social political and economic
boundaries for which there is no known cure.
The gravity of the AIDS threat demands a strong and
immediate action while the nature of HIV and AIDS calls for multi-sectoral
partnerships and responses in the local level, which involve not only the local
government unit but other sectors of the community as well.
Republic Act 8504 also known as the “Philippine
AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998” promulgates and prescribes measures
for the prevention and control of the disease thus, a nationwide HIV and AIDS
monitoring system is instituted to strengthen the Philippine National AIDS
Council and for other germane purposes when necessary.
A creative dance competition capped the one-day
event. The Socorro Butterflies Dance Group won the first place, followed by the
municipality of Pilar as second place, and the thrid place went to the
municipality of Taganaan. (Provincial Women’s Center-SDN/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Agusan Norte expands health care services for
capitol workers
By Aimee B. Sienes
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 10 (PIA) - The provincial
government of Agusan del Norte widened its coverage of the health services for
its officials and employees with the inclusion of the cost of eyeglasses and
increased the annual budget to P2,000.000.
Provincial Governor Ma. Angelica Rosedell M.
Amante-Matba fully supported the wider coverage of health services for
provincial officials and employees and ensured the increase of the annual
budget for the said purpose.
Provincial Board Member Daniel O. Racaza initiated
the move and authored Provincial Ordinance No. 436-2017, an Ordinance Amending
Sections 5 and 7 of Provincial Ordinance No. 422-2016, “An Ordinance Granting
Free Annual Medical, Dental and Ophthalmology Check-up to all Officials and
Employees of the Provincial Government of Agusan del Norte and Providing Funds
Thereof,” by adding a provision to include the cost of eyeglasses and to
increase the fund appropriation to two million pesos.
Under the said ordinance, it provided that the
provincial government shall provide eyeglasses to its employees for its annual
regular eye-check-up with the cost not more than P5,000 per unit being done
whether by a private or a public medical practitioner in a public or private
hospital.
All financial assistance for the
check-up/examination, including the purchase of eyeglasses shall be in the form
of reimbursement. (LGU-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
