DTI conducts business education seminar for
business operators
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, May 29 - Two (2)
consecutive business education seminars (BES) were recently conducted for
business operators in the municipalities of Sibagat and Rosario, this province.
Both activities aimed to equip the business owners
on business-related laws for their compliance as well as for their awareness as
consumers themselves.
During the seminar, three trade and industry laws
were presented: Price Tag Law, Sales Promotion and No Shortchanging Act of
2016.
“Daku ko ug pasalamat sa DTI tungod kay daghan ko
ug nahibaloan pinaagi ani nga seminar (I am thankful to DTI for holding this
seminar where I gained useful learnings),” Alma Pecson of Maidial Store in
Sibagat shared during the BES conducted at Negosyo Center (NC)-Sibagat, Bus
Terminal, Poblacion, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur.
The business operators who attended the seminars at
NC-Sibagat and those at the Sarnimian Inland Resort in Rosario also commit to
do their best to comply with the said laws to avoid violations and to share the
information they learned to others.
It was learned that another round of BES is
scheduled next quarter. (DTI-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Army gathers 200 OSYs, students for 2017 YLS in
AgSur town
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, May 29 — The 23rd
Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army and the local government unit of Esperanza,
Agusan del Sur recently conducted the “1st Esperanza Youth Leadership Summit
2017” with some 200 out-of-school youth and students coming from the different
barangays of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur.
The said YLS was held at the covered court of
Esperanza National High School in Esperanza. This year's theme is “Transforming
the Youth as Advocates of Peaceful Change.”
Mayor Leonida Manpatilan of Esperanza; LTC
Licudine, 401st Deputy Brigade Commander; LTC Emil Cruz, 23IB Battalion
Commander; Vice Mayor Victor Manpatilan of Esperanza; PInsp Geraldine
Geraldino, deputy of Esperanza Municipal Police Station; and representatives
from different local offices, YLS facilitators headed by Joshua Bebis, and
other stakeholders were present during the opening ceremony.
The activity is aimed to inculcate positive values,
attitudes and behavior to the participants that will ultimately develop a character
based leadership among the youths. It also fostered unity of different
communities and youth groups leading to synergy and commitment to community
development, and enable the youths to discover, affirm and further use their
inherent leadership attributes that will later create a positive impact to the
society.
LTC Cruz underscored that the youth are the hope of
our fatherland and the future of the nation. “They can also help our country in
solving its social problems. He encouraged the youth to express their desires
and aspirations for social reforms and change through peaceful means,” he said.
“It is very important to our youths to enhance
their leadership capacity, motivate their selves on how to be a responsible and
well-informed young adults of our society and community,” Mayor Manpatilan
said. (23IB Phil. Army/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
SSS reduces retirement age for surface, underground
mineworkers
BUTUAN CITY, May 29 - The Social Security System
(SSS) reduced the age for optional and technical retirement of both surface and
underground mine workers from the previous retirement age of 55 years old to 50
years old in compliance with Department of Labor and Employment(DOLE)
Department Order (DO) No.167 S-2016.
SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel
F. Dooc said that the new policy from SSS reduced the optional retirement to 50
years old and the technical or compulsory retirement to 60 years old for both
underground and surface mineworkers.
“We deemed it necessary to include both underground
and surface mineworkers to ensure that social security protection is given to
all kinds of mineworkers. We understand the danger of their work and we want
them to enjoy the fruits of their hard-earned money as early as possible,” said
Dooc.
The DO is the order from DOLE implementing Republic
Act 10757 otherwise known as “An Act Reducing the Retirement Age of Surface
Mine Workers from Sixty (60) to Fifty (50) Years, Amending for the Purpose
Article 302 of Presidential Decree No. 442, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the
“Labor Code of the Philippines.”
Based on the guidelines, surface mineworkers
include only mill plant workers, electrical, mechanical and tailings pond
personnel while underground mine workers are those employed to extract mineral
deposits underground or whose workplace is beneath the ground.
To qualify for the SSS retirement benefit, the
surface or underground mineworker must have paid at least 120 monthly
contributions prior to the semester of retirement. If the mineworker will
retire at the age of 50, he should ensure that he has stopped working.
“If the mineworker-member chooses the optional
retirement of 50 years old, he must be separated from employment or has stopped
working at the time he files his claim. Otherwise, he will not be allowed to
file for retirement benefit or if his retirement claim is already granted, it
will be suspended by SSS,” said Dooc.
Aside from the number of contributions, the
mineworker should have been employed and certified as underground and surface
mineworkers by his employer who must be duly registered with the Mines and
Geosciences Bureau. The certification must also include the workers position
title and his job description.
At the time of filing for retirement claim, the
mineworker must have worked for at least five years, whether continuous or
accumulated prior to the semester of retirement but the actual date of
retirement should not be earlier than April 27, 2016— the date of effectivity
of reduced retirement age.
“We hope that with this new policy, the SSS will be
able to extend the benefits that our members need as early as possible. We want
our mineworkers to feel that we care for them and we want them to enjoy the
money they saved with SSS,” said Dooc.
For more details on the retirement claim
application for underground and surface mineworkers, members may call the SSS
Call Center at 920-6446 to 55 or email member_relations@sss.gov.ph.
(SSS/PIA-Caraga)
