ECC holds free ECP Advocacy Seminar in Surigao City
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 15 (PIA) – To increase public
awareness on the Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP), the Employees
Compensation Commission (ECC) has conducted a free Employees’ Compensation
Program Advocacy Seminar held at Parkway Hotel in Surigao City.
ECC executive director Stella Zipagan-Banawis said
that the ECP aims to assist workers who suffer from work-related sickness or
injury which resulted to disability or death.
“More than 150 human resource officers, employers
and labor union representatives coming from different private establishments,
government agencies, including uniformed personnel from the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Navy and Bureau
of Fire Protection attended said event,” Zipagan-Banawis said.
Discussed during the advocacy seminar include the
prevention, compensation and rehabilitation components of the ECP and the
recent EC Programs reforms anchored on the “3Es” – Equalized, Enhanced and
Expand strategies, in response to the challenges facing the EC Program.
The ECC is an attached agency of the Department of
Labor and Employment (DOLE) mandated by law to provide meaningful and
appropriate compensation benefits and services to workers in the event of
work-related contingencies. (JPG/ECC/PIA-Caraga)
5K job opportunities await Tandaganons
By Nida
Grace P. Barcena
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Nov. 15 (PIA) – It’s
all systems go for the conduct of the Tandag jobs fair set on Nov. 16 offering
over 5,000 jobs to job seekers in the city, according to the Department of
Labor and Employment (DOLE).
DOLE provincial office chief Genebelle Bal said
that seven recruitment agencies have confirmed to participate in the activity,
which will be held at the city gymnasium.
Tandag City PESO manager Lamberto Plarisan also
said that there are some establishments and companies in the city that are also
in need of workers.
“The Gaisano Mall, Villa Maria Luisa Hotel, and the
Bachelor Express Company are also hiring,” said Plarisan.
Those interested applicants may bring their resume,
TESDA National Certificate II and other pertinent papers.
The said activity is in partnership with local
government of Tandag through the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and
DOLE Surigao del Sur. (PIA-Surigao del Sur)
Teachers, students showcase diverse projects at
science fair in Caraga region
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 15 (PIA) – In preparation for the
upcoming National Science Fair slated on February 2018, teachers and students
from different schools in Caraga region contended in various contest categories
during the Regional Science Fair and Quiz Plus (RSFQP) spearheaded by the
Department of Education (DepEd) Caraga.
“We are doing this activity in order to promote the
research program of DepEd. This is an opportunity for students to apply the
scientific method as they conduct research at their young age,” said Dr. Isidro
Biol, Curriculum and Learning Management and Development (CLMD) chief of DepEd
Caraga.
He further said that DepEd Caraga has gained
numerous awards and recognitions in the international events insofar as
research is concerned. “In fact, we were able to send delegates to Seoul, South
Korea, Canada, Malaysia and in other countries of the world. DepEd Caraga is
seriously preparing for the international competition so I am very positive
that our contestants will be reaping again some awards,” Biol said.
This annual activity of DepEd is also done with an
objective to determine the participants in the high school level (students’
category) who will advance in the Intel Philippines category.
“For many years, Caraga region has been sending
participants to compete nationally and globally. In the regional level, the
teachers participating in these events will join the Science Club Adviser's
Association of the Philippines (SCAAP) and Association of Science Educators in
the Philippines (ASEP) Science Quest, that are national in scope,” explained Bernabe
Linog, Science Education Program Supervisor of DepEd Caraga.
Other than investigatory projects, quiz bowl and
environmental quiz, the participants also competed in robotics, strategic
intervention materials or SIM, improvisation material and process skills
categories.
“We are really honing the skills of our children
through research. Science itself is an investigation and we really have to
develop their skills to investigate scientifically and be proactive in a sense,
and be evidence-based, as they respond to the situations that are within their
midst. Research skills have to be developed in this particular competition,”
underscored Linog.
According to Biol, the chosen awardees of the
(RSFQP) will have their “cliniquing” with an aim to enhance the knowledge and
skills of regional winners in preparation for a more competitive event.
“This would be one of the best practices of DepEd
Caraga because obviously our delegates have made records as winners in the
international arena. With the support of parents, teachers and our head of
office, I am confident that we will be able to achieve again the highest
performance of our science researchers. After the national level, we will
submit our entries to the international level,” Biol added.
Biol further emphasized that they are strengthening
the RSFQP having seen the importance of producing more researchers from the
sector of the students and the teachers. He is also hoping that the projects of
these researchers will be sustained or improved, as these will be included to
the researches to be submitted to the central office of DepEd.
This year’s Caraga RSFQP was anchored on the theme,
“Utilizing Science Innovation, Promoting Disaster Risk Reduction.
(VLG/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
SPIMS beneficiaries receive teaching kits from NRCO
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 15 (PIA) – In time with the
conduct of the Regional Reintegration Network meeting led by the National
Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) held at Almont Hotel’s Inland Resort, this
city, three OFW-returnees who are professional/licensed teachers received their
teaching kits from the NRCO Caraga.
They are Joel Catane Jr. from Bayugan City; Mila
Malasarte from Butuan City; and Breylyn Rapista from Rosario, Agusan del Sur.
Regional Director Chona Mantilla of the Department
of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Regional Director Samuel Madrid of the
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Caraga, personally handed-over
the teaching kits to the said beneficiaries.
They also received certificate of recognition for
being appointed/employed as permanent Teacher 1 in the Department of Education
(DepEd) thru “Sa ‘Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am/Sir” (SPIMS), a DOLE-NRCO and DepEd
partnership program.
According to Mantilla, there are seven other beneficiaries
who will also receive their teaching kits, in time with the anniversary
celebration of DOLE in December 2017.
SPIMS is a reintegration program for OFWs who had
returned in the last three years, and had teaching experience in the last five
years. Those who have teaching experience beyond five years, or have no
teaching experience at all will need to undergo an online refresher course.
(JPG/PIA-Caraga)
ECC exec director explains increase in workers’
funeral benefits
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 15 (PIA) – The Employees
Compensation Commission (ECC) announced the increase of funeral benefit under
the Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP).
According to ECC executive director Stella Zipagan-Banawis
during a press briefing, the funeral benefit under ECP has been increased from
P20,000 to P30,000 after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued Executive Order
No. 33, increasing the said benefit for the employees in the public and private
sector.
“The increase in the funeral benefits is a result
of actuarial studies of the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government
Service Insurance System (GSIS) – the administering agencies of the EC Program
for the private and public sector, respectively – to show that the State
Insurance Fund (SIF) can support such increase and will not affect its
stability,” explained Zipagan-Banawis.
She further explained that the increase in the EC
funeral benefits will not require any increase in the EC contributions paid by
the employers for their employees.
Executive Order No. 33 directed the ECC, SSS, and
GSIS to appropriate and release the amounts necessary to cover the increase in
funeral benefits under the ECP.
Zipagan-Banawis also clarified that the EC funeral
benefit is granted to the beneficiaries of workers who died because of a
work-related sickness or injury. It is separate from the funeral benefit
provided by the SSS and GSIS.
The ECC is a government corporation, attached to
the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for policy coordination and
guidance. It is a quasi-judicial corporate entity created to implement the
Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP). (JPG/ECC/PIA-Caraga)
All set for 37th Araw ng Carmen, 2nd Makong
Kaumahan Festival
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
CARMEN, Surigao del Sur, Nov. 15 (PIA) – The local
government of Carmen, the second smallest town in the province, is all set for
the 37th Araw ng Carmen and Makong Kaumahan Festival on November 16-17, 2017
with the theme, “Pag-ugmad og pag-amoma sa Kinaiyahan.”
In an interview, Carmen Mayor Jane Plaza said that
it is their second time to celebrate the “Makong Kaumahan Festival,” as part of
the town’s 37th year anniversary activities.
‘Makong Kaumahan’ means wide farmland in the local
dialect.
Aside from the Makong Kaumahan Festival, Plaza
urged the public to join to the 1st Makong Kaumahan Photo Contest. "This
is open to all professional and amateur photographers,” she said.
“Those who are interested, all you have to do is to
capture every moment of the festivities and post it online using
#MakongKaumahan2017 and caption it with their best description or
interpretation,” she added.
Based on the program, the other activities line-up
for the two-day celebration include a parade on Nov. 16, followed by an opening
program, “Itik-itik sa Kaumahan,” Agri-Fair (preliminary booth judging),
Kumbira sa Kaumahan (food festival), Duwa sa Kaumahan, and the “Gabii sa
Pasidungog.”
For the second day, the activities are:
Kaumahan-Gasa sa Kahitas-an (Thanksgiving mass); Street Dancing; Agri Trade
Fair (final booth judging), “Sajaw sa Kaumahan” Showdown (Mutya sa Kaumahan).
The celebration will end with the “Hudyaka sa
Katawhan.” (PIA-Surigao del Sur)
Surigao Norte hosts 18th CARASSA Congress
By John Glenn A. Platil

SURIGAO CITY, Nov. 15 – Around 600 secondary school
administrators, district and division supervisors representing 1,020 secondary
schools from different parts of Caraga took part in the 18th Caraga Regional
Association of Secondary School Administrators (CARASSA) Congress held at the
Gateway Hotel, this city.
Anchored on the theme, “Leadership with the Heart
and Mind: Key for Quality Learners,” keynote speaker Dr. Emelyn Libunao, staff
director of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) discussed the importance of
strengthening the linkage between the academic community and the media.
"That is why balanced news means storytelling,
not just limited to 4Ws and 1H. It must be fascinating to viewers, interesting
to broadsheet readers and exciting to radio listeners," she emphasized.
Also, Surigao del Norte Vice Governor Arturo Carlos
Egay, Jr. highlighted the importance of being an educator, as manifested by the
efforts and sincerity of his mother, Dr. Elvira Egay, who was once a teacher
and is now serving her first terms as the incumbent mayor of Gigaquit.
Putting a premium on educational reform, Vice
Governor Egay said that the desire to learn must always be rooted in the heart
to see what is best, to understand the things unseen by the naked eye, and to
sharpen the cudgels of the mind in line with the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) integration.
Meanwhile, Department of Education (DepEd) Caraga
Regional Director Beatriz Torno said that learners must be nurtured in order to
triumph. She also acknowledged the invaluable support of CARASSA led by Teddy
Plaza as the president, whom she cited as exceptional and outstanding, for
cementing the ties that bind the school heads. She also stressed the need for a
succession plan since Plaza is retiring very soon. (PGO-SDN/PIA-Surigao del
Norte)