(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, February 7, 2018

21st Caraga Regional Athletic Meet set

By Greg Tataro, Jr.

TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Feb. 7 – It’s all systems go for the 21st Caraga Regional Athletic Meet (CRAM).

According to Beatriz Torno, Department of Education (DepEd) Caraga Regional Director, the sports event will be hosted by Butuan City and Agusan Del Norte on February 24 to March 1, 2018.

In her invitation letter to Gov. Vicente Pimentel, Jr. dated January 30, 2018, she pointed out that “around 8,000 athletes, coaches, chaperons and officiating officials” would be taking part in what was described as a “prestigious activity.”

In view of the region-wide event, Torno added that “they need gestures of support and cooperation from the stakeholders.”

"The opening ceremonies would be held at the car park of Robinson’s Place in Butuan City at 8:00 a.m. on February 25," she said. (GTataro Jr., Radyo Pilipinas-Tandag/PIA_Surigao del Sur)


Surigao Norte marks ‘Buyan nan Arte and Kultura Surigaonon’

By John Glenn A. Platil

SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Feb. 7 (PIA) – By virtue and pursuant to Provincial Ordinance No. 3, s. 2014, Governor Sol F. Matugas endeavors to institute and organize activities for the promotion of indigenous culture and the arts.

According to Provincial Tourism Officer Ivonnie Dumadag during the Convergence Meeting on February 5, 2018, the provincial government is also getting ready for the conduct of ‘Sajaw’ (dance) Siargao Festival as a special program with the help and support of the Surigaonon Association of Trained Choreographers and a symposium upholding Surigaonon language is also put into order by members of the academe.

Dumadag said that Atty. Charlo Paredes and Steve Egay strongly advocated for a localized, socio-based curriculum using the Surigaonon dialect.

Meanwhile, the Feast of Saint Lourdes Procession in celebration of the Capitol Fiesta was calendared on February 11 that would cover the entire Capitol Park. Lots of fun, activities and food will relish the distinguished guests and faithful employees of the province.

Thanksgiving mass would start at 6:30 a.m. to be followed with the Team Capitol Family Day.

On February 15, a total of 16 candidates for the Binibining Kalikasan will vie for the crown.

Provincial Planning Development Coordinator Arturo Cruje said that the 16 candidates were pre-selected from each DepEd Divisions – five candidates from Surigao City, five from Siargao Island and six from Surigao del Norte (mainland).

Teachers’ Summit will also push through on Feb. 16 at the Provincial Gym with DepEd Undersecretary Tonisito Umali as keynote speaker representing Secretary Leonor Briones.

To top it all, a festival management workshop with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCAA) will take place at the Provincial Convention Center from March 7-8, 2018.

Symposium for the Preservation and Enhancement of the Surigaonon dialect as a mother tongue will commence the month-long observance. (JGAPlatil, PGO-SDN/PIA-Surigao del Norte)


Solid waste management summit set in Siargao Island

BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 7 – In response to the challenges in the local waste management in Siargao Island, the Department of Tourism (DOT) Caraga Region, in partnership with the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Caraga and other partner agencies, will spearhead the Caraga Solid Waste Management (SWM) Summit on Mar. 15-16, 2018 at the Denaville Resort in Santa Monica, Surigao del Norte.

According to DOT Caraga Regional Director Ma. Ana Nuguid, the summit will bring together some 300 stakeholders from the barangays, local government units, resort owners, entrepreneurs, civil society, people’s organizations and line agencies.

“The summit is deemed necessary to actively involve and convene the nine municipalities and the private sector to elicit maximum inputs on significant information on prevailing waste problems and other garbage issues with the end of crafting a strategic action plan for a recycling program in the island,” Nuguid said.

Data from the DOT Caraga revealed that in 2016, there were 179,960 visitors recorded, which was a significant increase from 152,435 arrivals in 2015.

“Average yearly waste generation per municipality is about 2,222 tons/year based on initial data from four municipalities. This translates into roughly almost 20,000 tons of waste per year for the whole island,” the DOT data showed.

The DOT Caraga report also added that on a per capita basis, waste generation ranges from 0.30-0.65 kilograms per day. This number is expected to go up as population and tourism arrivals increase.

The summit, according to the DOT Caraga, is timely as it seeks to generate tourism-related solid waste issues and potential solutions at the barangay level and come up with integrated solutions, which will will feed into the main summit agenda.

The said activity carries the theme, “Advancing the waste resource recovery for sustainable tourism.”

Dubbed as the surfing capital of the Philippines, Siargao Island has been identified by the DOT as one of the emerging tourism destinations in the region, which boasts of seascapes and rich diversity. Hence, it has been declared as protected area known as Siargao Islands Protected Landscape and Seascape (SIPLAS) by virtue of Proclamation No. 902 on the basis of Republic Act 7586. (FEA/PIA-Caraga)


Caraga top cop leads turn-over of new police building in SurSur town, pays courtesy call on gov

TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Feb. 7 (PIA) – As the saying goes, “kill two birds with one stone,” PCSupt. Noli Romana, Caraga Police Regional Office (PRO) XIII Director, was able to accomplish two missions in Surigao del Sur on February 6. This was not only to pay courtesy call on Gov. Vicente Pimentel, Jr., but most of all to lead the occasion of the “Blessing and Turn-over of the new Municipal Police Station (MPS) Building” in Cortes town, 30 kilometers north of Tandag City.

For the Cortes MPS Building, a ribbon cutting and unveiling of marker was held, followed by the blessing of the building. During the official program, both top town officials, Vice-Mayor Emmanuel Suarez and Mayor William Angos delivered their messages. It culminated with Romana's message.

He then paid a courtesy call on Gov. Pimentel at the office of the latter. The Caraga top cop was accompanied by officer-in-charge Police Director (OIC-PD) PSSupt. Francisco Dungo, Jr.

According to Pimentel, the cordial meeting was plain exchange of pleasantries.

However, the local chief executive (LCE) was kept abreast of some incidents. One of the most recent was the untimely death of three siblings aged 1, 3, and 12. The tragedy was caused by a grenade launcher or M203 that was allegedly being played by one of the kids when it accidentally exploded in the terrace of their house in Purok 6, Sitio Neptune, Barangay Diatagon, Liaga on February 5.

Reportedly, the said “ammo” was admitted to have been found by the father of the victims, Reger Galdiano, 30, farmer, somewhere in the grassy portion nearby.


In cases like these, Pimentel called on and advised civilians to turn-over any explosives found to proper authorities. (GTataro, Jr., Radyo Pilipinas-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del Sur)