TESDA chief to lead mass graduation, launching of
construction-related skills training program for IPs, FRs in SurSur
By Greg Tataro, Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, April 24 (PIA) -
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General
(DG) Guiling Mamondiong is set to come to Surigao del Sur to lead the occasion
of mass graduation and launching of construction-related skills training
program for Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Former Rebels (FRs) in San Miguel town
on Thursday, April 26, 2018.
According to Rey Cueva, TESDA provincial director
(PD), Secretary “Gene” Mamondiong would arrive in the province a day earlier,
Wednesday, April 25. He did not
disclose the itinerary after arrival.
However, on Thursday, he bared that there would be
various activities set. At 8:00 a.m.
- groundbreaking ceremony of IP Training
Court; 9:00 a.m. – Mass Graduation and
Launching of Construction-related Skills Training Program for IPs and FRs;
11:00 a.m. – Free Services sponsored by Secretary Mamondiong; and 11:30 a.m. –
Press Conference.
Earlier, Cueva underscored TESDA’s commitment to
offer various skills training especially for both IPs and FRs in the entire
province. (Radyo Pilipinas-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
PNP Caraga: ‘Sorry’ can’t bring back life of slain
pastor

BUTUAN CITY, April 24 (PIA) - The leadership of the
Police Regional Office (PRO) 13 has slammed the apology made by the New
People's Army (NPA) terrorists over the murder of a pastor in the hinterland of
Gigaquit town, Surigao del Norte.
Chief Supt Noli Romana, PRO13 director, said that
the apology of Ka-Oto, spokesperson of NPA’s Guerilla Front 16, would never
lessen the grief of Pastor Jepti Acedo’s family.
Acedo, 32 and his companions Virgil Flor Ortiz, 23;
and Abner Malaque, 20, were riding on a motorcycle when riddled with bullets by
the NPA terrorists using high-powered firearms in Brgy. Lahi on April 18, 2018.
“This brutal incident is a grave violation of human
rights and must be condemned by the peace-loving communities in Caraga. They
are killing civilians contrary to their claim they are protectors of the
people,“ RD Romana added.
The region’s police chief called on the people to
withstand against the NPA deceptions and report their presence immediately to
the nearest police/army unit. (PRO-13/PIA-Caraga)
AgNor SP requests HLURB to establish regional
office in Caraga
By Aimee B. Sienes
BUTUAN CITY, April 24 - The Sangguniang
Panlalawigan of Agusan del Norte recently requested the Housing and Land Use
Regulatory Board (HLURB) Central Office, through its Chief Executive Officer
and Commissioner Lloyd Christopher A. Lao for the establishment of a regional
office in Caraga region.
This is embodied in Sanggunian Resolution No.
093-2018, authored by Provincial Board Member Elizabeth Marie R. Calo, and
approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan during its 78th regular session.
It was learned that the HLURB office in Butuan City
was transferred and merged with HLURB Cagayan de Oro City on June 7, 2010 after
13 years of operation in Caraga region as a regional office.
In the year 2011, the Regional Development Council
in Caraga region requested through a resolution the HLURB Manila to establish a
satellite office in the city of Butuan and the HLURB Manila responded with the
establishment of an HLURB desk that was manned by a skeletal force of only two
staff in Butuan City to address the mounting complaints and requests from the
developers and homeowners’ associations in the housing sector. These staff
cannot answer all queries and request for applications and other concerns
needing HLURB processing but forward them all to HLURB Cagayan de Oro once a
week.
The Regional Development Council Plan 2017-2022
revealed that there are more than 100 thousand informal settler families in the
region, wherein these informal settlers live in danger zones such as ‘esteros’,
bridges, river ways, shorelines and other government projects that are not
suitable for settlement and need immediate attention.
Provincial legislators saw the need to establish
the HLURB Regional Office in Butuan City to bring government services closer to
the clients and hasten the development of the housing and land sector programs
in the region.
They believed that local government units (LGUs)
need assistance from the HLURB in the identification and processing of lands
for socialized housing resettlement areas for immediate and future needs of the
underprivileged and homeless residents; thus, clamoring for close coordination
with nearest HLURB office.
The local government of Agusan del Norte is one of
the LGUs that need immediate attention, action and coordination from HLURB
considering its housing programs for the poor constituents, hence, the
importance of establishing the HLURB Regional Office in Caraga region. (LGU-Agusan
del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
SurSur guv cancels all sand and gravel permit
By Greg Tataro, Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, April 24 (PIA) -
Citing specific violations province-wide, Governor Vicente “BB” Pimentel, Jr.
has ordered to put a stop to the operations of “all existing sand and gravel
permits” in Surigao del Sur.
In an interview with Radyo Pilipinas, he confirmed
the issuance of Executive Order No. 07 – 18 dated March 5, 2018.
With this, the Provincial Environment and Natural
Resources Office (PENRO) headed by Edgar Valentin had already started to carry
out the instruction. A total of 25
permittees would be affected, it was learned.
Pressed on how the province would address the
demand for such construction aggregates given the situation of also having the
local version of “Build, Build, Build,” Gov. Pimentel quickly advised to “deal
directly with the provincial government.”
Among others, the violations include the
observation “that many permittees have not been remitting to the provincial
government the corresponding payment for the actual volume extracted by the
quarry concessionaires thereby making it disadvantageous to the Provincial
Government” and “over extracting making the area depleted and disastrous to
surrounding environment.” (Radyo Pilipinas-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
