OWWA-Caraga accepts applications for education for development
scholarship program
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, May 29 (PIA) -- The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
– Caraga (OWWA-Caraga) continuously accepts education for development
scholarship program (EDSP) applications for School Year 2018-2019 for
dependents of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The scholarship program provides P60,000 financial assistance to
qualified OFW legal dependents, who should be a child of a married OFW-member,
or sibling of a single or childless OFW-member. The OFW should also be an
active OWWA member. If membership is expired, it should be within the six-month
extension period.
OWWA-Caraga reminded that only six scholarship slots per province are
available. Hence, interested qualified applicants are advised to submit their
application the soonest, as acceptance and admission are on “first come, first
served” basis or until slots are filled.
Applicants who are already enrolled in the second to fifth year levels
must not be more than 30 years old to qualify. They must not have a grade lower
than B or 85 percent in all academic and non-academic subjects from the
previous school years.
Deadline for submission of application will be on June 30, 2018.
Application forms are available at the OWWA Regional Welfare Office Caraga
situated at Nimfa Tiu Bldg. 2, J.P. Rosales Avenue in Butuan City or at the
Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of municipal and provincial government
units.
Applicants may also contact OWWA-Caraga office through landline numbers
(085) 815-1894/342-6178 or at hotline numbers +639399259895 and +639173150590.
(OWWA-Caraga/VLG/PIA-Caraga)
PCOO chief keynotes 1st
International Dragon Boat Summer Festival in Surigao City
By
Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del
Norte, May 29 (PIA) --
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Jose Ruperto
Martin Andanar inspired paddlers who attended the opening ceremony of the 1st
Surigao International Dragon Boat Summer Festival on May 25, 2018 at the city
gymnasium here.
Andanar led the ceremonial opening together with
City Mayor Ernesto Matugas, and Surigao del Norte Vice Governor Arturo Carlos
Egay, Jr. representing Governor Sol Matugas.
In his message, Secretary Andanar cited that the
1st Surigao International Dragon Boat Summer Festival displays not only the
participants’ skills and endurance in paddling but the teamwork, cooperation
and the character of every participant joining the race.
He wished that the festival be a continuing event
“where people converge for the joys of celebrating the best of skills and
endurance, and the best of character and leadership.”
Andanar has also extended the welcome
greetings of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for the festival.
“In a similar manner, the ship of state is
navigated by the Commander-in-Chief, towards a vision he has set for the
nation. We are the synchronized rowers, or the riders of the tides, over the
currents and through calm and turbulent weathers, until the dock is reached,
and the voyage is done,“ Andanar said.
He said that the dragon boat sport reflects, in a
way, the manner by which the rigor and the intensity of nation building are
individually and collectively, the responsibility of everyone on board.
“We cannot afford to renege, or be recalcitrant.
The effort of one should be the effort of all,” Andanar added. (PIA-Surigao del
Norte)
OWWA-Caraga opens scholarship for OFW dependents
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, May 29 (PIA) -- As part of the promotion of interest of
member Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), the Overseas Workers Welfare
Administration (OWWA) - Caraga is now accepting applications for the OFW
Dependents Scholarship Program (ODSP).
The scholarship program provides P10,000 financial assistance per
semester or P20,000 per academic year to qualified OFW legal dependents, who
should be a child of a married OFW-member, or sibling of a single or childless
OFW-member.
Incoming freshmen applicants must be below 21 years old to apply and
below 30 years old for those already enrolled or is currently enrolled in
college.
Per information from OWWA-Caraga, only 125 scholarship slots are
available for the region; 65 for freshmen and 60 for those who have enrolled or
are currently enrolled.
Aspiring scholars need only to pass the qualifying/entrance examination
of their preferred state college or university.
Deadline for submission of application will be on June 30, 2018.
Application forms are available at OWWA Regional Welfare Office Caraga
situated at Nimfa Tiu Bldg. 2, J.P. Rosales Avenue in Butuan City or at the
Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of municipal and provincial government
units.
Applicants may also contact OWWA-Caraga office through landline numbers
(085) 815-1894/342-6178 or through hotline numbers +639399259895 and
+639173150590.
ODSP is a scholarship program that offers financial assistance to
qualified dependents of active OWWA members with a monthly salary of US$600 or
below, regardless of job category, who shall enroll, is currently enrolled or
has been enrolled in any 4-year or 5-year baccalaureate course or associate
course in any college or university. (OWWA-Caraga/VLG/PIA-Caraga)
Senior citizens learn consumer rights, responsibilities, green practices
BUTUAN CITY, May 29 -- Some 76 senior citizens attended a consumer
education seminar (CES) recently, here.
The participants were mostly chapter presidents of the barangay level
organizations and members of the Federation of Senior Citizens Association of
the Philippines-(FSCAP) Butuan City Chapter.
The seminar, which was organized by the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI) – Agusan del Norte in coordination with FSCAP headed by Lourdes N. Diaz,
was conducted to fulfill the agency's commitment to the Philippine Plan of
Action for Senior Citizens (PPASC) 2018-2022.
The said plan was formulated by the National Coordinating and Monitoring
Board (NCMB) created through Republic Act No. 9994. DTI is a member of the said
board, together with representatives from other government agencies.
The board is expected to carry out the plan of action to conduct
orientation/fora on consumer rights to senior citizens to make services to them
more accessible and responsive.
Owing to old age, most senior citizens no longer earn actively and just
rely on their pension and remaining retirement funds.
The information gained from the seminar will help or guide them in their
purchase of goods and allow them to generate a few savings and yield the best
value for their money.
The seminar inputs included the eight consumer rights, namely: 1) right
to basic needs, 2) right to safety, 3) right to information, 4) right to
choose, 5) right to representation, 6) right to redress, 7) right to consumer
education, and 8) right to a healthy environment, as well as the five consumer
responsibilities which are critical awareness, action, social concern,
environmental awareness, and solidarity.
The responsibility on environment awareness was further elaborated with
the introduction of the topic “Promotion of Green Economic Development
(ProGed).
In her presentation, Provincial Negosyo Center Coordinator Myra Luz A.
Gavero showed the negative impact of degrading the environment which result to
– among others, devastation and damage to communities, people and properties.
She urged everyone to apply in their homes and lifestyle practical
greening practices and behaviors to protect and preserve the environment or
Mother Earth for the coming generations.
DTI-Agusan del Norte Consumer Protection Division Head Wyn Palma served
as the main resource person. He was joined by CPD Senior Staff Maribeth V.
Estacion. (DTI-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
Tagalog news: Surigaonons
hinikayat na tumulong sa ‘dismiss disinformation’ campaign ng gobyerno
By Nora
C. Lanuza Molde
BUTUAN CITY, Mayo 29
(PIA) -- Sa
pangunguna ni Secretary Martin Andanar ng Presidential Communications
Operations Office o PCOO hinikayat niya ang kanyang mga kababayan sa Surigao
lalo na ang local government units na tumulong sa pagsugpo ng paglaganap
ng mga maling impormasyong kumakalat lalo na sa social media.
Sa kanyang pagbisita sa lungsod sa Surigao
kamakailan, nais ni Secretary Andanar na ipaabot ang tama at totoong
impormasyon hinggil sa programa at proyekto ng gobyerno sa mga ordinaryong tao
kaya’t hinikayat nya ang mga social media influencers at mga youth leaders na
tumulong sa laban kontra disinformation at misinformation.
Tiniyak naman ni Surigao Mayor Ernesto Matugas na
ang local government ng Surigao ay tutulong sa kampanya ng disinformation at
misformation ng gobyerno.
Sa naturang forum, ibinahagi rin sa mga Surigaonons
ang mga stratehiya kung paano masugpo ang paglaganap ng fake news o
disinformation sa social media.
Ayon kay PCOO Director for New Media Princess
Duque mahalagang malaman din ang laman ng impormasyon bago ito e-share
online kagaya ng pagbasa ng kabuoang laman nito, nakakatulong din ang pagkilala
sa mga larawan nakalakip at pati narin ang tamang pagbaybay sa mga salita.
Ibinahagi din ni director Duque ang kahalagahan ng pagreview ng mga komento at
pagverify sa websites o pages kung saan ito nakita.
Samantala, sinigurado din ni Philippine
Information Agency Director-General Harold Clavite na gagamitin ang lahat
ng platforms ng ahensya upang mahinto ang paglaganap ng maling impormasyon sa
social media. (NCLM/PIA Caraga)
Tagalog news: Mga Caraganons hinimok na mag-avail ng
SSS Loan Restructuring Program
By Venus
L. Garcia
LUNGSOD NG BUTUAN, Mayo
29 (PIA) -- Nagsimula
na muling tumanggap ang Social Security System o SSS ng aplikasyon para sa
kanilang loan restructuring program o LRP sa taong ito.
Sa ilalim ng nasabing programa, aalisin na ang
multa ng mga miyembrong hindi nakapagbayad ng kanilang utang sa SSS.
Isa si Apolinario Tolentino Dumanag, Jr. na
pumila sa opisina ng SSS, ito’y para masamantala ang LRP na may kasamang
penalty condonation ng ahensya.
Kuwento ni Dumanag, napahinto ang kanyang pagbayad
sa SSS simula ng lumipat siya ng trabaho galing sa dating pribadong employer.
Ngunit nabatid niya ang kahalagahan ng pagtupad sa obligasyong mabayaran ito at
ipagpatuloy ang pagiging aktibong miyembro ng SSS nang minsang nasubukan ng
kanyang pamilya na matanggap ang tulong pinansyal sa pamamagitan ng burial at
death claim sa pagkasawi ng kanyang ama.
Sa ngayon, laking tulong din para sa kanyang ina
ang benepisyong pensyon na buwanang tinatanggap galing SSS. Kaya di alintana ni
Dumadag ang haba ng pila mapabilang lamang sa mga nais makinabang sa SSS loan
restructuring program.
“Laking pasasalamat ko sa SSS dahil sa
oportunidad na maipagpapatuloy ko ang pagbabayad ng aking obligasyon sa
pamamagitan ng LRP,” hayag ni Dumanag.
Ayon kay SSS Butuan branch manager Antonio
Fabia, tanging ang halaga lang ng inutang kasama ang interes nito ang
babayaran at wala na ang penalty.
Sa kasalukuyan ay may 862 SSS miyembro na na
nagkaproblema sa pagbayad ng loan ang nakapag avail ng LRP. Isang sulit na
pagkakataon ito handog ng SSS sa member-borrowers hanggang Oktubre a-uno.
Sa mga hindi pa miyembro ng SSS, hinikayat naman ni
Paul Flaviano, information officer ng SSS-Butuan branch ang mga ito na pumunta
sa kanilang tanggapan upang alamin ang iba pang benepisyong hatid ng SSS kagaya
ng educational assistance short-term loan program.
“Ugali na nating mga Pilipino ang pagiging maagap
sa kinabukasan, kaya’t mabuting magsiguro sa kontribusyong sulit sa SSS,” diin
ni Flaviano. (VLG/FEA/PIA-Caraga)
IFAD associate vice-president visits Project
ConVERGE in Agusan del Norte
By
Gil E. Miranda
BUTUAN CITY, May 29 (PIA) -- The International Fund
for Agricultural Development or IFAD, an international development financing
institution based in Rome, Italy, visited SIUFMULCO or San Isidro Upland
Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative of Agusan del Norte on May 5-6, 2018.
The delegates led by Charlotte Salford, IFAD
Associate Vice President for External Relations and Governance Department and
Ms. Wei Wang, IFAD Director for APL and Special Adviser to the IFAD President
were very pleased to hear the success story how SIUFMULCO has grown over the years.
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Agusan del
Norte Provincial Director Andre Atega, said that delegation visited Project
ConVERGE or Convergence on Value Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth and
Development, which is investing around P180 million to assist more than a
thousand abaca farmers in the municipalities of Tubay, Jabonga, Kitcharao and
Santiago (TUJAKITSAN) cluster.
The project implemented by the Department of
Agrarian Reform aims to develop the abaca industry to increase profitability of
agrarian reform beneficiaries and small holder farmers involving SIUFMULCO and
20 other Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations (ARBOs) in the
cluster.
SIUFMULCO takes pride of its current assets
worth P30 million. It was formerly assisted by the Northern Mindanao Community
Initiatives and Resource Management Project (NMCIREMP) implemented by DAR and
financed by IFAD.
Leonora Mila, SIUFMULCO Manager, said that they are
very thankful for DAR and IFAD project ConVERGE interventions and support
services provisions that bring positive impact in the lives of the farmers in
the cluster.
“The package of interventions indeed changed not
only the acres of abaca plantation but also the way of life among the
farmers,” Mila added. (DAR-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
