PSA Caraga chief urges
public to cooperate in nat’l migration survey
By Nora
C. Lanuza Molde
BUTUAN
CITY, May 9 (PIA) -- The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Caraga will
conduct the National Migration Survey (NMS) starting this month of May up to
August this year.
In
a statement, PSA Caraga regional director Dr. Rosalinda C. Apura encouraged the
public, especially the sample households, as well as local officials, to
support and cooperate in the conduct of the NMS.
Apura
assured that all the data and information collected by the hired field
interviewers shall be kept strictly confidential and shall not be used for
purposes of taxation, investigation or regulation as provided under Article 55
of Republic Act 10625.
The
conduct of the NMS is in collaboration with the University of the Philippines
(UP), particularly, the UP Population Institute (UPPI), that aims to provide
information on the mobility of Philippine population in order to assist
policymakers and program managers in evaluating and designing strategies for
improving services and assistance to people going abroad or moving within the
country, Apura said.
Also,
the PSA official said that around 45,000 randomly selected sample housing units
in the entire country will be visited.
The
households within those housing units will be interviewed using the Household
Questionnaire (NMS Form 1) to collect demographic and socio-economic
information on all usual members of the household (de jure). The respondent for
this questionnaire is the head of the household. In case the household head is
absent, any responsible adult member of the household who is knowledgeable of
information pertaining to the household members will be interviewed.
Apura
further said that the NMS Form 1 permits the interviewer to identify household
members eligible to be interviewed with Individual Questionnaire (NMS Form 2).
All the household members 15 years old and over with migration experience, and
one non-migrant household member are eligible to be interviewed using NMS Form
2. This form collects information that directly concerns the individual
respondent’s migration experience. (NCLM/PSA/PIA-Caraga)
Army troopers seize hot logs in SurSur town
By Nida
Grace P. Barcena
TAGO,
Surigao del Sur, May 9 (PIA) -- The army troopers of the 36th Infantry
“Valor” Battalion, Philippine Army have seized a total of 179 pieces of sawn
lumber in Sitio Cagpangi, Barangay Cabangahan in Tago town, this province
around 8:45 am, May 7, 2018.
Based
on the report, while the army troopers were conducting a combat security
patrol in the area, they recovered a 1,141.99-board feet of abandoned sawn
lumber worth P22,839.
Capt.
Francisco Garello, 36IB Civil Military Operations Officer, said that the seized
lumber were brought to the 36IB Advance Command Post in Brgy Magroyong, San
Miguel, Surigao del Sur for temporary custody while coordination was made with
the Tago Municipal Police Station and Community Environment and Natural
Resources Office (CENRO) Lianga for proper disposition.
Garello
revealed that from January 2018 up to this time, the 36IB troopers have already
conducted 10 successful anti-illegal logging operations in close coordination
with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the
Philippine National Police (PNP). The said operations resulted to the
confiscation of 53,754.57-board feet of illegal logs/sawn lumber with an
estimated market value worth P1,291,096.80.
To
strengthen their campaign against illegal logging, 36IB Commander Lt. Col.
Xerxes Trinidad reiterated the call to the local government unit (LGU)
officials to address the problem seriously.
"We
are sending a message to everyone to stop illegal logging as their
livelihood, because the AFP will not hesitate to go after illegal loggers and
those who tolerate it through buying it or consented their vehicles to be used
for hauling illegal logs. We are reiterating our call to the LGUs to
address this problem seriously,” Trinidad said.
The
official noted that the troops of 36IB are committed in the government’s
campaign against illegal logging in support to the government’s program in the
preservation and protection of the environment. (PIA-Surigao del Sur)
AgNor SP urges health
facilities for free lab exam, blood smear test for malaria
By Aimee B. Sienes
BUTUAN
CITY, May 9 (PIA) - The provincial government of Agusan del Norte encouraged
all public and private health facilities in the province to conduct blood smear
for malaria parasites and provide free laboratory exam to all febrile
(feverish) patients/clients especially those coming from malaria endemic areas
in the province.
This
move stemmed from the latest survey in which 32 provinces in the country have
been declared as ‘malaria-free’ and 41 provinces, including Agusan del Norte,
were on ‘elimination’ status; and nine provinces were declared malaria endemic.
Through
the efforts of Provincial Board Member Virgilio R. Escasinas, Jr., the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed and approved Provincial Resolution No. 130-2018
containing such move during its 82nd regular session recently.
Local
lawmakers saw the need to eliminate malaria in the province for the safety of
the constituents against such disease.
It
was known that malaria is the 8th leading cause of morbidity in the
Philippines. It is a life-threatening mosquito-borne disease caused by a
parasite, which is characterized by periodic and sequential attack of chills,
fever and sweating and has been one of the serious diseases that affect people
in the developing countries.
This
disease, which is curable and preventable, is dangerous for pregnant women and
for those belonging to the extreme ages, especially the young children (under
five years old), who may rapidly become ill and may even die within few days if
not attended immediately, and even among migrant/mobile workers who are engaged
in activities like mining, construction workers, laborers and forest workers.
Lawmakers
expressed concern and urged the need to accelerate the transition from malaria
control or prevention to sustained malaria elimination in the province.
(NCLM/LGU-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
IFAD supports AgNor
farmer-groups under DAR’s Project ConVERGE
By Gil E. Miranda
BUTUAN
CITY, May 9 (PIA) - The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),
an international development financing institution based in Rome, Italy,
visited the San Isidro Upland Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SIUFMULCO) 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 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 Project ConVERGE or Convergence on Value Chain Enhancement for Rural
Growth and Development is investing around P180 million to develop the abaca
industry and related commodities in the province involving SIUFMULCO and 20
other Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations in the municipalities of Tubay,
Jabonga, Kitcharao and Santiago.
SIUFMULCO
takes pride of its current assets amounting to P30 million. It was formerly
assisted by the Northern Mindanao Community Initiatives and Resource Management
Project (NMCIREMP) implemented by DAR and financed by IFAD and by the Rural
Micro Enterprise Promotion Program (RuMEPP) implemented by the Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI), which is also financed by IFAD.
There
are two on-going IFAD financed projects in Agusan del Norte - the Project
ConVERGE implemented by DAR in the ARC cluster of Tubay, Jabonga, Kitcharao and
Santiago; and FishCORAL (Fisheries, Coastal Resources and Livelihood)
implemented by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in coastal
communities around Butuan Bay.
ConVERGE,
a US$ 52 million project implemented in 10 provinces in Mindanao, aims to
increase the profitability of agrarian reform beneficiaries and small holder
farmers.
BFAR’s
FishCORAL project estimates that around P80 million will be allocated to
improve the marine resources and fishing communities in Butuan Bay.
FishCORAL,
a US$ 43 million project, intends to improve marine resources and the
livelihood of fishing communities in 11 bays nationwide.
Jerry
Pacturan, IFAD Country Program Officer, was also happy to announce that around
US$ 66 million funding for the Rural Agro-enterprise Partnerships for inclusive
Development and Growth (RAPID) project was approved by the IFAD Executive Board
in its meeting in April 2018.
RAPID
will be implemented by DTI in 20 provinces in Mindanao, including Agusan del
Norte, and in Eastern Visayas.
RAPID
aims to sustainably increase the income of small farmers and unemployed rural
women and men across selected value chains.
With
the approval of RAPID by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
Board on April 24, 2018, DTI Undersecretary for Regional Operations Group
Zenaida Maglaya is very hopeful that RAPID will kick off on the ground by July
2018. (DAR-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
4Ps beneficiaries in Butuan City harvest high-value crops
BUTUAN
CITY, May 9 (PIA) -- Thirty-nine Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)
partner-beneficiaries and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) participants had
finally harvested the high-value crops which they cultivated for three months
with the aid of "Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan" program of SM Foundation.
Despite
the scorching heat of the sun, they were all smiles while harvesting the crops
at their plots at Brgy. Tiniwisan, this city.
Kabalikat
sa Kabuhayan, a rural farmers' training program, is being implemented as part
of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of SM Foundation.
The
said program was realized in the city in partnership with the Department of
Agriculture (DA), Butuan City Agriculture Office, Harbest, and the Department
of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) SLP.
Included
in the program were capability-building activities through trainings to enhance
the farming skills of the participants.
Recently,
they also received their certificates of completion from their three-month
training program.
The participants have also prepared a sustainability plan to ensure that
the learning and theories they gained from their trainings and experiences would
be put to practical use, thereby, contributing to improved socio-economic
status. (DSWD-Caraga/VLG/PIA-Caraga)
