(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Tuesday, 03 June 2025) Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting Mindanao. Easterlies affecting the rest of the country. 𝗙𝗒π—₯π—˜π—–π—”π—¦π—§ π—ͺπ—˜π—”π—§π—›π—˜π—₯ π—–π—’π—‘π——π—œπ—§π—œπ—’π—‘: Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms due to ITCZ. Possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to at times heavy rains. 𝗙𝗒π—₯π—˜π—–π—”π—¦π—§ π—ͺπ—œπ—‘π—— 𝗔𝗑𝗗 π—–π—’π—”π—¦π—§π—”π—Ÿ π—ͺπ—”π—§π—˜π—₯ π—–π—’π—‘π——π—œπ—§π—œπ—’π—‘: Light to moderate winds coming from East to Northeast will prevail with slight to slight to moderate seas (0.6 to 1.5 meters).


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)

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

SurSur coops visit coffee plantations in Batangas

By Nida Grace P. Barcena

TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Feb. 6 (PIA) - Aimed to gain knowledge and different techniques on coffee production that will boost the agency-assisted cooperatives in Surigao del Sur, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) here spearheaded a benchmarking to coffee plantations in Lipa City, Batangas on Jan. 22-25, 2018.

According to DAR-Surigao del Sur Information Officer Myra Yu, there were seven agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) organizations that participated during the cross visit to coffee plantations and processing centers represented by selected cooperative officers.

These cooperatives were the Mabuhay Kahayagan Coffee Growers Cooperative (MKCGC); Ugoban Multi-purpose Cooperative (UMPC); Tagbina Rural Improvement Club Producers Cooperative (TAGRICCO); Tagbina Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative (TAGAREBE); Progressive Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative (PARBMCO); Barangay Villaverde Coffee Growers Cooperative all in Tagbina Surigao del Sur; and (BAVILCOGCO) and San Roque Cooperative (SARCO) of Barobo town.

Meanwhile, DAR Caraga Regional Director Felix B. Aguhob has extended his support to this kind of endeavor that would encourage coffee farmers to level up their production in order to have the better and sustainable livelihood income.

Leonardo Evangelista, one of the participants, has expressed his gratitude for giving them the opportunity to learn more knowledge and techniques that can be applied in their respective organizations.

“In behalf of the group, I am thankful to the DAR for giving us the opportunity to visit the various coffee industries in Batangas. This activity gives us an avenue to gain best practices that will be applied to increase our coffee production,” Evangelista said.

The said activity is in line with the agency’s program under the DAR IFAD Convergence on Value Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment (ConVERGE). (PIA-Surigao del Sur)


SurSur coops visit coffee plantations in Batangas

By Nida Grace P. Barcena

TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Feb. 6 (PIA) - Aimed to gain knowledge and different techniques on coffee production that will boost the agency-assisted cooperatives in Surigao del Sur, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) here spearheaded a benchmarking to coffee plantations in Lipa City, Batangas on Jan. 22-25, 2018.

According to DAR-Surigao del Sur Information Officer Myra Yu, there were seven agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) organizations that participated during the cross visit to coffee plantations and processing centers represented by selected cooperative officers.

These cooperatives were the Mabuhay Kahayagan Coffee Growers Cooperative (MKCGC); Ugoban Multi-purpose Cooperative (UMPC); Tagbina Rural Improvement Club Producers Cooperative (TAGRICCO); Tagbina Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative (TAGAREBE); Progressive Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative (PARBMCO); Barangay Villaverde Coffee Growers Cooperative all in Tagbina Surigao del Sur; and (BAVILCOGCO) and San Roque Cooperative (SARCO) of Barobo town.

Meanwhile, DAR Caraga Regional Director Felix B. Aguhob has extended his support to this kind of endeavor that would encourage coffee farmers to level up their production in order to have the better and sustainable livelihood income.

Leonardo Evangelista, one of the participants, has expressed his gratitude for giving them the opportunity to learn more knowledge and techniques that can be applied in their respective organizations.

“In behalf of the group, I am thankful to the DAR for giving us the opportunity to visit the various coffee industries in Batangas. This activity gives us an avenue to gain best practices that will be applied to increase our coffee production,” Evangelista said.

The said activity is in line with the agency’s program under the DAR IFAD Convergence on Value Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment (ConVERGE). (PIA-Surigao del Sur)


CHRDC gears up toward a stronger health research culture

BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 6 – Representatives from the member-institutions of Caraga Health Research and Development Consortium (CHRDC) agreed on strengthening its efforts on health research development and promotion after reviewing the consortium’s direction and its best practices during the General Assembly held here on January 29.

Ricardo Varela, Assistant Regional Director for Field Operations of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Caraga presented the accomplishments of CHRDC in 2017. Among these notable attainments were its efforts in communicating health research outputs to the end-users in the communities and campaigning for the utilization of these research-based knowledge. The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) recognized these efforts and committed to support the undertakings of the consortium in the years to come.

A communication plan for the consortium is on the works to help utilize research information in Caraga. Varela also mentioned various capacity building activities, meetings and other health research activities conducted to encourage young researchers to engage in health research.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cesar Cassion, Assistant Regional Director of the Department of Health Caraga and the current chair of the Research Management Committee presented and discussed the updates of the Technical Review Board (TRB) Manual of Operations to inform the members regarding the important changes in the operation, particularly in the review and evaluation of Research and Development (R&D) proposals.

“Let’s always keep the flame burning,” said Rey Brangan, Bombo Radyo representative.


CHRDC aims to strengthen the collaboration among stakeholders engaged in health research and development in Caraga region this 2018 to continuously exert effort in the promotion and development of health researches. (RMicate, DOST-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)

Monday, February 5, 2018

AgNor province’s  breeder stock augmented

BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 5 – The provincial government of Agusan del Norte, through the Provincial Veterinarian’s Office, is set to receive from the Department of Agriculture (DA) Caraga Regional Office additional one head purebred Anglo-Nubian Buck as breeder stock in the province .

This is a support and assistance from DA to livestock stakeholders in pursuit of agricultural development and worthy endeavors to promote the interest of the farmers that aims to ensure continuity of developing the livestock industry that will attain high productivity and resilient animals in support to the DA programs.

To recall, the province received in 2017, 2 beehive colonies, 10 heads swine (1 head boar and 9 heads gilt), 5 heads heifer and 5 heads caraheifer from DA Caraga.

The provincial government of Agusan del Norte and DA recognize the importance of the involvement and participation of the private and government breeding farms in the production of livestocks forecasted to be the sources of stocks for the backyard farmers in the future.

With this program, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Agusan del Norte recently authorized Provincial Governor Ma. Angelica Rosedell M. Amante-Matba to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the DA Caraga Regional Office for a smooth implementation of the program through Sanggunian Resolution No. 011-2018, authored by Provincial Board Member Aquino W. Gambe. (ABSienes, LGU-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)


Efforts to sit an IPMR in SurSur in limbo

By Greg Tataro Jr.

TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Feb. 5 – Despite the Certificate of Affirmation (COA) issued to Jimmy Iligan Guinsod by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Caraga Regional Office XIII under Atty. Jose Dumagan, Jr., the expectant “Board Member” seems to be going nowhere for now.

However, DILG Provincial Director (PD) Pedrito Alacaba expressed optimism that in the end the result would come out fine.

The DILG top chief explained that with the COA already handed, what should be done was just to “recognize” the bearer. 

Guinsod, the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of San Miguel town, would also be replaced by Rico Maca down at the municipal level as planned upon vacating his post soon.

To become a duly authorized IP representative of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Guinsod had to make it to the last and final process of taking the oath of office before Gov. Vicente “BB” Pimentel, Jr.  But such ritual had yet to take place, according to NCIP Provincial Head Engr. Charlyn Binghoy.

The NCIP chief was also saying that in case Guinsod got the nod from the province, it would be one for the books.  She explained that he would be the very first SP Member from among the IPs at the provincial level in Caraga region.  Besides, the NCIP was noted to have bared in an exclusive interview that having a sitting IPMR would matter in the annual conferment of Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG). 

Meanwhile, Vice-Governor Manuel Alameda, Sr. was found out to have been in a quandary.  Describing the situation as “pressing matter” in his letter to DILG Secretary Eduardo AΓ±o dated January 25, 2018, the SP presiding officer was seeking for “the proper course of action to be undertaken.” He cited both the position paper of the League of Vice-Governors of the Philippines (LVGP) dated February 17, 2017, which the DILG Secretary had been furnished a copy as well as the communication sent to him by Alacaba on January 23, 2018.

Also, in a related interview, the chair of the Finance and Appropriation Committee, SP Member Henrich Pimentel, clarified that the august body had already approved the 2018 Executive Budget with “unfunded” IPMR post during the budget deliberation in 2017. Being existing but unfilled during the preceding year, he added that said plantilla position, among others, was decided to be scrapped. (Radyo Pilipinas-Tandag City/PIA-Surigao del Sur)


AgNor to upgrade medical equipment, systems in local hospitals
 
BUTUAN CITY, Feb. 5 – With the help of the Department of Health (DOH) Regional Office XIII, the provincial government of Agusan del Norte was given an opportunity to upgrade the medical and laboratory equipment of the hospitals and Rural Health Units (RHUs) in the province.

This move was under the Health Facility Enhancement Program of the DOH to improve the primary health facilities and hospitals to comply with the DOH licensing and Philhealth accreditation requirements as referral centers.

For its smooth implementation, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan authorized Provincial Governor Ma. Angelica Rosedell M. Amante-Matba to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the DOH.

Under this MOA, the hospitals and RHUs are to identify their needed medical and laboratory equipment to be funded and purchased by the DOH through the Health Facility Enhancement Program.

On the other hand, another MOA will be signed by Amante-Matba in behalf of the province and the DOH for the Integrated Hospital Operation and Management Program (IHOMP), Policies and Guidelines to be put in place in the hospitals.

Starting January 2018, Philhealth is requiring all hospitals to adopt the Integrated Hospital Operations and Management Information system (IHOMIS) of the DOH in their day-to-day hospital operations to improve the quality of management system and procedures within the hospital with Total Quality Management and Patient Safety as framework.

This new technology is part of the Philippine Health Agenda for 2016-2020 of the national government to improve health care, practice good governance and promote universal health services access for all Filipinos.


Provincial Board Member Elizabeth Marie R. Calo pushed for the approval of the two MOAs during its recently conducted regular sessions. (ABSienes, LGU-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)