Over 500 Agusanons benefit from outreach program
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 19 (PIA) - Through the concerted efforts of the local
government unit of Buenavista, Agusan del Norte and 23rd Infantry Battalion
(23iB), Philippine Army, more than 500 residents have availed of the basic
services including relief packs composed of canned goods, hygiene kits, and
vitamin supplements, among others for the children and pregnant women in
Barangay Olave.
Jerry Daal Escobilla, punong barangay of Olave in Buenavista, Agusan del
Norte, was delighted to have received the aid from the provincial government.
He said it has helped them in sustaining their needs.
“We are very thankful for this program which is really a big help to all
of us residents in Barangay Olave. We really appreciate the effort of the
concerned government agencies for reaching out to us during this time of the
pandemic,” said Escobilla.
According to 23rd IB Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Julius Cesar
Paulo, their mission is to end insurgency and maintain peace and order in the
area.
“Our government is ready to provide people the needed services and to
improve the peace and order situation in Barangay Olave. We are continuously
working hand-in-hand with the locals in the community as we want to secure and
protect them from the harmful terrorist group,” remarked Paulo.
This also formed part of the anniversary celebration of the Agusan Up --
the eight-point development agenda of Governor Dale Corvera in Agusan del
Norte.
Governor Corvera hoped that the National Task Force to End Local
Communists Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCACF) budget will be approved as he will also
issue a provincial resolution for this to be included in the General
Appropriations Act for 2021, so the different barangays could utilize the
allocated budget under the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) amounting
to P20-million each.
“Lack of the government’s basic services provided to the barangays is
one of the root causes of insurgency. This is why the provincial government
intensifies implementation of relevant programs down to the grassroots,”
Corvera cited. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
More than 2,500
displaced OFWs benefit from DOLE-OWWA-AKAP in Caraga
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 19 -- The government continuously assists the Overseas
Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families amidst the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) pandemic through financial assistance and facilitation of their
return to their respective provinces in the country.
The DOLE-OWWA-AKAP for OFWs is a one-time cash assistance worth P10, 000
intended to aid the displaced land-based and sea-based OFWs
(regular/undocumented), Balik-Manggagawa (BM) and qualified undocumented OFWs
who temporarily or permanently lost overseas employment upon the declaration of
COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines on February 1, 2020.
Documents required to avail of the financial assistance consists of
accomplished online application at www.dole-akap.owwa.gov.ph; copy of
passport or travel document; copy of flight ticket or boarding pass evidencing
return to the Philippines or arrival stamp/sticker attached in the passport;
proof of overseas employment (i.e. valid verified overseas employment contract;
OEC and visa/re-entry visa, etc.); proof of loss of employment on account of
COVID-19 (notice/certificate of termination of employment by employer,
self-undertaking, etc.); and for qualified undocumented worker – proof that
she/he and the employer have undertaken the necessary documentation to
regularize her stay in the host countries such as copies of employment
contract, payslip, work visa, or other proof of employment.
Since its implementation on April 13, 2020, the OWWA Regional Welfare
Office - Caraga has received a total of 4,344 online applications. Of this
number, 2,526 displaced OFWs had been approved and received their cash assistance
through money remittance center, which made it more convenient to the
beneficiaries as they were no longer required to go to the office for queuing.
The OWWA RWO Caraga evaluators will continue to assess and process the
remaining pending and on queue online applications. Applicants are not required
to personally visit the OWWA Caraga office to know the status of their
application. They just have to regularly check their emails or messenger app
for the status of their application.
In cases wherein they have not received any updates, applicants may call
their assigned evaluators or call the OWWA Caraga office hotline numbers -
09173150590 (Globe); 09399259895 (Smart). (OWWA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
Caraga’s economic
performance grows continually at 5.0% in 2019
BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 19 -- Caraga’s economy grew continually at 5.0 percent
in 2019 but at a slower pace with reference to the growth rate of 5.2 percent
in 2018.
Among the three major industry items, only Services sector continued to
expand with 11.0 percent while Industry sector slowed down at 0.4 percent and
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (AFF) declined with a growth rate of -3.6
percent.
The top three sub-industries with the highest growth rates in 2019 are
financial and insurance activities with 23.0 percent; other services with 14.2
percent; and public administration and defense; compulsory activities with 13.4
percent.
All three fall under the services sector. Services sector contributed
the largest percent share with 51.4 percent and the Industry sector remained
the second contributor to the economic performance of the region with 35.8
percent while AFF posted 12.8 percent share.
Of the 6.0 percent economic growth in the country, the region’s contribution to growth posted a 0.1 percentage points while accounting for 1.6 percent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). (PSA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga
