865 new classrooms up for construction in Bicol
By Marlon A. Loterte
LEGAZPI CITY, May 21 (PIA) -- The government will construct at least 865 new classrooms in the Bicol region within the year under the regular school buildings program (RSBP) for calendar year 2013 of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Program supervisor Casiano B. Pendegones Jr. of the DepEd Bicol said that the construction of the school buildings is still under procurement stage, but is expected to be completed within the year.
Pendegones added that the target completion for the one-storey school buildings is on September 2013 while two-storey buildings will be on November to December this year.
Breakdown of the classrooms up for construction includes 69 in Albay, 75 in Camarines Norte, 267 in Camarines Sur, 33 in Catanduanes, 212 in Masbate, 163 in Sorsogon, while 12 in Naga City, 10 in Iriga City, 11 in Masbate City and 13 in Sorsogon City,.
Pendegones noted that this city and the cities of Ligao and Tabaco are not included in the program since other school building programs are being undertaken in the areas by Philippine Gaming Corporation or Pagcor-assisted school building project and through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.
He further explained that RSBP is a joint project of DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) which intends to address the shortage of classrooms in the country.
Under the program, the DPWH will construct the classrooms, following the prescribed DepEd designs, while the latter will also be in charge of other school facilities such as construction of restrooms and providing classroom furniture.
Pendegones furthered that the construction of classrooms is under the Basic Education Facilities Fund for 2013, wherein some P629,189,000 will be allocated for the fund for construction of classrooms alone which will be administered by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
RSBP specifically targets schools which are categorized under the Red Zone or those which have a ratio of 56 or more students to one classroom; and the Black Zone, or schools which make use of makeshift classrooms and facilities.
Pendegones said that this project mainly aims to provide the students in both elementary and high school an improved environment conducive for learning.
“With better-equipped learning environment, students are able to focus more on their studies and learn more effectively”, Pendogones added. (MAL/Monaliza Z. Eser-OJT-BU/PIA5)
DAR introduces tracking system in acquiring, distributing land
By Joseph John J. Perez
LEGAZAPI CITY, May 21 (PIA) -- As the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPer) is nearing its completion, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) launched a tracking system on the status of land acquisition and distribution (LAD).
Former DAR Negros regional director Elmo Bañares develop the computer program in 2011 and maximized its utilization in 2012 in the said province that produced remarkable LAD accomplishments.
Negros is noted for highly contentious land reform issues and consistently has high LAD balances.
The department is currently training its manpower all over the country specifically in the Land Tenure Improvement (LTI) Division and field operations staff including the municipal agrarian reform officers (MARO) and technologists by batches under its Intervenors’ Validation Strategy, DAR Bicol said.
In Bicol, two batches were already sent for a three-day orientation seminar on how to operate and implement the LAD Tracking System with the third batch being readied for the training.
Bañares said the computer-based tracking system aims to track performance on a monthly basis to provide the provincial agrarian reform officers (PARO) and MAROs reliable data on mode of land acquisition, CARPer phase and crops, in order to plan timely activities by having a consistent and factual report.
The system is also designed to resolve or correct inconsistent data or report available at the department’s Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, at the field personnel and the database administrator, Bañares said.
The tracking tool will also guide field personnel on their LAD responsibilities and at the same time upgrade their skills to improve target accomplishments under the present situation of a fast approaching deadline in the implementation of CARPer with still high LAD balances, DAR Bicol said.
DAR Bicol Regional Office Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer for Operations Nida Santiago said that the LAD Tracking System will be very useful to DAR Bicol due to its volume of LAD balances. The provinces of Albay, Cam.Sur, Masbate and Sorsogon, are among the nation’s top 20 with high LAD balances, Santiago said. (MAL/JJJP/DAR5/PIA5-Albay)
DAR, PCA inks MOA for coconut rehab in Bicol
By Joseph John J. Perez
LEGAZPI CITY, May 21 (PIA) -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) recently agreed through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to accelerate coconut planting and re-planting in the entire Bicol Region.
The move aims to boost the coconut industry that has suffered setbacks due to the two major typhoons in 2006, illegal cutting and infestations in the previous years.
DAR Bicol regional director Maria Cristina Manlagñit Tam and PCA Bicol administrator Euclides Forbers signed the MOA under PCA’s Coconut Seedling Dispersal Project (CSDP) in granting qualified coconut farmers seedlings for planting and replanting in their coconut farms.
Tam said that a total of 700 hectares in the agrarian reform communities (ARC) in the region will benefit from the project including the establishment of seven nurseries in strategic areas in Bicol.
Under the project, according to Tam, PCA provides planting materials such as coconut seed nuts and seedlings, technical assistance on nursery establishment and operation, extension services, and regular monitoring of the progress of the project.
On the other hand, she said that DAR identifies suitable lands where the project can be implemented in the provinces of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon.
DAR Bicol also identifies the target municipalities and barangays with capable Peoples Organizations (PO) and provides local counterpart contribution for trainings and capacity building for beneficiary organizations.
The beneficiary organizations provide labor for the establishment and operations of the nursery project, formulation of policies on selection of farmer beneficiaries and roll-over scheme, which DAR Bicol will return the same value received in kind equivalent to 100 good quality seednuts per hectare seven years after planting that will be distributed to the succeeding beneficiaries, DAR Bicol said.
At present, the DAR provincial offices of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay and Catanduanes, in coordination with the PCA and beneficiary organizations have established coconut nurseries in ARCs.
In Camarines Norte, 20,000 coconut seednuts of Laguna Tall variety worth around P300,000 was granted to CABILANG ARC of the municipalities of Daet & Talisay.
In Albay, the bulk of coconut area plantations are situated in Albay Tres ARC Connectivity Cluster. The Balogo ARC in the municipality of Oas through the PANALA Farmers Association has also received 20,000 seednuts form DAR-PCA partnership and 15,000 seednuts from the Local Government of Oas, Albay, DAR Bicol said.
In addition, 40,000 coconut seednuts were also granted to Pambuhan, Garchitorena, Camarines Sur while Sorsogon is in the process of conducting information campaigns and orientation seminar to gain support in the area.
Meanwhile in Catanduanes, the different ARCs were able to designate coconut planting areas under the projects, DAR Bicol said. (MAL/JJJP/DAR5/PIA5-Albay)
By Marlon A. Loterte
LEGAZPI CITY, May 21 (PIA) -- The government will construct at least 865 new classrooms in the Bicol region within the year under the regular school buildings program (RSBP) for calendar year 2013 of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Program supervisor Casiano B. Pendegones Jr. of the DepEd Bicol said that the construction of the school buildings is still under procurement stage, but is expected to be completed within the year.
Pendegones added that the target completion for the one-storey school buildings is on September 2013 while two-storey buildings will be on November to December this year.
Breakdown of the classrooms up for construction includes 69 in Albay, 75 in Camarines Norte, 267 in Camarines Sur, 33 in Catanduanes, 212 in Masbate, 163 in Sorsogon, while 12 in Naga City, 10 in Iriga City, 11 in Masbate City and 13 in Sorsogon City,.
Pendegones noted that this city and the cities of Ligao and Tabaco are not included in the program since other school building programs are being undertaken in the areas by Philippine Gaming Corporation or Pagcor-assisted school building project and through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.
He further explained that RSBP is a joint project of DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) which intends to address the shortage of classrooms in the country.
Under the program, the DPWH will construct the classrooms, following the prescribed DepEd designs, while the latter will also be in charge of other school facilities such as construction of restrooms and providing classroom furniture.
Pendegones furthered that the construction of classrooms is under the Basic Education Facilities Fund for 2013, wherein some P629,189,000 will be allocated for the fund for construction of classrooms alone which will be administered by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
RSBP specifically targets schools which are categorized under the Red Zone or those which have a ratio of 56 or more students to one classroom; and the Black Zone, or schools which make use of makeshift classrooms and facilities.
Pendegones said that this project mainly aims to provide the students in both elementary and high school an improved environment conducive for learning.
“With better-equipped learning environment, students are able to focus more on their studies and learn more effectively”, Pendogones added. (MAL/Monaliza Z. Eser-OJT-BU/PIA5)
DAR introduces tracking system in acquiring, distributing land
By Joseph John J. Perez
LEGAZAPI CITY, May 21 (PIA) -- As the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPer) is nearing its completion, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) launched a tracking system on the status of land acquisition and distribution (LAD).
Former DAR Negros regional director Elmo Bañares develop the computer program in 2011 and maximized its utilization in 2012 in the said province that produced remarkable LAD accomplishments.
Negros is noted for highly contentious land reform issues and consistently has high LAD balances.
The department is currently training its manpower all over the country specifically in the Land Tenure Improvement (LTI) Division and field operations staff including the municipal agrarian reform officers (MARO) and technologists by batches under its Intervenors’ Validation Strategy, DAR Bicol said.
In Bicol, two batches were already sent for a three-day orientation seminar on how to operate and implement the LAD Tracking System with the third batch being readied for the training.
Bañares said the computer-based tracking system aims to track performance on a monthly basis to provide the provincial agrarian reform officers (PARO) and MAROs reliable data on mode of land acquisition, CARPer phase and crops, in order to plan timely activities by having a consistent and factual report.
The system is also designed to resolve or correct inconsistent data or report available at the department’s Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, at the field personnel and the database administrator, Bañares said.
The tracking tool will also guide field personnel on their LAD responsibilities and at the same time upgrade their skills to improve target accomplishments under the present situation of a fast approaching deadline in the implementation of CARPer with still high LAD balances, DAR Bicol said.
DAR Bicol Regional Office Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer for Operations Nida Santiago said that the LAD Tracking System will be very useful to DAR Bicol due to its volume of LAD balances. The provinces of Albay, Cam.Sur, Masbate and Sorsogon, are among the nation’s top 20 with high LAD balances, Santiago said. (MAL/JJJP/DAR5/PIA5-Albay)
DAR, PCA inks MOA for coconut rehab in Bicol
By Joseph John J. Perez
LEGAZPI CITY, May 21 (PIA) -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) recently agreed through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to accelerate coconut planting and re-planting in the entire Bicol Region.
The move aims to boost the coconut industry that has suffered setbacks due to the two major typhoons in 2006, illegal cutting and infestations in the previous years.
DAR Bicol regional director Maria Cristina Manlagñit Tam and PCA Bicol administrator Euclides Forbers signed the MOA under PCA’s Coconut Seedling Dispersal Project (CSDP) in granting qualified coconut farmers seedlings for planting and replanting in their coconut farms.
Tam said that a total of 700 hectares in the agrarian reform communities (ARC) in the region will benefit from the project including the establishment of seven nurseries in strategic areas in Bicol.
Under the project, according to Tam, PCA provides planting materials such as coconut seed nuts and seedlings, technical assistance on nursery establishment and operation, extension services, and regular monitoring of the progress of the project.
On the other hand, she said that DAR identifies suitable lands where the project can be implemented in the provinces of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon.
DAR Bicol also identifies the target municipalities and barangays with capable Peoples Organizations (PO) and provides local counterpart contribution for trainings and capacity building for beneficiary organizations.
The beneficiary organizations provide labor for the establishment and operations of the nursery project, formulation of policies on selection of farmer beneficiaries and roll-over scheme, which DAR Bicol will return the same value received in kind equivalent to 100 good quality seednuts per hectare seven years after planting that will be distributed to the succeeding beneficiaries, DAR Bicol said.
At present, the DAR provincial offices of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay and Catanduanes, in coordination with the PCA and beneficiary organizations have established coconut nurseries in ARCs.
In Camarines Norte, 20,000 coconut seednuts of Laguna Tall variety worth around P300,000 was granted to CABILANG ARC of the municipalities of Daet & Talisay.
In Albay, the bulk of coconut area plantations are situated in Albay Tres ARC Connectivity Cluster. The Balogo ARC in the municipality of Oas through the PANALA Farmers Association has also received 20,000 seednuts form DAR-PCA partnership and 15,000 seednuts from the Local Government of Oas, Albay, DAR Bicol said.
In addition, 40,000 coconut seednuts were also granted to Pambuhan, Garchitorena, Camarines Sur while Sorsogon is in the process of conducting information campaigns and orientation seminar to gain support in the area.
Meanwhile in Catanduanes, the different ARCs were able to designate coconut planting areas under the projects, DAR Bicol said. (MAL/JJJP/DAR5/PIA5-Albay)
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