46,487 INDIGENTS TO RECEIVE PHILHEALTH MEMBERSHIPS

SORSOGON CITY — As part of her continuing effort to push her agenda, Governor Sally A. Lee has started distributing PhilHealth cards to indigents and the underprivileged during the conduct of the Provincial Mobile Services Caravan (PMCS) in Irosin last week.

Recipients of the PhilHealth card automatically make them members of the Sponsored Indigent Program (SIP) under the Medicare Para sa Masa Program (MPMP) of the governor, which entitles them to various health benefits. These include primary consultations with general physicians; laboratory services such as chest x-ray, complete blood count and urinalysis; and subsidized hospital services including surgery, room and board.

In Irosin alone, 4,911 have qualified for the SIP. Constituents in the municipalities of Barecelona, Bulan, Bulusan, Casiguran, Castilla, Donsol, Gubat, Juban, Magallanes, Matnog, Pilar, Prieto Diaz and Sta. Magdalena are also covered by the MPMP which Gov. Lee has entered into with the PhilHealth.

The provincial government is allocating funds as subsidies to supplement those provided by the National Government, which shall be administered by the PhilHealth. Lee announced that annually, the provincial government will be remitting P21,607,190 million to cover healthcare services for 46,487 beneficiaries throughout the province.

Earlier, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and the Municipal Social Welfare Offices have identified and evaluated individuals that are eligible for the program according to requirements, among them that they must belong to families whose annual per capita incomes do not exceed P12,167 if they reside in 1st to 3rd class municipalities and P15,530 in 4th to 5th class municipalities.

Lee said that by putting the entire province under the MPMP, her pledge to deliver essential health services, particularly hospital and surgery services that the underprivileged are unable to avail of, is fulfilled.(MFDeniega, MAIB Sorsogon/PIA)


LABO TOWN STRENGTHENS DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PROGRAMS

CAMARINES NORTE Province – The municipal government of Labo, this province, will be conducting the 3rd summer camp training on emergency response and first-aid among school youth volunteers for the Super Batang Kalasag program (SBK) set on the months of April and May.

Municipal information officer and Civil Defense deputized coordinator Dr. Carlos Galvez said eight batches will undergo the training for the SBK program, including 46 coming from the Grade IV and Grade V pupils and 111 from 2nd and 3rd year high school of the present school year.

He said these young generations of volunteers will train on emergency response, fire safety, blood safety, first aid, bandaging, cardio pulmonary resuscitation, problem solving quiz and other related events.

Their knowledge and skills, added Galvez, will also be put to test during the 1st Super Batang Kalasag Olympics on July, in time for the observance of Disaster Preparedness Month.

Last year, similar activity was conducted for the Barangay Emergency Response Team (BERT) among adults from the different barangays of Labo town.

Galvez said that the Super Batang Kalasag and the BERT were among the first in the country, and this town is setting its sight to become a model in similar programs in the country.

According to him, they are now preparing the barangay disaster risk operation manual wherein they have already conducted a series of seminar recently on the said program in several barangays.

He noted their town is the 2nd among the provinces who are preparing the barangay disaster risk operation manual, next to Dagupan City.

The Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC) here has also entered into a Memorandum Agreement (MOA) with the Kabalikat Bicol 216 – Labo chapter, which will provide assistance during emergency and other disaster operations.

Labo has been already a recipient of a Hall of Fame award in the Search for the National Kalasag Award-Best MDCC in the country for the 1st and 2nd class municipality.

It also won the Best Performing MDCC in year 2004, 2006 and 2007, and last year this town was cited as a Hall of Fame.(RBManlangit, PIA Camarines Norte)


DA PURSUES AGRICULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN BICOL

CAMARINES SUR Province — Some P10 million was allocated by the Department of Agriculture for the construction of the farm-to-market-roads (FMR) in barangays Dalipay and San Antonio, Milaor town here as part of “Ginintuang Masaganang Ani” program infrastructure support component.

DA Bicol regional executive director Jose Dayao said the fund will finance the access road opening projects for the two barangays, while the municipal government will shell out the 10 percent of the total project cost.

DA and the local government unit of Milaor already signed over the weekend a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to facilitate the implementation of the FMR projects.

Also present during the MOA signing were DA (OIC) regional technical director for Research and Development Edgar R. Madrid, Milaor municipal engineer Edwin F. Reyes and Municipal Planning and Development coordinator William P. Menes.

Dayao noted several agricultural infrastructure projects are being lined up for this year as part of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s stimulus program to rev up economic growth, including agricultural productivity in the countryside in the face of global economic slowdown.

Also recently, DA allocated some P3 million for the Tinawagan-Libod FMR, named after the two barangays the road project traverses, in Tigaon town, also in this province.

“Among other projects include irrigation canals, post harvest facilities, FMRs, and farmers’ training centers, which have greater and more lasting impact, in lieu of soft investment like seed and farm implements subsidy,” he elaborated.(MAL, PIA V Release)


LRAY VITA KIDZ NUTRITION PROGRAM NOW ON ITS 5TH YEAR
...6,700 children benefit from free feeding

CAMARINES SUR Province — Governor LRay Villafuerte led the launching Friday (March 6) of the LRay Vita Kidz Nutrition Program on its 5th consecutive year in Del Gallego town, this province.

Some 6,700 children, aged 12-65 months, from the 116 barangays of the province’s 17 municipalities are expected to benefit from the program’s multi-faceted components after the 72-day center-based feeding activities.

During this year’s program launching, at least 122 Below Normal (BNL) or Below Normal Very Low (BNVL) children were registered with the program to undergo a 5-day supplemental feeding of nutritious foods sourced, packed, and specially-ordered from the Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP), multivitamins supplementation, de-worming medication, height and weight monitoring every month.

Mothers and caregivers will also be required to attend the series of Mothers’ Class and “Pabasa sa Nutrisyon”. Resident-beneficiaries will be provided with vegetable seeds to start up their front/backyard and community gardens.

Barangays Comadogcadog, Comadaycaday, Mabini, Peñafrancia, Poblacion III, and San Juan are initially the recipients of the feeding program this year.

Last Monday (March 9), 506 children were registered in the barangays of De La Fe, San Buenaventura, San Vicente, Sta. Elena, Lourdes, San Isidro, Monte Calvario, San Antonio, and Antipolo in Buhi town.

Present during the program launching in the said town were vice-governor Sal Fortuno, board member Rex Oliva, mayor Rey Lacoste, punong barangays, the municipal nutrition action officer (MNAO), the municipal and rural health physicians, and the municipal councilors.

The LRay Vita Kidz Nutrition Program is also up for implementation in the following municipalities: Minalabac (256 kids); Pamplona (248 kids); Sipocot (252 kids); Ragay (230 kids); Calabanga (1,186 kids); Magarao (160 kids); Milaor (200 kids); Goa (410 kids); Presentacion (190 kids); Sagñay (350 kids); San Jose (500 kids); Siruma (378 kids); Tinambac (412 kids); Bula (800 kids); and Nabua (500 kids).

In the next few weeks, the launching schedule are as follows: March 16 – Sipocot; March 17 – Sagñay; March 18 – Magarao & Milaor; March 19 – Minalabac; March 20 – San Jose; March 23 – Ragay; March 24 – Tinambac; March 25 – Goa; March 26 – Nabua; March 27 – Bula; March 30-31 – Calabanga; April 1-3 – Siruma; April 7-8 – Presentacion; and April 13, 2009 – Pamplona, all in Camarines Sur.(JMTS, Multimedia Educ. Cen./PIA)


PRMG TRAINING STAFF IN BICOL RELIEVED TO GIVE WAY TO HAZING PROBE

LEGAZPI CITY — The 15-member training staff of the Police Regional Mobile Group (PRMG) here was relieved by Bicol police regional director Chief Sup’t. Paterno P. Bangui to give way to an impartial investigation on the hazing allegedly committed by the training officers against newly recruited police scout trainees triggered by video expose sent to the Napolcom regional office.

Also relieved of his duties as PRMG group commander was Sr. Sup’t. Josel Q. Regondola who was temporarily replaced by Senior Sup’t. Eliciar Bron during the duration of the probe.

Bangui said that Sup’t. Rodelio B. Guerrero, chief of the Regional Investigation and Detection Management Division (RIDMD) who he earlier directed to conduct a speedy investigation after the hazing incident came to his attention has recommended the filing of administrative case of grave misconduct against all the respondents.

Three of the respondents namely PO1 Vernon B. Pabilino; PO1 Eugene T. Ros and PO1 Israel B. Caile were preventively suspended for 90-days as recommended by Sr. Sup’t. Nestor Belga, the chief of the Regional Internal Affairs Service-5 after a summary hearing.

National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) Bicol regional director Pedro Magannon said that a parallel investigation is also being conducted by his agency to arrive at an impartial investigation on the incident.

The hazing probe was triggered by an anonymous letter complaint sent to the NAPOLCOM regional office here together with a video disc showing some training officers conducting hazing on the trainees.(EAdeLeon/PIA)


DOLE GRANTS P200T TO SUMAN AT LATIK PRODUCERS

STO. DOMINGO, Albay — The land of Sarung Banggi now has another pride to behold — the suman at latik or ‘kakanin’ from Fidel Surtida, a silent but economically driven barangay at the southern tip of this town.

This barangay has slowly emerged from the map because of its delicious but cheap ‘kakanin’ with a luscious after taste that, as eaters say, lasts for days. However, because of lack of capital the ‘kakanins’ are baked only once or twice a week by housewives, so availability is becoming a problem.

The fame of the ‘kakanin of Fidel Surtida’ grew bigger when the Department of Labor (DOLE) livelihood focal persons Ma. Ella E. Verano and Olga Ludovice and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bicol recognized the ‘delicacy’ as a product that can help uplift the economic situation of the town and provide alternative livelihood to the locals.
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“We saw the potential and thought that if they were given enough capital and a little help on packaging, this livelihood can grow into a full blown business,” DOLE Bicol regional director Ernesto C. Bihis said.

After several meetings with a group of housewives, DOLE and DTI organized the Fidel Surtida Women Association. now accredited co-partner of DOLE.

Now accredited co-partner of DOLE, the women’s group has been a recipient of a P200,000 livelihood grant released last March 9.

The grant, Bihis said, will be used as additional capital to mass produce and improve packaging of the‘kakanin’ .

“They have now enough capital to mass produce and have a presentable packaging. Perhaps later we can sell their products to other parts of the country or export them perhaps in some countries,” he added.

The P200,000 grant is part of the Workers Income Augmentation Program (WINAP) which aims to uplift small and medium enterprises in rural areas.

The kakanin project is the priority project identified by DOLE Albay provincial office, led by Ms. Josefina E. Salire.(RPEscalante, DOLE/PIA)


Information technology to spur more jobs

MANILA – “Our strength is our people” is the theme of the third Super Regions Cabinet Meeting held yesterday (March 10) at the Cyber City Teleservices Inc. compound in Clark field, Pampanga.

Commission on Information and Communications Technology Secretary and Cyber Corridor Super Region Development Champion Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua presented before the full cabinet his report indicating a continued, strong growth in the Philippine IT-BPO industries.

“We have overtaken Malaysia and we already took a lot from India making us now number three in market share, with 15% behind Canada (27%) and India (37%),” he reported.

“This growth is due to innate Filipino talent; robust connectivity; accessibility through international and domestic airports; growth in PEZA IT parks and buildings; and the formation of ICT Councils nationwide as the drivers of growth,” the secretary noted.

The President directed the Cyber Corridor Super Region Development Champion to develop the Cyber Corridor in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Cagayan De Oro, Metro Cavite, Bacolod, Pampanga Central, Bulacan Central (Baliuag, Marilao, Meycauayan, Bulacan South (Malolos, Calumpit) and Lipa City as the next Top Ten Wave Cities.

International investors believe in the Philippine super region plan. It is projected to spur rapid development, increase labor and income in the cyber corridor as the regions, cities, and towns are now investing in information and technologies that will create more jobs, business opportunities and income.

According to Goldman Sachs, one of the best investment banks in the world, “it is a good plan to create super regions in accordance to their competitive advantage. The President is focused on the speedy implementation of her infrastructure projects and she is better in the aspect compared to other leaders in Asia.”

In the Cyber Corridor Super Region Development Plan, the government will also ensure internet connectivity for all public high schools nationwide.(PIA V Release)


Despite the economic slowdown, Businesses would thrive and hire people

MANILA — Labor authorities reported the local hotel and restaurant management industry has more than 3,000 jobs available.

The strong domestic tourism is brought about by remittances from overseas Filipino workers.

Hotel and Restaurant Management Association of the Philippines President Humprey O’Leary said the on-going constructions of hotels, resorts and restaurants nationwide reflect the high level of confidence among investors in the industry.
Although investors acknowledge that the industry is affected by the economic slump, O’Leary said they believe they will reap the benefits of their investments once the sector recovers.

As for the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the Philippines differs from other economies because local consumption is alive.

However, PCCI President Edgardo Lacson admitted many graduates do not get hired because they don’t have the skills industries are looking for.

To solve the mismatch, Lacson said schools and industries should work together to help graduates and trainees to respond appropriately with actual job demands.

Lacson said PCCI has programs such as the STORE (School-To-Office Response to Employment) system where employers and school administrators can identify the necessary trainings and skills in all steps of recruitment and in all levels of employment.

On the other hand, officials from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)are urging workers especially those who recently lost their jobs to learn new trades from the training programs provided by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and other government agencies to get themselves hired in the hotel and restaurant sector.

TESDA Deputy Director General Rogelio Peyuan said there are openings for bartenders, cooks and housekeepers.

He added that TESDA has Php-1-Billion worth of scholarships which prioritize retrenched workers including OFWs.(PIA V Release)


PGMA honors 'MOST CHILD-FRIENDLY' LGUs in Malacañan

MANILA —President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will honor at noon tomorrow (Thursday, March 12) in Malacañang several local government units adjudged as most “child-friendly” LGUs last year.

Divided into five categories - - highly urbanized, independent chartered city, component city, fist-3rd class municipality and 4th-6th class municipality – the winners of the search for most child-friendly LGUs will receive P300,000 each and a trophy.

The “Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities” will also give P500,000 Hall of Fame Award to the LGUs that will win the national award three times in a row.

In the same occasion, the President will sign Republic Act 9523 which requires the certification of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that a child is legally available for adoption as a pre-requisite for adoption proceedings.

The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), which oversees the awards, said the child-friendly project is “considered as a self-assessment mechanism and, at the same time, gives recognition to these LGUs that put in place a ‘child-friendly’ environment, and upholds the right of children on survival, protection, development and participation.”

The Child-Friendly LGU supports the Philippine Strategic Framework for Plan Development for Children, otherwise known as Child 21, which was developed in 1999 when then Vice President Arroyo was concurrent secretary of the DSWD.

On Feb. 23, 2004, President Arroyo signed Executive Order (EO) 286 “directing national government agencies and other concerned agencies to actively support and implement programs on the ‘bright child.’”

She noted that “the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) System within the framework of Child 21 has an integrative program using complementary strategies that include service delivery for children from conception to age 6 years, educating parents and caregivers, encouraging active involvement of parents and communities and raising awareness about the quality of life for young children and families.”

The EO added that “there is a need to intensify collaboration among government and non-governmental organizations, private sector, media, local and international agencies as well as families and communities in promoting the Child Friendly Movement by supporting the Bright Child.”

‘Bright Child’ was defined by the Arroyo’s executive order as referring to the “delivery of a one-brand package of interventions on food and nutrition, health, early education and psychosocial programs for young children resulting in their optimum growth and development.”

The EO directed national government agencies and other concerned offices “to support and implement programs on the Bright Child,” with the Council for the Welfare of Children/National Early Childhood Care and Development Coordinating Council (NECCDCC) as the lead agency.

As such, it shall “manage the bright child and develop the mechanics of its implementation together with an Inter-Agency Technical Working Group consisting of the lead cooperating agencies” whose heads shall be “co-chairpersons”: DOH, DSWD, DepEd, and DILG.(PIA V Release)


PGMA signs RP Archipelagic Baseline Law

MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today (March 11) signed Republic Act 9522 or the Philippine Archipelagic Baseline Law that will ensure international recognition of the country’s baselines or boundaries.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said RA 9522 reaffirms the Philippines’ claims to its territorial waters, including its extended continental shelf, economic zones, and the contested Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) off Palawan province and the Scarborough shoal in the country’s western seaboard.

Ermita said the Philippine government is asserting its sovereignty over the country’s territorial area and economic zones because that's the right thing to do.

RA 9522 was enacted in time to meet the deadline of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) for countries and archipelagic states to submit their respective claims to their extended continental shelf, set on May 13 this year.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Director Henry Bensurto said the law is a “clinical and technical adjustment” of the existing baseline law as required by the UNCLOS.

The adjustment, Bensurto said, is in compliance with the UNCLOS which lays down the technical requirements by which archipelagos can draw their baselines. “It is imperative for us to make the technical adjustment in compliance with the UNCLOS,” he added.

The DFA official explained that UNCLOS did not exist yet when the old law, RA 3046, which defined the country’s baselines was signed. UNCLOS came about only in 1994.

Under the new law (RA 9522), the disputed KIG and Scarborough Shoal remain part of Philippine territory but under a “regime of islands” category which is defined by Article 121 of the UNCLOS as islands or naturally formed areas of land surrounded by water that remain above water during high tide.

Aside from the Philippines, the disputed “regime of islands” is also wholly or partly claimed by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.(PIA V Release)


PGMA welcomes Holland America Line President/CEO

Manila — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo welcomed yesterday in Malacanang Stein Kruse president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Holland America Line (HAL).

The Seattle-based Holland America Line has been operating luxury ship cruises for over 130 years and has a history of excellence and tradition that touches every continent around the globe as it operates 13 vessels that sail to over 280 ports of call.

This year, it has included nine unique voyages in the Asia-Pacific Region and Puerto Princesa in Palawan is one of them.

Holland America Line has also opened a new culinary training program, designed in cooperation with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), at its training center here in Manila, to train shipboard culinary staff for its expanding fleet of premium cruise ships.

Trainees will live at the facility while completing a three-week immersion culinary course.

Holland America Line is renowned for its culinary expertise and extraordinary food presentations in the dining rooms and many specialty restaurants, and that its new culinary training program in Manila will ensure that its culinary and beverage staff continue to raise the bar of providing outstanding meals and service to guests.

The training school also serves as a school for front desk personnel and beverage staff, and has space to conduct leadership and other training classes for crew and officers.(PIA V Release)