DSWD feeding program benefits 115,175 children in Bicol

LEGAZPI CITY, Mar 1 (PIA) -- About 115, 175 children aging three to five year olds from the five provinces of Bicol are receiving the added food provision of DSWD’s Supplemental Feeding Program this February said DSWD V Director Remia Tapispisan.

The beneficiaries are preschoolchildren coming from various day care centers in the provinces.

The Supplemental Feeding Program is implemented for six months every school year in coordination with the day care centers and respective local government unit and city/municipal Social Welfare and Development office.

Tapispisan further said that the program aims to improve and sustain the nutritional status of the target children beneficiaries in the region. It also ensures that the program can help the children access any appropriate health unit to address their nutrition-related problems including those who are at risk of malnutrition.

Under the program, each child beneficiary is allotted P12.50 per day for a hot meal served everyday in a week as a snack or lunch depending on their class schedule.

Evelyn Tuyan, DSWD V nutritionist in-charge of the program, said that P2.50 of which is for the rice and P10.00 is for vegetable viand or any locally available food with high nutritional content.

She added that aside from the improved nutritional status of the beneficiaries, they also learned the importance of good eating habits.

“According to feedback from the children, parents and teachers involved in the program, pre-school children were able to use spoon and fork when eating. Parents who used to find it hard to make their children eat vegetable and other nutritious meal now find it easy to do.”

Parents likewise said that they enhance their knowledge on preparing healthy meals from affordable and locally-available food with high nutrition content through the discussions conducted under the program, Tuyan added.

Meanwhile DSWD V is closely coordinating with LGUs and other agencies concerned to further strengthen their contribution to the Early Childhood and Development programs and projects of the government. (MAL/SAA-PIA V/ALbay)

PWDs identification card urged in Camarines Norte

By Rosalita B. Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, Mar 1 (PIA) -- Persons with Disability (PWDs) representative here urged to have an identification card for the sector in this province during the re-organizational meeting of the Provincial Council on Disability Affairs (PCDA) held here yesterday.

Professor Rex Bernardo, Executive Director, National Council on Disability Affair (NCDA) requested the provincial government to provide the said IDs for PWDs in the province in the meantime that the local government units (LGUs) cannot provide for it.

The issuance of ID is stipulated in RA 9442 “An act amending RA 7277 otherwise known as the Magna Carta for disabled persons and other purposes.”

The PWDs ID can be used as discount card, a 20 percent discount in establishments in hotels and other lodging services, admission fees in theater, cinema and other leisure, medicines in all drugs stores, medical and dental services including laboratory fees, domestic air and sea travel, public railways, skyways, and bus fare and others, as stated in the booklet to be provided.

Only the local government of Daet has released the identification card for the PWDs in the said town recently.

Sanguniang Panlalawigan Board Member Hon. Teresita Malubay said that the provincial government has allocated some P500,000 for the PWDs and also P500,000 for the Senior Citizen programs.

The Philippine is the 23rd country to have ratified the treaty since its adoption by the UN in March 30, 2007.

The Council also aims to establish a strong public-private partnership in monitoring the full implementation of pertinent laws including the said IDs and accessibility law and other laws to protect the rights of the PWDs.

The PCDA will also advocate the establishment of Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) in every local government units and provincial level in accordance with section 40 (B) (1) of RA 7277 of the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability as amended by RA 10070.

The Council is composed of the line government agencies, six private individuals including two representatives of the non-government organizations, and two disabled persons representing PWDs organization. (RBM/PIA Camarines Norte)

NPC allocates P31M for gensets acquisition

VIRAC, Catanduanes, Mar 1, (PIA) -- A total of P31 million has been allocated by the National Power Corporation (NPC) for the acquisition of three generator sets for the Marinawa Diesel Power Plant and for the electrification of Palumbanes island in Caramoran, Catanduanes.

According to Congressman Cesar V. Sarmiento, NPC President Froilan Tampinco informed him recently that P24,107,143 of the agency's realigned budget for 2012 was approved by the Department of Budget of Management (DBM) for the supply, delivery, installation, and commissioning of two-units of 1,500-kilowatt high-speed gensets for Marinawa Diesel Power Plant.

Moreover, the officials said that 100-KW genset will be installed in Palumbanes island to operate for six hours per day under the off-grid electrification of the island wherein P6,250,000 was approved by DBM.

Said action of the NPC was the response of the agency to Cong. Sarmiento's request and endorsed by the House Energy Committee chair Rep. Henedina Razon Abad to the Department of Energy requesting additional gensets for Catanduanes.

Moreover, Tampinco said that the Catanduanes Power Generation, Inc. (CPGI) which was selected by First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative, Inc. (FICELCO) as the new power provider in the province has not yet fully complied with the contractual obligations which cause the delay in the implementation of new capacities for Marinawa DPP and as well as the electrification of Palumbanes.

At present, NPC is renting gensets since only 50 percent of its generation facilities are operational. (MAL/EAB-PIA Catanduanes)

Business one-stop-shop increases tax collection in 7 towns

VIRAC, Catanduanes, Mar 1 (PIA) -- All it had to do was hasten the process of business permits and the buiness sector fully appreciated, as shown by the increase in tax collection.

A significant increase in business taxes has been observed in seven towns here in Catanduanes following the implementation of the Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS) Upscaling Reforms Program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The BPLS program is aimed at limiting the processing time of the local government unit to issue business permits and licenses to a maximum of 10 days from the date of submission of the application form as required by the Anti-Red Tape Law, using a unified form each for new applications and renewals and limiting the number of steps in processing applications for new applications and renewals.

Among the towns that experienced higher taxes and fees paid by business establishments in their respective locale as stated in a report submitted by DTI and DILG, Caramoran town has the most number of increase with registrants increasing from six in January 2011 to 118 this 2012 wherein its tax collection from business registration boomed from P52,193.73 to P296,338.24 or nearly five times the figure for the previous year.

Viga came in second with 92 registrants increasing by 171 percent in collection from P139,541.75 to P378, 670.32. The province's capital town is in 3rd with 127 percent increase from 14 to 754 registrants with an increased revenue from P3.9 million in 2011 to P8.9 million this January, 2012.

Moreover, Pandan listed an increase of 73 percent in business taxes from P143, 052.76 to P247,545.48 with registrants rising from 100 to 182. Meanwhile, Bato town recorded 121 registrants from 84 with a tax collection growing from 29 percent to P774,079.18.

San Miguel town still does not have data while San Andres registrants grew from 256 to 284 but its tax revenue fell from P1.06 million to P884,680.85 this year.

According to William Aldea, Local Government Operation Officer, the significant increase in tax collection was due to the establishment of Business One-Stop Shop desks in the said towns which sped up the approval of permits and licenses in January, 2012. (MAL/EAB, PIA Catanduanes)