DOLE Bicol sets wage hike for private sector workers

LEGAZPI CITY, April 19 (PIA) -– Workers from the private sectors in the Bicol region can finally receive their anticipated wage increase as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) sets off its new Wage Law effective April 7 this year.

DOLE-Bicol Regional Director Nathaniel Lacambra confirmed the full implementation of the Wage Order No. RBV – 15 approved by DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on February 24. It took effect 15 days after publication in a newspaper and circulated in the region in compliance with the rules set by the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB).

“The new wage order was published on March 23 at Bicol Mail, counting the 15-day publication period then it will be in full implementation on April 7," Lacambra added.

Under the new wage law, private sector workers in the region will get an added increase in their minimum wages ranging from P3 - P23 per day. It covers all private establishments, enterprises and company workers in the region.

Moreover Lacambra clarified that domestic helpers, personal drivers, body guards and workers who are in the personal service of another, are not covered by the minimum wage order. The amount of increase would likewise differ depending on the kind of industry and size of employment.

Exemption of certain establishments is also stipulated in the new wage law but is not automatic or inherent.

Establishments qualified for exemption must fall in the following categories: Retail/service establishments regularly employing not more than 10 workers, distressed establishments or those suffering from economic set-back with at least 25 percent of capitalization and profit being depleted, new business enterprises or those that are still in its 1st year of operation and establishments adversely affected by calamities.

Any establishment falling under any of the above categories but without application for exemption at the RTWPB will not be considered exempted from the wage order. (MAL/SAA-PIA V/ALbay)

NSO conducts quarterly Labor Force Survey

By Edna A. Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, April 19 (PIA) -- The National Statistics Office (NSO) provincial office here has since April 10 visiting households for the quarterly Labor Force Survey.

NSO Catanduanes provincial chief Elisa Solares explained that the Labor Force Survey (LFS) is a nationwide survey of households conducted regularly to gather data on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population.

Solares added that the survey is primarily geared towards the estimation of the levels of employment and unemployment in the country, adding that the survey is designed to provide statistics on levels and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment for the country as a whole, and for each of the administrative regions.

She elaborated that the survey aims to provide a quantitative framework for the preparation of plans and formulation of policies affecting labor market towards (1) creation and generation of gainful employment; (2) reduction of unemployment and promotion of employment; (3) improvement of working conditions and (4) enhancement of the welfare of a working person.

According to her, it also provides statistics on levels and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment for the country and regions, it is used for the projection of future human resource, which when compared with the future manpower requirements, will help identify employment and training needs; It helps in the assessment of the potential human resource available for economic development; and it identifies the difference in employment, unemployment and underemployment according to the different economic, social and ethnic groups existing within the population.

In the province, 10 sample barangays, will be visited. The barangays covered are the following: in Virac: Gogon Centro, and Palnab del Norte; in San Andres: San Isidro, Batong Paloway and Puting Baybay; in Baras: Paniquihan, and Miguel,; in Caramoran: Maysuram and Icanbato and in Pandan: Libod. (MAL/EAB/PIA 5/NSO Catanduanes)

Doppler radar facility to benefit local studes

By Edna A. Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, April 19 (PIA) -- Aside from providing forecasts with high degree of accuracy and boosting local tourism of the province, the now completed Doppler radar facility installed at Buenavista, Bato, Catanduanes is said to benefit students from private and public schools in the province.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Virac Chief Meteorological officer Engr. Eufronio H. Garcia said the facility is beneficial to students as it adds knowledge in the field of Science and Technology.

“Students can relate subjects concerning meteorology, space or atmospheric, physical sciences and we can also provide information in electronics engineering," he said.

The official added that the facility can also serve as the students’ subject for research studies.

According to Garcia, they would also consider field trips in the area after the facility’s turnover to Pagasa and as long as the test and renovation of the old radar building is complete.

The Doppler radar in Bato town is one of the three state-of-the-art radar facility being built in the Philippines that uses the solid-state technology developed by Japanese engineers. It was brought to the country by the Japanese government through its grants-in-aid program.

The new S-band system, defined as standard for radio waves with frequencies ranging from 2 to 4 gigahertz, uses integrated chips that conveys electromagnetic waves as far as 420 kilometers (km) away to determine rainfall intensity and coverage, wind velocity and speed.

Its entire system is relatively easy to maintain with all-digital instrumentation so anyone who is accustomed with computers can operate it. This may especially be beneficial to students who are taking computer courses.

The 44-meter-tall radar tower built on top of a mountain in Buenavista is safe from landslides and can last for as long as 15 years. The thin fiberglass plates of the facility, can also withstand winds of up to 450 km per hour.

The Doppler radar has four major components enclosed in the radar tower—a radar system, a data display system, a satellite communications system, and a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT).

If fully operational, the radar facility will enable Pagasa to provide early warning to the local government units to suspend classes earlier than usual and to direct pre-emptive evacuation and avoid damages and casualties.

The facility amounting P560 million was funded from a grant from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Two more Doppler radar systems of the same kind are now being installed by the Japanese-Filipino consortium in Guiuan, Samar province, and Aparri, Cagayan province.

If completed, the three "new-tech" Doppler radars shall help the seven existing US-made Doppler radar systems in the Philippines. These are located at Baguio City, Baler (Aurora province), Subic (Zambales province), Hinatuan (Surigao del Sur province), Tagaytay City, Mactan City (Cebu province), and Tampakan (South Cotabato province).

Meanwhile, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and other officials from Bicol Region – the country’s front door of typhoons are expected to grace the inauguration of the facility on April 27 (MAL/EAB-PIA 5, Catanduanes)