'Oplan Semana Santa' launched in Bicol, authorities on high alert

By Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, April 2 (PIA) -- Civil and military authorities are on high alert as "Oplan Semana Santa" was launched to maintain peace and promote solemnity during the observance of the Holy Week across the region.

"Oplan Semana Santa" is a collaborative undertaking of the elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Army (PA), and various units of the Departments of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to ensure order in various churches, major roads, airports, ports, and other critical infrastructures where people flock to observe the Holy Week from April 2 to 8, this year.

Police Supt. Renato Bataller, PNP Bicol spokesman, said the PNP and DOTC will be fielding additional personnel to provide support in manning assistance centers established in various highways, airports, ports, including malls and communication relay stations.

Bataller said Oplan Semana Santa will ensure that no untoward incident happens that would endanger the lives of the people from elements who might sow terror during this religious event.

He said check points and assistance centers would be set up to assist motorists and other visitors coming from other places to observe this religious event. It is expected that visitors would be arriving in the various parts of the region this week-long religious observance.

The DOTC in line with their Oplan Sumvac (summer vacation) will also set up similar assistance centers in major airports to assist incoming and outgoing passengers in the cities of Naga and Legazpi, Masbate and in Virac, Catanduanes.

Security checks would be strictly enforced in bus terminals, major seaports across the region.

Police and soldiers would also be deployed to closely watch cell site relay stations and towers in remote villages that are prone to attacks by New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas. (MAL/MSA-PIA 5, ALbay)

Bicol’s crime volume decreases by 30.6% in first two months

By Rosalita B. Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, April 2 (PIA) -- Crime volume in the Bicol region has decreased by 30.6 percent for the period January to February this year with the total of 1,657 crime incidents as compared to 2,385 for the same period last year as reported by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Region V during the Regional Peace and Order Council Meeting (RPOC) held yesterday.

PNP Regional Director PCSupt. Jose Arne M. De los Santos said that the decrease in crime volume, particularly index crimes, is indicative of the successful collaboration of the PNP in all other stakeholders in the region especially in crime prevention and suppression efforts.

Of the 1,657 crime volume, 972 cases or 58.66 percent were index crimes while 685 or 41.44 percent were non-index crimes. Index crimes prevalent was physical injury followed by theft, robbery, murder, rape, homicide, carnapping, and cattle rustling.

The average monthly crime rate recorded was 15.76 percent or a decrease of 30 percent as compared to 22.54 percent for the same period last year.

The overall crime solution efficiency for the period covered rose to 25.47 percent, a significant increase of 4.09 or 19.13 percent as compared to the 21.38 percent rating obtained during the same period last year.

He said that improved crime solution efficiency is the bright spot in the implementation of the Police Integrated Patrol System (PIPS) and expected that the trend will continue this year. (MAL/RBM-PIA 5, Camarines Norte).

DOLE allocates P2M for Daet Food Producers Association’s livelihood

By Rosalita B. Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, March 31 (PIA) -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has allocated some P2 million as grant for the livelihood program of the Daet Food Producers Association.

Manager Lilia Avellana of the Technology and Livelihood Development Center (TLDC) said that P912,000 of the P2 million will be released in April. The said amount will be used for the purchase of equipment and raw materials for the production of pili-piña based products of the group.

The said amount was approved last year under the Country Enterprise Development Project of the DOLE which was launched August 2011 in Daet.

She said that the construction for the production center is on-going located at barangay Lag-on here as counterpart of the local government unit of Daet.

Avellana said that the group has 42 members who are engaged in making different products like pili piña pie, buko piña pie, pili tart, pili cluster, empanaditas, and also tocino and longganisa.

She said that outlets of their products include: Jannas Pasalubong, Nene Pili Nut, supermarkets, office of the TLDC, Daet municipal canteen, and also during trade fair.

The group is also preparing their application permit from the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).

She added that this is also in cooperation with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the project proposal making and trainings of the association.(MAL/RBM - PIA 5, Camarines Norte)

Elderly to get pneumonia shots, a silent killer

By Ernesto A. Delgado

CITY OF MASBATE, April 2 (PIA) -- World Pneumonia Day may have come and gone, but health authorities say risks from pneumonia are far from over. That’s why some senior citizens will receive pneumonia shots to strengthen their immunity against the disease, said Linnette E. Villamor, the dentist in charge of Masbate City government’s health education and promotion.

Villamor said that despite being highly preventable and treatable, the infection that affects the lungs is responsible for the hospitalization and eventually the death of millions of elderly individuals each year worldwide.

Citing a World Health Organization reminder, Villamor said prevention of pneumonia through immunization is the single most important preventive measure to reduce the incidence and prevent mortality and morbidity in elderly Masbateños.

Recognizing this fact, the city government was inspired to give free pneumonia shots to some 80 elderly, whose only pension comes from what is known as National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction.

“Following an order from Mayor Socrates Tuason, the City Health Office has started giving the vaccine and those 77 years old and older are our priority to receive the free shots,” supplied by the Department of Health, Villamor said.

The free shots were mandated by RA 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 wherein poor elderly Filipinos are now entitled to receive from the government free vaccination against the influenza virus and pneumococcal diseases, she added.(MAL/EAD-PIA 5, Masbate)

CSC confers Seal of Excellence award to NSO CamSur

By Analiza S. Macatangay

NAGA CITY, April 2 (PIA) -- For complying to provide quality customer service and for upholding to the adherence of true service to the people, specifically to its clientele, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) here conferred the Seal of Excellence Award to the National Statistics Office (NSO ) Camarines Sur under Provincial Statistics Officer Clemente Manaog.

The award was the result of NSO’s excellent performance in providing services to the public by reducing, if not totally eliminating, bureaucratic red tape in serving the public.

Also known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, this prevents graft and corruption pursuant to the government’s mandate to promote integrity, accountability, proper management of public affairs, and property of government agencies among others.

Manaog, in his acceptance speech, bared the innovations that the NSO office undertook to serve the public and one of this is the no quota policy which means serving all the clients who have patiently waited in.

“In implementing this policy, we are already gaining the trust of our clients that there is no “palakasan” system as far as government service is concern. Our main thrust is to serve every customer and make them leave the premises of our office, satisfied of our services,” Manaog added.

NSO-Camarines Sur also implemented the no-noon break policy, which favored most of the clients who can only go to the NSO during their own break time. The imposition of signages in strategic location has also greatly helped the customers in easily facilitating their transactions with little or no assistance from any employee. This has resulted to a more efficient and fast completion of their transactions.

CSC Camarines Sur Director Jocelyn Marifosque lauded the NSO Camarines Sur Office for a job well done and for exemplifying genuine public service through various innovations to ensure customer satisfaction.

“Client’s satisfaction is our primary concern, especially for those offices rendering frontline services. They are also subjected to a Report Card survey, as initiated by the CSC to obtain feedback if the provisions in the Citizen’s Charter are being followed. It also determines and gauges the performance of that particular agency. NSO in this case, has passed the survey and has earned a remarkable mark in the implementation of their services.

NSO Camarines Sur is the first NSO Office in the country granted with the Seal of Excellence. (MAL/LSM-PIA 5, Camarines Sur)