BUILDING A RESILIENT MINDANAO -- Albay Governor Joey Salceda in his speech during the seminar workshop on  Building a Resilient Mindanao held at The Oriental Hotel, Legazpi City.

DSWD expands Kalahi-CIDDS coverage to 20 new municipalities

By Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, May 7 (PIA) -- Now on its eighth year in the Bicol region, the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service (KALAHI-CIDSS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development has been expanding its coverage in alleviating poverty and empowering communities.

According to KALAHI-CIDSS regional social marketing officer Jesseshan Manilla, the program has already reached 20 new municipalities.

The said municipalities are located in five provinces in the region namely Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Catanduanes.

KALAHI-CIDSS is the government's flagship poverty-alleviation program, extending assistance to poor local government units (LGUs) whose approved projects are directly managed, supervised, and monitored by the villagers themselves.

Addressing the new KALAHI-CIDDS areas, DSWD Regional Director Remia T. Tapispisan said, “You might hear stories about the impact of Kalahi-CIDSS from other people who have experienced it in their communities and now, it’s your time to experience the project and testify to the true sense of the project.”

To concretize the three-year implementation of the program in the said areas, DSWD deployed KALAHI-CIDDS coordinating teams collaborate with the municipal and barangay LGUs who in turn expressed their full support and commitment in their own unique way.

In Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon, one of the new municipalities covered by the program, community leaders affixed their signatures corresponding to the name of their respective barangays while in Gubat, Sorsogon, everyone placed polychromatic hand prints on a white canvas, Marbella pointed out.

Warm welcome was likewise expressed by members of the youth, elderly, NGOs, and LGUs from the municipal and barangay levels during the program in their localities particularly during the opening ceremony, municipal orientation and MOA signing executed between DSWD and LGUs.

Based from the KALAHI-CIDDS National Project Management Team (NPMT) Year-end Report, KALAHI-CIDDS increased the labor participation, boosted residents’ interpersonal trust in government officials, raised household membership in organizations and improved household access to basic social services, Marbella added.

To date the program has expanded to 12 regions, 42 provinces, 200 municipalities and 4, 583 barangays from 2003 to 2011. (MAL/SAA-PIA 5, Albay)



Jail non-commissioned officers refreshers’ course underway

LEGAZPI CITY, MAY 7 (PIA) -- A refresher course for jail non-commissioned officers (JNCOs) was held simultaneously in provinces of Bicol region today, May 7.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) provincial offices of Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Catanduanes have prepared a lineup of activities during the five-day course, covering a review program of basic jail management and operation, policies, and guidelines.

In 2008, the BJMP-RO5 initiated the course, particularly programmed for JNCOs who have administrative cases or who were caught violating jail policies while performing their duties.

The activity gained remarkable reviews from the national headquarters and was replicated by other regional offices nationwide.

This year, however, the refresher course is particularly prearranged for personnel who have not undergone mandatory trainings required for their rank and seminars related to jail management.

In fact, as underscored in a memorandum dated January 31 2012 from the Director for Human Resource and Development, this activity is conducted in its effort to constantly implement the JAILS First Program, which significantly recognizes the need to continually provide training opportunities for its human resource.

Participants will undergo lecture, group dynamics, simulation and practical exercises. A program of instruction will be strictly followed.

Among the subject matters to be discussed are pertinent laws, rules and regulations related to penology, crisis management, transformational leadership, customs, and traditions. (MAL/RMCastor-BJMP V)




DSWD-5 opens summer jobs for Gov’t Internship Program (GIP)

By Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, May 7 (PIA) -- Young people will have a chance to earn and learn as the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Bicol region opens summer jobs under the Expanded Government Internship Program (GIP).

According to Jesseshan Marbella, DSWD KALAHI-CIDDs regional social marketing officer, the 52-day summer job experience provides hands-on training in government services and at the same time be an opportunity for hired applicants to earn and augment their monetary needs.

The program will be hiring 90,865 youths from 17 regions nationwide. In the Bicol region 3,054 applicants including students, out of school youth and graduates of both four year courses and vocational courses have been recorded as of April 30, Manahan added.

Qualified applicants may start work immediately and has to complete 52 days of work as stipulated in the program. They shall be compensated commensurate to the minimum wage in the region.

Manahan clarified that hired applicants will not be starting at the same time and will be replaced after completing the specified period.

Interested applicants aged 18 – 30 years of age may go to their local DSWD offices to accomplish the GIP application form and other needed requirements such as a photocopy of their birth certificates.

The Expanded GIP aims to strengthen youth participation in nation building by involving them in the programs and projects of the government and be an opportunity to train their skills and contribute to their economic well-being. (MAL/SAA, PIA V/Albay)

DA distributes P15.9 M worth of farm machinery in Camarines Norte

By Rosalita B. Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, May 6 (PIA) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA), led by Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, distributed P15.9 million worth of farm machinery, planting materials, fishing paraphernalia, and livelihood checks to farmers and fishermen groups during the stakeholders forum held Friday, May 3, at the Agro-Sports Center, provincial capitol here.

Recipients of the farm machinery included the Pamorangon Irrigators Association and Talisay River Irrigation System for the two units of hand tractor with trailer; Gahonon Modified Rapid Composting Technology Farmers Association and Gahonon-Borabod-Gubat-Tagonting Irrigators Association for the two units of mechanical dryer and Camarines Norte Seed Producers Cooperative for the one unit seed cleaner.

There were also allocations for the aquasilviculture project, seaweeds input assistance, mangrove propagules, community based multi-purpose hatchery project, aquasilviculture and mangrove rehabilitation project for the fisherman-beneficiaries from the coastal areas.

Around 200 seedlings of rambutan, 200 seedlings of langka, and 750 seedlings of pili were also distributed to farmers during the forum.

Through a raffle, the agency distributed 30 male goats, three sheep module (three female/one male), five bull carabao, three hand tractors, and two units of palay thresher for farmers while 10 gill nets, three fish cage nets, four engines for fishing boat, and two boats with engine for fishermen.

The secretary also led on Thursday the inauguration and blessing of the P1.684 million worth of agricultural tram line project expected to benefit 120 farmers in Barangay Matacong in San Lorenzo Ruiz town.

He also inspected the San Antonio-San Ramon farm-to-market road also in San Lorenzo Ruiz town and held a dialogue with officers and members of the Irrigators Association at the Alawihao Small Water Impounding project site in Daet.

Sec. Alcala also visited the Basud Coconut and Pineapple Cooperative (BACOPICO) in Barangay Laniton in the town of Basud and held a dialogue with the cooperative officers and pineapple farmers. The said cooperative was a recipient of a processing facility for coconut husks through a grant from the Spanish government under the supervision of the DA, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA).

The secretary was accompanied by Governor Edgardo Tallado and assisted by the administrators, directors from the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWS), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and other heads of the DA attached agencies in the region. (MAL/RBM-PIA 5, Camarines Norte)


Disaster preparedness training for law enforcers

By Analiza S. Macatangay

NAGA CITY, May 6 (PIA) -- In line with this city’s campaign to equip the law enforcers with basic know-how on disaster preparedness, the Public Safety Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and Disaster Management Office (DMO) here conducted a stay-in disaster training entitled, “Collapsed Structures Search and Rescue Training,” held at the Metro Naga Sports Complex at Pacol here.

The three-day training was participated by 36 personnel representing various government agencies like the Public Safety Office (PSO) , Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Naga City Rescue, and Bicol Medical Center (BMC) personnel.

DMO chief Ernesto Elcamel said that the seminar covered trainings on collapsed structures caused by earthquakes, landslides, and fire.

Naga City, as an urban area being occupied by big businesses housed in various high buildings and elevated place of work are not an exemption to any occurrence of the aforementioned calamities.

Camarines Sur in particular, also has numerous municipalities which are mostly located in landslide-prone areas. The training will be most useful to the law enforcers in case of any eventuality.

Topics discussed during the seminar include the identification and marking of different hazardous and collapsed structures. The participants were also exposed on various scene assessments including medical operation in collapsed structures.

Pool of resource persons, headed by Fire Inspector Glenn Rodrigueza of BFP Regional Office, also discussed the different kinds of search and rescue techniques in collapsed structures, engineering systems in collapsed structures, shoring devices, moving and lifting debris, cribbing and leveraging techniques and fire suppression.

The partakers were also made to identify the different hazardous materials and were familiarized with the standard marking systems.

Elcamel said that the activity will prepare the participants to efficiently mitigate disasters and lessen if not totally eliminate the possibility of having casualties during the occurrence of a particular catastrophe. (MAL/LSM-PIA5, Camarines Sur)

EN Camarines Sur: DOLE Bicol celebrates Labor Day with Job’s Fair and livelihood grants

By Analiza S. Macatangay

NAGA City, May 4 (PIA)-- More than 6,000 job seekers lined up last Labor Day, May 1, at SM City Naga, all hopeful that they will be able to find an opportunity to fit themselves in the 6,575 vacancies fielded by 5,029 local companies and 1,546 overseas agencies during the 2012 Jobs and Livelihood Fair spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office here.

Two hundred twelve (212) of these applicants were hired on the spot by various local employers. Others were put on the waiting list after their resumes and curriculum vitae were sorted, matching their qualifications to the available positions as required by the participating agencies.

Minutes after DOLE Regional Director Nathaniel V. Lacambra formally declared the Job and Livelihood Fair open, 749 beneficiaries were awarded with livelihood grants amounting to P2,538,499.95.

The livelihood grantees included the Barangay Council of Dayangdang in Naga City which was granted P225,942.25 for its 60 beneficiaries ; LGU Polangui with P351,876.15 capital to assist 50 beneficiaries; INFORMATICS in Albay with P 207,901.50 for its 31 beneficiaries; LGU Bato and Baras in Catanduanes with P152,866.55 and P80,912.56 which will be shared by its 25 and 16 beneficiaries, respectively; and LGU Masbate with P220,777.00 for its 30 beneficiaries.

All were given with DOLE Kabuhayan Starter Kits to start the ball rolling.

The Women and Families of San Lorenzo Ruiz Multi-Purpose Cooperative of Camarines Norte were also granted with a start -up capital of P 397,978.00 to push for the commercialization of pineapple by-products processing. DOLE also granted an amount of P 540,861 to 41 beneficiaries of Daet Food Processors Association in line with their project on the commercialization of Food Processing.

The Swine Union of Innovative Society working for the establishment of meat shop and processing center, also in Camarines Norte was also given with P359,385 to be used by its 471 beneficiaries.

Aside from the livelihood grants, DOLE also launched the Joint DOLE-TESDA Convergence Program on the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES ) and Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP). A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was also signed to validate the said partnership.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) through OWWA Regional Director Jocelyn O. Hapal also spearheaded the awarding of a Net Café Project in Lagonoy, Camarines Sur and Legazpi City amounting to P100,000 each.

DOLE Bicol thanked the exhibitors for actively taking part in the said endeavor. Lacambra also expressed his gratitude to the fair’s partner agencies which include TESDA, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Camarines Sur, ABS –CBN , SM City Naga, Public Employment Offices, the local government of Naga City, Naga College Foundation and other media partners and stakeholders for the success of the said activity. (MAL/LSM-PIA Camarines Sur)



MOA signed for programs and services for rebel returnees in Camarines Norte

By Rosalita B. Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, May 4 (PIA) -- The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) and the provincial government of Camarines Norte recently signed an agreement for the establishment of programs and services for rebel returnees under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) of the government.

The agreement was sealed in line with Executive Order No. 3 series of 2001 that calls for the pursuit of a comprehensive, integrated, and holistic peace process to address the internal armed conflicts through the implementation of programs to address the legal status and security of former rebels (FRs) and to respond to their economic, social, and psychological rehabilitation needs.

This also concurs with the Section 17 (B) (3) (v) of the local government code of 1991 that mandates the local government units to provide basic services and facilities to rebel returnees.

Through CLIP, the OPPAP and the provincial government will provide the reintegration assistance to new surfacing rebels to facilitate their mainstreaming in society.

The assistance for the former rebels will be provided by the OPPAP while the regional line agencies and civil society organization will provide the counterpart for the reintegration of former rebels.

In line with this, a Joint Validation and Assessment Committee (JVAC) was organized to validate the authenticity of those who surrendered for the reintegration program of the government.

The JVAC includes Governor Edgardo Tallado as the Chairperson, and members which consist of representatives of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP); Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Director; Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer and one representative from the Accredited Civil Society. (MAL/RBM-PIA5, Camarines Norte)


2010 Catanduanes PGR lower than 2000 - NSO

By Edna A. Bagadiong

VIRAC, Catanduanes, May 4 (PIA) -- President Benigno S. Aquino III signed Proclamation No. 362 on March 30, 2012 declaring as official the 2010 Population of the Philippines by Province, City/Municipality and Barangay based on the 2010 Census of Population and Housing (2010 CPH) conducted by the National Statistics Office.

The total population of the province of Catanduanes as of May 1, 2010 was 246,300 based on the 2010 CPH. The 2010 population is higher by 30,944 compared to the 2000 population of 215,356. In 1990, the total population was 187,000.

This translates to an average annual population growth rate (PGR) of 1.35 percent for the period 2000 to 2010 which is slightly lower by 0.07 percent than the 1990-2000 PGR of 1.42 percent.

Virac has the largest population with 66,951, followed by San Andres with 35,779 and Caramoran with 28,063. The combined population of these three areas comprised 53.1 percent of the province of Catanduanes population.

Four municipalities had an average annual PGR which is higher than the provincial average for the period 2000 to 2010. These are Caramoran (1.66 percent), Bagamanoc (1.62 percent), Virac (1.61 percent), and San Miguel (1.46 percent).

Among the top five barangays with largest population are San Isidro Village (4,262), Cavinitan (3,484), Cabugao (2,989), Bigaa (2,777), and Cabcab (2,750). (MAL/EAB-PIA Catanduanes)


PNoy inaugurates Doppler radar, leads power plants switch-on

By Edna A. Bagadiong

BATO, Catanduanes, May 4 (PIA) -- President Benigno Simeon Aquino III visited Catanduanes Wednesday (May 2) and led the inauguration of the Doppler radar facility in Barangay Buenavista here and switching on of the Sulong and Hitoma I mini-hydro power plants.

In his speech, Aquino expressed his gratitude to the Japanese government for its invaluable support to the country’s efforts in nation building, while specifically in Wednesday event for the country's disaster risk reduction, preparedness and mitigation measures with the operationalization of the Doppler radar .

“Japan has been a true friend of our country, always ready to assist us in shaping a more progressive Philippines,” Aquino said.

The Doppler radar was brought to the country by the Japanese government through its grants-in-aid program and 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.

Due to the facility’s location in the pacific, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo said that the facility in Bato town is the most vital and strategic weather installation in the Philippines.

The 44-meter-tall radar tower built on top of a mountain in Barangay Buenavista amounting P560 million is expected to provide accurate weather and rainfall forecasting for the entire Bicol region and portions in Eastern Visayas.

Aside from inaugurating the Doppler facility, the President also led the switching-on of the Solong and Hitoma 1 mini-hydro power plants which according to the President is harnessing the power of nature.

“While this Doppler radar enhances our ability to deal with nature’s fury, we are also here to take advantage of nature’s bounty. By flicking on the Solong and Hitoma 1 mini-hydropower plants, we are harnessing the power of nature,” Aquino noted.

“We will be using the river currents that go through this island to provide power to the people of Catanduanes,” he stressed.

The Solong and Hitoma 1 mini-hydro power plants are the first ever to be developed by Sunwest Water and Electricity Inc. (SUWECO)- a private entity under the special power utilities groups (SPUG) of the National Power Corporation. (MAL/EAB-PIA 5, Catanduanes)


Bulusan Volcano Alert Level 1 status lowered

SORSOGON PROVINCE, May 4 (PIA) -- Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has finally lowered the alert level status of Mt. Bulusan from Alert level 1 or abnormal to Alert Level 0 or normal. This means that no eruption is foreseen in the immediate future.

Phivolcs Bulusan Volcano Observatory resident volcanologist Crispulo Diolata said that the lowering of the alert level status as stated in Bulusan Volcano Bulletin dated April 24, 2012, was due the overall decline of the monitoring parameters after the volcano’s last phreatic (steam-driven) eruption on May 13, 2011 as supported by the following observations:

(1) The frequency of volcanic earthquake occurrences has declined to baseline levels (0-2 events/day), indicating quiescence in the magmatic or hydrothermal system. Short-lived swarms (9-21 events/day) on 25 May, 10 August, 11 September and December of 2011, and 22 January of 2012, have been ascribed to crustal readjustments in the volcanic edifice after the May 2011 phreatic eruption.

(2) Results of precise leveling at both Inlagadian line on the north-northeastern slope and Mapaso line on the south-southeastern slope indicate that the volcano edifice has deflated since late November 2011. This suggests that no substantial pressure source in the subsurface, which could potentially trigger another eruption, can be detected.

(3) Steaming activity from the crater and known thermal vents has been frequently weak or wispy compared to the more moderate steam emissions during periods of unrest.

He also said that the bulletin issued on April 24, 2012 will be the last bulletin to be issued for Bulusan Volcano until new developments in monitoring parameters occur.

Meanwhile, in the light of the declaration, Diolata still remind the public to avoid entry into the 4-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) due to the perennial threat of sudden phreatic eruptions and rockfalls on the upper slopes. Furthermore, people living in valleys and along active river channels are cautioned to remain vigilant against sediment-laden streamflows and lahars in the event of heavy and prolonged rainfall.

Ha also said that tourists and mountain climbing enthusiasts are allowed to climb Mt. Bulusan, however, cautioned them to take extra caution against rock falls especially this time that there are barren spots along the mountain’s slope. (MAL/BAR-PIA 5, Sorsogon)

PRESS CONFERENCE

BICOL REGION SUMMIT -- Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda (with microphone) with Senator Aquilino 'Koko' Pimentel III, expresses his thoughts on various issues directed to them by the members of the  media during the press conference  of the Bicol Region Summit on Disaster Risk Reduction and Multi-Hazard Awareness at the Aquinas University, today May 3, 2012. (Alex Cal/PIA)