COMMUNITY BILLBOARD

Benguet solon files bill reducing  miners’ retirement age

By Joseph Zambrano

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Benguet Rep. Ronald Cosalan recently filed a House bill to reduce the retirement age of surface mine workers  from 60 to 50 years old.

 We are proposing some improvements of the Labor Code of the Philippines to cope up with  changing times and for the benefit of our miners, said Cosalan.

“Miners are exposed to all kinds of risk and they are in danger as a result of health hazards.”  

Once approved, miners will enjoy retirement benefits from the Social Security System (SSS), Cosalan said. “Whether underground or surface miners like mill, mechanical, electrical and tailings pond personnel, they will have the same privileges.”

 The Philippines is rich in mineral deposits and fifth largest reserve of gold and copper in the world according to the  Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

 Benguet province  hosts  the biggest mining companies  in the country like Philex Mining Corporation, Lepanto Victoria Mine  and Benguet Corporation. – Joseph Zambrano

OFW in Bontoc bus mishap gets P100,000 from OWWA

By Carlito C. Dar

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- A female overseas Filipino worker,  passenger of the ill-fated Florida bus that fell into a deep ravine here in Barangay Talubin received P100,000 disability assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

 Olivia Aglipay, 29, who just finished her first two-year contract as domestic helper in Cyprus and was on her  way to her hometown on Feb. 7 when the bus she was riding in fell down the cliff killing  more than 10 passengers with many  others injured. 

Aglipay, among those seriously injured  was rushed  to Notre Dame De Chartres Hospital in Baguio City where she was operated for displaced and fractured bones, including her spinal column. 

She is now housed in a small apartment at Upper QM barangay in Baguio and undergoing physical therapy, care of the Florida Bus owner.

 Her sisters  earlier reported to the OWWA Cordillera regional office Olivia’s accident and her health condition.  

Regional director Manuela Peña immediately directed her staff to verify Aglipay’s status and  check if she was an active OWWA member.

On April 25, OWWA administrator Carmelita Dimzon, while on official visit in Baguio City, personally visited Olivia in her apartment and hand-over the P100,000 disability assistance cheque in the presence of her elder sister, ZenaidaKillip,

 Killip, in a statement, thanked OWWA for the assistance as it would be a big help for Olivia, whom she narrated lost all her belongings and financial savings abroad during the accident.

The disability assistance is among OWWA programs and benefits for OFWs.

The office also offers  scholarship for OFWs and their dependents  as well as livelihood program for returning OFWs. 

DA offers personal accident coverage to Kalinga farmers

TABUK CITY – The Department of Agriculture, through Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, is now offering personal accident insurance to Kalinga farmers.

Joe Casibang of Office of Provincial Agriculturist saidaccident protection is an optional component offered to farmers who availed of crop insurance.

PCIC has set P15 million for crop insurance of farmers in the province for this year that also included fund for personal accident insurance.

Under the program, PCIC charges discounted premium rate of P100, instead of the regular P200 per farmer for a P50,000 personal accident coverage that includes dismemberment and medical expenses, Casibang said.

For expanded protection, the accident insurance also covers accidents that are not work-related, giving full protection to beneficiaries.

As term insurance, the accident coverage takes effect only for a period of one year but good enough to protect small farmers, who scamper for financial help when need arises, Casibang noted.

“While we provide insurance to the crop, why not also to the farmer,” Casibang said about the rationale of the program.

The benefit is offered to individual farmer or organizations who apply through the municipal agriculture offices. – Larry Lopez 

DepEd-CAR set for school opening, K-12 program 

 BAGUIO CITY– The Department of Education -Cordillera Administrative Region is set to launch BrigadaEskwela for school year 2014-2015 tomorrow (May 19).

DepEd regional director Ellen Donato, DepEd said BrigadaEskwela  also known as National Schools Maintenance Week,  is a school maintenance program enjoining all education stakeholders to contribute their time, effort and resources in ensuring that public school facilities are ready for June 2 school opening.

 Now on its 11th year, the theme “Making our schools safer for our children,” focuses on making schools disaster-ready, and on developing disaster-resilient school communities, Donato said. 

 “In the region, we want to reach out to the farthest division so the launching will be held on May 19 in Kabugao, Apayao, and the closing program will be on May 26 also in Kabugao, Apayao.”

 Donato said this May there is full blast of training of all teachers in grades 3 and 9 for the K-12 program in time for the opening of classes this coming June 2.

 She said generally, all public schools will formally open on June 2. However, in as much as the Constitution provides that opening of classes can happen prior to August 31, some private schools have opted to open after June 2.

 Small World Christian School Foundation will open in July, Saint Louis University across all levels will be opening in August.    

 Pines City Colleges is closing its private schools in basic education. It’s  a total closure, their reasons are valid and accordingly they already informed the parents.

There are about 200 students from kinder to high school will be affected, she added. There are about 350,000 students with about 12,600 teachers going back to school in June 2. – Maria April Cruz

Voter's registration set in Bontoc barangays

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The municipal office of the Commission on Election here will conduct voters’ registration and validation in barangays to ensure qualified residents will register for 2016 elections.

 Milton Fillag of Comelec-Bontoc said they are coordinating with officials of 16 barangays to finalize schedule of voter’s registration activities in their respective areas.

 Comelec Resolution No. 9853 set  resumption of registration of voters on May 6  and ends Oct. 31 next year.

Fillag said while waiting for schedules of  voter’s registrations in their barangays, residents particularly in the central barangays are encouraged to have their registration at the Comelec municipal office.

 Comelec will also validate previously registered voters whose biometrics data were not yet taken.

 Fillag said around 8,000 registered voters of the 18,059 total registered voters of the municipality (as of Oct. 28, 2013) needs to be validated to qualify them to vote in the 2016 elections.

He advised registered voters who are not sure if their biometrics (photograph, fingerprints and signature) were taken to validate it at the local Comelec office.

 During the voter’s registration period, Fillag said they will also update computerized voters list by delisting multi-registrants, under age and dead registrants.

 Meanwhile, Fillag advised new registrants to bring along their birth certificates to show proof  they are qualified to register and vote. – Andrew Dogaong

  

Electric coops play role in low cost, stable power supply, expert says

QUEZON CITY - Electric cooperatives can play an important role in helping address energy crisis and in ensuring less cost and stable supply of electricity to consumers.

University of the Philippines Associate Professor RowaldodelMundo told this to electric cooperative stakeholders nationwide attending the EPIRA 101 seminar at the UP National Engineering Center here.

Del Mundo said electric coops  are the link that can help solve problems in power industry. “What they need to do is to empower themselves as mandated by EPIRA or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act and work together as an aggregation.”

“First they have to educate themselves on framework of the EPIRA law, which will empower them in crafting specific actions. As an aggregate, they can do joint actions on specific concerns on power generation, sub-transmission and distribution”, delMundo said.

 Even if they are separate and independent entities, if they decide as one through aggregation, they can act as if they are a big company, he  added.   

 Citing an example, del Mundo  said Central Luzon electric cooperatives, as an aggregate, recently agreed to set their electricity cost to P3.70 per kilowatthour, which is much less compared to the around P5/KWH cost of electricity in Metro Manila.

 To ensure additional power source, the Central Luzon Electric Cooperative aggregate is also set to undertake development of its P300 mega watts power generation project.

The three day seminar, which focused on electric power industry, market and regulation, was attended by around 60 officials from electric cooperatives nationwide. -- Carlito C. Dar

32 Mt Province studes get 4Ps college scholarships

By Juliet Saley

BONTOC, Mountain Province --Thirty two students in the province whose families are recipients of PantawidPamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) were given scholarships to pursue college education.

The students are beneficiaries of the government’s Student Grant-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (SGP-PA) implemented by Department of Social Welfare and Development.

4Ps provincial coordinator Johnny Bumakil of the DSWD here said 11 of the 32 students are enrolled at the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College here while the other 21 are at Benguet State University in La Trinidad, Benguet.

Bumakil said the DSWD listed another set of 196 students of Pantawid families as potential scholars for school year 2014-2015. 

The SGP-PA aims to increase number of graduates in higher education among poor families and to get graduates employed in high-value added occupations to lift families out of poverty and contribute to national development.

This entitles a student-beneficiary to a maximum of P60,000 grant per school year or  P 30,000 per semester. 

The grant is intended to cover tuition and other school fees, purchase of textbooks, board and lodging, clothing, health and educational expenses and support services to complete a degree.

The SGP-PA beneficiaries enroll in leading state universities and colleges and take up priority courses identified by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

They shall carry a full load per semester as prescribed in the curriculum and maintain a satisfactory academic performance.

They are also required render a return of service for two years after graduation in the Philippines except for highly critical courses demanded by local industry and government services.