NEWS BITS

Expect chilly temperature this Feb: PAGASA-Baguio

BAGUIO CITY -- Activities for Panagbenga Festival here are starting  to heat  up  since it opened Feb. 1, but cold temperature  in the city  felt especially in the early morning and late afternoon to evening   is getting lower.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration weather observer Ian Jasper Pelayo, said   expect cold  temperature for the whole month of February due to the northeast monsoon affecting Luzon and the Visayas.

Based on PAGASA forecast, the northeast monsoon can bring cloudy skies with light rains and moderate to strong wind, and  temperature that ranges from 10 to 22 degrees Celsius, he said.

Pelayo  said  the lowest temperature recorded in Baguio for the year was 9.8 degrees Celsius last  Feb. 2.

The coldest temperature  in Baguio city was 6.3 degrees Celsius, recorded in January 1961.

The multitude  of visitors  who are expected to  troop to the  city for the Panagbenga are advised to pack jackets or warmers  to protect themselves from the cold weather. -- Christine Faye Kim

Ifugao gov’t provides  funds for ‘muyong’ 

By Marcelo Lihgawon

ASIPULO, Ifugao -- Strengthening “muyong” as a sustainable  indigenous forest management practice,  the provincial government  provided P3000,000 fund support to  “muyong” (forest) enhancement project in Barangay Pula here.

Out of the funding support,  P200,000 was released in 2014 for seedling planting and the remaining P100,000.00 will be given for maintenance this year.

The MEP has 5,000 assorted indigenous forest and fruit tree seedlings planted in  20 hectares  to  sustain  the watershed areas of the barangay by means of increasing forest cover of identified “muyongs.”

Said project increases level of awareness of villagers in conservation of  watershed and Muyong enhancement.

Provincial officials reported 37 forest owners were benefited by the project.

The muyong is the Ifugao’s traditional forest ecosystem established and managed effectively by families, clans and communities . -- With report from Karen Napiloy

Tourism students hold skills olympics 

BAGUIO CITY—As part of this year’s celebration, the League of Tourism Students of the Philippines, Baguio City Chapter hosting  skills olympics Feb. 13-14 at  University of Baguio and CAP Convention Center, Camp John Hay.

 Vanj Payno, chief of staff of  Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc, said the activity was one of highlights of community-led events for this year’s month long Panagbenga 2015 festivities.

 Payno said, around 800 students representing different universities from the National Capital Region, Northern and Southern Luzon and the Visayas region attended the event.

 Events included tour guiding, flight attendant showmanship, photography, quiz bee, virtual tour guiding competitions.

 Aside from the competitions, Payno said the league hosted the 6th National Tourism and Hospitality Tourism Convention.

Nutri council to establish radio station in Kalinga

PASIL, Kalinga -- The National Nutrition Council has identified this town as partner for establishment of Nutriskwela community radio station.

Dr. Valeriano Jesus Lopez, regional director of the Department of Health- Cordillera Administrative Region, said  the establishment of the Nutriskwela Community Radio Station Network Program is a strategy of NNC to promote good nutrition to address malnutrition and hunger in the country.

He said the program involves setting-up non-profit, non-partisan community radio stations to empower communities by disseminating correct, current and relevant information on nutrition and health as well as educational and developmental information.

“Since 2008, NNC has established 25 radio stations in 15 regions of the country licensed by the National Telecommunications Commission  and is now expanding to 10 more areas in the country,” Lopez who is also the regional nutrition committee chair said.

Two of these stations are in the Cordillera particularly in Lagawe, Ifugao and  Lagangilang, Abra.

The criteria to establish the radio station are: high prevalence of underweight children; absence or limited access to commercial radio broadcasts; willingness of partner LGUs to provide counterpart personnel, space and funds for the operations; pass the technical evaluation of NTC; and feasibility of sustaining the operations of the broadcast facility.

Pasil Mayor James Edduba  said  there is no problem on the LGU counterpart since they can provide a space for the facility and personnel to operate the broadcast media. -- Peter Balocnit

Tax on tourism services mulled

BAGUIO CITY – The city government is mulling imposition of additional tax on goods and services being availed of by tourists, the proceeds of which will be used to beef up security and waste management programs of the city.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan in a recent meeting asked the city council through Vice Mayor Edison Bilog to study the passage of an ordinance covering the additional revenue to help the city generate more funds for its garbage and peace and order programs, for which demand increases during big events and special occasions.

The mayor also requested the members of the local finance team to identify and itemize the products and services used by visitors that can be levied with additional duties.

“We do not mean to cause additional burden to the tourists coming to our city but I think it is high time for them to contribute to city services particularly in the management of garbage and security which becomes crucial as we have seen during the holiday season last December,” the mayor said.

He assured that the additional levy will be minimal and reasonable.

The additional tax should also in no way affect the residents, the mayor said.

He said the tax will be imposed specifically on products and services availed by tourists and the business establishments will just serve as collecting agents of the city government.

The details including the schemes and formula covering the new tax will be the subject of the study. – Aileen P. Refuerzo

DSWD releases P14.4Ml pension to Kalinga elderly 

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development had released P14,443,500 in social pensions to senior citizens in the province  last year.

Based on the 2014 social pension payment report of Maria Nila Felarca of DSWD-Cordillera regional Office, 2,390 senior

citizens out of the 2,542 target beneficiaries received their pensions for the period.

The report stated release of payment continues this year  for those who have not yet received their benefit.

The quarterly release of pension showed P3,548,500 for  2,390 pensioners for the first quarter; 2nd quarter- P3,545,500  for 2,386 elderly; 3rd quarter - P3,534,000 – 2,358,  and 4th  quarter – P3,815,500 for 2,544 pensioners. 

The report showed the amount of pension released for the year was  distributed in the municipalities:  Balbalan – P1,754,500; Lubuagan – P1,731,000; Pasil – P1,614,000- Pinukpuk – P2,487,000; Rizal – P1,470,000; Tanudan – P1,056,000; Tinglayan – P1,557,500 and Tabuk City – P2,773,500. 

Rose Oyawon of the Provincial Social Welfare Development Office informed that under the program, DSWD-CAR personnel go directly to municipalities to distribute personally checks to recipients assisted by municipal social welfare officers, who coordinate schedules and venue.  

The social pension is one of the benefits contained in the Magna Carta of Senior Citizens. Qualified beneficiaries are those with no other source of financial support. 

They get monthly social pension of P500 that is released quarterly for a total of P1,500.

The monthly cash support to senior citizens is aside from other privileges like discounts on goods, medicines, health services and transportation under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act. – Larry Lopez  

SPES registration opens in Baguio

BAGUIO CITY – Registration for the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) is now ongoing here at City Hall

.

PESO Baguio manager Jose Atanacio and labor and employment officer Romelda Escano said that as in the past years, 300 slots are available under the program on a first-come-first-served basis.

This year, the program will be held in two tranches: first for high school students whose work period will begin in April to May; and second for tertiary-level students who will begin their work in July.

Registration for high school and college students was set simultaneously from Jan. 26 to Feb. 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Fridays.

Registered SPES applicants will undergo general orientation on March 1, 9 a.m.-12 noon at multi-purpose hall City Hall.

Applicants must be bonafide residents of Baguio, physically fit, 15-25 years old, must be currently enrolled or a student who has not been able to enroll for the past semester of academic year but is intending to enroll this school year.  

They must have garnered an average passing grade during the last school term attended and must belong to families whose combined net income after tax does not exceed the latest annual regional poverty threshold level for a family of six pegged at P116,898.

Registrants must bring two sets of the following documents: original copy of birth certificate preferable issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO); original copy of parents’ or guardians’ most recent Income Tax Return forms or certificate of tax exemption; copy of last year’s grades for high school students and copy of most recent grades or grades from the first semester of academic year 2014 for college and technical/vocational students.

Former SPES grantees must also register personally at the PESO.

Now on its 24th year, the program is designed to help poor students support their education.  The grantees are entitled to receive wages, 60 percent of which will be paid by the city government while 40 percent will be shouldered by the Dept. of Labor and Employment. 

The SPES is based on Republic Act No. 7323 or an Act to Help Poor but Deserving Students Pursue their Education by Encouraging their Employment during Summer and/or Christmas Vacations, through Incentives Granted to Employers, Allowing them to Pay only Sixty per Centum of their Salaries or Wages and the Forty per Centum through Education Vouchers to be paid by the Government, Prohibiting and Penalizing the Filing of Fraudulent or Fictitious claims and for other purposes. – Aileen P. Refuerzo  

Kalinga DA reduces aid on farm gears, ups rice seeds subsidy

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- Farmers of this rice-producing  province will expect less distribution of light farm machineries from Department of Agriculture this year.

Joe Casibang, rice program coordinator of the Office of Provincial Agriculturist said  fund assistance intended for light machineries will be used for increased subsidy on rice seeds and other inputs to farmers for the period.

DA used to distribute light farm machineries like hand-tractors, threshers and multi-tillers to rice farmers here under its rice production enhancement program.

This year, DA will implement 50 percent subsidy on the cost of rice seeds and will give free bags of urea and other inputs to rice farmers.

The 50% counterpart of farmers on the cost of rice seeds will be remitted directly to their own organization, not to DA.

Any amount collected for the year shall accrue to the account of the organization and can be used for the same purpose in the succeeding year, Casibang said.

On farm machinery support, Casibang said the department will continue distribution of heavy farm machineries like double rice harvesters and mechanical planters.

Under this support, DA awards heavy farm machinery to farmer organizations. For heavy machineries costing above P50,000, recipient   organization  shoulders 15 percent of the cost as counterpart. – Larry Lopez 

Burnham Lake Drive closed up to March 8

BAGUIO CITY  -  The city government of Baguio and the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) have lined up numerous government-led and community-supported activities for the 20th edition of the Panagbenga from Feb. 1 until March 8, one of which is the traditional Baguio Blooms Exposition and Exhibition which will be held  on the same period at the Burnham Lake Drive also known as the Jose Abad Santos Drive.

Because of this, Mayor Mauricio Domogan recently signed an administrative order for temporary closure of Burnham Lake Drive also known as Jose Abad Santos starting Jan. 31.

The initial closure of Burnham Lake Drive will allow exhibitors to set up their respective stalls and start selling their goods considering that the event is part of the income-generating event of the festival while awaiting the final approval of the Sangguniang Panlungsod on the closure of the said road for more than one month for the same purpose considering that the legislative body has not acted upon the same.  – Jho Arranz

DOH-JICA ups facility-based deliveries in far Cordi areas

BAGUIO CITY -- Facility-based birth delivery in mountainous remote municipalities in Cordillera increased through  the Department of Health -JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) on maternal and child health services project.

Assistant regional director Amelita Pangilinan bared this here recently saying the project is “Cordillera-wide strengthening of local health system for effective and efficient delivery of maternal and child health services.”

Facility-based delivery project sites in Cordillera improved  an average of 86 percent in 2013, compared to the 79 %  in 2012, the first year of  project  implementation.

Project sites are municipalities in  provinces of Apayao and Benguet and six municipalities in Abra, (Dolores, Lagangilang, San Juan, Villaviosa, Penarrubia and Pilar).

Significant increase was recorded in Abra and Apayao.  From 73% in 2012,  it increased to 86% in 2013  in Abra. In Apayao, from 67% in 2012 to 80%  in 2013.

Pangilinan affirmed that facility-based facilities have  increased even in the barangay health stations (BHS) in mountainous and remote areas of Calanasan, Cabugao and Conner in Apayao,  and in the rural health units (RHUs) in  Villaviciosa, Lagangilang and Dolores in Abra.

For Benguet, where the project was first implemented, from 83 percent facility-based delivery rate in 2012, it further improved to 87 percent in 2013.

Pangilinan  attributed the project’s success to key strategies such as facility enhancement program, increasing coverage for PhilHealth, empowering community health teams and improving patient referral system with inter local  government cooperation and maximizing local transport resources.

For health facility enhancement program alone, 32 facilities (14 hospitals and 18 RHUs) already have basic emergency obstetrics and newborn care certification.

By the end of this year, target is to have 163 BEmONC certified facilities that include  28 hospitals,48 RHUs and 34 BHS.

The DOH – JICA project is up until 2017 wherein the target is to bring the project in all six provinces in Cordillera including Baguio City.

DOH Assistant Secretary Gerardo Bayugo, in message during forum,  congratulated  DOH – CAR, JICA and partner LGUs for the success of the project.

Other partners who gave  messages were JICA Philippine Office chief representative Noriaki Niwa, Dr. Junichi Nitta of the Embassy of Japan, Regional Development Council chair and Abra Gov. Estaquio  Bersamin, Apayao Gov. Elias Bulut Jr. and Benguet Vice Gov. Nelson Dangwa. -- Carlito Dar