NEWS BRIEFS

MP dentists conduct  SVS dental mission

BONTOC, Mountain Province  --  In celebration of the dental month, at least 700 pupils and students of Saint Vincent School (SVS), benefited from free dental mission conducted by Mountain Province Dentists Group in coordination with the SVS Alumni Organization last Feb. 23.

SVS alumni president Pao Tumapang who coordinated the activity, said students of SVS availed of  free dental check-up and tooth extraction and cleaning at the SVS elementary grounds.

He said the mission was carried out with the support of Dr. Venus Grace K. Fagyan and other alumni. Dr. Naty Orprecio said committed dentists from Dept. of Health, local government units, Dept. of Education and Mountain Province State Polytechnic College pooled efforts together towards the success of the activity.

In the same event, the DOH donated 100 tooth brushes with toothpastes was received by Frances T. Cullalad, SVHS principal. -- Wynner Sayaan

Pagasa: Summer just around the corner 

Summer is just around the corner so store your jackets, take out your sunglasses and prepare for a beach trip.

“We are observing higher temperature in most parts of the country, including Metro Manila. Easterlies have set in,” Chris Perez, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather forecaster, said Thursday.

Perez said they expect the end of the northeast monsoon that brings cold and dry air from China and Siberia on the first week of this month.

He said the northeast monsoon would still affect parts of Northern Luzon in the next two to three days.

Last year, PAGASA declared the onset of the dry season on March 18.

PCIC releases P3.1M to Abra farmers

BANGUED, Abra --- The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation recently dispensed over P3 million to 472 typhoon- affected farmers in 11 municipalities here.

Pidigan received P509,224 distributed to 80 farmers, Villaviciosa got  P475,110 for 101;  Peñarrubia,  P440, 957 for 66; Manabo, P210,230 for 33; Danglas, P428,720 for 77; San Isidro, P168,397 for 22; La Paz, P647,597 for 66; Pilar, P67,436 for eight; Lagayan, P59,595 for four; Bangued, P39,903 for six and San Juan with P64,861 for nine.

This was the third release of financial assistance from PCIC to farmers. The earlier releases cost over P4 million distributed to farmers who insured their farms and crops to said office. -- Ginalyn B. Brioso

Start of P198 million Kalinga road proj set

CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga -- The World Bank-funded third farm-to-market road project in the province under the Philippine Rural Development Project is set for groundbreaking on March 8.

Gov. Jocel C. Baac said a “no objection letter” has been handed to the province by Agriculture Cordillera regional  executive director Lorenzo M. Caranguian that gives the green light for the project to start. 

The project costs P198 million.

The 15-km road improvement project connecting Barangays Catabbogan and Wagud in the town of Pinukpuk will provide upland farmers transport access of their products to the nearest market.

The province has two on-going projects under the PRDP, the 13 kilometer Banneng-Gombowoy FMR in Tanudan costing P118M and the 15.8 km Bulanao-Amlao FMR in this city with cost of  

Under the PRDP, recipient local government unit and the national government both share ten percent equity of the project cost.

The World Bank- funded projects are intended to top coffee-producing areas in the province, coffee being the province’s One Town One Product.

In a related report, Baac disclosed that Secretary Jesus Dureza of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process released to the province another P40-M check to finance construction of the Catabbogan-Wagud bridge project.  -- Larry T. Lopez

60 trained as security guards under DSWD

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Sixty individuals look forward to be employed as security guards following their completion  of  the  15-day pre-licensing training course conducted by the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development in partnership with the Quadrant R Security Training Center, Inc.

 Challikis Alawas of the DSWD here said 56 of the graduates are Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries while the four other are from the list of the National Household Targetting System.

The DSWD-CAR through its sustainable livelihood program (SLP) allotted P1, 194,000 for the   training to equip participants with knowledge and skills necessary for employment.

Each trainee was   allotted   P19, 900 to cover training materials, accommodation and food during the training, license fee and ID for security guard, neuro drug test, and starter kits.

Alawas said there wereo four proposals on skills training as security guard and acquisition of license submitted by 4Ps beneficiaries in the municipalities of Sabangan, Paracelis, Bauko and Tadian.

DSWD conducts skills training for MP folks

BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Dept. of Social Welfare and Development conducted skills training on camote processing for  4Ps beneficiaries in barangay Betwagan in Sadanga, bread making to 23 4Ps beneficiaries in Tadian; Macha-e rice wine production to 16 beneficiaries in Natonin; and two separate enterprise management cum food cart and preparation of related products which benefited 18 beneficiaries in Bontoc and 12 beneficiaries in Sagada. -- Juliet B. Saley

Muslims, Baguio gov’t, hold peace forum 

BAGUIO CITY -- The  Muslim community  here, city government and police,  recently conducted a forum to  foster understanding  with law enforcement agencies.

The peace and order situation of Baguio was presented by city police office while a lecture on teachings of Islam and its view against terrorism were done.

Also present were National Commission on Muslim Filipinos director Abdullah Macarimpas,  Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Rep. Mark Go, Imam Bedejim Abdullah and BCPO director Ramil Saculles.

Imam Bedejim Addulah, Islamic lecturer, said the forum was part of Muslims’ peace building effort for understanding among Muslims and non-Muslims.

“Our primary advice to our fellow Muslim brothers, is that they should be true to faith.  On the other hand , we also encourage our non – Muslim kababayan (countrymen) especially those on law enforcement agencies  to know more about Islam, so that we will have a harmonious understanding and better view of things,” Abdullah  said.   

Domogan said there was no question the teaching of Islam is a good and it is unfortunate that when a Muslim is implicated in wrongdoing,  the Islamic faith is being tagged along with the issue.

Macarimpas said the law excuses no one, but it is also equally important that there is also equality and anti-discrimination for all,   whatever  race, culture, ethnicity or belief. -- K. Cerva  and A. Martinez

3000 Kalinga farmers get DA seed assistance 

CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga – More than 3,000 farmers in the province affected by super typhoon ‘Lawin’ last year, received free rice seeds from the Dept. of Agriculture.

Joe Casibang, rice program coordinator of the Office of Provincial Agriculturist, said the assistance consisted of free one bag inbred rice seeds per hectare.   The seeds were in time for first cropping planting that started last January.

Another assistance that came was DA’s rice seeds and fertilizer subsidy under high yielding technology adaptation program where farmer-beneficiaries got one bag rice seeds and two bags urea at 50 percent  discount.

But under the HYTA, farmers do not pay their cost-counterpart to DA. Instead they remit it to their associations as seed capital for their own farming needs, Casibang said.

Some 1,600 farmers were given certified rice seeds plus 2 bags urea, while 300 others got hybrid rice seeds and two bags urea.

DA is also pushing precision garming using research and demonstration farm system in Tabuk being the center of the rice production program in the province.

Under this, assigned rice crop managers apply online farming technology on selected demo-farms while DA provides subsidy on required farm inputs amounting to P12,000 per hectare.

There are about 100,000 hectares being used as demo-farms under the program. -- Larry T. Lopez

25 hired on the spot in Kalinga Day job fair

CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga -- Twenty five unemployed persons were hired on the spot during recent Kalinga Day job fair.

Sixteen were hired for work abroad and nine for domestic employment.

A total of 4,470 work vacancies were offered by 21 employers during the job fair. Out of 203 interviewed, 170 were qualified and among those interviewed were 115 females.

Of the 21 recruitment agencies that participated during the 2-day jobs fair, 11 were recruiters for overseas employment and 10 locally based firms.

 Dr. Alexander Gumabol, provincial head of the Department of Labor and Employment here said the activity was in collaboration with the provincial government as one highlight of the 22nd Kalinga founding anniversary and 1st Bodong Festival. -- Peter A. Balocnit

 Bangued holds Dapil Festival   

BANGUED, Abra -- A sustained tradition of industry and unity was this town’s Dapil Festival’s theme in its staging this year.

Dapil Festival, coined from the term “Panagdapil” which is the traditional method to extract sugarcane juice is the brainchild of then Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Maria Jocelyn V. Bernos, now Governor of Abra.

Originally, panagdapil   is tedious and laborious but just like any other arduous labor, the fruit is sweet and satisfying especially with by-products molasses, sugar, vinegar and “basi” (wine) mainly sold to town markets here and in other provinces.

The Dapil Festival is manifestation of Bangued folks demonstrating this hyped Filipino value of industrious, said   Mayor Dominic B. Valera.

Highlights of the nine-day merriment that started Feb. 15 were Mr. and Ms. Bangued, Bangued Idol Season 6,  street dancing and ground demonstration contests.

Others were trade fair displaying native and indigenous products of Bangued, job fair, food bazaar, fun run, Amazing Race, barangays night and grand parade. -- Ginalyn B. Brioso

 Luba farmers’ woes eases with new road

LUBA, Abra - -Farmers in this upland municipality  can now bring more products to the market with the improved   farm to market road here.

The Cordillera Highland Agriculture Resource Management Project Phase 2 recently turned over the 21-km Luba-Villaviciosa farm-to-market road to the local government unit  of Luba.

 Luba Mayor Rosalina Biscarra and Sangguinan Panlalawigan member Antonio Dayag with representatives from the offices of the Provincial Agriculturist and Provincial Planning accepted the FMR project in the ceremony led by Dept. of Agriculture regional director Lorenzo Caranguian, CHARMP2 project manager Cameron Odsey and provincial coordinator Rosemarie Tesoro. 

Farmers said with the road, they can now reach Pilar public market in  few hours with more volume of their farm produce still fresh from the farm. 

When the road was not yet cemented, farmers started hiking with their loads at 3 a.m. from Sitio Botot, Barit in Luba to be able to reach Pilar by 7 a.m.

The total project cost of P52,607,773.40 was   shared by   CHARMP2 providing 40 percent and LGU of Luba with provincial government giving 60 percent of the cost. -- Maria Teresa B. Beñas

Driving tops desired training of unemployed Kalinga folks

CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga -- Training for driving is the number one need of unemployed  individuals  in the province based on the result of the skills mapping conducted by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Engineer Eduardo Tamayao of TESDA said out of registered training courses the unemployed are to choose from under the agency’s “barangay  kasanayan para sa kaunlaran at kapayapaan program, driving came out number one followed by computer programming and care giving.

In the order of training priorities, bread and pastry production came fourth followed by shielded metal arc welding, heavy equipment operator, automotive servicing, masonry, electrical installation and maintenance and bookkeeping.

Tamayao said the desire to own a motor vehicle might be the driving force for them to be skilled in driving. And in this time of growing economic competition, driving one’s vehicle can make one more enterprising.

Under its two-pronged strategy in poverty reduction, TESDA repositioned the technical vocational education and training (TVET) to two targets – TVET for global competitiveness and TVET for social equity which BKKK falls.

Tamayao said BKKK gives focus on skills training programs for the self-employed, overseas employment, cooperators (members of cooperatives), entrepreneurs, family enterprises, drug dependents and rebel returnees. Appropriate skills training programs and modules shall be designed to meet the specific requirements of the target beneficiaries.  -- Peter A. Balocnit