NEWS BRIEFS

Baguio Kabuhayan Center okayed

BAGUIO CITY – The city council passed on first reading a proposed ordinance establishing a city pasalubong and enterprise development center as a local economic enterprise of the city government also known as the “Baguio City Kabuhayan Center Ordinance”.

Authored by councilor Elaine Sembrano, the measure cites, among others, the Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act of 2002, that it is the state’s policy to hasten the country’s economic development by encouraging the formation and growth of barangay micro business enterprises and integrating those in the informal sector with the mainstream economy through the active intervention of local government and granting of incentives and benefits to generate much-needed employment and alleviate poverty.

“Enterprise development is one program the local government needs to pursue to foster a vibrant local economic environment participated by a majority of stakeholders, especially micro and small ventures,” the ordinance states.

Half of the proceeds from the Center’s operation shall accrue to the city’s general funds while the other half shall be deposited in an account purposely to fund the Center’s expansion, assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and other activities allowed by law. -- Gaby Keith

      

Teen mom’s summit in Vigan

VIGAN, Ilocos Sur — To develop a unified action plan as guide to address rising incidence of teenage pregnancy in Region 1, the National Youth Commission in collaboration with the Department of Health opened last week the regional teen pregnancy forum at the Vigan Convention Center, here.

Dubbed “Teen Mom’s Summit,” the forum aimed to discuss pressing issues of youth and adolescents in the region.

NYC Commissioner Percival Cendaña said the formulation of a regional action plan for teenage pregnancy is a guide on how to prevent a teenage pregnancy.

Cendaña said that there’s a need for the youth to learn how to protect themselves from teenage pregnancy and to learn the proper knowledge for the right time to make decisions.

Cendaña also cited a report that teenage pregnancy had been identified as one of the causes of the increase in HIV cases due to the earlier exposure of the youth to sex.

It was learned that the country’s two regions with the most number of teen pregnancies are the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Region 2 (Cagayan Valley).

Meanwhile, the province of Ilocos Norte has recorded at least 32 teenage pregnancies in the 1st quarter of 2017. -- Freddie G. Lazaro

10 artists show art  in SM Cabanatuan

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija — Ten contemporary artists were brought together for a celebration of art and culture at the launching of a roadshow around SM Supermalls, dubbed as “My City, My SM, My Art,” at SM City Cabanatuan recently.

The local visual artists took center stage with their works to advocate art for all, through team projects with communities in mounting workshops and contests in key cities of the country.

Coming together for this celebration of visual arts at SM City Cabanatuan were Mario Parial, Edwin Wilwayco, Heber Bartolome, Elito Circa, Ramon Lopez, Gromyko Semper, Fredi Agunoy, together with Baler artists Sherwin Gonzales, Vincent Gonzales and Ian Maigan.

Cabanatuan City Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara called the event “another milestone for the city as a venue of revolutionizing art” with the wide range of artistry the artists bring to the table – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and even film-making.

Other officials present at the launching were City Councilors Fanny Posada, Junny Del Rosario, Mario Seeping, and Nero Mercado; Brigida Pili of the Provincial Department of Trade and Industry; officers and members of Guhit Pinas-Nueva Ecija; representatives from the local government of Aurora; SM SVP for Marketing Communications Group Millie Dizon; and Regional Operations Managers Cesar Bondoc and Mall Manager Mark Carlo Herrera.

16th Philippine-China Friendship Day, set

BAGUIO CITY – A ribbon cutting and gift sharing activity will highlight this year’s 16th Philippine-China Friendship Day Celebration at the Botanical Garden, Leonard Wood Road, here, on June 9 starting 10 a.m. with Wang Jianqun, Consul and Head of Post Consulate of the People’s Republic of China, as guest of honor and speaker.

The event is headed by the city government and Baguio Filipino-Chinese Community in cooperation with the city social welfare and development and environment and parks management offices.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan and Rep. Mark Go will deliver inspirational messages while the event’s chairman, Peter Ng, will give the welcome remarks. 

Jianqun and Domogan will lead city officials and officers of the BFCC executive committee in the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arc Garden while Thomas Kho, program chairman and overall coordinator, will talk on its significance.

Gift sharing will ensue led by the mayor assisted by the BFCC executive committee to the city’s Persons with Substance Use Disorder (PSUDs). Words of gratitude will then be given by a PSUD representative.

BFCC executive committee member Kane Chanbonpin will deliver the closing remarks to end the activity. – Gaby Keith

P110-M public cemetery in Angeles City opens

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga -- The first and only government-run cemetery in the city situated in a 1.6 -hectare lands here in Barangay Sapalibutad has opened.

The P110 million cemetery, one of the priority projects of Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, is consisted of facilities and amenities for decent resting place for the departed loved ones of the Angeleños.

“The project reiterates our commitment of providing decent burial to the departed Angeleños. With that said, we will prioritize our cabalens here in Angeles City,” Pamintuan said.

Housed inside the cemetery are state-of-the-art crematorium, columbarium units and chapels. The public cemetery also has an innovative strategy of burying the deceased by using niches to conserve space.

In 2013, the cemetery located in Barangay Cutcut, which was discovered to be owned by the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, was closed for exceeding its maximum capacity. The closure prompted Mayor Pamintuan to establish the city’s own public memorial park.-- Philippine News Agency

JHMC joins DepEd in Brigada Eskwela

BAGUIO CITY- John Hay Management Corp., a subsidiary of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority participated in this year’s Brigada Eskwela.

Brigada Eskwela is a program of the Department of Education which aims to prepare schools for the opening of classes in June. 

JHMC pooled together its employees and service providers, the Maximum Security Services Corporation, Baguio’s Finest Security Agency and Mckleen for volunteers to contribute time, effort and resources to repair, replace and maintain educational facilities and refurbish the school, in general, to make it more conducive for learning.

For five days, the JHMC took part in the Brigada Eskwela program of the following schools: Baguio City High School – Hillside Annex, Camp 7 Elementary School, Jose P. Laurel Elementary School, Happy Hollow Elementary School and San Vicente National High School.

 Arabica coffee seedlings were planted at the schools’ abutment. In three years, the school will harvest fresh Arabica coffee from their backyard.  Aside from being sustainable, coffee plants also help prevent soil erosion.

 Clearing and weeding of unwanted shrubs were also made to prevent breeding of mosquitoes causing dengue as well as to tidy up the school surroundings.

The JHMC was instrumental in construction of Happy Hollow Elementary School eco-park and their Indigenous Educational Center. 

Through its corporate social responsibility programs, the JHMC has adopted Brigada Eskwela as one of its annual “Bayanihan activities. – Zyrell Del Prado

Mega drug rehab center to rise in Tarlac

The government has allocated P1 billion for the construction of another mega drug rehabilitation center.

In a briefing yesterday, Mayor Rey Catacutan of Capas town in Tarlac said the Department of Social Welfare and Development would build the center on a six-hectare land at the O’Donnell resettlement area.

 “We are donating six hectares of the 7.5 hectares of government land at O’Donnell. I also offered the remaining 1.5 hectares for the construction of a permanent evacuation center for those displaced by floods and other natural disasters,” Catacutan said.

He said the proposed center would be the second mega drug rehabilitation center in the country. The first was built at Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija.

DOLE-Ifugao hires 122 in internship program     

LAGAWE, Ifugao- -The provincial Department of Labor and Employment office recently oriented  122 interns recruited in Ifugao under  its 2017 Government Internship Program (GIP).

The 122 interns were  selected from the 11 town local government units with 10 each through their Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and will be deployed in respective municipal offices. The 11 others were chosen by the DOLE-Ifugao through Provincial PESO and will be deployed to the provincial and national offices in the province.

Labor and Employment Officer III Joseph Tuguinay said the GIP is one of strategies to facilitate employment. He said that the GIP is now on its fourth year of implementation and the DOLE Central Office- issued updates to ensure the success of its implementation in order to achieve its objective which is to provide young workers an opportunity to demonstrate their talents and skills in the field of public service.

DOLE-Ifugao Head Avelina Manganip said qualifications of the young workers for the GIP are:  they must not be more than 30 years old particularly unemployed college graduates who shall work for six months in the various government offices and agencies in the municipalities and the province to experience working in the public service.

The oriented interns started working May 2 until October 31 and will receive a stipend allowance of 75 percent of the regional minimum wage of P285.00 to be paid through the Land Bank of the Philippines ATM machines and an Internship Certificate. -- PIA Ifugao

Pampanga governor eyeing bigger jails

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Authorities here are exploring ways on how to address jail congestion in line with the intensified campaign against illegal drugs and other crimes in the province.

Gov. Lilia G. Pineda said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is currently scouting for bigger lots for the construction of new district jails to alleviate the suffering of inmates inside existing prison cells.

“We have funds for this, we only need lots,’” the governor said.

She added that the inmates, regardless of the crimes they have committed, also deserve fair and humane treatment, including their right to have clean and decent lodging. -- Franco G. Regala

 Dependents of PNP,AFP casualties trained

BAGUIO CITY -- Surviving spouses and dependents of 50 battle or duty casualties of Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines  from the different parts of the country are undergoing capacity training at the Baguio City School of Arts and Trade under Comprehensive Social Benefits Program (CSBP) of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Joycelyn Cabaña of the Department of Interior and Local Government and CSBP program manager of the program said  training was in line with the directive of President Duterte to ensure comprehensive social benefits for heroes and their dependents.

Under the CSBP, PNP or AFP personnel who died while performing their duty are given an outright financial assistance of P250, 000 within 24 hours after the spot report is filed. The capacity training is a requirement for the second tranche of another P250, 000 for livelihood assistance, Cabaña explained.

In the capacity training, Cabaña said Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas provides lecture on financial literacy.  Department of Trade and Industry gives an orientation on entrepreneurship while TESDA provides the training.

TESDA director for scholarship management Sonia Lipio cited importance of providing the surviving spouses or dependents the necessary livelihood skills competencies such as food processing and fruit preservations that the beneficiaries are taking – up in BCSAT, to help them properly manage their resources and sustain it for life.

Cabaña said the CSBP program also includes shelter assistance, health care and educational assistance, on top of the scholarship programs of the PNP and AFP.

Since the President took office in July 1, 2016 the program covered 131 casualties from legitimate police and military operations, Cabaña added. -- PIA CAR

Dagupan opens evacuation center for 1,000 victims

DAGUPAN CITY -- The newly-inaugurated three-storey evacuation center worth P15.1 million can accommodate 617 households here in Barangay Salapingao hopes to decrease injuries and fatalities during calamities and distress times.

Funded under the Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) project of the Department of the Interior and Local Government and by the city government, the center may also provide similar temporary shelter to neighboring Barangays Lomboy and Pugaro with its 1,000 person capacity.

DILG Region 1 Director James F. Fadrilan in a report to DILG officer-in-charge Catalino S. Cuy said the facility, which has a land area of 1,236 square meters, includes basic amenities such as potable water; electricity; comfort rooms for females, males and persons with disabilities (PWDs); communal kitchen; dining and laundry area.

Other equally important components include a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Office, clinic infirmary, breastfeeding area, stock room and a roof deck.

Cuy said that prior to the construction of the evacuation center, residents only have school classrooms and few sturdy structures to take refuge in during typhoons and flooding.

Ifugao town turns over new building to PNP

KIANGAN, Ifugao- - The municipal government of this town turned-over a newly constructed Community Police Assistance Center to the Philippine National Police to strengthen their capability in maintaining peace and order in the community.

The COMPAC in Barangay Poblacion costing about P500, 000 was constructed by the municipal government under Mayor Joselito Guyguyon through the effort of Kiangan town police chief Roy T. Awisan.

The inauguration   began with the ribbon cutting   led by the mayor, Ifugao PNP Director Constancion Chinayog Jr., and   Awisan joined by Councilors James Talib and Gemma Dimog. It was followed by a short program.

 In his message, Guyguyon said that the COMPAC was accomplished as a show of their cooperation, support and gratitude to the services of the Police in the town led by Awisan.

Chinayog thanked the Kiangan LGU for its support to the PNP. This project he said was the first in the province   that is funded by an MLGU and expressed hope this will be replicated by the other municipalities of Ifugao.  -- PIA Ifugao

PENRO-Kalinga readies 3 million seedlings for planting

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office through its partner people’s organizations is preparing at least three million tree seedlings for this year’s enhanced National Greening Program.

Acting-PENRO Noel Barientos reported planting starts as soon as the rains come in June. The extended enhanced NGP in the province included fruit trees and bamboos in its 2,700 hectares target planting area.

DOLE gives P2.5-M to four Abra groups    

BANGUED, Abra -- Four people’s organizations in the province were  recipients of  P2.5 million Kabuhayan Assistance from Department of Labor and Employment.

DOLE-Abra provincial head George G. Lubin, Jr.  said 507 members of the three organizations will directly benefit from livelihood assistance in the form of production equipment, tools and materials.

Lubinsaid the Rural Improvement Club of Tangadan, San Quintin was given P334, 530.00 for the procurement of sewing machines and materials and for their catering.

The Association of Dalit OFW Returnees and Dependents in the municipality of Pilar received P378, 750.00 for their farming project.

The municipality of Lagangilang has two PO-beneficiaries. The Lagangilang Farmers Irrigators’ Association that serves eight barangays was given P1, 441,450.00 for its farming project while the Lagangilang Women’s Food Processors Association received P377, 100.00 for the food processing projects of the women members.

The local government units of Pilar, San Quintin and Lagangilang serve as conduits of the project funds. As such, they are in charge of the procurement of production materials and facilities and also in the provision and delivery of these to the project beneficiaries.

The projects are expected not only to benefit the direct project beneficiaries through increased production and profits but also to generate employment for their families and communities. -- Maria Teresa B. Benas

Kalinga LGUs urged” Put  up PWD rehab centers

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- National government agencies concerned  with welfare of  Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)  are urging   local government units to establish their own rehabilitation centers for said sector.

Remegio Basilan of the Department of Health provincial office said with Department of Social Welfare and Development and   Lin-awa Rehab Center personnel, said they are going around the province to orient local government units on establishment of rehabilitation centers for PWDs. 

They also monitor health facilities if they are complying with the PWD access law and are giving discounts on drugs and medicines.

The PWD access law provides establishments should be PWD -friendly and barrier-free   with built-in ramps, holders and safe passages.

“LGUs should consider in their budgets the needs of this sector and look at intervention programs for PWDs not on the side of charity but rather a public service since they are a constituent sector in the community that needs government assistance,” Basilan stressed. -- Peter A. Balocnit

 PVET teaches farmers organic feed formulation

HUNGDUAN, Ifugao --The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVET) here recently conducted skills training on organic swine and poultry raising and feed formulation to 83 farmer- recipients of native pig raising project of the provincial government.

The training was to enable pig raisers gain more profit in their backyard livestock endeavor by formulating their own organic feeds using ingredients and materials that are abundant and indigenous in their places rather than relying on commercial feeds which are very expensive, said PVET training coordinator Ferdinand Dunuan.

By adopting organic farming  that  includes feed formulation to reduce feed cost,  they can produce not only animal meat products which are safe and fit for human consumption but also earn more profit because organically produced farm products nowadays are in great demand.

Dunuan   lectured to participants on animal husbandry, issues on bio-organic inputs and good agricultural practices.

Gilbert Caclini, also of PVET, demonstrated the preparation of the feeds using the indigenous materials with the hands on participation of the farmers  so that they can learn and experience on the spot organic feed formulation.

The ingredients and materials used during the actual preparation of  50 kilograms (kgs) of organic feed include 20 kilos rice bran, 5 corn grits, 5 corn bran, 3 chopped banana stalk, 3 chopped camote trunk and leaves, 3 ofipil leaves, 10 ofazola, a kilo of brown sugar, another kilo of indigenous micro-organism (for fermentation) and two liters of rice wash.

The farmers said were happy with what they learned and promised that they will immediately start preparing their own feed supply. -- Daniel B. Codamon

DOST upgrades baking skills of Ifugao small entrepreneurs

LAMUT, Ifugao -- The Department of Science and Technology trained 30 young and old small entrepreneurs of the province to upgrade their skills and knowledge in making bakery products.

The DOST tapped expert chefs and bakers from the ACHIEVERS Food and Bakery Ingredients Corporation based in Quezon City as resource persons. The company offers wide range of locally manufactured and selected imported quality food ingredients to produce a wide variety of breads, cakes, pastries, dimsum and other confectionaries and also supply bakery equipment and tools.

Provincial Science and Technology Director Genna Jallorina said that the training  under the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Project or SETUP  aims to enable the bakery operators in the province improve the quality and quantity of their bakery products by learning and using new and better ingredients, technology, equipment and facilities thereby making their business more profitable and  competitive.

Among the equipment introduced and demonstrated hands-on by the chefs and bakers from the ACHIEVERS Corporation to the trainees are the deck ovens, cake mixers, rack ovens, spiral mixers, chillers, proofers, dough machines, roasters, fondue machines, ice machines, bread slicer, bread racks and other machine products.

The participants learned proper processing and cooking of bakery foods like pastel rolls, pandesal with malunggay leaves, donut variety, hopia, chiffon cake and choco chiffon cake. -- PIA Ifugao