‘DepEd starts online proj to aid teachers, principals

By Joanna P. Diaz-Sabado

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union –  The Dept. of Education  recently launched ‘DepEd Teaches’ -- an online platform for teachers and school managers to be informed of best practices and interventions on challenges related to teaching and learning in new normal.
    After its launch, the series of episodes will be available on DepEd’s official Facebook page.
    DepEd Teaches also aims to address confusion and doubts on curriculum, instruction, and assessment initiatives.
    Bureau chiefs, regional directors, and schools division superintendents are expected to share their best practices and innovations as they face the challenges in education service delivery,” Alma Ruby Torio, assistant secretary for curriculum and instruction said.
    “This will address information gaps. As we live in digital age, we need to rely on valid information every hour of every day, thus the need to invest to upgrade on our skills."
    Prior to her position as assistant secretary, she was former regional director of the DepEd in Region 1. 
    Meanwhile, Jorge Reinante, Schools Division Superintendent of Ilocos Sur said, “When we empower our teachers, they will be more inspired to work hard for the sake of our learners, for the future."
    Among the first topics in the DepEd Teaches Program include “Overcoming Challenges” series, namely curriculum, learning delivery modalities, classroom assessment, and learning resources.
    The next episodes of the DepED series will be available by January 2021. -- PIA La Union
 

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DILG cites P’sinan for program to curb Covid

By Venus May H. Sarmiento

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - The Dept. of Interior and Local Government cited the provincial government of Pangasinan for measures  to curb spread of Covid-19.
    In Laging Handa Network Briefing Tuesday, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said Pangasinan was at the center of things and is the gateway to northern and central Luzon but fortunately, active cases for the virus continue to drop.
    “We want to congratulate the governor because of their good handling of the Covid-19 situation, their active cases are going down,” Año said during the Oct. 27 episode.
    Governor Amado Espino III, who discussed the interventions and strategies of the provincial government to fight Covid-19 said as of Oct. 26, there were 351 active cases in the province but 1,200 have already recovered and new cases have lowered.
    “Nagpapasalamat tayo  sa ating mga kababayan na nakikinig at sumusunod sa alituntunin at sa mga LGUs na nakikiisa sa mga programa. Sa guidance po ng national IATF,  maganda ang pagkakaisa at komunikasyon po namin dito,”  Governor Espino said during the live Network Briefing.
    Espino added an umbrella program called "Abig" or Heal Pangasinan was conceptualized  to cover programs implemented by different departments of the provincial government like the Kalusugan, Kalinisan and Kabuhayan Karaban.
    “Under the program, we go around the entire province, we give out financial assistance, we buy vegetable produce, and offer food-for-work, trainings and gave out seedlings so our constituents can be self-sustaining,” Espino said.
    Also ongoing is the Pamanang Yaman program where the provincial government buys the products of the micro, small and medium enterprises in a locality and bring these to different towns in the province.
    “The idea is that our constituents here in Pangasinan are helping their co-entrepreneurs. Kapwa Pangasinense ay nagtutulungan para makabangon,” Espino added.
    The governor also thanked the national government for the recently held aggressive community testing in Pangasinan from Oct. 19 to 24.
    He said out of the 1,526 tested for Covid-19, ten yielded positive results and were immediately given attention and care.

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WHO execs cite Baguio Covid response, tracing

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- Baguio City’s contact tracing methodology for Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues to make waves catching interest of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Mayor Benjamin Magalong presented the scheme before WHO Regional Office for Western Pacific Regional Director Dr. Takeshi Kasai and Country Representative Dr. Rabi Abeyasinghe and Dept. of Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo during the Joint WHO-DOH Visit to the Cordillera Administrative Region on COVID-19 Response last July 10 at the Baguio Country Club.

The visit was part of the WHO’s documentation of Covid-19 best measures being implemented in the countryside to determine best practices that can be learned and shared with the end in view of improving the strategy in handling the pandemic.

During the forum, the team also looked into the Covid-19 strategies of Benguet province as presented by Gov. Melchor Diclas as well as the medical program of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center by Medical Officer Dr. Ricardo Ruñez Jr.

In his keynote message, Kasai said the city’s contact tracing system has gained impressive feedback in the country and WHO wanted to learn its mechanics first-hand in recognition of contact tracing as a key to changing the course of the outbreak.

The next day, the team toured the city’s Contact Tracing Command Center where they were walked through the process which involves approaches on detection, isolation, testing and tracing.

A homegrown process put together by the mayor, it integrates police cognitive interviewing technique, computerized data collection and link analysis tools and patient identity disclosure to maximize gathering of contact information and facilitate quarantine, testing, disinfection and medical protocols.

The WHO representatives expressed appreciation of the city’s system and noted similarities in some of the approaches to those being implemented in Singapore and South Korea, according to City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo and City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit head Dr. Donnabel Tubera.

They were also impressed by the mayor’s strong leadership in getting the system together and the cooperation of the people, the city health officials added.

Due to this, Magalong was designated as the country’s contact-tracing czar in the battle against Covid-19.

Persons with an “investigative mindset,” including former investigators and intelligence personnel, can be tapped to help track down patients with suspected coronavirus infection, Magalong said Monday.

Magalong was former head of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).

“We are talking about the interviewers because this will be composed of PNP investigators at health workers. Unang-una, partnership po ito, kailangan din po natin ng doctors, kailangan din po natin ng nurses. Kailangan din po natin ng mga retired investigators or law enforcement investigators (First, this is a partnership. We will need doctors, nurses, retired investigators or law enforcement investigators),” he said during a televised press briefing Monday.

“Probably, kung talagang kulang na kulang na po tayo, kailangan po nating kumuha ng mga dating mga criminologist. Puwede rin po nating kunin iyong mga retired na intelligence personnel (Probably if we face a shortage, we will get former criminologists. We can also get retired intelligence personnel),” he said.

The new contact tracers will be trained on “cognitive interviewing” to effectively trace close contacts of a coronavirus patient, according to Magalong.

“Ang pinakaimportante po dito na qualification ay mayroon kahit papano pong tinatawag nating investigative mindset, iyong inquisitive iyong tao (The most important qualification is having an investigative mindset, an inquisitive person),” he said.

He said the analysts, encoders, technical support and community support teams will also be tapped to assist in the contact tracing efforts.  He said the training of contact tracers on cognitive interviewing and technology applications such as COVID-19 data collection tool, geographical information, and analytical tool-link analysis may take a week.

“I want to tell you that we will radically change the structure of our contact tracing system),” he said.

As of July 13, the country has recorded 57,006 cases of coronavirus with 1,599 deaths and 20,371 recoveries.

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DENR lauds Luzon Hydro Corp’s sustainability efforts

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recognizes recently the best practices of Luzon Hydro Corporation in managing the upper and lower Amburayan River.

Sustainability is Luzon Hydro’s responsible stewardship on the resources it optimizes to operate. “For Luzon Hydro, sustainability means constantly innovating to bring development to the remotest areas with up-to-date environment-friendly technology,” said Luzon Hydro’s environmental officer Cranep Udan.

The pivotal role of Luzon Hydro in the community is to provide reliable, reasonable, and responsible power that improve the lives of the locals, while respecting the environment where it operates.

 One of Luzon Hydro’s efforts is to preserve the Amburayan watershed through its environmental programs like reforestation and riverbank stabilization.  In partnership with the local government units and the local community, reforestation and watershed management programs has been implemented and strengthened. In fact, more than half a million trees were planted by Luzon Hydro since it started operating in Ilocos Sur until now. And, 89% survival rating is recorded and monitored by the DENR.

Family-based approach on reforestation was adopted by Luzon Hydro to ensure that the sustenance of the watershed provides livelihood to the community.

Luzon Hydro is driven for a more direct and active collaboration among the communities along esteros or creeks and rivers. The power firm harness the might of the Amburayan River to generate Cleanergy -- its brand for clean and renewable energy. It is just right to condition the river on its natural and abundant state. 

Luzon Hydro operates in a run-of-river scheme with an annual total generating capacity of 74.8 megawatts. Since 2001, Luzon Hydro is ahead in providing sustainable solutions for our country’s demand for power. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation. 

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Palaui Island wins major ASEAN tourism award

By Freddie Lazaro

STA. ANA, Cagayan – Palaui Island has already earned two major distinctions—one as CNN Go’s best beaches in the world, and the other as the two-time location of American television series “Survivor.”

              The third came last week when it was declared one of the winners of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community-Based Tourism Award for 2019-2021.

At a time when the government embarked on a major clean-up of the country’s world-famous tourist destinations, Palaui Island emerged as a gem for sustainable tourism that “safeguards its socio-economic future.”

This was the verdict of jurors that selected Palaui Island’s major environmental group, the Palaui Environmental Protectors Association (PEPA), for the award during the ASEAN Tourism Forum held January 18, 2019 in Halong City, Vietnam.

Declared a protected landscape and seascape in 1994 by Presidential Proclamation No. 447, Palaui is 1.25 kilometers offshore from Santa Ana and is part of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport which is managed and operated by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).

“This ASEAN award makes Filipinos proud. This shows us the way forward toward sustainable tourism,” Secretary Raul L. Lambino, CEZA Administrator and CEO said.

Lambino said tourism in Palaui Island—with its untouched beaches, waterfalls, rock formations, extensive forests, mangroves, and a 300-hectare marine sanctuary, among others—runs on community-based enterprises that are active in providing various services to visitors.

A letter to Lambino by Director Danilo B. Intong of the Department of Tourism Office of Tourism Standards and Regulation, said the award recognizes associations in the region that “support sustainable livelihoods, protection of socio-cultural traditions, and natural and cultural heritage.”

CEZA has established microenterprises, creating what is viewed as a business model that steers away from the traps of uncontrolled tourism.

Community-based tourism provides island residents with strong economic incentive for “strengthened (environmental) protection.”

Since 2006, PEPA has trained locals such as fisher folks, farmers, women, and out-of-school youth in programs that arm them with skills to provide visitors with specific tourism-related services.

               The major island activities are hiking through three trails that crisscross Palaui, and reef experience in five snorkelling areas identified by reef rangers.

Island residents are also trained in the art of traditional massage, preparation of local cuisine (the village kitchens), good hygiene, and production of island souvenirs from indigenous materials.

PEPA is currently headed by Gerry Iranga and operates a “nature village complex” where visitors can stay overnight in the campsite around the Bayanihan Hall.

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Kalinga ethnic souvenir shop booms with local products

TABUK CITY -- Started more than two decades ago as a small native gift shop, KINWA Etnika, is now a booming souvenir store in the heart of this city.

 Florence Ao-wat, owner-manager, recalled how her small store hurdled trying times in the early ‘90s when appreciation for Kalinga ethnic fashion was still low.

But she persisted as she faced head on the challenges that came her way, while finding ways to improve her craft.

Today, KINWA Etnika is a top brand for Kalinga native products from the array of woven tapestry, lady’s apparel, bags, shoes, blankets, gifts, souvenir items, beads, necklace and other accessories.

 Florence attributes much of this success to interventions from government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Tourism, Department of Education and many others.

 KINWA Etnika together with the whole handicraft industry of the province got their marketing promotion in trade fairs organized by DTI, here and cities outside the province, Florence acknowledged.

 Through fairs, new markets were opened, and booked orders are coming, she said.

 With DTI’s program on One Town One Product (OTOP), this industry got a big push gaining local micro-producers substantial sales during fairs and bonanzas.

Because of increasing demands, Florence availed of DTI’s equipment assistance through the Shared Service Facility (SSF) where she obtained high-speed sewing machines.

 To stay competitive, she continues innovating new products and designs that fit buyers’ preference.

 With the growing business, KINWA Etnika now gives favor back to the community by providing employment opportunities to young graduates seeking jobs.

 She advises the young to develop ‘love of culture’ saying this is the fire that keeps her in the business amidst ups and downs. (JDP/LL-PIA CAR, Kalinga)  

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