MORE NEWS, BENGUET

1,400 Philex workers get wage hike in new collective agreement

TUBA, Benguet – Workers of the Philex Mining Corp. here will receive benefits as agreed upon with the National Association of Mine workers Union who recently came to terms for a renegotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement with the mining company.

The CBA in its last two years, granted a substantial increase on the daily wages of rank and file workers of the company.

Under the renegotiated CBA, which passed through the referendum of the affected employees, over 1,500 mine workers will receive P29 increase from their daily wage retroactive last Jan. 1, 2008 and another P30 increase on their daily wage starting January 1, 2009.

Lawyer Eduardo Aratas, chief of Philex’s legal division, said wage increase for the mine workers was the company’s assistance to help them cope with rising prices of oil aggravated by the series of increases in the prices of basic commodities.

The five-year CBA of Philex and NAMAWU allows the conduct of renegotiations for the increase in the salaries of mine workers for the fourth and five year provided the company is capable to grant the supposed increase.

Aside from the increase in their daily wages, the mine workers will also receive P1, 000 each as signing bonus and mid-year bonus which is equivalent to their one month salary. One half of the mid-year bonus was already released to the workers last may 31, 2008 while the other half will be given to them at the end of this month.

Starting July 1 this year, the company is now negotiating with the supervisors union for an expected increase in their salaries and benefits since their own CBA is also on its last two years.

Philex has a total manpower of at least 2,500 workers with over half of them classified as rank and file while the rest are considered to be within the middle and high supervisory positions.

Also next year, Philex and NAMAWU will start negotiations for a new five-year CBA that would guarantee more benefits and privileges to the workers because of the bright prospects of the local mineral industry.

Aratas emphasized the successful renegotiation of the provisions of the existing CBA is a sign of a harmonious working relationship between the company and the workers as all disputes regarding their demands for wage increase had been democratically settled.

The increase for mine workers is much higher than the P15 daily wage increase approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board for workers in the private sector within the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba areas and P10 for workers in the non-BLIST areas.

Mine workers who stand to benefit from the renegotiated CBA welcomed the agreement, saying the agreed increase is far more better than nothing at all because the amount would be a big boost to their income and sustain the livelihood of their families within the mining area. -- Dexter A. See


Schools’ low achievement test scores linked to malnutrition
BY Dexter A. See

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Benguet schools division of the Department of Education reported that low-performing schools in the province recorded high cases of malnutrition.

During a meeting of the Provincial Nutrition Council held recently, Gov. Nestor Fongwan said the DepEd should inform concerned local government units about rampant mulnutrition among school children to enable them to take proper measures.

Benguet DepEd division nurse-in-charge Virginia Basatan reported that based on the recent National Achievement Test in school year 2007-2008, of the 236 participating schools, there were 32 low-performing schools.

The low-performing elementary schools with below 55-mean performance scores recorded high cases of below normal weights.

These were identified as priority schools for the Division Comprehensive School Health and Nutrition Package.

The 32 low-performing elementary schools (ES) in 11 towns are as follows: Cagui-ing ES in Atok; Bagtangan ES, Ampusongan ES, Dio-alan ES, Tingbaoen ES in Bakun, Bantas Suanding ES and Bisal ES in Bokod; Lam-ayan ES and Paing ES in Buguias; Anteg-in ES, Baguio Gold ES and Botic ES in Itogon Districts I; Dalicno ES in Itogon II; Boklaoan ES, Cayapes ES, Gaswiling ES, Laoangan ES, Liblibeng ES in Kapangan, Am-am ES, Balili ES and Lasigan ES in Mankayan, Palali ES in Sablan; and Klondykes ES and Pimingan ES in Tuba.

Schools in La Trinidad and Tublay recorded above 55 MPS which were not initially included in the Comprehensive School Health and Nutrition Package.

Although there are schools in Bokod identified as low performers, the town ranked top in the NAT with a total performance score (PS) of 66.7.

The other municipal schools are ranked as follows: Buguias – 2nd; Tuba – 3rd; Sablan – 4th; Tublay – 5th; La Trinidad – 6th; Itogon II – 7th; Atok – 8th; Bakun – 9th; Mankayan – 10th; Itogon I – 11th; Kapangan – 12th; Kabayan – 13th; and Kibungan – 14th.

Project 55 is a comprehensive health and nutrition packages aimed at turning around low academic performance. This is being implemented to improve academic performance of children starting school year 2008-2009.

The packages will ensure the provision of basic health care and nutrition services to the school children, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.

Basatan said these include provision of vitamin A supplement, medical-dental checkup, deworming, school feeding program and provision of supplemental reading materials.