Bridal
expo held in Country Club
BAGIO CITY – “Summer
Weddings,” the biggest bridal expo here, was held May 4-6 at Baguio Country
Club.
This event
was organized by Team DC Manila headed by national designer Don Cristobal in
partnership with Viva La Events and Audio Enhance to promote local and national
designers, make-up artists, wedding photographers, videographers, and event
organizers to husbands and wives-to-be in the Cordillera.
This 3-day
day event also showcased seminars and workshops on bridal hair and makeup,
social media marketing by Models Net TV, “Mix It Right” seminar by KQUENTOR
Multimedia, Wedding Photography, “Styling your Wedding” seminar by Sancho
Bernardo and Cake and Pastries Demo.
Fashion
shows also were held during the event by national designers Don Cristobal, Red
Zurbano, Nereku, Richie Bondoc, Cathy Capistrano and Frederick Berches with local designers
namely, Karu Villanueva, Jheo Rapanan, King George Bueno, Lester Bulao, Andrew
Visaya, Nicole Rodriguez, Karla Calderone, Julienne Paran, and Joey Sadsad. –
Trizha Ocampo
Students’
employment starts in Sabangan
SABANGAN, Mountain
Province – The “special program for employment of students (SPES) started May 8 in this town and will end June 2.
Mayor
Venancio E. Lipawen said 50 SPES beneficiaries employed by the
Sabangan town government will work for
20 days with a P250 salary per day or total salary of P5,000 .
Students
who are hired will work to implement clean and green program of the local
government. Some were assigned in the barangays and will be monitored by the
Public Employment Service Office.
Lipawen
said he would propose additional funds to increase SPES beneficiaries next year
to take advantage of new implementing rules and regulations (IRR) which
qualifies Sabangan, being a fifth class municipality to pay 40 percent of the
total salary of the students and the Department of Labor and Employment will
shoulder the remaining 60 percent which would be downloaded to the
student’s respective ATM cards.
Environment
plans for business pushed
BAGUIO CITY – The city
council has passed on first reading a proposed ordinance requiring all persons
operating or doing business in the city for the mandatory submission of
environmental sustainability action plan upon securing or renewing business or
mayor’s permit.
Authored by
councilor Leandro Yangot, Jr., the measure said it is State policy to afford
full protection and advancement of the right of the people to a healthful and
balanced ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.
“To ensure
environmental sustainability, balance is required between ecological system and
economic development, it is for this reason that there is a dire need to
prepare a program to heal the ailing Earth by encouraging business sectors to
create sustainable programs for the protection and preservation of the sources
of life, minimizing the effects of global warming and climate change and
programs that are less harmful to the ecosystem,” it states.
If finally
be approved, the measure shall be known as the “Sustainable Development
Ordinance of the City of Baguio” and tasks the city environment and parks
management office to strengthen, integrate, consolidate and institutionalize
environment initiatives to achieve coordination in the implementation of plans
and programs to address climate change and preservation of the sources of life
in the context of sustainable development. -- Gaby Keith
Coops’
call to retain tax exemption backed
BAGUIO CITY – Vice
Mayor Edison Bilog supported the call of cooperative members here to oppose a
move in Congress to lift the tax exemption privileges accorded cooperatives in
the country.
Bilog last
week proposed a resolution in the city council “strongly opposing the passage
of any proposed bills lifting tax exemptions on cooperatives.”
He said
there is a current move in both houses of Congress to repeal the law granting
tax exemption privileges to cooperatives.
“Pending
before the House of Representatives and the Senate are proposed bills on the
Rationalization of Fiscal Investment Incentives which seek to repeal Articles
60 and 61 of Republic Act No. 9250 or the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008
which extends cooperatives tax exemption privileges,” Bilog said.
Section 61
provides that cooperatives with assets of not more than P10 million are exempt
from all national, city, municipal or barangay taxes as well as from custom
duties, advance sales or compensation taxes on their importation of
machineries, equipment and spare parts used by them.
Bilog said
removing the tax exemption privileges of cooperatives “would defeat the role
and purpose of having cooperatives likewise the intent of the 1987 Constitution
on the creation of the Cooperative Development Authority as provided in Section
15 Article XII of the Constitution which states that it shall be the policy of
the state to promote the viability and growth of cooperatives as instruments of
equity, social justice and economic development.”
“The City
Government of Baguio being a cooperative-friendly local government unit
supports the vision, mission and objectives of the cooperatives thus (we)
strongly oppose the passage of any proposed bills lifting tax exemptions on
cooperatives as it will greatly interrupt the growth of the cooperative and
affect its members,” Bilog said.
Cooperative
members led by the Baguio-Benguet Community Credit Cooperative, the biggest
cooperative in the area, staged a rally recently to air their opposition to the
proposed bills which they said will adversely affect the ideals of
cooperativism in the city.
Bilog’s
measure will be tackled in the city council’s next session. – Aileen P.
Refuerzo
Water
seminar as business permit requirement pushed
BAGUIO CITY – The
local legislature has passed on first reading a proposed ordinance mandating
all business owners, operators or their authorized representatives in the city
to attend a seminar on waste water management as a prerequisite for the
issuance of business permits.
Authored by
councilor Lilia Farinas, the measure designates the Zero Waste cluster of “The
Baguio We Want” to be the lead agency in conducting the seminar at the Baguio
City Multi-Purpose Hall for about one hour on a schedule fixed by the General
Services Office.
The entity
is a citizens’ volunteer group working to promote waste management anchored on
sustainable consumption, waste reduction, reuse and recycling, and waste
diversion from landfills and incineration in order to help reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and pressure on constrained natural resources.
Among the
group’s duties are to determine and justify the required amount a business
applicant has to pay for certificates, honoraria of speakers, and other expenses
relative to the conduct of the seminar, subject to the city council’s approval.
It shall
also do the necessary activities to insure the seminar’s efficiency and
effectivity.
The
proposed ordinance warns that business applicants will not be issued business
permits without the latest proof of their attendance in the seminar which is a
certificate signed by the issuing agency.
“The need for our communities, including
institutions and business establishments to be educated on the pressing issue
of waste and water management cannot be emphasized enough. We need proper
legislation and enforcement to ensure that local businesses are informed enough
to adopt environmentally sound ways of managing their general waste,” it said –
Gaby Keith
738
hired in Baguio jobs fair
BAGUIO CITY – Some 738
applicants were hired during the Labor Day jobs fair here at Baguio
Convention Center.
Eighteen were hired
for overseas employment while 720 were taken for local employment.
A total of
2,811 registrants came to the jobs fair, wherein 1,675 applied for local
employment and 1,136 for overseas employment.
There
were also 273 job applicants that were referred to the Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority for skills training or upgrading.
DOLE
Cordillera regional director Ronie Ezequiel
Guzman read Labor Day greetings of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III citing
Filipino workforce for their dedication and commitment to serve their families
and the country.
Guzman also
relayed Bello’s assurance that the government, through DOLE, will continue
to intensify effort in protecting rights of Filipino workers and in training
highly skilled Filipino work force.
He said the
Labor Department has 8 – point labor and employment agenda that includes
addressing unemployment and underemployment; bringing in more labor – related
laws; ensuring the protection and welfare of Filipino workers especially
those working abroad; bringing in more livelihood programs, and ensuring
harmonious relationship between employees and employers.
113
infested, dangerous trees felled in Baguio
BAGUIO CITY -- The
city environment and parks management office (CEPM0) felled a total of 113
trees in the first quarter (January to April) of this year upon request since
these were either infested, dangerous or obstructing roads.
The office
has also issued 103 cutting permits implemented with its supervision within 83
private and three government properties during the same period.
This was
reported by CEPMO head Cordelia Lacsamana in flag-raising ceremony at city hall
before officials and employees headed by Mayor Mauricio Domogan.
She said
that 15,000 seedlings have been propagated while a carryover stock of 20,000
seedlings are ready for planting this year with Camp 7 and Santo Tomas as
priority planting sites.
Her office
also inventoried and tagged 200 live trees at Bayan Park as part of forest
protection.
Lacsamana
added that two rain harvesting facilities have been implemented at Busol and
Botanical Forest nurseries with funds from the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources.
“CEPMO is
preparing the development of another forest nursery at Ambuclao Road pending
the resolution of emerging issues,” she said.
Lacsamana
revealed that 502 tree planting activities as prerequisite for marriage is now
in place and 45 building owners have been required to plant 670 trees as an
occupancy requirement.
She said replacement
planting garnered 3,480 seedlings planted or collected from 89 complying
permittees. – Gaby Keith
Migrants
Day set in Sabangan
SABANGAN, Mountain
Province -- Overseas workers Welfare Administration Cordillera Administrative
Region regional director Evelyn Calica Laranang, will grace the first Migrant’s
Day celebration in this town on June 7.
Mayor
Venancio E. Lipawen said coordinators and presidents of organizations of Overseas Filipino Workers
families and former OFWs in this municipality agreed Thursday to celebrate
Migrant’s Day at the municipal plaza with the theme: “The Survivors”.
The
event will start with a parade from Nakagang, Tambingan to the municipal plaza.
Aside from inspirational message of the guest speaker, presentations from
organizations and a thank you speech from a mother whose child is now an active
scholar of OWWA will highlight the event. A sumptuous meal and rice wine will
be prepared by the local government which is hosting the celebration. Lipawen
added.
According
to Doris Ledsey, former OFW in Hongkong and now president of Poblacion Former OFW and OFW
families organization, they selected “The Survivors” as their theme because it
is the most fitting word that describes them who sacrificed to work overseas
far away from their families and friends just to uplift the living condition of
their families. June 7 was chosen by the group since it was Nov. 14, 2016
when OWWA sponsored an organization meeting when then President Fidel V. Ramos
signed Republic Act 8042 also known as the Migrants Workers and Overseas
Filipinos Act of 1995.
The event
is expected to be attended by almost 300 hundred former OFWS and OFW families.
Ledsey said.
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
govt’s urged to put up PWD rehab centers
TABUK CITY, Kalinga --
National government agencies directly 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 (DSWD) and Lin-awa Rehab Center
personnel, 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
Parenting
style and education are top teenage pregnancy predictors
BAGUIO CITY
--Parenting style and level of education are among top predictors of early
childbearing in the Cordillera.
This was
revealed in a Population Commission- funded Research conducted by University of
the Philippines Professor Josefina Natividad.
The research titled “Predictors and Timing of
Early Childbearing in the Cordillera Administrative Region” sourced its data
from the 2013 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study 4 (YAFSS 4). The sample
for the study is 262 women aged 20-24.
In the
YAFSS 4, Cordillera had the highest proportion of young women aged 15-19 who
had begun childbearing at 18.4 percent, much higher than the national rate of
13.6%.
Child
bearing is defined as having given birth before reaching the age of 20.
Results of
the study indicate that the proportion that had a birth before 20 is higher
among non-Cordillerans, rural resident and young women who were not raised by
both parents compared with their respective counterparts.
By poverty
status, there is no substantial difference between women classified as poor and
the non-poor.
By completed
education, high school undergraduates had the highest proportion with early
childbearing experiences (57 %), followed by those with elementary level
schooling (38%) and high school graduates (30%).The prevalence of early
childbearing is lowest among those with college education at 16 %.
The study
suggests that parenting styles may be protective against the risk of early
childbearing, specifically, if the parents set clear standards for children to
follow while growing up.
“The
proportion that experienced early child bearing increases as the level of
clarity of standards of the parents on the behavior of children decreases.”
On the time
of early childbearing, it showed that the proportion of childbearing before 20
is higher among non-Cordillerans with a sudden increase at age 19 and it is
mostly accounted for by births at ages 18 and 19. However in terms of exposure
to the risk associated with early childbearing, the Cordillera women may be
more at risk because they started childbearing earlier having recorded the
youngest to be 13 years old.
“By marital
status, four in 10 of the currently married 20-24 year olds began childbearing
before the age of 20. Similarly, four in 19 of the currently cohabiting also
experienced early childbearing. A small proportion of four percent of the never
married had experienced early child bearing.”
The study
summarized that among 20-24 year old women in CAR, 25% percent or one in four
had a birth before the age 20 or were teenage mothers. The risk of early
childbearing is not affected by urban-rural residence, poverty status,
ethnicity or being raised by both parents. All are equally at risk. Having a
college education significantly decreases the risk of early childbearing. The
timing of early childbearing shows that most teenage births happen in the late
teen years ages 17, 18 and 19.
The
research also recommended that interventions should be age- and gender specific
noting that the reception of 13 years old varies from the reception of 19 years
old. -- Brenden Kim Quintos
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