One Mindanao - August 29, 2011

2 ONE MINDANAO Monday, August 29, 2011

Western Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula)P. Urro Street, San Francisco DistrictPagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur 7016Telephone no. (062) 215-1480 / 925-0038Cellphone no. 0908-8843404E-mail : [email protected] [email protected] : hnb_r9pia

Northern MindanaoGraces’ Building, Antonio Luna StreetCagayan de Oro City 9000Telefax No. (08822) 72-66-83Telephone no. (088) 856-8178 / 729-594Cellphone no. 0928-5204305 0917-3084969E-mail : [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Southern Mindanao (Davao Region)2/F Kanto Motors Bldg.,Quimpo Blvd., New MatinaDavao City 8000Telephone no. (082) 297-0991 / 301-8580Telefax no. (082) 297-0992 / 304-2044Cellphone no. 0917-7053606 / 0918-9202950E-mail : [email protected]

Central Mindanao (SOCSKSARGEN)Provincial Capitol Compound Bautista Bldg., Zulueta St.Koronadal City, South Cotabato 9506Telephone no. (083) 520-0249Telefax no. (083) 228-9736 / 228-9739 / 520-0100Cellphone no. 0921-6873373 / 0928-5204307E-mail : [email protected] [email protected]

Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga)Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines Bldg.,J. Rosales Avenue, Butuan CityTelephone no. (085) 341-5285 / 360-1239Telefax no. (085) 341-2370Cellphone no. 0917-7188834Email: [email protected] [email protected],ph

PIA REGIONAL OFFICESIN MINDANAO

NATIONAL• Aquino leads observance of National Heroes Day • Aquino to visit Great Wall of China and For bidden City• Filipinos in Beijing welcome President Aqui no’s visit• Busy schedule awaits President Aquino in Beijing

Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga)

• City Peace and Order Council intensifies existing laws in Butuan• PhilHealth-Caraga meets local tri-media in Butuan• 140 new Barangay Employment Service Offices established• BLE conducts enhanced SRS technical workshop for Caraga• Cebuano News: RMN-dxBC, PRC, PIA ug sponsors nagkahiusa alang sa Bloodletting activity ug Medical, Dental Mission

Western Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula)

• Ipil to act on ‘No Habitation Zones’• 214 studes join campus journalism workshop in Dapitan• RMN-DXDR spearheads bloodletting cum medical mission in Dipolog

Northern Mindanao

• NorMin Blood Center serves 9,352 bags of blood to 6,076 patients, as of July, this year• DOLE Secretary releases livelihood grants to NorMin beneficiaries• Tangub prepares for city fiesta• SP Cag. de Oro hails two top Nursing Board Passers• Cebuano News: Konseho sa Iligan naghangyo sa DOH nga ayudahan ang medical mission sa kabaranggayan (SP Iligan to request DOH assistance on barangay medical missions)

Southern Mindanao (Davao Region)

• DOH health fiesta caravan visits ComVal• Davao Light holds talk on flood safety and branding• Cebuano news: Sa Comval: Probinsiya milihok Contra- Trichenella Parasite

Central Mindanao (SOCSKSARGEN)

• Dengue cases in S. Cotabato down by 77%• Tacurong City hosts PMA entrance test• ARMM to enhance early recovery plan• LTO-12 distributes first installment of Pantawid Pasada cards to 672 recipients in Region 12

OUR COVER

Today’s cover features the

White WaterRafting

ofCagayan de Oro

City

In This Issue...

3ONE MINDANAOMonday, August 29, 2011

President Benigno S. Aquino III cited cooperation, heroism and sense of volunteerism as some of the positive traits that are innate among Filipinos as he challenged them to use such skills in working with the government

in bringing the nation to sustainable progress and development

Aquino leads observance of National Heroes Day

In his speech during the observance of the National He-roes Day at the Libigingan ng mga

Bayani, Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City, Monday, President Aquino expressed confidence that the Fili-

pino people can lead the way in effecting change towards the na-tion’s progress adding that ev

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III reviews the honor guards upon arrival for the observance of the Na-tional Heroes Day at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Monday (August 29). National Heroes Day is celebrated every last Sunday of August pursuant to Act No. 3827, which was enacted on Octo-ber 28, 1931 by the Philippine Legislature. It commemorates the beginning of the Filipinos fight known for independence from Spain as “Cry of Pugad Lawin” led by Supremo Andres Bonifacio. (Photo by Marcelino Pascua / Malacañang Photo Bureau / PCOO).

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eryone can make a difference by helping others. “Nananalaytay sa ating dugo ang kabayanihan ng ating mga ninuno, tiwala po ako sa kakayahan ng bawat Pilipino na makatulong sa pag-asenso ng ating bansa. Hindi na natin kailan-gan pa na magbuwis ng buhay o magpadanak ng dugo para lamang maging bayani, ang kailangan lang natin ay ang wagas at bukal na pag-tulong sa kapwa Pilipino,” the President said. “Ang simpleng pagsunod sa mga batas at pagtulong sa mga nangangailangan ay maituturing na ring kabayanihan, ang bawat butil ng sakripisyo, ang bawat pa-tak na kawanggawa at ang bawat sandali ng pagmamalasakit sa maliit na paraan ay labis na tumit-ingkad kapag ginawa ng mahigit siyamnapung Pilipino,” President Aquino added. The Chief Executive also called on the people to support the efforts of the government in addressing the various problems of the society such as poverty and

corruption. “Nabigyan tayo ngayon ng pagkakataon para gawin muli ang tama tulad ng ginawa at ipinagla-ban ng ating mga bayani…handa po akong unang magsakripisyo, subalit tulad ng lagi kong bukam-bibig… hindi ko po kayang pasanin ng mag-isa ang kalbaryong dinat-nan natin…hindi po kailangan ng bansa ang isang ‘superman’ para ma-resolba ang lahat ng problema natin. Ang kailangan po natin ay bayanihan nina Juan at Juana dela Cruz, kailangan natin ng mga nakikilahok sa solusyon sa mga problema,” the President noted. “Sa ganitong mga pag-kakataon isinisilang ang mga tu-nay na bayani… mga bayaning hindi humihingi ng pagkilala ng kasaysayan at naninindigan kahit walang nakaaalam,” he added. The event highlights the important contributions of great Filipinos in regaining and preserv-ing the freedom and democracy being enjoyed by the present gen-eration. This year’s theme: “Bayani

ng Bayan: Gabay ni Juan sa Matu-wid na Daan,” underscores the President’s commitment in pur-suing reforms in the bureaucracy which is part of his agenda to-wards good governance, inclu-sive growth and equal opportunity for all that is part of the overall thrusts of the Philippine Develop-ment Plan 2011-2016. Other officials present dur-ing the event include Defense Sec-retary Voltaire Gazmin, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Ro-sario, Metro Manila Development Authority Secretary Francis Tolen-tino, Armed Forces of the Philip-pines Chief of Staff General Edu-ardo Oban Jr., Philippine National Police Chief Director General Raul Bacalzo, Taguig Mayor Maria Laar-ni Cayetano, Dean of the Diplo-matic Corps Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, and other members of the Diplomatic Corps, major service commanders and the officers and members of the Veterans Federa-tion of the Philippines, among oth-ers. (jcl)

President Benigno S. Aquino III offers a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Monument for the observance of National Heroes Day at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Monday (August 29). National Heroes Day commemorates the beginning of the Filipinos fight for indepen-dence from Spain known as “Cry of Pugad Lawin” led by Supreme Andres Bonifacio. (Photo by Benhur Arcayan / Robert Viñas / Malacañang Photo Bureau / PCOO).

Aquino leads... from page 3


Aquino to visit Great Wall of China and Forbidden City

The theme of the Presi-dent’s visit is “people-centered partnership” highlighting the cen-turies-old friendship between the Philippines and China. It also hopes to push for more trade, invest-ment, media, culture, education and tourism exchanges between the two countries. Aside from Bei-jing, the President will also visit the cities of Shanghai and Xiamen as part of his itinerary. Upon his arrival at the Great Wall, President Aquino will be received by Deputy Director of the Badaling Special Administra-tive Center Rong Xinfeng. The President will be es-corted by Xinfeng to the south tower of the Badaling section where he will write a short mes-sage and sign the Guest Book. During his visit, the Presi-dent will be presented the follow-ing as souvenirs, namely, a framed night photo of the Great Wall, a book containing more than 400 photos of state leaders who visit-ed the Great Wall since the 1950’s, and a framed certificate showing that President Aquino had climbed the Great Wall. The Chinese government has recommended that the Presi-dent visit the Badaling section of

the Great Wall because it is the best preserved and most popular among all sections of the Great Wall. It is more than 1,000 meters (or 3,281 feet) above sea level and commands a strategic position for transportation and defense in an-cient times. Badaling, which literally means “reach eight directions,” got its name because the maze of its ridges stretches in all direc-tions. It is also easily accessible and has easy walking conditions. Based on records, some 400 state leaders and notable per-sonalities have climbed Badaling to admire the magnificence and beauty of its panoramic scenery. On February 24, 1972, this site was visited by then United States President Richard Nixon and his wife during his historic journey to China. The U.S. First Couple was accompanied by Vice Premier Li Xiannian in touring the site. President Barack Obama also visited Badaling on his visit here on November 18, 2009, calling the structure “spectacular.” After his visit to Badaling, President Aquino will proceed to the Forbidden City which is most commonly known in Chinese as Gugong, meaning the “Former

Palace.” In this site, the President will visit the three main halls where national treasures are dis-played. An interpreter will be on hand to brief the President on the features of the Forbidden City. Before he leaves the For-bidden City, the President will be requested to write a message about his visit. The Forbidden City was the Chinese Imperial Palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and politi-cal center of the Chinese govern-ment. Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and cov-ers 7,800,000 feet. Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum whose exten-sive collection of artworks and ar-tifacts were built for the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. (rsda)

BEIJING, China: President Benigno S. Aquino III will visit two of Beijing’s most visited histori-cal landmarks -- the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City during his five-day state visit to the People’s Republic of China from August 30 to September 3, 2011.


Filipinos in Beijing welcome President Aquino’s visit

“They are very proud of this visit, as it is a clear and strong indication that despite some issues between the Phil-ippines and their host coun-try, the relationship is on a good track and both govern-ments are highly committed to strengthen this friendship and cooperation,” Charge d’Affaires ad interim Alex Chua of the Philippine Embassy said in an interview. The President is sched-uled to pay a visit to the Peo-ple’s Republic of China (PROC) from August 30 to September 3, 2011 upon the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao. The theme of the President’s visit is “people-centered part-nership” highlighting the cen-turies old friendship between the Philippines and China and to promote more exchanges and better understanding be-tween the two countries. The President’s visit to PROC is his first since he as-sumed office in June 2010. Aside from Beijing, the Chief Executive is also set to visit Shanghai and Xiamen as part

of his itinerary. During his visit, Presi-dent Aquino will meet with the Filipino community in Beijing at the China World Hotel where he will personally check on their conditions and will inform them of the positive develop-ments in the Philippines under his administration. Chua cited the popularity of President Aquino especially among the Filipino community in Beijing as evidenced by the positive results of the overseas absentee voting (OAV) during the elections in May last year. “The President is quite popular in Beijing and he topped the elections in this OAV pre-cinct,” he said. Chua said that based on the Philippine Embassy’s re-cord, there are 2,492 Filipinos residing or working in Beijing and its neighboring cities and provinces adding that the ac-tual number of Filipinos in this Chinese capital could be more. According to Chua, Fili-pinos in Beijing work in various fields -- international journal-ists, global executives, musi-

cians, household service em-ployees, doctors, engineers, teachers, and hotel and restau-rant managers among others Asked whether the Phil-ippine Embassy is implement-ing programs to help and as-sist Filipino workers in Beijing, Chua pointed out that the Em-bassy has been seriously look-ing after the welfare of Filipino nationals. “We have a 24-hour hotline that receives calls rang-ing from questions on visas, passports and consular services as well as requests for various forms of consular assistance,” he said. The Embassy also in-forms the Filipino community of updates on information from the Philippines and China that are relevant to them. “We also send them advisories related to public health such as the flu epidemic here at winter time and the local radiation levels observed by authorities in the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan,” Chua added. (rsda pm)

BEIJING, China: More than 2,000 Filipino overseas workers comprising the Filipino commu-nity in Beijing welcome President Benigno S. Aquino III’s state visit to the People’s Republic of China saying it is an “affirmation of the excellent state of relations between the two coun-tries.”


Busy schedule awaits President Aquino in BeijingBEIJING, China: President Benigno S. Aquino III expects a busy schedule upon his arrival here on Tuesday on the first leg of his five-day state visit to the People’s Republic of China (PROC) from August 30 to September 3, 2011. Included in the Presi-dent’s visit to PROC are the cities of Shanghai and Xia-men. The Chief Executive’s visit, his first, is aimed at further strengthening the over three decades of “friendly and mutually ben-eficial relations between the Philippines and China.” The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the President’s visit like-wise hopes to “promote a people-centered partner-ship that will push for more trade, investments, media, culture, education, and tourism exchange between the two countries.” Accompanied by some members of his Cab-inet and a large Philippine business delegation (about 270), the President will ar-rive at the Beijing Capital Airport on board a Philip-pine Airlines Special Com-mercial Flight PR001 from Manila. He will be welcomed by Chinese Embassy offi-cials led by Assistant For-eign Minister Liu Zhenmin,

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines His Excel-lency Liu Jianchao, Deputy Director-General of Proto-col Department Xie Bohua of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials of the Philippine Embassy in Bei-jing headed by Charge d’Affaires ad interim Alex Chua, Minister and Consul General Maria Teresa Al-mojuela and First Secre-tary and Consul Noel Novi-cio. From the airport, the President and his delega-tion will motor to the Di-aoyutai State Guesthouse where he will stay for the duration of his visit here. The President will start his activity on Wednes-day morning (August 31) by meeting separately with Chinese businessmen at the China World Ho-tel. These are the officials of the Energy World, the State Grid of China Corpo-ration/National Grid Cor-poration of the Philippines, China Trend/China Invest-ment Corporation/China Petroleum, and DPWH-led

Chinese Contractors. He will also have a brief meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qis-han. This will be followed by his attendance at the Philippines-China Econom-ic and Trade Forum where he will deliver his keynote speech. At the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the President will be interviewed by Yang Rui and Yang Lan of CCTV Dialogue. The President will be officially welcomed at the Great Hall of the People here by Chinese President Hu Jintao, in fitting cere-monies accorded a visiting head of state. Immediately after his first summit meeting with the Chinese leader, the two heads of state will hold a bilateral meeting. President Aquino and President Hu Jintao are also expected to witness the signing of agreements in the fields of trade, eco-nomic and technical coop-eration, media, sports,

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culture and information among others that will fur-ther boost the relationship between the two coun-tries. In the evening, the President will attend a State Banquet at the Great Hall of the People which will be hosted in his honor by the Chinese President. He will also meet with the Filipino community of Beijing to personally check on their condition and to inform them of the positive developments of the Phil-ippines under his adminis-tration. There are some 2,492 Filipinos in Beijing and its neighboring cit-ies and provinces who are working as doctors, engi-neers, teachers, and hotel and restaurant managers, including musicians among others. Prior to the Coffee with the Philippine media, the President will drop by at a dinner hosted by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines for the 270 business delegation. President Aquino will also take time out from his busy schedules here to vis-it Beijing’s two most visited historical sites -- the Great Wall of China and the For-

bidden City. The Chinese govern-ment has recommended that President Aquino will visit the Badaling section of the Great Wall, which is approximately 80 kilome-ters northwest from the center of Beijing. The Badaling section of the Great Wall, which is the best preserved and most popular among all its sections, is more than 1,000 meters (or 3,281 feet) above sea level, and said to command a strate-gic position for transporta-tion and defense in ancient times. The famous Great Wall of China, aside from the Forbidden City, is the most frequented site by both local visitors and tour-ists all over the world. The Forbidden City is most commonly known in Chinese as Gugong which means the “Former Palace.” It was the Chinese Impe-rial Palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. In efforts to enjoin more investors to infuse their capital in the Philip-pines, President Aquino

will likewise meet sepa-rately with officials of other Chinese business groups namely, the Lee World, China ASEAN Fund, Dong Feng, Shandong Sanli Tires, and Dungfeng. Before leaving for Shanghai, the President will meet with Chairman Wu Bangguo of the Stand-ing Committee of the Na-tional People’s Congress and Premier Wen Jiabao. Since the establish-ment of diplomatic rela-tions between the Philip-pines and China on June 9, 1975, the bilateral part-nership between the two countries has reached un-precedented levels in terms of political/security and re-gional cooperation, trade, investment, agriculture, tourism, cultural and peo-ple-to-people exchanges, which have benefited the two countries and peoples. The Philippines-China economic and trade coop-eration continues to serve as the engine that drives Philippine-China relations to greater heights. China is the Philippines’ third larg-est trading partner and the fastest growing source of tourists. (rsda)

Busy schedule... from page 7


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City Peace and Order Council intensifies existing laws in ButuanBUTUAN CITY, Aug. 29 (PIA) - Member-agencies from the government and private sectors convened recently for the regular City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) Meeting held at the City Mayor’s Conference Room 2, this city. On behalf of City Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante, Jr, City Coun-cilor Ryan Culima presided the meet-ing and accepted the accomplishments re-ports of the member-agencies which con-tributed to peace and order in the city. PSupt Rolando P Cuya, Jr. of the Butu-an City Police Office (BCPO) bared that their office continues to intensify its cam-paign against illegal drugs, illegal posses-sion of firearms, il-legal logging, illegal gambling, and oth-er campaign against

crime. Cuya also re-vealed that they have conducted the 10-kilometer Run, Tree Planting Activ-ity, Coastal Clean-up in Brgy. Masao, and Medical and Den-tal Mission. I t was also learned that the PNP’s ‘Discipline Zone’ will be fully im-plemented on Sep-tember 1, 2011. Also, Culima stressed that the city government with the PNP will be strictly implementing the said ‘Discipline Zone’ on Sept. 1 while vio-lators of the existing

local ordinances in the city will be issued the ‘No Tolerance Ticket’ for them to pay the corresponding penal-ties of the violation. “The public should be vigilant and responsible be-cause when they will be caught violating these city ordinances, he or she shall face the consequences, even if the violator is an official or a high-ranked personality,” Culima said. M e a n w h i l e , Agent Myrian Balbada of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Caraga bared

by Jennifer P. Gaitano


City Peace... from page 9

that until now, Shabu is the main drug of choice by the users and Marijuana sec-ond. Agent Balbada further said that from July 1-31, 2011, PDEA has conducted 12 op-erations and arrest-ed 18 persons while

from Aug. 1-25, they conducted 15 opera-tions and arrested 33 persons. “From January to July 2011, there were 139 total of Drug Cas-es filed in Court with 206 total of the ac-cused persons,” cited Balbada.

The council will convene again next month to assess and evaluate the extent of implementation of the local ordinanc-es by the authorities and the obedience of the general public. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)

PhilHealth-Caraga meets local tri-media in ButuanBUTUAN CITY, Aug. 29 (PIA) -- The Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) Inc. headed by Regional Vice President Johnny Y. Sychua with other PhilHealth of-ficials recently conducted a media briefing on PhilHealth, held recently at the PhilHealth-Caraga Regional Conference Room, this city.

Medical Special-ist IV Dr. Grace S. Tanangkingsing of PhilHealth clarified that a patient does not need to be con-fined in a hospital for three (3) days for him/her to avail the healthcare services of PhilHealth. “Only with basic 24 hours admission, a patient can already avail the benefits,” said Tanangkingsing.

Responding to a question on whether there will be an in-crease in premium rate, Sychua said, “Increasing the pre-mium rate is not bad especially (consider-ing that) for 11 years, PhilHealth has not in-creased the premium rate…Probably, there will be an increase but I can not tell you when,” stressed Sy-chua.

Sychua also en-couraged the general public to immediate-ly report to their of-fice if they encoun-ter a doctor who will require them to be confined in the hos-pital for three days so they can avail the healthcare services of PhilHealth because it has no truth. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)

by Jennifer P. Gaitano


In an orientation on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Programs and Projects intended for the barangays held recently at Almont Hotel’s Inland Resort, this city, 140 Ba-rangay Captains finally signed commitment with the DOLE to establish an employment office in their barangays. DOLE Asst. Region-al Director Teresita Bong-hanoy who signed the commitment in behalf of Regional Director Ofelia Domingo expressed her gratefulness for the wilful decision of the barangay officials to fully support the programs of DOLE particularly employment facilitation and the com-munity based employ-ment program. The barangay cap-tains brought some of their officials to the ori-entation making the total number of par-ticipants to 173. These officials are from differ-

ent barangays in Butuan City, Cabadbaran City and municipalities of the Province of Agusan del Norte. The orientation was purposely conducted to inform the barangays on their important role in the implementation of employment facilitation and livelihood programs by creating a BESO in their own locality which ultimately will help ad-dress the unemployment problems. Marcos M. Quico, Provincial PESO of Su-rigao del Sur was one of the resource speak-ers during the above mentioned orientation. He clearly discussed the PESO Act of 1999 and the Circular No. 94-69 by the Department of Interior and Local Gov-ernment (DILG) wherein all LGUs are mandated to establish operate and maintain Public Em-ployment Service Office to ensure the prompt,

timely and adequate de-livery of employment fa-cilitation services of the government to its con-stituents. Also part of his discussion was the live-lihood program of DOLE that includes liquidation fund releases. Meanwhile, Ms. Ala-le Frias, PESO Manager of Trento Agusan del Sur also served as resource speaker on Career and Employment Coaching and PESO best practic-es. She emphasized the important role of BESOs in giving employment coaching services to its constituents. Topics on Labor Market Information and Skills Registry System as well as tips and guide on how to address illegal recruitment were also discussed by Ms. Lilian Solis of DOLE-ADN and Director Marieta Bellotin-dos of POEA. (DOLE-13/PIA-Caraga)

140 new Barangay Employment Service Offices establishedBUTUAN CITY, Aug. 29 (PIA) - After the successful institutionalization of 62 Barangay Employ-ment Service Offices (BESOs) in Surigao del Norte, an additional 140 new BESOs have been established in the Province of Agusan del Norte and in the cities of Butuan and Cabadbaran.

by Lilian Solis


BLE conducts enhanced SRS technical workshop for CaragaBUTUAN CITY, Aug. 29 (PIA) - The Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) con-ducted a technical workshop on the enhanced version of the Skills Registry System (SRS) on August 25, 2011. The workshop was participated in by the focal persons from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Caraga field offices.

BLE is rolling out the upgraded ver-sion of the system to all the regions in preparation for the second-wave phase of the SRS project. The workshop is also intended to gather feedback from the us-ers on how to further improve the system. Mr. Apolo Mon-tes of BLE presented the upgraded and third version of the offline system which now features the fol-lowing modules and upgrades: No dupli-cation of records; Re-port Generation for both Applicants and Establishment re-cords per barangay; Print Option for both

Applicants and Es-tablishments per ba-rangay; Save option and Export to Text File option (Export to Microsoft Excel will soon follow); The system now allows entry text entry for skills that are not in the default skills da-tabase; The system now allows entry text entry for schools/uni-versities that are not in the default schools database; and Data entry is easier with auto display of choic-es. M s . J o y Bastareche, one of the participants sug-gested that a choice for underemploy-ment option should

be included since only employed and unemployed options are available for em-ployment status of applicant. It was also suggested that an option for searching for applicants by skill should be added to the feature of the search module since this is a very common and mostly used criteria when searching for applicants. Mr. Mon-tes said the module for that feature is be-ing developed by the programmers of BLE and a patch for the system will be made available as soon as the module is com-pleted. (DOLE-13/PIA-Caraga)

by Domz Nazario


Matud pa ni RMN-dxBC Manager Ramil Bangues, ang gipa-higayong bloodletting activity alayon sa ilang ika-59th anniversary ug usa usab ka paa-gi sa paghatag og bili sa founder sa maong estasyon nga si Don Henry R. Canoy nga diin prayoridad niini ang paghatag ug ser-bisyo sa katawhan. Mahinumdumang natukod ang pina-ka-unang estayon sa RMN dinhi sa Mind-anao niadtong August 28, 1952 sa Cagayan de Oro. Dugang pa ni Bangues nga inubanan sa bloodletting activ-ity mao usab ang pag-pahigayon o paghatag

sa free Medical and Dental services, free massage, free optical check-up, free haircut, free livelihood seminar ug mass feeding alang sa mga residente sa Brgy. Obrero. Adunay kapin sa 200 nga mga resi-dente uban ang senior citizens nga mi-avail sa mga serbisyo ug ubay-ubay nga mga volunteers ang mi-donar ug dugo sa Red Cross. Sa laing bahin, gibutyag usab ni RMN-dxBC News Director Sasie Abastas-Babar nga ang mga tigpami-naw sa ilang estasyon mao ang mga ben-eficiaries sa maong livelihood seminar

diin gitudlu-an sila sa mga nagkalain-laing stratehiya kung unsa-on nga makabaton ug makasugod og maay-ong negosyo. Daku usab ang pasalamat ni Bangues ug Babar kauban sa il-ang mga staff ngadto sa Phil. Red Cross, PIA, 402nd Brigade Phil. Army ug sa local nga panggamhanan ning siyudad sa Butuan ug probinsya sa Agusan del Norte ilabi na usab kay Vice-Mayor Atty. Lawrence Fortun, uban ang mga priba-dong sector nga mi-sponsor sa nasangpit nga mga aktibidades. (PIA-Caraga)

Cebuano News: RMN-dxBC, PRC, PIA ug spon-sors nagkahiusa alang sa Bloodletting activity ug Medical, Dental MissionBUTUAN CITY, Aug. 29 (PIA) -- Nagpahigayon ug bloodletting activity ang RMN-dxBC inubanan sa Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Agusan del Norte-Butuan City Chapter, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) ug uban ang nagkalain-laing sponsors kagahapong adlawa (Aug. 28) sa Brgy. Obrero Covered Court, ning siyudad.

ni Jennifer P. Gaitano


Ipil to act on ‘No Habitation Zones’Ipil will act on the call of the Department of Environment and Nat-ural Resources (DENR) to all LGUs to declare ‘no habitation zones’ to all high risk areas in their respective localities, says Sangginiang Bayan (SB) Member Alberto Alcoriza, Jr.

“We in the SB Body, together with our Local Chief Ex-ecutive, Atty. Eldwin Alibutdan, will do something about the call of the DENR and will soon find a good plan to implement ‘no habitation zones’ to all high risk areas in our municipality,” Alcoriza disclosed. Recently, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje called all LGUs to declare “no habita-tion zones” all areas identified as high-risk to flashfloods and landslides. Paje’s appeal came on the after-math of landslides and flooding incidents that claimed several lives caused by re-cent typhoons that entered the country’s

area of responsibil-ity. In Ipil, the re-cent flashflood in Barangay Don An-dres was an example that areas which are high-risk to such ca-lamities should be considered ‘no habi-tation zones’ accord-ing to Alcoriza. The LGU even placed Barangay Don Andres under state of calamity because of the damage caused by the 8- hours-heavy rain downpour on July 28, 2011 that resulted to a flash flood. To implement the mandate of the Department the mu-nicipal (MENRO) and community environ-ment and natural resources (CENRO)

offices has already scheduled a meeting to draft plan for ac-tion. In addition, Secretary Paje ap-pealed to all LGUs to use geohazard maps earlier distributed by DENR to avoid loss of lives and properties especially in critical times when typhoons sweep the coun-try which triggered heavy precipitation of lands, Alcoriza dis-closed. Geohazard maps not only identify the areas susceptible to floods, landslides and flashfloods but also the level of their susceptibility such as high, moderate and low. During the re-cent Ipil Sangguni-

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214 studes join campus journalism workshop in DapitanDIPOLOG CITY, Aug. 29 - Two hundred fourteen high school stu-dents turned up during the two-day campus journalism semi-nar conducted by the Zamboanga del Norte Press Club (ZNPC) at Sulangon National High School in Sulangon, Dapitan City last weekend.

That journalis-tic writing workshop was the eighth leg of the press club’s nine campus journal-ism seminars for high school students for this school year. The first one was held in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte last July 9-10.

This annual cam-pus journalism semi-nar, which is given to budding campus journalists for free, has become ZNPC’s regular project in partnership with the Department of Edu-cation (DepED) and Philippine Informa-tion Agency (PIA).

The high school students who par-ticipated in the said seminar all came from Dapitan City’s eight public second-ary schools, a private high school and a state university. Topics discussed in the seminar in-clude newswriting,

by Franklin P. Gumapon

Ipil to act... from page 14

ang Regular Ses-sion, SB members supported the plan and considered all possible reactions of the public. Questions like “Is there a relo-cation site for people who will be affected? Who will be affected? What places in Ipil should be considered high-risk?” were con-sidered for as plan-

ning inputs. Meanwhile, Al-coriza said that the initial plan would be to prohibit any ad-ditional construction or settlement of new occupants in areas considered high-risk to calamities. The problem on reloca-tion will be settled in the future. “As of now, we

will focus on the identification of no habitation zones and telling people not to add any structure or not to allow any new comer to settle in va-cant lots to somehow respond to the call of Secretary Paje. Relocation and oth-er problems will be settled in the future”, Alcoriza ended.

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The bloodlet-ting coupled with medical and dental services took place at the Dipolog Pi-lot Demonstration School in this city with military doc-tors, dentists and nurses attending to the patients. PNRC personnel were primarily in charge of the blood-

letting wherein the blood donors were mostly army sol-diers. Local PNRC ad-ministrator Joshua Bicoy also told the PIA that another bloodletting activity with army soldiers will be conducted at barangay Maras in Sindangan, Zam-boanga del Norte on

Aug. 31. Bicoy also ap-pealed to the public to support the blood-letting campaign to ensure blood supply for the pa-tients needing blood transfusion more especially those in-fected with dengue. (FPG/PIA-Zambo. Norte)

DIPOLOG CITY, Aug. 29 (PIA)—Seventeen bags of different types of blood were collected in yesterday’s bloodletting activity spearheaded by RMN- dxDR in partnership with the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC)-Zamboanga del Norte Chapter, Phil-ippine Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade and the Philippine Infor-mation Agency (PIA).

RMN-DXDR spearheads bloodletting cum medical mission in Dipolog

feature writing, edi-torial writing, sports writing, editorial car-toon, copyreading and headline writing, media ethics, broad-casting, photojour-

nalism and page lay-out. The final leg of the campus journal-ism seminar will be in Dipolog City this coming weekend with

high school students from public and pri-vate schools in this city as participants. (FPG/PIA-Zambo. Norte)

214 studes... from page 15


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NorMin Blood Center serves 9,352 bags of blood to 6,076 patients, as of July, this year

Dr. Claire Azura-Pa-glinawan, Medical Officer of MRBC-PNRC, said the high-est number of 1,596 bags of blood was during the month of March which was served to 970 patients. Data at MRBC-PNRC also show the following num-ber of bags of blood and pa-tients served per month:July, 1,426 bags served to 853 pa-tients, January,1,368 bags for 938 patients, May, 1,307 bags for 892 patients, June, 1,306 bags for 895 patients, April, 1,251 bags for 796 patients and February, 1,098 bags for 732 patients. Paglinawan said while blood donation is free of charge, the blood processing needs re-agents. Thus, blood

processing has the follow-ing fees:Fresh whole blood, Php1,500, Packed Red Blood Cell, Php1,100, Platelet con-centrate, Php700, fresh Fro-zen Plasma, Php700, Cryopre-cipitate, P700 and Wshed Red Blood Cell, Php1,600. Meanwhile, Paglinawan said NMRBC has continued to advocate for voluntary blood donation considering that the blood units they collect will have expiration from date of collection, like the platelet concentrate which expires five (5) days after collection. For the month of Sep-tember, NMRBC has lined-up the following schedule of bloodletting: Sept. 2 at Lourdes College and Cagayan de Oro Electric Power and

Light, Co. (Cepalco), Sept. 3, Xavier University, Nursing Department and ABS-CBN Cagayan de Oro, Sept. 4, Ma-cabalan and Cagayan de Oro AirSoft, and Sept. 5, Jetti Sta-tion, Tagoloan, Mis. Or. Sept. 6, STEAG State Power, Villanueva, Mis. Or., Sept. 8, FG Bukidnon, Sept. 9, Mis. Or. General Comprehen-sive High School (MOGCHS) and Sept. 10, Bukas na Loob sa Dios and Mindanao Univer-sity of Science and Technology (MUST). Sept. 11, Ang Dating Daan and Immaculate Con-ception Aluba, Sept. 12, Cel-ebration International, Sept. 20, Barangay Lumbia and Sept. 24, Metro Bank, Main, this city. (PIA-10)

by Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Aug. 29 (PIA) – Some 9,352 bags or units of blood have been served to 6,076 patients by the North-ern Mindanao Regional Blood Center, Philippine National Red Cross (NMRBC-PNRC) based, here, as of July, this year.

DOLE Secretary releases livelihood grants to NorMin beneficiaries by Jorie C. Valcorza

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Aug. 29 (PIA) – Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has ordered the release of Php5,000, each to 26 former Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s) who just finished the Na-tive Snacks Preparation Training (NSPT) in Misamis Occidental.


19

Baldoz gave the order to Atty. Allan M. Macaraya, Regional Director of DOLE, region 10, in answer to the request of the trainees for cash to serve as their capital, during her recent visit to the city. Undertaken through the “Balik-Pinay, Balik-Hanapbu-hay” Program of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administra-tion (OWWA), the NSPT pro-vides training for livelihood skills of returning women OFW’s. The trainees from Mis-amis Occidental came to Ca-gayan de Oro City to receive their starter kits containing basic utensils for native snack preparation worth Php3, 399, each. The DOLE Secretary told them not to worry because “Grant ang mga ito. Hindi ninyo kailangan bayaran. Kail-angan lang ninyong segurohin na may mapupuntahan ang perang ito na magagamit sa dapat paggagamitan na capi-

tal sa negosyo ninyo!” (These are grants, therefore, you are not required to pay them. Just make sure it will be used for the purpose and will go a long as your capital in your busi-ness). Likewise, the Secre-tary distributed checks worth Php10,000, each, to 27 ben-eficiaries of the OFW-12 Gold-en Friendship Asso. In the city under National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO). Meanwhile, Sec. Baldoz was presented the “Volun-tary Code of Good Practices,” by the three (3) leading em-ployment generator industries in the region, Banana, Pine-apple and Business Process Outsource Industry Tripartite Councils (BPBPO-ITC). She also took time to meet the League of Pub-lic Employment Service Of-fice (PESO) managers, aca-deme and guidance councilors and announced the addition-al Php168.1 million budget for the Special Program for

the Employment of Student (SPES). Another meeting she had was with Gov. Oscar Moreno of Mis. Or. for an on-site visit of the on-going construction of OWWA Hospital in Alubijid town, this province. Her interaction includ-ed the Bolisong Women Wine Makers in El Salvador City whom she promised to ex-tend cash and non-cash assis-tance, giving them the assur-ance “that if DOLE trusted to invest money on new entre-preneurs, it is far more willing to help established groups like theirs.” On a related event, the DOLE Secretary also received a manifesto from the relocated families affected by the con-struction of the Laguindingan International Airport, where some five (5) beneficiary as-sociations consisting of 1,125 members received a total of Php1.8 million cash assistance from DOLE for their livelihood projects. (PIA 10)

Tangub prepares for city fiestaTANGUB CITY, Misamis Occidental, Aug. 29 (PIA) -- Tangub is once more getting ready for the celebration of its city fiesta on September 29.

by Judith Tablan

Major activities lined up for the event actually started with the deadline for registration of candidates for the Search for Miss Tangub City Tourism 2011, last Aug. 13. An acquaintance/fel-

lowship of national agencies in celebration of the 111th Philippine Civil Service anni-versary, have been scheduled on Sept. 8, that will be capped in the evening by a variety show at Sinanduloy Cultural

Center. In the afternoon of September 9, candidates for Miss Tangub City Tourism will be formally presented to the public after the Alay Lakad at Tangub City Sports Complex.

DOLE Secretary... from page 17


Tangub prepares... from page 18 For the first time, the Alay Lakad will be done at 3:30 p.m., on the same day, instead of at dawn, as usually practiced, to get maximum participation of employees, students and citizens of the city. A city athletic meet, participated in by elementary and secondary schools of the Tangub City Schools Division is scheduled on Sept 16-18, while the time-honored ritual

of changing the robe of St. Mi-chael, the Archangel , at St. Michael’s Parish Church falls on Sept 20. On the following day, Sept 21, the Talent Competi-tion Night of the candidates for Miss Tangub City Tourism will taker place while the Search for Miss Tangub City Tourism on have been scheduled on Sept. 24. The city-owned radio station, DXJT Radyo ng Bayan,

will turn four (4) years old on Sept 26 while a Cultural Night, a competition of folk dances, among the city employees of both local and national agen-cies, is set on Sept 28. The Search for Dalit Festival Queen, Dalit Festival Street dancing and showdown that follow the next day, Sept. 29, will conclude the city fiesta celebration. (CIO/PIA-10)

SP Cag. de Oro hails two top Nursing Board PassersCAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Aug. 29 (PIA) – Legislators , here, hailed two (2) of the city’s nursing graduates for making it to the top 10 list of board passers, this week.

by Lorebeth C. Requiroso

At the regular session Tuesday presided over by Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas, the City Council adopted a resolu-tion congratulating and com-mending Maria Theresa Daclan Bido of Lourdes College (LC) for giving honor to the city by

ranking 6th in the licensure examination for nurses given last June 2011. A separate resolution also commends and congratu-lates Angela Nicole Rago Ocio of Xavier University (XU)-Ate-neo de Cagayan, for ranking

7th in the same licensure ex-aminations. Legislators also gave tribute to Lourdes College and XU for producing top board passers. (CIO/PIA-10)

Cebuano News: Konseho sa Iligan naghangyo sa DOH nga ayudahan ang medical mission sa kabaranggayan by Melvin T. Anggot

ILIGAN CITY, Lanao del Norte , Aug. (PIA) -- Miduso og resolusyon si City Councilor Ruderic Marzo atol sa regular session sa konseho niadtong miaging adlaw aron paghangyo kang Health Secretary Enrique Ona nga mo-alokar og singko milyones pesos (Php5 million) nga balor sa medisina alang sa Dakbayan sa Iligan.

Alayon ang maong la-kang sa tinguha ni Mayor Lawrence Lluch Cruz nga adunay maggamit nga mga medisina sa mga medical

missions nga ipahigayon sa 44 ka mga barangay sakop ning dakbayan. Kaabag ni Konsehal Marzo sa pagduso sa ma-

ong resolusyon mao sila si City Councilor Chonilo Ruiz ug City Councilor Marlene Young. (CIO/PIA-10)


NABUNTURAN, COMVAL, August 29 - Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona will grace the Lakbay Buhay Kalusugan (LBK) Family Health Fiesta on September 2 and 3 at Maco, Compostella Valley where he also certify the province as Filariasis-free during the two-day event.

Governor Arturo T. Uy fully supports health promotion by enacting four years ago EO 035-2008 declaring September 3 a day to celebrate the Family Health Fair. This year, the special feature of the fair is the LBK fi-esta. LBK is a com-prehensive health promotion caravan of the Department of Health (DOH) through the Nation-al Center for Health Promotion (NCHP). It is the seventh in a

series of 10 destina-tions which started in Capas, Tarlac in March, and the sec-ond of only five LBK destinations in Mind-anao. Governor Arturo T. Uy considers the province blessed for having been chosen as one of the des-tinations of the pi-lot year of the LBK health caravan of DOH. “When I as-sumed office, there were many concerns that I must address, and I knew that

health is the biggest challenge of all. Since then, we have made both ends meet in order to put health programs and ser-vice delivery on top of our priorities. Our annual Family Health Day is one way of in-creasing the level of awareness and ex-tending the health services for our con-stituents, hence, we make it a point to have the hosting of such in all 11 munic-ipalities in the prov-ince,” Gov. Uy said.

DOH health fiesta caravan visits ComVal

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Comval com-mences its Family Health Fair on 2008 with the launching of the Family Health Book at the capitol afterwhich Nabun-turan and Montevis-ta followed, respec-tively, in the hosting of the fair. Aligned with the Aquino Health Agen-da of universal ac-cess to quality health care, LBK aims to bring information and education to re-mote communities. It has been promot-ing health-seeking behaviors to fathers, mothers of repro-ductive age, and their young children aged 14 and below in Tarlac, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Negros Occidental, Bohol and Bukidnon. LBK features a bus customized with consultation and ex-amination clinics and

a health promotion arena of interac-tive exhibits, health classes and wellness activities, storytell-ing sessions, cooking demos, games and raffles, dance con-tests and entertain-ment shows focused on safe motherhood, child nutrition and family health.

LBK carries the message, “Walang Iwanan sa Biyaheng Kalusugan” (No One Left Behind in the Journey to Health), to highlight the gov-ernment’s goal of providing all Filipinos access to health. The health fiesta caravan pro-ceeds to three other pilot sites afterwards, namely: Zamboanga del Norte and South Cotabato in Mind-anao; and lastly, to Maguindanao in ARMM, throughout

2011. LBK is made possible by a part-nership among the DOH, the municipal-ity of Maco and the province of Compos-tella Valley, the US Agency for Interna-tional Development (USAID), and pri-vate partners such as the Dona Marta T. Hernandez Founda-tion of Victory Liner Inc., Philippine Daily Inquirer, Melawares, Air21, OMF Litera-ture Inc., Dakila – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism, Manila Broadcast-ing Company, UNTV, Center for Commu-nity Journalism and Development, Philip-pine Press Institute, and the Alliance of Young Nurse Lead-ers and Advocates International, Inc. (IDS-Comval/PIA XI)

DOH health... from page 20


Visited were the University of Mindanao in Panabo (UM Panabo), Bukidnon State Uni-versity (BSU) in Sto. Tomas last July 21 and the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) last August 1. Forty-one Mar-keting students of UM Panabo, 73 Business Administration stu-dents from BSU, and 44 BS Marketing students from AdDU, along with their teachers and staff attended the talks. Safety Department Manager Ruel Acasio gave the students a lec-ture on flood safety and how to prepare for this

kind of calamity. Acasio said that it is important for people know how to react accordingly espe-cially after the incident that hit Davao City last June 29 which affected thousands of families. Ross Luga, AVP for Corporate Communica-tions & Branding, gave the talk on Branding, while Geographic In-formation Systems Su-pervisor Russel Bolivar presented the compa-ny’s mapping system. Reynold Felix, AVP & head of Panabo Branch, accompanied the team during the separate visits in BSU and UM Panabo. The talk

at BSU was also graced by the Vice-mayor of Sto. Tomas, Hon. Dan-iel Batosalem. The company also had similar talks last January and February 2011 to a combined 81 college and university students of Holy Cross of Davao College and University of South-eastern Philippines. Through the vis-its, the local electric distribution utility also hopes to educate the students about the company and how cus-tomers can avail of its services. (DLPC/PIA XI)

Davao Light holds talk on flood safety and brandingDAVAO CITY, Aug. 29 (PIA) -- Davao Light and Power Company held talks to three universities within its franchise on flood safety and branding.

Cebuano news: Sa Comval: Probinsiya mi-lihok Contra-Trichenella ParasiteNABUNTURAN, Compostela Valley, Aug. 29 (PIA) -- Ilalom sa liderato nila ni Gov. Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy ug vice Gov. Ramil Gentugaya, milihok na karon ang probinsiya pinaagi sa Provincial Veterinarian’s Office(PVO) sa Compostela Valley aron pakigbatokan ang infection sa Trichelenella Parasite sa mga baboyan. Kini matud ni PVO Chief Dr. Benjamin Reyno.

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Unang lakang aron mapakgang ang pag-kuyanap sa maong par-asite sa mga baboyan, matud ni Dr. Reyno nga ang probinsiya pinaa-gi sa PVO kauban ang mga Municipal Agricul-turist Office (MAGRO) ug ang Economic Enter-prise Office sa onse ka mga lungsod sa Com-postela Valley, ang nag-tinabangay sa pagkuha sa mokabat 1,400 ka mga Blood Samples sa mga baboyan sa tibuok probinsiya nga gilang-koban sa mga Com-mercial Farms, Semi-Commercial Farms, ug backyard production. Ang mga Staff sa PVO maoy magkuha’g blood sample didto sa mga Commercial ug Semi-Commercial Farms. Samtang ang MAGRO ug Eco. Enter-prise Office sa mga ka-lungsuran maoy mag-kuha ug blood samples sa backyard nga mga baboyan, ug kini didto nila kolektahon sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka mga

slaughterhouse. Ang mga baboy nga nag-edad ug gikan lima ka bulan ug tunga hangtud sa unom ka bulan maoy ilang gi-kuhaan ug mga Blood samples. Ang makolek-tang Blood Samples dal-hon didto sa Veterinary Quarantine Services (VQS) sa D.A. RFU XI alang sa usa ka Screen-ing ug Examination nga paghimoon sa Regional Diagnostic Laboratory diha sa Bago Oshiro, Mintal, Davao City. Ang pagkuha’g blood sam-ples gisugdan niad-tong Agusto 10, ug kini mahuman sa Agosto 31,2011. Gipasabot ni Dr. Reyno nga ang Trichenella usa ka Zoonotic Parasite diin ang intermediate host nini mao ang baboy. Kon ang usa ka tawo makakaon ug half cook nga karne sa baboy nga positibo sa maong para-site, siya mamahimong bitokon (round worms). Mahibal-an ang positibo

sa maong sakit pinaagi sa usa ka diagnostic procedure nga himoon sa dugo nga gitawag ug ELISA kon Enzyme Link Immunosorbent Assay. Ang Trichenel-la Infection kauban ang Foot and Mouth Diseases(FMD), Hog-Cholera, ug Pseudo Ra-bies, maoy pipila sa mga sakit sa kahayupan nga hugtanong gibantayan karon sa kalibutan tun-god sa grabeng kadaot nga mahatag niini sa tawo. Kini naapil sa List-A Priority sa Of-fice Internationale Epi-zootes( OIE). Gawas sa gihimong surveilance sa incidence ug sa epidemiology sa Trichinella, matud ni Dr. Reyno nga regular usab nga gihimo sa probin-siya ang surveilance sa SORRA Trypanosimiasis Infestation pinaagi sa pag-examine sa dugo sa mga kanding, ka-baw, baka, kabayo, ug karnero. (gilbert ca-bahug/ids comval/PIA XI)

Cebuano news ... from page 22


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Cecil Lorenzo, diseases surveillance officer of the IPHO an-nounced that the den-gue cases as of this month is down by 77 percent as com-pared to the figure last year. Also, only one death has been recorded this year. From January to August, South Cota-bato have record-ed 458 dengue cases as compared to 1,930 cases in the same pe-riod last year, Lorenzo said. Most of these cases were monitored from the Polomolok town, Koronadal City, and the towns of Tupi,

Sto. Niño, and Lake Sebu. Lorenzo explained at present, they have already implemented “Oplan Kulob,” in the barangays Poblacion, Cannery, and Pagau-lungan in Polomolok where most of the dengue cases in the province have been monitored. Through “Oplan Kulob,” residents in the identified areas, as well as other barangays in the entire province are urged to turn every open water con-tainer upside down to eliminate all possible breeding grounds of mosquitoes. At present, the

IPHO is also keep-ing its guards on Tupi town, which has re-cently shown an in-creasing trend in the number of dengue cases. Lorenzo ex-plained the province has prevented similar outbreak as last year because of the mas-sive anti-dengue in-formation drive that the IPHO and other stakeholders have im-plemented. Communities here have become aware of their responsibilities that regularly com-munities implement “bayanihan” to clean up possible breeding grounds of mosqui

Dengue cases in S. Cotabato down by 77%KORONADAL CITY, Aug 29 (PIA) -- Dengue cases in South Cotaba-to continues to go down, a report of the Integrated Provincial Health Office said.

by Dani Doguiles


toes, she said. In coordination with the Department of Health, several schools in the prov-ince have been giv-en chemically treated

nets that have been used as curtains that kill mosquitoes. Recently, the De-partment of Science and Technology 12 have distributed at

least 2,500 ovicidal/larvicidal traps to communities here that have reported dengue cases. (PIA 12)

Tacurong City hosts PMA entrance testTACURONG CITY, Aug 29 (PIA) -- More than 200 youths trooped to the city gymnasium of Tacurong on Sunday, August 28 to take the entrance examination of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

by Allan S. Freno

The entrance ex-amination, the first ever to be conducted here , was the initial stage in the process an applicant has to hurdle to enter the most pres-tigious military acad-emy in the country. Many of the ap-plicants who took the exam were from Tacurong City but a siz-able number also came from other municipali-ties of Sultan Kudarat and neighboring prov-inces. Before the written test, examiners from the PMA checked first the exam permits of the applicants and sub-

sequently conducted a limited physical test, which included height measurement among others. For males, an ap-plicant must not be less than 5 feet and four inches tall, while a female applicant must reach at least 5 feet and two inches limit. The examiners also accommodated a number of walk-in ap-plicants with complete documentary require-ments. Major Edgar Catu, Senior Tactical Offi-cer of PMA and team leader of the examin-ers who arrived here,

said that most of the applicants passed the limited physical test but there were some of them who failed to reach the height re-quirement. One hundred ninety-nine applicants who passed the lim-ited physical test were eventually allowed to take the written test. Joining Major Catu in the team of exam-iners were Technical Sergeants Adelino Lo-mibao and Joel Ton-gawan. Two Cadets 1st Class, Bryan Vingno and Alvin dela Cruz, also were part of the five-man team. Ving

26

Denque cases... from page 24


no and dela Cruz, both residents of Barangay San Pablo, Tacurong will graduate in the PMA next year. Mayor Lina Mon-tilla said that the city government is grate-ful to the effort of Ma-jor Catu who person-ally recommended and lobbied to the PMA to add Tacurong as an-other testing center in the region. In an interview, Major Catu said that in years that he has been conducting entrance tests, he observed that many applicants from Tacurong and neigh-

boring towns were flocking to the test-ing centers in General Santos City and Cota-bato City. “I saw how difficult it was for them to go to far testing centers”, Major Catu said. “I rec-ommended Tacurong to be a testing center and I am grateful that my recommendation solicited a positive re-sponse.” He also stated that Tacurong has been a familiar place since he spent three years in the city when he was still with the 301st In-fantry Brigade, Philip-

pine Army, which was formerly based in Ba-rangay Kalandagan. With the number of examinees who took the entrance test last Sunday, Major Catu is confident that the PMA will make the place a permanent testing center in the years ahead. Mayor Montilla also hopes that with this recent develop-ment, the city will start producing a number of PMA graduates every year. (DED/PIA 12/Tacurong CPIO)

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ARMM to enhance early recovery planKORONADAL CITY, Aug 29 (PIA) -- The regional government of the Autono-mous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will be working next month with partners from humanitarian agencies in enhancing the existing ARMM Early Recovery Plan (ERP) following a two and a half day review of the plan held this week. The ERP is the framework being pur-sued by the ARMM along with United Na-tions (UN) humanitarian agencies, international and local non-govern-

ment organizations in the recovery and reha-bilitation of areas heav-ily affected by the 2008 fighting between the government and Moro rebels.

According to Ro-meo Diocolano, head of the Technical Manage-ment Services of the Office of the Regional Governor (TMS-ORG)-ARMM, the review un

Tacurong City... from page 25


derscored the need to take steps to conform the implementation setup of the ARMM ERP to the national directive that sets the tone for handling disasters that was approved in 2010 when the ERP was al-ready in place. Means have also to be explored to ex-pand the coverage of the recovery and reha-bilitation efforts to the 150 other return sites which are currently not in the priority list, he said. The ARMM ERP is being implemented us-ing a cluster approach, a model set by the UN that is also in used in a number of other coun-tries facing humanitar-ian problems. It puts together organizations providing similar in-terventions in the tar-get area under a single cluster with the assign-ment of a lead agency that would coordinate the cluster’s efforts. Meanwhile, Re-public Act 10121 known as the “Philippines Di-

saster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010” espouses the four pillars – mitiga-tion, preparedness, response and rehabili-tation – in disaster in-terventions. Diocolano said the absence of an Office of Civil Defense (OCD) operating in the area of autonomy at the time of the ERP’s creation prompted the ARMM government to estab-lish an ad hoc body to oversee the implemen-tation of the ERP, the Technical Management Group (TMG). There is no guar-antee that the composi-tion of the TMG and its function will be main-tained considering its provisional nature, he said, which could com-promise the continuity of the ERP. During the review, Diocolano said the re-gion cannot do away with complying with RA 10121 but it does not mean that the clus-ter approach has to be abandon altogether

given its effectiveness in the implementation of the ERP. Diocolano believes the cluster approach is to be mobilized to com-ply with one of the four pillars – response. He said recom-mendations brought up in the review will be raised in the upcoming meeting of the region’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Coun-cil (DRRMC) in time for it to be included in the transition report of present ARMM officials. ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sina-rimbo said they would like to ensure that on-going programs and projects in the ARMM including those in the pipeline will be carried over once the presi-dent’s appointees take over this October. He said a way to do this is to present the would-be ARMM officers-in-charge with a comprehensive tran-sition report. (DED/PIA12/BPI-ARMM)

ARMM to enhance... from page 26


LTO-12 distributes first installment of Pantawid Pasada cards to 672 recipients in Region 12GENERAL SANTOS CITY, August 29 (PIA)---Six hundred seventy two of the 2,066 recipients of the Public Transport Assistance Program (PTAP) in Region 12 are due to receive the Pantawid Pasada cards, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) 12 confirmed after it held the ceremonial distribution Thursday (August 25) at the Family Country Homes here.

by CT Apelacio

LTO-12 regional director Arlan Man-gelen said only 672 cards have arrived in the meantime and this will be the first installment that will be distributed to the recipients all over Re-gion 12 through the LTO district offices. He said the re-maining 1,394 Pan-tawid Pasada cards will arrive in due time. “Itong programa na ito ay ginawa ng ating pamahalaan upang makatulong sa ating mga kaba-bayan apektado ng pagdaigdigang pag-

taas ng langis,” Man-gelen told transport sector representa-tives urging them to keep the card even if they would have consumed the total amount deposited in it. He said the card, which is valid until 2016, contains Php1,050.00 worth of fuel and can be used one time or gradual-ly until the amount is consumed depending on the user. Mangelen also said the card “is not a subsidy but assis-tance” to jeepney drivers and can be

used as discount card for the promos and benefits that will be initiated by oil com-panies in the future. “Kaya nga ang validity ng card ay 5 years dahil baka nga mag-extend pa ang programa na yan,” he added saying that government cannot control fuel spikes since it is a global is-sue. Jesus Pardillo, vice chairman of the General Santos City Transport Coopera-tive (TransCo) said he is very grateful to President Benigno Aquino III’s PTAP as

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it will somehow help them traverse across the increasing fuel. “Mapasalama-ton gyud kami sa atong Pangulo kay nagmugna sya in-gon aning programa nga makatabang sa among kalisod tun-god sa nagataas nga presyo sa gasolina (We are very thank-ful to the President for initiating this kind of program to help us in difficult times as a result of increased fuel price),” he said. He, however, urged LTO to lead in the elimination of “colorums,” those units operating ille-gally even without approved franchise. But Mangelen said the issue will be dealt later when the sys-tem has been fixed and in place citing “political will of local government units” is also a big factor in getting rid of colo-

rums. “Kung mag-kakaroon na tayo ng sistema na mas maganda in addition to the strong political will of local govern-ments mawawala rin yang mga colorums,” he said. TransCo also asked the inclu-sion of “multicabs” to be added in the list of program ben-eficiaries since they are considered pub-lic utility jeepneys (PUJs) in Region 12. In response, Department of En-ergy (DOE) XI re-gional director Man-uel Llaneza, who was representing Energy Undersecretary Jose Layug Jr., said multi-cabs may be included in the next round as they were not con-sidered in the origi-nal list of recipients. LTO advised jeepney drivers to use their Pantawid

Pasada card at ac-credited gas stations such as Shell, Jetti, Petron, and Sea Oil all over the region. Also included in PTAP is the Php150.00 for tricycles. But the fund al-location for them will be downloaded to the local government units (LGUs) who are authorized to grant the assistance for legitimate tricycle franchise, said LTO-12. PTAP fuel as-sistance will only be received by le-gitimate recipients whose names will be submitted by Land Transportation Fran-chising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and validated by LTO in a bid to prevent fare hike as a result of the uncontrolled in-crease in pump pric-es. (CTA/PIA Gen-eral Santos City)

LTO-12 distributes... from page 28

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One Mindanao - August 29, 2011