Philippine Information Agency VII - CEBU

Lapulapu city police andam mohatag seguridad sa tanan sa Valentine's Day

2008-02-08T22:23:00.000-08:00

Lapu-Lapu City (February 4) -- Sama sa ordinaryong adlaw, sa umaabot nga Valentine's Day, andam kanunay ang kapolisan sa syudad sa Lapu-Lapu sa paghatag seguridad sa mga managhigugmaay nga mosaulog sa Valentine's Day sa maong syudad.

Kini maoy gibutyag ni PSupt. Louie Oppus nga mas mahimo pa unyang epektibo ang iyang mga sakop human ang kagamhanan sa syudad nihatag na'g dugang duha ka sakyanang Toyota Innova sa Lapu-Lapu City Police.

Niingon sab si Oppus nga gawas sa kapolisan, upat ka tuig na sab nilang gipatuman ang panagtambayayong sa mga estudyante og mga ginikanan nga boluntaryong niatbang sab pagbantay sa kalinaw sa Lapu-Lapu. Usa ka paagi nga giisip ni Oppus nga dako og gikatabang pagpakunhod pag-ayo sa mga krimen nga nahitabo sa syudad sa Lapu-Lapu. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

Pagibig midala'g gugma sa Bohol

2008-02-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

Cebu City (February 4) -- Malipayon kaayo ang mga taga-Bohol nga miyembro sa Pag-ibig Fund human nibisita ang mga opisyales sa Pag-ibig Fund sa ilang probinsiya.

Labi na nga sa unang higayon, gi-process og gi-release ang mga tseke sa multipurpose loans sa Pag-ibig Fund didto mismo sa Tagbilaran atol sa offsite caravan nga gihimo sa nahisgutang buhatan sa Bohol.

Gibutyag ni Dale Mark Antonio, tigpamaba sa Pag-ibig Fund Cebu North kagabii sa paghinabi ning tigbalita, nga hapit tres cientos ka mga Boholano nga miyembro sa Pag-ibig Fund ang nakadawat dayon sa ilang mga tseke sa multipurpose loans didto mismo sa site diin nagpahigayon ang Pag-ibig sa ilang labing unang caravan sa Bohol nga nagsugod niadtong petsa biente nueve og natapos sa niaging Sabado.

Matud ni Antonio, ang maong kalihukan pagasundan pa sa lain na sab nga offsite caravan sa katapusang mga adlaw matag bulan ning tuiga. (PIA Cebu)

Durano: Cebu int'l airport needs to expand

2008-02-08T22:19:00.000-08:00

Cebu City (8 February) -- Tourism Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano bared the urgent need for the expansion of the Mactan Cebu International Airport in order to accommodate the increasing tourist arrivals coming to Cebu.

Durano in a recent forum said passenger traffic at the Cebu airport is growing over 20 percent year after year so the need to expand the airport and its facilities is very necessary especially as Cebu is the top favored foreign tourist destination in the country today.

Cebu leaders need to address this concern to sustain and accommodate the growth of the volume of passengers making Cebu the entrance and exit gateway of air travel, this is said.

Last year, of the total 3.09M foreign tourists that visited the Philippines, 748T came to Cebu which emerged as the number one vacation haven followed by Misamis Occidental with 526T visitors. Third most visited place by foreign travelers was Baguio City with 441T while Boracay came in fourth, the Department of Tourism (DOT) data showed.

The tourism chief said his greatest fear is that if this is not address and the bulk of tourist arrivals get bigger every year, the lapse of infrastructure development will certainly affect the tourism growth of the country.

Cebu can compete with Malaysia, Hongkong and Singapore as an international tourist destination but that it lacks direct flights coming in, disclosed the DOT secretary.

Durano meanwhile, disclosed that the downgrading of the country's international airports as not having met the safety standards of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) will not affect US-RP air routes.

There are 58 flights per week from the Philippines to the US and vice versa with a total of 900T air seats a year while the DOT's 2008 target quota for American travelers is 640T US visitors, which makes it more than sufficient when it comes to capacity, according to Durano.

What is important is that there is needed government interventions in upgrading the country's international airports as we at the DOT continues to work with air carriers to include the Philippines in their flight destinations, Durano claimed.

Although Durano defended the Air Transportation Office (ATO) after receiving flak due to the FAA downgrade saying that the agency may not be good enough for the FAA standards but is good enough for other nations. "ATO needs to improve but it is not lousy," Durano pointed.

Durano on the other hand, expressed his dismay over the non-membership of the DOT in the proposed Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as its membership in the body is just logical.

Durano said he could not understand why the DOT was overlooked in the creation of membership and instead had members from the DOLE and the DILG in the proposed body.

In the national tourism bills, we are going to push for the amendment to incorporate the membership of the DOT in the proposed CAA, Durano stressed.

This coming October 21 to 25, at least 400 members of Congress from at least 100 countries around the globe will converge in Cebu for the 6th United Nations World Tourism Organization (WTO) Forum. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Global recognition sa Coral Triangle, gikalipay sa BFAR 7

2008-02-08T22:18:00.002-08:00

Cebu City (8 February) -- Gikalipay sa mga taga–Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Central Visayas ang dakong atensyon nga gihatag sa mga magpapatigayon sa tibuok kalibutan sa coral triangle nga gilangkuban sa kadagatan sa silangang bahin sa Indonesia, Malaysia, og Pilipinas.

Lakip sab sa coral triangle ang kadagatan sa Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste og Solomon Islands.

Matud ni Tiburcio C. Donaire, hepe sa Fisheries Extension Training and Communication sa BFAR 7, ang awhag sa world economic leaders nagpakita lang nga importante sa panginabuhi sa katawhan sa kalibutan ang pagpreserbar sa lugar diin nahimutang ang pinakaabundang kadagatan sa kalibutan.

"Of course yes, dako kaayo ni'g papel sa pagpreserbar sa flora and fauna sa biodiversity sa coral triangle."

Dinhi sa Central Visayas aduna say gideklarar nga coral triangle nga gilangkuban sa kadagatan sa Bohol, Negros Oriental og Sugbo lakip na sa Siquijor.

Matud ni Lourdes Arciaga, tigpamaba sa BFAR sa pinakaulahi nilang pagsusi sa coral triangle nag-anam na og kadaghan ang mga itloganan sa isda kon coral reefs sa nahisgutang lugar.

Nidugang sab si Arciaga pag-ingon nga ang mga coral reefs importante alang sa mga isda og uban pang mga nilalang sa dagat.(Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA 7 Cebu)

Mahinumduman nga ang mga negosyante nga nitambong sa world economic forum nihangyo kang Presidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa pagpabiling limpiyo og luwas alang sa mga isda og ubang produkto sa dagat ang coral triangle. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

Anti-frat o gang wars giumol sa Cebu City police

2008-02-08T22:18:00.001-08:00

Cebu City (6 February) -- Inihap na lang ang adlaw sa mga salbahis nga miyembro sa fraternities sa Sugbo.

Kini human unya makumpleto ang mga grupo sa mga pulis nga molangkub sa Anti-Frat Wars og Street Violence sa Cebu City Police Office.

Sayo karong buntag, namahayag si Cebu City Police Senior Superintendent Patrocinio Comendador nga ang maong task force panguluhan nila ni Senior Inspector George Ylanan og Inspector Juanito Pajantoy.

Kung mahinumduman, ang kapolisan gihangyo sa mga negosyante sa dakbayan sa pagpuhag sa mga gang og fraternities nga naghatag kaguliyang og hinungdan sa mga patay og pagparegla nga nahitabo sa nagkalain-laing lugar sa dakbayan.

Ang mga negosyante ilabi na ang mga nagsalig sa turismo nityabaw tungod kay ang mga frat wars sa syudad nihatag na man og kahadlok sa pipila ka turista og mamuhunan sa pagbisita sa Sugbo.

Sa nasayran, sobra sa usa ka gatos ka mga pagpamatay nga nahitabo sa Sugbo naglambigit sa frat wars og mga vigilante style killings nga nahitabo sa Sugbo sukad pa niadtong dos mil saez.

Sa iyang panapos nga pamahayag, niawhag si Comendador sa mga ginikanan pagpadayon sa ilang pagmonitor sa ilang mga anak.

Base sa panukiduki sa mga sociologists, ang pagdagsang sa frat og gang wars nagpakita sa kapakyas sa mga ginikanan paghatag atensyon sa ilang mga anak og nagpaila lang kini sa krisis sa mga pamilya sa usa ka lugar.

Ang mga frat wars naglambigit sa mga sakop sa AKRHO og Tau Gamma ingon man Crips og Bloods nga giingong mao ra gihapon nga mga grupo. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

OWWA 7 mohatag scholarship sa mga OFWs

2008-02-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

Cebu City (February 6) -- Ang Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) dinhi sa tunga-tungang Kabisay-an nag-awhag karon sa mga Overseas Filipino Workers nga mo-avail sa skills scholarship training program sa maong buhatan.

Sa nasayran, ang mga OFWs dinhi sa Central Visayas wa pa kaayo mahibalo kabahin sa nahisgutang programa.

Matud ni Maria Venidez Dayo, ang skills scholarship training program sa OWWA adunay kapin katorse mil (P14,500) nga kantidad nga madawat sa matag scholars.

Gipahibalo hinuon ni Dayo nga kadtong ubos sa katorse mil kinyentos ang kantidad sa skills training scholarship sa usa ka OFW bayaran lang sa OWWA sa eksaktong kantidad sa scholarship.

Kadtong mga OFWs nga interesado giawahag ni Dayo pagbisita sa ilang buhatan diha sa kanhi Amway Building duol sa Plaza Independencia o kaha pagtawag sa telepono 254 3199 og 2540305 alang sa dugang kasayuran. (PIA)

PNP Cebu di modugang og pulis sa Valentine's Day

2008-02-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

Cebu City (6 February) -- Normal lang ang deployment sa kapolisan sa dakbayan sa Sugbo sa Valentines Day.

Kini maoy gibutyag ni Senior Superintendent Patrocinio Comendador Cebu City police Director karong buntag.

Matud ni Comendador wa siya kakitag panginahanglan pagdeploy og dugang polis sa maong adlaw kay lovers day man kini og gilauman niyang way kagubot nga mahitabo sa maong adlaw.

Ang dakbayan sa Sugbo, usa sa lugar sa nasod diin daghan ang mga managhigugmaay nga mosuroy sa Valentine's Day kauban ang ilang mga minahal.

Gipaabot sab nga makasinati ang katawhan og kahuot sa trapiko ingon man mga resorts, kan-anan, hotels og mga motels sa dakbayan atol sa giingong adlaw sa mga managhigugmaay. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

Philpost offers flowers express delivery for Valentines Day

2008-02-08T22:15:00.000-08:00

Cebu City (6 February) -- One can order fresh flowers for express delivery at a cheaper rate for Valentines Day at any of the three postal offices in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapulapu.

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PPC-7) in its annual special project dubbed "Flowers Express" aims to cater to clients who wish to greet their loved ones with a bunch of fresh flowers on Valentines Day.

PPC-7 market specialist Rachel Betos bared one can now book their orders for fresh flowers at any of the three postal offices and for the type of flower arrangement preferred. A corresponding price list on the type of flowers and particular flower arrangement is also posted at the respective postal centers.

Betos cited that a single American Rose wrapped in plastic costs P100 and P150 for a Holland Rose while the price is already inclusive of the delivery charge.

Flower shops who offer the same services for Valentines Day will cost over P200 for a single American Rose alone, the PPC-7 market specialist declared.

At present, the PPC has already received more than 50 bookings as Betos urged those interested to book in advance or at least one day ahead of Valentines Day while 11:00 a.m. is the cut off time, Betos disclosed.

Last year, the PPC-7 has earned more than P30T sales from the project while the heavy bulk of the orders came from the Cebu City Central Post Office.

The project formerly called 'Oplan Pagmamahalan' started in 1996 and since then, has been an extra service for a special occasion offered by the PPC-7, according to Betos.

The three city postal offices will also accommodate those who want to send gift items for Valentines Day with delivery charge ranging between P50 to P100 depending on the size of the item, this is learned.

Meanwhile, PPC-7 information officer Josephine Layco said there is a new guideline for the application of a postal ID which now requires a background investigation on the applicant to verify the accuracy of the information given.

Layco said based on reports, suspected criminals that have been apprehended are using the postal ID for their own selfish purposes which prompted their agency to implement stricter measures in obtaining a postal ID.

The postal ID is particularly useful to those who are unemployed who have no identification card but have plenty of bank transactions, Layco bared.

Those who want to apply for a postal ID may visit the nearest postal office for further inquiries, Layco further said. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Dengue cases in Central Visayas rise over 50%

2008-02-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

Cebu City (6 February) -- Just five weeks since the year started, dengue cases in the region have posted over 50 percent growth while fatality rate tripled in number compared to the same period last year as health officials in the region urged more community involvement in the fight against the dengue disease.

Department of Health (DOH-7) data showed that 512 dengue cases have already been recorded from January to the 1st week of February this year compared to only 308 cases for the same period in 2007; an increase of 66 percent in incidence rate.

Out of the 512 cases, 12 deaths were documented compared to only four deaths in 2007.

Cebu City has consistently been the hardest hit in both morbidity and mortality rate recording 136 dengue cases out of the 512 and eight out of the 12 deaths. The other four deaths recorded came from Danao City, Lapulapu City, Consolacion and Oriental Negros, this is learned.

The dense population and congested areas resulting to rapid transmission of the virus has been a major factor that attributed to Cebu City's highest incidence rate, bared Renan Cimafranca, the DOH-7-Regional Epidemiology Services Unit (RESU) Nurse.

Top five barangays in Cebu City with the highest incidence rate of dengue cases are Labangon, Guadalupe, Apas, Lahug and Talamban. The DOH-7 in partnership with the Cebu City Health Office (CCHO) is conducting an entomological survey of the said barangays to determine the common breeding sites of the Aedes Egypti Mosquitoes to serve as baseline before conducting a 'search and destroy' mission of these sites, Cimafranca said.

Based on their survey, findings showed that used tires and cans that store clean and stagnant water were found to be positive of the larvae of the dengue-carrier vector, the DOH-7-RESU nurse claimed.

Because of the growing incidence of dengue cases in the country, the DOH will launch a nationwide intensified advocacy and education campaign drive on February 21 as the DOH-7 conducted a half-day consultative meeting today on anti-dengue campaign with various partners and stakeholders.

7 dengue labs set up in Cebu City

CCHO director Dr. Fe Cabugao during the meeting said seven satellite laboratories have been set up to handle dengue cases in strategic areas namely Pardo, Pari-an, Guadalupe, Bo. Luz, Mabolo, Talamban and Punta Princesa.

These satellite labs offer free Complete Blood Count (CBC) and platelet count tests, Cabugao further said.

The satellite laboratories are open from Monday until Saturday during office hours and beyond that, must be referred to the Cebu City Medical Center where a fast lane for dengue cases have also been arranged, according to Cabugao.

Cabugao said the Cebu City Government last October has appropriated P5M for the dengue program after declaring calamity areas to identified barangays having high incidence of dengue cases.

Last year, Cebu City recorded a total of 53 deaths from dengue.

DOH-7 Regional Director Susana Madarieta said that the DOH-Central Office plans to conduct a training for private and public doctors on the clinical management of dengue this last week of February.

Madarieta stressed the participation and involvement of the community to fight the dengue problem especially in cleaning immediate surroundings and destroying possible breeding sites of the dengue-carrier mosquitoes which is the most effective prevention method.

Central Visayas last year topped nationwide in the ranking of fatality rate of dengue and placed fourth in the morbidity rate. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

DOT: US$5.8-B quota on tourist spending for '08 achievable

2008-02-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

Cebu City (5 February) -- Tourism Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano expressed confidence that the US $5.8B quota on tourist spending for 2008 will be achieved as the Department of Tourism (DOT) has already surpassed its quota on tourist spending three years ahead of time.

Durano said under the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan, the DOT was given a quota of US $4.8B tourist spending by 2010; which means that the total amount of money spent by tourists coming into the country must reach at least US$4.8B by the year 2010.

The tourism secretary however proudly bared that last year alone, the tourist spending already amounted to US$ 4.88B or a little over P200B which means the department has already surpassed its target three years ahead of the deadline.

Durano said they are looking at maintaining the eight to 10 percent growth in tourist volume and increasing the average length of stay of the foreign visitors to meet their self-imposed quota of tourist spending of US$1B dollars more.

Because at the end of the day, what matters most is how important these dollar inputs are to the growth of the economy, Durano further said.

The DOT is looking at a three-pronged approach to meet their tourist spending quota that are tourist volume, length of stay and what these tourists spend for, this is learned.

Durano said it is important to know where tourists spend their money so the tourism sector could offer more on these preferred services as the tourism chief cited the need to promote high-value services like health and wellness, education, sports diving and shopping. Tour operators on the other hand, can charge higher for high-value services, this is said.

Asked whether a strong peso will affect the country's tourism growth, Durano replied that "we have never positioned the Philippines as a cheap destination" but rather "a value-for-money" tourist vacation haven. The focus is more on the value of tourist spending rate and not on volume, Durano stressed.

Durano said the tourist arrivals from Europe were a big help in achieving their target quota on tourist spending three years ahead of the deadline. Much of our 8.7 percent growth in tourist arrivals was helped by the strong growth of the European market where Scandinavians posted a double digit growth while Russia was the fastest growing market with a growth of 16 percent last year alone, Durano revealed.

Although Europe only constituted about nine percent of total tourist arrivals last year but they spend more going for high-end services, this is said.

The DOT is closely coordinating with the Middle Eastern Airlines as these air carriers are the ones that offer direct access to the European market which can support the momentum of the European tourist market coming in to the Philippines, Durano ended. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Cebu to host 6th World Tourism Forum in October

2008-02-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

Cebu City (5 February) -- Cebu takes the global center stage as the chosen venue to host the 6th United Nations World Tourism Organization (WTO) Forum where at least 400 members of Congress from at least 100 countries worldwide are expected to attend this coming October.

Tourism Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano in the 888 News Forum this morning bared to Cebu reporters that China would have bided for the hosting of the 2008 WTO Forum but retracted its intent to give way to the Philippines and instead will host the same event in 2010.

The international tourism forum for parliamentarians held every two years is the first time that will be held outside the country's capital and gives Cebuanos again the opportunity to showcase to the world the natural tourism wonders of the place, according to Durano.

Three important issues will be the major focus of discussion namely climate change, poverty reduction and role of women in tourism.

Dominique Bernadette, UN-WTO Conference Secretariat Chief said Cebu has been chosen as the venue of the international forum because it meets the UN Conference's criteria of certain standards in terms of facilities such as an international air service connectivity which is highly important.

Bernadette added that Cebu being the most favored international tourism destination is also a factor behind the decision as it serves as a role model in giving more awareness to local authorities on their significant role in the development of communities through tourism.

Durano said shaping global tourism needs policy changes and adjustments to have a substantial impact which is basically the essence of the forum but local chief executives likewise have a critical role as they are the ones that implement these policies in the local level.

A technical tour to Bohol is also part of the itinerary to showcase how the local government unit (LGU) of the province managed to balance development and sustained eco-tourism growth together, Durano said.

Bohol is the fastest growing destination in the country because of the efforts of the LGU to strike a balance between development and the preservation of nature, the tourism secretary added.

The WTO Forum is an additional economic activity for Cebu and Bohol on top of what it is enjoying right now, Durano claimed. Cebu and Bohol are the top tourist destinations among foreign visitors.

Tourism Usec. Edu Jarque in the same forum said they together with Bernadette will inspect some top hotels and resorts in Cebu today for the venue of various socials while the group went to Bohol yesterday for an ocular inspection.

The forum will not purely be all work which is where our challenge starts because for the socials, we only have three days for the entire duration of the event to showcase what we have here in Cebu to impress our foreign delegates, Jarque said.

Jarque said they are closely coordinating with the Cebu Tourism Commission for the socials and expressed optimism that Cebu can and will deliver the best for the participants.

A post conference tour will also be offered to the delegates if they want to travel anywhere in the country like in Boracay, Palawan, Cagayan, Davao and Manila among other tourist destinations, Durano said. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Education congress assesses RP's education system

2008-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Cebu, Philippines (3 February) -- The recent 1st Biennial Education Congress in Manila that was attended by some 400 stakeholders had assessed the country's educational system to be more development oriented and globally competitive.

The congress had also provided the leaders and movers in the education sector to meet in one summit who are in the best position to discuss and share with one another experiential learning and best practices in implementing some of the sustainable development measures in education.

The gathering also raised a wide range of education issues that included quality assurance and monitoring and evaluation of private schools; TESDA's Ladderized education; classrooms-students ratio; teachers exam and trainings; standards in curriculum development and poverty alleviation through education programs.

In the President's message to the attendees, she underscored the value of education in Philippine society and family life.

"The best gift any family can give to a child and any nation can give to its people is access to a good education. It is the foundation of economic prosperity and individual liberty, justice and self-worth," the President told the gathering.

As can be gleaned from the various reports during the congress, the Arroyo administration has scored high marks in its bid to improve school attendance.

Firstly, access to education was improved tremendously. The Presidential Task Force for Education reported that DepEd through its various programs has encouraged millions of children to go to school by minimizing the cost of going to school.

It stopped the collection of miscellaneous fees on enrollment day and improved classrooms-students ratio to 1:50 on double shifts and the construction of schools in the far-flung barangays.

The government also had a more direct incentive to school attendance through the implementation of "Food for School" program that gives a kilo of rice per day to pupils.

The "Ahon Pamilyang Pinoy" is another unique program that provides conditional cash donations to poor households that comply with rules that enhance learning and health.

Secondly, harmonizing day care centers and pre-schools as part of the Basic Educational System is being worked out by the DepEd and upgrade knowledge of workers and curriculum in Math, English and Science education.

According to the task force, in 2006, 100,000 Math and Science teachers were trained. DepEd also improved its target of one is to one textbook/student ration. In 2007, DepEd has distributed more than 14-million textbooks and other instructional materials.

Thirdly, the government has expanded its public-private partnerships. It provided high school scholarships through voucher system and the government assistance to teachers and students in private education program (GATSPE).

According to the report, the government also increased the number of scholarship grants and loans to tertiary and vocational education through the TESDA's training program and its ladderized education whose allocation already reached to one billion.

Finally, the task force reported that it is only in the Arroyo administration that teachers have been given at least the same increasing bonus that other national government workers receive.

They have been given additional compensation in 2006 and a 10% salary increase in 2007 and another third round of salary standardization has been included in the administration bill. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Global engagements administration's cornerstone

2008-02-06T04:59:00.000-08:00

Cebu, Philippines (3 February) -- Global engagement remains a cornerstone of the Arroyo administration to ensure the country's security, economy and promote its social advancement.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in her speech during the joint NEDA-Cabinet Group Meeting in Malacanang recently said that her trip to Switzerland and the Middle East was an important part of that engagement process.

The President told her cabinet that "Everyone is positive about the Philippines," that included the heads of the CitiCorp, the biggest bank in America; Hongkong and Shanghai Bank; Credit Swisse; United Bank of Switzerland; Dubai Investment Authority; Dubai World; Dubai Holdings; Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Qatar Investment Authority.

Moody's upgrading its sovereign credit outlook on the Philippines from stable to positive that was announced during the President's attendance at the World Economic Forum, only confirmed what the government has been saying all along that the country has some of the best economic fundamentals in Asia, Arroyo further said.

"That we have created a new business environment that offers one of the best investment destinations in the world," the President added.

The President's trip to Switzerland and Dubai yielded benefits in terms of new trade and investment opportunities; strengthened relations with multi0lateral agencies and donor agencies to support the country's development programs and better working conditions for the overseas Filipinos.

Arroyo reported that in her meeting with Dubai's senior government officials and its business community, there will be new investments coming in to the country beginning this year. Duabai Ports has expressed its intention to expand its operations in Manila, Subic, Olangapo and Cebu. (PIA-Cebu)

Education congress assesses RP's education system

By Minerva BC Newman

In the President's message to the attendees, she underscored the value of education in Philippine society and family life.

As can be gleaned from the various reports during the congress, the Arroyo administration has scored high marks in its bid to improve school attendance.

It stopped the collection of miscellaneous fees on enrollment day and improved classrooms-students ratio to 1:50 on double shifts and the construction of schools in the far-flung barangays.

The government also had a more direct incentive to school attendance through the implementation of "Food for School" program that gives a kilo of rice per day to pupils.

The "Ahon Pamilyang Pinoy" is another unique program that provides conditional cash donations to poor households that comply with rules that enhance learning and health.

Finally, the task force reported that it is only in the Arroyo administration that teachers have been given at least the same increasing bonus that other national government workers receive.

They have been given additional compensation in 2006 and a 10% salary increase in 2007 and another third round of salary standardization has been included in the administration bill. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Moody's upgrade pleases PGMA as local bizmen welcome Cebu City's top 10 rank among Asian cities

2008-02-06T04:58:00.002-08:00

Cebu, Philippines (3 February) -- Moody's Investors Service upgrade of the country's credit rating to positive from stable pleased President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

More so because it was announced while the President was on a "global engagements" with leaders and businessmen in a World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland recently.

Moody's cited the government's "easing dependence on external financing; economic conditions and financial performance are mutually re-enforcing each other, as some of the reasons for its upgrade.

In similar developments, the Finance Direct Investment magazine of the Financial Times Group cited Cebu City as no. 8 in the list of Top 10 Asian Cities of the future.

The local business community was obviously pleased with the news. They say it is encouraging and a welcome development, specifically to all those sectors that work together to make Cebu City as one of the top cities of the future.

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) led by its president, Francis Monera said, the chamber has a strong partnership with the government in pursuing advocacy and promotion of the city as an investment haven.

Monera further said that Cebu City was also ranked 4th as most cost-effective city; 7th in best quality of life and the only Philippine City that is listed for best development and 2nd in best promotion.

The local businessmen agreed that the rankings were the results of the hard work of both the local government units and the business community in promoting Cebu as an attractive investment hub.

However, Monera said that Cebu City got low marks in the list of best infrastructure, most business friendly, best human resources and best economic potential.

The chamber further said that Cebu City can improve on those areas, specifically on the infrastructure because "we are talking about cities of the future."

According to the businessmen, Cebu City enjoys an advantage compared to other Philippine cities because it is not so small nor too big; it has beautiful beaches, fresh mountain air and malls tat are very accessible.

It also has several good colleges and state universities. "We can nurture children better in Cebu than in other cities," Monera added.

The CCCI said that if businessmen, government and the private sector work hard together, "we can make our ranking higher in those areas where Cebu City is lacking. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

DepEd reports 1:50 classroom achievement

2008-02-06T04:58:00.001-08:00

Cebu, Philippines (01 February) -- The Department of Education (DepEd) reported that by 2006, the government had achieved its medium plan target ratio of one classroom for every 50 grade school students on double shift.

This was included in the progress report of the Presidential Task Force for Education during the 1st biennial Education Congress in Manila recently.

In 2001, DepEd's goal was to reduce the time and money spent by students to actually travel from their homes to the schools; and to build classrooms in the far-flung barangays unserved by nearby schools.

It was reported that within a year, the government completed more than 1000 of those needed school buildings.

In 2007, according to the DepEd, the government added another 15,000 classrooms and this year, it will start the construction season for 10,000 classrooms. A series of groundbreaking activities will start this Saturday, Feb. 2.

In Cebu City, Governor Gwen Garcia and Barangay Lahug Captain Mary Ann de Los Santos joined the DepEd officials, parents, teachers and students in the inauguration of the 20-classroom building at the Lahug Elementary School compound.

Lahug Barangay captain De Los Santos told the media that the 20-classroom school building was funded through the fund raising activity of the Lahug residents called "Piso Mo, Eskwelahan ko," after its school building was hit with a fire in 2007.

The campign yielded some P168,000 and Provincial Governor Gwen Garcia, upon seeing the hapless conditions of the students donated a P5-million allocation for the school construction.

Out of the 20 classrooms, only four (4) classrooms are completed so far and these were turned over to the principal, PTCA of the Lahug Elementary School at Baranagy Lahug, Cebu City.

De Los Santos further said that out of the P5.168-million, only P2.2-million was spent for the 4 classrooms. She hopes that the remaining program of works for the entire 20-classroom building will be fast tracked and "we will see the completion of the project before the year ends," she added. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

DTI-Cebu helps push Cebu products out to market

2008-02-06T04:56:00.000-08:00

Cebu City (1 February) -- In an aggressive move to help push Cebu's best products in the market, the Department of Trade and Industry - Cebu Province (DTI-Cebu) is facilitating the opening of an outlet display in one of the malls in Cebu City and will soon showcase these locally-made products in a video presentation to be shown in fast crafts.

DTI-Cebu's Elias Tecson bared they are currently negotiating with Kultura Pilipina, a boutique located at SM City Cebu that sells distinctively native products and items ideal as 'pasalubong,' to display and promote the popularly known products of various towns and cities in the province under the 'One Town, One Policy' (OTOP) Program spearheaded by the DTI.

Tecson, OTOP Cebu program coordinator said there is already an existing outlet in Ayala, the Natalie Shop that displays OTOP Cebu products but that most of these are handicraft items.

OTOP is a flagship program of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that aims to promote entrepreneurship and create livelihood opportunities for the local community. The program encourages local chief executives of every city and municipality to take the lead in identifying, developing and promoting a specific product or service which has a competitive advantage.

Some of the local products distinctively well known in particular municipalities and cities in the province include the shoes of Carcar City, guitar of Lapulapu City, wooden beads of Asturias, Sinamay of Carmen, ceramics of Boljoon, deboned bangus of Pinamungahan and bamboo craft of Alegria.

Tecson said the OTOP Program is in line with the thrust of the national government to assist micro, small and medium scale enterprises (SMSEs) to manufacture, offer and market distinctive products or services through the use of indigenous raw materials and local skills and talents and provide a sustainable source of livelihood for the local residents largely contributing to the economic growth of the locality.

SMSEs constitute about 99 percent of the country's economy but only provides direct employment of about two percent as government sees the need to provide technical, financial and marketing assistance to small and medium enterprises to further their growth and offer more jobs, it is learned.

Employment generation is a priority thrust of the President to fulfill a previous promise she made to provide 10M jobs until her term ends in 2010.

DTI-7 Regional Director Asteria Caberte also recently disclosed to tour guide operators of the negotiations with the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority to put up a corner outlet at the airport where popular products from various towns and cities of Cebu will be made available.

Tecson further said that they have ink an agreement with the management of Super Cat, a fast craft bound for neighboring island provinces to show to passengers a 36-minute video presentation on the best products Cebu has to offer per municipality and city.

Showing the video can have more impact to better appreciate what Cebu has to offer which in part is also promoting local tourism, Tecson added.

Caberte proudly boasted that Region 7 is way ahead compared to other regions in its efforts to help market OTOP products. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

P28 billion allocated for irrigation rehab in RP

2007-10-30T00:45:00.001-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (30 October) -- The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has allocated some P28-billion for the rehabilitation of all irrigation systems in the country starting in 2006 up to 2010.

In Cebu, NIA-7 officer-in-charge Diosdado Rosales said that there are 56 existing irrigation projects that must be rehabilitated after several years of leaving these systems unattended.

A budget allocation of P20-Million that has been earmarked for the rehab of these systems, "hopefully to revive the productivity of the farmlands that are beneficiaries of the irrigation," Rosales added.

He further said that NIA-7 has irrigated some 4500 hectares of farmlands in Cebu out of its 10,000 hectares potentials. With the full rehabilitation of these irrigation systems, NIA-7 will be able to irrigate more farmlands.

According to the NIA-7, most of the irrigation systems are found in Naga, San Fernando, Sibonga, Argao, Boljoon, Samboan, and the cities of Talisay and Carcar in the south while from the western towns include Balamban, Asturias, Dumanjug, Barili, Toledo City and the northern towns of Compostela and Catmon. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Hassle-free business registration, permitting and licensing now in Cebu

2007-10-30T00:41:00.001-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (30 October) -- Businessmen in Central Visayas will now experience a 'hassle-free' business registration, permitting and licensing system in Cebu City as the National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center (NERBAC) has set up its one-stop-shop office at the ground floor of LDM Bldg., Lapulapu St., Cebu City.

In a press release from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the region, the setting up of a NERBAC is mandated through RA 7470 with the DTI as the lead implementing agency.

Recently, the DTI-7, the Cebu City Government and the four mandatory agencies that are involved in business registration, permitting and licensing (BIR, SSS, PhilHealth & Pag-IBIG) have finally made a "break though" by setting up their respective desks at the NERBAC-7.

According to Minerva Yap the DTI-NERBAC 7 manager, new applicants can now file their DTI Business Name Registration simultaneously with Cebu City's Application for Business Permit (new applications only), SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and BIR Registration at the DTI - NERBAC 7.

This positive development was the result of a series of seminars, workshops and meeting among the members of NERBAC-7 governing board and the Cebu City Government, Yap said.

She added that applicants for business permits and licenses are now spared from the hassles of going from one office to another to have their businesses acquire legal entities saving them much needed time and resources.

Yap further said that the NERBAC-7 is a one-stop-shop for a harmonized and streamlined Business Permitting and Licensing System (BPLS) in Cebu City and this would not have been possible without the full support of its governing board, especially the mandatory agencies; BIR, SSS, PhilHealth, Pab-ibig and the Cebu City Government.

These same agencies conduct free pre-BPLS seminar on Wednesdays at 1:00-5:00 pm, except holidays at its conference room. Participants are given orientation and briefing on the requirements, procedures and penalties concerning business registration, permitting and licensing. They are also given additional ideas such as social responsibilities of business entities, Yap said.

The municipalities of Consolacion and Barili in Cebu are also being considered for pilot implementation of the harmonized and streamlined BPLS with the help of the GTZ, a German company that continuously provides financial assistance to the NERBAC's activities.

With the successful implementation of the BPLS in Cebu City, replicating the same in the other local government units in the provinces of Central Visayas will be easy as "we already have a model," Yap concluded. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

PRO-7: 16 persons violate election gun ban

2007-10-30T00:39:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (25 October) -- Sixteen people have already been apprehended in the region by the police since the election gun ban took effect last September 29.

Police Regional Office (PRO-7) Community Relations Chief S/Supt. Alexander Abadinas bared that out of the 16 apprehensions, 10 violations were committed in Cebu as police strengthen its series of checkpoints to rigidly implement the gun ban.

The nationwide firearms ban during the election period started September 29 until November 13.

Under the election gun ban, Resolution 8298 promulgated by the Commission on Election (Comelec) states that "no person, including those possessing a permit to carry firearms outside of residence or place of business, shall bear, carry or transport firearms or other deadly weapons in public places including all public buildings, streets, parks, and private vehicles or public conveyances."

Firearms include airgun, side arms, long firearms, hand grenades and other deadly explosives except pyrotechnics, while deadly weapons include bladed instruments.

The police are now in the last minute stages of preparations to ensure that the coming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls will be clean, honest, orderly and peaceful.

There are 46 barangays out of the over 1,200 barangays in Cebu that have been identified as "areas of immediate concern" (AIC) that will be in need of maximum security in the coming polls this Monday.

The figure was bared after the command conference among the PRO-7, Comelec-7 and the Central Command. Top officials from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG-7) and the Department of Education (Dep Ed -7) also attended the meeting.

The 46 barangays are located in the cities of Danao and Bogo and in 10 municipalities namely Borbon, Asturias, Catmon, San Remegio, Tabuelan, Compostela, Pinamungahan, Tuburan, Carmen and Sogod.

Sixty-two other barangays are dubbed as "areas of concern," (AOC) three of which are located in Cebu City which are Pasil, Lahug and Ermita.

More police and military personnel will be deployed in the areas identified as AIC and AOC, this is learned.

Abadinas said that it is also part of their advocacy to call on the electorate to vote candidates who are sincere in helping the government amid a disclosure made by CentCom's 78th IB Commanding Officer Col. Raymundo Bañares that there are candidates in the mid-north area in Cebu that are being backed by communist rebels. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Gisaulog sa PAF-TOC ang ilang anibersaryo

2007-10-30T00:37:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (25 Oktubre) -- Ang Philippine Air Force – Tactical Operations Command (PAF-TOC) base sa Mactan, Cebu misaulog sa ilang "9th foundation anniversary" niadtong Oktubre 15, 2007.

Ang tema sa ilang anibersaryo mao ang "TOC: Total outpouring commitment to an A.C.T.I.O.N. Air Force." Adunay gipahigayon nga mga aktibidades ang paf sa pagsaulog sa ilang anibersaryo.

Mihimo sila ug "operation-linis" didto sa Sangi Road, Brgy. Pajo sa siyudad sa Lapu-Lapu ug nipahigayon usab sila ug sportsfest sulod sa Mactan Airbase.

Mitambong usab si Ltgen Horacio S Tolentino AFP, commanding general, PAF, nga maoy halandong bisita sa ilang pagselebrar sa anibersaryo, adunay gipanghatag nga awards ngadto sa ubang mga opisyales sa PAF.

Si BGen Nicomedes B Corpuz Jr AFP, commanding officer PAF-TOC base dinhi sa Mactan mipahayag kung unsa ka importante ang commitment dinha sa pagserbisyo isip usa ka myembro sa PAF.

Malamposon kaayo ang ilang pagsaulog niini nga gitapos sa usa ka boodle fight. (PIA-7/HFG)

Coast Guard rescues 9 survivors in Northern Samar

2007-10-30T00:35:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (25 October) -- Nine survivors including two children were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Catbalogan, Samar early this week when their motor banca capsized off the waters of Rawis Point in Lao-ang, Northern Samar due to strong winds.

In a report submitted to PCG - Visayas Command Head Commodore Edmund C. Tan, the survivors were on board an unregistered motor banca Arjelene last Monday, October 22 at 9:00 a.m. when the incident happened.

Upon investigation, the operator of the motor banca said that while navigating from Barangay Kandawid en route to the Port of Lao-ang, the banca that was also loaded with 56 sacks of copra encountered heavy winds and was battered by big waves that caused it to capsize.

Rescued were Gaudencio Bad, 56 years old; Jumel Mendoza, 25; Edgar Acebuche, 25; Nerry Nobio, 40; Michelle Mengolio, 17; Julie Mendoza, 23; Riza Giray, 17; Geonelle Mendoz, 4; and Rica Nobio, three years of age. The survivors were all residents of Barangay Kandawid while only 16 sacks of copra were recovered.

All the survivors were immediately brought to Coast Guard Clearing Outpost in Lao-ang and were provided with food and clothing.

The survivors did not suffer serious physical injuries and after knowing that no medical assistance was needed, the survivors were permitted to go home and provided assistance for their return trip to their respective residences. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Mindanao fruits are now available in Cebu

2007-10-25T00:48:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (22 October) -- With the success of the launching of the Mindanao fruits at the Bagsakan Centers in Metro Manila earlier this month, Mindanao fruit growers have brought their products to Cebu through the Durian Festival at SM.

The Mindanao Fruit Industry Development Council (MFIDC) had forged a tie-up with the Aboitiz-owned forwarder for the shipment of Mindanao fruits to Cebu via the RORO system to cut down on spoilage and transit time.

The Minfruit Council director Benjamin Roy said, the forwarder 2GO is looking at a viable system to efficiently ship fresh durian and other fruits from Mindanao to Cebu and Manila to ensure competitive prices.

Recently, the Minfruit Council and the Durian Industry Council organized the "Durian ug uban Pa" festival at SM-Cebu to showcase the Mindanao Durian and other tropical fruits.

Roy added that the festival is part of the council's efforts and the Dept. of Agriculture (DA) to raise the demand of Durian and other fruits from Mindanao and to encourage more people to eat Durian and other fruits to develop a long term demand.

According the DA-7, with the coming in of Mindanao fruits, Cebu will now experience cheaper fruits such as Durian, Lanzones, Marang, Mangosteen and others. Prices of Durian 2-3 years ago were at P100-150/kilo today, a kilo is now priced at P60. The same with other Mindanao fruits, the DA added.

Cebu fruit vendors that joined the festival at SM were happy with the developments saying that they have experienced good earnings from Durian and other Mindanao fruits. Consumers were curious and wanted to sample the much touted Mindanao Durian, Marang, rambutan and mangosteen, the vendors said. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

3-day CREBA Nat'l Conference kicks off October 25 in Cebu

2007-10-25T00:47:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (22 October) -- Over 500 delegates nationwide including prominent leaders and government administrators in the housing and real estate industry will gather in Cebu for a three-day Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Associations, Inc. (CREBA) National Conference on October 25 to 27 at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel and Casino.

Under the theme "The Land Sector's Quantum Leap to the Future," the conference will highlight the development trends of the real estate and builders industry focusing on new marketing technologies, strategies and investments directions relative to the rapidly rising information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure demands.

Vice-President Noli de Castro will deliver a message on Saturday morning as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) after which, a housing forum is set with top officials from the Social Housing Finance Corp., Home Guaranty Corp., Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, National Housing Authority, PAG-IBIG and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp.

Rep. Rodolfo Valencia, House Committee Chair on Housing will deliver the keynote speech on the formal opening of the activity on Friday.

Tourism Usec. Oscar Palabyab's talk on "Invest in Central Visayas with Cebu as Gateway" on Friday afternoon is the first symposium of the event. Cebu has been acknowledged as the favorite tourism destination among foreign tourists.

Other topics expected to be discussed are: Title Warranty & Other CREBA Breakthrough Initiatives including using technology in the war against fake land titles, mobilizing overseas Filipino workers (OFW) funds for financial self-sufficiency & local government unit – private investor partnership for poverty alleviation, Opportunities in Special Purpose Asset Vehicles, Business Process Outsourcing and Its Impact on Real Estate, BOI Incentives for Real Estate Industry and OFW Requirement for Real Estate.

Resolutions that will be taken up and approved will be submitted to Cong. Valencia and HUDCC for acceptance.

The event will also highlight the recognition of the 2007 Developer of the Year Awardees.

A fellowship night is slated on Thursday 6:00 p.m. at the beachfront of Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Lapulapu City in order to provide relaxation as well as establish camaraderie among all participants before the conference proper.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" will be the motif of the fellowship night where realtors and builders in Cebu don their most shocking pirate attires. Mambo dance contest, treasure chest digging and a live band will entertain the guests. Winners of the convention's golf tournament will also be awarded during the night. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Gov't allots P20M to complete RORO port in Santander, Cebu

2007-10-25T00:46:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (22 October) -- The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) is set to complete the RORO port in barangay Liloan, Santander Cebu with a funding allocation of about P20-million.

According to CPA general manager Angelo Verdan, the Liloan RORO port was started by Antonio Ouano, a businessman who also owns the Ouano wharf in Mandaue City that obtained a 25-year lease in the foreshore area at barangay Liloan, Santander. Ouano started developing it into a RORO port some 3-4 years ago but stopped the project with only a pier, a concrete road and a causeway.

Verdan said, CPA contracted an international appraisal company to appraise the port so CPA can pay Ouano on his expenses.

The CPA has set aside some P20-millin for the project. "The cost is not a problem because the agency will make the port an income generating port, not just a missionary port," Verdan added.

The CPA has already done the feasibility study of the port project and it plans to make it a bigger port that can accommodate cargoes and passengers.

Currently, Verdan said, the port has been a good favorite alternate RORO port between Negros Oriental and Cebu due to its proximity from Sibulan port to Liloan, a less than half an hour trip and from Liloan, Santander, aircon buses are at hand to take the passengers to Cebu City.

The income potential of this RORO port will be tremendously increased once it is improved and mobility of goods and people from Negros will pave the way to economic growth especially in the southern part of Cebu. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Comelec-7: Identical forms for barangay, SK polls lead to confusion

2007-10-25T00:45:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (24 October) -- The almost identical forms in both the certificates of candidacy for the Barangay and the Sangguiang Kabataan (SK) elections have led to the confusion of some candidates who ended up filling the wrong form, according to an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec-7).

Cebu City North District Election Officer Atty. Marchel Sarno admitted in this morning's Kapihan sa PIA that tackled the upcoming synchronized Barangay and SK polls that some SK candidates have filled up the wrong form intended for aspiring barangay councilors.

Sarno said although the almost similar forms of both SK and the barangay certificates of candidacy may have contributed to the mistake but stressed that candidates should also be vigilant in submitting the correct filled-up form. The only difference between both forms is the title of the position one is running for.

Upon learning of the error after the submission of one's certificate of candidacy, a candidate is allowed to withdraw his certificate and submit the correct form while the deadline has lapsed last October 17, Sarno declared.

Those who have filled up the wrong form and will win in the polls will be declared but in case a disqualification complaint is filed, Comelec-7 will also have to take action on the matter, Sarno said.

SK candidates who have filed the wrong form are place at a disadvantage as their age is already sufficient basis to disqualify them to the post of barangay councilor. Candidates running for SK must be between the ages of 15 to 17 years old.

Sarno admitted that some SK voters that are aged 15 to 17 years will be disenfranchised as their votes can no longer be counted to a candidate that has erroneously filed the incorrect form since the certificate of candidacy is intended for a barangay post.

Asked what they can do to correct the situation, Sarno said their duty is purely ministerial in nature and that in such case the candidate may file a petition to the law department at Comelec Central Office to solve and rule on the case.

Sarno cited eight cases in Barangay Malubog where instead of SK forms, the eight SK candidates filled up certificates of candidacy for barangay councilors.

Under the law, candidates are required to undergo drug testing while October 18 was the deadline for the submission of the drug test results, according to the city election officer.

Failure to submit drug test results will not be a ground for disqualification but Comelec-7 however, will publish the names of those who have not complied in local newspapers per policy, Sarno revealed.

The Comelec-7 will gather the board of canvassers tomorrow for a briefing as the poll body is in its last stages of preparations. Likewise, there are about 3T teachers in the north district of Cebu City that will undergo an elections seminar this week, Sarno further said. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

"Sing for Me" project, gilusad sa DSWD

2007-10-25T00:44:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (October 24) -- Gilusad kagahapon ang Sing for Me Project sa Department of Social Welfare and Development dinhi sa tunga-tungang Kabisay-an.

Matud ni Jaybee Carillo, tigpamaba sa DSWD, ang maong proyekto gitumong sa pagtigum og pondo alang sa pagtukod og kasamtangang kapuy-an sa mga batang nahisalaag nga gitawag og children in conflict with the law kon cicl.

Sa iyang bahin, si Nemia Clara Antipala, hepe sa Technical Assistance Division sa DSWD nagkanayon nga importante nga matabang ang mga batang nahisalaag kay sagad sila man ang sagad makahimo og salaod.

Nibutyag sab si Antipala nga ang rehiyon, aduna lay usa ka rehabilitation center alang sa mga bata nga nahimutang sa lungsod sa Argao nga modawat lang og setenta ka mga bata. Kini kulang kaayo kung itandi sa kadako sa area sa Central Visayas.

Gilantaw sab sa DSWD nga mas importante ang pagbaton sa kada probinsya sa Central Visayas og usa ka temporary shelter sa mga batang nakalapas sa balaod sa dili pa sila ibalik sa ilang mga pamilya.

Sa nasayran, ubos sa Acta Republika 9344 kon Juvenile Justice Law, ang mga batang nakalapas sa balaod dili na ibalhog sa bilangguan apan kadtong bug-at og salaod ipaubos sa diversion program sa DSWD og sa accredited nga mga pasilidad sa nahisgutang ahensiya.

Nahibaw-an human sa usa ka pagtuon nga ang mga batang giipon pagpriso sa mga hingkod na og pangedaron mograbe hinuon kabadlongon.

Sa Sing for Me Project, ang DSWD gilauman nga makatigum og pondo alang sa Bahay Pag-asa o temporary shelter sa children in conflict with the law og kini gilauman nga makaayo gyud sa paghatag higayon sa kabataan pagbag-o sa ilang kinabuhi.

Ang maong proyekto magsugod karong Sabado sa hapon sa University of Southern Philippines kon USP amphitheater diin lain-laing mga grupo sa children’s choir ang mohalad og awit sa Pasko alang sa mga bisita nga gilaumang mohatag suportang pinansyal sa mga proyekto sa DSWD og sa mga partner institutions niini alang sa pagtukod sa mga Balay sa Paglaum alang sa kabataan. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

PRO 7 ANDAM NA ALANG SA PINILIAY SA OKT. 29

2007-10-25T00:40:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (October 25, 2007) – Nobenta y singko porsiyento nang andam ang kapolisan sa Central Visayas alang sa piniliay karong Lunes.

Kini base na sab sa pamahayag ni sa hepe sa Police Community Relations Senior Superintendent Alexander Abadinas.

Matud ni Abadinas, ang kapolisan moassign og duha ka pulis matag eskwelahan og susamang lugar diin adto ipahigayon ang piniliay.

Niingon sab si Abadinas, nga sa pagkakaron, aduna nay dece saez ka mga lugar dinhi sa Central VIsayas ang ilang giisip nga election areas of immediate concern. (Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

PIPILA KA BARANGAY SA CV, POSIBLENG WAY MAPILI NGA OPISYAL

2007-10-25T00:39:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (October 25, 2007) – Gipaabot nga adunay mga barangay sa tunga-tungang Kabisay-an ang dili makabaton og mga kapitan og SK Chairman human gibutyag sa COMELEC Central Visayas nga adunay mga kandidato nga sayop ang porma sa certificate of candidacy (COC) nga gigamit.

Matud ni Cebu City North District Election Supervisor Marchel Sarno, pipila niadtong mga nasayop mao ang taga barangay Malubog, Lusaran, og pipilka usab sa barangay sa dakbayan sa Lapu-Lapu og Negros Oriental.

Si Sarno nagkanayon usab nga kadtong mga kandidato nga nigamit og dili mao nga porma sa certipiko de candidatura nga gigamit, pwedeng madiskwalipikar. Gani niingon usab si Sarno nga ang ang pagkasayop moresulta lamang sa dili unya pag-ihap sa boto nga makuha sa maong kandidato.

Wa hinuon isalikway ni Sarno nga posible usab nga malwestiyon ang mga tinugyanan sa COMELEC nga naghatag sa sayop nga porma sa mga kandidato.

Sa pagkakaron, gipaabot nga moduso ang mga nasayop nga kandidato sa ilang petition sa COMELEC Law Department aron makorihian ang ilang mga certipiko de kandidatura.(Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

Mga mamumuhunan nagplano pagtukod ug mga planta sa biofuel

2007-10-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Ang Department of Agriculture (DA) kagahapon namahayag nga daghan na nga mga mamumuhunan ang nagplano pagtukod ug mga planta sa biofuel sa nagkalain-lain nga lugar sa nasud.

Matud ni DA Secretary Arthur C. Yap, ang mga mamumuhunan mipadayag na sa ilang plano pagtukod ug mga planta sa Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern ug Central Mindanao ug sa Davao Region.

Si Secretary Yap nagkanayun nga ang DA naglaum nga nga nagkadaku nga panginahanglan sa alternatibo nga lana nga nagagikan sa tanom mopalambo pa sa sector sa panguma sa nasud, mopataas sa ganansya sa gagmay nga mga negosyante ug mopakunhod sa pagdepende sa nasud sa mga imported nga tinubdan sa enerhiya.

Ang DA mipasalig nga pinaagi sa Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corp. (PADCC) ma-promote ang biofuel pinaagi sa pagpa-angbit ug kahibalo sa katawhan sa paggamit ug agricultural feed stocks alang sa ethanol ug biodiesel production.

Si Yap nag-ingon nga kasamtangan nang gitino sa nahisgutang buhatan ang mga sector sa pribadong mamumuhunan nga adunay kapin sa 400,000 ha ektarya sa yuta nga katamnan ug mga produkto nga gamiton unya nga feedstock alang sa paghimo ug biofuels.

Mokabat sa 90,000 ka ektarya niini anaa akita sa North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle; 10,000 ka ektarya usab sa Central Philippines ug 300,000ka ektarya niini sa Agribusiness Mindanao, dugang pa ni Yap.

Ang DA secretary usab nagkanayun nga ang nahisgutang mga luna mo-representar na ug 78% sa 600,000 ka ektarya nga target karong tuiga.

Kini maoy tamnan ug kamoteng-kahoy, oil palm, lubi, tubo, tuba-tuba ug uban pang mga tanom nga gamiton nga feedstock sa biofuel.

Kun kahinumduman, usa ka Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) ang gipirmahan tali sa Pilipinas ug sa PRAJ Industries sa India atoll sa pagbisita ni Presidente Arroyo sa maong nasud karong bag-o.

Sa Marso sunod nga tuig ang PRAJ Industries gikatakda na nga mosugod paghimo ug biofuel sa Ormoc City.(PIA-7/ECD)

CEBUANO LEGISLATORS SEEK CREATION OF NEW ENGINEERING DISTRICTS

2007-10-17T16:57:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (October 17, 2007) - Two Cebuano lawmakers are seeking to have DPWH Engineering Districts in their respective bailiwicks.

At present, fourth district representative Benhur Salimbangon along with sixth district representative Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, whose districts belong to the First Engineering District of the Department of Public Works and Highways, passed a bill that seeks to reconstitute the First Engineering District into two separate, regular engineering districts.

House Bill No. 2940 provides that the First Engineering District Office of Cebu Province shall comprise the City of Bogo and the municipalities of Tabogon, Tabuelan, San Remegio, Medellin, Daanbantayan, Sta. Fe, Madridejos and Bantayan.

While the sixth Engineering District will comprise the Cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, and the municipalities of Consolacion and Cordova.

Under the said bill, each of the engineering district shall be headed by a district engineer and the personnel, resources and equipment of the existing First Engineering District Office shall be divided between the two engineering offices in accordance with existing laws and regulations.

The two legislators expressed concerns over the inadequacy of services of the existing engineering district office to the infrastructure needs of the different cities and municipalities of the two legislative districts of the province “thus resulting to the unnecessary bureaucratic delays and other related problems in the implementation of public works.”

They also said that the present set up is also burdened with problems that hamper its ability to deliver services effectively and efficiently. This include poor distribution of personnel and inefficient implementation of projects, not to mention that these two legislative districts are far from each other.

The bill also intends to afford easy monitoring and implementation of projects, thereby ensuring a sensible and judicious spending of public funds.

For his part, Medellin Planning and Development Chief Giles Anthony Villamor welcomes the initiative of the two legislators saying that the move would likely result to better maintenance and more efficient services of the DPWH in the road network within in the midnorth, and thus, bringing the government closer to the people. (Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

CPPO MIHATAG ULTIMATUM PAGSIKOP SA RAPE-SLAY SUSPECT

2007-10-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (October 17, 2007) – Ang Cebu Provincial Police Office nihatag na og tagal sa kapolisan sa Danao City hangtud sa katapusan ning bulana pagsikop sa giingong rapist og killer nga si Warlito Waway Toledo.

Sa interbyu ning tigbalita kagahapon, niingon si CPPO Director Senior Superintendent Carmelo Valmoria nga ang gimandoan na niya ang kapolisan sa Danao sa pagseguro og dakop ni Waway sulod lang ning bulana.

Kung mahinumduman, pipila na ka semana nga ang mga lumulupyo sa lungsod sa Liloan, Compostela og silingang mga dapit, naukay sa taho nga adunay rapist og serial killer nga manuktok sa kabalayan og molugos dayon sa mga moabli sa iyang lugar.

Niingon hinuon si Valmoria nga sukwahi sa kahadlokang balita, si Waway aduna lay usa ka kaso sa pagpanglugos samtang wa pay gi-file nga kaso sa pagpatay batok sa nahisgutang kriminal.

Giawhag huinuon ni Valmoria ang publiko sa pagreport dayon sa kapolisan kung ilang makit-an ang maong kriminal sa ilang dapit nga giingong ania pa sa Sugbo. (Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

LAPU-LAPU CITY MIMUGNA OG SOCIALIZED HOUSING SA MATAG BARANGAY

2007-10-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (October 17, 2007) – Agi og tubag sa tinguha ni Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo paghatag og higayon sa matag Pinoy nga makabaton og puy-anan, gibutyag sa kagamhanan sa dakbayan sa Lapu-Lapu ang pagahin og sites sa socialized housing sa matag barangay.

Sa pagkakaron, ang dakbayan sa Lapu-Lapu adunay gibana-bana nga mga siete mil ka mga informal settlers sa pagkakaron bunga na sab sa daghang trabahador sa duha ka Export Processing Zones sa maong syudad.

Sa press conference kagahapon, namahayag si Bise Mayor Mario Ramirez nga sa gidaghanon sa ilang informal settlers namugna ang socialized housing sites sa matag barangay sa dakbayan.

Pipila niini anaa mahimutang sa barangay Candagsao, Sudtonggan nga aduna na karoy siete cientos ka pamilya, Canjulao, Looc, Basak, Marigondon, og uban pa.

Dugang pa ni Amores, ang socialized housing project sa dakbayan sa Lapu-Lapu adunay budget nga mokabat sa siete milyones ka pesos karong tuiga samtang dies milyones na sab ang giaprubahan sa city council alang sa budget sunod tuig.

Ang kadaghan sa mga informal settlers sa Lapu-Lapu City usa sa hinungdan nga giingon sa Pag-ibig Fund og ubang ahensiya sa pagpahigayon sa Housing Fair karong petsa biente tres og biente kwatro sa Sports Complex sa nahisgutang dakbayan.(Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

2007-10-16T23:14:00.001-07:00

2007-10-16T23:10:00.001-07:00

2007-10-16T23:08:00.001-07:00

AGIO-7 Forum

2007-10-16T22:53:00.002-07:00

Group extends registration of Japanese-Filipino children

2007-10-16T22:51:00.002-07:00

Cebu City (16 October) -- An aid group has extended the registration of the Japanese-Filipino children in Central Visayas after a low turnout of registrants was observed.

The Center for Japanese-Filipino Children's Assistance (CJFCA), together with the Development Action for Women Network (DAWN), informed Friday that it extended the registration of JFCs until October 31, this year.

Natividad F. Benedicto, CJFCA's staff for Central Visayas, attributed the low registration turnout to the lack of awareness on the part of the public, especially the parents and relatives of these JFCs, on the ongoing activity.

Benedicto said her office has only registered 40 JFCs since the registration started in September. She informed, however, that she received calls from parents in Negros Oriental affirming their intentions to register.

The lack of required documents and transportation expenses on the part of the JFCs likewise contributed to the low registration turnout, Benedicto cited.

The CJFCA staff expressed her plans to hold the registration in the barangays, instead of having it at the regional office of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), to reach the families of the JFCs.

For the meantime though, she said she will still continue receiving registrants at the CHR office located at the corner of Rosal and Llorente Sts. here in the City.

Benedicto advised those who would like to register to bring an authenticated Birth Certificate, Authenticated Marriage Certificate (in case the parents were married), Baptismal Certificate, a letter from the Japanese father and other documents that may show their relationship.

The registration aims to get a socio-economic profile of the JFCs, to monitor their whereabouts, their situations and needs. The data gathered from this registration will serve as the baseline for possible interventions from concerned groups and from the governments of the Philippines and Japan. (PIA 7/ECD)

Implement anti-smoke belching law to address climate change

2007-10-16T22:51:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (16 October) -- Strict implementation of the anti-smoke belching law is needed if we are serious in addressing the worsening issue of climate change, according to Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa-7) chief Engr. Oscar Tabada.

Tabada during the Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO-7) forum this morning that tackled the issue on global warming bared smoke emissions from vehicles and industries are major contributors to climate change.

Carbon dioxide released from vehicle emissions and industries for energy build up in the atmosphere that destroys the ozone layer which protects the environment from the harmful rays of the sun.

Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases largely brought about by carbon dioxide emission. About 60 percent of carbon dioxide emission is due to power plants while 20 percent is from methane gas coming from domestic wastes and the decay of matter, it is said.

The rapid urbanization to accommodate a burgeoning population adds to the problem as trees are cut to pave the way for new subdivisions and industries, Tabada said.

Trees effectively sequester the build-up of carbon dioxide gases in the atmosphere as tress trapped the gases before these could reach the stratosphere, Tabada further said.

Tabada noted that there is a need to correct human activities that compound the problem of climate change such as compliance to the anti-smoke belching law as well as the indiscriminate burning of plastic wastes.

The best way people could help fight climate change is to plant trees even in their backyards in order to sequester and neutralize the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and likewise make the environment cooler and healthier, the PAG-ASA 7 chief stressed.

Tabada said a humid climate at nighttime during the rainy period where it is supposed to be cold is one of the basic effects of climate change.

Cebu City Vice-Mayor Michael Rama has asked the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-7) to explain to the public how global warming can affect the lives of the community for a better understanding on the seriousness of the issue and how each individual can do his/her share to mitigate the problem. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Fair sa baratong puy-anan sa mga way balay ipahigayon sa Lapu-Lapu City

2007-10-16T22:50:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (October 16) -- Gilauman na sab nga ubay-ubay ang mga Bisaya labi na gyud sa mga Sugbuanon ang makapanag-iya na gyud og panimalay. Kini tungod kay human sa malampuson og paghangop sa publiko sa kalihukan nila sa niaging tuig, ang Pag-Ibig Fund mopahigayon na sab og Housing Fair karong Oktubre 23-24 didto sa Lapu-Lapu City Sports Complex.

Kauban sa Pag-Ibig sa paghimo sa Housing Fair part 2 ang mga ahensya sa kagamhanan sama sa GSIS, National Housing Finance and Mortgage Corporation, SSS, BSP, HLURB, National Housing Authority, HGC og mga real estate developers sa Kabisay-an.

Sa housing fair, ipahibalo sa katawhan ang mga panimalay nga naembargo o nabawi sa mga nahisgutang ahensya nga pwede na sab karong mapalit sa ubos nga presyo.

Gipasalig ni Dale Mark Antonio, tigpamaba sa Pag-Ibig Fund Cebu North nga andam silang motabang sa mga miyembro sa Pag-Ibig nga magkinahanglan og mga impormasyon og giya kalabot sa housing loan og sa housing fair didto mismo sa Lapu-Lapu City Sports Complex.

Base sa talaan sa National Statistics Office, ang Pilipinas daghan pa gihapon og mga lumulupyo nga wa pa makapanag-iya og balay sa pagkakaron.

Ang tema sa Housing Fair Part 2 mao ang Serbisyong Tapat, Abot Kayang Pabahay Para sa Lahat nga sa Binisaya pa nagpasabot sa Tinuoray nga Serbisyo, Baratong Puy-anan alang sa Tanan. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

DA gidili ang poultry products gikan sa Canada

2007-10-16T22:49:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (October 16) -- Human sa gikatahong report sa bird flu nga niigo na sa nasod sa Canada, nimando karon ang Department of Agriculture sa pagpasulod dinhi sa nasod sa mga langgam og uban pang mga produkto sa poultry nga gagikan sa Canada.

Base press statement nga gagikan sa DA Headquarters sa kauluhan, ang World Health Organization Office of International de Epizooties (OIE) nikumpirmar sa presensya sa makamatay nga H7N3 avian influenza virus didto sa probinsya sa Saskatchewan, Canada.

Sa nasayran, ang DA sa sayo pa, niban na sab sa mga poultry products gikan sa Nebraska og Virginia sa Amerika, Korea, og United Kingdom.

Ang Pilipinas kauban ang Brunei og Singapore mao na lang ang nahibiling mga nasod sa Southeast Asia nga wa maapektuhi sa bird flu sukad una kining nahibaw-an sa tuig dos mil tres. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

RP economy gains from peso appreciation

2007-10-16T22:48:00.002-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (16 October) -- The country's economy is likely to withstand situations and event that would stressed out its growing economic foundations that the Arroyo administration and her economic team has tried their best to protect.

Wick Veloso, treasurer and chief of the global market operations of the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corp (HSBC) believes that RP's economy will continue to be strong but it has to watch the economic landscape of the U.S. and other geo-political factors that might largely affect the growth.

Veloso added that Arroyo's economic team has preserved the country's good economic reforms which is Arroyo's economic legacy that has created s tremendous impression of foreign investors that continue to pour their capital in the BPO, mining investments and real estate sectors and the growing remittances of the OFWs that has been considered as one of the country's economic drivers.

With these, Veloso added the peso is expected to be even stronger and will climb to nearly P40-$1 in the next few years.

Diwa Gubigundo, deputy governor recently said that the country is gaining more advantages than disadvantages from the peso's continuing appreciation against the dollar. He further said that a stronger peso augurs well for lower inflation, better debt service and more resources for public infrastructure and social projects.

Gunigundo commented that the peso's appreciation, although it has lowered the earnings of local exporters, has more advantages because the export business is not dependent on pricing alone. Exporters can enhance their competitiveness and increase their sales volume.

The BSP deputy governor further noted that the rising OFW remittances, Philippine exports and influx of foreign capital to the country have contributed much to the rising peso. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Shipbuilding, a world-class industry in Cebu

2007-10-16T22:48:00.001-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (16 October) -- In a recent visit in Cebu, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo christened the Hoegh Manila, the 3rd of the 4 ships that Hoegh Autoliners ordered from Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu Inc. (THICI) based at the West Cebu Industrial Park (WCIP) in Balamban, Cebu.

Hoegh Autoliners, a subsidiary of Leif Hoegh & Co. has commissioned THICI to build four (4) pure care and Track Carriers (PCTCs) with a capacity of about 5,200 cars vessel.

Two of the 4 PCTCs, Hoegh Brasilla and Hoegh Sydney were completed and delivered on March 2007 and August 20, 2007 respectively.

The 3rd vessel, Hoegh Manila that was christened by President Arroyo, is expected to be completed on December this year while the 4th ship, Hoegh Oslo will be launched on November 2007.

Late last year the FBMA Marine Inc, an Aboitiz-owned shipbuilding based in Balamban has signed a contract to build Catamaran ferry for a company in New Caledonia in the South Pacific.

Craig Patrick, sales and marketing manager of FBMA, in a press release said, FBMA will build a 57.80 meter catamaran passenger vehicle ferry that can carry 356 passengers and 10 cars and has a top speed of 32 knots. It will operate on the route connecting Caledonia's capital Noumea to the outlying islands of Iles des Pins, Mare, Lefou and Ouvea.

The Catamaram was designed by BMT Nigel Gee Ltd, a subsidiary of the BMT Group Ltd. for SAS Sudiles of New Caledonia to suit the client's prime need of a fuel-efficient vessel, exceptional sea keeping and passenger comfort considering the challenging sea conditions of the South Pacific, Patrick added.

$200-M investments for shipyard expansion

In March this year, the Aboitiz Group of Companies (that include Metaphil, FBMA Marine Inc and Aboitiz Transport System Corp) inked a memorandum of agreement and forged business partnership with Tsuneishi Group of Japan in its bid to expand its shipbuilding facility at the WCIP in Balamban and putting the Philippines on the map as a world-class boat builder.

Roberto Aboitiz, CEO and chairman of the Metaphil Int'l signed a MOA with THICI for the expansion of its shipyard in Balamban to enable it to build ships with 180,000 dead weight tons (DWT).

The Tsuneishi Cebu, a partner of Tsuneishi Group of Japan and the Aboitiz Group has the capability of building ships of up to 80,000 DWT. It has already built more than 46 bulk ship carriers in Balamban. Bulk carriers are ships that carry heavy materials such as copper, gold, coal, iron and cement.

Aboitiz said, they are mulling on a $200M shipyard expansion which will make it more competitive in the international market that will put Cebu and the Philippines on the world's shipbuilding map.

According to the Aboitiz Group, the expansion of the Balamban shipyard will create an additional estimated employment of 3000 workers such as welders, fitters among others in the western part of Cebu.

Presently, THICI employs about 4000 people that made Balamban one of the booming towns in Cebu, if not in the region.

Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay, in a media interview said, its local government unit has required large companies such as THICI and FBMA Marine Inc. that 70% of their employment are locals from the Balamban area.

Binghay noted that many of Cebu's 3rd district residents have come back to their hometown because of the employment opportunities the shipbuilding industry had created.

Tsuneishi and Metaphil are locators of the West Cebu Industrial Park in Balamban. Tsunesihi started its operation in 1994 and it hopes to be among the top 3 shipbuilding companies in the world by 2010.

Metaphil is the construction company of the Aboitiz Group and is set to invest P500M for the last quarter of this year for its modular fabrication facility in Balamban.

In an interview with a local daily here, Napoleon Pe, Jr. president and COO of Metaphil said that there is a growing global demand for fabricated modular structures which are becoming the new trend in the construction industry today.

The company is involved in steel fabrication, construction, engineering, design and procurement services. It was established in 1978 at Tipolo, Mandaue and it has clients from China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Germany, Australia, and many more.

With the expansion, the facility is expected to produce 1500-2000 tons of fabricated steel per month and will hire additional 1000-1500 local workers. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Cebu Chamber to join 33rd Philippine Biz Confab

2007-10-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (15 October) -- Officials of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) led by its President Francis O Monera will participate in the two-day 33rd Philippine Business Conference and Exposition (PBC&E) in Manila, dubbed as the premier business event of the year slated on October 24-26.

Under the theme "ONE.GLOBAL.FILIPINO. Through Public-Private Partnership," this year's PBC&E will showcase the pre-eminent role of the public and private sectors in instituting significant reforms and initiatives to harness the country's competitiveness and promote the growth of industries through investments and other business opportunities.

Ambassador Francis Chua, Special Envoy on Trade and Investment to China, and a member of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Board of Advisers chairs this year's conference.

Gathering hundreds of leaders here and abroad, the 33rd PBC&E is seen as the convergence of brilliant minds and ideas, making it the ideal venue to develop synergies and partnership between government and business.

The conference will feature various topics that aim to provide businessmen from different sectors a keen understanding of important issues related to global competitiveness, market access, value chain development, good governance, and global opportunities for investments emphasizing on joint projects with government.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will lead the awarding ceremonies on the following: Recognition for Business Leadership, Most Business-Friendly Local Government Unit, Best Workplace RH Policies and Programs, Business Excellence in Ecology and Economy, and the Most Outstanding Chamber Award which shall be conferred to deserving companies and chambers nationwide.

One of the highlights includes the National Competitiveness Summit where the state of the Philippine Global Competitiveness will be discussed.

In 1997, CCCI was bestowed the Hall of Fame Award and this year, the CCCI will once again vie for the title after it was awarded the Most Outstanding Chamber in the Philippines for two consecutive years in 2005 and 2006. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Cebuano News: DOLE 7 modawat na'g donasyon alang sa child laborers

2007-10-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (12 October) -- Padayon na karon nga nagdawat sa mga donasyon ang buhatan sa Department of Labor and Employment dinhi sa tunga-tungang Kabisay-an alang sa regalo sa mga batang trabahante o child laborers dinhi sa rehiyon.

Ang programa sa labor department nga gitawag og Angel Tree Project gilusad sa niaging semana.

Ubos sa maong proyekto, ang mga batang nagtrabaho hatagag higayon nga mosab-it sa iyang gustong madawat nga regalo karong singabot nga pasko.

Base sa impormasyon sa usa sa mga opisyal sa DOLE 7 nga si Yalyn Gachalian, ang maong programa gilusad aron mahatagan sa ilang gipangandoy nga madawat ang mga batang wala na sa eskwelahan kay nitabang na lang sa pagpanginabuhi alang sa ilang mga pamilya.

Base sa nasayran, ang sektor sa agrikultura pa gihapon ang nag-una karon nga mipatrabaho og daghang kabataan sa nasod bisan pa man sa balaod nga nagdili niini. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

Cebuano News: Laing minilyon nga puhunan ibubo na sab sa Medellin

2007-10-16T22:42:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (12 October) -- Usa ka dakong lugar bakasyunan og golf course ang gikatakdang tukoron sa lungsod sa Medellin sa bulan sa Nobyembre.

Ang maong investment site giplanohang tukuran og duol dos cientos ka mga mahalong balay og golf course nga mahimutang sa barangay Lamintac Sur og Lamintac Norte sa Medellin nga mokabat sa otsenta ektarya ang gilapdon.

Mao kini ang gibutyag sa hepe sa planning and development council sa Medellin nga si Giles Anthony Villamor sa paghinabi ning tigbalita kagabii.

Matud ni Villamor gikalipay kaayo ni Mayor Ricardo Ramirez ang maong kalambuan.

Nidugang sab siya pagbutyag nga sa pagkakaron ang Medellin aduna nay Retirement Village nga sagad gipuy-an karon sa mga Koreano.

Gitaho sab niya nga ang ilang lungsod kanunay na karon nga bisitahon sa mga Koreanong turista nga nalingaw gayud sa Sugbo labi na sa Medellin.

Kung mahinumduman, si Presidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo nagtinguha gayud nga mahimong sentro sa turismo ang Sugbo nga maghatag sab og higayon sa paglambo sa ubang dapit sa Kabisay-an. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

PGMA to visit Cebu Friday

2007-10-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (11 October) -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is scheduled in Cebu late tomorrow morning, Friday, to grace three significant events after attending to an inauguration of the Bayongan Dam Irrigation Project Phase II in San Miguel, Bohol.

The President is expected to fly around 11:00 a.m. directly to her first engagement in Balamban, Cebu from Bohol. At 11:30 a.m., she is expected to arrive at the Tsuneishi Heavy Industries, Inc. (THI) landing zone and will immediately proceed to the Pier 4 of the THI Shipyard for the naming ceremony of the Hoegh Manila vessel.

On hand to receive President Arroyo are Hoegh Autoliners Chairman Leif Hoegh, President Thor Jorgen Guttormsen, Norway Ambassador to the Philippines Stale Torstein Risa, THI Chairman Kenji Kawalno, Cebu 3rd District Rep. John Paul Garcia and Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay.

Upon arrival at the Pier 4 of the THI Shipyard, President Arroyo shall be ushered to the platform for the naming ceremony to christen the vessel by saying the words: "I name this ship Hoegh Manila. May God bless her and all her crew and everybody sailing on her."

The President will then cut the cord that will trigger the breaking of the traditional bottle of champagne on the ship's bow, release the confetti and unveil the name of the vessel etched at the starboard side.

Hoegh Autoliner Chairman Leif Hoegh will give a short message after the christening ceremeony.

Around 300 guests have been invited to attend while the President is expected to stay for only an hour.

The second event will be at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall at 1:00 p.m. where the President will administer the oath taking of Gov. Gwen Garcia as the Regional Development Council (RDC) - Central Visayas Chair and her Co-Chair Norris Oculam.

President Arroyo will also witness the distribution of original certificates of title under the 'Titulo Project' of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR-7) and the Department of Agriculture (DA-7) to 13 town beneficiaries.

Four Memorandum of Agreement will likewise be signed under the presence of the President that includes the relocation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command to Lapulapu City.

About 300 Cebu mayors, vice mayors, Provincial Government officials and members of the RDC-7 and other guests have been invited for the occasion which is also Gov. Garcia's 52nd birthday celebration. A video presentation featuring the physical fitness demonstration of the inmates of the Cebu Provincial Rehabilitation Center will be shown during lunch.

Mrs. Arroyo's last event will be the inauguration of the Teletech Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Center in Mandaue City where she will lead in the ribbon cutting and unveiling of the marker around 2:30 p.m.

Teletech Vice President and General Manager - Asia Maulik Parekh and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes will be present to receive the President at the site.

The President will proceed to the training room after the inaugural activities for a short tour and to observe the on-going training of new hires.

Teletech has 10 large BPO centers in the country with a total of 12T employees. The Teletech Cebu branch has 1,100 employees.

The President is expected to fly back to Manila at 4:30 p.m. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Programs to draw full participation of elderly sought

2007-10-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (10 October) -- Officials of the various elderly groups in Central Visayas demanded that they be given opportunity to contribute to the process of community building even in their late years.

Mr. Jose Gapas of the Mag-uugmad Foundation and a member of the Central Visayas Association of Volunteer Efforts (CVAVE), in a forum here Wednesday, stressed that the senior citizens are still willing to share their experience and expertise for the benefit of the community.

"As a repository of extensive experience, we still would like to contribute to the advancement of society," Gapas, a former regional chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said.

According to Gapas, the present program for the elderly seems to be welfare-focused that it tends to develop dependency on their part.

He said a more holistic program for the elderly that can draw their full participation in social processes is needed.

This can be realized, he said, if each of the local government units will create their own Office of Senior Citizens' Affairs (OSCA) that will oversee local programs for the elderly.

Engr. Felix Abella, President of the Regional Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines - Central Visayas Chapter, meanwhile, informed that the Federation had been conducting advocacy efforts to LGUs to create an office for OSCA.

Out of the 132 towns and cities in the region, 70 have already responded to their request by creating their own OSCA, Abella further informed. (PIA 7/ECD)

DOST-7: Malunggay is very rich antioxidant

2007-10-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (10 October) -- Malunggay dubbed as a poor man's vegetable frequently being used in making soup is a medicinal plant and a very rich antioxidant, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-7).

DOST-7's Josie Elli urged the public not only to use the malunggay leaves but the seeds as well as these can also be eaten. Its nutritional and medicinal properties are extensive, it is learned.

Malunggay is called Horseradish in English under the scientific name of Moringa oleifera.

Elli bared malunggay is extremely rich in Vitamin A and possesses Vitamin C and E properties as well while putting the three compounds together makes this vegetable a very rich antioxidant.

Antioxidants can help stave off cellular damage and help our cells live longer boosting our immune system and preventing susceptibility to diseases. It has also an anti-aging effect, according to Elli.

To transform malunggay leaves into a capsulated form, one may air-dry the leaves and pulverize it after. The powder form can then be placed inside a capsule to be taken as a vitamin supplement.

In making a healthy juice drink, the leaves can be put in a blender which can then be added with water and sugar to taste. Although Elli clarified that all vegetables can be used as a juice drink after being placed in a blender.

As a medicinal element, Elli claimed that the leaves can be pounded and placed on the affected area which hastens wound healing.

Though the malunggay leaves when cooked will lose some of its nutritional properties due to heat, she advised that the leaves should only be placed last and subjected to heat for a very short time. Overcooked vegetables means losing more nutritional properties so it is better that the malunggay or any vegetables for that matter should not be overcooked, Elli ended. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

1st children's rondalla competition held in Cebu

2007-10-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (10 October) -- The children Rondalla from Dalaguete town bagged the first prize for the 1st Children's Rondalla competition while Victoria Leslie Ingram from Minglanilla won the top prize for the children's Solo Singing contest that were held today at the Cebu International Convention Center as a birthday tribute to Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia and as the province's kicked off celebration of Children's month.

Provincial board member Agnes Magpale who also chairs the SP-committee on women, children and family said this is the first rondalla competition for Cebu province. Dubbed as 'Halad sa Kabataan' the event aims to showcase children's talents and to provide an avenue where they can express their culture through singing and playing with the use of various instruments.

"We expected 12 participants from the six districts of Cebu but only three (3) groups from Dalaguete, Minglanilla and Talisay City joined the competition. " We didn't realize that our municipalities and cities do not have rondallas," Magpale said sadly.

She added that this 1st Children's Rondalla Competition was some kind of an awakening for the province. Plans are already afoot to assist the towns/cities to organize and train their homegrown children's rondalla and "we hope for more participants in next year's event as we intend to make this as an annual competition."

Meantime, the children's Solo Singing contest was equally entertaining and very culturally educational for the audience because 12 children from the 6 districts of the province sang original Cebuano compositions.

A contestant from Poro, Camotes was a grade-2 pupil that sang an original composition entitled "Kabataan Dili Pasagdan" which was composed by a 14-year old high school student during a workshop "Mugna sa Kabataan" that was initiated by Plan-Philippines in Camotes last year.

Amazing was how the audience described the competitions as children ages 7-12 gave their soulful renditions of those Cebuano songs that can only be heard during the Cebu Pop Music Competition or from the music of our fathers.

The winners in the rondalla competition got cash prizes of P25000, 20T and 15T for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively and trophy for each while the solo singing contest winners received P3T, 2T and 1000 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes respectively plus trophy for each while the non-winners got a consolation prize of P500 each.

The top winners (1st, 2nd & 3rd) were also given a scholarship for voice and performance at the Cebu Pop Center courtesy of Jay Uchuan. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

CPPO miabag sa da pagpakigbatok sa brontispa pest

2007-10-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (October 9) -- Ang kapolisan sa probinsya sa Sugbo aktibo karon nga niabag sa DA sa kampanya batok sa peste sa lubi nga nailhan sa ngalan nga brontispa longgissima gestro,

Gibutyag sa hepe sa Cebu Provincial Police Office, Senior Superintendent Carmelo Valmoria nga ang kapolisan sa probinsiya, duha na ka semana nga nakigtambayayong sa Department of Agriculture sa pagpakgang sa posibleng pagdala dinhi sa Sugbo sa mga lubi nga adunay sakit nga mohatag og dakong kadaut sa kalubihan sa Sugbo.

Bisan pa man sa ilang mga checkpoints og higpit nga pagbantay sa mga pantalan, terminal og tugpahanan, si Valmoria, nihangyo gihapon sa katawhan sa pagtabang sa tinguha sa kagamhanan pagprotehir sa industriya sa lubi pinaagi sa pagreport sa ilang mahibaw-ang mi-smuggle sa mga infested nga lubi dinhi sa probinsya sa Sugbo.

Ang nailhang pesteng bakukang sa lubi nga gikan pa sa gawas sa nasod, nahibaw-ang nakaapekto na sa duol dos cientos mil ka punuan sa lubi nga nahimutang sa biente singko ka mga probinsya sa nasod. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

PGMA mipirma'g mando alang sa DND/NDCC

2007-10-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (October 9) -- Gawas sa local government officials, makahimo na sab pagpasuspenso sa klase sa elementarya, high school og sa kolehiyo ang pinakataas nga opisyal sa Departamento sa depensa og disaster council.

Si Presidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo nipirma sa niaging bulan sa Administrative Order 196 nga naghatag og gahum sa Secretary sa Department of National Defense nga mao sab ang chairman sa National Disaster Coordinating Council sa pagsuspenso sa klase sa panahon sa katalagman.

Matud sa pamuno nasod, si defense secretary and ndcc chair Gilbert Teodoro gihatagan sab niya og katungod pagmando sa mga hingtungdan pagpaghigayon sa suspension sa klase sa mga katalagman sama sa baha, bagyo, linog, og uban pa.

Kining maong kamanduan, gihangop usab sa mga opisyal sa Office of Civil Defense dinhi sa Central Visayas. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

DENR mopasusi sa kabaho sa SRP

2007-10-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (October 9) -- Tungod sa padayong nasinati nga kabaho sa hangin nga nahanggab sa lumulupyo nga duol sa South Reclamation Area, giplanohan karon sa Department of Environment and Natural Resources kon DENR ang pagpasusi sa hinungdan sa kabaho sa maong lugar nga nakaapekto sa mga residente ingon man sa mga estudyante sa mga unibersidad og uban pang mga eskwelahan sa Sugbo.

Sayo karong buntag sa interbyu ning tigbalita, namahayag si Ed Llamedo, ang tigpamaba sa DENR nga posibleng magpadala sila og technical team sa ilang buhatan sa Environmental Management Bureau diha sa maong lugar aron mosusi unsa ang hinungdan sa kabaho.

Gidudahan hinuon ni Llamedo nga ang inagos gikan sa mga basura ang posibleng hinungdan niini. (PIA Cebu/RMC)

DOLE-7: OFWs help bring back working children to school

2007-10-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (8 October) -- A program that aims to bring back working children to school by making education accessible for them through the construction of school buildings and more classrooms is realized through the generosity of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

"Classroom Manggagawa Abroad" is a program initiated by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for several years now where they tap the compassionate hearts of OFWs worldwide to help the government in constructing school buildings and classrooms in areas where child labor is prevalent.

DOLE-7 Regional Director Elias Cayanong recently bared some groups of OFWs donate as much as US $8T so that these poor deprived children can be encouraged to go back to school.

Education, one of the basic rights of children is one of the priority thrusts of the Arroyo Administration particularly on pro-poor education. The Philippines is also a signatory to the International Convention of the Rights of Children.

Other areas where children are found toiling to earn money to augment the family's income are in mining, deep-sea fishing, entertainment, pyrotechnics and entertainment industry. These are the areas that are considered hazardous not only to the health of the child but place his/her life at risk, according to Cayanong.

The DOLE has a tall order of reducing child labor incidence in the country by 75 percent in 2015, Cayanong said.

Central Visayas ranks third in the prevalence of child labor where majority of minors are found working in the agricultural sector particularly in sugar plantations, Cayanong revealed.

In areas where child labor is quite high which is compounded with the absence of schools or lack of classrooms that places children's education in the backseat, the "Classroom Manggagawa Abroad" aims to encourage working children to go back to school.

Cayanong said the program has been able to help raise funds for the construction of 42 classrooms and 14 school buildings in the region. Some of the benefited towns in Cebu are in the northern part such as Danao City, Bogo and Carmen while five are in Oriental Negros, this is learned.

Under RA 9231, parents are held liable when they allow their children to work and deprive the child hihs/her right to education, Cayanong stressed.

President Arroyo meanwhile bared her administration is achieving its annual targets in education as she hopes for a 1:33 classroom-to-student (CS) ratio or 33 students per classroom. Last year's target was 55 students per classroom or 1:50 CS while this year's target was 1:45 CS.

Mrs. Arroyo wants to implement the government's cyber education project of the Department of Education that is designed to make the country's educational system globally competitive and the Filipino students at par with those of the rest of the world.

The Cyber Ed Project uses satellite technology to provide an efficient and cost-effective solution to deliver educational services to public elementary and secondary schools throughout the country. The project links these schools to a nationwide network that provides 12 video channels, wireless wide area networking, local area networking and wireless Internet connectivity.

Under the Cyber Ed program, a total of 37,794 schools or 90 percent of all public schools nationwide would be connected in the next three years. These schools would receive live broadcasts featuring lectures and presentations from master teachers as well as coursewares on demand and other valuable resource materials.

The technology — a satellite-based distance learning -- is widely used in such countries as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Thailand, India, Indonesia and China.

The DepEd's Cyber Ed Project is based on China's E-Education Project which covers some 500,000 schools and universities.

The project, an off-shoot of the ICT-based education agenda included in the economic cooperation agreement signed by the Philippines and China in June 2006, is being undertaken with the Tsinghua University, China's premier technology university and one of the world's pioneers in distance education.

About P5 billion was earmarked for the first phase of the project which will be operational early next year. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

1st Visayas occupational safety and health summit set October 11-12

2007-10-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (8 October) -- All is now set for the two-day 1st Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Summit in the Visayas this Thursday and Friday (October 11 and 12) at the Marco Polo Plaza in Cebu City which will focus on the theme "OSH in Human Resource Development."

OSH Center executive director Dr. Dulce P. Estrella-Gust bared the summit will feature OSH experts in various fields and sectors that will discuss research and information papers in their specialized fields.

The two-day summit will have a total of 55 paper presentations, six learning sessions, a photo exhibit, product exhibits and continuous running of OSH videos and documentary films.

The paper presentations will touch on a wide range of OSH topics and involves different sectors such as occupational safety and health in the following areas: services, cyber services and hotels, manufacturing, mining and energy sectors, maritime sector, biological, chemical and radio-nuclear disaster management, construction, transportation and OSH management systems and legislation, tolls and intervention in risk management.

Learning lessons on the other hand, would involve one-hour discussions on equality and discrimination, setting up of health safety committees, confined space, smoke-free workplaces, ergonomics and violence in the workplace.

The photo exhibit will show commonly-seen workplace situations from an OSH perspective while the product exhibitors will display the latest safety equipment, devices, and services in the market.

The presentors will come from multi-sectoral groups, from both here and abroad.

It is hoped that the summit will further paved the way for a masterplan on OSH in the area in line with the Department of Labor and Employment's Zero Accident Program. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

PGMA welcomes Indian investments in RP as she signs 9 bilateral agreements

2007-10-16T19:52:00.002-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (7 October) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo rolled out the red carpet for Indian investments in the country and moved for the integration of both countries' economies through the signing of nine (9) bilateral agreements.

In her recent visit to India accompanied by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila, Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano and Press Secretary Ingnacio Bunye, the Philippine President encouraged Indian investors to come to the Philippines citing the country's investor-friendly policies and a highly-reliable, efficient and productive workforce.

President Arroyo specifically cited her determination to pursue a sustainable energy program that would lift the country from its dependency on imported fossil fuel and at the same time help minimize greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming.

She added that the country is serious pushing for the massive propagation of Jatropha that will be used as diesel substitute adding that the Jatropha seeds could be exported to India for processing.

Aside from energy investments, the President also invited Indian resort and hotel owners to come to the Central Philippines for tourism investments as she pointed out that the Philippines has a lot to offer to the tourists such as pristine white sand beaches and scenic spots.

She encouraged them to consider the country in their next business expansion and to take advantage of the increasing tourist arrivals in the Philippines. Among the India companies that the President invited to invest here were Praj Industries Ltd., hotel and resort operators and film producers.

"We invite tourist and tourism investors to come over. We invite Indian hotel chains, such as the Tata Group and the Oberoi Group to look at, and consider the Philippines as a destination for your next projects. Ecotourism has become extremely popular and a growth sector in the Philippine economy," she said.

She also regaled the Indian film makers with the beautiful and captivating location sites in the Philippines for making movies; the Filipinos' creative talents, post production houses and other technical and logistical requirements.

As one of the neighbors of India in the East Asian region, President Arroyo told the press that she is looking forward to the revival of cultural ties and enhancement of economic, political, trade and diplomatic integration between the Philippines and India. "We are happy to be here to move the integration of our economies forward."

The nine (9) bilateral agreements

In the same India visit, the President signed nine (9) bilateral agreements that aimed to fortify the economic, political, security and cultural relations between India and the Philippines and these agreements are:

The Framework of RP-India Bilateral Relations and Agreement to Establish the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation are two agreements to identify priorities, set directions and lead RP-India relations to a new era in various areas of cooperation such as defense and security, health and medicine, trade and investments, energy, agriculture, tourism and culture.

The third agreement is the $150-million credit line from the Export and Import Bank of India. The President said that this loan hopes to finance transactions that will correct the lopsided nature of the country's trade in favor of India.

"With India now as one of the world's top economies with a new middle class of half a billion people, your internal market demand and domestic consumption can have a direct and positive impact on us in terms of job creation, balance of trade and investment," Arroyo told the Filipino-Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and India's Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Oberoi Hotel.

The fourth bilateral agreement is the RP-India Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism.

This agreement will enhance defense cooperation between the two countries as President Arroyo noted that defense cooperation must be more intensive that would include the exchange of military personnel and students; joint military exercises in non-combatant activities such as disaster response, peacekeeping, and other humanitarian actions.

"Indeed, terrorism is an international blight. If we are to fight terrorism together, we must strengthen our defense cooperation," Arroyo said.

The other agreements are on health and medicine. The Philippines is spending massively on health care that includes importing medicines from India as part of the Arroyo administration's program to cut by 50% the price of medicines commonly bought by the poor.

The President signed the Memorandum of Agreement in the Field of Health and Medicine and an Agreement between the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) for the purchase of $35-million worth of quality but affordable medicines from India.

Another important document is he Memorandum of Agreement on Enhanced Cooperation in the Field of Renewable Energy. The President told the Indian businessmen the country is developing its biofuels industry for "our energy independence, create jobs and keeps our nation clean for future generations."

She added that Praj Industries had informed her that they are ready to open their Philippine bio-ethanol plant soon and that the Philippines wants to explore joint ventures with Indian institutions to produce biofuel from sweet sorghum and Jatropha.

The President also said she has invited Indian corporations to participate in the privatization of the National Power Corporation (Napocor) and the National Transmission Corporation (Transco) as there were insinuations that Kapataru Power Transmission would join the bid for the December privatization of the national transmission grid.

The Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Foreign Service Institutes of the Philippines and India as well as the Memorandum of Agreement on the Waiver of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic Passports and Official Passports will hopefully liberalize the government's policy towards Indian nationals. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Cine Europa 10 opens in Cebu City tonight at Ayala Center Cebu

2007-10-16T19:52:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (5 October) -- Cine Europa fever hits Cebu City!

Experience the magic of film once more and the charm, grandeur, diversity and uniqueness of the culture and heritage of the European Union.

Watch out for Cine Europa as the festival marks its 10th year and opens in Onstage, Ayala Center Cebu tonight, 05 October 2007.

From Summer in Berlin to United Kingdom's Shakespeare classic Taming of the Shrew to Hungary's Sex and Nothing Else, this year's Cine Europa promises to be bigger and better with films coming from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

This year's festival is doubly significant, because we are celebrating both the 10th year of Cine Europa, and the 50th year of the Treaties of Rome

There will be an opening reception on 5 October 2007 by EC Ambassador Alistair MacDonald and British Ambassador Peter Beckingham. (representing the EU Presidency in the Philippines).

The Arts Council of Cebu's Adviser Consul Jaime Picornell will also provide a message as a major partner of Cine Europa 10 in Cebu City.

EC Ambassador MacDonald said that Cine Europa 10 has expanded and has got bigger and better to enable the European Union to share its unique yet diverse European culture and heritage to more people throughout the Philippines.

The festival has been held in Cebu City since 2001 in partnership with the Arts Council of Cebu City led by Ms. Petite Garcia.

Admission to the screenings is free on a first-come, first-served basis. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

OTOP Visayas showcase to open next week in Cebu

2007-10-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (5 October) -- A One Town One Product (OTOP) Permanent Showcase for the Visayas will formally open next Saturday, October 13 at the Natalie Accessories Shop in Ayala Center Cebu.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7) Regional Director Asteria Caberte said the OTOP Showcase will feature products of some 15 to 20 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the Visayas like raffia bags, fashion accessories, souvenir items, Capiz-based products and handicrafts made from local fibers. Capiz is a province of Region 6.

The opening and blessing of the Visayas OTOP Showcase is a joint activity of the DTI-7 and Aquarose Designs, Inc., an export company that deals mainly with fashion accessories.

OTOP-Philippines is a priority program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, which aids in promoting entrepreneurship and creating new jobs thereby improving the quality of life of the people in the long term.

Employment generation is a primary thrust of President Arroyo as she intends to fulfill her promise of providing 10M jobs before her term ends. In her 2007 State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA), the President bared her administration's accomplishments including the provision of six million jobs.

The presence of a permanent OTOP Showcase at Ayala Center, where retail product orders may be made and OTOP enterprises matched with wholesale buyers, is seen to further boost the product sales of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Visayas.

The opening is expected to be graced by Aquarose Designs President Joyce Natalie Yang, DTI-6 Dir. Dominic Abad, DTI-8 Dir. Cynthia Nierras, DTI-7 Dir. Asteria Caberte, Philexport-Cebu President Jennifer Cruz, Christina Angana of Hannah's Bags, Nilo Medidas of Medidas Native Products, Salmy Beltran of Hamtco Cooperative and many other OTOP SMEs.

A press conference will be held on October 13, 9:00 in the morning at the Oh George Café in Ayala to provide the local media more information regarding the OTOP showcase, OTOP updates and future projects for SMEs.

The SMEs in the Philippines have been acknowledged by local leaders as major job providers for Filipinos, aiding the government in its goal to reduce unemployment and alleviate poverty. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Cebuano News: Pilipinas dili mahadlok sa globalisasyon, matud ni PGMA

2007-10-16T19:39:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (4 October) -- Namahayag si Presidente Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, atol sa iyang pagbisita sa nasud Tsina, nga dili mahadlok ang Pilipinas sa globalisasyon, hinoon mahimo kining ang-ang pagbuntog sa kalisud ug tulay ngadto sa modernisasyon.

Ang paspas nga paglambo sa ekonomiya sa Tsina gilauman nga moabli ug bag-ong luna sa negosyo ug pamuhunan taliwa sa duha ka nasud, matud sa presidente.

Sa gipahigayon nga Philippine Business and Investment Forum (PBIF) pinangunahan sa Shanghai Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SOCCC) kagahapon, si Presidente Arroyo namahayag nga ang Pilipinas padayong nangita ug ka-tambayayong sa multilateral ug bilateral trade aron makasalmot kini sa globalisasyon.

Matud niya, ang pagpalihok sa Doha Round sa World Trade Organization (WTO) pabor gayud sa Pilipinas ug makaayo sa tanang nasud.

Kumpyansa ang presidente nga ang kinatibuk-ang relasyon sa Pilipinas ug Tsina mas ligdong na sa pagka-karon ug nga duna pa kini kalakip nga mga proyekto nga diin maoy makapalawom pa unya sa panagbaylo-ay sa natad sa negosyo ug pamuhunan tali sa nahisgutang mga nasud.

Ang presidente nagkanayun nga ang Tsina maoy ika-tulo nga pinaka-daku nga partner sa Pilipinas.

Iya usab nga gipamahayag nga resulta sa mga reporma sa panalapi ubos sa iyang administrasyon, ang nasud Pilipinas nagsubay na sa dalan sa permanenting pagtubo sa ekonomiya ug sa paglig-on niini.

Ang pagdagsang sa puhunan, matud niya, gipunduhan na pinaagi sa multi-million-dollar nga puhunan sa mga dagku nga internasyunal nga kumpanya mao nga ang gobyerno hingusganong naningkamot pagmintinar sa mga positibong kalambu-an sa ekonomiya. (ECD/PIA 7)

NSC Gonzales rallies public servants to make personal commitment 'not to commit corruption'

2007-10-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (4 October) -- The political environment of the country today is the biggest threat to the Filipino people, not the conflict between government and Muslim/communist rebels although the latter continues to hound the country's political and economic growth.

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said this during the national convention of government internal auditors at the Grand Ballroom, Crown Regency Hotel, Guadalupe, Cebu City recently.

"Politics in our country has become so bad that it has hampered the delivery of government services," Gonzales lamented adding that bureaucratic red tape has also affected the efficient delivery of the same.

The NSC adviser took a crack pot at the political opposition specifically in the senate that seemed to abuse its powers. Members of the senate insult their guests or those people who are invited to their investigation and he recalled when he was ordered arrested and detained at the senate for contempt.

"We have to face the issue of corruption squarely," he told the more than 400 government auditors nationwide that attended the event and adding that it has almost became a shame to be a public servant because people think that those in government are corrupt and cheaters.

He said, he was affected with that impression. He wanted to resign from the cabinet but he thought, why not make it a personal commitment to help the Arroyo administration fight corruption in the bureaucracy.

"Let's look at corruption in a practical way," he suggested that instead of running after the grafters, government should review and revisit systems. "I am against witch hunting, I just want to change the system that gives public servants opportunities to commit corruption," Gonzales added.

He then appealed to all public servants to rally behind him and make a personal commitment "not to commit corruption" in your job.

The NSC adviser was very charismatic with his influence that the Association of Government Internal Auditors (AGIA) vowed to support him with his cause.

Encouraged with the spontaneous response from the auditors, Gonzales said he will create or organize a 'good governance society center' where information about corrupt practices of government employees and officials are accepted as well as help find solutions to the problems of corruption in the bureaucracy.

He further said that he is not yet sure how and what the organizational structure and operations would look like, but one thing is certain, this will be a society of government employees, officials and private individuals and groups that are more than committed to fight corruption in government. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

DOLE to reduce incidence of child labor by 75%

2007-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (4 October) -- To reduce the incidence of child laborers in the country by 75 percent by the year 2015 is the ultimate goal of the National Government as children working in hazardous conditions continue to be a global problem.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7) Regional Director Elias Cayanong bared they are currently working with partner agencies in the government and private sectors as well as non-government and people's organizations to improve the lives of working children and encourage them to go back to school.

Education is one of the very basic right of every child and that this must not be deprived of them.

Though poverty is the main factor that forced children under 18 years of age to work even in harmful circumstances, this is not an excuse for parents or those who hire minors to allow children to work in conditions that places their health and lives at risk,. according to Cayanong.

Cayanong was one of the guests of the recent PIA forum that tackled child labor in celebration of the National Children's Month every October.

The DOLE-7 chief cited seven areas that have been identified as hazardous conditions for working children which government strictly does not allow. These sectors include agriculture, mining, pyrotechnics, entertainment, deep-sea fishing and domestic work.

Agriculture remains to be the top sector where majority of the minors are seen toiling in plantations, harvesting crops and spraying chemical pesticides on fields particularly in the sugar industry, Cayanong noted.

Based on a 2003 report from the National Statistics Office, over 50 percent of working children in the Philippines is in the broad-based agri-sector accounting to about 2.1 Filipino children.

Cayanong revealed there are 2.4M Filipino minors working in the mentioned hazardous sectors while the data is gleaned last 2001 yet. Out of the figure, Central Visayas accounts to about 388T working minors.

The figure for Central Visayas however, has been challenged by some sectors as even the DOLE-7 official registry only accounted for about 26,800 child laborers, the DOLE-7 director said.

Of the total number of working children in the region, the bulk of the figure which is between 72 percent to 78 percent is found in the sugar industry, Cayanong said.

Region VII on the other hand, always grabbed the third or fourth spot when it comes to child labor incidence in the country. The top placer is the National Capital Region especially in Metro Manila followed by Region 4-A, this is learned.

Cayanong said they are now in talks with Southwestern University in Cebu City and Oriental Negros State University in Dumaguete City, Oriental Negros of the possibility of coming up with alternative courses for working children that allow them to work and go to school at the same time.

The time period we are looking at is between 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. or between 6:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., Cayanong disclosed but added that no time schedule has been finalized.

The DOLE-7 also launched their 'Angel Tree for Child Laborers" Project which aims to raise funds for working children in order to meet their education needs like the provision of school bags, school shoes and other basic necessities for children. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

DOLE launches 'Angel Tree for Child Laborers' project in Central Visayas

2007-10-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (4 October) -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7) recently launched the project 'Angel Tree for Child Laborers,' which aims to raise funds for the basic needs of working children.

DOLE-7 Regional Director Elias Cayanong said the project is implemented in a national level and that here in the region they are appealing to kind-hearted people to share what they have in kind and in cash so that immediate needs of working children can be addressed.

The project, launched during the weekly Kapihan sa PIA, is timed as the nation celebrates National Children's Month which is observed every October. This year's theme focused on "Bright Child: Karapatan nasa 'yo, Isigaw sa Buong Mundo."

A ceremonial gift-giving of 30 school bags by Cayanong to Atty. Nina Valezona, executive director of Share-A-Child Movement, Inc. punctuated the launching event. The Share-A-Child Movement, a non-government organization that also provides educational assistance to working children, is the recipient of the 30 school bags.

The 30 school bags given however will be given to the working children of Barangay Babag, a mountain barangay in Cebu City where majority of the minors work in the vegetable and cutflower industry.

Valenzona said their group is working with over 900 child laborers in Barangay Babag while these children are exposed to hazardous chemicals when using pesticide spray and sharp instruments during harvesting.

The Share-A-Child Movement, Inc. has 250 scholar-beneficiaries in the elementary, high school and college levels.

A Singaporean Youth Group that is partnering with Valenzona's group is coming over in November where they will also be donating school bags and school shoes to working children of Barangay Babag.

Cayanong said their primary objective of the government is to bring child laborers back to school while government cannot do it alone. This is the major reason why we are launching the project to involve the community in the cost sharing of such a humanitarian cause.

The DOLE-s role here is to serve as broker between children laborers that are officially recorded in their database and the donors who want to share anything to the working children.

For financial donations, Cayanong said a trust account will be set up that will be transparent for accounting purposes.

There are about 26,800 registered child laborers within Central Visayas in the DOLE-7 database. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

China is RP's 3rd largest trading partner

2007-10-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (4 October) -- China is now the fastest growing economy and the Philippines ' 3rd largest trading partner with a substantial trade surplus since 2002.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said this during her meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao during her state visit on the 58th anniversary of China recently.

Arroyo greeted President Hu and reaffirmed the country's strict adherence to the 'One-China Policy' and said that RP-China relationship is confident, mature and comprehensive.

She added that both countries have observed open dialog and trust in handling sensitive issues and explained the difficult desision to discontinue with the National Broadband Network Project and that she was counting on China for its understanding.

Chinese President Jintao Hu meanwhile said that China is committed to grow the relationship between both countries and that foreign and trade ministers of China and the Philippines have been busy working on a joint program for strategic cooperation and drawing up a five-year economic development agenda.

Hu likewise said that RP-China trade relations have been productive and have resulted in tangible results as he offered understanding obviously on the failed NBN project.

During the Philippine Business and Investment Forum (PBIF) held at the Grand Ballroom of Le Royal Meridien Hotel that was organized by the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SOCCC), Mrs. Arroyo told the most influential business organization in Shanghai that the Philippines is not afraid of globalization as she believes that it would be a stepping stone to poverty alleviation and the country's modernization.

She expects that her China visit will open up new avenues of trade and investment opportunities between both countries as she sees the expansion and progress of the Chinese economy under globalization.

"Like China, we believe in the power of global trading to alleviate poverty and modernize nations through market forces," she said.

The President told the businessmen that the Philippines has been aggressive in seeking multilateral and bilateral trade relationships in order to compete for the globalization.

Having a personal hands-on role in an attempt to move the DOHA Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks forward, the President strongly believed that this initiative is favorable for the Philippines, and good for the world.

Also during her China visit, President Arroyo joined other foreign dignitaries and celebrities who were invited by President Hu to witness the spectacular opening of the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2007 at the Shanghai Stadium.

Chinese President Hu thanked President Arroyo for gracing the Special Olympics, a 10-day sporting event for the intellectually challenged people from some 165 countries, including the Philippines, with a 70-man delegation, the biggest this year.

An estimated 80,000 spectators packed the Shanghai Stadium. The opening ceremony ended with a spectacular display of lights and fireworks and the lighting of the Olympic torch.

At their bilateral meeting earlier in the morning, President Arroyo and her Chinese counterpart affirmed their commitment to promote the interest of the intellectually disabled people. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

DA to set up food "bagsakan" centers nationwide

2007-10-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (3 October) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) is poised to set up additional barangay food terminals (BFT) and "bagsakan centers" in various parts of the country to control prices and availability of food.

Agriculture secretary Arthur Yap said, "to date, the DA has already opened 9 Bagsakan centers, and 13 barangay food terminal (BFTs) in various provinces in the country and it is projecting a total of two million beneficiaries from the BFTs it is setting up in the rest of Metro Manila, other regions, and in the country's economic zones."

In Cebu, the DA here will also put up three (3) barangay food terminals in barangays Pasil and Inayawan in Cebu City and one in Mandaue City.

Eduardo Lecciones, regional director of DA-7 said, these BFTs will the first in Central Visayas and "these will serve as the bagsakan centers of harvest from the various towns of the province," he added.

According to Lecciones, building food terminals is just one of the priority infrastructure projects of the department. "In Central Visayas, we included the setting up of flatbed dryers in the rice producing towns of Alicia, San Miguel, Carmen and Ubay in Bohol and in the cities of Bayawan and Canlaon in Negros Oriental," Lecciones said, as well as the repair of existing small-scale irrigation facilities in the region.

According to the DA, Yap initiated the food terminal/bagsakan centers concept during his first stint as DA secretary about 3 years ago. These bagsakan centers would directly link farm producers in the countryside to small wet markets in urban centers, eliminating unnecessary trading layers that unduly jack up prices of agricultural products and cut profits for small farmers and fisherfolks.

The project was partly funded by the Japan Grant Assistance for Underprivileged Farmers, also known as the 2KR grant, which aims to benefit Filipino farmers living below the poverty line.

Recently, the Mindanao Fruit Council members sold more than 1.4 metric tons of durian in just two hours when it brought exotic fruits such as durian, mangosteen, rambutan, marang and lanzones at the "bagsakan center" at Quezon City Circle. The fruits were mainly sourced from Davao City, Kidapawan City and North Cotabato.

"After our successful trial periods in the past few weeks, DA will formally launch these Mindanao fruits at all Bagsakan Centers in Metro Manila," Yap said, adding that prices will be cheaper than in the super markets.

"Because this part of our market linkage program, a kilo of durian in QC circle was only P80, lower than super market prices of P130 to P150," Yap said.

He also said that the DA also plans to talk with some airfreight companies, and ask for some special rates for the commodities.

"I hope that our fruits will be included also in their priority list because we received some complaints from producers that often their products are being bumped off. I'm sure the airline companies will help us on this," he added. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Central Visayas welcomes new regional police chief

2007-10-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (3 October) -- The Police Regional Office (PRO-7) in Central Visayas has a new regional director.

Chief Superintendent Ronald Roderos, the regional police deputy director for administration assumed office on Tuesday as the new PRO-7 chief. His appointment was signed by the new PNP director Avelino Razon immediately after the turnover ceremony at Camp Crame recently.

Roderos replaces Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio., Jr who was appointed as chief of the PNP Directorate for Operations at Camp Crame.

The new PRO-7 director was obviously beaming with pride with the appointment as he told the local media that he was very happy and his relatives too. "It is the dream of a police general to have a post that is right for his rank," Roderos smiled.

Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio turns over the PRO-7 command to Roderos in a ceremony today that will be attended by PNP Chief Avelino Razon, with "no arrival honors" per Razon's request saying that police officers are better seen on the streets than marching at ceremonies.

Alarcio visited Roderos yesterday and requested him to continue the rehabilitation of barangay Kampoot, Tuburan, a counter-insurgency project that he has initiated recently with the local government unit of Tuburan and the Association of Government Information Officers in the region (AGIO-7).

Roderos on his part said, he will continue all existing instructions, policies and directives that are still in effect. He also plans to revive the "Mamang Pulis" program that was initiated by PNP Chief Avelino Razon. "The concept is to bring back the glory of the police," Roderos said.

Roderos will meet with the local executives and visit police stations in the region but for now, it's his first day of work as PRO-7 Chief. He was presented with an arrested person who had standing warrants for robbery with violence and intimidation and attempted rape; approved the 45-day preventive suspension of Sr. Insp. Jose Liddawa and a press conference.

According to the police data, Roderos in 1992 served as UN peacekeeper in Cambodia. The PMA Alumni Assn gave him a UN peace medal and a cavalier award for his outstanding performance as a professional in police operations.

In 1999, he was awarded as the best senior field officer while he was provincial police office director of Zamboanga del Norte. Prior to his assignment in Cebu, Roderos was the district commander in Ormoc City and asst provincial director in Negros Occidental and he has also held various positions in various offices at Camp Crame.

It is public knowledge that Cebu governor Gwen Garcia endorsed Roderos' appointment while Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña recommended Chief Supt. Ireneo Bacolod. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Cebu Ports to buy shuttle buses, patrol craft to improve security, efficiency

2007-10-16T19:31:00.002-07:00

Cebu City (2 October) -- Eighteen (18) additional shuttle buses will soon be acquired by the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) before the year ends as part of their improvement and safety measures for passengers and cargo operations.

CPA deputy general manager Engr. Dennis Villamor said the CPA has three passenger terminals with only five buses which in not sufficient to ferry passengers.

Villamor bared there is a plan for cargo handling operations to be separate from the area services of passengers for efficiency and convenience.

Also in the pipeline for acquisition by the CPA before the end of the year is a patrol craft with a P5M budget allocation already set aside, according to Villamor.

The patrol craft is part of strengthening security measures surrounding the port and will also come in handy in times of assistance needed in sea rescue operations in coordination with the regional offices of the PNP Maritime Office and the Philippine Coast Guard.

Incidence of theft within the CPA compound has also been addressed as those who do not have official business inside the port are not allowed to go inside. The CPA also has long since demolished the informal settlers and eyesore structures within and just outside the port premises, Villamor said.

Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) acting port manager of Tagbilaran City Aurelio Gambuta likewise said they also imposed an access control regulation measure to ensure that nobody can enter the PPA grounds without any legitimate business.

As part of their anti-terror measure, the PPA provides all ports nationwide within their jurisdiction an x-ray machine detector that can spot bomb-making components, Gambuta declared.

The PPA has also allocated an initial P200M for the acquisition of 50 K9 dogs that are used to detect bombs and illegal products brought into the ships. The K9 dogs were made to breed so that ports across the country can have their own special bomb-detecting dogs. In Cebu, there are a total of seven K-9 dogs, this is said.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) - Visayas Command deputy commander Eduardo Fabricante disclosed the PCG Central Office has created the anti-terrorism unit based in Manila and that other coastguard units are also asked to form their own special operations group to respond to terrorism-related incidents or scenarios.

Fabricante however, said security measures must primarily be instituted by the port offices and the ship management in compliance with the International Port Safety Code. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Cebu officials favor Abalos' resignation

2007-10-16T19:31:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (2 October) -- The abrupt resignation of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos is just proper as an impeachment process in Congress will take a long time which means lawmakers will not be able to draft legislation which is their primary responsibility, commented a Cebu City councilor.

Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem who chairs the Committee on Transportation and Communication said if Abalos did not resign, congressmen will solely be busy on the process of unseating the Comelec chair and vital bills that need to be passed will have to be shelved aside.

House investigations are so time-consuming with the basis of conduct always in the guise of 'in aid of legislation,' Jakosalem said.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña on the other hand, bared Abalos did the right thing as he could not function effectively under the circumstances with allegations hurled against him hanging over his head.

Cebu City North District representative Raul del Mar was quoted in a press statement that Abalos was "being most sensitive to the sentiments of the people."

Del Mar who is the deputy House speaker for the Visayas stated "In the bar of public opinion, he is already deemed guilty no matter what he says or does. With the resignation of Abalos, the impeachment complaint filed against him has become moot and academic."

Rep. Pablo John Garcia, vice chairman of the House committee on justice said Abalos' resignation spares Congress and the people from another sideshow. In the impeachment proceedings, evidences are secondary and grandstanding is primary, Garcia added.

Cebu City South District Rep. Antonio Cuenco said it could have been very difficult for the Comelec chief to arrive at such a decision.

The three Cebuano legislators are one in saying that Abalos' resignation was an "honorable thing to do."

Victory for the people is what Bayan Muna secretary general Arman Perez described Abalos' resignation. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

DA says GMO products are scientifically proven safe

2007-10-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (1 October) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) says that genetically modified (GM) products have been scientifically proven to be safe to the consumers and to the environment contrary to fears raised by some environmentalists.

Dr. Saturnina Halos, chief of the DA-Biotech Advisory Team (DA-BAT) assured the consumers that all GMOs that are approved for commercial release whether for food, feed or processing are safe and do not pose health risks to both the consumers and the environment

Halos explained that all GM products were subjected to a rigorous science-based safety assessment and the most stringent biosafety regulations by competent authorities and experts to make sure that they are safe and do not have harmful effects to the users and the environment.

Halos added that all GMO applications have to pass through a wringer comprised of several layers of assessments from independent scientists, all of whom are accorded the time to check on the organisms, report their findings and subject the GM products to repeated tests for toxicity and impact on indigenous plants and animals.

Apart from the safety assessment by experts from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and other regulatory agencies of the DA, the Scientific Technical Review Panel (STRP), an independent scientific body, also evaluates the GMO applications, the DA-BAT said.

She also noted that safety protocol followed by the Philippines competes with the system operating in the European Union (EU), which has the strictest scientific regulations as far as GMOs are concerned.

To prove her claim, Halos said none of the 44 GMO products approved by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) since December 2002 has caused any ailment among the farmers who planted them and the people who consumed them. The first GMO to be approved for commercial release in the Philippines in December 2002 was the pest-resistant Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn, which is now cultivated all over the country.

"All 44 GMO applications approved for commercial release in the Philippines have undergone careful review by other scientific bodies and equally competent authorities. They are as safe as their non-GMO counterparts," Halos said.

Halos added that aside from the safety assessment by experts from the BPI and the STRP, the process of approval calls for public consultations, from the initial evaluation of the technology to the testing in greenhouses, then in individual field tests and then to testing in multiple sites.

She concluded that before GMOs are released for field applications and finally to the market, the GMOs had undergone a very tedious process of public consultations, meetings with various stakeholders and careful evaluation of issues and concerns, thus farmers, consumers, medical practitioners and critics are accorded the opportunity to check on the GMOs.

As these developed, the country is pushing for international guidelines in bio-tech trade that will govern the import and export of Genetically Modified (GM) products.

Jennifer Ng in her article at the Business Mirror wrote that Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is currently meeting and in the middle of discussion in Chiba, Japan on the proposed guidelines that will govern international bio-tech trade.

Dr. Emelea Cao, director of the National Sciences Research Institute at the University of the Philippines is the country's representative to the Codex ad hoc inter-government task force on foods derived from biotechnology and she has been active in giving inputs to the CAC.

"We are very active in giving our inputs because we want to make sure that the country would be able to maximize the benefits from biotechnology trade in the future," Cao said.

According to Cao, the Codex guidelines will govern testing procedures, safety protocols and tolerance levels in place to prevent the occurrence of 'illegal events or contamination."

While the implementation of the proposed guidelines is voluntary, Cao said the guidelines will be a good reference point especially for countries that are keen on importing biotechnology products.

Paul Green, a consultant with the International Grain Trade Coalition, earlier said guidelines that will govern the international trade of GM products would help prevent food shortages caused by a number of factors, such as the rise in demand for biofuels, Ng wrote. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Funds for October elections available, says COMELEC

2007-09-17T19:50:00.002-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (17 September) — The Commission on Election (COMELEC) says funds are now available for the October 29 SK and barangay elections.

COMELEC commissioner Resurreccion Borra said, the COMELEC has already received an initial budget of P664-million for the October 29 elections and it will be used in printing the ballots, election returns and other materials that are needed in preparations for the actual elections.

Borra said that the COMELEC needs to print about 45 million ballots for the barangay and another 5 million ballots for the SK. He explains that the initial P664-million is part of the P2.6-billion budget the DBM allocated for the October barangay and SK elections.

He also clarified that the local government units are no longer obliged to counterpart allocations, specifically for the transportation allowances and honoraria of the members of the Board of Election Tellers (BET) because the COMELEC en banc had approved a resolution that allocate P300 per member for the transportation allowance and P500/member as honorarium if they serve at the SK polls.

In similar developments, Barangay Guadalupe, one of the largest barangays in Cebu City has appropriated about P350T for its election-related expenses during the October polls.

Guadalupe barangay captain, Eugenio Faelna said, “We support the elections, we will even spend for it.” The appropriations signified the barangays’ readiness and its objections to postpone the elections, as some congressmen proposed, he added.

The appropriation resolution still needs the approval of the Cebu City council that has tabled it for discussion on its September 19 session.

In Malacañang however, the President told women participants of the Women’s National Electoral Assembly 2007 at the PICC in Pasay City that they must campaign for the modernization of our electoral processes—voting, counting and canvassing, starting with the forthcoming barangay elections.

Addressing the 2-day national assembly, the president called on fellow women leaders to exercise the right to vote to achieve the right of women to have more economic choices, to determine the future of their lives and the lives of their families.

The assembly commemorates the signing by President Manuel L. Quezon on September 15, 1937 of the Philippine Suffrage Act which, gave women equal right to vote. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

RSC endorses qualifiers for Nat’l Search for Outstanding Volunteer

2007-09-17T19:50:00.001-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (17 September)—The Regional Screening Committee (RSC) of the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) endorses today two qualifiers; Enrique Felisario from the individual category and Albert Schweitzer Familienwork Foundation Phils., Inc (ASFFPI), group category to the national level for the Search for Outstanding Volunteer (SOV) this year.

The Search for Outstanding Volunteer (SOV) is an annual search for individuals and groups that have provided voluntary service in the Philippines. It aims to highlight and recognize the exemplary performance and dedication to service of Filipino volunteers in building strong communities across the country through volunteerism.

The RSC and its validating team went on site validation, interviewed the nominees and rated them based on the PNVSCA-SOV guidelines and criteria that include qualities for 25 pts; performance 40 pts and impact of volunteer assistance, 35pts.

Nominees were pre-screened at the regional levels to shortlist a maximum of 3 nominees for the national level based on documents submitted and selection criteria.

The Regional Screening Committee shall then select one regional qualifier each for individual (Youth and adult) and group categories and these are submitted to the national screening committee. Each regional qualifier must have a rating of at least 85% to qualify for the national award.

Qualifiers’ profiles

Enrique “Erick” Felisario qualifier for the individual youth category is currently a volunteer worker for more than six (6) years now at the Youth Zone, a project of the Cebu Remedios Aids Foundation, Inc. that is situated at the Collonade mall in Colon, Cebu City.

Instead of playing, the young Erick has been a volunteer since he was 12 years old helping in any community activity thus, volunteerism comes naturally for him. He used all his free class hours daily and even weekends to assist in the various activities and advocacies of the Youth Zone that are focusing on youth programs on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS/STI, Gender Sensitivity and Sexuality.

As a volunteer, he has served in the depressed barangays of Cebu City and in schools through capacitating and empowering the youth, specifically the Out-of-School Youth (OSY) via training, briefing, seminars and IEC activities on reproductive health and family/population management; HIV/AIDS and STI as well as responsible parenthood.

Through his active volunteerism, he has received 8 awards and recognitions one of which is the 2006 Outstanding Cebuano Youth Leader for various activities in line with his services and assistance to the OSY and students in Cebu City, working closely with government agencies, other NGOs and private sectors.

Albert Schweitzer Familienwerk Foundation Phils., Inc. (ASFFPI) for the group category on the other hand is a local chapter of Albert Schweitzer-Germany that focuses on helping children that are abandoned by providing shelter and other basic needs for survival, protection, development and participation.

It office is located at 710 Trinity Plaza, Escario St., Cebu City while its training center and half-way home for children are situated Cordova town.

The organization’s hopes to create a world that is free from violence, abuse and exploitation by building strong families with solid spiritual values and beliefs; to provide for a package of social interventions and other services to children, women, families, elderly and the differently-able persons.

The organization has consistently assisted abandoned children by providing the shelter at its Children’s Haven at Cordova; send them to school and assist in the adoption proceedings of children who have no families.

It has also devised module program advocacies on the rights of women, children, youth, PWDs and the elderly; training on family strengthening, child rearing and abuse prevention; prepared a training module on the cycle of criminality, domestic violence prevention, problem solving and decision-making and anger management.

Recently, ASFFPI has trained an inter-agency team network throughout the country on the cycle of domestic violence; counseling to victims of violence as well as the perpetrators of domestic violence.

The Regional Screening Committee in Cebu is composed if the regional directors of NEDA-7, PIA-7, CSC-7 and 2 private sector representatives (one from UPCollege-Cebu and one from the Mag-uugmad Foundation).

It can be recalled that the Search for Outstanding Volunteers that is open to all individuals of Filipino citizenship and Filipino volunteer organizations or local chapters of organizations of foreign volunteer organizations that are currently providing volunteer assistance in the country.

The national volunteer award is a recognition conferred on outstanding volunteer individuals and organizations that are chosen from among the regional qualifiers.

The regional qualifiers shall receive certificates of recognition while national awardees shall receive trophies and recipients of the Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award shall receive medals and certificates of recognition. Awarding of winners will be done sometime in December 2007. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Rotary to plant one million mangroves for Cebu

2007-09-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (12 September) – Rotary district 3860 hopes to plant one million Mangroves for Cebu within the Rotary year July 2007-June 2008 with a kick off planting of 5000 propagules and seedlings on September 15 at Cotcot, Liloan, Cebu to coincide with the celebration of Cleanup the World Weekend.

In a press release, District Governor Michael Joseph “Yumi” Espina said, “Rotarians recognize the importance of mangroves in our islands’ marine ecosystem. In Cebu where the rate of depletion and degradation is very high, Rotary will be working with DENR, and the local government units in the province to establish and sustain mangrove nurseries and their management.”

Each Rotary club in Cebu will have a designated “adopted area” in the province where they will plant mangrove seedlings and propagules. Rotary will help generate funds for propagule collection, nursery and seedling maintenance and protection activities of the various local government units and people’s organizations that will help the Rotarians in this project.

The project is in partnership with the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF), Department of Environment and Natural Resources, municipality of Liloan, Clean Up the Philippines and the Office of the Provincial Governor.

A written commitment to support the Rotary district’s Mangrove Reforestation program was inked on August 17 between Rotary District 3860 and the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation Inc.

Plans are already afoot for another mangrove planting activities in the towns of San Remegio and Ronda. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN with Lilu Aliño)

Cebu City council goes hi-tech

2007-09-17T19:46:00.001-07:00

Cebu City, Philippines (13 September)—The Cebu City Sanggunian Panglungsod (SP) wants to get the P4-million worth of a “state-of-the art” sound and video system for the newly renovated legislative (session) hall.

Cebu City Vice-Mayor and SP presiding officer Michael Rama said, “it’s about time for Cebu City to go high-tech by acquiring a ‘state-of-the-art’ equipment that is sophisticated, long lasting and is globally competitive that befits a highly urbanized city like Cebu!”

Rama explains, the system is called a Digital Congress Network Sound and Video System (DCNCVS) that has tele and video conferencing features.

To understand the system, the Cebu City Council (in one of its sessions) invited possible suppliers –Datavox, Microdata Systems & Management Inc., Yupangco and Cebu Appliance Center for product presentations.

The equipment is described as a state-of-the-art tele/video conferencing sound system that will be set up at the session hall where each councilor is provided with a portable or flush mount microphone that is equipped with voting, agenda handling and messaging features and the VM’s unit comes with an LCD monitor.

For those councilors who have difficulty in the English language, the system is also capable of translating 35 or more languages, thus convenient for everyone.

According to the presentations, some cables and accessories are hooked up to the telephones, internet and cable TV allowing the proceedings or sessions to be viewed by those who are not in the session hall thus councilors who are sick or out of town can still participate in the discussion and voting certain resolutions and or ordinances.

“They wouldn’t have any excuse of missing the deliberations and voting in regular sessions,” Rama commented.

The public too in their homes through cable TV, internet or telephones can already participate, ask questions or even watch their councilors in deep and serious discussions on ordinances, resolutions and their advocacies, the suppliers said.

With this SOA sound and video system, voting, recording, agenda preparation and even attending sessions become very convenient for the council and the secretariat as well. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Where were you when Erap’s verdict was handed down?

2007-09-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (12 September)—Today seems to be one of the most unforgettable days in our political lives, wrote a local columnist here in Cebu.

It looks like the nation’s fate hangs on the former President Joseph Estrada’s “HATOL” from the time he ran as president in 2001 to the time of his impeachment and now the verdict of guilty or not guilty of his plunder case.

Two of the local papers in Cebu had editorials on the ERAP verdict. The SUN STAR DAILY has “ERAP conviction or acquittal must rest solely on evidence” and The FREEMAN reads, “Country first before Estrada:”

“What is interesting though is that every time that a historical or a political event unfolds in the country, it seems a lot of ado comes from the national capital. The Freeman editorial hits the nail when it said …”What is ironic is that instead of being happy this sordid episode in our lives is about to come to an end, most people are instead seized by feelings of great trepidation.”

“That is because most of the 87 million Filipinos simply have no idea what is going to happen next. The country is once again back in a situation where the majority is being held hostage by a few. Guilty or not, the fate of the nation will once again be determined by what happens in Metro Manila.”

“Metro Manila is not the nation….true, the seat of power may be in Metro Manila. But it does not follow the fate of the nation has to be decided there every time. In case people have forgotten, it was Cebu that completed EDSA-1 in 1986. In other words, the rest of the Philippines must start asserting itself. It must not allow the fate of the nation to be dictated in the streets of Metro Manila alone.”

As the verdict was read this morning, acquittal of the perjury case and guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the plunder case, Cebu was quiet but not angry. There were no protest groups on the streets, business went as usual.

Teodor Locson, VP for external affairs of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCCI) said, “The local business community will not be affected by the promulgation. It will be business as usual in Cebu.”

In Bohol, two (2) local radio stations aired the Sandigan Bayan proceedings. Mixed reactions were gathered from the listening public including the media but majority was satisfied with the verdict of guilty in the plunder case.

According to the Bohol PNP director, there were no activities monitored that publicly showed sympathy and support to the former president.

In Negros Oriental, Provincial Board Member Melimore Saycon said, “we have to give it to the Sandigan Bayan that the decisions they have arrived at have been properly deliberated. Everybody is equal in the face of law. Let us respect and accept whatever the verdict on his case. Let us stay calm and follow the rule of law.”

Finally, Presidential spokesperson, Secretary Ignacio Bunye said, “We bow to the decision of the Sandigan Bayan. We hope and pray that the rule of law will prevail. Meantime, we have a country to run, an economy to grow and a peace to win. We hope that this sad episode in our history will not permanently distract us from our goals.”

As Sun Star columnist Bobby Nalzaro declared, “We don’t want to experience another political turmoil. Enough is enough!”

Indeed! (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

IRIGASYON OG KADALANAN DAGKO OG PAHAT SA 2008 BUDGET

2007-09-05T00:56:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (September 5, 2007) – Mamahimo na unya nga mas malambuon og mas sayon ang agrikultura sa nasod kung maimplementar na ang dugang binilyon ka pesos nga proyekto sa irigasyon og kadalanan latas sa mga kabukiran .

Sa iyang pagbisita sa Nueva Ecija sa Central Luzon, gibutyag ni Presidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo nga ang kagamhanan nigahin og otso bilyones alang sa dugang irigasyon og singko bilyones ka pesos alang sa kadalanan nga giisip farm-to-market roads nga gilakip na sa budget sa nasod sunod tuig.

Kini gawas pa sa tres bilyones ka pesos kapin nga gigahin alang sa pagpaayo sa mga nangadaot nga irigasyon sa nasod.

Sa nasayran, ang Sugbo, Bohol og Negros Oriental dinhi sa tunga-tungang Kabisay-an adunay mga dagkong dam nga natukod.

Usa niini mao ang dako nga dam sa barangay Can-asuhan sa lungsod sa Carcar dinhi sa Sugbo. (Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

UNANG DOMIGGO SA BAR EXAMS MALINAWON

2007-09-05T00:55:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (September 3, 2007) – Sa pagsugod sa upat ka Dominggo nga bar examinations kagahapon, ang Korte Suprema nidili sa pagsaba og siyagit siyagit sa mga mga estudyante og uban pang mga supporters sa mga nikuha sa maong bar exam.

Ang mga supporters, magtutudlo, mga fraternity og uban pang estudyante igo na lang sa pagpahigayon og hilom nga pagpadangat sa ilang suporta sa mga bar examinees nasagmuyo nga nagpundok sa gawas sa De La Salle University sa kauluhan.

Kung mahinumduman, ang Korte Suprema nimando sa tanan sa dili pagsaba-saba sa panahon sa bar exams aron mahimong hapsay og malikayan ang kaguliyang sa panahon sa bar exam.

Ang pipila ka libo ka mga bar examinees gilaumang motapos sa ilang pasulit sa ikaupat nga Dominggo, petsa biente tres ning bulan sa Septembre.

Ang bar examination maoy giisip nga pinakalisud nga eksaminasyon sa nasod. (Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

ERC MIMANDO PAG-OS-OS SA BAYRANAN SA KURYENTE SUGOD OKTUBRE

2007-09-05T00:54:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (September 3, 2007) – Ang Energy Regulatory Commission gikatakda nga mopakanaog og bag-o nga direktiba alang sa pag-os-os sa bayranan sa elektrisidad nga magagikan sa Napocor sunod bulan.

Sa press statement nga gipagawas sa Malacañang sa niaging semana, nasayran nga ang resolusyon sa ERC momando sa kapin sa piso nga pag-os-os matag kilowatt hour base na usab sa Incremental Currency Exchange Rate Adjustment sa ginansya sa Napocor nga nikabat og setenta y otso bilyones ka pesos adtong tuig dos mil singko og saez cienta y singko bilyones sa tuig dos mil saez.(Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

Cebu guv angered over busted bridge cameras

2007-09-05T00:46:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (05 September)—Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia lambasted a contractor over busted cameras that were put up on the two Mandaue-Mactan bridges in time for the 12^th ASEAN Summit late last year and early this year.

In a regular meeting of the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) recently, the Regional Maritime Office-7 reported that out of 10 surveillance cameras on the two bridges, only two cameras are working.

RMO and the DPWH in the region also reported that workers from Gampik, the contractor of the controversial lampposts had accidentally cut or damaged the cables for the closed-circuit TV (CCTVs) and it was blamed for the mal-function of the traffic lights along the Mandaue side of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

These issues had already surfaced in several meetings in the past five months. The governor, who chairs the MCBMB could not contain her anger this time and demanded that Gampik with California Electronics must coordinate with each other, with the supervision of the DPWH-7 to restore the traffic lights and the cameras and “set things right!”

“You restore them or I will sue you! The governor said. “I will use whatever power I have as governor of this province to see to it that you set things right,” she said angrily.

Jock Parba, manager of California Electronics (the contractor of the CCTV/cameras) said, all 10 cameras were installed in late August and were working well in November 2006.

These cameras were installed last year to monitor traffic flow and address the safety and security concerns of the ASEAN Summit and the MCBMB had already paid California Electronics more than half a million pesos for those cameras.

To restore ease and comfort of the MCBMB meeting, both contractors (Gampik and California Electronics) promised to work together and repair all CCTV units by September 12 and the traffic lights at the UN Avenue by September 18.

“All’s well that ends well” but safety and security of the two bridges continue to occupy a good portion in the discussion.

Gen. Ronald Roderos, PRO-7 deputy director for administration proposed the hiring of private security guards (blue guards) to man the Marcelo Fernan Bridge on a 24-hour basis with a 12-hour shift and any losses on the bridge will be shouldered by the contracted security agency. This will cost the MCBMB some P620,000 annually.

Roderos said, the DCDO/Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) will be responsible in supervising and coordinating the security and protection of the bridges on a daily basis.

With the blue guards manning the new bridge, problems of vandalism, cable pilferages, suicides, car accidents, overloading and the like can now be prevented.

The MCBMB approved Roderos’ proposal and the board’s bids and award committee will be meeting soon to discuss the details of the bidding for publications. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

PGMA mimando sa SSS paglugway sa condonation program

2007-09-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Gimandu-an ni Presidente Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ang Social Security System (SSS) nga lugwayan pa ang housing loan condonation program niini sa laing unom pa ka buwan ug kusganong giduso ang pag-apil sa mga Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) sa iyang 27 ka milyon nga miyembro.

Ang pangulo mipalusad sa maong kamandu-an atol sa ika-50 nga anibersaryo sa nahisgutang ahensya kagahapon.

Isip kabahin sa social payback sa mga reporma nga gihimo sa gobyerno, ang presidente namahayag nga ang condonation sa penalidad ug pag-restructure sa housing loans naka-benepisyo na sa kapin 6,000 nga mga miyembro sa SSS.

Sa nanglabay nga pipila ka tuig, ang SSS, ug ang ubang ahensya nga gitugyanan pagpanukot ug buhis, nag-implementar ug nagkalain-lain nga mga reporma nga diin mi-resulta ug taas nga koleksyon.

Hinungdan niini, matud sa presidente, mitubo ang mga asset sa SSS ngadto sa P248 billion ug ang iyang investment income sa milabay nga unom ka buwan miabot na ug P15.58 billion.

Kabahin sa gasa ngadto sa mga Pilipino nga mga mamumu-o nunot sa anibersaryo, ang presidente miingon nga ang SSS mipausbaw sa pension sa iyang mga miyembro makaduha na sa naglabay nga 12 ka buwan, 10 porsyento sa milabay nga Septembre sa miagi nga tuig ug laing 10 porsyento sa milabay lang nga buwan.

Miaghat usab ang presidente ngadto sa SSS pagpalapad sa iyang membership lakip na ang mga OFWs, labi na kadtong mga manakayan ug barko, ingon man ang plano pag-amendar sa Charter sa ahensya ug ang pag-institutionalize sa actuarial standards ug mga formula.

Gipasalamatan sa presidente ang nahisgutang buhatan tungod sa paghatag niini ug P1 bilion isip special window alang sa micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) diin, matud niya, dunay daku nga natampo paghatag ug trabaho sa nasud.

Ang presidente mipahalipay kan SSS President Corazon de la Paz isip una nga babaye nga Asyano nga nangulo sa International Social Security Association (ISSA). (ECD/PIA 7)

CFO to conduct info campaign on international migration and intermarriages

2007-09-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

To protect those who are planning to migrate abroad from becoming prey to human traffickers and illegal recruiters, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) will conduct its annual Community Education Program (CEP) in Bohol and Siquijor on September 9-16.

CFO Acting Executive Director Jennifer O. Gonzales said this education and information campaign aims to inform those who are contemplating either to work abroad or to marry foreign nationals on various issues concerning migration and intermarriages to raise their level of awareness on these issues.

Gonzales further informed this information campaign will also orient prospective migrants on government policies and programs directed against illegal recruitment, documentation fraud and human trafficking.

In an effort to reach wider audience, CFO, together with the representatives of some government agencies, is set to conduct symposia in schools, hold dialogues with non-government organizations, religious leaders and local government and community leaders in these provinces.

CFO also set to conduct press briefings and interviews with the different media outfits in these areas, Gonzales said.

Among the areas CFO will visit are Tagbilaran City and Panglao town in Bohol and Larena and Siquijor in the island province of Siquijor.

These provinces were reported to have large number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) among the provinces in Central Visayas. (PIA 7/ECD)

NAVFORCEN on Community Outreach

2007-09-03T16:46:00.002-07:00

Cebu City (September 02, 2007)---The Naval Forces Central (NAVFORCEN) has been conducting a series of Community Outreach Programs since June of this year in Brgy Gilutongan, Cordova, Cebu in commemoration of its 30^th Foundation Anniversary on October 19, 2007.

A total of three hundred (300) adults and children availed of the free medical and dental services rendered by the medical and dental teams of NAVFORCEN, Central Command, and 7^th Regional Community Defense Group, Philippine Army on August 25, 2007 under the leadership of COMMODORE ROBERTO Q ESTIOKO AFP.

The activity was in cooperation with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) that donated the medicines during the said activity that benefited mostly the many of our less fortunate residents in the area especially those at the grass roots level who cannot afford to avail of basic health services.

Michel Lhuillier provided sports equipment and financial assistance while the Kiwanis Club of Cebu – Mandaue North donated various school supplies to Gilutongan Elementary School.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Civil Military Operations Group Command (CMOGC) on the other hand, initiated other Community Relations activities in the barangay such as Feeding Program which was sponsored by Kiwanis Club Cebu-Mandaue North, Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation, and the VIMCONTU Broadcasting Corporation.

Moreover, the First Aid and Basic Life Support Seminar was also conducted with the assistance of personnel from the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation.

Twenty (20) garbage bins were also donated after the joint coastal clean-up activity last June 23 with the Association of Government Information Officers in Region 7. (PIA-7/HFG)

CV is still bird flu and FMD free

2007-09-03T16:46:00.001-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (04 September)—The Department of Agriculture in region 7 (DA) had declared once again that Central Visayas is still bird flu and FMD free.

“There is nothing to fear that bird flu and hog cholera might spread in the region as it hit the hog farms in Bulacan recently. We have been closely monitoring the various animal farms in Central Visayas,” Eduardo Lecciones, DA-7 regional director said in a media interview yesterday.

Lecciones added that the DA-7 is constantly on the look-out and are not letting off its guard in continuously monitoring these diseases among the various animal farms in the region. “We continue to immunize and vaccinate farm animals and we are coordinating with the various LGUs specifically those with livestock and poultry farms.”

The DA regional director also revealed that a bird flu diagnostic laboratory costing more than a million pesos is now under construction and is expected to open anytime within the month of September.

The Avian Influenza Diagnostic Laboratory in Cebu City, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga were among the recommendations made by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to be constructed to facilitate the detection of the AI-virus as well as for the immediate testing of specimens, he said.

According to Davino Catbagan, the regional head of the BAI-Central Visayas, presently, specimens and samples of poultry products are shipped for testing to the Regional AI-Diagnostic Lab in Pampanga, the very first diagnostic facility in the country to detect the bird flu virus.

These new diagnostic labs in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga were funded from a grant from the Japanese Trust Fund and when completed shall comply with international standards for a bio-safety laboratory that are capable of conducting various test to immediately detect the presence of the bird flue virus in both live and dead samples, Catbagan explained. (PIA-7/MBCN)

DOLE VII MISUSI SA MGA ESTABLISYEMENTO SA SUGBO

2007-08-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (August 16, 2007) – Dugang niini, gibutyag sab ni Sarcauga nga agi og pagseguro nga luwas og nagdawat sa saktong suhulan ang mga mamumuo sa Sugbo, nagpadayon na karon ang pag-inspection sa mga establishemento nga adunay trabahante nga adunay napulo pataas.

Matud ni Sarcauga, kini unang bahin pa lang sa ilang inspeksyon nga miresulta sa pag-imbestigar sa lima ka mga kompanya nga nakalapas sa lagda sa labor department.

Sa nasayran, ang labor department nakahimo nag pag-inspeksyon sa duol tres cientos ka mga establisyemento dinhi sa syudad sa Sugbo.(PIA-7/RMC)

OPISYAL SA DOLE MIAWHAG SA MGA EMPLOYERS PAG-ALIMA SA MGA MAMUMUO

2007-08-15T20:12:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (August 16, 2007) – Giawhag sa usa ka opisyal sa Department of Labor and Employment ang mga nanag-iya og mga kompanya sa paghatag og maayong benepisyo lakip na sa saktong suhulan tungod kay kuyaw kung ang mga mamumuo mag-alburuto.

Kini maoy gipamahayag sa Assistant Regional Director sa DOLE Central Visayas nga si Exequiel Sarcauga.

Matud niya, ang mga mamumuo kung dili maayo ang mga nadawat nga benepisyo posibleng moresulta sa pagpugong sa paglambo sa negosyo kay dili na man mag-ayo og trabaho ang mga mamumuo nga hinungdan na sab unya sa krisis sa ekonomiya. (Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

Cebu hosts Rotary VisMin multi-district conference

2007-08-15T01:25:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (16 August)–- Rotarians from Southern Philippines will meet in Cebu for the Visayas-Mindanao Multi-District Conference on August 17 at the Grand Convention Center and August 18 at the Cebu International Convention Center.

Jose Ma. Luis Cupin, conference chairman said, more than 800 Rotarians from Districts 3850, 3860 and 3870 are expected to attend the gathering.

He added that the multi-district conference aims to update Rotarians on the latest news from Rotary International particularly on the Rotary Foundation and Membership Development and at the same time serve as a fellowship and gathering of friends.

“We are honored with the presence of an international dignitary, Past Rotary International President Bichai Rattakul who will talk on the Rotary Foundation today”, says Cupin.

Rotary leaders coming from the U.S. , Australia and the Philippines will complete the panel of speakers.

Major donors of the Rotary Foundation and New Paul Harris Fellows will also be honored during the event and the induction of the officers of the Philippine College of Rotary Governors by PRIP Bichai Rattakul will also highlight the activity.

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.

Past Rotary International President (PRIP) and Rotary Foundation Trustee, Bichai Rattakul will be the guest of honor and main speaker of the conference on August 17, 2007 at the Grand Convention Center and August 18 at the Cebu International Convention Center .

Bhichai Rattakul was educated in Bangkok and HongKong and received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Political Science from the University of Ramkhanhaeng in Bangkok and Kensington University in California .

A Member of the Thailand Parliament for nine terms since 1969 and Leader of the Democrat Party, Bhichai Rattakul has served his country as Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of Parliament.

He has also led many Thai delegations to the United Nations. Mr. Rattakul is the Thailand Goodwill Representative for International Cooperation. He is Honorary Vice President of the Thai Scout Council and he has also served as Chairman of the Anti Corruption Commission, Anti Drugs Commission, National Audit Commission and the 13^th Asian Games Organizing committee.

He has been decorated with Special Class Honor from the King of Thailand and honors from the Emperor of Japan, Presidents of the Philippines , Korea , Austria , and Nicaragua . He was also awarded the highest International Olympic Award and the Asian Olympic Award by the International Olympics Committee.

Bhichai Rattakul joined the Rotary Club of Dhonburi in Bangkok as a charter member in 1958 and has served Rotary International as district governor, international assembly group discussion leader, member and chairman of the Executive Committee of Rotary International. He is the recipient of The Rotary Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award and Citation for Meritorious Service for his support of Rotary’s international humanitarian and educational programs. He served as president of Rotary International in 2002-03. (PIA-Cebu MBCN w/ PR from Lilu Aliño)

RTWPB ANDAM MODAWAT SA LAING WAGE PROPOSAL SA LABOR SECTOR

2007-08-15T01:23:00.002-07:00

Cebu City (August 15, 2007) – Andam ang Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board dinhi sa tunga-tungang Kabisay-an nga modawat sa lain na sab nga proposal alang sa wage increase gikan sa labor sector.

Kini maoy pamahayag sa Assistant Regional Director sa Labor Department dinhi sa Central Visayas, Exequiel Sarcauga.

Matud ni Sarcauga, wa siyay nakita nga babag aron dili dawaton sa RTWPB ang bisan unsa nga bag-ong proposal alang sa wage increase.

Sa nasayran, sayo sa niaging semana, gibasura sa rtwpb ang 75 peso og 136 peso wage increase nga giproponir sa labor sector.(Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu/MBCN)

MGA TRABAHUAN SA NASOD, NAGPABILIN GIHAPONG DI LUWAS

2007-08-15T01:23:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (August 15, 2007) – Aduna gihapoy dili luwas nga mga trabahuan alang sa mga mamumuo sa nasod.

Kini maoy gibutyag sa hepe sa Occupational Safety and Health Center sa Labor Department nga nakabase sa kauluhan.

Matud ni Estrella Gust, executive director sa Occupational Safety and Health Center, ila karon nga gipaningkamutan nga mahimong luwas ang mga trabahuan sa nasod pinaagi sa pagtudlo sa mga human resource departments nga mohimo og safety and health committee sa mga kompaniya ingon man mga es.

Nidugang sab si Gust pag-ingon nga gipaabot nga makab-ot kining maong tinguha pinaagi sa pinakunang Visayan Summit on Occupational Safety and Health nga ipahigayon karong Oktubre onse og doce karong tuiga.

Sa pagkakaron, aduna nay sobra at res cientos ang nirehistro alang sa maong summit nga ipahigayon sa Marco Polo Hotel dinhi sa Sugbo.(Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu/MBCN)

PGMA congratulates tax collection bureaus for surplus targets

2007-08-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (14 August)—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, during a tax command conferences recently with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) congratulated these bureaus for exceeding their July collection targets by P2-Billion and P1.2Billion respectively.

The President in her continuing bid to improve revenue collections in the country recently created task forces on revenue enhancement and anti-smuggling as she committed that the government will bounce back from its collection shortfall during the first semester of this year.

Because of the poor tax collection performance during the 1^st semester, impending revamps among the BIR and the BOC were rumored to happen.

Earlier, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales revealed that a reshuffling plan was submitted to the DOF selection board after the BOC was assessed to have not met its targets due to low collections of customs ports.

However, the Ports of Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Legaspi and the NAIA have overshot their targets.

Here in Cebu , Bureau of Customs district collector Ricardo Belmonte is hopeful they will not be included in any future reshuffling because BOC-Cebu has surpassed its targets for the first seven months by P48M. Belmonte said that the Cebu-BOC had a target of P400M for July or at least P18M a day.

Port of cebu asst. chief of assessment, Fibrante Ricarte revealed that the BOC here was able to collect P403.5M for July or an excess of P3.5M due to their vigilance and the computation of correct duties and taxes.

The BIR’s target is to raise P730Billion while the BOC was given a P228Billion target this year for the government to achieve its P1.1 Trillion revenue target. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

BIR intensifies collection from delinquent taxpayers

2007-08-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (9 August)—The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)-region 13, covering the provinces of Cebu and Bohol has intensified its tax collection among the delinquent taxpayers in the region.

BIR-region 13 taxpayer assistant unit head and information officer designate Zorahaida de la Cruz bared that the office has identified 338 delinquent taxpayers and as of June 2007, BIR has collected P2.7-million from them.

De la Cruz added that most of these delinquent taxpayers are those paying through second installments from their compensation and these are mostly income earners and those who are self-employed.

“We are also after those companies who failed to pay their taxes for whatever reasons. If the company could no longer pay because it is bankrupt or losing, the office will look at its properties and will go through the legal process under garnishment to really compel them to pay their taxes,” De la Cruz explained.

For those companies that are still operating but could not afford to pay, the BIR enjoins them to avail of its amnesty program, she added.

The BIR offices throughout the country have been intensifying their collections from delinquent taxpayers to increase their revenue collection efforts after several of them failed to reach their revenue targets during the first semester of the year.

De la Cruz was quick to add that BIR-region 13 that covers Cebu and Bohol is right on target with its goal of collection of P9.1Billion. “We already have collected about P4.1Billion covering the first semester of this year. “ This is 22.70% higher than the P3.2Billion collected over the same period in 2006, she said. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

‘Garbo sa Sugbo’ awards and more…

2007-08-13T17:17:00.001-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (10 August)—Seven personalities and institutions from the academe, arts and the environment were this year’s recipients of the ‘Garbo sa Sugbo’ (Pride of Cebu) awards that were given as part of the province’s 438^th founding anniversary celebrations over the weekend during the Governor’s Night.l

This annual award is given to Cebuanos who brought pride to Cebu locally and internationally as well.

Nicolas Pacana, one of the awardees is acclaimed as one of the world’s finest classical dancers who is presently the only Filipino who has served as co-artistic director of the Atlanta Festival Ballet and the Festival Ballet School in Stockbridge, Georgia, USA in 1984.

Environmental conservationist Antonio Oposa, Jr. was recognized for his pioneering practice of environmental law in the country. He is the team leader of the Visayan Sea Squadron and heads the Law Nature Foundation. For his efforts, he was mentioned in the UN Environmental Programme Global 500 Roll of Honor.

Businessman Steve Benitez was given the award for bringing the Cebuano ingenuity and entrepreneurial energy into the realm of the coffee drinking business. Benitez owns the string of Bo’s Coffee franchise in the country. He started the coffee business 11 years ago at the Ayala Center in Cebu, and has now expanded to 33 coffee shops nationwide.

The provincial artistic director, Junjet Primor who directed the 3-hour Governor’s night program was also recognized for his contribution in the promotion of the culture and heritage of Cebu.

The University of the Philippines-Cebu Campus High School department (UP High School) was awarded for winning in the International Schools Cyberfair Competition held in San Diego, California, USA. The winning design “Calles de Cebu: Gateway to a Nation’s History” won second place and got the gold award in the historical landmarks category last year.

Ambassador Marciano Paynor, Jr. and a Non-Government Organization (NGO) received citations from the province. Amb. Paynor was recognized for his achievements and his belief in the strong and indomitable spirit of the Cebuano people and for the resounding success of the 12^th ASEAN and 2^nd East Asia Summits in Cebu.

The Cebu-Citizens Involvement and Maturation in People’s Empowerment and Liberation (C-CIMPEL) was also give a citation for the courage of its volunteers I ensuring the inviolability of the ballots, and in upholding the integrity of the electoral process.

The municipalities of Liloan and Badian were given plaques of appreciation while Barangays San Roque in Liloan and Cabadiangan in Compostela received plaques of recognition not just for planting large number of jackfruit trees but also protecting and maintaining them.

Special numbers given by the capitol employees through their presentations of various Cebuano folk dances; the ‘dancing inmates’; agri-trade fair and special bonuses to employees marked the province’s founding anniversary celebration on August 6 this year.

Governor Gwen Garcia highly commended the presentations and said that those Cebuano folk dances showed elegance and grace, simplicity and modesty, values that have made the Cebuanos a great people.

“You also saw the discipline and the industry. Those are the values that all of us will emulate and show to the rest of Cebu, the rest of the country that we will be sterling examples of a great Cebuano people,” the governor added.

“For bringing Cebu to the eyes of the world,” Governor Garcia rewarded the provincial prisoners known as the ‘dancing inmates’ of the CPDRC with a special bonus of P1000 each that will be deposited to their respective savings accounts at the CFI Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

“Good work will be rewarded,” Garcia said as she announced that employees of the top five performing departments will also received additional cash bonuses.

All employees of the Provincial Health Office, Social Welfare Office shall receive P5000 and P4000 each respectively while the Provincial Engineering Office’s personnel will get P3000 each and P2000 for the Provincial Administration Office personnel and each member of the Provincial Treasurer’s Office gets a P1000 bonus.

All in a week’s festivities, the province of Cebu has once again showed its capability of organization, governance and merrymaking too! (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Geothermal plant in Negros Oriental needs rehab

2007-08-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (14 August) – The Palinpinon Geothermal Plant 1 in Valencia, Negros Oriental is in dire need of rehabilitation to ensure the provision of cheap and reliable power supply to the Negros-Cebu and Negros-Panay Power Grid.

According to a NEDA-7 project presentation during the recent RDC-7 meeting, the Palinpinon Geothermal Power Plant (PGPP-1) has been in operation for almost 24 years now out of its assumed economic life of 25 years.

Through those years, the plant has not encountered major problems that might have caused power outage. This is attributed to a good plant design, periodic maintenance and proper operation procedures, the report reads.

However, a team from the RDC-7 on June 1, 2007 conducted an inspection of the plant and reported that the deterioration of equipment due to aging and or corrosion is clearly visible making it vulnerable to mechanical failures.

There were proposals for a major rehabilitation of the plant in 1997 but due to budget constraints, lack of a substitute plant to take the role pf PGPP 1 in the system and the impending privatization of the power industry, the rehabilitation proposals were disapproved. Only selective rehabilitation and replacement work of equipment were made.

Considering that the plant’s economic life is almost consumed, the National Power Corporation (NPC) has sought the RDC-7 endorsement for the proposed Life Extension Project of the PGPP-1 which the full council approved in its latest (August 10) meeting.

The scope of works of the rehab project include the repair, replacement, installation and testing on minor equipment that are included in the regular budget for the operations and maintenance of the plant. The works that needed to be contracted out include the design, manufacturing, supply of labor and materials and equipment, packaging, delivery, supervision, installation, testing and commissioning including the associated civil works of the major electro-mechanical equipment such as turbines, generators, AVRs, exciters and gas extraction units.

According to NEDA-7 the total estimated cost of the rehabilitation project is about P2.2Billion with an actual implementation of approximately 24 months from July 2007 to July 2009.

To allay fears that the rehabilitation works might cause power supply disruption in the Visayas, NPC has outlined some contingency measures.

Rehabilitation will be done one unit at a time which means that only 37.5MW will be out at one time and not the total capacity of the plant. The 37.5MW loss will then be replenished by the Northern Negros Geothermal Plant.

NAPOCOR will also closely coordinate with TRANSCO, Visayas IPPs and distribution utilities during the rehabilitation period for proper power dispatch and preventive maintenance schedule and finally, NAPOCOR will put all power generating stations on security red alert status during the period.

The report said that the rehabilitation project is very vital to the plant because the PGPP-1 is a base load plant in the Visayas-Negros Island.

If implemented, it is expected to add another 15 years of economic life to the PGPP-1 and it will enhance its unit operation efficiency and system reliability. It is also expected that the total plant capacity will improve from the present 105MW to 112.5MW.

As can be recalled, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration has been aggressively pursuing the development and utilization of indigenous and renewable energy and the vision of making the country a world leader in geothermal energy. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

RDC-7 confirms PSR and non-voting members

2007-08-13T16:57:00.001-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (13 August)—In a full council meeting of the Central Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC-7) recently, fifteen (15) private sector representations (PSR) and 11 non-voting members (SNVM) were confirmed as members to the Central Visayas RDC for the period July 2007-June 2010.

According to the RDC briefs, there are 14 slots available for private sector representations to the council two of which are taken from the labor and basic sectors while the remaining 12 are allocated by province based on the RDC approved formula of 60-20-20 (60% pop; 20% land area; 20% equal sharing).

Based on the formula, Cebu gets 5 seats, Bohol, 3; Oriental Negros, 3 and one seat for Siquijor. However, the elevation of Bogo and Carcar into cities increases the number of the RDC members which consequently increases the number of required PSR membership to the RDC into 15 which was allocated to Cebu.

Some 47 RDC-accredited private sector organizations within the region joined the simultaneous provincial PSR selection process on May 31, 2007 and the following private sector representatives have been confirmed by the RDC-7 during its full council meeting on August 10, 2007:

For Cebu: Emmanuel Rabacal, Robert Go and Teresa Fernandez were re-elected while Jose Mari Bigornia, Roderick Poca, and Geraldine Ruiz are newly elected PSRs.

For Bohol: all three PSRs are newly elected namely; Norris Oculam, Mirope Manlupig and Nemecio Monton. Oriental Negros has also newly elected PSRs with Eduardo Pedrosa, Ernesto Quiamco and Gregorio Uymatiao, Jr while Siquijor has re-elected Delfin Tampus.

The Private Sector Representations (PSR) to the RDC has been very instrumental in creating a GO-private sector tandem that resulted in well-thought off development projects within the regions. The elected PSRs will be distributed to the various sectoral committees of the RDC.

In similar developments, the RDC-7 full council also confirmed 11 agencies as special non-voting members (SNVM) to the RDC and they are; the AFP-CENTCOM; NYC-Visayas; PCUP-7; NFA-7; PCL-7; PNP-7; NTC-7; VMLP-Central Visayas chapter; OMA-Visayas region; OCD-7 and PHILEXPORTER.

As provided in the IRR of EO 325, the RDC may invite as many SNVMs as it deems necessary whose term shall also coincide with the regular term of local elective officials and the private sector representatives. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Cebu guv unanimously nominated as RDC-7 chair

2007-08-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (13 August)— In a mass motion, Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia was unanimously nominated to chair the 2007-2010 Regional Development Council in Central Visayas (RDC-7) during a full council meeting held at the Montebello Garden Hotel, Cebu City recently.

In a media interview governor Garcia said that she is expecting a harmonious working relationship with the other local chief executives of Bohol, Oriental Negros and Siquijor. “At least wala’y away.. ang nominations,” Garcia smiled.

It can be recalled that then Cong. Emilio Macias, now governor of Oriental Negros was the chair of a house committee that conducted public hearings for the “Sugbuak,” or the creation of other provinces out of Cebu provinces that was vehemently rejected by Governor Garcia.

Executive Order 325, the RDC shall nominate at least 2 local chief executives who are ex-officio members and 2 private sector representatives, from whom the President shall select and appoint as RDC chair and Co-chair.

The Regional Development Council in Central Visayas has been very instrumental in endorsing mega projects that generated economic and tourism development in the region.

With Governor Garcia’s “no-nonsense” track record in local governance and fiscal management, the members of the RDC here is looking forward to a more aggressive economic and tourism boom in Central Visayas as it is the hub of tourism in the President’s “Super Regions” blueprint.

Garcia’s nomination will still be submitted to the President for confirmation and appointment. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

TOLEDO CITY MO-DEVELOP OG BAG-O NGA TOURISM SITES

2007-08-10T00:58:00.001-07:00

Cebu City (August 9, 2007) – Gawas sa agrikultura, gitinguha na sab karon sa syudad sa Toledo ang pagpalambo sa bag-o nga mga lugar nga pwedeng makadani sa mga turista nga mobisita unya sa maong lugar.

Pipila niini, matud ni konsehal Alfonso Mercado, mao ang pagdevelop sa sapa sa Hinulawan og sa dam sa barangay Malubog.

Matud ni Mercado, sa maong paagi mahatagan og higayon ang mga mobisita sa Toledo City sa pagsuroy-suroy ngadto sa nahisgutang mga lugar samtang makahatag usab og dugang trabaho alang sa ilang mga lumulupyo.

Sa pagkakaron, padayon pa ang kagamhanan sa Toledo sa pagpahigayon og pulong-pulong kauban ang mga national agencies sa kagamhanan og pribadong sector bahin niini. (Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

CORN FESTIVAL IPAHIGAYON SA SYUDAD SA TOLEDO

2007-08-10T00:57:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (August 9, 2007) – Human sa napulo ka tuig nga pagkahunong, ang syudad sa Toledo sa probinsya sa Sugbo maoy napili nga lugar diin saulugon ang Corn Festival karong petsa biente dos hangtud biente kwatro ning bulana.

Gipaabot nga motambong sa kalihukan ang kalihim sa Deparrment of Agriculture, Arthur Yap isip pinasidunggang dinapit kauban ang mga opisyales sa probinsya pinanguluhan ni Gobernador Gwendolyn Garcia og sa mayor sa Toledo City Arlene Zambo.

Gibutyag ni Francisco Sopsop, Regional Coordinator sa programa alang sa mais sa DA 7 nga ang maong kalihukan gihimo sa Toledo City tungod kay ang Toledo mao man ang adunay pinakadako nga umahan sa mais dinhi sa tunga-tungang Kabisay-an.

Si Alfonso Mercado, konsehal sa Toledo City, nibutyag sab nga human sa pait nga kasinatian sa Toledo City sa dihang nanira ang Atlas Mining sa sayong bahin sa dekada nobenta, gitinguha gayud sa dakbayan sa Toledo ang pagbalanse sa industriya og agrikultura mao nga gikalipay nila ang pagpahigayon og corn festival sa ilang syudad.

Sa nasayran, nobenta porsiyento sa populasyon sa rehiyon ang mokaon og mais ilabi na nga nahibaw-an sab karon nga maayo ang mais kay sa humay alang niadtong adunay sakit nga diabetes.

Ang nasudnong kagamhanan, nagplano na sab karon sa paghimo og biofuel o alternatibong source sa biofuel nga isambog sa gasolina.(Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

BFAD MIPAHUGOT SA PAGMONITOR SA PROCESSED FOODS

2007-08-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (August 10, 2007) – Aron pagseguro nga luwas ang pagkaon sa katawhan, padayon nga gihingusgan karon sa BFAD ang monitoring sa mga processed foods.

Kini maoy gibutyag ni Monina Coyoca, ang hepe sa Bureau of Food and Drugs dinhi sa rehiyon.

Niingon sab si Coyoca nga sa niaging semana, aduna na silay gipadala nga mga processed foods nga gagikan sa laing nasod aron masusi sa ilang laboratoryo sa kauluhan kung ang maong mga produkto luwas ba nga kaonon.

Kung mahinumduman, ang BFAD nidili sa pagpakaon sa katawhan sa pipila ka mga produktong gikan sa China human nasayran nga ang mga noodles, white rabbit, processed meat og uban pang produkto adunay sagol nga formalin nga sagad gamiton sa pag-embalsamar og dili angay nga isagol sa pagkaon sa tawo.

Sa katapusan, padayong gipahimangnuan sa BFAD ang publiko sa dili una pagkaon sa mga produktong gagikan sa China.(Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

BIR intensifies collection from delinquent taxpayers

2007-08-08T19:11:00.001-07:00

De la Cruz added that most of these delinquent taxpayers are those paying through second installments from their compensation and these are mostly income earners and those who are self-employed.

For those companies that are still operating but could not afford to pay, the BIR enjoins them to avail of its amnesty program, she added.

Halad ni PGMA for MUSLIM COMMUNITY

2007-08-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

Cebu, City (07 August)— More than a thousand Muslims from the different communities in Cebu City gathered at the grounds of the Malacañang sa Sugbo recently to avail of the various government agencies’ services and programs.

Sakiran Hajan, OMA Regional Director, during his speech said that this is a historic moment considering that it is the first time that such an activity is held in extending government services to the Muslim Community here in Cebu.

He was very much grateful to Hon. Felix C. Guanzon, Presidential Assistant for Central Visayas (OPCV) who initiated the activity in cooperation with the Association of Regional Executives of National Agencies (ARENA-7), Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO-7) and the Association of Higher Education Institutions in Region VII (AHEIR-7).

The City Government spearheaded by Hon. Tomas R. Osmeña also gave its assistance thru medical-dental services conducted by the City Health medical-dental team together with the Central Command, Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police.

Some nursing students from the Southwestern University and Cebu Normal University have also shown their support to this event. Medicines were well-provided by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Their was a signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Central Visayas (OPCV) and some lead agencies concerning the needs of the Muslim people like health, livelihood, employment, housing and leadership trainings.

TESDA gave almost twenty awardees for scholarship trainings such as slaughtering, electronics and welding while the Sacred Heart School of the Society of Jesus will grant 10 Muslim students free tuition scholarship program (five for grade school and five for high school) subject to the school’s policy on such grants governing deportment and academic performance.

The City Registrar was also able to process nearly a thousand birth certificates of Muslim that have already been residing here in Cebu City.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on the other hand had processed more than a hundred of student licenses and renewal of professional licenses thru their mobile, E-LTO program.

PA Felix C. Guanzon, in his message said that this is historic because it is probably the first time that Muslims who used to reside in Mindanao but are now residents of Cebu City and other areas in the region, are being cared for in a special way, not just for today but for the next three years of the Arroyo Administration.

“We are tying to prove that what basic services they failed to get in Mindanao which is a troubled land, they are getting it here in Central Visayas, the region of peace and economic progress,” Guanzon added.

This is the 20^th Halad sa Katawhan of the PGMA administration and the next activity will be on August 29, 2007 at the Brgy. Kampoot, Tuburan, Cebu which will be spearheaded by the Philippine National Police. (PIA-7 Cebu/hfg)

The ‘dancing inmates’ of Cebu

2007-08-03T01:46:00.001-07:00

Cebu , Philippines (02 August)—The ‘dancing inmates’ of Cebu has hit the YouTube with a 3.2M internet viewers worldwide as of August 1, 2007!

Who would ever think that an innocent posting at the YouTube of a video of 1500 local prisoners dancing to the tunes of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Japan’s Algorithm March would create a wave of SMILEY reactions from all over the world.

Byron Garcia, security consultant of Cebu province and a brother of the governor said, it was just an innocent video sharing of a routine dance fitness exercises of the inmates of the Cebu provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) to show other jailers that there are innovative ways to instill discipline among inmates.

“I did not expect a global response to my posting it at the YouTube.” Garcia added. He stressed that he was just finding ways how to keep the prisoners preoccupied and how to improve discipline among them.

“The governor told me to introduce reforms towards rehabilitation. Making the inmates dance was my idea of revolutionizing time spent in jail and at the same time disciplining the inmates. Except for the elderly and the sick, dancing as a form of physical fitness is compulsory to the inmates,” Byron Garcia said.

Garcia admitted though that when he introduced the dance idea, the inmates grumbled and even refused to follow the lead of a dance instructor that was detailed at the CPDRC for this particular purpose.

Garcia himself he revealed has to learn the steps of the Algorithm March and other song-dance combinations to show the prisoners that anybody can dance and learn to if one puts his/her mind and body into it.

The routine dance fitness exercise became the inmates’ pastime as friendly dance competition among the inmates’ cell groups was introduced in the CPDRC.

The rest is history, as they say.

Yesterday, 1500 inmates garbed in their usual “orange” jail uniforms performed live at the CPDRC grounds in front of guests, provincial officials, judges, prosecutors and local and foreign media. The presentation was one of the highlights of Cebu province’s week-long activities for its 438^th founding anniversary on August 6.

The inmates opened their presentation with a Pass in Review to the tune of “In the Navy” and “YMCA” and the succeeding dances were to the music of “Dayang-Dayang,” “I will Follow You,” ‘Hail Holy Queen” and Radio Gaga,” and they ended their production with the famous Michael Jackson’s hit video “Thriller.”

Giant international TV networks such as CNN, BBC had already featured the dancing inmates in their various programs while the ABC network based in Singapore came with a crew to document the whole presentation as well as other TV crews from Japan , China and Singapore also covered the event.

It was standing ovation after the presentation specifically because the performers are prisoners some of them are convicted murderers and rapists. Calvin Tan, the most notorious of the inmates being the suspected brains behind the mega shabu lab operations in mandaue City, who was arrested in Hongkong and extradited in Cebu, showed his prowess in ballroom dancing with a pretty female inmate.

Local judges and prosecutors said that the performance showed how well managed the jail facility is while the DILG-7 led by its regional director, Pedro Noval filmed the event and told the media that they will recommend the province’s rehabilitation program as an entry to the search for “Gawad Pook Kalinga Award.”

“It is a good entry for the search of innovations and the focus of jail management is more on rehabilitation of prisoners and we want this practiced in jails nationwide,” Noval added.

Some of the guests that saw the live performance said, they were so touched watching the happy faces of the dancers, “to think that some of them are hardened criminals.

Leo Suico, CPDRC’s acknowledged inmates leader, in his welcome remarks said, “ang among peprformance nangpakita nga dili na mi ma-consider nga mga taya sa katilingban” once they are released from jail.

In a media interview, Byron Garcia beamed and said, he is proud of the inmates’ accomplishments so far. “More can still be expected from them. Watch them and you will see discipline at work.”

The province’s security consultant who is also the brother of the governor added that he plans a musical show with the inmates on October 12, the governor’s birthday and he promised a wonderful show because “people in the world keep on watching.” (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

DOLE says 1M jobs a year, attainable

2007-07-31T17:32:00.002-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (30 July)—The Department of Labor and Employment here in Cebu said, PGMA’s promise to create one million jobs every year until 2010 is attainable.

Elias Cayanong, DOLE-7 regional director said, to do this, government must maintain the decreasing unemployment rate in the country through job generation.

According to Cayanong, the unemployment rate in Central Visayas has been decreasing since the last quarter of 2006 to the 1^st semester of 2007 by 7.3% from 7.8% in the late part of 2005 until early 2006.

He cited the lack of skills among graduates as the biggest factor why government could not erase unemployment in the country.

The decrease meant 40,000 jobs in region 7. “If the trend is replicated in other regions, there is a big possibility of achieving the 1M jobs every year,” Cayanong said optimistically.

Employment rate in Central Visayas on the other hand is between 2.4M to 2.6million and most of the job openings are related to tourism industries and call centers.

Cayanong added that at least there are 80,000 to 100,000 job openings for call centers every year in the region but these are not filled in because applicants do not have the needed command in the English language.

The government however has vowed to focus on modernizing the country’s education to become globally competitive. It has acknowledged the lack of English facility of the graduates and is now addressing the problem through extensive training programs on English, Math and Science education. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Tech/Voc education needed in various industries

2007-07-31T17:32:00.001-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (30 July)--In recent visit of DOT secretary Joseph Ace Durano to Cebu, he noted that the tourism industry needs vocational skills more than theoretical or academic aptitude.

“There will be no shortage of demand for your services,” he told the students of the Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD), a TESDA recognized vocational-technical school that offers 2-year hotel and restaurant management course to young women for employment and entrepreneurship in the industry. Secretary Durano was in Cebu to attend the inauguration of the center’s upgraded kitchen-classroom.

He added that in Cebu alone, 1,000 hotel rooms will open soon and based on industry standards of hotel classification, whether 4 or 5-star, each room will directly employ two to four people. Bohol and Boracay Island will also open 500 to 1000 rooms respectively in the next coming years.

“The demand of the time is really vocational skills. We have been working closely with the Commission on Higher Education to make university courses on hospitality management relevant to the demands of the time,” the DOT chief said.

According to the BCPD principal Mary Ann Ruiz, presently, the center has 102 students that come from poor families in the Visayas region whose parents could not afford to send them to higher education.

“We equip the students with the necessary skills when they go out on field because we are implementing TESDA’s ‘dualized’ training program—school and on-the-job training with our partner establishments in the industry,” Ruiz added.

Since the inception of the center in 1992, BCPD had already graduated 867 students with a hiring rate of 75%. “Our industry partners include Cebu City Marriotte Hotel and Shangri-la’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa,” she proudly said.

The government has really paid extra focus to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in terms of expanding the coverage of technical and vocational education as more companies and work abroad are in need of skilled manpower.

According to the President, in 2006 alone, the government spent P2.4-Billion for its training programs, including P600-million for scholarships in all TESDA offices in the country.

This year, 1.5 million students will graduate in technical and vocational education, almost double in the 2004 figure. The Arroyo administration is set to spend P1.1Billion for ladder-ized education, a major program of TESDA in the next 3 years.

In Cebu recently, Emma Ramas, a local representative of a European consultancy-PUM encouraged the local government units in the province to tap European consultants to help them in improving vocational and technical courses that are commonly offered in schools in the municipalities.

Ramas said, out of 66 consultants who came to the country last year, 46 were sent to Cebu. “Dutch consultants are experts in improving vocational and technical courses and there are really many of these consultants that are experts in various fields such as education, port development and agriculture.

According to Ramas, earlier this year, the Harvest Christian School International (HCSI) was a recipient of PUM’s consultancy. The school received 4000 euros or P244,000 from the Hans Blankert Fund that the school used to build a computer laboratory and buy computer units to improve the IT education of its technical and vocational students.

Meanwhile, TESDA programs are gaining popularity in skills training abroad. Secretary Augusto Boboy Syjuco, TESDA director general said that TESDA’s training program is now part of the 2006-2008 Memorandum of understanding and cooperation in technical and vocational education and training between the Saudi Arabian government represented by GOTEGOT and the Philippines represented by TESDA.

In the MOU, TESDA spearheaded the 3-week training program for trainers of 77 Arab techVoc instructors in various trade areas that included digital video production; digital photography; computer networking; electro-mechanical maintenance; air-conditioning and refrigeration, and vocational inspection.

Aside from completing the TechVoc courses, secretary Syjuco sees the TESDA-GOTEVOT training partnership as a venue for a continuing exchange of ideas and experiences among techVoc instructors of Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

Improved education to attract investors in the country

2007-07-31T17:31:00.001-07:00

Cebu, Philippines (30 July)—Good standard in education is very important for Cebu especially because it is aiming to be globally competitive in attracting foreign investors, said the former secretary of the Department of Finance Jesus Estanislao during a business forum here hosted by the Cebu Business Club recently.

Estanislao noted the “uncompetitive” standard of universities and colleges in Cebu compared with that in Manila and even abroad adding that Cebu is still very far in terms of quality and standard.

“Investors are equally concerned in the quality of graduates that are being produced in the preferred sites; availability of infrastructure and other basic requirements for investments,” Estanislao said.

He actually challenged the Cebu businessmen to take stock and assist the academe and the government in improving the quality of education in Cebu.

Francis Monera, president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry answered that CCCI has focused on projects that would accelerate in making Cebu province as an economic zone.

“We have also crafted several programs that are geared towards improving the standard of educational system especially for college,” Monera said.

He specifically mentioned the collaboration of the academe, government and the Cebu Educational Foundation for Information Technology (CEDFIT), an NGO here that encouraged all stakeholders to improve the quality and standard of the IT-related educational system in Cebu.

CEDF-IT executive director Bonifacio Belen reported earlier that the IT sector has very slow improvement of manpower skill-ability. “It needs at least P25-Million to raise and develop the quality of manpower skills in the IT-sector in Cebu.

In one of the roundtable discussions with the President earlier this month, PGMA vowed to improve and modernize the country’s educational system before the end of her term in 2010 because she believes that knowledge is the greatest creator of wealth in the present global economy.

The President then revealed that the government has increased the budget allocation in education from P129-Billion in 2006 to P150-Billion this year in “our efforts to modernize the educational system of the country.”

In a gathering of officers and members of the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) that held its 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Expo in Manila early this month, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo launched a special P4-Billion education fund for student loans, business-funded training and to finance the expansion of state colleges and universities all over the country.

The President said, the fund is expected to increase the beneficiaries of student loans from 40,000 in 2006 to 200,000 this year. She also lauded the LCF for its support and recognizing the importance of education as a sustainable solution to poverty.

Arroyo further said that in the next three years, her administration will also invest some P3-Billion in engineering research and development technology to achieve a critical mass of R&D-capable manpower.

“The next three years will see an unprecedented, well-thought out and firm commitment of unstinting effort and generous funding for better schools, higher teacher pay, and more scholarships for gifted students, and better English language training,” the President announced.

She also thanked the private sector for its contribution to link 1500 out of 5000 public schools in the country through computer linkage. She hoped though that all public schools could be linked by the end of her term in 2010. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)