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==DOH to hold Int’l AIDS Candlelight Memorial==
*Source:http://panaynewsphilippines.com/2014/05/10/doh-to-hold-intl-aids-candlelight-memorial/
*Saturday, May 10, 2014
:By CHRISTY PALMA and KRISTINE GARCIA (PN)
ILOILO City — The Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 will hold its 31st International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 18 at Plazuela de Iloilo here.
The event is an annual DOH activity that aims to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), support people living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and move communities to act against the disease.
The program, which started in the United States in 1983, also aims to reduce stigma, ensure access, increase resources and promote public involvement about AIDS.
“The candlelight memorial is as necessary today as it was three decades ago,” DOH regional director Marlyn Convocar said.
“With 34.2 million people living with HIV and a new generation of youth emerging every day, we must continue to create public space to learn from the past and motivate actions to improve our approach to HIV and other global health challenge in the future. That’s what this memorial offers us,” Convocar said.
The candlelight program will start with a foot parade from Smallville at 5:30 p.m. A program will be held after the parade.
The program will include challenging messages, video clips, inspirational talks, heart-warming testimonies, special numbers and the candle-lighting ceremony.
This year’s theme is “Let’s Keep the Light on HIV.”
DOH Region 6 is spearheading this year’s candlelight memorial with assistance from other government agencies in Western Visayas.
All government agencies, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), local government units, and civic and people’s organizations are invited to participate.
Memorials — ranging from small gatherings beneath a tree to multi-day local events — will also be done simultaneously region-wide.
They will be led by AIDS advocates and volunteers.
The memorials will be participated in by local government units, community-based local organizations and NGOs.
==Students targets of financial literacy drive==
*Source:http://panaynewsphilippines.com/2014/05/09/students-targets-of-financial-literacy-drive/
*Friday, May 9, 2014
:(Leonard T. Pineda I, PIA-Iloilo/PN)
ILOILO City — Secondary and tertiary students are among the major targets of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for its financial literacy program–public information campaign.
Lowen Andrew Ligad, BSP–Iloilo senior research specialist, said it is vital for students to learn the value of money and help them make wise financial decisions.
“Financial literacy, or awareness of basic financial concepts, is one of the advocacies of (BSP),” he said.
At present, BSP–Iloilo conducts a series of activities under its Economic and Financial Learning Program (BSP–EFLP).
BSP–EFLP brings together the outreach educational activities of BSP under one flagship program.
It consists of a series of learning sessions and activities promoting greater awareness and understanding of essential economic and financial issues.
Ligad said the public information campaign covers topics on recent economic developments and the role of BSP in the economy.
It also “discusses topics on the New Generation Philippine Currency, color of money, security features and design of Philippine peso banknotes, BSP clean note policy, and the coin recirculation program,” he said.
He also said the campaign includes a lecture on Presidential Decree No. 247, which prohibits and penalizes defacement, mutilation, tearing, burning or destruction of Central Bank notes and coins.
He said they have already conducted 15 public information campaigns in Iloilo, which have benefitted various stakeholders, including the academe.
==WV tourist arrivals show increasing trend==
*Source:http://panaynewsphilippines.com/2014/05/08/wv-tourist-arrivals-show-increasing-trend/
*Thursday, May 8, 2014
:BY KRISTINE S. GARCIA (With reports from Glenda Sologastoa and the Philippine Information Agency – Iloilo/PN)
ILOILO City – Tourist arrivals in Western Visayas have been increasing for the past two years.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 6 records showed the region having been visited by 3.5 million tourists last year, up from the 2012 figure of three million.
The 2012 figure was also higher than 2011’s 2.3 million visitors.
DOT regional director Helen Catalbas said her office has been working hard to promote and market Western Visayas with the help of local government units and the private sector.
But while the region appears to be getting “competitive” now in terms of tourist arrivals, Catalbas admitted her office and all stakeholders need to do more.
DOT Region 6 targets 4.6 million tourist arrivals by 2016.
Its more ambitious target, however, is to achieve a 1:1 tourist to resident ratio by 2020.
Aklan province where Borcay Island is located remains the top tourist draw in the region. It had 1,492,328 tourist arrivals last year.
Iloilo City had 627,870 followed by Bacolod City (580,815), Negros Occidental (545,768), Capiz (120,216), Iloilo province (117,225), Guimaras (63,921) and Antique (17,786).
With the right promotion and marketing, Catalbas said, Boracay alone can easily triple its tourist arrivals in six years.
But she urged tourists and travelers to explore other tourist spots of Western Visayas and not just the world-famous island resort of Boracay.
Region 6 is a haven of must-see tourism destinations, she stressed.
Boracay is getting crowded with visitors especially this summer season. Catalbas said tourists have the option to see less-traveled tourist areas of Region 6
But here’s the catch: Before these areas are promoted and marketed “full-blast,” facilities in them must be developed, she stressed.
There is still a need to put up adequate infrastructure and amenities so marketing these tourism areas may take some time, Catalbas said.
“We don’t want to weave disappointed travelers and tourists who would visit these places,” she stressed.
==Farmers train on indigenous vegetables production==
*Source:http://panaynewsphilippines.com/2014/05/07/farmers-train-on-indigenous-vegetables-production/
*Wednesday, May 7, 2014
:(DA 6 Information and Public Affairs Section / PN)
ILOILO City — More than 300 farmers from 19 municipalities of the provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras completed the five-month Agri Pinoy School On the Air (SOA) on indigenous vegetables production at Promenade Hall of Central Philippine University.
“Indigenous vegetables can withstand the ill-effects of climate change,” Department of Agriculture (DA) regional technical director Joyce Wendam told the farmers.
DA Region 6 has been encouraging farmers to help increase the production volume of vegetables all over Western Visayas.
“We are promoting the production of healthy, safe and nutritious foods,” said Wendam.
She also stressed the importance of SOA in disseminating information on agricultural technologies and farming tips to farmers, fisherfolk and livestock raisers.
As the regional focal person on organic agriculture, she will tap the SOA for the promotion and advocacy of organic farming practices.
The SOA classes on indigenous vegetables production started December last year. Its goal was to provide concrete planting procedures, sustainability and nutritional facts of indigenous vegetables to the rural farmers.
Gilson Yap of Brgy. Santa Clara, Oton, Iloilo has been cited as most outstanding graduate of the SOA on indigenous vegetables.
Noted for his red lady papaya and dragon fruit plantation, Yap is also the regional nominee to this year’s Gawad Saka for the high value crops farmer category.
The farmer graduates were given farm tools, vegetables seeds, seedlings and farmers record books.
Aired over 774 kHz DyRI RMN-Iloilo every 4 a.m. to 4:30am from Monday to Friday, the SOA is being hosted by DA regional information officer Juvy Gaton and technical staff Edgar Oyson.
==City seeks three-peat win in Red Orchid Award==
*Source:http://panaynewsphilippines.com/2014/05/06/city-seeks-three-peat-win-in-red-orchid-award/
*Tuesday, May 6, 2014
:BY FREDA MAE SORSANO (PN)
ILOILO City – This city hopes to receive the Red Orchid Award for the third consecutive time.
“Should we win the Red Orchid Award again, Iloilo City will officially be a Red Orchid Hall of Famer,” said Inigo Garingalao, head of Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Taskforce (ICAST).
The Red Orchid Award is given to cities with outstanding anti-smoking policies and initiatives. Iloilo has been a recipient of the award in the last two years.
Garingalao said being recognized as a Red Orchid Hall of Famer would be beneficial to the city, tourism-wise.
“If we can achieve the Hall of Famer status, Iloilo City will be considered a Lakbay-Aral destination of people from other places.
Folks from other parts of the country – or outside, even – would want to visit Iloilo and see for themselves how our anti-smoking policies are being implemented,” he said.
He added that should the city achieve the status, more serious programs in promoting its anti-smoking policies will be done.
“By next year, our policies against tobacco will have inspired others so that they would adopt them,” he said.
The validation for the award will be conducted on May 23. Garingalao encouraged Ilonggos to be cooperative with the government’s anti-smoking thrusts as the day nears.
The validating team will be composed of the Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government, World Health Organization, Civil Service Commission and two large nongovernment organizations.
Garingalao said it is crucial for the city to receive the award this year because should we fail, the last two wins would be null and we have to start from scratch once again.
One of the major thrusts of ICAST is moving for the strict adherence of establishments to their anti-smoking rules.
“We visited establishments, gave them a copy of the anti-smoking ordinance and highly encouraged them to heed what’s in the paper,” he said.
So far, ICAST has given copies of the ordinance to approximately 2,000 establishments.
Although the number of establishments they have given copies is still 80 percent short of their 10,000 target.
Garingalao expects 100 percent compliance among the establishments they have visited.
“We expect them to follow the rules stipulated in the ordinance. Our rules are simple. Their establishments should have “no smoking” signages. Smoking areas inside are not allowed, ashtrays are a no-no inside no-smoking establishments, and so on,” said Garingalao.
“Aside from handing out copies of the ordinance, we are using the media to educate people of our anti-tobacco campaigns,” he added.
==Tech grads receive tool kits from DOLE==
*Source:http://panaynewsphilippines.com/2014/05/05/tech-grads-receive-tool-kits-from-dole/
*Monday, May 5, 2014
:(LMS, Iloilo City PIO/PN)
ILOILO City – Graduates and National Certificate (NC) II holders of Technical Institute of Iloilo City-Molo campus are lucky recipients of tool kits from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog led the recent ceremonial turnover of the tool kits together with TIIC administrator Maria Mathilde Octavio.
The DOLE regional office was represented by Assistant Regional Director Salome Siaton.
“We are thankful to DOLE for providing our TIIC graduates with these tools which they can use to start their business or livelihood,” the mayor said.
The tool kits were distributed as follows:
:plumbing NC II, 30
:carpentry, 35
:masonry, 35
:automotive diesel mechanic, 25
:basic electricity, 25
:shielded arcs welding, 25
:computer hardware servicing, 45
:therapeutic massage, one set
Octavio said the City Government presented the project proposal to the agency for 221 tool kits.
==DOLE awards over P4-M worth of livelihood checks==
*Source:http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=931399120155
*Sunday, May 4, 2014
: By Lilibeth A. French (JCM/LAF-PIA6)
ILOILO CITY, May 4 (PIA6) - - As the country pays tribute to its workers on Labor Day on Thursday, the Department of Labor and Employment Regional Office 6 also continues to find means to provide jobs and livelihood opportunities to Ilonggos.
Aside from the job fairs held at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol and SM City Iloilo, the celebration here in Iloilo City was marked by the distribution of P4,275,872.00 worth of checks to fund various livelihood projects of proponents that include a Multi-Purpose Cooperative and 6 local government units.
DOLE 6 Ponciano Ligutom personally handed the checks to local chief executives of the concerned LGUs and representatives of the cooperative during a program held before the opening of the 2014 Labor Day Jobs and Livelihood Fairs at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.
Of the total amount, P999,664.00 was given to the local government unit of Miag-ao for the Miag-ao Garment Industry Development Project of its 159 unemployed men and women; P606, 775.00 to LGU Cabatuan for the Food Catering Services, Therapeutic Massage and Costemology project of its 91 graduates of the massage therapy and food and beverage service trainings; and P789,000.00 to LGU Banate for the Swine Fattening, Goat Raising and Marketing of its 126 indigents and ‘Yolanda’ survivors.
Also, P629,104.00 went to LGU Dumangas for the river cleaning and construction of river protection, parameter fence and road network of Food Terminal and Trading Complex involving 100 unemployed residents under DOLE’s Community Employment Program; P133,455.00 to LGU Balasan for the cleaning & greening of Brgy. Batuan Watershed involving 31 4Ps beneficiaries; and P129, 150.00 to LGU Estancia for the construction and repair of Totally Damaged Houses in Estancia involving 30 4Ps beneficiaries. Balasan and Estancia’s projects are funded through the Emergency Employment Program of DOLE.
Some P988, 724.00 were also received by the La Villa de Arevalo Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Iloilo City to enhance the existing income generating livelihood of its 148 members.
La Villa MPC President Teresita Sun said the livelihood assistance will be divided among their members where they will receive more than P6,000 each as additional capital to their existing livelihood.
Sun said the financial assistance will be a great help to their member-beneficiaries and she urged them to use the money properly for the sustainability and improvement of their income generating activities.
The 2014 Job and Livelihood Fairs featured the various products of the different projects of LGUs and institutions that received assistance from DOLE and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
==DOH cites OFW for heeding MERS-CoV alert==
*Source:http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=911399008443
*Saturday, May 3, 2014
:By Elsa S. Subong (ESS/PIA-Iloilo)
ILOILO CITY, May 3(PIA) – The Department of Health-6 said the OFW from Jeddah Saudi Arabia who sought consultation here after feeling feverish is a model for others in heeding the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) alert.
Dr. Glen Alonsabe, DOH regional epidemiologist, said that the OFW, a female nurse, went to the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital and later was placed on quarantine in government facility at the Western Visayas Medical Center for swab tests to be confirmed by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, in two or three days.
Alonsabe said in a radio interview that the nurse was recently declared negative of the virus, as confirmed in the results of the swab test.
“The feverish feeling may be due to changes in the weather,” Alonsabe opined.
Earlier, Alonsabe appealed to the public to stop MERS-CoV scare through circulation of unverified text messages which followed news of the OFW’s seeking consultation.
He warned that rumors could harm a person’s reputation, so the DOH is working to verify all information, and is open to queries.
“So far, there is no confirmed positive case of MERS-CoV in Western Visayas, but this should not leave us complacent,” Alonsave said.
He added that all Ilonggo passengers of Etihad Airlines flight EY 0424 that arrived in the country on April 15, were negative for the virus.
MERS-CoV is a communicable disease which may be passed on to another through close contact with a person tested positive.
Other than fever, the symptoms may include coughing, sneezing, and runny nose after two weeks of exposure.
DOH still recommends personal hygiene, hand washing and covering of mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.
==DOT eyes promotional roadshows in Singapore, Malaysia==
*Source:http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=2421398999575
*Friday, May 2, 2014
:By Leonard T. Pineda I (JCM/LTP/PIA-Iloilo)
ILOILO CITY, May 2 (PIA) --- The Department of Tourism (DOT) in Western Visayas will conduct tourism promotional road shows in Singapore and Malaysia slated on July 7-12, 2014.
Lawyer Helen Catalbas, DOT-6 Regional Director, said that there is a need to promote the region to these Southeast Asian countries in order to strengthen our inbound flights and increase visitor arrivals.
“We are already have flight services from Iloilo to Singapore (vice versa), and Kalibo to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (vice versa),” she said.
She said that the region’s tourism road show delegates are comprised of tourism officers, tour operators, representatives from hotels and resorts, local airlines, academic institutions, among others.
In the road show’s program seminar, all provincial and city tourism officers will be given 10 minutes each to present their respective tourist attractions and facilities including their connectivity to these countries and their provinces.
“The audience shall be composed of travel agency operators, travel writers, school authorities, airline representatives, filmmakers, and writers from Singapore and Malaysia,” she said.
“We might be able to convince some filmmakers and producers to produce movies here in Western Visayas,” she also said.
She added that there will also be tabletop negotiations where tourism officers can entertain questions, inquiries, and transactions from their counterparts in Singapore and Malaysia.
==Aksyon Radyo Iloilo wins in KBP awards==
*Source:http://thedailyguardian.net/index.php/community/40721-aksyon-radyo-iloilo-wins-in-kbp-awards
*Thursday, May 1, 2014 1:36 am
:By Maricyn A. De los Santos
AKSYON Radyo-Iloilo made a grandslam win in the 22nd Golden Dove Awards of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) held Tuesday night at Star Theater, CCP Complex in Pasay City.
Aksyon Radyo Iloilo’s Aksyon Balita Numero Uno” aired every 6 am to 6:30 am daily bested five other finalists in the “Best Radio Newscast Provincial” category.
The station has won the award for three consecutive years now.
Aksyon Radyo Iloilo was also finalist in Best AM Station Provincial category while its reporter, Johnny Diaz was finalist in the “Best Field Reporter” category.
Station Manager John Paul Tia attributed the station’s success in delivering up-to-date and relevant news reports to the station’s dedication to keep the Ilonggos well-informed on issues affecting them.
Aksyon Radyo Iloilo has recently made noise when it fearlessly tackled the issue of drugs in the city and province of Iloilo.
The KBP is the foremost broadcast media organization in the country, composed of owners and operators of radio and television stations and the radio and television stations themselves.

Revision as of 06:32, 20 May 2014

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Iloilo City - Archived News
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Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

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Molo Church, Iloilo City
Iloilo dinagyang festival.jpg
The Dinagyang is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines held on the fourth Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog In Cebu and the Ati-Atihan in Aklan.

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

DOH to hold Int’l AIDS Candlelight Memorial

By CHRISTY PALMA and KRISTINE GARCIA (PN)

ILOILO City — The Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 will hold its 31st International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 18 at Plazuela de Iloilo here.

The event is an annual DOH activity that aims to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), support people living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and move communities to act against the disease.

The program, which started in the United States in 1983, also aims to reduce stigma, ensure access, increase resources and promote public involvement about AIDS.

“The candlelight memorial is as necessary today as it was three decades ago,” DOH regional director Marlyn Convocar said.

“With 34.2 million people living with HIV and a new generation of youth emerging every day, we must continue to create public space to learn from the past and motivate actions to improve our approach to HIV and other global health challenge in the future. That’s what this memorial offers us,” Convocar said.

The candlelight program will start with a foot parade from Smallville at 5:30 p.m. A program will be held after the parade.

The program will include challenging messages, video clips, inspirational talks, heart-warming testimonies, special numbers and the candle-lighting ceremony.

This year’s theme is “Let’s Keep the Light on HIV.”

DOH Region 6 is spearheading this year’s candlelight memorial with assistance from other government agencies in Western Visayas.

All government agencies, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), local government units, and civic and people’s organizations are invited to participate.

Memorials — ranging from small gatherings beneath a tree to multi-day local events — will also be done simultaneously region-wide.

They will be led by AIDS advocates and volunteers.

The memorials will be participated in by local government units, community-based local organizations and NGOs.

Students targets of financial literacy drive

(Leonard T. Pineda I, PIA-Iloilo/PN)

ILOILO City — Secondary and tertiary students are among the major targets of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for its financial literacy program–public information campaign.

Lowen Andrew Ligad, BSP–Iloilo senior research specialist, said it is vital for students to learn the value of money and help them make wise financial decisions.

“Financial literacy, or awareness of basic financial concepts, is one of the advocacies of (BSP),” he said.

At present, BSP–Iloilo conducts a series of activities under its Economic and Financial Learning Program (BSP–EFLP).

BSP–EFLP brings together the outreach educational activities of BSP under one flagship program.

It consists of a series of learning sessions and activities promoting greater awareness and understanding of essential economic and financial issues.

Ligad said the public information campaign covers topics on recent economic developments and the role of BSP in the economy.

It also “discusses topics on the New Generation Philippine Currency, color of money, security features and design of Philippine peso banknotes, BSP clean note policy, and the coin recirculation program,” he said.

He also said the campaign includes a lecture on Presidential Decree No. 247, which prohibits and penalizes defacement, mutilation, tearing, burning or destruction of Central Bank notes and coins.

He said they have already conducted 15 public information campaigns in Iloilo, which have benefitted various stakeholders, including the academe.

WV tourist arrivals show increasing trend

BY KRISTINE S. GARCIA (With reports from Glenda Sologastoa and the Philippine Information Agency – Iloilo/PN)

ILOILO City – Tourist arrivals in Western Visayas have been increasing for the past two years.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 6 records showed the region having been visited by 3.5 million tourists last year, up from the 2012 figure of three million.

The 2012 figure was also higher than 2011’s 2.3 million visitors.

DOT regional director Helen Catalbas said her office has been working hard to promote and market Western Visayas with the help of local government units and the private sector.

But while the region appears to be getting “competitive” now in terms of tourist arrivals, Catalbas admitted her office and all stakeholders need to do more.

DOT Region 6 targets 4.6 million tourist arrivals by 2016.

Its more ambitious target, however, is to achieve a 1:1 tourist to resident ratio by 2020.

Aklan province where Borcay Island is located remains the top tourist draw in the region. It had 1,492,328 tourist arrivals last year.

Iloilo City had 627,870 followed by Bacolod City (580,815), Negros Occidental (545,768), Capiz (120,216), Iloilo province (117,225), Guimaras (63,921) and Antique (17,786).

With the right promotion and marketing, Catalbas said, Boracay alone can easily triple its tourist arrivals in six years.

But she urged tourists and travelers to explore other tourist spots of Western Visayas and not just the world-famous island resort of Boracay.

Region 6 is a haven of must-see tourism destinations, she stressed.

Boracay is getting crowded with visitors especially this summer season. Catalbas said tourists have the option to see less-traveled tourist areas of Region 6

But here’s the catch: Before these areas are promoted and marketed “full-blast,” facilities in them must be developed, she stressed.

There is still a need to put up adequate infrastructure and amenities so marketing these tourism areas may take some time, Catalbas said.

“We don’t want to weave disappointed travelers and tourists who would visit these places,” she stressed.

Farmers train on indigenous vegetables production

(DA 6 Information and Public Affairs Section / PN)

ILOILO City — More than 300 farmers from 19 municipalities of the provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras completed the five-month Agri Pinoy School On the Air (SOA) on indigenous vegetables production at Promenade Hall of Central Philippine University.

“Indigenous vegetables can withstand the ill-effects of climate change,” Department of Agriculture (DA) regional technical director Joyce Wendam told the farmers.

DA Region 6 has been encouraging farmers to help increase the production volume of vegetables all over Western Visayas.

“We are promoting the production of healthy, safe and nutritious foods,” said Wendam.

She also stressed the importance of SOA in disseminating information on agricultural technologies and farming tips to farmers, fisherfolk and livestock raisers.

As the regional focal person on organic agriculture, she will tap the SOA for the promotion and advocacy of organic farming practices.

The SOA classes on indigenous vegetables production started December last year. Its goal was to provide concrete planting procedures, sustainability and nutritional facts of indigenous vegetables to the rural farmers.

Gilson Yap of Brgy. Santa Clara, Oton, Iloilo has been cited as most outstanding graduate of the SOA on indigenous vegetables.

Noted for his red lady papaya and dragon fruit plantation, Yap is also the regional nominee to this year’s Gawad Saka for the high value crops farmer category.

The farmer graduates were given farm tools, vegetables seeds, seedlings and farmers record books.

Aired over 774 kHz DyRI RMN-Iloilo every 4 a.m. to 4:30am from Monday to Friday, the SOA is being hosted by DA regional information officer Juvy Gaton and technical staff Edgar Oyson.

City seeks three-peat win in Red Orchid Award

BY FREDA MAE SORSANO (PN)

ILOILO City – This city hopes to receive the Red Orchid Award for the third consecutive time.

“Should we win the Red Orchid Award again, Iloilo City will officially be a Red Orchid Hall of Famer,” said Inigo Garingalao, head of Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Taskforce (ICAST).

The Red Orchid Award is given to cities with outstanding anti-smoking policies and initiatives. Iloilo has been a recipient of the award in the last two years.

Garingalao said being recognized as a Red Orchid Hall of Famer would be beneficial to the city, tourism-wise.

“If we can achieve the Hall of Famer status, Iloilo City will be considered a Lakbay-Aral destination of people from other places.

Folks from other parts of the country – or outside, even – would want to visit Iloilo and see for themselves how our anti-smoking policies are being implemented,” he said.

He added that should the city achieve the status, more serious programs in promoting its anti-smoking policies will be done.

“By next year, our policies against tobacco will have inspired others so that they would adopt them,” he said.

The validation for the award will be conducted on May 23. Garingalao encouraged Ilonggos to be cooperative with the government’s anti-smoking thrusts as the day nears.

The validating team will be composed of the Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government, World Health Organization, Civil Service Commission and two large nongovernment organizations.

Garingalao said it is crucial for the city to receive the award this year because should we fail, the last two wins would be null and we have to start from scratch once again.

One of the major thrusts of ICAST is moving for the strict adherence of establishments to their anti-smoking rules.

“We visited establishments, gave them a copy of the anti-smoking ordinance and highly encouraged them to heed what’s in the paper,” he said.

So far, ICAST has given copies of the ordinance to approximately 2,000 establishments.

Although the number of establishments they have given copies is still 80 percent short of their 10,000 target.

Garingalao expects 100 percent compliance among the establishments they have visited.

“We expect them to follow the rules stipulated in the ordinance. Our rules are simple. Their establishments should have “no smoking” signages. Smoking areas inside are not allowed, ashtrays are a no-no inside no-smoking establishments, and so on,” said Garingalao.

“Aside from handing out copies of the ordinance, we are using the media to educate people of our anti-tobacco campaigns,” he added.

Tech grads receive tool kits from DOLE

(LMS, Iloilo City PIO/PN)

ILOILO City – Graduates and National Certificate (NC) II holders of Technical Institute of Iloilo City-Molo campus are lucky recipients of tool kits from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog led the recent ceremonial turnover of the tool kits together with TIIC administrator Maria Mathilde Octavio.

The DOLE regional office was represented by Assistant Regional Director Salome Siaton.

“We are thankful to DOLE for providing our TIIC graduates with these tools which they can use to start their business or livelihood,” the mayor said.

The tool kits were distributed as follows:

plumbing NC II, 30
carpentry, 35
masonry, 35
automotive diesel mechanic, 25
basic electricity, 25
shielded arcs welding, 25
computer hardware servicing, 45
therapeutic massage, one set

Octavio said the City Government presented the project proposal to the agency for 221 tool kits.

DOLE awards over P4-M worth of livelihood checks

By Lilibeth A. French (JCM/LAF-PIA6)

ILOILO CITY, May 4 (PIA6) - - As the country pays tribute to its workers on Labor Day on Thursday, the Department of Labor and Employment Regional Office 6 also continues to find means to provide jobs and livelihood opportunities to Ilonggos.

Aside from the job fairs held at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol and SM City Iloilo, the celebration here in Iloilo City was marked by the distribution of P4,275,872.00 worth of checks to fund various livelihood projects of proponents that include a Multi-Purpose Cooperative and 6 local government units.

DOLE 6 Ponciano Ligutom personally handed the checks to local chief executives of the concerned LGUs and representatives of the cooperative during a program held before the opening of the 2014 Labor Day Jobs and Livelihood Fairs at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.

Of the total amount, P999,664.00 was given to the local government unit of Miag-ao for the Miag-ao Garment Industry Development Project of its 159 unemployed men and women; P606, 775.00 to LGU Cabatuan for the Food Catering Services, Therapeutic Massage and Costemology project of its 91 graduates of the massage therapy and food and beverage service trainings; and P789,000.00 to LGU Banate for the Swine Fattening, Goat Raising and Marketing of its 126 indigents and ‘Yolanda’ survivors.

Also, P629,104.00 went to LGU Dumangas for the river cleaning and construction of river protection, parameter fence and road network of Food Terminal and Trading Complex involving 100 unemployed residents under DOLE’s Community Employment Program; P133,455.00 to LGU Balasan for the cleaning & greening of Brgy. Batuan Watershed involving 31 4Ps beneficiaries; and P129, 150.00 to LGU Estancia for the construction and repair of Totally Damaged Houses in Estancia involving 30 4Ps beneficiaries. Balasan and Estancia’s projects are funded through the Emergency Employment Program of DOLE.

Some P988, 724.00 were also received by the La Villa de Arevalo Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Iloilo City to enhance the existing income generating livelihood of its 148 members.

La Villa MPC President Teresita Sun said the livelihood assistance will be divided among their members where they will receive more than P6,000 each as additional capital to their existing livelihood.

Sun said the financial assistance will be a great help to their member-beneficiaries and she urged them to use the money properly for the sustainability and improvement of their income generating activities.

The 2014 Job and Livelihood Fairs featured the various products of the different projects of LGUs and institutions that received assistance from DOLE and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

DOH cites OFW for heeding MERS-CoV alert

By Elsa S. Subong (ESS/PIA-Iloilo)

ILOILO CITY, May 3(PIA) – The Department of Health-6 said the OFW from Jeddah Saudi Arabia who sought consultation here after feeling feverish is a model for others in heeding the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) alert.

Dr. Glen Alonsabe, DOH regional epidemiologist, said that the OFW, a female nurse, went to the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital and later was placed on quarantine in government facility at the Western Visayas Medical Center for swab tests to be confirmed by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, in two or three days.

Alonsabe said in a radio interview that the nurse was recently declared negative of the virus, as confirmed in the results of the swab test.

“The feverish feeling may be due to changes in the weather,” Alonsabe opined.

Earlier, Alonsabe appealed to the public to stop MERS-CoV scare through circulation of unverified text messages which followed news of the OFW’s seeking consultation.

He warned that rumors could harm a person’s reputation, so the DOH is working to verify all information, and is open to queries.

“So far, there is no confirmed positive case of MERS-CoV in Western Visayas, but this should not leave us complacent,” Alonsave said.

He added that all Ilonggo passengers of Etihad Airlines flight EY 0424 that arrived in the country on April 15, were negative for the virus.

MERS-CoV is a communicable disease which may be passed on to another through close contact with a person tested positive.

Other than fever, the symptoms may include coughing, sneezing, and runny nose after two weeks of exposure.

DOH still recommends personal hygiene, hand washing and covering of mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.

DOT eyes promotional roadshows in Singapore, Malaysia

By Leonard T. Pineda I (JCM/LTP/PIA-Iloilo)

ILOILO CITY, May 2 (PIA) --- The Department of Tourism (DOT) in Western Visayas will conduct tourism promotional road shows in Singapore and Malaysia slated on July 7-12, 2014.

Lawyer Helen Catalbas, DOT-6 Regional Director, said that there is a need to promote the region to these Southeast Asian countries in order to strengthen our inbound flights and increase visitor arrivals.

“We are already have flight services from Iloilo to Singapore (vice versa), and Kalibo to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (vice versa),” she said.

She said that the region’s tourism road show delegates are comprised of tourism officers, tour operators, representatives from hotels and resorts, local airlines, academic institutions, among others.

In the road show’s program seminar, all provincial and city tourism officers will be given 10 minutes each to present their respective tourist attractions and facilities including their connectivity to these countries and their provinces.

“The audience shall be composed of travel agency operators, travel writers, school authorities, airline representatives, filmmakers, and writers from Singapore and Malaysia,” she said.

“We might be able to convince some filmmakers and producers to produce movies here in Western Visayas,” she also said.

She added that there will also be tabletop negotiations where tourism officers can entertain questions, inquiries, and transactions from their counterparts in Singapore and Malaysia.

Aksyon Radyo Iloilo wins in KBP awards

By Maricyn A. De los Santos

AKSYON Radyo-Iloilo made a grandslam win in the 22nd Golden Dove Awards of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) held Tuesday night at Star Theater, CCP Complex in Pasay City.

Aksyon Radyo Iloilo’s Aksyon Balita Numero Uno” aired every 6 am to 6:30 am daily bested five other finalists in the “Best Radio Newscast Provincial” category.

The station has won the award for three consecutive years now.

Aksyon Radyo Iloilo was also finalist in Best AM Station Provincial category while its reporter, Johnny Diaz was finalist in the “Best Field Reporter” category.

Station Manager John Paul Tia attributed the station’s success in delivering up-to-date and relevant news reports to the station’s dedication to keep the Ilonggos well-informed on issues affecting them.

Aksyon Radyo Iloilo has recently made noise when it fearlessly tackled the issue of drugs in the city and province of Iloilo.

The KBP is the foremost broadcast media organization in the country, composed of owners and operators of radio and television stations and the radio and television stations themselves.

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