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<center>[[Davao del Sur Province, Philippines|<font size=4>'''Province of Davao del Sur'''</font>]] - [[Davao del Sur Archived News|<font size=4 color=green>'''Archived News'''</font>]]</center>
<center>[[Davao del Sur Province, Philippines|<font size=4>'''Province of Davao del Sur'''</font>]] - [[Davao del Sur Archived News|<font size=4 color=green>'''Archived News'''</font>]]</center>
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==DAR-11, state college ink partnership for agri project==
==DENR-XI lauds Davao City for move to ban plastic bags==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561332638770
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561336716357
*By: Manny Agapay
*By: Bing Cordova
*''March 25, 2012''
*''Friday, May 11, 2012''


DAVAO CITY- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in the region has recently partnered with a state college in Davao Oriental to implement P86 million worth of projects to increase farm productivity and income of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB).
DAVAO CITY- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the region (DENR-XI) lauds the City Government of Davao for its move to completely, totally and absolutely ban the use of non-biodegradable and polystyrene foam as food and beverage containers effective June 28, 2012.


DAR-11 formally inked the partnership on March 23 in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology (DOSCST).
The ban of these non-biodegradable containers is spelled out in Section 7, Article V of the Ordinance 0361 series of 2010 of the Davao City Ecological Waste Management of 2009.


The collaboration signified the implementation of DAR’s Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) program in the region.
The banning of these non-biodegradable containers will significantly reduce the City’s burden on managing wastes that are very damaging to the environment, said DENR-XI Regional Executive Director Jim O. Sampulna.


DAR regional director Datu Yusoph B. Mama explained that the ARCCESS program engages an inter-sectoral partnership which bids to help improve the organizational capacities of the participating ARB organizations (ARBOs) in agri-enterprise development for a maximum duration of three-year interventions.
“Once plastic bags or polystyrene foams are used, most of them go to the landfill or end up littering the environment. And once they become litter, they find their ways into the waterways, streets, beaches and seas,” Sampulna stated.


Mama said that the ARCCESS program will operate in 29 municipalities and 40 agrarian reform communities (ARCs) in all five provinces of Davao Region.
“Plastics and polystyrene foams clog waterways and pollute our oceans and seas too. The sad reality is since they are non-biodegradables, their decomposition takes very long years,” he added.


Its implementation comprises of ten project proposals involving 53 ARB organizations with 8,603 target beneficiaries in the region, he added.
Sampulna recalled that during the agency’s coastal clean-up in 2011, most of the garbage were composed of plastic wrappers/containers which form part of the 17,087 kilos of garbage collected.


Among the projects in the line-up is the Cacao Production and Marketing in Davao City worth P6.59 million which will be managed by eight ARBOs and 680 beneficiaries.
On the other hand, plastic wrappers/containers also made up most of the 252 sacks of garbage collected during their estero or canal clean activities.


In Davao del Sur, eight ARBOs with 1,545 target beneficiaries are expected to handle two projects valued at P20.26 million, namely the Sugar Block farming and Integrated Organic Rice Production and Marketing.
Sampulna further said that DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje has instructed all the field offices in the country to continuously provide technical assistance to the LGUs as far as solid waste management is concerned.


Copra trading and coconut-banana intercropping projects worth P9.54 million will be managed by ten ARBOs in Davao Oriental with 2,632 expected beneficiaries.
With the upcoming ban on the use of plastic food containers, DENR expects to collect lesser or zero plastic food containers in their next coastal and canal clean up activities.  


Compostela Valley has two proposed projects worth P34.27 million, the Integrated Rice Production and Marketing and the Coconut Production Enhancement and Copra Trading which will be managed by 11 ARBOs and 440 target beneficiaries.
==Davao City daily waste collection lesser by 100 tons==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1541336637554
*By: Rudolf Ian G. Alama
*''Thursday, May 10, 2012''


Davao del Norte has the Integrated Rice Production and Marketing and the Cavandish Banana Processing with an estimated cost of P15.43 million to be managed by 17 ARBOs with 3,306 target beneficiaries.
DAVAO CITY- The garbage collected in the city daily by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) has been reduced by as much as 100 tons (per day) with the implementation of the waste segregation ordinance.


The 53 ARBOs are expected to pass the needs assessment of DOSCST for them to be able to manage their respective proposed projects.
CENRO chief Atty. Joseph Felizarta said that before the segregation police was implemented the city was collecting about 500 to 570 tons of garbage per day.
Responding to the needs of the farmers, DOSCST President Dr. Edito B. Sumile signified his resounding commitment to help DAR’s mission of uplifting the economic lives of the underprivileged sector of the society in the entire region.


To ensure the achievement of the program’s goal without any bias, DAR has tapped the Business Development Service (BDS) providers which include state colleges and universities or private sectors in determining its needs assessment and the viability of the ARBOs proposed business endeavors in their respective communities.
In 2011 it went down to 420 tons and in 2012 it was further reduced to 402 tons according to Felizarta. The reduction translates to savings of P37-million a year from the operating expenses of hauling garbage from collection points to the landfill.


Mama said ARCCESS is seen by DAR as an effective tool in improving the performance of the ARBOs agri-enterprise, its access to markets and its ability to compete against other markets.
The “No Segregation, No Collection Policy” ordinance was implemented in July 1, 2011 and is in compliance with Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act. The ordinance stipulates that only residual wastes shall only be collected by garbage collectors for disposal at the city’s landfill in New Carmen.


As part of its mandate to ensure the provision of support services to ARBs in the ARCs, DAR has deemed it a vital component of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program to augment farmers’ income in the rural areas.
The CENRO chief said that based on current daily collection the modern landfill in New Carmen can take in garbage for about 10 years before it is going to be filled up. Felizarta said that about 20% of the landfill’s first layer has been filled up.


Signing for the commitment of DAR for the farmers were the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officers to include Venchito S. Mandap of Davao Oriental; Norma B. Lemente of Compostela Valley; Wilson A. Antiga of Davao del Sur; Nicasio A. Lemente of Davao Norte; and Ernesto B. Tan of Davao City.
Meanwhile the CENRO will be implementing the ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags and Polystyrene (Styrofoam) food containers starting June 28. The ban is in accordance with the provisions of the Davao City Ecological Solid Waste Management Ordinance of 2009 or City Ordinance 0361 series of 2010 (Section 7, Article V) which only permits recyclable and biodegradable plastic bags and containers.


==Fast-food chain offers summer program for kids==
Felizarta said that some biodegradable plastic bags are already being sold in the market or are used by supermarkets and big department stores. He said that one major test of a biodegradable plastic is that it turns brittle when exposed to temperatures reaching 80 degrees Celsius.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=CENTRAL&article=1831332499683
*By: Carina L. Cayon
*''March 23, 2012''


DAVAO CITY- A fast-food restaurant chain in the city continues to provide an option for Davaoeño kids to have fun and hone their talents this summer with the onset of the Jollibee Kids Scout Summer Program in April.
He said that an additive is usually added during the manufacturing process of these plastics to make it biodegradable.


The annual summer program of the Jollibee Davao JTC Group of Companies offers workshop activities for children ages 6 to 12 years old, which aim to instill the values of fun, family and friendship.
According to the ordinance, mall and shop owners who violate the provisions will face penalty ranging from P300 to P5,000 or imprisonment for about six months.  


Nelson Judaya, Jollibee Visayas-Mindanao Marketing Services head, said the summer program will feature workshops on performing arts such as dancing, singing and acting, arts and crafts, reading, and social skills.
==Families, community urged to help drug dependents submit to treatment==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561336540931
*By: Carina L Cayon
*''Wednesday, May 09, 2012''


Judaya told the media in Kapihan sa PIA at Jollibee Time Square on Thursday (March 22), the program becomes a yearly ally to parents in developing their children’s talents and skills as well as social values.
DAVAO CITY- An official of the local government-run rehabilitation center in the city has called on the help of the community, families, and other sectors to urge drug dependents to submit to treatment.


The workshops will come in four batches to start on April 9 until second week of May. Each Jollibee store in Davao City will conduct the workshops in four sessions per day with a maximum of ten participants per session that will last for two hours.
Dr. Gene L. Gulanes, manager of Davao City Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Drug Dependents (DCTRCDD) raised the need of support to increase voluntary submission of drug dependents to be treated and rehabilitated at the center.


Judaya said children who want to join the summer program will have to sign up first in the Jollibee Kids Club (JKC) which requires payment of P50 as membership fee inclusive of an identification card and a kit for some freebies.
Gulanes said the number of patients admitted at DCTRCDD in Bago Oshiro, Tugbok District this city, has increased this year, “because many have volunteered to be rehabilitated.”


For the Jollibee Kids Scout Summer Program, participants are required to pay a participation fee of P500 per child inclusive of one shirt and a cap, meals and certificate.
From last year’s 80 patients, this had increased to 96 - 55 minors and 45 adults - and are under treatment at DCTRCDD this year, he disclosed.


Ciger Sario, Jollibee JTC Davao marketing and business development manager, said the program is eyeing instructors from the Davao City-based Ford Academy of the Arts to train the children on the performing arts and the arts and crafts.
However, Gulanes said that the 10 percent increase of voluntary submission is still low as the city government is aiming for more drug dependents to voluntarily submit themselves for treatment, hence the call for communal effort.


Jollibee training experts will handle the workshops on reading and socials skills such as values, active play and outreach activities, Sario said.
Gulanes said the DCTRCDD has enough facility and personnel comprising of social workers, psychologists, nurses, house parents, and administrative workers to handle the program and care for the patients.


He said that the summer program is among the many activities of the JKC which is part of Jollibee’s social responsibility and commitment to the children.
He said that the city government has strengthened the capability of the center with its annual budget allocation of P8 million.


He added that JKC in Davao has more than 4,000 members already.
The Dangerous Drugs Board has granted a P500,000 assistance to support the center, he added.


Another activity involving the JKC members this summer is the restaging of the Jollitown Time Travel Summer Art Camp on May 25 at SM City Davao and on May 26 at NCCC Mall, also in Davao City.
Part of the intensified treatment and rehabilitation program is the after care and follow-up program where rehabilitated patients will be monitored through visits of social workers in the community.


The summer art camp intends to expose the children to different arts activities such as poster making, drawing, arts and crafts and dancing.
Gulanes said that the success rate of rehabilitated drug patients after their release from the center is 80 percent.


==DTI-Davao warns contractors to secure PCAB license to avoid sanctions==
==Davao City to complete drainage projects in 2012==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561332298851
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1541336376181
*By: PIA
*By: Rudolf Ian G. Alama
*''March 21, 2012''
*''Tuesday, May 08, 2012''


The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Davao cautions all contractors, subcontractors, and specialty contractors to first secure a license from the agency before engaging into any construction activities in the Philippines to avoid sanctions.
DAVAO CITY- The city government of Davao is set to complete its nine drainage projects worth P54 million this year.


The licenses, which shall be secured from the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), which is under the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP), a DTI-attached agency.
According to Andrew Lepardo of the City Engineer’s Office-Drainage Division, among these projects include drainage improvements in flood prone areas such as Ponciano, Quimpo Boulevard, Royal Valley, Jade Valley and Matina Pangi.


Republic Act 4566 (Contractors License Law), as amended by Presidential Decree No. 1746, requires all contractors, subcontractors, and specialty contractors, regardless of nationality, to get a PCAB license first before they get involved with construction.
The drainage infrastructure fund is part of the P546-million Supplemental Budget I passed in 2011.


Under the law, a contractor may secure any of the two types of licenses – regular and special.
Among the large drainage projects is the P10-million improvement project in Quimpo Boulevard, a notoriously flood prone area.


The regular license is issued to a domestic construction firm which shall authorize the licensee to engage in construction contracting within the field and scope of his license classification(s) for as long as license validity is maintained through annual renewal; unless renewal is denied or the License is suspended, cancelled or revoked for cause(s).
Lepardo said that based on studies, the there is only one inlet in the area hence the reason for the quick build-up of water that leads to flooding. Under the drainage improvement project they adding nine more inlets plus enlarged the outflow of water, from 24 inches diameter culverts they are putting in larger culverts 48-inches in diameter. Plus in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) some of the water will flow into the Davao Gulf, in the past there was only one outflow of water that leads to the Davao River, a set-up which led to clogging of the drainage line.


The regular license shall be reserved for and issued only to constructor-firms of Filipino sole proprietorship, or partnership/corporation with at least 70 percent Filipino equity participation and duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the Philippine laws.
Meanwhile, City Planning and Development Office head Robert Alabado said that the city needs main line or very large canals to alleviate flooding in some areas.


The special license, on the other hand, is issued to a joint venture, a consortium, a foreign constructor or a project owner which shall authorize the licensee to engage only in the construction of a single specific undertaking/project.
According to a Dutch consultant who studied Davao City’s flooding problems the city would need to install more main drains particularly in the barangays of Dumoy, Buhangin and Lizada. These main drains would then flow out to the gulf.


In case the licensee is a foreign firm, the license authorization shall be further subject to condition(s) as may have been imposed by the proper Philippine government authority in the grant of the privilege for him to so engage in construction contracting in the Philippines.
However Alabado said that these main drains are so expensive to build since aside from the expenses of the infrastructure, one would have to buy land and relocate people for the project to materialize.


Annual renewal shall be required for as long as the undertaking/project is in progress, but shall be restricted to only as many times as necessary for completion of the same.
==Phivolcs: Magnitude-5 quake hits Davao Sur area; quakes rock Negros Oriental==
*Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/257263/news/nation/phivolcs-magnitude-5-quake-hits-davao-sur-area-quakes-rock-negros-oriental
*By: LBG, GMA News
*''Sunday, May 06, 2012''


A regular license shall be valid for one fiscal year, from the first of July to the 30th of June of the ensuing year, unless suspended, invalidated, cancelled or revoked earlier by the Board, and shall be renewed annually.
A magnitude-5.0 quake rocked the Davao del Sur area in Mindanao before dawn Sunday, but there was no initial report of damage or casualty.


A license issued after the first of July shall be valid for the remaining part of the fiscal year.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the predawn quake was tectonic in origin, and was recorded at 2:43 a.m.


DTI 11 Regional Director Marizon S. Loreto said that those who are engaged in contracting should get a PCAB license, else it is a violation of a Trade and Industry Law (TIL) and corresponding penalties will be charged against them.
In its bulletin, it said the epicenter was 90 km northeast of Sarangani in Davao Del Sur.


“Once a contractor has a PCAB license, we are assured that they have passed the requirements relative to construction business. Through this way, we are also assured that they are aware of their responsibilities as contractors,” she said.
Phivolcs did not immediately cite specific areas where the quake was felt.


Meanwhile, PCAB chair Engr. Ramon F. Allado added that having a PCAB license legalizes one’s construction business.
No damage or aftershock was expected from the quake, it added.


It also professionalizes the industry and makes the playing field equal since having a license makes every firm accountable for his projects’ quality and adherence to standards and requirements as provided by law.
Quakes in Negros Oriental


It assures the safety of the public, that only qualified and reliable contractors are allowed to undertake construction in the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Phivolcs recorded at least seven quakes that rocked the Negros Oriental area since Friday night.


DTI 11 is intensifying its campaign against unlicensed contractors in a bid to protect the project owners and employees/laborers involved in the said project.
The latest quake was recorded at 1:54 a.m. Sunday, with the epicenter at 3 km southwest of Ayungon town in Negros Oriental.


Contractors caught operating without a license shall pay a penalty of up to P150,000 after due notice and hearing.
Phivolcs said the quake was measured at magnitude 3.3.


==POEA warns OFWs against use of visit visa==
Also on Sunday, a magnitude-2.9 quake hit the province at 12:25 a.m., with the epicenter at 9 km northwest of La Libertad town.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561332212251
*By: PIA
*''March 20, 2012''
DAVAO CITY- Overseas Filipino workers without the proper employment documents are more prone to abuses and exploitation by their employers, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said as it warned anew against the use of tourist or visit visas to secure overseas jobs.


POEA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said illegal recruiters are using a third or fourth country, usually Asean-member countries where visa is not required of its citizens, and other countries in the Middle East as jump-off points to send Filipino workers to banned destinations.
Earlier quakes that rocked the province on Friday and Saturday included:


The POEA has existing deployment bans on Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Nigeria.
- May 4, 9:26 a.m., magnitude 1.9, 12 km east of Canlaon City.


Cacdac cited the case of undocumented household workers repatriated from Syria and Lebanon who complained of low or unpaid wages, long hours of work, and physical and verbal abuse suffered from their employers.
- May 5, 5:44 a.m., magnitude 3.4, 8 km southeast of Mabinay, Negros Oriental.


The workers were found to have left the country using short-term visit visas.
- May 5, 4:45 p.m., magnitude 3.8, 8 km southwest of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.


The POEA administrator said Dubai is one of the favorite destinations of Filipino workers wanting to find work overseas.
- May 5, 4:54 p.m., magnitude 2.6, 5 km northwest of La Libertad.


But Cacdac said a foreigner holding a visit visa is not allowed to work in Dubai and other countries.
- May 5, 5:45 p.m., magnitude 2.9, 15 km northwest of Bais City.  


In addition, holding a visit visa which expires in 60 days has pressured many Filipinos to agree to a substandard employment contract or submit themselves to physical and emotional exploitation.
==Taiwan firm needs 75 technical assistants==
*Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561336107680
*By: Carina L Cayon
*''Saturday, May 05, 2012''


“The legal way is to obtain an employment contract and employment visa or work permit and submit them to the POEA for processing and issuance of exit clearance,” Cacdac added.
DAVAO CITY– The Taiwan-based Inotera Memories, Inc. is in urgent need of 75 technical assistants, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration announced.


Cacdac also reminded job applicants of the new guidelines issued by the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation establishing stricter procedure on screening Filipinos leaving as tourist.
The firm is engaged in the manufacture, development and distribution of wafers.


A traveler found to be misrepresenting the purpose of his or her foreign trip will not be allowed to board the plane, he added.
Maria Carolina B. Agdamag, chief of POEA regional center for Mindanao, said the hiring is under the agency’s Special Hiring Program for Taiwan (SHPT).


==Multi-sectoral consultation to tackle agri-fisheries modernization==
Agdamag said the position offers a monthly salary of NT$18,780.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561332138378
*By: Carina L. Cayon
*''March 19, 2012''


DAVAO CITY- The Department of Agriculture in the region will be spearheading an area-wide public consultation on March 22 here to gather inputs  towards modernizing the agriculture and fisheries sectors.
The company needs 40 males and 35 females, 25-35 years old and 20-30 yrs. old, respectively.


The DA in partnership with the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC) will hold the multi-sectoral conference at the Waterfront Insular Hotel, this city.
Qualifications for male applicants are: vocational or college graduate or above, major in engineering, preferably mechanical and electrical background.


DA-XI Regional Director Dr. Oscar O. Parawan said  the consultation seeks to generate comments, reactions and recommendations on the draft regional Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plan (AFMP) for 2011-2017, before the same will be finalized and consolidated into the national AFMP.  
Female applicants must be graduate of four-year course, and must be 150 cm in height and 40 kg and above in weight.


The consultation expects participation from officials and representatives of the national government agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, private sector led agricultural and fishery councils and state universities and colleges.
The hired male technical assistants will be assigned in maintenance and repair of wafer machine, while the female workers will operate machine and move materials of semi conductor.


Parawan raised the importance of this multi-sectoral conference in an invitation to the Philippine Information Agency, saying that the various significant inputs from the participants “will surely help in advancing agriculture and fisheries modernization.”
POEA said the hiring company could also consider college level applicants provided that they have work experience related to motor and machinery and with experience in semi-conductors.


He said that DA is leading the updating of the AFMP 2011-2017 in accordance with the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) which mandates DA to formulate and implement a medium and long-term AFMP.
The qualified applicants are required to personally submit a detailed resume with job description, school credentials, employment certificates, passport copy and two pieces 2x2 recent picture at the Manpower Registry Division, Window M, ground floor, Blas F. Ople Bldg., Ortigas Ave. corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City.


This, he added, is in consultation with farmers, fishers, private sector, non-government organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations (Pos), and the appropriate government agencies and offices.
Applicants could also register online at www.poea.gov.ph or www.eregister.poea.gov.ph.


Parawan said  the AFMP will ensure that all DA’s regional field units, agencies, bureaus and offices will have an action program that is cohesive, reinforcing and consistent with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), AFMA and other national policy directives.
The deadline of submission of the documents is set on May 23, 2012.


The AFMP will be utilized by the agri-fisheries sector as an instrument to sharply focus programs, projects and activities towards modernizing the agriculture and fisheries sector, he stated.
POEA further announced that representatives from Inotera Memories, Inc. are scheduled to conduct written examination and interview on June 2012.  


==Pag-Ibig Program==
==Army honors wounded soldiers==
*Source: http://mb.com.ph/articles/354601/water-conservation
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1591335857655
*By: mb.com.ph
*By: pia
*''March 18, 2012''
*''Friday, May 04, 2012''


DAVAO CITY— Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive officer Atty. Darlene Marie B. Berberabe led the signing of memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Mati City's associations of tricycle drivers and fish vendors.
DAVAO CITY- Wounded soldiers who survived the atrocities perpetrated by the Organized Crime Group-New People’s Army OCG-NPA), were given due recognition by the 10th Infantry Division at Camp Panacan Station Hospital on Tuesday (May 1).


The signing was held on Thursday in Tagum City which coincided with the inauguration of Pag-IBIG Fund Tagum Branch new office building. However, Berberabe said they wanted to reach out also to all informal sectors as they wanted them to benefit from the fund's program on provident savings and home financing.
As part of the Labor Day Celebration, 10 Wounded Personnel Medals were pinned by 10ID Commander Brig. Gen. Ariel B. Bernardo to seven soldiers from the 71st Infantry Battalion, two soldiers from the 84th Infantry Battalion and one CAFGU member from the 72nd Infantry Battalion.


Republic Act 9679 requires for universal coverage including informal groups even as Berberabe said those earning R1,000 up can become Pag-IBIG Fund members.
The awardees were cited for their gallantry and dedication to the service against the members of the OCG-NPA.


==Women fun run benefits Red Cross==
The soldiers and the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit-Active Auxiliary (CAA) will receive cash and more medical assistance from the Philippine Army.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561331942390
*By: Carina L. Cayon
*''March 17, 2012''


DIGOS CITY, Davao del Sur– A run for a cause spearheaded by women here benefited the Digos City-based Red Cross Davao del Sur Chapter.
BGen. Bernardo expressed his pride of the soldiers and emphasized the importance of caring for the soldiers’ welfare.


The total proceeds of P17,470 of the Women Fun Run 2012 was handed over to Red Cross as financial assistance last March 6.
“I am proud of our soldiers for showing high degree of discipline and dedication which prevented the criminals from doing more harm to the people,” he said.


The fun run which gathered more than 50 men, women and children in the city on March 3 was part of the week-long celebration of the International Women’s Month.
Moreover, he said that every soldier is important and the army has been implementing several policies that cater to their needs. These awards will motivate more soldiers to continue serving the country through peace and development outreach programs. The soldiers who were killed in action will also receive the same benefits and awards.


Roberto Zamora, information officer of Digos City government, said that the Gender and Development (GAD) team of the local government spearheaded the fun run and other activities.
The soldiers were wounded due to the use of landmines by the OCG-NPA, which is banned under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) signed by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New people's Army (NPA), National Democratic Front (NDF), and the Government of the Philippines.


Zamora told the Philippine Information Agency that the celebration also involved female high school and college students who joined in the essay writing contest which centered on this year’s theme on environmental concerns.
==BFAR nat’l fisherfolk director hails from Davao==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561335772113
*By: Jeanevive D. Abangan
*''Thursday, May 03, 2012''


Some schools conducted extemporaneous speech competition with all female participants who anchored their message on environment.
This year’s national fisher folk director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is from the Davao Region.


Zamora said that women from the barangays, national government agencies and schools also actively engaged in activities such as in sports fest and socio-cultural contests.
Fisher folk leader Natividad C. Gunayan, 62 years of age, resident of Nasa Village, Poblacion Lupon in Davao Oriental has been chosen to take the place of BFAR national Director Atty. Asis G. Perez, for one month in line with the observance of the month of May as the “Farmers and Fisher folks Month.”


He said the culmination program on March 8 which was graced by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte as keynote speaker, gathered more than 1,200 women and men from the city LGU, barangays and other government agencies.
BFAR XI Regional Director Fatma Idris Tuesday revealed Gunayan as the second woman fisher folk leader chosen by colleagues to sit as the national fisherfolk director.


==Employment information services move closer to Digos barangays==
“This shows that we are empowering women to take hold of positions usually held by men,” she said.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561331794327
*By: Carina L. Cayon
*''March 15, 2012''


DIGOS CITY, Davao del Sur- Employment information services would soon be brought closer to communities here, as barangay chiefs allowed the establishment of the Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) in their villages.
In a separate interview, Gunayan looked at her present position as an opportunity to push forward the welfare of fisher folks as well as to find ways to assist women on fishing, to find alternative livelihood.


Some 11 barangay captains in Digos City agreed to become managers of PESO, a one-stop center that provides employment information assistance and various services to job seekers in their respective areas.
“Gibati nako nga dako ko ug kaakuhan o responsibilidad nga mapalambo ang panginabuhi sa mga mangingisda. (I feel that I bear great responsibility to improve the lives of my fellow fisherfolks.),” she said.


The village heads signed yesterday (Mar. 14) a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Davao del Sur provincial PESO in carrying out said program that aims to ensure the speedy, equitable and efficient delivery of employment services.
In her one-month stint as the national fisherfolk director of BFAR, Gunayan lines up a three-pronged agenda geared towards addressing coastal environment issues, poverty situation of fisherfolks and strengthening BFAR in general.


The following barangay captains would soon administer the PESO program in their barangays: Arnold Zapanta of Zone 1; Rodrigo Abangan (Zone 2); Gary Ra. Cagas (Zone 3); Reynaldo Aballe (Aplaya); Alex Sison (Dawis); Raul Genetializa (Lungag); Rodrigo Javier, Jr. (San Agustin); Tarciano Baba, Jr. (San Miguel); Fernando Lazarte (Soong); Josephine Comahig (Tiguman); and Leander Navarro (Tres de Mayo).
On top of her agenda is to drum up calls to elevate BFAR into a department as the “Philippines is the only country in Asia where a government agency on fisheries is a bureau only.”


Aplaya Barangay Captain Aballe welcomed this new endeavor in his barangay, saying that this could help facilitate work for the new graduates and the unemployed in his area.
As such campaign has been there since 2005, the fisher folk sector will be bringing a position paper on the conversion of BFAR into a Department of Fisheries to the Senate, and that it is eyeing the support of senators Aquilino Martin “Koko” Pimentel and Antonio Trillanes IV.


Prior to the MOA signing on Wednesday at Barangay Zone III conference hall, Malalag PESO manager Bernadette Saladaga oriented the village heads about the multi-employment service program.
Under her stewardship as the national fisheries director, the fisherfolk sector will also be working for the inclusion of the fisher folks as beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).


Saladaga said  the PESO facility at the barangay would function as center for referrals of human resources within the community to employers and establishments with job vacancies within and outside the city.
“Daghang mga fisherfolks ang wala naapil sa lista sa mga makadawat sa 4Ps. (There are a number of fisherfolks who have not been included as recipients of 4Ps.),” she said.


The PESO would serve as information center for the various services and programs of DOLE and other government agencies present in the area, and would provide clients with adequate information on employment and labor market situation in the area.
Along this line, she noted that some have yet to fully grasp the meaning of fisher folks which, she said, refers not only to those catching fish but also to any man and woman involved in the small fishing industry such as fish vendors and fish processors.


Saladaga said  the program would also provide career and employment coaching such as the Pre-Employment Seminar for Local Applicants (PESLA) to graduating students to prepare them for employment. She  shared that among the benefits for having the PESO program include the gains of the network with other PESOs within the region on employment for job exchange, and availing of the technical and financial assistance from DOLE.
During her term, she will also be pushing for intensive coastal protection through massive planting of mangroves.


Provincial PESO manager Rolly Impas urged the new barangay PESO managers to include in their plans the skills profiling that would facilitate the easy matching of skills with the available jobs.
This runs in line with the thrust of BFAR which is granting an incentive to fisher folks who would want to actively engage in mangrove planting by giving them P3 for each planted mangrove propagule and additional P2 for each grown mangrove.


Meanwhile, DOLE assistant regional director Van Cebrano emphasized the significance of installing the PESO program in the barangays, saying that this could help address the concern on human trafficking.
Meanwhile, Gunayan has also seen the need to assist fisherfolk women in search of alternative livelihood to support their espouses.


Cebrano said that with the advocacy and education component of PESO, the barangay constituents would be made aware of illegal recruitment which mostly victimized the vulnerable sector in the communities.
“May mga training na sila pero wala silang puhunan. (They already have undergone training but they don’t have the capital)” she said.
She also would want women to learn “the values” to sustain their venture, and to stick with their groups’ desire to collectively prosper.


The 11 barangays out of the 26 in Digos City will be the first to establish the PESO program in their respective areas. In the entire province, the municipality of Malalag is the first to have all its 15 barangays functioned as PESO centers.
“Di man pwede pa-isa isa lang ang molambo, kay para man kini sa tanan. (Their progress has to collective not individualistic.),” she said referring to government assistance which is usually granted to groups of beneficiaries.  


The establishment of PESO at the local levels capital towns of provinces, key cities, and other strategic areas is pursuant to Republic Act No. 8759 otherwise known as the PESO Act of 1999.
==Sta. Cruz flashflood brings P500,000-worth of damage to houses, infra==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561335772113
*By: Carina L Cayon
*''Tuesday, May 01, 2012''


==Lady lawmakers call on women’s engagement in mitigating disasters==
DAVAO CITY- The flashflood that occurred in a barangay of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur on April 26 has brought damage to houses and infrastructures that amounted to P500,000.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561331684998
*By: Carina L. Cayon
*''March 14, 2012''


DAVAO CITY- Lady lawmakers here have called on women from all sectors in the city to take part in the efforts of mitigating calamities.
Some 15 houses in Barangay Zone 4 were totally destroyed, while six including two boarding houses were partially damaged, affecting 27 families with 136 individuals including 42 boarders who are working in private companies situated in said barangay.
Davao City Councilor Atty. Leah Librado-Yap urged the women to actively engage in endeavors to save the environment and in campaigns calling for the care of the environment which translates to protecting “our women and children”.
“Because in the long run, we all suffer from the disastrous effects of typhoons, flashfloods and landslides,” Librado-Yap said during the celebration of the 102nd International Women’s Day held last March 8 at the People’s Park, this city.
The lady councilor raised the call after sharing a study by the Center for Women Resources (CWR) revealing that “women victims of calamities have to contend with at least four issues that are the result of falling victim to natural calamities.”
Librado-Yap said  the study discovered that women are forced to take extra jobs because during calamities, the regular sources of income of husbands are disrupted.
“This is an added burden to women since they are still the ones expected to do the housework for their own homes,” stated Librado-Yap who chairs the council’s committee for women and children.
Women also become more vulnerable to sexual abuses and prone to contracting diseases such as urinary tract infection, diarrhea and lung complications in the wake of calamities, she said.
Librado-Yap mentioned that there were 377 recorded cases of leptospirosis among women and 24 died after the onslaught of typhoon Sendong.
The CWR study also found out that many women experience psychological stress or trauma after the calamity, she said adding that this “worsens everyday as they bear the burden of securing food for their families.”
Meanwhile, another Davao City Councilor Marissa Abella encouraged the women to practice measures in protecting the environment at their respective homes such as segregation of wastes and conserving water and electric power.
She told the women who are mostly mothers to teach their children on the importance of taking care of the environment.
Abella, who chairs the committee on environment, also urged the women to participate in tree planting activities.
“The government needs women to be champions in saving the environment,” she emphasized during the celebration of the women’s day.


==Electric coops meet members, DOE today==
The flashflood that happened along Pilan River in said barangay due to incessant heavy rainfall on Thursday evening from around 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm also impaired a hanging bridge connecting Barangays Zone 3 and Zone 4.
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1551331607116
*By: Frances Mae Gevera-Macapagat
*''March 13, 2012''


DAVAO CITY- Electric cooperatives in Mindanao  are meeting today with the Department of Energy and the Mindanao Development Authority to come up with an immediate workable solution on the problem of power in this side of the country.
No casualty nor injury was reported.


A representative from the Department of Energy, members of the Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives (AMRECO) and Mindanao Development Authority Chairperson Luwalhati Antonino will lay down issues and possible solutions that these sectors can apply with the ongoing power outages in Mindanao.
Adelaida Badilla, secretariat head of Sta. Cruz Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), reported that the total damage cost to houses and personal belongings of the affected families reached to P300,000.


Some areas in Mindanao suffer up to 8 hours of blackout everyday and the electric cooperatives here fear this would worsen in summer when the demand for power is high  affecting businesses and even households.
The cost of damage to the hanging bridge was estimated at P200,000, said Badilla who is also the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer of said town.


AMRECO members are asking the government to look into the situation of the two main sources of power in the region which are the Agus and the Pulangi hydroelectric plants. These plants reportedly are not operating in full capacity.
She said most of the affected families are being housed at the evacuation center at Agripina Elementary School, while the rest are staying with relatives.


Also, the electric cooperatives are asking for the government not to limit them from sourcing power from barges as per the agreement with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
In her MDRRMO report as of Sunday (April 29), Badilla said the local government unit of Sta. Cruz has extended food assistance such as hot meals through its community kitchen and five sacks of rice.


Meanwhile, the government announced yesterday that the DOE will soon issue an order mandating electric cooperatives to contract and purchase the necessary capacities within their respective areas.
The Philippine Red Cross has donated two packs of used clothing, kitchen wares and noodles.


In a press release, Malacanang clarified that the government agency is ready to present solutions on this power problem after constant coordination and dialogue with the electric cooperatives and lawmakers in Mindanao.
Members of the 39th Infantry Battalion and 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, together with the officials of the municipal and barangay LGUs have done immediate rescue operation and transfer of victims to the evacuation centers.
 
==PDEA XI joins school’s anti-drug sports fest==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561331542345
*By: Nilda Aninon
*''March 12, 2012''
 
DAVAO CITY- Officials and personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the region joined the Sports Festival 2012 of Kill Droga Club (KDC) and Junior Citizens Crime Watch (JCCW) on Sunday (Mar. 11) at the University of Mindanao (UM) Matina Campus, this city.
 
With this year’s theme: “Drug Free Society is a Means to Ends Poverty,” the annual sports fest aimed to  foster camaraderie and cooperation with students and the different school organizations in the fight against illegal drugs.
The event was spearheaded by UM’s College of Criminal Justice Education.
 
PDEA regional director Emerson R. Rosales facilitated the ceremonial toss of the basketball game which was one of the events in the sports fest which also aimed to promote physical fitness among the participants.  Aside from basketball, other events included volleyball, tug of war, chess, badminton and bunong braso.
 
The competing teams were the Judo Team, Taekwondo Team, College of Criminal Justice Education Interns, Crime Busters, Junior Drug Buster (JDB), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency XI, Kill Droga Club (KDC) and Junior Citizens Crime Watch (JCCW).
 
Undersecretary Jose S. Gutierrez, Jr., PDEA director general, expressed his support to the academe in the fight against drug menace in the country.  He believes that prevention programs like sports activity for the youth is one intervention to prevent drug abuse.
 
Gutierrez emphasized that the support of the academe does not only intensify drug awareness campaign program, but it also empowers the youth to fight the drug menace in its own level.
 
“Let us do our share in the fight against illegal drugs and make our country a peaceful and progressive drug-free country to live in,” he said
 
==DavSur women urged to help protect the environment==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561331439238
*By: Nilda Aninon
*''March 11, 2012''
 
DIGOS CITY, Davao del Sur- Governor Douglas Cagas, during the local government’s commemoration of the 102nd International Women’s Day on Thursday, has called on his women constituents recently to cooperate and support the local government’s endeavors in protecting the environment, saying that women are the most affected especially those who are left at home.
 
Cagas urged them to lead and actively participate in the clean-up drive in their respective communities, join in tree planting activities, and support other environment programs in the province.
 
The governor has raised this call and encouragement for women’s involvement in environment concerns
 
About 350 women leaders from the Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina-Davao del Sur Chapter and from other sectors in the province have celebrated the women’s day which was anchored on the theme: Women Weathering Climate Change: Governance and Accountability, Everyone’s Responsibility.”
 
The inputs on Magna Carta for Women were also discussed during the event.
 
Cagas further urged the women to continue upholding and asserting their rights as declared in the Magna Carta for Women, saying that this serves as their protection including the children.
 
The women who represented the ten municipalities of the province and the city of Digos also showcased their talents in singing and dancing presentations.
 
They also partook in the Search for Ginang Kalipi 2012 and joined in the raffle draw that gave away packs of rice and plastic wares which were prepared by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
 
==Migrants’ center seeks protection for abandoned families of OFWs==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1551331361211
*By: Frances Mae B. Gevera-Macapagat
*''March 10, 2012''
 
DAVAO CITY- Now serving 27 cases of abandoned women and families of overseas Filipino Workers, the Mindanao Migrants Center for Empowering Actions Inc. (MMCEAI) continues to pilot this advocacy here in the city.
 
"We are starting this in Davao by documenting cases and assisting the victims of this form of abandonment by way of legal help, counselling, and livelihood assistance", said MMCEAI executive director Inorisa Sialana-Elento.
 
Some overseas workers left the country for work, forgot about their family back home, and built new relationships in the foreign land. Victims of these cases are those who do not just experience physical abuse but also financial neglect and emotional abuses.
 
The center recently found out that there are policy gaps that should be addressed and protection mechanisms needed to be in place. The Magna Carta for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), according to Elento, lacked the discussion of the abandonment of families of OFWs. The new family code also failed to mention the protection of abandoned women and families of OFWs.
 
The MMCEAI thus asked for the review in the provisions of RA 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, the New Family Code of the Philippines, RA 9262 or Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act of 2004, Solo Parents Act of 2000 and other related laws favorable to abandoned women and families of OFWs.
 
==Davao mall goes Green Fridays==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561331277048
*By: Carina L. Cayon
*''March 09, 2012''
 
DAVAO CITY- As its contribution in protecting the environment, a mall here has embarked on a greening advocacy urging shoppers to minimize the use of plastic bags.   
 
Ayala owned Abreeza  mall launched today (Mar.9) the Green Fridays campaign in collaboration with its merchants, aiming to encourage customers to use biodegradable packaging or paper bags in lieu of plastic bags. Abreeza operations manager Antonio Luigi C. Escano said  the advocacy aspires for mall clients to make it a habit to use an eco-bag to save the environment.
 
While shopping every Friday starting March 9, mall shoppers could use any reusable bags or the Ayala Malls Eco bag available at the mall’s concierge for P50 each, Escano told the media during the Kapihan sa PIA-XI held at the Abreeza VIPinoy Lounge.
 
He said that incentive program is offered to participating customers who will get a chance of winning El Nido travel packages in Palawan and one unit of Avida Village House and Lot for the period covering March 9 to June 1, 2012. Grand raffle draw is on June 13.
 
A shopper will get one raffle coupon for every use of the Ayala Malls eco bag or any reusable bags, and paper bag/box when shopping at any merchant of the mall (food and non-food) during the promo period.
 
“Hopefully the customers will be encouraged to participate in the campaign,” Escano stated.
 
He said Ayala Malls commits to plant 100 citrus fruit trees for every 10,000 raffle coupons issued in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
 
The trees will be planted at the Abuan Watershed in Northern Sierra Madre National Park, Isabela province, which  aims to increase infiltration/aquifer recharge and baseflows, and reduce erosion and sedimentation of the Abuan river.
 
In Davao City, the Ayala Malls has also planted trees in Toril as part of the mall’s greening contribution, Escano said.
 
The Abreeza Mall’s existing environment initiatives and practices include the use of rainwater, water treatment plant in all facilities, recycling, environment-friendly equipment and airconditioning units that are energy efficient. 
 
Meanwhile, Department of Environment and Natural Resources legal and regional information chief Engr. Nestor Patnugot said  the department is 100 percent supporting the Green Fridays of Abreeza Mall.
 
He said that the advocacy responds well to the government’s environment protection program that gears towards replacing plastics with biodegradable materials or paper bags.
 
==Women's Market now in Davao==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1551331172167
*By: Frances Mae Gevera-Macapagat
*''March 08, 2012''
 
DAVAO CITY- Women farmers and producers opened the Women's Market earlier today at NCCC Mall Davao to show that  they too are major force in food production.
 
In time for the celebration of the 102nd International Women's Day, this activity gathered women from different provinces in the region to showcase and sell their produce. Organizer from Oxfam, Jessan Catre, said this is the first time that this project is brought down to Davao after holding it in Manila.
 
Products that range from fresh fruits and vegetables to home-made peanut butter and chili sauce are but some of the products that buyers can purchase from the Women's Market.
 
To join the women participants in this two-day event are Oxfam ambassadors Cherry Pie Picache and Ping Medina.
 
"These women will not just sell their produce but also their ideas to urge the government to put in more support to women especially that they contribute well in the aspect of food production in this country," said Catre.
 
As a result in the regular consultation of Oxfam on Mindanao women, it was learned that women in Mindanao are  more disadvantaged  than women in other areas in the Philippines due to conflicts experienced in some areas in th region.
 
Also part of  the two-day celebration intended for women is an exhibit titled "Saganang Amin". It will showcase different portraits of women food producers from the different parts of the country.
 
While shoppers check out the produce in the Women's Market, organizers also scheduled series of skill sharing sessions on vermiculture, halal and native delicacies preparation, as well as a forum that will teach farmers engage the market and government programs.
 
==Davao women push for full operation of VAWC desks==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1561331085170
*By: PIA
*''March 07, 2012''
 
DAVAO CITY- Davao’s women leaders and gender advocates have pushed for the creation and assurance for the full operation of the Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) desks or offices at the barangay level.
 
In a resolution presented to the recently-held 13th Citywide Women Summit, the women called on the local government to further strengthen the efforts of institutionalizing VAWC desk in every barangay in the city. 
 
The resolution also asked for the provision of counseling services in the VAWC desk for the victims/survivors and doers of violence, as well as shelter for victims/survivors who suffer mental depression.
 
The call was among the several other concerns of women from the communities integrated in the 2012 Women Summit Resolutions which were endorsed to Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio through a representative during the Women Summit held on March 1, this city.
 
In her acceptance of the resolutions and message of commitments through City Social Services and Development Office chief Maria Luisa Bermudo, the mayor acknowledged that VAWC is a major social concern.
 
“The City Government is one with you in meeting these (resolutions), but we also need your support for our programs for women to be successful,” Duterte-Carpio stated.
 
She said that based on the report of the city government’s Integrated Gender and Development Division (IGDD), 50 barangays in the city have already created their VAWC desks.
 
She urged the women to help push for the creation of their VAWC desks in their areas if they are not yet in place.
 
The Mayor stated that reduction of VAWC cases is one of the indicators for good governance set by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
 
Duterte-Carpio also cited the free legal assistance for VAWC concerns through the legal counsel at the IGDD, and the Sidlakan Women Crises Center managed by the CSSDO for the victims of domestic violence.
 
In support for the full implementation of laws protecting women and children against violence, the city government has enjoined all its 182 barangay units to create their respective VAWC desks.
 
IGDD executive director Lorna Mandin said that the LGU is strengthening its program in facilitating the full implementation of Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women and Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004.
 
Mandin said that both laws mandate each barangay to create its VAWC desk that will be established in the barangay hall to give appropriate assistance and referrals to abused women and children.
 
IGDD spearheaded the 13th Citywide Women Summit on March 1 at Grand Men Seng Hotel, as a kick-off to the 102nd International Women’s Day celebration.
 
The summit was participated in by around 500 women leaders from the local and national government units, Barangay Council for Women, people’s organizations, non-government organizations, academe and the private sector.
 
==Travel expo proves vibrant Davao tourism==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1551331003128
*By: Frances Mae B. Gevera-Macapagat
*''March 06, 2012''
 
DAVAO CITY– The high turn out of travel and tour operators that  joined this year’s Mega Travel Sale initiated by the Davao Association of Tour Operators (DTAA)  showed how tourists still believe in the Davao market.
 
DTAA President Krizia Tan told the media that there are 60 tour operators that participated in the travel expo held from March 2 to 4 at Abreeza Mall. Sixty percent of which came from companies operating outside Davao while the rest are local operators.
 
“ Last year’s participation was mostly companies based in Davao but we are happy now that many from outside the city joined and were happy with the turn out of the expo,” said Tan.
 
Apart from the different private tour operators that offered affordable rates for travel and tours, three tourism board also took the chance to introduce their tourist destinations to Dabawenyos.
 
Tourism board of Sabah, Malaysia, and Indonesia were around to introduce money-value tour packages.
 
It was also during the opening of the travel expo that Indonesian Consul General in Davao City Eko Hartono announced the re-opening of the Davao-Manado connection. Two flights per week will soon be availed by local travelers going to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
 
Tan and the rest of the local tour operators took it as a welcome development that would further boost tourism in the City.
 
Meanwhile, the Sabah Tourism Board officials also visited the city to assess the viability of a direct flight from Davao to Kota Kinabalu. 
 
The entry of budget airlines like the newest AirAsia that flies Davao-Clark has also contributed to the increasing appreciation of Dabawenyos to travel both domestic and international.
 
Tan explained that local tourists still chose HongKong as the most preferred international destination while most preferred domestic destinations are Bohol, Palawan, and Boracay.
 
DTAA  targeted a P10 million gross sales from the travel expo. Tan expects to surpass this target given that participating tour operators have been happy and satisfied with the turn-out during the first two days of the event.
 
==DAR-XI rehabilitates farm-to-market road for rice farmers==
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R11&article=1561330928993
*By: Yadz Geyrozaga
*''March 05, 2012''
 
MAGSAYSAY, Davao del Sur-  The recently rehabilitated farm-to-market road (FMR),  in Barangay Lower Bala of this town is seen to increase by 20 percent the income of rice farmers  here.
 
Previously, most parts of the 4.470-kilometer long road were impassable during rainy days interrupting the  transportation of  farmers’ produce to the market.
 
Now, with the P7.2 million FMR rehabilitation project of the Department of Agrarian Reform, the road reduced travel time to travelers especially for the farmers who have also lowered the  hauling cost of their farm products.
 
DAR has completed and turned over the project which was implemented under its Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project (DAR-ARISP 3) to the local government units in Davao del Sur in February this year.
 
Aside from Barangay Lower Bala, the FMR project also benefits other adjoining barangays  namely New Ilocos, Simon, San Isidro, Tacul, Barayong, Upper Bala in the municipality of Magsaysay and some barangays of Colombio municipality, province of Sultan Kudarat.
 
“I am committed to the maintenance of this road,” said Governor Douglas R. Cagas in his acceptance speech during the turn-over ceremony.
 
Together with Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO) Wilson S. Antiga, District Engineer Zenaida Tan, and Barangay Captain Pastor Basinilio of Lower Bala, Cagas signed the turn-over documents.
 
“This is our continuing commitment in sustaining the gains of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), hand-in-hand we will make things happen,” Antiga said.   
 
The FMR rehabilitation project is under DAR-ARISP 3’s Road 1project which represents 40% of the total project cost of P18 million. Road 1 project also includes the widening and gravelling of the road with two-line box culvert and two-line lateral and minor-cross drainage.
 
The 60% of the total project will go to Road 2 project worth P10.8 million for the rehabilitation and concreting of a 4.8-kilometer FMR connecting the Simon-Sambino-Kilolog roads.
 
The project needs an equity share which will be funded by the Provincial Government of Davao del Sur.
 
Program of work for the Road 2 project is now wrapping-up and will be implemented within the year.
 
DAR-ARISP 3 is a package to support the agricultural-productivity of the agrarian reform beneficiaries in the rural areas. The package is comprised of sub-projects namely a) irrigation component b) farm-to-market road c)post-harvest facility  d) potable water system and e) agri-tenchnology transfer and institutional development.

Latest revision as of 14:21, 11 May 2012

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DENR-XI lauds Davao City for move to ban plastic bags

DAVAO CITY- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the region (DENR-XI) lauds the City Government of Davao for its move to completely, totally and absolutely ban the use of non-biodegradable and polystyrene foam as food and beverage containers effective June 28, 2012.

The ban of these non-biodegradable containers is spelled out in Section 7, Article V of the Ordinance 0361 series of 2010 of the Davao City Ecological Waste Management of 2009.

The banning of these non-biodegradable containers will significantly reduce the City’s burden on managing wastes that are very damaging to the environment, said DENR-XI Regional Executive Director Jim O. Sampulna.

“Once plastic bags or polystyrene foams are used, most of them go to the landfill or end up littering the environment. And once they become litter, they find their ways into the waterways, streets, beaches and seas,” Sampulna stated.

“Plastics and polystyrene foams clog waterways and pollute our oceans and seas too. The sad reality is since they are non-biodegradables, their decomposition takes very long years,” he added.

Sampulna recalled that during the agency’s coastal clean-up in 2011, most of the garbage were composed of plastic wrappers/containers which form part of the 17,087 kilos of garbage collected.

On the other hand, plastic wrappers/containers also made up most of the 252 sacks of garbage collected during their estero or canal clean activities.

Sampulna further said that DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje has instructed all the field offices in the country to continuously provide technical assistance to the LGUs as far as solid waste management is concerned.

With the upcoming ban on the use of plastic food containers, DENR expects to collect lesser or zero plastic food containers in their next coastal and canal clean up activities.

Davao City daily waste collection lesser by 100 tons

DAVAO CITY- The garbage collected in the city daily by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) has been reduced by as much as 100 tons (per day) with the implementation of the waste segregation ordinance.

CENRO chief Atty. Joseph Felizarta said that before the segregation police was implemented the city was collecting about 500 to 570 tons of garbage per day.

In 2011 it went down to 420 tons and in 2012 it was further reduced to 402 tons according to Felizarta. The reduction translates to savings of P37-million a year from the operating expenses of hauling garbage from collection points to the landfill.

The “No Segregation, No Collection Policy” ordinance was implemented in July 1, 2011 and is in compliance with Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act. The ordinance stipulates that only residual wastes shall only be collected by garbage collectors for disposal at the city’s landfill in New Carmen.

The CENRO chief said that based on current daily collection the modern landfill in New Carmen can take in garbage for about 10 years before it is going to be filled up. Felizarta said that about 20% of the landfill’s first layer has been filled up.

Meanwhile the CENRO will be implementing the ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags and Polystyrene (Styrofoam) food containers starting June 28. The ban is in accordance with the provisions of the Davao City Ecological Solid Waste Management Ordinance of 2009 or City Ordinance 0361 series of 2010 (Section 7, Article V) which only permits recyclable and biodegradable plastic bags and containers.

Felizarta said that some biodegradable plastic bags are already being sold in the market or are used by supermarkets and big department stores. He said that one major test of a biodegradable plastic is that it turns brittle when exposed to temperatures reaching 80 degrees Celsius.

He said that an additive is usually added during the manufacturing process of these plastics to make it biodegradable.

According to the ordinance, mall and shop owners who violate the provisions will face penalty ranging from P300 to P5,000 or imprisonment for about six months.

Families, community urged to help drug dependents submit to treatment

DAVAO CITY- An official of the local government-run rehabilitation center in the city has called on the help of the community, families, and other sectors to urge drug dependents to submit to treatment.

Dr. Gene L. Gulanes, manager of Davao City Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Drug Dependents (DCTRCDD) raised the need of support to increase voluntary submission of drug dependents to be treated and rehabilitated at the center.

Gulanes said the number of patients admitted at DCTRCDD in Bago Oshiro, Tugbok District this city, has increased this year, “because many have volunteered to be rehabilitated.”

From last year’s 80 patients, this had increased to 96 - 55 minors and 45 adults - and are under treatment at DCTRCDD this year, he disclosed.

However, Gulanes said that the 10 percent increase of voluntary submission is still low as the city government is aiming for more drug dependents to voluntarily submit themselves for treatment, hence the call for communal effort.

Gulanes said the DCTRCDD has enough facility and personnel comprising of social workers, psychologists, nurses, house parents, and administrative workers to handle the program and care for the patients.

He said that the city government has strengthened the capability of the center with its annual budget allocation of P8 million.

The Dangerous Drugs Board has granted a P500,000 assistance to support the center, he added.

Part of the intensified treatment and rehabilitation program is the after care and follow-up program where rehabilitated patients will be monitored through visits of social workers in the community.

Gulanes said that the success rate of rehabilitated drug patients after their release from the center is 80 percent.

Davao City to complete drainage projects in 2012

DAVAO CITY- The city government of Davao is set to complete its nine drainage projects worth P54 million this year.

According to Andrew Lepardo of the City Engineer’s Office-Drainage Division, among these projects include drainage improvements in flood prone areas such as Ponciano, Quimpo Boulevard, Royal Valley, Jade Valley and Matina Pangi.

The drainage infrastructure fund is part of the P546-million Supplemental Budget I passed in 2011.

Among the large drainage projects is the P10-million improvement project in Quimpo Boulevard, a notoriously flood prone area.

Lepardo said that based on studies, the there is only one inlet in the area hence the reason for the quick build-up of water that leads to flooding. Under the drainage improvement project they adding nine more inlets plus enlarged the outflow of water, from 24 inches diameter culverts they are putting in larger culverts 48-inches in diameter. Plus in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) some of the water will flow into the Davao Gulf, in the past there was only one outflow of water that leads to the Davao River, a set-up which led to clogging of the drainage line.

Meanwhile, City Planning and Development Office head Robert Alabado said that the city needs main line or very large canals to alleviate flooding in some areas.

According to a Dutch consultant who studied Davao City’s flooding problems the city would need to install more main drains particularly in the barangays of Dumoy, Buhangin and Lizada. These main drains would then flow out to the gulf.

However Alabado said that these main drains are so expensive to build since aside from the expenses of the infrastructure, one would have to buy land and relocate people for the project to materialize.

Phivolcs: Magnitude-5 quake hits Davao Sur area; quakes rock Negros Oriental

A magnitude-5.0 quake rocked the Davao del Sur area in Mindanao before dawn Sunday, but there was no initial report of damage or casualty.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the predawn quake was tectonic in origin, and was recorded at 2:43 a.m.

In its bulletin, it said the epicenter was 90 km northeast of Sarangani in Davao Del Sur.

Phivolcs did not immediately cite specific areas where the quake was felt.

No damage or aftershock was expected from the quake, it added.

Quakes in Negros Oriental

Meanwhile, Phivolcs recorded at least seven quakes that rocked the Negros Oriental area since Friday night.

The latest quake was recorded at 1:54 a.m. Sunday, with the epicenter at 3 km southwest of Ayungon town in Negros Oriental.

Phivolcs said the quake was measured at magnitude 3.3.

Also on Sunday, a magnitude-2.9 quake hit the province at 12:25 a.m., with the epicenter at 9 km northwest of La Libertad town.

Earlier quakes that rocked the province on Friday and Saturday included:

- May 4, 9:26 a.m., magnitude 1.9, 12 km east of Canlaon City.

- May 5, 5:44 a.m., magnitude 3.4, 8 km southeast of Mabinay, Negros Oriental.

- May 5, 4:45 p.m., magnitude 3.8, 8 km southwest of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.

- May 5, 4:54 p.m., magnitude 2.6, 5 km northwest of La Libertad.

- May 5, 5:45 p.m., magnitude 2.9, 15 km northwest of Bais City.

Taiwan firm needs 75 technical assistants

DAVAO CITY– The Taiwan-based Inotera Memories, Inc. is in urgent need of 75 technical assistants, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration announced.

The firm is engaged in the manufacture, development and distribution of wafers.

Maria Carolina B. Agdamag, chief of POEA regional center for Mindanao, said the hiring is under the agency’s Special Hiring Program for Taiwan (SHPT).

Agdamag said the position offers a monthly salary of NT$18,780.

The company needs 40 males and 35 females, 25-35 years old and 20-30 yrs. old, respectively.

Qualifications for male applicants are: vocational or college graduate or above, major in engineering, preferably mechanical and electrical background.

Female applicants must be graduate of four-year course, and must be 150 cm in height and 40 kg and above in weight.

The hired male technical assistants will be assigned in maintenance and repair of wafer machine, while the female workers will operate machine and move materials of semi conductor.

POEA said the hiring company could also consider college level applicants provided that they have work experience related to motor and machinery and with experience in semi-conductors.

The qualified applicants are required to personally submit a detailed resume with job description, school credentials, employment certificates, passport copy and two pieces 2x2 recent picture at the Manpower Registry Division, Window M, ground floor, Blas F. Ople Bldg., Ortigas Ave. corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City.

Applicants could also register online at www.poea.gov.ph or www.eregister.poea.gov.ph.

The deadline of submission of the documents is set on May 23, 2012.

POEA further announced that representatives from Inotera Memories, Inc. are scheduled to conduct written examination and interview on June 2012.

Army honors wounded soldiers

DAVAO CITY- Wounded soldiers who survived the atrocities perpetrated by the Organized Crime Group-New People’s Army OCG-NPA), were given due recognition by the 10th Infantry Division at Camp Panacan Station Hospital on Tuesday (May 1).

As part of the Labor Day Celebration, 10 Wounded Personnel Medals were pinned by 10ID Commander Brig. Gen. Ariel B. Bernardo to seven soldiers from the 71st Infantry Battalion, two soldiers from the 84th Infantry Battalion and one CAFGU member from the 72nd Infantry Battalion.

The awardees were cited for their gallantry and dedication to the service against the members of the OCG-NPA.

The soldiers and the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit-Active Auxiliary (CAA) will receive cash and more medical assistance from the Philippine Army.

BGen. Bernardo expressed his pride of the soldiers and emphasized the importance of caring for the soldiers’ welfare.

“I am proud of our soldiers for showing high degree of discipline and dedication which prevented the criminals from doing more harm to the people,” he said.

Moreover, he said that every soldier is important and the army has been implementing several policies that cater to their needs. These awards will motivate more soldiers to continue serving the country through peace and development outreach programs. The soldiers who were killed in action will also receive the same benefits and awards.

The soldiers were wounded due to the use of landmines by the OCG-NPA, which is banned under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) signed by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New people's Army (NPA), National Democratic Front (NDF), and the Government of the Philippines.

BFAR nat’l fisherfolk director hails from Davao

This year’s national fisher folk director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is from the Davao Region.

Fisher folk leader Natividad C. Gunayan, 62 years of age, resident of Nasa Village, Poblacion Lupon in Davao Oriental has been chosen to take the place of BFAR national Director Atty. Asis G. Perez, for one month in line with the observance of the month of May as the “Farmers and Fisher folks Month.”

BFAR XI Regional Director Fatma Idris Tuesday revealed Gunayan as the second woman fisher folk leader chosen by colleagues to sit as the national fisherfolk director.

“This shows that we are empowering women to take hold of positions usually held by men,” she said.

In a separate interview, Gunayan looked at her present position as an opportunity to push forward the welfare of fisher folks as well as to find ways to assist women on fishing, to find alternative livelihood.

“Gibati nako nga dako ko ug kaakuhan o responsibilidad nga mapalambo ang panginabuhi sa mga mangingisda. (I feel that I bear great responsibility to improve the lives of my fellow fisherfolks.),” she said.

In her one-month stint as the national fisherfolk director of BFAR, Gunayan lines up a three-pronged agenda geared towards addressing coastal environment issues, poverty situation of fisherfolks and strengthening BFAR in general.

On top of her agenda is to drum up calls to elevate BFAR into a department as the “Philippines is the only country in Asia where a government agency on fisheries is a bureau only.”

As such campaign has been there since 2005, the fisher folk sector will be bringing a position paper on the conversion of BFAR into a Department of Fisheries to the Senate, and that it is eyeing the support of senators Aquilino Martin “Koko” Pimentel and Antonio Trillanes IV.

Under her stewardship as the national fisheries director, the fisherfolk sector will also be working for the inclusion of the fisher folks as beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

“Daghang mga fisherfolks ang wala naapil sa lista sa mga makadawat sa 4Ps. (There are a number of fisherfolks who have not been included as recipients of 4Ps.),” she said.

Along this line, she noted that some have yet to fully grasp the meaning of fisher folks which, she said, refers not only to those catching fish but also to any man and woman involved in the small fishing industry such as fish vendors and fish processors.

During her term, she will also be pushing for intensive coastal protection through massive planting of mangroves.

This runs in line with the thrust of BFAR which is granting an incentive to fisher folks who would want to actively engage in mangrove planting by giving them P3 for each planted mangrove propagule and additional P2 for each grown mangrove.

Meanwhile, Gunayan has also seen the need to assist fisherfolk women in search of alternative livelihood to support their espouses.

“May mga training na sila pero wala silang puhunan. (They already have undergone training but they don’t have the capital)” she said. She also would want women to learn “the values” to sustain their venture, and to stick with their groups’ desire to collectively prosper.

“Di man pwede pa-isa isa lang ang molambo, kay para man kini sa tanan. (Their progress has to collective not individualistic.),” she said referring to government assistance which is usually granted to groups of beneficiaries.

Sta. Cruz flashflood brings P500,000-worth of damage to houses, infra

DAVAO CITY- The flashflood that occurred in a barangay of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur on April 26 has brought damage to houses and infrastructures that amounted to P500,000.

Some 15 houses in Barangay Zone 4 were totally destroyed, while six including two boarding houses were partially damaged, affecting 27 families with 136 individuals including 42 boarders who are working in private companies situated in said barangay.

The flashflood that happened along Pilan River in said barangay due to incessant heavy rainfall on Thursday evening from around 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm also impaired a hanging bridge connecting Barangays Zone 3 and Zone 4.

No casualty nor injury was reported.

Adelaida Badilla, secretariat head of Sta. Cruz Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), reported that the total damage cost to houses and personal belongings of the affected families reached to P300,000.

The cost of damage to the hanging bridge was estimated at P200,000, said Badilla who is also the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer of said town.

She said most of the affected families are being housed at the evacuation center at Agripina Elementary School, while the rest are staying with relatives.

In her MDRRMO report as of Sunday (April 29), Badilla said the local government unit of Sta. Cruz has extended food assistance such as hot meals through its community kitchen and five sacks of rice.

The Philippine Red Cross has donated two packs of used clothing, kitchen wares and noodles.

Members of the 39th Infantry Battalion and 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, together with the officials of the municipal and barangay LGUs have done immediate rescue operation and transfer of victims to the evacuation centers.

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