DILG announces the search for TAYO9
by: Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 20 (PIA) The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) here has called on the youth groups in Negros Oriental to join the search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO).
On its 9th year, the search is hailed as the country’s leading search for outstanding groups of young Filipinos that are instrumental in the development of the country through simple, worthwhile and notable projects implemented in their communities.
Local Government Officer Farah Gentuya of DILG said the search is open to all groups, organizations, clubs or societies composed of at least 15 members who are 15 to 30 years old.
Organizations shall be judged based on their project entry that made an impact in their schools or communities under the search.
TAYO 9 focuses on projects that meet the criteria that included; impact of the project entry on stakeholders; harnessing the spirit of volunteerism and citizenship.
Gentuya said interested youth organizations may obtain entry forms at the DILG office, Capitol Area or may send their requirements to tayo9enrty@gmail.com.
A grand prize of P50,000 will be granted intended to fund new projects or continue long-term programs and a special trophy sculpted by Toym de Lean Imao.
Deadline for submission of entries is on July 31, 3011. For further inquiries, please visittayo.secretariat@gmail.com or call 02-687-5917. (PIA NegOr/JCT)
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Pantawid Pamilya cash pay-out in Negros Oriental now bi-monthly
by: Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 19 (PIA) --- Starting January this year, beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya program in Negros Oriental will receive their cash grants once every two months instead of the quarterly pay-outs done in previous years.
Pantawid Pamilya's Provincial Link in Negros Oriental, Bella Tse, said the move is part of the improvements done by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the effective implementation of said program.
The change in the schedule of the cash aid distribution to identified indigent families comes in the heels of reports of alleged misuse of the financial aid given under the government's anti-poverty program.
In a cash grant pay-out held in Zamboanguita town last year, Third District Rep. Henry Pryde Teves linked the program to the alleged increase of alcohol sales in his district last year.
During the previous quarterly cash pay-outs, a recipient family can receive up to P4,200. The maximum financial aid an indigent family can receive under said program is P1,400.
Although Tse did not confirm the congressman's allegations, she said the possibility of cash grant misuse is high due to the amount of money given under a quarterly pay-out scheme. "So now, we are giving the cash grant once every two months which is the most ideal scheme for our beneficiaries," she said during a forum held recently at Bethel Guesthouse in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
Tse believes that the bi-monthly schedule will address issues of cash misuse. "This way, the money will be spent for the family's needs and not on unnecessary things," she said. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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DSWD: Pantawid Pamilya not dole-out nor politically motivated
by: Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 18 (PIA) -- In the wake of criticisms hurled against the government's Pantawid Pamilya program, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) staunchly defended the anti-poverty program stressing that it is not dole-out nor is it politically motivated.
Critics have labelled as dole-out the monthly cash grants extended by the government to identified indigent families under said program, a claim strongly denied by the program's provincial coordinator.
"The payroll of the benefiting families are generated based on their compliance with a set of conditions under Pantawid Pamilya, so how can this be a dole-out?" stressed the program's Provincial Link in Negros Oriental, Bella Tse, in a recent forum held at Bethel Guesthouse inDumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
Tse said that if beneficiaries fail to comply with the conditions, they will either be dropped from the payroll or their cash aid will be deducted.
One of the program's requirements is for the studying children of recipient-families to maintain 85% attendance in school. "If they don't comply with this, P300 will be deducted from their cash aid in the next month's payroll," stressed Tse.
The same conditions apply for the health requirement also. "If they don't comply with even just one condition, P500 will be deducted from their grant," she said.
On the other hand, some of the program beneficiaries have linked the program to political issues especially after the 2010 elections. "We heard complaints from some recipients who asked why their names were dropped from the payroll and they insinuated that it must be because of their political leanings. There is no truth to this because there are no interventions from any political person in this program and the payroll is generated from DSWD," Tse said.
She explained that some names were removed from the roster due to valid reasons, most common of which is incorrect data collected during the interview phase of the program. "For example, instead of 1999 being the birthdate of the beneficiary, the year written down during the interview is 1969. So this disqualifies the beneficiary from receiving the education grant as the eligible age is zero to 14 years old only," she added.
Aside from failure to comply with the program's conditions, discrepancies such as inconsistent data is also another ground for disqualification. "During the interview stage, some of the recipients' names were erroneously encoded into the database," Tse said.
Tse said they have a hard time making the beneficiaries understand the reasons behind the removal of recipients from the payroll. “Most of them have not even encountered a computer, so we have a hard time explaining the complexities of our database,” she lamented.
Tse assured that DSWD is now exerting efforts to correct inconsistencies in their database through their Beneficiary Update System, under which DSWD personnel will painstakingly correct and update the data on the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries. “This will take time because we have to encode all the data at the regional office and afterwards recommend it to the national DSWD office for approval,” she said. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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DSWD: Pantawid Pamilya not dole-out nor politically motivated
by: Rachelle M. Nessia
Critics have labelled as dole-out the monthly cash grants extended by the government to identified indigent families under said program, a claim strongly denied by the program's provincial coordinator.
"The payroll of the benefiting families are generated based on their compliance with a set of conditions under Pantawid Pamilya, so how can this be a dole-out?" stressed the program's Provincial Link in Negros Oriental, Bella Tse, in a recent forum held at Bethel Guesthouse inDumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
Tse said that if beneficiaries fail to comply with the conditions, they will either be dropped from the payroll or their cash aid will be deducted.
One of the program's requirements is for the studying children of recipient-families to maintain 85% attendance in school. "If they don't comply with this, P300 will be deducted from their cash aid in the next month's payroll," stressed Tse.
The same conditions apply for the health requirement also. "If they don't comply with even just one condition, P500 will be deducted from their grant," she said.
On the other hand, some of the program beneficiaries have linked the program to political issues especially after the 2009 elections. "We heard complaints from some recipients who asked why their names were dropped from the payroll and they insinuated that it must be because of their political leanings. There is no truth to this because there are no interventions from any political person in this program and the payroll is generated from DSWD," Tse said.
She explained that some names were removed from the roster due to valid reasons, most common of which is incorrect data collected during the interview phase of the program. "For example, instead of 1999 being the birthdate of the beneficiary, the year written down during the interview is 1969. So this disqualifies the beneficiary from receiving the education grant as the eligible age is zero to 14 years old only," she added.
Aside from failure to comply with the program's conditions, discrepancies such as inconsistent data is also another ground for disqualification. "During the interview stage, some of the recipients' names were erroneously encoded into the database," Tse said.
Tse said they have a hard time making the beneficiaries understand the reasons behind the removal of recipients from the payroll. “Most of them have not even encountered a computer, so we have a hard time explaining the complexities of our database,” she lamented.
Tse assured that DSWD is now exerting efforts to correct inconsistencies in their database through their Beneficiary Update System, under which DSWD personnel will painstakingly correct and update the data on the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries. “This will take time because we have to encode all the data at the regional office and afterwards recommend it to the national DSWD office for approval,” she said. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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PNP, GPRehab to recognize 55 police personnel in Negros Oriental
by: Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 19 (PIA) A total of 55 police personnel in Negros Oriental will be recognized after completing the one-year training on “accommodating victims of crime who have disabilities” on June 3 at 1:00 p.m. at Bethel Guest House, this city.
The training generally aims at increasing policemen’s capacity in accommodating Persons with Disabilities (PWD) to have access to justice which started in April 2010 and ends this May, said Rolando Villamero Jr., Advocacy and Networking Program Coordinator of Great Physician Rehabilitation (GPRehab).
The PNP and GPRehab present the cops who have successfully completed and participated in the training after a year during a recognition ceremony.
The police personnel come from the different cities and municipalities of Negros Oriental and are Women and Children’s Concern Desk Officers.
Villamero said after the training, the trained police personnel are expected to echo or share training insights to their fellow law enforcers in their respective stations and make use of the handbook on strategies of effective accommodation.
The cops are trained to perform as PWD Desk Officers in their respective cities and municipalities; create a paralegal team that serves as advocates for the rights of PWD victims and; facilitate the creation of database system in Negros Oriental that contain information and data about PWD, Villamero said.
One of the police-participants said, “an informed and knowledgeable police force will surely create a big help to the PWD sector. We, the police personnel, are very crucial in making sure women and children PWDs have access to justice. Without our strong involvement, all efforts towards protecting the rights of PWDs would be meaningless.”
This capacity building for policemen is also supported by the Silliman University Psychology Department and Gender Watch Against Violence andExploitation (GWAVE).
Expected to attend during the recognition are the provincial government officials, PNP personnel in the province, GPRehab staff, and PWD sector. (PIA NegOr/JCT)
Elections for the nine vacant slots within the BOD were dispensed with at the assembly after only nine out of 19 who were invited responded to PRC's call.
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Red Cross NegOr chapter welcomes new BOD
by: Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 20 (PIA) --- Nine new volunteers were confirmed into the Board of Directors of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Negros Oriental Chapter during their second assembly held May 18 at the Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) Audio Visual Room, Dumaguete City.
The new directors except for two who were not around during the assembly, were inducted by PRC Gov. Andrew Nocon who gave the keynote speech during the assembly program.
The newly inducted directors are: Dr. Esther Tan, director of NORSU's Center for Institutional Development and Accreditation; Albert Aquino, Bantayan Brgy. Captain; Ed Du, president of Negros Oriental Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Inc.; Provincial Board Member Dr. Liland Estacion; Atty. Whelma Yap of Yap Law Office; Col. Andy Legaspi, director of Wayside Ministries; Roberto Montebon, director of the Silliman University Medical Center; Greg Fernandez, YMCA General Secretary; and Andrey Noel Tumulak, Dumaguete City Tourism Officer.
Elections for the nine vacant slots within the BOD were dispensed with at the assembly after only nine out of 19 who were invited responded to PRC's call.
In his keynote speech, Nocon said the PRC chapters' board of directors are expected to show commitment to help other people at all times as Red Cross volunteers must respond to emergency disasters and help alleviate human suffering. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)