Dumaguete student a finalist for 38th SSEAYP
by Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, July 15 (PIA) -- A college student in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental made it to the final leg of the selection process for this year's 38th Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP).
Regina Clarina Niala Elmaco, 20, a student of St. Paul University Dumaguete (SPUD), is one of the 28 finalists chosen after weeks of regional interviews and deliberations done nationwide by the National Youth Commission (NYC).
Said finalists were picked based on self-assessment focusing on personality and competencies, level of awareness on local, ASEAN-Japan and international affairs, and community involvement and talent, according to NYC Cebu Office.
The finalists are set to face another series of rigorous trainings and tests to determine who are qualified and prepared to become the country's amassadors of culture and goodwill during the SSEAYP voyage around the ASEAN and Japan, said NYC Commissioner Georgina Nava, chairperson of the SSEAYP Organizing Committee.
SSEAYP is an annual cultural exchange program for young people from ASEAN member states and Japan. The program is highlighted by a cruise in Southeast Asia and Japan onboard the “friendship boat”, the Japanese Ocean Liner Fuji Maru.
This year's cruise will take its participants around Southeast Asia on October 25 to December 16 with the Philippines as its first port of call.
The boat will dock in Manila on November 10 to 13 during which NYC is set to show the participants the country's colorful festivals and how Filipinos celebrate camaraderie and friendship. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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Valencia LGU leads multi-sectoral tree planting in 170 ha.
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, July 14 (PIA) The local government of Valencia will spearhead a multi-sectoral, community-based tree planting activity on Saturday, July 16 in various sites of Valencia including a major watershed site that provides major source of water in Dumagueteand its neighboring towns.
About 600 individuals with about 3,000 fruit trees will be planted in Sitio Marulay in Barangay Lunga, a watershed site, Barangay Apolong, and Barangay Sagbang.
The tree planting activity will be participated in by civic groups, business organizations, the academe, government agencies, and other concerned individuals. A short program at the plaza will open the activity after which the participants will be deployed to their respective site assigned to them.
Valencia Mayor Enrique Gonzalez said his administration is now planning to institutionalize the community-based tree planting event and encourage more groups to join the activity in the coming years.
Valencia has been planting and maintaining forest and fruit trees in more than 170 hectares of land under its Watershed Reforestation and Restoration project in 11 barangays for the past five years now.
This is also Valencia’s contribution to the National Greening Program of PresidentAquino as mandated under EO No. 26 s. 2011, as a long-term strategy to address poverty, food security, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation, said Mayor Gonzalez.
The mayor also called on other groups in the province to join the July 16 tree planting activity. Those interested may contact the office of the Municipal Agriculture of Valencia through telephone no. 423-8251. (PIA NegOr/JCT)