Silliman University to host regional economic summit
By Rachelle M. Nessia
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) --- Economists from around Region 7 will converge in Silliman University (SU), Dumaguete City on Sept. 26 and 27, 2011 for the Philippine Economic Society (PES) conference.
Organized in coordination with Silliman’s College of Business Administration, the conference will focus on a cross-sectoral approach to curbing carbon emissions in line with its theme: “Curbing Carbon Emissions in Response to Climate Change: A Corporate Social Responsibility,” according to a press statement from Mark Garcia, director of the SU Office of Information and Publications.
Speakers lined up for the two-day event include Mary Ann Lucille Sering, commissioner of the Climate Change Commission who will talk about “Philippine Climate Change Initiatives”; Divina Chingcuangco, Chief of Party of the Climate Change and Clean Energy Project, on “Greenhouse Gas Management Benefits and Success Stories”; and Dr. Ben S. Malayang III, Silliman President and environmental governance specialist, on “Corporate Social Responsibility: Curbing Carbon Emissions/Rethinking How We Think When We Do Environmental Science.”
“Parallel sessions on clean energy and solid waste management will also be conducted for local chief executives, sectoral representatives, and economics professors and scholars,” said Garcia.
Monetary Board Member Juanita Dy-Amatong, who is the immediate past chairperson of the Silliman University Board of Trustees and former Finance Secretary, will also grace the event.
PES serves as one of the strongest networks of economists in the academe, government, and business sector recognized in the international community of professional economic associations and is a founding member of the Federation of Asean Economic Associations.
Garcia added that Silliman, on the other hand, is regarded for its strong academic programs in business and finance. It offers a degree in business administration major in economics which has in its elective a course in Environmental Economics and Natural Resources. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental with reports from SU-OIP)
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RAFI’s kool adventure camp holds urban backpacking challenge
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
CEBU CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Kool Adventure Camp (KAC) has conducted a back-to-back urban backpacking challenge for the Grades four and six pupil leaders from Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, Dutch and Belgian youth delegates of the Multi-city Youth eXchange (MYX) Program for this quarter.
Communications Assistant Nancy Cudis of RAFI said the participants of the backpacking challenge walked through various areas of downtown and uptown Cebu City to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the culture, history, and people of the community.
A total of 46 students from the Sacred Heart experienced the challenge with the aim of developing a deeper sense of servant leadership to help address leadership issues in the light of the Ignatian core values, said Cudis.
The group visited the Heritage of Cebu Monument where they learned about the different Cebuano heroes and events that helped shape the history of Cebu; explored Colon Street; danced the sinulog while offering prayers for their loved ones at the Magellan’s Cross; rediscovered the value of the Sto. Niño to the Cebuanos; and traced the roots of the influence of the Jesuits in Cebu at the Museo Parian sa Sugbo.
While in City Hall, the students learned some services of the local government; and Carbon Market where they prepared a menu of three meals for a family with 10 members using a P285.00 budget, the minimum daily wage of an average Cebuano worker at the market.
Cudis said the backpackers had able to compare the differences in downtown’s business establishments and the recently established commercial centers in the city, and tasked to do a transect walk at the Asiatown I.T. Park.
Another activity that brought the participants out of their comfort zones is the experience of sleeping at the Fuente Circle where they set up their own temporary shelter.
The delegation from the Netherlands and Belgium through the MYX program of the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center of RAFI had their similar backpacking challenge to provide an experiential and interactive way of introducing them to Cebu City. (PIANegOr/JCT)
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Bayawan to hold tourism month contests in line with Buglasan Festival
By Rachelle M. Nessia
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, Sept. 13 (PIA) --- The Bayawan City government in Negros Oriental is set to hold five division contests this month in line with the Tourism Month celebration and also in preparation for the upcoming Buglasan Festival in October.
A minus-one singing competition (solo, duet and quartet divisions) and a folk dance contest (senior and junior divisions) have been lined up on Sept. 21 and 23, respectively, at the Bayawan City Sports Complex, according to Bayawan City OIC-Tourism Officer Eli Manlangit in an interview.
A minus-one singing competition (solo, duet and quartet divisions) and a folk dance contest (senior and junior divisions) have been lined up on Sept. 21 and 23, respectively, at the Bayawan City Sports Complex, according to Bayawan City OIC-Tourism Officer Eli Manlangit in an interview.
Contest winners will represent Bayawan City during the same contests in the Buglasan Festival scheduled October 14 to 23 in Dumaguete City, said Manlangit.
Contestants aged 12 years old and below from seven participating elementary schools in Bayawan City will vie for the solo, duet and quartet divisions of the Minus-One Singing Contest.
The participating schools are Bayawan City East Central School, St. Agustin Academy, Banga Central School, Minaba Elementary School, Omod Elementary School and Nangka Elementary School and Bayawan City Science and Technology Education Center.
On the other hand, ten groups composed of students aged 12 years old and below for the Junior Division and 13 years old and above for the Senior Division will compete in the Folk Dance Competition on Sept. 23.
“Four groups have signed up for the Senior Division and six for Junior Division,” said Manlangit.
The board of judges invited to the Minus-One Singing Competition are Randy Brando Woo, Guihulngan Tourism Officer; Dante Gauran, Tayasan Tourism Officer; and Rev. Fr. Casiano Salac Jr. of the Bishop’s Palace, Diocese of Dumaguete.
Judges during the Folk Dance Competition are: Dr. Catalino Macaron, director of the Siquijor State College (SSC) Culture, Arts and Sports Development; Marithine Schinina Rubio, Dance Master of SSC Kultura Filipina Folkloric Dance Troupe; and Ares Lajot, festival choreographer in Siquijor.
The Buglasan Festival is an annual provincial fiesta, or a festival of all festivals, celebrated in Negros Oriental every October after the Provincial Board passed Ordinance No. 15 in 2002. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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GPRehab marks CHILD 7th anniversary
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Sept. 13 (PIA) The Great Physician (GP) Rehabilitation Foundation will mark the seventh year anniversary of its Caring Hands to Inspire and Link with Differently-Abled Children (CHILD) project on September 17, 2011 in Dumaguete City.
According to Advocacy Program Coordinator Rolando Villamero Jr. of GPRehab the celebration kicks off with a thanksgiving Mass to be participated in by GPRehab staff, Local Care Givers (LCGs), Differently-Abled Children’s Parents Association (DACPA) members, and GPRehab community stakeholders.
To raise public awareness on disability issues, a motorcade around the city of Dumaguete will be held right after the mass after which a fellowship activities with the children and parents at the GPRehab center, said Villamero.
CHILD's beneficiaries include children with cerebral palsy, autism, mental retardation and other conditions. It also operates a workshop where adjustable children's wheelchairs are manufactured.
GPRehab’s activities are in support of the 7th Cerebral Palsy Awareness and Protection Week on September 16-22 under Presidential Proclamation No. 588.
This celebration generally aims at raising the awareness of the community about cerebral palsy.
CHILD is the only children’s rehabilitation project in Negros Oriental implemented by GPRehab which started in Metro Dumaguete in 2004.
Currently, more than 140 children-beneficiaries receiving free physical therapy, occupational therapy, and education services with CHILD’s Community Based Rehabilitation Program (CBR) and Inclusive Education Sub-Program.
In CHILD, children with various disabilities from marginalized families in Valencia, Bacong, Sibulan and Dumaguete are given free habilitation services in order to prepare them for eventual placement in regular schools. Transport costs of these children to and from the GP Rehab Center in Calindagan are also covered by the project. (PIANegOr/JCT)
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Negros Oriental tops 4 performing LGU
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Sept. 13 (PIA) The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) names Negros Oriental as one of the top performing provinces all over the country.
Negros Oriental ranks 4th among the 10 provinces category scoring 4.8331 in the DILG's Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS), according to LGOO5 Farah Gentuya of DILG Negros Oriental.
DILG cited thirty provinces and cities in the country as top performing local government units (LGUs) for 2010 based on their high scores in the latest local government state of performance report.
The 10 governors and 20 mayors have been named for initiating and implementing programs designed to improve the lives of their constituents, environment protection, financial accountability and commitment to transparency.
These local government units (LGUs) garnered high performance scores in DILG’s Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS), a web-based, self-assessment tool that measures LGU performance in key governance areas and provides information on the status of LGUs in terms of local governance and development, said local government Secretary Jesse Robredo.
The LGPMS assesses LGU performance on the following areas: administrative, social, economic, and environmental governance, and fundamentals of good governance which include transparency, participation and financial accountability which is managed by the DILG’s Bureau of Local Government Supervision, said Gentuya.
The 10 provinces and 20 cities top performing LGUs got an average overall performance index ranging from 4.6415 to 4.9370, with one as the lowest and five as the highest.
The top 10 high performing provinces according to rank are: Bohol (4.9370); La Union (4.9115); Bulacan (4.8628); Negros Oriental (4.8331); Pangasinan (4.8185); Ilocos Norte (4.8185); Albay (4.8064); Cavite (4.8031); Compostela Valley (4.7812); andTarlac (4.7773).
On the other hand, top performing cities in the highly urbanized and independent component cities category include Valenzuela (4.9150); San Juan (4.8875); Puerto Princesa (4.8640); Angeles (4.7410); Davao (4.7380); Naga (4.6940); Zamboanga (4.6865); Iligan (4.6710); Cebu (4.6633); and Taguig (4.6415).
For the component cities category, the top performers are: Ligao (4.9240); Laoag (4.9193); San Fernando (4.9177); Vigan (4.8617); Gingoog (4.8568); Cabanatuan (4.8363); Dipolog (4.8113); La Carlota (4.7553); Iriga (4.7522); and Batac (4.7430).
“I laud these local governments for their commitment in elevating and maintaining the highest standards of public service delivery in their respective localities. I hope that their shining examples will inspire others to strive hard in the performance of their duties”, Robredo said.
The DILG Secretary said a team composed of representatives from the national and local governments conducted the assessment of the LGUs, with the results validated by civil society organizations to maintain impartiality. (PIA NegOr/JCT)
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Info drive on security features of new PHL banknotes held in NegOr, Siquijor
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, Sept. 13 (PIA) --- The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently held an information campaign on the new generation banknotes in four major localities in the provinces of Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
BSP officials from Manila conducted public forums in Tanjay City on Sept. 6, Bayawan City on Sept. 7, and Dumaguete City on Sept. 8 in Negros Oriental province and on Sept. 9 in Larena, Siquijor province.
Said forums are in line with a nationwide public information drive launched by BSP after it released the new banknotes, namely P20, P50, P100, and P1,000 peso bills, with upgraded security features in December last year.
The awareness drive is focused on familiarizing the public on the features of the new generation banknotes to protect them from counterfeiters.
During her lectures in the forums, BSP currency expert Cecilia Hortal explained that genuine banknotes are rough to touch, with the paper made of 80 percent cotton and 20 percent Philippine abaca.
Another security feature is a watermark showing a portrait’s shadow image and the bill’s denomination on the banknote’s blank space.
Other security features include banknote’s concealed value that is revealed at the upper left of the note if tilted; serial numbers that increase in size from left to right; and the word “Pilipino” written in the ancient Filipino Baybayin alphabet at the banknote’s lower right corner that can be seen in full if the note is viewed against the light.
The printing of the portrait, signatures, “REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS,” and the banknote’s spelled-out value (e.g. “DALAWAMPUNG PISO”) is also embossed on the notes.
A statement released by BSP explained that another security feature integrated in the new currency is a vertical thread that appears when the 20 and 50-peso notes are viewed against the light.
On the other hand, the security threads for the 100, 200, 500 and 1,000-peso notes shift color from red to green and bear the imprint “BSP” and the banknote’s value.
Aside from Hortal, the forums were attended by BSP Deputy Director Nicasio Parco, Victoria Gonzaga, Jocelyn Ladero and Divina Salve Labitad of the BSP Dumaguete branch; and Jemimah Fay Alentajan and Joshua Ayuste of BSP’s Corporate Affairs Office. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental with reports from BSP)
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Mayor Gonzalez to talk on Int’l Tax Compact in Germany
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
VALENCIA, Negros Oriental, Sept. 12 (PIA) Valencia Mayor Enrique Gonzalez is now in Bonn, Germany to speak during the International Tax Compact (ITC) from September 12 to 15 at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
ITC is an initiative to strengthen international cooperation with developing countries and organization. It aims to promote tax systems that allow partner countries to be more effective in fighting tax evasion and wrong tax practices with the intention to achieve national and international goals.
Mayor Gonzalez will share with other countries the good practices and experiences of Valencia as it implement the ITAX (Integrated Taxation Management System), a software that offers local government units (LGUs) a faster and easier way of performing non-tax and tax transactions such as collections, billings and assessments.
Since the implementation of ITAX in 2008, Valencia has been a consistent top-notcher in revenue collection in the province.
This year, the Bureau of Local Government Finance announced that Valencia now ranked number one, besting 116 other local government units, in the Central Visayas region.
In his speech, Mayor Gonzalez will highlight the challenges and its recommendation in implementing ITAX system for different purposes.
The attendance of Mayor Gonzalez to the ITC is upon the recommendation of Dr. Herwig Meyer, director of the GIZ (German International Cooperation) Decentralization program in the Philippines that developed the ITAX.
The workshop which will be attended by practitioners from developing countries as well as bilateral and international organizations, spearheaded by the German Federal Ministry, French Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs, the Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and cooperation. (PIA NegOr/JCT)
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Negros Oriental people’s movement pledge support to PNoy
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Sept. 12 (PIA) The People Power Volunteers for Reform (PPVR) movement expressed support to President Noynoy Aquino’s poverty alleviation programs and fight against corruption during their meeting with the President on September 7 visit at the Negros Oriental Convention Center, Dumaguete City.
PNoy, who was on his first visit to the city as president thanked all the Negrenses for the support he received since the beginning of the campaign last year.
Akbayan Regional Political Officer, Paul Rojas Jr. said, “various civil society in Negros Oriental assisted Aquino in his bid for presidency in 2010 elections, thus, to sustain the efforts, PPVR was created with an end view of reclaiming the promises of social reforms upon ascension to power of Aquino.”
More than a thousand of PPVR members composed of farmers, people’s organizations, persons with disabilities, women, youth, students, and academe met PNoy and declared their support to government’s programs.
The group also raised their own local issues and concerns in a dialogue with some cabinet secretaries led by Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, Transportation and Communication Secretary Mar Roxas, Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Edwin Lacierda, Political Adviser Secretary Ronald Llamas, Communications Undersecretary Manolo Quezon, DAR Undersecretary Narciso Nieto and OPA Assistant Secretary Dong Cusio.
“One of the gains during the consultation was the creation of a task force to resolve agrarian reform issues in Negros Oriental with Negros Farmers Council and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as partners.,” said Rojas.
The President also committed to support Oriental Negros Children’s Advocacy Network’s (ONCAN) program to construct more classrooms for elementary and high school in the hinterlands of Negros Oriental through its Bayanihan Para sa Kabataan (BPK) project, official of Akbayan said.
PPVR is composed of Akbayan- Dumaguete City, Oriental Negros Children’s Advocacy Network (ONCAN), Bayanihan Para Sa Kabataan (BPK) Core Group , Yo!Noy, Negros Farmers Council ( NFC ) and Change Politics Movement.