Negros Oriental to launch ‘Pasko sa Kapitolyo’
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, Dec. 9 (PIA) --- The holiday spirit is about to descend on the Negros Oriental Capitol in Dumaguete City with the launching of “Pasko sa Kapitolyo” on Dec. 16, 2011.
Provincial workers have already started working on decorating the Capitol building and grounds with colorful Christmas decorations.
The beautifully crafted double helix Christmas tree which adorned the grounds of the Sidlakang Negros Village will be transferred and set up at the Capitol grounds.
An animated Christmas display will also play out on top of the Capitol building, said Capitol Information Officer Adrian Sedillo.
Gov. Roel Degamo will lead the launching at 6:30 p.m.
It will be marked by a switch-on ceremony of the Christmas lights and animation display, and capped by fireworks and a live band presentation.
Senior Provincial Tourism Officer Myla Abellana said the launching will be a unique activity as the Christmas animated display, decorations and double helix Christmas tree will be “woven into one” with added technical manipulations.
The governor earlier tasked Abellana to lead the organizing committee of the “Pasko sa Kapitolyo
Negrenses can enjoy the Christmas display every night until the end of the Christmas season, including re-runs of old Christmas movies, said Sedillo.
Gov. Degamo said the provincial government will also utilize facilities like the Ninoy Aquino Freedom Park fronting the Capitol building by turning it into a place where families can gather to bask in the holiday spirit and, once after the Christmas season, become a place of nightly leisure and entertainment for families.
Sedillo said the “Pasko sa Kapitolyo” was initiated by the governor as the provincial government’s contribution in the local observance of the Christmas season.
The move also aims to provide a venue where people can enjoy their evening outdoors while basking in the holiday spirit.
“While some local government units in the province have their own Christmas presentations and decorations in their respective plazas and parks for their constituents, it is also but proper that we will have our own as a venue for our people not only from Dumagute City and the neighboring towns but also those coming from elsewhere to enjoy while staying here,” the governor said.
He stressed that despite the hardships being felt all-year round, there is still a reason to celebrate Christmas.
“Christmas is a season when we expect everyone to be happy and a season for the sharing of blessings to everyone as a gesture of thanking the Lord Almighty,” the governor said in his Christmas message. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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Drugstores told to honor medicine discount for PWDs
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, Dec. 8 (PIA) --- A high-ranking officer of a national organization working for the welfare of persons with disabilities (PWDs) urged drugstores in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental to start implementing the 20 percent discount on medicines for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Ramil Sorongon, executive director of the Autism Society of the Philippines and a member of the Philippine Coalition on the Convention on the Rights of PWDs, said the National Council of Disability Affairs have long ago released the implementing guidelines on Republic Act 9442.
“In fact, I even have a copy of these guidelines with me right now,” he said in an interview during a seminar on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilies (UNCRPD) held Dec. 5 at the Negros Oriental Convention Center.
It was earlier learned in a forum held in November this year by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) that some local drugstores are not yet granting the 20 percent discount on medicine costs for PWDs.
This was confirmed by representatives of two local drugstores present during said forum who said that their respective managements have yet to receive a copy of the law’s implementing guidelines.
RA 9442 is an act amending the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons which specifically mandates the provision of a 20 percent discount in all basic services for PWDs, including prices of medicines.
Sorongon said that in July this year, the Court of Appeals have released a decision upholding the constitutionality of RA 9442.
“So the drugstores don’t have a choice but to implement the law,” he stressed.
He also urged the PWDs and parents of children with disability to fight for their rights and help see to it that the law is being implemented.
“If the drugstores are not honoring your right to a discount, get the names and necessary details and file a formal complaint with the Food and Drugs Administration,” said Sorongon. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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Dumaguete City vet to host dog show, exhibition
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, Dec. 8 (PIA) --- The city government of Dumaguete is inviting dog owners in the city to join the City Veterinarian Office’s dog show on December 11 at the Hypermart in Brgy. Bagacay.
Prizes worth more than P10,000 are up for grabs for winning dogs and their owners in various categories, said City Veterinarian Dr. Ma. Lourdes Socorro in a statement released by the Dumaguete City Information Office.
Registration for interested participants will start at 1:00 p.m.
The show is also held in cooperation with ALPO and Hypermart.
Socorro said the dog show aims to foster camaraderie among canine owners and lovers in the city while promoting responsible dog ownership under the Animal Welfare Act.
The dog show organizers will also share tips for owners on how to properly take care of their pets.
“Dog owners should be aware of their responsibilities to their pets, environment and community,” said Socorro.
The Animal Welfare Act or Republic Act No. 8485 was enacted in 1998 “to protect and promote the welfare of all animals in the Philippines by supervising and regulating the establishment and operations of all facilities utilized for breeding, maintaining, keeping, treating or training of all animals either as object of trade or as household pets.”
The dog show is in line with the anti-rabies prevention and control campaign by the city government and Negros Oriental provincial government to create a rabies-free zone here.
In a forum held early this year, Chief of Hospital Dr. Felix Sy urged local government units in the province to intensify their dog vaccination and responsible pet ownership campaigns.
“They should target to vaccinate at least 80 percent of the total dog population in their areas by the end of this year,” he said.
Being rabies-free is part of the goals outlined within the Millennium Development Goals, a set of time-bound development goals that 189 nations worldwide, including the Philippines, committed to achieve by 2015. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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President Aquino to Award the 2011 'Aquino Fellows' of the U.S. Embassy
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY Dec. 6 (PIA) The U.S. Embassy has announced the two awardees for the 2011 Aquino Fellows, Fr. Eduardo “Ponpon” Cariño Vasquez and Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Roberto Mamaril Beltran.
They are formally awarded in a ceremony today (December 6) to be led by President Benigno Aquino III and U.S. Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr.
The Public Affairs Section of theU.S. Embassy initiated the Aquino Fellows program in 1988 in collaboration with the Aquino Foundation to commemorate Senator Ninoy Aquino’s contributions to the fields of journalism and public service.
After President Corazon Aquino’s passing in 2009, the fellowship was renamed “Ninoy and Cory Aquino Fellowship for Professional Development” to honor her lifelong contributions to strengthening democratic institutions in the Philippines.
The press release from US Embassy stated that Aquino Fellows are specially selected from among future participants in the US Embassy’s annual International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The IVLP Program is the premier professional exchange program of the US Department of State that seeks to build mutual understanding between US and other nations.
For this year, among the 2011 IVLP participants, the following outstanding individuals have been selected as Aquino Fellows:
for Journalism: Fr. Eduardo “Ponpon” Cariño Vasquez, Director, i-Watch Media, Oblate Communications Philippines; and for Public Service: Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Roberto Mamaril Beltran, Operations and Administrative Officer, Naval Special Operations Group, Unit 2, Naval Forces Northern Luzon.
Fr. Vasquez is a Catholic priest and media champion who has worked for many years in conflict-affected towns in Maguindanao Province. In 2006, Fr. Ponpon started a group called Oblate Communications Philippines under the supervision of the Oblate Provincial House based in Cotabato City.
Under Fr. Ponpon’s leadership, Oblate Communications produces documentaries and news stories for the congregation that are amplified via social and traditional media. Despite having a lean staff, they produce stories that address the effects of armed conflict on ordinary civilians who are killed, hurt, or forced to evacuate their homes when violence erupts in their communities, it is said.
Among the major stories that he has covered are the armed conflict between Philippine government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after the aborted homeland deal in 2008 and the Maguindanao massacre in 2009. Many of these stories were aired by GMA7 and published by foreign news agencies. Oblate Communications has also produced documentaries on electoral reform and documenting the lives of indigenous peoples in Mindanao.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Beltran of the Philippine Navy was deployed to Western Mindanao for a year following his graduation from elite SEAL training. LTJG Beltran’s record reveals a deeply compassionate Special Operations Officer who has exhibited the potential to excel through the ranks while inspiring others to public service.
Navy SEALs training is one of the most rigorous trainings in the Philippine military. Immediately after his training, LTJG Beltran served as team leader, weapons officer, communication officer and supply officer of the Naval Special Operations Group. He has recently been redeployed to La Union.
As Aquino Fellows, Fr. Vasquez and LTJG Beltran will travel to the United States to take part in three-week IVLP exchange programs focused on developing and broadening their professional expertise and contacts within their chosen field or area of interest.
They will attend meetings with their American counterparts, learn about the U.S. system of government at the national, state and local levels, visit American schools, and experience American culture and social life. They will also have the chance to share their own culture and offer insights on best practices and perspectives with their American hosts.
Past Aquino Fellows for Journalism include Yvonne Chua, Cheche Lazaro, Sen. Loren Legarda, Tina Palma, Luz Rimban, Vergel Santos, Howie Severino, Marites Vitug, and Anthony Taberna. Aquino Fellows for Public Service include Atty. Mary Ann Arnado, Gov. Arthur Defensor, GSIS Chairman Daniel Lacson, Guillermo Luz, Grace Padaca, and Dr. William Padolina. (PIA/JCT)