Ex rebels in NegOr receive livelihood assistance
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, July 11 (PIA) -- Five former more rebels are set to receive P50,000 each for livelihood assistance grants this July.
Capt. Aniceto Naz, Information Officer of the 302nd Brigade of the Philippine Army said, 12 rebel returnees are already provided with more than half million pesos of livelihood assistance within this first semester.
Under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP), Negros Oriental has provided P200,000 to the ad hoc committee for rebel returnees.
The fund is used as immediate assistance and administrative requirements for the processing of the livelihood grants for the former rebels.
In a committee meeting convened by the Provincial Social Welfare, the group agreed to monitor the socio economic status of the former rebels who were granted with livelihood assistance.
In her CLIP updates, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) representative Ecel Bantilo said although there is no executive order yet for the CLIP, it is already implemented in several provinces in the country.
The committee, Naz said has set an action plan to hold a monitoring conference and socio economic training seminar for rebel returnees to be held at the headquarters of 79th IB in Barangay 4, Siaton, Negros Oriental.
Part of the plan is the skills training seminar conducted to 15 former rebels, wherein SPO1 Edilberto Euraoba of Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office provided lecture on values formation.
Also included in the lectures are sustainable agriculture and new farming technology delivered by Jacinto Silot of Provincial Agriculture Office and livestock raising by Solomon Cadiz of Provincial Veterinary Office.
The objective of the program was to ensure the successful integration of the FRs to the community and improvement of their socio economic status.
Naz said, convergence of the Local Government Agencies to attain lasting peace and progress needs an integrated and comprehensive approach which is vital in creating a social pressure to convince the remaining rebels to abandon the armed struggle. (MBCN/JCT/PIA-Negros Oriental)
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PWD groups mark Week of Disability
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, June 11 (PIA) -- Several groups working for and with Persons With Disabilities (PWD) in Negros Oriental have lined-up activities in celebration for the 34th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week on July 17-23.
The Great Physician Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. (GPRehab), Dumaguete City Handicapped Association (DUCHA) and Ten Outstanding Persons With Disabilities in Negros Oriental Alumni Community (TOPD-AC), have set activities geared toward making the NDPR Week celebration a meaningful activity not only to PWD but also to the community.
A thanksgiving mass will be held at Dumaguete Cathedral Church as an opening activity for the group on July 17 at 3 p.m. followed by a walk for disability and a short program at Quezon Park at 5 p.m.
On the 18th, according to GPRehab coordinator Rolando Villamero Jr. this year’s theme “Mainstreaming PWD in Economic Development” will be tackled during the Kapihan sa PIA forum at 9 a.m. at Bethel Guest House. Livelihood training on cooking and massage with TESDA and jail visitation at Dumaguete Rehabilitation Center were among the activities.
Therapeutic massage, aerobics for disability, convention at Dumaguete Women’s Center; quiz bowl, extemporaneous speaking and poster making contests for the students at Silliman University; sports activities and congress for children’s with disabilities; among others are set for the PWDs on July 19 to 23.
This week’s celebration, Villamero said, aims to stimulate public awareness on the issues and problems of disability, thereby encouraging every citizen of the country to take active responsibility in the upliftment of the economic and social conditions of PWDs of our society.
Likewise, college education students from the different academic institutions in Dumaguete City have also set activities which aim at raising the awareness of the people in the academe about disability issues.
“It is good to note that different groups in the community, especially the government, have expressed commitment in working with us for the NDPR Week celebration. However, the challenge is how to make this commitment sustain in the years to come,” expressed Philip Vilos, a PWD. (mbcn/JCT/PIA-Negros Oriental)
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Thousands join Nutri-fit Walk
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, June 11 (PIA) -- More than a thousand participants joined the Nutri-fit walk held on July 8 in Dumaguete City in observance of Nutrition Month this July.
The event is led by Vice Mayor Alan Gel Cordova with the theme “Pagkain ng gulay ugaliin, araw-araw itong ihain” that emphasizes the importance of eating vegetables daily to attain good nutrition, Lourdes Taburasa, City Nutrition Action Officer said.
Cordova, in his message, thanked the participants for supporting the activity. Congressman George Arnaiz on the one hand urged every individual to eat vegetables to live longer.
The City Nutrition Council gave awards for the biggest contingent school category to Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), for public school and Silliman University for the private school; biggest contingent office category to City Health Office; Barangay Category to Barangay Taclobo; Biggest Contingent-Organization category to Clan of Engineers of NORSU, Rotary Club of Dumaguete South and KALAUMAN Development Center.
For biggest contingent-cooperative category to Dumaguete Cathedral Credit Cooperative; most disciplined group to Foundation University; most creative group given to Travel Society of NORSU; biggest group donor, City Engineer’s office for office category and Dumaguete City High for School Category and best slogan to Taclobo High School.
Other highlights for the Nutrition Month Celebrations are Nutrition Caravan on July 17, Diabetes Forum on July 20, Inter-High Oratorical Contest, July 23, Well Baby Contest, July 27 Inter-Barangay Booth Contest/Food Fair on July 30 and among others.
Nutrition Month is observed every July of each year pursuant to Presidential Decree 491, to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choice and developing sound eating and physical activity habits, Taburaza said. (mbcn/JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental)
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Dumaguete City shop owners urged to find alternative packaging materialsPlastic ban ordinance set to go full-swing on August 28
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, July 11 (PIA) -- Business owners in Dumaguete City are urged to scout for alternative packaging materials in preparation for the full implementation of the plastic ban ordinance on August 28.
The Dumaguete City Public Information Office issued on Tuesday a notice to shop owners, managers and staff in the city requesting them to find an alternative material to be used in packaging goods purchased by their customers.
Business owners are also encouraged to post notices for their customers regarding the ordinance in conspicuous areas within their areas of business.
Ordinance No. 231 or “An Ordinance Regulating the Use of Plastic Shopping Bags on Both Dry Goods and Wet Goods in the City of Dumaguete” was approved on August 10, 2011.
It aims to curb the use of plastic which has been blamed for clogging the drainage canals in the city and worsening the floods that hit Dumaguete in 2009 and 2011.
Once the ordinance takes effect, vendors in the city are banned from offering or selling plastic bags to be used as secondary packaging material for wet goods or primary packaging for dry goods.
Polystyrene, popularly known as Styrofoam, and other similar materials are also prohibited as packaging containers either as primary or secondary packaging material.
Vendors or any “responsible persons of any store or business establishment” found violating said law will be penalized P500 for the first violation, P1,000 for second violation and P5,000 for third violation.
In an earlier forum, City Administrator William Ablong urged consumers to bring their own re-usable shopping bags or baskets where they can place their purchased items when they go shopping. (RMN-PIA7 Negros Oriental)
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Indigenous people in NegOr seeks provincial board seat
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, July 11 (PIA) -- A group of indigenous people (IP) in Negros Oriental is seeking to be represented at the provincial council.
This after the group belonging to the Ata-Negritos tribe in the province asked Gov. Roel Degamo to implement the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 or Republic Act 8371 here.
Under the said law, indigenous people are entitled to mandatory representation in the local sanggunians, according to the IP group’s spokesperson Reynante Cabanag.
Cabanag said the IP population in Negros Oriental is currently pegged at 260,000.
Capitol Information Officer Adrian Sedillo said the governor has instructed the Provincial Attorney’s Office to study the law and the provincial government’s financial obligations once a seat is given to the IP representative at the provincial council. (RMN/PIA7 Negros Oriental)
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ICT Dumaguete set to hold ‘ICT Expo 2012’
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, June 11 (PIA) -- The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Dumaguete is set to hold a trade fair dubbed “ICT Expo 2012” on July 12-13 at the Negros Oriental Convention Center in Dumaguete City.
The exposition is designed to highlight entrepreneurship opportunities in the ICT industry and to promote industry players in Dumaguete, said Javier Fortunato, ICT exhibition chair, of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
This year’s expo banners the theme: “Sustaining Development Through ICT Convergence” which brings together the business process outsourcing (BPOs) industry, ICT representatives including the micro, small and medium enterprises in education, tourism, health and environment and agriculture to create business opportunities.
The ICT expo will also feature the following events: career caravan for senior high school students, administrators and parent-teacher associations; job fair to be participated in by BPOs and programming competition with both open and student categories.
Invited to grace the activity as keynote speaker is Undersecretary Alejandro Melchor III of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and DTI regional director Aster Caberte will also give a message.
During the event, a National ICT Federation of the Philippines (NICP) will also hold its 2nd Quarter General Assembly here featuring 37 ICT Councils from all over the country. (mbcn/JCT-PIA7 Negros Oriental)