| NEGORNET cites success in its 8th anniversary by Jennifer Catan-Tilos DUMAGUETE CITY, Aug 3 (PIA) NEGORNET’s or Negros Oriental Network of NGOs and PO’s (non-government organizations and people’s organizations) Timbayayong Awards create a landmark achievement established eight years ago, cited Negornet President Msgr. Merlin Logronio The annual awards have built strong partnership between NGO/PO and the local government unit working together for local development projects, Msgr. Logronio said. In a press conference for Negornet's 8th Annual NegOr NGO & PO (people's organizations) Week from August 2 to 6, Executive Director Greg Fernandez, Jr. said the passage of a provincial ordinance declaring first week of August of every year as NGO/PO Week is part of the network’s accomplishments. This is to recognize the importance of private sector or civil society working together for effective local governance, Fernandez said. With 27-member NGOs and POs, NEGORNET involved in various collaborations with the provincial government in promoting good and effective governance and development, said Fernandez. Negornet serves as a mechanism in consolidating the NGOs and POs along local development and in facilitating meaningful participation in local governance. Msgr. Logronio also the president of an NGO, St. Ma Goretti Development Education Foundation, Inc said his organization works closely with LGU Ayungon, is a non-profit that provides trainings and consultancy services; scholarship program; children and youth formation; elimination of child labor, environment protection and rehabilitation; gender and development; and advocacy. The Catholic priest said they now closely monitor the reported case on illegal recruitment and human trafficking with the barangay residents or recipient areas in Ayungon to prevent such acts. Goretti’s program strengthens families towards value-based holistic development which provides families not only series of value formation training but also livelihood program. Logronio said the recipient-youths have been engaged in livestock production and are now active working in organic farming to help augment family income. (PIA NegOr/JCT) |
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Valencia LGU shows support to PPUR-N7WN drive
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
VALENCIA, Negros Oriental, Aug 2 (PIA) The municipal employees, Sangguniang Bayan members and barangay captains of Valencia on Monday held a simultaneous text voting to help the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) be named as one of the 7 wonder of nature around the world.
Valencia Mayor Ricky Gonzalez said every Filipino should support this campaign because making PPUR as one of the 7 wonders of the world will bring pride to the Philippines, especially in the tourism industry.
The simultaneous voting on Monday, which was held during its weekly flag ceremony, was Valencia’s support to the national campaign for PPUR to be one of the 7 wonders of nature launched by President Aquino early this year.
PPUR is the country’s lone nominee to the campaign, which has 28 finalists. The final list of 7 will be announced on November 11, 2011.
This will be determined through a global voting. Last day of voting is on midnight of November 10.
President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III signed proclamation No. 182 dated June 3, 2011 “Declaring the National and International Promotion Campaign for the PPUR as one of the New Seven (7) Wonders of Nature”.
PPUR is an 8.2-kilometer long river formed 30 million years ago and is the lone official nominee of the Philippines to the N7WN as it is considered the longest underground river in the world, with unique and outstanding scientific, biological and geological features recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and declared as a National Geological Monument in December 2003.
The N7WN which included PPUR in the search is a global polling campaign that started in 2007 by an independent, Swiss-based, government-controlled foundation that conducted the search of the New 7 Wonders of the World, an innovative marketing program that yielded economic, social and tourism benefits to the winning host countries. (PIA NegOr/JCT)
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PNP to rescue 2 minors in Sibulan entertainment bar
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Aug 2 (PIA) Mayor Marcela Bartoces of Sibulan, Negros Oriental, asked assistance to the Provincial Police Office to verify reports on two minors working in an entertainment bar of her town.
The mayor received reports that one of the entertainment bars has employed minors to do lewd shows.
Bartoces admitted that her team has the difficulty to entrap both the minors and operator because they are always on lookout every time the monitoring team is around, while bar operator resides outside the province.
Under Republic Act 9231, establishments found employing children for prostitution or obscene or lewd shows shall be ordered close and charges be filed against the children’s employer.
In a Provincial Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (PIACAT) conference held recently, City Prosecutor Maria Angelita Alcoran lamented the mushrooming of entertainment bars in Sibulan town, even as the mayor deny the renewal of operators’ licenses of the bold bars.
Mayor Bartoces vowed to close down entertainment bars once the operators are caught violating the law prohibiting lewd shows.
Meantime, the mayor said she urgently urged her Sangguniang Bayan members to amend certain provision in a local ordinance to prohibit bar girls wearing only bikinis and bras.
She intended to impose a dress code for the working girls in at least seven entertainment bars currently in the town.
She explained that the dress code should be a decent pair of shorts and top shirt for the employees working in the entertainment bars. However, the establishments should not employ minors as entertainers. (PIA NegOr/JCT)
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Valencia LGU ranks 1st in tax collection in Central Visayas
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Aug 1 (PIA) The municipality of Valencia topped in the tax collection efforts among other 116 local government units in Region 7.
Based on the records of the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), the town ranked first in real property tax collection, business tax collection, and in fees and charges based on last year’s tax collection results in the region.
Dir. Carmelane Tugas of BLGF in Region 7, lauded the local government of Valencia headed by Mayor Ricky Gonzalez for his invaluable contribution, and unselfish support and commitment to the revenue generation program of BLGF, during the awarding ceremony held inCebu recently. The award was personally received by Rolando Obaniana, Valencia municipal treasurer.
The municipality also topped among the 19 municipalities in Negros Oriental covering the same categories.
Mayor Gonzalez congratulated the staff of the treasury department of Valencia for the said accomplishment and also thanked Valencianons for religiously paying their taxes.
He also hoped that it would encourage other departments in his municipality to improve the delivery of their services to the public.
The town of Valencia which hosts the geothermal facility of Energy Development Corporation has been implementing the I-Tax system technology of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in its tax collections.
Valencia is the first local government unit (LGU) that has adopted the Integrated Taxation (I-Tax) system which has been piloted in Negros Oriental through the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).
The implementation of I-tax system, LGUs mobilized their own resources by identifying their potential local revenues like real property tax, business Tax and others. (PIA NegOr/JCT)
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Negros Oriental to host 7th Philippine Bird Festival
by Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, August 1 (PIA) --- Dumaguete City will host the seventh run of the Philippine Bird Festival, the country's top avian conservation and eco-tourism event, from September 23 to 24, 2011.
Foreign exhibitors from bird watching societies in Asian countries such as Taipei, Thailand,Malaysia, Japan and Singapore will showcase the birds from their countries while local participants from non-government organizations (NGOs) working for wildlife conservation will present their avian conservation efforts.
A Bird Quest quiz show and bird-watching tours will also be conducted for children.
During a pre-launching event held August 1, 2011 at the Robinsons Place Atrium, Dumaguete City, it was revealed that Silliman University's Center for Tropical Conservation Studies (CENTROP) is waiving its entrance fees for public school children this week to mark the festival's pre-launching and the duration of said festival in September.
The two-day festival will also be highlighted by a series of bird-watching lectures and a conservation forum to discuss the status of conservation measures of the Negros bleeding-heart and other birds found in Negros Island.
The Negros bleeding-heart is a critically-endangered bird endemic to the Philippines and can only be found in the islands of Negros and Panay.
The festival is conducted annually by the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) around the country to bring attention to local efforts in conserving birds and their habitat. “This is a celebration of localities in their care and interest in protecting the environment. We choose places that have been doing something for bird habitats,” said WBCP pesident Anna Maria Gonzales during the pre-launching forum.
This year, the club partnered with Silliman University and the local governments of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental for the bird festival to be held in Dumaguete. “This is our way of acknowledging the conservation work that has already been done in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental and to hold the province as an example for the rest of the country,” said Gonzales.
Before coming to Dumaguete, the WBCP has staged the festival in Olango Island in Cebu, Puerto Princes, Balanga City in Luzon, Quezon City and Davao City where the first Asian Bird Fair was also launched. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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PIACAT warns vs illegal recruitment in Sibulan town
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Aug 1 (PIA) The Provincial Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in Person (PIACAT) warned barangay residents of Sibulan town through its local IACAT against illegal recruiters and human traffickers, with the presence of two “maestros” in the area.
Provincial Social Welfare head, Alice Lagarde named the two recruiters as “maestros” Rico and Alex now recruiting in Sibulan for illegal fishing operations or “paaling.”
The MIACAT is called on to closely monitor the activities of the recruiters to prevent and suppress recruitment of possible victims, including children.
The council against trafficking also identified some hotspots or major recruitment grounds for victims are Ayungon, Bindoy, San Jose, Amlan, Dauin, Siaton and Mabinay.
The warning came after 38 workers from Ayungon, Negros Oriental who claimed recently to be victims of “paaling” or illegal fishing operations and of human trafficking.
The 38 fishermen filed a complaint with the DOLE against the PESCA Maharlika Marine Resources Inc., a deep-sea compressor fishing company based in Navotas, MetroManila, and owned by a certain Crispulo Pangilinan.
The workers also complained of inhuman working conditions such as lack of health and safety measures, excessive working hours, and the employment of minors.
However, some local government units (LGUs) in Negros Oriental responded to calls for intensifying the campaign against human trafficking by way of passing local laws and ordinances.
One of the identified LGUs as human trafficking hotspots in the region, so far three have passed local ordinances. These are the towns of Sibulan, Zamboanguita and Amlan.
Others are still in the process of drafting the ordinance after a series of orientation-briefings initiated by the Provincial Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in Person (Piacat) to the Municipal Council and City Council. (PIA NegOr/JCT)