one mindanao - august 23, 2011

2 ONE MINDANAO Tuesday, August 23, 2011Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Western Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula)P. Urro Street, San Francisco DistrictPagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur 7016Telephone no. (062) 215-1480 / 925-0038Cellphone no. 0908-8843404E-mail : [email protected] [email protected] : hnb_r9pia

Northern MindanaoGraces’ Building, Antonio Luna StreetCagayan de Oro City 9000Telefax No. (08822) 72-66-83Telephone no. (088) 856-8178 / 729-594Cellphone no. 0928-5204305 0917-3084969E-mail : [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Southern Mindanao (Davao Region)2/F Kanto Motors Bldg.,Quimpo Blvd., New MatinaDavao City 8000Telephone no. (082) 297-0991 / 301-8580Telefax no. (082) 297-0992 / 304-2044Cellphone no. 0917-7053606 / 0918-9202950E-mail : [email protected]

Central Mindanao (SOCSKSARGEN)Provincial Capitol Compound Bautista Bldg., Zulueta St.Koronadal City, South Cotabato 9506Telephone no. (083) 520-0249Telefax no. (083) 228-9736 / 228-9739 / 520-0100Cellphone no. 0921-6873373 / 0928-5204307E-mail : [email protected] [email protected]

Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga)Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines Bldg.,J. Rosales Avenue, Butuan CityTelephone no. (085) 341-5285 / 360-1239Telefax no. (085) 341-2370Cellphone no. 0917-7188834Email: [email protected] [email protected],ph

PIA REGIONAL OFFICESIN MINDANAO

Today’s News...

COVER STORY : Discovering the Merloquete treasure

NATIONAL• Press Statement of Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on the Arrival of BRP Gregorio Del Pilar• Aquino cites need for PTV-4 to give Filipinos a public service network• Aquino says acquisition of new patrol ship depicts the government’s concern for defense capability• Aquino says PHL should not be blamed for the misdeed of one man in last year’s hostage- tragedy in Manila• Aquino says gov’t will acquire more equipment to improve defense capability of military• Aquino announces proposal for creation of ‘super body’ to ensure delivery of safe and potable water

Central Mindanao (SOCSKSARGEN)• DOLE 12 gives livelihood assistance, wheelchair to residents in far-flung LGU• Barangay-based enterprise gears for full operations• SRS orientation on full swing in Koronadal City • ARMM to evaluate early recovery program• Cebuano news: Gensan hugot ang preparasyon alang sa 13th Tuna Festival

Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga)• PIA-Caraga, RMN to conduct bloodletting activity in Butuan on Sunday• OWWA-Caraga launches “Operation Syria Libreng Tawag”• DPWH eyes better roadside management in Siargao Island• 1st Caraga Mining Sympo, safety competition, a resounding success

Western Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula)• PNP Dipolog adjudged Best Component Police Station in Mindanao• MILF factions reject ARMM ‘buy-out formula’ on disputed land • 57 PPP Beneficiaries to get their gasoline allowance next week• Policy forum on RP-RH bill slated in Dapitan on Aug. 26• Zambo Norte to benefit DA’s certified corn seeds distribution in region 9

Northern Mindanao • DOH-NorMin intensifies anti-dengue campaign despite a 76.57% drop of dengue cases in the region • PHO Bukidnon warn public anew vs. leptospirosis • 21 NorMin LGU’s receive the “seal of good housekeeping” • 27 displaced HSW’s from Mis. Occ. avail of OWWA’s Balik-Pinay, Balik-Hanapbuhay program• Army’s 8IB CARES program benefit thousands of indigents in Mis. Or. hinterlands

Southern Mindanao (Davao Region)• Peace and dev’t efforts better than waging war• Mindanao has 9 of the country’s 15 poorest provinces - NSCB• Campaign vs. corruption good for business • Statistics bare Mindanao MDG’s state on curbing poverty • RDR spells out initial PEOPLE accomplishments

OUR COVER

The cover of this issue features

the Marloquete

Falls in Zamboanga

City.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011Tuesday, August 23, 2011 3ONE MINDANAOTuesday, August 23, 2011

Cover Story:Discovering the Merloquete treasure

A “piece of heaven” in Zamboanga

by Jocelyn P. AlvarezPIA 9- Zamboanga City

Discovering a “piece of heaven” right at your very own place where you practi-

cally grew up and never knew it existed until you finally step foot on it is more than just amazing, it’s jaw-dropping and breathtakingly surprising...maybe it could be com-pared to dreaming …dreaming of an enchanted place and wanting to keep that moment as long as you like. “How could such a wonderful creation of God be not recognized and shared all these years? Like a majestic queen, the wondrous falls stands tall in between two mighty mountains. She cascades cool and crystal-clear water. She sends calming and soothing sound of an angry but vel-vety- thundering water as it falls down from her bosom. Mr. Joel Baysa of DENR says, if his as-sessment is right, the Merloquet Falls have been in existence long before we were even born. It means the breezy falls have been there for cen-turies! But why on earth have we not heard sto-ries about its existence? Why have our grand parents not spoken about it? Was it because they too have not discovered this amazing trea-sure? There were very few stories about the falls but majority of the populace did not believe that

the falls truly existed. For centuries, she lies “un-touched”, undeveloped and unknown to many. But Oct. 23, 2010 changed it all……

Discovering the Merloquete Falls

After a not so “well-organized” preparation and coordination, more than 60 adventure en-thusiasts-(members and guests) of Zamboanga Adventure Tourism and Eco-Recreation Society (ZATERS) (coming from the national government agencies, local government units, local media, private individuals and entities, young profes-sionals and students) decided on Oct. 23 to visit the falls for the first time. Not knowing what lies ahead, the group excitedly met early that morning. Each one

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packed his/her own “baon” and shelved out a meager amount of P300 per head coming from the participant’s own pocket for the bus fare and snacks for the five- member Red Cross Medical Team and five police escorts. Other participants took their own family vehicle. After almost two hours of ride, taking the city proper-barangay Vitali-barangay Sibulao route, we finally reached our destination half past ten that m o r n i n g . As soon as we arrive at Sitio Merlo-quete, the bus driver literally told us to go down as he cannot a n y m o r e trust his vehicle to cross the road as he was afraid that we might get stuck in the mud. (“lodo pandayan”- clay like mud). And so we began our trek to Merloquet Falls. The sun was scorching high, almost blind-ing and painful. (Of course we were prepared with our sun glasses and visors). Everyone was sweating. The trek made all of us direly thirsty. Thanks to Coca-cola–Zamboanga for providing us with 120 bottles of 500ml Viva mineralized wa-

ter. It helped us quenched our thirst. We continued our trek taking extra careful as the terrain was slippery because it rained the night before our Merloquete activity. The way to the falls may be described as rough, downhill, rolling terrain. It was almost like going down a 45 degree angle. There was nothing to hold on to in case we roll down the hill (thank goodness it never happened) Our guide told us that we need to patiently

go down the hill if we want to see the falls situ-ated at the foot of the mountain (in the m i d d l e of the a l m o s t forested area or Sitio Mer-loque t ) . All of

us were “first timers” in that falls, except for our guide, so it took as more than an hour of trekking before we found the “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” We knew at that time that we were nearing the falls as we hear the “musical” sound of powerful surging waters, as if it were having a duet with the strident chirping birds, enticing us to move quicker and faster. We started to feel the

Discovering the Merloquete... from page 3

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zephyr and smell of nature, the smell of trees sur-rounding us. And in an instant, she appeared right be-fore our naked eyes! A splendid beauty nesting gracefully as she boasts of her strong “down fall” of waters. We finally found what we were looking for! We saw what we came for.! We were all smitten by nature’s wonder, of God’s creation. “It was all worth it. Nakakawala ng pagod” said one of the participants. Immediately upon arrival, almost everyone plunged into the water, took a swim while others enjoyed the “hard massage” of the water falls on their backs as they enjoyed bathing. Others had their “infinite pictorials” and some further explored the area while the rest enjoyed bird watching us-ing their binoculars.

“I never knew na meron pala tayong gani-to ka gandang falls dito sa Zamboanga” echoed one participant. “Totoo pala na may lugar na Merloquete at may falls pa? Dati I thought parang katatawan lang sya na parang figure of speech. Na it’s what u said to a person kapag he is from a far flung barangay, so sasabihin mong taga merloquete xa . Yun pala, totoo na may Merloquet! Another participant commented. “Thank you so much for the opportunity of adventure tourism while we still can” warmly said one of the three senior citizens who were with us during the Merloquet adventure. “We are looking forward to joining the group again on its next ad-venture” she exclaimed. The group packed up 2:30 that afternoon


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and arrived at the city proper at about 6 in the evening. It was the trekked going up that slowed us down as we were all exhausted. We literally have to climb our way back up. I even got my left ankle sprained. It was black and blue and swollen and terribly painful. But I don’t mind having to suffer from such pain, it was nothing compared to what great feeling and experience Merloquet Falls had brought me. It could have been not that memorable without the sprain! (hahahah) “Even if I have to go back here a hundred times, and experi-ence the pagod at hirap over and over again, di ako magsasawa.” Said mikey of Na-tional Labor Rela-tions Commission (NLRC).

Sharing the discovery, spreading the good news

It seems that the group could not get enough and could not stand not telling the whole world “that we got a piece of heaven here in Zam-boanga” so ZATERS started telling every one about Merloquete Falls. Mindanao Cable TV had the entire activity covered and will be shown over its Community Channel 18 for the entire month of November. We also posted our pictures all over the net, facebook, youtube etc., sharing a piece of

Zamboanga to the rest of the globe. Sending message that we also have good things to offer here in Zamboanga City and not just the sensa-tionalized news on terrorism, bombings, kidnap-pings and Abu Sayyaf that you hear or see on TV, radio and papers. Zamboanga is far more than that, if you only give us a chance to show you more of what Zamboanga is made of.

M e r l o q u e t e Falls Route

Merloquet Falls is located at Sitio Merloquet, Baran-gay Sibulao, Zam-boanga City. It is situated in the pri-vate area owned by a certain Gregorio family. Mr. Joel Baysa of DENR said There

are two ways to reach the area. One is by taking “Route 1” which is from the City proper to Brgy. Tagasilay ≈57 km; then from Brgy. Tagasilay to Sitio Merloquet ≈t 5 km to Acejas Residence to Merloquet Falls ≈ 500 m ROUTE 2 City proper to Brgy. Vitali ≈ 68 km; Brgy. Vitali to Brgy. Sibulao ≈ 8 km; Brgy. Sibulao to Merloquet Falls ≈ 1 km. Mr. Baysa who was also with us during the adventure said, “we found bird species within the Merloquet Falls area such as pigeons, doves, kul-kul, king fisher and coucal” The Merloquet Waterfalls is subdivided


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into two; the lower level falls with an estimated Height of 10m and a Width of 13m and the up-per level falls (just above the lower falls) with an estimated Height of 5 m and a Width of 8m. Baysa said at the bottom of the upper level falls is a 10feet deep pool where one could freely swim. “Just be careful with the “mysterious hole” at its left corner. Meron pong hole doon na mal-akas ang current na parang hihigupin ka” warned Baysa “This is an unexplored area so di pa namin alam kung saan du-madaloy yung tubig sa “mys-terious hole. Possibility may passage pap-unta sa cave or kung saan pa man, kasi naka-dikit yung hole mismo sa mountain” Baysa theorized.

Needed development

When asked what could be the develop-ments that can be introduced to the area to pro-mote it as an accepted tourist attraction Baysa candidly said “ sana magkaroon ng resolution ang barangay na ayusin ang trail going down the falls para hindi dilikado kahit sa mga matatanda o bata na gustong pumunta sa falls. Sa ngayon kase medyo mahirap ang terrain. Wala kang makapitan.” He said.

“At sana maisama rin sa resolusyon ang pagtanim nga mga puno along the trail at magl-agay ng mga signage sa area of the Do’s and Don’ts sa falls to keep the area clean at mapana-tiling malinis ang tubig sa falls”. Baysa stressed.The multi sectoral movers behind the cause ZATERS is a group organized by PIA9-DOT9-SPELEO. One of its objectives is to be able to help pinpoint and promote (in its own little way) adventure tourism spots in the city that

would somehow help tone down negative impression about Zam-boanga and ambitious-ly catapult Zamboanga City as a safe place to visit and live in. Members of ZATERS are passionate adven-ture tourism enthusiast with serious goal of helping realize its ob-jectives. Active member-agen-

cies of ZATERS include: (national line agen-cies) DENR, DTI, DPWH, DOLE, DA, NLRC, PMS, CHED, TESDA, DOH, PNRC-Zamboanga Chapter, PNP, DILG, Bureau of Fire, OCD-DND, OWWA, NNC, DSWD, DOST, (local gov’t units) OCENR, City Tourism Office, City Mayor’s Office, local media such as Mindano Cable TV (MCTV), NET25, NBN 7, DAILY ZAMBOANGA TIMES, ZAMBOTIMES.COM ONLINE MEDIA, ZAMBO-PEN JOURNAL, SUN STAR NEWS, ZAMBO-ECOZONE, students and private individuals and entities. Councilor Gerky Valesco sits as its hon-orary adviser. (JPA-PIA)



Across the Nation...Across the Nation...Press Statement of Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on the Arrival of BRP Gregorio Del Pilar

The acquisition of BRP Gregorio Del Pilar represents a significant step for-ward in our efforts to improve our Navy’s capacity to patrol and secure our waters. As the President said in his State of the Nation Address, the

resources within our territory belong to Filipinos, and the modernization of our armed forces is part of measures to ensure that our people are protected, our security is augmented and our sovereignty is respected. As shown by the young general after whom our new ship is named, the patrio-tism, selflessness and bravery of the Filipino soldier is second to none. However, due to our country’s lim-ited resources, our armed forces have had to fight for the security of our coun-

try with inadequate weapons and equip-ment. The Cabinet Cluster on Security, which I chair, is cur-rently spearheading reforms in our armed forces that seek to address this concern. Under the steward-ship of Defense Sec-retary Voltaire Gaz-

min, the Department of National Defense will ensure that the financial resources allotted for the mili-tary will be used wisely and judicious-ly and will go where they are intended to go: better weapons and modern equip-ment for our men and women in uniform.

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III tours and inspects the facilities of the newly acquired Philip-pine Navy (PN) ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF15) during the Arrival Ceremony in Pier 13, South Har-bor, Manila Tuesday August 23, 2011. The ship and it’s all Philippine Navy crew successfully completed more than 7,000 mile, 33-day journey (June 18 – Au-gust 21, 2011) from Alameda, California. PF-15 was acquired through the United States Excess Defense Act (EDA) using Department of Energy Malampaya Project funds. BRP Gregorio del Pilar was largely used by the US Coast Guard for drug and migrant interdiction, law enforcement, search and rescue, liv-ing marine resources protection, and defense readi-ness. In photo are Defense Secretary Voltaire Gaz-min, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff, General Eduardo Oban, Jr. and Navy Flag Officer in Command, Vice Admiral Alexander Pama. (Photo by: Jay Morales / Malacañang Photo Bureau).


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Aquino cites need for PTV-4 to give Filipinos a public service network

President Benigno S. Aquino III wants the new People’s Television Network 4 (PTV-4) to offer distinct and unique programs aimed at improving the lives of the Filipinos, a Palace official said on Monday.

In an ambush inter-view in Malacanang, Presi-dential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio B. Co-loma Jr. said on Monday that President Aquino wants to give the people “a public service network.” “He wants to know how we can offer distinct and unique programs that are different from what are be-ing offered now. Because if we will just copy or we’ll just mimic what the commercial networks are offering, then that would not serve the ob-jective of a government pub-lic service network,” Coloma said. The President met with Coloma and other of-ficials who presented “the reformatted PTV 4 news and non-news program flow” in Malacanang. Coloma said the Presi-dent made several sugges-tions for the revitalization of the PTV-4 during the said meeting. “He has very con-crete suggestions on what we can present differently and better so that the net-work can have its own unique identity,” he said. “For the reformatted

PTV-4, we would like to make it a good public service net-work that will be a source for reliable, timely information that is useful to the people. In other words, the concept of communication being a channel for development and for improving the lives of our people,” he added.We have to be able to offer unique value. We have to be able to address certain nich-es that the private networks may not be addressing di-rectly,” Coloma said. “The channel could conduct teacher trading through educational pro-grams and supplement the learning that children in school get by offering good educational programs. And, of course, we can also pro-mote Filipino culture, like we can promote indie music and indie movies,” he said. Coloma also said the President expressed his readiness to appear in the programs of the PTV- 4. Coloma acknowledged that one of the biggest chal-lenges is how to generate revenues. “Our biggest chal-lenge is to be able to offer value-laden programs that people will be willing to in-

vest in. So that is what we’re working on. Our concept is we would not want it to be dependent on government appropriation that’s why, the challenge is for the network to be able to generate reve-nues and we can only gener-ate revenues if we have pro-grams that have a credible value proposition.” Coloma likewise un-derscored the need to im-prove the technical capabil-ity of the station adding that it’s also part of the entire re-vitalization concept. According to Coloma, the President’s instructions to the group which included Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa and Presidential Com-munications and Operations Office officials led by Coloma, Undersecretary George Syli-angco, and Assistant Secre-tary Lesley Cordero was to develop concrete proposals to ensure “that we deliver effective programming that centers on disseminating government information and services to the public.” The President also in-structed the group to pre-pare the proposed amend-ments to the PTV law for submission to the Legislative


Aquino cites... from page 9

Aquino says acquisition of new patrol ship depicts the government’s concern for defense capability

President Benigno S. Aquino III underscored the conscientious efforts of the government to ensure the delivery of services to the Filipino people as he cited the newest addition to the Philippine Navy fleet as a symbol of hope,

reform and complete change.

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and Executive Development Council (LEDAC). “The purpose of the bill is really to recapitalize because the original capital of one billion pesos was al-ready depleted. And number two, to amend the provision

that limited the ability of the network to generate com-mercial revenues which was only for the first 10 years of its existence. So only from 1992 to 2001 and because of that, and the fact that the network is not getting any

official government appro-priation—it’s not included in the General Appropriations Act—the network had great difficulty getting enough re-sources for programming,” Coloma concluded. (js/12:59 pm)

n his speech dur-ing the arrival cere-mony of the BRP Gre-gorio del Pilar Pacific Fleet (PF) 15 at Pier 13, South Harbor in Manila on Tuesday, the President said the newest patrol ship depicts the Aquino administration’s sin-

cere concern in de-fense capability and compensates the hard work and dedi-cation of the Filipino men in uniform. “Ang barkong ito ay bunga ng ating pagsusumikap na ibi-gay, hindi lamang sa Sandatahang Lakas,

kundi sa mamama-yang Pilipino ang uri ng serbisyo na ina-asahan nila sa pama-halaan: tapat, may malasakit at nakatu-on para sa kanilang kapakanan,” the President said. “Sagisag ang modernong barkong

President Benigno S. Aquino III, assisted by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, welcomes the newly-acquired Philippine Navy (PN) ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF15) upon dock-ing during the Arrival Ceremony at Pier 13, South Harbor, Manila on Tuesday (August 23). The ship and it’s all Philippine Navy crew successfully completed more than 7,000 mile, 33-day journey (June 18 – August 21, 2011) from Alameda, California. PF-15 was acquired through the United States Excess Defense Act (EDA) using Department of Energy Malampa-ya Project funds. BRP Gregorio del Pilar was largely used by the US Coast Guard for drug and migrant interdiction, law enforcement, search and rescue, living marine resources protection, and defense readiness. (Photo by: Jay Morales / Malacañang Photo Bureau).


Aquino says... from page 10

ito ng kahandaan nating pangalagaan, bantayan, at kung kinakailangan, ipag-tanggol ang interes at kapakanan ng ating bayan. Higit sa lahat, sumasalamin ang barkong ito sa mithiin nating magdulot ng tunay na reporma’t pagbabago, at big-yang-halaga ang hi-rap at sakripisyo ng ating mga kawal sa pamamagitan ng modernisasyon ng kanilang mga sasaky-an, armas at iba pa nilang pangangailan-gan,” the President said adding that the BRP Gregorio del Pi-lar increases the ca-pabilities of the Navy in securing the coast-al areas. “Ngayong may BRP Gregorio del Pi-lar nang magagamit ang ating Naval Forc-es Western Mindanao (NFWM), naitataas din natin ang antas ng kanilang kakaya-hang magpatrolya at magbantay sa ating kapuluan,” the Presi-dent noted. The Chief Execu-tive also noted the important role of the

citizenry in pursuing more developments that will eventually lead to progress and development. “Simula pa lang po ito. Sa responsable nating pamamahala, at sa pakikiisa ng ta-umbayan sa tinatahak nating tuwid na daan, mas marami pa tay-ong magagawa; mas marami pang mabub-uting balita ang da-rating sa atin,” the President stressed. “Hindi tayo titigil sa mga barko; hindi tayo makukuntento sa mga helicopter. Mga modernong san-data, mas mabibilis na mga patrol craft, at mas epektibong mga kagamitan pa ang maihahandog natin sa ating mga kawal at pulis nang walang nasasayang na pera mula sa kaban ng bayan,” he added. In the United States, the BRP Gre-godrio del Pilar is classified as a Ham-ilton Class US Coast Guard Cutter specifi-cally designated as a Weather High Endur-ance Cutter (WHEC-715).

In the Philip-pines, the newest ship is classified as a Sur-face Combatant Ship with a “Type Code” of “P” for Patrol and is further powered by combined diesel engines and gas tur-bines, equipped with a helicopter flight deck, a retractable hangar and facilities to support helicopter operations. The 378-foot vessel with a crew ca-pacity of 180 is also equipped with arma-ment and weapons system, propulsion plant, electrical gen-eration, among oth-ers. It will be de-ployed to carry out the mission for drug prohibition, law en-forcement, search and rescue opera-tions, defense readi-ness and migrant in-terdiction. It will also perform tasks in pro-tecting the country’s natural gas and oil exploration projects off Palawan amid re-ported incursions in the West Philippine Sea.


“This was the act of one man. In the same token that some of our citizens have been af-fected elsewhere in the world, we do not blame the entire population,” the President said dur-ing a chance interview at the arrival ceremony of BRP Gregorio Del Pilar at Pier 13, South Harbor in Manila. “We know that there are criminal ele-ments; there are men-tally deranged individu-als (who) pose a threat to anybody regardless of race or country of ori-gin,” the he added. President Aquino said that his administra-tion deeply regrets what has transpired on August 23, 2010, as he em-phasized that the coun-try has been improving from then on to ensure the safety of its citizens and its visitors.

“We sympathized and we continue to sympathize with them. We really wish it did not happen. We hope we had performed better at that point in time. But in the same token that in Norway there was this tragedy could have been prevented because of a lone solitary deranged gunman,” he said. “Again, we deeply regret what has trans-pired. Yung apology connotes that the State did them grievous harm. I don’t think that is cor-rect,” the President stressed. The country marked on Tuesday the first year of the hostage-taking incident that left eight Hong Kong tourists and their hostage-taker, for-mer police officer Ro-lando Mendoza, dead on August 23, 2010 at the Quirino Grandstand in

Manila. The relatives of the victims and the survivors of the tragedy arrived in the country on Sunday, and they are demanding a formal apology from the Philippine govern-ment, reasonable com-pensation, and justice for the slain hostage vic-tims. “We understand they’re hurt but hopeful-ly they understand also that we could have im-proved and we have been improving from then to now but, at the same time, even at our levels right now if you have a deranged individual who suddenly changes his disposition, practically in a whim, there are very serious limitations that one person or any coun-try can do,” President Aquino said. The President also said that his govern-

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Aquino says PHL should not be blamed for the mis-deed of one man in last year’s hostage-tragedy in Manila

President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday said that the entire country need not be blamed for the action of one man in last year’s Manila hostage tragedy that left eight Hong Kong tourists and their hostage-taker dead.


The Philippine government will acquire more military equipment as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP‘s) modernization program, President Benigno S. Aquino III said.

Aquino says gov’t will acquire more equipment to im-prove defense capability of military

President Aqui-no made this state-ment during an ambush interview after he led the ar-rival ceremony of BRP (Barko ng Re-publika ng Pilipinas) Gregorio Del Pilar at Pier 13, South Har-bor in Manila City, on Tuesday. The President said that his admin-istration plans to acquire more equip-ment, such as lead-in jet trainers, sur-face attack crafts, air defense radars, among others, to further improve the

capability of the military. For the Air Force, the Aquino adminis-tration will acquire Surface Attack Air-crafts, Air Defense Radars, Long Range Patrol Aircrafts, and Close-Air Support Aircrafts, the Presi-dent noted. “For the Navy, Strategic Sealift Vessels with Am-phibious Vessels, Offshore Patrol Ves-sels, Naval Heli-copters—there is at least three of them—Coast Watch Stations, then ‘yung

mga katulad nitong Weather Heavy En-durance Cutter,” he added. For the Army, Aquino said, new assault rifles, ar-mor assets, tanks, armored-personnel carriers, force pro-tection--helmets, bullet-proof vests--and night fighting equipment. The President also said that the Philippine Navy is studying whether there is a need to purchase a subma-rine.

ment has tried to assist the survivors and the families of the victims to overcome the August 23, 2010 tragedy.

“We have tried to assist them to overcome this tragedy. I think they are aware of the fact that both public and private

concerns of this country have really tried to as-sist them in their mov-ing on,” he said.

Aquino says... from page 12


In an am-bush interview follow-ing his attendance at the arrival ceremony of BRP Gregorio del Pilar 15 at Pier 13, South Harbor in Ma-nila on Tuesday, the President said the proposal came after his meetings with the economic managers pointing out the need of creating an agency that will focus on en-suring a sufficient and safe water supply for the Filipino people. “We will be pro-posing a super body, it can be a commit-tee, it can be just one agency, who will come up with a water plan -- how do we conserve water, how do we uti-lize water, and how do we treat water af-

terwards,” President Aquino said. The Chief Execu-tive noted the exis-tence of several agen-cies of government that were tasked to work on various pro-grams on water com-plicates and affects their efficiency. “There are so many agencies in-volved with water, you have Nawasa or MWSS, you have the DA [Department of Agriculture] with their National Irriga-tion Administration, you have the DENR [Department of Envi-ronment and Natural Resources] managing iyong water shed... bottom line ay napa-karaming departa-mento, ahensiya ng

gobyerno in-charge sa tubig... sa dami nila, parang wala na talagang in-charge,” the President said as he stressed the im-portance of water and its supply sustainabil-ity and management for the consumption of the people. “Water is a very important resource, if it is not managed properly, there can be shortages,” the Presi-dent stressed. He added that part of the respon-sibilities of the pro-posed “super body” is the formulation of a more comprehen-sive and coordinated plan on water supply and the management of its sources.

President Benigno S. Aquino III bared the proposed creation of a “super body” whose main task is to ensure the delivery of safe and potable water to every Filipino household and come up with a comprehensive plan for the country’s

water resources.

Aquino announces proposal for creation of ‘super body’ to ensure delivery of safe and potable water


Central MindanaoCentral Mindanao OLIVIA T. SUDARIAPIA-XII Regional Director

KORONADAL CITY, Aug 22 (PIA) – The regional Department of Labor and Em-ployment (DOLE 12) in coordination with the the Local Government of Columbio in Sultan Kudarat recently provided livelihood assistance and wheelchairs to qualified residents.

DOLE 12 gives livelihood assistance, wheelchair to residents in far-flung LGU by Charmaine S. Ladot

Columbio is located in the eastern most part of the province of Sultan Kudarat. Most inhabitants in the prov-ince are Ilocanos, Ilonggo, B’laan and Maguindanaon. Regional Director Ma. Gloria A. Tango and Sultan Kudarat Field Office Head Ms. Arlene R. Bisnon, together with Sultan Kudarat Gover-nor Suharto T. Mangudada-tu, Columbio Mayor Amirh

Musali and Vice-Mayor Ed-win Bermudez, released two DOLE Kabuhayan Starter Kits and three wheelchairs donated by the Dole Philip-pines, Inc. Dolores Centina, a starter kit beneficiary, is an out- of -school youth who has a skill in crochet bag making. DOLE 12 provided her with tools and materials for

her to start her own busi-ness. In like manner, Mr. Abdulrahman Mama, a per-son with disability (PWD), received tools and equip-ments for his TV and radio repair shop. The starter kits released amounted to P 4,000.00 in total. DOLE Kabuhayan Starter Kits Project is a live-lihood formation strategy

KORONADAL CITY, Aug 23 (PIA) – The charcoal briquetting project of a com-munity in Tantangan, South Cotabato is now in full operations after a recent enterprise training on charcoal briquetting production training.

Barangay-based enterprise gears for full operations

The training held at the Municipal Agriculture Office of Tupi town, was intended for resi-dents of Barangay Libas in Tantangan town under the De-partment of Labor and Employment Re-gion 12’s Commu-nity Enterprise De-velopment Program

(CDEP). The project was launched in May this year specifically for Libas Multi Sec-toral Organization (LMSO). The barangay is known for its be-ing a major source of charcoal made from cut trees, which poses adverse

effect to the envi-ronment. It is for this reason that instead of using cut trees, LMSO is using ag-ricultural waste for the charcoal bri-quettes. For LMSO to be able to start its barangay-based en-terprise, DOLE 12

awarded the orga-nization the amount of P326,210.00 as a start-up capital for the purchase of raw materials and equip-ment. This project is an example of pub-lic-private partner-ship or PPP in action. Aside from the DOLE and the LGU of Tan-

16

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KORONADAL CITY, Aug 23 (PIA) – National Skills Registry System (SRS) is al-ready in full swing in South Cotabato with the conduct of orientation on the on-line registration of the department in all 27 barangays of the city.

SRS orientation on full swing in Koronadal City by Charmaine S. Ladot

DOLE South Cotabato Field Office started the orientations in August and will be ended in September. The SRS aims to address the the perennial problem of job and skills mis-match. Judith Marmonejo, city PESO man-ager told barangay officials that their role in the implementation of the program being the conduits in the information dissemina-tion concerning job vacancies and in con-solidating the profile of jobseekers in their localities. Ruby Carrasco, South Cotabato Field Office SRS focal person, presented the structure of the SRS, including the proce-

dure on how to fill up the forms. Sahe said the Skills Registry System allows workers and job seekers to register their skills and qualifications for easy access of the employers. SRS is a warehouse of information on the qualifications and skills of registrants, which are either formally acquired in school or gained through experience. The information gathered from each barangay will be posted at www.phil-job-net.com, a website managed by DOLE. As of August 18, four barangays were visited by the SRS Team (DED/PIA 12/DOLE 12)

intended to bring about im-proved socio-economic well-being of workers in the in-formal economy. It provides package of services that will enable the target beneficiary to start quickly a livelihood undertaking through self-employment. Also during the activ-ity, DOLE 12 , in partnership with Dole Philippines Inc., also released wheelchairs to

three PWDs who have cere-bral palsy. Dolefil has been a partner of DOLE in providing improved mobility to those who are differently abled. To augment the assistance giv-en, Gov. Mangudadatu gave an additional P10,000.00 to the three beneficiaries. In his message, Gov. Teng Mangundadatu ac-knowledged the assistance

given by DOLE XII for the constituents of Columbio. He looks forward for the stron-ger partnership with the de-partment in improving the quality of life of the people in Columbio through train-ing, provision of livelihood assistance and community development. (DED/PIA 12/DOLE 12)

DOLE-12 gives... from page 15

tangan, the Tripar-tite Industrial Peace Council of South Co-tabato (TIPC) whose members are coming from the employers

and workers in the private sector, is also part of the team. DOLE con-tinues to tap other agencies, public and

private, that can be of assistance in the Libas Community Enterprise Develop-ment project to pro-mote its charcoal

briquette in the local and national mar-ket. (DED/PIA 12/ DOLE 12)

Barangay-based... from page 15


KORONADAL CITY, Aug 23 (PIA) - Technical personnel of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are set to evaluate this week the implementation of the ARMM Early Recovery Plan (ERP), a master plan that coordinates assistance aimed at helping civilians displaced during the 2008 conflict between government forces and elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) get back on their feet.

ARMM to evaluate early recovery program

The ERP was initially hatched in January of 2009 but was only vigorously pur-sued on the assumption of the present ARMM adminis-tration. It has set forth in-terventions designed to help and encourage internally displaced persons (IDPs) lin-gering at evacuation centers to return to their respective places of origin and start over. ARMM Executive Sec-retary Naguib Sinarimbo said the region’s early re-covery program brings to-

gether government agencies and partners from humani-tarian aid organizations to effectively provide returning families the help they need. He said the conver-gence has allowed the imple-mentation of wide-ranging and comprehensive assis-tance that not only helped individual families start over but practically revived the entire community. Forty-six sites in Ma-guindanao have been identi-fied as priority areas under the ERP. As of July this year,

the number of IDP families staying at different evacua-tion centers in the province has been brought down to around 2,000 from 18,000. According to Romeo Diocol-ano, the assessment work-shop this week is designed to evaluate the progress of the ERP, conditions in the 46 return sites and gaps in the implementation of program.Diocolano said they will also be looking into means to enhance the present ERP. (DED/PIA 12/BPI-ARMM)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Aug 23 (PIA) – Padayon karon ang hugot nga prepara-syon sa dakbayan alang sa umaabot nga 13th Tuna Festival kung asa sugdan na ang selebrasyon karong Byernes (Agosto 26) hangtod sa Setyembre 5 karong tuig.

Cebuano news: Gensan hugot ang preparasyon alang sa 13th Tuna Festival

Una na’ng nag-pahigayon ug press conference ang Tuna Festival Council kaniadtong Agosto 9 sa Tierra Montana Hotel ug gibutyag sa Festival Director nga si Ronald Velasquez ang nagkalain-laing mga aktibidad nga naka linya aron mapaan-indot ang naasoy’ng kasaulogan nga ilado dili lamang sa Mind-anao apan sa tibook nasud.

Matud pa nga tumong sa nasampit nga selebrasyon nga mapausbaw ang eko-nomiya sa dakbayan ilabi na ang industriya sa tuna kung asa giila isip “Tuna Capital of the Philippines” ang dakbayan sa Heneral Santos.Pila sa mga ipatugbaw sa naasoy’ng okasyon mao ang National Tuna Congress, Tuna Festival Trade Show and Exhibit, Sashi-

mi Night, Search for Mr. and Ms. Gensan 2011, 7th Mindanao Open Bonsai Com-petition, mga nagka-lain-laing seminars, ug uban pang mga dula ug panag indigay sama sa lawn tennis, skate boarding, skim boarding, takraw, ta-ble tennis, ug airsoft competition. Apil sad sa gipreparahan mao ang pagplano sa hu-got nga seguridad ila-

bi na sa City Oval Pla-za aron masegurong mamahimong malina-won ang umaabot nga kasaulogan ug luwas sa katalagman ang mga sumasalmot. Ang 13th Tuna Festival dunay temang: “Exploring New Depths, Con-quering New Heights.” (PGFruylan/PIA-Gensan)


BUTUAN CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA) – With the increasing number of dengue cases in many parts of the country, the regional office of the Philippine Information Agen-cy in Caraga partners with Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) – dxBC Butuan in the conduct of bloodletting activity as part of the corporate social responsibility of one of the oldest radio stations here in the city on Sunday.

PIA-Caraga, RMN to conduct bloodletting activity in Butuan on Sunday by Robert E. Roperos

Caraga RegionCaraga Region ABNER M. CAGAPIA-XIII Regional Director

BUTUAN CITY, Aug. 22 (PIA) - The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Regional Office 13 on Monday launched “Operation Syria Libreng Tawag” to provide immediate assistance to families of OFWs in Syria.

OWWA-Caraga launches “Operation Syria Libreng Tawag” by Ritchel Molero

In a phone-patch in-terview with PIA, Sasie Abas-tas-Babar, News Director of RMN-dxBC Butuan said the activity is in time with the 59th anniversary celebration of RMN nationwide. Abastas also said the medical-dental mission is also their way of thanking the people of Butuan and the neighboring provinces

for making RMN one of the most-listened radio stations in the city. Other services to be conducted in the whole-day activity include a jobs fair, blood sugar test, free mas-sage, and giving of free medicines. The activity is spon-sored by Butuan City Vice-Mayor Lawrence Lemuel

Fortun, 402nd Brigade of the Philippine Army, and Philip-pine National Police (PNP) PRO-13, among others. Meanwhile, the re-gion’s Philippine Drug En-forcement Agency (PDEA) will also sponsor a mass feeding during the activity. (RER/PIA-Caraga)

Per record, there are only five (5) Caraganon OFWs in Syria that are mem-bers of OWWA. How-ever, to safeguard the welfare of all Over-seas Filipino Workers, even those who are not members are to be given the access to avail the free call. It is expected

that through the Op-eration Syria Libreng Tawag concerns of families regarding the OFW’s whereabouts and condition will be easily made known giving instant relief to the affected families. M o r e o v e r , OWWA Administra-tor Carmelita Dimzon stated that the Philip-

pine Embassy in Syria is having active com-munication with the Filipino community leaders of the said country. The embassy is also ready to as-sist OFWs who want to come home. The Philippine Govern-ment will provide for the repatriation cost, it was learned.

With these de-velopments, OWWA-Caraga urges families of OFWs in Syria to come and visit their office, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, at Nimfa Tiu Building II, J. Rosales Avenue, this city. (OWWA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)


BUTUAN CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA) – Bacoor Mayor Strike Revilla, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines with other 15 mayors from Cavite province are set to visit in Surigao del Sur on August 24-26, 2011

Bacoor Mayor Strike Revilla, other 15 mayors set to visit Surigao del Sur by Jennifer P. Gaitano

DPWH eyes better roadside management in Siargao Island by Michael Conte

This was confirmed by Engr. Merlyn Baure, the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) Chief in Surigao del Sur. According to Engr. Baure, Revilla’s group will also meet the mayors in the province of Su-rigao del Sur to discuss issues and concerns, share its best practices that will also help improve their

programs and services in their respective munici-palities. Revilla’s group will visit the following mu-nicipalities: Cortes, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen, Lanuza, Tandag City, Bislig City, Hinatuan, Britania and San Agustin. (PIA-Caraga)

DAPA, Surigao del Norte, August 23 (PIA) - In an effort to help prolong service life of in-frastructure facilities in Siargao Island, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has enhanced the currently implemented CY2011 roadside maintenance program for a better roadside management. Maintenance Section Chief Engineer Quintiniano C. Arm-endarez said the District Engi-neering Office has hired workers on job-order basis as augmen-tation workforce to the regular maintenance crew. “Roadside workers are deployed in various national road

sites that link the 8 municipali-ties of mainland Siargao to do the actual works,” Armendarez said. Roadside and carriage-way maintenance activities in-volve the cutting of vegetation along shoulders up to the road right-of-way, clearing of side-

walks, desilting of drainage ca-nals, longitudinal pipes and cross drains, manual pothole patching and manual reshaping of grav-el shoulders and carriageway. (DPWH-2nd Engineering Dis-trict/PIA-Surigao del Norte)

1st Caraga Mining Sympo, safety competition, a resounding success

In a press state-ment of the Regional Office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the Safety Com-petition showcased and demonstrated mine res-cue, fire brigade, and the first aid competen-cies of the participating mining companies held at the Surigao City Na-tional High School on Friday. Said competition exhibited the adept-

ness of the participants at responding safety is-sues in anticipation of the unforeseen circum-stances that may beset the mining operations. Meanwhile, the Plenary and Technical Symposium featured substantial topics, is-sues, and discussions in relation to the manifold dimensions of mining and its significant con-tribution to economic growth.

Noted govern-ment officials as well as several partners and colleagues from the mining industry and so-ciety graced the event and delivered timely lectures. At the Hotel Tav-ern, a variety of booth display and exhibits featuring several min-ing companies were launched for public viewing. The singular

event culminated in a recognition ceremony where winners of the Safety Competition were awarded. Also, the cer-emony recognized the invaluable contributions of the guests of honors, resource speakers, par-ticipants, and organiz-ers to the success of the event. (MGB-13/PIA-Caraga)

BUTUAN CITY, August 23 (PIA) - The 1st Caraga Mining Symposium and Safety Competi-tion with the theme “Responsible Mining: Key to Caraga’s Economic Growth and Sustain-able Development” in Surigao City recently posted a resounding success.


Western Mindanao NOEMI B. EDAGAPIA-IX Regional DirectorWestern Mindanao

The city police sta-tion here has again best-ed other police stations as having been adjudged the best component police station in Mindanao dur-ing the recently concluded search for best police sta-tion spearheaded by the Philippine National Police (PNP). It also managed to bag the first runner-up place in the same competi-tion at the national level. PSupt. Reynaldo M. Maclang, city chief of po-lice, personally received the award at Camp Aben-dan, Mercedes, Zamboan-ga City from PNP-IX Re-gional Director PCSupt. Elpidio de Asis. The award-ing ceremony was also attended by two former provincial directors of the

Zamboanga del Norte Pro-vincial Police Office (ZN-PPO), PCSupt. Mario Biong Yanga and PSSupt. James Buslig Mejia, Mayor Ev-elyn T. Uy of Dipolog and Zamboanga del Norte sec-ond district representative Rosendo Labadlabad. PCSupt. De Asis has also given a special award to Mayor Uy in recognition of her all-out support to the PNP, resulting in the effective and efficient im-plementation of security programs in the city. It can be recalled that PNP-Dipolog in coor-dination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has intensified its campaign against illegal drugs. Police records re-vealed that more than 50

drugs pushers were appre-hended in drug buy bust operations from January to July this year. Supt. Maclang and his men have also been ac-tive in running after illegal miners and loggers in the area. Lately the police had intercepted and seized 137 bags of smuggled pebbles from Gutalac municipality in a checkpoint at baran-gay Punta this city. The awarding cere-mony was also held during the 110th Police Service Anniversary Celebration (PSAC)which carried the theme, “Sandaang Taon at Sandekadang Paglilingkod ng Kapulisan: Kaagapay ang Sambayanan Tungo sa Matuwid na Daan.”(FPG/PIA-Zambo. Norte)

DIPOLOG CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA) - - It is another feather added to its cap.

PNP Dipolog adjudged Best Component Police Station in Mindanaoby Franklin P. Gumapon

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Aug 23 (PIA) – Officials of the Autonomous Region in Mus-lim Mindanao (ARMM) has offered a ‘buy-out formula’ to resolve the disputed land but the two factions within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has rejected it.

MILF factions reject ARMM ‘buy-out formula’ on disputed land

The conflict recurred on August 6 and escalat-ed for six days into fierc-

er fashion that had left at least 23 combatants killed, scores wounded and over

3,500 villagers displaced, according to military re-ports. 21

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 21Tuesday, August 23, 2011 ONE MINDANAOTuesday, August 23, 2011

22

The Bureau of Public Information of the ARMM disclosed that two days af-ter the start of the rebel factions armed intramu-rals, a convergent group of some military and humani-tarian officials led by ARMM executive Secretary Nagu-ib Sinarimbo went to the oft-embattled Datu Piang, Maguindanao and raised a proposal to buy out the five-hectare land under dis-pute between the groups of Akas “Adzmi” Kasim and Abunawas Ibad. Kasim, a field leader of the Murad-led Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF’s) Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), and Ibad, a rural commander of the de-fiant Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) of Ustadz Ameril Ombra Kato, had rejected any financial settlement of their land dis-pute, town officials told the convergent team. The team instead conducted an assessment on the plight and needs of displaced villagers as basis

for relief operations, which followed a day later and is still underway, according to ARMM social welfare acting Secretary Pombaen Karon-Kader. Agencies of the ARMM continued to provide relief assistance to communities affected by the armed con-flict between commanders of the Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front (MILF) and the break-away Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters after the warring factions refused an ARMM “buy-out formula” on their land dis-pute. The peace formula-conveying team included also Brig. Gen. Ariel Ber-nardo, head of the State peace panel’s ceasefire committee, OCD-ARMM Di-rector Loreto Rirao, United Nations’ agents, and relief agencies’ representatives. According to Kader, her social welfare workers has distributed to displaced villagers ample relief goods beefed up by supplies from the Office of the Regional

Governor (ORG). The relief stuffs include rice, coffee, sugar, noodles, sardines, and used clothes, she said. Kader said the evacu-ees served included those housed in refuge centers in Datu Piang town and in Ta-layan town, where the land dispute-spawned skirmish-es had spilled over. Benjie Mando, an evacuee from barangay Damablak in Talayan said that they fled home last August 14 after they heard heavy exchanges of fire from armed groups. He complained that it was only on August 16 that his family got government aid. He expressed gratitude, however, to ARMM agen-cies including the office of Acting Regional Governor Hooky Adiong for assisting them in their needs. The displaced families called on the warring fac-tions to settle their conflict and respect the Holy Month of Ramadhan. (BPIARMM/RVC-PIA9 BaSulTa)

DIPOLOG CITY, Aug. 23(PIA)—Their long wait will be over very soon.

57 PPP Beneficiaries to get their gasoline allowance next week

This developed as the Land Transportation Office, Dipolog City Dis-trict Office has assured the Pantawid Pasada Pro-

gram (PPP) beneficiaries in Zamboanga del Norte who have been issued Pantawid Pasada Cards can already get their gasoline allow-

ance next week. Mr. Amado D. De-noyo, Transportation Reg-ulation Officer II of LTO Dipolog City

MILF factions... from page 20

by Alfonso T. Ruda


57 PPP Beneficiaries... from page 21...District Office said, 57 Pan-tawid Pasada applications have already been report-ed to its Central Office for validation and their corre-sponding PPP cards will be activated next week. Once activated, the 57 legitimate Public Util-ity Jeepney operators in the province who are Pan-tawid Pasada Program beneficiaries will then be able to withdraw their one-time gasoline allocation of P1,500.00 from the desig-nated gasoline stations in the Zamboanga del Norte.However, Denoyo clarified that 106 PPP applications, though have met all the requirements of the pro-gram are still pending at

the LTO Dipolog City Dis-trict Office for having been submitted late. “They will be included in the next batch,” he said He also urged the jeepney operators who have not yet availed of the program to visit their office at Upper Turno, Di-polog City, even before the renewal date of their vehicle for the processing of their application. Among the docu-ments that must be sub-mitted by the PUJ opera-tors to avail of the Pantawid Pasada Program are the Certification of Registra-tion; Official Receipt; Con-firmation of Units; LTFRB Franchise(Xerox); Driver’s

license/ID Card (owner); and Valid ID (Xerox).It maybe recalled that on April 1 this year, President Benigno Aquino III has is-sued Executive Order No. 32 establishing the Public Transport Assistance Pro-gram, popularly known as Pantawid Pasada Program to address the impact of the soaring oil price hike in the world market. Under the program, qualified PPP beneficiaries will receive P1,500.00 as one-time gasoline assis-tance to cushion the im-pact of the soaring oil price hike in the w+orld market on the public transport sector.(ATR/PIA9-Zam-bo Norte)

DIPOLOG, Aug. 23(PIA) - - Commission on Population (POPCOM) Executive Director Tomas M. Osias together with partylist representative Luz Ilagan of GABRIELA and Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare Inc. (PNGOC) Executive Director Eden R. Divinagracia is slated to arrive in Dapitan City on Aug. 26 for a policy forum on Responsible Parenthood-Reproductive Health (RP-RH) bill.

Policy forum on RP-RH bill slated in Dapitan on Aug. 26

POPCOM-IX officer in-charge Belinda T. Tangco bared that this activity will be attended by the local chief executives, religious leaders, non-government organizations, academe, students and other stake-holders. Updates on the cur-rent status of the RP-RH

bill will be discussed during the forum “to clear what-ever doubts the partici-pants have on HB 4244,” said Tangco. The activity will be held at the Dapitan City Cultural and Sports Cen-ter, Dapitan City starting at 1:30 p.m. A press conference

will also be conducted an hour before the start of the forum with POPCOM Executive Director Tomas Osias, Congresswoman Luz Ilagan and PNGOC Executive Director Eden R. Divinagracia as panel-ists. (FPG/PIA-Zambo. Norte)

by Franklin P. Gumapon

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 23Tuesday, August 23, 2011 ONE MINDANAOTuesday, August 23, 2011

DIPOLOG CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA)--The two Congressional Dis-tricts of Zamboanga del Norte are among the recipients of the certified corn seeds that will be distributed by the De-partment of Agriculture in region 9.

Zambo Norte to benefit DA’s certified corn seeds distribution in region 9by Alfonso T. Ruda

Dionisio Adante, Regional Seeds Coor-dinator said each Con-gressional District will get 800 bags of certified corn seeds. This includes a special project for the municipality of Siayan and another 800 bags in support to National Agri-business Corpora-tion that will soon be in-augurated in Liloy, Zam-boanga del Norte. A c c o r d i n g t o Adante, his office has already identified the farmer-beneficiaries and the areas where it will be distributed and planted in coordination with the Local Government Units in the area. Other areas in the region to benefit the cer-tified corn seeds distribu-tion are Districts I and II of Zamboanga Sibugay which will get 600 bags each, while Zamboanga del Sur and Isabela City

will also get 500 and 100 bags respectively.

DA-Regional Field Office 9 Regional Corn Coordinator Felizardo Salomes said, anytime this quarter, DA-RFU 9 will be distributing the certified corn seeds to all its target beneficia-ries, including those within the expansion ar-eas, under the AgriPinoy Corn Program. According to Sa-lomes, the certified corn seeds will be coming from the University of Mindanao in Kabacan, North Cotabato. This is composed of two variet-ies – USM-VAR-10 and Institute of Plant Breed-ing IPB VAR 6 with high protein, high lysine and tryptophan variety Under the DA’s Open Pollinated Variety (OPV) white corn seed exchange program, each

targeted farmer-benefi-ciary will be given nine (9) kilos of seeds which they will pay in form of seeds to the agency at 18 kilos after harvest. This will be distributed to the farmer-benefi-ciaries in queue for the next planting season. The same seed varieties will serve for three gen-erations to sustain seed availability every crop-ping season. The certified corn seeds’ distribution aims to increase corn produc-tion and ensure food security, adequate and affordable food for all Filipinos in support to the food sufficiency program of the government; ease the pressure in rice pro-duction; minimize rice importation and teach the people to eat corn especially in Visayas and Mindanao. (ATR/PIA9-Zambo Norte)


Northern MindanaoNorthern Mindanao RUTCHIE C. AGUHOBPIA-X Regional Director

Regional Director James S. Bernadas of the DOH-CHD 10 sounded the call even as the number of dengue cases in the re-gion dropped, remarkably, compared to last year’s record. Data at DOH-CHD 10 show a total of 1,058 dengue cases were admit-ted to the different senti-nel hospitals, region-wide, from January 1 to August 11, this year. “This is actually 76.56 percent lower com-pared to 4,514 cases dur-ing the same period, last year,” Bernadas said. He also has acknowl-edged the efforts of the local government units (LGU) for activating their Barangay Anti-Dengue Task Forces and Brigades that initiate the massive information and aware-ness drive against dengue thru its 4S campaign: Search and destroy mosquito breeding places,

Self-protection through use of mosquito nets and wearing of long sleeve shirts and pants, Seek ear-ly consultation and treat-ment if symptoms persist, and Say no to indiscrimi-nate fogging. He, also, said that DOH-CHD 10 has placed the Mosquito Ovicidal/Larvicidal trap (OL Trap) to trap the female “Ae-des aegypti” mosquitoes in strategic areas to stop them from propagating. Despite this down-trend in the dengue in-cidence, however, Ber-nadas has directed the DOH-CHD 10 personnel to intensify the informa-tion and awareness drive in the field stressing that preventing dengue is al-ways better than looking for money and medicines to get rid of it once it’s al-ready there. Meanwhile, Dr. Dave Mendoza, Chief of the Re-gional Epidemiology and

Surveillance Unit of DOH-CHD 10, said the ages of patients of the dengue cases ranged from one (1) month to 90 years of age or a median age of 10.8 years.. He said 56 percent of the patients were males and that there were four (4) deaths with a Case Fatality Rate of 0.38 per-cent. The highest number of 507 cases or 48 percent came from the province of Misamis Oriental, followed by Misamis Occidental with 295 cases or 28 percent. Lanao del Norte reg-istered 201 cases or 19 percent, Bukidnon, 40 cases or 4.0 percent and Camiguin, 15 cases or 1.0 percent. So far, only the prov-ince of Misamis Occidental posted an increase, from 197 to 295 cases or 75 percent rise in the num-ber of dengue cases, com-pared to the same period,

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Aug. 23 (PIA) – The Department of Health, Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD), region 10, has called on the residents of Northern Mindanao not to lower their guards in the fight against dengue.

DOH-NorMin intensifies anti-dengue campaign de-spite a 76.57% drop of dengue cases in the region by Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

25


last year. Those of the other provinces posted decreas-es: Misamis Oriental, from 1822 to 507 or a decline of 72.17 percent, Lanao

del Norte, from 989 to 201 or a decline of 79.67 per-cent. Bukidnon, from 1447 to 40 cases or a decline of 97.24 percent and Cami-

guin, from 59 to 15 cases or a decline of 74.58 per-cent. (DOH-CHD/PIA-10)

26

Dr. Teresita Damasco, Provincial Health Officer, said we must be watchful of leptospirosis and work for its prevention. DOH data show that from January to May this year, 454 leptospirosis cas-es were reported or 74.6% higher than the same peri-od, last year, with only 260 cases recorded. “Leptospirosis” is a bacterial infection, com-

monly transmitted to hu-mans, from water that has been contaminated by ani-mal urine, usually rats, and comes in contact with cuts in skin, eyes, or mucous membranes,” she said. “Its symptoms in-clude jaundice or yellowing of the skin, anemia, fever and meningitis,” Damasco said. She also explained that the best defense against

leptospirosis is not to wade in floodwaters in bare feet, or “if wading is necessary or cannot be prevented, one must wear protective boots,” she added. “With this, cleanli-ness and sanitation activity is always our battle cry to fight flood-related diseas-es,” Damasco, further said. (PIA 10)

MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon, Aug. 23 (PIA) – As the decline in number of dengue cases were noted in the province, the Department of Health (DOH) and Provincial Health Office (PHO) alerts public on flood-related illness known as ”eptospirosis.”

PHO Bukidnon warn public anew vs. leptospirosis by Ruby Leonora R. Balistoy

Together with the seal, each LGU also re-ceived the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) of Php1.0 million for an ex-cellent performance in lo-cal governance. Given by the Depart-ment of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the award is in keeping with

the advocacy for “Tapat na Pamamalakad,” LGU’s commitment to advance the promotion of good practices in local gover-nance, Regional Direc-tor Loreto T. Bhagwani of DILG, region 10. Last year the cover-age of the SGH award only included the 4th to 6th

class municipalities but has been expanded, this year, to include the com-ponent cities, highly ur-banized cities (HUCs) and independent component cities (ICCs). Bhagwani, likewise, appealed to the awardees, to give justice to the seal and continue with its ad

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Aug. 23 (PIA) – At least 21 local govern-ment units (LGU) in Northern Mindanao were awarded the “Seal of Good Houskee-ping (SGH)” for championing in transparency and accountability in their transac-tions.

21 NorMin LGU’s receive the “seal of good house-keeping” by Jorie C. Valcorza

DOH-NorMin... from page 24 ...


21 NorMin LGU’s... from page 25 ...mirable practices, such as, keeping an updated post-ing or disclosure of their local budget and finances, as well, as strict compli-ance to the anti-red tape act (ARTA). The SGH is given based on the merits of a sound fiscal management, accountable and transpar-ent governance, valuing performance management and other general impres-sions gathered like peace and order situation or sim-ply on the visibility of the chief of executives in their area of responsibility. These 21 recognized SGH qualifiers for this year include the follow-ing LGU’s: Damulog and Sumilao in Bukidnon and

Mahinog in Camiguin. Kauswagan, Kolam-bug an, Linamon, Mag-saysay, Matungao, Munai, and Salvador in Lanao del Norte. Aloran, Bonifacio, Don Victoriano, Lopez Jaena, Tudela, and Tangub City in Misamis Occiden-tal, and Alubijid, Gitagum, laguindingan, Libertad and Sugbongcogon in Misamis Oriental. Meanwhile, Bhag-wani told awardees during their conferment in the city last week, “You may dis-play the seal and bronze citation beside your logo as not all LGUs gets such credit.” LGU Damulog is a two time qualifier of SGH,

as it also won in 2010, to-gether with LGU Naawan of Misamis Oriental, as well as the municipalities of Clarin and Calamba in Misamis Occidental. Rhona P. Abadilla, SGH regional focal offi-cer admited that few days after its implementation, SGH has evolved really fast, not only on the logo designs but more impor-tantly on the substance of the project. “What’s also good lately is that instead of only accomplishing the monitoring tool there has to be a regional validation prior to the nomination,” she added. (PIA 10)

OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental, Aug. 23 (PIA) – Some 27 displaced House-hold Service Workers (HSWs) from this province underwent a training on Native Snacks Preparation last August 17-18.

27 displaced HSW’s from Mis. Occ. avail of OWWA’s Balik-Pinay, Balik-Hanapbuhay program by Nestor Flores

Held under the Na-tional Reintegration Cen-ter for Overseas Filipino Workers (NRCO) Balik-Pinay, Balik Hanapbu-hay Program, the activity was held at the Oroqui-eta Agro-Industrial School (OAIS), a training insti-tution supervised by the Technical Education and Skills Development Au-

thority (TESDA). The “Balik Pinay, Ba-lik Hanapbuhay” Program is one of the income aug-mentation strategies of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) by providing livelihood op-portunities through skills training and starter-kits, Regional Director Petronila M. Bergado of the Over-

seas Workers Welfare Ad-ministration (OWWA), re-gion 10, said. The livelihood proj-ects under this program are funded by NRCO through direct adminis-tration or through accred-ited OFW cooperatives, family circles and other associations under the supervision of OWWA Re-

27


gional Offices, in partner-ship with TESDA Regional Offices and other training institutions. Bergado said eligible beneficiaries of the pro-gram are women OFW’s displaced by hostilities and conflicts in the Arab Coun-tries and other distressed and displaced women HSW’s. Meanwhile, in her desire to finish the course, Lota Anduman, a former worker in Dubai, brought along her 6-month old

baby to the training. “This is a rare op-portunity to avail of a free training like this. I might be able help my husband earn a living through this, so I brought my baby with me just to join the train-ing,” she said. During the clos-ing ceremony, Angelita Gomez, another return-ing OFW, said she did not realize that what she had been searching for abroad, which is sustainable liveli-

hood, is here in the Philip-pines. “We all know how we sacrificed and suffered abroad, only to find out that the answer is here. Our only request now is for each of us to be given a moving cart in addition to the starter kit so we could sell our products,” Gomez added. (OWWA/PIA-10)

Thousand of indigents from the hinter barangays of Claveria and Lagonglong tows in

Misamis Oriental benefits from the army’s 8th In-fantry (Dependable) Battalion free basic

services catered through the Army CARES Program recently. (1st Lt Jeorge R. Jallorina / 8IB,

4ID PA)

The Provincial Community Affairs Office (PCAO) turns-over a brand-new desktop computer to NCMF Acting Provincial Director Sarah Lomondot Camama (third from left) to speed-up the process-ing of hajj documents. (VNL & LAR/PIO-LDN)

27 displaced HSW’s.. from page ...26

PHOTO RELEASES:


Anchored on the theme “Gugma ug Panaghiusa: Tulay sa Kalamboan” (Love and Uni-ty: Bridge Towards Progress), CARES was launched by the 8th Infantry (DEPENDABLE) Bat-talion, PA, in Barangays Mat-i, Aposkahoy and Parmbugas, all of Claveria and Barangay Uma-gos, Lagonglong, during the period. Lt. Col. Jose Ma. Cuerpo II, 8IB Commander, said the program aims to serve and de-liver basic services to the peo-ple, especially, in the hinterland areas of the province, which is within its area of responsibility (AOR). “We’ve been conducting Army CARES Programs in ar-eas where we are to culminate our Peace and Development Operations. In fact, we had conducted the same in some barangays of Medina and Gin-goog City, middle of this year,” Cuerpo said. “This is because purely military operations remain inad-equate solution to our decade-long problem on insurgency. We need complimentary and concerted efforts to address the issues of poverty, injus-tice, illiteracy and illnesses to achieve a lasting peace in the province,” he added. The program kicked

off with a Tree Planting activ-ity where hundreds of Narra and Mahogany seedlings were jointly planted by the differ-ent heads of offices/agencies of the government in support to “National Greening Program (NGP).” Prior to the delivery of free basic services, a Grand Pu-long-Pulong (Barangay Forum) was also conducted to address the issues and concerns of the residents. Historical records and verbal revelation of former reb-els who have gone back to the folds of the law showed that one of the unanswered concerns is the weapons used by the CNN in instigating residents to join the armed group. “My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Army, especial-ly to the officers and men of 8IB for facilitating the govern-ment programs and services to reach or barangay,” William A. Senamin, Barangay Chairman (Village Chief) of Parmbugas, said. “This program of the Army is very beneficial to our constituents, especially, to our poor families. I would also like to thank the local government unit (LGU) of Claveria and the province of Misamis Oriental for their support.”

Meanwhile, 1Lt. Jeorge Jallorina, 8IB’ CMO Officer, said the following number of ben-eficiaries availed of the CARES services: Medical check-up and treatment with free medicines, 442 adults/children, tooth ex-traction, 247, milk and por-ridge feeding of malnourished children, 605, free weighing/ Timbang, 269, blood pressure taken, 314 , circumcision, 162, free haircut, 311, free blood-typing, 39 and blood donors, 16. Also distributed, dur-ing the occasion were AM-FM transistor radios to selected residents for the purpose of in-forming the people of govern-ment’s projects and programs. Congressman Peter M. Unabia also manifested his sup-port by giving free scholarship grants to deserving students, Virgilia F. Dumadag, Political Officer III of his office, said. Other participants of the program included the different heads and representatives of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MEN-RO), the Department of Agrar-ian Reform, MORESCO II, and the Philippine Charity Sweep-stakes Office (PCSO). (8IB/PIA-10)

CLAVERIA, Misamis Oriental, Aug. 23 (PIA) --- Some 2,305 indigents from the hin-terlands, here, and Lagonglong town benefited from the free basic services of the Philippine Army’s Community Assistance for Rural Empowerment through So-cial Services (CARES) Program, last August 9 to 18.

Army’s 8IB CARES program benefit thousands of indi-gents in Mis. Or. hinterlands

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 29ONE MINDANAOTuesday, August 23, 2011Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Southern MindanaoSouthern Mindanao EFREN F. ELBANBUENAPIA-IX Regional Director

During the AFP/PNP (Armed Forces of the Phil-ippines/Philippine National Police) press conference held last August 23 at the Task Force Davao Head-quarters in Sta. Ana Wharf, the military has bared that its Peace and Development Program or PDOP has net-ted in 380 New Peoples Army rebels who have sur-rendered to authorities. The PDOP an inte-gral part of the national government’s internal se-curity and peace plan was implemented in the third quarter of 2010. To date it has visited over 524 ba-rangays in the region. According to Ma-jor Jacob Obligado, com-mander of the Civil Mili-tary Operations Battalion of the Eastern Mindanao Command, combat opera-tions represent just a small dent to NPA losses in the region. “Majority of the sur-renders were a result of the national program for unification and develop-ment (NPUD)” Obligado

said. According to mili-tary-statistics, NPUD ac-counted for 32% of the total rebel surrenders, fol-lowed by hardships in the mountains at 25.7%, fam-ily/ relatives 23.4%. Surrenders as a re-sult of combat operations accounted for just 2.3%, Obligado said. From 2006-2011 the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army fa-cilitated 769 New People’s Army guerillas who sur-rendered, this 2011 alone the Army had recorded 265 surrenderees this tally does not include the recent August surrender figures. During the press con-ference, the military pre-sented to the media four New Peoples Army gueril-las who surrendered after an encounter last August 11 and 12 in Cateel, Davao Oriental. During that skirmish, 12 NPA rebels surrendered (seven of them wounded) and the Army recovered 23 high-powered and low-

powered firearms. Eugenio Baugan alyas Tatang, one of the rebels, said he surrendered be-cause of his battle wounds and worsening rheumatism which rendered him near-ly immobile. He cited the Army soldiers for the hu-mane treatment accorded to him and his comrades. “I thought the sol-diers had finished off my comrades, I am glad to see them alive and are well taken care off.” Bau-gan said in vernacular. Two of Baugan’s wounded comrades are recuperating at the Camp Panacan Sta-tion Hospital and another two are confined at the Southern Philippine Medi-cal Center. Lt. Col. Lyndon Pani-za, spokesperson of the 10th ID said that Baugan and his family will later be sent to the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center in Bansalan Davao del Sur for agricultural livelihood training which he can uti-lize after his surrender. (PIA 11/RG Alama)

DAVAO CITY Aug. 23 (PIA)- Peace and development initiatives have been proven to be a better strategy in the military’s counter-insurgency campaign particularly in the Davao Region.

Peace and dev’t efforts better than waging war


DAVAO CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA) – Mindanao carries nine of the country’s 15 poorest provinces, while none of its provinces are listed in the 14 least poor, according to 2009 statistics. The National Statisti-cal Coordination Board data on poorest and least poor provinces revealed this Mindanao status based on the rating of pover-ty incidence among families in 2009. NSCB secretary general Romulo A. Virola enumerated the poorest Mindanao provinces as Zamboanga del Norte, Agu-san del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Maguindanao, Zamboanga Sibu-gay, Davao Oriental, Saranggani, Sulu, and Lanao del Norte. Zamboanga del Norte of Region IX topped the list with poverty incidence among fami-lies of 46 per cent, Virola told participants to the 7th Mindanao Statistics Congress held in Davao City on August 18. Agusan del Sur and Su-rigao del Norte of Caraga Region immediately followed the rank, with 43.5% and 43.1% ratings respectively. The provinces of Maguin-danao (5th) and Sulu (13th) of the Autonomous Region in Mus-lim Mindanao respectively got percentage points of 37.7% and 33% on poverty incidence. Another province from Region IX, Zamboanga Sibugay was 6th on the list with 35.4%, while Davao Oriental of Region XI ranked 9thafter gaining a 36.4% rating. At the 12th place was Sa-ranggani of Region XII with a score of 34% poverty incidence, and Lanao del Norte of Region X was the 14th poorest with 31.9% rating. Based on the ranking of

these provinces, Virola remarked that Caraga, ARMM and Region IX have become the poorest among the Mindanao regions, while the least poor is Region XI followed by Region X. The NSCB official recalled that ARMM was the least poor in 1991, but drastically has an overturn of status in 2009 about 20 years later. Regions XII and X used to be the poorest. He said that Caraga re-mained among the country’s poorest, but now has the small-est number of poor families. Virola stated that poverty incidence in Mindanao between 1991 and 2009 has reduced by 2.8 percent among families and 0.3% among population. But he said that despite the de-crease in the poverty incidence, “the actual number of the coun-try’s poor increased by 465,000 families, and by two and a quar-ter million individuals, noting that the additional poor families and individuals live in Mindanao” with 430,000 families and 2.4 million individuals. More than half of these families came from ARMM with 146,000 and Region IX with 105,000, he revealed. He said that the econom-ically bigger regions of Mindan-ao, Regions XI, X and XII, “have done better in reducing poverty compared to the smaller regions” namely Region IX, Caraga and ARMM. With this, he lauded Davao Region and Northern Mindanao for their economic growth, say-ing “Your development models

might just be working.“ But he said that while Region X enjoys its economic growth, the region continues to have the biggest number of poor families in Mindanao. “Could it be that the economic growth of Region X has not trickled down to the poor?” he asked. Meanwhile, also under NSCB 2009 list of poorest prov-inces were Eastern Samar (4th) and Northern Samar (10th) of Region VIII, Romblon (7th) of Region IVB, Masbate (8th) and Camarines Sur (15th) of Region V, and Bohol (11th). The ten poorest munici-palities in Mindanao which were among the 15 poorest munici-palities in the country as of 2003 were also mentioned by Virola in his presentation during the Min-danao Statistics Congress that aimed to provide a venue “for the finest statisticians and devel-opment practitioners/academics in Mindanao, to come together to discuss statistical issues and policy concerns relevant to the development Mindanao.” Said municipalities were the following: Siayan in Zam-boanga del Norte; Sominot in Zamboanga del Sur; Tangcal in Lanao del Norte; Midsalip in Zamboanga del Sur; Bacungan in Zamboanga del Norte; Jose Abad Santos in Davao del Sur; Godod in Zamboanga del Norte; Lapuyan in Zamboanga del Sur; San Luis in Agusan del Sur; and Poona Piagapo in Lanao del Norte. (PIA-11/Carina L. Cay-on)

Mindanao has 9 of the country’s 15 poorest provinces - NSCB by Carina L. Cayon


DAVAO DEL NORTE, Aug. 23 (PIA): President Benigno Aquino III may not have talked much about energizing business enterprise but former banker Davao del Norte 1st District Congressman Anthony del Rosario said the president’s cam-paign against graft and corruption generally augers well for the economy.

Campaign vs. corruption good for business

In a press forum, del Rosario explained that inves-tors primarily consider the cost of doing business in de-ciding whether or not to put their money in a country. Some may not have realized that graft and cor-ruption increases the cost of doing business, he said. “How will we become competitive?” he said refer-ring to the Philippines in com-parison with other countries in terms of business viability if the country would be saddled with corruption. “Ang impor-tante, walang korapsyon,” he said as he pointed out that eliminating such would be a good way of “enticing inves-tors to invest in our country.” He cited as an example

the cost of producing a tooth-paste between two countries saying the toothpaste in a country not plagued with cor-ruption would presumably be lower than the cost of pro-ducing the same in a country where investors have to pay for fixers just to comply with a number of business require-ments. In a separate interview, he said that a good busi-ness environment is built on less red tape in government transactions and on less cor-ruption.“Less red tape, the better; less corruption, the better. This is one of the basis of putting in investments,” he said. Del Rosario who used to be a banker before enter-

ing politics noted that in the recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Aquino talked about improved credit ratings that internation-al credit rating agencies were giving to the Philippines. He looked at this devel-opment as an indication of an improved level of confidence that investors were pinning on the country as a place to invest. With improved credit ratings, he was hopeful that the country would become one of the choice Asia loca-tions of investors who were moving out from the United States which recently was given a much lower credit rat-ing. (PIA 11/ jean duron-abangan)

DAVAO CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA) – Latest statistics on the state of the Millennium De-velopment Goal on poverty reduction showed “more bad news than good news for Mindanao.”

Statistics bare Mindanao MDG’s state on curbing poverty by Carina L. Cayon

Secretary General Ro-mulo A. Virola of the National Statistical Coordination Board bared this in his keynote ad-dress during the recently held 7th Mindanao Statistics Con-gress in Davao City. With statistical presen-tation, Virola showed a re-duction of poverty incidence between 1991 and 2009 in Mindanao by 2.8 percent among families and 0.3%

among population. He said that “this re-duction pales in comparison to the reduction achieved for Luzon” which he added was close to a 9% reduction, and for Visayas which was close to 8%. But he lamented that reduction in poverty incidence “has not coped with the faster increase in our poor popula-tion.”

“Despite the decrease in our poverty incidence from 1991 to 2009, the actual number of the country’s poor increased, by 465,000 fami-lies, and by two and a quar-ter million individuals,” Virola bared. He noted a “very sad news”, saying that “practical-ly all of these additional poor families and individuals live

32


in Mindanao” with a head-count of 430,000 families and 2.4 million individuals. Subsequently, the share of Mindanao has increased from 27-28% in 1991, to 35-36% in 2009, while the shares of Luzon and Visayas among the country’s poor have been reduced from 1991 to 2009, Virola stated. “Mindanao has a bigger share of the poor now than Visayas!” he said throwing a “tough challenge” for Mind-anawons. Among the Mindanao regions, Virola bared that Re-gion IX and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao “are at risk,” while Regions XI and XII “seem to be ok” in terms of achieving the MDG on poverty reduction. In fact, according to Virola, more than half of the 430,000 families added to the poor of Mindanao from 1991-2009 came from ARMM with 146,000, and from Region IX, with 105,000. Based on Virola’s sta-tistics presentation, ARMM has a lot of catching up to do with MDG1 indicator 1.1a on the proportion of population below the poverty threshold with a 1991 baseline data of 21.5 percent. The region has to achieve a percentage of 10.8 by 2015 on this particular indicator. As of 2009 it still

scored a 45.9% rating.On MDG1 indicator 1.8 on the prevalence of underweight 0-5 years of age with a base-line data of 31.3%, ARMM has so far gained 28.8% in 2008, while it has to attain 15.7% by 2015.Region IX, stand at 43.1% rating in 2009 in terms of the proportion of population be-low the poverty threshold with a baseline data of 35.8%. The region has to reach 17.9% in 2015.On the prevalence of under-weight 0-5 years of age with a baseline data of 33.8%, Zam-boanga Region has to accom-plish 16.9% at the end of the MDG period from the 33.3% it rated in 2008.Region XI has a score of 31.3% in as of 2009, and it has a target of 19.7% on the proportion of population be-low the poverty threshold. In its target on the prevalence of underweight 0-5 years of age, the region was at 26.3% in 2008 while it aims for an 18.6% by 2015.Meanwhile, Region XII has to reach a poverty threshold of 25.2%, and it stand at 35.7% in 2008. On the prevalence of underweight, the region tar-gets 16.6% while it marked a 30.5% three years ago. Virola remarked that the economically bigger re-gions of Mindanao, Regions XI, X and XII, “have done bet-

ter in reducing poverty com-pared to the smaller regions” namely Region IX, Caraga and ARMM. He posed these ques-tions: “Is the Mindanao prob-lem then the result of dispar-ity in economic development? And is disparity in economic development a matter of ge-ography, culture, and/or size (land area, population)?” “But ARMM is big! Or is your problem, more of a problem of governance?” he asked. Statistics on poverty reduction, as the overarch-ing aspect of the Philippine MDG were among the many significant and relevant con-cerns that the NSCB official discussed before a crowd of statisticians and stakehold-ers from various government and private institutions and academes who attended the Congress on August 18-19 in Davao City. Virola said that the Mindanao Statistics Congress provides a venue “for the fin-est statisticians and develop-ment practitioners/academics in Mindanao, to come togeth-er to discuss statistical issues and policy concerns relevant to the development Mindan-ao.” He hoped for the 8th Congress to be held at the ARMM next year. (PIA-11/Carina L. Cayon)

Statistics bare... from page 31 ...

RDR spells out initial PEOPLE accomplishmentsby Jeanevive D. AbanganDAVAO DEL NORTE, Aug. 23 (PIA): Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo P. Del Rosario has spelled out initial accomplishments in rolling out his pro-people agenda. 33


Guesting in a recently held media forum, Del Ro-sario talked about recent developments in health, ag-riculture, education and in-frastructure programs and projects in line with his P.E.O.P.L.E. agenda which stands for People empower-ment, Education, Optimum health and social services, Public-private partnership, Link to the world, and Em-ployment and livelihood op-portunities. He explained that his PEOPLE agenda is directed towards delivering govern-ment services geared to-wards giving the majority of his people a much better health, education and liveli-hood. He bared the initial re-lease of P36 million from the Department of Health (DOH) out of the total of P52 mil-lion for health facility en-hancement fund that would basically cover improvement and equipment purchases for the three district hos-pitals. This would also in-clude the construction of a new Provincial Health Office (PHO). On top of the health in-surance grants of the nation-al government, he revealed having rolled out P20 million Philhealth Para sa Masa for his indigent constituents. Students in schools under the Davao del Norte Department of Education (DepEd) Division will soon

be feeling the ease as the provincial government has secured a P44 million coun-terpart funding for more school-building construction that will start this year. Meanwhile, the ar-rival of 150 milking cows from New Zealand that the United States Department of Agriculture is giving through Land O’Lakes, answers the need for livelihood and also provides intervention for malnutrition among children. The dairy industry project of Land O’Lakes with the pro-vincial government of Davao del Norte is being piloted in the municipality of New Cor-rella. He looked forward to more cows grown in Davao del Norte, and that more milk as well as milk products would be produced in the province as the provincial government will be putting up a pasteurizing plant as its counterpart for the project. More environmen-tal, agriculture and infra-structure projects are com-ing their way to the province especially once the World Bank releases the P280 mil-lion that it has considered to provide for projects pro-posed under the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP). Del Rosario said that some of the projects lined up for MRDP funding were farm-to-market road, water supply, irrigation, projects

for livelihood and for envi-ronmental concerns. The public is now seeing the on-going preparation for the construction of the Davao del Norte Sports Complex at a sprawling empty lot near the RDR Gym located just across the Provincial Capi-tol. Del Rosario target-ted the P240 million sports complex to be completely done in one year through a “turn-key” or design-and-build arrangement with the contractor. “They will construct it first before they will be paid,” he said referring to the con-tractor which has yet to be known until the bidding is done by September this year. On top of some de-velopments in implementing of PEOPLE agenda, the pro-vincial government of Davao del Norte is also a recipient of the P40 million Provincial Roads Management Facility (PRMF) coming from the Aus-tralian Aid for International Development (AusAID). Along with the PRMF, AusAID has also committed to provide technical assis-tance on disaster risk reduc-tion management which del Rosario explained as “more on trainings while the PRMF will dwell on observing good governance through proper road management.” (PIA 11/ jean duron-aban-gan)

RDR spells out... from page 32...

one mindanao - august 23, 2011

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