one mindanao - february 4, 2012

PIA REGIONAL OFFICESWestern 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]: www.piazampen.blogspot.comFacebook: PIA WesMin Info Bliz

Northern Mindanao

Graces’ 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]: www.pia-10.blogspot.com

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 (SOCCSKSARGEN)

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],phBlogspot: www.piacaraga.blogspot.comFacebook: PIA Caraga Updates, PIA Agusan del Norte, Pia Agusan del Sur, Pia Surigao del Norte, Pia Surigao del Sur

Today’s issue... Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 Vol. 1 No. 174

DOH notes 616 suspected lepstospirosis cases in region 10

Let budgeting part of nutrition-Nutrition Council

State college in Cotabato City assures no tuition fee hike

DA reclassifies Agusan del Norte’s new capitol building lot

Peace Process 101: a must for stakeholders

Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob, Northern Mindanao

jean duron abangan, Southern Mindanao

Perlita Changco, Central Mindanao

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17DOLE to release P1.2M for livelihood, P546,316 for SPES this week20

CENRO-Gensan underscores importance of forest restoration in climate change issue

Pops Gumana-Fruylan, Central Mindanao

Aquino appoints Gordon member SBMA board of directors 10

Butuan’s streamlined BPLS showcased in nat’l forum14

NHMFC implements moratorium on loan payments for Sendong survivors

Apipa Bagumbaran, Northern Mindanao

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11

15

Executive Editor ……......... EFREN F. ELBANBUENA Cluster Head, Southern, Western and Central Mindanao Regional Director, PIA Region XI

Managing Editor ……......... ABNER M. CAGA Cluster Head, Northern and Northeastern Mindanao Regional Director, PIA Caraga Region Officer-in-charge,PIARegionX

Associate Editors ……....... NOEMI B. EDAGA Regional Director, PIA Region IX

OLIVIA T. SUDARIA Regional Director, PIA Region XII

Regional Desk Editors …... Jocelyn P. Alvarez, PIA Region IX Elaine O. Ratunil, PIA Region X Rudolph Ian G. Alama, PIA Region XI Danny E. Doguiles, PIA Region XII Robert E. Roperos, PIA Caraga Region

Copy Editors ……………….. Robert E. Roperos, PIA Caraga Region Nora C. Lanuza Molde, PIA Caraga Region

Layout Artists ……………... Gerie Mae G. Coco, PIA Caraga Region Richard D. Atillo, PIA Caraga Region Editorial Advisers :

ATTY. JOSE A. FABIADirector-General

Philippine Information Agency

SEC. HERMINIO “Sonny” B. COLOMAPresidentialCommunicationsOperationsOffice

EDITORIAL BOARD

Cover Story

“Takbo Maharlika”

runners reaches Butuan

Noel NajarroCaraga Region

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 Vol. 1 No. 174

DOH notes 616 suspected lepstospirosis cases in region 10


State college in Cotabato City assures no tuition fee hike

DA reclassifies Agusan del Norte’s new capitol building lot

Brian Jay Ceballos, Caraga Region

Peace Process 101: a must for stakeholdersRene V. Carbayas, Western Mindanao

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page 4

DOLE to release P1.2M for livelihood, P546,316 for SPES this week

Alma L. Tingcang, Western Mindanao

CENRO-Gensan underscores importance of forest restoration in climate change issue 32

Aquino appoints Gordon member SBMA board of directors

Butuan’s streamlined BPLS showcased in nat’l forum

Caraga Region

NHMFC implements moratorium on loan payments for Sendong survivors 24

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4 Saturday, February 4, 2012ONE MINDANAO

Cover Story

“Takbo Maharlika” runners reaches Butuan

A team of runners, led by a 59-year old retired police general and a 52-year old active Roman Catholic priest along with some

volunteer police personnel, were all still in high spirits, after covering more than half of the 2,888 kilometer stretch symbolic run across the country, as they led local runners here in the city dash for more or less six-kilometers stretch run, giving the runners a taste of what the group had been doing for some months now.

by Noel Najarro

5 Saturday, February 4, 2012 ONE MINDANAO

The symbolic run dubbed as “Takbo Maharlika Tungo Sa Pagkakaisa,” aims for the devel-opment and strengthening of the Filipino character of fitness, productivity and nobility, accord-ing to a leader of the team. The team led by Police Chief Superintendent (Ret.) Samson R. Tucay ( 1st lead runner rep-resenting the Philippine National Police) and Fr. Carmelo O. Dio-la (2nd lead runner represent-ing the Dilaab Foundation, Inc.) along with PSupt. Romy Palge and company as team members arrived here in the city and con-ducted a forum at the Agusan del Norte Provincial Capitol cov-ered court, Monday afternoon.

The activity was attended by hundreds of representatives coming from the police, govern-ment agencies, students, re-ligious and other sectors from the community. PSupt. Palge during the fo-rum explained that yesterday’s activity was the 1,791st kilo-meter of their run which kicked off at Laoag City in Ilocos re-gion last August 2011. He said that Caraga is their 9th region, Agusan del Norte as their 19th province, yesterday’s leg as their 147th run and the afternoon fo-rum as their 72nd. The route of the marathon, according to him is intend-ing to traverse only the 2,700

“Takbo Maharlika” runners reaches Butuan


kilometer stretch of the “Maharlika Highway” from Laoag City to Zam-boanga City. He said that they had run their way via Tuguegarao City, pass-ing Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Bi-col Region, Samar, Leyte and Surigao. But though the said highway does not course thorough Butuan City, yet their lead runners believed that there are sectors here which also are “Ma-harlikas” who needed the chance to participate, feel the importance and know the benefits of the “Takbo,” he said. From Caraga region, the team will then proceed to Davao City, to General Santos City, Maguindanao, Lanao, Zamboanga del Sur and will hope to end at Zamboanga City by April. Fr. Diola in his forum presenta-tion dwells on the spiritual, character and values-changing aspects of the marathon. Diola emphasized that a noble Filipino must engage in prayer, fitness and in being a good citizen. This can be achieved, he said by just doing these very basic things which are: by coming on time, falling in line and staying in line, listen to and fol-low instructions and to manage our garbage well. He likewise pointed out


that the hindrance to the bond-ing of prayer, fitness and good citizenship are the following “capital sins” which are: sloth, lust, avarice, pride, anger, glut-tony and envy (SLAP-AGE). Tucay for his part pointed out the physical benefits and positive practical aspect of the activity giving out examples of real life situations, success sto-ries and life-changing circum-stances achieved by both prayer and fitness. He said that both are easy, doable by all and are

for free. Rafal, Councilor Ryan An-thony Culima (representing Bu-tuan City Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante, Jr.) and Board Member R. Pitogo of Agusan del Norte (representing Gov. Erlpe John M. Amante) gave their respec-tive responses. The activity culminated with a fun run from the venue to-wards the police regional head-quarters via Montilla Boulevard by all the participants.


ACROSS THE NATIONMalacañang supports proposal of Senator Recto on proper filing of statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth

The Palace said it supports the proposal of Sen. Ralph Recto who asked the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to conduct a nationwide education campaign to all government offices for proper filing of the new statement of assets, liabilities and net

worth (SALN).

“Maganda pong mung-kahi ’yan galing kay

Senator Rec-to. In

fact, naka-receive kami ng memorandum galing po sa Civil Service Commission tungkol sa bagong form

ng SALN at may maliit na guide kung papaa-no pini-


fill up,” Deputy Presiden-tial spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio inter-view over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday about the procedure on filing the SALN.

Valte said she has seen a copy of a memorandum issued by the CSC Chair-man Francisco Duque last week discussing the new format and a guide in fill-ing out the SALN.

The filing of SALN by government officials

has turned into a major

concern after President Aquino’s congressional al-lies filed an impeachment case against Chief Justice Renato C. Corona for non-filing of his SALN as well as other charges.

The prosecution panel filed eight articles of im-peachment against Co-rona zeroing in on Article 2 for non-disclosure of his SALN.

Under the Constitution, constitutional officers like a justice or the chief jus-tice of the Supreme Court could be removed from office through impeach-

ment. The four grounds for impeachment include culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust.

In the ongoing im-peachment trial, the pros-ecution panel said Corona undervalued numerous real estate properties on his (SALN). They argued that Corona’s inaccurate declaration in his SALN is a violation of the Con-stitution and betrayal of public trust. (AS)


President Benigno S. Aquino III has

appointed former Zambales Vice Governor Anne Marie C. Gordon as member of the board of directors of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).


In an interview aired over government-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said Gordon replaced Teodoro D. del Rosario.

“In-appoint po ni Pan-gulong [Benigno] Aquino si Anne Marie C. Gordon

bilang miyembro, representing

the lo-

cal government unit of Olongapo City, sa board of directors ng Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority,” Valte said.

Valte said Gordon’s term will expire on August 17, 2013.

Gordon is the wife of Olongapo City Mayor James “Bong” L. Gordon, Jr.

The SBMA is the oper-ating and implementing

arm of the Government of the Philippines for the development the 262 square mile (670 square kilometer) area of Sub-ic Bay Freeport (SBF) in Subic Bay into a self-sus-taining tourism, industri-al, commercial, financial, and investment center to generate employment op-portunities. (JS)



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DSWD-Caraga campaigns for responsible adoption by Robert E. Roperos

In time with the celebration of Adoption Consciousness Week, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Caraga Region, is campaigning for a responsible adoption

of children.


According to Aldie May Andoy of DSWD-Caraga, this year’s cel-ebration is anchored on the theme “Isulong Legal na Pag-aampon (Campaign for Legal Adoption).” Andoy added that the weeklong ac-tivity will commence with a thanksgiving mass at the Saint Jo-seph Cathedral, to be followed by a motor-cade around the city to instill awareness to public on the impor-tance of responsible adoption. Adoption desks will also be installed in some government offices such as the National Statistics Of-fice (NSO) and in the

Department of For-eign Affairs (DFA) and in selected establish-ments in the city dur-ing the entire celebra-tion period. Andoy said more ap-plicants have submit-ted their application in their quest to adopt children. The DSWD said there are two ways of adopting a child. First is through domestic adoption and second by inter-country ap-plication, where ac-cordingly, topping the list of the countries signifying their inten-tion to adopt a Filipi-no child is the United States of America. However, ac-cording to DSWD, for

inter-country appli-cants, they will un-dergo tedious process to ensure that the child who will be ad-opted will be safe and secured, following reports of the rising number of children who are victims with illegal trafficking. With this, the DSWD said these ap-plicants must undergo series of physical and psychological evalua-tion. As per DSWD’s website, Proclamation No. 72 dated Feb. 3, 1999, mandates the observance of Adop-tion Consciousness Day on the first Sat-urday of February. However, to enable a longer time to advo-cate issues on adop-tion, the National Or-ganizing Committee chaired by the DSWD agreed to celebrate it from Feb. 5 to 11.


DA reclassifies Agusan del Norte’s new capitol building lot by Brian Jay Ceballos

The Department of Agriculture (DA) cer-tified the application of the provincial govern-ment of Agusan del Norte for the reclassifi-cation of its land in Ba-rangay Sanghan, Ca-badbaran City where a new provincial building will be constructed. A certificate of eli-gibility was issued to Agusan del Norte. DA

officials stressed that the certification is a not a Conversion Or-der, that only the De-partment of Agrarian Reform (DAR) can is-sue such order. The reclassifica-tion or conversion of the land from agricul-tural to a commercial and industrial land is necessary in order for the construction of the

new building be start-ed. Every detail and necessary requirement of the planned transfer is already accomplished by the province. The conversion order from DAR is the only thing lacking, but the order is expected to come out af-ter a then the construc-tion may start. (LGU-Agusan del Norte)

AGUSAN DEL NORTE – A parcel of land owned by the provincial government of Agusan del Norte has now been classified as a commercial and industrial land, different from its original classification as an agricultural land.


The gathering of local chief executives was held last Friday, January 27, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Or-tigas Center, Pasig City. DILG Sec. Jesse M. Ro-bredo was the guest of honor during the said activity which was also attended by foreign guests from USA, India and Indonesia. Repre-sentatives from foreign organizations such as World Bank, USAID, AE-CID, and GIZ also par-ticipated in the forum. The national forum was held to showcase the best practices from different LGUs which

aid in building sustain-able and competitive local governments. It was jointly sponsored by DILG and the Local Government Academy (LGA). Other LGUs which were invited to present during the said forum include Mandaluyong, Valenzuela, Mandaue, and the Island Garden City of Samal. Butuan City’s streamlined BPLS was launched on Octo-ber 20, 2010. The im-proved system signifi-cantly shortened the business registration processing time from

10 days to 30 minutes. The faster processing time encouraged more business owners to register their business-es and translated to an increase in new busi-ness registrants from 1,064 in 2010 to 2,386 in 2011, or an increase of 124 percent. Busi-ness tax collection rose from P94.36 million in 2010 to P115.42 million in 2011. Just recently, the city government already collected P60 million for the Business Fastlane registration period from January 2-20, 2012. (LGU-Butuan)

Butuan’s streamlined BPLS showcased in nat’l forumBUTUAN CITY – City Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante, Jr. recently presented the city’s streamlined Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS) to more than 500 city and municipal mayors from all over the country during the Forum on Building Sustainable Competitive Local Governments.


Butuan’s streamlined BPLS showcased in nat’l forum

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Eating white corn is healthy, says DA-IX

Eating cooked white corn grits is one way of avoiding the risk of diabetes, according to an official of the Department of Agriculture in region IX.

by Franklin P. Gumapon


DA-IX Regional Corn coordi-nator Felizardo M. Salomes said white corn, when pro-cessed into grits, can be a good staple suited for diabet-ics as it has higher amylose content that makes it harder to gelatinize and digest. It is also known to have a low Gly-cemic Index (GI), which means that carbohydrates breakdown more slowly, thus gradually re-leasing glucose (simple sugar or monosaccharide) into the blood-stream. People tested positive for diabetes, a chronic dis-ease characterized by too much sugar or glucose in the blood, are advised to shift to food that is low in GI. Studies have shown that low GI food like corn enhances endurance and stamina among Filipino athletes and boxers who are actually corn eaters. One living proof of this is the world boxing champion Manny Paquiao. Salomes also said he would be holding a regional fo-rum on white corn to promote its healthful benefits. (JPA/FPG/PIA-Zamboanga del Norte)


This means that the government (both national and local government units), the armed group concerned, those involved in the negotiating table, the media, and the civilians—more particularly Mindanaoans must follow through the whole process in order to have a good grasp of the en-tire dynamics. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles saw the need for stakeholders to have a deeper understanding of the peace

process in order that they will not be “easily swayed” amid issues. “The peace process is very com-plicated; it can’t be grasped in one sitting. What we need is a faithful accompaniment of the process,” she stressed. Addressing the Bishops-Busi-nessmen’s Conference (BBC) for Hu-man Development held recently at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in U.N. Avenue, Manila Deles said that “the peace process is one issue that

ISABELA CITY – The Philippines’ peace process is a dynamic and sensitive undertaking that requires every sector involved to have basic understanding of the whole process.

Peace Process 101: a must for stakeholdersby Rene V. Carbayas


is so quick to turn.” Deles was joined by Marvic Le-onen, Government of the Philippines (GPH) panel chair for talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and Jurgette Honculada, panel mem-ber for talks with the Communist Par-ty of the Philippines-New People’s Ar-my-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP). Just like any dynamic process, the peace process has its ups and downs. Deles lamented that “when the peace process is doing well, people leave it alone.” She hinted, however, that the public only gets in-volved when some contro-versial premature issues were leaked out through the media. During the forum, De-les emphasized the need to have more advocates who will help in shedding light on issues concern-ing the peace process.

“When issues arise, nobody answers to help clarify the situation. It’s only the people in the peace process. This process needs deeper understanding; it needs faithfulness so that when something happens people don’t eas-ily get swayed.” “Anything that can be picked up by the news, such as that the peace adviser and the negotiators are am-ateurs and incompetent – these are easy for them to say because so few people understand,” Deles added. Deles pointed out two salient points where religious leaders can support the nation’s quest for peace—

(1) faithful ac


companiment of the peace process and (2) partners on the ground She also raised the need for peace monitors as development proj-ects are being laid out in conflict areas through the government’s PAMANA or Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Peaceful and Resilient Communities) program. “PAMANA puts projects in areas that are not easy to access, where there are no civil society groups,” De-les remarked. “An element of PAMANA is trans-parency where we sign up a partner who will monitor, watch the bidding – that and if we say we’ll be building a school, it will work out as such.” PAMANA is the government’s program and framework for peace and development in conflict areas, as well as those covered by existing peace agreements. It seeks to reduce poverty, improve governance and em-power people through projects that enhance peace and socio-economic conditions. Deles said it is hard to find part-ners in conflict areas who will be vigi-lant in ensuring that national govern-ment funds go to the right place. “We are reversing a political cul-ture here where there is no distinc-tion between public and private funds and we need people on the ground to help us out,” she emphasized. Like any multi-stakeholder ap-proaches, the successful journey of the peace process depends much on the important role that every stake-holder is contributing. The awareness of the communities directly affected

by the on-going peace process must therefore have the basic understand-ing. However, it must be a two-way process. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) at one hand is challenged to intensify its networking efforts to gather more people and groups to help in its advo-cacy campaigns. On the other hand, the communities’ and the public’s ini-tiative to get involved or at least to be concerned of the ongoing peace talks is wanting. Reality check—the “Peace Pro-cess 101” or the likes of it must first be instituted. While, there are already efforts in integrating peace educa-tion in the academe and in non-for-mal learning situations, it seems that more still are needed. OPAPP is reaching out, especial-ly in providing the public with updates on the peace process. Unlike before, when all developments and consen-sus were confined within and among those directly involved in the negoti-ating table and to authorities whom they are reporting to for fear of jeop-ardizing the ongoing talks. Today, OPAPP has been reli-giously providing the media and the public with updates in keeping up with President Aquino III’s administration policy of transparency and account-ability. Careful, but surely, OPAPP is on the right track. Eventually, when this updating process is sustained, there’s no doubt that the peace pro-cess will complete its journey and graduate with “flying colors”. (JPA/RVC-PIA9 ZBST)


DOLE to release P1.2M for livelihood, P546,316 for SPES this week

PAGADIAN CITY - The Department of Labor and Employment is set to release this week, checks amounting to P1,210,000.00 for Starter Kits/NegoKart beneficiaries in the province of Zamboanga del Sur.

by Alma L. Tingcang

This was revealed by Assistant Regional Director Virginia L. Bonbon in an interview with PIA yesterday. “We are almost done with the preparation of the checks. Aside from these livelihood assistance to 116 beneficiaries in the province, we will also release the amount of P546,316.00 to 310 SPES grant-ees in the municipalities of Bayog, Dimataling, Margosatubig, Kuma-larang, Tigbao, Molave, Lapuyan, Sominot, Ramon Magsaysay, to in-clude Emcotech and Zamsureco I,” ARD Bonbon said. She said this is the first batch release for SPES 2011 and the next batch will be released by February. The Special Program for Em-ployment of Students (SPES) is man-dated under Republic Act No. 9547

otherwise known as “An Act To Help Poor But Deserving Students Pur-sue Their Education By Encourag-ing Their Employment During Sum-mer and/or Christmas Vacations, Through Incentives Granted to Em-ployers, Allowing Them to Pay Only Sixty Per Centum of Their Salaries or Wages and The Forty Per Centum Through Education Vouchers To Be Paid By the Government, Prohibiting and Penalizing The Filing of Fraudu-lent and Fictitious Claims, and For Other Purposes”, Under this law, the Secretary of Labor and Employment is designated Program Director of the SPES. It is aimed to develop the intel-lectual capacities of children of poor families and harness their potentials for the country’s well being.


“Starter Kit beneficiaries from the municipalities of Tigbao, Laban-gan and OFW beneficiaries will re-ceive a total of P1,060,000.00 while for the Negokarts, 10 beneficiaries from San Miguel will receive P15,000 each. Summing it up, we will be releasing P1,210,000.00 for the month of January,” she ex-plained. The DOLE Kabuhayan (DK) Starter KITS Project is a livelihood formation strategy that is intended to bring about improved socio-eco-nomic well-being of workers in the informal economy, in groups/sectors with special concerns, and displaced

wage workers (local and overseas) and their families. It provides starter KITS con-sisting of a package of services that will enable the target beneficiaries to start a livelihood undertaking quickly thereby providing them op-portunities for sustainable self-em-ployment. Negosyo sa Kariton (Negokart) is the latest livelihood assistance of DOLE for ambulant vendors where-in each beneficiary will receive a vending cart, livelihood tools, and a starting capital for the procurement or production of marketable goods. (ALT-PIA9/Zambo Sur)


PNP braces climate change mitigationby Elaine O. Ratunil

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is not firing guns but is pushing for the greening program in protecting the people.

This was stressed by PNP Chief Police Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome in his visit to Cagayan de Oro City, February 2, to lead the start of the PNP’s greening program at the Camaman-an-Indahag road South Diversion Road. To culminate February, next year,

the approximately 140,000 members of the PNP will be planting 10 million trees all over the country. Noting the tropical storm Sendong that hit the region last December, he said the tree planting aptly kicks-off in Northern Mindanao. He added it is PNP’s parallel


initiative of supporting the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) of the Climate Change Commission. Reiterating PNP’s thrust as ‘Maka-Diyos, Makabayan and Makatao,’ Bartolome said planting trees is a way in helping the country mitigate the effects of climate change to the environment.

Aside from planting of at least 5,000 trees in Cagayan de Oro, other activities in the recent visit of P/Dir. Gen. Bartolome in Northern Mindanao include: Physical Fitness/5K Run; A n t i - h e p a t i t i s Vaccination/Medical and Dental Mission; M e m o r a n d u m Agreement with the Philippine Association of Detective and

Protective Agency Operators (PADPAO) on Deputization of Private Security Personnel as Force Mutipliers of the PNP; launching of the e-Blotter system; and distribution of relief goods to Sendong survivors in cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.


NHMFC implements moratorium on loan payments for Sendong survivorsby Apipa Bagumbaran

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -The National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) is implementing a six-month moratorium on housing loan payments for borrowers affected by Tropical Storm Sendong in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

The moratorium will accommodate borrowers from Gold City Subdivision, NHA Lourdesville Subdivision, Villa Nena Subdivision, Villa Angela Subdivision, Emily Homes, Scions Executive Village-Canitoan, Villa Candida Subdivision, Virgina Homes and Village, Villa Mar Subdivision, PN Roa Subdivision, Vamenta Estate, and Gokingville Subdivision, and the Phase 2 to 5 of the Iligan-Bahayan Subdivision, said Leonida R. Sabio, NHMFC-Cagayan de Oro Satellite Office Head. According to her, the moratorium will cover amortization payments from January to June 2012. She said affected borrowers who are interested to avail of the moratorium should file their applications on or before February 29, 2012. The filled-up application form, together with a certification from their respective barangay chairman, should be submitted at the NHMFC Cagayan de Oro Satellite Office located in M/F Consuelo Building, Corrales Avenue,

this city. Meanwhile, the NHMFC advised those affected borrowers who are no longer interested to return to their respective homes or units that they may also opt to voluntarily surrender their properties through this program. A government home mortgage institution, the NHMFC operates as a viable secondary home mortgage market utilizing long-term funds principally provided by the Social Security System (SSS), the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), and the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) to purchase mortgages originated by both public and private institutions that are within government approved guidelines.


DOH notes 616 suspected lepstospirosis cases in region 10by Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A total of 616 suspected Leptospirosis cases have been noted in region 10, as of Jan. 13, this year.

Reports reaching the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), of region 10, from the Health Cluster of the Post Sendong Operations, show that the municipalities/cities with the most suspected cases were Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan City and the municipalities of Opol, Tagoloan and Villanueva, all of Misamis Oriental. The most number of 411 suspected leptospirosis cases with 11 deaths was noted in Cagayan de Oro City and the top 10 barangays where these cases were reported are as follows: Balulang, 74, Macasandig, 58, Carmen, 48, Iponan, 35, Consolacion, 30, Kauswagan, 26, Bulua, 23, Puntod, 15, Poblacion Barangy No. 15, 11 and Nazareth, 10. Iligan City had 163 suspected cases with seven (7) deaths and the top 10 barangays where these cases were reported are: Hinaplanon, 41, Poblacion, 20, Tambacan, 16, Mahayhay, 14, Santiago, 12, Tubod, 12, Bag-ong Silang, 9, Palao, 9, Ubaldo Laya, 9, and San Miguel, 3.

Opol town in Misamis Oriental also noted 33 suspected leptospirosis cases with two (2) deaths and the barangays where these cases were reported are: Barra, 26, Igpit, 5, and Bonbon and Carmen, one (1) each. Tagoloan town, Mis. Or. noted six (6) suspected leptospirosis cases with one (1) death while Villanueva town, also of Mis. Or. reported three (3) suspected leptospirosis cases but no deaths. Meanwhile, Dr. Jaime Bernadas, Regional Director of the Department of Health (DOH), region 10, and Head of the Health Cluster of the Post Sendong Operations, said the leptospirosis immunization/prophylaxis to Sendong victims continues. As of Jan. 23, this year, a total of 5,976 Doxycycline tablets were given to the Sendong victims. Dr. David Mendoza, Head of the DOH-10 Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, also said a total of 12,955 tetanus toxoid, 1,051 OPV, 1,857 MV/AMV and 1,066 Vitamin A tablets were given to the victims.


Lifestyle check to get implemented in DavNor by Jeanevive Abangan

The way of living among heads of provincial govern-

ment offices in Davao del Norte will soon get scrutinized as Pro-vincial Gov. Rodolfo P. del Rosario will be issuing an executive order on lifestyle check. Guesting in Kapihan sa Kapitolyo, Del Rosario said he had asked the Pro-vincial Legal Office to study existing policies on lifestyle check so the pro-vincial government can come up and implement its own version. He had thought of having such policy get implemented in the pro-vincial government bureaucracy as a measure showing concrete support to the campaign of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III against graft and corruption. He said he couldn’t allow graft and corruption to get a portion of the P850 million annual budget, and eventually stall the development of the province,

placing his constituents at the losing end. In line with curbing corruption, he urged fellows in government service to file their Statement of Assets and Li-abilities and Networth (SALN) and to honestly declare their net worth. “We who are elected officials have to make sure that we comply with the requirements of the law, and that what we put there is right,” he said referring to the filing of SALN. Aside from filing SALN, del Rosario deemed it important to follow the legal processes of pro-curement and to get transparent on government expenditures. “We are posting our budget at the lobby of the provincial government,” he said. He also viewed as a measure to check graft and corruption his imple-mentation of reorganization in provin-cial government offices “to get rid of unnecessary positions.” (PIA-11/ jeanevive duron-abangan)


DAVAO CITY- Budgeting is a skill that families should also have to learn to ensure that right food gets serve for their children, Na-tional Nutrition Council (NNC) 11 chief Teresa Ungson said. In an interview, Ungson viewed it wise for families to get “mindful” and become conscious of their spending habit as food usually gets sacrificed when all other expenses need to be met. “While all other expenses are constant, it’s food that we can always adjust,” she said as she reflected her own situation which she thought could also be true with mothers. She also observed that even families with financial assistance from the government are running out of money for food as money due them has already been committed to something else.

Along with budgeting, she also suggested families to till their own garden to ensure that they can readily serve nutritious food “which doesn’t have to be expensive.” Ungson advised mothers to think of preparing food which need less costly ingredients, and to continually search for information about health and nutrition to make sure that their children won’t get malnourished. “We should never stop educat-ing ourselves. Everybody has a role to play in nutrition and let’s start with ourselves,” she said. Ungson saw a greater reduction on malnutrition especially among chil-dren if everyone would get conscious about observing proper nutrition. Based on 2011 Operation Tim-bang (OpT)results among zero to 71-month-old pre-school children, Region 11 posted 6.2 percent mal-nutrition rate, a reduction of 0.49 percent from 6.69 percent in 2010. Per province, Davao Oriental last year posted the highest drop in OpT-based malnutrition rate from 6.32 percent in 2010 to 5.48 per-cent; Compostela, 7.26 percent to 5.75 percent; Davao del Norte, 6.6 percent from 6.67 percent; and Davao del Sur, 11.65 to 9.4 percent. (PIA-11 jean duron abangan)



AVLDA board to block banana, pineapple expansion in T’boli townby Fruto Sumagaysay Jr.

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato –Through a resolution unanimously ap-proved by its board members on Tuesday, the Allah Valley Landscape De-velopment Alliance (AVLDA) chaired by South Cotabato Governor Arthur Y. Pingoy Jr. will seek the assistance of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) to stop any expansion of banana and pineapple plantations in T’boli town.


Banga town Mayor Hen-ry Ladot spearheaded the passage of the res-olution, together with Lake Sebu Mayor town Antonio Fungan and other representatives of member-municipal mayors present, after seeing firsthand the sit-uation in Salacafe, T’boli during their exposure trip hosted earlier by Surallah Mayor Romulo Solivio as board meet-ing host.

“The very essence of the resolution is to re-quest the assistance of PAMB to desist issuance of clearance that will al-low continuous banana and pineapple expan-sions in T’boli,” Mayor Ladot.

AVLDA board mem-bers present during the exposure trip expressed their frustration after seeing hectares upon hectares of banana and pineapple plantations in the mountainous and hilly areas of Salacafe, T’boli, and without even a single perennial tree standing or growing in it.

Banana and pineap-ple plantations owned by private companies have been criticized for contributing to en-

vironmental degrada-tion, soil erosion, and siltation of streams and rivers because these types of plan-tations require vast open fields.

The AVLDA board would like PAMB to en-force “the no PAMB clearance, no ECC issu-ance” policy that would strictly regulate the fu-ture expansion of ba-nana and pineapple plantations not only in T’boli, but also in other areas of the Allah val-ley.

AVLDA covers among other the municipalities of Lake Sebu, T’boli, Surallah, Sto. Nino, Banga, Norala in South Cotabato and Tacurong City and the towns of Isulan, Esperanza, Lam-bayong and Bagum-bayan in Sultan Ku-darat where the Allah River flows through.

If PAMB declares an area protected, this means that this can-not be converted into plantation and Depart-ment of Environment and Natural Resources cannot issue an Envi-ronmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).

ECC is issued by the DENR to agricultural, in-

dustrial and other allied companies as a require-ment for their opera-tions.

Member municipali-ties of the alliance locat-ed downstream such as Sto. Nino in South Co-tabato , and Isulan and Lambayong in Sultan Ku-darat are perennial vic-tims of flashfloods every time continuous rain oc-curred in the upstream portion of Allah valley.

At present, five (5) barangays in Lambay-ong are still submerged or underwater due to flashfloods, as reported.

Lambayong is consid-ered the rice granary of region 12, but with the present condition, pa-lay production has been greatly affected.

The consensus among board members showed that they all agree that massive tree-planting or “tree-growing” should be considered in the up-stream areas of Allah valley to help mitigate the damage caused by the heavy volume of wa-ter due to rainfall every time it cascaded down-stream to municipalities located below.(Fruto C. Sumagaysay Jr. PIO-South Cotabato /DE-Doguiles/PIA12)


State college in Cotabato City assures no tuition fee hikeby Perlita Changco

COTABATO CITY -- The Cotabato City State Polytechnic College (CCSPC) is not inclined to impose new tuition fee hike anytime soon.

This was the assur-ance given by Dr. Dam-mang Bantala, newly installed president of the CCSPC, the oldest school in South Central Mindanao.

“This a government

learning institution. I as-sure students and par-ents that there will be no tuition fee increase within the period of two years to help children of poor families especially the Bangsamoro peo-

ple,” Bantala said. Bantala said he would

focus on enhancing ca-pacities and capabilities geared towards raising the school’s public ed-ucation standard to to reach out and cater to


more indigent students As this developed,

Bantala said, he fully supports the proposal for the conversion of CCSPC into a state uni-versity being pushed by Maguindanao 1st dis-trict Rep. Bai Sandra Sema through a bill now pending before Con-gress. Bantala said,

CCSPC officials, faculty and students need to exert extra efforts to meet the requirements necessary for the con-version – upgrade CCSPC’s status to Level II and raise the passing mark in licensure ex-aminations.

The conversion of CCSPC into a state uni-

versity, Bantala said, provides better access to improved school fa-cilities, equipment, lab-oratories and trainings as tools to help attain the goal of quality ed-ucation that would re-dound to the benefit of the people and the com-munity. (pbchangco/PIA Cotabato City)

CENRO-Gensan underscores importance of forest restoration in climate change issueby Pops Gumana-Fruylan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY– City Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO) Valiente Lastimoso recently underscored the importance of refor-estation as a significant strategy to address climate change.

Lastimoso disclosed the different strate-

gies available to miti-gate carbon emission

through forestry activi-ties and one of these is to increase the amount of forested land by planting more trees especially to depleted areas in the city.

“Forest restoration could reverse the im-pact of forest clearing over the past three centuries and the same time expand wildlife habitat, provide recre-ational opportunities, a n d u p l i f t s o c i o -


economic conditions of the upland, lowland, urban, and coastal in-habitants of the city,” he explained.

To encourage com-munity involvement, CENRO has implement-ed the Integrated So-cial Forestry Program (ISFP) which is de-signed to rehabilitate the denuded forestland in the city by adopting an “agro-forestry ap-proach.”

Lastimoso said they have tapped the par-ticipation of organized ISF associations in the seven upland baran-gays of Gensan where qualified organizations

received “stewardship contract” for the use of public lands to “aug-ment the income of up-land communities and as a source of sustain-able livelihood.”

The seven upland ba-rangays include Upper Labay, Conel, Olympog, Sinawal, Bawing, San Jose, and Mabuhay.

“The contract stated that 20 percent of the total area should be de-voted for reforestation while 80 percent will be planted with cash crops like corn, palay, and other products,” he said.

Meanwhile, the city environment officer re-

vealed a total of 805.76 hectares of forest land rehabilitated for 2011.

Since 1997, he said, critical upland areas are now reforested and rehabilitated by at least 61 percent or 2,861.76 hectares of the 4,699.03 hectares total ISF area.

“Forest restoration is only one piece of the puzzle in addressing climate change issue, but at CENRO we be-lieve it is an important piece. With the help of our stakeholders, we can make a difference,” he said. (PGFruylan/PIA-Gensan)

one mindanao - february 4, 2012

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