one mindanao - april 1, 2015

EDITORIAL ADVISERS

SEC. SONNY B. COLOMAPresidential Communications Operations Office

JOSE MARI M. OQUIÑENA Director General Philippine Information Agency

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

EFREN F. ELBANBUENACluster Head, Southern, Western and Central MindanaoRegional Director, PIA Region XI

MANAGING EDITOR ABNER M. CAGACluster Head, Northern & Northeastern MindanaoRegional Director - PIA Caraga Region

REGIONAL DESK EDITORS FRANKLIN P. GUMAPON, PIA Region IX

ALMA L. TINGCANG, PIA Region IX ELAINE O. RATUNIL, PIA Region X RUDOLPH IAN G. ALAMA, PIA Region XI DANNY E. DOGUILES, PIA Region XII FRYAN E. ABKILAN, PIA Caraga Region

COPY EDITORS

FRYAN E. ABKILAN, PIA Caraga Region NORA C. LANUZA MOLDE, PIA Caraga Region

SENIOR GRAPHICS LAYOUT ARTIST

GERIE MAE G. COCO, PIA Caraga Region

Western Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula)

P. Urro Street, San Francisco DistrictPagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur 7016Telephone no. (062) 215-1480 / 925-0038Cellphone no. 0919-9994516E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]: www.piazampen.blogspot.comFacebook: PIA WesMin Info BlizTwitter: https://twitter.com/PIAIX

SOCCSKSARGEN Region

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]

Northern Mindanao

Graces’ Building, Antonio Luna StreetCagayan de Oro City 9000Telephone no. (088) 856-8178 / 729-594Telefax no. (08822) 72-66-83Cellphone no. 0928-5204305, 0917-3084969E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]: www.pia-10.blogspot.com Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga)

J. Rosales Avenue, Butuan CityTelephone no. (085) 341-5285Telefax no. (085) 341-2370Cellphone no. 0917-7188834Email: [email protected] , [email protected],phWebsite: www.piacaraga.comFacebook: PIA Caraga Updates, PIA Agusan del Norte, Pia Agusan del Sur, Pia Surigao del Norte, Pia Surigao del Sur, Pia Dinagat Islands Power FM - CaragaTwitter: https://twitter.com/PIACaraga

Southern Mindanao (Davao Region)

Ground Floor 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]

LAYOUT ARTISTS

MARY MAY A. ABELLON, PIA Region IX RETCHIE TOLINERO, PIA Region X

ZENER DUMAGUING, PIA Region X

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

NOEMI B. EDAGARegional Director, PIA Region IX

THELMA B. OLIVERRegional Director, PIA Region X

OLIVIA T. SUDARIARegional Director, PIA Region XII

EDITORIAL BOARD

PIA REGIONAL OFFICESOne Mindanao

CONTENTS

DAF-ARMM gives P3 M livelihood project to Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao farmers

DAF-ARMM gives P3 M livelihood project to Japan funds schoo bldg construction in Kidapawan City

Dinagat agrarian coops undergo trainors’ training

28 LGUs in region 9 awarded with ‘Child-Friendly Seals’

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Education agencies in Caraga discuss roles in K to 12 program

Nearly 65,000 students benefit from SSS Educ-Assist

No ‘over financing’ in Muslim Mindanao, says government peace panel

DepEd Butuan to conduct validation of IKSP

Camiguin assigns more lifeguards in tourist areas

ARMM LGUs to be evaluated for competitiveness

Bus company willing to field additional units during Holy Week, if needed

NGCP seeks media’s help to stir awareness on impact of ROW violations

By: Daryll M. Tumbaga

By: Nora L. Molde

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By: Oliver Ross V. Rivera

By: IOasay

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34By: Dominic I. Sanchez

By: Robert E. Roperos

By: Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

By: APB


By: Jorie C. Valcorza

By: BPI-ARMM Cover Story

CARAGA

WESTERN

NORTHERN

ARMM

INFOCUS SOCCSKSARGEN

SOUTHERNNATIONAL30 55 on-the-spot hirees in Panabo Jobs

FairBy: Michael Uy

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4 APRIL 1, 2015One Mindanao

Education agencies in Caraga discuss roles in K to 12 program

By: Robert E. Roperos

During the Regional Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Administrators’ Conference held in one of the local convention centers here, the Regional Directors of the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) personally discussed their specific programs under the K to 12 curriculum.

5APRIL 1, 2015 One Mindanao

During the Regional Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Administrators’ Conference held in one of the local convention centers here, the Regional Directors of the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) personally discussed their specific programs under the K to 12 curriculum.

DepEd OIC-Regional Director Dr. Rebecca Delapuz presented the update of the Senior High School implementation in the region. The official underscored that DepEd-Caraga’s goal is to have at least two public Senior High Schools per city and one per municipality in 2016.

With the sum of expected enrolment for school years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 of 93,033, Dir. Delapuz said the region needs 2,116 classrooms and 3,170 teachers.

Delapuz further said after the survey conducted to incoming Senior

High School students, it was revealed that 43.82% of students will go to Academic Track; 6.54% will go to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); 5.26% will go to Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM); 5.87% will go to Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS); 26.15% will go to General Academic Strand (GAS); 55.61% of students will go to Tech-Voc Track; 0.38% of students will go to Arts and Design Track; and 0.19% of students will go to Sports Track.

To date, the region has 318 schools intended for Academic Strands, 43 for STEM, 33 for ABM, 43 for HUMSS, 199 for GAS, 286 for Tech-Voc, 2 for Arts and Design, and 1 for Sports Track.


The top ten Tech-Voc Specializations according to Dir. Delapuz are Cookery NC II, Bread and Pastry Production NC II, Horticulture NC II, Computer Hardware Servicing NC II, Dressmaking NC II, Food and Beverage Services NC II, Tailoring NC II, Beauty/Nail Care NC II, Electrical Installation and Maintenance NC II, Hairdressing NC II, and Crop Production NC I.

Delapuz said out of the 729 teachers who were recommended by DepEd-Caraga to undergo assessment, only 342 were assessed. Of this figure, 192 were found to be competent and 150 were found incompetent. “Thus, only 56.14% passed and were already awarded with National Certificates (NC) by TESDA,” Dir. Delapuz added.

Meanwhile, CHED-Caraga Regional Director Dr. Maricar Casquejo discussed the agency’s Programs, Projects, Actions and Activities as aligned in the 2015 ASEAN Community.

Dir. Casquejo pointed out that ASEAN leaders see the great

potential of HEIs in contributing towards the realization of ASEAN Community 2015. Participation in the promotion of student mobility, transfer of knowledge, and facilitation of degree comparability, among others, contribute significantly in human resource development which in turn aids in ASEAN Community-building. “Higher education therefore is a key towards a successful ASEAN integration,” Dir. Casquejo said.

To promote education networking in various levels of educational institutions and continue university networking and enhance and support student and staff exchanges and professional interactions including creating research clusters among ASEAN


institutions of higher learning, in close collaboration with the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education O r g a n i z a t i o n (SEAMEO) and the ASEAN University Network (AUN), the inclusion of the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology in the ASEAN University Network – Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (AUN/SEED-Net) was made.

As part of the ASEAN 2015 Roadmap for Higher Education, Inclusion of additional HEIs to AUN, PNU will be included as an ASEAN Center for Teacher Education and the implementation of ASEAN Higher Education Competitiveness Fund are under study.

Also, the country is scheduled to host the AUN Regional Conference; Co-hosting of the 6th International Conference on Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology, Communication and Control, Environment, and Management spearheaded by the De La Salle

University (DLSU); and Co-hosting of the 1st ASEAN Future Teachers’ Camp spearheaded by Philippine National University (PNU). To promote the options of university placements in an institution of higher learning in a second ASEAN Member State through “a semester abroad” or “a year abroad” programme, participation in the ASEAN International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Programme is in progress.

The Training of International Relations Office staff of participating PHEIs in preparation for the commencement of Philippine participation in the AIMS Program is also under development, while the preparation for the hosting


of the 7th AIMS Review Meeting is ongoing.

To support the citizens of Member States to become more proficient in the English language, so that citizens of the ASEAN region are able to communicate directly with one another and participate in the broader international community, memoranda of agreements between Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore have been signed. Meanwhile, MOUs with Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Indonesia are currently under negotiations.

In a related development, TESDA-Caraga Regional Dir. Dr. Florencio F. Sunico, Jr. underscored the strategies that TESDA has implemented strategies to improve quality TVET provision. He said one of it is the Migration of programs to the amended Training Regulations (TRs).

Dir. Sunico added the agency has been re-assessing and certifying trainers and requires TVET to upgrade their facilities. To expand access and equity,

Sunico said the programs were also upgraded to higher TESD. Degree programs were also ladderized through TVET, adoption of MTP and ODL approaches.

The Regional TVET Administrators’ Conference aimed to distill important concepts and ideas on ASEAN Integration discourse as they pertain to education and skills development. It also situates the role of TVET in ASEAN Economic Community.

Likewise, the event engages TVET providers in discussion of trends, issues and concerns across education sector. Further, it provides education policy and program updates. TESDA Deputy Director-General for Policies and Planning Irene Isaac was the


MANILA - The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) are on top of the situation as they anticipate the entry of Typhoon Chedeng into the Philippine area of responsibility today, Wednesday, a Palace official has said.

NDRMMC, PAGASA closely monitoring ‘Typhoon Chedeng’


The NDRRMC and PAGASA will provide timely warnings, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said during a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday.

The NDRRMC has already informed all the departments and agencies involved about the incoming storm, Lacierda said, adding that each agency already knows what to do.

He noted that preparations are underway on the part of concerned local government units and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which is responsible for the prepositioning of relief goods.

“Lahat po ‘yan ay hinahanda naman,” Lacierda said.

The Palace official assured the public that government response to the storm has begun with the scientific monitoring of the typhoon’s path.

“Napatunayan naman ng PAGASA na maganda ang kanilang batting average sa pag-forecast ng typhoon path. So we will be able to anticipate and prepare for the incoming storm,” he said.

According to PAGASA, Typhoon Chedeng is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Wednesday.

‘Chedeng’ was spotted on Monday 2,240 kilometers (km) east of Mindanao and was packing maximum sustained winds of 140 km per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 170 kph. The typhoon was moving west at 23 kph.

The effects of the typhoon will not be immediately felt once it enters the PAR, PAGASA said, adding that rains may be felt in parts of Luzon and Visayas starting next week. (PCOO/PND (as)


Nearly 65,000 students benefit from SSS Educ-AssistMANILA - A total of 64,912 college or vocational-tech students have benefited from the Educational Assistance Loan Program (Educ-Assist), a joint program of the Social Security System (SSS) and the national government (NG), SSS said in a statement.

The Educ-Assist was launched in 2012 based on SSS Circular No. 2012-010 issued on May 18, 2012. Its total fund allocation is P7 Billion, P3.5 Billion of which came from the national government and the other P3.5 Billion from the SSS. Under the program, the NG portion of the fund is interest free while the SSS portion charges a six percent interest or a blended rate of three percent for the borrower-member.

Joint Circular No. 2012-1 signed by the Department

of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, Government Service Insurance System, and SSS in September 2012 institutionalized the grant of affordable educational loans to qualified GSIS and SSS members.

“Now on its fourth year of implementation, we are happy to be part of this joint program of SSS and the national government since we are able to continue lending a hand to our members by defraying their children’s education expenses through Educ-Assist”, said Officer-In-


Charge for Asset and Lending Management May Catherine Ciriaco. Majority or 97 percent of Educ-Assist beneficiaries are enrolled in degree courses.

Ciriaco clarified that SSS did not stop granting Educ-Assist loans. “We have allocated the loan fund to those who have applied so that their dependents - who are expected to be in school for four years in the case of a bachelor’s degree, or two years for vocational or technical courses - have a better chance to finish their studies,” she added.

Interested SSS members could still apply for Educ-Assist but they will be included in the waiting list. “Any unused allocation previously committed to the existing beneficiaries are applied to waitlisted applicants. We process the Educ-Assist application of those in the waiting list, once funds become available”, Ciriaco said.

SSS has already disbursed over P2.7 billion nationwide from the Educ-Assist fund. Of the 3.5 billion NG share, P1.58 billion have been transmitted to SSS. For the year 2014, SSS has released over P 1.1 billion consisting of 72,451 loan availments.

Under Educ-Assist, members can borrow up to P20,000 per semester or trimester for college degrees while maximum loanable amount for vocational-tech course is P10,000 per semester or trimester.

The repayment process of Educ-Assist will commence a year after the beneficiary’s graduation day or after 18 months for semestral courses or 15 months for trimestral and quarter-term courses from the scheduled last release date or from the date of last release for those who will not avail of the subsequent releases, whichever comes earlier. Borrowers for college degree programs are given five years to repay the loan, while for vocational-tech courses, the repayment timeline is three years. (SSS)


No ‘over financing’ in Muslim Mindanao, says government peace panelMANILA - The government peace panel on Monday clarified that the administration is not “over financing” the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the proposed Bangsamoro government.

In a press briefing in Malacañang, member of the Government Peace Panel, Senen Bacani, said to correct this misconception, there is a need to differentiate the existing budget for ARMM from the incremental funding that will be introduced once the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is passed. “Tungkol sa financing, kailangan i-klaro dito kung ano ang existing at saka ano ang incremental. Pag-usapan muna

natin ang incremental funding because of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Nakasaad diyan merong special development fund. First year, P7 billion and then for the next five years P2 billion each, that is a total of P17 billion. Tapos ang incremental fund na Bangsamoro Transition Authority, P1 billion. Iyan lang talaga ang karagdagang gastos [sa] pagpasa ng Bangsamoro Basic Law because the other expenses, nandiyan na ‘yan,” Bacani explained.


The ARMM meanwhile has an existing budget of P24.3 billion, which will get an additional P900 million for pensions, for a total of P25.2 billion, he said, noting that in 2016, a “block grant” of P26.8 billion will replace the annual subsidy to ARMM.

“When you say ‘block grant’, it gives you the impression na bago but it is just a new term. It is to replace the annual subsidy to the ARMM, which exists in the General Appropriations Act. Makikita sa General Appropriations Act for 2015, P24.3 billion, magdagdag ka ng P900 million because of the pension fund, that’s P25.2 billion. Papalitan ‘yan ng block grant in 2016 ng P26.8 billion,” he said.

Under the BBL, he said, the block grant is four percent of 60 percent of the net internal revenue collections.

“Ang base year niyan 2013. 2013, the estimated net BIR internal revenue collection is about P1.1 trillion—2.4 percent of that is P26.8 billion. Kapalit lang ‘yan ‘nung 24.3 plus 900, so 25.2,” said Bacani. “This is not additional. Projected na ito.”

“The current ARMM budget today will be translated into a block grant. It does not mean an increase. Ito talagang karagdagan: Special Development Fund, P7 billion and then P2 billion a year for five years starting in 2017. A one-time transition fund of P1 billion in 2016,” Bacani said, denying what critics refer to as a P75 billion additional funding for the Bangsamoro.

He noted that the incremental funding will be “subject to proper accountability and normal checks and balances and safeguards”.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, for his part, explained the three components of the ARMM budget: the salary of government employees (42 percent), maintenance and operating expenses (12 percent), and capital outlay (46 percent).

“Tatlong pinupuntahan at hindi kalakihan ‘yan. With or without the BBL ay ibibigay ‘yan. Now, it is called the ARMM government but in the future, if the bill passes, then it becomes the Bangsamoro government. Just to stress those two points,” said Abad. (PCOO/PND (ag)


Titay town pupils benefit from NGCP’s classroom donationBy Alma L. Tingcang

TITAY, Zamboanga Sibugay - Grades I and 2 pupils of Poblacion Muslim Elementary School here are now enjoying their classes in well-lit and spacious classrooms.

The National Grid Corporation of the Phil-ippines (NGCP), the country’s power trans-mission service provid-er and grid operator has enabled students to en-joy fresh air and well-

ventilated classrooms, free from congestion. As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), NGCP donated a 2-classroom build-ing for the benefit of schoolchildren in Titay


town, this province. The school used to have only three rooms which accommo-dates more than 100 students. The new two-classroom building, courtesy of NGCP, was a welcome addition to existing school facili-ties. In a press release, NGCP said the new school build-ing was turned-over to Ms. Men-chu Lood, school head, witnessed by NGCP repre-sentatives led by Armand S. Dysico, OIC of NGCP’s Dis-trict 1 Mindanao Operations and Maintenance, Edinower J. Caba-nos, Chief Transmission Line En-gineer, Hermie H. Hamoy, Chief Substation Engineer, Depart-ment of Education (DepEd), ba-rangay officials, as well as par-ents, teachers, and barangay residents. The community where the school is located hosts NGCP’s Ipil-Salug 69-kV line. Further, the news release said NGCP affirms its commit-ment to promote education

through various partnership pro-grams with the academe and lo-cal government units. As a cor-poration with a public service orientation, NGCP works hand in hand with relevant institutions to support the communities hosting its transmission facilities, which it considers as true partners in na-

tion-building. NGCP is a privately owned cor-poration in charge of o p e ra t i n g , maintaining, and develop-ing the coun-try’s power grid. It trans-mits high-

voltage electricity through “pow-er superhighways” that include the interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, sub-stations, and related assets. The consortium, which holds the 25-year concession contract to op-erate the country’s power trans-mission network, is comprised of Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. led by Henry Sy, Jr., Calaca High Power Corporation led by Robert Coyiuto, Jr., and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) as technical partner.


28 LGUs in region 9 awarded with ‘Child-Friendly Seals’By Dominic I. SanchezZAMBOANGA CITY – Twenty-eight municipal and city local government units in the region were awarded with the Seal for Child-Friendly Local Governance by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) in simple ceremonies held at the Grand Astoria Hotel here on Tuesday (March 31).

Department of Social Wel-fare and Development (DSWD) Regional Director and chair of the regional council Zenaida Arevalo

congratulated the local govern-ment units for their performance in ensuring that children’s rights and welfare are protected. “The


seal illustrates your dedication to protect the children in your local-ities,” she said. Out of the 28 LGUs, Dipolog City was conferred with the num-ber one spot, and is a qualifier for the Presidential Award. Also qualifiers are the municipalities of Leon B. Postigo, Zamboanga del Norte and Bayog, Zambo-anga del Sur. These LGUs will be vying for the presidential award to be held in May. According to CWC’s April Obtinario, the award was started “during the time of then Presi-dent Joseph Estrada in 1999 as an audit system to ensure that LGUs are child-friendly”. “This was voluntary before, but now the audit is mandatory, all LGUs are subjected to the au-dit,” Obtinario emphasized. Some of the indicators for the seal’s conferment include the absence or reduction of child la-bor cases, protection of children from all forms of abuses and vi-olence, their safety in schools, public utility vehicles and other places and others. Obtinario pointed out that all of the awardees have fully functional Local Councils for the Protection of Children (LCPC),

enacted ordinances for children such as for the establishment of barangay women’s and children’s desks. “We should not just stop plans for children, what matters is implementing them,” Obtinario said. Meanwhile, Director Arevalo said that the seal is a testimony of the LGU’s thrust to prioritize children in their programs and services, however she empha-sized that other LGUs here should have the seal. “We cannot have only a handful of LGUs with the seal since this means that the other LGUs do not meet the standards in being child-friendly,” she said. “We want to target the other LGUs for the seal next year.” Other LGUs that received the child-friendly seal include Rizal, Piñan, Salug, Mutia, Polanco, and Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte; Mahayag, Molave, San Pablo, Lapuyan, Midsalip, Aurora, Mar-gosatubig, Vincenzo Sagun, Di-mataling, Tukuran, San Miguel, Dumingag, Dinas and Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur; Tungawan, Talusan, Mabuhay and Kabasa-lan, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Zamboanga City.

Secretary Petilla talks need of renewable energy in power mix

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - The need to provide stable power supply has prompted the government to allow coal power plants to rise and operate, however, the mix should include renewable energy for health and environment reasons.

By: Jasper Marie Oblina-Rucat

This was stressed by Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla through a forum on Renewable Energy held in Xavier University on March 30, 2015. On his talk, he explained that right now the competition on coal power generation is very high, therefore price is very cheap. In fact, in Luzon the private players are already doing the aggregation of demand resulting


to cheaper electricity rates at P 3.70 per kilowatt hour (kwh). He said that if this will be done in Mindanao, for sure rates for electricity will also become cheaper and more transparent. But where does the renewable energy come in? Petilla said that certainly renewable energy will lose in terms of price because it is expensive and intermittent. For instance if there is no sun, there is no power, no wind means also no power and so on. The Department of Energy (DOE) through the Renewable Energy Act imposes mix of renewable energy through Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Rates. Republic Act 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 mandates the establishment of (FIT) system for electricity produced from renewable energy such as solar, wind, biomass, ocean and run-of-river hydropower. According to its Implementing Rules and Regulations, electric power industry participants are obliged to source electricity from FIT eligible renewable energy generation at a guaranteed fixed price for a given period of time to be determined by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). Right now, FIT rates per kwh

for Wind is P8.53, Biomass at P6.63 per kwh, solar P9.68 per kwh, run of river hydropower at P5.90 per kwh. The Energy chief said that the mix aimed for renewable is 30% and to achieve it, something should be done. The Philippines is still the cleanest among all ASEAN countries. Other countries are 80% coal, Petilla said. In 2013, coal is at 42% of the energy mix; however, it is rapidly increasing. Right now there are 23 coal plants being built. Processing for renewable energy contracts is two years. Now, it has come down to 45 days given that everything is being complied. As of December 31, 2014, there are already 12 renewable energy projects with certificate of endorsement to ERC with total capacity of 302.416 megawatts (MW). Further, there are 79 renewable energy projects with certificate of confirmation of commerciality with a total of 1,569MW capacity. And, 10 projects for nomination or conversion with capacity of 197.77MW. Petilla emphasized that energy is always long term and


Camiguin assigns more lifeguards in tourist areas

MAMBAJAO, Camiguin - More life guards are now positioned in various tourist frequented springs and beaches here in anticipation to the heavy influx of tourist for the Lenten season.

By: Jorie C. Valcorza

At least three to five responders are assigned in eight priority areas to include White Island, Ardent hot spring, Sto. Niño cold spring, Mantigue Island, sunken cemetery, soda water park, Langojanan ki Inggoy, and Katibawasan Falls.

Earlier this month, the Health Emergency Management Staff (HEMS) conducted the basic life support and first aid training to some 48 life guards and personnel working at the different tourist pool areas around the province. They were trained by qualified pool of trainers from the Camiguin General Hospital (CGH)-HEMS, Provincial Health Office (PHO), and from the Department of Education (DepEd). Being known for the “Panaad” observance, a religious vow or walk of sacrifice around the island as an expression of penitence, the province continues to receive both tourist and devotees alike in this time of the year.

that we look at the power situation five years from now and more. The estimated time to

build a plant is from four to five years that would give an outlook of what is ahead.


This assurance came from German Avenido, branch manager of RTMI, Dipolog City, who said that they have prepared the permits for additional buses, when necessary, just to meet the transportation needs of the public. “This is because we expect the number of bus passengers to increase considering that seaports in Dipolog and Dapitan cities, in Zamboanga del Norte and Plaridel, Misamis Occidental, accommodate boats carrying passengers from Iloilo and Dumaguete cities and Siquijor province in the Visayas,” Avenido said. These passengers usually take the land route, for the rest of their travel in going home to be with their families during the Holy Week towards the nearby provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibuguey, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Misamis Oriental and the rest of the Mindanao areas. Meanwhile, Avenido said RTMI will be fielding a skeletal force on

Good Friday, just to ensure that the transportation services for the traveling public will continue, but that full operation will be back, immediately, the next day, which is Black Saturday. On the other hand, to ensure road safety and road travellers’ security, during the Lenten Season, the Rural Transit Mindanao, Inc. (RTMI), Dipolog City Branch, has launched “Oplan Iwas Aksidente sa Semana Santa (Avoid Accidents During the Holy Week) 2015.” Under such oplan, RTMI has reminded its drivers and conductors to give the priority seats to persons with disabilities (PWD), senior citizens and children. They are also reminded to collect proper fare and give back proper change at once, and to wear proper attire, keep proper hygiene, and to follow strictly traffic rules when passengers are getting on board and alighting from the buses.

Bus company willing to field additional units during Holy Week, if needed

OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental - The Rural Transit Mindanao Inc. (RTMI) will be fielding additional buses, if needed, for passengers plying the Zamboanga del Norte-Misamis Occidental and vice-versa routes, during the Lenten Season.



Lanao del Sur donates P2.5M worth of relief goods to Maguindanao evacuees

Civic groups here have turned-over around P2.5 million worth of relief goods to the Tabang Sibilyan donation center of the Auton-omous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to help evacuees in

Maguindanao.


The relief goods which included 272 sacks of rice, canned goods, noodles, and other food and non-food items were transported Monday, March 23, in Cotabato City on thirteen forward trucks. ARMM has launched the Tabang Sibilyan relief and peace advocacy campaign early this month in response to the escalating conflict in Maguindanao, which has already displaced 25,067 families. ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman has also ordered the drafting of a humanitarian and development action plan to address the rehabilitation and other post-conflict needs of affected communities. The region spends more than P1 million daily on food assistance alone for the thousands of families staying in at least 75 evacuation centers in the province. Haroun Alrashid Lucman,

ARMM vice-governor and concurrent Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary, lauded the people of Lanao del Sur for responding to the call for aid of displaced families in Maguindanao. The donations from Lanao del Sur were collected by the Saksi Islamic Radio Forum and Foundation (SIRFF), the Lanao Confederation for Peace and Grand Mufti Alim Murad Amanodin. The group launched a provincial counterpart of ARMM’s donation drive Tabang Sibilyan and urged political leaders to take actions and restore peace in Maguindanao. “We sympathize with our Muslim brothers affected by the military’s all-out offensive in Maguindanao, which has resulted to massive displacement among civilians,” said Musa Sultan of the SIRFF. (Bureau of Public Information-ARMM/APB/PIA-10)


ARMM LGUs to be evaluated for competitiveness

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur - The National Competitiveness Council will include selected Local Government Units (LGUs) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in its annual Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) survey this year, a regional official announced Monday.

The CMCI ranks Philippine cities and municipalities based on 28 indicators that are grouped into three equally-weighed pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency and Infrastructure. The combined score on each pillar indicates their rank. The index was developed by the NCC in 2012. Abubacar Datumanong, DTI-ARMM assistant secretary, said it is the first time for the NCC to include ARMM LGUs in its survey. He said the region’s two component cities – Marawi and Lamitan – and 43 municipalities will undergo the survey. He further said the survey and series of orientations for the selected LGUs will start anytime in April. “Titingnan ng isang business investor kung how ready ang isang particular area or particular LGU concerning business and

infrastructure, at ang kanilang CMCI ranking ang magiging picture nila once na papasok sila sa isang locality to put up investment,” he added. ARMM has already organized a Regional Competitiveness Committee (RCC), chaired by the region’s DTI office, to spearhead the CMCI survey. An academic institution selected through bidding will undertake the actual survey. In line with this, Datumanong encouraged LGU officials to support the project which will be completed before May 15. “We need their full cooperation, and we request them to provide accurate data for the survey,” he said. (Bureau of Public Information-ARMM/PIA-10)


NGCP seeks media’s help to stir awareness on impact of ROW violations

MARAWI CITY - The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) asked the help of media practitioners in the two Lanao provinces in raising awareness on the impact of right-of-way (ROW) violations to the integrity of the grid in Mindanao.

The intentional planting of trees under and along power lines has an adverse effect on the power system in Mindanao, said Emmanuel Abellanosa, head of NGCP Mindanao Operations & Maintenance (MOM) Regional Office during the media orientation on ROW violations in Lanao, Thursday, March 26. Vegetation can cause power interruption of the lines which can lead to brownouts or blackouts. Industrial customers also suffer production losses due to power outages and voltage dips.

At present, there are already three power lines out of operation due to the vegetation problems. The Baloi-Agus 6 69kV Line was no longer functioning since January 2015 while the Baloi-Agus 2 138kV Line 1 and 2 was out of operation since August and October last year, respectively. According to NGCP, Agus 1 and Agus 2 hydroelectric (HE) plants are in danger of being isolated from the grid because the only link that they have to the grid


is thru the Agus 2-Kibawe 138 kV lines. When these lines trip, Agus 1 and Agus 2 HE plants will be isolated and cannot generate power, thus, more shortage of power. We have already asked the help of various stakeholders, from the local government units, military, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) but were unsuccessful. They said it was so hard to convince landowners to settle down with our estimates, Abellanosa added. NGCP has been dealing with the ROW problems since it took over the operations of the country’s electric business. There were only few ROW problems during the TRANSCO time. But when it was about to be privatized, it was discovered that some landowners started planting trees under transmission lines and refused to be negotiated. When NGCP took over in 2009, ROW problems began to crop, said Mr. Avelino Dawis, head of NGCP District 2 Operations and

Maintenance. He said the landowners are demanding too much before NGCP can cut down their trees that are posing dangers to the power lines. NGCP has already filed eight expropriation cases. Dawis said they are also readying to file another 12 cases in the next few days. But such legal action, he said, entails a long process and the worsening of the ROW problems might affect the stability of the Mindanao grid. (APB/PIA-10)

Coop gets P1-million loan assistance from DavOr REACH Surety Fund

DAVAO ORIENTAL –The Yagakauyon na Koop-eratibang San Ignacio (YaKoSI) received one million pesos loan as-sistance from the De-velopment Bank of the Philippines released through the Davao Oriental Reach Surety Fund (DORSF). A member of the-DORSF, YaKoSI coopera-tive operating in Manay town of this province received the check on March 20, 2015 at Pro-

vincial Capitol in the City of Mati. Coop officials said they would use the funds to embark on a lending business and to finance its members’ venture on micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs). During the cer-emonial turn over of the check, Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon vowed to earmark P 250,000.00 fund to support some DORSF member-cooper-ative that requires much-needed assistance due to


the devastation of Typhoon Pablo in 2012 and LPA Agaton in 2014. She said this fund will ensure their fast recovery after being hit by disasters. Started in 2009, the DORSF was launched under Bangko Sen-tral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) Credit Surety Fund Program aimed to become a catalyst towards development of dynamic MSMEs in the province.The program is supported by Develop-ment Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines and the In-dustrial Guarantee and Loan Fund with pledges of contributions to aug-ment the fund. Specifically, through the Pro-vincial Cooperative and Develop-ment Office, the Surety Fund also facilitates provision of credit to co-operative members and participating MSMEs. It also provides check and balance mechanisms for optimum utilization of credits resources with highest degree of integrity and effi-ciency. The BSP’s Credit Surety Fund is a pro-active approach in supporting MSMEs who often find themselves hard pressed for loans from financial institutions due to lack of collateral, unstable income, lack of business experience, and low paying capacity. Under the program, a fund will be created from contributions of well-capitalized and well-managed cooperatives with a counterpart con-tribution from the provincial govern-ment. The fund will provide surety

cover, in place of collateral, to guar-antee bank loans of MSMEs. In pushing for the program, Governor Malanyaon told poor con-stituents that the credit program will make MSMEs bankable. She also believed that the program will create job opportunities and increases the poor people’s income. During its inception, 11 cooper-atives initially joined the DORSF who agreed to shell out contributions. Seeing its accomplishments in uplift-ing the small cooperatives and entre-preneurs, more cooperatives, mostly farmers’ guild, have expressed to join the credit program with low-interest and no collateral loans. They said the benefits posed by this gov-ernment credit program are simply irresistible to them as it will surely boost the cooperatives’ operations especially their personal finances. (By Van Jorain O. Rufin-PIO DavOr)


55 on-the-spot hirees in Panabo Jobs Fair

DAVAO DEL NORTE, March 30 (PIA) - - Fifty five applicants were hired on the spot (HOTS) on Sat-urday (March 28) during the 14th Araw ng Panabo City – Job Fair at the Gaisano Grand Mall of Panabo. Among more than 300 ap-plicants who joined the fair, 30 in-dividuals landed jobs in overseas companies and 25 individuals in local establishments. According to the records of the Panabo City Public Employment Ser-vices Office (PESO), those people hired in overseas companies will work as cleaners, baby sitters and laundry helpers; while on local en-terprises, they are hired as call cen-ter agents, therapists, mechanical engineers, sales assistants, cashiers, counter checkers, utility clerks, sales and relations officers. PESO Manager Cherelle Espino-sa declared that among the job fairs of the city, this year’s charter day job fair obtained the most number of individuals hired on the spot. “We already topped last year’s record, which is 39 HOTS that was achieved also during the Araw ng Panabo celebration last 2014,” Espi-nosa said. Espinosa said that the charter day job fair is one of the three ma-jor employment activities in the city

annually, which averagely produced around 100-150 people directly hired on the spot. She said that the other two incoming job fairs for this year will be on July, in partnership with Brgy. New Visayas and the Davao del Norte State College and on October with UM Panabo College or Rotary Club of Central Panabo. Aside from the individuals hired on the spot, 144 applicants (73 for overseas and 71 for local companies) were scheduled for final interview. Meanwhile, the career fair was also participated by other govern-ment agencies for the civil regis-tration and passporting services. (PIA11, Michael Uy)

19 youth players qualify in Gov. Emmylou “Lala” J. Taliño- Mendoza Chess Championship Mindanao LegBy: Shahana Joy E. Duerme

KIDAPAWAN CITY, North Cotabato, Apr. 1--- Nineteen young boys and girls emerged as qualifiers in the Governor Emmylou “Lala” J. Taliño-Mendoza National Age Group Chess Championship Mindanao Qualifying Leg held recently in the city.

The said number of qualifiers completed the 113 players who took part in the tournament under the eight to ten age bracket and below 20 age bracket. Six of them came from Luzon area, two from Visayas area and the rest came from different provinces in Mindanao.

John Marvin Maciano, a student from Kaba-can town was declared the champion of the Boys under 16-category. He garnered 5 ½ points and bested other top players from Gen-eral Santos City, Koronadal City, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Angeles City and Cotabato.

On the other hand, Jan Chelsie Mendoza of Makilala was also declared as champion of the Girls under 10-category after garnering 5 points beating other players from Davao City, Davao del Sur and Cotabato.

Maciano and Mendoza, along with 17 other winners from Cotabato who ranked 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th placers are now qualified and will vie for the Gov. Emmylou “Lala” J. Taliño-Men


doza Chess Championship Na-tional Finals which will be held at San Juan, Metro Manila on April 12-19, 2015.

The qualifiers received cash prizes and medals from the pro-vincial government.

According to Romeo P. Anito, Designated Provincial Sports Coor-dinator, the event was sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) with the support of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philip-pine Olympic Committee (POC).

“The chess tournament aims to provide opportunity to potential

young boys and girls chess players and enthusiasts to compete to na-tional competitions but first must undergo local eliminations,” Anito stated.

Meanwhile, Governor Mendoza who is highly impressed with the performance of the players from the province, said that it is not impossible for all the quali-fiers to make it to the champion-ship rounds of the National Finals and chances are for one or two of them to become the champion.

The governor also said that open chess tournaments like this would encourage top players from


DAF-ARMM gives P3 M livelihood project to Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao farmersBy: Oliver Ross V. Rivera

COTABATO CITY, Apr 1 -- Farmers from Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao will benefit from a P3M farming livelihood project from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Autono-mous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DAF-ARMM).

other provinces or regions to come to North Cotabato and prove for themselves that people here are peace loving individuals and that the province has so many tourist attractions to offer.

The sports activity was attended by Grand Master and NCFP Nation-al Tournament Director Jason Gon-zales and NCFP Regional Director for Mindanao and International

Arbiter James Infesto as well as AKBAYAN Partylist Representative and National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCIF) Committee Chairman for Grassroots Develop-ment and Promotions Neri J. Col-menares who served as the guest of honor. (SJDuerme-PIA12/JSta. Cruz-N. Cot. Provincial Govern-ment)

The project consists of a veg-etable farming livelihood project and a solar dryer funded under the Bottom up Budgeting (BuB) program.

Under the BuB, farmers’ asso-ciations presented project pro-posals through the assistance of the municipal agriculture office.

Sultan Kudarat Mayor Datu Shameem Mastura said some 200 families from the farming community of Brgy. Panatan and neighboring barangays will ben-

efit from the said project.The official also thanked the

regional government for the new assistance in their locality.

“The municipal government of Sultan Kudarat expresses its gratitude to DAF-ARMM for this project. The project is an oppor-tunity for farmers in their ba-rangays to be more productive, Mastura said,” he said.

Mastura added that the proj-ects will help marginalized farm-ers uplift their economic status


by enhancing their production capability. (ORVRivera-PIA12)

KIDAPAWAN CITY, North Cotabato, Apr. 1 -- The Japanese gov-ernment is bankrolling construction of two classroom buildings that would benefit children in a Muslim village here.

DAF-ARMM gives P3 M livelihood project to Japan funds schoo bldg construction in Kidapawan City

Mayor Joseph Evangelista con-firmed that he has signed a grant contract with the Embas-sy of Japan in Pasig City last week for the said development project.Evangelista added , the buildings will be constructed inside Pata-don Elementary School in Ba-rangay Patadon, a village mostly populated by Muslims. The grant, he added, is provided under the Japan- Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects or GGP.The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) served as host for the contract signing event.Under the contract, Kidapawan City will receive the amount US $92,785 assistance from the Em-bassy of Japan, equivalent to

more than PhP4 million as fund for its implementation.LGU Kidapawan City will under-take the necessary bidding and implement the project as stipulat-ed in the contract.The new school buildings will be composed of two classrooms each, the City Engineering Office said.Since the fund is already available, the City General Services Office can now schedule the public bid-ding for the project.As soon as the public bidding is completed and the project award-ed, the construction will immedi-ately commence. It is expected to be completed in time for the opening of classes in June, ac-cording to the City Engineering Office. (IOasay-LGU Kidapawan/DEDoguiles-PIA 12)


DepED Butuan City Division announces CGZWMP best implementersBy: Dr. Jonas H. Jomonong

BUTUAN CITY - After a thorough deliberation and ocular visits, the Department of Education DepED) Butuan City Division announced the winners of the search for the outstanding clean ground zero waste management program (CGZWMP) best implementers during the 1st Regular Division Management Conference on Tuesday. For the secondary urban category, Agusan Pequeño National High School garnered first place followed by Libertad National High School, second and Butuan City School of Arts and Trade, third. On the other hand, for the rural category,


Dinagat agrarian coops undergo trainors’ training By: Daryll M. Tumbaga

SAN JOSE, DINAGAT ISLANDS - The Department of Agrarian Reform in Dinagat Islands (DAR-PDI) facilitated recently a four-day Trainors’ Training of its 20 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in line with the Big-Brother and Small-Brother Cooperative strategy held at Dinagat Island Multipurpose Coop Training Center in Barangay Aurelio, this municipality.

The training was aimed to enhance the capabilities of the ARBOs’ officers as they underwent on-the-job trainings with their Big-brother coops and to capacitate the cooperative officers in the facilitation and conduct of trainings. This strategy identifies one

Big Brother cooperative, in this case the A&M Multi-purpose Cooperative, and Small Brother cooperatives, the ARBOs being assisted by the DAR. The participants said they are very grateful that DAR-PDI took the initiative to train them and that they are very happy that

La Soledad National High School won first, Lumbocan National High School, second and Taligaman National High School, third. For multi-grade category, Dalingdingan Elementary School bagged the first place, Tagpulangi Elementary School, second and San Roque Elementary School as third. Furthermore, for non-central category, Taligaman National High School won first, Bugabus

Elementary School, second and Bilay Elementary School as third. Lastly, for central category, West Central Elementary School garnered first place, Liberatd Central Elementary School, second, and Amparo Central Elementary School as third. Schools division superintendent Arsenio T. Cornites Jr., CESO V awarded the certificates to the winners.


DepEd Butuan to conduct validation of IKSPBy: Nora L. Molde

BUTUAN CITY - In line with the implementation of the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) Program, the Department of Education (DepEd) Butuan City Division will conduct a Filed Based Investigation (FBI)/Validation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP) on April 7 at Iyao tribal Center in barangay Anticala here.

they are now at least equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct trainings in their own cooperatives in the future. The training was funded under the Bottoms-Up Budgeting (BUB) budget of the DAR in

partnership with the local government here. Regina G. Fernandez of the Development Academy of the Philippines - Davao Branch was the lone resource person of the said training.

According to Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Arsenio T. Cornites, Jr, the conduct of the FBI will help in crafting the conceptualized IPEd Policy Framework and Curriculum in the Indigenous Cultural Community. Also, SDS Cornites said that the conduct of FBI aims to enhance awareness and understanding of the Indigenous Peoples way of life; come-up with a successful FBI/Validation; and

to have a proper coordination with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) personnel regarding the validation on IKSP. IPEd focal persons, IP schools in-charge, school heads with IP learners, tribal leaders and members, coordinators and mobile teachers, and NCIP staff are expected to participate said event.

one mindanao - april 1, 2015

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