TRENDS (17 May 2010)

NSO starts 2010 census of population and housing

The National Statistics Office (NSO) kicked off its 2010 census of population and housing today.

This activity is being implemented every 10 years.

“Our census enumerators are school teachers as well as some hired enumerators,” said Marilou Igdon, NSO Provincial Statistics Officer.

Igdon stressed that enumerators are identifiable through IDs and pink paraphernalia such as bags and umbrellas. This would enable respondents to distinguish between a legitimate census enumerator and a probable scammer. She also accentuated that data gathered will be considered confidential.

“Today is the first day of the enumeration and it will last until June 11. We have 800 teachers involved in Misamis Oriental,” she added.

Census enumerators are not merely teachers but college graduates or at least those at 2nd year college level.

To understand the concept of the census activity, enumerators would have to undergo a five-day training.

Igdon also disclosed that in Cagayan de Oro City, enumerators must finish 17 households a day.

“The district supervisors are the census area supervisors, the principals will work as team supervisors and the classroom teachers as the enumerators,” she indicated. The census of population and housing will be conducted for a period of 20 days all over the country.

Meanwhile, Governor Oscar Moreno of Misamis Oriental persuaded the public to support the NSO population survey. He made it clear that the data gathered from the census will be significant in terms of decision making and planning.

Thus, he said, “The census activity is very crucial in getting information which is relevant in economic forecasting and planning.”

Governor Moreno is the chairman of the provincial census board and is also the 1st 2010 NSO population survey respondent in Misamis Oriental. (Janinah Jimmin M. Molina-XU DevCom / PIA)


DOLE holds livelihood fair in CdeO

Various firms from Cagayan de Oro City participated in the Diskwento Caravan and Livelihood Fair: “Presyong Panalo ang Empleyado,” a non-wage benefit program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), spearheaded by its attached agency, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWBP).

It was a two-day event which commenced on May 13. Different booths of participating firms adorned the provincial capitol grounds.

In response to government call with the initiative of the DOLE, the program have gathered suppliers and requested them to display their products and sell at discounted prices.

“Plataporma sa RTWB mao ang wage fixing og productivity promotion (RTWPB’s program covers wage fixing and productivity promotion),” said Estrella Uy-Pahalla, Board Secretary of RTWPB-DOLE Region X.

She clarified that the beneficiaries of program are not the poor but workers who have low salaries.

“This is one of the programs of the government which aims to protect low-paid workers or those who earn at minimum wage,” said Pahalla.

She also emphasized that the partner suppliers responded positively and most especially those coming from the business sectors since the program is a tie-up with the government agencies, the private sectors and local government units (LGUs).

“Karong adlawa naa tay kapin baynte (20) ka mga suppliers (We have more than 20 suppliers for today),” she notified.

Some products available at the livelihood fair include cheaper rice from the National Food Authority (NFA), vegetables, pharmaceutical products, canned goods, oil, noodles, and other basic needs.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), National Food Authority (NFA), Department of Health (DOH), Provincial Jobs Assistance Center (PJAC) and LGUs were also organizers of the event in cooperation with the Provincial Office of Misamis Oriental and the business sector. (Janinah Jimmin M. Molina-XU DevCom / PIA)


Lanao Norte crafts medium term agricultural development plan

Tubod, Lanao del Norte (17 May)—Municipal Agriculture Officers (MAOs) from the different municipalities of Lanao del Norte convened at Mindanao Training Center (MTC) to formulate development plan to maximize agricultural opportunities in the province.

In welcoming participants to the workshop, Letecia Ditucalan, Provincial Agriculture officer (PAO) urged the MAOs to be involved in the agricultural issues affecting the development of agriculture in their respective municipalities.

The workshop aimed at identifying last year’s problems and be able to come up with strategic planning that prohibit the reoccurrence of same problems this year.

“Strategic planning involves reflecting on what we want the sector to look like in the future and planning how to get there,” said Brigida Tanagonan, Provincial Planning and Development Officer (PPDO).

Participants were encouraged to identify key drivers for changed in the sector that will surely improve the welfare of the farmers and uplift their quality of life.

Abeleno Rico, MAO Kauswagan Lanao del Norte suggested that the plans and projects for the agricultural division should synchronized with the comprehensive development plan of the municipalities.

The workshop concluded with the presentation of outputs by each municipality with the following consolidated reports: at the year 2013 there should be an integrated processing plant facilities for rice and corn, integrated processing plant facilities for high value commercial crops, increase productivity, establishment processing facilities and assessment and utilization under coco area. (ARMS/PIO-LDN)


Haribon troops, civil society groups start poll mess clean-up

Islamic City of Marawi (17 May) – Soldiers under the army’s 103rd (Haribon) Brigade and members of civil society groups here started cleaning-up the mess left behind by candidates during the first-ever automated national and local elections.

With the theme, “Kawal at Mamamayan, Nagkaisa Para sa Kalinisan,” the clean-up drive is initiated by the 103rd brigade and the civil society groups to bring back orderliness in the different parts of the city and the province.

BGen. Rey C. Ardo, 103rd Brigade Commanding Officer, said he directed his troops to remove election posters, streamers, stickers and other campaign paraphernalia left posted along the major roads in their area of responsibility.

The operation also includes tidying-up all the poster-plastered walls, trees, and electric posts.

He added that the cleanliness drive is a continuing operation until the election is over. (Apipa P. Bagumbaran / PIA-Marawi)


Comelec proclaims poll winners in Lanao del Sur

Islamic City of Marawi (17 May) – The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) here proclaimed more winners in Lanao del Sur amid slow canvassing in the province.

Re-electionists Marawi City Mayor Fahad U. Salic and Vice-Mayor Noryasmin A. Calandada dominated the elections in the city level.

Salic won with 34,234 votes or 66.65% of the total votes compared with his major rival Abbas Basman with 16,918 votes or 32.94%. Calandada, on the other hand, beat four vice-mayoralty candidates with 55.55% of the total votes or 27,186 votes.

Both winners were from the Nacionalista Party.

Moreover, the Provincial Board of Canvassers chaired by Atty. Josllyn Demesa also revealed that they have proclaimed winners in 26 municipalities of Lanao del Sur.

These towns are Poona-Bayabao, Madalum, Madamba, Ganassi, Pualas, Lumbatan, Lumabayanague, Balabagan, Tamparan, Taraka, Marantao, Mulondo, Wao, Bumbaran, Bacolod-Kalawi, Butig, Malabang, Ditsaan-Ramain, Piagapo, Kapatagan, Bubong and Pagayawan. (Apipa P. Bagumbaran / PIA-Marawi)


No final schedule yet for the special elections in Lanao Sur—Comelec

Islamic City of Marawi (17 May) – The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) here in Lanao del Sur disclosed that no final date was set for the conduct of special elections in some part of the province.

Acting Provincial Election Supervisor Atty Josllyn Demesa said that they are waiting for the instructions from their head office on the date of special elections in the province.

As of yesterday, we have canvassed 70% and hopefully we will be done canvassing today the returns from the municipalities which functioned, Demesa said.

After this, we will probably suspend and wait until there will be elections in the municipalities where there was failure of elections, she added.

Earlier, the Provincial COMELEC reported that there was failure of elections in seven (7) towns and twenty three (23) barangays in Lanao del Sur.

These towns are Lumba-Bayabao and Masiu in the first district as well as Tubaran, Bayang, Sultan Dumalondong, Marogong, and Lumbaca-Unayan in the second district.

On the other hand, 10 barangays in Kapai, five (5) in Calanogas, two (2) in Tugaya, four (4) in Ganassi, and two (2) in Marantao did not functioned.

The acting PES said that failure in one (1) town was due to malfunction of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine and compact flash cards (CFCs) while the other six (6) towns have no election officers (EOs) and board of election inspectors (BEIs).

Demesa further revealed that the total registered voters for the seven towns is 68,687 while the 23 barangays has 9,303 registered voters. (Apipa P. Bagumbaran / PIA-Marawi)


Feature: Hard work pays off

Malaybalay City, Bukidnon—Felix Pabulayan Cordero started too early in his life. When he was 17, he became the breadwinner for a family of 11. His father Federico who was sickly that time had to give him the responsibility of taking care of the whole brood on his shoulders. As a dutiful son, he cannot do otherwise but to accept his fate.

During school breaks, Felix was out working in the fields. Likewise, summer is not playtime for him. Unlike the other kids who gallivant around, this was the time when he joined the working men in the field cutting sugar canes, fertilizing the crops and whatever work that can give him income.

After high school graduation, the more he persevered because his family depended so much on him. Aside from the family’s basic needs, he had to support his older brother who was at that time studying at Negros Occidental Agricultural College taking Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. There was also other siblings’ education to attend to. Practically, it was all work and no play for him.

In 1980, Felix joined the group of young men who sought greener pasture in Bukidnon. From far away Pinaginpinan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, these sakadas came to harvest canes in Bukidnon. That time, Bukidnon was just starting out with the crop. Thus, harvest was plentiful but their earning can only peg at P300 to P400 per week. Everything he earned was sent back home to support the family. Work included cutting, hauling and piling of canes that was real manual labor notwithstanding the searing heat of the sun.

When harvest season was over, some of the men went back to Negros but Felix decided to remain to try his luck in Bukidnon. Work just came after the other. There was time when he went to work in Quezon in the Montalban Farm earning him P1,200 per month. To earn extra income, they narrowed down the number of working men to four instead of six. Looking back, Felix can only laugh and say, “That was the worst time in my life when I had to turn the nights into days. I was very bony then.”

After Montalban came the Rang-ay, Fortich and GAMCor Farms where he was utilized as an all-around farm-laborer. This was the time then that he met his future wife, Raquel, who was also working as farm help doing weeding in sugar plantations. But, as they started to build a home, GAMCOR Farms where they both worked shut down. Fortunately, they had saved as much as P2,000 which enabled them to buy the rights of a small rice land measuring more or less 0.7 hectare.

For Felix, it was a very big challenge to work on the rice land. It is good that his father-in-law, an Ilocano was at hand to teach him the basics of rice production.

Nevertheless, Felix had to admit that it was not a bed of roses after all. Based on his experience, rice production was more laborious compared to sugarcane. It entails more time in the farm and always on the lookout for possible pest and insect attacks. As a first time rice planter, he had to learn it by heart. One learning that he is very passionate about is the proper leveling of the rice bed to allow even distribution of water. In this way, weeds, shell and pests attacks are minimized.

He is proud to say that he yielded higher compared to other farmers in the area. Being a hard worker, he put all his effort, commitment and energy to make the land productive. In any way, the first harvest paid off his effort.

As they were building a family with three children in a row, so were they acquiring additional rice lands to augment their income. They were awarded 1.4 hectares of land under the Direct Payment Scheme (DPS) alongside, there were parcels of rice lands that they have also acquired. With this accumulation of lands, their harvest was aplenty that they decided to supply rice in the market. For two years, 200 cavans of milled rice were peddled twice in a week giving them additional earnings of P40,000 per week. Also, they acquired a market stall at Valencia City Public Market where their produce was sold in bulk and in retail.

Even with good fortune, the couple was firm to “save for the rainy days” as the old saying goes. It was their practice to put aside a portion of their net income. These savings were used for additional inputs, investments and resources. Right now, they cultivate more or less 20 hectares of rice and corn lands. Of the 20, Felix maintains 2 hectares where he personally worked on the farm. This where he applies his best practices learned since he became a rice farmer.

In 2005, they started to build their dream house with their own earnings. Standing tall, the house, which was built in two years, roughly costs more than P3 million out from their own savings. Their two children Jocelyn and Jessie had finished their college degrees. The third child, Eliezer, took a two-year vocational course and is actively helping farm chores and in their rice marketing.

Felix is an accomplished man in his own right. He is a barangay kagawad who serve well his constituents. He is one of the farmers tapped by the Department of Agriculture to produce certified seeds. This is one proof that he is reliable and can be trusted.

As a family man, he beams with pride talking that he bought each of them life and health insurance. Jokingly, he says, that his family can afford to be sick. He is also a big brother to his kin. In fact, when they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on April 21, 2010, the whole clan was there to join them in their happiness and success. (Rosario V. Medrano/DAR)