US Embassy to host election watch program in Cagayan de Oro

By Jorie C. Valcorza

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Nov 4 (PIA) -- The US Embassy will hold the 2012 US Election Watch Program in the city next week.

The program will feature a live feed of CNN election coverage on a giant TV screen, performances by selected university students during commercial breaks, and talks and trivia contests about US elections led by Embassy officials.

Yoly de Guzman of the US Embassy Public Affairs Office said guests will have the opportunity to participate in a mock US election by casting their ballots at polling booths.

The event is in partnership with Xavier University- Ateneo de Cagayan, which will play host during the event set on Wednesday next week. (JCV-PIA10)

Region 10 League of PESO managers hold assessment on Dec. 3-5

By Rutchie C. Aguhob

OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental, Nov. 4 (PIA) -- The League of Public Employment Services Office (PESO) Managers of Region 10 will hold its Year-End Performance Assessment (YEPA) on December 3-5, 2012 at Midway Resort, Initao, Misamis Oriental.

The three-day activity will assess the performance of the PESO for 2012 compared to its targets and identify gaps/factors that facilitate and/or hinder the delivery of its services and programs.

It will also thresh out issues and problems in the implementation of the PESO services and programs and formulate recommendations and actions to be taken to solve it.

Learning sessions on some important topics related to employment are also included in this activity, lawyer Johnson G. Caňete, regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), said.

Meanwhile, Robles Jose Robles, director of DOLE-Misamis Oriental, said the activity will be attended by PESO managers and chairpersons of the Committee on Labor of local government units (LGUs) expected to take part actively in the above-mentioned activity.

Formulation of an action plan per city/municipality will be the final output of the YEPA, considering the significant role that the PESO play in the area of employment facilitation and generation in their respective localities.

Robles said the assessment is also open with other partners like the academe sector, Guidance Counselor/Network 10, NGO sector and private recruitment agencies aiming to move as one in promoting employment and livelihood in the region. (RCA-PIA10, Misamis Occidental)

LGU Ozamiz to strictly implement National Building Code

 OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental, Nov. 3 (PIA) – The local government has taken steps to strengthen implementation of Presidential Decree No. 1096, otherwise known as the National Building Code of the Philippines.

This, as the City Engineer’s Office has acted on the concern on the numerous wiring installations mounted by the different utility service providers, on the electric posts owned by the Misamis Occidental Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MOELCI II) located in the urban areas of the city, as well as, the diggings done by the Misamis Occidental Water District (MOWD).

Mostly communication-related companies, these utility providers include the Fil-Products, MIsamis Cable, Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Co., Bayan Tel., City Engineer Romeo Cabrera said.

Last month, the City Council has called Engr. Cabrera to explain the proposed ordinance he submitted two (2) years ago, which was aimed to control the “spaghetti-like” wiring installations, the diggings on the roadside for the water pipes and other civil works, both for public and private use.

Meanwhile, Cabrera has asked the above-mentioned companies to submit their plans for improvements to see if they conform with the standard requirements set by PD 1095, such as, the 7.5 meter-high installation of cable wires, specially for those installed across the streets.

Aside from giving an “eye-sore” to the residents because of these indiscriminate wiring installations, these companies also failed to give an income to the LGU as required by the National Code, Cabrera said.

As of this writing, however, not one of the companies has submitted their plans for improvement. Thus, Cabrera has reminded them to comply with this national law or pay the required penalties for not complying with it. (Juvy L. Canumay/RCAguhob/ PIA10-Misamis Occidental)

DepEd to administer PEPT on Nov. 25

By Rutchie C. Aguhob

OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental, Nov. 1 (PIA) – The Department of Education (DepEd) will administer the Philippine Education Placement Test (PEPT) in Mindanao on November 25, 2012.

The PEPT will be administered through the National Education Testing and Research Center (NETRC) in Luzon on November 18, 2012, a Sunday and in the Visayas and Mindanao areas on November 25, 2012, also a Sunday, per DepEd Order No. 26, s. of 2012.

A battery of academic tests, the PEPT is used to assess knowledge, skills and work experience acquired by school drop-outs or out-of-school youths (OSY’s), school leavers and over-aged in-school youths (ISY’s), which are credited for academic equivalency.

Likewise, the PEPT aims to determine the grade level placement of the OSY’s to encourage them to avail of learning modules prepared by the Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS), Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) and Bureau of Secondary Education (BSE) or any other learning resources available at the division.

These would then enable them to upgrade their academic level for re-entry into formal school, job entry, job promotion, and self fulfillment, Misamis Occidental Schools Division (MOSD) Superintendent Jonathan S. Dela Peňa said.

Qualified to take the PEPT are children and youth whose grade/year level and prescribed age are as follows:

No formal schooling, at least seven (7) years old, Grade I, eight (8) yrs. old, Grade II, nine (9) yrs. old, Grade III, ten (1) yrs. old, Grade IV, 11 yrs. old, Grade V, 12 yrs. old, Grade VI, 13 yrs. old, First Year, 14 yrs. old, Second Year, 15 yrs. old and Third Year, 16 yrs. old.

In Misamis Occidental, the Division Testing Coordinator will take charge of the evaluation of the documents and will see to it that documentary requirements of each registrant is complete, specifically, Forms 137 and 138, birth certificate and two (2) 1 x 1 pictures, Dela Peňa said.

Last June 12, during the commemoration of the 114th celebration of the Philippine Independence, DepEd also administered the PEPT, nationwide, for free, as it is consistent with the goals of Education for All (EFA), Dela Peňa added. (RCAguhob/PIA10-Misamis Occidental)

Camiguin markets new lanzones variety

By Jorie C. Valcorza

MAMBAJAO, Camiguin, Nov 3 (PIA) –- This island province is synonymous to sweet lanzones. It's October festivities center on this lucrative industry. After years of study to better improve the shelf life of its renowned fruit, the island now starts introducing a new variety called “camlong" or the Camiguin longkong lanzones.

The camlong is a cross breed of the local variety and longkong - a variety usually grown in Thailand and Indonesia.

Longkong is described to be almost seedless and with a skin or peel that has almost no latex.

Camiguin Governor Jurdin Jesus M. Romualso said that for seven years, they had been doing studies to produce the camlong variety.

“We tried mixing both because locally grown lanzones fruits usually change its color four days after harvest, although its sweetness and taste remain superb,” Romualdo said.

With the new variety, the island now produces not only very sweet lanzones, but has longer shelf life as well.

The provincial government runs its own nursery and produces this variety in Mahinog town.

Guests and visitors in the recently concluded Buahanan Festival (Lanzones Festival) which was celebrated in the island last week, got the chance to visit the demo farm and eat as many lanzones they could gather straight from its branches.

For the tourist, nothing is more fun and exciting than picking and enjoying the fruit straight from the tree.

Inviting as it may, unfortunately, lanzones is a seasonal crop. It produces fruits only in late September to early November. (PIA 10)

MindaComNet to hold communicators’ congress, Nov. 28-30

By Rutchie C. Aguhob

OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental, Nov2 (PIA) -- The Mindanao Communicators Network, Inc. (MindaComNet) will hold a communicators’ congress and workshop on November 28-30 at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao City.

This year’s congress theme is “Communicating Mindanao’s Opportunities and Best Practices.”

MindaComNet is an organization of government public information and relations officers of national government agencies (NGAs), government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), government financial institutions (GFIs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and local government units (LGUs) in Mindanao.

The congress will be held by MindaComNet, in cooperation with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Mindanao Clusters, Director Efren Elbanbuena of the PIA said. (RCA-PIA10, Misamis Occidental)