Friday, March 8, 2013

Reg 10 reforests 13,000 ha in 2012

By Peri Madridano

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, March 6 (PIA) -- Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 10 reported that in 2012 the region planted 13,855 hectares (ha) of public lands to include mangrove forests, riverbank rehabilitation, and urban greening. 

The National Greening Program (NGP) of the Aquino administration is a vehicle of government to enhance the country’s forest stock to absorb carbon dioxide largely blamed for global warming. 

This massive forest rehabilitation program seeks to grow 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares nationwide from 2011 to 2016, said Ruth Tawantawan, DENR 10 regional executive director. 

He added that government agencies and institutions including local government units have provided support to the program not only in tree planting but also in the production of quality seedlings, mobilization of employees including students from Grade 5 to college level. 

“Our people’s organizations, particularly those from largely Community-Based Forest Management areas, are responsible in taking care of the seedlings planted by other participants since they are living in these areas. 

In a way, NGP has provided alternative livelihood activities for these marginalized upland and lowland households through seedling production and maintenance of newly-planted trees. 

In turn they are included in the Conditional Cash Transfer Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development,” Tawantawan said. 

The reforestation and tree growing in 2012 covered 13,855 hectares entailed almost seven million of forest and fruit tree seedlings, disclosed Agustilo Obsioma, regional technical director of the Forest Management Services. 

Obsioma added that this regional accomplishment was made possible by 31,234 volunteers coming from all sectors who wanted to pitch in the restoration of our dwindling forest cover. 

He clarified that as part of the convergence initiative of the departments of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, half of the tree planted constituted forest tree species intended for timber production and protection while the remaining half was composed of agroforestry species. 

It can be recalled that on February 24, 2011 President Benigno Aquino issued Executive Order No. 26 declaring the implementation of the National Greening Program as a government priority program to reduce poverty, promote food security, environmental stability and biodiversity conservation and enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation. 

Areas eligible for rehabilitation under the program include all lands of the public domain. Specifically, these include forest lands, mangrove and protected areas, ancestral domains, civil and military reservation, urban greening areas, inactive and abandoned mine sites and other suitable lands. (RPAO/Peri Madridano/PIA 10)


Marawi City kids win regional eliminations of Metrobank Math Challenge

By Apipa P. Bagumbaran

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, March 7 (PIA) -- Four kids from the Marawi City School Division topped the recently concluded Metrobank Math Challenge 2013 regional eliminations. 

Siddiykh Goling, Majit Rasul Macaalia, Ishihaya Magumpara and Moh’d Yusoph Marohom bested other math-enthusiasts from the nine participating Schools Division in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). 

Goling and Macaalia won in the Team Category for the Fourth Year level while Magumpara and Marohom emerged as winners in the same category for the Grade Six level. 

Goling and Magumpara also won as regional champions in the Individual Category for Fourth Year and Grade Six levels, respectively. 

The Metrobank Math Challenge is an annual competition that aims to awaken greater interest in Mathematics among elementary and high school students, as well as, to discover Mathematical talents among the youth. 

The competition also serves as a venue for young Math-enthusiasts to enhance their skills in Mathematics. 

The regional elimination was conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd) in the ARMM in partnership with Metrobank Foundation, Inc. and Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines (MTAP). 

The Math challenge regional winners will represent ARMM in the national finals. (DepEd-ARMM/APB/PIA10)


Private security agencies may field their own guards with VIP-related trainings
By: Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental, Mar. 7 (PIA) – Private security agencies may deploy their security guards as protection agents, as long as they have undergone the equivalent /related trainings for protecting Very Important Persons (VIP) as certified by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) came up with this ruling after a meeting of the Committee on Ban on Firearms and Security Protection (CBFSP) with the Philippine National Police (PNP), shortly after the election period started the other month.

Commissioner Elias R. Yusoph, CBFSP Chairman said the PNP, in that meeting, expressed concern that there may not be enough protective agents who have undergone the required VIP training who will act as bodyguards for those who will be granted authority to employ, avail or engage security personnel and bodyguard.

Hence, the ruling that in cases where there are not enough protective agents who have completed the required Very Important Person (VIP) training course who will act as security details or security guards, the private security agents can deploy their own security guards for the purpose.

Meanwhile, Yusoph said, the Regional Election Directors, in a separate meeting,
expressed alarm that there will be private corporations such as banks and other business establishments which will be in danger of being put in jeopardy as the security agencies which were engaged by these corporations to provide for their security have not yet been granted the required authority to bear, carry or transport firearms or other deadly weapons by the CBFSP.

Relative to this, the CBFSP has authorized the Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) to receive applications from privately-owned or operated security, investigate, protective or intelligence agencies within the jurisdiction for authority to bear, carry or transport firearms, or other deadly weapons, pursuant to Section 4 (c), of Resolution No. 9561-A.

It has also authorized the RJSCC to issue a Temporary Certificate of Authority to said private agencies, to be effective only for a non-extendible period of 30 days , subject to its confirmation.

On the other hand, any authority that will be later on granted by the CBFSP will retroact to the date of filing of the application of said security, investigative, protective or intelligence agency with the RJSCC. (RCAguhob/PIA10-Misamis Occidental)


Comelec sets Feb. 1-April 15 for submission of application for media accreditation
By: Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental, Mar. 7 (PIA) – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set the period Feb. 1-April 15, 2013 for the submission of applications for media accreditations relative to the May 13, 2013, national and local elections.

Upon accreditation, media representatives shall be issued media cards which should be personally claimed and strictly non-transferrable and worn prominently, whenever covering or observing a Comelec or electoral event, Atty. Stalin A. Baguio, Provincial Election Supervisor (PES) of Misamis Occidental, said.

Meanwhile, Comelec Resolution 9649 provides that duly accredited domestic and foreign media shall be allowed maximum access to all stages of the electoral process, subject only to conditions essential for the protection of Comelec personnel, property, and privileged information.

As such, the following rules of conduct shall be observed by the media representatives: Not more than three (3) media representatives shall be allowed inside the polling places at any one time.

Upon entering the polling places, media representatives shall immediately introduce themselves to the members of the Board of Elections Inspectors (BEI) by presenting their Media Cards.

On the other hand, any media representative, found to be engaging in unprofessional activities deemed disruptive of the conduct of voting or canvassing, such as, conducting interviews inside the polling place or canvassing center shall have their Media Cards immediately revoked.

It also includes engaging in partisan political activities and distributing campaign materials and any behavior intended to unduly influence the choice of voters, such as, but not limited to, directly trying to sway the voter or speaking for or against a candidate.

Application forms for accreditation may be downloaded from the Comelec website: http://www.comelec.gov.ph and at the website of the Comelec Education, Information Department (Comelec-EID), http://www.comelec.wordpress.com.

Approval of applications for accreditation shall be granted by the Chairman of the Comelec, through the Director of the Comelec EID, Manila, in case of the national media and at the Office of the PES, in the case of the local media. (RCAguhob/PIA10-Misamis Occidental)


DOLE-RCC holds discussion on wage reform

By Apipa P. Bagumbaran

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, March 6 (PIA) -- A maiden public discussion on the wage reform geared towards the Two Tiered Wage System (TTWS) was conducted last March 4 at the DOLE-X WODP Training Center, here. 

The activity was part of the continuing education and orientation on the different programs and services of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) in Northern Mindanao. 

The discussion, attended by 12 media groups in the region, started with the current policy and practice of wage fixing under Republic Act 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act. 

The TTWS as a strategic shift in the approach of implementing the existing policy and not a deviation was highlighted during the discussion. 

It can be gleaned that the current wage fixing is challenged by its competing goals vis-a-vis intended outcomes based on DOLE’s vision/mission of affording decent standard of living for all workers and his family, among others which still need improvement. 

According to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in the region, the coverage of wage orders exclude the informal sector which comprise 92 percent of the total workforce implies that this huge sector do not have adequate in law. The current system also encroaches on the collective bargaining while enforcement rate is recorded below its target of 85 percent. 

Further, there are unintended results such as slight acceleration of inflation, displacements/unemployment or closure of businesses, blossoming informal sector and others, which scenarios gave rise to this TTWS wage reform. 

The TTWS thus envisions to protect the rights of the hapless workers that would allow them to take active part in policy making, enhance tripartite cooperation thereby promoting industrial peace, and ensure social protection to all workers including the informal sector. 

It is an institutional response of the DOLE to the 22-point agenda on labor and employment of the Aquino administration. (RTWPB-X/APB/PIA10)

No comments: