PIA-10

ARMM govt renews commitment to implement reform agenda, holds strategic planning workshop

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 22 -- In line with its goal of pursuing the reform initiatives anchored on the three key pillars of good governance, peace and security and socio-economic development, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao held a strategic planning workshop at the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) in Tagaytay City from July 19-21, this year.

Around 150 regional officials and key representatives from the civil society groups have attended the three-day planning aimed at enhancing the culture of results-oriented performance and effective and efficient planning.

Sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the strategic planning was facilitated by DAP, an institution tasked to assist in the country’s development efforts.

ARMM Regional Vice Governor Haroun Al Rashid Lucman, in his opening message, said that DAP has been an active conduit of the regional government in terms of capacity-building.

“Since the election of Hataman, the two institutions also worked together in the marathon selection process for Cabinet positions and other executive posts in the region last June 29 to July 1, 2013,” Lucman said.

For his part, DAP President Antonio D. Kalaw Jr said it is not the first time that the institution is working with ARMM.

The revitalization of DAP’s involvement in ARMM happened under the watch of the Hon. Mujiv Hataman. Early on in his appointment as OIC-Regional Governor in December 2011, the Academy provided transition management assistance to his transition team.

Kalaw said that in July 2012, the Japan International Cooperation Agency also invited them to facilitate the Project Formulation Workshop for the ARMM Human Capacity Development Program.

“We all know that the next two-and-a-half years are crucial for the region. In light of the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the ARMM Regional Government has the daunting task of expanding and deepening the reforms it has initiated while preparing the ground for a smooth transition to the Bangsamoro entity,” said Kalaw.

Meanwhile, ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman underscored the importance of preparing the regional government for the new Bangsamoro entity.

“Our vision from the very start is to have a functioning regional government that is responsive to the needs of our people,” he said.

“All of our efforts today are geared towards having a more progressive and peaceful Bangsamoro,” Hataman added.

At the end of the three-day planning workshop, participants are expected to produce the following outputs: Development of convergence programs for 2013, and specific department commitments to purport the reform agenda of the ARMM government. (BPI-ARMM)

Misamis Occidental MSME’s avail of DTI’s SSF Project

By Rutchie C. Aguhob

OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental, July 22 (PIA) -- At least three out of more than 10 projects in Misamis Occidental are now in the pipeline to avail of the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) Project of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The SSF is actually a loan facility worth P700 million, nationwide, for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s) to be used in buying machinery and equipment for common use of beneficiaries, not only to improve the quality but also the volume of their production, DTI Provincial Director Delia M. Ayano said.

Of this amount, P40 million have been allocated for Northern Mindanao, which is expected to answer MSME’s needs for additional machinery and equipment to expand their business.

A business is considered micro if its asset size do not exceed P3 million, small, if above P3 million but do not exceed P15 million and medium, if above P15 million but do not exceed P100 million.

In pursuit of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s vision of “walang iwanan” (no one should be left behind) but to involve everybody in achieving inclusive growth, the SSF is open only to cooperatives, foundations and groups that are considered MSME’s and not to particular individuals, Ayano said.

Industries eligible for the SSF include the raw materials supply chain, processed tropical fruits, processed fish/marine products, leveraging industries supply chain, support industries and other agri-based industries.

Meanwhile, three of these SSF projects in Misamis Occidental included the Establishment of Bamboo Nodes in District I worth P277,000, and the Establishment of Bamboo Poles in District 2 worth P357,000, both of the Petals Foundation, Inc., which is into bamboo furniture-making, and abaca and banana chips production.

The other one is the Establishment of a Coconut Twine and Weaving worth P998,000, of the Tudela Government Employees Organization (TUGEMO) which is into the development of coconut waste products like coco coir, among others.

Earlier, the DTI has called on the MSME’s to enlist at the SME Roving Academy (SMERA) where they can get the needed support and interventions in running their business, such as help in getting the necessary business permits, trainings in financial management and marketing studies, skills enhancement and loan facilitation, among others, from other SMERA partners.

These partners are Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)and Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). (RCAguhob/PIA10-Misamis Occidental)

SMEs get a “Big Push” from SSF project

By Jasper Marie Oblina-Rucat

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, July 22 (PIA) – The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) project of the Department of Trade and Industry in the region have received processing machines and equipment as “Big Push” to improve their quality and productivity.

The SSF project is the department’s initiative for SMEs to meet the challenges posed by the global economy, revealed Officer in Charge Linda Boniao of DTI region 10.

As one of the four pillars under the 2011-2016 Philippine Development Plan's (PDP) goal of poverty alleviation with inclusive growth, SSF aims to improve the quality and productivity of microenterprises and SMEs; addresses the gaps and bottlenecks in the value chain of priority industry clusters through the provision of processing machines/equipment for the common use of the MSMEs; envisions to benefit the MSMEs of the industry clusters in the target poorest 609 municipalities; and is a Public Private Partnership initiative which will be implemented through private sector partners who can provide sustainable facilities to house the machines/equipment.

She explained that this is also anchored on Industry Clustering as a key strategy for Microenterprises and SMEs development with focus on the following: market-driven production, convergence and collaboration among national government agencies, local government units and the private sector, and green industry for green economy.

In Northern Mindanao, SSF eligible industries or priority clusters include Raw Materials Supply Chain such as in Abaca, Bamboo, Coconut/ Coir; Processed Tropical Fruits like Pineapple and Clamansi; Processed Fish and Marine Products particularly Milkfish, Tuna and Seaweeds; Leveraging Industries Supply Chain such as Fashion Accessories, Gifts, Decors, Housewares, Wearables and Homestyles; Support Industries like Metals and Renewable Energy; and other Agri-based industries like Cacao, Dairy, Coffee, Organic Fertilizer and Processed Food.

In Misamis Oriental province, SSF granted the Misamis Oriental Multi-Fiber Cluster, Inc. (MOMCI) nine units of heavy-duty, high speed, single needle and lockstitch sewing machine to increase productivity and good quality products, achieve repeat orders from buyers and on-time delivery for their Hand bags Clutch bags Wallets Placemat Christmas Decors Table Runners Coin Purse.

On the other hand, the Camiguin Food Processors Association received two units of Vacuum Sealer to increase shelf life of processed food. Their products include Pastel, Tablea, Peanut Brittle, Ampao, Turrones De Mani, Calamansi Concentrate, Fruit –flavored pie, Spanish sardines and Dried fish / squid.

Director Boniao also explained that interested and priority industry cluster MSMEs must go to their respective DTI provinces to get assistance in the paperwork. Further, the department has set criteria prior to any approval of the SSF project. (JMOR/PIA10)

La Salle-Ozamiz to hold the “Run for a Priest 2013,” Aug. 3

By Rutchie C. Aguhob

OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental, July 21 (PIA) – The La Salle University (LSU) has embarked on a project dubbed “Run For A Priest,” this coming Aug. 3, Saturday, starting at 4:30 a.m. 

The project aims to raise funds for the scholarship of the seminarians of Blessed John Paul College Seminary and St. Mary’s Theologate in Gango, this city, who are currently enrolled in LSU, this school year.

Assembly area will be at the St. Columban grounds in LSU, Barangay Las Aguadas, with expected participants from the Lasallian faculty, staff, students, alumni, religious organizations, friends and the seminarians, themselves.

The event is also in honor of Father John Mary Vianney, the Patron of Parish Priests whose feast day falls on Aug. 4, Dr. Ana Maria Director, Office of Development and Alumni Relations (ODAR) of LSU, said.

Meanwhile, Ereňo said there will be two (2) categories of participants, during the event: 2K with prizes of P500, for 1st place and P200 for 2nd and 3rd place winners, each, and 3K with prizes of P700 for 1st place and P600 and 500 for 2nd and 3rd place winners, respectively.

The registration fees are as follows: Option A with jersey singlet (sando shirt) with sizes Extra Small and Small, P200, each, Medium, P250, Large, P300 and Extra Large, P350.

Option B without jersey singlet but with token, P30 for specialized and public schools, P50 for elementary and high school and P100 for the faculty and staff, college students, alumni, parents and friends.

On-site registration will be done at the LSU Arts Center on Aug. 3, while the pre-registration runs from July 1- Aug. 2. For more information, please call ODAR with contact no. 0917-329-0411. (RCAguhob/PIA10-Misamis Occidental)

Fisher folks embark on P2M coco sugar project

By Jorie C. Valcorza

MAMBAJAO, CAMIGUIN, July 19 (PIA) -- A P2-million worth community enterprise is now operating in the town of Guinsiliban to assist in raising the income of coastal dwellers and lessen dependency on fishing.

The Coco Sugar production is operated by the Guinsiliban Coconut Sap/Toddy Sugar Producer Association, with some 18 members coming from identified fisher folks and women’s association who are directly working on the project.

Members are tasked to gather coconut sap, locally known as “tuba”, at an average of three gallons per day, to be purchased by the association at a price of P40/gallon.

The enterprise also pays sugar processors/beneficiaries at a minimum monthly wage.

Evelyn T. Deguit, Camiguin Coastal Resource Management Project (CCRMP) Phase II Team Leader said it first started as a household-based production in Sitio Cabuan and later identified under its conservation-based enterprises project.

The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) likewise affirmed on the coco sugar’s big market potential.

With technical assistance and release of financial counterparts from various government agencies to include the PCA, Provincial/Municipal Local Government Unit (P/MLGU), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Skills Education (TESDA), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the community project takes off.

The CCRMP, on the other hand, take on thirty eight percent (38%) of the project cost in the amount of P 800,000, while the partner People’s Organization (PO) likewise added a P 252,000 counterpart.

The province is one of the few provinces to get funding from the New Zealand Agency for International Aid (NZAid), through the CCRMP project, which seeks to assists communities in establishing sustainable economic activities geared towards improving quality of life among coastal communities while seeking to improve the integrity and productivity of its coastal resources. (JCV/PIA)

LGU Ozamiz acts on plight of trafficked persons from the city

By Rutchie C. Aguhob

OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental, July 19 (PIA) -- The Ozamiz City Government has activated its Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) to extend livelihood to the victims of illegal recruitment from one of its barangays.

Mostly carpenters and drivers, 15 men and a pregnant woman, said to be the live-in partner of one of them, were recruited only through text by a certain “Abs,” who directed them to proceed to the Zamboanga City Wharf, last June 30.

The group left their abode in Barangay San Antonio, Ozamiz City, at 7 a.m., on the appointed day and boarded a bus toward Pagadian City, where they took a van that brought them to the said wharf at P500 per head.

They were to board a private cargo ship, MV Julemina, that would bring them to Bacongan Island in Palawan, where work awaited them, recounts one of the victims.

However, interviewers from the CIU of the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) Office learned that the person who texted them was a former resident of their barangay who made it big in Malaysia.

So, they surmised that the group were really headed for Malaysia and not for Palawan, the CIU-CSWD said, sensing that the group had withheld some information about the recruiter, the name of whom they never revealed.

Upon reaching Zamboanga Wharf, the said ship was still unloading its cargo, so the group waited in the vicinity until the unloading was over. However, after unloading, the ship was again reloading another set of cargoes, so the group continued waiting that lasted for three days and three nights.

Apparently alerted by the group’s encampment in the wharf, a team from the Zamboanga City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) escorted by the Crime Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police (CIDG-PNP) in the area came to their rescue.

They were then brought to the Processing Center for Displaced Persons (PCDP) in Zamboanga City, where they spent another three days and three nights.

After almost a week without provisions and without hearing from their recruiter, the group decided to contact their families, who in turn asked the help of the LGU, to raise the amount of more than P6,000, for their fare in coming back home to San Antonio.

Meanwhile, Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo O. Parojinog, Sr., said the LGU, through CIU-CSWD, have started to assess the skills, not only of the victims of illegal recruiters but also of their families for possible interventions in their livelihood.

City SWD Officer Ludie Salud A. Raras, said the victims have already undergone counseling and home visits will be done to determine, based on the Social Welfare Indicators (SWI), the level of assistance they need, whether it is survival, subsistence or if they are self-sufficient, so that the intervention from the LGU will not go to waste. (RCAguhob/PIA10-Misamis Occidental)

Normin execs embark crash course on local legislation

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, July 22 -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), region 10 will embark on a crash course on local legislation for the 304 neophyte city and municipal vice mayors and sanggunian bayan and panlungsod members in Northern Mindanao.

The course, titled Introduction to Local Legislation for Vice Mayors and Local Sanggunians, shall be held in two batches on July 30-31 and August 1-2, 2013 in Cagayan de Oro City.

The orientation aims to make the newly-elected executives and legislators in the region have a better and far reaching grasp of what it takes to be effective leaders, cited lawyer Rene K. Burdeos, Regional Director, DILG-10.

To enable these neophyte local officials acquire knowledge on their responsibilities and capacitate them in their legislative skills, the following topics will be discussed: Basics of Good Governance; Understanding LGUs: its Powers and Attributes; Powers, Duties and Functions of Vice Mayors and Sanggunian Bayan and Sanggunian Panlungsod; Sources of revenue, Roles of Sanggunian in Planning and Budgeting; Basics of Parliamentary Procedures, among others.

Last June 26, same course was given to neophyte city and municipal mayors of the region held at DILG-10 Conference Room. (Rochelle D. Dagang/DILG/PIA10)

Regional body to hold DRRM confab for LCEs in Northern Mindanao

By Elaine O. Ratunil

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, July 22 -- The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), region 10 will lead a three-day Regional Summit on DRRM for local chief executives (LCEs) this July 23-25 here.

The summit aims to enhance the DRRM capabilities of the 98 LCEs especially in the terms of implementation of Republic Act 10121, the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, said Ana C. Cañeda, RDRRMC 10 Chairperson and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) 10 Regional Director.

Likewise, Cañeda said the summit is in compliance to one of the directives of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III after Typhoon “Pablo.” Calling for a conference where LCEs would discuss DRRM actions and tools as well as specify their respective roles and responsibilities for the efficient and effective delivery of government DRRM services.

She further said it also aims to define mechanism to achieve transparency and accountability of DRRM resources.

Aside from LCEs from different provinces, cities and towns of northern Mindanao, the council also invited the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer (LDRRMO) and the Local Planning and Development Coordinator to participate in the summit, said Cañeda.

The event is one of the major highlight in the observance of this year’s National Disaster Consciousness Month with the theme “Ligtas na Bayan, Maunlad na Pamayanan.”

Cañeda said the summit will serve as a venue to identify and highlight the role and responsibilities of LCEs in DRRM; acquire knowledge on local DRRM planning, tools and protocols; learn from experience and challenges of selected LDRRMCs and to affirm commitment to DRRM action.

On the first day, among the topics to be discussed include: Early Warning System; Earthquake and Tsunami alert information; Public Storm and Rainfall Warning Signals; Project NOAH; Hazard Assessment; Mainstreaming of Climate Change Adaptation and into the Comprehensive Land Use Plan; Incidence Command System; Operation Centers Standard Operating Procedures; Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis; Management of Evacuation Center; and Post Disaster Needs Assessment.

For July 24, selected LGUs will share their DRRM learning experience and challenges. Representative from Civil Service Commission (CSC) will discuss the establishment of local DRRM office and appointment of Local DRRMC and filling up of plantilla position. Department of Budget and Management (DBM) representative will discuss the salient features of joint memorandum circular No. 2013-1 on the allocation and utilization of LDRRM fund.

On the third day of the summit, the participating LCEs will review its significant roles and responsibilities in DRRM and will sign in the declaration of commitment to DRRM action. (OCD/PIA-10)