Dipolog readies for 5th World Autism Day celebration

by Franklin P. Gumapon

DIPOLOG CITY, March 31 (PIA) - - In support of the 5^th World Autism Day celebration on April 2, the city government here through the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) has lined certain activities to be participated in by children with special needs.

City Social Welfare and Development Officer Nelson Ladera bared that his office is going to hold a talent show for autistic children to show off their talents in singing, dancing and others. There will also be an art workshop to be facilitated by the Ta Glibon Ini Lady Art Collective, a group of lady artists in the city.

A parents’ assembly will also be held on that day to be capped by an exhibit of art works by autistic children.

The city government led by Mayor Evelyn T. Uy has extended its full support to affording the children with special needs certain activities and training that lead to the discovery and development of their individual talents and skills. (FP/PIA-Zamboanga del Norte)

TESDA chief confirms voc-tech graduates in Zambo. Norte

by Franklin P. Gumapon

DIPOLOG CITY, March 31 (PIA) – Some 700 graduates of vocational and technical courses offered by certain schools here and in Dapitan City have been personally confirmed yesterday by Secretary Joel Villanueva, director-general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

These graduates took up short-term vocational courses such as automotive mechanic, hair dressing, beauty care and others.

Villanueva came here on invitation of Zamboanga del Norte first district representative Seth Frederick P. Jalosjos who was responsible for providing a funding for a free vocational training to the beneficiaries.

In yesterday’s press conference, Villanueva was happy to announce that TESDA is now ISO (International Standard Organization)-certified, making it the only education agency among the government certifying agencies to be such an award.

ISO-certified organizations are organizations that have met the requirements of ISO 9011, which is an internationally recognized quality management standard involving quality management system (QMS).

It can be recalled that TESDA enrolled in two major programs for certification in January 2010, namely, Technical Vocational Education and Training programs registration and competency assessment and certification.

Villanueva said the ISO certification makes TESDA at par with other international educational institutions providing the same skills development services. (FPG/PIA-Zamboanga del Norte)

Malakanyang misiguro sa publiko, crime rate miubos

ni Alfonso T. Ruda

DIPOLOG CITY, MARCH 31(PIA)---Gipasalig sa Malakanyang nga duna pa gihapoy hingpit nga pagsalig si Presidente Benigno Aquino III sa Philippine National Police taliwala sa nagpanghitabong krimen niining ulahing mga adlaw uban ang pag-ingon nga miubos ang gidaghanon sa nahitabong krimen sa nasod.

Sa iyang pag-atubang sa mga tigbalita sa palasyo, gipahayag ni Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, nga bug-os pa gihapon ang pagsalig ni Presidente Aquino kang PNP Chief Director-General Nicanor Bartolome ug sa kinatibuk-ang liderato sa PNP.

Gibutyag usab ni Lacierda nga base sa record sa PNP ug sa Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG),  miubos ang gidaghanon sa krimen nga nahitabo sa nasod.

Midugang pa ang opisyal, nga na-highlight lang ang mga high-profiled cases sa mga balita maoy hinungdan nga nakamugna kini ug dakong epekto sa katawhan.

“Ang matuod nga sitwasyon nga miubos ang crime rate… base sa istatistika, miubos ang crime rate u gang problema lang kay na-highlight ang mga high-profiled sa media, apan kon tan-awon  ang record sa PNP ug DILG, ang istatistika sa index crimes miubos sa tuig-sa-tuig nga basehan ug mao kana ang basehan sa pahayag kon nganong kanunay namong bibalik-balik nga miubos ang insidente sa krimen,” matod pa ni Lacierda.(ATR/PCOO/PIA9-Zambo Norte)  

Malakanyang nag-awhag sa tanan pagsalmot sa pagsaulog sa Earth Hour

ni Alfonso T. Ruda

DIPOLOG CITY, MARCH 31PIA)--- Gi-awhag karon sa Malakanyang ang tanan nga mosalmot ug mahimong tipik sa kalibutanong pagpaningkamot nga makuhaan ang epekto sa kausaban sa klima pinaagi sa pagpalong sa ilang sugang dagitab sulod sa usa ka takna.

Uban niini, nanawagan usab ang Malakanyang sa padayong pagpadas-og sa mga programang magkonserbar ug manalipod sa atong palibot.

Ang panawagan gipalanog sa tigpamaba sa Malakanyang nga si Edwin Lacierda sa gipahigayong press briefing dungan sa pagsaulog sa Earth Hour-usa ka kalibutanong kalihokan nga nagtumong pagsalbar sa atong palibot ug kinaiyahan.

Alang karong tuiga, tumong sa nasod nga malabwan ang record-breaking participation niini sa Earth Hour sa miaging tuig, usa ka world-wide power-off campaign nga nagtumong nga makuhaan ang epekto sa kausaban sa klima.

Kini pagahimoon gikan alas 8:30 ngadto sa alas 9:30 ang takna sa kagabhion karong gabii.

Ang Earth Hour nag-inusarang gisugdan sa siyudad sa Sydney, Australia niadtong 2007 ug nahimong kalibutanong kalihokan pagka-2008.

Sukad niadto, ang kalihokan gisalmotan na sa 1.8 ka bilyon ka mga tawo gikan  sa 135 ka mga nasod.

Atol sa ika-lima ka tuig nga pagsalmot sa nasod sa Earth Hour, gibana-banang nakadaginot kini ug gikan 500 ngadto sa 600 ka megawatt nga kuryente.

Niadtong 2011, ang Earth Hour Philippines nga nagsugod sa kampanya ug  naghimo sa selebrasyon sa Earth Hour ug kapin sa usa ka oras nagdasig sa katawhan nga ipadayon ang pagpaningkamot nga mahimong tibuok-tuig na kining kalihokan.

Nagkalain-laing programa nga nagtumong paghatag ug edukasyon sa ang gipasiugdahan aron pagsabwag ug impormasyon may kalabutan sa epekto sa kausaban sa klima.   

Sukwahi sa nahimong kalihokan sa miaging tuig diin ang tanang kalihokan gipahigayon lamang sa Metro Manila, ang Earth Hour karong tuiga pagahimoon na pinaagi sa simultaneous switch-off ceremonies sa dakbayan sa Cebu, Davao ug Makati.(ATR/PCOO/PIA9-Zambo Norte)

DAR briefs ZaNorte mayors on ARCP2’s multi-million rural infra projects

by Anjanette V. Nemiaga

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Mar 30 (PIA) – Zamboanga del Norte mayors recently underwent an orientation on the Agrarian Reform Communities Project 2 (ARCP2) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)-ZaNorte in a local hotel of Dipolog City.

Director Homer P. Tobias, ARCP2 National Project Coordinator from the National Project Coordinating Office discussed with the different city and municipal Mayors, Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators (MPDCs) and the Municipal Engineers (MEs), under ARCP2,  the direction of the project for 2012 and the enhanced service standards for the sub-project implementation. He stressed that the project’s service standard is: “Mas pinadali, mas pinabilis at mas pinagaan.”

Director Tobias also emphasized during the briefing the guidelines on Performance Based Grant System (PBGS) and the National Government Assistance to Local Government Units (NGALGU). He also presented the summary of approved sub-projects and those for approval wherein the total project cost for approval for the month of March amounts to Ph300-400 million nationwide.

As of press time, Zamboanga del Norte has already six (6) approved sub-projects (SPs) amounting to Ph7.9 million, has 29 SPs pipeline for approval amounting to Ph76.9 million, and has 51 SPs, which is currently on its on-going preparation of documents with detailed engineering stage with a total project cost of Ph155.6 million.

The DAR-ARCP2 Zamboanga del Norte covers 19 Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) with13 municipalities and 2 cities. The project has four program components to include:  the Community-Driven Development (CDD) - building the capacities of farmers, ARC organizations and LGUs; the Agriculture and Enterprise Development (AED) – enhancing productivity, creating opportunities and wealth; the Rural Infrastructure (RI) - linking farms to markets, improving access to services; and the Project Implementation Management (PIM) – ensuring efficiency and sound development management.

The project’s goal is for farmers to access productivity and enhancing interventions and for them to engage in agribusiness and sustainable livelihood (viable and sustainable people’s business organization), thus, contributing to the government’s effort in reducing poverty.

This project is in consonance with DAR’s thrust to continually deliver intensive support services to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and other farmers in the different ARCs. This is through the implementation of foreign-assisted projects (FAPs) where it provides a package of intervention to ensure productivity of awarded lands resulting in increased household incomes and improved socio-economic standing of the ARBs.

  

Also present during the said affair were Floripes V. Lagutin, Regional Lead Coordinator, PARO I Moh. Dassan J. Adju, Asst. Provincial Project Manager, Raul J. Sy, Over-all Technical Coordinator, and the ARCP2 provincial project office staff. (DARZN/RVC-PIA-9 ZBST)

March 31, is barangay assembly day

by Claro A. Lanipa

Pagadian City, Mar 30 (PIA) –   Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 342, the last Saturday of March  and the third Sunday of October have been designated as Barangay Assembly Day. For this year, it’s March 31 and October 28 respectively.

The proclamation acknowledges the vital role that the barangays play in local governance and citizen mobilization. The proclamation is also in accordance with Section 397 (b) of the Local Government Code of 1991, which mandates all barangays throughout the country to hold simultaneous Barangay Assemblies at least twice a year.

During the said assembly, barangays are encouraged to undertake the following activities: Presentation of accomplishments and financial reports; discussion of problems, issues and concerns affecting the barangay particularly on peace and order situation, disaster preparedness, solid waste management, proliferation of illegal drugs and other illegal activities, and other prevailing concerns among others.

Being the basic political unit of our country, the barangay is an important vehicle for eliciting citizen opinion on pressing issues affecting the local community and mobilizing participation in local and national programs and projects.

City Local Government Operations Officer Paulina Gadiano, in an interview with PIA said, barangay assembly is the most appropriate venue for clarifying issues, discussing community concerns and problems, offering suggestions to improve the delivery of basic services, and proposing income-generating projects to improve quality of life of local residents.

Gadiano encourages all barangay residents to attend and participate in this twice-a-year activity to air their concerns and problems, offer suggestions to improve their local communities, and probably propose, livelihood, sanitation, beautification, and peace and order projects. All residents should be involved in community initiatives to make this basic political unity fully functional and productive, Gadiano emphasized. (PIA9/CAL)