Vol I Issue 12 Published by: PIA 6, 7 & 8 November 14 - 20, 2011

WESTERN VISAYAS  

CENTRAL VISAYAS  

P R E S E N T A T I O N . M u n i c i p a l P l a n n i n g a n d D e v e l o p m e n t Coord inator E f ren Logroño ( s t a n d i n g ) p r e s e n t s t h e implementat ion o f DSWD’s convergence program for poverty reduction in Buenavista, Bohol during the Media Tour on November 11, 2011. (PIA-7/HFG)

Smart Communications, Inc. Senior Training Officer Juan Paulo “JP” Alpano explains the salient features to PIA 6 regional staff and Provincial Information Managers, the Smart’s Infoboard System which the Philippine Information Agency will soon use in d i s seminat ing information and getting feedback from the public in Western Visayas during a briefing of the system held in Iloilo City, Nov. 15. (EJB/PIA 6)

Leyte governor Jericho Petilla (standing) presiding over the Provin-cial Development Council (PDC) meeting at the Governor’s Hall, Provincial Capitol Bldg., Tacloban City, November 16. (Vino R. Cuayzon)

EASTERN VISAYAS  

by TWVillavert

I LOILO CITY, Nov 14 (PIA) -- Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development said that the findings

on the impact evaluation of the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (PPPP) will be out by January next year. Secretary Soliman was in Iloilo City yesterday in line with the DSWD-Civil Society Organizations Consultation Conference-Visayas Cluster where she said that the result of the implementation will “give us a more concrete information and data, and this is being conducted by the Social Weather Station or SWS.” Soliman said they are interested to know the impact of the PPPP or the Conditional Cash Transfer Program along the lines of health situation, education and other aspects of the program’s impact to the beneficiaries. She said that during the last regional meeting of the Regional Directors of the DepEd, DOH, DSWD and DILG, a report was presented by the DepEd on the good participation of the pupils in schools and notable drop in the number of dropouts.”

The DSWD Secretary also said that there are more than 2,230,000 beneficiaries of the PPP in the country. Western Visayas has around 173,669 beneficiaries of the PPPP, and per DSWD data Iloilo tops the list at 55,015; followed by Negros Occidental- 46,273; Aklan-23,322; Antique-20,257; Capiz- 14,088; Iloilo City- 7,718; Bacolod City-3,607; and Guimaras-3,389. (JCM/TWV/PIA6-Iloilo)

In this IssueIn this IssueIn this Issue

T ACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Nov. 17 (PIA) –- The Leyte Provincial Development Council, in a meeting held on Wednesday, November 16,

unanimously approved the Annual Investment Plan for 2012 with a total funding requirement of P2,542,025,454.25. With the approval is the endorsement of the AIP to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Leyte for its approval and adoption. Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho L. Petilla said the amount shall be sourced from the General Fund of the province, 20% of the annual Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), the Special Education Fund (SEF), and other sources such as the PDAF, funding facilities of foreign development institutions and other development partners. The economic services take the highest share at 37.46% of the total in the percentage distribution of the funding requirement. This is in line with the Province’s vision of “a progressive province of Leyte with empowered people, living in sustainable environment, a leading information and communication

technology service provider, and a historic-cultural tourism zone.” Social services take the second highest share at 26.95%; other services share 23.28% and general public services share 12.31%. Among others, the projects or action statements for the economic sector in 2012 are the conduct of aggressive promotion and marketing on emerging ICT and tourism areas; conduct of technology transfer train-ings on rice, corn and high value vegetables and fruit crops; strengthening the promotion on the utilization of the technology and production system for a sustainable household level food production through visitations and consultations; conduct of method demonstration on the production of natural/organic inputs like fertilizer and pesticides; community outreach of veterinary services; and livestock production and genetic improvement. In 2011, the funding requirement of the Annual Investment Plan of the province of Leyte amounted to P1, 865,468,732. (PIA-8)

by Fayette C. Riñen

C EBU CITY, Nov. 18 (PIA) -- Central Visayas has exceeded its 2011 seedling production target for this year by 14 percent, producing 3.2

million seedlings as of early September over its goal of 2.8M seedlings as required under the National Greening Program (NGP). However, as of early Sep-tember, the available seedlings have reached 3.2M. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 Technical Director for Forest Management Services Isabelo Montejo said convergence services of the regional offices of DENR, Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) have made NGP-Central Visayas surpass its target. The NGP, a government priority under the Aquino Administration, is spearheaded by the convergence of DENR, DA and the DAR where the national goal of the program is to plant 1.5B trees in

1.5M hectares of public domain lands within a span of six years or from 2011 to 2016. Montejo, in his report on the status of the NGP-Central Visayas, bared that for this year, they have targeted 5,632 hectares to be planted and that 30 percent of the identified areas have already been planted with the seedlings produced. The DENR-7 official added that strong support from LGUs is a success factor in the NGP implementation as the DILG-7 has already issued a directive to barangays to establish their own nurseries. The Department of Education (DepEd), LGUs and non-government organizations will also be producing their own seedlings, this is stated. The NGP is a multi-sectoral project that harmonizes all the greening efforts of both the private and public sectors and seeks the attainment of sustainable human development and economic and ecological security. (PIA-Cebu)

C. Visayas exceeds 2011 seedling production by 14%

Leyte approves P2.54B AIP for 2012

More on Region 8, pages 6-7.

Also CLICK Here...

More on Region 7, pages 4-5. Also CLICK Here…

More on Region 6, pages 2-3. Also CLICK Here…

DSWD Sec. Corazon Juliano-Soliman (center) discusses the importance of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program as a priority program of the national government on poverty reduction and social development, during the November 14 press conference held at Iloilo City. With Sec. Soliman are DSWD 6 Director Minda Brigoli (L) and DSWD Asec. Paresya H. Taradji.(PIA6/TVillavert)

WESTERNWESTERN VISAYASVISAYAS 222

D A 6 Dir. Larry Nacionales said Negros Occidental has already adopted organic agriculture way

back in 2007 through its Provincial Ordinance 007 that prohibits the entry of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the province.

The practice of organic agriculture in Negros Occidental was given further boost when a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Maranon and Negros Oriental Gov. George Arnaiz to make Negros Island an “organic island” in 2005.

Nacionales said Panay Island is

also catching up because there is already a Panay Organic Producers Association, which takes lead in supporting organic agriculture just like the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation, Inc.

However, he said with different associations organized in Western Visayas promoting organic agriculture, “We will slowly convince farmers that there is an opportunity in organic agriculture not only related to e n v i r o n m e n t a l c o n c e r n s a n d climate change but also to the economic aspect."

Recently, President Benigno Aquino III has assured the support of his administration in the promotion of organic agriculture in the country to boost food security.

He directed DA to allot at least two percent of its annual budget for the implementation of the National Organic Program as provided under the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010, which strengthens the State's policy to promote, propagate, develop f u r t h e r a n d i m p l e m e n t t h e practice of organic agriculture in the country. (JSC/LAF-PIA6 Iloilo)

DA says WV is doing well in organic agri

ILOILO CITY, Nov. 16 (PIA) -- The Department of Agriculture Region 6 (DA 6) said Western Visayas is doing well in the farmer's practice of organic agriculture, compared to other regions in the country.

T he four-day activity, which is set from November 15 to 18, is spearheaded by the Capiz

Association of Local Planning and Development Coordinators chaired by Panitan town Planning Officer Gregorio Dellota, Jr. in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Dellota said the writeshop was planned after a number of local government units were not able to formulate their plan in accordance with

the guidelines set by DILG. He explained that the same was

due to the complexity of the process of building the Local Development Indicators Matrix and the integration of the spatial requirements to the sectoral plans.

According to him, the technical working group of each LGU in the province who will join the workshop is composed of the local planning and development coordinator with his/her staff, local government operations

officer, local legislator in charge of appro-priation and finance as well as on housing and land use, and the secretary of the Sanggunian.

Records from the provincial DILG office show that only Panay and Dumarao towns have their six-year CDP.

On the other hand, some 90 participants from the different towns and city here have already confirmed their attendance to the activity. (JCM/JBG/PIA6-Capiz)

Capiz LGUs to formulate comprehensive dev plan

ROXAS CITY, Capiz, Nov. 15 (PIA ) -- Planning coordinators, local legislators and key personnel from the different local government units in Capiz will undergo a writeshop for the formulation of their respective six-year Comprehensive Development Plan.

by Lilibeth A. French

by Jemin B. Guillermo

BACOLOD CITY, Nov. 16 (PIA) -- According to the Food and Nutrition Rice Institute (FNRI), iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is still a public health concern in the Philippines. In the latest 2008 National Nutrition Survey conducted by the FNRI, IDA is prevalent among children 6 months to less than 1 year, pregnant and lactating mothers.

I-rice: Key to eradicating malnutrition by 2015

T hus, NFA-Negros Occidental is conducting a series of advocacy campaigns on Iron-Fortified

Rice that would encourage consumption of iron fortified rice. NFA Provincial Manager Marianito Bejemino said that I-Rice was designed to curb malnutrition especially among children.

“I-rice is priced the same as ordinary NFA rice. Generally, there is no change in taste, it's just psychological since I-rice is somewhat yellowish in color but that’s

what makes it nutritious because of the yellow grains containing iron rice premix,” Bejemino said. He added that it has slowly gained acceptability since it was launched two years ago.

Provincial Nutritionist Alice Matti revealed that the government targets to eradicate malnutrition by the end of 2015 to reach the Millennium Development Goal, thus, it launched the micronutrient supplementation especially to children and mothers in their productive age from 15 to 49 years old.

In Negros Occidental, 8 out 100 children are malnourished and in Western Visayas 61 out of 100 mothers are anemic, 44 out of 100 pregnant mothers are anemic while those children below five years old 29 out of 100 are anemic, Matti added.

The Philippine Food Fortification Law of 2000 or the Republic Act 8976 calls for the mandatory fortification of staples such as rice, flour, cooking oil, and refined sugar, among other food. (JSC/EAD-PIA6 Negros Occidental)

by Easter Anne Doza

WESTERN WESTERN VISAYASVISAYAS 333

Pilar S. Mabaquiao DTI conducts close monitoring of ‘noche buena’ items

SAN JOSE, Antique Nov. 14 (PIA) -- The Department of Trade and Industry is closely monitoring ‘noche buena’ items in anticipation of the Christmas season.

A ccording to Glen Fernando, Trade and Industry Development Specialist, DTI Antique has already

conducted monitoring of prices and supplies of noche buena items to ensure that unscrupulous business establishments will not take advantage of the increasing demand of these items.

Among the items reported to have sufficient supply are pasta, tomato sauce,

spaghetti sauce, cheese and cream. However, ham and quezo de bola are not yet available in the local market.

DTI also noted the increase in prizes of these items as compared to the previous years.

On the other hand, DTI advised the consumers to practice practicability in buying noche buena items and other Christmas goods for that matter.

Another tip according to Fernando is to buy early and on a staggered basis to avoid the rush before Christmas. However, consumers should also look into the expiry date to ensure goods are safe to eat.

Likewise, DTI warned unscrupulous businessmen to judiciously implement the fair trade laws to avoid sanctions. (JCM/PSM/PIA6 Antique)

Bangko Sentral to issue 100 million pieces of new generation money by TWVillavert

ILOILO CITY, Nov. 16 (PIA) -- Deputy Director Job Nepomuceno of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Iloilo Branch said around 100 million pieces of new generation Philippine banknotes will be released this Yuletide season.

N epomuceno said the new designs of the Philippine currency will be released in

various denominations. “This is in addition to the almost 300

million pieces of the New Generation Philippine Banknotes that are already circulating nationwide,” Nepomuceno said as he admitted that there are still many

who are not yet familiar with the new designs.

Nepomuceno said BSP-I loi lo conducted several information campaigns to various sectors in the region sometime in April this year about it.

“We know that the public is eager to see the designs of the new banknotes,” Nepomuceno said as he emphasized that

upgraded security features have been established to protect the public from counterfeiters.

The old banknotes are still in circulation, but Nepomuceno said that these could no longer be used in ordinary transactions by year 2014.(TWV-PIA6 Iloilo)

2012 Dinagyang to introduce new changes by Lilibeth A. French

T his was announced by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog during the launching of the 2012 Dinagyang

Festival at SM City Iloilo, November 11, 2011.

Mabilog said the major changes will involve the venues of the judging and performance areas and some religious activities. He added that the change in venue was agreed upon together with the 13 participating tribes next year.

For 2012, the first judging and performance area will be the Iloilo Sports

Complex, second, somewhere near St. Clement’s Church, third, Iloilo Provincial Capitol, and the the Freedom Grandstand as the final judging area.

On the other hand, Mabilog said the 2012 Dinagyang will also highlight the country’s third oldest Sto. Nino image at the Arevalo Church in this city.

“In the arrival of Sto. de Nino Cebu we will request the Parish of Arevalo that the third oldest Sto. Nino in the country, the Sto. Nino de Arevalo greets the Sto. Nino de Cebu as it comes to Iloilo,” said

Mabilog. The collaboration between the city

government, IDFI and San Jose Parish was concretized through the signing of a memorandum of agreement held during the launch.

Through the MOA the city government authorizes the IDFI in cooperation with San Jose parish to organize, conduct and manage the 2012 Dinagyang Festival set on January 21-22, 2012. (JSC/LAF-PIA6 Iloilo) 

ILOILO CITY, Nov. 14 (PIA) -- There will be some major changes that will be introduced in next year’s Dinagyang Festival, one of the country’s best tourism event.

Aklan has come a long way since 1956 – Aklan guv by Venus G. Villanueva

KALIBO, Aklan, November 14 (PIA) -- Aklan has come a long way since its founding in 1956, thanks to the Father of Aklan, Godofredo P. Ramos, and it is just right for Aklanons to pay tribute to him, according to Aklan Governor Carlito S. Marquez.

M arquez said this during the commemorative program on November 8 held at the

Provincial Capitol Grounds to celebrate the Centennial Birth Anniversary of Ramos, who, during his time as the Congressman of the 3rd District of Capiz, filed a bill in Congress for Aklan to be a separate province from Capiz.

The bill, eventually passed, became

Republic Act 1414, signed on april 25, 1956 by then President Ramon Magsaysay.

The governor said it is the duty of every Aklanon to recognize, acknowledge, and thank Goding Ramos for being instrumental in the province’s attainment of provincehood in 1956, which was then a very elusive dream.

Marquez also thanked the children of Goding Ramos who also graced the

commemorative program, with Senator Francis Escudero as guest speaker.

“We only have small resources, but let us continue to reach out to attain our goals,” he added.

Aklan’s commemoration of Ramos' Centennial Birth anniversary included an early Thanksgiving Mass, a civic parade, a program, and a cultural presentation at the Museo it Akean. (VGV-PIA 6 Aklan)

CENTRALCENTRAL VISAYASVISAYAS 444

T his, after Canlaon City became the latest to join the growing number of local government

units (LGUs) in the province who adopted the smoke-free ordinance originally started by Amlan town in July 2009.

Gov. Roel Degamo lauded the Canlaon City government during its recent launching of the smoke-free ordinance.

“I’m happy to see that there are now more local governments who are a g g re s s i ve l y imp lement i ng the

anti-smoking campaign,” said Degamo during the launching led by Canlaon City Mayor Jimmy clerigo and attended by hundreds of the city’s residents.

The governor hopes that more LGUs in the province will follow suit and implement an anti-smoking ordinance, making Negros Oriental a smoke-free province as a result.

Amlan was the first LGU in the province and in the region to craft and adopt a smoke-free ordinance which is called for by RA 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003.

Under R.A 9211, smoking tobacco is prohibited in public places such as: centers of children and youth activity such as schools, playgrounds, recreational facilities and youth hostels; elevators and stairwells; locations with fire hazards such as gas stations; hospitals and health centers, medical and dental facilities; public conveyances and public facilities such as airports, trains and bus stations except those with separate smoking areas; and, food and beverages preparation areas. (RMN/PIA Negros Ori-ental)

DUMAGUETE CITY, Nov. 18 (PIA) -- Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo is pushing for the widespread advocacy against tobacco smoking in Negros Oriental.

NegOr gov to mayors: Adopt anti-smoking policy By Rachelle M. Nessia

Buenavista poor benefit from DSWD anti-poverty programs

B uenavista is located 82.6 kms. away from Tagbilaran City is a 4th class municipality with slightly

over 26,000 population based on the 2007 census. Its residents are largely dependent on fishing and farming for their livelihood.

At present, seven programs under the DSWD’s Convergence Program for Poverty Reduction are being introduced in Buenavista. These include Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran Program, Social Pension, Rice Subsidy, Supplementary Feeding and Family

Development Sessions. A major positive result of the 4Ps is

the rapid increase of public schoolchildren enrollees,s said Terol. Under the 4Ps Program, family-beneficiaries are given P300/monthly financial assistance for educational needs for every school child under 14 years old with a maximum of three children per household-recipient.

He also lauded the KALAHI-CIDSS program. “Since the DWSD- 7 initiated the KALAHI-CIDSS here in Buenavista, farmers and fishermen were now able to buy apparatus, equipment and other tools needed for fishing and farming due to the financial assistance provided for them under the program while our residents

have now access to safe water supply,” Terol declared.

“The DSWD Convergence Program such as the 4Ps and KALAHI are successfully implemented here and we hope that there are more projects and programs that will benefit the poor people here of Buenavista,” he added.

“We have started to repair our ports, public roads, market roads and the establishment of our new public market and the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) members agreed that P3 million of next year’s municipal budget will be allotted as counterpart to DSWD’s projects and other development programs here,” Mayor Terol concluded. (/FCRAS/PIA-CEBU)

by Amor Saludar

CEBU CITY, Nov. 15 (PIA) -- Buenavista town Mayor Ronald Lowell Terol lauded the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD)-7 Convergence Program for Poverty Reduction and how this has helped the constituents of his poor town.

DTI steps up monitoring of stores selling motorcycle helmets SIQUIJOR, Nov. 18 (PIA) -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is stepping-up the monitoring of wholesale and retail establishments selling protective motorcycle helmets and their visors to ensure that these are certified.

I ts effort to ensure safety for the f a s t - i n c re a s i n g number o f motorcycle riders and their

passengers, DTI is making certain that only certified helmets are sold in the market, the DTI in a press release to the PIA said.

DTI said it is mandatory for all manufacturers and importers of protective helmets and their visors to secure a Philippine Standard (PS) License or Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) certificate from the Department prior to the sale and distribution of their products.

“Those found with uncertified

products shall face administrative charges from the Department,” DTI warned.

In order to provide the industry with an internationally-accepted reference standard in manufacturing reliable protective helmet, DTI adopted the United Nations Economic Commission on Europe (UN ECE) standard specifications and test methods for protective helmets and their visors for motorcycles and mopeds drivers and passengers as a Philippine National Standard (PNS/UN ECE 22:2007).

It is imperative that the quality of the product is checked to ensure that it performs as intended, DTI

emphasized. The Department has already given

all manufacturers, importers and distributors of protective helmets enough time to comply with the product certification scheme. This year, only helmets bearing the PS or ICC mark can be sold in the local market, DTI said.

To ensure compliance with the law, the DTI enjoins the buying public to patronize only PS and ICC-marked products in the market. Consumers can report or file a complaint against substandard products through the DTI provincial offices.

CENTRAL CENTRAL VISAYASVISAYAS 555 ‘PhilHealth Sabado sa Eskwela’ in Dumaguete set Nov. 19

T he activity aims to enroll parents of pupils into PhilHealth’s Individually Paying Program (IPP)

aside from interested individuals who want to sign up for the national health insurance program, said Marites Que, PhilHealth Dumaguete chief social insurance officer.

Registration will also cover other sectors under the Employed, Lifetime Members, Overseas Worker Members and Sponsored Members programs.

Other services that will be extended during the event include the issuance of

member data record (MDR) and IDs, up-dating of records, and receiving of payment from old and new members.

Interested members and individuals are requested to bring with them a photocopy of their birth certificate, marriage certificate, birth certificates of children below 21 years old, birth certificate of parents above 60 years old or if not available, any valid ID like senior citizen’s, postal or voter’s ID.

Members that are likely to be enrolled under the IPP are required to pay their initial premium of P300 per quarter

or P600 per semester or P1,200 for the whole year.

This is the third such activity staged in Dumaguete City which aims to entice more members to join the national health insurance program.

The PhilHealth Sabado sa Eskwela will be held in cooperation with the Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Interior and Local Government. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)

DUMAGUETE CITY, Nov. 15 (PIA) -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental is inviting individuals interested to become members of the government health insurance program to attend the “PhilHealth Sabado sa Eskwela” activity on Nov. 19, 2011 from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm at the West City Elementary School Mini Park.

CEBU CITY, Nov. 16 (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and National Resources is considering a proposal to increase fines and penalties to vehicle owners violating the anti-smoke belching law.

I n its presentation on the “Status of Air Quality in Central Visayas” during the recent 4th Economic

Development Council Meeting of the Regional Development Council (RDC) -7 in Cebu City, the Environmental Management Bureau of the DENR (EMB-DENR)-7 identified motor vehicles as the number one source for air pollution.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - 7 cited three major air pollutant sources that contribute to the formation of greenhouse gases, a culprit in global warming that lead to climate change.

The DENR said there were three major air pollutant sources such as "mobile" or vehicles that emit smoke, "stationary" like establishments that include power and beverage plants, and "area" or residences.

The same DENR EMB 7 reported that carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, constituted 50 percent of the air pollutants coming from mobile sources.

The report, however, said that Central Visayas specificially Cebu still enjoys safe breathable air despite increasing air pollutants coming from the three major sources, and has very little

potential to affect public health based on the DENR-EMB 7 air quality index.

In the Emission Inventory conducted last 2008, mobile constituted 64 percent of the air pollution in Central Visayas and 21 percent for stationary while air pollution coming from area or residences had a share of 15 percent, the EMB-DENR-7 reported.

During LTO-7 roadside spot emission tests conducted in 2009, only 12.5 percent of the vehicles inspected passed. In the same year, motorcycles and tricycles had the highest registration volume in LTO-7. (PIA-Cebu)

DENR-EMB 7 mulls higher fines for smoke belchers

by Rachelle M. Nessia

by Fayette C. Riñen

PNP Siquijor holds media relations seminar SIQUIJOR, Nov. 15 (PIA) -- Over 20 participants composed of Chiefs of Police of the six Municipal Police Stations with their respective Deputy Chiefs of Police, Police Community Relations (PCR) –Police Non- Commission Officers (PNCOs), Public Information PNCOs, PCR and Public Information Officers from the SPPO Headquarters and Provincial Public Safety Platoon (PPSP) led by Police Inspector Luzviminda B. Langbid and Police Inspector Percebal F. Miasco, respectively attended the 'Media Relations Seminar' held recently at the Siquijor Provincial Police Office (SPPO), Caipilan, Siquijor, Siquijor.

“ Our hope and expectations, is that we will be able to re-orient and motivate every PNP member to be

responsive of the importance of a healthy and smooth relationship with each other,” Police Senior Superintendent Ernesto Fuentes Agas said.

In his brief message, the provincial director underscored the impact of having good relationship between the Police and the media as a key to effective information release mechanism in order to reduce communication barriers.

The main resource speaker was the

Regional Director of Philippine Informa-tion Agency- 7 Minerva BC Newman who gave her lecture from 8:30AM to 12:00NN and resumed at 1:00PM to 2:30PM.

Her topics included Knowing and Understanding the Media, Information Operation/Development Communication, News Production and Writing, among others.

On the part of the PNP, PSSUPT Agas discussed among other subjects, the PNP- Media Relations, Functions Rules and Responsibilities of the Spokespersons /

PIO’s, SOPs/Protocol on Crisis Situation, Press Release Writing.

The seminar culminated at around 5:30 PM with the distribution of certificates of attendance to all participants and the message of RD Newman as the Guest of Honor and Speaker.

“The symbiosis of the police and the media makes their jobs easier that will ultimately lead to a well- informed public,” she said. (PIA-Siquijor/RAC& PNP-Siquijor)

EASTERN EASTERN VISAYASVISAYAS 666

T oday however, Governor Conrado B. Nicart, Jr. expressed admiration at the latest

development at the National Historical Institute (NHI) for their recognition of such an exemplary conduct of Eugenio Daza y Salazar, which changed the course of the Philippine-American war in Samar.

“ Ang buong lalawigan ng Silangang Samar ay taos pusong nagpapasalamat sa mga kinatawan ng Pambansang Komisyong

Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas sa pagkilala sa ating nag-iisang bayani na dapat ikarangal ng buong isla ng Samar at ng buong Pilipinas." he said

The Governor noted that it was because of the solid and assertive moves of the Eastern Samarenos to push and prove for Daza’s proclamation as hero, that paved the way to NHI’s recognition of his contribution to the country’s history.

It is this attitude, he said, that could

push the province to move forward even more.

The celebration of Daza Day was not deterred by the heavy rains.

The City Government of Borongan, DepEd, Veterans Federation with the different school bands with the danceable members of the 8th Infantry Division Band, Philippine Army added color to the celebration. (PIA-Eastern Samar)

by N. A. E

CATBALOGAN CITY, SAMAR, Nov. 16 (PIA) -- Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAg-Asa) Senior Meteorological Officer Eddie Dela Cruz bared recently that the agency is now enjoying a five-year modernization program.

“ We have been pushing for this program since 2003, and we are happy that it is taking off, from

2010-2015, ” Dela Cruz said. The synoptic station, for example,

will have a Php400 thousand renovation plan.

They have also purchased some mod-ern equipment needed to monitor weather conditions such as the Micro-barograph which measures the heat and coldness at any given time and the maxi-

mum /minimum thermometer. There is also the Pag-asa Land Radar

in Cebu which is for construction next year. This Php 69 million equipment can easily monitor weather disturbances in the Pacific and South Chine Sea (now called West Philippine Sea).

In Mindanao, he added that a Duplex Radar will be installed in Cagayan de Oro City and in another area he can not remember.

“This is also worth Php52-M,” he

shared. In the whole Samar area, some

equipments and buildings will also be put up.

In Guiuan, Eastern Samar, he said that a new building to house the Guiuan Radar Station will be

Pag-Asa is also elated that recently, they have been receiving praises for their efforts to warn the public about impending danger in the weather. (PIA-Samar)

by Ninfa B. Quirante

PAG-ASA modernization program ongoing

NHI acknowledges Daza as local hero

BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar, Nov. 15 (PIA) – Better late than never. Eugenio Salazar Daza, whose 141st birthday is being celebrated today by Borongan City, has long been an unsung hero, despite his heroism and historical contribution during the 1896 Philippine Revolution.

Winners of the 2nd Chito S. Roño Literary Awards bared

A ccording to Harold L. Mercurio, contest coordinator, the contest covered three categories, namely,

poetry, short story and play/screen play using Waray and Inabaknon languages sponsored by Chito S. Roño, a multi-awarded TV and film director and a native of Calbayog City.

For the Siday (Poetry) category, Third Prize goes to Jhonil C. Bajado from Maydolong, Eastern Samar and an M.A. student at the Leyte Normal University; First Honorable Mention goes to Leonilo D. Lopido from Dolores, Eastern Samar and currently employed at the Philippine Information Agency 8; and the Second Honorable Mention goes to Jeremy Al-

exandre O. Evardone from Palapag, Northern Samar who is also a playwright and film enthusiast.

No winners were proclaimed for the first and second places as the entries did not qualify to the criteria set by the board of judges.

For the short story category, Yvonne M. Esperas from Tacloban City and a teacher from the Philippine Science High School Eastern Visayas campus, was proclaimed champion for her story “Balay nga Damo It Purtahan.”

For the Drama category, Efmer E. Agustin’s “Tawoan” was proclaimed First Honorable Mention. Agustin is a native of Abuyog, Leyte and a faculty member at

the UP Tacloban College. There were no winners also for the first, second and third places for this category.

No less than Chito S. Roño himself awarded the prizes and citations to the winners present during the awarding ceremony.

Last year, Lamiraw introduced this new addition, the Chito S. Roño Literary Awards for poetry, fiction and drama in order to boost the revival of the literature of Eastern Visayas.

It was launched during the opening ceremony of the Lamiraw workshop headed by Dr. Socorro S. Bohol, NwSSU president and workshop director last November 9-12, 2010. (PIA-8)

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Nov. 16 (PIA) – The Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU) in Calbayog City announced the results of the recently concluded 2nd Chito S. Roño Literary Awards released last November 11, 2011 during the graduation rites of the 8th Lamiraw Regional Creative Writing Workshop.

by Neil D. Lopido

EASTERNEASTERN VISAYASVISAYAS 777

C oasta l F isheries Resources Management Unit Officer Eva Abad in a short talk with the Philippine

Information Agency (PIA)-Maasin reported that the launching activity coincided with the groundbreaking of the gurad house and the Marine Protected Area billboard, along the seashores of San Pablo Island.

“The whole day activity was graced by the Municipal Agriculture Officers and Agriculture Technicians in charge of fisheries, among other representative from different stakeholders,” Abad

bared. It was in partnership with the

Provincial Government of Southern Leyte, the local government of Hinunangan and the Rare Conservation – an i n t e r n a t i o n a l n o n - g o v e r n m e n t organization that have programs implemented here in the Philippines, Abad added.

The launching activity conveyed two behaviors to the concerned constituents in order to protect the marine areas, such as “to urge the community to protect the MPA by reporting to the

law enforcers if they noticed any violator, and for the fisherfolks not to go into the MPAs as the immediate beneficiaries of the program,” Abad said.

She added that a conservation fellow in the person of Armando Gaviola has been trained in the United States as the focal person in the implementation of the said program, in addition to Mr. Dag Navarrete who is also in charge of the Punta MPA, a Coral Cay Conservation assisted project in San Francisco town, this province.(PIA-SoLeyte)

D r. Yvonne Grellety, the team leader and a renowned technical expert and global pioneer in

the management of acute malnutrition and Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) and developers of the national guidelines for Eutopia, Malawi, India and other countries was invited by Unicef and was accompanied by Dr. Paul Zambrano, Unicef nutrition specialist and Michelle Borromeo, Unicef fund specialist and focal person for Northern Samar. visited the area for two days.

Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator Engr, Romeo M. Cardenas said that CMAM, globally is the only intervention with strong evidence of success and sustainability to battle SAM is the CMAM, now called Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition or IMAM.

Cardenas informed that children with severe acute malnutrition have a nine-fold risk of dying, and an intervention to address this problem was called for. In response to the issue, Unicef has initiated in 2010 with the local government of

ARMM, a pilot CMAM program to combat the risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

Cardenas also said that the information from this trip will be very helpful in the development of the national guidelines which will help improve not only health and nutrition in Northern Samar, but the Philippines as a whole.

In Northern Samar, 15 children were identified with severe acute malnutrition, and these children are would be recipients of the CMAM programs ones implemented in the area. (PIA-NoSamar)

UNICEF nutrition experts visit Northern Samar

CATARMAN, Northern Samar, Nov. 17 (PIA) –- Nutrition experts from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently visited the province of Northern Samar to discuss the health and nutrition situation of the province with the Provincial Health Office and conducted field visits in order to see actual conditions of children suffering from undernutrition, as well as determine actual conditions in the health centers es-pecially in the rural areas.

SoLeyte launches San Pablo Marine Protected Area by R.G. Cadavos

SOUTHERN LEYTE, Nov. 16 (PIA) -- The Provincial Enviroment and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO)in close coordination with the Rare Conservation, launched on Tuesday, Nov 15 the Marine Protected Area in the Island of San Pablo, Hinunangan, this province.

by Teresita B. Cardenas

Biliran solon, governor vow continued support to DepEd endeavors

C ongressman Rogelio J. Espina promised in his message “to fully support all the endeavors of

DepEd-Biliran” as he revealed several initiative programs and projects geared towards improving the capability of students and improving educational facilities.

He also promised to give a portion of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to the provincial government of

Biliran. Congressman Espina added that he

will pilot for next year the provision of iPAd for high school students to further improve their learning efficiency.

For his part, Billiran Governor Gerardo J. Espina, Jr. stressed in his message that he is “ready to support DepEd-Biliran”, noting the refurbishing made by the provincial government to the Biliran Provincial Sports Complex, the

venue of the 2011 Biliran Provincial Athletic meet.

Governor Espina said that the provincial government is also very much willing to support DepEd-Biliran for the training of athletes who will be selected to represent the province in the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) Meet that will be held in Maasin City in January 2012. # (RSV/PIA 8/Biliran)

NAVAL, Biliran, Nov. 17 (PIA) – The governor and representative of the lone district of Biliran vowed before a big crowd attending the grand opening ceremony of the 2011 Biliran Provincial Athletic meet to give their full support to all the endeavors undertaken by the Department of Education (DepEd), Division of Biliran.

by Rodrigo S. Victoria

One Visayas e‐newsletter is published weekly by the Visayas Regional Cluster of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) comprising Region 6, 7 and 8. Its main editorial office is located at PIA Region 6, Iloilo City.  One Visayas e‐newsletter is part of the online news and information dissemination services of PIA and is powered by www.issuu.com. For inquiries and suggestions, call Tel. Nos. (033) 3378718/3377301 or e‐mail piaamo6@yahoo.com.  

Editorial Consultants Ms. Minerva BC Newman Atty. Ma. Janet C. Mesa, Ph. D. Ms. Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu Regional Director, PIA 7 Regional Director, PIA6 Regional Director, PIA8

Managing Editor Jaime S. Cabag, Jr.

Contributors

All PIA Information Officers of Regions 6, 7 & 8

Production and Layout Edson J. Bañares Lynnor C. Regalado

Regional Offices:

PIA 6, 2/F RC Building, Rizal St., Iloilo City, Iloilo 5000, Tel. Nos. (033) 337-8719/3377301/509-0993, Fax No. (033) 337-8719/509-0993, e-mail: r6_pia@yahoo.com/ piaamo6@yahoo.com PIA 7, Room 304, 3/F Machay Bldg., Garardo Avenue, Cebu City, Cebu 6000, Telefax No. (032) 232-4062/232-4126, e-mail: pia7_cebu@yahoo.com.ph/r7_pia@yahoo.com PIA 8, Children’s Park Compound, Sen. Enage St., Tacloban City, Leyte 6500, Tel. No. (053) 325-5124, Telefax No. (053) 321-2029, e-mail: pia_ev@yahoo.com/r8_pia@yahoo.com