Vol 5 Issue 20 Published by: PIA 6, 7 & 8 May 18 - 24, 2015

In this IssueIn this IssueIn this Issue BFAR-7 to prioritize ―poorest‖ fishermen in CV for livelihood programs

Multi-million worth septage facility to be constructed in Tanauan, Leyte

More on Region 8, pages 6-7.

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Innovations, key to surviving in Manufacturing

Easter Anne Doza

BORACAY, Aklan, May 18 (PIA6) - - Innovate or die. Inventec Corporation chairman Richard Lee‟s strong

opening statement in a special session on Innovation and

Manufacturing at a Public-Private Dialogue on Services during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 2015 being held in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan Province until the 24th this month.

“Companies must continue to innovate to survive. The only thing that does not change is change itself. Change faster, change all the time,” Lee said.

Among the top 10 most valuable company in 1995, only three sustained, Inventec included while the other seven are new internet companies.

According to Lee, about a third of the companies included in the 1970 Fortune 500 vanished before 1983 either through acquisition, merger or they just broke into

pieces. Industry 4.0, a new trend in the manufacturing

industry which when merged with smart automation is the

new mainstream of manufacturing for greater efficiency and productivity, Lee said.

Lee added that Industry 4.0 is capable to become smart, green and urban – smart for superior quality, green

for clean, efficient and sustainable while urban for moving practically in cities.

In 2008 when cloud computing starts to boom

Inventec became the largest company with cloud infrastructure which they started to further diversify in developing and manufacturing storage network in 1998.

“Information Technology industry is a fast changing

market. Customers demand the newest of products. Must find innovative ways to survive,” Lee added.

The special session on innovation and manufacturing

underscores the critical role of innovation, information technology and research and development, to help firms adapt to global competitive pressures. *(JCM/EAD-PIA6 Negros Occidental)

Fayette C. Riñen

CEBU, May 19 (PIA) -- Over 5,000 fisherfolk-household beneficiaries in Central Visayas stand to gain from the livelihood programs rolled out by Bureau

of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR-7) this year. BFAR-7 Regional Director Andres Bojos said the

move is part of the government‟s thrust to reduce poverty incidence by capacitating the “poorest of the poor” and

uplift their quality of life. “There are 5,190 fisherfolk-household beneficiaries

that will be given priority for identified livelihood

programs” that will be rolled out this year for them, said Bojos during the weekly forum of the Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO-7) that tackled

the celebration of May as Fisherfolks Month.

Bojos said the 5,190 recipients represent five percent of the “poorest of the poor” among the fisherfolk sector in

the region and chosen based on the cross-match of their fisherfolk registration system and the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction used

by Department of Social Welfare and Development.

According to Bojos, BFAR-7‟s registration data on fisherfolk population is currently at 107,000 but still counting as they are dependent on the local government

units to give them the list of legitimate fishermen in their area.

Livelihood projects to be rolled out for the intended beneficiaries include „guso‟ making, mangrove planting, fish

farming, and crab farming. BFAR-7 Assistant Director Allan Poquita in the same

forum said a P34-M budget has been allocated for the

purchase of fishing materials to help the intended beneficiaries.

We are given a timeline between September to

October to complete the projects for the identified

fisherfolks, said Poquita. Several activities are being undertaken by BFAR-7

until the end of the month in celebration of Fisherfolks Month including various capacity-building trainings to fish wardens and fisherfolks. (rmn/fcr/PIA-7)

More on Region 7, pages 4-5.

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More on Region 6, pages 2-3.

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EASTERN VISAYAS

CENTRAL VISAYAS

CONSUELO B. ALARCON

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, May 20 (PIA) – A multi-million worth septage facility is set to be constructed in the Municipality of Tanauan, Leyte soon.

Tanauan Vice Mayor Ronald Flores, who is the main proponent of the project said, he is now in the process of finalizing the ordinance establishing a septage management system that will benefit the entire territorial jurisdiction of

the municipality. However, Flores said he is open for modifications in

the future where nearby municipalities such as Sta. Fe,

Pastrana, Tabon-Tabon and Tolosa will also benefit as each local government unit (LGU) is mandated to have a septage facility.

“Said facility will supplement provisions of the existing

laws related to solid waste management,” Flores said. In the recent WASH and Wins Annual Operational

Workshop for Tanauan, Leyte, Flores emphasized the

importance of passing the ordinance as it will enhance ecological balance in the locality through sustainable septage facility.

“Once approved all households, public and commercial establishments should have a septage management system that would enhance ecological balance in the municipality through sustainable septage facility,”

Flores added. The project will be patterned after the septage

treatment facility in Dumaguete where the official

inspected sometime in April. The national government through the Department of

Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and some

international non-government organizations such as Oxfam

and Samaritan‟s Purse are more than willing to help in order to materialize the project. (ajc/cba/PIA-8)

DILG Secretary Mar Roxas turns over funds

for Recovery Assistance on Yolanda (RAY)

Batch 2 amounting to 155.9 million pesos to

the local treasurer of Tacloban City . Also in

photo are LMP President Sandy Javier and

DILG City Director Atty. Darwin Bibar.

WESTERN VISAYAS

RDRRMC-7 # APEC2015 Contingency

Planning Workshop at Crown Regency, Cebu

City. The activity led by Office of Civil

Defense-7 is part of the emergency

preparedness measures for Cebu's hosting of

APEC 2015.

Hon. Mario G. Montejo (extreme left) of the

Department of Science and Technology

delivers his welcome remarks during the APEC

Meeting on Policy Partnership on Science,

Technology and Innovation (PPSTI) held

recently in Boracay Crown Regency, Boracay,

Malay, Aklan. #pia6

Innovate or die. Inventec Corporation chairman Richard Lee urges

companies to continue to innovate to survive during the special

session on Innovation and Manufacturing during the APEC 2015

Public-Private Dialogue on Services held at the Sagana Hall,

Shangrila Hotel in Boracay Island. *(EAD-PIA6 photo)

WESTERNWESTERN VISAYASVISAYAS 222

Tax policies should benefit travel, tourism industry

BORACAY, AKLAN, May 20 (PIA) --- The Aklan provincial government is open to best practices and benefits of taxation and

policies that will impact the further growth of tourism in the province.

I n his message during the conference

on enhancing tourism competitiveness

in the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic

Conference) region held Tuesday, Governor

Joeben Miraflores said that there is a need

to raise awareness on the latest tourism

trends and respond on issues and development

relevant to the industry.

“We a need to have a shared vision

to assess impact of current taxation

measures in our respective economies and

provide a comparative analysis of taxation

levels in the travel and tourism industry,” he

said.

He said Boracay Island has become one of

the most important tourism destinations not

only in the province but in the country as a

whole.

“We targeted 1.5 million tourist

arrivals for 2014 and reached 1,472,353.

Our take on to the statistic is not

that we fell short but we triumphed

despite man-made and natural adversities,” he

stressed.

The visitor arrivals in 2014 as per

Department of Tourism-6 was able to reach a

total provincial income of P1.09-billion as

translated into tourism receipts.

The local chief executive said that

tourism stakeholders enabled the province to

be recognized due to its highest contribution

to locally-sourced income among the country‟s

81 provinces.

He said that Boracay is also considered

the country‟s cruise haven having received nine

cruise ship visits last year.

For 2015, 12 cruise ships are

scheduled to visit the island resort. (JCM/LTP/

PIA-Iloilo)

Leonard T. Pineda I

OrchidsOrchids

BORACAY ISLAND, Malay, Aklan (May 20) – Foreign affairs Undersecretary Laura Del Rosario set the tone of the

2nd APEC 2015 Senior Officials‘ Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM2) which starts today here as she unveiled an image of the

Asia-Pacific as a region working towards inclusive growth to help uplift the lives of ordinary people.

Asia-Pacific region seen as ‗inclusive, empowering‘

Jaime S. Cabag, Jr.

“ Here (in APEC) we fearlessly tackle

issues which would have direct

contributions to uplift the lives of our

people”, said Del Rosario in her welcome

remarks.

“We see economic growth thru the lens

of inclusiveness taking into consideration the

varying contexts that characterize the

Asia-Pacific region and promote areas of

cooperation not only through chain and

business facilitation but also on issues that

affect the man on the street,” she said.

“We talk of connectivity with the end in

view of an integrated economic and human

system built on sound economic policies which

are truly inclusive and empowering,” said the

SOM chair.

She also said Micro, Small and Medium

Enterprises (MSMEs) should fully participate in

creating the value of chains in the region‟s

economy.

Underscoring the importance of human

capital, Del Rosario said our children and

future generations should be educated and

equipped with the knowledge and skills that

will sustain them through the changing

economic and technological landscape.

Del Rosario also mentioned:

The full harnessing of the advances in

technology towards the improvement in the

quality of life of the people and in sustaining

our way of life rather than extinguish the

resources on which people‟s sustenance

depends.

Embedding governance and regulatory

regimes in all economic systems.

She told her fellow senior APEC officials

that they work with the future in mind and

chart it towards inclusive growth through the

different initiatives and programs set and must

be fulfilled. She cited the spirit of industry and

entrepreneurship of the Tirol couple and later

the people that transformed Boracay Island

from a farming area into a leading tourist

destination that it is now as the same kind of

spirit that drives the work of APEC to open

the highways to new frontiers and address next

generation issues with a forward-looking

approach to economic policy.

She expressed hope that Boracay and its

transformation is a good backdrop “of what we

want to achieve” and “where the earth, sea

and sky are one”.

She also hoped that the visiting officials

would find time to enjoy what the island has to

offer and realize that “it is indeed more fun in

the Philippines”. (JCM/JSC-PIA6)

ROXAS CITY, Capiz, May 20 (PIA) – National Food Authority Administrator Renan Dalisay was in Capiz recently to conduct

an inspection of the various facilities of the NFA in the province, according to Information Officer Mary Christie Hari-on.

F acilities inspected were the NFA

warehouse in Santa Cruz, Dumalag

town and the two warehouses in Bolo,

Roxas City, which were repaired by the

World Food Programme, after the onslaught of

super typhoon Yolanda that damaged said

facilities.

Hari-on said that Dalisay likewise

checked on the ongoing repair of the damaged

Warehouse B also in Roxas City, which

funding from the NFA reached more than

P2-million.

“The other post harvest facilities such as

the rice mills and driers were also inspected,

she said.

Dalisay also conducted an on-the-spot

inspection in the public markets here,

particularly in Ivisan and Sigma towns to

check on the presence of NFA rice in the

markets and the compliance of grains

businessmen with the agency‟s requirements

for rice retailers.

“Our NFA administrator was impressed

with the compliance of rice retailers especially

in Ivisan town when, during his inspection, the

NFA rice stock was available and placed in a

rice box with the rice price tag and NFA sign

board,” she said.

Dalisay also commended the cleanliness

and orderliness of the market by putting a

section for rice retailers only, Hari-on said.

According to her , the NFA

administrator reminded them to make

government rice available to the public so they

would have access to quality and affordable

staple food. (JCM/JBG/PIA6-Capiz)

Capiz NFA facilities, rice supply meet inspection check

Jemin B. Guillermo

WESTERN WESTERN VISAYASVISAYAS 333

Flores de MayoFlores de Mayo–– SantacruzanSantacruzan

GSIS reminds new members of UMID enrolment deadline

Vicente W. Villavert

SAN JOSE, Antique, May 17 (PIA6) – The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) here reminded its new members and

pensioners that the deadline for the UMID eCard enrollment is set next month.

“ We only have until June 15, 2015 to

enroll all our members here in the

province,” said GSIS Antique Satellite

Office head Leo F. Frigillano in an interview

during the PIA radio program, recently.

Frigillano said that UMID stands for

Unified Multi-Purpose ID, and it is required for

all GSIS members in all government agencies

and for newly hired government employees

and teachers.

“The UMID card functions as an ATM

card when the members transact for their

loans, policy loans, claims, retirement benefits,

among others.

Frigillano said that the UMID eCard

enrollment started last March at the GSIS

Antique Satellite Office at G/F AML Building,

corner Dalipe-Atabay, San Jose de Buenavista,

Antique,” and there is no need for them to go

to Iloilo, because we are bringing the GSIS

services nearer to the public.”

He said that some 1,812 number of

enrollees are expected to meet the deadline by

June 15.

The GSIS Antique Satellite office head

said that for Antique there are about 13,000

active members and some 4,000 to 5,000

pensioners.

He said that what the GSIS is doing is for

the welfare of its members, and presently

there are around seven kiosks established in

the province, and these are located at the GSIS

office, DepEd Antique Division Office, New

Capitol, and at the local government units of

Tobias Fornier, Culasi, Pandan and Caluya.(JSC/

VWV-PIA6 Antique

ILOILO CITY, May 19 (PIA6) - - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources 6 (DENR 6) and the local

government unit of Guimaras distributed on Tuesday 500 land patents to qualified beneficiaries from the five municipalities of

the province.

D ENR Undersecretary for Field

Operations Demetrio Ignacio led the

distribution held at the Provincial

Covered Gym. He was assisted by Governor

Samuel Gumarin, Dr. Lucille Nava, wife and

Chief of Staff of Congressman JC Rahman

Nava, DENR 6 Director Jim Sampulna

and Guimaras OIC Registrar of Deeds Mara

Ausan.

Ignacio congratulated the new land

owners and urged them to take care of their

lands as this will help improve their lives and

later, they have something to pass on to their

children.

He also cited the efforts of the local

government units in helping fasttrack the

processing and distribution of the titles to

qualified occupants of public agricultural lands

under the „Handog Titulo‟ program of the

department.

Qualified beneficiaries of the land patents

are Filipino citizens who have occupied the

public land for 30 years.

Among the beneficiaries is sixty-three

year old Isidro Cabaling of Igcawayan, San

Lorenzo who expressed his gratitude to the

government for facilitating the titling of the

agricultural land he farms and owned by his late

Uncle under his name.

Cabaling said he will continue to till the

land. He has 12 children, four are still single

and hopes that the two who are in school last

school year - a high school and a college taking

up agriculture, will pursue their studies this

opening.

For Estelita Gallarde of Brgy. Maabay,

Sibunag, the land title symbolizes that they now

own the lot her family has stayed for a long

time and she is very happy about it. She also

lauded the effort of the government to process

the titling of the lands which was divided and

now registered to the names of her three

children.

Ignacio said the processing of the 500 land

titles started last year and another 500 will be

processed and distributed next year to

qualified beneficiaries in the province.

He said under the administration of

President Benigno Aquino close to 500,000

titles were already distributed nationwide

including some 27,000 in Western Visayas. For

2015-2016, another 8,000 titles more will be

processed for distribution in the region

including the 500 in Guimaras. (LAF/PIA6)

Guimarasnons now proud land owners

Lilibeth A. French

APEC-NOC committed to responsible

tourism in Boracay

Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, May 18 (PIA6) -- The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation – National Organizing Committee

(APEC-NOC) remains firmly committed in encouraging responsible tourism in the wake of the influx of visitors in

Boracay Island with the holding of the Second Senior Officials‘ Meeting and Related Meetings from May 10-21 and the

Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting from May 23-24.

T his assurance was issued by APEC

spokesperson Asec Charles Jose at

the press briefing held May 18 at the

International Media Center at the EcoVillage

Resort and Convention Center here.

Asec Jose said this commitment had been

initially shown through the conduct of clean-up

drives along the shores of the island led by the

APEC NOC together with the Department of

Interior and Local Government (DILG),

Department of National Defense (DND,

Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed

Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Bureau of Fire

Protection (BFP) and the Philippine Coast

Guard (PCG). He disclosed that a beach

clean-up with these groups was held early

morning of May 18 while the previous ones

were conducted on May 13 and 15.

“This forms part of our overall effort

to reduce our carbon footprint. Since last year,

we have been advocating for the use of

less paper throughout the Philippine hosting

of APEC, encouraging agencies and local

government units to instead circulate

information through email and social

media”, Asec Jose told members of the

international, national and local media

attending the briefing.

The APEC spokesperson and DFA

Asec also revealed the partnership

w i t h E M o t o r s I n c o r p o r a t e d , a

F i l ip ino-owned company and the

APEC 2015 green electric mobility

partner, to set up an e-trike system to

transport delegates between venues in

Boracay.

He also revealed that as of this

time, over 1,500 delegates from all 21

APEC member economies have registered

for the meetings. Theme of the 2015

APEC is “Building Inclusive Economies, Building

a Better World”. (JCM/VGV PIA6 Aklan)

By Venus G. Villanueva

CENTRALCENTRAL VISAYASVISAYAS 444

BOHOL, May 19 (PIA) -- The Department of Education (DepEd) spearheads the National School Maintenance Week and rolls

out the Brigada Eskwela 2015 on May 18 to 22.

Brigada Eskwela starts Monday to Saturday

T hrough Memorandum 41, series of

2015, the DepED adopts "Tayo para sa

Kalinisan, Kahandaan at Kaligtasan ng

ating mga Paaralan," while engaging all

stakeholders to contribute time, effort and

resources in ensuring that public schools and

their facilities are ready for the opening of

school year 2015-2016

At the recent Kapihan sa PIA, DepEDs

Adopt-a-School focal person sIvory Garces

said, apart from ensuring clean and

accident-free schools, the DepEd intends to

mainstream disaster preparedness principles in

schools.

This is while maintaining school

preparedness and disaster safety guides to

transform schools into safe learning facilities,

Garces explained the meaning of annual

Brigada Eskwela.

Brigada Eskwela enlivens the spirit of

volunteerism from all education stakeholders--

Government and non government

organizations, teachers, parents and concerned

organizations to take part in the repair and

maintenance activities.

Following this, it also presupposes that

Brigada Eskwela does not make non

participation a requisite for a kid's enrolment,

and even collecting fees for the activity is never

allowed, the DepED clarified.

We render voluntary work for the

Brigada, because we care for our kids and

their comfort while getting public education,

we know they are in a safe building, one

parent who said he will render service shared

to PIA.

This Monday, Bohol Division would be

opening the week with a caravan from the

Division office to Sta. Cruz Elementary

School in Maribojoc, where the launching

program is.

At the same school site, the DepEd would

be recognizing elementary and secondary

schools which have shown good examples in

the implementation of the school maintenance

activities last year.

Cited and made Bohol entries to the

regional fest of best Brigada implementers are

two Bohol high schools and two elementary

schools.

In the afternoon, Garces said the DepED

is doing a massive volunteer work at the Sta.

Cruz Elementary School.

The same school, which sits on the loose

reclaimed land on top of a hill at the church

complex, was massively hit by the earthquake,

buildings blown off by Yolanda and the

succeeding storms while a fire gutted three of

its classrooms at the height of storm Seniang.

(mbcn/rahc/PIA7-Bohol)

Rey Anthony H. Chiu

CENTRAL VISAYAS, May 19 (PIA) --- The Regional Association of PESO Managers in Central Visayas (REPESOM 7) recently

gathered for better collaboration and sharing of concepts and practices.

CV PESO managers converge for collaboration, practice sharing

T he event held in Dumaguete City,

Negros Oriental is a convergence of

Public Employment Service Office

(PESO) managers particularly from the

provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, and Negros

Oriental.

Other delegates were representatives

from the academe, Local Chief Executives

and/or their counterparts, and representatives

f rom Overseas Workers Welfare

Administrat ion (OWWA), Nat ional

Reintegration Center of OFWs (NRCO),

P h i l i p p i n e O ve r s e a s Em p l oy me n t

Admin i s tr a t ion (POEA) , Techn ica l

Education and Skills Development Authority

(TESDA), and Bureau of Local Employment

(BLE).

In a press release, Department of Labor

and Employment (DOLE-7) Officer-in-Charge

Regional Director Exequiel Sarcauga

noted in his message before the delegates

that PESO managers play a vital role in

bringing to the public the services of

the department.

“I thank all PESO managers for helping the

government deliver its programs.

They are a big help to DOLE in terms

of making the people see and value the

importance of the services it implements,”

Sarcauga said.

Part of the three-day event was the

first hand services and program updates

brought to the doorstep of REPESOM while

representatives of OWWA, NRCO, POEA,

TESDA and BLE equipped the PESO Managers

with the latest developments, information, and

trends to help them serve the public more

efficiently.

REPESOM 7 President Dr. Bonifacio N.

Mercado, Jr. also presided the annual

General Assembly that paved way for

PESO retirees to be given tribute for their

valuable contributions in their respective

PESOs.

Participants to the Search for Best PESO

and the institutionalized PESOs were also given

plaques of appreciation. (rmn/ays/PIA-7/Luchel

Taniza, DOLE-7)

Amor Y. Saludar

OrchidsOrchids

SIQUIJOR, May 20 (PIA) - - With Siquijor island becoming a haven for tourists, foreign and domestic arrivals continue to soar

with France, USA, Germany, United Kingdom and China nationals topped the list of staying foreign tourists.

PPDO says tourist arrivals in Siquijor Island soars

S iquijor Provincial Planning and

Development Officer Gladys Estrellada

reported this during the Green

Economic Development Sensitization and

Business Matching for Tourism Enterprises in

the island.

Estrellada presented the island‟s

tourism trend showing a good leap in the

last six years. Staying and walk-in tourists

soared in 2014 with 209,819 from 71,178 in

2008; 104,474 in 2009; 112,658 in 2010;

123,864 in 2011; 126,172 in 2012 and 150,889

in 2013.

Domestic and foreign staying tourists

were registered at 23,345 and 17,140,

respectively or a total of 40,485 in 2014 from

33,431 in 2013.

Tourism data also shows 88% of the

tourists come to the island for pleasure and

vacation; 8% come to visit friends and

relatives while 4% come for business

professional work and other activities.

Thirty five percent of those tourists

indulged in marine activities such as diving,

snorkeling and paddle boating; 31% mainly

come for relaxation and resting; 22%

went to mountains and nature activities like

biking, trekking, spelunking and swimming;

while 11% of the tourists wanted to

experience Siquijor culture with visits to the

old churches and convent, folk healing and

festivals.

Siquijor island has now a total of 108

accommodations establishments with 678

rooms including resorts, inns, hotels and

homestay. (mbcn/rac/PIA7-Siquijor)

Rizalie Anding Calibo

CENTRAL CENTRAL VISAYASVISAYAS 555

CEBU, May 19 (PIA) -- Cebu‘s hosting of this year‘s APEC meetings is expected to drive local trade and tourism.

A mbassador Marciano A. Paynor, Jr.,

APEC 2015 National Organizing

Comm i t t e e (NOC ) D i r e c tor

General, said that Cebu, being a

manufacturing center and an export center, will

benefit from hosting some of the ministerial

meetings.

“Our total trade with APEC member

economies is 80 percent, and because

Cebu is a manufacturing and an export

center, then definitely Cebu is affected

by APEC policies and improvements,”

said Paynor in a press conference after

his first meeting on May 14 with Cebu‟s

local organizing committee members at the

Capitol.

Statistics released by APEC NOC

show that 80.7% of total trade and

80.81% of the total tourist arrivals in

the Philippines are from APEC member

countries.

Total external trade for 2013 with

APEC member countries amounted to $96.104

-B.

Cebu will be hosting a series of

meetings from August 24 to September 11,

with more than 3,000 international delegates

expected to be coming in and out of Cebu

during said period.

Cebu was also designated as the de

facto alternate venue for any meeting that will

not be held in its assigned area due to weather

issues.

“In the event that any meeting elsewhere

cannot be held where they are due to weather

disturbances or natural calamities, we will

transfer it here,” said Paynor.

Cebu was chosen as the alternate

venue due to the number of facilities

for conference services and hotels and the

presence of an international airport here. (rmn/

PIA7-Cebu)

APEC 2015 hosting to boost Cebu economy

Rachelle M. Nessia

CEBU CITY, May 19 (PIA) -- Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that an average of 10 people die

every hour due to smoking. This is equivalent to 90 million deaths a year.

DOH appeals to widen the graphic warning on cigarette packs

T he Department of Health (DOH)

pursues to widen the use of graphic

health warnings (GHW‟s) on cigarette

packs.

I n a K ap i h an s a P IA - C eb u

recently, DOH7 Tobacco Control Officer

Josette Navarro said bolder and bigger GHWs

will be a great help for the smokers to notice

the warning and will be discourage to continue

the habit.

“These GHW will include images

of a diseased mouth, and suffering

lung cancer patient and more of

the ill-effects of dangerous smoking,” Navarro

said.

DOH7 pushes for the 70 percent

of the total cigarette pack printing on

the cover however only 40 percent is

being used. Navarro said it is placed on

the half lower back portion of the cigarette packs.

“If we compromise these warnings,

smokers will still continue their habits because

some of these people are illiterates and

having such big GHWs will be helpful for their

awareness” Navarro stated.

A smoker from Tejero, Maria (not her

real name) said such warnings are quite

ineffective.

“I can't even see the warnings placed in

the cigarette packs most of the time,” Mayang

said.

On the other hand, Jho from Danao

City, who admits being an occasional smoker

said the warnings might be helpful to smokers

and non-smokers. However he said it depends

on the person if he really wants to quit

smoking.

“Even if the cigarettes were made

expensive for the consumers but still

there are a lot of buyers, perhaps the

government should focus on formulating s o m e t h i n g t h a t w o u l d r e a l l y

awaken the public on the dangers of smoking,”

Jho said.

Republic Act. 10643 [or An Act to

Effectively Instill Health Consciousness through

Graphic Warning on Tobacco Products] that

mandated the display of graphic health

warnings on tobacco products.

Commonly used is the graphic image

of a man exhaling smoke through a hole

in his throat as a warning was an

adaptat ion of the one used by

the Food and Drug Authority of the United

States.

T h e l a w r e q u i r e s c i g a r e t t e

manufacturers to use half of a cigarette pack‟s

display area for pictures showing ill-effects of

smoking.

The graphic health warnings should appear

on the lower portion of the front and back

panels of cigarette packs.

May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. (mbcn/fcc/PIA7-Cebu/with reports from Caren

P. Gabisay, CNU Devcom Intern)

Ferliza C. Contratista

CEBU CITY, May 21(PIA)— Reforested areas in Central Visayas is now at 84 percent of the targeted area for reforestation.

I n a Kapihan sa PIA recently, Department

of Environment and Natural Resources

(DENR-7) information officer Eddie

Llamedo said the agency has reforested 66,000

hectares in the four provinces since the start

of the National Greening Program (NGP) in

2011.

Llamedo added DENR-7 aimed to

reforest some 75,000 hectares In its six year of

implementation involving 207 people's

organizations in the region.

According to Llamedo NGP budget in

the region already reached billions since each

reforested hectare costs more or less P18,000

each with a minimum of 575 trees.

Each tree costs P27.24.

In terms of seedling production, the

agency recorded 3% excess for seedling

production in this year‟s National Greening

Program (NGP) target.

DENR-7 managed to produce 11,890,701

seedlings for 2015; 3% higher for the year‟s

target of 11,557,500.

According to DENR's latest data,

Negros Oriental recorded the highest

with 6 ,918,185 seedl ings fol lowed

by Bohol with 2,859,500 while Cebu

produced 1,987,659 and Siquijor with 125,357

seedlings.

The NGP is a massive rehabilitation

program of the government established

by virtue of Executive no. 26 issued on

February 24, 2011 by President Benigno C.

Aquino III.

It seeks to grow 1.5 million trees in 1.5

million hectares nationwide within a period of

six years from 2011 to 2016. (mbcn/fcc/

PIA7-Cebu/ with reports from Joshua

Cabonilla, CNU Devcom Intern)

CV reforestation now 84 percent accomplished

Ferliza C. Contratista

Flores de MayoFlores de Mayo–– SantacruzanSantacruzan

EASTERN EASTERN VISAYASVISAYAS 666

DAR gives out P49.5M worth of shredders

R egional Director Sheila Enciso disclosed

that 100 ARBOs who are going to receive the 100 shredder machines were

meticulously screened making sure this project won‟t

fail. Enciso explained that this project intends to

turn biodegradable debris into income generating activities using the shredders.

According to her, this project will teach the ARBOs to produce community-based organic fertilizer. However, she added that they have the

option which of the three business models to venture in collective production and marketing of African night crawlers, organic fertilizers, and/or

naturally grown crops. Aside from the shredder machines which cost

P49.5-million or at P495,000 per unit, DAR has

likewise earmarked P5-million for the inputs such as African night crawlers, compost tea brewer,

preparation of vermi-beds and for the training.

Enciso further disclosed that this activity is funded under the Agrarian Reform Communities Connectivity and Economic Support Services

(ARCCESS). Though these are not among the

recommended common service facilities (CSFs) for the ARCCESS project, she explained that these are

given by the agency in addition to typhoon affected areas to provide farmers livelihood and recover from losses.

Nonoy Moraca, technical consultant of the RU Foundry, the manufacturer of the shredder machine, assured DAR and the ARBOs that they will extend

the necessary assistance in order to achieve success in this project.

To immediately proceed with the project, RU

Foudry committed to provide the complete package to 15 ARBOs consisting of 30 kilos of African night

crawlers, two units of compost tea brewer and six

units of vermi-beds, comprising as starter kit. Meanwhile, DAR Assistant Regional Director

for Program Beneficiaries Development Ismael

Aya-ay also revealed that some 10,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries and ordinary farmers will be benefited by this project.

More than half of the ARBOs identified come

from Leyte being the most affected province, he added.

According to him, 54 are from Leyte, 16 from

Eastern Samar, 10 from Biliran, 9 from Samar, 7 from Southern Leyte, and 4 from Northern Samar.

Though this activity is DAR‟s contribution to

the Rehabilitation After Yolanda (RAY) project, Aya-ay explained that the province of Northern Samar was included for it was also devastated by

typhoons Ruby and Senyang in December last year. (DAR-8/PIA-8)

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, May 19 – As a prelude to a livelihood being worked out by the Department of Agrarian

Reform (DAR) for agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) in ―Yolanda‖-ravaged agrarian reform communities

(ARCs), the former had started orienting the latter before giving away the 100 shedders now available at the DAR

Regional office compound.

Phalaenopsis x intermedia Orchid variety also Phalaenopsis x intermedia Orchid variety also

known as Star of Leyte known as Star of Leyte

GK Bayanihan Challenge campaigns to end poverty

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar, May 20 (PIA) -- Gawad Kalinga (GK) Bayanihan Challenge 2015 reaches Samar barangays in a

campaign to end poverty.

A s the project reached remote barangays

like Barangay Dinagan, Calbayog City the tarp placed on the stage drumbeats „end

poverty‟.

During the opening program, a dance number „Unity Dance‟ ushered the introduction of the different volunteers with the beneficiaries and the barangay folks.

Edward Baltazar, Samar Area Coordinator of Gawad Kalinga said that they prepared livelihood training on Bamboo Propagation to help farmers

augment their income.

They will join the National Greening Program (NGP) of the DENR where each bamboo is paid a

certain sum. “With the 10 thousand bamboo we will plant, I

am sure, it can somehow ease financial worries, they

just need hope and determination,” he said. This early, the GK beneficiaries have

prepared the bamboo shoots in plastic containers

that will be transferred to a site identified by the DENR.

Bamboos are very easy to plant and can give lots of benefits, said Baltazar.

The woven root system of the bamboo acts as

a cohesive for colloidal particles, making the plant a

very important species as a soil protector near rivers.

According to him, during rainy season

bamboo absorbs large amounts of water, it stores the water both in its rhizomes as in the stems and soil.

This means that bamboo has a high water

storage capacity. Later on, due to the effects of concentration, the water is returned to the soil, rivers and streams during the dry season. Baltazar

shared some bamboo info to explain why they chose

bamboo. Bamboo is also used as construction materials

for homes of the poor, said GK beneficiary Nanay Dengdeng.

Aside from the preparations for the bamboo

propagation, Dinagan folks also maintain backyard gardens of vegetables where they plant leafy veggies, legumes and root crops.

GK Bayanihan Challenge 2015 also continues to build houses though the coordinator admits “are being done in a very slow pace.”

“We have few donors,” he added.

The 2-hectare lot allotted the GK project was

donated by the heirs of Tomasing Gomez, a known

Calbayognon for his charities. There are supposedly 52 target houses in

House Build but only two have been finished and

are ready for occupancy. One is still under construction.

Baltazar further said that they have also restoration of Green Houses, Paraisong Pambata

(Feeding Program), Planting Mahogany Tree, Clean Up Drive and School Refurbishing activity.

“Gawad Kalinga Program and the

people in it are not only friends but also family

for us beneficiaries of Dinagan,” Fe Comedia Masiga said.

Jefferson Jalalon Provincial Management Team of Gawad Kalinga Samar said that they will continue their campaign to really end poverty in this part of

Samar. In the closing program on May 17, the

volunteers mostly government army elements, young

people from Calbayog City, beneficiaries, GK officials and the barangay folks shared a humble meal through a boodle fight where the veggies were harvested from their own yards. (PIA 8-Samar with reports

from Ron Roma)

DILG 8 allots P253.6-M for rehab of brgy structures BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar, May 18 (PIA) - After inaugurating town structures in Gen. Mac Arthur town repaired

under the first phase of the Recovery Assistance on Yolanda (RAY), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)

secretary Mar Roxas announced that DILG has allocated another P253.6 million for RAY‘s second phase.

R oxas visited Eastern Samar to inaugurate

Gen. Mac Arthur‟s public market, covered court and town hall and Llorente‟s Brgy. San

Miguel Salin Tubig Project.

According to the secretary, the funds will be used for the repair of 178 barangay halls, 61 day care

centers and 118 civic centers in 206 barangays in the entire province.

DILG through the secretary distributed certificates authorizing town mayors to disburse the

funds. For the town of Guiuan, Mayor Christopher

Sheen P. Gonzales received P152.9M for the repair of 89 barangay structures damaged by typhoon Yolanda.

Mayor Edgar Boco of Hernani received P26.5M for eight day care centers and seven civic centers.

Balangkayan and Salcedo LGUs received P11.8M and P11M respectively while Quinapondan

and Gen. Mac Arthur received P7M each. The local government unit of Lawaan through

Mayor Banjo Tolentino received P13.4M for 12

barangay halls and two civic centers. Other LGU recipients included: Balangiga

– P8.7M, Giporlos – P5.5M, Llorente – P1.7M,

Maydolong P3.2M, and Mercedes – P3.7M. According to Roxas, the national government

through President Benigno Aquino made sure the funds would go to the towns directly to boost local

economy after the onslaught of typhoon Yolanda. (ajc/Medora Quirante/PIA8-Eastern Samar)

EASTERNEASTERN VISAYASVISAYAS 777

SoLeyte partners with MSR Health Care for

health services

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, May 18 (PIA) - The provincial government of Southern Leyte is set to deliver improved

health services with available modern laboratories and dialysis centers in all provincial, district and community hospitals in the

province soon.

G overnor Roger Mercado led the provincial

government officials and health team in the signing of Memorandum of Agreement

(MOA) with MSR Health Care Inc President and

CEO Manuel S. Reyes VII at the Provincial Capitol last May 12, 2015 thru the Public -Private Partnership program.

“Thru this private public partnership, MSR

Health Care Inc. will pour in investments in the form of modern laboratory medical equipment put up dialysis centers, provides for the re-agents

chemicals, maintenance of the medical equipment

and if necessary, the needed manpower to operate the medical equipment,” Pres. and CEO Manuel S.

Reyes VII said.

Gov. Mercado noted that aside from the provision of modern facilities of the said company at the Southern Leyte Provincial Hospital,

these will also include the district hospitals in Sogod, Anahawan and Pintuyan and community hospitals in Padre Burgos and Lilo-an.

Presently, there is only one dialysis

center at the Catholic Healing Center in Maasin City throughout the province but do not honor PhilHealth member- patients, Sangguniang

Panlalawigan Atty. Teofisto Rojas noted.

It was noted that payment of their services are coursed thru the PhilHealth benefits and packages of

the Philhealth member-patients.

Pintuyan District Hospital Head Dr. Jude Asperin said it would be more convenient for the people to get dialysis treatment right at their

hospitals' doorsteps unlike today where patients have to be transported to other places to get the needed medication which is very difficult and costly on the patients.

Meanwhile, the municipal mayors and health officers, who witnessed the MOA signing, echoed warm welcome of the partnership as these are long

overdue solution in the deficiency of the delivery of

health services by the public hospitals to the people, they said. (asj/esg/PIA8 SoLeyte)

2015 EV Search for Outstanding Volunteer on

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, May 18 (PIA) – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has announced the

conduct of the Search for Outstanding Volunteer (SOV) for 2015.

T he search which is an annual activity

of the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA), together

with the National Volunteer Service Month (NVM)

Steering Committee and the Search for Outstanding Volunteers Regional Search Committee aims to highlight the exemplary performance and dedication to service of Filipino volunteers in helping

people and communities. It also recognizes the role of volunteerism in development and nation-building.

NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio G. Uy who is the chair of the NVM Regional Steering Committee VIII said, like in the previous years, the

2015 SOV is composed of two award categories namely: the Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award (VLAA) and the National Outstanding Volunteer

Award (NOVA). The VLAA is conferred to an individual or

organization for consistent and outstanding volunteer

service and whose achievement is regarded as a role model in the field of volunteerism while NOVA is conferred to an individual or organization for outstanding volunteer service that has made a

significant contribution to uplifting the lives of the

people and communities they served. NOVA is categorized into Individual and

Organization. Individual is further categorized into

Youth and Adult while Organization is categorized into Non-Profit and Corporate.

To qualify for the VLAA, the individual or organization must have been engaged in

consistent volunteering activities for at least 25 years and must have been a recipient of regional, national or international awards in relation to

volunteerism. On the other hand, to qualify for the NOVA

under Individual category, a volunteer must have

provided volunteer assistance for three (3) years and for the youth category and at least five years for the adult category at the time of the submission of

nomination. “The search is open to individuals of Filipino

citizenship; Filipino or local chapters of foreign/

international non-profit or corporate organizations currently providing volunteer assistance in the Philippines,” Uy said.

Uy added that a special citation in volunteerism

is also conferred to recognize volunteering efforts

and/or support to volunteerism by an individual, group or organization that do not qualify under the SOV categories but which are deemed equally

meritorious in their accomplishments. The deadline for the submission of nominations

is on June 30, 2015. Nominations forms are available at NEDA Regional Office 8, Government Center,

Palo Leyte and can be downloaded from www.pnvsca.gov.ph and at http://nro8.neda.gov.ph/downloads.

The duly filled out nomination forms must be submitted to NEDA regional office. Screening and validation will be done by an inter-agency Regional

Search Committee chaired by NEDA VIII. The awarding for national winners will be in

Manila during the national volunteer month

celebration in December 2015. For more information for those interested, you

may contact Ms. Ma. Victoria C. Cuayzon, or Ms

Resurrection Q. Enage at NEDA Regional Office 8 with telephone numbers (053) 323-2975, 0 9 1 6 5 9 5 9 2 6 5 o r ema i l a d d r e s s a t nro8@neda.gov.ph.(ajc/cba/NEDA-8/PIA-8)

CONSUELO B. ALARCON

Flores de MayoFlores de Mayo–– SantacruzanSantacruzan

Camote hailed as healthy food and typhoon resilient crop

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar, May 18 (PIA) - Farmers are urged to cultivate and plant camote not only because it is healthy

but it is also a typhoon resilient crop.

B oard member Alvin Abejuela convinced

farmers from Barangays Buenavista, Balente, Roxas, and Dolongan all of Basey to slightly

modify their eating habits and switch to camote

instead of rice. Abejuela, being the Chairman on Agriculture

for the province of Samar encouraged all the people present to decide and change their eating

lifestyle. Instead of relying on rice which has a high

production cost and needs irrigation, rural folks

were told that "one bowl of cooked rice is the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar.

This does not matter whether it is white,

brown or herbal rice." He advised them to prefer "camote" which is

considered a typhoon resilient crop has has low

production cost, yet contains high essential minerals and vitamins needed by our body.

The farmers were taught to establish a

calendar for planting camote to ensure a whole-year supply.

For starters, the farmers were asked to produce camote for their immediate community.

In case of surplus, dedicated proponents of this program, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research &

Development (PCAARRD), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Visayas State University (VSU) and LGU-Basey gave the farmers assurance for

potential markets. This scheme will also prepare our farmers with

the expected implementation of the ASEAN

Free Trade Area (AFTA), they will likewise be equipped with the capacity to do their share in the

food security of the province of Samar.

In the course of the meeting, Abejuela himself testified as to the health benefits of camote by making it as a substitute for rice and depended on it as his primary source of

carbohydrates. “It is effective in losing weight and

having firmer skin,” the local legislator was quoted

saying. According to the statement of North Athlantic

Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, camote

(sweet potato) is the world‟s healthiest food. (ajc/nbq/PIA 8-Samar with BM Abejuela)

ERN S. GORNE

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) 3378719/3377301 or e-mail piaamo6@yahoo.com.

Editorial Consultants

Ms. Minerva BC Newman Atty. Ma. Janet C. Mesa, Ph. D. Ms. Alicia E. Nicart

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