Gov’t workers in Cebu welcome advance pay hike

 By Fayette C. Riñen

CEBU CITY, May 2 (PIA) --- Government workers here expressed gladness over President Benigno S. Aquino III’s Labor Day announcement that public employees will receive their pay increase starting next month or a month earlier than scheduled.

Ed Llamedo, president of the Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO)-7 and the public information officer (PIO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources -Central Visayas said he is very happy with the good news especially at a time when it is most needed.

Llamedo said the advance wage hike shoes that the President is indeed sensitive to the plight of the people as incessant oil price increases have largely contributed to the present economic distress.

“But I wish that our counterpart in the private sector will also have their corresponding raise in salary especially with the near opening of classes where the money could come in handy for the education of their children,” Llamedo said.

Jaybee Carillo, a mother of two boys and working as the PIO of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-7 hailed the move of the President in these times of financial crisis.

“LIpay ko kaayo. I wish madayon ug true jud!” (I am so happy. I wish it will push through and it is indeed true!) responded Carillo when asked about her reaction regarding the good news for government workers as announced by no less than Pres. Aquino himself in Malacañang during the celebration of Labor Day yesterday.

Pres. Aquino in his announcement deckared over a million government employees can receive another wage increase in June rather than in July. The National Government’s prudent fiscal management policies have resulted to the advance schedule of pay hike for government workers, this is said.

Pres. Aquino likewise directed the regional wage boards to fast track the deliberations on petitions for salary adjustments for workers in the private sector in their respective areas. (PIA 7 - Cebu)

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BFAR-7 gears for fisherfolk registration

By Eli C. Dalumpines

CEBU CITY, May 2 (PIA) --- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in 
Central Visayas is laying the grounds for the region-wide registration of fisherfolks starting this month.

BFAR-7 Regional Director Andres M. Bojos, in a media forum this morning, said they have already set schedules for the training of the municipal fishery personnel throughout the region who are going to handle the registration.

Bojos informed that this is mandated in the Fishery Code of the Philippines (R.A. 8550) which provides the mechanism for the registration of all those who are engaged in the fishing industry, including those who are selling aqua-marine products and those who are into fish processing.

According to Bojos, they can now have a more comprehensive data of all those who are in the fishing industry in the region once this is completed.

“At least we will be able to know what specific activities they are engaged in since the data that we will be getting out of this registration is quite more detailed,” he said.

One of the advantages of this registration is that BFAR will now be able to channel properly its assistance to the intended group since they can now identify what sub-sector in the industry really needs more help, Bojos further said.

Bojos said local government units can also make use of this data in accounting their constituents, especially those who are engaged in fishing, in times of calamities such as typhoons. 

At present, there are some 500,000 fisherfolks in the region. This number though includes those who are engaged in selling of marine products and those who are in the fish processing industry. (FCR/ECD/PIA 7-Cebu)

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Household wastes in a basket for composting, the Takakura way

CEBU CITY, May 2 (PIA) --- A novel way of composting to produce fertilizers from household wastes called “TAKAKURA” composting is being piloted in 20 households in barangays Tejero, carreta, Mabolo and Pahina San Nicolas in Cebu City.

Cebu City councilor, Nida Cabrera said, the 20 pilot households will each receive Takakura baskets with ready mix mother compost.  

All they need to do is to place all bio-degradable wastes into the baskets and mix them.

According to Cabrera, Takakura Composting is a method of reducing or recycling organic wastes such as garden wastes and manure, leftover food and liquid seawage are broken down by various types of microorganisms resulting to a valuable soil conditioner or fertiizer.

Dr. Koji Takakura of Japan discovered the composting method and has been extensively used in some other Asian countries like Surabaya Indonesia , Cabrera said.

The concept of Takakura composting has been encouraging to both local and national officials and this has been piloted as one of the major programs of Cebu City .

According to Cabrera, her committee has been massively conducting information drive in all barangays of the City to publicize this new way of reducing household wastes.

It is the vision of councilor Cabrera to multiply the number of baskets and to reach as many households all around Cebu to adopt the Takakura composting method. (PIA-7/Maryknoll B. Lague, Intern- CTU)

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PIA-NTC inks partnership strengthening information on disaster risk reduction

By Fayette C. Rinen

CEBU CITY, May 2 (PIA) --- In order to strengthen local institutional capacities for effective information management particularly in communicating information aimed at disaster risk reduction, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) inked a partnership geared towards community disaster preparedness and response.

Vince Camba of the PIA bared the partnership also addresses hoax messages that otherwise prevents false alarm causing undue public panic and distress specifically citing the Tsunami scare in Japan of which the radiation levels might hit the Philippines at a certain hour on that certain day.

“The March 14 text scare that had caused unnecessary public panic is one example where the PIA-NTC partnership is beneficial as communication to the public about the real condition on such an issue can be addressed,” according to Camba during a recent briefing on the PIA-NTC partnership for disaster preparedness and response to over 100 regional directors and infocen managers of the PIA across the country.

With the PIA-NTC partnership, the messages through text can be differentiated either as a hoax or a true text, where government can counteract text messages designed to cause undue public fear, this is said.

In Cebu, the radiation scare witnessed the panic buying of betadine, a topical antiseptic, as based on the text, the betadine must be used to offset the possible development of thyroid cancer due to radiation.

Because of the public alarm caused by a simple hoax text message, the PIA-Cebu coordinated with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) -7 prompting the conduct of an immediate press conference seeking media’s help to allay public fear to counteract the false message.

The use of information to effectively manage and mitigate disaster through appropriate actions and response from the government is essentially needed especially as the Philippines is prone to natural disasters like typhoons, this is stressed.

Camba said the country is number one in the volume of disaster events in the world map of natural disasters in 2009 which that year recorded 13.4M victims and 1,334 deaths placing the country second to China in terms of mortality rate due to disasters.

It was in 2009 that the killer Typhoon ‘Ondoy’ took hundreds of lives and rendered thousands of Filipinos homeless when the tropical storm wrecked Metro Manila and nearby regions taking everyone by surprise. Because of the tremendous devastation, the whole country was placed in a state of calamity.

The country averages 22 typhoons a year, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration and with the forthcoming rainy season, the PIA-NTC partnership comes at a time when strengthening information to build the capacities of the local community for disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction is extremely crucial, Camba ended. (PIA 7-Cebu)

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Coop sector urged to join crusade for climate-resilient nation, green enterprises

CEBU, May 01 (PIA) --- With the advent of climate change and disaster risks, many sectors in the country today are slowly adopting ‘green’ projects to make a climate and disaster-resilient nation.

During the 1^st NCR Cooperative Sector Conference on climate change, Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the senate committee on climate change urged the cooperative sector to focus on ‘green’ technologies and enterprises.

Cooperativism must be translated into a nationwide crusade that make use of recycles and natural materials that promote the creation of products and designs that various cooperative communities and livelihood groups can advocate and develop.

Legarda encouraged cooperatives to advocate green living, fair trade and care for the environment.  One of the principles of cooperativism—the concern for community—is geared towards the achievement of sustainable development, which is essential in climate change adaptation, she added.

The cooperatives sector according to Legarda has the capacity to improve current activities that promote sustainable development; unite and mobilize collective efforts in confronting climate change challenges.

The coop sector can create partnerships with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to conduct livelihood programs that promote green skills such as newspaper bag weaving, creating slippers and bags from water lilies, and making accessories such as bracelets and rosaries from old magazine strips.

 It can also forge a partnership with the Small Business Guarantee Corporation (SBGC) that can provide loans to help micro, small and medium enterprises with ‘green’ projects.

Legarda said, it is the task of every citizen to be involved in efforts to reduce disaster risks and adapt to climate change.

Furthermore, the cooperative sector has the capacity to be key participants in meeting the challenge of this global phenomenon. (PIA-7/MBCN with reports from the Office of Senator Legarda)

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DepEd-7 defends K+12 program from opposition
By Eli C. Dalumpines

CEBU CITY , Apr. 30(PIA)--- The highest official of the Department of Education(DepEd) in Central  Visayasdefended the K+12 program which the government is scheduled to implement this coming school year.

DepEd-7 Regional Director Recaredo Borgonia, in a recent radio interview, bared our present social reality really calls for additional two more years in school before school children can reach the mastery level learning.

Borgonia issued the remark in response to the criticism raised by Cebu Congressman Pablo Garcia during the public hearing conducted last Thursday on the K+12 program.

During the hearing, Garcia argued that the 10-year education program implemented during his time and which is still currently being implemented produced great leaders of our country.

Garcia even cited that those who finished grade 6 during his time even have the mastery to teach in the elementary grade.

Borgonia however, said that the social conditions that the lawmaker cited were different then because school children decades ago experienced very minimal distractions in their studies in the absence of televisions sets, considered a luxury item then.

The DepEd-7 chief added that the present curriculum is so crowded because previous top officials in the department wanted to teach children with so many things for just a short period.

The result, Borgonia said, is a low performance rating among schoolchildren as shown in the latest results of the nationally administered tests.

Borgonia cited the mean percentage for the elementary pupils in the recent National Achievement Test (NAT), for instance, only registered 60 percent.
According to Borgonia, attaining a mastery learninglevel needs a longer time so that the program to add two more years in school is so timely.

He likewise noted that the age factor has also to be considered because under the present curriculum, children finished basic education at the age of 16 which is quite too young to be employed.

The Labor Code, he informed, set the legally employable age at 18. (FCR/ECD/PIA 7-Cebu)

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Cebu PIO prexy to work for institutionalization of IOs

By Eli C. Dalumpines

CEBU CITY, Apr. 30 (PIA)--- The newly-installed president of the Cebu Association of City and Municipal Public Information Officers (CAOCAMPIO)vowed to work for the institutionalization of the office of the Information Officer.

Carlo Duga-duga of the Cebu City local government unit who has been elected as this year’s CACOCAMPIO president in a speech during his induction to office yesterday said “public information is crucial to the development of local government units but government officials don’t seem to recognize it.”

Duga-duga, who is now serving as Information Officer of Cebu City , aired his observation that most of the information officers in the cities and towns of Cebuare only designates and only very few have permanent items.

The major challenge of the group then, according to him, is to advocate and rally to the local chief executives to let them see the important role information officers are playing in effectively communicating the programs of local government units (LGUs).

LGUs, he stressed, should learn to think not in terms of how much they are going to save by only designating an employee doing a specific job to handle public information at the same time but rather, in terms of the return of investment if their programs are communicated well to their constituents.

Another advocacy his group is going to emphasize, Duga-duga noted, is to convince the academe to integrate alternative subjects on public information in the mass communication curriculum so that students will have a working knowledge 
in communication in the government once they seek government employment.    

The new CAOCAMPIO president, who formerly served as president of the Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP)-Cebu Chapter, likewise, urged the media to 
help promote good governance as this is one of the factors that fosters development. 

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, who was the guest speaker during the event, urged the government information officers to communicate and promote before the public the activities and programs of their respective LGUs so the people would be made aware that their local government is indeed working for the people’s interests.

Rama however, gave an advice to the PIOs “to always observe fairness and never to take sides while they are in the process of doing their job.” (FCR/ECD/PIA 7-Cebu)