US Embassy officials visit Gov. Garcia
by Amor Saludar
CEBU CITY January 17 (PIA) --- US Embassy officials Ed Schlachter, the program manager of the Anti-Terrorist Assistance Program and program specialist Ronald Dizon recently paid a visit to the office of Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia.
Accompanied by the top officials of Criminal Intelligence and Detection Group (CIDG) 7, Schlachter said that they are very pleased to meet and have a conversation with Garcia because of the latter’s courage and strong efforts in the combat against cyber crimes in Cebu.
Schlachter also informed the governor that they have already turned over the second set of equipment and apparatuses to CIDG-7 that can be used in the fight against cyber crimes.
The donated equipment will be placed at the new cyber crime laboratory in Cebu so that operations against cyber pornography will be strengthened, this is said.
Garcia on the other hand, said the CIDG building for the cyber laboratory donated by the province of Cebu was already completed and set to be inaugurated within this week.
She also added that the opening of the cyber crime laboratory will surely advanced their efforts in the continuing fight against cyber crime and other related cases. (FCR/AS/PIA-CEBU)
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P14.5M PDAF for Cebu City to fund local barangay projects
by: Maryknoll B. Lague
CEBU CITY, Jan. 19 (PIA) --- The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG-7) under its regional director Ananias Mori Villacorta has been entrusted by Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero to implement a total of P14.5 million worth of project fund for Cebu City.
The amount represents a part of Escudero’s P135.5M Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for the 2011.
Of the total amount released for Region 7, around P13.5 million was allotted for more than 80 barangays in Cebu City for the purchase of eight-seater passenger-type Isuzu multi-cabs while the other P1 million will be given as financial assistance to the Cebu City Task Force on Street Children.
Over P900 million of the overall PDAF of Escudero had been distributed equally to over 200 municipalities across the country for the improvement of their public markets, a press release from the senator said.
Of the total allocation, Central Luzon has the biggest release of funds among the regions with P43.5M for various projects in 87 municipalities of the provinces of Bataan, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac.
According to Escudero, this was the first time he was able to provide funds under PDAF and promised to farm out allocations to local government units to finance their projects this year.
Most of the allocated amount is intended for the improvement of public markets to every municipality in the country. Others were distributed to several regions to finance construction and repair of school buildings, improvement and rehabilitation of state universities, concreting and road repair, completion of a multi-purpose center and rehabilitation of a municipal hall, improvement of peripheral canals, and construction of river control projects, among others.
Aside from the allocation for Central Visayas and Central Luzon, the PDAF fund was distributed as follows: each municipality of Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4 (Mimaropa), Region 11 (Davao Region) and Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) received P500,000 to improve their public markets, Region 4B is given some P35.5 million for the benefit of all 71 municipalities of the provinces of Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan and Romblon.
Another P35.5 million of the senators’ development assistance funds was distributed equally to 71 municipalities of the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay. In Region 11, all 42 municipalities of the provinces of Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental equally shared P21 million in PDAF.
Educational institutions likewise received P19.5 million, among them the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City, and Tacurong City Pilot Elementary School in Sultan Kudarat. (mbcn/PIA-7 & CTU/mbl)