Cebuano leaders, LGUs pledge to take part on disaster preparedness
By Amorganda A. Saludar
CEBU CITY, May 31 (PIA) -- Cebuano leaders and local government units (LGUs) in Cebu committed to help ensure the safety and readiness of their respective areas during natural calamities, through implementing disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation programs.
Government officials and LGUs expressed their commitment during the recent “Tapatan Roadshow on Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change Adaptation: A Call to Action" conducted at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City, organized by the Department of Interior and Local Government.
Board Member Peter John Calderon of the 2nd district of Cebu said that it is the aim of every LGU and national government agency to be prepared for every calamity and ensure that such preparations are made to lessen its risks, threats, and negative effects to lives and properties of the people.
“It is the government’s primary objective to be ready in the occurrence of any calamities,” Calderon said.
He also urged the public to take part in order to lessen the loss of lives and property due to calamities.
Meanwhile, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes expressed his desire for each LGU to become the foundation of disaster preparedness measures to be conducted before and after the occurrence of calamities.
“To protect the lives and secure the properties of the people is our primary concern and obligation in case of calamities and we are bound to perform this obligation to our constituents. Safety and preparation is the key in dealing disaster preparedness,” Cortes said.
Cortes further added that climate change mitigation is also part of each LGU’s obligations in serving the public amidst the present threat of climate change and extreme changes in the weather condition of the country.
He then called for unity among LGUs as well as the public and stakeholders in coping with the threat of disaster and climate change.
“We should learn from each other as LGU, the battle to ensure safety is now an uphill battle and the only way to achieve and win is to be united as every obstacle represents a challenge,” the mayor concluded. (rmn/AS/PIA-7, CEBU)
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GSIS adopts new logo
By Juju Manubag-Empuerto
CEBU CITY, May 31 (PIA) -- Government Service Insurance System (GSIS)-7 Regional Manager Ma. Fatima R. Alvarez presented to the media here the new logo of GSIS during a special Kapihan forum to discuss the rebranding of the government insurance agency.
According to Alvarez, the new logo of GSIS adopts the color combination of blue, green and yellow.
"Blue, a friendly color, represents service and integrity. Green suggests freshness, new beginnings and grounded values. While yellow, which adopts the shade nearest to the color of the sun in the Philippine flag, represents a color of intelligence and hope," said Alvarez.
She said the ray design in the Philippine flag forms a significant part of the logo. The three rays in the logo stand for GSIS, its members and pensioners, and its institutional and corporate partners.
"A rising sun suggests the promise of a better tomorrow for both the institution and its stakeholders. While the white upward swoosh, which divides the colors blue and green, represents the road ahead," she added.
Alvarez also disclosed that the new management envisions that in the next five years, it will rebuild the office as a premier pension fund institution and a world-class center for providing the highest quality of service to its members.
"GSIS will be an organization that is transparent, autonomous and beyond public reproach," she said. (rmn/PIA-Cebu/JSME)
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1,500 police to be deployed in Cebu as school opens on June 4‘excludes security augmentation from force multipliers’
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, May 31 (PIA) -- Over 1,500 police personnel will be deployed in strategic areas including in different public and private schools throughout the province of Cebu to provide safety and security to students as school opens on Monday.
P/Supt. Julian Entoma of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) bared the number of police deployment does not include the security augmentation from their force multipliers including members from the Barangay Information Network (BIN) and the Barangay Peace Action Teams (BPACT).
“We estimated that there will be around 650,000 students during the opening of classes this coming Monday, June 4. We are ready to provide security to these students,” Entoma said during the recent ‘Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis’ (TSIP) Forum on ‘Oplan Balik Eskwela.’
In Cebu, there are an estimated 1,847 public and private schools combined. Public schools however, constitute the highest number with 1,533 and 314 for private schools, Entoma said.
Entoma revealed that they will be establishing 268 public assistance centers which will be based in nearby school premises. Around 536 police personnel will be deployed in these public assistance centers or PACs.
Another 1,152 police personnel will be deployed in special reaction units in both the northern and southern part of Cebu, in checkpoints, traffic security, covert operations among others, Entoma added.
Police deployment will start on June 2 to 8 while checkpoints will begin on Monday, June 4.
They will be requiring situational reports from the field personnel every two hours on June 4 and every five hours on June 5 until June 8.
Entoma said that they are conducting close coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) officials. (FCR-PIA 7, Cebu)
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Cebu Police Office tops performance on illegal drugs, gambling in C. Visayas
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, May 31 (PIA) -- The Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) tops the performance output in operational accomplishments among all police offices in Central Visayas in the continuing battle on illegal drugs, gambling, and illegal firearms.
Police Senior Inspector Ramoncelio Sawan of the Regional Operations and Plans Division of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 said the CPPO ranked first last April in positive operational performance among all seven police offices in the region.
“We are looking at seven police offices and rating them according to their operational outputs on three thrusts to determine which police office is at par with their work and which offices need guidance for improvement,” bared Sawan.
Sawan said the seven police offices that are being ranked according to their operational performances are the CPPO, Negros Oriental Police Office (NOPPO), Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO), Siquijor Provincial Police Office (SPPO), Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), and the Lapulapu City Police Office (LLCPO).
The three major thrusts where operational performances are based are ‘Kontra Boga’ (loose firearms), illegal drugs, and illegal gambling.
In Kontra Boga, Sawan said the CPPO was able to confiscate 42 firearms based on its positive operations followed by the CCPO with 26 confiscated or seized firearms and thirdly, the NOPPO with 22 firearms. The ranking is based on the number of loose firearms confiscated, seized or recovered from its operations last month alone.
The CPPO also conducted 36 positive operations on the continuing fight against illegal drugs last month followed by the CCPO with 34 operations and 17 operations for the BPPO.
On the campaign against illegal gambling, the CPPO held 27 positive operations in April followed by the CCPO with 17 and 14 for the BPPO.
The police official however, said the PRO 7 is also considering the characteristics of our other police offices. “We cannot compare the CPPO to the SPPO so we are also taking this into consideration why other police offices lag behind in performance output,” said Sawan. (FCR-PIA 7, Cebu)