Archive for January, 2016
Cojuangco champions teachers’ educational advancement
By Virgilio Sar. Maganes
URDANETA CITY- Pangasinan gubernatorial aspirant Mark O. Cojuangco continuously inspires Pangasinenses that include all sectors-youth, senior citizens, farmers group, women and even professionals, by giving them hope for a better life should he win the gubernatorial post.
Recently, Cojuangco was with a group of teachers whom he lauded for their sacrifices in molding the minds of the youth although their compensations are not that high enough to meet their needs.
He said one of his advocacies to improve the level of education in the province is to institutionalize a career development program for teachers for them to earn masters degree in prestigious universities in the country.
” I want our teachers in Pangasinan to earn their masters degrees in prestigious universities like University of the Philippines, La Salle University, University of Sto. Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University to improve their skills and (increase) their knowledge.This is a way to improve the educational system in Pangasinan. Education is very important not only for the pupils and students. Teachers should also improve themselves for the future of our province,” he said.
AVOID PARTISAN POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
AVOID PARTISAN POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. Romel Rivera, senior human resource specialist of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in Lingayen, reminds all public servants holding non-political positions to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in any partisan political activities as the election period continues. Government workers and officials shall at all times be cautious in their acts specially when using social media as it might construed as engaging in partisan political activity and result in their dismissal from service, Rivera said during the “Pantongtongan Tayo” radio program of PIA-Pangasinan aired on Tuesday. (Photo by: Roland Naoe/PIA-1, Pangasinan)
Dagupan receives Seal of Child Friendly Local Governance Award
DAGUPAN CITY – This city was conferred anew the Seal of Child Friendly Local Governance Award by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC).
The award was received by Mayor Belen T. Fernandez from Victoria Jean P. Dawis, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Cluster Leader in Pangasinan in a ceremony on January 28 at the City Museum.
Dagupan was awarded for its commitment in promoting child rights to survival, development, protection and participation towards a Child-Friendly Philippines first in 2014 when Mar Roxas was still the DILG Secretary.
The 2015 Seal of Child Friendly Local Governance Award was signed by Department of Social; Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, chairperson, CWC; and Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento.
The city was recently assessed for its child-friendly practices by the CWC National Award Committee Validation team as the city is a national contender again for the prestigious 2015 Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Cities under the independent component city category. The awarding for the winners is set on April 5 in Manila.
Dagupan was recognized twice by the Regional Committee as the Most Child-Friendly City in Region 1.
“Dagupan wants to be known as a child friendly city, but we don’t just want the tag or title. We want this etched in the hearts of all our people because this is the right thing to do,” said Mayor Fernandez, after receiving the award.
Joining Fernandez in receiving the award were city councilors Jose Netu Tamayo and Marcelino Fernandez; Schools Division Superintendent Froserfina J. Bravo and Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Lourdes Servito; DILG City Director Rhoderick Dawis; and Punong Barangays Helen Fermill, Joseph Maramba and Delfin de Guzman. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO)
Pangasinan farmers affected by typhoon ‘Lando’ get farm inputs
STA. BARBARA, – At least 4,000 Pangasinan farmers affected by typhoon Lando in October last year received certified palay seeds from the provincial government here on Tuesday to help them recover from their loses.
Dalisay Moya, acting provincial agriculturist in Pangasinan, said the distribution of at least 4,100 bags of certified palay seeds is a continuation of similar activity held in November 2015 where the provincial government distributed 15,584 bags of certified inbred palay seed, 15,051 bags of hybrid palay seeds and assorted vegetable seeds, mungbean seeds and onion seeds.
Moya said the farmers who received the latest farm inputs are those who will plant palay during the second and third cropping for 2016.
She said beneficiaries also farmers whose farmlands are located in fully irrigated palay areas being served by the national irrigation system.
Moya said the project is being closely coordinated with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to assure the availability of irrigation water in the project areas. (PIA-1, Pangasinan)
DOH, DepEd lead Deworming Day in Dagupan City
DAGUPAN CITY– The Department of Health (DOH) in cooperation with the Department of Education (DepEd) launched its second round of National School Deworming Day (NSDD) today in this city.
A kick-off ceremony for the NSDD was spearheaded by the DOH in the Ilocos at 9 a.m. at the Federico N. Ceralde Integrated School in barangay Bonuan Binloc here.
Lawrence Navarro, senior health program officer of DOH in the Ilocos, said the NDSS aims to increase the number of dewormed school children to ensure that more children shall be spared from helminthiasis or parasitism for better health and school performance.
During the one-day activity, the deworming tablet called albendazole was administered to a child two hours after they had a full meal.
Schools Division Superintendent Froserfina Bravo said the deworming tablet is being given to children from kindergarten to Grade 6 in public schools in the country for free every six months, which means that the next round will be in July this year. (AMM/PIA-1, Pangasinan)
MARK AND BOYING DANCE
MARK AND BOYING DANCE- 1st District Rep. Jesus “Boying” Celeste and gubernatorial aspirant Mark O. Cojuangco gamely dance with Barangay Health Workers (BHW) of Bolinao during the BHW Meeting at El Pescador Resort last January 12.
THE OTHER MARK DANCES TOO- Vice gubernatorial aspirant Mark Roy Q. Macanlalay dances with a BHW
‘Chiz’ wants SSS to itemize investment portfolio
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero called on the Social Security System (SSS) to make public its investment portfolio and explain to its two million pensioners why President Aquino was correct in his assessment that the pension fund would go bankrupt in 2029 if he did not veto the Congress-ratified P2,000 increase in their pension.
“It is about time that the SSS, with its officials earning millions of pesos in salaries and bonuses, be put under the spotlight and be made to explain in full details why the agency will go belly up if we grant the much-needed P2,000-increase in the monthly pension of its retired members,” said Escudero, the leading vice-presidential candidate.
In his veto message, the President said that enacting the SSS pension hike bill could lead to “substantial negative income for the SSS” and depletion of its Investment Reserve Fund by 2029.
The Chief Executive explained that with the pension increase of P2,000 per retiree, multiplied by the present number of more than 2 million pensioners, would result in a total payout of P56 billion every year.
Compared against the annual investment income of P30 billion to P40 billion, such total payment for pensioners will yield a deficit of P16 billion to P26 billion annually, the President said.
As such, Aquino said the deficit would seriously compromise the current members of about 31 million just to favor the two million pensioners and their dependents.
Escudero said this was the reason why the Filipino people, particularly the pensioners and their dependents, “would want to know where the SSS bigwigs have invested their contributions.”
The veteran lawmaker also recalled a statement the President made during the 55th Founding Anniversary of the SSS on September 3, 2012, during which he emphasized the role of the pension fund in helping its members.
Poe: Use ICT to remove physical queues in government agencies
Consistent with her advocacy to improve social services, independent presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe is aiming to reduce and eventually eliminate physical queues in acquiring government documents and services.
To achieve this, Poe said the government should work for the complete computerization of applications and administrative processes in all agencies. Doing so would not only result in faster transactions but also do away with corruption in frontline services, she noted.
“The prevailing culture is that when you want something from the government, you have to be ready to line up for hours and prepare yourself for several inconveniences. That should not be the case. Every Filipino deserves a government that is compassionate and sensitive to their needs, and provides services that are efficient,” Poe said.
The senator is proposing the creation of a Department of Information and Communication Technology to give ICT (information and communications technology) a central role in the socio-economic development of the country.
ICT is currently under the mandate of two agencies: The Information and Communication Technology Office of the Department of Science and Technology and the National Telecommunications Commission.
“The Philippines remains one of the few countries that still do not have a separate ICT ministry,” Poe pointed out. “We don’t have an integrated e-governance facility that would provide the frontline services of all government agencies.”
ORTIGOZA: Drug buster busted
After they raided a drug den at a coastal village ran by Muslims in Dagupan City on 2010 by using two armored personnel carriers, Navy patrol boats operated by the Philippine version of the Navy SEAL (they call it NAVSOG or Naval Special Operations Group), and Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group, I told then Marine Major Ferdinand Marcelino, who was introduced to me by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 1 Director Robert Opena, a neighbor at the PMA in the 1970s, “You’re the saving grace of the anti drug drive of the government”.
After he arrested earlier the spoiled brats “Alabang Boys”.
Then I saw him going for several times in the U.S and even meeting my brother who was his military professor at Philippine Military Academy.
Last Thursday, Lt. Col. Marcelino was arrested by the PDEA in a drug storage facilities in Sta. Cruz, Manila with more or less 64 kilograms of suspected shabu placed worth P320M, assorted chemicals, and other laboratory equipment.
As I Google Thursday night different dailies and online news networks that reported on an apartment raid in Sta. Cruz, Manila, I found Manila Bulletin’s article by lined by Aaron B. Recuenco more detailed. Excerpts:
“When the raid was conducted, they found two people inside but they were not able to recognize him first because it was very dark inside,” said by Chief Insp. Roque Merdegia, AIDG spokesman of the police’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG). .
He said the PDEA operatives got a surprise of their life when they recognized one of the two people inside as Marcelino.
Aside from Marcelino, also nabbed as Yan Yi Shou who turned out to be personally reporting to Marcelino when he was still the head of the PDEA-SES as interpreter.
“Their names were not even on our list. Our target is the townhouse because of the report that it has been serving as a storage faciluty for shabu,” said by Chief Insp. Merdegia
It was then that they also found out that the townhouse is not only a storage facility but actually a clandestine shabu laboratory.
“The shabu were in a freezing stage and were contained in a four large plastic rectangular trays. I think the two have been trying to move the illegal drugs out when the raid was conducted,” said Merdegia.
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