TACLOBAN CITY- Officials and employees of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the region conducted a tree-planting activity in Brgy. Utap, Tacloban City, as part of the department’s 83rd founding anniversary celebration.
DOLE Regional Director Elias A. Cayanong said they planted a least 1,000 saplings of fruit bearing trees aimed to contribute to the massive forest rehabilitation program of the government.
“We intend to do this every year as DOLE’s contribution to climate change mitigation strategy especially that Tacloban City is most vulnerable to climate change as evidenced by the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda”, Cayanong explained.
During the tree planting, DOLE RO8 employees planted saplings of pili, mango, jackfruit, and guyabano. (PR)
DOLE EV conducts tree planting as part of 83rd anniversary celebration
Legarda: Free tuition for all in SUCs under 2017 nat’l budget
Senator Loren Legarda said that all students who will enroll in any state university and college (SUC) in the country, including the University of the Philippines (UP), will no longer pay for tuition fee starting next school year as it will now be funded under the 2017 national budget.
Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said that this is the purpose of the additional P8 billion allocation under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
“One of the long-standing concerns of poor families is bringing their children to college because after finishing high school in public schools, most of them have no means to pay for tuition fee in SUCs. The 2017 national budget addresses this concern,” she said.
The senator explained that while the budget only covers tuition fee, indigent students may still avail of grants and aid for miscellaneous fees under various programs.
College students belonging to family-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are covered by the Expanded Students’ Grants in Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA).
Those who are not part of the 4Ps can avail of financial assistance for educational purposes under the Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs) both under CHED and SUCs. Under the proposed 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA), there is P5.753 billion funding for StuFAP.
“Alleviating our people from poverty entails providing support for education until college so that they have more job opportunities and they are employed as professionals. Now that Congress has provided the funding, we urge the CHED and SUCs to ensure that these funds will go to the intended beneficiaries,” Legarda concluded.
The proposed 2017 GAA worth P3.350 trillion has been approved by both the Senate and House of Representatives and is expected to be signed by the President before Christmas. (PR)
Murder suspect arrested by authorities in N. Samar town
GAMAY, Northern Samar-One of the most wanted persons from the nearby town of Palapag was arrested on December 15.
Arrested by the combined elements of the Gamay and Palapag police stations was Emil Magayes, 49, who is considered as number four in the most wanted list of the Palapag police station.
Magayes, accused for murder, was arrested by the police authorities at his house located in Barangay Cabatuan, Palapag town at about 3:54 in the morning.
Magayes has an outstanding warrant for murder issued on 2008 but went into hiding.
But an information that he returned to their home resulted for him to be arrested by the combined elements of the Gamay and Palapag police stations.
The operation was headed by Senior Inspector Noel Unay, police chief of Gamay and PO3 Ronnie Bacunawa of the Palapag police station.
The suspect is now under the custody of Palapag municipal police station for booking and documentation prior turn-over to court.
Police S/Supt. Ceasar Zafiro Tannagan, acting police provincial director, commended his men for the arrest of the murder suspect. (PR)
East Samar Rep. Evardone supports bill that encourages youths to take agri, fishery courses
BORONGAN CITY- The proposal at the House of Representatives that would mandate the government to come up with a program for young farmers is being supported by the solon in the lone district of Eastern Samar.
Rep. Ben Evardone has informed that he already mandated the management of the Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) earlier to design a program that would encourage the youth to continue to study agriculture in order for them to replace — if not follow in the footsteps of the few aging farmers and to help secure the food security of the country.
The bill, passed by Rep. Alfred Vargas, is now being deliberated at the Lower House.
The bill also aims to encourage incoming college students to choose and finish a course in agriculture through the socialized tuition scheme for those who will enroll in agriculture as well as in fisheries.
Rep. Evardone said that the proposed bill will help encourage to go into agriculture as the new generation appears of not being encouraged to take up courses in agriculture due to its difficulty and that a farmer’s income is not enough.
Aside from this, the average level of education of a farmer is mostly elementary reason they are not that open to use modern farming technologies that would heThe said bill mandates the members of National Agriculture and Fisheries System to implement the Young Farmers Program (YFP).
Local government units (LGUs) are also mandated to support the said program through an additional counterpart funding assistance.
Meantime, Evardone announced the realization of one of his programs in education that he is pushing through — the free college education for state universities and colleges (SUCs) students starting on school year 2017-2018.
According to him, included in the 2016 National Budget approved by the bicameral conference committee on December 14, 2016 is theP 8 billion fund for the implementation of the said program.(PIA-EASTERN SAMAR)
Biliranons warned on firecrackers during the holiday seasons
NAVAL, Biliran, December 12 (PIA) – Even though firecrackers are not visible yet in the market stalls of Naval, the capital town and center of commerce of the province of Biliran, the Biliranons are warned on the use of firecrackers in celebrating the holiday seasons.
The Provincial Health Office has reminded the public to be cautious on the use of firecrackers amidst their merriment in celebrating the Christmas and the New Year festivities.
The public is urged to refrain from buying and using firecrackers in their merriment to be spared from additional expenses, risks, dangers, and other ill- effects of firecrackers to one’s health.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte planned to impose a nationwide ban on firecrackers but later deferred the plan as concerned groups in the firecracker industry requested him not to push through the planned ban for they have already purchased their products.
The President himself has appealed to the public to take precautions in using firecrackers and other pyrotechnics during the revelries.
It was learned that Davao City, where President Duterte was mayor for a long time, celebrates the holiday season with solemnity. (PIA-BILIRAN)
Pres. Duterte supports PNP beyond question – Sueno
By: ROEL T. AMAZONA
PALO, Leyte- President Rodrigo Duterte will continue to support police personnel who figures in the anti-drug campaign of his administration.
This was assured by Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno who visited the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP, based this town, Thursday (December 15).
But while the President, the Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces, will continue to back the police forces as they carry out their anti-drug operations, Mr. Duterte will not allow any extrajudicial killings committed by them, Sueno stressed.
The relentless and brutal campaign on the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country being carried out by Mr. Duterte raised cries of opposition from various human rights groups and foreign organizations and governments like the United States and the United Nations.
“We encourage you to be good; many of you are good and performing very well. That is why, our President loves you,” Sueno said before the police officials and personnel of the PNP-8.
Sueno was welcomed by police regional director Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar.
And in a press conference, Sec. Sueno said that while there are “bad eggs” in the police organization, there are more “good eggs” who are carrying out their sworn duties to protect the civilians.
He also said that despite of the strong criticism against the illegal drug campaign, Mr. Duterte will not be cowed by them.
“The President is really very strict against the illegal drugs,” Sueno said.
Mr. Duterte had earlier said that he backed the raid conducted by the members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at the Leyte subprovincial jail that killed Albuera mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. on November 5.
The killing of Espinosa, father Kerwin, self-confessed drug lord of the region, was described by Mr. Duterte’s critics as a glaring example that policemen carry out extrajudicial killings in the course of the campaign.
But the DILG, in a report, dismissed that no summary killings have occurred amid the anti-drug campaign of the government.
Sueno claimed that that the campaign is now gaining positive result as crime incidents related to drug use have gone down, to include Metro Manila, the country’s center of activities.
“The crime rate has significantly gone down and you can now walk in the streets feeling safe,” Sueno said.
Meantime, Sec. Sueno encourages the public to actively participate the MASA MASID campaign of the government spearheaded by the DILG.
MASA MASID (Mamamayan Ayaw sa Anomaliya, Mamamayan Ayaw sa Ilegal na Droga), is a barangay-based campaign anti-criminality, anti-corruption and anti-illegal drugs program which encourages barangay residents to help the campaign.
“So we ask our barangay people to volunteer to provide information who are drug pushers, criminals and corrupt officials,” Sueno said.
The program will also serve in “educating” the children, especially the grade schoolers, on the ill-effects of the illegal drugs.