INFOBYTES, Issue No. 21 (August 17)

DOLE urges employers to hire PWDs
Business owners in the province are missing out on tax incentives offered by the government because they are not employing differently-abled but highly skilled persons or persons with disabilities (PWDs).

This was the concern raised by local officials from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) during a Kapihan forum held August 17 by the Philippine Information Agency.

In the forum, Kenrick Villaluz, labor and employment officer II of DOLE here said the lukewarm attitude of employers when it comes to hiring PWDs mainly stems from unawareness.

About 40 local employers were recently invited by DOLE here to discuss about employment opportunities for local differently-abled persons. "But sadly, no one showed up," laments Villaluz.

The labor officer said the negative mind-set prevalent among business owners towards employing PWDs mainly stems from unawareness. They do not know the benefits that await them if they hire PWDs nor are they aware that there are highly capable PWDs who are qualified to work, said Villaluz.

Employers who hire PWDs can avail of tax deductions like 25% of the total amount paid as salaries and wages of differently-abled persons and 50% of the direct cost on the improvement or modification of facilities as required by BP 344 or Accessibility Law, which naturally follows if an establishment has a PWD employee.

Aside from this, the employment of PWDs is mandated by the law under RA 7277 or the Magna Carta which pushes for equal protection for employment in the differently-abled sector.

Villaluz said his office is set to conduct a series of dialogues with business owners, managers and employers about the said benefits, starting with the members of the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council.

DOLE has been soliciting jobs for PWDs under a program dubbed Tulay Alalay Para Sa Mga Taong May Kapansanan (TULAY) which is a special program aimed at bringing differently-abled persons into mainstream society.

With the country's unemployment rate currently at 11.4%, differently-abled people have a tough time competing for jobs with able-bodied individuals, said Atty. Jose Ogang, provincial director of DOLE here.

Ogang admitted that they find it hard to find jobs for PWDs.

To compensate for this, Ogang said grants are available for organizations of PWDs through the TULAY program, under which DOLE conducts trainings and provides opportunities for employment and livelihood to skilled PWDs.

Villaluz explained that first, DOLE registers the capabilities of the PWDs and then they are counseled. "After this, we refer them to establishments where their skill might be of use," he said.

DOLE also provides grants to qualified PWD organizations to jumpstart livelihood activities for the differently-abled sector.

Ogang said the TULAY program is different from other livelihood programs because it offers grants, not loans, and therefore it is not repaid.

The Dumaguete City Handicapped Association was among the first beneficiaries of the said grant as DOLE conducted a training on food processing for the association's members. "Now they have an oven, freezer and kitchen utensils," said Villaluz.
-30-

36 gov't workers avail of gov't housing program in NegOr, Siquijor
Around 36 state workers in Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces have already turned their dream of a decent and affordable house into concrete through the housing program offered by the Government Service Insurance System to its members.

"Bahay Ko" is a direct lending program which aims to provide decent and affordable homes to qualified GSIS members, said Jaydon Villaverde, information officer of GSIS here.

Members who are eligible to apply for the loan are employees in active government service with a permanent status and a holder of a regular GSIS Policy Contract; not have been previously granted a housing loan by GSIS; below the compulsory retirement age; not a co-maker of an outstanding GSIS housing loan; and up-to-date in the payment of his or her social insurance premiums.

Contractual and casual employees with at least five (5) years of continuous service are also qualified to borrow.

The maximum loanable amount is P500,000 per qualified member and this can only be used for the construction of a house on a lot either owned by the borrower or on a lot purchased and/or mortgaged by the member but still with an outstanding balance and the purchase of a residential house and lot.

The loan is payable up to 25 years for loan packages of P181,000 to P500,000 and 30 years for P180,000 and below.

Borrowers also have the option to choose from several GSIS house designs, of which he will be provided with free building plans and specifications, bill of materials and labor cost estimates based on the chosen house design.

Aside from this, house construction is economical since the material requirements are evaluated for minimal wastage.

Interested applicants may call up the GSIS for further details through tel. no. 2255476.
-30-

Dauin's tourism earnings in 2005 soar to P2.3 M
Tourism is fast becoming a booming industry in the coastal town of Dauin as the town reported a big jump to more than P2 million in earnings from tourist ticket sales from January to August this year.

The fee ticketing system installed within the nine marine protected areas (MPAs) in Dauin generated a total of P2.3 million for the first eight months this year compared to the P264,064 posted from January to December 2004, revealed Marife Tenido, Dauin's public information officer.

The ticketing system generates its sales from diving and ecotourism activities within the MPAs located in eight barangays of Dauin, one of which is Apo Island, the province's major tourist attraction and a premier diving spot in the country.

The other barangays are Bulak, Lipayo, District I, District II, Masaplod Norte, Masaplod Sur, and Maayongtubig.

The Fisherman's Association with support from the barangay and the municipal government manages the MPAs.

Tenido said this year's initial income also partially resulted from fines collected from erring local and foreign tourists who violated the Coastal Resource Management (CRM) Plan and Ordinance, which bans, among others, spear fishing and scuba diving inside the marine sanctuary.

The CRMP is a five-year ordinance that is now implemented and enforced in Dauin's MPAs. It has become a big success that it has attracted several study tours from other provinces and municipalities, says Tenido.

Dauin was earlier awarded as best implementer of the Coastal Resource Management in both the province and Region 7 in 2003.
-30-

Save energy, gov't urges Filipinos
In the face of relentless upsurge on prices of oil and other domestic products in the world market, Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Office of the Communications Director to initiate a nationwide awareness campaign on energy conservation.

The president has called on the public to "close ranks" in conserving energy following the jump in the price of oil per barrel which already hit $67 in the world market.

According to DOE's Kuryentipid Tips, electricity conservation does not mean doing without electricity but rather doing it wisely.

"Electricity conservation means using the least amount of electricity without reduction in standards of basic goods and services," states the energy department's website (www.doe.gov.ph).

All households are urged to use fluorescent lights instead of incandescent bulbs as a 40-watt fluorescent lamp produces more light than a 100-watt incandescent bulb at half the cost.

When cooking, use flat-bottom pans with light covers to lessen heat transfer loss while frozen foods should be thawed thoroughly before cooking. The electric stove should also be turned off at the last minutes of cooking since the remaining heat will make the food simmer.

Ironing clothes should be done when it is cooler and more comfortable as this lessens the demand for electricity during peak hours. DOE also advises against excessively dampening clothes, as these would take longer to iron.

Pres. Arroyo recently signed Administrative Order No. 126 directing all government offices to implement a mandatory 10 percent reduction of their average monthly fuel consumption for the first semester of this year.

The president has earlier assured the public that the government is "working round the clock" in implementing measures to cushion the harsh impact of skyrocketing oil prices on basic commodities and services.

Under AO 26, all government agencies and offices are prohibited from using vehicles, aircraft and watercraft for "purposes other than official business." Exempted from this are vehicles used by intelligence and investigative agencies of the government.

Government offices with adequate ventilation are also told to avoid using air-conditioning facilities especially during the cooler months from August to February.

To ensure government offices' strict compliance with the directive, state offices will submit a monthly report of their energy consumption to DOE.
-30-

Teves, clarifies palace's stand on E-VAT
Finance Sec. Margarito Teves clarified that Malacañang is firm on its stand on the Expanded Value Added Tax (EVAT).

This was Teves's response to the opinion of Albay Cong. Joey Salceda that the Arroyo administration should stop the EVAT implementation amidst the continuing oil price increases to avoid an economic meltdown.

Teves said that the Palace does not intend to follow the advice of Salceda as the non-implementation of EVAT will just put the country at greater risk of economic disaster.

He added that it is important to strengthen the fiscal position of the country to avoid a financial crisis that will surely hamper the delivery of basic services especially those for the poor.

EVAT is expected to generate additional revenue for the government at about P60 to P80 billion.

The government is hoping that with the impending economic crisis in the country, conflicts among Filipinos will be pushed aside to give way to a better solution to the economic woes of the country.
-30-

Info officers in Central Visayas to meet for annual consultative conference
Recognizing the crucial role of effective information delivery in good governance, the public information officers in Negros Oriental will participate in a regional consultative conference of information officers in Panglao Island, Bohol on August 24 to 26, this year.

Bannering the theme "Enhancing Skills of Information Officers for Effective Communication," the conference is hosted by Philippine Information Agency (PIA), which annually convenes all public information officers regionwide.

Close to 60 information officers composing the Regional Association of Development Information Officers (RADIO-7) in Central Visayas are expected to attend the three-day conference.

The conference aims to enhance the basic communication skills of government information officers as well as educating them on libel and media ethics.
PIA Director-General Sec. Renato Velasco will deliver the keynote message during the conference while Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado, 1st District of Bohol Cong. Edgar Chato and Dauis Mayor Luciano Bongalos will likewise give their respective messages.

For three days, the participants will have the opportunity to confer with local experts in the information business in Bohol.

RADIO-7 is federation of all government information officers in the towns, cities and provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Oriental Negros and Siquijor

The Association of Negros Oriental Public Information Officers' president, Bayawan City Information Officer Eliseo Manlangit, sits in the RADIO-7 Board of Directors.
-30-

LNAS gets P200T-soybean processing equipment
With foods processing as its distinctive area of competence among the institutes of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Lazi National Agricultural School (LNAS) has acquired a P200,000-worth set of equipment for milling soybeans for processing into various food preparations like soya milk, taho, tokwa, and others.

Contracted to perform the fabrication of the equipment was Kwikway Engineering of Dumaguete City. The equipment will significantly lessen the milling time of soybeands due to its bigger capacity compared to the earlier machines procured by the school.

Along with this, the school has been offering free training on soybeans production, processing and utilization to various groups in the province since the times the technology was acquired from the Institute of Food Science at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna.

A versatile crop, soybeans contains high levels of protein, a fact for the zero prevalence of malnutrition even in populous mainland China due to the heavy consumption of the beans and its various food products among the Chinese.

In the farms, soybeans is a good intercrop for corn, because of its nitrogenous nature. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, particularly rhizobium brady, residing in its root nodules enhance nitrogen levels in the soil thereby aiding growth and development of the crops grown in the field.
-30-

Dengue suspect crisis on the rise in Siquijor
Siquijor remains in the grip of a dengue threat as the deadly disease have already affected about 170 people with 7 deaths reported this year.

Based on records from the Siquijor Integrated Provincial Health Office, suspect cases admitted to the Siquijor Provincial Hospital totaled 143, with 53 cases and 1 death from Siquijor town; 33 cases and 22 deaths, Larena; 23 cases and 1 death in San Juan; 20 cases in Lazi; and 14 in Maria.

On the other hand, Siquijorians going to Dumaguete City and admitted in any of the three hospitals there totaled 27 cases with 3 deaths.

IPHO's records show that 13 cases have been reported in the first quarter of this year, 24 for the second quarter, 29 cases for July and 11 cases as of August. This year's cases increased compared to last year's 5 cases in the first quarter, 1 case in the second quarter, 6 in the third quarter and 17 during the last quarter with no human deaths reported.

In view of this, the Department of Health (DOH) is urging the public to draw defense actions against dengue.

The community is urged to observe cleanliness in their surroundings, dispose possible containers which may serve as breeding places of mosquitoes, cover water storage, use mosquito nets and observe good environmental sanitation.
-30-