ISSUE NO. 12, MARCH 23, 2006

NegOr celebrates World Water Day
The province of Negros Oriental recently celebrated World Water Day 2006 with a series of activities that aims to put communal focus on the importance of understanding and managing water resources better.

Simultaneous activities conducted during the World Water Day celebration on March 22 were poster and slogan and essay writing contests, a demonstration on water purifying process and a tree planting at Lake Balinsasayao.

Winners of the Essay writing contest are the following:
Secondary Level - John Olivier Corciega (St. Paul University-Dumaguete) , 1st prize; Nessie Marie Honculada (Tanjay City Science High School), 2nd prize; and Kate Nemes C. Vidad (Negros Oriental High School), 3rd prize.

Elementary Level - Rhomaelyn Myra Dagoy (Valencia Central School), 1st prize; Ruth Mae Quiachon (Sibulan Central School), 2nd prize; and Lorelie Abello (Tinaogan Elementary School), 3rd prize.

For the poster and slogan contest, the winners are the following:
Secondary Level - Monette Torres (Tanjay City Science High School), 1st prize; Nick John Cervantes (NOHS), 2nd prize; and Horhe Adrian Abcede (SPUD), 3rd prize.

Elementary Level - Jinky Tablate (SPED, Amlan Central School), 1st prize; Severino Monofollo (Magsaysay Memorial Elementary School), 2nd prize; and Jaylay Patrimonio (Balugo Elementary School), 3rd prize.

The United Nations has earlier declared the period 2005 to 2015 as the Decade of Water to place greater international focus on water and water issues.

The decade also recommits countries to achieve the water-related targets of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, as well as the Millennium Development Goals set in 2000.

The 2006 World Water Day theme of "Water and Culture" draws attention to the fact that there are as many ways of viewing, using and celebrating water, as there are cultural traditions across the world. It also celebrates the importance of water in man's daily life.Aside from this, the UNESCO Division of Water Sciences stressed that world economies are built on the strength of water transportation as cities are planned near water. "Our daily lives are built on water, and shaped by it. Without the water that surrounds us...our lives would be impossible."

Timbayayong Awards Search for LGUs, NGOs/POs launchedLocal government units, and people's organizations (POs) or non-government organizations (NGOs) are invited to participate in the Timbayayong Awards Search for Outstanding LGUs and NGOs/POs.

Spearheaded by the Negros Oriental Network of NGOs together with the Oriental Negros provincial government, the search is open to all LGUs and NGOs/POs with functional partnership programs that generate development in the localities.

The partnership should be current and have been operating for at least 3 to 5 years. Organizations qualified to participate in the search should have been formally accredited by the local government unit pursuant to the new Local Government Code.

Consideration for the awards is based on the partnership work in the local development council, current projects and a project proposal on how to utilize the P200,000 worth of project as a prize.

Nominees will be evaluated on the effective working relationship in local development council and other local special bodies as well as the quality of the process of service deliver to its beneficiaries.

Judges will also look into the nominees' demonstration of efficient resource management and the profiles of LGU and NGO/PO.

Interested participants are required to fill out and submit the official nomination forms to the Office of the NEGORNET together with a certification from the city/municipal local government operations officer (DILG) authenticating that such partnership and project exist while for barangay-based partnership project, an endorsement of the Mayor is required.

Nomination forms must also be accompanied with a brief summary of the current project with some photos and a concept paper on how to utilize the P200,000 worth of project.

Deadline for submission is set on March 31, 2006.

Siquijor province buys 16,500 coco hybrid seednuts for farmers
The provincial government of Siquijor recently approved the procurement of 16,500 coco hybrid seednuts for the coco farmers provincewide.

This is one of the provincial government's latest initiatives to increase the farmers' income, Medel Panzo, officer-in-charge of the local office of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) said.

The development is also in line with the President's effort to push economic growth to create more jobs and bring essential services to the doorsteps of the people.

To note, Siquijor provincial Governor Orlando B. Fua cited agriculture as his priority project to augment the ordinary folks' income. Coming from Ubay, Bohol Coconut Seed Garden, the first delivery of 3,500 seednuts is now in seednut setting at the coco nursery in the province. Another 3,500 is set for delivery next week and the rest in the coming weeks. He said, coco hybrid is an early bearing fruit and will definitely increase meat production in copra terms compared to local coconuts. It will bear fruits in three to five years," he said.

It can also be noted that the country is expected to post a 5.4 percent in gross domestic product due to a rejuvenated agriculture sector and improving fiscal health, according to Philippine Institute for Development Studies president Josef Yap."With the country's increasing demand for virgin coconut oil, coco fiber and similar coco products, Siquijor Province is on the right track," Panzo also said.

DOLE to women: revitalize, register and avail of gov't services
Taking cognizance of Republic Act 7192, otherwise known as the "Women in Development and Nation Building Act," Provincial Extension Officer Ma. Teresa D. Tanquiamco of the local office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) urged women organizations in barangays to strengthen and/or revitalize their groups and register so they can avail of the government's direct services particularly from their department.

RA 7192 values the role of women in nation building by giving them access to government programs and services.

The law also provides that "all government departments shall ensure that women benefit equally and participate directly in the development programs and projects to ensure their full participation an dinvolvement in the development process."During the election of officers of the Larena Women's Federation, Tanquiamco said having a legal personality is one of the basic requirements to avail of the programs of the government.

She said some registered women's group of the province have already availed of the Women Employment Thru Entrepreneurship Development (WEED) program of their office. She also stressed that women, if given opportunities, can do more citing the women's group who runs the dairy project in San Juan, Siquijor.

WEED program is one of the DOLE's direct and affirmative action to alleviate the plight of the more disadvantaged or marginalized sectors of the Filipino women. It envisions the pursuance of women's livelihood projects in establishing enterprises that will be able to compete in the market as well as provide more employment to the residents in the community, and in the process, contribute to the economic growth of their municipality/province.

Under this program, the Women Organization Nurturing for Development and Economic Recovery (WONDER) and Catulayan Rural Organization of Women for Nation-Building (CROWN) of San Juan, Siquijor have availed of the milk processing and peanut processing trainings cum production, respectively, while the Mantinabangon Women's Association (MWA) of Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor, was awarded a Common Facility Grant for their catering and restaurant business.

Larena celebrates women's month
The municipality of Larena joins other communities worldwide in celebration of women's month with the theme: "CEDAW ng Bayan, Karapatan ng Kababaihan."

The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by United Nations General Assembly but entered in force in 1981 by 165 countries. It is an international bill of rights for women and girl children highlighting the right to good and quality education, sports and cultural activities, decide on the number of children and the number of years between pregnancies and share parenting responsibilities.

The Convention also stipulated the right of women to vote, run for election and hold public office, represent the country internationally and acquire change or retain nationality and citizenship.

Women has also the right to have equal access to jobs, benefits and social security, paid equally on the work they do, to be free from all forms of violence, physical, sexual, emotional, mental and economic, and to be free from all forms of slavery and prostitution.

This year's celebration of women's month give importance to the rights of women as stated in CEDAW where Philippines is one of the States that signed the Convention. CEDAW requires states to eliminate discrimination against women in the enjoyment of all civil, political, economic and cultural rights.

The celebration will start with a Holy Mass at the St. Vincent Parish followed by a short program at the Larena Queengate. Inductions of Larena Women's Federation (LWF) officers will also follow. LWF is an LGU-Larena-accredited federation of women from 22 barangays of the municipality with a total membership of 415.

The federation is undertaking several projects namely: poultry, piggery, vegetable gardening, cut flower propagation, cake baking, banana catsup making and squash noodles making.

La Niña could boost agri production in Central Viasyas
As the Department of Agriculture fast tracks its rehabilitation and repair of the country's national and communal irrigation systems in time for the planting season, Central Visayas braces for the beneficial effect of La Niña.

" Production of rice and corn, the top produce of the region is expected to increase with La Niña as planting season comes earlier this year, " said DA-7 regional director Eduardo Lecciones during the 2nd meeting on the Asean Standards for Horticulture Produce recently.

The DA-7 regional director happily said that La Niña is saving farmers and the government a lot of money in bringing water to the farmlands especially during hot and dry months from February to April. Bohol, according to Lecciones was tremendously affected with the hot season.

In coordination with the Philippine Air Force, constant cloud seeding was conducted to produce rains.Lecciones further said, Central Visayas will benefit from La Niña compared to the other regions because its geographical nature does not pose any danger to the agricultural sector, specifically crops, rice and corn production.

He added that compared with the previous years, rice and corn production cycle, i.e. harvesting and planting is done in May where rains are expected to come just after the hot summer months.

This year, because of the onset of La Niña, the country is experiencing rain as early as March; a day after the other planting cycle is done. " The Panu-ig Crop, that is done in May can now be done this month," Lecciones added.

OFW dollar remittances to increase 10% by yearend
largely due to the surging demand for health care providers abroad'
Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are expected to grow by another 10 percent this year due to the increasing demand for health care professionals mainly nurses abroad, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

Last year, OFW remittances increased by 26.2 percent valued at US $10.85B, based on BSP record. Aside from the rising number of OFWs deployed to other countries, the quality and income of workers deployed also improved, the BSP added.

Every year, there are 3T doctors taking up nursing, which is double the figure of newly licensed practicing doctors, according to Dr. Marilou Viray, president of the Cebu Medical Society.

Viray said two of the major reasons why everyone is so hook into taking up nursing today even doctors are that the opportunities call for it and the financial security it offers.

Viray further added that OFWs have been a saving grace to the country's economy through the massive inflows of dollars remitted regularly.

Apart from the dollar remittances, OFWs particularly the health care providers can also apply and share the technology they learned in other countries as she has known of some medical professionals who came back after many years of working abroad to retire here.

National Economic and Development Authority Sec. Romulo Neri on the other hand said the continuous growth of dollar remittances has contributed to the peso's strength against the US Dollar.

Likewise, the implementation of fiscal reforms like the expanded value added tax is envisioned to reduce the country's debt to 50 percent of Gross Domestic Product while this favorable development may earn the country of a credit upgrade in the coming months and boost investors' confidence, Neri claimed.

Meanwhile, the Italian Government has allotted 3T slots for Filipino skilled workers and professionals to work in Italy, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) bared.

The job opportunities ranged from managers, skilled workers to domestic and seasonal categories.

Alicia Santos, Philippine Labor attache to Rome said the quota for 3T OFWs for Italy was confirmed in a meeting between the Philippine Overseas Labor Office and Italy's Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA-7) officer-in-charge Evelia Durato said the top four sectors of OFWs deployed abroad are skilled workers followed by professionals, domestic workers and seafarers respectively