Mild El Niño not felt in OrNeg
A mild dry spell brought on by a developing El Niño is not being felt in Oriental Negros as some 10,966 hectares of corn had brought good harvest of 27,264 metric tons early last month.
While some 6,494 hectares planted with hybrid, certified and good seeds of palay had also produced 23,113 metric tons of rice early in the second cropping, Provincial Agriculturist Gregorio Paltingca reported.
According to Paltingca, the province has experienced normal weather condition as of this third quarter of this year of which the agriculture products especially in southern part of the province have not affected yet of the heat wave.
However, a mild El Niño is being experienced in the southern part of Cebu province and western part of
With this advisory, Department of Agriculture Region 7 director, Eduardo Lecciones, said his office had started implementing mitigating measures to help farmers deal with the effects of the dry spell.
PAGASA officer-in-charge Prisco Nilo said a mild dry spell brought on by a developing El Niño had been recorded in some areas in the country since August.
With the coming of the El Niño, Nilo said below normal rainfall had been experienced in affected areas that included northern and western Luzon, most parts of northern Panay Island including Iloilo, southern Cebu, the western parts of Bohol and Zamboanga provinces, most parts of the Caraga provinces, Davao Oriental, eastern part of Davao del Norte and the southern tip of Davao del Sur, and South Cotabato.
The full adverse effect of El Niño will be experienced in the early part of next year and it will affect agriculture, hydropower generation, and domestic water supply, he warned.
Nilo advised the different government agencies to take appropriate actions to mitigate the adverse effects of El Niño on the different sectors.
Lecciones said the DA had directed its field offices through out
In
Outside the budget hearing of the DA at the Senate,
"We're distributing them out now when there is still water and it is still possible to harvest them before the dry season arrives," he said.
Dec. 1, 26 declared non-working days
Malacañang has declared December 26, 2006 as a special non-working day while pronouncing Bonifacio Day on November 30 as a working day and Dec. 1 as a non-working holiday.
In Proclamation No. 1169 issued by Malacañang, December 26 has been declared a non-working day in consideration of the Filipino tradition of visiting relatives and spending time with family on Christmas Day (December 25) which falls on a Monday this year.
“… and to give an opportunity for travel to those who have to return home or to their workplaces after their Christmas visits,” the Proclamation adds.
November 30, which is Bonifacio Day, shall be a working day while the following day, December 1, 2006, which is a Friday, shall be non-working holiday throughout the country.
However, all activities and celebrations in observance of Bonifacio Day shall remain to be observed on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006.
NBI Dumaguete office, senior agent ranked as top performers nationwide
The National Bureau of Investigation Dumaguete (NBI) Field Office has been ranked as the third top performing field office in the country this year for its commendable performance in filing cases against suspects in illegal activities here.
According to NBI Senior Agent Miguel Dungog, himself a NBI Achiever Awardee this year, NBI Dumaguete is the lone field office from Visayas and
Dungog said the field office here has filed more than 100 cases for the period of October to September 2006 alone, of which he was responsible for around 80 cases filed.
The senior agent explained that this is the first time the NBI field office here was recognized as a top performing office.
Dumaguete ranked a low no. 23 in the past two years out of the total 27 field offices nationwide.
Dungog attributes the improvement in NBI Dumaguete’s efficiency to the strong support from the provincial government, Task Force 24 and the private sector. “Although we have a small manpower here, we work hand-in-hand with other agencies. Plus, we have a good working relationship with PDEA and PNP here,” he added.
Dungog received his top achiever award during the awarding ceremony held at NBI Central Office on November 13, 2006 with no less than Secretary Raul Gonzales of the Department of Justice as the guest of honor.
Dungog is one of the eight agents nationwide to receive the NBI Achiever of the Year Award.
He is confident that the NBI office here will continue to rank high in the following years. “With the same support we have been getting from the public, the provincial government and the private sector, I think we can maintain the recognition and the level of efficiency,” he said.
Meantime, to further improve the efficiency at the national level, NBI has been pushing an aggressive recruitment policy for lawyers to professionalize its ranks.
Its search for more “experts in the law” has been yielding positive results for the agency as this year’s batch of applicants is composed of lawyers- a first after 15 years, according to NBI Director Nestor Mantaring.
Mantaring said the bureau’s representatives had been visible at the oathtaking of recent bar passers, distributing flyers and leaflets about NBI and its manpower needs.
“As law enforcers, it is an advantage for us to have completed law degrees,” Mantaring stressed.
BIR, LGUs to link databases
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) upped its campaign against tax evasion as it is set to link its database electronically with local government units to enhance its ability to detect and run after businesses that evade paying national taxes.
According to Jose Senador, Chief of BIR Taxpayers Assistance Section here, the bureau is fast tracking its campaign against tax evasion thru the electronic linkup with the LGUs and national government offices.
BIR Assistant Commissioner Pio de Rada in an interview said that the linkup forms part of the BIR’s effort to tap information from several government entities that could help enhance its tax audit capability.
De Rada said the first linkup would be with the government of Quezon City.
However, Senador said the electronic linkup would not be implemented in Negros Oriental as of now since the BIR office here is not yet fully equipped for an electronic linkup with LGUs.
“Some LGUs are also not yet ready for the linkup since they have yet to computerize their records,” explained Senador.
He hopes though that the linkup would gain ground in the province next year.
As of now, we continue to rely on the usual traditional methods in our tax collection such as information dissemination thru the media and calling up and setting meetings with agencies concerned, he added.
BIR also intends to tap the assistance of barangay council heads in running after tax cheats among their constituents.
The bureau recently launched the Tax Enhancement Vehicle for Economic Stability (TEVES), which calls for cooperation with LGUs to boost tax collection.
Under the National Internal Revenue Code, 40% of the national government’s annual revenue collection should be set aside for LGUs and 20% of the annual increase in value-added tax collection by a BIR’s revenue region should go to the LGU in the area.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will hold a Career Caravan Road Show in Cebu on Nov. 19-20, 2006 to showcase and popularize the various technical vocational education and trainings (tech-voc) of TESDA.
According to Beth Tubog of TESDA here, among the programs that will be showcased during the caravan are the PGMA Training for Work Scholarship, Ladderized Education Program, and the Private Education for Students Financial Assistance (PESFAP) program.
Certificates of scholarships under the PGMA Training for Work program will be awarded during the caravan. “One of the recipients is the Negros Maritime College Foundation here,” said Tubog.
TESDA Negros Oriental will display during the caravan the products created by the trainees of various trainings conducted by TESDA in the province.
Tubog said they will showcase jewelries made from recycled paper. “We conducted two trainings on paper bead making for women and persons with disabilities (PWDs) and we will display their products such as necklaces, earrings and bracelets, during the caravan,” she said.
Decorative items made by the trainees such as curtains, refrigerator cover and place mats made from recycled paper will also be displayed.
Tubog explained that the training on recycled paper is in line with TESDA’s Dangal ng Barangay program, a skills training for the community which has been sustained until now.
Also up for display are native bags made of abaca material from Guihulngan town. “Negros Oriental is known for its native bags and we will also be showing this,” Tubog said.
TESDA here has earlier conducted a training on native bag making for a community of more than 50 residents in Guihulngan in year 2000.
Meanwhile, 2nd District Congressman Emilio Macias II will hand over a check worth P3 million to TESDA Director General Augusto “Bobby” Syjuco during the caravan.
Tubog said the congressman is donating the amount to the I-CARE program of TESDA in the province.
She said TESDA is grateful for the congressman’s strong support to the said program.
TESDA’s efforts in promoting tech-voc jobs trainings is in line with the President Gloria Arroyo’s focus to sustain the momentum of the country’s improving economy.
The strength of the Philippine economy reflects faith in the political leadership from the Filipino people and the world and is due for a full swing towards economic takeoff.
Malacañang said tough economic reforms and revenue measures are reaping the tide of confidence and the social payback would soon be flowing down in terms of better paying jobs, improved infrastructure and enhanced social services—cutting across the alleviation of poverty and hunger.
The Chinese renminbi and Korean won are now convertible into pesos as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) approved their inclusion in the list of currencies convertible with the central bank.
Although the BSP in Negros Oriental has yet to receive an advice from its central office regarding the inclusion of the new currencies, BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. has announced recently that the Monetary Board (MB) had approved the inclusion of these two currencies, a move that would allow local banks to buy and sell them to the BSP.
"In other words, these currencies will now be easier for the public to convert with local banks," Tetangco explained.
According to Tetangco, the inclusion of the renminbi and the won in the list of convertible currencies has become necessary because of close and even strengthening economic ties with China and South Korea.
"The MB also took into consideration the government’s thrust to increase trade with these countries and promote the country’s tourism industry," he added.
Once the renminbi and won become easily convertible into local currency, officials said the convertibility of currencies would be one less inconvenience for visiting Chinese and Korean tourists.
At present, only 12 foreign currencies are convertible with the BSP. These include the US dollar, Japanese yen, Australian dollar, Bahrain dinar, Kuwait dinar, Saudi Arabian rial, Brunei dollar, Indonesia rupiah, Thai baht, the United Arab Emirates dirham and the European Union’s euro.
Based on the 2000 Census-Based Population Projections of the National Statistics Office (NSO), the province of Siquijor population is projected to rise to 93,000 on 2010, and increasing to 127,000 by 2040. The 2000 Statistics shows the province’s population at 82,000, which means that Siquijor grows 10,000-13,000 higher per decade.
The record was bared during a provincial data dissemination forum and symposium conducted by the NSO Provincial Office on the results of the 2005 family planning survey and other NSO census and surveys. The activity was taken as one of the highlights of the celebration of statistics month in October with the theme “Empowering Consumers Through Reponsive Energy Statistics.”
Discussions also include other highlights of the census 2000-based population projections and 2005 survey on overseas Filipinos; and the results of 2004 household energy consumption survey (HECS) and 2003 family income and expenditures survey.
Provincial Statistics Officer Ronaldo C. Taghap stressed the need to disseminate these data particularly to provincial planners and implementers as they can be the basis for their planning and development strategies at the provincial level.
Taghap also explained possible implications of the burgeoning population to health, education and security services in the country.
Data shows that the country consumes 30,000 tons of rice everyday, with each Filipino eating 115 kilograms, or more than two sacks a year.
With the 85.3 million projected population in the country in 2005, the rice consumed for that year could have been 219 million sacks or 10.95 million tons.
In 2005, the country produced 233.6 million sacks of rice, hence a possible surplus of 14.6 million sacks
Meanwhile, the improving economy is proof of people’s “faith in the political leadership” of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her spokesman said Friday, amid predictions of an administration debacle in 2007 similar to that which befell the Republicans in the US midterm elections.
"The strength of the Philippine economy reflects faith in the political leadership,” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement. “The Filipino people and the world are witness to how the tough economic reforms and revenue measures are now bearing fruit."
Boasting that the country was in “full swing towards economic takeoff,” Bunye said “the social payback would soon be flowing down in terms of better paying jobs, improved infrastructure, enhanced social services and alleviation of poverty and hunger.”
SSC stude bags 15th PSQ provincial plum
Seventeen-year old Elmer Anthony V. Docejo, a first-year Bachelor in Secondary Education student of Siquijor State College (SSC) of Larena, Siquijor won in a sweeping fashion over the second placer also from the same school in this year’s 15th edition of the Philippine Statistics Quiz (PSQ) Siquijor Provincial Finals.
This year’s “battle of statistical whizzes” which was held at the Legislative Building of the Municipality of Siquijor last November 9, 2006 was participated by four freshmen college students in the province.
SSC sweep the top three places of the contest. Clinching a total of six points during the final round of the two round series, Docejo was only two point ahead over Ms. Patricia Louise O. Maglangit, also a first-year Bachelor in Secondary Education (BSEd) student of SSC who won second place. Clinching the third place is Ms. Ellen Rose Y. Magsanay, a BS Information Technology also student of SSC.
The PSQ is annual contest designed to test the knowledge of statistics among college freshmen. The National Statistics Office (NSO) along with the Philippine Statistical Association (PSA) and other partner agencies from the government and private sector has been organizing the yearly contest since 1992 to promote public awareness and appreciation of statistics.
The winners received modest cash prizes and tokens from valued sponsors and donors, and PSQ certificates of recognition and participation given by PSQ Regional and Provincial Steering Committee.
The top three winners will also carry the honor of representing the province to the 15th PSQ Central Visayas Regional Finals to be held on November 14, 2005 at Audio-Visual Hall of Ubniversity of Cebu . The winner in the regional finals will represent the region to the National Finals on December where regional champion has to compete with 17 other regional champions throughout the country.
This year’s PSQ Board of Judges is composed of Engr. Mario de la Peña of DOST, Mrs. Myrna Ocao, Education Supervisor of DepEd-Siquijor, Mr. Felicisimo Valios of Bureau of Agricultural Satistics (BAS), Ms. Marlyn dela Peñ, Municipal Civil Registrar of Larena, representing the civil Registrar Association of Siquijor Province (CRASP) and Mr. Ronaldo C. Taghap of NSO Siquijor Provincial Office who acted as Chairman. Hon. William Flores, Vice Mayor of Siquijor grade the activity and welcome the participants.
The Farmer Scientist Training Program (FSTP) Phase III in the province of Siquijor will culminate on November 16-17, 2006.
Guests from the from the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) College of Agriculture, and DA Regional Field Unit (RFU) and local officials will grace the two-day affair.
Dr. Candida B. Adalla, Dean of the College of Agriculture of UPLB and Dr. Romulo G. Davide, Program leader of FSTP UPLB-CA will serve as the honorary guests who will present and confirm the graduates and award the Certificates of Completion and Recognition.
The culmination program for the 5 municipalities namely: San Juan and Lazi; Larena and Enrique Villanueva and Siquijor is simultaneous with the launching of the phase II in some identified barangays of the province.
The FSTP is based on the assumption that there is no barren soil only barren mind, and that farming as an endeavor is business. This assumption is designed to liberate frmers from the bondage of poverty using the formula KKAA+FSTP=Merkado=Pugos Kadato as popularized by Dr. Davide. According to him the formula would bring farmers onward to prosperity.
It is notable that from the time FSTP was brought to Siquijor, results have been encouraging as farmers have increased their production and developed their scientific capabilities to grow corn and other crops using appropriate farming technologies.
Aside form the techniques, they became happy to work with the experts in doing research and extension activities, thus tightening the bond.
The FSTP theme “Empowering farmers for socio-economic progress” is a dream come true, as their motto also says” We gather knowledge to scatter.
Meanwhile, Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said the predictions on the world economy can go up and down, but “we believe that the Philippines can beat the odds and keep the momentum we have already gained. “
He cited the increasing political and economic stability, the steady growth of trade and investment, aggressive and balanced diplomatic offensives and the country’s niche of excellence in the world as factors that will continue to come together to keep confidence and growth up amidst any bearish trends.
“We have a resilient and diverse economy. The momentum forward and up, created by the President’s economic reforms, is strong and cannot easily be reversed,” he said. -
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