Immigration Bureau posts 12.92% increase in ’06 collection
The Bureau of immigration here posted a 12.92 percent increase in its fees collected from tourists in 2006 from the total collection in 2005.
Peter Bueno, Acting Alien Control Officer of the immigration bureau here, disclosed that his office collected P15,116,529 last year and in 2005, P13,387,150.
“Since we started collecting in 1999, our collection has been increasing by around two to three million each year,” he said.
The bulk of the fees collected are from tourists who visit the province, which has increased steadily, said Bueno.
Koreans comprise the highest number of tourists in Oriental Negros.
Records show that in January 2007, some 716 tourists have visited the province. Of the total, 277 are Koreans.
Malacañang recently lauded the entire bureau for recording its highest collection of immigration fees totaling P1.468 billion last year.
The 2006 figure, which was 31 percent over the previous year’s P1.22 billion collection, was the highest so far in the 66-year history of the bureau.
The Bureau of Immigration is an attached agency of the Department of Justice.
“The immigration bureau, headed by Commissioner Al Fernandez, deserves commendation for posting the highest collection record last year,” said Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye. (PIA/RMN)
Valencia
The local government unit of
This is to provide Valencianons the opportunity to improve economically through livelihood support program.
Recently, a committee that was created to oversee this project, started screening applications from more than 20 farmer organizations that submitted project proposals.
Mayor Rodolfo Gonzalez, Jr. of
The local government of
Following the success of the papaya and banana contract growing program, farmers in
The Valencia Contract Growers Association recently signed a contract growing agreement of papaya, malunggay (moringa) and pomegranate with SECURA International Corporation.
The agreement covers an initial 60 hectares of agricultural land.
Under the agreement, the company will build an Integrated Bio-processing plant in barangay
SECURA is supplying bio-enzymes and natural ingredients to
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) recently assured the public that the supply and prices of highland vegetables remained stable in Metro Manila, despite a brief cold spell that hit Benguet last week.
In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed that prices of highland vegetables such as
From January 9 until February 3 this year, the price of carrots remained at P30 a kilogram.
Cabbage, meanwhile, retailed at P25 a kilogram on February 3 or P5 lower than sales prices two days earlier.
The price of
The price of potatoes slid to P40 a kilogram from P45 on January 30.
BAS data also showed that the price of broccoli remained at P35 a kilogram, while cauliflower at was sold at P15 a kilogram.
"There should be ample supply of highland vegetables and their prices should remain stable in Metro Manila considering that data gathered by our regional director in the Cordilllera Administrative Region showed that the cold spell which hit Benguet has had a very minimal impact on production,"
Producers from Benguet and
Yap said the effect on prices of the cold spell that hit Benguet was mitigated by swift transport of produce from
DOLE, NOAPESOM to conduct job fair on March 31
The doors to employment and better jobs will once again open for job seekers in Oriental Negros as a Jobs Fair is scheduled on March 31, 2007 at the Lamberto Macias Sports Complex,
Around 25 local and overseas recruitment agencies have been invited to participate in the March 31 jobs fair, which is the first in a series of job hiring events this year to be conducted by the Negros Oriental Association of PESO Manager (NOAPESOM) in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment.
Marez Ramirez, who sits as Capitol’s Provincial Employment Services Officer and president of NOAPESOM, said they are eyeing a turnout of between 4,000 to 5,000 applicants during the upcoming jobs fair.
The jobs fair’s schedule has been a strategic move. “We scheduled it in time after graduation, so the event would attract fresh graduates as well,” said Ramirez.
He said that they are also targeting TESDA trained beneficiaries, skilled and unskilled workers and professionals.
Ramirez said a job fair has been proven to be the most appropriate and effective way of bringing job seekers and job providers together in one place.
With jobs fairs in the province, job seekers here will be spared from the costly expenses of traveling to other provinces in their search for better, commensurate and profitable job opportunities.
Job seekers will likewise be protected from ‘fly-by-night’ recruiters, assured Ramirez.
The recruitment agencies and employers invited to the jobs fair are only those that are legitimate and recognized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Assistance (POEA).
NOAPESOM held its first job fair in December last year, an event that Ramirez said was successful as it drew a crowd of around 3,000 applicants.
NOAPESOM is an association of a total of 32 Public Employment Service Officers (PESO) managers in local government units and schools in the province.
Malacañang recently reported that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is confident that the government will be able to realize its dream of providing more decent and high-paying jobs to the Filipino people now that international businessmen have recognized the capability of the
The President made the assessment after the chairmen and executive officers of the top 1,000 corporations of the world recognized the strong talent and capability of her administration to lead the economic progress of the country during her visit in
KNN is now Kabataan X-Press
With its much fought-for comeback, "ang programang gawa ng kabataan para sa kabataan" brings you more than just a fresh look and a new title.
Now, you get to see more exciting stories that are truly the work of Filipino youth. From globally debated issues like child labor in Batang Kargador to the "no pain, no gain" expressions in Tattoo, see how the Filipino youth views the world through the lenses of a camera.
Plus, you easily get a taste of the whole archipelago from its 12 bureaus across the country. Watch Kabataan X-Press and catch stories made in
There's nothing like it! The only program in Philippine television that allows ordinary kids and teenagers maximum freedom in shooting, writing, and reporting stories of their choice.
In television's competitive world of ratings and revenues, KX carves a spot for the uninhibited voices of children and young people.
Kabataan X-Press premieres February 10 Saturdays . 7:50am . ABS-CBN Channel 2.
Meantime, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo feted in Malacañang recently the winners in the 2006 Search for the
The awards have three categories, namely: the highly-urbanized and chartered cities; the first- to third-class municipalities and component cities; and the fourth- to sixth-class municipalities.
Each winner gets a Presidential trophy and P350,000 cash prize.
The municipalities which were chosen to represent their respective categories were: Bauko,
For the Highly-Urbanized and Independent or
New Lucena,
PAO to hold singing contest to mark Organic Farmers’ Fest
The Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) will hold a “Doble Cara” minus-one singing contest on the first night of the Organic Farmers’ Festival on February 8, 2007, at 8:00 p.m. at the
The contest is open for all Negrenses who are interested to participate, said Nitz Bangay, PAO information officer.
Contestants are required to bring their own tape or CD, multiplex is not allowed, the chosen song may be in English, Tagalog, Bisaya/Cebuano or Ilonggo and the contestant’s costume must be appropriate to the performance.
Up for grabs is P3,000 for the first prize winner; P2,000 for the second prize winner and P1,000 for the third prize winner.
Contestants will be judged based on the following criteria: musicality (voice quality, timing and diction), 50%; costume, 25%; and audience impact, 25%.
Those who wish to join can register with Ms. Grace Dizon at the Provincial Agriculture Office on or before February 5, 2007. (PIA/RMN)
Fresh and affordable farm products are now made more accessible to consumers in
The Valencia Farmers Market is located in the proposed south-bound terminal in the Peregua property in Barangay Bagacay.
The market is open every Saturday from 5 p.m. until Sunday morning, with a variety of farm produce sold at very low prices.
Valencia Mayor Rodolfo V. Gonzalez, Jr. negotiated with city officials and lot owner to establish the farmers market that is accessible for both farmers and the buying public amid complaints over low sales in their new site in Barangay Bajumpandan.
Municipal Agriculturist Rescil Vincoy is encouraging the public to visit and patronize the Valencia Farmers Market where most organic vegetables and ornamental plants are sold.
For now, the farmers market in Bagacay is soley for
Earlier, farmers in
Meanwhile, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said Philippine markets are not only benefiting from so-called hot money but also from capital funds that are here to stay for the long term.
“This is a solid signal of investments that will generate stable and well-paying jobs for our people,” he said.
He added that sustained economic and political stability are here, buoyed by the Filipino people’s unity and resolve to put the
The goal to establish
Oriental Negros Provincial Governor George Arnaiz said, the province is hosting the 2nd Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival on February 8-10, this year to advance and strengthen the common efforts from both provinces.
Governor Arnaiz is optimistic the Organic Festival here will spur interest of farmers and growers to replace to organic farming and discourage them to use chemicals and pesticides to their agricultural products.
In the initial joint effort in displaying the 1st Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival last year in Negros Occidental, Vice-Governor Isidro Zayco said, the great success of it gains more awareness and encourage farmers to go organic.
Negros Occidental Vice-Governor Zayco explained, in a press conference, the organic farming has proven its benefits not only to increase food production including increase business income project but also promote good health.
The Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival was established with memorandum of agreement between tow islands which lead the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (NISARD) program.
This year’s festival banners the theme, “Save the Earth:
The DA assures the public that there will be enough vegetables for the country despite the crop damages brought about by the cold weather.
Nevertheless, twenty-two businessmen from China's eastern region led by Shanghai Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce Chairman Hui Wing Mau called on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacanang today and expressed their group's intention to invest in the Philippines.
The businessmen are engaged in various fields of manufacturing, information technology, outdoor lighting, agriculture, infrastructure and tourism. They are in the country to attend the Philippines-China Investment Forum which will be held tomorrow.
Special Envoy to the People's Republic of
"They (Chinese businessmen) want to develop and invest heavily in the construction of several industrial parks here in the
The group cited the hospitality, friendliness and world-renowned hard- working trait of the Filipino people for their decision to invest in the
MEDIA ADVISORY
The
Guests during the forum are: Governor George P. Arnaiz; City City Mayor Agustin Perdices; Dr. Hiroko Minami, president of the International Council of Nurses (ICN); Dr. Betsy Joy Tan, Vice President for
In line with this, the media is invited to a press conference on February 12, 2007, 10:00 a.m. at the
Candle making works well in Siquijor island and is another prospect for more economic activities, says Engr. Mario de la Pena of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) here following the Technology Training on Scented Candle Making held recently at Siquijor Parish, Siquijor, Siquijor.
“Again, this is another pro poor training program where a number of people benefited and thereby created additional economic activities in the province,” de la Pena added.
The DOST 7 thru the Science and Technology Experts Volunteer Pool Program (STEVPP) recently deployed two (2) experts from the Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) for the conduct of the training.
The two-day training activity was made through convergence the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Larena. DOLE provided financial assistance needed to purchase equipment and materials while DTI and LGU-Larena shared the logistics and some of the training materials.
“This was aimed at providing additional livelihood undertakings as another source of income for these considerably poor people in the province,” De la Pena said.
He added that the participants learned a lot from this training activity as they were trained on the different techniques in candle making starting from material preparation, formulation and forming methods
He also noted that as the trainers were generous enough to transfer the desired technology, both trained groups of individuals are already capable of producing high end candles for sale.
The program forms part of the government’s will to invest more in small and medium scale enterprises to narrow unemployment gap and move to improve the quality of Philippine products as the country prepares itself for open trade with Asian neighbors by 2015.
As noted the Philippine economy grew by 5.4% in 2006 from the previous year, boosted by strong exports, dollar inflows from OFWs, and higher farm production.
Meanwhile, government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) have remitted P16.25 billion to the national treasury last year or three times the P5.66 billion recorded in 2005, a finance department official said Wednesday.
The government attributed the increase to reforms in the operations of GOCCs.
According to Bureau of Treasury (BTr) data, the treasury collected a record monthly level of P9.55 billion in December alone, compared to P88 million collected in the same month in 2005.
“It only means that GOCCs and GFIs (government financial institutions) and more efficiently run compared to previous years," Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said. (with reports from DOST-Siquijor)
Cong. Fua sees hope in P3M bangus project
Congressman Orlando ‘Shane’ Fua of the lone district of Siquijor said he is very optimistic the project will spell a lot of difference on the lives of the ordinary fisherfolks.
The project is in line with the government’s foremost policy to achieve food security and push for economic upliftment.
Earlier, the government calls for all agencies to work systematically with the local government units (LGUs) to effectively address the long-time problem of poverty. Malacanang officials said the Administration remains aware that its sights must be focused on the resolution of poverty as the end goal of economic strength stressing that the anti-poverty campaign must be continuously sustained until the lingering social disease is finally wiped out.
With an initial fund of P1 million from Siquijor Congressman Orlando ‘Shane’ Fua’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the project was piloted in the towns of Lazi, San Juan and Siquijor, particularly in barangays Tigbawan, Tubod, and Cang-alwang, respectively.
Project Supervisor Lee Dimagnaong of the Provincial Agriculturist Office said each fish cage contained 7800 bangus fingerlings cultured to grow in four months until it reached its harvestable sizes which was estimated to be 3-4 bangus per kilo and to harvest 1.4 tons.
After seeing its profitability, Congressman Fua later on initiated for the expansion of the project in Catamboan and Gabayan in Lazi; Cang-alwang and Dumanjog in Siquijor; Candaping B, Olang and Poblacion Sur in Maria; and Tulapos in Enrique Villanueva pouring in another P1M out of his congressional fund and a 1 million complementary fund from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7, amounting the total project cost to P3M.
According to the Congressman this livelihood project was conceptualized out of his ardent desire to augment the income of the marginal fisherfolk sand to provide a continuous supply of quality milkfish in the island.
The project is a roll over scheme that is meant to expand in other barangays of the province. Portion of the sales from the harvested bangus will be set aside to procure feeds and bangus fingerlings for the second cropping. The remaining amount will be divided among the members of the fisherfolks organization.
Earlier, the fish cages harvested 1.4 tons of bangus in Tigbawan, 1.3 tons in Cang-alwang while only 800 kilos in Tubod,
Meanwhile, the fisherfolks organizations in the province trained on Bangus Fish Cage Culture and equipped with technical expertise were tasked to manage the project.
The BFAR region 7 in coordination with BFAR Siquijor and LGU personnel trained the fisherfolks wherein a skill on proper handling of the bangus fry and feeding as well as maintenance.Becoming responsible members was emphasized to sustain the project.
Supervising the overall project implementation are Lee Dimagnaong, he being skillfully trained on Bangus Fish Cage Culture Project at the
Meanwhile, share prices closed higher Monday, extending their rally for the sixth straight session to hit a new high in nearly 10 years, buoyed by expectations of strong corporate earnings, dealers said.
At the close, the 30-company composite index was up 12.72 points or 0.39 percent to settle at 3,281.90, after moving between 3,266.45 and 3,282.34 .
It was the index's best finish since March 10, 1997, when it settled at 3,289.34.
The broader all-share index rose 13.78 points to 2,064.01.
Gainers led losers 69 to 35, while 56 stocks ended unchanged.
Volume was 2.3 billion shares worth P3.7 billion. (with reports from Pilar P. Macalino/IO-OPA)
DA, DENR intensify measures vs. bird flu
BY: Donna Christine T. Ucang
The Department of Agriculture and Department of Environment and Natural Resources are heading the measures in preventing bird flu to enter the country.
They are tightening the security in seaports and airports to block the disease and to prevent the local poultry to be infected with the avian disease.
Aside from tightening the security in various entry points, they are also conducting surveillance on migratory birds. These migratory birds are found mostly on swamps or other big bodies of water.
According to Dr. Antonio Mutia, Provincial Veterinarian, the whole country is at risk of bird flu.
There were no records of bird flu in the province and also of the country and as of the moment there are no reported cases.
To raise this concern to the public, the Provincial Veterinary’s Office through the Provincial Avian Task Force (PATF) conducts a massive education and information campaign to make people aware of what to do if there is a bird flu outbreak.
Aside from the awareness campaign, the PATF monitors the migratory birds in Bais, Tanjay, Siaton, Bayawan, Sta. Catalina, and Canlaon and conducts blood sampling every six months from local fowl stocks.
The results are then forwarded to the Bureau of Animal Industry Laboratory, which confirms or declares if a particular area is positive with the avian disease.
DBM Secretary Rolando Andaya assured that the 2007 national budget has an allocation for the surveillance and quarantine operations of DA and DENR to prepare and protect the country from avian influenza.
