ISSUE NO. 35, August 31, 2006

Bais City, POEA to hold job fair on Sept. 5
The Bais City government together with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) will conduct an overseas and local job fair on September 5, 2006 in Bais City.

According to Roy Liga of POEA-Cebu, around 20 local and overseas recruitment agencies are expected to participate in the job fair.

Liga disclosed this during a press conference conducted by the Philippine Information Agency and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas in line with CFO’s annual awareness campaign.

“We have selected overseas recruitment agencies with a lot of job orders for countries such Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Middle East and USA,” Liga said.

He said that the Bais City government has initially requested around 20 agencies to join in the job fair.

But Liga is optimistic that they will meet the city government’s request. “Around 12 agencies have already confirmed their participation to the job fair,” he said.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has also committed to bring in 20 local agencies for job seekers who wish to land jobs locally.

Media vow to abide by DOJ guidelines on child reporting
Some media practitioners in Dumaguete City and the province of Oriental Negros vowed to adhere to the Deparment of Justice’s guidelines next time they will report stories involving children and lauded the CPC-6 Communication Task force for the training.

Neil Rio, news reporter covering police stories, said he now fully understands why it is important not to divulge the identity of children in the news, especially when they are victims of abused.

Rio and other media participants learned this from one of the speakers, Alex Pal, NBN station manager and Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent, who talked about the media guidelines should consider when reporting stories about children.

“Media should respect and prevent violation of the confidentiality provision under existing laws, especially when publicity would result in the moral degradation or suffering of the child,” Pal said.

He said that crimes of violence by or against children must be reported factually and seriously.
Des Tilos, member of the Provincial Communication Task Force (PCTF) of CPC6, noted that still many media practitioners are not children sensitive. He based this on the findings of a content analysis done by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility on the portrayal of children in print and TV news which he discussed during the seminar.

Another speaker during the one-day seminar was a family court judge, Noel P. Catacutan, who discussed the law on Juvenile Justice & Welfare Act 0f 2006.

PCTF member Victor Camion presented the Right of Reply. He said the right of reply exists because there is such a thing as media accountability as the press is not always right, responsibility includes owning up to a mistake and requiring the media to explain their behavior.

The training was conducted by CPC-6 PTCF in order to promote and adhere to children’s rights as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

As media is trying to expose the children’s horrible plight, children must be protected from all forms of abuse and suffering, trauma or social stigma that may arise from inappropriate publicity or approaches to media coverage of cases involving children.

Journalist, whether print, broadcast, or so-called news media, knows that reporting news, he has responsibility not only to his readers, listeners/viewers, but to his subjects as well. This is especially true when the subject is a child. (PIA/JCT)

Guv calls for mitigating steps to prevent oil spills in OrNeg coast
The Oriental Negros provincial government is set to take immediate preventive steps to protect the province from another environmental catastrophe such as the oil spill caused by the Motor Tanker (MT) Solar I off the coast of Guimaras Island.

Governor George P. Arnaiz is proposing to forge a partnership between the private and government sectors in the province that will identify and inspect all domestic and foreign shipping vessels that dock in local ports carrying oil and other hazardous chemicals.

According to Capitol Information Officer Oliver Lemence, the governor intends to put in place preventives measures that will prevent deadly sea mishaps here.

The governor’s move is in line with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s call to forge a permanent basis for cooperation between the government and oil companies on the issue of environmental safety and preservation.

The President has also ordered the Department of Transportation and Communication to work with the oil industry and the maritime sector on a comprehensive review of the existing rules and regulations on the transport of oil and chemicals using sea routes.

Pres. Arroyo also directed the DOTC to spearhead the review of all the licenses of ship captains, their qualifications to handle the transport of oil and hazardous chemicals, as well as the implementation of stricter measures to bar unqualified captains and vessels from obtaining permits and necessary documents for sea travel.

The President likewise ordered the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to identify sea-lanes for vessels carrying oil and other hazardous chemicals to keep them away from “ecologically sensitive areas.”

According to Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, the Visayan Sea is one possible area where oil tankers would be prohibited to navigate as the Visayas is the country’s center for biodiversity.

MT Solar I sank in rough seas off Guimaras island-province in August 11, resulting to the country’s worst-ever oil spill.

The vessel loaded with some two million liters of bunker fuel oil owned by Petron Corp. to be delivered to the oil company’s refining plant in Zamboanga del Sur.

Drawing lessons from the Guimaras experience, coastal communities through their local government units will be trained through the use of indigenous quick response mechanisms to prevent future oil slicks from hitting the coasts.

Investigation continues to be on high gear while evacuation will be ordered in assessed areas of great health hazard. The BFAR and other concerned agencies will monitor the safety of seafood for consumption.

Dumaguete chosen as most Child-Friendly City in Reg. 7
Dumaguete City was declared once again as the Most Child Friendly City in Region 7.

The city garnered the highest marks among other local government units who participate din the Search for the Child-Friendly Municipality and Cities under the 1st and 3rd class categories.

The search is conducted by the Regional Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children (RSCWC).

A full committee meeting on August 16 at the Department of Social Welfare and Development Regional Field Office VII in Cebu City hailed Dumaguete as the regional winner.

The city will receive a cash award of P50,000 plus a child-friendly seal and an awarding ceremony for all regional winners will be held in October in tme for the celebration of the Children’s Month.

As a result, RSWC will nominate Dumaguete to the National Awards Committee to compete at the national level against regional winners in the 1st and 3rd categories.

The city bested the municipality of Sibulan in Oriental Negros, municipality of Dalaguete in Cebu ad Inabanga in Bohol.

Cathay Pacific Cabin Crew Field Visit to Oriental Negros
Oriental Negros will host some 30 delegates of Cathay Pacific Cabin Crew for a learning visit on the Child-Friendly Movement in the Philippines next month in time of the Children’s Month in October.

Of the 19 provinces and 5 cities under the 6th Country Programme for Children of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Oriental Negros is selected to showcase some of the success programs and projects for children and women.

This exercise is in line with Unicef’s Change for Good corporate partnership program with international airlines. Cabin crew members solicit spare coins and unused foreign notes from flight passengers and donate the amount to Unicef. Since 1991, Cathay Pacific has raised more than US$8 million.

The Change for Good field visit of Cathay Pacific cabin crew is designed to understand and appreciate the life-cycle and rights-based approaches to child rights programming.

The 30 stewardesses or cabin crews will be divided into 3 teams to visit focus municipalities-areas with a program that provides set of health and nutrition interventions for children, basic education, water and sanitation, juvenile justice, child labor, and youth participation which they can be oriented and articulate issues affecting children in the Philippines.

The 6th Country Programme for Children (CPC6) is a programme cooperation agreement between UNICEF and the Philippine Government. It runs from 2005 to 2009 with direct funding and technical assistance. CPC6 aims to promote the Child-Friendly Movement (CFM). The CFM advocates putting children first at the heart of the country’s development agenda. (PIA/JCT)

Province free from bird flu but PVO warns birds are coming
Migratory birds might soon find their way into the shores of bird flue-free Oriental Negros as winter begins to set in other countries of Asia particularly Japan, China, Korea and Siberia in Russia.

This was the possibility posed by Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Antonio Mutia, chair of the Provincial Avian Task Force, in his assessment on the “invasion” of birds to the province in the following months.

The warning comes as winter begins to set in Asian countries such as Japan, China, Korea and Siberia in Russia, beginning the months of September to January.

Mutia, however, assured that “there is no need to be alarmed because the Province is free from bird flu.”

“But this does not mean that we should be complacent,” he advised, “because Oriental Negros is a migratory path of birds from Asian countries with winter season.”

He called on the public and private sector anew to help the provincial government monitor the migratory birds coming into the shores of Oriental Negros.

Migratory birds come in Central Visayas to escape the coldness of winter and scarcity of food. These migratory birds avail of food resources abound in the wetlands and mangrove forests, remnants of which can be found in Oriental Negros, one of the provinces in Central Visayas.

Migratory birds take refuge in the island during the warm season, or on good weather conditions prevailing in the islands between September to January every year.

Records show that most of the migratory birds from other Asian countries stay for a while in the mangrove and wetlands of Bayawan, Tanjay and Bais, here in the province.

Other areas that need to be monitored are the Sta. Catalina and Basay in the south and a portion of Manjuyod, Bindoy and Ayungon in the north of the province where remnants of mangrove forests and wetlands are present.

From November 2005 to July 2006, the Provincial Veterinary’s Office collected 293 blood samples from chickens and ducks in the cities of Bais, Tanjay and Bayawan, where mangrove forests, wetlands and fishponds abound. “The samples were sent to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) for laboratory and clinical analysis,” he added.

The Bureau of Animal Industry National Diagnostic Laboratory declared that the samples sent by the province “are free from bird flu,” Mutia disclosed.

Nonetheless, the provincial veterinarian said the government, the public and the private sector should not take it easy. “We have to monitor our mangrove areas and wetlands. We have to be watchful,” the animal doctor said.

“Any abnormal sickness in the local duck population or poultry farms, especially in local migratory bird path should be reported to authorities,” the veterinarian said.

As of August 23, 2006, avian flu claimed 141 lives and infected 241 people in the countries of Azerbaijan, China, Cambodia, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

According to Direct Online Health Encyclopedia, avian flu is caused by H5N1 strain of influenza virus from birds. The time from infection to the start of the symptoms is usually between three to five days, although some cases it can be up to seven days. The symptoms can last for a week.

The Health Encyclopedia said symptoms of avian flu are similar to other types of flu, including: fever, aching muscles, sore throats, runny nose, breathing problems, chest pains, watery diarrhea, eye infection and coughs.

It said the symptoms can come on suddenly and the infection is very aggressive. Avian flu can cause rapid deterioration, pneumonia and multiple organ failure, which can be fatal.

To prevent the spread of avian flu, the people are advised not to bring in birds or any fowls from countries stricken by avian flu.

Meanwhile, the national government is currently battling an environmental calamity to massively clean-up and contain the more than 200,000 liters of industrial fuel that leaked from a tanker when it sank off the central island-province of Guimaras on August 11.

Malacañang said Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared the oil spill a national calamity and will be treated as such, especially on mustering all necessary resources for the immediate clean-up and containment of the oil spill and the full protection of the pristine natural resources and the safety and livelihood of the people in the area.

Palace asks Arroyo foes for civility while she’s away
MALACAÑANG is appealing to the opposition for some civility by sticking to “constructive criticisms” especially when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo embarks on a 12-day, six-country tour next month.

Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor said that with the impeachment case foiled at the House of Representatives for the second time in one year and the economy posting rosy figures, it was about time the opposition change its tactics and tone down its antigovernment rhetoric to more constructive criticisms.

Based on the tentative schedule of the President’s foreign trip next month, the President’s first stop is Helsinki, Finland for the 6th Asia-Europe meeting. The President will then proceed to Brussels, Belgium to sit down with European Union leaders and then to London, United Kingdom for a forum with British investors.

Parliamentary to promote economic and political stability, says socialist, AdCom
Siquijor - A self-claimed socialist residing in Siquijor province made a strong support to the government’s ‘wished-for’ charter-change.

In an interview, this former executive of the labour party and member of the general management committee in England said it’s high time for the government to push through with cha-cha and go for a parliamentary form of government saying that “it is a more viable solution to systemic and structural problems in the Philippine governance”.

The immigrant who asked not to be named lamented how improvement has been so slow in the island due to the current scheme of things.

“Siquijor has to come up with a representative in this form of government (parliamentary) – one who has the will to fight for Siquijor and take it into the mainstream of development”, he added.

In like manner, Charter Change Advocacy Commission (AdCom) chairman Lito Monico Lorenzana said economic regions play a key role in addressing food security and development in the countryside.

Empowering the regions through greater autonomy and enhancing its respective food sources would definitely alleviate poverty and spur economic growth.

Once the country’s 79 provinces, clustered into 14 regions, are given more power to develop their natural resources, Lorenzana said these regions are potential “food baskets” that would complement the food supply in the entire country.

The AdCom is promoting the realignment of provinces and the creation of “super regions”, as part of the proposed eventual shift to federalism, compatible with the devolution of political and economic centers as included in charter amendments.

The Administration has appealed for enlightened views and debates, not divisive challenges to attain the common goals of nation building in a period of growing political stability.

The issue of means is left to Constitutional determination--whichever of the two modes already in stream comes first—people’s initiative or Constituent Assembly, says Malacañang.

PNPA to recruit the "best and brightest" cadets thru CAT test
Siquijor - The Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) will administer the Cadet Admission Test (CAT) for the four-year Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) Cadetship Program for PNPA Class 2011 on October 29, 2006 (Sunday) in 23 test centers nationwide.
Examination center in Region 7 will be at the Cebu State College of Science and Technology, Cebu City.

The conduct of the cadet admission test is hoped to provide opportunity for our youths to become future police, fire and jail commissioned officers and for the academy, to recruit and select cadets considered “the best and the brightest” for the cadetship program.

Applicants for the cadetship program must have these qualifications: 1) natural-born Filipino citizen; 2) of good moral character; 3) male or female, single, with no child or children; 4) height: Male – 162.5 cm (5 ft 4 in) Female – 157.5 cm (5 ft 2 in); 5) weight of not more or less than five (5) kilograms of the standard weight measurement corresponding to height, age and sex; 6) at least 4th year high school student and to graduate prior to admission; 7) physically and mentally fit for regimented cadetship training; and with no derogatory records.
Deadline for submission will be on September 30, 2006.

For application forms and other queries, please visit the local police station nearest you.

Increase of crime in Siquijor not alarming, says PNP official
Siquijor - The local Philippine National Police (PNP) here recently disclosed report on the slight increase of index crime in the province of Siquijor.

Police Senior Superintendent Orlando Ualat said the percentage of criminality was reported to have increased in face of the successive fiesta celebrations taking place in the province.

But Ualat immediately allayed fears saying that the increase has caused no serious alarm to the people and the police, and stressed these were just “minor crimes, not sensational”.

“Siquijor is still the safest place in Central Visayas”, Ualat said.

Albeit the PNP here is constantly fine-tuning efforts to sustain peace and order through improved and better coordinated intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security efforts.

“Terrorism lies at the core of our concern”, the police official said.

“We are all the more putting peace and order in the forefront, especially now that terrorism has become the number one problem in the country today”, he said.

Earlier expressing support to the swift passage of the anti-terror law, the PNP pledged to keep up security and safety of the people in Siquijor through also instituting community participation in crime and detection.

Meanwhile, the head of a Malacañang-backed commission that will investigate the killings of activities and journalists urged the public to cooperate and to “point us to the right direction.”

Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Melo made the appeal as he and members of the special commission took their oath before Supreme Court Justice Artemio Panganiban recently.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has earlier Administrative Order 157, which orders the commission to “investigate, examine policy matters, recommend reforms and consolidate the effort to mete out justice in cases of extra-judicial killings in cooperation with all concerned sectors.”

Lazi strengthens intelligence monitoring
Siquijor - Fifty-one Barangay Tanods of the municipality of Lazi attended the one-day seminar on Barangay Intelligence Network recently at the SB Hall, Lazi, Siquijor. The seminar was aimed to reorient the BIN members of their duties and responsibilities and to intensify the intelligence monitoring of illegal activities in their respective barangays.

It also forms part of the President’s effort to professionalize and modernize the military and police.

In a statement, Malacanang officials said, the President and Commander in Chief is in full control of the institutions of security and public order, and is determined to enhance their professionalism and effectiveness, including their strict adherence to strict rules of engagement and the protection of human rights.

Resource speakers were Police Director Ronald M. Laggui, SPO4 Arnulfo G. Acacio, PO2 Alandro A. Garnica, and PO2 Elvin P. Ellecion.

Mayor Orville A. Fua of Lazi pointed out during his message the urgency and importance of effective coordination of the Barangay tanods and PNP personnel in intelligence monitoring to avert any terrorist attack in view of the geographical proximity of the province of Siquijor to Mindanao.

The activity was conducted by the personnel of the Lazi Police Station and coordinated by the Office of the Mayor and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG.)

Media Advisory:
The media is invited to cover the launching of the province’s Solid Waste Project with GTZ at Bethel Guesthouse, 1:30 p.m, tomorrow Sept. 1, 2006