one mindanao - january 21, 2012

2 Saturday, January 21, 2012ONE MINDANAO

PIA REGIONAL OFFICESWestern Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula)

P. Urro Street, San Francisco DistrictPagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur 7016Telephone no. (062) 215-1480 / 925-0038Cellphone no. 0908-8843404E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]: www.piazampen.blogspot.comFacebook: PIA WesMin Info Bliz

Northern Mindanao

Graces’ Building, Antonio Luna StreetCagayan de Oro City 9000Telefax No. (08822) 72-66-83Telephone no. (088) 856-8178 / 729-594Cellphone no. 0928-5204305 0917-3084969E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]: www.pia-10.blogspot.com

Southern Mindanao (Davao Region)

2/F Kanto Motors Bldg.,Quimpo Blvd., New MatinaDavao City 8000Telephone no. (082) 297-0991 / 301-8580Telefax no. (082) 297-0992 / 304-2044Cellphone no. 0917-7053606 / 0918-9202950E-mail: [email protected]

Central Mindanao (SOCCSKSARGEN)

Provincial Capitol Compound Bautista Bldg., Zulueta St.Koronadal City, South Cotabato 9506Telephone no. (083) 520-0249Telefax no. (083) 228-9736 / 228-9739 / 520-0100Cellphone no. 0921-6873373 / 0928-5204307E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga)

Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines Bldg.,J. Rosales Avenue, Butuan CityTelephone no. (085) 341-5285 / 360-1239Telefax no. (085) 341-2370Cellphone no. 0917-7188834Email: [email protected] , [email protected],phBlogspot: www.piacaraga.blogspot.comFacebook: PIA Caraga Updates, PIA Agusan del Norte, Pia Agusan del Sur, Pia Surigao del Norte, Pia Surigao del Sur

Today’s issue... Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 Vol. 1 No. 160

Govt agencies continue to work for benefit of people

Feature: Foundation urges public to take thyroid cancer seriously

DSWD-9 provides temporary shelter to 62 illegally-recruited fishermen

Dipolog readies for ‘Civil Registration Month’ celebration

RDC-X enjoins the preparation of social protection dev’t report by LGU’s

12PicLyf makers ready for possible deals in Silicon Valley

Irrigators earn P3.6 M from ISF collection

Mai Gevera Macapagat, Southern Mindanao

GSIS pensioners ng R-12 muling pinaalalahanan sa pagtanggal ng ARAS

DOLE conducts philjob.net, Skill Registry System Orientation

RAFI, Caraga Region

Western Mindanao

Franklin P. Gumapon, Western Mindanao

Northern Mindanao

15

19

23

20

NFAEA-excellently serving members for 30 years

Maria Socorro S. Mellomida, Northern Mindanao

10

14

17

Executive Editor ……......... EFREN F. ELBANBUENA Cluster Head, Southern, Western and Central Mindanao Regional Director, PIA Region XI

Managing Editor ……......... ABNER M. CAGA Cluster Head, Northern and Northeastern Mindanao Regional Director, PIA Caraga Region Officer-in-charge,PIARegionX

Associate Editors ……....... NOEMI B. EDAGA Regional Director, PIA Region IX

OLIVIA T. SUDARIA Regional Director, PIA Region XII

Regional Desk Editors …... Jocelyn P. Alvarez, PIA Region IX Elaine O. Ratunil, PIA Region X Rudolph Ian G. Alama, PIA Region XI Danny E. Doguiles, PIA Region XII Robert E. Roperos, PIA Caraga Region

Copy Editors ……………….. Robert E. Roperos, PIA Caraga Region Nora C. Lanuza Molde, PIA Caraga Region

Layout Artists ……………... Gerie Mae G. Coco, PIA Caraga Region Richard D. Atillo, PIA Caraga Region Editorial Advisers :

ATTY. JOSE A. FABIADirector-General

Philippine Information Agency

SEC. HERMINIO “Sonny” B. COLOMAPresidentialCommunicationsOperationsOffice

EDITORIAL BOARD

Cover Story

Mindanao Cancer Center:

A Dream Come True

Jeanevive Duron-AbanganSouthern Mindanao

Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 Vol. 1 No. 160


Feature: Foundation urges public to take thyroid cancer seriously

DSWD-9 provides temporary shelter to 62 illegally-recruited fishermen

Dipolog readies for ‘Civil Registration Month’ celebration

RDC-X enjoins the preparation of social protection dev’t report by LGU’s

PicLyf makers ready for possible deals in Silicon Valley

Irrigators earn P3.6 M from ISF collection

Mai Gevera Macapagat, Southern Mindanao

Evelyn Bragasin and Dani Doguile, Central Mindanao

GSIS pensioners ng R-12 muling pinaalalahanan sa pagtanggal ng ARAS

Central Mindanao


Western Mindanao

Northern Mindanao

Greg Tataro, Caraga Region

24

28

29

31

page 4NFAEA-excellently serving members

for 30 yearsMaria Socorro S. Mellomida, Northern Mindanao

32

21

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30


Cover StoryMindanao Cancer Center: A Dream Come True

IT TAKES a son of a cancer patient and a cancer survivor to make the dream of a cancer center in Mindanao come true.

by Jeanevive Duron-Abangan

5 Saturday, January 21, 2012 ONE MINDANAO

Health assistant secretary Dr. Romulo Busuego, Davao Region-al Hospital (DRH) chief of hospital takes his persistent desire to have a cancer center at the DRH com-pound in Tagum City, as a dictate of his subconscious. “You know, it was may be a subconscious to have that facility because my father died of cancer,” he said in an interview during which he bared how the grand dream of a Mindanao Cancer Institute sprung. His personal experience cou-pled with keen interest to serious-ly deal with what he calls a “chal-lenging disease” could be the force prompting him to sketch the plan of a facility that would provide a wholistic management of cancer diseases.

Wrestle for funding Dr. Busuego could still recall how he wrestled more than 10 year ago with some cynics among his ranks of government medical officials who were then skeptical about the idea of a Mindanao Cancer Institute in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. “Why in Tagum, why not in Davao City?” where among the questions thrown to him when he laid down his proposal for a facility specializing can-cer treatment and care. His dream then could seemingly be far-fetched from reality but he just kept on pitching it for other well-meaning individuals to pick it up and toss together the plans of realizing it. On the sides, he prepared the ground-work for the Davao Regional Hospi-tal to handle special care for cancer by improving the services of the hos-pital, until the systems parallel to

Mindanao Cancer Center: A Dream Come True


the intention of providing special care for cancer, fell into place. A government hospital 52-kilome-ters away from business and commercial center, Davao City, DRH has the capacity to handle heart and lung surgery and can handle kidney transplant. With its exist-ing capacity, Dr. Busuego has no doubt that the hospital can also handle cancer treatment. He never let go of the dream to see a cancer care facility to rise within DRH compound. This desire goes with his motto, “Never let go of your dream if you’re not yet ready to make it come true.” He firmly believes that “you can never go wrong when you think of your patient.” Even before he was assured of fund-ing for a cancer center, he worked with the city government of Tagum and the provincial government of Davao del Norte to acquire a two-hectare lot “for the fu-ture cancer center.” “Whether that can happen or not, we are coming with that property,” he said as he saw the need to prepare for the chance to corner funding for a cancer center. Funding came

Then came Congressman An-thony G. Del Rosario of 1st District of Davao del Norte. He might not have known yet in 2004, when he was still the Vice Governor of Davao del Norte, that he would become the instrument of putting substance into such dream


of having a cancer center. Congressman del Rosario had known the talks between DRH and DOH (Department of Health) about a cancer center way back in 2004. Af-ter undergoing cancer treatment in 2010, Dr. Busuego informed him that the planned cancer center still had no funding. He then took the cancer cen-ter as one of his priority initiatives. “This is the first project that I requested from the President (Beni-gno Simeon Aquino III) in 2010, and eventually from (Budget and Manage-ment) Secretary ( Florencio “Butch”) Abad when they asked me what my priorities were,” he said in an inter-view. He considers his efforts exerted in securing and ensuring the release of required funding for the construc-tion of the cancer center and the pur-chase of the state-of-the art equip-ment as his greatest contribution to the establishment of such facility in Davao del Norte. His fight with cancer has made him aware of the high cost of treat-ment of such disease. (Congress-man del Rosario is a Lymphoma survivor who has undergone stem cell transplant in Stanford, USA.) He wants cancer patients in Mind-anao, especially those in Davao del Norte, to have “easy access to ad-vanced cancer treatments at mini-mal costs.”

The dream for a cancer center finally came into reality on January 8, 2012 when the Nuclear and Radio-therapy Center known as the Mindan-ao Cancer Center was inaugurated. The facility lies in a 5,280.80 sq meter lot at the back of DRH main building in Apokon, Tagum City. Briefer released by DRH showed that putting up the Nuclear and Ra-diotherapy Center cost a total of P157,447,509.00. Of this amount, P23,047,509 went to building struc-ture while P134,400,000 was spent for purchases of a state-of-the-art equipment.

Cancer center services The facility is equipped with lin-ear accelerator, a device used for ex-ternal radiotherapy and designed with precision to destroy cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. It offers four types of radiotherapy


particularly External Beam Radio-therapy (XRT), Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), 3-D Conformal Radiotherapy and Arc Therapy. Dr. Busuego explains that there are three components in cancer man-agement which involves a combina-tion of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. While high-end local hos-pitals in Davao City can do surgery and chemotherapy, radiation therapy is not readily available. It is offered in one hospital in Davao City but the cost is so prohibitive at about P100,000 or more to complete about 30 fractions or series of radiation therapy expo-sure, Dr. Busuego said. With the Mindanao Cancer Cen-ter, Dr. Busuego assures Philhealth-insured patients included in National Household Targeting System (NHTS) list of nothing to pay. The radiother-apy at the Mindanao Cancer Center is also much cheaper for GSIS and SSS members who are entitled of dis-counts. For those with no discount

guarantees, Dr. Busuego suggests them to avail of support funds from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of congressmen, and from the Philippine Charity Sweep-stakes Office (PCSO). Busuego said radiation therapy improves the quality of life a cancer patient as it stops the bleeding and gets rid of the foul-smell. Most impor-tantly, it prolongs the patient’s life, giving him or her the chance to fur-ther “enjoy your life with your fam-ily.” The chance of stretching the days of her husband is what 40-year-old Jocelyn Suizo of Marilog District, Davao City hopes for when her hus-band starts his cancer treatment at the Mindanao Cancer Center.

1st cancer patient

“Nagpasalamat ko nga naa ni nga cancer center dinhi. Nagalaum jud ko nga maulian pa akong bana.


(I am thankful of this cancer center here. I am hoping that my husband would get cured.),” says Jocelyn who reveals her husband of having stage 3 cancer. Jocelyn is happy to note the progress of her husband Her husband who is the first cancer patient of the Mindanao Cancer Center. “Mas okey na siya karon, mas baskog na siya. (He is okey right now and he is more active.), ” she said in a chance inter-view at the lobby of the cancer cen-ter. Indeed, a smiling cancer patient comes out of the radiotherapy room. He speaks of so much hope for his life and for his family while undergoing nuclear and radiotherapy treatment at the Mindanao Cancer Center.

Dreaming goes on Busuego has seen the initial re-alization of his dream and he hears the hopeful voices of cancer patients who are now coming for therapy. But

he does not stop dreaming. He looks at the newly inaugurated Mindanao Cancer Center as a mere first phase of the Mindanao Cancer Institute. He foresees such cancer institute to offer the highest level of cancer care from administration, diagnostic, therapeu-tic, hospice and research. With the cancer institute, Busue-go has no doubt of the great difference it can make for Mindanao which has been plagued of so much challenges from peace and order, health and di-saster. Del Rosario is likewise looking at the cancer center to develop into a facility at par with foreign hospitals, especially when it would continually be provided with advanced equip-ment and comfortable facilities com-bined with experts. We can hope to see a Mindan-ao Cancer Institute to appear in the horizon someday as the visionary doctor and the service-oriented law-maker are combining the strength of a dream and a desire to give the best care for cancer patients.


President Benigno S. Aquino led Friday the celebration of the Liberal Party’s (LP) 66th foundation anniversary saying he’s a proud member of the party that spearheads reform in the country.

ACROSS THE NATIONAquino leads celebration of 66th foundation anniversary of Liberal Party


Aquino leads celebration of 66th foundation anniversary of Liberal Party

“Sa Liberal Party… hindi natin ipagkakanulo ang ating tungkulin, hindi tayo malilihis ng landas ng prin-sipyo, at hindi natin pagtat-aksilan ang taumbayan,” the President said in his message during the anni-versary celebration held at Liberal Party headquarters in Cubao, Quezon City.

“Ang boss natin ay ang mamayang Pilipino. Kini-kilala natin ang biyayang kaloob nila sa atin. Ang biyaya ng pagkakataong maglingkod sa kanila. HIn-di po tayo nakalilimot sa ating sinumpaang tung-kulin at tuwid na tuwid po ang takbo ng bangka ng bayan,” he added.

Under a president who is a Liberal Party mem-ber, President Aquino said the country starts the New Year with good news as the government inaugurates many businesses and in-vestments that open more opportunities for Filipinos.

The reforms being initi-ated by the government started to take effect, ac-cording to the President adding this is good for the country because it increas-es investors’ confidence in

putting their business-es in the Philip-

pines.

The Liberal party mem-bership has been increas-ing, the President said noting it is a good develop-ment because more sec-tors in the Philippines will be represented like farm-ers, urban poor, workers, women and youth.

“Ang Partido Liberal ay hindi isang pulutong ng mga pulitikong bingi sa pagtibok ng puso ng ka-raniwang tao, isa itong sa-mahan, isa itong pamilya na binubuo ng mga Pilipinong walang ibang nais kundi ang maiangat ang antas ng lipunan sa pamamagi-tan ng pagtahak ng tuwid na daan,” he said.

“Karangalan ko pong maging kasapi ng isang partidong kumakatawan sa mga adhikain ng ma-mamayan. Karangalan kong tahakin ang landas ng katuwiran, katarun-gan at kaunlaran kasama kayo,” he continued.

The Liberal Party was founded on January 19, 1946 by Manuel Roxas, the first President of the Third Philippine Republic.

Among the well-known members of the Liberal Party who fought the Mar-cos dictatorship include Senators Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., Gerry Roxas and Jovito Sa-

longa. Many of its leaders and members were pros-ecuted and killed during the Marcos regime.

In 2000, the party stood against the corrup-tion of the Estrada ad-ministration and in 2004 it withdrew its support from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo follow-ing the controversies of the presidential election that year.

Philippine presidents who came from the LP include Elpidio Quirino and Diosdado Macapa-gal. Ramon Magsaysay and Ferdinand Marcos were also former LP members who later be-came presidents after leaving the party.

Among the prominent personalities who joined the President during Friday’s event include House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Transportation and Communication Sec. Mar Roxas, Interior and Local Government Sec. Jessie Robredo, Rep. Neil Tupas, Manila Mayor Al-fredo Lim, boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Man-ny Pacquiao, among others. (AS)


In a statement, Deputy presidential spokesman Abigial Valte said they got a report from the City Government of Tagum saying it received

P19.65-mil l ion worth of il-

legal

timber seized by the Department of Envi-ronment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Davao region last year.

Through a Memo-randum of Agreement between the Tagum City government, the

DENR, and the De-partment of Education (DepEd), the logs were converted into school and hospital fixtures, as well as double-deck beds for soldiers and law enforc-ers.


Cooperation between national government agencies and local government units (LGUs) continues to produce materials and services that benefit the poor, the Palace said on Saturday.


“The report stated that about 12,000 of these school chairs, desks, and hospital beds have so far been distribut-ed to our brothers and sisters in disaster-rav-aged Davao Del Norte and Compostela Valley Province,” Valte said in the statement.

At same time, Valte also reported that the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) launched their

Convergence on Tourism In-

frastructure Program aimed at coordinating support for tourism-re-lated businesses in lo-cal communities.

The program also forged tie ups between the two departments in constructing the roads throughout the Philippines to reach the country’s tourist sites.

Valte said this in preparation for the in-flux of 10 million for-eign visitors targeted by the government by 2016, as well as en-suring that inclusive growth will redound to the marginalized.

“These reports are re-minders of the sea-change in how we do things in this coun-try: a nefarious prac-tice transformed to aid those in dire need; a public-sector initiative rolled out to benefit those in the farthest margins.

The fight for trans-parency, accountability, inclusive growth, and good governance has many fronts—these stories tell us that we are winning in the fight,” she said. (AS)


National agencies propose over P3-billion projects for DavNor in 2013 by Noel Baguio

The province of Davao del Norte has reduced the severity of the 4.8 percent reduction in the internal revenue allotment (IRA) this year by adopting fiscal discipline and revenue and austerity measures. Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario is quite optimistic the province will be able to hurdle the budget challenge with

the several measures that his administra-tion has put in place. To overcome the unpleasant IRA cut, del Rosario re-vealed the province strengthened rev-enue generation and enforced austerity measures and strict accountability among the Capitol officials and personnel. The province will continue to tap the resources of the na-tional government, as

well as, the overseas development as-sistance (ODA) funding opportunities. Leading the revenue generating measure of the province is the recent-ly-approved Provincial Tax Ordinance 2011-001, otherwise known as the Revised Revenue Code of Davao del Norte.


National agencies propose over P3-billion projects for DavNor in 2013

The governor is very much upbeat about the asset reforms resulting from the creation of the Provincial Economic Enterprise, which took the rein of the three district hospitals of the province. He further showed off the great prospect of the mega projects in the province, such as the on-going P243-million Provincial Sports Complex, the P250-million worth of projects from the Mindanao Rural Development Pro-gram (MRDP-2), the P44-million school building program in partnership with the Department of Education, and the hospital enhancement program in the amount of P78-million from the De-partment of Health. The four-year annual grant of over P40 million per year from the Austra-lian Agency for International Develop-ment (AusAID) for the implementation of the Provincial Road Management

Facility (PRMF) project in the province also augurs well in buffering effects of the budget reduction. Some P100 million is already in the pipeline for the repair of some por-tion of the Talaingod-Bukidnon Road that was damaged by bad weather. The start of the construction of the Zero Kilometer, Asuncion Road go-ing to Veruela, Agusan del Sur, which is now converted into a national highway further forebodes more economic op-portunities for the province. Gov. del Rosario then urged the Capitol employees, and the people of Davao del Norte, to continue support-ing his administration’s advocacy of fis-cal prudence and austerity, espousing the management slogan, “maximum effectiveness at the least cost.” (PIO-DavNor/Noel Baguio)

PicLyf makers ready for possible deals in Silicon Valley by Mai Gevera Macapagat

DAVAO CITY – Davao-based mak-ers of a photo blogging site, Pic-Lyf, found their break recently as they bagged one of the three slots who will be sent to Silicon Val-ley for a three-month immersion where they could sign business deals with venture capitalists. PicLyf maker Eric Su described the platform as a site where peo-ple could share detailed pictures of their life. “ It’s a fun-to-update life

blog, personal catalog and scrap-book rolled into one.” Many would question how dif-ferent PicLyf from the popular Face-book and Google social networking sites. Su immediately answered, “ We do not have intention of taking the place of FB or Google. Rather, we focus on our edge which is the photo.” The site enables the user to delightfully remember life through the photo portfolio. It took the PicLyf team about


two years before setting to for-mal work. This Davao-based team traversed the hard road until they called it all set for the international market. “I remember a Singaporean company approached us and of-fered a considerable amount of money to partner with us in this project. But we declined realizing that their terms are not that favor-able.”, Su said. Through their innovative ideas, the platform now enables users to annotate photos, tag

friends, zoom in on big pictures, react to them in one tap, and keep track of people they follow. The PicLyf team joined the ON3 Pitching Competition last year where-in they were given three minutes to explain their business venture and convince the judges how efficient and significant their product or project is

in the field of information technolo-gy. Announced early this month, PicLyf learned that it is one of the three final winners in the said com-petition and they are scheduled to be exposed and be immersed in Silicon Valley . Su shared how challenging the competition was for them especially with the three-minute time limit giv-en to them. “ We presented a big product and so it was difficult to sculpt it in

a brief presentation. But we did it until the core became obsvious.”, he said. Over all the other en-tries from other parts of the country, Su be-lieved that PicLyf’s edge was on risk man-agement and possible returns that the prod-uct could provides, as these are important considerations taken by any investor. The team hopes to sign deals in the 3-month exposure and immer-

sion in Silicon Valley . They do not have a particular target investment amount to bring home from Califor-nia , however, they are determined to continue upgrading the platform. PicLyf is set to place advertise-ments on the side by February and will seek the help of bloggers to spread the word about this photo diary site.


Sarangani provides new firetrucks to capital town

by Beverly Paoyon

ALABEL, Sarangani – The provincial government turned-over on Tuesday to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) P2-million worth of brand new firetrucks to equip the fire station of its capital town, Alabel.


The two firetrucks were purchased through a counterparting scheme of the provincial govern-ment of Sarangani and the municipality of Ala-bel, which allocated from their local funds P1.3 million and P700,000, respectively.

Governor Migs Dominguez said Capi-tol complemented funds with the municipal gov-ernment for this inter-vention to ensure the fire station is equipped with the proper firefighting equipment as the people rely on them for safety.

“Kayo ang inaasahan namin to protect lives and property,” Dominguez told firefighters.

However, Dominguez urged Mayor Cora-zon Grafilo to encour-age all her constituents

to adhere also to the “necessary fire codes and ensure that proper guidelines would be fol-lowed especially in busi-nesses, markets, and other establishments.”

BFP officer-in-charge fire chief C/Supt Sam-uel Perez personally re-ceived the firetrucks with regional director S/Supt Alejandro Cagam-pang and other BFP per-sonnel.

Perez noted the sig-nificant contribution of the provincial and local governments in the fire service.

He said the necessary equipment needed to fully equip the firetrucks will be delivered in the next three months.

Perez said Sarangani is assured of the bureau’s support. Perez was pre-

viously the regional di-rector in Region 12 be-fore he was appointed the officer-in-charge fire chief.

Meanwhile, Perez said the firetrucks turned over would mean additional manpower requirement as he lamented the BFP lacked personnel not only in Sarangani but in the whole Philippines.

“We only have 16,000 firemen distributed na-tionwide,” a significant gap of the supposed per-sonnel requirement the bureau should hire as it was supposed to follow a “one fireman for every two thousand popula-tion” ratio, Perez said.

“Every year binibigyan lang kami ng Congress ng ceiling of 500 slots in which ang mapunta lang sa Region 12, let us say, mga 10 to 20 lang. That is not enough sa ating manpower requirement,” Perez pointed out.

But he said the BFP would meantime tap the local governments to train volunteers for the fire brigades to cope with the lack of manpower.


Irrigators earn P3.6 M from ISF collectionby Evelyn Bragasin and Dani Doguiles

KORONADAL CITY -- At least seven irrigators’ associations in North Cotabato recently received a total of P3,613,726.21 million from the National Irriga-tion Administration (NIA) as their share from the collected irrigation service fees (ISF) from wet season of 2011.

Information from the regional office of NIA-Soccsksargen said, recip-ients of the ISF share are member-associations of the M’lang and Malasila (Makilala) Irrigation Sys-tems.

Of the 5 irrigators asso-ciations of Malasila River Irrigation system, BNBL IA, Inc. received the high-est share of P800,419.44, followed by Buayan-Langkong (BL) IA, Inc., P585,888.83; Tulunan IA, Inc., P566,163.92; DLS IA, Inc., P528,215.44; and Amyon IA, Inc., P124,098.91.

On the other hand, Division B (LIDANAMA)

IA, Inc. of the M’lang RIS’s ISF share amount-ed to P520,866.20 while that of Division A (BI-MADU) IA, Inc. reached P488,073.47.

All these IAs have achieved target collec-tions in the semester of the year, the same infor-mation said.

At the NIA-IA Shar-ing Program at Baran-gay Bagontapay Hall in M’lang town, Engr. C’zar M. Sulaik, Cotabato Ir-rigation Management Office division Manager, congratulated the IA of-ficers for their remark-able performance in ISF collection and encour-

aged them to sustain this good accomplish-ment for them to con-tinue receiving their IA share.

He said, NIA and IAs should further strength-en coordination between them , which should en-courage consultation and consequent solu-tion to problems experi-enced in the field.

Sulaik promised NIA will try its best to ad-dress the needs of the irrigators.

Councilor Claire Pal-ma, who represented Tulunan Mayor Lani S. Candolada,


assured the IAs that the local government unit will continue to support the programs of the IAs.

She also encouraged the irrigators to produce organic rice which is be-ing promoted now.

In his message, Engr. Modesto Anderson M. To-lentino, Jr., NIA-12 Re-gional Manager, noted that they have few prob-lems regarding nation-

al irrigation systems in North Cotabato province.

The challenge now, he added is for the IAs to maintain their high lev-el performance and give priority to road mainte-nance for their accessibil-ity and mobility.

Although NIA 12 could not solve every problem that IAs present, he as-sured them that they will help in finding solutions

or mitigating these.Meanwhile, Engr,

Nerisa M. Matullano, su-pervising irrigators devel-opment officer of NIA-12, reminded IAs that their primary role is to estab-lish an strong, viable and cohesive associations that are self-reliant and able manage their IAs without much interventions from NIA. (NIA-12)

GSIS pensioners ng R-12 muling pinaalalahanan sa pagtanggal ng ARASKORONADAL CITY -– Muling pina-alalahanan ng Government Service Insur-ance System (GSIS) General Santos City Branch ang lahat ng mga pension-ers ng rehiyon na maaari ng hindi na sila pumunta at pumila sa GSIS Wire-less Automated Processing System (GWAPS ) kiosks para lamang sa Annual Renewal of Active Status (ARAS).

Ito ayon sa tanggapan ni GSIS General Santos City Branch manager Ma Celia Vega ay kasunod ng paalala ni GSIS president and General Manager Robert G. Vergara sa la-hat ng mga pensiyonado kasabay ng pagpanumpa nito sa katungkulan ng mga opisyales ng Philip-pine Government Retirees Association (PGRA) noong nakalipas na linggo.

Ipinaliwanag ng staff ni GenSan branch manager Vega na patuloy ang ka-

nilang pagpapatupad ng pag-aalis ng ARAS na sin-imulan noon pang May 1, 2011.

Dagdag pa nito ang GSIS umano ay lalo pang pinalakas ang pakikipag-ugnayan sa National Sta-tistics Office (NSO) at Lo-cal Civil Registry (LCR) upang ma-beripika ang totoong estado ng bawat pensioners.

Ipinapaalam din ng GSIS na mahigit 500 dagdag na kiosk ang iki-nalat noong nakalipas

na taon sa buong bansa upang mapagsilbihan ang lahat ng mga pangangai-langan ng mga pension-ers lalo na ang pagting-ing nang kanilang mga records at pag-file ng loans.

Ito aniya ay bahagi ng pangako ng bagong pamunuan ng GSIS na makapagbigay ng maayos at magandang serbisyo sa mahigit 1.7- M miyem-bro at pensioners nito sa buong bansa. (Ac Agad)


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DSWD Caraga to disburse P161.9M for anti-poverty project

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Caraga is expected to disburse a total of P161,968,531.62 in the first two quarters of this year through its anti-poverty program called KALAHI-CIDSS.

by Keneath John Bolisay


The total amount comes from the World Bank loan of the government giv-en to the region amounting to P137,280,487.93 and an additional P24,688,043.69 from the local cash contri-bution (LCC) of the imple-menting local government units (LGUs). According to Regional Project Manager and Assis-tant Regional Director, Mita G. Lim, the regional office will disburse the amount through

tranches in the community accounts of the barangays. Moreover, the total cash grant will be disbursed to a total of 136 sub-proj-ects of the 15 partner LGUs throughout the region. Two LGUs are implementing KALAHI-CIDSS Additional Financing while 13 LGUs are currently implementing the LGU-led Makamasang Tugon. These areas are Veru-ela, Esperanza, La Paz, San

Luis, and Sibagat in Agusan del Sur; Carmen and Jabon-ga in Agusan del Norte; Tag-bina, Marihatag, Hinatuan, Bayabas, and San Miguel in Surigao del Sur; and Pilar and Socorro in Surigao del Norte. After achieving a hun-dred percent fund disburse-ment last year, the regional project management office (RPMO) is hoping to do the same in the middle of the year. (DSWD-13)


TANDAG CITY -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) here successfully conducted a two-day orientation (Jan 16-17) on philjob.net and Skill Registry System (SRS) at the Surigao del Sur State University (SDSSU).

by Greg Tataro


According to Teofila Rosales, head of DOLE Pro-vincial Office, this is in re-sponse to the request of said university through As-sistant Guidance Counselor Vanessa Sanchez to provide graduating students knowl-

edge on job seeking by us-ing such windows. It was learned that “philjob.net is an automated job and applicant matching system which aims to fast track jobseekers search for job and employers search

for manpower.” Also, the SRS is said to be a “repository of infor-mation on skills certification and accreditation, licensure, and local and overseas em-ployment.”

Feature: Foundation urges public to take thyroid cancer seriously by RAFI

With the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in Metro Cebu, the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) urged the public to undergo early screening and prevention

measures to fight the disease.


“Thyroid cancer is high on prognosis. It is pre-ventable through various screening methods, such as physical examination and ultrasound of the neck, as well as some prevention measures, including regular exercise and maintenance of a well-balanced diet,” Ronald delos Reyes, EJACC program coordinator said. Based on EJACC’s Metro Cebu Population-

based Cancer Registry, the incidence rate of thyroid cancer in 2003 to 2007 is high but the mortality rate is comparatively lower. Within this period, about 573 cases of thyroid cancer were reported and 116 were recorded to have died of the disease. The figures also show that 97 cases have been attributed to persons in between the ages 15-30 while 350 cases

are persons with ages 30-60. More women than men have been affected by this disease; in fact, 134 cases are male while 439 cases are female. As a common type of cancer diagnosed in men and women, thyroid cancer ranked sixth in most com-mon cancer cases in Metro Cebu.According to the 2010 jour-nal of the Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates of the Philippine Cancer Society, the incidence rate had in-creased from 1980 to 2002, with an annual change of 0.4 percent in males and 1.6 percent among females. Thyroid cancer is the most common cancer of women at ages 15-24 years. Among women, the incidence rate rises at age 30 and continues to rise with increasing age. Among men, the incidence rate be-gins to increase much later, starting at 60 years old. The thyroid is a but-terfly-shaped gland located


in the front of the neck just below the Adam’s apple. It works like a tiny factory that uses iodine, mostly from the diet in foods like seafood and salt, to produce thyroid hormones that, in turn, help regulate the body’s growth and metabolism and other functions of the body. The most common signs and symptoms of thy-roid cancer include a lump or thyroid nodule, that can be felt in the neck; trouble in swallowing; throat or neck pain; swollen lymph nodes in the neck; cough; and vocal changes. People exposed to

high levels of radiation are much more likely than oth-ers to develop papillary or fol-licular thyroid cancer. Treat-ment with x-rays is one significant source of radiation exposure. Be-tween the 1920s and the 1950s, doctors used high-dose x-rays to treat children who had enlarged tonsils, acne, and other problems affecting the head and neck. Later, scientists found that some people who had received this kind of

treat-ment developed thyroid cancer. People who are diag-nosed with this kind of can-cer may undergo surgery. Common surgeries include thyroidectory, lobectomy, and tracheostomy. Some-times, even the removal of the thyroid itself is needed.“Like many other cancers, thyroid cancer may be more easily cured with ear-ly detection. Earlier diagno-sis removes thyroid cancer at a time when they are not likely to have spread beyond the thyroid gland,” delos Reyes said. For more informa-tion about thyroid cancer, please contact EJACC at 254-6351and look for Gina Mariquit.


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Zambo City crime rate goes down by 72% in 2011 by Michael Vincent D. Cajulao

Police recorded a whopping 72% reduction in the number of crimes reported in the city in 2011 compared to 2010 data.


Zamboanga City Police Director Sr. Supt. Edwin De Ocampo presented their comparative report during the City Peace and Order Council meeting yesterday with the city police record-ing only 3,155 crime volume last year, 8,255 lesser from 2010 crime volume of 11,410. Crime volume report includes crime against person, properties and others. Of the 3,155 recorded crimes last year, 849 are crimes committed against persons, also a far-cry from 2010’s 1,994. Col. De Ocampo said the vast decrease in crime volume in the city is a result of their intensified

zambotimes.com

initiatives.“The fact that there is a big decrease in crime volume in the city means that what we are doing is effective”, De Ocampo said. Col. De Ocampo reported that majority of these cases are physical injury, with 622 cases. The police also recorded 132 murder cases, 67 rape cases and 28 homicide cases last year. He pointed that some of these are al-ready solved, with suspects arrested and prosecuted while some are still being pursued by the police. De Ocampo also gave statis-tics of shooting incidents in the city, specifically, in the last two months of 2011. November data showed 16 shooting incidents, with two of those already solved, 10 were cleared and four cases closed. However, December shooting incidents ballooned to over a hundred percent with 33 cases. The police chief said cases were already filed against the suspects while there are still cases still being worked out. City Mayor Celso Lobregat said a big chunk of these cases are drug related. Philippine Drug Enforcement


Agency (PDEA) IX said they are in constant communication with the PNP to help curb the increasing drug-re-lated cases in the city. Recently, PDEA 9 was given ad-ditional agents from other regions to augment their force here. They are also awaiting the integration of new agents in their fold who are set to graduate from their training. The agency also acquired two trained dogs to help them in their operations. Just this week, PDEA received 10 new fire-arms for added capability.As part of continuing efforts to secure the city, Mayor Lobregat said they will be putting up CCTV cameras in the different strategic locations in the city to further deter criminals. Lobregat

said the bidding of surveillance cam-eras amounting to over P20 M is now being processed. He said they will be using state-of the-art fiber optics to connect all cameras to its central monitoring sta-tion. The central station is still to be decided although they are looking at the city’s “Sunken Garden”, located in the heart of the city, near the city hall, as a suitable location. “We are looking at the “Sunken Garden” as our location for the central monitoring station, side by side with our 117 emergency office. Perhaps the City Tourism Office may move to Paseo del Mar. But it’s all just a pos-sibility as of the moment”, Lobregat said. (JPA/MVC/PIA9-ZBST)

DSWD-9 provides temporary shelter to 62 illegally-recruited fishermenPAGADIAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office IX assisted sixty-two (62) illegally-recruited fishermen in just one week after 3 batches of male victims sought shelter at its Processing Center for Displaced Persons (PCDP).

As of press time, the 62 males mostly from Bohol and Lapu-Lapu City are presently housed at the PCDP while awaiting case develop-ments after being intercepted by the Port Police last January 11.

Social workers learned that a cer-tain resident from Bongao person-ally went to Bohol to fetch the fish-ermen. They were promised good wages for deep sea fishing with free accommodation and food.


Accordingly, the group consists of three teams which will be sent out to Languyan, Sitangkai and Bongao. Said employer contracted them for four months. The Zamboanga City Port Police became suspicious of the group after noticing that only one person pur-chased their tickets, which prompted the police to invite two members of the group to their office for inquiry. DSWD with partner agencies Philip-pine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC) and Visayan Forum immedi-ately proceeded to the port area for

proper interventions. The Sea-Based Anti-Trafficking Task Force (SBATTF), an inter-agen-cy committee with the following as key members – DSWD, PCTC, DOLE, VF, DOJ, Port Police and PPA have started the series of case conferenc-es tackling the matter for possible violation of labor policies. Meanwhile, DSWD continu-ally provides basic and psychoso-cial services to those housed at PCDP while awaiting developments from the case. (JPA./DOLE/NZB/PIA9-CAL).

One of the activities lined up for the said celebration is the con-duct of free mass wedding at the Dipolog City Sports Complex at Ba-rangay Olingan on February 11 for unwed couples who have been living together for years. City Civil Registrar Rosemarie Patangan-Miranda, however, told the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) that the free mass wedding is only open to the residents of this city.

Those who would like to avail of this mass wedding are advised to prepare and submit all the docu-ments and other requirements to the city civil registrar on or before Jan. 31. The mass wedding will officiated by Mayor Evelyn T. Uy. Miranda also disclosed that there will be a free registration of births to be conducted by her office on Feb. 24. (FPG/PIA-ZDN)

Dipolog readies for ‘Civil Registration Month’ celebrationDIPOLOG CITY - The city government here through the Office of the City Civil Registrar is now preparing for the observance of the Civil Registration Month on February. by Franklin P. Gumapon


NYC urges youth groups to register in YORP

The National Youth Commission (NYC) reiterates its call

to youth and youth-serving organizations in the country to register with the Commission’s Youth Organizations’ Registration Program (YORP) to establish a youth network in the country.

NYC official Eddie C. Cuaresma of Northern Mindanao said all youth organizations in the country -- including national organization, community-based, school-based, religious, out-of-school youth organization, young professionals organization, or youth with special needs organization -- are eligible to register. He also said this is the best time to link up with NYC as the YORP Policy on Registration has recently been revised to facilitate easier registration for youth organizations. Requirements are as follows: at least 15 members; age of members range from 15-30 years old; filled-up registration form; directory of officers and members; and certification or

endorsement of school, barangay and church. NYC also encourages the youth organizations to register at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to gain the benefits and advantages of having a separate juridical personality. Through this nationwide registration of youth and youth-serving organizations, the Commission hopes to build linkages with the youth and facilitate a more active participation in its programs. To know more about the program and the requirements for registration (both YORP and SEC), log on to www.nyc.gov.ph. (PIA-10)


NYC urges youth groups to register in YORP

RDC-X enjoins the preparation of social protection dev’t report by LGU’sOZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental – The Regional Development Council of Northern Mindanao (RDC-X) has enjoined the preparation of the Social Protection and Development Report (SPDR) and its integration into the Comprehensive Development and Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CDP/CLUP) with the local government units (LGU’s).

The SPDR provides the minimum data requirements of a local situationer which will serve as the basis in coming up with more effective interventions in addressing the various risks and vulnerabilities of LGU’s, Engr. Leon M. Dacanay, Jr., Regional Director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), region 10, said. Dacanay said the SPDR is an enhanced version of the Social Welfare and Social Welfare Development Situationer, which conforms with the National Social Development Committee Resolution No. 1, series of 2007, entitled “Adopting A Philippine Definition of Social Protection (SP).” Such resolution states that the SP constitutes policies that seek to reduce poverty and vulnerability to risks and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalized by promoting and protecting livelihood and employment, protecting against hazards and sudden loss of income, and improving people’s capacity to manage risks.

Risks and vulnerability assessment is undertaken for the sectors on children, family, youth, indigenous peoples (IP), senior citizens, and persons with disabilities (PWD’s) to identify their situations whether they are exposed to life-threatening situations or vulnerable to natural/environmental occurrences, economic, and social/governance factors that may affect their quality of life. Dacanay, who is also the RDC-X Vice Chairperson said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as the lead agency in social protection, initiates the enhancing of tools in defining risks and vulnerabilities at the local level through the SPDR which contains the following: General information on geography, demographic characteristics, poverty profile, sources of income and welfare profile.


NFAEA-excellently serving members for 30 yearsby Maria Socorro S. Mellomida

MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon - The National Food Authority Employees Association (NFAEA) Bukidnon Chapter, which now has more than 60 members, excellently served its proud affiliates in the province for over 30 years now.

Holmes R. Valdez, President, NFAEA Bukidnon Chapter said they have been serving the hardworking member-employees through loan grants such as emergency loans of of P15,000 and medical loans of P5,000, with a monthly interest rate of only one percent. Valdez, who is also the concurrent NFAEA Regional President said the association also grants appliance loans up to P20,000 with constant 1% monthly interest payable in twelve months. With the goal of serving its members in getting through hard and difficult times, NFAEA gives out bereavement assistance of P1,500 and death benefits at P5,000 per member. Based on recent financial report, the total monetary assets of NFAEA Bukidnon is more than P2 million. Thus, the association has the capability to cater to the financial needs of its members through loan programs. Meanwhile, for effective implementation of its programs

and activities, NFAEA chapter here, provides honoraria for its board officers. Among the chapter presidents who made the association flourish and grow, in terms of financial capability, were Engr. Emmanuel Suazo, Zaida Estrada, Virginia de Villa, Mamerto Fajardo, and Virgilio Durotan. As it promotes and guards safely the economic welfare of its members, the association, likewise, represents the NFA employees in collective negotiation with respect to salaries, wages, hours of work, loan programs, including employment terms and conditions allowed under existing laws, which is in line with the government’s thrust in promoting economic self-sufficiency. Organized in 1981, NFAEA Bukidnon chapter operates under the association’s promulgated constitution duly registered by the Department of Labor and Employment-Bureau of Labor Relations and Civil Service Commission. (NFA)

one mindanao - january 21, 2012

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