A mirror image of Thailand’s Phuket will rise in Palawan.
Banyan Tree Executive Chairman Ho Kwon Ping reported to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that they intend to turn Dirawan Island into a “single largest integrated island resort in all Asia” that will generate at least 12,000 direct and indirect employments.
The President was guest of honor during the ground breaking rites of the luxury resort in, Coron town.
President Arroyo expressed confidence that Mr. Ho can replicate in the Philippines what he has done for Thailand.
She said people in the Calamianes are “looking forward” to be part of the construction force not only in the resort but also in the infrastructure projects that government will undertake to make Isla Dirawan accessible.
Ho said the island will have three hotels, marina for boats and sea planes, town center facility and resort residence.
He also forecasted that the project, targeted to open in 2012, will earn more than US$ 200 million annually.
Ho’s Banyan Tree is a known Singapore-based resort and spa operator that pioneered the green spa concept.
Aside from Thailand, Banyan Tree resorts are located in Maldives Vabbinfaru, Maldives Madivaru, Bintan, Indonesia, Seychelles, Ringha and Lijiang in China and Bahrain.
For his part, Palawan Governor Joel Reyes promised the President that the provincial government will throw its full support behind the project.
Pinoy version ng Phuket, inaasahang magbibigay ng 12,000 trabaho
Magkakaroon ng kakambal ang Phuket ng Thailand sa lalawigan ng Palawan.
Sa kanyang pag-ulat kay Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, sinabi ni Banyan Tree Executive Chairman Ho Kwon Ping na gagawin nilang single largest integrated island resort in all Asia” ang Isla Dirawan na lilikha ng may 12,000 trabaho.
Ang Pangulo ay panauhing pandangal sa ground breaking ceremony ng Banyan Tree luxury resort sa bayan ng Coron.
Tiwala ang Pangulo na kakayanin ni Mr. Ho na gayahin sa Pilipinas ang kanyang ginawa sa Thailand.
Ayon pa sa Pangulo, umasa ang mga mamamayan sa Calamianes na magiging bahagi ng construction force hindi lamang sa resort kundi pati sa mga proyektong pang-imprastraktura na gagawin ng pamahalaan para madaling marating ang Isla Dirawan.
Sinabi pa ni Ho na ang isla ay magkakaroon ng tatlong hotels, isang marina para sa mga bangka at sea plane, pasilidad ng isang town center at mga resort residence.
Sa pagtaya ni Ho, maaring kumita ng US$ 200 milyon kada taon ang proyekto.
Ang Banyan Tree ay kilalang resort at spa operator sa Singapore na nagpasimula ng konsepto ng green spa.
Bukod sa Thailand, ang Banyan Tree ay may mga resort sa Maldives Vabbinfaru, Maldives Madivaru, Bintan, Indonesia, Seychelles, Ringha at Lijiang sa Tsina at Bahrain.
Ipinangako naman ni Palawan Governor Joel Reyes sa Pangulo na buong-buo ang suportang ibibigay ng pamahalaang panlalawigan sa proyekto ng Banyan Tree.
Batangas folks hail opening of San Juan Port and Laiya Road by PGMA
San Juan, Batangas – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inaugurated today two important infrastructure facilities in this town to develop the tourism industry of this province and to boost the social and economic activities of the residents here and its neighboring island provinces.
Fresh from her visit to Coron, Palawan, the President came here to inaugurate the Port of San Juan, a project that will link Marinduque, Romblon, Masbate, and world-renowned Boracay Island in Aklan through the Roll-On, Roll-Off (Ro-Ro) Strong Republic Nautical Highway.
After unveiling the marker of the Port of San Juan, the President led the inaugural drive-thru of the San Juan-Laiya Road project. This was followed by the briefing to the President of Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza on the project and its benefits for the people of San Juan.
During the briefing, Yulo De Chavez, 39, of Barangay Laiya Aplaya, thanked the President for the newly-constructed port which he hopes will create jobs and livelihood opportunities for people like him.
Earlier, San Juan Mayor Danilo Mindanao reiterated that the completion of the Port of San Juan in Barangay Subukin, just 10 minutes drive from the popular Laiya Beach Resort here, is expected to increase the levels of living of the residents and make Laiya as an alternative tourist destination, next to Boracay.
“The development of the Port of San Juan is a testament to the successful efforts of the national government to provide better transport facilities and services to my constituents. The Port is envisioned to realize the gains of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway,” Mayor Mindanao said.
Secretary Mendoza informed the President that the Port of San Juan is very vital to the economy of San Juan and for the province as a whole, because it will bolster the trading partnership of this coastal town with Marinduque, Romblon, Mindoro and Masbate through the use of Ro-Ro vessels.
Assisting the President in the inaugural drive-thru and unveiling rites were 1st District Rep. Eileen Ermita-Buhain, 4th District Rep. Mark Llandro Mendoza, 3rd District Rep. Victoria Reyes, 2nd District Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, Mayor Mindanao and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager Oscar Sevilla, among others.
The San Juan-Laiya Road brings this town closer to Metro Manila via the Southern Tagalog Artillary Road (STAR) Tollway 1 and 2 by cutting travel time by about 2-3 hours a shorter distance than the old Manila-Batangas City via Candelaria in Quezon route.
As an integral part of the Batangas City-Lucena City Coastal Road, the improvement of San Juan Laiya Road is expected to bolster travel to the Batangas-Quezon Eco-Tourism spots.
One of the important sections of the San Juan-Laiya Road is the Aplaya Section where famous and beautiful beach resorts of international standards are located, such as, the Aquatico Resort, Kabayan Resort, Blue Coral Resort, Palm Beach Resort, Sea Escape Resort, Sabangan Resort, Virgin Beach Resort, Porto Laiya Beach Resort.
Unemployment insurance will save SSS members and diligent tax payers in times of recession
The proposed unemployment insurance will help diligent tax payers and members of Social Security System (SSS) to bear the impact of global recession
Socio-economic planning Secretary Ralph Recto said a Php 6-Billion initial fund is a small amount to aid some 100,000 workers who would be hit by the continuing world economic slump.
Exporting companies are the most affected by the slowdown.
If government has programs for the poor, Recto said it must have programs for SSS members and other dutiful taxpayers who contributed in keeping the local economy afloat.
Recto said national government could help SSS in easing the burden of funding by sharing some money to support the program.
Meanwhile, Press Secretary Cerge remonde said the proposed unemployment insurance will still be discussed by the country’s economic managers.
Remonde also assured SSS members that the proposal would not affect their contributions.
Unemployment insurance, sasagip sa mga miyembro ng SSS at mga tapat na taxpayer sa panahon ng recession
Maaring maging sandalan ng mga walang trabahong miyembro ng Social Security System at mga tapat na tax payer sa panahon ng krisis ang panukalang Unemployment insurance.
Ayon kay Socio-economic planning Secretary Ralph Recto, maliit na halaga lang ang Php-6 na Bilyon para tulungan ang may isang daang libong manggagawa na susunod na hahagipin ng malawakang resesyon.
Karamihan ng mga tinamaan ng resesyon ay ang mga kumpanyang nagluluwas ng kanilang mga produkto.
Kung may programa ang pamahalaan sa mga mahihirap, binigyang diin ni Recto na kailangan mayroon ding programa ito para sa mga SSS member at taxpayer.
Sinabi ni Recto na maaring makatulong sa SSS ang pambansang pamahalaan kung maglalagay ng pondo para suportahan ang bagong programa.
Samantala, sinabi ni Press Secretary Cerge Remonde na pag-uusapan pa ng mga economic manager ang panukala ni Recto.
Tiniyak naman ni Remonde na hindi maapektuhan ng panukala ang mga kontribusyon ng mga miyembro ng SSS sa sandaling maipatupad na.
Employment outlook for local, overseas Filipino workers remains stable --DOLE
Manila, March 25 (PNA) -- The employment outlook for both local and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) remains stable as the impact on the labor sector of the current global economic slowdown has been mitigated as a result of the various government programs designed to ensure that the country would not slip into recession.
"There are no threats that may affect many of the major work sites where there's mass concentration of Filipino workers overseas," according to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Marianito Roque.
A total of 1,400 out of the 5,700 retrenched overseas workers have already been re-hired abroad, while the rest are waiting to be deployed, the DOLE chief said.
It was earlier reported that retrenched OFWs in the construction and retail establishment sectors in Dubai were being channeled to other emirates like Abu Dhabi.
He also said that in Qatar, there were few workers that were retrenched not because of the global crisis but "due to some reforms in the companies."
He said that out of the 120,000 job allocations given by Qatar to the Philippines, only 14,000 have been filled up for the past two months.
The government projects 120,000 job potentials in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector and more than 3,000 in the tourism sector, two of the most promising industries in the country.
PGMA cites roles of tourism and BPO in solving RP employment woes
In her informal media interaction with members of the Malacanang Press Corps at the Virgin Beach Resort here, the President said tourism creates jobs for all sectors from the professional level to the least skilled.
“Tourism generates jobs,” the President said as she underscored the need to develop good roads and airports that are vital to promote the tourism industry.
The Chief Executive cited as a good example the interaction venue which, she said, has big potentials due to its close proximity to Manila.
“This is one of the closest white beach resorts to Manila because we fixed the roads. Before, it took six hours to come here,” she said.
The Chief Executive also took pride in the country’s other beach resorts and tourist sports, for boosting the tourism industry.
She said investors have started arriving in the Philippines to develop some resorts and hotels in the countryside and even in metro Manila.
“We have a hotel surge. Every month, there is an opening,” the President said, adding that "a lot of jobs are coming from the tourism industry.”
Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said tourism is the least affected by the global economic recession among the sectors in the country.
“Tourism and business process outsourcing (BPO) are the least- affected dollar earnings,“ the President concurred.
“With the development going on, it is one sector that is still expanding in terms of investment and employment, “ Durano said.
Durano cited as example the newly-inaugurated Banyan Tree in Palawan where thousands of workers have been employed.
After the informal interaction, the President joined members of the Malacanang Press Corps in walking along the seashore, a manifestation of her strong initiative to further promote the tourism industry.
The government has identified the tourism sector as one of the biggest contributors to the government's goal of creating 6-10 million jobs until 2010.
DOTC does its share in employment generation under CLEEP
The DOST, in close coordination with the local government units, is currently working on establishing several food processing facilities in western Visayas to provide livelihood to locals affected by the economic downturn.
The residents will be making use of the available resources - fruits or vegetables - that are abundant in their municipalities.
The province of Antique, where banana processing was identified as viable livelihood, will get its food processing equipment by next month.
Meanwhile, entrepreneurship trainings are being given by the government of Negros Occidental. Aside from food processing, trainings on making soap, household products, and handicrafts, trading, operation of small eatery, bakeshop, junkshop and sari-sari store as well as pharmaceuticals are being conducted to build up the entrepreneurial culture in the region.
Capiz conducted the most number of trainings at 39 attended by 2,134 participants; Antique, 22 trainings, 822 participants; and Negros Occidental, 10 trainings, 1,041 participants.
CLEEP, launched in October 2008, is a proactive measure initiated by the government initially intended to cover a few hundred thousand jobless Filipinos around the country due to the global economic crisis.
Ombudsman, NBI to probe alleged involvement of former DPWH officials in alleged rigging of bids for WB projects
Based on their initial probe, Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni said they found probable cause to file graft and administrative charges against officials who approved the bids that were higher than the approved budget for the contract for the US $150-Million National Roads Improvement and Management Project Phase 1 (NRIMP-1).
NRIMP-1 is one of the projects of World Bank in the Philippines.
World Bank banned seven construction companies, three of which are Filipinos, in participating in other projects after being tagged in the alleged rigging of the bids for NRIMP-1.
These companies allegedly bribed government officials to bag the contract for the World Bank project.
Jalandoni said they will give all the accused the opportunity to explain themselves.
“I hope we can conclude as fast we can…this is one of those cases, centerpiece cases of the office of the Ombudsman,” said Jalandoni.
Ombudsman, NBI, sisiyasatin ang mga nasangkot na mga dating opisyales ng DPWH officials sa kontrobersyal na proyekto ng WB
Magsasanib pruwersa ang Office of Ombudsman at ang National Bureau of Investigation para imbistigahan ang pagkakadawit ng mga dating opisyal ng Department of Public Works and Highways at ilang construction company sa di-umano’y aregluhan sa bidding ng isang proyektong pinondohan ng World Bank.
Batay sa kanilang paunang pagsisiyasat, sinabi ni Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni na may nakita silang dahilan para sampahan ng kasong katiwalian at administratibo ang mga nasabing opisyal na nag-apruba ng mga bids na mas mataas sa approved budget for the contract ng US $150-Million National Roads Improvement and Management Project Phase 1 (NRIMP-1).
Matatandaang pitong kumpanya, tatlo sa mga ito ay mga Pilipino, hindi na pinasali ng World Bank sa bidding ng iba pa nilang proyekto sa Pilipinas matapos masangkot sa napaulat na di-umano’y aregluhan ng bidding sa NRIMP-1.
Di-umano’y sinuhulan ng mga kumpanya ang ilang mga opisyal ng gobyerno para masungkit ang kontrata ng proyekto.
Tiniyak ni Jalandoni na bibigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga akusado na ipagtanggol ang kanilang sarili.
Umaasa si Jalandoni na matatapos nila ang imbistigasyon sa lalong madaling panahon sa itinuturing nilang isa sa mga centerpiece case ng Ombudsman.
Palace labels as 'political black propaganda' Villar's accusations it is pushing Cha-cha
Manila, March 25 (PNA) – Malacanang on Wednesday labeled as “political black propaganda” Senator Manny Villar's accusations that the Palace is pushing its allies in the House of Representatives to amend the 1987 Constitution through a Constituent Assembly.
”Malacanang has been consistent with this. Claims that Malacanang is still at the height of Charter change are political speculations, political black propaganda, or plain and simple political intrigues,” Remonde said in a radio interview over state-run dzRB.
Villar was referring to the resolution drafted by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, president of President Arroyo’s party the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), seeking to convene Congress into a constituent assembly to amend the Charter.
”I think, Congressman Mikey Arroyo already made it clear that the accusations are not true and if ever this would be pushed, it would be after the 2010 elections,” Remonde said. (PNA)
Chacha is not PGMA’s priority, Remonde says
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde today said President Arroyo has not certified charter change as a priority for Congress to tackle when it resumes session this April. Neither has cha-cha been a topic of discussion at Malacanang for quite some time.
Remonde said in an interview over Radyo ng Bayan that reports that Presidential sons Mikee and Dato have been pushing for charter change in the lower chamber are not true and have been debunked by Mikee Arroyo himself.
“Iyong dating cha-cha po ay diyan lang po sa House of Representatives at saka sa ibang mga lugar – may magandang mga ideya naman po tungkol sa isyung iyan. Pero hindi po talaga nanggagaling sa Malacanang iyan, hindi pinag-uusapan sa Malacañang iyan at iyong palaging sinasabing iyong mga anak ng Pangulo ang nasa likod nito iyan ay mariin ng pinabulaanan ni Congressman Mikee Arroyo po,” Remonde explained.
Comelec execs wants total gun ban for 2010 polls
Comelec Chair Jose Melo believes in “less gun, less violence”
If only he could have his way, Melo wanted no exemptions for individuals handling guns.
Comelec Commissioner Nicodemus Ferrer shares Melo’s view and likewise batted for total gun ban.
Poll officials will be sitting down with the Philippine National Police in a command conference on the conduct of the elections.
Comelec execs, gustong magkaroon ng total gun ban sa 2010 elections
Pinaboran ng Commission on Elections ang pagkakaroon ng total gun ban sa darating na halalan.
Naniniwala si Comelec Chair Jose Melo na mababawasan ang karahasan kung babawasan ang may hawak na baril.
Kung siya lang ang masusunod, ayaw ni Melo ng mga gun exemption sa panahon ng halalan.
Sang-ayon kay Melo si Comelec Commissioner Nicodemus Ferrer na suportado ang panukalang total gun ban.
Nakatakdang makipag-usap ang mga opisyales ng Comelec sa mga miyembro ng Philippine National Police sa isang command conference para pag-usapan ang kanilang mga gagawin sa panahon ng eleksyon.
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program' beneficiaries show marked improvement in living conditions
By Priam F. Nepomuceno
Manila, March 25 (PNA Feature) — Beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)’s “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” in Pasay City have shown marked improvement in living conditions in terms of being able to feed and send their children to school, aside from engaging in mini-businesses which help augment their respective families’ income.
Bambi Peralta, the social worker in charge of Pasay City’s 4P's beneficiaries, has reported that one of her charges, Daisy Logro, a mother of four and resident of the city’s Barangay 55, has been able to set up her mini-store a year after being included in the program.
CCT grants varies from P500 to P1,400 depending on the size of the beneficiary family.
Failure of the families to comply with this requirement can result in their removal as beneficiaries of the program.
The DepED reports to the DSWD whether the beneficiaries’ children actually go to school daily with food for recess while the DOH makes sure that the sickness or ailment of the family members are properly cared for, using medicines acquired through the CCT grant.
”Children perform well in school if they have adequate nutrition,” the social worker noted.
Peralta also said that improvements in living standard were also noted among the families of Cristeta Siocson, a resident of Pasay’s Barangay 88, and Reynante Roque, of Barangay 55.
”But now, the children of both families are motivated to go to school since their CCT grants insure them they would have something to eat at recess. They also look more healthy and happy nowadays,” Peralta said.
Peralta clarified that the DSWD’s CCT grants are deposited quarterly in the accounts of the beneficiaries at the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
An estimated 1,578 families in Pasay have been enrolled in the DSWD’s 4P's program ever since the project was started in October of 2007.
The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey stated that only 15.5 percent of Filipinos have experienced hunger for the January-March quarter or lower by more than eight percent compared to December 2008’s 23.7 percent.
The SWS survey showed that moderate hunger eased to 11.1 percent or about two million families from December’s record high of 18.5 percent (3.3 million families).
Severe hunger, meanwhile, dropped to 4.4 percent or about 810,000 families from 5.2 percent (940,000 families). The new figure is one point higher than the 10-year average severe hunger rate of 3.4 percent.
The SWS added that families in Mindanao and Metro Manila were the least hungry over the last three months, with total hunger the lowest in Mindanao at 11.7 percent (490,000 families), down 22 percent from the record 33.7 percent in December.
Moderate hunger also eased substantially in Mindanao and Metro Manila to 9.7 percent from a record 27.7 percent and to 11.7 percent from 18.3 percent, respectively. In the Visayas, it eased to 13.3 percent from 18 percent and was at 10.7 percent from 14 percent in the rest of Luzon.
Abundance of cheap rice helped lower hunger incidence nationwide
Manila (PNA) — The abundant supply of cheap rice from the National Food Authority (NFA) is considered one of the key factors on why the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that hunger incidence in the country declined significantly to 15.5 percent during the first quarter of this year from December 2008's 23.7 percent.
The dramatic 8 percent reduction in the number of Filipinos who experienced hunger in the past three months as compared to the previous quarter also indicated that the government's hunger mitigation programs have begun to bear fruits.
People interviewed by the Philippines News Agency (PNA) have cited the plentiful supply of cheap rice as one of the reasons why they and their families have continued to fare well nutritionally despite this time of the global economic crunch.
Utility worker Ricardo Garcia, 49, a resident of Malabon City’s Barangay Baritan, said that he and his family have been buying the NFA’s cheap rice since 2008 when the country suffered a temporarily supply problem with the Filipino’s staple cereal.
“We have saved a considerable amount of money since we shifted to NFA rice. In fact we are using some of the money to bankroll the certified public accountant (CPA) examination of our daughter, who is graduating from her accountancy course this April,” Garcia said in Filipino.
He also said that before the advent of cheap NFA rice in the market, his family used to shell out P400 per 10-kilogram package of rice.
Nowadays, their rice bill amounts to only around P250 per week, meaning at least P150 is either deposited in the family’s “alkansiya” (money cans) or used to buy other household needs like sugar, coffee, “tocino” (preserved sweet pork) and “daing” (dried milkfish).
“The government’s decision to flood the market with cheap ripe is good for us poor folks as we are able to provide for nutritional needs without tightening our belts too much. We hope that the NFA will not get tired of selling low price to us,” Garcia further said.
"In the Philippines, only lazy people get starved to death. There is plenty of work for everyone," he added.
Garcia noted that 70 to 80 percent of the estimated 6,000 population of Baritan buy NFA rice and that he never heard yet of anyone in his community unable to feed himself and
his family.
“My neighbors may not have tasty and delicious 'ulam' (viands) everyday but they are all eating at the proper time,” he said.
Garcia’s views were echoed by janitor Herminio Velasco, 59, of Barangay Bayanan, also in Malabon City.
Velasco also said that the cheap rice supply is probably why he and his family are still economically afloat despite the financially trying times.
“As long as there is cheap rice, the poor in the Philippines can survive, and we are hoping that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will continue with her cheap rice project for us poor folks,” Velasco said in Filipino.
Henry Tuason, 29, father of a five-month-old baby girl inBarangay Tugatog, hails the government program to provide the most poverty-stricken segment of the population with a P500 monthly stipend (controlled cash transfer).
Tuason said that he uses the money to augment his salary as a cook in a small school in Malabon to buy food and other staples for his family.
He is also all-praise for the NFA’s continuing efforts to supply the poor with cheap rice.
“I hope that it lasts for a long time as the cheap rice (sold between P18.25 and P25 per kilo) is a big help for us struggling folks.
Without the rice being supplied by the NFA, we would have resorted to eating only two times a day,” he said in Filipino.
Newspaper vendor Flor Catigbe, 38, of Sulukan, Malabon, suggested that the NFA also sell cheap food items like “daing,” eggs, sugar and vegetables aside from rice to further help the marginalized sector.
“We are hoping that President Arroyo would implement a similar project for sugar, vegetables and meat so that poor folks would get more opportunities to eat nutritious
foods,” she said.
Emma de Lucas, 59, a “buko” (coconut) and “sago” (tapioca) vendor residing in Barangay Concepcion, said she is especially thankful that the government has gotten round into distributing and selling cheap rice in the market.
She stated that her budget concerns has eased somewhat with the availability of low-priced NFA rice in the market.
“As long as we have P25 in our pockets, I can assure that all members of my family, including my ‘apos’ (grandchildren) will have something to eat at mealtimes,”she added.
De Lucas also stated that as long a person knows how to exert himself or herself in productive labor, there is no danger of anyone starving to death in the country.
She said that the money saved from buying the NFAs’ cheap rice can be used to buy other household necessities like cooking oil, fuel, sugar and occasional luxuries like
candies and fruit for the children.
Eva Alejo, 47, a laundress with four children residing in Muzon, said that without the cheap rice being sold by the government, she and her brood could have been heavily in
debt just to adequately feed themselves.
“My earnings as a laundress is barely enough for our needs. When rice prices shot up last year, my family and I were hard pressed to meet our daily needs. But thanks to the constant supply of cheap rice from the NFA, we managed to survive that crisis,” Alejo said in Filipino.
She added that she only hopes that the government will not get tired of helping poor people like her.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Esperanza Cabral earlier said that the agency will be intensifying its hunger mitigation campaign despite the lowering of hunger incidence in the country for the first quarter of 2009.
“In fact, we will be increasing the number of our beneficiaries in our conditional cash transfer (CCT) program by another 350,000 to add to the 350,000 enrolled in 2008,” the DSWD chief said.
Beneficiaries enrolled in the CCT program are given P500 to P1,400 monthly to help them in their food needs.
The DSWD chief said that the increase of CCT beneficiaries is made possible as the agency’s operating budget has been increased to P10 billion for 2009 or 100 percent higher than the P5 billion allocated for it in 2008.
Aside from the CCT project, other hunger mitigation programs of the DSWD include the “food school for school project” wherein an estimated 500,000 poverty stricken pupils from Grades One to Three are given a kilo of rice daily to help in their families food requirement, “food for work for program” wherein volunteers in any DSWD organized project or relief operation are paid in rice or any other foodstuff equivalent to 75 percent of the prevailing minimum wage in a locality or area.
“But they can change that into cash if they want to,” Cabral said.
She also said that the “food for work” program is very socially uplifting as beneficiaries under it are made to understand that foodstuff handed over to them is not a dole-out from the government but a sort of living wage obtained by them through their labors. Another anti-hunger initiative of the DSWD is the “healthy start program” where toddlers enrolled in daycare centers nationwide are given supplemental feeding. Cabral said that beneficiaries of this program have so far reached the two-million mark and she expects the number to double or even triple in the coming years.
“Regardless of the SWS survey results, whether it be favorable or unfavorable, we at the DSWD will keep doing our jobs so that the plight of our marginalized sector can be alleviated,” the DSWD chair stressed.
REDCOP coordinators slate training in Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City – A training on the prevention of kidney disease for REDCOP Coordinators of Regions 9, 12 and ARMM is slated to be held in the City on March 24 to 27 this year.
REDCOP is the acronym for Renal Disease Control and Prevention.
As resource persons to the three-day trainers’ training, the key implementers of the project and top brass from the National Kidney and transplant Institute (NKTI) will converge here to train REDCOP coordinators and advocates from the Center for Health and Development, Department of Education, and the Philippine Information agency of these three-Mindanao-regions.
The trainers’ training will focus on issues like anatomy and physiology of the human kidneys and their functions, general ways of preventing kidney disorder, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension.
It will also answer questions like, “why advocate the prevention of kidney disease?”
and other health issues that deal on kidney stones, urinary track infection and glomerulonephritis.
Some 26 participants are expected to come and learn from NKTI’s best like Dr. Glenda Pamugas, Nephrology Consultant, Dr. Reynaldo Lesaca, Psychiatrist and Dr. Remedios Uriarte, Program Manager for REDCOP-NKTI.
At the end of the training, participants are expected to come up with an action plan to prevent and control renal disease for their respective areas. On hand to improve every plan, through critiquing, are the NKTI experts. (PIA9)
