11 former rebels in NegOcc get P231-K reintegration aid

BACOLOD CITY – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has provided a total of PHP231,000 in reintegration assistance to 11 former rebels in Negros Occidental.

The checks were released by the DILG-Negros Occidental headed by provincial director Carmelo Orbista to the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion and the 3rd Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion, the units assisting the former rebels, in a meeting held at the agency’s office here Monday afternoon.

Col. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade based in Murcia, Negros Occidental, said the amount will be utilized for the administrative expenses incurred by the Army units facilitating the enrollment of the former rebels to the government’s reintegration program.

DILG-Negros Occidental provincial director Carmelo Orbista (right) turns over to officials of the Philippine Army in Negros Occidental headed by Col. Benedict Arevalo (2nd from right) the checks totaling PHP231,000 as reintegration assistance for 11 former rebels under the custody of two Army units in the province.
Photo courtesy of 303rd Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army

The beneficiaries are all former Red fighters who surrendered last year, he noted.

Of the 11, seven are in the custody of the 62nd Battalion while four are with the 3rd CMO Battalion. A fund of PHP21,000 has been allocated for the expenses of each former rebel.

The reintegration assistance is support to help defray the board and lodging and other incidental expenses of former rebels in the custody of a receiving unit.

Arevalo said the Army is highlighting the provision of the reintegration assistance by the DILG to show the sincerity of the government in accepting former rebels who want to return to the fold of the law.

The DILG is the leading agency in the implementation of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), the National Reintegration Program for Former Rebels, which facilitates the mainstreaming of former New People’s Army rebels and Militia ng Bayan as productive citizens.

Under the program, a former rebel gets an immediate assistance of PHP15,000 for mobilization expenses, livelihood assistance of PHP50,000, skills training, shelter and legal assistance, among others, as well as compensation and remuneration for all turned-in firearms. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062230

NegOcc prepares farmers for rice tariffication

BACOLOD CITY — The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) of Negros Occidental underscored the need to prepare rice farmers for coping with challenges brought by the tariffication measure.

“Our farmers really need the help of the government mainly in terms of lowering down production cost and increasing productivity,” Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said on Sunday, two days after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the measure lifting restrictions on rice importation.

Masculino noted that one major effect would be cheaper price of imported than locally-produced rice.

Rice stocks imported by the National Food Authority being unloaded at the Bredco port in Bacolod City.
File photo from National Food Authority-Negros Occidental

Necessary interventions should be done immediately given the little time to prepare as the implementing rules and regulations may be out soon, he added.

Negros Occidental is known as the country’s top sugar-producing province, but it has also become one of the top 10 rice producers in the past years in its bid to become 100 percent rice-sufficient.

Masculino said one measure to reduce production cost of Negrense rice farmers is mechanization, which the provincial government has already been implementing since last year.

He added that if the government can seriously implement mechanization by providing funds for the purchase of machineries, it would be a big help because labor comprises more than 50 percent of the total production cost.

“Our mechanization accomplishment, especially in the planting and harvesting stages, is still minimal. If we can just fully mechanize at least our irrigated areas of 40 hectares, it would already be a big thing,” Masculino said.

Duterte certified the rice tariffication bill as urgent in October 2018 “to address the urgent need to improve availability of rice in the country, to prevent artificial rice shortage, reduce the prices of rice in the market, and curtail the prevalence of corruption and cartel domination in the rice industry.”

A month after the President certified the measure as urgent, a report on the bill was ratified by the bicameral conference committee.

Under the rice tariffication law, quantitative restrictions on rice importation are lifted and private traders are allowed to import the commodity from countries of their choice.

The law imposes a 25-percent duty on rice imports from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member-states and a 50-percent rate on imports from non-members of the regional bloc. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062168

Crafts, skills of IP, women in NegOcc town pushed

BACOLOD CITY — Efforts to improve the craftsmanship and culinary skills of indigenous peoples (IPs) and women groups in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental is being pushed by a non-government organization.

Checcs Osmeña-Orbida, vice president of the the PeacePond Farmers Association (PFA), on Friday said they are advocating for sustainable development and social enterprising among these marginalized sectors.

Their organization is part of the IP Support Group, which initiated the “Showcase of Purely Binalbaganon Products” at the town’s Veteran Heroes Park on Thursday.

The Dagyaw Food Services Group displays their food products during the launch of the “Showcase of Purely Binalbaganon Products” at the Veteran Heroes Park of Binalbagan, Negros Occidental on Thursday.
Contributed Photo

Other collaborating groups and volunteers included the municipal government led by Mayor Emmanuel Aranda, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, and IP local coordinator Pablito Gonzales.

“The activity mainly aims to showcase the Alayon IP Crafts and Dagyaw Food Services Group, which are products of various development interventions previously provided by the PFA and the local government,” Osmeña-Orbida said.

Alayon IP Crafts is a brand given to handicrafts and other products produced by members of Ituman-Magahat-Bukidnon, a group of eight IP associations in the southern Negros Occidental town.

These IP associations comprise the Federation of Indigenous Peoples Associations in Binalbagan.

Dagyaw Food Services Group is composed of women groups, which has housewives, fisherfolk, and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for members. They have undergone training on basic catering services and customer relations.

Alayon and Dagyaw in the local dialect both mean “bayanihan” or the act of helping each member of the community.

Osmeña-Orbida said they have discovered that the IPs have skills in weaving pandan and abaca, but they lack product development ideas.

This led them to conduct workshops on product development as well as social enterprise and financial management last year, she said, adding that the effort has resulted to such brand of pandan and abaca-made crafts.

“We also incorporated organic farming because they have to plant abaca and pandan so the approach was from planting down to weaving,” she said.

The association utilized Facebook to initially sell the Alayon IP Crafts online.

The PFA also revived the Dagyaw Food Services Group, whose members are recipients of various skills training, including food processing, conducted by the municipal government a few years back.

Through the Sustainable Livelihood Program-Bottom-Up Budgetting (SLP-BUB) of the government, these products were showcased during the said activity.

Alayon IP Crafts displayed the “Libon Kwadro” or woven pandan basket without handle; “Libon Timbulog” or pen holders and of other materials; and “Sobre Bags” or pouches with envelop-like shape.

Dagyaw group showcased a 48-foot snack table filled with food and delicacies like the “Purple Rice Passion” made of sticky rice with ube topping, cream and cheese, siomai, “linupak” made of banana, and cassava ball. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062098

Fire razes 65 market stalls in northern Negros town

BACOLOD CITY — An early morning fire hit 65 stalls in the public market of Manapla, Negros Occidental on Friday, with the damage estimated at PHP58 million, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has reported.

The blaze, believed to have started from the ceiling of a food stall at about 3 a.m., damaged stores and properties in the market. No one was reported hurt after the BFP declared fire out at about 5:51 a.m.

The entrance to the Manapla public market in Negros Occidental where 65 stalls were razed by fire early morning on Friday.
Photo courtesy of DYHB Tatak RMN Page

Mayor Lourdes Escalante, in a radio interview, said the affected stall owners received financial assistance from the municipal government.

Owners of 19 big stalls were granted PHP20,000 each while the 35 occupants of medium stalls were given PHP11,000 each. The 11 occupants of small stalls got PHP2,000 each.

In the aftermath of the fire, those selling dry goods will temporarily occupy the area around the plaza and part of the vegetable section will be used as a wet market, she added.

Escalante said the firefighters made sure the flames did not reach the other side of the market building and the houses nearby, in response to criticisms that there was a delay in the response of BFP personnel.

Supt. Pamela Rojane Candido, provincial fire marshal of Negros Occidental, said in a radio interview that the firefighters in Manapla performed their duties and did not have lapses in their response.

Fire trucks from neighboring town of EB Magalona and the cities of Talisay, Silay, Cadiz, and Victorias also arrived to help combat the blaze. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062097

OCD opens P34.7-M regional evacuation center in north Negros

BACOLOD CITY — The Office of Civil Defense in Region 6 (OCD-6) has unveiled the second regional evacuation center in Western Visayas in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on Thursday afternoon.

The two-story building, with a project cost of PHP34.69 million, is situated at Margarita Subdivision, Barangay 2 of the northern Negros city.

OCD-6 Regional Director Jose Roberto Nuñez, together with representatives of other concerned agencies, turned over the facility to Mayor Gerardo Valmayor Jr. and other city officials.

The PHP34.69 million regional evacuation center in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental inaugurated by the Office of Civil Defense-Western Visayas on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 14, 2019).
*Photo courtesy of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental LGU*

“As we turn over this project to you, we hope that you will ensure proper maintenance of the facilities and ensure that all equipment donated for the improvement and conditions during an emergency are properly stored in safe areas,” Nuñez said in his message during the inauguration and turn-over rites.

He acknowledged the city government for providing a location for the evacuation center and ensuring that the project is “free from all infirmities regarding ownership”.

Nuñez and Valmayor signed a memorandum of agreement, together with the representative-officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Health (DOH), for the operation of the facility that can accommodate around 33 families or about 130 individuals.

Also signing on behalf of their respective agencies were Engineer Oliver Zamora, chief of DPWH-6 Maintenance Division; Candelaria Salem of DOH-6; and Luna Moscoso, chief of DSWD-6 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division.

For his part, Valmayor committed to the partner-agencies, led by the OCD-6, that the city government will do its part in the maintenance and improvement of the evacuation center.

“We assure our partners that our City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office under the city government will ensure the proper use and maintenance and allocate funds to complete all necessary equipment,” the mayor added.

Last year, the OCD-6 opened the first-ever regional evacuation center in Bago City in southern Negros Occidental.

Nine more evacuation regional centers will soon open, including the ones in Sagay City, Bacolod City, as well as in Roxas City, Capiz; San Jose de Buenavista, Antique; Kalibo, Aklan; Nueva Valencia, Guimaras; and the towns of Carles, San Miguel and Zarraga in Iloilo province.

“The use of schools as evacuation centers disrupt the classes of students and displace them that is why we, in the Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas, continuously ensures the establishment of safe evacuation centers,” Nuñez said. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062004

NegOcc cassava farmers receive P3-M in equipment

BACOLOD CITY — A group of cassava farmers in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental received PHP3 million worth of farm machines from the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The pieces of equipment, which include a four-wheel tractor, a cassava chipper, and three units of water pump, are expected to boost the farmers’ production capacity.

Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino, who led the turn-over rites in Barangay Odiong on Thursday, said a huge part of the 30-hectare contiguous farm being cultivated by the Barangay Odiong Cassava Farmers Association is devoted to food-grade variety of cassava.

One of the machines received by the Barangay Odiong Cassava Farmers Association in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental from the Department of Agriculture-Western Visayas under the agency’s cassava development program.
*Contributed photo*

“The machines would help the recipient-farmers, who are agrarian reform beneficiaries, especially in the land preparation,” he said.

Masculino added that the pieces of equipment can also help the organization generate income through custom plowing, or allowing non-member farmers or associations subject to rental fee.

The support services given to the Barangay Odiong Cassava Farmers Association is provided by the DA-Western Visayas under its cassava development program, through the assistance of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO).

The Barangay Odiong Cassava Farmers Association, comprised of 36 farmer-members, delivers up to 30 sacks of fresh cassava twice a week to an institutional buyer in Bacolod City.

Their area is considered a model farm as they were able to sustain the production on top, having the largest contiguous area devoted to cassava in the province.

Through the machines, OPA hopes the association can also fully utilize the entire area for cassava production, Masculino said,

He noted that although the project is a dole-out, the OPA will still monitor the implementation, specifically to determine whether the equipment have helped boost productivity and profitability of the association.

Masculino said they also recognized the need of the farmers for additional interventions, including livelihood projects like free-range chicken dispersal and value-adding trainings.

“Value-adding interventions include processing of cassava cake, flour and other cassava-based products as sources of additional income and livelihood,” he added.

The OPA chief said the farmers can be introduced to a credit facility through the Production Loan Easy Access program, mainly for additional capital. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062015

NegOcc releases P15.5-M for regional meet athletes

BACOLOD CITY — Delegates to the 2019 Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet in Roxas City, Capiz this month received PHP15.534 million in allowances on Wednesday.

A total of 534 student-athletes will represent Negros Occidental in the sports meet from February 17 to 23 and the money will be for their training, meals, uniforms, transportation, sports supplies and other needs.

Provincial Sports Coordinator Angel Verdeflor said on Thursday that Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. is supportive of the province’s sports program which have been producing athletes who have made it to the Philippine national teams.

Negros Occidental Provincial Sports Coordinator Angel Verdeflor (right), with Department of Education-Negros Occidental Division Sports Officer Romeo Sison (left), turns over sports supplies to the athletes who will compete in the 2019 Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet on February 17 to 23 in Roxas City, Capiz.
*Photo courtesy of Richard Malihan/NegOcc Capitol PIO*

“Participating in a sporting event is one way of training the athletes to be good in their respective fields and to help them improve their skills and develop their potential,” he said.

Verdeflor turned over the financial assistance and sports supplies to the athletes and coaches led by Department of Education-Negros Occidental Division Sports Officer Romeo Sison in a ceremony held at the division office here.

Sison said the Negros Occidental delegation, which also includes 187 coaches and trainers, will leave for Capiz on February 15, and they will be billeted at the President Manuel Roxas Memorial School.

This is the second year that Negros Occidental has re-joined the WVRAA Meet after competing separately in 2017 under the Negros Island Region (NIR).

After the NIR was abolished in August 2017, Negros Occidental again competed as another province in the 2018 WVRAA Meet held in Iloilo City.

Last year, Negros Occidental won 138 golds, 126 silvers, and 66 bronze medals in the elementary division while in the secondary level, the Negrenses took home 184 golds, 184 silvers, and 68 bronze medals. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061943

TESDA partners with NegOcc for P2.8-M scholarship grants

BACOLOD CITY — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) established a partnership with the Negros Occidental provincial government in offering PHP2.8 million worth of bundled technical-vocational scholarships to qualified Negrenses.

The courses will be offered by the Capitol-run Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center (NOLITC) as part of the implementation of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA).

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. (2^ndfrom right) and TESDA-Western Visayas Regional Director Ashary Banto (2^nd from left) after the signing of the memorandum of agreement for the implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, in the presence of TESDA-Negros Occidental Provincial Director Jimmicio Daoaten and NOLITC Vocational School Administrator Ma. Cristina Orbecido at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on Wednesday (Feb.13, 2019).
*Photo courtesy of Negros Occidental Capitol PIO*

Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and TESDA-Western Visayas Regional Director Ashary Banto signed a memorandum of agreement in a ceremony held at the Provincial Capitol here on Wednesday.

The signing was witnessed by TESDA-Negros Occidental Provincial Director Jimmicio Daoaten and NOLITC Vocational School Administrator Ma. Cristina Orbecido.

Scholarships are available for courses in Contact Center Services, 2D Animation, and Visual Graphic Design, which will be offered as bundle qualifications.

Banto said 100 scholars, who are high school graduates or college dropouts, will be selected to avail of free training, as well as allowance, instructional materials, tool kits, and dormitory accommodation, if needed.
Orbecido said the NOLITC is now accepting applications for scholarships.

Under the RA 10931, TESDA’s technical-vocational education and training (TVET) programs can now be availed of for free in all state-run technical-vocational institutions, including local government unit-run training centers such as the NOLITC, which is one of the agency’s 22 partner-institutions for the UAQTEA implementation. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061919

Transfer of NFA-NegOcc office to Bago City approved: DA chief

BACOLOD CITY — The transfer of the National Food Authority (NFA)-Negros Occidental provincial office here to Bago City has been approved by the NFA Council (NFAC).

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said in his Facebook post on Wednesday that the approval took place during the last meeting of the NFAC held in Malacañang.

The NFA’s new office and buying station will rise on a property beside the provincial government-owned rice processing complex, a facility supported by the Department of Agriculture (DA), located in Barangay Tabunan. The proposed site is about two hectares.

The present site of the National Food Authority-Negros Occidental provincial office
on Gatuslao Street, Bacolod City.
*PNA Bacolod file photo*

Piñol said Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. himself formally requested the relocation of the NFA provincial office to Bago City from its current location on Gatuslao Street in Bacolod City.

He added that the provincial government has allocated PHP50 million for the construction of the NFA office building and grains silos.

“The transfer will be done as soon as the new office building is completed,” the DA chief added.

During his visit to Negros Occidental last October, Piñol inspected the proposed area in Barangay Tabunan, together with Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino and NFA-Negros Occidental provincial manager Frisco Canoy.

“I found the place very good. If the NFA Council would approve it, and I think they would, the provincial government has agreed to construct a building for the NFA in the area,” Piñol said in a press conference with Marañon during that visit.

“From my perspective, I am asking why we should maintain a warehouse and office for a grains agency in the middle of the city. We should be where the rice fields are, where the rice farmers are,” he added.

For his part, Marañon earlier said he has been pushing for the transfer of the NFA provincial office for the grains agency to have more space.

He noted that the road beside the NFA building is part of the land sold by the provincial government to property giant Ayala Land Inc., which has ongoing developments in the area. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061764

561 residents benefit from P11-M village road in south Negros

BACOLOD CITY — Some 561 residents in a remote village of Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental are benefiting from the PHP11.28-million road concreting project implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The newly-concreted road, constructed by Negros Occidental’s 3rd District Engineering Office, has provided a conducive and faster transport of goods and services for the people of Sitio Lowag in Barangay Locotan in Kabankalan City.

District Engineer Haydee Alunan, in a statement on Wednesday, said the project has been funded under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program initiated by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

The newly-concreted road leading to Sitio Lowag in Barangay Locotan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental provides a conducive and faster transport of goods and services for the people living in the far-flung area.
*Photo from DPWH Negros Occidental, Third District Engineering Office*

“This is one of the infrastructure projects implemented to lessen the insurgency cases in winning the long-lasting peace process anchored on the PAMANA program,” Alunan said.

The project involves the concrete paving of 718 lineal meters of road with five-meter wide portland concrete cement pavement, including pipe culverts and grouted riprap.

Alunan said the project provides a better road network in isolated and vulnerable areas in Kabankalan City due to insurgency problems.

Last month, DPWH 6 (Western Visayas) also announced another project in southern Negros, the construction of an academic building at the Hinigaran National High School in Hinigaran town.

The project is being implemented by Negros Occidental’s 2nd District Engineering Office headed by District Engineer Randolfo Melosantos in convergence with the Department of Education.

Melosantos said earlier the PHP45.154-million project involves the construction of a four-story, 20-classroom building.

He added that the project is expected to be completed in August to serve the increasing number of senior high school students. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061767