PIA Aklan Balita (June 16 - 30, 2022)

Volume 20

Issue 12

June 16 - 30, 2022

KALIBO, Aklan, (PIA) -- Aklan’s newly-elected provincial and municipal officials were sworn into office, January 27, by Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri.

The oath-taking ceremony was held at the ABL Sports Complex, Kalibo, Aklan, witnessed by families of the newlyelected officials, their respective constituents and supporters, heads and representatives of national government agencies and department heads of the provincial government, and local media.

Also in attendance were Representatives Carlito Marquez and Teodorico Haresco of Aklan's first and second congressional districts, respectively.

Senator Zubiri administered the oaths of office of incoming officials led by Governor-elect Jose Enrique Miraflores, Vice Governor-elect lawyer Reynaldo Quimpo, and Sangguniang Panlalawigan Members of the first and second districts of the province.

Incoming Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores thanks his constituents - the The senator also individually administered the oaths of Aklanons, for supporting him and bringing him to where he is now - as the office of Mayors-elect Denny D. Refol of Altavas, Noel Redison newly elected governor of the province. (Photo courtesy of Aklan Province Continued on page… 03 Information Board)

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) – The celebration of the Feast of St. John the Baptist in the province of Aklan on June 24 was generally peaceful and orderly, according to the Philippine Coast Guard – Aklan.

In a media interview, Senior Chief Petty Officer Dominador Salvino, deputy station commander for operations of PCG-Aklan, said that there were no major maritime incidents recorded during the event except for the two boats that capsized in Brgy. Tambak, New Washington.

Salvino added that passengers of the said boats were immediately rescued by personnel of PCG who at that time were deployed and posted in the area together with the other government agencies and force multipliers.

In Boracay Island, both residents and tourists had also successfully held the event as there were no problems that were noted during the celebration.

He commended beachgoers and those who conducted water sports activities in the island for following their advice to reMembers of the Philippine Coast Guard - Aklan doing seaborne patrol in Bora- main vigilant and alert at all times to avoid accidents. cay Island during the Feast of St. John the Baptist on June 24, 2022. PCG-Aklan Aside from seaborne patrol, personnel of PCG also condeclared the celebration peaceful and orderly in the entire province as no major ducted foot patrol in different shorelines in the province to maritime incidents recorded during the event. (SQP/PIA-Aklan/Photo courtesy of PCG-Aklan)

Continued on page… 04

PIA AKLAN BALITA

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) -The Provincial Health Office here provided the latest updates on various diseases.

In a recent press conference with local media, Aklan health officials discussed the various programs to address COVID-19, dengue and monkey pox.

Resource persons/panelists of the press conference were Provincial Health Officer I Dr. Cornelio Cuachon, and Roger Debuque and Gino Val Taytayon, all from Provincial Health Office-Aklan, who are focal persons/ coordinators of the province’s various health programs.

First part of the press conference consisted of presentations on COVID-19 and dengue.

It noted that from January 1 to June 18, the province of Aklan has recorded 2,557 cases of COVID-19 with all Aklan municipalities having

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Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 12

PHO-Aklan recently held a press conference with the local media to update them on current cases of COVID-19 and Dengue in the province. The PHO also oriented the media on Monkeypox and what the goverment is doing to prevent its entry in the country. (From left to right - Roger Debuque, Dr. cornelio Cuachon, and Gino Val Taytayon, all of PHOAklan who are focal persons/coordinators of various health programs of the province.

cases.

For this period, Kalibo listed the highest number with 665; Malay, 321; Numancia, 243; Banga, 195; Ibajay and Makato having 175 each; Batan, 132; Tangalan, 125; and New Washington, 118.

The rest of Aklan towns had less than 100 cases like Nabas which had 76, Malinao, 75; Madalag, 71, Balete, 67; Lezo, 54; Altavas, 35; Libacao, 18; and Buruanga, 11.

Since March 27, 2020 when the province started recording cases of COVID-19 up to June 20, 2022, Aklan listed a total of 15,246

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) – The province of Aklan is heading to accept more foreign tourists as it has opened again its direct flights from South Korea via Kalibo International Airport.

After more than two years of closing direct flights from neighboring countries due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kalibo International Airport catered again an international flight that took off from Incheon International Airport.

According to the Kalibo International Airport Station Philip-

The arrival of a South Korean airline, Air Seoul flight RS531, at the Kalibo International Airport.on June 17, 2022 at around 12:30 am. Air Seoul was caarying 177 passengers, all bound for Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan. (SQP/ PIA-Aklan/Photo courtesy of KIAS PNP-AVSEGROUP)

COVID-19 cases, of which 14,869 have recovered.

Aklanons who died due to COVID-19 since March 2020 reached 366.

Cuachon also revealed that the province attained 80.45% full vaccination of the targeted population, while for A2 or those 60 years old and above, the province attained 83.25% full vaccination percentage.

Of Aklan’s 17 towns, Cuachon revealed that four were not able to attain the 70% vaccination of their respective target population Continued on page… 03

pine National Police Aviation Security Group (KIAS PNPAVSEGROUP), a South Korean airline, Air Seoul flight RS531 landed at KIA on June 17, 2022 at around 12:30 a.m., which carried 177 passengers.

The guests from South Korea were welcomed by officials of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Quarantine and Aviation Security Group upon arrival at KIA passengers’ terminal building.

The 177 passengers, all bound for Boracay Island for vacation, were immediately transported going to Caticlan, Malay, Aklan, a gateway to the island.

In a radio interview, CAAP-Kalibo Manager Engr. Eusebio Monserate Jr., said that such event is a very welcome development for the province as it could also mean that the aviation industry is also recovering, as well as, the economy with the arrival of tourists going to the world-famous Boracay.

Air Seoul is scheduled to land KIA four times weekly - Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, directly from Incheon International Airport, South Korea.

Meanwhile, another South Korean airline, the T’Way Air, is also set to touch down KIA starting June 22, 2022 and reportedly to have twice per week schedule.

Monserate added that three more foreign airlines have expressed resumption of flights and operations at KIA come July this year. (AAL/SQP/PIA-Aklan)

PIA AKLAN BALITA

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Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 12

NGCP is now significantly closer to unifying the Philippine grid after completing several components of the MindanaoVisayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), particularly the Santander and Dapitan Cable Terminal Stations, the 350kiloVolt (kV) submarine cable, and the Lala-Aurora 138kV transmission line.

NGCP completed the construction of the Cable Terminal Stations (CTS) in Santander, Cebu and Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, as well as installation of two (2) 92-km 350kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) power cables and two (2) 92-km fiber optic cables. Site acceptance tests (SATs) were conducted at the Dapitan and Santander CTS to ensure the said facilities meet NGCP’s requirements.

Work on the submarine cable component commenced in November 2018 and was originally slated to be completed in June 2021. However, restrictions on entry of foreign experts, work suspension, and manpower reduction brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to significant delays in the project’s execution. Damage to submarine cable no.1 caused by a third-party vessel also delayed construction activities, with repairs completed only in November 2021.

NGCP also successfully energized the Lala-Aurora 138kV Transmission Line on 19 February 2022 at 4:41PM for Line 2 and 4:48PM for Line 1. This MVIP component, on its own, will improve the reliability of power transmission services between Lanao del Norte and provinces in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

“NGCP is happy to report that these critical MVIP components are now complete and ready for energization. We hoped this would finish on time, but factors beyond our control required an adjustment to our project timeline. We are working double-time to complete the overhead transmission line por-

Aklan's incoming…

From page 01 of Banga, Concepcion Labindao of Buruanga, Jose Miguel Miraflores of Ibajay, Rex Gubatina of Madalag, Frolibar Bautista of Malay, and Ma. Fe Lasaleta of Nabas.

The other officials, composed of Vice Mayors and Sangguniang Bayan Members from the towns of Altavas, Banga, Madalag, Batan, and Makato were inducted into office by Aklan Regional Trial Court Branch 4 presiding judge Hon. Ronald H. Exmundo, , while those from Buruanga, Ibajay, Malay and Nabas, were inducted into office by Hon. Bienvenido Barrios, Jr., the Executive Judge of RTC-Aklan.

For his part, Governor-elect Jose Enrique Miraflores, who will take the helm in leading the province from his father, outgoing Governor Florencio T. Miraflores, said in his message that his administration will focus on agriculture and tourism.

Under these twin thrusts, he vowed to prioritize assistance to Aklan farmers and fishermen so that the province will be the source of food supply and other needs of Boracay Island, and not from other provinces.

“Aklan has been successful for decades because of the twin thrusts of agriculture and tourism, these are our top priorities,” he said.

He added that the new battlecry of Aklan’s agricultural programs is “Pagkaing Sapat Para sa Lahat, Aklan Aangat.”

Outgoing Gov. Florencio T. Miraflores, who will be capping his 34 years of serving the province in various capacities, thanked the Aklanons for the trust and confidence given him, saying he is eternally humbled and grateful.

Miraflores served as mayor of Ibajay, Aklan for seven years, Aklan governor for 18 years, and Aklan Lone District Representative for nine years. (JBG/VGV/PIA6 Aklan)

tions and advance the project to its commissioning stage to connect the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao grids,” the company said. “NGCP continues to appeal for the support of the local and national government to push this into fruition. Delays in local government permitting, and right-of-way issues from slow judicial processes and unsupportive landowners continue to delay our efforts,” NGCP added.

Through the MVIP, the Mindanao grid will be linked to the Visayas grid via an HVDC system with a 450-MegaWatt initial capacity.

Several other components are for completion including the Dumanjug Bus-in to Colon-Samboan 138kV Transmission Line in December 2022; Dapitan-Lala 230kV Transmission Line, Kauswagan-Lala 230kV Transmission Line, and KolambuganLala 230kV Transmission Linein August 2022; and the Dumanjug-Santander 350kV Transmission Line, MagdugoDumanjug 230kV Transmission Line, and Dumanjug-Alegria 230kV Transmission Line in October 2022.

NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s electricity transmission grid, led by majority shareholders and Vice Chairman of the Board Henry Sy, Jr. and Co-Vice Chairman Robert Coyiuto, Jr.It is the sole operating asset of Synergy Grid and Development Philippines, Inc. (NGCP)

Aklan PHO gives…

From page 02 – Balete, Banga, Buruanga and Libacao.

On the other hand, there are three Aklan LGUs which were not able to reach 70% vaccination target of A2 category or Senior Citizens. These include Buruanga, Malay and Nabas.

On Dengue, Cuachon said that from January 1 to June 11, 2022, Aklan has listed 112 cases with two deaths. Those who died were from Banga and Numancia.

Compared with the same period last year, the PHO noted a 300% increase in dengue cases this year in the province.

Ibajay had the highest number of cases with 23 followed by Malay with 20, Kalibo,17; and Nabas, 11. Other towns had seven and lower cases, while the towns of Altavas and Madalag had no cases as of this time.

To defeat dengue, Cuachon echoed the Department of Health’s battlecry for this year which is “Crush Dengue Para Di Maglanding On You," and called on everyone to practice the 4S – Search and Destroy, Self-Protection Measures, Seek early consultation; and Support fogging/spraying (only in hotspots).

Meanwhile, to better inform the local media on monkey pox and for them to help disseminate information abut this new disease, Health Education and Promotion Officer Gino Val Taytayon gave an orientation on the matter.

According to Taytayon, monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease harbored by rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) but natural reservoir is unknown.

He also illustrated a comparison on monkeypox and chickenpox, diagnostic tests, vaccination and antiviral treatments.

Per his orientation, he said that last May 20, 2022, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque instructed the Bureau of Quarantine to heighten the alert level of point of entries for monkeypox.

Meanwhile, Cuachon and the rest of the panelists stressed that even as Aklan is on Alert Level 1, all Aklanons must still stick to wearing face masks and follow the minimum health protocols.

“COVID-19 is still here, so let us all be careful,” Cuachon said. (JBG/VGV/PIA6 Aklan)

PIA AKLAN BALITA

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Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 12

The Social Security System (SSS) said on Monday that the pension fund’s mandatory provident fund for its members called the Workers’ Investment and Saving Program (WISP) generated an income of ₱333.77 million with a corresponding return of 6.39 percent in the first year of its implementation.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Regino said that the return of investment for WISP outperforms key market indicators such as the 10-year Treasury bond which averaged 4.1 percent in 2021.

“Despite the pandemic, SSS investments continued to perform well and provided higher returns compared to other major investment benchmarks while adhering to principles of safety, good yield, and liquidity. Members who contributed to WISP have already gained a substantial earning last year considering it is only the first year of the program’s implementation,” Regino said.

WISP is a provident fund scheme managed by SSS intended as another savings for private-sector workers and other individual members. It was implemented in January 2021 as part of the landmark provisions under Republic Act

No. 11199 (the Social Security Act of 2018). The program aims to help members to raise their savings for higher retirement benefits in the future.

“The provident fund is a safe, convenient, principalprotected, and tax-free individual retirement savings plan which will supplement a member’s savings from the regular Social Security program,” Regino explained.

“All private-sector employees, self-employed individuals, OFW, and voluntary members who have no final claim in the regular SSS program, have contributions in the regular SSS program, and have a monthly salary credit (MSC) that exceeds P20,000 are automatically covered by the program,” Regino said.

He said that WISP contributions are paid together with the contributions in the regular SSS program. Earnings realized from WISP will be distributed proportionately based on the member’s contribution.

As of April 30, 2022, SSS has collected more than ₱21 billion in contributions from more than four million members under the program. (Amiel Genova/SSS)

Social Security System (SSS) President and CEO Michael G. Regino said the coverage of the mandatory online filing of retirement benefit claims through the My.SSS Portal will be extended to self-employed members who are 60 to 64 years old starting July 1, 2022.

This is in addition to all employee-members, voluntary members, land-based Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) members, and self-employed members aged 65 years old and above at the time of retirement who were required to file online effective July 2020.

“As early as 2015, we have made this online facility available to our members who have reached their technical retirement age of 65 years old. With the onset of the pandemic, we have continuously enhanced this online facility to provide our members with a simpler and more convenient mode of application without physically going to our branches. All they need to do is to access their My.SSS account, click Apply for Retirement Benefit under the Benefits section of the E-Services tab, fill out the required information, and submit the required supporting documents,” Regino said.

Members with the following special cases on retirement benefit claims should still file manually at any SSS branch or foreign representative office: With outstanding Stock Investment Loan Program (SILP)/ Privatization Loan Program/Educational Loan/Vocational Technology Loan balance; With dependent child/children under guardianship; Wherein member is incapacitated, under guardianship, or confined in an applicable institution such as penitentiary, correctional institution, or rehabilitation center; With Application of Portability Law or Bilateral Social Security Agreements; With adjustment or for re-adjudication of claim; and With the unclaimed benefit of a deceased member.

The retirement benefit is a cash benefit granted to a member who can no longer work due to old age and has reached the prescribed retirement age. It can be in the form of a monthly pension for those who have paid at least 120 monthly contributions prior to the semester of retirement or a lump sum for those who have paid less than 120 contributions. The qualifying conditions for the retirement benefit program can be accessed at https://crms.sss.gov.ph while the guidelines and policies on the online filing of said benefit claim through the My.SSS Portal can be found at https://bit.ly/SSSCI2021021. (Amiel Genova /SSS)

Feast of St. John the Baptist…

From page 01 ensure public safety.

In the province’s capital town, Kalibo, wherein the Patron Saint is St. John the Baptist, the celebration was considered peaceful and happy as described by Barangay Poblacion Councilor Kim Melgarejo.

One of the highlights in Kalibo celebration was the holding of the traditional games known as “Mga Laro ng Lahi,” which was considered as a successful and most enjoyable competition as different age groups could freely join.

As reported, traffic flow in the streets of Kalibo was organized and beaches and resorts were not crowded.

As early as 6:00 in the morning, the capital town had already activated the Barangay Risk Reduction Management Office with the members of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Special Rescue Force..

Meanwhile, a case of drowning on June 24 was reported in New Washington but an investigation is still being conducted on this matter. (AAL/SQP/PIA Aklan)