Volume 20
Issue 16
KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) – The province of Aklan through the Provincial Health Office here continues to strengthen its COVID-19 booster vaccination campaign as it conducts its mobile vaccination program. As a support for the national government’s campaign dubbed “PinasLakas” and the province’s aim to increase the number of Aklanons to receive booster shots for maintaining Aklan’s wall of immunity, PHO-Aklan brings vaccination sites to the different offices and establishments. The COVID-19 mobile vaccination was first opened on August 4, 2022 at the lobby of the Aklan Provincial Capitol. Employees as well as clients of the provincial government were able to receive vaccination against COVID -19. Offices and establishment which already availed of the onsite vaccination were the Aklan Police Provincial Office, Metro Kalibo Water District and Filbake Food Corporation. The very recent mobile vaccination was at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) – Aklan on Aug. 24, 2022; wherein its staff and 154 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) had able to receive primary and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine. PHO-Aklan urged offices and establishments in the province of Aklan to avail of the said mobile vaccination program and be protected against coronavirus. Those interested should register first at tinyURL.com/PinasLakasMobile and wait for a call from PHO-Aklanfor confirmation. Based on the report of Department of Health Western
AUGUST 16 - 31, 2022
An employee of the Aklan Provincial Government receives her COVID-19 booster shot during the mobile vaccination service of the Provincial Haalth Office-Aklan at the lobby of the Provincial Capitol Building on August 4, 2022. (SQP/PIA-Aklan?Photo courtesy of PHO-Aklan)
Visayas Center for Health Development, as of Aug. 9, 2022, a total of 56,162 adults aged 18 to 59 years old and 11,963 senior citizens in Aklan have received booster shots. Meanwhile, 890 individuals that are aged 12 to 17 years old were given COVID-19 booster shots. (AAL/SQP/PIA Aklan)
KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) -- The province of Aklan will observe Arbor Day by holding a tree-planting activity in Barangay Jawili, Tangalan, Aklan on August 25, 2022. The tree-planting activity will be participated in by department heads and employees of the Provincial government, Arbor Day Committee Members from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Aklan, national government agencies, and Civil
Society Organizations (CSO). For an organized tree-planting activity, a meeting attended by the Arbor Day Committee was recently called by the provincial government through the Aklan Environment and Natural Resources Office (AKENRO) headed by Engr. John Kenneth Almalbis to discuss preparations for the Arbor Day activity to make it successful and organized. Planting materials will be sourced from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) -Aklan and according to Merlene Aborka, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources. Officer (PENRO), the tree seedlings to be planted were propagated by the agency through “Clonal Technology.” Three tree species will be provided – Narra, Toog and Badlan, and the area where these species will be planted will be closely monitored and protected to observe the growth progress of the plants as these are the first cloned tree seedlings ever propagated by DENR-Aklan. More than 300 individuals are expected to participate in Enngr. John Kenneth Almalbis, Aklan Environment and Natural Resources the tree planting activity with more than 500 seedlings estiOffice head, briefs Arbor Day Committee members on the preparations of the province for the conduct of Arbor Day Tree Planting activity. (PIA-Aklan)
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PIA AKLAN BALITA
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Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 16
KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) -- The Civil Service Commission – Aklan Field Office held a blessing and inauguration, August 10, of its brand new two-storey building located at Aklan State University (ASU) Banga Campus. CSC Chairperson lawyer Karlo Alexie Nograles, Commissioner Aileen Lourdes Lizada and CSC 6 Regional Director Nelson Sarmiento and other directors and staff were in attendance during the blessing and inauguration. Also present were Aklan’s provincial officials led by Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores, ASU officials led by President Dr. Emily Arangote, and municipal officials of Banga and Kalibo towns. The 300-square meter lot, where the CSC-Aklan Field Office Building is standing on, was provided by ASU to the CSC under usufruct. On the other hand, the construction of the building was implemented by the Provincial Engineer’s Office of Aklan through a Memorandum of Agreement between CSC Regional Office 6 and former governor Florencio T. Miraflores. The CSC has allocated P7 million for the building construction, while the province of Aklan contributed P3.2 million to complete it. One of the highlights of the program that followed after the ribbon-cutting and blessing was the turnover of the symbolic. key fromthe provincial government of Aklan as the project’s implementing agency, represented by Governor Miraflores, and received by Chairperson Nograles, Commissioner Lizada, Director IV Sarmiento, Director III Erna Elizan, and Director II Leo Jamorin of CSC-Aklan Field Office. In his message, Nograles thanked the provincial government of Aklan for the additional P3.2 million fund to complete the building as well as the Aklan State University for donating the lot for the building. “The presence of the CSC building in the ASU-Banga cam-
Social Security System (SSS) President and Chief Executive Officer Michael G. Regino announced that members and pensioners affected by the recent Magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Abra and nearby areas may now avail of the Calamity Assistance Package until November 14, 2022. The Calamity Assistance Package consists of members’ Calamity Loan Assistance Program (CLAP) and the threemonth advance pension for pensioners in earthquake-stricken areas in Abra and Mountain Province. In Mountain Province, towns that are under the state of calamity include Bauko and Besao, while in Abra, these areas are Bangued, Boliney, Bucay, Bucloc, Daguioman, Danglas, Dolores, Lacub, Lagangilang, Lagayan, Langiden, La Paz, Licuan, Luba, Malicbong, Manabo, Penarrubia, Pidigan, Pilar, Sallapadan, San Isidro, San Juan, San Quintin, Tayum, Tineg, Tubo, and Villaviciosa. Regino said that members and pensioners residing in other earthquake-affected areas could be declared under a state of calamity by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) or the Sangguniang Bayan, Panlunsod, or Panlalawigan can also avail of the said assistance package. Calamity Loan Assistance Program Under the CLAP, qualified members can avail of a loan
Civil Service Commission Chairperson lawyer Karlo Alexei Nograles (5th from R) together with Commissioner lawyer Aileen Lourdes Lizada (4th from R) and CSC 6 officials officially received from Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores the symbolic key to officially turn over the new CSC-Field Office Building to them. (PIA/VGVillanueva)
pus will inspire many students in Aklan to be civil servants,” Nograles said. For her part, Lizada thanked Aklan’s civil servants for their efficient delivery of services to their clients. “Let our work be our form of prayer,” she said. She also enjoined the Aklanon civil servants to join the nation in celebrating the 122nd Philippine Civil Service Anniversary in September. On the other hand, Miraflores told the CSC that the provincial government of Aklan will always be of help to implement needed programs and projects for the province, while Dr. Emily Arangote, representing the ASU community, welcomed the CSC-Aklan Field Office to its new home. (JBG/ VGV/PIA6 Aklan)
equivalent to their one month salary credit (MSC) computed based on the average of their last 12 MSCs or the amount they applied for, whichever is lower. To qualify, affected members must meet the following requirements: Have a My.SSS account at www.sss.gov.ph; Have at least 36 monthly contributions, six of which must be posted within the last 12 months before the month of filing of application; If self-employed, voluntary (including Non-Working Spouse), or land-based Overseas Filipino Worker members must have at least six monthly contributions under the current membership type. Continued on page… 03
Aklan to observe... From page 01 mated to be planted. The province’ Arbor Day Committee was organized by Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores on July 4, 2022 through Executive Order No. 006 identifying Arbor Day Committee members and their respective functions during tree-planting activities in the province. (JBG/VGV/PIA 6 Aklan)
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Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 16
28August 2022 – KALIBO, AKLANThe Philippine Statistics Authority and some Local Government Units in the province of Aklan are currently conducting the data collection for the Community-Based Monitoring System in all households within their respective territory. The CBMS which started last August 8 aims to collect comprehensive information from each household which will be used by the government for targeting beneficiaries for social protection programs, address data gaps in determining the extent of poverty at the local level, and formulate appropriate policies and programs for poverty alleviation and economic development. According to Engr. AntonetCatubuan, Chief Statistical Specialist of PSA-Aklan, there are nine (9) municipalities that are participating for the August round of enumeration, which are composed of Buruanga, Ibajay, Kalibo, Lezo, Libacao, Nabas, New Washington, Numancia and Tangalan. The remaining two municipalities, Madalag and Ibajay, will join in the next batch of enumeration scheduled for October of this year. Engr. Catubuan also said that Aklan has the most number of LGUs participating in CBMS in Western Visayas with 11 municipalities, followed by Iloilo and Antique. “This means that a lot of LGUs in Aklan see the need of having comprehensive and disaggregated data in formulating plans and programs to address our problems on poverty and assess the impact of various government initiatives,” Engr. Catubuan explained. About 500 data collectors were deployed by LGU and PSA in Aklan to conduct the house-to-house visit and administer the questionnaire to the qualified respondent of each household. Since this is a technology-based system, the data gatherers are provided with tablets installed with CBMS Application and a digitized map to gather various data from the household and geo-tag each building with identified housing unit. Among the data that is being collected comprised demographic information of each household member; migration experience and presence of Overseas Filipinos in the household; education, literacy, and skills development training attended; household’s participation in the activities in the community; economic characteristics and other employment data; entrepreneurial and household sustenance activities; and engagement of households in agricultural and fishery activities. Also included are sources of income of the family; family’s food expenditure; household’s experience in food security; financial activities such as maintenance of bank accounts, savings, and loans; health status of household members, pregnant and lactating women, persons with disabilities, and other sickness experience; climate change and disaster risk management; online and e-commerce activities; possible experiences as victims of crime in the past 12 months; membership in social protection programs and assistance/benefits received; sources of water and sanitation facility; and housing characteristics as well as household conveniences. PSA and LGU assure all respondents that data provided to enumerators will be held strictly confidential and will not be used for taxation, investigation, or other law enforcement purposes as provided for by law. The agencies also urge the support of all households that will be visited by field interviewers by providing truthful and accurate data to them to ensure the quality statistics to be generated. (PSA-Aklan)
A CBMS data collector uses the tablet in recording the responses of the respondent during the conduct of the interview with one of the household members. (PSAAklan)
SSS now offering... From page 02 A resident of a calamity-stricken area who suffered damage or loss to their properties due to the earthquake; Have not been granted any final benefit such as permanent total disability or retirement; Have no outstanding Loan Restructuring Program (LRP) or CLAP; and If employed, the member’s employer must certify the CLAP application through online My.SSS facility. Interested members can apply for the calamity loan online through their respective My.SSS account. Three-month Advance Pension Retirement, disability, and survivor pensioners under the Social Security (SS) Program and disability and survivor pensioners under the Employees’ Compensation (EC) Program may also apply for a three-month advance pension. Interested SS and EC pensioners must be residents of the earthquakestricken areas declared under the state of calamity. To apply for the three-month advance pension, they should submit the following to any SSS branch: Accomplished Application for Assistance Due to Calamity/Disaster Form certified by the Barangay Chairman; In case the form is not certified by the Barangay Chairman, they can submit the form with a certification from either the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or NDRRMC. Pensioners can download the application form at www.sss.gov.ph or click this link: https://bit.ly/ AdvancePensionForm. However, retirement pensioners who have existing loans under the Pension Loan Program (PLP) cannot avail of the three-month advance pension. “Through this SSS Calamity Assistance Package, we can offer immediate financial aid to our members and pensioners as they try to recover from the effects of the recent earthquake,” Regino said. (Mr. AMIEL GENOVA/SSS)
PIA AKLAN BALITA
Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 16
Saturday, August 27, 2022 was a hot day, but at the ABL Sports Complex in Kalibo, Aklan, most people are wearing happy faces despite the heat. That day was the second Saturday for the scheduled payout of educational assistance under the Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and that Saturday was a far cry from the Saturday of the past week, the first schedule of the payout. There were many reasons why the people are smiling – especially the recipients – students, and parents representing their children, as they were set to receive their financial assistance in time for the school opening; the place was bigger, comfortable and cooler as there was a roof over their heads and bleachers to sit on while waiting for their number to be called; and the fast system in processing and releasing their cash assistance as the DSWD is prepared to receive and entertain them, having been texted already that it is their turn to appear at the payout. The DSWD people were also smiling, as the crowd that day was so different from the one that they saw during the first Saturday on August 20, who appeared uncomfortable and impatient under the heat of the sweltering sun as they lined up in front of the Provincial Capitol Building. The August 27 payout was also significant as it was graced by DSWD Undersecretary Alan Tanjusay, who came all the way from the Central Office to witness the educational assistance payout in Aklan. This time, the people are holding their numbers and are waiting to be called, confident and assured that that day, they will truly get their assistance. This time, the processing was orderly and fast. Based on the records of the DSWD, the August 27 AICS payout benefited 958 Aklanon students, with a total of P2,733,000.00 million in cash disbursed. Roselito Tanala of Buenasuerte, Nabas, Aklan, John Rey Rebutar of Bakhaw Norte, Kalibo, Aklan,and Rissa Estanislao of Linayasan Altavas, Aklan are three out of these 958 Aklanons who sported happy, glowing faces upon leaving the last table, where they got their cash assistance after undergoing assessments/interviews at other tables manned by red-garbed staff of the DSWD. According to Roselito Tanala, 40 years old, he left his house together with his daughter at 4:00 a.m. to line up for the assistance afterreceiving a text from the DSWD. He received P6,000.00 for his three children – 1 Senior High, 1 High School, and 1 Elementary. He said he will use the money to buy additional school supplies for his children. John Rey Rebutar, 19 years old and a second-year college student of Garcia College of Technology in Kalibo taking Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT), said he arrived at the venue at 6:00 a.m. He received P4,000.00 which he said will be used to purchase P.E. uniform, school uniform, and additional school supplies. On the other hand, Rissa Estanislao, a mother of two children, said she received P2,000.00 for her child who is in high school. She will use the money to buy school supplies, shoes and school uniform for her son. “Gutok eon abi ro mga uniform nana (his school uniforms do not fit anymore),” she said. As her son did not accompany her to Kalibo, she said they will just buy his shoes in Altavas.
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John Rey Rebutar, 19 years old, of Bakhaw Norte, Kalibo, Aklan, happily shows the 4 crisp 1,000 peso bills he received from DSWD as financial assistance to students under the AICS program of the agency. (VGVillanueva/PIA)
The systematic, orderly payout that Saturday was a showcase how cooperation, concern and respect all contribute to a harmonious and peaceful activity. Everyone gave their all, according to the DSWD, whose regional and provincial staff, clad in red, came to the ABL Sports Complex to lend their hand in making the people, especially those in difficult circumstances, feel loved and valued by the government. According to Beverly Salazar, Pantawid Pamilya Provincial Operations Officer, 85 strong DSWD personnel from Aklan handling various programs augmented the provincial staff in the payout activity while 108 police officers from the Aklan Police Provincial Office (APPO) and Kalibo Municipal Police Station helped in securing peace and order inside and outside the venue. (JBG/VGV/PIA6 Aklan)