PIA Aklan Balita, September 16 - 30, 2022

Volume 20

Issue 18

September 16 - 30, 2022

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) -- The Aklan Police Provincial Office (APPO), through the Provincial Advisory Group for Police Transformation and Development(PAG-PTD) and BAGHAY, Inc., will be conducting the first Municipal Advisory Group (MAG) Conference on September 30, 2022.

The activity is also strongly supported by the Provincial Government of Aklan.

The conference will be held at the Aklan State University – College of Industrial Technology (ASU-CIT) Kalibo campus with more or less 200 participants coming from Aklan’s 17 municipal advisory groups, local officials, other stakeholders and the media.

The conference will have as presenters the representatives from the second Aklan Provincial Mobile Force, New Washington MAG/MPS, and the first Aklan Provincial Mobile Force, who will be presenting their respective best practices in their areas of concern in reaching out and making an impact to the community.

In the same conference, Soroptimist International of Kalibo president Aidabelle V. Dionela will also present the organization’s programs and services for Aklan’s women and girls.

Keynote speaker of the conference, according to Aklan PAG-PTD president Melrose S. Lunn is Fr. Roberto “Bobby” Continued on page… 03

One of the presentors of the 1st Municipal Advisory Group (MAG) Conference organized by Aklan PPO and PAG-PTD

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) -- The province of Aklan has six regional winners in this year’s Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) Search for Outstanding Government Workers.

According to Leo Jamorin, Director II of CSC-Aklan field Office, said these six Aklanons emerged as regional winners out of the province’s seven nominees submitted for this year’s Search.

To give significance to the 122nd Philippine Civil Service anniversary and to recognize these regional winners from Aklan, Jamorin facilitated a meeting with these winners with the local media recently at the new CSC-Aklan Field Office building in Banga, Aklan.

“The activity aims to recognize the 2022 Honor Awards Program regional winners. This is also an opportunity for them to share their accomplishments with their fellow regional winners,” Aklanon regional winners of 2022 CSC Search for Outstanding Government he said.

Of the regional winners, four are from the Department of Workers together with CSC-Aklan field office Director II Leo Jamorin (7th Education (DepEd), who won under the Dangal Ng Bayan catefrom left), pose in front of the new CSC Building in Banga, Aklan. Two in the picture next to Director Jamorin are last year's national winners in the same search. (PIA)

Continued on page… 02

PIA AKLAN BALITA

Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 18

Aklan Gov. Jose Enrique Miraflores (center) notes that the implementation of OPS is line with his aim to make the services of the provincial government excellent (mapanami), accessible (mapadali) and closer (mapalapit) to the people. Joining him in the photo were Jericson C. Bello (right) , department head of the Aklan Provincial ICT Office and Provincial Treasurer Bernardino R. Villaruel (left). (SQP/PIA-Aklan)

CSC confers 6 Aklanons...

From page 01 gory; one is from the Local Government Unit of Libacao, Aklan, who won under the CSC Pag-Asa Award; and the 6th winner is a group coming from a Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC).

Most of the winners from DepEd- Aklan are holding high positions in their respective schools, who have initiated good and exemplary practices and accomplishments as teachers which not only impacted positively on learners but on the community as a whole.

From DepEd-Aklan, CSC Dangal Ng Bayan awardees include Elnor T. Luna, School Principal I of Bakhaw Norte Integrated School in Kalibo; Mark T. Daroy, School Principal I of Tangalan Elementary School in Tangalan, Aklan; Joli P. Ilin, Master Teacher II of Buruanga Elementary School in Buruanga, Aklan, and Ju-im T. Jimlan, Head Teacher I of Tamalagon Integrated School, Tangalan, Aklan.

Meanwhile, winners under the 2022 CSC PAGASA Award Category include Maximo Sarceno, Senior Environmental Specialist of LGU-Libacao, who initiated the rehabilitation of 860 hectares forestland in the municipality and devising means to show care and concern to his fellow employees as Libacao Municipal Employees Association President by proposing the contribution of each employee of P20.00 for each birthday celebrant every month; and conceptualizing the “Pabaon Program” to ensure financial aid to retiring employees.

On the other hand, the lone group to win in this year’s search from Aklan is the Aqua Belles of Metro Kalibo Water District, which, as an all-women group, showed that they can make a difference and commendable impact despite working in a maledominated organization by initiating blood-letting activities, feeding programs, clean-up drives, and donations of COVD-19 kits to and LGU and a school.

Jamorin, who said he is very happy for these six Aklanon government workers who qualified as regional winners, stressed that CSC-Aklan will try next year to make all the nominees win in the regional search.

The activity was also attended by the two national winners of the same Search for 2021 – John Alcazarin of LGU-Numancia and Analyn Perez of Dep-Ed Altavas, who shared their experiences before and after receiving the award. (JBG/VGV/PIA6 Aklan)

PAGE 02

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) – The Provincial Government of Aklan has expanded its payment system with the implementation of the Aklan Online Payment System (OPS) in its bid to serve the public better.

On September 14, 2022, the Aklan OPS was officially launched through a press conference at the Conference Hall of the Provincial Governor’s Office in Capitol Site, Kalibo, Aklan.

Aklan Gov. Jose Enrique Miraflores said that the Aklan OPS is an initiative of the provincial government of Aklan which gives the public an alternative way of paying their Real Property Tax and other transactions to the provincial government, other than the traditional face-to-face payment scheme.

With the Aklan OPS, citizens will have the option to pay online their Real Property Tax and other products and services of the provincial government such as Map Production and Processing, Payment of Professional Tax, Tax on Delivery Trucks and Vans, Tax on Printing & Publication, Amusement Tax, Franchise Tax , among others.

“Raya nga pamaagi hay agud indi eon malisdan ro atong pumueoyo sa pagbayad it Real Property Tax ag iba pa nga mga transakyon sa kapitolyo. Raya hay para mapadali pa gid ro transakyon iya ag mas madasig man ro atong pagtao it serbisyo sa publiko (This method is a way that our citizens will not have difficult time in paying their Real Property Tax and other transactions in the capitol. Also, this will make their transactions here fast and easy; hence, we could also deliver fast and reliable services to the public),” Miraflores said.

He added that OPS is in line with his aim to make the services of the provincial government excellent (mapanami), accessible (mapadali) and closer (mapalapit) to the people.

Jericson C. Bello, department head of the Aklan Provincial ICT Office, said that the creation of the online payment system was due to the need for innovative ways to deliver public service at the Capitol.

For the past two years, the provincial government here received many requests for the online payment of the real property taxes as the taxpayers were out of town or country that they could not easily go home to fulfil their obligation aside from the strict travel requirements due to the pandemic.

Anyone who will avail the Aklan OPS should log-in to https://aklan.gov.ph/ and click Online Payment and choose for real property tax or payment order for the list of other products or services that you may want to avail.

An active, valid and accessible email address of the user is a strict requirement for this system as necessary information will be sent thru email to further proceed for the online transaction. Also, the Electronic Official Receipt will be sent to the registered email address of the user.

The system is user-friendly as instructions are easy to understand and a step-by-step approach is used.

According to Bernardino R. Villaruel, provincial treasurer, the system is presently using G-cash as mode of payment and one request per transaction is being applied.

“A service fee of P30.00 per transaction is being charged for this online payment scheme which will go to the service provider,” said Villaruel, adding that the provincial government is currently studying the application of multiple requests per transaction for the Aklan OPS. Meanwhile, Miraflores also expressed his plan for this year for a unified ticketing system in going to Boracay Island and an online payment scheme for the terminal and environmental fees. (AAL/SQP/PIA/Aklan)

PIA AKLAN BALITA

Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 18

The Social Security System (SSS) encourages all farmers, fisherfolk, and other self-employed persons in the informal economy to register with SSS and pay their contributions under a new and more flexible schedule.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael G. Regino said the new contribution payment scheme would allow farmers, fisherfolk, and other self-employed individuals in the informal economy to pay contributions for any of the last twelve (12) months in the current month.

“We want to help our farmers and fishermen to have social security coverage from SSS. They are among the most vulnerable members of our society. By offering them a flexible way of paying their SSS premiums, we provide them greater opportunity to pay social security contributions for all months of a year for full protection through the various benefit and loan programs of SSS,” Regino said.

Regino said that if a farmer pays his SSS contributions on October 28, 2022, under the new program, he can still pay his monthly contributions in the past 12 months before October 2022 or from October 2021 to September 2022.

Regino said that under the existing payment deadline of remittances, self-employed members such as farmers, and fisherfolk who will pay their contributions on October 31, 2022 can only pay their monthly contributions for July to September 2022.

“We saw that the current payment schedule for selfemployed members, which also includes farmers and fisherfolk, is not suitable for them,” he said.

He explained that SSS had set a new contribution payment scheme aligned with the harvesting seasons of the farmers and fisherfolks. Based on a study by SSS, farmers and fisherfolk usually have two harvesting seasons in a year and about four to five lean months.

“Our farmers and fisherfolk do not have a regular monthly income from their produce, unlike ordinary workers. They only get their earnings on a seasonal basis, so we devised this scheme that allows them to pay their SSS contributions for all months in a year,” Regino said.

He added that self-employed SSS members are entitled to social security benefits such as sickness, maternity, retirement, disability, funeral, and death. They also qualify for loan programs, including salary, calamity, and educational assis-

Aklan PPO...

From page 01 dela Cruz of Sanlakbay, Diocese of Manila.

Aklan PPO director Police Colonel Crisaleo Tolentino will deliver an opening message in the conference.

Invited panelists in the first-ever MAG conference to be held in the province include Mavillo Villorente, Senior Agriculturist/Chief Partnership and Accreditation Services Section of the Agricultural Training Institute- Regional Training Center VI; Dr. Ma. Jhoanna Gonzales Guarin, Director, IPMO OIC Dean, CBM of Aklan State University Banga Campus; and Police Major Mary Grace Socorro Borio, Chief of RPSSMU/RPIO. The PAG-PTD, represented by various sectors in Aklan, is an organization in support of Patrol Plan 2030 of the PNP to make Aklan communities a safe place to live, work, and do business. (JBG/VGV/PIA6 Aklan)

PAGE 03

tance.

Aside from SSS coverage, the SSS chief said self-employed members also have additional coverage from the Employees’ Compensation (EC) Program for work-related contingencies.

Regino said they could pay their SSS contributions through digital payment platforms such as the SSS Mobile App, Bayad or GCash mobile apps, and ShopeePay. “They also have the option to pay through the internet banking facility of the Security Bank and Union Bank of the Philippines as long as they have an existing deposit account with the said banks.

The latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the country has 9.4 million self-employed skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers. Of these, Regino said there are only about 636,000 registered with SSS. (Mr. AMIEL GENOVA/SSS)