THE MINDANAO TODAY NOVEMBER 25-26, 2022

HIV cases alarm students in Oro

By Uriel Quilinguing Contributing Editor

TWO public health advocates, both expe rienced epidemiolo gists, confirmed Wednes day, November 23, life-long

human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in Cagayan de Oro and the rest of Northern Mindanao have been on an uptrend the past seven years.

In a news conference, Dr. David Mendoza, De

partment of Health-10 lo cal support services chief, and Dr. Teodulfo Joselito Retuya Jr., City Health Of fice’s Social Hygiene Clinic head, praised student lead ers from Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan (XUAC)

for advocating HIV testing and counselling.

So far, almost a thou sand students from four institutions of higher learn ing in Cagayan de Oro have pre-registered for a three-

Covid-19

QR code still in effect in Oro city

By Nef Luczon

LOCAL officials on Thursday said the quick response (QR) code for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) con tact tracing mechanism is still in effect.

In an interview, Dr. Teodulfo Joselito

Vintage bombs dug up in Davao City

By Che Palicte

DAVAO CITY – Five pieces of vintage bombs were ac cidentally discovered by an excavator operator at

a warehouse in Catalunan Grande in this city, police said Thursday.

In a statement, Maj. Noel Villahermosa, the Talomo police station chief, said

his men were conduct ing a routine patrol along Catalunan Grande at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday when approached by the heavy equipment operator.

He said the operator asked the policemen to de termine if what he had just dug up were vintage bombs.

The police officers went

John Michael Seno (left, raising his right hand), Cagayan de Oro’s SK federation president and city council ex

talks to ambulant vendors at the Cogon public market during the inspection and relocation of street

afternoon, Nov. 24, 2022. City hall said fruit and vegetable vendors and those with

carts are the

to be relocated. (Photo courtesy of Reynan Baylin | CIO)

Firefighters put out the fire that ate up structures at a wood processing plant in Baloy, Barangay Tablon, Cagayan de Oro Wednesday evening, Nov. 23, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Menzie Montes)

regions

Zamboanga City now has 21 drug-cleared, unaffected villages

ZAMBOANGA CITY –

The Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug-Clearing (ROCBDC) has declared another four barangays cleared of drugs following thorough delib erations Monday at City Hall.

Mayor John Dalipe said Tuesday the new entrants brought the number of drug-cleared villages in this city to 21.

Dalipe said the four

villages declared as drugcleared following thorough deliberation include the barangays of Mangusu, Panubigan, Taguiti and Tumitus.

“The officials of the four barangays successfully pre sented their respective anti-illegal drugs campaign to the committee,” he said.

“They also presented documentary evidence on both past and ongo ing intervention programs

to rehabilitate identified persons who use drugs (PWUDs) in their respec tive barangays,” the mayor added.

Only one barangay, Pangapuyan, has been de clared as unaffected, which means it has not ever been plagued or beset by any il legal drug activities.

The Philippine Drug En forcement Agency (PDEA) said barangays that are drug cleared means that

all known drug personali ties are already accounted and were given proper intervention programs.

The deliberation Mon day was spearhead by PDEA Regional Director Emerson Margate.

The ROCBDC is com posed of the Department of Interior and Local Gov ernment, PDEA, Police Regional Office-9 and the Department of Health. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr. | PNA)

DAVAO CITY – Some 2,951 qualified rice farm ers in Cateel, Davao Ori ental, received cash as sistance from the Rice Competitiveness Enhance ment Fund-Rice Farm ers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA3) program of the Department of Ag riculture in Davao Region (DA-11), an official said Tuesday.

In a press briefing, Ev elyn Basa, DA-11 regional rice program coordinator, said they are targeting some 29,281 rice farmers

in Davao Region for the program.

On its third phase, Basa said aid program has ben efited some 81 percent of the targeted recipients who received PHP5,000 each in unconditional cash as sistance, or about PHP120 million total disbursement from the agency.

“We hope to finish the distribution in December this year,“ Basa said.

The RFFA aims to sus tain its support to rice farmers tilling two hect ares or fewer, and are af

fected by the episodes of a significant drop in palay farm gate prices in time with the implementation of the Rice Tarrification Law (RTL).

Under the RFFA, she said rice farmers who are duly registered with the Registry System for Ba sic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) will receive the intervention.

“They are those who were affected by the low buying of rice production during the pandemic,” Basa said. (Che Palicte | PNA)

2.9K DavOr rice farmers get P5K cash aid from DA Dinagat provincial gov’t to send 2K workers to SoKor

BUTUAN CITY – At least 2,000 workers will be sent by the Dinagat Islands pro vincial government to Py eongchang County in South Korea following a partner ship agreement, an official said Tuesday.

In an interview, Dinagat Islands Governor Nilo Deme rey Jr. said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the province, the municipality of Basilisa, and the Pyeongchang County was inked on Monday after noon in Cebu City.

“Representatives of Py eongchang County were supposed to come to Dina gat for the signing of the MOU but due to their tight schedule we decided to have it in Cebu,” Demerey said.

Signatories to the agree ment were Demerey, Basil isa Vice Mayor Manuelito Piodo who represented Mayor Ozzy Ecleo, and Py eongchang County Vice Mayor Kim Young Gyun.

“We will be sending farmers and fishermen there to work for a year. We are

BARMM distributes 20K bags of rice seeds to Paeng-hit farmers

By Edwin Fernandez

COTABATO CITY –The

government is distribut ing 20,000 bags of rice seeds to Severe Tropical Storm Paeng-affected farmers, officials said Wednesday.

“The program aims to help farmers restart their sources of income that were washed out by the weather disturbance,” BARMM’s Ministry of

Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) - Maguindan ao chief agriculturist Saudi Mangindra, said.

now in the process of final izing the list as we target to start sending workers to Pyeongchang County early next year,” Demerey said.

The required age bracket of qualified farmers and fishermen to work in Py eongchang County is be tween 30 and 50 years old.

Demery said farmers and fishermen of Dinagat will not only work in the county and earn, but also learn new agriculture and fishery technologies. (Alexander Lopez | PNA)

Davao to go cashless deals

By Che Palicte

DAVAO CITY – The city government, in partner ship with the Bangko Sen tral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Govern ment, will launch on Nov. 23 a program for cashless transactions on the city’s establishments.

Zarinah Aligsao, BSPMindanao bank officer IV and regional economic affairs staffer, said the PalengQR PH aims to en join establishments to use cashless payment or QR (quick response) codes as an additional option for goods payments.

“Under the PalengQR PH, our merchants are en joined to display their QR code with the statement. We accept GCash here and If you are the buyer, you will immediately see that you can pay through GCash,” she said. (PNA)

RDC-13 chair hails move to include municipal waters in tax share

By Alexander Lopez BUTUAN CITY – Dinagat

Islands Governor Nilo De merey Jr. has welcomed the move made by Agusan del Norte 2nd District Rep resentative Dale Corvera to include the municipal

waters in the National Tax Allocation (NTA), as provided in Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.

“This is a good piece of legislation, and I believe that this will become a law as this will gain support by

the other lawmakers,” said Demerey, concurrent chair of the Regional Develop ment Council in the Caraga Region (RDC-13), in a phone interview Friday.

On Nov. 14, Corvera filed House Bill No. 6102 that seeks to amend Sec.

285 of RA 7160, which will include the municipal waters, aside from the land area and population, to the NTA.

“The proposed measure will bring justice to the island local government units (LGUs) in the coun

try,” Demerey said.

In the Caraga Region, more than half of the total number of LGUs are situ ated in coastal areas.

The coastal municipali ties are situated in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte,

Surigao del Sur, and Dina gat Islands.

“These municipal wa ters also become sources of livelihood, food, rec reation, commerce and transportation,” Demerey noted. (PNA)

The Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay DrugClearing declares another four barangays of Zamboanga City. (Photo courtesy of City Hall PIO)

Bangsamoro Auton omous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)

Evelyn Basa, DA-11 rice program coordinator, says the agency is targeting 29,281 rice farmers. (PNA photo by Che Palicte)

Dinagat Islands Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. (center), together with Pyeongchang County Vice Mayor Kim Young Gyun (left). (Photo courtesy of Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr.)

Farmers affected by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng receive aid from the BARMM-MAFAR.

(Photos from Bangsamoro Information Office – BARMM)

AS IT HAPPENS, WHERE IT HAPPENS

4 Butig villages benefit from CFSI's community-based projects

By Apipa Bagumbaran

MARAWI CITY – Four villages in the municipal ity of Butig received com munity-based support to livelihood (CBSL) projects from the Community and Family Services Interna tional (CFSI).

The projects consisted of two warehouses for Barangays Pindolonan and Butig Proper, two solar dryers for Barangay Malungun, and a hang ing bridge for Barangay Samer.

The projects were turned over by CFSI to the recipient barangays in a simple ceremony held Tuesday, Nov. 15, in Ba rangay Pindolonan. The ceremony was witnessed by Butig mayor Dimnatang Pansar and the Project Steering Committee of

each barangay.

The CBSL projects were implemented under the Marawi Covid Recovery Project (MCRP) of CFSI which aims to promote the protection, psychosocial, and economic recovery of at least 4,000 families or 20,000 individuals in Marawi City and six other municipalities in Lanao del Sur from the impact of displacement and the Covid-19 pandemic.

CBSL projects have pre viously been turned over to target barangays in the municipalities of Lum bayanague, Marantao, and Piagapo.

MCRP Project Coordi nator Farida Mangcaan said they identified Butig as one of the target mu nicipalities for the project since it is one of the areas in Lanao del Sur that was

affected by protracted dis placement.

“It is where usually the armed conflict is being ignited and, most signifi cantly, a lot of people have been displaced in Butig. With that nadidiminish yung mga investments towards human develop ment and economic devel opment,” she said

She said that her orga nization which focuses on peacebuilding has been aiding the municipality as part of its humanitarian response and protection works.

“At the same time, help ing the government to bounce back together with the people themselves to restore their dignity, to restore their self-help ini tiatives so that they can recover from the impact of protracted prolonged

displacement,” she added.

Butig Mayor Dimnatang Pansar expressed gratitude to CFSI and DFAT Austra lia for the projects imple mented in his municipality saying that these projects address the specific needs of the target community.

He also recognized the efforts and contribution of the four barangay local government units in the successful completion of the projects.

The mayor further dis closed that there are also infrastructure projects be ing undertaken by the municipal government to complement projects coming from the BARMM government, the provincial government of Lanao del Sur, and non-government organizations like CFSI. Among these are several road projects that will

DILG-Buk’n hosts regional forum, guides LGUs to full devolution

MALAYBALAY CITY –

The Department of the Interior and Local Govern ment (DILG) in Bukidnon hosted a regional forum to synchronize Devolution Transition Plans (DTPs) between national govern ment agencies (NGAs) and local government units (LGUs) in view of the Man danas-Garcia Supreme Court ruling.

Rhona Pedraza-Abadil la, DILG Bukidnon provin cial director, said while the transition towards full devolution may be chal lenging, it presents an

opportunity for the govern ment and LGUs to elevate their development strate gies and find innovative ways to further serve the interests of their communi ties and constituents.

“This forum is designed to become an avenue for local government units to engage with national gov ernment agencies to assist the LGUs in their journey towards full devolution,” she said.

Abadilla also urged lo cal governments to revisit their local development plans and assess how well

they align with national and regional priorities, particularly in terms of de volved functions, services, and facilities.

Forum discussion topics include the status of the LGU’s devolution transi tion plans (DTPs), orga nizational structure and staffing pattern, updates on NGA DTPs, and full devolution.

Among the functions assigned to local govern ments based on the Local Government Code are ag riculture programs, local infrastructure, environ

mental services, revenue mobilization, health servic es, maintenance of peace and order, employment facilitation, transportation, tourism, and housing.

The Mandanas-Garcia ruling was the result of a petition filed before the Supreme Court by Batan gas Governor Hermila ndo Mandanas and former Bataan Governor Enrique Garcia Jr. about local gov ernment shares of internal revenue allotment (IRA).

Last year, then Presi dent Rodrigo Duterte is sued Executive Order No. 138 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, mandating all provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays to prepare their DTPs in close coordina tion with the concerned national government agen cies to guide them to wards the full assumption of devolved functions and services that come with more financial resources.

(DILG-Bukidnon | PIA-10 | Bukidnon)

DPWH MisOcc completes FMR in Brgy Sibula, Lopez Jaena

MISAMIS OCCIDEN

TAL – The completion of the farm-to-market road project in Baran gay Sibula is seen to lower transportation costs and connect farm land and seaside areas to major highways, thus supporting agro-tour ism.

This P6.5 million project was primarily constructed to connect rural areas to com mercial centers so that

farmers and food grow ers may use this road to transfer their products to city markets and oth er distribution centers.

This initiative will increase local revenue while ensuring food and environmental safety. This project was funded under the Baya nihan to Recover as One Act, or Bayanihan II of FY 2020.

Through this proj ect, aside from the in

creased productivity in the area, it is also seen to enhance the quality of life in isolated rural areas.

With improved mar ket access, farmers are now further encour aged to plant more to increase productivity, boost local commerce, and reduce post-harvest losses. (DPWH Misamis Occidental 1st DEO | PIA-10 | Misamis Oc cidental)

enhance transport acces sibility leading to more opportunities and better lives for Butig residents.

Pansar is optimistic that through continuing efforts of the government and non-government organiza tions, the municipality will soon become prosperous

contrary to its image of being a poor and danger ous place.

The MCRP is funded by the Australian Gov ernment’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and will be completed by June 2023 (APB | PIA-10 | Lanao del Sur)

CFSI and the municipal government of Butig, Lanao del Sur lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Ompiya warehouse. (Jason Casas | PIA-10 | Lanao del Sur)

The DILG-Bukidnon facilitates the regional forum on devolution in Malaybalay City, on Nov. 16, 2022. (DILG-Bukidnon)

The DPWH-Misamis Occidental completes the P6.5 million farm-tomarket road project in Barangay Sibula. (DPWH Misamis Occidental 1st DEO)

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AS IT HAPPENS, WHERE IT HAPPENS

Risks of crowd crush in Philippine religious festivities

(2nd of 2 parts)

WALKING bare footed is a sym bolic gesture that emulates Christ’s suffering as he was carry ing his cross to Golgotha.

Pedestrian devotees use physical force to ag gressively touch the im age mounted on the car riage.

The 2012 Traslación is currently the longest in the image’s recorded his tory as it ended 22 hours after leaving Luneta.

“Traslacion” is also the term used in the transfer of the Image of “Ina” from the Basilica to Naga Cathedral as part of the festivity every September in honor of the Our Lady of Penafrancia, patroness of the Bicol region.

The mass gatherings attract severe health and safety risks due to the people’s behavior, such as crowd crush, panic stam pedes, and turbulence.

Injuries and even death seem to be com mon occurrences brought upon by several factors, including heat, fatigue, or being trampled upon by the crowd.

A crowd crush, as what happened in Itaewon, is created by the press of hu man bodies on a central point or points.

Crowd crush occurs when a group of people is packed so close together that no one can move and they keep pushing, caus ing the crowd to fall in a “domino effect,” making it hard to get up.

On the other hand, stampedes are usually

created when a crowd starts fleeing from danger or a perceived danger.

The most common in jury and death is “com pressive asphyxia,” which occurs when people are pushed against one an other so tightly that their airways become constrict ed.

Cause of death is gen erally attributed to suf focation as the lungs do not find enough space to expand, making it dif ficult to breathe.

It takes 30 seconds before one loses con sciousness, and about six minutes for one to suffer compressive or restrictive asphyxia.

Experts urge those caught in a crush to stay on their feet, adopting a boxer’s stance to main tain balance and keeping hands up by one’s chest to protect breathing space.

One must not resist the force of the crowd, but try to move diagonally to the edge of the crowd when there is a lull in move ment.

If one falls down, ex perts advise to curl into a ball to try to protect oneself.

Proper risk manage ment planning for these festivities is imperative to minimize the incidence of injuries and deaths. (LiCAS.news)

(Editor’s note: This opinion piece, written by lawyer Dennis Gorecho, head of the seafarers’ divi sion of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law of fices, was first published in the LiCAS.news website on Nov. 9, 2022.)

Catholic Church must bring abusers to justice

(2nd of 2 parts)

THERE are thousands of foreigners that are paying large sums of money to view children being sexually abused on line.

As in all commerce, it is the law of demand and supply that rules and can destroy lives.

Poverty is a driving force that promotes child abuse. Poverty is the con dition of millions of people that survive in a very un equal society where it is estimated that the rich that make up less than .01 percent of the population own 45 percent of the na tional wealth.

The rich are becoming richer. According to finan cial analyst Frank Knight, the number of super rich in the Philippines will grow by a whopping 36 percent between 2020 and 2025.

The poorer are becom ing poorer. According to the Asian Development Bank, 23.7 percent of the Philippine popula tion were living below the national poverty line in 2021.The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) says 20 million hungry Filipinos are below that line representing 18.1 percent of the population of 110 million Filipinos.

There are more hun gry families than in 2018 when there were 17.65 million below the poverty line.

That PSA poverty line is viewed with much skepti cism by experts.

The House of Repre sentatives Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto, who is a

former senator and for mer head of the National Economic and Develop ment Authority, said the PSA was using a very low indicator of that poverty line to measure poverty.

In fact, the poverty rate is much, much higher, he says.

According to the PSA, a household of five peo ple only needs to earn US$1.41 every day to feed themselves.

That low dollar amount is equivalent to just P82 a day per family. A family of five will need a bare minimum of 500 pesos a day for food to barely survive, that is equivalent to US$8.56.

That’s why millions of unemployed Filipinos barely survive in squalid shacks and shanties in slums along the filthy ca nals.

The crimes of online sexual abuse of children is growing. All the child abusers need is a pre-paid one-hour internet connec tion and a cheap smart phone to connect their live sex shows to pedophiles.

Much more has to be done in cracking the power of the telecommunication corporations (telcos) that allow the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to distrib ute the online streaming videos of children being sexually abused with im punity.

There are powerful software systems that can catch, identify child abuse online and capture it for investigators to identify the source and save the child victims.

for Responsible Voting).

Notably in PPCRV’s count, votes peaked at 20 million on the first hour after precincts closed.

then peak, and lessen.”

COMELEC precinct rules make it unlikely for VCMs to transmit one hour after end of balloting, Rio ex plained.

WAS last May’s presidential election rigged? It looks so for former information communications technology Secre tary Eliseo Rio.

He concluded fraud after com paring the Commission on Elections official data with the “transpar ency server” that publicized the vote count.

COMELEC’s transmission report contradicts the transparency server of PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council

Then it tapered to 13.2 million on the second hour, onto four days.

Inversely, in COMELEC’s trans mission compilations from precinct vote-counting machines (VCMs), votes first trickled in the first hour, peaked on the second, then tapered thereafter.

PPCRV’s results are “statistically, mathematically and logically highly improbable if not impossible,” Rio posted on social media. “All elec tronic or manual counts start low,

At 7 p.m. Election Day, the Board of Election Inspectors allows voters within 30 meters of the precinct to vote.

Then the BEI chairman announces formal closure to party reps and NGO watchers.

Commands are typed in and confirmed with the VCM to stop ac cepting any more ballots. These take several minutes.

The VCM then prints out eight copies of national tallies. Each na tional candidate’s votes are stated: ten presidential, nine vice presiden tial, 64 senatorial, 173 party-lists.

BONDOC, | p7...

P1.2M DOLE-10

CAGAYAN DE ORO

CITY – Twenty parents of child laborers, seven indi vidual and 79 members of two association-groups of the city’s informal sector

ECONOMY

livelihood

got P1,240,000 worth of livelihood projects under the Department of La bor and Employment-10’s (DOLE-10) Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP)

at Trinidad Building park ing area, here, on Nov. 2, 2022.

Emmanuel Toledo, DOLE-10 Cagayan de Oro Field Office (CDO FO) chief, said each of the parents of child labor ers got P500,000 worth of Bikecination Projects; P140,000 worth of vari ous livelihood starter kits for the individual ben eficiaries, like sari-sari store (three individuals), bigasan (three), and auto repair shop (one).

aid for 96 Oro beneficiaries

Also, the 35 members of Dynamic Kagayanon Association thru Presi dent Jorge Cinco received P300,000 worth of aid for their dressed chicken project.

marginalized workers ei ther through emergency employment.

The

Moreover, Toledo said 34 members of Supreme Bayanihan Association through President Algwen Ligtas got P300,000 liveli hood grant for their project on bread pastries and other products.

Toledo said the turn over was in coordination with the city’s Job Place ment Bureau – Public Em ployment Service Office (JPB-PESO) representative Redosendo Israel and the Balubal Integrated Social Forestry Farmers Asso ciation (BISFFA) Presi dent Crispin M. Bactong as the Accredited Co-Partner (ACP).

DILP seeks to contrib ute to poverty reduction and reduce the vulner ability to risks of the work ing poor, vulnerable and

The program also pro motes entrepreneurship and community enter prises aimed to improve the living conditions of the constituents.

A special project under DILP, a set of the DOLE Bikecination Project com prises a mountain bike with water bottle; training kits; bicycle signal light; helmet; body pads; rear bike rack; reflectorized vest; raincoat; cellphone; load; mobile sim pack; face mask; face shield; jacket; bike gloves and tarpaulin and goes with Group Per sonal Accident Insurance (GPAI) from GSIS good for a one-year coverage.

The program is a tool intended for the informal sector that provides as sistance to workers who have been displaced from work due to the Covid-19 pandemic aimed to recover the economy and employ ment of the region/country through inclusive partici pation of sectors, LGUs and the general public.

ACPs are referred as program partners of DOLE responsible for the direct delivery of services to the target beneficiary. They are the workers' organi zations, other non-profit peoples’ organizations, non-government organiza tions and other institutions that pass the accreditation requirements of the DOLE. (DOLE-10)

12 Bukidnon business establishments bag DTI’s BAGWIS Award

MALAYBALAY

CITY –

Twelve Bukidnon-based enterprises recently bagged the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) BAGWIS Seal of Excellence Award in a ceremony at the Mallberry Suites and Business Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City.

DTI Bukidnon Provin cial Director Famelah Rac quel Villanueva, said the BAGWIS Award gives rec ognition to establishments that uphold the rights of consumers while practic ing responsible business where consumers get the best value for their money.

“Twelve of the 65 award ees in Northern Mindanao were from the province of Bukidnon, which covers business establishments under categories namely supermarkets, department stores, appliance centers, and DTI-accredited service and repair shops,” she said.

Villanueva reported that five establishments

obtained the Silver Bagwis Awards during the cer emony: Valencia Goodwill Commercial Inc.; Toril LCY Trading Corporation/Citi Hardware-Malaybalay City Branch; RD Enterprises; Valencia MGS Mart Cor poration; and Princemin Corporation–Manolo For

tich Branch.

Dions Hardware & Con struction Supplies; Robin son's Handyman, Inc.—Va lencia City Branch; Deco Arts Marketing, Inc.— Citi Hardware—Lumbo Branch; Philippine Seven Corporation/ 7-Eleven— Bagontaas Branch; Philip

pine Seven Corporation/ 7-Eleven—Purok-8, Po blacion, Valencia Branch; and Bricolage Philippines, Inc.—MR. DIY—Valencia Branch were the Bagwis Bronze Awardees, she said.

Meanwhile, DTI-Bukid non Consumer Protection Division Chief Junar Merla explained that the Bagwis Awards have three levels: bronze, silver, and gold.

Businesses that have

complied with fair trade laws and have an estab lished consumer welfare desk or an equivalent consumer relations office within their stores will receive the bronze award.

Those businesses that have already met the cri teria for the Bronze Award and demonstrated a com mitment to social respon sibility are eligible for the Silver Award.

Finally, the Gold Seal is given to stores that have met the Silver Award re quirements as well as have an established quality ori entation management sys tem.

“In support of the pro gram, DTI encourages consumers to patronize establishments granted the Bagwis Award,” Merla said. (DTI-Bukidnon | PIA10 | Bukidnon)

NEDA-10, SEC CDOEO, XU JFINEX stage ‘Tigom Talks’ financial literacy for youth

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

–

The National Economic and Development Author ity (NEDA)-10 together with the Securities and Exchange CommissionCagayan de Oro Exten sion Office (SEC CDOEO) and the Xavier University Junior Financial Execu tives (XU JFINEX) jointly

staged the “Tigom Talks: Money for Life,” at the XU Little Theater, here and via Zoom video conference on Nov. 10, 2022.

This is in celebration of the Economic and Finan cial Literacy Week (EFLW) every second week of No vember of the year.

Some 300 junior and

senior high school and col lege students from across the region attended the half-day activity.

Said event formed part of the NEDA-led annual celebration of the EFLW and the SEC’s Investor Pro tection Week. The EFLW theme for this year,

program also promotes entrepreneurship and community enterprises aimed to improve the living conditions of the constituents. (Photo supplied)

Twelve Bukidnon-based enterprises bag the Department of Trade and Industry’s “Bagwis Seal of Excellence Award.” (DTI-Bukidnon)

Some 300 junior and senior high school and college students from across the region attend the “Tigom Talks: Money for Life.” (NEDA-10)

Teaching

By Giftfemae Catiil

EVER notice how a stone thrown on the surface of the water bounces off, creating ripples before it sinks?

That is how impactful a simple word or action may spread before you even realize.

Like how a young farm er, Lonalyn Amper Sulatan or “Kenken” as people fa miliarly call her, expressed her gratitude to her bene factor, Greenminds Incor porated.

From Maestra to Maguuma, how an elementary education graduate ended up teaching Organic Agri culture (OA) to the mar ginalized population.

Humble beginnings

Kenken grew up in the small town of Sitio Gupaco Sinuda, in the municipality of the landlocked, Kitao tao, Bukidnon.

At 29, she may seem to have always envisioned the path she has taken now as she animatedly converses with a confident smile on her face but she clarifies that her primary dream was to be an elementary school teacher.

A humble beginning which led her to her cur rent love, agriculture. En ter GreenMinds Incorpo rated.

One of Greenminds’

advocacies is to support the less fortunate students earn their degrees through scholarships. Kenken is one of the lucky few given the chance to be sponsored from her second semester in third year until gradu ation.

She was an active vol unteer in Greenminds Inc., which eventually landed her first job as an admin istrative aide in 2014, and eight years later, as a train ing officer of Umanika EcoCultural Farm, a Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) of the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Train ing Center X (ATI-RTC X) based in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental.

How did she cope up with the big difference

of the expectations of in structing a class full of kids to the reality of teaching organic agriculture to vari ous communities? This is an area she never delved before.

“Training. Unsa imo gitudlo sa uban, kabalo

pud dapat ka (You should be knowledgeable of what you teach to others),” she said.

Her first exposure was a 10-day training organized by the ATI-RTC X in Train ing Management.

She was a blank sheet. She did not have prior knowledge on agriculture.

Although her degree is remotely related to agricul ture, she trained, gained new knowledge, and did a great job during the train ing proper. Add to that, her teaching and mentoring skills came in handy in terms of sharing what she has learned. You can only teach the things you have understood and have tried so yourself.

Teaching beyond borders

The primary goal of Greenminds is to help the marginalized communities in Mindanao (in this case,

the indigenous people or the “lumad”) become selfreliant by teaching them skills especially in organic farming while promoting their own products like the processed nuts in part nership with government entities like the ATI-RTC X and other non-government organizations.

They started with the “lumad” in the region and now has reached across borders. Kenken, as one of its training officers has been one of the primary batches to be deployed overseas.

In a small country com posed of little islands off the east coast of Australia, lies the Republic of Vanu atu.

It is currently one of the recipients of the joint effort of Greenminds Incor porated, and their foreign

NGO partner, Tear Fund New Zealand.

They promote sustain able farming and ecofriendlier option for the natives and the environ ment like the Sloping Ag ricultural Land Technology or SALT.

As per definition, SALT 1 Technology Guide is a simple and low-cost tech nology of soil conservation and food crop production that allow farmers to gen erate sufficient income through the harvested crops all year round.

It can also be easily rep licated by farmers and so making it uncomplicated to teach.

Today, the products made by the locals of Van uatu are supplied to cruise ships and has helped them sustain their needs.

In the midst of cancer, I don’t want to survive, I want to thrive!

By Jasper Marie Rucat

“HALA ka gwapa kaayo sila, gusto ko mugwapa, Dili ko gusto mo survive lang, gusto ko mo thrive pareha nila (They are so beautiful, I want to be beautiful as well, I don’t want to only survive but I want to thrive just like them),” said Khessie Lou ise Lluch, as she saw a line of breast cancer survivors during a healing mass in Cebu years ago.

In an episode of Konsul

Tayo, media and health fo rum, Khessie, or popularly known as “Karen” Lluch, a breast cancer survivor and one of the original found ers of Thrive CDO Breast Cancer Awareness Advo cacy Group, shared how she navigated her journey when she first found out she had cancer in 2011.

“In 2012, I finished my treatment for breast can cer, it was in 2011 that I had breast cancer stage 2A. I had my treatment in May to October of 2011,

and from May to October 2011, I was alone,” the Thrive CDO founder said.

For sure, she had her family and friends who loved and cared for her, but she was looking for that missing piece: a sup port system that could relate to and guide her on what she was going through.

“In October of 2011, I was in Cebu for radiation treatment, because there was no radiation machine here in Cagayan de Oro.

It was also in SM North Wing Cebu where so many breast cancer survivors gather for a healing mass,” she said.

From there, she realized she wanted to be like them, beautiful and thriving de spite cancer.

“That is the reason Thrive atong ngalan kay to encourage and give hope nga kung i-empower nato atong selves, and help other women empower themselves with

In an episode of KonsulTayo, media and health forum, Khessie or popularly known as “Karen” Lluch, a breast cancer survivor and one of the original founders of Thrive CDO Breast Cancer Awareness Advocacy Group, shares how she navigated her journey when she first found out she had cancer in 2011. (PIA-10)

MINDANAO TODAY

HOROSCOPES

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19) — The planets are moving you into a new cycle, Aries. Soon you will be in a new "story." You will have to take stock of what you've learned in previous weeks. Who you are is related to the degree of peace you have in your life and whether or not you've been able to resolve some conflicts. Did you learn your lessons well? Without a doubt, you have a gift for calming tense situations.

TAURUS (Apr. 20- M ay 20) — Have you done the cleaning that the planetary configurations asked you to do in recent weeks, Taurus? If this is the case, today you should start to feel less weighed down by the conventions in your life. You've undoubtedly solved some of the problems in your relationships. You will feel as if you're in a kind of renaissance through the next cycle.

GEMINI (May 21 -June 20) — The social agitation that has been in your life for the last three weeks is coming to an end, Gemini. The celestial energy will help you learn some lessons and prepare for the next cycle. It would be great if you had some success and honors because this would help you confront the coming weeks. It will be a time of meditation and feeling a little bit disconnected from the world.

CANCER (June 21 -July 22) — This is the end of the first stage in your "socialization," Cancer. Are you satisfied with the people you've met? You can usually make the most out of these encounters, but did your political savvy let you down? Did it lead you in directions you didn't want to go? Take advantage of this pause to catch your breath and figure out where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow.

LEO (July 23 -Aug. 22) — This is the end of the voyage you've been on over the past few weeks, Leo. You undoubtedly saw some interesting sights. Whether you were on an inner or outer voyage, the cosmic energy will bring you to a safe harbor. Unpack your bags carefully, as they're filled with treasures and souvenirs. You will want to put them around the house as happy reminders of how much you've grown.

VIRGO (Aug 23 -Sep. 22) — After the events of the last few weeks, do you still want to continue acting like the same person? This is always a good question to ask with a celestial atmosphere like today's. People generally feel that they have a chance to get out of old systems and relationships. But people always hesitate to do this because of a fear of the future. Don't waver. Take the next steps!

LIBRA (Sep. 23 -Oct. 22) — The day ahead should give you an opportunity to analyze the events of the past three weeks, Libra. You will draw many important conclusions about your love life. You may conclude that matters have evolved little, if at all. This is discouraging, to be sure, but don't place too much trust in appearances. Remember, things aren't always as they seem.

SCORPIO (Oct. 3 -Nov. 21) — If you feel as though you aren't making sufficient progress toward your goals, use this day to correct your aim. Are you disappointed with your love life? You may have devoted a great deal of energy to it lately without seeing much payoff. Wait a few more days before you make any drastic decisions about the future, Scorpio.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 -Dec. 21) — Are you feeling somewhat annoyed today? This is hardly surprising since the day inspires you to take a long, hard look at what's happening with your life. It's as though you suddenly realize that decisions you make may have impacts that reach far and wide. But don't let that stop you from committing yourself to a course of action, Sagittarius. Be adventurous!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) — Are you feeling scattered, Capricorn? It's possible that you're wondering about a million different things today. Are you strong enough to assume your family duties? Are you attractive? Are you important? Of course, all these questions simply distract you from your anxiety. Don't worry. The next few weeks will be less stressful.

Jan. 20 - Feb. 18 — Perhaps you notice some weariness today, Aquarius. You have been much more active than usual for the past few weeks. You've been communicating with new people, having new experiences, attending virtual meetings, and perhaps even taking short trips. In the long run, will any of it further your goals? That's the question you have to answer today.

PISCES (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20) — Are you tired, Pisces? It's no wonder. You're so eager to be useful that you've run yourself ragged over the past few weeks. As you may have noticed, the world is so apathetic now that every movement requires enormous effort on your part. Why not settle down and rest today? That would be the wisest and most reasonable thing to do. You will still be needed tomorrow.

HIV, | from p1...

day at-no-cost HIV tests at a downtown mall starting Monday, November 28 – four days before the 34th World AIDS Day, December 1.

Although the lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pan demic had affected HIV test ing, still there were 34 HIV infections every day in 2021 – way above the 30 per day in 2017 and nine per day in 2012, nationwide, Mendoza said.

The DOH-10 third-inrank official, however, did not disclose figures for the region, but records from the CHO are indicative of rising HIV infections which, if not properly managed, could lead to deaths.

Retuya, a CHO resident epidemiologist, disclosed that since 2014 until De cember 2021, there were 718 individuals who were reported to have tested posi tive for HIV in Cagayan de Oro. But only 397 of them are city residents while the 321 others are mostly from other places in Northern Mindanao.

“In the past, about 2,500 persons get tested for HIV every year, but this number went down in 2020 and 2021 to less than a thousand due to the pandemic,” the CHO official said. “We‘re recovering from grounds the past two years.”

The news conference was called after the Jesuit-owned

BARMM, | from p2...

As initial aid, Mangindra said MAFAR has distrib uted about 40 percent of the 20,000 sacks of rice seeds under the Rice Competitive ness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Program.

BONDOC, | from p4...

Each copy takes three to four minutes to print on long rolls of thermal paper, or 2432 minutes for eight copies.

“It takes five seconds to print out your small voter receipt for one president, one VP, 12 senators and one party-list,” Rio said. “The

MAESTRA, | from p6...

Kenken also participated in rendering her services to their Fiji Chapter, a little tropical archipelago in the South Pacific, and north of Auckland, New Zealand.

university, through its Cen tral Student Government (CSG) and its Social Involve ment and Advocacy Office (SIAO), got commitments of support from the DOH-10 and the City Government of Cagayan de Oro through the CHO, for an HIV-AIDS Advocacy Project.

Pilipinas Shell Founda tion, Inc. (PSFI) with a threeyear Global Fund grant, and the Oro Pia (Wurtzbach) Community Center are also behind project, the launch of which is set 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 27, at the City Amphitheatre.

“From the responses, we got 955 students who have pre-registered (online) for HIV tests,” said CSG Officer Ed Alison Pairat, who heads the Shuxx - It’s Tough Con versations core.

Pairat said they’re expect ing more from walk-ins from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at Centrio Ayala mall garden area.

Aside from XUAC, they also have listed registrants for HIV tests and counselling from PHINMA-Cagayan de Oro College, Liceo de Cagay an University, and stateowned University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP).

He said to avoid crowding due to influx of pre-regis tered and walk-in students, they have been issuing refer ence numbers and assigned specific day and time sched ules.

He said another 50,000 sacks of rice under the regu lar program of MAFAR will also be handed over to farm ers.

Maguindanao, together with this city and the 63 vil lages under BARMM’s Spe cial Geographic Area (SGA)

complete precinct tally natu rally takes longer. Some times printing stops and the BEI loads a fresh roll of thermal paper.”

As DICT head, Rio chaired the COMELC Advisory Com mittee (CAC) of the 2019 midterm election.

“We did time-and-motion studies to determine the

farming so they can stand up for themselves and generate their own income.

Currently, their organi zation is helping Solomon Islands, while Kenken stayed on the sidelines, this time as she assisted in their training

They help the sexually-ex ploited women learn organic NEDA, | from p5...

SURVIVE, | from p6...

knowledge, we can help the community to thrive,” she said.

(That is the reason we named the group Thrive because if we encourage and give hope, empower ourselves, and help other women empower themselves with knowledge, we can help the community thrive)

It is Thrive’s 10th year, and the advocacy remains, Lluch said.

“ISAPLANO: Bagong Phil ippine Development Plan para sa Patuloy na Pagsu long,” focuses on the formu lation of the Philippine and Regional Development Plans (P/RDPs) 2023-2028, and strengthening the culture of planning.

“Our vision, our ambi tion, the AmBisyon Natin 2040, reflects the collective aspirations of the Filipino people for a matatag, magin hawa at panatag na buhay, a strongly-rooted, comfortable

Retuya assured the orga nizers of the school-based HIV-AIDS Advocacy Project the CHO will accompany those who are found reactive to the treatment hub at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center which is just across the venue of the HIV testing.

He said post-test counsel ling must be done by those who are HIV-positive and this is called peer-counsel ling because they are the ones who have first-hand account and experiences.

Aside from peer counsel ling, case managers tasked to closely monitor one’s adher ence to the anti-retroviral therapy (ART) are being deployed in treatment hubs, PSFI Area Regional Coor dinator Rasie Jean Dacoco said.

“Constant follow-up will be done for a year,” Dacoco said. “There will be learn ing group and family de velopment sessions” for all those who test positive, in response to a comment that stigma often starts within the family.

Meanwhile, SIAO Pro gram Officer Keziah Mal lorca said the positive re sponses from XUAC and other schools can be attrib uted to the “ambassadors” which were designated and were effective in convincing students, amid the rampant misinformation on HIV and AIDS.

To set off the news confer ence, Project Head Chariefa Al Ali said: “With Cagayan

villages in North Cotabato, bore the brunt of Paeng.

Data provided by BARMM Information Office showed that the region’s agriculture and fishery sector lost some PHP586 million due to the weather disturbance.

Paeng affected 14,174

length of the process, and there were no presidential and VP bets.”

COMELEC officials led by chairman George Garcia presented the transmission report in an Ateneo School of Government forum on October 18. A graph showed accumulated VCM transmis sions.

preparation.

They typically train com munities for at least 10 days to determine their needs in order to keep helping them.

They continue to contact and monitor these commu nities and deploy trainers

and secure life, or sa atong pinulungan, kinabuhing ligon, hamugaway, ug may kasiguradohan,” said Mylah Faye Aurora Cariño, NEDA10 regional director.

Cariño also underscored the importance of this vi sion and how it serves as the anchor for development planning across four political administrations.

She stressed a shift in mindset and advocated for improving financial literacy as a major goal espoused in the RDP. (NEDA-10 | PIA-10)

de Oro as the fifth leading city in the country with the highest number of HIV/ AIDS cases, XU-CSG is tak ing action as it spearheads a week-long campaign.”

The campaign is intended “to guide those who are most at risk of getting victimized by widespread misinforma tion, those who lack access to healthcare, and those who have an unfounded stigma against HIV and AIDS,” Al Ali said. (MT)

COVID, | from p1...

Retuya Jr., city health of fice epidemiologist, said the QR codes generated through the Higala App have been useful even when public health protocols have been eased.

“We will still know those who did not tell the truth of their whereabouts because we can see in the database where they have been (those who contracted Covid-19),” he said.

Retuya said the QR codes are still necessary because the Covid-19 response is still active, especially since the cases have spiked once more.

As of Wednesday, the CHO recorded another 21 new Covid-19 cases, leading to a cumulative 124 active cases here.

The use of QR codes and scanning through the Hi gala App was institutional ized through City Ordinance 14023-2021. (PNA)

farmers, fisherfolk, and agrarian reform beneficiaries in Maguindanao, Cotabato City, and SGA barangays in North Cotabato.

MAFAR reported that Paeng has affected agricul tural lands in 209 villages of 24 municipalities. (PNA)

“In that graph, VCM trans missions peaked after two hours, in stark contrast with the transparency server that peaked one hour after voting closed,” Rio said. “How can that happen when the VCMs multi-sent simultaneously to the COMELEC central server, transparency server, and municipal server?”

almost annually (only halted during the pandemic) as they strive to achieve their advocacy of helping the ones in need. Starting from the Lumad and our local farmers up to our brothers and sisters beyond the borders.

VINTAGE, | from p1...

to the area and saw the unearthed 75 mm. projec tiles sans their fuses with an estimated weight of 6 kg. each.

“The responding officers immediately called the Ex plosives Ordnance Disposal Unit for the proper disposi tion of the bombs,” he said.

Villahermosa urged Da bawenyos who happen to discover any explosives, such as vintage bombs, to coordi nate with the nearest police station. (PNA)

Local and international trail runners will brave the challenging trails of the country's highest peak in the upcoming Mt Apo Sky and Vertical Race scheduled on December 16 to 18 in Sta Cruz, Davao del Sur. (Photo courtesy of mtapoadventures. com | Department of Tourism-Davao Region)

Food and Travel Festival slated in Davao City

DAVAO CITY – Davao

Region will host this year’s Kaon Ta, Kain Pa! Food and Travel Festival to be held this December 2 to 4 at the Ayala Abreeza Mall in Davao City.

The food and travel festival organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) is a gastronomic celebration that aims to position the country as a premiere culinary destina tion in the world.

The 21st Kaon Ta, Kain

Pa will have the theme “Food Tripping Christmas” incorporating food, travel and the unique Filipino Christmas celebration.

The festival will show case the various culi nary dishes of Regions 1,5,6,8,9, 10,11,12 and 13. It will also include the Cordillera Administrative Region and the National Capital Region.

“With Kaon Ta, Kain Pa! the DOT aims to provide a platform for the develop

ment and promotion of regional cuisine as well as supporting farm tours and our tourism circuits that DOT Secretary Christina Frasco advocate to boost the recovery of intra and inter regional travel,” said DOT-11 Regional Director Tanya Rabat Tan.

The Christmas holidays is the time when Filipino families splurge on food to celebrate oneness and aspire for abundance in the New Year.

The three-day culinary event in Davao City which is held in partnership with Ayala Malls will highlight the celebration dishes that are hit in the noche buena tables.

“It is also an event that aims to provide a myriad of opportunities to our tour ism stakeholders, partners and enterprises - from food to farm tours to our local farmers and producers,” Tan said. (PIA | Rudolph Ian Alama)

PH hailed as World’s Leading Dive and Beach Destinations

THE Philippines has been hailed the World's Lead ing Dive Destination and the World's Leading Beach Destination for 2022, best ing all other countries at the 29th World Travel

Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony held in Muscat, Oman, recently.

“These global victories for the Philippines evince the unparalleled beauty of our country and the dis

tinct warmth of the Filipino people. We sincerely thank the World Travel Awards and everyone from all over the world whose vote of confidence is timely as the Philippines fully opens its arms to welcome tourists to our shores,” Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said.

“Under the vision of President Ferdinand Mar cos, Jr., among the De partment of Tourism’s objectives are to further enhance the development and promotion of key des tinations and to equalize development by support ing lesser-known areas across our Regions. These Awards are a source of inspiration for us in the

Department of Tourism to work even harder as the Marcos administration ushers in the resurgence of the tourism industry as a major pillar of economic growth and source of liveli hood for millions of Filipi nos. As we anticipate the influx of more tourists, we shall continue the work to improve the overall tourist experience in the Philip pines, and herald the best of the Filipino brand to the world,” the tourism chief added.

The Philippine dive portfolio continues its four-year winning streak for the World's Leading Dive Destination title as it lorded over the world's finest diving destinations,

which include the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Cayman Islands, Mal dives, Fiji, Mexico, Azores Islands, French Polyne sia, Galapagos Islands, St. Kitts, and Belize.

As the World's Leading Beach Destination, the Philippines also bested other beaches around the world, including previous awardees such as Mal dives, The Algarve in Por tugal, Jamaica, Galapagos Islands in Equador, Turks and Caicos Islands.

Meanwhile, three part ner tourism establishments also shared the World Travel Awards distinction: Amanpulo, as the World's Leading Dive Resort 2022; City of Dreams Manila, as

the World's Leading Casino Resort 2022; and Ascott Bonifacio Global City Ma nila, as the World's Lead ing Serviced Apartments 2022.

The DOT was also nominated as the World's Leading Tourist Board this year, as well as Siargao as the World's Leading Island Destination and Intramu ros as the World's Leading Tourist Attraction.

The 29th World Travel Awards gathered the best of the travel and hospi tality industries from its regional awardees across Asia, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Indian Ocean, Middle East, North America, Oceania, and South America.

The food and travel festival is a gastronomic celebration that aims to position the country as a premiere culinary destination in the world. (PIA-11)