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SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017
Jimbo Gulle, Editor
Roger Garcia, Issue Editor
LGUs
mslocalgov@gmail.com
MANILA TAKES IN 34 MARAWI STUDENTS By Sandy Araneta
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T LEAST 34 students who escaped from wartorn Marawi City have been enrolled in different public schools in Manila, Mayor Joseph Estrada confirmed on Friday. Estrada said this number may still grow because of the extended enrollment period, but he assured that Manila public schools are ready to accommodate more displaced schoolchildren not only from Marawi but also from other conflict areas in Mindanao. “I have advised our teachers and principals to give the best that they can offer to these displaced students,” Estrada said. “In whatever armed conflict, these children are often the most affected and vulnerable, so we have to help them.” Citing reports from the Division of City Schools-
Manila, Estrada said 34 Marawi children have been accepted in various public high schools and elementary schools as classes resumed Monday, June 5. The City of Manila has 33 public high schools and 73 elementary schools across the city’s six districts. Manila Schools Superintendent and Department of Education-National Capital Region officer-in-charge Wilfredo Cabral said public schools in the city can still accommodate “a hundred more” transferees. “Our schools have not yet reached their maximum absorptive capacity, meaning to say, we can accommodate, especially displaced children from Marawi,” Cabral pointed out. As instructed by Education Secretary Leonor Briones, Cabral said DepEd-NCR has temporarily relaxed its documentary requirements for the Marawi enrollees until the end of the month. He assured that the city government and DepEd are doing everything they can to assist these affected students and their families given the experience they had.
The Marawi students are currently undergoing evaluation and psychological assessment. “The reason why we’re identifying them is that we would like to know their psychological and mental state so we could find out what kind of assistance we can give to them,” Cabral explained. “We don’t know yet if they were caught in crossfire or they have managed to leave Marawi before the hostilities started. We still have to assess them,” he added. The DepEd official said the most these students need is counseling to help them adjust to their new environment. In a press briefing last Monday at the President Corazon Aquino High School in Baseco Compound, Manila, Briones said some 20,000 school-age children were displaced from Marawi due to the ongoing armed conflict between government troops and members of the terrorist Maute group. She added 1,391 students from Marawi have enrolled in other public schools, mostly in the nearby cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, and even in Quezon City and Manila.
Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista receives from Assistant Secretary and Civil Defense Deputy Administrator for Operations Rodolfo Demosthenes Santillan the award for the country’s third best disaster risk reduction management council for the highly-urbanized city category during the 18th Gawad Kalasag National Awarding Ceremony on Thursday at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Manny Palmero
COUNCIL OF ELDERS HELPS IN DRUG WAR RECOGNIZING the value of their wisdom and lifelong experiences, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada gathered on Friday more than 80 senior citizens, mostly retired professionals and long-time city residents, to help the city government wage war against drugs. Estrada believes that by having the senior citizens go down to the barangays to speak about the evils of drug addiction, many people, especially the young ones, will listen and heed their advice. “When our lolos and lolas preach, we really tend to listen because we respect them, we value their words, and we know that they care,” Estrada said. “For this reason, we have asked our elderly to become our partners in our drug prevention campaign.” Estrada personally welcomed the first batch of more than 80 sexagenarians and septuagenarians who have volunteered to take part in a drug prevention and anti-illegal drugs training program led by the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs. Estrada said he is elated by the enthusiasm shown by the elderly in helping the city government fight drugs, a proof that despite their age and physical condition, they are still eager to play a big role in nationbuilding, especially in saving the new generation from illegal drugs. “They have been our role models, they have done so much for the society, they should have been living a comfortable life after retirement, but they’re still here, willing to spend valuable time and effort to help their country, their city,” Estrada stressed. Sandy Araneta
GSIS ‘GSP’ LISTUP EXTENDED TO JUNE 23
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QUEZON CITY 3RD IN GAWAD KALASAG NATIONAL SEARCH QUEZON City has placed third in this year’s search for the country’s best highly-urbanized city disaster risk reduction management council or DRRMC. Quezon City represented the National Capital Region for the Gawad Kalasag national competition. Mayor Herbert Bautista received the award in a ceremony held on Thursday, June 8, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay. Quezon City under Bautista has invested a lot of capital to acquire and
Local Gov’t Units
install state-of-the-art equipment and technologies needed to promote human security and in the strengthening of the city’s capabilities and resiliency, especially in times of calamity. Quezon City also has one of the most advanced Emergency Operations Center in Asia, Bautista said. “The city has one of the best programs and capacity to address the four thematic areas [of disaster management], for example in prevention and mitigation, we have a lot of infrastructure built by the local government to mitigate the
flood,” Quezon City DRRMC head Karl Michael Marasigan said. Last December, Quezon City was recognized by the Office of Civil Defense as the best highly-urbanized city DRRMC in the National Capital Region, based on promoting innovation and excellence on disaster risk reduction management and humanitarian assistance. A five-man validating team formed by the Gawad Kalasag organizing committee assessed Quezon City’s disaster risk reduction and management efforts, composed of representa-
tives from the Office of Civil Defense, League of Cities of the Philippines and Department of the Interior and Local Government. Quezon City’s disaster risk reduction and management effort is a consolidation of some of the best practices adopted by other local government units. “Quezon City is far more progressive in disaster risk management and is more pro-active as far as climate change adaptation is concerned,” City Administrator Aldrin Cuña said during the Gawad Kalasag audit.
THE Government Service Insurance System is currently accepting applications for its enhanced GSIS Scholarship Program for Academic Year 2017-2018. The deadline for submission of application is extended until June 23, 2017. This year, GSIS is offering a total of 400 scholarship slots to children or dependents of active members and permanent total disability (PTD) pensioners with the lowest annual basic salary. Of the 400 slots, 10 percent are allotted for dependents of persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and solo or single parents. Active members may nominate their children or dependents if they are permanent government employees, have at least three-year government service, have a salary grade of 24 or below (or its equivalent job level), and have paid premium contributions for the last six months. PTD pensioners who are below 60 years old are eligible to nominate their children as scholars. Active members or disability pensioners may nominate scholars if they are college students in any year level in schools accredited by the Commission on Higher Education as Levels IV and III. Active members who are single or married may nominate one child or dependent, while PTD pensioners may nominate their children only.
MUNTINLUPA SETS UP ENGINEERING COLLEGE IN SUCAT Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (inset photo) led the groundbreaking ceremony of Colegio de Muntinlupa last June 6 at Posadas Avenue, Sucat, together with local officials. Envisioned to be one of the leading technological and research institutions in the country, CDM will be pioneering five engineering programs in 2018.
THE local government of Muntinlupa has broken ground in Sucat for its engineering college, Colegio de Muntinlupa, envisioned to be one of the leading technological and research institutions in the country. Mayor Jaime Fresnedi led the groundbreaking ceremony last June 6 at Posadas Avenue, Sucat, together with local officials, national agency execs, and state university professors. CDM College administrator Dr. Teresita Fortuna, a former Department of Science and Technology director for the National Capital Region, said the soon-to-rise engineering college will provide topnotch education on science and technology from highlyesteemed faculty and integrated training with top-of-the-line industrial equipment. Some of the faculty members who will be
teaching at CDM are Dr. Nathaniel Hermosa, the National Academy of Science and Technology’s Outstanding Young Scientist, 2014 Civil Engineering Licensure Exam Topnotcher Harvey Malolos, and professors from private and state universities, among others. CDM will initially offer five engineering programs: Bachelor of Science courses in Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Muntinlupa residents who will be qualified for CDM programs are set to receive subsidy from the city government through the Muntinlupa Scholarship Program, while non-Muntinlupa residents will be paying full tuition.