Dinagat Islands gov delivers second state-of-province address
October 10, 2008In her one hour and thirty minutes State of the Province Address (SOPA) yesterday, October 8 at the Aurelio Gym here, Gov. Jade B. Ecleo shared her story a year ago when she left Manila to accept the mandate given to her by the Dinagatnons to lead them to a better future.
“Our story is about obstacles hurdled, fears overcome, weaknesses converted into strengths, and confusion cleared by a common direction. It is a story of faith, and confusion cleared by a common direction. It is a story of faith, courage, commitment, and partnership. A story of people helping each other to transform current adversities to windows of opportunities.”
She further added that with the birth of the youngest province of the country, the expectations of the people were mountain high. “But instead of cowering from fear of not able to deliver it, we dissected these expectations, set parameters, and placed the parts within a time frame. We built hopes and encourage community participation. We purposively placed key stakeholders on board, and created our vision.”
Gov. Ecleo revealed in her speech envisioned the province as a progressive island-province with empowered communities living in the spirit of bayanihan (communal unity) geared towards agri-fishery, responsible mining and tourism, sustaining a balanced human ecology.
“It is therefore our mission to promote socio-economic growth through sound governance and sustainable development of all resources,” she added.
The Honorable Governor also committed to continually improve and spur innovations in the programs, strategies and experiences in infrastructure development, administration, and governance which proved to be relevant to the people’s needs and are deemed successful and effective public service, fiscal improvements, economic growth, poverty reduction and social upliftment and like stone blocks, it helps build the foundation of the future of Dinagat Islands.
Though, Gov. Jade proudly declared the provincial outputs and outcomes of the year passed, she could not help but thanked everyone who made these possible for without them things could have been different.
Expressing her deep gratitude to her mom, Rep. Glenda Ecleo, “nga pinaagi sa iyang paningkamot nahimugso ang usa ka probinsya nga dugay na gipangandoy sa mga Dinagatnon isip katumanan sa mga damgo sa atong amahan na si Divine Master Ruben Edera Ecleo, Sr.; to my ever supportive brother, our Supreme President Ruben Buray Ecleo, Jr. together with the officials and members of the PBMA.”
Lastly, Gov. Ecleo thanked the men and women of the Provincial Government and component local government units for the support and cooperation.
The second SOPA was also attended by Vice Gov. Elvis dela Merced who presided over the joint session with the members of the board, and some Regional Directors of the National line agencies in the region. (PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Course on managing common diseases in banana goes online
The online course on Managing Common Diseases in Banana developed by Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Caraga is now available online. It can be accessed at www.e-extension.gov.ph.
This self-paced online instruction presents a comprehensive guide on how to eradicate the common diseases in banana.
It is chunked in nine specific topics called modules that represent the nine common diseases in banana namely: Bugtok, Bunchy Top, Banana Mosaic, Banana Bract Mosaic, Yellow Sigatoka, Black Sigatoka, Panama Disease, Banana Freckle and Moko.
Each module is further divided into detailed learnings called lessons that include the disease’s mode of transmission, symptoms, and its control measures.
A select of agricultural extension workers (AEWs) from the Office of the City Agriculturist of Butuan and technical staff of ATI-Caraga became the first finishers of the said online course after taking part in the one-day orientation and hands-on training held at the ICT room of the Northern Mindanao State Institute of Science and Technology (NORMISIST) recently. (ATI-13/PIA-Caraga)
Field day on rice production swanks ATI’s feat on FFARMS
The ATI Caraga had another victorious Field Day on Rice, Farmers’ Field School (FFS) and Graduation Day here, in this city recently.
A total of 200 guests from various areas in Butuan City and parts of the province of Agusan del Norte came to witness the 35 farmers and extensionist who graduated on the said FFS.
The 3-in-1 activity helped intensify the advocacy of the Sustainable System on Production Management (SSPM) and other components of Farm Family Approach on Resource Management for Sustainability (FFARMS) which serves as show window for farmers and other stakeholders on proper management of rice, livestock and other crops that will mitigate the chain effect of the crisis that has agonized the country and the world today.
During the activity, Dr. Nenita Sumile, ATI Caraga Center Director, urged everyone especially those in the agriculture sector to be assiduous and receptive to technologies. According to her, this is one way of achieving agricultural advancement. (ATI-13/PIA-Caraga)
Reds claim killing 19 govt soldiers in Mindanao
October 6, 2008Communist insurgents on Monday claimed killing 19 government troops in various clashes in southern Philippines. Military officials, however, quickly denied the claim.
A communist spokesman added that at least 20 more soldiers were wounded in two weeks of fighting in the provinces of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental.
“Killed in these series of tactical offensives were 19 troops and at least 20 were also wounded,” said Roel Agustin II, a spokesman for the New People’s Army in Southern Mindanao.
He said only one NPA fighter was killed in the clashes.
“In the last two weeks of September, the Brigade-size military operations by the composite 36th Infantry Battalion, Division Reconnaissance Company, 67th Infantry Battalion, Scout Rangers Company of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police’s 1105th Provincial Mobile Force were hit head-on in the series of tactical offensives by the Red fighters under the Conrado Heredia Command of the Front 20 Operations Command of the New People’s Army,” Agustin said.
He also belied military reports that many NPA fighters were killed in the government offensives in Mindanao.
Army Maj. Armand Rico, spokesman for the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command, previously said the insurgents have suffered many casualties in the clashes in the provinces.
“In the comforts of his air-conditioned Davao City Headquarters, Eastern Mindanao Command’s Maj. Armand Rico of the AFP is getting paid handsomely to tell lies and issue public statements for a systematic cover-up.”
“Maj. Rico and his higher-ups desperately want to project that the AFP soldiers deployed for the militarization in the Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental border-mountains is not running berserk and not suffering from low morale due to their numerous battle losses,” Agustin said.
But military officials dismissed the rebel claim as mere propaganda.
“They are nothing, but lies and propaganda,” Rico said.
In Manila, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said: “The rebel claim is not true. It’s all propaganda.”
The insurgents accused the military of violating the rights of the indigenous people and peasants and of protecting foreign mining companies. “The massive presence of mercenary AFP troops and its show of superior firepower aim to drive the people away from their farms and homes maim those who actively resist the aggressive incursions of big foreign businesses, and to protect the regime’s favored sources of blood money,” Agustin said.
Insurgents have previously attacked mining firms in the South and accused them of encroaching into ancestral lands and environment destruction, but authorities said failed extortion was likely behind it.
The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which broke off peace negotiations with Manila in August 2004.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had instructed government troops to crush the communist insurgency by the end of her term in June 2010. - GMANews.TV
10 injured in grenade blast in Claver town in Surigao del Norte
At least persons, five of them minors, were seriously wounded when a grenade thrown at them exploded right at the waiting shed where the victims were holding drinking session in Sitio Capangdan, Barangay Urbiztondo, Claver, Surigao del Norte Tuesday evening.
Belated reports reaching the Caraga Police Regional Information Office here identified those seriously wounded as Santos Santillan y Delantar, 55,Rolando Perales y Canoy, 28, Jerry Gier y Lipao, 36, Michael D Blancada, 21 and Reymond Parian y Delmente, 18.
Five more others wounded also brought for treatment at the Caraga Regional Hospital in Surigao City were aged 13, 14 and 15 years old, respectively.
Police investigation said that while the victims were having drinking spree, an unidentified perpetrator threw a hand grenade at the entrance of the waiting shed which exploded.
Recovered from the crime scene was safety lever/handle of a grenade now in the custody of the Police.
Further investigation indicates personal grudge might be the motive of the incident as one of the victims claimed to have received threats from a group with whom he had a misunderstanding.
Caraga Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Jaime Eloreta Milla said Claver Municipal Police Station is now conducting an in-depth investigation and follow-up operations for possible identification and filing of appropriate charges against the perpetrators. (PNA)
