Bishops nationwide willing to open church facilities as vax sites

CEBU CITY – Catholic bishops in the country expressed willingness anew to open church facilities as COVID-19 vaccination sites/centers, said Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, vice president of the episcopal conference.

The bishops’ leadership in January said they are willing to transform church facilities as vaccination hubs if necessary as they are all behind the government’s vaccine rollout.  “We are always open to partnering with the government when it’s for the common good,” David said.

In a CBCP News post, it said that the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (Nitag) of the Department of Health (DOH) earlier identified church facilities as ideal for mega vaccination sites noting the good ventilation in most places of worship.

As far as his diocese of Kalookan is concerned, David said they already have an established partnership with the city government. 

“We have already been a long-time partner of the Caloocan LGU in many endeavors, including the fight against the pandemic and the vaccination program,” he said.

The government has been ramping up its inoculation efforts with the expected delivery of more COVID-19 vaccines this year. (Photos: Google Images)

59th season of Silliman writers workshop opens online

MINERVA BC NEWMAN 

DUMAGUETE CITY—The 59^th season of the Silliman University Writers Workshop (SUNWW) opens online on June 28 to July 9, 2021 with 13 fellows from various places in the country representing various literary categories from poetry to fiction, drama and non-fiction.

Workshop coordinator, Warlito Caturay Jr., said that the absence of physical interaction between mentors and fellows will not compromise the standards the workshop is known for and upheld for 58 years.

 “The works will still be intensely discussed, and the writers will still be closely mentored by esteemed writers. This time though on a different platform.  The 59th edition of the workshop was originally scheduled in May 2020 but COVID-19 happened, so it had to be moved to a later date,” Caturay said.

The workshop has always been scheduled during the summer months; however, with the global pandemic, it had to be postponed.

Award-winning writer and educator Timothy Montes is the workshop director.  He will be joined by Richel Dorotan, Ma. Elena Paulma, Charlson Ong, Cesar Aquino, Ester Tapia, Januar Yap, and Marjorie Evasco as panelists.

This year’s fellows include Frederick Cumagun (Lipa, Batangas), Thomas Leonard Shaw (Cebu City), and Isabel Torres (Kalibo, Aklan) for poetry; Leanne Claire Bellen (Naga City), David Jason Oquendo (General Santos), and Francheska Isabel Guazon (Cebu City) for fiction; Andyleen Feje (Nueva Ecija) and Pietros Val Patricio (Athens, Greece) for creative nonfiction; Beryl Andrea Delicana  (Butuan City) for drama; Jovanie Garay (San Isidro, Davao Oriental) and Michael Florentino (Cebu City) for Balak; and Jennifer Ebdani (Calbayog City, Samar) and Hannah Leceña (Saranggani Province) for Sugilanon.

Caturay added that the workshop staff had hoped that a face-to-face workshop would be possible May this year, but COVID-19 continues to be a threat hence, the staff opted to do an online session.

The SUNWW is the longest-running workshop in Asia. It was founded by Edilberto Tiempo and National Artist for Literature Edith Tiempo.  It is known not only for its program but also for the competitiveness in its selection of fellows.

Like in previous years, the workshop is supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. (Photos: Google Images)

Turf wars delaying Senate nod to DOFIL

 CEBU CITY – Territorial issues among government agencies are delaying the Senate’s approval of a new Cabinet-level department devoted to the concerns of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Senator Imee Marcos said that an organizational chart of the proposed Department of Overseas Filipinos (DOFil) shows that the current departments of labor and employment, foreign affairs, and social welfare and development were unwilling to give up attached agencies that can be consolidated to avoid redundant positions, reduce government costs, and cut the time, effort and expense of OFWs in availing of government assistance.

“We hear the clamor of our OFWs who are hoping for a one-stop shop, not a merry-go-round of redundant offices in various departments and agencies,” Marcos said.

Marcos explained that there’s a turf war going on, involving mandates and budgets. Senators on both sides of the political fence are willing to approve what President Duterte has certified as urgent, but the DOLE, DFA, and DSWD must be willing to let go of certain attached agencies.

Among the agencies that can be consolidated into DOFil, Marcos named the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Labor Affairs Bureau under DOLE; the Office of Migrant Workers’ Affairs and Commission on Filipinos Overseas under DFA; the International Social Services Office under DSWD; and the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) under the Office of the President.

“Consolidation means savings that can solve the lack of funding for an honest-to-goodness OFW repatriation program,” Marcos pointed out.

If establishing DOFil continues to be problematic, Marcos said the POEA can instead be expanded into a National Overseas Employment Authority (NOEA).  Upgrading the POEA would be more feasible and prudent if the Covid-19 pandemic endures and the country needs to spend more on health and social protection programs, she added.

She said that the NOEA will be a less costly option for the government while preserving the institutional knowledge and memory of the POEA - itself a consolidation of the Overseas Employment Development Board, National Seamen Board, and Bureau of Employment Services,” Marcos explained.

 

 

CLI sustains growth momentum, prepares wider development for 2021

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY—The Cebu Landmaster Inc. (CLI), the leading developer in the VisMin area reported a sustained construction operation, maintained its communication with customer and brokers and has exceeded its reservation sales in 2020 even amid the pandemic, and prepares for wider developments for 2021.

“2020 has been a defining year for CLI as we even outperformed amid the pandemic and we hope to rebound and abound for 2021,” CLI chairman and CEO Jose Soberano III said in a virtual CLI annual stockholders’ meeting and press conference Thursday, May 27 in Cebu with more than 50 stockholders in attendance.

Soberano went on that CLI sees the start of wide development projects in 2021 that include the Techno Biz Hub Reclamation project in Minglanilla in the 4^th quarter; launching of Abaca Hotel project in Mactan in the 3^rd quarter and condo projects in Mactan and few other acquisitions to be developed in 2021 and beyond.

The signing of the memorandum of agreement of the Techno Biz Hub in Minglanilla, that was originally scheduled in April this year with the LGU and the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) has been reset on June 11 due to the spike of COVID number in Manila, Soberano bared.

The MOA contains the details of the programming, sharing scheme, timeline, others.  “Once we have the notice to proceed, we are excited of the project.  This is a 100-hectare development with a cost of more than P10B,” he added.

Soberano said that this project is good alternative for the industrial and economic zones that will create the needed economic activities in Cebu and a real addition to the development landscape of CLI.

According to CLI chief operating officer Franco Soberano that CLI didn’t downsize operations in 2020 but managed to maintain the organic people, beefed-up the workforce and it even add more contractors for its various projects in the VisMin regions that allowed CLI to post a consolidated net income of P714M for the first quarter of 2021, a 12 percent growth from last year’s net income.

“There are still many cities and municipalities in the VisMin regions to fill the housing development backlogs.  We can only provide 2,000 units per year out of the demand/needs of 8,000 units per year,” Soberano stated.

He said that sustaining this momentum is the key to seize the opportunity to fill in the development backlogs.  To go beyond where CLI now is to step further.  The company is very confident to widen its operations in the VisMin because there is still a lot of housing demand in the area.

According to CLI chairman Jose Soberano III that CLI aims to buck industry trends once again in 2021 with 25 projects in the pipeline–15 of which target the economic and mid-market residential segments in the region and are collectively valued at Php 19 Billion.

As to the question of expanding its development operations nationwide, the Soberanos said that it is for the next generation to respond to the challenge.  “We are always improving, and market share has never been our animated goal but, are we able to deliver the best market with satisfied customers,” he added. (Photos: CLI/Google Images)

 

 

 

 

 

Community pantry via vegetable, Peking duck farms in NegOcc

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – The volunteers of Kasambayanihan program of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) in the coastal town of Valladolid, Negros Occidental have been quietly tending to their communal vegetable gardens and Peking duck farms to assist and provide impoverished communities and families in the area with livelihood and food security.

One of these hardworking residents and a NAPC volunteer is Ernesto Araneta, coordinator of the Communal Vegetable Farm Project in Barangay Paloma created under the Poverty Reduction through Rural Development (PRRD) program of NAPC and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

As a Ka-Sambayanan volunteer Ernesto leads the community in planting various vegetables such as lettuce, pechay, string beans, and alugbati from seeds provided by the Commission in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) which are grown organically.

“Malaking tulong sa amin ang pagkakaroon ng communal garden.  Nakakapag harvest kami ng dalawang beses sa isang linggo.  Pinamahagi namin ito sa mga kasamahan namin sa Ka-sambayanihan para magkaroon sila ng kabuhayan,” Ernesto said.

Aside from harvesting for their personal consumption, the team can earn as much as P3,000 a week from the sale of their produce.

NAPC municipal focal person David Rigonel is also helping Barangay Bayabas but this time, through Peking duck production.

NAPC provided the barangay with an initial 100 Peking ducks which the team is raising.  The target is to provide each family beneficiary with at least 15 ducks to take care of in their own backyard for continuous production.

“Itong Peking duck ay nakita natin na hindi lamang itlog ang mapapakinabangan pati na rin ang karne. Simple itong alagaan.  Pabayaan lang silang umikot-ikot sa bakuran ng bawat benepisyaryo at bigyan ng tirang pagkain.  Siguradong mangingitlog na kaya walang masyadong gastos.  Pwede ring ipagbili ang karne dahil mahal ito,” David said.

NAPC Secretary and Lead Convenor Atty. Noel Felongco is pleased to see these community efforts taking off and it inspired NAPC to work harder to bring down the country’s poverty incidence, enhance food security and strengthen rural-urban agro-economic value chains.

Felongco said that NAPC and the Valladolid local government unit signed a memorandum of agreement for the implementation of a P3-million poverty alleviation project in the municipality.

The budget for the Integrated Community-Based Agricultural Production and Processing Facility includes P2 million for the construction of physical infrastructures and procurement of equipment, P500,000 for hauling support and provision for vehicles, and PHP500,000 for capital infusion relative to the conduct of livelihood projects, Felongco bared.

Valladolid is one of the seven priority areas for the implementation of the PRRD prototype projects that included Majayjay, Laguna; Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya; Cebu City; Calbayog City, Samar; Talipao, Sulu; and Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte.

Felongco added that NAPC has developed the Sambayanihan: Serbisyong Sambayanan, a five-year development framework from 2019-2023 to offer opportunities for people to lift themselves out of poverty and achieve a better life.

The framework provides guidance in carrying out a climate-responsive, culture- and gender-sensitive, and convergent and participatory anti-poverty strategy in response to the administration’s goal of bringing down the country’s poverty incidence from 21.6 percent in 2015 to 14 percent by 2022, Felongco said. (Photos: NAPC/Google Images)

82IB returns to Cebu to boost campaign vs CTGs in Central Visayas

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – The 82nd Infantry (Bantay Laya) Battalion was redeployed to Barangay Nangka, Balamban, Cebu to intensify the campaign efforts against the remaining members of the Communist Terrorist Group in the Central Visayas area and the troops were formally welcomed through a ceremony led by Major General Eric Vinoya, Commander, 3ID on May 26.

MGen Vinoya welcomed the soldiers of 82IB as they return to their mother unit bringing with them another mission to dismantle the remaining CTGs in the provinces of Cebu and Siquijor.

The Central Command, Armed Forces of the Philippines requested the redeployment of 82IB back to the 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division area of operation to augment in the clearing and dismantling of the remaining Guerilla Fronts (GF) and to address the gap and security vacuum, particularly in Cebu Island.

“With the additional number of soldiers to augment in Cebu and Siquijor, we assure the peace-loving people of these provinces that their Army in Central and Western Visayas will not stop its fight until they attain an NPA-free community,” Vinoya said.

Bantay Laya Troopers arrived in Cebu by batches starting in early May and underwent a 14-day quarantine period.  The welcome ceremony also signaled the start of their refresher training course to accomplish its new mission effectively.

The 82IB was previously based in Miag-ao, Iloilo, was deployed to Mindanao, as one of the follow-on forces to augment the fighting units of Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) during the Marawi Siege.

They replaced the Bravo Company of 47IB in Cebu and Siquijor Islands as their new area of operations while the latter was transferred to Bohol Island to fast-track the clearing and dismantling of (BPC) Komiteng Rehiyon Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor (KR NCBS).

In addition, the 82IB was placed under the operational control of Task Group Cebu-Bohol-Siquijor (TG-CBS) to address the Internal and Security Operations (ISO) and sustainment efforts in those Islands. (Photos: PA Spearhead Troopers)

 

6 island schools in Bohol get P18M worth of solar power systems

 MINERVA BC NEWMAN

BOHOL Province – Six island schools in Talibon and Bien Unido towns in Bohol received a donation from Vivant Foundation off-grid solar power systems of different capacity levels worth P18, 441,227.00 including the installation cost for the power system on May 21 to energize these island schools which are not connected to main land power through its project called Renewable Energy for Livelihood and Youth (RELY).

According to the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-Bohol provincial manager Rey Chui that RELY project aims to promote renewable energy to improve learning and community lives and foster climate change mitigations in underserved communities in Centrals Visayas as well as in Palawan, by energizing off-grid schools.

Chui went on that RELY’s approach combines solar electrification with community development and improved vocational education by collaborating with partner senior high schools to serve as training hubs for the mainstreaming of solar power electrical installation and maintenance.

The project also partners with PROCESS Bohol, a local government program to undertake livelihood and youth programs and development components, Chui added.

According to Vivant Foundation the project is funded by the European Union to the Philippines and SEQUA gGmbH German Cooperation.   The EU support comes under the Access to Sustainable Energy Program (ASEP), a joint undertaking of the Department of Energy and the European Union.

The goal of the cooperation is to assist the Philippine Government in expanding sustainable energy generation to meet growing economic needs and provide energy access to the poor and marginalized sectors, Vivant Foundation added.

Hingotanan East National High School principal Joemilyn Cabanero recalled that in 2004, all they had in school was 6-horsepower 3-kilovolt power generators.  

In 2005 the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) gave them 10 computer units which forced them to buy another set of generators especially when the computer subjects were introduced.

The teachers then would prioritize and dedicate all available power to the classes, while they would delay the printing of reports to allocate the power required for the computers.

Cabanero bared that the problem even escalated when the school started implementing the Senior High School curriculum and with technical vocational and livelihood strand where they had Small Metal Arc Welding, cookery and tailoring.

It was in 2019 after Vivant visited the island schools to gather data and consultations that Vivant Foundation saw the need to provide power to the schools. 

By November 2020, Vivant technicians finished the installation of the off grid solar power systems, making the Hingotanan East National High School a pilot in clean and green energy.

Cabanero said that because of the solar project, the school has saved P10,000 in costs of diesel and now, the amount is used to purchase additional learning materials and tools upgrading for the school teaching aids and other program.

DepEd-Central Visayas Regional Director Atty Salustiano Jimenez with Bohol DepED Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Bianito Dagatan led the local school officials in receiving the deed of donation from Vivant, a Cebu-based power generation company through its Vivant Foundation the company’s corporate social responsibility arm. (Photos: Vivant/Google Images)

 

 

PLDT-Smart Foundation provides aid to N.Samar communities, frontliners

 

    MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – The PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) turned over hospital a cardiac monitor equipment to St. Scholastica’s Hospital, Inc. (SSHI) in Pambujan, Northern Samar on May 17 to cater to the emergency needs of SSHI patients, most of them belonging to indigent communities.

PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos said that the PLDT group and the PLDT-Smart Foundation are helping families and communities cope amid the pandemic.  The company utilizes all its resources to provide support to the country’s frontline healthcare workers.

“We hope that, in our own way, we are able to address the needs of SSHI as they make healthcare accessible to indigent families and communities in Northern Samar,” Santos said.

SSHI Outgoing Treasurer Sister Ana Marie Race, OSB said that they chose to be in Northern Samar which is on the top 10 poorest provinces in the country to bring quality and affordable medical services nearer to those who have no access to a hospital.  It is their way of continuing the healing ministry of Jesus to our brothers and sisters in the periphery.

Sister Ana said that the hospital was able to survive these past three years mainly due to the support of their congregation, through Philhealth payments and through donations from groups and foundations like the PSF. They also sometimes receive individual contributions and donations.

“We hope that this is only the beginning of a fruitful partnership with the PLDT-Smart Foundation in responding to the health care needs of our financially disadvantaged people.  We are grateful for your support, especially during these difficult times,” Sister Ana said. (Photos: PLDT/FB/Google Images)

 

Cebu sees increase in open-air cafes, countryside tourism

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – Cebu Province sees an increase and trends in open-air cafes and countryside tourism as it continues to reopen its towns and cities showcasing various locally-sourced products, services and tourism attractions.

"Here we are again for the 5th tranche of the “R' Cebu Yes, I do! Tercero Distrito” showcasing the mid-west pride of Cebu Province.  I recalled the first R'Cebu showcase, it was not as lively as we have now.  A lot has happened from then and now we can say with awe and we can say that Cebu moves on and moving forward," Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia said in her opening message during the “R' Cebu Yes, I do! Tercero Distrito” display and exhibit at the Robinsons Galleria on May 21-23.

According to Garcia Cebu is a success story by opening its economy amid the pandemic.  What makes Cebu tick are the Cebuanos, creative, innovative and that indomitable spirit to succeed. Garcia added that no matter what kind of challenges, she will face them because of the Cebuanos.

Department of Tourism (DOT-7) regional director Shalimar Hofer Tamano on the other hand said that Cebu is very much alive after one year of the pandemic with the reopening of the local tourism with less hassle and less paper requirements.

“We are seeing trends right now where people want open-air cafes, nature adventure, glamping, beach resorts and other countryside tourism attractions such as beaching, chasing waterfalls, sunrise and sunsets,” Tamano said in his message in the same event.

Tamano added that business this year it seems, is better before the pandemic especially around the mountain areas along the Cebu-Balamban Transcentral Highway where beautiful flower gardens, open spaces restaurants and sea/mountains resorts have sprouted overnight when governor Garcia reopened the province to local tourists.

Meanwhile, catch R’ Cebu! Returns this weekend showcasing the Mid-West pride of Cebu Province from May 21-23, 2021 and enjoy the various delicacies, tourist spots, and offerings from Aloguinsan, Asturias, Balamban, Barili, Pinamungajan, Toledo City, and Tuburan at Robinsons Galleria Cebu Atrium.

R’ Cebu! is presented by Robinsons Galleria Cebu in partnership with the Cebu Provincial Government to support the local farmers, fishermen, artisans, and small business owners.

Some local delicacies and products to bring home are 100% organic Cassava chips, tablea and camote cookies with malunggay from Aloguinsan; Bingka Dawa, budbud moron, therapeutic clay from Asturias.

Also available are the original Balamban liempo, handicrafts, binangkal, tumeric with ginger powder from Balamban; Goats milk, pinato, tinapay de Barili from Barili; Caramilk cookies, native baskets, coco sugar from Pinamungajan; Toledo City’s Puto lancho, coconut vinegar, tableya, lakay-lakay broom and Tuburan coffee from Tuburan.