Lanao del Sur holds women's summit

The provincial government of Lanao del Sur conducted a one-day women's summit on Tuesday, March 21, to celebrate the role of women in nation-building.

The provincial summit was attended by gender and development (GAD) focal persons from the different local government units, line agencies, and non-government organizations in the province.

Dr. Monaima Adiong, provincial GAD focal person, said it is the responsibility of the provincial government as primary duty-bearer to provide platforms to women in the province to voice out their opinions and contribute in shaping local policies which will address their needs.

The summit was a first of its kind in the province.

Commissioner Cristita Triunfante from the Philippine Commission on Women graced the summit and discussed the highlights of Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women.

Other topics tackled during the summit were the UN Resolutions 1325 and 1820 and the situationer of women in Lanao del Sur.

The attendees also underwent a workshop on identification of women issues and concerns in key thematic areas.

Adiong said the output of the workshop will serve as the reference of the provincial GAD execom in crafting the provincial women agenda which will address the needs of the women sector in the province.

Triunfante, on the other hand, said she will bring the provincial women agenda to national women's summit dubbed  “C.H.A.N.G.E.: A Women’s Summit (Compassionate and Harmonized Actions and Networks for Gender Equality)” on March 30-31, 2017. 

The national summit will bring together key stakeholders implementing the Magna Carta of Women and related-GAD mandates. It will feature relevant plenary discussions and parallel sessions to discuss how to strengthen the implementation of the Magna Carta of Women. (APB/PIA-10)

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RA 9710 upholds women's rights

The rights of women are well guaranteed under Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women (MCW), a commissioner from the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) reiterated in a provincial women's summit.

Commissioner Cristita C. Triunfante said the MCW is a comprehensive women's human rights law that seeks to eliminate discrimination, seclusion and marginalization of women.

She said the law protects and fulfills the rights of women and mainstreams them to be active participants in development.

Triunfante was one of the resource persons during the 1st Provincial Women's Summit where she discussed the highlights of the MCW.

She said women empowerment, equal opportunities, equal access to resources, and plans and programs that address discrimination, are all embodied in the MCW.

Some of the rights spelled out in the MCW included protection from all forms of violence, protection and security in times of disaster, calamities and other crisis situations; participation and representation; equal treatment before the law; equal access and elimination of discrimination against in women in education, scholarships and training; equal participation of women in sports; non-discrimination in employment in the field of military, police and other similar services; non-discriminatory and non-derogatory portrayal of women in media and film; right to comprehensive health services and education; special leave benefits; and equal rights in matters relating to marriage and family relations.

Triunfante said the law also guarantees the civil, political and economic rights of women in the marginalized sectors such small farmers and rural workers, fisherfolk, urban poor, workers in the formal economy, workers in the informal economy, migrant workers, indigenous peoples, Moro, children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and solo parents.

The provincial women's summit was conducted on March 21 by the provincial government of Lanao del Sur in support to the 2017 Women's Month Celebration and to take a stand in addressing issues on women empowerment and mainstreaming. (APB/PIA-10)

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Angat Buhay program launched in Lanao del Sur

To address the needs of poor and marginalized families in the province, Vice President Leni Robredo led the launching of the program Angat Buhay Partnership Against Poverty in Lanao del Sur on Tuesday, March 21.

Angat Buhay aims to address poverty in identified areas through convergence with private companies and other development partners.

Sixteen municipalities in the province were identified as pilot beneficiaries of the program based on poverty indicators as well as capacity and willingness of the local government unit to engage with development partners.

Poverty indicators include those with the highest poverty incidences and those greatly disadavantaged due to conflict situation, among others.

The pilot municipalities are Balabagan, Binidayan, Buadipuso-Buntong, Bubong, Kapai, Lumbatan, Lumbayanague, Maguing, Malabang, Piagapo, Picong, Pualas, Saguiaran, Sultan Dumalondong, Tubaran and Wao.

Angat Buhay also seeks to complement the 9-point agenda of the provincial government and will focus on four areas: agri-fisheries, health and nutrition, solar electrification, and education. (APB/PIA-10)

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42 rural women undergo training on herb production, processing

Forty-two rural women were trained on herbal production, utilization and processing to provide them additional livelihood opportunities.

The training was held on March 15-17, 2017  at the Municipal Training Hall, Daguan, Kapatagan town, this province. 

The activity was the second of a series of training that the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) has aligned for the province.

Victoria A.Motril, owner of VMotrils Food Products served as the resource person. She is a UN-FAO awardee as Outstanding Female Farmer and DA- awardee for Outstanding Hgh Value Crops Processor in Central Mindanao. 

Motirl said rural women can become potent partners in development if they have the will and the necessary skills to start running a business of their own. 

Among the topics she shared were uses of common Philippine herbs as well as processing and packaging of such herbs for income generation purposes. 

The participants also underwent a hands-on in the preparation of different herbs like Tanglad or Lemongrass Juice, Calabash Miracle Fruit Juice, Peppermint Ointment, Turmeric and Malunggay Capsule, and Taheboo Green Tea. 

Planting materials of herbs were also distributed to them for production and multiplication. (DA Lanao del Sur/PIA-10)

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DOH-ARMM official to represent PH in U.S.-sponsored professional exchange program

An official from the Department of Health in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOH-ARMM) will represent the country in a global health initiative sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s  International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).

Dyan Sangkula Jumaide, assistant secretary of the Department of Health-ARMM, said the multi-regional project dubbed “Global Health: Building Country Capacity,” to be administered by Meridian International Center, will start on March 18 and end on April 8.

Participants in the program are from 21 other countries who are medical professionals involved in healthcare treatment and disease prevention education programs, including nurses, doctors, hospital administrators, Ministry of Health officials, educators, nongovernmental organization staff, social workers, and media.

The program kicks off in Washington DC and will include visits to Boston, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Diego, California; and Atlanta, Georgia.

The three-week program will introduce the role of the U.S. federal, state and municipal government agencies and nongovernmental organizations in developing and implementing public health programs and policies. 

Healthcare trends and training and the latest research in the field of public health especially in cancer, stroke, diabetes, childhood and infectious diseases will be covered during visits to research centers, medical schools, and teaching hospitals.

The program will include opportunities to examine research, prevention, treatment, patient counseling, public outreach and education, and support services, and meet with professional counterparts, medical personnel, and activists to share success stories and challenges.

“In ARMM, the lack of health workers is one of the problems besetting the healthcare system, so maybe through this program, I could learn better health practices on how to address health problems issues in our region and in our country,” Assistant Secretary Jumaide said.

Starting as a staff nurse at the Datu Alawaddin Bandon Sr. Memorial Hospital in Tawi-Tawi (1993-2000), Assistant Secretary Jumaide became a health information officer in the same province (2000-2006), project officer of USAID (2006-2010), assemblywoman, and currently as DOH-ARMM’s assistant secretary.

Participants in the IVLP are nominated and selected annually by the staff at U.S. embassies around the world. (BPI/PIA-10)

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Lanao del Sur eyes culture promotion to boost tourism

The provincial government plans to develop Lanao del Sur as a center of culture and arts by promoting the Meranao culture as its primary tourism product.

                                                                                                              

Ahmad Nour-al-dinn Tamano Jr., provincial tourism officer, said the three-year tourism development plan of the provincial government focuses on key niches that includes the rehabilitation and improvement of cultural heritage sites and complement the implementation of Go Negosyo Centers that will showcase Meranao handicrafts, arts and delicacies.

“We have a rich culture that can attract more tourists and contribute to the economic development of the province,” he said.

Last month, the Tourism Department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) announced that Lanao del Sur attracted 69,606 visitors in 2016, up by 14 percent from the 61,058 visitors registered in 2015, which resulted to P1.2 billion total tourism receipts.

Aside from cultural tourism, the provincial government will also push for the implementation of Lanao Lake Development Authority, development of ecology parks complete with tourist-related facilities, and construction of access roads to all potential tourist spots.

Tamano said they will need the cooperation and support of municipal governments in the Lanao del Sur to achieve their plan in boosting the tourism industry in the province.

He requested the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Sangguniang Bayan, and the Marawi City Council to pass legislations supporting the provincial tourism development plan.

                                                               

Tamano also proposed ordinances to regulate the development of Lake Lanao and Agus River, to require the transport sector to undergo basic tourism education, to prohibit the destruction of historical buildings and infrastructures, and to preserve and maintain Plaza Rizal in Marawi City, among others. (APB/PIA-10)

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DOT-ARMM master plan focuses on key niches to strengthen tourism dev’t

The Department of Tourism in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOT-ARMM) is eyeing three key areas to boost tourism development in the region.

                                                                                                      

Engr. John Lomboy, chief of the DOT-ARMM Tourism Operations and Promotions Division, said the three-year tourism development roadmap of the region centers on tourism product development, infrastructure development, and human resource development.

Lomboy said part of the product development component is support to the Philippine Halal Tourism project.

It covers facilitation of Halal accreditation of tourism operators and entities engage in hospitality and food services.

This also includes the provision of technical assistance and capacity building to local government units, integration of the concept of cultural tourism in different festivals in the region, and intensified marketing promotions.

In terms of infra development, Lomboy said the regional government is doing its best to support the tourism industry through road tourism infrastructure projects under the regional public works and highways department.

In 2016, the DOT-ARMM reported a total of 212,649 tourist arrivals the region’s five provinces with roughly P3.7 billion in tourism-related expenditures.

ARMM Tourism Secretary Ayesha Mangudadatu-Dilangalen said tourism is vital in economic development as it can provide direct jobs to the community.

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Marawi City employees undergo news writing, photojournalism workshop

Fifty two employees from the different departments of the Marawi City Government underwent a one-day coaching workshop to hone their skills in news writing, photojournalism and social media content development.

The skills coaching workshop was conducted by the city government in partnership with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) on March 9 at the city hall’s conference room.

Information officers from the PIA regional office 10 served as the resource persons and talked about basic news writing, rules of composition in photography, caption writing, and creating shareable social media content.

After the discussions, the participants underwent workshops which were critiqued by the resource persons pointing out the weaknesses of the outputs and how to further improve it.

Faisal Cali, a participant from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said they learned a lot from the workshop particularly on photography and social media content development.

“The social media discussion gave us insights on today’s modern world and how we can maximize it in our advocacy and programs. The photography session was also vital, we have observed that we have not been using the rules of composition in photography,” he said.

Katty Gandamra, communications consultant of the city government, said communicating with integrity and credibility was the best learning the participants have gained during the workshop.

“Communication cannot be over-emphasized because we simply cannot afford not communicate. Communication is part of our daily work thus we have to give accurate and honest information to have credibility and integrity to share it with our audience,” she said.

The activity was the first communications workshop conducted by the city government under the new administration and the first capability building session of PIA-10 for 2017. (PIA-10)

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ARMM commemorates Bangsamoro Week of Peace

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The sixth-year commemoration of the Bangsamoro Week of Peace officially commenced on March 13, with an opening ceremony at the ORG compound led by  Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman.

Hataman said it is only through remembering the previous struggles of the Bangsamoro that the generation of today can be empowered to continue the cause and achieve lasting peace in this part of the country.  

Hataman also called for unity and cooperation among the different sectors in the region to continue the reforms and changes that the regional government has introduced and implemented during his years of governance.

The tri-people of the Bangsamoro must continue the fight against poverty and terrorism, he further said. 

The regional governor also pointed out how technology can be a double-edged sword, with the youth becoming more vulnerable to misinformation as they gain access to the internet.

Meanwhile, Amir Mawallil, Executive Director of the Bangsamoro Youth Affairs (BYA) said ensuring the youth learns about the history of the Bangsamoro is crucial in developing the youth's consciousness. 

He said an awareness of Bangsamoro history is crucial to the success of the long-standing peace efforts involving the Bangsamoro. 

This is why, Mawallil said, the regional government will exert efforts on mainstreaming the discussion of Bangsamoro history among youth in the region through the OBYA. 

The Bangsamoro Week of Peace is celebrated every second week of March to commemorate the Jabidah Massacre which is considered a pivotal point of the Bangsamoro struggle. This year's theme is ‘Bangsamoro: Revisiting the Past, Continuing the Cause. 

Among the activities lined up for this week’s commemoration are  photo exhibit,  stage play, and a range of conferences and panel discussions including a forum on the Bangsamoro history conducted simultaneously in all provinces of the ARMM. (BPI/PIA-10)

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ARMM supports 'Rabies-Free Philippines by 2020' campaign

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), through its Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) and partner agencies, are taking steps to help achieve a rabies-free Philippines by 2020.

Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease of dogs and other domesticated animals, which is transmissible to humans through the pets' saliva.

The achievement of rabies-free Philippines by 2020 is the country’s goal to support the government’s drive of eliminating rabies-caused human deaths by 2030.

The DAF-ARMM has conducted a rabies awareness program on  March 8 to students at Broce Central Elementary School of Peace and the community in Broce, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

Dr. Norodin Kuit, ARMM’s regional anti-rabies coordinator, said the program was aimed at raising awareness on rabies and to call on Filipinos to prevent such disease through responsible pet ownership.

A mass vaccination of domesticated animals, especially dogs, was conducted during the program.

Veterinarian Cathy Moira of the Bureau of Animal Industry said that every 10 minutes, someone dies of rabies worldwide. Most affected are children 4-15 years old.

On the average, 1,100 Filipinos experience animal bites every day, and there were around 230 deaths in 2015 and 180 deaths in January to September 2016.

Dr. Moira advised that an animal bite patient should immediately wash the wound with soap or detergent under running water, disinfect wound with alcohol, consult a doctor and seek the nearest bite center in the locality for medical attention.

 

As of 2016, there are around 480 Animal Bite Treatment Centers in the country. In the ARMM, an animal bite center could be visited for consultation at the Maguindanao Provincial Hospital in the town of Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao.

Officials from the DAF-ARMM, meanwhile, encouraged residents to let their pets, especially dogs, to be vaccinated for free at the DAF-ARMM office at the regional compound in CotabatoCity.

Dr. Kuit said being a responsible pet owner would significantly help in preventing rabies. He advised that dogs and cat pets should be vaccinated against rabies at three months of age and every year thereafter. Pets should have proper nutrition, he said, dogs should be kept on leash and should not be allowed to roam freely in the streets.

He added that being educated with government legislation on rabies, such as Executive Order (E.O.) No. 84, series of 1999, and the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007 (R.A. 9482) would help would help pet owners.

“Information and education on rabies prevention measures, first aid for dog bites and other relevant facts concerning rabies are critical for its eradication,” E.O. 84 noted.

Under R.A. 9482, pet owners are required to “maintain control over their dog and not allow it to roam the street or any public place without a leash.” (BPI/PIA-10)

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CSC launches human resource excellence program in ARMM

The  Civil Service Commission (CSC) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has recently launched the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) aimed at promoting human resource excellence among agencies in the region.

Regional Director Leopoldo Roberto Valderosa Jr. of CSC-ARMM, said PRIME-HRM is a mechanism that supports the attainment of the CSC vision of becoming a Center of Excellence for Human Resource and Organization Development.

The PRIME-HRM assesses the agencies’ human resource management competencies, systems, and practices toward HR excellence. The program represents a more progressive system of assessment as it entails greater engagement not just of the human resource management officer but also the officials and the rank-and-file employees.

In addition, the program seeks to serve as the search mechanism for best practices in HRM and venue for exchange and development of expertise in the area of HRM between and among government agencies.

The program covers all national and local government agencies, including government-owned and -controlled corporations with original charter, state universities and colleges, as well as regional offices of agencies with human resource offices or units. (BPI/PIA-Lanao del Sur)

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TESDA ARMM opens 3,115 slots for two scholarship programs

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (TESDA-ARMM)  announced the availability of 3,115 slots under two scholarship programs of the agency.

Atty. Rasol Mitmug Jr, the Office of the Regional Governor’s chief of staff and concurrent TESDA-ARMM officer-in-charge, said applications for the Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) and Training for Work Scholarship (TWSP) are now open to the public.

The scholarship programs are aimed at addressing equity and access by providing direct financial assistance to deserving enrollees.

A total of 2,325 slots have been allocated under TWSP and 790 slots for PESFA.

The TESDA central office has earmarked P25 million for the two scholarship programs in the region.

The TWSP provides immediate interventions to meet the need for highly critical skills. Target beneficiaries under this program include, but not limited to, drug dependent surrenderers,  out-of-school youthh,  unemployed and underemployed, industry workers obtaining skills upgrading training programs, overseas Filipino workers and their dependents, basic and marginalized sectors, TVET trainers,  and other targeted special groups.

PESFA, on the other hand, offers educational grants to qualified and deserving college freshmen both in degree and non-degree courses. Under this program, beneficiaries must have completed at least 10 years of basic education; at least 15 years old at the start of the training; have taken the NCAE (National Career Assessment Examination); have an annual family income of not more than P300,000; must not be a recipient of any post-Grade 10 scholarship program; and must not have attended any post-secondary/college education program.

In October 2016, during the launching of the anti-poverty agenda of President Rodrigo Duterte, TESDA Director General Guiling Mamondiong said out-of-school youths and drug surrenderers are given priority in training courses offered by the agency.

“We are confident that these programs will help empower our people to become more productive members of society. These will give them opportunities through skills training that can either help them start a career, or a new business venture,” said the TESDA chief.

To avail themselves of the scholarship programs, applicants may visit the TESDA training office in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao. (BPI/PIA-10)

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Lumbatan town holds medical missionLumbatan town holds medical mission

The local government of Lumbatan held its third Municipal Development Council (MDC) meeting and medical mission in Brgy. Tambac on Feb. 27, 2017 to bring government closer to constituents.

Municipal Mayor Allan Lao the holding the MDC meeting in a public arena enables them to personally inform their constituents  their plans.

It also allows residents to convey their concerns to the municipal government officials.

During the meeting, heads of offices in the municipality gave presentations and updates regarding their programs and services.

Residents in Tambac, on the other hand, raised concerns on the absence of daycare center and elementary school in their vicinity and the difficulty in getting potable water as the remote community in the uplands of Lumbatan is dependent on rainwater, among others.

SinceNovember last year, the Lumbatanhas been conducting MDC monthly meetings in different barangays.

Jamaleah Benito, Lumbatan executive secretary, said they decided to bring with them different government services such as medical and dental mission to reach people from the remote barangays who find it difficult to go to the respective offices of the agencies concerned. (PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)

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